Lee Ayres, Border Tour, Part 2

Lee and Shelley Ayres

Lee and Shelley’s trip around the country’s borders continues.

Southern Border:  Key West, FL to Coronado Island, CA   

Dec 23, 2004 to Jan 15, 2005  

• Key West, FL: We drove from Fresno. CA to Key West, FL via 
  • Monument, CO: We visited my daughter, Ashley, and her family for Christmas in the snow.
  • Jackson, MS: We visited Cliff and Jo Hodge, friends from US Army days at Fort Gordon, GA. Cliff observed that when he was at Harvard earning a master’s degree in tax law, “The people in Massachusetts are more prejudiced than we are!”
  • Orlando, FL to tour Epcot at Disney World, very warm

We arrived in Key West, Jimmy Buffet’s tropical island, in time to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The scene brought back memories of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Cuba is 90 miles away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• FL: We drove up the Gulf Coast of Florida to visit Darlene and Eric Knorr. Their condominium home has a view of the Gulf of Mexico. A leisurely breakfast and a round of golf. Florida has become the Knorr’s primary residence, but they travel to their home in Wichita, KS for football season, friends and the holidays.
• Tampa, FL: At Bern’s Steakhouse, we met Kayla, daughter of my cousin Linda Ayres Crandell, and her fiance, Kevin Sapp. They now have 3 children and successful professional careers. Kayla, civil engineering degree, is an inspector with Florida DOT and Kevin, a masters in Chemistry, is a chemist/supervisor with Mosaic, Inc.
• New Port Ritchey, FL: We crashed in New Port Ritchey for two days of inactivity to help Shelley recover from food poisoning.
• Panama City, FL: A modest resort city. The hotel lights illuminated the ocean waves.
• Watercolor, FL: Master planned community. Very attractive. Near Destin, FL Wyland Gallery, (right)
• Gulf Shores, AL:  Devastating hurricane damage
• Daphne, AL: Quaint community. Lovely drive along route 98. 
• Mobile, AL: Headed West on I-10
• Pass Christian, MS: More hurricane damage  

 

 

 

• New Orleans, LA: Visited Amine Bentobji, former Patterson Liquor employee and David Martin, MD, fraternity brother at KU. Lunch at Emeril Lagasse’s Nola restaurant. (below)

• Homa, LA: Visited By Bennet and family, former neighbor in Overland Park, KS, owner of several McDonald’s restaurants. Quoted, “All employees steal.”
• Lafayette, LA: Drove though torrential rain to the Holiday Inn. Discovered reservation was for Holiday Inn Lafayette, IN. Able to revise the reservation!
• Houston, TX: Stayed with Cousin Tom Player and family.
• Port Aransas TX: Lodging among the sand dunes by the Gulf of Mexico. Drove on beach.
• Padre Island, TX: Great walk on beach. Nice condo at great price (off season).
• Border Patrol checkpoint: We drove up in our BMW convertible with the top down and CA license plates. The officer asked, “Are you enjoying your visit to south Texas?” We said, “Yes.” He smiled and waved us through.
• Laredo, TX: We were startled to see barb-wire fencing around the Holiday Inn parking lot where we had planned to stay. Shelley decided to depart from the planned route and immediately head north on I-35.
• San Antonio, TX: Safe, sound sleep in modest motel
• Stockton, TX: The Texas Ranger who patrols that section of Texas stayed at our motel.
• Las Cruces, NM: Played golf, learned about high winds in April
• Tucson, AR: Stayed with David Fletcher, my real estate mentor from Palo Alto, CA.
• Yuma, AR: Neighbors in Fresno, CA, Russ and Colleen Rock, had a “park model” there.
• Coronado Island, CA: Stayed at Marriott Coronado. Visited son Brad and family in Tustin, CA

Northern Border: Acadia National Park, ME to Cape Flattery, WA

• Acadia National Park, ME: Drove to overlook.
• White Mountain, NH: Drive to top. Ice on road.
• Burlington, VT: On Lake Champaign
• Niagara Falls, NY: Spectacular! Side trip to Poland, Ohio, to visit Wynette and Jerry Stoner, whom we first met in Titusville, FL.

