TABrific

2009-08-13T00:21:00.003-04:00

Monday and Tuesday (8/10 & 8/11). We are continuing home today but we stopped at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, IN. The Studebaker was such a cool car and so ahead of its time (see picture.) The reason that they went out of business was that they did not keep their plants up to date and by the time they had to re-tool, they just didn't have the capital to do it.

We stopped at the Evangola State Park on the western border of NYS for the night. It had rained so much the prior day that the road to the campground was flooded and we had to go the long way to get into the campground.

Got up Tuesday and headed for home. We arrived in Fultonville about 3:30 and stopped to see Sue's family and our bunny rabbits. It was good to be home. Seeing our home was soooo good but it looked like the weeds were about to overtake the house (see picture.)

For all we have seen, we still love the Northeast and feel that we live in a beautiful state (see picture.) We are happy to be home among family and friends. We have missed everyone and have missed spending time with everyone. We look forward to getting together with folks as soon as we can. We promise that we won't make anyone look at the 10,000 pictures we took - yes, we really took 10,000 pictures.

To say this was the trip of a lifetime would be an understatement. We have loved every minute of the trip. This country that we live in is amazing. People keep asking us what the best part of the trip was and we say the diversity of our country. Each place we stopped was so different and so interesting - each in their own way. We have seen such a wide range of things - landscape, museums, architecture, oddities, people, culture and nature. What fun it has been!

2009-08-09T20:35:00.003-04:00

Thursday to Sunday (8/4 to 8/9) Once again, sorry for not posting more regularly. The nearest wifi hot spot was about 45 minutes away.

We have been at the Bluegrass Festival and are having a great time volunteering and listening to music. The music runs all day and there are many activities for families and individuals wanting to improve their music skills (of which Rich and I have none.) The camp grounds are very nice (see picture.)

There are many nationally known performers and many up-and-coming groups (see picture.) The music is really high quality and the festival is very well run. The range of food vendors is great - too much good food in one place! The festival events are alcohol free and so there are no unruly or out of order people - just folks enjoying themselves (see picture.)

Last night, Rich and I went to the showcase tent where they have all kinds of activities. We did some dancing - correction - we fell over our feet attempting to dance. They were calling some square dances and we had fun trying. The great part about this group is they are all about having a good time and don't care if you mess up.

We left this morning and are planning to drive pretty much straight home. We expect to be home by Tuesday night. At the rate we are going though, we won't make it. We have given no less than ten tours of the T@B today. It has probably slowed us down by about three hours. We have enjoyed talking to everyone today.

2009-08-05T21:24:00.003-04:00

Tuesday & Wednesday (8/4 & 8/5) We left the Twin Cities area and headed to the St. Cloud area (actually Avon) for the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association Festival. We arrived late afternoon and set up our camper. Our friends Kim and Kevan made dinner for us and we enjoyed a nice fire in the evening.

Wednesday was a work day. Sue helped organize the t-shirts for the 500+ volunteers. Then the rest of the day we both volunteered at the main gate directing people to the registration booth. Early arrivals were eager to start playing music and we could hear people play music at their camp sites.

The festival officially starts on Thursday but many people arrive early just to make the experience last even longer. We are looking forward to hearing a lot of great music.

2009-08-03T19:55:00.002-04:00

Monday (8/3) We are sure it will not surprise you to learn that we went to the State Capitol in St. Paul. This capitol was completed in 1905 and has a traditional dome configuration. It was very nice and well kept but not overly ornate (see pictures.) A lot of the decorations on the ceilings were painted and not carved. It did have a great deal of beautiful marble from all over the world. Originally, two million dollars were raised for the project but the architect said he though the people of Minnesota wanted a beautiful capitol and to do that he would need four million dollars. The money was raised and the building ended up costing four and a half million dollars.

We ate lunch at a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurant. It was called the Nook and was just your local little bar. The Nook has won many, many awards for their burgers. Sue had a Triple B - a bourbon-bacon burger that was great. Rich had a Blue Burger - a burger loaded with blue cheese. All we can say is we know why the walls are lined with awards - the food was outstanding.

In the afternoon, we went to the Museum of Russian Art. Being Monday, everything we wanted to see was closed. But, that was okay, as this museum was very nice. There was a special display called "Postage Stamps: Messengers of the Soviet Future." To look at the pictures on these stamps, it looks like Russia was such a wonderful place where everyone is happy. These stamps were really messengers carrying the Russian propaganda.

For dinner, we are headed another Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives pick. It is the Bryant Lake Bowl - a bowling alley that serves great food. We are hoping that it is as good as lunch. No wonder Sue can't fit in any of the clothes she brought with her. DIET - here I come when I get home!!!!

2009-08-03T19:50:00.002-04:00

Sunday (8/2) We left Oshkosh and headed to Minnesota. We drove most of the day and checked into the William O'Brien State Park just north of Stillwater and east of the Twin Cities.

We set up and then headed to the Mall of America to meet up with our friends, Kim and Kevan, for dinner. We did not go shopping but went just to check it out. We had been there about 15 years ago and just wanted to see how it had changed. It is wild to see a roller coaster in a mall. The mall is so big, I don't know how anyone could shop in it.

2009-08-03T19:29:00.003-04:00

Saturday (8/1) We got up and went to do laundry - yeah! - our last time to do laundry on the road! We came back and broke down our screen room as rain was predicted and we did not want to deal with a wet screen room. We packed everything up for an early departure on Sunday. How lonely our T@B looks as it nears the end of its big adventure (see picture.) How quickly the end of the trip is coming.

In the afternoon, we went through the big C17 and C5A. These planes are very large and can really move supplies to the troops when necessary.

This afternoon's air show is the big event. They have the most planes at this show and also include pyrotechnics. They do a re-enactment of an air raid complete with bombings. The bombings are simulated with ground pyrotechnics (see pictures.) It is very impressive.

The entertainment in the Theater in the Woods consisted of a movie and a comedian. The movie was a six-year documentary on the building of a race plane. It showed the plane being made, crashing, being rebuilt and eventually winning a race. It really showed the love of flying the couple who built and owned the plane had. The final entertainment of the air show was Jeff Dunham - ventriloquist and helicopter pilot. He is a world class entertainer who loves to fly helicopters. His performance is alway a highlight of the air show and did not let anyone down as the laughter never did stop. What a nice way to end our stay here.

I have included some random pictures that show various aspects of this massive event.

2009-08-03T18:57:00.003-04:00

Friday (7/31) Today, the girls (Sue, CeCe and Mary) spent most of the day shopping. Rich and Austin (a friend's thirteen-year old grandson) went to the Sea Plane Base. The air show includes sea planes and has a base for them on Lake Winnebago right next to the Oshkosh air field (see pictures.) Rich chose the picture of the white plane at the Sea Base - I am sure he was just interested in that sinking plane. In the afternoon, Rich and Austin watched the C17 and C5A military cargo-moving planes come in. The C17 is actually a flying hospital when needed. They then watched the air show.

While walking around after dinner, we saw a contraption worthy of the Flintstones. This homemade contraption is truly a work of art - what kind of art is up for discussion. The frame of it is the Y of a tree and the rest is whatever its builder could get his hands on (see picture.)

We all went to the Theater in the Woods in the evening. Livingston Taylor (James Taylor's brother) sang and played guitar. He was followed by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles, the pilot and co-pilot of Flight 1549 which made an emergency landing in the Hudson River in New York City this past January. Everyone on board was rescued thanks to the professionalism of the pilot, co-pilot and three stewardesses. Captain Sullenberger was very emphatic that it was a total team effort. Although it was a serious topic, the fact that everyone survived, gave leeway for a little humor. In fact, Jeffrey Skiles could have another career as a comedian if he wanted. They were like watching the comedian and his straight man (Sully.) They really emphasized that they were not heroes but highly trained professionals just doing their jobs. At the end of their talk, Tom Poberezny, EAA President, came out and announced that Jeffrey Skiles had donated to the Young Eagles Auction, held the night before, his shoes and flight jacket from Flight 1549. The two items raised $76,000 for the Young Eagles Program. Mr. Skiles also donated his flight bag from Flight 1549 to the EAA Museum. It is signed by both Co-Pilot Skiles and Pilot Sullenberger and has the date and Flight 1549 signed on it. It will be kept on display in the museum.

2009-08-03T18:34:00.002-04:00

Thursday (7/30) We worked in the Internet Cafe in the morning and we busy handing out Volunteer T-shirts (that was not in our job description.) It was a fun job since we got to speak to people from all over including South Africa, England, Holland and Russia.

In the afternoon we got on a very long line to get to go inside the Airbus 380A (see picture.) This air plane is a test laboratory and is not fully equipped for passenger travel. They use this plane to test new equipment and other changes to the aircraft before making them on the planes that are carrying passengers (good thing!!!)

We walked around Aeroshell Square (the main area where the great big planes are parked) and also looked at parked personal planes (see pictures.) The White Knight II was there. This is a plane that is really two planes joined together at the end of the wings. It is designed to take passengers into sub-orbital space (see picture.)

In the evening, we went to Theater in the Woods. This is a performance area where panel discussions and shows are held. This evenings program included a performance by one of the South African pilots singing and playing his guitar. (There is a tent city in the camping area where the South African's have about 75 tents set up for all of the South African's who attend the air show - see picture. They communally cook and socialize in a central area - it is really a big party - what fun.) Then two gentlemen who were members of the Tuskegee Airmen spoke about their experiences as members of the first black flying unit. It was their job to escort the bombers during a raid. At first no bombing units wanted to be escorted by them - in the end - they were highly sought after as escorts. They proved to be excellent pilots. The next group to perform re-created a World War II USO Show. They sang songs from the 1940's and were very entertaining.

2009-08-03T18:22:00.003-04:00

Wednesday (7/29) This morning we volunteered to work in the Internet Cafe. They don't sell coffee there but they do have computer terminals for people to use to get on the internet. All we had to do was make sure everyone got a chance to use a terminal. A great idea but the wifi service just could not support the use. There were a lot of frustrated people coming and complaining thinking that WE were computer technical people - what a joke. The best we could do was sympathize with them and tell them to try again later.

We went to the air show again in the afternoon (see pictures.) Each day there are more and more incredible pilots performing with their planes.

In the evening, we went to the Fly-In Theater. This is an eleven story blow-up movie screen. It is like a drive-in movie theater with no cars. The movie was Six Days and Seven Nights with Harrison Ford and Ann Heche. Harrison Ford was there to introduce the movie and talk about the flying scenes. He flew the planes himself and explained about all the liability insurance issues they had to surmount so that he could do that.

2009-08-03T17:56:00.004-04:00

Tuesday (7/28) I bet you all thought we were not going to blog anymore. Well, we have not been able to get wifi signal at the air show now that thousands of people are trying to use the free wifi. This is my first chance to post to the blog in a week - so we will be playing catch up.

We stood in line to get a free ride on the "Breezy" for two and 3/4 hours.. This is an experimental air craft that at best can be described as a go cart that can fly (see picture.) We were fortunate in that while we were on line, the designer of the plane, Carl Unger, can by. He told us a few interesting stories about experiences he had with the plane. The ride lasts about 15 minutes and is a bit "un-nerving." While Sue was riding a strong head wind came up and the plane literally stopped all forward movement and just hovered in the air - what a weird felling. We both thought it was great and were glad we hung in there for the long wait.

In the afternoon, the Airbus A380 arrived (see picture.) The only way to describe this plane is to HUGH!!!! It is almost 80 feet tall and can carry 853 passengers. The engine looks like you could put our T@B right inside of it. That big red dot in the picture is the engine.

Later in the afternoon we watched the air show. All of the air shows have skydivers, acrobatic planes, warbirds, vintage planes and helicopters. The skill that the pilots of these air crafts display is amazing.

2009-07-28T22:29:00.003-04:00

Monday (7/27) Spent the day at the air show with Monica and Paul. There are many booths and activities to see at the air show. We spent some time looking at the Warbirds and the Vintage planes.

The air show was to start around 3:30 pm but it rained so hard they had to cancel it. There was to be a concert with the Doobie Brothers at 6 pm but we did not feel like sitting in the rain for an hour and a half waiting so we headed out and had dinner in a Bavarian restaurant.

We went swimming at the hotel that Monica and Paul are staying at. It was a very nice evening with great friends.

2009-07-28T22:26:00.002-04:00

Sunday (7/25) More time spend just relaxing. After months of days that were long and full of new experiences, it feels very good to just relax.

Later in the day, we met up with Monica and Paul, friends of our from Albany, NY. They were out here on vacation and we met them for dinner.

2009-07-28T22:23:00.002-04:00

Saturday (7/25) We had a very relaxing day again. We volunteered to help set up chairs in one of the pavilions. The air show does not start until Monday, so there is not a whole lot going on other than setting up for the various booths.

We are just chilling and getting the layout for the event under our belt so that we can find our way around. Including the campground, the event covers an area that is about 2 miles long and about a mile wide.

2009-07-28T22:00:00.002-04:00

Friday (7/24) We were awoke early as Cece, Bunny (Sue's brother), Rick, Mary and Austin (friends) arrived at about 7 am. They proceeded to get set up and went for breakfast as they had been awake and on the road from 8 am Thursday morning.

We spent the day just hanging around and relaxing. It was the first full day that we just did nothing but relaxed - boy did that feel good. The three of us girls did go out and hit the Goodwill Store and Hobby Lobby - we got some good buy. I did get some southwestern fabric to make curtains in our motor home.

2009-07-24T21:44:00.003-04:00

Thursday (7/23) We left Governor Dodge State Park this morning for Oshkosh, WI. Along the way we stopped at the Circus World Museum and Circus. This museum has a large display of the highly carved and colorful circus wagon that used to be drawn through towns when the circus arrived. They have all been restored and are beautiful. They also had a demonstration on how to train a tiger. It was very interesting to learn that they have to train them in 15 minutes segments each hour as that is as long as their attention span is. The trainer said he looks for the tiger cub that is getting into everything - that is the one that will train the best. It take two years to train a tiger for a show. They had a small circus and the performers were excellent. They displayed amazing strength and talent.

From there we drove on to Oshkosh to get set up for the air show. We were quite surprised to see at least four to five times the campers already here over last year. The actual air show does not start until Monday but this place is getting busier and busier by the hour. There is a motor home from the 1950's and it has been completely restored. It is absolutely beautiful (see picture.)

