Oh, Canada! - October 8-15, 2011

With some use or lose time on the line at work, the Biologist decided to take a Fall waymarking trip to Canada.  Unfortunately, the Marine couldn't go with her due to his full class schedule at the University of North Florida.  She couldn't let that stop her though, so she took off on her own for another great waymarking adventure.

Day 1:  The Marine took the Biologist to the Jacksonville, Florida, airport bright and early and off she flew to Syracuse, New York.  However, she didn't take the most direct route available.  Instead, she routed through Washington, D.C. and scheduled a 6-hour layover there in hopes of waymarking a very rare target in the United States.  Upon arriving in D.C., the Biologist quickly grabbed her backpack and wheeled computer case and hopped on the Metro at the National Airport station.  She got off at the Van Ness Metro stop to make her way to Rock Creek Park.  Not knowing the best route to take from the Metro station and unable to find a taxi, she decided to take the shortest route on foot, which, as is often the case, was not the best route to take.

ANWB Paddenstoel

She ended up on a busy two-lane road with a minimal shoulder area while pulling along her computer case.  Just before getting to a one-lane bridge, a kind man in a truck rolled down his window and asked if she needed a ride.  "No, that's okay, I only have two-tenths of a mile left to go," she replied.  Yikes!  This was not the smartest thing she'd ever done but she persevered all the while muttering under her breath that the darn target she was going after had better still be there.  And, alas, it was!  An ANWB Paddenstoel.  Sweet!  There are only seven of these in the United States, and the other six had already been claimed.  This one is located 0.9 miles from the Netherlands Embassy and was the first Paddenstoel placed in the United States.  Whew!  That one took some effort.  On an easier walk back to the Metro, she stopped and admired the newly restored Working Water Wheel at Peirce Mill and the Peirce Mill Springhouse.  Then back to the airport to continue her journey north.

Shop24 Machine

The next flight took the Biologist into Syracuse where she arrived at about 4pm and quickly rented a car and started making tracks for another rare waymark.  In 2009, Morrisville State College had a second Shop24 Machine installed on their campus in Morrisville, New York.  She found it without any trouble and enjoyed a short drive around campus to check it out and to visit the other Shop24 Machine that was installed in 2005.  What an excellent day for finding rare U.S. waymarks!  Then it was time to find a place to bed down for the night.  It was a few hours away, but the Biologist made her way to Rochester for the night so she would have a shorter drive the next morning and could get across the Canada border near Buffalo before it got too late.

Battle of Cook's Mill

Day 2:  Off to Canada today!  The Biologist got up early and made her way toward Buffalo along with a lot of Bills and Eagles fans.  She watched a group almost comes to blows at a rest area.  Wow, these fans are a bit rabid.  Anyway, after crossing over the Peace Bridge and answering the questions at the Canadian border crossing, the Biologist started making her way to the site of the Battle of Cook's Mill, a Canadian National Historic Site.  She passed a Welland Welcome Sign and a Welland Population Sign on the way and a Niagara Falls Population Sign on her way back.  After passing Niagara Falls and on her way to Niagara-on-the-Lake, she stopped and found the Marine Biologist team's first geocache in Canada, a virtual titled "The Other End of the Trail" that was also a Cairn waymark that she visited.

Inukshuk

After reaching Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Biologist stopped at Fort George and wandered around this very nice reconstruction of the Historic Fort.  Then onto the historic Butler's Barracks after a quick stop to take photos and coordinates for an Inukshuk in a nearby neighborhood.  At Butler's Barracks, she spotted a War Museum, two Boy Scouts Memorials, and a Non-Specific Veterans Memorial.  It was a beautiful day to wander through this historic site.

Ontario Provincial Plaque

Then it was time to move onto London, Ontario, where she planned to spend her first night in Canada.  After checking into the hotel, the Biologist made her way to the historic No. 5 Fire Hall, a Converted Firehouse that is also an Ontario Heritage Property.  Then onto the Dundas Street Centre United Church.  This Old Church, a Methodist Church, is also listed as an Ontario Heritage Property, and has a lovely Bell Tower and a Dated Cornerstone.  On the way to downtown Victoria Park, she spotted an Ontario Provincial Plaque about Harold A. Rogers, the founder of Kinsmen & Kinette Clubs of Canada.

