Travel Times 2

Council Bluffs to Arden Hills MN

2026-08-09T08:28:27.965-07:00

Day 05 Sunday - Yesterday we had some challenges - what kind of gas do we get? I chose red. Can we outrun the rain? No. But we can sit out the worst of it for ten minutes. Today is a beautiful drive through the lush lands of western Iowa and now north towards Minneapolis - 187 miles to go, at 10:30 am. Check out what we found at the rest area - tomorrow’s windmill. Ciao. ❤️

Martha Sent from my iPhone

Sidney to Council Bluffs

2026-08-08T08:10:26.393-07:00

Day 05 Friday - Today we drive across Nebraska. I’ve already completed two hours, stopping once in Ogalala and now at the Brady Rest Area. Nearby is Gothenburg - we’ve stopped there in the past. We’re following the Pony Express route. I’m not sure if the skies show smoke or potential rain. Mostly trucks on the road. It’s very peaceful - Dianne had a nice nap! 😴 now it’s my turn.

Martha Sent from my iPhone

Cheyenne to Sidney NE

2026-08-07T12:55:59.096-07:00

We had a good visit with my cousin Kathy (daughter of Dad’s brother Rowland) and her husband Billy at Perkins in Cheyenne, and then drove on towards Sidney NE. I lasted about 45 minutes and then decided to switch drivers at Pine Bluffs, on the border. This may be a place worth visiting “next time”. Just five miles away is the Texas Trail Museum, and here at the rest stop is an archeology exhibit. Travel rewards in so many ways!

Martha Sent from my iPhone

Rock Springs to Cheyenne WY

2026-08-07T07:15:42.996-07:00

Day 03 Friday we’re driving to Cheyenne to meet my cousin Kathy at noon at Applebee’s for lunch. They’ll drive down from Wheatland and then go to a VA appointment for her husband Billy. Traveling once a year gives us the opportunity to stay in contact with family and friends, and is worth every ounce of effort or inconvenience. Besides we enjoy the drive, the scenery, the same old places to stay and some new sights/sites every time. Now I’ll take a snooze while Dianne does the driving! 😘

Martha Sent from my iPhone

Elko to Rock Springs WY

2026-08-07T07:06:45.025-07:00

Day02 Thursday we drove from Elko NV across the Bonneville Salt Flats, around and through Salt Lake City, and then up and over the Wasatch Summit to Rock Springs WY. The drive was a challenge, and we went straight to bed at 4 pm. Up at 6 pm we did computer work until 9 pm and then headed for bed once again. I missed two zoom meetings, but both Microsites and FEDHub Working Groups did just fine without me. That’s the goal - sustainable systems and transferrable leadership skills. ❤️ I’ll post a link to photos later. Martha Sent from my iPhone

Lunch at Love’s in Fernley

2026-08-05T12:52:42.439-07:00

We changed drivers at Colfax, then I drove and made it to Nevada before noon. Rather than stop in Reno, we decided to drive on to Fernley for gas and lunch at Love’s. We had brought leftover refrigerator food (yogurt and oranges) plus Vienna sausages. But - 98 degrees and no shade! We drove on. Trying to eat yogurt while driving is not for the timid, and not for us again! 237 miles to Elko, and very little traffic. Time to set up an audio book!

Martha Sent from my iPhone

On the road to Vacaville!

2026-08-05T08:09:56.158-07:00

We left by 6:50 am, made it through town and onto I-80 without trouble. First stop is McDonald’s in Vacaville. Next will be naptime for me! Form fog to farmlands in fifty minutes. ❤️ Martha Sent from my iPhone

T-Day Minus One

2026-08-03T11:10:08.490-07:00

Actually, we have 1.5 days left. This morning we went for haircuts, took the left-behind car (Mitsubishi Mirage) for gas at Costco, and then stopped for 12 bottles of water at Target. The biggest difference about getting older is that we take "breaks" between every chore we do! Oh, laundry is being washed, and I have lots of CAB work to do in between. Those are my rest breaks!

Having the same routine every year is reassuring, in a way. We have a sense of where we're going and what we'll see along the way. The hotel reservations have all been made, and contact with all the cousins/siblings/friends have been done - except for one. I still am not sure when we'll get to Tucson, but we're working on it! I just realized last night that I'll miss the first two sessions of our next webmasters training, but I have confidence that the team is able to handle things. Still, it's a bit nerve-wracking!

Well, back to work I go. Maybe it's time to pay bills...

T-Day Minus Two

2026-08-02T20:05:31.747-07:00

Today is Travel Day minus Two - and we're beginning the actual process of packing-the-bags. I came across this reminder from our cruise in 2023 that we can be very organized when we want to be - here's Packing List for 2023.

