Author Archives: Sparky
TS_11 Hop 4: Athens TN to Savannah GA
408 miles via TN 30, US 411, TN 314, US 74, TN 68, GA 5, US 76, GA 52, G 183, GA 136, GA 211, US 29, GA 15, GA 86, I-16 and GA 204. Auto miles: 408. Cumulative route miles: 1407. Cumulative auto miles: 1500. This route was even more complicated than this – … Continue reading
TS_11 Hop 3: Luray VA to Athens TN
450 miles via US 340, I-81, I-40, I-75 and TN 30. Cumulative route miles: 999. Auto miles: 467. Cumulative auto miles: 1092. The extra auto miles were due to the visit to Luray Caverns before we left the farm. Actually, the route wasn’t quite this simple as the GPS detoured us near the intersection of … Continue reading
Two nights in Luray VA
We spent the weekend in Luray VA at a VRBO farm. But we were non-paying guests, there at the invitation of the owners, Jett’s son Devin and his wife Mary. Also there were their son, Zachary, their good friend and neighbor, Angie, and Devin’s twin brother Joshua and his wife Cristina. Two other couples joined … Continue reading
TS_11 Hop 2: Front Royal VA to Luray VA
44 miles via US 340, Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park, US 211, VA 674, VA 658 and VA 611. Auto miles: 120. Cumulative route miles: 549. Cumulative auto miles: 625. The extra auto miles were due to a late-night trip to a casino in West Virginia. We both lost money. Should have stayed … Continue reading
TS_11 Hop 1: New Salem MA to Front Royal VA
505 miles via US 202, I-291 (north of Springfield MA), I-91, I-84, I-81 and US 340. We stopped for fuel in Belchertown MA and took a bio break and picnic lunch in PA where Marlene took over the driving for the last 200 miles. Auto miles: 505. Cumulative route miles: 505. Cumulative auto miles: 505. … Continue reading
Eleventh trip south (TS_11) preview
The trip back to FL from MA will be a fairly quick trip – about a week on the road. It is not completely planned and we have not booked the nights we plan to spend in a hotel, so there is some flex in the plan. But it will probably go something like this: … Continue reading
Three nights in New Salem MA
We finished our brief MA vacation with three nights in New Salem MA, at the rustic cabin of Ray and Kim, Jett’s brother and sister-in-law. If you want quiet, have Kim and Ray invite you to their cabin. The first night, though, was not so quiet. At 5:30am I was wakened by Becky roaming about … Continue reading
Two nights in Maine
We took a 2-night vacation from our Massachusetts vacation to travel to Maine. There were several reasons for this: (1) see if I could find my brother again, (2) visit Acadia National Park for the second time in my life and (3) show Marlene what coastal Maine looks like. We successfully found my brother. Communication … Continue reading
A week in Worcester MA
We started our brief stay in MA with a week with Jett’s brother Ray and sister-in-law Kim in Worcester MA. They provided us with a comfortable bedroom with a TV and a nice bathroom. But, more importantly, they provided friendship. And some terrific meals. Kim is a wonderful cook. Maybe “chef” is a more apt … Continue reading
“The Last Juror” by John Grisham
Copyright 2004 by Belfry Holdings Inc. Published by Bantam Dell, a division of Random House Dell, New York. Grisham is noted for his legal thrillers. Usually the protagonist is a lawyer, a judge or some other officer of the court. This one is a bit different – the protagonist is a small-town newspaper editor. The … Continue reading