If you’re new here, we are Andrew and Loralee Scherf. We have been wandering the country for the last two years and enjoying the sights of our beautiful country. Even with two years under our belt, we still have so much to see. Our goal was to see all the western US and we have almost accomplished that goal. Be sure to join us on our travels by hitting the subscribe button.
If you missed our last post, we were in Monterey celebrating father/daughter birthdays. We have now returned to the Central Valley to take care of some business.
We landed at Riverbend RV park which is only a short distance from our house. If you are interested in visiting Sequoia National Park, this is a great place to stay with only 38 miles to the Visitor Center.
you can walk down to the King’s River while on the property,We occasionally have seen wildlife. This is outside our rig.A relaxing place to see and enjoy nature.
While we were in town, we spent some time giving our house some TLC. We had some painting done to the exterior of the house and later to the interior of the house.
We took a little break and went to a fabulous Harvest Host named Big Rock Ranch for Mother’s Day. If you’re unfamiliar with Harvest Host, it is an annual fee membership that allows you to stay overnight at farms, wineries, breweries, and more with no camping fees. At this Harvest Host, the views were amazing, and the citrus smells were outstanding.
Anothony is a retired gourmet chef and fixes a great meal in his outdoor kitchen for his guests. Juanita, his partner in crime in the kitchen, was a wonderful hostess. The food was amazing! I can’t believe they cooked it all outdoors.
A petite filet mignon, baked potato and carrots.
Chicken breast Piccata baked potato and carrots
Fresh baked bread as well.
The sunset was breathtaking before dinner, and the next morning Tony gave us a bag of citrus.
Just breathtaking!
Isn’t the saying “When life give you lemons, make lemonade!”
Our dinner was better than you would get at a restaurant, and it was a wonderful Mother’s Day. We would definitely go again.
Moving Day
Topanga moved out of the dorms and into an apartment with her best friends that she met in college. So, we packed up a U-Haul and hit the road.
After settling in, we walked across the street to Sizzler and had dinner.
The prime rib was much better than the steak, it had so much flavor. The steak didn’t have much flavor.
From Los Angeles, we came back to the valley to take care of some more family business, and we headed to our son’s house to see our grandbaby. I can’t get enough of this little cutie and her dad. She is getting so big!
We stayed at one of our favorite Harvest Hosts in Hillmar; Ken, the host, is awesome! This is a dairy farm that provides milk for the cheese factory in Hillmar. We absolutely love Harvest Host because we get to meet the most amazing people along the way.
Getting out of the valley
After being in the valley for a month, we felt the need get away for a little bit. We traveled to Bakersfield as we traveled to Los Angeles again. This time we stopped at Orange Grove RV Park and Resort in Bakersfield off of highway 58 over the Tehachapi’s. https://www.orangegrovervpark.com/?
Each site has an orange tree and the smells are great. We have stayed here before and enjoyed it. When you get there, you first turn into the property and see the office. The check in is super easy.
Outside the office is a pool that we sat and put our feet in to cool off.
Beside the office, is a relaxing clubhouse with a pool table upstairs. We enjoyed a few games on a break for Andrew.
The view down below is a nice place to sit and relax.
They have a nice little dog park for your fur babies.
While we were in Bakersfield, Andrew decided to surprise me with a dinner reservation at the Buck Owens Crystal Palace. https://www.buckowens.com/ This is a country music Legendary Music Venue where legends have sung.
The Encore Steak Sandwich was very good!
Dorthy’s Favorite Filet Mignon was so very good. The meat was cooked to perfection of medium. I loved it!
The opening act was so fun, and Kelly was able to get people engaged with the music.
The main act was Stampede, a local band that performs often at the Crystal Palace. People were on the dance floor having a good time burning off the dinner that they enjoyed.
It was such a great date night!
We next headed down to Los Angeles and stayed at the fabulous Valencia Travel Village in Valencia. We have been here many times on our way to the Los Angeles area. While here, we visited the Canyon Theatre Guild in Newhall to enjoy the show The Play That Goes Wrong. Anything that can go wrong, did wrong; It was a quirky and funny play.
Miss California Send off
If you have been following us, you know that our youngest daughter is involved with the Miss America Organization. She is the current Miss Culver City and they had a nice send off for family and friend to wish the girls good luck for the Miss California Scholarship competition. We had a nice lunch at Fu’s Palace Restaurant in Los Angles https://www.fuspalacela.com/
She had a wonderful time and it was so nice to meet everyone and enjoy a good meal at the Fu’s Palace Restaurant in Los Angeles.
Next, we headed to Gilroy for a wedding for a family friend. Our family has known the groom for many years while the boys grew up. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding, and we danced the night away at Eagle Ridge Golf Club.
It was so nice to spend time with my boys.
Stayed tuned as we go to Visalia and we pack up our house! If you enjoy reading about our adventures, please hit the subscribe button and travel with us.
While we were in the central valley, Andrew drove to pick up our daughter as a surprise for her birthday. Of course, as we were heading to the coast, we stopped at Casa De Fruita and spent about an hour there enjoying the sights of the stop.
For as many times as we have stopped here over the years, we didn’t know there were turtles in the lake. So we walked around the lake to enjoy the many turtles sunning on the rocks. There are even Koi fish in the pond as well.
We spent some time looking in the shops and doing some shenanigans.
Andrew and our friend Merry are obsessed with the rubber chicken and their videos. Their favorites belong to King Chicken https://www.youtube.com/@RomeroMay. They are fun to hear.
