Home At Last

Drove through Utah, couple of days of straight driving, no signs advertising tourist traps to pull us off the road.  Spent the night in Salt Lake City.  It had been a long time since we had been there, but it had not changed much.  Up early Wednesday morning to drive home.  Long day but we are home.  No great surprises at home.  The house, Alex and Amanda are still standing.  Have to sweep up five weeks of dog hair and dishes, but otherwise, not bad.

 Brianna and Taylor swimming at the pool in Salt Lake City.

Brianna is glad to be home.  There were a bunch of cows along the fence, but when she got out of the car and ran over to the sign, they ran away, it was pretty funny.

Wyoming

Driving Day, we decided to skip Yellowstone so we are heading home.  May stop if we see anything interesting.  Today at the rest stop we stopped at was also a historic site.  Independence Rock where the pioneers in covered wagons stopped and climbed the rock and carved their names.  Taylor had learned about it in 4th grade when she studied the Oregon Trail.  Some people climbed the rock but I wouldn't let Brianna and Taylor there were signs to beware of rattlesnakes.

South Dakota 2

Brianna at scenic overlook of Missouri River

Indoor Water Park at the hotel

Fort Hayes Cowboy Breakfast

Fort Hayes

 

Mount Rushmore

 You can see Mt. Rushmore through the opening in the tunnel, but the way the light is shining it doesn't show up in the picture.  Our bus just came through this tunnel.

Our Tour bus

Another tunnel our bus went through

Crazy Horse sculpture, and monument in the background

 

Cowboy supper entertainment

 

 

South Dakota

Long drive across South Dakota but a couple of stops broke up the drive.  First stop the Corn Palace recommended by a girl I worked with and web site looked good.  We were not impressed.  Next we stopped at Wall Drug Store had been seeing signs all across South Dakota.  A bunch of souvenir shops.   Stopped at a rest stop for lunch had a great view of Missouri River very nice stop.  The views in SD are incredible very fat and you can see for miles.  Arrived at our hotel early enough for Bri and Tay to take advantage of attached indoor water park and Ben and I to enjoy happy hour.

Sunday had to get up early to have a Cowboy breakfast at Fort Hayes (film set from dances with wolves).  Breakfast cowboy style on tin plates. Walked around film set then on the bus for tour.   Went to Mt Rushmore.  Wonderful to see in person.  Then the bus drove a twisty turns road for miles then through tunnels the bus barely fits through oncoming traffic has to stop and back up.  Then we went to Custer national park no buffalo to be seen today.  Had lunch at Calvin Coolige summer White House.  Buffet included buffalo stew so we tried it not bad.  On to crazy horse monument on the way we stopped at an overlook and bus driver gave kids chipmunk food and the chunks came up and are out of their hands they really enjoyed that.  Back in the bus for last stop at Crazy Horse monument it might be finished in 30 years.  Bus tour lasted 9 hours...   Then cowboy dinner again on tin plates.  Country music for entertainment.  Music was good but jokes were groaners.  Now to bed after a long day.  Bad Internet so will post pictures tomorrow.

St. Louis, Missour

Last minute change and added St. Louis to our itinerary.  Went to Budweiser Brewery tour today, was very hot 96 degrees today and humid.  The heat wave is following us.  Bud Light never tasted better, so cold and refreshing in this heat.  I had a Bud light and Land Shark.  Ben had a Land Shark and Amber Bach dark lager.  The girls were bored, except when we got to see the Clydesdales, they are such huge, beautiful horses.  The hotel had a happy hour with drinks and snacks, but it was enough for us for dinner.  The hotel is walking distance from the Arch, we even have a view of the arch and Mississippi River from our room.  Went to the Arch after "happy hour".  The Arch is on a large piece of property with manicured lawn.  Brianna and Taylor enjoyed rolling down the hill in the grass.  The Arch is 620 feet in the air, made of stainless steel and concrete, it took about three years to build.  They thought they would lose some men during the construction but luckily no one fell, though they did not have the security features they have in place today.  Ben and Brianna road the tram to the top and took a couple of pictures.  Taylor wouldn't go up, so I stayed down with her and we watched a movie about the construction of the arch, hence the info above.  Tomorrow we head for Mount Rushmore suppose it will take at least a couple days to get their unless we stop and it could take longer.

View of the Arch from our room.

Clydesdale

Girls rolling in  the grass

View from the top of the Arch

Ohio

A couple of days of no driving and visiting all the old familiar sights in Ohio.  And, of course, family!!  It was great to drive all the familiar roads that never seem to change, not like Sterling, Virginia.  Could be because we lived in Ohio for forty years and Sterling for only three years.  Visiting and catching up with family is always wonderful.  All the kids have grown so much, don't know how that happens when I don't get older, yeah right.   Anyway hit all the requisite spots, Barberton chicken and Strickland's frozen custard. 

The second cousins, Brianna, Sierra, Madison and Taylor

 

 

Pam, Janet, Dennis, Ben, Geri, Richard and Patty - The Holts

New York City

WOW New York City, as exciting as ever.  We stayed at the Marriot Marquis in Time Square, right in the heart of the tourist section.  The marquis has 47 floors and in order to access an elevator quickly, you punch in the floor you want in a keypad and it tells you the elevator to take (A through O).  Then your elevator only stops at a couple floors.  Very efficient.  We saw Time Square, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, Trump Tower, Tiffany's the first day.  Had to get something as a memento (I hadn't gotten anything my only other trip to New York). They sent me to the "cheap floor" when I choked on the $1750.00 price of a bracelet.  Got a much cheaper sterling silver bracelet, Brianna and Taylor both wanted something but they will have to wait until they are paying for it.  Had drinks on  the 48th floor of our hotel, The View, a rotating restaurant at our hotel.  The night was rainy and foggy so the view wasn't great, but it is an experience I didn't want to miss.  Late night , the next morning  we walked outside and there was a street fair for several blocks selling all kinds of things.  Taylor got a $3 ring (we are watching to make sure her finger doesn't fall off)  Brianna got dangly earrings (we are also watching her ears, wouldn't want another "ear problem" though her ear ach is all gone and we are consistently forgetting to put the drops in.  After returning our packages to our room, we walked down to the Garden Center Theater for the matinee of "Mama Mia" We all enjoyed the show very much.  Very funny and great "Abba" music.  Bri and Tay laughed throughout the show and were up dancing in their seats at the finale.  It was really a good choice of a show we could all enjoy.  After the show, we caught a cab to 9/11 memorial very moving and then walked to Battery Park.  We were too late for the tourist trips to the Statue of Liberty, but our cab driver had told us to catch the Staten Island Ferry and it goes right past the Statue and is free.  (Since he was not a yellow cab driver but a limo driver and he charged us $45 for the trip, and the return trip in a yellow cab was $20.  at least he saved us the cost of the trip to the Statue)  The tourist trips to the island had ended for the day, so our only chance was to take the Ferry.  Think we still got some great pictures of Lady Liberty.  After we got back we ate dinner at a BBQ which was very good.  Sunday before leaving, since Taylor has been nagging since we got here to go to Forever 21 which is directly across from our hotel we finally made it over there.  Brianna had a $25 gift certificate for Forever 21, but since she isn't a close horse, it was hard for her, but she did find a shirt and pair of sun glases.  Taylor, of course, found a couple of things, so we used Bri's gift certificate and I will give Bri some money to use somewhere else.  We are now on the Amtrak train back to Phillie.  Much better more convenient train ride than our train ride in California.