[Key: Memoir in Times New Roman,
Travel Journal in Arial]
10/6/1987 Rocky River – S. Whitley, Ind
237 mi. $20.26 gas
Our first stop was a visit with cousins, Sue + Ron P in Ind. - really fun!
We arrived mid afternoon after a beautiful drive through mist and rain. Fortunately because of the weather Ron was able to come off the combine + tell us all about their harvesting of soy beans + corn.
The girls, their two daughters
, Stacy + Stephanie got off the school bus
at 3:30 and Pat came from work
as a cost accountant in Pierceton, a nearby town in Ind. Their beagle was proud to show us her 3 beagle pups which were just 5 days old. Good conversation, delicious food, great B+B!
10/7/1987 S Whitley/Oshkosh
559 mi.
Sue, Bert + I began the day with a brisk 2 mi. walk, then back for country-style breakfast
of sausage + eggs to really start the day.
The drive to Oshkosh was quite interesting since we’d never seen Wis. Driving through Chicago at noon was a breeze, then on to Milwaukee where we stopped for a quick peek at an Outlet Mall. I purchased an Amer. Tourister Make-up Case + then we quickly proceeded on
through scenic farmland to Pat & John Ns'. The view of Lake Winnebago
from their home with the moon shining brightly on the water was breathtaking.
We had dinner at a real German restaurant
- Field’s where we tasted real sour kraut + brats – German style. Delicious.
Ian entertained us while Pat gave a talk at League of Women Voters.
John showed us an interesting tape of Yellowstone to whet our appetites for what’s in store tomorrow!
10/8/1987 Oshkosh/ Moorhead, Minn.
$25.67 1079
The rolling hills + fall colors on R. 21 + 94 in Wisconsin were breathtaking!
There were many
more lakes on today’s drive than I’d expected. The flat prairie land of Minn. was rather monotonous. Eau Claire, Wis. was especially clean + attractive - a blending of the new with the old. What a surprise to see how small the Miss. R. is in Minn
– very narrow and shallow here.
Our final destination was Fargo, N. Dak. But we stopped 3 mi east here + found a very nice motel (75) + excellent home cooked food at the Highway Host in the Mall. Concordia College is located here.
10/9/1987 Moorhead/ Forsyth, Mont.
$26.74 motel
After leaving Fargo + the Red River Valley we saw a different type of terain from yesterday's flat prairies.
Here we had a sharp rise in elevation, alot of lakes, buttes, and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park + the Painted Canyon. The crops are wheat, sunflowers, sugar beets + potatoes
predominately. Their economy depends on raising cattle, sheep, hogs, horses + poultry.
I’m adding the 49th state – Montana –to my list of states visited.
We were welcomed by our first snowflakes + temp. in the 20’s. We stayed at the Sundowner Inn in Forsythe + ate dinner at the Blue Spruce Café, a real western café. Interesting town.
10/10/1987 Forsyth/W. Yellowstone, Mont.
1589
From Forsyth to Billings the region was much the same. It’s primarily a farming area – sheep + cattle ranches and the crops are sunflower + sugar beets.
At Laurel, Mont. which is just west of Billings we took Rt. 212, one of the most beautiful highways in the U.S. We drove over the mtns in the Shoshone National Forest to Yellowstone. What spectacular sights!
From Red Lodge all the way to Yellowstone shot one picture after another – Beartooth Peak, 10,940 ft. elev. in Wyo. then back to Mont. at Cooke City + Colter Pass.
In Yellowstone we saw
it all! The animals were out to show off: moose, elk, mule deer, white-tail deer, bison, coyote, +
even a pair of trumpeter swans with their three young, teaching them the art of fishing!
The Ambassador Hotel in W. Yellowstone was a welcome sight
after our day with nature. Tomorrow we’ll go back to see Old Faithful.
10/11/1987 W. Yellowstone/ Jackson, Wyo.
1916
I can’t believe how beautiful these two parks are. The morning was spent viewing the geysers in Yellowstone. As usual Old Faithful put on quite a show!
The only problem was it was so cold that when the water erupted, all you could see was a cloud of vapor about 100 ft. high. The Grand Canyon
of Yellowstone was spectacular.
It has a depth of about 750 ft. + 1500 ft. wide. Midway Geyser Basin + the Paint Pots were among our favorites.
Driving along the Gibbon River offered a scenic view.
