Thursday, September 25, 2014

WE HAVE FINALLY DECIDED ON OUR ROUTE & A WEE CASE OF THE JITTERBUGS

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Had myself 6 months of prescriptions to pick up this morning so it was a trip to WalMart in Goderich for Pheebs & I.  Of course we made a Jeep tour of it & slowly poked our way along a bunch of scenic back roads on the way home.  Wednesday morning we did the same thing after picking up our new gas cap at the Bayfield Garage.  Dash engine light is out & the new cap appears to have solved the problem.  Say, did I tell you about this amazingly beautiful weather we are having....................:)) 

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I SURE LIKE LOOKING AT COUNTRY PROPERTIES

I generally get myself a wee case of Jitterbugs just before any of our semi-annual cross country trips.  Not something on my mind all day but just at those moments when I'm half dozing in my recliner I am reminded.  Suddenly one of those 'what ifs' will roll through my quietly relaxing mind like a stampeding Buffalo.   Don't suppose Full-Timers get that as they are usually on the move much more often than we are.  It's when one hasn't traveled for a long period of time like a Snow Bird's 6 months that jittery thoughts can creep into one's mind.  Nothing serious but just enough to remind one of the unknowns on the open road ahead.  Thankfully there is a sure cure for the jitters & for me that comes the moment I pull the gearshift down into 'Drive', step on the gas & get the big wheels rolling.  Instantly all those Jitterbugs go flying out of my body as my mind turns to the long journey ahead. What a great feeling that moment always is.  Yes indeed:))
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We finally made a decision on our route plan & we will be doing the northern route up & over Lake Superior through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, South Dakota & Utah before heading on down into Arizona.  Doing a few MapQuest mileage calculations today it looks like we will probably log about 3,300 driving miles for this years trip between Bayfield Ontario & Congress Arizona.  That’s about a thousand miles more than the usual couple of routes we take.  I have a feeling we are going to miss our Interstate CRACKER BARRELS along the way.  Only Cracker Barrel in South Dakota is Sioux Falls & we won’t be anywhere near there.  I see there is one in St. George Utah but not sure if we will get around that way.  One each in Flagstaff & Kingman Arizona & for sure we will be passing through one of those 2 places so we might just catch one after all.  Each one of those is only a couple hours from Congress.  Looks like we might roll out either Sunday or Monday afternoon with our first destination being Tobermory on the northern tip of Ontario's Bruce Peninsula.  No time lines on this trip again so we will just go at our own pace.  No specific places to be so we'll just get to Congress whenever It is we get there.

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GROANER’S CORNER:(( Harold and Al were on a small chartered airplane when the pilot suddenly had a heart attack. "Don`t Panic," cried Harold heroically. "I’ll land this baby!" Seizing the controls he headed for the runway at LaGuardia Airport, and began wrestling the diving plane to the ground. Just as the wheels touched the ground, Al screamed, "Red lights!! Right in front of you!"  Immediately Harold threw the engine in reverse and jammed on the breaks, bringing the plane to a violent stop just inches from the edge of the lights.  "Brother!" he puffed, wiping his brow. "That sure was a short runway!" "Yeah," agreed Al, looking side to side, "but look how WIDE it is."

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Taxiing down the tarmac, the jetliner abruptly stopped, turned around and returned to the gate. After waiting for an hour, it finally took off.  A concerned passenger asked the flight attendant, "What was the problem?"  "The pilot was bothered by a strange noise he heard in the engine," the attendant explained. "Oh, and it took a while to fix it," said the passenger.  "Not exactly," was the reply. "It just took us awhile to find a hard of hearing pilot."

21 comments:

  1. We're rolling out of New Jersey headed for South Carolina in the morning, so I certainly understand the fluttering of the jitterflies. Wishing you guys a safe journey back to Arizona!

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  2. Beautiful pictures! Just started to follow your blog, and really enjoying it. You're starting south pretty early aren't you?

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  3. Al, your fall foliage photos are gorgeous:) Glad you have your winter route all planned!

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  4. The excitement is mounting!!! How wonderful, can't wait for all the pictures you will take along the way.... Have a great run!!!

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  5. Jitterbugs is a good name for those pre trip anxiety moments. We will be leaving the week after you.

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  6. We had out worst jitterbugs the last time we left Florida. Hard to know why it happens. I know I need a longer packing check list from now on.
    That is a very colorful Fall you are having, our leaves turned Yellow and fell off this week. The trees are almost bare now.

    Enjoy your travels through beautiful Canada.

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  7. Beautiful fall colors. I too get the jitters before moving after sitting here for 6 months. Coming to the NR?

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  8. Love the beautiful Fall photos, Al !!! Some look like paintings ...... You never disappoint !!!
    Soooo glad you are ready to roll ...... Be safe.

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  9. We leave for Verde Valley Wednesday morning and Joe has the jitters too. I'll be blogging about it Monday. Safe and travels to you and Kelly

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  10. Sounds like its going to be a wonderful journey a trip we want to make someday soon as well.

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  11. I don't think McGyver gets nervous, but I worry about forgetting something..Last Winter it was all of Den's shorts..good thing it was a cool Winter in Texas! We have had to turn around 30 miles from hom twice..once for Den's glasses, once for TV control (which,as it turned out, we didn't need.) Likin' your new route!

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  12. Saskatchewan through Montana might be a more direct route to Utah and we know where there is a fabulous FREE campsite just south of I90!! And rumor has it there is a good cook that lives there.

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  13. Love the beautiful weather photos! Lovely colors

    Maura

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  14. I am glad that you have decided on the northern route. If you get some snow it will not be much and you can wait for it to melt off. Go where you want to go and work with the weather rather than work against it.

    Happy Trails.

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  15. That first photo is exceptional - sort of nice to be leaving when the weather is still good, rather than having to rush to get ahead of the nasties. Getting excited for the trip west and south!!

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  16. So much fun to see the comments and see that the birders on on the move...and yes, I too can hardly wait to see your photos along the new and longer route. Jitters are a good thing, help us to be prepared.

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  17. Beautiful pictures - love the Fall colors.

    arlonHboozer.com

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  18. Remember my Comment about the U.S. Government wanting to pass a bill to enable them to charge people for using BLM lands which are now free.
    I said in part:It is just another revenue enhancement (tax) because the Federal government is broke and they are going to tax anything and everything they can.

    Well, here is a I Told You So!

    On 25 September 2014, a new rule proposed by the U.S. Forest Service pertaining to photography and film permits sparked internet outrage. According to circulating posts about the issue, the agency would like to charge fees of up to $1,500 before
    allowing "commercial filming and photography in federally designated wilderness areas." When the proposal is finalized in November 2014, reporters and other media outlets who do not obtain permits could face fines of up to $1,000.

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  19. We hope to be on the road next Thursday and be at North Ranch on Oct 20 after visiting friends. This could be our last trip to AZ for the winter. Just got pre-qualified for a home and it will be in the NW somewhere. Changes, changes......

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  20. Such beautiful Fall pictures in this post. Any one could be a calendar picture.

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  21. Yipee, been looking forward to hearing of your first long trip in the new rig. We are headed to Agua Caliente Hot Springs in San Diego County for the winter. If you plan to do any Jeeping in the desert around there this year, let us know, we would love to meet the Bayfield Bunch. We will also be in Q for part of January!!

    Have a safe and FUN trip.

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