So I made a decent donation to the casino, but it was a nice night. It wasn’t like I had LTE signal to do my blog or gallery uploads. I was fortunate to have a very scenic ride to my oil change appointment, since I didn’t get to see anything the night before.

While there I was working on uploading the images from Joshua Tree, the woman next to me (Francine), commented how beautiful they were. Turns out she got her degree in geology. I was able to learn quite a bit from her. I hope she will be able to see the new ones I have put up and will be putting up along the rest of my travels. If I am stumped on what I am trying to label, she can help out!

After I was done there I headed to meet up with a friend who retired from NVCC not too long ago. It was a great afternoon and I was happy to meet her husband. We went to the Farmer's Table for a great lunch. The short afternoon get-together turned into a seven hour visit. I know on my part I could have visited longer, but we all had things to take care of and it was getting late, so I headed out. We’ll be sure to get together again when they are back east.

The following day I went to the Museum of Photographic Arts in beautiful Balboa Park. After strolling through the museum and park I connected with a long-time friend that I hadn’t seen in years. Only thinking about having a short couple hour visit, it turned into a multiple hour deal. She doesn’t plan on leaving San Diego any time soon, so I am sure I will get a longer visit in the near future. It was nice to have a tour guide take me to a great picnic spot, a bay beach, and eventually to the Pacific Ocean.

So I could have uploaded my blog and gallery images at this point, but I was too content visiting that it took the back burner. I think I made the right decision.

I got to Joshua Tree National Park nice and early so I could enjoy as many hikes as possible throughout the day. My first one was a nature trail that explained much of the plant life I was looking at. I had brought my camera and taken some great photos, not knowing that I hadn’t put the SD card back the night before. Don’t ask me how I didn’t notice the little indicator saying no SD card, but it eluded me for that first walk and taking the entry sign to the park as well. Maybe lesson learned!

I set out to do about 8 miles of hiking, but missed my mark by about a mile and a half; maybe just a mile. Still, I got out, got exercise, and got to experience some amazing views and nature. I also met a few people along the way. One such group on my first 3 mile hike was Leigh and her family. They kept me company on and off about half the hike. Before we parted ways at the top of the rocky trail, I didn’t have to take a selfie thanks to having the group there. I hope someone connects with me so they can get their photo I took; among others from the day.

A little “mountain climbing” further I ran into another group of people (from France, at least French speaking) and took their photo. If you’re following the blog, connect with me for your photo. The view was amazing. Sketchy getting up and down, but totally worth it!

There was so much to see at the park, a day was not even enough to touch the surface. I hope to get back at some point (during the winter) to truly explore the park. The weather was amazing, although cool enough I still managed to work up a sweat. There is so much to learn there and it is extremely peaceful.

I headed to my “camping” spot for the night about an hour before it got dark. Not soon enough, as I had to go a good deal of the way in the dark, missing the sights along the way. Also, the mountainous terrain in the dark lead to a very stressful drive. I arrived at the Pauma Casino and went in to make sure it was ok to stay. I also donated a little! Tomorrow is another day . . . oil change first thing!

Waking up to a dusting of snow was great. Since I couldn’t see where I had chosen to camp when I arrived, I took a couple mile drive down the forest road to see what other choices of a spot I missed out on. Boy am I happy I did. I wondered why someone was taking an early morning horseback ride as I noticed hoof prints (I initially thought were deer) and then droppings (that I knew where from a horse). Turns out it was a herd of wild horses. They didn’t spook too easily so I got a few pictures.

I let the horses be and continued down the road. Not even a half mile later a herd of elk crossed my path. I was only able to snap three pictures as they moved fast and I don’t do well under pressure. What a great morning. I continued a bit more until the road was so full of ruts I had no choice but to turn around.

I keep choosing the scenic route and I really prefer it. I can drive slower and see much more. I made it to the Arizona State Capitol well before noon. I took a self-guided tour of the original portion of the capitol that is now a museum. It was a nice couple of hours where I learned some new things and drew on knowledge from previous trips; there were exhibits about the Grand Canyon and the USS Arizona.

On my way I hit a Whole Foods to get some camp fire food and headed for my proposed spot with the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) free dispersed camping. I made my meal and decided it was too early to stop, so I packed up and headed to another place closer to my next destination. Well I stopped at a Flying J first to take care of some things, on thing being this blog and another uploading the photos. I must say I am not getting as much written down for the program redesign, but I have thought through some many aspects of it. It is time to start buckling down and put that pen to paper.

I made a great breakfast and got some work done while at the campsite. I was limited on what I could do without LTE signal and a constant power source. Once I was close to packed up I went over to the campsite next to me and talked a bit with Hailey (not sure of the spelling). She is moving from the east coast up to Washington State and had decided to make an adventure out of it. She is an avid rock climber and is hitting as many spots as she can in New Mexico and then onto Utah at some point. Pretty exciting, wish I had the desire (and ability) to do that.

So I drove a short way to El Malpais National Monument and walked a short ways on the Acoma-Zuni Trail. It was early enough in the day that it was cool, but by the time I returned I had worked up a sweat. I don’t think I did much more than a mile round trip. The big draw, before I turned around was seeing the lava tubes. There is a picture in the gallery.

When I returned from the hike I decided to take the scenic route to Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. On my way there I stopped to take a few pictures and I inadvertently came upon El Morro National Monument where I ended up taking another mile walk to see the petroglyphs, rock carvings, and the watering hole! This diversion would end up costing me.

I enjoyed the ride so much that I nearly missed getting to the Painted Desert Visitor Center before it closed. I managed to get there just in time to get my stamp and watch the 20 minute film about the park. Unfortunately I did not get to drive through the park because they close it when they close the visitor center. They are also doing construction, so I wouldn’t have been able to get to my destination without doubling back anyway.

