Day twenty eight - Sunday

We started out the day intending to see the Lincoln and Washington Memorials and then head over to the Air and Space Museum. We accomplished half our goal.

To avoid repeating yesterday's debacle, we took the bus and Metro to the Smithsonian station. Outside the station we noticed a sign pointing the way to the Holocaust Museum. It was only a couple of blocks away so off we went.

We spent the next couple of hours touring this museum. This is a depressing piece of world history! Although depressing, it's something everybody should see. The horrors of Hitler and the Nazi's is well documented. The Holocaust is laid out here with pictures, film and documents in a logical and shocking manner. As you progress through the museum you see how Hitler and the Nazi party came into power. The repression of the Jews and other people developed before the war and continued, and worsened, during the war. Finally, we learned about the concentration camps, the killing of Jews, and others, by the thousands. All this was illustrated by pictures, film, documents and displays. By the time we left, we were disgusted, emotional and enlightened. It's hard to understand and believe that anybody could do to people what was done by Hitler and the Nazis during this time.

After the Holocaust Museum we walked over to the Washington Memorial. Although people can enter the memorial and go to the top of it, we couldn't because it was too late in the day and all the tickets had been given out. We walked around it and then headed over to the World War II Memorial.

Next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. After walking along the reflecting pool between the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial we came to the Lincoln Memorial. What an awesome sight. We climbed 87 steps and were greeted by a huge statue of Lincoln. Looking back over our shoulders, we could see the Washington Memorial reflected in the pool between the two memorials.

On the way back to the Metro we stopped at the Korean War Memorial. Ann's dad was in Korea.

Metro and bus back to the coach, a game of Scrabble and the new Desperate Housewives show closed out the day.

It's amazing how the history of the USA, especially the history of war, comes together in this place. Around the National Mall we are constantly reminded of various wars and those who fought, and died in, those wars. I find myself wondering why war is necessary and why so many young people have to die for their nation. And, after visiting the Holocaust Museum you realize it's not just the soldier who dies in war.

Day twenty seven - Saturday

We all slept in this morning after a late night last night. Even Sadie slept an extra hour.

I made a critical decision this morning which turned out to be a big mistake. I figured it was Saturday and that we could save a few bucks and some time by taking our car into DC. Off we went to go to the Book Festival being held at the National Mall. When we got to our exit we found it blocked by the police. Okay, we kept going and going and going. Everything was blocked off. We couldn't get near the National Mall! Turned out the Washington Triathlon was being held this morning and traffic was a mess.

We changed our plans and went to Arlington National Cemetery instead. This turned out to be a great alternative. Although entry to the cemetery is free, parking is not. There's an hourly fee for parking. In the visitor's center we decided to take a tour bus through the cemetery. This, too, turned out to be a good decision as its a long walk to the major sites in the cemetery.

Our first stop was the grave sites of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. John F. Kennedy is buried with his wife and two infant children. Son John is not buried here, he was cremated and his ashes spread at sea. My thoughts returned to that afternoon in November when I learned JFK had been shot. I was in 4th grade and we were sent home early. At home we watched television as the horror of the day was reported. Now, almost 44 years later, we see the life of the eternal flame burning at our feet. It was a very somber moment.

A short walk away was the burial site of Robert Kennedy. His actual burial site is marked with a simple wooden cross and small marble marker bearing "Robert Francis Kennedy, 1925 - 1968." His is the only wooden cross in the cemetery. Nearby is a memorial with three Robert Kennedy quotes and a flowing water pond.

Our next stop was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb holds the bodies of three unidentified soldiers from three different wars. It used to hold four but the body from the Vietnam war has since been identified and removed. Here we watched the changing of the guard - TWICE! This very impressive and somber ritual was so impressive we stayed to see it again. The reverence and precision of the military personnel along with the historic setting made the changing of the guard a highlight of our visit to DC.

Back on the tour bus we made a stop at Arlington house, the home of Robert E. Lee the grounds of which are now Arlington National Cemetery. In 1861 Robert E. Lee, who was in the U.S. Army, left Arlington to join the Confederacy. In 1864 the grounds of Arlington became a cemetery for Union soldiers. Unfortunately the house is undergoing a renovation so it was just an empty house.

Seven dollars each for the bus tour and eight dollars for parking and our free Arlington National Cemetery visit ended up costing $22.00. However, it was money well spent and worth every penny and worth the hastle of making the poor decision to drive our car into DC.

Back at the coach, we had dinner and a game of Scrabble. Another good day!

First picture shows Ann standing at JFK's grave site with the eternal flame to her left. Second picture shows the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The video below shows the Sergeant inspecting the new guard's rifle.

Day twenty six - Friday

We elected not to go into DC today. Ann did some laundry and I cleaned the wheels on the motor home. It was nice not having to take a bus and train into town.

Late in the afternoon we drove to Baltimore to see a ball game. It was 30 miles from the Campground to Oriole Park at Camden Field. We had tickets we bought about a month before we left home on this trip. The last place Orioles played the second place Yankees.

By the 3rd inning it was four to two, Yankees. In the 5th it was seven to six, Yankees. In the 8th the score was nine to six, Yankees. It looked like the home team wasn't going to win this one. A-Rod and Johnny Damon both had hit home runs. However, in the 9th, the Orioles loaded the bases and Jay Payton hit a triple to tie the score.

In the 10th inning the Yankees loaded the bases after Jeter hit a double and the Orioles intentionally walked two Yankees, A-Rod and Matusi, with one out. Two fly balls later the Orioles are out of the inning. In the bottom of the 10th the Oriole's Tike Redman hit a double with one out and the Yankees returned the favor by intentially walking two Orioles. This loaded the bases with one out. The next batter struck out. This brought up Melvin Mora who laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to win the game. Very exciting!

