Interesting Church

Nan and I were surprised by the lack of churches of any type in Upstate New York. When we saw a church building, out of curiosity we looked close to see the name. This one was interesting. We figure these folks never get off "the milk of the word."

Trails End Inn & Other Locations

We had a nice stay at the Trails End Inn (say that 3 times fast!), a bed and breakfast in Keene Valley, NY. David and Susan, along with Marco their Labrador Retriever, were our hosts. They have a number of rooms in different sizes with different features. We stayed in the Marcy Suite and really enjoyed our stay.

Keene Valley is in Upstate New York about 14 miles from Lake Placid. This area of New York is rather remote and cell phone service is hard to find. Food is not the easiest to come by either, except you can get plenty over in Lake Placid but it is very crowded and expensive. New York has little diners in some towns. We really enjoyed finding them and seeing what sort of cuisine they offered. Breakfast is always good.

We left the Trails End Inn on Thursday morning and headed out the long way for Albany. I guess you could say that when we left the B&B, there was room at the Marcy Suite!

When Nan and I travel we like to take the scenic route. Sometimes Nan will point to a road and say, "Wonder where that goes?" I'll turn and we will explore. We have found so many neat little places on our trips. We turned onto Millbrook Road in the Catskills Mountains and wound around for several miles. Along the way we saw a deer, a bear cub which quickly ran away when we took interest in him, a rabbit and lots of scenery like this old covered bridge built in 1902.

We passed a very nice farm where a man was splitting lots of wood. Most people in the rural areas burn wood for heat during the winter and they spend a lot of time in the summer gathering their wood for winter. What caught our attention was the sign in his front yard. It read "New York Maple Syrup." New York produces more maple syrup than Vermont but Vermont's syrup has the reputation.

We stopped to see if we could purchase some syrup and found Mr. Kenneth Burger a delightful person to talk with. We were at his place about 2 hours as he showed us through his sugar house, told us all about how the syrup is made and how his wife packages it. In addition to syrup, they also make maple jelly and cream. We bought some of each and were glad to actually pay the producer rather than a store.

Here is Mr. Burger beside his growing stack of wood. His sugar house is in the back. If you get a hankering for some maple syrup or jelly, please call him and order some. His number is (845) 586-4784. Tell him the couple from Tennessee sent you.

Some Pictures Along The Way

At Gettysburg there are lots of monuments related to the Civil War. Some 58,000 men were wounded or lost their lives in just a few days of fighting.

The Amish country has lots of these and you'd better heed this caution sign. I wouldn't let anyone in the family take a picture of the buggies we saw since the Amish feel that is a rude thing to do.

This is fairly representative of one of their farms. They are quite beautiful thought a subdivision may sit next door.

This is where we left the kids. We think they were happy for us to leave.

We stopped at the Adirondack's High Peaks visitors center and caught this moose. It turned out to be the only moose we would see.

Before we arrived at our bed and breakfast we stopped at Chapel Pond. There were climbers across the pond going up the side of a steep rock face. Nan was watching with interest.

Driving around we came across a sign pointing to the North Pole. It is true that global warming is affecting the Arctic regions. No snow as we expected to find.

This sunset took place across the street from the only place we could find cell service. It was just up the highway from our B&B, right across from the grass runway of the airport.

We visited the Adirondack Park VIC (visitors interpretive center) at Paul Smiths. There are about 12,000 acres of land to explore. Here is one scene from our hike.

I had always heard about frogs and lilly pads but had no idea they actually sit on them. This little guy was busy moving from pad to pad trying to snatch up flies. We saw other frogs doing the same. If you don't get out and enjoy God's good earth you never get to see this sort of thing. That is, unless someone like me takes a picture. However, first hand viewing is far better.

I have other pictures I'll post later. These will give you an idea of what we've been up to. It has been a great week and the office has been about as far out of my mind as Tennessee is. I've needed that break.

Gas Prices

When we left home we paid $3.87 for a gallon of gas in Tennessee. Just below Winchester, Va we paid $3.99 so I only purchased 10 gallons. That was a good move because the next day I was able to get gas for $3.93! I thought I had made a mistake when we crossed over into New Jersey. Gas in Pennsylvania was about $3.95 and the first station we saw in NJ was at $4.05. However, away from the freeway I was able to purchase gas for $3.89.

I had hoped to do my best and not purchase gas for over $4 per gallon. Well, in Saratogo, NY I paid $4.15 and today I got it for $4.29. That seemed like a great price after seeing a station selling regular gas for $4.61 per gallon.

