Rich and Full

I have been looking for a word to replace "busy" in my life. I do not like that word and see it often as an excuse word. Well my brother told me the other day that someone told him to use the words "rich and full" to describe his schedule. I really like that idea because my life truly is rich and full. I am trying to add those words to my vocabulary as much as possible. Our summer has been and is rich and full with traveling, family time and geocaching. I will post more about it when the fall comes and the days get shorter. For now I am out enjoying each day too much to sit at the computer for very long, so I will just ad tidbits when I can.

Publisher having a book sale

I just found out that my publisher is running a big sale on my book.
Go to http://publishamerica.com and type in either "Calvetti" or "Rejected to Accepted". The way I understand it it is going for $6.99 for the rest of July. I have been paying over twice that myself.

I am a guest speaker tonight

Tonight I am one of 5 authors who are giving a presentation in Minocqua at the library. "So You Want to Publish A Book".

We did a presentation a few months ago and there was such an overwhelming response we are returning.

If you are in the area drop on in, it is a free program.

Another week slips by

How do the weeks slip by so quickly? Has it really been a week since I put a post on here. I so admire my friend Lisa who is so faithful to put a post on her blog every day. I may try to commit to once a week but my life, especially in the summer is dedicated to my wonderful husband. We travel, Geocache and just enjoy life to the fullest. We are having a relaxing long weekend before some pretty heavy medical appointments later in the week.
Until next time...

Last day and home

We were on the road by 7:15 this morning. After a quick stop for some "Ivarest" a highly recommended poison ivy itch relief cream we headed through several port towns along Lake Michigan. Our first stop was the Charlevoix, first to see the Worlds' Largest Pie, now just a pan and fake pie and then into town. We learned that the draw bridge is lifted every 30 minutes as needed. The parade of huge yachts we saw go through proved it was needed often. All walking and driving traffic stops until the boats are safely through and the bride is back down.

Mackinaw City was our next stop, before crossing the bridge we stopped for a letterbox and geocache at a wayside. Then off to a light house before paying the $3.00 toll to get to the Upper Pennisula of Michigan. Once over the bridge we stopped at a wayside with a great view of the bridge, ate a picnic lunch and got back on the road again.

We stopped for a few more geocaches at waysides just to stretch out a bit. In Gladstone we filled up with gas at $2.76 per gallon.

Once we hit Escanaba we felt like we were home, but we still had some more miles to put on. Dinner was at our favorite Country Kitchen in Iron Mountain at 6:00 and by 7:15 we crossed the border into WI. We knew we were nearing home when several times we had to hit the breaks for white tail deer on the road.

At 8:30 we pulled into the driveway, unpacked, opened all the windows... and got at the e-mail. Now to start planning our next adventure.

Almost home

We are getting closer to home. We traveled 277 miles all along Lake Michigan today. When we started this morning at 7:45 the temperature was 81 degrees. As we headed West on the Blue Star Memorial Hwy we traveled through Holland and then to Hemlock Crossing. We hiked at the Pigeon River Greenway State Park for a little while but the temperature had climbed up to 95 so we did not stay out long. As we neared Ludington we were impressed with the large rolling hills and best of all the temperature dropped to 75. We had lunch at a park, the went to another park with a huge sand beach and a light house. While finding a cache near the lighthouse we met another cacher with the tell tale GPSr in hand and geocaching shirt on. We struck up a conversation with him and found the cache together. Next we took a ride through the Sand Dunes, stopping along the lake shore to snap some photos. Continuing on the Lake Michigan Circle Tour we past through Manistee a Historic Victorian Port City and many small towns that did not have Mc Ds of any of the usual fair. We had many great views of the lake, mixed with forest and little beach towns.

At 5:00 we arrived in Traverse City, MI a college town a bit bigger than we expected. The temperature went back up into the 90's so we are staying in the AC. For dinner we went to Cracker Barrel, I had been wanting Jim to try one since he had never been to one before.

Day 17

We could tell right away it was going to be a hot one today. The hazy skies and nearly 80 degree weather at 7:15 did not stop us from grabbing a few caches on the Bowling Green University Campus. At 10:20 we made it to Indiana. After a few caches we stopped to eat lunch in the shade at Bixler Lake Park at Kendalville it was already 94 degrees. When we neared South Bend the temps were registering 99, skirting around the city we veered off to Elkhart where we cached around the town near the flooded river. Our vechicle thermometer said it was 106 degrees. Our next move was to get to Michigan, we passed the border at 4:14 where we eventually found a Comfort Suites. Dropping our things in the room we went for dinner. It was the first time we ever ate at a Bob Evans, which is a chain out of Ohio, we hope it is not our last. It is very similar to a Perkins.

