Day 19 - Greenville, OH to Loudon, TN

Friday, we continued our trek down Highway 127. Lots of sites getting ready for the big yard sale next weekend. In 7 Mile, OH Mary spotted the bear in the photo - makes you wonder if the wife is intimidating to everyone or just the carver. We got a good laugh out of it. South of Owenton, KY we stumbled onto an Amish store selling sandwiches and all sorts of other good stuff. We got lunch and ate out front while watching the steady stream of people. It was their first day and they were doing a great business. Food was good and inexpensive - just the way we like it. The sandwiches were so big that we used the leftovers for most of our supper.


Continuing down 127, we came to Cumberland Lake and the Wolf Creek Dam. The water is low because they are working on the dam. Crossing back into Tennessee, we were in Sargent York country - It was getting late and no place to stay so we decided to return for a day trip - it is only about 80 miles from home. We made a quick stop at the grocery store for essentials and arrived back home at 7:30pm.

Some trip facts: 4320 Miles traveled. We hit 12 states: Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. We also went into Ontario, Canada for a day. We enjoyed the entire trip and our little Sonata did very well averaging 29mpg for the entire trip. We WILL do this again but not this year - we're glad to be back in Tennessee and plan to stay put for awhile. (But Jim did email me about a couple of fishing trips.....)

Day 18 - Gaylord, MI to Greenville, OH.

This morning we pointed the Sonata due South and began the journey back to reality. Not wanting to hurry too much, we dropped off of I75 and onto US127. Most people have never heard of US Route 127 but those of us who pursue junk as a hobby know that it is the home highway for the worlds longest yard sale. Stretching from Hudson, Michigan to Gadsden, Alabama. Check out their website for all the details - the sale is August 5-8 this year and we are seeing signs along the route.

Much of our trip today was along 2 lane roads through many small towns each sporting a town square and a business section around the square. We had so much fun driving through these towns that we forgot to take pictures! We did stop at "The Winery at Versailles" just North of Greenville, Ohio for a bit of tasting of the grape. Good stuff! The boss bought some.

Day 17 - St. Ignace, MI to Gaylord, MI

Guess what Mary did in Canada today?

We got on the roar around 9am and went North to Sault St. Marie, MI and visited the SOO locks on the St. Mary River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. After the tour and visits to a couple of souvineer shops, we headed across the bridge to see if the Canadian version was any better - just more of the same but we did enjoy a walk on the riverfront boardwalk, a walk through the Finland festival and a really good lunch at Vincenzo's on Queen Street where we had the Labatt Blue along with our Italian lunch (It seems that a lot of Italians settled in Sault St. Marie, Ontario and some of them opened restaurants).

We then traveled back to the USA (1 1/2 hours to get across the bridge and through customs vs. 15 minutes to get into Canada). That's how the government is going to keep the bad folks out - boring them to death in line! I'm glad my tank was full and my bladder empty before starting back to the US, it is probably a crime to pee off that bridge - LOL.

The Saint Mary river on the Canadian side is really swift and the wind was blowing like crazy. Check out the video below for an idea.

Day 16 - Mackinac Island, MI

We took the 10am ferry from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island because it included a short trip under the Mackinac Bridge. Our arrival at Mackinac was after the completion of the Chicago-Mackinac sailboat race and there were literally hundreds of sailboats nested as many as 6 deep in the harbor. Quite a treat for us sailing folk - but the downside was wall-to-wall people on the island.


We took the carriage tour and stopped at the butterfly house - a highlite of our day. Shopped, ate whitefish at a dockside cafe, shopped, ate ice cream and shopped some more. Then back to St Ingles to rest up for the wine and beer tasting tonight. What a rough life.

Day 15 - Rhinelander, WI to St. Ignace, MI

Left Rhinelander about 10am and header East to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Stopped at Hudson's Grill in Escanaba, MI for burgers & shakes then continued to follow the North Shore of Lake Michigan to St. Ignace on Lake Huron. Had Pasties & beer for supper and walked along the boardwalk at sundown. The view out of our room is of Lake Huron and Mackinac Island. A really nice little town.

Days 13-14 - Rhinelander, WI

We spent the entire weekend visiting with family in Rhinelander. My 83 year old step mom is sharp as a tack - she & Mary talked ALL day Saturday then my stepsister Deloris came up Sunday and the three of them talked all day. I was superfluous.

Day 12 - Duluth, MN to Rhinelander, WI

We got on the road around 9am and headed for the Apostle Islands. Stopped at Port Wing and Herbster to stretch and enjoy views of Lake Superior. At Cornucopia, we were detoured as Rt2 was closed all the way to the Apostles. We did get t0 Bayfield though and had a great lunch, bought the obligatory T-Shirts and bought some local raspberries and cherries. Then on to Rhinelander and a visit with my "Wicked Step Mother". Fish fry with Chip & Carol.

Day 11 - Fargo, ND to Duluth, MN

We had a restless night in Fargo - it might have had something to do with the 300 rabir wrestling fans at the motel or with the flaming chicken something or other we ate at the Mexican restaurant next door but we both felt drugged when we got up this morning. Coffee & waffles at the motel didn't help much but we just decided to tough it out and get on the road. The cloudy dreary morning matched our mood until we took US10 East through Fargo. It runs directly through town so we were treated to the colorful painted buffalo every few blocks and our spirits were lifted.