After playing at Casa, we headed to Monterey’s Cannery Row for the afternoon.
If you go, plan to park far and do a lot of walking, but with so much to see, if doesn’t feel like a lot. Because it was a birthday celebration, we had more shenanigans. We did a pirate adventure just on a spur of the moment. It was a bit pricey, but we had fun. It is a bit like the Buzz Lightyear ride in California Disney. https://canneryrow.com/experience/treasure-hunt-the-ride-is-filled-with-pirate-lore-and-fun/
The monuments of Canery Row
Best Lunch on the pier was at Fish Hopper https://www.fishhopper.com/. We wanted to have a view of the ocean, and this met that criterion.
We started with bread and drinks. I’m not the biggest fan of bread, but Wowzers, this was so good. The Cabernet Sauvignon Francis Ford Coppola was very good and refreshing.I had the Salmon and it was soooo good with a creamy sauce. The portion was small but very filling.Andrew had the fish and chips and he loved it.Autumn had the filet mignon for her birthday lunch, and she said it was cooked to perfection.She had chocolate cake with ice cream to celebrate. I will admit that we shared the dessert, and it was yummy.
It was a great meal, with great views. It was pricey, but very well worth the money spent. We were able to get a seat right away, but I would recommend having a reservation at night.
After lunch, we walked around Steinbeck Plaza and enjoyed the views.
The views were amazing!
The end of a great birthday celebration was had and we close with our birthday buddies. Fun fact, they share a birthday a day a part.
We last left off leaving Iowa and crossed into Missouri. It was so beautiful to watch the farmland pass us by. We stopped at a Boondockers Welcome in Stewartsville, Missouri and met Ken and Robin. These are 2 of the nicest people we have ever met. We spent a couple of hours sitting on their back patio enjoying warm cider and conversation.
We spent the day driving through Kansas and stopping in Oklahoma.
The next day we crossed into Texas and stayed at a Harvest Host in Canyon Texas called Bar Z Winery. Although it was very windy, this was quite a gem. While Andrew worked, I went inside and enjoyed some wine tasting. I spent a couple of hours visiting with the owner and staff and walked out with a bottle of wine.
We next traveled about an hour to Vega Texas. If you haven’t been to Vega Texas, it is a quaint little town. We intended to stay at a Harvest Host for a couple days which was a museum. They had a lot to see, and the host was happy to answer any questions.
We walked around town and learned of the history of the area.
We also read reviews about the best bakery in town. And they were not kidding about the homemade goodies. The bakery is called Mama Jo’s and is owned by Joann Glenn Harwell. Let me tell you, we bought a small peach cobbler pie, and it was so good. So, if you’re in the area, stop in for a sweet and drink, you won’t regret it.
If you’re travelling along Interstate 40, a must do and fun thing to do is Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo Texas If we had more time, we definitely would have stopped. We were here for the first time in 2015, and we had our kids with us. We didn’t have a can of spray paint but found some on sight.
We got up super early in the morning and we were in constant contact with our son. The baby hadn’t arrived yet and we still had time to get there. We saw the sunrise over the plains of New Mexico and what a beautiful sight it was.
We traveled 831 miles in just over 15 hours. We pulled our 5th wheel into the hospital parking lot and got to see our son at 11:00. Due to visiting hours we couldn’t go up and see our sweet granddaughter till the next morning.
We then traveled to their house and stayed nearby with our 5th wheel in the event that they needed help, which they didn’t but it gave us an excuse to visit a few more times.
While staying in the area, we stayed at Oasis West RV Park in Santa Nella, it used to be a KOA but it is no longer. I wouldn’t recommend staying here unless you have to or just passing through.
If you like what you read, please hit the subscribe button and be notified when a new blog is published. Stayed tuned as we celebrate birthdays.
Hello, thank you for joining us. If you’re new to the blog, we are a husband and wife team that travels the country and wants to share our travels with you. So welcome to the blog! If you are returning, welcome back as we traveled north from Springfield, Illinois to Iowa. We stopped at Spoon River rest area for a few hours so Andrew could get some work done before we crossed over the Illinois river and into Iowa.
We stopped at our Boondockers Welcome in Muscatine, Iowa. This is a lovely farm that has ponds that are run by the fish and wildlife service. It was wonderful to listen to all the frogs chirping and making music with the crickets during the daylight hours. Over the trees is the mighty Mississippi River. It was a great stay for one night.
Shortly after getting on I80, we traveled by the World’s Largest Truckstop. We didn’t stop this time, but it definitely looks like someplace we should stop next time. It makes me think of a Buckee’s, if you’re familiar.
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
We started off our day early due to storms coming in later in the day. We were able to spend about an hour at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. There was a lot to see, and we had to go briskly. It is definitely a stop along the way worth visiting; how could you not stop if you haven’t seen it! I would definitely plan for a bit longer than an hour next time.
As a former schoolteacher, I always want to see the school room and try to imagine teaching students of different age levels in one classroom. Times were definitely different back then. The only source of heat was from a potbellied wood burning stove at the back of the classroom.
This school room was also used as the town’s first Quaker meetinghouse and later a meeting house was built. The building was divided in half with the men sitting on the right of the partition, while the woman sat on the left. The Quakers didn’t have a paid minister and they didn’t use music either. They had a practice of “silent waiting” which was worshipping in silence. If the spirit moved them, they could share their insight or prayers. Herbert Hoover described this practice as a “strong training in patience.”
Inside the presidential museum, there was so much to see and not enough time. The highlights for me were:
His oval office looks about the same as every other president.
