Well,  3807 miles under our belt and we have finally reached the Atlantic.
Yesterday marked the end of 2 weeks on the road since we left Corona Del Mar.  My god have we seen alot and only after 2 weeks...hard to believe that we made it here in such a short period of time!  lol!
We have seen quite a bit since leaving California...we have gone from the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley, which pre-date humans in North America and which our native Americans have adopted as sacred and holy places, to Billy the Kid's gravesite to the eastern expanse of the Chisolm ( massive) cattle ranch (think John Wayne as Chisolm, John Chisolm!), to old cowboy towns (Pecos), San Antonio, Austin, Fort Stockton and Roswell (no alien crash site)..what a disapointment.  We have crossed many great rivers that originally helped lead to the discovery of our great country...the Colorado, the Rio Grand, the Pecos, the Mississippi, the Colorado again-running through Austin, (I had no idea that there was a Colorado on the eastern slope of the Rockies), thru some very rugged country for which I was greatful that the Jeep has 4 wheel drive.
Gas prices that have been all over the map...California at $4.40, Arizona at $3.95, the Navajo reservation-$3.17, New Mexico-$3.45, Texas-universalley pegged at $3.79 (wouldn't you think Texas would be the lowest?), I did, Louisana at $3.61, Mississippi was $3.69 Alabama-$3.71 and Florida at $3.65. We reached our southern most point at Grand Isle (I've since learned that, that is one of the great fishing areas in the world!)...shoulda stayed longer and got my pole wet. 

The marina in Destin Florida.  What a beautiful part of the country!  Probably among the best beaches I have seen...except for Hawaii.
This marina holds a very special meaning for me.  You see when I was working for Chysler in Atlanta, the family would come to Destin for some ocean time...we are all native Californians!  When my son Colin was 7 or 8, I took him deep sea fishing for the 1st time from this marina.  That morning he charged out of bed when I woke him at 5 am.  He was so excited!  As is typical for most fishing trips we all put money into a pot, whoever caught the largest fish won the $80 jackpot...Colin toward the end of the day reeled in (by himself) a 50 pound Cobia...a very desirable fish to catch in this part of the world!  Suffice it to say Colin won the $80!
Colin's love of fishing has continued to this very day...fishing for Tuna out of San Diego, Salmon, Halibut and Ling Cod in Alaska...many times in the process winning the jackpot!  Colin is a very good fisherman..probably better than his old man!
Colin worked with me at the dealership for 7 years after graduating from U.S.C.  He did a wonderful job there going above and beyond the call of duty numerous times!
I am so proud of the man that Colin has become!

Ruby at the marina trying to figure out why they have machines to feed fish but not dogs...it's wrong, just plain wrong!

Panama Beach, about 40 miles east of Destin...looks like Hawaii to me..just beatiful!
Ruby and I would have spent some time here (I need some sun!), but once again Ruby has been ostracized by the dreaded..."No dogs allowed" sign.  Why don't more people like dogs?

I tried to get artistic with this shot..still don't kow if it worked.
Still Panama Beach by the way.

Ruby at Panama Beach...I thought the picture as taken looks like it was done at a studio with a fake background!
Notice the sand on her nose?  Thats my dog, always smelling everything.  She has now smelled her way accross the southern tier of the United States!  Some people have commented to me that Ruby is beginning to look like a stuffed pork sausage!  Try spending 2 weeks in the car with me...eating but very little exercise...actually that makes 2 of us that are getting a little rounder.  We have to get some exercise!

This is Paul Evans...the honey and bee man!  We ran into Paul on a 2 lane highway while trying to find I-10.
Without question Paul is the most interesting man that we have met thus far.  When I told him that I was from Orange County he said that he kind of remembers that area as he was stationed in San Bernardino when he was 18 years old and working as a smoke jumper (they parachuted into wildfires throughout the west)
Paul told me that he was 25....times 3 (after a well timed pause).  He works 60 hours a week on his honey and beekeeping job and 40 hours a week, woking for the state forestry service as a burn control specialist (1 of 2 in the state).  They find the areas in need of controlled burns and oversee the actual burns to help lessen the chance of wildfires.
I love honey and have become somewhat of an afficiando.  Always wondering why different honey's from different places taste so different.  Paul explained this to me in a manner that was plausable and extremely interesting..this man knows a lot of stuff about a lot of things!
I couldn't leave without buying some and after Paul explained the intricate details of the types of flowers that the bees collected from and the subtle differences in flavor I ended up buying 3, (more stuff to carry another 5000 miles!).
I purchased "Florida wildflower", "Ti-TI" and one called and I really questioned him on this "Tupelo Honey"...Van Morrision anyone?  I got a larger container of the "Tupelo" because Paul said that this area of Florida was the only place in the world that it is collected, is extremely rare and sought after by honey lovers world wide...I guess I'll have to take him at his word until I get home and sample it!  He also claimed that it is the only honey known that will not crystallize over time.  Probably talked to Paul for at least a half hour, felt like 10 minutes.  I want to be like him when I grow up!
I've got Paul's phone # if anyone wants to order honey from him.

Another Florida rest stop and no I'm not looking for the place Ben Siller found.  This was unquestionably the most beautiful rest stops we ecountered...cut out dense forest about a half mile off of I-10.  It probably was the least clean of the ones we stopped at.  They really could use a guy like John "yesterdays post..or maybe the day before) to keep this place looking like it should.  I think I'm going to write the State and see if I can get John promoted to this spot...his work would do it justice.
So, I've got to close now.  Ruby is anxious to get on the road.  Today we are going to St. Augustine to see the oldest settlement in the country, then and finally we head north.  Take care of yourselves and your loved ones...in the the end that's all we really have...isn't it?