August 16-September 19, 2007
After our wedding on June 9, 2007, we went on a short honeymoon, but delayed the real honeymoon trip until I could sell my house and get someone to take my job as secretary at Eupora First United Methodist Church. On August 15th, 2007, the sale of my house was finalized and that was also my last day to work! God works in wondrous ways!
That night we packed our brand new Chrysler Town & Country mini-van with what we thought we would need for a month-long trip. We also packed 2 quarts of hot pepper sauce that Doug and Laura made for Jeff, and the mounted head of a deer that Jeff had killed some time ago. (Jeff lived in Washington state at this time) I thought it would look much better in Jeff’s den than in our bedroom:-) I felt that we looked somewhat like the BEVERLY HILLBILLIES because we had so much gear packed and Jeep didn’t want me to cover up the deer head. We asked the Post Office to hold our mail and with all our bills on bank draft, we left South Bellefontaine about 8:30 a.m. When we pulled out that Thursday morning it was 92 degrees and the mileage on the van was 1,631. The following are entries from the journal I kept each day.
Thursday, August 16th : After taking care of a little business at the bank, we left Eupora about 10:15 a.m. and got on the Natchez Trace Parkway at Mathiston, going North. We ate lunch at Hardee’s in Tupelo. The trip up the Trace was very peaceful with hardly any traffic most of the way. We planned to make the trip to Jennifer's in two days so we would have time for sight-seeing.
When we got to Nashville it was rush hour, which wasn’t so peaceful! It was 111 degrees at one time today. Jennifer called while we were on the road and told us that they had tickets for all of us to attend a Glenn Miller Concert on Saturday night. We were so excited because we grew up listening to and loving Glenn Miller music. At Nashville, TN we took I-65 to Franklin, KY where we found a room at the Comfort Inn. We had a corner room on the ground floor near the pool. We went out to eat supper at Franklin Steakhouse. We drove 304 miles today.
Friday, August 17- We ate breakfast at the motel and I was driving when we left about 9 a.m. We had not gone a half mile when I thought about my camera. I didn’t remember loading it in the van and Jeep said he didn’t pick it up either. We went back and found it in our room, behind a chair. Boy, was I ever glad to find it there! As it happened, we were on the wrong road anyway. We stopped at Horse Cave museum and toured it.
The museum was built over the cave. We bought gas in Clarksville, IN and got some Dunkin’ Donuts & coffee. We exited on 46 and toured the Bill Monroe Museum and the “tourist trap” town of Nashville, IN. This was a slow paced fun day. We traveled 265 miles today and made it to Jennifer and Bryan’s in Cicero, IN. about 6:30. We had grilled steak, baked potato, etc. for supper outside on the patio while enjoying the cool, refreshing breeze. We were in a big traffic jam near their house because of a Rock Band concert. People were parking anywhere they could and walking for miles to get to the open air theater.
We slept late and when we woke up on Saturday, August 18th it was a cool 59 degrees.
We had brunch about 10:30 and then went in search of some round barns that Jeep wanted to see. We found a neat round barn (got the directions from the Internet). There were several old buildings, a museum and antique farming equipment here, also. We drove down a road by a corn field and saw several deer and some geese.
We stopped by Spencer Lapidary and enjoyed seeing all their rocks, etc.
Tonight we went to the Glenn Miller Concert at the Amphitheater. It was AWESOME! The temperature was 70 cool degrees, the sky was covered with thin clouds and there was a brilliant, red sun setting in the west as the concert began. Bryan & Jennifer brought a cooler packed with a picnic of sandwiches, cokes, chips, white wine and chocolate dipped strawberries, which we enjoyed as the band played. We guessed the crowd to be maybe 8 or 10 thousand people. Before the concert, they gave dance lessons to those who went down to the platform which held about 300 people in front of the stage. During the concert, anyone who wanted to could go down and dance. When they played the last song, they asked everyone to get up and dance. Jeep and I tried to dance on the grassy hillside, along with most everyone else. We mostly stumbled around and laughed, but had a great time!
Sunday, August 19: We went to Cicero United Methodist Church for the 9:00
A. M. worship service. Jennifer led the contemporary service and the pastor, Byron Fisk, preached.
Jeep and Jennifer sang “Sweet Beulah Land” and “There is a River”, with Jeep playing the piano and Jennifer playing the guitar. After the worship service, we walked to the Bleeker Street Restaurant near the church and enjoyed a delicious brunch! Back at the house, we looked at their wedding pictures and ours. I did our laundry and got things ready to start out on our trip on Monday. We took naps, had conversation, and the TV & computer filled the rest of the day. Jennifer cooked a very good supper of pork chops, shell noodles, green beans and biscuits. We watched the movie, “Sweet Home Alabama”.
We woke up in Cicero, IN on Monday morning, August 20th to a partly cloudy day with the temperature at 73 degrees. This is such a pleasant relief after we have had temps over 100 at home. Jennifer and Bryan have to go to work this morning so we are up and away about 7:15 Central Time. We will soon be going into another time zone. It thundered a lot and rained a little last night. Now it is raining hard and we are seeing a lot of flat farmland as we travel through Eastern IL, singing “Amazing Grace”, along with the Statler Brothers. At lunchtime we are in Peoria, IL, and had lunch at “Homestead Restaurant & Truck Stop”. Now it is time for Jeep’s two o’clock nap and he is letting me drive while he reclines and puts his feet on the dashboard for a 30-minute nap. He is such a trusting soul to be so relaxed while I’m zipping along in unknown territory!
