I’m home.  I just wanted to share a few final thoughts about this tour, since you’ve been so kind to read my entries along the way.

First, thank you for reading and your comments that were posted.  It was an interesting event and one that was very long.  It was so much easier and more ...

For all those "office pools" out there, here is the ending mileage as promised!

As you will recall, we started with 22,162.9 miles, making the trip from beginning to end 7,883.6 miles.  Now, remember winners, you get to collect all those "winnings" and send them off to your local March of Dimes, or to the National office.  Just let them know it was from the "Every Baby Has a Story"  2007 Tour! 

Well, here it is.  This was the final day.  The last miles of the trip are complete.  The task we set out to do a month ago has come to final completion.  The stories are recorded, and the “baby bus” is taking a nice long nap.  We rolled into New York City this morning, and were on some local media television programs.  It was exciting ...

We can feel it.  It's in the air.  It's the end of the trip, and we can see it coming!  PHEW!  Today was at a mall in West Chester, PA, just to the west of Philadelphia.  It was a nice day with some very nice people sharing their stories.  Following that, I made a swing through Motor Coach Industries in Blackwood, NJ, and then off to Paradise Trailways on Long Island.  This trip has been a series of "firsts" for and today is no different.  I've been to New York in the past, but until today had never driven a bus through the City.  I've always avoided it, luckily, in the past, but today it was facing me, as I was the only one who could get the bus from Philadelphia to Paradise Trailways in Hicksville, NY which is on Long Island.  That meant New York, at the height of rush hour.  Hey, if you are going to do it, do it right, my Dad always said.  So, as usual, I pointed the motorc ...

Ok, sorry, I did run out of state/city songs.  We had a travel day today.  We left Cambridge, Ohio in rain, and drove through West Virginia, and into Pennsylvania, thus, over the river, etc.   Over bunches of hills as well.  It was a pretty uneventful day, which is always a good thing.  The women left just ahead of me from our motel in Cambridge.  I'm enjoying a good Bob Segar song and up come the women from behind, beeping and waving as they once again leave me in the dust.  I cruise along and later in the day, here they come again, beeping and waving.  I feel like the turtle and the hare story.  I plod along...but seem to make as good of time as the four ladies.   Then again, this gorgeous Motor Coach Industries J4500 is traveling over 1000 miles on a tank of fuel.  Not much need to stop for fuel along the way. Anyway, we pass by the signs for Hershey, Pennsylvania, and it helps me t ...

Today was a very special day for your writer.  My wonderful wife, Debbie, and my exchange daughter from Germany, Johanna, made the trip from Nashville, TN, our home, to Indianapolis last night.  That's a four and a half hour drive each way just to spend some time with me as we pass through the United States.  How special is that!?!?  I appreciate that very much.  Their visit also helps me "unload" bunches of stuff, so I can make it back on the plane at the end of the trip.  Of course, Debbie brings her famous baked good treats to help me along the way, as well.  Then, around noon, my "brother" as we like to joke, shows up with his "big truck".  Doug is a cross country truck driver, so all this driving I'm doing is no big deal for him.  He does it every day.  It is so nice to see him as well, and we head off east together, as Debbie and Johanna head south back ...

Today was a combination travel and show day.  Luckily we stayed over night in Hobart, Indiana, so it wasn't a difficult drive down to Indianapolis.  We arrived in plenty of time in downtown Indy to set up in front of the the Murat Theatre, home of the show "Momma Mia".  There were lots of the attendees who stopped by to visit and share their stories with the March of Dimes.  It is so important, and so helpful to the March of Dimes when folks stop by and tell their stories on the bus.  Our good friends at Farmer's Insurance is donating $20.00 per story to the March of Dimes, so all these folks getting on board are making a very important donation when sharing their story.  Tonight we stay in Indianapolis, for tomorrow we have a big day in Plainfield Indiana, just outside Indianapolis.

I've been traveling to Chicago for years, most of them in a motorcoach.  In fact, in my first year of driving, I think it was about the 5th trip I ever officially drove bus, I was told to "follow the bus ahead of you" and was sent to downtown Chicago.  Well, as many of the retirees before me will attest, that usually means the "newbie" is going to be given a "trial by fire".  I had a few things in my favor.  One, I had been a bus rider for years on my Dad's bus as he navigated his bus in and out of Detroit, Michigan.  I learned early on that it is possible to "tread the eye of a needle" with a motorcoach.  Also, on that trip, the motorcoach I drove was a Motor Coach Industries, MC-5, only 35 foot in length, although it did have a manual transmission, unlike the nice automatics we have today.  I followed the best I could that day, but learned that Chi ...

Another travel day today, although much shorter!  I left Bloomington, IL, and headed north toward the Windy City.  Of course, Motor Coach Industries has another of their service centers in the area, this one in Des Plaines, IL.  Once again the folks at MCI took great care of the "Baby Bus".  My thanks to Steve, Gary and the great crew at the MCI service center, who went over the motorcoach to check it all out, and for the great bath they gave our coach.  All set for our big day tomorrow at four different locations around Chicago.  Time for me to get lots of good rest for our busy day tomorrow!  Until the wheels stop rolling....Happy Trails!

I realize the beautiful arch in St. Louis was built as a memorial to those who headed west from St. Louis, MO many years ago in our country's history.  However, it is our "gateway to the east" as we come into town.

We had two locations to visit today.  Beautiful skies, as you can see, but it is definately now into November, so definately a bit chilly.  One of the highlights of my day was having my sister and my niece who live in the area come by to visit.  It was so nice seeing both of them again.  That's what this trip really is all about, family and caring people.  I'm continually touched with how people care about each other, and I'm lucky to have such good family and friends supporting me while on this trip.  I've ev ...