London War Cenotaph

The first stop the Biologist made in Victoria Park was the striking London War Cenotaph, a Canadian Legion Memorial Cenotaph.  After paying tribute, she walked over to the nearby St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica, an absolutely amazing Catholic Cathedral with two Bell Towers, a Unique Steeple, and three lovely Doorways of the World.  This Old Church, which has its own Wikipedia listing and a Dated Cornerstone, has several Gargoyles guarding its entry.  By now it was getting to be late afternoon and time to start wrapping things up for the day.  After a few more stops, it was time for dinner, some posting of waymarks for new icons, and sleep.

St. Peter's Cathedral Gargoyle

Canadian Benchmark

Day 3:  This morning it was time to start moving west.  The Biologist decided to take some back roads toward Toronto rather than the freeway and was very glad she did.  While passing through the rural town of Innerkip, she spotted a Canada Post Office.  Then further along the way she spotted two Inukshuks for the Milton Heights Campground.  How excellent!  Next was the beautiful Humber Arboretum.  It was a perfect day for a stroll through this lovely garden, and the Biologist spotted a Canadian Benchmark while wandering though it.

She finally reached Toronto and stopped at the Black Creek Pioneer Village where she spent a bit of time admiring the historic structures and re-creations, including a Blacksmith Shop, Old Mill, Working Water Wheel, and One Room Schoolhouse.  Then further on into Toronto where she found another Canadian Benchmark in Corby Park, which has a lovely Rose Garden.  It was getting late by this time, so the Biologist continued heading east and stopped for the night in Napanee.

The Holy Well

Day 4:  Today's primary goal was visiting the small village of Mount St. Patrick and its wonderful Holy Well.  So the Biologist headed north out of Napanee and passed the Artistic Welcome Sign for the town of Renfrew.  Then onto Mount St. Patrick.  After paying homage at the Holy Well and giving thanks for a safe journey, the Biologist started the long drive to Montreal.


Day 5:  Montreal is a scary place to drive.  The Biologist started to do a little exploring after checking into the hotel late yesterday afternoon, but the traffic was horrendous and she chickened out after about 8 miles and went back to the hotel, but not before stopping and finding a geocache in Quebec.  This morning, after checking out of the hotel, she decided to head to the quaint little town of Chambly before making her way back to the United States.

Mairie de Chambly Marker

Chambly was a wonderful place to visit and was filled with lovely historic buildings and scenic water views.  It was also a great place to find Quebec Historical Markers, including ones for Marie de Chambly, Le Couvent des Soeurs de la Congrégation de Notre-Dame, Caserne de pompiers de Chambly-Bassin, and L'église Anglicane de St. Stephen (St. Stephen's Anglican Church) which had a Churchyard Cemetery with some impressive Mausoleums and a Broken Column Headstone.  After stopping for a few more Quebec Historical Markers along the way, the Biologist made her way to the Canada-United States border.  It took a bit longer for her to get back into the United States than it did to get into Canada, but the wait wasn't too bad.  She had a great few days in Canada, but was happy to be back on U.S. soil.


She had hoped to stay the night at a Hampton Inn in Plattsburgh, New York, but there was no room at the inn so she kept on going and took the back roads over to Watertown.  Along the way, she spotted numerous unclaimed New York Historical Markers, a cool Bear Statue and Neon Sign at a restaurant in Malone, and a Worldwide Cemetery.

Cobblestone Building in Cemetery

Day 6:  Today the Biologist rolled back into Syracuse where she planned to stay for the next two nights.  Today she spent most of the day wandering around back roads north and east of Syracuse and found several historic Worldwide Cemeteries where she found many Zinc Headstones waiting to be claimed!  They came in all shapes and sizes and were quite beautiful.  She also found a Woodmen of the World Headstone and several more New York Historical Markers.  While in Altmar, she spotted a sign for the Salmon River Fish Hatchery, where she took a tour of the facility.  It was quite interesting!  She also stopped to see the historic Riverside Cemetery in Altmar and spotted a darling little Cobblestone Building, a Civil War Memorial, and a Non-Specific Veterans Memorial.  Both memorials are listed in the Smithsonian Art Inventory.  What a nice surprise!

