Travels with Papa & Nana

2015-05-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

Spring in North Carolina

   Driving from the flatlands of our Iowa Prairie to the mountains in North Carolina is an ever-changing scene in the spring!   The view through the windshield of the motor home included: smooth fields planted with corn & soybeans, wildflowers blooming in the ditches and medians, road construction signs, flowers blooming in yards and gardens and the mountains covered with trees wearing leaves in many shades of green and accented with the white blossoms of shrubs and fruit trees. Fresh is the keyword!!

    At exit 148 on Interstate 40 a sign for Hiddenite Center Museum caught our attention. Driving on a two-lane blacktop with no shoulders we passed many small factories and small towns each with a Dollar General Store. Azaleas, iris and even roses were blooming in the neat yards. Still following the arrows past small farms to a small town, Hiddenite, nestled in the foothills of the Brushy Mountains.

      Hiddenite Center Museum

     A large three-story turn-of-the-century Victorian House with a continuous porch all around and 3 tall brick chimneys on the roof and a sign in front showing our destination. We were a little early for its 10:00 opening time so enjoyed our coffee sitting on a bench on the porch in the quiet neighborhood. The fragrance of boxwood plus the ivy covering the white fence and ground beneath were definite clues we were in the south! A gazebo and an old-fashioned covered well with winch and pail sit on the side lawn.

Our tour guide explained that the house was owned by James Lucas, known as "Diamond Jim" Lucas. Two stories were built around 1900 in the Victorian style. Mr. Lucas purchased the house to use as a second home. He lived up North, but came to the Hiddenite area to hunt. The house had its own electrical power generation plant, water system, bell system to summon the servants, and a fire extinguisher system.    The first floor is restored to capture the era when he occupied the residence.

A Victorian Chocolate Set

A Victorian Tea Party--note how the dolls have "mature" faces!!!

About 1915 the man who owned the Pilot Freight Carrier Company, Ruel Yount Sharpe, cut the house in half horizontally and lifted the second story up to become the third story. A second story was built between the two original floors! It was a bed and breakfast after the style of an English Country Inn for many years. After the Inn closed his wife, Mrs. Eileen L. Sharpe, started a gallery for artists.

Today the second floor gallery of the Masion features changing exhibits of art and history. On the third floor is a doll collection dating from the 1800's, on loan from Mrs. Sharpe. There are approximately 550 dolls.

Included in the Mansion is a local gem and mineral collection. The Emerald Hollow Mine has 63 different types of naturally occurring gems and minerals. It is the only place on earth where the very rare gemstone "Hiddenite" can be found. What is Hiddenite? It was first discovered in 1879 by Mr. W.E. Hidden in the mine in this area. It is an emerald green spodumene mineral named after him. They are also called lithia emeralds. Several large specimens are in various gem collections all over the United States. The mine is still open to the public for prospecting.

Fort Defiance

     Another out-of-the-way interesting history lesson can be found near the town of Lenoir. This five acre plot with a huge chestnut tree and cypress tree dating from the civil war, a 200 year old boxwood garden and a family cemetery is what is left of 2,000 acres William Lenoir purchased in the mountains near the site of Ft. Defiance.

      William Lenoir, a Major General in the North Carolina militia gained fame through his written account of the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. It was a pivotal victory for the American colonies during the Revolutionary War.
        He began building his home on the North Carolina frontier in 1788 finishing it in 1792. He found the location while he was surveying the area, calling it the "sweetest spot on the earth." Members of the Lenoir family have continuously lived in the home until 1961. There are 300 pieces of original furnishings and artifacts. A separate outside entrance to his office allowed him to work out of his home. A taste of life on the frontier after the Revolutionary War.

       Some miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to the Interstate through West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and to the Prairie!

Louisiana in the Spring

2014-05-15T18:55:00.001-05:00

A cold rain is falling here on the Prairie today. Let's think about Louisiana in the Spring!

A March motor home delivery to Hammond, LA gave us some "spring" while waiting for the weather to change in Iowa. We left Iowa with a dirty, brown landscape accented with scattered piles of snow waiting to melt. But the sunrise was beautiful.

"Corsair," an audio book by Clive Cussler is our traveling companion on this trip.

Slept to the sound of rain falling on the roof. On the road early under a full moon to drive through St. Louis. People commuting to work make a steady, unending, three lane wide stream of white lights. The ramps show a single lane of white lights flowing into the wider stream!

As we travel south daylight reveals limestone cliffs lining the Interstate. Soft blues, pinks and purples of dawn show over the bluffs. Thanking the Lord for creating a pretty world, for giving men knowledge to make it useful. For giving us "eyes" to see and an opportunity to enjoy!

Acres and acres of fields line both sides I-55 south. Green grass in ditches and scattered fields! Blue skies and sunshine, but a motor home's enemy, wind, to deal with!!

Nearing Memphis the skyline is filled with planes landing and taking off. A busy day at the airport!

I-55 runs right through the middle of the state of Mississippi. The bright yellow daffodil blooms, white blossoms on ornamental pear trees and white saucer shaped blossoms on the magnolia trees accent the rows and rows of tall southern pine trees that line the interstate.

A wash and delivery to dealer, but a long, long wait behind several other new trailers being delivered.

A drive through the country looking for Zemmurray Gardens. Stopped to ask directions and locals said it had been damaged by the last hurricane and not reopened for the public. Disappointed! yes! Traveling along the gulf in the past we have seen many attractions destroyed by the last hurricanes.

Headed north, watching the airplanes and big rigs spreading fertilizer and spraying in preparation for planting.

Stopped at New Madrid and walked along the Mississippi River Walk. Barges were being pushed up river and being loaded at a facility along the river. We have visited the museum. The information on the earthquake is interesting since we have not experienced one. We have also visited the Hunter Dawson Home on a past trip. It gives a picture of life in this area.

The Trail of Tears passed through this area. Some of the Cherokee being relocated were packed on flatboats and pulled down river by paddle-boats supposedly to make the trip easier. Some were also loaded on the steamboats and many perished in riverboat crashes.

A cannon sits along the walk way, a reminder of a Civil War Battle fought at Island # 10. It sits in the middle of the river at this location. Named #10 because it is the tenth one from the Ohio River!

Thanks to cable in our motel at Hannibal, MO we did have the opportunity to watch ISU Cyclones play NC East and win the Playoff Basketball game!

Back to winter coats and wind chill and snowbanks in the morning as we near the Iowa border.

Thanks for traveling with us!
Prairie Schooners

2013-08-03T15:02:00.001-05:00

Delivery to Gillette, WY

   On a hot, humid, sunny June day we picked up a Winnebago Sightseer in Forest City and headed west past very wet fields. Water is sitting in ditches and low areas in the fields after our steady rains the last few weeks. Farmers were working ground around the wet spots to get the crop in.

Traffic on Interstate 90 us light compared to Interstate 80 which is our usual route. Windmills are scattered all over this area of Minnesota. Southwest Minnesota was described as a "sea of grass" by the early Prairie Schooner travelers headed west!

In and out of clouds and sunshine as we cross into South Dakota. Past Sculpture Park with the world's largest bull's head. From flat farm land into rolling hills covered with grass. Herds of cattle grazing in tall grass with their calves nearly hidden. Large blue ponds of water reflecting the blue sky. Hay being baled. The silhouette of grain elevators in the distance with rail road cars parked for loading.

Past the exit to De Smet, which is one of the homes of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Our daughter and several granddaughters would love to spend some time there!

Listening to Lee Kline's Iowa Notebook getting a chuckle and a remember when as we put on miles. Also Providential Battles by William Potter who provides a providential interpretation of twenty of the greatest military battles in the world.

The highway runs along the bank of the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark traveled here. The Rest Area with scenic overlook is a great place to stop and stretch and learn some history of the area.

   Across the river and climbing the hills that will lead into Wyoming. Passing signs advertising all the "tourist" stops available. We counted at least 100 antique fire engines beside that many signs for the Fire House Brewery!!

Acres of farmland spread out over the rolling hills. Some were being planted. Rows of trees planted as windbreaks looked like someone making pencil lines on a quilt of brown and greens. Ranchers on horseback herding cattle. A semi-flatbed with rolls of wire parked along the gravel road near where ranchers were making fence. An ATV was used to move the rolls of wire. We can see the edge of the Badlands from the highway.

Big blue/black clouds never dropped rain all afternoon as we drove under and around them until about 10 PM! The wind and hard rain rocked us to sleep that night!

A hazy, cloudy morning with a blanket of fog of the pine tree covered hills transition into rocky grass covered hills, wide valleys and mountain tops on the horizon as we cross into "Big Sky" Wyoming. Areas of blue sky are allowing the sun rays to highlight the buttes and low mountains ahead. What a contrast! The palette of greens is changing from lush deep greens to a lighter shade due to dryness of the area.

   Through the windshield:

Small groups of antelope grazing.
Herds of black Angus cattle grazing.
Small ranches scattered through the valleys with exits to "Ranch Roads."
Trees lining the meandering creeks.
Rows of wooden snow-fences stand at attention holding the line prepared for the snowy battle to start.
Oil wells scattered along the valley.
Long trains with coal filled cars.
Mining machinery sitting in lots along the highway.
Storage tanks scattered between oil wells.
A coal mine with conveyors to power plant. The gully dug deep showing the black vein of coal to be mined and loaded on the conveyors.
Iris and lilacs are just blooming in the yards of Gillette.

Delivered motor home to the grounds of the FMHA (Family Motor Home Assoc) show on the edge of Gillette. Headed back east and stopped at a Rest Area along the Belle Fourche River. Ate our dinner in the shade of some huge cotton wood trees.

Took exit 153 to go to the Devil's Tower, but stopped in the town of Moorecraft and visited the West Texas Trail Museum.

History: In 1866, the first herds of longhorn cattle were trailed from Texas through Wyoming and into Montana, a 1700 mile journey. At its peak in 1844 it was estimated that 800,000 cattle were coming north past the dry areas in the south. The Belle Fourche River was a welcome sight. The last major stop before being driven further north.
In 1887 Jacob Kaufman saw his chance to make some money off the weary cowboys by operating a store/saloon at this stop. It served as a stage stop and post office for a mail run between Buffalo, WY and Spearfish, SD. The inspector for the post office didn't like how the mail was being handled and moved the office to the AK Ranch. Stocks Miller ran this office and named it Moorcroft after his home town in Scotland!
The CB&Q Railroad laid its tracks east of this spot in 1891 following the Texas Trail route and had Moorcroft as its northernmost point. This was perfect for laarge ranches to ship cattle via the railroad.

Museum Facts and Highlights:

For a perspective: In 1894 there were 32 trail herds each with 4,000 head. Each herd stretched 2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide.
In 1866 Mr. Nelson bought 600 cattle for $10 each, drove them 1500 miles north on the trail and sold them for $100 each!
The Texas Longhorn originated in South Texas as a cross between cattle brought from Spain and cattle from the European/American settlers. The are known for their long horns and hardiness in the harsh weather conditions. Their long and lean structure allowed them great stamina for traveling the trails.
The demand for more cattle was the result of more settlers, explorers, entrepreneurs and the killing of the bison.
Branding was important to prove ownership of cattle. Branding was started in 1541 when Cortez brought animals to the New World from Spain. They were branded with 3 crosses. There are 3 ways to read a brand: from left to right, from top to bottom, and from outside to inside..
A cowboy would have a pair of woolies--sheepskin chaps, hat, spurs, knife, branding irons, rope and quirt
A shave and a haircut was six bits--75 cents!
A 10 ft handles on a magnesium bakers peel that was used to insert and remove baked goods from an oven.
An oak roll top desk ordered from Sears in 1814.
Family histories of pioneers, collection of quilts & sewing machines.
Railroad items and photographs from the CB&Q (Chicago Burlington & Quincy).
Western saddles and tack.
A complete cowhide.

A display of the Empire Sheep Ranch owned by the Guthrie Family. They owned 20,000 acres and 55,000 sheep at a time when open range was dominated by the cattle industry. Yes, the display shows newspaper articles of cattlemen trying to run off the sheep herders! Remind you of the song about the cattlemen and the ranchers in "Oklahoma?" Mrs. Guthrie ran the ranch after her husbands death. After supper she would line up bottles on a fence, take her gun and practice her shooting. This would let all the men working for her that she was capable of handling a gun. It was rumored that she carried a lot of money in her big hand bag and a gun. Since she was often alone she had a gun near her at the ranch at all times. She was known as a shrewd and competent rancher.

A map and information about the bicycle trip by soldiers from Missula, MT to St. Louis, MO. "On June 14, 1897 the Bicycle Corps of the Twenty Fifth Infantry USA left Missula, MT to determine if the bicycle could be used in warfare of the future! Other countries were adopting it as component parts of their armies," stated the newspaper article. You can watch a complete program on Montana PBS website!

Devil's Tower
   Following the river north and east the highway curves through rocky ledges and pine forests with open grassland being grazed by flocks of sheep.
The tower rises up 865 feet. It is actually the exposed core of a volcano. The sides are made up of thousands of small columns. The rocks and boulders around the base that are broken pieces of columns having fallen from the sides.
      In 1906 President Teddy Roosevelt designated Devil's Tower as the nations's first national monument. Today the park service has7.4 miles of walking paths and a visitors center.

Pender, Nebraska
   Out of mountains and pastures and ranches and into rolling hills covered with irrigated hay corn & bean fields, cattle feeding lots, and hog confinement buildings. Nothing is flat! Even the irrigation rig curves with the hills. A sea of grass--as the wind blows it waves! Heading to Pender, Nebraska for an appointment at the Blue Ox factory to get our tow bar checked, cleaned and lubricated.
   The town is pretty. Homes and business have outdoor quilt blocks with the quilt's name. Pretty flowers. Huge brick building on main street, Palace Hotel, has several small shops at street level. Nice city park.

This time our schedules did not work for a visit with son and family so---Back to the Prairie!

Thanks for traveling with us,
Prairie Schooners

Chattanooga, Tennessee

2013-06-10T17:16:00.000-05:00

We are back on the road after dealing with health issues. Interesting to note that back in January we were dealing with travel advisories due to snow & ice and now the travel advisory is for flooding! We choose the main highways rather than county blacktops as we start south with light rain under a sky thick with clouds.

Rain makes for green grass and lush growth everywhere! Blooming shrubs accent the fence lines. Acres of fields are neat rectangles of black dirt with rows of tiny green corn plants emerging. Some have ponds of water standing in the lower areas. Rivers are running bank full to overflowing.

As we drive through the Mississippi River plain in Missouri we Listen to Christian historian, William Potter's, interpretation of twenty of the greatest military battles in the world. Each altered the course of history and served strategic roles in the unfolding plan of God in earth history.

Interesting cloud formations, heavy showers with lightening, very windy with weather band radio issuing severe thunder storm warnings.

Thanking the Lord for a drive through St. Louis with no heavy rain!

The farmers are stirring up dust clouds as they till and plant their fields in southern Illinois. Many motorcycles, boats and campers on their way home from Memorial Day week-end or taking off on summer vacations!

Over the Ohio River (third large river today!)and into the Kentucky hill country with forests and lakes. Crossing the Tennessee and Cumberland River on our way south to the Flying J at Oak Grove for an overnight stay.

Sunny and warm as we cross into Tennessee and head to Nashville. I-24 is a pretty drive through with tree-lined highway, mountain silhouettes on the distant landscape, wild flowers growing in the ditches and medians, acres of small fields on the mountain side with fragrance of cut hay.

As we near Clarksville, TN the highway climbs the steeper peaks. Shrubs with fragrant blossoms, perhaps honeysuckle, line the road. Clouds make dark shadows on the green slopes of the mountain peaks. Huge lakes formed by the dams along the Tennessee River spotted with fishing boats. Water running down off the mountain off the rocky ledges make miniature waterfalls.

Smooth and fast delivery. Good night's sleep and we are off to explore on our way back to the Prairie!

Stones River Battlefield--Murfreesboro, TN

Cannon at Stone's River Battlefield

A small part of the original battlefield is preserved. There are short trails and a self-guided auto tour with markers identifying stops. The museum has history of the town, the battle and reactions of the soldiers. The front page of an 1862 newspaper had a paragraph or two from every battlefield in every state. And they did not even have the internet!!! Go out the back door of the visitor center. Look across the field where Union and Confederate soldiers fought. Imagine opposing armies totaling 81,000 men battling to control Middle Tennessee in one of the Civil War's bloodiest encounters.

Union troops make their final stand here, defending the Nashville Pike and the railroad both vital lines of supply. The scene as we looked out differs little from 1862! The railroad and the pike are in the same place, and fields are now planted with native grasses between cedar thickets. Split rail fences and cannon as well as a National Cemetery with small white headstones standing in perfect rows and the sound of trains and traffic mingled with the songs of birds make a battle seem very unreal!

Why Stone's River?
As 1862 drew to a close, President Abraham Lincoln was desperate for a military victory. His armies were stalled, and the terrible defeat at Fredericksburg spread a pall of defeat across the nation. There was also the Emancipation Proclamation to consider. The nation needed a victory to bolster morale and support the proclamation when it went into effect on January 1, 1863
The Confederate Army of Tennessee was camped in Murfreesboro, Tennessee only 30 miles away from General William S. Rosecrans’ army in Nashville. General Braxton Bragg chose this area in order to position himself to stop any Union advances towards Chattanooga and to protect the rich farms of Middle Tennessee that were feeding his men.
Union General-In-Chief Henry Halleck telegraphed Rosecrans telling him that, “… the Government demands action, and if you cannot respond to that demand some one else will be tried.”
On December 26, 1862, the Union Army of the Cumberland left Nashville to meet the Confederates. This was the beginning of the Stones River Campaign!

The River Discovery Center--Paducah, KY

Riverfront at Paducka, KY

William Clark of Lewis & Clark fame founded Paducah in 1827. It's origin and prosperity is attributed to its strategic location at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. You can actually see the blue of one and the green of the other as they merge when you walk along the waterfront. Murals depicting its history are painted on the flood control retaining wall along the banks of the river. One mural shows a special horse & dog well that was installed on main street in the early days!

The River Discovery Center is housed in downtown's oldest standing structure. The exhibits highlight the history and habitats of the region. One side of the building houses a training center for riverboat pilots. The upstairs was the home of a banker and has furniture and items from that era.

The pilothouse simulator lets you pilot a tug, a speedboat and a coast guard buoy tender through various scenarios. Yes, you can make yourself or your passenger sea sick!!

Did you know that a fish is the host for the fertilized egg of the mussel or clams as we know them?

Steam-powered "snag boats" were outfitted with a huge, strong claw that could take out tree trunks to clear the river for the boats.

The steam calliope patented in 1855 by Josh Stoddard was named after the Greek goddess of music. It was originally intended to replace church bells, but had a less than pious sound to 1855 New England church goers!! It looked like it was a failure, but his brother, who was a river boat captain recognized the potential of the ear-splitting instruments use to announce the arrival of steamboats!!

Two of the most interesting riverboat captains listed were T.G. Ryman and May Miller.
Captain T.G. Ryman is one of Nashville’s favorite sons. He was a well-known Riverboat Captain on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, and by the mid to late 1880’s Captain Ryman owned a fleet of 35 steamboats. Captain Ryman was changed after attending a tent revival being conducted by evangelist Sam Jones. As a result of religious conversion, Captain Ryman began construction of the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1889. The huge building was completed in 1891 and it became one on Nashville most recognizable building. After his death it was named The Ryman Auditorium!

Captain May Miller, daughter of a steamboat engineer was born in 1846 in Louisville, KY. In 1865 she married Captain George Miller of Portland, KY, a respected river man and carpenter at the Howard Shipyard in Jeffersonville, IN.
The Millers shared the functions of operating the steamboat, Saline, carrying passengers and freight on the Mississippi, the Red River and the bayous of LA. She became the first female steamboat Captain to receive a Steamboat Masters license in the US!

Great River Road & Southern Lincoln Heritage Trail

Off the Interstate driving west on state Hwy 146 through rolling rural country side. Huge trees line the road alternately with acres of wheat fields, pastures, cornfields and farm buildings. Small churches and cemeteries dot the countryside. Huge blooms on the catalpa and magnolia trees as well as peonies, roses and lilies make a colorful landscape. Past the Lincoln/Douglas Debate site at Jonesboro, IL and north on Highway 3, the Great River Road beside the Mississippi River.

We continue to meander through flat areas of farmland, small farms, recreation areas, small towns, forests of tall trees occasionally a glimpse of the river, tugs, barges, unloading terminals with truck traffic and the rocky, tree lined slope of the opposite bank.

Chester, IL is the "home of Popeye!" Cement Popeye figures and his cartoon friends are spotted sitting all over the town as well as murals painted on the sides of buildings.

Following a sign north of Chester to The Pierre Menard Home we take a break and find an almost hidden gem along the river bank,

Pierre Menard Home

A small French Colonial home was built for trader Pierre Menard, who later became Illinois first lieutenant governor. He was born in Montreal, Canada and age of 15 signed on with a trading expedition to the Illinois Country establishing his own trading business.

An earthquake changed the course of the Mississippi and Kaskaskia river leaving the town on an island separating it from his home. It is in Illinois but can only be accessed by a road in Missouri!

Interesting discoveries on the tour of the home:

Rope springs and tightner

200 year old carpets that were hand made. You can see the stitching on the back.

"Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite!" To sleep tight the ropes that make up the springs under the mattress needed to be tightened. A wooden tool to do that.
Small 2 shelf corner stands that held the wash bowl and pitcher.
A built-in round cement sink in the kitchen and a small bread baking oven built in the wall beside the fireplace.
The center entrance hall was used to entertain by setting up tables the full length of it.

Back of handmade rug

Being able to "touch" items.

Back on the road headed north to St. Louis and then more rain all the way into Iowa.

Some time with family and back on the Prairie where the lawn does need mowing and the garden does need weeding!

Thank-you for traveling with us,

Prairie Schooners

2013-03-19T18:53:00.003-05:00

Destination: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

It was a dark, cold, windy, winter morning in early February when we left the Prairie to deliver a little VIA Winnebago to hopefully the warm southern city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The sun rises as a big red ball starting a light show of reds, pinks and mauve against a blue sky. A layer of snow covers the landscape until we drive over the Des Moines River and cross into Missouri.

Driving through acres of flat land waiting to be planted. The banks of the Mississippi River can be seen in the distance to our left. Ganton is an interesting river town. Large old houses sit on well-kept lawns. Up and down the bluffs as we get closer to St. Louis. The rock cliffs have icicles cascading in the areas not touched by the suns rays. As you look across the brown landscape the green fields of rye or winter wheat make a beautiful contrast. A taste green that we will see further south.

Water sitting in the fields as we near the Arkansas border. A result of all the rain and snow storms that have moved through this area this winter. The Missouri Welcome Center near New Madrid has displays with information on earthquakes. This is an "epicenter" for quakes!

Across the Arkansas border and counting down the miles to the Flying J in West Memphis. Will there be an Elvis sighting tonight?    A second spectacular light show on display for us as the sun sets. A big red ball settling behind the horizon leaving behind changing colors blending against the blue sky!   Thank- you, Father God, for sharing your amazing creativity!

A foggy morning drive through Memphis in the dark, over the Mississippi River. But clear e In and out of fog. Was lost when we turned into Grenada, Mississippi to find some breakfast. Thankfully, Gertrude, our Garmin, found the main road back to the Interstate. WOW! our view from the windshield went from foggy black night to clear technicolor day when the sun came up and burned off the fog! Tall Southern Pines and the skeletal trunks and branches of the hardwoods line the highway as we head straight south down the middle of the state of Mississippi.

The grass in the ditches and median is green. Daffodils, yellow flowers on the mustard plant and blooming forsythia bushes dot the landscape. Acres of pine trees, all sizes. Logging trucks. Areas with cut tree trunks stacked waiting to be loaded and shipped to a mill. We passed a Customs & Border Patrol boat being towed on a trailer. It had four 300 HP motors mounted on the rear! I believe it could move through the water way to fast to troll for fish!!

Cloudy and hazy, but 66 degrees as we cross into Louisiana counting down the miles to the dealer. Unit washed. Dealer found. Quick check-in. Finished our "tail-gate" lunch just as it started to sprinkle.

Capitol Park Museum

The Capitol Park Museum is located along the bank of the Mississippi river beside the State Capitol building. The museum has two floors with two permanent exhibitions.
    Some highlights of the Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation exhibit:

France sold The Louisiana Purchase to the US in 1803 for 15 million or 4 cents an acre because Napoleon wanted to keep it out of British hands. This area consisted of nine present day states and portions of 5 others!
The Port of South Louisiana between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, a 54 mile stretch of river , is one of the busiest ports in the world. It is the nations largest in terms of tonnage handled. The principle export, grain, accounts for more than 50% of country's annual shipments. The largest import is crude oil!
Many people immigrated to US through this port, too.
Memorabilia from the military role of this area in the 19th and 20th centuries from the War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans (remember the song??) through World War II.
These people all lived or fought in this area: Jefferson Davis, Gen Beauregard Jackson, Gen. Zachery Taylor, Muscian Louis Armstrong, State Politician Huey Long, author Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Artist James Audubon.
Thought of the movie, "War Horse," when we saw the teeth saved from Gen. Beauregard's favorite horse!
Two trees are native to this area: long leaf pine and bald cypress. Both used by lumber industry
Industries: cane sugar, oil, salt, indigo, cotton, tobacco, rice and seafood. A 50 ft. wooden shrimp trawler painted the typical colors turquoise & white and used until 2004 by a local family is an impressive exhibit.
We sat in a "fishing chair" that was used to catch a 1000 lb Marlin. Huge lures were displayed
A "Go-Devil" engine that is used in the swamps. It's drive shaft goes straight out the back of the boat.
A Civil War submarine that was found in Lake Pontchartrain.
An exhibit about steam boating.
Flatboats were floated down the Mississippi River by farmers to Natchez, goods sold, boats disassembled, sold as lumber, and walked back north up the Natchez Trace.

