Route 66 – Day 8: Left Albuquerque, NM and headed to Flagstaff, AZ. Along the way we took a detour in NM to visit the longest Pueblo village of Sky City (it’s a village on the top of a mountain) and a volcano that is leaking lava daily. After visiting the Ranger Station we learned about some off-road trails through the National Forest (El Maipais) that we can drive on. Of course Tony wanted to take his Jeep off road. We were lucky enough to see a few Elk roaming about. We took NM Route 53 through the Navajo and Zuni reservations into AZ and then headed north to catch back up with Route 66. There we went to Winslow, AZ and visited the Meteorite that crashed into earth and left a 1 mile crater. On the side of the road that leads to the meteorite they have a “primitive” road that goes 20 miles through the range and ends at the base of a mountain. We drove down that road and spotted more Antelope and Jack Rabbits. I was amazed that all of the roads around Route 66 and Interstate 40 all have grates on them to keep the cattle and horses that are roaming off from the interstate and within their areas of grazing. Another thing I commented on today is the amount of train traffic. In the northeast we don’t see the train that often but here out west the train system is still alive and well. At one time we saw three trains passing each other. Tomorrow we’ll visit the Grand Canyon and then head to CA. One more thing, we have enjoyed the time zone changes and the extra hours they have given us to explore the areas.

Route 66 – Day 9: Yesterday we left Flagstaff, AZ (my favorite city along 66) and headed north to the Grand Canyon. Ahhhmaaazing!!! We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant (we both ordered Indian Bread) and topped it off with Fried Ice Cream. Really good food. Next was the very, very, very long drive across the Mojave Desert. Did I mention how long this drive was? There was a very nerve-wracking drive through the mountains. It reminded me of climbing Mt Washington in New Hampshire. Narrow roads with steep banks and no guard rails. We drove through an old mining town. I wish I would’ve captured some photos of the mine shaft entrances. Next was Victorville, CA. Tony was stationed here in the early 80’s. It was dark when we arrived so we will spend time today touring the area. Tony said the town looks so much bigger based on the lights lighting the sky last night. After visiting the old base area, we’ll be jumping off Route 66 and will head towards Vegas Baby.

Route 66 – Day 10: Woke up in Hisperia, CA and visited closed, George Air Force Base. Tony thinks it closed around 1995. Disappointing to see that our government closes bases and then let’s them fall apart. I can understand trying to sell them to developers but they could at least remove the furnishings like mattresses and donate them to ones in need. Tony walked around his dorm. After the tour through memory lane we headed to Las Vegas. We stayed the night at the Aliente Casino in North Vegas. I stayed here three years ago for a Yellow Ribbon event. Nice place and outside of the busy strip. Last night we re-charted our path home. As of today we are headed north to Salt Lake City and tomorrow we’ll hit Yellowstone. Along the way we will be grabbing a geocache in Montana. After this trip we will only have TN and HI left for states where we need to geocache.

I wish I had taken some photos of the mattresses laying all around.

Route 66 – Day 11: Left Las Vegas with some money still in our pockets. Headed north to Salt Lake City, UT. It was a pretty boring, Interstate 15 drive. We enjoyed BBQ at Famous Dave’s. (one of Kendra’s favorite). There was a really cool mountain pass that we went through in Arizona (didn’t realize we were going to clip a corner of AZ heading to UT). Along the side of the roads I noticed many of the trees were dead. I had to google it to find out why and discovered that Utah has a Bark Beetle that is destroying it’s forests. Very sad. I shot a photo of a mountain side that shows all the trees dead (the cows are in the fore front). Quite a few of their mountains still have snow and the speed limit is 80! Tomorrow we head to Yellowstone National Park and will spend the night in Cody, WY.

