Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
What is that? Our first snow!! We drove into a few flurries as we entered Park City and on into Salt Lake City, Utah, but nothing serious! We are so glad we came into Salt Lake City. It, surprisingly, has turned out to be our favorite city on this trip. We enjoyed beautiful architecture, lots of city art sculpture all over town, a convenient trolley, very impressive city library architecture, the beauty of Temple Square and being a bright sunny day didn't hurt at all either!! Flowers everywhere!! Temple Square is a 10 acre plot laid out within days of the settlers' arrival to house the Mormon church administration buildings and Brigham Young's personal residence. We took a city tour, something we love to do, and through this we got to enjoy a 30 minute, daily noon concert, on the fantastic organ of the Mormon Tabernacle. The acoustics in there are unbelievable! When Brigham Young laid out the city he wanted all the streets wide enough for a wagon and a team of oxen to be able to make a U-turn easily so the streets are wide and very clean. Not a speck of trash anywhere. Being ringed by majestic mountains adds another layer of beauty to the setting as well.
We are just a few days away from home now. A great trip coming to an end! We left on January 13 and will likely be home April 25. It has been great!
We are just a few days away from home now. A great trip coming to an end! We left on January 13 and will likely be home April 25. It has been great!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Across the Great Plains
Hey! This is just too much fun! Seeing and doing something new everyday!! I hope we don't get too bored when we get home! Minnie developed a little tummy ache last week which was causing her engine to sputter and miss. She has served us so well so we took her right in to a good mechanic. $500 and 3 hours later with new spark plugs, wires and a coil she is kicking her heels up now and raring to go again. This was her first tune-up in 81,000 miles!
It was fun visiting our nephew in Indianapolis. We stopped by his shop where he has a business building chassis for sprint cars. His address is just fitting for him on Gasoline Alley! Just up the street is the Indianapolis Speedway where we stopped to have a tour and visit the museum. The museum had all the winning cars from every Indy 500 race since it started in 1911. That year the winning car averaged 67 miles per hour with a winning purse of $14,000.
On to Springfield, Illinois, where we have been wanting to visit the new Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library opened in 2002. What a fabulous museum that is! It was our favorite so far! It is full of multi-media displays telling the story of the country at that time and the difficult presidency that it was. We also were able to visit the home where he and Mary Todd lived, raised their family of four boys (only one of which lived into adulthood), and he began his law practice and ran for office. The Lincolns are also buried in Springfield.
Frank Lloyd Wright built the 1904 Dana-Thomas home, a 12,000 square feet Prairie-style mansion, here in Springfield, also. We took a tour and marveled at the ideas of this amazing architect. It is full of glowing stained glass in his unique angular styles. Looking forward to reading the new book about his secret love affair with one of his clients, "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan.
After a stop in Hannibal, MO, to bask in the memories of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn and the life of that wonderful writer in the Mark Twain museum, we headed for Independence, MO, to visit the home town and presidential museum of Harry S. Truman. For a person coming into the presidency suddenly (FDR's death) and poorly prepared, he faced the issues of the atomic bomb, racism and integrating the military, recognition of Isreal as a country (which has caused problems ever since), and his involvement of working with Stalin and Churchill at the end of the WW ll all of which caused the development of the Marshall Plan, the blockade of Berlin, and the Berlin airlift (requiring 550 planes a day for 18 months!!). We love to visit these presidential libraries because we learn so much from the slices of history each of these leaders has handled.
It was in Independence, MO, where the wagon trains heading west would begin their preparation. We visited the Frontier Trails Museum here where we learned so much about the California, Oregon, and Santa Fe trail developments. These museums are done so well you feel like you are going with them on those amazing trips into "who knows where"!!!
The Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph, MO, made us really marvel at the men (ages 11-40ish) who would take on this job. The museum was full of their biographies. Did you know that the pony express only lasted for 18 months, went bankrupt when the telegraph came through, was developed so that the country could get military news across the country ASAP, had 160 stations with one rider usually stopping at 6 or 7 stations to change horses, and that it cost $5 for 1/2 oz. to mail in 1867 dollars! One of the the ads for rider employment stated "being an orphan is a plus".
