We drove all day in the crummy rain and arrived home safely around 6 o'clock. It was a whirlwind holiday and we saw lots of interesting and beautiful things but, I am glad to be home.
Thanks for reading my blog and following along on our trip. See you on our next adventure.
2019 June 12, Wednesday. Des Moines, IO to Westville, IN
This morning we drove two hours north to Cedar Rapids, IO to viist the National Czech & Slovak Museum The museum is larger than we expected and kept us busy looking at exhibits and films for two hours but, we could have spent longer.
Prior to arriving at the German American Heritage Center in Davenport, IO, we encountered a flooded road.
The Mississippi River is overflowing its banks and sandbanks are in evidence. Inside the Center we were informed that admission is free today so we happily perused the exhibits relating to German immigrants and German inventors. Currently 58% of the Iowa population declares themselves as German American heritage.
After driving another 3 1/ 2 hours through Illinois and into Indiana, we stopped for dinner and the night in Westville.
2019 June 11, Tuesday. Lincoln, NE to Des Moines, IO
An hours drive brought us to Omaha, NE. There was another rejuvenated warehouse district in Omaha. We did a walk around. It is nice to see the old buildings being repurposed. Many still have the original signage painted on them.
Arriving in Des Moines, Iowa early in the afternoon, we went straight to the State Capitol Building. We caught the 1:30 tour and had an excellent knowledgeable tour guide. The building interior is absolutely gorgeous. It has one exterior large dome and 4 smaller ones. They are covered in gold leaf. The leaf has to be replaced every 30 years and takes 2 years to complete the work.
Dinner was acquired at the nearby Iowa Taproom and then we checked into our basement apartment for the night.
2019 June 10, Monday. Broken Bow to Lincoln, NE
The bison ranch was left behind with a tinge of sadness. It was a great spot with our own private quarters overlooking rolling hills.
Several hours later we arrie in Lincoln just in time for a tour of the State Capital Building. The tour guide really knew his history.
The Sunken Gardens proved to be a nice walk through a landscaped garden complete with water features such as a waterfall and two lily ponds.
Since the afternoon was only half over, the remainder of the afternoon was spend at the University of Nebraska State Museum. Here we saw lots of fossils and learned about Nebraska's many ecosystems.
June 9, Sunday. Rapid City to Broken Bow, Nebraska
After checking out of Rapid City and embarking on a 3 hour drive, we arrived at Scottsbluff National Monument in Nebraska. This monument encompasses the escarpment that rises 800 feet above the North Platte River. The Cliffs are comprised of sandstone, siltstone and volcanic ash
From here, Chimney Rock National Monument was a half an hour drive. Upon arriving there, we took some pictures and then, carried on to Alliance. The spire of Chimney Rock, a historic Oregon and California trails landmark signalled the end of the prairies to west-ward bound pioneers. It rises about 325 feet
.
North of the town of Alliance, there is a car sculpture park called Carhenge. It is patterned after Stonehenge but made of old cars. It is a unique, fun stop
.
The remainder of the afternoon passed by driving through the middle of Nebraska to a town called Broken Bow where we had booked an airbnb at a Bison Ranch
.
Our hosts came out to chat and one thing led to another. Next thing we knew, they offered to drive us out to see their bison herd. The bison were not afraid of us at all while we stayed in the truck and observed from afar. The bison here are grass fed, antibiotic free and farmed for their healthy meat. What a nice way to end our evening
2019 June 8, Saturday. Badlands NP, Rapid City
What a dramatic change in the weather from yesterday from 30o to 16o today. The cool weather was fine for our trip through the Badlands loop (not really a loop) and Sage Creek Road. We saw spectacular examples of weathering and erosion, irregular ravines, fantastic ridges, low hills and cliffs displaying variegated colors alternating with grayish-white sediment. We also saw bison, mountain goats and prairie dogs.
After an hours drive back to Rapid City, we went to see the Chapel in the Hills. This church is a replica of an 850 yr old church in Norway. We were not expecting to see this unique structure.
To round out our day, we visited an exhibit which contained two large blocks from the Berlin Wall contained in a public park. The story boards were interesting and informative.
After an early dinner, we returned to our rooms to get ready to move on tomorrow.
2019 June 7, Friday. Rapid City surrounding area
Today was a full day of seeing South Dakota sights starting, with Mt Rushmore. Here we walked the Presidential Trail , stared at the four presidents in stone, saw the Memorial and the Sculptor studio(complete with the model that was used for measurments). It was noted that the sculptor originally want to carve wild west notables such as Wild Bill Hiccock. The original idea was to create a tourism draw for South Dakota. I would say that worked pretty well judging from the number of people here today.
Continuing with the rock carving theme, we entered the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is a rock carving work in progress. Korczak Ziolkowski was commissioned by Chief Henry Standing Bear to carve a memorial to Crazy Horse in this mountain. The work is not completed and is ongoing by the Ziolkowki family of 10 children. On the grounds is an Indian Museum, Indian University, Cultural Center, theatres and a restaurant.
Custer State Park boasts scenic drives and the trip started on the Needles Highway named for the needle like granite formations). For a while as we drove, we wondered what the fuss was about and then, there there were! In front of us were the most amazing rock formations. We just kept stopping to gawk and take pictures.
The narrow one way tunnels were very cool and we watched a huge tour bus inch its way through the tunnel. Everyone cheered when he got through without a scratch.
There was some highway overlap getting to the Wildlife Loop where, when completed, we had seen 5 bison and 3 deer.
The last trail, the Iron Mountain Road is a very windy, curvy road with 2 pigtail bridges.
By six o'clock, we was back in Rapid City, tired and hungry. The sun really beats you up when the car roof is down. The temperature today was around 30oC.
2019 June 6, Thursday. Billings to Rapid City, SD
Happy Birthday to Barb.
There was several hours of napping(oops, I meant to say driving) this morning. In Wyoming snow capped mountains could be seen in the distance with rolling hills nearby and, lots of cattle.
