Horizon Seeker

Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. (Zora Neale Hurston)

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Don't Pay the Ransom - I've escaped!!!

Have had some emails wondering about where I am, what I'm up to and where I'm going next. Well, for the last few weeks I've been held captive by many friends and family in the TN/KY area. If I told exactly who and exactly where I might get in trouble so I'll just say that I've been busy. Will post more about my hometown project soon, but for now I'll leave you with a couple of pix from some interesting travels of the past.

Posted by Horizon Seeker at 8:55 PM

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Michaela's first baby picture

Leaving the slow pace behind

John Thomas enjoyed hunting caches with us

Me and a few friends at Geowoodstock

I circled the area where we were

Gus takes life pretty easy now

Nashville in my rearview

Hello Good-Bye?

Me and the best big brother ever

A sub heads in to port

This guy had just washed up

I hear the ocean just over this dune!

Viewing the salt marsh from the boardwalk

Stop for a little history lesson

Let's have a picnic with the horses!

This doesn't look very tasty.

Cumberland Island: The main road

We walked this trail along the canal.

Mike was staring into the water and trying to figure how hard it would be to catch a nice bass here.

Walking down the path to the old Chesser Homestead.

This place reminded me of my grandparents farm in Laguardo when I was a child.

A closer view of the charred trees

Here's a view of the burn near the front entrance

Butterflies were everywhere.

The old homeplace. I cannot comprehend how one would homestead in a swamp.

Ready for his close up! Doesn't he look like he's grinning at me?

Around here a road gator is really a road GATOR.

My friend Ollie Gator. He was right outside the door of the visitor center. Yikes!

Confederate Jessamine is blooming everywhere.

This stuff is like the kudzu back home, choking out anything in its path. But it is much prettier than kudzu.

The birds finally found the suet feeder next to Herman and Linda's trailer

Carl's tent did finally land - on Herman's truck!

Linda really got into her work

Nice job!

Doesn't this look better?

Redheaded supervisor

This woodpeck stayed in a tree above me all morning watching me spline those darn screens

Boats afloat!!!

Herman ran point while I hung back to give Linda some tips.

Spring is starting to show up

Don't know the name but it is ready to bloom almost

And Gus was....

Investigating the live trap for the feral cat that was smelling things up

Meanwhile back at the office...

Tequilla on her throne in the back office

Meanwhile back at camp..

The catfish in the pond

We got it all!!

Come on down and see us.

Carl welcomes the guests

Carl leads the workcamper force and tries to teach us all how to speak UPers. You betcha!!

The office

Guess there's no doubt this was once a KOA campground.

View across the pond

The rv sites have a great view of the pond. Huge catfish in there folks!

We have a trail!

I know it's not a long one but we can walk it more than once a day and see lots of birds along the way.

Gus likes the trail

Come on and put the camera away and just follow me!

Folkston Funnel

Yep, there's the trains. If you sit at the platform and listen to the dispatcher for an hour you are sure to see 2 to 6 trains. Yes, Drake, I know that would make you happy. But I want to ride.

The basic cabins

For those who have a sleeping bag but don't want to throw it on the ground or in a tent. These cabins are up front near the showers. Nice alternative to tent when the weather is cold.

Cozy cabins out back

Most folks seem to like the cabins out back with private screen porches and the view of the woods.

There's tent camping out back

We actually have folks come in on their bicycles with all their gear who camp under the trees here.

Warning

OK, I have to ask. Is anyone really stupid enough to try to feed an alligator?

Swamp daisies brighten the scene

Quite a bit of the foilage is still showing the scars of the summer's fire but everywhere you see signs of new life like these bright yellow daisies.

Sandhill Cranes

We watched this pair for over 20 minutes and they didn't seem to be concerned about us. One watched while the other ate and then they switched up. Those red crowns really shone in the morning sun.

Herman and Linda

Two fellow workampers enjoying the morning.

The only way to travel the swamp

No paddling today!

Just a small guy

This guy is just a baby - about 5 foot

The Swamp decked out for Christmas

The swamp is coming back after this summer's fire. The bright green and red of the Yaupon Holly looked really festive against the winter gray cypress trees and hanging Spanish moss.

White Ibis

It was a bit windy here today so this guy had a tough time hanging on.

Reminds me of Reelfoot

Lots of water, cypress trees, and duckweed.

Welcome Committee

These citizens of Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park welcomed me at the entrance.

A "refreshing" stop

I'm told that he even has the coke symbol on his headstone in the town cemetery.

