We found this neat place at the end of I-80 in Nevada. Looks like it should be good for a couple of nights to rest and recuperate before heading out on the road again. Of course, we started out in the rain three weeks ago and ended up in a thunderstorm when we returned home to Reno. The temperature dropped about twenty degrees from when we last gassed up in Winnemucca until we arrived home (home, now there's a beautiful word). Vi did a great job of driving across the good old USA and got us safely home today.
When we left Rawlins, this morning, we crossed over the Continental Divide and then we crossed over the Continental Divide again. Not sure where the water flows that is in the basin between the two divides, but I'll leave that for the geologists to figure out. Saw lots of pronghorns as we came across the prairies of Wyoming. They're a funny breed, neither deer nor antelope, but their own species.
Stopped in Wendover, but just for lunch before heading across Nevada for Reno. As we got closer to Reno, the clouds started building and the winds got much stronger. Guess they thought it was appropriate to welcome us home with rain - the good thing was that it cleaned a lot of the bugs off the front bumper and windshield.
The blog now ends and we'll keep it as a record of our trip across the country and back again. Didn't see many comments, but I hope you all enjoyed it. Did it more for my own purposes, but the side benefit was to keep you all informed of our whereabouts. Hope you enjoyed it. We had fun visiting friends and family on this trip - good times at all locations.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Monday, June 8, 2015
Rawlins, WY
It's the old get up, get on I-80, get off, spend the night, get up, repeat, etc. Made it from Des Moines, IA to Rawlins, WY. One of the interesting facets of the trip was that we started at 817' elevation at Des Moines and then crossed the highest elevation on I-80 at 8160' just west of Cheyenne. The weird part was that we never really climbed any high points, it was all just a gradual, kind of level, climb over ten hours. Always amazes me that the highest point on I-80 is in Wyoming, you would think it would be either in Utah (Wasatch Mountains) or California (Sierra Nevada). There is a statue of Lincoln at the rest area at the highest point - kind of highlights the fact that I-80 sort of follows the Lincoln Highway from the East Coast to the West Coast.
As we crossed Nebraska, we followed the North Platte River and it was really high. Brown in color, it reminded me of the old saying about the Platte that "It's too thick to drink and too thin to plow". As we followed I-80, there were constant reminders that it generally followed the route of the pioneers going west. Some stopped along the way and settled in Iowa (Des Moines) and others went all the way to California.
One sight the pioneers would not have seen was the proliferation of the windmills - huge towers with three blades turning lazily in the wind. The wind farms have unique names like Prairie Breeze or Solar Wind.
Tomorrow I think we get back on I-80 and get off in Reno - well, we might get off for gas and/or food along the way, but it's homeward bound tomorrow.
As we crossed Nebraska, we followed the North Platte River and it was really high. Brown in color, it reminded me of the old saying about the Platte that "It's too thick to drink and too thin to plow". As we followed I-80, there were constant reminders that it generally followed the route of the pioneers going west. Some stopped along the way and settled in Iowa (Des Moines) and others went all the way to California.
One sight the pioneers would not have seen was the proliferation of the windmills - huge towers with three blades turning lazily in the wind. The wind farms have unique names like Prairie Breeze or Solar Wind.
Tomorrow I think we get back on I-80 and get off in Reno - well, we might get off for gas and/or food along the way, but it's homeward bound tomorrow.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Des Moines, IA
We were lucky enough to get a hotel reservation in Iowa. There are so many Republican Presidential hopeful's here, we were concerned that we would not be able to a hotel space here :-). Well, maybe that's not quite true, but there do seem to be a lot of politicos wandering around this state.
Left Columbus, OH this morning and headed west. Finished up Ohio, thru Indiana and Illinois before stopping half-way across Iowa. In a way, the trip was a little bit of nostalgia because I went to school back in 1957 in Indianapolis at Fort Benjamin Harrison and my father worked for a while in Muncie, IN while I was in high school. Illinois brought back a few memories because that's where we retired from the USAF back in 1978 - we didn't go down to Bellevue because it was too far south, but we waved as we went by! We stopped at a rest stop in Grinnell, IA and were reminded that my sister, Mary Ann, had gone to a summer school there while she was in college.
Countryside was beautiful with lots of farmland - you can tell that this is the breadbasket of the United States. Neat seeing the forested land as we crossed into Indiana - have to keep those memories for when we get back to tree-less Nevada. I have often said that in order to be an artist in Nevada, you have to appreciate the subtleties of brown. Around here, you have to appreciate the green shades!
Nora Roberts made our trip go by quickly and we made good time. Tomorrow it's on to Wyoming - have to see how far we get through that state before we have to stop for the night.
