Desert Hot Springs

Yesterday I went to March AFB to see the museum. Shirley went to the Living Desert Museum. I had hoped I could do both, but there just is not enough time. Having never been to March it was much better than expected. John, Ray, Dave and I were almost the only people there. The cold must be keeping the tourists away. Shirley said there were not many people at the Living Desert either.

The four of us met a 89 year old man named Ken Wright, who flew for the RAF and later for the US during WWII. We probably spent 1 1/2 hours listening to him. He had a million stories and answered a lot of questions for us. Fascinating! We also managed to look at most of the airplanes.

Our evenings, since Bakersfield have been spent watching the series "Downton Abby" which is on PBS on Sunday nights. We had never seen the series, now in it's third year, but thanks to DVD's we are quickly catching up. I guess you could say we are hooked.

Today, we went to lunch in Palm Springs and then saw the Follies. We almost opted out, but this years show was so much better than last time that we were glad we went. After lunch we had some extra time  so along with Cam and Marcia we toured the Art Museum. It is a beautiful building and has a lot to offer and was well worth the visit.

Evening saw us all gathered in the meeting room where we all ate pizza and visited and the girls played Joker and the guys watched the 49ers whip the Packers. Our two favorite teams because we live near San Francisco and visited the Packers stadium in '09.

No photos 'cause none were taken. It's sure cold here, but Lincoln, is to be 28 tonight. Funny, we left home to find warmer weather and have not found any. Yet!

Tomorrow will be a surprise, 'cause I have not looked at the schedule yet. Need to get propane and go shopping so probably will find time for that as well as finding new stuff to see.

See Ya! Barry and Shirley

Takes a day or two to remember how to do this. Here are some pictures:

 This is the barn on Shirley's relatives property. The house she remembers is no longer there.

This must be the place.

Lake Williams. The other caravaners were jealous they did not have lake front property.

The Integratron.

A little out of order, but this Shirley also remembers from her childhood.

The "Californians" lay here for their "sound bath."

Inside, its all wood, no metal. The original owner was picked up by people from outer space and is gone!


Still learning how to do this, as you can see. More later.




See Ya! Barry and Shirley

Southwest Caravan

If I ever figure out how to do Blogs again, I will do one a month just to keep in practice. We have no photos because like last year I do not remember how. So hang in there with me.

We are currently on a caravan with the Nor-Cal group of the Airstream group. We have thought of doing this caravan for a long time so signed up. Our first night after leaving home was at Atwater which houses Castle Air-force Base. As with so many bases these days it is now closed but has an interesting museum of aircraft. I have wanted to see a B-36 for years and did so this trip.

We stayed two nights here at a very small RV park on base. It is only 3 hours from Lincoln and makes a nice stop. Shirley had relatives living nearby in Stievenson. We drove out there our first night, Friday the 4th. Next day, 4 other Airstreams arrived and we all visited the museum. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so there are no pictures.

We were to arrive in Bakersfield on the 6th. so we fueled up Sat. night. Good thing, it rained all night. We awoke to being in a lake Sunday morning. Hooking up, I got soaked feet etc, but we made it to Bakersfield in pretty good rainfall but on time. We unhooked and drove to dinner at a buffet, now buffets are not my favorite thing, but it was good and after a difficult day much appreciated.

Next morning we all hitched up and headed over the Tehachapi's where it had snowed the day before. As it turned out it was an easy drive, and we arrived at Joshua Trees Camp Ground just fine.

We had been here the year before and felt a home. Evening found us at a happy hour/soup dinner outside in the cold. Forecast was for 20 degree lows. Early to bed and a great night's sleep. Up at 6:30 showered and fed and ready to go on a ranger led tour of the Keys Ranch. Once again we forgot our camera. Maybe it is good to be on this caravan to get reorganized. Anyway it was interesting, the ranger named Sue, was a great wealth of info. She said she was 69 and I personally think she knew the Keys family.