We filled up with gas at $2.65 per gallon. When we returned to our room it was obvious the AC was not working so we requested a new room. The desk person said no problem, so I went down to get the key and he gave us a jacuzzi suite at no extra charge for our troubles.

We went 248 miles today putting us over the 4000 mile mark on this trip. Looks like we could be home by Friday.

Day 17

We could tell right away it was going to be a hot one today. The hazy skies and nearly 80 degree weather at 7:15 did not stop us from grabbing a few caches on the Bowling Green University Campus. At 10:20 we made it to Indiana. After a few caches we stopped to eat lunch in the shade at Bixler Lake Park at Kendalville it was already 94 degrees. When we neared South Bend the temps were registering 99, skirting around the city we veered off to Elkhart where we cached around the town near the flooded river. Our vechicle thermometer said it was 106 degrees. Our next move was to get to Michigan, we passed the border at 4:14 where we eventually found a Comfort Suites. Dropping our things in the room we went for dinner. It was the first time we ever ate at a Bob Evans, which is a chain out of Ohio, we hope it is not our last. It is very similar to a Perkins.

We filled up with gas at $2.65 per gallon. When we returned to our room it was obvious the AC was not working so we requested a new room. The desk person said no problem, so I went down to get the key and he gave us a jacuzzi suite at no extra charge for our troubles.

We went 248 miles today putting us over the 4000 mile mark on this trip. Looks like we could be home by Friday.

Day 16

Our journey took us 259 miles today. Starting our morning in PA we went west and entered Conneaut, OH at 9:00 a.m. where we picked up the Coastal Ohio Trail, Hwy 6 right along Lake Erie. We got on to I-90 for a short time to get around Cleveland which gave us some very scenic views of the lake. After getting away from the city we got back onto the Erie Lake Circle tour passing through towns that were the classical picture of hometown USA. Each one having McD's, Walmart, Perkins, Lowes, etc.

We did pass through an interesting town with a channel coming off of Lake Erie in which many very large boats were parked, like a marina but each was docked near a home.

As we ventured away from the circle tour the flat land was dotted with farms growing corn, soybeans, pumpkins and wheat.

We found 9 geocaches, a couple in some very interesting cemeteries.

Needing to get our laundry done we stopped in Bowling Green for the night. We are at the Best Western, laundry is done and are bellies were filled at Tim Hortons. We did not think we would find another one on this trip. There are hundreds of bicycles in town so we are trying to figure out where the tour is going.

Day 15

Before leaving Mansfield this morning we did a quick stop at Walmart for a few things and stopped a few geocaches. We journeyed on through the Allegheny Mountains down the Grand Army of the Republic Highway stopping at the National Guard for a geocache. The cache is a notebook inside the building where the guards greeted us and gave us a bag filled with goodies, t-shirts, lanyards, water bottles, pins and pens. First time we ever had one like that.

The little villages and towns nestled in the mountains popped up every few miles. We passed fewer Mc D's and Dunkin' Donuts than usual though. The one we spent the most time in today was Wellsboro, PA. There were many red brick historical buildings, mixed in with the colonial buildings, churches, and newer homes and businesses. The street lights in this town are the original ones that needed a lamp lighter to light them up each night. They have replaced the wicks with modern ones like in Coleman lanterns and hooked them up with gas so they just stay lit all the time. The park had a few historical markers, several statues and a water fountain. In the middle of the fountain was a sculpture of Wynken, Blyken and Nod in the wooden shoe.

The area we passed through is called "The Grand Canyon of PA". The elevations continued to rise and drop from 2400 feet to 1700 feet. We had to chew gum to help our ears pop from all the air pressure changes.

We were surprised to see quite a few small oil rigs near the roads on most of our travels today. At one point we crossed "The North Country Trail" before coming to the Allegheny Resevoir. We stopped near the dam for photos.

We have not had any phone service while in PA, not sure if there aren't many towers where we are or if AT & & just does not service this area.

At 2:30 we crossed back into a little corner of NY. The mountains started tapering off a little as we neared Lake Erie. Crossing back into PA by 3:15, we found a place to stop and go in the Great Lake for photo along the Seaway Trail at Orchard Beach. This area is obviously good for growing grapes as there are vineyards everywhere.

