13K MILES! Oklahoma-Texas-New Mexico-Arizona!

We woke Friday morning in Tulsa and were welcomed with a temperature of 38 degees!
We donned just about every article of clothing before hitting the road. Micky wore 5 shirts under his leather jacket and we even wore our rain pants to help as a windbreak!
Even dressed to the max, we were still cold!

Due to the fact that there is not much of a variety in the scenery from Oklahoma thru Texas, we decided to put on some big miles!

We did stop in Adrian Texas for a photo op at the historic route 66 midway point!

We began to notice a change of scenery as soon as we entered New Mexico!

We rolled into Santa Rosa New Mexico and checked into the Best Western Inn. We were assigned  the best parking spot under the canopy, and a good thing because we had a thunder and lightning storm later in the evening!

Following an enchilada and taco dinner at the Silver Moon restaurant,

we went "trespassing" through a few abandoned properties between the restaurant and our hotel!

We packed up and made our way across New Mexico and into Arizona, lighting in Flagstaff at Micky's cousin Gene and his wife Sally's home.

We spent an enjoyable evening with the McIntyres and Gene introduced Micky to "Tullemore Dew". The Irish runs deep in the Daley family!

A slight family resemblace, right?

A wonderful dinner, a great breakfast, and hours of sharing warmed our hearts!

We said farewell all too soon!

The ride from Flagstaff, through Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, and into Prescott was one of the most beautiful rides we have had! 

We finally got our fall color!

Sedona was as gorgeous as ever!

Onward to "Shiloh", the home of Tom and Lynn Garasha. Tom pastored a church in the Phoenix area for 24 years, he was the chaplain for the Phoenix Police Dept and is now the Director of Pastoral Care for the Evangelical Free Church. 

The Garashas open their home to pastors and their families as a respite from the sometimes overwhelming responsibilities that accompany the life of these shepherds of God's people.  

Tom and Lynn graciously opened their "retreat" like home for us to unwind before tackling the grueling ride home!

The Garashas treated us to dinner at the Palace Restaurant and Saloon on historic "Whiskey Row".  The Palace was built in 1877 and saw the likes of Wyatt and Virgil Earp and Doc Holiday! Bullet holes adorn the ceiling of the restaurant.

Another memorable evening spent with friends who have played such a big part in our lives!

Tomorrow morning we head out bright and early for our fourth corner, beautiful San Ysidro,

and then HOME!

"Ooooklahoma, ev'ry night my honey lamb and I..." 90 Days!

We bid "farvel" to our Norwegian friends, the Hansens, and continued our westward trek towards the crystal blue waters of our beloved Pacific Ocean!
We made it as far as Tulsa Oklahoma where we stopped at the home of Micky's niece, Chris, and her husband Randy.

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We know what you are thinking, "How can Micky and Kathie stand to live in such conditions?"

Well, it's been difficult but we try not to complain!

We spent a great evening reconnecting with our Oklahoma family and enjoyed a wonderful home cooked meal with Chris, Randy and their sons Ronnie and Spencer.

The following morning we met up with nephew Steve and went to breakfast at the "Wild Fork" restaurant. 

The portion sizes of our breakfasts were humongous! Micky had the wild fork hash plate with a side bisquit and gravy and Kathie the vegetable omelette with cheese grits and raisen walnut toast!

Look at the size of Kathie's hand as compared to the omelette on her plate!

We then had the opportunity to meet the love of  Steve's life, girlfriend Michelle.

A handsome couple, we must say!

Chris & Randy took us to "In the Raw" for drinks, sushi and an Oklahoma sunset! 

We then came home and they barbecued bone in ribeye steaks for dinner!

Chris prepared a "Grandma Ople's" home made apple pie for dessert!

It is becoming harder and harder to leave our dear family and friends, but our waistline demands that we continue westbound and begin our P90X routine quickly!

Unfortunately Micky's brother Ronnie was out of town, so we will just have to come back to Oklahoma once again!

This has been one of the highlights of our trip, to spend time with Chris, Randy, their kids, and Steve and Michelle!

We are so thankful for the family that God has blessed us with!

Tomorrow we hope to make it across Oklahoma, Texas and into New Mexico!

12K miles! Tennessee to Missouri!

We left the Memphis area traveling east to the home of James and Kelly Christoferson. James was the interim pastor at our church during a transition period several years ago and we were blessed to sit under his teaching for the year he was with us.

Yes, this really is their home in Tennessee, but don't worry, it is a lot bigger than it looks!

What a great time we had with James and Kelly and two of their three lovely daughters.

Kelly made us the most amazing bbq chicken and garlic chicken pizzas we have ever eaten!

James worked his culinary magic in baking a couple dozen "Sorgum Cookies".  We ate them as both appetizers and dessert!

