our trip home



it all started with a fairly stiff breeze

from about the middle of iowa yesterday
afternoon we had sustained winds between
30 and 40 miles per hour with
gusts of 55+ miles per hour and then today
add a little snow to the mix and you get
driving in nebraska and wyoming




once the snow stopped we had some great clouds




and we came home to a new member of the family
they have been calling him stripey at his temporary
home in the liquor room at deer valley

but rose marie's mom thinks he looks more
like a ringo due to the rings he has on his tail
we think we'll go in that direction



last day in springfield

moon rising on our last
night in illinois

today we went up to new salem a rebuilt town where lincoln
lived for several years during his early 20's

they are still showing some good colors in the central part of illinois

a visit to an aunt and a haunted hayride

on thursday we went up to visit aunt marge

tonight we went into springfield to have another "horseshoe"
and go on a haunted hayride with jody and tom

a day in st. louis



just a shadow of it's self



looking west at down town

looking straight down

a few shots of the arch from inside and out

voted best barbecue in st. louis three years running
and yes they deserve it the ribs were unreal

i found my kind of garage sale

a day in springfield

the lincoln library and museum springfield
we didn't go into either, just the gift shop for the
clove and horehound candy

the clock tower on the old central ill train station

this was the antonicci - one of many viraties of the horseshoe sandwich
proscuitto, ham, and salami over garlic toast topped with french fries and alfredo sauce



this is the place where we had our first taste of the fabled
horseshoe sandwich made famous in springfield



heading west

finally rose marie's idea of a
"yard sale" - post office "box"



the sun is going down, but why slow down
the blurry spots are the bugs on the windshield

and i forgot to tell you that we crossed the same
bridge 6 times with the trailer while
trying to get to the hardrock last night,
there was a concert setting up with 10 tour buses
all parked in the middle of the road

we fit right in.lol



PA still had some colors to offer



don't adjust your eyes the shots are a little
blurry around the sides due to the fact
that they were taken at highway speed, and you all
know what my highway speed is

today was a learning experience, we had a gentleman
pull up beside us and tell us that the trailer was
smoking really bad, some truckers noticed it and
he decided to chase us down which i am glad he did
evidently the brakes on the trailer were on and causing
them to over heat and smoke

having no idea what had happened i called an
rv service company which gave me a few ideas.

seems that if you let the spare tire to the trailer that you were
too lazy to put back under the trailer bounce around in the
back, it will bounce over the emergency release
for the brakes and pull the pin causing them to engage
you lean something new each day

and no i didn't put the tire under the trailer i just moved it
to in front of the hitch.

going to the hard rock cafe in pittsburgh was an adventure all
in itself, how many of you know that a trailer that is over
10 feet tall won't fit through an underpass that is only 8 feet 2 inches
with no other way out i was forced to be assisted
by a couple of the valet guys from the hotels to block
traffic and allow me to drive up a one way street the wrong way
and then back up into the valet area and turn around.
as i said you learn something new every day
2 in one day is more that i can handle.



heading out of maine

bucksport church from the top of the
observation deck of the bridge
taken by beth on her field trip with
the third graders she teaches

after leaving bar harbor we decided to take
a side trip to the portland headlight due to the
northeaster that was moving up the coast
the waves were big and beautiful

however the waves didn't come without a price
those damn granite curbs took one of the tires
on the camper to the tire grave yard
so far that is one this year

last night in maine

today is our last day in bar harbor, we had dinner
with dad and beth and said our good-byes and then headed back to camp

during the day we were going to visit a restaurant
that we had been to just a few days ago
and low and behold columbus day has come and gone as
has the season in bar harbor, the damn place was
closed for the season.

so we ate at a picnic table in the campground
watching the seagulls fight each other for some morsel
we might through their way, which we didn't
so it was all a waste of their time.

an airplane ride

our plane

our pilot eric



taking off



our campground, you can't see our trailer
but we are just under the trees before you see the first campers



a light house off the coast of mt. desert island and acadia national park





about to land




closer to landing




a rare site, rose maire and i in a photo together


as you have seen through out the photos today
rose marie and i went on a aireal fall folage tour of
mt. desert island and acadia park, there was a lot of
glare in through the windows so i hope you enjoy the photos
we had a great time.