OFF TO SEE AMERICA

Our new van amazes us as we begin our tour. Unlike our VW camper everything works! Our first leg took us to Lake Wales, Florida. Many of my relatives settled there in the 70's because of the Singing Tower, Spook Hill, and the opportunities to enjoy unique cultural experiences.
This afternoon the locals are going to try to set a Guinness World Record of having the most dogs married at one time.

I wish I was making this up.
Fortunately we are leaving this morning and besides, Pi enjoys being single and intends to stay that way.

DAY TWO

The next day we headed north, visited friends in Gainesville, then tried stealth camping by a North Georgia lake.

Before dawn we drove eighty miles to breakfast with the ghosts at Chickamauga Battlefield.

A relative of mine, Henry Hawk, died there in the one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Havoc returned two months ago when tornadoes ripped through the valley. Just south of Chattanooga we saw splintered trees, crushed houses and heard the stories that went with them,. We were told that dozens had died in the storm. While sad it seemed small compared with Chickamauga's 47,000 casualties.

Three hours later we were descending into the caverns of Mammoth Caves National Park in central Kentucky.

Its evening now and we discovered that Austin, Indiana, has nothing in common with it counterpart in Texas.

Oh well, I can always blog.

Monday Morning

We wake up on the outskirts of Seymour, Indiana. The day is filled with possibility. A brochure says a local art center has the world’s largest collection of paintings by singer John Mellencamp.  
Sorry John, we've got to keep movin'.