I can’t even imagine trying to get thread around these pins since the pins are so close together.
A little information about the Hoover Dam since we have been there a few times now. If you ever get the chance to take the tour of the dam and go inside of it, it is very worth the money.
We made the walk up the hill to see the resting place of our 31st. president. President Hoover passed away at the age of 90 in 1964 in New York City. Five days later his body was interred on this hillside overlooking his birthplace and presidential library. His wife Lou Henry Hoover died in 1944 in Palo Alto and was moved to rest beside her husband as this beautiful location.
We then landed in the northeast corner of Iowa just before the storms were due to hit. Luckily, we only had rain and some wind but thankfully no tornadoes. We were there visiting family in the area. As we were traveling to our destination, we came across a town named Winthop, Iowa. A little voice in my head told me I know that city. Do you know that voice that talks to you, no? Okay, maybe it’s just me. Well we couldn’t stop because of the storms so we drove there a few days later after the storm. I wanted to go the cemetery. We pulled into the small town cemetery that had maybe 100 plots. There was nowhere to park other than along side the plots. The first plot we saw turned out to be my great grandparents on my father’s side.
As I walked around the cemetery, I found my second great grandfather, a great aunt that died in infancy, a great grand uncle, and my 3rd great grandmother. This was such a huge find for me since my genealogy is like Swiss cheese. I have been on this journey for 50 years to learn who I am and where I came from.
When we were in Iowa about 15 years ago, we came across a grocery store called Piggly Wiggly. My daughter didn’t believe that was the name of the store, so we went inside and got groceries. As a souvenir, she got a bag with the name on it. Now, every time we are in the area, we have to stop.
We visited the small town of Garnavillo, Iowa which is where Andrew lived until he was 18. It’s always nice to go back and see where he came from.
We drove around the Guttenberg Historic Rivertown. It’s a nice place to walk around the Great Mississippi River.
A lot of history in this small river town. The town was originally named Prairie la Porte, in 1883. In 1844 the Western Settlement Society of Cincinnati was an organization that was founded to aid German immigration. The society purchased 300 acres, and a town was born. Later the name was changed to Guttenberg.
Dyersville was established in 1846-47. I would say there are 2 things that make it famous: the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier church and the Farm that became of movie site.
We have been to the movie site several times over the years and in case you want to visit: beware! The movie site does get snow.Major League Baseball built a new field for the Aug. 12, 2021 game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. The ballpark is big enough to hold 8,000 spectators and the design of the park pays homage to Chicago’s Comiskey Park. If you’re in the area and a baseball fan or not, this is a must stop on your roundtrip.
Stayed tuned to our very fast trip home for a surprise. Please hit the subscribe button to be notified when a new blog is posted.
Our last post was all about Lincoln. Today we wrap up Springfield with a few other interesting sites.
This is the sixth state capital building, and it was completed in 1888 at a cost of $4.3 million. This is the second one in Springfield.
Why, you ask are there so many sites for the state capital? Well the first one, located in Kaskaskia, Illinois, was founded by the French in 1709. It was the territorial capital until 1809. The state had leased a two-story building for the sum of $4.00 a day. When the lease expired, the state let it go and hatched a plan to encourage people to buy land in the interior of the state. So, the capital was moved about 80 miles away to what would be called Vandelia, Illinois. The second capital was finished in 1820 and soon burned down. A third capital was erected in 1824, but many citizens wanted to move the capital toward the middle of the state. In 1836 Lincoln and several lawyers pushed for moving the capital to Springfield. That same year citizens demolished the current state capital, and the 4th was constructed in hopes of keeping it in Vandelia. On February 25, 1837, the general assembly ignored the votes of the people and decided to move the capital to Springfield.
The capital was built between 1837–1840, when Springfield became the capital city. It served as the state house from 1840 to 1876, when it was replaced by the current capital. This site has significance because it is here that Lincoln announced his candidacy for president in 1858 as well as Barrack Obama in 2007. It was in this building that Lincoln would plead cases before the supreme court.
I love their fried chicken! Oh my goodness, not too much batter and the spices mixed with the chicken are just perfect. The apples taste like apple pie without the crust. Wowsers, so good! The mac and cheese, I wanted it to be so good, but it fell a little short.
Andrew had the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and apples. As you can see, he loved the meatloaf, he devoured it before I got the picture taken.
Fun sightings around town.
Found these guys around town. I thinks stores use these for advertising around town.
This mural was on the side of a building near the train depot. It has Springfield notables. It was very big and could be seen as we were driving around town.
Stayed tuned as we travel to Iowa and have fun dodging storms! Please hit the subscribe button to follow along with our travels.
Our last day in Ohio was at a Boondockers Welcome. We came in during a rain storm but we had an absolutely wonderful stay.
I try to capture each state sign but it is not always there, I only get this from the GPS. We stopped at a rest stop in Green Forks, Indiana and spotted this really cool seal on the floor. It was a very clean stop.
We only stayed in Indiana one night. We stayed at the Crawfordsville KOA Journey https://koa.com/campgrounds/crawfordsville/. It was raining when we came in but we got out between storms to take some pictures.
It was a nice big park even with all the puddles.
Our site was nice but we didn’t even unhook in the rain.
A nice play area for the kids when the weather is nice.
A big dog run for your fur babies of all sizes.
They even had these small camping cabins if you are traveling and don’t have a tent or an RV. Neat way to “get out there” and significantly cheaper than a hotel.
I thought this was left out from Halloween, but I think they keep this up all year long. It was kind of funny and made me laugh.
