Beautiful Delaware!!

June 23, 2021 / Ed Armstrong

What a beautiful setting!! I love all the green trees and grass! Very peaceful!

When traveling, there are all kinds of unexpected discoveries. For me, one of the special discoveries in Delaware are all the trees! They are beautiful and very green. After spending so much time in Texas and Arizona, it is beautiful to see such lush vegetation.

As I drove into Dover, Delaware I was surprised to see pine trees along the route. Suddenly the trees shifted into being more and more pine trees. I love them! They made me think of growing up in Flagstaff.

When I arrived at my spot to park the RV, I was pleasantly surprised to see all the trees around me. I was the only person there, so it was extremely quiet and peaceful! What an incredibly beautiful setting!!

I had this entire space to myself. Extremely quiet and nice to enjoy the rain and the trees!

The high temperature was 77 degrees when I arrived, and it started raining. This is a huge change from Texas and Arizona in June!! It was a powerful rain that was nice to watch and listen to the sound on the motorhome. This morning, it was 54 degrees!! I needed my house shoes. I have not needed them since leaving Colorado Springs!

Simple things like green trees and rain are very nice to enjoy!

Assateague Island National Seashore!

June 22, 2021June 22, 2021 / Ed Armstrong

I was so excited to discover that I was less than an hour away from Assateague Island!

After arriving in Maryland, I discovered that the Assateague Island National Seashore was less than an hour away. I remember has a child in elementary school reading about the wild horses on Assateague Island. I made that my first stop this morning!

Sorry the photo is not great, but I was so excited to see the wild horses on Assateague Island!!

The horses on Assateague Island are wild and roam freely. When people visit the island, there is no guarantee that you will see the horses. When I entered the area, I drove carefully looking for horses, but I got to the end of the road and never saw anything. I did see an 8 inch turtle motoring along the ground, but no horses.

I felt fortunate to see the wild horses!!

However, as I was driving back, I saw a herd of wild horses eating along the bank. I turned the motorhome around and came back and was able to use my telephoto lens to better see the horses!

I also walked along the beach on the island. This is the only beach I have ever been at where there is horse poop on the beach.

Assateague Island has beautiful beaches that are not crowded!!

The beaches are beautiful and people in the campgrounds primarily come to enjoy the peace and quiet and beautiful beaches.

I was so happy that I stumbled upon the wild horses! It was a special treat to see them!

I was driving to mail some postcards and came across the Sinepuxent Brewing Company in Berlin, Maryland. I love to discover breweries and distilleries, so I had to spontaneously stop. I did a tasting of 4 different beers and selected two for takeout purchase. The sealed them in large “beer cans.” I absolutely love spontaneous discoveries when traveling!!

Discovering a great microbrewery is a fun time!

Virginia Beach!

June 21, 2021 / Ed Armstrong

I drove the motorhome from Norfolk, Virginia to Virginia Beach. Yesterday it was hot and humid, but today was overcast and much cooler. The beach was beautiful and I walked down to the water and touched the Atlantic. The water was cool, but nice. The beach was filling up with people wanting to cool down from the hot weather and to enjoy Father’s Day.

It made me think that last month I was at the Pacific Ocean visiting John, Michelle, and David and now I was on the Atlantic coast.

Proof that I touched the Atlantic Ocean!

I enjoyed walking along the boardwalk and going in different shops. There was one path for walking and an adjacent pathway designed only for bikes. After going through many shops, I went back to the motorhome and got my bike.

I came across this intense sculpture as I rode my bike along the bike bath!

The weather was cool and I had a wonderful time riding my bike. I went all the way north to the military base. It was a perfect day to people watch, see a perfect beach, and enjoy excellent weather for bike riding. I think I was smiling from ear to ear.

Wright Brothers National Memorial!

June 19, 2021 / Ed Armstrong

It was breathtaking to stand next to this replica of the plane that actually flew!

This is one of my very favorite places to visit in North Carolina!

North Carolina is a wonderful state and one of the highlights for me was going to the Wright Brothers National Memorial. I loved seeing where the first working airplane actually flew!!

This very famous photo shows their actual first flight!

Wilbur and Orville would practice gliding from this hill

It was amazing to learn about the Wright brothers’ creativity in approaching an unbelievable complex problem. Figuring out the wing design, propeller design, engine, and steering were simply astounding to me. They were insightful and “out of the box” thinkers. I truly marvel at their achievements! Their first successful flight was on December 17, 1903. They were the first to have powered flight with a “heavier-than-air machine!” It is truly a remarkable achievement!

It is astounding that these guys funded, designed, and tested how to build and fly an airplane!

The plane would start on the wooden runway track and it lifted off where the large stone sits. The 4 marking stones in the distance and the length of the first 4 flights. Each was a bit longer. Truly amazing!

I am amazed at the complexity of their achievement!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

June 17, 2021 / Ed Armstrong

It is difficult to summarize the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a few words because it is so large and involves so many features. There are rivers running many places. There is intense growth of thick trees. There are mountains that are quite steep. It overlaps into both Tennessee and North Carolina. There is wildlife. There is hiking. There are roads. There are people.

