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USA ROAD TRIP 2006 JOURNAL
Monday-8-14-06-
Home to Reno-Map stop #1
Well, we're off. After a marathon packing session in a somewhat futile attempt to make sure we don't forget anything we might possibly need over the next 30 days or so, the car was finally packed. We pulled out of the driveway at 10:32AM PDT. With vehicle mileage logged at 54,949 we went about 5 miles before our first stop. Fuel for the car! Shortly after leaving the gas station, we fired up the laptop which will function as in-car DVD player (not for the driver), MP3 player, GPS system - the "essentials" of travel in the 21st century.
Today was scheduled to be a short travel day (about 225 miles), and as it turned out went quite smoothly (i.e. No flat tires, overheating or any one of the myriad of possible problems one can encounter on the road). Our borrowed GPS system worked great, keeping us well informed of our position on this sphere called earth. Traffic was light as we passed through Sacramento, CA with its many suburbs at around noon. Soon after that we began our climb towards Donner Summit. Shortly after passing the summit, we came upon Donner Lake. In our collective travels over the years, we have both passed by Donner Lake many times, yet never stopped. As we had plenty of extra time today we decided to change that. We took about 45 minutes to walk along the lake shore observing many vacationers enjoying a wide range of water activities. We snapped a couple of photos before packing up and moving on to our destination for the evening, the Sands Hotel in Reno, Nevada. The weather in Reno was a warm 87 degrees upon our arrival, however the wind (almost gale force at times) made it feel quite pleasant. After a wonderful meal at the El Dorado Hotel we walked briefly around the downtown area taking time to see the new train corridor which was still under construction on our last visit. We finally arrived back in our room where we are resting up for our long travel day tomorrow to Salt Lake City.
Tuesday-8-15-06-
Reno, NV to Salt Lake City, UT-Map stop #2
Day 2 was the longest driving day we had scheduled. A total of 512 miles give or take a few. While the other main East/West route across Nevada (US 50) is known as the loneliest highway in the US, US 80 is just as desolate. Not much to see but mile after seemingly endless mile of desert. While desolate might be one way to describe the terrain, I think one might also appreciate the vast open space, especially for those of us who live in highly populated areas.
We left Reno shortly after 8am with the temperature a pleasant 67 degrees. This morning we enjoyed a light breakfast on the road, snacking on some fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, and grapes) Katherine had prepared and stored in our cooler. Katherine and I both were amazed at how mild the temperatures were as we were midway across Nevada. We stopped at a rest stop just west of Winnemucca and enjoyed a picnic lunch. The temperature at the time was still a comfortable 82 degrees. After lunch we took a walking lap around the rest stop before hopping back into the car. We made a fuel stop just before crossing the salt flats at Wendover and paid $3.24 for the cheap stuff. Our only 2 pictures of the day were taken at a rest stop a short distance from our stop in Wendover. We arrived at our motel near the Salt Lake City airport at around 7PM Mountain time. We're both looking forward to our trip tomorrow as we head north towards Yellowstone National Park. Well, that and the fact we only have 335+/- miles to drive. Hopefully many more pictures as well. See you tomorrow.
Wednesday-8-16-06-
Salt Lake City, UT to Gardiner, MT-Map stop #3
We awoke from a restful night sleep to clear skies over Salt Lake City with the temperature a mild 78 degrees. After packing our stuff back into the car (boy we're getting good at this) and snacking on the "complimentary" breakfast, we started the engine and pulled away at 10:11AM local time. Most of our time today was spent on northbound US 15. Traffic was light until we hit some road work near Hill Air Force base just south of Ogden, UT. Fortunately we were headed north, as the Southbound lanes were backed up for miles. Soon we were back up to speed (75mph) and thankful for it. Shortly before 1pm we crossed the Utah/Idaho border and decided to stop for lunch. We again enjoyed a picnic lunch on a blanket this time, as all the tables were in use. We fueled the thirsty car again in Idaho Falls ($2.86 a gallon) as we figured (correctly) that prices would go up in Yellowstone ($3.24/gallon).
At about 3:30pm we entered the Targhee National Forest. Unlike the previous 2 days we began to stop the car on a much more frequent basis to capture some of the beautiful scenery in pictures. Around 4:30pm we passed through the west entrance into Yellowstone National Park. Shortly after entering the park we came to the Grand Loop Rd which resembles a figure 8 and proceeded north towards our destination of Gardiner, MT. Along the way we again stopped for pictures (and restrooms). One of the photo ops was at a place called the Artists Paint Pots. It was another of the several geothermal areas which Yellowstone is known for. The 1/3 mile walk from the parking lot was an added bonus as it felt good to stretch our legs some. We arrived in Gardiner at around 7pm with a bit of traffic congestion caused by some elk who were meandering through town to some open areas to graze. After checking into our room we decided to walk some more and explore this tourist town. On our way back to our motel we stopped at a pizza place and shared a Calzone, soup and salad. We are very much looking forward to exploring tomorrow and having a short break from our 400 mile driving days.
Thursday-8-17-06-
Gardiner, MT to Grants Village, Yellowstone-Map stop #4
Our day started a bit later than planned due to some technical difficulties trying to publish our web updates. We finally gave up and decided we'd best get going as this was going to be an action-packed day of sightseeing. The first stop on our day was Mammoth Springs, which is located near the North entrance to Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Upon leaving Gardiner we followed the Gardner (not sure if this or Gardiner is an age old typo) River to Mammoth. Our exploration began on the lower loop of terraces which include the Minerva, Cleopatra, and Main Terraces. (See photos). After much exploring we decided to move on. Hopping back in the car we proceeded east on the Grand Loop Rd towards Roosevelt Lodge. Parking was packed as it was near lunch time, but we found a small space and squeezed our car in. The main lodge is primarily a dining hall with small lounge area and, of course, a gift shop. Adjacent to the lodge are some small individual cabins much like those which used to be near Yosemite Lodge. I like to call them studio cabins. Carefully squeezing out of our parking space we continued on the loop a short distance and stopped for a photo op at Tower Falls. After taking a couple of pictures we continued on to Upper and Lower falls, pausing only briefly for a bite to eat. The falls and the canyon are visible from a small stretch of road called the North Rim loop. This was a great place for taking pictures. So we did. Leaving the canyon we headed west across the middle of the figure eight loop and then south towards Old Faithful. Along the way we took time to stop and see some of the other hot springs and geysers at Fountain Paintpot. Shortly after leaving Fountain Paintpot traffic came to a screeching halt which can only mean one thing. As we navigated our way through double parked vehicles we saw the cause of the traffic jam, a bison "peacefully" grazing by the side of the road (see photo). Moving on we arrived at Old Faithful parking lot around 5:20pm and scurried over to join the assembling throngs to see Old Faithful shoot hundreds of gallons on hot water into the air. Our timing could not have been much better as we only had to wait about 10-15 minutes. After the show we head to Old Faithful Inn, one of several historic national park lodges. It was definitely worth the visit. The last leg of our trip took us to where we were to spend the night which was the Grant Village Lodge. Grant Village is on the south side of YNP and is adjacent to Yellowstone Lake. The elevation is about 8200ft. By the time we arrived at the lodge it was getting quite chilly so we bundled up and went out for a bite to eat. Finally we came back to our room ready for a well-deserved rest. At least our bodies were telling us that. Tomorrow is our final day in YNP, then we are off to Cody Wyoming. More tomorrow!!