Ater the game there was a fireworks show. It seems we had tickets to the fan appreciation game. Very nice fireworks show.

A little over an hour later we were back at the Campground. It was 12:30 a.m.

Day twenty five - Thursday

We got on the bus early today and headed into DC for our White House tour. Although the tour wasn't scheduled until 12:30, we wanted to get there early so we knew where we were going. We rode the bus and Metro with another couple who were going to the White House too.

On the way we stopped to check out the Ronald Regan Office Building near the White House. Nothing great to report except this would be a great place to eat. There is a food court downstairs with very reasonable prices and interesting food.

By 11:30 we were at the visitor entrance for the White House. A guard asked if he could help and I said we were an hour early for our scheduled tour. He said "great, you can go in now!" He took our names, checked his list, and in we went. Inside we had to go through the airport security procedure AGAIN!

At this point we learned the tour is a self guided tour. Just walk through and check things out. There is a definite path you follow as you go from room to room and in each room there is a Secret Service Agent standing on the other side of the rope. Carpets are rolled back so you don't walk on them and the Agents are very nice and will answer questions about the room and the White House. I suspect this is a rookie Secret Service assignment.

We entered via the East wing and started our tour through a hallway between the Vermiel room and the Library. We weren't allowed to enter these rooms but could look in through an open, roped off door. From here we went upstairs and entered the East Room. This is a large room used primarily for entertaining. Past Presidents have had sporting events, such as boxing, in this room.

From the East Room we entered another hallway and walked past the Green Room, Blue Room and Red Room. Again, we didn't enter these rooms but we were able to stop and look in. Next stop was the State Dining Room. Here we went into the room. Again, the rug was rolled up and a path through the room was roped off. Next we walked into another hallway, called Cross Halls, where we lingered before exiting out the back of the White House and onto Pennsylvania Avenue.

These tours are only held until 1:00 p.m. As soon and the tours are over the ropes are put away, rugs are rolled back and the rooms are used for their intended purpose. And, they are still used.

We had several impressions of the White House. First is that it's not as big as it looks on TV and in pictures. Like the rotunda at the Capitol, we see these places on TV and they look huge. Not so. Wide angle lenses needed to photograph these places make them look bigger than they are. The other impression is that you wouldn't want to live in a place like this. It would be like living in a museum. One of the S.S. Agents said there was nothing in the White House that could be insured due to the rarity and value. The walls are covered with large portraits of past presidents, First Ladies and a few others. Busts are everywhere and colors are gaudy.

The White House is four stories high and we saw a little more than half of the first two floors. We did not see the Oval Office or living quarters.

After leaving the White House we made a wrong turn and ended up walking, the long way, past the Washington Memorial and to the National Mall. While walking we heard sirens and watched as a procession of black cars and SUVs sped past with a police escort. The procession turned into the White House and disappeared. The problems was, in the area where we wanted to walk, the Capitol Police suddenly closed off a bunch of streets for "security reasons." So, we had to walk around!

When we got to the National Mall, we found the Museum of Natural History. In we went. What a place. Once again we found ourselves in a museum and not enough time to do it justice. We saw actual, recently extinct animals and birds, dinosaur skeletons and, amazingly, the Hope Diamond! In talking to one of the guards, he told me he overheard a conversation between a museum official and another expert who agreed the Hope Diamond, if offered for sale, would probably bring 950 to 975 million dollars. Uncle Dick, you may want to consider buying this for Betty. It's the least you can do after she's put up with you! Maybe you wouldn't get the crow as often.

Metro and bus back to the coach, a game of Scrabble and we settled in to watch Gray's Anatomy.

G'night

Since cameras were not allowed in the White House, we didn't take our camera with us. I obtained the above photographs from the internet. Pictures depict the Red Room, Cross Hall and the Vermiel Room.

day twenty four - Wednesday

Today was spend checking out the Smithsonian museums, at least a coule of them. Our first stop of the "castle." This was the origianl Smithsonian museum and the home of the caretaker. the Smithsonian was established after a weathly Englishman donated, upon his death, his fortune to the USA for the purpose of higher learning and research. He also donated his mineral collection and library. This building was constructed and the first museum was created.

Over the years additional donations have been made and numerous other museums were created around the National Mall.

The next stop was the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. It was in this building that I discovered many people are easily amused. I found nothing in here that was interesting. I'm sorry but we're just not cut out for high brow, modern art. Paintings of stripes on canvas that a two year old could create are not my cup of tea.

We quickly moved on to the highlight of the day. We spent the whole afternoon at the Air and Space Museum. We didn't even see half of what there is to see. Moon landings, rockets, Orville and Wilbur Wright's airplane, IMAX, and much more kept us occupied all afternoon. You have to see it to believe it. Whole rockets and airplanes inside this building. Real artifacts from space flights. John Glenn's space suit. Moon Rocks. I could go on for hours. We're already planning to extend our stay here and see this museum again.

We learned one lesson the hard way. Don't eat at the museums! We shared a sandwich, chips and soft drink at the Castle and that cost us $13.00. Later, at the Air and Space Museum we ate again and found the food court had a McDonalds. The problem is the Chicken McNuggets meal was just under $8.00. Ann had the McNuggets (not the meal) and that was $4.29. Just for McNuggets. I had a very small pepperoni pizza for $6.29 and our shared soft drink was $1.99. Bring $$$ or leave the mall for lunch.

Bus and Metro ride home and we rested our tired feet watching the new shows on ABC. All in all, a good day. Tomorrow we go on a Whitehouse Tour!

Blogger's picture uploading is not working so pictures later!