We have been traveling the Lincoln Highway for several days across the prairie through Nebraska and Wyoming. This was the first major highway developed in 1915 that traveled 3,389 miles over 12 states from New York to California. During the 30's and the 40's it became Highway 30 and then when Eisenhower promoted the interstate highway system it became Interstate 80. Interesting historical things are found all along the way pertaining to early pioneer trails and Lewis and Clark. In the little town of Kearney, Nebraska, we discovered a huge arch over the highway which turned out to be the Great Platte River Road Archway, a two story multimedia museum showing the development of westward travel from Indians to Interstates. It was excellent!! Through all of this travel we have gained so much more insight and appreciation for the tragic impact the white settlers made on the native Indians of the west.
Nebraska is the only state so far that was offering ethanol gas at the pumps for a cheaper price, still $3.25 a gallon!! Regular unleaded was $3.35. If we stay at about 60 mph we get almost 10 miles to the gallon.
We have spent 2 days getting across windy and barren Wyoming. We took a walking tour around Cheyenne, a great railroad center with about 10 lines coming into town. They have done a fabulous job of restoring their beautiful 1867 railroad depot. We, of course, had to stop there for a drink and watch the trains do their thing about 50 feet away. Fun! Today we soaked in the natural hot springs at Saratoga, WY, a place listed in "1,000 Places to See Before You Die". We were red as lobsters quite quickly as the water was really hot!!! I will be glad to get out of this barren area tomorrow!! Heading for Salt Lake City tomorrow and to visit Temple Square, a must see in "1,000 Places to See.........."
.
It was fun visiting our nephew in Indianapolis. We stopped by his shop where he has a business building chassis for sprint cars. His address is just fitting for him on Gasoline Alley! Just up the street is the Indianapolis Speedway where we stopped to have a tour and visit the museum. The museum had all the winning cars from every Indy 500 race since it started in 1911. That year the winning car averaged 67 miles per hour with a winning purse of $14,000.
On to Springfield, Illinois, where we have been wanting to visit the new Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library opened in 2002. What a fabulous museum that is! It was our favorite so far! It is full of multi-media displays telling the story of the country at that time and the difficult presidency that it was. We also were able to visit the home where he and Mary Todd lived, raised their family of four boys (only one of which lived into adulthood), and he began his law practice and ran for office. The Lincolns are also buried in Springfield.
Frank Lloyd Wright built the 1904 Dana-Thomas home, a 12,000 square feet Prairie-style mansion, here in Springfield, also. We took a tour and marveled at the ideas of this amazing architect. It is full of glowing stained glass in his unique angular styles. Looking forward to reading the new book about his secret love affair with one of his clients, "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan.
After a stop in Hannibal, MO, to bask in the memories of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn and the life of that wonderful writer in the Mark Twain museum, we headed for Independence, MO, to visit the home town and presidential museum of Harry S. Truman. For a person coming into the presidency suddenly (FDR's death) and poorly prepared, he faced the issues of the atomic bomb, racism and integrating the military, recognition of Isreal as a country (which has caused problems ever since), and his involvement of working with Stalin and Churchill at the end of the WW ll all of which caused the development of the Marshall Plan, the blockade of Berlin, and the Berlin airlift (requiring 550 planes a day for 18 months!!). We love to visit these presidential libraries because we learn so much from the slices of history each of these leaders has handled.
It was in Independence, MO, where the wagon trains heading west would begin their preparation. We visited the Frontier Trails Museum here where we learned so much about the California, Oregon, and Santa Fe trail developments. These museums are done so well you feel like you are going with them on those amazing trips into "who knows where"!!!
The Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph, MO, made us really marvel at the men (ages 11-40ish) who would take on this job. The museum was full of their biographies. Did you know that the pony express only lasted for 18 months, went bankrupt when the telegraph came through, was developed so that the country could get military news across the country ASAP, had 160 stations with one rider usually stopping at 6 or 7 stations to change horses, and that it cost $5 for 1/2 oz. to mail in 1867 dollars! One of the the ads for rider employment stated "being an orphan is a plus".
We have been traveling the Lincoln Highway for several days across the prairie through Nebraska and Wyoming. This was the first major highway developed in 1915 that traveled 3,389 miles over 12 states from New York to California. During the 30's and the 40's it became Highway 30 and then when Eisenhower promoted the interstate highway system it became Interstate 80. Interesting historical things are found all along the way pertaining to early pioneer trails and Lewis and Clark. In the little town of Kearney, Nebraska, we discovered a huge arch over the highway which turned out to be the Great Platte River Road Archway, a two story multimedia museum showing the development of westward travel from Indians to Interstates. It was excellent!! Through all of this travel we have gained so much more insight and appreciation for the tragic impact the white settlers made on the native Indians of the west.
