Trippin' with Susan Straley

My van died. After arriving in White Springs, FL, I had to drive back 1.5 hours to Green Cove Springs for my DMV appointment.  That is a story in itself, which I don't have time for at the moment, so we will skip that saga. Just as I pulled into my campground where I am attending the Suwanee Bicycle Association's Annual Pedal and Paddle event, my van died.  I was pulling to a stop by the ranger station.  And it sputtered and quit.    I suspected the transmission because I could start the van just fine, but when I put it in drive it would jerk, sputter, and then silence. I called my friend Mari Towle who until a few days ago was my next door neighbor.  She is here at the festival and she was very supportive and came and helped me take the important stuff out of my van and transfer it to hers for transport to my camping spot. It ended up to be the transmission.  I would have fixed it to get a few more years out of the van, but due to a shortage of parts ...

 I found myself smiling a lot the morning I prepared Lilac for travel again.   The months I spent this winter in Inverness, Florida, while my trailer stayed in one spot, have been full of a whole lot of fun with friends.  It has  been a flurry of activity at times, but always worth it because I was able to connect with wonderful people. My last week in the area was no different.   I went birding with Regis and Cindy in Weeki Wachee.  Cindy was writing down the birds she saw.  "That is the sign of a real birder," I thought.  The birds were nothing new to her, but I was thrilled because it was a beautiful day, the tree we were watching was lovely, a Silken Oak in bloom.  We were watching this particular tree.  We had heard it is a place for migrating birds to refuel on their journey north.  We watched a flock of cedar wax wings visit a few times.  Lots of little yellow birds, some I can identify but most still look alik...

 Hello, Wow!  Life is a trip. I am feeling younger and stronger.  How? You may ask.   I took my trike to the shop in Inverness.   I was slowing down and I thought it was me.  My bike buddies were trying to talk me into getting an electric motor for my trike.  I resisted.   I wanted an annual check up and lube job on my trike before I left on my travels north. I left the trike there for them to work on.  Shortly after, the mechanic called me.  It turns out that my trike chain was a mess. There is a little guide wheel under the seat of my trike.  There is a little bar that keeps the chain from jumping off the wheel when I shift or hit a bump.   Some how the chain had gotten on the wrong side of that guide bar.  The mechanic said that the chain had sawed half way through that bar, the sawing had ruined the chain and my back cog and more. It took a few days for them to get all the parts and fix it.  Bo...