Friday-8-18-06-
Grants Village, Yellowstone to Cody, WY-Map stop #5
We awoke this morning to ice on the windshield, something we had not experienced on our trip thus far. It was short lived however, as the sun rose the temperatures warmed to a more comfortable 50 degrees. Our first stop of the morning was at the visitor center at Grant Village. Inside was a rather extensive display on the fires of 1988 which charred close to 1 million acres in YNP. There was also a short 35 minute film depicting the events of 1988 and the recovery process since. From the visitor center we began our exit from the park which was to take us along the edge of Yellowstone Lake and out the east gate toward Cody Wyoming. Along the way we stopped for some pictures. Kath has been doing a great job on the stills while I have been handing most of the video. We ran into construction about 5 miles or so from the east gate. Since it didn't appear we would be moving for a while we decided to go ahead and prepare lunch. About the time we were finishing our lunch we saw vehicles moving in the opposing direction. This gave us hopes we would soon be moving. Our hopes were soon realized and we were once again on our way, albeit slowly. Shortly after 2pm we arrived in Cody, found what was to be our lodging for the evening, and still tired from the long day yesterday, decided we would take a short rest. After our rest we took a short exploratory walk around a small section of Cody poking our heads into a variety of shops. About 7pm we made our way to the west side of town (Stampede Park) to enjoy a rodeo show, a nightly occurrence during the summer months. Tomorrow before leaving Cody we plan to check out one more exhibit and then it's off to Deadwood, SD.
Saturday-8-19-06-
Cody, WY to Deadwood, SD-Map stop #7
We woke up this morning still talking about the rodeo last night. Even though it was not a major rodeo with many of the big names, we had a great time. One can get a great appreciation of the skill of these athletes seeing it all in person. My personal favorite is the barrel racing and of course the bull riding. Kath's favorite was also the barrel racing. The stadium announcer and his cohort (one of the clowns) kept the audience amused between events. This morning we were packed up and out the door by 9am. The first stop on our list, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, was located right next door to our motel. The Center is a must see if you ever find yourself in Cody, WY. The center actually contains 5 separate museums. Due to our time constraints we only had time to see two of them. The first museum we explored was the Buffalo Bill museum which has a wealth of artifacts documenting Buffalo Bill's private life as well as the Wild West show he started. A thorough exploration of this one museum alone could easily take one full day. The second museum we toured was the gun museum. By any standards this is an impressive collection of guns. The first floor contains 1500 items, and if that isn't enough, there is another floor with an additional 1200. To say the least, the museums we toured kept our cameras busy. It would certainly have been nice to have spent much more time here but with much driving still ahead of us we reluctantly headed to the car to leave.
About an hour after leaving Cody we entered Big Horn National Park. Driving through this park you gain about 4000 feet elevation while being treated to some spectacular rock formations and waterfalls. Once you reach the summit (just over 9000 ft), you maintain that elevation for a short period of time before starting your descent. The view just before the descent is difficult to describe with words. Looking down some 6000 ft and extending out what seems like 100 miles or so is nothing short of breathtaking. We crossed the Wyoming/South Dakota border at about 6:45pm and arrived at our destination of Deadwood around 7:15pm. After repeating our well practiced ritual of lugging our stuff to the room, we went to old town to get a bite to eat. We traveled by shuttle from our motel and were dropped off at the south end of Main St. We ate Diamond Lil's, located on the second floor of the Midnight Star building. After dinner we took a casual walk down Main St, stopping at the site where Wild Bill Hickok was gunned down inside Saloon #10. We walked back to the south end of Main St and waited for the shuttle to take us back to our motel. Tomorrow we plan to do some more exploring here in Deadwood before leaving for our next stop in Sioux Falls, SD. Be sure to checkout our picture gallery from today.
Sunday-8-20-06-
Deadwood, SD to Mitchell, SD-Map stop #9**
Today was primarily a travel day, although we did take some time to run up to the cemetery which is up on a hill overlooking Deadwood. This is the burial site of "Wild Bill" Hickok and Calamity Jane. Of the 3500 people who are buried here, well over 1/3 are unmarked graves. At the west end of the graveyard, there is an overlook which provides a good view of the town of Deadwood. After taking a couple of pictures we were off to our next stop, Mt Rushmore. As we drove east, we noticed the skies darkening, and as we approached Rushmore the threat of rain became very real. After parking the car we walked towards the amphitheatre located at the base of the memorial. On our way we began to be pelted by rather large hail (large to us anyhow). The grape-sized hail was soon coming down with increasing intensity, so we headed for cover. After about 5 minutes, the hail downpour became rain and continued for about 20 minutes. When things lightened up a bit we continued towards the amphitheatre. Adjacent to the amphitheatre there is a small museum which also houses 2 small theatres where a short film presentation can be seen. It provides a good historical look at the creation of this memorial. We explored exhibits until about 2:30pm when we decided we had better depart. The rest of the day we spent on the road driving east on US 90 towards Sioux Falls, SD. Along the way we were "treated" to a lightning show with minimal rain and no more hail. About 8:30pm, and still about 70 miles west of Sioux Falls we decided to call it a day. **Since we didn't have reservations in Sioux Falls we looked for a room in Mitchell, SD, home of The Corn Palace. Tomorrow looks to be primarily a travel day as well with our destination being Dubuque, IA. Be sure to checkout our picture gallery from today.
Monday-8-21-06-
Mitchell, SD to Dubuque, IA-Map stop #10
Morning brought not only a new day but sunny skies again for which we were thankful. Most of today was spent in the car, as we had 450 miles to reach our destination. Following breakfast we packed up the car and pulled away from the motel at 9:15am. Our only stops today were for fuel and rest stops to stretch our legs. Temperatures most of the day were very pleasant, hovering between 75-80 degrees with gentle breezes. The cameras were given the day off, so we don't have any pictures to post for today. We arrived to a warm welcome at the home of Steve and Patti Schimpf and their 3 growing girls, Angela, Jenelle, and Teresa. This was a home where our daughter Becky spent much of her time during her college days here in Dubuque. We were fed a wonderful home cooked meal, while getting caught up to date on all the goings on in both our families. Following dinner we went down to the river front (Mississippi River) for a short walk. Tomorrow is primarily a rest day, however we do plan to take a trip about 20 miles west on Highway 20, to the movie location for Field of Dreams. It will be a great place for some pictures of everyone. See ya tomorrow.
Tuesday-8-22-06-
Dubuque, IA
We woke up this morning after a good night sleep, thankful that we could actually stay put for a change. The only item on the agenda for today was a trip to the location where the movie Field of Dreams was filmed. In our 2 previous warm weather trips to Dubuque, we had considered going to see it, but never did. Field of Dreams starring Kevin Costner was filmed during the summer of 1988 on the 100 year old Lansing family farm in Dyersville, IA. Admission is free and there are a few picnic tables for those so inclined, which we were. The ball field, which was constructed in only 3 days, is available to use for those who remember to bring a glove, bat, and ball. While many wait in line to take a turn in the batter's box, others simply go to the outfield to take batting practice. Others wander into the rows of corn seeking to find a lost baseball as a souvenir of their day. In the evening we enjoyed dinner at Bishop's Buffet - one of my favorite eating places in Dubuque. Tomorrow, we are off to Granger, IN to visit the Schiele family. Roger Schiele was in our wedding and since we were passing right by where they live we asked if we could stop in. We'll be sure to have lots of photos from Granger tomorrow. Be sure to checkout our picture gallery from today.