Day twenty three - Tuesday

Up early and off to the bus. We took the bus from the Campground to the Metro. The bus ride cost $1.25 each to get to the Metro. It'll cost us $0.35 to take the bus back from Metro after getting a transfer at the Metro station. We bought an all-day pass for the Metro for $6.50 each. Between the bus and Metro it took us and hour-and-a-half to get to the National Mall. Since our Capitol tour wasn't scheduled until 1:30, we had some lunch and a short look at the Air and Space Museum.

Lunch was at the Wall Street Deli about a block from National Mall. It's a sandwich and wrap place where the locals eat lunch. Good stuff.

After lunch we had about an hour to kill so we went into the Air and Space Museum. We couldn't even scratch the surface in an hour. In fact, we pretty much ignored the Air and Space displayed and went through the small American History displays that have been placed in the Air and Space Museum due to the American History Museum being closed for remodeling. By the time we got to the displays, we had only a half-an-hour and saw only a fraction of these displays. It was obvious we'd have to come back with a whole day available to see the displays in this museum. That will be tomorrow!

Next stop was our Congressman's office. Walking into the Rayburn House Office Building across from the Capitol, we went through security comparable to airport security. The ONLY difference is we didn't have to take off our shoes. This won't be the last time we go through security on this day. In Congressman Herger's office we met with Josh Reiner, the Staff Assistant and our tour guide.

One couple, from Cottonwood, was already in the office and we waited for a third couple. While waiting, I sat in the hallway and watched the parade of suits. One group of suits included a big guy in a polo shirt. He looked familiar and as he passed I realized he was Bobby Knight, the basketball coach. I've never been a Bobby Knight fan so I said nothing and just wondered why he would be hanging out with a congressman.

The third couple didn't show up so off we went with Josh. He took us to the elevator where we went to the sub-basement and took an underground walkway to the Capitol Building. It was pretty cool walking among Congressmen and staff in an area not open to the public. There was also a tram in the tunnel that the Congressmen can take when its time for a vote. In the Capitol Building we saw the Rotunda, the Old Supreme Court Chamber, Statuary Room and, finally, attended a session of Congress in which the Congressmen and women came in to vote on a bill.

Josh turned out to be a great tour guide, very knowledgeable and friendly. When we returned to Congressman Herger's office we were given a pass so we could return and observe a session of the Senate. When we got back to the Capitol though, the Senate was in recess until 5:00 p.m. Although we didn't see the Senate in session, we did go into the Senate side of the Capitol. I noticed an interested juxtaposition after visiting both sides. On the Congressional side, when we saw Congress in session, we had to give up our cameras, phones and anything else electronic. I even had to give up my spare camera battery and car-lock remote. When we got to the Senate side, we went through security again but didn't have to give up anything! We had no WMD (weapons of mass destruction) so in we went. I guess Feinstein and Boxer don't carry the weight they think they do! We didn't want to wait so we'll return in the next few days and check out the Senate. Actually, in fairness to the Senate, we didn't actually get to the Senate Floor Gallery so maybe we'll have to give up our stuff on our next visit.

If anybody is coming to D.C., make sure you contact your Congressman's office to arrange for this tour. Since 9-11, the Capitol is closed unless you're on what is called a "Staff Tour" or other guided tour. You can't just walk in a wander around the Capitol.

Back at the coach, we had a game of scrabble, dinner and watched some TV.

Day twenty two - Monday, Sept. 24

Today was a day of rest, kinda. Ann did more laundry and I waited for the RV repairman. Our refrigerator was acting up so we called a local, mobile repairman. Turns out the refrigerator was just overdue for a service and had gotten a little clogged up. He also replaced the switch for the refrigerator light so we have light again. For the past 2 years we thought we were getting the wrong bulb but he tested the switch and now it works.

After the repair job we drove out of the park to do some shopping, had a game of scrabble and visited with some neighbors for a while. Two couples who are travelling together and are from California. One couple will be moving to Anderson when they get done with this trip.

Tomorrow we have a tour of the Capitol scheduled. We meet at our Congressman's office and go from there. I have no idea what we've gotten ourselves into with this tour but we'll go to DC early, check out some things, go on the tour, check out some more things and call it a day. Wednesday will be the first day of serious sight-seeing.

Day twenty one - Sunday

We left Clairsville at about 8:00 a.m. and headed east. Within three hours we had covered four states. We left Ohio, crossed the north-west corner of West Virginia, crossed the south-west part of Pennsylvania and dropped down into Maryland. Today was a 275 mile day with a lot of long, 6-8%, up and down grades.

We made a brief stop to purchase BBQ chicken and Ribs at the Orleans Volunteer Fire Department fund raiser. They do their BBQ 3-4 times a year during the summer. Good BBQ and it appeared it was well attended. Must be good, they had quite a facility and great equipment.

Once we got to Washington DC, we went to the Cherry Hill Park Campground in College Park, just west of DC. We checked in and got a spot near the back of the park. This is a large place with several pools, a restaurant, clubhouse, store and other facilities. The sites are pretty tight and nothing fancy. $52.00 a night less 10% for Good Sam, FMCA or AAA members. A little pricey but easy access to Metro for visiting DC.

Tomorrow we head off to see DC

Day twenty - Saturday

News does travel toward the east coast, albeit slowly sometimes. Congratulations to Trinity Center VFD's newest EMT. Martie Mullen passed her National EMT test! Way to go Martie!
We all knew you'd get 'er done.

Speaking of TCVFD, we can put one down for an outside assist today. As Ann and I were leaving the rest stop where we spent the night we noticed a woman down on the sidewalk. Some people were stopping but most were walking by without giving much notice. At one point a couple of men tried to help her up but she would have nothing to do with it.

