ROAD CLOSED (REALLY? ARE YOU SURE?)

Here is my question of the week - When a normal person saw the gates down, that person would know that the highway was closed (dangerous road condition or in anticipation of a major snowstorm), then why would there be a need to add the sign that reads, "Road Closed"?

Could it be because some "highly intelligent" motorists would still try to get around the gates, then had to be rescued when their vehicle got stuck on the closed highway?  I bet even with the gate down and the sign "Road Closed" with flashing lights, someone would still ignore the obvious warnings.  Call me heartless, but I don't want emergency personnel to risk their life to save those who don't obey the rules.  Don't bother saving these people; I bet they won't ignore the warning signs next time!  Comments, anyone?

ONE STEP AT A TIME

I did not really pay much attention to any daredevil performances before or anyone who tried to set world record by doing something extreme (i.e. sitting in a box suspended in midair for 7 days or climbing a tall building).

I watched Nik Wallenda walked across the Little Colorado River gorge near Grand Canyon because the Grand Canyon was one of the most amazing places I have been to.  We were there in 2009 during our Route 66 Adventure.  It was so majestic and incredibly beautiful.  I especially was glad that we stayed at a hotel right at the Grand Canyon and got up real early in the morning and had the whole place all for ourselves.  No crowd, no heat and seeing the Canyon in the morning sun was absolutely glorious.

I am not afraid of height but got ozzy when I looked down at the Colorado River, even from behind the rail.

The lesson I learned from watching Wallenda walking across the Grand Canyon was (1) just take one step at a time towards your goals; (2) you must have steady feet and concentrate on what or where you are going; (3) draw your strength knowing there are others supporting and cheering you on; (4) most importantly, trust in God for He will always provide what you need.

IS MY HORSE READY?

It has been a pleasant week after the big snow storm on Sunday.  The snow has melted.  The temperature is holding steady at upper 40s and we all love the sunny bright blue sky.  I am ready to get on my "horse" to go riding on another annual 4,000+ miles road trip again - go West geezer - haa haa !!!!!!

BOTTOM UP (BENJAMIN HAD A GOOD TIME IN OLD KENTUCKY HOME)

As you could see, Benjamin had a great time (big smile) when he accompanied us on our Labor Day weekend, a short 3-day (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) road trip to Old Kentucky Home.  We left St. Louis on Saturday, Sept. 1st at 8:31 after filling up the gas tank on the Mustang.  Gas price was $3.87 for mid-grade.  (The T-bird must have premium and that is another reason why we take the Pony instead.)  We took breaks for a quick breakfast, at rest stops, and continued driving until 14:07 and decided that it was time for lunch in Round Hill, Kentucky.  We got to Mammoth Cave in Cave City, KY around 15:31.   The rain started just as we were walking down into the cave.  It was an interesting tour but I might have been "over-caved" (is there such a word?) because we just saw Ruby Falls (inside a cave) in Tennessee in July.   After Mammoth Cave, we continued on and beddown in Louisville, KY at 21:52.  (We planned to stay at the Wigwam Motel #2 in Cave City, KY but that did not happen.  It was a long story so I will have to explain in another post.) 

Next day (Sunday, Sept. 2nd) we attended 0900 Mass at St. Ritas Church in Louisville, KY.  It was sunny when we left the church but became cloudy by the time we got to Jim Bean in Clermont, KY.    While waiting for the tour to start at noon, we sat in the rocking chairs on the front porch of the historic home where three generations of the Beams lived way back when.  On display inside the house were family photos and heirlooms.  By the time we walked over to Warehouse D, the oldest rack house built by Jim Beam after prohibition, the rain were pouring so hard that we were stucked inside with nothing to do except looking at Kentucky's finest bourbon aging in 20,000 oak barrels!     

We were cold and hungry by the time we drove into Bardstown, KY.  USA Today and Rand McNalley named Bardstown one of the Most Beautiful Small Towns in America.  Bardstown was also mentioned in the book, "1,000 Places to See Before You Die".  Well, we did not see much because the rain was pouring.  We could not find a restaurant that was open along 3rd Street in the beautiful downtown Bardstown because it was 1300 hour on a Sunday and a holiday.  Someone might have taken a picture of me with rain dripping down begging "Sweet Mama" to let me in at Mammy's Kitchen!  We finally found a restaurant that was open for lunch, across from My Old Kentucky Home State Park.  Next stop was Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY.  (to be continued)   

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (WHAT MISSION?)

