Home Day 11 - Lexington to Bristol, TN 10/03

Left Lexington: 8:45

Arrive Bristol:  1:20

Miles Traveled:  224.4

Weather:  Hot!!  80s.

We were looking forward to a shorter day and arriving at our new home.  The mountains here are beautiful; old and wise we recently heard one woman describe them.  We enjoyed seeing familiar names on the road signs, Roanoke, Cumberland Gap and Knoxville, while we continued to listen to Bobby Bones on our favorite Anchorage radio station.  The route had been planned specifically so we would not drive through Virginia.  We had kept our Virginia plates and our inspection sticker had expired in March.  I thought it was unlikely to be a big deal but it was unlawful and why risk it.  So, we were very surprised when we entered Virginia!  Still not sure what happened, but either Ms. Google or I had miscalculated.  We were on a two lane, twisty, countryside road for about 60 miles.  Sal, who was, of course, driving, thought just drive carefully so there would be no need for anyone to stop us.  So, surprise, surprise when we rounded a bend and there, early afternoon, was a police license check. Are you kidding me!!  When it was our turn, Sal showed her license and we held our breaths.  Maybe he would not even notice.  The officer handed back the license and tapped the windshield.  “Get that taken care of,” was all he said.  “Yes, sir.  Tomorrow,” Sal replied, and we were back on our way.  Whew.  

The apartment lady met us at our door and gave us keys and informational papers.  They seem fairly strict about things here or Anchorage was pretty laid back.  I expect the latter.  Anyway, the apartment is three levels.  A huge garage on the bottom level, a big living area, half bath and decent-sized kitchen on the first floor, and three bedrooms, two baths on the second floor.  We learned talking with Larry, the maintenance man for our complex, that it’s all new; new hardwood, carpeting and a beautiful new refrigerator, although we can’t figure out how to make the ice-maker turn on. 😕

We unloaded all from the car.  It was hot work.  How did we fit all that stuff into our Hyundai?  We had had to leave the step stool behind because there wasn’t room in the car, so unloading the car top carrier had to wait.  Fine with me.  We sat on our two camp chairs a bit and hydrated.  After cooling down we made our plan for the afternoon.  Dinner at Chick-fil-A, then Sal’s favorite new hobby, thrifting at Goodwill for maybe a lamp and a few items we had had to leave behind, then Kroger for milk and cleaning supplies.  And broccoli.  I just seem to feel more comfortable when broccoli is in the freezer.  Silly, but I feel if there is broccoli and rice or pasta, I can make a dinner.

We did all that, plus discovered an Amvets store where we hit the jackpot with trash cans, a cheap side table and a “brass” coat tree which makes a statement and is useful until we can get our stuff delivered from Richmond. We got home and found Grey in the corner of my closet.  Now, two days later, it continues to be his safe spot, I suppose.  

We all had quite a trip from Anchorage to Bristol, 4,450 miles total, and it will take a while for all of us to adjust. We definitely miss Alaska and friends there and are glad we can continue to keep in touch via text.  But our niece Katherine has already visited us and son John is coming on Sunday, and family was what I was missing.  We will return to Alaska, absolutely, but I’m ready to enjoy some baby showers, birthdays and holidays with my much loved family.  For the time being, we are home.

Homeward Bound Day 10 - Ann Arbor MI to Lexington KY 10/02

Depart: Ann Arbor MI 10:30am

Arrive: Lexington KY 4:30 pm

Miles: Traveled 332.8

Weather: Sunny and warm. Temps in the low 80s

We decided a few days ago to add a day to our trip. Our original plan has us driving nine hours today. We weren't looking forward to getting up at 5:00am in order to arrive in Bristol by 3:30 or 4:00 so we split the day.  

We enjoy a slower morning since we aren't driving as far.  We have an extra cup of coffee at breakfast. We spend time critiquing this artwork hanging in the hotel's breakfast room.

