Sunny Day in Eugene

We have finally felt like we are out of the car. Doing some yard work and lazing around on the patio in the afternoon catching up on old magazines.
Found an interesting appetizer for my next book club meeting and a perfect way to start using zucchini. So, essentially it is using a zucchini cut up into about 1/4 inch rounds, lay out on a platter;season with salt and pepper preferably fresh ground. Place a sun-dried tomato on each slice, then top each tomato with a pinch of goat cheese and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil...............so easy and yet so tasty sounding. Bon Appetit!

Chief Joseph Trail and Yellowstone North

Today was another long and scenic drive-- 10 hours worth, looping up to the northwest of Cody along the route taken by Chief Joseph fleeing the army, then into the northeast entrance of Yellowstone. The north is high elevation plains with sagebrush, snowmelt slush and streams, and lots of wildlife. We gradually dropped down to the lake level, which is over 7,000 foot elevation. We passed down into the caldera and saw bubbling mud that smelled of rotten eggs (sulphur), then along the frozen lake and back to Cody. Tomorrow we will go back into Yellowstone from the east entrance, past Old Faithful and out the west entrance, then boogie toward home. Nothing else to do but drive and drive.

--Mike

A word about Nellie

Here is a quick salute to my old Jeep, which Bonnie has nicknamed "Nellie." What a trooper she is -- 120,000 miles and she just purrrs along on freeways and backroads alike.

We are now 4600 miles into our journey. So, here's to Nellie.

--Mike

Buffalo Bill Country

Up bright and early to tour the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. This is a huge museum complex featuring five different collections. We spent about 8 hours here as it was so very well done only leaving for about 45 minutes to take a lunch break and get away from sensory overload. We saw the largest collection of firearms in the world, The Buffalo Bill museum......now there was a guy larger than life.......prospector, bullwhacker, trapper, buffalo hunter, army scout, pony express rider, guide, producer of a wild west show and even has this town of Cody named for him. We also saw The Plains Indian Museum, Draper Museum of Natural history and for those who would enjoy more http://www.bbhc.org/
On our break we drove a short distance from Cody to tour the Buffalo Bill Dam Visitor Center which was named for ....you got it.....Colonel William F. Cody who spent many years promoting and attempting to raise money for his dream of irrigating arid acres from the Shoshone river....this dam was his realization of his vision for the town of Cody.
Tomorrow we head into Yellowstone for another busy day. Then we shall return to our fabulous lodge to rest up for heading home to Orygun.
Last night we were at Bubba's BBQ..........all smoked and wood fired cooking and lots of grease for your money..........it was good and after all we are in Cowboy Country where they consider beef the major food group. They don't eat any sissy food here.........Whew, over and out. Need to rest up before our 50 mile jaunt to Yellowstone tomorrow......Bonnie

Westward to Wyoming

Early start this morning for a long scenic drive from the Black Hills to the eastern edge of Yellowstone. We detoured out of our way to go past Devil's Tower and then hours later we crossed the Big Horn Mountain pass west of Buffalo, ending up in Cody, Wyoming. Hot, tired and a bit grouchy we started looking at overpriced dumps to spend the night. We ended up finding a very nice place (a bit pricy) and decided to hole up for two nights so we will have plenty of time tomorrow for the Buffalo Bill Cody museums.

Pictures from Black Hills/ Mt. Rushmore

Mount Rushmore

We are staying at the Roosevelt Inn in historic Keystone, South Dakota.......one mile from the National Memorial. Weather has been hot and 91 degrees upon arrival. Went to the site last evening and it was quite impressive. The museum exhibit wasn't open but we found a good one here in Keystone today and enjoyed learning all about the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum who carved the memorial.
Got up early this morning to tour Custer State Park and enjoyed sightseeing for about 6 hours. Saw buffalo, burros, deer, and no rattlesnakes which pleased me just fine. Stopped for lunch at a grand resort and although the Summer season hasn't kicked off yet, folks are arriving. We hope to be home by Memorial Day weekend with our next stop tomorrow being somewhere in Wyoming so we are getting closer to home. We have given up on the time zone thing and have no idea what time it is when we call Sue or my Mom.