 

 

Route 66 – Days 12 & 13: Yesterday was a very long day. We left Salt Lake City, UT at 0700 and didn’t get to our hotel in Cody, WY until 10:30pm. On our trip to Cody we traveled through Idaho, Montana (grabbed a geocache) and then into Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park. Love, love, love Yellowstone. We arrived around 1pm and left the park after the sunset at 9pm. Really wish we would have had more time and planned ahead (Yellowstone was a last minute decision) to hit a few trails and hike to some of the waterfalls and lakes. Even though we didn’t hike, taking the road trails were still spectacular. We saw Bison, Elk, Black Bears and Grizzly Bears. We visited Old Faithful and watched her blow her top and took in the beauty that Mother Nature had to offer us. It was sad to see all the destruction that forest fires do but loved knowing that nature lives on and regrows itself.
Today we slept in a bit (8am) and left Cody, WY and headed to Cheyenne. Since it was dark as we were driving through Cody last night, we went and backtracked some to take in some tunnels, a dam and to view the western town of Cody. Tony spotted a shooting range and he was able to shoot a few guns, one including a Gattling gun. I would bet that we saw at least 200 Antelopes from Cody to Cheyenne. I knew that there were long miles in between towns in WY but had no idea how long. We drove about 200 miles and maybe went through three small towns. One of them only had 10 as a population on their sign. Oh….the manager at the hotel we stayed at in Cody was from VT (Bennington) and the girl working at the shooting range was from Portsmouth, NH. She was in the Navy and met a man who brought her to Cody to live. It’s always nice running into fellow New Englanders.
Tomorrow we head to Nebraska.

Route 66 – Day 13: traveled from Cheyenne, WY to Omaha, NE. It was a long, interstate 80 drive. The weather was beautiful so we popped the top down on the Jeep. The drive was boring but we stopped in Lincoln and met up with my friend, Vadra. It was great seeing her, although very short. We then headed to our friend Danielle’s house for the night. I wish we had more time to hang out and chat but they had to be up early for work. Today we’re headed to grab geocaches in Iowa, S Dakota and N Dakota.

Route 66 – Day 14: Left Omaha, NE and headed across the border to IA then up north to South Dakota and North Dakota to grab geocaches. We were going to spend the night in North Dakota but decided to head to Minnesota. We’re at Prairies Edge Casino for the night. It rained most of the day (first rainy day in our trip). Tomorrow we head to Wisconsin and we are unsure where we will be laying our heads at night.

I never realized how big the corn business was in Minnesota.  We saw a few ethanol plants.  Driving through the midwest we kept seeing these steel silos.  Here in Vermont, we still have the small town farmer who has the tall, skinny silos.  I wonder how many small farmers are still left in the midwest?

Route 66:  Day 15 – Our plans today are to head through Wisconsin.  We’ll be spending the night in Elgin, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. 

Here in Vermont we have Cabot Cheese.  Cheese made from local, small town farmers.  I’ve heard that Wisconsin has some great cheese so it was on our to do list.  After trying quite a few varieties of cheese from this location, we still love our Cabot Cheese more.

Route 66 – Day 16:  Driving from IL to Canada today.  Stopping for the night in London, Ontario, Canada.

We hit 7,000 miles just outside of Chicago, IL.

Route 66 – Days 16, 17 & 18: My last post was when we were in Minnesota for the night. We then drove to Elgin, IL, London, Canada and tonight we’re in Gananoque, Canada (1000 Islands). The drive from MN to IL was long with periods of high traffic. We stopped in WI and grabbed a geocache. Surprisingly, for my geocache friends, WI doesn’t have any caches hidden at their rest areas. The next day we left IL and drove through Indiana and Michigan until we crossed the border into Canada. It’s been so nice seeing green pastures and a mixture of trees. The west was all brown and red with only one type of tree or bush in the fields. We spent the night in London, Canada at a TownePlace by Marriott (we’ve tried to stay at Marriott’s throughout the trip). We had the best customer service at this hotel. Very friendly people and they honored the military rate for a US Veteran. This morning we left London and headed East. We decided to visit Niagara Falls again. We didn’t opt to take a boat ride through the falls but watched a boat from above get very close…..and wet. We decided to stop in an area we are familiar with – Gananoque. Tonight we went over to the casino for supper and to throw a few twenties into their slot machines. Tony hit some free spins as we were about ready to leave and won most of our money back.

The post Route 66 Trip Continued Day 8-19 appeared first on Front Porch Reviews.