For lunch we ate at a "Heath Food" restaurant and both of us were ill and did not attend happy hour that evening.

By morning we were fine and went to the Integratron in Landers, CA near Joshua Tree. Now this was a real experience. We have some folks from Delaware and Indiana and whatever they think of Californians has been reinforced. At the Integratron we took a 30 minute "sound bath." We lay on the floor on mats and heard sounds from "pure" quartz crystal bowls. This whole thing was OK'ed by Huell Howser, Rolling Stone, and Anthony Bourdain. We were made younger, given more energy and will now have better health and live forever.

Last night we all shared experiences during happy hour and learned the wind was to come up. Well it did! All night the wind blew and we were shaken and rocked and kept awake by a flapping vent, that we finally awoke enough to close.

Tired but undaunted, we drove the 42 miles to Desert Hot Springs where the wind is still blowing hard!

This is the first place we had cell service so this is our first blog.

More later.

See Ya! Barry and Shirleyl

Cheyenne Wyoming

We finally started our trip homeward in earnest. The route taken was convoluted at best. We wanted to see new country and we wanted to avoid adverse weather which was abounding all over. From Iowa we decided to take US 30 westward. This was interesting, all the little towns etc. we even passed a place claiming to be the birthplace of Andy Williams. Never knew he was from Iowa. US 30 was the old Lincoln Highway and has a lot of little towns with great histories. We didn't stop except for water and fuel.

Our night was spent at Black Hawk Lake in Lake View IA. We just sorta pulled in and found a place. We were entertained by kids, little kids, riding their bikes and one little guy was not going to loose a race no matter what. The night was quiet and we woke up rested and ready to go.

We ventured, northward, up to US 20 which goes a long way west, but it was so bumpy we decided 30 was better. So we headed southward, once again. Finally we got back to 30 and found a campground for the night at Ft. Kearny State Park, NE. This was very interesting because of the prices. Not only did you pay for camping, but for water and electricity and a car fee. How do they think you will arrive there? Walk in? Anyway we felt cheap so we dry camped. It was very nice, peaceful and quiet. Next morning we drove by Fort Kearny, funny I am reading the autobiography of Buffalo Bill Cody and he spend a lot of time at this fort. Next trip in the area this will be a must see.

Next morning, must have been June 7th, we drove for awhile on I-80. Construction for miles and miles. Finally got tired of that so drove back up to US 30, ultimately 30 turns into 80 at Cheyenne and we stopped at an information station and found out there were tornado warnings and severe thunder storms forecast. The tornado did not hit but we sure got into a big hail storm. Sounded like rocks hitting our metal home. We did suffer some pock marks, but they are mostly on the very top and not visible.

There were three other Airstreamers here, heading for International so we visited with them before the evening storms. Next morning one of them had a cracked Fantastic Vent which he fixed with duct tape, the RVer's friend.

The morning was beautiful, naturally, and we headed onward. This night, the 8th, we spent in Ft. Bridger, WY. Very nice camp run by an older couple and we had a nice stay, including cable TV which held very little interest for us. As we left we realized the old fort is still there and we plan on a revisit here too.

The wind had plagued us all day the 8th and this morning was no easier so we stopped at Wells, NV for the night and to get some rest. We stopped at around 1:30 in the afternoon and took a nap. The wind was cold, the morning had been down to 42 degrees and the wind was very cold. As we were reading someone knocked on our door. It was Larry Warren. We had not seen them for about two years and we had a great reunion. We had caravanned with the Warren's on all our caravans except the Civil War series. They were one of the first couples we met in Airstreams and they are like family.

It was their anniversary so we shared our gift from the Kentucky Caravan we had received for our anniversary, a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon. Two anniversaries with one bottle. Next morning we all said our goodbyes and they headed eastward and we continued westward.

