Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Kingman, Arizona, was in the rear view mirror this morning as we head north. Highway 93 is a long long straight road. We are in Ely, Nevada tonight.
We stopped at the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery this morning. It is in Arizona not far before Hoover Dam. It's about 4.5 miles from the highway down a very twisty road. We were surprised at the number of people and boats at the marina on the river. The hatchery is right past the marina at the end of the road. The assistant manager there retired from IDFG a few years ago and went to work for the Feds. We planned on surprising him with our visit but he's not here this week having gone to the Seattle area to teach a class. The manager here also worked at IDFG so we visited with him and he showed us around.
The next stop was Hoover Dam. I didn't realize that you can walk out on the new bridge to get a view of the dam until we crossed it and a lot of people were on the pedestrian walkway. We stopped and walked up a hill to the bridge. There is a concrete wall about 5 feet high that separates the walkway from the highway and a 3-4 foot concrete wall with a railing on top on the other side so the pedestrians are very safe. It's an out and back walkway though as it dead ends on the other side of the bridge. I walked all the way to the center to get pictures, and had a death grip on my IPhone so I didn't accidentally drop it over the side. It's windy out on the bridge. I'm surprised some people didn't lose their hats in the wind.
We stopped for lunch in Henderson and then drove to Ely for the night. Today's our 42nd day on the road. We've had a wonderful trip and loved it, but it will be nice to be home for awhile.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
I forgot to mention the large truckstop complex that we stopped at in eastern New Mexico yesterday. It had restrooms labeled "Elvis" and "Marilyn" with the words Men and Women in small letters underneath. I guess that was for the people who didn't know what gender Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe were.😃
Continuing west, we stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona not too far from the New Mexico border. It's the smallest national park. There is a fire burning in the area so it was pretty smoky at the visitor center. It has a 26 mile loop for driving and lots of trails. We looked at all the samples of petrified trees in the center but decided not to do the loop because of the poor visibility and it was in the high 90's temperature wise.
Next stop was Winslow. It was a must stop place so we could be standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona. And it was 100 degrees here so the statue of Glenn Frey was very hot to the touch.
Not too far past Winslow is the Meteor Crater. It's 6 miles off the interstate and worth a visit. It's the largest and best preserved meteor crater in the world. It's huge. In the 10 minute film, a graph showed that 20 football games could be going on at once on the floor of it and that the stadium around the fields could hold two million people. It's that big. The visitor center is new and very well done. They have a space capsule on display outside it. We went out on the observation deck and looked through the permanently mounted telescopes there. They are focused on areas where research has been done. We could not see these things with our naked eye. There is a US flag posted on the floor of the crater and that couldn't be seen without a scope. Someone standing close to us said that it is as deep as the Washington Monument is tall but we don't know that to be true. It looked deeper from our vantage point.
As it was 100 degrees here, we opted not to do the guided walking tour. Just being outside for ten minutes made me feel dried to a crisp.
We had lunch in Flagstaff and are in Kingman, Arizona tonight. It was 102 and 7 percent humidity when we got here.
I forgot to mention the large truckstop complex that we stopped at in eastern New Mexico yesterday. It had restrooms labeled "Elvis" and "Marilyn" with the words Men and Women in small letters underneath. I guess that was for the people who didn't know what gender Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe were.😃
Continuing west, we stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona not too far from the New Mexico border. It's the smallest national park. There is a fire burning in the area so it was pretty smoky at the visitor center. It has a 26 mile loop for driving and lots of trails. We looked at all the samples of petrified trees in the center but decided not to do the loop because of the poor visibility and it was in the high 90's temperature wise.
Next stop was Winslow. It was a must stop place so we could be standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona. And it was 100 degrees here so the statue of Glenn Frey was very hot to the touch.
Not too far past Winslow is the Meteor Crater. It's 6 miles off the interstate and worth a visit. It's the largest and best preserved meteor crater in the world. It's huge. In the 10 minute film, a graph showed that 20 football games could be going on at once on the floor of it and that the stadium around the fields could hold two million people. It's that big. The visitor center is new and very well done. They have a space capsule on display outside it. We went out on the observation deck and looked through the permanently mounted telescopes there. They are focused on areas where research has been done. We could not see these things with our naked eye. There is a US flag posted on the floor of the crater and that couldn't be seen without a scope. Someone standing close to us said that it is as deep as the Washington Monument is tall but we don't know that to be true. It looked deeper from our vantage point.
As it was 100 degrees here, we opted not to do the guided walking tour. Just being outside for ten minutes made me feel dried to a crisp.
We had lunch in Flagstaff and are in Kingman, Arizona tonight. It was 102 and 7 percent humidity when we got here.
Monday, June 20, 2016
We couldn't leave Amarillo without seeing the Cadillac Ranch. It's right off the interstate. There are 10 Cadillacs that have been buried in the ground hood down. They are all in one row and have been spray painted constantly for years. It's a graffiti person's dream. It's free, and is in a field where you have to go through an iron turnstile gate and then walk about as far as two blocks are long. The path is wide and packed down from all the sightseers.
There was a photo shoot if some sort just finishing up when we got there. We met a number of young women dressed to the nines with fancy shoes going out as we went in. It was quite windy so we made sure to walk around it up wind since there were 15-20 people spray painting and we didn't want paint on our clothes. A man who was probably late 40's said to us "you don't have spray paint?" In a shocked voice. When we said no, he said "we have plenty so take some". It was nice of him to offer but we declined.
As we left, there was a man parked about three feet from the gate in a nice pickup that had its tailgate down and a bunch of stuff spread across it. It was keychains made out of paint chips from the cars. I don't know how much he wanted for them but I heard him telling a guy that the cars have so much paint on them that it just chunks off. He also had one of those ginormous coolers in the back that I think had cans of spray paint for sale in it. Something for everyone, I guess.
We continued on to New Mexico. As Santa Fe is only about 50 miles off the interstate, we detoured through it. Several people said we should not miss it. It's nice, we liked it. We had lunch there and saw the oldest church in the Ubited States dating to 1610. We also saw the state Capitol which doesn't look like any others we saw. It's built in the Adobe style befitting the heritage here. Pretty much every building here is in that style, even the local grocery store. But it fits the terrain and heritage and is nice that the area does that.
We drove back to Albuquerque and on to Gallup, New Mexico. We had dinner at the restaurant in the historic El Rancho Hotel. This hotel has seen a lot in its years and is still authentic in its furnishings and fixtures. A number of western movies were filmed here in the 40's and the stars all stayed at the El Rancho. The items on the menu are all named after them. The Robert Taylor club sandwich, the John Wayne steak, etc, and they have framed autographed pictures and letters hanging in the hallways. Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman, Humphrey Bogart, Rita Moreno, Desi Arnez, and many others. The food was good.
After dinner, we went in the bar to see all the historic stuff there. It has wonderful stained glass windows depicting western scenes. And every pillar, beam, wall, light fixture, and all other flat surfaces have one dollar bills signed by whoever and taped up. Of course, we had to add one to the collection. The bartender just reached under the bar and came out with a tape dispenser and sharpie for our use. It's an amazing place and still functions as a hotel.
We couldn't leave Amarillo without seeing the Cadillac Ranch. It's right off the interstate. There are 10 Cadillacs that have been buried in the ground hood down. They are all in one row and have been spray painted constantly for years. It's a graffiti person's dream. It's free, and is in a field where you have to go through an iron turnstile gate and then walk about as far as two blocks are long. The path is wide and packed down from all the sightseers.
There was a photo shoot if some sort just finishing up when we got there. We met a number of young women dressed to the nines with fancy shoes going out as we went in. It was quite windy so we made sure to walk around it up wind since there were 15-20 people spray painting and we didn't want paint on our clothes. A man who was probably late 40's said to us "you don't have spray paint?" In a shocked voice. When we said no, he said "we have plenty so take some". It was nice of him to offer but we declined.
As we left, there was a man parked about three feet from the gate in a nice pickup that had its tailgate down and a bunch of stuff spread across it. It was keychains made out of paint chips from the cars. I don't know how much he wanted for them but I heard him telling a guy that the cars have so much paint on them that it just chunks off. He also had one of those ginormous coolers in the back that I think had cans of spray paint for sale in it. Something for everyone, I guess.
We continued on to New Mexico. As Santa Fe is only about 50 miles off the interstate, we detoured through it. Several people said we should not miss it. It's nice, we liked it. We had lunch there and saw the oldest church in the Ubited States dating to 1610. We also saw the state Capitol which doesn't look like any others we saw. It's built in the Adobe style befitting the heritage here. Pretty much every building here is in that style, even the local grocery store. But it fits the terrain and heritage and is nice that the area does that.
We drove back to Albuquerque and on to Gallup, New Mexico. We had dinner at the restaurant in the historic El Rancho Hotel. This hotel has seen a lot in its years and is still authentic in its furnishings and fixtures. A number of western movies were filmed here in the 40's and the stars all stayed at the El Rancho. The items on the menu are all named after them. The Robert Taylor club sandwich, the John Wayne steak, etc, and they have framed autographed pictures and letters hanging in the hallways. Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman, Humphrey Bogart, Rita Moreno, Desi Arnez, and many others. The food was good.
After dinner, we went in the bar to see all the historic stuff there. It has wonderful stained glass windows depicting western scenes. And every pillar, beam, wall, light fixture, and all other flat surfaces have one dollar bills signed by whoever and taped up. Of course, we had to add one to the collection. The bartender just reached under the bar and came out with a tape dispenser and sharpie for our use. It's an amazing place and still functions as a hotel.
Monday, June 20, 2016
Sunday, June 19, 2016
We loaded the car this morning and started west again. We had such a good time here. They were great hosts. I thank them so much for everything.
Our first stop was in Oklahoma City to see the bombing memorial. Well, not the first. First we ate lunch, then we went to the museum and memorial. It's heart wrenching, it really is. The museum takes you step by step through the timeline with videos and displays. It counts down the minutes from when the bomb exploded to the hours it took to find survivors and, unfortunately, those who didn't. And the following days and weeks. What a display of cooperation between agencies and the efforts of the fire and police departments. The outpouring of support, the trauma medical teams. It's unbelievable what they all went through. I think this is the first museum I've been to where I read all the information and really looked at every display and video. It's an amazing place.
They have an Honor Gallery where every person who died has a shadow box, for lack of a better word, with their picture, usually an 8x10, and mementos from their life that their family chose to remember them by. It was heartbreaking. How could you choose what to put in them. And the ones for the children, with toys and stuffed animals. I cry just thinking about it.
They also have the get away car on display and the information and timeline for the arrest, trial and ultimate execution of Timothy McVeigh. I can only hope it brought some closure to the families of those who died but I know it's something they will never fully come to peace with.
We continued on and drove as far as Amarillo, Texas. We decided to go to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was jam packed with more than 50 people waiting when we got there. It was to be a 30-40 minute wait but after about 5 minutes they seated us. I'm sure it was because it was just the two of us and they had a small table open up. Only after we sat down did it dawn on us that it's Fathers Day and everyone took dad out for dinner. Duh.
We loaded the car this morning and started west again. We had such a good time here. They were great hosts. I thank them so much for everything.
Our first stop was in Oklahoma City to see the bombing memorial. Well, not the first. First we ate lunch, then we went to the museum and memorial. It's heart wrenching, it really is. The museum takes you step by step through the timeline with videos and displays. It counts down the minutes from when the bomb exploded to the hours it took to find survivors and, unfortunately, those who didn't. And the following days and weeks. What a display of cooperation between agencies and the efforts of the fire and police departments. The outpouring of support, the trauma medical teams. It's unbelievable what they all went through. I think this is the first museum I've been to where I read all the information and really looked at every display and video. It's an amazing place.
They have an Honor Gallery where every person who died has a shadow box, for lack of a better word, with their picture, usually an 8x10, and mementos from their life that their family chose to remember them by. It was heartbreaking. How could you choose what to put in them. And the ones for the children, with toys and stuffed animals. I cry just thinking about it.
They also have the get away car on display and the information and timeline for the arrest, trial and ultimate execution of Timothy McVeigh. I can only hope it brought some closure to the families of those who died but I know it's something they will never fully come to peace with.
We continued on and drove as far as Amarillo, Texas. We decided to go to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was jam packed with more than 50 people waiting when we got there. It was to be a 30-40 minute wait but after about 5 minutes they seated us. I'm sure it was because it was just the two of us and they had a small table open up. Only after we sat down did it dawn on us that it's Fathers Day and everyone took dad out for dinner. Duh.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
The original plan for today was for the entire family to take us to a wildlife preserve near here called "Wool-a-roc". I think I may have spelled that wrong. Anyway, they have a lot of buffalo there. Because it's in the upper 90's here, we decide to go to the Woody Guthrie museum in Tulsa instead. Some opted out, needing to barbecue for tonight's dinner and working, so 7 of us went. It was well worth it. Woody Guthrie was born on Okemah, Oklahoma, not far from Tulsa.
The original piece of paper with "This Land is Your Land" song lyrics is on display along with his guitars and banjos. They have a short movie about his life and influence on American music. He was quite the artist, too. There are numerous paintings and drawings that he did as well as all the songs he wrote. He was in the Army during WWII so that played a part in his writings. He also wrote short stories and novels. I thought the displays were very well done. One section has a film and displays about the Dust Bowl and how devastating it was.
They also have a room that has traveling displays and The Supremes are honored in that space. It just opened on Thursday and lasts until October, I think. There are costumes on display from their performances, and screens showing them on Ed Sullivan, etc. Quite a contrast from Woody Guthrie, but fun to look at.
The center of the universe, as it's known here in Tulsa, was about a block and a half up the street so of course we had to see that. It's a circle that looks like it's made of concrete that is set in the middle of the walkway on a pedestrian bridge. When you stand on the circle and talk or make other sounds you hear the words or sounds as an echo but everyone else hears it as regular speech. It's weird but fun. We all tried it.
Then we walked to a chocolate shop about a block away. An astounding display of candy made with every flavor imaginable. For example, watermelon and feta cheese. How did they ever come up with that combo? The guy running the cash register told me that a guy came in last Valentines Day and bought one of everything in the store. I can't even imagine what that must have cost.
This evening, there was another movie on the agenda but a storm blew through and dropped a lot of water in a short amount of time so that was cancelled. Good thing they got all the equipment and screen put away before it hit. Stella's nephew, Lee, had spent most of the day barbecuing, bringing ribs, brisket, ham and turkey. More food than we could eat in a week. It was all excellent.
The original plan for today was for the entire family to take us to a wildlife preserve near here called "Wool-a-roc". I think I may have spelled that wrong. Anyway, they have a lot of buffalo there. Because it's in the upper 90's here, we decide to go to the Woody Guthrie museum in Tulsa instead. Some opted out, needing to barbecue for tonight's dinner and working, so 7 of us went. It was well worth it. Woody Guthrie was born on Okemah, Oklahoma, not far from Tulsa.
The original piece of paper with "This Land is Your Land" song lyrics is on display along with his guitars and banjos. They have a short movie about his life and influence on American music. He was quite the artist, too. There are numerous paintings and drawings that he did as well as all the songs he wrote. He was in the Army during WWII so that played a part in his writings. He also wrote short stories and novels. I thought the displays were very well done. One section has a film and displays about the Dust Bowl and how devastating it was.
They also have a room that has traveling displays and The Supremes are honored in that space. It just opened on Thursday and lasts until October, I think. There are costumes on display from their performances, and screens showing them on Ed Sullivan, etc. Quite a contrast from Woody Guthrie, but fun to look at.
The center of the universe, as it's known here in Tulsa, was about a block and a half up the street so of course we had to see that. It's a circle that looks like it's made of concrete that is set in the middle of the walkway on a pedestrian bridge. When you stand on the circle and talk or make other sounds you hear the words or sounds as an echo but everyone else hears it as regular speech. It's weird but fun. We all tried it.
Then we walked to a chocolate shop about a block away. An astounding display of candy made with every flavor imaginable. For example, watermelon and feta cheese. How did they ever come up with that combo? The guy running the cash register told me that a guy came in last Valentines Day and bought one of everything in the store. I can't even imagine what that must have cost.
This evening, there was another movie on the agenda but a storm blew through and dropped a lot of water in a short amount of time so that was cancelled. Good thing they got all the equipment and screen put away before it hit. Stella's nephew, Lee, had spent most of the day barbecuing, bringing ribs, brisket, ham and turkey. More food than we could eat in a week. It was all excellent.
Friday, June 17, 2016.
Today's plan is to rent sumo wrestling suits and have a match this evening. Kacy has built a large outdoor movie screen and has all the equipment so that's on the agenda, too.
We've watched the birds that come to the feeders every day. I had never seen cardinals or blue jays until this trip. I love seeing them. The colors are great. It's also tick and chigger season here so we have not gone out walking very much. We both have had some small bites even with a liberal coating of insect repellent. But there are fireflies here too! That's been fun. I've only seen them once before.
I made a dump cake this afternoon for dessert. Five ingredients, you can't beat that. Crushed pineapple, cherry pie filling, a yellow cake mix, chopped walnuts and butter. Easy easy.
After dinner, it was time for sumo. Stella and I decided that we needed to put the suits on first, have a quick picture taken, and then the others could put them on and actually wrestle. Now these are not inflatable. They are made out of heavy plastic and stuffed with batting or something. There are pants and a jacket. The jacket has a Belt that comes up between your legs and velcros on to look like the cloths the real sumo guys wear. I managed to get the pants on by myself but the jacket velcros closed down the back so you definitely have to have help getting that on. After getting suited up, we could barely shuffle to the mat. I had to take itsy bitsy steps because the pants ate padded too. We get to the mat and pose for pictures. I could hardly reach Stella over my big padded stomach but we thought we were doing okay even though we forgot to bow before we tried to at least look like we were grabbing each other. It was all going just fine until Tara deliberately bumped her mother and we both went down like dominos. We had helmets on, too, I forgot that. Anyway, it took two people to roll me over so I could get out of the suit. We were so padded that it didn't hurt but it was unexpected. All this in 95 degree heat with high humidity. Those suits were hot but the others put them on and really did throw each other around.