At one o'clock we were waiting in line to get through the admissions gate for Devils Tower National Monument. A short distance in is, a tower rock formation, a huge monolith resembling a colossal stone tree stump rising 867 feet from its base. It is awe inspring to look at this rock and try to understand the forces that made it into this collection of 4, 5 and 6 sided columns. We walked the tower trail that goes around the base of the tower and is 2 km long.
Half a mile from the exit lies a prairie dog colony and they were amusing to watch for a bit.
Getting closer to Rapid City brought us to the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Drive where we saw views of limestone cliffs, trees and two waterfalls.
We got into Rapid City by early evening and are staying at a nice vacation rental which looks like a small apartment. There are many restaurants nearby.
2019 June 5, Wednesday. Great Falls to Billings, MT
The house we stayed in last night was quite nice with coffee, tea, water, a small frig and a microwave in our room. Upstairs, the view was of Great Falls but also, of the huge refinery that is just down the hill. By 6:45 we were on the way to Billings (a 4 hour drive). We thought we could catch breakfast on the way out of town but, it turned out that there was nothing, and I mean nothing, until Harlowton where we stopped at a cafe. I had the most amazing, fluffiest pancake ever and that came with my omelette. I asked how they made the pancake so light and was told that, instead of buttermilk, they use sweet cream in the mix. Both the pancake and the omelette were quickly devoured.
By early afternoon, we had arrived in Billings and had time to do a little shopping before heading to our little apartment for overnight. Tomorrow will bring us to Wyoming and then finally Rapid City, South Dakota.
2019 June 4, Tuesday. Glacier NP to Great Falls, MT
Sleep was good and we didn't notice any more. There didn't seem to be many people in the hostel right now. The bedroom and bathroom were clean and we survived. I did have to make the bed and then unmake it though.
Construction delayed us again on the way to the east entrance of Glacier National Park. The St Mary entrance and road had some sensational views of St Mary Lake and the mountains. At the end of the road (that was open) rose the Jackson Glacier. What a sight!
Further north we investigated the Many Glacier road. The view of mountains and Lake Sherburne were also spectacular. Approaching the end of the road, we came upon the Many Glacier Lodge. What a beautiful place this would be to stay in ($$).I would have to say the east side of the park has some of the best views we have seen.
By noon we were on the way to Great Falls, Montana, a 3 hour drive. After an early dinner we checked in to our accomodations for the night.
2019 June 3, Monday. Spokane to Glacier National Park, MT
Today turned out well considering the rocky start. We were looking for a quick breakfast on the way out of town and found a McDonalds. It was not however like the usual restaurant. It had a drive through and a walk up window. Once you get your food, you can eat it standing up at tables in the back. Upon returning to the car, the lid came off my tea and it spilled all over me and the parking lot. I was pretty discouraged by this time and also tired from all the early mornings but the day improved with the scenery.
We drove through the rest of Washington, across Idaho and into Montana. Montana has some pretty stunning landscapes.
We arrived Glacier National Park mid afternoon and headed in the west entrance until we got stopped by construction. Once we got past that, it was clear sailing to Avalanche Creek where the road is closed because the snow has not yet been cleared from the higher elevations. They think it won't be open until at least June 22nd. The river and McDonald Lake were flowing quite high and made for pretty photo stops.
By 5:30 we were parked for the night at a Hostel in East Glacier village. We got a room with a queen bed and hunkered down for the evening. This should make for some good stories!
2019 June 2, Sunday. Portland to Spokane, WA
We are now heading homewards. There was many miles of driving along the Columbia River gorge until we turned inward northeast toward Spokane. The terrain went from almost dessert like to a more lush treed enviroment as we approached Spokane. Upon arriving in Spokane a little prior to check in time, it was decided to have a late lunch/early dinner. Waddell's was the place we chose for brew and food. Apparently, George Waddell was a baseball pitcher for Philadelphia. It seems kind of ironic that he has a pub named for him but battled alcoholism most of this life.
After dinner we settled in for the evening.
2019 June 1, Saturday. Portland, OR
The oil change on Carl's car had to be done and we drove to Beaverton to get the work done. We knew this would happen because BMW Canada had warned up that it could not wait until we got home. Unfortunately, in the US our free oil changes under the warranty are not valid so we had to pay for it. I took advantage of the latte machine and the yummy treats. BMW knows how to treat you, while you wait for your car to be serviced, washed and vacuumed.
The afternoon was spent wandering aimlessly through the International Rose test Garden in Washington Park. The park has over 600 varieties of roses; all colours, all sizes and all kinds. They are so beautiful. The tour guide who showed a group of us around recommended a brew pub in Portland so we decided to have an early dinner there.
The rest of the evening was spent trip planning, doing laundry and repacking the car so are ready to move on tomorrow.
2019 May 31, Friday. Warrenton to Portland, Or
A few miles drive to Astoria brought us to the Astoria Column. It is a 125 foot tall concrete column standing high above the Columbia River. Patterned after Trajan's column in Rome. The exterior is adorned with mural depicting scenes from Oregon's history. We climbed the 164 steps winding staircase to see a 360o panorama of the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia and Lewis and Clark rivers.
Several hours later, the adventure fo the Columbia River Natural Scenic Area began. We got off the highway and took the old route 30 so we could get all the vista stops.
The Vista house was a unique building up on a plateau but due to the haze, the views were a bit obscured.
Mutmohal Falls was pretty amazing and then came the smaller Horsetail Falls.
Several miles away and continuing on the Columbia Gorge/Mt Hood Loop we climbed past apple and pear orchards and wineries finally reaching the grand view of Mt Hood.
After that, it was all downhill and into Portland traffic (what a mess).
It was 8 oclock by the time we got settled in for the evening.
2019 May 30, Thursday. Bandon to Warrenton, Or
Today is our 38th wedding anniversary. Wow!