Am. Rev. War Grave

In the historic Fairview Cemetery, she spotted an old Hand-operated Water Pump and a Citizen Memorial on the shelter protecting the water pump.  In the 7th Township Cemetery, she found six American Revolutionary War Soldier Graves.  Then on into Cleveland, where the Biologist stopped in a small park with a lovely Gazebo that was built as a 9/11 Memorial.  After stopping to take photos of a Cobblestone House in Cleveland, she next spotted a sign with a Kilroy Was Here character!  Wow, she sure didn't expect to come across something like that.

Kilroy Was Here!

Trinity Episcopal Church

Next came Bernhards Bay, where St. Leger's Army (denoted by a New York Historical Marker) passed during the American Revolution, and an Out of Place Grave in a lakeside park.  In the town of Constantia was the rustic old Trinity Episcopal Church.  This Old Church is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and has a Churchyard Cemetery.  The Biologist's next and final stop for the day (before calling it a night in Syracuse) was the city of Brewerton, where she visited a Fireworks Tree, explored the former site of Fort Brewerton and its Blockhouse History Museum and Historical Society Headquarters.   The fort site and its original earthworks are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.  The final waymark of the day was a Neon Sign for Fran's Florist in Brewerton.  Whew!  This was a busy day with lots and lots of waymarks.

Fran's Florist Neon Sign

Hitching Post

 Day 7:  With only today left before catching a flight home, the Biologist decided to once again travel the back roads, this time down to Cortland.  She again stopped at several Worldwide Cemeteries and spotted many more Zinc Headstones.  There were also more unclaimed New York Historical Markers to read, including one for the Birthplace (Childhood Home) of Francis B. Carpenter, a famous painter of Abraham Lincoln giving his Emancipation Proclamation, and another for the Birthplace (Childhood Home) of William Osborn Stoddard, assistant secretary to Abraham Lincoln during his first Presidential term.  Both these markers were in the village of Homer, which had a couple of Historic Hitching Posts.

Two Zinc Headstones

After reaching Cortland, the Biologist decided to make a quick stop by the State University of New York to find the new Shop24 Machine there.  She decided not to post it since they are such a rare find, but to be ready to visit it as soon as someone else posted it.  After a couple more stops at old Cemeteries and waymarking more Zinc Headstones, it started to rain.  Time to head back to the hotel in Syracuse and a little down time before tomorrow's trip home.

Day 8:  Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end.  It was a fantastic trip, and the Biologist found 11 new icons for postings and 1 new icon for a visit during the week.  These were for the following categories:  ANWB Paddenstoelen, Shop24 Machines, Canadian National Historic Sites, Ontario Provincial Plaques, Ontario Heritage Properties, Inukshuks, Canadian Legion Memorials Cairns and Cenotaphs, Canada Post Offices, Canadian Benchmarks, Holy Wells, and Quebec Historical Markers, and a new icon for a visit to a Cairn.  Sweet!

Westward Ho! - August 5-12, 2011

With the Marine's break between summer and fall classes approaching, the Biologist saw an opportunity to get away on a waymarking adventure.  After a little bit of thought, she chose Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado as the destination locations.  Kansas and Colorado were the only two States in the continental United States where we hadn't yet found caches.  Also there were a few waymark categories the Biologist needed icons for.  So we made our reservations and off we went.

Day 1:  We flew out of Jacksonville, Florida, bright and early and made our way to Omaha, Nebraska, with one stop in Memphis.  As we were approaching Omaha, we spotted massive flooding along the Missouri River.  I-29 and many homes, farms, and businesses were under water.  Wow, we didn't realize the flooding was still a problem in this area or that the flooding was so extensive.

Sokol Omaha

After picking up our rental car, we took off to our first goal, Sokol Omaha, an historic Sokol Center in town. According to the Dated Cornerstone, it was constructed in 1926.  Next we headed to BrewBurgers, a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, for a bite of lunch.  The Marine ordered the Cheesy Sacramento Burger and the Las Vegas Fries, and the Biologist ordered the Vegetarian Burger and Homemade Cole Slaw. We also order the Spanish Onion Rings as an appetizer. We've been to numerous restaurants featured on DDD, and this was by far our least favorite. The food was either flavorless or had an odd flavor to it. Although the woman who served us was very friendly and attentive, we definitely won't be going back. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Marker

After lunch, we headed to the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, a Worldwide Cemetery.  No, no, the food wasn't quite THAT bad; we just wanted to read the Nebraska Historical Marker about the cemetery and see if there were any interesting headstones.  The cemetery is believed to be Nebraska's Most Beautiful Cemetery, and it was Superlative for certain.  In the cemetery we found a Headstone for a Centenarian, a Civil War Monument within a Veterans Cemetery section, four pieces of Static Artillery, a Sundial, four Woodmen of the World Graves Markers (including one belonging to Joseph Cullen Root, the founder and first president of the Modern Woodmen of America organization), and a couple of lovely Mausoleums.  After leaving the cemetery, we decided to check into our hotel for night.

