Cross-Country Vacation 2023

We started today behind schedule! It was the scones fault. Turns out our host at Suite T Airbnb  is an instructor at a local culinary school and delivered scones just before 9AM and they were so good we wanted more! We waited for the tea shop downstairs to open at 10AM. By the time we got on the road it was 10:30AM, an hour and a half behind schedule, but it was SO worth it; Coconut Rum Scones with Lemon Curd, Devonshire Cream, and Strawberry  Jam for toppings.  (Click on any photo to enlarge) Scones and Clotted Cream History of Suite T B&B Breakfast with History Clara J's Tea Room Suite T B&B and Clara J's Tea Room Scones to Go Today's plan was to drive 6.5 hours, 332 miles, and visit two historic sites. Because of the late start we skipped Fallen Timbers Battlefield National Park and headed straight for Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site . It was a 2.5 hour drive through beautiful countryside following Rte 6  and Rte 66 (Yes, that R...

Holliwell Covered Bridge We started with a good breakfast at The Big Apple Restaurant . After spending a questionable night in the Super 8 we needed a good lift. The food was delicious and the waitresses talkative and friendly.  (Click on any photo to enlarge) Hearty Skillet Hashstack Today's plan is to drive 6 hours and 15 minutes, 333 miles, with several stops along the way, including a state park, museum and several covered bridges. First, we headed to Starved Rock State Park, only a short distance away.  We hiked for 2 hours taking in the landscape, wildlife and views. The Legend of Starved Rock Starved Rock State Park is another one of those special places that deserves its own page. Go here  https://travelingvtjs.blogspot.com/p/starved-rock-state-park.html to see more photos and learn more. We stopped in Princeton, IL to search out a couple covered bridges. Captain Swift Covered Bridge Red Covered Bridge Illinois River Road We continued on ...

It was a beautiful morning in Rock Springs, WY, sunny and in the 40's. Today's plan is to drive 272 miles in 7 hours, with a scenic drive and a visit to a state park. (Click on any photo to enlarge) We traveled a short distance to Green River, WY to the Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Drive . This is a 24 mile scenic drive in the mountains of Wyoming. We headed into Wild Horse Canyon and quickly ascended to views above everything. There was a couple muddy spots along the way and snow drifts. Eventually we reached a point where we couldn't go any further because of snow. We didn't see any wild horses, but the views were amazing. Would love to try this again someday. After a quick lunch at the Main Street Deli in Evanston, WY we headed to Antelope Island State Park on the Great Salt Lake. We spent several hours photographing wildlife and the scenery at this amazing place!  This is another special place that deserves a separate page . Go to  https://t...

The tent is pitched. We are with family and we are happy to be here. (Click on any photo to enlarge)   Day 1 - Woke up in the tent this drizzly morning, temperature 46F degrees. Slept pretty good last night. Could hear the neighbors wind chimes on and off during the night. Made a couple batches of coffee in our French press.  It was nice to be with family and not have to go anywhere. We did go to Schmizza Public House for Dinner. Day 2 - We found a place to eat breakfast at Kevin's Cafe .   After we headed to Waterloo County Park . We found a nice 1.2 mile walking path on Alltrails , full of wildflowers and birds. We spent nearly 2 hours here.  This was a special place that we will create another page for. Lots of wildflower and bird photos! https://travelingvtjs.blogspot.com/p/waterloo-county-park.html . Day 3 - 49 degrees and raining this morning. We found Randy's Main Street Coffee in Brownsville, the food was delicious....

  Week 2, Day 1 - 41 Degrees this morning. It's a bit chilly to be camping in Oregon in May. (Click on any photo to enlarge) We started the day at a restaurant in Albany, Oregon named Roger's Restaurant . It was a busy place, but the people were all friendly. I recognized our waitress that had waited on us from a restaurant in Sweet Home 5 years ago; she said she remembered us too. We searched out Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson, Oregon using AllTrails . This was a beautiful place with boardwalks and hiking trails. Taking a 1.4 mile walk we were able to identify several birds species using Merlin and some wildflowers using PictureThis . Though not as many photos as other places, this was another special place that deserves its own page. https://travelingvtjs.blogspot.com/p/ankeny-national-wildlife-refuge.html Day 2 - There's no written record of what we did today, it looks like we had a very busy day. Looking at the DayOne journal and Google Ma...