Wednesday-8-23-06-
Dubuque, IA to Granger, IN-Map stop #11
Today it was back on the road after our short 2 day visit with the Schimpf family. At about 9:45 am the car was fully packed, so we went to say our goodbyes and thank them for their very generous hospitality. After many hugs, it was time to leave. Following brief stops at a gas station (to fuel up and do the usual PM checks on the car), and a fruit stand we were back on highway 20 heading east across the Mississippi River into Illinois. The scenery was much the same as we had on Day 9 with many small farms over gently rolling hills, covered with acres and acres of corn. But that was to end soon. Also ending soon was the privilege of driving on free public roadways. Traffic driving through Chicago was horrific due the normal heavy traffic being complicated by major construction on the Dan Ryan Expressway which has been ongoing for several months and appears to have many months yet to go. We merged onto the Indiana toll way unscathed (and I thought drivers in California were nuts), and continued on to our destination. On the way we drove past the rather impressive US Steel plant in Gary, IN which stretches along side US 90 for about 5 miles, covering about 3000 acres. We arrived at the Schiele home in Granger at 4:45pm and were warmly welcomed. It was great to see the twins boys, Alex & Zach (7 years old now), and how much they have grown. It was also great to see Roger and Stephanie and to catch up on all the goings on in both our lives. With so much to talk about, we decided to continue the conversation over dinner. Upon consulting with the local experts we headed off to Famous Dave's BBQ in Mishawaka, IN. After a filling meal we continued our talking until we noticed them stacking up chairs and realized we probably needed to leave, before they locked us inside. After saying goodnight and goodbye to the Schiele's we headed to our motel for the night. Tonight is to be a short night sleep as we lost yet another hour entering the Eastern time zone. Tomorrow, which is almost today, we travel to Akron, Ohio to visit Kath's cousin Laura Smith. We only have one picture from today, so I also included a few from yesterday which didn't get published. I've also added a separate photo link page which should make it easier to scan through the photos. More tomorrow!!
Thursday-8-24-06-
Granger, IN to Akron, OH-Map stop #12
Overcast skies were present as we woke up this morning with a stiff breeze from the west. We both found ourselves moving a bit slower this morning, finding our beds difficult to climb out of. We attributed that to the loss of another hour of sleep as we've moved into the Eastern Time Zone. But since we had 370 miles to drive today, we knew we couldn't afford to delay much longer. After providing nourishment for the bodies and the car we were back on the road again. We left Notre Dame country at 10:15am and headed east on US 80. Driving along the upper edge of Indiana, we skimmed along the Michigan border, sometimes a mere stone's throw away. Because of the flat terrain it was not possible for us to get any glimpses of Lake Erie, which was directly north of us. Before we knew it we'd arrived in Akron and located where we would spend the next 2 nights (The Radisson in downtown Akron). Getting to our room proved to be a unique experience as we were given the room key to an occupied room. Fortunately we did not see the occupant, nor do I believe he saw us. Conferring with hotel staff, we were reassigned to a nice corner room on the 16th floor with a decent view of the downtown area. Around 6pm, we met up with Laura & her friend Matt who drove us to Applebees, where we met Laura's sister Cheryl and enjoyed a nice meal, while swapping stories. After dinner we drove to Laura's workplace which had a terrific view of Canal Park which is home to the Akron Aeros, a AA minor league baseball team. Unfortunately the home team was not doing well, losing 15-0 at the time. After deciding the game was probably not worth watching, Laura gave us a personal tour of her work facility - very impressive. Following the tour and seeing that it was getting late we called it a day and retired back to our room for the night.
Friday-8-25-06
Akron, OH
Although the weather report called for occasional thunderstorms, not a drop of precipitation was falling as we awoke from a restful night sleep. The previous day some suggestions had been provided to us as to what would be worthwhile seeing while in Akron. As our time was limited we decided to take up the recommendation to visit the Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. Stan Hywet Hall was formerly the home of the Sieberling family of Goodyear Tire Co. A more complete description of the home and its history can be found on the web. The tour of the home takes about 1 1/2 hours. Following the tour we enjoyed a picnic lunch at one of several picnic tables provided on the premises. Upon finishing our lunch, Katherine decided to explore some of the gardens and snap a few pictures. When she finished, we both took a walk around the perimeter of the grounds. By the time we completed the walk we were ready to retreat to an air conditioned environment to cool off a bit, so we went back to our hotel room. Around 5pm we left our hotel and drove to the home of Kath's cousin, Laura, and enjoyed a wonderful BBQ dinner. After dinner we played a time-shortened game of Phase 10 before we retired for the evening. Just before leaving Laura, packed up some leftovers from dinner for us to take on the road. Thanks again Laura!! Tomorrow we are off to Niagara Falls and a visit with the Marks' family in Canada. Be sure to check out our photo page for day 12 of our trip. Most of the photos are from our trip to Stan Hywett.
Saturday-8-26-06-Map stop #13
Akron, OH to Winona, Ontario
It was nice to have spent 2 nights in Akron. We felt right at home as we had a Sleep Number bed in our room. While today was not one of our longer travel days, we would pass through 3 states and 2 countries. We made sure we filled up on the "cheap" gas in Ohio ($2.53/gal), as we were unsure what prices would be later on. That turned out to be a wise thing to do as fuel in Pennsylvania and New York were back up over $3/gal. Gas in Canada would be even higher @ $.90/liter or about $3.27/gal. Unlike most of our trip thus far, the skies were gray with the threat of rain ever present. In spite of the threat of rain, we did not experience much more than a few drops of rain the entire day. Our route for today took us along the east side of Lake Erie, exiting Ohio's northeast corner. We continued northeast through the northwest corner of Pennsylvania before crossing over into southwestern New York. Views of Lake Erie were limited due to the flat terrain. It took about 2 hours after entering New York state before we reached Niagara Falls. After some brief searching, we spotted a parking garage on Rainbow Blvd and parked the car. From the garage we walked over to Goat Island for several photo ops of the falls from the US side. It was quite a sight to see the cumulative total of over 1,000,000 gallons per second flowing over the 4 main falls. After about 2 hours or so we headed back to our car. Shortly after crossing the border into Canada we began to go west on what is known as the QEW toward the town of Winona in Ontario. We arrived at the home of our hosts, John and Sharon Marks a little after 6pm. It has been 5 years since we last saw them as they moved to Canada from California in 2001. Upon our arrival, we observed what looked to be like a carnival. We were later informed this was the annual Winona Peach Festival. This is a 3 day event featuring carnival rides, craft booths, and food stands. One of the more popular food items were the peach sundaes. It did not take too much arm twisting for us to sample one. They were as good as advertised.
