Teaching kids about sharing with others at the holidays

We have lots of traditions with our grandchildren, but none is more special than our “sharing” trip we take during the Christmas holidays. This is a tradition that any parent or grandparent can start with their own family.

Our grandchildren, now ten of them and counting, are pretty typical of most middle class children of today. The have lots and appreciate little. They don’t take a lot of time from their own worlds to think about others and how children who aren’t as blessed as they are, might be spending their holidays.

So, one afternoon during the holidays, we take them all (or as many as we can gather) and head for a toy store. They each have $15 to spend on a child. They can pool their resources to buy something bigger, or they can pick individually. They think carefully about what a child who may get nothing except their present might really like. We guide only a little and mostly watch in amazement at the thought that goes into their choices.

We then deliver the gifts to a local fire station. The firemen are wonderful with the kids and talk about what a wonderful thing they have done. They talk about distributing the toys – and they let them climb on the fire equipment and learn about fighting fires.

We try to go for a treat, but sometimes their schedules are so tight that we’ve got to get them home and back to their busy lives, only hoping that they have thought just a little about another boy or girl – even for a moment.

I saw this on another blog (http://thoughtgarden.blogspot.com/) and really liked it. We all have our own list of "must dos" in our life's journey, and this list is a pretty good start! Seeing all 50 states and taking a long road trip are obviously two of my favorites!

See how your life's list compares -- and maybe add a few new ideas to your own.


01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath
08. Said “I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm over water
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa (it was closed for repairs!)
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten tipsy on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China (actually doing that this next week!)
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe or raft trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal (or bird) for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Traveling with the GrandKids -- and not a GameBoy in sight!

We recently returned from a trip with two of our many grandchildren to San Diego. We have a tradition of the "48 inch Trip". It started with the older ones to Disneyland when they were 48" tall and could go on the big rides. It was a highly anticipated event! Now the kids have all been there multiple times, so we're started looking for alternative destinations.

San Diego was great. We stayed at The Dana on Mission Bay http://thedana.reachlocal.net/; an older property that has been completely renovated and was a perfect location right on the water.

In 4 days we went to Sea World, Legoland (about 45 minutes from SD), the Zoo and had a day at the beach and playing in and around Mission Bay -- a sternwheeler ride from the neighboring Bahia Resort, paddle boats on the bay and swimming at the motel. We all had a ball.

Under-discovered Gems in our National Park System

What could be more American than our National Park Service? People everywhere express interest in exploring these symbols of our national heritage. The parks range from large and well-known, like Yosemite and Zion, to small and obscure, like The Golden Spike National Historical Park and Moore’s Creek National Battlefield.

The parks are divided into several categories including National Parks, National Historic Parks, National Monuments, National Seashores and more. The difference is not just the significance of the park, but also the funding and, therefore, staffing and amenities of each location. In all, there are over 400 locations maintained by the National Park Service and they do a great job keeping everything maintained, accessible and enjoyable for the millions of annual visitors. The parks are truly one of the gems of our tax-supported services.

Each park, monument, seashore and more was designated due to some unique characteristic worth preserving and showcasing. From the intricate lacework of Wind Cave in South Dakota, to the fragile eco-system of the Florida Everglades, the park rangers are well informed and eagerly teach visitors about their park. The Junior Ranger program for kids in some of the larger parks is better than a year of science and history back home.

So what are some of these lesser known locations of special significance? Here are three that you might want to include in your next trip.

Big Bend National Park – Located in far south Texas, this park is visited by less than a million people a year and stretches over 800,000 acres, with three distinct eco-systems. The Chisos Mountains loom from most every vantage point in the park. In the spring, the desert portion of the park is alive with wild flowers and animals of every description. And finally, the canyons of the Rio Grande make a spectacular trip via rubber raft or canoe. The Santa Elena canyon is spectacular with the canyon walls rising 1500 feet on one side to Mexico and the same distance on the other in the US. The nearby town of Lajitas (outside the park) boasts the only “international” golf course in the US when one hole has an optional green across the canyon to Mexico! Retrieving your ball and scoring the hole is difficult since there is no physical connection to the green.

