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. 

Photos by Popular Demand

Well, the popular demand may only have been one person, so you can blame Tom III if you don't like pictures! 

I put up some of the earlier pictures we took along the way.

https://plus.google.com/photos/109872069417301207858/albums/5876696709302549649?authkey=CNilqqm31aC5Ig

Kilmarnock, VA

This is the eastern-most point on our Trip East (this time anyway).  Arrived in Kilmarnock around noon after driving across the most beautiful parts of Virginia.  From Lexington, which is in the Shenandoah Valley, up I-81 to Staunton, and then across the Blue Ridge Mountains to Richmond.  It would have been nice to relive old memories and drive up Skyline Drive, but that's a trip to be enjoyed for itself.  Leaving Richmond, we stayed on I-64 and finally left it to take smaller roads over to Kilmarnock.  After being on I-70 and I-64 for almost the entire trip, we felt like we were leaving an old friend.

This area is called the North Neck of the Chesapeake Bay and is dotted with rivers, peninsulas, farming (both lumber, wheat, etc.), tourist attractions, boating, etc.  We weren't quite sure what to expect in Kilmarnock since it has a listed population of only 1,487; however, it looks like it is the main shopping center for this area (even has a WalMart).  The Kilmarnock Inn is a bed and breakfast located right in the center of town and has a Presidential motif - right from the Presidential Seal in the rug at the entrance to the memorabilia at the front desk to the different cottages and suites named after the eight presidents born in Virginia.(don't worry - I'm not going to ask you to name them all). We're staying in the main portion of the Inn and other wedding attendees are scattered throughout the premises.

Did some shopping, walked around town, and had lunch at a local restaurant.  Met up with my sister and brother and their spouses after lunch.  They had rehearsal things to do, so we found a local golf course (King Carter Golf Course) and played nine holes - very nice course with plenty of opportunities to get in trouble - and we never missed an opportunity :-).  A bit of explanation for why we're here.  Mary Ann (my sister) is married to Stuart Terry, who has two grown children - Marc and Robin - they kind of match Mary Ann's two grown children - Mark and Robin; but I digress.  Stuart's daughter, Robin, is getting married to Bill, whose parents have a place in the North Neck and that's where their wedding will be held on Saturday evening.  OK, enough family history.

While they had their rehearsal dinner in the evening, Vi and I went to a small, local Italian restaurant for dinner and then met Mary Ann, Paul et al for drinks and conversation afterwards.  Fun evening.

Lexington, VA

Well, here we are in Lexington, VA, home of Virginia Military Institute (the West Point of the South).  We left Cincinnati this morning and traveled along the Ohio River on US 52.  Lots of campgrounds along the Ohio River (which, like many other rivers in this area, is running fast and high).  Probably not going to be able to use some of those campgrounds for a while.

Also along the river were many power plants, both atomic and coal/gas-fired ones, along with steel plants and coal mines.  In Ashland, we decided to wash Snowflake - she was getting to look almost brown - we'll probably get better gas mileage now :-).   Crossed the Ohio into West Virginia and passed through Charleston.  We were kind of switching back and forth between US 52, I-64 and US 60.  I thought US 60 looked like kind of a shortcut instead of dipping down south.  Well, on the map, and in theory, that was correct.  What we forgot to take into consideration was the fact that US 60 had lots of hills, curves, log trucks, etc.  Scenic, but definitely not a time saver.  One of the rivers we traveled along was the Kanawha and it was really flooded.  It was fun traveling through the "mountains" of West Virginia and admiring all the trees.

If Nevada artists have to appreciate the subtlety of brown, then those in West Virginia have to enjoy the greens.  Maybe they could write a book "Fifty Shades of Green".  In Ashland, we finally washed Snowflake - she was looking more like slush!  Finally got around to calibrating the compass in the car because it was showing us traveling in the wrong direction.  I'm sure you know, but one of the things you have to do when you recalibrate the compass is change the zone and then drive in circles until the compass recalibrates.  Must have looked weird to anyone watching us drive in circles in the WalMart back parking lot!

Finally got back on I-64 and drove into Virginia.  Tomorrow we'll drive over to Kilmarnock - should get there around noon or so. 

Hotel Cincinnatian

The hotel is beautiful enough that it deserves its' own narrative.  Located in the middle of Cincinnati, it's an old, elegant hotel, with all the accoutrements of a city hotel.  After checking in and leaving Snowflake to the tender mercies of a valet, we settled in to get the verdict of the Jodi Arias trial.  Harrah's runs a shuttle from the downtown hotels to the Horseshoe Casino.  I originally thought it was a riverboat on the Ohio River; however, nothing could be further from the truth.  It's a huge building, very nicely furnished and with all the latest slots and table games.

