12/02/2000

Ok, ok - I admit it. I've just been too brain dead for the last month and a half to get motivated to keep everyone up to date. Plus, Internet connections have been a little more difficult this time. But, now, I've got no excuse. We are in Myrtle Beach, SC, and the phone lines come right in to the RV, so we have great Internet connectivity.

For the last month and a half, we've been working on our great circle of the US. We've been through Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and now South Carolina, on our way to Georgia, Florida and then points west. We're slightly more than 1/2 way on elapsed time, and on mileage we've covered almost 6,000 miles so far.

Highlights:

- Zion and Bryce Nat'l Parks in Utah. If you've never been there, go.

- Driving 180 miles at 5AM over a mountain pass in an ice storm in the RV, as we sped toward the Provo, Utah trauma center (the nearest major hospital) for Cordula, after a branch jabbed her in the eye as she was walking the dogs on a rainy night. You could actually see the cut on the surface of her eye, just by looking at it. It turned out to be a badly scratched retina, and healed itself after a week. The doctors were unimpressed with the severity - said that you could do some amazing things to your eye, and it would come back fine.

- Catching up with my parents in Grand Junction, Colorado for a few days, as they were headed west, toward California, on their own cross country journey (we Farbers just can never stay home).

- Visiting Madison, Wisconsin. What a great city! Beautiful setting on two large lakes, lots to do, a great university town, tons of neighborhood shops and restaurants, the home of a boyhood legend (Yellow Jersey Bike Shop - it still exists and thrives!). Too bad it gets about 8 feet of snow in the winter.

- Pittsburgh, PA. Our good friends Barry and Elaine Silverman live there. Our original plan to park in their driveway for a few days fell through when the old narrow roads and stone walls didn't let us in. We almost couldn't get out of their little street - took almost an hour to make the last turn - thereby creating a neighborhood event, blocking the street, and nearly requiring us to tear down a stone wall to get out. We ended up parked in front of the cemetary where the famous robber barons are buried, and had a great time with the (living) neighbors who were quite amused to have a big RV parked on their street.

- Connecticut - parked in front of my parents' house while they were in California. Used to their cable TV to watch the crazy election. Family friends Fran & Ed Cohen gave us a nice brunch, while other friends came over. Also had a rewarding visit with Greg Cohen in NY where I got to see the really interesting alternative public high school he "runs".

- Northampton, MA. This could be the future home of Cordula and Steve. Very nice college town. We saw lots of real estate - at about 1/5 the price of Bay Area, and a property we may make an offer on. Haven't fully decided yet about the move to there. Northampton has been called Harvard Sq. of the West. 5 colleges & universities, tons of restaurants, boutiques and shopping. We saw property only 10 minutes from central Northampton/Amherst in a very rural away - seems to have the best of all worlds (except it would be nice to be warmer in the winter). Just 90 miles to Boston, 2.5 hours driving to NYC.

- Newton, MA. Stayed with cousins Neal and Varda in Suburban Boston an extra day, after we discovered Bolo chewed up headlight wires under the dashboard. Thanks to Neal for driving to Home Depot for electrical parts. A nice visit and a chance to catch up with family. Dinner at their house on Friday night included the Surgeon General of the Israeli Air Force who is taking classes at Harvard Bus School. He's also an active and accomplished helicopter gunship pilot, and had lots of stories about recent activities (And you thought you had an impressive resume).

- Annapolis, MD & Washington DC. Weather turned bitter cold but RV held up fine. This area is too big for us to live in, but interesting to visit. We went to Capitol Mall on Thanksgiving, saw the monuments, Arlington, White House, etc.

- Virginia. Spent 2 nights at Colonial Williamsburg - saw how they lived in 18th century. I like it in the 21st century better.

Overall, trip is going much more smoothly than first trip. No vet visits. No RV problems. Weather has been more challenging - we are leaving Myrtle Beach tomorrow AM, in advance of oncoming snow, and keep moving south.

I'll try to do better in Georgia and Florida, and will report in from New Orleans!

- steve & cordula -