Finally A Plan

Is Thanksgiving over?  The weekend just went on and on.  It seemed like we got caught up in a whirlwind and couldn’t get out.  Finally, today, we’re regaining control.

This all started with the news, or maybe it was a bombshell, my mother dropped at the Thanksgiving dinner table.  She announced that my father had to have hip replacement.    At his age, that’s not uncommon so it wasn’t too much of a surprise.  They’re both getting up there in years and we sorta expect a health emergency at any moment.  At the dinner table on Thursday, she explained that he had been on a regular visit to one of his many other doctors who had noticed him limping, ordered a CAT scan, and sent him to an orthopedic surgeon.  The appointment with the surgeon was today.

That news sent Gene and I into emergency elderly care-giving mode and we have spent the rest of the weekend trying to decide what to do and make plans accordingly.  Our original plan was to leave Nashville heading south on Saturday or Sunday following Thanksgiving depending on how long my brother stayed in town.  Our travel plans included a stop for several days of hiking at Bankshead National Forest between Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama before continuing south to Summerdale.

As it turned out my brother was leaving on Saturday so we would have been on our way, as well.  Mother said they wanted to have the surgery as soon as possible, but we knew that would depend on several factors.  My dad would have to be weaned off blood thinners before surgery could be done, and then there was the matter of the surgeon’s schedule as well as availability of operating room space.   After much deliberation, Gene and I decided to hang around Nashville until today to get the latest information from the surgeon before leaving town. We didn’t want to get to Birmingham only to have to come back at the end of the week assuming they were able to get surgery scheduled that quickly.  May I say this has been the longest weekend in the world?

The old farmhouse after years of neglect.

Friday, we were totally engaged and had almost more to do than we had time for.  Gene went for a hike at Warner Park and I went with my brother, my mother, and her two brothers down to “the country”.  I think this little trip is turning into a regular Thanksgiving tradition.  My mother is from the tiny community of Coble in Hickman County, about 60 miles south of Nashville.  Her line of the Lancaster family moved to this area in the early 1800s and her father owned a farm in Coble until late in his life.  My brother and I spent many, many summers on that farm and have a head full of memories of those times.  The farm is no longer intact, having been divided and sold to various people.  A new road has taken part of the land.  The old farm house was torn down and moved to some place in Georgia some 20-25 years ago.  The barn has collapsed on itself and there’s nothing but a pile of rotting wood in its place.  The only thing that remains the same is the springhouse.  It actually makes me a little sad to go down there, but I do enjoy hearing the stories that my uncles always tell on these trips.  And, I enjoy going to the cemeteries.

So Friday was our annual sojourn to the country, but much of the talk and all of my thoughts was centered around how much help my mother was going to need during the weeks my father was recovering from hip surgery.  We all agreed she was going to need around-the-clock help.  At 87 she just doesn’t have the physical stamina to run a household and care for the sick.  We also felt like she didn’t need to be there alone at night while he was in the hospital or a rehab facility.

The springhouse still looks like this today.

Saturday, Gene and I tried to get all our own household chores done.  With the cooking and visiting, things had sorta piled up around our home.  At the end of a busy day, Gene was relaxing a bit, minding his own business, surfing on the computer.  All of a sudden, he got an alert from McAfee and his computer went down.  His computer is like his lifeblood, so it wasn’t a happy moment.  It being Saturday didn’t help.  He had to suffer all through Sunday before he cold call for help.

Late Saturday afternoon the rains came.  Remember that leak I mentioned last week that we put on the back burner.  Rain brought that to the forefront.  And, boy, has it ever rained--nonstop since Saturday evening and is predicted to continue into tomorrow.  The flood advisories started Sunday afternoon.  Since we knew the rain was coming, at least that’s what the forecasters said, Gene went out on Saturday morning and did a little caulking on the roof where he noticed old caulking was peeling some.  That didn’t solve the problem.  We have kept towels on the floor to catch the water as it runs down the wall.  That has been a pain to do, but at least the carpet is not very wet.

We struggled through Sunday.  Worship was good, but the leak and elder-care were our constant companions as the rain continued to fall.  I think it was that helpless feeling that was the worst--no RV service centers open, no computer, and just waiting on a doctor’s appointment.  We were anxious for Monday morning.

