O-H-I-O

When we left Springfield, Illinois a couple of days ago we traveled along the Old National Highway, US Route 40.  This road has become one of our favorite roads to travel and we hope to use it as we head back to Arizona for the winter.  Two lane, in and out of small towns, at times up to 55 mph and zipping along.  Lots of farms in Illinois, and flat. Once we got through Decatur we had to step down onto Route 36 and took that for a couple of hours and jumped onto Interstate 70 and was sorely disappointed.  Talk about roads needing work!  That is one bad road and I hope we don't have to travel it ever again in Indiana.  Just awful.

Drove through Indianapolis, what a traffic jam, and the road was even worse.  On the eastern side of Indianapolis we jumped back on US 40 again and sighed a relief.  We spent the night in a small Mom and Pop campground near Richmond Indiana, lots of 'good-ole' folks that obviously had their seasonal rigs parked long term there.  The sight was the worst ever in terms of level - we never put down our stabilizer jacks to make us even and secure, we slept with the RV bouncing every time we moved.  Oh well, just for one night was okay.  Pulled out by 9:30am and headed again eastbound, getting excited to get to Ohio.

We did not have far to go - only 111 miles from our previous site to here in Galloway, Ohio which is a township just west of Columbus, Ohio.  Will sit here for one week, today we are bumming around with Dennis and Meg and catching up on each other's lives.  The plans for the rest of the week are to hopefully do some shopping (need a quick couple of parts) and just plain rest and still visit with them.

Since we left July 14 from Picacho (just west of Tucson) Arizona we have stayed in 11 campgrounds, traveled 2514 miles, lived for 1 week in 95 degrees and high humidity and hated it!, camped in elevations of 7900 feet to our lowest here (800 feet), visited 6 national parks/monuments/sites and many small historical local sites, only put a little over 400 miles on the Honda CR-V, and we aren't quite "Home" yet.

One bit of sadness - was planning to visit my old church in Lorain, Ohio while home and found out that it burned down this past Thursday.  How very sad.  The church can and will be rebuilt but the memories of the place are all I have left.  The beautiful stained glass windows, the ornate woodwork, the century old pipe organ, mentoring 'my girls' on Sunday evenings at classes there.  All gone.  But the people are strong and vow they will rebuild.

We leave here next Friday and will travel approximately 110 miles north and stay at a campground in a small town called Amherst which is 8 miles from where we used to live in Vermilion, located on the banks of Lake Erie.  Will be there one month, visiting family, getting our drivers licenses and car tags done, doctor appointments, getting our last stuff out of storage at the old home, then head out again.  Only this time we will slow it down.  We have had a time commitment to get to Ohio by September 10th - making it 2 weeks early, but no commitment to get home other than to stay out of the snow.

Done A lot in 4 Years

When we left Ohio in 2011 who would have thought it would take us 4 years for us to come back to visit?  Sure, each of us has flown back for visits, but never together.  I usually flew back to Cleveland in November and Dave in April.

Dave and I were talking last night about all we have seen.  Here's some recap.  Have walked in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, swirled our hands in the headwaters of the Mississippi in the upper reaches of Minnesota; walked in the surf in the Pacific Ocean and marveled at the freighters passing us as we walked along the shore of Pugent Sound.  We have been on a boat in Canadian waters (Pugent Sound of Washington), on a boat in Voyagers National Park on the boundary waters of Canada, watched dolphins swimming along with us as we boated on the waters off Brownsville, Texas.  Whale watched on a boat off Cape Cod and San Diego, California. Followed our dream of visiting as many Lewis and Clark sites in the West.  We kayaked with manatees on the Suwanee River in Florida and have seen the 5 Great Lakes of the United States.  We have seen the furthermost eastern US town (Lubec, Maine), watched the sunset off the California beach, seen the furthermost northwestern area of the US (Neah Bay in Washington), the southwestern (San Diego), the southern (Brownsville, Texas), the south eastern (Key West, Florida), and the most northern point of the US (Voyagers National Park in Minnesota).  Seen countless waterfalls.  Ridden over the mighty rivers of the US (Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Platte, Snake, Columbia, Rio Grande, Yellowstone, and countless others).  Been over and back all the mountain ranges in the US and marveled at how big this country is.  We just haven't seen enough!