As day light was beginning to fade, we walked the short distance to the Marks home, where we learned we were going to be treated to dinner and a night time view of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side. Following a scrumptious meal at the TuTu Tango Cafe, we walked to the viewing area for the falls. The Canadian side is downstream of the falls so you get a much better front view of the falls, as well as being able to see all the falls from a single viewing spot. At night high power colored spotlights shine on the falls which not only allow for night time viewing but also enhance their already spectacular beauty. Since we didn't have any rain gear, our clothing was quickly dampened by the heavy mist generated from the falls. This, and the fact it was late limited our time at the falls. We arrived back at the Mark's home ready for bed. Tomorrow we don't have anything scheduled, so you know as much as I do at this point. Be sure to check out the pictures from today!!
Sunday-8-27-06
Winona, Ontario
This morning we once again woke up to grey overcast skies. There was evidence outside of minimal amounts of precipitation, so as we headed off for church this morning, we took our umbrella just in case. One of the things we noticed on our way into Winona from the border was the number of signs advertising wineries in the area. We would learn later that there are over 70 in currently in operation. Following church we had a bite to eat at a small but well attended diner before beginning a guided tour, courtesy of our hosts, to several of the wineries in the area including the one where Sharon works. Later in the day we had the chance to meet and visit briefly with Sharon's mom and dad at there home. During our visit we had a chance to walk through the gardens sampling several of the fruits and vegetables grown in their gardens. Pastries and freshly squeezed grape juice or ice tea were also provided for our refreshment. From here we drove to a small historical town known as Niagara by the Lake, which is located at the point where the Niagara River dumps into Lake Ontario. The town is dotted with several homes and buildings from the late 18th and 19th centuries. After taking a casual stroll through town we decided on a place to eat and enjoyed a tasty meal in a shady outdoor garden setting. Before walking back to our car following dinner, we walked a bit more, enjoying the beauty of this quaint little town. Before long we began to feel some precipitation and determined it was time to head back to the car.
Upon arriving back at the Mark's home we were invited to soak our feet and other body parts in their spa which had been warmed up earlier in the day. Our spa time was unfortunately cut a bit short due to some excitement involving a dog and a skunk. After drying off inside we continued to talk until we realized it was 2:30am. This realization concluded our day and we all went to bed. Although the time was short we had a great time. Thanks again John & Sharon for your great hospitality.
Monday-8-28-06-Map stop #14
Winona, Ontario to Oriskany Falls, NY
Today was one of our shorter travel days, only 260 miles +/-. We left the Mark's home around 10am after being served a wonderful parfait breakfast using some of the fresh fruit picked in the garden the day before. The skies continue to be gray this morning as we head east. Katherine started the day driving while I had the navigators role. Before long we found ourselves waiting in a vehicle line to cross the border, back into the States. It took about 35minutes, but we finally managed to make it across and were once again on our way. Our route took us along the south side of Lake Ontario following US 90 past Rochester and Syracuse. A little east of Syracuse we headed south to our destination of Oriskany Falls. We arrived at the Hathaway Inn B&B around 4pm and were given a very warm welcome. We were impressed with spaciousness of our room, including the high ceilings. Equally impressive were the beautifully restored original hardwood floors and the ornate moldings throughout the house. The home was also decorated well and included many photographs of the original home interior and it's occupants. Tomorrow plans to be a full sightseeing day at Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall Of Fame. I'm sure the cameras will get lots of work.
Tuesday-8-29-06-Map stop #15
Oriskany Falls, NY to Cooperstown, NY
We awoke this morning to the sound of wet streets. This was the first day we have actually had sustained rain fall. Even though we (I) was anxious to get to our next destination, I didn't relish the thought of loading our things into the car in the pouring rain. Our hostess had prepared a tasty breakfast of fresh fruits and sweet bread followed by waffles and sausage. We lingered at breakfast as long as we dared, then began the task of loading up our car for the short 40 mile trip to Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall Of Fame. Before departing we snapped a few photo memories of the B&B and thanked our hostess for a wonderful stay. The drive to Cooperstown although not long in distance took about an hour due to the lower speeds than what we had been accustomed to. This provided us an opportunity to take in the beautiful scenery. Rain was still falling when we arrived in Cooperstown and no parking places were to be found. We wound up parking our car in the parking lot of our lodging for this evening, The Inn @ Cooperstown. We/I spent the next 4 hours touring thru the many displays and snapping several photos. Dinner was early tonight so we could get a good night sleep, as tomorrow is a long travel day to Washington DC. Be sure to check out today's photos.
Wednesday-8-30-06-Map stop #17
Cooperstown, NY to Washington DC
The rain has left us for now, however cloudy skies remain with the threat of rain present. The alarm clock sounded early today as we have a long way to drive (about 470 miles). We again enjoyed a fabulous breakfast before settling into our seats for the day's journey. Leaving Cooperstown we encountered some road closures which caused us to revise our route. Our route today again afforded us the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful farms and historic homes which dot upstate New York. Before long we found ourselves approaching the banks of the Hudson River. We crossed the Hudson going over the George Washington Bridge into upper Manhattan. Keeping with the baseball theme of yesterday, we drove past Yankee Stadium, where a game was in progress between the Yankees and Detroit Tigers. From there, we continued to the East side of Manhattan before turning south. We crossed back to the west side at midtown, passing the base of the Empire State Building (Our only picture for today). Turning south at the Hudson River, we exited lower Manhattan, passing the former site of the World Trade Center towers. As we left Manhattan, we both were trying to imagine how anyone who drives for a living in NYC could maintain their sanity. After crossing the Narrows bridge, we met up with US95 (New Jersey Turnpike) for the remainder of our trip to DC. Darkness had fallen on Washington DC about an hour prior to our arrival at 8:00pm. After unpacking the car and checking into our room we briefly looked at where we were off to tomorrow and how we might get there. Our first scheduled tour tomorrow is at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving at 8:00am. The weary travelers fell gratefully into bed for a good night's sleep and an early rising.
Thursday-8-31-06-Map stop #17
Washington DC
The alarm was set for 6am, our earliest of the trip thus far. We slowly rolled out of bed and showered more to wake us up. By 7:15am we were out the door. As we have been sitting so much, walking sounded real good. Our first tour, the Bureau of Printing and Engraving (BPE) was about 3/4 mile walk from our hotel. As we arrived a bit early for our tour, we strolled over to the Washington Monument to snap a few pictures. Our BPE tour guide, Julio, was very informative as he took us on the 40 minute tour which covers the process of printing paper currency, from beginning to end. As I suspected, no photos were allowed, so we have none. At the end of the tour you have the "opportunity" to purchase souvenirs in the gift shop. This includes shredded bills which did not pass Quality Control. Where else can you find people to buy your trash?
Our next tour, scheduled for 11am was of the US Capitol building. As we still had plenty of time and were in the mood for more walking, we trekked over to the Hart Senate Office Building Rm 331, the office of Diane Feinstein & co. While not big Feinstein fans, we tried not to hold that against our intern tour guide Mike. Kudos to Mike for a great job. The tour left the Hart building using the Senate tunnel system and subway, to the Capitol. As the Congress was not in session, the crowds were significantly less than normal which made it a much more relaxed environment. There were certainly a lot of photo ops, which we took advantage of. Our tour covered both sides of the Capitol as well as the rotunda. In addition we visited the old senate chambers and the original Supreme Court Chamber. The total tour time was almost 2 hours. Unfortunately due to security we were not permitted to take pictures in the House Chambers. Our walk back to the hotel took us by the Library of Congress and Supreme Court buildings. This concluded our site seeing for today. Be sure to check out today's photos.