What a lovely stay we had last night and the hosts even provided bagels and yogurt and fruit for breakfast.
In nearby Coos Bay, the waterfront boardwalk showed some story boards about the town history from coal mining to the current export of wood chips (world leader).At the north end of town was an interesting bridge, McCullough Memorial.
East from Reedsport lies the Dean Creek Elk Viewing area. The elk were having a lie-in when we got there and were quite far away.
It's a little disconcerting to be driving along the coast and constantly see signs as you enter and exist tsunami areas.
In Florence, we crossed the historic Siushaw river bridge and then carried on to Darlington State National Park.
The preserve is to protect the Darlingtonia Caifornica; the pitcher plant. There were hundreds of the them in a sunny enclave and a few have started to bloom. Insects crawl into the bulbous structure, cannot find a way out and end up falling down into the interior column and then being digested by plant enzymes. Very cool (well, not for the insects)!
The Alsea Bay Bridge Interpretive Centre in Waldport provided information about the building of the 5 large bridges during the 1930's along the Oregon Coast that finally enabled transportation by land. The bridges are magnificent examples of architecture for their time.
North of Newport, the Devils Punchbowl had the ocean churning inside the basin. It was low tide when we were there so we missed the larger show.
Just off the main street of Lincoln City, we encountered an Abe Lincoln on a horse statue. (Weird!)
I was trying to think of where I had heard of Tillamook and then , , , , Cheese!.
Tillamook Cheese has a visitor center with open windows so that you can watch the cheese production process, Cheese tasting is also encouraged as, is visiting their gift shop. Of course, we had to buy some cheese. It was a good stop.
Offshore from Cannon Beach, a giant rock called Haystack Rock presents an imposing picture.
Dinner was obtained a brew pub in a town called Seaside and we overnighted in Warrenton, Oregon.
2019 May 29, Wednesday. Arcata to Bandon, Oregon
Happy Birthday to Jennifer
Again, we were up and out by 7 o'clock. That meant the visitor center at Redwoods National and State Parks were not even open yet so we decided to do a self tour. The oldest tree was nicely signed with a short hike to find it. This big tree is 1,500 years old! It was a very scenic drive through the park looking at tall, wide trees. Driving up Requa Road, provided a view of the Klamath River.
Returning to the Oregon coast, we stopped over and over again to admire the the views and take pictures (that will never do it justice).
Some interesting facts about Oregon are that, gas is .40 cents a gallon less expensive than California and, there is no sales tax here. I also read in the CAA book that you are not allowed to pump your own gas??
In a flash of inspiration, we stopped for a late lunch at the Crazy Norwegians Fish and Chips restaurant. The Alaska Pacific cod was worth the stop.
By late afternoon, we arrived at our Bandon accomodations. We are in an old Flemish house that was moved to this location and have a very nice room and our own bathroom (what a luxury).
2019 May 28, Tuesday. Calistoga to Arcata, CA
Happy Birthday to Jessica
We said good bye to this little slice of paradise in Napa and headed for the coast. I was surprised that much of this mornings drive was through forest and not as much coast as I had envisioned. The coastal views were certainly gorgeous.
Early afternoon brought some amazing views and then as we turned inward, coasts were replaced with towering forests.
Late in the afternoon we arrived at Eureka where we ate a delicious mexican dinner. Carl had a chimichanga and I had the most wonderful Prawn and garlic quesadilla with mango salsa.
After dinner we cruised around old town Eureka and were delighted with the Victorian designed storefronts and homes in the area. You can tell that great care has been put into keeping up appearances.
We are overnighting in a town called Arcata. Our host is a single Mom with 2 young children and a dog (Corgi).
2019 May 27, Monday. Union City to Calistoga(Napa Valley)
In search of unique activities the Charles M Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa seemed like it would fit the bill. It didn't open until 11 so we had time for quick stroll through the Luthur Burbank Gardens. Luthur was a horticulturalist who introduced 800 varieties of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and ornamental flowers including the Santa Rosa plum and the shasta daisy.
The Charles M Schultz museum was fun. On the second floor was a recreated office and a history of his life. The first floor houses many of his carton strips and explained where some of inspirations came from. He grew up in Minnesota and loved hockey. He contributed to the building of an ice arena, a ball park and tennis courts for the local children. Across the street from the museum lies the arena which we visited and then saw the Poppy Cafe where Charles had breakfast and lunch every day,
Driving deeper into the Napa Valley (Calistoga), we arrived at Golden Haven Hot Springs and Lodge where a room and a mud bath has been reserved. I know many of you are saying to yourself, Carl at a spa?? It is true and it actually happened. The full size mud bath was quite an experience. The combo of clay, peat and hot springs mineral water relaxes the muscles and joints. This was followed by a cleansing hot springs shower and then a soak in a private Jacuzzi. The final step was a blanket wrap where you completely relax and fall asleep (at least, Carl did). We then walked in our robes back to our room. I felt like a limp noodle when I was done. We had a good time.
Carl still had some energy (probably due to his nap) and coerced me into 2 games of Balina which, he handily won.
It was now time to refuel our bodies and, after walking down the main street looking at menus, we chose a dinner stop. Our meals were very good and then we returned to the lodge room for the night.
2019 May 26, Sunday. San Francisco area - Union City
The day dawned gloomy and rainy so it was decided to have a day just wandering, seeing and doing some local things. There is nothing super interesting to report from today but tomorrow should be fun.
Plans have changed again as it turns out that in Oregon, Crater Lake National Park rim road is still closed due to snow so that means we will be home a little sooner. So far we have cancelled Yosemite, Kings and Sequoia National Parks and probably Glacier National Park coming up.
2019 May 25, Saturday, Sacramento to San Francisco, CA
Travelling southwest to the San Francisco area of Richmond, we visited the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historic Park. The building is in the secure parking lot of the Ford Assembly plant. The exhibits commemorate the City ot Richmonds role in the WWII home front effort: 747 cargo vessels were built in the 4 shipyards run by the Kaiser Company. The Visitor center tell the human stories behind a massive war effort that impacted the daily lives of many people. There were 3 different films shown.