Color of state gets filled in only when we spend the night 

We have hiked the Appalachian trail, the Continental Divide, crossed the US two times, hiked along the Tundra Trail at the highest Visitors Center of the US at Rocky Mountain National Park.  We have seen black bears, brown bears, moose, all kinds of waterfowl, marmots, big horn sheep, mountain goats, various deer species, and too many different flowers that we have lost count.  Watched moose graze outside our RV in Yellowstone, camped in 45 states, put over 36,000 miles on the RV, met numerous people and some have become great friends.  Visited over 80 different national parks/monuments/historical sites/battlefields/scenic rivers and byways.  Been lucky in visiting places that were celebrating their birthday (centennials) and shared in the excitement.

In our travels we discovered that some states are not worth going back to see again and others where we can't wait to get back to.  We learned that camping in heat is very uncomfortable and just as bad as waking up in the morning and finding lots of snow and your water hoses frozen up.  Not fun.  We changed how we see the US from pulling an RV with a big diesel truck to riding in a motor home and have a small car being pulled behind it.

How we travel now - very fun!

Would we change anything?  No, we have found we have not seen enough and look forward to another 4 more years of fun.

In the Land of Lincoln

We visited the Abraham Lincoln National Historic Home and the Memorial Museum in Springfield, Illinois on Saturday.  This is the only home he lived in with his wife Mary Todd and their four sons prior to leaving for Washington DC and the presidency of 1861.  I am an American history buff and I was impressed that the home has been restored and kept to it's original condition. The Springfield home and the visit to the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Museum which is within walking distance to the original home is well worth your time to visit.

Abraham Lincoln's Home in Springfield, IL

Inside the Memorial Museum are two theaters with movies depicting different areas of Lincoln's life.  The rest of the museum is dedicated to his early life, courtship and marriage of Mary, his life as a circuit lawyer, his service to the government in the House of Representatives, his rise to the presidency. There is a separate section of his time in the White House, the Civil War, assassination, funeral and the dedication to keeping his life remembered.  The museum is built in such a way that you feel you are on a journey along with A. Lincoln as you learn about his humble beginnings and the legacy he left as the 16th President of the United States.  Nicely done although at times a bit overwhelming, and some of the displays are too small - hard to read.  

Who is that man on the right?

Lincoln's Tomb

Final resting place of Abraham Lincoln

Today we traveled to his tomb which is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery not far from his home and the state capitol.  He is interred with his wife and 3 of his four sons, the oldest Robert being buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  Very solemn, very respectful.  Abraham Lincoln's tomb is the second most visited cemetery in the United States, the first being Arlington.  Did you know there are no descendants of Abraham Lincoln alive today?  Lincoln's last great-grandson died in 1985.

We have been dealing with unbearable heat since we got here.  The temperatures have been in the mid 90's and the heat index (measuring what it feels like due to the high humidity) has been in the 110 to 114 degrees.  Ugly.  When we wake in the morning with the air conditioner running constantly 24/7, our windows in the RV are fogged up.  Just constant uncomfortable.  The weather is supposed to get cooler by tomorrow afternoon with thunderstorms coming in.  We will stay here until Thursday morning then move to Richmond, Indiana for the night, then on to Columbus, Ohio where we will stay for one week, visiting with Dennis and Meg, then move up to Cleveland area for a month or so.
Just hope this heat stops  - enough!

The kids hunkered down avoiding the heat

Springfield, Illinois

We traveled just a tidge under 500 miles between Tuesday and today, getting to this campground just south of Springfield, Illinois.  Why here?  Have never camped in Illinois and wanted to see some of the Lincoln Memorial things.  Will sit for a week before the final jump to the Dayton/Springfield area of Ohio.

We crossed over two major rivers to get here - the Mississippi and the Illinois.  Very very large bodies of water!  Have seen both rivers before but forgot how wide they are.  And many smaller streams and creeks we passed along the way, the waters flowing from all the thunderstorm activity in the last week.  A little known fact - Iowa is the only state where rivers form their eastern and western boundaries.  East is the Missouri, the west is the Little Sioux River.