Left Columbus, OH this morning and headed west. Finished up Ohio, thru Indiana and Illinois before stopping half-way across Iowa. In a way, the trip was a little bit of nostalgia because I went to school back in 1957 in Indianapolis at Fort Benjamin Harrison and my father worked for a while in Muncie, IN while I was in high school. Illinois brought back a few memories because that's where we retired from the USAF back in 1978 - we didn't go down to Bellevue because it was too far south, but we waved as we went by! We stopped at a rest stop in Grinnell, IA and were reminded that my sister, Mary Ann, had gone to a summer school there while she was in college.
Countryside was beautiful with lots of farmland - you can tell that this is the breadbasket of the United States. Neat seeing the forested land as we crossed into Indiana - have to keep those memories for when we get back to tree-less Nevada. I have often said that in order to be an artist in Nevada, you have to appreciate the subtleties of brown. Around here, you have to appreciate the green shades!
Nora Roberts made our trip go by quickly and we made good time. Tomorrow it's on to Wyoming - have to see how far we get through that state before we have to stop for the night.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Pickerington, OH
Well, I guess I could have made the subject Columbus, OH and then you would know where we were; however, it's always better to be exact! This is a suburb of Columbus - about 9000 strong - and on the east side of the city. We could drive up north about ten miles and go to The Memorial Golf Tournament, but I think tomorrow we'll get back on the interstate and head west.
We left Atlantic City early this morning, a little lighter in the wallet, but we had fun and enjoyed visiting there. Travelled through New Jersey, Philadelphia and picked up I-76 which is the Pennsylvania Turnpike until we got on I-70 west of Harrisburg. The toll roads are a little expensive - took $28.75 to go from Philadelphia to where I-70 broke off. Found out that they don't take credit cards, only cash and checks.
Neat drive across Pennsylvania - to get out of Philadelphia, we drove along the Schuykill River. A lot of people out on the river rowing and sculling. Then it was through Valley Force and King of Prussia - all names with memories of the Revolutionary War. As we crossed the rolling countryside, there were a lot of dairy farms mixed with various types of industrial areas. The Allegheny Mountains kind of run NW to SE and there were several long tunnels - guess it was cheaper than going up and over the mountains.
West Virginia passed quickly - there was only about ten miles of it in a little piece that stuck up between Pennsylvania and Ohio. Not much difference between the states on our trip - mostly green fields and mountains (or at least what passes for mountains in this part of the country.
Enough for now - take care and enjoy life.
We left Atlantic City early this morning, a little lighter in the wallet, but we had fun and enjoyed visiting there. Travelled through New Jersey, Philadelphia and picked up I-76 which is the Pennsylvania Turnpike until we got on I-70 west of Harrisburg. The toll roads are a little expensive - took $28.75 to go from Philadelphia to where I-70 broke off. Found out that they don't take credit cards, only cash and checks.
Neat drive across Pennsylvania - to get out of Philadelphia, we drove along the Schuykill River. A lot of people out on the river rowing and sculling. Then it was through Valley Force and King of Prussia - all names with memories of the Revolutionary War. As we crossed the rolling countryside, there were a lot of dairy farms mixed with various types of industrial areas. The Allegheny Mountains kind of run NW to SE and there were several long tunnels - guess it was cheaper than going up and over the mountains.
West Virginia passed quickly - there was only about ten miles of it in a little piece that stuck up between Pennsylvania and Ohio. Not much difference between the states on our trip - mostly green fields and mountains (or at least what passes for mountains in this part of the country.
Enough for now - take care and enjoy life.
Atlantic City, NJ
Guess what’s it’s doing in Atlantic City? That’s right, it’s raining! Had a nice drive down through Vermont and New
York yesterday to Atlantic City. One of
the few days when we’ve taken Interstate routes for the entire day (except for
the last five miles on US 30 into Atlantic City).
It’s always neat to drive down through Vermont – quaint
villages, beautiful scenery, forested hills, etc. Vermont if famous for not having billboards
and it extends to the exit signs off the interstate. No indication of what’s there, just “Food”
“Lodging”, etc. We finally got off at
the exit for Windsor to find some place to get a bite to eat. Just for information sake, Windsor is billed
as the birthplace of Vermont – 1777 and I think that’s when the diner was built
J. It’s got to be the spot in Windsor to get all
the latest gossip and find out what’s happening in the town (if there’s a
difference between the two).
Came across the Hudson River on the Tappan Zee Bridge – the
Hudson is a little wider down here than it was in upstate New York. Looks like they are building a new bridge
alongside the Tappan Zee – quite an undertaking. Finally hit the toll roads when we got to New
Jersey – tolls used to be .35, now they’re 1.50. Times do change. Thought about getting an EZ Pass, but decided
it wasn’t worth it. I was concerned that
we would hit at rush hour, but it moved pretty well.
