SAM30A RV & Jeep

We made it as far as “Strawberry Fields for RV’ers” in Cheiftain, FL due to frequent puppy stops!

Rolex and Seiko in “riding” position!

Brandon at the Podium

Farah at the Podium

SAM30A waiting patiently to start our trip north!

We parked SAM30A in the hotel parking lot while Brandon and Farah spoke at the conference. Once the conference was over, we started our journey north.

Carrol’s Sausage & Country Store

Meat Counter

Sausage Section

Country Store

During our trip from Tampa to Ashburn, we had heard a sharp cracking noise - but we couldn’t find the cause -until Dana cooked breakfast the next day and found one of the cooktop covers had cracked. The crack is covered under warrantee and we have a scheduled stop at the manufacturer in late July for several warrantee jobs … so we covered the crack with duct tape and resumed our journey!

Cracked Stove Cover

Tom and mom (Regina)

Saffel Reunion

We stopped in Owensboro for a visit with Regina (Tom’s mom) and his brother and sister-in-law (Bob & Kathy). It was a lovely couple of days! We caught up with all the kids (now young adults) and enjoyed the fellowship of a couple of dinners. Everyone is doing great!

Kentucky Winter \240Wheat & Corn

Diamond Lake Resort is about 8 miles outside of Owensboro, KY and offers a nice spot to camp. The trip to the resort winds through farmland planted with winter wheat that was ready to harvest and corn and soybeans that were just getting started.

Diamond Lake Resort

The RV resort was full but quiet - although they have a ton of kids activities such as swimming, paddle boats, miniature golf, go-carts, golf-carts (for transportation around the large grounds) and fishing. \240We didn’t have much time to enjoy the amenities, but Rolex and Seiko enjoyed their time!

Rolex (3.5yo) and Seiko (9.5 weeks)

St. Louis Arch - as we passed by

Crossing the Mississippi

Rolex and Seiko

Arcadian Moon Winery

The winery had reasonably good wine and great food. \240They don’t grow any grapes on property, but purchase their juice for wine making from growers in Washington state.

Idealic Dining

We had dinner on the deck overlooking the lake on property. The breeze was cool (78), dry and refreshing!

The View from Our Camp Site at Arcadian Moon Winery

Tom at the Original Entrance

The vibrant “Independence and the Opening of the West” mural painted by popular muralist Thomas Hart Benton, portrays the interactions of people and their interests along the Santa Fe Trail, the California Trail and the Oregon Trail in the mid-19th century. It commands the entrance hall of the museum.

Thomas Hart Benton Mujral

The mural is such a well-photographed item that it was causing a traffic jam at the original front entrance to the museum. \240So, a few years ago during a multimillion dollar renovation and addition, the front entrance was moved to the side.

Dana and Truman at the New Front Entrance

The museum contains a replica of Truman’s Oval Office during his 1950 administration. Note the green paint and curtains - green was Truman’s favorite color. The desk and desk chair are originals.

Replica of Truman’s Oval Office

Truman accomplished many tasks as President. Some of the most momentous occurred in the first 4 months in office when he completed Roosevelt’s end to WWII. He was President when Japan surrendered. He orchestrated the Berlin airlift mission, with the help of France, and England, to \240feed the residents of West Berlin - \240landing planes every 3 minutes for 1 year to deliver suppliers.

Plaque from the USS Missouri where Japan Surrendered

During his presidency, Truman also changed the Presidential Emblem by turning the head of the eagle to the right so that it is looking at the olive branches. In earlier versions of the emblem, the eagle looked left at the arrows. But having served in WWI and administered the end of WWII, President Truman believed the Presidential Emblem should promote peace rather than war.

The Presidential Emblem of Truman (which continues today)

Truman served in the national guard and in WWI and continued as a non-commissioned officer while a Senator and President, finally retiring as a colonel. When he left the office of President, he did not received a presidential stipend, nor did he have a Secret Service detail (those weren’t a “thing” back then). But he had his military stipend and with that, Truman spent his time planning and funding his Presidential Library.

Truman in WWI

While Truman was in the White House, he heard creaks and moans that many attributed to “ghosts”. But Truman suspected they were due to faulty construction from the rebuild of the White House after being burned by the British in 1865. He brought in engineers who discovered that the old building was barely held together. In fact, Truman’s daughter Margaret had her piano crash through the floor when the joists came apart. Truman obtained funding from Congress to renovate the White House and the process took most of his 2nd term. While the outer walls remained, the entire structure on the inside was removed and rebuilt.

Joists from the Old White House & Pic of the Reconstruction

The museum contains several old vehicles that were used or owned by Truman. \240This one is the Lincoln town car that Truman used at President. It has full armor plating and bullet-proof glass and is the heaviest item in the museum.

Truman’s Presidential Town Car

After leaving the office of the President, Truman returned to Independence, MO to live the rest of his life - about another 15 years. \240During most of this time, he worked out of this office at the Library. \240Notice all the books. \240Truman was an avid reader and is said to have read all of the books in this room and some of them twice! \240Some mornings, he would be the first to arrive at the museum and would often answer the phone. People called asking for directions and delivery drivers asked for delivery times … and eventually if they spoke long enough - they realized they were talking to President Truman. \240He was just an everyday kind of guy!

Truman’s Office at the Truman Presidential Library

Harry S Truman left the office of the President with one of the lowest popularity ratings of any President. \240Sixty years later, after many classified documents had been declassified, he is now regarded as one of the greatest Presidents in US history!

Weather Map 12:45am 6/24/23

Meeting the Troop Train with Food and Friendship

Within a week, this became an organized event and local women would meet every train transporting troops from one coast to the other and provide food, hot coffee, fresh milk, and heartfelt companionship for the 10 minutes that the train was stopped.

North Platte Canteen

Soon, the women from surrounding towns joined in the cause. During its run, nearly 55,000 Nebraska women served almost seven million soldiers on their way to fight in WWII.

\240 \240 \240 \240 \240 Service Men Enjoying Snacks and Coffee

The museum had a large outdoor area with buildings lived in by prominent figures of the past and several barns full of old farming implements and vehicles.

Tom, Rolex and Seiko

Tom is standing in front of a hand-hewn log home that was originally built in Fort McPherson, close to where North Platte would later be formed.

H

North Platte Fire Engine

The ditch digger below was found half-buried in a field. It was used to dig drainage ditches and was pulled by a team of 48 oxen attached by a cable.

Ditch Digger (ca 1920)

Golden Spike Tower

The Golden Spike Tower was created in 1999 as a tourist attraction \240to allow a birdseye view of Bailey Yard. Here are some stats: Bailey Yard is halfway between Denver and Omaha. It covers a total expanse of 4.45 square miles and is over 8 miles in length and 2 miles wide at its widest point; the facility is about 1,000 yards wide on average. Bailey Yard has 200 separate tracks totaling 315 miles of track, 985 switches, 766 turnouts, and 17 receiving and 16 departure tracks. Union Pacific employs more than 2,600 people in North Platte, most of whom are responsible for the day-to-day operations of Bailey Yard.

Bailey Yard

An average of 139 trains and over 14,000 railroad cars pass through Bailey Yard every day. The yard sorts approximately 3,000 cars daily using the yard's two humps. The eastbound hump is a 34 foot tall mound, and the westbound hump is 20 feet high. These are used to sort four cars per minute into one of the 114 "bowl" tracks -- 49 tracks for the westbound trains, and 65 for eastbound. The bowl tracks are used to form trains headed for destinations across North America, including the East, West and Gulf.

Union Pacific Locomotives

Locomotives can be serviced in a NASCAR-like pit stop facility called a Run-Thru staffed by five different crafts—an electrician, machinist, fireman, oiler, and car inspector. Locomotives are serviced in 45 minutes without detaching them from their trains. The cars go through the car department to get fixed, while the diesel locomotives go to the diesel shop.

Trains, Trains, and Trains

North Platte Granery

Just down from the Lincoln County Historical Museum is Buffalo Bill Cody’s home, Scouts Rest.

Buffalo Bill Cody’s Home

And just across from the historical museum is the Wild West Arena. \240Last week there was the Nebraskaland Days Rodeo and this weekend is the Nebraskaland Days country music festival. Tonight is Jason Aldean and Cody Johnson.

Wild West Arena

There were other interesting things in North Platte. We noticed that Sinclair gas stations are only nearly every corner. And here, the famous Sinclair brontosauras wears a saddle!

Sinclair Gas Brontosauras Saddled Up

Lawn decorations go beyond saddled brontosauras’. This home displays every gaudy yard statue every made!

Carhenge

Underside Wall

Thirty nine automobiles were place to assume the proportions of Stonehenge with the circle measuring approximately 96 feet in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits 5 feet deep, trunk down, while those which are placed to form the arches are welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The heel stone is a 1962 Caddy.

Solo Cars

Tom, Rolex & Seiko

Courthouse and Jail Rocks

The Courthouse and Jail pair of rock formations served as a landmark along the trails for many pioneers traveling west in the 19th century. Many travelers would stray as much as five miles from the Oregon Trail just to get a glimpse of the rocks. Hundreds of westward-bound emigrants mentioned Courthouse Rock (originally also McFarlan's Castle) in their travel logs and journals. A little further along lies Chimney Rock.

Chimney Rock

The Chimney Rock is another landmark that was commonly mentioned in the journals of immigrants traversing the area. Prior to exploration and settlement by European immigrants however, the Native Americans of the area—mainly the Lakota Sioux—would refer to this formation by a term which meant "elk penis".

Scotts Bluff National Monument

So many wagon trains traveled through this area. Over 250,000 westbound immigrants pass by this bluff between 1843 and 1869.

Scotts Bluff on Approach

The monument's north bluff is named after Hiram Scott, who was a clerk for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company and died near the bluff in 1828.

From the Top of Scott’s Bluff

We drove to the top and walked the short trail (with the dogs). It was a gorgeous day!