Nebraska is the only state so far that was offering ethanol gas at the pumps for a cheaper price, still $3.25 a gallon!! Regular unleaded was $3.35. If we stay at about 60 mph we get almost 10 miles to the gallon.
We have spent 2 days getting across windy and barren Wyoming. We took a walking tour around Cheyenne, a great railroad center with about 10 lines coming into town. They have done a fabulous job of restoring their beautiful 1867 railroad depot. We, of course, had to stop there for a drink and watch the trains do their thing about 50 feet away. Fun! Today we soaked in the natural hot springs at Saratoga, WY, a place listed in "1,000 Places to See Before You Die". We were red as lobsters quite quickly as the water was really hot!!! I will be glad to get out of this barren area tomorrow!! Heading for Salt Lake City tomorrow and to visit Temple Square, a must see in "1,000 Places to See.........."
.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Heading Slowly Home
Rabbit Skin Road, Ranger Dan's Country Skillet, Stinking Creek Road, Butts on the Creek BBQ and the Bluegrass Cafe were all signs we enjoyed when we began to roll north into the Appalachians. Our visit to Asheville, North Carolina, was highlighted by our visit to the "American Castle", the Biltmore Estate, with only 31 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces! George Vanderbilt ll completed this amazing structure in 1895 with inherited money made on the Vanderbilt's vast shipping and railroad empire. We would love to return to Asheville, a small mountain full of progressive and creative spirits. People for decades have flocked here for its curative sulfer springs and crisp mountain air. It actually reminded us a little bit of Ashland, Oregon!!
Believe it or not, we had a grand time at Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, just a few miles north of the NC and TN border. There I got to scream my head off during the 1 minute ride on the Tennessee Tornado, an exciting roller coaster with 3 full loops in it. Yahoooooo!! We saw great performances there, the Rhythm of Ireland (great dancing) and a quartet from Zambia. The whole park was celebrating an international theme with performances from all over the world. The museum of Dolly Parton's life made it clear she is quite a talented gal!!!
Just as we were leaving Tennessee and heading north to Kentucky we made a quick, unplanned, turn (as many of our stops are) for the Museum of the Appalachians. This was a wonderful, informal, collection of mountain memorabilia, in a farm setting. So glad we stopped!
What does bourbon, Corvette, horse racing and breeding, and Abe Lincoln all have in common? You are right!! They are all products of Kentucky!! We followed the Bourbon Trail (sipped a few at the Old Talbott Inne, 1779, in Bardstown, and had a fun tour of the Corvette factory in Bowling Green, KY. They were beginning to get ready for the Kentucky Derby when we toured Churchill Downs where 138,000 people attended our country's oldest sporting event last year. Did you know that more Kentucky Derby winners have had names beginning with "S" than any other letter? That's a bit of trivia for you!!! Kentucky is the only commonwealth that was not one of the original 13 colonies. It also was split during the Civil War--half Confederate and half Yankee. Tough on some families who were split also on the issue.
We are finding no crowds wherever we go. That is so nice!! Our little rolling hotel suite is holding up well and continues to be very comfortable. We plan to find places with cable TV so that we don't miss out on any of the action of the Master's in Augusta this weekend. We were able to watch the men's and women's NCAA championships, too. Paid $3.21 for gas today, our highest yet.
Believe it or not, we had a grand time at Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, just a few miles north of the NC and TN border. There I got to scream my head off during the 1 minute ride on the Tennessee Tornado, an exciting roller coaster with 3 full loops in it. Yahoooooo!! We saw great performances there, the Rhythm of Ireland (great dancing) and a quartet from Zambia. The whole park was celebrating an international theme with performances from all over the world. The museum of Dolly Parton's life made it clear she is quite a talented gal!!!
Just as we were leaving Tennessee and heading north to Kentucky we made a quick, unplanned, turn (as many of our stops are) for the Museum of the Appalachians. This was a wonderful, informal, collection of mountain memorabilia, in a farm setting. So glad we stopped!
