We made it to the Denver area today. We took a drive out to Marshall Lake in Louisville where we have a membership.

The Flatirons mountains are in the background. We hope to spend a few days camping there and enjoying the scenery and tranquility.

Visiting with our good friend Pastor Ben in Westminster, CO.

Here’s what you do when the sun comes out after 2 days of rain. The color of the bubbles was spectacular.

The lilacs are gorgeous!

Here is Miss Chicken who rules the roost over our friend Donna.

It’s true when they say a bad day fishing is better than a good day working. I had two trout on the line but they didn’t make it into the net. It was still fun and peaceful at Marshall Lake near Superior, Colorado

This is a “tree trout”, it required wading into the lake to retrieve it.

The rain began about 10 minutes into the ceremony.

540 seniors passing before faculty and teachers.

It was pouring down and all were chilled to the bone.

Ryan as he walked off stage.

Ryan contemplating his future - back home when rain had stopped.

Ryan with dad and sister (Howard and Kyra). Congratulations Ryan!!!

These huge satellites are so amazing. Googled it and they actually listen to space sounds.

It is called the Very Large Array (VLA). \240Makes you wonder who’s listening to who? On the internet it also says you aren’t supposed to use electronic devices close by because they are too loud. Oops!

Bill with more satellites in the background.

The weather was warm but so much nicer than 48 degrees and pouring rain.

Tanner before ceremony

Just got his diploma.

The crowd rushed on to the field to celebrate.

Great decorations.

Tanner opening gifts.

Lots of balloons and great food.

Selfie frame fun.

Back in Colorado catching up with our good friend Bonnie.

Still lots of snow on the mountains. Two hot air balloons catching the early morning breeze.

All gassed up and ready to hit the road. With a cup of Starbucks and a cold drink.

Waving goodbye to Colorado as we truly start our big adventure. Heading to Grand Island, NE.

Cool sculpture of a blue heron in the rest area in Julesburg, CO just before entering Nebraska.

We are staying at Mormon Lake State Recreation area just outside of Grand Island, Nebraska — it is beautiful here.

Bill relaxing in our campsite.

Cool shot of clouds this morning. The weather has been great.

We tried to squeeze everyone in for a photo on the front porch.

This is just the “kids” although some are for sure adults.

Here are the older folks. \240We are still getting the hang of the whole selfie stick thing.

We had a great visit and reminisced about the summers I spent with them in Mission, KS.

I got so caught up in memories that I totally forgot to take photos. So... I stole these recent ones from Facebook 👍

We stopped overnight at Springlake RV Park in Halsted, KA. Now I know where the great northern geese go for the summer.

We drove over to Yoder and had a great dinner at the Amish Carriage Crossing Restaurant.

They have a beautiful home just east of Oral Roberts University.

You can see the campus from their front yard.

A great way to cool off.

Genny was the captain and Sara the copilot.

Bill had a great time too.

There are lots of huge homes built along the shores of the lake

Of course Bill had to take them off the hook because I don’t like trying to grab them.

I even caught a bass along with many small perch like this one. I love to fish and enjoyed every minute.

Catching fish from the dock.

We stayed on at the lake house until Wednesday morning when we headed to Branson, MO. What a wonderful visit!!

The big excitement of the day was they were having a 60 ft. tall Oak tree cut down in between their house and the neighbor’s. The tree company did an amazing job and nothing fell on either house.

Beautiful view of the lake from their deck.

What an amazing place!! We each received a card containing information about someone who was on board. At the end of the visit you get to find out if they survived. My lady from 1st class did but unfortunately Bill’s guy from the crew did not.

We would definitely recommend this museum to all ages.

We went to Dunn’s Falls. It is the historic Carroll-Richardson gristmill where they also manufactured Stetson hats.

Here is the water wheel.

The falls drop down 65’ to the river below

It was a beautiful area.

Then we visited the historic Dentzel Carousel established in 1909.

Next we went on a scavenger hunt to find carousel horses placed in various locations throughout Merrdian.

An artist was commissioned to paint and place the horses all over town. I guess there are over 60, but we were able to find only about 10 before a big rainstorm came along. It was a lot of fun looking for them.

Here’s a unusual lily that was growing in the Driftwood RV park where we stayed in Fairhope, AL

There were hundreds of containers waiting to be loaded or to be picked up.

Giant cranes to lift the containers on and off the ships.

Downtown Mobile off in the distance. \240Unfortunately there wasn’t a ship in port during our tour

Clouds hid the sunset but it was still beautiful.

Great niece Ally.

Great nephew Braden conked out with his Dad, Brian and Bill’s sister Debbie.

We all posed for a selfie before leaving the pier.

This lovely gator was watching us from a nature preserve area. He was a mean looking critter. \240

Then we ran across these huge grasshoppers in the parking lot of a restaurant along the bay. Yikes!! They were about 5 inches long.

It was a great sunset.

We watched a lot of people fishing. 3 people caught stingrays - which they cut loose once they fought them to the surface and realized what they had. A pelican landed right among the crowd and posed for a few pictures.