Some highlights from Experiencing Louisiana: Discovering the Soul of America:

Cajin are descendents of the French Canadian (Arcadia) immigrants
Creole are descendents of slaves and some whites and speak a French dialect similar to what is spoken in the Caribbean
Baton Rouge means Red Stick. A red pole adorned with animal bones was found at the site of this city. It was probably a tribal boundary or an Indian "mourning" pole.
A trinity of veggies (onions, bell pepper & celery) are the basis for Louisiana dishes. Cooks add these and garlic to a completed roux (browned flour in fat) as a foundation of their dishes!
A cure for Hansen's Disease or leprosy was developed at Carville, LA. A sugar plantation was changed to a hospital for leprosy patients in 1894. In 1941 Promix, a sulphone drug, was administered to the patients. The disease was controlled. Today, several drugs including sulphone make up the regime for the disease.
A Maradi Gras Gallery featuring the elaborate costumes worn.
A "Po-boy" sandwich is made with fried bread filled with fried seafood, smoked sausage, meat balls, or roast beef and gravy.
Red beans and rice was a typical meal on Monday, washing day.
Think Gumbo, Jambalaya and Pralines or Crayfish, Oysters, Seafood Boils & Crocodile!
A Christmas tradition was building bonfires along the banks of the Mississippi River to light the way for Papa Noel, French for Santa Claus.
Spanish Moss is gathered,cured and ginned in a "Moss Gin." The gin removes dirt and twigs, separates the outer coating from the inner fiber and straightens the moss strands making it ready to be sold commercially.

St. Francisville, LA

   It is late afternoon. We are driving north on Hwy 61, named the Great River Road, in the drizzle. On one side of the road we drive past the Port of Baton Rouge with acres of oil storage tanks, refineries, chemical manufacturing plants along the bank of the Mississippi river. Pine trees interspersed with cleared areas for homes, small business and grassland pastures with lakes on the opposite side of the road.

    It is dark with a steady rain when we get to St. Francisville. The Best Western along the highway was full for the night. A bed and breakfast needed advanced reservations but driving through the pine trees we find the Magnuson Hotel. The management tells us they have two alligators in the canal behind the motel. Our room is on that side! The alligators are only seen in the early evening when the caretaker feeds them. But you park in front of the hotel and walk through to your room in the back! We did not see them.

   In the morning it was cloudy, but no rain! We drove through the town finding the street with the historic houses. Each house had a sign along the street with the type of architecture and history. Most are private residences. Roses, azaleas, iris and magnolias are blooming under the huge oak trees with hanging moss. Some were decorating with purple, green, gold and wine multicolored swags for Mardi Gras. Little shops like Grandmother's Buttons beckoned me, but they were closed. An Episcopal Church and the Court House were shelled during the Civil War. Bayou Sara was a trading post on the banks of the Mississippi River.

    Along the highway are Antebellum homes and plantations. Each has a long lane winding under the canopy of low, thick, spreading branches of oak trees. Tall spires of pines. The tall hardwoods have fuzzy green branches as new leaves are showing. Cypress trees with their rounded knobby knees stand in the swampy areas.

Windsor Ruins
Crossing into Mississippi the Highway 61 changes to The Blues Music Highway. Markers along the way tell the stories of men and women and how the places they lived influenced their music. We pass acres of pecan trees, blueberry farms and the entrance to the Natchez Trace. The sun comes through the clouds as we drive through Natchez.

     A sign points to the Windor Ruins exit. A two-lane blactop curves through the back country. Huge gulleys, a result of continuous crops of cotton planted on the loose sandy soil by the plantation owners have eroded in the rolling land. Kudzu vines and moss covered trees line the road. The sun makes interesting designs as its rays shine through the leaves and branches.

   Twenty Three tall fluted columns with iron Corinthian capitals stand as silent sentinels in the forest to remind us of what had been! In 1849 Smith Coffee Daniell II, who was born in Mississippi in 1826, the son of an Indian fighter turned farmer and landowner married Catherine Freeland. They had 3 children. They built a large mansion on the 2600 acre Windsor plantation in 1860. He only lived in the mansion for a few weeks before he died at the age of 34. The mansion survived the Civil War. It was used as a Union hospital and observation post sparing it from being burned by the Union troops. After the Civil War, during a house party on February 17, 1890 a guest left a lighted cigar on the upper balcony and Windsor burned to the ground destroying everything except 23 of the columns, balustrades and iron stairs!

Vicksburg, MS

   Vicksburg is built on the hills along the banks of the Mississippi River. Barges are pushed down the river past the city. Cannons are everywhere reminding us of the Civil War battle that was waged in this town. If you tour the homes they will show you holes made by the cannon balls. We had driven through the battlefield park on the edge of town on a previous trip so we chose to visit the Old Courthouse Museum.

Old Courthouse Museum

   The building is considered the finest antebellum structure in Vicksburg. It stands on one of the highest hills in the city taking up an entire city block. On the grounds a local planter, Jefferson Davis, launched his political career and from the clock tower Union troops raised the Stars and Stripes on July 4, 1863 signifying an end to the 47 day siege.

It has nine rooms filled with artifacts and displays of the history of the area. The Court Room on the top floor features an ornate cast iron judge's dias and railings. The doors and windows are 11 feet tall. The doors on all four sides open to balconies to create a cross draft to cool the 14 foot ceilings in the room.

Highlights of the nine rooms:

A room of antebellum clothing including wooden soled dancing shoes.
The word "Dixie" comes from a $10 bank note printed by a Louisiana bank. It was printed with a 10 and a X. In the center printed in large capitol letters DIX which is French for 10. The term "pocket full of Dixies" was used to indicate being rich!
In 1884 Phillip Gilbert Sr was the first shoe dealer in the US to adopt the idea of putting each pair of shoes in a separate box for sale to his customers. Many of his shoes were of soft kid leather imported from France. Wrapping them individually in boxes kept them from being scuffed!
A Beaten Biscuits Machine from 1900. Dough runs thru rollers 100 times to roll them. An 1850 cookbook stated: "to mold it again and again and again and roll it thin..."
What are Beaten Biscuits? Before the days of baking powder and baking soda pearlash was used to leaven the biscuits. It gave them a bitter taste, but by pounding and folding without pearlash, tiny air pockets formed in the dough. When the biscuits were baked the air pockets expanded and caused the biscuits to rise without the bitter taste!
Pieces of sheet music in hard bound book form.
Coca Cola was first bottled in Vicksburg in 1891.
The displays are in beautiful antique wooden hutches.
A soldier would carry a box of lead weighing 15 or 20 lbs to melt down over campfire and molded into shot for his gun
Civil War caltrops: an iron devise looking like "jacks" with sharp points. When thrown would land with 3 points upwards. An enemy horse that stepped on one was instantly lame.
The newspaper was printed on the back of wallpaper during the siege in 1863. The last edition dated July 4th has an added note by the Union soldiers who found the type set.
The USS Cairo, an armored gun boat was sunk in the Yazoo River north of Vicksburg. It has been raised and put in a museum. We have visited it in the past.
While Vicksburg was under martial law for 2 years the citizens were required to sign a loyalty oath to the US. If refused to do so could not get permits to go in and out of town, not even to the cemetery for a funeral. Their plantations were given to Union speculators or occupied by soldiers.

   Back on the road driving north under a sunny blue sky with huge white fluffy clouds. Acres and acres of flat farmland some with ridges for planting cotton. Airplanes swooping overhead as they spray. A bear crossing sign! Tractors in the fields planting. Grain elevators. Farmsteads (called plantations). Groves of trees. Small towns. Acres of pecan trees. Cotton pickers and balers stored for the winter in open sided metal sheds. Grain bins. Tall electric poles march across the fields connecting lines for moving power from power plants along the Mississippi River. Many trailer parks. Cotton gins. A rice mill.

    North and west retracing our route back to Iowa and snowbanks!
Thanks for traveling with us!
   Prairie Schooners

East to Branchville, New Jersey

2012-10-18T19:34:00.002-05:00

   A beautiful mauve tints the soft hazy blue sky. The sun, a huge red ball, rises on the horizon as we head east on the long, grey ribbon of interstate highway in a new Winnebago motor home to be delivered this first week in October. The neon colors of the leaves accent both the smooth harvested fields and the golden brown of the corn and beans standing in straight lines waiting for the combine.

Counting the new green John Deere combines coming west on flatbed trucks. Watching the dust rise from the combines working in the fields. Over the Mississippi River into Illinois. Following I-80 through Indiana. Brilliant red leaves accent the deep wine and different shades of green, orange and yellow.

   After a rainy night we continue across Ohio on I-80. A yellow orange sun rises on the horizon ahead of us. The Cuyahoga River cuts through the hills of northeastern Ohio. We can see the fog rising from the valleys in the distance.
The colors of the leaves on the trees give depth to the forests. In the summer it is one green wall, but now we can see individual trees.

     Into Pennsylvania driving through the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. Beautiful drive even without the sun to highlight the colors. A soft, velvet, multicolor blanket lays over the hills as we curve along the valley on I-80. A valley of green pasture and fields with neat farm buildings. Lots of orange triangular signs, "Road Work Ahead." Crossing the Susquehanna River, much history lived out along its banks.

Crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey. In the past we have driven The Delaware Gap scenic area that follows the river north. Beautiful hiking trails, water falls and mountains.

     Our last leg to dealership is a two-lane drive curving through small towns and countryside. We are driving behind a large oversize load that is taking out limbs, hitting electric wires, and covering all lanes in a round-about in the middle of a town!! Called dealership to explain the situation. They graciously waited for us. On our way back to Branchville to our motel we saw a black bear coming out of the woods beside the road!

      Piper Cub Museum

    Lock Haven, Pennsylvania has the Piper Cub Museum with an original aircraft hanging from the ceiling!   When Mr. Piper introduced the Piper Cub in 1937, he had a dream. He felt that everyone should fly. And he believed that Piper could provide everyone with that freedom. It was interesting to see the ads that were put out by the company. They offered a monthly payment plan for buyers, built it large enough to carry a spinet piano, encouraged ranchers to use for checking herds, farmers to use for spraying and sponsored long distance world record flights. A map shows how Max Conrad, who made many record flights, flew across the US landing in each state!

The Cub was called the "Grasshopper" during the war. It could take off in a short distance. In 1943 the Navy LST (Landing Ship Tanker) was set up for Piper L-4 planes to take off and land on the land.

   Mr. Piper is called the "Henry Ford of Aviation."

   Their international sales started by shipping planes in crates by air freight, then shipped kits for a "build your own," and finally made agreements to build in other countries.

The Flood of 1972 when the Susquehanna River rose 31 ft above normal destroyed the plant and 252 airplanes. The FAA would not let the company use any of the planes or parts.

   Jim remembers when a roller skating rink in our small town was used for converting Piper Cub airplanes for use in Alaska by bush pilots. They would strip it down to the frame, sand blast it, and put on new fabric. A larger engine was installed and the wings lengthened. In the 1950's the townspeople would see the airplanes taking off using the 2 block long Main Street as a runway! The manager of the museum said that there were several places in the US at that time that was converting the Piper Cubs.

   Check out the museum website for more articles about the early years of this airplane. www.pipermuseum.com

McKinley Presidential Library and Museum

We drive past the huge city cemetery in Canton, Ohio to the entrance to the McKinley National Memorial located on a rise with one hundred steps leading to the entrance. At one time there was a reflecting pool at the base. To the side of the memorial is the Presidential Library and Museum

Because President McKinley was interested in education much of the building includes interactive exhibits.

Discover World ( a science center)
Hoover-Price Planetarium
A Research Library
An Auditorium for presentations
Keller Gallery for changing exhibitions
Stark County Story-- exhibits chronicle the history of this county during the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the features are:

A video of a canal lock in operation. The Ohio and Erie Canal and feeder canals were used to move products at 3 MPH which was faster than land transportation until the Railroads arrived on the scene.
A giant Timken bearing ride demonstrates how the ball bearing provided more with less power. The company was located in this area.
Sit in a chair and turn on the Hoover vacuum. The suction will raise you to new heights!! Hoover was also located in the county.
The first personal computer purchased in Stark County in 1980 from Radio Shack. A TRS-80 priced at $4961.20 included a monitor and printer!
A transitional piano--between the harpsichord and grand piano to the upright piano. A harp-like structure with strings attached sat perpendicular to the keyboard. It cost $1,000 in 1858. Only a few were produced
We hear of many tax incentives given to business to locate in certain areas, but the 1886 story of John C. Dueber is a classic! A German immigrant making watches and cases in Massachusetts offered to move his business and its employees to the first community to pay him $100,000. Canton raised the amount in 3 months and added 20 Acres of land and a rail spur! Deuber brought his company, his 1000 skilled workers and their families to the city. He was known for the fine quality of watches that he produced. He thought that wrist watches were a passing fancy and continued to make pocket watches. In 1920 he sold the company which later went bankrupt.

Street of Shops give you a feel of life in the late 1800's.

The highlight for us was the model railroad depicting the historic sites of the Pennsylvania Railroad as it once traveled through Stark County. All of the cars and the scenery are handmade to scale. They were featuring a scale model of a "secret" train that ran from New York to Chicago in 1942 carrying the lab equipment for the top secret code named "Manhatten Project" to develope the Atomic Bomb. It was being moved away from a possible German submarine attack by a specially engine built to run on three different systems. It was equipped with a third rail bar, pantagraphs to convey current from overhead wires and a 22 cylinder diesel engine and generator!

McKinley Gallery with artifacts from President McKinley's life. Some highlights of his life are:

He was of Scottish/Irish ancestry. Family lived above the country store his father owned.
He served in the Civil War as a cook taking and serving meals on the front line to the soldiers earning him the nick-name of "coffee!"
He always wore or gave away a red carnation. The red carnation was developed in Ohio and is the state flower.
He and his wife had 2 daughters who both died at a very early age. The loss of their daughters cemented their relationship.
He was known as a man of integrity as a lawyer and during his political life. He was honest and friendly but formal with people.
He campaigned from his front porch. People came from all over to hear him speak. You will see it in all the pictures.
He was the first president to campaign by telephone. Thanks a lot for starting robo calls, Mr. President!!
He was greeting people at a public reception at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. A little girl who had lost her parents came up to shake his hand and he gave her his red carnation. Later an anarchist offered his bandaged hand which held a gun and shot him at point blank range. The wounds did not appear life threatening, but because of the poor medical treatment in those days gangarene set in and he died.

Across Indiana, Illinois and back to Iowa listening to the audio book, West with the Night, an autobiography by Beryl Markham. She was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west. She included her adventures in Africa growing up with her father who was a horse breeder, adventurer and farmer. Definately worth a read to see how she uses words to make pictures!

Thank-you for traveling with us!
Prairie Schooners

.

Calera, Alabama

2012-07-21T16:26:00.000-05:00

A 2013 model of Winnebago Aspect needed to be delivered to Calera, AL. Gas powered, mid-sized compact motor home on a Ford chassis with a cozy cab. Traveler friendly with lots of cup holders and holes to store stuff in console in the cab!

A 6 AM start on a clear, sunny July day in Iowa, which has been suffering from lack of rain and 100+ heat index for most of the last 2 months. We can see crops burnt, burning, curling leaves and some nice green fields as the miles pass. Rainbow colors of the yellow coneflowers, blue chickory, white Queen Anne's Lace, and yellow birdsfoot treefoil line the highway in contrast to the dry brown grass.

With its limestone rock bluffs and trees bypass I-270 is a pretty drive around St. Louis, Missouri. We chose to take a four lane state highway south and east instead of the interstate east through Illinois. Driving through a heavy rain and hoping that it continues north to our Iowa prairie!

The Flying J RV parking lot looked like a RV dealership by morning with at least seven new campers being transported to dealers! An early morning start after breakfast at Denny's ( we've never had a bad meal at their restaurant.) Some ground fog, clear blue sky with a large red sun rising in the East. Irrigated fields of corn, soybeans & cotton growing behind tree/shrub lined ditches. Past New Madrid. Site of an earthquake that changed the area. Need to write a blog about that visit!

Over the Mississippi River, into Tennessee. Driving through forested area with large trees covering the rolling hills leading to the mountains. Kudzu vine is covering acres of trees and roadside. Cypress trees growing in the swampy area around rivers. Crape myrtle trees blooming are a bright spot as we pass through the small communities, past small country churches, small businesses, logging mills and large homes with ponds and landscaping.

Into the state of Mississippi. Unbelievable, but gas is $2.99/gal! Driving in and out of rain. Grass is actually green! Passed the entrance to Natchez Trace Parkway. A great drive we did years ago. It follows the trail of early settlers & traders who floated their wares down the Mississippi River from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi then walked back on the trail.

Corn fields are dry with large ears ready to harvest. Fruit & Vegetable stands & BBque stands line the highway. Into Alabama, nearing Birmingham, climbing and winding through forests of tall pines and hardwood trees with the tree covered mountains all around us.

A good, fast check-in at the dealership and on the road heading north in the rain to Hendersonville, TN.

Rock Castle

We were expecting to see a building with turrets and a moat, but found a limestone two story Federal Style home set on the banks of a lake with a large grassy lawn. A doe and four fawns crossed the grassy area while we were sitting on the porch waiting for our tour to begin.

Construction was started in 1784 and it is the oldest house in Middle Tennessee listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Daniel Smith moved to the Tennessee frontier with his wife, Sarah, and two young children in 1783. They lived in a log cabin while building the house. They had the basement kitchen and a room above finished when a band of Indians moving through the area burned their log cabin. The family moved into the rock house using the kitchen and the room above as a bedroom. Because the house was built from rock they did not have to have the kitchen separate from the rest of the house. Interesting to find a box of sand beside the fireplace--their fire extinguisher! Also a long narrow wooden board with a handle on top and notches cut all the way to the bottom. That was their washboard!

Daniel was a licensed surveyor. This was a new country and he was often away on business leaving Sarah to manage their home alone. He received a land grant of 640 acres from the State of North Carolina in payment for surveying land boundaries in Middle Tennessee and another grant of 2500 acres for being a Captain during the Revolutionary War. The country did not have a lot of money, but did have land! (Today most of that land is covered with a lake.)

Daniel added to his house with a basement area beside the kitchen and a dining room/living room on first floor with an attic above making a total of 3,000 sq ft. The tour guide told of Daniel's daughter's marriage to Andrew Jackson's brother-in-law in defiance of her father! Her father wanted Polly to go to a school in the east for an education, but she was in love! Andrew Jackson lived as neighbor to the Smiths and helped Polly elope. They were good friends, but this marriage caused a rife in their friendship until a grandson was born! The house was passed down through five generations before it was sold to the state. It is over 220 years old. Some of the window panes date back to the time period of George Washington.

Some interesting items in the home:

A floor cloth--cotton canvass stretched on floor, a design painted with linseed paint & sealed with a varnish. A forerunner of our linoleum or what we call vinyl today.
Tea came in large squares from China, stamped with Chinese symbols, to Great Britain who then sold it to the colonists! Each 12" X 12" square was divided into smaller 3"X3" squares for sale. Having the larger square symbolized wealth.
A locked sugar chest to hold sugar cones which was imported from the Caribbean and very expensive. The bottom 4 inches of the legs of the chest were very dark. They were set in cans of oil to keep the ants from getting into the sugar in the chest!
A house was taxed on the number of rooms. A closet was considered a room. Many homes did not have closets, but pegs on the walls for clothes. This home had huge closets in each of the rooms indicating wealth.
Pine wood panels faux painted to look like burled oak.
A mourning picture. The custom was to embroidery/needlepoint a picture depicting the life of a loved one while they were still alive. Often some of the person's hair was used. This way you could show the person by how ornate the picture was how much you loved them and that the picture would always be a reminder to you of them after their death.

History comes alive when you walk through this house and hear the stories the tour guide tells about the families who lived here. Letters and diaries make the people real.

Back to the Interstate, north to Kentucky, over the Ohio River on a beautiful new bridge and into Indiana. North to Vincennes past fields of watermelon. Fruit & vegetable stands selling wholesale and retail. East across Illinois and back to our Iowa prairie thanking the Lord for safe travels on this adventure!

Thanks for traveling with us!

Prairie Schooners

To Thorndale, Ontario in November

2011-11-12T13:50:00.018-06:00

Rainy, windy trip
This was a "bland" unit! White with beige swirls outside, all beige inside! It was sold and would be picked up in Ontario and driven to colorful Florida for the winter.
We headed east on a rainy, windy early morning with a winter advisory for the next day here in Iowa.
The wind gave us a rough ride. Clouds kept the rising sun from our eyes. Had to endure my "pet peeve"---The wind shield wiper only clears 1/2 of the passenger side window! My line of vision is divided with clear and raindrops.
Rainy days make sunny days so much more precious!
Cloudy and 56 degrees as we head through south Chicago and into Indiana.
On I-94 east to Detroit. In the distance steam is rising from smokestacks on the factories along the lake.
A call to our broker at the border confirms that paperwork is at the border. That makes for a quick smooth crossing.
Still some leaves with color. Enough color to accent the bare branches and green pines
Into Michigan, searching for a safe place to park this "elephant" for the night. Thankful that we have driven out of the rain. A Super Walmart in Battle Creek. A long walk around the store and the parking lot. A great steak burger at Steak & Shake. A clean diner with friendly servers who really seem to enjoy working together. A good night's sleep.
The rain stops as we near Detroit in the morning. Followed the signs to the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor Ontario. Major construction on the bridge. Signs say "follow signs do not follow your GPS!"
Readjust for Canada:

km instead of miles.
signs are both French and English.
gas sold in liters instead of gallons (price was about $4.50/gal).
highway numbers are printed on a crown. Roads and towns have very definite English sounding names: Thames, London, Queen's Road, etc.

Light rain and winds as we drive on Hwy 401 East toward London.
Acres of flat farmland interspersed with farmsteads.
Some fields have been harvested and tilled, some still have standing corn and soybeans waiting for the combine. Combines were running in the rain.
Large windmills with blades turning are scattered across the horizon in all direction for many miles.
This area of Ontario is like an island between Lake Erie on the South and Lake Heron on the North. A short drive either direction and you will be on the coast.
Past the exit to Leamington, the tomato capitol of Canada. Another season we would be driving past acres of tomato plants.
Acres of solar panels beside the industrial section of Tilby.
Trucks, trucks, trucks carrying "stuff" both directions. Lots of containers & new cars.
Yeah! Some blue sky ahead!
Nice service centers/rest stops. Each has a sign a couple miles before the exit that states in French & English: Fatigue Kills Take a Break
Arrived at the dealer in the rain, unhooked & unloaded in the rain, quick check-in, and heading back west in a downpour all the way back to Windsor.
Yeah! blue skies can be seen ahead!
Back through the construction obstacle course of orange pylons, through customs, over the Ambassador bridge, pay toll and head into Detroit traffic.
We heard that the Republican Presidential Candidates were in the area for a debate that evening, but did not see them nor any of the "occupiers."
Very strong winds that howled around the corner of our motel in Jackson, Michigan all night.
Scraped ice from windshield the next morning before continuing west through Chicago and into Iowa with cold wind and partly cloudy sky, but thankfully no rain!
LeClaire, Iowa
A quick lunch at McDonalds overlooking the Mississippi River, a short drive to uptown and a stop at the "American Pickers" shop. Disappointment! They were closed for filming, but we could take a picture and perhaps stop another time when we were in the area. You can check them out at their website www.antiquearchaeology.com. or watch on History Channel on Monday nights.

Along the bank of the river is the Buffalo Bill Museum and the River Pilots' Pier with the Lone Star Steamer to tour.

William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody's life of legend started in 1846, the year he was born near LeClaire. Cowboy, Pony Express Rider, Scout, Marksman and International Star of his Wild West Show. A short video gives an overview of his early life. It was interesting to learn that he used glass balls and "birdshot" for his shooting exhibitions at the shows. Only a small section of the museum displays memorabilia from his life. Most of the exhibits show items used by the people living in the area over the past hundreds of years including the Sauk and Fox Indian tribes.

