Reno, NV

As you can tell from the post title, we are home after more than 6000 miles on the road.  Let me tell you, it's great to be back home.  Everything is safe and sound here (including us).  It was great crossing the Nevada state line and hitting sunshine and clear blue skies!  An uneventful trip today through the lower side of Montana, Idaho and finally Nevada.  We got within ten miles of Reno and there was a traffic tie-up on I-80 caused by a motor home fire - now that's not the way to end a trip!

When we crossed through Idaho, we passed over the Snake River which has to be one of the most beautiful rivers in the country.  When it passes through Twin Falls, it is in a deep canyon (and coincidentally has a golf course down in the canyon). We'll have to schedule a trip up there to play that golf course - really looks interesting.

 

 

No more entries - we're home!

Dillon, MT

We left West Fargo this morning on a rainy Sunday.  Off and on all day we traveled through the rain.  As a matter of fact at Mile Marker # 250 on I-90, the underpass was flooded and we had to get off the interstate at the exit and go over the highway and then back on again.  There was an 18-wheeler being towed out of the flooded area.  Evidently, he was the first one through the flooded area in the dark and almost made it through before the water got too high.

Went through the farmlands of North Dakota and the Badlands into Montana.  At the welcome center as we entered Montana, they had an interesting landmark sign which said that traveling through Montana was the equivalent of driving from New York to Chicago!  It's kind of discouraging when you see mile markers which are in excess of 500.

Criss-crossed the Yellowstone River many times as we traversed Montana - it's running pretty full, so with the rain, it may get even higher.  Cut south at Butte on I-15 and we are close to the Idaho border.  Tomorrow we should arrive home!

Reilee's Graduation Party

What a great party!  Yesterday we went to Reilee's graduation party which they held out at Russ and Melinda's in Mapleton, ND.  Because of the threat of rain and ease of organization, it was held in Russ's "shop".  Calling that huge building a shop is like calling the Grand Canyon a ditch!

We got there early and took the above picture.  You can view more pictures by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.  Reilee put together the table on the right.  The board on the right hand side of the table contained pictures from the time she was born and was growing up and the board on the left contained more recent shots of high school (prom, sports, etc.).  In the middle was a display of academic and sports achievements - really fantastic job.  I didn't get a picture, but on the wall to the right were some of the outfits Reilee wore from the time she was a wee one, which Melinda had saved!

There was a buffet table set up along the left wall of the shop with enough food for an army.  We lost track of exactly how many people were there (mostly because there was a lot of coming and going, but also because they kept moving around).  It was fun seeing old friends, relatives, and also a lot of people who were part of Reilee's life.  Some people couldn't make it because they were still seeding the fields - a couple of farmers came in toward the end and were celebrating the end of their seeding operation.  Now all they were waiting for was a little rain to relieve the dryness.  NOTE:  They got their wish because it started raining slightly after midnight.

Reilee was very attentive to her guests and made sure that everyone was made to feel at home and welcomed them as they came in.  She's a very attractive, young lady with a lot of poise and confidence.  Rachel said this was a dry run for her party in two years :-).  We all really had a good time, ate a lot, talked a lot, drank not a lot, and just generally had a fun evening.

Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed the party.

https://plus.google.com/photos/109872069417301207858/albums/5879301798173539985

West Fargo, ND

Got to Fargo yesterday about 4:30 p.m..  We're staying with Michelle and the boys (only two of the boys were here - the third is on his way home from Washington).  Earlier in the day we had met Hank and Diane Arends for breakfast at a really cool restaurant in the Minneapolis-St Paul area.  It's called the Machine Shed and is one about six in the mid-west area.  Furnished with old farm equipment and pictures of "the good old days".  Although looking at the pictures, I think some of that "good old days" is exaggerated - they had to work hard with pretty simple equipment.  There was an old 1944 Farmall tractor out front which they use to give hayrides to guests of the adjoining hotel.  Quite a difference between that and Russ's big John Deere with air conditioning, GPS, sound system, etc. Oh, by the way, the food was excellent also.

Enjoyed meeting with Hank and Diane - we really became good friends when we were up in Seattle last year.  Sometimes sorrow and adversity do bring some good memories.  After breakfast, we drove up I-94 (again those easy directions for the day - get on I-94, eat, get back on I-94, repeat).  Stopped in Clearwater at a bakery and gas station which we always frequent when we're on I-94.  They have the best apple fritter bread and their pastries are huge.  We suppressed the urge to buy the pastries, but did bring some of the bread up to Michelle's.

We're be here in the Fargo area for several days.  Tonight is Reilee's graduation party out at their farm, so we'll get a chance to catch up with a lot of people there.  It's got to be an exciting time for her and a culmination of a lot of hard work - but probably just the start of the hard work since she starts at NDSU (Go Bisons) in the fall.  

Tom III has told me that I have to include pictures in the blog so that people don't have to go to all the trouble of clicking on a link to view them.  We'll try that after the party. 

Eau Claire, WI

Arrived in Eau Claire after traveling through Illinois on US 24, 6 and 30 (skipped the Ohio, Indiana and part of the Illinois toll roads).  Interesting drive through Amish country, farmland, and parts of the area around Chicago which we could have just as well skipped.  Quite a change going from the quiet, peaceful farmland to Chicago Heights!  Tried to skip the Chicago area by taking US 30 west to Joliet and then cutting north.  However, we still ran into the Illinois Toll Way north of Joliet and, until we got out of Illinois, had a lot of traffic.  Next trip we'll have to figure another way around the Chicago area.  Not only does it cost a fortune in tolls, but the traffic is horrendous.