Dam in downtown Columbus

Even with the dam pumping water in at full force the river was about 8 ft below level. Too bad we couldn't send them some of the water from Campbellsville!

Confederate Naval Museum

That's a sidewheeler gun ship from the Civil War era that was built out front for reenactments. Would be cool to see a reenactment there.

Morning Campers!!

Have been seeing this big fellow all fall. Finally had the chance to get his picture on a frosty morning.

Sunset on the Ohio River

Wooden grave marker

Sorry the sunlight made the image bad. This is from an old cemetery in Bald Knob, KY where I found several wooden grave markers that were very gray with age and had tin markers attached with the info. Very different.

Uncle Tom Redux

Found this marker outside of Owensboro which is confusing since I found Uncle Tom's grave nearly half way across the state.

Rope headstone

I saw this piece of a headstone in an old cemetery in Livermore, KY. I've never seen the rope/bow detail before. Don't know what it means.

Liberty, KY

Here's the doughboy statue on the square. Notice there's even barbed wire around his feet. Very cool.

76 Falls

In Clinton County there is a town called Seventy Six and the falls are down a country road from highway 27. It's not far from Wolfe Creek Dam. And there is only one falls, not 76.

Fireplace Cache

Found a cache out in Cumberland County near what must have been an old farmhouse. The old stack rock fireplace is still standing.

Women Vets Memorial

Loved finding this memorial in Morgan Co. There's a WW2 WAC, maybe Grace Hopper in her admiral's uniform, and a modern day woman soldier. Awesome!

Tribute to Vietnam War vets

Great little park in Morgan Co.

Where it all began

Stopped to check out the colonel's first place. Did sign the cache here but the museum was closed for the holiday weekend.

Cousins

That's Madeline Ruth on the left and Tommie Navarro in the center. We had a blast.

Early evening visit to the distillery

It was getting dark which it does so early these days. Glad the lights were on the sign.

A closer view of the salute memorial.

Discreetly hidden geocache

The final location of the cache in the veterans cemetery. The owner did a great job of making it disappear.

Oh my aching back!

Gus and Filbert took a break at this chiropractor's office on our way to another cache. Yes, there should be a cache there but there isn't.

Fort Knox

This is about as close as we could get to the gold!

Soldiers Memorial

This memorial was my favorite. It's a bronze statue of an old veteran leaning on his cane and saluting the steel cutouts of members from all branches.

Schmidt Coke Museum

I just love this artwork on the side of the building. By the way, the cache is at the bottom of the sign.

A visit with Abe

That's me with my friend Lana at the cabin in Lincoln's memorial. Turns out the cabin is from the land but was not one that Abe ever slept in.

Welcome to my current home

The park sign looks lovely at 4am

Guardians

Took this through the windshield at 4am this morning. Three young bucks walked across the road in front of my car just as I entered the park area. We've seen bigger bucks but so far they're camera shy.

Sandy & Eric

She's doing a great job of remodeling her BT Cruiser while her son Eric lives next door in the tent.

Lana

She bought this vintage trailer to live in here. Phil and Jimmy helped her out by fixing the wiring.

Cheyenne

She drives her Toyota back and forth to work

Molly and Beth

Some neighbors who worked at Amazon last year and of course Beth is on RV Women Forum with me.

The view out my window

What is there to say?

Taking a rest on the patio

After all the work of the move it was nice to just rest under the awning in the warm sunshine

Moving Day

Moved to my new location in the park. It's a lakeside site and while it may be a bit windy some days, the view out my window is to die for.

Biker Babe in Vietnam

Me and my motorcyle companion in Dalat, Vietnam

Tuktuks outside my guest house in Cambodia

Helmets on and ready to roll

If you're not the lead dog the view never changes

Some of the awesome bikes we rode with

Dark glasses and do rag are standard aren't they?

Really close to the lakeshore

Makes it a short haul for getting the kayak in the water

My campsite

Just getting set up on the first day

Morning fog on the lake

Amazon @ Campbellsville, KY

Christmas long, long ago

Long overdue meeting

Meridian marker

I learned some new geography here.

On the rivers' edge

Gus took a walk where just recently he would have had to dog paddle.

Port Jefferson cross

The view of the meeting of the Ohio and Mississippi is tremendous from up on this bluff in Cairo, IL

Ready to roll

Hate to leave JRD behind but the road calls

Jerimiah was a big help

Just got hooked up with help from a young host and ready to head west

Mother with Grandpa's gun

And you wonder where I get my adventurous streak?