We got up this morning, drank that coffee and watched the clock as it slowly crept toward 8 AM.  At the magic hour, Gene got on the phone to get his computer fixed.  He was encouraged to learn that it could be fixed for just $109.  We loaded up in the car and headed over to Donelson and the computer fix-it store.  Just so happened, the computer store was next door to a donut store.  Well, now, how convenient.  Gene had decided to leave the computer, even if that meant not getting it back before we left town.

We had some banking to take care of, so that was next on our list.  On the way home, we stopped by Camping World to set up our service appointment.  Gene had already called our RV dealer and they’re pretty booked with service until next week.  When he called Camping World, they could take us tomorrow.

We were feeling pretty good.  We were getting things done.  We were in control again, but we were still waiting for a report from the doctor.  Then mother calls about lunch time.  X-rays revealed nothing wrong with my father’s hip.  He has some back issues, but that’s not new.  No surgery needed.  That’s really good news and we’re thrilled, but who started this rumor?

Anyway, this afternoon we sat down to reevaluate.  We’ve decided to hang around town until the computer is fixed which should be in a couple of days, three at the most.  We have an appointment to get the leak fixed, hopefully, tomorrow.  Whew, glad that’s settled.  By the way, there’s snow in tonight’s forecast.

That’s plenty for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Now Look Who's Stuffed

Now look who’s stuffed--it sure ain’t the turkey!

Finished my cooking this morning.  The cranberry salad was a hit and really very easy to make.  I used one can of whole berry cranberry sauce and added one small can of crushed pineapple, one finely  chopped apple, and one cup of chopped pecans.  I dissolved one large box of red jello in three fourths cup of boiling water and stirred it in with the fruit along with three-fourths cup of orange juice.  For the creamy part in the middle--that's just a cup of whipping cream whipped with an 8 oz package of softened cream cheese blended until smooth.

Everybody stood around the kitchen while the last minute preparations were made.

As usual, there was plenty of food

And an ample selection of desserts

Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving day.  We certainly did with lots of family, feasting, fellowship, and football.  Us ladies also had plenty cooking, cleaning, and chatting going on in the kitchen before and after the big meal.

Almost time to eat.

Pretty sad looking bird by the end of the meal.

Added to all our other many blessings, the sun finally came out (first time since last Friday) and we had a gorgeous fall day.

There was football to watch

We wanted a picture of the siblings, but they were a hard group to control.

Took several tries to get this photo of Carl, Vera, Betty, and Edd.

Don't worry about the Peanut.  He had his turkey, too.

And his nap after the big meal.

The photos tell the story of today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, this holiday is upon us and I’m in the thick of things in the kitchen.  First a few words about the RV issues we were dealing with yesterday.

We trotted on over to Camping World bright and early this morning with our broken Even Brake.  For $69 they ran a diagnostic and told us it was broken.  They recommended we send it back to Roadmaster.  They’d be happy to do for $400 plus shipping.  We figured we could do it ourselves, so we drove on over to the UPS Store and, hopefully, this afternoon it’s on its way to the West coast.

Since we’re not the original owners we had wondered how old that Even Brake was.  When Gene called Roadmaster this afternoon to get the shipping instructions, they asked for a serial number.  That’s when we got an idea about the age of the Even Brake.  The representative said they started serial numbers with 6000 and now they are up to 26000.  Our serial number is somewhere in the 8000 group.  Getting pretty old, I’d say.  Anyway, for $300 they will replace all the components and send it back to us like new.  Sure beats buying a new one.

There were a couple comments about exercising the motorhome engine.  Bob mentioned the use of Sta-bil.  This is a fuel additive that works some sort of magic in the fuel tank and is very helpful if the motorhome (or any vehicle) is sitting for a long period of time.  Sta-bil is for gasoline, but there is an equivalent product for diesel.  I’m really not a mechanic, so this stuff is way out of my league.  However, I do know this.  Whenever there was a conversation about exercising the engine to keep the seals lubricated, somehow the conversation always came around to a discussion about gasoline stabilizers.  I stayed confused for two weeks thinking they were somehow related.

