Sorry about last week's column, there was a hiccup and my column did not get posted to the Escalon Times.
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My husband Ed and I were on vacation starting June 22nd and returned home July 9th. We drove approximately 4000 miles across parts of the USA and back. We started our trip by going to Ogden, Utah to visit my aunt. We stayed with her for two days. Then on to Logan, Utah to visit with a nephew and his family. We were only able to visit him for one day, as he was at a Boy Scout Camp with two of his sons. He had planned to be home when we got there, but the scout leader's wife was delivering their baby. So, that meant our nephew had to stay at the camp with the troop. The drive to Big Bear Lake where the camp was being held was well worth it. Still snow on the mountains and the rivers were running rapidly and at places were overflowing. Sand bags lined the roadway. There is still a lot of snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Utah mountains. The mountains are so beautiful with the snow covering the peaks. From there we traveled east. Going through Wyoming, we crossed the Western Continental Divide. It runs from northwestern Canada, south along the crests of the Rocky Mountains, then on into Mexico, where it follows peaks of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. Rain or melting snow on one side (via rivers and streams) flows west to the Pacific Ocean; on the other side, rivers and streams flow northeast to Hudson Bay, Canada, or southeast to the Gulf of Mexico. We ran into a tremendous rainstorm with hail, while traveling on Interstate 80 through Wyoming. From the sound of the hail hitting our car, I just knew we would have some damage, but luckily there was none. We saw a lot of antelope grazing out on the prairie in Wyoming. It was very windy and chilly when we stopped for gas. Ed wanted to try and make Sidney, Nebraska before dark. I didn't know his motive until we got there. There is a sporting goods store called Cabela's. It's similar to Bass Pro Shops. He just had to stop and see what they had to offer. So, we made it and he got to do some shopping. Ed saw a certain brand of shotgun that he wanted until he found out it cost $21,000. That was not in our budget. I was really taken with Nebraska. I have never been there, but the country with its lush green planted fields and beautiful farms were great sight to see. When we tried to cross the Missouri River at Lincoln, Nebraska, we had to turn around and try to find a way over to Iowa. We never made it to Iowa. All of the bridges connecting Nebraska and Iowa where covered with water and not passable. We eventually had to drive south to Topeka, Kansas where the Missouri River turns east at Kansas City. Never saw the river in Kansas. Continuing on we did make Branson, Missouri. We stayed at Branson for a couple of nights and saw a show, I was a little disappointed, as I envisioned Branson being a little like Las Vegas with all the theaters being next to each other as you drive down the main street. They are very scattered, so you can't really walk to anything. There are many commercial shops selling memorabilia. Our biggest disappointment in Branson was the loss of the Roy Rogers Museum. It was closed and everything had been auctioned off. The traffic was like commute traffic in the Bay area during rush hour. From Branson we traveled on to Mountain Home, Arkansas. While traveling on one of Arkansas' two lane state highways to Mountain Home, we saw several cattle. What I have never seen before were two cows laying in a pond, with just their heads above the water. I wanted to stop and take a picture, no one would believe me, and I needed proof. But, there was no shoulder to pull over on and stop. In the Arkansas Ozarks, they did not cut through the hills; the road goes around, up and over. So, the driving was slow as the roads are very curvy. The countryside is very beautiful with all of the lush greenery and trees. We stayed there for four days, as my side of the family was having a family reunion. I have one aunt left out of eight children, but she wasn't well enough to make the trip. Ten first cousins were able to attend the reunion. A total of 62 cousins, children and grandchildren attended. On one of the days we went to Lake Norfolk, close to Mountain Home and had a tremendous lunch prepared by our hostess. The campground my cousins usually use was under water, so we had to move higher up to another campground. The lake had risen so high, that we could barely see the tops of trees that were covered with water, which is not the norm. They had rented pontoon party boats for the day. There was no tying up to the shore as they did not want anyone jumping off of the boat and getting injured in any of those trees. Leaving there, Ed decided he wanted to go through the town where his grandfather was born. So, here we are again on an up, down and very curvy road. When we got to Deer, Arkansas, there was not much to see. One school, a small store with one gas pump, which looked like it was about to fall over. They did not accept checks or any kind of plastic. Luckily we always travel with a little cash. Because cash is the only type of payment they would accept. Ed's grandfather was one of 13 boys. And, his grandfather had nine boys. So, there is a lot of Adams offspring in the Ozark Mountains.
