3 Mechanics: 2 Babes: 1 Rig

Woke up this morning to a big Hallelujah!! The torsion bar is in. Everybody scream....ahhhhhh!!!!! Very excited, J' was off to get it before I even had the bed made. It's going to be a big day! J' walked down to Wayne's to chatty Cathy it up before going to the mail place. The two boys went down to get the part but it wasn't in yet, so they came back to our rig for a bit, taking parts of the van off to get it ready for the big day.

[caption id="attachment_1912" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Getting Joon ready[/caption]

Since it is Saturday, we only had about an hour and a half window before they closed, so we had all our fingers & toes crossed hoping it would get there before that happened. About 25 minutes later, the boys were back in Gigi (Wayne's truck) to get the torsion bar...it will be there this time!

And...it was!

[caption id="attachment_1913" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Longer & Better than the old one![/caption]

J' had a lot of work cut out for him for the day...I try to help but always just end up getting in the way so he lets me sit and take pictures and keep an eye on the 'Bug! Hooray, haha.

[caption id="attachment_1915" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Working Hard & Hardly Working...what a pair![/caption]

J' decided to put the shackles on today too, since we had the rig pulled apart. Also very helpful, was Wayne with his 20 different kinds of jacks...it would have been hell trying to do all of this without those things.

[caption id="attachment_1914" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Jacked up![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1916" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Rusty Shackleford[/caption]

Around 3 p.m. or so, J' started back working on the torsion bar...the shackles took a bit of time, just then we had another visitor approach camp! Looked like we were having a Pit Crew Party! haha Our newest friend, Jim, was coming to say good-bye....little did he know he was about to get down, dirty and closer to the action than he probably wanted!

[caption id="attachment_1917" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pit Crew Partay[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1918" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Next time, he'll call before coming over, haha[/caption]

Jim was pretty handy with giving J' a big hand under and on top of the van, along with having some wooden boards for the jacks. We were very fortunate today...not only for the part coming in on time, but for good friends that stop everything they are doing to help a couple of "crazy kids" out, like ourselves! A HUGE THANK YOU TO WAYNE & JIM for being selfless, thoughtful and so very helpful today. We really couldn't have done half of what we did today without you.

[caption id="attachment_1926" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Daddy's little helper[/caption]

 We finished up with everything right around sunset! Woo Hoo!! After everyone left, we loaded everything up into Joon...only took an astonishing 20 minutes, instead of the hours and days in Shaver Lake, and headed out to see how she rolled and get a bite to eat...for celebration of course! You really don't know how great it feels to have wheels rolling underneath you until you're immobile for 10 days...it's quite the feeling! We went straight to Little Caesar's Pizza for a $5.00 Pepperoni Pizza and chowed down right there in the parking lot. It was definitely the best pizza we had all day! What a great day, a great feeling and great friends! Our bellies are full now and we can go anywhere we want...it feels good to be free again!

Have you freed yourself today?

PEACE

Driving to the end of the Earth

Today is the longest day of the year! Good day for lots of sunlight to drive. We've been driving forever, it seems. We drove from Bill & Beth's house to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

[caption id="attachment_1004" align="aligncenter" width="300"] So much hope![/caption]

We were going to get a hotel room for a night in Atlantic City but after driving the town, getting numbers, calling the hotels, finding rates and looking at our surroundings, we decided against it. First, the hotels we could afford were scuzzy and shady and they didn't accept pets, so Nana would have to sleep in Joon Van...uh, NO!

[caption id="attachment_1005" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Not in my worst nightmare[/caption]

Second, the hotels that had better parking and allowed pets started at $139.95+ tax + pet deposit a night, some even went up to $360...for ONE NIGHT! Plus the hotels that allowed pets don't want you leaving your pet 'unattended' (meaning leave it in a crate when you leave). Before making our final decision we thought we would walk the Boardwalk a bit to see if we would be missing out on anything really big. We parked at a meter, put in 4 hours of change and off we went. The weather was nice, we both had on jeans and long sleeved shirts...pretty windy, cold in the shade, nice in the sun. We walked a good 2-3 miles of the "Worlds Longest Boardwalk". I read in a' Fun Facts of New Jersey' Pamphlet, the Boardwalk is 4 1/2 miles long but then saw somewhere else that it was 6 miles...not sure which one is true but anyway ya slice it, it's long!