By the time we got finished at Camping World and the UPS Store and got back home it was mid-afternoon.  I hadn’t even started my cooking for tomorrow, but we were having dinner with Jack, Ansley, and Kayley, so didn’t really have time to do much this afternoon.  I did get my eggs boiled and peeled for deviled eggs.

The other thing I’ve been assigned is cranberry salad.  I found a recipe which sounded yummy, but is a little involved.  After we got back home this evening, I got started with that.  It’s basically red jello with cranberries, apples, pineapple, and pecans.  The recipe calls for part orange juice instead of all water to make the jello.  I got that part done.  Tomorrow morning I’ll finish up with the cream cheese and whipped cream.

The last thing on my list to bring is sweet potato casserole.  That’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning.  The worst part about that is cooking the sweet potatoes.  Since I mash them anyway, I’ll probably just “bake” them in the microwave.  That’ll be a lot easier than peeling, chopping and boiling potatoes.

On this Thanksgiving Eve we want to give a great big welcome to our latest followers, Karen and Al at Rv Travels with Karen and Al.  Glad to have you tagging along.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone and thanks for tagging along.

RV Issues

I’ve been silent the past couple days trying to get my head wrapped around the almost constant rain, the leaks, and the failing braking system.  I’m not sure I’ve processed it all, but at least I feel like I can write about it without it sounding like a rant. I thought a couple flower pictures from times past might make things a little more cheery.

It was cloudy most of the day Saturday and started raining sometime during the evening.  We’ve had a few hours of occasional sprinkles yesterday afternoon, but for the most part it has rained nonstop since it started and some of that time very hard with accompanying thunder and lightning.  I don’t mind the rain.  I don’t even mind hiking in the rain if it isn’t a downpour, but by the third day I’m not so happy with rain anymore.  It’s hard to keep that pep in my step, a smile on my face, and a perky attitude.

That’s where I am with the weather.  Now let’s add to that the leak business.  I was convinced our leaks were fixed, but apparently not.  Well, let me rephrase that--all of the places where we noticed water before are dry.  Now we have water that seems to be coming in at the very back passenger-side corner in our bedroom.  Not sure if this is a new leak or an old one that has just found a different spot to show itself.  Whichever, it’s a problem.

Gene has decided to put the leak on the back burner for the time being and concentrate on the failing Even Brake.  Roadmaster Even Brake is the brand braking system we use in our car when it’s being towed.  We inherited this system when we purchased this Class C so we’re not sure towing hours (miles) it has on it.  Our understanding from our dealer is that the original owner of our motor home had had a Class A before purchasing this Class C.  That Even Brake could have been used for a long time.  Anyway, Sunday morning when we hitched up to come back to Nashville, Gene connected the Even Brake and ran it through the test cycle.  The Even Brake would not complete the test cycle and displayed the red “failed test” light.  That had happened only once before during the year we’ve been using it and that time it was a matter of not having the device attached to the brake pedal properly.  Gene undid everything and started over only to get the same red light result.    He fiddled with it for a while (in the rain) and finally decided just to tow without it the 100 miles back to Nashville.

Monday morning, while I was at the doctor’s office for my annual physical, he read every word of the Even Brake owner’s manual.  During the respite from the rains yesterday afternoon, he worked with it again, but always with the same result.  He called the Even Brake folks in Portland, Oregon and for a mere $300 he can package the whole thing up and mail it to them and they will be happy to fix whatever’s wrong.  That’s a whole lot less money then either of us thought it would be so we’re happy with that.  However, before we send our equipment across the continent, Gene thought a trip to our local Camping World would be in order.  This is the same Camping World that installed the second car towing package, including the Even Brake components, last fall.  We have an appointment with them Wednesday morning.  Sure hope they can fix the problem and sure hope it doesn’t take all day.

Mountain Avens

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Gene was researching a question that had come up about exercising the motorhome engine during the times when we sit for several months without moving.  We had heard from other motorhome owners that the engine should be exercised once a month by driving it about 100 miles.  The question came up when Gene saw in the May/June issue of Escapee Magazine a question to Mark Nemeth.  Here’s that question:  “I have a question related to my new engine in my 1995 Bounder with 454 Chevy.  I am usually parked 10 months of the year, so should I start the engine and run it periodically?  How often and how long should I run it to keep the seals from drying out?”

