The title is misleading; I’m only posting my journal on the blog for the 4th time. With family and in particular our adult children reading along, I’m reluctant to share everything Mike and I have done under the stars. Perhaps I’ll add the rest of the journal under an alias in an upcoming book? Something to think about.
We explored San Angelo State Park this afternoon; unique in that most of it appears to have been underwater not so long ago. The OC Fisher Dam is almost 8 miles long! There are huge sections of dried river bottom mixed with areas that appear lush with thick sections of cactus and brush. It’s strange to see long boat ramps without water nearby. We watched a large pack of deer, a couple of roadrunners, and a lone bison stared at us with some interest as he ate a cactus. As of today, we have been on the road for two months. It’s unbelievable to think of all the places we’ve been and how the landscape has changed among the states we’ve crossed. We have yet to reach the desert, but we’re not far. Yesterday the road went from mountains to flat land stretching for miles, and the only trees were a few clustered around an occasional house. Just a few hours east is Austin, we saw homes sprinkled heavily across the cliffs overlooking the enormous Texas Colorado River. I already miss our bike rides on the rollercoaster-like trails of Mckinney Falls State Park and the Galveston coastline. Watching the trees change over the last few states has been of great interest to this tree hugger! Live Oaks are my favorite, and I’ve enjoyed seeing so many of them throughout Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and even a bit into Louisiana. Avery Island’s Jungle Garden owned by The Tobasco Company is a place I would fly in for a weekend to enjoy again. The battleships in Mobile, and Blakeley State Park were historic reminders of war, decisions, and strategies that unfortunately are eerily similar to today’s headlines. The ocean sand and snow at Panama City Beach, the baby manatee that was almost close enough to kiss, kayaking on the Ichetucknee River, the first Spring I saw in person and instantly cried; these have been majestic steppingstones venturing us off into this fantasy I am living, a dream I’m having while awake. Reminiscing over the last two months has left me breathless, as I can’t fathom to even imagine what’s yet to come. Of course I also might be breathless because I’m currently fighting a respiratory infection, but that’s a mere technicality. We leave rocks at each place we visit in memory of Daddy and Sheila. I’m glad we painted more than the 64 I intended, because it’s no longer the number of campsites we’re visiting this year; we’ve left rocks in several places in each town we visit. I envisioned Daddy saying something funny to the Bison we watched today, and I thought of Sheila riding the boat with us along the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Each place reminds me in some way of them. The blog does not leave enough room for us to add the videos we’ve created of where we place the rocks, so I’ve kept the collection of them on YouTube; search @susannesmith4855 if anyone is interested in viewing. It wasn’t until I looked back at the videos that I recalled the waterfall in Florida we had no idea even existed! There has been so much magic Mike has already shown me! The night before we travel to each destination has begun to feel like Christmas Eve. Eager to travel to see the next location, we set up the house quickly and jump on our bikes to explore the park as our new backyard. Magic Mike has yet to disappoint me and clearly has a career as a travel guide if he ever decides to go back to work. Until then, I’ll continue to bathe in this wonderland he has displayed before me.
Mike and Susy's Spirit of Discovery 
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