Yucca in Bloom

The Track of the Oregon Trail

National Historic Trails Interpretive Center

We learned more about the trails that meandered along the North Platte river as it continued its course. Most of the trails followed the same route until the South Pass in the Rocky Mountains before they split to go to Salt Lake, Oregon, or California. Casper was the last time that the travelers had to cross the North Platte river. Shortly after Casper, they would trek across the plains with little water. Most of the 350,000 people who traveled west along this route walked beside their 10’ x 4’ canvas covered wagons to lighten the load for the draft animals - mostly oxen - that pulled the wagons.

Exhibit in the Interpretive Center

Wagon Trains could be 4 to 20 wagons long and several a day would pass during the “season”. Travelers planned to arrive in early May, after the plains grasses were growing to be able to graze their livestock. Most wanted to be at Independence Rock by July 4th to ensure they could get through the Rocky Mountain passes before early snows.

View from Casper Mountain

As we headed to the top, we had many options to visit. We chose to visit the Hogadon Ski Area, now closed for the summer.

Casper Mountain is only 3000 feet above the town of Casper and we found it unusual that the ski area and lift was actually at the top of the mountain. Although small, the ski area provides a large source of winter entertainment on the mountain. Other winter activities include cross country skiing, snowshoeing, fatbiking, and snowmobiling. A small part of the cross country ski trails are lit at night, providing night skiing.

Hogadon Ski Lift

Another View of Casper, WY

The mountain is also host to an annual summer-solstice gathering at Crimson Dawn. This event, based upon children's stories told by a local woman to her children in the 1930s and 1940s, has grown into a local tradition, with hundreds of families migrating up the mountain to see actors re-enact tales of witches and warlocks.

Wooly Mammoth Display

“Dee” was unearthed by a backhoe operator who was excavating for an oil well platform. He noticed a white object upended by his backhoe and, upon further inspection, thought it to be a fossil bone and decided to notify his manager. This is a great story of commercial operations, academia, and land owners working together to save historical artifacts. The oil well site was moved to another area to allow for excavation of the fossil bones. Academicians, geologists and paleontologists works to identify and date the bones. And the land owner, who had the right of ownership of the magnificent fossil, donated the Wooly Mammoth to the Casper College, Tate Museum.

Another unique feature of the museum is a sculpture of Gastornis. Gastornis is an extinct species of a large flightless bird that existed in Wyoming during the Paleocene and Eocene periods. The sculpture by Gary Staab, greets visitors at the entrance Tate Geological Museum at Casper College.

Sculpture of Gastornis

There are over 6000 objects in this small museum. Many of them are minerals and gems that are abundant in the rocks around Wyoming. But the crowd favorites are the dinosaur fossils.

Tyrannosaurus rex

T-Rex fossils are fairly common in Wyoming (relatively speaking). While we only had the skull on display at the Tate Museum, we have seen an entire skeleton on display at the community college in Rock Springs, WY.

Torosaurus

This torosaurus head was discovered near Casper in 2013. Much of the skull is real, but missing bones were created by mirroring existing bones and then using 3D printing. The skull is put together in a way that allows the bones to be removed for future study without destroying the work.

Oreodants

This is a cast of the bones of juvenile and sub-adult oreodants who died in a burrow - probably hiding from a larger predator.

Tyrannosaurus rex

T-Rex towers over the entrance to the Tate Museum.

Dana & Seiko Down By the River

Seiko grows noticeably every day or so. We’ve already had to expand his collar and he’s becoming a lap full!

The North Platte River

During the great western immigration in the late 1800s, the North Platte river was about 1 mile wide and 2 to 60 inches deep. The water was silty and bad tasting but it could be used if no other water was available. Letting it sit in a bucket for an hour or so or stirring in a 1/4 cup of cornmeal allowed most of the silt to settle out.

We finally found some time to apply our travel map to our new motorcoach and catch up with all the states we have traveled to since got our first coach in 2017.

Tom Applying the Map Outline

We carefully applied the map outline, making sure all the bubbles were pressed out and it lay squarely in the blue section of the slide out.

34 States So Far!

And a few minutes later, here we are with all 34 states that we’ve traveled to in our motorcoach stuck proudly to our map! We’ll get a few more states added the calendar this summer before we finally wind our way home. Tom and I have already been to all 50 states for our business and during vacations. But we’ve discovered that there is so much more to see when you get off the interstate and take the time to tour rural America!

Approaching Livingston, MT

Yellowstone River with Bear Tooth Mountains

Yellowstone River

Holiday KOA at Yellowstone River

Our camp site, while small, had all the amenities including a fire pit, rocking chair, and tables and chairs. We spent a few hours each day sitting out and chatting with neighbors.

There is a Tent Under the Tree Branch!

Fortunately, all the occupants of these tents were away during the storm and no one was hurt! The campground attendants called the occupants and, by the time they were back, were already cleaning up the sites. An hour later, several workers in cowboy hats and tight jeans were clearing the branch with chain saws and a backhoe! It was quite entertaining!

Lethal Tree

The huge branch that came down feel due to wind - not lightening!

SAM30A - Safe and Sound!

But we were all good! Thankfully!!

Entrance to Yellowstone National Park

North Entrance

Teddy Roosevelt commissioned this entrance to Yellowstone Park with the motto “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People”. The floods from the summer of 2022 had destroyed the road beyond this point. The original road followed the path of the Yellowstone river and had been largely washed away. But in just a few months (and $50 million) the park had replaced the road with a new road that travels along the top of the bluff. We took this new road to Mammoth Springs.

Stamping our National Park Passport

We stamped our National Park Passport at the visitor’s center. We just acquired our Passport this year.

Grizzly Bear

Elk

Big Horn Sheep

Exiting the North Entrance Arch

Livingston Art Festival

This juried art show was larger than we expected with crowds of people wandering the displays.

Parade Floats

Horses & Cowgirls

The Livingston parade was not as big and entertaining as the July 4th parade we saw in Cody, Wyoming a few years ago. There were no bands and little music. We saw every fire engine and tow truck in the county pass before our eyes. But the parade was well attended and the kids had bags full of candy by the end.

Trump is Popular in Montana!

There was a small contingency of Montana democrats marching the parade but the Montana republicans showed in force!

Rolex & Seiko

Shelby, MT is a tiny town of 3100 that serves as an entry port for trains and trucks coming from Canada into the US. It sits on I-15, 45 minutes south of the border. It’s only claim to fame occurred in 1923. Back then, Shelby was a town of 500 with no paved roads and little aspirations. Although oil had been discovered nearby, Shelby remained a poor dusty town. So, real estate developer, James Johnson, took a chance and invited heavy-weight champion boxer, Jack Dempsey, to fight an exhibition in Shelby. At the time, Jack Dempsey was as popular as Babe Ruth! Johnson had to put up $300,000 in prize money to secure the fight - which the Montana governor said was more money than there was in the entire state of Montana at the time. \240Dempsey agreed to fight Tommy Gibbons, a light heavyweight on July 4th, 1923. A huge outdoor stadium was hurriedly built using 1 million board feet of lumber and 200 carpenters. Banks were opened, and hotels were erected in anticipation of over a hundred thousand people arriving to watch the fight. But 3 days before the fight, Johnson had not been able to secure the last $100,000 of the prize money and Dempsey’s manager cancelled the fight. Shelby had $500,000 in committed tourists and twenty-six passenger trains filled with spectators who were also canceled. On the day of the fight, Dempsey insisted the fight take place. But, surprisingly, Gibbons took Dempsey for all 15 rounds. However, despite Gibbons mastery, Dempsey won by “decision”. Dempsey made a hasty retreat immediately after the fight to avoid the wrath of the small crowd who were in attendance. Shelby lost the fame and money it had anticipated and spent the next 30 years in embarrassment. But today, Shelby revels in its 15 minutes of enmity 100 years ago. We were glad we made it to Shelby in time to join the town’s centennial of this publicity event!

Rolex and Seiko Relaxing

Seiko Watching the July 4th Festivities

Rolex and Seiko

Border Crossing into Canada

We were prepared to enter Canada - no guns, no produce or eggs or fresh meat. And when we got to the border, the nice agent just asked if we had anything (we answered “No”) and waved us on. \240We had left about 24 bottles of wine in a locker in Shelby, MT to pick up upon our return to avoid the alcohol tax that Canada charges. But we could have brought it all! Oh well … it wil entice us back to Montana at the end of the stampede!

Canola Plants

Canola is one of the largest crops in Canada and that’s true in the Alberta province! \240It is both a good ground cover and loves the short growing season in Canada. They do grown wheat and lentil beans here as well … but Canola is king!

Calgary Canada

Calgary is a city of 1.6 million, but it occupies a relatively small space as cities go. Many citizens live downtown in the large variety of apartment buildings.

McMahon Stadium Parking Lot

We’re all set up for our 6 days of Calgary Stampede parking!

SAM Sitting at the Front of the Pack

There are about 30 rigs in the parking lot with us. But our beautiful coach is in a prime position. (This does not indicate any special treatment but rather was due to our arrival being later than everyone else. Sometimes, it’s good to be late!)

Calgary Tower

The 696 foot tower opened in 1968 as part of an urban renewal plan. In 1988, during the Calgary Olympics, the tower was outfitted with a flame ring to allow it to become the tallest Olympic torch ever! \240It still flames at the opening of each Olympics.

Calgary Tower Olympic Torch

I grabbed the pic of the tower with the flame from the internet. It was taken during the Tokyo Olympics.

Calgary Stampede Park

On the other side of the tall buildings you can see the Saddle Dome (where the professional \240hockey team, \240Calgary Flames, plays) and the green roof of the Nutrien Western EvenT Center (where many of the equestrian events take place). To the right, you can make out the Ferris Wheel (which is actually in the center of the park) and the Stadium where the rodeo events take place. \240There are several concert venues located around the park and numerous food vendors and shops. \240Something for everyone, and we get to see it “live” tomorrow!

White cowboy hats are the symbol of the Calgary Stampede. They were first worn at the 1946 stampede and in 1950, the then mayor started giving them away to dignitaries visiting the city. Today, the Calgary Tourism department provides “white-hatting” ceremonies to make tourists “honorary Calgarians”. We each got our white hat and a certificate on our first night in Calgary - but Tom opted to where his Stetson for the Parade!

