tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30274811387810427442024-03-04T20:53:30.063-08:00Hertan AdventuresBrett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-25910910800944620592023-05-06T22:38:00.001-07:002023-05-06T22:38:06.949-07:00We've moved<p> Our posts are now on Facebook at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092309209844">Hertans' Adventures | Facebook</a>.</p>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-42394782718296757892023-04-26T19:02:00.003-07:002023-04-26T19:12:40.682-07:00Roswell, NM<p>Sometimes you need a little roadside repair. On the way to Roswell, Brett noticed flapping from the trailer. The trailer is not supposed to flap. Somehow, we lost three screws on the front skirt. Our assumption is that I10 was the culprit. That's one bumpy ride. Thankfully, Brett had some self-tapping screws and was able to repair it on the side of the road. This lifestyle often requires and ingenuity and patience.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrHV9TA3YcN1xFaKMqADLJ18DsFXoLLPfV-vQUa9wox735bWgtS5GpjyfxnUaolniBKLi8nFtdHkolThnkWaDqHlxtvBAXdqdGq8gjDhyPrH8VdyPlL5Uc1SgCvaL6dW6a-zVEnWt_NG3lEVY61gxneTT5zwPetS4K9ytsdlId1EmQBr__SuEp6Au/s4032/20230425_104410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrHV9TA3YcN1xFaKMqADLJ18DsFXoLLPfV-vQUa9wox735bWgtS5GpjyfxnUaolniBKLi8nFtdHkolThnkWaDqHlxtvBAXdqdGq8gjDhyPrH8VdyPlL5Uc1SgCvaL6dW6a-zVEnWt_NG3lEVY61gxneTT5zwPetS4K9ytsdlId1EmQBr__SuEp6Au/s320/20230425_104410.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Roswell...hmm, not sure what to say about it. It's, uh—odd. As you probably know, Roswell, NM is known for its association with the alleged UFO incident that occurred in 1947. According to reports, a flying object crashed near Roswell, and the government initially claimed it was a weather balloon. However, many people believe that it was actually an extraterrestrial spacecraft, and it has become a subject of speculation and conspiracy theories. Roswell is known as the "UFO capital of the world". </p><p>The town has capitalized on its association with extraterrestrial life and nothing is beyond being alien-themed—even the streetlamps.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTczr4GqP5UvoBiADnMLNZYhMJq1Ma1Czsdr744CaMHrA6huHpQQ_2FjRkAUmD9UOqaWMcpCJ4AnhJdWUCRu31DnDxexHrjRbUeTaxPI9w_YWx3R3zNQG54LYtQPe7LVz8BA3Pmd_Kb_p2zzy46n-YqAW_9UpGg99yyqH9dLqFCQXNquyFZ8_i1ZgW/s4032/20230426_135652.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTczr4GqP5UvoBiADnMLNZYhMJq1Ma1Czsdr744CaMHrA6huHpQQ_2FjRkAUmD9UOqaWMcpCJ4AnhJdWUCRu31DnDxexHrjRbUeTaxPI9w_YWx3R3zNQG54LYtQPe7LVz8BA3Pmd_Kb_p2zzy46n-YqAW_9UpGg99yyqH9dLqFCQXNquyFZ8_i1ZgW/s320/20230426_135652.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHEIXwWkZYJbjzT-udbqxcOCMSTWru6ga6tvHgFuIGR5L10m1h598fzZauiFbxRw53Hs3-0MS3TJo4Q4Ho79te7cHX55W1XwsLnj2uhxA4sUzcga00RH8YsOIZ617MOO3wYca3foieHdw4_mGhyD_80HyecS6arf1nkmBaySNnS2waM85rFqaqVh0/s3541/20230426_135706.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3541" data-original-width="2696" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHEIXwWkZYJbjzT-udbqxcOCMSTWru6ga6tvHgFuIGR5L10m1h598fzZauiFbxRw53Hs3-0MS3TJo4Q4Ho79te7cHX55W1XwsLnj2uhxA4sUzcga00RH8YsOIZ617MOO3wYca3foieHdw4_mGhyD_80HyecS6arf1nkmBaySNnS2waM85rFqaqVh0/s320/20230426_135706.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><br /><p>As any good tourist would do, we checked out the <a href="https://www.roswellufomuseum.com/">UFO Museum</a>. There are multiple annual UFO conferences throughout the United States. Who knew? </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26BxvSsvsoDo6HBPD0C2Xc5zgPCRSr-CijjzXULLPpqFrrfXUjR2duojTIDM-hyZXJrOPP2rFIiul7gVM_BGbVR2s-zwpwuutPdNt4fjrMihzNJDAv9lY3ziGvAR11m3ljN4CyoKWxRZEOSUsNunfP4Z9JfVYmSL_ZwsbF5Cg05H0sNjDLpGYRphE/s4032/20230426_141459.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26BxvSsvsoDo6HBPD0C2Xc5zgPCRSr-CijjzXULLPpqFrrfXUjR2duojTIDM-hyZXJrOPP2rFIiul7gVM_BGbVR2s-zwpwuutPdNt4fjrMihzNJDAv9lY3ziGvAR11m3ljN4CyoKWxRZEOSUsNunfP4Z9JfVYmSL_ZwsbF5Cg05H0sNjDLpGYRphE/s320/20230426_141459.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every book is UFO related.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6FJA0hL4tZCI4cWL06_Y-3hvdN8JUC7JNJLeXctWhKJ4cv7C29NooJTxyBtgL2gKahK40UkE-CNjhYpvXwWWEMCXQV7ss6NMGuu7yYcO-z0mjJ3FfTvySL6_SFD7RWmiVXRQ0FA7Iu9FL9l6ZoK556eqgNuUi8A67UE5oX0Mrp-yUTCroAWiDVHE/s4032/20230426_142426.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2694" data-original-width="4032" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6FJA0hL4tZCI4cWL06_Y-3hvdN8JUC7JNJLeXctWhKJ4cv7C29NooJTxyBtgL2gKahK40UkE-CNjhYpvXwWWEMCXQV7ss6NMGuu7yYcO-z0mjJ3FfTvySL6_SFD7RWmiVXRQ0FA7Iu9FL9l6ZoK556eqgNuUi8A67UE5oX0Mrp-yUTCroAWiDVHE/s320/20230426_142426.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brett found some friends.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXi_c80cXcdUPDkjajo7ZRAQSvpIKJD4McAkDQiWIeiof9vxkkYkkIsXigP2Th-4G0ZxoGzEh8PmZXdXY3VbTDzHMWwl4o5F8QXW1c5SjPHA8V1NqcUQfb37fX0OpxaW5cbri98GxgTkSPoToTI38CIXmwr5WE0paAZEtxgVx5xyNousGGVjZFkfH/s3025/20230426_144222.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="3025" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXi_c80cXcdUPDkjajo7ZRAQSvpIKJD4McAkDQiWIeiof9vxkkYkkIsXigP2Th-4G0ZxoGzEh8PmZXdXY3VbTDzHMWwl4o5F8QXW1c5SjPHA8V1NqcUQfb37fX0OpxaW5cbri98GxgTkSPoToTI38CIXmwr5WE0paAZEtxgVx5xyNousGGVjZFkfH/s320/20230426_144222.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>So, what do you think? Weather balloon or extraterrestrials?</p><p><br /></p>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-69752536060729878932023-04-26T18:16:00.000-07:002023-04-26T18:16:13.024-07:00TexasNext stop was Texas where we continued our trend of getting a home-cooked meal by friends/family. We could get used to this😋 <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq8NnEwJIvNbuWVzAn0XpDT9wqnXOzGv6j4UdOCzBNtvZLeIDeG_Rg7zwECwAVZu4GIlkZqaVPwe7EJrSsUs1A49JaxNyikSsa8QPzfc9TTqDtLK0Nv8fziA_vN7tEEfMUFFr0P073FnAWwPlG0Sic5VR9qgSm8OniHkj-JQ42mpQTkqPKUpD_9Rn/s1280/FullSizeR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="1280" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq8NnEwJIvNbuWVzAn0XpDT9wqnXOzGv6j4UdOCzBNtvZLeIDeG_Rg7zwECwAVZu4GIlkZqaVPwe7EJrSsUs1A49JaxNyikSsa8QPzfc9TTqDtLK0Nv8fziA_vN7tEEfMUFFr0P073FnAWwPlG0Sic5VR9qgSm8OniHkj-JQ42mpQTkqPKUpD_9Rn/s320/FullSizeR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_UIkDrAOxMeAFvxkdyoHXzKjOk1avAX5iUR5eCwFEpJ4UFdSVztEyBzsGVqqhf11u88v-LvOooUHB6zRAN93wr-rL9x7PudhYcTmvprL5BpsFnMgC4B2Fce8InoLrFCBt_sJhGGesLeAWICmSOwF3zsiDATUj17THSyW6ZwpZzb9bwtP5ZQoIU-Z/s2774/20230421_183825.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2774" data-original-width="2299" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_UIkDrAOxMeAFvxkdyoHXzKjOk1avAX5iUR5eCwFEpJ4UFdSVztEyBzsGVqqhf11u88v-LvOooUHB6zRAN93wr-rL9x7PudhYcTmvprL5BpsFnMgC4B2Fce8InoLrFCBt_sJhGGesLeAWICmSOwF3zsiDATUj17THSyW6ZwpZzb9bwtP5ZQoIU-Z/s320/20230421_183825.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Went to Top Golf and of course I was going to post the final results!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />From there, we headed to Fredericksburg, TX. It's a cute little town that was settled by German immigrants. After getting our site set up, we headed to a German restaurant for sausage, sauerkraut, and hot potato salad.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFf2IOwh6dMK5IrhGP3NO2gqotv280FIQAafEKSDIHwlCCraMbKNwZzQqMukZ6s7sSfC2-YValShM5JZtN6IkmAwCuInfQfGf231CuSPvjuNGs0gt83UWU0nq6Ak5K50dZ3vDLvMgjP6FXw75XhLLs3D6kxN1vfBCnS_xcIT3kX4QJiz705Yihggr/s4032/20230423_170140.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFf2IOwh6dMK5IrhGP3NO2gqotv280FIQAafEKSDIHwlCCraMbKNwZzQqMukZ6s7sSfC2-YValShM5JZtN6IkmAwCuInfQfGf231CuSPvjuNGs0gt83UWU0nq6Ak5K50dZ3vDLvMgjP6FXw75XhLLs3D6kxN1vfBCnS_xcIT3kX4QJiz705Yihggr/s320/20230423_170140.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpJc1lXAnWPJcmMOazuwK5hyMAhBb2T14tKn_NHapYy1XPytZrclECzDMmLR5nY4pvcbxzMG1hli9SRSKJyq1hHq7rQ3SOVCTHgdy3crfRDOXV-z_jUvrudBcR60zCINixja_7Y9B1Kg3ZPL0jpSH6ca2AdyvKJIQLYin-JzxWF9DsenIrRP6CjQn/s4032/20230422_151902.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpJc1lXAnWPJcmMOazuwK5hyMAhBb2T14tKn_NHapYy1XPytZrclECzDMmLR5nY4pvcbxzMG1hli9SRSKJyq1hHq7rQ3SOVCTHgdy3crfRDOXV-z_jUvrudBcR60zCINixja_7Y9B1Kg3ZPL0jpSH6ca2AdyvKJIQLYin-JzxWF9DsenIrRP6CjQn/s320/20230422_151902.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2Y6fzwBQUYLSk0N8WCAFoVDIMftCw_29lQAebNEhvaILox7s8IH25ZdRKEtKNq9e4jkIwveTWoy3ICqTGsuGKRn1i8nPLoPJJfwoeCS_n-n-DEZH28jIv1hITePjQUj4TGaUfFhP-28qqQhHFJ7YpXg535LAz_D1HTflzFagZop_Uc6DPcQ6NXfD/s3508/20230422_145135.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3508" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2Y6fzwBQUYLSk0N8WCAFoVDIMftCw_29lQAebNEhvaILox7s8IH25ZdRKEtKNq9e4jkIwveTWoy3ICqTGsuGKRn1i8nPLoPJJfwoeCS_n-n-DEZH28jIv1hITePjQUj4TGaUfFhP-28qqQhHFJ7YpXg535LAz_D1HTflzFagZop_Uc6DPcQ6NXfD/s320/20230422_145135.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After lunch, we headed to <a href="https://jelly.com/fw-farmstead/das-peach-haus/">The Peach Haus</a>. I enjoy browsing specialty foods stores and Brett is patient enough to entertain me by going to them. They also had peaceful grounds with live music and picnicking around a small pond.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin58maVbamHsaS_hE_VgFpI2UwpUnLsEZeLcwC88jJhJexCNTs9zB4ZbZ2LWd_Pe-NV3tkr-SXxTUhYXi4UyvAHTh8vdnCRBdOyC-J_K2a45c8VhLG_A4_Dv-qY06cKNLn14F3eSerh07KgVU9Hl6ghKx0RlfHqQGbe7p_BHF3MljtuR09ihfVOQip/s4032/20230422_153533.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin58maVbamHsaS_hE_VgFpI2UwpUnLsEZeLcwC88jJhJexCNTs9zB4ZbZ2LWd_Pe-NV3tkr-SXxTUhYXi4UyvAHTh8vdnCRBdOyC-J_K2a45c8VhLG_A4_Dv-qY06cKNLn14F3eSerh07KgVU9Hl6ghKx0RlfHqQGbe7p_BHF3MljtuR09ihfVOQip/s320/20230422_153533.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQPExZciDK1xJYubKZIUs4x9pXjqbCqklUnlPL87_tPleCrxca_ppQ_0pSL-HDGA-a7I32KwGWPY0atuEybP-L1K79IcNZC5bKe6u6VDB0pW_qvI85fzGA4ovg2jTyaVcKkiEpqxBUNoDdk3hVHMLg5OZ6Yx-7Yc9QyaTnxJ1OjtW_WtQOVTw4U-5/s4032/20230422_160006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQPExZciDK1xJYubKZIUs4x9pXjqbCqklUnlPL87_tPleCrxca_ppQ_0pSL-HDGA-a7I32KwGWPY0atuEybP-L1K79IcNZC5bKe6u6VDB0pW_qvI85fzGA4ovg2jTyaVcKkiEpqxBUNoDdk3hVHMLg5OZ6Yx-7Yc9QyaTnxJ1OjtW_WtQOVTw4U-5/s320/20230422_160006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbanO7HMz4iVLnARmeMJ5KExcGq-W4kpu6l8wTouYX0ACRT7hvLJxseZ7TSNuNld0r7ITD_YzPpXoRz9soh5g5E_8jtuhGy5fCd2I2dUKVuSweVUyXtxr27Mt3WkYTezA5acRcTT5IumjlUOaWgJGbv9l__vcEAg9P24cQElv27bJT29NP0xbqn7Q/s4032/20230422_160210.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbanO7HMz4iVLnARmeMJ5KExcGq-W4kpu6l8wTouYX0ACRT7hvLJxseZ7TSNuNld0r7ITD_YzPpXoRz9soh5g5E_8jtuhGy5fCd2I2dUKVuSweVUyXtxr27Mt3WkYTezA5acRcTT5IumjlUOaWgJGbv9l__vcEAg9P24cQElv27bJT29NP0xbqn7Q/s320/20230422_160210.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>While driving around the backroads, we came across this Bob's Big Boy statue in someone's front yard, so I had to take a pic.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDcYkqQXwbXMvl05INWFrVeSqCa5zQApjDe7GjCrxCWzzOrAk4Bwd_aw1lb85EUD82jgc8s_XV3rh8nlvTo62_WV_IQkEKUmD69aksgudSy0le46DlINe3uFCP7QGYkkzvvfFM9plo7tCNGXrFCIEwuxUsY6w4RHYdhlOr_syyewjhcHbKZ94fs7q/s4032/20230422_163127.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDcYkqQXwbXMvl05INWFrVeSqCa5zQApjDe7GjCrxCWzzOrAk4Bwd_aw1lb85EUD82jgc8s_XV3rh8nlvTo62_WV_IQkEKUmD69aksgudSy0le46DlINe3uFCP7QGYkkzvvfFM9plo7tCNGXrFCIEwuxUsY6w4RHYdhlOr_syyewjhcHbKZ94fs7q/s320/20230422_163127.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also went by <a href="https://www.luckenbachtexas.com/">Luckenbach.</a> (We had planned on going back the next day to a show, but it ended up being cold, so we skipped.)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOqZp-ntR283q8MtWFt5WlLm643QuJK918xKUvE-J3kBkSLIXRwckZEWiIj3vqzI0bVxZqRzyhRbsFMf-XqTC5Q5CgPOzlZsMLGInQfUZVDo27mVOBJrSjqQKYD1_gW6Y6ExFi0JvrDNF2GlV3p8n5BxE9UgJDQ1-6AwMHQh6XACvtR-yfBdl97Rt/s4032/20230422_164452.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOqZp-ntR283q8MtWFt5WlLm643QuJK918xKUvE-J3kBkSLIXRwckZEWiIj3vqzI0bVxZqRzyhRbsFMf-XqTC5Q5CgPOzlZsMLGInQfUZVDo27mVOBJrSjqQKYD1_gW6Y6ExFi0JvrDNF2GlV3p8n5BxE9UgJDQ1-6AwMHQh6XACvtR-yfBdl97Rt/s320/20230422_164452.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We wrapped up the day with wine tasting at Safari winery. This area is loaded with wineries, but his one was a bit different in that they served wines from South Africa, Chile, and Argentina, instead of local Texas wines. We happened to meet the owner and his family and learned about how the winery came about.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTje3yGqK3o_fj0gg5_s2jvfXkY_2Sr4tyamDDvuseN0nzycmuR4noBeR1BNp-zwTHou96DZW78GPOj7VdKZpDFoqhE1KvKsnsh_tHdvERHrx4I7DcvCFfqRlJEvHyBvCZkIyjUB7R4raRS1wL12Qbr5RnIBWiYd7vBU4LsfftwktqxlLeTHZbvfCM/s4032/20230423_114126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTje3yGqK3o_fj0gg5_s2jvfXkY_2Sr4tyamDDvuseN0nzycmuR4noBeR1BNp-zwTHou96DZW78GPOj7VdKZpDFoqhE1KvKsnsh_tHdvERHrx4I7DcvCFfqRlJEvHyBvCZkIyjUB7R4raRS1wL12Qbr5RnIBWiYd7vBU4LsfftwktqxlLeTHZbvfCM/s320/20230423_114126.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The next day was cold. We actually broke out the big coats! We first went to <a href="https://www.wildseedfarms.com/">Wildseed Farms</a> to check out the wildflowers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfSATUJn0tMrBUId1bf2jv_-gtXnQXBlHTIGupEOwVLrp1h65KBMx_G7txMYW6PZnpJ3y9YLbRogBfmW-ZiCcu15vSo99TjRKJa5c6veBQH2bqDp2agbOuPd6VSqdOHKiExDGt2pyxP5yS0INucabfhag47CGyNCqD6iABGYj4cpx1BSqSbknXgVF/s4032/20230423_113653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfSATUJn0tMrBUId1bf2jv_-gtXnQXBlHTIGupEOwVLrp1h65KBMx_G7txMYW6PZnpJ3y9YLbRogBfmW-ZiCcu15vSo99TjRKJa5c6veBQH2bqDp2agbOuPd6VSqdOHKiExDGt2pyxP5yS0INucabfhag47CGyNCqD6iABGYj4cpx1BSqSbknXgVF/s320/20230423_113653.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEapKQqI9_bDV_N90dc36NmY8YwK_n65xi4Jek0Vv_wnk0Mr2LyJz_gFK-g6cz7WtWHgDK-gLKZyR25xzkU22bvP148oGsDawwMKop07HpQ0icVvJ3qNdCildd53QLDEc9OaPE7CNfo9PLB3-VOHxFrBBBrWizL1SY3uxaVkQhX4Gaur7KoLa1H83-/s3054/20230423_110208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3054" data-original-width="2204" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEapKQqI9_bDV_N90dc36NmY8YwK_n65xi4Jek0Vv_wnk0Mr2LyJz_gFK-g6cz7WtWHgDK-gLKZyR25xzkU22bvP148oGsDawwMKop07HpQ0icVvJ3qNdCildd53QLDEc9OaPE7CNfo9PLB3-VOHxFrBBBrWizL1SY3uxaVkQhX4Gaur7KoLa1H83-/s320/20230423_110208.jpg" width="231" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Then we drove to Kerrville to see the <a href="https://thecrossatkerrville.org/">The Coming King Sculpture Prayer Garden</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEREZOlkHBCs7lyN_LVRj9gvRSyvPeU3DsGSyxyREUwqYyF6fQZb2KdYU00SLOWna9aHGnD8uW1kHPNk8HE0x2QygL5XlPFssPh90eegTE-cdZbD8qLtUYAS0rkogz7nI_2cmz-I_pl7kSVXObjsxa81U0t2jLZfh8ywJdJpFBliTgr0a4OtE5IHBs/s4032/20230423_131124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEREZOlkHBCs7lyN_LVRj9gvRSyvPeU3DsGSyxyREUwqYyF6fQZb2KdYU00SLOWna9aHGnD8uW1kHPNk8HE0x2QygL5XlPFssPh90eegTE-cdZbD8qLtUYAS0rkogz7nI_2cmz-I_pl7kSVXObjsxa81U0t2jLZfh8ywJdJpFBliTgr0a4OtE5IHBs/s320/20230423_131124.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQznWQBflmdnOvjVwNbJJjl1JYcf8uaLuHv5dz_30FinKc2f7yWcXE83vFgOucMx0i2jc_WTx0taE-s7dcMLK9v-m5GlHaSUHOFjWLGuLWxDWUZdE3BM3jayXzA76uQTj4cLd-2mtP-3GOq7O8-g_JuJFNuq9hMlJOMclOh7xrNvps3mCupDSIEdN/s4032/20230423_130952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQznWQBflmdnOvjVwNbJJjl1JYcf8uaLuHv5dz_30FinKc2f7yWcXE83vFgOucMx0i2jc_WTx0taE-s7dcMLK9v-m5GlHaSUHOFjWLGuLWxDWUZdE3BM3jayXzA76uQTj4cLd-2mtP-3GOq7O8-g_JuJFNuq9hMlJOMclOh7xrNvps3mCupDSIEdN/s320/20230423_130952.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqelbFKgpGIyuwvgQHG06hH5pcsuxnBHeikfr_YddASX6tUVXnbWGvggMYCyK2Kpi3FUjEr86UbNxScCZQq4fqKOb3RW2p8BB8axHgZ3HSRTZogLPOGEdbAE7eBozLZ3Heg3PdZ5nW7PisgMoqblaKck2X5vYOSquaUHwVpbu1_qPWJ7OLsph34tiy/s4032/20230423_130732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqelbFKgpGIyuwvgQHG06hH5pcsuxnBHeikfr_YddASX6tUVXnbWGvggMYCyK2Kpi3FUjEr86UbNxScCZQq4fqKOb3RW2p8BB8axHgZ3HSRTZogLPOGEdbAE7eBozLZ3Heg3PdZ5nW7PisgMoqblaKck2X5vYOSquaUHwVpbu1_qPWJ7OLsph34tiy/s320/20230423_130732.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They have piles of white rocks where you can add a prayer. The walkways are lined with these prayer rocks.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GuID_jn2kqGRoOokDOtX95OxWZdEPN6Wg5NeJOOP8zb_RJqWrv6LP3naAqNXMoO-lD0kMsyqokHYOTPZi9SXgYs_z0bxAeWxOzG_OhT6dOOL_yFcDsWN7Up1UpuBFXrM2R9ug45BEzxzpPNOtz-AHgWl46GxMeuZEMOC_P57Y_-10M2LH7l_qucq/s4032/20230423_130540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GuID_jn2kqGRoOokDOtX95OxWZdEPN6Wg5NeJOOP8zb_RJqWrv6LP3naAqNXMoO-lD0kMsyqokHYOTPZi9SXgYs_z0bxAeWxOzG_OhT6dOOL_yFcDsWN7Up1UpuBFXrM2R9ug45BEzxzpPNOtz-AHgWl46GxMeuZEMOC_P57Y_-10M2LH7l_qucq/s320/20230423_130540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3Jbg3x6rADQT54k3LCc2imSO55vMpvJPZtmcQq9o9a0lJdAFFY73goUbCCzV4n8y433NTUK-rhUTVrHWmxFtdtI9jGdr9F1TDtWGutQoiho2Ek3lDxMdD_cY-3Y7aSupQ3449ZVBQCr17Ays_NX-PZElOb9dhW_WFk61UnfOLrGEYIiNZflltmU7/s4032/20230423_125835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3Jbg3x6rADQT54k3LCc2imSO55vMpvJPZtmcQq9o9a0lJdAFFY73goUbCCzV4n8y433NTUK-rhUTVrHWmxFtdtI9jGdr9F1TDtWGutQoiho2Ek3lDxMdD_cY-3Y7aSupQ3449ZVBQCr17Ays_NX-PZElOb9dhW_WFk61UnfOLrGEYIiNZflltmU7/s320/20230423_125835.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIJASFhXOpJYNEecfTRyb_WZX2cnTZwbyeCkbuPs_7bK2bQRwIanzY6ysq5Gd4KdTSSIAYnjSbas_U5D7QncUlimNWUTXWCSK_8V6gWzrqsuIDDd7jEQFAizwmYsO1_QFSHqV4B7VkW9mXEldI8fa0DcjNtsJZb2Y2p0t88A6HLPQjR_Ey2SVssLt/s4032/20230423_125658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIJASFhXOpJYNEecfTRyb_WZX2cnTZwbyeCkbuPs_7bK2bQRwIanzY6ysq5Gd4KdTSSIAYnjSbas_U5D7QncUlimNWUTXWCSK_8V6gWzrqsuIDDd7jEQFAizwmYsO1_QFSHqV4B7VkW9mXEldI8fa0DcjNtsJZb2Y2p0t88A6HLPQjR_Ey2SVssLt/s320/20230423_125658.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOYqNW-WC2-NCMalBvemdIfKVwjpsx_Zryxqcd-bcSmyhgrSafa6OssW3yCjM3EKsPuc-Wqa7d0xFGDnWfdB1XOHtcT-60FhzhvqviPQfX1lvHYrAJDZxR5LwyR-VvcLO5wgcPt7KJ20QR7TL4jltUYZyhqg0f-DH3m5jWTbbfv8fW10j4YNOat7U/s4032/20230423_125524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOYqNW-WC2-NCMalBvemdIfKVwjpsx_Zryxqcd-bcSmyhgrSafa6OssW3yCjM3EKsPuc-Wqa7d0xFGDnWfdB1XOHtcT-60FhzhvqviPQfX1lvHYrAJDZxR5LwyR-VvcLO5wgcPt7KJ20QR7TL4jltUYZyhqg0f-DH3m5jWTbbfv8fW10j4YNOat7U/s320/20230423_125524.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQbp7vTG6JDaA-rQD_QPr8sbPH67krPrO0G0TtEWIZJpcdm7-s8U4rTAQnbxA_WTWPt1xxp8k2sdgdC7O2pslUiebRfC16_lxxDxA5Bu5YGdGHmTCx_Xoml9oPMvdSyENkYc994S_9KHIKVINJdKgi7TKH_Z_Z9exaJ2bDcIEXEwT1S_j2flvHi7R/s4032/20230423_125030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQbp7vTG6JDaA-rQD_QPr8sbPH67krPrO0G0TtEWIZJpcdm7-s8U4rTAQnbxA_WTWPt1xxp8k2sdgdC7O2pslUiebRfC16_lxxDxA5Bu5YGdGHmTCx_Xoml9oPMvdSyENkYc994S_9KHIKVINJdKgi7TKH_Z_Z9exaJ2bDcIEXEwT1S_j2flvHi7R/s320/20230423_125030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Next stop was <a href="https://www.kerrvilletexascvb.com/business/stonehenge-ii">Stonehenge II</a> where they not only have a smaller Stonehenge, but two Easter Island statue replicas. There are so many interesting finds when you check out the backroads of America.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJrkoIOQkeuBNScNy7m6X0v8zg0TAHF_VMg1R2Yys1Lib9roze9ym8GDSlP1KmgICo8v_uaI1r0FSnQGZn5DjJbvbDtOvUzOa1VXYu5kEUHQgHq4a98FcO0DRdq_0NZ0ZYtUALn8FXKW6YYwDb2ymgL64-8ilua1dWLOUR-feJMRAoIs3dy2SJV4r/s4032/20230423_151608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJrkoIOQkeuBNScNy7m6X0v8zg0TAHF_VMg1R2Yys1Lib9roze9ym8GDSlP1KmgICo8v_uaI1r0FSnQGZn5DjJbvbDtOvUzOa1VXYu5kEUHQgHq4a98FcO0DRdq_0NZ0ZYtUALn8FXKW6YYwDb2ymgL64-8ilua1dWLOUR-feJMRAoIs3dy2SJV4r/s320/20230423_151608.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFV1fdxaxO0oHI8EhwFdTY120rLgwJ-URsOWqF8eBGZOxG3k6nNvNiMydrtk7kmJFb3bnfMx_2USaGtdA9QGT_itdV59n0CDMpw2pFNhCBLeWCDJKqbdRXtYe95SCyR7sUmTbwvEFt3zGdnlVFjuZff79-sogurYLRmksDsxrBkz6rqQwvN6Y3xlS/s4032/20230423_151643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFV1fdxaxO0oHI8EhwFdTY120rLgwJ-URsOWqF8eBGZOxG3k6nNvNiMydrtk7kmJFb3bnfMx_2USaGtdA9QGT_itdV59n0CDMpw2pFNhCBLeWCDJKqbdRXtYe95SCyR7sUmTbwvEFt3zGdnlVFjuZff79-sogurYLRmksDsxrBkz6rqQwvN6Y3xlS/s320/20230423_151643.