Stella and I went to WalMart and brought prizes so everyone got something after it was over. Then it was time for the movie. With the evenings staying light so late, it was 10 pm before it started. It was "The Revenant" with Leonardo DeCaprio. It's more than two hours long so it was a late evening, but I thought the movie was good. I can see why he won the Best Actor Oscar.
Today's plan is to rent sumo wrestling suits and have a match this evening. Kacy has built a large outdoor movie screen and has all the equipment so that's on the agenda, too.
We've watched the birds that come to the feeders every day. I had never seen cardinals or blue jays until this trip. I love seeing them. The colors are great. It's also tick and chigger season here so we have not gone out walking very much. We both have had some small bites even with a liberal coating of insect repellent. But there are fireflies here too! That's been fun. I've only seen them once before.
I made a dump cake this afternoon for dessert. Five ingredients, you can't beat that. Crushed pineapple, cherry pie filling, a yellow cake mix, chopped walnuts and butter. Easy easy.
After dinner, it was time for sumo. Stella and I decided that we needed to put the suits on first, have a quick picture taken, and then the others could put them on and actually wrestle. Now these are not inflatable. They are made out of heavy plastic and stuffed with batting or something. There are pants and a jacket. The jacket has a Belt that comes up between your legs and velcros on to look like the cloths the real sumo guys wear. I managed to get the pants on by myself but the jacket velcros closed down the back so you definitely have to have help getting that on. After getting suited up, we could barely shuffle to the mat. I had to take itsy bitsy steps because the pants ate padded too. We get to the mat and pose for pictures. I could hardly reach Stella over my big padded stomach but we thought we were doing okay even though we forgot to bow before we tried to at least look like we were grabbing each other. It was all going just fine until Tara deliberately bumped her mother and we both went down like dominos. We had helmets on, too, I forgot that. Anyway, it took two people to roll me over so I could get out of the suit. We were so padded that it didn't hurt but it was unexpected. All this in 95 degree heat with high humidity. Those suits were hot but the others put them on and really did throw each other around.
Stella and I went to WalMart and brought prizes so everyone got something after it was over. Then it was time for the movie. With the evenings staying light so late, it was 10 pm before it started. It was "The Revenant" with Leonardo DeCaprio. It's more than two hours long so it was a late evening, but I thought the movie was good. I can see why he won the Best Actor Oscar.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Today's agenda was a tour of Tulsa. Stella's daughter, Tara, arrived from Houston this morning so we set off after noon. The first stop was at the Golden Driller statue. It has a framework of an oil rig and a huge statue of a man, the driller, beside it. He's painted gold and it looks to be made of concrete. The plaque says it's the fourth largest statue in the United States.
Then it was off to see the Blue Whale in Catoosa, a suburb of Tulsa. This is listed on the roadsideamerica.com website. It's very old. There's a small pond where it resides. It's a very large structure of a whale where you walk through his mouth to get to his stomach which is open to the sky and has rickety uneven boards for flooring. That's followed by a large tail that had an iron ladder where you could climb up on top. I thought it looked pretty sturdy but I didn't go up it. The head is so large that you can climb up another iron ladder to a floor there and stick your head out his eyes. Kacy and Tara did that. I think at one time you could jump off and swim in the pond but it doesn't look safe enough for that now. We had our picture taken on it but to get the entire whale in, we look like stick figures we're so far away. It looked like it was made out of stucco and the paint is bright blue. It's free and there was a gift shop that was maybe 8x10 feet in size.
We also stopped to see the iron buffalo statue, a mountain goat bronze statue, and bear statues that are along a green belt in Tulsa. Last, but not least, we drove by the praying hands statue in front of Oral Roberts University. Huge statue, I didn't think it would be so large.
Oh, and we stopped at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, too. They had pins so I added to my stash.
We ate at a good Mexican restaurant tonight, Pablo's in Sapulpa.
Last night, after dinner, it was time for Game of Thrones, the tv show they are all glued to. Stella and I had seen part of the same episode in Memphis when we used the microwave in the lobby there. The desk clerk tried to explain it to us but we didn't get it. They tried to explain it again last night but there are so many characters and it was the 61st episode that we were lost. I think it's something you need to have watched from the beginning.
Today's agenda was a tour of Tulsa. Stella's daughter, Tara, arrived from Houston this morning so we set off after noon. The first stop was at the Golden Driller statue. It has a framework of an oil rig and a huge statue of a man, the driller, beside it. He's painted gold and it looks to be made of concrete. The plaque says it's the fourth largest statue in the United States.
Then it was off to see the Blue Whale in Catoosa, a suburb of Tulsa. This is listed on the roadsideamerica.com website. It's very old. There's a small pond where it resides. It's a very large structure of a whale where you walk through his mouth to get to his stomach which is open to the sky and has rickety uneven boards for flooring. That's followed by a large tail that had an iron ladder where you could climb up on top. I thought it looked pretty sturdy but I didn't go up it. The head is so large that you can climb up another iron ladder to a floor there and stick your head out his eyes. Kacy and Tara did that. I think at one time you could jump off and swim in the pond but it doesn't look safe enough for that now. We had our picture taken on it but to get the entire whale in, we look like stick figures we're so far away. It looked like it was made out of stucco and the paint is bright blue. It's free and there was a gift shop that was maybe 8x10 feet in size.
We also stopped to see the iron buffalo statue, a mountain goat bronze statue, and bear statues that are along a green belt in Tulsa. Last, but not least, we drove by the praying hands statue in front of Oral Roberts University. Huge statue, I didn't think it would be so large.
Oh, and we stopped at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, too. They had pins so I added to my stash.
We ate at a good Mexican restaurant tonight, Pablo's in Sapulpa.
Last night, after dinner, it was time for Game of Thrones, the tv show they are all glued to. Stella and I had seen part of the same episode in Memphis when we used the microwave in the lobby there. The desk clerk tried to explain it to us but we didn't get it. They tried to explain it again last night but there are so many characters and it was the 61st episode that we were lost. I think it's something you need to have watched from the beginning.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Today is Stella's nephew's, Kacy Greene, birthday. He would like a carrot cake for dessert tonight. Neither of us could remember our recipe so I looked it up online. After much discussion, we found one that we liked so it was off to the store for the ingredients.
We also went to her niece's store. Lisa makes soaps, lotions and candles and has a store downtown. It's kind of a florist shop, antique store and gift shop all in one. Others have booths here where they display their goods. It was fun looking at all the stuff and the creative ways people pit things together.
We went back to the house and I read the recipe while Stella mixed the cake together. We adlibbed a little but it turned out great. She was on her own for the cream cheese frosting though.
Tonight, the entire family came over for dinner. I think there were about 15 people there. They made Indian tacos. Stella's late brother-in-law was Native American so the tacos are on Indian fry bread instead of tortillas. You just pile whatever you want on the bread and go from there. I had never had fry bread before but I liked it.
Today is Stella's nephew's, Kacy Greene, birthday. He would like a carrot cake for dessert tonight. Neither of us could remember our recipe so I looked it up online. After much discussion, we found one that we liked so it was off to the store for the ingredients.
We also went to her niece's store. Lisa makes soaps, lotions and candles and has a store downtown. It's kind of a florist shop, antique store and gift shop all in one. Others have booths here where they display their goods. It was fun looking at all the stuff and the creative ways people pit things together.
We went back to the house and I read the recipe while Stella mixed the cake together. We adlibbed a little but it turned out great. She was on her own for the cream cheese frosting though.
Tonight, the entire family came over for dinner. I think there were about 15 people there. They made Indian tacos. Stella's late brother-in-law was Native American so the tacos are on Indian fry bread instead of tortillas. You just pile whatever you want on the bread and go from there. I had never had fry bread before but I liked it.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Tuesday, June 14, 2016.
A small town called Alma is our destination this morning. It's about five miles east of Fort Smith and has a population of 5,000 people. On the Vietnam trip last year, we travelled with a coup,e who live in Alma. He's a doctor and she is the director of the Performing Arts Center here. We surprised Teresa at work and had a great visit and lunch with her.
The Center is amazing. She took us on a tour of it along with the man who is the costune designer. This is a first class operation all the way. It seats 1,500 people but can be sectioned off for smaller groups if needed. The local high school is attached to it and they have drama classes and a class for costume design that provides training for the students and provides actors and actresses for the locally produced programs as well as backstage help. The center has raised more than a million dollars for scholarships for the high school. It draws from a large geographical area because it's the only Performing Arts Center of this caliber in the area. I was very impressed, it rivals the Morrison Center in Boise, I think. They also have national touring productions and well known musicians perform here.
We ate lunch at a good Mexican restaurant. Thank you, Teresa Riggins Schlabach, for the tour. It was so fun to see you.
After lunch, we crossed the border into Oklahoma. We are spending the next five nights in Sapulpa with Stella's sister and her family. Sapulpa is a small town just to the west of Tulsa. Her nephews and niece are so excited to see her that they charted all the things that are planned for the next few days on a whiteboard and put it on an easel so nothing is missed. It's been fun to see them this afternoon. It's hot here, 99 when we arrived and high humidity.
A small town called Alma is our destination this morning. It's about five miles east of Fort Smith and has a population of 5,000 people. On the Vietnam trip last year, we travelled with a coup,e who live in Alma. He's a doctor and she is the director of the Performing Arts Center here. We surprised Teresa at work and had a great visit and lunch with her.
The Center is amazing. She took us on a tour of it along with the man who is the costune designer. This is a first class operation all the way. It seats 1,500 people but can be sectioned off for smaller groups if needed. The local high school is attached to it and they have drama classes and a class for costume design that provides training for the students and provides actors and actresses for the locally produced programs as well as backstage help. The center has raised more than a million dollars for scholarships for the high school. It draws from a large geographical area because it's the only Performing Arts Center of this caliber in the area. I was very impressed, it rivals the Morrison Center in Boise, I think. They also have national touring productions and well known musicians perform here.
We ate lunch at a good Mexican restaurant. Thank you, Teresa Riggins Schlabach, for the tour. It was so fun to see you.
After lunch, we crossed the border into Oklahoma. We are spending the next five nights in Sapulpa with Stella's sister and her family. Sapulpa is a small town just to the west of Tulsa. Her nephews and niece are so excited to see her that they charted all the things that are planned for the next few days on a whiteboard and put it on an easel so nothing is missed. It's been fun to see them this afternoon. It's hot here, 99 when we arrived and high humidity.
Monday, June 13, 2013
This morning, we left Memphis and headed west to Little Rock, Arkansas. The state line is in the middle of the bridge across the Mississippi River. From the traffic headed east, it appears a lot of people live in Arkansas and work in Memphis.
Arkansas is a little drier with more open spaces. I think every state we have been in has corn as a crop and here it's no different. It was an easy drive to Little Rock so we were there before noon. This is where the presidential library for Bill Clinton is. It's right off the freeway and next to an old bridge that has been turned into a pedestrian and bicycle bridge. President Clinton specifically wanted it here and wanted the building to have a bridge look to it so it would symbolize a bridge to the future next to a bridge from the past. A little imagination is needed to visualize that, but it has nice fountains in front and is of a modern design.
We went through security and were welcomed with open arms by the volunteers here. They all wanted to know where we are from and shared their stories of being in the western part of the U S and the weather differences, etc. etc. we watched the 12 minute film narrated by Bill Clinton about his background. He seemed so genuinely nice it almost made me want to vote for him. Almost. Anyway, after that we walked through all the exhibits. It's interesting to me that there are boxes of documents on glass enclosed shelves from his administration that are used as dividers. One of the volunteers told us that there are 4,500 boxes that have been vetted through the archives and that it's only 2 percent of the documents generated during his time in office.
This library, like the others we've seen, has a research center for students and other interested parties to study all this paper. It also has the Oval Office with the furniture he used. I loved the upholstery on the facing couches, it was cream and rose striped. We sat in his chair behind his desk, where we had our pictures taken. At the Bush library in Houston, a volunteer will use your camera and take the picture for you. Here, a volunteer takes it with their camera and then charges you for the picture. And no photos of the Oval Office are allowed except from the doorway. None can be taken inside the office. Interesting differences.
A large portion of the displays are devoted to the Olympics that were held in Atlanta while he was in office. There are huge windows here and we kept our eyes on the sky. About the time we were ready to leave, a thunderstorm dropped a lot of rain, so we had lunch in the downstairs restaurant and waited it out. The food was great. There is a large area on the second floor that can be rented for meetings, dinners, receptions, etc. I would imagine it is a pretty penny to do so. We then hit the gift shop. I just couldn't resist buying a coffee mug that says "I Miss Bill" on it. I know it will appall my family which was a good reason to get it.😊
We walked a little ways out on the pedestrian bridge but it was even more humid since the storm blew through so we got in the car and drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to visit the Hot Springs National Park. It's not far, about an hour. It's quite the resort town and has a row of bathhouses dating from the 1920's on the Main Street to the Park. The Park Visitor Center is located in one actually. We drove the 3.5 mile loop through the park, looked over the view from the overlook and got our stamps for our National Park Passport and headed back north. It was almost closing time for the offic and center so we didn't go through all the exhibits. Oh, and Hot Springs is where Bill Clinton grew up. One of the volunteers at his library told us we should visit a bathhouse and soak in the hot water. We thought about it but decided to drive toward Oklahoma instead. We stayed in a tiny town called Russellville for the night.
This morning, we left Memphis and headed west to Little Rock, Arkansas. The state line is in the middle of the bridge across the Mississippi River. From the traffic headed east, it appears a lot of people live in Arkansas and work in Memphis.
Arkansas is a little drier with more open spaces. I think every state we have been in has corn as a crop and here it's no different. It was an easy drive to Little Rock so we were there before noon. This is where the presidential library for Bill Clinton is. It's right off the freeway and next to an old bridge that has been turned into a pedestrian and bicycle bridge. President Clinton specifically wanted it here and wanted the building to have a bridge look to it so it would symbolize a bridge to the future next to a bridge from the past. A little imagination is needed to visualize that, but it has nice fountains in front and is of a modern design.
We went through security and were welcomed with open arms by the volunteers here. They all wanted to know where we are from and shared their stories of being in the western part of the U S and the weather differences, etc. etc. we watched the 12 minute film narrated by Bill Clinton about his background. He seemed so genuinely nice it almost made me want to vote for him. Almost. Anyway, after that we walked through all the exhibits. It's interesting to me that there are boxes of documents on glass enclosed shelves from his administration that are used as dividers. One of the volunteers told us that there are 4,500 boxes that have been vetted through the archives and that it's only 2 percent of the documents generated during his time in office.
This library, like the others we've seen, has a research center for students and other interested parties to study all this paper. It also has the Oval Office with the furniture he used. I loved the upholstery on the facing couches, it was cream and rose striped. We sat in his chair behind his desk, where we had our pictures taken. At the Bush library in Houston, a volunteer will use your camera and take the picture for you. Here, a volunteer takes it with their camera and then charges you for the picture. And no photos of the Oval Office are allowed except from the doorway. None can be taken inside the office. Interesting differences.
A large portion of the displays are devoted to the Olympics that were held in Atlanta while he was in office. There are huge windows here and we kept our eyes on the sky. About the time we were ready to leave, a thunderstorm dropped a lot of rain, so we had lunch in the downstairs restaurant and waited it out. The food was great. There is a large area on the second floor that can be rented for meetings, dinners, receptions, etc. I would imagine it is a pretty penny to do so. We then hit the gift shop. I just couldn't resist buying a coffee mug that says "I Miss Bill" on it. I know it will appall my family which was a good reason to get it.😊
We walked a little ways out on the pedestrian bridge but it was even more humid since the storm blew through so we got in the car and drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to visit the Hot Springs National Park. It's not far, about an hour. It's quite the resort town and has a row of bathhouses dating from the 1920's on the Main Street to the Park. The Park Visitor Center is located in one actually. We drove the 3.5 mile loop through the park, looked over the view from the overlook and got our stamps for our National Park Passport and headed back north. It was almost closing time for the offic and center so we didn't go through all the exhibits. Oh, and Hot Springs is where Bill Clinton grew up. One of the volunteers at his library told us we should visit a bathhouse and soak in the hot water. We thought about it but decided to drive toward Oklahoma instead. We stayed in a tiny town called Russellville for the night.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Graceland! Today was the day we visited Graceland! I had kind of forgotten how much I loved Elvis, but going through Graceland brought it all flooding back. We were glad we came today because it wasn't crowded. The line to get on the bus to go to the house wasn't too long. Each person gets headphones and an IPad with the tour narration and pictures on it. It comes on automatically when you cross the threshold. I loved it. Besides the house, you go through the office area, in a separate building in back. There was a room next to the office where he and his entourage used it as a shooting range. There was a glass case with the bullets that were taken out of the back wall and woodwork. I just can't wrap my mind around this because the room wasn't any bigger that maybe 15x20. How can you use a 20foot long space for a shooting range? I just don't get it.
Then you go through the Trophy room where all his awards, gold records, charity work (he donated a lot of money to charity), movie memorabilia, Priscilla's wedding dress, his tux, etc. are. After that it's off to the racquetball court. This had a large sitting area and a piano that he played the day he died. There are three pianos at Graceland and 14 tvs. The area that was the court now contains the clothes he wore to perform in, the jumpsuits and capes. A video plays footage from his tv specials and live performances. Just seeing how he lived and all he achieved was pretty overwhelming. Then you walk around his gravesite in the Meditation Garden. It wasn't as big as I thought it was from the pictures. We opted to do the mansion and grounds tour only. Oh, there are even horses here still.