I find this to be divine intervention. I was able to get to my camping spot just after dark but I was able to enjoy the natural beauty 98% of the way there. It was snowing when I arrived, so I did only a few things before trying to get an early night’s sleep. I had no cell signal and did not want to waste gas or drain the battery trying to charge the laptop so I just relaxed waiting for sleep to come.

After talking to the women at the New Mexico Welcome Center I was armed with information to carry me through the day. I did put on way more miles than I had anticipated, but such is life. The journey was more than I could have hoped for. After doing some computer work while at the welcome center and enjoying a cup of coffee provided by a towing company in the area, I headed out grabbing a state highway instead of the interstate, as was recommended to me.

Highway 104 was perfect for me. The speed limit 55 or 60 the entire 109 miles. I saw, if I am lucky, about two dozen cars during that entire stretch. That works out to about one vehicle every four miles or so. The views were breathtaking and photo opportunities were more plentiful than on the interstate. I still had to be careful, as there were not always good places to pull off to the side of the road. The terrain changed frequently over the miles. Check out the gallery to see what I mean.

I hit Santa Fe close to 3 PM in the afternoon. Since it was Sunday, the New Mexico Capitol wasn’t opened, but I took the opportunity to get a few photos while I was there. I didn’t take any of the town, which I somewhat regret now, but I will be back at some point so I won’t be too hard on myself. Near the capitol the houses were in the true New Mexico style one sees in movies.

When I was at the welcome center one of the women told me the rest area I planned on staying at was closed at night. I had to find another spot. I found one only 25 miles past where I had planned to stop. The Joe Skeen Campground was perfect for me. I tried my hand at some night photography, but upon review on the laptop I didn’t do so hot. That is why I am practicing. So I will check out the El Malpais National Conservation Area in the morning and head out on my way early afternoon.

This day was chocked full of things to do, totally unexpected since I had only planned on seeing one thing while in Amarillo, Texas. Thus my inability to stay under ten photos in the gallery for the day. Before getting into that, I have to state my disappointment for not being able to cook anything today. There was a fire ban everywhere, and where there wasn’t I had no desire to cook as I was still full from my cold wrap and snacks I had earlier in the day.

Enough complaining, now onto the day. Since I had done so much extra driving the day before, I had time to take my time. I discovered service roads that run along the highway. The speed limit is a modest 55 MPH, something I was able to maintain. It also allowed me the ability to take photos of the sights I found worthy. I took many photos of windmills, mostly the new kind, but also the ones used many years ago. I missed the welcome center by a few miles by taking the service roads. When I discovered it, I decided to swallow my pride and backtrack. I am so glad I did.

The result of talking to the lovely women at the Amarillo Welcome Center yielded four things to do while there. First I went to the Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Museum. This was a great stop. I don’t know if you remember my telling you early on in Arkansas I got lost for hours in Camper’s World. Well, I spent a good clip of time here too. They are very inspirational and have given me some good ideas on how to outfit mine. (I have a retro Go-Lite that needs a lot of help since a giant tree limb fell on it and damaged it a little more than cosmetically.)

After that I went to Palo Duro Canyon, a short 25 mile drive outside of Amarillo. It is quite a difference from the rest of the Texas Panhandle which is either flat or gently rolling hills. With 10% grades I took my time descending and climbing out of the canyon. I improved my gas mileage by 3 miles per gallon. I only took a short walk down to the little river that carved the canyon, then got back on my way.

I next decided to visit the Helium Time Columns Monument. This was just an interesting thing to check out. Check out the link to find out what it is all about. A very short jaunt and I was on to Cadillac Ranch. Some eccentric decided to bury 10 perfectly good Cadillacs and over time it had been spray painted. Now it is an ever changing art exhibit. The cattle don’t seem bothered by the commotion or the smell of spray paint.

So the day packed full of activities ended with me crossing into New Mexico and capturing their welcome sign that spanned the highway. I also crossed into the Mountain Standard Time Zone putting me two hours behind everyone at home!

Today was a pretty chill day. I took my time getting to Oklahoma City, but still got there by 10 AM. I first went to the Oklahoma State Capitol Building where I got a personal tour from Bill. His explanation, of how the Senate worked, clicked and gave me a new appreciation for the census. The building is undergoing a lot of construction, so I wasn't able to see too much. The new basement looked spectacular. I can see where it's going so I'll have to come back in 2022 to see it completed.

For a weekday, it sure was easy to get around. I cringe thinking of having to drive in cities, but this was easy. After I left the capitol, I went to the Oklahoma City Memorial. This was the first major public tragedy that I really remember. It is a very symbolic memorial, as I heard a tour guide give some information about the meaning of the chairs and their layout. Sad to think these occurrences are becoming all to regular.

After spending a brief time there, I decided to get back on the road. It was a good thing I did. Most of the rest areas where closed. I had to drive an extra 75 miles to find a legitimate place to spend the night. It was worth it, so I thought. It was warm enough out for me to upload photos while at a picnic table outdoors. The rest area was well lit so I didn't struggle to see. There were even the shape of the state of Texas BBQs. I was looking forward to cooking up some eggs in the AM.

Well, the bad news is that there was a fire ban, no open flames. Thus put the hot breakfast to the back burner. Maybe I'll try again later tomorrow or the next day.

It was a cold morning, to say the least. I opted not to break out the 0 degree sleeping bag. I was warm enough through the night, I just woke up with cold feet and not much desire to get out of the car. I coaxed myself into it and got an early start on things.

I took some time to finalize the blog and upload things to the gallery. This was a really nice safety rest area. It had a long countertop with fixed chairs and electricity nearby. The ambiance was unique to the area. I noticed each rest area has its own theme on I-35 at least. Had it not had the option of being indoors, I don't know that I would have gotten as much work done.