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoOJxgveMRC87DSDZNNRxHk-RZUwcmXUlsZBuszqa9x-hxQEiEmfqSXqhiPbD63NLV3WY7-cO1EVhiWTD4WZ9GnQqIGyJ2GRveQuzNcnvSps2_nPICr09aCMyYdObD5NzPrNqR5cdcdDJWZf5vwsYMvpgYXf3lzAmvxsA3Ej6hkjGI9vlo5OHn4-d/s4032/20230423_151823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoOJxgveMRC87DSDZNNRxHk-RZUwcmXUlsZBuszqa9x-hxQEiEmfqSXqhiPbD63NLV3WY7-cO1EVhiWTD4WZ9GnQqIGyJ2GRveQuzNcnvSps2_nPICr09aCMyYdObD5NzPrNqR5cdcdDJWZf5vwsYMvpgYXf3lzAmvxsA3Ej6hkjGI9vlo5OHn4-d/s320/20230423_151823.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbs_iyh65pyvAQ-vjWc6Y8cAwkRE-qcMGFrxdpCqP1CA-0VyipI7igAJmkXaoH4qEuCZGPLSeXt9kO96Ygrg6ywqqJPg8uoF9KoueB5NBY2bKDhk_nbW9cNtJBKKouAmMKsU18dRmvtD5uayZ1W9yMTFwgwstTcMxUZWVyiMlDz0FBLcMJAqtwLMM/s4032/20230423_152048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbs_iyh65pyvAQ-vjWc6Y8cAwkRE-qcMGFrxdpCqP1CA-0VyipI7igAJmkXaoH4qEuCZGPLSeXt9kO96Ygrg6ywqqJPg8uoF9KoueB5NBY2bKDhk_nbW9cNtJBKKouAmMKsU18dRmvtD5uayZ1W9yMTFwgwstTcMxUZWVyiMlDz0FBLcMJAqtwLMM/s320/20230423_152048.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just across the street from the statues was the Guadalupe River. Looks like a great place to spend time on hot days.</div><div><br />We topped off the day with a late lunch and the most delicious carrot cake at <a href="https://www.shopsattheridge.com/">The Ridge</a> where they have beautiful grounds and a cute amphitheater in the back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1bAQ_2b3hj_ZDNzxOtmDTYv1rkNWMWVGbPGLY0rCJ7OsbetqPtO3bUWhTDNPduo0h5a-XzupJvPPZzgjzVyGbU54ZjJLL_vRu7JMCOGCX2iACBrcsCkOQ0c5bFZugShOhWW8-ZI2eCgH-y7cO-2jyiRtd9B36Lphnq6Jf1hLL1qb6QaDp0V3dcHd/s4032/20230423_143217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1bAQ_2b3hj_ZDNzxOtmDTYv1rkNWMWVGbPGLY0rCJ7OsbetqPtO3bUWhTDNPduo0h5a-XzupJvPPZzgjzVyGbU54ZjJLL_vRu7JMCOGCX2iACBrcsCkOQ0c5bFZugShOhWW8-ZI2eCgH-y7cO-2jyiRtd9B36Lphnq6Jf1hLL1qb6QaDp0V3dcHd/s320/20230423_143217.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpSkavHMt0pf6syMWZn32zxU6LC5DYS2G7oYtxDSLdsT_Q9Q3T03HHN90PztJt-bLM39_Fc3fWpx7wAjEs6UaAO1KS7m5FyUNwKCTNX2o6_ITBtDLibllrBbWH7MjwdTXdOSp2lFE4HVZNwT1WedSSzQ0UrEW_xHRzAogXMXUETgt9Gm-_W_y61aT/s4032/20230423_143326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpSkavHMt0pf6syMWZn32zxU6LC5DYS2G7oYtxDSLdsT_Q9Q3T03HHN90PztJt-bLM39_Fc3fWpx7wAjEs6UaAO1KS7m5FyUNwKCTNX2o6_ITBtDLibllrBbWH7MjwdTXdOSp2lFE4HVZNwT1WedSSzQ0UrEW_xHRzAogXMXUETgt9Gm-_W_y61aT/s320/20230423_143326.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SAxhcyhJLRMSO6OeZX2OTIr0-BfwRaI7ZdGQi0qkw2P0CV2cVXZkwLiad0r_gY5hafnso61i7FOtQHkoRUd6U_z4mmf9ZWOKPFm2u5r4G-hrp0AOFRpGB--GqsqzlEjr6moQ3L68f4wpc0vSPZoSjdvbAZXuj9OeK91woTT1PN2F65UBN7A1xeHJ/s4032/20230423_143530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SAxhcyhJLRMSO6OeZX2OTIr0-BfwRaI7ZdGQi0qkw2P0CV2cVXZkwLiad0r_gY5hafnso61i7FOtQHkoRUd6U_z4mmf9ZWOKPFm2u5r4G-hrp0AOFRpGB--GqsqzlEjr6moQ3L68f4wpc0vSPZoSjdvbAZXuj9OeK91woTT1PN2F65UBN7A1xeHJ/s320/20230423_143530.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVfaFucPg0WqfIOJq4GFKO79BF1bviDa92hnK3FBXPJ4hUoxqeMMTlcMuxpMnT9x0xwiQ2iSxvxVQn-LC-srdpeHdvzCpZ6D-U-nd7r0pw2qVEBO62DV2uQhHBkQjw5F6OCq6N4T6YQofwpZl8i9tswOc6iEZd3fUpJXQpElwlnDwvkVC8Zu4w9eo/s4032/20230423_143225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVfaFucPg0WqfIOJq4GFKO79BF1bviDa92hnK3FBXPJ4hUoxqeMMTlcMuxpMnT9x0xwiQ2iSxvxVQn-LC-srdpeHdvzCpZ6D-U-nd7r0pw2qVEBO62DV2uQhHBkQjw5F6OCq6N4T6YQofwpZl8i9tswOc6iEZd3fUpJXQpElwlnDwvkVC8Zu4w9eo/s320/20230423_143225.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVK-3SxLINdVYBirfBsA-XNJRg4LtZHRdj3SsyBMtnBr4iUitPsVIss3g5IaMRjsFgUnHEvaq8DgHOMM05P4iBr8T-i65e3aFqZ7E1ziRgCiI_II6HTyddxhWcWY78imtbTofURKx53yFS4n5YQ9vy-HCMCy1usFM4PM1Mg6kJ0ULs9SXQ5XnukzN/s4032/20230423_143044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVK-3SxLINdVYBirfBsA-XNJRg4LtZHRdj3SsyBMtnBr4iUitPsVIss3g5IaMRjsFgUnHEvaq8DgHOMM05P4iBr8T-i65e3aFqZ7E1ziRgCiI_II6HTyddxhWcWY78imtbTofURKx53yFS4n5YQ9vy-HCMCy1usFM4PM1Mg6kJ0ULs9SXQ5XnukzN/s320/20230423_143044.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-75485241671928341062023-04-19T20:20:00.000-07:002023-04-25T20:31:55.652-07:00A visit with the Matchmaker!<p>After leaving Gulf Shores, we headed to Sulfur, LA to visit a childhood friend. Jennifer and I have been friends since third grade and she's the one who introduced me and Brett. It's been 11 years since we last saw each other, so it was an overdue visit. Had a fabulous meal and tons of laughs! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7QyPJ7uDqt18tIimYe-ewyJa7YFAClrIUFbrHVLK6o8op--SVS_017e9Obq_C6ovupd8zCyqoZ8eF1KW6Na1G9lwWYC-K-tgNA4IZAS4XxvLUXrKlHTzE4026IWOau82Nok1AHUscMKuPTw4JpWutniDnbae9wEAQy6X3LaQ_j2x6mLvy1Ln1LSg/s4032/20230418_223654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7QyPJ7uDqt18tIimYe-ewyJa7YFAClrIUFbrHVLK6o8op--SVS_017e9Obq_C6ovupd8zCyqoZ8eF1KW6Na1G9lwWYC-K-tgNA4IZAS4XxvLUXrKlHTzE4026IWOau82Nok1AHUscMKuPTw4JpWutniDnbae9wEAQy6X3LaQ_j2x6mLvy1Ln1LSg/s320/20230418_223654.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-39686076186080375452023-04-17T20:04:00.002-07:002023-04-25T20:20:11.330-07:00We're back on the road! <p>We left Fort Myers on 4/13 and are headed to California for a family wedding. Our first stop was Tampa, FL. Remember that awning we lost back in September in New Hampshire? Well, we had it replaced in Tampa back in October, but when they put the new one on, there was a dent in the tube, so we went back to have it replaced again.</p><p>Next stop was Gulf Shores, AL, where we stopped to visit with our friends, Kelley and Ronnie and Pat and Richard. They treated us to a wonderful meal and we taught them to play uDog. It was a nice relaxing visit.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZvUntyQMSWB2Kz1GLysTku3WU2nG2mhr3iWfAaz2ppuEM3oz2cRWFpe8HzPXd9r7HhcitbTRjYMfmbDUMaLsLCNJMek9B5lEg67Kf58HyTr_ItCKYr_JofcW9dmzewstAJJ6Mrqn6Hukts5j5mkZWYmQFjnvPrYru7DgYoq01huFPcb5VkGimqhW/s3648/20230416_152908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZvUntyQMSWB2Kz1GLysTku3WU2nG2mhr3iWfAaz2ppuEM3oz2cRWFpe8HzPXd9r7HhcitbTRjYMfmbDUMaLsLCNJMek9B5lEg67Kf58HyTr_ItCKYr_JofcW9dmzewstAJJ6Mrqn6Hukts5j5mkZWYmQFjnvPrYru7DgYoq01huFPcb5VkGimqhW/s320/20230416_152908.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great times with friends who have become family.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipozqywlMoLJ0R518BitVfSnOaaKcRVd8UNuRIDRBQubDNK5yEGb4qOWIEh3HdFB-qPBUsSu7MqCW5vN0f3k4GlYnSTCZN0k_SxnIwyrnIML3I_0Gy0MbeJJ-iIElJydgm8h6eozPHLLqgc9_l-yOfDBnTIVz6LJ5dsNgE7FKYJfxBcEY44jXFqCFH/s4032/20230416_163547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipozqywlMoLJ0R518BitVfSnOaaKcRVd8UNuRIDRBQubDNK5yEGb4qOWIEh3HdFB-qPBUsSu7MqCW5vN0f3k4GlYnSTCZN0k_SxnIwyrnIML3I_0Gy0MbeJJ-iIElJydgm8h6eozPHLLqgc9_l-yOfDBnTIVz6LJ5dsNgE7FKYJfxBcEY44jXFqCFH/s320/20230416_163547.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campsite for a few days.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZcP8xvHsDTWe5nB-MHYwrvnD4Celft508nKIdq4FqzVOVVZqc_EGPg52HwDm9dyNXjE59eSg873EWxmtLBMkgYGy7hEP7N392uLPzstV5OSs2PnRX4JjrjdOz_b-eoMZwQjn2uO0wfANyxrOTWEPShnKK4iLhUJAcYVsCQR0LL33UVmK24zUFbPz/s4032/20230416_192741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZcP8xvHsDTWe5nB-MHYwrvnD4Celft508nKIdq4FqzVOVVZqc_EGPg52HwDm9dyNXjE59eSg873EWxmtLBMkgYGy7hEP7N392uLPzstV5OSs2PnRX4JjrjdOz_b-eoMZwQjn2uO0wfANyxrOTWEPShnKK4iLhUJAcYVsCQR0LL33UVmK24zUFbPz/s320/20230416_192741.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful sunset from our campsite.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-17423992792094964192022-11-14T19:45:00.002-08:002023-04-25T20:04:31.175-07:00Hurricane Ian<p>We were supposed to leave Maine and head back to Florida end of September. I had a conference in Orlando, so I was flying down and Brett was going to drive back and pick me up and then we'd head to Fort Myers. Mother Nature had other plans. With the threat of a large-scale hurricane heading towards the west coast of Florida, we decided instead to drive to Columbia, TN and wait it out. And we are glad we did. Fort Myers Beach took a direct hit and there was damage all the way from the west coast to the east coast of Florida.</p><p>These are all photos of Fort Myers Beach. The devastation goes on for mile and miles.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM81H_nNXqcwc41AUbd9WPYChXxlMShXYykD2krfJ0zZpJ5dSrap4e7cRSH3x46rG7pecSzAM0vKVqmmwaFH3ReXtUMCfVofP_Pqvd6Qe9gPXIi000UXTS8IkxPCRsTNpehZIWn8lY9Mxdi2efUnAp-Vqu4jE-H0-Txmlv92494-_NBcFf35bb1hru/s4032/20221114_122858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM81H_nNXqcwc41AUbd9WPYChXxlMShXYykD2krfJ0zZpJ5dSrap4e7cRSH3x46rG7pecSzAM0vKVqmmwaFH3ReXtUMCfVofP_Pqvd6Qe9gPXIi000UXTS8IkxPCRsTNpehZIWn8lY9Mxdi2efUnAp-Vqu4jE-H0-Txmlv92494-_NBcFf35bb1hru/s320/20221114_122858.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk29GHoRtYnifF3e2p6L6cWC5ut1YKN5O_k7sVhhJGnwr5hOq2PYOSiiOAaR_EHjxGYru0RI2ZHr6a1ktYWDkHyLLpWODuZ0yomJXGug3NijqQTJj_IRa2sYVwCnFS_9TZBQRDu-hKo6jhJohEuKeG2VlMt5aksPsrBN_uOOtAaWIq5QWAhcAHbguK/s4032/20221114_122941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk29GHoRtYnifF3e2p6L6cWC5ut1YKN5O_k7sVhhJGnwr5hOq2PYOSiiOAaR_EHjxGYru0RI2ZHr6a1ktYWDkHyLLpWODuZ0yomJXGug3NijqQTJj_IRa2sYVwCnFS_9TZBQRDu-hKo6jhJohEuKeG2VlMt5aksPsrBN_uOOtAaWIq5QWAhcAHbguK/s320/20221114_122941.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOpvu7m3uQ2lnzQPtds1cvbR25xV0VML12qrJNBXb-b1HjTKpxIjz34sIIjtpV-tdATK9wvIvOOWp8DzRjT-c_kvHBrLUzc_l6wHypCHlVpsjFSI3OGngXbaCopvCvuAkQQL7-zD3OT4fuac2Od7z5Ld9zhEhRNGSVDV-cFJQQfdslbWYHM7T4cxf/s4032/20221114_123035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOpvu7m3uQ2lnzQPtds1cvbR25xV0VML12qrJNBXb-b1HjTKpxIjz34sIIjtpV-tdATK9wvIvOOWp8DzRjT-c_kvHBrLUzc_l6wHypCHlVpsjFSI3OGngXbaCopvCvuAkQQL7-zD3OT4fuac2Od7z5Ld9zhEhRNGSVDV-cFJQQfdslbWYHM7T4cxf/s320/20221114_123035.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkNlpVRcxSsHlYexbiuFZAwZh8xt-AB6BuNgxuPCTCVHTO5SzAi5dJk07EOILGLBdshFqX8R9bj3Z4l-REV2AyKCkxEABFxcMW3tf02FD6Kwe4NjtWaX4rZnkDSndFj-0ApiCb2uQXyoQpgKhnFMazMRp8svVBbGNW8BCX4Bd6V15oGN-xMzSZv5P/s4032/20221114_132802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkNlpVRcxSsHlYexbiuFZAwZh8xt-AB6BuNgxuPCTCVHTO5SzAi5dJk07EOILGLBdshFqX8R9bj3Z4l-REV2AyKCkxEABFxcMW3tf02FD6Kwe4NjtWaX4rZnkDSndFj-0ApiCb2uQXyoQpgKhnFMazMRp8svVBbGNW8BCX4Bd6V15oGN-xMzSZv5P/s320/20221114_132802.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA13jHhf2USSoQh9gx2vcSuv6o-SnqfiAjysSRRUrTKCEMj33fgUPrtWwTun4j1lm2HOqQWa6nI0IRv3UjmaZCfzt1YDgNY8XvhoW6Fh7qWZX0lv_0qmN2_gu51_2JqNUxCqABradBHhnlgwBPEL7QYuFyHoUVK5mfl4LpEFQEA8ItfqUBTiVgs3_D/s4032/20221114_131610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA13jHhf2USSoQh9gx2vcSuv6o-SnqfiAjysSRRUrTKCEMj33fgUPrtWwTun4j1lm2HOqQWa6nI0IRv3UjmaZCfzt1YDgNY8XvhoW6Fh7qWZX0lv_0qmN2_gu51_2JqNUxCqABradBHhnlgwBPEL7QYuFyHoUVK5mfl4LpEFQEA8ItfqUBTiVgs3_D/s320/20221114_131610.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Where we're at, we got very minimal damage. We had some landscape debris to clean up and these unwanted skylights added to our tiki, but that was it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlykyelUw6-hS8qy8VzX6Pro2-8-iJNmhGszhlTqKXuHusM4CVJTWhfKEHEux2VPO5DRmq2qf7oF5UaA4mAhmXWmMrk_3swxv0HNwc6oXrfuCFuvY7ttdSuOFQIpecLDctBffbVdf8IEO82H8IdwXTSrqNaaR4jj-FKlkvirOWcuAZmKWgd6cjurJK/s640/IMG_1064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlykyelUw6-hS8qy8VzX6Pro2-8-iJNmhGszhlTqKXuHusM4CVJTWhfKEHEux2VPO5DRmq2qf7oF5UaA4mAhmXWmMrk_3swxv0HNwc6oXrfuCFuvY7ttdSuOFQIpecLDctBffbVdf8IEO82H8IdwXTSrqNaaR4jj-FKlkvirOWcuAZmKWgd6cjurJK/s320/IMG_1064.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-85200320166606272122022-09-25T19:24:00.001-07:002023-04-25T19:44:48.242-07:00Bar Harbor, Maine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bar Harbor was a tad bit windy! We did our best to get a selfie😂</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyYownApjYYm9hoFybzqIhCeqIy9ZphmzV2oWwxFqWU548v9_U2VukrlxgQ91Y54Dx-KAk1aK3xRisHZSoXrKQB0Cdm9gMm4NjZJBlXHudHJHEbFqYw43R-id-ZcscQKpwvYFjQVWCalQ4NBZptnPVTqTZtZ5DIGPiYMWRigjGWZL4vMFGWk-vF_3/s3648/20220924_134117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyYownApjYYm9hoFybzqIhCeqIy9ZphmzV2oWwxFqWU548v9_U2VukrlxgQ91Y54Dx-KAk1aK3xRisHZSoXrKQB0Cdm9gMm4NjZJBlXHudHJHEbFqYw43R-id-ZcscQKpwvYFjQVWCalQ4NBZptnPVTqTZtZ5DIGPiYMWRigjGWZL4vMFGWk-vF_3/s320/20220924_134117.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnT0TLy6JoR04ev8Zr4PDAsBYZmCFfxlb_EYMfcQZYnhVGGMjKVosbW5CGETdG7FjShMJH1tWS0wdxMQzXhSfyxT1KlHASStuQMoXhYT37CYgAUVxWdhTpJXsvAIfLj0sZpntv52gj5zo9Nl6kaLXZUsyE5MS6kYXog52r8O8axanZu2JzpKCKUqoa/s3648/20220924_134456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnT0TLy6JoR04ev8Zr4PDAsBYZmCFfxlb_EYMfcQZYnhVGGMjKVosbW5CGETdG7FjShMJH1tWS0wdxMQzXhSfyxT1KlHASStuQMoXhYT37CYgAUVxWdhTpJXsvAIfLj0sZpntv52gj5zo9Nl6kaLXZUsyE5MS6kYXog52r8O8axanZu2JzpKCKUqoa/s320/20220924_134456.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCw8_Rs-GuREnV9TRstldlle_gTW6nojoW5__oM_CYT3xKWiAf6GBvhrcKmbRqVlZFRnTzX1Sxw6SKo3i2JXiALVEp8AYT3sYcWB5rqUMV1iUMoxsm3vTq4PrELm1byOMOW_q8SdV6-MaUgS4ARr0-qYqWV4KvpBmSRWB3Lkj-RQEYulY1Mb2tmVRB/s3648/20220924_154602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCw8_Rs-GuREnV9TRstldlle_gTW6nojoW5__oM_CYT3xKWiAf6GBvhrcKmbRqVlZFRnTzX1Sxw6SKo3i2JXiALVEp8AYT3sYcWB5rqUMV1iUMoxsm3vTq4PrELm1byOMOW_q8SdV6-MaUgS4ARr0-qYqWV4KvpBmSRWB3Lkj-RQEYulY1Mb2tmVRB/s320/20220924_154602.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6IBekeOaKsdbWqXAZuXfXQOqO_Q7Cg_07DUfV-Gc2VUqBVMlwy8AiRtDMNmM9zpBqlR-u4mngufEJLtAIjxJMFGQg4ouzFPtJ6yI_4abFVxvbh01659b2IEaJMt9uSI6O2YHuHvOksUVHqt2R8HUbCxKPCGiZvJn7_r7rZERc-5keb_ytqul0ekT/s3648/20220924_154614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6IBekeOaKsdbWqXAZuXfXQOqO_Q7Cg_07DUfV-Gc2VUqBVMlwy8AiRtDMNmM9zpBqlR-u4mngufEJLtAIjxJMFGQg4ouzFPtJ6yI_4abFVxvbh01659b2IEaJMt9uSI6O2YHuHvOksUVHqt2R8HUbCxKPCGiZvJn7_r7rZERc-5keb_ytqul0ekT/s320/20220924_154614.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIHReXqX1sQ4p5uiCpVfkgZOZSdiv2FWd8tE-n-oDM6QORM5cTFzNrRi740x9phUy1yAUEjgiPbdQQuDhl_RCcxf0DqEs226ABTTqIuBXakqZurD8VnojTtkjMROAO6A873YjWHaslCvX44heVIfjAvmdOKlPs6oCf6gJXtHQAQQPk3_UdcLCUBgK/s3648/20220924_114751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIHReXqX1sQ4p5uiCpVfkgZOZSdiv2FWd8tE-n-oDM6QORM5cTFzNrRi740x9phUy1yAUEjgiPbdQQuDhl_RCcxf0DqEs226ABTTqIuBXakqZurD8VnojTtkjMROAO6A873YjWHaslCvX44heVIfjAvmdOKlPs6oCf6gJXtHQAQQPk3_UdcLCUBgK/s320/20220924_114751.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>We drove the loop of Acadia National Park and went up to Cadillac Mountain. Afterwards, we had to treat ourselves to some Maine lobster for lunch so stopped at a roadside cafe that appeared to be a local favorite.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswJsWFBx5gKcaVFwuS8qKqyGn5vfCRqnPQVqhLiJ7ukaDIqzQnJku8aD5fQ7f_TRmgwE8xf6fKK-RqrgraEOu94ebEidODVXwlKEFeFXhujL6ubKVyIDgX-0dLxckuADv0C4KAwV263mNndRmaiXhSLKTcXRXnEsMte90NMt_4HK0m3mTCUeRoNr9/s4032/20220925_135723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswJsWFBx5gKcaVFwuS8qKqyGn5vfCRqnPQVqhLiJ7ukaDIqzQnJku8aD5fQ7f_TRmgwE8xf6fKK-RqrgraEOu94ebEidODVXwlKEFeFXhujL6ubKVyIDgX-0dLxckuADv0C4KAwV263mNndRmaiXhSLKTcXRXnEsMte90NMt_4HK0m3mTCUeRoNr9/s320/20220925_135723.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Z07ORlVwQSdHOiULyXETVcljvFgBZJr05P9W-o85EJaSnBd7wwaiSjZlHW1Wf28x_Dns8VAqXbnWOcFQ1IfNuz7WmtY5FqwX0sAqKRG96A8hWNa958Pp21n_D_-zUFPAWnTkyaIJb0E4hXLXePxUQ_UFssNBIO064my5mvvMo-gxkeZV_TlkuXX2/s4032/20220925_140322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Z07ORlVwQSdHOiULyXETVcljvFgBZJr05P9W-o85EJaSnBd7wwaiSjZlHW1Wf28x_Dns8VAqXbnWOcFQ1IfNuz7WmtY5FqwX0sAqKRG96A8hWNa958Pp21n_D_-zUFPAWnTkyaIJb0E4hXLXePxUQ_UFssNBIO064my5mvvMo-gxkeZV_TlkuXX2/s320/20220925_140322.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Zix_gF_OmQHAJzj-XbMOqFyyBUC9gjc9bkYNifZqbGv0cAG1xhmBJlL1Q13rE7d62AKm4jP0AFSbB-i17-PvQLLhsyx0qMtKFbSBKso3Oes6ZbGRQ9xzSxmUuh3qyHQ3SpdXZURnwMWsNEgUig5jscNN2l--xYg-5AVIP8EJOOrr4mnR9eRMviRu/s3417/20220925_142023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1715" data-original-width="3417" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Zix_gF_OmQHAJzj-XbMOqFyyBUC9gjc9bkYNifZqbGv0cAG1xhmBJlL1Q13rE7d62AKm4jP0AFSbB-i17-PvQLLhsyx0qMtKFbSBKso3Oes6ZbGRQ9xzSxmUuh3qyHQ3SpdXZURnwMWsNEgUig5jscNN2l--xYg-5AVIP8EJOOrr4mnR9eRMviRu/s320/20220925_142023.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>We found out through Facebook that our friends, Danny and Margo from Tennessee, were also camping Bar Harbor! We hadn't seen them in several years, so they came by for a bonfire and visit. These are the best surprises.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQ-0q_wf_aIFPQhkn7ZwkCIUAk6FiernfGIvXDVpqOC-NvwwT8jPx0XYzlUY5yCM2AAty7fAllNy4vXZFKCA9rutr0bxm5NIZaNQn1MnRD9C-NvlSi9i91BjtHJhCRZIGSJ02NQFuLI86YdywLDkw606x303tkweph4fdvKXABh-KA67J90gCx1If/s2048/IMG_2732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQ-0q_wf_aIFPQhkn7ZwkCIUAk6FiernfGIvXDVpqOC-NvwwT8jPx0XYzlUY5yCM2AAty7fAllNy4vXZFKCA9rutr0bxm5NIZaNQn1MnRD9C-NvlSi9i91BjtHJhCRZIGSJ02NQFuLI86YdywLDkw606x303tkweph4fdvKXABh-KA67J90gCx1If/s320/IMG_2732.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-45206440117025841942022-09-22T16:53:00.001-07:002023-04-25T19:24:32.739-07:00New Hampshire<p>Best way to describe our stay in New Hampshire? Cold and wet. This was how we spent the time there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBD9N1Jnvmoajhc9ct0T0F_lDOLOhWluOKdVqf_nY4FpApHIP1dhgmcklQ0xyj_Jfjw5ZXMXDbdQTeoP9jKOw5UO3lY8X9-eZ9tZV6iKukH5z2YKzbqvwZ1XPiqKt8H6F45upuKHm-xC0DvEi7L0Gom5jur_gqsBmw8mHq4FQBdF5kbHh9lGZoGbrF/s3887/20220922_081953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3887" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBD9N1Jnvmoajhc9ct0T0F_lDOLOhWluOKdVqf_nY4FpApHIP1dhgmcklQ0xyj_Jfjw5ZXMXDbdQTeoP9jKOw5UO3lY8X9-eZ9tZV6iKukH5z2YKzbqvwZ1XPiqKt8H6F45upuKHm-xC0DvEi7L0Gom5jur_gqsBmw8mHq4FQBdF5kbHh9lGZoGbrF/s320/20220922_081953.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Well, at least that's how we want to remember it. The reality is, it was raining, and our awning was <i>supposed </i>to have a feature where if there's a certain amount of weight on it, it will drop an arm and dump the water. Let's just say that didn't happen. One arm broke and it came crashing down. Next thing we knew, we were outside in the rain, trying to stand on a picnic table to hold up the awning so we could figure out what to do next. Not being able to figure out how to remove it, we finally reached out to an RV service center who as luck would have it was just a few miles down the road. They came out and gave us the bad news. Both arms were bent, and the fabric was ripped. They could get us a new one, but it would take about six weeks. We opted to have them remove the existing one and dispose of it for us and we'll get a new one when we get back to Florida.<br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-88474945283016696382022-09-17T19:27:00.004-07:002022-09-17T19:30:41.136-07:00New York: Tennis, food, sight-seeing, and Covid<div style="text-align: justify;">Woot woot! After 51 days in a hotel room, we move back to our 5th wheel tomorrow. While it's mostly<span style="font-family: inherit;"> been work, we did have four Sundays during our stay where Brett was off and we could get out and about, so we to</span>ok as much advantage of that time as we could.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the first Sunday, we took the ferry to Manhattan and took a guided tour of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. There are no adequate words to describe it, so I'm not going to even try. All I'll say is that if you haven't been, and ever have the opportunity, it's a must see. </div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu-DUZreLdKJJjRlrjXxuNMDOmEdz3ClXp3HfpFPkL-vfI6EK2PLNJSfo-70uNRj3eWgQO9SlV4ROOC9yQDShXYQaJ72SDQ3u4BSgiHvARXo7q1GJ-LD4icTCc2rKdXFFrcfYERWKsoWn584IRTl35qRlphZra-2aX6nDdfSd6G6IqvAXltRYUn4g/s4032/20220807_141645.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu-DUZreLdKJJjRlrjXxuNMDOmEdz3ClXp3HfpFPkL-vfI6EK2PLNJSfo-70uNRj3eWgQO9SlV4ROOC9yQDShXYQaJ72SDQ3u4BSgiHvARXo7q1GJ-LD4icTCc2rKdXFFrcfYERWKsoWn584IRTl35qRlphZra-2aX6nDdfSd6G6IqvAXltRYUn4g/s320/20220807_141645.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the two Memorial pools, each nearly an acre in size, that sit in the footprints of the former North and South Towers.</span></span></div></blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSZEJFRratgI2nIMDC4yuydzIJC-VSd7jafYnxROX-LWzVVyCrsmst5ZT1xv-QvgvRblGW0hBnVxrxTHd59xHM69DOeZsw1OVX6CAxOz_M3S75spFy90ghqOz6r-L5KXCjyvoI5j_2OQlUizZBIwk8KP33wwtB1JDfd8LPEuyfsgBoocXhsMITLI7/s4032/20220807_115613.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSZEJFRratgI2nIMDC4yuydzIJC-VSd7jafYnxROX-LWzVVyCrsmst5ZT1xv-QvgvRblGW0hBnVxrxTHd59xHM69DOeZsw1OVX6CAxOz_M3S75spFy90ghqOz6r-L5KXCjyvoI5j_2OQlUizZBIwk8KP33wwtB1JDfd8LPEuyfsgBoocXhsMITLI7/s320/20220807_115613.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"No Day Shall Erase You from the Memory of Time"</td></tr></tbody></table><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Each of the 2,983 watercolor squares on the wall represents a
