December 29, 2019. Home to Pensacola, Florida. Here we go again. This is our eighth trip in search of warmer climes during the winter months. This time, we are on Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola, Florida, for the month of January. We left home on the 27th and spent the first night in Jonesboro. Sadly, the "Welcome" sign which announced Jonesboro as my birthplace has fallen into disrepair. Well, to be truthful, it has disappeared altogether. To be completely truthful, there was never a sign to begin with. A prophet is not without honor save in his own country. The locals never appreciated me in Arkansas.
I have tossed in the usual dose of old barn pictures. There is also one of the dilapidated sign at the dilapidated Tally-Ho Motel in Thayer, MO. Annie, her sister and her parents once stayed there in the 1950s. At that time, the Tally-Ho advertised that it offered the largest outdoor motel swimming pool in the country. The pool is still there, just below the sign. Its dimensions are about 20 by 10 feet. It would be small for a backyard pool today. Giving the Tally-Ho benefit of the doubt, maybe there weren't many motels with pools in the 1950s. I would sure hate to think a hotelier would misrepresent the amenities of his holdings.
A trip through Jonesboro would not be complete without a picture of 1811 Greenwood, the residence of Max and Imogene for more than 40 years. There is also a picture of Gum Slough Ditch near Bay, Arkansas. Dad liked to brag that five generations of his family caught fish there. The only thing I ever caught there was chronic ear infections from the bacteria running off the cotton fields. I did learn to mud crawl there. It was the closest thing to a swimming pool near Trumann.
And then, there is the picture of 512 Kentucky (now Pine - I like Kentucky much better) in Trumann. This shot is taken from Speedway, looking across the vacant lot which was the Bettis residence and sawmill in the 50s. Mr. Bettis kept a couple of large draft horses to pull the large logs across his yard to the mill. I can still hear the blade screeching as it sawed through the logs, producing standard sized planks. It wasn't unusual for the workers to take a whip to the horses when the load was heavy. I remember feeling sorry for the horses. They were being made to pull more weight than they were able to pull. Dad liked Mr. Bettis, despite his disregard for his horses. He would often walk across the street on Saturday afternoons to visit with him and talk about the vagaries of the business world. Dad dropped out of school in the eighth grade and looked for knowledge from anyone who knew more than he did. It was Mr. Bettis who introduced Dad to the stock market. That served Dad well over his lifetime.
We spent last night in Meridian, MS. As we were traveling today, we heard weather reports that tornados might hit that area. Annie was happy to be in Alabama when she heard that report.
We are now in the first of two condos we've rented in Gulf Breeze, across the bay from Pensacola, FL. We will be here two weeks, then move down the hall to another condo. The first one faces the Bay separating the island from the mainland. The second one faces the Gulf.
The last time we stayed in Pensacola was on our honeymoon in 1968. Annie and I both suffered horrible sunburns from lounging on the white sand beaches. We will be more careful this time.
I will be back from time to time, so feel free to drop by for the latest in the exciting life of the Farkleys.
Goodnight.
October 24, 2019. $135, $500, $1200 to $2150. It snowed last night. The volume was far less than the 3-5 inches predicted. The ground was warm, so a lot of it melted as it hit the ground. We may have had two inches, total. It was pretty as it fell and it coated the yard and outside furniture in white.
September 16, I was driving in to work when a taxi veered into my lane and sideswiped the passenger side of my car near the rear wheel. It could have been much worse had I not been such an "excellent driver." I honked and swerved but was unable to avoid being struck. We were traveling at 65 mph. I very nearly hit the cable just off the left four-foot shoulder as I swerved to avoid the collision. The collision resulted in the paint being scratched in front of my passenger side rear wheel. But, the main impact was on the wheel, breaking off pieces of the rim. I reported the collision then drove to Bella Vista and to Colorado.
Four days ago, the VSA warning light came on my dash. We were able to get the car into Airport Automotive where a diagnostic test was run for $135. They discovered that the battery cable was corroded and disintegrating. That will cause a fault which sets off a number of error codes and warnings. Additionally, the break and transmission fluids were dirty and required flushing and replacement. All of this I approved. The hood supports weren't working, the rear tires were out of alignment and the rear window washer was out of order. The cost of repairs climbed to $500 and then to $1200. All of this because the Vehicle Stabilization Assist warning light came on.
