Ohio to Arizona....

After our brief sabbatical from travelling, we left Ohio and headed in a roundabout way toward Arizona and Overland Expo 2016.  Our path took us first to visit Shonah's parents in Illinois where we also took in the state capitol before heading down through national forest land into Kentucky and Tennessee where we then visited with Todd's cousin Blake outside Nashville.  Our journey continued down the Natchez Trace Parkway which ends in Mississippi where we made our first ever visit to nearby New Orleans, Louisiana, before heading to Texas for visits with Shonah's grandfather, cousin and Aunt, and his sister and her family.   It was then on to Arizona for visits with Todd's niece, her children and boating friends from Chicago.

Shonah was born and raised in Illinois, but had never been to the State Capitol of Springfield.  During our exploration of the downtown area, we saw President Abraham Lincoln's home which is part of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.  Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd, purchased the home in 1844.



Chip and Todd taking a break from their hike along the Rim Rock Recreation Trail in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois.

Chip and Shonah posing for a photo on our return hike on the Rim Rock Recreation Trail in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois.

An elk in the Elk & Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky

A herd of bison on the Elk & Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky

A closer view of the bison herd on the Elk & Bison Prairie in the Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky.

A couple of turkeys on the Elk & Bison Prairie in the Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky.  He's trying to capture her interest.

Another view of the turkeys on the Elk & Bison Prairie in the Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky.  Looks like he finally caught her eye.

 



Okay, so we have seen the remnants of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece, but we figured that no trip to Nashville would be complete without seeing this fully intact replica.  The Parthenon stands proudly as the centerpiece of Centennial Park, Nashville's premier urban park. The re-creation of the 42-foot statue Athena is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. The building and the Athena statue are both full-scale replicas of the Athenian originals.  Originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the original Parthenon in Athens serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture.

 

 



Todd's cousin Blake, Todd, Chip, and Shonah taking a jumping picture.  Blake was kind enough to allow us to camp out in his driveway in the suburbs of Nashville, TN for a couple of nights where he introduced us to Nashville "Hot Chicken" (not from KFC).



 



Our breakfast arrived at one of the foodie hot spots, The Loveless Café, just outside of Nashville, TN.  Fried chicken and biscuits have been a part of Loveless Cafe’s history for more than sixty years. In 1951, Lon and Annie Loveless began serving them out the front door of their home to travelers who passed by on US Highway 100, the then primary route between Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee.



 

STEV on the Natchez Trace Parkway which runs for 444 miles from near Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS.  People have walked the Natchez Trace for thousands of years.  Choctaw, Chickasaw, Natchez, and other American Indians traveled long distances through the southern pine and hardwood forests via a network of northeast/southwest trails.  In the late 1800s, the trace gained a new importance among the American settlers of the Ohio River Valley.  Kaintucks - farmers - transported products to market on wooden flatboats.  The men floated down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to the ports of Natchez and New Orleans.  Because the Kaintucks could not float back upriver, they sold the flatboats for lumber and then set out on the Natchez Trace on foot or horseback for hundreds of miles to return home.

 

Meriwether Lewis, born August 18, 1774 near Charlottesville, VA was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, with William Clark.  In September of 1809, Lewis began his journey to Washington D.C. to document and defend his spending of government funds, publish the expedition journals, and meet with former President Thomas Jefferson.  After arriving at Grinder's Stand along the Natchez Trace, Lewis was found with two gunshot wounds: one to the head, and one to the chest.  Lewis's life ended on the morning of October, 11, 1809 at the age of 35.  Many believe that his death was a suicide, but later accounts suggest that Lewis may have been murdered.

Chip and Todd posing for a photo op during a hike on the Old Trace along the Natchez Trace Parkway.  The Trace was not a single path, but many interconnected paths within a wide corridor.  You can still see place where the old route or "Old Trace" is obvious, tramped down by millions of footsteps home.

Reflections of the beautiful cypress trees from Cypress Creek along the Natchez Trace Parkway.