Our last night on the road was spent in Dayton, NV at a primitive State Park. Dayton for those of you who have never been there is near Virginia City and is known for its early discovery of silver. When we used to drive by there to Yearington to visit my uncle and aunt it was not much more than a wide place in the road with a few old buildings and a ranch or two. Now it has merged into Carson City and for the area is bustling.

Next morning saw us headed up the hill to Lincoln. Took almost 4 hours because it's windy and all up hill. We arrived home around noon and hit the ground running. Lots to do when you have been gone for 4 months. Our neighbors had taken good care of our house and everything is green and beautiful. The only down side is it turned hot on Monday, the day we arrived. They have had a beautiful and mild spring here and so far they have all let us know we missed some beautiful weather. We have not yet told then we had some beautiful weather where we were too.

Black Hawk Lake in IA

Shirley at Ft. Kearny, NE. There were some bull frogs in the lake.

We had a little happy hour to relax.

The camera battery died right here. I was going to show some of the local industry.

Some of the Airstreams heading for International.

Never knew this was here. Just above Cheyenne where the Lincoln Highway ends.

Is that Annie Oakley?

Certainly a different look from the South.

Stopped at a rest area and saw this old Navion.

Enjoyed this place.

Didn't see Jim Bridger here but it was named after him.

We were told to look out for rattlers.

Primitive but quiet.

So we are home, safe and sound.

See Ya! Barry and Shirley

Monday, June 4th the Amana Colonies

Today we visited the Amana Colonies. These are the result of a movement started in Germany around 1714 when two men started a belief that a prayerful relationship with the Lord would lead to a Godly life. Due to persecution, taxes etc. they moved to America in 1842 where they purchased 5,000 acres of land in New York, near Buffalo. As the movement grew to over 1,200 members they moved to Iowa and purchased land where they ultimately owned 25,000 acres by 1855.

 As time went on and leaders died out, the followers lost interest and by 1932, due to the depression, and drought the communal way of life was abandoned and the members worked for wages, owned their homes etc. The church was preserved however and they prospered.

 Many businesses were started including Amana Appliances which is now owned by Whirlpool. They still farm the land, have a large forest reserve and operate a variety of businesses. The villages, there are seven of them, are still viable and the population stays at around 1,800 people,

We enjoyed our visit very much; again learning more about this countries history. Lunch was German food, naturally, and we did some shopping, naturally. Funny how a tour of this kind can take all day.

We returned home and tomorrow will head slowly westward.

Just one of many, many homes or businesses. 

Shirley loves her flowers.

Kinda a hardware store and gift ship.

When Shirley was a kid her dad painted her bike orange and red.

This was a gift shop, couldn't resist the flowers.

These are real looms, not like those we saw this year operated by a person doing it by hand.

Ya like my new hat?

See Ya! Barry and Shirley

Davenport to West Branch, IA

We left Springfield, IL after getting the Ford serviced. Oil, Filer and Lube. Had a burned out tail light that went dead on Friday. Not bad for 95,000 miles. Always risky getting service 'cause you never know the dealer, although the only time I have ever been ripped off was in Kerville, TX. This was a pleasant experience. Everyone was nice. The guy that took my money even was so enthusiastic about Abe that he spent time showing me a map for future excursions when we return here. As I entered the waiting room a man waiting for service told me I had found the best dealer in the state. Made me feel real good. By the way the light cost 65 cents. A similar quote in Roseville for my VW was $40.

By the time we left Springfield it was raining, sometimes pretty heavily. Wind, rain, trucks, and splatters. When we reached Davenport, IA we stopped at a Cracker Barrel to eat and decided to stay the night. Had a good nights rest, even if trucks could be heard all night. The food did not agree with me and I have decided not to eat there again. Coffee the next morning was awful and this morning I had good home made coffee made right here at home.

We left relatively late, just couldn't get going and drove the one plus hour to West Branch, IA which was our goal the previous day. Here we visited the Herbert Hoover Library. This took about 4 hours. Was perhaps one of the best presidential libraries we have visited. We have now visited eight of the 12 libraries. We have not yet visited Carter's, though we did have lunch with him. We have also not visited Johnson's but we visited his childhood home and ranch. Lots to see and do yet.