What does bourbon, Corvette, horse racing and breeding, and Abe Lincoln all have in common? You are right!! They are all products of Kentucky!! We followed the Bourbon Trail (sipped a few at the Old Talbott Inne, 1779, in Bardstown, and had a fun tour of the Corvette factory in Bowling Green, KY. They were beginning to get ready for the Kentucky Derby when we toured Churchill Downs where 138,000 people attended our country's oldest sporting event last year. Did you know that more Kentucky Derby winners have had names beginning with "S" than any other letter? That's a bit of trivia for you!!! Kentucky is the only commonwealth that was not one of the original 13 colonies. It also was split during the Civil War--half Confederate and half Yankee. Tough on some families who were split also on the issue.
We are finding no crowds wherever we go. That is so nice!! Our little rolling hotel suite is holding up well and continues to be very comfortable. We plan to find places with cable TV so that we don't miss out on any of the action of the Master's in Augusta this weekend. We were able to watch the men's and women's NCAA championships, too. Paid $3.21 for gas today, our highest yet.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Hi, Y'all!!
We have been in the south for awhile now and starting to sound like it!! Even had fried green tomatoes, deep fried pickles, and turnip greens! Yummmmmmm! We found we love Tennessee with its gently rolling hills and winding country roads. Those Tennessee Walking Horses are gorgeous!! We stopped by to say Hi to our old neighbors, the Crawford's, who have purchased 20 acres outside of Nashville and plan to build a house and a barn. It was fun seeing them and learning about their new life. Nashville, "Music City, U.S.A"! We, of course, had to go to the Grand Ole Opry! Interesting production in that the stage show is actually a radio show of a series of eight 30 minute segments with different artists each time. They have been broadcasting live since 1925! Left early, a little too much twang for us!!! But had to see it!
It was here that we went through the Gibson guitar factory and saw them making beautiful mandolins, banjos, and guitars. Pieces of art! The small town of Franklin is nearby and it is in one of our guide books, "1000 Places to See Before You Die". It is a nicely preserved, small, historic Civil War era town. It was here that one of the war's bloodiest battles took place in 1864. 8,000 people were killed in 5 hours, 6 of them were generals. And so near the end of the war, too!!! We visited Carnston Plantation here and toured the family home that served as a make shift hospital for this battle. What a bloody mess! We are listening to the book, Widow of the South by Hicks, which takes place in this home during that time.
Before we left the Nashville area we made a stop at the Nissan factory. Robotics in action!!! What a fantastic sight that was. We were very impressed! This factory is the size of 94 football fields side by side and end to end so the tour was done on a little shuttle train. We just love doing these factory tours as we travel. We next found the Jack Daniels Distillery in southern Tennessee in the small town of Lynchberg. Smelled so good!! Old Jack was quite a guy. He bought the town distillery when he was 13 from the local minister!! Funny thing, though, the county in which the distillery is located is a "dry county"! Had to go across the county line to buy any!! We found there were quite a few "dry counties" in Tennessee.
It is very common around this area of the country to see "storm instructions" posted all around--RV parks, golf carts, public places. We would not want to be in our RV during a tornado, I don't think!!
Chattanooga, right on the Tennessee and Georgia border, has a fabulous aquarium. We have seen many of these but this is one of the best. The displays were so well presented and we learned a lot. Their international area was comprised of multiple aquariums each depicting a different geographical region of the world displaying the indigenous aquatic life of that area. Their riverfront on the Tennessee River has been very nicely revitalized and it sort of reminded us of Portland!!!
A lightening storm (which was quite pretty over the city skyline) and 12 lane highways welcomed us to Atlanta. CNN TV production studios, Coca-Cola headquarters, Jimmy Carter's Presidential Library, Olympic Park (the 1996 summer Olympics were here), and Stone Mountain Park all filled our days in Atlanta. They are celebrating the opening of a direct flight here to Shanghai on board Delta Airlines. This 15+ hour flight will certainly open this part of the country to China!! There are now 13 official Presidential Libraries and Museums in the US and we love to visit them. Gained more insight into the Panama Canal issue and the Iranian release of the hostages during Carter's 4 years. Stone Mountain Park is a recreational and historic area just east of downtown Atlanta, 3200 acres, centered around a huge lake. Three colossal Civil War figures--Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and General Robert E. Lee--are sculpted on three acres of the granite stone mountain's sheer northern face. You can take a tram to the top which gives you a close up view of the carving but when we were there it was too cloudy to get a good view from up there. We played golf at Stone Mountain with the course wrapping itself around the lake. On an island in the middle of the lake was a metal sculptured bell tower, at least 100 feet tall, which serenaded us over the lake for half an hour as we played!! It was beautiful.
