Friday, December 18, 2009

Another Two + weeks have passed, and we wanted to cover what we've been doing.

We left the Atlanta area on December 2nd and arrived at Victoria Palms, Donna, TX, on Thursday, December 4th. We were at Kinder, LA on Wednesday at the beautiful Coushatta Indian Casino. Casinos are a great place to stay. This one is rated as one of the top 100 casino RV parks in the country. It only cost $17 per night with all hook-ups, plus the casino has a shuttle bus that will pick you up at your RV site and take you to the casino. We did take the shuttle, but only to have dinner at one of their four restaurants.

We left the following morning and thought we would drive south of Houston somewhere and stay overnight and then drive into Donna on Friday. I have always been apprehensive about driving through Huston. Most people say the only time to drive through Huston is Sunday morning. Well, we decided to drive through anyway. We hit the outskirts about 11:30 A.M. and flew through town at 55-60 mph and didn't even run into a single traffic problem. We were so far ahead of schedule by mid-afternoon that we decided to drive on into Donna with enough time to get the RV parked while it was still light.

We felt "at home" the minute we arrived. It just felt comfortable and familiar. I guess it should, this is our 4th season at Victoria Palms.

On Friday we got all the details taken care of;special keys for the mail box, the front gate, exercise room, and billiards room.

The following week was the usual routine. A little bike riding around the park, swimming, card room, woodworking shop, and a few trips to the restaurant. We had breakfast at the restaurant on Saturday, December 12th, and then walked around the craft sale in the ballroom. That's when Connie got the call that her brother Ben, from Woodland Park, CO, had just died. Ben had Leukemia and Lung Cancer and lost his battle at 7:45 A.M. that morning. We knew Ben was "Terminal" and he had been in Hospice for the past week. We immediately went back to the RV and packed for the trip to Woodland Park.

Ben had converted to Judaism, and we thought the funeral would be real soon. As it turned out the funeral was on Tuesday. It was a nice service and the grave- side portion was very impressive. Ben was buried with military honors. At the end the casket was lowered into the grave and then everyone was invited to put three shovels of dirt on the grave. The first shovel was put in with the blade of the shovel upside down; that represent that you didn't want to be here doing this. The next two shovels represented your respect and love for him. Obviously,a very emotional finish to the services. Ben was just 67 years old. I lost a great brother-in-law and a very dear friend. Connie lost a wonderful brother. His life ended way too soon. I have added a photo of Ben and his wife, Eileen, that we took when we were with him in September. We spent a week with him and took him back and forth to his hospital in Denver for his chemo treatments.

Wednesday we drove back to Donna, 1,300 miles each way. The weather was nice for traveling. We got back Thursday and have settled in again.

I have added a couple of photos of our site here at Victoria Palms. I especially like the TV outdoors and the Weber kettle grill that we added this year. Just finished a pork chop and burger on the grill for dinner tonight.

I'll add another post later.

Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Well, the RV has been off the road sitting for 18 days and hopefully we'll get back on the road today. We arrived here in Atlanta, actually Decatur, on the 12th and then flew back to Des Moines last Tuesday.

We celebrated Thanksgiving and an early Christmas with all of our children at Andy's home. The picture is of our seven grandchildren in Andy's back yard. They were asked to do a silly pose.The play equipment takes up all of the back yard and the grandchildren love it.

We left Des Moines yesterday and flew back to Atlanta. I had dropped the RV off at a dealer last week for some warranty issues and just called this morning to see if it's done. I was told that they would call me right back and let me know. That was over three hours ago and I'm thinking it will not be good news.

We apologize for not posting anything new over the past couple of weeks. As we get on the move again we'll start posting again.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

It rained all day today, it rained as we were driving to Carl Sandburg’s home, it rained while we were there, and it rained the rest of the day. Sandburg’s home is part on the National Park Service. We took a tour of the house and watched a couple of films about the Sandburg’s. It’s interesting that his wife was famous also. She raised grand champion goats. One time she had a customer that came from Europe to buy some goats. After the sale was made she was asked what her husband did. (He already had won a Pulitzer Prize.) There are still goats on the farm.

The photos are of Sandburg’s home and his office where he did most of his writing.