Santa Clara houses the Intel corporation and they started this museum to document their history. I must confess that most of it was a bit boring for me but Carl read a lot of stuff and liked the stop. It was cool to see Intel's headquarters and Cisco was nearby.
That concluded this day of touring around San Francisco.
2019 May 24, Friday. Monterey to Sacramento, CA
We were out of our accomodation before our hostess even got up. The drive to Sacramento (capital of California) took 3 hours. Upon arrival at the state Capital we were informed that the 11 o'clock tours were not running, due to the large number of school children. DARN! Plan B was a self guided tour. At 12 o'clock, a tour did start and we caught some of it before we had to leave to feed the meter.
After lunch, the area called Old Sacramento amused us until mid afternoon. Old Sacrament is a four block section of downtown that has cobblestone streets and wood side walks to lend a touch of yesteryear. The area has been renovated to look like it might have during the gold rush area. There are many shops and restaurants to take in. We ended up lunching here. It was a pleasant way to spend a few hours.
That ended our touring for today and we have to make plans again for the next few days. The Memorial Day long weekend is throwing us for a loop. Accomodation prices have gone through the roof and availability has also been difficult to get. We may end up spending a few days in San Francisco and then moving up the coast on Monday or Tuesday.
2019 May 23, Thursday. LA to Monterey, CA
After much reflection and research, plans to go to Yosemite and Kings and Sequoia National Parks had to be abandoned. The roads through the parks are still closed due to snopack at higher elevations.
The drive up the coast started in Santa Monica with the roof up. It was 14o and cloudy near the ocean.
Near Santa Monica, vineyards in the hills signalled a wine district. We also saw lots of different vegetables being grown in the interior near Guadalupe where Hwy 1 turned inward. There were also fields of strawberries being picked. I wished I could get a taste. Oh, wait! A fruit stand appeared on the side of the road and we immediately pulled over and bought some fresh strawberries and cherries. The strawberries tasted incredible and what a great treat.
Hearst Castle in San Simeon is in the top 12 things to do in California and, it came highly recommended by friends so we went to investigate. I was expecting another old mansion but, boy was I wrong. We got tour tickets right away and got on the bus to the castle. Unfortunately, the closer we got to the top, the foggier it got and the views disappeared. It was even hard to see the top of the castle but our tour was for the grand rooms indoors. The grand rooms included the living room, dining room, morning room, billiard room and the home theatre. After the tour we wandered the grounds for a bit then exited through the swimming pool to get the bus back to the Visitor Center. Back on level ground, we watched their feature movie about the castle build. It was worth the extra time we took.
For the next couple of hours we got to experience the typical Hwy1 drive along the ocean. Both hands on the wheel, please. What a ride! If only the haze had not impeded the views.
We arrived very late to our airbnb in Monterey and wound down for the night.
2019 May 22, Wednesday. Los Angeles, Day 3
The all day LA Tour started in Santa Monica at 9:30 on a minibus with 22 people. The Santa Monica Pier, just down the street, was the first stop.
The second stop in Venice let us experience the Venice skate park, murals, a boardwalk and Muscle Beach.
The tour then continued in Beverly Hills with a walk on Rodeo Drive and a photop with the sign.
For lunch the bus stopped at the Farmers Market where a large selection of food tempted us tourists. Nearby is the The Grove, a large upscale shopping district that we walked all around.
It started to rain as we headed for Griffith Observatory. This spot offers the vantage point to get a picture of the Hollywood sign. It was still a big damp but we got our photo. Inside the Observatory is exhibits and information about the planets and stars. We were only able to see a small porion of this place.
At the final stop, we strolled along the Walk of Fame taking in the Chinese Theatre , and the El Capitan Theatre where Aladdin premiered last night. We looked at the stars below our feet and found many that we recognized.
On the return trip, buildings of interest were pointed out. Various comedy clubs were identified and we cruised by Sunset Plaza.
Saw a rainbow!
Finally, we got back into our car, paid the outrageous parking fee and drove back smack into dreadful traffic. Typical of LA, it seems.
2019 May 21, Tuesday. Los Angeles, Day 2
We had a leisurely morning and then set off for Glendale and the Forest Lawn Memorial Park (CAA says GEM). It turns out this park is a cemetary with art and a museum. At the very top of the hill on the grounds is the Hall of the Crucifixion/Resurrection. At 11 o'clock we were led into an auditorium complete wih a large screen and chairs. A curtain was covering the wide screen. An audio/video presentation accompanied the unveiling of Jan Styka's work called The Crucifixion. The painting is 45 feet long and 185 feet wide and it is magnificent. The presentation highlighted and explained the characters depicted and the meaning of them in the work. This painting is a beauty.
At the botton of the hill we entered another building called the Great Mausoleum. There are several marble statue replicas of DaVinci's works and a very large stained glass window depicting the Last Supper(also by DaVinci). Overall, Forest Glen proved to be very enlightening.
In the afternoon, we parked on Wilshire Drive and walked to the La Brea Tar Pits. There are several interesting story boards posted around one of the tar pits. They explained that animals would have gotten stuck in as little as 2 inches of this goo. As we watched, methane bubbled up through the pit. We didn't go into the museum as it is filled with fossils and we have seen enough of those.
For Wednesday, we have an all day tour booked. It is easier for the tour company to show us the LA and Hollywood sights than for us to try to drive around and locate them.
2019 May 20, Monday. Los Angeles, Day 1
Today was Studio Tour Day starting with Sony pictures. It took one and a half hours to drive 11 km this morning and the busses were going the same speed. Highlights of the Sony tour were seeing the set of Seinfeld, The Goldbergs and Jeopardy. In addition we watched a movie chronicling the history of the studio and saw a sound editing room. The rest of the tour consisted of walking between tall beige buildings and listening to the tour guide. No famous persons were spotted. This tour was a bust but we did get a free souvenir picture and didn't have to pay for parking. Rating - 2 out of 5 stars.