victim of the 2001 or 1993 attacks, and each square is a unique shade.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The following Sunday, we headed to CT and had a nice lunch on the water.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWESzh3-w30tU9IzqPq45XOjQXb269lwez8j9eTekr6b6x_95bBaovQ-fuaG9GgKqRkswaZMEp-jv3T70yS9sAhPi6xlwWrbNdJzwCROCTaiR920r_A0JbLHuBhbZSECNeYBzjibssyRrSwZzmYsoeNt5cU6o_GLtaGfaP6KHFJ2dPV4vhY5kXsOUp/s567/CT%20lunch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="567" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWESzh3-w30tU9IzqPq45XOjQXb269lwez8j9eTekr6b6x_95bBaovQ-fuaG9GgKqRkswaZMEp-jv3T70yS9sAhPi6xlwWrbNdJzwCROCTaiR920r_A0JbLHuBhbZSECNeYBzjibssyRrSwZzmYsoeNt5cU6o_GLtaGfaP6KHFJ2dPV4vhY5kXsOUp/s320/CT%20lunch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>On our next day off, we headed to Long Island. The weather was perfect for driving with the windows down, especially after being in a hotel for so long. We drove through the Hamptons, strolled around the cute towns along the way, and stopped at the Montauk Point Lighthouse. We had our first ever lobster rolls at Lobster Roll, also known as "Lunch" in Southhampton. It was crazy busy and obviously a very popular spot, so we had high hopes, but we weren't impressed. Perhaps we're just not lobster roll people.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxOIEUJVgFPQm2avPt_8ZRaF-0NglYUvRNXhKEo3NP3Or604lhr8xYnCen1uunT4jcB6CGqznPVyOOjK-SSN2Vxzm1gf8FhZk-TZLNoL-JfE1IN7K-KEqP8PYcqlkUR-zyYLqVwjEyJ-0qQetU0HtoKzZth7uNQVmYC3BkJ-zzkLIEKLTjApsil3k/s4032/20220821_110546.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxOIEUJVgFPQm2avPt_8ZRaF-0NglYUvRNXhKEo3NP3Or604lhr8xYnCen1uunT4jcB6CGqznPVyOOjK-SSN2Vxzm1gf8FhZk-TZLNoL-JfE1IN7K-KEqP8PYcqlkUR-zyYLqVwjEyJ-0qQetU0HtoKzZth7uNQVmYC3BkJ-zzkLIEKLTjApsil3k/s320/20220821_110546.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CvODd3jWIZHZlp5-vxCjuVglSLP51h94751VHystlWu6m5BTNH-naqIesAWaZW0jb2ljl5SM9m16IlFLrEkIYW3vT15ne20MZYh9RMOpKmsAWnAGjYM4qvlo8tngsDya7uHaT_vwcRCvitGQqOT1WLWdE48RzYGwghGoiWqh48dkg9SAxo4tXDfI/s4032/20220821_111237.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CvODd3jWIZHZlp5-vxCjuVglSLP51h94751VHystlWu6m5BTNH-naqIesAWaZW0jb2ljl5SM9m16IlFLrEkIYW3vT15ne20MZYh9RMOpKmsAWnAGjYM4qvlo8tngsDya7uHaT_vwcRCvitGQqOT1WLWdE48RzYGwghGoiWqh48dkg9SAxo4tXDfI/s320/20220821_111237.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEico-r8qPUO7U-ruu0unISz4PdZlSd-b3qRvVywRNK9ZO8pD1h1R_2CXMG8BcPnSTq9-8dMmSsx5POpwpRpzj_TV53GFuWcehb3eOKN35soeqa8pxY57qrGPXQSEy5Y2OOqBy1dE7CHC45v6iQM3_ucgQb8p1DTV1e92Cjo9JvjJDeiI4rMQqikZFyn/s3115/20220821_134902.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3115" data-original-width="2469" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEico-r8qPUO7U-ruu0unISz4PdZlSd-b3qRvVywRNK9ZO8pD1h1R_2CXMG8BcPnSTq9-8dMmSsx5POpwpRpzj_TV53GFuWcehb3eOKN35soeqa8pxY57qrGPXQSEy5Y2OOqBy1dE7CHC45v6iQM3_ucgQb8p1DTV1e92Cjo9JvjJDeiI4rMQqikZFyn/s320/20220821_134902.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiedggO3ZRqJO3wlH7HArCsNg3SpEFige_tBB_7c7BV8Y7Fx25172sAbOrt_bmUny4tsir2pxL5QacrP_ZXIqCktOahKDMGeYxihPILREUeuweYvaOgyguc2MeZNFGZYjlsILl4WRcCz2gW-kT0uWuaYby7pjPUGY8RSVtmai80rS3znPM4Q-r3j7/s3648/20220821_143403.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiedggO3ZRqJO3wlH7HArCsNg3SpEFige_tBB_7c7BV8Y7Fx25172sAbOrt_bmUny4tsir2pxL5QacrP_ZXIqCktOahKDMGeYxihPILREUeuweYvaOgyguc2MeZNFGZYjlsILl4WRcCz2gW-kT0uWuaYby7pjPUGY8RSVtmai80rS3znPM4Q-r3j7/s320/20220821_143403.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div>For our final day of exploring, we went to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. It was our anniversary and also the anniversary of the day Brett's family immigrated from Hungary through Ellis Island, 115 years ago. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVsEVPNPQcyW9GFj5v6I9awRsMs637gcSNtG4tFCqB_5tg-BDxadHUHE80bhUb-3pef5io_EeFg0Wr-poZaPnWEsJ4ZdvZ79S2SDHHXKiA1QjEHUsPT9A10KCI1-LX2n7jwGYo4h0oKrvDoGcplaowMFE_BVAFpuM4mrpforYXZJ5FPMK9MbyTZ1U/s2560/28Aug-Statue-of-Liberty-and-Ellis-Island-Tour-John-Francis-Bourke1-scaled.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVsEVPNPQcyW9GFj5v6I9awRsMs637gcSNtG4tFCqB_5tg-BDxadHUHE80bhUb-3pef5io_EeFg0Wr-poZaPnWEsJ4ZdvZ79S2SDHHXKiA1QjEHUsPT9A10KCI1-LX2n7jwGYo4h0oKrvDoGcplaowMFE_BVAFpuM4mrpforYXZJ5FPMK9MbyTZ1U/s320/28Aug-Statue-of-Liberty-and-Ellis-Island-Tour-John-Francis-Bourke1-scaled.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our tour group</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7f7p5UgnSXL3_MGlG6jJr1_qSKbJddV4s2Io6UyHgD3Ih7k-4FSsPv4ls40gWQZG-zHGew3JVkdnaMechzA62EdKgxRJmH6AQn9MMH71-3igxLABgs7LMEYOg6OMLoaarDCGIdxsRJsPvxVuEJqeZElylqMIy_hO_sbwv7OVAC-yb_xXZ0S-wlB9P/s2048/statue%20of%20liberty%20without%20us.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7f7p5UgnSXL3_MGlG6jJr1_qSKbJddV4s2Io6UyHgD3Ih7k-4FSsPv4ls40gWQZG-zHGew3JVkdnaMechzA62EdKgxRJmH6AQn9MMH71-3igxLABgs7LMEYOg6OMLoaarDCGIdxsRJsPvxVuEJqeZElylqMIy_hO_sbwv7OVAC-yb_xXZ0S-wlB9P/s320/statue%20of%20liberty%20without%20us.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2B5y2CCzqPkiRZbrso3fviPuCVrI-lzXrtjCRqLapb7Ec24s2kF5qp5pS_tcWhRou3lT7S0SM44qIMpnFA6R8RI_B2RwT1FedUuoS2fnT02zTBej-9ptYvX0RAQpwHq3DKP0Glxm-Qf7s4f5prgiNgkKJp8FsPHVzVkOkiUX47PwQ01-XL5ffvi-D/s2048/ellis%20island.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1167" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2B5y2CCzqPkiRZbrso3fviPuCVrI-lzXrtjCRqLapb7Ec24s2kF5qp5pS_tcWhRou3lT7S0SM44qIMpnFA6R8RI_B2RwT1FedUuoS2fnT02zTBej-9ptYvX0RAQpwHq3DKP0Glxm-Qf7s4f5prgiNgkKJp8FsPHVzVkOkiUX47PwQ01-XL5ffvi-D/s320/ellis%20island.jpg" width="182" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuPbeyIf0eCwmnfrg_0ydLHp89bQFoYzKfJhAYsDs2ZCFsvrFkI3W7YwHqTdO9okF-6ixCNn73N4wXTn0anmxOICpX8DyHH9YenoJzJNtHtXmY7rIbaJmhdmnB0XpPDZDnQVX8nYBTyiVuRLvUqdTSMI_tb8BwOi1lxV19AXyNIHNTYIMEIaOSna0/s712/ship.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="712" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuPbeyIf0eCwmnfrg_0ydLHp89bQFoYzKfJhAYsDs2ZCFsvrFkI3W7YwHqTdO9okF-6ixCNn73N4wXTn0anmxOICpX8DyHH9YenoJzJNtHtXmY7rIbaJmhdmnB0XpPDZDnQVX8nYBTyiVuRLvUqdTSMI_tb8BwOi1lxV19AXyNIHNTYIMEIaOSna0/s320/ship.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ship that Brett's family traveled on from Hungary.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDwNHJ_pnBb2HOsW0nr27AAK1yuI4gRgqXFPpFFxbpHdG6sdT-jdRfUQfZ1HUJ1fTGytBeEAbVjnlop41Ct24ozD-UyYKqhccxeyYsSGeZ5dhIjX8ml8mUj1FhyN6aKPdimu-f_Bb311J-AAVZa4l485Fyn7GRbwT8t-S4IvclP7OIoZ7xT1UrkPL/s2048/grandpas%20name%20on%20wall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDwNHJ_pnBb2HOsW0nr27AAK1yuI4gRgqXFPpFFxbpHdG6sdT-jdRfUQfZ1HUJ1fTGytBeEAbVjnlop41Ct24ozD-UyYKqhccxeyYsSGeZ5dhIjX8ml8mUj1FhyN6aKPdimu-f_Bb311J-AAVZa4l485Fyn7GRbwT8t-S4IvclP7OIoZ7xT1UrkPL/s320/grandpas%20name%20on%20wall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOJC05oiChVb4JC0-XmoMoN2_iOiRBG7hHnzwZ01amSyZXGOrYM_D0GOCKJGx0WYzFN1UKNpRKyMK8BTDNJSjKrYtZwfr_U40JZVrODEVJ0RJ7AjcOMMg9yAwmtuHCF2lGKUvhywWDl4rVe59Xv8y2lW0CKgBjj8zEwpsv1Y1aKshva8qGw9BTcXx/s4032/20220828_075032.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOJC05oiChVb4JC0-XmoMoN2_iOiRBG7hHnzwZ01amSyZXGOrYM_D0GOCKJGx0WYzFN1UKNpRKyMK8BTDNJSjKrYtZwfr_U40JZVrODEVJ0RJ7AjcOMMg9yAwmtuHCF2lGKUvhywWDl4rVe59Xv8y2lW0CKgBjj8zEwpsv1Y1aKshva8qGw9BTcXx/s320/20220828_075032.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Merchant Mariners' Memorial </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Last week, Covid finally caught up with Brett, so he's been quarantining in another room. He never had a fever and is feeling great, so since he's passed the 5-day quarantine period, we're going to proceed as planned and head out tomorrow. We did check about possibly staying a few more days, but the hotel is booked. We do have plenty of room in the 5th wheel to both have our own space, so he'll just mask up for the drive and we we'll stay "home" for a few days. We're thankful it was a mild case and just a slight inconvenience in plans.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, our trip here did its purpose. It refilled the coffers. We did get some sightseeing in, but we're both more than ready to move on. One thing that the area did not disappoint on, was food. Coming from a small town, where gluten-free options can be limited, it's fun to find good eats. Here are some that looked just as good as they tasted. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDUBR_C3EyplEWfUQGSttok8pzDFLa2jYP4PpCFd_XwQ910ADDosrAGRz3JSxGPUrECjFuA1tshamTO7T2mcoOMqRIqkvpk3P6Yuju03XYP2hdJj42Di4t6h79pc0iuSGs7CKw-g6tso8oyG0QwW1Fj0hFzVF55hWjcJFOcAoShMzrqJKqPeAnL4v/s4032/20220911_112838.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDUBR_C3EyplEWfUQGSttok8pzDFLa2jYP4PpCFd_XwQ910ADDosrAGRz3JSxGPUrECjFuA1tshamTO7T2mcoOMqRIqkvpk3P6Yuju03XYP2hdJj42Di4t6h79pc0iuSGs7CKw-g6tso8oyG0QwW1Fj0hFzVF55hWjcJFOcAoShMzrqJKqPeAnL4v/s320/20220911_112838.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://thethirstykoala.com/">Soufflé Pancakes at The Thirsty Koala</a><br />We had several meals at this restaurant, and they were all amazing. Highly recommend.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oM4ra4q3_uIkjIvxQPQKXf5aXW3x2f0W9eNsnuCdap9jBBlPFtffDmcFlpGVNDrT8YiqcsxjDRKn7omB82TSVkBP4qQk2oTwuXwfDD-HqM9kVjnVXKSj8UjKvftOjV_UFAU4x6cTUsyiiu-U2od-0X6YMqp1ZL9BZW1y6-_jeYEAngsvB0IgGGYV/s4032/20220911_212141.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oM4ra4q3_uIkjIvxQPQKXf5aXW3x2f0W9eNsnuCdap9jBBlPFtffDmcFlpGVNDrT8YiqcsxjDRKn7omB82TSVkBP4qQk2oTwuXwfDD-HqM9kVjnVXKSj8UjKvftOjV_UFAU4x6cTUsyiiu-U2od-0X6YMqp1ZL9BZW1y6-_jeYEAngsvB0IgGGYV/s320/20220911_212141.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://t-swirlcrepe.com/">Crepe Brûlée at T-Swirl Crepes</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DEdp-Ov2Gx1hXaWXgjBpWFOespAolvl67Mb5WizcULcpnJqX4gKgAxgO0Bb3r_8fgSoPEM0nkcdVgGJMPUmWdv46QQmCHoQhQpVak1rOEYwhdGdeTVFeWJdJki4YU61YQMKy3edMm2cEgF0AhMzNVQR9m3DWHP45Uplb0KLwHmZJrSrK6oDvB-1J/s3678/20220911_195733.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2507" data-original-width="3678" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DEdp-Ov2Gx1hXaWXgjBpWFOespAolvl67Mb5WizcULcpnJqX4gKgAxgO0Bb3r_8fgSoPEM0nkcdVgGJMPUmWdv46QQmCHoQhQpVak1rOEYwhdGdeTVFeWJdJki4YU61YQMKy3edMm2cEgF0AhMzNVQR9m3DWHP45Uplb0KLwHmZJrSrK6oDvB-1J/s320/20220911_195733.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.basilbrickoven.com/">Carbonara pizza at Basil Brick Oven </a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />And of course, we would be remiss if we didn't mention tennis, since that's why we were here. I became a bit obsessed and watched a lot of tennis. It also got me out of the hotel, which was needed.<div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNVwTuJdShCWnC5mrxeZ_oHHARu-1c2t62mt_JOWaKw1i5Vso98gAAW6p9SOzBqc1OuIC9XEmdU6MyjGGub5sEk7Ajjoy-49pNhdF4ZudNqI0fIMiFhdj2OD8cGFaPeffQDsIJYmC0h9bV5RM64nYAhEd8ikdhWzD0ZI4X5EnUWiqZV6E21CG6Du-/s1124/US%20opne%20with%20beau.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNVwTuJdShCWnC5mrxeZ_oHHARu-1c2t62mt_JOWaKw1i5Vso98gAAW6p9SOzBqc1OuIC9XEmdU6MyjGGub5sEk7Ajjoy-49pNhdF4ZudNqI0fIMiFhdj2OD8cGFaPeffQDsIJYmC0h9bV5RM64nYAhEd8ikdhWzD0ZI4X5EnUWiqZV6E21CG6Du-/s320/US%20opne%20with%20beau.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beau was in NY, so we hit up the shops and of course, watched some tennis.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGjH-YLODMOBA3pUyKxWz0hSJJw94u_Pc2fzjY6m-YrouGRwpVD_rSob-KQgLmcN8MoiH_iiLm8gyU4Tv_VdOm-LfY4HmKW3P58nj6y4iz8zTXqghQPNCv1TJ6azmx46duRPGqylXMTw29VB3k7i2tJ97blmMScNJOZvkAhfj1CrvZ6Sx9rx81QCc/s1080/suite.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1080" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGjH-YLODMOBA3pUyKxWz0hSJJw94u_Pc2fzjY6m-YrouGRwpVD_rSob-KQgLmcN8MoiH_iiLm8gyU4Tv_VdOm-LfY4HmKW3P58nj6y4iz8zTXqghQPNCv1TJ6azmx46duRPGqylXMTw29VB3k7i2tJ97blmMScNJOZvkAhfj1CrvZ6Sx9rx81QCc/s320/suite.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;">I usually watched on TV right outside the stadium, so I could hear the roar of the crowd, but the one night we got access to a suite was the best! And Brett was so sweet to agree to stay for the entire match, which ended up going until 2:23am!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Peace out New York! I'm not sure if I'm more excited to get a new view or to have a kitchen again and be able to prepare a meal. New Hampshire, here we come!</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTnUXMnbGBHYfR6sD60IpdurAZJHRKkf02OZbSplAkPjMUYN63_gGS6gYAw3dqrZtB0EXwLo4Z2a8zotMVZ7K9816f_V34ean7plFg7o9mq0eZVbKgWE-vkGdIJOGgrtOeBywOGtW8uub-CpWnxp-gLTHXvN-jQAqqB5RduSC4pH3aWdCz9UK-JyQ/s4032/20220823_154257.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTnUXMnbGBHYfR6sD60IpdurAZJHRKkf02OZbSplAkPjMUYN63_gGS6gYAw3dqrZtB0EXwLo4Z2a8zotMVZ7K9816f_V34ean7plFg7o9mq0eZVbKgWE-vkGdIJOGgrtOeBywOGtW8uub-CpWnxp-gLTHXvN-jQAqqB5RduSC4pH3aWdCz9UK-JyQ/s320/20220823_154257.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our room at the Hampton Inn LaGuardia Airport</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-18281717001073382222022-07-31T16:37:00.002-07:002022-07-31T16:37:57.720-07:00Philadelphia, PA and Queens, NYWe spent another week in Gettysburg and took some downtime to relax at the campground.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgaOu8Odwx4hVtCsGOrZ_9JdfKkpBNEWk5487U5u4dKOnQ4-5Gzku1p2pHzrCQj0RGSYAcF4ztXA-P7isRHnkUPxln7M1Rm_hANFI899xbbK1LhPAmOyJHrNuNNTJ3_qDayrX3hE5d6exD__OpZPH251xnv0M64LWOns7W80xUOC7BqF36k2hS2S-/s4032/20220723_131127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgaOu8Odwx4hVtCsGOrZ_9JdfKkpBNEWk5487U5u4dKOnQ4-5Gzku1p2pHzrCQj0RGSYAcF4ztXA-P7isRHnkUPxln7M1Rm_hANFI899xbbK1LhPAmOyJHrNuNNTJ3_qDayrX3hE5d6exD__OpZPH251xnv0M64LWOns7W80xUOC7BqF36k2hS2S-/s320/20220723_131127.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a hot weekend, so we weren't alone in taking advantage of the campground pool.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1FrebiPUX6BSziz-KD-DIIAFqqsOE3FS_rHxqbfC4NoXn-Yog6vVqzaIiQggDGTA9ANiVseahA8V2EB47yRZoq9799z7vNpiVAUBHvrMfOU0Ry2QISfYI8GsFUsvZiLFCls28vww3VNcUXemiAWTDD7beODT74JMmkKKJfd9VzXfNSsO3G9TYZN8/s640/IMG_0791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1FrebiPUX6BSziz-KD-DIIAFqqsOE3FS_rHxqbfC4NoXn-Yog6vVqzaIiQggDGTA9ANiVseahA8V2EB47yRZoq9799z7vNpiVAUBHvrMfOU0Ry2QISfYI8GsFUsvZiLFCls28vww3VNcUXemiAWTDD7beODT74JMmkKKJfd9VzXfNSsO3G9TYZN8/s320/IMG_0791.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Then, this past week, we headed to Philadelphia. There were no RV parks in Philadelphia, so we stayed outside the city in an RV/Mobile home park in Hatfield, PA. We were only there a few days and only had one day to go into Philadelphia. Our plan was to go in and have lunch with one of my employees whom I'd never met face-to-face. I chose the restaurant by looking up places that were gluten free. I'll cut to the chase and say that I should have asked the local to pick the place. First, the parking was non-existent—at least for us with our beast of a truck. After driving for a bit and realizing the only possible parking in the area was in garages and they all had low clearances, we decided to just have Brett drop me off and he would hang out and come back to get me. And then the food was just ok. But it was great to finally meet Kristen! After lunch, we headed to the Independence Hall area where we were able to see the Liberty Bell and get in a quick tour of Congress Hall. A little tidbit we weren't aware of about the Liberty Bell is that it was ordered from the Whitechapel Foundry in London and upon arrival, cracked on its first test ring. The bell was then melted down and recast by local metalworker, but when presented to the public, the sound was so awful that it was publicly mocked, and the metalworkers melted it down and recast it again. After about 90 years of use, it developed another crack, but it's not documented exactly when that occurred or why. The large crack that we now see is actually the repair of that crack—they widened it to prevent the spread and restore the tone.</span></div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNjp05_nusQMFRD_DpQWGgENMPv2zdm19MhXk1GWrOD_S67NajSVhbdnGgwZoVR4h2r51PIVMi1Yk9d-QRVTq6SLPyPchf_6aHXicMr6hzRi8bXxhqrEsK1xTZtQoYYE0HTkYavS3fA72C-0Sc6c03QWpNqhIx_dyUqLPJ_FutEIzxBn2xVgT82kv/s4032/20220727_153513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNjp05_nusQMFRD_DpQWGgENMPv2zdm19MhXk1GWrOD_S67NajSVhbdnGgwZoVR4h2r51PIVMi1Yk9d-QRVTq6SLPyPchf_6aHXicMr6hzRi8bXxhqrEsK1xTZtQoYYE0HTkYavS3fA72C-0Sc6c03QWpNqhIx_dyUqLPJ_FutEIzxBn2xVgT82kv/s320/20220727_153513.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVPVLXYTdRQ8zzU79MpMo-Pc-SO0Y2VPZKV97ldXrieXjsLLFfNOq2r9gRp_EODGKBfEFZb_yIEMOZOrfGfxaj6MKSeVsT6EcoZxKi6xPdrzeJSs1DHGYwXjUsW-wFh3SPW7Wqxj2YYQgMIo4zKQxfOz0z31ntkGG-5vhSahGfMY_3x1VTsS67eyA/s4032/20220727_154057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVPVLXYTdRQ8zzU79MpMo-Pc-SO0Y2VPZKV97ldXrieXjsLLFfNOq2r9gRp_EODGKBfEFZb_yIEMOZOrfGfxaj6MKSeVsT6EcoZxKi6xPdrzeJSs1DHGYwXjUsW-wFh3SPW7Wqxj2YYQgMIo4zKQxfOz0z31ntkGG-5vhSahGfMY_3x1VTsS67eyA/s320/20220727_154057.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Independence Hall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvsrqzglUE7ooGNsAuseXeHMjocL8PsZDqgTM2YlJOnPgFUpkmlsVQ-za5VBU-KGUum_GxfpkfOcWQgE-uk2F3QdTJmo4lTpyNMLRVnYW4tY98hrb38o2uwj2EG-sy0yFgoq3x2AMF9bBtlr3MKqvG00tQaWVu-WX_CVWAUKqU8hSF5RSbZ3TY8Y5/s4032/20220727_155425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvsrqzglUE7ooGNsAuseXeHMjocL8PsZDqgTM2YlJOnPgFUpkmlsVQ-za5VBU-KGUum_GxfpkfOcWQgE-uk2F3QdTJmo4lTpyNMLRVnYW4tY98hrb38o2uwj2EG-sy0yFgoq3x2AMF9bBtlr3MKqvG00tQaWVu-WX_CVWAUKqU8hSF5RSbZ3TY8Y5/s320/20220727_155425.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDQf8IUsux9vEcE7sndT7MYA13GlCe_4CWszEASu0P_UcRU31lPUmVkP56F9Y1BLWP73UJ1JJBhKFRRXGMkqbVt-rojpAuscwWLmEvvW1DsctEbNuPSMjzi7dqZSGak_vX598_ohy4mKiwJ5u5V3LeyhD94hB4aP7vesj9B9sJSDOP4L4b0atoe5f/s4032/20220727_155506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDQf8IUsux9vEcE7sndT7MYA13GlCe_4CWszEASu0P_UcRU31lPUmVkP56F9Y1BLWP73UJ1JJBhKFRRXGMkqbVt-rojpAuscwWLmEvvW1DsctEbNuPSMjzi7dqZSGak_vX598_ohy4mKiwJ5u5V3LeyhD94hB4aP7vesj9B9sJSDOP4L4b0atoe5f/s320/20220727_155506.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk8D2oCvJHrfv-gwMUAWg2copGv7rJQP-rhObu_Y225u-ifvcZhC5G9OCYvqN-XkTDq7opapFwD7_LOmz2iridIjGV3exhJ1y7buBN3qhuJS_rrZxYpu_VliPfS7ZatiGzs-z-Iwr-KWdNp2TUMfzi-229OI30DEbiVb2GTn-hYhlyKgJI5wOcFNb/s4032/20220727_155517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk8D2oCvJHrfv-gwMUAWg2copGv7rJQP-rhObu_Y225u-ifvcZhC5G9OCYvqN-XkTDq7opapFwD7_LOmz2iridIjGV3exhJ1y7buBN3qhuJS_rrZxYpu_VliPfS7ZatiGzs-z-Iwr-KWdNp2TUMfzi-229OI30DEbiVb2GTn-hYhlyKgJI5wOcFNb/s320/20220727_155517.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirl0SiLbq0QorRruyjuyJmFd0aOMlw-Ab2Wo0kMg62eNAAIh1cH-x7fho2L2cZ_iUUjpKNz8xBjIJLmS5LaOBW2TEIEXsAdM98JUrV9QXvI1wDmczZO_T0pEXSAub8bOgRte92Ffu7ZDMIHcYVL90l0EcR9dmkVsVyvlVIi8lSX6EmX3QUoOGEKq3q/s4032/20220727_155718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirl0SiLbq0QorRruyjuyJmFd0aOMlw-Ab2Wo0kMg62eNAAIh1cH-x7fho2L2cZ_iUUjpKNz8xBjIJLmS5LaOBW2TEIEXsAdM98JUrV9QXvI1wDmczZO_T0pEXSAub8bOgRte92Ffu7ZDMIHcYVL90l0EcR9dmkVsVyvlVIi8lSX6EmX3QUoOGEKq3q/s320/20220727_155718.