Saturday, June 18, 2022
Well, we thought the background music featured early in our trip had forever faded into silence. Little did we anticipate the clamorous coda still in store for us.
About 6:30 Friday evening, only a few hours after returning home from our six-week-long trip, heavy thunderstorms blew through the area and an intensive downburst snapped branches in our neighbor and caused a large red maple tree to fall across our driveway and deck. The fallen tree opened the door lever and protruded into our sunroom while blocking the exit route for our cars that were safely parked in the garage. Ugh! Fortunately, the RV was parked in front of the house because we were still unloading it. If the RV had been in its usual parking spot, the fallen tree would have damaged it, too. One gutter and downspout as well as a corner of the house were damaged but no rain was leaking into the house. Later that evening after the rain ceased, we were too exhausted to deal with the mess except to trim enough branch tips to allow us to close the sunroom door. We went to bed in an unsettled state.
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| Red Maple Tree downed from a Severe Storm a few Hours after we arrived Home |
In the morning, I sent out an SOS text message to my music-playing buddies. Shortly, guitarist Steve showed up and soon the chainsaw symphony prevalent during the early legs of our trip resumed, culminating in its grand finale right in our driveway. Steve played his chainsaw opus maniacally while Jane and I drug branches into a pile in the woods behind our garage. After the climax, and to a gracious standing ovation from Jane and I, Steve took his leave. We continued to work feverishly until the driveway was clear once again. Exhausted from the exertion, I showered and took a nap, then called our insurance company to file a claim for the damage to our house.
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| Guitarist Steve playing his Chainsaw Opus |
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| All Cleaned Up |
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| An Insurance Claim was Filed for this Damage |
- Logged 4,754 miles and 92.75 engine hours on our RV, a 2018 Winnebago View
- Drove an estimated 1,000+ miles in our toad, a 2018 Ford Focus
- Lodged at 20 campgrounds and 2 Harvest Host sites
- Visited or travelled through 14 states:
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Missouri
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Wyoming
- Visited 9 National Parks, 1 national military park, and 1 national memorial:
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park
- Gateway Arch National Park
- Great Dunes National Park & Preserve
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Hot Springs National Park
- Mammoth Cave National Park
- Oklahoma City National Memorial
- Rocky Mountains National Park
- White Sands National Park
- Collected 45 souvenir patches.
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| Souvenir Patch Collection |
In summary, we had an amazing adventure. The planned national park visits were all wonderful as expected, but equally rewarding was the Americana that we serendipitously encountered along the way such as the Osteology, Windmill and UFO Museums, capitol buildings, and the buffalo ranch. And, of course, we enjoyed great food and libations along the way as well as meeting with family& friends and making new acquaintances. Undeniably, the United States is a great and diverse country endowed with beautiful landscapes and industrious people. Because there is so much more to explore and experience, I’m sure it won’t be long before Jane and I are ready to set off on another adventure. Stay tuned.
With this post, we’ll sign off for now and thank you, our readers, for vicariously joining our travels via this blog.
Wow! What an amazing trip. Sorry about the ending storm and damage.
Lisa
Thanks, Lisa. It certainly wasn't the homecoming that we were anticipating. – John
Oh my gosh! That's crazy, I'm glad the damage is minimal! How did the garden bed do? It looks like it came right down on it! The storm knocked out my power from Friday to Saturday morning, we had a tree down on our power lines too.
The garden damage wasn't as bad as it looks. A few basil and pepper plants got squashed. Jane found a bunch of intact cukes under the debris.
I have followed your journey with great interest. I have come to those beautiful places with you. Seeing new places and embarking on new adventures gives people incredible good feelings. I guess such adventures raise the human spirit. one feels the presence of life. I am grateful to technology for sharing the same journey as you, even if it is emotional. always stay with love and beauty
We're glad you joined us on this adventure. I agree with your sentiment; travel certainly add a new dimension to our lives and provides a new prospective on living.