Thank you James and Kelly!  You continue to bless and encourage us with your passion for God and His people!

We left the "Christoferson Estate" and turned the Harley WESTBOUND!

We are now on the final leg of our journey as we make our way HOME!

The hills of the Ozarks near Branson Missouri was our next stop. 

We arrived at the beautiful home of our friends Karl and Kim Hansen.  As we rounded a curve we were welcomed by a sign they had prepared to direct us to their lakeside oasis!

Micky and Karl worked together as California Highway Patrol officers. Karl was the Chaplain for the entire State of California and brought comfort to many in our CHP family  grieving the loss of loved ones.

Karl and Kim took us into Branson for a delicious dinner at "Landry's" seafood

and we spent hours sharing and giving thanks to God for what He has done in each of our lives!

The Hansen's are enjoying their retirement years ministering in their local church and community and relaxing in their home perched above a beautiful lake.

We are continually amazed at how fortunate we are to be blessed with the friendship and fellowship of so many wonderful godly people!

Louisiana to Memphis

We left Biloxi and arrived at the home of Micky's cousin Joyce and her husband Dale near Baton Rouge Louisiana.
Dale and Joyce are quite possibly the sweetest couple you would ever want to meet!

It was a true blessing to spend time with the two of them, their daughter Candace and her husband Chet.

We did what all Cajun Folk do, we ate Fried Catfish, Shrimp Po' Boys, Seafood Gumbo, Jambalaya and Barbecue!

We teamed up with Candace's husband Chet and tasted Louisiana's version of Mexican food. 

Trust us, they do Mexican really, really good!

We then walked off our meal so we could eat some TCBY's frozen yogurt!

Dale and Joyce took us to tour the Oakley plantation, a home built in 1801 and donated to the state of Louisiana, now run by their State Park System.  A beautiful home surrounded by huge shade trees, expansive lawns and gardens. The plantation once encompassed 3000 acres!

We truly enjoyed our time with Joyce and Dale.  Our two days went by all too quickly.  We look forward to them traveling to SoCal so Dale can meet all the California Daleys!

We bid farewell to Louisiana and then rode the Natchez Trace Parkway into Tennessee.

The Trace is on the list of the top 10 most beautiful motorcycle rides in the United States!

With a speed limit of 50 miles per hour, no commercial traffic allowed (which means no trucks!!) sweeping curves lined with majestic trees, scampering deer and wild turkeys crossing directly in front of us, the Trace lived up to its top 10 billing!

We continued to just south of Memphis where we holed up for the night.

Tomorrow,  Jackson Tennessee! 

Florida to Biloxi! 11000 miles!

We left Key West on Tuesday morning and enjoyed a beautiful ride back across the Overseas Highway. It was even prettier heading back to the mainland!
The weather was perfect and the temperature was ideal. The water was a beautiful blue mixed with turquoise.

We took highway 75 across to the west coast through the Florida Everglades.

They do seem to go on forever!

Our niece, Denise, introduced us to her good friend Lauree and we arrived at her home in Cape Coral. Lauree was the perfect hostess, making us feel right at home. We immediately felt like family even though this is the first time we have met.  Unfortunately her husband Ken was out of town. Guess we'll just have to come back!

A beautiful home on the canal which leads to the Gulf of Mexico.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay with Lauree and look forward to the next time we will be together!

From the luxury of Lauree's beautiful home to quite possibly the least luxurious accommodations we have yet to inhabit on our cross country trek.

We left Lauree's Wednesday morning with big miles ahead of us. We were blessed to have perfect weather and 500 miles later we pulled into Defuniak Springs Florida. 

We checked into "Americas Best Value Inn", a misnomer if ever there was one!

To top our evening off, we ate at the finest culinary establishment Defuniak Springs has to offer!

You have not eaten until you have eaten at "McLain's Family Steakhouse". 

It is "to die for", or is it "to die from"?

The next morning we took off for Biloxi Mississippi passing through Pensacola Florida and Mobile Alabama!

A storm was threatening so we pulled over and stopped under an overpass to don our raingear.

The Lord once again protected us as we had only minor sprinkles and arrived safely at the Hard Rock Hotel in Biloxi Mississippi.

While on a flight to aid Hurricane Katrina victims, our good friends Joe and Debbie Shelton met Chuck Stuart.

Chuck's parents, Greta and Sonny, lost everything in the hurricane.

Since that chance encounter on an airplane, our Bible study group has maintained an E-mail / Facebook relationship with the Stuarts.

Sadly, Sonny passed away just a couple of years after Katrina, but we were blessed with the opportunity to meet Greta and her son Chuck face to face.

Truly a "Divine Appointment"!

We cannot express the joy we felt to finally hug and kiss these loved ones that we know so well though we had never seen face to face. 

Thank you dear Lord, for the relationships with which You have grace us.