2009-07-22T22:45:00.003-04:00

Wednesday (7/22) Today we had no special plans. We headed out and decided to go to Cave of the Mounds. This cave was discovered in 1939 when workers were blasting limestone in a quarry. The cave has a constant temperature of 50 degrees. It is rich with stalagmites and stalactites. The attached pictures is a great example of a stalactites that is thousands of years old.

Next we decided to ride to New Glarus which is known as "Little Switzerland." It was established as a Swiss Colony in 1845 and retained its Swiss charm in everything from the Alpine-style buildings with their colorful flower-filled window boxes down to its gourmet food. Even the cows dress in Swiss clothing (see picture.) We had lunch at the Glarner Stube which is known for its roesti - a potato and cheese combination that looks like a large pancake. The food was good and the atmosphere was great.

While there we saw an ad for the Green County Fair about 20 miles from New Glarus. We decided to go since we will be missing all of the fairs at home. The fair was smaller than we are used to but it was fun. They really know how to grow corn out here (see picture.) They appear to have very active 4-H clubs and FFA (Future Farmers of America) clubs. It was nice to see you many young people involved with the animals at the fair. Sue even got to pet some bunnies and visit with other bunny owners. In the evening they had a rodeo. The grounds conditions were very muddy and it made catching the animals or staying on the animals very difficult. Very few contestants even completed their events due to the mud.

2009-07-21T17:42:00.003-04:00

Tuesday (7/21) Today is our 19th Anniversary and we just wanted to share this over-the-top anniversary day. (Actually, we had other things planned but it was raining all day so this was Plan B.)

We headed out for Madison, which is the capitol of WI. Along the way we stopped in Mt. Horeb to see the Mustard Museum. In this very yellow museum they have mustard pots, tins, advertisements, a record with the title "Too Much Mustard" and 5,058 different kinds of mustard on display. The museum was started by Barry Levenson, who went to the grocery store after his beloved Boston Red Socks had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the 1986 World Series. Crushed by the loss, Barry sought solace in the condiment aisle at the grocery store. He heard a voice as he stood before the mustard say "If you collect us, they will come." Well, he did , and they have! The museum is just a hoot with quirky signs and t-shirts. There have to be at least 500 kinds of mustard you can buy.

Well, after that exciting museum, what could we do to top it. On to Madison and as we got closer and closer to the center of the city, there it was, the State Capitol!! Be still my heart - another state capitol!!! This is the third capitol building and was started in 1906 and completed in 1917 at a cost of $7.25 million. It was designed by the New York Architect George B. Post. There are 43 kinds of stone from six countries and eight states. The stone in the building is really beautiful, so many colors and textures. When you look up the 200 ft to the top of the dome, you see the largest dome by volume in the world. The "Wisconsin" statue on the exterior top of the dome was done by Daniel Chester French of New York. A 14-year renovation of the building was completed in 2002 so every detail in the building is just perfect.

But all joking aside, this has been the most wonderful 19-years of of lives. We love retirement and we are having more fun than ever. We both feel lucky to be together, to be healthy and and to be enjoying every minutes of our lives.

I almost forgot, we are going to see the new Harry Potter movie tonight - the excitement never ends!!!!

2009-07-20T21:12:00.003-04:00

Monday (7/20)

Oops! pictures got posted twice - too hard to remove - sorry.

We went back to the House on the Rock to finish our tour. There are three separate tours - the house and two museums. Today we did the house and the second museum. Alex Jordan, the architect and owner, got his money to expand House on the Rock by charging admissions. His first admission was charged in 1960 and generated so much money that the was able to amass an unbelievable collections of "things." Mr. Jordan died in 1989 and had turned the management of the home over to friends of his in 1988.

The House on the Rock begins with the Gatehouse which was opened in 1961. The Gate House was where you first entered to get to the main house. Unlike a normal gatehouse, at the edge of the property, this gatehouse is well within the property and very near the main house. It is built into the rock and has about 1500 sq. ft. of living space. From there you progress to the main house which sits high on top of the 60 foot chimney of rock called Deer Shelter Rock. It was built in the early 40's and it was his father who suggested that the house needed to pay for itself and he should charge admissions to see it. The furnishing in the House include oriental art, stained glass, bronze statuary, numerous Bauer and Cobel lamps and a three story bookcase filled with rare books. The last room built on the house is called the Infinity Room and it was opened to the public in 1985. The room projects out over the Wyoming Valley 218 feet and contains 3,264 windows and is 156 feet above the ground (see picture.) Impressive to look at from the outside but not too functional from the inside - but the rest of the house isn't very functional either. It is, however, extremely interesting as it incorporates the rock and trees throughout the house.

Next was the second museum on the House on the Rock property. This museum is made up of several distinct areas. The areas include the Organ Room, the Doll House Building, the Circus Building, a series of galleries with the following collections: Weapons, Oriental, Armor and the Crown Jewels Collection. There is a Doll Carousel Room with two carousels displaying over 500 bisque dolls. One could spend many hours just trying to absorb all that is contained in these areas. Even the bathrooms in one area did not escape use as a place to display items (see picture.)

In the afternoon, we headed to the Frank Lloyd Wright Complex. The complex is made up of four areas containing structures designed by Mr. Wright. They are the Visitor Center, Taliesin (his home), Midway (a series of barns) and Hillside (a boarding school and then it became a studio for Mr. Wright.) Hillside was built in 1902 for two of Mr. Wright's aunts who wanted to run a boarding school. In 1917, they retired and Mr. Wright took the property over building a large studio on it. That studio today is the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. It admits about 25 to 30 students each year - very exclusive!!!

Taliesin is really the third home Mr. Wright had on the property. The first two homes on this spot burned to the ground - one in 1914 by arson and the second in 1925 by lightening. The entire property called Taliesin has 37,000 sq. ft. of space but a major portion of that is a studio and out buildings. The actual house is approx. 3,000 sq. ft. It has a wonderful formal living room that has unbelievable views of the Wyoming Valley. Unlike some of the homes designed by Mr. Wright that we have seen, we felt this was a very warm and inviting home. In typical fashion, they are problems with leaking roofs and shifting foundations. Mr. Wright's structures are known for leaking roofs and his own home was no exception. One item of note is the use of plywood throughout the house. Mr. Wright felt that everything was temporary and would be changed at a later date so there was no need to use expensive building materials. The setting for this home is on the side of a hill which was incorporated into the placement of the structures. Mr. Wright's style of architecture was to incorporate nature into his structures and use local materials. This has become known as organic architecture.

2009-07-19T20:56:00.003-04:00

Sunday (7/19) We left Amana Colonies this morning for Wisconsin. We are staying in the Governor Dodge State Campground for the next four nights. It is a very nice campground that actually has trees and shade and fire pits - we feel like we are really camping.

In the afternoon we went to The House on the Rock. This house was the vision of Alex Jordan who built it as his home. He was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright but they parted ways. This house is Mr. Jordan's crowning jewel just like Falling Waters is Mr. Wright's. We have not toured the house yet, we will do that and the second museum on the property tomorrow. Today we did the first of the two museum.

This museum houses Mr. Jordan's collections of things. Some of the items are a huge fireplace, music boxes, doll collections, victorian Main Street recreated, a car with a heart-shaped tub in it (see picture), 200 model ships, a boat swallowing 200-foot sea creature (see picture) to the world's largest indoor Carousel (see picture.)

The Carousel has 20,000 lights and 269 handcrafted animals and not one of them a horse. The Carousel and the related items are valued at $4.8 million. It is hard to think that this is just one man's collection and this item alone is worth that much.

2009-07-18T23:50:00.003-04:00

Saturday (7/18) Well today is day one of week 14. We cannot believe how fast this trip is going. We spent the day in Amana, IA. The members of the Amana Colonies came from Germany in 1843-44 to get away from religious persecution and economic depression. They lived in New York State prior to establishing the seven villages of the Amana Colonies. They lived a communal life where everyone worked for the good of all the members of the community from 1855 to 1932. The seven villages have been declared a National Historic Landmark. The buildings and the landscape are very quaint and there are many flowers around the home but these wonderful buildings are filled with your typical tourist gift stores. There is a very small museum but beyond that it is all about shopping.

This evening we went to a performance at the Old Creamery Theater in Amana. Today, in the seven villages, events and a certain percentage of all sales in stores is being donated to cancer research. The performance tonight was by the McPunk Bros. and Gregg Brown. The McPunk Bros. played bluegrass and were very enjoyable. Gregg Brown was the headliner and has written songs that have been preformed by Willie Nelson, Michael Jackson, Carlos Santana and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

2009-07-17T23:38:00.002-04:00

Friday (7/17) We left the International T@B Rally this morning for Iowa. It is always so sad when the T@Bbers have to leave and go their separate ways. It was a great rally!!!

We stopped in West Branch where the boyhood home of Herbert Hoover is located. It is a very small town and the only real point of interest is the Federal Park which is comprised of his boyhood home, a few buildings that were there when he lived there and his Presidential Library. The two-room home is a very, very small. This parents both died when he was young and he had to live with various relatives. He was separated from his younger sister and older brother at a young age.

We then continued on to the Amana Colonies in Iowa for a couple of days. We had dinner in Amana at the Ox Yoke Inn which was homestyle and was excellent. After dinner, we went to a play in the Inn called The Queen of Bingo. It takes place in a Catholic Church basement and is extremely funny as the two women who are the main characters set up to play bingo - it looks like they are moving in!!!!! Part of the play includes the audience playing a game of bingo - need I say we did not win.

2009-07-16T23:42:00.003-04:00

Thursday (7/16) We have had a very full day here at the T@B rally. There were a number of seminars and a great deal of information being exchanged. Of issue with a lot of the owners is greasing their "zerk" valves on their brakes. Sue spent a fair amount of time greasing six T@Bs for their owners. She did it until, she ran out of grease in her grease gun.

We had the closing event for the rally at which many prizes were given away. Sue got a bird house that looks exactly like our T@B - very cute! Rich won a dozen cinnamon rolls. It looks like Sue got the better end of that deal.

We leave for Wisconsin in the morning. It will be very sad to leave all our old and new T@B friends. This has just been great fun - so many laughs and so many great memories.

2009-07-16T00:27:00.003-04:00

Tuesday and Wednesday (7/14 & 7/15) We are still at the rally. I know that I always say that T@B people are great, but being around so many of them the last few days, is just a wonderful reminder of that. The resident "gurus" are such a great group of guys (Jeremy, Dale, Bob, Jim, etc.) and an invaluable resource. It is so much fun see all the different solutions for the same idea. Diversity is a wonderful thing.

Today, I conducted a seminar on all the modifications that I have done to our T@B. It was well attended and there was a great deal of discussion. It was fun as I have not done anything like that since I retired.

The variety of T@Bs and screen rooms is unbelievable. Again, diversity is great. I have attached a couple of pictures of some of the T@BS. Ours is the one with the blue screen room and a bit of orange showing. Don't you just love the lime green and turquoise T@B!!!

2009-07-14T00:00:00.002-04:00

Sunday and Monday (7/12 & 7/13) We arrived at the T@B rally in Hillsdale, IL. There are about 50 T@B trailers in attendance. We are having a great time meeting up with old friends and making new friends. All of the last two days have been spent socializing with everyone. It is great fun to see all the modifications that people have done to their T@Bs. Tomorrow seminars begin on everything relating to a T@B. Can't wait to attend!!!!

2009-07-11T20:34:00.002-04:00

Saturday (7/11) We got up and headed to downtown Hannibal. Our first stop was the Mark Twain Interpretive Center. The Mark Twain Complex includes a reproduction of Tom Sawer's home, Mark Twain's boyhood home (see picture), the office where his father practiced law, the drug store of the local doctor, Becky Thatcher's home (currently closed for renovations) and the Mark Twain Museum. All of the buildings focused on Mark Twain's writings as they have very few artifacts.

We took a wagon ride through the streets of Hannibal. The ride was okay be not very informative. We stopped in a very cute ice cream parlor for ice cream. It has a 1950's Crosley car out front for advertisement (see picture.) It was quaint and the ice cream was great.

From there we went to Terrible's Mark Twain Casino in Taylor, IL. We only stayed a little while but that was long enough to loose.

Right now we are in the local Java shop using the free wifi as the signal at the campground is not good. It has been a very relaxing day.

2009-07-11T20:26:00.002-04:00

Friday (7/10) We arrived in Hannibal, MO. We are here to spend a couple of days seeing sites related to Samuel Clemens better known as Mark Twain.

We drove west from Sringfield, IL and stopped in a small town that was having a festival in the town square. The event was Pig Days. Rich waited on line quite a while for a butterflied pork chop which he said was very good.

We checked into the campground at a reasonable hour and got set up. Then back into Hannibal to get some dinner. Hannibal has a prospect league baseball team called the Cavemen who were playing that evening. We went to the game and had dinner in the park. It was a great evening for the game. The couple next to us starting talking to us and we spent the entire game chatting. They lived in Quincy, IL and are corn and soybean farmers. What an added bonus to the game to visit with such nice people.

2009-07-10T16:18:00.004-04:00

Thursday (7/9) This is our last day in Springfield, IL. We spent the morning at the State Capitol. It was begun in 1868 and finished in 1877 at a cost of $4.5 million and we can see why. It is perhaps the most ornate of all the capitols we have been in. It has a painting of the indians and the early settlers painted right on a wall that is 20 ft wide by 50 ft high and is in excellent condition (see picture.) There are many bronze statues and frescos of famous people and events in Illinois history. The exterior has the look of a church rather than a government building and is in the shape of a Greek cross. The inside is beautiful but the outside is in need of a good cleaning.

Our next stop was Lincoln's New Salem Historic Site in New Salem, IL. This small town was started in 1828 and was deserted by 1840. It is significant because Lincoln arrived there in 1831 and stayed six years. During that time he broke into politics and was elected to the Illinois legislature. Lincoln had actually been a partner in a general store in the town (see picture.) Although the actual town is gone, they have one original building and have reconstructed the remaining buildings. This is the town where Lincoln met Ann Rutledge who is suppose to be his first love. She was engaged to someone else and Lincoln pined for her for a few years until her engagement was dissolved. Before Lincoln really had a chance to develop a relationship with her she got sick and died. They say he went into a deep depression after her death.

