The End

We came over the bridge at Shasta Lake this year again. Last year we were horrified about how far down it was......BUT this year, it was so far down that there is grass growing on the bottom of the lake about 1/4 mi from the boat dock. If there isn't a 400% normal rainfall this winter I'm pretty sure it will dry up by next year. WE NEED TO CONSERVE ALL THE WATER WE CAME, CALIFORNIA IS DEFINETLY RUNNING OUT OF WATER. I told Neil maybe I should sell my house and go somewhere that has water. We had rain everywhere we went except Ca. We tried to bring it home with us.

We arrived home on Sept 9th, after spending 12 hours the LAST DAY getting home. We left the Elks Lodge in Madras Oregon, at 8:30AM and got home at 8:30PM. We've started getting the motorhome unpacked, but we've been running since we got here. We need a vacation to recuperate from the vacation. Tomorrow, we have no plans, but Sunday we will go to the Bay Area to see Pauline (Neil's mother-in-law) who fell and broke her hip.

We've had other sadness this year, My Aunt Hulda passed away at the age of 96 yrs. I sent her postcards from all the sites that we went to. She really liked to hear about the trip and she said it was like being with us. I was close to her, and I just can't hardly believe she is really gone. I will miss her alot.


These pictures were taken on the "Enchanted Highway" in ND. They were erected by a family there, taking as much as 3 years for some of them. We kinda felt like they were just an attraction to draw people into a town in ND out in the middle of nowhere. It worked, we went to the town, but we didn't go to the gift shops.

I'm really glad to be home and am not even thinking about going again soon. I don't think 4 1/2 mos away from home is something I'd like to do again soon. NO Thunder, lightning, hail, tornados, is just not for me. I also learned that I don't like all the traffic either, but the worst traffic we had was Spokane Wa at rush hour and Modesto at 8:00 at night. KC Mo wasn't as bad.

Until next time............maybe next year Be Safe & Healthy N&S

IDAHO

This factory was near my friends, in Rathdrum ID. Which is just a few miles from Couer D'Alene, we went there today to the government supplied FREE dump for motorhomes. WHY doesn't Ca have all the stuff these other smaller and less populated areas have. I'm sure they get less government money too. ??????

We went to the Buck Knife Factory, in Post Falls ID. This was one of the most interesting tours we have found on our trips. They showed us the rolled steel that they start with. Rolls weren't real big but they weighed 275 lbs. From there they showed us the processes from beginning to the finished knife in the box out to shipping. It was VERY interesting to see them made.

We've been on a number on interesting tours. I know another favorite was the Zippo factory 4 years ago.

This was a pretty mountain we saw when we were leaving ND.

We have learned since we've been in ID that the people of ID don't care much for people from CA. Last time we were here we were run off the road by a guy from Id. Was kinda weird.... We've seen alot of stuff on this trip, but we are both getting tired and wanting to get home. We're just kinda waiting for the weekend to get over with and we will leave here Tues morn. Don't know just when we'll get home, but we hoping to be home by Fri. Got appts next week. Life goes on after vacations. We're sayinf we're not going next year, but tonight Neil was looking for places we haven't been.

Hope to see everyone when we get home. Don't know how many more places we will see between now and then... Until......N&S

Minnesota & North Dakota

Click ON pics to enlargwe them. This was Medora North Dakota. This was in an amphitheatre. It was on top of a hill. It was a beautiful view (before dark) of the mountains of the Badlands of ND. I had never heard of badlands in ND. Always learn new things. The acrobats of the show were the Peking Acrobats, and they sure put on a show.

This was yours Truly in the Spam factory in Austin MN. We kinda went there so we could tell our friend John that we'd been there.

You don't actually tour the plant, they have a museum you go through, but that was cool too...

This was the campground in Austin MN. We went to the office, signed in, and they escorted us to the actual campground which was a goooood 1/2 mi from the office, and we were the only ones in the camp. There were trees on three sides and a cornfield on the other. Needless to say it was quiet...and Dark

Until next time....N&S

North Dakota

These were metal figures made on the Enchanted Highway. A 20 mi tourist attraction to a town that normally would be ignored. We drove to it, but didn't go into the gift shops. Not good tourist.

Neil being himself (Mature) why I like him. The picture with me in it, was taken in the writing shack that was used by Louis L'Amour. They say this is where he spent the first 15 years of his life, and went to school.
This was the same place where the White Buffalo were.

