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 |  A trip of discovery and adventure |
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One of my dreams has always been to see the U.S. in all its facets and diversity. In September 2018, I made the dream a reality! Here are my thoughts and impressions as we traveled from Virginia to Oregon, down the California coast, and back through the heartland. Enjoy the journey with me... |
| "Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human culture." Ken Robinson Our second day in Portland saw us headed to the city for the antique car exhibit at the Portland City Museum. While I am not all that into cars, I found this exhibit very interesting. These were not the typical Model A Fords, they were more like cars of the future. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** We checked out some of the other exhibits as well. We especially liked the oriental art on display. To me, it felt like being in a meditation room. Each piece offered an experience of nature. Next was the gift shop where we almost bought a futuristic clock (very unusual). Ken's sister bought his Christmas present while we were there, a calendar showing Japanese Art and a lovely "car" pen. So we had Christmas in September, how nice! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** We had to take this picture of a piece of art found in the courtyard to show our granddaughter what happens to crayons when you throw them away. We dropped the guys off at home and headed to the largest mall in the area. I believe you could walk several miles to see it in its' entirety. I wanted to get gifts "made in Oregon" for my Virginia family and Patty wanted to buy jelly bellies for our trip the next day. I got my granddaughter a t-shirt and bath soaps (something she is really into these days). I also got several bottles of hand lotion made with "real Oregon rainwater". What a great store full of interesting products. Then back to West Lynn for another delicious homecooked dinner and an old-time mystery movie, with wine of course. Time for bed and a good night's rest. No idea what tomorrows adventure will be. |
| If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive. Eleonora Duse This you can understand in Portland. It is so easy to feel this here. With a lovely time spent with family and a good nights' sleep, I am looking forward to a relaxing day just catching up with routine chores like laundry, exploring the neighborhood and seeing old friends of the family for dinner. So, this is how our first day in Portland (West Lynn) started: First a good cup of coffee then a walk around the neighborhood followed by a homemade breakfast. It is easy to walk here. There are sidewalks and everyone takes such good care of their yards. Even in September, the grass was green and the flowers were still in bloom. We found a path along a small creek up the hill to the street behind my sister-in-law's house. It was interesting that the lots ran together so that it was hard to identify where one piece of property started and the other one stopped. And of course, we made friends with a lady walking her dog. Even Macy (our terrier) liked meeting them. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Our dog, Macy loved my sister-in-law's house. There was over-stuffed furniture in both the living room and family room. And since this family loves dogs, Macy got to explore at will. She particularly liked sitting on top of the back of the sofa in front of the side window in the family room and the high-back chair in the living room watching the critters and people go by. Fortunately, their back yard was partially fenced with an embankment up to the neighbor so we could let her out on her own. She is very good inside but prefers to be out hunting squirrels. So she played inside and out while Ken and I caught up on some writing and napping. Have you heard this: a funny thing happened while doing laundry. The laundry is in the garage but the door is kept closed most of the time because it is also the pantry and storage area...not really a garage. Somehow Macy came in with us while starting laundry but decided to go exploring on her own and we didn't realize she didn't leave with us when we went to do other chores. Later we heard her but couldn't find her anywhere in the house. Of course, when you misplace something it is always in the last place you look, right. Finally, we opened the door to the garage and there she was letting us know we were at fault and needed to give her a treat. She always tells us we need to give her treats no matter what. We learned to check for her when opening and closing any doors from them on. Dinner was very special because of the company and the home-cooked meal. My sister-in-law is a fantastic cook. Since the dinner guests were vegan, the meal was designed with them in mind. She made homemade potato dumplings and roasted vegetables. She also made Italian sausages for the meat lovers at the table. A couple of glasses of wine and great conversation topped off our first day. Oh, and cheesecake for dessert. I really enjoyed the downtime. Didn't sit in a car once, ha, ha! Tomorrow we will do some sightseeing but that is all for now. |