Friday-9-1-06-Map stop #17
Washington DC
Ernesto was the talk of the town today. All weather reports showed the path of now tropical storm Ernesto headed for the DC area. Most of our day was scheduled to be indoors at the Museum of American History. When we woke up this morning, rain was lightly falling, with occasional gusts of wind. After a bite to eat we were on our way. When we arrived at the museum 5 minutes before opening, there was a small line of people standing in the rain, clutching their umbrellas in a somewhat futile attempt to stay dry. Finally the doors were opened, however admittance inside was slow due to security screening. The museum comprises 4 floors with the upper floors containing exhibits while the bottom level provides eating and shopping opportunities. Unfortunately not all exhibits were open as the museum is closing 9-5-06 for major renovations. As it was it still took us the full day till closing time to explore all 3 floors. I won't bother describing all the exhibits as their web site does a good job of that. Two notable flags were on display. The first one is seen when entering the building. It was the flag used to drape the Pentagon following the attack on Sept. 11, 2001. The second flag on display is the flag from the war of 1812 commonly known as the Star Spangled Banner. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos of this display. So you'll have to check out their web site for pictures. When we left the museum at closing, winds and rain had really begun to pick up. It was amazing to see all the mangled and discarded umbrellas. One garbage can we saw was stuffed with half a dozen or more. Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit dryer. Our schedule for tomorrow calls for us to be at another Smithsonian exhibit hall, the National Air & Space Museum. Be sure to check out all our pictures from today.
Saturday-9-2-06-Map stop #17
Washington DC
Remnants of now tropical depression Ernesto were still lingering this morning as we awoke. From our hotel window we could see streets littered with leaves and branches. A very gentle rain or what could be classified as a heavy mist was still present, but the strong winds had all but stopped. Our primary goal today was to visit the National Air & Space museum, however we also were interested in seeing displays at the National Archives and Museum of Natural History. Sitting down with a map we plotted our course. Our first stop was the National Archives building. We were primarily interested in what is known as the Rotunda of Documents of Freedom. This is where documents such as the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, etc are displayed. The room is fairly dark and no flash photography is allowed which made it difficult to get good quality pictures. As we were one of the first 15 or so people in the building we didn't have to wait in any lines and were soon off to the next destination which was the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
One could easily spend several full days going through this museum, however our primary interest was seeing the gem display which includes the Hope Diamond. We snapped several photos of these very expensive rocks. Several of the gems on display including the Hope Diamond have been donated to the museum by Harry Winston Inc. Once we had finished the gem display we were off to the Air & Space Museum.
The Air & Space Museum now comprises 2 locations with the newer of the 2 located at Dulles International Airport about 1 hour from the Metro DC area. The original location on the mall contains several exhibits chronicling the history of flight in the US from the early days with the Wright Bros to today's adventures into Space. Several original pieces are on display. We have included several photos in today's photo gallery. We left the museum about 1/2 hour before closing and walked back to our hotel. Even though our legs were tired, it was very pleasant to walk back with the absence of wind and rain as well as the occasional glimpses of blue sky. Tomorrow we are off to Arlington National Cemetery and Mt Vernon. Be sure to check out our photo gallery from today.
Sunday-9-3-06-Map stop #17
Washington DC
Sun has returned to DC!! As I mentioned yesterday, our explorations for today were to be Mt Vernon and Arlington National Cemetery. Since Arlington is on the way to Mt Vernon, it became our first stop. I hate to say it, but it actually kind of felt good to hop back in the car again. Crossing the Potomac on the Arlington Memorial Bridge, we arrived at the cemetery. Our first stop inside the cemetery was the Tomb of the Unknowns. It was a very sobering sight to watch a soldier from the 3rd US Infantry guarding the tomb as they have been doing since April 6, 1948. Located in close proximity to the Tomb of the Unknowns were the memorials to those killed aboard the USS Maine in 1898, the Challenger astronauts, the Columbia astronauts, and those killed in the Iran rescue attempt of 1979. As we worked our way towards the Kennedy grave sites we observed the grave sites of many other well known individuals, as well as a few of those less well known who served their country. We could have spent much more time there, but needed to move on to Mt Vernon.
We arrived at Mt Vernon, hungry and past the lunch hour so the first order of business was to find something to eat. With our bodies refueled, we moved on to explore the grounds. We explored the outbuildings prior to, as well as after the tour of the main house. George and Martha Washington are buried at Mt Vernon along with at least 20 other family members, so in keeping with our apparent theme of the day, we visited the old as well as the current burial sites. The tour of the house was a little disappointing. As it was late in the day and crowded, we were herded like cattle through the house. As they put it, they were switching to the speedier version of the tour to accommodate all the people (i.e. get them all through before closing time). Tomorrow is our final full day in DC, so it will consist of primarily visiting memorials plus whatever else we can squeeze in. Be sure to check out our photos from today.
Monday-9-4-06-Map stop #17
Washington DC
The hardest part of today was deciding what we wanted to spend our final hours in DC exploring. After charting out our path for the day we departed the hotel and headed for our first stop which was the Holocaust Museum. The museum is located adjacent to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving which we visited our first day in DC. As was the case at almost all of the places we have explored, there is an enormous amount of material to explore. In all we spent almost 4 hours going through this dark chapter in world history. As it was about 1:30pm when we exited the museum, we stopped at a small cafe for a bite to eat. Feeling somewhat rejuvenated we headed out to see our first of several memorials, the first of which was the Jefferson memorial. The Jefferson memorial is located on the south side of the Tidal basin in West Potomac Park. From the Jefferson memorial we headed towards the Lincoln memorial which is at the west end of the National Mall. On our way we viewed the Roosevelt ( FDR) memorial and the Vietnam memorial. From the Lincoln memorial we walked to the other end of the reflecting pool where the World War 2 memorial is situated. This is a relatively new memorial as it was first opened in 2004. As we were preparing to leave, the Bush motorcade sped past us on his way to our next stop, the White House. My last trip to the White House was in Dec of 1982. At that time Pennsylvania Ave was still a through street past the White House. This is no longer the case. Several of the road ways Close to the White House on all 4 sides have been closed to public vehicle traffic. As the President had just arrived, the south side of the White House had also been closed to pedestrian traffic as well. We walked to the north side of the White House snapped a couple of pictures before heading on back to our room. We arrived back at our room weary but satisfied with all that we had been able to see today. Tomorrow we're back on the road. Our plan is to be in Williamsburg, VA. Be sure to check out today's pictures.
Tuesday-9-5-06-Map stop #18
Washington DC to Williamsburg, VA
Well the dry weather was short lived. Raindrops are falling again. Spent a good part of the morning packing items and inspecting the room to make sure we weren't leaving anything. It actually feels good to get back in the car and give our weary legs a break. By 10:40am we were pulling away from the hotel in Washington DC on our 150 mile trip to Williamsburg. Our route today takes us south on US 95 to Richmond before turning east on US 64 to Williamsburg. On the way to our destination it was decided to take a small detour at Fredericksburg, VA. Fredericksburg of course was the site of some of the worst civil war battles in terms of human casualties. Like so many sites of Civil War battles, one could spend many many hours exploring. As we didn't have several hours to spend we were content to visit the visitor's center museum (which included a well done 22 minute video) and snap a few photos before departing. Continuing on from Fredericksburg, we arrived in Williamsburg around 3:30pm. Still a bit tired from all the walking in DC we decided to rest up for our big day exploring Colonial Williamsburg tomorrow. Only 4 pictures were taken today, but I am sure we'll have plenty more tomorrow.