Before checking into the LaQuinta in Erie, PA we filled up the gas tank at $2.69 per gallon. We grabbed a quick sandwich at Arbys and are settling in for the night.

I found three small spots where poison ivy must have got me on my leg, good thing I have the Benadryl with me. I knew I saw quite a bit in NY and NJ but I thought I stayed out of it... obviously not.

Day 14 of our Adventure

On the road again. After a nice breakfast at the little diner near Ron's, we said a quick good-bye (we all dislike good-byes), and we were off. Ron led the way out of town with his Subaru Baja, we followed until he pointed out the window for us to head north on HWY 17.

We grabbed a couple quick caches before leaving NJ, and then headed back into NY on the Scenic Byway Delaware River Heritage trail. We entered a mountain range that nothing so far can compare too. We are not sure where the Catskills ended and the Allegheny Mountains began but they sure are breath taking. The spectacular panoramic views that we experienced for the next eight hours and have stopped in, are amazing. The elevations climbed to 1940 feet above sea level and then back down to under 500 feet, the grade so steep that the semis are not allowed on many of the roads we traveled. The few that allowed trucks had a 20 mph speed limits for large vehicles. The historic towns continued to appear before us, most of these had been settled in the 1700's.

At 11:15 we crossed into Pennsylvania getting some gas at $2.67 per gallon. We found a picnic table at the head of a hiking trail in Carbondale, PA where we had our lunch as we marvled at the views. Numerous times we stopped just to take photos of "The Endless Mountains". One of the scenic viewing areas had a sign sharing the history of the site, a French refugee colony had settled in 1793, they had built "The Great House" for Marie Antoinette and her son. There were historical markers along the highway, about railroads, John Sulivan, etc. there was no way we could read them all.

The weather was nice today, a mix of huge billowing gray and white clouds with the blue peeking through all over. The clouds just added to the immense mountains that dwarfed the barns, houses and vehicles we could see scattered for miles all around. The mountains make everything look like minature toys, no matter if it is a colapsing barn or school bus you can see so far that everything seems to shrink in the scheme of things.

We did stop at a town called Borough of Mansfield which has the Towanda River running through it. The river is flooded and raging, covering some of the trails with the fast running water. We walked through the historic district picking up a few geocaches before finishing our 256 mile trek to the city of Mansfield where we checked into the Comfort Inn.

Most restaurants in the area are closed on Sunday but we found Mark's Place to be open. It is a Victorian home made into a really nice lounge. The food matched the uniqueness of the decor. The town's claim to fame is that they had the first night time football game in the world, in 1892. It is reenacted every year by the towns people at the college campus.

We filled the gas tank at $2.69 a gallon

Two more days of our adventure

Wow, how to condense the last two days into one e-mail is going to be tough but I am going to try and capture these memories with words. Thursday morning was 67 degrees and humid but at least the rain had stopped before we got on the road. We once again meandered through more of the roads peppered with colonial houses. Heading on Hwy 44 we traveled through Harford, CT the capitol city which had some very busy and run down parts. The other part of town had the newer homes, stores and restaurants. As we continued passing through the little towns we noticed that each one listed the year that they were established, settled or incorporated, not their population. Some as early as 1654 others in the early 1700's.

At 2:00 we were back in New York, where we picked up gas at $2.89 per gallon. Before we knew it we found ourselves in the Palisades Parkway traveling around Bear Mountain and once again crossing paths with the Appalachian Trail. It took us 2 hours to get through the mountains and into New Jersey. We learned that 30 miles around here takes almost as long as it does to get 75 back home. The traffic is amazingly dense and fast but we did make it to Ron's house in Fair Lawn, NJ by 5:15. After a quick tour of his apartment we went to his brothers house. After spending a little time there we ran next door to see Frank. He had taken Cathy and friends on the cruise ship around NYC nearly 7 years ago. It was great visiting. The 6 of us went to Anthony Franco's Itailian restuarant for dinner.

Before retiring to Ron's apartment we took him on two geocaches in parks near his house.

This morning we went out for breakfast at "Brunch Lunch" a small Jewish diner just down the street. After filling up we were on the road with Ron driving and being our tour guide. The first stop Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken, NJ. We found a parking spot and took a little hike out on Pier A to view the NYC skyline across the Hudson River.

Back in the car and over to Liberty State Park in Jersey City. After grabbing a quick geocache we drove around to the water where we could see Ellis Island and Lady Liberty. It was a rearview of her, but was actually closer than the NY side. Good thing Ron had umbrellas because it was raining by this time. It was a nice warm rain that kept things from getting hot and muggy.

