Well, my free-loading virtual hitch hikers, after 5,074 miles the old truck pulled us safely into the drive at the house! And guess what? Charlotte and I are still speaking to each other! Even in a hospitable manner! When we started out on the road almost a month ago, I had my doubts as to how long she could live in that close of a proximity of yours truly. But, she surprised us once again and exhibited the real grit it takes to stay hitched 47 years to the same dude! She even had a birthday on the road! Even though she came back off the road a year older, she seems to have handled it pretty well. I thought it was pretty awesome we calculated our total miles to within 74 of being right on the money! I kept every gas receipt and did all the other nerdy things like figuring gas milage on each tank, gas price per fill up, etc., etc. Like anyone really cares. I will be posting the totals on the blog tomorrow under Day 1 After The Trip. I’m still searching for my little milage book through all the dirty laundry that has filled up the back of the truck as well as most of the cab. We will be doing laundry for a while. Then, it’s off to Mexico in September and on to Brazil for the month of October. Thanksgiving will be in “The Big Easy”, New Orleans if it survives this latest hurricane. After Christmas in Texas, we are planning an east coast version of the west coast/northwest road trip we just finished. I figure by the middle of January I can talk Charlotte into getting back in the truck for a run over to Savannah, GA with stops along the way.
I think the last couple of days of this trip wore out even the most avid virtual hitch hiker. (It was either my conversation or the truck full of dirty laundry) but there has been no sounds coming from the back seat so I think everybody is still over in Taos eating those great chicharonnes we had at La Meze!
Anyway, thanks for making the trip with us, I’m going to walk quite a bit these next few days and see if I can get some feeling back in my tailbone. Let me hear from you as to the trip and for those of you who are the “real road dogs”, we will be taking seat assignments for the east bound trip after Christmas!
Ted Purcell 
Ted and Charlotte, welcome home!! Can’t thank y’all enough for taking us with you and letting us experience things we have never seen!! Y’all truly showed us a wonderful time. Can’t wait for the east coast version….is Florida in your plans for that trip? You guys get rested up! 🙂
Hey Elizabeth,
It’s good to be home! Boy I forgot how much I like my easy chair and that big screen TV! Man, I haven’t watched TV in almost a month! Well, I hope you didn’t get cramped in the back or grossed out with all the dirty laundry!
We have not laid down a map yet. We do know that we will be on Tybee Island off the coast of Savannah, GA for a painting class the last week of February but that is all we have as a date to keep. The rest of the schedule is open. I may have to go through Florida to make sure Capehart made it home ok from this last trip. So Florida is a possibility. Keep up the comments!
Ted and Charlotte———I’m glad we’re all back home safely. The ride in the back just wore me out——–at least we lost Paul for part of the trip——made more room for Capehart and I!!!!!!!!
Hey Janie
Glad you made it home safe. With all the mountain pass driving I was ready to get back on flat land! Yeah, Edge never was good at following directions. Kinda of a go-it-alone type. Oh well, I’m sure he’s got stories to tell about how he got back to Houston when he was tapped out in California! I can’t wait for the next post from down that way, it should be good! How ’bout it Edge?
What did you think of the “huckle bearer”?
Wow! What a neat bit of information! But you just told on yourself! You had me believing that when you went on vacation it was all about staying cool by the pool and tossing those toddies back! You just shared some in-depth information on life in Tombstone that had to come from at the very least a tour of the town and maybe even jotting down some notes on the back of a cocktail napkin! As the Eagles so aptly put it, “You’re still the same old girl you used to be”! Good Post Huckle Bearer!
Welcome Home and back to Texas! Sorry I couldn’t make the whole trip! I had plans to hang in there all the way. You know what they say about ‘Best Laid Plans’…. and ‘Stuff Happens’? Anyway, I had a great time and hope the 65’ers were able to join you Virtually through the Sixty-fiver Website. Thanks again for inviting us along!
PS…sounds like you have a busy Fall and Winter Travel planned. Good for you guys! Keep in touch!
Hey Sue
Thanks for coming along for the trip and thanks very much for making it available for the ’65ers from their website. It was a great help! We are still unpacking and doing laundry but should have everything back to normal here in a day or two.
Glad we made it back safe and sound. Enjoyed the ride. I’m a little hung over. Can’t wait until the next trip.
P.S. What’s this about “Huckle Bearer”? I must have passed out during that one.
Hey Capehart
I think you probably need to head down to Houston to find your “bath house buddy” and make sure he got home OK. You know he said he was tapped out and being on the road with no money can make a person put himself into maybe some compromising situations. And you know Edge still has that little schoolboy look. I’m just saying….maybe you should check.
Enjoyed you coming along for the ride and providing a lap for the girls in back!
P.S. Oh yeah, check Janie’s comments on the Huckle Bearer, they were pretty cool. You will need to look under Day 20 of The Trip log to find them.