Home Sweet Home

There is just nothing quite like being home!  I'm so happy.

We did have a great time.  It was a memorable trip.  6350 miles.  16 states.   28 days. 

 (and not a cross word between us :)

It did take a while to get re-acclimated, to settle in.  First there was the unpacking and putting things away.  That was actually a pretty big job!  We had that car really packed, and both of us concluded that if we were to do such a trip again, we would pack a lot less, especially in the clothes department.  I actually took more shoes than I used.

There have been lots of chores around the house and yard to be done.  A storm hit the area on Sunday morning and broke off a big limb of one of our trees.  That had to be cut off and cut into pieces and disposed of.   There was the laundry to do and grocery shopping.  Gerry cut the grass.  I picked up the mail at the Post Office, and we sorted that.  Had to get the computers up and running again, and plug in the TV and let it get its brains back.

I've been pulling weeds out of flower gardens.  They are huge and massive with deep roots.  It will take a week to get that job done!

One might think that it would be fun to eat out every night, but nothing could be further from the truth!  I love to cook, and Gerry loves to eat my cooking.  We eat much more healthily at home.  We both feared that we had gained lots of weight during the traveling weeks,  but thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case.

Happiness is sleeping in your own bed and cooking your own food.

Plus, I must admit, we really love our routines!

Why Did You Go?

A friend we were visiting asked the question:  "What precipitated this trip?"   I didn't know the answer.  So I asked Gerry, and he didn't know the answer.

My answer:   "Because Gerry wanted to do it."
His answer:   "Because Nancy wanted to do it."

Even though we might not recall exactly how the whole thing got started, we are both really glad that we DID it.

We saw so many fascinating sights, learned so much interesting American history, visited so many lovely places.  We mostly avoided the interstates and saw the good ole U.S.A. via the roads that no one travels any more.

Even though we started each day with a specific destination at the end of our driving,  we never knew what we might encounter along the way.   We were constantly amazed and surprised by the things that popped up in each day.

So, we had the best of both worlds.  We had a plan and also lived completely in the present, frequently spontaneously.

If we ever happen to decide on another road trip, it definitely won't be that long.

But this one we can relish, and re-live, and laugh about for a long time into the future.

Lovely Surprises

We have only had a couple of rooms that were "duds", which isn't bad out of about 27 or so of them.  One or two of those were in locations where there were no other options.

This evening's discovery was a surprise indeed.  We left Ames, Iowa around noon, and traveled across the rest of the state, arriving in Le Claire.  Much to our surprise, the Holiday Inn Express sits facing, and just a few feet away from the Mighty Mississippi River! 

You cannot see it in this picture, but the room has a nice "sitting area" with sofa, and other amenities.   But the best part--our room overlooks the river!  We are just delighted.

Today we spent time at Iowa State University where Gerry received his PhD in 1966.  Of course, the campus has changed enormously in the past 47 years.  He visited buildings where he had studied and went inside to locate his old office space (which of course has been reconfigured countless times since).

We also spent some time viewing new and lovely botanical gardens there on the campus, the Reiman Gardens.  We have seen several such gardens on our journey and this one may well be the best garden experience of all, so it has been a really great day .

We even managed to stop and get an oil change along the way, which was overdue.  We located a place by using ipad and wireless at a Rest Stop and GPS to find it.  We are real "techies".

We are weary travelers at this point, and really did not expect to still find surprising and delightful things along the way.   We thought out "sightseeing"  was all over,  but you just never know!

The Last Stretch

We are approximately four days away from home.  I'm ready to be home, for sure. Can't wait.   In the next couple of days, we will be seeing, and staying with friends.  Hopefully, we will be good guests.

In light of some recent experiences, I can say I know something about how not to be a good host.  And it is not as if this is the first or only time to have such an experience----far from it.

Here is the basic rule I would like to share with others who are willing to hear it:

 In any social interaction,  do not talk exclusively about yourself, without including or asking about others.

I never fail to be amazed, and sometimes disappointed whenever that happens.  It seems so obvious,  so simple,  so natural to say:  "And tell me about you."  "What's going on in your life?"  "What have you been up to lately?"  "How is your family?"