Next we went back into Hoboken to hop on the "Path", the train from Jersey to NYC. Our first stop was in Greenwich Village, we picked up a third umbrella from a street vendor for $4 and walked around Washington Park, under the arch and over to a virtual cache.

We spotted a "Subway" restaurant and grabbed a bite to eat and then hopped on the real Subway or Metro to go to 42nd and Broadway. We walked right into Times Square, saw the New Year's Eve Ball and the abundant flashing billboards on all the gigantic buildings.
Parts of the streets were shut down with a bunch of vendors lined up under tents selling everything you can imagine, food, clothes, jewelry, t-shirts. For my birthday Ron bought me two cashmere scarves and matching t-shirts for the 3 of us. We checked out the outside of "Times Square Church" and walked down to the Rockerfeller Center where some grass sod was being set up as a promotion for the Wimbelton. With our feet aching we decided we better find the subway. Ron says we are now official "strap hangers". We got off the subway a block before the train so we had to walk a couple blocks down Christopher Street. The Path was so full we had to stand all the way to Hoboken. the tunnel was pretty dark but it was neat to know we were traveling right under the Hudson River.

Once in the car we decided "Boston Market" would be a great place for dinner. We passed "Trader Joes" a place I had always wanted to check out since the last I heard there is only one in WI. So Ron took us there after we ate. I was amazed at the great organic foods for really great prices. Filled a large grocery bag for our trip home and only spent $11.

Day 10

This morning after breakfast we found the way back to the Minute Men March Road without taking the freeway. Traveling the Battle Road Trail we made our first stop at the Minute Man Visitor Center National Park office. We checked out all the wonderful displays, took some photos and bought a few things at the gift shop. Yesterday we had stopped at the site of the Hartwell Tavern and Meriam's Corner. Today we stopped at the Paul Revere Capture Site and Captain William Smith House before heading to the Battle Green at Lexington. History really came to life, not only because there were reenactors available to answer questions but all the historical signs and statues to look at. Standing on the spot where Captain Parker said "Stand your ground, don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war let it begin here." was amazing. Looking at the surrounding houses and churches that had signs explaining who lived there when the Revolutionary war broke out. To think those house were there when it all began was mind boggling. All appeared to be private residence yet and the churches were still active.

On we went to the North Bridge, passing Louisa May Alcotts, childhood home and Thoreaus's birth home. The ranger informed us that the new bridge is at the exact same spot as it was during the war. This is called the site of "the shot heard 'round the world." Ralph Waldo Emeson coined the phrase to dexcribe the significance of the brief battle that took place at this bridge. We were near Walden Pond, but did not stop there.

The roads that we traveled today were very narrow and windy and had many signs that said, "Thickly Settled". Guess that is a good way to describe them. The mix of old and new is amazing and you can almost feel the tension as some struggle to keep the buildings that are well over 200 years old in good shape, while the new shops and moden society creeps in.

The geocaches were few today but one was quite memorable. A neighborhood just out of North Grafton, MA has an artist who wanted to see a trail around the lake decorated with beatiful art. He has paved a large part of the trail with tumbled glass and everywhere you look there are statues created of glass, cement and metal springing out of the ground, hanging from the trees or hiding around a corner. Some even make noises when the sensor knows you are near. I hope the photos do this place justice.

We passed into Rhode Island around 1:00 and with that came the rain. We quickly found three caches in that state and went on to Connecticut crossing the border at 3:00. After grabbing some gas at $2.77 a gallon we headed for the Super 8 at Manchester.

We gabbed a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant called Sheas American Bar and Grill. I had a nice salad and a cup of New England clam chowder. Jim had a wrap and some cream of mushroom soup. We did get 169 miles in which is a few more than the 125 we covered yesterday.

Tomorrow we are meeting up with our friend Ron for dinner and will be spending 2 nights with him. So if I don't send any updates you know we are having too much fun with him. Saturday is up in the air but NYC has been mentioned. I was there 7 years ago but Jim has never been there. Just seeing it from New Jersey may be plenty for him too.

Day 9

Tuesday we only traveled 114 miles because we made it to Camp Berea in Hebron, NH to visit our friends Bill and Ruth. They brought us right to the dining hall, making sure we were fed before giving us the grand tour of the wonderful camp. The beauty of this camp can not be put into words but must be experienced, as it is nestled on a lake in the White Mountains.