During our trip I posted each day on Facebook.  This blog post will show each Facebook page and some of the photos from that day.  Enjoy!

Day One: Day one is complete. We drove from VT through NY, PA and stopped in Mentor, OH for the night. I didn’t realize that Erie, PA area had such a strong wine presence. There were vineyards everywhere.

Route 66, Day 2 – traveled from OH to IL.

I saw my first triple tandem truck.  I was surprised at how busy the interstates were.  Here in Vermont we have more personal vehicle traffic than commercial transportation.

It was a beautiful day when we hit Indiana we took our top down on the Jeep.

Most of Route 66 isn’t drive-able anymore.  The road has been replaced with other roads, mostly interstates.  When we started out in Illinois, we drove parallel to the old Route 66.  Most parts of it were turned into walking/bike paths.

Route 66 – Day 3: Today we woke up at my friend Julie’s house in Springfield, IL. It was a beautiful 80 degree day so we kept the top down on the Jeep. We visited Lincoln’s home and Tomb before we headed south to St. Louis. Along the way, we visited the Cahokia State Park which has mounds that are from 700 A.D. They say it was the largest prehistoric society north of Mexico. We also stopped at some great roadside sites – like the world’s largest catsup bottle and rocking chair. We only hit IL and MO today. Spending the night near Fort Leonard Wood.

Lincoln’s Home

Route 66 – Day 4: Today we woke up in St. Roger, MO and traveled through KS and into OK. We stopped in Claremore, OK for the night. This morning our first stop was at Uranus Fudge Factory. They welcomed me into the store by shouting “Welcome to Uranus”. Great way to start the day with a big smile. Drove through Joplin, MO – home of the largest tornado on record. 5 years ago it killed 150 people. We weren’t able to spot where it hit. Before we stopped for the night we visited the World’s Largest Totem Pole.

Route 66 – Day 5: Woke up in Claremore, OK. Went to the Davis Gun Museum. Home of a very large gun collection. Tony was in heaven. Drove through Tulsa and stopped in Edmond OK for the night. A friend of mine was nice enough to open her home to me. Oh, we stopped at a store called Pops, they have over 200 brands of soda bottles. Here’s some photos from the day.

Route 66 – Day 6: Today we left Donna’s home in Edmond, OK and headed to Amarillo, TX. Along the way we saw lots and lots of flat land, cattle, oil pumps, windmills and people eating steak. We ate lunch at Sonic (those in VT know that we don’t have a Sonic in town) Tomorrow we are NM bound.

Up North in Vermont we have brown soil.  Seeing the red dirt all over is such a pretty sight.

Route 66 – Day 7: Left Amarillo, TX and headed west towards Albuquerque, NM. We chose the longer route through Santa Fe (pre-1935 Route 66 route). In the morning we drove to the Palo Duro Canyon. What a nice surprise to see this in the middle of flat country. We also chose a dirt road option (vs I-40) through TX into NM. Glad we chose that route as we spotted some Antelope and a Jack Rabbit. Mountains north of Santa Fe still have snow on them. Tomorrow – Flagstaff, AZ bound.

I love looking at license plates when I’m traveling.  It was a surprise to see someone from Haiti.

The rest of the Route 66 – Cross-Country Trip can be found on my next post.

The post Our Route 66 Trip from Vermont to California and Back appeared first on Front Porch Reviews.

Besides visiting my parents more often, we have also been looking to buy some land in upstate New York (the real upstate New York, near the Canadian border).  We have put 1,000’s of miles on our vehicles and have viewed 100’s of properties.  My husband is a hunter and he wants land that he can hunt on and I want land that we can build a house on in a couple of years.  We found the perfect property in West Stockholm, NY.  We’re just waiting for the paperwork to be finalized and in 2016 we’ll become New York Property owners.  Hopefully in 2017 we’ll become NY Homeowners.

Throughout 2016 we’ll be finalizing what home we want built on our land.   Will it be stick built or a log home?  Both of us are hoping a log home but it’ll depend on our budget.  Down the road from us there is a new log home going in.  The new owners have opened their doors to us stopping by whenever we’d like to take a look at the process.  They’ve shared some lessons they’ve learned along the way (plan your building time frame so you can stain the outside before the cold weather hits, double and triple check the orders for the kitchen).  They used Coventry Log Homes out of New Hampshire.  Here’s a sneak peek into the house that I am in LOVE with (although the bed rooms are a little small).