I went to check on her and found she had tripped on the curb and fallen. She had most likely broken her hip. Well, at the urging of Dr. Koby I brought my medical equipment with me on this trip. I checked her distal pulse and found it to be strong. I gave her oxygen and stabilized the leg and hip. I found that by putting a rolled up blanket under her leg and lifting the leg just a little, it took some of the pain away.

Pittsboro Fire Paramedics arrived and took over. They replaced my non-rebreather mask and off we went. Now I need to find a fire department that'll refill my oxygen bottle. The woman was 70 years old and I hope she'll be okay.

At this same rest stop, Ann was introduced to "Chiggers". She was walking Strudel in the grass at the rest stop, and after she went to bed discovered that her legs were itching terribly. She got out of bed and noticed that both legs were FULL of little insect bites. We found out later that they were caused by the varmints mentioned above. We don't have Chiggers in California, and let me tell you, they are no fun. Neither one of us got any sleep.

We finally left the rest stop at about 10:00 a.m. We drove into Indianapolis and went straight to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We wanted to go into the speedway and check out the facilities and Hall of Fame but found the entrance to be way too small to try to drive the motor home in. I didn't feel comfortable leaving the motor home on one of the side streets. The surrounding neighborhood isn't what I'd refer to as "upscale."

So, we left Indianapolis and headed east. After driving a total of 320 miles we stopped in St. Clairsville, Ohio. This on the east side of Ohio just before entering West Virginia. We started out on Hwy 74 and, in Indianapolis, switched to Hwy 70. Hwy 70 took us through Dayton, Columbus and into Clairsville.

We had been seeing signs along the highway for a restaurant called Buffalo Wild Wings. Well, when we pulled into our campground parking lot (Wal-mart RV Resort) there was a Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurant. In we went and we had a great meal. For the most part the restaurant sells regular and boneless wings, ribs and chicken. The draw is the BBQ sauce you get on your wings. They had twelve different flavors listed in order of the spiciness of the sauce. I had a sampler, only a quarter of which I could eat after having a small salad, and Ann had wings with the "Wild" sauce. It's the second to the hottest sauce on the menu. She liked it so much she bought a bottle of the sauce. Good dinner for $22.00.

We finally got out of corn country. From Minnesota to Ohio we saw nothing but corn and soy beans. In eastern Ohio we also found some hills. It's been flat from eastern South Dakota to Ohio. Now it's green and hilly. Not mountainous, but hilly. Much better than flat!!!

We've got just under 300 miles to go tomorrow and will be Washington D.C.

Day nineteen – Friday

This morning we wandered around Lincoln’s New Salem Historic Site. This is the site of New Salem which is the town Lincoln lived in when he was in his 20’s. The town was re-created in its original form as well as could be. They were able to tell where the buildings were by the cellars and other artifacts. One original building was returned from nearby Petersburg where it had been moved in the 1800’s. Back then it was easier to dismantle and move a building than it was to cut and shape new logs to build a new structure. Additional buildings were constructed in 1932-33 to the same specifications as the original buildings and in the original locations. There are people in period costumes who are in some of the buildings to answer questions about the building and life in the 1830’s.

While living here, Lincoln was a surveyor, store owner, Postmaster and did odd jobs such as splitting rails. He left New Salem before the end of the decade to be a lawyer in Springfield.

Today was only a 215 mile day. We left the park at about 2:30 p.m. and headed east. We drove to Springfield where we caught Hwy 72 east. We stopped in Decatur, Illinois for fuel and then continued to Champagne, Illinois where we got on Hwy 74 to a rest stop just west of Indianapolis, Indiana. We’ll spend the night here. No, we didn’t make it to Dayton, Ohio. We just spent too much time in the park this morning and didn’t want to push it too far. Plus, we passed into the Eastern Time Zone and lost another hour.

We highly recommend the campground at Lincoln’s New Salem Historic Site for short stays. Since the sites don’t have water or sewer hookups, it’s not good for long stays. However, we found the campground to be very clean, green and comfortable. The Cicadas are somewhat noisy but you don’t notice them once you’re inside.

The picture is of a woman wearing period clothing and sitting in the re-creation of the Inn in New Salem. Back then, $0.75 would get your two nights lodging with meals.

Day eighteen – Thursday

“It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Abe Lincoln

I feel as though we’re improving the life in our years with this trip.

After a leisurely morning in the campground we headed off to Springfield. We left the coach at about 11:00 a.m. and parked in the Lincoln Library and Museum parking lot at 11:30. We went to the museum first, paid our $7.00 each to enter, and spent the next four hours walking among a reminder of our country’s turbulent history.

Abe Lincoln was the president during one of our country’s turning points. The abolition of slavery and the civil war were the earmarks of the Lincoln era. He was elected and went to war, abolished slavery near the end of his presidency and was assassinated just after the end of the civil war. During his life he lost three of his four children and after his death, his wife, Mary, was committed to a mental institution after her only surviving son, Robert, petitioned for an insanity hearing.

We made a quick visit to the Lincoln Library and then headed off to the Lincoln Tomb at the nearby cemetery. The tomb itself is a grand structure and fitting of a president. Inside we listened to a short talk about the tomb and then took the five-minute walk through. Inside we saw the burial place of Lincoln, his wife and three of his four sons. The longest living son, Robert, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. However, there is a marker in the tomb for Robert.