We had dinner in Petersburg near New Salem at a restaurant that was nothing more from the outside but a cinder block wall with a door in it - not much to look at. If it has not been recommended to us, we never would have gone in. Inside it was a very busy Italian restaurant and we had a great meal at a reasonable price.

We went back to New Salem in the evening for music and a play. There was a pre-play music concert and then a play in the amphitheater. The play was Forever This Land about how the town of New Salem was started and how one man, John Rutledge, struggled to keep it alive. It also focused on Lincoln's role in the town. It was amateur theater and there were about 30 actors who did a very nice job in putting this play on. We really enjoyed it.

2009-07-08T20:41:00.003-04:00

Wednesday (7/8) We ate breakfast out today at a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurant called Charlie Parkers that is know for it's 16 inch pancake. What a hoot - it is served on a pizza pan and only cost $3.95. If you can eat four of them, they are free. Rich and I shared one and left about 40% of it.

We then headed to see the Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site (see picture.) This 12,000 sq. ft. Prairie-style home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902. The radical designed of the home, located in the middle of Victorian and Italianate homes, must have caused quite a stir among the neighbors. It was built for Susan Dana who used it for extensive entertaining from 1904 until 1928. It was sold at auction in 1943 and used as offices by the Thomas Publishing Firm from 1944 until 1980. Then the state acquired it and did a complete restoration. This was not too difficult of a project, since the publishing firm respected the integrity of the building and did little to damage it architectural features. The house rambles on and on and has beautiful architectural features but does not have the feel of a home at all (at least in our opinion.)

Our next stop was the Lincoln Museum and Presidential Library. The museum is fairly new and has many innovative displays that show the life of Lincoln from his childhood until his death. They have a small collection of items actually owned by Lincoln as well as many paper items signed or written by Lincoln. Also, there is a replica of Lincoln's casket as it was laid out in the Capitol Building - kind of erie but also neat.

A few blocks away, is the law office of Lincoln and Heardon. The actual section of the building that the office was in is gone but there is a display showing what the office looked like and it is on the appropriate floor in the remaining section of the building. Lincoln was not a neat man and it is said that his office was a mess. It had piles of paper everywhere and it is said to have had a pile of paper on a desk with a note on it that said "if you can't find it anywhere else, look here."

Our last stop of the days was back to the old Capitol Building. We took a tour of the building and saw the desk where Lincoln sat in the Representatives Chamber. A stovepipe hat sits on the desk (see picture.) He gave his House Divided Speech in that room and that is also the actual room in which his casket was displayed. This is a building in which Lincoln spent much time in many different roles in his life.

2009-07-07T23:03:00.003-04:00

Tuesday (7/7) We had a lazy morning and did not get out until afternoon. We headed right to the Lincoln Home National Historical Site. This is the site of the only home that the Lincoln's ever owned (see picture.) The home has a number of items that belonged to the Lincoln's. When they went to Washington they sold much of their furnishings and the rest they stored with a neighbor. They never came back for it and over the years the people who ended up with it, have given it back to the home. They know what the house looked like because drawings were made of it for one of the publications of the day to dispel the notion that Lincoln was back woods and lived in a log cabin his whole life. This home reflected the finer things of his day.

This National Historical Site is comprised of a four-block square. They have restored or rebuilt the appropriate homes that would have been there in Lincoln's day. If the park service cannot find enough documentation about a home, they have left the lot vacant. This four-block area has a very pleasant feel about it.

The fifth State Capitol is still standing in Springfield. It was used from 1839 to 1876. Lincoln's body lay in state there and was the stage for Lincoln's House Divided Speech in 1858. Lincoln served in the State Legislature from 1834 to 1842, part of that time in this building.

We ate supper at a place called Sammy's. They only reason we did this is because Sue over heard a woman say her son had never had a "horseshoe" and where could they get a good one - the response was Sammy's. A "horseshoe" is an open face sandwich with texas toast, meat of your choice smothered in french fries buried in melted cheese sauce. It is more calories and fat than any one person should have in a day BUT boy is it good. Thanks heavens we shared it.

We were lucky that it was Tuesday because this is the only evening of the week that they do a flag ceremony at Lincoln's Tomb. The 114th Regiment re-enactor's do the ceremony and award to some lucky family the flag that has flown at Lincoln's Tomb for the week. They then open up Lincoln's Tomb so that people can go in in the evening. There is something about looking at the tomb of such a great man that gives you goose bumps (see picture.) Somehow, you feel honored.

2009-07-07T12:28:00.004-04:00

Monday (7/6) Well, today is going to be a shocker. We went to Van City RV in St. Louis and purchased a very small motor home. It is a Class B 2006 Roadtrek RS Adventurous. It has 22,000 miles on it and looks brand new inside and out. It will sleep two and at 22 ft long will be easy to park. It looks like the new UPS trucks except that it is longer. We think that on long trips like this one, life would be easier in it. We will not be picking it up until sometime in Sept.

For all our T@B friends, the T@Brific is going nowhere - we will keep her and use her mostly in the summer to go to rallies and camp with our other T@B friends including Sandy and John Lubowitz, our T@B neighbors. Sue is not prepared to let her "doll house" go.

On to our next city - Springfield, IL. We arrived late in the afternoon and went to a Springfield Sliders baseball game. This is a prospect league and the players have to have one year of college baseball under their belt to play in it. The manager is Jack Clark, a former major league player. These types of ball parks are fun to go to because they are so family oriented and there are many activities that are cute for the kids.

2009-07-07T11:51:00.003-04:00

Sunday (7/5) We had a very relaxing morning. How nice to sleep in a real bed. With such a great rest we were really up for a bike ride. Nearby, was a section of the Katy Trail and we rode for nine miles ending at a busy biker bar for an outdoor lunch.

Across the street was another bar. This bar had fastened to the ceiling in glass cases mounted squirrels in various poses. One squirrel was golfing, another was dancing with Marilyn Monroe in her white dress, and another group was a band. It was very fun to see and we have no pictures as we forgot our camera - Sorry!!!

We then went along the same area by car and visited a winery. To say the setting was perfect does not do it justice. Just think of an outside deck with an unbelievable view, music, laughter, wine and food and you are close. There are many wineries in this area and most seem to have live music.

Back at Faye and Don's home we grilled salmon for supper and sat out on the deck. What a nice change from the T@B and so nice to be with family.

2009-07-07T11:23:00.002-04:00

Saturday (7/4) We got up and left the campground because we went to stay a couple of days with Rich's cousin. Faye and Don wanted to show us some more of St. Louis.

We went to St. Charles, a quaint historic little town with many very old and well kept buildings. This was the first Capitol of Missouri. It is a great place to walk around, look at buildings and go into nice gift shops.

Right down by the water is the Lewis and Clark Museum. This where the full continent of the Lewis and Clark Expedition started their journey. In the museum are three replica boats of the ones used by Lewis and Clark. Since 2004 was the centennial anniversary of the journey, a group of 320 re-enactors duplicated the trip. There were so many re-enactors because people have to work and they could not take off two years to do the trip start to finish, so many people did little segments of the trip. We spoke to a man who did 95% of the trip and he told about the trip with great enthusiam. It is so fun to see someone who had done "the trip of a lifetime" and just can't contain his excitement. The museum is very small and does not have a lot of artifacts but it does have the re-enactors which was even better.

From there we went right next door to the Ameristar Casino. As usual, Rich won a little and Sue lost. In fact, the combined amount that Sue, Faye and Don lost equaled what Rich won. He was having none of giving our money back even though we tried.

We went back to Faye and Don's house to relax a little before driving to a great vantage point to see fireworks. It was such a pleasant day.

2009-07-04T00:16:00.002-04:00

Friday (7/3) This was a day that Sue has wanted for a long time - a down day - no sight seeing. We were to dedicate the day to looking for a conversion van for taking very long trips in. We had found that this area had a couple of dealers who specialize in what are called Class B Motor homes. Don't let the word motor home fool you - it is really just a long van - not wide and not big. We found a couple we liked.

Well, that took until about 3 pm, so we then went sightseeing!!! We went to the City Museum in St. Louis - the quirkiest museum we have ever seen. What a ball we had being kids again. This museum is loaded with thing to climb on, over, through, around and under - what a blast. There are many things in this museum that are outside and on the roof. Everyone would love this museum - even Bruce!!! It is very hard to describe what this museum is about, so, the best that I can do is give you the email address and urge you to get on and look at it for yourself. www.citymuseum.org If you ever are in St. Louis, put on your knee pads and go to this museum.

2009-07-04T00:11:00.002-04:00

Thursday (7/2) Today, we took our time getting out - we did laundry. We did not have any special plans for today as we visited Rich's cousin and her husband in Wildwood, MO. This cousin is the daughter of Rich's father's brother. They have known each other for 40 years. We had a pleasant day and a wonderful home-cooked meal.

2009-07-02T00:02:00.002-04:00

Wednesday (7/1) Well, today we did something that we have not done yet on this trip - we did NOT take a single picture. To date, we have taken about 7,000 pictures. We spent the morning organizing the car and the T@B. If we don't keep things organized, we will go crazy with so much stuff in such a small space.

In the afternoon, went to visit Rich's cousin Faye and her husband Don. We have not seen her since September of 2007 and we have not seen Don since the day we got married (19 years ago this month.) We spent a good deal of time getting caught up on family and talking about the things we have done on the trip. Tomorrow, they are going to give us the "nickel tour" of the city.

2009-07-01T23:40:00.003-04:00

Tuesday (6/30) We packed up to leave Kansas City, MO, for St. Louis, MO. Along the way, we stopped in Jefferson City to see the State Capitol. That now makes eight capitol buildings on this trip. Just a note of interest, the real name of the city is the City of Jefferson, not Jefferson City. The Capitol Building is really quite beautiful. It has many arches and all of the stucco relief is painted in vibrant colors. After the was built, there was a million dollars left over so the money was used to have several wall paintings done during the 1930s. These paintings are very illustrative of the work and lives of the people of MO. One room in particular has a wrap-around mural that depicts the history of the state from the early 1800s to the 1930s. It is a very real depiction of what was going on in life and as a result of its accuracy, many of the politicians did not like it and butted their cigarettes on the wall in protest. When it became apparent that the mural was not going to be removed, they stopped and the mural was restored.

We continued on to St. Louis arriving late afternoon. This gave us time to set up and head out for a St. Louis Cardinals game. The park is relatively new with an unobstructed view of the field from anywhere in the stadium. It fits very nicely in the downtown area. We especially enjoyed seeing how loyal the fans are - the stadium was a sea of red cardinals shirts - on everyone from one to 90 years of age. When you sit in the stands and look to the outfield, the backdrop is the St. Louis Arch. A really pleasant way to spend an evening.

2009-06-29T23:40:00.003-04:00

Monday (6/29) We got up and gave tours of the T@B. We had planned to get out early but that did not happen as we had visitors from the campground who wanted to see the T@B. That happens to us if we don't get out before people get up and get going.

After the T@B tours, we headed straight to the Harley Davidson factory . During the Harley tour we saw that a great deal of the work is being done by robots and yet they still employ 1,000 people. All of the motorcycles are built to order. They do not have a warehouse. As soon as a motorcycle is completed it is labeled for shipment. Harley Davidson has been around since 1903. The nickname "hogs" came from a racing team in the 1920s that raced Harleys. They had as their mascot a hog and when they one a race they took a victory lap with the hog on the motorcycle. The association with the hog stuck and the motorcycles became known as hogs.

From there we went north to St. Josephs to see the home of the Pony Express. The Pony Express promised to deliver mail from St. Josephs, MO, to Sacramento, CA, in ten days. They delivered on their promise but it was very costly. A half-ounce letter cost $5 to send in 1860 money. That is the equivalent of $200 in today's money. Although they did what they contracted with the government to do and they had a million dollar contract with the government, they went broke. Eighteen months after it was started, the telegraph was connected all they way to California and the Pony Express just became too costly when competing with the telegraph. There were 80 riders, 200 stable keepers and 500 horses - a very expensive operation.

Also in town, is the home where Jessie James was shot by one of his gang and the Patee Hotel.

The home still has the hole in the wall where a shot was fired at his head. Blood had gotten on the floor where he fell and over the years people have chipped away pieces of the floor as souvenirs leaving a large indentation in the floor. The Patee Hotel was known as the World Hotel because it was the nicest accommodations anywhere in the region. This is where Mrs. James was taken for questioning after her husband's death. It is now a museum that is filled with local artifacts.

It was a beautiful evening and we went to a Kansas City Royals game against the Minneapolis Twins. It is a lovely park which looks new but is really an older park that has been updated. There was a crowd of about 20,000 of which we think half were Twins fans. We could not believe how many Twins fans were at the Royals stadium. It was a great game and when we left the Royals were leading 3 - 0.

2009-06-28T21:53:00.003-04:00

Sunday (6/28) Well, the weather is much better - only in the 80s. We made our first stop the home of Harry and Bess Truman in Independence, MO. This is the only home that the Truman's every lived in. It was built by Bess' grandfather in the 1850s and then he doubled the size of the house in 1885. The Truman's never changed anything except paint and wallpaper. This modest home is comfortable and unpretentious. He truly was a humble man who loved his hometown.

We went to the Crown Center which is a development around the Hallmark Headquarters in Kansas City. The Center is the vision of the Hallmark Corporation as a means of giving back to the community. It includes many acres of commercial and public space all designed to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Kansas City. One of the large public areas has many fountains - most of which were full of kids today. There is a model of the entire complex which is not yet complete but when it is will be a real "crown" jewel for the city.

We ate lunch in one of the many eateries in the Crown Center. It was called Fritz's and they served hamburgers - nothing special about that! Well, it was special because you ordered your food by phone and your food was delivered by train. They have a train system that runs around the edge of the ceiling and when the train gets to your table, it drops your food box onto a platform that lowers the food to your table. It was great fun watching how excited the kids in the place got when the train came to their table with the food.

Also at the Crown Center was a traveling exhibit called The Art of the Brick by Nathan Sawaya. It included more than 30 amazing works of art created solely from Lego bricks. Many were of life-like human beings. An interesting one was of a man pulling his chest open with all the Legos falling out.

