This log is current to July 2, 2005, 2005

May 29. 2005 (Don’s birthday...and thanks to all who sent greetings) Westbound.

Aboard the Gypsy Wagon, we are driving the nearly 2,400 miles from Oriental, North Carolina to Livingston, Montana, reflecting along the way on the 10,007 miles we spent aboard our sailboat/home Pioneer, which we have sold.

(Photo) Becky sailing in the Caribbean.

Our adventures will continue near Yellowstone Park as we ponder a possible journey to southern South America.

The Gypsy Wagon Expedition has logged 220,000 miles, and we will soon reach our 2,000th day as homeless, unemployed vagabonds -- with many new adventures on the horizon.

May 30, 2005 Departing Frankfort, Kentucky. Hope we get to South Dakota before the Gypsy Wagon’s license plates expire tomorrow night!

Later: we passed the St. Louis Arch, a sure sign we were making westward progress.

After 750 miles today, have arrived in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Belle Fourche, South Dakota tomorrow (good thing, the “Wagon’s” license plates expire tomorrow), then Livingston, Montana the next day.

We are about to commemorate our 2,000 day of travel. During those five and a half years, we have logged more than 222,000 miles via 36 modes of travel. We have also retained more than 14,000 photos (about 1,650 are displayed in this site). See Statistics and Countries Visited.

As a combined total, we have traveled in 73 countries, protectorates, etc. See Countries Visited. Also see:

June 2, 2005: EXPEDITION DAY 2,000

It’s hard to believe we arrived in Montana (after driving 2,370 miles in four days) to see snow falling on the mountains -- and it’s especially hard to take physically, after sailing the Caribbean the last six months.

June 4, 2005 in Livingston, Montana
It has been determined that Don will undergo major back surgery June 8 in Bozeman, Montana. It will involve a lengthy recovery period before we can continue with Expedition activities.

June 11, 2005 in Bozeman, Montana
Don’s surgery was very extensive, but successful. His doctor thinks he has an excellent prognosis, although his recovery will be slow. He thanks the many people who have send encouraging messages. Updates soon.

June 14, 2005 in Livingston, Montana

The day we long dreaded has arrived.

Don’s amazing father expired last night after a long battle against cancer.

People say it’s not possible to know the pain of losing a parent until it actually happens. We find that painfully true.

Loren Hardy graced this earth 31,513 days -- more than 86 years. He was married more than 62 years.

In all that time he was a steady, loving, intelligent supporter of all those who knew him.

Few people have left this world better than they found it. Loren Hardy was one of them.

Loren Earl Hardy
March 1, 1919 - June 14, 2005

Later this year the Gypsy Wagon Expedition will head out in another direction, bent on seeking out the world’s special secrets.

This is an x-ray taken one week after Don’s surgery showing his lower back. The backs of three vertebra have been removed and replaced with rods; the removed material has been turned to powder and used to support the sides; the horizontal bar adds support side-to-side; and six titanium screws hold the entire thing together.

Two disks have been removed entirely and replaced with a new material just on the market that bonds with existing bone.

All this means that vertebra 3,4,5 are no longer flexible -- and when all the materials reach maximum hardness in six months to a year, that entire section will be strong as steel.

We’ll be back on the road long before then.

June 27, 2005 heading to Wapiti
Later this week we’ll move to a delightful guest cottage in Wyoming. We will spend the summer between Cody, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park. While taking in all the western events, we’ll be planning our next big adventure. Wapiti photos coming soon.

July 2, 2005 in Wapiti and environs
We LOVE our little place at Wapiti, Wyoming, between Cody, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park.

We’ll spend the summer here, recovering from all the difficulty in Don’s family in recent weeks, and planning our future long-distance travels. Meanwhile, we’ll now start a new log and focus on pig races (it’s true!), rodeos, and Becky’s upcoming major trip down the Green River. (Don’s back isn’t mended enough to participate in this rafting adventure).

So please watch for some fun updates from the Wild West in the next log.

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