This home was way back off the road but we drove down a side road to get a closer view.
There are miles and miles of soybeans and corn fields as far as the eye can see! We drove 518 miles today and stopped at Stuart, Iowa. We walked to Subway and got sandwiches for supper.
Tuesday, August 21st we ate the continental breakfast at the motel and left about 9:30. We made a side trip to Elk Horn, Iowa to see the Danish Windmill and Village.
The windmill was built in 1848 in Denmark, then in 1976 it was disassembled and shipped to the United States and re-assembled. At 1:00 p.m. we got to Mapleton, Iowa and parked in town and walked around to find a place to eat. We talked to a local lady on the street who advised us to have lunch at the “Beef & Brew” on Main Street. This was a nice family type restaurant full of local people. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of Roast Beef and Vegetables, the special of the day. It is hard to find this type of restaurant when you are traveling unless you get off the beaten path and seek them out. Jeep is an expert at finding good places to eat, a hold-over from his truck driving days.
We crossed into South Dakota
about 2:30. We saw lots of flat farmland and stopped by Mitchell, SD to
see the Corn Palace. The whole town seems to be centered around the
Corn Palace. The
Corn Palace serves as a multi-use center for the community and region.
The facility hosts stage shows, as well as sports events in its arena.
The World's Only Corn Palace is an outstanding structure which stands as
a tribute to the agricultural heritage of South Dakota. The
original Corn Palace, called "The Corn Belt Exposition" was established
in 1892. Early settlers displayed the fruits of their harvest on the
building exterior in order to prove the fertility of South Dakota soil.
The third and present building was completed for it first festival at
the present location in 1921. The
exterior decorations are completely stripped down and new murals are
created each year.
The theme is selected by the Corn Palace Festival Committee and murals are designed by a local artist. The whole town seems to be centered around the Corn Palace.
The theme is selected by the Corn Palace Festival Committee and murals are designed by a local artist. The whole town seems to be centered around the Corn Palace.
They were having some kind of street festival and had the street in front of the palace blocked off. We traveled 369 miles today and spent the night in Kimball, SD.
Wednesday, August 22, we are leaving Kimball, SD at 9:00 A. M., after having breakfast at the motel. This was a neat, clean place to stay. At 10 A. M. we are going through Rosebud Indian Reservation. The houses and house trailers we saw looked very poverty stricken. We wonder what these people do for a living. It is desolate and depressing.
After that, there were lots of cheerful sunflower fields. We turned off a side road and drove about a mile to make some pictures of these fields. We saw 3 deer near a pond and some Prairie Dogs and made pictures of them.
I’m impressed by how far you can see with the naked eye and how BIG the sky looks! We stopped at an American Indian Quick Stop for ice and a restroom. There are miles & miles between houses and in some areas there are no power lines. At noon we are at 3,540 ft. elevation. There are lots of sunflower fields, corn, silage crops of different kinds and some wheat. Everything appears to be irrigated. There are no running creeks and no bridges. Jeep is a wonderful traveling partner because we like so many of the same things....like nature and photography. He will go out of his way to get the particular shot that he wants.
There are miniature sunflowers along the roadsides and almost no litter. We have seen horses, buffalo, deer, wild turkey, and some chipmunks.
This is our first view of the Crazy Horse monument that is being built.
We toured the Crazy Horse project and museum, and saw the movie about the work being done on the monument. The movie at Crazy Horse showed how all the heads on Mt. Rushmore would fit in a space no larger than Crazy Horse’s head. After this, we went to see Mt. Rushmore and it seemed small after seeing Crazy Horse. Jeep stood in a long line to get ice cream cones for us.
We got to Rapid City, SD by 7:00 P.M. and stayed at a Rodeway Inn. We washed our clothes at the motel laundry this morning then had breakfast at Black Hills Coffee House. We started out about 11:15. We toured Wall Drug Store, which has developed into a huge mall, offering a little of everything anyone could want.
Isn't that just like a man!
Here is Jeep, looking like the typical tourist.
The children were having fun chasing the water that spouted up here and there. It's 70 degrees at 2:15 as we head to the Badlands. This fascinating place turned out to be one of our favorites! We made the regular tour and made a zillion pictures!
The formations and the different colored layers are amazing! After the regular tour, Jeep had still not seen enough, so about 4:30 we take Sage Creek Road, which is a rough, gravel road, and go back through the middle of the Badlands!
We were hoping to see wildlife and we were not disappointed! We saw buffalo, deer, antelope and prairie dogs and got back to Wall about 6 p.m. We spent the night in Wall, SD and ate supper at the Cactus Café.
It’s Friday, August 24th and it is 53 degrees and raining. We had breakfast at the motel and started out about 8:45 a.m. We stopped back by the same, Black Hills
Coffee House and got coffee and a Rhubarb Crunch Bar. After that we headed south on Highway 16, which is a high, twisting road.
We saw several deer standing in the cool rain at 11 a.m. as we start up Iron Mountain.
A buffalo was ambling along right on the side of the road. We got to see him up close and personal.
We also saw several wild donkeys. We toured Custer State Park then ate lunch at Dale’s Family Restaurant in Hot Springs, SD. At 3:00 p.m. we crossed into Wyoming, which has a lot of wide open range with lots of antelope and deer.