| Leaving Montana, we stayed on U.S. 90 through Idaho. The first community that we encountered was Mullan named for Captain John Mullan. I later looked up the name and found this information on Google: "The road builder returned to Montana to participate in the ceremony of driving the golden spike on the Northern Pacific railroad at Gold Creek upon its completion in August 1883. And a royal celebration it was. Henry Villard, the president of the road, had invited about 300 guests, all men prominent in the social, financial, and political world, to make the first excursion over the line. There were representatives from the British, French, and German Governments, Judges of the Supreme Court, statesmen, lawyers, bankers, financiers, business executives, and engineers. In all this assemblage no man had earned a better right to be a guest of honor than the military engineer, Captain Mullan, the first to run a survey line. That day, on which the golden spike was driven into the ties at the scene of the first gold discovery in Montana, marked the fulfillment of Captain Mullan's dreams, the harvest of all his early effort at road making." Addison Howard Sometimes it pays to take note of little things along the route. The community of Mullan didn't seem that interesting until I looked up its namesake. It is more interesting and fun to learn history by finding something small like a name that sparks curiosity and then check it out. From Coeur d'Alene, ID to Spokane, WA we changed from Mountain time to Pacific time; our last time change until we head east again. Now we were on an 8-lane highway passing all the familiar big name stores. Just out of the city the highway changed back to 4 lanes and the scenery changed to pine forest. I was so glad to be off that 8-lane highway with all the traffic. I am not a city girl. Traffic and large shopping areas are stressful for me. I don't mind traveling on interstate highways since you can always find rest stops and points of interest like wineries but prefer not to travel through large cities. We eventually got on Interstate 84 to Portland at Kennewick. We were now traveling along the Columbia River. This river defines the border shared by Oregon and Washington and cuts a deep path through the Cascade Mountain Range. Driving along the river we saw Umatilla Army Depot with munition storage bunkers. Further along Three Mile Canyon, we saw a winery with grape vines planted down to the river. But we didn't see an easy way to get there and since we were hoping to be in Portland by late afternoon, we just kept driving. It was so windy, we saw white caps on the river. Made for an interesting drive. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** We finally reached our destination in West Lynn, OR around 5:00 p.m. We will stay here for 4 or 5 days visiting family and friends of family. It felt so good to be able to completely unload the car and relax in a lovely home setting with friendly, loving people. It was a beautiful day, weather-wise so we had a dinner of grilled steaks, salad and of course, great wine on the patio. The conversation was lively and fun getting to know my new brother-in-law and reconnecting with my favorite sister-in-law. They were the BEST HOST anyone could want. In other words, they spoiled us terribly. But I will leave the telling of our adventures in and around Portland for another day. |
| Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life. Omar Khayyam ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Finally, Montana in our sights. I loved this part of our trip; it was a spiritual encounter both peaceful and uplifting. I started thinking about how good it would be to live here. Meditating while walking through the forest would be a good way to spend your time in this beautiful country. We finally started seeing some very, very long trains from Hardin to Billings. These trains seemed to go on for miles. We saw the reason when we got to Billings. We even saw real traffic but not like we are accustomed to in Northern Virginia. The trains and traffic made sense since Billings has a huge gas refining facility. Driving through you saw signs of good jobs, nice houses, and some "mini" mansions. Definitely a different scene from the Indian Reservation areas we drove through earlier. From Billings to Bozeman we seemed to be driving through a basin or valley. The land was flat with a lot of scrub pine on the bluffs. And of course, the cornfields were back! Here was another area where wind turbines were very evident. Along the road from Bozeman to Butte, we encountered a number of lumber trucks. In this part of the country, lumbering is a large part of the economy. Elevation signs indicated an elevation of 6,368 ft. Just outside Butte one said 6,393 at the Contential Divide. While we had started our day with a temp. of 84 degrees, we were now at 77 degrees by mid-afternoon. Getting anything on the radio was almost impossible in the mountains. The only stations we found were either Christian or country. In other words, we turned off the radio and talked about our trip so far and what adventures we were looking forward to from Portland OR to Ocean Side CA. We reached Missoula, MT by early evening. The temp. had dropped to 55 degrees. Since Missoula is the home of the Universit of Montana, there were a large number of hotels and restaurants to chose from. We were able to book a room directly at the motel that was part of the Windham chain (we got points for booking with them). Actually, it was easier and quicker to book there rather than by phone. A