Bridge over Mississippi

Mississippi River is really big

Illinois River

Illinois River

Couple of things stood out to us as we traveled across Iowa and into Illinois.  First - I had the assumption that Iowa was flat.  Not so.  At least not the parts we traveled.  Looked more like southern Ohio, very hilly, up and down.  Got the worst gas mileage tracking of the RV during the Iowa cross state trek.  The second thing is - very green, very lush.  No irrigation of farms - it was obvious it wasn't need due to the moistness.  As we were driving in Illinois it looked like it was smoky in the distance, the humidity is that great.

Have been reintroduced to humidity, big time.  As a matter of fact, this area is under a severe heat advisory until next Tuesday.  Feels like 20 degrees warmer due to the humidity than the actual temperature.  Dripping sweat.  Ugly.  We have used the air conditioner more times on this trip than we ever did with the 5th wheel for 5 years.  Amazing.  We probably will run the beast non stop for the next 5 days, it is awful outside.  And mosquitoes.  Pesky buggers.

Up and Down the Missouri River

We are not far from the Missouri River and near here is the Lewis and Clark State Park.  It has a replica of the keel boat that Lewis and Clark's expedition of 210 years ago used as they traveled along the river and periodically the powers that be put it in the water and have reenactments. The town we are in, Onawa, is also a location of one of the few known, proven campsites that the expedition stayed at.  The inside interpretive center at the state park was closed so we could only see the keel boat.  Must say that state park is beautiful!  Located on Blue Lake, a lake caused from the flooding of the river.

Replica of the boat Lewis and Clark used

Lewis and Clark State Park - very pretty!

Onawa is also known as having the widest main street in the US so we trekked over to see it, and yep - it's wide.  Could easily have a 4 lane road with a middle turning lane. Haven't figured out why.

Dynamite displays - these two talked and moved!

Today we traveled up to Sioux City, on the Iowa side, to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.  This is the area that the expedition's only fatality happened, Sergeant Floyd died on the outbound journey due to stomach ailment.  Today they recognize his ailment as a burst appendix.  His remains are buried on the bluff overlooking the Missouri River.  This center was very well displayed, well documented, and we are very glad we visited this center.

Floyd's Memorial Marker

After the visit we wanted to visit the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway which runs along the western boundary of Iowa, from Sioux City south to St. Joseph, Missouri.  It is a unique formation that is up to 15 miles wide and 200 miles long, and in places it is at least 60 feet in height. Looks like dunes that are lush with trees, grasses, but at times barren and can see the soil breaking down the cliff.  What is unique is that towards the end of the last ice age, winds picked up the soils, blew them and formed dunes along the ancient waterway that became today's Missouri River.  As we road along the byway and saw the huge dune like hills, noticed on the river side how flat the land was, we could see the ancient formations.  Only other place in the world where the loess soil/dunes are higher is in China.

Loess along roadway

I took the same picture!

Tomorrow we leave Onawa, move about 300 miles closer to a small town called Mt. Pleasant, about 50 miles from the border of Illinois and the Mississippi River.  Will just stay the night then move on to Springfield, Illinois for a few days.

Iowa, Another State Visited

Left Kearney yesterday morning at 9am, a tidge later than normal, just couldn't get going.  Got on Interstate 80 and traveled about 50 miles east and dropped off again in Grand Island, picking up the Lincoln Highway, Route 30, going eastbound.  Traveled under that Archway - if you didn't know what it was - I am not sure that I would stop just because it was there.  I think they should do more advertising along the highway explaining what the arch means and come for a visit to learn about the history of westward expansion.