Communicating is a shared experience.  It is not one person talking about themselves and the others listening.

Other than that, it has simply been an Iowa day.  And there is nothing more that I can say.

July 2013

Across Nebraska

Today we took an a-maize-ing trip all the way across Nebraska, and you guessed it---corn!

Well, not at first.  The first part was definitely hay country, with countless large round bales of hay standing in the fields like soldiers in formation.   Then the next 2/3 of the state was just mile after mile of soybeans and corn, mostly corn.  The hills were rolling, but it was corn.  Everywhere, corn.  Tomorrow and Iowa will be more corn, but I do believe Iowa will be flatter.

One can see why they call it the "breadbasket" of the world.  Millions and millions of acres of grain crops, but little else! Very few people.

Gerry, of course, took pictures of historical markers, though even those were scarce today.  I started taking pictures of town signs with populations.  Most of the little towns were quite small.  But still, they had their own proud signs declaring their beings.

As you can see, the town of Emmet boasts 48 residents.  Back in Wyoming there was actually a green population sign that said:  Lost Springs Population 4

The good news is that all day long, the colors were lush green, no more desert!  It felt welcoming and homey.

 

It is most interesting that in some environments, it feels like home---verdant rolling hills.

Or  in other places, like visitors-- oceans and lakes.

And in some terrains,  like aliens--desert and sage brush. 

 

 

 



 

 



Punning (Animals)

G.  Do you suppose there are any elk-a-holics around here?

N.  I don’t know why they would monkey around with that.

G.  Did you see that girl with the pony tail?

N.   The one with ze-bra strap broken?

G,      I raccoon she could fix that.

N.    Now you are really horsing around.

G.   I am punning doggedly.

N.   I didn’t catch that one.

G.  Now I know you are lion.

N.    Don’t be so seally!

G.   That sounds fishy to me.

N.   When will this be over?

 

 

 

 

Day Twenty Two

Over the course of this trip, I first encountered mounted buffalo heads, then a whole stuffed buffalo, and then eventually, real life buffalo on the range.  Today we visited a Fur Trade Museum somewhere along the way in Nebraska, and there was a buffalo hide.

The fur trade in America was a major enterprise in the 1700's.  It was interesting to hear a brief overview of fur trading and its global scope.

We are now making progress heading east.  We have been very anxious to leave behind desert and sage brush and rocks.  Today, gradually, the tans turned to greens, even without the irrigation.  At the moment, we are in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, which is the best grazing land anywhere.  (a good place to have steak for dinner)

We have been traveling on Rt. 20, which is not an Interstate.  It is the same Rt. 20 as the one in NY, and it goes east to west across the country.  It actually reminds us a lot of our days traveling on Rt. 2 across Montana and Oregon.   In both cases, there are wide open spaces, no other cars, just us, and views out the window.

It is rather amazing how the terrain changes every day, and how every day holds some surprise.

With the exception of some incredible mountains and waterfalls and forests, we really have not seen anything that is as beautiful as the lush green hills and valleys and lakes of Central New York.

There's no place like home.  Now every day  moves us closer.

An Eight Hour Day

We got an early start today, given that we had to travel a long day to reach our destination--Casper, Wyoming.

The sights the first half of the day were absolutely breathtaking, as we drove around the Yellowstone area, and the Teton Mountains and forest.  Beautiful mountains and valleys, national forests, snow covered peaks, bright brilliant lush green colors.

             This was today's worship.

The Lord is my Creator!
I bow in awe of all God has made.
Too awesome to behold;
Restores my soul!
             *

National forests, too.  Lakes and reservoirs.  And then came the desert.  There was a high desert (elevation) and a low desert.  It was a lot of nothingness,  sameness, brown and tan-ness.

These were the first real live buffalo, grazing on the open range which we have seen on this trip.  We also saw half a dozen elk along the way.  Otherwise, wildlife has been quite scarce.

The geological formations have been unbelievable sights, though we did not really get any pictures of those.   There were rocks with layers of different colors, including a layer of purple, which was surprising.

