Tuesday June 16

The vacation is almost over and we are boo hooing. We are stopping at the Isle tomorrow and will be home on Thursday. We left Grand Island early today so we could go to the Living History Museum in Urbandale Iowa. We ended our vacation the way we started it. The skies opened and it poured. It seems like it wouldn't be right if we weren't driving in rain. We have traveled about 5600 miles to date and Rich has done all the driving. Either it was raining, the wind was 100 miles an hour or the traffic was ridiculous. I thought that this would be a good opportunity for me to learn to drive the car (that I am afraid of). That didn't happen so I am going to have to drive it around town so he doesn't get stuck with all the driving next year. We were hoping to get to see some of the stars in the open sky and we haven't seen one star. Every night it was either raining, foggy or cloudy. This has really been some lousy weather. Last night we watched a spectacular lightening storm. There was a touchdown of a tornado 30 miles from where we were. The emergency alert was going off all night. A fitting ending. I am going to post all the pictures after we get home. Better late than never. This will be my last blog. The Isle does not have free internet. So thank you for those that have commented and I hope some found the blog and our travels interesting.

Monday June 15

We actually made a whole day with no rain. It was really cloudy and it felt like the sky was going to open all day, but it didn't. We got to Grand Island early and we made it to the Pioneer Prairie Village. It was interesting and very well done. We spent around 3 hours there walking around and seeing the exhibits. It was still early when we checked into out Motel and we decided to just go looking around.
First we went to Carlos O'Kellys for dinner and I had a jumbo Margarita to celebrate my birthday. It was good and so was dinner. Then we went to the Conestoga Mall because we wanted to get John a gift certificate from Best Buy for watching the house for us. They had a cinema in the Mall and we made it just in time to see Night at the Museum. It was a fun movie. I can't remember the last time we went to dinner and a show. We really should do it more often.
Tomorrow we have a light travel day so we don't have to get up and hurry out. The more leisurely traveling is really the way to go. I know that is not possible when you have to worry about going back to work but this is a terrific way to travel.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone but we are not looking forward to our vacation ending. We planned this for so long it is going to be a let down when it is done. We are already talking about what we are going to do next year and I hope we are fortunate enough to be able to take another trip.
Tomorrow it is off to Des Moines and the Living History Museum. There also just happens to be a casino on the way that we may just have to visit.

Sunday June 14

Happy Flag Day!
It is also our original anniversary. 44 years ago today. Where does the time go.
We drove today to Gothenburg. Nothing spectacular. Just driving and seeing lots of cows, horses and Pronghorn Antelope. They are free ranging and are everywhere. They are really cute and they graze and romp alongside the cows. I don't know if they are allowed to hunt them, but I hope not.
I forgot to mention that when we were driving in Nevada we stopped at a small gas station to use the restrooms. The towns and rest areas are miles and miles apart. Anyway, we pulled into the station/restaurant and a tour bus had gotten there just minutes before we got there and they were are piling off the bus. We decided to skip the restrooms and pulled around to the back of the building and there was this house that had a sign "House of Prostitution". The name of it was Cherry Patch II, which means that somewhere there was a Cherry Patch I. Over the door was a banner that read "Madame Butterfly". It was our first brothel.
It made it all the way up to 75 by the time we got to Gothenburg, but of course it was pouring rain. It seems to have stopped for a few minutes, so we are going to go out and check out the town a little more. We have been through it before, but I want to see if it has changed at all.
They have added a Pizza Hut since the last time we were here.
They are predicting that the hot weather is supposed to start next week. Too bad we will be home by then. They have had tons of rain out west this Spring. Everyone has been talking about how unusual the weather has been. But I know the secret. We are here. Already I am hating to see the vacation end. We have learned so much from this trip so the next one we will do a better job of packing. For one thing we don't eat like we used to and have had to throw out almost all the perishable food we brought. We won't bring anything perishable again.
Well, we are off to explore.

Saturday June 13

I have not logged on for a week. I didn't have time on Sunday after the wedding because we were so busy. Sue had an after wedding party with the leftover food from the wedding. They had it catered and the leftovers came back to Sue's house as Jenny and Matt were off to Vegas.
Monday we went to Reno for three days and they wanted $12.00 a day to log on to the internet. All the Comfort Inn's have free access and a big fancy outfit like the Peppermill in Reno charges for the internet. I was not going to pay the price.
We had a great time as always. We really enjoy spending time with them. It's too bad it can only be once a year. I had a pretty good gambling outing. Rich, not so good, but we only lose what we stipend for the day.
Thursday we went to West Wendover Nevada for two days and they had no internet access whatsoever. We had a nice time there. It is really nice to stay a couple of days in one spot. We drove through a hail and sleet storm on the way. It rained off and on all day long. The weather is still cold. It was rainy and cloudy and cold in Reno also.
Today we are in Rawlins Wyoming. The Comfort Inn here is really nice. Who would think. We stayed in Rawlins four years ago and it was yucky. They have really improved things.
We started off this morning in rain and stormy skies, but later in the day it cleared and the sun came out. It is still cool and they are predicting severe weather in Des Moines on Tuesday. Guess when we will be in Des Moines.
We can't believe that we have been gone for three weeks already. We have decided that we are still not sick of traveling and we could go for another couple of weeks.
Tomorrow we are going to Gothenberg my favorite little town. We will be in Grand Island for my birthday. There is a pioneer farm we want to go to if it isn't raining.
Will try and log on tomorrow.