Traveling under the Archway - I80

Pass one silo - see another in the distance

Grand Island (had never heard of it before) is a really large city, over 55,000 people.  You could tell how the city grew - right along the Lincoln Highway.  And you had no doubt that you were coming near a town - you could see the grain silos for many miles.  Most of the towns we went through had populations of less than 500 people, but still had a post office, grocery store, gas station, grain silo, and of course the Union Pacific Railroad running right along it.  Some had restaurants, a lot had schools, some Mom and Pop stores too.  When we came into the town of Newport we started our swing north on Route 77.  This took us with in 20 miles of the turn to Onawa, Iowa, but the fun thing is we had to cross the Missouri River right before getting to Iowa.  The town of Decatur which we had to drive through on the Nebraska side of the river had some very old homes.  Found out that it is the second oldest continuously inhabited community of Nebraska, the first being a suburb of Omaha - Bellville.  As we were crossing the iron bridge over the Missouri, you could see the flood marks from the past, lots of boaters on the river - and the current was swift.

Was supposed to be toll bridge over Missouri - abandoned

Water is moving swiftly

This town of Onawa is 30 miles south of Sioux City, and 30 miles north of Council Bluffs. Some claim to fame for this town - it has the largest/widest Main Street in the US.  It also had a POW camp for Germans during 1944 to 1946.  The Eskimo Pie ice cream was invented here and sold to Russell Stover candies/ice cream in the early 1930s.  We plan to visit Sioux City where there is a national monument and do some touristy stuff.  Maybe stay 4 days, we will see.

Been having some problems for the last week......one is mosquitoes.  Pesky little bugs.  And the second is humidity.  Haven't had to deal with either one in years.

Archway, Trails and Rails

Engine No. 481

Our last day in Nebraska so we headed out this morning to see two more things.  The first was the Trails and Rails Museum which showed life here in Kearney from the 1840s to 1930s.  The curators brought in various buildings from around the area: an 1870 one room school house, a log cabin that they are not sure the beginnings of it but date it to about 1860, a ranch house dating back to 1850s and has continuously lived in until 15 years ago, a German Baptist church dating about 1899, and then there was Engine No. 481 - a steam engine that served the Union Pacific Railway and the Union Pacific Depot intact with all the things that made it so - baggage room, ticket office, waiting room, telegraph, etc.  The town has done a nice job and also on premise is a working blacksmith shop where demonstrations are done periodically.  And like all small town museums/historical societies - it has outgrown the buildings and need to expand.  A high school girl gave us the walking tour and she was quite knowledgeable about the buildings and such.  Great job.

Log Cabin dating 1870

Buildings of the Trails and Rails Museum

From there we went to the Archway.  And at first glance you say - what the heck is that?  It is a memorial built over Interstate 80 which depicts itself as the Gateway to the Great Platte River and Valley.  Built in 1999 and opened to the public in 2000, you walk back into time with interactive displays, you are wearing headphones that is constantly telling you stories of the history of the great migration westward.  From the Indians and the great herds of buffalo, to the emigrants, to the discovery of gold in California, to the settling of the towns along the routes the pioneers took, to their living conditions, to the linking of the railroad across the country, the invention of the telegraph, the advent of the motor car, highways, interstates, etc.  Very well done.  If you are ever driving on Interstate 80 and come upon the Archway in Kearney, please stop and visit this memorial.  

Archway built over Interstate 80

Who is older? Old time mountain man or current?
You road escalator up into yesterday.  

Pretty cool displays with life like models

Buffalo ran right up to you - pretty cool

Pony express rider came in to change horses

Big section on the roads

Peep hole looking down onto I 80

Outside the Archway, across the parking lot, is a Pawnee village.  Pawnee Indians were the residents of this area prior to the emigrants.  A replica of a lodge was built in 2010 with the Mandan Hidasta Indians coming down from North Dakota and building it.  Looked like the one we saw at Knife River in North Dakota.  Also on the grounds was a Pawnee garden where it showed that corn was successfully grown and provided enough food for the local Pawnee reservation for an entire season.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to Nebraska and head to Iowa, Sioux City.  Will visit there a couple of days then head to Illinois.  Nebraska was a state we wanted to visit and was surprised at the amount of history that flowed through the state.

Pony Express, Sod House, 100th Meridian

When we drove here to Kearney yesterday, we passed through the town of Gothenburg.  Saw that there was a Pony Express Station museum and also a Sod House Museum we could visit.  A little further on our trip we then came across the 100th Meridian Museum in Cozad.  So today we went exploring.