There were also bright orange canyons as far as the eye could see.

We are ready to be out of western vistas now, and back into eastern country.
But first, there is the mid-west, which will be flat and filled with corn.
That is certainly better than more desert!

Whatever takes us home is a welcome sight.

 

 

Unearthly Landscape

Every day there is some unexpected sight.  Today was no exception.  And the sight was Lava, Lava, everywhere, and nothing else to see---(except scrub brush).

We took a non-interstate way--the famous cross-country Route 20.  It was a bit slower than the interstate, but more up-close and personal.  We saw lots of crops, but mostly endless scrub brush!

The Craters of the Moon side trip was out of this world.

This is a vast area of 750,000 acres of lava eruptions from volcanos.   It was described by President Coolidge as "a weird and scenic landscape, peculiar to itself."  He is the one who preserved it as a national monument.  It was mostly avoided by all travelers and not even explored nor mapped until the 1950's

The area was so named because it looked like what the moon looked like through a telescope.

 

 

Despite this harsh and inhospitable environment, plant life emerges.  Life will find a way.

 

Pink Flowers growing out of Lava Rock



The Whole Gamut

Sights today ran the gamut!  What a variety of vistas across Oregon and Idaho:

Tan, brown, barren hills and mountains
A national forest of evergreens
A farm of wind turbines (we saw over 1000 of those yesterday, atop mountain ranges)
A lush green town surrounded on all sides by brown desert (it was all irrigated)

Near Devil's Canyon

Lots of desert
The Snake River
Sagebrush as far as the eye could see

We intend our days to include some sights along the way, so we were looking for some.  The 'gold nougat' of the day was a stop at the Oregon Trail Educational Center.

There we got to experience sights and sounds and a wonderful movie about the pioneers immigration west.  And what an amazing story.  I am just awestruck by the obstacles they were able to overcome on this treacherous trip!

There were many details about that journey that I had not heard.  For example, in the movies, they rode in wagons, but in reality they walked 2200 miles.  (These details came from the diaries of those who made that trek).  It took six months to get to Oregon from points east.  Eventually 'Oregon fever' gave way to 'gold fever'.   Over a span of approximately 40 years, 600,000 Americans pushed westward overland.  It was the largest immigration of people in America's history.  By the late 1860's the railroad replaced the Oregon Trail.
Now the interstates have replaced the railroads.

Gerry and I made an interesting observation about our own journey west.  We cannot even remember when we spent so much time together in the same space 24 hours a day, day after.

The nice thing is, we really enjoy each other's company.

On a day like today, with 104 degree temperature, thank goodness for air conditioning, both in the car and in the hotel room.

Desert-Like

At this point, a lot of it becomes a fog in the brain---like what day it is,  what state we are in, which time zone this is, etc.  And worst of all----what was that room number again?  I can't remember!

But if I concentrate really hard,  I can recall that this is Thursday, and this is Oregon.  Once we got over the Cascade mountains to the "other side" it became very dry, brown, arid, not pretty.   Before we got to this part, we did enjoy some lush green hillsides, the Columbia River, a beautiful waterfall. 

We also stopped for a visit/tour of the Coulee Dam, an engineer's dream. 

 Now we are definitely in cowboy country.  Pendleton, OR is where the Rodeo Roundup happens, but unfortunately, it happens in September. 

I was thinking we would see a rodeo in Wyoming, but getting there is our longest day, and it is a Sunday.  I have my doubts that there would be a rodeo on Sunday.  And that is our one and only 8 hour driving day, so we'll be tired.

Just to make sure that we got some western flavor to our experience, we stopped at the Rodeo Hall of Fame.

It does feel good to be headed East, even though there are miles to go.

At least there are no more major cities to navigate.   For us, that's a good thing.

The Cascades

Today we traveled through the Cascade mountains as we drove south toward Portland, Oregon.  There are really no words to describe the beauty of the mountains, and honestly, no camera can really show how awesome the forests are.