I have figured out a system though. If you purchase gas just after going below a half tank, you pay a lot less than if you run it down to empty. You might try this where you live and see if it works for you!

Moose Quest 2008

I spent a few minutes trying to remember if this is Moose Quest 3 or 4. Rather than spend much time or brain energy figuring that out, I opted for Moose Quest 2008 as the title of this post.

We left on Friday headed for the camp to drop off Jeff, Jennifer and Julie. Normally we leave on Saturday. However, Jeff came home with some congestion and Nan felt that she didn't want him around her mom who has been rather sick of late. Leaving earlier this year meant breaking up the nearly 15 hour drive. That has been really nice.

On Saturday we drove through Gettysburg, Pa and briefly saw the battlefields. It is interesting to see the place you hear so much about when studying the history of this country. From Gettysburg we drove through the Amish areas of Pennsylvania and ate at the Good and Plenty restaurant. Be sure to take Plenty of Good hard cash if you want to eat there! The food was great. They seat you family style with about 10 people per table. There were 8 at ours. A bilingual woman with 3 friends from Columbia, South America ate with us. It seems our family is destined to be in bilingual situations witch is just fine with me except that those times continually point out my need to learn a second language. I don't know when this old dog will learn that new trick!

Of course the Amish have a reputation for leading a lifestyle free of modern conveniences such as electricity, automobiles, power tools, etc. They dress differently, mostly in black, white and blue. The men usually have straw hats and the women have their hair rolled up into little balls covered with some cloth. We saw two Amish men in their standard attire including straw hat using a gas powered weed eater! I guess they were liberals.

The Amish are quickly losing their lands and the countryside is a mixture of old, beautiful farms separated by new subdivisions and commercial enterprises. It is kind of a shame to see that lifestyle gradually being broken up and modernized. While the Amish and I would not agree on many point religiously, their devotion to family values and keeping a corrupting world at bay must be respected and appreciated. I'm sorry to see them gradually losing that battle.

We made it to camp yesterday and dropped off the kids. They were quite excited and before we left we had already slipped from the forefront of their minds as they met up with friends and starting catching up on old times. We were glad to leave them in such a great environment and start our own week of renewal.

As I write this it is Monday morning and we are in Albany, New York. As I thought briefly about those of you who would be reading, I had a glimpse of dad sitting at the computer reading with interest. He always enjoyed travelling with us through this blog and I wish he were still here to do that.

Perhaps I can post some pictures this evening. We don't have too many at this point anyway. Our next stop is upstate New York and much cooler weather. Perhaps a moose will share the scenery with us this year!

Pictures Along The Way

Here are a few pictures that should help make the trip a little more interesting.

The girls were excited to be at camp to see their friends from last year. Christine is Julie's good friend. They hooked up within minutes of our arrival.

Elbow Pond. One of three ponds we were told would be good for spoting moose. Untrue based upon our scientific observation.

Nan and I found Stump Pond to be a beautiful place. There were ducks and other birds, clear blue skies with white puffy clouds, a nice rock to sit on for a picture...that sort of stuff.

When you get time away from the kids you end up doing some crazy things. Nan got an urge to climb a tree. I thought it made a nice picture, don't you?

We crossed over into New Brunswick, Canada for about 2 hours. In McAdam we came across this old train depot. The town is trying to raise money to restore it. It is a really neat depot with active tracks still running beside it. You can probably find a website about it where you can make donation for the effort if you like.

I'll post more later. We're having a good time.

MQ2 (Moose Quest 2)

Posting has been difficult this trip. It seems that we are up early and back late every day. We have really enjoyed ourselves.

We drove up to New Jersey on Saturday. The drive was uneventful but the time with Jeff was nice since he lives away from home and we don't get to talk as much. On Sunday we dropped the kids off at camp after church and drove over to Fair Lawn to worship with Sewell and Caneta Hall. Sewell provided us with good directions to get us into New York and on to Westborough, Mass. where I had a meeting the next day. His directions, as well as those I had from MapQuest, took us across the Tappan Zee bridge into the New York City area. From there we would catch 95 and go up toward Boston.

We started out about 8:30 p.m. We had gotten onto I-287 going toward the Tappen Zee when the traffic stopped. Thousands of cars as far as we could see were forming a parking lot. Since the weather was cooler I rolled down the window. Upon hearing what sounded like an air-raid siren, I decided to turn on the radio. WCBS reports traffic every 8 minutes and so it wasn't long before we learned that Tappen Zee bridge was closed due to a major accident in which a tractor-trailer rig had crashed and burned. The bridge, they said, might not be opened by rush hour the next morning.