If it stops raining, I will write more later.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Today, we went to America’s largest home, Biltmore, in Asheville, NC. The house has 250 rooms, 90 bedrooms, 65 bathrooms, 175,000 sq. ft. (4 acres). The home sits on 8,000 acres with beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The home took six years and 1,000 workers to build. It was completed for George Vanderbilt to have Christmas at Biltmore in 1895. The home is still owned by the Vanderbilt family. No one has slept in the home for years. Every day there are thousands of people that visit the home. We estimated that today there were 3,000 people on the grounds. Of course, you can’t photo anything inside, but I can tell you every room that we toured (52) were beautifully decorated or demonstrated how the home was operated; kitchens, laundry, floral room, a kitchen just to cook meat (rotisserie kitchen). The home also had a bowling alley, swimming pool, and gymnasium.

Now to catch you up on a couple of things since last week. We drove to Greenville, SC, on Thursday and stayed at Paris Mountain SP. The park was built in the 30’s by the CCC. We just took it easy on Friday. On Saturday we visited Dean and Sue Loomis, our friends that we meet at Victoria Palms, Donna, TX. They are the couple in the picture with Connie in front of Biltmore.

On Sunday, we went to Christ Episcopal Church in Greenville with Dean and Sue. The church is one of the oldest churches in town. It’s huge, the campus takes up one square block near downtown Greenville. It was as close to “High Church” as Connie and I have seen. They used part of the 1928 prayer in the service. They had two services at 11:15; one contemporary and one Rite II. Great service.

Sunday afternoon we drove to Asheville and are staying at Mama Gurtie’s RV Park.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

First, the photo of the two young ladies in yesterday's blog is of Eleanor and Olivia Winston, Paul and Mirtica Winston’s children. We were first introduced to the Winston’s at St. Luke’s. Paul works for Deere & Company and was transferred/promoted to Waterloo from Coffeeville KS. He was later transferred to Moline, then Raleigh NC. On December 1st they will be leaving for China for one year. What an experience that will be for the whole family. I really got to know Paul when he came out to our shop several times to make furniture for the girls. The Winston’s are great people and we hope that maybe they will be transferred back to Cedar Falls/Waterloo after the China tour.

The weather was great today. We went to Camden, SC and the Revolutionary War site of two battles. The house pictured is called the Kershaw House. Cornwallis used the house as his headquarters in 1780-1781. The British won both battles that were fought here. We’re told that there were more Revolutionary War battles fought in SC than any other state.

Congaree Swamp National Park is 24,000 acres of oldgrowth bottomland hardwood forest. It’s the largest in the US. The trees average over 150 feet tall and there are many trees over 200 years old. The trees are loblolly pines and cypress. The photo is of a cypress tree and their ‘knees’ pushing up out of the ground. We think that the knees help to anchor the trees in the muddy ground.

More later.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Sunday morning we left James River SP, VA and drove to Pittsboro, NC and stayed until Tuesday A.M. The top photo was taken Saturday at the State Park. We decided to do nothing on Saturday. We had been running for several days and it was rainy besides. The two girls on the front porch are the daughters of the friends we stayed with in Pittsboro. Do you know who they are? I will give you more information later.

Roy Underhill has a woodworking show on PBS called the Woodwright Shop. He relocated from Williamsburg VA to Pittsboro and also opened a school in downtown Pittsboro. He does all of his work with old tools, no power tools. But he wasn’t open and all we could do was look through the window.

When we were walking down Main Street, I noticed a barber shop and decided to get my hair cut and let the ladies do some shopping. Well, it turns out that the barber, Lloyd is a national celebrity. One of the national networks came to Pittsboro before the elections of ’08 to find out what ‘Mainstreet’ was thinking. They interviewed Lloyd and he told them exactly what he thought. He said he was a Republican and that he would vote for McCain. Then he said that he thought Bush had made a mistake going to war in Iraq. After I sat down in the chair it took me 5 minutes before I could tell him how I wanted my hair cut. He just jabbered and jabbered. He was actually almost comical. Maybe you just had to be there.

Tonight we are at Mark and Vicki Lewis’ in Lexington, SC. Mark and Vicki are our son Eric’s in laws. We’re about to sit down to a steak dinner. Will write later.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Two stops today; Appomattox and Poplar Forest.

First, a correction to what you might think about the surrender of the Confederacy. The surrender of Robert E. Lee was not at Appomattox Court House. The signing took place at a home near the court house. The home belonged to the McLean’s. (Photo above) The date was April 9, 1865. Did you know that Lincoln was assassinated 5 days later? The history that Connie and I are seeing is overwhelming. Everywhere you turn in Virginia, and other states, there is something we can be looking at about our history. We are driving by more history than we are seeing.

