Apr 11, 2013 - Once more unto the breach

Grand Island, NE Spring officially started March 21. As we set off on one of our road adventures, we are hard-pressed to see evidence of spring anywhere. In fact, we drove through a snow storm with very limited visibility and it is snowing right now. We are in our hotel gazing out the window at snow falling on a pretty lake. There are two ducks on the shore just below our window. They are protesting loudly about the snow. It would be just our luck that they are insomniac ducks that are going to quack all night! Our goal on this trip is to...

Dec 12, 2012 - September, Grand Island and Family

September is always a great month for us, since we get to spend a lot of time with the kids and the granddaughters. I mentioned in my last posting about the State Fair, and Lauren doing the Mutton Bustin’ event---but I didn't have the pictures---so I had to post them this time! She was so brave, and fearless! It wasn't quite an 8 second ride, but she did just fine! Grandpa and Grandma’s job for the month was to pick up Lydia from preschool every Tuesday and Thursday. This was a new thing for her, but since she had already attended a summer...

Sep 5, 2012 - May--Birthday's and Granddaughters!

May was a great time to be full-time grandparents! Between t-ball, gymnastics, school field day, babysitting while Pat and Rae had a few days off, 3rd and 6th birthdays---we had a great month. It is always a good reminder how active the kids are and how busy their lives are! Rachel is teaching at Central Community College on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so that gives us a great time to bond with Lydia. Lauren finished up her kindergarten year and is so ready to be a 1st grader! Kim and good friend Roger put in a new tile shower for Pat...

Sep 5, 2012 - August--Sturgis and Back to Grand Island

Sturgis This year we decided to stay somewhere different for the Sturgis Rally. We have stayed at a variety of places for the rally over the years—--my first year 1986, we stayed in Sturgis, (1987-1994) at Glenco (just east of town) then 4-B’s just south of Rapid City (1995-2002), when 4-B's closed we moved to Holy Smoke just outside Keystone (2003-2011). It seemed like we were moving further and further away from Sturgis. We really enjoyed that, since we could ride the hills and not have to hassle with the crowds of Sturgis. Since we are...

Jul 2, 2012 - Tripping Back East - 1st time in Nebraska

This is our 1st time ever traveling through or staying in Nebraska. I know of at least one friend who was born and raised in NE. We stayed in a KOA in Grand Island. We were tired, hot and hungry until we took a dip in the pool, and ordered a pizza at the KOA office to be delivered to LUCY. We got the hot and hunger out of the way, then to bed, but we had to plan our trip for the next 2 days with an arrival East of Columbus, Ohio to meet Penny and Virginia on July 4th. Need to go a little over 900 miles the next two days, then a day of rest...

Apr 6, 2012 - Grand Island, Nebraska

Well, we decided to put on a few miles today since South Dakota & Nebraska don't seem to have too much to offer in the way of sightseeing, other than Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. We got as far as Grand Island, Nebraska tonight. Internet connection seems to be better here tonight so maybe I'll find time to download some pics.

Oct 16, 2011 - Aug and Sept with our Granddaughters!

Aug and Sept with Granddaughters! The rally is over, so it is time to move on! One day trip to Grand Island! Walnut Creek friends were there to great us… Pat and Carol were in Hall County Park when we arrived. The hardest part of retirement is not seeing Lauren and Lydia on a regular basis! But we were able to surprise them a day early. We are fortunate that we get to see them for extended periods of time, when we are in NE, but the times between are really hard! We got to see Lauren the “day before Kindergarten”, who got manicure and...

Aug 6, 2011 - Driving Me Crazy

Today was purely a driving day; we had to get from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Grand Island, Nebraska (it is neither grand nor an island. I have no idea why it has that name), which is a long way. When we got on the highway this morning, the gps said, "Drive 777 miles." We all thought that was funny... at the time. One thing that has been amazing on this trip from one side of the country to the other and back again is that the view is constantly changing, and sometimes very rapidly. You can crest a hill or go around a bend and suddenly what...

Jul 20, 2011 - Heading east thhrough Nebraska

Last night we stayed in a nice campground in Gering, NE. It has a great view of Scotts Bluff and the surrounding sandstone formations the emirants followed west. After I finished my run through Gering, we decided to take roads that parallel the Oregon Trail. We stopped at Chimney Rock which is one of the land marks the emigrants used to guide them west towards Scotts Bluff and on to Ft Laramie. The emigrants used these land marks to guide them west through the flat prarie of what is now Nebraska. Many of these sandstone fromations are...

Jul 11, 2011 - 4am Exit from Laramie, WY

I woke up last nite literally gasping for air. My tongue was swollen and eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head. Evidently very bad altitude sickness. I have been trying to get lower for two days and headed east into Nebraska about 5am. I would have gone to the emergency room but I new what it was and felt new lower elevation was the cure. The gang slept while I trekked another 410 miles to 1200 feet above see level. The drive was solid corn fields. Every inch of dirt has a corn crop as far as the eye can see. We arrived at...

Jun 27, 2011 - Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway

We headed south through South Dakota and Nebraska today – a pretty uneventful drive. We took the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway (Nebraska 2). Yes, scenic if all you want to see is rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Not so scenic if that puts you to sleep being monotonous! It is supposedly the path the sandhill cranes take when they migrate, but we didn’t see any on our travels today. Must be because we were sleeping!!! We wound up at a KOA campground in Grand Island, Nebraska. It was nice, but no real thrills. Ryan & Sammy rented a...

May 24, 2011 - Davenport,Iowa to Grand Island,Nebraska

The weather made today a long drive. We had just pulled into a rest stop and taken the last available parking space when the heavens opened up with intensely blowing and gusting sheets of water. Interstate 80 ground to a halt as trucks and cars pulled to the shoulders. We sat out the storm for about an hour as the winds rocked the coach. It was a chilling reminder that we were in tornado country. We continued on after the front passed through. We crossed the Missouri and said hello to Omaha. We continued on through the gigantic expanse of...