St. Cecelia's Cathedral

Day 2:  Before leaving Omaha, we decided to spend half a day wandering around town.  We found a few more Nebraska Historical Markers, including one for Malcolm X at the site of his birth home.  Adjacent to this Civil Rights Memorial is the Malcolm X Foundation headquarters.  We also stopped by the Historic Prospect Hill Cemetery to read the Nebraska Historical Marker located in this Worldwide Cemetery and came across several Zinc Headstones, a Broken Column Headstone, and four Woodmen of the World Grave Markers.  We next spotted St. Cecelia's Cathedral and stopped to take some photos of this beautiful Catholic Church and its Dated Cornerstone.  This Old Church is also listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places!  On the way back to the car, we spotted a Cycling Route sign!  All in all, a really good stop.  We also stopped at the Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church, which was located right next door to the Super 7 Doppler Weather Radar.  We stopped at several other locations before heading out of Omaha.

The Marine & the B-52

Our first stop outside Omaha was at Offutt Air Force Base to find a virtual cache.  As we approached the entrance to the base, the Marine was very annoyed to see a group of protesters who were protesting the bombing of Japan.  Maybe they would have felt differently if their grandfathers had died during the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor or while attacking the Japan mainland.  Then again, if their grandfathers had died, they probably wouldn't be here.  Anyway, the virtual was at a B-52, a Static Aircraft Display.

Our goal for today was to reach Topeka, Kansas, by dinner, but we took a little side trip to Gretna, Nebraska, to visit the gorgeous and peaceful Holy Family Shrine. It's a lovely location and well worth a stop if you're in the vicinity, and there's even a virtual cache here!

Holy Family Shrine

The Marine at the Holy Family Shrine

Bobo's Drive In Neon Sign

From the shrine, we backtracked a little to get back on our way to Topeka.  We passed through the Potawatomi Indian Reservation along the way.  Upon arriving in Topeka, we first stopped by the former Patty's Place restaurant, now Bill's Diner, which was featured in a 2006 Zippy the Pinhead comic strip.  It was a little early for dinner, so we kept on going and checked into our hotel.  After relaxing for a short time, we made our way to Bobo's Drive In, a restaurant featured on Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives in 2008.  The Marine had the Cheeseburger, Chili, and Homemade Apple Pie with vanilla ice cream, while the Biologist had their signature onion rings and a chocolate malt.  It was delicious!  Guy Fieri has redeemed himself after the BrewBurgers fiasco in Omaha yesterday!  After dinner, we drove around downtown Topeka and waymarked a few gorgeous churches and found several cool Neon Signs after dark on our way back to the hotel.

Old Dutch Mill in Wamego, Kansas

Day 3:  Today we headed west through the heartland of Kansas.  Our first stop was a Kansas Historical Marker about the town of St. Mary's, a nice small town with an Artistic Welcome Sign and an Oregon Trail Marker denoting the location of this famous Wagon Road and Trail.  As we passed through Belvue, Kansas, we spotted a little shrine along the side of Highway 24 and thought it might qualify as a Wayside Shrine, but alas it didn't.  We'll have to wait until we travel to Europe to find one of those.  We can't wait!  We also stopped for a virtual cache in Wamego, Kansas, at the Old Dutch Mill, which has a wonderful Windmill, as well as a Kansas Historical Marker about it.

Marine and Johnny Kaw

We meandered along the backroads of Kansas until we came to Manhattan where we spotted a fun Googie sign at Vista Hamburgers.  Then we went to the Manhattan City Park to visit Johnny Kaw, a 30-foot tall Statue of a Fictional Figure that was the subject of a Zippy the Pinhead comic strip in 2005.  That Pinhead sure does get around.  Anyway, in 1955 in an effort to get the public and the media interested in Kansas history for its centennial.  George Filinger, a Kansas State University professor, came up with the tall tale character of Johnny Kaw who used his cradle scythe to create the Kansas landscape, geography, and pioneer trails.