Isn’t this a beautiful home?  It’ll look perfect nestled in our woods.  We even have some great rocks on the property that we can use to build a rock garden similar to their front yard.

Earlier I was mentioning my father and Alzheimer’s.  During the past couple of years I’ve had to talk to my mom about mourning the dreams that she had about her and my dad and their retirement years.  She had always hoped that they would be able to travel but that won’t be able to happen.  With that in mind, my husband and I started planning the one and only thing that has ever been on my bucket list – Route 66.  I have always dreamed of driving cross country and stopping at those unusual places like; world’s largest ketchup bottle, biggest ball of yarn, etc.   Driving through the plains, desert and west coast.  Stopping by Branson, MO, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, seeing my friend in OKC.   I am beyond excited for this trip and spend a lot of my spare hours at night reading about our journey.

Have you ever driven across country?  Ever completed something on your bucket list?  If so, tell me all about it.  I love to hear stories about other people’s bucket list items or adventures.

So, what do you have planned for 2016?

The post My 2016 Plans – What Are Yours? appeared first on Front Porch Reviews.

Do you dislike the taste of coffee or need an afternoon pick me up? If so, take a look at Positive Energy Drinks. Natural caffeine from green coffee beans, plus fresh-squeezed juice. Simple, delicious energy in a bottle. One bottle of Positive Energy gives you the same amount of caffeine as a premium cup of coffee.

No added sugar.  No preservatives.  No artificial flavors.  Non-GMO.  With Green Coffee Bean it has some promising weight loss benefits.  Only 60 calories per bottle.

The post Positive Energy Drinks appeared first on Front Porch Reviews.

The food prices are going higher and higher at the grocery store and I’m always trying to find ways to save money when buying food for my family. A couple of years ago I heard about a company called Zaycon Foods. They sell chicken (and other meats) in large quantities (bulk) at a reduced price. Even more importantly, their meat is farm to table fresh. What does that mean? It means that it takes a shorter process (which equals less time) from the farm to the retail customer (me!).  They cut out the middle man.  Since they combine the buying power of many families, it enables them to negotiate huge savings on food purchases for our family…and yours.

You place your order online at Zaycon Fresh, then on the pick up date, head to your pick-up spot, pull in, grab your order and drive away.  It’s very quick and easy.  The food is fresh and not frozen.

I used some of the chicken we purchased last night to make a Maple Vinaigrette Chicken Quinoa Salad.

Zaycon Fresh
Maple Vinaigrette
Chicken Quinoa Salad

2 Zaycon chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked
1 cup uncooked red lentils, cooked
1 cup black beans, drained
1 cup corn
Maple Vinaigrette Dressing (or any vinaigrette dressing), I use store bought

Mix everything together. Drizzle with the Maple Vinaigrette and mix until well blended. Serve warm or cold.

The post Zaycon Fresh Maple Vinaigrette Chicken Quinoa Salad appeared first on Front Porch Reviews.

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Not every person struggling with dementia lives in a nursing home or assisted-living facility.

In fact, more than 15 million Americans – usually family members or friends – provide unpaid caregiving to people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, according to a 2014 report by the Alzheimer’s Association.

Although it’s wonderful so many are willing to assume that responsibility, it’s also important they take steps to make sure the home is a safe place, says Kerry Mills, co-author with Jennifer Brush of the book “I Care: A Handbook for Care Partners of People With Dementia.” (www.engagingalzheimers.com)

Part of that is to focus on potential hazards. The concept is not unlike new parents making a house “childproof.” Many of the concerns are similar, such as stairs, electrical sockets, sharp objects and swimming pools.

At the same time, it’s easy to go too far, Mills said. Ideally, the environment for the person with dementia should be as unrestricted as possible.

“For example, if your loved one enjoys cooking for a hobby and can safely cut and peel vegetables, then by all means, encourage it,” Mills says.
Mills suggests several ways to make a home safer for someone with dementia.