Practice Packing

2026-07-31T22:45:23.760-07:00

This weekend we are coming down to the wire - five days to go. It's time to finalize the decisions on what to take, and what to leave behind. I never feel ready, and always worry about what we might forget. And yet, the less we take, the better. And nothing that we forget can't be replaced along the way.

Is traveling a metaphor for life? Hardly! At least, not for me. I certainly never had any idea of where I expected to go. Each step of the way has been a surprise, and never have I had a preview or even an inkling of where I would end up. Dianne, thankfully is quite different. She has all the hotels booked, created a booklet with pages which describe where we'll be each night, and added maps that detail the route we'll take.

The hardest part has been to get me to nail down an itinerary! Most of the stops are understood - we'll visit each of the friends and relatives we can along the way. We have a few key stops - MN, KS, TX - and this year we added the NARFE Conference in Indianapolis IN. I managed to throw in one new adventure - the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and the New Salem State Historic Site, near Springfield OH. I can hardly wait!

Another View of the Map

2026-07-17T00:27:40.345-07:00

Here's our map using Google MyMaps:

Drive 2026 - Map

2026-07-03T21:56:37.664-07:00

I believe we've finally settled on the map. It looks almost the same as before, but we've had to make a few adjustments. We're working in two different mapping programs - Road Trip Planner is a paid product that provides mileage and cost estimates and the ability to print HTML and PDF versions. The other method is MyMaps.Google.com. This allows us more flexibility in the mapping, but doesn't provide step-by-step detail. Oh how we miss the old Streets and Trips program from Microsoft! And AAA Triptiks.

Ready to Begin Again

2026-06-10T12:23:26.553-07:00

Last year we stopped recording events and uploading photos after the Las Cruces stop. The challenges of Dianne's injury caught up with us. I probably have all that information still available, but is it worth trying to dig it up?

Let's Begin Again. Here's the expected trip for 2026 - a drive that takes us further east as we attend FEDcon26 of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) conference in Indianapolis IN.

Dinner in Las Cruces NM

2025-08-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Monday 8/04/25 we met NARFE friends of the Las Cruces chapter at the Double Eagle Restaurant in the Carlotta room. As they regaled us with ghost stories and local history, we imbibed great food and renewed our friendships.

Arrived Las Cruces, NM

2025-08-03T13:41:00.001-07:00

We got here a wee-bit before Check in time, so are taking advantage of our pre-paid card for dinner/lunch at Cracker Barrel. Two nights here, so hoping to catch up with the blog! Love to all,

Back in Minnesota!

2025-07-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

We've arrived back in MN via a Delta flight and a Nissan Sentra rental - with California plates! It even had California time!! Now we're chilling out at Green Mill with a beer (for me) and pizza. And then it's bedtime. It's been a long day, and a long two weeks. Looking forward to the meeting tomorrow with Dianne's surgeon.

Auto Adventure Day

2025-07-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today we spent getting the air-conditioner fixed! Driving to Houston we noticed it was not operating efficiently, which is especially important now that we have hit such warm weather. Bill arranged for his auto mechanic at Quality Auto Center to see us first thing, and he had our car ready by 2 pm. After a spaghetti casserole lunch with Joyce and Bill, we picked up the car and headed to Barnes & Noble for our customary visit. A short nap was followed by a quiet evening of iPad and computer, and a few phone calls. 😍 PS - our room(s) are the 2 lower windows on the right - handicap accessible!

Made it to Houston!

2025-07-22T23:12:00.001-07:00

We drove from Ennis TX to Houston today, and thus begin the third lap of our trip! This morning we stopped to say goodbye to Dianne's sister Juli, and then for lunch were welcomed by her sister Joyce and husband Bill. A load of laundry and a quick nap, and then we headed for the hotel. We have started asking for handicapped rooms, and were delighted with the spacious room we found waiting for us. We've just finished making the final reservations for rooms on the way home - had to eliminate visiting our friend in New Braunfels in order to accommodate two zoom meetings, which necessitated spending an extra night in Las Cruces! I'm way behind in telling the tales of our "Drive 2025", and hope to catch up sometime soon. Love and hugs to all our precious friends and family along the way - you enrich our lives!
Martha

Dows IA!

2025-07-13T09:41:00.001-07:00

Heading for KS

2025-07-13T07:04:00.001-07:00

7:10 and we're ready to go, two days later than expected - we'll fill you in on the details when we can. For now, we're ready to hit the road! 7:45, we left Target. Got on the road and realized it's Sunday - no working traffic!!! 8:45, first stop: Medford McDonald's. We're on our way!