The snow fences puzzle us for a while, until we finally figured out that they were built to keep the snow drifts off the highway. We are seeing a lot of long trains going east loaded with what appears to be coal. There are herds of wild deer and Buffalo. “Ole Eagle Eye” is an expert at spotting deer, antelope, etc. Of course, we have to stop and make pictures of all the wildlife. We stopped for the night at Wheatland, WY and had supper at Wheatland Restaurant. When we were walking back to the motel there was a beautiful sunset in the west. We hurried inside to get our cameras and made pictures of it until it faded away.
Saturday, August 25th we woke up to a cool 55 degree morning. We are enjoying the cool weather, because it's hot back home! We are driving down highway 25 to Cheyenne WY , singing “Me & Bobbie McGee”, along with the CD. Just into Colorado, we saw a huge herd of buffalo but couldn’t stop to make pictures. We went back several miles and got on a frontage road to get some pictures.
These buffalo were on a ranch for hunting expeditions and for meat. Not quite as sporting as hunting them in the wild. We stopped about 10:30 at Wellington, CO and ate a big, delicious breakfast at T-Bar Inn & Lounge, a place with a lot of local color.
At 12 noon we are headed toward Rocky Mountain National Park, Denver & Colorado Springs. The mountains are awesome! A little scary, though, when there are no guard rails!
Jeep likes to say that I tried to sit in the middle, on the console, so I wouldn’t fall off the side of the mountains. He had to do all the driving in the mountains because it made me too nervous. We stopped along the way and made a lot of pictures. We were in a six-lane traffic jam for a long time because of a ball game at the Mile High Stadium.
Sunday, August 26th. I am up and dressed by 7 a.m. and Jeep is still sleeping because he was very tired last night from all the driving and dealing with the traffic jam. We failed to find a church in time to attend. We finished breakfast at a Waffle House at Castle Rock about 11 a.m.
We drove through The Garden of the Gods, which was beautiful! There were many interesting and colorful rock formations. The Scotsman (above) is one of the notable rock formations.
From there we went to Pike’s Peak. I was under the impression that we would take the train to the top, but Jeep wanted to drive up. It is a 38 mile trip to the top and back down. I was afraid of the height and the road where there were no guard rails.
Up past the timber line, near the top of Pikes Peak. Part of the road is not paved but only gravel. It was very beautiful and exciting and there were many overlooks where you could stop. By 2:30 we reached the top, an elevation of 14,110 feet above sea level. It was 57 degrees and very windy.
We met some nice people from Georgia who were fascinated by the fact that we were on our honeymoon and they wanted to make our picture.
We started back down about 3:00 p.m. and it was not quite as scary going down. I had to keep swallowing and yawning to keep my ears from driving me crazy because of the changes in the pressure. About half the way down, there was a sign that said “hot brakes cause accidents” and a place where you had to pull over and let them check your brakes. Of course, they found that ours were hot and told us to pull over and let them cool for about 30 minutes.
This ‘just happened’ to be right by their Gift Shop. Jeep said ‘We’ve been had’, but it was done so slick and smooth that we had to appreciate it. And, I might add, it worked, because I did buy a few things! Pike’s Peak is not a National or State park, but privately owned. When we came back down the mountain we saw lots of Bighorn Sheep.
This was the view as we were coming into Buena Vista, CO via highway 24 just before dark. Our motel was real nice with good beds and pillows. It was quiet and cool (no need for an air conditioner) so we slept right through the night.
Monday, August 27th: We did our laundry this morning at the motel and left about 10:30 a.m. It’s a cool 60 degree morning as we take Hwy. 24 to Leadville.
There are beautiful mountains and a clear stream following the highway.
We enjoyed a good lunch at the Eagle Diner in Eagle, CO. It was a neat, clean place with a Fifties theme. By 2:30 we crossed the Colorado River and entered Glenwood Canyon. It is spectacular!
Sheer rock walls with layers of different colors as tall as skyscrapers right by the highway! The Colorado River runs along the bottom of the canyon. We traveled through 3 tunnels, one of them was quite long. At 3:00 p.m. we stopped at a Wal-Mart in Rifle, CO to get the oil and filter changed. I did a little shopping while Jeep waited for them to do the job. As we traveled on, there was lots of open range land and we saw antelope as well as some oil wells. We got to Rock Springs, WY about 8 P.M.
August 28th Tuesday. We are heading on highway 191 toward Yellowstone National Park. Jeep spotted a herd of antelope and we turned back and made pictures of them. It is open range with purple mountains in the distance.
Now we are in Hoback Canyon and the scenery is breathtaking! We got to Jackson Hole, WY about noon.
Next, we enter Grand Teton National Park and it is the prettiest one, so far. The mountains are AWESOME and just what I had hoped to see! Of course, we made lots of pictures.
We ate lunch at Signal Mountain Restaurant in the park.
This is the view from the restaurant where we enjoyed a good lunch. We drove to the top of Signal Mountain where we met a friendly couple who made our picture.
We saw Jackson Lake and Dam and then entered Yellowstone National Park at the south entrance.
We came to a bridge where there were cars stopped everywhere and people out on the bridge. Someone had spotted an Elk down in the valley below!
We parked and walked back and made pictures. Jeep got a good shot of a huge male Elk! It looked like the span of his antlers was 4 or 5 feet across. We went to see Old Faithful but it had just erupted and it was getting late, so we left the park by the west gate to find a motel room. We stayed at the Yellowstone Park Hotel, in West Yellowstone, MT, which was brand new and had plenty of rooms. We decided to stay for two nights so we could spend a full day in Yellowstone tomorrow and not have to worry about finding a room late in the day.
