Closing in On the Wizard

Day Two, and another odd animal siting! I think this was a coyote trotting across I-70. It was not a dog, and was not a wolf. What will tomorrow bring, an elephant?

I made a side trip to visit one of the "41 Covered Bridges at Exit 41" in Indiana. 40 were north of I-70 and one was south. The southern one won because it was accompanied by Cataract Falls (see photo). I never did make it to any of the others, but this might be a place to come back to.

My truck is getting 20 MPG highway, and I'm very pleased. Plus, diesel is quite a bit cheaper than gas here. At one stop, diesel was $2.65 and unleaded 87 was $2.98. Quite a difference!

Current location: Outside Kansas City. Tomorrow I arrive at New Horizons!

Off to See the Wizard

Day One on the trip to Kansas! Mostly a boring drive, but the satellite radio makes a HUGE difference. Not having NPR fade out just as it gets interesting was wonderful!

I did see an odd "future road kill" at Big Pool -- a wild turkey crossing the road (I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere). Never seen THAT before! He did manage to waddle to safety this time, but I do think his days are numbered if he doesn't get a few smarts about traffic (I should have taken him with me -- maybe the Wizard will give him some?). I also saw a hawk perched right next to the road in West Virginia. Too bad there was no place to pull off.

Tulips are in bloom at Sideling Hill, and spring has come to the rest areas in Ohio (photo).

Current location: Indiana (but just barely)

The End, and a New Beginning

Today I am a Retiree. Almost, anyway -- I have the length of service and the age (today IS my birthday, but I've barely thought of it -- it got lost in the shuffle), but I will be working 2 more days. I had what turned out to be an almost magical retirement party on Friday night, and I can't thank those that coordinated the party and those that attended enough. I am truly appreciative, and one of the luckiest people on the planet to have such good and talented friends and co-workers.

On Thursday, my co-workers also threw a luncheon for me -- theme: the food of America! I was given a lovely bouquet at the end, and the Alstroemeria photo is from that bouquet.

Next stop: Kansas, to pick up the RV. Thanks Nancy for the "ruby slippers" -- I may need them!