Saturday June 6

Today was the wedding. One of the main reasons for our trip. They had a real nice ceremony in a Lutheran Church. It was short and to the point. The reception followed in the hall of the church.
I had found a pants suit that I really liked after months of looking for just the right one. I was worried that it was going to be too warm because it had long sleeves. No worry. It was cool. The hot weather seems to have left California when we got here.
We were helping clean up and take food home and I picked up a tray full of chicken and the juice spilled all over the front, down the leg and all over my shoes. My pant suit that I finally found I think is ruined. We will take it to the cleaners when we get home but I think it is a goner. The print from the side of the box is imprinted on the front of the top.
But beside that we had a good time. Their choice of music was a lot of oldies and it was fun.
Because we have been out to Ca a couple of times now we know the rest of the family and everyone else made us feel very welcome.
Tomorrow it will be off to John and Sue's house to try and get rid of some of the food that was left over. They are having about 25 people for an after the wedding party.

Friday June 5

We arrived here in Elk Grove California and we have a very nice Motel room. We have settled in for our three day stay and I must admit it will be nice to stay put for a few days.
We are going to John and Sue's for the rehearsal barbeque tonight and will get to see them and the bride-to-be and the groom. We have met him before and he seems like a good fit for their family.

Thursday June 4

Another day of driving. Today though we stopped at Death Valley and in Death Valley where Christ lost his shoes there is a house called Scotty's Castle. It is a house that was built in 1920 in the middle of nowhere. It looks like a castle and is surrounded by trees and flowering plants. Not something you would expect to see there. We didn't have time to stop and take the tour but I did get some pictures of the outside. I doubt if we will ever get back to take the tour but I sure would like to. It rained the day before we got there. They got 3/4 of an inch of rain. It never rains in Dealth Valley. Gives you an idea of what a strange year this is for weather. I did get some pictures and will try and post some of them tomorrow when we have a little more time.
We saw the borax field. For those of you old enough to remember, the old ranger and 20 Mule Team Borax laundry detergent. It was an old cowboy, with a hat and bandana around his neck driving a wagon pulled by a team of 20 mules. Well, this could have been where they filmed that commercial. It sure looked like the background in that commercial.
I didn't care for the Motel in Fallon. Another tired town. Fallon AFB is located there and also the Naval Underwater Training Facility. We couldn't believe they would have a Naval station like that in the desert, but when we drove on we found Palmer Lake and it was huge. That is where they do their training. What an odd setup.
Tomorrow it is off to Elk Grove.

Wednesday June 3

Today we drove to Henderson Nevada. We drove through a lot of tired old boarded up towns. You just don't know how people survive and live there. It really makes you happy for what you have. The Motel is fine and we just happened to be next to a great big casino. So, of course we had to stop in and check it out. It was a good stop because we both won. Otherwise it was not an exicting day. The weather was good and that is always a plus. Talked to Sue and she said to make sure I had a jacket because there is a cold front going through California. Figures. I told her we would bring cooler temperatures with us.
We stopped and looked at Hoover Dam. No time for tours, but it is the third time we have seen it and the changes they have made are really something. They have added a gift shop, a cafeteria and a museum. If anyone is ever in the area I highly recommend stopping and taking the tour.
Tomorrow it is off to Fallon Nevada.

Tuesday June 2

Today we drove to Chandler Arizona to see Patricia and Pasquale. They have another big bright Arizona house. They had it built about 4 years ago. It is a really nice house, with a great big patio that they spend most of their time at in the tolerable weather. They live in a gated retirement community with a clubhouse that provides every activity you could think of. Pat made us a nice lunch and we had a real nice visit.
Then they went with us to check into our Motel and we followed them to Joe and Carol's house. They live in Scottsdale just outside of Phoenix. They also have a very nice house. Carol fixed us a great dinner and we just sat around and shot the breeze. Joe showed us some more of his pictures and his art work gets better as he gets older. He is teaching art classes for a few hours a day and he loves it. Carol is going to to retire in January. They have grass in their back yard. It looked funny. We went and saw Dan's house and two of Alice's brothers live in the same area. It is like family west.
As much as we like the weather and I think the landscaping is really neat, we didn't see anything that would want to make us leave our children and grandchildren and move here. We would like to come out and spend a week in March and see everyone again and just look around, but it is like every other big city with the traffic and the stores and old people drivers.
Tomorrow we are headed off to Henderson. It will just be a day of driving.