This post is way long overdue. One month late to be exact! Originally this post was dated February 29th because I felt that I would not be able to proudly claim "Mission Accomplished" if I did not publish all 29 posts during the month of February in the year of 2012. I promise that this would be the last time I set this silly goal posting each day during the month of February.

At first the goal of posting everyday was fun and helpful, keeping me motivated when I don't feel like blogging or have no interesting story to share. But then it became such a chore and the goal was meaningless. I cheated by creating a new post everyday but then trying to catch up a few days or even a week later. Who am I kidding?

Then I could not move on to more posting in March. It was as if I was stuck in 2nd gear. (Well, playing Scrabble was part of the reason.) I read somewhere about how social media has created a kind of "zombie" state of mind in modern society. Words are instantly transmitted and people write, blog or text without thinking, whatever happens to be on their mind and often without any consideration for others. My Dad often reminded me to be careful because once the words were spoken, you could not ask the other person to forget what was said. "Communicate only 1/3 of what is on your mind.", he wrote in the Guest Book when he visited us in 1996. How I wish I was able to follow Dad's advise each time I open my big mouth!

You probably want to know why these photos from Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir in Utah. No particularly reason. Just because I was so impressed with the structure, especially the sort-of rainbow/archway bridge, just like the time when I could not stop talking/writing about the Hoover Dam. If you are in the neighborhood, be sure to visit "George".

FIRST FRIDAY SKY 2012

I did not watch the Rose Bowl football game between Oregon and Wisconsin and I only watched part of the parade. I just thought the above photo taken in July 2010 when we were outside of the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasedena, California and other photos from the same trip were fitting for the first 2012 Friday Sky post. The Rose Bowl game is traditionally played on New Year's Day, same as the Tournament of Roses Parade, but since January 1, 2012 fell on Sunday, the game and the parade were scheduled on Monday, January 2nd.

The water tower with the "Historic Route 66" shield was more than just a welcoming sign as we drove straight into Kingman, Arizona. It was comforting whenever we saw the landmarks mentioned in the guidebook. We needed to know that we were on the right track. We did not mind the few times when we were off course and had to turn around. But when the temperature was over 100, we were hungry and have driven the whole day, finding a town with plenty of eateries and cold drinks definitely made a person feel better!There was little chance of missing the giant US Route 66 shield outside the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma. On the complex, there were 2 giant Kachinas in front of the old Trading Post. Visitors could walk around the Old Town Museum, sort-of an outdoor museum, that included buildings depicted what was once life on Old 66, auto camping with old vehicles in the desert, neon tourist courts, motels, diners and gas stations. Murals, memorabilia and recorded narration provided stories of the Mother Road.

OLD FAITHFUL - YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING

This is the last post of 2011 (I know I have been "cheating" with publishing posts that were "back-dated" but this is my blog and I "cheat" if I want to - hee hee). Since I ended the year in high note with photos from the Grand Teton, I thought images from Old Faithful would be sort-of like the "old man" fitting for the outgoing year.

A nice feature about admission fee ($25 per vehicle) at the Yellowstone was that it was good for seven days for access to both Yellowstone and Grand Teton. From the North Entrance, the first attraction was Mammoth Hot Springs. We briefly stopped to look at the Terrace but did not walk around and up all the stairs since it looked like it required a lot of energy. We did not even go into the Visitor Center there. We thought we should save our strengh for other points of interests. We continued to follow the directions to Sheapeater Cliff, Indian Creek, Roaring Mountain, Norris Geyer Basin, Steamboat Geyer and could not pull ourselves away from Gibbon Falls. Following Firehole Canyon, Fountain Paint Pots, Lower Geyer Basin, Biscuit Basin, Black Sand Basin and finally arrived at Old Faithful. We simply followed the path leading to where the crowd was. We could hear the hot, hissing steam rises from the ground when we got closer. Since you could see the steam from miles away, there was no point in fighting the crowd to get any closer.