As we drove into Augusta, Georgia, on the South Carolina border, we had a feeling that a big golf event was coming. Lanes were marked for traffic as soon as we hit town. The Master's Tournament will be here again April 7-12. Checked on tickets and it is quite a big deal to get one. We peons can attempt to get tickets to the 2 practice games by getting into a lottery December before the game. For the game itself, the tickets cost big bucks, and usually part of estate inheritances and not very openly available. We did enjoy playing on Forest Hills Golf Course, an old-school sentimental favorite designed in 1926. It actually was not in that good a shape. We were surprised!! So what do you want for $21 greens fee!!!
The riverwalk along the Savanah River in downtown in Augusta is very nice. A split level park, lined with trees and blooming azaleas, made it look beautiful. Many riverfront homes on the South Carolina side of the river. After visiting their very nice museum on local history, we had lunch at the Boll Weevil, a cute downtown hangout in an old cotton storage warehouse. All along the river here there are old cotton warehouses being restored for commercial use.
We have decided that it is time to begin to head towards home. We could actually just keep going for a few more months, we think! We are now in the small resort town of Asheville, N. C., population of about 70,000. We are at 2200 feet in the Appalachian Mountains. In the 19th century physicians would send patients here to get well because of the cool, clean air, and the hot springs. This is where the Biltmore Estate is, built by the Vanderbilt's around 1895, and we plan to take a look at that 250 room, French Renaissance-style chateau, today.
It was here that we went through the Gibson guitar factory and saw them making beautiful mandolins, banjos, and guitars. Pieces of art! The small town of Franklin is nearby and it is in one of our guide books, "1000 Places to See Before You Die". It is a nicely preserved, small, historic Civil War era town. It was here that one of the war's bloodiest battles took place in 1864. 8,000 people were killed in 5 hours, 6 of them were generals. And so near the end of the war, too!!! We visited Carnston Plantation here and toured the family home that served as a make shift hospital for this battle. What a bloody mess! We are listening to the book, Widow of the South by Hicks, which takes place in this home during that time.
Before we left the Nashville area we made a stop at the Nissan factory. Robotics in action!!! What a fantastic sight that was. We were very impressed! This factory is the size of 94 football fields side by side and end to end so the tour was done on a little shuttle train. We just love doing these factory tours as we travel. We next found the Jack Daniels Distillery in southern Tennessee in the small town of Lynchberg. Smelled so good!! Old Jack was quite a guy. He bought the town distillery when he was 13 from the local minister!! Funny thing, though, the county in which the distillery is located is a "dry county"! Had to go across the county line to buy any!! We found there were quite a few "dry counties" in Tennessee.
It is very common around this area of the country to see "storm instructions" posted all around--RV parks, golf carts, public places. We would not want to be in our RV during a tornado, I don't think!!
Chattanooga, right on the Tennessee and Georgia border, has a fabulous aquarium. We have seen many of these but this is one of the best. The displays were so well presented and we learned a lot. Their international area was comprised of multiple aquariums each depicting a different geographical region of the world displaying the indigenous aquatic life of that area. Their riverfront on the Tennessee River has been very nicely revitalized and it sort of reminded us of Portland!!!
A lightening storm (which was quite pretty over the city skyline) and 12 lane highways welcomed us to Atlanta. CNN TV production studios, Coca-Cola headquarters, Jimmy Carter's Presidential Library, Olympic Park (the 1996 summer Olympics were here), and Stone Mountain Park all filled our days in Atlanta. They are celebrating the opening of a direct flight here to Shanghai on board Delta Airlines. This 15+ hour flight will certainly open this part of the country to China!! There are now 13 official Presidential Libraries and Museums in the US and we love to visit them. Gained more insight into the Panama Canal issue and the Iranian release of the hostages during Carter's 4 years. Stone Mountain Park is a recreational and historic area just east of downtown Atlanta, 3200 acres, centered around a huge lake. Three colossal Civil War figures--Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and General Robert E. Lee--are sculpted on three acres of the granite stone mountain's sheer northern face. You can take a tram to the top which gives you a close up view of the carving but when we were there it was too cloudy to get a good view from up there. We played golf at Stone Mountain with the course wrapping itself around the lake. On an island in the middle of the lake was a metal sculptured bell tower, at least 100 feet tall, which serenaded us over the lake for half an hour as we played!! It was beautiful.