Illinois
We headed to Springfield, Illinois and stayed at Double J Campground. This was a perfect location to see everything in the area.
This wagon is along historic Route 66 and it is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest covered wagon in the world. A statue of Abe Lincoln reading a law book sits in the huge wooden wagon, which stands 24 feet tall. Its a 5-10 min. stop and a great place to let the kids out to stretch their legs.
Double J Campground
This was a very big campground that had something for everyone. They have RV sites and tent sites.
Nice big showers!
So it was good to know where to go in the event of a Tornado.
The restroom was very clean and updated/
A great big playground for the kids to play.We had ladder ball and a big chest set in the grass.As well as a volleyball net.Inside the covered area high stakes ping-pong ensued. I won’t say who won, but the winner is NOT in this picture!Horseshoes anyone?Mini-golfThe campsite itself was nice and big with a picnic table and fire pit for those that like to smell like smoke. Don’t get me wrong, I love campfires but I don’t like smelling like one.
If your planning to visit Springfield, Ill. or just want to enjoy a vacation in the campground, this is definitely the place to stay. For just $62 a day we thought this was a great gem. If your interested in Lincoln stay with us as we explore all things Lincoln.
Lincoln Home National Historical Site
Our first day into Springfield, we went to the Lincoln Home National Historical Site. We started off with a self guided tour through the park walking in Lincoln’s steps. We got a sense of who his neighbors were and what life was like in 1860’s. We went back the next day to get a tour of the Lincoln home. Be advised that school groups fill up the tours during the school year.
The house sits on the corner of 8th and Jackson Street. The original house that you see from the front was built as a one and a half story house with 5 rooms in 1839. In 1844 the young Lincoln family moved in. In 1846 the first remodeling of the home occurred. The Lincolns added a bedroom and a pantry to the back of the home, and the kitchen was removed from the back of the house and shifted over several feet to its present location. Between 1849 and 1850 another remodel happened, stoves were installed in the parlor rooms, the brick retaining wall in front of the home was constructed, and the front walk was bricked over, replacing the wooden sidewalk. As the family grew another renovation was done between 1855 and 1856 the front of the home was raised from one-and-a-half stories to two full stories. The bedroom was moved to the upstairs portion of the home, allowing for the creation of the rear parlor. Wood folding doors were added to the parlor at this time and the front parlor windows were permanently closed. The rest of the home was raised to two full stories allowing for the present 12 room nearly 3,000 sq. ft. home. The Lincolns lived in this house until they left for the White House in 1861 and never returned due to the memories that they had created here.
The Lincoln’s entertained their guest in the parlor, it is considered the most formal room of the house. This is the same room that Lincoln was formally notified of his presidential nomination.
The living room where the family spent time together and the children played.The dining room was much smaller than I expected. I don’t know how they did it.Mary spent many hours managing the household and raising children. Mary oversaw the activities that made this a well-run and inviting home. First impression is that the kitchen was small and I don’t know how she cooked for 5 in such a small space.
Lincoln’s bed was very simple like the man himself.
His tiny little desk that he wrote many a documents from. I don’t know how he sat at this.
His closet.
Mary Todd Lincoln’s room. Her dresser she brought with her from her childhood home.The Lincoln boys bedroom where Tad and Willie shared a room.Mrs. Lincoln had 1 hired girl to help out around the house. Notice the walls do not have wall paper on them. And the floorboard were original to the house.
We traveled the 22 miles out of town to explore the reconstructed New Salem village where Lincoln lived and worked as a young man from 1831-1837. Lincoln came to New Salem by flatboat.
The village features twenty -three historically furnished buildings.
I was amazed that the fire places were made from wood and not rock. I would have thought this would have been a fire hazard.
This is the home of Isaac and Elizabeth Gulihur. They lived in this cabin after getting married in 1831.
This is the Johnston residence. Robert made and repaired spinning wheels, wagon wheels, and did a lot of cabinetry.
This is the First Berry-Lincoln store. James and Rowan Herndon arrived in the spring of 1831, built a store and opened it that fall. In the summer of 1832, James sold his interest in the store to William Berry. Rowan was not happy working with Berry and later sold his interest in the store to Lincoln. When a larger and better stocked store became available across the street, they moved their business there in Jan. 1833 on a promissory note which meant no money was exchanged because Lincoln and Berry and no money.
New Salem was a wonderful way to walk in Lincoln shoes. We took lunch with us and had a nice picnic before wondering around the grounds. If you like history, this will not disappoint at all .
The Lincoln Museum
Oh my goodness, let me just say that this is the best museum that I have ever been into. The cost of admission was a mere $15 and worth every penny. When you first enter, you see the Lincoln cabin on the left and the white house on the right with the Lincoln family in the middle.
Our first stop, curtesy of the museum docent was the holographic show “Ghosts of the Museum” and the special effects theatres will entertain, educate and mesmerize you with ghostly images, live actors and high action. It was amazing. You couldn’t tell what was holographic vs what was real. I couldn’t tell if it was a real person or a holograph. We then proceeded through Lincoln’s cabin.
The attention to detail, was amazing. There were forest noises as well as the dog snoring here sleeping at Lincoln’s feet.We then proceeded to the slave market exhibit.This exhibit depicts Lincoln during his time in New Salem while working in the store that you read about above. All of the figures looked so real!
The Lincoln’s were very lax with raising their children. They loved their children so much that they pretty much got away with anything. This next scene is a day that Mr. Lincoln took his boys to work with him and they are very rambunctious. When you enter this room, you can hear the boys yelling, screaming and laughing.