I’ll always remember Yellowstone Lake with its crystal blue color reflecting the same magnificent color of sky.
Again we were thrilled to see the trumpeter swans, bison, + moose so close to the highway.
As we left Yellowstone from the South Exit into the Grand Tetons we were amazed that the mile+ (1,300 ft.) peaks weren’t snow covered + that the elk herd hadn’t migrated yet to Jackson Hole.
We visited the Chapel of Transfiguration at Moose + traveled along the Snake River to our night’s lodging at Cache Creek Motor Inn. We really need another day to see it all. It’s so beautiful.
10/12/1987 Jackson Hole/ Mtn Home, Ida.
2115
I just couldn’t leave this area without taking another look at the Grand Tetons
, and surrounding mountains, so we went back
this a.m. Stopped at the Visitors’ Center + I got my [National Park] Passport stamped.
From there we went to beautiful scenic Jenny Lake where we took several pictures.
We followed the Snake R. into Ida. Alpine looks for all the world like Switzerland.
We traveled through the Targhee National Forest + the aspins, cottonwoods + pines were gorgeous. Harvesting beets + potatoes was the #1 industry here. We checked in at the Officers' Quarters at Mountain Home AF Base.
We lucked out on a room. It was Columbus Day + everything else was closed
, so we went into town a distance of nine miles for dinner. Ate at the Highlander.
We called the guys. Kent sounded good - had a good trip to Europe. We tried to get Mike but the lines were all busy so we’ll try tomorrow.
(We stayed at the Sagebrush Hotel on base.)
10/13/1987 Mtn Home AB/Bend, Ore. – Pilot Butte view of city
2,541
There weren’t many points of interest from Mt. Home until we reached Oregon + Sawtooth National Forest + Boise, the capital of Ida.
The eastern part of the state is primarily plains + plateaus with the usual crops – potatoes, sugar beets, onions, wheat + hay.
When we reached Bend,
a beautiful city located on the Deschutes River in the Cascade Mtns., we were surprised + pleased with our surroundings. It was an area we’d love to retire in. Our motel
, the Best Western Entrada, is about five miles out of town nestled in pines. Took a "nature walk" up a hill. We fell down twice + called it quits.
Had a delicious meal at the Pine House. Lovely day!
10/14/1987 Bend, Ore./Eureka, Calif.
2,936
On our way out of Bend we stopped for apples. Bought a peck of red delicious for $2.00!
We drove to beautiful Crater Lake where we spent about an hour riding around the rim of the basin, a distance of 23 miles.
From there we took Rt. 62 to Medford, then Rt. 5 to Grant’s Pass. Along the Rogue River - lumber, lumber, lumber all the way to Grants Pass. Beautiful coniferous trees provide a splendid view + photographer's delight.
We followed Rt. 199, a very windy mountainous road for about 30 mi. into Crescent City, Calif. where we checked into a Travelers’ Lodge. The Redwood Forest was a welcome treat with its gigantic trees. Spent the night in Crescent City, CA.
10/15/1987 Crescent City/San Bruno
3,256
Enroute to San Bruno we stopped at the Redwood National Forest
+ walked on the Lady Bird Johnson Trail for about ¼ of a mile. The trees are immense!
We traveled Rt.101 through the coastal range stopping several times to take pictures of the ocean and view the rocky shore.
San Fran. at rush hour is no time for me to be behind the wheel! I relinquished it at Santa Rosa after three hours + Bert took her in to Millie & Tom's at XXXX Rosewood. What a welcome sight! We had a delicious meal
after cocktails + sang songs with Tom accompanying us on the organ
+ retired at midnight.
10/16/1987 San Bruno
Still having fun.
It’s so good to be here! We lunched at the Neptune + viewed a greenhouse filled with orchids.
Bert spent time cleaning the van while I did laundry. In the p.m. we went to the Marriot for a wonderful buffet.
10/17/1987 San Bruno
3625
This was a fun exciting day! We left after breakfast, drove the van to Daly City where we parked + took the BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] to San Fran. There we transferred to the cable car. We walked around Fisherman's Wharf
+ had lunch at the Old Swiss House – delicious salad + mushroom soup plus sour dough bread. We stopped at China Town on our way back. Saw farmers selling quail, a Chinese funeral procession including a band, + many colorful people at Union Square. Tom cooked steaks outside on the grill
+ Millie made a beautiful dinner. What a day.