Todd and Chip enjoying a kayak on the Bay Springs Lock and Dam near Hope, MS just off the Natchez Trace Parkway.



It was Chip and Shonah's turn to enjoy some quality time kayaking.

Pharr Mounds is the largest and most important archeological site in Northern Mississippi.  Eight large, dome-shaped burial mounds (seen in the distance) are scattered over an area of 10 acres.  These mounds were built and used about 1-200 A.D. by a tribe of nomadic Indian hunters and gatherers.

 

Todd, Chip, and Shonah enjoying a rest in the rocking chairs perched on the front porch of Steampunk Coffee Roasters in Natchez, MS.  This place is just one of those unique places that we were happy that we stumbled across.



A view of Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, LA.  This was still early in the evening which explains the light foot traffic.



A visit to New Orleans would not have been complete without sharing an order of beignets from the iconic Café Du Monde in the French Market (a recommendation from Todd's cousin Blake - Thanks!).

 A view of the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, also called St. Louis Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Louis, Roi-de-France, Spanish: Catedral de San Luis), is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and is the oldest cathedral in the United States. The first church on the site was built in 1718; the third, built in 1789, was raised to cathedral rank in 1793. The cathedral was expanded and largely rebuilt in 1850, with little of the 1789 structure remaining.

The steamboat Natchez in New Orleans.  She's the ninth steamer to bear the name NATCHEZ. It was her predecessor, NATCHEZ VI, that raced the ROBERT E. LEE in the most famous steamboat race of all time. Even today, the NATCHEZ is proudly the undisputed champion of the Mississippi, never having been beaten in a race. In many ways, she's the best of her line.

Chip, Shonah, Shonah's expecting cousin Megan, and Shonah's Aunt Norma posing for a photo in front of the fountains of the McGovern Centennial Gardens part of the Hermann Park Conservancy in Houston, TX.

Chip, Shonah, Shonah's Grandpa, and Todd posing in front of STEV.  We stayed at Grandpa's for a couple of nights while enjoying his company and assisting him with a few home projects.

After visiting Grandpa, we stopped by San Antonio to visit Shonah's sister and family.  After having dinner, we posed for a group photo with Jeffery Jr's girlfriend Alaina, Shonah, Shonah's nephew Jeffery Jr, Shonah's sister Stacy, Todd, Chip, Shonah's niece Tiffany, Tiffany's son Issac Jr, and Tiffany's husband, Issac.

 

A roadrunner spotted near the visitor center at Carlsbad Caverns National Park near Carlsbad, New Mexico.

A view of the Big Room of Carlsbad Caverns National Park near Carlsbad, New Mexico.  For perspective, note the people on the walking path with railings in the bottom center of the photo.



We have found it to be extremely rare to spot another EarthRoamer on the road in our two years of traveling.  We were surprised to find the original prototype EarthRoamer (dubbed ER2K or EarthRoamer #00) parked beside us in Carlsbad Caverns National Park near Carlsbad, NM.  The owner Tim (FirstRoamer.com) was waiting for us to come back to our EarthRoamer to meet us.  We graciously offered tours of each other's "home on wheels".

A side-by-side view of EarthRoamer #24 and EarthRoamer #00.  Amazingly there are many items that remained the same from the prototype vehicle to #24, but there are also quite a few upgrades.

Todd and STEV posing in front of the information center in Whites City, New Mexico.  I think even the aliens were confused and intrigued by STEV.

Todd and Chip posing for a photo op after a hike to the top of Mount Guadalupe in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas.  Mount Guadalupe is the highest point in the state of Texas at 8,749 feet.

Todd, Chip, and Shonah posing at the marker atop of Mount Guadalupe in Mount Guadalupe National Park in Texas.

Shonah, Chip, and Todd taking time for a jumping photo on top of Mount Guadalupe in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas.



We met a very nice couple from Germany with a great expedition rig during our stay at the Pine Springs Campground in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas.