The drive to the Warner Brother Studio in Burbank took less time but was farther in distance. Here the attendant was kind enough to move our tour ahead because we had arrived early for the booked time. The tour guide here was great. We saw some outdoor sets from Dukes of Hazard, The Gilmore Girls, Friends and other shows. The Bat Cave housed several iterations of the Batmobile, the Bat Bike and the Bat Boat, There was an indoor set from a show called All American (Netflix). At the Visitor Center the set for the coffee shop from Friends was all set up for people to do photos there. Rating - 4 out of 5 stars.
With the touring day over, we had a quick dinner and then returned to make plans for Tuesday.
2019 May 19, Sunday. San Diego to Las Angeles, CA
Before we left our accomodations, our host gave us a lemon and kumquats from her tree in the front yard. How cool! The kumquats were quite tasty. The lemon will go in my morning tea.
Sea lions and seals greeted us this morning in a rainy La Jolla. Some were darting around in the waves and some were resting on shore. What a fun way to start the day!
We drove through Carlsbad (supposed to look like a town in Bavaria - NOT!) and then, Oceanside where we picked up some brochures for LA and Hollywood.
A late lunch was acquired at the Phoenix Club (a german-american restaurant) in Anaheim. Our beef roll and schnitzel was very tasty.
By 4:00, we arrived at our Air bnb and found a very nice room with our own bathroom waiting for us. After a few hours of research, a plan was developed for the next 3 days here.
2019 May 18, Saturday. San Diego, CA
Today was Dumbness Day. We left the house without the cooler (fruit inside) and we forgot our granola bars for snacks. In addition, I lost my hat at the zoo(fortunately retrieved it in Lost and Found at the end of the day).
We spent most of the day at the San Diego Zoo. It is acclaimed as one of the worlds' best. On the down side, some of the animals were gone (polar bears) and a large number were sleeping or hiding or both. There was a lot of walking (that is ok) and directions are very confusing. Several times zoo staff stopped to advise us on how to get where we wanted to be (even they said it was confusing). On the up side, the grizzy bear was active, the giraffes (including a new baby) were very entertaining and the cheetah was pacing in his cage. It was also a beautiful day for a long walk. All in all, we felt that this zoo was comparable to the Toronto Zoo, although we have not been there for a few years.
The Zoo is inside Balboa Park, a 1200 acre recreation and cultural center with 17 museums and has a view of San Diego downtown. Since it is adjacent to the zoo, we carried on walking to the Park. We felt that we should see it before we left town tomorrow. It is an amazingly beautiful area where folks can gather for all kinds of events, both indoor and outdoor.
At Costco, we fuelled up, purchased a few items and then returned to make our dinner and get ready for the move to LA.
2019 May 17, Friday. San Diego, CA
Our sightseeing began at the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum. There was so much to see that we didn't leave until after lunch. There were many planes and helicopters on the hangar deck. There was also retired pilots giving little talks about what it was like to land a plane on the deck. Below decks there are a number of tours and everything is reconstructed beautifully. There were several films about the battle between Japan and the US at Midway Island. If the US had not won that battle, despite being under gunned, the world would be a very different place.
It was a short walk to Seaport Village; a cute area on the water with shops and restaurants and live music. The architecture is modelled as a 19th century town.
Since we were close to downtown, the Gaslamp Quarter was the next logical choice to visit. We stopped here for a walk around to look at the historical buildings and then have a beer and an ice cream. Can you guess who had what?
The last thing we did today was drive out to Mission Beach where there is a 3 mile boardwalk. It was quite lovely walking next to the beach. At the Pacific Ale Brewing House we had an amazing dinner overlooking the beach.
2019 May 16, Thursday. Yucca Valley to San Diego
Joshua Tree National Park is the only place in the world where Joshua trees grow. They require this exact ecosystem to survive and, to reproduce it requires the yucca moth in a symbiotic relationship. It seems that the Mormons named these trees after the biblical Joshua.
We stopped at Cap Rock (looks like name suggests), Keys View (scenic outlook), Jumbo Rocks, Skull Rock and the very cool Challa Cactus Gardens.
At the other end of the park lies the Cottonwood Visitor Center and they gave us directions to the Cottonwood Oasis. The Oasis was quite a sight! I guess this is my first (and likely my last) time in a desert oasis.
Palm Springs was within a half an hour drive of the Park and it was suggested that the architecture might be interesting for us. The style of several buildings is mid century modern. We also looked at the area where the other half lives but it was mostly high fences, ensuring lots of privacy. We went to the address where Elizabeth Taylor used to live.
Departing Palm Springs, a wind farm with thousands of wind mills caught our attention. They went on for miles.
We are sleeping at an Airbnb in the hills of San Diego. It seems a decent place for the next few days. The host is quite nice and recommended a pizza place downtown for us to try. It was very good and we even have leftovers that we can eat here for breakfast or dinner.
2019 May 15, Wednesday. Lone Pine to Yucca Valley, CA
A short drive north this mornig brought to Manzanar National Historic Site. This was where the US government interred 10,000 Japanese Americans after the WWII bombing at Pearl Harbour. There is a large building of exhibits relating to this event and a 3 mile car loop of the property . Two barracks and a mess hall have been reconstructed for all to see. There is also a reconstructed guard tower at the entrance. The camp closed after the war ended and all the people had to rebuild their lives. There was a presidential apology and a payment of $20,000 each as restitution.
Mid afternoon we stopped in Yermo for a photo op at Peggy Sue's 50's Diner. The entrance is designed to look like a jukebox. Inside, offerings include food, ice cream and a store full of 50's memorabilia.