Our second stop of the day was at Poplar Forest - Thomas Jefferson’s octagonal home near Lynchburg, VA. It was a retreat home. One of the first times he used it was when the British were trying to capture all government officials in 1775. Jefferson was governor of Virginia at the time. He left Monticello just two hours before the British arrived at Monticello to arrest him. Over the following years he only used the home as a vacation home, the only books in the library were books of poems and literature.

Poplar Forest is said to be the first octagonal house in America. Why does it not surprise us that Jefferson would design the first octagonal house? Jefferson was an architect, farmer, and politician. The rooms are also octagonal and the center of the house, the dining room, is a cube; it’s 20’X20’X20’. The house has just one ‘wing’ which Jefferson called the office wing (the smoke house, laundry, and kitchen). There’s a photo of the kitchen with cooking stations similar to what I tried to describe yesterday. Just under the window are three different size cooking areas. They would put hot coals just below the surface and have grates to set copper pans on top of. The ashes would fall down into the hole below and be removed. This type of cooking was popular in Europe at that time and there were few kitchens in America like it. Jefferson was a very forward thinker.

What impressed us about Poplar Forest is the accuracy and attention to detail they have used in restoring the house. After the foundation got the building back in 1980, they set out to rebuild/refurbish the house to its original condition. The beams are all hand-cut, just as they would have been 250 years ago. Even the wood trim will be hand planed, not machined. It’s a ‘work in progress’ and they are doing a great job.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Today we visited Monticello and took the tour of Thomas Jefferson’s home and the grounds. Obviously, it’s a very interesting place. The weather vain goes through the roof and points the direction of the wind on the ceiling of the porch. On the double doors, when one door opens, the other door will open automatically. The sides of the mantle on the fireplace in the dining room open and there are dumb-waiters inside that are connected to the wine cellar below. The kitchen, which is on the south wing, is impressive for the age of the building. There are separate fire boxes along one wall that heat individual pots and pans. If you look closely at the picture of the kitchen, you can see the individual holes above the small fire boxes on the outside wall. Jefferson loved French cooking and had his own cook (a slave) schooled in French cooking. Jefferson also had a taste for wine and beer. After the War of 1812, Jefferson had a British officer stay in the country, come to Monticello, and teach his slave (a Henning) how to brew better and more beer.

After Monticello, we drove just two miles to Ashland Highland, the home of James Monroe. They were such good friends that Jefferson wanted Monroe to live close by. What a difference in how Monroe lived compared to Jefferson, and Madison. Monroe’s home is very simple compared to the other two. But, Monroe didn’t end up financially ruined after being president. Jefferson was always in debt and the Madison’s were financially ruined because of Dolley’s son, an alcoholic and gambler.

There were no pensions for past presidents in the early years. I think the first pension that the Congress voted was for Harry S. Truman in the early 50’s. There were no book deals or speaker fees either. Even while in office, early presidents paid for most of their own expenses. I think we should return to the ‘old days.’

We also moved to another state park, James River SP, near Lynchburg, VA. Too many narrow, winding and hilly roads today. I’m ready for some interstate driving, but I think tomorrow will be a day of rest. This traveling is really a hard job.

Wednesday, October 29, 2009

The photo on the top left is of Chatham Manor in Fredericksburg. Montpelier is lower right. Connie and I are sitting with James and Dolley Madison. Connie and Dolley have a lot in common.

When we started out this morning we were going to visit both Montpelier and Monticello. But, there was so much to see at Madison’s museum and at Montpelier that Monticello will have to wait until tomorrow.

Madison’s museum is in the town of Orange, next to an Episcopal Church, circa 1740. Next to the church is a tree where Robert E. Lee tied up his horse. It’s a nice museum with history, family furniture and artifacts. But the high spot of the day was Montpelier.

Montpelier was the family home of the Madison’s. James Madison II was born there and died there (1836). We stood in his library where he wrote the Constitution of the United States. We stood in the dining room where he entertained such people as Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Aaron Burr, and many others. Madison had quite a career in public service; Secretary of State, ‘Father of the Constitution,’ author of the Bill of Rights, and the Forth President. And his wife, Dolley Madison was not only First Lady for Madison, but also for Thomas Jefferson (a widower). She is also credited with saving the portrait of George Washington from the White House when the British burned it during the War of 1812.