couple in the lobby were still waiting for their reservation to come through even after we registered. The clerk suggested a very good place to eat at a large hotel nearby. It was so crowded that we had to eat at the bar but the food was good and I had my first huckleberry margarita. It was very good; thinking they must grow huckleberries in the area. Leaving Missoula at 7:35 a.m. it was still in the low 50s. Finally feeling a little more like September. As we headed toward the mountains we saw more and more lakes. Traveling through the Lolo National Forrest we saw a railroad track along the cliff edge. Not something I would care to ride. The country was very different than in our part of Northern Virginia. I liked being out of the city traffic and able to enjoy the countryside. We should be in Portland by late afternoon. I am looking forward to stopping for a few days to visit family, have home cooked meals, do some sightseeing and get to do laundry. No matter how interesting the trip, after 6 to 7 days living out of a suitcase, sleeping in a different bed every night, sitting in a car for hours at a time, and even eating out daily, I was ready to stay put for a while. From Missoula, MT to Coeur d' Alene, ID we drove through the Butterroot Range on I 90. I loved driving through Montana. We went through only two communities - Frenchtown and Superior on our way to Idaho. There was almost no traffic or signs of people. Just pine forest along the mountainside. It was so peaceful, tranquil even. I thought that if I had unlimited funds, I would build a spa/retreat in the forest along here. Of course, the reality would set in when you considered how to get building materials, supplies, staff and clients up there and where would you even find supplies and staff. Oh well, an enjoyable fantasy. We skirted the edge of Spokane, WA around 9:37 a.m. This was a big change from the highway we had been on all morning. Now we were on 8-lane highways. The traffic greatly increased and the scenery changed from a forest of trees to a forest of buildings. All the big-names stores appeared again. As we headed southwest toward Portland, I was so glad to be out of the city and driving through pine forest again. This trip reminded me that I am not a city girl. To me, the forest, mountains, rivers, even the corn, and wheat fields were more relaxing and interesting than the cities. Next stop, Portland, OR and family time. |
| "Nature is full of wonders; every atom is a standing miracle and endowed with such qualities as could not be impressed on it by power and wisdom less than infinite." Joseph Addison ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** We left Spearfish around 7:30 in the morning with a temp. of 71. But just outside of town the temp. dropped to 64, still, it was sunny with a few wispy clouds. Looked like it was going to be another beautiful day to travel out west. On our way, we passed exit 10 to Belle Fourche (pronounced Bell Foosh in French). Though we didn't take the exit, I took note that it is noted for being the geographic Center of the Nation, marked by a granite monument and a path of flags. The visitor's guide I picked up at the hotel a few days ago gave this bit of history: A rancher b the name of Seth Bullock persuaded the railroad to build through his ranch creating the town. In 1893, more range cattle were shipped out by rail than at any other railhead with a record of 4,700 carloads. And as the population grew, Orman Dam, known as Belle Fourche Reservoir was created giving the agriculture community a boost. Today though many people spend the day at the Dam swimming, fishing, and boating. The town is known for their fourth of July celebrations with a mile-long parade, a downtown carnival, and a city-wide barbecue. And if that isn't enough to tempt you to visit, how about one of the oldest continuously held outdoor rodeos in America. Looks like July is an ideal time to check out Belle Fourche but you should consider getting accommodations ahead of time. It was only 7:45 a.m. by the time we crossed into Wyoming on our way to Gillette. One of the first things we saw that struck our interest was a sign saying: "Watch out for wildlife, they are on the move". We looked but never encountered any to my disappointment. There was little traffic, mostly RV's, trucks hauling campers, and bikers. Interestingly, the exit signs seemed to give choices. Like the exit for Devil's Tower said "exit 199 or 189. We didn't check them out so I don't know why the exit was marked that way. Further along, we saw tall poles with rows of horizontal slats. No idea why they were all along the road unless maybe as snow brakes. We started seeing miles of railroad cars just parked on sidings with nothing else around. Amazingly wide vistas with clouds that looked like cotton made us start to wonder where were all the people, farms or communities. Not surprisingly, we didn't see any vanity plates on what little traffic we did encounter. This land is so different from the area we live in with all the traffic and places to stop to eat and/or shop. I wondered if you did live out here how far would you have to go to get groceries or gas or anything else. Best not to realize you forgot an ingredient for dinner. Whereas, I can drive 5 minutes to the story across the road. Driving through the mid-west we saw fields with so much water that they looked like ponds. One