Dale and Val

We drove from Ohio through Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin before arriving in Minnesota. We were on freeways all the way. I am the navigator on this trip and I had planned to go around the west side of Chicago to miss the downtown area but due to some construction we ended up going by the Sears Tower right in the center of Chicago. At least I got a good photo of the Chicago skyline! First stop was in Edina, a suburb of Minneapolis, to visit Val's cousin Susan and her husband Bob. Their home is on an acre of land which has a city park behind them. Their property is surrounded by trees, flowers and is very private. The first day we went to the Mall of America. We had fun watching all the people on ... read more

Our next stop after Syracuse was Niagara Falls, New York. Val had been there but it was 40 years ago. Dale had never been there so we decided it was a great stop along the way. We stayed at a very nice R.V. park on Grand Island called Branches of Niagara. The park had a lake for canoeing or fishing and big spaces. We also found a very nice golf course on the island and had a beautiful afternoon on a new course. We spent 2 different days at Niagara Falls. The first day we walked in the parks and got a good idea of what we wanted to do to see the full view of the falls. The second day we took a trip on the Maid of the Mist. Dale really was surprised how ... read more

We left Maine and spent 4 days driving through New Hampshire and Vermont. We drove through the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Green Mountains of Vermont. We decided to take all back roads on our way to the Adirondacks. There are streams and lakes every few miles by the side of the roads. Lots of interesting small villages to see and lots of friendly people who are surprised to hear of our long trip from Arizona. Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire brought back memories of being there with my parents as a young child. There were sculptures along a walking trail which we enjoyed. At the foot of the Green Mountains in Vermont we stayed near Middlebury and enjoyed seeing the campus of Middlebury College. We stayed at Indian Lake Hamlet in the Adirondacks. ... read more

We left the Outer Banks of North Carolina for Connecticut 11 days ago. In order to miss the major metropolitan areas of Washington, D.C. and New York City we traveled through areas of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and a corner of New York state. Shenandoah Valley National Park in Virginia was beautiful and lots of summer flowers were in bloom. Pennsylvania is full of rolling hills and farms. We drove through the Delaware Gap National Park and enjoyed the view of the Delaware River. We arrived in Connecticut 7 days ago. This is where I spent my time in the summer growing up. My oldest sister, Linda, still lives in our family home. It was a fun week visiting with Linda and her husband, Tawn. We also had a few days with my cousin Ed ... read more

We arrived in Cherokee, North Carolina 5 days ago. We had a nice trip through Mississippi and Alabama. Stayed in an Alabama State Park on the Tennessee River. Very beautiful with marinas and large r.v. spaces. Cherokee is the entrance to the Smoky Mountain National Park on the North Carolina side. We are staying in the Indian Creek R.V. Park which has the Indian Creek running through it. Cherokee is located on a reservation and there is an outstanding museum located in the town which gives a complete history of the Cherokee Indians and their experiences living in this area. The Smoky Mountain National Park is just full of spectacular views and we spent 1 day exploring the park. The next day we drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway which gives you a different perspective of ... read more