Arrived at the shore to a drizzle and fog. Easy city to negotiate and we had no problems
checking in at Bally’s. We’re right on
the ocean; however, our room has a beautiful sea view – if you call a sea of
aluminum a view. Oh well, guess someone
has to be on the backside.
Went to the Diamond Lounge for a drink and found a really
nice buffet, so guess where we had dinner.
Tried our luck on the floor and didn’t do too badly, but it was an early
night.
In the morning we explored Bally’s. A lot has changed since we were last here –
there’s a lot of renovation going on, especially in the Wild West segment of
the casino. The old bagel shop is now a
pizza kitchen and they’ve taken out a lot of the machines on the Wild West
floor – it’s now more of a band and bar area.
The security gal we talked to said that on the weekends, it really gets
crowded. Took a walk down Atlantic
Avenue and there’s been a lot of changes there also. Changes in shops, closed shops, etc. As you can expect, Atlantic City is
experiencing a big downturn because of the loss of casino business. Over half of the casinos no longer exist from
when we were here before.
Walked the boardwalk on our way back home and it wasn’t very
crowded, but there were still some tourists wandering around – no one on the
beach, I wonder why?
Tomorrow (Saturday) we’re headed back home – probably take
I-76 over to Harrisburg and then follow I-70 across the country. Not sure whether we’ll express it or take our
time. A lot depends on the weather
(which has not been too cooperative so far).
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Morrisville, VT
The rain finally broke yesterday and we had a beautiful (there's that word again) day - a little cool early in the morning, but nice enough that we decided to play golf later in the morning. On Tuesday evening, Trevor came over for dinner and we had a good time with him and Tom III's family eating excellent food, playing some pinochle, and just catching up.
Tom III, Katie, Danny, Vi and I played golf at Copley on Wednesday. It's a nine hole golf course which is in really good shape - helped no doubt by the rain. They had excellent drainage so there was no problem with standing water or soggy areas. It played well and although it was well-used, there was no problem with holding anyone up even though we played as a five-some. I think we covered every inch of the course zig-zagging from side to side. We were shedding windbreakers and sweatshirts as we played, except for the Vermonters who are hardy souls and were wearing shorts to begin with :-).
Today (Thursday) we're heading down to Atlantic City to finish up our trip east (we can't go any further because that big body of water is right there). We had originally planned on heading over to Mary Ann's in New Hampshire, but they don't arrive there from Charleston until Monday and we're getting a little antsy about being gone so long. So over the weekend, we'll head back to Reno, probably take I-70 or some similar route back just so we don't have to take I-80 or I-90 again. There's got to be a blue road out there that goes in that direction. We'll see how it works out.
It'll be interesting to see how Atlantic City has changed over the years - a lot of the casinos have closed down. In any event, it'll be great fun to be on the boardwalk and enjoy the experience of the shore. Don't think we'll get to any of my old haunts in New Jersey - it's probably nicer to remember them as they were.
Tom III, Katie, Danny, Vi and I played golf at Copley on Wednesday. It's a nine hole golf course which is in really good shape - helped no doubt by the rain. They had excellent drainage so there was no problem with standing water or soggy areas. It played well and although it was well-used, there was no problem with holding anyone up even though we played as a five-some. I think we covered every inch of the course zig-zagging from side to side. We were shedding windbreakers and sweatshirts as we played, except for the Vermonters who are hardy souls and were wearing shorts to begin with :-).
Today (Thursday) we're heading down to Atlantic City to finish up our trip east (we can't go any further because that big body of water is right there). We had originally planned on heading over to Mary Ann's in New Hampshire, but they don't arrive there from Charleston until Monday and we're getting a little antsy about being gone so long. So over the weekend, we'll head back to Reno, probably take I-70 or some similar route back just so we don't have to take I-80 or I-90 again. There's got to be a blue road out there that goes in that direction. We'll see how it works out.
It'll be interesting to see how Atlantic City has changed over the years - a lot of the casinos have closed down. In any event, it'll be great fun to be on the boardwalk and enjoy the experience of the shore. Don't think we'll get to any of my old haunts in New Jersey - it's probably nicer to remember them as they were.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Morrisville, VT
Where did we leave off? Something about cold and raining in Rochester on Sunday, perhaps. What better to do on a cold and rainy day than do some shopping after watching some golf and tennis on TV - so that's what we did.
Sunday evening, we drove over to Brockport to visit a new brewery and winery out in the country. Interesting place called Five Sons (so-named because the couple had five sons, very original). Fun tasting the different beers and since it wasn't crowded (think only us four), the couple gave us a tour of the small brewery and talked about their plans. It had just opened up the previous Thursday, so still had a brand new feel to it. One of their sons is going to UC Davis in the fall - seems they have an excellent brewmasters' program there - who knew?