To do the tour that includes his airplanes and cars is a lot more cash. I loved Elvis but I wasn't going to pay $80 or more for the VIP tour. And you walk right past the planes to get to the ticket area. They're on the other side of a wooden fence but they tower above it. But I'm happy now because I got to see it.😊😊😊
After the tour, we drove through downtown and hot to see some of Beale Street, the home of the blues. Two blocks of it, where all the clubs are, is pedestrian only.
We spent two nights in Memphis just to rest up a little. Tomorrow, it's off to Little Rock.
Graceland! Today was the day we visited Graceland! I had kind of forgotten how much I loved Elvis, but going through Graceland brought it all flooding back. We were glad we came today because it wasn't crowded. The line to get on the bus to go to the house wasn't too long. Each person gets headphones and an IPad with the tour narration and pictures on it. It comes on automatically when you cross the threshold. I loved it. Besides the house, you go through the office area, in a separate building in back. There was a room next to the office where he and his entourage used it as a shooting range. There was a glass case with the bullets that were taken out of the back wall and woodwork. I just can't wrap my mind around this because the room wasn't any bigger that maybe 15x20. How can you use a 20foot long space for a shooting range? I just don't get it.
Then you go through the Trophy room where all his awards, gold records, charity work (he donated a lot of money to charity), movie memorabilia, Priscilla's wedding dress, his tux, etc. are. After that it's off to the racquetball court. This had a large sitting area and a piano that he played the day he died. There are three pianos at Graceland and 14 tvs. The area that was the court now contains the clothes he wore to perform in, the jumpsuits and capes. A video plays footage from his tv specials and live performances. Just seeing how he lived and all he achieved was pretty overwhelming. Then you walk around his gravesite in the Meditation Garden. It wasn't as big as I thought it was from the pictures. We opted to do the mansion and grounds tour only. Oh, there are even horses here still.
To do the tour that includes his airplanes and cars is a lot more cash. I loved Elvis but I wasn't going to pay $80 or more for the VIP tour. And you walk right past the planes to get to the ticket area. They're on the other side of a wooden fence but they tower above it. But I'm happy now because I got to see it.😊😊😊
After the tour, we drove through downtown and hot to see some of Beale Street, the home of the blues. Two blocks of it, where all the clubs are, is pedestrian only.
We spent two nights in Memphis just to rest up a little. Tomorrow, it's off to Little Rock.
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Saturday, June 11, 2016
This morning we toured the Jack Daniels distillery on the sampling tour. The tour is free if you don't want to sample, but, in Stella's words, "it defeats the purpose to not sample." And sample we did, five different products, amounting to about a shot. It's about a two hour tour here. They show a lot of stuff, where they make the charcoal they use as a filter, the water that comes from a spring, the fermenting stages, the office that Jack Daniels used. It has the safe that he kicked when it wouldn't open and broke his toe. He developed gangrene from the toe and that is what eventually killed him in 1911. He was 5'2" tall and the statues are all life sized. This tour was much more informative than the one at Wild Turkey. The guide told us that the first Friday of every month every employee gets a free pint of whiskey. As she put it, "all 500 employees show up that day and production goes way up."
We then drove to Memphis. We came on a state highway which was a very good four lane road, but you go through a lot of little towns so it might not be the fastest route. I was driving when we got here and was tired and really cranky when the GPS unit routed us through a maze of interstates twice with wrong directions on what lane to be on. It might have been three times. To make matters and my mood worse, the traffic was so heavy that I couldn't get over to take the exits. 😡😡😡. But we finally found the hotel. We went to a restaurant in a lively part of town and had dinner.
This morning we toured the Jack Daniels distillery on the sampling tour. The tour is free if you don't want to sample, but, in Stella's words, "it defeats the purpose to not sample." And sample we did, five different products, amounting to about a shot. It's about a two hour tour here. They show a lot of stuff, where they make the charcoal they use as a filter, the water that comes from a spring, the fermenting stages, the office that Jack Daniels used. It has the safe that he kicked when it wouldn't open and broke his toe. He developed gangrene from the toe and that is what eventually killed him in 1911. He was 5'2" tall and the statues are all life sized. This tour was much more informative than the one at Wild Turkey. The guide told us that the first Friday of every month every employee gets a free pint of whiskey. As she put it, "all 500 employees show up that day and production goes way up."
We then drove to Memphis. We came on a state highway which was a very good four lane road, but you go through a lot of little towns so it might not be the fastest route. I was driving when we got here and was tired and really cranky when the GPS unit routed us through a maze of interstates twice with wrong directions on what lane to be on. It might have been three times. To make matters and my mood worse, the traffic was so heavy that I couldn't get over to take the exits. 😡😡😡. But we finally found the hotel. We went to a restaurant in a lively part of town and had dinner.
Friday, June 10, 2016
We stopped at Mammoth Cave National Park this morning and signed up for the tour. The ranger told us, before we got on the bus, that there are 500 stairs on the tour, some places are only a little over 5 feet tall, and some places are only about 18 inches wide. She emphasized that if you have claustrophobia or are afraid of heights you will be uncomfortable on the tour. No one opted out. The group has 110 people in it.
We set off. When we got to the door of the cave, I picked out the largest man in the crowd to follow thinking that if he could make so could I. He was a very large man, 6'3 or a little taller and about 300 pounds. He had his daughter with him who looked to be about 10 years old. She warned him about all the low spots and narrow spots but he got through it all and so did we.
The cave is mapped at 405 miles but is thought to be bigger. It has a lot of bats and other creatures living in it. It's made of limestone so there isn't a lot of color to it. I'd recommend it, it's certainly something to see. No flash photography is allowed. The transfer reamed out the group twice about that before the message got across to a few people.
The next stop was Nashville. Traffic was flowing fine until it took us about 45 minutes to go the last few miles to the exit we wanted to take. Only as we turned on the exit did we realize that CMA Fest was going on at the stadium where the Titans play football. Thousands of people were there, streets were blocked off for pedestrian only areas, cops were directing traffic, it was a mess. I wanted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe to pick up some pins and, of course, it is located in a prime spot across the street from the stadium.
We decided on a plan. I'd get out and dash down the street to the Cafe, get my pins, and Stella would pick me up. Sounded great until we implemented it. I managed to find the HRC okay, got the pins, and went back to where she dropped me off thinking she would drive around the block until I showed up. I waited a couple of minutes and she called me. Now I'm standing a block away from the stadium. There is so much noise from it, all the bars with outdoor patios and bands, and the tourist noise that I can't hear a thing. I tell her that and hang up. She calls back. All I can hear is "blah blah blah third street" so I walk to the corner of Broadway and third street. Third street is one way. I'm looking and looking for her but can't see her. She calls again. This time I get "I'm on Third street" so I tell her I am too. I hang up and look some more. I finally see her about two blocks away coming toward me but I'm on the wrong side of the street. It looked like the traffic cop was going to stop the traffic so she'd be the first in line but, no. He waves her on. She's barely moving which is irritating all the cars behind her I could tell. I dashed across the street in between traffic, chased her down, opened the door and leaped in. And we headed for the freeway out of town. We ended up staying in Fayetteville tonight. Went on some back roads to get here but the scenery was great. We even saw some deer in the fields.
We stopped at Mammoth Cave National Park this morning and signed up for the tour. The ranger told us, before we got on the bus, that there are 500 stairs on the tour, some places are only a little over 5 feet tall, and some places are only about 18 inches wide. She emphasized that if you have claustrophobia or are afraid of heights you will be uncomfortable on the tour. No one opted out. The group has 110 people in it.
We set off. When we got to the door of the cave, I picked out the largest man in the crowd to follow thinking that if he could make so could I. He was a very large man, 6'3 or a little taller and about 300 pounds. He had his daughter with him who looked to be about 10 years old. She warned him about all the low spots and narrow spots but he got through it all and so did we.
The cave is mapped at 405 miles but is thought to be bigger. It has a lot of bats and other creatures living in it. It's made of limestone so there isn't a lot of color to it. I'd recommend it, it's certainly something to see. No flash photography is allowed. The transfer reamed out the group twice about that before the message got across to a few people.
The next stop was Nashville. Traffic was flowing fine until it took us about 45 minutes to go the last few miles to the exit we wanted to take. Only as we turned on the exit did we realize that CMA Fest was going on at the stadium where the Titans play football. Thousands of people were there, streets were blocked off for pedestrian only areas, cops were directing traffic, it was a mess. I wanted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe to pick up some pins and, of course, it is located in a prime spot across the street from the stadium.
We decided on a plan. I'd get out and dash down the street to the Cafe, get my pins, and Stella would pick me up. Sounded great until we implemented it. I managed to find the HRC okay, got the pins, and went back to where she dropped me off thinking she would drive around the block until I showed up. I waited a couple of minutes and she called me. Now I'm standing a block away from the stadium. There is so much noise from it, all the bars with outdoor patios and bands, and the tourist noise that I can't hear a thing. I tell her that and hang up. She calls back. All I can hear is "blah blah blah third street" so I walk to the corner of Broadway and third street. Third street is one way. I'm looking and looking for her but can't see her. She calls again. This time I get "I'm on Third street" so I tell her I am too. I hang up and look some more. I finally see her about two blocks away coming toward me but I'm on the wrong side of the street. It looked like the traffic cop was going to stop the traffic so she'd be the first in line but, no. He waves her on. She's barely moving which is irritating all the cars behind her I could tell. I dashed across the street in between traffic, chased her down, opened the door and leaped in. And we headed for the freeway out of town. We ended up staying in Fayetteville tonight. Went on some back roads to get here but the scenery was great. We even saw some deer in the fields.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Beautiful day today, blue skies, very little clouds.
After crossing the Ohio River, we drove through West Virginia to Point Pleasant. A two lane highway that was very windy through rolling hills with lots of trees. I'm sure you are wondering why Point Pleasant. Well, there is a stainless steel statue of Mothman there that we thought we couldn't miss. Needless to say, when we stopped there we were the only ones there. And it's right downtown, too.
We continued on to Kentucky. Back on an interstate! Oh, I forgot to mention that yesterday we were on I-80 for awhile. More truck traffic that I have ever seen on a freeway. Anyway, as we came farther west, it flattened out some and the terrain opened up. The trees along the road were beginning to get a little claustrophobic so it's nice to see open spaces again. It's drier here than the other eastern states we've been in.
We stopped at the Wild Turkey bourbon distillery and took the tour. I thought it was really interesting to learn how liquor is made and aged. The oak barrels can only be used once legally for it to be bourbon. It's aged anywhere from two to 20 years. They have over 500,000 barrels aging over 900 acres here.
As part of the tour, we each got to taste two of the 8-10 varieties of bourbon made here. We shared ours so it probably totaled a little less than a shot. I don't know how people do more than one distillery in a day. That was about enough for me. The Bourbon Trail has 10 distilleries on it. You can get a free passport and if you get a stamp from each one you get a free t-shirt. We thought the shirt was unattractive.
It was onto Louisville. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe so I could add to my pin collection. Since we had never had a mint julep, we had one there. More bourbon! And very little mint taste. We think it's a good sipping drink but not something you could drink very much of.
I realized that tomorrow is Muhammad Ali's funeral here so we decided to drive a little farther to spend the night. Traffic will be a nightmare there tomorrow. We are in Elizabethtown tonight.
Beautiful day today, blue skies, very little clouds.
After crossing the Ohio River, we drove through West Virginia to Point Pleasant. A two lane highway that was very windy through rolling hills with lots of trees. I'm sure you are wondering why Point Pleasant. Well, there is a stainless steel statue of Mothman there that we thought we couldn't miss. Needless to say, when we stopped there we were the only ones there. And it's right downtown, too.
We continued on to Kentucky. Back on an interstate! Oh, I forgot to mention that yesterday we were on I-80 for awhile. More truck traffic that I have ever seen on a freeway. Anyway, as we came farther west, it flattened out some and the terrain opened up. The trees along the road were beginning to get a little claustrophobic so it's nice to see open spaces again. It's drier here than the other eastern states we've been in.
We stopped at the Wild Turkey bourbon distillery and took the tour. I thought it was really interesting to learn how liquor is made and aged. The oak barrels can only be used once legally for it to be bourbon. It's aged anywhere from two to 20 years. They have over 500,000 barrels aging over 900 acres here.
As part of the tour, we each got to taste two of the 8-10 varieties of bourbon made here. We shared ours so it probably totaled a little less than a shot. I don't know how people do more than one distillery in a day. That was about enough for me. The Bourbon Trail has 10 distilleries on it. You can get a free passport and if you get a stamp from each one you get a free t-shirt. We thought the shirt was unattractive.
It was onto Louisville. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe so I could add to my pin collection. Since we had never had a mint julep, we had one there. More bourbon! And very little mint taste. We think it's a good sipping drink but not something you could drink very much of.
I realized that tomorrow is Muhammad Ali's funeral here so we decided to drive a little farther to spend the night. Traffic will be a nightmare there tomorrow. We are in Elizabethtown tonight.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
This morning we had breakfast at the hotel, as usual. When we got off the elevator, Stella said "what's our room number?" And here's what followed.
"I was just going to ask you the same thing. Pause. I think it's 219."
We proceed down to 219 and stare at the Do Not Disturb sign hanging from the door handle.
"Did you hang that on the door?" Me.
"No."
"Neither did I. Maybe it's 221." I tried our key card in 221. Didn't work. I tried it in 217. Didn't work. After trying five doors...."I'm going to have to go ask, aren't I?"
Sigh. I trooped off down to the desk, "how's your day going?" Asked the desk clerk who was about 22. "It would be going better if I could remember my room number. We've been on the road for 28 days and they are all running together." He looked up the room. "216". "216! I could have sworn it was on the other side of the hall!" He was laughing still when the elevator door closed.
We left Jamestown headed for Edinboro, PA, and came through heavy rain around Erie. I don't think that's unusual for the Great Lakes area but we were glad to get a little ways inland to get out of it. In Edinboro, we went to the college campus to see the statue of "Angus, the big bad bronze Scot." It's huge, and it was rainy and windy so we snapped pictures and jumped back in the car.
It was only 46 degrees this morning, a huge change from what we were experiencing a few days ago.
President McKinley has a library and museum in Canton, Ohio, so we headed that direction. We got out of the bad weather the farther south we went. The library and museum only has one large room devoted to McKinley (it's not part of the federal presidential library system) but it was different since it had life sized talking mannequins of him and his wife. The remainder of the museum is mostly about the history of the area. It has a very large model train exhibit that was fun to watch. And it has a planetarium with a 30 minute program that we went to.
I guess I just don't have the imagination needed to picture the constellations. The woman doing the presentation showed us what constellations and planets are visible right now. Jupiter, Mars, and Antares were featured. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor were two of the constellations, but they just looked like random stars to me.
We drove to Marietta, Ohio, for the night.
This morning we had breakfast at the hotel, as usual. When we got off the elevator, Stella said "what's our room number?" And here's what followed.
"I was just going to ask you the same thing. Pause. I think it's 219."
We proceed down to 219 and stare at the Do Not Disturb sign hanging from the door handle.
"Did you hang that on the door?" Me.
"No."
"Neither did I. Maybe it's 221." I tried our key card in 221. Didn't work. I tried it in 217. Didn't work. After trying five doors...."I'm going to have to go ask, aren't I?"
Sigh. I trooped off down to the desk, "how's your day going?" Asked the desk clerk who was about 22. "It would be going better if I could remember my room number. We've been on the road for 28 days and they are all running together." He looked up the room. "216". "216! I could have sworn it was on the other side of the hall!" He was laughing still when the elevator door closed.
We left Jamestown headed for Edinboro, PA, and came through heavy rain around Erie. I don't think that's unusual for the Great Lakes area but we were glad to get a little ways inland to get out of it. In Edinboro, we went to the college campus to see the statue of "Angus, the big bad bronze Scot." It's huge, and it was rainy and windy so we snapped pictures and jumped back in the car.
It was only 46 degrees this morning, a huge change from what we were experiencing a few days ago.
President McKinley has a library and museum in Canton, Ohio, so we headed that direction. We got out of the bad weather the farther south we went. The library and museum only has one large room devoted to McKinley (it's not part of the federal presidential library system) but it was different since it had life sized talking mannequins of him and his wife. The remainder of the museum is mostly about the history of the area. It has a very large model train exhibit that was fun to watch. And it has a planetarium with a 30 minute program that we went to.
I guess I just don't have the imagination needed to picture the constellations. The woman doing the presentation showed us what constellations and planets are visible right now. Jupiter, Mars, and Antares were featured. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor were two of the constellations, but they just looked like random stars to me.
We drove to Marietta, Ohio, for the night.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Today was Niagara Falls day. We drove from Harrisburg, PA. We had one small rainstorm and one major one, both of which passed fairly quickly. I will continue this tomorrow.
We went through Williamsport, which is the home of Little League baseball. There is a little league hall of fame there, and that's where the little league World Series is played.
We also went through a couple of places that had signs with buggies on them indicating Amish vehicles. We saw a man doing plowing with horses, and two women driving a buggy. The horse was moving at a good clip with the buggy. And a couple of houses had quilts hanging off the front porch.
I was surprised to see high rise buildings in Niagara Falls. In my mind, it was a small tourist place, but, no. We took a wrong turn and ended up lost for awhile, but eventually found the falls. And what falls they are! We did go out on the observation deck but we didn't do the boat ride. Lots of tour groups here.