There is a ton of stuff going on; mini golf, bars on the beach, bars on the boardwalk, restaurants, shops, the beach itself, small and large casino's and even a little historical park.

[caption id="attachment_1007" align="aligncenter" width="300"] La Playa[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1008" align="aligncenter" width="225"] A 'little bit' of History[/caption]

We even saw some hookin' going down...with no pants on...maybe that's why she was hookin' to go get some pants! haha

[caption id="attachment_1010" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Help this poor girl, she lost her pants![/caption]

We popped in a few of the bigger Casino's, like Bally's and Trump Plaza, to look at some tables and ended up walking out with a Starbuck's instead. We enjoyed the walk and the sights and decided against the hotel this time around. That night we found a Flying J to sleep at, we Love them!

 Seems like since we left New Jersey, that next morning, we've just been driving...oh wait, that is all we've done!

**Sidenote: If you are traveling Northeast, especially up to, around and through New Jersey, be ready to pay some tolls. I took note of every toll we paid in a day and a half and it came out about .15 cents under $30.00. So be prepared!**

[caption id="attachment_1013" align="aligncenter" width="300"] World's Longest Double Suspension Bridge~ Delaware[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1014" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Needing sunglasses on Sidling Hill[/caption]

We stopped in Ohio and we were going to find some parks to hang at for a couple of days like we did in North Carolina, but when we got out of the van to get gas, the heat and humidity was so overwhelming we chose to catch some zzz's and get on with it the next day.

Yesterday morning, we stopped at a rest area and got on the internet and made a plan of going to Roswell, New Mexico for the UFO Festival that's happening June 29-July 1. We punched it into the GPS and started on our way. Hours later we stopped for some ice and to make something to eat and it was at this time, sitting in an uncovered parking lot in the van with fans on and windows open, we changed our minds about going to Roswell...the middle of the freakin' desert in the middle of summer! If it was this hot here (Indianapolis, Indiana), we were sure to be twice as hot there. We got the map back out along with our trusty computers to look at temperatures across the United States...now we're thinking with our noggins! After looking and talking we put a finger on Wyoming~ the temps right now are mid 60's during the day and can get down to the 30's at night. We would definitely be cooler, no doubt. We know it's hot everywhere right now, so we thought this would be a nice change. So...we are driving. We have gone through two time changes already and are just at 740 miles for the day. We've driven through: Peoria, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Des Moines, Iowa (where we stopped at the Worlds Largest Truckstop...don't be jealous), and Omaha, Nebraska.

[caption id="attachment_1018" align="aligncenter" width="300"] We have arrived, haha![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1016" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Got to sit in her...whoa nelly is she big![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1017" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Something out of King of the Hill[/caption]

Since it's the longest day of the year AND we are driving West AND we woke up not knowing of one time change and then hit another time change, it has definitely made this day never-ending. BUT we have gotten a large majority of our trip out of the way. J' is such a trooper, he's been driving 98% of the time, but I was able to give him a break today for a good solid three hours. I'm trying to help, I just get totally freaked out driving with these big trucks, high speeds and curvy roads that he usually can't stand to sit next to me "screaming" and going 10 miles slower than the speed limit...haha but I am still trying to help!

Until next time travelers...

PEACE

Flying high, Singing low

Well since I'm writing down notes these days this post might be a little jumbled but you're gonna get that with me...so get used to it! haha Let's see we worked our way up to Cedar Island, NC to jump on another Ferry to Ocracoke.

[caption id="attachment_1288" align="aligncenter" width="300"] To Cedar Island we go![/caption]

The ferry was $15.00 and was about a 2 1/2 hour ride. Savannah was able to get out on this one and she loved the wind and ocean smells in her nose!!

When we got to Ocracoke we jumped right on another Ferry to Cape Hatteras. Lucky we got to that Ferry when we did because it was the last one of the night and about 40 minutes (this one was free).