We set a leisurly pace on the 2 lane Hwy. 10 and at 11:15, we crossed the Missippi River at Brainerd, MN. The river here is about 50 feet wide. The countryside is dotted with lakes and we could readily understand why Minnesota is called "The land of 10,000 lakes."

A picnic lunch in Peat, MN (as in PEAT bog) then on to arrive in Duluth at 2pm. The desk clerk at our hotel directed us to the lakefront walk where we took the picture at the left. Great day.

Day 10 - Miles City, MT to Fargo, ND

We slept in this morning & it felt good. Got on the road about 9:30 and paralleled the Yellowstone River most of the way to the North Dakota border. As we traveled across North Dakota, the terrain changed from mountains to hilly grasslands to flat farms.

Mile 7 found us passing "Home on the range" - the place looked like it fit the song.

At mile 36 in ND, we stopped at the visitor center for Theodore Roosevelt National Park and viewed the painted canyon. This picture was taken there. The 30 second video below is an attempt to show the vastness of this part of the country.

Lunch found us at New Salem, ND where we gassed up ($2.799) and ate lunch at a local cafe - Sunset Inn - had breakfast w/homemade sausage YUM! Saw the 36' tall cow (Sweet Sue) from several miles away and it guided us right in.

Got to Fargo about 6pm - tired but satisfied with the day's progress and pleased with the discoveries along the way.

Day 9 - Hulett, WY to Miles City, MT

We left Hulett, SD and headed NE on Wyoming 112 to intersect Montana 212 at Alzada, MT - for the next 200 miles, we traveled WNW at 70 mph on a 2 lane highway that seemed to stretch out forever. A stream of towns sporting names like Hammond, Boyes, Broadus (where we got fixin's for a fine picnic), Ashland, Lame Deer (where we ate said picnic and took the picture for this post), Busby and finally Garryowen. I decided to use the photo of the small flowers as being representative of this day's travels. The landscape was beautiful but too vast for me to portray in a picture - so in my strange logic, the tiny flower is the opposite of the vastness of this country.

We visited the St. Labre Indian School Mission & Museum at Ashland.

Where 212 meets I90 is the Little Bighorn Battlefield Memorial where Custer met his end. The Ranger Talk about the politics, cultures and the men involved provided a new perspective on the battle (but didn't change the outcome!)

This is our most westerly point - 1964 miles from home.

From the memorial, we took I90 North through Crow Agency, Dunmore and Hardin where we took Montana 47 north to pickup I94 East and make the turn toward home. Spent the night in Miles City, MT where the Toungue River meets the Yellowstone.

Day 8 - Custer, SD to Hulett, WY

We left Custer about 9am and had a very pleasant drive along Hwy 385 to Deadwood, SD. We saw lakes and streams, a trio of mountain goats and tacky attraction called boondocks along the way.

The Deadwood I saw in 1963 was mostly destroyed by a fire in the 1980's. The town of Deadwood voted to allow gambling after the fire and used the proceeds of a special tax on gaming to restore/rebuild many of the buildings to their facades during the town's heydays in the late 19th century.


We left Deadwood and drove to Sturgis but didn't find much of interest there - same story at Sundance, WY (but did have an excellent lunch there). The drive was wonderrful with beautiful vistas at every turn. It is no wonder so many folks fall in love woth this part of the country.



On to Devil's Tower - pictures just cannot tell the tale. We began to see glimpses of it from 10+ miles away but with nothing to define the scale, it just isn't anywhere near as impressive in photos as it is in person. Next to our motel in Hewett, SD (Pop 314). Tom an I are going to hir nthe saloon later for a few farewell brews as we will part company tomorrow as they head home and we head for Montana.

Day 7 - Custer, SD

We truly did see the buffalo roam today - see the video below. In Custer State Park, they have about 1500 bison in a semi free range area. We took the wildlife loop there and saw deer, prairie dogs, begging burros and, at last, a herd of 50 or so bison.





We returned to Custer for lunch at the "Purple Pie Place" and , of course, we had the Bumbleberry Pie. Never heard of it? You'll just have to try it yourself - it was so good that re returned after supper for another piece.

Our afternoon was spent driving to the "Eye of the needle" a split rock in the middle of a 20 mile twisty mountain road with spectacular views.

Motel, tired - crash.

Day 6 - Badlands, Wall, Rushmore

We started day 6 at Chamberlain, SD. 130 miles West (1.5 hours) we left I90 at exit 131 for the Badlands Loop. The Badlands of South Dakota are a remarkable geological feature that impresses and befuddles. They are a mix of grass prairie and spectacular erosion, pictures just can't do them justice. We travelled through formation after formation and each seemed more impressive than the last. The loop takes a couple of hours and if you are ever in this part of the country, don't miss it.