Montpelier was sold by Dolley Madison after the President died and was bought and sold many times before the DuPont’s bought it in 1901. They added on 24,000 sq. ft. to the original 12,000 sq. ft. house and turned some of the 60,000 acres into a horse track and stables. In 1984 Montpelier was given to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 2003, 24,000,000 was spent to restore it to its original detail. The architectural part of the restoration is done. Now they are working on finding and restoring the furnishings.

Montpelier is a “Must See” if you are traveling in Virginia.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Today, we visited the Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg National Military Parks, Chatham Manor, and James Monroe’s museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

The area around Fredericksburg was a focal point of the Civil War. The battles of The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House were fought in the area. The first two battles, Fredericksburg (1862) and Chancellorsville (1863) were won by the Confederate. But, the Confederacy lost Stone Wall Jackson at Chancellorsville. He was actually shot by his own troops. In 1864, the Union did better at The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House battles.

Chatham Manor was built about 1770 and played an important roll several times during the Civil War. At one time, the manor had approximately 100 slaves. During the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, the home was used as a field hospital for Union soldiers. The estate was willed to the NPS in 1975.

Monroe’s museum focused mostly on the President and First Lady’s clothing and family furniture. It was interesting, but there was little history of his presidency.

Photos tomorrow if I can get a strong enough internet connection.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Today we visited Manassas National Battlefield Park where two major Civil War battles were fought; First Manassas (First Bull Run) and Second Manassas (Second Bull Run). First Manassas was the first major battle of the War.

During the first battle, July 21, 1861, there is an extra piece of history for you history buffs. Early reports of the battle report that the Union was winning the battle, but the Confederates rallied and part of the rally was due to a young Confederate officer named Thomas J. Jackson. As he was rallying his troops, another officer said: “There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!” From that point on, he was called Stone Wall Jackson. The Confederates won both of the battles at Manassas. Stone Wall Jackson played a key role in both battles.

I really enjoy all the history that is around us. Connie tolerates my obsession.

In the afternoon, we drove back to the Washington DC area to Silver Springs, MD. We visited with Jim and Lynne Latchaw, and their daughter, Pam, who were neighbors of Connie’s when growing up in Oelwein. They lived across the street and Connie baby sat for some of their children. They were great family friends of the Levin’s also. Jim just celebrated his 90th birthday and is in great health. Unfortunately, Lynne has some health issues, but Jim, at 90, is the primary care-giver. Connie was thrilled to be able to spend some time with such dear family friends.

We did stay in DC long enough to make getting back to the motor home twice as long as it should have taken. You can’t believe all the people out here!

Tomorrow, more Civil War sites and presidential homes. Connie can hardly wait.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday October 23, 24, 25

It's Sunday evening and we're at Lake Anna State Park, near Fredericksburg, VA. A Nice setting and there are very few campers in the park. Tomorrow we start visiting the Cival War battlefields, presidential homes, and museums in the area.

Last Friday the Jolicoeurs took us to the Ward Museum of Wildlife Art in Salisbury, MD. The Ward brothers were barbers and carved duck decoys as a hobby business. After sucessfully carving decoys for years they were asked to carve a duck as a art object to set on someone's desk. That opened up a whole new market for their work and they became famous and very successful. The museum features the world's largest collection of antique duck decoys and other carvings from world champion carvers. If in Salisbury, it's worth a visit.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

I said we were going sailing today on the Chesepeake Bay and here are the pictures to prove it. The weather was great; 10-15 mph wind and temperatures in the mid 70's. One of the pictures is Deb and Al Jolicoeur, it's their sailboat, a 32' fiberglass boat. The other picture is of yours truly at the wheel.

Tomorrow we're off to Deleware. Maybe we'll see Joe and see if he has anything to say.

Tuesday & Wednesday, October 20 & 21, 2009

Tuesday & Wednesday

Yesterday our friend, Allen Jolicoeur, took us on a tour of the family home at Tudor Farms. Eighteen years ago it cost $12,000,000 to build. We think the interior decorator spent at least another $12,000,000 to decorate it. We were not allowed to take photos because the family wants to remain as private as possible. The extremely large house is full of very expensive collections of guns, duck decoys, and art. The house is almost beyond description. We have toured Mark Twain’s home and the Rockefeller home in Woodstock, VT and neither is as impressive as the Tudor’s home here in Maryland’s Eastern Shore. A photo of the horse barn I wrote about yesterday is attached.

