I resolved not to drive any excessive distances on any given day of my western road trip and to date I have been relatively successful. I’ve been on the road for nine days and I spent three nights at Carrie’s place in Raleigh and I am spending three nights at my sister’s place in Austin TX. At both places I have been confronted with either my flagging mental capacities or my decaying body. At Carrie’s, my grandson who recently came back from a chess tournament in Nashville TN, insisted that we play chess. I knew what was coming and I tried my best to avoid inflating his ego and deflating my own; but, he would not be put off. He remembers all too well the many years that I mockingly took advantage of his youthful inexperience to consistently beat him in ten moves or less. Don't let anyone miss lead you – revenge is sweet. I was fortunate to play our only game to a draw. I feigned exhaustion to avoid a tiebreaker. His brother Jon is working on getting his pilot’s license – he assures me that when, in a couple of years, I'm too old to drive he will be able to fly me anywhere I need to go. He is fulfilling my own childhood dream (sadly, my being colorblind sidelined that youthful ambition).
So, now I am at my sister’s house in Texas and I discovered she frequently goes for a walk in the morning. I am not unfamiliar with walking – Linda and I do it occasionally. I know that when we go for a walk at Great Brooks I will graciously slow my pace or wait for her to catch up to me. Our first morning together, Candace suggested we go for a short walk; that is, short for her. It was just a bit less than 7 miles. Not only could I not find my walking shoes but there is no way I could not keep up with her 6 mile per hour power-walking pace. Thankfully, there were benches along the way and I took full advantage of them; claiming I needed to remove the stones in my shoes. And then, there were the bladder rest stations that afforded me more face-saving rest stops. By the time we returned to the house I had a couple good size blisters. Today, she assumed I would love to go for another walk; after all, I had found my walking shoes and my blisters had a chance to heal overnight. She graciously suggested we take a shorter route – just 5 miles today. I think Candace is teaching me to be a little more considerate of my wife when we are out walking.
Tomorrow I plan to drive toward Albuquerque where I’ll see friends before heading to the Grand Canyon by way of Arizona backroads -- where the above picture was taken. After a few days breathing the high altitude air overlooking the Great Pit, I hope to spend a few death free days in Death Valley. I'll be stopping along the way in Boulder City NV to see some long-time friends. I'm looking forward to trying out my year-old tent that has never been used and I have a new camp stove that I received for Christmas -- I'm sure the open air cooking will enhance the flavor of my Dinty Moore Beef Stew.
Fresh never before published photographs are forthcoming.
So, now I am at my sister’s house in Texas and I discovered she frequently goes for a walk in the morning. I am not unfamiliar with walking – Linda and I do it occasionally. I know that when we go for a walk at Great Brooks I will graciously slow my pace or wait for her to catch up to me. Our first morning together, Candace suggested we go for a short walk; that is, short for her. It was just a bit less than 7 miles. Not only could I not find my walking shoes but there is no way I could not keep up with her 6 mile per hour power-walking pace. Thankfully, there were benches along the way and I took full advantage of them; claiming I needed to remove the stones in my shoes. And then, there were the bladder rest stations that afforded me more face-saving rest stops. By the time we returned to the house I had a couple good size blisters. Today, she assumed I would love to go for another walk; after all, I had found my walking shoes and my blisters had a chance to heal overnight. She graciously suggested we take a shorter route – just 5 miles today. I think Candace is teaching me to be a little more considerate of my wife when we are out walking.
Tomorrow I plan to drive toward Albuquerque where I’ll see friends before heading to the Grand Canyon by way of Arizona backroads -- where the above picture was taken. After a few days breathing the high altitude air overlooking the Great Pit, I hope to spend a few death free days in Death Valley. I'll be stopping along the way in Boulder City NV to see some long-time friends. I'm looking forward to trying out my year-old tent that has never been used and I have a new camp stove that I received for Christmas -- I'm sure the open air cooking will enhance the flavor of my Dinty Moore Beef Stew.
Fresh never before published photographs are forthcoming.
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