We slowly worked our way off the freeway and doubled back, going up I-87 and then over to I-84. At about 11 p.m. we finally began to make progress toward Boston. Needless to say it was a long night.

We arrived in Maine on Monday evening late. Our purpose for going to Maine was to continue our moose quest. Bruce Hudson, a friend who preaches in Bangor, told me he could guarantee that I would see a moose. I like those kinds of statements though I felt I should have qualified the assurance by insisting that the moose be alive, in the wild, and not on TV or a video.

On Bruce's suggestion we headed out Tuesday to Baxter State Park. Moose were a certainty there, Bruce said. On the way up we saw the Moose Crossing signs. We confidently drove on.

After that we saw one of those portable warning signs like you see telling about highway problems. This one said, "Be Alert. Moose crossing I-95" and it was flashing. What a deal, we thought. We kept our eyes peeled from that point forward. Suddenly up ahead we saw a car pulled over to the side. From the bushes we saw a moose start walking up toward the car. I said, "Those folks stopped to take a picture." We were really excited. As we got closer we realized that the moose was actually the driver of the car. Apparently he felt the need to inspect the roadside trees. Talk about buck fever! We had it really bad. We exited I-95 without seeing a moose.

Bruce had told me about that there was a particular pond where we should go. I called Bruce for directions but he didn't answer. It wasn't until we had left Baxter, disappointed and believing that moose and Bigfoot we very similar legends, that I received Bruce's voice mail with directions to the pond. We hadn't gone to the right spot and were, by then, many miles from Baxter.

Feeling disappointed, we made plans to take a scenic drive going toward Canada. Driving South on I-95 we noticed brake lights ahead. Then we saw our prize. A cow moose was trotting north up I-95 South. It was a good sight.

So you may think that the moose quest is now over. Well...not quite. You see, cow mooses (meece?) do not have antlers and I was not able to get a picture. So we are still on the moose quest though part of the quest has been fulfilled.

I have other pictures to post but I'll try to get them up in the next post. Until then, the quest continues.

Northwestern Moose

Each year I attend the annual session of the American Association of Orthodontists. This year the location was Seattle, Washington. Nan joined me at the end of the meeting so we could spend a little time together and travel in an area we had never seen before.

Day 1

Some of our very best friends from college live in Bellingham, Wa. We drove up to see them and attend church services there. It had only been 24 years since we last saw them. Here we are with Joe and Debbie. Joe preaches for the church in Bellingham.




Nan and Joe take the prize for the least change since college. Debbie and I have changed the most in the hair department. Hers straightened out and changed colors, mine turned grey but mostly turned loose.

Day 2

After leaving Joe and Debbie's we went sightseeing in the North Cascades National Park and in Olympic National Park. The North Cascades has a driving loop that takes you from valleys into mountains and from the lush green mountains into almost desert like areas. We did the whole loop and ended up in Seattle that night.

Mt. Baker is a very prominent feature in the landscape north of Seattle. Almost everything is named for it.

At the beginning of the North Cascades Loop is the valley area. There is beautiful farmland, quaint little church buildings (though not many), and rivers full of melting snow.

Climbing higher into the mountains we came into the snow capped areas we had seen from below. It is interesting to be next to 8 feet of snow and be hot in a long sleeved shirt. The temperature was great and so were the views.



One of the nice sights was Diablo Lake. Here are two shots.

We met a cyclist at the Diablo Lake overlook. He had started from Mount Vernon that morning at 4 a.m. and had already travelled 70 miles. He was asking other folks if they had any water because he was running low. We gave him the leftovers of a Sobe drink and another person had a bottle of water they gave him. He was headed to Winthrop to be with family and friends. He looked to be about our age and Nan and I both admired his endurance. From that point forward in the trip we thought of everything from the perspective of biking the Loop. We figure the guy died along the way - we would have!

Now here is the way to travel the Loop. This cool little truck followed us for miles.

The best place to bike the Loop is from Washington Pass down to Winthrop. It is downhill all the way and must be about 40 miles long. That's my kind of biking. Winthrop is in the valley on the east side of the Cascades. The town is set in a western theme. We ate there at the little place pictured below. You can see Nan in the window.

Leaving Winthrop we drove through the valley and then back up into some mountainous areas. These areas were desert like areas. You can see how different it is to the green valleys and mountains at the beginning of our trip.

Day 3

The last day of our sightseeing took us to Olympic National Park. Believe it or not, the mountains were actually warmer than ONP. That is because ONP is next to the Pacific Ocean. The wind blowing in from the ocean keeps the temperatures cooler. It also adds to the fog and cloudiness that is often covering ONP. The temperature was about 60 or lower at ONP while in the Cascades it was 60 to 70 degrees.