Baseball and Ice Cream in St. Paul

2025-07-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

William was playing baseball at 6:30, and Margit and Joe invited us to the game. We got there easily enough, and Gordy brought us two chairs. The game was relatively short - each side played a full lineup three times, with a spirit of friendly support of all skill levels. We cheered William on, and watched as he caught the ball, hit the ball, ran bases, and acted as third base, catcher, and shortstop. It was a pleasure to see sports played for fun.

After the game we all met at Nelson's Ice Cream for a single serving, which was HUGE! This day, food-wise, was definitely one of excess, but we had a grand time with the variety of all that we did. Here are some videos of the game (2 1/4 minutes), and also 19 photos from the evening with family.

White Bear Lake MN

2025-07-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

This morning we drove to White Bear Lake by way of Highway 96. When we got there we just kept going north on Highway 61 until we saw a sign for Bald Eagle Regional Park. An earlier post shares photos of that interlude.

Later, I thought we were headed for a bookstore in White Bear and then a museum, but we couldn't find the bookstore and decided to stop instead at the Washington Square Bar & Grill. We ordered cinnamon rolls and coffee, and discovered these rolls were HUGE! Nevertheless, we managed to eat the whole thing. After a drive by homes on the lake front we headed back for the hotel, with a stop at Target to buy Dianne a belt. At 2 pm I did a Zoom with NARFE members of the Users Acceptance Testing (UAT) Team. We mainly talked about the difficulties in updating the Congressional Districts in the database due to redistricting. After that we had leftover Thai noodles for a late lunch and rested until 5 pm. 20 photos.

Monday Zoom and Exploration

2025-07-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today we did laundry and I hosted a Zoom meeting for NARFE members of the FEDHub Planning Group. Twenty of us engaged for a two-hour meeting to discuss ways to improve the functioning of the community-building software system provided by NARFE for active and retired federal employees. Dianne and I are both members of NARFE, and I am currently the chair of the Configuration Advisory Board (CAB). The challenge of working with others, teaching technology and improving communication skills - it's a dream job for an ex-Union steward with a sociology background and a love of the internet - and a passion for mediation and collaboration.

After editing today's meeting documents, we went for lunch - at 4 pm! The Indian restaurant we discovered last year was not open, but we found a Thai restaurant with a peaceful atmosphere, soothing music and oh so hot green curry! Siam Thai will be worth a return visit next time we're in town. After lunch/dinner we drove north, up Lexington Street to County Road I and then turned left. Lo and behold, a Heritage House caught my eye! The Lepac/Larson home and the smallest Texaco station gave me a good opportunity for a short walk and a few photos while Dianne took a snooze. Later we returned to the hotel and I spent the night uploading photos to Google Photos, creating albums for each day, and then creating blog posts. It's a past-time I much enjoy - hope you do too! Here's today's album of 21 photos - and a few teasers too!

Sunday Celebrations

2025-07-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday July 6, 2025 (11 photos) we returned to the Original Pancake House for one last gathering with Jan before she returned to her summer home in the North Woods at their family cabin on a lake. We're so thankful Jan came down to visit while we were here, and Merrily flew in from DC, allowing us to connect in person. The four of us plus Dianne and Judy have been visiting weekly via Zoom since Covid. Those visits are vital, but seeing each other in person is indescribably invaluable. As we age, these friendships serve as a sounding board, a touch point, and a lifeline as we surf new waters together.

In the evening we had a delightful end-of-day visit with Ann and Wayne, who live across from where I grew up. They were friends to my parents, and have become friends to Dianne and I, and it's always good to re-connect with them and catch up with neighborhood news, and share our personal journeys. [written 7/7/25 at 9:30 pm]

Saturday in St. Paul

2025-07-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had a delightful visit with longtime friends, Cindy Peltier and Bob Close. Bob grew up "two doors down" and his family and ours shared many hours together over the years. In addition, Bob's parents were the architects of our house, and we all share a mutual love of houses and urban landscaping. Even a short time together with treasured friends brings back fond memories, and is priceless. Later we returned to Jan's for another day together before heading for another bookstore - Half Price Books. I had finished the B&N purchase, The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure by Yascha Mounk - an excellent read on a topic of critical importance to all. We found a CD to listen to during the next leg of our drive: World Without End. [7/7/25 at 9:15 pm]

Roseville location of Keys Cafe

Cindy and Bob

Szechuan Chinese dinner delivered by Door Dash - at Jan's

Travel books organized by the MAPS of their location!!