Hello all you Happy Campers, Dave's 66th birthday was celebrated, yes, you guessed it, on the long and winding road which follows canal paths, the Oregon Trail, RR tracks, big rivers, and gets us to Starved Rock State Park in Illinois. We arrived early after lunch in the parking lot of Sycamore H.S. (no school; it's Saturday) to be able to relax. The day had started off with eggs benedict...not too shabby for a small galley kitchen. Dave's favorite beef stew was the dinner entree, and apple pie a la mode for dessert. We heard from all the girls and got [View Full Entry]

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Dear Road Readers, Can you keep up with us? How does breakfast in Mankato, Minn, lunch in Floyd, Iowa, and dinner in Prairie du Chien, Wis sound? 3 meals in 3 different states kept us on the byways, through many amber waves of grain, and into so many quaint mid-western small towns. These towns all have several churches, a K-12 school, a gas station, bar, mortuary, and finally, a cemetery...all with a population of 597 or such. Mature trees line the residential road which is also Main St, and we see a small glimpse of a life style so different than [View Full Entry]

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Hello to all our blog-eyed friends & family, Sorry we haven't kept you up as we should; ATT isn't as strong in these here parts. Anyway, I'll backtrack 2 days so you won't have missed anything. Let's start out in mid-South Dakota at Walls Drug Store. It is a site not to be missed. A pharmacist & his wife came there in 1931, but had a tough time making a go of it. His wife got the bright idea of giving out free ice water to travelers to encourage them to stop and put signs out on the highway. Of course [View Full Entry]

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Hello! We had our 1st real leisurely morning as Mass at Rose of Lima is only at 10 am. It was a pretty all wood church and had a very nice liturgy. We drove the short distance to Mt. Rushmore Natl Monument. It is quite spectacular with facial features and considerable detail. No dogs allowed so Timmy stayed in the motorhome and slept as he has been prone do doing. He loves traveling, but the last few days hasn't been able to digest his food. Picnicked roadside and went back into Hill City (a town much like Truckee). Our new mirror [View Full Entry]

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Dear Californians, We apologize for having been out of touch. The reality is that you can't blog from just anywhere; you need connections. So, to update you all you will notice that from Glacier we traveled through Yellowstone. We took some hikes into geothermal areas; those are the other kind of hot spots. Couldn't go into the visitor's center at the rangers had blocked the street off as a large herd of elk were passing by (and they do have the right a way). Saw many bison as well, including right on the road, antelope, deer, wild turkeys, and fewer homo [View Full Entry]

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Dear All, We had a very beautiful drive from Hayden, ID via 95 then 2 (Emily will remember that one) into Kalispell, MT. The trees are beginning to turn here with yellow birch and tamarack. Thompsons informed us that tamaracks are the only pine that turns color and drops its needles. It makes for a brilliant spot of color in a evergreen forest as we came into West Glacier. Em & Bill had also recommended a lovely forested campground, just 1 mile outside the park. We had just finished our huckleberry ice cream cone when we pulled in. Everything is huckleberries! [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday was spent with Dave's cousin Emmajean and her husband Bill. Their hearty Hayden hospitality included accomodations at the Elks Club (no pool, Caps), a ,tour of Coeur d' Alene (lovely town on a big lake), and an amazing golf course with a floating green! The 14th green is 80 yards (?) out in the lake on a floating island. The island can actually be moved due to tournament play. A golfer has 2 chances to hit the green from the mainland; if he/she can't they are loaded into a small boat and driven to the island by the caddy and [View Full Entry]

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Greetings from the top of Idaho with 2 days worth of adventures. Yesterday we were camped at Dworshak State Park, beyond Orofiino, ID Getting there was a challenge for CC (Carmel Condor, our name for our motorhome). It was a very winding scenic byway which lead us through the main streets of McCall and Kooskie which were both having Friday parades before the high school football games; it was fun to see their spirit. There is little else to do in these hay growing tiny hamlets. These communities are very small and rural. The Deary Lions Club meets the 4th Thurs. [View Full Entry]

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To all interested family and friends, Today was a catch-up day. The view from our window is jigsaw picture perfect. The Kirks would love to do this one because it has so many colors, not like others we have tried. More smoke in the air today as the wind changed; they're letting this one go until the snow fall puts it out. We did laundry (can't get away from those chores), read, did a crossword, and walked. But, then we canoed on the river with Timmy snoozing on his life jacket; it was great fun. We thought he might tip the [View Full Entry]

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After the Slocum's Grand Tour of Boise, complete with homemade tacos, we played Phase 10 card game. Both Craig's girls are very sweet and even look like the Craig we knew long ago. To prove it Cathie pulled out meticulously kept photo albums which showed our young families together...great memories! Said our good-byes this morning and headed for McCall, ID via hiway 55, the Payette River Scenic Byway. It was truly beautiful following the river under blue skies and warm temp. No smoke but plenty of areas which have just been burned. This is ID's worst fire season. Mel & Cathie [View Full Entry]

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