Today, Wednesday, we drove near Washington, DC and then took the Metro into the city. First, we went to the Holocaust Museum where Connie was able to learn more about the extermination of her Jewish great-aunt and uncle’s from Lodz, Poland. Then we saw the World War II Memorial, Viet Nam War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Everything was impressive, especially the Korean War and Viet Nam memorials. There's a photo of Julia Child's kitchen attached also.

About 1:30 in the afternoon we were standing near the Washington Monument when we noticed that a motorcycle policeman had blocked off one of the side streets and just a block away a police car was blocking off another street. There was also a helicopter circling around the area. We asked what was happening, and one young lady said that sometimes the President drives by. After about 15 minutes, more motorcycle police came by, followed by three big black SUV’s. It was President Obama’s motorcade! How did he know we were in town!

Tomorrow we’re going sailing on Chesapeake Bay with the Jolicoeurs on their 32’ sailboat.

Saturday, Sunday & Monday, October 17, 18 & 19

Saturday was a driving day. We drove about 450 miles through rain and snow. Thankfully, the snow only stuck on the grass. We started at Plymouth, MA, and ended in Harrisburg, PA.

On Sunday we drove to the Boordy Winery near Baltimore and met some old friends; Al and Deb Jolicoeur and their family. The Jolicoeur’s were members of St. Luke’s in Cedar Falls, when Al was working for the Iowa DNR at Sweet’s Marsh. We have parked the motor home at the Jolicoeu’s for the rest of the week. Free camping!

Al took a job with Tudor Farms in 1990 and moved near Cambridge, MD. On Monday, Al showed me around his work. What an amazing place to work, especially if your degree is in wildlife management. The “Farm” is over 6,000 acres, and it’s a game farm not a grain farm. We walked around the property and then took a four hour drive around the marshes, ponds, and fields. The grain that is planted is for habitat and food for the deer, ducks, and geese they are trying to attract. There are over 40,000 ducks that pass through their property each year.

The “Farm” is one of many properties owned by a multi-billionaire, Paul Tudor Jones. Tudor Farms has a staff of sixteen to maintain the grounds and manage the game. Paul Jones uses the property ten weekends a year. Sometimes he brings guests for hunting trips and sometimes he comes just with his family. The buildings are beautiful and the detail of each building is over the top. Al said that one weekend when the family was on the “farm” they wanted to ride horses, but it was rainy. Someone suggested that he should have an indoor riding arena. He contacted a six million dollar arena, and it’s amazing. They also have an indoor tennis court.

When they use the “Farm” for a hunting weekend, every detail before and after the hunt has been planned. They have a full butcher shop and another building that’s the smoke house. These buildings are beautiful- vertical cedar siding and slate-style roofs.

Today, Tuesday, we are going to look at the Tudor’s home at the “farm”. It has to be spectacular too. I’ll post some photos on the next blog.

Friday, October 16, 2009

We visited Cape Cod and the Cape Cod National Seashore today. Two national park visitor centers, two movies about Cape Cod, and half a dozen stops alone the seashore. The weather was cold, 46 degrees with winds around 40 mph on the beach. You could feel the sand hitting your face as we tried to walk the beach. We also stopped at two light houses. (Attached is a picture of one of the light houses for Mim.) There was a real need for light houses because thousands of ships were lost off the north end of the Cape over the years. The Coast Guard originated on the north end of the Cape because of the need to try to rescue the ship wreck victims. The danger of sailing around the Cape in the fall and winter of the year was so dangerous that they dug a cannel near Sagamore/ Sandwich around 1900.

Marconi sent his first wireless message from the ocean side of Cape Cod.

Cape Cod is very commercial with hundreds of shops and restaurants. There are lots of beautiful homes that overlook the ocean. Quite a few are for sale, and I’m not sure if that’s normal or effects of the economy.
We stopped at the JFK museum in Hyannis, but we got there too late in the day to get inside (quite a disappointment for Connie). We also didn’t get a chance to stop at Sandwich where the Sandwich Glass Co. Museum and gift shop is located. There just isn’t enough time to see or do all that we really wanted to do! That gives us lots of reasons to come back to this area.

