I couldn't take the heat a couple days ago when my air conditioning brokedown, so I booked a hotel room 50 miles down the road until repairs could be made. It amazed me the excitement I felt from that puddle jumper trip. Now I have this urge to travel that I haven't had for awhile.

My sister provided the transportation this time, but if my coming eye surgery is a success, I'm going to be able to get myself somewhere on my own once again. I can hardly wait to just get out and go! What a feeling it is. I'd like to experience little hops all the way up to the Great Lakes. That is where I am from and I want to cruise those lakes once I get up there and see the harbors and ships again of my youth. Wow, I can hardly wait!!!!

I once made a model of my home port. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to make another model before all is done. I don't care how long the trip takes ... I figure three hours on the road a day would be good enough progress ... time to see a thing or two and then rest a bit before the next sunrise and jump up the road. Oh I am so excited about the prospects of it!

There are some great spots on the North Shore that I always loved! I even took my wife there on our honeymoon as we are both avid campers and hikers.

Not sure wich area of the Great Lakes your from but if your in the MN area check out Millacs Lake. I went canoening there with my wife and the water was so clear, its fed by an underground spring! I saw the fish swimming under us and I could see each scale on it!

Just got back from India myself and that was so much fun I want to go again real soon.

My good friend got excepted to school in the Oxford shire area and we plan to go mountain biking and camping in Scotland (yup land of the wet) and tour the Scotch distilleries there next summer.

Millacs is that HUGE BLUE spot on the Minnesota map. I went there in August.

I've spent half my life in Minnesota and the other half in South Dakota with a brief stint in Texas.

I remember taking Amtrak from Fargo ND to Portland OR and there was this girl from Manchester that just could not comprehend the great plains and how large, empty, expansive (and for me depressing) it is. She kept stammering on how it kept going on and on. I told her to visit Kansas if she liked it.

There's a fine line of hills and trees and beautiful country that lies south of Interstate 80 in Nebraska to a hop north of I-70 in Kansas. Otherwise, north and south of that strip is mostly grasslands and empty plains.

It's not depressing as much as there's not a lot there because farmers/feedlots are the only things that can survive out there (and even they aren't doing very well lately).

If you like mountains, head to Banff Canada. At Lake Louise, there's this 10 km hike up to the plain of 6 glaciers. There's a tea house there that has the best damn tea and Peanut Butter Sandwiches. Yup, they have to hike in all the food and water to this remote location.

Is it the best tea? After a 10km hike it is!

Thanks Arabin, but I'm denser than you thought. I still don't understand it. I heard some noise ... but what was it? Would you tell me plainly what it is suppose to mean?

Well, the surgery on the right eye is a success this time! Already I can see thru it and the vision was much improved from yesterday even. I also am seeing colors more brightly. The doc told me the sight will continue to improve.

The road trip is going to happen and I thank God for this chance to see home again and all points inbetween.

Sacretis and Arabin, I'll let you both know if I get into your neck of the woods. It'll be some time since I travel in smaller increments than is usual, and will be spending a lot of time on the Great Lakes and in my home city before making other trips.

Thank you both for your kind words. It sure is great to see with both eyes again. And the right arm is almost healed too. The incident that damaged both arms was shear stupidity on my part. I have learned to be more careful and recognize that I do have limits even though I feel great.

I had played same soccer with my great grandson (about a thirty minute game) and survived that, so his jungle gym seemed doable too when he asked me to join him ... NOT! Let me tell you, that was fifty shades of pain! Any more and I'd have been floating above myself I think.

Yep, learned a lot that day. Like we all have limits and there is no shame in admitting it to yourself now and then. Like, growing old gracefully is only part of it ... doing it SMARTLY helps even more!