Both Todd and I were confused when we came across this sign along the Cactus Forest Drive in Saguaro National Park - East near Tucson, Arizona.  However, after we rounded the corner and saw the steep drop in the roadway and then the sharp curve, we fully understood the need for the sign.

A view of the various and beautiful cacti seen while driving along the Cactus Forest Drive in Saguaro National Park - East near Tucson, Arizona.

This little guy watched us as we walked by during a hike in Saguaro National Park - East near Tucson, Arizona.

A cholla tree in Saguaro National Park - East near Tucson, Arizona.

A beautiful bloom on the cholla tree in Saguaro National Park - East near Tucson, Arizona.

A Gambel's Quail in Saguaro National Park - East near Tucson, Arizona.

A majestic Saguaro tree in Saguaro National Park - East near Tucson, Arizona.

A view of the various peaks from Mount Lemmon Highway in the Coronado National Forest near Tucson, Arizona.

 



A drive through Phoenix included a visit with Todd's niece and her children.  We spent the afternoon in a nearby park to allow ample playtime for the kids and Chip.  Posing for the photo is Todd, Todd's great nephew C.K., Todd's niece Stephanie, Todd's great niece Raegan, Chip, and Shonah.



 



After learning that our boating friends relocated to Phoenix from Chicago, we stopped by to catch up during dinner and a relaxed evening at their home.  Posing for a jumping photo are Chip, Shonah, Brody, Zachary, Danielle, Kelley, Mark, and Todd.



Cherry Blossoms and Liberty...

One of the quick road trips we took during our stay in Ohio was a week and a half long trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City.  We were flexible on our timing, so we watched and waited for the peak of the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C..  What a change from Ohio...  Everything was budding or blooming and spring had definitely sprung in our nation's capitol! 



Todd, Shonah and Todd's cousin Lisa enjoying the Cherry Blossoms near the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.

 

Lisa was gracious enough to take us on a guided bike ride around DC to get the best views of the blossoms.



Chip and Shonah taking in the cherry blossoms.



Up close and personal with a cherry blossom in Washington, DC.  The plantings of the cherry blossom trees originated as a gift in 1912 from the people of Japan to the United States as a gesture of friendship and goodwill. Since then, the number of trees has expanded to approximately 3,750 trees of 16 varieties on National Park Service land.



A view of the Washington Monument from across the tidal basin with cherry blossoms at their peak.



A view of the Jefferson Memorial from across the tidal basin in Washington, DC.



The cherry blossoms weren't the only things blooming, the tulips were also beautiful.



Vibrant colors in beautiful gardens.



Poised for pictures!



A view of the Washington Monument and the US Capitol across the reflecting pond.



Todd and Chip stopped by to say hello to the President and First Lady...

 


but they were actually on their way back from Easter morning services.  We just happened to catch the entire motorcade drive by during our bike ride around the White House grounds.



Todd and Chip enjoying more cherry blossoms on a ride around the US Capitol grounds.



Washington DC is actually quite a bike friendly city and we took time to explore several less touristy areas like Roosevelt Island (Theodore) where Chip and Shonah posed for a picture next to the blooming wild flowers.



On a bike ride along the C&O canal tow path, we spotted this bald eagle, our national bird.

After enjoying the hospitality of Todd's cousin Lisa in Washington, DC, we headed for Staten Island, New York where Todd's Aunts Lou and Lynn reside.  It's a short ferry ride from Staten Island to Manhattan where we explored the city with Chip in tow one day and took in a Broadway show on another.  Timing also worked out that Todd's Aunt Sue, Uncle Jim and cousin Lisa were also visiting Lou and Lynn at the same time which gave us a great chance to enjoy some wonderful discussion and family meals together. 



The ferry from Staten Island to Manhattan in New York provides some great views of the famous skyline.



It also passes right by Lady Liberty herself...



We enjoy taking in a Broadway show from time to time and caught "Something Rotten" (a musical centered around William Shakespeare and his works) while in the city.