Day Two More for Uncle Mike's List

So the extraction from the mountain went well. I managed to make it down the hill from the campground and up the hill to the base of Springer Mountain to pick up Jim from his hike. It was a lot easier driving than I thought it would be. Jim said he had a good hike. He will post his hike stuff next. And the Verizon cell phone reception was good so we were able to be in contact when he was on the hill and I knew right where to go to pick him up. That's the good news. Now for our Verizon nightmare. I am currently typing this in the Lodge using their wifi. That works great. But the Verizon aircard keeps shutting down the computer. So we went to a Verizon store and they said we needed to uninstall the aircard and reinstall it. Well they uninstalled it and were not able to reinstall it and so now we have no air card. And then they sent us on a wild goose chase to the Geek Squad to see if they could fix the problem and they were useless too. So now if I can't reinstall from their web page, which I will try next, then we are stuck until we get to Ohio and Christopher can have at our computer. But the good news is that we have wifi and most of the campgrounds have it. So we just won't be able to post as often as we hoped we would be able to. But we will let you know one way or another that we are ok.

Beau is having a great time. He loves the cooler weather and all the neat smells in the woods. I am loving the outdoors but would kill for a real bed. Other than that the trip is good so far. The woods are gorgeous and it is nice and cool out. Of course I am bundled up like it's winter. But it is supposed to get a little warmer tomorrow so that is good news.

Short hikes on the agenda for today. A long one tomorrow when it's a little warmer. We are supposed to get thunder storms this afternoon too so we didn't want to be stuck on a mountain in a storm. There may be a backgammon tourney in the van this afternoon if it rains hard. The dice have been in Jim's favor lately too. I have lost my edge. Yikes.

TTFN

The approach trail up to Springer Mountain was not as bad as most of the books made out. Couple of challenging climbs at the beginning and end, rest was rolling hills similar to the Fingerlakes trail. Wore my heartmonitor and most of the time it was not over 100, and 118 on the climbs, so the climbs would be equivalent to a moderate run / jog. Took some pictures at Springer Mountain and had a nice chat with Roger Dutton, the ridgerunner and caretaker of the AT southern terminus. Roger must be late 80's or early 90's, should have taken his picture.....full white beard and a hearing aid in each ear. I was the only hiker thru there today. Total Mileage 12 m in about five hours with three breaks . Going to rest today with some short side trail hikes as the storm front that caused the tornado's a few days ago out west is supposed to hit here with thunderstorms and I have a slight head cold and sore throat.

Bear Facts : Not all hikers are friendly, met two sets of college age kids , one grunted a reply to my good morning , the other didn't reply at all...oh well, they were dressed as for a snowstorm, and looked pretty miserable!

The First Day of Hiking

So he's on the mountain. Amazingly enough I was able to talk to him twice on the cell phone. The walkie talkies we bought just in case the cell phone didn't work have not worked yet. Go figure. So in a little bit I will be leaving to go pick him up at the extraction point. That is provided I make it down the hill out of the park and up the hill to get him. The park is nice but I am freezing. It is in the 60's but it is cloudy and cool. I want my sunshine back. Beau is surviving and likes the cooler weather. Yesterday we drove to Springer mountain so I would know where to go to pick up Jim today. We had to drag Beau off the trail and back to the van. Maybe he is a mountain dog. If I can get connected again I'll let you know how the first hike went. If not then you'll hear from us tomorrow when I am at the Lodge again. That is where I am now which has me thinking why aren't we staying here instead of the van??? Something to keep in mind for the next trip.
TTFN

Truckin up I-75

So this is our first attempt at posting while traveling. After wanting to throw the computer out the window we now have access. I have to remember that using the air card isn't always going to give me instant gratification like using a home based computer. This morning it only took 3 attempts. Last night on the computer at the hotel was another story. I had to relinquish control of the computer to Jim because I just couldn't do it anymore. And then we finally had to go to the lobby to get access at that. So this morning was a better computer experience in that respect.

It is nice to be driving in the mountains. We are just approaching Atlanta. Once we are north of Atlanta then the scenery will really get nice. Our plan is to make it to the park today. Just before we get there we will look for a grocery store and stock up for the next 3 days. Then it's off to Amicalola Falls State Park. We will be staying at a campsite there and Jim will hike near by trails each day. I will drop him off and pick him up at designated spots and bring him back to the campsite each day. Should be fun. Beau and I will do our own explorations while he is on the trail. We will do flat hiking as I don't think short Basset legs can climb very high. Unless there is food nearby. We stopped at a McDonald's just long enough to use the facilities this morning and when we got back to the van Beau was rummaging through the Burger King bag with this morning's breakfast wrappers in it. His nose definitely is still in working order.
If we have real WiFi when we set up camp at the park I will give you another update then.
TTFN

We made it to Georgia

So we made it to Valdosta and will stay here for the night. It is our last night in a real bed for awhile so we better get a good night's sleep. Although I think sleeping in the woods will be very relaxing. And now that we are out of Florida the driving will be better. Although we did have fun with the satellite radio and playing name that tune on the top tracks channel. The things you do to amuse yourselves when you are on the road. So far no bears but we aren't even in their neck of the woods yet. We will definitely keep you posted on all sitings. So it's TV without TIVO tonight which is torture and then off to enjoy nature tomorrow.
TTFN

We have arrived

We are back in our old neighborhood. We are staying with Mike, Vanessa, Ally, Sammy and Mya. Today is girls day. We are going to Wannado City. Then it will probably be time to just relax by the pool with a cool one. Tomorrow is Mother's Day festivities and then we will begin the next leg of our journey first thing Monday morning. So I probably won't post again until we are on our way. I want to see how the laptop works in the van with the air card. I sure hope Verizon doesn't disappoint me. That's it for now and Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's in my life. :-)

The first leg begins

We have the van packed up and are getting ready to leave the Island for other parts of the world. Beau is getting a work out going up and down the stairs. He has been literally glued to my side since the suitcases went in the van. He is making sure he does not get left behind. Normally he would be sound asleep by now. I am sure as soon as we are on the road he will be out like a light. That's my kind of traveling. At least until we are out of the state of Florida. Then the scenery will change and it will be worth staying awake for. So we will be on our way shortly to go to the other side of the state. Should be there in time to pick the girls up from school. That will be a nice surprise for them too.

Almost Time to Leave

We are in the final packing phase. We are at the point where we need to decide what is essential. The one cup coffee maker is essential. Other than that I am negotiable. Beau isn't willing to give up much of his sleeping space so we have to pack conservatively. But I think we will be able to get everything in the van that we need to take. So Friday we will be leaving for a visit with the East Coast kids and grandkids and then Monday, May 12th we hit the trail so to speak. So the next post will be when we leave. Only 4 more packing days left. This is like the Christmas shopping count down.