Forward two steps back one

Dear Reader,

As you may have guessed from the title this blog is now going back, yes going back a day or two prior to our arrival on the Atlantic Coast, you may well be thinking that is Blogger has not a clue, you are right of course, but I could not stop myslf and had to post the photos of the successful completion of the trans US ride.

Come on now, how many times in your life can you look back on something quite as amazing as that, and wouldn't you want to share the news?

So now back a day or two.

So why not start the day with a dawn shot?  Don't let anyone tell you that there are no trees in the US, there are very many trees, many looked after by the US Forest Service.

These (at dawn) growing in pure sand as we head toward rthe Atlantic.

A beautiful time of the day.

This is North Carolina, confusingly (to me) a completely different state to South Carolina. Amazingly as you cross the state line, you can see a difference in the country.

One thing is for sure; they have hurricanes as well as tornados. My very limited understanding of the former is that they get called names, like Nora, and the have to have the ocean to get going, so  the ocean the people of this part of the world can choose, hurricane or tornado.

Whatever type of wind the Fire Service will be there to help if needed.

The tally of houses just, well, falling down on the roadside continues to rise, one thing in America I cannot 'get my head around' why do so many houses end up being abandoned? 

This one, and its here because it reminded me of the motel in the film  Psycho  was for sale.  A lovely old house.

On this day it was possible to get a Starbucks Coffee, always good and usually something in the store of interest. This time it was the case for sure.  First this seemed to some up the chain, many people work in the Coffee Shop, free and good Wi-Fi, great coffee and a good ambience. 

On the 'phone, on the PC.

But this was interesting as well.  Can you guess what this cowboy (Spurs and all) was doing in the East of North Carolina? No? Well he was delivering mules form California for the troops in Afghanistan.   Amazing no?  I assumed they were going to South America but no, he tells me that South American have Lama.

As and aside I have now overcome my nervousness of asking people if I can take their photographs, generally people just love it. My thanks go out to them, this Blog would be a mere shadow of itself without the pictures of such interesting people.

The later afternoon saw us all able to have the ceremony we do each day to remember the fallen at the Museum devoted to the Special Forces of the States.  

Just inside I discovered that HALO is the acronym for High Altitude Low Opening. In other words jumping out of a plane way up but not pulling the chord 'till near the ground.  This is what meets you as you enter.

In the evening we were guests at a restaurant and our thanks go to First Command for the evening, a great success, we were joined by members off Combat Vets Association, they just love Motor Bikes.