even had a house floating near the edge. Here the land seemed very dry. We noted that groves of hardwoods always indicated a creek though none of the creeks looked like they had much water in them. From Buffalo, we traveled along the Big Horn National Forest through the Crow Reservation to Billings. The area looked very depressed and the homes and buildings were rundown. We saw a sign for Custer's Little Big Horn Trading Post but it turned out to be an RV park. We saw many of these parks along the way. I would guess many of the RV's were being used as more permanent homes rather than for travel. At times we saw older RV's parked next to what you could call a shack. I came to realize that the images you have in your head of places you have not been may not necessarily relate to the real place at all. This part of the route reminded me that we,non-natives have often not treated the native Americans or this land with the respect they deserved. We'll be traveling along to Billings, Montana from here but that's for another entry. |
| Heading into the Badlands "but I was totally unprepared for that revelation called the Dakota Ban Lands.... What I saw gave me an indescribable sense of mysterious elsewhere-a distant architecture, ethereal... an endless supernatural world more spiritual than earth but created out of it." Frank Lloyd Wright, 1935{/center I mention this because I agree and could not have described them better. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** For centuries humans have viewed South Dakota's celebrated Badlands with a mix of dread and fascination. The Lakota knew the place as mako sica. Early French trappers called the area les mauvaises terres a traverser.Both mean "bad lands." Lakota Native Americans found fossilized seashells and turtle shells and correctly theorized that the Badlands had once been underwater. Today you won't find any alligators but you can catch sight of bighorn sheep, bison, and prairie dogs. As we got ready to enter the park, we remembered that we had a lifetime senior pass for the National Parks that we got several years ago when we drove Sky-Line Drive in Virginia. This saved us $20.00 on the entrance fee. It is well worth getting the pass if you qualify and plan to visit the National Parks on your journeys in the U.S. What we saw was even more than I had expected. The area looked like it could be on the moon or another planet. We could stand right on the ridge off the trail and see deep gouged canyons of multi-colored rock. Conservation writer, Freeman Tilden described the region as "peaks and valleys of delicately banded colors - colors that shift in the sunshine...and a thousand tints that color charts do not show." We saw mountain goats walking along another ridge that looked like there was hardly room for their hoofs. As we moved along the trail we saw prairie dogs standing just outside their homes. They are very interesting critters and our little dog, Macy was quite curious about them. She would have loved to interact with them but we kept her on a short leash since they have fleas that carry a version of the bubonic plague. Still, they were very cute and put on a good show, scampering around and calling to one another. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Toward the end of the trail, we saw a herd of buffalo near the fence. My husband got out of the car to take pictures. Our dog started barking at them. I am not sure if she wanted to herd them or scare them off. She certainly didn't like them like she did the prairie dogs. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Just outside the park, we saw fields of sunflowers with birds swooping through them. I was surprised to see them so active in the late morning. Driving further we saw miles of prairie with few farms spread out in the distance. I learned that the grasslands(prairies occur in areas that are too dry to support trees but too wet to be deserts. The Badlands National Park has mixed-grass prairie and wildflowers. Grasses, able to withstand high winds, long spells of dry weather and frequent fires thrive in the environment. Our next stop will be Keystone to visit a mine and pan for gold before we travel on to Mt. Rushmore. But that is for my next post. Hope you are following us on our journey, we still have a lot to see and do. |
| Day 4 We Hit the Wall ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Entering South Dakota the morning temp. was still a warm 75 degrees. My husband liked that the speed limit was now 80 mph with next to no traffic. I guess you could say we were "sailing" right along. We started seeing more cattle than crops but we wondered where all the people were. The houses seemed miles apart. The land was so flat that the sky looked huge. I guess that is why they call it "Big Sky" country. In Northern Virginia, there are always buildings and trees to distract from seeing the sky and at night there are so many lights that it is hard to see the stars. Fortunately where we live is more in the country so if it is clear we can get a glimpse of the moon and stars either off our deck or even from one of our living room windows. Just before Wall, we changed to Mt. time, the third change on this trip. Driving through the rugged landscape of South Dakota, you see billboard after billboard announcing the upcoming attractions of Wall Drug. According to tourist information, there are