After eating dinner, we drove to Jamestown, NY, for the night. It's the hometown of Lucille Ball and Roger Tory Peterson.
Today was Niagara Falls day. We drove from Harrisburg, PA. We had one small rainstorm and one major one, both of which passed fairly quickly. I will continue this tomorrow.
We went through Williamsport, which is the home of Little League baseball. There is a little league hall of fame there, and that's where the little league World Series is played.
We also went through a couple of places that had signs with buggies on them indicating Amish vehicles. We saw a man doing plowing with horses, and two women driving a buggy. The horse was moving at a good clip with the buggy. And a couple of houses had quilts hanging off the front porch.
I was surprised to see high rise buildings in Niagara Falls. In my mind, it was a small tourist place, but, no. We took a wrong turn and ended up lost for awhile, but eventually found the falls. And what falls they are! We did go out on the observation deck but we didn't do the boat ride. Lots of tour groups here.
After eating dinner, we drove to Jamestown, NY, for the night. It's the hometown of Lucille Ball and Roger Tory Peterson.
Monday, June 6, 2016
After leaving DC this morning, we headed for Gettysburg. The Magical History Tour continues. Traffic was bad getting out of the area but got better the farther we went into Maryland. And it wasn't as humid which was a welcome relief after more than 90 percent in Washington.
Neither of us realized that the Eisonhowers had retired to their farm located just outside Gettysburg until we got to the welcome center. They have a bus tour to their farm so we signed up to do that first. The farm was purchased in 1953 and renovated for a couple of years. It's 189 acres where Ike raised black angus cattle. They had lived in about 40 houses during his military career and just wanted a place of their own.
The house has 5 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. It's two story and has a sun porch where they spent most of their time. Ike played golf at the local club and was serious enough about it that a putting green was installed, and is still maintained, at the house. I thought the house was very comfortable, not pretentious, but it does have the pink bathroom and furnishings that Mamie liked.
They left the house and grounds to the National Park Service but stipulated that it be kept a working farm as it was under their ownership. Angus cattle are still raised there today.
Later we did the auto tour around the Gettysburg battlefield. What an amazing event that was. It's hard to wrap your mind around the fact that there were so many troops from both sides here. I think it was 93,000 combined. It is easy to see why they had such a fight. The trees and undergrowth are so thick that it would be almost impossible to see the enemy coming. But it's hard for me to think that the noise of troop movements wouldn't carry to the other side. I guess if they were both moving at once you wouldn't be able to tell where the noise came from.
We also walked around the cemetery where it is believed Lincoln gave his address. We were told that no one knows the exact spot that he stood on so there is no marker. I was here in 1968 and I think there was a marker then. But the visitor center is new and there have been a lot of things, like parking lots built since then.
We only saw about 2-3 school groups here so I think the field trip season must be coming to an end.
Deciding that we needed a break from all the history, we then drove to Hershey, Pennsylvania, and did the chocolate factory tour. I loved it. It reminded me of the rides at Disneyland where you ride in cars around a track, kind of like the a Haunted Mansion ride. The amusement park was jam packed as well as the gift shop. Lots of buses here, and lots of families, which is to be expected.
We went to Gilligan's, a sports bar, in Harrisburg for dinner. The food was good, and it was right down the road from the motel.
After leaving DC this morning, we headed for Gettysburg. The Magical History Tour continues. Traffic was bad getting out of the area but got better the farther we went into Maryland. And it wasn't as humid which was a welcome relief after more than 90 percent in Washington.
Neither of us realized that the Eisonhowers had retired to their farm located just outside Gettysburg until we got to the welcome center. They have a bus tour to their farm so we signed up to do that first. The farm was purchased in 1953 and renovated for a couple of years. It's 189 acres where Ike raised black angus cattle. They had lived in about 40 houses during his military career and just wanted a place of their own.
The house has 5 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. It's two story and has a sun porch where they spent most of their time. Ike played golf at the local club and was serious enough about it that a putting green was installed, and is still maintained, at the house. I thought the house was very comfortable, not pretentious, but it does have the pink bathroom and furnishings that Mamie liked.
They left the house and grounds to the National Park Service but stipulated that it be kept a working farm as it was under their ownership. Angus cattle are still raised there today.
Later we did the auto tour around the Gettysburg battlefield. What an amazing event that was. It's hard to wrap your mind around the fact that there were so many troops from both sides here. I think it was 93,000 combined. It is easy to see why they had such a fight. The trees and undergrowth are so thick that it would be almost impossible to see the enemy coming. But it's hard for me to think that the noise of troop movements wouldn't carry to the other side. I guess if they were both moving at once you wouldn't be able to tell where the noise came from.
We also walked around the cemetery where it is believed Lincoln gave his address. We were told that no one knows the exact spot that he stood on so there is no marker. I was here in 1968 and I think there was a marker then. But the visitor center is new and there have been a lot of things, like parking lots built since then.
We only saw about 2-3 school groups here so I think the field trip season must be coming to an end.
Deciding that we needed a break from all the history, we then drove to Hershey, Pennsylvania, and did the chocolate factory tour. I loved it. It reminded me of the rides at Disneyland where you ride in cars around a track, kind of like the a Haunted Mansion ride. The amusement park was jam packed as well as the gift shop. Lots of buses here, and lots of families, which is to be expected.
We went to Gilligan's, a sports bar, in Harrisburg for dinner. The food was good, and it was right down the road from the motel.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Our hearts hurt today. I don't think anything can prepare you for seeing the Vietnam War Memorial in person. Replicas of the wall came to Boise twice and I went to see it both times, but it didn't have the impact that the real one had this morning. So many names. So many names.
We also saw the Korean War Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the memorial to the women who serve in the armed forces. After Arlington yesterday and all the war memorials today, I just thought "why can't we live in peace?" It's heart rending, it really is.
We also saw the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the White House and the Capitol, both from a distance, and the Smithsonian American History Museum. Our step monitors were about 12,000 steps today. Lots of student groups again. The noise level in the museum was deafening. There are signs next to the statue of Abrahan Lincoln that say "Silence, Show Respect" and you could hardly hear yourself think. Maybe all the foreign tourists can't read English. We've decided that maybe fall would be the best time to visit here again.
The forecast today was for thunderstorms this afternoon so I carried my rain jacket with me and Stella took her umbrella. It was a beautiful day even though it was 90 percent humidity when we left the hotel. I'm sure it was because I had my jacket. If I hadn't taken it, it would have poured buckets of rain. It had just started to sprinkle when we got on the metro back to the hotel and wasn't raining here. But! It just thundered and poured rain a few minutes ago so we are lucky that we're in for the night. Looks like it might be here to stay for the evening.
Our hearts hurt today. I don't think anything can prepare you for seeing the Vietnam War Memorial in person. Replicas of the wall came to Boise twice and I went to see it both times, but it didn't have the impact that the real one had this morning. So many names. So many names.
We also saw the Korean War Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the memorial to the women who serve in the armed forces. After Arlington yesterday and all the war memorials today, I just thought "why can't we live in peace?" It's heart rending, it really is.
We also saw the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the White House and the Capitol, both from a distance, and the Smithsonian American History Museum. Our step monitors were about 12,000 steps today. Lots of student groups again. The noise level in the museum was deafening. There are signs next to the statue of Abrahan Lincoln that say "Silence, Show Respect" and you could hardly hear yourself think. Maybe all the foreign tourists can't read English. We've decided that maybe fall would be the best time to visit here again.
The forecast today was for thunderstorms this afternoon so I carried my rain jacket with me and Stella took her umbrella. It was a beautiful day even though it was 90 percent humidity when we left the hotel. I'm sure it was because I had my jacket. If I hadn't taken it, it would have poured buckets of rain. It had just started to sprinkle when we got on the metro back to the hotel and wasn't raining here. But! It just thundered and poured rain a few minutes ago so we are lucky that we're in for the night. Looks like it might be here to stay for the evening.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Saturday, June 4, 2016
We managed to find Mount Vernon today with the GPS. Yesterday, she wasn't speaking to us or allowing addresses to be entered.
When we got to Mount Vernon, there were some school groups waiting to go in and the fifer (is that a word?) was playing in front of the ticket booth. We bought a ticket for the mansion tour at 10:15 so we had 45 minutes to look at the other buildings and flowers. Large groups of students were waiting in line for their tour through the house. I think the ages ranged from about 4th graders to high schoolers. Most if the groups had matching shirts. One group had purple tie dye ones on, but we thought the best idea was the group of younger kids that were wearing neon yellow hats that you could see a mile away.
When it was our turn to line up at 10:15, one of the teachers told us we would just have to wait since her group of high schoolers was scheduled for 10:05 and another group was scheduled for 10:10. The man who was either a volunteer or an employee who was lining people up said "we're running a little late". Then he asked if it was just the two of us and when I said yes, he had us join the group ahead of us and ahead of the school groups. I think the teacher was a little huffy over it but oh well.
Another person who was working there told us that there were 5,000 people scheduled for reserved tours today. That didn't include people like us that just walked up and bought tickets. I think that's why we don't think we got much of a tour. We walked through the mansion, and even were allowed upstairs here, but none of the guides inside the house told us much about the Washingtons and their life here. They had so many people to get through that it was kind of a keep moving tour.
The tour at Monticello was much better for the information we were given, and encouraged questions. At Montpelier, it was the same. We heard a lot about the Madison's and could ask as many questions as we wanted. I'm glad we went to Mount Vernon, but I don't think this time of the year is the best for it.
We checked into the hotel in Springfield this afternoon. We changed from last night because the Metro starts in Springfield. I had studied the metro map and it stopped at Arlington National Cemetery, which was on our list. The hotel has a shuttle that took us to the metro station and picked us up when we got back.
We loved Arlington. We opted for the tour which was a hop on and hop off one with 9 stops. The first stop is at the Kennedy eternal flame and graves. We got off there because you can't see the flame or graves from the road. It's up a little hill. Robert Kennedy and Ted Kennedy are buried nearby but we didn't walk to theirs. After getting back on, we passed 4 or 5 school groups that were walking to the Tomb of the Unknowns for the changing of the guard. Luckily for us, the Guard changes every half hour from April to October instead of every hour like the winter months, because by the time we got there, the ceremony had started. You could hear a pin drop at the Tomb. It was dead silent, even from all the kids.
We decided to sit and wait for the next ceremony so we could see it all. As people began to gather, including more students, it was absolutely silent. We were all glued to the guard who patrols back and forth in front of it taking exactly 21 steps, turning, standing for 21 seconds, turning, moving his rifle from shoulder to shoulder so it is always on the shoulder away from the tomb, standing for 21 seconds and taking 21 steps, etc. When the officer marches out to start the ceremony, he announces it to the crowd, and says that it is to be silent and everyone is to stand for it. Which we all did. Amazing atmosphere. I could have watched it over and over.
As the students walked around here, there were two policemen bringing up the rear, walking closely behind and at least one at the front of the group. Could have been one or two in the middle, as well.
This is the only place where we have seen a police presence.
The metro is the only way to go here. Tomorrow, we are going to buy tickets for a hop on and hop off bus tour that includes all the major sites, the Mall with the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, the Smithsonian, etc. we can take the metro again and buy the tickets on the bus at one of its stops.
We managed to find Mount Vernon today with the GPS. Yesterday, she wasn't speaking to us or allowing addresses to be entered.
When we got to Mount Vernon, there were some school groups waiting to go in and the fifer (is that a word?) was playing in front of the ticket booth. We bought a ticket for the mansion tour at 10:15 so we had 45 minutes to look at the other buildings and flowers. Large groups of students were waiting in line for their tour through the house. I think the ages ranged from about 4th graders to high schoolers. Most if the groups had matching shirts. One group had purple tie dye ones on, but we thought the best idea was the group of younger kids that were wearing neon yellow hats that you could see a mile away.
When it was our turn to line up at 10:15, one of the teachers told us we would just have to wait since her group of high schoolers was scheduled for 10:05 and another group was scheduled for 10:10. The man who was either a volunteer or an employee who was lining people up said "we're running a little late". Then he asked if it was just the two of us and when I said yes, he had us join the group ahead of us and ahead of the school groups. I think the teacher was a little huffy over it but oh well.
Another person who was working there told us that there were 5,000 people scheduled for reserved tours today. That didn't include people like us that just walked up and bought tickets. I think that's why we don't think we got much of a tour. We walked through the mansion, and even were allowed upstairs here, but none of the guides inside the house told us much about the Washingtons and their life here. They had so many people to get through that it was kind of a keep moving tour.
The tour at Monticello was much better for the information we were given, and encouraged questions. At Montpelier, it was the same. We heard a lot about the Madison's and could ask as many questions as we wanted. I'm glad we went to Mount Vernon, but I don't think this time of the year is the best for it.
We checked into the hotel in Springfield this afternoon. We changed from last night because the Metro starts in Springfield. I had studied the metro map and it stopped at Arlington National Cemetery, which was on our list. The hotel has a shuttle that took us to the metro station and picked us up when we got back.
We loved Arlington. We opted for the tour which was a hop on and hop off one with 9 stops. The first stop is at the Kennedy eternal flame and graves. We got off there because you can't see the flame or graves from the road. It's up a little hill. Robert Kennedy and Ted Kennedy are buried nearby but we didn't walk to theirs. After getting back on, we passed 4 or 5 school groups that were walking to the Tomb of the Unknowns for the changing of the guard. Luckily for us, the Guard changes every half hour from April to October instead of every hour like the winter months, because by the time we got there, the ceremony had started. You could hear a pin drop at the Tomb. It was dead silent, even from all the kids.
We decided to sit and wait for the next ceremony so we could see it all. As people began to gather, including more students, it was absolutely silent. We were all glued to the guard who patrols back and forth in front of it taking exactly 21 steps, turning, standing for 21 seconds, turning, moving his rifle from shoulder to shoulder so it is always on the shoulder away from the tomb, standing for 21 seconds and taking 21 steps, etc. When the officer marches out to start the ceremony, he announces it to the crowd, and says that it is to be silent and everyone is to stand for it. Which we all did. Amazing atmosphere. I could have watched it over and over.
As the students walked around here, there were two policemen bringing up the rear, walking closely behind and at least one at the front of the group. Could have been one or two in the middle, as well.
This is the only place where we have seen a police presence.
The metro is the only way to go here. Tomorrow, we are going to buy tickets for a hop on and hop off bus tour that includes all the major sites, the Mall with the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, the Smithsonian, etc. we can take the metro again and buy the tickets on the bus at one of its stops.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Friday, June 3, 2016
We started the day in good weather and ended it in a downpour. Stella started the day by having a conversation with a guy in the elevator about a chicken. It could only go up from there. After a stop at WalMart, we kind of doubted that statement.
We drove a ways on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then drove halfway through Shenandoah National Park. It's beautiful country but we were sort of claustrophobic after 35-40 miles so we left the park and headed for Mount Vernon. Claustrophobic in the sense that the trees are right up to the side of the road and you can't see much except at the overlooks.
We stopped at a mobile visitor center to get our stamps in our national park passports. I told the two young women there that we had seen an animal run across the road in front of us. When I described it, she said. "A ground hog or a woodchuck." I said that we called them rock chucks. She said that some people call them whistle pigs. I said that what we call whistle pigs were much smaller. I think we were talking two different animals. And that reminded me that we saw one at Monticello. It was rust colored and so fluffy that it looked like it had been blow-dried. After thinking about it some more, I decided that what we saw did look like the ground hog they show off on February 2nd, so they saw ground hog, we say rock chuck.
On the way to Mount Vernon, Stella spotted signs for James Madison's Montpelier estate so we went to it. The restoration started in 2003 and finished in 2008 so it has not been open to the public very long. The DuPont family owned it after the Madison's and had added wings and upper stories that were removed to restore it to his time. It's very different from Monticello but there are similarities. We did a guided tour through the house and walked around the grounds. There is an active archaeological dig going on here.
Dolley Madison has a strong influence in the furnishings of the house. She was the first presidential wife to be called "the First Lady" (in her eulogy) and the term has been continued ever since. James Madison was a scholar and became Thomas Jefferson's closest friend. He was the most influential person in the structuring of our government.
We thought it interesting that there is a horse racing track here that still has races a couple of times a year. It's very well maintained.
Then it was on toward Mount Vernon. By this time it was apparent that we were not going to get there before it closed so we are staying about 10 miles south of Alexandria, VA. The sky over DC was absolutely black when we got to our hotel. This was after we missed the exit and were lost for awhile. Anyway, we got our stuff to the room and decided to go to dinner across the street and be in for the night. It was a good idea until we got to the door and were met with a pounding rainstorm.. The storms here seem to pass quickly so we waited and waited and waited. My rain jacket was in the car. So was Stella's umbrella. I finally said that I would run to the car and pick her up at the door. I was really wet but we drove across the street to the restaurant, dried out during dinner and came out to clearing skies.
Tomorrow it's off to DC, starting with Mount Vernon.
We started the day in good weather and ended it in a downpour. Stella started the day by having a conversation with a guy in the elevator about a chicken. It could only go up from there. After a stop at WalMart, we kind of doubted that statement.
We drove a ways on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then drove halfway through Shenandoah National Park. It's beautiful country but we were sort of claustrophobic after 35-40 miles so we left the park and headed for Mount Vernon. Claustrophobic in the sense that the trees are right up to the side of the road and you can't see much except at the overlooks.
We stopped at a mobile visitor center to get our stamps in our national park passports. I told the two young women there that we had seen an animal run across the road in front of us. When I described it, she said. "A ground hog or a woodchuck." I said that we called them rock chucks. She said that some people call them whistle pigs. I said that what we call whistle pigs were much smaller. I think we were talking two different animals. And that reminded me that we saw one at Monticello. It was rust colored and so fluffy that it looked like it had been blow-dried. After thinking about it some more, I decided that what we saw did look like the ground hog they show off on February 2nd, so they saw ground hog, we say rock chuck.