The Toy and Miniature Museum started by two women who had collected toys and miniatures was our next stop. This 33,000 sq. ft. facility has a collection of the highest quality miniatures imaginable. Many of miniature pieces of wood furniture were about an inch high and had working drawers, handles and locks. The wood finishes were just beautiful. The toys included dolls, dollhouses, trains, planes, cars, marbles and much more. The variety and quantity of items was mind boggling. There were a million marbles!

We then went to see a fountain that we had passed earlier and came upon a VERY upscale shopping district. All of the buildings in the area were of Spanish influence and there were flowers everywhere. It was fun to walk around and look at everything. We also made a stop at the Union Station. This old train station has been renovated and has restaurants and movie theaters. The work in the ceiling of the station was just amazing.

We were on our way back to the campground and decided to see where the Harry Truman Library was because we are going there tomorrow. When we got there a free outdoor music concert celebrating our Country's Independence was going on. We listened for a while and then headed home. It has been a very full day.

2009-06-28T00:20:00.003-04:00

Saturday (6/27) We are in the capital of Kansas - Topeka. We went to the Capitol Building this morning for a tour. Yes, Rich has a thing for State Capitols. The tour on Saturday is not of the whole building but of the dome only. So we joined the group to climb the 296 steps to the top of the dome and to go out on the dome and get a view of the city. Well, we almost made it. The last 75 steps or so were a staircase suspended from the very top of the dome with the last 20 steps or so making up a spiral stair case leading out onto the outside of the dome. We both stopped just before the last 95 steps. It was just too steep and too suspended for us. We kind of regret not doing it but at the time, it just didn't feel right. We ended up getting a complete tour of the capitol because there was a group of ten women there who had connections. One worked in the capitol and one other was a former legislator. These ten women get together once a year and have an outing. They have been friends since they were all in the same Brownie Troop. It was us and them and they were very gracious to us.

We then went to the Kansas Museum of History. This was a very nice museum outlining Kansas history from prehistoric times to today. They did have a fairly large exhibit about Abraham Lincoln and Kansas. The whole exhibit was about "Lincoln and his tie to Kansas" which was based solely on the ONE visit to Kansas he made prior to becoming president. It was interesting to see how they had to stretch everything just to make the connection and make an exhibit out of it. It just goes to show - everyone wants their piece of the pie!!!

Again today, it was very hot - in the high 90s. So we decided some dessert (something involving ice cream) was in order. We went to Bobo's Drive In for apple pie ala mode. They have been serving apple pie to the residents of Topeka for over 60 years and they were featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It was excellent and the place was adorable. It had three table and a horse-shoe counter plus drive-up service. It was just fun to go there.

2009-06-26T23:21:00.002-04:00

Friday (6/26) We started our day in Abilene, KS. The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum is there. The Eisenhower Family moved there shortly after Dwight was born and he lived there until he left for the West Point Academy in New York State. He had made a pack with his older brother to work while his brother went to college and then his brother would work while Dwight went to college as they could not afford to have two in college at once and they needed to work to help pay for the college cost. Well, after his brother had completed two years of college, Dwight was nominated for a military education and got it. So he got to go to college at the same time as his brother. He was one of seven boys. One died in infancy and the remaining six all became successful professionals. This was quite a feat for a poor family at the turn of the century. The Eisenhower complex also has the home that he lived in for all of teenage years. There were many pictures of him as a teenager competing in sports. He was very talented even as a young man.

We then went to Wamego, KS. Now I know that you are wondering WHY? It is really quite simple - Sue loves the movies - The Wizard of Oz. Okay, you are still saying WHY? Well, the Oz Museum is there. They have over 2,000 OZ artifacts and a very detailed account as to how the book became a movie. The book was actually written in 1899 and there were three silent movies made of it as well as several play versions in the early 1900s. It was not until the 1930's that the movie we all know with Judy Garland was made and as they say "the rest is history." I did not know that there are several books in the OZ Series. Many of the actors were not the first choice for the various parts and they even thought about Shirley Temple for the part of Dorothy. It was a very quaint little town and we enjoyed the whole experience very much.

In the evening we drove in to see the Capitol Building. We know that we will be unable to tour this Capitol but we wanted to see the outside of it anyway.

We are spending tonight in Topeka, KS, which is the Capitol.

2009-06-25T21:28:00.002-04:00

Thursday (6/25) Hello everyone! Last night was very interesting as we had a SEVERE thunder storm around 9:30. The wind blew like crazy and there was small hail. We happen to be in the camp facility doing laundry when it hit. Boy, were we glad we were not in the T@B. I am sure that it was rocking pretty good. It only lasted about 30 minutes but it sure was scary. No damage to the car or T@B.

We can't believe how quickly this trip is going. We are busy every day and still cannot get to see all the things we would like to. This morning we went to the Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History. We seem to be doing far more museums than we planned, but when they are so highly recommended, we feel we must see them. Most of the museum that we are seeing are of local culture so each is different and interesting. This museum was no exception, it has great displays with informative local information. One of the most interesting was the display on an item invented in Hastings - Kool-Aid. It included the entire life of the inventor of Kool-Aid and a great display of Kool-Aid related items. I never knew there was that much to know about Kool-Aid.

We then headed to Kansas stopping in Red Cloud, the childhood home of Pulitzer Prize winning author Willa Cather. She wrote 12 books after leaving Red Cloud. Many of the books were based on her experiences growing up in Red Cloud. She often used the real names of people in the town, but gave them a character that was not at all like them. In fact, many very nice people were portrayed in her books as bad people. This did not set well with the people of Red Cloud. Today, those people are gone and the town celebrates its famous author.

From there we went to the Geographic Center of the USA - the center of the 48 states as determined by the government geodetic survey of 1898. It is a spot out in the middle of nowhere in Kansas. When standing there, you can truly say you are in middle-America. It wasn't much but it is one of those things "you just have to do!"

We then headed to Abilene, KS for the evening. We will be moving again in the morning because the things that we want to do are very spread out in this state.

2009-06-24T22:54:00.002-04:00

Wednesday (6/24) We went to the Harold Warp Pioneer Village in Minden, NE. I don't know how to describe this museum that was founded in 1953 except to say they have a collection of everything - it was amazing. The museum shows the progress in the Plains since 1830. There were more than 50,000 items from every field of human endeavor in 28 buildings on 20 acres. All of these items are placed in chronological order of development. There were room settings from the 1830s, 1860s, 1890s, 1910s, 1930s, and 1950s showing the progress made in those time periods. There were collections of everything from cars to pencils. We could have spent all day there seeing it all.

Then on to the Great Platte River Road Archway and Monument. This is an archway that is build over Route 80 near Kearney, NE. Inside they show eight stories that span the distance where trappers, pioneers, the 49ers and the Pony Express once passed through. It is a unique monument that brings to life the difficulties encountered by the pioneers.

Our last stop of the day was the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, NE. This museum also shows the life of the pioneer but through the recreation of an 1899 railroad town containing 24 buildings. You can see interpreters in 1890's attire and performing daily duties in the 1890s way. Along with the town there are many other buildings including a Pawnee Earth Lodge, the Taylor Ranch and an 1893 Farmstead. This is a very nice museum that cover a wide spectrum of learning opportunities.

2009-06-23T23:15:00.003-04:00

Tuesday (6/23) We went to the Strategic Air and Space Museum which has about 50 planes from WWII and forward. The diamond of the collection is the SR-71 Reconnaissance plane. This plane travels so fast and creates so much heat that it is made out of 80% titanium and 20% black high-heat intensity paint. It can reach a speed of Mach III and fly 80,000 feet high. None of the planes were airworthy and most were on loan from the military. The museum relies very heavily on volunteers and it is very obvious that the volunteers love being around these planes.

From there we drove to Lincoln, NE, which is the capitol. We visited The Museum of Nebraska History. There was a special exhibit "What Did You Do in the War? Nebraskans in WWII" The exhibit included an extensive collection of personal recollections, letters, military clothing, photos, and everyday items of the period. Seeing all those personal artifacts that these people had saved all these years and now were sharing with others gave a high level of intimacy to the exhibit. The balance of the museum was dedicated to the history of Nebraska since becoming a state.

We then walked over to the State Capitol Building. Built in the from 1922 to 1932 at a cost of nine million dollars. It is full of mosaic tile artwork and many vaulted ceilings. There is symbolism throughout the entire building. There were sections of the art work that were not completed until the 1960s because they stopped the art work in the building in the 1930s due to the depression. Sometimes a tour is just a tour, but this tour was given by a young man who knew this building inside and out - he really added to the experience.

We have now moved on to Grand Island, NE, which is further west for a couple of days. There are numerous attractions we want to see in this area.

2009-06-22T19:30:00.002-04:00

Monday (6/22) We went to the Harry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. This zoo was recommended by 1,000 Places and AAA as a gem. Well they were right it is a world class zoo. We were there about four and one-half hours and easily could have spent another 2 hours if it had not been for the 99 degree heat. They have a Desert Dome and Kingdoms of the Night building that cost $33 millions dollars to build and has three desert climates in it as well as an exhibit of nocturnal animals in its lower level. This is just one of the exhibit buildings and it was fabulous. We also spent a fair amount of time in the Scott Aquarium which was very interesting. The remainder of the zoo was also nice but outdoors - guess what - too hot to spend too much time viewing it.

This zoo is right next to the Rosenblatt Stadium where the first game of the final series for the Men's College World Series is being held this evening. So, not only was there a zoo in the zoo, there was a zoo outside of it. LSU is play a Texas team and we have to say, the LSU fans outnumber the Texas fans about 10 to one.

We went into the city to see the birthplace of President Gerald Ford. The home is no longer there but model of it is and there are beautiful gardens that you can walk in.

We then visited an Apple Store to see if my picture problem could be resolved. Guess what - it worked perfectly in the store - isn't that enough to make you scream!!! Hopefully, I will be able to post pictures from now on - keep your fingers crossed!!!

2009-06-21T21:03:00.002-04:00

Sunday (6/21) We got up with all intensions of doing a several of things today but after giving many tours of the T@B, we realized out entire morning was gone.

We headed out to Big Mama's Kitchen. This is a restaurant in an old school cafeteria that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The food was great BUT the sweet potato pudding was to die for!!! They also had sweet potato ice cream that was very good. It is not an easy place to find and I am sure that it is one of those places that if you live here you just know where it is and you go there for great food.

We then went to the Omaha Botanical Gardens. They were having Railroad Days and there were many train "villages" set up and running. The gardens were very busy but we were able to see many beautiful flowers and plants. We took a narrated tram ride through the 100 acres of gardens.

This area is very busy as the College World Series of Baseball is taking place here now. We tried to get tickets but were not able to. We will try again tomorrow.

Then we went on a wifi search. The campground does not have wifi, so we are in a Panera doing this blogging. They are about to close the doors, so we will sign off for now. We hope to get to an Apple store tomorrow and see if we can resolve our picture posting problem.

2009-06-21T20:56:00.002-04:00

Saturday (6/20) We got up and went to the Corn Palace in Mitchell. This is a building built in the 1890s with the ultimate intension of drawing tourist. The current building is actually the third Corn Palace. When it was started it was so successful, they knew right away they needed a bigger building. Since then, they have built an even larger one. Each year they decorate the outside of the building with a new theme and use 12 different colors of corn. It cost $150,000 to completely re-decorate the outside of the building each year.

Also in Mitchell is the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village. This is a dig site where they have found millions of pieces of artifacts relating to the Indians. They have many illustrative displays and you can actually see the site that they are digging in.

We drove to Omaha that evening and we will be spending a few days there.

2009-06-21T20:14:00.002-04:00

Friday (6/19) We left Rapid City, SD for Mitchell, SD. Along our way we just had to stop at one of the most famous tourist traps there is, Wall Drug, Wall, SD. This "drug store" has been there years and has made itself a tourist destination through creative road-side advertising. The store takes up an entire city block . We got there and followed the signs for bus and RV parking. There must have been 50 RVs parked. The store was packed and they have created a "Disneyesque" feeling to the place. We had a nice lunch and then we looked around at all the typical tourist stuff.

We then took the scenic drive through Badlands National Park. Once again, we are seeing beautiful landscape that is so different from what we have already seen. The Badlands show the various layers of sediment that make up the peaks and valleys. They look as though someone painted strips on them. The Badlands are surrounded by flatlands known as the Prairie. The Prairie has with its vast areas of flat grazing land has such a different look from the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

We spend the night in Mitchell, SD. It was really funny, we stayed at "Camp Wal-Mart." There were 19 campers and 3 tractor trailers parked for the night in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

2009-06-19T02:39:00.002-04:00

Thursday (6/18) We are still in Rapid City. We headed south to Hill City to the Wade Gold Mine Mill. This is a gold mining operation started in 1979 as the retirement project of Les and Idella Wade. It was Mr. Wade's lifelong dream to build a gold mining operation. Most all of the mining equipment is made from parts of other equipment (e.g. cars, steam engines, etc.) If a piece of needed equipment that could be purchase but was expensive, Mr. Wade just made it. Mining for gold is extremely labor intensive and a multi-layered process. It looks like an awful lot of work for a very little reward. They pulverize one ton of stone to get one quarter to one half ounce of gold.

From there we headed north to Deadwood, SD, a gold-rush boomtown. In the late 1800s it was a haven for gunfighters and gamblers like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. Wild Bill Hickok was killed there in 1876. It looks very much the same as it did in 1879. They have any re-enactments of various gun fights several times during the day. Today, it is the home of 80 victorian style gambling halls. We went to Adams Museum which has a vast collections of artifacts from the late 1800's many of which relate to some of its more famous residents.

2009-06-19T01:29:00.001-04:00

Wednesday (6/17) We are in Rapid City, SD. We went to see Mt. Rushmore National Park in the morning. The carvings in the side of the mountain designed by sculptor Gutzon Borglum in 1927. It took 17 years, 400 men and the influence of several politicians to get it accomplished. Each face is 60 feet high and each one faces a different direction.

We then took the Needles Highway Scenic Drive through Custer State Park. It is called the needles because the rock formations look like spires or needles. The drive have many scenic spots where you just have to stop and take a picture.

Just south of the park is Wind Cave in the Black Hills. The cave 28,000 acres and has more than 125 miles of surveyed passageways. The cave was discovered in the late 1800's and is the fourth longest in the world.

Further south in Hot Springs is the Mammoth Site. The indoor excavation site features the fossils of 55 Columbian and woolly mammoths, bears and wolves became trapped 26,000 years ago. They have been excavating this site for many years and they have a back log of dirt they have removed going all the way back to the 1970s.