A tidge from home 

Our first stop was to grab a cup of coffee in Kearney then head west bound on the Lincoln Highway, Route 30.  We passed the University of Nebraska at Kearney and that is a big school.  And lots of new construction of buildings for the university.  When we got to Cozad we found the museum and went inside.  The little elder lady manning the museum was born in Cozad, moved away briefly when first married, then moved back.  She knew quite a lot about the town.  So happens the museum is really an historical museum of the history of Cozad and just happens that the 100th Meridian flows right through town.  Kinda cashing in on that fame.  Got us.

Pony Express Station

Originally 2 story

Rules of Riders

From that stop we went further west again to Gothenburg and talked with the museum employee about the Pony Express Station.  This particular building was originally a 2 story structure, cut the bottom off and moved the top story/station to Gothenburg for historical preservation.  One of the few original stations of the 19 months of 1860/1861 the Pony Express was in existence.  

Sod home - original

Sheet to cover ceiling - to capture snakes and bugs!

Two seater

Home, toilet, laundry, transportation - what more do you need?

Made out of barbed wire!  4 miles of it!

Traveled south of Gothenburg and came upon the Sod Museum.  Now this was a hoot!  The woman who was running the show was so knowledgeable and passionate about history of the homesteaders and the beginnings of Nebraska - it really showed.  We could have stayed with her all day and listened to her stories and interpretations of local history.  And I just cringe when I think of all the homesteaders who built a sod home, the creepy crawler bugs and snakes slithering out of the ceiling and dropping down on you.  Yikes.  Also in the yard was a barbed wire replica of a buffalo and of a horse and Indian that the curator's father made.  Interesting.  Looked real from a distance.

Kearney, Nebraska

We left Gering, Nebraska (far western part of Nebraska) by 8am yesterday morning and followed the Oregon Trail, Route 92/26 eastbound, zig zagging through many small towns.  Hardly any one on the road, that's a great thing.  We passed Chimney Rock and then about 20 miles later drove past Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock, two other large formations that the pioneers used as markers when traveling westbound.

Good bye Chimney Rock

The North Platte River in some areas was very wide, moving rapidly, very muddy.  We were told that this has been a wet summer, very unusual.  When we got to the town of Gothenburg we were forced off our route which now followed Route 30, the Lincoln Highway, due to construction and had to bite the bullet and get on Interstate 80.  Grrr - just don't like being on the highway when a trucker passes you and you get sucked into their lane from their air movement.  But we managed the 55 miles left on the trip and got here at the campground in Kearney by 4pm - we had to move the time up to Central.

Hello Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock

Platte River very wide at times

We have noticed in our travels as we rode eastbound on the Oregon Trail that there is little if no mention of the Mormon Trail which followed on the same route, on many of the roadside markers.  Plenty of mention or roadside markers with Oregon Trail, California Trail and Pony Express route. And we have also noticed no Church of the Ladder Day Saints (Mormon) in small towns.  Lots of Lutheran and Wesleyan Churches. Another thing we keep seeing - boots/shoes up ended on fence posts.  Found out about that - many different ideas but I like this one...a sign of respect for the rancher or homesteader as you pass by their land, place an old boot on the fencepost.  The other thought is that by putting old shoes/boots on fence posts will not let water penetrate down into the wood, preventing the post from rotting out.  I like the first one better.

Most of our travels have been very successful in avoiding rain.  Last summer's trip to the state of Washington - out on the road for 5 months - had very little rain.  This trip - not so.  We have had rain at every campground we have been in.  Fortunately our travel days when we are getting from A to B, have been lucky with traveling in very light misty rain that has stopped, or none at all.  That's what we plan for - no driving in rain.  Too hard and too stressful.  We are waiting this morning for a rain storm to go by before heading out to see some things.

Did you know that we are half way between Boston and San Francisco?  Exactly 1,733 miles from each.  Which way should we go?  And....we are half way between Picacho (our winter home in Arizona) and Vermilion, Ohio - 723 miles.  Now I know which way we are going - Vermilion!