When you exit the loop, you are at Wall, SD - home of the world famous Wall Drug Store. Free Ice Water and 5 cent coffee signs beckon you for 500 miles across the prairie and Wall Drugs promises to deliver anything and everything (for a price). This store takes up an entire city block - it will take a couple of hours just to make a quick pass through the myriad of departments.
Allow plenty of time for this store and the dozens of wannabees that surround it.

On to our motel in Custer and then to the Mt. Rushmore sculptures. Everyone has seen pictures - you've got to see it in person and experience the nighttime program to appreciate it. A moving performance.

Crashed at the motel around 11 (We're on mountain time now.) More on day 7.

Day 5 - Kansas City, MO to Chamberlain, SD

Day 5 found us up and out by 6:30 (UGH) am. We sailed up I29 from Kansas City to Chamberlain, SD at a rapid 75+mph. We stopped in Sioux City, IA for breakfast and then cruised non-stop to Mitchell, SD and the Corn Palace (pictured). The murals on the exterior of this building are made entirely of colored corn and reflect the theme of the year. Every year, an new theme is chosen and the murals are redone. They have been doing it since 1892. Had lunch right next door at the Scoreboard Pub & Grill - Great Wheat Beer and good food.

Stopped for the night in Chanberlain, SD on the shores of Lake Sharpe (an impoundment on the Missouri River.) It was difficult to find a motel here so we called ahead to reserve something neat Mt. Rushmore. After calling a dozen places near Rushmore, I finally found a new Comfort Inn in Custer, SD - we'll be staying there Saturday and Sunday nights.

Day 4 - Kansas City, MO

Today, the WW1 memorial was our destination. An excellent museum with an incredible array of exhibits. The view of KC from the topis spectacular as well.

Tomorrow, we depart for South Dakota.

Day 3 - Kansas City, MO

Wednesday started slow as we slept in late and just relaxed the morning away. (What are vacations for?)

After a late breakfast, Mary & I struck out on our own for City Market near downtown. Lots of produce and exotic foods we just don't see in Loudon. While there we stopped in for some World Famous KC barbeque at Windslow's BBQ - yum.

Then we went to the Steamboat Arabia museum - this is a fantastic find of artifacts from a riverboat that sank in 1856. A fluke of nature preserved many of these articles in perfect condition.

More tomorrow

Day 2 - Mt.Vernon, IL to Kansas City, MO

Tuesday morning found us on the road West. From Mt. Vernon (gas at 249.9) we traveled I64 across the flat farmland of Western Illinois. to St. Louis, MO. where we picked up I70 toward Kansas City, MO.



Although it had rained quite a bit Monday night, we had a really pleasant drive until we got caught in traffic around an accident in St. Louis.

We noticed signs for a "Wine trail" at exit 175 and with the clock nearing noon, I was able to convince Mary that we ought to force ourselves to investigate. Three hours later, we really did force ourselves to leave the delightful town of Hermann, MO. We tasted wines and beers, toured the Stone Hill Winery (one of 10 or more in the area), toured the local brewery and sampled 5 different beers. If you are ever in the area, this is a wonderful place to spend and afternoon or a week. We regretted needing to be in KC this evening but pressed ever West to the Missouri, Kansas line for a great evening with Mary's brother, Tom and his wife Maxine. We'll be in KC for a couple of days taking in the sights and just relaxing before heading toward Mt. Rushmore on Friday. Oh, Tom and Maxine will travel with us to Rushmore and then they'll return to KC while we continue our wandering.

Day 1 - Loudon, TN to Mt. Vernon, IL

The sky over East Tennessee wept this morning as we headed West on our great adventure. For the first time in weeks, there was a steady hard rain. After topping up the tank on the way out of town ($2.37/gal), we jumped onto I40 headed West toward Nashville.

For the first 20 miles, we felt like we were on a bumper cars ride - saw several accidents and spinouts as people just seemed to go in all manner of crazy directions. We saw at least 5 cars that spun out of control in the rain. I considered heading home and going back to bed but we decided that we would just keep going. Breakfast in Cookville and the sun began to break through the clouds.

We headed North at Nashville - no signs of the flood damage there but we didn't get off the interstate. Then we proceeded into Kentucky and crossed the Ohio River into Illinois at Metropolis where yours truly acheived brief "Superhero" status in Superman's home town. We walked through the town and along the Ohio River, sat in a riverfront park and watched towboats shuffle barges.


50 miles north and we stopped in Marion to visit Richard's Great Aunt Ivolene (89 1/2 years old and still going strong). We hadn't been to Marion since the mid 1990's and enjoyed driving around town and seeing places that tweaked my memory. On to West Frankfort (site of a terrible December 1951 coal mine disaster) for supper at a deli then an hour North to Mt. Vernon for the night.

Ramping up

We're loading up the Sonata for an anticipated 3500 mile journey through much of the Midwest and great plains. From our home near Knoxville, TN, we expect to visit between 8 and 13 states and maybe a short jaunt into Ontario.

Planned stops are in Marion, IL, Kansas City, MO, Mt. Rushmore, SD and Rhinelander, WI. Other destinations in the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, Michigan and Ohio will be considered as well.

Today is our final loading and packing day - with just Mary and I and a loosely planned itinerary, there is no telling where we might go and what we might see. Come along for the ride, it might be fun.