We did not want to miss the lighting of Mt. Rushmore so we went back to the park at 9 pm and were there for the lighting ceremonies. The faces look totally different at night.

2009-06-17T02:00:00.003-04:00

Tuesday (6/16) We started the day in Sheridan, WY. We spent the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot which looked like a camp ground. There were 14 campers in the parking lot.

We went to the Bradford Brinton Museum and Memorial which is located in small country community of Big Horn, just outside of Sheridan, in the ranch home Mr. Brinton purchased in 1923. This ranch home sits in the middle of a wild life preserve and is beautifully landscaped. Mr. Brinton was an eclectic collector of art and Indian artifacts. His collection included an Abraham Lincoln letter, a document signed by George Washington, art works of painters such as Frederick Remington, Charles Russell, Picasso, Edward Hopper, George Bellows and many more. It was definitely worth the drive to see it.

From there we headed east to Devils Tower National Monument. This was the first national monument in the U.S. It is actually the core of a volcano exposed after millions of years of erosion by water and the weather. The tower is a rock structure that is 865 ft high and there is a path around the base of it that is 1.3 miles long. We walked around the base of it which took about 45 minutes. The tower looks like it has columns all around it.

We had dinner in Sturgis, SD, which is the site of a major motorcycle rally each year. After we finished our dinner, a couple said to us, "Are you the people with that cute trailer?" It turns out, that they drove by the restaurant and saw our T@B. Turned around and ate dinner there just so they could talk to us. We gave them a tour and some information. As we left them, the woman said, "I am going to buy one just as soon as I can find one." It was kind of fun!

2009-06-16T00:02:00.002-04:00

Monday (6/15). We left Cody, WY, for Little Big Horn, Montana. Other than meeting up in the Grand Tetons with Tom and Juliet and their T@B, we have not seen any T@Bs. Today, we saw TWO!!!!! One along the road and the other when we got to Little Big Horn. It parked in the only spot available which was right behind us. It was very funny, we went to leave and there was our silver and orange T@B with a silver and orange T@B right behind it. Of course, we spoke to them for a while.

At Little Big Horn, the site of Custer's Last Stand, it rained. So, we took a very quick look in the rain at the place where Custer died and then made a mad dash for the visitor center as it was lightening. The visitor center has a small museum and a film that outlines the battle.

We then drove to Sheridan, WY. We will spend the night here and do a little sightseeing before heading to South Dakota.

2009-06-15T23:36:00.002-04:00

Sunday (6/14) We are still in Cody. There are so many things to do, it is hard to decide what to do next. We went to Old Trail Town which recreates a mid-to late 1800s town. It really is authentic looking and has about 30 period buildings including the cabin used by Butch Cassidy and the Hole in the Wall Gang , the hunting cabin of Curly, a famous indian scout that served with Custer, and an actual saloon. There are thousands of artifacts on display in a very natural setting making it feel like you are actually in the late 1800s.

Another interesting exhibit was a miniature display containing 7,000 figures depicting a timeline of the conflicts with the plains indians in the 1800s. This housed in a gift store (I can't remember the name) and is free to see. They also have an extensive collection of artifacts on display.

In the afternoon, we went back to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. To really view this museum, you would have to spend at least two full days. We started in the firearms section which displays a timeline of the development of guns. It is difficult to say that a gun is beautiful, but you have to appreciate the workmanship and quality materials used to make these guns. There were several thousand revolvers and rifles on display as well as mounted bears, elk, moose, bobcats, etc.

The last section to view was the Buffalo Bill Cody (BBC) section. The fifth section, the Whitney Art section was closed for renovations. The Buffalo Bill Cody section traced his life from childhood to his death. The museum has a treasure trove of items belonging to BBC. All of it was very interesting but most colorful were the posters used to advertise his wild west show. His show employed up to 600 people and performed all over the world including many special performances for royalty.

This evening we went to the Cody Cattle Company show. This show included an indian dancer, a western comedian, dinner and a cowboy music review. The show has only been open two weeks but was very good. The food was excellent and was an all you-can-eat affair. We met a couple from Australia and spent a very pleasant evening visiting with them.

2009-06-15T23:16:00.002-04:00

Saturday (6/13) We got up and headed to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. This museum center has five unique museums within its walls. We went to the Plains Indians section first. This area shows the history of the indians way of life during the 1800s. They have many pristine articles of clothing, moccasins, head dresses, cradle boards, guns, photo graphs of famous indians, etc. There is a life-size display of what a Plains Indian tepee and the area surrounding it would have looked like.

We then went a special exhibit of painting done in the last ten years that portray sights that were noted in the diaries of Lewis and Clark. The painter read all the materials available and then went to the actual places noted, and painted them as he felt they would have looked in the early 1800s. There were 100 of these painting which brought to life the words from the diaries.

We wanted to see the downtown area of Cody. We walked the main street, Sheridan Street, and went into many of the western shops. We actually looked at a custom pair of cowboy boots that were ONLY $7,000. I never realized how expensive all that western gear was. A good pair of cowboy boots run anywhere from $700 to $1,500 for an off -the-shelf pair.

On Sheridan Street, is the Irma Hotel built in 1902. This was a favorite place of Buffalo Bill. He had performed for the Queen of England and as a thank you gift, she gave him the wooden carved bar that is in the hotel. Each evening, they re-enact a shoot out in front of the hotel. It was very fun and drew a large crowd. We ate dinner at the Irma and then went to the Dan Miller Cowboy Music Review across the street.

The review is in an old theater that still has its art deco decor. The show has three performer and one guest performer - Dan's eleven-year-old daughter who plays the fiddle. There were about 50 people in the audience and Dan came around before the show and spoke to each person. It was an intimate show and the music was wonderful.

2009-06-15T23:03:00.002-04:00

Friday (6/12) We headed out west to tour the western side of the southern loop. Along the way we stopped at the many geysers. I know it seems like a lot of geysers, but they are all so different and unique. So many different colors, shapes, sounds and smells - each is a new experience. We wanted to see Old Faithful again because the day we say it the weather was very overcast. Well, it was overcast again but not as bad. Old Faithful performed beautifully and we saw how spectacular that geyser really is.

It is now time for us to leave the park and head to Cody, WY. We wished that we could stay several more days and do some hiking, but we must move on. Leaving the park, we descended several thousand feet along some very narrow roads. We were both happy when we reached the bottom and the T@B was still behind us. Along the way, we saw Buffalo Bills first hunting cabin.

We arrived in Cody late in the afternoon and checked into a camp ground. The folks at the campground were very helpful and recommended that we see the rodeo, among other things. Since this was the second time it had been recommended to us, we went. It was a very good show but both Rich and I came to the conclusion that those rodeo guys all are certifiable. We had great seats that afforded us a view of all the rodeo riders getting ready to participate in their events. Watching them physic themselves for their events was very interesting. Just how does one get ready to be thrown by a bull or a bronco??????

2009-06-15T22:25:00.002-04:00

Thursday (6/11) Well, I am having technical difficulties with pictures. Unless, I can figure something out, there will be no pictures until I get to an Apple store and get some help. I am so sorry about that. I guess the 8,000 pictures (yes, there are 8,000 pictures on my computer) are giving my computer a headache and it won't cooperate with me anymore.

We spent last night in a cabin at Yelllowstone Lake - so nice to have real bed. We got up and headed west across the middle of the park to the Norris Geyser Basin. There we saw the Steamboat Geyser which erupts every four days to 50 years - we decided not to wait for it to erupt.

In the park is a Ranger Museum which outlines how the rangers came to be. In the beginning, the parks were under the control of the military. About 1916, the parks were turned totally over to the rangers, many of them were formerly caretakers of the park as military men. It was a male dominated organization for many years. Females were finally admitted but not as full rangers. It is only in recent times, that females have equivalent rolls as park rangers.

We then headed north along the western side of the northern loop, stopping along the way to see the major points of interest. We stopped for lunch at Mammoth Hot Springs. This area of geysers is very interesting as the geysers have created terraces made of mineral deposits. The eruptions deposit two tons of limestone a day onto the terraces. Mammoth Hot Springs is a small "town" and it has many tourist cabins. In the middle of a group of cabins was a common area of lawn. This common areas was inhabited with about six elk and one bison - right in the middle of town. There were people all around them and they didn't seem to care at all. The bison walked right by me as I was taking pictures - I could have reached out and touched him as he stopped to itch his chin on a fire hydrant.

We then progressed along the top of the loop stopping at the petrified tree. This tree (stone) is approx. 20 feet tall and is millions of years old. There used to be three of them but there is only one left as a result of visitors taking home pieces of them as souvenirs. The remaining tree is enclosed in a 12 foot high fence to protect it.

We stopped at Roosevelt Lodge which was a favorite place of Teddy Roosevelt. It is a very rustic area that does not seem to have been built up for tourist. There are cabins that are absolutely bare bones - kind of neat! The lodge itself has all the rustic charm one could stand.

We continued on down stopping at all the wonderful points of interest. I could go on and on about how beautiful the scenery is, but I am sure it would get boring. Just let me say that each turn in the road presents a new and wonderful vision for your eyes to feast on.

Between Tower Falls and Canyon Village, we had a treat - off in the distance was a grizzly bear. We watched as he came down the hill, crossed a stream, came near a bison and then headed off up the hill again. There was a single elk which usually means she has a baby in the area. She watched that bear and paced around and around. She finally settled down as the bear headed in the opposite direction.

The highlight of the day (for Sue anyway) was the snowshoe rabbit we saw. We actually got within a couple of feet of him before he left. Sorry to say, no pictures as our camera batteries had died.

2009-06-13T18:59:00.002-04:00

Wednesday (6/10) We got up very early to look for bear and moose. We went to a couple of "hot spots" and didn't see anything. Last ditch effort was the Jackson Lodge site. There, right from the patio, we saw a grizzly bear. It was a sad sighting as the grizzly was there because there were elk babies in the area and the grizzly bear got one. We know this is nature, but we would rather have not experienced a bear that way.

Packed up and headed for Yellowstone. Last Sunday, we had cancelled our reservations inat Yellowstone because of predictions of continuing snow and we both felt bad about it. As it turns out, there was no where near the snow predicted and we were able to rent a cabin at Yellowstone Lake for two nights. Yes, a real bed and our own bathroom for two whole days - heaven!!!

We left Grand Tetons early and we were able to do the eastern part of the southern loop of Yellowstone. We stopped at the West Thumb Geyser Basin, Mud Volcano and Canyon Village. Along the road were numerous bison and some were so close that we could have reached out and touched them from our car (we didn't). We took numerous picture of the bison and their adorable babies. The geysers are so unique - the colors, smells, sizes, shapes, noises and activity are endless. You could stand and watch them for hours. The smell is the most lasting memory - they smell like rotten eggs!!!

We ate supper in the Canyon Village Restaurant and has bison pot roast with creamed cauliflower. The meal was excellent and Rich had huckleberry ice cream, a local favorite, for dessert.

2009-06-09T18:17:00.004-04:00

Tuesday (6/9) We spent the day in the Colter Bay area. Early in the morning we went looking for wildlife. Our real goal was to see a moose and a bear. We did not have any luck but we did see some other animals. There are actually pelicans in the park and you can see them on most of the bodies of water (see picture.) The most abundant large animal is the elk and they are everywhere (see picture.) We were out looking for about two and one-half hours and the only thing we got was a VERY muddy car.

The rest of the morning was spent with laundry and cleaning the T@B after spending three days in that awful campground over the weekend.

Today is the first day here that it has been warm (mid 50s) and there has been no real rain. For the first time, we have been able to see the tops of the Tetons - they really do exist!!! It is a magnificent sight and we can understand why some people choose to live here and look at them everyday (see picture.)

In the afternoon, we went to the Indian Museum in the Colter Bay Visitor Center. The entire collection in the museum belonged to one man and it was purchased by Laurance S. Rockefeller and donated to the Grand Tetons National Park. Most of the items in the museum were in excellent condition due to the level of quality that had been collected.

In the evening we went to the ranger talks again. Each evening they have different talks and they have been very informative. We are enjoying learning more about the park and the animals that live here.

2009-06-09T17:40:00.003-04:00

Monday (6/8) Our plan to scrape Yellowstone did not set well with either of us. We each had come up with a Plan B so that we could still get to Yellowstone despite the weather. We checked into a campground in Colter Bay in the Grand Tetons in the morning.

In the afternoon, we drove up to Yellowstone to see Old Faithful. It was our good luck that it went off ten minutes after we got there and five minutes after that, the hail and snow began. Given that the weather was getting pretty bad and the temperature was 32 degrees, we turned around and drove back to Colter Bay. We we got back there, the sun was shinning and it was nice. It seems that this area has its own weather system - nice one minute and hail and snow the next.

We drove around the campground looking for Juliet and Tom, a couple from Connecticut, and their T@B. They are new owners and are on a five-week trip. We met them at the evening ranger talk and visited for some time after the talk. It was a very pleasant evening.

2009-06-08T01:57:00.003-04:00

Sunday (6/7) Well, today was interesting. We headed for the Colter Bay Visitor Center in the SNOW. Yes, it was snowing and there is fresh snow on the mountains (see picture.) At the center, a ranger was giving a briefing about the weather. She said that Yellowstone was due to get two to 11 inches of snow and a good share of the park roads were closed. Rangers at Yellowstone were turning away anyone who did not have snow tires. Since we were due to stay in Yellowstone for Monday through Wednesday we decided we better look into this weather further. The long range forecast was for snow showers right through Friday. Since we have no snow tires on either the car or the T@B, we cancelled our reservations. We are very disappointed but feel it would not be good to get into Yellowstone and then have some major snow without snow tires. So, our plans have changed and we will be heading to Cody, WY on Monday.

Once that was settled, we headed out to see some more of the Grand Tetons park. Driving through the park, we saw the same animals as yesterday - still no bear or moose!!! We did get a good look at some pronghorn (see picture.)

The Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve is a new "green" preserve at the southern end of the park. A state of the art facility totally in tune with nature. It's exhibits are designed to make you relax and get in touch with nature. We took about a mile hike and did not see animals except a squirrel.

We spent a little time in the Jackson Lake Lodge. This is suppose to be a prime spot to see moose and bear. Well, again no luck.