Interesting items we found:

LeClaire Manufacturing Company made a conversion kit to convert a push reel lawn mower to power mower with a Clinton engine.
A picture of a tug boat pushing a raft of clams to be made into pearl buttons at the local button factory. Tools used to make them.
Because of the absence of soft wood for lumber many buildings were built with limestone from several local quarries. Most all early construction used limestone for foundations. 50 and 60 pound hammers used!
A John Deere wrench and a Ford wrench that were included with early purchases of vehicles and tractors for repair and maintenance.
A charcoal burning iron and a gasoline burning iron from the 1900's. Can't imagine pressing clothes with these!
An 1873 American treadle sewing machine. A whole section of vintage clothes, quilts and handiwork with stitches that I have never seen before.
A baby cradle on wheels with a hook that was attached to a farm implement when mother went to field to work.
The family of James J. Ryan II, a 1920 graduate of LeClaire High School, donated his office to the museum. He attended Iowa State University and taught at the University of Minnesota. His nickname, "Crash Ryan", was earned because of he tested automobile safety equipment including a hydraulic bumper and seat belt designs. A Flight Data Recorder (Black Box) which he invented is on display.
A display featuring James B. Eads, a self taught engineer who listed LeClaire as one his hometowns. He is known as the man who mastered the Mississippi River because of the "jetty system" he introduced. Because he was in salvage, raising sunken boats, he learned how to navigate the rapids of the Mississippi. His gunboat designs during the Civil War were a precursor to the modern submarine. He is known for the Eads Bridge in St. Louis. The first bridge of a significant size using steel and the largest arch bridge in the world in 1874 when it was completed.
A cross section of the largest Rock Elm tree on record. It's height was over 50' with a crown that canopied an area measuring over 100 ft north & south by 80 ft. east and west! the "Green Tree" was a landmark at the beginning of the river rapids between LeClaire and Rock Island. It was a gathering place for pilots waiting for their boats to pick them up. All boats docked on the shore approximately where the Green Tree was, to change pilots and take on supplies before and after going across the rapids. It became known as the "Green Tree Hotel" when unemployed rivermen came to look for work. ( An inexpensive place to spread their blankets and cook their meals under the branches!) It died of Dutch Elm disease. It is also famous because of the formation of bark in the center. Tree experts believe it was so close to the river's edge that water washed up through the center and somehow the sun shown down through the hole, as bark needs both water and sunlight to form!

The Lone Star Sternwheeler

A large glass and steel enclosure, called the River Pilot's Pier, covers the only wood hull paddlewheel boat remaining intact that worked the Mississippi River. The "Lone Star" was built in 1869 and decommisioned in 1968. You can walk her decks as the Mississippi River flows past imagining what it was like to work the river! Climb up to see the huge pilot's wheel that steered the rudders, stand beside the paddle wheel, touch the equipment and pretend to shovel coal into the boilers. She carried and towed freight and immigrants that settled the midwest in it's early days. The last years she was used to operate a sand dredge, pumping 400 tons of sand an hour from deposits in the bottom of the river, load it into barges and take to Davenport to be used in construction, cement and other purposes. Today's tow boats navigate in a 9 ft deep channel with locks and dams but the Lone Star could operate in as little as 4 ft of water.

We see a lot of steamer trunks in antique shops, but most are just a large empty space inside. This is an original "carry-on" with wooden hangers and compartments intact!

The Mississippi River has always held a fascination for us. This museum gave us a picture of life along it's banks. But it is time to head back to our Prairie!

Thanks for traveling with us!

Prairie Schooners

Lexington, Kentucky & Spring Hill State Park in Indiana

2011-08-11T10:02:00.019-05:00

A small Winnebago, View, motor home to deliver to a new dealership in Lexington, Kentucky is our reason for being "on the road" this first week in August 2011. We did manage to beat the local raccoons to our sweet corn and enjoyed a couple of meals between picking up the unit and leaving! (Nothing can match the flavor of a freshly picked ear of sweet corn with butter and salt!!)

I-80 has very heavy traffic as we drive through the green Iowa countryside. We see small fishing and pleasure boats are in the Mississippi River enjoying the sunny, hot summer afternoon as we drive across the bridge into Illinois. Over the Illinois River and an overnight stay at Bloomington. The top of the ferris wheel shows on the horizon behind the trees and the wind is blowing the midway noise our direction. Signs on the way for the tractor pull competitors all indicate that a county fair is in progress. Steak and Shake was within walking distance from the parking lot at Walmart. A new experience for us. The Portabello/Swiss Burger was super good. Fast service, but very noisy.

On the road early watching a beautiful sunrise! Colors spread across the partly cloudy sky as the large red ball slowly rises over the Eastern horizon. Thank-you, Lord! Through the pretty valley of the Vermillion River near Danville. Into Indiania. Still major road construction on I-465 around Indianapolis. South on I-65 to Louisville, KY. Leaving the flat farmland. Entering rolling hills, small farms, tall hardwood and pine trees, tiny corn and bean fields tucked in between the trees and dark brown wooden fenced pastures for the horses.

Over the Ohio River into Kentucky. East on I-64 through a tunnel, under metal and rock overpasses, curving through the tree covered Kentucky hills on a hot, muggy sunny day. Watching thunderheads form on the horizon. Dealer fill of gas. Arrived at dealer and got unhooked and unpacked just before it started to sprinkle. Back up the road to a Comfort Inn for the night. Oops, carrying in luggage in a downpour! Later the sun is shining as we drive to the Happy Dragon Chinese Buffet. A great meal, many options, tasty and fresh, good service, the chandeliers and filigree decorations create a quiet atmosphere.

When you look at the city map it is evident that Lexington streets are laid out like a wagon wheel. The streets go out from the center with two circles to join all of them. It is the Horse Capital of the World as proclaimed with a mural painted on the huge water tank. Streets are named for famous race horses. Stables and horse farms offer tours.Lexington was founded in 1775, seventeen years before Kentucky became a state. William McConnell and a group of frontier explorers were camped at a natural spring when word came from nearby Fort Boonesborough that the first battle of the American Revolution had been fought in Lexington, Massachusetts. In honor of the battle the group named their site "Lexington" By 1820, Lexington, Kentucky was one of the largest and wealthiest towns west of the Allegheny Mountains. So cultured was its lifestyle the city soon gained the nickname "Athens of the West."

The area gets it's nickname, Blue Grass Country, from the blue grass that grows over the limestone in the area. Makes excellent pasture for horses. The limestone was used to build dry-laid stone structures. The rock fences that have survived are one of the most identifiable and well-known features of this region. There is even a rock fence tour that you can take!

What is dry stone masonry? They are structures that are built without mortar. They rely on the skill of the craftsman, the forces of gravity, frictional resistance and have a slight flexibility that allows them to conform to foundation settlement without damage. Because the sides slope slightly inward, ground movement locks the structure more tightly together eliminating the need for a stiff concrete footing.

We drove south to Boone Station. Daniel Boone was one of the first white people to explore the area. When the settlement of Boonesborough became too crowded he and his family established Boone's Station in December 1779. At one time there were 15 to 20 families living in this area. By 1781, his claim proved to be invalid, but they continued to live there until 1791. All the families had moved away and it ceased to exist. A local farmer purchased 500 acres, built a large stone mansion which survived until the 1800's. Now some of the land has been given to the state. There is a picnic area and a walking trail.

Ft. Boonesborough, built to protect the area from the Confederate Army crossing the Kentucky River, was just down the road, but not open until later as was several of the other museums in the area so we drove east to Frankfort. Found the Kentucky Military History Museum, but it was closed. An interesting brick building in the older part of the town that is built along the banks of the Kentucky River. Entered the address for Rebecca Ruth Candy, but Gertrude (our Garmin) came up with no matches. Missed seeing how the original bourbon chocolates were made. Did drive a scenic route through the city to the Interstate.

North on I-65 in Indiana to Exit 19, then west on state highway #160 across Indiana countryside. No shoulder or ditch with the corn and bean fields and front yards at the edge of the road! Tree lined, curving around hills, up and down like a roller coaster ride! Through open acres with housing developments and small farms with Kentucky brown wooden fences around the pastures. Dark purple flowers that I later found out were Butterfly Bush similar to our orange flowered Butterfly plants. On the John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail through Salem with a beautiful court house. This was the sight of Morgan's Raid in June 1863 during the Civil War. The furthermost north that the Confederate Army went in Indiana. They basically stole and destroyed supplies.

We discovered Spring Hill State Park on Highway 60 near Mitchell. A beautiful area with trails, fishing, caves, a stream for wading, picnic and camping areas. An Inn that has been featured in Midwest Living magazine. A pioneer village with a grist mill run by water power. A memorial to Virgil "Gus" Grissom.

We stopped at a picnic area to eat our lunch and were joined by two geese. They waddled up from the stream, stood and watched us, sat down and napped while we finished our lunch.

The center piece of the Pioneer Village is the grist mill that was originally constructed in 1817. We visited with the "miller" and learned some history and facts about the mill, which still works. They grind corn and sell the corn meal in 2 lb bags.

The mill is run by water that runs from a cave in the hills through a limestone viaduct built on limestone pillars (now a pipe carries the water thru the viaduct because the kids were playing in it!) The water drops on top of a huge wheel that as it turns creates 7 rpms. Wooden gears made from hard maple convert that to 98 rpms to turn the huge grinding stone. The two quartz stones came from France weighing 3,000 lbs. They have grooves hand cut into the flat cutting surface. The one on the bottom has a square hole in the center and does not move. The one on top has a round hole and is turned by the wheel and gears. The stones do not actually touch. This allows the corn to be cut, not crushed. No heat is generated so no oil escapes making the corn meal flavorful, healthy and a long shelf life. The miller can control the distance apart.

The building is 3 stories high. Originally a storage area was on top floor for grain. It is considered a "rich" man's mill for being built out in the wilderness. The doors are thick and elaborately carved of walnut. In the late 1920's and 1930's the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) played an integral part in the repairs and reconstruction of the mill and the rest of the pioneer village. Today the upper 2 levels are a museum giving the history of the area.

The mill is about 50 miles north of the Ohio River, which was the way to move goods on flat boats before trains and roads. At one time there were 2 ox trains sometimes with a dozen oxen to each wagon carrying corn meal south to the settlements along the Ohio and for shipment on boats down the river. A stage coach route was set up to run through the area. Families moved there bringing men with the ability to make items necessary to the community. These buildings have been moved in and restored to show life at that time. Because they let their cows, horses and sheep roam free they built a limestone rock fence around their house. This was the origin of the phrase " house lot."

Interesting items and facts we discovered:

A pole lathe that enabled round objects to be made like cups, candle holders and rolling pins. A long pole on the ceiling would serve as the return spring for the treadle that turned the wood. Pressing on the treadle pulls on the string attached to the piece of wood you are cutting.
At the tavern you could get a meal for 25 cents and a bed for the night for 12 1/2 cents. Women and children slept upstairs and men slept downstairs on the floor. State law did not allow any more than 5 people to a bed and it is said that all guest had to use the same bathwater!
Burned lime or "slack lime has been produced here since the 1830's. A large deposit of limestone is located in the area.
Early teachers announced where they would hold classes and charged from 75 cents to two dollars per child per quarter to attend classes. He would also announce the "penalties he would inflict for breeches of discipline." They might include: two lashes with a beech stick for being idle. Three lashes for whispering and six lashes for fighting!
Church was summer "camp" meetings after the crops were "laid by" (planted and cultivated) and the oats was harvested. Tents would be set up in a woods and the people would gather for all day singing and preaching. Later churches were established by the Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Church of the Brethern and Quakers. A new denomination, the Christian Church became strong in this area.
Early shoemakers were called cobblers or cordwainers. Cordwainers was derived from Cordova, Spain where fine leather for shoes & boots was produced. Cobbler was a more derogatory term at one time meaning clumsy workman. Men's and women's shoes were nearly identical in shape and design when made by early boot makers. Also because they were in a hurry to make them there were no left or right foot. Each shoe was identical. (one less thing for a child to have to learn!!) The development of 13 general shoe sizes rose with early measurements by barley corns (a grain of barley). Edward II in 1324 declared that 3 barley corns laid end to end measured 1 inch. Careful measurement than determined that the longest normal foot was 39 barley corns or 13 inches in length. Shoemakers traveled throughout the country and were welcomed in households. Besides making shoes for the family they were experts in sharpening edged tools, could cut hair or pull teeth, and were a great source of local news!
Courting candles were used when the young lady in a pioneer family had a young man that would call on her in the evenings. The holders were constructed so that the candle could be adjusted. If the father liked and trusted the young man, he set the candle as high as possible.If he would rather his daughter did not spend so much time with this particular man he would set it as low as possible. The young man had to leave when the candle went out!

History of the Mill:

The original mill was set up by a Canadian who had fought with the Americans in the War of 1812. Later he served as a guide for General William Henry Harrison becoming acquainted with the Indiana territory. He selected this site because it had continuous water supply from the cave. It also would not flood like a river. The limestone ledges for building supplies and the valley was protected by two steep hills. He built a cabin and a 15 foot square grist mill. His mill was so successful he even hired a miller.

Samuel Jackson was considered a "squatter" because he did not own the land. Two years later in 1816 President James Madison gave him a patent for 3 tracts of land. One is the village area now. This was awarded under an Act of Congress rewarding Canadians who had sworn Allegiance to the United States.

No one knows why, but 5 months later they left the area and went to Pennsylvania. They were doing well. More people were moving into the area. In a deed of conveyance Samuel Jackson "turned over his land, houses, outhouses, edifices and buildings; together with his woods, trees, fences, gardens and orchards" to two brothers, Cuthbert and Thomas Bullitt.

The Bullitt's home stood on the banks of the Ohio River and their farmland covered the area of what is now the city of Louisville, Kentucky. They replaced the small grist mill the one that is seen today.
Three stories with 3 1/2 foot thick walls. A 506 feet long flume supported by large stone piers (looks like an aqueduct) to carry the water from the cave. The stones were all hand cut.

Six years later they sold it and the village sight unseen to two brothers, William and Joseph Montgomery, wealthy merchants from Philadelphia for $20,000 at a time when the wage was 10 cents an hour! They built a tavern to serve the stage coach, a distillery, a cooper shop, a general store, a post office and added a saw mill that used a smaller water wheel. All of these buildings can be seen today with implements used at that time. After one of the brothers died in 1832 the mill and village was sold at a loss for $7,000. It is speculated that they sold because the mill walls were rumored to have had some cracks or because it was too far from Philadelphia to keep the younger brothers interest.

The railroad could not come to the mill because of the hilly terrain. People left the settlement to move near the railroad. Most of the corn meal was sold in the south and Indiana was Union during the Civil War so markets were closed. Dependable steam grist mills could be set up anywhere so people did not have to come to Spring Hill anymore. All of this led to the decline of the settlement.

Grissom Memorial

Gus Grissom was born in and attended school in Mitchell, Indiana. He was one of the original astronauts for Project Mercury, the second American to actually fly in space. The museum is just inside the park and there is a small fee to get into the park, but if you tell the attendant that you are only going to the museum they will let you in free. It contains memorabilia from his high school and college days, his space suit, the "Molly Brown" space craft, plus gives a very good history of the early space program. We remembered seeing take-offs and landings on TV, but did not know some of the background that is presented here.

Back to the Prairie

Comfort Inn in Terra Haute for the night. Great supper at Outback Steakhouse thanks to a gift card from our kids. A stop at Gander Mountain to find some fishing lures. On the road early for a drive on that long, gray ribbon of Interstate across Illinois to our Iowa Prairie!

Thanks for traveling with us,
Prairie Schooners

"

Delivery to Amsterdam, New York

2011-08-03T14:44:00.004-05:00

This is our 70^th motor home delivery in 7 years! Our plans were to pick it up Thursday, pack it up at the Prairie on Friday and take off Sat AM early to deliver on Monday. Dealers do not like deliveries on Sat. The dealer called and wanted it Saturday if possible. So, in 2 hours we pulled everything together and were on the road, that long, gray ribbon of I-80/90, headed east on a cloudy, muggy, hot afternoon in a 35 foot Winnebago Sightseer

Iowa is still a pretty green with wildflowers blooming in the ditches and medians. A rainbow of yellow and pink cone-flowers, purple vervain and bee balm, and white Queen Anne Lace. The bean fields are a rich green, an occasional gold oat field and rows of tall green stalks of corn with yellow tassel crowns. We did see the area where high winds had flattened the crops leaving them tangled and crooked.

Across the Mississippi River into Illinois. The crops are showing the effects of a very wet spring with wet areas not planted and shorter beans. We made it to the Flying J in LaSalle for the night. A very hot night!

A very early start on a cloudy day with a goal of 500 miles. The AC feels so good. A glimpse of pink clouds as the sun rises. Through Chicago with only a slow down for some much needed road construction or more politically correct "infrastructure improvement" on I-80. Into Indiana, a time change and in and out of sprinkles of rain on this cloudy day which is keeping the temperature from rising so high.

Past exit sign to the Studebaker National Museum and the RV Museum in South Bend. Will add them to our want to see list. More fields of corn, beans, oats and wheat . Farms with large barns & silos. Small towns and cities. Large trees form outlines for everything and line the roads. Past a field of gladioulas in bloom in a rainbow of colors.

A $20 toll paid before entering Ohio. After a half hour wait in line we pulled out our ticket for this state.. ( A patrol car with lights flashing went past on the shoulder, but we don’t know why the toll booths were closed down.) Ohio gets the award for the best Travel Plazas on the toll road! Past a County Fair in progress.

The miles are rolling by. Past acres of orchards near Toledo. The coast line of Lake Erie is not too many miles to the north. Through Cleveland on I-480 and I-271. Easy and not a lot of traffic. Acres of grapes. Paid another $20+ toll.

Across the 46 miles of the neck of Pennsylvania. Very rolling landscape with acres and acres of grape vines growing. We can see the clouds that form over the Lake. Into New York and back on the toll road. Still acres of grapes up and down the hills between the trees. Another County Fair in progress. Very frustrating reading our Atlas because the exit numbers are not the same as the miles! The Travel Plaza at Angola is our stop for the night. We made 580 miles today! There is a cool breeze coming in the motor home windows. Interesting plaza because we have to walk a covered bridge across the highway to get to the McDonald's. It is shared by both sides of the road!

A quiet, cool night's sleep! Moved most of stuff to the Saturn to make it faster at the dealer. 5:45 heading east into a beautiful sunrise. Another $11.80 in tolls as we skirt the edge of the city of Buffalo. Images of buffalo are painted on murals and miniature statues in the grassy areas along the edge of the highway. Exit to Niagara Falls and sign telling us that we are driving in the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor. Fog is rising from the low areas. Deer are grazing. Farms are nestled in the hills surrounded by tree lined fields of crops which include vegetables.

Past the exit to Seneca Falls and Finger Lakes area, which we visited last year. Tall hardwood trees interspersed with low marshy areas. Tall mountains all around us. Huge white clouds forming above Lake Ontario are on the horizon. The flowers on the loosestrife plant form bright pools of purple in the grass. A processing and storage plant for onions and potatoes. Past Syracuse. Exit for the Salt Museum is on our "to see" list. Into the mountains with the Mohawk River/ Erie Canal beside us dotted with interesting old metal high span bridges. Garage sale signs and farmers markets remind us that it is Saturday. Last toll of $3.65 paid. (yes, all of these are reimbursed by the company and toll roads definitely make moving a large vehicle easier, safer and faster!)

Another motor home successfully and safely delivered! Fast check-in. Super 8 just down the road for us to check-in before spending the afternoon exploring!

Thanks for riding with us!

What did we find in the area? Watch for next blog!

Prairie Schooners

Destination Medford, Oregon and Coast

2011-07-21T11:14:00.021-05:00

The calendar says it is the middle of June, we are in Forest City picking up a 27 foot Winnebago Access motor home sold to a dealer in Medford, Oregon. After purchasing a new battery and tail light for the Saturn and a stop in Ames for a random DOT drug test we were on the Interstate driving past the wet Iowa landscape. Ponds of water in the fields, rivers running bank full, lush green everywhere, pink wild roses blooming, and large white windmills on the horizon. Signs show detours for I-29 due to the flooding on the Missouri River.

Our Interstate System: The General's Plan
I-80 looks like a long gray ribbon with multicolor stripes of cars & trucks winding up down the hills of Nebraska! The Challenge magazine published by Pilot Travel Centers had an article on the origin of our Interstate system. In the summer of 1919, just after the end of World War I, a convoy of 81 military vehicles left from the zero milestone marker on the edge of the White House's South Lawn, met the Lincoln Highway(soon to be known as U.S. Highway 30) in southern Pennsylvania and slowly made it's way west. Destination: San Francisco, California!

The mission of the convoy was to move from the Atlantic shore to the Pacific to better understand the challenges the defending American Army would face if the US were ever invaded and military troops and equipment needed to be moved quickly from one place to another. As the colonel glared at the military transport truck lying on its side like a beast of burden with a broken leg, one of dozens of accidents that slowed the progress of the convoy, it was clearly showing him just how vulnerable America was to invading armies.

The rules of the mission: The convoy would proceed under "war time" conditions as if an invading enemy force had damaged or destroyed roads, bridges, railroads and tunnels. The troops were under orders of self-sufficiency; they had to seek out their own housing, food and water. No supplies would be provided to them. There were more than 300 soldiers and officers including a young lieutenant colonel from Kansas by the name of Eisenhower, who went along as an observer "for the adventure of it." What Eisenhower witnessed shaped his view of the relationship between national defense and America's road system!

This convoy covered 3,251 miles in 62 days averaging speeds no faster than 6 mph and covering about 52 miles a day (We do at least 500 miles a day delivering motor homes). The convoy suffered an average of one accident every 14 miles on wheel-rutted roads that meandered across vast sandy plains or perilous mountain trails used by pack trains and horse-drawn wagons. It damaged or destroyed 88 bridges because of its weight

In 1943 Eisenhower was promoted to supreme allied commander in Europe during World War II. While in Germany at the end of the war, he observed Hitler's autobahns and was impressed with the efficiency of the well-designed and constructed German road system. Nearly four decades after his observing the convoy across the US, Eisenhower signed into law the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 creating what is now known as the Interstate Highway System! (He was not the first person to conceive of a national highway system nor did he design the system, but he championed a feasible plan and saw it through to fruition.)

The 47,016 miles of the Interstate Highway System equals only 1 percent of America's 4 million miles of roads, but that 1 percent handles 25 percent of all vehicular traffic annually!

Across Nebraska:

The Platte River is bank full.
Crops look good, so good the deer are having a feast!
Grain elevators dot the horizon and the sun reflects off the roof of the metal grain bins.
Flat plains with farmers making hay on the irregular shaped edges of their circle irrigated fields of corn.
Occasional flocks of wild turkeys feeding in the fields and pastures.
Grass & tree covered sand hills in the distance give us the feeling of driving through a valley.
The panhandle of Nebraska: rolling hills, pastures with cattle grazing, wheat fields with a yellow tint as it is ripening, occasional corn fields, cellphone towers, electrical transmission lines marching into the horizon, and wild flowers blooming in the pastures and median all under the wide open large blue sky!
Prairie dogs sitting beside their mounds.
Several large cattle feed lots growing steaks and burgers for us.
Oil wells & storage tanks

Into Wyoming
The rest stop at Pine Bluffs, Wyoming features the High Plains of Archaeology Museum with a trail featuring sites and artifacts from historic Wyoming. We are trying to make many miles today so did not check it out after we ate our lunch in the shade beside a picnic table. Sunny with a huge blue sky and 80 degrees. Through the windshield:

Snow covered mountain peaks on the horizon.
Rigs set-up to drill for oil and natural gas.
Irrigation systems are spraying water even as we drive under a very dark rain cloud!
A semi on the frontage road hauling Ag Water--for cattle? for crops?
You know you are in the wilderness when the Interstate has signs telling you how many miles to the next services!
Strong side winds makes for both hands on the steering wheel and a noisy ride.
Antelope grazing in the pastures.
Climbing higher. Snow melt has pooled into ponds and streams keeping grass pastures green.
A variety of wild flowers blooming--splashes of white, orange, yellow, blue and purple!
Tall wooden snow fences standing like soldiers in company formation at attention waiting for the "blizzard" battle.
Tall white windmills lined up on the ridges with blades spinning in the wind.

Rawlins Flying J for the night. Since Pilot has purchased the Flying J's they are bringing in the Denny's chain of restaurants, but this one has not been set up yet. Our supper was pizza, salad, milk and ice cream from the convenience store. We were parked on a high ridge so the wind rocked us to sleep!

Back on that long, winding grey ribbon of I-80! Light rain this morning as we drive past open pit mining for a variety of minerals and over the continental divide. Through a tunnel. Flocks of sheep grazing. Snow banks in cliffs on north slopes of mountains. Driving through Evanston we see spring flowering trees (lilacs and ornamental pear) in bloom. Also tulips and iris. Spring is just coming to this area!

Over the corner of Utah
The last time we were on this road we were driving early morning in the dark with a full moon. New landscape for us: mountains are green with grass and shrubs with rust colored rocks protruding from the sides. Hazy in the distance as we drive into rain. Interesting pattern as a small spray of water from the wet pavement trails each car & truck. The grey ribbon of Interstate winds through the valley beside a Railroad track and a stream with fast moving rapids. Awesome!

The Wastach Mountain Range has snow covered peaks. The clouds are sliding up over the mountain tops as we drive in and out of rain.

We can see the Great Salt Lake reflecting the blue-gray of the cloudy sky as we turn north. Out of the city into a valley with pastures, hay and small grain growing. Dairy & cattle ranches, small businesses and small towns nestled at the foot of the mountains. The valley widens. Scattered ranches on the horizon. Acres of green pastures, tilled fields & wheat stubble. A shepherd's covered wagon is parked on the side of the mountain. Small rectangular shaped wagon with a rounded metal roof and a horse tethered beside it. Flocks of sheep in the distance. Past the exit for the Golden Spike Natural Historic Site at Promontory, Utah. This is the place that the East and West Railroad tracks met.