This is Mark’s answer:  “The best thing would be to actually drive the RV for 30 miles or so every month or two.  That also helps keep brakes free, tires exercised and all fluids circulated.  If that’s not possible, you should run the engine once a month at 1,000 to 1,200 RPM until it reaches operating temperature (or at least 30 minutes).”

In the Jun/July issue of Escapee Magazine, Mark had this to say about that same question--”I may need to rethink that strategy”.  That comment was prompted by a comment he received from another reader who had this to say about that:  “I was given a differing opinion by the Ford Motorhome Chassis Hotline.....I was told that the most harmful thing that is done to an RV engine is the dry start, which they define as one where the oil has had time to completely drain from the bearing surfaces, and they say that period is between two weeks and one month.”  This reader was also told that “the second most harmful thing done to most motorhome engines is to start it and allow it to idle and, that even if you increase the engine RPM, it is very hard on valves and other components to start it unless you are going to drive it for at least 20 miles at highway speeds.”

I’ll have to say that makes a whole lot of sense.  Gene thought so, too, so he asked around.  He called the Ford Motorhome hotline and they told him that if your only sitting a couple months, don’t worry about it.  They also suggested that if possible it should be started every couple weeks and idle for 20-30 minutes.  What?  Obviously, hotline folks at Ford are not in agreement.  Since Gene was taking our motorhome in for service, he also asked the folks at Mid Tennessee Truck for their advise.  They suggested driving it at least 30 miles every month or even every 2 weeks.  He also called Four Winds Hotline and their response to the question was “call Ford”.  I’m not sure this issue has been resolved.  I’m not sure we’ve learned anything, either, except maybe that everybody has a different answer.

Arctic Poppy

By the way, this week marks our 6th year anniversary as full-time RVers.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Hiking with Clarksville Chapter TTA

Tennessee Trails Association is a state wide hiking club with chapters in various location across the state.  Gene and I belong to the Nashville chapter, but enjoy hiking with other chapters.  Today the Clarksville chapter had a hike scheduled at Meriwether Lewis.  We called to register with the hike leader and met the group this morning at the trailhead parking lot.

The group was spread out along the trail like a week's worth of wash.

Counting us there were thirteen in the group.  We got started about 9:30 on the 4-mile loop trail which begins behind the Grinder House.  The trail is much like Devil’s Backbone which we did yesterday in that it starts on the ridge and drops down to the creek.  At the creek we passed through a large picnic area with picnic tables and a restroom.  It was the perfect place for our lunch break.

After food and lots of socializing we continued on our walk.  Again, like yesterday’s hike we climbed away from the creek back to the ridge top, but unlike yesterday’s hike we dropped back down again and had to come back up.  Those hill climbs provided a good workout and I think the entire group was glad to see the ridge top following the final ascent.

The trail is well maintained and well marked, but there were several blow downs during the storms last week that haven’t been cleared.  There was nothing we couldn’t get over easily.

It's never a good sign when a group gathers to consult the map.
That's my man in the orange cap, and Paul, our leader, in the red shirt.

We enjoyed hiking with the group.  We know several people in the Clarksville chapter and now we know a few more.  The hike was led by Paul, the Clarksville chapter chair, and he did an excellent job.  We were never lost, although there was lots of map consulting, and all hikers were accounted for at the end of the hike.  It’s always a plus when the leader gets back to the car with as many as he left with.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing.  Tomorrow, we head back to Nashville and will be staying at the campground in Joelton.

That’s all for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Devil's Backbone

I think winter rolled in overnight.  We woke up to a very chilly 28 degrees.  They were predicting 24 and I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t get there.  We had the furnace turned down to about 60, but it ran most of the night anyway.  We were snug as bugs under our down comforter.  Peanut split his time between the floor in front of the heat duct in the bathroom and under the comforter.  Cat life is good.

A little nip in the air didn’t deter us from our hike at Devil’s Backbone State Natural Area located about 10 miles north on the Parkway.  With a name like “Devil’s Backbone” you might think it is a tough trail to hike, but not so.  It’s a pretty easy walk in the woods.  According to the signage, the entire trail is 3 miles in length. There is a half mile connector from the parking lot to a 2-mile loop.  The trail starts on the Highland Rim and follows the ridge line for about a mile before dropping down a couple hundred feet to a small creek, then climbs back up to the ridge.  The trail is in good condition, but all those beautiful leaves that were on the trees last week are now on the trail covering a multitude of rocks, roots, and ruts.  We took it slow and easy.