•  For the front and back doors. Use bells on the doors, motion sensors that turn on lights or alerts, or other notifications that make the care partner aware when someone has gone out. Add lamps or motion-activated lighting so people can see where they are going when they are entering or leaving the house.

“Another way to discourage someone from wanting to leave the house is to make sure that he or she gets plenty of outside exercise whenever possible,” Mills says.

•  For stairways and hallways. Add reflective tape strips to stair edges to make stairs more visible. Remove obstacles, such as mats and flowerpots, to minimize risks of falls on or by the stairs.

Also, install handrails in hallways and stairways to provide stability, and install a gate on the stairway to prevent falls. Improve the lighting around hallways and stairs by installing more ceiling fixtures or wall sconces.

•  For the bathroom. Install grab bars and a raised toilet seat to help both the individual with dementia and the care partners so they don’t have to lift the person on and off the toilet.

Add grab bars inside and outside the tub, and a non-skid surface in the tub to reduce risks of falls. You can also add colored tape on the edge of the tub or shower curb to increase contrast and make the tub edge more visible.

Lower the water temperature or install an anti-scald valve to prevent burns, and remove drain plugs from sinks or tubs to avoid flooding.

•  For the possibility the person becomes lost. Provide your loved one with an identification or GPS bracelet in case he or she wanders. Label clothes with the person’s name, and place an identification card in his or her wallet with a description of the person’s condition. Notify police and neighbors of the person’s dementia and tendency to wander.

About Kerry Mills

Kerry Mills, MPA, is an expert in best care practices for persons with dementia both in the home and in out-of-home health care residences and organizations. She is a consultant to numerous hospitals, assisted livings, hospice, home care agencies, senior day care centers and nursing homes. In her twelve-year career in health care, she has served as executive director and regional manager for numerous long-term dementia facilities. She is an outspoken advocate for persons with dementia, lecturing in Hong Kong, Canada, China, Europe and the United States. Her book, coauthored with Jennifer A. Brush, “I Care,” (engagingalzheimers.com), is the 2014 Gold Award Winner of the National Mature Media Awards. 

The post Taking the Right Precautions For A Family Member With Dementia appeared first on Front Porch Reviews.

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So, let’s compare these to potato chips:

– They are baked and not fried
– contain more fiber
– higher levels of protein
– non-GMO
– gluten-free

You can check them out online at HarvestSnaps.com and stop by their “Find ‘Em” section to location where they are near you.

The post Harvest Snaps Snacks appeared first on Front Porch Reviews.

I am addicted to the daily deal websites. Although I may not order from them daily, I do find myself stopping by to see what their deal of the days are.  I thought I’d put together a listing of websites to share and to make it easier for me to access my increasingly-long list.

If you know of a daily deal site that’s not on here, please let me know.  I did not put any city/state specific deal sites but only ones who have a national customer base.

1SaleADay.com

PlumDistrict

ZuLily

OpenSky

MidnightBox

OneKingsLane

DealChicken

Groupon

LivingSocial 

Moolala 

NoMoreRack

L.L. Bean

Shark Stores

Woot

SteepandCheap

CrowdSavings

The Clymb

PeachyCheap

ThatDailyDeal

7DeadlyDeals

13Deals 

Yugster 

DailySteals 

DealGenius

PricePlunge

Selloutz

PennyWise

GoingToday

Goodiyz 

RockaDeal

WhiskeyMilitia

ChainLove

Tanga

BelleChic

DizBee

TroopSwap

Zagerz

ShirtaDay

TeeFury

TheWineSpies

WiredforWine

LastCallWines

PlanetGear

Dillyeo

DownLowTooSlow

DealADayGolf 

CamoFire

98Main

GearsLash

YourBestDeals

Tippr 

HalfOffDepot

HomeRun

HalfOffDeals

DealFind

Rush49

Amazon Goldbox

CowBoom (BestBuy)

Walmart Value of the Day

Incredibuys

eBay Deals 

The post Daily Deals Listings #greatdealalert appeared first on Front Porch Reviews.