Wednesday, August 29th: At 41 degrees, this is the coolest morning yet ! We got up at 6:00 this morning, had breakfast at the hotel and got an early start in Yellowstone.
Old Faithful erupted at 10:10 this morning and was somewhat disappointing, as we thought it would be bigger and more forceful. We overheard others saying the same thing. We learned later that this was because of the drought and lack on underground water to make the steam.
We saw several big herds of Buffalo and some Elk. We stopped by Roosevelt Lodge in the park and had lunch about 3:00 p.m. It was the only place to eat that was close by. It has about 80 small cabins around it that you could rent. The restaurant had a big front porch and was very rustic. Teddy Roosevelt had hunted in that area and they had lots of memorabilia about that. There were lots of pretty sights in Yellowstone but also a lot of trees that were dead from either fire or bugs.
At Mammoth Hot Springs, we saw another Eagle and enjoyed making pictures of it.
We also saw a whole herd of Elk which were just lying around by the side of the old hotel building. It’s nice to have our room waiting for us and get to stay in the same place two nights. We rested a while and then went to the IMAX theater to see the movie, “Yellowstone”. We really enjoyed staying in this new hotel, where we were even the first ones to use the towels!
Thursday, August 30th: We did our laundry at the hotel this morning and are leaving Yellowstone Park Hotel at 9:00 a.m. I drove a long way this morning and we stopped for lunch and gasoline at Burley, Idaho. We had a good lunch at Wayside Restaurant & Truck Stop. Idaho is a very varied state, with mountains, flat farmland, cattle ranches, and plains with nothing but sage brush and rocks. In many areas, black rocks are protruding out of the ground. Most all of the farm land is being irrigated.
This old barn was right beside the road and it's one of my favorite pictures. We have seen no wildlife today in Idaho. We’ve been on the road 2 weeks today! It’s 103 degrees as we got to the high desert by mid-afternoon . We must have crossed the Snake River umpteen times, as the river and the road crisscross.
The Cascade Mountains, on their east side, are rolling mountain that are covered with brown grass with a few evergreen trees scattered around. They look soft and smooth but sometimes they are rocky as you can see where the highway is cut through them. We got to Baker City, Oregon about 5:30 p.m. Pacific time. It is raining and has cooled down to 71 degrees. We drove 504 miles today.
Friday, August 31st: It’s 72 degrees, cloudy and windy as we leave Baker City, OR this morning at 8:15 a.m. We stopped about 10:30 for breakfast at a Shari’s in Pendleton, OR, which was a real nice place with good food. We bought a pie to take to Jeff and Cheryl, as we expect to be there before dark. I saw one Elk at the edge of an evergreen forest.
We stopped at an overlook to view the valley, fields, and town. Quite a spectacular sight! The drive along the very wide and blue Columbia River is so beautiful!
Much of the time we drive in silence, too awe-struck for words–just trying to soak up and remember the beauty of God’s creation. It seems that around each curve is a new scene even more beautiful that the one before. We can see Mt. Hood in the distance, a power dam on part of the river, and many trains across on the other side of the river.
We have been driving for some time between the base of Mt. Hood and the Columbia River. It is so beautiful!!! As we go thru Portland, we can see both Mt. Hood and Mount St. Helens! We arrive at Jeff and Cheryl’s about 3:00 p.m. We rested for a while, then Jeff, Jeep and I went out to eat. After that we went to a Grange Hall where Jeff plays with a band on Friday nights. This is mostly entertainment for senior citizens with music, singing and dancing. This is 30 or 40 miles from Jeff’s and these are really “salt of the earth” country folks.
Jeff played with the band most of the time and then when it was his turn to perform, he introduced us and invited us to dance as he sang our wedding song, “Walk Through This World With Me”. That was a surprise which I enjoyed very much! We danced to several other songs then Jeff and the band played while Jeff & Jeep sang “Crazy Arms” and “Me and Bobbie McGee”. Jeep is very comfortable on stage and everyone seemed to enjoy their performance. We were at home and to bed by 10:00 p.m. We slept through the night with the windows open, enjoying the cool, fresh air in our room.
Saturday, Sept. 1st : We woke up about 7:00 a.m. to a beautiful day in Vancouver, WA. Jeff cooked a good, big breakfast for us this morning.
Jeep played the piano and Jeff played the guitar and they sang for a while this morning. Jeff is really good with the guitar and with singing harmony. Their rendition of “Danny Boy” was so touching it brought tears to my eyes.
We left the house about 1:00 p.m. to visit the Columbia River Gorge and waterfalls.
Latourell Falls
Bridal Veil Falls
Multnomah Falls ~ Our favorite
Horsetail Falls
Wahkeena Falls
Sunday, Sept. 2nd (my birthday) Jeff and Cheryl gave me a very cute birthday card that plays “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” when you open it. I have really enjoyed it. We ate a light breakfast this morning as we need to get to church for the 10 o’clock service. Jeff and others play and sing Bluegrass Gospel before the service begins. Fern Prairie United Methodist Church was built in the 1800's with a capacity of 52 in the sanctuary. It is several miles out in the country and very informal. After worship they have coffee, cookies and Sunday School in the fellowship room.
Jeff is a Lay Speaker and today he brought the message, in the absence of the pastor. Jeep played the piano while he and Jeff sang “Now I Have Everything”. They did a great job! After church we went back to Jeff’s to re-dress and then we went out to eat lunch at a nice restaurant. Jeep and I had the shrimp platter...very good! Back home again, Jeep and I took a nap while Jeff and Cheryl went shopping.