The above work took place over two days while we drove a loaner car. Late yesterday we went to pick up our car and were told that the rear wheels could not be aligned. There were five different points that would not adjust into alignment. The certified master mechanic was able to correct three, but the control arm had been damaged in the collision and would not allow realignment of all points. However, the VSA warning light was off and I drove off expecting to have further repairs made when we arrived back home.
As we left the repair shop, it was snowing pretty hard and visibility was poor. It was rush hour and traffic was heavy. When I saw a gap in the traffic, I pulled out quickly and merged into the flow. I heard a ping, looked at the dash board and the VSA warning light was on. Two days, $1200 and the problem I had paid to fix was not fixed. So, I turned around and returned to the shop. We exchanged our car for another loaner and restarted for home. As I merged into the heavy traffic, I looked down at the dash of the loaner car and the engine warning light was illuminated. I am cursed.
It turns out that the control arm on the passenger side rear wheel needs to be replaced. Today, I authorized that work at an additional cost of $950 bringing the total to $2150. I hope that fixes the problem. The repairs should be finished this afternoon. We'll see.
If all goes well, we will drive the 600 miles home tomorrow. If it doesn't, we will drive home anyway and deal with the problem on our home turf. It has been an exciting, not to mention costly, finish to a relaxing trip. At the moment we have no plans for a January trip. I expect there will be one, probably to some place warm. And, probably in a different car.
That is a wrap for this trip. Thanks for stopping by to read about the Farkleys, on the road. I will be back in January, I think.
Goodnight.
October 23, 2019. Confrontation with Terror, Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak was, of course, discovered by Zebulon Pike, although he failed to reach the summit. Its highest point is 14,115 feet above sea level. It is the highest mountain in the southern front range and the highest mountain in the United States east of its longitude.
The information above comes from Wikipedia. I noticed that there, Pikes is without an apostrophe. Why, I wondered? Since it was named after Pike, it is his mountain. Pikes should be possessive. Puzzled, I asked Google. Google said, "The prevailing rule is that the possessive apostrophe is not permitted in place names." Another example is Harpers Ferry - no apostrophe. There. Never let it be said this blog is an empty vessel. You can actually learn stuff here.
Annie was not eager to drive the fourteener. The last time we did it, the road to the top was dirt. We were both surprised to find that, today, it has an asphalt surface. Annie is a trooper. She does not like looking to the side of the road and seeing an unguarded 2000 foot vertical drop-off. I got a lot of the hand motions where she extends her left arm, palm down, and raises and lowers her hand. I think that means slow down. Had I been going slower, the bicyclist we met along the way would have passed me, riding uphill.
The road to the top starts at Santa's North Pole. We have pictures of our first two daughters taken with Santa there in 1976. The drive to the peak is 19 miles from the Ranger Station. It didn't help Annie's nerves when the ranger told us they had snow plowed the top six miles that morning. It took about 45 minutes to get to the top. There was very little snow. It is the easiest fourteener I have ever summited.
The Park Service is building a new summit house at the top. There was heavy equipment moving rock and preparing the foundation for the new building. One of the "things to do" at the top is to eat one of the donuts from the kitchen. We were advised to eat it at the top because its molecular structure changes if you take it back down the mountain. If we had it to do over again, we'd have taken it down the mountain. Its changed molecular structure might have tasted better than it did at the top.
It was cold and windy at 14115 feet up. The wind howled at 30-40 miles per hour. That's the reason you can see only half my face in the photos above. I had my hat pulled down over my ears so it wouldn't blow away. Annie Farkley had her hood pulled so tightly there were times I had to lead her around. Only her nose protruded from her hood.
Annie posed with a big horn sheep for Emory's enjoyment. I posed with Big Foot. He is the one with the hat on.
I got more of the hand movement on the way down. I tried to get Annie to relax and enjoy the scenery out her window. Her eyes were glued on the road ahead with only an occasional fearful glance out the side window. I don't think she enjoyed the trip nearly as much as I did. Maybe she was looking out the windshield because she thought one of us should.
