Travel Times 2

Limping Home

2026-09-20T09:31:15.440-07:00

Today is the last leg of our trip. Speaking of legs, we are at half mast: Dianne walks with a cane, and I now use a walker, following a pinched nerves/sciatica attack. Even the walker we borrowed is limping - it’s got a screw loose! LA traffic is solid. Passing by Pasadena, heading for I-5, we’re on the way home. 😘

AM/PM market - walker wobbles!

Dianne’s turn to drive

Martha’s view as a passenger

Heading home on the highways of CA Martha Sent from my iPhone

Drive 2026 Part 3 Day 2 - TX to NM

2026-09-16T07:17:01.808-07:00

We’re here aging - I wrote “We’re heading home”, but spellcheck had a mind of its own. And it’s not wrong! We are limping home, hobbled by our life adventures. The verdict is in, the vote is unanimous, this will be our final drive. Next time, fly and rent! Coming in to Ft. Stockton, we’ll stop now at Love’s for breakfast and gas. Oops, she missed the exit. Next? Burger King and Chevron. And coffee. 😉

Martha Sent from my iPhone

Heading for Houston

2026-09-04T11:07:21.008-07:00

We had a good visit in Ennis with Juli and her daughters, Amy, Katie, and Sarah - and their families. Now we’re on the road to Houston. Stopped at Cooper Farms in Fairfield - 9 highway ads between Ennis and Fairfield. Dianne is driving now - I took a snooze and woke up to rain! 😅

Martha Sent from my iPhone

Heading south to Texas

2026-08-31T08:31:54.031-07:00

Today we drive down Kansas, through Oklahoma on the Indian Nation Turnpike, then we’ll stop overnight in Sulphur Springs TX to visit my cousin Carolyn. We’re now in Coffeyville, headed for the Kansas border - and I missed the photo!

Martha Sent from my iPhone

Driving Across Missouri

2026-08-27T08:28:59.858-07:00

We left Springfield IL at 8:15 am and just now stopped at McDonald’s for coffee and a small strawberry shake. Now we’re ready to cross the great state of Missouri along US 36 and MO 110. Then we’ll connect with I-35 south to KC and West to Tonganoxie, to stay with my cousin Steve. On Monday we’ll head south for Texas. While at Steve’s, I will create back-dated posts for the days I’ve missed, and link to the photos. For now, a quick snooze while Dianne drives, and a Zoom connection at noon - Life on the road! 🥰

Martha Sent from my iPhone

Hectic Drive to Indy!

2026-08-22T09:12:51.138-07:00

Phew! We’re stopping for lunch at Cracker Berrel. Noisy as all get out, but it’s good to be out of the traffic!

Martha Sent from my iPhone

Blog Updated with Photo Albums!

2026-08-21T19:56:51.954-07:00

Tonight I added links to various posts of the driving photos from that day. As with anything, maintenance is the hardest part! One thing that makes it easier is that Google Photos does an automatic backup of every photo I take with my iPhone. Tonight we're at a hotel that had the photos uploaded within minutes of connecting! Other hotels may take all night. So, it's hard to be consistent, and easier to do "catch-up work" like I've done tonight. Unfortunately, that means if you want to see the photos, you need to re-visit the end-of-day post to see the link added to the bottom, something like this:

8/21/26 9:54 pm - 44 photos from Drive to Rockford IL

Midway Village Museum

2026-08-21T13:17:52.609-07:00

We got to Rockford before we could check in to the motel, so we stopped first at the Midway Village Museum - a FABULOUS surprise! I went through the main museum, but skipped the outside museum in the rain. 😒 Nevertheless, I saw sock monkeys, the Rockford Peaches, and dozens of industrial enterprises. Well worth returning to some day! Now, it’s time to head for bed! Traffic was fierce, rain was intermittent, and I drove most of the way!

Martha Sent from my iPhone

9:36 pm Album of 85 Museum photos - WOW!

Madison in the rain?

2026-08-21T09:00:28.490-07:00

We’re north of Madison, at the Love’s truck stop. Watermelon and coffee will be our fuel as we cross the town where I lived from ages 5-7, and where younger brother was born. Hope the rain waits!

Martha Sent from my iPhone

Across WI to Rockford IL

2026-08-21T06:50:17.507-07:00

It’s a cloudy day, but no rain! We’re on our way to Indiana via I-94 and I-90 through Wisconsin and heading for Rockford IL. It turns out there’s a fabulous looking museum in Rockford, so we’ll try to visit the Midway Village - you never know what you’ll find! Such as construction! 😮😘

Martha Sent from my iPhone

9:30 pm Here's a link to the driving photos from today, Day 17

Days 6-16 in St. Paul MN

2026-08-20T18:55:43.133-07:00

We arrived in St. Paul MN on Sunday August 9, 2026 and will stay here through Thursday August 20, 2026. Tomorrow we head for Rockford IL and then on Saturday to our conference in Indianapolis. We did not see everyone this time, and I'm deeply sorry if we missed you. Four of our days here were consumed by Zoom meetings, two mornings by laundry, and other times by "down time". We seem to need more "recovery time" in between activities!

Nevertheless, we did spend quality time with my brother and his wife, with their son and wife and two nephews, and with my long-time friends from childhood. Here are links to photo albums:

Sunday at Gordon and Sandi's after drive from Council Bluffs IA
Monday - CAB Meeting via Zoom; La Casita with Jan, Judy, Bob
Tuesday at Original Pancake House with friends since 4th grade
Wednesday at Lake Josephine (laundry day?)
Thursday - four hours Zoom; La Tapatia with Jan, Judy, and Lorraine
Friday at Olive Garden with Gordon and Sandi (alas, no photos!)
Saturday at Barnes and Noble (bought no books!)
Sunday at Joe and Margit's, with William, Tegner, G&S
Monday - morning Zoom then Golden Corral after Half-Price Books (bought a book!)
Tuesday - spent the day at Jan's with Lorraine (no photo!)
Wednesday - Chianti Grill and then to B&N (bought TWO books)
Thursday - Breakfast at Keys Cafe with G&S; 4 hours Zoom; packing (photos to come)

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

8/21/26 9:49 pm - 59 photos from Drive to Arden Hills MN

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

8/21/26 at 9:47 pm - 40 photos of Drive to Council Bluffs

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

8/21/26 9:46 pm - 33 photos - Drive to Sidney NE

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

8/21/26 - 19 photos from Drive to Cheyenne 2026

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
8/21/26 9:42 pm - 41 Photos from Drive to Rock Springs

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

8/21/26 - link to 58 Photos from Drive to Elko

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.