We had dinner at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and had fun people watching.  One party of young women was being festooned with balloons.  Must have been a bridal shower or something like that.  Two guys on stilts started out with making a balloon centerpiece and then individual balloon caps for the women.  Then the real artistry started - vertical balloons which were attached to the balloon caps and finally horizontal long balloons which connected the vertical balloons.  I guess the idea was for them to leave in a group trying to keep the balloons all connected.  Unfortunately, we left before them, so missed that spectacle.  Have to see it to believe it.

Took the shuttle (more of an elegantly, dressed out airport limousine type vehicle) back to the hotel for the evening.  Took a walk down to a local store and got caught in rainstorm, complete with thunder and lightning.  Waited a while and then dodged from overhang to overhang to get back to the hotel.  Haven't seen rain like that for quite a while, but it looks like it might be around for a while.

Cincinnati, OH

Well, here we are in the Queen City - Cincinnati, Ohio on the banks of the Ohio River.  This morning we drove into downtown Evansville to check out the city.  Would you believe they had a casino on a riverboat on the Ohio River?  Imagine that!  Even harder to believe may be that we didn't gamble there at all - just walked through the level which was open to check out what was happening.  It was the Aztar which is in the process of being converted to the Tropicana chain.

We did go back ashore and had breakfast at their buffet which was in a building on the shore side of the casino.  Then we walked along the riverfront to check out the various monuments and plaques.  There were several monuments to various wars and a welcome center.  As we were on the waterfront, a huge barge (actually several of them) with its' tug was moving downstream.  There was a welcome center in the form of a pagoda - originally it was an open air shelter and they converted it to the center.

Afterwards, we drove back up to I-64 and continued our leisurely trip to Cincinnati.  We planned on a short travel day, so we decided to get off the Interstate and take one of the smaller roads up to the Ohio River and see the countryside.  The Interstate was pretty much the same as interstates anywhere. Fun driving through the horse country outside of Louisville and then along the Ohio River.  We were surprised at the large number of steel plants up in the Carrollton, Kentucky area - one after the other for several miles. 

We had a Subway lunch at a park along the Ohio near Ghent, KY.  Drove into Cincinnati - quite a change from the relaxed countryside into the busy metropolis.  Again, you may find this hard to believe, but there is a Harrah's Casino here - who knew?  OK, maybe we did know and made reservations at the Cincinnatian Hotel.  As is typical in this part of the country, the hotel is not connected to the casino.  The Horseshoe Casino is in a riverboat on the river and you have to take a shuttle from the hotel over to the Casino.  That's for this evening's entertainment - right we're awaiting the jury verdict in the Jodi Arias trial.

Evansville, IN

Left Topeka and it was fun traveling through the rolling countryside.  The trees are budding and the vegetation is much further along as we travel further East.  Also hit the first toll road in Kansas going into Kansas City, KS.  Funny, Kansas City in Kansas is only 141,000 while Kansas City, MO is 440,000.  Started to hit more truck traffic as we went across Missouri.  Went through St Louis and across the Mississippi into Illinois.  Tried to get a picture of the Arch as we went by, but the highway overpass prevented that. 

Pretty flat land around here, the fields seem flooded and the wetlands are pretty "wet".  I think the flooding along the Mississippi is starting down here!  We arrived here in Evansville and may drive along the Ohio River tomorrow morning as a change from the Interstate driving. 

Decided not to stop at Scott AFB as it was still early in the day when we crossed into Illinois. We'll see how the day progresses tomorrow as we head over to Louisville, and perhaps into Cincinnati.

Topeka, KS

Quick, what's the capital of Kansas?  Oh darn, you guessed it!

We left Paul and Sandy's early this morning after spending a great weekend with them.  Good conversation, good wine, and even got in a good (depends on who you listen to) game of golf at Saddle Brook Golf Course near their house.  Weather was a little (?) cool, but it gave Sandy and Vi a chance to try out Paul's new golf cart cover.  They stayed warm, while Paul and I froze our katookus (that's a technical term) off.