BOD Marker

Next we made our way to Ellis County to find some Butterfield Overland Dispatch Markers, one of our key goals for this trip.  We drove up and down the dirt roads that passed over the old trail and found several of the markers.  You had to pay close attention to spot them because they were designed to look like the historic stone fence posts in Kansas. Next we made our way to the city of Hays to bed down for the night.  As we drove into town, we spotted a Neon Googie sign for Al's Chickenette, which was featured in a Zippy the Pinhead comic strip in 2005.  Sweet!

Dodge City Silhouette Sculpture

Day 4:  Today we thought it might be fun to head to Dodge City, the old Wild West town where Wyatt Earp once served as an assistant marshal and which also served as the setting for the Gunsmoke television series.  However, upon arriving in Dodge City we were overwhelmed by the cattle stench from the stockyards.  OMG, it was really bad!  Soooo, needless to say, we got the hell out of Dodge as quickly as possible, but not until we'd taken a photo of a cool Silhouette Sculpture.  After leaving Dodge City, we spotted some interesting Kansas Historical Markers along the way though, including one that was the subject of a virtual cache.  It pointed out some old ruts along the historic Santa Fe Trail, yet another famous Wagon Road and Trail, still visible from the pioneer days.  How cool is that?

Hand-operated Sluice Gate

It wasn't long after we passed over the state line into Colorado that the Marine exclaimed, "Hey, I think that's an old Hand-operated Sluice Gate."  The Biologist, who had been looking down at the map on the laptop, jerked her head up and saw that he was right, so we pulled over.  Isn't the Marine amazing?!!!  A new waymarking icon!  Woo hoo!

Soon after we stopped for our first cache in Colorado, which was a virtual cache about Camp Amache, a World War II Japanese-American Relocation Camp.  We took a drive through the old Camp.  About all that remains are the foundations of all the buildings that were used to house the Japanese-Americans.  Next we passed through the town of Lamar where the Biologist found her first Colorado Historical Marker about the city of Lamar at the city's Colorado Tourist Information Center located in the historical Lamar Train Depot.  Outside the depot was a small Equestrian Statue, a Figurative Public Sculpture of a Pioneer Woman, a steam Locomotive, and a Windmill.  Cha-ching!  This place is a waymarking hot spot! It was getting late by this time so we made a beeline for Colorado Springs and called it a day.

Pike's Peak Cog Railway Train

Day 5:  Today we had reservations to take the Cog Railway to Pike's Peak.  After checking out the Penny Smashers at the depot for this Engineering Landmark, we hopped on the train and enjoyed the ride to the Mountain Summit.  A couple from Key West, Florida, was sitting across from us and we had a nice time learning about their retirement adventures during the trip.  By the time we got off the train at the 14,100-foot high peak, we were quite lightheaded and had a difficult time walking around.  Lack of oxygen will do that to you!  The Biologist convinced the Marine he should pose in the Photo Cutout of Pike's Peak bears at the summit.  We really enjoyed the beautiful, clear views in all directions and took a photo of the Elevation Sign before we had to board the train to head back down the mountain to Manitou Springs.

Neon Sign in Manitou Springs

In Manitou Springs, we spotted a few old neon signs that we couldn't resist stopping to photograph then we drove over to the Garden of the Gods, which our new Key West friends told us was a must-see while in the area.  They were absolutely right!  This place was absolutely gorgeous and reminded us quite a bit of our honeymoon in Nevada where we visited Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire.  It even had a huge Balanced Rock!

Garden of the Gods

Marine and the Balanced Rock

Overland Park Marker

By the time we finished wandering around the Garden of the Gods, it was mid-afternoon and time to start making tracks to Denver.  After checking into our Denver hotel, we grabbed a bite to eat then went and did a little exploring.  We found another Colorado Historical Marker and another virtual cache at the most unusual Sundial we had ever seen before.  It was located in the War Memorial Rose Garden, which had a lovely Fountain, a Gazebo, and a couple of Citizen Memorials.  After finding a Dairy Queen and getting a couple of Blizzards (yum), we decided to call it a night and headed back to our hotel.

