A few Thank You's...

There were some things that just made this trip better. So I want to give a shout out to couple of folks:

Joe Rachubinski- for suggesting  I replace the Aliner water tank drain plug with a spigot (I am sure that is not what is it called - but you get the idea.)

Brian Glackin - for installing the battery gauge.   We had electric more often that I  expected, but it was a relief always knowing how charged the battery was.

Steve Rykaczewski - for getting us off the truck laden interstate and onto much calmer roads out west,  for forewarning us about 60 mph winds in Guadalupe Mountains, and for suggesting Aquirre Springs and Canyon de Chelly.

Mary Glackin- for sewing the liners onto the Aliner curtains -- which worked out perfectly. And for knitting my favorite pair of socks - I was so very glad to have them when it was 32F in the NM Mountains!!

Diane Castellucci- for the Road Atlas - which was invaluable for plotting an planning our trip. And also for my lined flannel shirt- which I wear every morning while camping.

Greg Doneker - for checking in with us via FaceTime (even if it was parentally unapproved)

Bill Lee- for the old school percolator - which we used every day for life affirming coffee.

The Vernons - for serving as our personal tour guides during our Kansas visit and finding us a great place to camp.

Last but not least, my traveling companion Kathy - for putting up with me for 6 uninterrupted weeks in tight quarters!

I have no doubt forgotten something or someone- so Thank you to everyone who followed along with us in spirit :)

An Adventure!

I wanted to write one last post and thank everyone for reading our blog. It is great to be connected to friends and family when away as long as we were. We rolled into LBI (home of the Aliner) on Wednesday.  Wednesday night we watched news coverage of giant funnel clouds right near where we stayed in Kansas. Talk about feeling blessed!!  We were on the road for 40 days (only 5 in a motel), passed thru 17 states, took thousands of pictures, saw several "new birds", drove 7300 miles (18.8mpg) and had nothing but fun!  Again thanks for reading, see you at the shore!

St Louis Arch - pics

inside the tin can that gets you to the top!!!!

Bathroom Art (aka "Folk Art”)

So out here in almost the middle of nowhere there is small town (Lucas, KS) known for it quirky folk art. We visited the Garden of Eden and were then directed to make sure to visit the toilet in town that is shaped like a toilet. (Huh??)

So, sure enough, here it is

Notice the toilet seat, the bowl and the 3 hub caps that serve as the handle to flush, and the roll of T.P. 

But that's only the outside, there is more art inside:

Anyway -come to find out that this was started by the same guy who does all the mosaic art in Philly, notably on South Street (but also the Painted Bride Art Center which I can see from the condo!!)

His name is Isaiah Zagar...

Small world (at least in the world of folk art!!!)

Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio

The Gateway Arch, St. Louis

The states are flying by as we head home.  We had a nice stop in St. Louis where we had a rib dinner at Pappy’s Smokehouse that was excellent.  Next morning we walked thrust down town St. Louis, saw the Gateway Arch and rode to the top.  Not among the high points of the trip in my opinion.  Slightly claustrophobic being in a tuna can with five other people, and then when you get to the top the windows are about five inches by five inches.  Once but not again.
Nice campsite at the Eldon Hazlett SP in Illinois on Sunday night.  Monday night we camped at Hueston Woods SP in Ohio, ok but nothing special.  Our driving weather has been great for which we are grateful.  Should be home to LBI in a day or two.  Interesting sites are few and far between in this part of the country but be assured the corn is growing just fine!

We are not in Kansas anymore but ....

…we saw lots of interesting things there.  People who drive thru Kansas and complain how flat it is did not see the Kansas we did.  After a couple days in the center part of the state we drove to Abilene and saw President Eisenhower's boyhood home and library.  It was nicely done but the library did not have the audio visuals you’ve come to expect in newer museums.  It was impressive though to see the humble beginnings that Ike had to over come.
Arrived in Topeka to be taken under the wing of Gayle and Alice Vernon (how my brother had the good sense to marry into this family is still one of life’s mysteries).  The Vernon’s set up a private tour of the state Capitol building which had been recently renovated and was really a showplace.  We got a good dose of Kansas history which was interesting as Kansas was in the center of civil war politics and the Indian wars.  We then drove to the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, one of the few pieces of prairie lands left.  Saw lots of birds that were unusual for us, but no prairie chickens or buffalo.  Lunch in a small Kansas town (Cottonwood Falls) where the hamburgers are all ½ pound and delicious.   We then took a scenic drive (dirt road) through some ranch country.  A full day for sure, Carole and I were done in but the Vernons did not even break a sweat!  Dinner with Susan and Steve and Gayle and Alice, tours of the camper for everyone and then packing up as we head to St. Louis!

Seeing the sights in Kansas

E  

Our drive from Colorado Springs into Kansas was the most difficult of the trip.  We had rain the whole trip and fog thru much of it.  So we got as far as Ellis Kansas and checked into a Days Inn with a hot tub - so all was not lost.  The next morning we visited the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria Kansas and let me just say this is one stunning church.  Beautiful with marble and exquisite stained glass.  The church was built by Czech immigrants in the early 20th century and is now staffed by Capuchin Friars (yes Maryanne your friends).  We then setup camp at an Army Corps of Engineers camp.  Water and power, lots or Orioles and red headed woodpeckers, a beautiful setting all for $10/night with my Golden Age pass.  In the afternoon we visited the Garden of Eden which is another one of these sites with folk art and is called Americana (definition = eccentric people make art out of other people's trash).  Pictures to follow.  We visited the town of Lucas (stop reading now if you like) and saw the world’s second most beautiful bathroom and talked with a descendent of the Czech immigrants who has a smoked meat store in Lucas.  Bought some ring bologna which was pretty good.
Today we went to the Cheyenne Bottoms wildlife refuge and saw some birds that were new to us.  This area has a mixture of both eastern and western birds.  Then we stopped at Ft. Larned which is a US army fort from the 1860s-70s.  Not quite Fort Apache but an excellent tour.  The park ranger was very good and brought this history alive.