Don't you just love school picture day?

Me 1st grade

Home Sweet Home -- for now

Iron horse

Another long uphill climb to reach this one. Glad the young ones (Kim and Matthew) went up the hill after this one.

At the champagne glass

Me and Phil at the base of the formation that resembles a stemmed glass. Not sure if I like him that much or if he's holding me up. It was a long hike up the mountain and a ways to go to get back to the car.

Kim was really into the rocks

Great shot of Kim taking yet another photo of the rocks.

Climbing up

No, not really, but it was a long way up to this point!

Carrying the load.

The earthcache on top of Rock Town lends itself to great photo ops. We all had fun playing on top of the karsts

Where is that cache?

Kim and Matthew looked hard but we just couldn't find this one.

National Treasure Seekers

This hearty group of cachers sought out the treasure inside an abandoned train tunnel in Wartburg TN. So much fun!

Entrance to the elevator

After climbing a flight of concrete steps you enter the base of the memorial through heavy bronze doors and take an elevator to the observation deck.

Highway marker?

This info surprised us. I had no idea.

At the entrance

Darlene posed near the main entrance. The memorial is 356 ft. tall and should remind you of another monument somewhere else.

At the entrance

A brief history of his life.

Grace

There was a large walnut tree nearby and the large nuts were all over the ground. Since she just got off crutches, Darlene was trying hard not to roll an ankle out here. This one almost got her!

At the Confederate Memorial in the cemetery.

In Riverview Cemetery we found where her ancestor and the others were moved to when the bridge was built. This memorial was placed in the 1890s.

Finally Found The Marker

Darlene's ancestor was one of the soldiers buried here and then moved to the cemetery.

Flash Mob

I'm not looking at the camera. I'm looking at the guy who won the award for geekiest cacher.

Me and Millie

The old jail

This was originally built as the jail and also housed the sheriff, but today it is home to a law firm. Pretty cool place.

Family Pet or Protector?

Keeping family together

We found this family plot very interesting.

Gypsy Queen

After all the time we spent looking for this marker, we were really disappointed that her royalty was not mentioned.

Darlene posing on the steps of the Willard Library. No ghost appearance today probably because it was too crowded.

Just follow me to the cache!

Being part monkey helps sometimes

Pirate "K" really gets into the spirit of the hunt

Pirate on the move

Buying a Coke for Pam

Sorry, no Billy Beer for sale here

Welcome to Plains GA

FDR's car

Local prisoners adapted it for hand controls allowing FDR to drive

One more for Brenda

This one's for Brenda

And just in case one guard shack isn't enough

Well guarded

FDR's Summer White House

Little White House

A more recent addition

Even today soldiers are being buried at Andersonville. Not sure that I would want it to be my final resting spot.

The originals

The first markers were made of wood but a clever photogher took pictures of all of the markers so that the stone markers could be made.

Fountain, statue, and wall on the back plaza of the museum.

This one made me think of Steve McQueen

I stayed inside Seeker and took this picture through the window!

Most unusual

The grave of Lewis Tuttle is the only marker with this addition. The story is that the stone dove appeared on top of his marker in 1904, the day after the statue honoring soldiers from his home state was dedicated. No one knows who put it there or the story behind it. It is the only marker with any decoration.

Just a few unknowns

Of the thousands of graves left from the war, only a little over 400 were unknown.

New Jersey marker

Yeah, I know I cut his head off, but I was distracted by the preparations for the next day's funeral.

Brothers

5 months after his brother was the first to die here, Jacob joined him. Incredible that the numbers grew so quickly.

The first 2 graves at Andersonville

Tribute to a war criminal

While I don't condone the things that happened at Andersonville, I don't understand why no other prison superintendants were accused or tried for crimes. Very curious.

The story behind the monument

Looks more like a tightrope walker to me

Yes, it's close to Plains

JD monument from the back

JD monument from the front

Marker #2

Marker #1

Home/museum where Davis was captured

Seeker's campsite at Old Federal COE

My site was very level, even concreted, but no shade anywhere.

Clay was in charge of fires and cooking

Nice to have a guy around to handle the hard work

Sails joined us in the night

These 2 sailboats anchored in our cove during the night and just mesmerized me

Kayaks at the ready

We kept our kayaks beached near the campsite. As you can see, the water level is low and it was a bit of a hike to get to them.

Clay was so thoughtful

Zoe and Colt had their own "doggy style" tiki hut motif

My first houseguests

Linda came out to see the finished project after I got the drapes hung and the bed made. Nice and cozy in here now.

