On the Road Again...

June 24, at 3AM, we drove our rented a car to Miami Airport for a 7:45AM flight to Houston, Texas. Our friend Sharon Rios picked us up and after jump starting the bike, which we stored in her daughter Julie's garage, we were riding again.

I can't say enough about the hospitality of the Rios family. Not only did they store our motorcycle and trailer while we returned to Florida, they showed us some great restaurants, acted as our taxi drivers and tour guides and in general were as hospitable as Southerners are reputed to be. When Felipe got home, we met up with them for dinner and on the way visited a very interesting place.

The Hindu Mandir, is a temple in Houston. See http://houston.baps.org/ . To try to describe it with a picture is like trying to photograph the Grand Canyon. It just can't tell the story. First, the building is constructed from 33,000 pieces of Italian Marble and Turkish limestone. Each piece is carved into a magnificent work of art. The level of skill and detail evident in every statue is incredible. From a distance, it is breathtaking, but as you get close and go inside, it becomes ever more impressive as an exquisite level of detail begins to reveal itself, reminding you of the microscopic detail in a piece of jewelry. Every sight inside the Mandir is amazing.

As impressive as the structure is, the kindness of the people we met matched the surroundings. We had several Indian gentlemen offer to explain the shrines, works of art, the construction of the Mandir, and their Hindu Faith. When we thought we had seen everything, most of those present gathered around some doors that were opened to reveal several Murtas; lifelike statues of some of their dieties and swamis. This signaled the beginning of a worship service where all those gathered chanted and clapped in unison for about 30 minutes. There were several rituals demonstrating the devotion of the followers. It was fascinating and will make memories we will take to our graves.

We will take a couple of days to get to Branson, Missouri. The heat here is stifling. I was told the temperatures were at or near record levels and numbers like 106 and 108 were reported to us. I know that pulling the trailer causes the motorcycle to generate more heat than normal and when you combine the sun, heat, and a hot motor the ride can be brutal.

On today's ride we visited Adventure Caravans at Rainbow's End in Livingston, Texas, an Escapee RV Park. We have been Escapees since 1991 and my brother Bob and his Wife Marcia work for Adventure Caravans. If we ever hit the lottery, we would consider traveling full time and would love to join them as tail gunners or wagon masters. See http://www.adventurecaravans.com/ to get an idea of what they are about.

Many, if not most Full time RVrs are Escapees, see http://www.escapees.com/ . This is the best resource there is for people who live full time on the road. They pool the talent of over 100,000 members to refine the art of the RV lifestyle, and they do it very well. They even have a Care Center for RVrs that get too old or sick to travel. It's a great organization.

Tomorrow we plan to rise early and make most of our mileage before it gets very hot. Then we will look for a movie theater and watch a mattanee during the hottest part of the day. We are 477 miles from Branson.