The Calgary Stampeded Show Band

The showband is made up of 17 - 23 year olds who come from all around Alberta. They tryout for a position as early as middle school and start with the junior version of the showband. Once they make it to the “Calgary Stampede Show Band, they will travel all over the world (US, Australia, England) to represent the Calgary Stampede. These guys have a terrific field performance, which we got to see on our first night in Calgary as they were practicing at the stadium where we are parked! With their white hats and red boots, they made a memorable appearance as the first band kicking off the Calgary Stampede Parade! We will see them later throughout the Stampede!

Calgary Stampede Official Mascot - Harry the Horse

One of the First Nation Tribes

Palomino Draft Horse

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The RCMP breeds,raises and trains their own horses. They are all black and between 16 and 17 hands (64 to 68 inches) at the withers (top of the shoulder). They used to be 3/4 to 7/8 thoroughbred, but recently the RCMP has introduced Hanoverians and is now producing some of the finest Hanoverian horses in Canada. The horses are very tall compared to most of the western horses participating in the Stampede and create an impressive Calvary when performing!

Royal Canadian “Marching” Police

Paint Horses

There were so many beautiful horses, both being ridden and pulling carts, wagons, and carriages. There were horses of all colors and color combinations, but these black and white paint horses were some of the most beautiful!

More Horses

More First Nation Tribes

Brightly Painted Wagons

Chinese Community Band

Canadian Pacific Railway Float

Big Man Mini Horse

Midieval Festival Characters

Chinese Dragon

Dana was filming these 2 Chinese Dragons when one of them came up and started flirting with her! \240There were many ethnic communities that were recognized and respected for their role in the development of Calgary. A number of Chinese groups, along with groups from the Philippines, Nigeria, Mexico, India and the Middle East marched in the parade. \240All were cheered and applauded!

Tom and Dana at the Calgary Stampede

We arrived early and had to wait nearly 45 minutes to enter the park. We met some friendly folks in line, though, so it made the time go by fast. Once in, we headed for the Nutrien Event Center to watch the Calgary Stampede Showriders and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

All of the riders of the RCMP are police officers and most of them had no riding experience when they joined the force. The RCMP reminds us of the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds - performing exhibitions throughout the country to promote the Navy or the Airforce - or in the case of RCMP - the Mounted Police!

RCMP Preparing to Charge!

RCMP Performing Maneuvers

Heavy Horse 6-Hitch Competition

We also saw part of the draft horse competition at the Nutrien Center. There were a total of 8 6-hitch competitors and they were spectacular to watch! \240All of the harnesses shined with chrome and rang with bells and the horses pranced in synch as they pulled their brightly varnished wagons.

The Spotted Team

The Clydesdale Team

The Winning Team

The team of black horses with the blue wagon and harness won the competition!

Calgary Stampede Showriders

The Calgary Stampede Showriders, made up of women aged 16 to 21, was created in 1985 to accompany the Calgary Stampede Showband in parades and rodeos across Southern Alberta. The Showriders have accompanied the Showband to various events throughout Canada, the US and Australia and have also participated in parades and at rodeos on their own.

We also watched the dog agility show!

Canine Star

Several times each day the canine athletes performed for the fans in the Dog Bowl. There was the high jump (above) as well as frisbee discs, agility poles, and synchronized dancing. We were impressed with the excitement of the dogs, but their fervent desire to perform was a bit exhausting. Tom and I agree that we will work on training Rolex and Seiko to be calm!

Early Morning on the Midway

It was an early, clear day when we entered the Stampede park and many of the food trucks were not yet open!

Jeans, Cowboy Boots, and Minidresses

The Calgary Stampede Stadium

The view from our seats on the 5th floor of the stadium provided a clear, if somewhat distant, view of the rodeo arena. Over on the right edge of the picture is a huge stage that is pulled over by a huge tractor at the end of the evening for a live show provided by the Young Canadians - a group of young performers from the Calgary area.

The Parade of Cowboys

At the beginning of each rodeo, there are fireworks, and the iconic CS burning in the dirt of the area. And with patriotic music, all of the participants of that day’s rodeo line up to acknowledge the crowd!

There are six major disciplines – bull riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling, tie down roping, saddle bronc and bareback riding – and four novice events – junior steer riding, novice bareback, novice saddle bronc and wild pony racing. Each event is organized as its own tournament, and the cowboys and girls are divided into two pools. The first pool competes each night for the first four nights, and the second each night for four nights following. The top four in each pool advance to the Sunday final, and the remainder compete on Saturday for a wild card spot in the final. The competitor with the best time or score on Sunday wins the $100,000 grand prize.

Bareback Bronco Riding

Barrel Racing

More Barrel Racing

Tie-Down Calf Roping

Chuck Wagon Races

Gus Weadick, the founder of the Calgary Stampede, \240is credited with inventing the sport of chuckwagon racing in 1923. Its assumed that he modeled it on races he saw as a child. Officially called the Rangeland Derby, and nicknamed the "half-mile of hell" or the "dash for cash", chuckwagon racing proved immediately popular and quickly became the event's largest attraction. The chuckwagon drivers auction advertising space on their wagons before each year's Stampede. The revenue generated by the auctions, a record $4 million for the 2012 Stampede, is considered an indicator of the strength of Calgary's economy.

The Young Canadians

The stage performance at the end of the evening included dancers, singers (pop, Latin, opera), live musicians, gymnasts, water shows, pyrotechnics, and a drone show, all capped off with a 10 minute fireworks extravaganza!

Pyrotechnics Behind Stage

Pyrotechnics On Stage

Drone Show

Above the stage, drones outlined the Calgary Stampede bronco running slowly to the music! The drones created many animated shapes throughout the event. With so much going on, it was hard to figure out what to watch!

SAM30A in a Field of Dandelions at Sunset

Little Bighorn National Monument

The next morning we made our way to the area that used to be called “Cluster’s Last Stand”. The Battle of Little Bighorn, the last battle that the Native Americans won against the US government, was fought along with ridges, steep bluffs, and ravines of the Little Bighorn river about a mile from the site. The battle came to symbolize the clash of two vastly different cultures and the conflict over land that had been given to the Native American tribes in the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868 encompassing the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming and parts of Colorado, was taken away from them in 1876 after gold was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Exhibits at Little Bighorn

We were quite surprised to find the National Monument full of people! There was no specific event like a reenactment of the battle or a remembrance at the National Cemetary. But the parking lot was full and the inside of the small visitor’s center was packed!

Diorama of the Last Stand

The Battle of Little Bighorn has been well studied, and there are several opinions of how the battle ensued. But, basically is all came down to poor battlefield decisions by Custer and his two commanders, Reno and Bentene. A short review is available at www.NPS.gov/link/learn/historyculture/battle-story.html. In short, Custer was up against a village of Native Americans 8000 strong with as many as 2000 warriors. Custer had around 500 men under his command. He split off 1 unit of the men to guard the supply mule train, 1 unit to set up a line to prevent the Native Americans from escaping to the south and he took 3 units to meet the Native Americans head-on. But he wasn’t prepared for the ferocity of the Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. Custer split is men into 3 additional units that he placed along the ridge and asked for Benteen to join him with additional supplies. But Benteen had stopped to help Reno and never made it to Custer.

Cluster’s Last Stand

Custer was overrun and retreated to the hill referred to as “Cluster’s Last Stand” where he and his remaining 40 men defended their position. But the Native Americans, utilizing guerilla tactics, advanced up the hill with few casualties, finally silencing the guns of the soldiers.

This monument was placed on the site of Custer’s death in 1881. The remains of soldiers who had fallen were reinterred around the monument and stakes were placed in the field where they had fallen. Today, the stakes have been replaced with marble monuments.

The Indian Memorial

Markers of red granite were added in 1999 to honor the Native Americans who fought at Little Bighorn, including Crazy Horse. In 2003, The Indian Memorial was added to the site. Commissioned by Congress in 1997. \240The bronze sculpture by Colleen Cutschall is called Spirit Warrior.

Spirit Warrier

As we completed our walk around the top of the Battlefield, we came upon a park ranger speaking of the intricacies of the battle.

We never got his name, but he brought the battle to life and we all felt the pain of the Native Americans who were tricked by the US government and fought bravely defending land that had been theirs for centuries, the soldiers who were honest farmers and seasoned Civil war heros following the orders of their commanders, and the commanders who were unprepared for the fervor of the Sioux and Cheyenne.

Sturgis

Sturgis was welcoming a Camaro Rally - which apparently is just a warm up for the Motorcycle rally which starts in 2 weeks and draws around 700,000 people each year. \240The Motorcycle rally began with a humble start in the 1930s with a few Indian Motorcycle riders performing acrobatics and stunts. Today, you can find something for everyone! People of all race, color and income ride, fly, and RV, with their motorcycles under them or in tow, to participate in the events of the rally. Rides through the beautiful Black Hills, world-class concerts, and showing off your bike (and looking at others) are also popular. \240Outside of the rally, only 7000 people reside in Sturgis, so the town literally explodes during the rally. Although there are several campgrounds around Sturgis and a few hotels, we can’t figure out why the rally participants stay!

Main Street Deadwood

With the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, in 1876 some minors came across a gulch full of dead trees and a creek full of gold, and Deadwood was born! Overnight the tiny gold camp boomed into a town that played by its own rules and attracted outflows, gamblers and gunslingers along with gold miners.

Nice Shopping Spot

Dana and Mary Ann enjoyed some retail therapy in this establishment! \240You can’t argue with Beer and Bling and true to it’s promise, there was a beer bar inside the store where the guys could enjoy a cold one while the women shopped! Deadwood has survived three major fires and numerous economic hardships (including having the gold run out) and was on the verge of becoming just another Old West ghost town. But in 1989 limited-wage gambling was legalized and Deadwood was reborn. Today, nearly every building, whether a store, bar, hotel, or casino, had slot machines and a poker table!