ONP has several different ecosystems. There is a typical mountainous area, a rain forest and the Pacific Coast. Part of this area is like the huge forests in California. You get the idea from this next photo. The sign identifying this tree simply says, "Big Spruce Tree." Somewhat of an understatement.

There were some nice wild flowers along the way.

The rain forest is really cool. Pictures do not begin to represent what we saw. The water running down from the mountains is so clear that when I took a picture looking down into the creek, the stones and wood on the bottom didn't appear to be in water. Moss covers everything and, of course, there are mosquitoes picnicking on every visitor.

Like I said, moss covers everything! Here is a more impressive look at the rain forest.

The last ecosystem, and the coldest, was the beach. The beach is not sandy like you might expect. It is covered with smooth stones and huge trees that have been turned into driftwood.

Well. That about does it for the travelogue. Nan and I really enjoy the opportunity to see this wonderful country of ours. We continue to be impressed with the creation God has placed us into and our faith in Him is continually increased as we witness His handiwork.

By the way. No moose in Washington state that I could find. We did see signs indicating the chance to see elk. We didn't. We did see a deer, an otter, several interesting birds, and some really weird people (in downtown Seattle). The quest continues.

St. Thomas Friends and Views

Before we came to St. Thomas I had contacted Tol Burk about the church here. He put me in touch with Hubert, a member and preacher for the church here in St. Thomas. Hubert picked us up on Friday and gave us a tour of the island.

Here are Hubert and Nan with Charlotte Amilee in the background. The arrow just over Nan's shoulder points to the Marriott where we are staying. Our section is actually down the backside of that hill toward the beach.

During Hubert's guided tour his boys got out of school. We went and picked them up and went to the top of the mountain for a look.

Here is Hubert and his two sons. Hubert has very nice, well mannered sons.

Mountain Top looks over Megan's Bay, which is on the North side of the island. You can see from this photo why it is a popular place. This photo is actually taken from Drake's Seat, just a little lower in elevation than Mountain Top. I don't recall seeing a more beautiful place in the Carribbean.

The island in the background is for sale. I believe it is named Thatch Cay. It is only $42 million so if you want to go in with me, we can have our own little place in paradise. Any takers? I was thinking about making a low offer...maybe $100,000??

When we got to Mountain Top a small shower had appeared over the island that Nan and I will purchase. The sun caught it just right and this great looking rainbow appeared. We talked with Hubert's boys about what the rainbow means - that God, when He sees it, remembers the covenant with Noah that He will not destroy the world by flood waters again. Whenever I see a rainbow it is nice to know that my thoughts are similar to God's thoughts as we both remember His covenant. Here is the picture. Now you can meditate on that covenant too.

Here are the soon to be co-owners of Thatch Cay. Are you the other owner?

Saturday evening Nan and I went out to catch the sunset just outside our room. The next several shots where taken during that sunset.

You can ride this sailboat into the sunset if you like.


The moon, Venus and the sunset make a nice end to this update. We're leaving for home tomorrow and look forward to seeing everyone there.

Moose In the Carribean?

We arrived in St. Thomas with nice 84 degree weather. The weather has been great the whole trip with only occasion showers (five minutes or less) during parts of the day. We have taken some pictures we want to share.

Here is the view from a restaurant balcony. This is looking toward Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St. Thomas. You can see the cruise ship docked near town. There were 6 cruise ships in port at one time.


This picture is the view of the ocean from the back of the resort. The water, skies, trees, etc. are all very beautiful.

We had a bit of a problem. We were walking down a hill from the hotel to the section of the hotel where we are staying. All at once a witch jumped out, yelled loudly, cast a spell on Nan and then smoke filled the air. Once the smoke cleared, the witch and Nan were gone. All that was left is what I took a picture of next. It didn't take long before I realized the witch had cast a spell on Nan.

An old man came along and told me that we had been victims of a witch that haunts the resort property. He said that if I wanted my wife back, all I had to do was kiss her. Kiss her? Kiss this? Take a closer look...

To demonstrate just how much I love my wife, here is proof that I did it. I kissed her and yes, she did return to normal. The only thing that seems to be different about her now is that all she wants to eat is salad. Oh, and she does make some strange, grunting sounds every now and then.

We have more to report but I wanted to get this post finished. After all, that's enough for one day! By the way...so far, no moose to be found in St. Thomas. And I'll bet I'm in trouble as soon as Nan reads this one.