I'm headed to Dallas to check out the JFK Memorial and splurged to check out The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. I apologize in advance if I offend anybody, but history from books doesn't really light my fire, but this museum kept me interested for hours. It was an audio tour that allowed for choices and a small amount of interactivity. I took a few photos, but not as many as I might have had I not been so engrossed in the subject matter.

I tried to beat the outgoing traffic and I think I managed to have a little success. Although, I did get stuck in a few congested areas. I made it to the Oklahoma rest area while it was still light, and I was able to cook some food. Some cats in the area smelled what I was cooking and decided to join me, whether I wanted them to or not. I had made plenty of rice that was super flavorful and the four of them enjoyed a feast. I normally don't feed animals because it's a bad habit and they get too used to it, appears the people that take care of the rest area are caring for them. I found a bowl of water out for them. I'll attempt to get a little bit more work done and then call it an early night.

I caved and purchased a cup of coffee as I was too lazy to make it with the whipping wind battering the car all night. Also, since I stayed at the Pilot and did not need gas, I still feel compelled to by something. It’s the right thing to do.

I planned on visiting the Texas Capitol in Austin and that was about it, but yesterday my uncle informed me I had extended family there. He gave me Pat’s number and I sent her a text; not expecting to get together as it was very last minute. While she is a busy person, she was able to make time to get together for dinner. More on that later.

I toured the capitol and the museum housed in the Texas Capitol Visitor Center for a couple of hours. I should have stayed a bit longer as I didn’t take it all in, but I was getting hungry. I found a nearby Whole Foods and set out to find a light lunch. This was probably the best Whole Foods I have been to. It had a couple eateries in there and the bulk section was impressive. It included bulk oils and vinegar which I haven’t found back home.

Pat and I agreed to meet at 6:30 PM, so I had a bunch of time to spend with nothing in particular to do. I visited a park on the Colorado River and I have to be honest, ended up taking a nap after a very short walk. It was refreshing and it left me two hours to do more work on the DAT 101 course outline, which I did when I stopped at another park closer to the restaurant.

So knowing my particularity with food, my readers must be thinking, “Where could he possibly have gone to eat?” Well, Pat was recommended many time the Ranch-to-Table restaurant Jacoby's Restaurant & Mercantile. Check out their site and you’ll see why I ate there! I was in Texas, I had to experience it. That was the biggest steak I have seen and unfortunately couldn’t conquer it; so I had leftovers.

Apart from the delicious food, the company was extraordinary. I was so happy to get to know Pat. She is in a unique line of work really made me know I liked who she was. She works in compost; Organics by Gosh. If I wasn’t on such a schedule and she wasn’t working so much, I would have like to extend my stay in the area. Another time perhaps. Thank you Pat for such a great dinner (next one is on me) and excellent company. Hope to see you up north in a short time.

While I don’t generally like to travel at night, this was worth diverting from that “rule.” It was sort of funny, for the first time I was able to almost go the speed limit. There were times I was traveling at the posted 75 mph, but overall I think I held a constant 70. I got to my spot for the night and braced for a cold one; predicted night temps were supposed to be in the high 20’s. Let’s see what the place looks like in daylight!

After a very good night sleep, I took my time getting going and actually made myself some breakfast. After frying up some eggs and making myself an egg and cheese sandwich, I put all the stuff away and set my 12-volt water heater up so I could make some coffee by my next stop. It had other plans. An hour later, it was as cool as when I put it in there. I'll have to investigate what went wrong. So I went without coffee.

I had no solid plans for Houston, but I did know I wanted a picture of the skyline. And I had found a nice place to take it from. I got off the interstate and followed Memorial Park Drive to a place perfect for what I wanted. There was plenty of nature to see in this beautiful area. Lots of lizards, more plentiful than Florida! I took about an hour walk and some photos. And then I got back in the car.

I was tired of being on the interstate, so thankfully the route took a turn onto a state highway. That didn't stop the speed limit from being 75 miles per hour. I was lucky to keep it steady at 65. Some people might say I'm getting old and they're right, but that's not what the issue is. If you want to see anything, you have got to slow down. I'm sure if I was from around here 75 would be too slow.

If you've looked at Instagram or Facebook, you may have spotted me. I don't think I look homeless or tattered, but I keep managing to get free stuff. Today, fully intending to pay for a cup of coffee since I didn't get it this morning, the cashier at the Pilot I'm staying at for the evening gave me it on the house. Maybe she appreciated the fact that I brought in my own travel mug. Who knows, all I know is I will try to pay it forward any time I can.

Last night I got a good dent into implementing some of the changes for DAT 101 based on the meetings that I've had. Tonight I will continue on that. The batteries are getting sucked up faster than I would like, so I'm doing it the old-fashioned way -- with pen and paper. A benefit of this will be that I will look at it again when I finally get to type it into the computer. I guess its guaranteed proofreading. Best get at it!

Since yesterday’s blog was so long, I left a few things out that I will mention quickly. Yesterday seemed to be my day. Not only did I get complimentary ice for my cooler from Whole Foods (without asking for it), but Tabitha from the travel center I stayed at gave me a complimentary shower. In case anyone was wondering how I stay fresh while car camping, truck stops have a very nice shower set up which I utilize with regularity. (I don’t know if the register was giving her problems or if she saw my payment history for showers and thought I deserved one; I certainly didn’t look or smell like I needed one!)

After a restful but short night sleep, I got moving and it was a good thing I did. It was overcast from the moment I started out, but it didn’t rain until after I got through with touring the Louisiana State Capitol. Check out the gallery for the views from the observation deck. Although the outside doesn’t look too remarkable, the inside makes up for it. Beautiful natural stone and bronze throughout the place shows the elegance

Almost as soon as I left Baton Rouge the rain came down. It wasn’t horrible, but it was enough to hypnotize me a bit and make me want to take a rest. I resisted the urge and made it to the Texas Welcome Center. About 15 minutes before I got there it stopped raining, but stayed overcast. I looked around a little and took a nice walk out the 650 foot boardwalk, learning about and enjoying the nature there.

