Day 40, 39 nights, 40 days on the road

Day 40, 7/11/11 a lucky day to round up a trip!  We spent the last night of our trip in Zanesville, Ohio.  Babs wanted to see the old bridge in Wheeling, West Virginia so we opted for I-70 rather than the I-270 by pass around the city.

 This photo was for our newest daughter, Lisa who went to the University of West Virginia.

We finally entered Maryland, one of the most beautiful sights of the trip!  This is a photo of the Yaughiogheny reservoir from the first rest stop in Maryland.

 We stopped by to see our son Chuck and our grandchildren Vita & Luca and made it home around 3:30 p.m.

 Babs finally got to see her beloved Yoda.

This was truely 39 nights, 40 days, and over 14,500 miles of great trip.  The only thing that I would have changed would have been to stay a bit longer at some of the places and enjoyed some of the recreational things available.  Now it's time to plan our next trip!

Babs Says: There's no place like home!

Day 39, Illinois to Ohio

Day 39 was not about sightseeing, it was all about driving.  As such, there are not many photos .  Did I hear a collective sigh of relief? We left Illinois at about 9:30 a.m. heading the wrong direction once again and had to turn around, my fault.  It took about an hour to get to Indiana,

and another three hours to get to Ohio

because traffic was ridiculously bad from Indianapolis, Indiana to Columbus, Ohio.

Tomorrow will hopefully be the final leg of the trip and I will be posting from home!

Babs Says:  What a trip!!!  I cannot pick out a favorite part.  The scenery-the Great Plains of Canada and the US, the Canadian Rockies, the Alaskan Range, glaciers, rain forests, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, the wildlife-bear bison, birds, fish, elk, deer.  The people-A lady who drove out of her way to lead us to our B&B, the unsociable trapper/restaurant owner who made the greatest bacon and eggs, a Dakota Indian teen telling us about the Wounded Knee massacre, the RV'ers staying with the injured cyclist who had hit the bear, Katy & Jason with us in Washington State. All so memorable.  Our biggest disappointment was probably the food and the fact that the Alaskan Highway was so "normal".  Now we need to get home, do laundry, see our children and grand children, friends, relive the trip & plan the next one (after counting any remaining money)

Day 38, Back on the East Coast

Day 38 had us officially on the east coast by day’s end.  I-80 is the most traveled east - west interstate in the US.  Every one of these vehicles is doing over 75 mph.

In order to give equal time to every states agriculture, this is Iowa corn for as far as one can see.

  Leaving Iowa, we passed through Canton, Missouri

to look at the swollen Mississippi River.  Unfortunately the entire roads in Canton toward the river were closed due to flooding.  Outside of town we saw this dike with some flooding on the town side of the dike.

  It was interesting to see a flood gate for the train track to pass through.

  On the way out of town Babs had to satisfy her silo fetish by photographing these silos.

  We crossed the mighty Mississippi river at Hannibal, Missouri crossing into Illinois officially entering the East Coast.

   You can see how the river flooded the corn fields adjacent to the river.

This is Illinois corn, also as far as the eye can see.

Tomorrow we continue toward home.  Check back in for more breathtaking news! LOL.

Babs Says:  We started keeping track of car license plates that we have seen starting June 2^nd.  As of today, we have seen 48 tags (and DC).  Any guesses on the missing two states?

To all of our children:  We apologize in advance for not bringing you any souvenirs/ gifts.  There was nothing that we saw that was worth bringing back for you.  We have spent your inheritance on ourselves.  Sorry, Butch, no Darth Tater shirt!

Day 37, More Nebraska

Day 37 had us once again backtracking!  The National Park Passport book Babs used to find the ranger station had out of date information and thus we were about 100 miles off course.  To add insult to injury, the road to the Niobrara National Scenic River Park was closed about five miles from the site.  We were in the middle of “Nowhere Nebraska”.  This is their post office.

  Fortunately this very nice and talkative woman was mowing her law on a riding tractor mower and gave me alternate directions. “Take that road,

(pointing behind her), it will wind around a lot of curves, it will turn into an oiled stretch, and then you will hit NE20 (the road we had originally been on).  Turn left and you can skip across the road to the park”.  She was right on and without her help we would never have found the park.  Almost halfway down that road there was a tremendous view of the Niobrara River Valley.

After visiting the park we headed toward Beatrice, Nebraska to find another National Park site.  Along the way we crossed over the Niobrara National Scenic River.

  Our route took us through the middle of Nebraska.  As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but corn.

That may be why they call their football team the Corn Huskers. We didn't see anyone for miles, except for this one man Nebraska traffic jam.

  There were lots of Nebraska rural skyscrapers.

  Passing through one little town on our route was this wayside bell stand.

  We also crossed the legendary Platte River that early pioneers followed like a road map west.

Just outside Beatrice, Nebraska we visited the Homestead National Monument of America.

  This National Historic site has an original Homesteaders cabin

and many displays in the visitors center.  One thing that caught Babs fancy was this goat powered washing machine.

We are spending tonight in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Getting here while driving through Omaha, Nebraska we found our first major traffic, five lanes in each direction.

UGH!  Tomorrow we turn toward home!

Babs says: It has been the hottest day since we left home.  How hot?  Hot enough that the tree thanked the dog.

Day 36, Nebraska

Day 36 had us bidding a fond farewell to Deadwood, South Dakota.

After breakfast at McDonalds in Sturgis, SD we headed for the Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Before arriving at the town of Wounded Knee, we passed through the interesting town of Scenic, South Dakota

and a section of the Badlands National Park.

The signs marking the burial site from the highway were removed and not replaced so we stopped at the post office to ask directions. The post office building had no windows and was reminiscent of a WW2 bunker.

At the Wounded Knee National Historic Site is where the massacre of innocent Indians occurred, in retaliation of Sitting Bulls massacre of the 7th Calvary, June 25th of the same year. On December 29, 1890, the US Army commanded by Col. Forsyte massacred Chief Bigfoot and approximately 370 men, women, and children of the Dakota Sioux. Their mass grave and cemetery is a National Historic Site.

Zoom in on the above photo and read the inscription on the crosses.

The only survivor of the massacre a female child of seven months, Lost Bird, was also buried there upon her death in 1919.

Leaving Wounded Knee we headed south toward O’Neill, Nebraska to visit another National Scenic River. Along the way we had a great lunch at the Sand Café in Martin, Nebraska.

Both southern South Dakota and northern central Nebraska have a whole lot of nothing. This scenery is representative of the entire ride after Wounded Knee.

There are more cows than people.

Tonight we are at the Holiday Inn Express at O’Neill, Nebraska. We had dinner at an Irish restaurant that had no Irish food. We both had Walleye fish that was fantastic.
When we leave O’Neill tomorrow we will be heading toward Beatrice, Nebraska in search of yet another park and stamp for Babs National Park passport book.

Babs Says: Good Night!