North Into Idaho
New signs along the road: Deer Migration Crossing, Dust Storm Area (we did see one on the other side of the road blowing away from us!) and Game Crossing! Through the windshield:

Blue skies with white fluffy clouds float above us as we deal with the wind.
Acres & acres of just tilled irregular shaped fields as they lay across the contour of the rounded side of the mountain slopes.
The fragrance of new mown hay!
Fields of potatoes being irrigated.
Potato planting & harvesting equipment and storage buildings.
Over the Snake River--we will cross it several times!
Canals are dug at intervals through the countryside to move water from the river to the irrigation systems.
Large dairies have acres of "compost"--not fragrant--manure being aged to be bagged and sold for gardens!
Black rocks in piles and emerging from pastures must be volcanic rocks left-over from the volcanoes in the area.
Exit sign for the US Ecology Waste Site. Their website states," Idaho’s Grand View facility in the Owyhee Desert, treats and disposes hazardous waste, non-hazardous industrial wastes and low-activity radioactive material. The site's arid climate, deep groundwater, and favorable geology plus a state of the art multi-layer landfill liner system help ensure permanent waste isolation."
Exit sign for The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center at Three Island Crossing State Park on the Snake River at Glenn's Ferry. Oregon Trail immigrants knew this place well. It is one of the most famous river crossings on the historic trail. It was used until 1869 when Gus Glen constructed a ferry 3 miles upstream.
Pilot Travel Center Sign at Mountain Home--our stop for the night!

Because we will loose another hour at the Oregon/Idaho border we should be able to make delivery today, Lord willing. We will be leaving our long, gray four lane road for two lanes through the mountains, which will slow us down. Sunny with not much wind. Mountains are a black jagged outline to the east as the sun rises over them. Snow covered peaks in the distance to the west. This area seems dryer with the dessert to the south. Boise is a long town spread out in the valley. Miles of new road construction in the process with signs indicating that the "Project is funded with Carve Bonds."

Destination State--Oregon
This is like a traditional Jim & Shirley "road trip" only in a motor home as we turn onto the two lane highway driving through irrigated fields of onions, potatoes, hay, wheat, corn, and alfalfa in the valley at the foot of the mountains. A beautiful "quilt" in a variety of shades of green each outlined by the shallow irrigation ditches as we look down the valley from the highway! Through the Windshield:

Sign indicating that we are driving on the Oregon Trail.
Through the town of Vale. A stop on the Oregon Trail. The sides of the buildings have a mural depicting this stop.
Sign: Snow Area as we climb up a mountain pass, Vines Hill Summit. If it was winter we would have to put on chains to get through the snow.
Sign: Open Range--this is public land--As taxpayers we own it!!
Sign: Loose Gravel--not a good sign for new motor home deliveries because it usually means some rock chips. But in the mountains this is the way they fix highways. Only short distance this time.
Thanking the Lord for a beautiful sunny day and very good road curving around the mountains beside a fast running stream. Imagining what it would be like to be walking it or riding in a covered wagon!
Small village of Juntra. Several old cement block buildings, one with a metal jail cell behind it. A small brick church with a few houses, a restaurant and a motel.
Sign: Drinkwater Pass and Stinging Water Pass. Wondering what those names mean??
Corner posts for fences are a wire-fence cylinder filled with rocks.
Beautiful wild flowers scattered over the countryside like a rainbow! Shades of yellow, white, red, & blue.
Empty hay sheds waiting at the end of the fields for bales of new cutting.
Eagles flying.
Training stables & horse ranches.
The Paiute Indian Reservation.
Following a semi-load of bagged onions heading to market.
Lilacs blooming all over the town.
Regular gas is $4.00/ gal.
Oregon Experimental Range is 16,000 acres used by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture. Their mission is to develop agricultural and natural resource strategies that maintain or enhance inter mountain forest and shrub ecosystems. Currently they are researching the integration of beef cattle, range-land, wildlife, and watersheds. Your tax dollar at work!!
Snow covered Cascade Mountain peaks ahead on the horizon.
Pine Mt. Observatory exit. A place to go in the evening and watch the sky.
Acres and acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management----Oregon Badlands with ATV and OHV trails, shooting range, ancient junipers, volcanic vistas and sand underfoot. One area had roads to several reservoirs and lakes.
We missed a corner in Bend, but found our way through. Passed a sign in the parking lot--Local Morels for Sale. No price was printed!
Our two lane road now has little dots beside it on the Atlas--scenic, but not for fast traveling! We discovering what it is like to drive a motor home through the mountains!
Exit to High Desert Museum
Exit to Newberry National Volcanic Monument with information on the volcanoes in the area. A few miles south is the Newberry Crater with lakes. No time to stop.
Through the Winema National Forest with tall pine trees, meeting logging trucks, road construction stops and piles of black lava rock along the highway.
Driving along the edge of Crater Lake National Park we see snow banks. The roads leading into the Park are closed and covered with snow!
A call to the dealer gave us permission to park in their yard and check in the next morning. Another wrong turn making the dealers sign a welcome sight along with a motel a few blocks away!

Let's explore!
Back in the Saturn on a beautiful clear sunny day breathing in clear mountain air and again trying to find our way. This time to get out of Medford! The city is beautiful with huge rose bushes in the median. Finally on Hwy #238, a scenic winding road, with pine covered mountains, going west. Strawberry fields with red ripe berries, grapevines, pear orchards, hay & vegetable fields, blackberry hedges with white blossoms growing wild along fences and flowers, flowers, flowers!

Found Hwy 199 south to the coast. Another two lane road with dots beside it on the Atlas! Tree lined with tall pines, snow covered peaks in the distance, small towns, and logging trucks. Across the border into California winding through the Siskiou Mountains with 20 mph curves, rocky ledges, tall pines and fast moving rivers.

Reserved a room at the Econolodge in Crescent City. Turned north on Hwy #101 to follow the coast into Oregon. Smith River, CA is the Easter Lily Capitol of the world. Acres and acres of them growing between Smith River, CA and Brookings, OR. This area has rich soil and temperate weather making the "White Gold Rush" industry that provides 90 percent of the world's Easter Lily products.

The ocean is beautiful blue with white foam hitting the huge rocks along the coast. One area has farms where the farmers look out one window with an ocean view, walk across the room and view their pastures and fields. Sign: Olives for sale. Huge azalea bushes in bloom. Wild flowers, including blue spikes of foxglove, green fennel, and blackberries, are abundant in the ditches.

We stopped at the parking lot above the Whaleshead Beach, named from the shape of the rocks protruding from the water along the coast. (The rocks are called "sea stacks." They are super hard and withstand the erosion that breaks up the other rocks.) Walking down the path surrounded with a lush growth of plants and flowers, to the black sand(because of the lava rocks in the area) covered with drift wood. The wind was blowing fog in across the tops of the trees. Awesome!

Nearly every place a creek or a river flows into the ocean there is a place to see the ocean and often a beach for you to walk. Bicycle trails are available and even marked in the city. Flashing lights warn when a cycle is in a tunnel or on a bridge.

The fog was limiting our visibility so turned around, stopped at The Apple Peddler for our supper. Would highly recommend it for fresh and tasty food. Clam chowder was excellent. Back south to Crescent City with the fog rolling in for the evening.

A foggy damp morning to drive along the coast. Stopped at several beaches to walk and watch the surfers ride the huge waves. Heard the fog horn on the lighthouse that we could not see. Listened to the roar of the surf. Found many sand dollars laying on the beach. In and out of fog as we drive past and through the Redwood forest. Very tall pines with a reddish bark that turns to gray. A lot of decks and siding standing!

Signs: "Tusnami Hazard Zone" are scattered along the highway. "Deadly Sneaker Waves & Hazardous Surf" did not stop the surfers!

An Adventure as we head home:
Found a road, Hwy #36(with dots in the Atlas!) to take us East away from the ocean and toward Iowa. When you are in the mountains there are not many choices going your direction! A motel reservation in Redding was a wise move because it took us 5 hours to drive the 150 miles! An adventure!

The sign stated that this two lane road was not recommended for semi's.
Herds of Brown Swiss and Guernsey cows graze in pastures.
Winding our way through small towns and rural areas with pine covered mountains in every direction.
Wide and narrow valley views.
Through a forest of Redwood trees. We could reach out our hand and touch the trees as we passed.
Did meet some logging trucks and one semi load of hay bales.
Constant curves, climbing and coasting down the mountain with up to 10% grades. Some places no center marking.
The few small towns had populations of 50 or less with no gas stations.
Some road construction that we had to stop and wait for.
A couple of shifts in the road that could have been caused by an earthquake.
Spectacular views!

After a cool, restful night's sleep we headed to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Their website stated that they had 18 feet of snow this winter. They started clearing roads in May. We will see if it is open today.

A two lane road with no ditches or shoulders as drive beside ranch fences and front lawns in the towns.
Black volcanic rocks are scattered in pastures and yards.
Pretty vistas as we climb higher.
Park is closed because of snow.
We did stop at Vista Point in the Lassen National Forest. We could see the snow covered volcano peak in the distance.
Ponderosa and Jack Pines grow in this area. They grow a whorl of branches around the trunk each year. Count them for the age of tree. Six mature trees have enough lumber to build a house.
Snow covered peaks in both directions.

A cup of coffee at Susanville, CA as we drive out of the forest and into the desert with sagebrush and blooming cactus. Definitely cattle country. Taller snow streaked mountains in the distance. This snow melt is putting water into many of the "dry lakes" listed in the Atlas. The pastures are still green and fields are being irrigated.

Into Nevada
Back on I-80, that long gray ribbon that extends from coast to coast! Wind is blowing dust off one of the "dry lake" beds as we travel the 40 mile desert on the California Trail West that runs from Loveluck to Reno. It was a horror for wagon trains, but it was shorter. It was so hot that they would travel at night. The loss of livestock and lives were tremendous. There was no water available in this area. We stopped at a Rest Stop that had as its source of water one "old fashioned" hand pump, no grass, but did have shade built over the picnic tables.

Large bank of clouds spotted ahead. How far? Very hard to judge distances in the mountains.
An open pit mine.
A reservoir of turquoise water spreads out along the valley floor making a "recreation" area. It was created with a dam on the Humboldt River.
Processing plants for the minerals mined in the area & electrical power stations are scattered thruout the mountains.
Spent a frustrating night at the Super 8 in Elko. Phone service for local calls only and cell phone cut off as trying to make reservation for next night.
Sunny cool drive continues past mining company headquarters and supply depots. Some mines in this wilderness could be gold mines because Nevada mines the most gold in the US. Not large nuggets, but flakes that need to be processed from the rock.
West Wendover has huge casino/hotels rising up from the desert in a stretch beside the interstate. Nothing green. Just rocks and concrete!

Back into Utah
The Great Salt Lake Desert stretches out in front and all around us. No green. Only white sand with occasional areas of water from the snow melt. Exit to the Bonneville Speedway. Exit to the Utah Test & Training Range and the Dugway Proving Grounds. Large piles of salt at the Morton Salt company.

Great Salt Lake on our left is a beautiful turquoise with snow covered mountains as a back drop. We heard on the radio reports of flooding in areas of the city due to the unusually large amounts of snow in the mountains and saw water on the shoulder of I-80. Past the world's largest open pit mine, Bringham Canyon Mine has been mining copper since 1906.

Winding thru the Parleys Canyon. Every mile is a "Kodak Moment!" Some green grass, shrubs, trees and covered with wildflowers with signs pointing to recreational areas. Always another range of mountains in sight with a pass to get over or a valley to get through! Like life?? God provides strength and wisdom for both experiences when we trust the shed blood of Jesus for our faith!

Back to Hwy#84 north--rewind scenery!
This is where we took #84 North into Idaho on way out so we can "rewind" our scenery!

About an hour west of Rawlins, WY we were stopped by an accident up ahead on the interstate. A semi tractor and the mechanics truck helping it were both burning. Traffic both ways was stopped for over 2 hours while they let it burn. It was so isolated it took too long to get fire engines to the area. No one was injured, but the semi was just a small pile of steel along the side of the road. What do you do for 2 hours stopped on the Interstate? We visited with the people waiting with us and checked with the motel to be sure we had a room!

Gabby's restaurant in Rawlins is the popular place for the locals to go. We picked the wrong item from the menu. Our chicken was so small you "almost had to take the egg shell off before frying it!" We looked around and saw some awesome pastas and burritos! The rain cloud that had been threatening moved to the east and gave us a spectacular rainbow to view out of the restaurant window. The bulletin board had a schedule posted for Friday night movies in the local park. A costume contest for the theme of the movie was included!

Finished our trip on the long gray line thru Nebraska, past the metal sculpture of a wolf howling to the sky on the butte above the town of Potter, NE, a stay in York, under the Arch that spans the interstate, and across the flooded Missouri River into Iowa. Even in a fog Iowa is looking great. The lower gas prices are welcome after the $4+ out west. Interesting to see the blades of the windmills disappear in the fog and then reappear. The metal pheasant sculptures near mile marker 50 welcome us back.

We do miss the clear mountain air! So thankful for the opportunity to enjoy our adventure and so thankful for our home on the Prairie!

Prairie Schooners

Edmonton, AB

2011-05-21T11:29:00.004-05:00

On a rainy cold early morning the last week of April, we drove north to Forest City to pick-up an Itasca Ellipse motor home to deliver to Edmonton. It is definitely a home on wheels. A Freightliner chassis, diesel pusher with a 150 gal fuel tank! Yes, it took us nearly $500 to fill! 43’ long, 101” wide, 13” high with both entire sides able to slide out! Complete with dishwasher, washer & dryer, central vac, fireplace, big flat screen TV, 2 bathrooms, an outside entertainment unit, and an inside infotainment unit with GPS! It looks like a home inside with the silver/green color scheme and glazed cherry cabinets. The wood trim on ceilings imitated the look of exposed beams.

Rain, wind and water sitting in fields, ditches and median. Lakes are bank full. Rivers are flooding. Thru Minneapolis to I-94 west. Small towns, large farms, dairies, partial stacks of bales, grain elevators, dot the drenched landscape that is trying to transition from winter to spring!

Into North Dakota staying at Fargo at a Petro Truck stop for the night! The odometer is in km so we dig out our metric measurements knowing we will need them for fuel prices and to read signs once we cross the border. (Yes, grandkids, learning math is important!)

We are greeted with a partly cloudy blue sky and no rain. Driving through the Red River Valley, which is flooding, we see acres of flat farm ground with small towns and grain elevators. Some of the ponds are still covered with ice. This is also “pot-hole” country with many small land depression in fields filled with water. Lines of trees planted as windbreaks still have snow banks at their trunks looking like they are still “tucked” in their snow quilt for the winter!

We left the interstate to take US#52 to the border crossing at Portal. The two-lane highway makes a red diagonal line across the center of the North Dakota State map. We meet and pass many over-sized loads of various kinds of equipment. Some are being imported or exported to Canada. Some are just moving local farmers equipment. One of the largest was a truck carrying two 27’ bases for grain bins!

View from the windshield:

· The highway runs parallel to a Rail Road track. A crew was working on the tracks. As we drove north trains were backed up waiting.

· Every 10 or 15 miles is a small town with a grain elevator surrounded by acres of farmland.

· The flooding caused water on the edges of the road in a few places. We saw a boat sitting beside a flooded gravel road, a house on an island with a bright blue port-potty in front and sand bags around buildings.

· Grass covered hills still brown from winter with “dollops” of white snowbanks scattered on north facing slopes.

· Cattle grazing with small calves at their sides.

· Very interesting names of towns: Fessenden, Velva, Carpio, Pingree, Voltaire and Adamore. Many had signs indicating a local museum. Would be fun to have time to stop and visit each.

· For miles we drove through grassy hills with white stones on the slopes outlining the numbers of the year of graduating seniors! A project that would take a lot of time and effort since the hills were isolated from roads and the rocks would have to be collected! Do we call it “green graffiti?”

· Grasshopper shaped oil wells. Shiny new ones. Drilling rigs. Hopefully help with reducing our gas prices???

Saskatchewan, Canada

This province of Canada is mainly associated with the prairies and grain growing, but the terrain is far from flat and barren. It also has a rich reserve of heavy oil and over half the world’s known recoverable reserves of potash along with uranium mining, pulp and paper production, commercial fishing and trapping, manufacturing and construction industry. Again we drove many miles of two-lane provincial highways before getting to the trans-Canada auto route, another red diagonal line on the atlas map!

Through the windshield:

· Oil wells & drilling. Pipes being laid. Miles of oil rig and mining equipment sales and rental business.

· Large cranes working on the horizon behind huge piles of sand. An open pit Potash mine. (We would have received train loads and truck loads of this potash when working at the retail fertilizer outlets here in Iowa) Acres and acres with piles in rows of left-over sand from the mines. The older ones are grass covered low hills.

· Then flat acres of farm ground with small towns dotted every so many miles. Each has a grain elevator next to the Rail Road track. Some large seed companies with their bins and legs. The farmers have rows of small grain bins instead of the large ones we see here in Iowa. We think this is because they grow seed and have to keep each variety separate.

· Instead of a sign stating “Historical Marker” they have signs: “Point of Interest!”

· The roads are rough.

· Water everywhere there is a low spot because of the snow melt.

· Through another rain storm. We seem to have rain at least half of every day we are on the road.

· Moose crossing signs. One dead moose in the ditch.

· Interesting that Saskatchewan has signs printed only in English where other provinces are both French and English. But meters and kilometers instead of feet and miles!

· Saskatoon, the “City of Bridges” with six bridges spanning the South Saskatchewan River also had the Flying J for our overnight stay. It was a welcome sight after a long day driving through an area with very few places to park an “elephant!” We turned onto the Yellow Head Highway #16 that crosses Canada. Named because it goes through the agriculture area where acres of wheat is grown.

· Blackstrap Mountain ski resort sign seemed out of place in this area, but it is a man made mountain built in 1971 for the Canadian Winter Games with a main ski run of 1400 ft.

· When talking to a waitress in Denny’s about time difference she explained that the farmers said the cows do not change time so therefore this province does not change time! No daylight savings time for them!

· It is pretty with the sun rising and making the fields of harvested wheat stalks glow. But thunder and lightening and black clouds ahead for our half day of rain?

Alberta, Canada

Again we see many oil wells, drilling, oil field equipment for sale, rent and manufactured.

Past a town, Vegreville, with a sign advertising “largest pysanka.” A pysanka is an Easter egg decorated using a batik method. This is a Ukrainian tradition. This town is in the center of Alberta’s Ukrainian settlements and has the world’s largest known Easter egg. It is 25 ft by 18 ft made of aluminum and decorated in gold, silver and bright colors! On another trip we had visited the Ukrainian Culture Center just east of Edmonton. It is a museum set up as a community with the buildings of the early settlers.

A stop at the Flying J for the dealer fill, a stop at the Truck/RV wash for the dealer wash job and then to the dealer. We found out that this motor home was for the owner of the dealership. This was the greatest display area we have ever seen at a dealership. The walls were a mural of snow covered mountains, tall pine trees, a lake and stream that went all around the area. The RV’s were set in a circle with artificial trees of all sizes, a couple stuffed deer and a life-sized bear. A fountain in the corner gave you the feeling of hearing the mountain stream! The offices around the edge were all covered with a log-cabin design paper giving you the impression that you were surrounded with buildings! It was good that it was a pleasant place to wait because it took an unusually long time to be checked in!

Thanks to Gertrude, our Garmin, we found a motel a few miles from the dealership with a restaurant attached. A cold, damp wind made the warmth of a room welcome!

The Thai Orchid Restaurant was a new experience for us. It is similar to Chinese cuisine. Instead of a fortune cookie we received a piece of tamarind flavored candy. The warm green tea with real leaves was soothing to my sore throat. Not fun traveling with a sinus cold!

We asked the young lady putting out breakfast at the motel if this damp, cold weather was typical for spring. She replied that every year people complained of a cold spring, but this is normal and probably will have a couple more snows before it warms up!

Our plans are to drive south on Highway 2 through Red Deer and Calgary, then take Trans Canada #1 to Medicine Hat driving south from there to Wild Horse to cross the border into Montana and take scenic route #2 east to North Dakota. We knew the mountain roads around Baniff would be still closed with snow.

A variety of landscapes along the Hwy to Calgary. Rolling hills, farm land, pasture with stacks of round bales, farm & ranch buildings, lakes with ice, pine trees are the only green on the brown landscape, white bark of the birch trees accent the forests, oil wells, and towns and cities with malls. In the distance we can see the snow on the side and peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Calgary’s downtown skyscrapers are outlined against the horizon as we enter the outskirts of the city. A dusting of snow left-over from last night snow shower glistens in the sun.

East on Trans Canada #1 through open acres of fields and pastures. It feels like we are driving along a ridge because we can see for miles! Cattle grazing. The farmers stack their large round bales on end in 2 rows, then layer 2 rows on their side, and top with 1 single layer down the middle! The moisture slides off the round sides and preserves the hay for a longer period of time. Prairie pasture architecture!

Huge farm equipment sitting in the fields ready for seeding.

The fields have their fall harvest combine quilt! A pattern with long strips the width of the combine in light and dark shades as the combine tips the wheat stubble different directions.

Long, fast moving trains on the horizon.

Acres of grassland hills, canals to run water & irrigation rigs, but mostly oil wells and cattle grazing. Canada is dealing with energy—many, many new oil wells and new storage terminals.

A Super 8 in Medicine Hat for the night. The Discovery Channel had a segment showing how they make Winnebago motor homes in Forest City, IA. It has been many years since we toured the plant so enjoyed seeing them make what we deliver!

We heard on the news that Montana was dealing with flooding along the Milk River beside the scenic highway we had planned to take. Changed our plans and continued east into Saskatchewan planning to cross the border at Portal.

Saskatchewan, Canada

The signs tell us that we are traveling though the Canadian Badlands. It is an area of sandstone buttes, sharp cliffs and rough-hewn caves among the grass covered hills. In the late 1800’s, this area was a haven for cattle rustlers, horse thieves and stagecoach robbers because of its forbidding terrain and the proximity to the United States border.

Today there is a Buffalo range, oil & natural gas fields and cattle range.

At Moose Jaw we head south on Hwy #39, another red line going diagonally across the atlas map. This one we will remember for a long time! Shortly after turning we see snow in the air. Then accumulated on the ground. Then blowing across the highway that is snow covered. (Later we heard that the wind was blowing up to 80 mph and the storm had started at 3 AM with heavy rain.) Following a caravan of semi-trucks we slow, then stop, then creep along past vehicles and trucks in ditch or nearly in ditch driving on packed snow up to 8 inches deep with “potholes” where surface of pavement is showing.

Several hours of this before we get to the town of Estavan. Only town with a motel! We did manage the unplowed city streets and got the next to the last room at the Days Inn! No restaurants were open. Half of the town was without electricity. But the motel did serve cold sandwiches and a salad in there restaurant by a few of the employees who made it in to work. We were so thankful for a warm place out of the storm and for Jim’s driving skills in the blizzard! It had taken us 5 hours to go 140 miles.

We started late in the morning. The sun was shining, no wind, but the road was still a washboard of “potholes” and snow/ice covered all the way to the border. Back in North Dakota with very little wait at the border. Most of those crossing were trucks. We heard on the radio that most of the towns in north west North Dakota were still without electricity at the end of that day! On a scale of 1 to 10 it was considered an 8+ storm!

The rest of our trip seemed very uneventful after that day!

Thanks for traveling with us,

Prairie Schooners

Smithville, Ontario in April

2011-04-24T15:14:00.009-05:00

On a windy Monday we picked up a 35 ft. Sightseer motor home in Forest City and thankfully, only had to drive it as far as the Prairie. It was a “two hands” on the steering wheel day!

Early Tuesday morning, with a tail wind and 23 degrees we headed east into a beautiful sunrise over the Iowa Mountains!! (There was a long north south cloud bank on the horizon that resembled a range of mountains in the distance. The only mountains we would have in Iowa!)

Nice to see green grass with no snow banks! Temp climbed to 37 degrees under a sunny blue sky by the time we reached Cedar Rapids. Over the Mississippi River, which was back in its banks, into Illinois? A few of the thousands of acres of farmland had been tilled and ready to plant. Through Chicago, into Indiana, on I-94 into Michigan.

Back to late winter, very early spring landscape with no green grass and trees with bare branches

As we drive along the edge of Lake Michigan through low tree covered hills dotted with small towns, businesses and commercial buildings the sky is full of large white clouds. Turning east toward Detroit the Interstate is lined with acres of irrigated farm land, grapevines, fruit trees, Christmas tree farms and occasional wineries.

Thanking the Lord for a safe, clean place to stay TA Truck stop.

Started early AM through Detroit to the Ambassador Bridge. Found it even in the rain. Did manage to get in the wrong lane—not a cash lane. Thankfully it was very early morning and not a lot of traffic. Found some help, paid our toll and we were on our way. Every time we have driven over it there has been lane closures and construction. This time there were huge potholes and not much space to maneuver a “dodge!” Later we read some articles in the local papers telling that there is a controversy over the building of another bridge. The private owners are planning to build a “twin” toll bridge beside this one, but there is a group trying to get government money from Canada and US to build one in a different area.

