On from Savannah we went, and took a scenic ride to Asheville NC. It is summer and each leg of our trip included some road construction and slow downs, but that is just part of the trip. Nothing too terrible and Android Auto has already calculated that in to the scheduled time on the road. We arrived in Asheville late afternoon with a little rain. We stayed at an Aloft hotel on the south slope that Chris and I have stayed at in the past, and we knew we had a short walk to Wicked Weed brewery that would have some good beers and food. We took a break in the rooms and when the rain let up headed out. This was a great chance to see our old friend from Oshkosh, Mike Engel. Mike joined us at Wicked Weed and we had fun catching up. Mike and Mary are doing well, with Mike volunteering at a community radio station to do some afternoon time slots and also playing bass with some new friends. It was a fun evening and some new beers were tasted. Maybe not enough because we spent a little more time at the hotel bar before calling it a night.

A little breakfast in the morning and we were on the road again. This time encountering construction in the mountains, where they are still trying to rebuild parts of I-40 that were damaged in the hurricane floods. It is quite an extensive project but lucky for us traffic was light and we kept up a good pace driving through to Knoxville. At Knoxville meet up with I-75 and head northbound for Georgetown KY, just outside of Lexington. Again an area Chris and I have been to in the past and enjoyed, as well as about half way from Asheville to Detroit. It was MJ’s birthday so we had to celebrate that evening. We took her to a favorite restaurant of Chris and I and as is usually the case with high expectations; not everything lived up to our memories. But it was still very good, everyone was happy with their meals and certainly happy with the time we spent with the bartender. There was no need for more drinks when we left there to head back to the hotel that night.

So the next morning was breakfast and on the road again, still heading north. This time through Cincinnati, Ohio, and into Michigan. The worst traffic being near and into Detroit, with a major road shut down and some people getting an early start to the fourth of July weekend. We still arrived at MJ and John’s as scheduled and had time to relax and then head out for dinner. So now it will be a grill out on the 4^th and Chris, Marie, and I heading out on Saturday. We will take the scenic route north through the UP and spend a night in Manistique MI. We should be in Oshkosh Sunday and then have the week to prepare to head to Door County WI.

Wicked Weed in Asheville

Local Feed in Georgetown, Is that good?

Brown Iron near Detroit

So time continues to fly by. Chris, Marie and I did fly back to Wisconsin after Memorial Day. MJ flew into Appleton for the weekend to tour her old spots in Oshkosh with Marie, while Chris and I went down to Milwaukee for my cousin’s son’s wedding. We had a great time with a beautiful ceremony and the reception at the Harley Davidson Museum. A time to catch up with most of my remaining relatives! And Chris and I always love being back in downtown Milwaukee. And to top it off while in Oshkosh we had the chance to catch up with old friends. Marie is still telling everyone how much fun it was to see them all. After a week it was flying back to West Palm Beach. There we continued some small projects and spending time with our Florida friends. The weather has been above normal temperatures in Florida, pretty much the same day to day. It should be the rainy season, and luckily we did have some rain, But not as much as needed, as we are still about 13” below normal.

But now back to some tradition for us. We are heading back to Oshkosh and on July 12^th we check in to our Door County cottage. Marie and MJ will be with us, although we will be missing some important people this year. Jeff and Donna will be checking in at the same time so we look forward to some quality time with my high school friend. Also there will be a chance to see more of our oldest friends and reminisce about our old camping days. We always look forward to old favorite restaurants and bars, and creating some new memories.

MJ was in Florida this past week for a cruise with our friend Audrey. As long as she was there and needing to get back to Detroit, she is riding along with us on our trip back to the north. So on Sunday the 29^th we headed out from Boynton Beach. Marie and MJ have never been to Savannah so that is our first stop. And since was the longest leg of our trip (6 hours) we are staying 2 nights. That allowed us to arrive the first night and be able to check in and have dinner at the Little Duck Diner. And to take a short walk around the hotel area in the historic district. Then the next day have one of my favorite breakfasts, take a carriage tour of some of the city, and do more sightseeing. A good meal and some smores on the patio to end the day, then next on to Asheville.

Sit back and relax

Happy Carriage Ride

Star of the Show

Savannah cocktails anyone?