Thursday, October15, 2009

We’re in Plymouth, MA this evening. It’s cold and raining. There will be some areas nearby that will get snow tonight. We got the motor home spotted by 2:00 and headed downtown.

We visited Plymouth Rock, and I have to say I was a little disappointed. It is really quite small, about 6’ across. I expected something much larger, but over the years people have chipped away at it. Now there is a shelter built around it and people can’t get at it. We also went on the Mayflower II, a reproduction of the original.

We stopped at a seafood joint for lobster, and I’m beginning to think that lobster is overrated. I don’t think we really know how to get it out of the shell. Tomorrow I’m going to order crab or shrimp.

Today I was disappointed with Plymouth Rock, the lobster, and my driving. I have been using the GPS for most of our driving directions. The exit ‘she’ told me to take in Providence, RI was closed for construction. ‘She’ recalculated, and we took the next exit and drove through downtown. I missed the next turn and thought I could make a sharp left turn and then a sharp right. The left turn went OK, but on the right turn I ran over the curb just a little with the right rear tire. That caused quite a jolt and several cabinet doors inside the coach flew open. A casserole dish broke; there was powdered sugar all over and lots of other items all over the floor. The noise of everything crashing to the floor was shocking! It cleaned up just fine and now we have one less casserole dish to worry about falling out.

Oh well, tomorrow will be better.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Today we drove to Hartford, CT from Springfield, only 80 miles of driving. We’re in Hartford to visit Connie’s niece and her family. We are parked in their driveway tonight. One year old, Brayden, loved sitting in the driver’s seat!
We arrived in the early afternoon and were able to squeeze in a visit to Mark Twain’s home. The very large house was built in 1874 at a cost of $24,000. The house was decorated by Tiffany and the craftsmanship is wonderful. He wasn’t the best money manager at that time in his life and when he sold it in 1891, he sold it for a loss. He later had the head of Standard Oil handle his finances, and he then became a very wealthy man.

We have been looking forward to eating some seafood, so we went to a local restaurant, so we could try the seafood. I ordered lobster, and Connie ordered shrimp. I think the shrimp was better than my lobster.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Today we drove a short distance, 85 miles, to Springfield, MA. After we parked the motor home we drove downtown to the Springfield Armory National Historic site and toured the second largest collections of guns in the world. We think our son Toby is trying to claim that distinction.

The picture is of an organ made out of muskets. The museum is divided between the manufacturing of guns at the armory and the collection of guns.

Not much else to report today. I don't think I have posted any pictures of the fall color. Here's one we took on Sunday in central Vermont.

Moday, October 12, 2009

What a phenomenal day! We left the RV park about 9:30 this morning and hit the ground running. Our first stop was a large store called Basketville in Putney. Lots and lots of baskets, but, sorry Alanna, there were no Longaberger’s. Nice baskets from Nantucket though.
We drove on up Interstate 91 to Windsor to the Precision Tool Museum. It had all kinds of tools and inventions including clocks, sewing machines, lathes and huge machines that built almost anything. Also, in Windsor, VT, we stopped at the Constitution House where Vermont’s original state constitution was signed. The docent was a woman that graduated from Washington High School and Coe College in CR. Small world! We learned that ‘Vermont’ means Green Mountain in French; Vermont was the first state to establish themselves as a non-slave state; also, VT was the first state to allow all men to vote, not just land owners.

We then had lobster sandwiches in the Windsor RR Depot before we crossed the ‘longest covered bridge in the U.S.’ into New Hampshire. Here we visited the national historical site of the home and studio of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. He was the world famous sculptor that was commissioned to do several large amazing, statues including Lincoln (pictured) at Grant Park in Chicago.

Back we drove to Woodstock, VT where we made it just in time to tour the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller home, another national historical site. Wow! All of these owners were conservationists who were instrumental in VT’s reforestation. This brick home (pictured) is a nine bedroom, 14 bathroom home with many, many beautiful furnishings including a huge collection of art work. The history of the site and home was amazing – much more than I can tell you here. Laurence Rockefeller, the youngest Rockefeller brother, gave this home/farm to the federal government for a park.
Back to the RV park for a quiet evening of reflection. It’s raining now; will it turn to snow???

We also wanted to point out that the population of Vermont is about 600,000. One of the few states that we will visit that is less populated than Iowa.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Today we drove through Eastern New York into Vermont. Every little town is packed with people and they are not all looking at the beautiful leaves, they are shopping. We drove all the way across Vermont, 48 miles, and are staying in Brattleboro. It takes a lot of time to travel the 48 miles. Some of the lines of traffic seemed to be over a mile long.