Through customs and truck inspection which consisted of looking at our log book, checking lights, and asking questions. On the road headed east in the rain driving parallel to the Lake Erie coastline all the way to Smithville.

Acres of flat brown wet farmland. Past Leamington which is known as the “tomato capital of the world!” Just brown stalks left in the fields today.

All signs are in English and then in French. Definitely a language learning experience as we drive along. Km instead of miles. Gas sold in liters instead of gallons. We paid about $4.63 a gal. Most towns have a sport center that includes an ice arena for hockey.

Near London we spotted the first remnants of snow in the ditch with fog ahead. The fog turned out to be snow! Very wet snow that was accumulating on the ground. Small pine trees are wrapped in brown cloth and tied with twine both along the highway and around private homes. We think this is protecting them from being eaten by the deer.

Smooth delivery with rain stopping while we unhooked and unloaded the unit. Back on the road in heavy rain/snow. Over the Ambassador Bridge and a motel in Detroit for the evening.

We found out that the Comfort Inn motel in Dearborn/Taylor had a special that allowed a voucher for admittance and free parking at the Ford Museum. Since the outside exhibits were not open for the season we will wait for another time to visit.

The next morning we headed west on a cloudy, cool day, but thankfully no rain. Into Indiana & through Chicago. Turned off the interstate onto Hwy 6 to Seneca, IL. Acres of farm ground having fertilizer applied. As we get closer to the river the bluffs form a tall line on one side of the road.

Seneca, Illinois

We have wanted to stop and see the old grain elevator in this town. Why? Because managing a grain elevator is on Jim’s resume! We could not get inside today, but it was an awesome sight. The crib like attached building indicated that they also stored large amounts of ear corn. It sits beside the remains of a canal that led to the Illinois River.

The M.J. Hogan Grain Elevator is the oldest remaining grain elevator built along the Illinois & Michigan Canal. The elevator, constructed in 1861-1862 allowed local farmers to ship their grain in bulk to Chicago markets via the canal, as opposed to transporting each load by horse and wagon.

Each day farmers delivered hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain. As many as 400 wagon loads which were weighed, sorted and transported by canal boat pulled by mules.

Throughout history water has been the best way to transport people and goods. From 1673 on, explorers, politicians, investors, travelers and farmers alike saw the advantages of building a canal near Chicago that would link the waters of Lake Michigan with those of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, thus providing a water passage all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. In 1825, when the Erie Canal opened as a link between the Great Lakes and Eastern seaboard, the proposed Illinois canal gained impetus because its construction would provide a continuous water highway stretching from New York to New Orleans.

After years of planning, the Canal Commissioners began building the I&M Canal in 1836, but faced numerous hurdles including a shortage of workers, and a national financial panic in 1837. Irish, as well as German, Swedish and other immigrants, attracted by the promise of abundant jobs, flocked to Illinois to begin the arduous work of digging the 96 mile canal by hand. Jeremiah Crotty, an Irish immigrant, contracted to build 11 miles of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, which bisects the Village. Today there is a recreational trail running along the edge of the abandoned canal.

The town is an interesting mix of old buildings and homes and new. The bluffs create an interesting challenge for building and streets!

Seneca was also well known for the Shipyard, which built Navy warships called LST's or Landing Ship Tanks. The Shipyard was in operation from 1942 to 1945 with a final production of 157 LST's built. The shipyards played an important role in World War II because they helped people by providing money and many jobs to our community. There is a memorial in the park dedicated to the 27.000 employees who worked at this factory and to the service men who served on the LST.

LeClaire, Iowa

This little town next to the Mississippi River has some interesting history. Lewis and Clark camped here, first settlers came in 1834, from 1848 to 1880 it is said that 350 rivermen lived here all at the same time. They included inventors, clericals, builders, captains, pilots, engineers, cooks, firemen, raft hands, deck hands and mates, dredge hands and lock tenders. Others helped with the construction of dams or worked on shore supporting the river work. Buffalo Bill, the great scout, Indian fighter and showman is perhaps the most famous to claim LeClaire their home.

The Buffalo Bill Museum was closed for the day, but we could see the full-sized riverboat through the windows. Many interesting shops are located along Main Street and a guide showing the names of the riverboat captains that owned the houses built along the river is available at the Welcome Center. Our Super 8 was on a bluff overlooking the river. We sat at a booth beside windows overlooking the river at Happy Joes Pizza & Ice Cream restaurant enjoying both pizza and ice cream while it rained! It was too early in the season to see any barges moving up or down the river.

Hoover Museum

“My grandparents and my parents came here in a covered wagon. In this community they toiled and worshiped God…The most formative years of my boyhood were spent here. My roots are in this soil….” Herbert Hoover

Today the buildings of the town of West Branch and site help recall that historic setting. The birthplace cottage, blacksmith shop, Friends Meetinghouse, and schoolhouse are all open to the public. The town itself seemed to be a quiet, peaceful place on the day we were there.

The museum contained information both about the Hoovers and the history that helped form the decisions they made both for themselves and the country. Herbert was the second of three children born to Jessie and his wife, Hulda. His father, Jessie, was a blacksmith. He sold his blacksmith shop and opened a farm implement business in 1879. One of the ads he posted for his business stated, “Having bought my goods early, I can sell you at reasonable prices anything in my line from a sewing machine needle to a steam engine.” Jessie died of a heart attack in December 1880 leaving his wife with the responsibility of raising their 3 children.

By taking in sewing and economizing, Hulda was able to save the money from Jesse’s insurance policy for her children’s education. One of the items in the museum was a metal pattern maker consisting of 4 pieces that could be moved and shaped to fit person and style. I’d seen parts of them before, but never a whole set complete with the instruction book titled, Drafting and Cutting for Dresses, Basques, Sacques, Coats, Etc. I admire their ability to use this simple method compared to my files of paper patterns upstairs in my closet!!

She was a noted speaker in the Quaker Community and often called to nearby Meetings. On one trip in 1884 she caught a cold that developed into pneumonia and then typhoid fever which caused her death leaving the Herbert and his sister and brother orphans.

The children were sent to live with various relatives. Herbert, 9 years old, went to his Aunt and Uncle on a farm near West Branch. As a boy he fished in the creek with a willow pole, butcher string line and patience instilled by the Quaker discipline. Fishing became a life long passion as did the Quaker tenants of emotional self-containment and a commitment to worldly success matched by obligation to others. Later in life he wrote the following poem about fishing:

Fishing

Tis’ the chance to wash my soul with pure air,

With the rush of the brook or with the shine of the sun on the blue water,

It brings meekness and inspiration from the decency of nature,

Charity toward tackle makers,

Patience toward fish,

A mockery of profits and egos,

A quieting of hate,

A rejoicing that you do not have to decide a darned thing until next week!

And it is discipline in the equality of men----

For all men are equal before fish!

When Herbert was 11, he was sent to Oregon to live with his mother’s brother who owned a land company. In a geology lab at college he met Lou Henry, a banker’s daughter born in Waterloo, Iowa. She was the first girl to take geology! They corresponded after graduation and during his job with British Company as a mining engineer in Australia. He found gold, but wrote back this description of Australia—“A country of dust, black flies, and white heat!”

He and Lou were married and went to China to develop coal mines, survived the Boxer Rebellion, had 2 sons, traveled with his family all over the globe working for a company known as the “doctor of sick mines” until he established his own firm of engineering consultants based in London. Herbert & Lou translated a 16^th century treatise on mining, published it and it remains a standard reference work to this day!

The Quaker traditions of being humane and generous to others set him on a course of public service for the rest of his life.

Interesting Highlights from the Museum:

Hoover administrated the ARA (American Relief Administration) to feed the refugees in countries in Europe during WWI. Flour in cotton sacks was distributed, but carefully monitored as to who received them because the Germans needed cotton to manufacture ammunition. The empty sacks were distributed to schools, sewing workrooms and individual artists for their use. Some were embellished with exquisite embroidery & artwork transforming them for resale. They were also made into functional bags, boxes, pillows or clothing.

Before the ARA undertook to feed the Russian people they were eating “famine” bread made out of clay, manure, weeds and straw!

During this time the American people were asked to have “meatless Monday” and “wheatless Wednesday” in order to have more food to ship overseas to the refugees. The slogan was: “Go back to simple food, simple clothes, and simple pleasures. Pray hard, Work hard, Sleep hard, and Play hard. Do it all courageously and cheerfully. We have a victory to win!”

A valentine from this era stated: “To My Valentine. I can Hooverize on dinners, on lights and on fuel, too. But I’ll never learn to Hooverize when it comes to loving you!”

As Secretary of Commerce he used his engineering skills to “standardize” many manufactured products. He also built the Hoover Dam as a flood relief project and power source.

Most people only remember him as President Hoover during the depression. We found that there was a lot more to his life and service. Definitely worth a few hours of your time.

At the Visitor Center was a display showing the Underground Railroad activity in Iowa. Many of the homes are still intact and the hiding places have been found by the new owners.

Yes, Iowa has played a big part in America’s history over the years. We thank the Lord for those who have spent time investigating facts and setting up displays to teach us of our heritage!

Back on I-80 headed to Des Moines and meeting our new great-granddaughter, attending a grand-daughter’s concert and some time with family. Our personal heritage!

Thank you for traveling with us,

Prairie Schooners

Almost to Draper, UT

2011-04-22T20:48:00.005-05:00

It was a cloudy 37° when we picked up a 32’ gas-powered dark carmel colored Suncruiser on a Ford chassis to deliver to Draper, Utah. The unusual interior contained a U-shaped dinette with cushioned seating. The color scheme Nightingale, Black, Forest with cherry wood cabinets was rich looking, but a little dark. The dash has an actual glove compartment for the passenger. This unit was sold with a buyer waiting for its delivery!

Through to windshield:

Thankfully no rain or snow as predicted and no wind!
The fields have a “prepared” look. Black & smooth & ready for planting.
Two hours south we see green grass and green leaves popping on the branches of the trees.
West on I-80 rolling hills with windmills mounted on the peaks, graceful curving green terraces create a pattern on the landscape as we near the Missouri River.
Irrigation systems stand in the fields in Nebraska like runners lined up waiting for the “gun” to signal the start of a race.
Driving beside the Platte River, which is running bank full, we see flocks of pelicans on the ponds, wild turkeys are feeding with the males strutting their beautiful fan of tail feathers, and baby calves romping in the pastures with the cows.
Signs pointing to many museums for us to explore sometime.
Nearing the panhandle we see residual snow banks in ditches and edges of fields and on the slopes of the mountains on the horizon left from the blizzard in this area a few days ago.
The map of north and western Nebraska in the atlas shows large areas of white with only a few lines (highways). Driving through you see acres and acres of open spaces. I believe it is called the high plains because of the low mountains covered with grass pasture.
Into Wyoming the trees outline the river, herds of cattle graze, green fields of winter wheat make a vivid contrast, farm & ranch buildings and occasional large grain elevators beside the river.
Some pastures have ribbons of gold/brown hay residue left from big bales of hay being unrolled or chopped for feed during the winter.
Oil wells dot the hills. Refineries, electrical plants and wires, storage tanks dot the landscape. A herd of antelope graze.
Rocky bluffs and deep grassy canyons.
Rows of pine trees planted as windbreaks between the fields.
Higher mountains in the distance with snow-covered peaks.
Dry land strip farming gives a pattern of alternating green winter wheat fields and brown stalks from last years harvest.
Large circles of new green and large circles of old crop brown are formed by the irrigation rigs.
We found out from conversation with locals that this area did not get much snow this winter. They are very dry. The green winter wheat fields showed bare spots.

Cheyenne, Wyoming is as far as we go west this trip. Our unit’s alternator quit working so we leave it in “intensive care” at the Ford dealership and head back east on I-80.

Good eats this trip: (thank-you, kids, for the restaurant gift card Christmas gifts!)

Egg tarts at the Hong Kong Buffet.
Perkins grilled tilapia with a mango shrimp sauce. Was surprised at the “hot” peppers in the sauce.
Perkins Benedict specials—The portabella, spinach, tomato, & Swiss cheese was super!
Applebee’s sweet desert treat for our anniversary supper—super rich chocolate brownie cake with ice cream.

After driving under it hundreds of times, we stopped at the Great Platte River Road Archway that spans I-80 at Kearney, Nebraska.

It is an “experience” using film, computer graphics, light and sound, life size dioramas, re-enactors and classic cars to depict history spanning 150 years of transportation and communications in the United States. The Mormon Trail, the Oregon Trail, the California Gold Rush Trail, the Pony Express, the Transcontinental Railroad, the Lincoln Highway, Highway 30, Interstate 80 and coast to coast fiber optics all go through Kearney, Nebraska following the Platte River.

Did you know:

There is a Conestoga wagon odometer? It is made of wood and measures the distance the wagon has traveled.
It cost $500 to travel from Ft. Kearney to California via stagecoach.
The Union Pacific was given land to build the transcontinental railroad. After it was built the company sold the land for $2.75 an acre. Emigrants from the east rushed by the hundreds of thousands to purchase land along the railroad. Small towns sprang up. For these ranchers, miners, farmers and merchants the rail road was a lifeline.
A letter sent by Pony Express cost from $2.50 to $5.00 depending on weight. From St. Joseph, MO to San Francisco, CA took 10 days. The first stop was at Ft. Kearney, NE.
Capt. John Sutter had 48,000 acres of ranch in California that he grazed and farmed. When gold was discovered the miners literally took over his land, killing his herds and digging up his ranch.
With the Model T Ford came the dream of a transcontinental highway. In 1913 America dedicated its newest main street—3,389 mile-long Lincoln Highway. One man was quoted, “any old kind of automobile can get from NY to Chicago… But west of Chicago the real trip commences….then we become pioneers.”

I checked their website and found some interesting information on how this museum was constructed. The challenge was how to erect a 1500 ft structure that would cross 308 ft of interstate without stopping traffic. It was built beside the site and lifted over the interstate! It is designed to look like a covered bridge. The exterior is to resemble a Nebraska sunset.

Our last stop on way back to the Prairie was in Des Moines. Needed to hold our newest blessing, our Great-Granddaughter one more time!

Thanks for traveling with us,

Prairie Schooners

Delivery to North East, PA

2011-03-03T13:36:00.005-06:00

After a long winter of “weather,” finally a week of good driving weather predicted. Snow was melted off the driveway making it possible to pick up the unit, bring it home, hook it up, pack it up, do our Genesis Bible Study, and one last night’s sleep in our bed.

A 36 ft Winnebago Sightseer did make it up our muddy driveway between snow banks in a dark early morning take-off. A stiff south-east wind, but clear roadway once we turned off the gravel road.

Partly cloudy sky is highlighted with shades of pink and mauve as the sun rises. Not much traffic. The effects of warm weather are visible. Bare ground in the fields and some open water in the rivers.

Praising our Heavenly Father as we sing along with our Ball Brothers gospel music CD. Crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois heading to Chicago. Chunks of ice are floating down the river. No barges in sight.

It is definitely not the “peak” travel season. The Rest Stops have very few cars, even Flying J was not busy, mostly trucks. The tree trunks have collars of brown where the snow has melted. Snow banks along the highway are a dirty grey.

Into Indiana loosing an hour as we cross out of central standard time. Large snowbanks and more snow cover everywhere as we travel east of Chicago on the toll road.

Into Ohio. Deer are grazing in the open fields. Flat farmland with neat farmsteads as far as you can see on the horizon. Two-story houses, large barns, sheds, silos and grain bins. No activity gives us the feeling that everyone is hibernating! One area has large hip-roof barns with 3 ends. A short barn is built from the side of a longer barn. Would be interesting to know who built them in this area.

Listening to the Prodigal Project series in which the author writes about his concept of life after the rapture. A vivid picture of how Satan twists people’s minds with words and phrases using their desires and lusts for evil while appearing to be for good. It seemed very real when compared to what is going in our world today.

Ohio Travel Plaza on toll way near Woodville for the night. Very nice place to stay. Separate area for RV parking, warm, clean, well-lighted with several choices of food, travel information and phones available. Our LP heater did not give us any heat! Cozy in our sleeping bags, but up early and took books into plaza to read where it was warm & eat breakfast before packing up for the last leg of our delivery.

A quick fuel stop after calculating how many gallons needed to get to destination. Back on the toll way heading east with an orange/red/pink/ mauve sunrise ahead! Past the exit to Hayes Presidential Home & Museum. We enjoyed our stop there last year. Grey black snow along the edge of the highway contrasts with the pure white on the landscape.

I-480 and I-271 make it easy to get past Cleveland. Only one area of traffic congestion where 4 high ways had exit ramps! The highways are dusty white from previous salt and sand applications.

Into Pennsylvania. We are driving through rolling hills covered with trees hiding our view of the countryside. Steep valleys with streams of slushy snow and ice mixture. Black wild turkeys walking thru the woods are very visible against the white snow.

As we get near the town of North East in Pennsylvania fields of grapevines are everywhere along with signs pointing to local wineries. The town has old buildings with lots of “character!” Grapevines growing where ever there is not a house!

Dealership was easy to find. Quick check-in.

We chose state Hwy 5 along the shore of Lake Erie as the sun broke thru the clouds highlighting the ice covered lake with acres of grapevines on either side of the road. The marinas have boats shrink-wrapped with white and blue plastic sitting on the parking lot.

We found our way to the port driving past large old brick buildings in Erie. The flagship, Niagara, calls this her home port, but she is getting some major “fixing up” this winter. The Maritime Museum is only open on the week-ends during the winter. Bummer! We did walk down to the edge of the lake. A small light house was sitting on the island across the ice covered water. Fishing houses dotted the lakeshore. A large ore boat and tug were sitting next to the dock for repairs. Behind us the sun was shining on the golden dome and cross of an Orthodox church built on a cliff overlooking the port.

Headed west and home with only one detour! Name was selected by Bennett Drive-Away office for a random drug test and directed to a clinic in downtown Cleveland, Ohio during after work commuter time! Thanks to our Garmin we found it and thankfully we were in the Saturn and not the motor home!

A Texas Roadhouse restaurant was near our motel, but full with people waiting. That left only an Italian restaurant or The Boneyard! Decided to give it a try. Excellent ribs, wonderful cole slaw and of course sweet potato fries are always delicious. Potato cheese soup was tasty. Bone décor is not so much appreciated. You can enjoy any sport you like on the dozens of overhead large screen TV’s!

Surprise! The snow banks beside our driveway had disappeared while we were gone. Can’t be very long until warm spring weather arrives, can it??

Thanks for traveling with us,

Prairie Schooners

Lake Dallas, Texas in March 2010

2010-12-17T12:46:00.009-06:00

Picked up unit, a Via, after Jim's safety meeting. Packed. Another special night with our Revelation Bible study group. A good night's rest and on the road by 6:30 AM. Blue skies and a glorious sun rise!

Through Missouri, into the Flint Hills of Kansas. From 32 degrees on the Prairie this morning to 78 degrees! The miles seem to fly by. Our overnight stop is at the Flying J in Edmond, Oklahoma.

5:15 AM on the road with Gertrude (our Garmin) guiding us through Oklahoma City. Not so much road construction this time. A helicopter with a spotlight had been flying in circles overhead in the dark. Why??

Into Texas. Taking our exit to dealer. Washed unit. Easy, fast check-in.

On the road on the Saturn heading to Osage Beach, Missouri for a week-end of Gospel Music.

View from the windshield:
Green pastures.
Green fields of winter wheat.
White blossoms on the ornamental pear trees.
Sign: Jesus fought the battle for us at crucifixion.
Fragrance of new mown grass.
Daffodils blooming
Fruit & Veggie stands open.
Few sprinkles of rain to sunshine.

Stopped at a rest area on US-69 near Aotoka, Oklahoma for a "power nap" and discovered a roadside jewel:

Confederate Memorial Museum and Cemetery

The museum offers a unique look into the varied history of southeastern Oklahoma. From pre-historic bones, the Choctaw Trail of Tears and a stop on the Butterfield Stage Line, to homegrown talents Reba McEntire and the late Lane Frost. It is free. At certain times of the year they have reenactments. Check their website.

The quiet cemetery's ground was covered with wild flowers. Old gravestones were set under some trees on a rise between the Muddy Boggy River (formerly called the Middle Boggy River) and the Butterfield Trail. You could almost feel yourself walking along this trail in the early 1800's. The Choctaw followed this trail as they moved to Indian territory in the 1830's. By 1849 thousands of gold-seekers rushed over the trail to California.

The U.S. Government contracted with John Butterfield, in 1857, to carry the St. Louis/Memphis mail through Fort Smith to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The first Butterfield coach came through from Fort Smith, Arkansas in September 1858. Butterfield kept 100 horse-drawn Concord wagons and coaches on the trail at all times. Each carried five or six passengers, a driver, a conductor, and 500-600 lbs. of mail and baggage.

The sign advertising for the coach read as follows:

Take Butterfield's New Coach to California
2 trips per week!
St. Louis to San Francisco via Ft. Smith, boggy Creek I.T., and El Paso!
2,795 miles continuous day and night!
Fare: $200 in gold plus meals, at 75 cents ea.
Each passenger may carry 40 lb baggage---

It is recommended that each person bring:

One Sharp's rifle and a hundred cartridges; a Colts navy revolver and two pounds of balls;
a knife and sheath; a pair of thick boots and woolen pants; a half dozen pairs
of thick woolen socks; six undershirts; three woolen overshirts; a wide-awake hat;
a cheap sack coat; a soldier's overcoat; one pair of blankets in summer and two in winter;
a piece of India rubber cloth for blankets; a pair of gauntlets; a small bag of needles, pins;
a sponge, hair brush, comb, soap, etc., in an oil silk bag; two pairs of thick drawers,
and tree or four towels.

This trail was vital to settling the west, but it's impact was short lived. Service was halted by the Civil War (1861-1865). Afterward, railroads transported mail more quickly and this trail was obsolete.

The grounds currently occupied by the museum were used as a Confederate outpost during the Civil War. Soldiers camped here to guard the Butterfield Stage Road and it is possible the Battle of the Middle Boggy on February 13, 1864 was fought here.

Interesting items in the Museum:

A 5# cloth flour sack with a design ready to embroidery stamped on the back. Gay Girl phosphated, bleached flour from the Arkansas City Flour Mills Co in Arkansas City, Kansas.

A pair of clamp-on roller skates.

A sign in the 1930's kitchen:
The l930's A time of use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!

Inventor of Shopping Carts:
Sylvan Goldman, owner-operator of Standard Food Markets, one of the first chains of self-service supermarkets in Oklahoma City, noticed that shoppers would go to check-out counter as soon as their hand carried basket was full. This was not good for sales. He had assistants patrol the aisles and take the full baskets to a holding area while replacing it with an empty basket. One evening in 1937, while working late in his office, he noticed a pair of wooden folding chairs and an idea for the original shopping cart was born! By raising the seat of the folding chair and placing another seat underneath, each could hold a hand basket. Wheels could be adapted as a handle! When he tested his product the women likened the new invention to a baby carriage and had quite enough of pushing that! Men felt the carts made them look effeminate and refused to touch them. But the elderly welcomed the new invention! He hired models to push the carts and the customers realized how convenient they were. A success.

Definitely a "power nap" on steroids at this stop!

The Super 8 at McCallister, Oklahoma for the night. We found the Angel Diner beside the Happy Days Motel. (That looked like a fun place to stay, too!) The Diner had pink , black and red & white cadillacs parked in front. The parking lanes in the lot were painted pink. The food was all freshly prepared as ordered. The pizza's looked delicious. They were baked on a wooden paddle and served on a paper placemat at your table with a choice of red sauce (tomato based) or cream sauce (based on ranch dressing). Pink walls, black & white tile floor. Juke box playing 50's & 60's music. Pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe along with other movie stars and antiques decorated the walls. The items on the menu were reasonably priced and specially named--Andy's Meat Loaf (very good), Barney's Beans & Cornbread, etc.

A drive in heavy rain to the Super 8 in Osage Beach, Missouri.

The Great Lake of the Ozarks Gospel Sing

Dr. Todd Forman, pastor, hosts this event each spring at The Mainstreet Music Hall at The Landing on Main Street in Osage Beach, Missouri. Check their website for details.

The motel is walking distance from the Music Hall. Choice of some good restaurants in the area including a great seafood buffet at Shoneys. An outlet mall for shopping and walking. A state park for some hiking. Fun visiting with the people sitting around you. Most of all--Great Music!!

We listened to Gold City, Perry's, Ball Brothers, Dove Brothers, Higher Power Quartet, Martins, Booth Brothers, The Lesters. Each concert is like being in a Worship Service. Each has it's own style.

Some of our favorite songs:
Martins: "Nothing Can Seperate Us From the Love of the Father" and "Nothing Takes God by Surprise"
Perry's: "Potter Knows the Clay" and "I Rest My case at the Cross"
Gold City: "Midnight Call"
Ball Brothers: "I Wouldn't Miss Heaven for the World" and "Sometimes He Calms the Storm, Other Times He Calms His Child"

We did have to deal with some rainy days this year! And a fire alarm that went off at 2 AM! A water leak into an exit sign caused a short.

Back north in sunshine humming some new tunes.

Thank-you for "traveling via the web" with us!

Prairie Schooners

Thurmont, Maryland in March 2010

2010-12-16T14:34:00.010-06:00

We picked up our unit at Forest City on Monday. Jim finished his paper work for his spring truck driving job making this our last delivery until July. Packed the unit and spent the evening at church as Jim taught another lesson to our Revelation Bible Study Group.