We drove back to the coach and joined our neighbors, Bud, Lloyd, Angie and Kathy for dinner at a nearby restaurant. Our neighbors are from Springfield and here for a short getaway for the weekend. They invited us to a restaurant across the street from the campground and introduced us to “Horseshoes.” On this particular menu, we had our choice of the Clydesdale Shoe ($9.95) or the Shetland Pony Shoe ($6.95). The former is twice the portion of the latter. A Horseshoe is a slice, or two, of Texas bread covered with your choice of meat and then piled high with French fries and, finally, covered with white cheese sauce. Our choice of meats included a hamburger patty; fried chicken; fried buffalo chicken; ham; BBQ pork; breaded tenderloin or Philly beef. Ann had the fried buffalo chicken (spicy) and I had the breaded tenderloin. Obviously, this is a healthy, low-cal meal since bread is made with flour, French fries are made with potatoes and cheese is a dairy product. I can hear my arteries crackling as I type! Thanks to our neighbors for an entertaining evening, even if they are Tony Stewart fans! :)

We finished another game of Scrabble just as 10:00 p.m. rolled around and it’s time to hit the sack. Tomorrow we check out the Lincoln’s New Salem Historic Site and then we’re off for Dayton Ohio.

Regarding the photograph above, notice John Wilkes Booth lurking in the background!

Day seventeen – Wednesday

Another change in plans today. We were going to drive to a state park on Lake Michigan. We could have been there easily in one day but decided to head south instead. We’re in Petersburg, Illinois, just north of Springfield, Illinois. My cousins, Don and Barb, convinced us we needed to go to Springfield to check out the Lincoln library and museum.

We’re staying in a RV park at the “Lincoln’s New Salem Historic Site.” It’s a very nice park with lots of trees, grass everywhere and a low price of $15.00 a night for electric only. This is a good deal since we really only need electric hookups.

On the way here, we crossed over the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.


The map to the left shows the states we've travelled in since taking delivery of our motor home. The southern states were covered in a two month trip we took in 2004. We've travelled in Oregon and Nevada several times. The states from California to Illinois were added on this trip.

Day sixteen – Tuesday

We spent a fun day with my cousins, Don and Barb. After a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs in wheat tortillas with cheese and juice, we went for a drive around town.

While out and about, we visited many sites of family interest. Many of these places I’ve been to and some I hadn’t. Ann hasn’t seen any of these places before. We visited many old homes including homes where my mother, aunt, grandparents and great grandparents were born, lived and died. We visited two cemeteries where many of these people are buried. It’s amazing how many child relatives died in the first months of their young lives. Not an uncommon occurrence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I have one cousin, stillborn, buried in an unmarked grave.

One of my fondest memories of previous visits here was eating at my Uncle Ike’s diner in Manchester. The building is still there and is now for sale. Another memory is my brother and I fishing the Maquoketa River that runs through Manchester. This river is considered one of the best smallmouth bass and trout fisheries in Iowa. Ann and I visited the bridge we used to fish under. The bridge is new but is still in the same location. I could see the foundation for the old bridge under the new bridge.

My mother grew up on two farms outside Manchester and Delaware Iowa. We visited both farms and found one of the homes had been torn down and a brand new house built on the site. The other is still there although the home has been renovated and added on to. The old barn is still there, right alongside the road.

We had lunch in a Mexican restaurant and it was like being back in Salinas – not necessarily a good thing. We weren’t able to converse with the waiter due to the language barrier but the food was good, authentic Mexican food. I had the chorizo and eggs and Ann had a chiles rellenos.

The weather was still windy and to the west we could see the dark clouds coming. By 7:00 p.m. we had a serious thunderstorm blow in with very heavy winds and rain. The hard rain lasted about a half an hour but the lightning and lighter rain continued. I loved it. You haven’t seen a thunder storm until you’ve seen a thunderstorm in the Midwest.

Cousins Don and Barb are collectors of Carnival Glass. We spent the evening checking out their collection and learning what makes some Carnival Glass valuable and what is not. Quite interesting! It would be fun to find some pieces for them on our trip and send it to them. It would be especially fun if we were to find something of value.

The picture is of the barn that is on the farm where my Mom grew up. The house on the property is still there but has been renovated and changed somewhat.

Day fifteen - Monday, Sept. 17

We had a 200 mile day today. We left Clarks Grove Minnesota at about 9:30 and drove into Iowa via Hwy 35. We were in Iowa within a half-hour and, as with most state border crossings, if it weren't for the sign, we wouldn't have known we were in Iowa. Everything is still flat and corn as far as you can see. We turned east at Mason Iowa on Hwy 218/27 and made an arch down to Waterloo Iowa where we turned east on Hwy 20 to Manchester.

Shortly after entering Iowa we came across a rest stop with a visitor center and a casino across the street. We stopped at this rest stop to empty the holding tanks and took advantage of the casino for some gambling and a buffet lunch. Ann played penny slots and quit after getting sixteen cents ahead. I has tempted to play some Texas Hold-em but didn't want to commit the time to do it.

Leaving the rest stop we pushed a head wind or side wind all the way to Manchester Ia. The weather forecast indicated chance of rain and chance of thunderstorms. We got just a little bit of rain just before leaving Minnesota and no thunderstorms. However, the wind was terrible. If you've never driven a large motor home in the wind, DON'T DO IT. It is exhausting.

In Manchester we parked in my cousin's driveway. He and his wife have a beautiful home on several acres at the north end of Manchester. My mother grew up on a couple of farms just outside Manchester and her sister, Vanita, lived here most, if not all, of her life. We'll visit those farms tomorrow as well as see Vanita's home and the building where my Uncle Ike had a diner. I've been to Manchester several times during my life but it'll be fun and interesting to see these places again. We'll also visit the graves of Aunt Vanita, Uncle Ike and my Grandpa Charlie.

Well, as of today we've visited eight states including California; Nevada; Idaho; Wyoming; Montana; South Dakota; Minnesota and Iowa. I think we have fifteen or more states to go before we get home. We talked to Dick and Betty, Roger and Sue, Mary and Barry and my Mom on the phone tonight. We miss everybody and it's nice to hear familiar, friendly voices again.