Since it was dark when I got to Louisiana last night I had decided to back-track to the Louisiana Welcome Center to grab the highway sign. I am sure glad I did. That is another great welcome center with water and wildlife to appreciate. Due to safety reasons, they nature trail was closed. That center got hit hard during flooding and it took years to rebuild. I tried photographing and video recording the jumping mullet and only managed to grab one photo; not very good either, might I add. Those wise-guys would jump up until the time I was ready to capture them, then they would stop jumping for a while. They won, I gave up!

It is Texas for the next few days. I came into the state at mile marker 880. That is a long state. Roughly the distance between Waterbury, CT and Savannah, GA. Much to do, much to do!

It wasn’t the perfect morning for photos, but it was a great temperature and it wasn’t raining. The Arkansas Welcome Center that I stayed at for the night opened a little early and I was able to get a cup of coffee, do a few things on the computer, and have a great conversation with Martin. I find that as I continue on my journey, talking with people along the way are giving me such insight on a lot of things, not just the area I am visiting. Martin shared a remarkable story of how he got into working there. It was amazing and inspirational. If he reads this blog, hopefully he will email me. I would love to share his story with everyone, but I don’t want to get the details wrong and I would like his permission first.

I took his advice and stopped at the Mississippi Welcome Center not a half hour away. It resembled the paddle boats used on the river way back when. There I got to speak with Emma, who also had an interesting reason for working there; as she was taking a break from her career to regroup. We spoke a bit about a few different things of shared interest and then I looked around the museum that was housed upstairs. People in this area are sure easy to talk with.

I could have stayed longer at both welcome centers as I was enjoying the conversations, but I did need to travel about 250 miles for the day. I also wanted to make the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson, Mississippi while it was still open. I had until 5 PM and it only opened at 1 PM, so I should have had no problem getting there in time.

On my way, I saw a sign for a petrified forest that was on an official looking sign, the brown ones along the highway. I thought it said National Landmark, so I turned off to check it out. It was less than a mile out of my way. Mississippi Petrified Forest was work the diversion. It was an ideal experience. There was a small entry fee, but there was the AAA discount that helped a bit. The trail was only about a half mile long so I could get some exercise, take my time to take some photos, and still make it to Jackson with plenty of time. There was something about the smell of the place that was so gratifying.

By 3 PM I was at the museum where I spent about an hour and a half mulling about the place. There was a lot of information to take in so I am not sure how much sunk in, but it was a nice experience and history that I learned in primary and secondary education came to mind. It made what was taught back then make more sense or made it more real, I’m not sure which. When I had reached my saturation point I took the short drive to the current Mississippi Capitol building to get a couple of photos then headed on my merry way.

The flooding in this area is no joke. I have been fortunate not to have seen devastation of homes and businesses, but the distance water has traveled from its “normal” resting place is ridiculous. There was one spot while driving that I looked over and saw barriers indicating not to go that way. The country road just ended . . . ROAD then WATER, no warning. Further along driving past farm after farm I saw a lot of sections flooded. They do grow rice here so I thought maybe it was a rice field. Wrong time of the year of that though. That clicked when at one point I couldn’t see the divisions of the fields.

There may be rain tomorrow, but I hope not for the sake of these communities. This one got a bit long. I will call it a night for now.

As MTSU was the last school I would be visiting for a couple weeks, my focus now is on revising some of the courses in detail and enjoying the beauty of the country. I will also continue looking for opportunities to talk with various industries who would hire DAT graduates. That is a bit more difficult than I had anticipated. I know I will get there though.

Today was a great day as the sun was out and quickly warmed the air. I made my way to Arkansas and stopped in the Welcome Center to get some work done and find out some things about where I was headed. Shakita welcomed me and put my mind at ease about the flooding. She armed me with some good information and let me stay as long as I saw fit. I even got a complimentary cup of coffee that comes from a local source. About two hours later I was on my way.

I was in Little Rock a few hours later. If I was going the speed limit I could have been there in two and a half hours, but I choose to enjoy the journey and tend to average 60 miles per hour. I stick to the right lane and no one seems bothered by my going up to 10 miles under the speed limit at times. It has allowed me to enjoy the sights and helped me with my fuel economy. I also stop to stretch occasionally.

While there, I went to the Little Rock Visitor Center where two gentlemen that manned the desk gave some history of the area and the building as well as directions to the Old State House and the Arkansas State Capitol building. I walked a little ways to grab a photo of a neat looking bridge I saw while driving around the block. The traffic in Little Rock is very reasonable (close to non-existent) on a Saturday. I don't know how it is on a weekday. I am happy I didn't need to find out.

The exhibits in the Old State House and Museum were great. I would have been able to spend the entire day there and might have been able to take in everything. There was a movie theater that played over 40 short films relating to the city and the history of the area. I only took in a few, but I probably would have been able to get through them all as the museum wasn't too crowded and only one couple came in to the theater in the 15 minutes I was there.

I then went to the capitol and took a quick self-guided tour before heading out again. I wanted to be able to get to my night's resting spot before dark. On the way there I saw a lot of cotton fields. I didn't realize it at first until I saw one that had not been harvested. I wanted to take a picture, but I didn't want to stop on the side of the road. I figured there would be more opportunities down the line. Not too many it turns out. It seems most of the cotton has been harvested. I saw one field on the other side of the road, safely pulled a U-turn and got my shot. I did the same thing a ways down for the cotton bales. Along the route there were an abundance of hawks perched in the trees. It was a great drive.

I hope the weather continues to hold out. I have a great spot for the night and it would be nice to be able to take pictures in the morning. Until tomorrow!