On the way to Mount Vernon, Stella spotted signs for James Madison's Montpelier estate so we went to it. The restoration started in 2003 and finished in 2008 so it has not been open to the public very long. The DuPont family owned it after the Madison's and had added wings and upper stories that were removed to restore it to his time. It's very different from Monticello but there are similarities. We did a guided tour through the house and walked around the grounds. There is an active archaeological dig going on here.
Dolley Madison has a strong influence in the furnishings of the house. She was the first presidential wife to be called "the First Lady" (in her eulogy) and the term has been continued ever since. James Madison was a scholar and became Thomas Jefferson's closest friend. He was the most influential person in the structuring of our government.
We thought it interesting that there is a horse racing track here that still has races a couple of times a year. It's very well maintained.
Then it was on toward Mount Vernon. By this time it was apparent that we were not going to get there before it closed so we are staying about 10 miles south of Alexandria, VA. The sky over DC was absolutely black when we got to our hotel. This was after we missed the exit and were lost for awhile. Anyway, we got our stuff to the room and decided to go to dinner across the street and be in for the night. It was a good idea until we got to the door and were met with a pounding rainstorm.. The storms here seem to pass quickly so we waited and waited and waited. My rain jacket was in the car. So was Stella's umbrella. I finally said that I would run to the car and pick her up at the door. I was really wet but we drove across the street to the restaurant, dried out during dinner and came out to clearing skies.
Tomorrow it's off to DC, starting with Mount Vernon.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Today, we bid goodbye to Becky and her family and headed west to Charlottesville, Virginia. It was foggy in Virginia Beach, but it lifted as we drove inland. We went around Richmond and after about 3 hours, we stopped at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. We were just in time for the next guided tour of the house. The ground floor is the only part that tourists can enter. It has 7 rooms, the entrance, a study, a dining room, his private suite (a bedroom, study, and library) that he did let very few people see, a guest room, and an office. Ninety percent of the furnishings are his original possessions.
It was well worth the visit. He was quite reclusive, but quite an inventor, too. We saw clocks that he invented. Maps and instruments that he used, artwork he collected, and many books. At one time, he had more than 10,000 books and he sold a vast amount to the government to start what is now the Library of Congress. On his headstone, it notes that he founded the University of Virginia, and.....two other things that I can't remember....duh, on my part. Anyway, there is nothing on his headstone about being President. He wanted to be remembered for accomplishments other than politics.
The small cemetery there is still owned by his descendants, and has a number of graves, the most recent one from 1996. It was interesting to me that there were a lot of coins around his headstone (which is a large monument) that had been tossed through the iron fence. Mostly nickels, but a lot of pennies too, and a few dollar bills.
We also walked through the passageway beneath his house where the wine and beer cellars were. There was an interactive display where visitors can try out his inventions, and two "privys". Along one side of the house before you enter the passageway is the kitchen area.
He originally owned 5,000 acres with gardens of flowers as well as vegetables. Huge vegetables of the varieties that were grown when he was alive. There are two other tours included in the entry fee, one of the gardens, and one of the slave quarters and history. We didn't do either but we dupid walk through the gardens.
I had read about the geodetic marker in Charlottesville that marked where Lewis and Clark started their expedition. That was one of the reasons we came here. I looked it up before we got here and discovered that it is at Monticello, at the end of the lawn in back of the house. It's 12 inches in diameter and made out of bronze. We took a "footie" picture there instead of a selfie, with our feet in the photo. Apparently, that's becoming the new thing to do, according to Stella.😊
After we left Monticello, we drove to Waynesboro where we are spending the night. As we started up the pass in the mountains here, it started to rain. When we got off the highway, it was a deluge. This is the most rain in the shortest period we have seen on this trip. Wipers were pretty useless but, luckily, we arrived just as the worst of it started. Thunder and lightning went on for more than an hour.
I dropped Stella off at the door of the restaurant that's 2 blocks from the motel and went to park the car. When I got out, the water was over my Birkenstock soles so I squished all the way to our table. How long has it been since you've seen the accordion fold clear plastic rain bonnets? There were three women sitting behind us at dinner that were close to 80. When they left, I thought that she had a plastic bag over her head, but then she turned and I saw that it was a rainbonnet tied tight around her neck. I haven't seen one of those in years.
And I forgot this earlier. We were passed by a pink Cadillac on the way from Wilmington to Virginia Beach. Something else I hadn't seen in years. Shades of Mary Kay.
Today, we bid goodbye to Becky and her family and headed west to Charlottesville, Virginia. It was foggy in Virginia Beach, but it lifted as we drove inland. We went around Richmond and after about 3 hours, we stopped at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. We were just in time for the next guided tour of the house. The ground floor is the only part that tourists can enter. It has 7 rooms, the entrance, a study, a dining room, his private suite (a bedroom, study, and library) that he did let very few people see, a guest room, and an office. Ninety percent of the furnishings are his original possessions.
It was well worth the visit. He was quite reclusive, but quite an inventor, too. We saw clocks that he invented. Maps and instruments that he used, artwork he collected, and many books. At one time, he had more than 10,000 books and he sold a vast amount to the government to start what is now the Library of Congress. On his headstone, it notes that he founded the University of Virginia, and.....two other things that I can't remember....duh, on my part. Anyway, there is nothing on his headstone about being President. He wanted to be remembered for accomplishments other than politics.
The small cemetery there is still owned by his descendants, and has a number of graves, the most recent one from 1996. It was interesting to me that there were a lot of coins around his headstone (which is a large monument) that had been tossed through the iron fence. Mostly nickels, but a lot of pennies too, and a few dollar bills.
We also walked through the passageway beneath his house where the wine and beer cellars were. There was an interactive display where visitors can try out his inventions, and two "privys". Along one side of the house before you enter the passageway is the kitchen area.
He originally owned 5,000 acres with gardens of flowers as well as vegetables. Huge vegetables of the varieties that were grown when he was alive. There are two other tours included in the entry fee, one of the gardens, and one of the slave quarters and history. We didn't do either but we dupid walk through the gardens.
I had read about the geodetic marker in Charlottesville that marked where Lewis and Clark started their expedition. That was one of the reasons we came here. I looked it up before we got here and discovered that it is at Monticello, at the end of the lawn in back of the house. It's 12 inches in diameter and made out of bronze. We took a "footie" picture there instead of a selfie, with our feet in the photo. Apparently, that's becoming the new thing to do, according to Stella.😊
After we left Monticello, we drove to Waynesboro where we are spending the night. As we started up the pass in the mountains here, it started to rain. When we got off the highway, it was a deluge. This is the most rain in the shortest period we have seen on this trip. Wipers were pretty useless but, luckily, we arrived just as the worst of it started. Thunder and lightning went on for more than an hour.
I dropped Stella off at the door of the restaurant that's 2 blocks from the motel and went to park the car. When I got out, the water was over my Birkenstock soles so I squished all the way to our table. How long has it been since you've seen the accordion fold clear plastic rain bonnets? There were three women sitting behind us at dinner that were close to 80. When they left, I thought that she had a plastic bag over her head, but then she turned and I saw that it was a rainbonnet tied tight around her neck. I haven't seen one of those in years.
And I forgot this earlier. We were passed by a pink Cadillac on the way from Wilmington to Virginia Beach. Something else I hadn't seen in years. Shades of Mary Kay.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
We walked along the boardwalk this morning to Neptune's Park. There is an enormous statue of King Neptune there. I posted a picture of it to Facebook. I haven't tried to upload pictures to the blog yet.
After we got back, we got ready to go out on Cheseapeake Bay to look for shells. Becky's brother, Richard, picked us up at the parking area just before you go across the 18 mile bridge that also has two tunnels. Becky's son and two grandchildren came also. When we got to the boat launch, the weather looked threatening and the water was getting quite choppy. Two boats came in that were quite a bit larger than Richard's and the guys who were planting oyster beds recommended that we not go out with a small boat. I think his looked like it was about 14', maybe 16' at the most. Anyway, when Captain Buddy got there, they huddled and decided to go anyway. He had a much larger boat so 5 of us went with him and Becky and Richard went in his boat.
We bounced along and went to a small island to pick up shells. On the way, the 5 year old asked me how deep the water was. I said I didn't know because I hadn't ever been there before. Not 5 minutes later, Buddy cut the engine. A minute after that he wades past me pulling on the boat! Then Scott walked by on the other side pulling the boat. The water was about two feet deep and we were on a sandbar because our captain went around the wrong marker. It finally got deep enough for us to continue on.
When we got off the boats, the kids and Stella and I started looking for shells. Tons of shells were there. All kinds of shells. Richard carried a bag and I put in at least 10 conch shells, as well as smaller ones. It was amazing. Stella had a bag and the kids, 3 and 5 years old, helped her fill it up. Scott, their dad, had a 5 gallon bucket that they almost filled. He could barely carry it but they were so excited to pick things up that there was no stopping them. It rained just a little for a few minutes but we were lucky that the storm went around us. It was still stormy looking but hadn't rained when we got off the water. We then went to Stingrays to eat, a local restaurant that had great seafood.
We were all tired and wind blown when we got back but it was a great day. After visiting in Florida, North Carolina, and now Virginia, we are beginning to understand just what southern hospitality means.
We walked along the boardwalk this morning to Neptune's Park. There is an enormous statue of King Neptune there. I posted a picture of it to Facebook. I haven't tried to upload pictures to the blog yet.
After we got back, we got ready to go out on Cheseapeake Bay to look for shells. Becky's brother, Richard, picked us up at the parking area just before you go across the 18 mile bridge that also has two tunnels. Becky's son and two grandchildren came also. When we got to the boat launch, the weather looked threatening and the water was getting quite choppy. Two boats came in that were quite a bit larger than Richard's and the guys who were planting oyster beds recommended that we not go out with a small boat. I think his looked like it was about 14', maybe 16' at the most. Anyway, when Captain Buddy got there, they huddled and decided to go anyway. He had a much larger boat so 5 of us went with him and Becky and Richard went in his boat.
We bounced along and went to a small island to pick up shells. On the way, the 5 year old asked me how deep the water was. I said I didn't know because I hadn't ever been there before. Not 5 minutes later, Buddy cut the engine. A minute after that he wades past me pulling on the boat! Then Scott walked by on the other side pulling the boat. The water was about two feet deep and we were on a sandbar because our captain went around the wrong marker. It finally got deep enough for us to continue on.
When we got off the boats, the kids and Stella and I started looking for shells. Tons of shells were there. All kinds of shells. Richard carried a bag and I put in at least 10 conch shells, as well as smaller ones. It was amazing. Stella had a bag and the kids, 3 and 5 years old, helped her fill it up. Scott, their dad, had a 5 gallon bucket that they almost filled. He could barely carry it but they were so excited to pick things up that there was no stopping them. It rained just a little for a few minutes but we were lucky that the storm went around us. It was still stormy looking but hadn't rained when we got off the water. We then went to Stingrays to eat, a local restaurant that had great seafood.
We were all tired and wind blown when we got back but it was a great day. After visiting in Florida, North Carolina, and now Virginia, we are beginning to understand just what southern hospitality means.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Tuesday, May 31, 3016
This morning, we went out for breakfast at a cafe near the salon that Becky was going to to get her hair cut. It's a local place that had large portions and good food. If I could remember the name of it, I would include it.
Later, we went to the Cape Henry lighthouse that is on Fort Story, a military base here. The lighthouse is from the 1800's and is now a National Monument. In order to see it, we had to go in through the gate to the base where the sentry asked for both our ID's, and the registration and insurance papers for the car. Then we both had to get out of the car, after opening the console compartment and the jockey box, and stand next to a barrier while they checked the car. Stella had to open the hood and the rear hatch since we are in her car. After the car was looked through and they did the mirror thing to check the undercarriage, we were on our way. Our permit was for 4 hours but we didn't need that long.
There are two lighthouses here, the historical one, Cape Henry, and another one that we were cautioned about getting too close to because it is operational. No admittance to it for tourists. After paying our $8 admission fee in the gift shop, we went out the backdoor where we were immediately met by stairs up to the lighthouse. It's 191 steps to the top and the sign next to the first stair said "Start counting your steps now."
I climbed all the way to the top, but Stella opted out when we reached the top of the first stairs. When you reach the top of the embankment, you can walk all the way around the outside of the lighthouse, or continue on inside it. When it was first built, the sand covered the base of it but now the sand has eroded so much that they have built a set of steps that are probably 10-12 feet high to reach the doorway. Then the fun begins. An iron circular staircase that has definitely seen some wear. I was quite proud of myself for only stopping once to catch my breath. I met a young couple coming down, but other than those two, I was the only person inside. Around and around and around. Then, when I thought I was at the top, it's an iron ladder! A very steep ladder with little narrow steps! And a sign saying that you descend the ladder the same way you go up, facing it. I grabbed both handrails and climbed the 10-12 sreps. The top at last! But, no. There was another circular staircase with about 10 steps and I was finally at the top. Wonderful views. I could see container ships out at sea. I could see the other lighthouse and the military installation. It was great. After a few pictures, I retraced my steps.
At the gift shop, the man working there told us about another National Historic Monument just up the road so we went to it also. This one commemorated the battle on the Cheseapeake Bay between the British and French forces. The French prevailed under Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse. It was the turning point for the Americans to win the Revolutionary War.
After we left Fort Story, we went to a quilt shop in Virginia Beach. I know it's hard to understand, but this was the only one we have been to on the trip. They had great seashore fabrics that we never see in landlocked Idaho. Were we empty handed when we left? Um, that would be a no.
This evening, we had dinner with Becky and her family, one brother, two sisters, one niece and her husband, and her son and daughter-in-law and their 5 and 3 year olds. I think there were 12 of us. Her sister made the best sponge cake, yum. We waddled along the boardwalk for awhile this evening after that feast. It was nice, still warm out and enough people out and about that it felt perfectly safe to walk.
This morning, we went out for breakfast at a cafe near the salon that Becky was going to to get her hair cut. It's a local place that had large portions and good food. If I could remember the name of it, I would include it.
Later, we went to the Cape Henry lighthouse that is on Fort Story, a military base here. The lighthouse is from the 1800's and is now a National Monument. In order to see it, we had to go in through the gate to the base where the sentry asked for both our ID's, and the registration and insurance papers for the car. Then we both had to get out of the car, after opening the console compartment and the jockey box, and stand next to a barrier while they checked the car. Stella had to open the hood and the rear hatch since we are in her car. After the car was looked through and they did the mirror thing to check the undercarriage, we were on our way. Our permit was for 4 hours but we didn't need that long.
There are two lighthouses here, the historical one, Cape Henry, and another one that we were cautioned about getting too close to because it is operational. No admittance to it for tourists. After paying our $8 admission fee in the gift shop, we went out the backdoor where we were immediately met by stairs up to the lighthouse. It's 191 steps to the top and the sign next to the first stair said "Start counting your steps now."
I climbed all the way to the top, but Stella opted out when we reached the top of the first stairs. When you reach the top of the embankment, you can walk all the way around the outside of the lighthouse, or continue on inside it. When it was first built, the sand covered the base of it but now the sand has eroded so much that they have built a set of steps that are probably 10-12 feet high to reach the doorway. Then the fun begins. An iron circular staircase that has definitely seen some wear. I was quite proud of myself for only stopping once to catch my breath. I met a young couple coming down, but other than those two, I was the only person inside. Around and around and around. Then, when I thought I was at the top, it's an iron ladder! A very steep ladder with little narrow steps! And a sign saying that you descend the ladder the same way you go up, facing it. I grabbed both handrails and climbed the 10-12 sreps. The top at last! But, no. There was another circular staircase with about 10 steps and I was finally at the top. Wonderful views. I could see container ships out at sea. I could see the other lighthouse and the military installation. It was great. After a few pictures, I retraced my steps.
At the gift shop, the man working there told us about another National Historic Monument just up the road so we went to it also. This one commemorated the battle on the Cheseapeake Bay between the British and French forces. The French prevailed under Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse. It was the turning point for the Americans to win the Revolutionary War.
After we left Fort Story, we went to a quilt shop in Virginia Beach. I know it's hard to understand, but this was the only one we have been to on the trip. They had great seashore fabrics that we never see in landlocked Idaho. Were we empty handed when we left? Um, that would be a no.
This evening, we had dinner with Becky and her family, one brother, two sisters, one niece and her husband, and her son and daughter-in-law and their 5 and 3 year olds. I think there were 12 of us. Her sister made the best sponge cake, yum. We waddled along the boardwalk for awhile this evening after that feast. It was nice, still warm out and enough people out and about that it felt perfectly safe to walk.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Monday, May 30, 2016
Today, we said goodbye to Judy and continued on to Virginia Beach, Virginia. This has been the day with the most rain on the trip so far. We hadn't gone too far on State Highway 17 when there was such a gully washer that we pulled over and stopped in a parking lot. Stella was driving and the windshield wipers weren't even remotely carrying the water. After 10 minutes or so, we started up the road again. We had intermittent rain showers and it was raining heavy when we got here.
That highway is a good road that takes you through small towns and showed us "the real south", as Becky told us. We came past a lot of cornfields and what we decided was tobacco. There were a lot of fields that had plants in full bloom that we could not identify. We are staying with Becky, a friend who used to live in Idaho, but moved back to her hometown when she retired. The three of us spent a lot of time looking up plants to find out what these were but never came to a consensus. In hindsight, I should have taken a picture.
It was late afternoon before we arrived, and rainy, but after dinner, Becky took us on a drive around the area showing us where she grew up and the state park that is virtually right in town, and where the entrance to the military base is so we can go see the lighthouses. The sentry at the gate wouldn't let us in because it's closed to tourists after 4:30 pm.