On the road early watching a beautiful sunrise, hanging tight to the steering wheel as the wind blows against the motor home. A few Illinois farmers are in the field applying fertilizer and doing field tillage preparing them for planting.

Listening to audio book, "Deception" by Randy Alcorn as we roll across Indiana. Great suspense plus opportunity to see how a Christian deals with circumstances.

Our stop for the night is at the service plaza on the toll road in Ohio. They do have excellent facilities!

Another beautiful sunrise behind the Appalachian Mountains in the distance as we cross the border into Pennsylvania. Forests cover the mountains. A streams running full over the rocky landscape. The buds on the trees give a reddish tint to contrast with the green pines. Small patches of snow still visible at the base of the trees.

Lots of road construction as we cross into Maryland. Large areas of blooming daffodils in the ditches and the yellow blossoms of the forsythia bush are welcome signs of spring for these two northerners! Driving beside the Potomac River counting off the miles to our last exit for the dealership. Past the C & O National Historic Park that we visited several years ago. The turn-off to Antietam Battlefield bring back memories of being there when our daughter spent a summer in D.C. A sign indicating the Appalachian Trail crossing.

A quick check-in and found a motel. The cherry blossoms were beautiful! Discovered the Family Restaurant with a buffet. Dozens of loaves of of fresh bread to choose from, at least a dozen different varieties of pie plus great main dishes and a choice of beverages all for $9.95.

A beautiful sunny day for a scenic drive thru The Catoctin Mountain Park past a fast flowing rocky bottom creek to a turn-off for the 1 mile Charcoal Trail up the mountain. This area produced charcoal to heat iron ore for smelting until coal was discovered. The charcoal was produced by heating, not burning, logs in an enclosed area. Walking the trails on the rocky slope surrounded by large hardwood trees, oak, chestnut, maples we could imagine the sound of saws and axes, the mules pulling the sleds full of logs depositing them in large stacks near the dome-shaped furnaces. Scenic view of Thurmont area from the top of the mountain trail!

Got lost going through Hagertown, but it was a 'scenic' route! One-way narrow streets, three story narrow houses close to the street, only side-walk width from street, at stops are able to look in the first floor window! Found Hwy 40 west and enjoyed some scenic vistas!

Super 8 west of Wheeling and supper at Bob Evans. Checked our travel information on the web and found that most museums were not open until May or by appointment. A good night's rest. Another beautiful, sunny, clear, 70 degree day for driving! Love the "green" grass and spring flowers!

We found Hilltop Orchids near Cloverdale, Indiana, a stop we missed on previous trips because of time.

What a treat for the eyes! Owners, Dick and Sandy Wells, welcome you to their greenhouses, offer for sale their plants, and give a tour with a "short course" on the culture of orchids. A banana plant is growing along one wall with small green bananas. Dick has been growing orchids since 1954. Many are grown from seed making unique crosses not found elsewhere. Yes, Jim purchased one for me. A stem with dozens of miniature blooms resembling the orchid corsage he had given me for my High School Senior Banquet 51 years ago! It made the trip home and bloomed for many months. Now growing on our window shelf and hopefully will bloom again!

Back to Iowa for spring on The Prairie! Garden to be planted. Truck to be driven. Grand daughter's wedding gown to be made. A "Golden" Week-end to be enjoyed!

See you along the way!

Prairie Schooners

Syracuse, New York delivery in July 2010

2010-12-12T17:03:00.018-06:00

Picked up a 35 ft gas Winnebago Vista with "my" colors used in the interior! (winter moss green with cherry wood)
Packed the Winnebago, finished varnishing trim, dug our garden crop of onions, moved the last appliances & furniture from the kitchen & utility room to the living room so it would be ready for M & G Floor Coverings to put down the underlay and vinyl while we were gone.
Thank-you Lord for keeping the overnight storms to the west of us!

On the road early morning, sun is shining, everything is green, we spot a colorful hot air balloon, and wild flowers bloom profusely along the edge of the highway. Pink & yellow cone flowers, white queen Anne lace, lavender bee balm, black-eye Susan, tall stocks of blue chicory and spikes of purple vervain!

We wonder how many Flying J's are still Flying J's! They have merged with Pilot but one in our area was sold to Love's. The company assures us that our card is good at both locations.

Over the Mississippi, into Illinois heading for Chicago. Money ready for paying tolls. Smooth trip through the city. Our first experience with an automatic "without a person" pay with ticket experience. Thankfully the machine talks!! Into Indiana. The fields of corn & beans are showing heat and drought distress. The grass is brown. Toll way service area for the night. Very hot so took our books in to the service center building enjoying the AC, ate supper and read until the sun was down and it was cool. Nice breeze across our bed.

Into Ohio. Crops are smaller. Fields of vegetables & melons. Winter wheat fields are harvested. A quick view of Lake Erie in Cleveland with sail boats on the horizon but not much of a view of the city because busy watching traffic and signs! Into the tree lined rolling landscape along North east Ohio.

Into Pennsylvania. Acres and acres of grape vines.

Into New York and more glimpses of Lake Erie. Another overnight stay at a toll way service area. It is cloudy so motor home is cool.

Partly cloudy morning drive through light traffic with Gertrude (our Garmin) giving directions to the dealer. A view of a ridge of tree-covered mountains in the distance. The farms have large barns & silos. This is the area that was settled by the Seneca Indians. Many canals and a site of an old Erie Canal lock.

Smooth, fast delivery and in the Saturn for some sightseeing.

A rain shower kept us from walking along a canal at the Erie Canal Park. Took state Hwy 5 through the countryside. Many huge, brick, two-story houses with a cupola on top. Must have been the "style" at one time in this area!

Found a "Budget Inn" in Waterloo, NY (not a lot of motels in this area). For $75 we got a room without a phone, an internet connection, a clock, or free breakfast! It did have an arrangement challenged bath, difficult to turn on shower, AC that worked, a TV that worked and a bed in a quiet neighborhood!! Learning to be "thankful" in all situations!

Seneca Falls

We walked along the historic Cayuga-Seneca Canal just off main street. Private yachts were tied up at the docks. They use the canal to move between lakes. Shops and restaurants line one side of the canal. Even a place to do laundry and take a shower for the boaters.

The original falls of the river were a series of raids that dropped over forty feet in the course of a mile. Early European settlers dammed the rapids to create three falls ,increasing the speed and concentrating the power of the water. Then they dug a canal next to the river to allow boats to go around, instead of over, the falls. The improvements were made so the town would grow and prosper. A century later they were destroyed for the same reason!

In 1825 dozens of water-powered factories sprang up along the river and the canal and on the islands between the two waterways.

Prior to 1914, New York State decided to enlarge the Erie Canal system to accommodate bigger boats. This project completely changed the landscape of early Seneca Falls. After damming the Seneca River, crews removed canal walls, dams and buildings on the islands. They deepened the riverbed and built new canal retaining walls. The rest of the riverbed was land-filled to provide a roadway behind Fall Street buildings. When water rushed in to fill the new canal in 1915 the old falls disappeared under the water.

Today only one original factory building still stands along the canal, Seneca Falls Mills.

The Historical Society has filled a 23 room 1889 Queen Anne Style Mansion with furnishings, items, photo's, and documents of the history of the area which includes woman's rights (this is the home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the first women's rights convention of 1848), the Civil War, and local genealogy. It offers a glimpse into the lifestyles of Seneca Falls' industrialists. No inside photography permitted but they do have a website.

On this trip I picked up Lynn Austin's book, "Though Water's Roar" from our local library to read. She writes about how four generations of women in a family fought for their beliefs. Here I am in the town where one generation of women fought for the right to be treated as equals under the laws of the nation!

Highlights of the tour:

Carved sunflower design in woodwork in every room and in the metal door hinges.
Wood floors laid in the herring bone design.
The Dining room table has 7 leaves for extension.
The kitchen had a pineapple peeler, a copper hot water heater and a coffee roaster.
The doors were eight feet tall.
Checker boards were built into the floor on the landings for the children.
The toy room had a built-in stage on one end.
A room with Goulds Pumps, one of the 300 industries along the falls, which included a toy company, one that made cast iron stoves and corn shellers.
An antique knitter for socks that had been used at the mill.
Stained glass windows. One with the children's pictures.

Finger Lakes

Hwy 89 gives a scenic drive on a tw0-lane winding country road between the Seneca and Cayuga lakes. There are 5 long lakes in this area. They do look like fingers on a hand when you look at the map!

Interesting small towns, farms, rice fields, vineyards and wineries, lake homes, tree-lined areas, many historical markers, rocky soil and a 'full service' gas station with a side road for 2 lanes of cars to wait for their turn at the pumps! Very good price for this time of year--$2.65

The guide at the museum recommended we stop at the Cayuga Lake Creamery in Interlaken, NY for ice cream. Home made ice cream sounded good, but we were there several hours before it was open--so will try it the next time we are in the area!

Taughannock Falls State Park

"The falls are formed by a rock bed creek entering the lake and surrounded by a glen with walls climbing to 400 feet (120 meters). The cataract has a drop of 215 feet (66 meters), one of the highest east of the Rocky Mountains slightly higher even (25 ft., 8 m) than Niagara (American side), but they cannot be compared because it has much smaller volume. Taughannock is interesting year round - the falls and gorge create a natural amphitheater with dense spray rising from the bottom often shrouding the lower part of the cataract in mist. The name "Taughannock" originates either from that of the Delaware Indian chief Taughannock or as the Delaware word taghkanic ("great fall in the woods")."

Because it was so dry there was not a lot of water dropping the day we stopped. The rocky bed of the river looked as if someone had cut large squares. We viewed the falls from the top.

Corning Museum of Glass

The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York is a must stop if you are in the area. Kids and teens are free. We spent over 3 hours and did not see everything! One area has exhibits of thousands of pieces of glass. One area has interactive exhibits that explain the different ways that glass is used in everyday life and how it is made from shatterproof windshields to lenses to fiber optics! Live, narrated glass demonstrations all day and the opportunity to "make your own glass!" Check their website for more information.

Glass was first made in 2000 B.C. in Iraq, Nigeria and Mesopatamia. It was several hundred years before it was made in other regions and parts of Asia & Egypt. Much later in China and other areas.
Archeologists have found clay tablets inscribed with the formula for making glass in Iraq & Turkey.
Glass ingots were found in shipwrecks.
The raw materials were melted. A furnace under ground had a dome with holes to insert heat proof bone with glass to be shaped.
Glass articles were used for early trading.
Romans used molds to make inexpensive glass dishes.
First Century AD new markets and a new type of furnace allowed the production of raw glass in very large amounts.
In 1963 a team of university students and the Corning Museum discovered a huge slab of glass at Beth She'arim, Israel. It weighed 18,000 lbs.
Glass was used as weights for scales for commerce. It was easy to see if the weight had been tampered with!
Green (my favorite color!) glass was made in central & northern Europe in the middle ages and 18th century. Some glass was mixed with potash made from ashes of trees or ferns.
The Germans mad "trick" glasses. They were elaborately shaped and designed to be difficult to drink from!
An exhibit of pieces made for the World's Fairs included a four foot high cut glass kerosene parlor lamp and a 10 foot long candelabra of cut glass!!
A glass maker in Germany in the late 1800's used gas torches, pincers and other hand tools to make invertebrate sea animals from jelly fish to octopus to sea anemone and plant models from orchids to holly and even glass eyes! So realistic!
Musical instruments including a glass flute and a glass harmonica.
Early window glass was blown into a large six foot cylinder. Both ends were cut out and then split open and heated to flatten.
Napoleon I of France awarded a prize of 12,000 francs to Nicolas Appert in 1809 for inventing a way to vacuum pack food. In 1858, John Mason perfected a way to seal jars cheaply with a zinc screw cap.
In 1882, a German glass chemist discovered that adding boron to glass produced a durable, heat resistant that a Corning chemist perfected in 195 to make pyrex glass cookware, nuts & bolts, x-ray tubes, lab ware, skylights & pumps.
Fiberglass started as an experiment making fabric for a dress. It was very uncomfortable. The fibers would break with movement and scratched! Back to the drawing board.

A Microtel Motel in Olean was our stop for the night. Appreciated the office available to guests for preparing our paper work for mailing.

Cutco Visitor Center

On our way through town we spotted the Cutco Knife Factory and Visitor Center. They do not give factory tours, but do have pictures taken inside the factory with explanation of how they make their knives and of course, a store!

It takes 15 separate pieces to fit together to make a folding pocket knife!

Ka-Bar knives are made for the military use. The name came when a hunter had used one to defend himself from an attacking bear and wrote a letter to the company running the words 'killed a bear' together looking like ka bar!

Formerly the knives were all hand made, but the factory is computerized.

We were just checking up to see if what our grandson, who sold them at one time, was telling the truth about how they were made. He did! They are quality knives with a quality price and do a quality job in the kitchen!

A short drive south to Rock City, an area of gigantic rock formations with one of the largest exposures of quartz conglomerate or pudding stone!

What is pudding stone? It is a conglomerate rock made up of a mixture of different, irregular sized grains and pebbles held together from a finer grain sand, usually quartz. It is a rock formed by sediments in the water.

The rocks in this area are supposedly to have been heaved up with a collision hundreds of millions of years ago. (We know that it probably happened during the upheavel at the time of Noah's flood, which was only a few thousands of years ago!)

We were greeted by a Burma Shave sign reading:
I sure am glad we came today,
Stupendous! Colossal! We hear folks say
A more awesome site you seldom see
Gazing at a boulder and not the green
Down below fantastic surprises for you.
From atop the rocks a magnificent view
Carved through water by God's own Hand.
You will enter a wonderland.

What a sight! The immense boulders balancing on top of each other, crevices wide enough to walk through, arches, the surfaces covered with fern, moss, lichen and what looks like shells from the ocean.

This area did not have the coal that miners had hoped, but oil was discovered. It is part of the Pennsylvania oil fields. At one time this area furnished 75% of the world's oil. Part of a "Parkersburg" drilling rig that was used up until 1962 is visible.

It is an awesome feeling to walk among the huge boulders. A great break from riding in the car.

The museum has a large assortment of rock samples and a video that shows the complete park tour if you are unable to walk the trails.

A Bon Air Hotel, pavilion and train station was operating in 1890 to bring tourist to this area.

Drove scenic routes into Pennsylvania through the mountains in and out of little rain showers then sun then clouds again. Around Cleveland back to I-80 for a motel at Streetsboro. Very hot and muggy. Tornadoes went through the area south of us. Supper at one of our favorite restaurants, Bob Evans!

Watched the movie, "Twelve Angry Men," on TCM. Interesting to see them change their minds when reason showed that what was presented as facts could have been wrong. What is presented as factual truth is not always so. God gave us a mind to use to make judgements on what we hear!!

The "home magnet" has kicked in. We take interstate across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and back to Iowa! Audio books and our music tapes help to pass the time as the scenery flies by our windshield. Making notes of places advertised along the highway that we might want to stop and investigate the next time we are past this area!

The Prairie looks good and our new floor is fabulous! A good night's rest and we can start to move appliances and furniture back as our carpenter finishes putting on the trim and resets our cupboards putting on a new counter-top! We are "thankful" for safe travels and for what has been done here while we were gone!!

See you along the way,

Prairie Schooners

Delivery to Louisville, Kentucky RV Show

2010-11-26T16:17:00.005-06:00

A foggy morning ride to pick up 35 ft Winnebago Vista at Forest City, IA. Sand with slashes of Paprika! It would be camouflage in the desert except for the slashes! Parked it in our yard and packed it up ready to take off the next morning.

A clear dark sky with stars shining down on a dry road with wind to our back makes for a good start in the early morning. Shadows of clouds appear ahead as the eastern horizon gets lighter. A stop for coffee before crossing the Mississippi into Illinois.

View from the windshield:

Acres of harvested and tilled fields sit waiting for a restful covering of snow.

An area with stacked pieces of windmill dotting the landscape waiting for the crane crew to lift them in place.

A few trees with red & gold leaves highlighted by some sun shining thru the clouds.

Indianapolis still has miles of road construction projects!

Headed south nearing the Kentucky border. Acres of woods interspersed with rolling farm land.

Horse stables with miles of wooden fences.

Shades of pink, mauve, & blue appear in a clear sky as the huge orange sun sinks to the western horizon.

Thank-You, Scottsburg, IN Super Walmart for letting us park in your lot overnite.

Bookwork, catch up on correspondence, supper at Long John Silvers. Grilled taliapia with mixed veggies is excellent choice, but the shrimp special was delicious, too! Another couple delivering motor homes stopped in to share experiences!

Snug in our sleeping bag as we heard rain falling in the early morning hours.

We ate a breakfast on an English Muffin at Subway. First time for us & not impressed! Coffee was good.

Filled unit with last few gallons of gas need to get us to the Kentucky Fair Expo Center in Louisville about 35 miles ahead. Drove through rain, checked in, Hi’s & hugs to friends we only see “along the way,” phone calls for release number, check atlas for direction and on the road west.

Through the windshield as we drive in the haze & rain across southern Indiana:

Not good for sightseeing so staying with I-64.

Rocky precipices are visible thru the leafless trees in the Hoosier National Forest. Green pines, rust-red & brown grasses and some late clinging leaves. Low tree covered mountains on the horizon as we curve though the valleys.

Rain stops, but still cloudy

Past an open pit coal mine

Into an area of large farms with fields of green winter wheat interspersed with acres of harvested fields on the large farms as we near the Illinois border.

Driving across the Wabash River into Illinois and north on state road #127

Acres of flat farmland. Large farms with long driveways leading to their farm buildings and farm names on large signs by the road.

Through small towns. Each with its own "character." Greenville, Illinois has an interesting historic section with many shops in old buildings, a museum and a neat park just west of town.

Some blue sky between the clouds allows the sun’s rays to shine on the tall dry grass and harvested corn stalks making them appear to glow like gold!

A good night's rest at a Motel 6 on the edge of Springfield. A map of the city and the Lincoln sites was available for us to do some planning. Tomorrow we will be driving on the Lincoln Heritage Trail into Springfield, Illinois to check out some of the historical sites.

Walking tour:

Arriving early to the museum we took off walking around the Old State Capitol past the Surveyors Museum, which was hosting a IPTV program after opening. Past old buildings with curved fronts, an area with information about the shops that were in the area when Lincoln was in the state house.
The Donner Party started in Springfield.

The Pottawatomie Indians went through Springfield on their relocation march from Indiana to Kansas.
Dentistry in this era consisted of pulling the loose teeth that people tended to have. False teeth were made from ivory, metal and wood!

Mary Todd Lincoln was the daughter of a Kentucky aristocrat. Lincoln was the son of an illiterate Kentucky farmer. Mary was ambitious for her husband and assertive in giving him advice on proper clothes, social behavior, and political decisions. (In that time women were considered responsible for the guardianship of the family morality & Christian conduct!)

In 1854 after Douglas, senator from IL, pushed the Kansas-Nebraska petition thru US congress which would overturn the 1826 MO compromise line Lincoln feared the spread of slavery to western territories. He gave a 3 hour speech at the Old State Capitol! (Later we learned that when he was 19 years old he and a friend took a cargo of meat, flour & etc down the Mississippi to New Orleans. He observed the slave market. It made an indelible impression!)

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum

An impressive building. What a contrast with a log cabin standing under trees on one side and the tall pillars of the White House on the other side.

There are two holographic and special effects theaters that make his life and times come alive.

Inside the log cabin a wax figure of young Abe is sitting by the crackling fire at night with his dog at his feet snoring!

As a lawyer Lincoln and his partner Herndon argued 380 cases in 17 years before the State Supreme Court. He was very lenient with disciplining his children. Tad & Willie would visit his office and play ball with the papers, scatter ashes, climb on the furniture, etc while Abe worked.

A display in memory of reporter, Tim Russert, lets you witness the 1860 Presidential Election as though it was happening today, complete with television news coverage and campaign commercials! There were 4 candidates. Lincoln was campaigning for the preservation of the union and the constitution. He actually only campaigned in the North. Douglas campaigned for popular sovereignty. Breckinridge campaigned for states rights and John Bell campaigned for peaceful compromise! Lincoln won the election with 40% of the popular vote, but 180 votes from the electoral college.

After the election 7 southern states immediately left the union. Lincoln appointed men to his cabinet that had been his political foes. It was an interesting mix of backgrounds.

In his inaugural address he stated that he would not fire the first shot in the upcoming war between the states. The South obliged by firing on Ft. Sumter, South Carolina on April 12, 1861. (There is a display showing all of the communications between him and his cabinet members leading up to the first shot. He really tried to not have a war.)

He and Mary were criticized from all sides, personal and political, during his presidency. The executive mansion furnishings were broken and tarnished with wear when the Lincoln's moved in. Mary worked to refurbish it, receiving criticism for even doing this.

One of his stovepipe hats made from felted beaver fur is on display. The supporting band on the inside is slightly stretched because he stored letters and notes inside his hat!

They had both had a lot of grief in their lives, including the death of 2 sons. Willie died in the White House from typhoid fever while 500 guests dined and danced at a celebration of the redecorating of the White House. The Lincolns had spent $1,000 of their own money for the party.

One display shows the Civil War in 4 minutes highlighting each battle in succession and the total number of casualties. The north had 80,000 more casualties.

Lincoln would go to the telegraph office daily to receive current information on the war from the front. While he was there he wrote the Gettysburg Address. He was not even the "main" speaker at the dedication of the cemetery. It was a famous orator, Edward Everett, who spoke for two hours before Lincoln took the stage. Lincoln was asked to say only "a few appropriate remarks" and the organizers did not even know if he would show up!

His funeral train took 15 days to travel from Washington, DC to Springfield. More people viewed him dead that saw him alive.

We spent over 4 hours just in the museum! The displays using realistic wax figures are awesome. The information presented is easy to read & understand. It would take more than a day to see all of the historical buildings in this city!

There was a gentlemen at the parking garage paying for his parking, who graciously explained how to operate the kiosk. I think we had a big question mark look on our faces as we approached!

Headed Home:

Took state highways up to Macomb, IL going through the town of Havana, which has a water tower that was built the same year as the Eiffel Tower. It is the 4th oldest water tower in Illinois still in use. Looks like a tall brick tower with a metal silo on top.

We shared our Motel and restaurant in Macomb with deer hunters! And probably some UNI fans because they played the next day at Western Illinois University.

First experience with a gyro at the local restaurant. Very good.

Crossed the Mississippi River at Keokuk and drove the Great River Road through Ft. Madison. Over to Hwy #218 and the avenue of the saints and home.

Thank you for traveling with us!
Prairie Schooners

Red Deer, Alberta, Canada delivery in August

2010-11-08T14:47:00.029-06:00

Difficult start:
All ready to go at 8 AM when made call to see if we could have the unit to Red Deer. It's a "go!"
20 miles down the road and car is making a very-loud-not-good noise! A local mechanic graciously checked out the exhaust system and fixed it. On the road again.
At pick-up had to wait for some paper work before taking off with unit.
Because all Minnesota license plates were in use, we had to drive a 2 lane state highway to the South Dakota border instead of Interstate--time consuming!
Even with all the delays we did enjoy a partly cloudy pretty day driving through the green Iowa flat farmland into the rolling hills near the IA/SD border and the Big Sioux River. Then instantly we were in Cowboy Country!!

On the road again after a good night's sleep in Mitchell, South Dakota. Thank-you Walmart for letting us park on your lot.

View through the windshield as we listened to the audio book about the building of the Panama Canal, "Path between the Countries" by David McCullogh, our favorite history author:

Very green except wheat stubble left after harvesting.
Fields of corn, sunflowers, sorghum, hay & pasture.
Stacks of large round bales dot the countryside.
Grain elevators & ranch buildings can be seen in the distance.
Many, many signs advertising all the places you can stop and see "stuff" or eat or sleep or play--including an 1880 town used as a set for the movie "Dances with Wolves" & Wall Drug!
The edge of the Badlands is visible from I-90 and the landscape becomes sandy grassland pasture.
The edge of the Black Hills covered with pine trees are also visible. In the distance they do, indeed, look like "Black Hills."

Into Wyoming on hwy#212 shortcut with miles of grass pasture, stacks of bales, cattle & antelope grazing together, occasional ranches are visible or a drive to a ranch marked with a sign made of metal cutouts and long trains in the distance!
Mountain time zone.

Checked with our office at the border and all papers are in order.

Into Montana. Oops! driving through some road construction with loose gravel over tar. No detour. Dealer cleaned off motor home and Jim had a Saturn with tar to clean when we got home.
Sunny, very warm with 99 degree temperature, but no humidity under the big blue sky of Montana today.
Large black shadow of the Rocky Mountains in the distance as backdrop.
Middle of wheat harvest season.
Combines in fields. Trucks headed to the elevators.
Straw bales lined up like soldiers in formation or stacked in long high piles with a fence around.
Red wheat has a deep red brown color. White wheat is more golden.
One elevator had a huge pile of wheat stacked on the ground.
More metal cut-out signs with interesting names mounted on tall poles to show ranch entrances.
You can see where the river flows by the green trees, shrubs & fields growing along its banks in contrast to the brown grass of acres of pasture.

Life lesson: Deep roots into God's life giving water in His Word will result in recognizable growth even in our dry world culture!!