Hoover was fascinating. In school we were taught he was a smart guy but a lousy president. His was the 4th library and a film of Truman's speech at the dedication said it best, Hoover was president at a time nobody could have done better. He was truly fascinating and did so much during his life. Each time we attend one of these libraries we leave with a greater understanding of the men and their times.

Shirley has had a bad cold ever since we left the Springtime in Kentucky caravan. Just as she is getting over it her husband is fighting it now. It's so hard to avoid colds when we are actually living with folks on these caravans. Nevertheless we are enjoying our travels and are still in the sightseeing mode.

We are currently camped in a corps campground and are away from most of the other campers. This is a huge place and a ranger was nice enough to drive us around the area before we unhitched.

There is a whole neighborhood preserved to show Hoover's birthplace.

Some very nice homes.

"Bert" was born in this house. Very cute. Five people lived here.

"Didja' fall in?"

Yes he went to school.

They had a black smith shop.

If you look to the right of the picture you can see our trailer parked. Hoover's family placed a stove on the back porch in the summer months for cooking.

They were Shakers and this is inside of their meeting place.

Hoover was orphaned by age 10, both parents died and his other two siblings and he were separated.  Herb was sent to Newburg, OR to live with his uncle.

Herbert and Lou are buried here.

In the 1800's Iowa was all prairie, this farm has been replanted. Most trees did not exist.

NIce to have a moment for a breather. Shirley is under the awning in a light rain.

Today, we will check out the Amana Colonies? More on that later, 'cause I have no clue as to what we will see.

See Ya! Barry and Shirley

Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL

We arrived here in Springfield, IL, in a pretty good downpour. Lucille, our GPS,  did just fine. The campground is not a five star place but it is OK. Poor people seem to be living here, they are nice but pretty much keep to themselves. Some of them go through the trash so this must be their homes. I suspect they have some assistance as many live in tents. Reminds me of the Okie camps near Bakersfield when I was a kid.

Illinois is not my favorite state. We came here to see the Lincoln Museum and that is what we did. Springfield is partly old and some new; mostly old. Without Abe's memory we feel they would have no claim to fame. Abe is all over the place.

Our first experience down town was a parking garage. To make the story short we ran into a guy that would make a great dictator only was without a military uniform to give him authority. We left there and found a place to park where they were a lot nicer.

The museum was one of the best, maybe the best we have ever seen. To describe it would just take too many words. They have spent a lot of money and time making it what it is. It appealed to us and (it was Chicago kid day) and seemed to appeal to the kids too.

Speaking of Chicago kids, they were very polite and friendly. Must have been 300 of them, but they gave nobody any trouble that we could see. Speaking of Chicago, we have been told by friends who live in IL that Chicago is not part of the state. I commented on that to one of the docents and boy did I get an earful. This lady certainly feels that way. She stated she wished they could just vote Chicago out. Period. Illinois seems to be like so many places. The populated areas are able to outvote the unpopulated areas.

Us after the rain stopped.

The camp hosts digs.

Something old in our campground. No idea what it is.

Abe's office.

Who is that interloper?

The old capitol building, was here when Abe was around.

Which one is the real person?

We did not spend much time here, they had a Civil War display and we came to see Abe.

Can't miss, it's right across the street.

The villain. Hisssssss.

The family was nice enough to pose for me.

Mr. Douglas and friend.

Sherman and Grant discussing the war with my friend.

Abe with his favorite teacher.

This is Lincoln's home office where he sat when he was notified he was nominated for president.

Abe's kitchen was in the house, most houses of the era had the kitchen remote from the house. And had no stove.

Lincoln's house when he was a successful lawyer.

A picture of his house while his body lay in state.

Just a pretty park near Lincoln's home.

Today we leave. The plan is Iowa and the Hoover Library.

See Ya! Barry and Shirley