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHCN7NDZFBHZbceEAuyKfOXUJfgt4rnxxnCWmFWbpBx-WokqUFN0wHWvquTrnugbnefIPQZG1s3XtA0Ix6bsueXQ-IT8D-kZGqWXDETBHYCqhdqGNbwzGGsRQQ9Rx8h738vENWOfmQFlr5K-xD78kR0z5_DIPYPZDisN-cL1L1jY_fwZ1ZUyK2Efl/s4032/20220727_160851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHCN7NDZFBHZbceEAuyKfOXUJfgt4rnxxnCWmFWbpBx-WokqUFN0wHWvquTrnugbnefIPQZG1s3XtA0Ix6bsueXQ-IT8D-kZGqWXDETBHYCqhdqGNbwzGGsRQQ9Rx8h738vENWOfmQFlr5K-xD78kR0z5_DIPYPZDisN-cL1L1jY_fwZ1ZUyK2Efl/s320/20220727_160851.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House chamber of Congress Hall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcL_x5B6IJTYPJSTcKFEu3pxy_7eUbOSFv30ZdtM60Ml4-eLJe498bXFk7wRxw53bYoa2gRbFcfe-B0o27Tr58oxw0ltiiS-aRnwFXbehVc647vNtyayi_4SR3o05vEOpVSOT_oxs75rdbErYYqM9j9yo5iRtsmVSkIkEy7gXCyzv-SxmroaWt72QM/s4032/20220727_161255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcL_x5B6IJTYPJSTcKFEu3pxy_7eUbOSFv30ZdtM60Ml4-eLJe498bXFk7wRxw53bYoa2gRbFcfe-B0o27Tr58oxw0ltiiS-aRnwFXbehVc647vNtyayi_4SR3o05vEOpVSOT_oxs75rdbErYYqM9j9yo5iRtsmVSkIkEy7gXCyzv-SxmroaWt72QM/s320/20220727_161255.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senate chamber of Congress Hall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9w5oXwIg67FMp3WSIZZuTTjbPfGfzIgxqzRyoU8m6nxXgi0FxqghW0cI43_A9bcBUtVOWybKxPMPCbzjSDD5T7PUnUsAJg6k2Lc-Cjt4VVhRnlov8670loWhcCvIz6s9zK6xqGCgQ51TwH_-6ES1tQQ6BQBZqDevkHbU-MnQJdh-G2I71S_ILDf9t/s4032/20220727_163344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9w5oXwIg67FMp3WSIZZuTTjbPfGfzIgxqzRyoU8m6nxXgi0FxqghW0cI43_A9bcBUtVOWybKxPMPCbzjSDD5T7PUnUsAJg6k2Lc-Cjt4VVhRnlov8670loWhcCvIz6s9zK6xqGCgQ51TwH_-6ES1tQQ6BQBZqDevkHbU-MnQJdh-G2I71S_ILDf9t/s320/20220727_163344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">The next day, we headed to CT to drop off the "house" and the following morning, headed to Queens, NY. The Hampton Inn La Guardia Airport is now our home for 51 days. We're here as Brett is working for a friend who owns </span><a href="https://www.roadwerx.com/" style="text-align: justify;">Roadwerx</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, a marketing and event production agency. They are building out some of the areas for the US Open. Check out their website—they do really amazing work! </span></div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzr6CFiVT1srKcUhBWyBptDQFRPM2sBQFZbZ9Br76LN6gO5cFNUfGvofvm1G5KWNETaqxlp7ZhQMLzCGy10iw7MfbB1UIDBAefD1ZBeHr-1nNLfkaQfp125IuKcCQlFh5Nu2NzZhdE0LZEPFKAeWbDPSnkGW-VTkvWeGvRkXVrIACtBMtLG_OF3z6/s4032/20220731_113418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzr6CFiVT1srKcUhBWyBptDQFRPM2sBQFZbZ9Br76LN6gO5cFNUfGvofvm1G5KWNETaqxlp7ZhQMLzCGy10iw7MfbB1UIDBAefD1ZBeHr-1nNLfkaQfp125IuKcCQlFh5Nu2NzZhdE0LZEPFKAeWbDPSnkGW-VTkvWeGvRkXVrIACtBMtLG_OF3z6/s320/20220731_113418.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVExjPkWKBSt05_CTrzI-UkmjSVPRYGIQEmuYYFL8IDpDx6p323B31x-DzXRwwg696Pa1AYzDYJJC7IA_XnxBxWFVYDQ-hhntz0k1fOj90emxD1Qc6-X45L_UtS9ZvENbORh8s3gtl90IeyrpzKXYkkS9rc9c7lSp_bH4XapvsYGMsY_ga6hmQ7bQ/s4032/20220731_112903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVExjPkWKBSt05_CTrzI-UkmjSVPRYGIQEmuYYFL8IDpDx6p323B31x-DzXRwwg696Pa1AYzDYJJC7IA_XnxBxWFVYDQ-hhntz0k1fOj90emxD1Qc6-X45L_UtS9ZvENbORh8s3gtl90IeyrpzKXYkkS9rc9c7lSp_bH4XapvsYGMsY_ga6hmQ7bQ/s320/20220731_112903.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arthur Ashe Stadium, where the US Open is held.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><h2><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnOJSvartZqxFv490BziQSCfNRTP4-Nnxxektpt2YCssdtctrN5nosaLX-rCHvd1EWbbSfHzbIa6yyZDiltVOehv8hvWRc2hW4bhWyOidM7XgycVrzYzB5zW4vsORZ4BXsk1Da_864FJfp9czs3qqEamMlxPEIcL-FYW1TzHfxC7BuuBqP0h6Dbqu/s3129/20220731_112159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3129" data-original-width="2542" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnOJSvartZqxFv490BziQSCfNRTP4-Nnxxektpt2YCssdtctrN5nosaLX-rCHvd1EWbbSfHzbIa6yyZDiltVOehv8hvWRc2hW4bhWyOidM7XgycVrzYzB5zW4vsORZ4BXsk1Da_864FJfp9czs3qqEamMlxPEIcL-FYW1TzHfxC7BuuBqP0h6Dbqu/s320/20220731_112159.jpg" width="260" /></a></h2></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0.112px; text-align: left;">The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. It was built for the 1964 World's Fair as a symbol of world peace and reflected that year's theme of "Peace Through Understanding."</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Sa3p9IZhXH9drHsiJcspjPDN_7Hd8E80YG2pysSZFmbg4A_YLjfyKafYWvYfmYmtsYskdH1k8T6S-9MILJ9U0qFdtUzRcqkGDmByNSWApJu60bK4jAFzSWg53uqYfo9Re_sZqo5pnZrzWBOqt48R0HdbhmuEUguRRdWaEVJvpXjAyTUkgKY5t5xc/s4032/20220731_112336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Sa3p9IZhXH9drHsiJcspjPDN_7Hd8E80YG2pysSZFmbg4A_YLjfyKafYWvYfmYmtsYskdH1k8T6S-9MILJ9U0qFdtUzRcqkGDmByNSWApJu60bK4jAFzSWg53uqYfo9Re_sZqo5pnZrzWBOqt48R0HdbhmuEUguRRdWaEVJvpXjAyTUkgKY5t5xc/s320/20220731_112336.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEUaX3dmM1rWOZMjfrbVNb9ndPOiW9IRuB_sJrE5SQOJyDYdDYgRHn3ZJgxButJTL8yavok84ruSQYLf1BXrRdmrpBQXlD3CndFW_8KJNuiJJJDaWDqMciIkY7KncHuc6SQ0QNiOLt3qBLJD0hOq8KbcUTC6edkmqhlqN7UVksUGvn_NeXgWgt6kC/s4032/20220731_112430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEUaX3dmM1rWOZMjfrbVNb9ndPOiW9IRuB_sJrE5SQOJyDYdDYgRHn3ZJgxButJTL8yavok84ruSQYLf1BXrRdmrpBQXlD3CndFW_8KJNuiJJJDaWDqMciIkY7KncHuc6SQ0QNiOLt3qBLJD0hOq8KbcUTC6edkmqhlqN7UVksUGvn_NeXgWgt6kC/s320/20220731_112430.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking through the misting plaza at The Fountain of the Fairs.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin79VB-YUuBMhdsTXiClyAwTsJOVQI2fHwnJsOpjhZd38dwQCm9XiWSwgO1s7paDYFXxzSnmUIkcvt6lcboAk_LjM9ebvyX7dHzuvnj5W5JHVHqijdLcToyOgC7Bis14tbJOM8xkHoGGfnyXmoWDQdtU11Z1wpaM-V4zryBYZsZENhYM53FcYbIHe7/s4032/20220729_083713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin79VB-YUuBMhdsTXiClyAwTsJOVQI2fHwnJsOpjhZd38dwQCm9XiWSwgO1s7paDYFXxzSnmUIkcvt6lcboAk_LjM9ebvyX7dHzuvnj5W5JHVHqijdLcToyOgC7Bis14tbJOM8xkHoGGfnyXmoWDQdtU11Z1wpaM-V4zryBYZsZENhYM53FcYbIHe7/s320/20220729_083713.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAH6VAV7KzizVsxzk7XqytSlX7XyUvkcJdxwhksNUQm2NT0MOFKM13SzlmBYKjEkaJcbKaPL8PK73VHe4IqiS1TykRUAc4W7qxkUdCeFPxkqOeGIOerRXSEmbvE_pGFZQco4Zm9QoqBq9pk5EXGdk2-Xv2bQDGGzcVE_OzXCFSZf56xXwTwmmKEES/s4032/20220729_083821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAH6VAV7KzizVsxzk7XqytSlX7XyUvkcJdxwhksNUQm2NT0MOFKM13SzlmBYKjEkaJcbKaPL8PK73VHe4IqiS1TykRUAc4W7qxkUdCeFPxkqOeGIOerRXSEmbvE_pGFZQco4Zm9QoqBq9pk5EXGdk2-Xv2bQDGGzcVE_OzXCFSZf56xXwTwmmKEES/s320/20220729_083821.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Before" views of two of the areas they will be transforming for the US Open.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Today, we went to Target to do a small amount of grocery shopping—as much as you can actually fit in a hotel mini-fridge;-) After going just the two miles from the hotel to Target, I am so beyond thankful to Donna for loaning us her car so that we don't have to navigate the city with our big truck. We then found an amazing Australian restaurant, The Thirsty Koala. Brett had a smoked trout and goat cheese omelet, and I had the pain perdue (french toast) with a bruleed banana, rum toffee sauce, and fresh whipping cream. We'll definitely be back, and probably more than once over the next seven weeks, as they have so many other amazing things on their menu that we want to try. And the fact they are relatively close doesn't hurt.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mh7RrsR-tMtLdZ7NEReeWdyJdf6ivxfAVUtGnLsEyTafYNN2OsQIDbN8a3rA6haN-7o_ZZcSxw8_M8b8CgXg4IrRalJOK37AGIJx1Fc_w_VAAuHEQxSEJqe4c26V0A6wPTVWyPmKQRCo8t7MmM5gMVAAEYiq5Ln4e8ppJjJeMCCDJeG_hk2RiqTg/s4032/20220731_141535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mh7RrsR-tMtLdZ7NEReeWdyJdf6ivxfAVUtGnLsEyTafYNN2OsQIDbN8a3rA6haN-7o_ZZcSxw8_M8b8CgXg4IrRalJOK37AGIJx1Fc_w_VAAuHEQxSEJqe4c26V0A6wPTVWyPmKQRCo8t7MmM5gMVAAEYiq5Ln4e8ppJjJeMCCDJeG_hk2RiqTg/s320/20220731_141535.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_3QdKFM2lkmf_TdDN35961WyR73yaCKr-yK_kgG2hnjciJmMCKAhzEjRqcPnZpCk46kfbMAxCN-LJxxdihbtW0HbL1nPU8cxYJrCoBwDboatSAqIrqD6VceTgGPkTCRTngWnEZZM3kdRKgvtd-9R7ZTdAYuPbhx7w382wu-YmFwB4QjNKtONaH4F/s4032/20220731_141532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_3QdKFM2lkmf_TdDN35961WyR73yaCKr-yK_kgG2hnjciJmMCKAhzEjRqcPnZpCk46kfbMAxCN-LJxxdihbtW0HbL1nPU8cxYJrCoBwDboatSAqIrqD6VceTgGPkTCRTngWnEZZM3kdRKgvtd-9R7ZTdAYuPbhx7w382wu-YmFwB4QjNKtONaH4F/s320/20220731_141532.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div></div></div></div>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-57466536022031364432022-07-17T19:43:00.000-07:002022-07-17T19:43:44.525-07:00Pennsylvania—Lancaster, Gettysburg, and Hershey<p style="text-align: justify;">We got to Gettysburg on Monday. Mark and Julie were also
here in Gettysburg, but at a different campground about 15 minutes away, so we planned on doing some sightseeing together this week. (We are
at <a href="https://www.granitehillcampingresort.com/">Granite Hill Camping
Resort</a> and we'll be here for another week.) When we got here on Monday, we found our site was pretty unlevel,
so leveled up, but the 5<sup>th</sup> wheel hitch wouldn’t detach. We changed up the leveling several times, but it still wouldn't unhitch. Finally, it did, but that wasn't a good thing. The front left of the trailer was on leveling
blocks and when unhitched, the trailer slid off the blocks😱 We got super lucky
and still don’t know how, but the trailer came to rest on the small fire extinguisher
that is mounted on the wheel well in the truck. Had that fire extinguisher not
been there, it would have landed on the truck rails, and we would have had
damage to both the truck and the 5<sup>th</sup> wheel. I found someone in the park with a bottle
jack and Mark came over from their campground to help and while it took a few
hours, Brett was able to get the trailer back up and hitched to the truck. We
then moved over to the site next to us as it was a bit more level. Crisis diverted!
But adrenaline did run high there for a bit! We do have some minor damage to the
stabilizer jack, but we’re all good now and Brett will work on that later next
week. We also bought a bottle jack so we have one handy should it be needed
again. (For those that know our story of the motorhome tire blowout in New
Mexico many years ago, you would think we would have had that jack with us!)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Our plan was to tour the battlefield on Wednesday, but
shortly before it started, we got a call that our guide had to cancel, so we headed
out to Lancaster instead. We went to <a href="https://www.amishvillage.com/">The
Amish Village</a> and took a tour of a typical Amish home and then a bus tour
of the Amish countryside. While we lived near an Amish community for many
years, Mark and Julie had never seen the Amish, so it was fun to see them witness
it for the first time. (They also saw their first lightening bugs a few weeks
ago!) Our guide was a Mennonite and his parents used to be Amish, so he had
first-hand knowledge of the customs and traditions. Since his parents left the
Amish community, they were shunned. One of the rules is that when you are
shunned, Amish are not allowed to eat at the same table as you. He explained
how they would get around that rule, by setting up two tables and his
grandparents, who are still Amish, would eat at one table, and his parents
would have a separate table right next to it, so they would be together, but technically
at different tables.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In this area, only about 30% of the Amish are still farmers.
As many now work in regular businesses or even run their own business, phones
are now often used; however, they are still not allowed in the home, so they
have phone shanties at the end of the driveways. It’s basically a phone booth
where they have to use the phone there, so that it discourages unnecessary use.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">One key teaching in the Amish culture is forgiveness. An
amazing example of this can be seen in the school shooting that happened at the
Amish schoolhouse in 2006. The very night of the shooting, parents of some of
the children killed went to the family of the shooter and offered their
condolences. About half of the people at the shooter’s funeral were Amish and
they even contributed financially to the shooter’s family. I find this so powerful and thought provoking!
<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/mother-of-amish-school-shooter-granted-unexpected-forgiveness/">Interview
with mother of shooter</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s also
a movie about it that you can find on Amazon Prime, called Amish Grace.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfRYDV1hZJsBYHeW4A5XZHVMFjaUIfp_9smLsXRW5o8FLKClkcM8iaP1EO7QHhyzaR4GlaPHRKEqC9eom0uslYhOs4gnlrzRX455fI7U-Vjj1mUCyPTcGLSmk6WG9-P0b2uxdEt6uODnOahrZ06gFwirfIPidnKRwPhTIXbFKUtrLVa_ibiwqyWwU/s4032/20220713_161813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2707" data-original-width="4032" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfRYDV1hZJsBYHeW4A5XZHVMFjaUIfp_9smLsXRW5o8FLKClkcM8iaP1EO7QHhyzaR4GlaPHRKEqC9eom0uslYhOs4gnlrzRX455fI7U-Vjj1mUCyPTcGLSmk6WG9-P0b2uxdEt6uODnOahrZ06gFwirfIPidnKRwPhTIXbFKUtrLVa_ibiwqyWwU/s320/20220713_161813.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJol56w11TO0w3Nz1e3S3MVj2CqBuZPXfgRbjokHwxQXa0VfjIyRMcexALWSRuGkrDCQHVmrv442zpOlZrY3LTZ5_gX8zxnepG8K416mFbkvAD-pJ7_FCBq_1D3ApPqAAt7kggZqybaMJ3xh5vi_HmIQeMckKX7eahwXXKy2jNTp5PR68gOR8pAt_/s721/IMG950734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="721" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJol56w11TO0w3Nz1e3S3MVj2CqBuZPXfgRbjokHwxQXa0VfjIyRMcexALWSRuGkrDCQHVmrv442zpOlZrY3LTZ5_gX8zxnepG8K416mFbkvAD-pJ7_FCBq_1D3ApPqAAt7kggZqybaMJ3xh5vi_HmIQeMckKX7eahwXXKy2jNTp5PR68gOR8pAt_/s320/IMG950734.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They have the most beautiful yards</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On Thursday, we had a guided tour of the Gettysburg
battlefield. The guide drove in his car and we followed and had him on
speakerphone as he narrated. The tour was scheduled for 2 hours and he spent
almost 3 hours with us. Last night, we were talking about the battle and how
much (or little) most Americans know about our country’s history, so we did an informal
poll, kind of our version of “Jesse Watters hits the streets”. We called Californians
(so they didn’t live in an area where the Civil War was fought) and asked them
who fought in the American Civil War and what was the war about. Only about 50%
were able to correctly answer those two questions. All polled were adults and some were
recent high school or college graduates. Without naming names, here are some
of the answers we received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Who fought in the Civil War?</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-align: left;">Soldiers (I guess technically this is a correct answer)</span></li><li>Red coats and blue coats</li><li>Germans</li><li>Mexicans</li></ul><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What was the war about?</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Something about the McCoys</li><li>Something about Germany</li><li>I don’t know</li><li>Something about the British</li></ul><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"></p>Eeek! 😬<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRb5jTQPRACw4bR5sNrs36qe1l9RU7GFn5SDTLu7CFT8EJdgXevxD2LBNoBgU0d7Jb-ylZxM8nojqrxCvD5eosJFQp19QSdn39_nDVdneIVWq3GySBEHqwW_rKrXPu6qFYp1DlsUhKdNHzEOAill1ah07cKsl1_5yQ0ahPUYGqRwVTbdSvnieUAyC/s2793/20220714_162350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2793" data-original-width="1735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRb5jTQPRACw4bR5sNrs36qe1l9RU7GFn5SDTLu7CFT8EJdgXevxD2LBNoBgU0d7Jb-ylZxM8nojqrxCvD5eosJFQp19QSdn39_nDVdneIVWq3GySBEHqwW_rKrXPu6qFYp1DlsUhKdNHzEOAill1ah07cKsl1_5yQ0ahPUYGqRwVTbdSvnieUAyC/s320/20220714_162350.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monument to George Gordon Meade, Union General</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnvFUIYeBU1uu9ALZDbrLqBFc-cm4mZZzpfAZrRpyo6mVvQWG_sQjTACYaFFR3Y2rIKFq0kZaBQQ7vfH4nUPGJ6mqxdAlGUioNX89NzYau8Pj1HrY6Sy1QRqmLGaaA7W11xDyjB0g5NuffXlEhbx0mEbFirIEk-WY01UCcJCALEK7iVj4WfGcgp2B/s1253/IMG_3287.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1253" data-original-width="1011" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnvFUIYeBU1uu9ALZDbrLqBFc-cm4mZZzpfAZrRpyo6mVvQWG_sQjTACYaFFR3Y2rIKFq0kZaBQQ7vfH4nUPGJ6mqxdAlGUioNX89NzYau8Pj1HrY6Sy1QRqmLGaaA7W11xDyjB0g5NuffXlEhbx0mEbFirIEk-WY01UCcJCALEK7iVj4WfGcgp2B/s320/IMG_3287.jpeg" width="258" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monument to Robert E Lee, Confederate General</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6_SQoTWHcIxmNBhANO15O4D4apCpr_JH_xhtj_wX4epEcRvBUlKqCyIKSO2BnZkgYzOcqDLGWdijRWFBzZz5km8OZDMPVF6uIfDrtvlMMeELiYBA48K6oIGlTFUa7rWP_tHuR5_yWgDwA3HuTQE1jOcOdeo-BwvGN5zZH4BgJr5MeQ5BnTWY6rUb/s4032/20220714_151806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6_SQoTWHcIxmNBhANO15O4D4apCpr_JH_xhtj_wX4epEcRvBUlKqCyIKSO2BnZkgYzOcqDLGWdijRWFBzZz5km8OZDMPVF6uIfDrtvlMMeELiYBA48K6oIGlTFUa7rWP_tHuR5_yWgDwA3HuTQE1jOcOdeo-BwvGN5zZH4BgJr5MeQ5BnTWY6rUb/s320/20220714_151806.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Little Round Top</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QSSxz-pcQL5RHKguXPnjIRdTdJxKMT6td4Xp-4NwwBVmzK4UjPrng_LNumyFYNV0-ohQiaGM7cVYFbqsKBgPuI5MD_xz3aYPj2fjrO88wf23gHGlFqG0ZNIAPJBVGlKHU_6mujV_xONSiUi0VdJc3hfkJUqEsJSEP-3xWSxc-JQ0GbepKimzbRdG/s4032/20220714_142256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QSSxz-pcQL5RHKguXPnjIRdTdJxKMT6td4Xp-4NwwBVmzK4UjPrng_LNumyFYNV0-ohQiaGM7cVYFbqsKBgPuI5MD_xz3aYPj2fjrO88wf23gHGlFqG0ZNIAPJBVGlKHU_6mujV_xONSiUi0VdJc3hfkJUqEsJSEP-3xWSxc-JQ0GbepKimzbRdG/s320/20220714_142256.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tennessee monument</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvqsWmHug5f_woLWhP7YeCzZJuHrp1-5KNxwEswTNfuiMSeutlukwx2YwOXKmFz0bvvjLgzqIpEiaT1A7w0xx-KOOOZXVWdqRTiUyzsysERujMuZiAwtTK_r5qjs4_8PmC3jjcrhBZGSVhZgH6Dze51cJfopygbL7IjHnE1v1y4J1K0Z1SDgc7TaV/s4032/20220714_161720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvqsWmHug5f_woLWhP7YeCzZJuHrp1-5KNxwEswTNfuiMSeutlukwx2YwOXKmFz0bvvjLgzqIpEiaT1A7w0xx-KOOOZXVWdqRTiUyzsysERujMuZiAwtTK_r5qjs4_8PmC3jjcrhBZGSVhZgH6Dze51cJfopygbL7IjHnE1v1y4J1K0Z1SDgc7TaV/s320/20220714_161720.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brett, Mark, Julie, and our guide, Eric</td></tr></tbody></table><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Friday, we headed to Hershey, PA. The first couple of attractions
we did were super cheesy (probably great if you are under 8 years old). Then we
did a “Create Your Own Chocolate Bar” which was fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You choose what type of chocolate (milk, dark,
or white), what kind of fillings are in it, and design your own packaging.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2kz8n_fXboTYg1ZU7QEXOqKMTaTAg2mGE6pBza2RDNjIswm1hKy13KS8VqQbaiwwlMAN3yQVPFmvlmT1ovv3sorhgK3i46yjvu1Km_exOJZghxpS7ZUca97HSqU5DG_hQyo4zRZUU9XJTGvNSgtFUa7U532xgpMOehLLndgQhqgV8BVH2XFZocF7/s3648/20220715_162126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2kz8n_fXboTYg1ZU7QEXOqKMTaTAg2mGE6pBza2RDNjIswm1hKy13KS8VqQbaiwwlMAN3yQVPFmvlmT1ovv3sorhgK3i46yjvu1Km_exOJZghxpS7ZUca97HSqU5DG_hQyo4zRZUU9XJTGvNSgtFUa7U532xgpMOehLLndgQhqgV8BVH2XFZocF7/s320/20220715_162126.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwQSufVR9oOeubTHZRFFb7AvSxfkbVM5CnJCB2fML4PxJ8So5F8eP8qV5veB6-IClfgthHsukBEgBe68ljXeZC3fPExfirfeCd-IuNwVr2WBiYkcU8wcuRg0IQS4hHkdgVAEjFJSuQjkqtFcWGyLDRYKBDKx3rsimdF2hXypKmcUyz7gam9WIfr4P/s4032/20220717_210058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwQSufVR9oOeubTHZRFFb7AvSxfkbVM5CnJCB2fML4PxJ8So5F8eP8qV5veB6-IClfgthHsukBEgBe68ljXeZC3fPExfirfeCd-IuNwVr2WBiYkcU8wcuRg0IQS4hHkdgVAEjFJSuQjkqtFcWGyLDRYKBDKx3rsimdF2hXypKmcUyz7gam9WIfr4P/s320/20220717_210058.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product. We haven't eaten them yet.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The best part of the day though was definitely a trolley
tour through the town. The story of Milton Hershey is both intriguing and inspiring.