Reenactment of the Shooting of Wild Bill Hickok

Wild Bill Hickok was one of the men who came looking for fortune. But just a few short weeks after he arrived, he was gunned down while holder a packer hand of aces and eights - forever known as the Dead Man’s Hand! Calamity Jane also made a name for herself in this area and is buried next to Hickok in the Mount Moriah Cemetary in town.

Mountain Goats

We returned to Spearfish along the Spearfish Canyon through which runs the Spearfish creek. Around a sharp curve we came across a group of mountain goats apparently eating something (we couldn’t figure out what) in the middle of the road!

Big and Hefty Mountain Goat

The vittles in this area must be good! This fellow was quite large (between 3 and 4 feet at the shoulder) and wasn’t missing too many meals!

Dana and Mary Ann at Bridel Falls

This canyon is a gorgeous setting! Frank Lloyd Wright wrote when he saw it “But how is it that I’ve heard so little of this miracle and we, toward the Atlantic, have heard so much of the Grand Canyon when this is even more miraculous. All the better eventually … that the Dakotas are not on the through line to the coast …”

Tom and Dana at Bridel Falls

Off to Leads, SD …

Homestake Gold Mine - Leads, SD

The Homestake claim was established during the 1876 gold rush. Moses and Fred Manuel extracted more than $5000 of gold in their first year. George Hearst, politician and business man, purchased the claim from the Manuels the next year and expanded it to include more than 8000 acres of patented claims and a 1000-foot-deep open surface mine and an 8000-foot-deep underground mine. The mine established its own railroad in 1880, purchased its first electric generator in 1888 and constructed its own hydro-electric power plant in 1912 that is still operational today. Mining was suspended between 1941 and 1983, but restarted and continued until 2001 when operations ceased. In its 370 miles of tunnels, shafts, and chambers, from the surface to 8,000 feet, it produced more than 40 million troy ounces of gold, 9 million troy ounces of silver, and 6 million ounces of copper in its 126-year existence. A troy ounce is slightly heavier than a standard ounce. The Homestake gold mine became the largest gold mine in the Western Hemisphere and was the oldest continuously operating gold mine when it closed.

The 1000-foot-deep Open Cut Mine

The site’s depth and rock stability provide what scientists call a near-perfect environment for experiments that need to escape cosmic radiation that can interfere with rare nuclear events. \240The 4850 (foot) level of the mine was felt to provide a perfect location. They excavated 12 miles of tunnels on this level for \240the first experiment.

Sculpture Depicting the 370 Miles of Tunnels In Homestake Mine

Level 4850 is depicted on the sculpture in the middle in bronze metal. My pictures did not turn out, so I borrowed this one by Earl Miller. :-0

100,000 Gallon Tank for Neutrino Experiments

In 1965, Ray Davis, a chemist, began constructing a 100,000 gallon tank filled with perchloroethylene (dry cleaning fluid) to study Neutrinos. He predicted that when neutrinos interacted with chlorine atoms they would change into argon 37 atoms. He eventually won a Nobel Prize in 2002 for his discovery.

A Rib that Supported the Tank For Neutrino Research

Neutrinos are some of the most abundant particles in the universe. They are extremely small (about a million times smaller than electrons) and they have no charge so they don’t interact with charged particles. Most neutrinos pass right through your body and through the earth. But scientists hypothesize that neutrinos make up more than 90% of the universe, including black holes.

Cage that Carried Workers 8000 ft Down Into Mine

Among the many experiments currently being undertaken at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is regarded as the flagship one. Currently under construction, it involves sending neutrinos 800 miles straight through the Earth from Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, to Sanford Lab's underground research facility. This project is bringing together over 1,100 scientists from more than 30 countries around the world and could collect data for 30 years

Tom, the Scientist in the Cage!

Devils Tower

Devils Tower rises solitary from the floor of the plains and is a sacred place for 20 different Native American tribes. It became the first National Monument in the US in 1906 when Theodore Roosevelt saw the area as a place that should be preserved for all. The Native Americans call it Bear Lodge and it has been sacred to them for thousands of years. Many of the tribes have slightly differing sacred narratives to explain how the tower was formed. But all involve tribal boys or girls being chased by a huge bear or bears. The creator, seeing their distress, raised the area where they were standing high above the plains. The bear attempted to claw his way to the top, but kept sliding down, creating the unique rock formations at the base. Some stories say the seven girls were taken into heaven and became the constellation Pleiades.

Painting Depicting the Lakota Sacred Narrative of the Creation of Bear Lodgr

Devils Tower is a butte, composed of igneous rock, in the Bear Lodge Ranger District of the Black Hills, near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River. It is thought to have once been the center of a volcano. The name Devils Tower came about around the early 1900s when a European/American exploration contingent misinterpreted the Lakota Indian name (Mato Tipila)to mean “bad god’s tower”. But no other records indicate the Native Americans associated this place with bad gods or evil spirits. It rises 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, standing 867 feet from summit to base. The summit is 5,112 feet above sea level. There are several trails that meander around the base of the tower. We took the shortest one, 1.3 miles, and got great views of the strange rock formations all around. We also got views of some climbers who were 2/3 of the way to the top - but my cell phone camera wasn’t powerful enough to get a good shot of them!

Approaching Devils Tower

There have been several efforts by the Native American tribes to return the name to it’s original “Bear Lodge National Monument”, including 2 attempts by US Native American Congressmen. But they have so far failed.

American Flag by an American Monument

Most of the rocks in the area are sedimentary. However, the tower is formed of rare igneous rock, phonolite porphyry, and is the largest example of columnar jointing in the world. Embedded in the rock are fossilized remains of marine plants and animals like crinoids and oysters and belemnites. Over millennia, inland seas retreated and advanced and landforms developed and eroded. Then, approximately 50 million years ago, tectonic pressures within western North America climaxed, uplifting the Rocky Mountains and the Black Hills. Devils Tower began as magma, or molten rock, buried beneath the earth’s surface. During the tectonic climax, the magma of igneous rock intruded into the sedimentary rock of the region. Erosion and time have removed the sedimentary rock, leaving the magma core to stand alone.

Geographic Center of the Nation

Belle Fourche is a western town founded in the late 1800s. Besides being the Geographical Center of the Nation, it is the home of one of the oldest rodeos in South Dakota, the Black Hills Roundup. But the day we visited, they were just getting ready for spillover from the upcoming Sturgis Motorcycle Rally!

Crazy Horse Memorial

When finished, Crazy Horse will be the largest stone carving in the world! The memorial was commissioned by Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, and was developed, planned and sculpted by Korczak Ziolkowski starting in 1948 until his death. Today, thr Ziolkowski family continues his work. Standing Bear had originally asked Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore to place a bust of Crazy Horse next to Washington and Lincoln stating that “Crazy Horse is the real patriot of the Sioux tribe …”. But Borglum never responded. But Standing Bear was adamant that a memorial be created that recognizes the history and contribution of the Native Americans to the preservation and growth of America. With Korczak Ziolkowski, he found a willing partner.

Memorializing Our Visit to Crazy Horse Memorial

There is no timeline for completion of the carving, but it is anticipated that by 2037 the hand, arm, shoulder, hairline, and top of thehourses’s head will be finished.

Indian Who Survived the Battle of Little Bighorn

One of the missions of Crazy Horse Memorial is to have a museum and a university that preserves and advances the value of Native Americans. The Indian Museum of Native America is home to art and artifacts reflecting the diverse histories and culture of over 300 Native Nations. This museum has about the same annual visitation as the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.

David Humphrey Miller Portraits

In 1934, at 16 years old, David Humphrey Miller set out to interview and paint the Indians who had survived the Battle of Little Bighorn. His collection is displayed at the museum.

Paha Ska’s Tipi

Wide View of the Main Room

Plaster Rendition of the Planned Finished Carving of Crazy Horse

The finished sculpture of Crazy Horse will be 563 ft high and 641 ft long. But Korczak created a 16 ft high, 1/34th scale, model in 1964 for the public to visualize the finished product.

Crazy Horse Memorial Poem

Korczak Ziolkowski authored this poem which will be placed on the sculpture in 3 ft high letters. The last line is a quote by Crazy Horse, “My lands are where my dead lie buried.”

Nature Gates

Mary Ann and Dana at the Nature Gates which are iron gates that Korczak and the Ziolkowski children decorated with the silhouettes of 219 animals (past and present) indigenous to South Dakota.

Narrow Road at Needles Highway

Needles Highway is a 14-mile road through rugged granite spires, pine and spruce forests, and meadows of birch and aspen.

Tight Tunnel Ahead

The speed limit is 25 mph and takes about an hour to traverse. Some areas, such as the one-way tunnels, switchbacks, and steep drop offs can slow the traffic even more.

Narrow Path Through the Needles

Bob on Watch

More Needles Rim a Meadow

View of Mount Rushmore from Needles Highway

One of the last tunnels open onto this view of Mount Rushmore in the distance. Just amazing!!

Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Lincoln

Mount Rushmore is the brainchild of Diane Robinson. His goal was to create an attraction that would draw people to the state of South Dakota. Gutzon Borglum, who had been working on the sculpture at Stone Mountain in Georgia, began working on Rushmore in 1927 and completed this sculpture in 1941 after just 14 years of work. The granite faces are 60 ft high and were originally planned to be carved from the waist. But budget overruns limited the sculpture to just their faces.

Avenue of Flags

Originally, Mount Rushmore was to be built with private funds. But budget overruns led to the US government take over funding.

Borglum Chose the Presidents

The presidents were chosen for they specific qualities they represent. George Washington was the first president and represented the foundation of American democracy. Thomas Jefferson greatly expanded our nation with the Louisiana Purchase. He was also the author of the Declaration of Independence. Theodore Roosevelt not only represented the industrial development of the nation but was also widely known for conservation efforts. And Abraham Lincoln, the president during the Civil War, represented the preservation of the nation above all costs.