Afterwards, we went over to Kathy's mom's place in Brockport, picked her up to have dinner in the Old Stoneyard Bar and Grill in downtown Brockport. The town is right on the Erie Canal and is an old upstate New York town with lots of tourist shops and other neat stores. It would have been fun to wander around more, but see our previous note about the cold and rain. I always enjoy seeing the Erie Canal and would love to make a trip down it someday - but I think those days are dwindling - just takes too much time. After an excellent dinner, we went next door to a little chocolate and ice cream store. Couldn't resist picking up some chocolate for ourselves and family.
One side note about the beers brewed at the Old Stoneyard Brewery - they had a specialty gose beer. Gose beer is a beer made with a salty water base. At the OSB, they used the brine from their kitchen which gave the beer a different taste. I tried to find the recipe which they had printed on their menu, but couldn't. After reading the description, we had to try it. Even the waitress tried to dissuade us, saying it was a "different" taste. She was right - small sips were the order of the day. If I can find the recipe, I'll include it in a future entry - it's hilarious.
Monday dawned cold and rainy again and we were up early to say goodbye to Tim and Kathy. After they left for work, I drove over to a local bakery because Tom III had wanted some kimmelweck rolls. We had ordered them on Saturday for Monday morning pick-up. Gassed up the car and we headed out to Vermont. Took the NYS Thruway over to the Rome area and then north on 365 and 8 northeast over to the Vermont border. We travelled through the Adirondacks which is a really beautiful part of New York state. Lots of places for camping, outdoor activities, and a go-to spot for New Yorkers (and others). Would have been really beautiful on a sunny day, but we had to settle for the rain and limited visibility. Still have figured out a way to get that rain and water over to Reno, but we're working on it. Passed over the Hudson River - it's a little smaller here than down around West Point and the City.
Crossed into Vermont and drove over a pass (really high at 2132') near the Mad River Ski Area, then up Route 100 into Morrisville. The rivers were running full and the countryside is beautiful (think I'm overusing that word, but it's true). Tom III had them build a bypass around Morrisville, but we still found his house. Both Danny and Katie are home from school, so we had a fun evening. Food, conversation, and some pinochle playing. Been a long time since we played, but we enjoyed getting back into it.
Did I mention it was still raining?
Sunday evening, we drove over to Brockport to visit a new brewery and winery out in the country. Interesting place called Five Sons (so-named because the couple had five sons, very original). Fun tasting the different beers and since it wasn't crowded (think only us four), the couple gave us a tour of the small brewery and talked about their plans. It had just opened up the previous Thursday, so still had a brand new feel to it. One of their sons is going to UC Davis in the fall - seems they have an excellent brewmasters' program there - who knew?
Afterwards, we went over to Kathy's mom's place in Brockport, picked her up to have dinner in the Old Stoneyard Bar and Grill in downtown Brockport. The town is right on the Erie Canal and is an old upstate New York town with lots of tourist shops and other neat stores. It would have been fun to wander around more, but see our previous note about the cold and rain. I always enjoy seeing the Erie Canal and would love to make a trip down it someday - but I think those days are dwindling - just takes too much time. After an excellent dinner, we went next door to a little chocolate and ice cream store. Couldn't resist picking up some chocolate for ourselves and family.
One side note about the beers brewed at the Old Stoneyard Brewery - they had a specialty gose beer. Gose beer is a beer made with a salty water base. At the OSB, they used the brine from their kitchen which gave the beer a different taste. I tried to find the recipe which they had printed on their menu, but couldn't. After reading the description, we had to try it. Even the waitress tried to dissuade us, saying it was a "different" taste. She was right - small sips were the order of the day. If I can find the recipe, I'll include it in a future entry - it's hilarious.
Monday dawned cold and rainy again and we were up early to say goodbye to Tim and Kathy. After they left for work, I drove over to a local bakery because Tom III had wanted some kimmelweck rolls. We had ordered them on Saturday for Monday morning pick-up. Gassed up the car and we headed out to Vermont. Took the NYS Thruway over to the Rome area and then north on 365 and 8 northeast over to the Vermont border. We travelled through the Adirondacks which is a really beautiful part of New York state. Lots of places for camping, outdoor activities, and a go-to spot for New Yorkers (and others). Would have been really beautiful on a sunny day, but we had to settle for the rain and limited visibility. Still have figured out a way to get that rain and water over to Reno, but we're working on it. Passed over the Hudson River - it's a little smaller here than down around West Point and the City.
Crossed into Vermont and drove over a pass (really high at 2132') near the Mad River Ski Area, then up Route 100 into Morrisville. The rivers were running full and the countryside is beautiful (think I'm overusing that word, but it's true). Tom III had them build a bypass around Morrisville, but we still found his house. Both Danny and Katie are home from school, so we had a fun evening. Food, conversation, and some pinochle playing. Been a long time since we played, but we enjoyed getting back into it.
Did I mention it was still raining?
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