Little Bighorn National Monument – This Park gets our vote for the best ranger talk. The site of Custer’s last stand presides over the valley below with such visual splendor that one can easily imagine the Indians camped below and the obedient men under the direction of General Custer being led to their slaughter. As the wind blows over the site, the rangers do an incredible job of setting the mood, the facts and the story of Little Bighorn. Armed with the knowledge of the battle, an audio tour is available as you head out through the actual battlefield.

Dry Tortugas National Park – On of the least accessible of all our parks is Dry Tortugas, 67 miles off the tip of Key West. Best reached by several companies who offer “fast Cat” service to the island, the history and the remains of Fort Jefferson mix with the wonderful snorkeling to make for a great day trip, or a multi-day stay for the adventurous, since there are no improved campsites on the island, no lodging, no bathhouses and no drinking water available. Fort Jefferson dates to the early 1800s, when it was constructed to protect the Gulf of Mexico. This is one of the parks that has fallen victim to the loss of Park Rangers, partly due to the desolate conditions there. Fortunately, our guide for the boat trip had become knowledgeable about the history of the fort and provided excellent “ranger” descriptions for our group.

The National Parks website at http://www.nps.gov/ is a treasure trove of information, whether your visit is to a famous or not-so-famous park. If your goal is to visit many of the national parks, be sure to pick-up your personal “Passport” at your first park – a clever and unique way to catalog your visits. The National Parks Pass is a bargain at $50 a year for unlimited access to the parks with a 50% discounts on use fees within the park. The Golden Age passport is available to those 62 and older and is good for a lifetime. Our disabled citizens are also entitled to Golden Access Passes, regardless of age. See the website for complete details.

Travel Technology Options

One of the questions that comes up most frequently is what type of internet connectivity should I have for our trip? So, here is a quick review of the basic ways to access the internet in a mobile connection (not at a fixed land base (ie DSL or cable TV internet)

· Dial-up - slow, but can access from any telephone line - just plug in and dial. Some carriers provide lots of local dial up numbers (AT&T has over 400!) and most also provide some 800 service for a fee. This is good to have as a back-up service when you can't access anything else. AT&T provides such a service for $5.95 a month + $.99 an hour when you need to use it. I'm sure others have similar services.

· Cellular Modem - slow, but using an adaptor kit of some type (called a modem kit) you can access any place you have cell coverage. Unless a particular company has put restrictions on it, you can access the internet from ANY cell company’s service, regardless of who your carrier is. You have a physical connection from your cell phone to your PC.

· Cellular Data Service - this has no connection to your cellular phone or cellular phone carrier. You may have the same carrier for both, but it is not necessary. Faster than the above options, you have a card in your PC that accesses the internet directly. You don't even have to HAVE cell service to have this. Totally separate. This service costs about $40-60 a month. Unlimited service. No minutes to worry about. The coverage area for the carrier who provides the card/service to you has no bearing on where you can connect. You can connect ANYPLACE you can get a cell signal -- regardless of carrier who is providing the signal. Now, you may get varying speeds depending upon the carrier, but cellular signal + data internet service card = connection. Even driving along.

· Wi-fi Service The newest and the best value. Good speed, easy to use and becoming very easy to find. Must have a wi-fi card in your PC - virtually all new PC's have them, and many older ones can be retrofitted. Costs for service range from "free" (the location is paying for it - like Starbucks, libraries, etc.) to $30-40 a month, depending upon the situation. You can buy service for a few dollars for a day (like in an airport) to subscription services like through SBC -- but usually restricted to that company’s Hot spots.

· Satellite - Expensive to buy and to have service. Fast, but must be able to get your satellite link-up (problem in trees, etc.) but really great service. There are a couple of major providers. I've never used this, so don't know as much about it. One of our subscribers, Daniel Bray, is an expert. Can only use it when satellite is up - so can't be used driving down the highway. Cellular data service can be used driving along (please, don't try to drive and use! -- I've seen that, believe it or not! -- in LA, where else!)

Authors Win National Book Award

Live Your Road Trip Dream, by Oregon authors Phil and Carol White, won a coveted Benjamin Franklin Award at a Washington, DC ceremony in conjunction with Book Expo America.

PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association honored the Whites for their award in the category of Marketing Excellence and Innovation for 2005. Live Your Road Trip Dream was previously selected as a Finalist in the 2004 ForeWord Magazine competition for Book of the Year – Travel.