To me, the most fascinating was learning about The Milton Hershey School.
Milton and Catherine never had children, and they wanted to provide a home and
education to orphans. That dream has grown over the years and is now a boarding
school for over 2000 children coming from low-income homes. The <a href="https://www.mhskids.org/">Milton Hershey School</a> sits on over 7500
acres and the students live in student homes with houseparents rather than in
dormitories. The school is 100% no cost for the families and covers all of the
medical and dental care, housing, clothing, food, haircuts, etc., for the
students. In their senior year, they transition to an independent living situation,
where they live with other seniors. They are provided a budget and are
responsible for doing things like their own grocery shopping, getting themselves
to school on time, keeping their home clean, etc. Attendance at a weekly
non-denominational service is required, but if the student wishes to also participate
in another religious service, transportation is provided for the student to do
so. The school is fully funded by the interest from a trust set up by Milton
and Catherine Hershey. There was so much more that they did to benefit the
community, such as donating $50 million (in 1963) to Penn State to establish a
medical school and teaching hospital. Our tour guide had attended the Milton
Hershey School himself, so once again we got a great tour from someone with
personal experience.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Back to the candy part, here’s a staggering fact—70 million
kisses are made every day!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We did a lot this week! I worked early each day before we
headed out for excursions and then we often had a late dinner in town, so it
wore me out! (We won’t be doing that again anytime soon.) I slept till noon today
which is about 6 hours later than usual! We ran to Lowes this afternoon and on the
way home, I saw this neon “Gluten Free” sign, so of course we had to stop. It
all looked so good, but the coffee was what I needed most! This cute little
coffee shop reminded me of the places that Sandy Haskins introduced me to through
the Coffee Meetup group in Columbia.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCstKO3smgdt1QUnh8Z9ENmW-jsbIkYpNj3ZMMNR9z1qLFAQSCCwyZyEVxARNeU44Uigsa5A2EUbWLzgSZW-HCsoZDfYHQShVob0zWJDRg5qlT6oQQC1GhmBnTNQ8WFRUzAo5F9ldJoLeukdfZ6vD1VY_nCm7pHuuLEUD4H6qdSr7Zk6BauOMGi53P/s2587/20220717_152957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2587" data-original-width="1940" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCstKO3smgdt1QUnh8Z9ENmW-jsbIkYpNj3ZMMNR9z1qLFAQSCCwyZyEVxARNeU44Uigsa5A2EUbWLzgSZW-HCsoZDfYHQShVob0zWJDRg5qlT6oQQC1GhmBnTNQ8WFRUzAo5F9ldJoLeukdfZ6vD1VY_nCm7pHuuLEUD4H6qdSr7Zk6BauOMGi53P/s320/20220717_152957.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nPh7WCHpVAOcFkCEDvb7adOSBmxtmtdlipaYbRlgxOq4CQd3BEYN5CdKlW1hCncoj7l-JCempHYUXmd1H52BFpMvMtVQnUSqeiHMJhaHqvO-k035noK7WJQ9A6aZo5IMfzhkRmiZrSnS19mOfVMtK4c8gM-hgu3synlu2IVo5-trsVDoIWNoj-KQ/s4032/20220717_152412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nPh7WCHpVAOcFkCEDvb7adOSBmxtmtdlipaYbRlgxOq4CQd3BEYN5CdKlW1hCncoj7l-JCempHYUXmd1H52BFpMvMtVQnUSqeiHMJhaHqvO-k035noK7WJQ9A6aZo5IMfzhkRmiZrSnS19mOfVMtK4c8gM-hgu3synlu2IVo5-trsVDoIWNoj-KQ/s320/20220717_152412.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some other miscellaneous shots from the week:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqOtJAv-2ICgii7uxeV76p-EW2UGTlYQeGhSV-sNBix9lVL-hIOoK4w8jwt00-NNRVuVRea5W_L5CWIFzTKf5UfR3ExVopQz33P9p7zWRDVr6XVGptppGjwampTNxMwS8g5oAvpLxIW7IANM5XwOuEEwspKkxPMZFgktmtqLNR777-MfbRs80pTTR/s4032/20220712_183506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqOtJAv-2ICgii7uxeV76p-EW2UGTlYQeGhSV-sNBix9lVL-hIOoK4w8jwt00-NNRVuVRea5W_L5CWIFzTKf5UfR3ExVopQz33P9p7zWRDVr6XVGptppGjwampTNxMwS8g5oAvpLxIW7IANM5XwOuEEwspKkxPMZFgktmtqLNR777-MfbRs80pTTR/s320/20220712_183506.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At a tavern, Brett asked for a bowl of whipping cream and the bartender did not disappoint. Eileen Combs...they still don't have you beat! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkgObwb4I5jWIILaA9_oXwAdoOa4wE4IX9FhNkxilsiNIlyGVlb8WWwAnJ3MOVRpgGRYK7oqRHOrDWxAO-gv5NUC6b78ELsEPOP8ZZlxxaJnWdAzHrVR62cFde-Yc6_nJtoYZmCRFpcMZJN48GlyEIqRuE2T6kiY-d1CP-HvqGyrJ2Y0fxoLTTFsG/s3648/20220713_220436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkgObwb4I5jWIILaA9_oXwAdoOa4wE4IX9FhNkxilsiNIlyGVlb8WWwAnJ3MOVRpgGRYK7oqRHOrDWxAO-gv5NUC6b78ELsEPOP8ZZlxxaJnWdAzHrVR62cFde-Yc6_nJtoYZmCRFpcMZJN48GlyEIqRuE2T6kiY-d1CP-HvqGyrJ2Y0fxoLTTFsG/s320/20220713_220436.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lincoln statue in front of the David Wills House (where Lincoln stayed the night before giving the Gettysburg Address).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi651obqWjfYuc8vzVr1OOEuqytSitnDpoVJwyVDEH2ZwVGC-jJu9Upqk_VkkVlGNWz2OS7yjAZwIlvTjTOo0wrWraaBT7TUyLZN7BQsJVdDWAY_J4NNkMZ9a8zuVnyVOB3PJ7mkwECagFsuFPXLLHmUwXGl-_dNnz5mCjNRyELXo2gQwxxlrsZ-nSu/s4032/20220714_211104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi651obqWjfYuc8vzVr1OOEuqytSitnDpoVJwyVDEH2ZwVGC-jJu9Upqk_VkkVlGNWz2OS7yjAZwIlvTjTOo0wrWraaBT7TUyLZN7BQsJVdDWAY_J4NNkMZ9a8zuVnyVOB3PJ7mkwECagFsuFPXLLHmUwXGl-_dNnz5mCjNRyELXo2gQwxxlrsZ-nSu/s320/20220714_211104.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These folks are part of a group called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10164337194760165&set=gm.379348433101892">The Time Travelers</a>. The couple are from Texas and were visiting Gettysburg and getting ready to join a ghost tour. The lady on the left lives in the area. It's all volunteer and they dress in period attire and provide information to tourists. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-70757290016991931902022-07-10T18:57:00.003-07:002022-07-10T19:05:49.038-07:00West Virginia—The Greenbrier Bunker<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">We spent this week in Dawson, WV.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">We chose this area as we wanted to tour the
Greenbrier Bunker which is located nearby.</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The campground we stayed it was a no-frills campground, just
off the interstate. It’s part of 1000-acre cattle farm with some great views,
so Brett got his “fix” getting to see the cows each day.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTFTqBd_r50Y7zBWn5kNasMxBo6ZYkLHr_a4efRWyN-xu6HRPG_lkL5e3TVJ_f5rRz6k_Ytu4ov1jtnC_yrL8abcfAgzn8pE8Soxv1FuyR6mSg_3j6EapPbxMZddRdDt2qA4-iG4UA4AUN4OK5qI-OZKVzctd6ag0yIDzQ2lou6Jekez9cJRUgsbf/s320/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTFTqBd_r50Y7zBWn5kNasMxBo6ZYkLHr_a4efRWyN-xu6HRPG_lkL5e3TVJ_f5rRz6k_Ytu4ov1jtnC_yrL8abcfAgzn8pE8Soxv1FuyR6mSg_3j6EapPbxMZddRdDt2qA4-iG4UA4AUN4OK5qI-OZKVzctd6ag0yIDzQ2lou6Jekez9cJRUgsbf/s1600/image.png" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7Xs0hwG8-GGknnkbnGHnCWBuQiG0XRgXJ_Ic3pt842p2jcB2s7bSpAB0vsps-0fphvMyu1msrbEGwGdUnNGBzrND3POMPBuOIlMxcAo0m9oKRfqpFxsN6VYSp6235xzj0lcthSRpLK4HX_6zjO4Y56XRvNDFTF0v-fqUyBICkyHuakc-ONVW0BzA/s640/thumbnail_IMG_0697.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="481" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7Xs0hwG8-GGknnkbnGHnCWBuQiG0XRgXJ_Ic3pt842p2jcB2s7bSpAB0vsps-0fphvMyu1msrbEGwGdUnNGBzrND3POMPBuOIlMxcAo0m9oKRfqpFxsN6VYSp6235xzj0lcthSRpLK4HX_6zjO4Y56XRvNDFTF0v-fqUyBICkyHuakc-ONVW0BzA/s320/thumbnail_IMG_0697.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On Wednesday, we took a drive to short, but very curvy drive
to Sandstone Falls. We had a lot of rain again this week and between that and
another crazy work week, we didn’t head out again until the weekend. (Crazy
work project is now done!) Saturday was another rainy day, so we opted to do some
needed errands—haircuts, a little clothes shopping, grocery shopping, and a
pedicure.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bedbLI9l344MHuTWUmPoOKPlI2X29xDyYt2o2d5M-2NGt9msYUJZWt8RWvDentOvf2_hpxO7owuWNvKBUsni69EzPS8iBwIfrcKbEo_B-Dxni58wi5reuzmwx_U_XR_0socDeQNiP29gMxezerOWuDp79BsKDnnbsddU0cGLqOg0AsX6tg3H8rZ8/s4032/20220706_180730.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bedbLI9l344MHuTWUmPoOKPlI2X29xDyYt2o2d5M-2NGt9msYUJZWt8RWvDentOvf2_hpxO7owuWNvKBUsni69EzPS8iBwIfrcKbEo_B-Dxni58wi5reuzmwx_U_XR_0socDeQNiP29gMxezerOWuDp79BsKDnnbsddU0cGLqOg0AsX6tg3H8rZ8/s320/20220706_180730.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_3_d6-WPetrOkCGENH_7WTjqUmQwK-4MOBd_dAPqGO16z6y6fNXmRFgH1grRyueEEbf0WyJTe9op7wDUN1sN-GN_X2yi2-a1rYaiUWnTq8910IpcyHS-NFa3vg6OBH7JVvhNv4ddFj-8i8_4kjtSsn-f2hDNJtS1Mob_obUWdqrO9Yl5z9gDCVNJ/s4032/20220706_181433.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_3_d6-WPetrOkCGENH_7WTjqUmQwK-4MOBd_dAPqGO16z6y6fNXmRFgH1grRyueEEbf0WyJTe9op7wDUN1sN-GN_X2yi2-a1rYaiUWnTq8910IpcyHS-NFa3vg6OBH7JVvhNv4ddFj-8i8_4kjtSsn-f2hDNJtS1Mob_obUWdqrO9Yl5z9gDCVNJ/s320/20220706_181433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Sunday, we did what we came for—the Greenbrier tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve never heard of the Greenbrier
bunker, here’s a high-level bit of the history.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In the late 1950’s, Eisenhower worried about how the government
would continue in the event of a nuclear attack. He met with just the Speaker
of the House, the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader and it was determined
a secret bunker would be built to house all 535 members of Congress. They would
each bring one member of their staff, but their family members were not
included in the bunker housing. The bunker was built as an addition to the existing Greenbrier
hotel, a 5-star resort that catered to the elites. There were regular rooms above the bunker, and a large section of the bunker itself was used for things like trade shows and car shows and therefore was literally
hidden in plain sight. Then, completely out of sight were things like a medical clinic, dorm
rooms, House and Senate Chambers, and a communications center. Those areas were
known to very few. It was maintained by a small crew of government employees
who posed as TV repairmen. They worked for a cover company, Forsythe Associates.
While they did work did do television repair for the hotel, that was only about
20% of their time. The rest of the time, they were doing things like changing
the filters, keeping the pharmaceuticals up to date, and the food rotated. This
went on for 30 years! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In 1992, reporter Ted Gup disclosed the secret bunker. He
was obviously tipped off by someone in the know, but how he learned of it, is
still a secret. At the time it was exposed, some felt he hurt the country’s
security, but in his view, the bunker was functionally obsolete. His reasoning was that it was built
in a time when bombs would have been delivered by plane, so there would be hours
of notice of an incoming nuclear attack and that in 1992, an attack would be
delivered by missile, so there would be only minutes of notice, and therefore not
enough time for the members of Congress to travel from Washington DC to the
bunker in West Virginia. It’s interesting to note that when the article came
out, that was the first time that most of the members of Congress learned about
it. Apparently, they weren’t happy that they weren’t in the know, but I think
we can all agree that had they been, it wouldn’t been able to be kept a secret
for 30 years.<span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #212121; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Here's a short, 4-minute video that gives a good overview of
it: <a href="https://youtu.be/g3kAcJruEOs">Greenbrier Bunker Tour</a>. And if you're interested in learning more, here’s the original Washington Post
article that revealed its existence: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/daily/july/25/brier1.htm">washingtonpost.com:
THE ULTIMATE CONGRESSIONAL HIDEAWAY</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One thing though that the writer got wrong is that he claims in the article
that the bunker would have Congress living in luxury. Being that it was built below a luxurious 5-star
resort, one could understand his assumption. The reality, however, was that the
bunker was quite basic with small bunkbeds in shared dormitories.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">We were unable to
bring anything on the tour with us, so we don’t have any photos, but the video
above shows much of what we saw and is worth a watch. Here are a few photos though of the resort.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFUxxX-jY0OGyiIrSFNo6TbedcOpXQMtAzutVlwmLU3pXuJO9twAL0USkX4HSCPTVQXMvylKOBbS2MVip9mvd6vAZqA3tUqJc2HEPG-DySUgqwzYvJyEYe3HtebY6-7nnBDyAWr92kv0JYIR0J-ZyKU6Gk31ZARfmuJC9vmN9WlooeinKWBnl6A1X/s4032/20220710_103618.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFUxxX-jY0OGyiIrSFNo6TbedcOpXQMtAzutVlwmLU3pXuJO9twAL0USkX4HSCPTVQXMvylKOBbS2MVip9mvd6vAZqA3tUqJc2HEPG-DySUgqwzYvJyEYe3HtebY6-7nnBDyAWr92kv0JYIR0J-ZyKU6Gk31ZARfmuJC9vmN9WlooeinKWBnl6A1X/s320/20220710_103618.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the entrances to the hotel.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzDwN9DXjK26UpbYNjVb7ke04c2F_NihtjHgfNo0ndzf6Zx-5ykIHYB483YfhoQFo6dMeOo7wrp0i5snEmbKnyKt_zNymWSoX62InM98S_8fQ16lzmPEYCxvYD7Id9a84USmoAwLAVRt73-CmzAfzuqWVEz_gz9STb9PNxmDRL0pdyTqaax3nvbgG/s4032/20220710_135642.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzDwN9DXjK26UpbYNjVb7ke04c2F_NihtjHgfNo0ndzf6Zx-5ykIHYB483YfhoQFo6dMeOo7wrp0i5snEmbKnyKt_zNymWSoX62InM98S_8fQ16lzmPEYCxvYD7Id9a84USmoAwLAVRt73-CmzAfzuqWVEz_gz9STb9PNxmDRL0pdyTqaax3nvbgG/s320/20220710_135642.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside of the onsite church</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAM4kzkr_6E9TyXs98R94JDOZcUszcHkhcP5obcoNKQcB_6zayoAbArWJAspiIEu0QZNH3Yx4q8NSGMmUNmT5KJ3WOm1X6FOfFP3qrHQQ6Kl-55ftgxGT2PVHKUqUJyBPHnR1-62-vvkeY_j9_YvBtYInwTEDUWQvtbVUNAJeC6IayDPRt92WVp299/s4032/20220710_135915.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAM4kzkr_6E9TyXs98R94JDOZcUszcHkhcP5obcoNKQcB_6zayoAbArWJAspiIEu0QZNH3Yx4q8NSGMmUNmT5KJ3WOm1X6FOfFP3qrHQQ6Kl-55ftgxGT2PVHKUqUJyBPHnR1-62-vvkeY_j9_YvBtYInwTEDUWQvtbVUNAJeC6IayDPRt92WVp299/s320/20220710_135915.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKupONe0TIIYa7TbN4Mu5wTGK1rOJJUgteqvkxKaURUdC4jM1DFfw6EVcy56ZZrpSBShBWhri0Tuz8_d3BHLzzrq4PAezFN9K6s5tapD3zp03hcDqCIuJci8FBfMJPNTX00cqQwNZ7oORSulYi6qnPop-ultPOCCqruC0GK5hn7Khi0Hl1xqZ8wDZ/s3648/20220710_140156.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKupONe0TIIYa7TbN4Mu5wTGK1rOJJUgteqvkxKaURUdC4jM1DFfw6EVcy56ZZrpSBShBWhri0Tuz8_d3BHLzzrq4PAezFN9K6s5tapD3zp03hcDqCIuJci8FBfMJPNTX00cqQwNZ7oORSulYi6qnPop-ultPOCCqruC0GK5hn7Khi0Hl1xqZ8wDZ/s320/20220710_140156.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-60777929240813458622022-07-06T21:53:00.010-07:002022-07-06T21:58:18.008-07:00Charleston, SC<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The beginning of the week was pretty uneventful. Due to a
busy work schedule and a lot of rain, we didn’t venture out. On Friday, we
moved to the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=charleston+koa+mt+pleasant&cvid=0db0d91f533849e5a4c03df732702396&aqs=edge.4.0j69i59j0l5j69i60l2.5754j0j1&pglt=297&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=LCTS">Charleston
KOA</a> in Mt. Pleasant, just outside of Charleston, SC. It was Brett’s
birthday, so we went out to dinner at <a href="https://burtonsgrill.com/location/mt-pleasant-sc/">Burtons Grill</a>. They
are fantastic with allergy issues and the food was wonderful—things we can’t
normally find, like fried calamari with jalapenos, firecracker shrimp, and focaccia
bread.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2dYeyakjdm9qaZW8Pb_X78TAj4BmqYEmvf2aQv6JPQ-jlm_dTTtWZoIH8BPbCG8NExV9SuCuZAUmOFMHuVBcrMECpETQZbE7Okfm-5dfcsWn4yONcPil01a_KV25wDjc7E95k3-31vmMWOWHGKB-HZ9lC_wSU5AwSm2Idfy4LREi4tPjA1ySFhbh/s4032/20220702_112526.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2dYeyakjdm9qaZW8Pb_X78TAj4BmqYEmvf2aQv6JPQ-jlm_dTTtWZoIH8BPbCG8NExV9SuCuZAUmOFMHuVBcrMECpETQZbE7Okfm-5dfcsWn4yONcPil01a_KV25wDjc7E95k3-31vmMWOWHGKB-HZ9lC_wSU5AwSm2Idfy4LREi4tPjA1ySFhbh/s320/20220702_112526.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pineapple fountain on the waterfront</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLHkUf7IryzHaiuVLHoxvupkhY4IqJMz7rthsyv2bduCdkA-KlbxBzx0gBO4rOBHEk7w7J_LAtxJ65I5ymKkZ0hlKWD5MkxSU8TwCpMpssXqJy12NHJxwM8eGJlMJx3rybjAJSvu7gj3I4E76P5HbbEyoBF8gp9Vu667nCX6Ogu7e5_ueAAcFnVfv/s4032/20220702_114223.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLHkUf7IryzHaiuVLHoxvupkhY4IqJMz7rthsyv2bduCdkA-KlbxBzx0gBO4rOBHEk7w7J_LAtxJ65I5ymKkZ0hlKWD5MkxSU8TwCpMpssXqJy12NHJxwM8eGJlMJx3rybjAJSvu7gj3I4E76P5HbbEyoBF8gp9Vu667nCX6Ogu7e5_ueAAcFnVfv/s320/20220702_114223.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Row</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On Saturday, we headed into Charleston and walked downtown
to check out the area. It has a lot of similarities to Savannah, but much
cleaner. We stopped to share a crepe at <a href="https://www.breizhpancrepes.com/">Breizh Pan Crepes</a> and oh my word,
it was delicious (homemade lemon curd). I’ve never made crepes, but will definitely
be trying that soon.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On our way home, we stopped at <a href="https://www.viciousbiscuit.com/location/mt-pleasant/">Vicious Biscuit</a>
for an early dinner. It was a busy spot, but we weren’t impressed. Their
regular biscuits are probably amazing, but the gluten-free wasn’t worth the
stop in our opinion. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The campground is part of a plantation that has been owned
by a single family for over 150 years. Twice a week they offer a tour of the
plantation to those staying at the KOA, so when we got back, we took that tour.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-BYnKBz_ThFeOhtI9bGW98jcJ3OXvLS8dwTmmJD7vzi8gT-p36m-MbCjBDNqBecw31vXvbKajGFuhsIkn5g3k0BVmm_5XulDNmnt7v2RZKukgQktu2gJ-EpFy944wIFXchePlJvB3p5DqCwZpVvGlKraZnyStxij1MV9v4UxKmkroaatnCLcxw8J/s4032/20220702_160433.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-BYnKBz_ThFeOhtI9bGW98jcJ3OXvLS8dwTmmJD7vzi8gT-p36m-MbCjBDNqBecw31vXvbKajGFuhsIkn5g3k0BVmm_5XulDNmnt7v2RZKukgQktu2gJ-EpFy944wIFXchePlJvB3p5DqCwZpVvGlKraZnyStxij1MV9v4UxKmkroaatnCLcxw8J/s320/20220702_160433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgkX_kac8G0UdbkwxxQNeT2AjOczD3igcNyWI93Dgb1fZxWxNbK4IOY1Vkz2Jv97mOXbCKFMyGrafPawLTHmKKChG51UZk3qlvGQtirsm6tDuY37-5rJzmJBbSAPIlaoW3KD2OJW2GBSgdH2lEDScyghTLGvrTxChRNz5C0ezhpky1p6JsVk6G8PT/s4032/20220702_161334.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgkX_kac8G0UdbkwxxQNeT2AjOczD3igcNyWI93Dgb1fZxWxNbK4IOY1Vkz2Jv97mOXbCKFMyGrafPawLTHmKKChG51UZk3qlvGQtirsm6tDuY37-5rJzmJBbSAPIlaoW3KD2OJW2GBSgdH2lEDScyghTLGvrTxChRNz5C0ezhpky1p6JsVk6G8PT/s320/20220702_161334.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House and driveway of the KOA plantation</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Sunday, we headed back to Charleston and took a carriage
ride. Our guide was very knowledgeable, and we learned a lot about the
architecture of the area. It was interesting to learn that the city only allows
20 carriages out at any given time, so if there are already 20 out, they can’t
leave until another one returns. There are also multiple routes and the route
you get is determined by a bingo ball system. There are different color balls and
the color ball that comes up when your carriage goes to leave, is the route the
guide must take. One downside to that you don’t know what tour you are going to
get. And if you’ve already taken a tour before, you could get the same route
again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KOQwwkVWMu4tRWvKdb3GfoBQ-fjRx0FGCPjuUSqqnX4d3w3f5FwJbk-SQ8XT4ws-GwGXi9XvCwHr1GHJLPVNw2YuKmZ1OwvcqvlcxhlaiBJKg0e7bn-8V4hgCfwrKT7w6UFT3fCJWgE9vRXfhogAE44dBitzPbD_Lu_AbHJc-mIkEfxj5MU1o41O/s4032/20220703_113446.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KOQwwkVWMu4tRWvKdb3GfoBQ-fjRx0FGCPjuUSqqnX4d3w3f5FwJbk-SQ8XT4ws-GwGXi9XvCwHr1GHJLPVNw2YuKmZ1OwvcqvlcxhlaiBJKg0e7bn-8V4hgCfwrKT7w6UFT3fCJWgE9vRXfhogAE44dBitzPbD_Lu_AbHJc-mIkEfxj5MU1o41O/s320/20220703_113446.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">After the carriage ride, we walked the town some more (it
was HOT and HUMID) and grabbed a deli sandwich at <a href="https://www.caviarandbananas.com/">Caviar and Bananas</a>. When we were
sufficiently worn out, we headed to the waterfront to take a boat ride to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm">Fort Sumter</a> where the first shot
of the Civil War was fired by the Confederacy on the US garrison of Fort Sumter
on April 12, 1861.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9baps8s6PCqBE9W6MyufNgsO8UeT59rnYvloFhdbdb99dgZnbmbjJmMfgmy_el2PTle5zkp0whE6JM73aF__eTdda2iecgDFlVISFhAB37AG329C-_EZ-3FX__3B5v5bnT-q4-I0UTZyrtC9mssV2Qmw0sOjIzFK0s50zUUZLLypJa4htNzJNDY-A/s4032/20220703_141847.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9baps8s6PCqBE9W6MyufNgsO8UeT59rnYvloFhdbdb99dgZnbmbjJmMfgmy_el2PTle5zkp0whE6JM73aF__eTdda2iecgDFlVISFhAB37AG329C-_EZ-3FX__3B5v5bnT-q4-I0UTZyrtC9mssV2Qmw0sOjIzFK0s50zUUZLLypJa4htNzJNDY-A/s320/20220703_141847.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhVeXV9g0szc1dDdYqahgNUZX_mK_3VF_9E_uqooeUojl0de4FgoMb6RZk4o4Si_qPwUplYOWjZ8tXQSmn5mFnGUCxf4T8XqnJ-bMolTT9eacq2CQq2i-Bb7Ayoq9Z8xzdkGhRYwavki2Pb41BxIPjlwLXyHsIdUyJQk8XcHw0d9toaGQe60b8EY7/s3648/20220703_162310.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhVeXV9g0szc1dDdYqahgNUZX_mK_3VF_9E_uqooeUojl0de4FgoMb6RZk4o4Si_qPwUplYOWjZ8tXQSmn5mFnGUCxf4T8XqnJ-bMolTT9eacq2CQq2i-Bb7Ayoq9Z8xzdkGhRYwavki2Pb41BxIPjlwLXyHsIdUyJQk8XcHw0d9toaGQe60b8EY7/s320/20220703_162310.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat ride to Fort Sumter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNa8TuCoN8k_RQVibWWtSDjK762QYa60vQXKVHCDgij0h-kyBftoANFzL4CHqje3VZeffc5QQBN2Lhr2ryLvAPhL4bIs9YRHSwWrondSONUl_NPDRgN3mccYcrOQvjM8MzmSa_r2NKNqNTu0M1uDzCimgtBTzqep4UK6gfCk_9Cz8KLkVC6Ibw_cRT/s4032/20220703_163608.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNa8TuCoN8k_RQVibWWtSDjK762QYa60vQXKVHCDgij0h-kyBftoANFzL4CHqje3VZeffc5QQBN2Lhr2ryLvAPhL4bIs9YRHSwWrondSONUl_NPDRgN3mccYcrOQvjM8MzmSa_r2NKNqNTu0M1uDzCimgtBTzqep4UK6gfCk_9Cz8KLkVC6Ibw_cRT/s320/20220703_163608.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1mX-1jHX_9fw3GrbtSXstDZUNVKN0ZpiZfFDeinBQfhNZqdWRCzqShUObplDeJ96m2wLg29mMkfbI0Ta8gYlGgT95jmlqKGnGjohVly_z8c2MgwgfnntkUc3gqkiLWhCcjFKSzU3zJcLNV4OGdZfWFW6EBTah0Daeft-HDOcPKRURNVtGeSWWX_W/s4032/20220703_171458.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1mX-1jHX_9fw3GrbtSXstDZUNVKN0ZpiZfFDeinBQfhNZqdWRCzqShUObplDeJ96m2wLg29mMkfbI0Ta8gYlGgT95jmlqKGnGjohVly_z8c2MgwgfnntkUc3gqkiLWhCcjFKSzU3zJcLNV4OGdZfWFW6EBTah0Daeft-HDOcPKRURNVtGeSWWX_W/s320/20220703_171458.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Monday was July 4th, and we started the day by
going to <a href="https://www.boonehallplantation.com/">Boone Hall Plantation</a>.