Wednesday-9-6-06-Map stop #18
Williamsburg, VA
We awoke this morning from a somewhat restless night sleep. Unsure of what the weather would be like today, I apprehensively pulled back the window curtains and was pleasantly surprised to find the ground dry. As it turned out we would not see a drop of rain today. The temperatures were mild ranging from the low to upper 70's. Our entire day today was spent exploring Colonial Williamsburg. We were under no impression that we would be able to see the whole place in just one day, but would be content to hit the highlights. We of course took many photos over the course of the day. The Capital and Governor palace buildings are the most frequented and of course were ones we wanted to see. In addition to these two, we also visited the Wythe home, the shoemaker's shop, the blacksmith's shop, the magazine building, the courthouse, the jail, and the Geddy home. About midday we stopped at the King's Arms Tavern for a bite to eat. Shortly after lunch and after touring the capital building, we watched reenactments of events occurring in Williamsburg from 1774-1776. About 1/2 hour prior to closing we said goodbye to Williamsburg. Kudos to all the docents who made our time in Williamsburg an informative and enjoyable one. Tomorrow we leave the city of Williamsburg and begin the long journey westward. Our next destination is Winston-Salem, NC.
Thursday-9-7-06-Map stop #19
Williamsburg, VA to Winston-Salem, NC
Today we woke up tired from a second restless night. Katherine has come down with a head cold which hopefully will run it's course quickly. Our drive today of 270 miles was, fortunately, one of our shorter days. Today was fairly uneventful, hence this entry will be rather brief. One of the more interesting observations as we were cruising south on US 85, were the stream of tractor trailers hauling NASCAR vehicles to the upcoming race this weekend in Richmond, VA. We also enjoyed the lush green countryside. We gave our cameras the day off today, so we had no pictures to post. Tomorrow is a long driving day (440 miles to Nashville, TN) as we make our way to the Burrall family reunion near Paris, TN. More tomorrow!!
Friday-9-8-06-Map stop #20
Winston-Salem, NC to Nashville, TN
We woke up this morning feeling a little better having slept more than we had the two previous nights. Today was simply a driving day with no scheduled sightseeing stops. As a result we have no pictures to post from today. We left our hotel about 10am and started the long drive to Nashville, arriving around 6:30pm local time. We gained an hour today as we crossed back into the Central Time Zone.
Tomorrow we have a "short" 2 hour drive to Buchanan Resort, which is located on the west side of Kentucky Lake about 5 miles south of the Kentucky-Tennessee border. This will be the final journal posted until we continue our journey westward on Sept.19th. I'll be posting pictures from the reunion on the 19th as well.
Saturday-9-9-06-Map stop #21
Nashville, TN to Buchanan Resort, TN
Burrall Family Reunion
Day 28- Burrall Family Reunion
Day 29- Burrall Family Reunion
Day 30- Burrall Family Reunion
Day 31-Burrall Family Reunion
Day 32- Burrall Family Reunion/Fly home
Day 33- Home
Day 34- Home
Day 35- Home
Monday-9-18-06- Map stop #21 (approximate)
Paris, TN
Road trip part 2 began
brightandearly this morning. We arrived at SFO at 5am for our 6:30am flight to Atlanta, where we connect to Nashville to rejoin our vehicle. Katherine has almost recovered from her illness, while I on the other hand came home sick. After a visit to the doctor on Saturday, I came home armed with antihistamines, decongestants, expectorants, suppressants, and antibiotics for an ear infection. Needless to say, I was not exactly looking forward to spending 5 hours on crowded planes nor making two ascent/descents to/from 35,000 ft. As expected, my ears were complaining loudly as we climbed to our cruising altitude. The arrival into Atlanta was a bumpy one, so bumpy that the cabin attendants remained seated instead of doing their pre-landing clean-up. After a one hop landing, some passengers were vowing never to fly again. The 35 minute flight from Atlanta to Nashville was much calmer and we soon were reunited with our car. As terrifying as the skies had been, the roads leaving Nashville proved to be more terrifying for some unfortunate travelers. Shortly after getting on the freeway, traffic came to a grinding halt which we attributed to rush hour traffic. Little did we know, two accidents had occurred within 1 mile of each other, the latter one being a minivan wrong side up. After some heavy downpours, the precipitation stopped and we were treated to some spectacular skies as the sun was setting. We arrived at the home of Jim & Ann Burrall (Kath's uncle & aunt) in Paris, TN about 7:30pm where we were warmly welcomed and fed a wonderful supper. Tomorrow we will head for the St Louis area with a couple of possible stops along the way. Since today was primarily a travel day we didn't take any photos. As promised, however, we have some pictures from the reunion, plus one of the happily married couple, Dave & Valentina Crotzer, from our brief trip home.
Tuesday-9-19-06- Map stop #22
Paris, TN to St. Charles, MO
The morning air was crisp this morning as we woke with just a hint of fall in the air. The sun was shining brightly, and for the most part the skies were blue. Our hosts graciously fed us breakfast this morning before we began the job of repacking the car in it's usual configuration. Even though it had been sometime since we last packed up the car, we didn't find it too difficult to remember where to place everything. After saying our goodbyes to Jim and Ann, we climbed back into the car and began the drive to St Charles, Missouri. Our route today took us north from Paris, TN on highway 641 toward US 24. We enjoyed looking at the brick homes situated on spacious lots with lush green lawns and several shades trees strategically planted around the homes. It made for a very stress free drive. Soon we transitioned to US 24 and were crossing the Kentucky border into Illinois. Continuing north onto US 57 we encountered a caravan of tractor trailers hauling some 20 or more tanks to a destination unknown to us. At the junction of US 57 and US64 we turned west and headed for St Louis. It wasn't long before we could see the familiar Gateway Arch. Since my trusty photographer was at the wheel, I grabbed the camera to snap a few photos as we were crossing the Mississippi River. We're both looking forward to going to the top of the arch tomorrow and I'm sure we'll have more photos from the top. About 6pm we crossed the Missouri River, where we were to stop for the night. As we both were interested in seeing St. Charles, after unpacking our car we headed for the historic part of town. The drive down Main St. is a bumpy one as it is cobblestone with lots of bumps and dips. The street is lined primarily with shops and dining places, interspersed with an occasional historical site. Feeling a bit hungry we located a place to grab a bite before retiring to our room for the evening. Note: I will be posting the pictures for today and tomorrow together.
Wednesday-9-20-06- Map stop #22
St. Charles, MO
Just before bed last night we were watching the weather channel as we occasionally do, and they were predicting lows in the upper 30's for the outlying areas around St. Louis. In preparation for cooler temperatures today, we dug out warmer attire than we have been accustomed to wearing on this trip. The plan for today was to go back to Historic St Charles for the morning. Following lunch we would go to the Arch in St Louis and ride up to the top. Our final activity for the day was to meet Katherine's aunt and uncle, Pam and David Burrall, at their home before going out for dinner. During the previous day's drive through Historic St. Charles we had noticed some tents set up in a park alongside the Missouri River. We decided to explore this a bit and soon discovered that tomorrow was the 200th anniversary of the return of Lewis& Clark (to St Charles) from their discovery expedition. There is to be reenactment of this event tomorrow. Several exhibits had been set up including a replica of the keel boat used by Lewis and Clark during this expedition. Several school groups were taking advantage of this wonderful field trip opportunity. Following our lunch at a small Italian place on Main St. we moved on to the Arch in St Louis.