As we drove into Augusta, Georgia, on the South Carolina border, we had a feeling that a big golf event was coming. Lanes were marked for traffic as soon as we hit town. The Master's Tournament will be here again April 7-12. Checked on tickets and it is quite a big deal to get one. We peons can attempt to get tickets to the 2 practice games by getting into a lottery December before the game. For the game itself, the tickets cost big bucks, and usually part of estate inheritances and not very openly available. We did enjoy playing on Forest Hills Golf Course, an old-school sentimental favorite designed in 1926. It actually was not in that good a shape. We were surprised!! So what do you want for $21 greens fee!!!
The riverwalk along the Savanah River in downtown in Augusta is very nice. A split level park, lined with trees and blooming azaleas, made it look beautiful. Many riverfront homes on the South Carolina side of the river. After visiting their very nice museum on local history, we had lunch at the Boll Weevil, a cute downtown hangout in an old cotton storage warehouse. All along the river here there are old cotton warehouses being restored for commercial use.
We have decided that it is time to begin to head towards home. We could actually just keep going for a few more months, we think! We are now in the small resort town of Asheville, N. C., population of about 70,000. We are at 2200 feet in the Appalachian Mountains. In the 19th century physicians would send patients here to get well because of the cool, clean air, and the hot springs. This is where the Biltmore Estate is, built by the Vanderbilt's around 1895, and we plan to take a look at that 250 room, French Renaissance-style chateau, today.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Midwest to Nashville
Jumping back a few weeks..................Lots of theater in Branson, Mo, as well as rain, rain, rain and more rain and then came the floods. It is really wet all over the midwest! We, however, stayed nice and dry in our little Minnie Winnie!! We loved the little Oklahoma town of Ponca City, the home of many families obviously wealthy from local oil. In Bartlesville, OK, we discovered Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper. It certainly made a statement in the skyline of a town of 35,000. In Claremore, OK, we laughed our way through the Will Rogers Museum, a "native son" and a really wise and fun loving man!! Soaked ourselves for a little while in hot baths in Hot Springs National Park, Akansas, at the historic Arlington Hotel. (This is the only National Park that is actually a town!) Famous Bathhouse Row in downtown Hot Springs is very nice with turn of the century bathhouses being renovated beautifully. The natural hot springs, and there are many, bubble up from the bowels of the earth at 147 degrees. These are not volcanic in nature so there is no sulfur smell anywhere. It only takes about 4,000 years for the rain to fall and eventually bubble back up through cracks in the earth for the lucky folks in Hot Springs, Arkansas! They then go through a cooling process so that we can bathe and drink the water as well. Made me think a little of our own Carsen Hot Springs but certainly not that funky!!
Bill Clinton's Presidential Library is another national treasure. I felt a little on overload, though, as there was so much to see and read and listen to. The building is a huge glass structure on the banks of the swollen Arkansas River which runs through the middle of Little Rock, Arkansas (pop. 184,000). It is one of the first national buildings that is a licensed "green building". The floors were a beautiful bamboo and the ceilings were made of recycled aluminum cans.
Spring is coming to Tennessee as we see the daffodils blooming and the trees in bloom. I bet you are celebrating that in your area as well.
After visiting the Gibson Guitar factory this morning (beautiful guitars, mandolins, and banjos) we felt ready to experience the famous Grand Ole Opry and to see that famous theater. We are not big country music fans but it was a fun experience anyway. We just had to go because this city is considered the Country Music Capital of the World. We also are in the Bible Belt of America, actually it is called the Belt Buckle of the Bible Belt of America. One of the big industries here is printing and the main printing done here is printing Bibles. I went down one mile of suburban road today and counted 8 churches.
We have met so many polite and helpful people. Yesterday we flagged down an utility truck to ask our way to the freeway. He said "Follow me" and turned around and took us 5 miles over hill and dale to the freeway. A couple of weeks ago, a man stopped and asked us if we were looking for a campground. We must have looked pretty helpless!! He also said "Follow me" and took us to a wonderful lake front campground. Southern hospitality is alive and thriving!!!