While there, we attended a presentation of the Gullah Culture which was by far
the highlight. We would recommend checking out Boone Hall Plantation just to
see that presentation. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnYLaGi_y2dUI5JjQQVNOnG9RlMdS9IY4z5lFfAykLnmp2BxChwjSp5C0XLUQDKFC0upVycSOSxPX0ymmBfxuBQB0LPthDoRi3pSrhJBmls8OreO3jgAXO4MsW1tYYkzvp9vI6HqQiOAFErO8xaxiGry5BlwYW3mc_RjViNTOz378vwdjWo4zq6gV/s4032/20220704_091930.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnYLaGi_y2dUI5JjQQVNOnG9RlMdS9IY4z5lFfAykLnmp2BxChwjSp5C0XLUQDKFC0upVycSOSxPX0ymmBfxuBQB0LPthDoRi3pSrhJBmls8OreO3jgAXO4MsW1tYYkzvp9vI6HqQiOAFErO8xaxiGry5BlwYW3mc_RjViNTOz378vwdjWo4zq6gV/s320/20220704_091930.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1C7k5213K0YkZJzePP0dH3Ycu-6v6i3fngQmFfmln4X895ZNWRT9aXVE5HE2R_lf1bSH5jcTSnd66vR1DDKm57mSmHbHLEOhS8hG6iIy9W_MAXKZ-NPD5kLx49D2Z9tyPUdcTvwdMIbZTxOJcBAuDV-V3-H3arq5nXFwQqigYIrjU0Z4QbzVJ8FB/s3648/20220704_093840.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1C7k5213K0YkZJzePP0dH3Ycu-6v6i3fngQmFfmln4X895ZNWRT9aXVE5HE2R_lf1bSH5jcTSnd66vR1DDKm57mSmHbHLEOhS8hG6iIy9W_MAXKZ-NPD5kLx49D2Z9tyPUdcTvwdMIbZTxOJcBAuDV-V3-H3arq5nXFwQqigYIrjU0Z4QbzVJ8FB/s320/20220704_093840.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boone Hall Plantation - loving that live oak driveway<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy72S-FCxtKDdUpyQgjArCRMRkPcaYtIk_F7vRN6ZKFI7lWO0MiuOl2TnZcJnSCt7f9HjbyhWncBmULQnaZYA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p style="text-align: justify;">This is a very short clip, but man I would love to just sit and visit with her and have her share her knowledge of the history and culture of The Gullah. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">That evening, we enjoyed the festivities and fireworks show put on by the KOA. This was a great campground, especially for families with young kids. They had so many things to do for the kiddos—coloring contest, watermelon seed spitting contest, bike parade, family dance, hula hoop contest, sack races, etc. Just good old fashioned family fun.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyGQqx8IlGRh06sAbpappJOY7IvYW-nU-od7LzhKB1jjkZi7L4vF8rn7btX3I5AwQdPjsiU1zXgy0yc0CFdPw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6beT5HWhYvdxbl_trCReOiMPEs8nObHvDGomrDFSFZfeeWtixLRjNxfRpbg_5d_mqNrMUwfZaM1jgCmniT7UUDK8SMty8iyXDQ_Ub7nYSWHLG35R5rxe_NRYRHLtCDvHEPKZJqNjXE6r--_6HFi487Evlf7TMpiC6Jy0YANUqRVNt6sTHxlxP9av/s4032/20220704_200145.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6beT5HWhYvdxbl_trCReOiMPEs8nObHvDGomrDFSFZfeeWtixLRjNxfRpbg_5d_mqNrMUwfZaM1jgCmniT7UUDK8SMty8iyXDQ_Ub7nYSWHLG35R5rxe_NRYRHLtCDvHEPKZJqNjXE6r--_6HFi487Evlf7TMpiC6Jy0YANUqRVNt6sTHxlxP9av/s320/20220704_200145.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHrPBUBRNDzu-qGbUG2BkVa42diRFkZdlkKLRAu48XldkYow79fqaa9brWyFOWEOxsSjqQgYCb7cEkbZgHmnFOX4lx7UIV_0RA8GtIBlM3I3cBDn-7-q2YYDDHXviw4u6--ewSiY3YCxqTM4kJWUO0uzbLLsX8Zv16uWjcP0w-6__1Y4qRSiUqWEG/s4032/20220704_212800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHrPBUBRNDzu-qGbUG2BkVa42diRFkZdlkKLRAu48XldkYow79fqaa9brWyFOWEOxsSjqQgYCb7cEkbZgHmnFOX4lx7UIV_0RA8GtIBlM3I3cBDn-7-q2YYDDHXviw4u6--ewSiY3YCxqTM4kJWUO0uzbLLsX8Zv16uWjcP0w-6__1Y4qRSiUqWEG/s320/20220704_212800.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kudos to the KOA for a fun-filled family friendly 4th.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-63603907713195360512022-06-26T19:17:00.003-07:002022-06-26T19:26:15.563-07:00Week one of being back on the road<p style="text-align: justify;">We left Fort Myers, FL on Sunday, June 19th. Our original plan was to stop in St. Augustine, FL and spend the night at Cracker Barrel and then drive the last 3 hours to our campground in Hardeeville, SC on Monday. The night before we left, we were talking with Mark and Julie and learned they were staying at a campground about an hour south of Hardeeville that had availability. So, since it had been five whole days since we saw them last, we changed our plans and headed to <a href="https://www.lakeharmonypark.com/">Lake Harmony RV Park</a>. It was about a 7- hour drive and when we arrived, they had dinner ready. We could get used to that😀 After dinner we visited and played Zilch. The next morning, we made the short hour drive up the road to Hardeeville, SC. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-JVG9reEoRffValw2yEkG451-rtNuPcSyzb86eVCiMF8eOPhupxh3BiMM9_rqINlma11C_YJojt0ISgvgfU3NDm6_g5FofWgc5unaBcICOOXesrnsE63MGYU1jX4f30zBaj3hjvEObnXYUsJDZeGKntLQ-08Wrjzdo67VZVAKkn29cT5lxQo_wo_/s4032/20220620_083629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-JVG9reEoRffValw2yEkG451-rtNuPcSyzb86eVCiMF8eOPhupxh3BiMM9_rqINlma11C_YJojt0ISgvgfU3NDm6_g5FofWgc5unaBcICOOXesrnsE63MGYU1jX4f30zBaj3hjvEObnXYUsJDZeGKntLQ-08Wrjzdo67VZVAKkn29cT5lxQo_wo_/s320/20220620_083629.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lake Harmony RV Park</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv4VCQfnSSz2z9EJV5VJyTVO_dV6Y355IaL2PKvLZl19LdvVnj2bxnhpz4TwWbV9BmqzXNJveqsfShllwdz-Jw6IvpBu0PtBfz6SoVPEUsfFen4_lHAp-UIacYIV7WC3eQD8qYrOACWw1Rps5vdf3HxPtwkYwk5S9S6XyKMcj45pDkvwOvQzG2lp3/s4032/20220620_083612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrv4VCQfnSSz2z9EJV5VJyTVO_dV6Y355IaL2PKvLZl19LdvVnj2bxnhpz4TwWbV9BmqzXNJveqsfShllwdz-Jw6IvpBu0PtBfz6SoVPEUsfFen4_lHAp-UIacYIV7WC3eQD8qYrOACWw1Rps5vdf3HxPtwkYwk5S9S6XyKMcj45pDkvwOvQzG2lp3/s320/20220620_083612.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">View from our first campsite</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-p5Fb0VgS4dyH0knoOZoKr6ttVizluOpI6JgvBdK-cHNbG0dDZYXDW0gY8ukovYHsY55-vCR4_PGPGv4GImlmhWpbZ5sqclXo4wtKEtSKYJKwh6MMj9qRRhgKwzhLTz2pyZuc_Wt6HT2RezaZl2tlH-hpWdgDOJjiqji-MNZEPCQbkJL4X4f6vG9/s4032/20220619_141148.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-p5Fb0VgS4dyH0knoOZoKr6ttVizluOpI6JgvBdK-cHNbG0dDZYXDW0gY8ukovYHsY55-vCR4_PGPGv4GImlmhWpbZ5sqclXo4wtKEtSKYJKwh6MMj9qRRhgKwzhLTz2pyZuc_Wt6HT2RezaZl2tlH-hpWdgDOJjiqji-MNZEPCQbkJL4X4f6vG9/s320/20220619_141148.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Is it even a trip, if you don't stop at Buc-ee's?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">On Tuesday, we drove to Beaufort for dinner at </span><a href="http://www.docksidebeaufort.com/" style="text-align: left;">Dockside</a><span style="text-align: left;">. There wasn't a lot of gluten-friendly choices, but Brett had a low country boil and I had steamed shrimp, and both were very good. We had heard all kinds of things about Beaufort, so we drove around a bit after dinner to see the town and I kept thinking we missed something, but I think it's just very small and I was expecting something different. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Aj-_Vg-dFKy65YVv219MyCmuNxHy9sAemDNIR2AxZCZchm2IslaebVNB1ZxW6fpoyvLT6S23pHuFq2aNCWciCCJ51KkuGps1nKS8ENvWBwHOfDnCfPkMlOcuRukF6mTZqfX12PPUWivFwv6LVxPIm-EGGPLtDyt5cZXDBWFMa642vsjEg1l4aGRw/s4032/20220620_203350.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Aj-_Vg-dFKy65YVv219MyCmuNxHy9sAemDNIR2AxZCZchm2IslaebVNB1ZxW6fpoyvLT6S23pHuFq2aNCWciCCJ51KkuGps1nKS8ENvWBwHOfDnCfPkMlOcuRukF6mTZqfX12PPUWivFwv6LVxPIm-EGGPLtDyt5cZXDBWFMa642vsjEg1l4aGRw/s320/20220620_203350.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sunset on way home from Beaufort</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">On Thursday, we headed to </span><a href="https://www.docksidehhi.com/" style="text-align: left;">Skull Creek Dockside</a><span style="text-align: left;"> in Hilton Head for dinner. This time I did my homework ahead of time and knew they had some great gluten-free options. It was an hour and a half wait, so we had a drink at the bar and had crispy fried shrimp and calamari in a Korean chili aioli. That was a 10/10! After that we really didn't need dinner, but heck, we had already waited that long, we figured we could always take leftovers home. Brett had baked grouper and I had shrimp and grits—can you tell we've been living in a land-locked state? After dinner, we drove to the beach just to hang out for bit and put our feet in the Atlantic and then walked </span><span style="text-align: left;">around the cute shops.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS1mABnGnfY296fohQVPMEu8u8tbqOJn4sJvaQEuM-HU8JDgNlqJlUZYKQuzTUKdFggWd2v2DRGYR_8WxOUjHqTnlBjd0HGUgWo5z1fTmcWXGYMJZI_oluCCDRvYe_P5SoPS0J6Gilq_rvI20AUGKva3i2HxWx9eywvN59kNB-5x6-QyAoTe2nobo/s4032/20220620_183519_01(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS1mABnGnfY296fohQVPMEu8u8tbqOJn4sJvaQEuM-HU8JDgNlqJlUZYKQuzTUKdFggWd2v2DRGYR_8WxOUjHqTnlBjd0HGUgWo5z1fTmcWXGYMJZI_oluCCDRvYe_P5SoPS0J6Gilq_rvI20AUGKva3i2HxWx9eywvN59kNB-5x6-QyAoTe2nobo/s320/20220620_183519_01(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">View from Dockside restaurant</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcSclBYGnS5U1KS3S9xhus2l8lkOrE4Tfs6Ii9YF3PBQGgNbjm5iLKvDcl69JSqEMc3VL400FYlHbnIwHenwSjJHd1lzWv6Xfa8yjyDyodLd-bkq8YBL7ZY9sYSJ84CMG-85i2VMLKK9Ltuyg3Eh_p2HbFQcob59puDugsxS5sUW-e-8_H1vh2-Dk/s3648/20220623_201345.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcSclBYGnS5U1KS3S9xhus2l8lkOrE4Tfs6Ii9YF3PBQGgNbjm5iLKvDcl69JSqEMc3VL400FYlHbnIwHenwSjJHd1lzWv6Xfa8yjyDyodLd-bkq8YBL7ZY9sYSJ84CMG-85i2VMLKK9Ltuyg3Eh_p2HbFQcob59puDugsxS5sUW-e-8_H1vh2-Dk/s320/20220623_201345.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hilton Head Beach</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">We're only a few miles from a Lattitude Margaritaville 55+ community and anything Margaritaville or Jimmy Buffet is right up Brett's alley, so on Saturday morning, we went and checked out the models and had lunch in their town center. The homes were nice, and it seems like a fun place to live. That is, if you're interested in a house that's not on wheels😄 Afterwards, we drove into Savannah. Parking isn't exactly friendly for a crew cab dually, but after spending what was probably $20 in fuel driving around, we found parking! We've been to Savannah before, but it was super hot and humid when we there last so missed a lot of what we wanted to see. This time the weather was great for walking around. We did take a comedy trolley tour—fun and good way to sightsee. (If you're wanting a real history tour, do the regular trolley.) For dinner, we had heard of the </span><a href="https://www.treylorpark.com/location/treylor-park-savannah/" style="text-align: left;">Treylor Park</a><span style="text-align: left;"> restaurant and with an eclectic menu and a motto of "Home is where you park it", it felt like we had to try. We started with the PB&J chicken wings—wings tossed in a peanut/pecan butter with a peach jelly dipping sauce. Brett wasn't too thrilled, but I thought they were good. Not as good as regular wings, but different and not in a bad way. For dinner, we had blackened fish tacos and they were HOT! Too hot. Like the heat we felt on our first visit kind of hot.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjir9PWYUYKm55FpJRvmUgtygGrmFrFc0GAQvoLr7ZLUvTUtvQLLBRBD5_Ml-Ssf-JxdGhkWaHL0Gz8c5TuHdxug6uhEYZwjnoO5-cSh0OPou8F1qgXh7ItRbxTs64C1JAlpxT160qWyR_9qfRXmX0BLxpm50r0-yvXzmBo53X4G2OvW9KWP6C3T6U/s3648/20220625_155047.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjir9PWYUYKm55FpJRvmUgtygGrmFrFc0GAQvoLr7ZLUvTUtvQLLBRBD5_Ml-Ssf-JxdGhkWaHL0Gz8c5TuHdxug6uhEYZwjnoO5-cSh0OPou8F1qgXh7ItRbxTs64C1JAlpxT160qWyR_9qfRXmX0BLxpm50r0-yvXzmBo53X4G2OvW9KWP6C3T6U/s320/20220625_155047.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sightseeing in Savannah (he's cute😊)</div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB30YzVm-SET7Y3I158ysFheFEp3pHFIKMHE9Y3RW7WIdUatMqq8tIfNeVnZ5WK-1IiMzG6oGtaNeFeSKs1fWBr4L_9AztjyqrKWsqYiDqIjPjYkvbaaL59J3nEsjwDmedboAtGFOYPNsdEmG0xTWkVa1ALhugchW3RiZXuRv2qU3ZkUATxs_6lF3U/s4032/20220625_172313.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB30YzVm-SET7Y3I158ysFheFEp3pHFIKMHE9Y3RW7WIdUatMqq8tIfNeVnZ5WK-1IiMzG6oGtaNeFeSKs1fWBr4L_9AztjyqrKWsqYiDqIjPjYkvbaaL59J3nEsjwDmedboAtGFOYPNsdEmG0xTWkVa1ALhugchW3RiZXuRv2qU3ZkUATxs_6lF3U/s320/20220625_172313.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PB&J chicken wings</div></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Today is Sunday and we just relaxed at the pool, and I finished my book—The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah if you're looking for a good book recommendation. At the pool this week, we've visited a number of folks who live in this park year-round. We've heard a lot about people living full time in RVs, but being stationary, so it was interesting to talk to some. Some had jobs in the area for a specified time like a year or two and others have just found it to be a great way to save some money. This is well-maintained RV park that is < 30 minutes from both Savannah and Hilton Head and rent for long term is under $1000 a month and that includes all utilities. That's far less than renting even a studio apartment in the area (where you would still have to pay utilities) and here if you have kids, they are spending a lot of time outdoors as compared to living in a condo. Sounds like a win-win.</p><br /><br />Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-89599804658808397042018-03-03T10:43:00.000-08:002018-03-03T10:47:53.738-08:00Costa Rica / Nicaragua: Weeks 6-9Between working, visiting with my parents, and sightseeing, I neglected keeping up the blog. So, here's a recap of our final 4 weeks.<br />
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My parents had an adventure just getting here. Their flight was delayed which made them miss their connection, resulting in a day 10-hour layover in Panama. By the time they arrived at 1:30am, they had been traveling more than 24 hours.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We welcomed my dad with a Corona and a donut - two of his favorites.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday cake for mom</td></tr>
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We took my parents to Playa Hermosa (what we referred to as Survivor Beach), but the wind that day was horrible. We lasted just a few hours of getting sandblasted, before calling it quits and taking a drive to sightsee. We ended up in Rivas, which is a town about 30 minutes away, and stumbled on a crazy maze of streets filled to the brim of outdoors markets. Kudos to Brett for driving through it! It was the kind of scene you picture in India - loads of people, cars, animals, everything, and not much room to maneuver. We loved it! (And ended up going back two more times before the end of our trip.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad reading at Playa Hermosa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyug1jtVKqmxVd7S1gx9BxSsuGOJAARos6kxJmPOAGykKdEd4pzbLkEpzkV7Xfz0RYbkvLkRN0qW2FzcDe5145Yh847hleevCkhBAxGhVXrE8JQChIP74A-LHzRmTwCDZk4n5I4vidd8/s1600/0214181300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyug1jtVKqmxVd7S1gx9BxSsuGOJAARos6kxJmPOAGykKdEd4pzbLkEpzkV7Xfz0RYbkvLkRN0qW2FzcDe5145Yh847hleevCkhBAxGhVXrE8JQChIP74A-LHzRmTwCDZk4n5I4vidd8/s320/0214181300.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brett sleeping at Playa Hermosa</td></tr>
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The first weekend they were here, we did an overnight trip to Granada. We took a boat tour of the isletas in Lake Nicaragua, which are 365 small islands formed by a volcanic eruption. Lake Nicaragua is massive, covering 3,191 sq miles (for our CA friends, that's almost 17 times larger than Lake Tahoe). The islands are small, most with just enough land for a single building, however they do have their own community - 8 islands house restaurants, there's an island with a school (the children take small rowboats to school), one with a church, one is even a cemetery, etc. Two of the islands are inhabited by monkeys - one with spider monkeys and one with white-faced monkeys, both of which apparently like cookies. Our guide brought cookies and we could hold them out off the bow of the boat and the monkeys would come take them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom feeding the monkeys</td></tr>
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After touring the isletas, we boarded a horse-drawn carriage for a 3-hour tour of downtown Granada, where we stopped and visited sites, including a number of churches, the chocolate museum, and the San Francisco museum.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The doors in this church were massive</td></tr>
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We then loaded up and went to our hotel, which we thought was going to be just a few blocks from downtown - or at least that's what the tour operator told us when we booked. We drove about 10 minutes out of town, turned on a bumpy dirt road, passed a few houses with armed security, and arrived at our "fortress". I wish I had taken a picture from outside. It had a concrete wall surrounding it with pictures of castle/fortress type pictures on the concrete. Once inside, our room was more of what you'd find in a private room hostel, but it was all we needed. Since we were far from anything, after checking in, we asked our driver to take us back into town so we could get dinner. We found a place where the road is closed for traffic and there are multiple restaurants with outdoor seating in the street, a vendor marketplace, and all types of entertainment. Fun vibe!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel room in Granada</td></tr>
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The next day, we went to White Town, where the local artisans set up shop outside their homes and sell their wares. We met with a potter and he gave us a tour of how the pottery is made. He let me sit with him and "assist" in making a piece. I'll sum up that experience by saying I am no artist! Poor guy, I messed up his piece twice! So, then we were going to just take it off and call it quits. He handed me some fishing line to hold under the piece as he spun the wheel and I'd pull the line through the bottom so that it would come off the wheel. I couldn't even do that right! I couldn't hold the line tight with my slippery muddy hands, resulting in a tangled mess of fishing line and potters clay.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pottery oven</td></tr>
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We then proceeded to the Catalina viewpoint where we got a magnificent view of the Apoyo Lagoon. We took a Tuk Tuk ride around Catalina and Brett and I also took a horseback ride for a different view of the Lagoon. Afterwards, we headed to Laguna Beach Club for lunch. After lunch we went to the Masaya Crafts Market. Our guide said we were the fastest shoppers he's ever had. We did a quick walk through, but shopping really isn't our thing. To end the day, we headed to the Masaya Volcano. Because it's an active volcano, we wanted to see it at night so that we could see the glow. What we didn't expect was that we could actually hear the lava as well. Eery.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brett with the Tuk Tuk</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peering into the volcano</td></tr>
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Later that next week, we took a day trip to Rivas as we wanted to experience it again, this type up close and personal. We hired a couple of bicyclists to take us on a tour. Near the end, my dad asked his driver to switch places with him and he rode the bicycle while the guide got the tour! We then drove north a couple of hours and checked out the local scenery. We stumbled upon a quiet beach that had more pigs than people.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad giving the tour guide a break and doing the peddling.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local grocery in Rivas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6QJ7wfvhOY3jN4ctuMvpebCkoGDIuf4Ts9mds9AyOjI6mgy8a-9DYVSa1p_C1_GG6UiiI9uKyUpdoi4QSGYdBV3xG0NRyZXRseyicWlDzaG3bskF33Z2Jh79HylWcYxJVt0xUdI9LsE/s1600/0223181456b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6QJ7wfvhOY3jN4ctuMvpebCkoGDIuf4Ts9mds9AyOjI6mgy8a-9DYVSa1p_C1_GG6UiiI9uKyUpdoi4QSGYdBV3xG0NRyZXRseyicWlDzaG3bskF33Z2Jh79HylWcYxJVt0xUdI9LsE/s320/0223181456b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several HUGE pigs wandering the beach</td></tr>
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The following weekend, we went to Ometepe Island (also in Lake Nicaragua). Ometepe is formed by two volcanoes, Concepcion (active) and Maderas (dormant) connected by a low isthmus. There, we visited a museum that showcased a private collection of artifacts found on the island, hiked through a coffee plantation to petroglyphs that are thought to be 1500 years old, saw howler monkeys, swam (or at least I did) in Ojo de Agua, which is a natural spring pool filled from an underground river from the Maderas volcano, toured a butterfly garden, heard the tales of Chico Largo, and just enjoyed the varied scenery.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjEGsWweI_fBd9nuseupAmthhoUywvZnT0q6TE_u5atpSZqj-DPRpbj67kzqXwH667gCb-5gtyzKvWH_WKRGhmH6rT5TG1RNRmU-ALjbULh8vekdYzkESlC-I5xNgBdfMIBpvSnec1ls/s1600/ferry+ride.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjEGsWweI_fBd9nuseupAmthhoUywvZnT0q6TE_u5atpSZqj-DPRpbj67kzqXwH667gCb-5gtyzKvWH_WKRGhmH6rT5TG1RNRmU-ALjbULh8vekdYzkESlC-I5xNgBdfMIBpvSnec1ls/s320/ferry+ride.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQO-hALZlGRboWoJxJq20TEGGDbeLlvPJU87mAqj62YJaOSpD2ocGb_bOGWhiU4eqWIWqSxucoNwZfPaCFViRQzQeKKIUB6OX9rq6QnIDUalRA7q9ns0dr1texg9Uia216uut3riMP6ds/s1600/0224180735_HDR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQO-hALZlGRboWoJxJq20TEGGDbeLlvPJU87mAqj62YJaOSpD2ocGb_bOGWhiU4eqWIWqSxucoNwZfPaCFViRQzQeKKIUB6OX9rq6QnIDUalRA7q9ns0dr1texg9Uia216uut3riMP6ds/s320/0224180735_HDR-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another ferry coming in while we were heading out. Thankful it wasn't ours. We were wondering about all the buckets. it looks like one per passenger just in case!?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5iVoVQ7D1_5EeC5Z2rThcuxJzVQFLtGMYtm4FVi3ljTMxwRC9YuwOVC69laJXrvFc_h3c_brXIUJB1tXrrMx_FWtJA2msodPhBnZu1Ir_1UWyW52I_CGzh-f3eXt4MBQH-pgwxXcYu2w/s1600/volcanoes+from+ferry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5iVoVQ7D1_5EeC5Z2rThcuxJzVQFLtGMYtm4FVi3ljTMxwRC9YuwOVC69laJXrvFc_h3c_brXIUJB1tXrrMx_FWtJA2msodPhBnZu1Ir_1UWyW52I_CGzh-f3eXt4MBQH-pgwxXcYu2w/s320/volcanoes+from+ferry.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Ometepe from the ferry</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dC3A5aAwPdnPDRxQ8ELDhrPFuoo5TTvacsvZeJqnEr46QEkyTNAYVlM2u5qGC3JkoOXuXQtUFc8f5E2nJYud_DrXfjK0cffDPO1EVOC-3Zw3Fh9mqxQLXbV3nd_7Fz55wtSuqckiK38/s1600/0225180920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dC3A5aAwPdnPDRxQ8ELDhrPFuoo5TTvacsvZeJqnEr46QEkyTNAYVlM2u5qGC3JkoOXuXQtUFc8f5E2nJYud_DrXfjK0cffDPO1EVOC-3Zw3Fh9mqxQLXbV3nd_7Fz55wtSuqckiK38/s320/0225180920.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Howler monkeys</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0nqR_Ms9MBq2ChJf4q72Xnn2QHOEbzDm5M3kghllnOnU7cJuCSiK1DmLIV8R09xrgzOspf3JmZQ2EgUwAgjrU3lIiCa2s7JmcZYDPcRwLhXMZQCTC3Q8B76-84yq9FRzxeBjiXbfo2w/s1600/0225181055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0nqR_Ms9MBq2ChJf4q72Xnn2QHOEbzDm5M3kghllnOnU7cJuCSiK1DmLIV8R09xrgzOspf3JmZQ2EgUwAgjrU3lIiCa2s7JmcZYDPcRwLhXMZQCTC3Q8B76-84yq9FRzxeBjiXbfo2w/s320/0225181055.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNNL-VEU2s6p7C0-GEFpudPdGwnSEk3DkHsvi-WZX3aXev1f7nbe0rE1Aq1skINsszJnKugESkGzLU10oFL9Q-Fn7ocE8ETugDLg8Xer1xZe6nyPIPnrQomYRtQXqUYidJ6X-12d9POw/s1600/0224182022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNNL-VEU2s6p7C0-GEFpudPdGwnSEk3DkHsvi-WZX3aXev1f7nbe0rE1Aq1skINsszJnKugESkGzLU10oFL9Q-Fn7ocE8ETugDLg8Xer1xZe6nyPIPnrQomYRtQXqUYidJ6X-12d9POw/s320/0224182022.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We met a group staying at the hotel next door and joined them for bonfire on the beach - complete with marshmallows and s'mores.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugNM99JS8krDd2DkVS70BXkp6gF3jcV4DJiLgLcdlrmpyDmIOlmgYTxdofukxbyNj68ODh3ycBjc_HkVw6maxkGJwt4YMFNGC7pqtx26McUqD82pOZV914qJk7pwqtPhWBgqpiAGZo_U/s1600/sunset+lake+nic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugNM99JS8krDd2DkVS70BXkp6gF3jcV4DJiLgLcdlrmpyDmIOlmgYTxdofukxbyNj68ODh3ycBjc_HkVw6maxkGJwt4YMFNGC7pqtx26McUqD82pOZV914qJk7pwqtPhWBgqpiAGZo_U/s320/sunset+lake+nic.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset from the hotel on Ometepe<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0fba6JfjTLh1ALMIpjzdQtTfhyJaHYH1NypvfKhxLkx8US4ZPrY10fK04UDHynyq3LwUSPMcH1Zn-fDUxlfdu49jo83SSpeoALb-p82_aRxBSsZ-wPUulEi1GE8LMoOmGRcJCGcbOTs/s1600/0225180854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0fba6JfjTLh1ALMIpjzdQtTfhyJaHYH1NypvfKhxLkx8US4ZPrY10fK04UDHynyq3LwUSPMcH1Zn-fDUxlfdu49jo83SSpeoALb-p82_aRxBSsZ-wPUulEi1GE8LMoOmGRcJCGcbOTs/s320/0225180854.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our room had the world smallest sink and tallest mirror - it was way over my head!</td></tr>
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Other random photos -<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPP6MHDNveZaY_xNQQy9AqOOWNaZrS0b2BO4k89pBRs0CEesmn7AnB-oyZ9ZA-meDaHT7rQi8ijBG18NMnwow8UAU1zRLtrIfa_v8ec3FoFr9X1Q6KESb4jFTgSPkg0fmcY56dfBad3Tc/s1600/0210181121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPP6MHDNveZaY_xNQQy9AqOOWNaZrS0b2BO4k89pBRs0CEesmn7AnB-oyZ9ZA-meDaHT7rQi8ijBG18NMnwow8UAU1zRLtrIfa_v8ec3FoFr9X1Q6KESb4jFTgSPkg0fmcY56dfBad3Tc/s320/0210181121.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That sums it up pretty well!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEPcS6hffJ7icZ23ZrhS-9u1QsgyII9PiyOhe1vswdbWxL9LEzxDCFVMw3SlSFxWd7Z4RaNUvLiDeD7oqkYMLs96qn1Yc02mFkFLVwIQH0Wf2k0F4v3hxDk3fC55V0h2hp8psv6r3cy4/s1600/0210181116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEPcS6hffJ7icZ23ZrhS-9u1QsgyII9PiyOhe1vswdbWxL9LEzxDCFVMw3SlSFxWd7Z4RaNUvLiDeD7oqkYMLs96qn1Yc02mFkFLVwIQH0Wf2k0F4v3hxDk3fC55V0h2hp8psv6r3cy4/s320/0210181116.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buying fresh tortillas (she's making them over an open fire inside)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NT8DBofw11DcEly3-nx58FsmpvUcp5681rfqkrm2mBL_LAg5cGAwG24XRdF7ULlMXcxf2l2HFZFSG_Pnp3HGKK0UdZdWRnBYMF-VKhMIlXYVJecaYPRr6coQdZ5pjoZiVGI5m9wcC7M/s1600/0213182158a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NT8DBofw11DcEly3-nx58FsmpvUcp5681rfqkrm2mBL_LAg5cGAwG24XRdF7ULlMXcxf2l2HFZFSG_Pnp3HGKK0UdZdWRnBYMF-VKhMIlXYVJecaYPRr6coQdZ5pjoZiVGI5m9wcC7M/s320/0213182158a.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom couldn't find dad. Found him in the top bunk reading. Too funny!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFrDI68yc0hyphenhyphenhf5Ft_3Vmh9yn005osYdwnewKRdQL90VcHXVBmKGLGWiGaHzWY5JmISiPOSwrpgCcgjxMuSOJFMNKuRssOab3WBtuzitmZkrkHCfeUEVeye2nNHba_077F0wQW6zked8/s1600/0210181045_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFrDI68yc0hyphenhyphenhf5Ft_3Vmh9yn005osYdwnewKRdQL90VcHXVBmKGLGWiGaHzWY5JmISiPOSwrpgCcgjxMuSOJFMNKuRssOab3WBtuzitmZkrkHCfeUEVeye2nNHba_077F0wQW6zked8/s320/0210181045_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Want to get a tattoo? This is the tattoo shop for you!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkDHD5yk-BLpesdwIvkiCVB6yqB6OfQ1LyUs04l-NzBeBPIVFhkpaz0h6t2Q6HXl-bNTVX1lUsXtCn2u47zUmB_fZJuY9e3ybpnmdGgHnzCsXTwno5cOBtPm4A32C1StS6ySgQ_OSbQQ/s1600/Brett+driving+tuk+tuk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkDHD5yk-BLpesdwIvkiCVB6yqB6OfQ1LyUs04l-NzBeBPIVFhkpaz0h6t2Q6HXl-bNTVX1lUsXtCn2u47zUmB_fZJuY9e3ybpnmdGgHnzCsXTwno5cOBtPm4A32C1StS6ySgQ_OSbQQ/s320/Brett+driving+tuk+tuk.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brett in a Tuk Tuk</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuBGzPGP9yDkuucl5K1X9mRmAxOivTUZw4jvBAAcPVKFR_rfD1h-Y7MZOuXLQ2li4kISdVU_FfrNoCQlD_x8HoKY3Z2xP9RZ3uzCav5vJDlaa7Gqav9F9UvooPl1GOwbacrK5mWTJqPY/s1600/0218181222a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuBGzPGP9yDkuucl5K1X9mRmAxOivTUZw4jvBAAcPVKFR_rfD1h-Y7MZOuXLQ2li4kISdVU_FfrNoCQlD_x8HoKY3Z2xP9RZ3uzCav5vJDlaa7Gqav9F9UvooPl1GOwbacrK5mWTJqPY/s320/0218181222a.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brett found a vendor on the street selling meringue cookies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFsMrFCM98vjO-yxDdfQviEYG_zRqC5KmGy1XIO0p2Z1tleVihb5LCpI9MiyMu478n0Trg8fcE58lkbNfu9KP6ow8ca86sGiuLgy2CM2SrvXKbaPQOPMkpwx7ADYEcOM7ipg6tMfR-Mk/s1600/0219181754a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFsMrFCM98vjO-yxDdfQviEYG_zRqC5KmGy1XIO0p2Z1tleVihb5LCpI9MiyMu478n0Trg8fcE58lkbNfu9KP6ow8ca86sGiuLgy2CM2SrvXKbaPQOPMkpwx7ADYEcOM7ipg6tMfR-Mk/s320/0219181754a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brett petting a friendly cow on the street while walking into town</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our water taxi "captain" - he gave us a ride into San Juan just about every evening</td></tr>