Following Lewis & Clark

We spent last night in Sioux City, Iowa near the burial site of Sergeant Floyd, the only man to die on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Today we followed the Missouri on the Nebraska side of the river on a scenic road called the "Outlaw Trail." We never did find out why it had that name, but we did find numerous historical points from the expedition. Very scenic road, no traffic, quiet and peaceful day--almost to peaceful. We were glad to finally find a room for the night in Valentine, Nebraska. Tomorrow we hope to make it through the Badlands and into the Black Hills.-- Mike

Amana Colonies Iowa

Hello from Amish country.
We stayed at the Heritage Inn Hotel and Suites at Amana exit 225 last evening. While looking for a restaurant we saw a Wine shop and came out with a bottle of Dandelion wine..........when we asked about their vineyards, the clerk said oh we don't grow the grapes but we import only the best ones from Oregon!
Decided to eat at the Ox Yoke Restaurant which according to my Triple A book was a good spot. The sign at the eatery said "taste the homemade difference......an Amana tradition since 1940. When I spied catfish on the menu I knew what I wanted but they were "out"..........so I asked for a hot roast beef sandwich as the dinners looked massive and very much the German fare. I wish I had taken a photo when my sandwich arrived. It was served on a Thanksgiving turkey type platter and the biggest mound of mashed potatoes I had ever seen on one dinner plate. That mound could easily feed an American family of four and an entire African village. Did I mention that the giant chunks of roast beef were literally swimming off the plate in the gravy?
I looked at Mike's and saw his dinner platter..........sauerkraut and two large country sausages and more mashed potatoes and his own private dish of homemade mustard. Then the small bowls started arriving.........waldorf salad, fresh green beans, coleslaw, fried potatoes, strawberries, sour sauce and bread and butter. I decided to just eat parts of my dinner for four but felt very wasteful as I put the napkin over the remains. Yes, we are in farm country and getting ready to tour this land of the Amish. It is beautiful here with the well maintained farms and the gorgeous farmhouses.........looking forward to seeing the barn signs and all the quilts. They are also famous for their cheese so as we did in Nauvoo will pick up a small wedge for munching while we drive........but somehow this morning I am not very hungry. Bonnie

Westward Ho!

Kokomo was our most eastward destination, and today we started our return trip. A slight delay in Kokomo to replace a broken windshield was the only vehicle trouble in over 3500 miles. Now we move westward-- next tour stop: Nauvoo, Illinois on the Mississippi, then on to Iowa City -- the home of No Shame Theatre.
--Mike

Kokomo

We are in the heartland of Indiana in the small town of Kokomo . We met Michelle at Marsh's Market this morning while she was on break and plan on meeting her at 2pm this afternoon to spend time with her and the girls. Today is Tara's birthday and we will be at the family dinner this evening. Raychelle has a collection of her art at her school that we will be going to see .
We decided to stay in the same inn from previous visits............it is almost like being in a Bates hotel now as there seem to be only about 3 cars in the parking lot. This morning we were awakened by what we thought was a tornado but ended up being the room next door being remodeled. Guess the place is going to survive despite the economy as it seems to have few folks staying here. The Days Inn across the street looks just as empty so this town is feeling the effects of the recession.
The rain has been incessant all day and as it reminds me of home but I keep forgetting one must pay attention to midwest rain as a storm can evolve into a tornado in a heartbeat.
The Cracker Barrel sounds like a good haven for lunch so we leave for now......Bonnie

Onward to Indiana

We have arrived in Kokomo, Indiana to visit my daughter Michelle and two granddaughters, Raychelle and Tara. Tomorrow is Tara's 18th birthday. We may be celebrating huddled indoors as severe weather is predicted --hail, heavy rain, maybe even tornado potential.

This morning Bonnie and I toured the new Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Sprinfield, Illinois on our way to Indiana. Very impressive, especially the Civil War displays.

Too tired to say much more.
--Mike

Tom Sawyer land

I picked up a copy of Tom Sawyer while we were in Hannibal. I always pictured a small white picket fence -- but the photo here fits the old Norman Rockwell painting and in the book, Tom uses a long handled paint brush and the fence is nine feet tall. So I guess this is about right. Mark Twain's old house is on the left in the picture.

Today is Betty's birthday -- 85 (we think). Today I saw here dance down the stairs to the basement like a ballarina on tip toes-- then jog back up! Happy birthday young lady!