Scale Models

More Scale Models

Mount Rushmore at a Distance

Despite its “perfect” location, Mount Rushmore was built on land that was sacred to the Native Americans who lived there. The Black Hills are sacred to the Lakota Sioux, the original occupants of the area. In a 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, the US government “promised” the Lakota Sioux land that included the Black Hills as well as the site of Mount Rushmore. But when gold was discovered in the Black Hills, the government took back the land and relegated the Sioux to reservations. This act, along with the disappearance of the Buffalo herds, drove much of the destruction of a once numerous, proud and prosperous indigenous nation.

Plaque at the Front of Wall Drug Stor

The tag line for the first advertisement was “Get a soda … Get a root beer … turn next corner … just as near … To Highway 16 & 14 … Free Ice Water … Wall Drugs.”

Tom and Bob Taking in the Sites Inside Wall Drug Store

Today, Wall Drugs is a 76,000 square-foot wonderland of free attractions with a Western Art Gallery and a restaurant that seats 520 people.

Bob Taking a Rest

Wall Drug Store

Although the window looks like a historic museum display, through the back window you can see current bottles of pharmaceuticals. There’s pharmacists on duty 7 days a week and locals and travelers can have their prescriptions filled while they enjoy the attractions.

The Chapel

For those who need a moment of peaceful reflections, the chapel meets their needs.

Art Gallery

The Western Art is displayed in the restaurant and in the art studios but the art studio also houses many different types of art.

Bob’s Backyard Wagon

Dana and Mary Ann on a Jackalope!

Jackalopes are real! But this large guy will make a believer of you if you’re a doubter!

The Exit Sign

We tried to get a pic of the Entrance Sign to Badlands National Park, but there were too many people in front of it. But is looks just like this one except it says “Entrance”

Mako Sica to Mauvaises Terres to Badlands

For hundreds of years the Lakota people have called this area mako sica. When early French fur trappers passed through, they called the area les mauvaises terres a traveler (bad lands to travel across). Since the French traders spent time with the Lakota, it’s likely their name is derived from the Lakota’s. \240On that note, in 1922 when the Badlands was first proposed as a National Park, the suggested name was Wonderland National Park. \240We think Badlands is more fitting and much more mysterious!

The Badlands present many challenges to travelers. When it rains, the wet clay becomes slick and sticky, making it difficult to cross. The jagged buttes and canyons make it difficult to navigate. The winters are bitterly cold and windy and the summers are hot and dry and the few water sources are usually muddy and not safe to drink. Historically, there is evidence of seasonal hunting, but no permanent habitation.

Fossils are Hidden Hear

These striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient horses and rhinos once roamed here.

Rocks Over the Years

The Badlands are halfway through their lifespan of approximately one million years. They erode at about one inch a year. There are formations of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, clay stone, limestone, shale and volcanic ash.

Minuteman Missile Silo

We didn’t get to tour the actual silo (we needed to schedule that well in advance) - but we got a few pics of the highlights.

Nuclear Missile in Silo

The “Dominoes Door”

Military personnel who worked at the silo had a sense of humor. \240They painted a twist of the Domino’s pizza commercial on the security door leading to the control room!

Gotta Get a Selfie at the Minuteman Missile Silo

What began as a harvest celebration in a small town in South Dakota in 1892 became a one-of-a-kind place for events throughout the year with over 500,000 visitors coming to see the corn murals.

Side Mural on Front of Building

The Palace is redecorated each year with naturally colored corn and other grains and native grasses to make it “the agricultural show-place of the world”. Volunteers currently use 12 different colors or shades of corn to decorate the Corn Palace: red, brown, black, blue, white, orange, calico, yellow and, most recently, green corn! A different theme is chosen each year, and murals are designed to reflect that theme. Ear by ear the corn is nailed to the Corn Palace to create a scene. The decorating process usually starts in late May with the removal of the rye and dock. The corn murals are stripped at the end of August and the new ones are completed by the first of October.

Tri-State Marker

We encountered a marker indicating the spot where 3 states come together: Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota (which at the time of the marker was the “Dakota Territories”).

Dana and Mary Ann at the Mark

Tri-State Marker Inscription

The marker was vandalized, removed, restored, reset and rededicated over the past 100 years. It is now standing at the original site and is dedicated to the pioneers of Siouxland. We now understand why this area was called Siouxland - and the US government’s treatment of the Sioux Nations (Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota)was a terrible time in our history!

Red Barn

Adding Iowa to Our RV Travel Map!

Arch at Pictured Rocks

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, America’s first National Lakeshore, is along the southern shore of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. With amazing beaches that look like they belong in Florida, 10 inland lakes, and nearly 100 miles of trails that we didn’t have time to hike, it was clear that everyone can find something to enjoy at Pictured Rocks!

Flowers in Manistique, MI

More Flowers

The Team on Board for a Tour of Pictured Rocks

We traveled the Michigan shore of Lake Superior by boat, past an area of rocky cliffs that line the shore for miles. For over a hundred years, people have toured the rocks by various boats, kayaks and paddle boards to marvel at the colorful rocks and fanciful rock formations. In 1966, this area was designated the first National Lakeshore in the US.

Pictured Rocks Boat Cruise

During the summer months, boat tours run hourly from 8am to 6:30pm and last about 2 hours. They travel 13 miles up the shore to display some of the best views of the Pictured Rocks.

Minerals Produce the Colors of the Rock

Minerals in the ground water that seeps through the rock are responsible for the bright colors. Yellow is from sulfer, blue is from copper, white is from calcium, red/orange is from iron … and all of it is brought to life with the green of the clear lake water!

Chapel Cove

Recent Rock Fall

The bitter winters with howling winds and crashing waves regularly break away parts of the stone cliffs. \240This rock fall (pictured above) happened 4 months ago!

Video of the Rocks

Munising Falls

Tom, Dana, Bob & Mary Ann at Munising Falls

The Tahquamenon Falls are a series of waterfalls on the Tahquamenon River, shortly before it empties into Lake Superior, in the northeastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Dropping only 48 ft, they are the largest waterfalls in Michigan, and one of the largest in the eastern half of North America. The amber color of the water is due to the tannins from surrounding vegetation in the river. \240In early years, the river was not navigable due to shallow shoals and numerous water falls. But the evolving lumbar industry In this area didn’t see the waterfalls as an obstacle. So after dynamiting the bedrock in the shallow areas to deepen them, logs were transported over the falls to the lumbar mills downriver.

Video of the Falls

Tom and Dana at Tahquamenon Falls

Having Pasties for Lunch

Pasties are a northern Midwest meal. Designed for men to take into the fields and mines to eat for their mid-day meal, they contain meat and vegetables wrapped in a pie crust. They can be eaten like a sandwich, but we had ours with gravy which rather necessitated a fork!

Mary Ann was our sole hold-out for the meal of delicious Pasties - but she did try a bite!

And Dana’s found Paradise … with a rifle!

Dana and Camo-Bear!

Whitefish Point - Coast Guard Station & Museum

Whitefish Point on Lake Superior is an active Coast Guard station and also houses several museum buildings that reflect the life of the lighthouse keeper through the ages as well as the shipwrecks that have happened on the Great Lakes.

Driftwood Beach

One of activities of the Coast Guard staff after storms is to walk the beach through the bitter cold and fog. And they walked until they ran into someone from the next Coast Guard station, and then they turned back to walk to return to their station, all the while searching for survivors from ship wrecks. Today, the only shipwrecked items we found were the bleached remains of the forest.

Ships’ Bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald

A good portion of this museum pays homage to those who lost their lives at sea. Perhaps the most famous shipwreck on the Great Lakes is one of the last, when the Edmund Fitzgerald took on water and sank in a hurricane-force gale in November, 1975. The Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship to travel the Great Lakes during its time and is still the largest ship lost to the wrath of the Lakes. The wreck was immortalized in a song of the same name by folk-artist Gordon Lightfoot. He wrote the song 1 month after the wreck and the haunting lyrics tell the story down to the last known communication with the ship. Twenty years later, Americans and the Canadian Navy launched a deep-sea search to retrieve the Bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald. The bell was replaced with a new brass bell inscribed with the names of the 29 crew members who died, none of whom have ever been recovered. The old bell is displayed in the museum.

Dive Suit

In 1995, this dive suit allowed divers to explore and retrieve the bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Lighthouse Lens Exhibit

The Grand Hotel

Constructed in the late 19th century, the facility advertises itself as having the world's largest porch (660 feet’s) which are full of rocking chairs from which to view the grounds. The Grand Hotel is known for a number of notable visitors, including five U.S. presidents (Truman, Kennedy, Ford, Bush, and Clinton), inventor Thomas Edison (who demonstrated his phonograph on the front porch), and author Mark Twain. In 1957, the Grand Hotel was designated a State Historic Building. In 1972, the hotel was named to the National Register of Historic Places, and on June 29, 1989, the hotel was made a National Historic Landmark. In 2019, after 9 decades of family ownership, it was sold to KPS Capital Investors.

Chicago to Mackinac Sailing Regatta Vessles

The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is a 333 mile annual yacht race starting in Lake Michigan off Chicago, Illinois, and ending in Lake Huron off Mackinac Island, Michigan. It is hosted and managed by the Chicago Yacht Club. The "Mac" (as it is known) was first run in 1898 and is the oldest annual freshwater distance race in the world. The race hosts several hundred competitors each year and over 3,000 sailors. This year,, there was little wind and only the sleekest, lightest, best crewed carbon-fiber racing boats make decent time.

Mackinac Island National Park became the second National Parkin the United States in 1875 (before becoming a Michigan State park in 1895). This led to a large increase in visitors to the island. The Grand Hotel and many of the homes on the islands were conceived to meet the needs of those croweds.

There are no motorized vehicles on the island save a fire truck and an ambulance. All transportation takes place by foot, on bicycles, on horseback or, most commonly for heavy loads, by carriage or cart.

Michigan Governor’s Summer Mansion

Gretchen Whitmer was not in residence the day we were there! But she had been present the week before, based on the reports of luxurious parties that had been held there.

