Day 13 - The Final Day

Well everyone, I'm finally home. After 13 days and 4,440 miles, AJ and I have accomplished our goal. I want to thank all of my friends and family who supported, or at least tolerated, my endeavor. It was a lot of fun crisscrossing this great country of ours. It truly is "America, the Beautiful". Frank Hofbauer used to often say, "some people die to go to heaven, I'm in heaven!" In some ways, he was right. This country is vast, free, outstanding beautiful, and full of great people. I met so many truly nice and genuine people on my trip. Too many to name, but I want to thank them all for their gestures of interest and kindness. But of all the amazing sights I saw, none was more welcome than the finish line my wife had stretched across the garage door opening when I returned. AJ was a head turner from day one and she performed flawlessly, bringing me home safely. If any of you out there have a dream trip in mind, make it a reality. You'll never be sorry for the investment of time and money. I will remember mine for the rest of my life. Thank you all for following along with me. May God bless.

Day 12

Well I'm back on schedule with my posts. Today was a rocket ride south. I tried to put in as many miles as I could. The good news was no trouble from the police. I did get a big thumbs up from a Florida Highway Patrolman. The best news was going through Alabama when I got summoned over by some young ladies doing a radio promotion for "Monster" energy drinks. How could I refuse a free energy drink. You can check out the pics. I also wanted to say hi to some of my adoring fans, Lynne, my wife's walking buddy, and Al & Helen in Bryan, Ohio. You all are famous as me now, you're on the web. Tomorrow is home, and my final post!

Day's 10 & 11

Wow, I miss a day and my fan base turns ugly on me! Actually, there wasn't a lot to report. I did get pulled over by a lady between Springfield and Poplar Bluff. A lady cop with an attitude, I might add! (no tickets though) and then I got pulled over for doing 78mph in 55mph zone by two county sheriffs. They couldn't figure out how to write a ticket on a car that wasn't in their system, so they gave me a warning and then talked for twenty minutes about AJ. I did make it Des Arc, MO. Where I visited my Aunt Francis, who drove from St. Louis to see me and AJ, and my Dad's grave. We lost Dad last summer to cancer and this was my first opportunity to return. I miss Dad terribly, he was my best buddy. For those of you that didn't know him. He was a WWII veteran, a survivor of the battle of Midway. A great grand father and husband of 63 years. Just an all around great man. Tomorrow is the next to the last leg home!

Day 9

If you want a sure cure for insomnia, drive all the way across Kansas in the same day! I think there were 2 bends in the road in 500 miles. Nothing memorable to take pictures of except my oldest brother, Norman. (He's the ugly one on the left). On to Poplar Bluff, MO tomorrow!

Day 8

Today was a fun day. I met up with CJ "Bottoz" an Atom owner from Colorado Springs. He rode up to Pike's Peak with me, we had lunch, gave AJ a bath and swapped Atom stories. According to Bottoz, AJ was the first Atom to the top of Pikes Peak! We're breaking records here! I'm in Burlington CO for the night, on my way to my brother's house near Wichita. Check out the pics. Oh yea, met another nice trooper today. He even knew Bottoz! What a relief, I can't catch a break.

Day 7

After spending the last 3 or 4 days in the desert southwest, what a pleasant change it was to see the lush mountains of the Colorado Rockies. I didn't realize how much I missed the green and the site of flowing water! Today was absolutely beautiful driving up from Cortez, CO to Colorado Springs. Beautiful, I mean BEAUTIFUL, majestic mountain scenery. The only down side was I finally got caught in a summer rain that turned into a mixture of rain and hail at higher elevations. There was nowhere to take cover, so AJ just chugged right through it. Whatta gal she is! Check out the new pics, again they don't do justice. Oh yea, did I forget to mention getting pulled over in Canon City? AJ caught their eye again! Tomorrow... Pikes Peak!!!!!!

Day 6

Day 6 activities included the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. Death Valley was hot, but it paled in comparison to the drive from the Hoover Dam to the Grand Canyon. And of course, I had a visit from a friendly HD Security Officer. He thought AJ was cool, but wasn't real enthusiastic about posing for a pic. especially when he really didn't have a reason to pull me over. I persuaded him to smile anyway. The Grand Canyon is well.... GRAND! But I think it will be years before they get it filled in. You know how fast government projects are! ; )