New look for the loft

Those awful window treatments are gone and replaced with textured glass look window film. New drapes add a touch of color.

Full view of the new drapes

I don't close the drapes very often but I love the brightness of this fabric.

New look for the sofa

New Steps!

Ninja Brother

almost done as Mike puts finishing touches on things

A Temporary Home for Seeker

Horizon Seeker sits in front of Mike's house while he works on changes. Wonder what it will cost me to have the grass repaired?

Interuption

Stopped work to let the neighbor know his goat was out of the fence!

Dedicated brother

First thing Mike put on for day 2? Kneepads!

Starting the upgrades

Bare floor and a dish full of old staples.

Kennesaw Remembers

A beautiful 9/11 memorial in the park next to the railroad museum

On the way to Mike's

Stopped to stretch my legs in Kennesaw and visit a little history.

A view of the big apple from the pedestal of Liberty.

I really liked the original torch.

Brenda looks ahead anxiously.

Got my ticket and I'm ready to go!

Gus Walks Along The Hudson River

If you squint your eyes just right you can see Liberty on the far shore.

A final farewell to Salem as we wait for our train.

Glimmer Goddess has franchised it seems.

Brenda met up with her childhood idol.

Had lunch with Frankie.

finally got her where she belongs... goofing around in Salem Mass for the day.

Glimmer Goddess got excited about the giant globe at Delorme. It is 3 stories high after all.

The geocoin vault at Delorme Headquarters in Yarmouth Maine was fascinating. I loved the store too. So much to see there and so many things I wanted to buy!

Yes, we made it to the mecca of ice cream in Vermont. Brenda had something called Bonaroo Buzz that she said was delish. I had 7 layer cake. Yum

A gorgeous Vietnam Veterans memorial at a rest stop in Sharon VT. Well worth the visit.

Our view of the Mount Washington Hotel as we descend the mountain. We did drive over there to have lunch but someone has rented out the entire hotel for the weekend. 2 Questions: Who has that kind of money and can I be their friend?

Wind speed is a little over 45 mph, so why am I smiling?

It's really cold up here. Hard to believe it's a July day.

Under the falls and loving it!

Brenda and Dolly Dimples

Here's Lucy!

What's wrong with this picture?

So what does a scotsman wear under his kilt?

Gus is not a beach dog

Gus doesn't like the waves but he loves to hike in the dunes

Welcome to cachers from everywhere

Nighttime Horizon Seeker

Our Campsite in Warren County PA

Cleaning Seeker before we left TN

In Remembrance

The Veterans Park was nicely done, but once again, no parking. What's up with that?

Southern Ding Dong, eh, belle?

The Goddess channels her best Scarlet O'Hara for this one.

Not in Georgia

Found this Eiffel Tower tribute to all who served in the liberation of France in a cemetery in Bowling Green KY

Seabees Can Do

I'm partial to this 3 sided marker

Hey, it's Georgia, so of course there's a Civil War marker

A tribute to all who served

The entrance stone does not let on what's ahead

Last view of the mountains before heading back into Tennessee

Just really liked the name of this restaurant in Ducktown (I think)

Our stop in Etowah, TN took us to the L&N Railroad Museum which was really cool, especially for the Goddess who grew up at Union Station in Nashville where her father worked.

Placing a travel bug in Singapore

A cache location I loved in Alabama

Looking for a cache at the highest point in Panama City, Panama

Watching the "smoke" roll across the mountaintops

Researching Scottish roots in Franklin, NC

Driving Horizon Seeker under the falls!

Taking my cue from Gus and saying good night!

Our view at dinner tonight from our campsite

Had to take a picture of Radio through the windshield since the gate was closed.

Me and Dutchy

Goddess and Gus at city hall

Waiting for Mike and Linda (guidestones just outside the window)

Bonaroo (or perhaps Woodstock) refugee bead bus?

Yes, this really was the front of a church along the highway. Can't explain why but for some reason I kept wanting to sing "Jesus Loves Me" for the next few miles.

Goddess and Gus at the Ocoee River Model

Our campsite near Ooltewah on Harrison Bay. Learned that camping under pine trees right after a storm means a large branch may fall on your roof in the middle of night sounding really loud!

Gee Gawks!

I figure that space on the dash is not good for much else. Smokey is from my favorite summer ever when Larry and I drove all over Wyoming. The bobblehead Eiffle Tower is from a fun weekend in Paris, Texas.