While not our first visit to the Arch, this was our first venture to the top. After purchasing our tickets we were ushered down a walkway and then a stairway to door #8 which was the entrance to our tram car. The doorway is 4' high and about 2 1/2' wide when open. Each car contains 5 small seats. Even when sitting down I had to lean forward so my head wouldn't hit the roof of the car. If 5 good sized people were in the car those suffering from claustrophobia might have a problem. Fortunately, the ride to the top (630 feet) only takes about 4 minutes. Needless to say the views from the top, especially on a clear day like today, are spectacular. Upon exiting the car we headed to the observation windows (those with the fewest smudges) and began taking pictures. After a while we reluctantly headed back to the car for our descent.
Following a few final pictures of the Arch, we climbed back in the car and headed over to David & Pam Burrall's place. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them, sitting in the backyard and talking, while enjoying the variety of animals, particularly the well publicized fowls. A little later in the evening, we followed David & Pam to a favorite place of theirs for dinner. The food was delicious and before we knew it, it was 9:30pm. We said our goodbyes and headed back to St Charles for the night. Tomorrow we will spend a little more time here in St Charles before heading to our next destination. Be sure to check out pictures from today.
Thursday-9-21-06- Map stop #23 (Revised)
St. Charles, MO to Kansas City, KS
Today we hadn't planned on leaving the St. Charles area until afternoon. Following breakfast Katherine headed off to explore some of the shops lining the historic Main Street while I stayed at the hotel to try and catch up on "the journal". Unfortunately due to the hotel's network configuration I was unable to publish my work, so I packed things up and headed to a prearranged meeting spot. As today was the official anniversary of the return of Lewis and Clark to the town of St Charles, the streets were buzzing with activities. There were many dressed up in period costumes who were more than willing to engage a curious public. A few of the dining establishments had special menus offering what would have been common fare in the early 1800's. Before leaving we enjoyed a picnic lunch at the Katy Trail State Park. Soon we were back in the car heading west on US 70 to our next destination near Kansas City, KS. Along the way we saw road signs advertising a nostalgia shop, so we decided to check it out. We browsed down memory lane for 20 minutes or so before returning to the road.
Murray, KY has been bumped to second place for the lowest gasoline price, in part I'm sure to the falling crude prices. About 50 miles east of Kansas City we saw gasoline for $1.99 a gallon. About 6:30pm we pulled up at the home of my cousin Sheila, located a little south of Kansas City. We were warmly greeted and made to feel right at home. Unfortunately her husband, Mike, whom we were hoping to meet was not there, but we were able to see some recent photos from a trip they had taken to Washington DC just a couple weeks prior to our being there. We also enjoyed a wonderful meal at an Italian place Sheila had selected for us. Before we knew it the clock was approaching midnight and we all decided the wise thing to do was to call it a night. We forgot to take pictures so we don't have any from today to post. Tomorrow looks to be a travel day with nothing special on the agenda, so we'll just have to see what the day brings.
Friday-9-22-06-
Kansas City, KS to Burlington, CO
Today we continued on from Kansas City to our destination just across the Kansas-Colorado border, the town of Burlington, CO. This extra stop was added due to some timing changes to our scheduled stop in Fort Collins, CO. Since our drive to Fort Collins will be less than originally scheduled, we are hoping to be able to pay a visit to Kath's cousin John tomorrow. Today's drive was very pleasant with only an occasional shower not lasting more than a few minutes. Once out of the Kansas City area, our route for today was pretty straightforward, staying on US 70 west. We opted out of any excursions today, so our only stops were an occasional rest stop and fuel for the car. It appears as though we just missed some severe weather rolling through Missouri, although we did experience very heavy rain accompanied by a light and sound show on our way home from dinner last night. We gave our cameras a second day off today, so once again we have no pictures to view.
Saturday-9-23-06- Map stop #24
Burlington, CO to Fort Collins, CO
Temperatures this morning were in the low 40's as we stepped outside to load our luggage into the car. It seemed much cooler however, as winds were blowing at an estimated 30mph. This was one of the few mornings where we actually turned the heater on in the car. The last time it was this cold was on our final day in Yellowstone. It was not possible to visit Kath's cousin today as we had hoped, but we have another possible date, so we'll see. Since we have visited Cody, WY earlier this trip, and have visited Scout's Rest outside of North Platte, NE in a previous trip, we thought we ought to include the final resting place for Buffalo Bill Cody in today's itinerary. We were up earlier this morning, as we had gained an hour moving from Central to Mountain time yesterday.
The spectacular views from Lookout Mountain are one good reason to visit the site even if you are not a fan of Bill Cody. It is said you can see 4 states from Lookout Mountain. I'll let you look at your maps to figure out which 4 those are. In addition to visiting the grave site and taking in the breathtaking views, there is a small museum with lots of Buffalo Bill memorabilia, as well as a short 20 minute video. We enjoyed a nice warm lunch before heading back to the car for our drive to Fort Collins, CO. Most of our picture taking today was of the video variety, but we did manage to snap a few photos, so be sure to check them out. Finally, we enjoyed a spectacular sunset as the sun sank behind the snow capped Rockies.
Sunday-9-24-06- Map stop #24
Fort Collins, CO
What a difference a day makes. This morning we woke to bright blue skies with temperatures expected to reach the low to mid 70's. With the clouds gone we were able to enjoy crystal clear views of the Rockies with snow caps at the higher elevations. I met a man from Sioux Falls, SD at breakfast this morning. Our conversation centered on the places we had visited in South Dakota earlier in our trip. He, of course, was able to provide some additional details which was fun. Following breakfast we checked out of our motel, and went to church. It was interesting to see how many people we would recognize and how many people would recognize us from our visit in Sept 2005. As we were finishing up brunch at the Cracker Barrel we received a call from Bob Odell telling us that the plan to surprise Jacquie was going into action. We were to come to the house at 1:15pm as he would be out of the house with her on a walk. The plan worked to perfection as we were positioned in the living room upon her arrival home. As usual we were warmly welcomed and made to feel right at home. enjoyed time to talk and catch up some. Our plan is to stay with the Odell family through Thursday before departing for home. It looks like we may be able to visit John & Ginny Burrall, Monday evening. Stay tuned for more on that. We didn't take any pictures today, but hope to have a few tomorrow.
Monday-9-25-06- Map stop #24
Fort Collins, CO
Today was another beautiful day, with bright blue skies, broken by just a few clouds. We went for a walk in the neighborhood enjoying the splendor of the mountains. Along the way we passed a golf course where several people were practicing their game. While walking we heard from Kath's cousin John who lives in Aurora and scheduled a time to visit him and his wife, Ginny, later in the day. Shortly after arriving back at the house we enjoyed a delicious lunch and then a brief siesta.