In the evening we went to the Colter Bay Visitor Center to two more ranger talks. This ranger was young and in his second season at the park. He spoke about beavers first. Boy, was he knowledgeable and interesting, especially for the younger kids. The second talk was on elk, wolves and bears. He explained how they each were families and how they interacted with one another in the parks ecosystem. Again, this is a man who loves his job.

2009-06-08T01:35:00.003-04:00

Saturday (6/6) We are in the Grand Tetons and the visibility is very low as it rainy. Driving through the park we are unable to see the peaks of the teton range but the view with the snow on the mountains and the clouds sitting right on the mountain is spectacular (see picture.) We were on the look out for animals and saw elk, pronghorns, buffalo, pelicans and many birds. The bear and the moose are not ready for us to see them yet - I guess they are shy but we will keep looking.

We went down to Jackson in the late afternoon. We have always heard of Jackson and Jackson Hole but didn't know if they were the same or different. Well, Jackson is the town and Jackson Hole is the valley- now we know!! Jackson is definitely for tourist with many expensive shops and a great deal of art work for sale. You could buy all the expensive cowboy hats and boots you would every want.

We had dinner at the Silver Dollar Bar and Grill in the historic Wort Hotel. The bar got its name for the 2032 Morgan silver dollars that are imbedded in the bar top. The Wort Hotel opened in 1941. It was a dream of the Wort family to build a luxury hotel in downtown Jackson and they did (see picture.) Many famous people have stayed there.

In the evening we went to the Colter Bay Visitor Center for two talks by a park ranger. Both talks were very informative and interesting. The ranger who gave the talks has worked at this park for over 30 years and it was evident that he just loves it.

2009-06-06T00:28:00.003-04:00

Friday (6/5) We left Idaho Falls, ID for the Grand Tetons, WY. Before we left, we went to the Museum of Idaho to see a traveling exhibit about the Titanic. The exhibit included many personal items from passengers on the ship. Salvaged items included a suit of clothing that was completely in tact, a pair of cotton gloves, glass vases, dishes, many leather items and even paper items. Most of the paper items were found inside of leather pouches. The leather in those days was treated with a wax substance and it is believed that is what kept the paper in such good condition. We were given a "Boarding Pass" when we entered the museum. It contained the personal information about a passenger on the Titanic. At the end of the exhibit you could look and see if that person survived. It was a unique way to make the exhibit more personal.

We left Idaho Falls in the afternoon. The landscape along the way was just breath taking - REALLY. It included lush green trees, green mountains, lakes, rivers and snow capped mountains (see pictures.) Pictures cannot do the scenery justice.

We arrived at the RV park about 6 pm. It was raining and our site is on the muddy side - Ughhhh!!!!! Our most expensive RV park yet but not the least bit nice. If it weren't for the scenery around it, it would have nothing to offer. Oh well, three days here and then on to Yellowstone.

2009-06-04T23:02:00.002-04:00

Thursday (6/4) First, I am sorry about saying there was a picture in yesterday's post. I had the most wonderful picture of Rich with an Idaho potato but somehow all my pictures from the museum got lost. For some reason, once I compose the blog I am unable to edit it.

Today we went two hours west of Idaho Falls to Craters of the Moon National Monument in Arco, ID (population 1026.) On the way, we went through Butte, ID (population 76.) We are sure when the population changes, they just take a marker and make it 77 or 75 (Ha Ha.) Along the way we saw many potato storage buildings (see picture.) These buildings are somewhat in the ground and have sod roofs. Potatoes can be stored in them for many months without spoiling.

Craters of the Moon was describes in 1923 as "The surface of the moon as seen through a telescope." It has been called "a weird and scenic landscape, peculiar to itself." The craters are of volcanic origin beginning 15,000 years ago. It was just miles and miles of porous black rock with deep splits in the rock where vegetation is slowly growing and surface temperatures can reach 150 degrees. We went down in to the Indian Tunnel which is a lava tube (see picture.) In contrast to the surface, it was dark, cold and wet.

In 1969, NASA's Apollo Astronauts learned about volcanic geology at Craters in preparation for their moon mission. Once on the moon, they found out that the moon's surface was vastly different than the Craters.

Rich and I climbed up the Inferno Cone which is a cinder cone that is formed when volcanic froth that is gas rich erupts high into the air and then piles into a mound. Mound is a bit of an understatement. The Inferno Cone had to be 400 feet high and pretty steep. Once on top, we could see for miles (see picture.)

It was a great day!!!!

2009-06-04T00:07:00.001-04:00

Wednesday (6/3) We are in Idaho Falls, ID. Today has been mostly a down day for us. We took the TAB to a TAB dealer to have the thermostat on our air conditioning replaced. We also lost our outside light cover somewhere in our travels, so that is being replaced too. The Northern Breeze cover was acting up to that was fixed too. So glad to get those things done at a T@B dealer where they know about T@Bs instead of just any RV dealer.

In the afternoon, we went to the Idaho Potato Museum - yeah! - they have a museum for that. It was actually a very small museum but very well done and quite informative. The great big potato (see picture) outside was just a hoot!!! They actually give you a box of hash brown potato mix when you leave.

We went to a casino in Blackfoot, UT. Did very little gambling and only lost our lunch money for the day.

2009-06-03T23:33:00.003-04:00

Tuesday (6/2) We are leaving Salt Lake City today but before we go, we must visit a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurant. The Blue Plate Diner is know for their biscuits and gravy and corn beef hash. We tried both and they were outstanding. A funky place with a great waitress - a fun experience.

Stopped at Antelope Island State Park which is bounded by the waters of the Great Salt Lake. The lake is a remnant of pre-historic Lake Bonnieville which was ocean water. The salt in the bottom of the lake is three to four feet thick. In 1893 a dozen buffalo were introduced to the island and today there are 600 in the herd. There is a lone working ranch on the island that has been there since 1848 and is Utah's oldest Anglo-built structure still standing on its existing foundation. It was very basic and built to feed many ranch hands. There was a chuck wagon there that had as much room as our T@B and just as much character (see picture.) I tried to talk Rich into getting it but he was having none of that! There are sand beaches that are at least 500 feet wide and as clean as can be. A very beautiful place to visit.

Our next stop was Promontory Summit to see the Golden Spike National Historic Site. This site is called "The End of the Frontier" because it is the place where the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads were joined. The last spike made of gold was driven on May 10, 1869. This linked the east and the west and turned a six month journey into a six day journey. The news that the last spike had been driven was sent across the country by telegraph and caused much celebration among the U.S. citizens. The first train to run on the joined tracks was the Jupiter (see picture.) A replica of it performs the historic run many times each day. The driving of the spike is re-enacted each Saturday during the summer.

2009-06-01T22:41:00.002-04:00

Monday (6/1) June 1st!!!!!. Where did April and May go? After all our anticipation of this trip, it will be over before we know it.

I guess we have a thing for state capitols. We visited the Utah State Capitol this morning. It is a lovely domed building built in the early 1900s at a cost of $4 million (see picture.) It had been very neglected and in 2006 they completed a $230 million renovation. It is just beautiful inside, fresh paint, cleaned paintings and it can now withstand an earthquake of 7.5 - pretty impressive. They said that during an earthquake, the building can actually move 24 inches without sustaining any damage - How do they do that??????

Our next stop was the Bingham Canyon Open Pit Copper Mine near Salt Lake City. It is the largest man made "hole" in the earth and can be seen from outer space (see picture.) They have 70 gigantic haulage trucks that can carry 250 to 320 tons of material in a single load. They are as big as a house, have 12 ft. high wheels and cost $3.5 million EACH. They mine about 55,000,000 tons of copper ore and 120,000,000 tons of overburden (the excess soil) each year. It is impressive to see something so large and know that it is man made.

We had some time to kill before going to a baseball game, so we went to the Family History Library (sponsored by the Mormons.) Rich did get a few dates to add to his family tree in the little time that we had there. They have several (approx. 50) computers there for the public's use. It is all free of charge. The library was very busy - there must be something to this family tree stuff. I guess that is why Rich spends so much time doing it - it is infectious.

The Salt Lake Bees were playing again tonight, and one of the KOA Kamp Workers was kind enough to get us free tickets. It was a great night to be there because this is Air Force Week through the Nation and in Salt Lake City. There were three Air Force sponsored recreational vehicles outside the park, an Air Force Band, and many Air Force personnel that you could talk to. Inside they had a four-start general throw out the first pitch, four sky-divers, and a fly by. It was a great night to be at the game.

2009-06-01T00:12:00.002-04:00

Sunday (5/31) Started our day by going to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing. It was just beautiful - three hundred voices and 110 piece orchestra (see picture.) The tabernacle was built in 1847 and the acoustics are amazing. Every one at the tabernacle was so polite and friendly. After that, we took a tour of the flower gardens in Temple Square, the seat of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons.) It is a very large complex with many nice buildings and wonderful flower gardens. A very nice experience all around.

We came back to our camp site to change our clothes and saw the greatest tire cover on one of the campers. We have enclosed a picture of it for fun. We ate lunch at the Red Iguana, a restaurant that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The mexican food there was excellent. We tried to eat there last night but there were at least 30 people waiting outside to get in to eat.

After lunch, we toured the home and office of Brigham Young, the man responsible for bring the Mormon to the southwest. The home was very nice and I am sure it was elaborate for the time.

We also visited the Tracy Aviary. It has many different kinds of birds living there. These are birds that have been injured and cannot survive in the wild. Particularly fun was a peacock who just posed and posed for pictures. We think he had the hots for Sue as the more picture she took the more he posed.

2009-05-31T01:35:00.006-04:00

Saturday (5/30) We can't believe that today is day one of week seven. The time if flying by very quickly. We left Torrey, UT for Salt Lake City, UT this morning. Stopped in Salina, UT at Mom's Cafe for lunch. This place is not much to look at but it is very well known for its good food. We had a great lunch which included scones (which is our fried dough.)

We arrived in Salt Lake City late afternoon and set up quickly as we wanted to go to a ball game. We went to see the Salt Lake Bees, a AAA minor league team for the California Angles. The ball park is very nice and has the most spectacular view of the mountains out behind center field.

2009-05-29T19:55:00.004-04:00

Friday (5/29) We went to Capitol Reef National Park today. We took a two-hour ranger guided tour to Hickman's Bridge (see picture) at 8 am that was very informative. We learned that a hollowed out spot in the rock made by water is a bridge and a hollowed out spot in the rock made by wind is an arch. That is why yesterday's park is called Arches because the formations are made by wind. In Capitol Reef Park most of the formations are made by water. Two totally different looking parks. This park is quieter than the other parks we have been in and they say more people from Utah visit it than any other park because it is beautiful and not crowded.

Capitol Reef is a very long and narrow park running north to south. Running east to west, just about in the middle, is a valley. This valley was farmed by the Mormons in the late 1800s right up to 1969. At that time, the last of the Mormons sold their land to the National Park Service. There were never more than ten families living there and they depended on each other for survival. They lived in very meager homes such as the one in this pictures which was the home of 12 people. The boys actually did not sleep in the home. They slept in hollowed place in the side of the rock wall (see picture.) They girls slept in the bed of the family wagon.

We followed the Scenic Drive in the middle of the park to Capitol Gorge - a long and narrow dirt road right into the heart of the stone formations that are several hundred feet high (see picture.) You get a real close look at the rock formations and a real sense of how big they are.

Tonight we are going back to the amphitheater for a talk on astronomy. I am sure it will be very interesting.

2009-05-29T01:15:00.004-04:00

Thursday (5/28) Today we were in Moab, UT and we went to Arches National Park. The park gets its name from the natural arches that have formed as a result of erosion over thousands of years (see picture.) We guess that the park is about 20 square miles of the most amazing rock formations. Most of them are smooth on the edges because of the wind erosion. It is like they have all had their rough edges filed off. We climbed up many of the trails so that we could get close to the formations - they are huge!!!!! There is one really interesting one called Balance Rock - the picture says it all.

After a lovely day in the park, we drove west to the town of Torrey. Let me tell you, it is not comforting when you see a sign that says "No Services for 100 Miles." To say that this is desolate country is an understatement. Torrey is a very, very small town just outside of the Capitol Reef National Park. We stopped into the visitor center on our way to Torrey and found out there was an evening program on "The Sounds of Capitol Reef." It was held in an outdoor amphitheater in the park at 9 pm. It was just the most perfect setting to enjoy all the sounds of nature along with a wonderful slide show.

The campground that we are staying in is very pleasant. We have the most perfect backdrop behind our T@B. Rich caught Sue doing a minor repair - but most of all - look at the backdrop in the picture.

2009-05-28T01:36:00.002-04:00

Wednesday (5/27) We left Mesa Verde, CO for Moab, Utah making a few stops along the way. We went to Shiprock, NM which has a rock formation that looks like a ship. You can only view it from a distance because it is on sacred indian land.

Then on to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona all at the same time - yes, all four states at the same time (see picture.) The spot where you can stand in all four states at once is call the Four Corners. After seeing this, we left our friends Kim and Kevan who will be heading back to Albuquerque, NM.

We arrived at Moab, UT, late in the day. Most of the day was spent driving and viewing the beautiful scenery. We checked into a camp ground and immediately starting giving tours. Once camper said "that is the neatest camper in the whole campground!!" We spent a very enjoyable evening visiting with other campers.

2009-05-27T01:23:00.003-04:00

Tuesday (5/26) We are still in Durango. We spent the day at the Mesa Verde National Park. These mountains were once in inhabited by the Anasazi indians, known today as the Ancestral Puebloans. They lived there for approximately 700 years and built elaborate stone communities in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls. Farming on the top of the mountain, which they called Mesa Verde or green table, was their major source of food.

The dwellings are made out of stone and mortar and are comprised of a series of small connected rooms. They show evidence that they had fires in them to keep warm and that the smaller rooms were used to store food. It is amazing to think that they were built about 1,400 years ago and today are 70 to 80 percent original. Life in these cliff dwellings was not easy. To get to the dwellings, they literally had to climb up or down the side of the mountain. In the late 1200s, they moved away to other communities leaving no trace of the reason why.