10/18/1987 San Bruno/San Simeon
3656
We left Millie & Tom's early Sun a.m. for San Simeon
by way of Rt. 280 + Scenic Hwy 1. We stopped in Carmel for a browsing tour of the shops
– very lovely + very expensive.
The 17 mi. highway along the coast was exciting. We saw deer, squirrels, + various birds as well as sea lions, seals, + sea otters. It was a
very hilly drive throughout the Del Monte Forest
winding through pine forests + groves of Monterey Cypress.
Our drive ended at the San Simeon Lodge where we had dinner + retired early after seeing the Twins beat the Cards in the second World Series game.
10/19/1987 San Simeon/Lompoc
3879
The morning was spent touring the beautiful Hearst Castle.
We went from the main hall by bus to the residence which was very elegant.
We left there + went to Vandenberg Air Force Base + Lompoc to visit our friends Fran + Howard D
. We had cocktails with Joe and Frank B. They were friends we’d met last year at our B+B in Prince Edward Island.
Today’s drive along the coast was beautiful.
10/20/1987 Lompoc/Glendora
3996
Driving today was unreal. So much traffic on the Ventura Pkwy.
It was interesting visiting a Swedish/Danish village called Solvang.
It’s a little too commercial for our taste, so we headed south to Glendora.
We stopped at Santa Barbara to visit the mission.
We arrived at Dottie’s + Bob’s midafternoon. Had a lovely meal with Lola + Larry O'T
+ Fran + Dick S. Friends from Japan. How nice to be with the Ds + friends!
10/21/1987 Glendora
4,166
This a.m. Ann + Luff J came to Duffs
to discuss the church position. Such nice kids! They’re Tom + Cornelia L’s family from Ohio, but now live in Glen Dora.
Dottie went to the airport to pick up her friend, Janet, from Cincy. The three of us went to Claremont to window shop + visit in their college town. Pomona College is especially attractive. We went into their jakuzzi when we returned while Bert + Bob watched the financial news on TV. (The market has gone crazy
the past week!) The evening was spent catching up on all the news after a delicious steak dinner, + the tape of Tom’s + Kim’s wedding was very entertaining.
10/22/1987 Glendora/San Diego
4,175
We left for San Diego
in smog about 9 a.m. Foggy. We love the Ds
+ their lovely home, but the area is not for us!
How we ever found our old homes in Riverside + Perris is amazing because of all the construction. Not until we got out of Perris on Rt. 215 to San Diego could we see the bright blue sky
again.
We checked the Viscount
about 2 o’clock, had a 2-1/2 mile walk
along Harbor Island Dr. before dinner. Met our squadron gang for cocktails +
buffet dinner
at 6:00 on the 9th floor. Beautiful view
overlooking the harbor on Harbor Island.
10/23/1987 San Diego
We got an early start to the zoo this a.m. Balboa Park is truly beautiful.
It’s over 100 acres of land, larger than Central Park.
We took the 40 min. ride around the park in a double-decker bus. It gave us a good idea about the places we wanted to go back to see. After a slice of pizza + a glass of milk, we began our 3-1/2 hr. trek. Of all the animals – too numerous to mention – the #1 attraction in our minds at least was the performance given by the condors - outstanding!
They spread their wings, perched high on the limbs + looked royally down at us as we focused our lenses to get the best shots. It was no surprise that the Chinese pandas
were snoozing as we viewed them because they sleep approximately 18 hr. a day, so we didn’t get a good look.
To complete a perfectly beautiful day we drove to Old Town, a Mexican area about 7 mi. from here, + had the best Mexican food I’ve ever eaten at the Fandango Restaurant. What a day!
10/24/1987 San Diego
We started out this a.m. by driving north to La Jolla, a beautiful + highly prosperous city with attractive shops located a few blocks from the beach.
Afternoon was spent in Old Town [San Diego],
seeing the first permanent settlement in Calif.
We ate at the same restaurant – El Fandango – although we were surprised as we entered by a different door. From there we drove south to Point Loma
for a spectacular view of San Diego + saw the statue of Cabrillo, the founder of the city.
The Eighth Combat Cargo Group [Squadron] gathered together in the Marina Room, on the 9th floor of the Viscount Hotel for our final cocktail party + dinner. Had
a delicious prime rib dinner followed by a raffle + Bert won a bottle of Calif. wine
as well as a few other lucky souls. The guys entertained us with a WWII movie
on VCR + a 2 minute speech by each one.