Jeep and Jeff had a long session playing the fiddle, guitar and singing this afternoon. Cheryl and I watched an old movie.
Monday, Sept. 3rd Labor Day: We are still at Jeff’s and we had a quite day of rest and naps. Jeff grilled brisket and vegetables and we had potato salad and pies. Cheryl and I played with our pictures on our computers today.
Mount St. Helens ~ Before the Eruption
These two pictures were made of posters on the wall at the museum.
These two pictures were made of posters on the wall at the museum.
Mount St. Helens ~ After the Eruption
This is the view down into the valley below the mountain. There are lots of wildflowers everywhere! Stopping at a café in the visitor center, we see that they have added a chili-burger to their menu! Jeff finds this really funny because a year or two before, when he and his brother-in-law, Bryan were here, Bryan ordered a chili-burger and they told him they didn’t have chili-burgers. He said, well I see you have a chili-dog and you have a hamburger, why can’t you take the chili that you put on the chili dog and put it on the hamburger? They said, "I’m sorry we don’t sell chili-burgers".
Jeff had to make a picture of the new menu and e-mail it to Bryan, telling him how he had influenced them to change their menu. We had a good laugh about this. We had a fun time and made lots of pictures but were disappointed that the clouds did not lift enough for us to see the crater made by the eruption. We noticed that some of the foliage is beginning to show some fall color. On the way home, Jeff spotted some Elk and we stopped and made pictures.
Wed. Sept. 5th: It is 60 degrees this morning as we leave Jeff and Cheryl’s about 8:45. Jeep programed the GPS to guide us to Crater Lake via Mt. Hood. We turned on the road it suggested and as time passed, it became “the road less traveled”. It turned out to be a road built to maintain the high voltage power lines which cross the mountain. After about 5 miles, the road became impassable for our van and we turned around and came out.
The trip was not entirely wasted because we did get to see a lot of wild flowers and scenery that nobody else ever gets to see! One wild flower that I was excited about appeared to be wild foxglove. Some of them were bright pink and some were white.
We stopped at a pull off near Modras because Jeep saw a snow-capped mountain off to our right, which turned out to be Mt. Jefferson (Elevation 10,497 feet) and by the map it was about 30 miles away.
When we stopped and looked back to the north, there stood Mt. Hood looking very majestic! It was about 50 miles away! As you will see by our pictures, they both had snow on them. We stopped and had a late lunch at a Black Bear Restaurant in Modras, OR. I had grilled wild salmon which was very good. We arrived at Crater Lake about 5 p.m.
Crater Lake is spectacular and very blue! There is a rustic lodge and a gift shop but no outside commercialization at all. We drove around and stopped at all the overlook places that we saw and made lots of pictures. It’s 50 degrees now and very windy up here. The rim is 7,100 feet above sea level and the water level is 6,173 ft above sea level. The maximum depth is almost 2,000 ft. and it is 6 miles across the lake. The average yearly snowfall is 44 feet! It has no inlet and no outlet. Crater Lake, created when Mount Mazama erupted, is one of the purest and most pristine in the world.
West of the lake we saw large pumice deserts where nothing grows. That is Mount Thielsen, which is 9,182 feet, in the distance. We had to leave about dark to find a place to stay for the night. The area around the lake was a National Forest and we had to drive 138 miles to Roseburg, OR where we found a room at the Douglas County Inn. On the way there, we ran over a deer that had been killed by another vehicle. We didn’t see it until it was too late to swerve and miss it. The most damage it did, was to give the van a distinctive odor for several days.
Thursday, Sept. 6th it is 56 degrees as we leave Roseburg, OR at 9 a.m. in search of a good breakfast. We found a Denny’s where we enjoyed some good food. Now we are fortified for the day as we head toward Coos Bay, OR. We got to Hwy. 101 about 1:00 p.m. and we drove over the bay bridge, (Jeep just wanted me to see it) turned and came back. We got gas in Bandon and then finally got to see the Pacific Ocean about 1:30. It was just as beautiful as I had imagined!
This is my first view of the Pacific Ocean.
This picture and the next two were made by Jeep and are some of my favorites.
The couple had no idea they were being photographed because he was using a long lens.
It was 67 degrees and the wind would almost blow you down! We spent a lot of time looking and making pictures. I don’t think I would ever tire of watching the ocean as it is ever changing! I wanted to make a picture of each new wave.
We stopped at Gold Beach Resort, right on the beach and rented a wonderful, big, new room with a balcony. We went back to the beach about sunset and had a great time watching the waves and making pictures. We accidentally got our toes a little wet by an unexpected wave. Besides our still pictures, Jeep made several short movies of the waves breaking on the rocks and sand.
We made pictures until the sun went down. That night we slept with the sliding glass door open to the balcony so we could hear the sound of the surf. This was another wonderful day!
Here's one more picture as we reluctantly leave Gold Beach Resort on the coast of Oregon on Friday, Sept. 7th. It was 58 degrees as we ate breakfast at the motel before heading toward the Redwood National Park. We stopped by a place called “Elk Meadow” and did, indeed, see several Elk lying down in the meadow. There was a misty fog this morning on the beach and also in the forest. It looked really pretty in the forest as the sun shone through the trees showing shafts of light.