One thing I didn't know about Iowa is that Winterset Iowa is the birthplace of John Wayne. I also learned that Madison County, you know, "The Bridges of Madison County," county is in Iowa. Both are found in South/Central Iowa. I'm sure if I'd have asked Roger about either of these places he would have filled me in on the intimate details. I know he's a fan of John Wayne and a bigger fan of the classic movie, "The Bridges of Madison County."

Day fourteen - Sunday

One of the nice things about traveling like this is that we don't have to follow a set itinerary. Yesterday I wrote that we should be in Iowa today. Well, we changed our minds. We left Mitchell SD at 10:30 a.m. and headed east. Soon, we found ourselves in Minnesota. We decided not to drop down into Iowa and continued east on Hwy 90. We got as far as Albert Lea and decided to stop for the night. Since it was a short day, 241 miles, we stopped at about 3:00 p.m. in a small RV park just off the highway. We're actually just north of Albert Lea in a community called Clarks Grove.

We were going to go north to the Mall Of America just outlside of St. Paul Minnesota but Ann called the mall and learned the mall closes at 7:00 p.m. on Sundays. We couldn't see driving the extra 75 miles, one way, just to see the mall for an hour.

We did cross over the Missouri River yesterday afternoon. Even way up here its quite a river. We've also noticed a lot of motorcyclists riding without helmets. There is no helmet law in South Dakota or Minnesota. It seems very strange to see people riding without helmets. I'd have to say I'd have trouble riding without a helmet since I've been riding with one for so long now.

Have you heard about corn in Iowa? I thought Iowa was where corn was found but the past 100 miles in Minnesota has been nothing but corn. On both sides of the road for as far as you can see was corn.

Hello to Mrs. Epperson's Coffee Creek Elementary School Class. Thanks for following our trip in your class. We'll be happy to answer any questions posted to "comments."

Day thirteen - Saturday

Hey, Betty, stay in the frying pan and out of the fire!!! :) We hope you're feeling better.

We left Keystone at about 10:30 a.m. and stopped in Rapid City to take Sadie to the vet. Sadie has had a minor relapse but a couple of shots, $124.00, and two bottles of pills later we're on our way again. Very nice Vet's office which was open on Saturday and didn't charge any weekend or emergency fees for our visit. The place was called Noah's Ark Veterinary Hospital. Nice people too.

As I write this, we're sitting in our favorite campground, WMRVR, (Wal-Mart RV Resort) in Mitchell, SD. It was a 300 mile day for us and we passed into the Central Time Zone on the way here. I have to say we saw NOTHING of particular interest on this day. The road was very flat and very straight. We did see a BUNCH of signs for Wall Drug store. For a hundred miles we kept seeing these signs but we didn't stop because we had been warned about the signs and told not to bother with the Wall Drug side trip, so we didn't.

One thing I did notice about 50 miles back was a sign for Cabelas! Turns out there is a huge Cabelas within walking distance of our campground. I'll take a walk over there in the morning before we head out.

Tomorrow we enter Iowa. We'll spend one night boondocking about half way between here and Manchester Iowa where my cousins live. It'll be a 250 mile day with no stop at the Vet so we should have time to see some sights, if there are any to see!

Since we have no pictures of today's travels, I'm posting a picture from one of our previous stops. This picture is a coyote walking along the bank of Yellowstone Lake in the evening. We saw several coyotes during our visit and noticed that they are much healthier looking than our Trinity coyotes. Must be the bountiful diet in Yellowstone.

On a somber note, we just heard about the passing of Francie Epperson's Mom. Francie, our condolences! Our thoughts and prayers are with your and your family.

Day twelve - Friday

After Ann made and served breakfast - bacon, eggs and toast - we were off for Mt. Rushmore. We've seen pictures of Mt. Rushmore but they can't begin to compare with seeing it in person. After paying $8 for parking - our National Parks Pass wouldn't cover it - we walked to the entrance. We entered through a passageway with columns holding all of the state's flags. The passageway opened up and there they were. The faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. What a sight.

After sitting and just looking for a few minutes, we walked a path that took us to the base of the mountain containing the sculptures. The path had stops along the way where you could read about each of the four presidents. Along the way we saw the workshop where the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, did much of his work. Finally, .6 miles later, we climbed the stairway back up to the museum where we learned about the making of the monument. Most of the work was done with dynamite and finish work was done with jackhammers.

We returned to the motor home for lunch and to tend to the dogs. Soon we were back on the road to see the Crazy Horse memorial. $20.00 for the two of us to enter and moments later we were parked a long way from the Crazy Horse Memorial. I shot a couple of pictures and we entered the visitor's center. Inside we saw a movie about the making of the sculpture and the artist, Korczak Ziolkowski. Begun in 1948, the project continues with Ziolkowski's family carrying on his work. The project is moving along slowly as money comes available. Government money has been offered to complete the project but it has been turned down in order to keep the project private. There was a list of financial contributors in the Visitor's Center. I noticed it listed the contributors by state and then city. In checking the list I found a couple of names from Salinas, one from Watsonville and, from Trinity Center, were the names Merv and Barbara Dahl! I'd say socially and per capita, Trinity Center was very well represented.

I think we actually looked at the sculpture for a total of two minutes but enjoyed the visitor center and displays very much.

After leaving the Crazy Horse Memorial, we went to the town of Custer where we had dinner at the Dark Horse Restaurant and Saloon. The sign outside offered Fillet Mignon for $6.95 and over 100 kinds of beer. In we went and Ann ordered Moose Drool with her Philly Steak sandwich and fries. I had an Elk Steak and Shrimp with my Corona beer. Very nice dinner with friendly, efficient service. If you're ever in this area we recommend both the Alpine Inn and Dark Horse Restaurant and Saloon.