Lincoln’s law partner William Herndon said that Lincoln “worshipped his children and what they worshipped; he loved what they loved and hated what they hated.” Notice the ink on the wall!
The third oldest child was William Wallace Lincoln. The young Lincoln child died while living in the Whitehouse from typhoid fever. This next picture shows the Lincolns leaving a party downstairs as young William lays in his bed.
You can feel the turmoil that the parents were feeling. A happy occasion downstairs, and a somber room upstairs.The cabinet room that the Emancipation Proclamation was first shown to his cabinet.
The war room was an amazing depiction of the war room during the civil war. An interactive map shows where the war lines were, how they moved, and dates and amounts of casualties during any one battle. I wish I would have gotten a picture but was so enthralled with the whole 10 min. display. It truly is a teachers dream and wished this was made available to teachers. It brings the whole thing to life.
John Wilkes Booth sneaking into the Lincoln viewing box.
The depiction of Ford’s theatre with the Lincoln’s box seats
This picture was taken April 24, 1864, in New York City. Only 1 picture exists of this great president after he was assassinated. Mrs. Lincoln thought is was highly disrespectful to Lincoln’s memory. Secretary of State Edwin Stanton ordered all the plates and negatives to be confiscated and destroyed. Many years later after Mr. Stanton had passed, his son found the single picture and mailed it to Lincoln’s old secretary of state John Nicolay in 1887. It remained hidden until 1952 when it was found in the Illinois State Historical Library manuscript collection.
This somber room makes you feel as if you are viewing Mr. Lincoln during his funeral. The room is dark and quiet with somber music quietly playing. Nobody is speaking in this room. It is very eerie.
If you only have time for 1 main Lincoln things, the Museum is a MUST! You can spend several hours there with so much to read. Another must see is the Lincoln Tomb
As you have read in past blogs, I love cemeteries. I love seeing how old they are and to pay respects to those that have passed young and from what diseased plagued the area of the time.
With that said, I was not prepared for this presidential tomb. This tomb sits up on a hill in the Oak Ridge Cemetery. The Lincoln Tomb was formally dedicated on October 15, 1874. The obelisk is 117 feet high, with a full length statue of Lincoln at the center. On the corners are Infantry and Cavalry statues . It is really a sight to see.
After his funeral and burial services, his coffin was placed in a receiving vault for seven months.
The burial site sits in the middle of the building. As you walk along the corridor that is marked with statues and quotes , you will find yourself in the middle burial room. President Lincoln is approximal 30 inches behind and 7 inches below the seven ton block of marble.
Across the walkway is the resting place for the rest of the family with the exception of Robert Todd Lincoln who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Side note, we did find the first recorded burial plot in the cemetery. Believe it or not, the deceased passed from teething, of all things.
In today’s world it would be unheard of to have a colored section. There are slaves, Lincoln’s boot maker and friend, a conductor in the underground railroad are all buried in this section.
Sites around town
This building was built in 1840-41. Lincoln moved into it in 1843 with his law partner, Stephen T. Logan. The partnership dissolved in 1843 and he took William H. Herndon as his junior partner. They moved to another location in 1855 and their partnership disintegrated with Lincoln’s death. The Lincoln law firm occupied several different locations in the area, but this is the only site that still stands.
This building built in 1852 is currently a law office and holds so much history. This is where Lincoln left for the White House. In 1868 it was closed to train passenger when a new station opened up. In 1968 a fire destroyed a freight wing and was remodeled in 2012-13.
Stayed tuned for more in Springfield and so much more. Please hit the subscribe button if you like what you’re reading!!!
Our last post left off in New Mexico. Hang on because you might get dizzy from this trip. So from Roswell, New Mexico, we beelined it to Edmond, Oklahoma with 477 miles under our belt for the day. This was a super long day but sometimes these long days are necessary. What was fun about this trip is we traveled through Clovis, New Mexico. I know it doesn’t sound fun but we are from Clovis, California so we wanted to see the other Clovis. We only stopped at the Love’s for a restroom break and gas.
From Clovis, New Mexico we went through Amarillo, Texas and only stopped for gas and the restroom at the TA travel center. Then we pressed on to Oklahoma and stopped at a Boondockers Welcome for the night. It was a long day traveling almost 9 hours but it was so worth it. This was our first experience with Boondockers Welcome and we literally stayed in someone’s driveway. There’s no cost when staying at a Boondocker’s site, which is really nice. Our only concern was what weather we might encounter. Thankfully the weather was good, and our host was great to chat with. We love our Harvest Host membership and adding Boondocker’s Welcome to the mix makes it an even more attractive option for saving more and getting out to new places.
The next morning we got an early start at 8am and continued east. A quick and easy fuel stop in Kansas and we were back on our way. We arrived at our campground Basswood Resort in Platte City, Missouri around 7 pm https://basswoodresort.com/. This looks like a fun family oriented resort with themed weekends. We didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy it due to family obligations and work schedules, but hope to swing back around here sometime in the future.
We’ve split up!
The next morning, Andrew drove me to the airport at 6 am for a 8am flight out of Kansas City International Airport. I don’t fly too often so I worry about getting lost in the airport and not finding my gate. Well this time I had no trouble and plenty of time.
My family obligation was our 20 year old daughter was flying to New York City and we didn’t want her traveling to the big city alone. So mama bear left her home on the road for a few days to play in the Big Apple for the first time. It was so awesome to share this experience with her, it was both of our first time.