Judged by a panel of book industry experts including buyers at wholesale and retail levels, librarians, book critics, design experts and independent publishing consultants, these books have been scrutinized by individuals involved in the very markets in which the books are competing.

RLI Press published the Whites’ book in July, 2004. It is currently in its second printing and is selling well at AAA, Camping World, book stores, Amazon.com and at their own website, http://www.roadtripdream.com/ among other locations.

Live Your Road Trip Dream is a “how-to” book to help people figure out how to extricate themselves from their everyday lives in order to go travel for an extended period – and do it for the same cost as staying home. It has been featured in articles ranging from the Associated Press to local papers like Lifestyles Northwest where they were the cover feature. Over 100 newspapers and magazines have told their story. In addition, the Whites have been heard on radio programs and on television. If you enter the book’s name in Google, you will find it in over 12,000 locations on the internet.

Carol White was in Washington, DC to speak at a conference when the winner was announced. She said, “I just couldn’t believe it, out of all the independently published books, they chose ours for marketing excellence. I was speechless, which doesn’t happen to me very often!” When asked how she did it, Carol commented, “If you have a good product with a strong market niche and a good marketing plan that is well-executed, there is a good chance that you will be successful. With nearly 200,000 new titles each year, it is getting increasingly difficult for good small presses to rise above all the ‘noise’ and find their audience.” Apparently the Whites have figured it out, while not only living their road trip dream, but also their publishing dream.

About the Benjamin Franklin Awards™

Named in honor of America’s most cherished publisher and printer, the Benjamin Franklin Award recognizes excellence in independent publishing. A panel of nearly 180 judges from throughout the publishing industry weighted and evaluated more than 1,700 submissions in 53 categories to create the list of more than 159 finalists for 2005 publishing year. Publishers large and small from across the nation, Canada and Mexico competed for the coveted awards.

PMA, with more than 4,200 members, is the largest non-profit trade association representing independent publishers. For a compete listing of finalists and to view the award winners in each category, go to the PMA website at
http://www.pma-online.org/

Wanna save on gas? Ditch your Starbucks.

If you’ve given up the idea of summer vacation road trip, think again. Regardless of the gas prices, fuel is typically only the forth largest expense on a trip behind lodging, food, and vehicle cost and maintenance says author Carol White of Live Your Trip Dream. “It’s really a much smaller expense than people think and it’s certainly not worth canceling your dream vacation over.”

Still, it’s going to cost more this year than it has in years prior to hit the road. White suggests pouring the Starbucks and other non-essentials in your tank instead, “You’d be amazed how much we all spend on the extras we don’t really need. The small invisible stuff really adds up but if a family really wants to take a road trip and needs to budget extra for gas, there are a few great ways they can do this.”

If you’ve always dreamed of hitting the road for a family road trip here are a few quick non-essentials you can easily cut:

• Forgo the daily Starbucks latte, have a regular coffee instead
• Plan eating in more, make dining out a treat, not a daily occurrence
• Come on now, be honest. Are you really using all those cable channels? Cutting just one of them could get you a tank of gas a month. Wait till Big Love comes out on DVD and rent it
• Be adventurous! Get your hotels on Priceline or Hotwire, you might be surprised what you get! Many of their rooms are four star hotels.

According to a study done by PKF for the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), fuel prices would need to triple to make that option more expensive for a family of four than other forms of travel. Of course, you don’t have to have an RV to do a road trip, but they are a great choice for those summer vacations.

Whether you decide to cut one expense or all of them, White says don’t let high gas prices keep you from spending time on vacation. U.S. workers are notorious for not taking the vacations they are entitled to, don’t let the gas pump steal what’s rightfully yours: some time away.”

What not to do on your Summer Vacation!

Just in time to get everyone excited about the summer family vacation season, the movie “RV” comes to town www.sonypictures.com/movies/rv/ .

Poor Bob Munro (Robin Williams) is just trying to get some family bonding time with the kids before they grow up and are gone. But, like many families, he dives into the preparations without a clear vision of the task – especially tackling an RV without some guidance (or apparently, common sense!).

RV trips are great for family bonding, whether you are an experienced RVer or just starting out. The Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) has lots of great ideas and help at their site www.gorving.com . If only the Munros had known about this source of information. Whether you need a CD on the basics or a list of campgrounds to get you started, RVIA can help you avoid the pitfalls that the Munros suffered.