We left for Aurora about 4pm. Unsure of how much worse Denver rush hour traffic has gotten, I decided to take city streets across Denver. We arrived at our destination about 10 minutes early and were warmly greeted. Even though the visit was brief, we had a great time. For Kath it was a time to talk about times past, while for me it was a chance to get to know them as I had never met Ginny and had only briefly been introduced to John at a past family reunion. We were treated to a delicious dinner at a local Italian place, where we took a couple of pictures which can be seen in our Day 43 photo page. Following dinner we drove back to John & Ginny's place where we continued our visit before realizing that with an 80 minute drive back to Fort Collins, we should probably say our goodbyes. It turned out to be a wise decision, as road construction had closed 2 of 3 lanes on northbound US 25. Arriving back at the Odell's we threw our tired bodies into bed and were soon fast asleep.
Tuesday-9-26-06- Map stop #24
Fort Collins, CO
No updates
Wednesday-9-27-06- Map stop #24
Estes Park, CO
Today was a quiet day. Plans for later today are to go to Estes Park. Estes Park is situated just west of Rocky Mountain National Park. It's primarily a vacation and tourist town with lots of small shops to browse through. Katherine and Jacquie went up early to do a bit of shopping, then Bob & I met them later in the day. We enjoyed a great meal at a place we attempted to eat at last year (Nicky's Steakhouse), but were unable to. The food was delicious and though we did our best to finish, we wound up taking some with us for a future meal. For evening accommodations we stayed at the World Mark resort in a very nice 2 bedroom unit. We were able to introduce the game Phase 10 to Jacquie & Bob who finished 1st & 2nd respectively. As it was 11:00pm when the game was over we decided to call it a night. We didn't take any photos today.
Thursday-9-28-06- Map stop #24
Fort Collins, CO
We awoke this morning to an absolutely gorgeous day. The skies were blue and temperatures were in the mid to upper sixties Jacquie prepared a wonderful breakfast for us all including one of Katherine's favorites, bacon. After checking out of our room, we all (except for Bob who needed to go back to the office) hopped in the car and drove to Rocky Mountain National Park, where we could once again utilize our annual pass. Shortly after entering the park we spotted a small herd of elk, so we stopped the car to take a look. While Katherine and Jacquie broke out the binoculars, I observed them through the lens of the video camera. Unfortunately their distance from us and our cameras limited zoom capabilities made it not worth taking any still photos. From here we continued on to Sprague Lake . You can check out the link for details about the lake. Desiring to stretch our legs a little we enjoyed the 1/2 mile walk around the lake, stopping briefly for a few photos. Eventually we made our way back to he car and were soon on our way back to Estes Park, for some final shopping before continuing back to the Odell's home. Our final night in Fort Collins was a quiet one spent with the family. After one quick photo, we said our goodnights and crawled into bed. Be sure to check out our photos from today.
Friday-9-29-06- Map stop #25
Fort Collins, CO to Rock Springs, WY
Saying goodbye to good friends is always tough, and today was no exception. We are so thankful that things worked out to permit us to enjoy this "surprise" visit. (Bob & Jacquie-You always make us feel right at home when we've been there. Thanks again) After a brief photo session and reconfiguring of the car for departure, we said goodbye and were back on the road again. Once again traveling conditions were almost ideal as we began our trip. From the Odell's home we decided to take I-287 to US80 and Laramie, Wy, before heading west to our destination of Rock Springs, WY. Katherine enjoyed observing herds of antelope grazing in the wide open spaces, again making use of the binoculars, while I just relished in the wide open spaces. We stopped briefly in Sinclair, WY, your classic company town established by Sinclair Oil Company which maintains an operating refinery. Unfortunately, the towns museum was closed, so we continued on our way. Tomorrow, we continue westward towards Elko, NV. Be sure to check out today's photo page. Since we will now be retracing territory traveled on our departure, I don't anticipate we will be taking many more photos. I will be combining all remaining photos as part of our final journal entry.
Saturday-9-30-06- Map stop #26
Rock Springs, WY to Elko, NV
Today we finally completed the loop and began to retrace roadway covered way back in August. We had sunshine all day with mild temperatures ranging from 60F to 82F. On our approach to Salt Lake City we were enjoying the striking colors of the tree covered mountain sides. From a distance we noticed what appeared to be a large ramp on the side of the mountain and decided it warranted further investigation. Before long we could tell it was a ski jump, one of 2 located at the Utah Olympic Park. We briefly explored the grounds before continuing on our way. Our final stop of the day was at the Bonneville Speedway. As it turned out it was a good day to stop as a group was doing speed test runs. With our arrival being later on in the day we only were able to see one car make a pass. Since this was only a test run and not an attempt to set a Land Speed Record (LSR), the car was clocked at a mere 298MPH. Continuing on we arrived in Elko, NV where we will spend the night, around 5:30pm. As I mentioned in yesterdays journal, I will be posting all photos from the final 3 days on the final day's journal.
Sunday-10-1-06- Map stop #27
Elko, NV to Reno, NV
There were no scheduled stops on today's itinerary. Our travel plans called for us to make it to Reno, NV where we would spend the final night of our road trip. The weather in Elko this morning was sunny and very pleasant temperature wise. We had a couple stops before leaving this morning. One stop, at Albertsons for us and one at Sinclair for the car. (Feeding the car on this trip has often times been more expensive than feeding us.) By 10:15am we were back on US80 going west. Since the skies were still blue around lunchtime we decided to do our picnic thing stopping at a rest stop just east of Winnemucca, NV. Our picnics have been an enjoyable part of this trip, not to mention probably healthier than some of the alternatives. After a 50 minute stop, we packed our cooler back in the car and were back on the road observing the typical assortment of Wal-Mart, UPS, and FedEx trucks rolling down the highway. The skies began to change as we approached Reno. Earlier weather reports had called for rain, so we were not surprised. We arrived safely at our destination and checked in to our final hotel room of the trip. Following an early buffet dinner at our hotel, we retired to the room for the evening. Tomorrow we plan to visit the Harrahs Auto Museum before beginning the final leg of our trip home.
Monday-10-2-06- Map stop #28
Reno, NV to HOME!!!
This has been an absolutely fabulous trip. As they say, all good things must come to an end, so I come to my final journal entry. We got off to a late start this morning, I think in part because it was the final morning of our trip. I think we both have spent time over the last couple of days looking back on so many of the places we've seen and people we visited. Both of us would be hard pressed to select a single one as being the highlight of our trip. As mentioned in yesterday's journal, we did pay a visit to what is now known as the National Auto Museum in Reno. What an impressive collection of cars!! We did manage to snap a few photos as we toured the 4 separate exhibits comprising the museum. These photos and those from the previous 2 days can be seen on today's photo page.
After 8,682.1 miles, we arrived safely at home at 7:01pm PDT. Someone asked me during this trip if I would do this again. I don't know if I would do it again, but it was certainly worth doing once. I often caught myself thinking about all those who crossed this country in the early days of the automobile, or in wagons, particularly as we climbed over the rugged terrain lying between the plains of Kansas and Nebraska and the foothills on the western side of the Sierras. Needless to say, we felt a bit wimpy riding in a air conditioned vehicle on cruise control at 70MPH. While we've enjoyed writing this journal for those following the trip, we also wanted a written record of our own to look back on which I'm sure we will do time and time again.
