(In a blink of an eye, the month of September flew by. It is Friday, September 30th and here I am trying to catch up with postings that will be in reverse chronological. To all my adoring fans and faithful readers, thank you for your concern. I am fine, just got off the blogging tracks and it took awhile for geezer like me to get back - haa haa.) Our 2011 Westward road trip began when we left St. Louis around 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 2nd. We stopped for an early dinner in Hannibal, Missouri. After checking in at a hotel in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, we walked across the street to a local diner for homemade pies. The next day, Saturday, September 3rd we drove a fairly straight line across the vast land of cornfields of Iowa. At around 5:00 p.m. we crossed the state line into Nebraska.Sunday, September 4th - we woke up to a beautiful day in downtown Columbus, Nebraska. After 8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Bonaventure Church, we got back on the road continued following Lincoln Highway. 
Exactly as written in the Lincoln Highway Companion guidebook by Brian Butko, trains were a constant companion as we drove across Nebraska. Giant grain silos, cows and horses dominated the landscape. On Monday, September 5th, we could not wait to get on the road to get out of Nebraska. Nothing against the good people of Nebraska or the State, just a negative experience in Sidney, NE that almost ruined our vacation. I promise I will explain later what happened. We cross the state line into South Dakota at 10:50 a.m. After visited Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore, we drove to Sturgis. I was tempted to get a tattoo and a Harley to drive around town with the boys! After dinner at Easyriders Saloon, we were ready for a night of rest in a room with clean bed and no extra charge for soap and towels - haa haa.
Tuesday, September 6th - It was a sunny but a bit cool morning when we arrived in Aladdin, Wyoming. After a good breakfast at Cindy's Diner, we felt strong and ready to face Devils Tower National Monument. After Devils Tower, we took I-90 straight into Montana. It was a nice surprise and a learning opportunity at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. We arrived in Gardiner, Montana around 9:30 p.m. only to be told that our room reservation was cancelled. Fortunately, we were able to find another hotel nearby. Another not-too-pleasant experience but when we spoke to that hotel the next day, the matter was resolved to our satisfaction. I promise to share the details in future post. We spent the following day, Wednesday, September 7th, at Yellowstone National Park. It was most memorable and definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Old Faithful was as young and energetic as ever!
Thursday, September 8th - We drove thru the Grand Teton National Park. After exited the South Entrance, we proceed on US-191 and stopped for a night in Rock Springs, Wyoming. The next day, Friday, September 9th, after breakfast we decided to visit Dagget County, Utah before heading toward Vail, Colorado for a niece's wedding on Saturday, September 10th. JP was one of the flower girl at our wedding 23+ years ago!
Sunday, September 11th - We did not leave Beaver Creek, Colorado until after a 10:00 a.m. brunch. I did most of the driving heading east on I-70. CP took over when it was getting dark. We stopped for the night in Hays, Kansas. The next day, Monday, September 12th we got up around 6:30 a.m. eager to get on the road. We had a wonderful time but after 10 days on the road, we were happy to be home.
We pulled into our driveway around 5:30 p.m. After we unloaded everything from the Mustang, I took off to a city council meeting scheduled at 7:00 p.m.
Exactly as written in the Lincoln Highway Companion guidebook by Brian Butko, trains were a constant companion as we drove across Nebraska. Giant grain silos, cows and horses dominated the landscape. On Monday, September 5th, we could not wait to get on the road to get out of Nebraska. Nothing against the good people of Nebraska or the State, just a negative experience in Sidney, NE that almost ruined our vacation. I promise I will explain later what happened. We cross the state line into South Dakota at 10:50 a.m. After visited Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore, we drove to Sturgis. I was tempted to get a tattoo and a Harley to drive around town with the boys! After dinner at Easyriders Saloon, we were ready for a night of rest in a room with clean bed and no extra charge for soap and towels - haa haa.
Tuesday, September 6th - It was a sunny but a bit cool morning when we arrived in Aladdin, Wyoming. After a good breakfast at Cindy's Diner, we felt strong and ready to face Devils Tower National Monument. After Devils Tower, we took I-90 straight into Montana. It was a nice surprise and a learning opportunity at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. We arrived in Gardiner, Montana around 9:30 p.m. only to be told that our room reservation was cancelled. Fortunately, we were able to find another hotel nearby. Another not-too-pleasant experience but when we spoke to that hotel the next day, the matter was resolved to our satisfaction. I promise to share the details in future post. We spent the following day, Wednesday, September 7th, at Yellowstone National Park. It was most memorable and definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Old Faithful was as young and energetic as ever!
Thursday, September 8th - We drove thru the Grand Teton National Park. After exited the South Entrance, we proceed on US-191 and stopped for a night in Rock Springs, Wyoming. The next day, Friday, September 9th, after breakfast we decided to visit Dagget County, Utah before heading toward Vail, Colorado for a niece's wedding on Saturday, September 10th. JP was one of the flower girl at our wedding 23+ years ago!
Sunday, September 11th - We did not leave Beaver Creek, Colorado until after a 10:00 a.m. brunch. I did most of the driving heading east on I-70. CP took over when it was getting dark. We stopped for the night in Hays, Kansas. The next day, Monday, September 12th we got up around 6:30 a.m. eager to get on the road. We had a wonderful time but after 10 days on the road, we were happy to be home.
We pulled into our driveway around 5:30 p.m. After we unloaded everything from the Mustang, I took off to a city council meeting scheduled at 7:00 p.m.I spent the next two weeks washing, cleaning, putting together a spreadsheet of expenditure, organizing items we collected from places we visited and sorting thru all the photos. Then my home laptop was attacked by virus. The "computer guy" was busy so it took a few days before I got my laptop back. Fortunately I saved all my correspondence and photos on the flash drives. I only had to put back all the favorites websites and re-connect the printer. It feels good to return to normal routines. I look forward to sharing photos and stories from our trip. Thank you for visiting and please come back again soon.
1 comment:
Wow, what a trip...you all did a lot of miles and saw so much !
I was just talking about these exact places and sights to my hair stylist today. When my Hubs retires, we are going to all these places to visit. Loved your post and missed you too !
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