The Grand Hotel

Every room in the hotel is different by at least one elements. There are 6 two-bedroom suites consisting of two bedrooms connected by a parlor, of which two, the Grand Suite and the Carleton Varney Suite, overlook the Mackinac Bridge and the Straits of Mackinac. The presidential suite is located in the center of the hotel with a balcony over the porch. Additionally, seven suites are named for and designed by seven former First Ladies of the United States. These are the Jacqueline Kennedy Suite (with carpet that includes the gold presidential eagle on a navy blue background and walls painted gold), Lady Bird Johnson Suite (yellow damask-covered walls with blue and gold wildflowers), Betty Ford Suite (green with cream and a dash of red), Rosalynn Carter Suite (with a sample of china designed for the Carter White House and wall coverings in Georgia peach), Nancy Reagan Suite (with signature red walls and Mrs. Reagan's personal touches), Barbara Bush Suite (designed with pale blue and pearl and with both Maine and Texas influences), and the Laura Bush Suite (decorated with bright cream and floral patterns inspired by the Texas prairie).

Arch Rock

Arch Rock stands on the Lake Huron shoreline 146 feet \240above the water. Limestone breccia is not an ideal material for natural bridges, and this type of formation is quite rare in the North American Great Lakes region. The Native Americans saw Arch Rock as a place of numinous power, and told many stories and legends about it. One, in particular, told of the chieftan’s daughter who feel in love with the spirit of the sky. Her father was angered that his daughter would not pick a human warrior from the many who were courting her and tied her to the arch. Then her spirit flew through the arch and carried her off with him to the spirit world to live forever in happiness!

Tom and Dana “Happy” at the Arch

Fort Mackinac

Fort Michilimackinac was an 18th-century French, and later British, fort and trading post at the Straits of Mackinac; it was built on the northern tip of the lower peninsula of the present-day state of Michigan in the United States. After it was decommissioned, it served as the administration of the Mackinac Island National Park and later the State Partk.

The Mackinac Bridge

Our ferry took us under the Mackinac Bridge for a quick view before completing the 15 minutes route to and from Mackinac Island. This bridge is 5 miles long and carries traffic from eastern Michigan to the Upper Penninsula. Prior to its construction, traffic was handled by ferry boats, which battled wind and ice in winder and were questionable for a timely crossing in bad weather. The Mackinac Bridge is also built to withstand the high winds of the Great Lake winter storms and the traffic lanes can sway 35 feet to accommodate the wind.

Hearthside Grove Luxury Motorcoach Resort

OK … we’ve fallen in love with the upper east coast of Michigan in the summer! Blue skies, temperatures ranging between a low of 58 and a high of 78, and low humidity, coupled with the sandy or rocky shores of the crystal clear, blue waters of Lake Michigan and … you’ve got paradise!

Our Parking Spot at Hearthside Grove Petosky

The resort is one of the top 10 Class A motorcoach resorts in the US and now we certainly understand why! The resort is beautiful with gorgeous landscaping and lots and lots of million dollar coaches. And all the people we met were friendly and fun!

Our Side Yard at Hearthside Grove Petosky

Rolex and Seiko thoroughly enjoyed running and playing in our private side yard!

We certainly arrived at Hearthside at the right time! The afternoon we arrived there was a free cocktail reception, the next morning was a full breakfast including eggs, bacon, sausage, quiche, baked beans, and waffles. And that evening was another cocktail hour followed by a chili cook off with 13 different chilis … all sponsored by Liberty, an organization that customizes Prevost coaches.

We had to say “goodbye” to our travel friends, Bob and Mary Ann as we dropped them at the airport in Pellston, MI to fly back to Santa Rosa Beach! But I’m sure they will travel with us again as we continue our adventures!

We’re on a Boat!

Actually, we’re on a 1940’s wooden-hull boat that was originally use to haul passengers and good from town to the “cottages” on Harbor Point. The cottages on the point have always been “summer homes” and many remain in the family. There are no cars allowed on the point, so boats are the fastest option to get there and back.

Boats in the Harbor

Local Sailing Regatta

Some of these sail boats were in the Chicago to Mackinac race last weekend and are competing in this close-by regatta before heading back to Chicago.

Beach at the end of Harbor Point

Michigan law allows anyone to beach their boat on any sand … but if you leave the boat, your must have your feet “wet”! People standing on the dry beach must show proof of residence or they will be escorted off the point. (Kinda sounds like Santa Rosa Beach, FL!)

Lighthouse at Harbor Point

Harbor Point Cottages

The village was incorporated as Harbor Springs in 1880. Indian residents and white settlers of Little Traverse subsisted mainly on fishing agriculture, and trapping. In 1853, industry started to flourish and with the establishment of lumbering, the area really took off.

The Largest Cottage on Harbor Spings

This cottage is rumored to be owned by the Budweiser family.

Newmar Service Center, Nappanee, IN

We left Hearthside Grove, Petosky, MI to head to the Newmar manufacturing plant in Naponnee, IN for some warrantee work. We actually scheduled this warrantee appointment before we even picked up the coach last February because we knew that, after 8000 or so miles, we would find a few things that needed to be fixed.

SAM 30A

Our 3 days at the Newmar Service Center stated before the sun came up! We were up at 5:15am each morning and were out of the coach by 6am when the workers took the coaches to be serviced. They worked until 2:30pm at which time we got the coach back so that we could stay in the coach overnight and start all over again at 5:15am the next day!

Newmar Service Center at the Start of the Day

There are around 60 service bays at the center and three different customer lounges along with a cafeteria, restrooms and a customer laundry. The lounges had couches and conversation areas, work bays so that you could conduct business while waiting on your coach, and two designated pet lounges where you could keep your pets with you.

New Newmar Coaches Awaiting Delivery

There are at least 20 buildings or lots in the Newmar manufacturing complex - all with different functions. This one was where the completed coaches were stored for a few days before being delivered. \240To think … our coach was probably in this lot back in January!

Newmar Kountry Klub

This is the headquarter building of the Newmar Kountry Klub - for the owner’s of Newmar products. We’ve been a member for several years and actually have stayed with this group at some rallies. It’s a nice group of folks and they have gatherings and rallies in various states and regions around the country. But we were there too early so get to go in and meet the folks who run it.

Chassis Lot

There are chassis’ of various sizes in this lot, waiting for a Newmar RV to be built on top!

Newmar Sign

Newmar is the biggest manufacturer in Nappanee, but in nearby Elkhart, IN, Grand Design, - a popular manufacturer of RV trailers and 5th wheels, Forest River - another RV trailer manufacturer and Entegra - which makes coaches similar to Newmar are all manufactured. This part of northern Indiana is definitely dedicated to RV manufacturing.

RV /MH Hall of Fame and Museum

… which is probably why the RV Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Elkhart, IN! Both RVs and Manufacturered Homes have been made in this area for decades and they are all recognized here!

Hall of Famers Tom and Dana with the Classic RVs!

There were nearly 100 classic RVs … campers, trailers, and coaches, dating back to the early 1900s through to concept designs of the future.

Smallest Airstream

This Airstream trailer is the smallest one every built.

Touring Car used by actress May West

The story is that the studio provided May West this touring car to shuttle her from her home or hotel to the studio or shooting location. While you could turn the seats into a bed, she supposedly only used it to relax and enjoy a cup of tea.

Hunt Housecar

This was an interesting design … everything about it resembles an Airstream trailer … except it’s a motorcoach with an engine and steering wheel!

Log Cabin Trailer

The owner of this trailer was said to have wanted a log cabin - but was unable to afford the land or the logs. So she bought this used trailer and painted the log cabin on it!

Keep Your Daydream Bluebird

This classic Bluebird Bus was built as a touring coach in the 1980’s. (Bluebird usually manufacturered school buses during the last half of the 20th century.) This Bluebird was purchased by Trish and Mark of the YouTube channel, Keep Your Daydream. The bus is upholstered in “Route 66” fabric and they, along with their son, Caleb, chronicalled their RV travel along the entire length of the original Route 66. After they completed their journey, they donated this classic to the RV Hall of Fame!

Tom and Dana … Keeping Their Daydream!

Tom and the Polar Bear

Tom found a place to relax by the Polar exhibit. Polar makes refrigerated colors like our Dometic cooler as well as other “nice-to-have” items for campers and RVs!

Amish Working Cart

This part of Indiana (as well as northern Ohio) has a large Amish population. There are different sects of Amish … some are more conservative and some are more liberal. Both extremes exist in Nappanee and it was not uncommon to see Amish men and women riding bicycles to work or driving a cart or carriage to do errands.

Amish Open Carriage for Four

The Amish, descended from \240Swedish and Alsatian groups of Anabaptist Christians, are known for simple living, plain dress, Christian pacifism, and slowness to adopt many conveniences of modern technology, with a view neither to interrupt family time, nor replace face-to-face conversations whenever possible, and a view to maintain self-sufficiency. The Amish value rural life, manual labor, humility and Gelassenheit (submission to God's will).

Amish Farm at Dawn

Outside of RV manufacturing, the next biggest industry in this area of the country is farming. Amish farms are some of the most beautiful and productive and the vegetables, breads and meats produced by these farms are some of the most delicious! Some Amish will utilize more modern farm equipment or even have an automobile. If they work outside the farm, they will use power tools, drive equipment, use cell phones and other modern appliances. But at home and on their free time, they revert to a less modern lifestyle.

Amish Open Carriage for Two

Carriages and horses were frequently passing the Newmar Service Center. The clopping of their horses hooves as they trotted by kept Rolex and Seiko quite entertained!

Amish Closed Carriage

Amish tend to use Standardbred horses for their carriages and draft horses for their farm equipment. Standardbred horses were bred for harness racing and are naturally gaited to trot or pace at a fast speed for long distances. It makes them a natural pick for carriage horses and it was beautiful to watch these magnificent horses traveling down the road.

Fab Four!

We boated with Lee and Amy on their fabulous MJM 36 to Put-in-Bay, an island on the west side of Lake Eric about 5 miles from Canada. We lunched at their club, the Crews Nest, and then rented a golf cart to tour the small island. Here we are at the Heineman Winery.