We all said “Sayonara” until we meet in San Antonio in ’89 - God willing.
10/25/1987 San Diego/Las Vegas
4,424
You have to see this place to believe it. It’s unreal, people playing the slots at the various casinos, girls swinging on trapezes high above our heads at Circus-circus + Wedding Chapels where “all checks are accepted” + “no waiting” signs on the marquee. Las Vegas is very little richer because of our stay here – cheap rates at the Rodeway Inn, $5.00 buffet at the Tropicana, and our $2.00 winnings in the slots paid for our bus fare back to the motel. It’s a fun place to visit but I wouldn’t want to make it a habit to come on the annual junkets. I’ve seen it. Bert shares my feelings, but we’re glad we came + we had fun.
Our trip up here thru Calif. was interesting from San Diego thru Riverside + Perris again past San Bernandino + into Barstow where we ate lunch at a MacDonalds. It was a large building which included 2 train cars where we ate. From desert to mtns we finally reach Nev. Mid-afternoon. Called our guys + all’s well. Such a nice day!
10/26/1987 Las Vegas/Kanab, Utah
4,745
It was a long day today - 12 hours on the road. We traveled north from Nev. to Ariz. + Utah where we first visited Zion, then Bryce Canyon.
Things I’ll always remember about Zion
are the spectacular with cliff + canyon landscape,
the view out the long tunnel, brilliant golden aspens along the Virgin River
+ the checkerboard mesa. Not the least impressive sights was the Great White Throne + world's largest arch
, the Kolob Arch. We hated to leave the area, lingered over a picnic lunch at the river's edge
, even though my sandwich was a bit soggy, but all good things have to end, so we wended our way toward Bryce mid-afternoon + arrived shortly before dusk at Bryce.
We were disappointed we didn’t arrive in time for picture taking or passport stamping at the Visitors’ Center, but we did manage to get some postcards, slides, turquoise jewelry today + a good night’s lodging in Kanab. Great day!
10/27/1987 Kanab/Phoenix
5,116
We left
the motel for the Grand Canyon bright + early.
Again the lodge + many of the buildings were closed for the season. The gorgeous views at the North Rim are never ending
+ we took many pictures to prove it!
Enroute to Phoenix we traveled thru the Coconino National Forest to Flagstone very interesting.
From there we took 89A to Oak Creek Canyon - unbelievable beauty! (This was the third time we’d seen it.) Had
a lovely visit + dinner with our dear friend, Doreen P
in Phoenix where we spent the night.
10/28/1987 Phoenix/Tucson
5,560
Spent the morning catching up on news + doing laundry. We treated Doreen to a delightful lunch at the Pointe. We left shortly for Tucson.
Our first stop was outside of Coolidge at Casa Grande National Monument. This is the site of Hohokam Indian ruins who lived here 600 yrs. ago. Various kinds of cactus including the huge saguaro can be seen here.
It was wonderful visiting Mary + Bob H in their beautiful home “in the desert.” We ate dinner at a quaint Mexican Restaurant, then more conversation at the side of their pool before retiring.
10/29/1987 Tucson/El Paso
5,700
We drove east on Rt. 10 through Ariz., N. Mex., + part of Tex. - over 400 miles. We crossed the Continental Divide through barren desert + irrigated farmlands with vast pecan groves west of El Paso. We crossed the Rio Grande in N. Mex., proceeded through El Paso
+ continued on Rt. 10 traversing semi-arid range lands with some dry + irrigated farm areas. We’ve been on a continual up-grade on altitude. We arrived
in El Paso early so we continued driving to Van Horn where we spent the night
at American Inn.
10/30/1987 Van Horn - Big Bend
6,139
Nearly the whole day was spent in Big Bend + what a place it is. Big Bend is situated on the U.S./Mex. boundary with the Rio Grande River dividing the two countries.
The thing that is unique about this National Park is the fact that it includes desert, canyons, + mountains in the 700,000+ acres.
In the desert we saw a multitude of cactus plants, road runners, kangaroo rats, harrier birds, white tail deer, a red racer snake, pronghorn sheep, goats + quail.
After checking in at the Visitors’ Center, we picnicked in the Chisac Basin. There we evidenced all the characteristics of a desert, yet we were surrounded by the mtns at an elevation of 7,000 ft. In the lowlands are sun drenched river beds, in the mountain canyons there are forests of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, + Ariz. cypress.