Pawnee Woman's Grave

Day 6:  Today we needed to start making our way back to Omaha for our flight home on Friday.  We decided to spend a little time looking for a couple of virtual caches in the Denver area before heading out of town.  We decided to take some back roads through Kansas and were bored out of our skulls, so we decided to re-route and head north to Nebraska a little sooner than we had planned, because we just couldn't look at another corn field.  Yea, we crossed the border into Nebraska!  Toto, we're not in Kansas any more!  Thank goodness!  Unfortunately, there a lot of corn fields in Nebraska too, but at least there were some rolling hills and several Nebraska Historical Markers along the way.  Woo hoo!  Our favorite was the marker about a Pawnee Woman's Out of Place Grave.  After a long day of some of the most boring travel we've ever experienced, we decided to stop in Kearney for the night.

Day 7:  This morning we decided to wander around Kearney a bit before heading northeast to Omaha.  We stopped by the Kearney Cemetery, an historic Worldwide Cemetery, and spotted a Woodman of the World Grave Marker, two Broken Column Headstones, an Occupational Gravestone, a Firefighter Memorial, a Citizen Memorial, two Static Artillery Displays, and a Military Ground Equipment Display.  Wow!  Who would have thought there would be so much to see here?

Googie Sign

After leaving the cemetery, we started making our way to Omaha.  It wasn't long before we spotted a sign that said we were on the Lincoln Highway!  We didn't even realize it went through this part of Nebraska.  What a nice surprise.  Along this stretch of road, we spotted several Nebraska Historical Markers, some interesting Lincoln Highway sites, an old Neon Sign, a couple of cool Googie Signs, and a beautiful Roman Catholic Church and Cathedral.

With all our stops, it took a lot longer to get to Omaha than we had anticipated, but we still beat the rush hour traffic.  We checked into our downtown hotel and then went out and wandered along the riverfront for a little while, but part of the area was underwater due to all the recent flooding.  We even found a virtual cache while we were down there.  Then we made our way to a large downtown park where we walked around and looked at a few Fountains that would have been really interesting to see if they were running, an Architectural Remnant of the historic U.S. National Bank Building Arches, which are now Freestanding Arches, and a really fun piece of Artistic Seating in the shape of a frog with its tongue extended as though to catch a fly.  By this time it was getting late and time to head back to our hotel.

Day 8:  Today our vacation came to an end.  We made our way to the airport, turned in our rental car, and boarded our flight for home.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home...

The Marine's Great Escape - December 17-29, 2010

Time for our annual trip to Columbus, Ohio, to spend the holidays with the Marine's family.  Because the Biologist had her Great Escape in October/November, the Marine narrowly escaped having to drive the Biologist all over the New England States on the way to Columbus.  The only detour on this trip involved a short stop in the Atlanta area.  The Marine actually used to like driving until the Biologist started waymarking...

The Friendliest Town in Georgia

Day 1:  Today we left Jacksonville, Florida, to begin our northern trek. Because the Biologist had a waymarking target in the Atlanta area, we took a less direct route than we could have, but not nearly the length of detours we've made during the past 2 years!  We got a late start because when the Marine tried to start the car this morning, the battery was dead so we had to get it replaced before we left town.  As a result, we didn't quite make it to Atlanta today, but we made it as far as Milledgeville.  We passed through the lovely little town of Wrightsville on the way and stopped at the Johnson County Courthouse, which is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, has a Town Clock, and was the focus of a WPA Project in 1940.  On the Courthouse grounds was a Time Capsule placed in the Spirit of '76 for the United States Bicentennial, as well as Donated Engraved Bricks and Pavers for the City of Wrightsville Downtown Streetscape project, an American Civil War Memorial, and a Non-Specific Veterans Memorial.  As we headed our of town, we stopped at the Wrightsville Water Tower and an adjacent Grain Elevator.

Milk House

Day 2:  This morning we reached Atlanta and stopped at the new Sovereign building, a Skyscraper of Postmodern Architecture, which has been recently discussed in the forums as a potential new category.  Then we headed to the Sandy Springs Historic Site to check out the historic Milk House that fits under the Milk Platforms category!  We found a few other nice waymarks at this site, then started on the most direct route to Columbus.