• East Lansing, MI: Capital of Michigan, Michigan State University
• Mackinaw City, MI: Long bridge to connect to Michigan Peninsula
• Sault Saint Marie, MI: Locks to connect Lake Superior to Lake Huron
• Marquette, MI: Boat tour on Lake Superior, superb views of stone layers, “Pictured Rocks”

• Duluth, MN: 4^th of July, lakefront setting
• Fargo, ND: Lowest unemployment in nation; Swanson Vitamins; Economic Development Agency – client of friend Tim Stearns; site of John Deere R&D; Bobby Vinton’s hometown
• Bismarck, ND: Rick Karlgaard, Forbes Editor, hometown. Capital of North Dakota. Shale Oil boom town. Beginning of high plains. Side trip to Pierre, SD: capital of South Dakota, 2^nd most attractive capital in the nation, (Sacramento CA is 1^st) and Mount Rushmore, SD, near Rapid City. Spectacular!

 

• Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming and Ivinson Mansion. Oddly stark & charming city
• Evanston, WY: Visited Rich Keeler, fraternity brother, took walk at nature center.
• Helena, MT: Capital of Montana
• Missoula, MT: Vibrant college town, University of Montana. Visited Paul Jannuzzi, former lead maintenance worker at Sequoia Communities.
• Kalispell, MT: A the north end of Flathead Lake. Charming. Near summer home of Sunnyvale, CA neighbors, Dean and Gerry Cummings.
• White Fish, MT: Rode gondola, Spectacular views! Upgraded to suite for $10. (Shelley on the gondola)

 

•  Glacier National Park, MT: Drove the “Going-To-The- Sun-Road.”  Lunch at Lake McDonald Lodge. Spectacular!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Cour d’ Alene, ID: Took Christmas Card photo with Beamer by  the lake. Met Mike Harter’s financial advisor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Spokane, WA: Home of Whittier College; Sunnyvale, CA Pastor, Bruce Coleman’s alma mater, and Gonzaga University – great basketball program. Lovely riverwalk in downtown.
• Republic, WA: Stayed in modest motel. Forest fire smoke diminished the experience.
• Mount Baker, WA: Drove to the top. Bit of a grind. Limited vegetation. Some great views.
• Cape Flattery, WA: Stunning views of the Pacific. Drove through an Indian Reservation to get there.  We chatted with an airline pilot visiting from Argentina. 

 

Places We Would Revisit If/When Circumstances Permit

When we started the Border Tour, Shelley was 50 years old and I was 62. Today we are 68 and 80. Although this list is a lot shorter than the original tour, it would be a challenge to do now. We continue to prefer to drive.

• Charleston, SC: Charming, sophisticated; family and friends live there or nearby.  Visit Atlanta, GA enroute
• Bar Harbor, ME:  Charming, art galleries, Boston, MA and friends enroute
• Fernandina Beach, FL: Charming, unique, not far from Jacksonville. FL and friends
• Titusville, FL: Personal connection, near Kennedy Space Center, Disney World, friends and family
• Carmel, CA: Our favorite place on the Pacific Coast
• Coronado Island, CA:   Charming, unique, next to San Diego, visit son Brad and his family in Tustin, CA enroute
• New York City, NY: Dynamic, great people, New York Yankees, visit friends who live nearby
• Virginia Beach, VA:  Neptune Festival, great people, friends who live nearby
• Washington, DC: Dynamic, our nation’s capital, friends and family who live nearby
• Victoria, BC: Charming. Enroute, visit son Wes and family, Capella by the Sea, and family & friends in Oregon and Washington.
• Duluth, MN: Great Lakes setting, Visit Chicago, IL and friends enroute,

 

PS: “Inland Favorites” we would like to see again

• Lawrence, KS: Personal connection, “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk KU!” KC Royals, visit daughter Ashley and family in Monument, CO enroute, and friends in Kansas and Missouri
• Yosemite National Park, CA:  Awahnee Hotel, Merced River. Chapel. Our favorite place in the Sierra
• Sequoia National Park, CA:  Wuksachi Lodge.
• Lake Tahoe, CA:  South Lake Tahoe attractions. Graegle CA and Plumas-Eureka State Park, one hour north of Truckee, CA on SR 89
• Phoenix, AR: Sonora Desert Museum, friends and family, Tucson, AR nearby.