There it was, the one and only Old Faithful, famous for its regularity and awesome power of "blowing" steam approximately 130 to 180 feet high, very 90+ minutes or so. (We did not try to set our watch based on Old Faithful eruptions. Not that we doubted its accuracy.) From any angle surrounding the geyer would be impressive views, so there was no need to be right in front, except if you are unable to stand, then there are benches you could sit down. You could also view the geyser activties from comfortable rocking chairs on the deck of the Old Faithful Inn.

Let's hope that Old Faithful will be as "faithful" in blowing steams for many more generations to come.

LAST FRIDAY SKY IN 2011- GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

After the whole day (Wednesday, September 7th) at Yellowstone National Park, we again entered thru the North Entrance from Gardiner, Montana to get to the Grand Teton National Park. We were overwhelmed by the manificient jagged mountains rising 7,000 feet with the chiseled peaks touching the blue sky. It was postcard perfect views all around us.

The unparalleled majestic mountains, the limitless blue sky, wide open spaces, we were awestrucked by the views around. Even though all the guidebooks and brochures listed abundant wildlife that fill the wilderness, most of the wildlife we saw, from very far away, were large herd of bissons, a few antelopes, a couple of deer, but no bighorn sheep, elk or moose. We did not mind not running into any grizzlies or black bear.

There was a young man (late 30s) from Finland who told us that he travelled by himself. "Johan" picked up a rental car from California and was on a month long trip across America. He approached us asking if we could take his picture. He then returned the favor and took our picture. Then as my husband spent time taking photos of his precious Pony, Johan took off ahead of us. Moving on to the next observation point, we again took photo for Johan and he took photo for us. When we saw Johan standing next to his car at the next stop, I realized he was waiting for us to repeate the "ritual". I had to laugh after the third time, Johan handed his camera to us as soon as we got out of our car and without saying a word, my husband took a photo for Johan. Then we handed our camera to Johan and switched the spot where he stood so he could take our photo. After a few more times, we waved good bye and wished Johan a safe trip when he finally took off for good!

Not that I would ever do it but I thought it would be a once in a life-time experience to witness what would be beyond words to describe the view of the moon over the jagged peaks of the Grand Teton. Since this is the last "Friday Sky" post of 2011, I thought featuring the Grand Teton would end the year with a high note - haa haa

GREAT TIMES IN 2011 (THE YEAR IN REVIEW)

The year was coming to an end. I thought I should write about all the great times in 2011. Sure, there were bad (the worst and the really ugly) times but I would rather remember all the good instead. Let's start with the 31st anniversary of my family coming to America (we arrived JFK International Airport in New York City late evening on January 10, 1980). We've sure came a long way since then. I was a 19-year old refugee with hopes and dreams of saving the world. This year, I turned 50 in February, with hopes and dreams of seeing all the Original Six home games! In April, Da Qaptain came to St. Louis to run the Marathon. The visit was short, but we had a great time (Qap was disappointed with the Marathon being cut to only half because of the warm temperature but let's remember only the good thing, eh?) The following month (May), my sister and I spent a few days drinking and dancing on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans - haa haa. My husband and I celebrated our 22nd Wedding Anniversary in June. He still tells everyone that I "dragged" my feet on the way to the altar and the floor still shows the "skid" marks from my shoes. He also says that it was actually my parents' idea (not mine) to walk me down the aisle because they wanted to make sure I would not change my mind. My parents could not wait to marry me, their 28-year old daughter off!

In July, we began driving a portion of Lincoln Highway from St. Louis to Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio with a detour to Michigan. Last year (2010) we completed Route 66 Adventure with a road trip that totalling 4,437 miles, all the way to Santa Monica Pier in California.

August/September were busy months with three weddings, all from my husband side of the family. A wedding in Houston, Texas in August and two weddings in September, one in Michigan and the other in Colorado. When attending weddings, since most people take photos of the bride/groom, the wedding party (the adults), I enjoyed capturing images of the kids, especially the flower girls (above). It was pure beauty as I watched the girls playing around, unaware of the ceremony and all the "fussing" the adults were creating.