Driving north through Wisconsin was fantastic.  It's such a clean, great state.  We got off the interstate around Wisconsin Dells which has some great water parks.  We checked out the Ho Chunk Indian Casino (Ho Chunk is native American for "We want your money").  Stopped in Warren, WI which is in the center of the cranberry bogs of Wisconsin.  Had an interesting conversation with the salesperson and learned more about cranberries than we wanted to know.  Funny, because usually I associate cranberries with Oregon and New Jersey. 

Ended up in Eau Claire (clear water) which is at the confluence of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers.  Big logging country and now the center of many manufacturing enterprises.  Toured around the city (approx. 65,000) with lots of parks along the rivers.  Would be great taking a kayak down some of the rivers.

Tomorrow we're heading over to Minneapolis to meet up with Hank and Diane Arends (Mary's brother) whom we got very well acquainted with last year.  Then it's up to Fargo where we're staying with Michelle and Adrian.

Perrysburg, OH

We're just south of Toledo, OH in Perrysburg.  Stayed with Tim and Kathy last night (as I mentioned in the Rochester post).  It was great being able to celebrate Mother's Day with not only with Tim, but also with Kathy and her parents. 

This morning, Tim, Vi and I went to breakfast and then drove down by the Lilac Festival.  The lilacs are in full bloom and they are really beautiful - amazing how many different colors of lilacs there are.  I'm used to only the purple (excuse me, violet) ones.  Also in the same area were some awesome flower beds. 

Not sure what our plans are for the next couple of days.  We're going to try and play some golf either here or somewhere in Wisconsin. 

Below is a link to some photos of the wedding and lilac festival.  Don't think the professional photographers have to worry about competition from me!  Oh well, you'll get the idea.

https://plus.google.com/photos/109872069417301207858/albums/5877813188769110337?authkey=CJbyi_nn7N_laQ

Rochester, NY

We have finally started our return trip to Reno (via North Dakota).  When we left Kilmarnock this morning, we took VA 3 West which was the first time we took a road with that general direction in over a week.  The trip East was 3005 miles, but who's counting?

Perhaps we should go back a day and talk about the wedding (after all, that was the reason for the trip in the first place).  Saturday dawned overcast with threatening clouds overhead, which caused concern for the outdoor wedding which was scheduled for 5:00 p.m.  I'll remove all suspense and say that the weather held off - who says prayers don't work! 

We came out to Lee and Sally's (Bill's parents) a little early.  Because parking was limited at their home on Chesapeake Bay, they had made arrangements for a van to make several trips to get the guests out to the location.  That was just one of the many thoughtful arrangements which Robin and Bill had put together in their wedding plan.  It seems that they thought of  all the possibilities and had contingencies to cover any untoward events. 

Lee and Sally's home is a beautiful summer place right on the Chesapeake Bay and the wedding was held on the lawn, with a large tent (another of those precautions) which served to shield the guests from either the sun or the rain, whichever occurred.  Since it was cloudy, people were able to wander freely.  The wedding, which was a combination of Jewish and Protestant customs, was a simple, but moving experience.  My brother Paul served as the Minister and Stuart Terry's cousin, who is a rabbi, provided the complement for the Jewish traditions.  Robin and Bill made their entrance preceded by the parents, flower girl and ring bearer (Marc Terry's adorable children), and the small bridal party - Robin and Bill had elected to have couples on either side of them. 

After the wedding, Robin and Bill disappeared for a while to have some more photographs taken and this allowed the guests to mingle, have some wine, and nervously continue to eye the sky.  Dinner was served outside on two long tables overlooking the Bay.  The food and service matched all the other impeccable arrangements.   (If it sounds like I was impressed by their planning, I was!).  Toasts and memories were talked about and glasses were raised once or twice (perhaps more). Fun afternoon and evening.

Afterwards, some of the wedding guests (and Robin and Bill) returned to the Kilmarnock Inn for a post-party party.  Vi and I were planning on leaving early in the morning to head up to Rochester, so we had a glass of wine with Paul and Sandy and Bill's grandmother, who at age 94, was an alert and extremely active person.  Good genes in that family!  Drove herself up from the Newport News area and regaled us with stories of her recent heart attack - not many people can pull that one off.

As I mentioned earlier, we left on VA 3 and headed for Rochester.  I think if we started to read every historical road sign on that trip north, especially in Virginia, it would have taken us years.  We even passed up the opportunity to take a two mile side-trip to George Washington's birthplace (and no, it's not Mount Vernon) - it's out on the North Neck.

The trip north covered territory which we had been over many times when we lived back East and it was fun driving through the farmland, suburbs, river areas and other beautiful scenery of the Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York countryside. 

Arrived in Rochester about 5:00 p.m. and visited with Tim and Kathy before going out to dinner at a German restaurant nearby with Kathy's parents who live over in Brockport, NY.  Did I mention that it was cold up here - the temperature kept dropping all the time as we headed north and when we arrived in Rochester, it was 45 degrees with a strong wind blowing.  When we watched the evening news, the wind chill was 33 degrees!  Not sure what happened to Spring and Summer, but this seems more like November than May.

We're leaving about noon tomorrow to follow some really tough directions, get on I-90, stay on I-90, stay overnight and repeat - does that sound similar to what we did on our way out here?  Only the road designation has changed.