We (Rich, Sue, Kim and Kevan) decided that we wanted to see these dwelling first hand. So we climbed to visit the Cliff Palace and the Balcony House. The Cliff Palace (see picture) is the largest cliff dwelling and had 129 rooms and eight kivas (religious rooms that are round.) It is estimated that 60 to 90 persons lived there at any time. To get to the Cliff Palace we had to climb down and up a number of stairs and a series of ladders that were about eight feet high. It was a little scary at times but not too bad.

Then on to the Balcony House. This dwelling is much smaller and is much more difficult to get to. We had to climb a 32 ft ladder (see picture) that went up the side of the mountain, crawl through a 12 ft long tunnel that is only 18 inches wide, scale a stone pathway that has minimal railing and then climb several more ladders to get out. A VERY scary route in and out of the cliff dwellings BUT oh so worth it.

The views from the mountains are so vast and so beautiful that again, I don't have the words to describe them. It is best to see them for yourself - that way you can be as awe struck as we have been.

2009-05-27T00:49:00.003-04:00

Monday (5/25) We are still in Durango, CO. We took an all day trip from Durango (6,512 ft above sea level) to Silverton, CO (9,318 ft above sea level.) The start of the trip was a bus ride that took one and one-half hours and went along the side of many of the mountains, some that were 14,000 ft above sea level. Silverton gets about 21 ft of snow each year and the sole road to Silverton is kept clear by an aggressive avalanche control program. It snows in every month of the year in Silverton and it was predicted that they would get snow in the evening on the day we were there. Silverton has a summer population of 800 and a winter population of 350. The entire town is on the historical register and looks much the same as it did in the mid to late 1800s. It was a mining town in the 1800s and one of its claims to fame is that it had 32 bordellos. Today, the only visible means of employment seems to be the tourist industry.

We took a tour of the town's many small homes in a stage coach and had lunch in one of the bordellos. Silverton is the County seat for San Juan County because it is the only town in the entire county.

We returned to Durango on the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The ride back took three and one-half hours at a rate of 18 miles an hour. The train follows the Animas River down through the mountains. The train is from the late 1800's and rocks so much that is difficult not to fall asleep.

What I have not spoke about is the scenery. Well, it is just too beautiful for words. Mountains, trees, flowers, snow and the river - it has it all.

2009-05-27T00:39:00.003-04:00

Sunday (5/24) We left Santa Fe for Durango, Colorado with Kim and Kevan. We drove most of day stopping along the way several times to take in the scenery. We came upon the Echo Amphitheater in the Carson National Forest (see picture.) This is a most amazing natural amphitheater that nature has carved out of the side of a mountain. It is rich with color and sound. If you talk at the bottom of it, your voice is amplified so that it can be heard in the entire amphitheater. The setting surrounding the amphitheater is beautiful and it displays many layers of strata ranging from yellow to red.

2009-05-27T00:28:00.002-04:00

Saturday (5/23) We are still in Santa Fe, NM. We spent the morning at a Flea Market looking for indian jewelry. She has great success and found a lovely necklace made by a Navajo indian.

In the afternoon, we visited the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. O'Keeffe is best know for her paintings of very large flowers. She spent many years coming to New Mexico to paint starting in 1929. In 1949, three years after her husband, Alfred Stieglitz, died she moved from New York City to New Mexico to live. She painted approximately 3,000 paintings in her life and many of them reflect the landscape of the Southwest. The museum has many fine examples of her work. Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures in the museum, so we cannot show you an example of her work.

2009-05-27T00:24:00.002-04:00

Friday (5/22 continued) These are pictures of the stair case in the Loretto Church.

2009-05-23T01:07:00.002-04:00

Friday (5/22) We spent the day in Santa Fe which as many historic buildings. The first building we visited the Loretto Chapel. This chapel is famous for the stair case to the choir loft. The stair case has two complete 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. It has no pole in the middle nor any support on its sides. It looks like a ribbon that was twisted and attached to the choir loft. It was built in the 1870's and even today, architects don't understand how stays up. The story of the stair case includes answered prayers of the nuns and a carpenter who came and built it and disappeared without payment. The stair cases has 33 steps - the age Jesus was when he died.

We went to the oldest church and the oldest house in the United States which are located right next door to each other in Santa Fe. Both date to the early 1600's and are adobe structures. The church is now privately owned and is a museum. The house is a museum as well.

Next we visited the State Capitol which was built in 1965 and is round like the Zia Sun Symbol. This symbol is everywhere and was inspired by a design found on a 19th century water jar from the Zia Pueblo. It is closely associated with the Land of Enchantment. The Capitol has a collection of native art work which is on display throughout the Capitol. One of the sculptures lists the names of over 500 indian tribes that are extinct in New Mexico.

The afternoon was spent walking around the Plaza looking at the jewelry and art of the native indians. The indian artisans display their works on blankets on one side of the Plaza. It is fascinating to see it all and to speak to the individuals who make the items for sale.

2009-05-23T00:30:00.003-04:00

Thursday (5/21) We went up to Taos, NM for the day. We took a very scenic ride to Taos via the High Road. Along the way we saw many historic adobe homes and buildings (see picture.)

We toured the Taos Pueblo (town) which has about a dozen families living in it consisting of approximately 70 people. The adobe homes in the pueblo are 1,000 years old and are passed down from generation to generation. They do not sell their homes and consider it a privilege to live in them. These homes have no electricity, no water and no plumbing. They use gas lanterns, get their water from the stream that runs through the pueblo and use porta potties. They have very efficient fireplaces in them but most now supplement that heat with gas heaters. The homes are very small and require constant maintenance. The outside layer of adobe (earth, straw and water mixed together) that covers the clay bricks has to be reapplied every year. Just think, that process has been done for 1,000 years!!! Most of the people of the village make their living by selling jewelry and art to tourist. The live style there is very primitive.

Near Taos is the second longest suspension bridge in the United States (see picture.) The Rio Grande Gorge Suspension Bridge is 1,200 feet long, 650 feet above the Rio Grande and was built in 1965. The gorge that it crosses is an impressive site, especially when you realize that it was created by running water. It is one of those things that you just can't imagine until you actually see it.

Taos also has a Plaza that is steeped in its history and its people. Tradition and heritage are very strong here. The Plaza has many nice shops for the tourists.

We drove back to Santa Fe along the Rio Grande which is a never ending display of beautiful scenery.

2009-05-23T00:14:00.003-04:00

Wednesday (5/20) Drove to Santa Fe, NM. Santa Fe is the capitol of NM and is a city steeped in its history and the culture of its people. The city's elevation is 6,989 ft. and the temperature is 20 degrees colder than the 90 degrees we had in Albuquerque.

We went to visit a place just outside of Santa Fe called Tinkertown. Tinkertown is the life hobby (forty years) of a gentleman who turned everything (mostly junk) into art. He was a painter, wood carver, sculptor, photographer and many other things. This is a place that just has to been seen to be believed. He carved an entire miniature western town, an entire circus with two big tops and many, many other things (see pictures.) The range of items on display boggles the mind. The building was made out of bottles laid on their sides and cemented together (see picture.) It was fantastic.

In the evening we went to the Santa Fe Plaza just to get a feel for the city. There are very strict building codes that require all buildings are built in the adobe style and painted a sanctioned shade of beige. It really has the feel of an old southwest town.

2009-05-23T00:00:00.002-04:00

Tuesday (5/19) Still in Albuquerque for the day. We went to the Petroglyph National Monument to see dozens of petroglyphs in the Rinconada Canyon (see picture.) It is about a mile walk into the canyon and is well worth the trip. The some of the drawings of animals, people, brands and crosses on the rocks have been there since prehistoric times.

We spent the afternoon riding around Old Albuquerque taking in the beautiful adobe style homes and buildings (see picture,) stopped at a winery which was very Tuscan - so quaint and put our hands in the water of the Rio Grande.

Albuquerque is such a beautiful place nestled in the valley with all those mountains to look at.

2009-05-22T23:51:00.002-04:00

Monday (5/18) So sorry not to have blogged more regularly but finding a strong wifi connection is becoming a hassle. I will try to keep it up the best that I can when wifi is available.

We spent the early part of the day relaxing. That is something we have not done yet - it felt good. We are meeting today with friends, Kim and Kevan, that are staying in Albuquerque, NM and planning to spend the next week sight seeing with them in New Mexico and Colorado.

We drove up to the Sandia Crest, elevation 10,678 ft above sea level, the mountain just to the east of Albuquerque. Kevan and Kim were going to show us some big game but all we saw were a herd of mice (actually three) in the road - we guess that everyone has their own definition of "big game."

2009-05-18T14:08:00.003-04:00

Sunday (5/17) We are continuing on Route 66 to Albuquerque, NM. We had breakfast at the Big Texan, the home of the free 72 oz. steak - that is if you can eat it all and everything that comes with it in an hour (see picture.) Along the way we came across ten Cadillac cars with their noses buried in the ground - yes, I said buried in the ground (see picture.) The cars are from the late 1950s and early 1960s. They are about 300 feet out in a field and are a tourist attraction call The Cadillac Ranch. The thing is you take a spray can of paint and paint whatever you want on them. The must have been there many, many years as the layers of paint on the cars is cracking off in pieces so thick you can separate the layers of paint with your fingers.

We arrived in Albuquerque in the evening and have set up "camp". We will be here for six nights - a nice break from the continual setting up and taking down. We will be spending time here with our friends Kevan and Kim, a couple we met on our Alaska trip back in 2002. This is the six state that we have met up with them.

2009-05-18T13:52:00.002-04:00

Saturday (5/16) This is a travel day along Route 66 from Guthrie, OK to Amarillo, TX. Some of the highlights of things were saw are as follows: The only round wooden barn in OK (see picture,) Pop's Gas Station, El Reno including Fort Reno, the Pony Bridge, Lucille's Service Station, a Blacksmith's shop, the Weatherford trolley, the Wind Energy Center of Weatherford and a great deal of wonderful landscape. It is very evident that Route 66 is of a bygone time - there are many vacant business and building along the way. The Pony Bridge has some very unusual trusses and it was used during the filming of the Grapes of Wrath (see picture.)

2009-05-18T13:29:00.004-04:00

Friday (5/15) We are near Oklahoma City, OK and we had a lazy morning trying to catch up on the business of life - bills!!! Spent the morning acting like responsible human beings and not two wild and crazy retirees. In the afternoon we went to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Wow- another first class museum that had the greatest cafe to eat at. There is so much history in the life of a cowboy and this museum covers it all from the 1300 examples of barbed wire (out of the 8,ooo samples they have of which in total there are 13,000 different kinds) to unbelievable paintings and sculptures (see picture.)

In the evening we visited Guthrie, OK, a small town that is known for its 400 blocks of historic homes and buildings. We were underwhelmed - there were some great 1850s to 1890 buildings on the main streets (see picture) but other than that it was just okay. Guthrie had served as the Territorial Capitol of the Oklahoma Territory at the time of the Oklahoma land rush.

2009-05-15T10:33:00.003-04:00

Thursday (5/14) We headed to Claremore, OK in the morning. Visited the Will Rogers Museum which is a large memorial building built by the citizens of Oklahoma to honor him. The museum covers all aspects of his life and career. It has many of his saddles, clips of his movies and personal items such as clothing and the room he used as a study. The most unusual item were a pair of shoes he put on his horse when he would do tricks on stage with the horse. The shoes kept the horse from slipping (see picture.)

In the afternoon we went to the Woolaroc Museum and Nature Preserve near Bartlesville, OK. This is the "entertainment home" of Frank Phillips of Phillips Petroleum. The preserve has many acres of land with a variety of animals roaming around and several buildings including a museum, heritage center and the lodge he built to entertain his friends in. The lodge was full of mounted animal heads and was very rustic but not overly large (see picture.) The museum - wow!!!!! A very large building with all kinds of western art, artifacts and memorabilia. We were they only about 2 hours and we wished we had all day. This museum is a must to see!!!!

On to Bartlesville to see the only skyscraper Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed. It is a 19 story building in the heart of Bartlesville (which was not too large.) We love the homes that Mr. Wright has designed but we did not like this building at all. To us it was just ugly. We have attached a picture - make your own judgement (see picture.)

2009-05-13T21:42:00.002-04:00

Wednesday (5/13) Left Allen, TX for Tulsa,OK late morning. Arrived in Tulsa in time to see the many wonderful art deco buildings in the downtown area before it got dark. Tulsa is known for the many well preserved art deco buildings still in use. We walked for some time taking many pictures of buildings and admiring how clean the city is.

We will be spending the night in Tulsa and visiting surrounding sites tomorrow.

2009-05-13T21:32:00.002-04:00

Tuesday (5/12) Rich and Sue went to downtown Dallas to the Texas Book Depository, the site from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy. There is a museum on the sixth floor (the floor he shot from) which covers all aspects of the event and of President Kennedy's rise in politics. It was very interesting and a bit strange to stand and look down at the spot where the motorcade was when President Kennedy was shot.

In the evening Bunny, Rich and Sue went to a Texas Rangers game at Ranger Ballpark at Arlington. The Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners. This relatively new ballpark has an old time feel about it with open ironwork everywhere. The Dallas Cowboy's new stadium is being built next door.

2009-05-13T21:11:00.002-04:00

Monday (5/11/) Went to the U. S. Bureau of Engraving in Fort Worth. The security is very strict just to get in for the tour and cell phones and cameras were not allowed. You did not dare walk any where without being given permission. During the tour, our guide stressed all the new security measures that are being incorporated into the bills they print. They print about 12.5 million bills per day of varying denominations.

In the afternoon, we went the Stockyards at Fort Worth which at one time was the largest livestock market in the southwest. This is an area that depicts activities that have taken place for 100 years. There is a recreated long-horn cattle drive twice a day with about 20 cattle and cowboys in period dress. The first indoor rodeo arena is there and it amazing to see how small that arena really is. There are many shops but one in particular is famous for cowboy boots. It is called Lenny's and the pair of boots that Sue liked was a mere $2,450, or she could have had her second choice at $1675. The boots were very intricate and perfectly made.

The streets are lined with brass stars commemorating all the various individuals who have contributed to the cowboy way of life. There is a large entertainment center called Billy Bob's. In it they have a bull riding ring, a dance lessons floor, a bar, a store, a restaurant and a performance stage which seats 2,000. Anyone who is anyone in country music has performed there. Willie Nelson make an annual visit there to perform every July 4th. They have a section of the walls lined with plaster casts of the performer hands.

