Day one Palmetto, GA to Paducah, KY

Day 1: Trip total = 400 miles.

We are just about ready to head out in this photo.

Adam is so excited.  He can't keep out of the RV.

We'll see how he feels about that in a few weeks.

Loading the RV with kids.

Adam bought a new DS game for the trip called Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. He thinks it's a fun game.

Group photo.

Loading up.

Our Route:

Get out your maps!

and follow along.

We took I-285 west around Atlanta, Ga and I-75 north to Chattanooga, TN. There we picked up I-24 west through Nashville, TN and eventually to Paducah, KY. We're right off the interstate at Duck Creek RV park.

So I didn't get a picture of the state signs for Tennessee or Kentucky. I got side tracked and missed the borders. Maybe I'll see the Illinois state sign tomorrow morning and get that one.

We crossed thru Monteagle, TN on I-24 this afternoon. My map shows an area where the interstate splits between the northbound and southbound lanes. That's the place in these pictures.

We loved the steep sides here.

Nana was scared and her knuckles turned white. (just kidding)

But she really doesn't like heights.

We saw 2 tractor-trailers with blow outs on the road. We dodged the tire debris in the road, but the car behing us didn't see it and ran over it.

Can you imagine how they blasted the mountain side away to make way for the interstate?

We're not really sure which river we crossed here, but I think it's the Tennessee River.

On the left side was a lock and dam.

We were a little concerned heading out this morning about the weather and where Hurricane Isaac is heading. So here's what the sky looks like this afternoon. The lady who helped us check in said they were expecting showers on Friday afternoon, so maybe we'll be able to stay ahead of the rain.

and a little rainbow...

I had time this evening to take Adam for a quick swim in the pool.

It was freezing!

Then Adam found a pile of dirt/pebbles to play with his legos in, before supper.

Nana made us a wonderful supper of loaded baked potatoes and salad. Paw spent most of his time getting the RV set up for the night with Natalie's help. We had some trouble with the refridgerator not wanting to work, but Paw fixed it. But we had to eat most of the ice cream just in case.

of course, we needed a sunset picture at the Duck Creek RV park.

and a picture of our RV settling in for the night.

Hey, who left the door open. All the moths will come in.

Travel Planning

"An enjoyable vacation is awaiting you near the mountains!" 

I couldn't believe it! 

Natalie pulled this out of her fortune cookie this weekend. 

Fantastic isn't it? 

Here's another sunset snapshot. 

Mom was down for the weekend, and we spent way too much time on the computer planning our trip. 

But it sure was fun!

We did manage to sit down briefly to watch the sun set and relax. 

Now down to business. 

We have to pack and make final decisions as to what we will bring and what we will do without for the next few weeks. It's a hard choice. 

When you don't know exactly what kind of weather to expect, you need a little of everything. 

For example: daytime high temps are projected as follows: 

Wisconsin Dells, WI= 93, 

Bismarck, ND=84, 

Banff, AB, Canada=61, 

Jasper, AB, Canada=48, 

and the Grand Canyon, AZ=79.  

daytime low temps are projected as follows: 

Wisconsin Dells, WI=63, 

Biamarck, ND=63, 

Banff, AB, Canada=36, 

Jasper, AB, Canada=34 (with snow flurries!), 

and the Grand Canyon, AZ=48.   

Packing List:

So, here's what we're taking with us. 

1.  4 pairs shorts

2.  4 pair long pants 

3.  4 short-sleeve shirts

4.  4 long-sleeve shirts

5.  2 sweaters

6.  Ski jacket/thermals 

7.  cold weather hat, gloves, wool socks

8.  hiking boots, shower flip-flops, tennis shoes

9.  swimsuit/towels

10. camera/battery charger

11. hiking poles/day pack/waterbottles

12. sleeping bag/pillow

13. toiletries/undies/socks

14. school related materials: Don't know how much we'll use, but at least we'll have it. 

Math Workbooks, Banagrams, Modern Artists Go Fish Card Game, multiplication/Latin Flashcards, All-In-One Checkers, Chess, and Tic-Tac-Toe Travel Gameboard, Revenge of the Logic Spiders Computer game, Geography maps for each state, province we're traveling thru  

15. Kindle/DVDs/Books on Tape: Jim Weiss' Women in Blue or Gray and Carry On Mr. Bowditch. (Adam has a few new TinTin books he can't wait to read.)

16. journals/watercolor pencils/brushes/colored pencils/ paper 

17. flashlights

18. Atlas/Travel Books/itinerary planner

19. cell phone/charger

20. plus a hidden, new DSi game (from birthday money from his older sis.) that he doesn't know came in early 

Am I forgetting anything?

Still Waters

OK, so do you see what I mean? This morning the lake was so beautiful. Even though it was cloudy, there was just a little wind across the lake. You can see my new Adirondack chairs, which Adam has made into some sort of fort by the firepit.  

   

 Here's another view. This time with the Weeping Willow and my favorite, the Sweet Maple tree, which is turning colors slightly. Can you see it? 

Too bad I don't now how to add live sound. You can hear the birds really calling each other this morning.

A little later in the evening, overlooking the little island.

 When I saw the sunset,....speechless....

This looks like a watercolor picture. 

Wish I could...

 And now the sun has set.

Stay tuned....

Really, you guys are my guinea pigs (hope you don't mind) as I play around with arranging pictures and trying out different layouts. I'm trying to learn enough about blogging that I can feel comfortable journalling on the road. It's more like a crash course.

This is the prelude for our upcoming RV trip next week. Those of you who follow along will see our 5000 mile journey across the country and back over the next few weeks. I wonder if there's a way to add miles and maps? That would be pretty cool. You can tag along on our virtual trip.   Whose's in?

Starting Point

Today I decided to start a blog of our families everyday adventures and experiences while living on the lake. While we've actually lived here for the past 17 years, I never get tired of the beauty that surrounds us. You never know what you'll wake up to in the morning. Sometimes the water surface is glassy smooth. No boat has broken the surface and all is still. Some mornings, we see an egret or heron stalking along the seawall looking for prey. The view is constantly changing just as we are, and my hope is that I can give you all a glimpse of what we see out our windows.