New York City
We immediately got an Uber and our driver was awesome in pointing out all the highlights and what we should see. New York drivers are in a class of their own and what I took away from New York is 1. You have to honk your horn all the time, I think it is a sport. 2 You have to double park if it is a short amount of time.
We both had long days of traveling but we were so excited to see each other. Oh and these California girls were so cold here! It was windy, and rainy. Brrrrr!
Our room at the Mondrian New York Avenue was super tiny but was the most affordable in the area we appreciated that! It was the most expensive hotel I have ever paid for but it was worth it. https://book.ennismore.com/hotels/mondrian/park-avenue
Radio City Music Hall
So you may be asking, “why on earth did two California girls head to the brisk temps of NYC?” Can you say Radio City Rockettes???? Yep, Topanga had an audition with the Rockettes and what an amazing adventure it was! Although she didn’t make the team this year she learned so much and is so looking forward to giving it another shot next year.
The siGHTS of New York City
With only one and a half days to see NYC, we were limited on what we could do but we crammed in as much as we could. We did so much walking and one of us learned the ways of the subway system.
As we were walking, we stumbled upon where the New York Times is.
We found were the Today show is filmed and it is right across from the Rockefeller Center.
Where the Tonights Show is filmed was cool to stumble upon.
Of course I had to introduce my daughter to FAO Schwartz.
Some of the stuffed animals are huge! We had so much fun looking around the store while we were waiting for a special gift that was getting personalized.
The Rockefeller Center ice skating rink was much smaller than I expected. We think this is where they place the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree.
Times square
There was so much to see!!! So many lights and so many people!This is where the ball drops on New Years Eve. That was really cool to see. I didn’t know they kept it up all year.St. Patrick’s Cathedral started construction in 1858. Work was stalled due to the Civil War and finished in 1878. The spires were added in 1888. It has been reconstructed several times over the years in 1940’s, 1970’s and 2010’s. It is a beautiful church with marble and several dozen stained glass window. It is still a functioning church !
We found this lovely park in the middle of the city. This was so unexpected!
Of course we had to go check out Victoria’s Secret. It had 3 floors with the top being a lounge and you can have champagne while your resting!
The New York City Library looked so awesome on the outside, we had to go inside to check it out and we found a really cool museum. The marble inside was just beautiful. The museum had a wide collection of things from a portrait of Benjamin Franklin, to ancient cuneiform on clay tablets, to the original Winnie the Pooh and friends. They started off looking not so cuddly. I’m glad they developed into the lush cuddly characters we know today, but it was still cool to see the originals!
Ground zero
I had no idea what to expect here, all I know is that I didn’t want to see the museum. The grounds are beautiful and it is so moving and emotional. I was not directly impacted by 9/11 but hearing the stories and seeing the pictures was more than enough for me. Topanga was not even alive when this happened but we felt like we needed to go and pay our respects.
So there are two fountains to represent the towers. One fountain was running and the other was under renovations for cleaning. You can see how big these are with the people on the other side of the fountain and the worker inside the fountain. Each fountain around the ledge has the names of those that perished in the 9/11 tragedies.
A Callery pear tree became known as the “Survivor Tree” after enduring the September 11, 2001 terror attacks at the World Trade Center. https://www.911memorial.org/visit/memorial/survivor-tree I was so moved seeing that this tree has survived the devastation of 9/11 and blooms today.
World Trade Center Scultures
These sculptures are on display for only a year and we were lucky enough to stumble upon them. A Wild Life For Wildlife is part of the broader ‘Love The Last’ project, a social movement driven by public art to raise awareness, funds and support for endangered animals across the world, encouraging people to take action before we lose these animals forever. A Wild Life For Wildlife serves as a beacon for a brighter future. https://gillieandmarc.com/blogs/find-our-art/a-wild-life-for-wildlife
New York food
Two grilled chicken tacos and two grilled shrimp tacos from Tacos Times Square.
Two grilled steak burritos from Tacos Times Square.
We had to try a New York pizza and it did not disappoint at all! We were recommended to go to Abitito’s for lunch. I had a Margherita pizza slice that was huge and Topanga’s calzone were both filling and appetizing!
Topanga wanted to try local coffee, so we found Ralphs coffee cart. She said it was good and it helped in the cold weather.
The food at Hard Rock Cafe was great even at 11:00 pm.
I had a shot with my bruschetta, while Topanga had a grilled chicken noodle bowl.
A broadway show
We didn’t feel like we could pass up the opportunity to see a Broadway show in New York city. So with having a dance major, can you guess which show we had to see? She was dying to see Chicago! It was a very good show, she was floating for awhile!
Ohio
While I was playing in New York, Andrew was traveling form Missouri to Ohio. After my trip, Andrew picked me up at the Cleveland airport. Stayed tuned for our adventures in Ohio, you don’t want to miss it!
We had planned this trip to Ohio for nearly 9 months and nothing could prepare us for what we would experience! I love seeing the old architecture of any city and Ohio didn’t disappoint!
Why is there a chandelier over the road??????
Home to the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers, and the AHL Cleveland Monsters.
Home to the MLB Cleveland Guardians.
The bridges were also pretty cool.
The Rock and roll Hall of Fame
So Andrew is a music guy. He studied music and got a degree, he wanted to be the next Eddie Van Halen. He had bands in high school, he was our church band leader. Needless to say, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was his thing! I could have done the whole thing in 1 day but we did it in 2 days, We met our friends in Cleveland and “the boys” went bananas over the whole thing.