Military jets fly over a couple of times a day, going from aircraft carriers to the base. And with the mouth of Cheseapeake Bay (probably misspelled that) just down the road, there are a number of container ships out on the ocean. I would get absolutely nothing done if I lived where I could watch all this.
After a dinner of crab cakes and the drive, we watched Hart of Dixie on Netflix. I don't do Netflix so all these are new to me. We hope for good weather the next few days because we are planning on going out on Cheseapeake Bay Wednesday and doing a little fishing.
Today, we said goodbye to Judy and continued on to Virginia Beach, Virginia. This has been the day with the most rain on the trip so far. We hadn't gone too far on State Highway 17 when there was such a gully washer that we pulled over and stopped in a parking lot. Stella was driving and the windshield wipers weren't even remotely carrying the water. After 10 minutes or so, we started up the road again. We had intermittent rain showers and it was raining heavy when we got here.
That highway is a good road that takes you through small towns and showed us "the real south", as Becky told us. We came past a lot of cornfields and what we decided was tobacco. There were a lot of fields that had plants in full bloom that we could not identify. We are staying with Becky, a friend who used to live in Idaho, but moved back to her hometown when she retired. The three of us spent a lot of time looking up plants to find out what these were but never came to a consensus. In hindsight, I should have taken a picture.
It was late afternoon before we arrived, and rainy, but after dinner, Becky took us on a drive around the area showing us where she grew up and the state park that is virtually right in town, and where the entrance to the military base is so we can go see the lighthouses. The sentry at the gate wouldn't let us in because it's closed to tourists after 4:30 pm.
Military jets fly over a couple of times a day, going from aircraft carriers to the base. And with the mouth of Cheseapeake Bay (probably misspelled that) just down the road, there are a number of container ships out on the ocean. I would get absolutely nothing done if I lived where I could watch all this.
After a dinner of crab cakes and the drive, we watched Hart of Dixie on Netflix. I don't do Netflix so all these are new to me. We hope for good weather the next few days because we are planning on going out on Cheseapeake Bay Wednesday and doing a little fishing.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
This morning, we took a trolley tour of Wilmington, North Carolina. Every house in the historic district has a plaque outside the door telling the history of the house. The homes are well taken care of, and the foundation for the district has restored some.
The guide pointed out where President Woodrow Wilson grew up and told us that he was known as Tommy Wilson as a boy. Another resident here was the actress Linda Lavin. Quite a number of movies have been filmed in Wilmington and the surrounding area. I forgot to mention that in Savannah the guide pointed out locations that featured prominently in Forrest Gump.
Next, we did a boat tour/cruise on the Cape Fear River. We went downriver and saw the big blue cranes that were in the Iron Man 3 movie. We also got to see a tug boat guide a container ship into the dock for unloading. The concrete piers along the river are being removed so the "turnaround basin" (I think that's what he called it) can be large enough for larger ships to come in and then turn to return to sea. Judy said the city wants to be able to have cruise ships come in.
They dredge the river every few years to keep it deep enough for cargo ships. The USS North Carolina is permanently docked here and open for tours.
We then went to the Airlie Gardens. We had not sat down on the tram for more than 5 seconds before the skies opened and a downpour began. It does not rain in the west like it does here. It passed after a few minutes and we walked around the gardens seeing an oak tree that is more than 500 years old and a small house made from bottles honoring a local woman. That tree was beautiful, very full and very tall. It stands near the large area where they have concerts and other events. A beautiful garden that was great to see.
We went to a restaurant on the Wrightsville Beach for lunch. We had the fish and chips and have decided that we have been ruined for life with the fresh fish we've had. The beach was crowded and the waves were big, we thought, but there were body surfers and others out in the water. The lifeguards were glued to the scene, as they should be.
Another great dinner with Judy that evening. We watched Grace and Frankie, the show with Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterson on Netflix after dinner. I hadn't seen it before but enjoyed it.
This morning, we took a trolley tour of Wilmington, North Carolina. Every house in the historic district has a plaque outside the door telling the history of the house. The homes are well taken care of, and the foundation for the district has restored some.
The guide pointed out where President Woodrow Wilson grew up and told us that he was known as Tommy Wilson as a boy. Another resident here was the actress Linda Lavin. Quite a number of movies have been filmed in Wilmington and the surrounding area. I forgot to mention that in Savannah the guide pointed out locations that featured prominently in Forrest Gump.
Next, we did a boat tour/cruise on the Cape Fear River. We went downriver and saw the big blue cranes that were in the Iron Man 3 movie. We also got to see a tug boat guide a container ship into the dock for unloading. The concrete piers along the river are being removed so the "turnaround basin" (I think that's what he called it) can be large enough for larger ships to come in and then turn to return to sea. Judy said the city wants to be able to have cruise ships come in.
They dredge the river every few years to keep it deep enough for cargo ships. The USS North Carolina is permanently docked here and open for tours.
We then went to the Airlie Gardens. We had not sat down on the tram for more than 5 seconds before the skies opened and a downpour began. It does not rain in the west like it does here. It passed after a few minutes and we walked around the gardens seeing an oak tree that is more than 500 years old and a small house made from bottles honoring a local woman. That tree was beautiful, very full and very tall. It stands near the large area where they have concerts and other events. A beautiful garden that was great to see.
We went to a restaurant on the Wrightsville Beach for lunch. We had the fish and chips and have decided that we have been ruined for life with the fresh fish we've had. The beach was crowded and the waves were big, we thought, but there were body surfers and others out in the water. The lifeguards were glued to the scene, as they should be.
Another great dinner with Judy that evening. We watched Grace and Frankie, the show with Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterson on Netflix after dinner. I hadn't seen it before but enjoyed it.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Saturday, May 28, 2016
We continued north on I-95 today, and stopped in Savannah, Georgia, to see the sights. We did a trolley tour of the historic district. Lots of history here, and lots of iron. Iron railings, iron steps, iron fences, more than I've ever seen.
The most interesting fact, to me, is that Savannah is the second largest port in the U.S. Only New York is larger. I can't remember the figure, in tons, that the tour guide quoted, but it was a huge number of goods that pass through here. When we were close to the water, there was a huge container ship going out under the bridge. The bridge is another story. It was damaged by a ship in the last 20 years sometime and the firm that won the bid for reconstruction and redesign was an all woman company. The first time that had ever happened.
Lots of Memorial Day activities going on in the squares that we passed. One place was blocked off by police tape and there were a number of police vehicles there. One of them was the "bomb disposal unit." That made my eyebrows go up, but I think they were just being a presence to deter anything that may happen.
We've decided that the GPS unit should be called "Ranting Ruby" instead of Naggy Maggie. We were not sure about her taking us over the huge bridge here but we did meet up with I-95 again a few miles up the road. Savannah is 9 miles off the interstate, so not too far if we needed to backtrack.
Today was overcast. We didn't run into rain until we were halfway across South Carolina, and it was fairly light. It had almost quit when we came to the "South of the Border" tourist trap on the South Carolina-North Carolina border. Hard to describe if you haven't seen it.
We went just a few miles and turned northeast toward Wilmington, our destination. It was a deluge for a few miles. Everyone slowed way down because the wipers wouldn't carry the water. By the time we reached Wilmington, the sun was out, but the storm is on its way, from the forecast.
We are at our friend, Judy Fuller's house for the next two nights. Seeing as it is Memorial Day weekend, the traffic and weather is not conducive for going to the Outer Banks.
We continued north on I-95 today, and stopped in Savannah, Georgia, to see the sights. We did a trolley tour of the historic district. Lots of history here, and lots of iron. Iron railings, iron steps, iron fences, more than I've ever seen.
The most interesting fact, to me, is that Savannah is the second largest port in the U.S. Only New York is larger. I can't remember the figure, in tons, that the tour guide quoted, but it was a huge number of goods that pass through here. When we were close to the water, there was a huge container ship going out under the bridge. The bridge is another story. It was damaged by a ship in the last 20 years sometime and the firm that won the bid for reconstruction and redesign was an all woman company. The first time that had ever happened.
Lots of Memorial Day activities going on in the squares that we passed. One place was blocked off by police tape and there were a number of police vehicles there. One of them was the "bomb disposal unit." That made my eyebrows go up, but I think they were just being a presence to deter anything that may happen.
We've decided that the GPS unit should be called "Ranting Ruby" instead of Naggy Maggie. We were not sure about her taking us over the huge bridge here but we did meet up with I-95 again a few miles up the road. Savannah is 9 miles off the interstate, so not too far if we needed to backtrack.
Today was overcast. We didn't run into rain until we were halfway across South Carolina, and it was fairly light. It had almost quit when we came to the "South of the Border" tourist trap on the South Carolina-North Carolina border. Hard to describe if you haven't seen it.
We went just a few miles and turned northeast toward Wilmington, our destination. It was a deluge for a few miles. Everyone slowed way down because the wipers wouldn't carry the water. By the time we reached Wilmington, the sun was out, but the storm is on its way, from the forecast.
We are at our friend, Judy Fuller's house for the next two nights. Seeing as it is Memorial Day weekend, the traffic and weather is not conducive for going to the Outer Banks.
Friday, May 27, 2016
Friday, May 27, 2016
Wednesday, we went to the Edison-Ford Estates in Fort Myers. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were fast friends. Thomas Edison happened on Fort Myers in the early 1900's and decided to make it his winter home. The population was only 350 people at that time. When Henry Ford visited, he wanted to stay there as well.
Thomas Edison built a large house, a study, a research lab, and a gatekeepers house on the grounds, along with a swimming pool and a 1500 foot dock. His wife was instrumental in the planting of tall palm trees lining the street that leads to their estate. A trusted friend and employee of Edison's built a home next door but when Edison realized he was embezzling he forced him to sell the house to him.
Henry Ford paid $20,000 for the house and land that he built next to Edison's. It had, and still has, a "friendship" gate between the two properties. We saw a Model T and a Model A from his company, and a truck from the same era. We happened to be there when they started the Model A, which supposedly only happens once.a week. The man who takes care of the vehicles went into great detail about all the steps it takes to start one up. I decided that no women (or the vast majority of them) would ever be able to start one after hearing that.
The museum here is excellent. I didn't realize how many things Edison invented. He holds more patents than any person or corporation does. We listened to his first phonograph. It used cylinders instead of the flat round records we all knew, and the sound was scratchy but it worked.
There was a group of students there that looked like about fifth graders. They were in a room where an employee of the museum was doing experiments and demonstrating Edison's inventions. The kids were having great fun. What a great program they have for kids here. They also sell herbs and flowers and plants. All in all, it was great. We did the hourlong guided tour.
Oh, I forgot this. Edison died in 1931 and Henry Ford never came to Fort Myers again. He just couldn't come without his best friend. He sold his property in the 1940's for what he paid for it, $20,000, because he said he did not want to profit from his friendship with Edison. There is a nonprofit entity that oversees the properties today. The Edison family signed it over to them and have loaned them all the furnishings and personal belongings on display.
Then we went to a donut shop that is locally famous for maple bacon donuts. They have maple frosting with square inches of bacon, four of them, embedded in the frosting. And they have cold pressed coffee. I'm not a coffee person but the others really liked it.
Thursday, we went out fishing in the gulf for half a day. Stella and Phil caught sharks. Phil's friend, Don, also caught one but it bit through the line before it was in the boat, so no luck there. I caught a number of grouper that were less than 20" long so were too small to keep. I also caught a couple of small snapper. There were 2-3 foot swells so no one was seasick. We were all kind of disappointed when it was time to come back, but we were windburned and hot so it was time to get out of the sun. We had a great time, though, and ate shark and snare for dinner.
Nothing beats fresh fish for flavor. It was flaky and mild. Yum. Yum.
This morning we said goodbye to Phil and Carol and started north again. To avoid Orlando and the holiday weekend traffic, we went east around Lake Okachobee. Phil and Stella had discussed various routes last night and it was decided that this one was best. Our destination was St. Augustine and Jacksonville. Phil said it would take a little longer but the traffic would be a lot less. We would meet up with I95 and head up the coast.
Sounded good so we set off. We went on two lane state highways for 3-1/2 hours before finding I95. Through small towns, down country roads, putting along with a 45 mph speed limit a lot of the time. We think that Naggy Maggie, the GPS, took us on a circuitous route to say the least. It seemed she either wasn't talking to us or she was sending us down back roads.
Anyway, we didn't get to St. Augustine until almost 3:30. We decided to skip it and continue on so we wouldn't be going through Jacksonville at 5 pm on the Friday before a three day weekend. Our plan is to use the time we would have spent in St. Augustine in Savannah tomorrow, so we are spending the night in Brunswick, Georgia, tonight.
Georgia is our 9th state. We loved our time in Florida. We will see what this area offers.
Wednesday, we went to the Edison-Ford Estates in Fort Myers. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were fast friends. Thomas Edison happened on Fort Myers in the early 1900's and decided to make it his winter home. The population was only 350 people at that time. When Henry Ford visited, he wanted to stay there as well.
Thomas Edison built a large house, a study, a research lab, and a gatekeepers house on the grounds, along with a swimming pool and a 1500 foot dock. His wife was instrumental in the planting of tall palm trees lining the street that leads to their estate. A trusted friend and employee of Edison's built a home next door but when Edison realized he was embezzling he forced him to sell the house to him.
Henry Ford paid $20,000 for the house and land that he built next to Edison's. It had, and still has, a "friendship" gate between the two properties. We saw a Model T and a Model A from his company, and a truck from the same era. We happened to be there when they started the Model A, which supposedly only happens once.a week. The man who takes care of the vehicles went into great detail about all the steps it takes to start one up. I decided that no women (or the vast majority of them) would ever be able to start one after hearing that.
The museum here is excellent. I didn't realize how many things Edison invented. He holds more patents than any person or corporation does. We listened to his first phonograph. It used cylinders instead of the flat round records we all knew, and the sound was scratchy but it worked.
There was a group of students there that looked like about fifth graders. They were in a room where an employee of the museum was doing experiments and demonstrating Edison's inventions. The kids were having great fun. What a great program they have for kids here. They also sell herbs and flowers and plants. All in all, it was great. We did the hourlong guided tour.
Oh, I forgot this. Edison died in 1931 and Henry Ford never came to Fort Myers again. He just couldn't come without his best friend. He sold his property in the 1940's for what he paid for it, $20,000, because he said he did not want to profit from his friendship with Edison. There is a nonprofit entity that oversees the properties today. The Edison family signed it over to them and have loaned them all the furnishings and personal belongings on display.
Then we went to a donut shop that is locally famous for maple bacon donuts. They have maple frosting with square inches of bacon, four of them, embedded in the frosting. And they have cold pressed coffee. I'm not a coffee person but the others really liked it.
Thursday, we went out fishing in the gulf for half a day. Stella and Phil caught sharks. Phil's friend, Don, also caught one but it bit through the line before it was in the boat, so no luck there. I caught a number of grouper that were less than 20" long so were too small to keep. I also caught a couple of small snapper. There were 2-3 foot swells so no one was seasick. We were all kind of disappointed when it was time to come back, but we were windburned and hot so it was time to get out of the sun. We had a great time, though, and ate shark and snare for dinner.
Nothing beats fresh fish for flavor. It was flaky and mild. Yum. Yum.
This morning we said goodbye to Phil and Carol and started north again. To avoid Orlando and the holiday weekend traffic, we went east around Lake Okachobee. Phil and Stella had discussed various routes last night and it was decided that this one was best. Our destination was St. Augustine and Jacksonville. Phil said it would take a little longer but the traffic would be a lot less. We would meet up with I95 and head up the coast.
Sounded good so we set off. We went on two lane state highways for 3-1/2 hours before finding I95. Through small towns, down country roads, putting along with a 45 mph speed limit a lot of the time. We think that Naggy Maggie, the GPS, took us on a circuitous route to say the least. It seemed she either wasn't talking to us or she was sending us down back roads.
Anyway, we didn't get to St. Augustine until almost 3:30. We decided to skip it and continue on so we wouldn't be going through Jacksonville at 5 pm on the Friday before a three day weekend. Our plan is to use the time we would have spent in St. Augustine in Savannah tomorrow, so we are spending the night in Brunswick, Georgia, tonight.
Georgia is our 9th state. We loved our time in Florida. We will see what this area offers.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Thursday, May 26, 2016
We went fishing today out in the gulf. It was such fun, I am so glad we did this. Stella and Phil caught sharks! There were four of us and we came back with shark and snapper. Stella and I also caught probably 10 grouper between us but they were too small to keep. They have to be 20 inches and ours ranged from 8 to 12 inches. It was fun nonetheless.
We were windburned and tired after being in the sun but no one was seasick or queasy which was good. We were in 2-3 foot swells, maybe a little less.
Tomorrow we are saying goodbye to our hosts, Phil and Carol Arnold, and heading for St. Augustine and Jacksonville, Florida. Phil showed us how to avoid going through Orlando. With this being the start of Memorial Day weekend, the traffic around Orlando will be worse than normal.
I need to update yesterday on this blog. I'm going to do that tomorrow.
We went fishing today out in the gulf. It was such fun, I am so glad we did this. Stella and Phil caught sharks! There were four of us and we came back with shark and snapper. Stella and I also caught probably 10 grouper between us but they were too small to keep. They have to be 20 inches and ours ranged from 8 to 12 inches. It was fun nonetheless.
We were windburned and tired after being in the sun but no one was seasick or queasy which was good. We were in 2-3 foot swells, maybe a little less.
Tomorrow we are saying goodbye to our hosts, Phil and Carol Arnold, and heading for St. Augustine and Jacksonville, Florida. Phil showed us how to avoid going through Orlando. With this being the start of Memorial Day weekend, the traffic around Orlando will be worse than normal.