She is sitting in this picture.

Here she is doing a plank to strengthen her core muscles.

Then she is standing.

And catching a thrown ball while standing. It was all amazing.

This canon stands next to the monuments dedicated to both the confederate and union troops who faught here.

A close up of the canon.

Cross markers in the cemetery in memorial to soldiers who were killed during the battle.

Huge live oak tree.

Hiding tree where confederate soldiers hid after the fall of Fort Blakeley. \240

There were planes from the beginning of air flight to the Blue Angels. Also aircraft carrier models back to World War I. We watched a movie on their IMAX screen about aircraft carriers. It was fantastic.

I was pleasantly surprised that the Pensacola Lighthouse was just south of the NAS. Lighthouses are one of my favorite things.

Completed in 1859. 150 feet tall and on a 40 ft. high bluff.

You were allowed to walk up to the top but I opted out because I was sure if my knee didn’t give out going up it would have for sure going down.

Looking up from below. Someone said it equals 16 stories — tallest lighthouse in FL.

Me conversing with “ole’ salt”.

Bill and I with “Pelican Pete”.

The back side is right on the waterway.

We each had a drink and ordered these “Greek Nachos”. They were great and we loved watching all the traffic on the inter coastal waterway.

Their house is right on the Conecuh River.

They have an RV pad right in their front yard so it was like being in a great resort.

We did a lot of relaxing and had plenty of time to catch up on the last 10 years since we visited.

We went out to eat several times. There are several good restaurants in the area.

Yep Georgia is on our mind. 😊

I absolutely love waterfalls and this one ranks really high in my books. \240Later we went to a great fireworks display.

The dome on the top of this hall at UNG is gelded with local gold.

They were having a July 4th celebration. \240My brother-in-law, Tom’s great-great-great grandfather Benjamin Parks discovered the gold there that started the gold rush.

This nickel plated cash register was in a general store during the gold rush.

Lots of grand ole houses.

It was great seeing them. We haven’t been here since 1997.

We were supposed to get six 4-oz samples. Three were plenty for me as I am pretty much a lightweight when it comes to alcohol.

We had a great time with brother / sister-in-law Tom and Mary Ann. \240👍

Wanda on her back porch.

A mural painted on her shed.

Front view.

Her yard is beautiful and has such a lovely garden.

We truly enjoyed our visit.

Tom and Mary Ann’s place in Athens, GA.

The R.V. parked next to the horse corral.

It was hard to leave today as we headed to Gettysburg.

We spent the night in Fancy Gap, VA. We drove to nearby Hillsville, VA for dinner. There were a lot of historical buildings there.

It was so green and lush there. The campground was in the Blue Ridge Mountains just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We arrived in Gettysburg. PA around 2:30 pm.

Lots of historic buildings on the way to our campground

Bill with Abe Lincoln outside of the visitors center.

Iron barreled cannon on the battlefield.

Bronze barreled \240cannons. The iron barreled cannons could shoot 2 miles. The bronze barreled cannons could only shoot 1 mile but they were rifled and could shoot canisters filled with smaller balls which could do serious damage to a greater area.

So many amazing monuments to commemorate the battalions who fought.

Virginia monument.

From different angle.

View of Devils Den from on top of Little \240Round Top.

Bill taking a photo with memorial in the background on top of Little Round Top.

Overlooking the battlefield from Little Round Top.

The plaque said it was built in 1852 and was bridge no. 1 in Adams County, PA.

First we visited Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum. The Landis family settled here and most buildings were the original homestead.

These fences are amazing and have stood since the 1800s.

Gun smith shop.

Then we went to Intercourse, PA and saw Amish buggies and some huge Amish farms.

We drove to Ronks, PA to find another covered bridge and a grist mill.

Herr’s Mill covered bridge.

Herr’s Mill.

One of only a few double-span, double-arch covered bridges left in the US. The plaque says “The kissing bridge. Please, walking or horse drawn lovers only”.

Next was the largest diorama in the world that depicts the entire battle of Gettysburg.

Here’s Bill posing as Abe.

Me with a very tall yankee soldier. \240Bill says honor guard. What do you think - maybe marching band?? \240LOL.

The manor at Oglebay.

Overlooking the gardens.

Gorgeous landscaping.

Lawn and fountain.

Trees formed with petunias.

Such tame deer they came right up begging for food.

We did some shopping at some unique shops.

We bought some cheese at the Guggisberg Cheese Factory.

Bill and I clowning around at the cheese factory.

The huge clock outside played wonderful chimes on the hour.

We saw lots of buggies with beautiful horses.

Had some delicious food too.

This is one of the largest cookoo clocks in the world. We had a great day with Debbie and Ed.

Boarding the “Maid” in Niagara Falls State Park, NY.

The American Falls from the boat.

More of American Falls.

Going into the mist.

Bill in his blue rain slicker.

More mist on Horseshoe Falls.

Boy did we get wet!!