We arrived at the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center half an hour before closing and got our map and some excellent advice about seeing the park tomorrow.
Before we went to our accomodations, we popped into Walmart to get some fruit to munch on in the car during our travels.
At our Airbnb 4 km outside of Yucca Valley, we settled into our room for the evening.
2019 May 14, Tuesday. Death Valley, CA
It took us 14 days to get to California and here we are starting our adventure.
Death Valley National Park was two hours from our accomodations unless, you get stuck behind a large, long, slow truck and then it takes longer. At 10:30 am the first viewpoint in the park was Zabriskie Point. This area is a beautiful landscape that comes into view as you head up a paved path. It was 32.5o outside at this point.
Further along the highway, at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, you have to show your park pass and then you get a map with the touring information. There was also the requisite film about the park. Luckily for us, the currently open sights were on the road that goes through the park and also on our way to Lone Pine.
Close to the Visitor Center we came across The Inn at Death Valley in what looks like a little oasis. It was built in the 1920's. A quick walk though the inn revealed an interior that we had expected to be much more opulent (especially for $350/night). The gardens were quite pretty but on a hot day like today, noone was out and about.
It was 38.5o upon our arrival at the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes. Needless to say, we walked out, looked around and hightailed it back to the car air conditioning.
A jet flew over our heads as we approached Father Crowley Vista Point. Upon arriving at the outlook we were informed that the jets fly through the canyon as part of their training exercises. Carl saw two jets and I saw one make their way through the valley. That was super cool to see and a nice surprise. That wrapped up Death Valley.
In Lone Pine an hour was spent at the Western Film History Museum. The nearby Alabama Hills have been the location for western movies since the the silent films of the 1920's. More recently, films such as Tremors, Star Trek 5 and 7, Iron Man, Transformer 2 and many more have been filmed in the area.
We spent the night in Lone Pine and will move on in the morning.
2019 May 13, Monday. Cortez, CO to Las Vegas, NV
Cortez was left behind at 7:30 this morning and we drove most of the day to get to Las Vegas for an overnight. There were lots of interesting rock formations along the way.
Tomorrow we head out to Death Valley.
2019 May 12, Sunday. Cortez, CO
I hope everyone had a Happy Mothers Day. I was surprised when the two boys at home called me early this morning. It was a nice way to start my day. Adam called later that morning and we finally touched base in the afternoon. It was a little hard being away from them on Mothers Day but at least I got to talk to them.
After breakfast, the first stop was Mesa Verde National Park. At the Visitor Center we purchased tickets for ranger led tour of the Cliff Palace. It was a half an hour drive up the mountain to the tour spot.
We were fortunate to get in as these tours are often sold out. At the Cliff Palace we joined a number of other people to wait for our guide - Ranger Stanley. Finally at 10 o'clock the group was one its way down some modern metal steps, then ancient stone steps, a walkway and then ladders to get to the ancient cliff dwellers site built around 1200AD. When we rounded the last corner, there was a lot of WOW's from the crowd. The crowd sat subdued waiting for everyone to arrive and Ranger Stanley to tell us about the people and buildings they created. This is one of the incredible things I have ever seen and well worth the effort to get there. Lots of photos were taken and then we headed back up a very narrow staircase and some more ladders to get back to our cars. I can't believe they only charged $5 for this. What a deal!
There was another loop road with more view points for other dwelling sites and the very strange Sun Temple. There was also covered sites that have been dug up and set up for the public to see. The last brief stop in the park was the Archeological Museum.
Hovenweep National Monument was in the opposite direction so back through Cortez we went. The 60 km drive was very scenic and the car top was down so it was a very nice afternoon drive.
It was an awesome day getting to see both of these amazing parks.
We are setting out for Las Vegas tomorrow which means many, many hours of driving.
2019 May 11, Saturday. Pueblo, CO to Cortez, CO
Well, it turns out that we drove to Pueblo for nothing. We saw the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk last year. Something twigged when I went to Google Maps for directions and it told me that I had been there 1 year ago. We couldn't belive that neither one of us remembered the name of the town but we both remembered the walk. We did drive into town anyway just to make sure that it was as we remembered it and, it was.
What a sight when a trailer full of antlers caught out eye in Walsenburg on the way to the Great Sand Dunes National Park.
On approach to the park, a huge brown mountain appeared on our left and we correctly surmised that it was the Sand Dunes. At the Visitor Center, there was a 20 minute film introduction to the park and various exhibits to look at. The Dunes were down the road and here many people were frolicking in the spring stream. Some people made their way bare foot across the water to get to the Dunes but we did not.
The scenic drive for the next several hours was very mountainous with lots of twists and turns. There was intermitent rain and even hail for a brief period but eventually the sun came out.
We arrived in Cortez around 5:30pm and quickly found a brewpub for dinner before proceeding to check in at the White Feather Inn where we would be spending the next two nights.
2019 May 10, Friday. KC to Pueblo, Colorado
An early start out of Kansas City got us into Topeka in time for a 9:15 Dome tour at the Capital State Building. They know how to treat the tourists here, with 2 hr free underground parking. Instead of the usual building tour with 47 7th graders we opted for a tour of the dome. The ride of the 5th floor was completed in an old cage elevator complete with an operator. At this point, we joined two classes of students and started up the 286 steps to the top of the dome where a 360o view of Topeka is revealed. The stair walk up was a test of our physical fitness. Luckily at each level, we stopped to catch our breath and learn something. It was fun.
Between Topeka and Wichita, some flooding was evident initially and then higher ground with rolling hills dotted with cattle appeared.
In Wichita at the Frank Lloyd Wright Allen house, we did an exterior building assessment and took some pics. In order to see the inside, you have to book ahead which I did not do because of our challenging schedule.
Dodge City used to be a wild town in the late 1800's and today it is a major cattle shipping point. A look at the city's early days is revealed by a large mural at the National Beef Packing plant. It is the work of Stan Herd.