According to RVIA, there are over 30 million RV enthusiasts in the country, with over 8 million owning an RV. Who is the most RVing age group? The baby boomers, of course, with over 9% of them owning RVs. Today’s typical RV owner is 49 years old, married, with an annual household income of $68,000 – much like the family in the movie. Whether you want to rent an RV like the Munros did, or are looking to purchase one, there is something for every budget with purchases starting at under $10,000.

Once you’ve gotten your vehicle lined up, you’ll surely need some additional tips and hints to make your vacation enjoyable. Phil and Carol White share lots of tips for road trippers on their website, www.roadtripdream.com . The website has a television clip of them sharing their experiences, a complete budget worksheet (.xls format) for both long and short trips, information on their award-winning book, “Live Your Road Trip Dream” and much more.

Carol offers some tips for your family summer vacation.

· Instead of springing the trip on your family like Bob Munro did, enlist their help in the planning. Almost every age can help – plan out your route, mark the maps, gather information on the internet, get a travel guide or two, plan your meals – these are all things that the whole family can get involved in.
· Don’t over plan your trip. Be sure to leave room in your itinerary for spontaneous adventures – or problems along the way. A little planning goes a long way. Too much planning kills to joy of exploration.
· Consider leaving the electronics at home. Pack the games, sports equipment and hiking maps instead. Families spend so much time in solitary pursuits today, like personal music devices, DVRs, computers, game systems, and more – why not leave them home and explore other options on your vacation.
· If you are taking teenagers along, give them each the responsibility to be in charge of one day of the vacation. They get plan the meals (hold your breath!), be the tour guide on the activities, deal with tickets, money, transportation and other things that crop up during the day. A great experience for them.

So don’t let the hapless adventures of the Munro family scare you off. Do some homework, get everyone involved, and take off on your own adventure and bring back memories to last a lifetime.

Boomers afraid of retirement?

As we have spoken to people, an interesting thing has happened. Our message has really expanded to encompass the whole “reinventing retirement” or “phase II life” issues. As everything in the boomers lives, they are changing the face of retirement.

A Del Webb study a couple of years ago uncovered that 45% of boomers say that travel will be their #1 expenditure in retirement, and travel related companies are getting ready for the boomers. ElderHostel has started a new program called Road Scholars that is targeted squarely at the more adventurous, independent and wealthier boomers. The cruise industry is including things like climbing walls on their ships and planning shore excursions that include hiking, biking, kayaking and other more adventurous options. The internet has spawned a whole group of sites that have trip planning help (like us!) to assist those independent research-oriented boomers to “do-it-yourself.”

What we are finding is that there is a whole group of boomers who are actually AFRAID of retirement – they say they will never retire, or not until they are “old” – because they can’t conceive of our parents retirement – golf and the rocking chair! Well, quite frankly, neither can we. What we advocate is to find your second life. Planning a long trip like we did, is only the beginning, and a great way to help figure out what your “phase II” plan might include.

Boomers are intent on giving meaning to their lives, and up until now, work has been that primary identity, and many are unsure what else there is, so they just plan to continue doing what they are doing. We believe there is a whole new set of experiences to be explored in the second half of our life. If you have thoughts to add to the conversation, please send them along.

Next Stop - Arizona!

We've had a super time in Southern California for the last several weeks. Our presentations and book signings in San Diego, Pasedena, Orange, San Bernardino and Palm Desert went flawlessly - and it was so exciting to meet so many road tripping folks.

Probably the most fun was our television appearances - some people actually called us and said they saw us on TV - how fun is that! We were on two stations in San Diego and one in Palm Desert -- all morning "getting ready for work" time. We hope some of you saw us too. We love talking about road trips and encouraging people to Live their Road Trip Dreams!

Today we moved from Palm Springs to Phoenix. This will be a busy week. One of our children is engaged to be married to a wonderful gal from Phoenix. We are anxiously awaiting meeting her parents while we are here. A couple of weeks ago, the kids told us that they are coming over too (they live in Hanelei, Kauai, Hawaii), so I know we are going to have some real family bonding time.

