Don & Sandi at "home", back in the Stockton area.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Wandering...

Hi.

We have spent the past few days "wandering" through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and New York.   We are currently camping about 15 miles outside of Niagara Falls and we will visit the Falls on Sunday.   We were in Niagara Falls during a spring break about four years ago and it is one of our favorite places.

So, what have we been doing the past few days?  Well, we have been viewing this country's beautiful scenery as we have have driven down the highways and the by-ways of several states.  Some areas look like California scenery;  but most areas are different with flat lands full of crops that seem to stretch on for miles...or rolling hills full of cedar and birch trees, with layered, dark rocky outcroppings.

We had our first encounter with "toll roads" (turnpikes)...nothing like paying $27 to travel a little over 120 miles in Indiana.  Oh well! :-)

We also had the opportunity to see the "scenery" inside another tire shop.  Yup.  We had another tire blow-out on one of our rear tires; but on the other side this time and while traveling down the freeway.  Fortunately, we were able to quickly pull over at an off-ramp and exit to a safe area.  We called our "Good Sam" emergency service and in three hours we were on the road again....and looking for a tire shop that could sell us the correct tire (and one that actually had it in stock).   We finally found one in Elkhart, Indiana about a mile from where we were camping.  What a coincidence!?!    The price was sooo good (and the service so exemplary) that we replaced all of our old tires.  We now have a total of six new tires...and a lighter wallet.  Whew.

We originally planned to go to Elkhart to visit the RV/Motor Home Museum.   Amazingly, over 70% of the travel trailers, fifth-wheels, and motor homes produced in the USA are produced in-and-around Elkhart.  Our own Damon Challenger motor home came from Elkhart.  We enjoyed our visit to the museum to see the beginnings of the RV industry and its display of "rigs" from the 20's and 30's.   

OK, that's it for now...off to Niagara Falls in the morning.

Take care.
Don & Sandi

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

St. Louis

Hi.

We have made it to St. Louis and today we spent the day visiting the Gateway Arch.  We started with a quick 5-minute (but very exciting) helicopter ride to view the arch and the surrounding area.  It was our first time in a helicopter and it was over toooo quickly.  The ride and the view were both spectacular.

We then visited the Arch and I took a couple of photos...OK, a couple hundred photos.  Yes, I did delete a bunch of them once we got back to the motor home.  And I am only "forcing" you to view six of them ;-).  

The ride to the top of the arch was in what they call a "capsule".  It seats five people (barely) and there are eight capsules in the "train".  Once the capsules were loaded, we took the four-minute ride inside the arch to the top.  You cannot be claustrophobic to take this trip!

There are several sets of rectangular windows on each side of the arch.  One side overlooks the Mississippi River, and the other side provides a view of downtown St. Louis...from 630 feet above the landscape.

Sandi and I both agree that the Gateway Arch is one of the best national monuments we have ever visited.  

That's all for now...off to Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and eastward starting tomorrow.  

Take care.
Don & Sandi

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