This was the only blowdown we couldn't just step over so we used it for a break spot.

We followed the creek for a short distance.

Hot chocolate tasted good on a cold morning.

On our way back to Meriwether Lewis, we stopped at Fall Hollow pull-out.  There is a short trail which leads to Fall Hollow Falls.  Actually, there are two different falls and the trail passes both.  There was quite a bit of water for this time of year.  Maybe the rains this week had something to do with it.  Even though it was about noon when we were there, there was still some ice around the falls.  We had debated whether to stop on the way to Devil’s Backbone.  If we had, the falls might have been a real winter wonderland.   The wet spots on the trail would have been icy, too.  That wouldn’t have been so good.

Judy of Travel’s with Emma fame, asked if the sites here at Meriwether Lewis are large enough to accommodate big rigs.  They are indeed.  Of course, some are larger than others.  There are two different type sites here.  There are back-ins and there are the half-moon or semi-circular type pull-thrus.  We are in the semi-circular type and it is maybe 60 ft long.  Most of the back-ins are 40-50 feet.  Of course, this is a wooded area and the trees may be a problem with slides.  However, we have neighbors on either side of us in 35-40 foot 5ers with opposing slides and there’s plenty of room.  There is also plenty of room for their trucks on the site, also.  This is the hills of Tennessee and there are varying degrees of level, but most are pretty good.

I mentioned yesterday that the interior roads have been repaved.  On the main road just before the turn into the campground, they have added a pull-out.  I don’t know what their intended purpose was, but it looks like the perfect place to disconnect your towed (or is that “toad”).

There are 2 other free campgrounds on the Parkway.  We have stayed at both of them and they are very similar to Meriwether Lewis.  All will accommodate big rigs.

One of the things on our “to do” list is to drive the Trace exploring its nooks and crannies, hiking its trails, and learning its history.  I expect it would take between one and two weeks to do it well.  There is even a guidebook, I think.

Another thing Judy wanted to know was if I use the generator to keep my computer charged.  I have an Apple computer and its battery will stay charged much longer than Gene’s PC.  I can get almost 3 hours of time on the computer before the battery has to be recharged.  Whenever we run the generator, which is usually once a day for about a hour, I make sure the computer and air card are plugged in.

That’s all for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Meriwether Lewis, Again

First time we've been hitched up since September

We made the move today from Millersville, just north of Nashville, to Meriwether Lewis, near Columbia southwest of Nashville, on the Natchez Trace Parkway.  The rains of the past two days are gone and we had a beautiful drive with bright blue skies.  It’s cold out there, though.  Also gone are our warm temperatures.

Crossed the Cumberland River as we made our way out of Nashville

Natchez Trace Parkway bridge over Highway 96

Not much traffic on the Parkway today.

We were very surprised upon arrival at Meriwether Lewis.  We were here for a few days last fall and since that time all roads in the entire park, including the campground, are new; so new they almost don’t look like they’ve been driven on.  In the campground, the interior roads as well as the parking pads have all been repaved.  The Natchez Trace is a unit of the National Park Service and the campgrounds along the Parkway are free.  However, there is no electricity and no dump stations, at least at Meriwether Lewis.  There are central water spigots and these have also been replaced.  Each site has a picnic table (ours looks fairly new) and a fire ring.  The campground is located along the ridge top so we have a nice view down into the valley.

Settled in for a few days

These campgrounds along the Natchez Trace are popular in the fall, especially with snowbirds from Canada.  I was concerned we might not get a site, but I shouldn’t have worried.  There are 30 or so sites here and only about 8 are occupied.  However, our nearest neighbor is from Ontario.

New trail signs to go along with the new roads

With the rains the past couple days we haven’t gotten much exercise.  Once we got set up (and there’s not much setting up to do when there are no utilities to hook up) we went out for a little leg stretcher.  There are several miles of trail here, but we didn’t have a lot of time for a real hike, so we just walked up the road to the Old Trace and cut across to the area were Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark fame, died.