I woke up to ice on my windshield; on the inside. I neglected to crack the windows a bit and the heat from my breathing caused condensation on the inside which, because of the 23 degrees temperature, iced over. Thankfully, it had stopped raining and the sun had come out so it didn't take too long for that to defrost.

I got to Middle Tennessee State University really early, like 2 hours before my meeting. I let Professor Matt Foglia know I was there, but I had plenty to keep me occupied. The meeting went much better than I had anticipated it would. Our DAT audio students would be pleased to know that this program does not require auditions like most audio programs that I've come across. There are criteria that need to be met to be accepted into the program, but that is based on grades in a specific set of classes. Some of our students won't be happy to know that they have to have college algebra. That is one that they need to pass with a B or better. I have the details written down which I will share with students in the future.

When discussing the program and what would allow transfer students to be successful it is was made apparent that the current program with the tweaks I had intended to put into place are very close to what will make a successful transfer student to MTSU. It is so nice to know that what I had been advising students all along has been strong advice altogether. Now it's time to adjust it so the DAT program reflects that.

The facility at the University is incredible. The options and the resources available seem to be unbelievable. The class sizes for majors are perfectly set; usually a dozen is the cap. The other options at the school include animation, cinema as well as a few others that would align with DAT. That's exploring for another day, as my main focus was audio.

As I was leaving I decided to just stop into their Student Center and check out a place called Farmers Market, which piqued my interest. They actually have a dairy farm off campus that supplies the milk to the school. Jordan, who was manning the register and I think possibly managed that particular establishment filled me in on many details about the University and the area. A few things I found out are that they are famous for their chocolate milk and they actually have a Creamery on campus. This is definitely place people should check out.

I still have to work on my driving schedule. Today driving west I had to fight with the setting sun for well over half an hour. I safely pulled into a rest area to capture the photo for this post. This trip is a constant learning experience and continues to force me to remain ultra-flexible.

This morning saw that I get up very early. I chose to park in a remote area near the river which, by the way, was very high due to all the rain the past couple of weeks. The rain died down for the night before I got there, but I made a promise to myself that I would leave the area if it started to rain. Five minutes before 6 AM was my cue to leave. Thankfully I had slept over 8 hours by that point.

I ended up getting to the University of North Georgia (Dahlonega Campus) at about 7:30 AM; way to early for my 11 AM meeting. I stayed dry in the car, parked on the edge of campus, working on some "paperwork" and making some plans for the day. I found a Starbucks on campus and spent an hour there uploading images and yesterday's blog. I then found legitimate visitor parking on campus and arrived at the agreed upon meeting location an hour early. I still had plenty of personal things to do to keep me occupied.

Professors David Clifton and Daniel Johnson spent a good hour with me going over their program and the way the DAT program is currently set up. Animation majors NEED the traditional art skills to be considered for the program at UNG. This is information I knew already and had been reiterated at a few of the other schools I had already visited. I had been advising students to get those foundation courses concurrently with the DAT degree for years. It is great to know I was ahead of my time.

Their program is small like ours, but they have what takes our students onto their next steps in animation. Students will be cross-trained on PCs and MACs, as they should be. They will learn traditional animation as well as 2D and 3D animation. There is a green-screen room (much more spacious than ours), 3D printers galore, and something in the works to use motion capture that is housed in the health field area (I can't remember the specific one). Students are required to learn how to use the WACOM tablets to facilitate workflow. Additionally, they benefit from instructors that have worked in the industry for a number of years.

After I met with them, I headed over to Admissions. I passed my car and noticed I had a ticket. They have this cool e-parking pass system. I transposed the number in my license plate, despite correcting in the web portal, thus the ticket. After speaking to Katie about the admission process, scholarships, etc., I went to where I could hopefully get the ticket nulled. I showed my e-parking pass and explained what happened. They were super nice and took care of it for me.

I headed out, in the sleet, then the snow, then the rain, the backroads toward I-75 north into Tennessee. What a wonderful drive. Farms and forests all around. I travel part of the Trail of Tears. I took a rest at the Tennessee Welcome Center and decided to write this and recharge the laptop for a bit. Since I would be on the highway for some time and probably wouldn't be seeing nearly as much natural beauty, I didn't mind driving a bit at night. I was wrong as the route looked interesting on th GPS. I went from TN back to GA for four miles and back into TN. I thought I saw a big paddleboat ferry on the Tennessee River. The next Welcome Center was on an island in the lake the bridge traversed. I guess it's best I don't make assumptions about routes and try to only travel during daylight.

If I have any luck at all, tomorrow won't be a rainy day. I am getting a little tired of it, truth be told.

I decided to take the scenic drive to my next destination. I have never seen more beautiful fog. That only lasted the first 20 minutes or so. Then I was able to see the rolling landscape of northern Georgia. Lots of farms and woods, just what I like.

I arrived at Clemson University pretty early in the day with no confirmed meeting. That was okay since I didn't find a unique transfer opportunity for DAT students. However they do have A Digital Production Arts Master's degree program I wanted more info about.

I went to graduate admissions who pointed me in the right direction. I took a chance and popped by Adam Rollins' office. He was there and was a wealth of info. I look forward to passing it along to some of our NVCC grads that went on for a Bachelor's.

Overcast the entire day, the rain held off so I could enjoy some nature. They were very short walks for fear of getting caught in an unexpected downpour. I ended up finding a remote campspot just before it got dark. I will take a photo in the morning if there are no rainstorms that require I move before it gets light.

Well the weather has been miserable but I am not complaining. I saw on the news that there is a lot of flooding in Mississippi and in the general area that I traveled through. I am thankful that I continue to have safe travels, yet I feel for those individuals and families.