Day 3:  No waymarks today, but we arrived in Columbus in early afternoon.  The previous 2 years it was snowing as we drove into Columbus, but not today.  Yea!  The snow had already fallen the week before.  Yuck!  Oh well, there wasn't too much snow on the ground and the roads were in great shape.

Day 4.  No waymarks today, but we had a really nice day with the Marine's parents.  They're the best!  They taught us a card game called Skip-Bo.  We loved it!

Bergstresser Covered Bridge

Day 5:  Today the Marine and the Biologist headed out to do some last minute Christmas shopping... and a little waymarking (as one of the Marine's Christmas gifts to the Biologist was to take her to find some waymarks - what a great gift!!!).  Our favorite find was the Bergstresser Covered Bridge, the last remaining covered bridge in Franklin County.  This Last of its Kind bridge is also on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and had an Ohio Historical Marker on site about it.  We also found several Old Churches, a Former School that was a Relocated Building, an old Train Depot with a Hand Operated Water Pump, an historic Grain Elevator, and a couple of Cabooses. Is Columbus great or what?!  That night we took the Marine's parents out to dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse where the Biologist spotted three Coin-operated Fortune Telling Machines.  They all predicted that the Biologist would find many waymarks in Columbus this year!  Are those machines amazing or what?

St. John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church

Day 6:  The Marine headed off bright and early for a day of poker with his Dad and several of his Dad's friends.  The Marine's Mom had a bowling league and Christmas party to go to.  So the Biologist was on her own.  Hmm, what to do?   WAYMARKING OF COURSE!  Are you surprised?  Really?  During the next 6 hours, the Biologist found over 10 Ohio Historical Markers, over 10 U.S. National Register of Historic Places, over 10 Old Churches of various denominations, a Town Clock, a Gazebo, a couple of Figurative Public Sculptures, a Statue of an Historic Figure, a former Masonic Lodge, a cool Neon Sign for Wonder Bread, and a few other odds and ends.  What a fun (but cold) day!

Day 7:  A day to stay inside and stay warm!

The Charity Newsies Historical Marker

Day 8:  This morning we headed out for our final Christmas shopping.  Of course, we had to do a little waymarking as well.  We found a few more Ohio Historical Markers and U.S. National Register of Historic Places.  We also spotted a few Worldwide Cemeteries while we were out and about and found a Headstone of a Centenarian, a Zinc Headstone, and a few American Revolutionary War Grave Sites.

Day 9:  Merry Christmas everyone!  The Marine's parents and the two of us headed to the town of Lebanon to spend Christmas day with other family members.  We stuffed ourselves silly on a delicious dinner!  What a nice day.

Day 10:  Today was a day of rest and relaxation before beginning our southbound journey.

Zippy the Pinhead Comic Strip Site

Day 11:  Today we started our trip to Jacksonville (not Florida, but North Carolina).  The Marine's daughter Jamie lives there!  Due to a major accident on I-77 South that had traffic backed up for over 20 miles, we made a quick exit and let En Route reroute us.  We passed through Mt. Airy, home of Andy Griffith, and made one quick stop at a Zippy the Pinhead Location, then stopped in Raleigh for the night.

Day 12:  We were less than 3 hours away from Jacksonville, North Carolina, but the Marine's daughter wouldn't be getting off from work until 6pm so we decided to spend some time wandering around downtown Raleigh where we found several North Carolina Historical Markers and U.S. National Register of Historic Places, including a few Old Churches, an historic Water Tower, and an Odd Fellows Building to name a few.  There's definitely lots to see in the downtown Raleigh area.  Maybe we'll spend more time there next year!

Jacksonville Civil War Memorial

 As we drove into Jacksonville, North Carolina, it was still a little early to check into our hotel, so we stopped by the historic downtown area and checked out the Pelletier House and Wantland Spring (a Natural Spring) and the historic building that used to house the Bank of Onslow and the Jacksonville Masonic Temple, all on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.  We also stopped by the Onslow County Courthouse, where there was an American Civil War Memorial and a World War I Memorial on the ground, our last waymarks for the trip.  The Marine's daughter was able to get off work an hour early and we had a nice dinner with her and her significant other.  It sure was nice to see them!


Day 13:  Today we made it home to Jacksonville, Florida!  We had a wonderful trip, but as Dorothy once said, "There's no place like home."