The van is ready for our road trip this month. We are headed to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. The beds are complete and everything works as intended - yay! We've got the mattresses in the van, the cook stove and portable propane tanks, and we've got the heater in there because it will be chilly! We'll camp for 5 nights and see the Ark and the Creation Museum. We'll also visit 2 news states, Indiana and Ohio. We'll get to color those in our US map! You can read more about this trip on this page. We can hardly wait! In the mean time, here are some shots of the interior of the van, ready for a road trip. [101]

Well, we just got home from our road trip to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. We took 864 pictures on this trip and we are in the process of sorting them out and getting them ready to post on the site. We had a wonderful time other than the drive today from Gatlinburg to home. The trip home was hectic as we encountered wrecks and other traffic delays. One detour we took was on a gravel road along side a stunning stream! Anyway, once we get rested we will update the blog and the site itself with the information about our trip. It will take us several days, if not longer, to get all this done so bear with us. [102]

We've started on organizing all the pictures we took on this road trip. We have to say, this was a fantastic trip and we really enjoyed ourselves. The weather was perfect the entire time, we had comfortable days in the upper 70s to mid 80s and the nights were in the upper 50s. We were able to sit out in our chairs in the evenings at the campgrounds and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of camping.

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Cynthia snapped a shot of me as we were driving and when I saw it I could only think of one thing... holy crap I have turned into an old man! Well, I am 53 years old now and certainly not getting any younger. The way I see it, this is how the Good Lord made me so who am I to complain.

Our first stop on the trip was Nashville to see the Music Row area and the store from the American Pickers TV show. If you click here you can go through the list of places we went to in Tennessee. Below is one of us inside Antique Archaeology. As of now, we have been to Pawn Stars, Rick's Restoration and Antique Archaeology... all from TV shows. [103]

One of the things Cynthia and I did on this recent trip was go horseback riding. I've been asked how I was able to go horseback riding with my injuries and whatnot. I reckon if a few are brave enough to ask, there are probably more who would like to know but are afraid to ask outright. It doesn't bother me when people ask about my injuries and I don't mind answering. So in this post I will share a little of what my life is really like... a peek behind the internet curtain if you will.

In reality, my life is not all bubbles and lollipops... but who the heck wants to read a blog about somebody's problems? Out of the last 100 times Cynthia has asked if I felt like going to the grocery store with her, or going out to eat with her, or any other ordinary activity, I would say I actually go about 10% of the time. The other 90% I just don't feel like it because of the pain I am in. It wasn't so horrible before my motorcycle accident in 2013, but now it is much more severe.

If it was just me, I would stay home all the time but that isn't fair to Cynthia. She already limits her activities because of me. I knew she really wanted to go horseback riding so I agreed. Yes, I knew it would be embarrassing, yes I knew it would hurt like the dickens but I also knew I could suck it up and endure all that to make her happy.

At the ranch, I used a platform that the horse walked up next to and the cowboys that worked there had to help me get on the horse. Nothing makes you feel like a man more than someone helping you get on a horse and swinging your leg over for you because you can't do it yourself (that was sarcasm). The saddle was hard and the ride was rough but in order to make some great memories with Cynthia, I put on a smile and took the best pictures I could. At the end of the ride, I had to be helped back off the horse. My butt hurt, my back hurt and my feet were killing me because it hurts to wear shoes. When we got back to the van, I immediately took my shoes off (which I always do). I checked the clock to see how long it would be before I could take any more pain medicine. I can only take it twice a day and I am already at the maximum dosage. 8am and 8pm are the times I look forward to so I can get a little relief.

I usually wake up every day between 4am and 5am because of the pain but I just have to deal with it until 8am. Imagine waking up every day feeling like your legs and feet are severely burned and there is nothing you can do about it. Yep, it sucks. I hate to complain though. It does no good and no one wants to hear it. We go to church every Sunday and Wednesday unless we are not home or the pain is just too severe. When I get to church, I have to take off my shoes and I don't stand to sing when everyone else does. I love going to church, it is the bright spot in my week and I hate to miss it.

I think that is enough on this topic to address the questions. If anyone else has a question on this subject, your are welcome to use the contact form to ask it. I'll put the internet curtain back up now and only show the smiles and the happy memories. After all, that's what the vast majority of our internet friends want to see. In summary, I will say this... I am blessed. I have a loving wife, a roof over my head and food to eat. I have everything I need and a little of what I want. One day this body will be gone and at the sound of the trumpet I will get a new one, an incorruptible one (1 Corinthians 15:52). That is the prize that I keep my eye on. [104]

Well, it looks like we will end 2016 with our state total at 30 and our National Park total at 21. Not too shabby. We got to pick up a few extra states this year along with a new National Park... and Lord willing, we will finish off the Northeast states in 2017. Here's is the wall map we use to keep track of our adventures together. [105]