I need to update yesterday on this blog. I'm going to do that tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Today was a great day. Our hosts, Phil and Carol, took us to a National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. Here's what we saw -
A reddish egret (actually 4 of them)
3 Ospreys
1 little blue heron
1sheeps head fish
Cormorants
Horseshoe Crabs
Gar fish
1 yellow-crested night heron
1 juvenile ibis
1mullet fish
Tree crabs
Fiddler crabs
1snook fish
A school of stingrays.
And I saw my first blue jay today!
After we left the NWR, we had lunch at Doc Ford's, the restaurant owned by Randy Wayne White, the author whose main character is called Doc Ford. Great food. Then we went to a local beach and looked for shells and waded in the warm water of the Gulf. That's where we saw the snook and the school of stingrays. The stingrays were in a large group about 15-20 feet from the beach. I was surprised at how close people could get to them to take pictures, maybe 5 feet away.
Then we stopped and had ice cream on the way back to the house. Chicken Alfredo for dinner with asparagus, yum.
Ended the evening by watching part 1 of the Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movie.
AND! On Thursday, we are going fishing off shore in the gulf!😄
Today was a great day. Our hosts, Phil and Carol, took us to a National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. Here's what we saw -
A reddish egret (actually 4 of them)
3 Ospreys
1 little blue heron
1sheeps head fish
Cormorants
Horseshoe Crabs
Gar fish
1 yellow-crested night heron
1 juvenile ibis
1mullet fish
Tree crabs
Fiddler crabs
1snook fish
A school of stingrays.
And I saw my first blue jay today!
After we left the NWR, we had lunch at Doc Ford's, the restaurant owned by Randy Wayne White, the author whose main character is called Doc Ford. Great food. Then we went to a local beach and looked for shells and waded in the warm water of the Gulf. That's where we saw the snook and the school of stingrays. The stingrays were in a large group about 15-20 feet from the beach. I was surprised at how close people could get to them to take pictures, maybe 5 feet away.
Then we stopped and had ice cream on the way back to the house. Chicken Alfredo for dinner with asparagus, yum.
Ended the evening by watching part 1 of the Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movie.
AND! On Thursday, we are going fishing off shore in the gulf!😄
Monday, May 23, 2016
Monday, May 23, 2016
Today, we are in Cape Coral, Florida, having a great visit with our friends, Phil and Carol. We started the day at the Ford dealer in Fort Myers with an oil change. We have put more than 4,000 miles on Stella's car so it was time.
We ended the day with a great dinner of gumbo, cornbread and blueberry crumble. Yum!
I saw my first Cardinal tonight! I have no idea why this program keeps capitalizing Cardinal but there you have it. Anyway, it lit on their bird feeder at dusk. Beautiful bird.
After dinner, we took a short walk down the street to see burrowing owls that live in this area. The young ones were out and let us get quite close for pictures. I loved it.
Good times. 😃
Today, we are in Cape Coral, Florida, having a great visit with our friends, Phil and Carol. We started the day at the Ford dealer in Fort Myers with an oil change. We have put more than 4,000 miles on Stella's car so it was time.
We ended the day with a great dinner of gumbo, cornbread and blueberry crumble. Yum!
I saw my first Cardinal tonight! I have no idea why this program keeps capitalizing Cardinal but there you have it. Anyway, it lit on their bird feeder at dusk. Beautiful bird.
After dinner, we took a short walk down the street to see burrowing owls that live in this area. The young ones were out and let us get quite close for pictures. I loved it.
Good times. 😃
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Sunday, May 22, 2016.
Today, we drove to the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Everglades National Park. It was a 220 mile day so we didn't spend a lot of time in the car. On the way there, we passed some signs with an outline of a panther with the words "panther crossing" below on a busy street in a populated area. That was a new one, but we learned that there are several hundred panthers in the Preserve and surrounding area.
I posted a picture of the "alligator safety" sign that was at Big Cypress on Facebook. People seem to be more careful around alligators than bison. Unfortunately. Anyway, from there we went to the Everglades National Park Shark Valley Visitor Center and did the 2 hour tram tour. It covers a 15 mile drive through the Park with a woman telling us about the birds, plants, alligators, animals, and trees and shrubs. She was great. At one point, she waded knee deep in the water to pull up the muck and plants to show us what is used as food for snails, and all kinds of critters. We did see two alligators in the water along the roadside. She said that usually there are a lot more visible but because of the heat, they are spending more time underwater. It was 91 degrees and probably about 85 percent humidity today. We saw a lot of egrets today, one great blue heron, and about 20-30 vultures along the road on our way back. They weren't feeding on anything that we could see, but it was a large "wake" of vultures. We had to look up and see what a group of vultures are called.
Stella also saw an alligator along the road as we left the Big Cypress visitor center but I was busy coating myself with sunscreen and missed it. The tram tour was full. A lot of foreign tourists were on it. We heard French, Chinese, and languages we couldn't identify. It was nice to see that they had brought their kids to see something besides amusement parks.
I went in the restroom at the Everglades Visitor Center before we got on the tram, and told Stella, after I came out, that a U.S. Forest Service outhouse was masquerading as a National Park Service restroom. I recognized the metal toilet and no sink and the "do not throw bottles or cans in the toilet" signs. First Park we've been to that had those facilities.
They rent bicycles at Everglades for tourists to ride the 15 mile route. A lot of people were doing it, very few over the age of 30, however. I can't imagine doing it in that heat. They also had a sign for a "Tamimiami Trail Triathlon" that consisted of biking, hiking, and canoeing. The National Park Service is doing a lot of things this year to promote their 100th anniversary, and the triathlon might be one of them.
It has begun to sprinkle here so we probably won't get to see Mars tonight.
Today, we drove to the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Everglades National Park. It was a 220 mile day so we didn't spend a lot of time in the car. On the way there, we passed some signs with an outline of a panther with the words "panther crossing" below on a busy street in a populated area. That was a new one, but we learned that there are several hundred panthers in the Preserve and surrounding area.
I posted a picture of the "alligator safety" sign that was at Big Cypress on Facebook. People seem to be more careful around alligators than bison. Unfortunately. Anyway, from there we went to the Everglades National Park Shark Valley Visitor Center and did the 2 hour tram tour. It covers a 15 mile drive through the Park with a woman telling us about the birds, plants, alligators, animals, and trees and shrubs. She was great. At one point, she waded knee deep in the water to pull up the muck and plants to show us what is used as food for snails, and all kinds of critters. We did see two alligators in the water along the roadside. She said that usually there are a lot more visible but because of the heat, they are spending more time underwater. It was 91 degrees and probably about 85 percent humidity today. We saw a lot of egrets today, one great blue heron, and about 20-30 vultures along the road on our way back. They weren't feeding on anything that we could see, but it was a large "wake" of vultures. We had to look up and see what a group of vultures are called.
Stella also saw an alligator along the road as we left the Big Cypress visitor center but I was busy coating myself with sunscreen and missed it. The tram tour was full. A lot of foreign tourists were on it. We heard French, Chinese, and languages we couldn't identify. It was nice to see that they had brought their kids to see something besides amusement parks.
I went in the restroom at the Everglades Visitor Center before we got on the tram, and told Stella, after I came out, that a U.S. Forest Service outhouse was masquerading as a National Park Service restroom. I recognized the metal toilet and no sink and the "do not throw bottles or cans in the toilet" signs. First Park we've been to that had those facilities.
They rent bicycles at Everglades for tourists to ride the 15 mile route. A lot of people were doing it, very few over the age of 30, however. I can't imagine doing it in that heat. They also had a sign for a "Tamimiami Trail Triathlon" that consisted of biking, hiking, and canoeing. The National Park Service is doing a lot of things this year to promote their 100th anniversary, and the triathlon might be one of them.
It has begun to sprinkle here so we probably won't get to see Mars tonight.
Saturday, May 21, 2016
We got up at 5:15 so we could be at the ferry dock at 7 a.m. We took the Key West Express ferry from Fort Myers to Key West. It's a four hour trip but was a very smooth ride. The ferry was maybe 2/3 full.
We decided to do the Conch Tour Train hour ride around the town. We were glad we did because it gave us a good overview of Key West, and the driver did a narration pointing out all the historical places and talking about how the town has grown and developed over time. We got off the train after about 45 minutes to walk down Duval Street and get lunch. We really wanted to have our picture taken at the "southernmost point of the U.S." Marker but the line was more than a block long, and since it was 91 degrees and about that much in humidity, we didn't wait. There was also a line at the Hemingway House, but we saw it from the outside. It's a large 2 story house, and still has some six-toed cats living there.
We ate at the original Margaritaville cafe. It was busy and the cheeseburgers were great. I could tell it was an old building after I had to walk down a hallway, up the narrow, steep stairs and down another hallway to find the restroom. Creaky floors.
After that we walked down Duval Street, which is the main drag, and shopped some. We stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe store so I could get some more pins. After seeing the displays of pins at the shops on this trip, I know what I want to do with mine now. The New Orleans store had a wonderful display in the shape of a guitar but I think any shape could be done.
We stopped and had fondue for dessert before we strolled back to the ferry for the ride back. All in all, we walked more than 3 miles around Key West. All the bars, and there are many, we're gearing up for Saturday night because more than a few already had live music and it was mid-afternoon. As we walked along the walkway past marinas, restaurants and bars, we came to two city cops. They were listening to a barefoot guy in his 40's telling them that he wasn't drunk, he was sure he staggered from having a stroke. They weren't buying it.
The ferry left at 5:30, and got back to Fort Myers at 9:30 so it was a long day, but worth doing. It was another smooth ride home.
We got up at 5:15 so we could be at the ferry dock at 7 a.m. We took the Key West Express ferry from Fort Myers to Key West. It's a four hour trip but was a very smooth ride. The ferry was maybe 2/3 full.
We decided to do the Conch Tour Train hour ride around the town. We were glad we did because it gave us a good overview of Key West, and the driver did a narration pointing out all the historical places and talking about how the town has grown and developed over time. We got off the train after about 45 minutes to walk down Duval Street and get lunch. We really wanted to have our picture taken at the "southernmost point of the U.S." Marker but the line was more than a block long, and since it was 91 degrees and about that much in humidity, we didn't wait. There was also a line at the Hemingway House, but we saw it from the outside. It's a large 2 story house, and still has some six-toed cats living there.
We ate at the original Margaritaville cafe. It was busy and the cheeseburgers were great. I could tell it was an old building after I had to walk down a hallway, up the narrow, steep stairs and down another hallway to find the restroom. Creaky floors.
After that we walked down Duval Street, which is the main drag, and shopped some. We stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe store so I could get some more pins. After seeing the displays of pins at the shops on this trip, I know what I want to do with mine now. The New Orleans store had a wonderful display in the shape of a guitar but I think any shape could be done.
We stopped and had fondue for dessert before we strolled back to the ferry for the ride back. All in all, we walked more than 3 miles around Key West. All the bars, and there are many, we're gearing up for Saturday night because more than a few already had live music and it was mid-afternoon. As we walked along the walkway past marinas, restaurants and bars, we came to two city cops. They were listening to a barefoot guy in his 40's telling them that he wasn't drunk, he was sure he staggered from having a stroke. They weren't buying it.
The ferry left at 5:30, and got back to Fort Myers at 9:30 so it was a long day, but worth doing. It was another smooth ride home.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Friday, May 20, 2016
I almost ran over a turtle today. We were between Tampa and Fort Myers on a state highway when the car in front of me swerved slightly. At the last minute, I saw why. I missed it, but a dinner-sized dark green turtle was just stretching out one leg to take a step when I went by. That prompted the question - how much of a fine do you have to pay for crunching a turtle?
It was raining heavily when we left Tallahassee this morning, and had been for awhile. We had rain for at least 200 miles. Traffic wasn't too bad on I-10, but when we turned south on 75 it was heavy all the way until it split off to go to Orlando. We were kind of sad to leave I-10 since we'd been on it since Phoenix and were only 70 miles from where it ends in Jacksonville.
North Florida is really cattle country, lots of livestock in the area. Corn was growing in a few places, too. That's the only crop we've seen in the south. Still lots of pines, oaks and a few magnolias along the highway. As we came further south, palm trees were in the mix. And it's flat here. No more rolling hills.
We are staying in Fort Myers the next three nights. We have a room with a balcony that looks out over the bay. It's humid and hotter here but not unbearable. Rain is in the forecast, but we're hoping it holds off for awhile since we are taking a ferry to Key West tomorrow. It's three hours from here on the ferry as opposed to six driving. We'll do a round trip and won't get back until 9:30 pm, so I may not do a blog entry tomorrow.
We saw our first surfboard on a car today. It was strapped to a Ford sedan. Later we passed two teenaged boys in an open air Jeep and thought that would be more appropriate. Lots of road work going on here. Because the freeways are mostly three lanes, there are usually two lanes open. The speed limit in construction zones is 60 mph. I was doing 70 to keep with the flow of traffic and still getting passed by everything from Priuses to Hummers. The state troopers were out today though. We saw a number of them working accidents and giving out tickets. One came up behind me and I thought Stella would be taking a picture of me signing a ticket (press hard, five copies) when he went on by.
I almost ran over a turtle today. We were between Tampa and Fort Myers on a state highway when the car in front of me swerved slightly. At the last minute, I saw why. I missed it, but a dinner-sized dark green turtle was just stretching out one leg to take a step when I went by. That prompted the question - how much of a fine do you have to pay for crunching a turtle?
It was raining heavily when we left Tallahassee this morning, and had been for awhile. We had rain for at least 200 miles. Traffic wasn't too bad on I-10, but when we turned south on 75 it was heavy all the way until it split off to go to Orlando. We were kind of sad to leave I-10 since we'd been on it since Phoenix and were only 70 miles from where it ends in Jacksonville.
North Florida is really cattle country, lots of livestock in the area. Corn was growing in a few places, too. That's the only crop we've seen in the south. Still lots of pines, oaks and a few magnolias along the highway. As we came further south, palm trees were in the mix. And it's flat here. No more rolling hills.
We are staying in Fort Myers the next three nights. We have a room with a balcony that looks out over the bay. It's humid and hotter here but not unbearable. Rain is in the forecast, but we're hoping it holds off for awhile since we are taking a ferry to Key West tomorrow. It's three hours from here on the ferry as opposed to six driving. We'll do a round trip and won't get back until 9:30 pm, so I may not do a blog entry tomorrow.
We saw our first surfboard on a car today. It was strapped to a Ford sedan. Later we passed two teenaged boys in an open air Jeep and thought that would be more appropriate. Lots of road work going on here. Because the freeways are mostly three lanes, there are usually two lanes open. The speed limit in construction zones is 60 mph. I was doing 70 to keep with the flow of traffic and still getting passed by everything from Priuses to Hummers. The state troopers were out today though. We saw a number of them working accidents and giving out tickets. One came up behind me and I thought Stella would be taking a picture of me signing a ticket (press hard, five copies) when he went on by.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Thursday, May 19, 2016
This morning, we walked around the French Quarter, down to the Mississippi River, back up Canal Street to Bourbon Street and back to the parking garage. We were hot and humid by the time we got back to the car. It was fun to see the tourists who were wearing beads and hats even though it's not Mardi Gras.
Then it was back on I-10 headed east. Our next stop was in Biloxi, Mississippi, where we went to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino so I could buy pins for my collection. That went well until we tried to find our way back to the freeway. Several missed turns and wrong exit numbers by Naggy Maggie, the GPS voice, and we headed east again. Mississippi is very green with lots of trees along the interstate. We saw magnolia trees in bloom mixed in with oak trees and pines. I loved it. And along the freeway were lots of lily pads. We wondered what was lurking under them. We also commented on the fences along the interstate. Field fencing with three strands of barbed wire on top. Most of the time the fences aren't visible because of the vines and shrubs that have grown up and through them.
We stopped at the Mississippi Welcome Center when we crossed from Louisiana to Mississippi and wished we had a bird book because we couldn't identify the one perched on top of a statue singing its little heart out. Stella saw a dead alligator along the freeway in MS, but I was looking out the passenger window and missed it.
The amount of water in this part of the country is astounding. We crossed bridge after bridge after bridge today, across rivers, lakes, bayous, and marshlands. I think we are especially amazed after driving through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
As we came to Mobile, Alabama, traffic slowed to a crawl. It took us 45 minutes to inch our way through the tunnel there and then to the point on the bridge where an accident had happened. Severe damage to two of the four cars involved in the rear ender, but no injuries. After that, it was a race to make up time. Alabama and northern Florida have gentle rolling hills. We passed three Air Force bases and at least two, might have been three, Naval Air Stations. Traffic was quite heavy around Pensacola but light from there to Tallahassee where we are tonight.
We hav decided that Niceville, Florida, wins the great name for a town contest thus far. Oh, that reminds me, a young woman in New Orleans snagged us as we walked by. She was a marketing person for Wyndham, the hotel chain who now owns a time share company, too. Anyway, here's the conversation - "where are you from?" "Idaho" " I just love the Midwest, I'm from Wisconsin." She might get more business if she knew where the states are.
Another lightning storm tonight as we drove into town. It's the third one of the trip. No rain, and it was such a nice warm evening when we got out of the car.
This morning, we walked around the French Quarter, down to the Mississippi River, back up Canal Street to Bourbon Street and back to the parking garage. We were hot and humid by the time we got back to the car. It was fun to see the tourists who were wearing beads and hats even though it's not Mardi Gras.