After traveling through the sandstone canyons of Utah and the mountains of Colorado, we spent today driving across the wide open prairie - all farmland and cattle country.  Crossed into Kansas and tried to click our red heels together to travel through the state faster, but didn't succeed.  Lost another hour when we crossed into the Central Time Zone.  We saw an interesting sign for the Cathedral of the Plains at Victoria, KS, so we got off I-70 to explore it.  Quite an impressive structure, build in the 1909-1911 time frame.  The area was settled by the Volga Germans - similar to the German heritage Vi has from the Russian Odessa area.  The stone for the cathedral was all quarried from the local area and the parishioners were charged with providing wagon loads of sandstone and the labor to build the cathedral.  It's a Capuchin-Franciscan church and is one of the eight wonders of Kansas (guess we'll have to look up and see what the other seven are).

Crossing the plains, we again encountered hundreds, if not thousands, of windmills out on the windswept plains.  Didn't have to worry about any navigational skills - get on I-70, stay on I-70, have breakfast, repeat!  Stopped around 4:30 here in Topeka.  Had dinner at a local brewery called the Blind Tiger.  According to their propaganda, they have won many prizes at the American Beer Festival.  We agreed that their beer was great!

Tomorrow we may just drive through Missouri over to Bellevue, IL and relive some old memories from Scott AFB.  Be a good opportunity to travel a shorter distance and perhaps play some golf at Scott.  Will let you know how that all turns out.

Centennial, CO

Ho hum, just another boring day driving across multi-colored landscape, sandstone canyons, and mountains.  Utah has some of the most beautiful and varied landscape in the world.  Huge mesas, wind and water sculpted land bring one awesome view after the other.  The Capitol Reef National Park is just south of this area and worthy of days of exploring – but not on this trip.  Crossing the Green River brings some green color into the beige, coral, pink and black landscape.  We passed many trucks and RV’s hauling ATV’s and dirt bikes to spend the weekend in the hills.  Moab is just south of I-70 and is a mecca for off-roading (where’s my Jeep when I need it?).

Crossed into Colorado  and here the Colorado River joined us (or we joined it).  Going through Fuita and Grand Junction, it’s interesting to see all the agriculture in the valley between the high plateaus.  Got our wildlife sighting of the day when a bald eagle soared alongside us .

Traveling on I-70 through the mountains, you can understand why this was the last portion of the Interstate System completed in the 1970’s.  It winds through canyons (at times it’s layered, one direction pancaked on top of the other).  The ski areas are transitioning from one season to another – still a lot of snow on the slopes,  but not enough for the ski lifts to be operating.  Vail, Aspen, Avon, Eagle are all between seasons – working on the golf courses which still had their greens covered with plastic tarps.

As we traversed Vail Pass (over 10,000 feet), it was snowing, but that changed to sprinkles as we dropped down into the Front Slope of the Rockies.  Arrived at Paul and Sandy’s around 4:30 and welcomed the end of the day with a glass of wine.  Paul’s flight from California was delayed out of San Francisco, so we waited dinner until he arrived home.  Fun evening.

Salina, Utah

Well, I don't want to say that we are in the middle of nowhere, but we're close.  Big horse and cattle country around here.  As an example, the young lady ahead of us at the El Mexicano this evening had on a sweatshirt with "Pretty in Pink - Wicked in Spurs"!

We came across Nevada on US 50 - the Lonliest Highway in the US.  Needless to say, there wasn't a lot of traffic and we made good time.  The highlights of the trip across were the remains of the Pony Express and Stagecoach stations which dot the landscape.  Interesting that the same road which served the Indians as their trail across the country, also served as the route for the Pioneers, the Pony Express, Stagecoach routes (this is where American Express got its' start as the Butterfield and later Wells Fargo state routes), then as the Lincoln Highway, and finally as US 50. 

Stopped for lunch in Eureka at the Owl Bar and Café.  Walked into the bar around 1:00 pm. and all the people sitting at the bar turned around to see who the strangers were walking through the door.  Guess there's not much to do in Eureka!  On through Ely and across some beautiful mountains and valleys into Utah.  If US 50 across Nevada is the Lonliest Road in the US, I would hate to see what they call US 50 through western Utah - there's nothing out there (except for the beautiful desert and mountain scenery).

Salina is where we hit I-70 and then it's clear sailing to Denver on Saturday.  Poor Snowflake is catching all the bugs from the fields around here.  She's not used to that since we don't have any (or almost no) bugs in Reno. 

Pre-Trip Arrangements.

We're getting set to leave tomorrow for our trip back East Robin Terry's wedding and then up to Rochester to visit Tim before heading to North Dakota for Reilee's graduation.  i thought I'd set this blog up so that you could follow our travels.  Also, I won't have to wonder whether I didn't include someone in an update e-mail :-).  I'll send the blog URL for your information.