In the Redwood Forest, we stopped at a privately owned park and Jeep drove our van through the redwood Chandelier Tree. It is amazing that this tree keeps on living with that much cut out of the center of it. There was one deer and some geese grazing in a field near the museum/store. We stopped about 2 p.m. for lunch at Denny’s in Fortuna, CA. We saw lots of people on the road who appeared to be homeless, hobos or hippies. There are a lot of tight curves on these mountain roads, but I’m learning to trust Jeep’s driving. However, I’m still leaning toward the center. We stopped at Willits, CA for the night.
Saturday, Sept. 8th: It’s 44 degrees this morning! We are leaving our motel at Willits, CA about 8:15 a.m. There is so much pretty scenery-mountains and lakes- near Clearlake, CA.
The highway winds around the edge of Clearlake and there are mountains all around it. The mountainsides are dotted with houses. There are lots of shrubs that are blooming white or pink. Oleanders? I think I have seen these on our MS Gulf coast. There are lots of evergreen shrubs (or trees) that are very tall, dense and cylindrical. I wonder what they are? About mid-morning, we came out of the mountains into orchards, sunflower fields and flat land. There are orchards that look like peach trees, vineyards and some fields that we think look like rice. We ate a very good, ‘all you care to eat’ breakfast at Home Town Buffet in Yuba City.
By 12:30 we drove into Tahoe National Forest then we crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We took Hwy. 89 around the west side of Lake Tahoe. The Lake Tahoe area is very “touristy”. We enjoyed the drive while watching the clear stream beside the road.
We stopped and made pictures and met a friendly biker who is planning to race around the lake for charity the next day.
We stopped again and climbed on a rocky place overlooking the lake and then again at Emerald State Park. Along a ridge at the top, the view was straight down to the lake on either side. I couldn’t look! South of Tahoe we saw beautiful mountains, meadows, white birch and redwoods trees.
It seems like we have been living inside a picture postcard today! On Hwy. 89, we met another biker couple at an overlook and talked with them a while. This is some terrific scenery! The mountains are beautiful! We stopped at Lee Vining for gas and had to pay $3.79 per gallon! This is the highest price we've had to pay, so far.
There was a gorgeous sunset today and we stopped and made pictures as long as it lasted. We got to Bishop, CA about 7:30 and spent the night at Best Western Holiday Spa.
Sunday, Sept. 9th: We like it here and plan to stay two nights and go to church and to Yosemite National Park before moving on. We had a big breakfast at Denny’s, which was right across the street from our motel.
We attended Morning Worship Services at First United Methodist Church in Bishop. It was a pretty little church built in 1871. The people were very friendly and welcomed us like we were old friends. The pastor, Rev. Caddy Jackson, introduced us as guests and had us to stand. The people applauded. Then he told them that Jeep was a recently retired United Methodist minister and they applauded again. Then he told them that we were on our honeymoon and, of course, they applauded again! We enjoyed the service and especially the music. Their choir numbered only 13 but they all sounded like professional singers.
Afterwards we had refreshments with them in the family life center. The High Sierras are magnificent, rising abruptly out of the valley. We saw our first (and only) serious wreck where a pickup with a camper on it had turned over on its side. The people had already been picked up, but their camping equipment and belongings was scattered all over the road.
We entered Yosemite National Park about 1:00 p.m.....high mountains and giant granite ‘mushrooms’ popping up everywhere. The roads are just barely hanging on the sides of the mountains and it’s a long way to the valley floor!
El Capitan
Bridalveil Falls had very little water falling because of a very dry summer and was a little disappointing.
We got to photograph another Steller’s Jay and that was exciting. About 4:30 we started our return trip back through the park and saw a rainbow. It looked like you could see where it ended. It is raining a very light shower and it’s 52 degrees.
I did not make this picture but it's included to show more of the beauty of Yosemite.
It was copied from Properties of Yosemite Region Resorts on the Internet.
Monday, Sept. 10th: We saw the sun come up over the mountains, had breakfast at the motel and are leaving Bishop, CA about 9:00 a.m. We got the van serviced and the oil and filter changed this morning.
We are on Hwy. 136 going toward Death Valley. This is desert country where the mountains are covered with black or reddish colored rock. Where are also flat areas and some Joshua trees. This is Death Valley and not much of anything grows here.
Jeep has been to the little town of Trona before and when we came to the sign that says “Trona 44 miles”, he said, “I’m sorry, but we have to go to Trona”. It is actually just outside of Death Valley, but we have to drive 44 miles of rough road in Death Valley to get there. It is a quaint little town and I wonder why people choose to live there.
At lunch time and we found a little café, “Trails Drive In” advertising great food and clean restrooms. I ordered a cheeseburger and Jeep got a Chili Burger (in honor of Bryan). Both turned out to be very good. The clientele made me a little nervous, though. We made some pictures and then drove the 44 miles back into Death Valley. We examined some of the desert plants and found that everything that grows in the desert has either stickers or thorns! The Joshua trees are like a Yucca plant in tree form. The leaves are as stiff as can be and each one has a needle-like point.
There are several old buildings like this scattered around in the Ghost Town.
We got to Stovepipe Wells about 2:45. We enjoyed some ice cream and Jeep bought sun glasses because the glare of the salt flats and sand is blinding! The highest temperature we have seen today is 115 degrees.
When we left Stovepipe Wells we saw the sand dunes, salt flats and the Devil’s cornfield, where the vegetation had the sand blown away from it and made it look like shocks of corn.
We got to Badwater about 4:30. This is not a town, just as observation point. This morning we were in front of Mt. Whitney which is 14,494 feet above sea level and now we are at 282 feet below sea level. It’s too hot to walk outside for very long. Very oppressing heat!