Then it was back on I-10 headed east. Our next stop was in Biloxi, Mississippi, where we went to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino so I could buy pins for my collection. That went well until we tried to find our way back to the freeway. Several missed turns and wrong exit numbers by Naggy Maggie, the GPS voice, and we headed east again. Mississippi is very green with lots of trees along the interstate. We saw magnolia trees in bloom mixed in with oak trees and pines. I loved it. And along the freeway were lots of lily pads. We wondered what was lurking under them. We also commented on the fences along the interstate. Field fencing with three strands of barbed wire on top. Most of the time the fences aren't visible because of the vines and shrubs that have grown up and through them.
We stopped at the Mississippi Welcome Center when we crossed from Louisiana to Mississippi and wished we had a bird book because we couldn't identify the one perched on top of a statue singing its little heart out. Stella saw a dead alligator along the freeway in MS, but I was looking out the passenger window and missed it.
The amount of water in this part of the country is astounding. We crossed bridge after bridge after bridge today, across rivers, lakes, bayous, and marshlands. I think we are especially amazed after driving through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
As we came to Mobile, Alabama, traffic slowed to a crawl. It took us 45 minutes to inch our way through the tunnel there and then to the point on the bridge where an accident had happened. Severe damage to two of the four cars involved in the rear ender, but no injuries. After that, it was a race to make up time. Alabama and northern Florida have gentle rolling hills. We passed three Air Force bases and at least two, might have been three, Naval Air Stations. Traffic was quite heavy around Pensacola but light from there to Tallahassee where we are tonight.
We hav decided that Niceville, Florida, wins the great name for a town contest thus far. Oh, that reminds me, a young woman in New Orleans snagged us as we walked by. She was a marketing person for Wyndham, the hotel chain who now owns a time share company, too. Anyway, here's the conversation - "where are you from?" "Idaho" " I just love the Midwest, I'm from Wisconsin." She might get more business if she knew where the states are.
Another lightning storm tonight as we drove into town. It's the third one of the trip. No rain, and it was such a nice warm evening when we got out of the car.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
We crossed the Mississippi River today. After leaving Houston this morning, we drove to New Orleans. Here's a tip - between Houston and New Orleans, there are no rest stops. It's not too far between exits that have gas stations, fast food restaurants or truck stops, though, so I guess the states just didn't see a need for rest areas. We were surprised to see a lot of picnic areas in Texas, and safety rest areas. Not sure why they are called safety rest areas but that's what the signs said.
It was a pretty drive here, lots of oak and pine trees along the road. It was heavy overcast most of the way, but no rain to speak of, and the sun came out just before we got here. A truck kicked up a rock yesterday, resulting in a windshield chip, so we spent an hour and a half in a glass repair place this afternoon. I was searching for motels while we waited and the one with the best price was located in Westwego, a suburb of New Orleans, Never having heard of it, I asked the woman working in the office about it. She said to not stay there and to avoid all of east New Orleans because it's not safe. She also recommended areas so we are in Metairie (a suburb) for the night. A young woman came in to pick up her car, and said, as she was leaving, "it will be nice to not have a couple of bullet holes in the windshield now." That statement sure raised our eyebrows. We aren't in Idaho anymore.
We crossed the Atchafalaya Basin on the way here. Many many bayous, rivers, swamps, and lakes. The water table looks like it's about six inches below the ground. I looked on the map and this Basin drains into the gulf. It was between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, and went for a long ways. There is one point on the freeway where the road is on pilings for 18 miles. I can't imagine how long that construction must have taken. We also saw a number of fields, for lack of a better word, that looked like rice paddies, but I'm not sure that's what they are. They had strings of what looked llike bobbers making a grid. We speculated about freshwater shrimp or clams, maybe.
Louisiana gets the prize for having the most cops so far. State troopers, sheriff vehicles, city cops, we saw them all, and a number of them had people pulled over. And no wonder, the local residents seem to think speed limits are only a suggestion. Stella missed the large cardboard box that was in our lane but couldn't avoid the big wad of paper packing material. It must have wrapped around the axle because it made an awful flapping sound. I watched in the rear view mirror while it tore off in big chunks until it finally got disentangled from the car. I don't think the guy behind us appreciated that very much.
The humidity is about 70 percent here which is not as high as I thought it would be. All the rivers are brown here. That's hard to get used to coming from Idaho. And bass fishing seems to be the thing to do. No dead animals on the freeways since before Houston.
We crossed the Mississippi River today. After leaving Houston this morning, we drove to New Orleans. Here's a tip - between Houston and New Orleans, there are no rest stops. It's not too far between exits that have gas stations, fast food restaurants or truck stops, though, so I guess the states just didn't see a need for rest areas. We were surprised to see a lot of picnic areas in Texas, and safety rest areas. Not sure why they are called safety rest areas but that's what the signs said.
It was a pretty drive here, lots of oak and pine trees along the road. It was heavy overcast most of the way, but no rain to speak of, and the sun came out just before we got here. A truck kicked up a rock yesterday, resulting in a windshield chip, so we spent an hour and a half in a glass repair place this afternoon. I was searching for motels while we waited and the one with the best price was located in Westwego, a suburb of New Orleans, Never having heard of it, I asked the woman working in the office about it. She said to not stay there and to avoid all of east New Orleans because it's not safe. She also recommended areas so we are in Metairie (a suburb) for the night. A young woman came in to pick up her car, and said, as she was leaving, "it will be nice to not have a couple of bullet holes in the windshield now." That statement sure raised our eyebrows. We aren't in Idaho anymore.
We crossed the Atchafalaya Basin on the way here. Many many bayous, rivers, swamps, and lakes. The water table looks like it's about six inches below the ground. I looked on the map and this Basin drains into the gulf. It was between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, and went for a long ways. There is one point on the freeway where the road is on pilings for 18 miles. I can't imagine how long that construction must have taken. We also saw a number of fields, for lack of a better word, that looked like rice paddies, but I'm not sure that's what they are. They had strings of what looked llike bobbers making a grid. We speculated about freshwater shrimp or clams, maybe.
Louisiana gets the prize for having the most cops so far. State troopers, sheriff vehicles, city cops, we saw them all, and a number of them had people pulled over. And no wonder, the local residents seem to think speed limits are only a suggestion. Stella missed the large cardboard box that was in our lane but couldn't avoid the big wad of paper packing material. It must have wrapped around the axle because it made an awful flapping sound. I watched in the rear view mirror while it tore off in big chunks until it finally got disentangled from the car. I don't think the guy behind us appreciated that very much.
The humidity is about 70 percent here which is not as high as I thought it would be. All the rivers are brown here. That's hard to get used to coming from Idaho. And bass fishing seems to be the thing to do. No dead animals on the freeways since before Houston.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
The word if the day is humidity although it could be worse. Higher than Boise experiences but not outrageous.
We went to the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library today in College Station, Texas. I thought that it was a suburb of Houston, but it's about 90 miles from here, and the Library is on the campus of Texas A&M.
I enjoyed it and would recommend it. It's not pretentious or ostentatious in any way. They have a plane like he flew in WW II hanging from the ceiling. I was surprised at how small it is. On the old news reels, the planes look much bigger, I think. The presidential limousine is here,and they have a version of the Oval Office where a library employee is more than happy to take your picture sitting at the desk. And there is a life size bronze statue of President Bush sitting in a chair with two chairs beside him so you can have another photo op.😊
A section of the library is devoted to Barbara Bush and it's very family oriented, She is so down-to-earth, and it comes through in the exhibits. The library has pictures from both sides of the family, the Bush side and the Pierce side, her maiden name, with her wedding gown, and his military uniform.
Outside, down a walkway to the rear of the building, is a large pond. I was surprised to see a sign stating it was catch and release only fishing. The pond has a sidewalk around it with several bridges and great landscaping. One of the bridges takes you through a "forest" to the site where President and Mrs. Bush will be buried. The daughter of theirs who died from leukemia at 3 years old is buried here now. Very peaceful beautiful setting.
Stella's daughter, Tara, took the day off and drove us there. We probably could have found it ourselves, but not as quickly. After we ate Texas barbecue, which was very good, the library was next. Then we ate at a Mexican restaurant this evening. Personally, I think Texas has the best Mexican food of anywhere.
On the drive there, and yesterday as we drove in, we passed fields of corn. That is the only crop we've seen in this state. It's relatively flat here with lots of oak trees. I think it's pretty around here but I don't know if I could ever get used to the traffic.
The word if the day is humidity although it could be worse. Higher than Boise experiences but not outrageous.
We went to the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library today in College Station, Texas. I thought that it was a suburb of Houston, but it's about 90 miles from here, and the Library is on the campus of Texas A&M.
I enjoyed it and would recommend it. It's not pretentious or ostentatious in any way. They have a plane like he flew in WW II hanging from the ceiling. I was surprised at how small it is. On the old news reels, the planes look much bigger, I think. The presidential limousine is here,and they have a version of the Oval Office where a library employee is more than happy to take your picture sitting at the desk. And there is a life size bronze statue of President Bush sitting in a chair with two chairs beside him so you can have another photo op.😊
A section of the library is devoted to Barbara Bush and it's very family oriented, She is so down-to-earth, and it comes through in the exhibits. The library has pictures from both sides of the family, the Bush side and the Pierce side, her maiden name, with her wedding gown, and his military uniform.
Outside, down a walkway to the rear of the building, is a large pond. I was surprised to see a sign stating it was catch and release only fishing. The pond has a sidewalk around it with several bridges and great landscaping. One of the bridges takes you through a "forest" to the site where President and Mrs. Bush will be buried. The daughter of theirs who died from leukemia at 3 years old is buried here now. Very peaceful beautiful setting.
Stella's daughter, Tara, took the day off and drove us there. We probably could have found it ourselves, but not as quickly. After we ate Texas barbecue, which was very good, the library was next. Then we ate at a Mexican restaurant this evening. Personally, I think Texas has the best Mexican food of anywhere.
On the drive there, and yesterday as we drove in, we passed fields of corn. That is the only crop we've seen in this state. It's relatively flat here with lots of oak trees. I think it's pretty around here but I don't know if I could ever get used to the traffic.
Monday, May 16, 2016
Monday. May 16, 2016
Yesterday was a 577 mile day. Today, we drove from Sonora, Texas, to Houston, Texas, a distance of 370 miles.
Stella's sister, Marge, called her, and my sister, Beverly, called me because the national news had a "grim" forecast for bad weather in Houston. We did have some rain on the way here but just enough to have to use your wipers, and it was slightly raining when we arrived. It was nice of them to call, though, because we haven't turned a tv on since we left Boise. There could have been a tornado behind us and we would have never known it. The humidity is rising, though.
This part of Texas is very green compared to what we saw the past few days. More and bigger trees. Yesterday, we couldn't decide if what we were seeing was mesquite, or pinyon trees, or something else. It was rolling hills all the way here, but flattened out as we approached the city. We drove right through the heart of San Antonio and were pleasantly surprised that the traffic wasn't too bad.
I finally saw an armadillo! A dead one on the side of the highway, but it was an armadillo! We decided that Texas is quite the skunk capital because we saw, and smelled, a lot of them as roadkill on this stretch of the trip. Actually, we saw a lot of dead animals today, a deer, two coyotes, many skunks, and a number of animals that we couldn't identify. I thought one was a badger, and we debated whether the others were possums. They were quite furry and dark colored.
We are at Stella's daughters place for tonight and tomorrow night. Her boyfriend is working and she will be working so we will be on our own to see the sights. Good thing the car has a GPS. After a good meal, we are in for the night.
Looks like the sky is clearing! Good news.😊
Yesterday was a 577 mile day. Today, we drove from Sonora, Texas, to Houston, Texas, a distance of 370 miles.
Stella's sister, Marge, called her, and my sister, Beverly, called me because the national news had a "grim" forecast for bad weather in Houston. We did have some rain on the way here but just enough to have to use your wipers, and it was slightly raining when we arrived. It was nice of them to call, though, because we haven't turned a tv on since we left Boise. There could have been a tornado behind us and we would have never known it. The humidity is rising, though.
This part of Texas is very green compared to what we saw the past few days. More and bigger trees. Yesterday, we couldn't decide if what we were seeing was mesquite, or pinyon trees, or something else. It was rolling hills all the way here, but flattened out as we approached the city. We drove right through the heart of San Antonio and were pleasantly surprised that the traffic wasn't too bad.
I finally saw an armadillo! A dead one on the side of the highway, but it was an armadillo! We decided that Texas is quite the skunk capital because we saw, and smelled, a lot of them as roadkill on this stretch of the trip. Actually, we saw a lot of dead animals today, a deer, two coyotes, many skunks, and a number of animals that we couldn't identify. I thought one was a badger, and we debated whether the others were possums. They were quite furry and dark colored.
We are at Stella's daughters place for tonight and tomorrow night. Her boyfriend is working and she will be working so we will be on our own to see the sights. Good thing the car has a GPS. After a good meal, we are in for the night.
Looks like the sky is clearing! Good news.😊
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Sunday, May 15, 2016
We left Las Cruces, New Mexico this morning and headed for El Paso. The rain and lightning storm was gone. As we've made our way through Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and now Texas, I continue to be amazed at how different the terrain is even though all these states are dry arid landscapes. The mountains in NM today were very jagged, but the farther east we went, the flatter, more Mesa-like they looked.
I keep expecting Texas to become tabletop flat, like it was around Victoria, TX, when I visited my sister there in 1971, but it hasn't. We are in Sonora, Texas, tonight, about two hours from San Antonio. It's rolling hills here, but very rocky.
We lost at least an hour today because neither of us looked at the map thinking we knew exactly where we were going. By the time we did, we were way past where we should have left I-10 and headed on a more northerly route from El Paso to get to the Guadeloupe Mountains National Park on the border of New Mexico and Texas. I was navigator and Stella was driving so I wasn't doing my job very well, but as we zoomed up a state highway that we had no plans to take, we decided it's part of the adventure.
That National Park was different than any we've seen before in that there were no admission fees, no bookstore or gift shop, and the campground was right close to the visitor center. It's more geared to people who are interested in geology, I think. It's beautiful, but to get the most out of it you need to hike it. The view was amazing. They are studying visibility there and the effects of man made pollution. The information said that on the clearest days, usually in the winter, you can see as far as the curvature of the earth and I believe it. Even today, you could see miles away.
We proceeded to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, about 20-30 miles away. Bat guano stinks. Just a warning. The elevators are not working, meaning you have to hike back up the way you hiked down. In total, it's a 3-3/4 mile hike. The rangers are very specific that you need to realize you have to hike back up so you should decide how far to go before you turn around. Stella had been here before so she didn't go too far. I kept going but turned around when the stairs started. Up to that point, it's a switch-back path. It's paved and a nice surface but steep.
Stella heard a man who worked for the Forest Service say that the elevators have not worked for a year now and that, basically, the repair cost is the obstacle to getting them fixed. It would have been fun to have been there at sunset to see the "bat flight" occur. They have an amphitheater in front of the entrance where you can see the thousands of bats leave for their night feedings. There were lots of swallows flying around the entrance and I think we were the only two people who knew they were swallows. Most of the people who mentioned them called them bats.
It was about 2:30 when we left there and we didn't get to Sonora, TX, until 8 pm so it was a long day, but a good one. We came through another rain and lightning storm, then it cleared for awhile and was getting ready to storm again when we got in our room.
Yesterday was a 465 mile day, I think. Today was longer. We have about a five hour drive to Houston tomorrow.
We left Las Cruces, New Mexico this morning and headed for El Paso. The rain and lightning storm was gone. As we've made our way through Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and now Texas, I continue to be amazed at how different the terrain is even though all these states are dry arid landscapes. The mountains in NM today were very jagged, but the farther east we went, the flatter, more Mesa-like they looked.
I keep expecting Texas to become tabletop flat, like it was around Victoria, TX, when I visited my sister there in 1971, but it hasn't. We are in Sonora, Texas, tonight, about two hours from San Antonio. It's rolling hills here, but very rocky.
We lost at least an hour today because neither of us looked at the map thinking we knew exactly where we were going. By the time we did, we were way past where we should have left I-10 and headed on a more northerly route from El Paso to get to the Guadeloupe Mountains National Park on the border of New Mexico and Texas. I was navigator and Stella was driving so I wasn't doing my job very well, but as we zoomed up a state highway that we had no plans to take, we decided it's part of the adventure.
That National Park was different than any we've seen before in that there were no admission fees, no bookstore or gift shop, and the campground was right close to the visitor center. It's more geared to people who are interested in geology, I think. It's beautiful, but to get the most out of it you need to hike it. The view was amazing. They are studying visibility there and the effects of man made pollution. The information said that on the clearest days, usually in the winter, you can see as far as the curvature of the earth and I believe it. Even today, you could see miles away.
We proceeded to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, about 20-30 miles away. Bat guano stinks. Just a warning. The elevators are not working, meaning you have to hike back up the way you hiked down. In total, it's a 3-3/4 mile hike. The rangers are very specific that you need to realize you have to hike back up so you should decide how far to go before you turn around. Stella had been here before so she didn't go too far. I kept going but turned around when the stairs started. Up to that point, it's a switch-back path. It's paved and a nice surface but steep.
Stella heard a man who worked for the Forest Service say that the elevators have not worked for a year now and that, basically, the repair cost is the obstacle to getting them fixed. It would have been fun to have been there at sunset to see the "bat flight" occur. They have an amphitheater in front of the entrance where you can see the thousands of bats leave for their night feedings. There were lots of swallows flying around the entrance and I think we were the only two people who knew they were swallows. Most of the people who mentioned them called them bats.
It was about 2:30 when we left there and we didn't get to Sonora, TX, until 8 pm so it was a long day, but a good one. We came through another rain and lightning storm, then it cleared for awhile and was getting ready to storm again when we got in our room.
Yesterday was a 465 mile day, I think. Today was longer. We have about a five hour drive to Houston tomorrow.
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