Very windy and we are driving into it!
Lots of bugs hitting our windshield!

Into Canada: Border crossing went smoothly and learned the hard way that we needed to stop at every inspection station even with papers in order.
Mind is calculating kilometers into miles on the road and liters into gallons at the gas stations. We are paying $3.43/gal for gas!
Very hazy almost like a fog with only about 3 miles visibility. Some light rain.
Through car wash, to dealer, check in went smoothly.
Found a Super 8. Relaxed, caught up with book-work, & went for a walk.
We found out that British Columbia was having a series of wildfires. Smoke from the blazes was picked up by high winds and driven east into Alberta. Enough to prompt an air-quality warning for the week-end. This also resulted in very poor visibility for sight-seeing. After our walk around the near-by mall we were experiencing itchy eyes and scratchy throat.

Plans changed--no sightseeing in the Canadian Mtns because of fires so headed south back to the US. Because this was prime vacation time we booked a motel for the night with the points we had accumulated in previous trips giving us time for sight-seeing.

The sun is shining through the haze as we near the border. We can see the tall peaks of the Rocky Mountains of the park ahead. The tallest have patches of snow shining white in the sun.

While we waited in line to cross the border we ate 2 apples. Okay to bring them across the border in our stomach, but not in the ice chest!! But did have to pay a "commercial fee" because we delivered a motor home into Canada.

Babb, Mt-- A cafe beside the Sinclair station and across the street a locally owned motel. The Babb Cafe served an excellent thick & juicy Swiss Mushroom Burger with a fresh leaf lettuce mixture, tomato, dill pickle & onion on the side. Cole slaw with a creamy garlic dressing & potato salad seasoned with dill pickles.
Herbs were growing in a window box.

The newspaper clippings on the bulletin board told stories of the winter of 1947 when the town was completely isolated from Dec 16 until Jan 20 due to a blizzard dumping 10 ft of snow in the area. The people had plenty of food, but the fuel for oil furnaces and cook stoves was getting low!

Glacier National Park

We entered at St. Mary and drove the "Going-to-the-Sun" road past two large lakes. Unlike rivers, glaciers erode wide-bottomed, steep-sided, and u-shaped valleys. Deep glacial lakes fill in the bottoms of the larger glacial valleys.

The clear blue sky was reflected in the lake. A beautiful sunny day. Wildflowers including purple asters, red cardinal flower and deep pink fire weed bloomed along the edges of the road. Huge sharp mountain peaks in all directions. Magnificent! Awesome!

A walking trail through the forest took us back to the Barring Falls. It was eerie walking through an area where the pines had died from a disease. The branches were black and curled downward with no needles. A walk across the tree branch bridge offered us a view of the falls!Since this was prime vacation time the park was full of cars and people. We could not stop at the visitor centers because the parking lots were full. If we were doing it again at this time of the year we would seriously consider paying to ride on the white shuttle bus or one of the red buses with open tops. They take you into the visitor center and drop you off regardless of how full the parking lot is!

Also, this is prime road construction time and there is only one road so traffic stops and waits sometimes up to a half hour. This does give one time to really "see" the area.

We drove past areas with sliver threads of water meandering down the slopes from the melting glaciers to the valley floor, a weeping wall!

We could see hikers following trails on the sides of the mountains. The hikers were stopped on one trail by mountain goats.

A great day's drive.
Travel Lodge in Kalispell, MT for the evening.
Made a reservation for Super 8 in Livingston, MT putting us just outside Yellowstone tomorrow.

Montana scenery

Headed South and kept passing fruit & vegetable stands that advertised "sweet cherries" for sale. Stopped at one that had an orchard behind it. Bought a quart size bag of them! They are huge compared to what we have back home in the super market. We call them bing cherries! Sweet & juicy! We asked about huckleberries, which are also advertised. They are like blueberries only more tart and at this time of the year we could only purchase them as jelly or jam.

A new sign along the road--"cell phone pullout 1/4 mile." It would be very dangerous to be driving the mountain curves, which require both hands and talking on cell phone!

The highway takes us around Flathead Lake. Blue with mountain peaks surrounding and dotted with white sail boats today.

Past the National Bison Range. We see more buffalo through our kitchen window than we saw driving past here (-:!

Grant-Kohrs Ranch

The Grant-Kohrs Ranch in Deer Lodge, MT preserves the strongest symbols of the American West. Wide open spaces, the hard-working cowboy, his spirited cow pony and vast herds of cattle. It is free. You can walk around the grounds and at certain times a guide will take you through the house.

Conrad Kohrs was born in Germany in 1835, left home at 15, sailed the world as a cabin boy, searched for gold in California & Canada & in 1862 this part of the Idaho Territory that would become southwest Montana. He made his fortune not by panning gold but by raising cattle. He arrived in the territory with only the clothes on his back and his bedroll. He had learned the rudiments of the butchering trade from relatives in New York & Iowa. He worked as a butchers assistant and soon owned his own shops in many gold camps. Johnny Grant sold him cattle to supply his shops and in 1866 sold his ranch to Kohrs.

In the 1890's Kohrs' cattle grazed on more than ten million acres of public land in four states and two provinces. In time he purchased 30,000 acres for his home ranch.
The Cattle Barons were a new breed of entrepreneur that had to adapt to the problems of harsh weather, disease, rustling, economic fluctuations, homesteaders and the barb wire fence!
Their dining room table extended with 13 leaves for entertaining.
In one room was a bed that folded up into the wall because the cowboy that lived with them would not make his bed in the mornings and Augusta Kohrs insisted on a neat home.
He provided a heated room with a wall of windows for Agusta to grow plants and flowers.
Augusta, his wife, and Kohrs were childhood acquaintances in Germany. They dated for about three weeks before they married in Iowa in 1868. (Wonder what he told her about the frontier he was taking her to??) She preserved her heritage and as the family prospered she acquired fine pieces of furniture and art balancing the cultures of the Old World and the New.
A fold-up cabinet desk with two wings hinged on a center shaft. About 4 ft x 4 ft x 4 ft when closed and locked was interesting.
Because they sold meat, he preferred the Hereford from Europe rather than longhorns. The longhorns do trail long distances but have less meat and could not stand the winter. He built a railroad spur in order to ship his meat type cattle east to the stockyards in Chicago.
They had hot and cold running water in the house. A large tin tub insert in a wooden box.
It would take three wheelbarrows of coal a day to keep the water from freezing in the 1800's.
The kitchen stove had a huge hood to keep the heat collected and vented out. It also had a couple of small pull-down shelves mounted on the back of the stove for warming food.
A barn with antique buggys and carts used by the family that included a buggy station wagon used by the family on vacations.

There are some interactive exhibits that the children will enjoy and a chuck wagon with a cook that serves coffee and stories about trail rides!

Back to I-90, past the Pintler Scenic route that we had driven a couple years earlier. You can see the Anacanda copper mining tower from the interstate.

As we wind through the valley the sun is like a giant spot light making "glory" rays between clouds then spotlighting mountain slopes or our valley between the area of hazy blue-grey rain showers. Thank-you Lord for our personal theater production!!

Supper at a super Chinese restaurant in Livingston, bookwork, but no internet connection. We can hear the wind howling outside. A reminder of 2 years ago when we drove through the Bozeman pass in the winter winds.

Yellowstone National Park
This is the picture that you always see and think of when you hear the word Yellowstone National Park--Old Faithful!

Yes, we waited on the benches and visited with the people around us, listened to a rancher speak about it and the animals in the area and then we saw it in person!!!

Walked through the Old Faithful Lodge and it's awesome carpentry! The huge rock fire place, the banisters and railings crafted from natural shaped logs, and the massive size of everything.

In the ranger station we learned that this whole area is the cone of a volcano. Since Jan 1, 2000 they had had thousands of small earthquakes. None could be felt. If they would have happened at one time it would only be a 4 on the Richter scale.

Beehive geyser near old faithful spouts intermittently also.

We were warned by many signs to stay on the board walk because of the fragility of the surface around the geysers. But a huge buffalo that evidently cannot read was walking up beside Old Faithful just as it finished spouting!

We entered the park through the original entrance on the North near Gardiner driving under the rock arch.

Mammoth Hot Springs is a small village with motels, visitor center, shops, Historic Fort Yellowstone and a herd of elk that grazed on the lawns!

The fragrance of sulfur is in the air, steam is visible, the multicolored Hot Spring terraces loom up before us. Signs tell us that the colors are due to microorganisms in the hot water, but when it is done flowing it turns white. It is dangerous to walk on the surface because the acid will eat through the sole of your shoes and the earth crust will break without warning. We walked the boardwalk path. It gets changed as the flow changes.

As we drove through this area of the park we would see steam coming up from holes in the ground along the edge of the road. It sounds like a percolating coffee pot!

Saw a herd of mule deer and a herd of buffalo.

Drove a 6 mile one-way one-lane gravel road through the Blacktail Plateau. Wild flowers and green grass.

Stopped at Tower Falls to walk out on the observation deck to see the falls. Lots of tourists!

Many acres showing previous burns. Dead trees either standing or laying on the side of the mountains with new growth starting.

Lodge pole pines have branches and green needles only at the top of the tree with a bare trunk. Resemble a forest of Christmas trees on top of telephone poles!) Their pine cone is glued shut and needs fire to melt and dislodge the seeds for new growth. Fire is good for that purpose!

Grand Teton National Park

Driving south on Hwy 89 headed to Jackson Hole and our room at the Super 8 we had a magnificent view of the Grand Teton Mountains.

Into the Park the mountains with rugged peaks sprinkled with snow towered above the blue Jackson Lake.

It was the end of the day so did not take time to cruise any of the roads leading into the mountains.

This was a fitting ending to a great day discovering yet another part of God's creation.

Headed Home:

View from the windshield:

Beautiful sunrise as we drive in 30 degree temps watching the sun highlight rocky, pine covered peaks.
Through Hoback Canyon we watch fog rising from the lake surface.
Acres of grassland with mountains in background, ranch & beef country, herds of antelope grazing, stacks of bales surrounded by a "tall" fence in the middle of the hay fields.
Past South Pass, a National Historic Landmark. a major feature of the Oregon trail traveled by western immigrants during the 1850's.
Many, many Cruise America rental RV's are on the highway this summer.
Into Nebraska. Interesting shaped bluffs form a background to acres of farmland and pastures. Brilliant yellow fields of sunflowers accent the gold wheat and green corn & hay.

A good night's sleep in Ogalala, the Cowboy capital!
Back across the Missouri River and into Iowa.
The Prairie does look good!

Thanks for traveling with us via the web!
See you along the way!

Prairie Schooners

Draper, Utah Delivery in September 2010

2010-11-04T10:24:00.011-05:00

We picked up a Navion Itasca motor home at Forest City, bringing it to the Prairie to be packed for an early take off the next morning. It has a Mercedes Benz diesel getting 12 to 13 mpg on a Sprinter chassis with a compact & attractive interior.

Our foggy, cool drive to pick it up turned into a hot muggy, sunny afternoon of packing.

Early AM, Tuesday, we headed south & west avoiding bridge reconstruction thru rain and lightening.

Daylight on I-80 west through rolling hills covered with golden brown crops waiting for harvest with occasional green pastures for contrast.

We discovered that Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J Travel Centers are one company and points are interchangeable. No more cash discount on gas, but the points for purchases will apply to meals and other purchases from their store.

Drove thru fog and rain for several hours on Wednesday heading west. Passing fields of corn, soybeans, sugar beets, & sunflowers; pastures with cattle; irrigation rigs; and long trains.

Into Wyoming under a sunny blue sky with fluffy white clouds.

Views thru the windshield:

Cattle grazing around oil wells scattered over the rolling pastures. Tall white windmills lined up along the ridges. Refineries, storage tanks, oil wells, power plants, tall poles carrying electrical wires, & communication towers scattered over the landscape. The tall peaks of the Rocky Mtns with splashes of white snow provide a backdrop. The leaves on the aspen trees are turning gold making a brilliant accent to the brown grass and green pines along the water ways in the valleys. New wooden snow fences are lined up in formation like soldiers waiting for the battle to start. Signs giving warnings about the dates of the closings of certain rest stops. Areas with prairie dog mounds. Herds of antelope grazing.

The rolling hills turn into pine covered mtns and rocky cliffs. Each curve in the road provides a different vista of the country. The fluffy white clouds turn into dark clouds and drop rain and strong winds. “Strong Wind next 5 miles” sign is frequent for the rest of the day. Over the Continental Divide. Past a large area that had recently been burned. We could still smell the acrid odor of smoke & ashes.

Thank-you, Walmart, for allowing us to stay overnight on your parking lot!

Good Eats: Wendy’s Apple Pecan Chicken Salad. ½ of a salad is generous and just right with a baked potato for a meal. The salad also contains cranberries and blue cheese chunks and is served with a Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing. The Spicy Chicken Caesar was not so good.

D-day: We living in mountain time, but our bodies are programed for central time, so up early and driving under a full moon. Know we are missing some beautiful scenery. The moonlight highlights mountain peaks as we climb and curve through the valley but also will miss some of the morning commuter traffic near Salt Lake City.

Our printed directions contained street names, but the streets are actually numbered. Thanks to "Gertrude," our Garmin, we found the car wash & dealer. Fast check-in.

Scenic Drive (Our First Fall Colors of the Season!)

In the Saturn and headed south on I-15 out of Salt Lake City to SR 89 for a scenic drive. Utah is definitely using our “stimulus money” for road construction! They even have a sign to let us know that we are paying for it! The mountains in the background are covered with shrubs with red leaves.

Thru the windshield:

Lots of mountain wilderness with occasional small homes until the valley widened. More small and large ranches. Interesting businesses: Ranch Rental for small or large groups. Commercial Pheasant Hunting.

Lunch at the Home Plate Café. We parked our little Saturn between the local four-wheel drive pick-ups with deer antlers on their dash! Enjoyed a good, but not outstanding meal while listening to the conversations of the local people

Two lane Highway #31 curves thru the canyon with spires of green fir and spruce trees and neon yellow/orange of aspens.

Our first fall colors of the year! What a treat! Not only did God create trees for our use, for our protection, but also for our enjoyment year around!

Signs seen: “Snow plows operating both directions in your lane”

“Frequent Deer Crossing”

“Cattle Grazing” because this is open range.

We did see a flock of sheep walking up the middle of the road and around the curve was a sheep herders trailer parked under the trees in the pasture. It looked like a wagon on wheels with a curved roof. His horse was tethered to the side of it.

Many trails for ATV’s and hiking.

Streams and lakes for fishing.

Wasatch Plateu: Transition between Colorado Plateau on the east and the Basin & Range province to the west. At the timberline.

Mammoth bones discovered in August 1988 when digging a dam to control the flow of water thru the mtns. An area museum has the bones. The mammoth probably died in Noah's flood?

We drove past several lakes formed by dikes. The water level is very low. They have had very little rain in Sept. this year. One lake covers an abandoned coal mining town from the l870’s. A vein of coal was discovered and coke huts were constructed to burn impurities from the coal making it burn with a higher heat to use for making steel. Coal mining is still taking place in other areas of the valley. It is used for the power plants.

Spruce Beetle is killing trees. The Forest service is removing the dead and dying trees to encourage aspen growth. Aspens are a natural fire resistant tree.

Out of the canyon and into the wide valley surrounded by rock mountains. It looks like the inside of a super gigantic gravel pit! Small ranches & farms with grazing livestock, hay, wheat & clover fields where irrigation is available.

Took the Interstate to Salina to find a motel for the night. $3.14/gal for gas. One of the highest prices on the trip.

Hwy 24 east is an excellent road taking us past a gypsum plant, rocky mountain peaks, drilling rig for natural gas, oil wells & equipment & pipes are scattered along the valley along with ranches.

In the Fish Lake National Forest the yellow blossoms on the creosote bush mingle with the soft greens of the sage, the shades of brown grasses and splashes of neon yellow aspens in the high peaks in the distance! This area was known as Grass Valley when Brigham Young and the Mormon settlers arrived. Such contrast.

Driving along the top of a mountain we can see a patchwork of fields with ranch buildings resembling toys set in the corner of each area! All irrigation systems are running in the valley! We stopped at a local gas station convenience store for a cup of coffee. It also sold fishing poles, lures & horse bridles! The owner said that it had been very wet this spring. The second cutting of hay was a foot tall before the bales from first cutting could be removed.

Along the valley near Bicknell, Utah we found the Nielsen Grist Mill built in 1893. The water was channeled from the Fremont river and dropped 27 ft into the mill wheel. They ground grains into flour, gemade (could not find out what that was), bran and shorts(?). A farmer received a sack of flour for 3 bags of wheat. The sacks were sewn by hand. They could not grow hard red wheatin this area. It makes the best flour so eventually trucked in the four rather than wheat and closed the mill. All the equipment is in usable condition now.

Capitol Reef National Park

What is the Capitol Reef? It is a giant buckle in the earth's crust that stretches across south-central Utah. It is called a waterpocket fold, forced upwards probably during Noah's flood, which has eroded into colorful cliffs, massive domes, soaring spires, twisting canyons and graceful arches. The basalt rock, which makes up most of the ocean's floor weathers to a reddish or greenish tint. In this area it is mostly reddish.

The Fremont River flows through the area creating some grass land and large trees. We saw two huge cottonwood trees.

The early Morman settlers planted orchards which still produce cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, apples and plums as well as almonds and walnuts. You are welcome to stroll into any of the unlocked orchards and pick and eat for free or pick and take for a fee.

Are the petroglyphs left by the early Fremont Culture from 700 to 1250 the first Facebook profiles or the first blog or first "tweet"?

Awesome formations and canyons.

Headed home

It was time to head home. Back to I-70 east, 80+ temp, clear blue skies with only a few small white fluffy clouds lined up in formation over the distant mountain peaks.

Interesting signs: "Eagles on Highway"

At some of the exits: "No Services" "Ranch Exit"

Facts about Utah:

State emblem is the beehive which symbolizes industry and the pioneer virtues of thrift and perseverance.

State insect is the honey bee.

State tree is the blue spruce.

State Mineral is Copper. Kennecott's Bingham Canyon mine in Utah is the world's largest open-pit copper mine.

State Bird: California Seagull. It saved settlers by eating crickets destroying their crops in 1848.

The people of Salt Lake City consume more Jell-O per capita than any other city in the Untied States.

The federal government owns 65% of Utah's land, including 5 national parks, 7 national monuments, 2 national recreation areas and 6 national forests

Personally, I had always considered Utah as desert country, but was amazed to see all the mountains, canyons and irrigated farm land.

We chose Hwy 50 through south western Colorado. Good road curving through the Rocky Mountains with ranches in the valleys. The leaves on the bushes are shades of pink, red to purple & green with occasional neon yellow gold aspens. Velvet covered mountains with gold jewels! A nice farewell before we enter the brown fields being harvested in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa.

Life lesson: Notice the mileage signs along the Interstate. They are located every so many miles to keep you informed of what is ahead. They always list the closest town and then a city far in the distance. My "mileage signs" are in God's word. Reading daily to let me know where I am in my spiritual life, strength and guidance for the day, focus for now. But also what is ahead in the future, the promise of what He has provided through faith in Jesus shed blood. Eternal Life with Him! Thank-you, Lord!

Thank-you for traveling with us!

Prairie Schooners

Branchville, New Jersey

2010-10-21T10:45:00.012-05:00

A 37 ft gas powered Winnebago "Vista" needed to be delivered to Branchville, NJ. Heading east watching the sun rise in a clear sky. The fall fields are harvested or being harvested. Some color is showing on the leaves of the trees and the last of the wild flowers are still blooming in the ditches as we head towards Chicago.

An easy drive thru the “windy city” and our stop at an Ohio travel plaza on the toll road. “Thumbs up” to Ohio for their clean, spacious, safe and well placed plazas. This one even had a separate place for RV’s with electrical hook-ups!

A long day of driving through clouds and rain. Even without sun the leaves are colorful as we roll through the rolling “hills” of eastern Ohio and into the mountains of northern Pennsylvania.

Too late to get the unit checked in at the dealership so checked the back of our atlas for a Super Walmart in East Stroudsburg near the Ohio border. Oops—Jim had to thread this 37 ft elephant through the narrow streets, asked a pedestrian about directions and were headed the right direction. A security guard gave us permission to park for the night and assured us that it was an easy short drive to get back on the Interstate right down the road. (In the mountains you often get on and off the Interstate at different exits.) A good walk around the area and supper at Friendly’s. They serve good food and good ice cream at a reasonable price plus open early in the morning with a delicious breakfast menu.

“D” day for us! Thanks to “Gertrude” our Garmin we turned around the right curves to get back on I-80. Partly cloudy to keep the rising sun from our eyes. Thank-you, Lord!

Off the interstate onto Hwy 94 winding through the New Jersey countryside and small towns with the porches on the houses about a car length from the highway. Through tree-lined areas alternating with scenic vistas of the mountains and valleys. Numerous Roadside markets for fruits and vegetables showing an abundance of pumpkins and beautiful mums.

A pleasant surprise at the dealer! They had a Gulf Stream pull type camper named “Prairie Schooner” on the lot. The first we had seen and of course, the salesman was sure we needed to purchase this namesake!!

Scenic Route #519

Back in the Saturn and headed north on a scenic route #519 winding through the tree lined countryside with small neat farms with brilliant colored mums blooming in their yards and more small towns. The houses are mostly small colorfully painted cottages or large rectangle shaped with a chimney on each end and windows placed perpendicular in a straight line.

Past the historical Lusscroft farm. Between 1914 and 1930 a Montclair stockbroker invested a fortune to make a farm with 1000 acres into a model dairy farm. In 1931 he donated it to the state of New Jersey for Ag Research.

Past the Space Farm Zoo and Museum near Sussex. Looks like a fun place to spend the day. You can check their website for more information if you are in the area.

Sterling Hill Mine

Following the signs we found the Sterling Hill Mine and Museum in Ogdensburg. We were greeted with a large collection of old mining equipment arranged in front of the face of a huge rock mountain with a covered conveyor extending from the top to several large bins built over a railroad track. (We later found out that the crushed ore was lifted from the bottom of the mine conveyed to the holding bins and loaded into rail cars. It was shipped to Palmerton, PA where the supply of coal was available to smelt the ore. It takes 5 Ton of coal to smelt 1 Ton of zinc ore.)

Also on site is the Ellis Astronomy Center with an observatory. Also an area called the Fossil Discovery Center. We explored the Geo Tech Center as part of the mine tour.

The parking lot was filled with school buses. They do tours for school children in the morning--up to 200 a day--and do one 2 hour tour at 1:00 PM for adults & families.

Yes, we really walked through the mine wearing our jackets because it is 56 degrees year around. It closed in 1986 ending all underground mining in New Jersey. It is now both a National Historic Site and a Mines, Metal and Men site, a trail of historic sites telling the story of mining and industrial activity that started in this New Jersey area hundreds of years ago. Our guide was a geologist.

The ore mined in this district was primarily for zinc but there are over 360 other minerals found in this district, a world record. Zincite, a zinc oxide, and franklinite, a zinc iron oxide are not mined anywhere else outside this district. Willemite, a zinc silicate, also mined here is found only in limited quantities scattered around the globe. Besides the richness of the ore, 85 of the local minerals fluoresce, more than any other single place on Earth. It was beautiful to have the UV lights turned on and see the bright colors in what looked before like ordinary stones! These minerals also fluoresce, or glow, when heated.

A display of all the uses for fluorescent minerals showed that it is used in our paper money and in our postage stamps. Machines using UV light can easily identify and sort both items. It is also used in some states drivers licenses and on credit cards as an anti-counterfeiting measure.

What is zinc used for? Die casting of parts for automobiles and appliances, household tools, internal parts on telephones & office machines, for galvanizing steel to prevent rust, as a white paint pigment, as a heat dispenser in rubber, as a fire retardant & preservation of wood, in infra red lasers, dyes, model rocket propellant, vitamin & mineral supplements, cosmetics, sun block, diaper rash protection, toothpaste, shampoo, and zinc alloys like brass, nickel and solder.

Want a new idea for your mudroom? Each miner had a basket connected to a chain and pully. At nite after work they would put their boots in the basket & hang their coats on hangers under the basket. Pull them up to the ceiling so they could hang up in the warm air and dry during the night.

What a difference in mining tools and equipment from the early days to now. From a candle in a holder on their head to battery operated focused lights on a helmet and water cooled drills that prevent dust causing lung problems were just a few.

Interesting points from our tour:
Zinc ore is very heavy like granite which is different from coal. Coal is mined and brought to the top at each level, but zinc ore is dropped, using gravity, to the last level in the mine and crushed before bringing it up and out.

There were 27 levels in this mine when it was working. We only walked the main level, the bottom levels are filled with water, which had to be pumped out continually when it was being worked.

Only electric motors were used inside the mine for safety.

The big closed wooden box containing the first aid equipment had 2 regular light bulbs on continually inside. They gave off enough heat to keep the supplies dry and warm and ready for use.

They used a bell system with each level having a code to let the man running the lift know where you wanted to go. The code was printed by each lift.

The mine had a "grizzly" at each level. Since zinc was so heavy the large rocks needed to be chipped down to size to prevent problems at the crusher below. A large iron grate was fitted across the top of the hole. The holes in the grate were large enough for a man to fall through so the miner on the grate had straps and chains that would prevent him from falling into the crusher as he walked back & forth with an iron rod breaking the rocks to a size that would fall through.