Jamestown, North Dakota

White Buffalo Jamestown ND

We will have more pictures later, when we get the throw away camera developed. Yes, I forgot the camera..

We're in Jamestown, North Dakota.

This was the Frontier Museum, they have 3 white buffalo. The male was born in 1996 and given to the museum, then in 2003 they got another one and then they had a calf born last year. It was rather odd to see White Buffalo. Neil & I had trouble saying it too, every time we'd say it, it came out"White Elephant". We've had a lot of interesting things on this trip. When we get the pics developed we have some cute stuff taken with it.

This is the town where Louis L'Amour was raised and we saw what they call "The Writing Shack" where he wrote stories. We also saw all of the books he had written, but Neil thinks I have more than they do. Jerry always read Louis L'Amour books and I also started reading them one time I was looking for something to read, and I think I've read almost all of them. That was pretty cool to read. A man in Frontier Village, told me that a man that lived 25 mi south of Jamestown also was the man that wrote the Wizard of Oz.

We are leaving here first thing in the morn. There is a town West of here that is supposed to be something to see, so we will soon find out. Until then, Be Safe, Healthy and Happy N&S

Springfield IL

Yep, Neil & I are in the picture with the Lincoln Family, so I mus be a littleover 29, maybe 1/2

This is the Lincoln home.

We went on a tour of Lincoln's Tomb. We learned so much about him, the grave robberies, how many times he was moved and embombed. The wax figures we are pictured with, we so realistic looking you could almost see them breathing. We met Dale & Jim Ford at the cemetery and this time with them in the cemetery we didn't get locked in. We asked where a good place to have lunch would be. The people told us D'Arcy's Pint, the name was questionable at first, but we had food fit for King's. The specialty dish sounded gross, but everyone said it was wonderful and it looked good so we ordered, except Dale, she had a boring Rueben. We had a hambuger on a pc. of texas toast, covered with french fries, cheese sauce topped with bacon bits and deep fried jalapeno's. I had the pony version, Neil & Jim had the horseshoe version, and we brought enough home with us that it will be dinner tonight.

On Sunday, we went to the Lincoln Library, (which is a research library, and saw the pictures and then went back to the museum and saw a movie in the Union Theatre, that was the pres. years, and wars "Thru Lincoln's Eyes". Something you shouldn't miss when you go there.

We went to the Lincoln's Home which was a nice tour, and they allowed photos during this tour. At lunch time we again asked where to eat and were told that the "Cafe Brio" was good, and it was wonderful and the service was superb and beyond. The waitress told us we should miss New Salem, and on our recipt she gave us directions, so we decided to go there and see something different.

It was a really realistic village of log cabin homes, stores and blacksmith shops. Just when we decided to end our walk thru the town, we got to the gift shop and it began pouring down rain and when we left to go to the car we got soaked to the skin.

So tomorrow, we are off to Iowa and we will stop and see Dale & Jim Ford, and tell them what they need to go back to Springfield and see that they missed.

Food

Neil & I have decided we are going to start a Book on "The Worst Places in America To Eat" we seem to have found our luck isn't good on picking places to eat. We ate at a cracker barrel and the biscuit actually had grease dripping from it when you picked it up, Yummmm. We went to a place at KS Hwy 56 & U S Hwy 75 called Four Corners, "Worst steak I ever tried to eat....We went to the Hen House in Springfield Illinois tonight, and Yuck is a Good word to describe the fish , but the hamburger was good.

I thought Gates BBQ In KC, KS was wonderful, but my cousin says it's too spicy. He's a Wimp LOL

Tomorrow we are meeting Dale & Jim Ford at the Cemetery. We went to visit them in Burlington Iowa a few years back and they took us to the cemetery, so we figure it as an excellent place to meet them when they come to see us. Actually it is Oakridge Cemetery where Lincoln't Tomb is, but I had to tell you what we find entertaining.

Until tomorrow night Late.......Have a Good One N&S

Hannibal MO

Just another pretty house. Mississippi River. We went to the Mark Twain Museum. We took the Trolley tour of Hannibal MO it was a nice tour and our guide was a real comedian, Neil thought he was hilairous..

To left is Tom Sawyer's House and lower middle is Becky Thatcher's house being re-done and a model of Mark Twain Riverboat Ride

Of course, Tom & Huck and there was Neil (remember) the old guy.

Mark Twain Statue

We leave here in the morning and go about 120 mi to Springfield IL, to the Lincoln Library.. So until next time,,,,,,,Be Safe & Healthy Love ya N&S