Heading East

  Our last two days in Colorado Springs were partly rainy and cooler.  We were very fortunate to have a clear sunny day to see Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods on Friday.  We hiked some more in Garden of the Gods, saw the Air Force Academy and drove to Criple Creek an old mining community reinvented as a casino destination.  All of the sights are somewhat diminished by not having the mountains as a back drop but no complaining as mostly we have had great weather.  Our destination today is Kansas where we already have packed full itinerary courtesy of my brothers in-laws Gayle and Alice Vernon who we’ll meet up with in Topeka.

Rocky Mountain High

Pikes Peak

Figuratively not literally.  Arrived in Manitou Springs right at the base of Pikes Peak and just west of Colorado Springs.  We are camping in an RV park not our favorite thing to do but all the state parks were full.  As they go the Pikes Peak RV resort is pretty nice.  We are camped next to a vigorous mountain stream which is three feet from our camper, the best white noise around.  Yesterday we got out early to hike around at Garden of the Gods.  It was a beautiful day and the rock formations were spectacular next to the blue sky.  In the afternoon we took the cog railway up to the peak.  At 14000+ feet the oxygen level was quite low so we moved slowly.  The views were tremendous - back into New Mexico, east to Kansas, north to the high peaks and northeast to Nebraska.  I first went to the top in the late 60s when Marge Dugan and I came out west.  It was the first thing we did - I was awed then and still am.  The woman who wrote America the Beautiful (Katherine Bates) composed it after a day at the peak.  Today might be our first rainy day since Little Rock.
Still a few more sights to see here before we head east.  I've gotten lots of good recommendations from Paula re Kansas sights, so plenty more to see.

Tinkertown - pics

Forgot to post these photos from several days ago at Tinkertown. 

Though, once again, photos cannot truly depict the  experience.

Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, CO - pics

View of Pike's peak through the Siamese Twins formation

Balanced Rock 

Grilling Hot dogs  for lunch....

Bandelier - pics

Climbing up to see the pueblos...

Hiking in Bandelier

Last day in Santa Fe

Cave dwellings at Bandolier NM

Around Taos - Enchanted Circle drive

No photos can possible depict how beautiful it is here. This is just another small example of the scenery we viewed while driving around. 

Taos- Rio Gorge - pics

Taos and Pueblo - pics

Outside another famous church (whose name I already forget - but probably St Francis of Asisi)

Taos Peublo

I found this sculpture fascinating: three different forms that make up 1 face- 
and the 2 on either side look like small people when viewed alone.

Earthship (Taos, NM) - pics

Looks like a Sci Fi movie set!

Hey-hey Boo-Boo- I think I see a pic-a-nic basket and a cooler....

Let me just tip this cooler over and see what's inside!

Taos

Vietnam veterans SP

Left the camper at the Black Creek Canyon site ($5/night) and took the spectacular ride to Taos with plans to stay overnight in a hotel in Taos.  We visited the Taos Pueblo and as Maryanne has said this is a somewhat sad place.  About ten Indian families continue to live in this site that has been continuously occupied since the 1200s.  There are one and two level adobe buildings with dirt floors.  We had an Indian tour guide who took us thru the site.  These people got the wrong end of everything from both the invading Spainards and the US.  They continue to try to hold on to their culture but it looks a losing proposition to me.  We saw the gorge and then visited Earthship a community living in housing that is entirely self sufficient.  It was interesting to see how these homes are set up to use only solar and wind power, recycle water and grow food year round.  They look like hobbit houses or something from Star Wars.  We really enjoyed the tour here.  I'm glad some people are working on issues like this even if this project may not be scalable.
Taos has a different feel than SF much smaller and more western surrounded by mountains.  We spent sometime in town walking and like SF lots of art galleries (mostly lost on us).  We had a great stay including dinner in the Sage Brush Inn an old Spanish hotel.
The next morning we drove the Enchanted Circle loop thru the mountains -        lots of Big horn sheep and stunning scenery.  Half way around this drive which is really on the way to nowhere is the most amazing state park - VietNam Veterans SP.  It's a small park that was originally a chapel set up as a memorial for a docotor’s son who was killed in Nam in 1968.  The doctor built the chapel with his own funds and thru sheer strengthof will evolved this memorial site into a place to honor all Nam vets. It contains all things VietNam and has a curiously anti-war interpretation of this war. It was an oddly moving experience in a beautiful setting.  Highly recommended if you come near Taos.  Pics to follow.

Yogi arrives!

Finally some real excitement in the camp.  We were resting late afternoon in our camper when our fellow Aliner traveler Mel knocked on our door to tell us there was a bear in the campground.  Sure enough there was Yogi. He meandered around a couple of unoccupied tents and then found a site where some numbnuts had left there cooler unattended.  He went right for the cooler and tipped it over to open it. Surely something he'd done before.  At this point some campers where trying to drive him off.  We have a bear whistle intended to frighten off bears.  He did not even blink at all this racket.   He first took the hot dogs into the woods ate them and returned several times for more food leaving only two grapefruit proving even bears don't eat healthy.  At this point everyone was on high bear alert.  I cooked dinner as carole patrolled the campsite ready to fend him off with her camera. We removed all traces of scented material from the Aliner - toothpaste, cream, shampoo.  No further attacks! Better pics coming.