Coast to Coast - Pt. 4

 Folkston, Georgia 

The last stop on our east coast trip was in Folkston, Georgia to spend a few days with Fred and Leah Mershon. As always when we get together there was good food, good friends and good times. We even visited the Council on Aging near where the live so Clarence could compare programs and had lunch while we were there. 

We went to meet friends of theirs in Jacksonville and hamburgers at the Elks Club turned into a party. 

When I ran while I was there I took two of their dogs, Lizzie and Gus to run with me. Rattlesnakes, gators and bears, oh my! All are native to the area. 😳 

One night we went into town to watch trains! Yep! Watch trains. Because of the number of trains daily through the town it is known as the “Folkston Funnel” and people come from all over to watch and photograph trains. Then the next day we went to Fernandina Beach for the day. And no day would be complete without something unique. In this case a stop for a Bud Light at the oldest bar in Florida, The Palace Saloon. Like every visit down there it was a great few days. 

A day traveling back to Athens with a stop in Macon and then a long day driving to Tom and Stacie’s for Fathers Day and a day off the road and then on the road to home. Until next trip!!

Coast to Coast - Pt. 3

Cocoa Beach & Merrit Island, Florida 

Our next stop was Cocoa Beach where we were going to stay a few days for Allison’s party. Stacie, Tom, Jackie and the kids were coming down too and staying at the same place we were. 

Beach time, pool time and family time made the time in Cocoa Beach pass fast. Clarence and I went to what we think of as our “go to” places when we visit. The Pier wasn’t the same without our usual bartender Erin who now lives in Colorado. I did a few runs on the beach and roads. Nothing great but better than nothing. A highlight was when the kids found a new Mexican place right near where we stay, “Rock the Guac”. I think if my grandson Chase had his way it’s the only place we’d have eaten. 

The party was held at Kiwanis Island on Merritt Island and everyone had a good time celebrating Allison’s graduation. I didn’t think about it until I was writing this but she’s our first grandchild who graduated from college and she’s already done it twice. 

The last night there we went out for dinner and then some of us played miniature golf. 

Coast to Coast - Pt. 2

Charleston, South Carolina 

We were actually in Charleston for Clarence’s 70th and had a good time there for several days staying at his friends house right on the water. We didn’t do as much sightseeing as we normally would because we mostly hung out at the pool or on the dock. There were a ton of animals where we stayed so it was like being at home. 

For Clarence’s 70th we went to a Hibachi restaurant with his friend and her sister and had a lot of fun. The chef was funny as hell and really played up the birthday. 

One thing I hoped to do when I was in South Carolina was find a race so I could check off my 31st State. It worked out great that it was Global Running Day on Wednesday and a race was being held in Charleston very close to where we were staying. It was hot and humid with lots of mosquitoes but it was still fun racing in a new state. 

Driving Coast to Coast Again - Pt. 1

When we got the date for my granddaughter Allison’s graduation party in Florida I decided that I would drive again and do other things while on the road. Ken and Kristy have been inviting me to visit when they were at their place in Ruidoso and it worked out that they would be there over Memorial Day Weekend and that would be perfect timing on this trip. Stayed the first night on the road in Flagstaff as I often do and had a breakfast burrito at an Irish pub for dinner. That makes sense right? 😂 

The next day I stopped at a couple of old Route 66 landmarks that I wanted pictures of and then at Holbrook got off I 40 to drive across Arizona and New Mexico on roads I haven’t been on before. I wanted to stop in Pie Town New Mexico and get a New Mexico apple pie to bring to Ruidoso. Apple pie with green chilies and piñon nuts baked into it. 

Then it was a great few days in Ruidoso hanging out with Kristy and Ken and meeting some of their friends. A day on the golf course, a couple of barbecues, buffet at Inn of the Mountain Gods and Taco Tuesday among other things. It was a fun and relaxing time before hitting the road again. 

While in Ruidoso my blood pressure went out of control. Ken and Kristy came home from golfing and noticed my eye was very red. I checked my BP and it was really high. I tracked it the rest of the weekend and decided I’d better go to the VA in Alamogordo on Tuesday. I got put on BP medicine and need to follow up with my doctor back home as well as monitoring it the rest of the trip. 

Next Stop - Athens, Georgia 

Clarence’s 70th

Plans were tentative when I arrived in Athens because Clarence wasn’t sure what his plans for his birthday were. We went to Ted’s and Old Pal and when he went to work the next day I went for a hot humid run. We plannned to go to Charleston South Carolina for a few days before Florida and just hadn’t decided what day yet. 

I knew that I wanted to run a race in Atlanta on Saturday morning and knew we wouldn’t leave until after the race. I made plans to meet Shaniqua Gonzales one of my former runners if her schedule allowed. It did and she and her fiancé showed up and did the race. It was fun reconnecting and hanging out for a while.