Home again home again, jiggety jig.

I know if you have become a follower of this mess (Krissy) or voyeur of sorts over the last few weeks (you know who you are), you probably also enjoy Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, because the level of intellect to enjoy both is about the same.  I am not here to judge you, even though you have shown some questionable decision making skills by following our journeys.  With that said, thank you for your interest.  This has given me some direction, of which I have had little for the last year.  Miki and I have been retired out of work on the loose now for one year and we are still adjusting...its a good thing.
Like the nursery rhyme "To Market,"  we have left and come home again a few times since being on the loose and once again we are home again.  We left North Carolina, where we have made some really nice, interesting friends, and 15 hours later we are back in Blue Springs.  Now it is those 15 hours that will consume part of this episode, but we will begin with our preparation to leave.
We spent our last evening with our friends and canoe instructors, Bunny and Janet, at a friend of theirs (and now ours) house, Lynn.  This is where the importance of whom you make acquaintances with becomes important (a life lesson I should have impressed upon my students more).  This was our third dinner we were invited to at someone's home (or in one case a pontoon boat) we didn't know because of whom we new.  Lynn and her husband, Miller, are both Professors of Sociology at Duke University.  They fell in love with NOC (the Nantahala Outdoor Center, for those of you joining late) back in the 80's and have worked for them on and off when not researching and teaching.  You never know who lives in those smoky mountains.
After a late night, we awoke to rain...again.  But before long it stopped and we began shutting down the "dog house" preparing to hit the road.

Our utility umbilical cords that make trailer life easy.

Rivaling NASA's Johnson Space Center, our control
panel houses the knobs and valves that make it all happen.

More life lines including 50 amp power cord, water filter
and hose connection, and cable hookup for their satellite tv.
Camping can be so primitive at times.

The logistics specialist is raising the landing gear so we can dock
the living quarters with the transport vehicle and jettison from this position...
sorry, I went to Space Camp once.

Google says it is about a 13+ hour drive home.  Do you drive part way or go all the way?  Well, against Miki's better judgement, ultimately we go all the way.  Stopping as often as we do to feed the beast (the truck), a Toyota Prius it is not, the dogs (and Miki) get walked and peed  at a rate that makes a long road trip possible.  Most of us have logged long periods of time in a vehicle and generally as the hours begin to stack up, the uglier side of the human psyche rears it's head.  They are not pretty, but the following pictures are witness to this less than attractive side of our travels.

Here, Miki reads about the adventures of two guys and the
Appalachian Trail...not so odd, but she is doing this in her underwear.

To the untrained eye, this may look like an email session, but upon
closer investigation, this is Miki doing an email session on Wallie's
phone...SHE IS USING TECHNOLOGY!  She's come a long way baby.

Letting the cat, Mulligan, drive...not the best decision
I've made, but I was able to rest my eyes for a few
minutes at a time. 

A little rest (thanks Mulligan) and some loud music can carry you
past the "sleepy" portion of the drive. 

Miki, and her 3 margaritas with dinner, starts the self-portrait
phase of the trip.  I'll spare you the shots of her foot, the hair
in my ear, and the pores on my nose (the macro setting can be a bit much)
...your welcome!

Here, Mulligan is crashing after a binge on Classic Lays potato chips.
He was so mellow the rest of the way home.

We arrived in St. Louis around 8:30 to a beautiful sunset and thought what's another 4 hours with my betrothed and pets in tow...let's keep going.  

I challenged Miki, having slept off her Margaritas, to see if she could
take a picture of the St. Louis Arch, while crossing the Mississippi
River bridge, and get a light pole smack dab in the middle of the photo.
Shazam, she is a photographic sevant.

I've tried to leave out the ugliest events from this sojourn to the east coast, but if I can't keep it real, what kind of blogginist am I?  Looking back on the last 4 weeks, I "screwed the pooch" (it's okay, I looked it up before using it appropriately) on a few decisions, like driving 15 hours straight, on some crappy roads while smelling the occasional dog fart (that is where Miki said it came from), but overall we saw some incredible sights, visited with some great people, and realized being retired is a learning process.  I will continue adding to this compendium of useless drivel as the spirit moves me, so you are invited to check back if you wish, but I have come to realize I write to entertain the love of my life, my Miki.

To Market

(adapted by moi)

To travel, to travel, this country's so big.
Home again, home again, jiggety jig.
To travel, to travel, with wife, cat, and dog,
Home again, home again, jiggety jog.
To travel, to travel, to relax and have fun,
Home again, home again, travel is done.