Wine Tasting at Heineman’s

So … first … they don’t provide free wine tastings in Ohio … nor do they provide glasses! But it did add to the ambiance of the afternoon \240to join in the festivities with our plastic wine cups conveniently labeled with the type of wine we had chosen!

Enjoying the Boat Life!

A Perfect Day on Lake Erie

Boat Life on Shore

This home, made out of a boat, is frequently featured on HG TV - and we passed it on our way between Port Clinton and Put-In-Bay island.

Rutherford Hayes Presidential Library and Museum

Although faced with a hostile Congress which refused to provide adequate funds, Hayes hoped his actions would heal the wounds left by the Civil War. His sound money policies helped make business and industry stronger. He initiated civil service reform, aimed at ending patronage, and appointed men with sound qualifications to government positions. He also signed a bill that, for the first time, allowed women attorneys to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court.

After President Hays’ death, his son Web, created the museum. Technically, it is the first Presidential Museum ever built, but it was never built with federal funds and is not run by the National Park Service as are the other Presidential Museums. Instead, it is owned by the state of Ohio and it and the family mansion operate as a state park.

Rutherford Hayes

Rutherford Hayes was a Republican who won the 1876 Presidential election amid charges of voter fraud and election tampering. He was named president only after a special elections commission was enacted to determine the true winner in states where both candidates had been awarded the electoral votes. The politics of the 1876 election reminded us of a recent 2020 Trump/Biden election!

Rutherford and Lucy Hayes

Typical of Republicans at the time, Hayes was focused on improving race relations with both the blacks and the American Indians. He worked tirelessly during his one term as President to improve education, believing that “Education” and manual training were the keys to equality. But his process by which he wanted to accomplish improving “education” was flawed, and Hayes is largely charged with the creation of the Indian Boarding Schools which tried to “Americanize” the Native Americans by removing all vestiages of their native culture.

Rutherford Mansion

This 31-room mansion was originally constructed for Hayes by his uncle who had raised him, Sardis Birchard. \240The original home had 12 rooms. There were several additions over the years, many of then after Hayes returned from the White House. \240The original “museum” was built on the second floor and housed many of the gifts, letters and memorabilia he received while in office.

Hayes’ Library

Hayes added this library to house is 12,000 books. All of them are intact still today. Hayes personally knew Abraham Lincoln and there are several portraits of Lincoln in the house. The library houses a more rare artifact … a bronze model of Lincoln’s hand!

Elk Horn Chair

Seth Kinman, a California hunter and trapper, built this elk horn chair and presented it to President Hayes. He had previously built similar chairs which he presented to earlier Presidents one one later President include James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Grover Cleveland.

White House Sideboard with Dishes Chosen by Lucy Hayes

When the Hayes occupied the White House, they upgraded it with ther own money. One of the things Lucy did was to install new dishes. She said that there were not enough existing dishes in the White House for large state dinners, Knowing that many visitors were unfamiliar with America, Lucy chose dishes that depicted the flora and fauna of America. \240People either loved them or hated them, some complaining that they disliked finishing their meal to see a frog or a fish staring at them.

Rutherford Hayes Inaugural Carriage

Class A Motorcoach Living

We stayed for several days at Hearthside Grove Lake Eric, just across the street from the Great Lake! There were many smaller lakes in the resort and every lot had a view!

Coach House and Lounging Area

This is a newer motorcoach resort, but still there were a few homes built on the large lots. This is one example that overlooks a lounge area that is free for all guests to use.

Lake Erie

We walked across the road to the beach at Geneva-on-the-Lake. The wind was whipping waves along the beach, but that didn’t stop the beach goers!

We didn’t feel the need to dip are toes in the sand, or in the cold, murky waters of Lake Erie!

The Garfield Home

James Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, was the last of the US Presidents to be born in a log cabin. We visited his home in Mentor, OH just a few yards from Route 20, which is the longest road in the US (extending from Maine to Oregon) and was quite a busy route back in his day. James A. Garfield acquired the home in 1876 to accommodate his large family. During the 1880 presidential election, Garfield conducted what became the first successful “front porch campaign” from the home, which became known as "Lawnfield" by the reporters covering his campaign due to all the people that came to hear Garfield and camped on the lawn. That same year, Garfield had 11 rooms added to the building to accommodate his large family. Garfield, a Republican, was shot four months into his term and died on September 19, 1881. This caused one of the rare events where 3 different men were president in one year - 1881. Rutherford Hayes from January 1 to Garfield’s inauguration, Garfield until his assisination and death on September 19, after which Chester Arthur was named President.

James & Lecretia Garfield’s Bedroom

Lucretia Garfield lived in the house at least part of every year until her death in 1918. Her brother, Joseph Rudolph, lived there until he died in 1934. In 1936, Garfield's children donated the house and its contents to the Western Reserve Historical Society for use as a museum. On December 28, 1980, the United States Congress declared the Garfield home a National Historic Site, and we got to add this NPS site to our National Parks Passport!

Garfield’s Presidential Library

Four years after his assassination, Lucretia and her children created the John A Garfield library wing in their home setting the precedent for Presidential Libraries. Garfield did not have money set aside for his family and a wealthy family friend started a “go-fund-me”-like account for Lucretia. It netted $350,000 and with that money, Lucretia, built and furnished the new wing, educated their children and ran the household until her death.

Vault in the Library

Off to the side of the library is a walk-in vault, fire and weather safe, where Lucretia stored the most important aspects of Garfield’s life. The wreath framed on the wall was the one placed on his funeral casket. After the service the wreath was taken apart and each flower dipped in wax to preserve it and then the wreath was reassembled.

Uncle Joseph Rudoplh’ Room

While the rooms in the original home were quite plain, the new Library wing contained large, ornate rooms for the family as well as the large library.

James A Garfield

Garfield was educated at Hiram College, eventually becoming its president. He was also an ordained minister in the Disciples of Christ church. He was a brigadier general in the Civil War and served 9 terms as a Congressman from Ohio, during which President Abraham Lincoln asked him to resign his commission from the Army as it was easier to find good generals than it was to find a good republican in the House of Representatives! \240As president, he focused on efforts to educate and train the recently emancipated African-Americans to raise them to the same opportunities as those with European ancestry. Many Americans felt that Garfield would have been one of the best American Presidents to date, had he lived out his presidency. Alas, he was shot only 200 days into his presidency by Charles Guiteau, a person seeking a presidential appointment who had messianic visions. Garfield lived for 80 days during which doctors poked and prodded the wound in his back, more concerned about removing the bullet than of wound sterility. On Sept 19th, Garfield succumbed to internal hemorrhaging resulting from massive infection due to the doctor’s actions.

Yates Cellars

We traveled to Keuka Lake to visit friends and spent the night at a Harvest Host - Yates Cellars. The winery is located in the old Hempstead Mansion built in 1838 by Henry Rose and is surrounded by vines!

Alan’s Dog

Alan bought the home and acres about 20 years ago and now grows 18 different varietals. We sample about 12 of them, both whites and reds, and decided we preferred white NY wines over the reds. \240We came home with a couple of bottles of Sauvignon Blanc.

Bird’s Nest in Grape Vines

Along the porch rails grew lucious grape vines and among them, Dana found a bird’s nest with a few remains of this year’s hatchlings!

Argersinger Boat House

We spent some time with the coach parked in Alexandria Bay, NY while we stayed with friends, Philip and Lena, on Carleton, Island where they own a significant estate. The only way to get to the island is by boat, and Philip had boating options! He picked us up in Cape Vincent and transported all of us -Tom, Dana, Rolex, and Seiko - to the island. Our landing spot was this magnificent 3-story boat house designed and built by Philip!

The St. Lawrence Seaway from the Boat House

Carlton Island sits among a thousand island in the St. Lawrence Seaway that connects the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Ontario. \240It is a busy commercial maritime transportation route but the river is wide here and there is still plenty of space for water sports! And it makes for a very scenic cocktail hour!

Approaching Sunset

Dining at the Boat House

Sleeping at the Boat House

The mountain lion was purchased by Philip … and both Rolex and Seiko were quite suspicious of it!

Relaxing at the Boat House

Philip and Lena are in the process of building a manor house on the island that will overlook the 10 acres of cleared land down to the boat house and the river. But until it is built, the Boat House makes for a great partying and hanging out venue!

Grilling at the Boat House

Philip and Tom took the ranger to gather firewood to grill dinner! They don’t look like they are working too hard!

Hanging Out at the Boat House

Of course, the following morning Lena and Dana don’t look like they are working too hard either!

Looking Into Canada

Carleton Island lies less than a mile from Canada and we could see Wolfe Island, CA with its windmill farms just a stones throw away!

Sampling Wine at the Cottage

Philip and Lena stay in a quaint cottage that Philip built when he first acquired his extensive acreage on the island around 20 years ago! For the past few years, Philip has been building a large manor house that will provide several guest suites and indoor/outdoor seating and cooking area. The design blends well with the island, using local stone and resources whenever possible!

Derelict Villa on Carleton Island

Carleton Island was the site of a British fort during the American Revolution and the foundations of the fort can still be found under the plants and trees that have since taken root. In 1894, William Wcykoff who had amassed his fortune from the manufacture of the typewriter, started construction of this magnificent villa, located on a prominence on Carleton Island, for his wive. In 1895, after spending just 1 night at the villa, Wcykoff died of a heart attack. His wife had died a similar fate a few months earlier. The property passed to his son who kept it until the Depression of the 1920’s. In the 1930’s it was purchased by General Electric for use as a corporate retreat. But bad luck raised its head again when WWII broke out and General Electric had to abandon it’s work on the retreat. It allowed contractors to come in a cart off anything on the inside that could be used. Doors and windows were removed as well and the villa was left to the elements. \240In 2022, the property was purchased and the new owner vows to restore the old villa - but most of the inhabitants of Carleton Island doubt that will happen as the structure would have to be rebuilt from the stone foundation which would cost tens of millions of dollars! Today, the withering remains of the villa are visible as is the layout of the golf course that General Electric was building on the island … all left to ruin!