It was a cloudy day, and very cool, so the hazy day made the pictures not as bright. (Gerry's are better.)  We enjoyed a lovely 60 degrees, while I hear New York sweltered in 90 plus degrees and humidity and the hottest day of the summer so far.   Glad I missed that!

We journeyed toward Mount St. Helen, a volcano that erupted in 1980, to everyone's shock.  No one had a clue that that volcano could or would be active in any way.  The blast of fire and ash (no lava) wiped out all the trees for miles and miles around.  They have recovered in the past 30 years.

Today was a much more mellow day and we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Olive Garden.

On the more mundane side,  I am now tending to two loads of laundry!

Things to See

As one travels across many varied geographies, landscapes and cultures, there are more things to see than time to see them.  There is also a finite amount of energy to expend as one walks around a city.  One has to be discerning about their choices.  

I tend to enjoy "arty" things--sculptures, paintings, creations.  I also like plants, flowers, and animals, and mountains.

 As you can see from his pictures, Gerry tends toward machines and museums, architecture and agriculture.

We negotiate the waters by seeing some things that he wants to see and some things that I want to see.  Yesterday we were disappointed by a Science Center that Gerry wanted to visit, and today we were disappointed by a the Olympic Sculpture Park that I wanted to see.  But honestly, anything would pale in comparison to the Chihuly Glass Garden.

Today we both enjoyed the Aquarium and its colors and creatures.

Another visual treat was Pike's Market, and an incredible layout of goods, both produce and fish, as well as crafts, baked goods, jewelry, and any farmer's market product you can imagine.  It was rather crowded,  but we are very glad to have had that experience.

Tomorrow our journey turns us around and we begin to head south a bit, before we head east.  East is good.

I dare not even say the word.  (the one that begins with an H).

Most Favorite Place

My favorite place, so far, not only in Seattle, but probably almost anywhere is the Chihuly Glass and Garden Center.  It is a visual feast beyond comparison.  Dale Chihuly is a local glass artist who has left his mark not only here, but in many places around the world---Venice, Jerusalem, Ireland, etc.

His creations are unlike anything else anywhere, as is the man himself.  We sat through numerous video presentations about the different stages of his development as an artist.  To me, the sheer volume of the glass created is just overwhelming. 

Moving from one room, to another, one encounters a surprise even more magnificent than the one before, if that were possible.  The sculptures are like temples of light and color.  Let me include some here.

They speak for themselves.

 

 

Dining Criteria

 

I always really enjoy looking a pictures of people's fancy food on Facebook.   We have not posted food pictures, nor even thought to take any.  Fine diners we are not, though we do have some criteria for where we have dinner.  First, there is a no fast food rule---no McDonalds, Burger King, or the like.  It has to be at least one step up from that--like Perkins or Applebees.

 

But mostly our primary dining requirement is proximity.  After we have arrived at our destination, after being on the road much of the day,  going out and driving again and finding a restaurant is absolutely the last thing on our list of things to do.  We have just unload the car, unpacked our necessities for the night, and we are tired.

 

So, that means that we are looking for a place to eat which is actually in the hotel, or within walking distance of the hotel, or some place that you can actually see from the hotel.  That is how discerning we have been.

 

However, we find that it seems to be the norm nowadays that your hotel offers a full continental breakfast.  Continental now means a buffet with something for every taste, from waffles to cereal to eggs, to sausage--you name it.  So we eat a good breakfast;  we pretty much do coffee and snacks along the way during the day.

 

We do eventually get hungry,  but not enough to go looking for a fancy restaurant.

 

Fine dining is on the agenda in Seattle, for sure!

Forest Country, et.al.

RANDOM TRAVELING THOUGHTS



Western Montana and Idaho are basically national forests. The economy of the area is rooted in lumber and mining.  We spent a good deal of time today viewing trees and rivers.  The Kootenai River is the most beautiful blue green color, though I do not think I ever really captured its essence in a picture.


We have learned that most all counties, and many towns have a Museum.  The one we visited today

Kootenai River

in Libby, Montana was exceptional
as museums go.  Not so much stuff as to overwhelm you, and lots of space to navigate.