I was trying to visit the Cartoon Network headquarters today but was unsuccessful. No one responded to my email of a week ago. I stopped by there and was turned away at the security gate. I called the only number I could find and a helpful HR person had me send her an email to forward to someone that may be able to help. I haven't heard anything yet and I don't know that I will hold my breath.

Upon a suggestion from a friend I decided to spend a bit of cash to visit the World of Coca-Cola. I am glad I did. The ticket to get in was nearly $20 and the parking for up to four hours another $10. The moment I was greeted at the door I was offered a cold drink. At the end I went to the tasting room, more on that later.

Throughout the museum there were so many interesting historical/educational bits of information. The founder's accountant actually came up with the original Coca-Cola script/logo. There was a lot of thought in making this place educational and entertaining. There was a 4D movie there, but I feel it really was just a 3D one, as I felt nothing sprayed at me (air or water) nor rumbling of the seats. Entertaining all the same.

The tasting room; well I left a little sick. I tasted all the flavors they had in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. I opted out of some of them from North America; the artificial sweetener ones. I'm sorry to say but I think Europe had the most disgusting ones overall. Asia and Latin America were about 50/50. Africa had the best tasting overall . . . tied with North America I would say. I had so many flavors that when it came to having an actual coke at the end, I just couldn't stomach it.

While it was light out I decided to get moving. The rain has been coming down in buckets. I got to my night destination early and have been working ever since. I don't think I will get a rest from the rain any time soon, but one can dream!

I had an early night last night, which allowed me to get up very early. Since there's an hour time difference that had me up at 4:30 in the morning. Well rested I decided to catch up on some computer work and spent a few hours in Flying J typing away. Once it turned into a reasonable hour, I packed up and headed out. The place I was going to go didn't open for a while, so I headed to Camper’s World to check things out. I lost track of time and ended up leaving almost 2 hours later. Since the weather wasn't letting up as it had been raining, I decided it's probably a good idea to get the tires rotated. I found a Firestone and they fit me in. It wasn't too long ago that I got an oil change and they recommended that I get my tires rotated and an alignment. Thankfully I chose to put lifetime alignment on my tires when I bought them and also road hazard. Turns out I had a nail in one of tires. So out the door everything cost me $0. It did cost me about two and a half hours of my time. I was able to make it to my next stop with an hour to spare before it closed. It's called the Mooseum and is located very near to the Alabama State Capitol building. Both of them closed at 4:30 on regular days, but the capitol building was closed due to the holiday. Thankfully the Mooseum was open and I was able to get through it easily within the hour. It's very interactive and has great exhibits that keep your interest. I did swing by the capitol building and took a couple photos. I got back on my way, stopping at Whole Foods to get some groceries that I needed. For the first time in my life I left my cell phone behind (in the restroom). I am in the habit lately of checking my route, so within 30 seconds I realized I had left it behind. It was there, right where I left it. It was getting dark and I still had about a hundred miles to go. I was disappointed that I couldn't see much, but that's the way things go sometimes. Tomorrow is another day . . . new state to visit, hopefully better weather.

This week was really nice as I finally got to spend some real time with family. Nothing overly exciting, but it really doesn't have to be. We did end up taking two days to go to Everglades National Park It was hard to just choose no more than 10 photos for the gallery since I took close to 200. Check out the gallery if you haven't already.

While there we took a drive on a 15 mile gravel road where we saw so many different types of wildlife; plenty of alligators. The landscape was gorgeous. I made sure to include a few photos where I attempted to capture the beauty of what I saw. We also decided to take a boat tour through the 10,000 Islands portion of the park (Chokoloskee Bay into Indian Key Pass, through the mangrove islands neighboring the Gulf of Mexico). More wildlife that included an impromptu dolphin show. Those wild Atlantic bottlenose dolphin are show-offs.

Later in the week I was able to meet with Gregg Prigerson, Director of Admissions at Ringling College of Art and Design. It is a busy week for the different departments so I was unable to meet with individual professors. I did receive emails earlier in the week stating this but felt it was important I visited. Thankfully Gregg was available in the time I was in the area and he gave me a slew of very helpful information along with a mini tour of the campus. While I won't go into details here I will mention the jist of what I found out and what is extremely helpful to know. They don't take transfer students into their very competitive animation program, but they do take transfers into their motion design program. It will take three years (and possibly one or two extra classes) to complete the degree, but they have quite a few options to help keep the tuition down. It was another enlightening experience for me.

The end of the week had me heading up to the Rainbow Springs area of Florida to visit another family member. It was relaxing and great to catch up in person. We chose to spend the afternoon at Rainbow Springs State Park so I got some exercise in. There are a few photos in the gallery. I am supposed to choose the best of the day . . . meaning that your eye is drawn where I want it to go, but unfortunately some of them are just snapshots to let you know the overall look of the area. I am very respectful of the places I go, so sometimes I have to forfeit the perfect shot if I am to continue to be a good steward of the earth.

The week hasn't turned out exactly as I had expected. Thankfully I knew enough to keep my expectations low and remain flexible. I had hoped to visit the DAVE School early in the week, but email has a way of not being immediate. We managed to squeeze in a meeting on Friday; it was quite informative and encouraging.

In order to tour the school you must get clearance and be checked in at the gate. The school is on the Universal Studios lot, so that makes sense. Being that I'm car camping and traveling across country I have a gas can with me. This caused a problem with me getting through security. Thankfully they have an alternative way to enter. Since that doesn't happen much, it took a little bit of finagling. It also didn't help that they couldn't find me in the system initially. Although I arrived over 15 minutes early, I ended up being 15 minutes late. This must happen often enough as Veronica Russo, my tour guide and Admissions rep was very understanding.