John & Andrew totally in their element.These 2 guys haven’t played together for 2 years so they really enjoyed their jam session.
Have you heard of Fender, Gibson, Les Paul? These are all types of guitars, and typically a guitar player has a favorite. Well Andrew is a Fender guy, but he also has a Les Paul – of course he does -so I had to get a picture of the father of the electric guitar, Les Paul.
Andrew could have spent hours looking at all the guitars on display. Heck, he might had slept there if they let him!I am a huge George Michael fan especially from the early days of Wham!
For the Taylor Swift Fans
The artist formerly know as Prince, his guitar for the Purple Rain tour.
Michael Jackson’s jacket that he wore during the recording of the We Are The World recording to raise money for Africa famine relief.
Views around the town
This was art in the downtown area of a free stamp.The sunsets were amazing off of Lake Erie.This building was lit up at night in red, white, and blue. It was so pretty! I know, it’s a little blurry, but trust me.
The food around Cleveland
Breakfast at Starbucks while we waited for our friends. We tried the chocolate croissant, and loved it. We always love the banana bread! Lunch at the Leaping Lizard was very good. I had a grilled chicken Caesar salad. it was so big that I couldn’t finish it.
My taco at Nuevo Modern Mexican and Tequila Bar was a bit spicy and not to my liking. I could only eat one of them.
We had lunch in Lulo Kitchen and Juice Bar on 9th Street. It was very small but allowed our party of 6 to sit and eat. The food was good and and we all enjoyed our time off of our feet.
My salad at Margaritaville was such a disappointment. My salad had wilted lettuce and just not very good. There was not many customers in the restaurant and the service was very slow. I’m not sure I would go back here.
We also ate at Lago East Bank and had the best Lasagna I have ever had. It was soooo good. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures at this place.
The total Ecliplse of the sun
The most amazing thing we have ever experienced was the eclipse. To watch this happen over many hours time, left me speechless. When we got to the total eclipse, it was amazing how quiet it got, it really did get dark and the street lights turned on for the few minutes that it was dark. There are no words to describe this! Experiencing totality is something everyone should do at least once! It will blow your mind!!!!
The Great Lakes Science Center
Robots in space called Robonauts can help at the space station. They can work outside the space station without using the protective spacesuits.
The crew up up driving the shuttles on their back looking up.
I’m not sure I will ever truly understand genetics. But this chart is helpful.
Overall the space museum was nice, it was mostly geared toward children and hands on experiences. If you have children, I would definitely take them.
Hotel and transportation
We stayed at the Wyndham Cleveland Airport because our friends were nearby. The Google reviews were not very good, but we thought we could survive it. We came in the back way because my husband checked in before picking me up at the airport. My first instinct was not very good because I saw ceiling tiles in the hallway missing. Our room was another story, the bathroom door was a sliding barndoor that was really hard to close. We didn’t even want to stay in our room to just hang out. The grounds were not kept up and it was a big disappointment. The lobby was the nicest part of the hotel but it also was very aged.
We also did a lot of walking and we used Uber at night as well.
While we were playing in Cleveland, we left our 5th wheel at the Sunbury/Columbus North KOA Holiday. It was 115 miles south and it was opening weekend. Its hard to find a campground that doesn’t open before April 15.
Our site was very spacious with a different parking spot as you can see.
They have these cool tree houses you can stay it. How cool is that?
Stayed tuned as we leave Ohio and head to Indiana. Please hit the subscribe button if you like what you see.
We last left off having our family time and we have a month out on the road. We headed south to pick up our 5th wheel that was getting worked on in Southern California. Once again we stayed at our favorite place in Southern California at Newport Dunes RV. We only stayed one night and continued our travels east. Our next stop is at a HH along Churiaco Summit. We visited the General Patton museum
General Patton Museum
This is a fascinating little WWI and WWII museum that is located at the entrance of Camp Young which was a Desert Training Center of World War II. Camp Young was headquarters for General Patton’s 3rd Armored Division to prepare troops to battle North Africa to fight the Nazis.
The grounds around the museum has a lot of millitary vehicles to get close to and admire. The museum has a wealth of information inside. Tickets are only $18 and I easily spent a couple of hours inside.
From Chiriaco Summit, we traveled to Phoenix, AZ to visit with fellow RV friends. Then onto Benson, AZ where we stayed at Butterfield RV resort.
Butterfield RV resort
This is a lovely little RV park with its on university quality observatory. We only stayed for 1 night since we were just passing through.
The entrance and front office.
Amenities
They had a pickle ball court but we were not up to playing that night after traveling.Here they have 2 golf driving cages for the golfers.The pool and hot tub looked relaxing.
The on-site telescope is free to guest. How cool is that! You do have to sign up in advance and we missed it by minutes.
There were a ton of machines at reasonable prices.A rocky little dog park which made us miss our beloved Jessie.
So for $65 a night, this is an awesome stay!
After leaving Benson Az. , we traveled 405 miles. During our day, we had a tray of crackers, meat and cheese to eat along the way.
This is the largest recycled roadrunner statue. It is located right off the 10 freeway in Las Cruces in New Mexico.
We didn’t visit during this trip, but in the past we have gone to Alamogordo New Mexico and we stayed at the KOA. This was a very cool visit .
Alamagordo
Where to stay?
We stayed at the Alamogordo/White Sands KOA Journey
This was a perfect stop to visit all three locations in this area. You can rent a sled to go sledding down the dunes from the campground. If you think you are too old, just remember your childhood of sledding down the snowy mountains, but this time it is in sand.