At 5:30 we start toward Beatty, NV which is 30 miles away. We arrived about 6 p.m. and got a room for the night. What a day!
Tuesday, Sept. 11th : We are leaving Beatty, NV this morning about 8:00 a.m. We’ll get breakfast somewhere later.
We saw the Giant Sand Dune and drove off the main highway for a while to try to get closer to it, but soon saw that the road probably didn’t take you there. This was another dirt road which was very rough. Back on the main road, it’s long and straight in a broad valley with distant purple mountains all around us.
The sky is clear blue with a few light fleecy clouds around the edges. You can see for miles and miles due to the terrain and the lack of vegetation. Going toward Las Vegas there is miles of nothing (probably because we are right beside a military test site), then we see one big house on a hill back off the road. Then suddenly there are many, many smaller houses, so close together you could shake hands with your neighbor without going outside!
We stopped in Las Vegas about 10:30 at a really pretty shopping center and got gas at a Sam’s Club and breakfast at an IHOP.
We got to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam about 12:30 Pacific time. At Hoover Dam we change back to Mountain time.
They are doing a lot of road construction at Hoover Dam. They are making the road very high up in the air in order for the highway traffic to bypass the dam. As of now, all the highway traffic has to go over the dam.
We stopped at an overlook on the Colorado River and met a nice couple from England. It is fun to get to meet and talk with people from other countries. Later on, we saw the biggest ‘dust devil’ ever! We saw it a long way off and it was very tight and tall, Jeep estimated it was maybe 200 feet tall. When we got closer, we tried to make a picture of it. It lasted a long time before fizzling out. There were several other smaller ones in the same desert. We got to Williams, AZ about 5:00 p.m. We stayed in a neat little motel with tall beds.
Williams is an interesting little town situated on Route 66, The whole town has a Fifties and Route 66 theme. We enjoyed driving around and making pictures there. On their local TV channel they ran a continuous program giving information and the history of the town. There are several trains here and you can ride one the 50 or so miles to Grand Canyon. One motel even has trains fixed up so you can rent a room in them.
Wednesday Sept. 12th: It is 52 degrees this morning as we leave the motel. We ate breakfast downtown at the Pine Country Restaurant. There is a sign on the wall that says, "Unruly children will be used for soup stock!" It was a very interesting place and has a gift shop also. We left there heading toward Grand Canyon. The rolling, green hills are covered with evergreen trees that look like cedar but are short and round shaped. They are just scattered around over the landscape as though were set out that way.
We saw a huge herd of sheep in one pasture. As we go farther north, the trees are taller and thicker with some pines added to the mix.
We arrive at Grand Canyon about 10:00 a.m. It is GRAND, AWESOME, DEEP, and COLORFUL! We stopped at most every place for viewing and picture taking.
We went around the east side of it toward Cameron, then south on 89 to Flagstaff. It’s high desert with mountains here and there. The sky is so blue and just full of white fluffy clouds. Now there are grasslands, some strewn with rocks. We suppose there are cattle around because there are fences along the road. There are a good many roadside stands selling pottery, glassware and other things. We checked in to a motel in Winslow, Arizona about 6:00 p.m. Remember the song, ‘Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, with seven women on my mind’, by the Eagles?
Thursday, Sept. 13th : It is 62 degrees this morning at 7:30 as we leave Winslow, AZ going east on I-40. There are miles and miles of flat grasslands and a few scrubby cattle.
We are going to the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert today. Seeing all the petrified logs was interesting. It is amazing that ordinary wood could turn into such pretty colors of real stone. We enjoyed viewing and making pictures from all the pull outs. We met an interesting couple from Australia at Newspaper Rock overlook where we viewed some ancient picture writings on the rocks, called petroglyphs .
The plaque stated that there were more than 650 images on the boulders, one of the largest concentrations of petroglyphs in the park.
People who farmed the Puerco River Valley 650 to 2,000 years ago pecked these petroglyphs onto the rock, leaving a legacy etched in stone.
The colors and formations in the Painted Desert are spectacular! They are so brilliant it does look like someone (God) painted them.
While we were at one of the overlooks, several members of a Corvette Club from California stopped by.
Leaving there we went south on Hwy. 191. There are high rolling hills of grasslands dotted with those same round, evergreen shrubs/trees. We haven’t stopped for breakfast, but did stopped to get a coke out of the cooler and ate some Nabs. There is almost no civilization on this road.
There was a sign that said “Rough road next 20 miles” and Jeep is humming the song “Forty miles of Bad Road”, by Duane Eddy.
There are pretty hills/mountains with valleys of wild flowers, horses and cows. We are coming into timber now with lots of ferns growing underneath. My, sister, Helen, would have a fit and want to stop and dig them up! As we get closer to Alpine there are tall evergreen trees (not sure what kind). We are at 8,046 feet and are in a National Forest.
Next is Luna and Luna Lake-what pretty country! We enter New Mexico (Land of Enchantment) about 2:15.
We are hungry by 3 p.m so we stop at Adobe Café and Bakery and have a huge, delicious sandwich. It was so big, I could only eat half of mine. They were ready to close but gladly served us and the manager/owner talked with us while the cook fixed our food.
As we leave, we see more beautiful scenery and an antelope, so we turn around and go back to get some pictures of it. We got to Deming, New Mexico at 6:30.
