Editor's note: Gilles Samson and his wife, Suzette, always wanted to travel around the United States. So after retiring from their jobs late last year, the two Canadians decided to combine their wanderlust with their love of golf. The Samsons will be driving their RV across the country and attending every PGA TOUR event in 2006. While on that journey, they'll be writing a diary for PGATOUR.com. This is their 43rd installment.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- It was not our first time at Walt Disney World Resort but visiting Epcot’s World Showcase and Universal Studios Orlando at this time of the year was particularly pleasant and relaxing. The weather conditions were ideal and we could venture about anywhere without having to wait in line. We also spent a day on one of Sanibel Island’s beautiful sunny beaches with abundant shells and enjoyed a long stroll on the boardwalk trail watching Florida’s rich birdlife. We then drove the scenic “Wildlife Drive” with the late afternoon sun behind us; everything was so perfect with only the sounds of ibises, herons, pelicans and flamingos to listen to and enjoy. Friday afternoon after golf, we went to the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, home to an impressive collection of his work from his early figurative paintings to his surrealist works and large-scale masterworks. It was quite an interesting week in the Sunshine State and there are yet a few more to come before heading back home!

As our journey draws to an end -- with only THE TOUR Championship presented to Coca-Cola left on our schedule -- we feel a bit nostalgic about it and would like, this week, to comment on some of the non-golf topics that are ultimately linked to our adventure. We intend to comment next week on our experience attending 44 golf tournaments.

Chrysler Championship

This week we chose to attend all four days of the tournament. It is something we rarely had the opportunity to do because of our travel schedule. On the first two days, we followed the son of a couple we met earlier in the season. It was pleasant to renew our friendship with them at the golf course and we were hoping that their son would make the cut. We were impressed by this young man in his late 20s, trying to secure his playing privileges. We appreciated his composure, pre-shot routine and focus as well as his concentration during the two rounds. Unfortunately, he missed the cut by one shot and his overall results in 2006 -- just over $215,000 in earnings -- were not sufficient to extend his exempt status. He will have to go through the qualifying school again in order to return to the PGA TOUR. We enjoyed meeting with him after Friday’s round and got his autograph. We sincerely hope that he will persevere and eventually break through as we have seen others do this year. This encounter gave us another perspective of the lives of professional golfers.

The next two days had lots of pleasant and not so pleasant results. We paid special attention to a few players lately, in particular to Mike Weir, whom we wished would have made the field for THE TOUR Championship next week. Unfortunately, Mike did not have such a good Sunday, shooting 2-over 73 and finishing tied for 25th, which moved him from 32nd to 33rd on the money list. He missed the top-30 bubble by close to $250,000 and will not participate in the last official tournament of the year. Troy Matteson, the sensation of the last six weeks, took advantage of “moving day”, which is what Saturday is called, and posted a 7-under 64 to finish the tournament tied for ninth and completed the year with his fifth consecutive top 10. He moved to 36th on the money list and will be invited to participate to the Masters Tournament next year. He still ranks second in the PGA TOUR Fall Finish presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers, too. As for Paul Azinger, he secured his exempt status for 2007 by finishing 121st on the money list. Paul, who is thought to be on the short list of candidates for the U.S. Ryder Cup Captain for 2008, played in 30 tournaments this year and finished tied for 31st in Tampa last week. Lee Janzen did not succeed in his attempt to make it within the top 125 players on the money list. Although he played in 28 tournaments and earned over $500,000 this year, he will have to rely on sponsors exemptions or go through the qualifying process to play on the PGA TOUR next year.

The move of the week went to Paul Goydos, who posted his best performance of the year with a 9-under 275 and gained 63 spots to move up to 97th on the money list and renew de facto, his card for next year. He needed a very unnerving 4-foot putt to par the 18th hole and tie for second and earn the $466,400 that catapulted him up the money list. The save of the week was the third shot of Ernie Els at No.18 on Sunday. Ernie had to lay up after hitting an errant tee shot. He hit a wedge from 51 yards to inches of the hole and made par. A bogey would have pushed him out the top-30 on the money list and out of THE TOUR Championship. It was clear, in the post-round interviews that they were both very happy with the outcome of the tournament.