Getting Ready to Move On

We saw that there were two other 'things' to do while here in Gering (next door to Scottsbluff) and decided to go check them out.  The first museum we went to was the Legacy Of The Plains.  Only there was not much to see.  A huge renovation and expansion is going on and the main exhibits were closed.  Said that hopefully in a month or two we could come back and see it.  Well, no.  This museum has 110 acres and is situated right near the base of Scotts Bluff National Monument.  Eventually it will display history of the Ancient Peoples, how the pioneers crossed in this area, how the land was homesteaded, how agriculture became the way of life.  I saw the plans and it will be a great museum, sad it wasn't done now.  We looked in the back buildings and there were many, and I do mean many, engines, tractors, farm equipment, old cars, old trucks strewn all over the fields.  Obviously some day they will be restored/cleaned up and put inside the museum.

Antiques waiting for display in new museum

Many antiques waiting on some TLC

We drove into town and found where the RiverWalk's parking area was located, strolled along about a mile of the walkway reading the interpretive signs, all the time being beside the North Platte River.  The is the same river the pioneers followed out of Missouri along the way and into Wyoming and beyond.  Only now the river is quite tame and shallow, the drain of agriculture siphoning off the water has made the Platte quite shallow.  One thing I have noticed in town and around - seems that Lavender grows here really well.  Most homeowners have quite a bush of this plant growing in their yard.

 Lavender

We leave in the morning and will travel along the Lincoln Highway, US Route 30 (the first highway built coast to coast), to Kearney (rhymes like "Barney" of the purple monster kid's fame) Nebraska.  We will also be traveling parallel to the North Platte River. About 290 miles east of here.  We could go farther but we move up to Central Time Zone so we loose an hour of driving.  Will be there a couple of days, then head up to Sioux City, Iowa - wanting to see some things there.

North Platte River - Scotts Bluff in background

North Platte River

As a side note:  Buddy has relaxed and adjusted and at times we can't find him.  He is sleeping on the sink in the bathroom, most of the time with his head resting in the wash bowl - his favorite place in the RV.  I fight with him in the morning while I am taking a shower - he wants in, then he wants out, he wants in, then out, etc.  Travel days he and Grace stay hunkered down in the bedroom, under the bed and within 5 minutes of turning off the engine, they both are out.  They look at me and say - finally!  Grace's favorite place to lay is on a small quilt in the front window, suntanning, while we are sitting still. That's my girl!

Ah - the life - cat nap!

Lake Minatare and Visit to Wildcat Hills State Park

After our visit to Chimney Rock, we decided to try our luck and go to the North Platte River National Wildlife Refuge located near Lake Minatare.  Located just 8 miles north of the town of Scottsbluff, the lake was formed by a decree by President Wilson to build a reservoir for irrigation for the farmlands.  Big lake - 2,158 acres of water.  The wildlife refuge was a lost cause to us - the boating and camping done right now chases every wild thing away.  The ranger we talked to said that late fall and early spring are great times to be here to see the migration of the birds.  Oh well.

Lake Minatare

The lighthouse

The ranger did tell us about the landmark of the park - a 55 foot tall lighthouse!  Yep, the only one in Nebraska.  No light at the top but we could climb up and see the 360 view of the lake and area.  Lots of boaters and swimmers on the lake.  Could hear country music blaring out of boats - was looking to see if any of them were rafted up together having a party out on the lake.  Could also see that if we lived in this area, Lake Minatare would be part of our lives - the draw of the water is still there.

Since the day was still young, we drove back through Scottsbluff to just south of town and to the Wildcat Hills State Park.  This park offers hiking trails, an interpretive center, primitive camping sites (not interested in that), educational and biological opportunities.  The Saber Tooth tiger prowled these hills millions of years ago and archaeologists discovered the bone fragments of a tiger with its teeth embedded in a bone of another animal.  The center is mainly used for day use and geared for children and classroom instruction.  Breathtaking views from 5000 feet looking out towards Scott's Bluff.

Scott's Bluff in the distance