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Operation "Escape Winter" is now over, but we have tons of wonderful memories!<br />
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Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-31160143047984977902018-02-04T19:59:00.000-08:002018-02-05T15:50:22.901-08:00Costa Rica / Nicaragua 2018: Weeks 4 & 5 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last weekend was our last in Costa Rica. Our plan was to rent a car and check out more of the country, but they were out of cars again in Samara, so we went to Plan B and hung out on the beach again. We decided we would get up early and get the first bus to Samara. We went to the bus stop at 6:45am only to realize the 1st bus wasn't until 7:45. A little before 7:45, we see the bus pass the condo and we'd missed it. There is no 8:45 bus. So, at 9:45, we finally caught the bus and headed to the beach. This pretty much sums up Brett's luck with the bus system for our entire stay in Costa Rica.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brett smiling at the bus stop because he KNOWS he didn't miss the bus this time!</td></tr>
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We got into town and stopped for breakfast. If you ever order an omelette at Franks in Samara, do yourself a favor and split it. In fact, find another couple and split it with them as well. I believe they are meant to feed four or more!<br />
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We met several interesting people while staying in Puerto Carrillo. One was a young girl, 10 years old, who started a conversation with us at the pool one afternoon. She was fluent in Spanish, English, and German. She was very animated and I told her she could be an ambassador for Costa Rica. We learned so much about the country from her, both geographically and culturally. I could have talked with her for hours, she was so much fun. She wanted to know what foods we had tried, and she insisted we needed to try a copo. So when we saw the lady come by on the beach making copos, we knew we had to try one. </div>
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To make a copo, they first start with shaved ice. Add syrup. Add powdered milk. Add more shaved ice. More syrup. Drizzle with condensed milk. Top with marshmallows. I don't have much of a sweet tooth and this was way beyond what I could handle, but I could see why a 10-year thought it was the best thing ever!</div>
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Speaking of interesting people, Brett and I are big fans of the show, Survivor. Last week, Neleh Dennis, the runner-up from Survivor Marquesas was staying in the condo above us. We had a good long chat with her husband who told us about her Survivor experience. Very cool. But oh, how that must have hurt to lose out on the $1M by only one vote! They now own a food food truck selling corndogs and fried pickles outside of Salt Lake City. Super nice guy. We only talked with Neleh for a few minutes before they were heading out, but she seemed just as nice.</div>
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The guy next to us last week has a niece who owns a 100% gluten-free restaurant in San Jose, Costa Rica. We'll be in staying in San Jose the night before heading back to the USA, so we got the information and we'll give it a shot. And hopefully we'll be able to meet up with Stefen on that last night as well. Stefen was another guy who stayed in the room next to us for a few days. We enjoyed hanging out with him and his two boys while they were here. Meeting new people from other areas is one of our favorite things about traveling. We have so many wonderful friends that we've met "on the road".</div>
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Back to our weekend...I finally made it to the beach with the tidepools. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of our walks are starting to look the same. Here's the road to the tide pools. Gravel. Hilly.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But the scenery at the end of each walk is always worth it.</td></tr>
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And then on Wednesday, it was time to say goodbye to Costa Rica and hello to Nicaragua. We took a taxi from Samara to Liberia (2 hours) and then took a shared shuttle to Nicaragua. The shared shuttle was interesting. The van was very crowded and we were the last to get in, so I was in the front middle seat and Brett was in the back. The rest of the group were all backpackers, mostly from Europe. The driver was nuts, loco, crazy, however you want to say it. Since Brett and I weren't together, we spent most of the time texting each other, trying to keep our minds off the driving. By driving, I mean, talking on the phone, driving on the other side of the yellow line, watching a music video (radio on the dash had video player), all while on a curvy road. I said lots of prayers. Thankfully, we picked up a different driver on the Nicaragua side, and he was very good. </div>
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Tip: Don't wear a skirt on a super windy day when you have to walk across a border crossing while lugging multiple suitcases. Just trust me on this.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlesj47WEIiHNFgn_NrkC6I-JuMnUe3TKXwqYITd9af3zava1elFS8PfjqpRYKG2_QUXsfkXMlzjfRyZHHvyTbaOTnV3ynI65tG7HvfPmeGQmguDIn_BOW5qp76bvy-wLyyKO0HCvfW-8/s1600/0131181022_HDR_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlesj47WEIiHNFgn_NrkC6I-JuMnUe3TKXwqYITd9af3zava1elFS8PfjqpRYKG2_QUXsfkXMlzjfRyZHHvyTbaOTnV3ynI65tG7HvfPmeGQmguDIn_BOW5qp76bvy-wLyyKO0HCvfW-8/s320/0131181022_HDR_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this "government" building was also their home. The toothbrushes in the bathroom kind of gave it away. (This is where you paid your exit fee to leave Costa Rica.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Miles of trucks waiting to cross the border. We saw several using gas cans to fill up. Makes you wonder how long they've been waiting. Thankfully, passenger vehicles use a different lane.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We made it!</span><br />
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After getting settled in to our new place, we headed downtown to have some lunch and check out the town. While the population of San Juan del Sur is only 15,000, it's four times more than Samara and about eight times more than Puerto Carrillo, so it's much larger than where we've been staying. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZreHM_Zp80E92E3yDGuuPjPV5r5N7GUu0ArZQ8krTKnlT1Aqfgcz0h-O8EOLN47F8C-WHqLYrmN7NfWxMvW06uXjYmqmen1_uRi83Zwou4a8Co-FSOqderIa1MWVkPOzE8vjLBKT4DiU/s1600/sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZreHM_Zp80E92E3yDGuuPjPV5r5N7GUu0ArZQ8krTKnlT1Aqfgcz0h-O8EOLN47F8C-WHqLYrmN7NfWxMvW06uXjYmqmen1_uRi83Zwou4a8Co-FSOqderIa1MWVkPOzE8vjLBKT4DiU/s320/sunset.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset in San Juan del Sur.</td></tr>
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We've already started making friends here at our new condo and it feels comfortable. The views are amazing, it's secure (24-hour armed guards at both the street and beach entrances), San Juan del Sur is extremely colorful, and it's relatively easy to get to town. We found we can walk the beach and get to town in about 15 minutes, whereas taking the road would be several miles. There is an inlet between the river and the ocean that you have to cross. We've made it at low tide a few times and were able to trek across where the water was just above my knees. Other times, we've walked down a bit to where we could use the water taxi, which is just a panga that they pull across using a rope. For roughly $0.35 per person, it's well worth it to ensure you get to the other side dry.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Christ overlooking the bay. It's directly above our condo complex.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKeIQMyBhQNEaJa05N6kWT-An-sO0T3a3691KEVkI40y_oh868H0NfS-hPj25U6MQVyl56ZOwBTIgSMOj804mz9lPZv8VnIaqdtIbNIHJmYGymG9sqP3NTgV5oLgwTt2kQQEbXXbUtMc/s1600/view+from+roof.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKeIQMyBhQNEaJa05N6kWT-An-sO0T3a3691KEVkI40y_oh868H0NfS-hPj25U6MQVyl56ZOwBTIgSMOj804mz9lPZv8VnIaqdtIbNIHJmYGymG9sqP3NTgV5oLgwTt2kQQEbXXbUtMc/s320/view+from+roof.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our condo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekXdPh7pd4auUGznECX5ddIp5q_Au_5ZrpAKzuNGMSR-05LXcRaPzaDTjpm1FBjDQwXDGCqophmjDrq8jZvK1RxDILxtUh490Wf10p718NMDn3tgYOZsFDeJUWH0XpQYTas4dAbtF8Gw/s1600/water+taxi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekXdPh7pd4auUGznECX5ddIp5q_Au_5ZrpAKzuNGMSR-05LXcRaPzaDTjpm1FBjDQwXDGCqophmjDrq8jZvK1RxDILxtUh490Wf10p718NMDn3tgYOZsFDeJUWH0XpQYTas4dAbtF8Gw/s320/water+taxi.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water taxi</td></tr>
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On Saturday, we headed into town again and made arrangements for two overnight weekend trips. My parents are coming down next week, so we wanted to get those things planned before they arrive. Saturday night we played Farkle at Dave and Susan's (condo neighbors who are from Texas) until almost midnight.<br />
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On Sunday, we rented a 4x4 side-by-side to check out the local beaches. We went to two beaches north of town and 3 beaches south of town. Long and dirty day (a few miles were on brick roads, yes brick, but the vast majority was dirt), but we saw some really pretty beaches.<br />
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Our favorite one was Playa Hemosa. Survivor Nicaragua was filmed in this area and there were many Survivor items at the ecolodge and restaurant. There's a $3 per person entrance fee at this beach, but it's well worth it. The have tables, hammocks, restrooms, showers, as well as a restaurant and spa. Loved it. We'll definitely be coming back to spend a day here. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeNNch1cHu7iqxEJbRZAfCTPJjQpobkeaOBmEIsJykHGhCyLFX_Vm0EYqgdnLqDMmnBvvNky10PpG1bPbpBYNFmpVpBhOco36r3klppclSSKne-WJo_-PhciPnaQQwpG1iszSOhwqx_Q/s1600/other+survivor+flags.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeNNch1cHu7iqxEJbRZAfCTPJjQpobkeaOBmEIsJykHGhCyLFX_Vm0EYqgdnLqDMmnBvvNky10PpG1bPbpBYNFmpVpBhOco36r3klppclSSKne-WJo_-PhciPnaQQwpG1iszSOhwqx_Q/s320/other+survivor+flags.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They've filmed 3 seasons of Survivor here. Two were American versions, but these two flags were from Survivor New Zealand.</td></tr>
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Brett recognized the columns in the restaurant were actually the poles from the Get a Grip Challenge, so we had to see if we could do it. Hats off to those that can do this for an hour in the hot sun!<br />
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Our second favorite was Playa La Flor, which is a natural reserve (to protect the olive ridley turtles). They had a large amount of turtles that they were releasing at 6pm, but we wouldn't be coming back as we didn't want to drive at night. Since it's a reserve, there was an entrance fee (roughly $6 per person), so we paid that and headed to the beach. This beach had lots of colorful rocks (blues and greens) and shells at the shoreline. I wandered and collected until I figured I'd better stop. I don't think Brett would be too happy if we had to pay an overweight luggage fee on return because my suitcase was full of rocks! As I was busy wandering, Brett headed for the shade and I heard him whistle for me. I ran up and he had found a baby turtle that had apparently just hatched. Generally, a nest all hatches at once, so we looked for more, but he was alone. Brett went back and got the ranger and he collected him to be released with the others that night as it was too hot and he wouldn't have survived the trip to the water in the middle of day. There wasn't a single other person on the beach the entire time we were there. Lovely.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little guy Brett found. He named him Fred.</td></tr>
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We ended the day by heading up to the statue of Christ. It is a VERY steep hill. We were able to drive most of it, but the last bit can only be walked.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii47ZA-4Qm1FOiO2cUPNst-DaKOd2SiRYiBneBmLF4pcL25C4P5pSYsA9HkYQXwKo7VFUXP7L7epQa67rgt1uyAX2XrE2qUTwQHZb2rdi0vWAtjDqzhRlnzSgVGMespWJBDVLSA4euDhU/s1600/Brett+view+from+Christ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="640" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii47ZA-4Qm1FOiO2cUPNst-DaKOd2SiRYiBneBmLF4pcL25C4P5pSYsA9HkYQXwKo7VFUXP7L7epQa67rgt1uyAX2XrE2qUTwQHZb2rdi0vWAtjDqzhRlnzSgVGMespWJBDVLSA4euDhU/s320/Brett+view+from+Christ.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the statue.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last bit of the walk. Yes, it's as steep as it looks.</td></tr>
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A few more sights from our Sunday drive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjIjQxtQJnHQotTRFh68Z5y7yWeB2eZEZWe2yOqmxkRIrzqB00FZ2siqw9JWupLjTkBnfjMTr3QhhlwIDA8B1NtkI21ilBq-uFZ8bjyeBWpCmy2pxO8ZJ7FrXKQ_KNlEdPK7bVB3SAuo/s1600/baseball.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjIjQxtQJnHQotTRFh68Z5y7yWeB2eZEZWe2yOqmxkRIrzqB00FZ2siqw9JWupLjTkBnfjMTr3QhhlwIDA8B1NtkI21ilBq-uFZ8bjyeBWpCmy2pxO8ZJ7FrXKQ_KNlEdPK7bVB3SAuo/s320/baseball.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We saw four different baseball games. We didn't realize it was a big sport here. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A boy and his cows.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horses on the beach.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MxkQWStfnTq_eyCm1oEauxT5Gm_9bcskayvnSv5E7pspIyw5ATcBR46mncVQYGNoE7vQL-Y90uuRyKym4c7qbqObD-FAA3PYeoxcD4P4L017iVLJ14f-E0kVw8cA8u_FbBsGAVQdPE4/s1600/gave+a+lift.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MxkQWStfnTq_eyCm1oEauxT5Gm_9bcskayvnSv5E7pspIyw5ATcBR46mncVQYGNoE7vQL-Y90uuRyKym4c7qbqObD-FAA3PYeoxcD4P4L017iVLJ14f-E0kVw8cA8u_FbBsGAVQdPE4/s320/gave+a+lift.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy faces of some kids we gave a ride to. Too bad we didn't get a picture of the backpackers we gave a ride to earlier. Those were some amazing dreadlocks:-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9_VGAahNKr53t0ZxoNoYj744cPg2F2wjYcGsKuc28lpp7NbkCz-n9gFuLTSsNAMXzhgvDkqXDSgEQgVv3-yYmfClv0tzwRZaBFywUPO5Ee6GkUsZux7uBHsNw19nMlu0WzU_2pisP54/s1600/horse+generator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="640" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9_VGAahNKr53t0ZxoNoYj744cPg2F2wjYcGsKuc28lpp7NbkCz-n9gFuLTSsNAMXzhgvDkqXDSgEQgVv3-yYmfClv0tzwRZaBFywUPO5Ee6GkUsZux7uBHsNw19nMlu0WzU_2pisP54/s320/horse+generator.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that a 1-horsepower generator? Hehe</td></tr>
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Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-89898087145002446982018-01-25T18:02:00.000-08:002018-01-25T18:02:53.843-08:00Costa Rica / Nicaragua 2018: Week 3 We stayed fairly close to "home" this week, but did get out a few times.<br />
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The owners of the condo where we're staying live in Houston, TX, but were here this week checking in on things, so we got the opportunity to meet them. While they've both lived in Texas for more than 30 years, she was born in Costa Rica and he was born in Nicaragua. They still have family in both locations and were able to give us some great advice on things to do in both countries. Due to ice in Houston, their return flight got delayed a few days so we joined them on a couple of excursions as they played tourists.<br />
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Wednesday: We left at 6:30pm and drove to Ostional Wildlife Refuge in hopes of seeing Olive Ridley turtles. It's about an hour and a half drive and a good hour of that is on a dirt road. The first thing we noticed when we got out of the van was how dark it was and how bright the stars were. Turtles are drawn to light which can disorient them, so lighting is kept at a bare minimum and only flashlights with red lighting is allowed on the beach.<br />
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We followed our guide onto the beach and it only took about 10 minutes before we saw our first turtle. By the end of the night we had seen dozens of turtles as they came onto the beach, dug their nests, laid their eggs, and then returned to sea.<br />
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Olive Ridley turtle facts:<br />
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<li>They are one of the smallest sea turtles, weighing about 80-110 pounds.</li>
<li>They go to shore in masses to nest. It's referred to as 'arribada' - Spanish for mass migration. At Ostional, they have had upwards of 10,000 turtles on the beach at one time!</li>
<li>After they dig the nest and are ready to lay their eggs, they go into a trance and don't see or hear anything.</li>
<li>They lay 2-3 clutches of eggs per nesting season.</li>
<li>Each clutch contains an avera<span style="font-family: inherit;">ge of 110-120 egg</span>s.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The temperat</span>ure of the nest determines the gender. If the eggs are kept at temperatures lower than 82°F, they will hatch as males, if the temperatures is 84-86°F, there will be both males and females and a temperature of 88-90°F will produce only females. Temperatures higher than that will not hatch.</li>
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Wait! Lorraine, Chris, Silenea, & Billy....did you just read that? Go back, and check out that last bullet point. There IS an animal that has the sex determined by temperature. I've been vindicated! Ok, moving on....</div>
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It was a long night and we didn't get back until after 11pm (we learned it's almost impossible to sleep in a van, with a Tico driving on a dirt road), but it was worth it. We got to get very close, about a foot away, while she was in a trance laying eggs. The pictures are a little tough to see since we were limited to the single red light.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpo8UEK5wH89cKPgUHdlG4n8sosq3oQCHDL3RlTs1J87zMa7thbJBMETyutMqt0iH9uTqoFK1yVyxxqhHU_vqnY-wJUU5WQaNfkE4yhXfrQeXcPNP6RG3gtbFlY1Ie0TRGZi7yiKp0ZE/s1600/good+turtle+pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpo8UEK5wH89cKPgUHdlG4n8sosq3oQCHDL3RlTs1J87zMa7thbJBMETyutMqt0iH9uTqoFK1yVyxxqhHU_vqnY-wJUU5WQaNfkE4yhXfrQeXcPNP6RG3gtbFlY1Ie0TRGZi7yiKp0ZE/s320/good+turtle+pic.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALle_P8YBGRu4aS_cuM8y5sBK4o4DRN6AJ6QVvtq4ns2q4DrI0G4nzwm26j0y25ejaRqbB2YB1GFEYbRmRUJ-d8XEuJ86L1PlKS0CX386AySEFw3j6AOycCd3NsPRtW78ppjeoGAVUtA/s1600/Alien+turtle+with+broken+eggs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALle_P8YBGRu4aS_cuM8y5sBK4o4DRN6AJ6QVvtq4ns2q4DrI0G4nzwm26j0y25ejaRqbB2YB1GFEYbRmRUJ-d8XEuJ86L1PlKS0CX386AySEFw3j6AOycCd3NsPRtW78ppjeoGAVUtA/s320/Alien+turtle+with+broken+eggs.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their heads look like aliens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-wx63GvxqqRvbszM642wVc0OpNBDr90fJMuUgoiQJVevPveRKvzgWfY48HokuH9Ix4h7N8lmd3vhPL2bYY7gJklwBv8Xnist64oLl7AHiqssKXUbyG85ev4SmRyr0YuwAHEOAZBSOfo/s1600/laying+eggs+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-wx63GvxqqRvbszM642wVc0OpNBDr90fJMuUgoiQJVevPveRKvzgWfY48HokuH9Ix4h7N8lmd3vhPL2bYY7gJklwBv8Xnist64oLl7AHiqssKXUbyG85ev4SmRyr0YuwAHEOAZBSOfo/s320/laying+eggs+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was while she was laying the eggs. Our guide dug a section out of the side of the nest so that we could watch the eggs drop into the nest. How cool is that?!</td></tr>
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Thursday: We went to he Ara Project, which is a <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.7px;">breeding and release center for the Great Green and Scarlet macaws. This wasn't far from where we're staying (about 30-45 minutes on another dirt road) and we'd heard that you could see Scarlet macaws head to that area in the early evening hours. There was a short presentation when we got there and then just a handful of Scarlet macaws came into the area (they put out food each evening, which pretty much guarantees you'll see a few).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.7px;">Great Grean Macaw facts:</span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.7px;">They are endangered, with only 1500-2000 left in the world. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helveticaneue" , "helvetica neue" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.7px;">90% of their habitat is gone.</span></span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJA_FDCZJGx3Wh1IW0E7Lx2r0EVUj0ZMVNWcTTMQ6tYa_TMn0DdVEEiE3m-zKHPqsBpT4kgMTMSxZc4x8Tr-3YlLQKOcNeqngKWRfAd4KRjTgKVsOcb9IH7aJeJSvHGkb3DMT0BmzcRg4/s1600/Scarlet+Macaw+in+flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJA_FDCZJGx3Wh1IW0E7Lx2r0EVUj0ZMVNWcTTMQ6tYa_TMn0DdVEEiE3m-zKHPqsBpT4kgMTMSxZc4x8Tr-3YlLQKOcNeqngKWRfAd4KRjTgKVsOcb9IH7aJeJSvHGkb3DMT0BmzcRg4/s320/Scarlet+Macaw+in+flight.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding at the Ara Project</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiADs0xp_HNqkyDqQHZ2SIg-6wQURMGVJEMFCBBJvaJy6Qnxd51YatD3wajIL4h0SNKZS5hVmjwuxZELpx_-Qj_joRon-0lhLrvgZ_zeaoL32RaDeI_FbQjXV7_HH0qNtUfOfuSNJIDJ4/s1600/Full+macaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiADs0xp_HNqkyDqQHZ2SIg-6wQURMGVJEMFCBBJvaJy6Qnxd51YatD3wajIL4h0SNKZS5hVmjwuxZELpx_-Qj_joRon-0lhLrvgZ_zeaoL32RaDeI_FbQjXV7_HH0qNtUfOfuSNJIDJ4/s320/Full+macaw.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Ara Project</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf117JMbTCpZU_O7qPo18cPan-a1VtYoj8J-vXSrvI4f_IhB9l6P_7oMXQYNfXq78x8PxmByzmxToiY9FCxYlge4vawaEqEq3iW-GgST68qAEOmMT5xle1ZMwD7YwLJLDF8kK_j_vB-O4/s1600/Macaw+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf117JMbTCpZU_O7qPo18cPan-a1VtYoj8J-vXSrvI4f_IhB9l6P_7oMXQYNfXq78x8PxmByzmxToiY9FCxYlge4vawaEqEq3iW-GgST68qAEOmMT5xle1ZMwD7YwLJLDF8kK_j_vB-O4/s320/Macaw+close+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few days later, we saw this beauty in a tree by the beach.</td></tr>
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Friday: My workstation isn't exactly ergonomically friendly (outside picnic-type table/bench brought inside), so Brett arranged to have a massage therapist come to our room. Great way to start the weekend:-)<br />
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Saturday: We decided we needed a true beach day. We rented chairs in Samara, I downloaded a book on my Kindle, and the farthest we ventured was to the ocean in front of us and the restaurant behind us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcR1qEeD4Wi5ymWCYf9_NNirhOGXHxcXz3ZBfglCzpMfOLYX_DC7UK9QLUVo17cRxCPNWbntf15GxN8TJcthZZzJUycOOGmva6I2medr-Gk8cgadxJi7ef_VFLGy7tu73m6fEU4-Aa8WM/s1600/Saturday.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcR1qEeD4Wi5ymWCYf9_NNirhOGXHxcXz3ZBfglCzpMfOLYX_DC7UK9QLUVo17cRxCPNWbntf15GxN8TJcthZZzJUycOOGmva6I2medr-Gk8cgadxJi7ef_VFLGy7tu73m6fEU4-Aa8WM/s320/Saturday.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sunday: Saturday was so perfect, we repeated it on Sunday.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisKI506U8X3963pHa_CMmMuY3bqNad9r66lpmCjghXwNlFR4g7rhF5gsAcK9lt38VvXRPa2f1Wln-M7pAUJFn7nbv0CvRbdlZh_mfrm9OhNt-3MeJ70pexl7dKAyyOXA4V4Ydu9cgBB8/s1600/Sunday.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisKI506U8X3963pHa_CMmMuY3bqNad9r66lpmCjghXwNlFR4g7rhF5gsAcK9lt38VvXRPa2f1Wln-M7pAUJFn7nbv0CvRbdlZh_mfrm9OhNt-3MeJ70pexl7dKAyyOXA4V4Ydu9cgBB8/s320/Sunday.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Other pics from this week:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dlAsCiJZ2lUsq-h5hrhKR7QTXLgqyqNduItZly5AvkqEXOxQRGXxdgTG-cBftLmk1TY1ZOMjMqGZ4pClKCb6y_LypflFAEo10WO7-wLwzIgAStpmzb-1ndp-Shr7kmOiOCNGkIIKwvo/s1600/Lagoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dlAsCiJZ2lUsq-h5hrhKR7QTXLgqyqNduItZly5AvkqEXOxQRGXxdgTG-cBftLmk1TY1ZOMjMqGZ4pClKCb6y_LypflFAEo10WO7-wLwzIgAStpmzb-1ndp-Shr7kmOiOCNGkIIKwvo/s320/Lagoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the guys staying in our condo complex, took Brett to this lagoon. It's walking distance from the house. (If reincarnation were a thing, I'd want to come back as Brett! He gets to see all this cool stuff while I'm at the condo working. Nope, no jealousy here. Now we just need to find a time when he can take me to see it.) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZ9DxqqhVUgL9dSfpeQq1A1PHQvJh8hBiCvzcNbnf8a7y5rrOMWruxAkDgaOkdulEzyJGfFRXFYqtrZygjFGPNLHSRkZS4eteJqu8agfI7V5xEMQNcyeS63Sc-MBaMT7HBUSk3H2bM_s/s1600/Fish+in+tidepool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZ9DxqqhVUgL9dSfpeQq1A1PHQvJh8hBiCvzcNbnf8a7y5rrOMWruxAkDgaOkdulEzyJGfFRXFYqtrZygjFGPNLHSRkZS4eteJqu8agfI7V5xEMQNcyeS63Sc-MBaMT7HBUSk3H2bM_s/s320/Fish+in+tidepool.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the lagoon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHULV_O-k_7OyT6UZzXkw4aq0oeO1k3kLi-sP12QpaJ57tDLEpqsaXPJvCJjDEou-zk3uNEkDp1NC9xCtahujXxnmlfWrYChBu1v-_hW2wWh3LLAI8m171ZHaAsCJpHugeEP5szrllSQ/s1600/Marina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHULV_O-k_7OyT6UZzXkw4aq0oeO1k3kLi-sP12QpaJ57tDLEpqsaXPJvCJjDEou-zk3uNEkDp1NC9xCtahujXxnmlfWrYChBu1v-_hW2wWh3LLAI8m171ZHaAsCJpHugeEP5szrllSQ/s320/Marina.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small marina down the hill from where we're staying.</td></tr>
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Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-57814830127712405722018-01-16T18:32:00.000-08:002018-01-18T05:13:38.291-08:00Costa Rica / Nicaragua 2018: Week 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We took a 3-day weekend to go to La Fortuna and see the Arenal Volcano.</div>