signs all over the world from Afghanistan to Kenya and all the way to Antarctica telling you how many miles to Wall, SD. Getting its beginning in 1931, Dorothy and Ted Hustead opened Wall's one and only drugstore on the edge of the small town. When business slowed down the Husteads posted a sign nearby that offered free ice water (still do). The rest is history! Walking along the boardwalk you can almost imagine what it was like years ago. Now along with the drug store, there are other retail outlets, restaurants, cafes and a motel. (Getting their mythical beginnings in the 1930s, the jackalope has become an icon at Wall Drug. We spent the night and then went to Wall Drug for breakfast and shopping the next day. They had 5 cent coffee and home cooked food, including doughnuts (that later became our lunch along the way). The story adjoining had regular drug store items, tourist memorabilia, leather goods, hats and jewelry (bought "sun catcher" earrings for myself and my daughter.) Talking to several of the clerks, we found out that they were from other countries, mostly Scandinavian and were on work/study programs. We also met one young lady there from Jamacia who was getting ready to leave. She spent the summer there earning money to go back to school. She said that she wasn't about to spend the winter in South Dakota. Can't say that I blame her. As we headed toward the Badlands, we noticed companies that we don't see at home like Sinclair and Conoco as well as Jack in the Box and even a Blimpees. Something I had not expected. I didn't realize that some companies are still in the mid-west or on the west coast but not on the east coast anymore. However, you can always find a Wal-Mart and a McDonalds in almost any small community. Well, that is enough for one day; tomorrow the Badlands. Hope you are traveling with us. |
| Day 3 A Country Mile or so ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** As we leave Cedar Rapids it is 64 degrees at 7:21 a.m., with heavy clouds clearing toward the west. The morning traffic for a work week is very light compared to what we see on I95. We are not used to being able to travel the speed limit without stop-and-go traffic. Also not used to seeing fields and fields of corn and soybeans. My husband keeps saying: "Everywhere I look, I see corn, corn, corn. Where are the towns with people everywhere??" The population density is far different from what we are used to in Northern VA. We traveled past farm after farm, sprinkled with signs for parks and nature trails and wind turbines. (I wish we had taken the time to check out some of the nature trails but we had our sights set on Portland, OR.) We also saw a sign for the John Deer Museum and one for a National Cattle Congress event, a real indication that we are in farm country. This part of Iowa had so much rain recently that one field looked like it had a pond in the middle. Entering Minnesota we changed time zones again. We noticed how green the landscape was with slightly rolling hills, but the highway seemed very flat. This too is very much farm country. It was a very familiar landscape to me having grown up in central Missouri though I had never been to Minnesota before. I spent every summer on my grandparents' farm until I was 13 since both my parents worked. My daughter and even my granddaughter would think of this as punishment but I found it fun playing with my cousin, climbing the big apple tree outside the kitchen window, and hiking in the woods. No tv, no electronics, just creative play, and adventures through reading. What I did learn to appreciate was modern rest stops along interstate highways. When I was young, there were no interstates in central Missouri; no fast food stops either in the small towns where I grew up. "Rest stops" were gas stations that you used at your own risk (cleanliness). And no air-conditioned cars so you rode with the windows down in the summer. Still, as a child, I enjoyed short family trips listening to the radio and looking at the world around me. Something I still prefer when traveling. Though today I would suggest having Sirus so you could always get a station of your choice. We are not much into country music and farm reports. Sometimes that is all we could get when not near a large community. Oh well, when we got tired of the farm reports we just turned the radio off and talked. As I said, my husband could not get over all the corn fields. But he did like that he could drive his ideal speed limit (almost never saw a patrol car or accidents for that matter.) During the afternoon, we saw a sign along the highway for a winery. Being wine lovers, we thought it would be a nice break from driving to check it out. Round Lake Winery was in a beautiful setting on a large lake. The wines were quite good and the walk around the lake an enjoyable way to stretch our legs. Who would have thought, wineries in Minnesota? For a weekday afternoon, they had a good crowd of locals enjoying the wine and the setting. We met a couple from Wisconsin who were traveling to the Grand Canyon by motor home to meet up with friends to go backpacking. They told us about Wall, SD. They said it would be on our way and was worth a stop. This then became our stop for the night. Note: After our first 2 booked nights we started to book as we got to a point where we wanted to stop for the day. Often it was not where our trip adviser suggested. We had a Windham rewards card at this time so just looked up one of their hotels in the area and booked (always pet-friendly, of course). For this extensive a trip we had to be mindful of changing time zones. We already changed twice by now. Going West we actually saved an hour each time we changed zones. We had to take this into account when contacting family in Oregon and California. It also made a difference when trying to contact my granddaughter in Virginia. The first time I texted her, I caught her in class so she couldn't respond. She let me know at her lunchtime that I got the time wrong. I did much better from then on. We are not at Wall yet but I will continue that story with the next post. Thanks for stopping by. Rosemary |