Central time changed to Mountain Time as we entered Colorado.
The Madonna of the Trail monument in Lamar is one of 12 madonnas, each in one of 12 states which mark on the old national trails. This one is near the Santa Fe Trail.
We drove along the Sante Fe trail quite a few hours today. Really makes you think about the hardships the early settlers endured.
Finally arrived at our Airbnb at 7:30. It was an incredibly long and busy day and tomorrow will be the same.
2019 May 09, Thursday. Kansas City.
We took some time this morning to plan the next few days and where we will be overnighting. With that accomplished, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art awaited. It entertained us with wonderful treasures until 1:30. This was a good thing to do on a relatively cold day.
In 1856 the steamboat Arabia sunk in the Missouri River with a 200 ton cargo. In 1987, the cargo was found in a farmers field and recovered through a painstaking process and preservation began. A museum was build to tell the story and house the cargo as it is being restored. The preservation of artifacts is ongoing. All the items are displayed in the museum which also has a replica of the main deck of the boat complete with pistons. It provides a very accurate picture of how things were. The top two levels of the boat were sheered off from the water current after it sank. Several attempts were made to retrieve the whisky barrels reputed to have been on board but they were never found.
There was a short stop at the World War 1 Memorial and Museum. Apparently, this is the only museum in the US dedicated to this war.
Kansas City is a city of some 200 fountains and one of the nicest is the J.C.Nelson fountain which we found and photographed.
The Grunauer austrian restaurant had fantastic reviews and after our schnitzel dinner, we wholeheartedly concur.
Tomorrow we will be seeing more of Kansas.
2019 May 08, Wednesday. Branson to Kansas City, Missouri
The Surrey Inn provided another less than stellar breakfast and then we took for for the Route 66 Car Museum in Springfield. When we got there, we decided we had seen enough old cars for a while and didn't go in. Since we were right near historic Route66, we drove down that road for awhile. It was uneventful except for one mural that marked the significant highway.
Based on Ed's glowing review, the first stop for today was the north of Kansas City in Merriam. It was the Strawberry Hill Povitica store. I sample 9 or 10 of the different flavours that are available. My favourites were the cranberry walnut and the raisin walnut which, we bought.
It was 2:30 in the afternoon and it was to early to check in so, we drove downtown to the Hallmart Visitor Center. With a free parking score and just a short walk to the Visitor Center, we felt pretty lucky. Try getting that in downtown Toronto. At the Visitor Center there was a short film explaining the history of the Hallmark business. It was a pleasant enough way to spend an hour and a half.
Our CAA guide suggested bbq is the must have food to eat in Kansas City so Jack Stacks was where we ordered bbq ribs for dinner. Carl ordered a beer called, Rye on Rye that was very unique tasting. There was no shortage of food.
We will be staying in a decent basement apartment in the suburb of Shawnee.
2019 May 07, Tuesday. Branson, Missouri
The room at the Surrey Inn was acceptable. It was booked through Airbnb. Breakfast was kind of iffy for me, to many carbs. The only protein was hard boiled eggs and peanut butter. Carl managed to put together an ok breakfast for himself.
The Travel Club presentation at Branson Woods Resort was as expected. It started with a chat with a sales rep followed by a presentation for the group and then a tour of the condo. Then the sales pitch was applied followed by a pitch from the manager and finally, another manager with various levels of wheeling and dealing being offered. How many ways can a person say, NO! To add insult to injury they didn't have our show tickets at this office so we had to drive down the road to another building and wait for them there. It was noon by the time we suffered through all this but, we had tickets and were ready to go.
While waiting for the 3:30 show, I had time to go to the Titanic Museum and I enjoyed it. My favourite fact was the luxury flooring that was used in the main ballroom and the grand staircase. It cost twice as much as marble and, it was called Linoleum. LOL. There were several artifacts in the museum such as a tattered deck chair, lifejackets and a purse from a passenger. These items are almost priceless today. The replica staircase was half the size of the actual one on the Titanic and was quite beautiful.
The 3:30 showing of Samson at the Sight & Sound theatre was lots of fun. The singing, dancing and plot were very well done. They had a technical glitch with the set that delayed things for 15 minutes. I loved the live animals: horses, dogs, llamas, camels and a donkey that were integrated into the story line. I highly recommend this show.
There was just enough time for us to return to our room, drop the car, grab a bite and get to the 7:30 show by the Haygoods (most popular show in Branson). This talented family show was really uplifting with amazing singers, musicians and tap dancers.
We both enjoyed this show as well.
This has been a very full day.
2019 May 06, Monday, St Louis to Branson, Missouri
An early getaway enabled us to get to Jefferson City for a Capitol building tour at ten o'clock. The exterior of this building is being renovated and is currently wrapped. Inside, in the house lounge is an amazing painting about the history of Missouri. It took six months to complete the work but 1 1/2 years to prepare the walls.
The vacuum cleaner museum that we thought might be interesting was a bust because it was not open. This caused a rearranging of plans and a change of direction to the Wilson Creek National Battlefield. En route we saw a big sign offering discount tickets to shows in Branson. Yes, we know, a time share trap (travel club)! They are expecting us tomorrow morning for 1 1/2 hours but, then we get to go to a show in the afternoon and one in the evening at great rates.
At Republic, we visited the Wilson Creek Battlefield Visitor Center and acquired our annual national park pass. The movie about the nearby battle was very informative as we the museum in the same building. It put things into perspective for the 5 mile route that showed the battle sites and homesteads. The battle was pivotal in the Civil War in Missouri and it was the second major battle although, this was the first time that I had heard of it.
Our accommodations proved to be nice at the Surrey Inn in Branson and after unpacking we went in search of dinner. Apparently, toasted ravioli, is local Missouri fare so, we went in search of it. At Pasgetti's, we sampled the pasta and declared it delicious. Good thing we shared our meals tonight because they were so filling and tasty.
Went back to the hotel to chill for our busy day tomorrow.