2009-05-13T21:00:00.003-04:00

Sunday (5/10) Allen, TX - we will be spending several days with Bunny Palmer. We had a Texas specialty for breakfast - kaloche. It is a roll with a sausage link baked in it - they are very tasty. We spend most of the day riding around the area looking at homes. In our travels, we saw a McDonalds that looked like a Happy Meal. It was very cute.

We stopped in Farmersville to see the memorial to Audie Murphy. Farmersville is the place that he left for the service and where he returned to a heros welcome. He was the most decorate soldier in the WWII and a hollywood actor.

Spent a relaxing evening visiting with Bunny and her son Mike.

2009-05-13T20:51:00.002-04:00

Saturday (5/9) Drove to Allen, TX, which is just north of Dallas. Our destination was the home of Bunny Palmer, the lady responsible for getting Rich and Sue together 23 years ago. We arrived before lunch and spent the afternoon catching up with our old friend. Her two sons and one of their wives came and we went to dinner at Maggiano's in Plano, very nice food Italian food. There was some sort of formal dance going on in the area and there were many young people in gowns and tuxedos.

2009-05-13T20:34:00.002-04:00

Friday (5/8) We left Lafayette, LA this morning to travel to Tyler, TX. Along the way we stopped at Lecompte, LA for pie. The legislature proclaimed Lecompte the pie capitol of Louisiana and it lived up to its billing. Lea's Restaurant specializes in meringue pies and the meringue was the best we had ever had.

Continuing north, we went to Natchitoche, LA, a quaint little town where they filmed Steal Magnolias in the 1980s. Along their water front park they were having a rally of vintage farm tractors - very fun and very cool. One gentleman who owned a Farmall (which are red) had a button on that said "Friends don't let friends drive green tractors (John Deere.)" In town was the recreated Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, the oldest permanent settlement in the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. We were the only people there and had the tour guide all to ourselves - we learned a great deal from him.

From there we went to Tyler, TX (our 9th state) to spend the night.

2009-05-07T22:50:00.002-04:00

Thursday (5/7) We went to Avery Island this morning, the home of Tabasco hot sauce made by the McIlhenny family. The island is actually a salt deposit. The tabasco sauce is fermented in old Jack Daniels whiskey barrels for three years. They drill holes in the top of the barrel and then cover the top of the barrel with salt. The holes let the gases and excess liquid escape while the layer of salt keeps anything from getting in and contaminating the sauce. While there we ate sweet and spicy ice cream and jalapeno ice cream. They were both interesting but the sweet and spicy one was good. They had many foods made with Tabasco sauce including mayonnaise, mustards, pickles, jellies and spam (see picture.)

In New Iberia we visited the Konriko rice factory, America's oldest operating rice mill. This factory still process rice as it was done 100 years ago. Therefore, Konriko only does specialty rice due to an inability to compete with new equipment. They had a silo there that holds a million pounds of rice - it was really BIG.

Also in New Iberia is Shadows on the Teche (teche means snake). The home, built in 1834, is situated on the edge of Bayou Teche which snakes along behind the house (see picture.) The home was occupied by four generations of the Weeks family. What makes this home so unique is that the Weeks family never threw away anything. Thus, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has over 17,000 items (6,000 that are clothing) relating to the four generations who have lived in the home. So concerned with saving things were they, that one family member asked when she wrote a letter to someone that the person receiving the letter return it to her after reading it. The home is a wealth of historic information and thus is irreplaceable.

It was a beautiful day, so we decided to ride down to the Gulf Coast at Cypremort Point State Park. The 185 acre park was just a perfect place to sit and enjoy the afternoon.

As we leave the Bayou area, we will miss the great food. While here we have tried many local dishes which include gumbo, jambalaya, smothered cabbage, craw etouffee and the best bread pudding we have ever had.

2009-05-06T23:16:00.003-04:00

Wednesday (5/6) We are still in the Lafayette area. We started our day by going to Vermilionville - a living history museum, whose purpose if to preserve and interpret authentic elements of folklife and cultures of the Attakapas area between 1765 and 1890. It seeks to help ethnic groups of this area gain a better understanding and appreciation of their own cultures and those of others in this multi-ethnic region. It is a recreation village with many historic buildings and people in period costumes (see picture.) We ate lunch in the museum restaurant and had the best meal of the trip so far. It consisted of many cajun dished and bread pudding with rum sauce like we have never seen before. It is a meal we will talk about for a long time.

The next stop was the Jean Lafitte National Hsitoric Park and Preserve. Jean Lafitte was a pirate. The museum focused on the treatment that the Acadians (Cajuns) had received since their arrival in the late 1700s. They settled in the bayou country, where their isolation was compounded by their distinctive dialect and their fierce loyalty to family and place. They endured many hard times and developed new ways to live off the bounty of the delta landscape. They had a diet that was heavily depended on fishing.

We drove to the St Martinsville area as we were going to take a boat ride on the St Martin Lake. Arriving early we decided to go for a ride. We came upon the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site. Legend has it that it was the meeting place of the ill-fated lovers, Evangeline and Gabriel, from the Longfellow poem, "Evangeline." In history, it was the meeting place of exiled French aristocrats fleeing the French Revolution and Acadians of Nova Scotia seeking refuge after the British expulsion in 1755. On the property is an excellent example of a Raised Creole Cottage. The ground floor walls are 14 inches thick and made of brick. The upper walls consist of a mud and moss mixture called "bousillage." The house is brightly painted in traditional Creole colors of yellow, red and green (see picture.)

Now short of time, we hurry to catch our boat ride. As it turns out, we are the only people on the boat and end up having a personal tour. Our guide, who has a BS in Zoology/Botany, went above and beyond to give us a most informative tour lasting two hours. We saw numerous birds, local trees and plant life and about 20 alligators varying in size from 11 ft. to 1 foot (see picture.) Our guide enticed the alligators so that they came right up to the crawfish skiff we were riding in. The only trees able to adapt and live in the water are the cypress and the tupelo trees.

We wanted to hear some local music, so we had dinner at Mulates. It is a restaurant where Cajun and Creole music is played seven days a week. We listened for a while and watched the dancing before returning to the campground to retire after a long day.

2009-05-06T22:47:00.003-04:00

Tuesday (5/5) Still in Baton Rouge, LA. We went back to the capitol building grounds to tour the Arsenal Museum. It was built in 1810 and was used to store munitions for the US Government 1810 to 1885. It is one of the most historic buildings in the state.

Next to it is the Louisiana State Museum. The museum does a good job of presenting information about the various regions of the state, its people, and the major events leading to the creation Louisiana as a state (see picture.) A very interesting state museum that focuses on the lives of the people of the state (see picture.)

As we were leaving Baton Rouge for Lafayette, LA, we passed the old State Capitol. Although we thought is was a very interesting building, Mark Twain said it was it ugliest building he had ever seen. We stopped and took many pictures which were inadvertently deleted - bummer!!!

Arrived at the campground just south of Lafayette and spent the rest of the day setting up and doing laundry. For dinner, we went to a cafe in downtown Lafayette and had boudin balls. They are a fried ball made of rice and meat - much like falafel. When we asked the waitress what they were she said "well they are like boudin balls" - that told us a lot!!!

2009-05-06T22:22:00.003-04:00

Monday (5/6) Left New Orleans for Baton Rouge. We had to breakdown our camping set up in a very big hurry as we woke up to thunder and lightening. Took everything down and packed it up in record time AND we beat the rain.

Arrived at Baton Rouge and visited the State Capitol building. It is a non-traditional capitol building in that it has no dome and looks like the Empire State Building. It is the tallest State Capitol in the USA - coming in at 450 ft (see picture.) It was the brain child of Huey P. Long, a Governor of LA and a US Senator. It was completed in 1932 and he was assassinated in that building in 1935. The reason for his assassination is unknown.

Our next stop was the Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum. This depicted rural southern life in the mid 1800s - showing how primitive living structures were and how little people had. It was an un-glamorized view of southern life far from the wealthy plantations. The Church has painted windows because the community was too poor to have stained glass (see picture.)

The last stop of the day was the Hollywood Casino on the banks of the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge. The casino is a riverboat that must be fully functional according to State law. It was no where as big as the casinos that are in the Northeast. We did gamble just a little bit and did not come out winners. We spent the night in the parking lot of the casino.

2009-05-03T01:22:00.002-04:00

Saturday (5/2) We went to the French Quarter in New Orleans. There were a number of street performers on Royal Street which was only open to pedestrian traffic. It was a very festive atmosphere. I don't think I have ever seen so many bars!!!!! (see pictures)

We also went to the Riverwalk. It is a nice new shopping center with food right along the Mississippi River. Given the number of empty stores and food places, it would seem that they are not doing well. Today being Saturday, you would expect it to be busy and it was not.

In the early evening we "Skyped" the folks at the Blue Ridge Rally. That is a rally of 24 T@B trailers in the Blue Ridge Mountains, an event we attended last year. It was great to be able to see and say hello to everyone over the internet. Thanks Susan for making the "Skype visit" possible.

We did go to a casino for a bit of gambling today. Once again, we were up just a little bit - which is great! We had free tickets for the casino buffet and we ate crab legs until they came out of our ears!!!!

2009-05-02T00:39:00.005-04:00

Friday (5/1) Left Mobile for New Orleans. Went to a shed for lunch - yes, a shed (see picture.) This is a barbeque place that we saw featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives that is located in Ocean Springs, MS. It is nothing more than whatever the owner could find, nailed together. There is more stuff, well actually junk, around this place that you can imagine. The barbeque was excellent and the atmosphere was fun. All I kept saying was "you could never duplicate this place."

Our next stop was at Beauvoir, the last home of Jefferson Davis, located in Biloxi, MS. It had sustained damage (see picture) from Katrina but a $20 million restoration has just been completed (see picture.) This beautiful water front home is built on stilts and this is what helped to save the structure. It served for an extended period of time as a home for Confederate veterans, their wives and their personal servant (i.e. African Americans.) When the last of the veterans died, it was turned into a museum. On the property approximately 800 of the home's residents are buried.

As we drove along the Gulf Coast, there were many places where the land was vacant and many vacant lots had foundations still visible. The closer we got to New Orleans, the more damaged and abandoned structures we saw. Clearly, there is still evidence of Katrina to be seen.

At the camp ground we met a very nice couple, Linda and Tony, who have traveled all over the world. They spent 9+ years living on a boat. They had a great little motor home that actually gets 22 to 23 miles per gallon. That is better than we are getting and it looked pretty inviting with all that additional room.

In the evening, we went to see downtown New Orleans. We went to Harrah's Casino and actually came home with a little more than we went in with. I have to note this, as it almost never happens to us!

2009-05-01T23:53:00.003-04:00

Thursday (4/30) We went to see the largest antebellum home in Mobile built in 1855 called the Bragg-Mitchell House (see picture.) Unlike most of the historical homes, this one is used for weddings and special events about 30 weekends a year. Therefore, you could touch and sit on the furnishing. It has a grand staircase that is just perfect for a bride to make her entrance. We had the most wonderful gentleman as our guide. In the evening, we went to a local bar to try their legendary burgers. Who comes in with his wife and sits at the table right next to us, but the guide. We chatted with them for a while and had a lovely dinner.

On to Oakleigh Mansion. This T shaped Greek Revival mansion was built in 1833 and features a cantilevered stair case leading to the front door as the home was built on stilts. Although, it is called a mansion, by today's standards the home is of average size.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at Bellingrath Gardens and Home (see picture.) What started as a fishing cabin was turned into a 10,500 sq. ft. home featuring three dining rooms and exquisite furnishings. It was Mrs. Bellingrath's wish to have the gardens and the result is one of our nation's preeminent gardens. There are 65+ acres of gardens with an outstanding rose garden. The Bellingrath's money came from the 1903 purchase of a Coca-Cola franchise that Mr. Bellingrath ran expertly. He and his wife came from humble beginning but both developed excellent taste and became pillars of society. It was their wish to share the gardens so shortly after completion they were open to the public.

2009-04-30T00:33:00.003-04:00

Wednesday (4/29) Mobile, AL Went to Forte Conde which serves as the Visitor's Center for Mobile. We walked around the old section of Mobile which is now a tourist attraction.

Mobile is where Mardi Gras was started in 1703. There is a wonderful museum that show cases a side of the Mardi Gras that is not usually shown in media coverage. There is a great deal of pageantry to the Mardi Gras with a King and Queen being selected every year. This is done a year in advance because it takes that long for their bejeweled costumes and robes (see picture) that are approximately 15 ft. long to be made.

The first official jail of Mobile was remodeled into a home in 1854. This antebellum home called Conde Charlotte is now a museum showing furnishings of the five different periods of government in Mobile. Included on the property is a delightful Spanish court yard.

We then took a ride to Fairhope, AL. This a very quaint town on the east side of Mobile Bay that is loaded with expensive tourist shops. The town is decked out in flowers everywhere (see picture.) There are two restaurants there that were show cased on Dinners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We at one, the Gumbo Shack, and it was very good although hard to find.

2009-04-30T00:11:00.003-04:00

Tuesday (4/28) Birmingham, AL. Tried to go to the Golden Flake potato chip factory tour but it was booked until the end of MAY!!! So we went to the Arlington House (see picture,) which is the only remaining antebellum house in Birmingham. It was saved from being burned by the Union soldiers because its owner was a Judge who talked them out of burning it.

On to Montevallo, AL to visit the American Village. The village has a full-size reproduction of Mount Vernon, Washington's home in Virginia; a full- size reproduction of the Oval Office in the White House; and traveling miniature museum (see picture of poster) of the history of the United States from the early 1600 to the 1960's. The exhibit also includes a set of 1/10 scale figures of each president and the first ladies. It was a way for people who could not travel to see such things as where the Declaration of Independence was signed to see miniature versions right in their home towns. It cost $250,000 in the 1960's to make and it was not a success. It now has a great home in the American Village.

In the evening, we checked into a campground in Mobile, AL. We will be staying there for three nights.

2009-04-27T20:34:00.002-04:00

Monday (4/27) We left Smyrna, TN this morning heading for Birmingham, AL. It was mostly a travel day but we did stop at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL (see picture.) It is absolutely amazing how large the space ships are. You just can't visualize the size of it from what you see on the television. When you think about it, we have come a very long way in space travel in just 50 years.

We are spending the night in Birmingham and taking in some attractions tomorrow.