Mike and Beth's Adventures

June 10, 2025 Beth in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia Nestled at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, has long stood at the crossroads of American history. Originally inhabited by Iroquois peoples, the area was first settled by Europeans in the early 18th century. In 1747, Robert Harper, a Quaker millwright, acquired the land and established a ferry service, giving the town its name. Its strategic location and abundant water power made Harpers Ferry a natural hub for industry and transportation. In 1799, under the direction of President George Washington, the U.S. government established a federal armory and arsenal there, which would later supply the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in the 1830s further cemented its importance as a transportation and manufacturing center. The bridge which utilized these old piers was washed away in a 1936 flood But Harpers Fe...

 Historic Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge across the Connecticut River Vermont and New Hampshire are GREEN in the summer time.  This is special to a California boy who is use to the "golden hills of California" once spring has morphed to summer.  It is also the land of covered bridges.  Sure we have a few rare examples back home, but in this lush and gorgeous section of the country they are everywhere!  You have to be cautious however.  Vertical clearance must be checked prior to entering a covered bridge.  Not all were designed to accommodate taller vehicles.  The Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge caused us to stop and select an alternate route when we spotted its height limit. Some bridges have pedestrian walkways, but most are too narrow to allow vehicles and pedestrians to mingle and cross. Sugar River Trail There are even covered bridges on the bike trails.  Between Claremont and Newport New Hampshire you can ride or walk the Sugar River Rai...

Not all days on the road are spent in the pursuit of leisure and adventure.  Some days must be organized and routine, just like at home.  .  Even though we had not been on the road long, we found we needed to allocated some "catch-up" time.  This required two nights and a full day at the Marriott Desert Springs Villas in Pam Desert.    This was a comfortable spot to take long showers, sleep in a real bed, grocery shop, acquire parts to fix things that have broken, prepare meals in a real kitchen and catch up on the detritus of life.  You know, things like filing your taxes, paying bills, email and route planning for the next several spots.   Marriott Palm Springs Desert Villas We selected the Marriott as we are in their timeshare system.   So, you know the drill.   Attend a 90-minute update and get two free nights lodging.   Amazingly, our update concluded in 88 minutes, and we now have two more  free nights deposit...

San Simeon: California's Alluring Central Coast The beach near San Simeon The next leg of our van odyssey took us to San Simeon and Hearst Castle.  Getting there was more difficult than normal as a landslide, in January 2023, closed Highway 1 between Big Sur and San Simeon forcing us to backtrack from Big Sur to Monterey and then Salinas, to access Highway 101 south to Paso Robles, then west to the coast, and north on Highway 1 to San Simeon State Park.  The slide, which interdicted the coast highway, turned an 80-mile drive into a 180 mile journey.  John Steinbeck Truck & Camper from his book "Travels with Charlie" The detour gave us the opportunity to visit the John Steinbeck Museum in Salinas California.  The Citizens of Salinas are rightfully proud of their native son.  He was a prolific writer who realistically portrayed the struggles, loneliness, social isolation and violence that accompanied the Great Depression.  During World War 2 he served a...