 When we got off of the Hatteras Ferry, it was dark and we were tired so we looked for somewhere to park and sleep. We drove for a good hour and really found nothing. We didn't really want to pay to sleep so we searched until we found a big open parking lot on the beach, right next to the main lighthouse (black & white striped). There was a faded sign that had a tent with a line through it but at this point we didn't care, we were so tired...but we were ready for a knock on the van at anytime. We woke up the next morning around 7 or so and fist-bumped to a successful sleepover...then a man in an unmarked SUV knocked on the side of the window. J' started getting dressed and Savannah was barking, at this point nothing had been said. He knocked again and I said, "Hold on just a second." The guy bolted out of there so quick..it was strange but we thought maybe it was either 1- Citizen's Patrol, 2- Someone wanting directions or 3- Someone who wanted to rob the van, not knowing anyone was in there. We didn't hang around any longer to find out, so we got up and moved on. We drove up The Outer Banks to Kitty Hawk where the Wright Brothers took their first flight. We paid the $8.00 to get into the Memorial, getting there right in time for a 25 minute presentation on the Wright Brothers. It was very informative and neat to hear that story.

[caption id="attachment_1301" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Model plane of the First Flight[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1302" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Two # 1's in the same place, haha[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1303" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Grown men...and kids capturing flight of their own![/caption]

  We walked around for just a little bit due to the wind...no wonder they went there. Oh, we also found out that Kitty Hawk is the 6th windiest city in the Nation, we were able to endure that ourselves! From Kitty Hawk we drove up to Virginia where we stayed at a Flying J. I'll say it again and again, we LOVE them.

The next morning we had glorious, glorious showers and even had coffee (decaf for me). We left and drove through Washington and actually ended up driving through Washington D.C. neighborhood style... we turned off the highway on the wrong road and totally got "lost" and turned around in every not so great looking 'hood in D.C. and a crap ton of traffic, for a good 45 minutes. From the road I was still able to get good pics of the Capitol and the Washington Monument, so I was happy.

[caption id="attachment_1307" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Washington Monument from pretty far away[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1308" align="aligncenter" width="300"] One of the better neighborhoods.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1309" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Whizzing by at 65 mph, thank you very much![/caption]

After getting out of the crazy D.C. traffic we headed to Maryland to visit with J's mom and her hubby and decided we would visit with them for a few days. Bill, her hubby, drove us to go see "the tall boats/ships"~ an antique boat show Baltimore holds every year. Unfortunately they had not arrived yet...we were a day early but we were able to see Baltimore from a distance, looks like a cool place. Beth (J's mom) & Bill go to a quaint little pub near their home a few times a week to eat and watch the karaoke singers so we headed over there to start the night. We had a massive dinner, their cheese-steak subs are huge. I had trouble eating most of mine, not because of the size but because they put jalapenos on mine and this girl just don't do spicy! It was good none the less. Beth & Bill had their fishbowls, a pretty big concoction of fruity juice and alcohol!

[caption id="attachment_1312" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A Family Affair[/caption]

 We met a ton of people and I made up 3 years of not going out by getting to sing 7 songs...it was a blast! Next day, we hung outside on their back porch and just caught up, it was really nice. We also were able to get some things done; J' fixed a step on their back patio stairwell, charged up one of the GZ batteries, and fixed the radio~ it cut out, for some reason, the day we drove in and he tinkered on some other little things on Joon.

As for me, I caught up on uploading my videos for all my peeps out there, published a few posts & groomed the Nana Bug; teeth, ears, nails. We watched some T.V. and hung out the rest of the day. Around 7 p.m., we left to hit the Horseshoe Pub again. We had dinner and I sang one more song, we then left as I was not feeling well at all.

[caption id="attachment_1314" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I ❤ Karaoke![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1316" align="aligncenter" width="300"] ...'til next time.[/caption]

We said our good-byes and are on the road again.
J' & I were dancing with the sheep by 11p.m.

Next stop...Atlantic City!
PEACE

Destination...anywhere

Let's get on this ride already!