The images selected for Alaska first catch our attention. The placement of the igloo and tree don't meet with our approval.  Igloos were used by the Inuit who lived above the Arctic Circle.  Why did the artist place the igloo above the Aleutian Islands? We also think the artist used the wrong tree siluette and placed it too far north. We find other things we don't agree with.  Mt. Rushmore doesn't look like it is in South Dakota and the Statue of Liberty doesn't look like it is in New York.  While I don't agree with all the artist's decisions, I actually like this piece of art.

We take care of some business chores.  BB calls and sets up an appointment for getting internet at our new apartment. I call Allstate to cancel insurance on our Anchorage apartment.  

The drive to Lexington reintroduces us to interstate traffic.  There are several workzones on US 23 and I75. Traffic slows and backs up at each of them.  Tractor-trailers are out in force.  It isn't unusual to see 6 or 7 traveling together.

Traffic looks like this for most of our drive.

We see Love's Travel Stops!  Love's and Sheetz are our favorite places to stop when traveling.  We stop at the Love's  in Sydney, Ohio.  It is a wonderful stop!  BB and I have duties when we stop for gas.  BB fills the tank and I clean the windows.  The sponge/squeegee has a long handle and appears brand new!   The bucket has window washer liquid in it instead of water! The price of gas is the lowest we've seen in a year, $3.14.  And there is a fenced in dog park! Just a wonderful stop.

Our night's lodging in Lexington is at a Homewood Suites by Hilton. It's basically a small apartment as it has a bedroom, living room with kitchen and a bathroom.  All the places we've stayed this trip have been great.  Thanks, BB, for all the research you put into finding our lodging!

Today wasn't an exciting day, but it was a good day.

Sal

Homeward Bound Day 9 - Marquette MI to Ann Arbor MI

Depart Marquette:  9:30

Arrive Ann Arbor:7:50

Miles Driven:  

Weather:  Foggy in morning, some rain, some sun

Didn’t seem fair to drive clear across the country and not get Sal at least one National Park passport stamp.  Today was the day.  We had shared a bench with a couple from Michigan while we were at the McCarthy 4th of July parade.  They were happy to talk about their state and raved about Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  So, we put that on our route and cut our driving for the day to just 6.5 hours to allow for some park time.

We got to Marquette after dark last night so we were not able to enjoy the Lake Superior view from our room.  And this morning…the dreaded fog blanketed the lake.  We had a window seat for breakfast and slowly the day began to lighten up.  View from our room at 8:15am:

We walked around our hotel and out on the viewing dock.  Sal is serious about her new birdwatching hobby and spent time with her Merlin app.

We left the hotel later than usual with hopes the day would continue to brighten and we could enjoy the beauty of Lake Superior.  It was about a 40 minute drive to the park, and we had a great morning.  We walked to Munising Waterfall then drove a way through pretty fall foliage and walked to several lookouts of the rocks.  We drove a while along Lake Huron.  All was good at that point.

I had been looking forward to crossing Mackinac Bridge.  Our trip to Mackinaw Island had been derailed by Covid several years ago and I was hoping to catch a glimpse of it.  But miles from the bridge, we hit traffic.  Every route was backed up for miles.  We slowly made our way, doing alternate merges a couple of times, and finally reached the bridge.  We saw that lanes leading up to the bridge were closed due to road work.  Once about halfway over, traffic started speeding up and we were back on our way, an hour behind schedule.

Sal had won a $50 Uber Eats gift card at an apartment party.  We had decided to use it on the trip.  To kill time, I started looking at possibilities for dinner.  I was immediately grabbed by this offering from Blue Tractor BBQ:  waffle fries, pulled pork, cheese sauce, shredded cheese, sour cream, bacon, baked beans and BBQ sauce.  Wow.  We also got salads so we wouldn’t feel so piggy.  The meal was awesome.  We ate while watching Shark Tank, a favorite show.

We had originally planned to be in Bristol tomorrow, but we started worrying if it was realistic to think we could drive from Ann Arbor to Bristol and arrive at the apartment rental office before their 5:00pm closing.  We decided to take one more night on the road.  So, tomorrow we head to Lexington; Bristol, our new home, on Tuesday.