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Happy Birthday to Lori Kroon on Friday, July 22nd.
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My husband Ed and I were on vacation starting June 22nd and returned home July 9th. We drove approximately 4000 miles across parts of the USA and back. We started our trip by going to Ogden, Utah to visit my aunt. We stayed with her for two days. Then on to Logan, Utah to visit with a nephew and his family. We were only able to visit him for one day, as he was at a Boy Scout Camp with two of his sons. He had planned to be home when we got there, but the scout leader's wife was delivering their baby. So, that meant our nephew had to stay at the camp with the troop. The drive to Big Bear Lake where the camp was being held was well worth it. Still snow on the mountains and the rivers were running rapidly and at places were overflowing. Sand bags lined the roadway. There is still a lot of snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Utah mountains. The mountains are so beautiful with the snow covering the peaks. From there we traveled east. Going through Wyoming, we crossed the Western Continental Divide. It runs from northwestern Canada, south along the crests of the Rocky Mountains, then on into Mexico, where it follows peaks of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. Rain or melting snow on one side (via rivers and streams) flows west to the Pacific Ocean; on the other side, rivers and streams flow northeast to Hudson Bay, Canada, or southeast to the Gulf of Mexico. We ran into a tremendous rainstorm with hail, while traveling on Interstate 80 through Wyoming. From the sound of the hail hitting our car, I just knew we would have some damage, but luckily there was none. We saw a lot of antelope grazing out on the prairie in Wyoming. It was very windy and chilly when we stopped for gas. Ed wanted to try and make Sidney, Nebraska before dark. I didn't know his motive until we got there. There is a sporting goods store called Cabela's. It's similar to Bass Pro Shops. He just had to stop and see what they had to offer. So, we made it and he got to do some shopping. Ed saw a certain brand of shotgun that he wanted until he found out it cost $21,000. That was not in our budget. I was really taken with Nebraska. I have never been there, but the country with its lush green planted fields and beautiful farms were great sight to see. When we tried to cross the Missouri River at Lincoln, Nebraska, we had to turn around and try to find a way over to Iowa. We never made it to Iowa. All of the bridges connecting Nebraska and Iowa where covered with water and not passable. We eventually had to drive south to Topeka, Kansas where the Missouri River turns east at Kansas City. Never saw the river in Kansas. Continuing on we did make Branson, Missouri. We stayed at Branson for a couple of nights and saw a show, I was a little disappointed, as I envisioned Branson being a little like Las Vegas with all the theaters being next to each other as you drive down the main street. They are very scattered, so you can't really walk to anything. There are many commercial shops selling memorabilia. Our biggest disappointment in Branson was the loss of the Roy Rogers Museum. It was closed and everything had been auctioned off. The traffic was like commute traffic in the Bay area during rush hour. From Branson we traveled on to Mountain Home, Arkansas. While traveling on one of Arkansas' two lane state highways to Mountain Home, we saw several cattle. What I have never seen before were two cows laying in a pond, with just their heads above the water. I wanted to stop and take a picture, no one would believe me, and I needed proof. But, there was no shoulder to pull over on and stop. In the Arkansas Ozarks, they did not cut through the hills; the road goes around, up and over. So, the driving was slow as the roads are very curvy. The countryside is very beautiful with all of the lush greenery and trees. We stayed there for four days, as my side of the family was having a family reunion. I have one aunt left out of eight children, but she wasn't well enough to make the trip. Ten first cousins were able to attend the reunion. A total of 62 cousins, children and grandchildren attended. On one of the days we went to Lake Norfolk, close to Mountain Home and had a tremendous lunch prepared by our hostess. The campground my cousins usually use was under water, so we had to move higher up to another campground. The lake had risen so high, that we could barely see the tops of trees that were covered with water, which is not the norm. They had rented pontoon party boats for the day. There was no tying up to the shore as they did not want anyone jumping off of the boat and getting injured in any of those trees. Leaving there, Ed decided he wanted to go through the town where his grandfather was born. So, here we are again on an up, down and very curvy road. When we got to Deer, Arkansas, there was not much to see. One school, a small store with one gas pump, which looked like it was about to fall over. They did not accept checks or any kind of plastic. Luckily we always travel with a little cash. Because cash is the only type of payment they would accept. Ed's grandfather was one of 13 boys. And, his grandfather had nine boys. So, there is a lot of Adams offspring in the Ozark Mountains.
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Happy Birthday to Lori Kroon on Friday, July 22nd.
