RenegadeRider

Saturday. To quote a line in a C & W song, (Mac Davis, I think) ‘Happiness is Lubbock, Texas in the rear view mirror.’ The road carried us west across west Texas and the Permian Basin. I think that Permian refers to a geologic era. The basin supplied much of our military’s petroleum needs during WW II. The area is so flat that highway expansion joints are prominent terrain features. The sights consisted of agriculture (cotton and peanuts) and oil fields. We were on our way to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Guadalupe Peak is the high point of Texas. We (I) wanted to reach the top of another states high point. The highway incidentally also passed Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We stopped and toured the cavern. It was really spectacular. They encouraged us to take pictures, but due to the lack of light we met only marginal success. It’s an odd phenomenon of nature that sunlight seldom penetrates through 750 feet of limestone. We camped for the night in a Guadalupe NP campground. ...

At the summit of Guadalupe Peak. The monument was erected in honor of American Airlines

Scene on Main Street, Daytona Beach. The people are gasping because the bike breathed fire.

Entrance to carlsbad cavern descending about 750 feet to the main room.

Dianne claimed that she was taking photos of a bridge

My cousins, Bill, Carl, Altanette and Beverly

Live oak trees on a rice plantation near Brusnwick, GA

Sunset by our campsite in GA

Muscovey ducks near our campsite in GA

Shrimp boats in Darien, GA

We stopped in Jackson, MS to visit our friends Walter, Laura, and their kids, Walt and Peyton. It was a great visit. Walter showed us around the town. We saw beautiful areas and squalor. On to the Dallas area where we again visited our friends John and Cindy and our former neighbors Dave and Angela. We noticed that Spring has arrived. The trees are beginning to awaken from the Winter. But, don't be fooled. We woke up this morning to find frost on the car. The current stop is Lubbock where we hope to take care of some business.

Bike Week ’05 is now history. We’re on our way home. With two days travel, we have reached Jackson MS. It seems that we have been gone far too long. Dianne is so impatient to get home that even she might be willing to drive. We were parked in a field at the west end of the Daytona Speedway. What a ‘bargain’, only $200 to dry camp, (grin). It still beats other options. I think every other RV park is sold out, - and the price is even higher. Bike Week seems to cover all of central Florida. I have heard that Bike Week brings somewhere near 750,000 motorcycle riders to the area. Compare that to the NASCAR event last month, which drew about 250,000 race fans. The traffic is horrendous, but can be mostly avoided by those that know the city. That doesn’t include me yet. I was last in Daytona in 1964. That year I rode in a 100 mile road race at the speedway. I didn’t get involved in any partying. I don’t even know if Daytona was about partying as much then as it is now. Racing was superb. We a...

We're here in Daytona waiting for Bike week, beginning this Saturday. We have been suffering through clear skies and warm weather. All the while we see reports of people enjoying the snow in the Northeast. See the report by Scott Ott, below. AccuWeather: Beautiful Snowstorm Delights East Coast by Scott Ott (2005-03-01) -- A spectacular snowstorm has created a winter wonderland in the eastern United States, delighting people of all ages, according to AccuWeather meterologist Joe Sobel. The storm , which draped the landscape in a blanket of shimmering white, has already been blamed for countless hours of joyful play which will live in the memories of children for years. "Millions of adults stayed home to enjoy time with family and escape the drudgery of their dead-end jobs," Mr. Sobel said. "Folks who work in the snow removal industry are enjoying boom times, with many earning overtime pay that will help to send children to college and generally f...

Yesterday we drove into South Carolina – barely. It was barely enough to carve another notch on our steering wheel (States that we have visited). It may be only a “qualified” notch because we only drove the car and not the RV. We wanted to see Hilton Head Island (just north of the Georgia State line). The island oozes wealth and exclusiveness. It was a rare community that didn’t have controlled, gated access. It has beautiful beaches. Access points are frequent, but it is nearly impossible to find a place to park. Consequently, I didn’t find the beaches convenient to those of us in the masses. It was likewise, too far to walk or bicycle. It was sort of like Laguna Beach or Malibu, but with less parking. There is only one road leading to or from the island. I can only imagine how traffic might be in the event of a hurricane evacuation. Driving south, back into Georgia, we passed through Savannah again, and onto Tybee Island. Parking is still at a premium and controlled by me...

I have been noticing the weather around the country. I'm sorry for the folks in SanDiego that I am not there to counteract the forces of my cousin Libby. The rain will not last forever. The will return to Wisconsin -- eventually. It's not raining here.

We have a couple of weeks before Bike Week at Daytona. To pass the time we decided to explore Georgia. We are currently staying in a RV park situated on McIntosh Lake, approximately midway between Savannah and Florida. Yesterday we visited Darien, GA, a small nearby town. Darien is the home of a shrimp boat fleet, and sometimes the shipping of timber. Today we visited Savannah, the oldest city in Georgia. We mostly explored the historic area. Until about 25 years ago, it was one of those decrepit decaying downtowns that were awaiting the wrecking ball. Now it has been largely restored and is densely populated with restaurants and galleries and other such touristy shops. It also includes a large number of restored homes of prominent early community leaders. It sort of resembles the Gas Lamp District in San Diego with houses except that it is significantly larger. We took one of the shuttle bus tours to get an overview. It wasn’t until we were leaving the historic district that we realiz...

Pelicans, Lakeland, FL

Just waiting for a careless duck or pigeon.

Black Swan from Australia

Black necked swan