I was able to see the facility and speak to a few people. One of the people I spoke with, Michael Keith, does job placement. When I requested the tour I had let them know one NVCC alumni had recently completed the diploma program at their school. When I mentioned the student's name, Michael told me exactly where he was working, but I said that didn't sound right because it was a different company's name. Turns out it was a short contract that he originally got placed in, but he already secured another job from that first one. It was really great to see that Michael really knows his graduates. He shared a few stories of some of the many connections he facilitated.

It was after 6 PM on Friday and Veronica stayed late patiently answering my questions and offering insights to a few different challenges I posed. All together a very positive experience.

During the week I visited Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure a few times. I didn't get too much behind the scenes intel, but took in the atmosphere noting all the DAT details that surround park visitors. I also took a day to park hop Disney World. It is amazing what is there, but the magic is a different type now compared to my early years. My many years in the field have me pondering how'd they pull that off and also noting where things fall short.

I spent the night car camping at a Pilot truck stop and I ended up getting at least 6 hours straight of sleep, woke briefly and then continued my surprisingly restful nights slumber.

I took my time in the morning and throughout my drive, but still managed to get to my planned destination an hour early. On my way, I stopped at Universal Studios to pick up a park pass. The visit is for mixed reasons. I am not the ultimate Harry Potter fan, but I do enjoy the books and the films. I am interested experiencing the attractions. I went a few years back and was extremely impressed with the technology used to create these experiences. I plan to ask around to find out if I can connect with anyone for more detailed information on what it took. I don't have high expectations of getting anywhere, but it never hurts to ask.

I must also admit that I had other motives as well. There is a Voodoo Doughnuts there and I needed to get my vegan doughnut fix. This is the only place I know of that makes raised yeast ones. It took about 5 hours, but I managed to consume three of them. Thankfully I put over 7 miles on my feet today, so I feel I earned it.

The gallery is a bit sparse at the moment, but it should start getting populated over the next couple of weeks as I will be visiting many new places. It will take a lot of effort, but I am going to attempt to only select a maximum of 10 images per day to upload. We expect our students to do this, so I will force myself to do so as well.

After the two mile walk last night I thought I would have slept more solidly. Turns out I only am I able to get about 4 hours solid rest then I'm waking up every hour and a half or so. That might be the way things go this trip, we shall see!

My phone was in roam so I wasn't able to tether the computer to get the blog uploaded. I also didn't see the appointment for the day was confirmed until I got back into data coverage area. Thankfully Chris Gallagher, the Chair of animation from Savannah College of Art and Design, was very understanding and accommodating. The email stated a window of opportunity to meet, so I didn't feel stressed when I stated I would only make it around 11:30.

I had been very leery about students even attempting to transfer to SCAD, in particular because of the price tag, but more so the inability to transfer credits. This is something that came up in previous interactions with people from the school. What I learned today really transformed my thinking and for the dedicated individual attending SCAD could be a real possibility.

From the hour long conversation that we had, along with Thomas Meseguer an Associate chair of animation, the reality is that it is possible for a student to complete this prestigious degree in 3 years instead of four. It would take proper planning from the get-go so that the correct classes were selected for transfer. What's even more impressive is that with the redesign of the digital arts program it will be very possible three or four of the classes we offer could transfer in.

After speaking with Chris and Thomas, I headed over to admissions and took a tour. The campus is unbelievable as it lives and breathes what it professes to do. Had I not taken the time to visit here I would not be able to speak to students about what they would need to do to be successful in this environment (actually the faculty in DAT and I consistently preach this, but now I have some notes that back up this information). I found out scholarship information and so many other pertinent things that NVCC students would need to know in order to make a decision to pursue this financial undertaking. I feel armed with a lot of knowledge now.

Before heading on my way, I listened to the suggestion to see the 4D experience that depicted the origins of the school called SCADstory. It was very well done and really brought it's history to life. Walking from admissions to Poetter Hall I was able to get a feel for the city. I am not normally a city person, but I feel I could really spend some time here; live no, week or two long visit, no problem! As I hear though, don't come over St. Patricks week!

It was another night of not so solid rest after the first 4 hours, but I did manage to get enough sleep in to feel rested. I'd chose to spend the night at an out-of-the-way place, but when I got there the gate 2 this site was locked. I ended up seeing a dirt road the opposite direction and figured since I was in the National Forest I would find a place to pull over there. Thankfully a local was coming down the road and was nice enough to let me know there was a pull off about a mile up. That was an interesting ride at less than 10 miles an hour over rugged terrain. It was a peaceful night and while I don't remember there being snow on the ground when I got there was when I woke up.

I made my way to University of North Carolina Asheville in hopes of meeting with someone from admissions since I wasn't able to coordinate with any of the instructors at the school. I did however speak with Professor Chris Oakley on the phone and we will be in touch next week about how our programs align. I was able to connect with Lindsey in the admissions department later in the day and she was able to enlighten me on the process that would make transfer there the smoothest possible. I also learned that the class sizes in general are around 20 students per class with the concentration areas being even smaller. That's a major plus in my eyes!

While I was waiting for our late afternoon appointment, I took a ride to the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center. It's part of the national parks so I was happy to spend my time there. I watched a movie that I thought had only been made a few years ago and turned out it was so well done the 13 year old movie did not show its age. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable in the exhibits kept my interest for well over an hour.

So the dumb move that I did today was blowing two fuses because I put my 12-volt hot pot into a multi-port cigarette lighter adapter. I thought I was smelling things from outside the car but it turns out I was frying the adapter. The reason it was two fuses is that after I blew it in the one port I moved the adapter to the other port to see if it's still worked which blew the 2nd fuse. Lucky I had those fuses on hand. Do you think it might have happened before? I will remember to plug the hot pot directly into the cigarette lighter adapter. I should have known better but this $10 lesson has really sunk in. And I'm sad because I really liked that adapter.