Swan Creek

Great place to cool down wading in the creek and skip a few rocks.

Fall Hollow Falls

really cool and cooler at the bottom

Fall Hollow

King B and I walked Gus down the trail at Fall Hollow to the bottom of the big falls. Easy going down, but a real work out going back up.

Our chef at work

OK, we weren't far away, but we let him think he was on his own.

Batter Blaster: Say it fast 3 times

The Goddess got into the act by introducing King B to pancake batter in a can. But we were all so tickled because no one could say the name right. It kept sounding like a device for urological surgery.

King B is first to the table

Our Mother's Day chef with his accomplishments. Yummy!!

Mother's Day table

The great thing about chocolate chip pancakes is that even the burned ones still taste great.

At Wolf River Dam

Gus hiked down below the dam with me and Betsy. We had a beautiful day for it.

At the York gravesite

Betsy and I spent quite a while milling about the many York graves at Wolf Creek Cemetery.

Not kidding

Had to snap a photo of this headstone. Can you imagine living your life with this name. Hope he/she? had a great sense of humor.

Fire Sitting

Betsy and Brenda settled around the fire easily.

We stopped along the winding mountain road to snap this photo of the Obey River. Awesome views for the passengers. White knuckle concentration for the driver.

Seeker beneath the flag

Well, with 2 veterans on board it was only appropriate that our spot was next to the American flag.

What do you see?

I didn't take this picture but it was on my camera. Hmmmm???

Betsy has left the room

Betsy walked in, dropped into a cold sweat and had to get out quick! Scary, huh?

Brenda in the Morgue

She loved this room. Several people wouldn't even come in the room.

Who is that up there?

I hope it's just another gargoyle. Hard to tell in the semi-dark.

Creepy, huh?

We arrived at dusk on a stormy night. Lucky for us.

Gargoyles?

Yes, that's gargoyles all around the rooftops!

Waverly: The view from out front

Doesn't it look like a place that should be haunted?

Here's Dora

My first Braco Italiano

Griffon

German Shorthair waiting his turn on the field

Clay at a local cave

Colt is hard to photograph

Almost a picture of Colt

Clay with his small Britney named Zoe

In the field

It did stop raining but the mud was still ankle deep.

Friday night dinner

My hiking buddy

Here's Braden on one of our hikes this spring at Davy Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg. We got to the top of the hill (no, Braden, it really was't a mountain) and found the cache just before the sun set then hiked down in near darkness. Awesome!

Those kabobs tasted as good as they look!

Moss covered rocks

All that remains of the old spring house

Hunley marker

1st super highway

Sign reads: You are now on a sectionof the 1st wagon road to the cumberland settlements from East TN blaed in 1782.

Early Home

This cabin reminds me of my grandparents house in Lagardo when I was little. They had a 2 holer out back too!

Bledsoe Creek State Park

I liked this mural on the side of the bathhouse. Wonder how many of these parks I take Horizon Seeker to?

Yes, I can cook!

In stark contrast

Took this picture about 5 miles from the Grand Gulf campground

Tribute to a naval hero

The last gypsy queen

The end - for this trip

Gus is a real people watcher

A tender scene

The one that started it all

Follow me!

Glimmer Goddess gets the history at EP's birthplace

Is that you, Srygley

Seeker at the cemetery

If you look closely just past the hood of Seeker you can see the statue of a tree with the coon hounds baying.

Finaly they get quiet

Probably my favorite picture. We were almost home and things got quiet. The goddess turned around and snapped this photo. They finally were exhausted.

Pancakes for all

Yes, I can cook pancakes. I used the batter blaster that Carolyn recommended and everyone loved them.

Cuddling with the kids Sunday morning

They did allow me to joined them in their bunk Sunday morning for a little while. Normally this is my area, but on their campout it was kids only up top!

Fun around the campfire

Gavin, Addy, and Aiden. I don't know why Aiden has decided to flash his peace signs in all the pictures. Addy, of course, is in her diva pose.

On the trail back to camp

As you can see, Addy is in the lead. I had to make her stop and wait for Aiden to get them both in the same picture.

At the ranger station

I don't remember his name, but the ranger was very patient with the twins. I think they learned a lot.

Kids in the bunk

Aiden and Addy looking out from their favorite part of the rv.

One night's home

Horizon Seeker & my car at the site in Old Stone Fort state park

Horizon Seeker crosses the Duck River

Crossing a bridge into a new way of life

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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Don't Pay the Ransom - I've escaped!!!

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