Author Archives: Sparky
TP1 Day 1: Embarkation in Seattle WA
We have boarded the Carnival Luminosa. It leaves in about 4 hours, destination Brisbane, Australia by way of Japan, Okinawa, Philippines and Indonesia. It was also supposed to have 2 ports in Alaska but we were informed at check-in that they were being cancelled due to impending bad weather. Disappointing as Alaska is the only … Continue reading
3 nights, 2 days in Tillamook OR
The TP1 is about to begin. But it starts in Seattle which is on the left coast, far from Fort Myers. So to position us for embarkation, I decided Marlene and I should spend a few days in Tillamook OR with my sister and her family. The trip started with a flight to Dallas, then … Continue reading
“The Innocent” by Harlan Coben
Copyright 2005 by Harlan Coben, published by Signet, an imprint of New American Library, New York. This is the 8th book by Harlan Coben that I have reviewed here. I think I may have read this book before, many years ago, as it seems familiar. But I didn’t review it then so I will do … Continue reading
TS9 wrapup
The TS9 is in the books. It was my first road trip with Marlene and it went well. It was an auto trip rather than an RV trip, without pets, so it was simpler than most of my trips. It was 8 nights (down from the planned 9 nights due to cutting a day out … Continue reading
TS9 Hop 5: Acworth GA to Lehigh Acres FL
633 miles via GA 92, I-75 and FL 80 with two refueling stops, a bio break and 3 hours at the Hard Rock Casino and nearby Waffle House in Tampa. Miles since the end of Hop 4: 643. Cumulative route miles: 1,790. Total TS9 miles: 1,865. The extra hop miles were due to a final … Continue reading
TS9 Hop 4: Concord NC to Acworth GA
286 miles via I-85, I-285 (north of Atlanta), I-75 and GA 92. Miles since the end of Hop 3: 297. Cumulative route miles: 1,157. Total TS9 miles: 1,222. The extra miles were due to a couple of shopping trips in Concord. This was an easy hop almost exclusively on interstate highways. We had one bio … Continue reading
TS9 Hop 3: Montclair VA to Concord NC
394 miles via VA 234, I-66, US 522, US 340, Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, VA 239, US 29, I-85 and about 10 miles on back roads when I missed a turn near Lynchburg VA. We took one bio break midway and a brief stop to look at some local crafts. Miles since the … Continue reading
A day in Montclair VA
Marlene and I had one full day in Montclair VA and we chose to spend much of it on two activities: browsing historic Occoquan VA and dining at the Harbour Grille in Woodbridge VA. Occoquan is situated on the southern bank of the Occoquan River. It is an old mill town, site of the first … Continue reading
TS9 Hop 2: Newark NJ to Montclair VA
275 miles via I-78, Garden State Parkway, US 1, I-95, US 1 again, local streets to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, I-95 again, DE 896, US 301, US 50, I-495 (around Washington DC), I-95 again, VA 234 and local streets. Miles since the end of Hop 1: 329. Cumulative route miles: 477. Total TS9 miles: 531. … Continue reading
A day in New York
Marlene and I spent Friday in New York City. We experienced the Staten Island Ferry, Trinity Church, the 9-11 Memorial (just the memorial – we didn’t go into the museum), Wall Street, the South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Bridge (which we walked over), the New York subway system, Times Square, Central Park (just a view) … Continue reading