--Mike

Today is my brother Rob's birthday . Bon Anniversaire Rob! I miss you being here in person but you are always with me in spirit. I plan on dining at the Steak and Shake for lunch here in Morton in your honor and know you will relate.
Morton has a brand new and nice library where we are catching up on email and the blog today. It is one of those little midwest towns that are sane and easy to get around.
Tonight we meet old friends, Ralph and Joannie for dinner at the Chalet in Pekin. There is Chef Conrad who will be cooking his German food so we are trying something different.
Tomorrow on my Mother's birthday we are dining out with the family for Chinese food so should be lots of little take out buckets to try and fit into the already bulging fridge at 113. We plan on taking a surprise birthday cake with us.
Rob, in honor of your birthday .............Mom is making your fave pie.....drumroll.............you got it fresh picked rhubarb from the garden and we shall have a piece tonight..........sorry you are missing out.
Weather has been great.........not too hot but sunny and just a little sprinkle of rain coming home from my cousin's farm in Minonk yesterday.........we tried out the local diner in that tiny little farming burg. Cheryl and Don are planning on moving back into their century old farm house by the end of this month. They had a fire in January so taking awhile to get it back in order.
I have enjoyed watching cardinal birds in the backyard......wish I could bring a pair back to Oregon with me......I do miss seeing those bright red birds.
Been visiting with many relatives and we have non stop conversations about everything. Sometimes it is hard to go to sleep at night just thinking about the memories.
Enuf of my story........I sign off for now........bonnie

Playing in Peoria

We have arrived in Bon's home town of E. Peoria and are staying at her mother's house. We do not have internet in Betty's house, so I just found a hotspot at the town library.

I think our last entry was somewhere along the Santa Fe trail. We reversed the old trail, taking backroads from Santa Fe to Kansas City-- a very long but enjoyable experience. Very little traffic, the scenery gently changing about every 50 miles or so. On the east side of the Rockies we had rocky alkaline looking soil and sparse vegetation on high plains. As the elevation dropped from 6-7,000 feet down to 2,000 or so moving toward the Missouri drainage, and as we got out of the mountain rain shadow, the soils improved and the agriculture came with it. Lush green fields with irrigation replaced the cattle range to the west. We passed through or near historic places of old gun slingers and names from Western movies.

As soon as we got across the bridge into the Missouri side of the river, I got tailgated at 75 mph and greeted by a honking horn and a local with his middle finger waving out the driver's window. I guess Missouri is the "Show Me (the finger)" State. Actually, that was the only rude happening on the entire journey. As soon as we stopped for the night we were greeted by friendly people with that slight southern accent, and sayings such as "Lordy, Lordy" and waitresses calling us "honey."

On Saturday, we hit Hannibal, Missouri about noon so took a break to tour the boyhood home of Samuel Clemens and see the places that inspired the settings for Tom Sawyer and Huckelberry Finn. We toured his old home, which still thas a white picket fence. We drove by but did not have time to tour the cave.

By Saturday night, we were at Betty's-- 2900 miles into our trip. Now Betty is in charge, and she and Bonnie are making all the plans. I just plan to tag along for a week or ten days, then we will be off to Indiana to see my daughter, Michelle and my two granddaughters.

--Mike

Albuquerque/Santa Fe

New Mexico is truly the Land of Enchantment. We spent Tuesday thru Thursday here. Weather was sunny and in the 80's which made sight seeing even more enjoyable. We spent time with Kat and Adrian looking at the campus area where Kat will be attending UNM this Fall. It is a very amazing university with lovely landscaping. Spent time in Old Town in the city which is always fun to look and shop . Since we are driving , I bought my Mother a Ristra which is a dried chile pepper arrangement both colorful as well as functional. You hang it up and pluck a dried chile pod when you need some seasoning.
While looking around the city we found old Route 66 and there are still old signs and buildings from that fun era. We had a fine view of the city and watched hot air balloons launch every morning from our 20th story view at the Hyatt Regency.
In Santa Fe, we found the Loretto chapel with the mystery staircase. The story goes that the nuns prayed a novena to have a staircase built in their chapel and a mystery carpenter appeared to build it. The even greater mystery is how he built a free standing structure with no visible support. He only had a saw and hammer to build it. The chapel is gorgeous with imported stained glass from France.
One last note on the southwest cuisine. We were happy diners at two very nice restaurants and the chile pepper sauces red and green are the serious choices. The food was addicting and makes one envious of having so many chile peppers to use in the meal. I prefer the green as the red can be very spicy. Bonnie