Back at the motor home I updated the blog and watched the Giants on satellite.

Go Niners!!! They're 1-0!

Day eleven - Thursday

We left Buffalo, Wyoming, this morning at 7:30 am. A couple hours later we were driving through Sturgis, South Dakota. Other than a few motorcycles downtown, Sturgis looked like a ghost town. Nothing was open. A few people were walking around looking lost. We drove through, turned around and got back on the freeway to Rapid City.

After a brief stop in Rapid City we continued on to Keystone which is a small town very near Mt. Rushmore. We settled in at the Holy Smoke Resort just outside Keystone and then drove to a drive-through zoo called Bear Country. A three-mile drive lets you get very close to bears, elk, wolves, bison (as though we needed to see more of those) and various goats. Well, we finally got to see a bear which we didn't get to see in Yellowstone. Black bears we can see at home but the Grizzly Bears were awesome.

After a quick stop to let the dogs out of the motorhome, we drove into Keystone. Looks like another tourist trap. We walked the two blocks of "down town," made some minor purchases and got a tip on a good place for dinner in Hill City about ten miles away.

A half-hour later we were in Hill City and reserving a seat at the Alpine Inn. An hour later our names were called and we got a table. This restaurant is unique in that it has no menu. Its owned by a German couple but serves only steak. The waitress comes to your table and asks if you'd like a 6 oz. Bacon wrapped Filet Mignon or a 10 oz. Bacon wrapped Filet Mignon. The first is $8.95 and the latter $10.95. And, that includes salad, baked potato and bread. Great meal!

Picture above is Ann feeding the Gray Jays at Yellowstone. These birds will fly into your campsite and, without hesitation, land on your hand to eat whatever you have to offer them. Its a federal offense to feed the wildlife in Yellowstone but that minor threat won't stop Ann from doing what she does - feed critters!

Day ten - Wednesday

Today we leave Yellowstone. We’ve spent five full days here and didn’t even begin to see everything. We could be here another two weeks and still not see it all. Yesterday I went fishing. I drove for three hours to get to the river and back and didn’t leave the park. Admittedly, some of that drive time involved “Yellowstone traffic jams.” This park covers 3,468 square miles and is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

I’m also fascinated by the diversity of the park. We saw woods to rivers to lakes and meadows, canyons, waterfalls and volcanic activity of all sorts. The landscape has been shaped by every method to include water, wind, glaciers, earthquakes and volcanic activity. Three major eruptions, the last, and largest, 640,000 years ago left a crater, or caldera, so large it covers a third of the park and can’t be recognized except from space.

I’m also impressed with the pristine condition of the park. When the word pristine is used here, it doesn’t refer to “clean.” Pristine, in the Yellowstone context, means untouched. If a tree comes down here, it stays down and stays right where it is. There are areas where trees were blown down by a freak wind storm in 1985. Those trees are still there. When the fire raged through Yellowstone in 1988, the areas that were burned were left alone. Today, almost 20 years later, the trees are coming back and areas that were brown and barren when I drove through in 1993 are now green. Nature has a way of taking care of its own and that is so very evident here.

Our only disappointment with our visit to Yellowstone is that we did not get to see a Grizzly Bear.

By 10:00 a.m. we’re packed up and on the way out of the campground. 80 miles later we’re in Cody Wyoming again. This time we stopped long enough to visit the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum. The museum is awesome. There are over 2000 firearms in the firearm section of the museum. Roger, I don’t think we could have dragged you out of there with 10 buffalo. Other sections include an Indian museum, museum of natural history and, of course, the section of Buffalo Bill Cody. Very cool!

We hit the road again at about 3:30 and landed in Buffalo Wyoming at about 8:00 p.m. In between we saw a lot of scenery and crossed over the Big Horn Mountains. At the top of the pass, we were at over 9,000 feet elevation.

Day nine - Tuesday

Ann relaxed today, if you call doing laundry relaxing. I took the day to go fishing. I drove to the Madison and Firehole rivers. Although it was windy, I fished for about three hours. I was able to catch two elusive Brown Trout. Beautiful fish!

Back at the campground, I joined in relaxing with a game of Scrabble. We tied today. In all the games we’ve played, we’ve never had a tie score before.

A little BBQ dinner and the day was done. Overall, a relaxing day and a good way to end our visit as we have to pack up and leave tomorrow.

Day eight - Monday, Sept. 10

This morning was COLD! Ann went out to walk the dogs and was greeted with ice on the ground. Water hoses were frozen and the rising sun was a welcome sight. Once things warmed up we took off for the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Although its small in comparison to the real Grand Canyon, it is no less majestic.

The Yellowstone River, with the help of earthquakes and volcanic activity, has cut a deep and colorful canyon. Several areas within a short walk from the roadway offer great views of this canyon and the river. Tall waterfalls, wildlife and nature at its best offer great sightseeing and photographic opportunities. This is one of my favorite areas of Yellowstone.

Late in the afternoon, Ann and Strudel took a long walk from the Campground to Fishing Bridge. I went about three miles downstream and fishing the Yellowstone River for about three hours. I was warned by a guide in West

Yellowstone and some of the local fishing talent that the Yellowstone River was fishing tough these days. The cold front that came in over the weekend put the fish down. Anyway, that’s my excuse for not catching anything. Still, it was a great day on the water in beautiful surroundings.

I thoroughly enjoyed being on the water, watching the wildlife and enjoying the scenery. It was a little disconcerting walking the shoreline and noticing evidence of recent Grizzly Bear activity. However, close encounters of the Grizzly kind were not to be part of my fishing experience.