I will do one more blog, tomorrow and we'll head home Friday. Tomorrow's blog will deal with our car problems. After our second repair stop on this trip, our friend, Fred, advised that I "trade it in." I am beginning to think Fred is right. Although, I will have spent a lot of money making it right. Once I get it all fixed up, I hate to give it to someone else - know what I mean?
More tomorrow.
Goodnight.
October 21, 2019. US Olympic & Paralympic Training Center. The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo next summer. Many members of the USA team are now training at the US Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. American athletes train here in the following sports: boxing, cycling, figure skating, gymnastics, judo, pentathlon, shooting, swimming and wrestling. Most, if not all, of the indoor athletes train here. The outdoor athletes train in California and the winter athletes train in Lake Placid, NY.
The training center is located inside the city on an abandoned military base. The federal government seeded the land to the city and the city sold it to the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee for one dollar. Our tour guide, Paul, said the city has recovered the difference between the one dollar and its actual value many times. He said there are all sorts of supporting industries which came to town, bought property and hired employees to market their goods to the training site. I am not sure how you measure that, but that's what Paul said. Who am I to challenge it.
The center has housing for 150 athletes. Additionally, there are barracks which will house several hundred more. Athletes are selected to train here. Their lodging and meals are provided. A fair comparison would be full scholarships granted to college or university athletes.
The tour lasted about an hour and a half. We made a quick stop in the gift shop and bought a birthday gift for our youngest granddaughter. She is a very good swimmer and has entertained aspirations about the Olympics. The statue of the young woman in a swimming suit reminded us of her.
We had planned to drive up Pike's Peak tomorrow. Snow is predicted for Wednesday and Thursday. I expect the road to the top will be snow covered then. However, a warning light came on in the car so we have an appointment at the repair shop in the morning. I don't think it is anything serious but who knows how long the repairs will take. Too bad. Driving is the only way I'll make it to the top of another fourteener.
Goodnight.
October 20, 2019. The Air Force Academy. Today has been a wintery and blustery day in Colorado Springs. The temperature, when we were at the Air Force Academy, was 39 and the winds were blasting at 30-40 miles per hour. I wore four layers and a wool hat. It wasn't enough. But. as the pictures show, it didn't stop the cadets from being outside - in shorts. Those cadets are some pretty tough kids.
The pictures above begin with the Academy and end with youth soccer games being played at Cottonwood park. The park is about a mile from the house we are staying in. We've been walking in the park because it is the only level ground within 40 miles. Hills are not our friends. That's Pike's Peak in the background.
The Chapel dominates the landscape at the Academy. Unfortunately, it is undergoing repairs and updating which began last fall. Those repairs must be substantial because it will not reopen until November, 2022.
As we entered the Academy, there was an armed guard at the entry station. He appeared to be in his early 20s, probably a cadet. He asked for identification, so I handed him my federal ID. I expected him to look at my federal ID and call the Commandant to tell him there was a VIP at the gate. Maybe the Commandant would drive to the gate in a black sedan with American flags attached to the front fenders to welcome us and personally guide our tour. That didn't happen. The guard looked at my ID, handed it back to me, then asked if I had a drivers license.
While on our trip, we purchased six boxes of Lego blocks as Christmas presents for our grandchildren. Annie had covered the boxes with a coat to prevent some thieving miscreant from looking in, seeing the boxes and stealing them. He removed the coat and shook several of the boxes to insure they didn't contain - oh, I don't know, maybe explosives. I was beginning to worry that he might strip search me. That isn't a pretty thought. Finally, he handed my drivers license back to me and said, "Welcome to the Air Force Academy." Despite his words, I didn't feel very welcome. Next time I will offer my drivers license first.
The Academy is worth the time to drive through and walk around. Maybe the thing I liked most was the motto which is displayed in the visitors center, "We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor will we tolerate anyone among us who does." That is a pretty good rule for life.
So, if you get a chance to see the Academy, I encourage you to do so. If you do, and the guard asks for identification, just hand him your drivers license.
Goodnight.