We started catching up on all the happenings in our lives and before we knew it it was time to eat dinner. The campers are not there yet, but all the counselors are there preparing. Meeting so many wonderful young men and women who are dedicating their summer to helping others find Jesus was refreshing. We were asked to give a 5 minute presentation on Geocaching, so we did that at the end of the meal, then everyone got up and chipped in to get the dishes done.

The next thing on our agenda was to help Bill and Ruth become Geocachers. They were anxious to learn and enjoyed finding 4 caches with us. It was amazing how many wonderful trails and views of the lake there were so near the camp. Wait til they find out the others near by that we found today on our way out of the area. We topped our evening off with a visit to a local ice cream shop.

After going through the necessary channels to get permission for us to stay in camp, we quickly fell asleep.

We ate breakfast with the crew, said our good-byes and were on the road before 8 this morning.

Meandering through the mountians we stopped at some caches on a scenic bike trail along a raging river. It often feels like we are in Wisconsin and then we see a building built in 1770 something, or get a glimpse of a tree covered mountain top and realize we are no where near home.

Gas is running around $2.65 a gallon.

We passed through Concord, NH staying on HWY 3 and entered MA just after noon today. The traffic continued to get more congested as we headed toward Lexington. We found ourself on the Battle Road, passing many buildings from the 1600's, the house of "The Little Women", Waldon Pond, Minute Men National Historic Park, the town of Lincoln establishedin 1754, Hartwell Tavern and Lexintong Green... we are heading back over there tomorrow.

Bill had warned us to stay off the expressway at rush hour, but we trusted our NUVI and ended up on it anyway. Thankfully for only 2 miles and we were in the lane we needed to be in to get off. Traffic was moving extremly slow, but drivers were actually polite. No one was even honking their horns.

Day 8 of our Great Lakes Adventure

We were on the road by 7 this morning, CST. First thing on our list was to get some gas it was $2.63 a gallon. Next we stopped at Tim Hortons for breakfast. We are learning more and more about this neat restaurant chain. Like McD's this chain supports children's groups and donates quite a bit of money to a special organization that helps kids. Unlike a fast food restaurant, when you eat there the coffee is served in real glass cups and the food on real plates. They ask that you keep your trays and dishes on the table when done so the staff can clean them up. We had a breakfast sandwich and muffin with our coffee.

The highlight of today was for Jim to do a cache that was in honor of Joshua Chamberlain, in Brewer, Maine. Jim has read several of Joshua's books and has always admired this civil war hero. The memorial was a real treat, with a larger than life statue of Chamberlain, many quotes from throughout his life, and a mini version of the battle strategies used at Little Round Top, part of Gettysburg. When the park was being built a tunnel that was part of the underground railroad was discovered, that was in 1994 and it became an intregal part of the display. The bust of slave, cast in bronze sits atop the opening, looking like he was immerging from the tunnel. Also an actual piece of railroad is set up to represent the underground railroad. The geocache was very difficult to find and had not been found by the last few teams that had attempted it. I gave up, but Jim determined to persevere like Chamberlain did, came up with the geocache.

We continued traveling to Bar Harbor, Maine where we walked along the ocean before going to a park to have lunch. We also stopped on the college campus to see a huge whale skull. We spent a few hours there and opted to not go out on a ship whale and puffin watching as the weather was looking threatening and we wanted to continue on. Both of us were surprised that the ocean view included many islands with mountains, and bays, not just water like we had envisioned. The tide was low, so things looked dirty and did not smell all that great.

Taking Hwy 1, the Scenic Atlantic Hwy, we traveled through many quaint little towns that had been settled in the 1700's, some more touristy than others. It reminded us a bit of Door County in Wisconsin. We tried to find buildings that were most likely there when Chamberlain went through the area. Some of the bridges were massive and one that went across the Penobscot River was the strangest bridge we had ever seen. It had two poles with wires right down the middle between the lanes looking almost like ship masts.

We are settled in at a Comfort Inn in South Portland, Maine for the night. Of course we had to have seafood for dinner, so we went to "Weathervane" a small New England chain restaurant that is very similar to a "Red Lobster", there are only 14 of them. I had two fresh lobsters for $15.95, I chose to shuck them myself so had to wear a bib, although Jim may have needed it more than I, since he sat across from me. It had been over 27 years since I had fresh lobster.

We traveled only 236 miles and found 10 geocaches, but the memories made are too numerous to count.