And new split rail fences

There are several areas along the Parkway in which you can clearly see the historic old trace.  The Old Trace is part of the established trail system within Meriwether Lewis.  In October, 1809 Lewis came to this point on the Trace to spend the night at the Grinder Stand.  During the wee hours of the night he took his own life.  Some believe he may have been murdered, but most scholars lean toward suicide.  Anyway, Meriwether Lewis is buried here near where the Grinder House once stood.

Replica of the Grinder House

All that remains of the original Grinder house where Lewis died

Today, a replica of the Grinder House serves as a small park office on one side of the house with a small display about Meriwether Lewis and other historical sites along the Natchez Trace.

Lewis is buried beneath this monument.

Around the Lewis grave are the graves of several pioneers who lived in the area.

Our plan is to be here until Sunday.  Tomorrow, we want to do a little hiking just north of here at Devil’s Backbone and Saturday, the Clarksville chapter of Tennessee Trails will be hiking here.  We hope to join them for that hike.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Rain, Rain

As the forecasters promised, the rain started in the wee hours of the morning and has continued all day long.  They say it will be our constant companion through tomorrow.  What to do on a rainy day?  We chose Christmas shopping.

Shopping is not our favorite thing to do and Gene actually did most of it online yesterday.  Amazon is my friend.  However, there are a few items on our list for granddaughter, Kayley, that I wanted to touch personally before purchasing.  Off we went.

I won’t bore you with all the details of our morning shopping spree.  Besides, I don’t want to give any secrets away.  But.....one stop was at Toys R Us.  We haven’t been in a toy store in years and I was quite amazed at the broad-reaching selection in toys. When I was a child I got to choose between a doll or a plastic tea cup.

We roamed around until we found what we were looking for.  In our roaming we saw many, many things.  My favorite was the “latches board”.  For ages 3 and up, toddlers can now learn how to unlock all the doors, cabinets, and windows in your home.

That’s all from me today.  Thanks for tagging along

Historic Mansker's Station

Our wonderful fall weather seems to be going downhill over the past couple days.  We had some pretty stout winds blow through over the weekend.  That’s died down now, thank goodness, but it brought the clouds and overcast skies.  Big rain is in the forecast for tomorrow.  We certainly can’t complain.  We have enjoyed a very long stretch of almost perfect fall weather.

Gene had a couple errands to take care of downtown this morning so we couldn’t do our usual Monday hike.  We didn’t want to sit around without getting any exercise though, so after lunch we drove over to Mansker’s Station and Moss-Wright Park.

Mansker's Station was something like this.

Mansker’s Station is a reconstruction of a typical frontier station that might have been found in any of the early Cumberland settlements.  Kasper Mansker established a station on Mansker Creek in the 1780s after coming to the area as a long hunter and this reconstruction would be similar to his station, although it wasn’t located on this site.  During the summer months re-enactors dressed in period costume are busy at the station doing all the things occupants would have done in the late 1700s.  Today, of course, it was closed.

The Bowen Plantation House

A look at the back of the house

Also on the site is the Bowen Plantation House.  This frontier home was built by Revolutionary War veteran Captain William Bowen just a few years after Mansker built his station.  The house has been restored and tours are offered on the weekends during spring, summer, and fall.  Today, of course, it was closed.

The outdoor oven is still used by re-enactors

The old well

And the cemetery

Adjacent to the Mansker’s Station complex is Moss-Wright Park.  This is a Goodlettsville city park and has a playground for small children, softball and soccer fields for older kids, and a doggie park for dogs, young and old.  Around the whole area, Mansker’s Station and Moss-Wright Park, is a loop path two and a quarter miles in length.  That’s were we went for our walk.  Most of this loop is paved with a short half mile portion which is gravel.  Because it’s a short loop, it’s not suitable for bicycles and there are no pets allowed.  It’s strictly a jogging and walking path and we saw a few of each as we made our way around the loop.

We found these bat houses along our walk

While Gene was away this morning, I started the process of copying the Trip Journal posts from our New York trip in 2008.  I’ll start entering those into Blogger tomorrow.  The 2008 Appalachian Trail entries are all now posted on Blogger.  The process takes a little time, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.  I thought I was going to have to search through my CDs for the photos, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.  I can copy the photos from the Trip Journal page.  It is so easy.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.