Ft. Stockton on Rt. 10
enroute to San Antonio is where we called home tonight. It dates from 1840 where the U.S. Army established a cavalry post. Oil + gas + the main industry today.
10/31/1987 Fort Stockton/San Antonio
6,512
It was a long,
but fast trip today to San Antonio. West Texas is partly desert
especially around Ft. Stockton, then t
he Edwards Plateau with underground water which is the source of San Antonio water.
We had lunch in Kerrville which is about 60 miles west of S. A.
– a very attractive area in the hill country.
In the evening we ate at a cafeteria (Luby’s) in the mall. [My niece] Linda + Michael came over in the evening. Everyone
here is hale and hearty. Our Mike called to tell us he + Donna are getting married in March. Wow!
11/1/1987 San Antonio
This a.m. we went to the Northwood Presby. Church with Bob + Gen.
It was a lovely service + we had communion.
[My niece] Joyce, Rob, + Gabriel came down from Austin + we went to MacArthur Park for a picnic.
Before the kids left to go back to Austin, we all went over to Linda’s + Michael's for a visit
in their lovely apartment.
Bob then drove us over to Fort Sam to view the old base chapel where we were married 6/12/1948.
Very few changes have ever been made over the years. However, Brooks Med. Center is in the process of moving out??
11/2/1987 San Antonio/Baton Rouge
6,835
It was I-10 all the way - Houston, Lake Charles, Lafayette, + finally Baton Rouge. Houston is notably larger than the last time we visited here
; Lake Charles looks like a busy deepwater port, Lafayette is something else. The Acadian influence is obvious with the luscious farm land.
Although we didn’t stop for a meal, I’m sure Cajun food would be enjoyable! (These are descendants of the Nova Scotia Acadians.)
Sugar cane fields are abundant in this area. Live oaks line the highway, as do the cypress trees.
Baton Rouge - "red stick," refers to a tall cypress tree, + it is located at the northern end of the Petrochemical Gold Coast - 100 mi. from New Orleans
on the Miss. River.
We checked in at the LaQuinta Motel + then went to dinner at the Piccadilly Cafeteria – a really nice day.
11/3/1987 Baton Rouge/Tupelo, Miss.
7,293
After a short trip from Baton Rouge to Natchez, we were ready to begin our trip on the Natchez Trace. We stopped at the Visitors Information Center
+ were amazed at the beautiful furnishings of an antebellum home. What a sendoff – all the info we needed. The official map + guide were most helpful + we found ourselves stopping at every milepost site marked on the map. E
merald Mound, the second largest ceremonial mound in the U.S., + the “inn” or “stand” at Mount Locust were the most interesting stops. The mound covers 8 acres + a trail leads to the top. The ranger at Mount Locust told us how the settlers came down the Miss. R.
from Ohio with their crops
+ products to sell
in this new market, sold their flat boats for lumber, then walked the long trail home to Ohio.
There Old Trace began + not until 1938 with the influence off Jeff Busby, a U.S. Congressman, did the Natchez Trace Pkwy result. It was a beautiful scenic drive.
We had an appetizing Italian buffet at Trace Inn at Tupelo where we spent the night.
11/4/1987 Tupelo/ Nashville
7,665
We stopped at the Visitors’ Center for a short audio/visual presentation
and then were on our way to Nashville. We stopped at Colbert Ferry where
we saw the stand which Gen. Colbert
ran. (He’s supposedly to have charged $75,000 to ferry Gen. Jackson's troops across the river.) We picnicked at the Meriwether Lewis
(of the Lewis + Clark fame) campground.
We stopped to view several mines + a tobacco farm a short distance from Nashville, thus ending our day + half’ drive on this beautiful, scenic Natchez Trace Hgwy. It was great being with Marianne, Al + the girls for the evening.
11/5/1987 Nashville/Cleveland
7,897
We hated leaving Marianne + Al after such a short visit with them. It was good seeing them doing so well - Marianne is still nursing
+ enjoying it so much + Al is doing great in the food dispensing
machine business.
Becky was our hostess until the rest of the family got home. Sherri followed shortly.
It was a wonderful month-long trip - one we’ll always remember + cherish, seeing dear friends + relatives, - viewing so much of this wonderful country, and grateful to God for making it all possible.
(Our speedometer registers 8,430. Wow!)