Cross Section of a big Tree

We spent five days traveling across Rt. 2 and its isolation.  (since we left St. Paul's)
The best example of that isolation comes from a conversation with a waitress.  The one waiting on us said:  "Oh, I really like your shoes."  [slip- in sneaker types, nothing special]  I thought she was just being friendly or wanted a bigger tip.  Then as we were departing, another waitress said to me,  "Oh, I like your top."  [cotton tee, nothing special, square neck.]  Then she added:  "We have to travel 350 miles to shop!"  Can you imagine?
  I concluded they were probably being sincere and perhaps did not often see the particular kinds/cuts of clothing I was wearing.  It never occurred to me to be grateful for clothing stores within a short distance.  I've always just taken that for granted.

Now we will be in urban territory for a while, and ready to be off the road and staying put for a few days.  Our days are not stressful or time restricted,  but they are still on the road. 

I never though I'd hear myself say,  I look forward to some city life!

Mountain Adventures

New forest growth from a previously burned out area

Today we had several mountain adventures, not necessarily involving having fun.  The first one centered around realizing we were quite low on gas, and far from a gas station.  It was about equal distance backward or forward to nearest station. We were halfway in between. Gerry opted for forward, as it was downhill.  We did make it just fine.

Though we have toured the Glacier National Park before, we decided to kill some time by touring a new road we had not traveled before.  Along that way, a sign directed us to the town on Rt. 2 to which we were headed--Columbia Falls, 22 miles, so we took that route.

 It was an unpaved road, and got rougher and rougher as we went.  A guy along the side of the road said it was eventually paved.  We were so glad to get to that paved road finally!

Unpaved Road in Glacier National Park

We got to Kalispell just in time to check in to our room, and we were really ready for some more mellow time.

First, we played tennis and then had dinner.  But now I am going to be fading fast.

Actually, I fade before the sun does.  It doesn't get dark this far north until 9:30 p.m. or so.

Goodnight.

A Montana Day

When we first entered the state of Montana, I saw a sign indicating that the white crosses are erected at every point along the road where a highway fatality has occurred.  There are lots of them.  I spent half a day trying to take a picture of one, without much luck.  The roads have no shoulders, and the speed limit is 70, so not much opportunity to pull off the road.  But here is what they look like.

I was impressed that the state would undertake to do such a thing.  (no pun intended)

We left the town of Glasgow this morning traveling to the town of Shelby for the night.

 Most of the little towns (sparse as they were) were very poor looking, unattractive,  ragged and rugged, with one exception.  By far, always the lovliest (and only lovely) building in town was the casino!



Casino

The landscape of North Dakota was littered with oil rigs and the associated fallout.

The landscape of Montana is littered with grain elevators--thousands and thousands of them along the very rural areas where the homesteads are several thousand acres in size.



Random Field with Hay

After too much coffee, and driving many miles, I was greatly in need of a Rest Area.

They are not always what one expects, and that was especially true today in Chester, Montana!

The next two pictures show the very primitive (no running water) Rest Area and accompanying sink.



One more night in Montana tomorrow in Kalispell.  But I think we will be out of this desolation, since we will be traveling near the Glacier National Park.  One can only hope!



Rest Area of Chester, MT

 

Bathroom Sink

Pun Game in Montana

Theme:  Body Parts

N:  Maybe we’ll see a McDonald, who nose?

G:  I’m not so sure;  I’m feeling defeet.

N:  Wouldn’t it be great if McDonald’s would deliver?

G:   Surely not way out hear!

N:    That is toetally cool.

G:     I heartily agree.

N:     Maybe we’re getting to the bottom of the pun barrel.

G:      Or I’m just falling behind.

N:     Hair today and gone tomorrow.

G:     Belly to belly is a navel endeavor.

N:     I’m glad I’m in the Army now.

G:    Well, I don’t kneed any more of this.

 

Wild West and Big Sky

Montana is Indian territory.  (That's what they call themselves here.)  When we left ND, we stopped off to visit Fort Buford, a fort in the middle of absolute nowhere!  Apparently, forts were scattered along the landscape, as outposts to ward off the Indians. (whose territory we invaded).  Eventually Chief Sitting Bull surrendered there, and became a prisoner himself, though he was treated with respect.