Friday, Sept. 14th : We had breakfast at the motel and it’s 68 degrees as we leave this morning. We are heading into the sun on I-10. I saw my first road runner this morning just before we stopped for gas and ice at a Love’s truck stop in Las Cruses. There was also a road runner at the truck stop and I made a picture of it. Now we are seeing green grass and fruit trees. We saw a Holstein dairy operation that was at least a mile long! It was right near the highway and it seemed to go on forever.
Miles and miles of Texas! We stopped at a Dairy Queen in Van Horn for a burger, coke and an ice cream cone. I can’t remember when I have felt so carefree and happy!
We followed a dirigible (Airship) for a long way. It was following the highway and we could only see the end of it for a long time. We called it a UFO until we finally caught up with it and stopped to make pictures.
The high mesas are covered with those big white windmills that they use to make electricity. We were zipping along I-10 trying to make it to Cal and Saundra Neely’s (one of Jeep’s HAM radio buddies) before night, when we heard the fuel indicator go, DING! We were used to filling up the van once a day and not driving far enough to run out. We were miles and miles from any town, and there were no houses along the road. Jeep pressed the fuel indicator button and it said we had enough gas to go 16 more miles. We had just passed a sign that said the next town was 44 miles away. We drove along for a few miles and I asked Jeep “what are we going to do?” He said “Pray, I guess”. I said, “Oh, I’ve already been doing that.” Right away we spotted a very small, homemade sign that advertised “Gas-1 mile off the Interstate”. It was late afternoon and we hated to leave the Interstate, not knowing what we would find, or if we had enough gas to go even that one mile! It was a worn out little road that took us down to the “town” of Roosevelt, TX. There was one very old, run-down store, where we were delighted to see people!
We parked beside two gas pumps that were rusted and had the backs and fronts off so you could see right through them. Jeep said, “I don’t think we will get any gas out of these old pumps!”
There were two men skinning a deer out beside the store and he asked them if the store sold gas. They said, “yes, go in the store and tell them what you want.” The storekeeper told Jeep to go ahead and pump whatever he wanted.
Jeep is looking pretty happy as he put 21 gallons in a 20 gallon tank!!! We were very thankful, and felt our prayers were answered. We got to Cal and Saundra’s in Kerrville, TX about 7:00 p.m. We had told them not to fix supper for us because we would drink our Slim-fast. I went to bed about 10:00, but Jeep stayed up and visited with them until late.
Saturday, Sept. 15th : Cal and Saundra fixed a delicious, late breakfast for us this morning. We left their house about 11:30 a.m. We plan to get to Curtis (Jeep’s nephew) and Jeannie Jenkins’ house in Houston by night. I drove a good while after Jeep drove us through San Antonio traffic. We stopped at Love’s truck stop for gas and got a sandwich at Arby’s about 3:00 p.m. We got to Houston about 4:00 p.m. Curtis and Jeannie are really nice, friendly people and made me feel right at home. They have a pretty home in a nice neighborhood. We talked a long time and ate some delicious strawberry shortcake.
Sunday, Sept. 16th : Today we have been on the road for one month! We woke up about 7:00 a.m. and Curtis and Jeannie had cooked a super breakfast for us! I did our laundry while Jeep and Curtis went to get our van washed. Since we ate breakfast so late, we didn’t eat again until about 4:30, when they treated us to a meal at a Mexican Restaurant. Back at their house, we sat outside and talked a long time and then went in and watched a movie. Curtis put all our pictures on DVDs for us.
Monday, Sept. 17th : Bobby Jenkins (Curtis’ brother) came over to see us and to pick up Curtis for a game of golf. It’s 80 degrees as we leave Curtis and Jeanie’s this morning. We enjoyed spending the weekend with them. They promise to pay us a visit when they are passing this way going to Georgia.
Houston is a huge city with 6 million people. The traffic is five lanes out and five lanes in plus the frontage roads. We stopped at a Waffle House, ate breakfast and were back on the road by 10.00 a.m.
We went to Galveston and crossed the bay on the ferry. We saw lots of sea birds and some porpoises. Of course, this was another good photo op. I drove from the edge of Texas almost to Baton Rouge, LA. We stopped in Hammond, LA for the night at a Best Western.
Tuesday, Sept. 18th : We had breakfast at the motel this morning and left about 9:00 a.m. We toured the Mississippi Gulf Coast to see the progress made on building back after hurricane Katrina. They still have a long way to go and it will never be back like it was before. We arrived at Carolyn (my sister-in-law) and Dewey Murren’s about noon. They treated us to lunch (fried shrimp platter for me) at Big R’s, their favorite place to eat. They drove us around town for a while and then just visited. We went by to see Leigh Ann at her work place. Later, she and Janet came over to visit.
Wednesday, Sept. 19th : We got up about 7:30 and had breakfast. Dewey cooked boiled shrimp, potatoes, and corn on the cob for lunch. Dewey knows how much I like fresh shrimp!
We left Carolyn and Dewey’s about 1:30 p.m. as we are getting anxious to get home. We are going north on Highway 63 and we are seeing cotton fields for the first time on this trip! As we take Highway 15 to Ackerman, we are listening to a CD by Ray Price and Jeep is singing along with some of the songs. Jeep drove us through Laurel and I drove the rest of the way home. We filled the gas tank up at Scott’s in Eupora and the odometer read 11,306 miles.
We have driven 9,675 miles through 20 states. We have had a wonderful trip doing exactly as we pleased each day. We were blessed by having good traveling weather, good health, visiting with family and friends, meeting new people, and the opportunity to see and enjoy God’s beautiful creation.
Dorothy Y. Pepper
August 16, thru September 19, 2007