In September, we continued our Lincoln Highway Adventure, driving from St. Louis to Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and to Colorado for the wedding in Vail. We drove a total of 3,838 miles. I was happy when we finally got home after almost 10 days on the road. But after a few days of rest, I was ready to be "on the road again"!

The above is the North Entrance into the Yellowstone National Park from Gardiner, Montana. We spent one full day at Yellowstone and another day driving thru the Grand Teton. We did not rush thru but there was so much to see that I wished we could have a whole week just driving around the parks. These were great times in 2011 and plannings are already in place for our 2012 road trips.

FROM SAVANNAH WITH LOVE

That is right - I took these photos during my visit this week to Savannah, Georgia. (It was the reason why I am behind with blogging, trying to catch up with new posts.) My sister moved from NYC to Atlanta in September. I thought it would be nice to see where she lives and I would love to see Savannah again. We attended a conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina in 1998. After the conference, we drove to Savannah and I immediately fell in love with the city.

I flew into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, picked up the car rental and drove to Atlantic Station where my sister lives. CH lives in a modern "Live, Work, Play" area. The next day we drove to Savannah. It was a four-hour drive but a simple route to follow. We took I-75 South for about an hour and then merged onto I-16 East for about 2.5 hours, right into Savannah.

I am going to borrow a few words from the Official Visitor Guide to describe this beautiful city and how it captured my heart. The moss-draped trees, the lush, tree-filled squares (all 27 of them), the picture-perfect cobblestone streets, the history and mystery in the architecture that were well preserved, and so much more that would give visitors a memorable experience of the Old South charm and its exquisite beauty.

We strolled the city's streets, stopping at the city squares to learn about this grid-like model of urban planning, homes, churches and businesses around each square, each with its own distinctive style. My sister pointed out the Moon River Brewing Company at 21 W. Bay Street. She explained that Savannah's only brew pub was the location of a Ghost Adventures where the crew was locked down for the night and did have a paranormal experience.

We had a full schedule while in Savannah. I even managed to attend a 7:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. After a walk along the Riverfront, lunch at the Cotton Exchange, Da Sistas enjoyed a 45-minute carriage ride around the Historic District. More about our dinner at Paula Deen The Lady & Sons Restaurant in future posts. My 2nd visit to Savannah was wonderful as in 1998. The City has so much beauty, charm and I love learning more about its history. Savannah definitely is on my list of many more returning visits.

FRIDAY "BIG SKY" MONTANA THAT IS!

Tuesday, September 6th - We were in Crow Country where the Crow Reservation is located in south-central Montana, about 10 miles from Billings. The Reservation covers approximately 2.2 million acreas. There are about 10,000 of enrolled Crow tribe members that live on or near the Reservation.

Someone wrote an article about his experience moving to Montana and the Big Sky Country changed his lifestyle. The person wrote that he learned to appreciate living in the vast open space. There is some kind of magical about the land. He wrote, "You could not be a jerk when you live and fall in love with the Big Sky Country." I could not wait to visit Montana again. If I was given an opportunity, I would love to live there, except during hockey and football seasons!

We passed by many large herds of cattle. It looked like they were rounded up to be ready for the next train ride. We tried to tell them that they were not going to Disney Land. We wonder if the cattles knew what Texas Roadhouse was! It was a lot of fun running parellel with the train. It helped when we were the only few vehicles on the road and there was nothing to see but cattles and grassland!

One of our favorite activities during our roadtrips was taking a break with a stop for pies and coffee. I love peace/blackberry cobbler, coconut cream pie and blueberry pie. My husband usually selected chocolate cream pie or double chocolate cake. The Bozeman Trail Steakhouse was not yet open for dinner but the young lady was kind enough to let us in and served us pies and coffee. After a full day of driving with a few stops at Devils Tower (Wyoming) and the Little Bighorn Battlefield (Montana), we were ready for a good night of rest. We could not wait for tomorrow when we knew we would have a great time at Yellowstone National Park.

2011 WESTWARD ROAD TRIP

(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.

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.