| Day 2 Traveling On “Wine is constant proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy." Benjamin Franklin ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** We left Springfield, OH at 8:25 a.m. Heading to Indianapolis, after rain the night before, the day started out clear and sunny. The land we traveled through was very flat with huge fields of corn that seemed to stretch to the horizon. On I70 we saw several fields of solar panels almost as big as the corn fields. Further on down the road, the fields turned into soybeans and we started seeing more trucks on the road. This is definitely farm country. If you haven't traveled through farm country before, it can seem rather boring. However, I found it relaxing. We talked (we do that a lot) and listened to the radio. Going through Crawfordsville at 10:16 a.m., it was 86 degrees already. The community must have a very diverse population. We noticed African, Carribean and Indian restaurants, as well as the standard Mexican and Chinese. I was really wishing in was lunch time so we could try one of them out. But, alas, it was only mid-morning. Heading toward Peoria, IL we saw miles of wind turbines. These turbines were huge and constantly turning. I wondered what the cost of electric power was in this area? Away from the turbines, we saw large groups of birds that never stopped cruising low over the corn fields. It must have been brunch for them. The only trees to be found were those around farm houses sitting out in the fields. It was so flat you thought you could see the edge of the world. Good thing we are not “flat earth” people or we would have feared driving too far and falling off. Not really, but made for a fun conversation. By noon, we started getting the farm report on the radio. Listening to these reports reminded me of growing up in mid-Missouri. The 2 TV channels and the radio station always broadcast this report at noon weekdays. My husband thought these reports were a little strange (livestock prices at auction, soybean and corn prices at market) and rather boring. But I was reminded of how important it still is for these farm communities to receive these reports. Daily as much as yearly decisions follow these reports that the rest of us don't understand or are not interested in. Unlike farmers and cattle ranchers who depend on this information and daily weather reports, we consider national news our local news, living so close to Washington, D.C. Just before Peoria, we changed to central standard time; only the first of three time changes as we crossed the country. The whole sky filled with rain clouds. It looked like we were enveloped in smoke. The temp. dropped from 83 to 76 degrees as the rain started to fall. As we traveled on toward Cedar Rapids, we saw more rolling hills, trees, and water in the fields. Water levels were high with one stream over its banks. It actually looked like there were now 2 houseboats – houses we saw were floating at the edge of the river. I don't guess it was funny for the homeowners though. The only side trips we took along this part of the route was to wineries. We saw signs on the highway for several and decided to try 2 as an afternoon break. We googled “wineries near Peoria to find the correct names and addresses. The first one, Mackinaw, was further away than expected but we were glad we found it. Our hostess was friendly and very knowledgeable about the wines they produced. We ended up buying 4, including 1 to share with family we were going to visit. Note: Their brochure suggested that you “get in touch with the relaxed and peaceful feeling that you get with a day in the country. Enjoy a one of a kind place and our wide open space at Illinois's most unique and award-winning vineyard and winery...You can see a 30-mile panoramic view of the Mackinaw Valley situated on a glacial moraine. They are located between Peoria and Bloomington, about 3 hours from Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis. The other winery, Kickapoo Winery in the same area also offered some very good wines. They actually produce a Norton (native Virginia grape) that was very different from the Norton wines we try in Virginia. We found it so interesting that we bought one to take home. (Now I wish we would have bought more.) Yes, as you might guess, we are “winers.” We enjoy visiting wineries wherever we are either around home or when traveling. Both of us are looking forward to visiting some Oregon and California wineries for sure. We tend to try only the reds but have been known to try a Chardonnay or Saval Blanc. As much as we enjoy the tastings, we like visiting with the staff and other visitors. We stopped for the night in Cedar Rapids the home of Quaker Oats. Again, the motel was pre-booked with a specific motel chain using our rewards card. We had no trouble checking in and the person at the counter suggested a very good local restaurant. I felt bad for the couple waiting at the counter when we arrived. They had booked on their cell phone through an online booking app and were still waiting for their reservation to show up. Well, that's it for another day. Keep coming back and we will share more of our adventures (including wineries in all the states we travel through.) Rosemary |