Tomorrow we will do some looking with the toad and we won't have to drive drive the motor home around.

Because we have such a good internet connection, I'm going to show earlier pictures.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Today was a travel day. We drove from Southwest Pennsylvania to Northeast Pennsylvania. We did make one stop at another National Historical Site, The Allegheny Portage Railroad. It recognizes the inclined plane RR that was used to get passengers and freight over the mountain around 1850. The inclined plane took the cannel boats on flat-cars up the mountain and down the other side. Interesting.

We ended the day at the little town of New Milford, PA. The only reason we stopped is because it has a Flying J Truck Stop. Flying J’s are usually very RV friendly and they allow free overnight stays. We fueled and then spent the night in there parking lot.

We saw a lot of very nice “fall color” throughout the day. It should get even better as we keep going north.

Here's a shot of the new motor home and the toad.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

We made three stops today; Fallingwater, Ft. Necessity, and Friendship Hill.

First, we went to Fallingwater. It’s a Frank Lloyd Wright design that was built over a stream and water falls in the hills of the Laurel Highlands of southwest Pennsylvania. It has been called the most popular residential home of the 20th century. The design has lots of cantilevers and flat roofs/ decks. We took a one-hour tour of the house and guest house. It’s a “must see.”

Ft. Necessity is a National Historic Site and tells the story of George Washington’s first military engagement in 1754. This was the beginning of the French and Indian War. George had a small battle with the French troops; killed the senior French officer and others; and lead to the beginning of the war. The brother of the French officer gathered his troops and came after Washington and his men. Washington built the fort for his protection, out of necessity. George lost the battle and surrendered under the agreement that he and his troops would be allowed to leave.

Friendship Hill is the historical home of Albert Gallatin, President Jefferson’s Secretary of the Treasury. He was secretary during Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory and the funding of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He also negotiated the treaty that ended the War of 1812. Interesting home that overlooks the Monongahela River.

Three good stops today just before the rain starts. Tomorrow is a travel day, weather permitting.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

We drove to Johnstown, PA, today to visit the Johnstown Flood National Historic Site. Johnstown is in southwestern Pennsylvania. The flood was in 1889 and completely decimated several small towns and Johnstown and claimed over 2,200 lives. The movie at the Visitor’s Center was very dramatic, and gave you the feeling of the horror and panic that the town went through.

What happen was that an elite group of wealthy people out of Pittsburgh rebuilt an earthen dam up-river from Johnstown so that they would have a fishing lake, stocked with truck loads of fish, and a place to spend their summers. After an unusually heavy rain, the dam broke and millions and millions of gallons of water flooded the valley and came crashing down on Johnstown. Huge brick railroad bridges and trains were swept down the river along with entire towns. Johnstown was wiped out in 10 minutes. David McCullough wrote a book about the flood. The book just made it onto my Christmas list.

We drove into Johnstown and rode the world’s largest “inclined plane” to the top of one of the many hills surrounding the downtown. The inclined plane is like the cable car in Dubuque, except much larger. You could drive several cars on it. The restaurant on top, City View, was a good place for lunch. Today was our first restaurant stop so far.

We are in an area of Pennsylvania called the Laurel Highlands. Lots of hills and some early signs of nice fall color. I have no idea how much more color is coming, but right now the hills are very colorful.

More tomorrow. We’ll be at Fallingwater! We had to reserve tickets on line and several tours were already booked.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

We are going to try to get back on the “Blog” again. It’s been several months since we have added anything. A lot has happen, but not much traveling to report.

First, we have a new motor home and a new “toad.” The motor home is a new 2008 Winnebago Itasca Latitude. It’s a 37’ diesel pusher with 2 slide rooms. The ‘toad’ or towed vehicle is a ’04 Ford Explorer. Connie says that the motor home doesn’t have as much room as the fifth wheel. I said that it is easier to travel in. It has a 6.5 Kw generator, it’s auto-leveling, air ride, and has a combo washer/dryer. As of today, the odometer is at 2,400 miles. We picked it up on August 21st and have been living in it since.

We took a quick trip to Door County with good friends, Bill and Barb Dodd.

