We left our hotel this morning at 7:30 and 68 degrees with a long drive ahead of us…all the way to Oklahoma City. There was not much time for touristy things today. We had to save it for the memorial. And that is what we did. We were not on the road for five minutes when we crossed the Missouri River. The water was quite low and I wondered, how could the water be low on the Missouri River and high on the Mississippi. I haven’t a clue, but that was my observation. We crossed more corn fields today…huge farms. And we saw soy beans again, too. The plants were young and low to the ground and the leaves were flowing with the breeze, creating a wonderful shimmering effect over the field, of varying shades of ... read more

We got an early start today, knowing that we had a long road ahead. The plan was to drive from Dubuque, IA to St. Louis, MO. So we got up early and set out at 7:25 and 70 degrees. And the temps actually got up to 91 before the day was through. It took us a few minutes to find the Great River Rd., but we finally did and we pointed the car south. It wasn’t long before we crested a hill and there she was, down in a lush, green valley, the Mighty Mississippi. We frequently had views of her from high on a hill as she flowed along. Again this morning, we were in rolling hills, sometimes high above the river and sometimes right there beside her, close enough to touch. And when we ... read more

We hit the road at 8:20 and 64 degrees. Not to be fooled, however, the temps got up to 86 degrees before the day was over. So we dressed for a warm day, and a glorious day it was. We had bright sunshine most of the day, save the shower we drove through getting to our hotel, but that cleared quickly and the sun came out once again. Today we drove from Sault Saint Marie, MI to Wausau, WI. And there was much to see along the way. The route took us along the southern part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The UP. Our drive began through country roads of heavy forests, where sights of life were few and far between. There was repeated evidence of forest fires, with acres of dead trees with black ... read more

We left Ottawa at 8:24 and 66 degrees and steered the car west toward Huntsville, Ontario. Being on the west side of the city, it was an easy drive out. Soon we were riding through Renfrew, the birthplace of the NHL, back in 1909. The downtown area looks like small-town America, reminding me of my hometown in Maine. It is old, but charming with businesses lining the downtown streets, housed in 2 or 3 story buildings built in the early part of the last century. And the town seemed to be thriving, for we saw no empty storefronts. We drove through miles of farmlands teeming with golden wheat ready for harvest, young wheat striving to turn from green to yellow, soybean plants hugging the ground in lush leafy carpets of dark green and off, away from ... read more

Geo: 28.3467, -81.4801My father always used to say that persistence pays off. And so it did. On 8/12/16, at 8:15 and 77 degrees we made our fourth attempt to see the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. In years past it was always hidden behind a thick curtain of fog and just driving safely through it to the other side was a challenge. This year it was sunny and clear and we saw it in all of its glory. The mountains, which do not rise above the tree line, are covered in a lush blanket of dark green trees. And the flatlands are teeming with wildlife. We saw a bear in a tree eating cherries and we saw deer grazing in fields of tall yellow grass. The drive took us through winding roads up and over hills ... read more