| The first day of our journey: “...it is not how far one goes that counts; it is not how fast one goes; it is how much one sees. And it is not just how much one sees, it is how much one appreciates, how much one feels." ~ Edwin Way Teale ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** We loaded the car the previous night, ready to start our cross-country road trip first thing in the morning. We pulled out of our driveway at 7:50 a.m, almost an hour earlier than planned. The temperature was already 74 degrees with sunny skies but it felt muggy with the portent of a hot, humid day, at least in Virginia. But then, the forecast for Ohio didn't look any better. I get anxious/excited when starting any trip. I was ready to leave by 7 a.m. but, alas the driver was not. I am a morning person while he is a "night owl." The first leg of our drive was familiar, except for the “fence of many colors” just outside Orange, VA. It was just a slat board fence about 10 ft. long in the yard of a house along the road. What made it stand out was each slat was painted a different color of the rainbow. I have no idea what statement if any, the homeowner was trying to make but it did catch our eye. We travel that route occasionally but never noticed it before. A fun sighting to start the trip. Leaving Orange we traveled through beautiful horse country with morning glory and honeysuckle all along the side of the road. All portents of a lovely morning drive until the traffic came almost to a standstill. It took 45 min. to travel 8 miles on a windy country road. We finally got to the point where we merged onto a major road and found that most of the problem stemmed from a bottleneck where two routes merged onto a major highway. I think the road engineers need to go back to the drawing board on this one. The kudzu had covered so many trees and bushes along the highway that they looked like fuzzy green statues. The color of the day was definitely green; it was everywhere. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** The trees on the Blue Ridge Mountains were still green, as were the meadows though it was mid-September. Along the way, we sighted a stone bridge that looked like it had been there forever. But, curiously enough it didn't seem to serve any purpose anymore. It was connected to a footpath that didn't seem to go anywhere. It was strange to us, coming from Northern Virginia that we were traveling on 4-lane roads with next to no traffic. This is the Virginia Department of Highways in action. Legislators in this part of the state seem to get a lot of money for roads. Really? It is Northern Virginia that always is in need of highway improvement. I don't think the adage that “if you build it, they will come,” works in the southern part of the state. Driving through the Appellation Mountains in W. Virginia the rocks became reddish like iron. The houses we saw were all dotted through the hills. I am sure they must have 4-wheel drive vehicles to get around. Not sure how they get cell phone coverage. Television must use satellites. A little too rugged and sparsely populated for me, beautiful drive though. The only places we saw wildflowers were in the median on I64 in W. Virginia. The high point of the day (I mean the actual high point) was Sandstone Mountain at 2,675 ft. Although we had not planned to, we ended up driving through Charleston, the capital of West Virginia. This happened because we had put Charleston in our GPS to refine our route and the program set it as a point of interest. This was my doing because I refused to use the PA Turnpike. I have traveled it many times and every time the fees get higher and the condition of the road gets worse. Just my opinion. We learned after that little side-step to put in addresses of booked hotels. And by the way, the Capitol Dome shines like gold. We then headed to Springfield, OH, just outside Columbus, our stop for the first day. We were both more than ready for dinner and a good night's sleep. We found this good barbecue place just down the street from the hotel. It was relaxing and the food was delicious. It was like having a picnic only indoors. The tables were covered with checkered oilcloth, the food was served on paper plates and drinks in plastic glasses. We had barbecue pork sandwiches, coleslaw, and corn on the cob with plenty of iced tea to wash it all down. It took longer than we anticipated to get to Springfield so we were quite ready to say “light's out” by 9:30 p.m. To my surprise, I was able to stay asleep until the alarm sounded at 6:30 a.m. The reason I mention this is that I have trouble sleeping even with melatonin. Well, that's enough adventure for one day but the journey continues. More adventures await, come back and visit. |
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