They have "rock bolts" that act just like our plaster board bolts. They are 3 ft long and are drilled into rock with an end that flays out. That will hold a portion of rock together. You will see them along the highways where cuts have been made in mountains.

This mine produced over eleven million ton of zinc ore. In a 1974 article in the museum it stated that every month they shipped out 19,000 tons of ore and employed 200 people.

Thinking about the fact that God created even the minerals in the rocks and gave men the ability to get them out and use them.

Interesting facts learned about New Jersey

The Mars Candy factory in Hacketstown does not give public tours, but just standing in the parking lot you can smell the fragrance of chocolate!

No left turns is the law in the cities. They have a place at each corner to do a U-turn off the right side of the highway. This way no one is holding up traffic trying to turn.

Gas stations were full-service. Someone was there to pump the gas for you.

Signs stating that someone was running for the office of Surrogate. What is the office?

In New Jersey, the person who passes on the validity of a will, gives the executor proof of his authority to administer the estate and sees to it that the executor handles the estate properly, is called the Surrogate. Each county has a Surrogate's Court and the Surrogate is the Judge of that Court. He or she is elected for a term of five years, pursuant to the Constitution of New Jersey, by the people of the county in which he or she has jurisdiction. The word "Surrogate" means "one who speaks for another."

Hesitate at a traffic light and the driver behind you will "honk!"

Towns have very narrow streets. Many are one-way.

They have their state divided into boroughs.

Pennsylvania Wilds

Heading west we took a side road through Hickory Run State park in the Ponoco Mountains. A tree lined winding road with several 12% grades. Brilliant reds and golds of the leaves literally shone in the sunlight. Mountain Pecan coffee at a local convenience store was delicious. Many campgrounds and hiking trails. Back on the interstate and seeing in the sunlight what we drove through in rain on the way out. Beautiful! Thanking the Lord for His creation and the opportunity to enjoy it!

Rutherford Hayes Presidential Center

We left Interstate 80 driving south on Hwy 6 to Fremont, Ohio to visit the home of President Rutherford B. Hayes. A tall black iron fence surrounds the 25 acres of park-like grounds. Each side has a gate from the White House with a presidential seal. People come from the community to walk every day.

The museum is free, but a fee is charged to tour their home. There is a lot of restoration being done on the inside to bring it back the same as when the President and family lived there. It was built during the Civil War with 4 fireplaces for heat. Today there are 15 fire places for heat with 10 chimneys! It has been added to several times since and been home to several generations of the family who have made decorating changes. 5 layers of white paint was removed in one room to uncover the butternut trim!

A gas well was discovered on their farm and piped in to the house for use in lighting and cooking.

Rutherford and Lucy had 8 children, 7 sons and l daughter. 3 of their sons died very young.

The museum has collections of guns, swords and memorabilia from the sons who served in the Philippines and the Boxer Rebellion in China as well as gifts given to the President.

New information learned about President Hayes:

He was the first President to take the oath of office inside the White House. First to have a telephone and typewriter in the White House. Started the tradition of the "Easter Egg Roll" for children at the White House.

He was the first President to travel to the West Coast of the US during his term in office. He and his wife, Lucy and 7 others traveled by train, stagecoach, buggy, army ambulance, steamer, ferry boat, tug, yacht, and ocean vessel from September through October. The cost of this trip was $575.40!

President Hayes walked 6 miles a day. He built the veranda of his home the length needed for walking during inclement weather. 33 times around made 1 mile and visitors were invited to walk with him!

He had a collection of 10,000 books often getting up at 3 AM to read.

He built his home with 4 floors. In the center you can look up and see the 4 stairs to the top. The last floor is a walk-way that allowed him to open windows in the summer for heat to escape and in winter Lucy kept her plants on the sills.

He collected canes. The 51 canes will be on display when the restoration is finished.

His father died when he was 2 months old. An uncle, a successful businessman, helped his mother raise him and his sister.

He served in the Civil War, was elected to Congress, served as governor of Ohio for 2 terms, then retired to his 125 acre farm. Was elected for a third term as governor then chosen as the Republican Party's candidate for President in 1876.

Because there were 20 disputed electoral votes a special congressional commission decided the outcome of the election. Because of this controversy he took the oath of office without ceremony on Saturday, March 3, 1877 in the Red Room of the White House.

He showed honesty and fairness during his term as President, giving a renewed respect for the office, but did not accept a second term.

His best known quotation is "He serves his party best who serves his country best."

Highway #6 and home

Time to head west and home. We chose to stay on Hwy 6 which runs parallel to the Interstate. Flat farmland, combines busy harvesting, tractors doing tillage and small towns with a backdrop of magnificent color in the leaves under a sun and blue sky!

A stay at a little motel in Kendalville, OH. Supper at a local restaurant, Ranch House. Good food, served well in a pleasant atmosphere. Next morning we stopped at the Charger House, a local restaurant in Ligionier, IN for breakfast. Trucker sized servings of good food.

It is always interesting to walk into a small town restaurant as we travel. People look us over and try to figure out who we are!

Enjoyed a beautiful sunrise as we drove past Amish Acres in Nappanee, IN. A large motel, a Round Barn theater, guided tours and shops all make for a fun stop sometime. Check out their website for more information.

Into Illinois and found a radio station with Worship Hymns to supplement our tapes of Gospel Music as we drive on a Sunday morning.

Through Chicago, across the Mississippi River into Iowa and back on the Prairie! Thanking the Lord for a fun, safe adventure and for our "home" on the Prairie!

Thank-you for traveling with us via the words in this blog!

Prairie Schooners

Kerrville, TX Delivery

2010-02-24T10:27:00.006-06:00

Pick-up:
We had surprisingly good roads with only scattered patches of snow/ice sticking to the surface or drifting across as we traveled North to Forest City to pick up a View to deliver to Kerrville, Texas. Sunny, blue sky with a few scattered clouds, 9 degrees with a northwest wind to blow us south!
It was a fast hook-up. Strange to see the lot nearly full of motor homes waiting for drivers to deliver. This unit is identical to one we delivered earlier. A small units with a diesel engine, 12 mpg, sticker price of $100,000,one slide-out on the side, not a lot of bells & whistles but compact with everything necessary.

View from the Windshield:

Interesting snow sculptures made by the wind on the drifts in the ditches. Tracks in the median were evidence of “off road” driving the last two days of ground blizzard conditions. We counted 49 cars “parked” in various positions in the median and ditches mainly on either side of the Hwy 20 interchange. We encountered some slippery lanes in that area, too!

The time seems to pass faster as we listen to the audio book,”John Adams” by David McCullough, one of favorite history writers.

Snow cover was nearly all gone in the Kansas City area.

We had the privilege of watching a magnificent sun rise over the snow covered Iowa landscape and an equally beautiful sunset over the brown silhouettes of the Flint Hills in Kansas.
Good Job God!

I'm a "happy camper"--found peanut butter cup flavored cappuccino at our coffee stop!

Texas countryside after leaving the Interstate

West from Georgetown is a large golf course with estates for sale (prices advertised from $600,000 to #2 million!)

This is called "hill" country. Very narrow, shallow ditch even along this 4 lane road. Short trees with multi-trunks and green leaves. Green grass. Cactus and yucca growing wild. Many ranch entrances with elaborate, stone walls. Most of the entrances have a long, curving, gravel drive back through the trees hiding the buildings from the road.

Pastures with flocks of sheep and goats, emus, deer, horses and cattle.

Supper at a local restaurant in Johnson City serving a great fried chicken to rival KFC! Breakfast at a local restaurant in Stonewall (named for Gen. Stonewall Jackson)serving delicious sausage. Fun to listen to local conversations.

Approximately 40 percent of all Texas peaches are grown in this area. Orchards and fruit stands line the road.

This area is also noted for its vineyards. Called the Tuscan Valley of Texas! Signs for BBQ and wineries are interspersed with the fruit stands selling peaches.

Former President Lyndon Johnson's ranch and National Historical park are located in this area, too.

Kerrville, our destination, is believed to have the most ideal climate in the nation! We found it cool & damp, with 58 degrees and clouds. One employee stated that she was from Indiana and had felt colder in Texas than she felt back home! But there was no snow and we did not have to wear our winter coat, gloves & ear muffs.

Fredericksburg, Texas

Information learned at Admiral Nimitz State Historic Site:

The Nimitz family immigrated to Texas in 1842 from Germany because of the cheap land available.

The family built a hotel as a way-station to land that was further west, later it served as a stop for stage lines and included a bar and theater. A one-story building had a second and third story added in such a way to give it the appearance of a steam boat.

Chester W. Nimitz was born in 1885 after his father died. His mother moved into the hotel with his Grandfather after he was born and later married is uncle.

While in Annapolis when "off duty" he shared "Texas Tall Tales" he learned from his Grandfather.

He first served on the battle ship, USS Ohio. Then he was assigned to the 1st Submarine Flotilla in Groton, Connecticut. This experience convinced him of the dangerous fire threat and inefficiency of the gasoline powered engines. The Navy sent him to Germany to study diesel engines. (probably at Damiler/Benz!) While giving demonstrations of the new engine his ring finger was caught, but the ring saved his hand. His career in navy was saved by this ring!

He supervised the building of the port and fleet at Peal Harbor, but declined the offer of Admiral because he knew there were others with more rank.

He did take over the fleet after Pearl Harbor was attacked and served in the Pacific during WWII.

National Museum of the Pacific War:

We consider ourselves "museum experts" after all that we have toured over the years, but this one was way more than we could handle in a day! Your admission ticket is good for 48 hours for a reason! They advertise that it is set up to be confusing because war is confusing! We learned names of islands in the Pacific that we had never heard of!

We suggest that you go to the tour of the Pacific Combat Zone before the George Bush Gallery. This display will give you a "feel" for what the battles were like and for the weapons used.

Bits & pieces of Information from Museum:

A capsule of world history on the wall of the gallery, simply written with pictures.It was interesting to see that WWII started with the seeds of conflict between China/Japan/US in the 1800's.

A special room with sound & pictures give you the feel of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Personal experiences of those put in the Japanese Interment Camps during the war.

A PT-09, one of 3 Packard V-12 engines used to power the PT-09 , an Avenger plane set on the deck of a mock-up aircraft carrier,and a quonset building used as a hospital on a base.

Before the stock-market crash in 1929 Henry Ford stated: "It is well that American people do not know about our banking system. If they did there would be a revolution."

There are audio clips from the soldiers who fought telling their experiences.

We watched the movie, "The Bridge over the River Kwai", but learned that the real River Kwai had 2 bridges. One was metal and easily destroyed and the other a wooden one that took longer to hit!

On the home front Victory Gardens were planted to supply the foods that were not available.

There were road signs stating: Victory Speed 35 miles. This was to conserve gasoline.

Because everything was needed for taking care of the armed forces people at home were allowed a ration of gas, tires, sugar, etc. This controlled inflation as well as consumption by limiting a demand for products. All manufacturers made items for the armed forces instead of appliances, cars, etc.

The gas was rationed because of a shortage of tires. If you did not have gas you could not wear out your tires! Rubber was imported from SE Asia, which was under the control of Japan. Synthetic rubber was invented as a result.

Headed back to Iowa:

A two-thumbs up for the restaurant, Mamicita's, in Fredericksburg. Excellent, authentic Mexican food. Fun to watch the little white balls of dough go through the machine and end up warm, tasty tortillas!

Days Inn in Wichita,Kansas gets special mention for their super breakfast, too.

We knew that we would have to drive in some snow somewhere along the way home. It started in Emporia, Kansas and extended to south of Des Moines, Iowa. Very little traffic made it an easier drive. When we reached the Iowa border we were making our plans on how to get to one of our daughters for an over-night stay, then we drove out of the snow/slush/ice and on to dry road.

A fast 5 day delivery adventure!

Thanks for traveling with us,

Prairie Schooners.

Delivery to Calera, Alabama Journal

2010-02-09T13:30:00.012-06:00

Pick-up & Delivery:

Winnebago has increased production of motor homes to meet new sales. Bennett Drive Away has been under pressure to get them moved. We drivers have been watching the severe winter weather in all directions, BUT we did find one we could deliver without driving through sleet/freezing rain & snow!

Calera, AL is south of Birmingham on Hwy 65. South & warmth?? The forecast did indicate that we might be doing some “dodge the weather” driving on the way home.

The winter weather drive to Forest City to pick up our unit included snow covered, partially snow covered, slush, ice, an accident causing us to turn around and take another route (was good because we found an alternative better road to use after pick-up), and some vehicles in the median!

This unit is a “tiny, 24 ft,Itasca, Navion with a $116,000 sticker price. Very compact reminding one of a doll-house for adults. It does have a bed with a memory foam mattress. It is in the back of the unit. The extension slides out the back instead of the side! Because drivers are not allowed to run the generator it will be like sleeping in a cupboard tonite—very cozy here on the Walmart lot in Bloomington,IL.

15 mpg gas mileage, easy to keep warm, and easy in and out of stations makes up for the lack of room.

We started with cloudy, hazy sky, a temp of 9 degrees & a 15 mph tail wind driving through deep snow covered landscape (even the trees had a layer of snow clinging to their branches). Crossing into Illinois with sun shining, blue sky ,32 degrees hardly any snow cover and still our tail wind!

“Recalculate”
Our map-quest search before we left gave us a route, but the Drive-Away route was different. Because we’ve been this way we chose a simpler different route that will be acceptable with safe places to park for the night!

Dining:
The Fiesta Ranchera restaurant across the street from Walmart served a tasty economical meal. I had the Polla Ranchero, a chicken breast covered with cheese served with rice, beans & lettuce salad in a small taco shell. Papa Jim had a sampler plate with 5 small enchiladas covered with lettuce & sour cream. Freshly made crisp chips were served with a spicy salsa.

Day 2:
A long day of driving through various landscapes starting with the length of Illinois ranging from acres of flat farm ground, grain elevators dotting the countryside, fertilizer trucks spreading product, areas of businesses and manufacturing, oil wells. The haze gave way to blue skies and sunshine!

Into the rolling hills of Kentucky with snow dusting the ground in the forests making a contrast to the stark gray/black tree trunks and barren branches. Water seeping through the rock cliffs along the highway became frozen waterfalls. Across the flooded Ohio river with a tug and several barges working their way upstream. Past an open pit coal mine. First green fields of winter wheat sighted in southern Kentucky.
Into Tennessee—green grass in the ditches and the large green southern pines are a welcome sight for these 2 winter-weary travelers!

Gertrude, our Garmin voice did a fantastic job of directing us through Nashville, TN. We have had some “not fun” times navigating that city in the past! She proved herself and will definitely be a part of our travels in the future. (Thanks, Laura, for showing me how to use her)

It is Flying J for out night’s stop. They were all out of their ground chicken with apple sausage, but the charcoal grilled country ham was delicious. The southern spicy biscuits & gravy were excellent. A breakfast for our supper was comfort food for us tonight.

Listening to Focus on the Family's Radio Theater of C.S. Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters" helped to make the interstate miles pass by quickly. Lewis uses the negative to teach the positive.

Also listened to the music on the Reader's Digest Music Album "Timeless Inspiration." It includes information on each of the songs in a small booklet with the CD's. Interesting to note that many of our hymns were written in the 1800's! "God Be With You Until We Meet Again" was written by a pastor studying the origin of the word "good-by." The dictionary indicated that the word was short for "God be with you." He wrote the song to be a musical benediction!

Meredith Wilson's mom taught Sunday School in Iowa when he was a boy. Her weekly benediction to the class was "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You." In the 50's Wilson was the director of the radio program, "The Big Show" broadcast on Sundays. He was asked to provide a closing theme song. Remembering his Mom's good-by phrase he used it to write this song.

It was raining when we arrived at the dealer. Good to have the salt washed off the vehicles, but not pleasant to unload and unhook. A fast, efficient delivery set-up!

Mercedes-Benz Museum & Plant Tour

We headed west. While looking through our Alabama Official Vacation Guide we discovered that Mercedes-Benz factory and museum was in Tuscaloosa. (travel hint: pick one up or order on line for the state you are visiting. It is full of places to see, as well as restaurants and motels in the area.)

All we had was the address. Gertrude Garmin to the rescue! She got us there in time for the factory tour plus looking through the museum. Some of the motor homes we deliver have a Mercedes Diesel engine.

Interesting facts from the Plant tour:

We put on our earphones and safety glasses, boarded a bus at the museum and entered through tight security into the modern and clean factory.

Since it is several miles from a town/city they have a bank, restaurant, day care, exercise room,and travel agency located on site for the "team members"(employees). (no pictures of plant allowed!)

This is the only Mercedes-Benz plant in the US.

They ship the finished cars all over the world.

Robots,that resemble our grandson's lego creations, do welding on the bodies and painting. The rest of the assembly is done by people (team members).

Ultra-sound is used to test the welds.

Each car has 3 coats of paint but only uses 1 gal paint per car.

All the motors are made in Germany and imported for use in the factory.

We saw cars being manufactured with right-hand steering wheels for overseas.

Areas for a complete quality control included testing even for inside noise & vibrations from various types of roads.

It was a 2 mile walking tour. The "team members" have 3-wheeled bicycles with a platform on the back to use to go from one area to another because of the large plant. This saves time for them. We did not get to use the tricycles!!!

No free samples!!!

Interesting facts from the Museum:

Gottlieb Damiler invented this motorcycle in 1885. A most uncomfortable ride with the motor mounted between your legs!

In 1886 Carl Benz and Gottlieb Damiler lived 60 miles apart in Germany. They never met nor exchanged ideas, yet both reached the same goal in the same year by introducing to the world the first gasoline powered car.

Carl Benze made his car from a 3-wheeler. His wife, Bertha, was the first woman to drive a car when she took her 2 sons on a 100 mile trip to visit relatives!

Gottlieb Damiler mounted a gasoline motor on a 4 wheeled carriage. He invented a boat with motor and a gondola for powering an airship.

Following Damiler's death in 1900, an Austrian, Emil Jellinek took over the company. He insisted that the company be named for his daughter, Mercedes. In 1926 the two companies merged forming the Mercedes-Benz Company.
In 1902 a chassis cost $8,400 to $14,500 depending on whether you got a model that would run 35 or 70 mph. Plus a touring body that cost from $1500 to $2075 depending on the style.

William Steinway, the piano magnate, became interested in manufacturing the cars in the US because there was a 45% import tax.

In the mid 90's, the German automaker joined with a Swiss manufacturer of watches and developed the micro-compact "Smart" car.
Of course, you put men and cars together and you will have a race. Mercedes-Benz has been winning races since the 1800's.

Back to the Prairie:

The next miles were driven in fog/ rain/snow combination. We met the expected storm system! Gertrude led us through Memphis traffic and "hard-to-see" weather. As we went north the rain continued. Rivers were bankful, fields were shiny with mud and water puddles.

Pizza Hut delivery allowed us to stay put in our motel room in Hannibal, Missouri.

We finished our last miles with blue skies and sunshine the next day.

Thanking the Lord for another safe traveling adventure!

Prairie Schooners

To Ft. Worth again!

2010-01-25T07:48:00.007-06:00

We picked up an Itasca Ellipse on a cold, sunny windy day in Iowa. This unit has a unit heater that runs on the diesel fuel instead of LP. Because it can run while the unit is on the road we were toasty warm in a couple of hours. The icy crust on the accumulated snow glistened under the sun. Only deer tracks and occasional snowmobile tracks marred the wind driven snow banks along the interstate. The car/truck tracks in the median was evidence of the severe weather in the past.

This was a $300,000 unit, diesel pusher, slide outs on both sides, 2 bathrooms, 3 flat-screen TV sets(one on the outside entertainment center), 2 leather covered sofa beds, washer/dryer, king size bed, kitchen and dinette.

One of those DOT drug/alcohol tests was added to our itinerary, which meant a stop in Ames. We had the experience of driving city traffic with a 40+ft unit and then finding a parking spot near the clinic! No parking ticket! PTL

Used our new Atlas on this trip. We need to replace every 2 years. Being pro-active this new one is reinforced with clear packing tape at all the wear areas making it really "stiff."

Bethany, Missouri was our overnight stop. The El Nopal Mexican restaurant served a tasty meal. Generous servings and economical prices.

Bucking a strong south wind, that made it impossible to even hear the radio or CD's, we are traveling through the Flint Hills in Kansas. Just a dusting of snow. Past Eldorado. When will we find time to stop at their oil museum?

Into Oklahoma and clouds. Still patches of snow in protected areas. Must give Oklahoma's rest stop and Welcome Center four stars for making a traveler feel very special. The beautiful wood doors with gold handles, inside tiled floors & walls, stainless steel compartment doors with gold handles, and large compartments! Lots of maps and tourist information, too!

Flying J in Ardmore, OK for the evening. Delivery in the morning took longer because we had to drive 10 miles to find a car wash for large vehicles. What a lot of yucky black road slush sticking to this unit and our car! Only clouds and fog, no rain, so we fed the quarters into the machine and washed.

Always interesting when we are in Texas in the winter and it is 50 degrees. The locals are wearing jackets and we are not!

A call to niece in Weatherford, Texas to set up our lunch at the Cracker Barrel resulted in a fun catch-up visit with her and her delightful daughter.

Texas countryside:

Driving north on Hwy 281 through the town of Mineral Wells. A huge abandoned, but for sale, brick building in the center of town was a monument to former days. The discovery of medicinal qualities in waters made the city famous in the late 19th-early 20th century. Today there is a 22 mile hiking, biking and equestrian trail that links Mineral Wells and Weatherford to Lake Mineral Wells State Park. People come to enjoy the mild climate, hunt, fish and float the Brazos River. The Famous Mineral Water Company still bottles the healing water.

We drove past Ft. Richardson Historic site in Jacksboro, TX. This was the most northerly of a line of Federal posts established in Texas after the Civil War to protect the settlers. The town has many petroleum refining and related oil field services.

We see big hills on the horizon in all directions, ranches and shrubs of large round leaved cactus. Everything is in shades of brown except the clumps of mistletoe growing on the bare branches of trees. The land becomes flat with acres and acres of irrigated green pastures for the beef and dairy cattle. Large and small dairies dot the area.

A stop at the Super 8 at Wichita Falls for a good night's sleep, but woke up to fog.

Because of the fog there was no opportunity for "sightseeing" making the interstate the best choice for travel. After stopping at two museums in Oklahoma, both were closed for 2 weeks for cleaning, we drove to Ponco City looking for the Pioneer Women's Museum.

This area has a Conoco Phillips refinery, oil storage and a free museum telling the history of the "wildcatting" days of discovering oil. Someday we will stop and check it out.

Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum:

The following is a description of the statue that was in the newspaper at the unveiling of the bronze statue over 75 years ago:
"It portrays figures caught in vibrant life. The young woman is striding forward with a sure step, Bible clasped in her right hand, bundle hanging from her right arm. A woman with erect carriage, resolute, clear eyes looking out from under a sunbonnet. Chin up and mouth firm. The eager sun treads at her side, his hand in hers as the strange panorama of new life unfolds...."

A section highlighting Oklahoma women in Music includes Wanda Jackson and Anita Bryant. The tile floor is inset with old 45 records. Nostalgia! An Edison phonograph with the advertisement: "Phonograph with a soul" and a 1921 Mood Change Chart which had questions that would analyze your mental reactions to music.

A 1949 Admiral 12" Black & White TV/Radio/Phono that sold for $500. The price ranges for the first TV's ranged from $99.95 for a black & white 3" TV up to $999 for a luxury 20" Black & White TV/Radio/Phono model!

An area exhibiting handiwork and quilts featured the following by Mary White from "The Quilters" 1977:

Sometimes you don't have no control over the way things go,
Hail ruins the crops, a fire burns you out,
And then you are given just so much to work with in life.
And you have to do the best you can with what you got.
That's what piecing is:
The material is passed on to you or is all you can afford to buy.
Your fate.
But the way you put them together is your business.
You can put them in any order you like!

Something to think about when you see a quilt made up of all the pieces of material! Also a life lesson on how I view and what attitude I take with the circumstances the Lord allows into my life.

Several pump organs were on exhibit. One was decorated with colored painting of flowers.

An exhibit of "wash day" tools showing that on a 19th century laundry day 50 gallons of water that equals 400# would have to be moved from pump or well to tub in buckets or wash boilers. This would give each load 1 wash in boiling water and 1 rinse. Makes me tired to thing of Monday on the Prairie!

A round, white galvanized metal icebox was on display. It had revolving adjustable shelves. Unique!

A 1903 Art Garland #300 wood burning living room stove with shiny metal decoration.

An antiques baby bouncy seat that certainly would not pass OSHA standards, today!

Also headquarted at the Museum is "Operation Pioneer Spirit," a program that sends boxes to soldiers in Iraq, Kuwait, & Afghanistan filled with the things they cannot buy. Included are toiletry items, stocking caps, handmade small pillows, samples of locally made BBQ sauces and one couple makes afghans to send! It was started when one of the local young ladies serving in Iraq wrote back to her Mom that there was no place to buy anything there!

Back to Iowa:

One more night in Oklahoma and then a week-end stop at daughter and husband in southern Iowa. Grandkids introduced us to a Wii!

Back to the Prairie in the fog!

Thanks for traveling with us!
Prairie Schooners