White Sands National Park is like no other park. It is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders with the glistening white sand dunes. with 275 square miles of desert of gypsum sand. If you have the time after sledding down the dunes, stay for the spectacular sunsets. You won’t be disappointed!
The wind swept sand was so cool.
The park was amazing! You truly feel like you’re in snow but it is sand.
McGinn’s Pistachioland Home of the worlds Largest Pistachio
Along the route, we stopped in Alamagordo New Mexico. If you love pistachios, you have to stop. They have at least 13 different flavored pistachios that you can sample before you decide which size bag to purchase and snack on during your travels. The “Worlds Tallest Pistachio” is a registered trademark in New Mexico.
I have taken the farm tour, which was enlightening. They offer wine tasting as well which I have enjoyed and purchased a bottle to enjoy. They always have long lines for ice cream as well.
It is a great stop to stretch your feet.
Museum of Space History
This was a very cool visit. I spent half a day here. It is a Museum and planetarium with displays related to space flight.
Roswell New Mexico
Are you an alien enthusiast? Well if you have followed us, you know that one of us is a ghost and alien enthusiast.
We were in Roswell last year, we stayed at a little RV park that holds about 10 rigs called the Red Barn RV Park. It was a perfect location to go into town and get your fill of aliens.
Your welcome into the park!
The park had such a unique style to it. There was a wild chicken that adopted the park, We saw this alien spying on us during our lunch. And our Jessie loved watching everything around. It was so relaxing!
Around Roswell
The local McDonald’s has a spaceship that lights up at night. It’s pretty cool!Murals around town were quite good and fun to look at.
The visitor center had a wealth of information as well as photo opportunity’s. We always try to get into the visitor center to get a lay of the land and get insite as to what to do and see while in a town.
We did virtual reality in Roswell which was ok. I did the space crash while my husband did the Apollo 11 mission. It was cool to experience virtual reality for the first time but I don’t think I need to do it again. For more information https://spaceportroswellnm.com/
I also did the Roswell UFO Tour https://roswellufotour.com/. The tour takes you in the footsteps of the civilians who first touched and reported on the alien debris debris I’m not sure what I was expecting but I was disappointed. Most of the tour was places that no longer exist. You do get to see the houses that pivotal people lived in during that time. I was on the tour alone with the tour guide who was very knowledgeable and answered all of my questions.
This building is where the military supposedly took the alien bodies after the crash.
The International UFO museum and research center
This museum has all things relatated to the 1947 incident known as the Roswell incident. It has all audio, newspapers, interviews, personal accounts of what happened when an alleged UFO crashed in the hills outside of Roswell New Mexico. The museum covers other phenonenom as well. The museum was very well done and this was by far my favorite thing in Roswell.
Are you aliened out?
I went to visit the historic house of James Phelps White House in Roswell. The house was built between 1910-1912. In 1978 it was place on the National Registry of Historical Places. This is a nice little home to visit with a lot of history.
Stayed tuned as we continue our travel to Ohio and we split up for a few days.
After Calico we heading home to catch up and take care of some personal family
obligations. We had some highs and lows during our month long stay in Ca. We had a relaxing few days enjoying the sunsets in the Fresno area while our Jessie enjoyed Millerton Lake.
Next we made it down to Long Beach to visit with our youngest daughter while she competes in the Miss America Organization. Thrilled to report this year she was crowned Miss Culver City and will be competing once again for the title of Miss California!
While driving in Los Angeles, we stumbled upon the Space X offices.
As we headed home we stopped at our first Cracker Barrel and had lunch. Our first experience was amazing. We were seated at a table immediately. A short minute later we placed our order and started diving into some excellent biscuits. One bite later, our lunch arrived. It was soo quick. We decided to order a Cracker Barrel Sampler plate to share and it was more food than we could finish.
If I do say so myself, the chicken was the best as well as the apples.
A few days later, we went to Chowchilla to help our son move. We stayed at The Lakes RV in Chowchilla https://thelakesrv.com/. If you like to golf, this place is great because you get Complimentary Golf for 2 people per site per night! We are not golfers but this sounds like a great deal. Unfortunately we were so busy with family in the 2 days we were there, we didn’t get any pictures.
After Chowchilla, my husband and I went different directions. He went to Fresno, while I caught the train to go to Emeryville. I got to visit my daughter and see the area where she lives.
As you can see it is cold and windy, but we took a break from the rain to walk around the area. This is a cool little park with a humpback whale play structure.
My trip was cut short and didn’t even get to stay 24 hours. I was immediately called home so my daughter and I drove 4 and a half hours home to discover that our beloved Jessie had taken a turn medically and our family had to make the difficult decision to put Jessie down. He was our beloved pet for 12 years and we loved him so much. He had some health issues and we were uncertain how he would do “on the road” He did amazing and seemed to live him best life on the road. His last 6 months, he gave us 3 health scares so we knew that this was the time. There are so many things we could say about Jessie. He was a confidant, a cuddle-buddy, and above all, a best friend to anyone and everyone. If you’ve followed our blog, you know the amazing adventures we shared with him. Our travels will never be the same without him. He was an amazing co-pilot and seeing the world through his eyes is one of the things I think we will miss the most.
A few days later, we got to celebrate our daughter in law with a baby shower for our first grandchild. Her shower was a beautiful brunch and she was showered with so much love from her friends and family.
Stayed tuned as we get back on the road as true empty nesters. We are hitting the road for Cleveland Ohio. Hit the subscribe button below to follow along with us.