After finishing up at UNCA, I made the two-hour drive on to where I planned to spend the night. I got there just before sunset. There was a great rail trail I really wanted to walk. I didn't know which way to go so I just sort of tried one direction and changed my mind and went the other. As I decided I'd go back to the car since it was getting quite dark, a local family walked up the footbridge. I asked some questions about the area and the possibility of spending the night here and we continued to have a conversation as we walked the trail. (Kaden, Devin, Sarah, Charlene, and Jeff not sure of spellings) were great company. I got some local history, good conversation, and the ironic part of meeting is that Jeff is a trained graphic designer. What are the odds? I gave them my card and with Devin being ready with a pencil, gave them the web address to the blog. I hope they're reading this and they keep in touch!

It is going to take a while to adjust to life on the road.  It takes much longer to get anything done, as the normal conveniences are non-existent. Switching from sleeping mode to driving mode alone takes at least 5 minutes of reorganization. While I could buy coffee, I choose to make it for a couple of reasons. One being that I budgeted for this trip and that would be a superfluous; the second being that I'm sort of partial to my coffee when I can have it. I felt I slept enough last night, but I  tossed and turned a good portion of it. The accommodations are comfortable and it wasn't a noisy stop, it just wasn't a solid night's sleep. I set my alarm and gave myself enough time to get to my first stop.

Natural Bridge State Park was gorgeous and I had it all to myself initially. I had an 11:30 appointment to make so I only had about an hour to spend on the trail. I will definitely return one day. I took the pictures that I could and enjoyed the scenery  and then  beat-feet back to the car. I'm definitely not in shape, hopefully that'll be a different story by the end of this trip.

Thankfully there was no traffic and I managed to get to Virginia Tech shortly after 11 a.m. to find parking. I checked my email to confirm where I was supposed to go and there was a  email for me stating that Senior Instructor Dunston had a slight change of schedule and would be able to meet earlier.  Thankfully he put in his number and I was able to give him a call so I could get to him as soon as possible. Good thing I had the number because it was a little difficult to know exactly where to go. Plus you need a card to get in the door anyway.

The facility was incredible and Instructor Dunstan was a wealth of knowledge. My intention was to get information for DAT but it looks like this program is better suited for music transfer students that have an interest in the Digital Arts audio production side. I took some notes and hope to share them with the music students that meet with me about our audio certificate.  Perhaps this is a good reason to strengthen the academic connection between DAT and music. I appreciated the offer to give me  more time if I had questions, but being that this isn't my area of expertise I wanted to let him get to what he needed to, in particular, lessons. I did ask if he would be open to speaking with someone more in tune (no pun intended) with this topic, and he seemed happy to do so. I'll be passing that info along in the near future.

I made my way toward my next destination, as I was quite ahead of schedule now. This afforded me time to get a little bit more organized and to work on using the gadgets I brought with me. For those of you that have been advised by me, you know how much I work with spreadsheets. I decided to use one for tracking this trip. I grabbed an old tablet we had and decided that's what I would use since it's quick to start up and has a long battery life (that is if you don't forget to keep it in airplane mode; which I failed to do the second day). Let me tell you, it does not work the way the one on the computer does. There is a decent learning curve. It's mostly the muscle memory to get effiecient with data entry but it definitely is not as convenient when running formulas, formatting, and copying cells. It's a challenge worth overcoming. I love the automatic tallies.

What a great day! I got moving nice and early and arrived at Morgan State University in Maryland an hour before my meeting with Dr. Kopano. With plenty to keep me occupied, I was prepared to wait the hour to connect with him. I followed the directions and called Ms. Johnson so I could be let into the building. To my surprise, our meeting started shortly after I arrived. Carl Hyden, the Associate Dean of Administration, joined in as well.

While I was hopeful of a fruitful exchange, my expectations were blown away. Explaining the progression of their curriculum helps immensely. With a little discussion, I found that with minor tweaks to what we already do in the DAT program, students that are looking to pursue this type of degree will do wonderful and be able to do so in two years. One of the communication courses required of sophomores piqued my interest and I hope to be able to offer a course just like it.

After our meeting, they had Travis, the DAT equivalent of Vismel (Jack of all trades), show me around their facility. Those of you that have heard of my plans for growing the program and my vision of what it should be mirrors what I saw today. Upon returning to Dr. Kopano's office I found him busy helping one of his students. A man of my own heart. He had Ms. Johnson get me the promised information and she walked me to my car so I could leave the facility. The way I'm talking it sounds like I was in a dangerous neighborhood, but that is far from it; I felt very safe. I think because it's in such a metropolitan area, parking is at a premium and if there weren't these safeguards in place, faculty and staff would never make it to work. I felt like I was treated like a king during my time there. The hospitality was very much appreciated.

We had talked about starting an articulation agreement, so I was sent across campus (I needed to drive there mind you) to speak with the transfer counselor. I couldn't find the public parking so I parked in a lot that I was nervous about getting ticketed in. I went inside the building and evidently LOST was written all over my face because I was asked almost immediately if I needed help. I got updated information on where to park and after being turned around in the building for a while I also got directed to the right place. It's amazing but everyone, yes I said EVERYONE, was so pleasant and willing to help. Even people with heads in their phones looked up to say hello. While I didn't get to meet with anyone to finalize the articulation, Tamera Farrar got me started in the right direction.

Ahead of schedule, I could take my time getting to my next destination. I decided to take the scenic route and also chose to check out an attraction I saw on a highway sign. Unfortunately that didn't work out too well. The GPS had me go the wrong way and once I figured that out I went the opposite direction to see what I missed. Had it been warmer, I probably would have walked the canal, but I wanted to get places while it was still light. I crossed the Potomac River on a back road immediately ending up in Virginia. I meandered to the highway so I would be closer to tomorrow's stop. The farm country was beautiful. I couldn't decide what picture to take so I didn't take any.