Horseshoe Falls from the boat. \240It was a spectacular experience!

There is an arial tram that takes you over the churning whirlpool area

Looking back in the direction of the falls.

Skyline of Niagara Falls, Canada.

We were pleasantly surprised to get a fireworks show too.

We loved every minute.

We drove along the shore of Lake Erie. It sure is a big body of water.

We drove though a lot of grape country. Kind of sorry we didn’t have time to stop and do some wine tasting.

We stopped for the night at Gotta Gettaway RV Park in Bellevue, Ohio. It was really nice and only about 25 miles south of \240Cedar Point Amusement Park, but we weren’t feeling up to any wild roller coaster rides 😊. We are heading to Joliet, IL tomorrow.

These seven communities were established in 1855 by a group of Inspirationalists originally from Germany. From 1855 until 1932 it was a communal life where property and resources were shared by all. During by the Great Depression in 1932 the communal way of life was abandoned.

There are so many homes still occupied that were built in the 1850s.

We plan to visit a lot of shops and some restaurants tomorrow.

Later we were treated to an arial show by a by-plane crop dusting a nearby field.

We had local brats and beer at the Millstream Brewhaus. Later we had dinner at the Ronneburg German Restaurant. Both places were excellent.

The gardens and flowers were so pretty!

We will leave Monday morning and head for Colorado. The weather here in G.I. has been incredible. Highs in the 70s and lows around 60. Good sleeping weather.

Bill and Mom, Elna.

Sister Terri, Bill and Mom, Elna.

There was a beautiful rainbow just as we were leaving the Grand Island KOA. \240It was so huge I couldn’t fit it in one picture.

The gang sitting on a bench on the main drag in Estes Park.

Paddle boarders on Lake Estes.

The infamous Stanley Hotel where they filmed “The Shining”.

A beaver statue in a city park.

Aspen trees in another city park area.

Water wheel in the west end of town.

View from near the summit of Trail Ridge Road.

A few glaciers still there even though it has been pretty hot. Everything was hazy due to all the forest fires across the country.

Such beautiful scenery.

Gorgeous sunsets!

I even managed to catch a nice trout! Of course Chuck had to rescue me and get it off the hook because I don’t like to touch squirmy fish. 😱

Chuck offered to take my picture holding the fish, but I politely declined.

Happy hour time with Chuck, Donna, Donna, Lynne, and Bill.

Another beautiful sunset.

The water was so still and it was peaceful just sitting there with a fishing pole in my hand - even if I got no bites.

Just before the sun sank.

I even caught another trout.

Leola and Gary joined us for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. \240From left Leola, Donna D, me and Lynne.

From the left, Bill, Chuck and Gary.

Donna S thought she had escaped but I got her anyway. It was great catching up on all the news. We will see them again around the end of October when they all come to AZ for the winter season.

We spent about 3 hours strolling down memory lane. It was great to see them again.

Below is a bed for his 4-legged friend Sadie to ride along in the basket.

Gail (Howard’s Mom) and Tom reading B-Day cards. \240They are also celebrating 26 years of marriage on the same day.

Howard and his lady friend Michelle.

A sneak shot of our grandson Ryan.

We had a wonderful time with good food and lots of visiting. Our granddaughter Kyra was working and sadly couldn’t make it. \240Another sneak shot below.

It is at 10,525 ft. elevation so there are glaciers on the nearby mountains.

A crystal clear pool with water lilies.

Brainard Lake was awesome.

The stream that feeds into the lake was crystal clear.

The lake with mountains. In the background.

Scenery along the route.

There are 2 humming bird feeders just outside of the RV Park office. We sure enjoyed watching them feed.

The one below was just above my head and this little guy showed no fear.

They are truly amazing.

I finally managed to get this one in mid-flight.

Above is view out the front window of RV. Wow!

Views in different directions within the RV Park.

Creede was established during the gold mine boom and there are still a lot of mine buildings and shafts.

These are just north of town. \240

So much history.

Awesome views.

The one above you is often photographed.

Huge mining structure.

The pictures above and below are the North Clear Creek Falls.

Below is South Clear Creek Falls. This required about a 900 ft. drop in elevation via a trail of switchbacks. I was really feeling the 9,500 ft. altitude coming back up.

It was really worth the effort.

Pretty scenery as we left Creede.

Chimney Rock Mountain between Pagosa and Durango, CO in a town called ...you guessed it - Chimney Rock.

This is Shiprock near Shiprock, NM

Above and below are more rock formations in NM along highway 491.

There was a beautiful sunset at Sun Valley RV outside of Holbrook, AZ.

We were very fortunate they had a vacancy at their rental unit in Juniper Ridge Resort. So we have been doing a bit of R&R in the cool mountain air in their wonderful bungalow.

Their summer place is directly across the street with a great deck overlooking the golf course.

Earlier in the week we drove over to Pinetop, AZ for dinner and fun by the fire with our friends Rich and Nancy.

It was wonderful catching up with everyone by the fire.