Monday June 1

Today we drove to Oro Valley which is right outside of Tucson. Warm weather abounds. It was sunny and hot. On the way there we stopped at Tombstone Arizona. It was a place that Rich had wanted to see since he saw the movie when he was a kid. It is tired and commercialized. Nowhere near the Dells but the same type of idea. Moccasins and Indian Jewelry everywhere. We did stop and buy Rich a T-shirt that features John Wayne and the saying Old Guys Rule. We got John one also since he is a big John Wayne fan.
Then we went to Boot Hill. Every western town has a Boot Hill and this was no exception. They have restored it and all I can tell you is that 1882 was not a good year to live in Tombstone. Lots of people died that year in every conceivable way. From getting shot by Indians, from Meningitis, child birth and hanging.
We checked in at our Hotel which was very nice and went to see Rose and Dave. They have a beautiful house. Everything you would expect a southwestern house to look like. They took us for a tour of their area. They have a club house that features everything you could ever possibly want to do. If you wanted or needed something to be involved in this is the place to be. We went out to dinner and we had a really nice time. Rose looks good and her back seems to be coming along. She is going to try a trip to California in a couple of weeks if her Dr. gives her the go ahead.
Dave has not aged a bit. He looks good and even though he doesn't believe it the desert seems to agree with him.
Tomorrow we are headed off to Chandler.

Sunday May 31

Today was beautiful. Warm and blue skies. We were just going to drive straight through to Deming, but realized that we would have been there really early. The time changed right when we left so we were on the road by 8. We decided to make a side trip to White Sands National Monument. It is a field of white gypsum in the middle of a desert. It just rises up like mountains. I hope my pictures turn out. I want to try and load them in the computer tonight and see if I can post some of them. White Sands is where they tested the first atomic bomb. We saw why. There is nothing for miles and miles and then all of a sudden there is this range of white.
Then we went to Alamogorda Space Museum. It was much more than we thought it was going to be. They have a lot of rockets and missiles and a lot of information about the early space program. It was worth the trip.
Our motel in Deming is much better than last nights. Tomorrow we are going to Tucson to see Rose and I am looking forward to that.
Hard to believe as it is, I got a little color today. In fact I got quite a bit of color. I should have worn my hat, but I look like such a dork I just can't do it.

Saturday May 30

Today was strictly a travel day. Nothing exciting. Saw cows, horses and dust devils. We got to Van Horn early because the speed limit was 80 and the road was really good. And Matt the hiway system in Texas was excellent. Van Horn however was dead. Everything was closed up and abandoned. And LindaSue the Motel was a "Winchester" motel. We wanted to go and get something to eat, but we didn't want to venture further than the motel. We went out and walked around a little bit but it was creepy. It was like the whole town disappeared. There were no people. So, we had cheese and crackers in the room and did crossword puzzles.
I went to bed early. I have been sick the whole trip. I was coming down with a cold when we left and it just got worse. Today was the best I have felt. I just hope Rich doesn't get it.
Tomorrow it is Deming New Mexico.

Friday May 29

I can't believe that it is Friday already. Seems like we just started out.
We got up early this morning because we wanted to do the River Walk. We got a good parking space and we went to see the Alamo. It was definitely worth seeing. There is not a lot of original structure left, but it was still impressive. There must have been 15 field trips of little rug rats. I'm glad that we got there early. We pretty much stayed ahead of them. We took the Trolley Tour of the area. The River Walk is really nice. Tons of restaurants and stores. We took the boat ride and that was really interesting and reasonable also. We ate at a Mexican Restaurant. That was one meal that I wanted to have and it tasted wonderful. I scarfed up the chips and salsa like I hadn't had a meal in a week.
Then we went over to the Mission San Jose. That was interesting. They still have services in the church and they have 300 weddings there a year. AND it was hot. The sun was hot. I loved it.
We walked the grounds and read all the history of the Mission. The best part was I was able to walk without all kinds of pain. There were five Missions founded in San Antonio by the Franciscans. They of course wanted to convert all the souls of the Native Indians and all they did was mange to kill most of them with measles and small pox.
Seems like I can't find any adjective other than interesting.
Tomorrow we are headed out to Van Horn Texas. I want to have one good Bar-Be-Que meal before we leave Texas. It won't be tonight because we had the Mexican meal today and we just can't eat like we used to. Will try and check in tomorrow.