2019 May 05, Sunday. St Louis
Todays breakfast consisted of leftover pizza from last nights dinner. Once fed, we made our way downtown. We got lucky with the free parking on Sundays and had a beautiful walk along the slightly flooded Missouri River to the Gateway Arch.
Photos were taken of this magnificent structure and then we took in the historical exhibits at the Old Courthouse.
The downtown area is very well kept witth green spaces interspersed among the buildings, really nice.
We followed Ed's footsteps with a visit to the Laumier Sculpture Garden. This was a 15 minute roof down ride from the city. There was some very odd artwork here but it was a nice walk around the 152 acre property.
2019 May 04, Saturday, Indianapolis to St. Louis, MO
This morning we left behind the disaster zone and drove an hour to Terre Haute. In Terre Haute, we stopped at the Clabber Girl museum. This small museum explains the history of the brand and of baking powder. Before baking powder, There was some pretty vicious claims from different manufactuers about the dangers of using their competitors products which used other formulations. The history exhibits were well done and worth the stop.
After the museum, I fell asleep and slept across a good portion of Illinois. There was not much to see.
In St. Louis, Missouri our accomodation was once again Airbnb but this time in a Victorian house. Our room was, of course, on the third floor and although there is a bathroom, no shower again. I think we will be going down a level and use the shower there.
As we were sitting at the dining table, planning the rest of the Missouri stops, another guest arrived, by the name of Alex. Alex is in from New York auditioning for the St. Louis symphony and he brought his bass. The bass case is taller than he is. I was trying to figure out how he got it into an Uber. It sure wouldn't fit in our car.
Driving around this area proved surprising with lots of older homes, clean streets and so far friendly people. I know there are no go areas in ST. Louis.
Flood warnings have been issued for St. Louis for the next couple of days as rivers are expected to crest. The famous Gateway arch is of course right downtown and next to the river so we will see how that goes tomorrow.
2019 May 03, Friday. Indianapolis.
This morning we had our shower in the bizarro other bathroom. The people were gone from their room. After a quick bagel breakfast at McDonald's, we headed downtown. A parking meter was acquired just in front of the Capitol Building/State House and then we waited until ten o'clock for a tour. We had to walk around with a class of Grade 4's from a rural area in Indiana.
Following the tour, a short walk later put us in front of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. It was being renovated.
Continuing our walk took us to Indiana War Memorial. This museum is free and full of war exhibits.
We didn't have time to see everything and moved on to the Veterans Memorial Plaza.
Downtown Indianapolis was clean, well maintained and there was quite a bit to see within walking distance. Not within walking distance was the Central Canal. This lovely area has a canal and walkway not far from downtown. In the summer, there are even gondolas on the waterway.
The indianapolis 500 was a short distance from the Canal. It is well organized and efficient. The drive in leads straight to the Museum where you can book tours and see the older race cars, The tour today was called KISS THE BRICKS. A mini bus drove us around the track and let us off at the last of the bricks that used to comprise the entire racing track. Everyone took pictures here and some actually kissed the bricks. Some people will do anything for a selfie! I cerainly never thought that I would be standing in the middle of the Indy 500 track,
Upon returning to the museum, we perused the many winning race cars from the past.
At this time, hunger pangs sent us on a search for a BrewPub for dinner. At the Broad Ripple Brewpub, the fish & chips were enjoyed by both of us. Before returning to our room, we made a quick trip to Menard's for some peanuts in the shell. I am looking forward to moving on tomorrow.
2019 May 02, Thursday. Auburn to Indianapolis, Indiana
Breakfast was included with our hotel room and while we were eating, the news and weather on the tv was a little disheartening. There are several large severe disturbances moving around the US. Even Dearborn, Michigan was encountering flooding.
Auburn is home to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg museum where we spent an interesting three hours looking at high tech vehicles from the 1930's. Some of these cars were very advanced for their time with front wheel drive, sensors for fluid levels, and there was even an electric car.
Emilia Erhart and her Duesenberg.
Further down the road in Anderson, Indiana, a visit to Mounds State Park provided a nice diversion. We had a lengthy chat with a Masters Graduate about the purpose of the various earthen mounds here and across the state. This state park preserves some of the finest examples of earthwork and mound building. Built by the Adena and Hopewell cultures around 160 B.C. Research indicates that these mounds were used to track the seasons.
In Indianapolis, we checked into our Airbnb ($25/night). Yeup! You guessed it. The room looks fine and clean but the floors in the house are being renovated. Across the hall is a bathroom with a tub(who uses a tub?), toilet and a sink (with no drain), Down the hall is a shower but, you have to knock to enter it because there is an occuped room besideit with an open stud wall. AND, did I mention the 3 large dogs, enough said!
We quickly left for Costco as we needed fuel and some dinner. Across from the Costco, we had dinner at the On the Border mexican restaurant. The food was good and way to much to eat.
Back at the house, the car was unpacked and Carl watched the hockey game. We will turn in early and hope for decent weather for touring tomorrow.
2019 May 01, Wednesday. Markham, ON to Auburn, Indiana
The holiday began with dreary, rainy weather. Fortunately, the rain did stop mid morning. There was a very long delay at the bridge in Sarnia. We have never experienced wait times this long here. After paying the bridge toll, there was a similar line up at US Customs. The time was used by consuming the lunches we had packed at home. I suspect we will get very tired of restaurant food in the next two months.
Mid afternoon, we stopped in Lansing, Michigan at the State Capitol Building. It proved to be interesting. The tour was led by a passionate, knowledgable tour guide. The architect of this building was very economical. All the materials are faux and made to look like black walnut woodwork and marble surfaces. It has recently be restored.
The next thing to do was to get our AT&T sim card/phone number. We stopped in Charlotte (pronounced Char lot) for that. Once we had a working phone, we made the appropriate phone calls to get a place to stay tonight in Auburn, Indiana.
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