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We picked up the bus in Puerto Carrillo and headed to Samara to pick up the rental car. Once we got our car, we were off for the long drive to La Fortuna. The drive took us about 6 hours, but that time included some um, shall we say, ...poor navigating on my part. We had brought a GPS, but had issues with it, so decided to stick with a good-old-fashioned paper map - which would have been great if there were things like, oh, maybe street signs! We were on a poorly paved road, but I'd read and heard a lot about the roads being bad, so I think much of it. Until this happened. The road ended. Oops!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_LHk04TQ0w_evfNC_O_0geBHjJbN3N7vBm6_l-kUBet2i6tcKbkeAINjjeAjPmwdLFRJyTscpLmXlk8wD1A-JJWMr6MF6J6v1Bff7dBRA6kr-2BNjeaUgyFuZKR_kJ14J4qHhGYJ2ZU/s1600/0112181036_HDR_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_LHk04TQ0w_evfNC_O_0geBHjJbN3N7vBm6_l-kUBet2i6tcKbkeAINjjeAjPmwdLFRJyTscpLmXlk8wD1A-JJWMr6MF6J6v1Bff7dBRA6kr-2BNjeaUgyFuZKR_kJ14J4qHhGYJ2ZU/s320/0112181036_HDR_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The landscape throughout much of the drive reminded us a lot of central and northern California; however, once we started climbing the mountain, it quickly turned into the rain forest. We stopped for lunch overlooking Lake Arenal. While there, we got talking with the restaurant owner and learned that Rio Celeste, which was our destination for Sunday, was closed. Rio Celeste is a beautiful blue river and our plan was to hike to the waterfall. We had heard about the large earthquake off the coast of Honduras, but hadn't heard that following that there was a seismic swarm of 12 tremors in 3 hours in the area of Rio Celeste. The tremors caused the river to turn brown and they closed the trails to check for mudslides and safety. (We've since learned it's now reopened and the color is coming back.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Y_eLC7ZyCRQF87MpvU8cgIcvaUrR2gKuikYVpbp_9WmTXgkDyGSIr8JH_HxduPdUt1ZagjDmzIV7cK9TosH4SrLfT_313n1S0uqAi4m-dxZ-9ZxDLBQtrMol2s_AOOXa667rTEF7RIU/s1600/waterfall01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Y_eLC7ZyCRQF87MpvU8cgIcvaUrR2gKuikYVpbp_9WmTXgkDyGSIr8JH_HxduPdUt1ZagjDmzIV7cK9TosH4SrLfT_313n1S0uqAi4m-dxZ-9ZxDLBQtrMol2s_AOOXa667rTEF7RIU/s320/waterfall01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rio Celeste (internet photo) We'll have to see it another time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the lake with Mt. Arenal in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58pcMuD0Lo2Vve9dfZzENN1QpIF-gH6msIUF80S0KOBeIsg-_JSekkc7-BMcnh89sD14WgbYhKkD3FojjZErlra_jpwPyFMv1JHYFGDY-ARuvCMLbdv5jbRtEduP59fXqGzShO6C8qvg/s1600/0112181502_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58pcMuD0Lo2Vve9dfZzENN1QpIF-gH6msIUF80S0KOBeIsg-_JSekkc7-BMcnh89sD14WgbYhKkD3FojjZErlra_jpwPyFMv1JHYFGDY-ARuvCMLbdv5jbRtEduP59fXqGzShO6C8qvg/s320/0112181502_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting closer! So lucky to arrive on a fairly clear day.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">We got to La Fortuna late in the afternoon and after some more navigation issues, found our hotel. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSg1lBlIyMPbPPQnVrzg009EMhXwFcMujIZQXLb9sYLOfGcLOwES9NZPR-PykvCQVDrnnq0IJ4kUpdqj6MHWfrxKzdHRAIkUjOJimKR1sLwwfn_XxvUWDvCC1Gtj4Nt8T4oUkgyOZIb1g/s1600/IMG_5077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSg1lBlIyMPbPPQnVrzg009EMhXwFcMujIZQXLb9sYLOfGcLOwES9NZPR-PykvCQVDrnnq0IJ4kUpdqj6MHWfrxKzdHRAIkUjOJimKR1sLwwfn_XxvUWDvCC1Gtj4Nt8T4oUkgyOZIb1g/s320/IMG_5077.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We may look a little haggard after the long drive, but we made it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKvcO7btX6X8kpe2thJbUkKxXnVYQ6AeKR39DAX_feFiF-z7oUwoHJhgg7P9-zt8kzwkeJpuyEb8y-AtlvyvfveYUNZokolWtlyv9wqid9tIa0UAXps-RBOyn87uutbk-x8Sg5D3GOTo/s1600/IMG_5080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKvcO7btX6X8kpe2thJbUkKxXnVYQ6AeKR39DAX_feFiF-z7oUwoHJhgg7P9-zt8kzwkeJpuyEb8y-AtlvyvfveYUNZokolWtlyv9wqid9tIa0UAXps-RBOyn87uutbk-x8Sg5D3GOTo/s320/IMG_5080.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the room. It's hard to tell, but that's the volcano straight ahead.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently, when you stay in the Rain Forest, your shower needs to have live plants.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVHAMLprHJKlIp5L5d-UtbAR_YAcgLFNkDzoxU3qyaT3qEzhPmFxC00zYAV96LMHx6XiEeQcJ6CWdMjojwFCAinTCPhAkKHjuDCd7XozBiv09AI3k-09apEABYdWJ_naQZ9gSnDtpOdw/s1600/0112181506a-1_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1491" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVHAMLprHJKlIp5L5d-UtbAR_YAcgLFNkDzoxU3qyaT3qEzhPmFxC00zYAV96LMHx6XiEeQcJ6CWdMjojwFCAinTCPhAkKHjuDCd7XozBiv09AI3k-09apEABYdWJ_naQZ9gSnDtpOdw/s320/0112181506a-1_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the way, we saw a bunch of coatis on the side of the road.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuCcchwNqOKTtyfR3XgKriYEtQlhc5Zcq0oQY1v8x10i9gmn1nVZY8RnzUWFRA-Ues3VQdjp3Je1S1MHmlRqMbj1O1nueP04l3wqUQdWJdKE011JMvkQwcPLOuz5fyIxVv56z29v6Anw/s1600/0112181630-1_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1273" data-original-width="983" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuCcchwNqOKTtyfR3XgKriYEtQlhc5Zcq0oQY1v8x10i9gmn1nVZY8RnzUWFRA-Ues3VQdjp3Je1S1MHmlRqMbj1O1nueP04l3wqUQdWJdKE011JMvkQwcPLOuz5fyIxVv56z29v6Anw/s320/0112181630-1_resized.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we saw a sloth - actually saw two of them! This one was in the trees behind our room. They are sooooooo slow!!! </td></tr>
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On Saturday morning, we got up and headed to North Fields Cafe for a coffee tour. It was about 10 minutes away, we left 45 minutes early, and arrived about 5 minutes late. Do you see a trend here? It was not the first, nor the last time, that Brett heard me say, in my best Phil Keoghan impersonation, "I'm sorry to tell you. You are the last team to arrive, and have been eliminated from The Race." The good news is they hadn't started the tour yet, so we didn't miss anything.<br />
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We got a great tour of a small local coffee plantation, and went through the entire cycle, from planting seeds, to picking cherries (what the coffee beans are called), to drying, roasting, and brewing. It was kind of funny that they were upfront that the coffee from their plantation isn't good. The elevation is not ideal, so the area doesn't produce good beans, but the large coffee conglomerates pay the same, no matter what the quality is, so they sell the beans to them. We also learned most of the workers are immigrants from Nicaragua. They get paid $2 per basket that they pick and they are large baskets and small beans. Costa Rica provides the children with free schooling and healthcare, but adults need to pay $40 per month for healthcare. Sadly, some of the children end up working the fields rather than going to school as the families need the additional money.<br />
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At the end of the tour, we ground coffee beans and brewed both a medium and a dark roast for tasting. For this, we used coffee from their other plantation that is located in the good growing region and this coffee was said to be some of the best in Costa Rica. It was awful. Now, in all fairness, I'm not a coffee drinker, so maybe my opinion doesn't count. But it wasn't just me - several folks thought it was awful. Maybe we just don't know good coffee?<br />
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After finishing the coffee tour, we headed to another small family operation, the Don Olivo Chocolate Tour. The chocolate process was similar to the coffee process - pick, dry, roast, grind...enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to head out on our adventures.</td></tr>
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Some of the birds we viewed during breakfast. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRr5Wv7EB6og9Q8gC6rOnPA9ebZ3BIecbAV8tEjq2crkiXcn_7GoxvYzpOHTbCTBnVjXuhGJ2AqmZc5uqHPJ6AMVvZ3HO15c3eAXQVxVFIcYntHWaao5B1SNoBBBhW9B78UBwghocdr0/s1600/0113180757-1_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1522" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRr5Wv7EB6og9Q8gC6rOnPA9ebZ3BIecbAV8tEjq2crkiXcn_7GoxvYzpOHTbCTBnVjXuhGJ2AqmZc5uqHPJ6AMVvZ3HO15c3eAXQVxVFIcYntHWaao5B1SNoBBBhW9B78UBwghocdr0/s320/0113180757-1_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to tell in this picture, but those are toucans! How cool is that?!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting fresh oranges at the coffee plantation. We also got fresh papaya and my favorite, fresh pineapple.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside of a cocoa pod.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjba8ZY9ZsbbFvHejJrR3OE_FnzllVMkkFy6TqJdPKVTGFgEKWYQoOozU5y4PQifkrROkWA5_KpHXHzbk-IFJQY6TCY_-qjkQPBUDSLF-nPFBtm_Ib9T7iovDJ7m__mxTwbeZqcyH0foks/s1600/0113181437_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjba8ZY9ZsbbFvHejJrR3OE_FnzllVMkkFy6TqJdPKVTGFgEKWYQoOozU5y4PQifkrROkWA5_KpHXHzbk-IFJQY6TCY_-qjkQPBUDSLF-nPFBtm_Ib9T7iovDJ7m__mxTwbeZqcyH0foks/s320/0113181437_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cocoa beans after being roasted<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CtTDKh4JHXANiKux7XjWWV2y7SIReU1M_wsOt_ZZcH_288XEWxAUh1EyOM02WUEdH08_1QJCxO4ygmyOxWLz9ZJZB6m4d19ZrueGBQYP77688tgx6yj8xy50HpmbOKgEeg7FAXQs9Ds/s1600/0113181448_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CtTDKh4JHXANiKux7XjWWV2y7SIReU1M_wsOt_ZZcH_288XEWxAUh1EyOM02WUEdH08_1QJCxO4ygmyOxWLz9ZJZB6m4d19ZrueGBQYP77688tgx6yj8xy50HpmbOKgEeg7FAXQs9Ds/s320/0113181448_resized.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final product! Hot chocolate.</td></tr>
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Other miscellaneous photos from this week - </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZFFElN_MkNOmGdX6dAggRG7MtXDEeX2cpGEaUeNuZ35x9xJ-68mu4NJpSJYsPS50mhalFWTewvjDIlHpJEndUCNsj6XKBzgnUJcRATne0-qX2G5uXgtRTIRuEa5o1jpfgTxJnOgpzyc/s1600/0114181559_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZFFElN_MkNOmGdX6dAggRG7MtXDEeX2cpGEaUeNuZ35x9xJ-68mu4NJpSJYsPS50mhalFWTewvjDIlHpJEndUCNsj6XKBzgnUJcRATne0-qX2G5uXgtRTIRuEa5o1jpfgTxJnOgpzyc/s320/0114181559_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the drive home Sunday, it was super windy with a number of downed trees as well as a downed few utility lines, Here's one way to "flag" a line as being super low - tie a bag to it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4F4I0Wl9qfiPS0EHAmE4choD-1HkIYogJvS5s5ZsxK9CEgN2sqvC-XqZaV9P3XxVIjgenRiDttQOanME2cf8Yz28VzpzMT1Dwrv2TZ4rTtqDi2KgmzUF3AR0D2wRcCxy2JEkhQwnhdOc/s1600/IMG_5106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4F4I0Wl9qfiPS0EHAmE4choD-1HkIYogJvS5s5ZsxK9CEgN2sqvC-XqZaV9P3XxVIjgenRiDttQOanME2cf8Yz28VzpzMT1Dwrv2TZ4rTtqDi2KgmzUF3AR0D2wRcCxy2JEkhQwnhdOc/s320/IMG_5106.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brett wishing he wasn't gluten-free when he found milk and Oreos sold together.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCK1pXbabojKOwBZwPpTbFd0cChyopl2W-1uQ5lFlubTsYu1VH6rIhDXLgDbWYaKTNqX6GuPcBvEGpExtWp0z-izuxXopvztzFkl95LbUJ9c1-jePLUC6gkr6Ihk7ZsMiCOoYPku-434/s1600/dart+frog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="494" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCK1pXbabojKOwBZwPpTbFd0cChyopl2W-1uQ5lFlubTsYu1VH6rIhDXLgDbWYaKTNqX6GuPcBvEGpExtWp0z-izuxXopvztzFkl95LbUJ9c1-jePLUC6gkr6Ihk7ZsMiCOoYPku-434/s320/dart+frog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue-jeans poisonous dart frog</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVz1Ncf0eZjVQT93c8frCCDf6Pqrkcr88wFkCHZTAcyEDmMLOkaXu5hYis1rzT-3-Lx6R_mUASG2hVwiMj_np6upSWmoT1bgzM6zuex_J2KnApV0I9Ydh6XveLAw3Ha-qqhZEn2vRsUZc/s1600/0110180909a_HDR_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVz1Ncf0eZjVQT93c8frCCDf6Pqrkcr88wFkCHZTAcyEDmMLOkaXu5hYis1rzT-3-Lx6R_mUASG2hVwiMj_np6upSWmoT1bgzM6zuex_J2KnApV0I9Ydh6XveLAw3Ha-qqhZEn2vRsUZc/s320/0110180909a_HDR_resized.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This could have been any day this week. Brett heading out the door to the beach, while I stayed back and worked😒<br />
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Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-70123382513394224112018-01-07T21:03:00.002-08:002018-01-07T21:33:06.462-08:00Costa Rica / Nicaragua 2018: Week 1Brrrr! When we planned this trip last summer, we had no idea that TN, as well as so many other parts of the USA, would be having such extreme cold weather the first of the year. For those at home, sorry, but we've got to admit, it makes this trip even better knowing that we are missing those single digit temperatures. <br />
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Here's a recap of our first week.<br />
On January 1st, we left the house at 3am and had a long travel day ahead of us. After landing in Costa Rica around 2pm, we had a 2.5 drive to Puerto Carrillo. The drive had us going through some beautiful farming areas with the mountains in the background. Our driver, Luis, was very friendly and provided great information along the way. I asked about the name of the province, Guanacaste, and what that means. It's actually their national tree and he pointed some out. <br />
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Of course, we had to stop and get a coco frio for the drive.<br />
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We had a small hiccup along the way - a flat tire. While Luis changed the flat, and Brett directed traffic, we heard our first howler monkeys. I first thought it was dogs barking in the distance. Here's a link to a video in case you want to hear what they sound like. <a href="https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-elm-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=elm&p=howler+monkey+sound#id=2&vid=7a77a9c8806f6c37467baa804805f8cc&action=clicke">Howler monkey</a><br />
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We were tired when we got to the condo, so had a quick bite to eat at the Soda next door. A Soda is what they call the small local restaurants. After dinner, it was time to set up my office and test the internet. Since I'll be working down here, having good internet and a comfortable "office" area was a must. We're staying in a studio and had to do some rearranging, but in the end, the outdoor table and bench made a good office area.<br />
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Since I'm working during the week, it's been Brett's mission to venture out and learn our surroundings. He wanders to the beach and around the neighborhood each day. After work, we walk to the beach, which is about 1/3 mile on a steep dirt road. On our first walk, we saw over a dozen howler monkeys (we haven't seen any since).<br />
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On that same first walk, I had the brilliant idea of suggesting we walk to the next town over, Samara. We'd heard it was an hour walk. Well, about 2.5 hours later, and walking mostly on the beach, we finally made it just after sunset. We saw these weird squiggly lines and mounds in the sand on Playa Samara. I had to Google them when we got back. I couldn't find much, but I think they are from a lugworm. Yes, the mound does look like a turd, and from what I read, it's worm castings, so that's exactly what it is.<br />
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Of course, here we are in Costa Rica, and we found ourselves at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Then came the truly most brilliant idea of the day - we took a taxi back home.<br />
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Our condo complex is 6 units and so far we've been the only Americans staying here, with everyone else being Canadian or Costa Rican. We had a nice man from San Jose, Costa Rica, stay here with his two boys for a few days. Brett really enjoyed chatting with him at the pool and we went with them to Samara for some beach time and dinner on Friday night. We are staying in San Jose on our last night before we fly home, so we're hoping to be able to meet up with him again.<br />
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Brett has also made friends with a local Tico, Patricia. Patricia speaks no English, but is very animated, so with Brett's minimal Spanish and a lot of hand waving and charades, they figure each other out. They ran into each other by the beach the other day, so walked back together. On the way, she stopped on the bridge and started banging on the metal rails and told Brett to do the same. Apparently, after about 10 minutes of this, the crocodile woke up and emerged. Yup. Crocodile. Yikes! Brett said it was about 5 feet long. We have seen lots of local kids playing in the shallow water just on the other side of this bridge. So scary.<br />
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Today we decided to head to Samara again, but the plan was to take the bus. Maria Elena, the lady who runs the condo complex, said the bus comes at 9:45 on Sunday. However, the sign at the bus stop said 12:00, and another Tico saw us waiting and told us it would be quite awhile. So we walked back across the street to call a taxi only to have the bus drive by shortly after we left the bus stop. Next time we'll listen to Maria Elena! In the end, we decided not to call a taxi, but to walk it again. This time we came across a group of fishermen.<br />
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It was a good walk, but I now have a nice sized blister on the ball of my foot, so we'll be taking a few days off from long walks. On the plus side, we did take the bus back and picked up a copy of the bus schedule:-)<br />
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The beach here in Puerto Carrillo is stunning. It may well be the most beautiful beach we've seen, and while these photos don't do it justice, you can still get a glimpse of its beauty.<br />
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<br />Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-36483684244284875932017-05-05T21:21:00.000-07:002018-01-07T21:32:50.780-08:00<div class="MsoNormal">
Road Trip 2017<o:p></o:p></div>
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A little background into this roadtrip. We'd had
crazy schedules. I left on Feb 6<sup>th</sup>
for some work and family travels and came home the afternoon of Feb 22<sup>nd</sup>
. Brett left the following morning for a
4-week trip. We realized he wouldn’t
have any clients the last week of his tour, so I flew to CA to ride back to TN
with him. His brother Bryce recently
retired, so we picked him up and did a little family road trip. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Brett dropped his clients off at the SF airport at 1:30am
and headed to Vacaville to pick me up from my parents. Since he was pulling a trailer behind the
coach, we decided to meet at Lowes rather than try to get into the
neighborhood. There I was, in my pajamas, being handed off to someone else in a parking lot - I felt like it was a
custody exchange:-) We proceeded to Sacramento to pick up Bryce and got on our
way. </div>
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Here are some photos of the beautiful landscapes we got to see along the way.. </div>
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Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-8960743143440820922014-01-10T19:47:00.000-08:002014-01-10T19:48:39.032-08:00Road trip: Day 45We're home!<br />
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We are so thankful for the blessings of our Heavenly Father. It is only through Him that we had the resources and the travel mercies to make this trip possible. So many amazing experiences and memories.<br />
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Here's a summary of the trip by the numbers.<br />
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2 countries<br />
18 states<br />
24 places we slept<br />
45 days (28 days were in Mexico)<br />
70 friends and family visited<br />
9699 miles driven<br />
9699 miles driven by Brett<br />
0 miles driven by Karen!!<br />
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Special THANK YOU to our dear friends, Glenda and Eddie Kerr, for taking care of everything while we were away. We love you and appreciate you!!<br />
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<br />Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-34939637799715244942014-01-10T11:21:00.001-08:002014-01-10T11:21:10.845-08:00Road trip: Day 44To our surprise, both Paul and Carmen took the day off work so we could spend more time together. That made for a nice leisurely morning. We said our goodbyes to the kids as they left for school and then headed into town for breakfast. To stay on schedule, we needed to drive at least 7 hours today, so we had to end our visit shortly after noon. <br />
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Our next destination was Kansas. It's not exactly on the route home, but I want to see all 50 states and I haven't been to Kansas before. Since we're this close, we figured we should go that way as we don't foresee a reason to make Kansas a destination point on a future vacation. <br />
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We try to find something of interest in each state. It wasn't easy in Kansas, so this friends, is the World's Largest Ball of Twine!! <br />
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We also drove through Smith County, Kansas, which is the geographic center of the 48 contiguous states. Is that any more exciting? Even better....When I asked Brett what the most interesting thing about Nebraska was, his reply, "The Welcome to Kansas sign!" Haha<br />
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Since we get home tomorrow, we caught our second wind tonight and kept driving. We finally stopped for the night, or rather morning, about an hour east of Kansas City. Hard to believe this is our last night and we get our own bed tomorrow!<br />
<br />Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-27481122277545582792014-01-10T10:24:00.004-08:002014-01-10T10:24:42.531-08:00Road trip: Day 43First things first. We had to do our shopping this morning. I thought we could get in and out of there in 1/2 hour no problem. What was I thinking? Apparently it's not easy to spend money when you have to spend money. Who knew? We had all this money to spend on our gift card and yet we didn't actually need anything. I know, what's need got to do with it? Seriously though, it took us a while to find things that we didn't need but would definitely use. Brett got a sweatshirt and we got some household items such as a pretty casserole dish and a beverage dispenser. It's a good thing we're only a few days from home as we seemed to buy large breakable items that needed to be wrapped and boxed. It's getting to be a challenge to keep a clear path to see out the back window.<br />
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This is the wonderful lady that opened the store for us!<br />
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Once we finished shopping, we got on he road to head to South Dakota, where we're visiting friends.<br />
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These pictures are of the Badlands of North Dakota. The landscape is so interesting.<br />
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Once outside the Badlands, the landscape seemed awfully flat. It was fairly windy and you can see the snow blowing across the highway.<br />
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We got to Paul and Carmen's tonight around 7pm. Brett and Paul have been friends since middle school. A lot has changed since we last visited. They have had another child, Tanner, and their eldest, Heather, is now married and has two little ones of her own. It's great when you've known folks so long that it just feels like home when you get there. Carmen was so thoughtful and made a wonderful gluten free dinner. We enjoyed meeting all the new additions and had so much fun playing Heads Up and then visiting and listening to Paul and Brett reminisce about the past.<br />
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Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-37915461287508662832014-01-08T09:18:00.000-08:002014-01-08T09:20:26.729-08:00Road trip: Day 42<div>
We left Yellowstone this morning and brrr...it was cold! </div>
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Poor Brett, the heater that we were using to keep his feet warm started blowing the fuses yesterday so we had to stop using it. Luckily, I was able to find him some feet warmers that he could put in his shoes. To keep the upper part of him warm, he kept turning up the heat on my side of the car. His side was still cool and I was dropping layers of clothes like crazy. He claimed I'm now going through "the change". Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that he had my thermostat set at 90! It felt good to open the window every now and then!</div>
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Driving this part of Montana was monotonous. These pictures were over a hundred miles apart. And yet it still looks the same. </div>
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Tonight we're staying in Medora, ND, home of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. </div>
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We've only been here a few hours, but we've had another blessing! We planned on coming through this way last summer and booked some activities, but ended up having to cancel. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a refund, but were issued a gift card that's good at several hotels, restaurants and shops. When we changed our route on this trip and realized we'd be coming through Medora, we had a friend go to our house and mail us the gift card, figuring we could finally use it. When we called to make reservations, we learned that only one hotel is open and none of the shops or restaurants are open this time of year. We were bummed as we have about $350 and the room is less than $100. Here's where the blessing comes in. Tonight as we drove into town, we saw the lights on at the Rough Rider Gift Shop. I knocked on the window and the lady was there doing inventory and when I told her the story about the gift card, she said she will be back at 8am and if we can come in then, we can shop! Woo Hoo! What a sweetheart! </div>
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We went to the local grill for burgers and now it's time to settle into to our toasty warm room and watch Downton Abbey on Amazon.com. </div>
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Life is good! </div>
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Brett & Karen Hertanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15516336843550618848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3027481138781042744.post-80845566942428410132014-01-06T20:17:00.001-08:002014-01-06T20:17:22.440-08:00Road trip: Day 41Wow. What a day! Yellowstone is spectacular. We saw all kinds of animals......big horn sheep, bison, wolves, pronghorn, mule deer, elk, coyote. And let's not forget the Mammoth Hot Springs.<br />
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Pictures are truly worth a thousand words, so here's a summary of our very memorable day.<br />
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