This is Cataract Falls. Not too mighty right now.

I now understand why so many people visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is beautiful! Every trail head I saw was overflowing with cars for people wanting to hike. The campground sites were all full. The parking areas along the main road were filled with cars of people wanting to see such beautiful views. It is hard to describe the grandeur because the views are so wide in scope. I thoroughly enjoyed my time today!!

The views are beautiful! The trees are so dense!

I loved a!ll the variations in green trees

It is interesting to have a national park sit right on the border of two states.

Lynchburg, Tennessee!

June 16, 2021 / Ed Armstrong

All the Jack Daniel’s whiskey sold anywhere in the world is made in tiny Lynchburg, Tennessee!

I spent a wonderful afternoon learning all about Tennessee whiskey. When I went on several distillery tours in Louisville, Kentucky three years ago, several people told me how much they enjoyed the Jack Daniel’s distillery tour. It has been on my list of things to do and finally, today, I made it to Lynchburg, Tennessee.

When alcohol was illegal, they made money with a hardware store.

This whiskey is primarily corn-based, and it is filtered with charcoal. The process of making the whiskey was interesting to learn about. It was also interesting to learn about the history of the company. At the end of the tour, we had a tasting of five different whiskeys. I almost bought a bottle of single batch, but they also sold some unique products only available in Tennessee. I decided to try one that was partially stored in a wine barrel to give the whiskey a different added flavor. I really enjoyed learning about the whole operation.

This unique whiskey finished in red wine barrels is what I purchased. I hope it is good. It is only available in Tennessee.

During the tour, they made it a point to note the fire trucks and showed us two of their old fire trucks. Since alcohol is very flammable and whiskey is stored in wooden barrels in wooden storage structures, the fire risk is very real and it is very important to minimize this risk.

Obviously, this is their extremely famous logo.

I knew there were many distilleries throughout Kentucky. What I learned today is that there are also quite a few distilleries throughout Tennessee. Maybe I will be able to visit another one along the way?

This was my favorite whiskey from the tasting of 5 different whiskeys.

Amy Completes Graduate School at the University of Denver!!

June 13, 2021 / Ed Armstrong

It has been great to be in Denver, Colorado celebrating Amy’s graduation! We are so very proud of Amy!! She is an amazing person with tremendous accomplishments!

Amy is such an accomplished woman! Truly amazing!

We have had a wonderful time together! Amy and Neil are great for each other and they are tremendous parents! It has been a tremendous blessing to be together!

Amy’s academic program is the the building in the background

The University of Denver campus is beautiful!

A proud dad because Amy is such a wonderful woman!

Precious Friends!!

June 12, 2021 / Ed Armstrong

I loved spending time with Sally, George, and Sally!!

While in Denver I was able to meet with some very dear friends!! During my growing up years I spent wonderful times with a very special family. Miles and I were very close and his whole family had a major impact on my life. Sally was basically like a second mother to me. George took us on all kinds of outings, and I learned about tying knots, camping, hiking, and loving the outdoors. My ski bindings were specifically recommended by George. Robin was involved in many family activities. I cannot begin to list all the things I learned from them.

They now live in the Denver area, and it was an incredible blessing to spend the afternoon visiting with George and Sally. We talked about how wonderful it was to grow up in Flagstaff. It was fantastic to have Robin join us for dinner too. The last time I had seen Robin was at our wedding 41 years ago!

Time moves on, but special friendships last forever! I will always cherish the special friendships with Sally, George, and Robin. I look forward to seeing Miles in the future too.

Garden of the Gods!!

May 30, 2021 / Ed Armstrong

I had a wonderful time visiting the Garden of the Gods today. It rained during the night and there were low clouds in the early morning, so I thought it might be a fun time to photograph the unique rock formations. I loved walking through the paths! I think it is one of the most famous attractions in Colorado Springs!

The low clouds and sunshine were beautiful!

I loved the contrast of the softness of the clouds and the ruggedness of the rocks!

Rough contrast on the rocks with the low sunrise!

The beautiful views with Pikes Peak in the background!

The rain brought out the green vegetation.

The rocks were sharp and awesome to study!

I had to celebrate being in such a wonderful place!

The soft lighting was so nice as the sun started to come up.

It was nice to watch deer calmly eating in such a beautiful area!

Colorado Springs, Colorado!!

May 27, 2021 / Ed Armstrong

Lazy Land has some beautiful trails to enjoy!
I absolutely loved the view of Pikes Peak in the background!

What a majestic view of Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak!

I am enjoying the cool temperatures in Colorado Springs! It is beautiful here! Arriving a few days before Memorial Day weekend means that many camp sites are already reserved. I found a nice place to boondock with the Elks.

Today I went on a wonderful mountain bike ride in a city park called Lazy Land. It provided great views of Pikes Peak. It seems to be a very popular place to go on walks with dogs. I have never been on a trail with so many dogs. It was great, all the people and dogs were having a fantastic time enjoying such a beautiful day!