Our original objectives

We set out to attend all the PGA TOUR events in 2006 and barring a very unfortunate set of circumstances, we will have accomplished that by next Sunday. I intended to play the tournament courses, as well. It did not materialize, mainly because I realized early that scheduling would have been a nightmare in light of the travel time required to get from one event to another and also because some courses are simply not open to such a fantasy. The third objective was to tour the U.S. in the context of its history and culture and that we did abundantly. Apart from the northwestern states and a few others, we have been almost everywhere else. We had sufficient time to discover most of the regions where the PGA TOUR took us, whether it be mountains, desert, prairies or major river basins as well as the east and the west coasts. We now have a good understanding of the geography and topography of this country. We have learned a great deal about the original inhabitants of the continent and their fate and the influence of Spain, France and Great Britain in the early stages of colonization, as well as how the U.S. came about, the birth of the Constitution and the expansion across the whole territory. The advent of slavery, its abolition and the major disruptions it has inflicted on the country while, at the same time contributing to forge the nation, were also part of our points of interest. We also discovered the significance of immigration in populating the land and creating the base for the industrial revolution.

Transportation networks were developed rapidly on rivers and on land through trails, railways, roads and highways to form a grid that helped rapid development as well as commercial exchanges between different parts of the country. Wars and armed conflicts -- expansionist, internal and defensive -- as well as the military-industrial complex that developed around them have been an integral part of the history of the country. It has been ravaged many times by downturns in economic cycles and natural disasters -- hurricane, tropical storms, forest fires, earthquakes, tornadoes and floods -- that have somehow contributed to strengthen the nation. It developed its own constitution base on democratic principles and freedom of speech, press, religion, and public assembly. It has grown to 300 million people in less than 250 years and became the leading country in the free world. We have only skimmed the surface of the history of the country as there are many fields we did not cover or were not exposed to, and it has definitely raised our interest even more.

From historical markers spread all over the country, to National Battlefields, National Historical Parks, National Historic Sites, National Monuments, National Memorials, National Military Parks, State Historical Parks, State Historic Sites, museums and countless libraries -- everywhere we found a very strong determination to remember. One could spend a lifetime perusing data about the good and the bad episodes of the history of the country. We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to have access to a very small sample of all that and have enjoyed it to its fullest.

Living in a motorhome

After 35 years of marriage and being accustomed to a somewhat large house, this lifestyle was totally new to us and has proven to be nothing but a fabulous experience. We adapted rapidly to our restricted quarters and recognized from the beginning that keeping the place tidy at all times would be crucial to our well-being and happiness. We separated tasks spontaneously and it was never an issue. Giving the other person some space was also essential. But being reunited in a close environment proved to be something that we might have missed over the years and we have rediscovered some aspects of life that somehow we had forgotten. We have been on a tight schedule and busy all year helping to adapt gradually to our new life status. As far as our transportation mode is concerned, it has turned out to be enjoyable, convenient, comfortable, safe and easy to maintain. The overall experience has provided us with an immense feeling of complete freedom.

On the road experience

Having shared the highways with thousands of long haul carriers has been a very positive experience. Professional truck drivers have been helpful in many instances and have made it easy for us to go through heavy traffic, as well as nice, bad and under-construction roads. In only one instance, one of them let us know his frustration, in no uncertain terms, for driving too slow in the center lane. The transportation network is so developed and efficient that we could often choose from different itineraries, therefore allowing us to cover more ground in different areas and different states. Cases in point are Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania that we crossed at several occasions through different combination of roads and covered them in more details. Despite the fact that we drove approximately 37,500 miles we have had minimal damages to both vehicles.

Driving to Atlanta in a few days to attend THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca Cola will be our last drive in the context of the 2006 PGA TOUR.

Hoping you will be there for our last installment, and we wish you all a very nice week!

Suzette and Gilles Samson