We spent last week in Des Moines with Andy, Kristin, and the grandchildren. We were also able to spend quality time with Connie’s siblings. We left last Sunday A.M. and drove to Champaign, IL. On Monday we stopped at Butler, OH, near the Amish area. We have seen more Amish driving to Hazelton/Oelwein than in the Amish area of Ohio. We stayed at a very remote KOA not too far from Mohican State Park.

Today, Tuesday, we drove through the “Amish Byways.” This is one of the 120 spectacular road trips featured in “The Most Scenic Drives in America.” The book was given to us by out new ‘renters’, Doug and Penny Beed.

In the afternoon,we toured the First Ladies National Historic Site. The library/museum is in the Saxton McKinley home in Canton, OH. The house has been completely reconstructed and is decorated as it was in the late 1800’s. It is very well done, and the tour was very interesting if you’re in to Presidential history.

After leaving the historic site, we entered our next destination, the RV park in the GPS, our “Tom Tom.” We didn’t have that far to go and when the GPS asked if I wanted to avoid toll-roads I said yes. That was a mistake! We went on several narrow, hilly, and winding roads and it looked like ‘she’ was going to take us right through Pittsburgh at 5:00 in the afternoon. We were making terrible time, and I didn’t want to get into rush-hour traffic. We re-schedule the GPS and headed for the toll way. A trip that should have taken two hours, took us four hours, and we got to the campsite/RV park just about in the dark. This was one of our first lessons of the trip. I hope I learned my lesson and maybe I’ll choose toll roads next time.

More later.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

We arrived back in Cedar Falls on Thursday afternoon. It's a little overwhelming thinking about storing all our personal stuff for the next couple of years. I also want to finish my boat so that we can take it with us when we leave. Hopefully we'll be back on the road by the 10th + of September. We have also traded our truck and 5th wheel trailer for a new Itasca Lattitude motor home. We will be trading Connie's van for a smaller vehicle that we can tow with the motorhome. We're thinking a Ford Escape.

Anyway, we're going to take a few week off the BLOG until we get back on the road.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Go back to whatever it was you were doing. Not much to report today.

We drove 532 miles and the best thing that happen was that we parked at a KOA in Bismark about 7:45 PM. That’s too much driving for one day.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Another travel day and today we reentered the USA. But, before we left Canada, we went to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of paleontology in Drumheller. This is one fantastic museum if you like old bones of dinosaurs. The presentation is great. The photo says a lot. The immediate area around the museum is called the ‘Bad Lands’ of Alberta.

We drove to Havre, MT, it’s a small town on Highway 2 in the middle of the state and it has a Walmart. So we are staying in the parking lot of Walmart and it’s a first for us. So far it’s a good deal. We did our grocery shopping and picked up a new DVD. We didn’t even have to load the groceries into the car; we just ran the cart to the RV and unloaded them there. Oh, there is one downside to this spot; it’s right across the street from a busy train track.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Another travel day today; from Jasper to Drumheller. Drumheller is the home of the Royal Tyrell Paleontology. It’s the worlds largest display of old dinosaur bones. All day we drove in forests, then ranch land with fields of canola, and then when we get to Drumheller it looks like we’re in the middle of the Bad Lands. A lot of the area is marked “no trespassing” because they are still looking for more old dinosaur bones.

The campground we’re staying at will not make my list of acceptable places to stay. It’s another park that advertises WiFi, but doesn’t make good on the promise. The park also has unmarked ‘speed bumps’ that are the size of small hills; what a jolt. I’m already looking forward to leaving.

But, here’s the good news; we spotted a huge bull moose as we were driving. It looked big a ¼ mile away. It had a nice rack and it really was pretty good size. Connie also spotted three Mountain Sheep on our way out of Jasper Park.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Today was a great day for seeing wildlife. We saw a bear, mountain sheep, deer and an elk. The bear was along the side of the road eating foliage and there were ten carloads of amateur photographers taking his picture. I don't even think he noticed anyone was there. Less than 15 meters away there were two deer. They didn't notice the bear and he didn't notice them. Just a while later we came on eight mountain sheep blocking the road, in both directions. We had to wait until they decided to move. Earlier in the day we saw an Elk, but only from behind.

In the morning we went to Maligne Lake and took a hike along the lake. It is one of the most photographed lakes in the world. We also went to Maligne Canyon, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake.

Both of us agree that Jasper is a beautiful parks with lots to offer. It has mountains, lakes, trails, and a nice downtown. We will come here again.