http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/AMG/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from AMG en-us Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:53:49 +0000 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:53:49 +0000 Home again in California after The Summer of Wonder. What an absolutely wonderful experience from both cross country road trips to the idyllic days by the lake in Maine. On our last leg from Winnemucca to home last Saturday Steve and I with our own unique brand of humor decided to do a Top Ten list from the summer. As you will note from the results below it got a bit out of handJust The N http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/blog-437155.html We're on the next to last leg of our summer long adventure and it's hard to believe it's almost over.Wednesday Sept 9 we spent a leisurely day the Izaak Walton Hotel in Essex MT thanks Bob and Joanie Dehlendorf for recommending this unique place. The hotel is on the southern border of Glacier National Park and is an old railroad inn that is right on the railway line. A great old place our http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Nevada/Winnemucca/blog-435817.html We spent the day today crossing Glacier National park via the famous Going to the Sun Highway. Thanks to all of you who recommended that we drive it from east to west the views were amazing. However the weather wasn't. When we left this morning it was in the mid40's with the raging wind it felt more like the 30's. However your intrepid travelers soldiered on we weren't going to be de http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/Glacier-National-Park/blog-434992.html We had a great weekend with the Dehlendorfrsquos and all the Lincoln boys. All the guys went out fishing yesterdayhellipwith the results not subject for public discussion. When Scott caught a fish and took a photo he had to put it next to his foot so we even had some sense of how bighellipor littlehellipit was. Lots of laughs lots of fun.Sunday Sept. 6We started out from Bozeman on ou http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/Glacier-National-Park/blog-434986.html On the road yesterday longest day yet 582 miles sore butts We came through Sturgis SD in the morning site of the big motorcycle rally each August I added to my bandana napkin collection with some really strange examples I'm now the proud owner of a Sturgis 2009 motorcycle rally pin bet none of you can say that And speaking of motorcycles we've been seeing thousands of them on t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Montana/blog-433919.html On the road early the morning of Tuesday Sept. 1 leaving Oacoma SD. Actually did a short backwards run on I90 to the rest stop the other side of Chamberlain for a great exhibit on Lewis and Clark. South Dakota has done a great job with their rest stops friendly people to help you find directions clean restrooms interesting exhibits. One of the things Steve and I realized is that we've http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/South-Dakota/Mount-Rushmore/blog-433384.html A real road trip day straight across I90 from Wisconsin to Minnesota to South Dakota. I now know why they call them the Great Plains... All you have to do is set the cruise control to 75 and make sure you don't fall asleep. The bugs are terrorist sized and splat all over the windshield it's almost an hourly chore to wipe it clean so you can see out. Lots more corn interspersed with cows. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/South-Dakota/blog-432867.html We all know Herbert Hoover as the president who really messed up the recession and ended up with the Depression...but frankly I didn't know a lot more about him. Did you know that at one time he was the highest paid person in the world making 30000 a year as a mining engineer with a truly golden touch that was big money back at the turn of the century. Maybe one of the most impressive thi http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Wisconsin/blog-432865.html A quick jaunt down to Springfield IL to the Lincoln Library and Museum which is quite a production. 2009 is the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth and the museum has been spruced up to celebrate. They have done a wonderful job using the newest technologies to truly bring to life this monumental man. My guess is that Disney and Lucasfilm had a hand in some of the exhibits and productions. Ther http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Iowa/Davenport/blog-432861.html Do you remember what happenned on Friday August 9 1974 It is the one reference question I could always answer without looking it up. Of course the question is which was the more important event Richard Nixon's resignation or our wedding It really was deja vue all over again at the Ford Presidential Library and Museum in Grand Rapids MI when we saw all the tv coverage from August 9 it w http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Illinois/Chicago/blog-432858.html On the road again It was hard to leave the lake after such a wonderful summer but road trip fun lies ahead. Lauren joined us on our first leg from Fayette Me to North Chatham NY on Tuesday August 25 to stay with my college sorority sister Jan Langlois and her husband George Vollmuth two wonderful friends that have been Lauren's east coast parents for many years. Of course Lauren had to ge http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-York/blog-432856.html Ah Summer 2009 in Maine the Summer of Wonder Itrsquos hard to believe that 2 months went by so quickly and that wersquore about to get back on the road again. We had such wonderful times with visits from friends visits to friends lazy days by the lake and the fireplacehellipdepending on the weather. It was a summer of making memoriesBeing together as a family for the whole time http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Maine/blog-432368.html We arrived in Maine a week ago and it feels like heavenhellip Our last three days on the road included stops at Steversquos parents outside Baltimore where I got to enjoy the short season of soft shell crabs nothing better On to Laurenrsquos in Farmington CT the next day with a side trip to the town in which I grew up River Edge NJ. Never a truer phrase You can never go home ag http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Maine/blog-409903.html Monday June 8On the road again...and happy birthday Steve Tennessee is one long state east to west and I began to wonder if we'd ever get out of it. As we passed exit signs on the freeway to many small cities throughout Tennessee Steve began to reminisce about his travel in the early 1970's when he worked for Seligman Latz in New York. His job at S L was to visit the various beauty salo http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Maryland/Baltimore/blog-406998.html you see your first Waffle Houseyou drive through Christian Countyyou see mega church...after mega churchyou spy your first Confederate flagyou see the 10 commandments in neon in front of a motelthe Bible is open to the motel housekeeper's favorite passage in your roomeverything is fried on the dinner buffet including okra and catfishthe front garden statuary outside the trailer includes t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/blog-406402.html Well today turned out to be a very special day.. but let me start out at the beginning. Our early morning walk actually had us meandering by amber waves of grain in a field...although as Steve said the wheat was so small that it must be for Wheat Thins he made me put this joke in here. We got acquainted with Abilene residents by wandering through the local cemetery it was interesting http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Missouri/Independence/blog-405714.html Another long driving day about 450 miles across Colorado into Kansas...and then more Kansas...and then more Kansas. It's true what they say about Kansas it just keeps going on forever and is so very flat. We're in Abilene tonight all tucked up in the newest spiffiest hotel in town the Holiday Inn Express. Lots of fields of amber waving grain grain elevators every few miles oil wells http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/blog-405406.html I'm sitting in the John Tomay Memorial Library in Georgetown CO the best source of free wifi in this cute little town. Hanging directly across from the desk is Harry the stuffed head of the last buffalo in Clear Creek County who was killed stuffed and given to the library in 1935 only 11 years after this wonderful little building was built. This town loves its library there is a charmin http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Colorado/Frisco/blog-405027.html Another spectacular day. We started out early in the morning about 7 a.m. with a hike up the Emerald Pools trail in Zion and when I say up I mean up There are three sets of pools that are formed from runoff from the porous limestone cliffs and you climb like a mountain goat to all three of them. Our reward was being about the only hikers on the trail and then a serene breakfast at the top po http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Utah/Bryce-Canyon/blog-404445.html ...when he created Zion National Park. It's truly spectacular. I'm sitting on the balcony right now watching the last glimpses of sunlight fade from the red rocks soaring above the beauty is almost unearthly. We started the morning out with our regular 45 minute power walk...on the Vegas strip. If you think it's tawdry at night wait until you see it at 630 in the morning. On the way out t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Utah/Zion-National-Park/blog-404085.html