View of Lake Champlain

We stayed for a few days on the shore of Lake Champlain in Vermont. It was quiet and refreshing!

SAM 30A in Vermont

Sam 30A with Geen Mountains of Vermont

Off beyond the lake are the Green Mountains of Vermont. We could see them capped by clouds each day during our stay.

Building a Camp Fire

We took advantage of a little down time to have a camp fire and watch the sunset reflected in the clouds over the lake!

Shelburne Museum

Shelburne Museum is a museum of art, design, and Americana with over 150,000 works exhibited in 39 buildings, 25 of which are museum pieces themselves and were relocated to rest on the 45 acres of museum grounds. The museum is the brainchild of founder Electra Havemeyer Webb.

Electra Havemeyer Webb Memorial Building

After Electra’s death in 1960, her children thought a fitting memorial would be to build a mansion that would contain 6 rooms, complete with design, furniture, and artwork, from her 18 room apartment on Park Avenue in NYC. This building contains the dining room, parlor, study and 3 upstairs bedrooms. The dining and living rooms contain 4 pieces by Matisse with one credited as being the first impressionist painting brought to America. The other rooms have pieces by American painters, often of hunting scenes with the exception of the guest bedroom which has a Degas ballerina.

Ticonderoga

This side wheel steam paddle ship, built in 1906, operated as a day boat on Lake Champlain serving ports along New York and Vermont until 1953. In 1955, it was moved, intact, 2 miles overland from the lake to Shelburne Museum - a feat of remarkable engineering - to preserve this historic masterpiece.

The Bridge of the Ticonderoga

The route on Lake Champlain was short and most people sat along the deck or inside the broad hallways to pass the time and enjoy the sights.

The Dining Room of Ticonderoga

Today the Ticonderoga portrays life on board in 1923. The ships carved and varnished woodwork, gilded ceilings, staterooms, grand staircase and dining room evoke the elegance of steamboat travel.

The Grand Staircase of Ticonderoga

The Control Room of Ticonderoga

The General Store and Post Office

Locomotive 220 and Grand Isle Car

This engine, built in 1915, was the last coal-burning steam ten-wheeler used on the Central Vermont Railway. It became known as the locomotive of Presidents having pulled trains carrying Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D Roosevelt, and Dwight D Eisenhower. It was retired from service in 1956. The Grand Isle luxury rail car was built around 1890 and was presented to Vermont’s governor. It was purchased by the museum in 1960.

Dentzel Carousel

Behind the carousel is the fanciful, horseshoe-shaped Circus Building was specifically designed to showcase the hand-carved miniature Arnold Circus Parade, which stretches nearly the full length of the building’s 518 feet.

The Round Barn

This 80 foot diameter round barn is one of ony 24 built in the state. Round barns were designed for economy of labor and were first built by Massachusetts Shakers in 1826. The hay was in the top, the cows were in the middle and the dung was at the bottom and all could be dispersed with minimal effort. Much of this round barn was dismantled and moved to the museum on flatbed trucks while the heavy upper segment was flown across the state by helicopter and lowered into place.

Sled For a Group

The barn now houses some of museums horseless-carriage collection. This sled was designed for up to 16 people to ride in comfort on the velvet seat! It is one of many of the finest luxury transportation modes from the 1980s.

Handmade Sleigh

Funeral Hearse

Note the bamboo casket inside!

Passenger Coach

Electra’s decision to create the Shelburne Museum was a response to the 1946 gift of 28 elegant carraiages from the estates of Dr. William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb.

Tom and Dana

The weather was dreary and stormy for much of our time in Newport, but the rain stopped on our last day and we decided to take a boat tour through Narrangansett Bay! There were many sites to see, but here are just a few!

Castle Hill Lighthouse

There were quite a few lighthouses throughout the harbors in this area, but this one is unique because it is built on land that famous naturalist, marine biologist and Harvard professor, Alexander Agassiz, sold to the state for $1 - but provided no access through his land to construct it! \240After 2 years, he finally allowed access to the area for construction, but supposedly required that they build the lighthouse such that it would not shine in his eyes at night!

Castle Hill Inn

The Inn is now situated in the mansion originally built in 1875 for Alexander Agassiz, a Harvard University professor. It is one of the few properties in Newport to have its own private beach. Even thought the weather had been gloomy, there were quite a few people dining and relaxing on the lawn when we passed.

Racing Sailboat

While we traveled up and down the harbors, we tracked in and out of a sailing regatta catching some close views as the boats tacked back and forth.

Clingstone House

This house, built in 1905, is perched atop a small, rocky island in Narragansett Bay. Originally built for Joseph Wharton, he lived it in till his death. After laying vacant for several decades, it was purchased in 1961 for $3600, the amount of back taxes owed. It is now a luxury rental property at $10,000/week - which is small change compared to 30A rental prices!

The Newport Bridge

And a Super Yacht

Clearly we were not invited on that yacht for an afternoon tour! \240Nor were we invited for dinner or any other activity enjoyed by the super rich!

But we had fun!

Rose Island Lighthouse

Built in 1970, the building was abandoned as a functioning lighthouse in 1970. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places and operates as a bed and breakfast. We discovered that this is the place where Jennifer Lawrence (aka Hunger Games actress) had her wedding rehearsal dinner! \240She was married in Newport, as was Jackie Bouvier and John F Kennedy!

Newport Harbor

FedEx Overnighting!

As we settled in at our campground for the night, we noticed 2 FedEx trucks parked across from us. They had short trailers attached, one named “Custom Critical” and one named “Logistics”. Obviously the cab of the trucks were sleeper cabs, but we usually only see these used at truck stops for the driver to catch required hours of sleep. However these drivers enjoyed a camp fire and grilled dinner! Later, we discovered that “Custom Critical” means that the cargo must be accompanied at all times and these FedEx delivery trucks tend to use camp grounds over truck stops. We encounter something new every trip!

Rolex and Seiko

The camp ground had a large field of grass off to the side and Rolex and Seiko enjoyed it immensely!

A Little Rest For Rolex

Seiko has been a great companion for Rolex on this trip. In the beginning, when Seiko was 1/3 the size he is now, Rolex played very gently with him. But at nearly 5 months of age, Seiko and Rolex play much harder. Seiko will never be as big as Rolex, but he is always scheming on how to get even with him! LOL

Tom and Dana at Luray Caverns

Caves are a single room. \240Caverns are multiple connected rooms. \240Luray Caverns, situated in the Shenandoah Valley i thes largest cavern system on the east coast and is among the largest in the US.

Luray Caverns was discovered in 1878 by 5 men who were looking for a “cave” to make their fortune. They had seen the success of a smaller cave in another town and knew that they would be successful if they could find a similar site. They discovered the cave by noticing a limestone outcropping over a sink hole with cool air flowing from it. After digging for about 4 hours to widen a hole in the sink to allow 2 men to enter the cave, they were amazed at what they saw! Unfortunately, the caverns changed ownership several times over the ensuring years until it was finally purchased by Theodore Northcott who started The Luray Caverns Company in 1905 and opened the caverns to the public.

Our Guide

Luray Caverns, as with other limestone or "solution" caves, result from a solution of calcium carbonate giving up some of its carbon dioxide, thus allowing a precipitation of lime to form. This precipitation begins as a thin deposit ring of crystallized calcite, but continues to collect, creating stalactites and other types of dripstone and flowstone. Formations at Luray Caverns are white in color if the calcium carbonate is in its pure form. Other colors reflect impurities in the calcite resulting from elements absorbed from the soil or rock layers: Reds and yellows due to iron and iron-stained clays; black from manganese dioxide; blues and greens from solutions of copper compounds.

Stalactites and Stalagmites

While the caverns are not the largest in the US, they are rich with cave formations such as stalactites and stalagmites, rock curtain, flow stone and drip stone. This ethereal area is actually just stalactites (formation extending from the top of a cave). A shallow pond, only 20 inches deep, reflects the stalactites to make them appear as columns stretching from ceiling to floor.

Saracen’s Tent

This is an example of a flow stone formation.

White, Amber & Blue

The different colors of the milestone formations comes from minerals dissolved in the ground water. Red, orange and ambers hues come from iron and blue from copper.

The Great Stalacpipe Organ

Considered the World’s Largest Instrument (by Guinness World. Records) is operated by a custom console that produces the tapping of ancient stalactites of varying sizes with solenoid-actuated rubber mallets in order to produce tones.

Solenoid Strikers

You can view a striker activated by the organ at the top of this photo. The tone is produced by striking the stalactites with magnets that cause iron molecules to vibrate.

Sears and Roebuck House

The caretaker’s house was purchased from Sears, and each room was shipped by rail car and assembled on site.

Skyline Drive though the Shenandoah Valley

We drove the 35 mile trek of the Skyline Drive along the ridge of the Appalachian Mountains with views of the Shenandoah Valley.

Blue Hills of the Shenandoah Mountains

This dead Eastern Hemlock tree is surrounded by wild flowers and grasses. Once one of the most populous trees in the Shenandoah, an invasive insect is killing the trees and today, only about 10% remain.

Tunnel on Skyline Drive

Shenandoah Valley

River Hill Raccoon

We ended our day by dropping by a local distillery and sampling their fruit wines and bourbon. We tried peach wine, apple wine, Concord grape wine and strawberry wine and quickly decided we prefer West Coast wines!

River Hill Bourbon

We then tried sugar bourbon (aka Mooshine) made by distilling fermented sugar water, and the peach infused version before moving on to the more common oak-barrel aged born-based bourbon. We still prefer Kentucky bourbon!

Adding NY, VT, & RI to our Travel Map

We spent an evening at Baileyton KOA as we made our way south and caught up our RV Travel Map!

Blue Ridge Mountains

Mountain Sunset

Ed and Donna were perfect hosts, touring us around town, introducing us to their most interesting friends, taking us on a hike by the river, boating on Blue Ridge Lake, and golfing at Old Toccoa Farms!

Clubhouse at Old Toccoa Farm Golfcourse

Tom & Dana