I was fascinated by one particular historical fact that I never knew.  It seems that the soldiers there in ND were Confederate POW's  who were given the option of joining the Union Army for five years, rather than go to prison.  If they joined the army, they were stationed out west, far from the Civil War. (when the war ended they still had to serve their term.)

We had time to kill today, since we had a short driving-day-distance today, plus we passed a time zone and gained an hour, so we have taken in several museums, art gallery, a fort, an Indian reservation, etc.

In Montana, Route 2 is now a 2 lane highway, and if it is possible, it is even more desolate than North Dakota.  The terrain is more hilly than ND,  but just not much in the way of habitation!  There is absolutely nothing between towns, except fields, and railroad.  You can take the train all the way from Chicago to Seattle!

We have now traveled more than 2000 miles.

We have two more days of Montana and Rt. 2, which is now 2 lanes.  It doesn't really matter, because the road is flat and straight and you can see for three miles, and pass anyone on the road, if there happened to be anyone there. (which there usually isn't.)

Big sky, here we come!


(The sky is so big, because the horizon is so small,  Imagine a picture where the bottom 15% is a landscape and the top 85% is nothing but sky.)

Stark Beauty

Today I was better able to enjoy the stark beauty and openness of the vast empty landscape.  The first couple of hours revealed water water everywhere, enough so that every duck could have its own lake!

After a few hours, things changed and it was obvious that North Dakota is oil drilling country, which is right now the most oil producing part of the United States.  There are oil drilling rigs all along the way.  Oil drilling towns pop up with temporary housing units, mostly square boxes or trailers and not very attractive.  I doubt if there are families living there.

We encountered the centermost geographic point in North America.

There are not too many things to see or do along this way, Rt. 2, which we are traveling--the uppermost highway across the United States.  We wanted to see through the eyes of those who live here, and we have!

This morning there wasn't even much traffic, so the contrast between the complexities of navigating the cities last week, and meandering along the wide open spaces this week is rather striking.  This is "down time", with no pushing to get to the next place---just a leisurely day.

Some of the scenery was just breathtaking. I especially loved the canola fields growing.  (that's what we were told they are).  There on the hillside are these brilliant yellow fields.  Actually, the variety in the colors of the plains is amazing.

Tomorrow, Montana (and for several days after.  I am hoping that the scenery has more variety.  I know from looking at the empty spaces on the TripTik map that Montana also is quite sparsely populated.

Maybe we'll see a buffalo.  Who knows?

It might be about time to play the pun game again to entertain ourselves!

The Plains and The Technology

Today we traveled across part of Minnesota and part of North Dakota.  Both were totally flat, wide open spaces, the area known as "the plains".  At least a mile between farms and houses. No close neighbors. The roads on either side of the highway are not paved.  While Gerry loves the agriculture,  I find the landscape completely desolate and uninhabited and intimidating.  There wasn't much to take pictures of. 

At the moment we are in Devil's Lake.  Notice how there is nothing else anywhere around! We decided to use Rt. 2, a non-interstate highway.

A Vast Corn Field

We have learned to "make home" wherever we happen to be staying.  It takes some adjusting to figure out all the technology.  How you access the wi fi is different at each place.  The coffee pots are different.  In St. Paul's you had to use your room key to get the elevator to come to you  (who knew??).  We stood there a while before reading that sign! There are occasions when you need to text to get your car back.  There are papers to scan when you exit a parking lot.  Every place you go the plastic room key works differently.  Sometimes you push it in;  sometimes you push it down;  sometimes you swipe it across an invisible reader.  Sometimes it doesn't work at all!

We'll be doing the rest of North Dakota and Montana for the next three days or so.  Not much to look at;  not much to do.  Today, however, we did stop in Fargo and I did some shopping at a mall there.  That was a nice treat, for me at least!

Sculpture in the Mall

It is a good trip.  We are both glad to be doing it.  And surprisingly,  I am into the groove now and not even homesick!