Heading toward Atlanta tomorrow.
Bill Clinton's Presidential Library is another national treasure. I felt a little on overload, though, as there was so much to see and read and listen to. The building is a huge glass structure on the banks of the swollen Arkansas River which runs through the middle of Little Rock, Arkansas (pop. 184,000). It is one of the first national buildings that is a licensed "green building". The floors were a beautiful bamboo and the ceilings were made of recycled aluminum cans.
Spring is coming to Tennessee as we see the daffodils blooming and the trees in bloom. I bet you are celebrating that in your area as well.
After visiting the Gibson Guitar factory this morning (beautiful guitars, mandolins, and banjos) we felt ready to experience the famous Grand Ole Opry and to see that famous theater. We are not big country music fans but it was a fun experience anyway. We just had to go because this city is considered the Country Music Capital of the World. We also are in the Bible Belt of America, actually it is called the Belt Buckle of the Bible Belt of America. One of the big industries here is printing and the main printing done here is printing Bibles. I went down one mile of suburban road today and counted 8 churches.
We have met so many polite and helpful people. Yesterday we flagged down an utility truck to ask our way to the freeway. He said "Follow me" and turned around and took us 5 miles over hill and dale to the freeway. A couple of weeks ago, a man stopped and asked us if we were looking for a campground. We must have looked pretty helpless!! He also said "Follow me" and took us to a wonderful lake front campground. Southern hospitality is alive and thriving!!!
Heading toward Atlanta tomorrow.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Heading for Branson, MO
Have you ever wondered what a ufologist does other than study ufology? That was a new word to us but now we know!!! That is after we visited the International Museum of UFO's in Roswell, New Mexico. What an interesting collection and now I know for sure that our government covered up the crash of a space vehicle in 1947!!!
Our stop at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, was pretty unusual. This is an area covering 275 square miles of blinding white, snow white dunes that are totally made up of gypsum. We drove out through them, some of them as high as 60 feet.
We have driven the Texas panhandle and across Oklahoma, all pretty wide open spaces, windy, and dry!! I don't know how many times we have broken into song driving through Oklahoma as the "winds came sweeping down the plains". We have enjoyed discovering this state more than we thought we would. It is rich with Indian history (37 tribes represented here) and oil history (millions have been made here). We had fun yesterday exploring the wealthy little town of Ponca City, home of Conoco Oil, as this is a town where our good friends, the Didlakes, lived for several years. As we explored we had Russ Didlake on the phone telling us where to go as we drove along! Where should we go for a good doughnut, Russ? Love these communications today!!
Oklahoma's favorite son, humorist Will Rogers, has a museum not far from us so we are heading in that direction today. Then on to Branson, MO.
We just love our little Minnie Winnie. It is amazing to us how happy and comfortable we are in this little thing. We have all that we need for safety and comfort. We love the spontaneity of every day not knowing what adventure lies ahead. So far, no mechanical problems! The most we have paid for gas has been $3.19 a gallon. Bought some for $3.09 yesterday. Can't believe we were actually excited about that price!!!
Our stop at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, was pretty unusual. This is an area covering 275 square miles of blinding white, snow white dunes that are totally made up of gypsum. We drove out through them, some of them as high as 60 feet.
We have driven the Texas panhandle and across Oklahoma, all pretty wide open spaces, windy, and dry!! I don't know how many times we have broken into song driving through Oklahoma as the "winds came sweeping down the plains". We have enjoyed discovering this state more than we thought we would. It is rich with Indian history (37 tribes represented here) and oil history (millions have been made here). We had fun yesterday exploring the wealthy little town of Ponca City, home of Conoco Oil, as this is a town where our good friends, the Didlakes, lived for several years. As we explored we had Russ Didlake on the phone telling us where to go as we drove along! Where should we go for a good doughnut, Russ? Love these communications today!!
Oklahoma's favorite son, humorist Will Rogers, has a museum not far from us so we are heading in that direction today. Then on to Branson, MO.
We just love our little Minnie Winnie. It is amazing to us how happy and comfortable we are in this little thing. We have all that we need for safety and comfort. We love the spontaneity of every day not knowing what adventure lies ahead. So far, no mechanical problems! The most we have paid for gas has been $3.19 a gallon. Bought some for $3.09 yesterday. Can't believe we were actually excited about that price!!!
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