Monday morning, we'll be on Good Morning Arizona -- really early - 5:45 am, then Susan Felt from the Arizona Republic is interviewing us for an article later in the week. All seems to be ready for our appearances at Barnes and Noble in Surprise and Mostly Books in Tucson. Unfortunately, Changing Hands in Tempe was already booked -- we'll try to be there next time!
We're having a great time between signings too - a little golf, lots of good food and lots of laughs with friends new and old.

Carol

“Road Trip” Authors Take Their Own Advice and Hit the Road

It’s the old adage – the cobbler’s kid needs shoes, the barber needs a haircut, and the road trip gurus need, well … a road trip. Too busy to “practice what they preach”, authors Phil and Carol White found themselves tired of the Oregon rain and ready for a change of scenery. But how do you take off when you need to pay attention to marketing your book? How about a book promotion road trip!

Mixing marketing Live Your Road Trip Dream (RLI Press, 2004), their award-winning ultimate road trip planning guide, with a road trip to promote the book is the perfect way for the authors to live their own road trip dream. Today’s technology allows business people like the Whites to mix play with work. They will pack their vehicle with their laptop, cell phone and of course books as they head for southern California and Arizona later this month. Customers can reach them by phone or email just as normal, and they will have some time to explore new places to write about.

They have scheduled several presentations along the way to share the joy of a long road trip with the 10,000 baby boomers reaching 60 every day and wanting to head out on the road themselves. Gen-xers contemplating a mid-career sabbatical or leave will also find the tips and ideas to be invaluable.

The Whites have spoken to over 1,000 people about their planning tools and their adventure in such diverse settings as athletic clubs, RV rallies, AAA, book stores and libraries – all with rave reviews. They have also been frequent guest on radio and TV with over 50 appearances to date, and this trip won’t slow that activity down. Carol says, “Most radio interviews are done by phone, and we really enjoy talking to people about how to make this incredible experience happen, so we’ll just be talking from a different location than normal.”

To see the White’s and hear about planning your own road trip, plan to be at one of the following appearances:
3/6 - 7:30pm - Distant Lands Bookstore - Pasedena, Ca
3/7 - 7:30pm - Le Travel Store - San Diego, Ca
3/10 - 6:00pm - Barnes & Noble - Orange, Ca
3/11 - 4:00pm - Camping World - 40th Anniversary - San Bernardino, Ca
3/15 - 6:00pm - Barnes & Noble - Palm Desert, Ca
3/29 - 2:00pm - Barnes & Noble - Surprise, Az
4/1 - 1:00pm - Mostly Books - Tucson, Az

For additional information on these locations, visit their website at
www.roadtripdream.com/appearances.html

Their lively 50-minute presentation is sure to inspire the wanderlust to plan that long trip that dreams are made of -- and make the listener believe that they too can do it. Phil adds, “We’ll never have another journey as awesome as our road trip dream – we’d love to help you accomplish your dreams too.”

Spring Book Tour

Here is the current line-up for our Spring Book Tour including upcoming radio shows. All times are PST.

2/16 - 4:00pm - The Retirement Hour with Matt Hutcheson
2/19 - 9:15am - Travel Talk Radio with Sandy Dhuyvetter
3/6 - 7:30pm - Distant Lands Bookstore - Pasedena, Ca
3/7 - 7:30pm - Le Travel Store - San Diego, Ca
3/9 - 6:00pm - The Travel Hub Radio Show - live in San Diego, Ca
3/10 - 6:00pm - Barnes & Noble - Orange, Ca
3/11 - 4:00pm - Camping World - 40th Anniversary - San Bernardino, Ca
3/15 - 6:00pm - Barnes & Noble - Palm Desert, Ca
3/29 - 2:00pm - Barnes & Noble - Surprise, Az
4/1 - 1:00pm - Mostly Books - Tucson, Az

For additional information on these locations, visit our website at www.roadtripdream.com/appearances.html

Our lively 50-minute presentation is sure to get you excited about taking that long trip you've been dreaming of -- and make you believe that you too can do it!

Live Your Dreams!

Carol

2006 Already?

It's killing me! How do you all keep up?

Email,
snail mail,
newsletters,
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articles,
and now blogs....

We're getting ready for our annual trek out of the Oregon rain -- and it has been bad the last month -- maybe that's why I've had no time to blog.

This month's newsletter will be up shortly. Check it out... it is fr*ee and fun -- subscribe if you are so inclined. The link is in my links on the left.