Day seven - Sunday

When I was here in ’93, I stopped in West Yellowstone which is a town just outside the west entrance to Yellowstone NP. At that time I stopped at the Fly Fishing Museum in West Yellowstone but it was closed. Today we drove to West Yellowstone to go to the Museum. On the way we stopped at Canyon Village to visit the Visitor’s Center. There we lots of informative displays explaining how Yellowstone was created and its volcanic history. Fascinating! Did I mention it has been cold here? As we walked out of the Visitor’s Center, it was snowing. I felt very sorry for all the people on motorcycles.

In West Yellowstone we found out the Fly Fishing Museum had moved to Livingston Montana about ten years ago. Bummer! Somebody should have told me. Still, we had a nice lunch, visited a small local museum and did lots of sightseeing on the way to and from West Yellowstone. I noticed a lot of people fishing the Madison and Firehole rivers.

On the way back we came to a place where there was a herd of Bison alongside the road. We stopped to get some pictures and Strudel, who barks at anything that moves, learned a lesson. While getting pictures, the herd moved slowly towards us. Soon the herd was all around the car. If you’ve never heard the sound a Bison makes, it’s just like a Lion roar. Strudel heard one of the Bison next to the car make this sound and he suddenly became very docile. Funny thing, he hasn’t barked at a Bison since.

Day six - Saturday

Today was a sightseeing day. We got on the Grand Loop Road and drove 38 miles to see Old Faithful. We had about an hour to wait until Old Faithful did its thing again so we walked around for a while and then staked out a good seat for the show. We weren’t disappointed. Right on schedule, Old Faithful erupted in a column of steam and water. Although not the most spectacular of the geysers in Yellowstone, Old Faithful is the most regular. So far this had been the highlight of the Yellowstone visit. I’ve seen it before but Ann has not. She was impressed, as anyone seeing it for the first time would be.

Also today, we found a place near the campground where we can get a cell phone signal. If we drive out of the campground and down the road about a mile to a turnout, we can get a signal, make cell phone calls and hook up to the internet. The only problem is finding an electric outlet for the computer. J

BBQ dinner and a game of Scrabble closed out this day.

Day five - Friday

This morning we moved from the Bay Bridge Campground to the Fishing Bridge RV Campground where we have full hookups. Having gotten to Yellowstone NP a day early, we couldn’t get in to Fishing Bridge RV Campground on the day we arrived. So, today is moving day.

Here, we have water, electric and sewer as well as parking for our car at our site. This is a nice campground although it doesn’t allow any open fires.

Once we were settled, we took off again. This time we drove 81 miles to Cody Wyoming where we did not shopping (Wal-mart Superstore) and had a good Mexican lunch. On the way back to the park, we found and photographed a moose and her youngster who were lounging alongside the roadway. It seems the larger the wildlife the less they care about human presence.

Day four - Thursday

We left Idaho via Pocatello and drove into Jackson Hole Wyoming today. We spend a little time in Jackson Hole, stopping at the Orvis shop where we contributed to the local economy. Walking around downtown Jackson Hole is like walking through Tourist Town USA. It's a nice town but bring $$$. As you can see from the picture above, we visited the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. We had no drinks, but this place has character.

From there we drove through Grand Teton NP and got our first look at the local wildlife. A Pronghorn was standing alongside the road. Interesting critter. As we entered Grand Teton we paid our $80.00 for a National Park Pass and off we went to Yellowstone. The two parks are actually connected. Once in Yellowstone we had a leizurly drive to our campground at Fishing Bridge. Only problem was we were a day early and had to go back to Bay Bridge campground and spend the first night in a no-hookup campsite that was too small for the motorhome. It worked out okay though and we had a pleasant evening relaxing with a game of scrabble after a 300+ mile day.

Driving in Yellowstone to the campground we followed the road half-way around Yellowstone Lake. It's a lot bigger than I remember it. We saw steam vents alongside the road as well as Bison.

Here's where we found that cell phone service is spotty in the park. More on that later.

Day three - Wednesday

Up at 7:00 a.m. and off to Winnemucca where we fueled up. 78 gallons and $230 later we were off and running. We continued east on Hwy 80 to Wells, Nevada where we headed north on Hwy 93. At twin Falls, Idaho we turned east again, on Hwy 84 and got as far as Hwy 86 where we found a rest stop. This was a 386 mile day. We expect to be in Yellowstone tomorrow afternoon.

Day two - Tuesday

We left the Freightliner shop at 12:30 p.m. and headed east on Hwy 44. As we approached Susanville, we saw a huge column of smoke from the latest fire in Plumas County. Wow, what a fire. Smoke wafted all the way into Nevada.

In Reno we stopped at the Grand Sierra Resort, which used to be the Reno Hilton, where we gambled a little and had a very nice buffet dinner. Ann played slots and I put $10.00 at 15-1 on Carl Edwards to win the NASCAR race on Sunday and $10.00 at 12-1 for Carl Edwards to win the championship. Now you know who to root for.

After leaving Reno we drove to Winnemucca where we spent the night in a rest stop. It was a 350 mile day. Nothing too exciting but we put some miles behind us.

Leaving home

On Monday, September 3, '07, (Labor Day) Ann and I left Trinity Center in the motorhome. We're off to see the USA. Our plan is to go to Yellowstone NP, Washington D.C., Branson Mo, New Orleans, Las Vegas and many, many places in between. About 7,000 miles later we'll be home. The date of return is unknown. We know where we want to go we just don't have a schedule we have to follow once we get to Washington D.C.

Our first stop will be Redding. What a treat! Actually, we have an appointment at Freightliner to have the motorhome serviced on Tuesday morning. Our trip will start for real once the service is complete. We'll take the Susanville route to Nevada and will spend the first night in or around Lovelock Nevada.