273 Miles

Albuquerque to Las Cruces, NM. Gas prices went up about 15 cents today. I drove down south 14 to 285 and around through Tularosa, Alamagordo, White Sands, then in to my friends Jennifer and Tommy's house, where i stayed the night.

403 Miles

Long hot drive. Down I-25 to I-10 and then off south into the Texas desert to finally end up at the Cottonwood Campground of Big Bend National Park. This is the furthest south i've ever been. Teco nearly waded across the Rio Grande into Mexico.

I passed a store in Valentine, TX called "El Cheapo Liquors"

On the road between Presidio and Lajitas there was a very short but steep hill (15% grade) that i had to go down into 1st gear to get up and over.

338 Miles

Saw a Javalina cross the road in Big Bend. Mailed some postcards from the park headquarters, then drove through Texas oil country to San Angelo State Park in San Angelo, TX.

I had the dogs tied up at the campsite when Teco saw a rabbit and took off after it. When he reached the end of the cable there was a POP! and his collar snapped in two. leaving him free to chase at will. Well, then i got on my bike and rode into town to buy a new collar. On the way through the park, i was vidotaped by someone and i stopped to ask what he was doing. It was a PBS show about Texas parks and he was doing San Angelo State Park that day. That shot of me was probably aired a couple weeks later on Texas TV.

380 Miles

East of San Angelo the countryside turns from mostly brown desert to mostly green cultivated fields. Things just got greener and greener as i headed east. I finally stopped for the night up in the woods at Neches Bluff campground, a rustic (and free) campground in the Crockett National Forest near Weches, TX.

318 Miles

On out of Texas into new states. I crossed into Louisiana and called the office to check on things and to get Wendy's parents phone number in Knoxville, TN, where i was eventually headed. I camped that night at the Clear Creek Campground in the Hemochitto National Forest in Mississippi. I went for a swim in the lake at the campground that evening.

300 Miles (plus the distance across Mobile Bay by ferry)

Drove south, back into Louisiana for a bit, along the worst paved road i've ever driven on, and then back into Mississippi. Somewhere along here i picked up a great funk and soul radio station which i was grooving to for a while. Stopped at Gulf Islands National Seashore for lunch, then drove down to Dauphin Island and caught the ferry from there to Ft. Morgan.

I arrived at the ferry dock just as the ferry was leaving, so i had to wait an hour to catch the next one (but i was the first in line). On the ferry i got to talking with a guy who had 6 dogs in his truck and i mentioned that i'd heard that there was a dog beach in Ft. Morgan. I asked the guy at the ferry ticket booth if he knew where that might be and he gave me directions, so i took the dogs to the ocean for the first time. Both of them were a little freaked out by the waves but Teco figured it out pretty quickly and waded around in the surf. Seera remained terrified of the breaking waves and wouldn't go in the water, but had a blast running around in the sand. As we left, the guy with the 6 dogs was pulling in.

Camped that night at Gulf State Park in Alabama. The dogs stayed leashed while i was there since i wasn't too keen on them wading around in alligator-infested waters.

268 Miles

I drove along the coast for a while, into Florida, then turned north and stayed the night at Lake Point Resort State Park, just north of Eufala, AL. This campground had a payphone outside the ranger station with a data-port on it, so i called in to check my email.

305 Miles

Drove across Georgia, past lots of pine tree plantations, to Elijah Clarke State Park north of Augusta. I'd noticed as i was heading eastward that state park camping fees were rising. Georgia's was almost $30 i think! Geez. There were two large camping areas in the park and there was only one other person camping in the area i was in (and they were on the other side so i couldn't even see them) so i was letting the dogs roam around my campsite. A ranger came by and told me that i had to tie them up or i'd get fined. Yeah, ok, whatever. I untied them as soon as he left.

288 Miles

Across the river into South Carolina, back into Georgia for a bit, into North Carolina, then through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and on up to David and Sandy White's house (Wendy's parents) in Knoxville, TN.

Teco hanging out in the White's driveway.

I stayed in Knoxville for a week, turning bowls and hanging out. I visited with my friend Missy and played ultimate with some Knoxville ultimate players. I was getting ready to leave when my real estate agent called and told me that i'd gotten 2 offers on my house. So i stuck around an extra day while the new offers came in. The house sold for the asking price, $195,000!! So i left Knoxville once all the papers were signed and faxed.

One of the bowls i turned while in Knoxville.

403 Miles

Left Knoxville and headed over to Kentucky. Upon entering Kentucky, i'd been in every one of the lower 48 US states. I wound around Kentucky and into West Virginia. At some little town i stopped at a community center and asked if there was somewhere i could check my email. They let me use a computer in their computer center (for free) and i got the email that i needed: directions to Rod Klein's house in Athens, WV. So i drove another hour or two and pulled into scenic Athens.

I stayed the day with Rod and Karen. While their kids (Hayley, Hunter, Sophie, and Maya) were off at school, we went up to New River Gorge National River and hiked to a scenic overlook. Then we had a good lunch at a funky eatery in a cool little town, then drove back in time for the kids to come home from school and then have soccer practice.

282 Miles

Drove northeastward through West Virginia and that little tip of Maryland and into Pennsylvania. I paid $2.11/gallon for gas in Maryland! I was heading for Ohiopyle State Park for the night but when i got there i was informed that there were no dogs allowed at all in the campground (or at most other PA state park campgrounds!) so i had to drive over to a commercial campground which just sucked. The roads were terrible, the pit-toilets stank, it was on the side of a hill... Fortunately there weren't any other campers there (i can see why) so at least the dogs could run around.

243 Miles

Ohiopyle, PA (that's where the Frank Lloyd Wright house "Falling Waters" is) to Baumunk's lake near Shunk, PA. Unhooked the trailer and unpacked for the summer.

Got up the next morning and this doe was standing about 30 feet from the front door. I talked to her for a minute, telling her that she'd better scoot. She didn't, so i opened the screen door and the dogs took off after her. Then she ran, and easily outran the dogs into the woods.

That first week at the lake was pretty hot and sunny.

My brother Jason and a bunch of his friends arrive for the Memorial Day weekend.

And then it started raining...