Grand Island, Nebraska

Just a quick note that we made it to Grand Island, Nebraska tonight...staying in a State Recreation park.  Electricity for $25...but the ALSO make you buy a out-of-state entrance fee at $14, so $39 for the night.  At least we can run our new DREO Space Heater that Nancy Kissack talked about in her blog.  She is right, it is quiet.  With temps dropping down to low 30's, it will be a good test as to how well it keeps us warm.

Wind has been our nemesis since leaving Cincinnati...today was mostly head on, but it still moved us around a bit.  Tomorrow we are hoping for Laramie...and wind is in the forecast.

SURPRISE! Visit with Marcia's Son John (no idea we were coming)

Thursday we got sidelined due to the weather.  The wind in Southern Illinois was real bad...30-35 mph wind guest...I was being blown all over the Interstate.  Finally gave up 120 miles shy of Amboy, where Marcia's son John works and lives in a small town sports bar...he has the entire second floor to himself.  We stayed at...yes...another Cracker Barrel, this one in Bloomington, IL.  The wind died down around 9 pm, we had a good nights sleep.  Drove north to I-80 where we went west for 1.5 miles and pulled into a Flying J to fill up and to empty.  (Got Gas, Emptied Waste Tanks)  We needed fresh water, but it was all turned off.  (Thank goodness we were able to fill up at the Bar later)

 We pulled up to the bar finding John sitting out on the bench in front of the bar.  He watches us pull in...he looks at me very hard and mouths "What the ???"  Then he sees his Mama in the passenger seat and mouths "MAMA!!!"   Oh, we surprised him alright!   Above he sits in his Walker (he needs a hip replacement), and you can see the bar in the background with one of his staff awaiting their first guests of the day (besides Marcia, Indy and me).

 

Here is Marcia sitting in her Walker, and you can see much of the rest of the bar behind her.  I was sitting in a cushioned booth along with Indy.  After talking, getting water, John and I went next door to get Lunch to bring back.  We had an enjoyable 4 hours with John, and headed out.  We are now in Davenport, Iowa staying WHERE????   Yes, a Cracker Barrel...but not eating tonight since we had a late lunch/early dinner with John.

As we travel through to Nebraska, Wyoming, and eventually Salt Lake City, we will be staying in a couple of campgrounds so that we will have electricity to help keep us warm at night.

 

 

Cincinnati -- Visit with Ryan and Kaelyn and Kids

 I LOVE coming into Cincinnati from the south, as you cross the river you immediately see Paycor Stadium, home of the Bengals Football Team.  As you take the turn of the Interstate you quickly come upon Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds.  And next to it is Heritage Bank Center, home of the minor league Cincinnati Cyclones Hockey Team.

As a kid I remember seeing the Oakland Raiders Frank Youell Field from I-80, where they played from 1962–1965 until the Oakland Colosseum opened in 1966.  Or seeing Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium from the Interstate in Independence Missouri where the Chief's Football Team and the Royal's Baseball Team play.

 

The reason to come through Cincinnati was to visit with my son Ryan, wife Kaelyn and meet the three adorable girls that they have been fostering for the past 8 months.  Due to foster rules, I cannot show pictures or even mention names online.  Let's just say that these three girls are doing so well under Ryan and Kaelyn's control...we hope that one day the word "Foster" changes to "Adopted".  

Above is the house they literally moved into about a week ago.  Plenty of room for the expansion of the family.  Due to their 9 hour drive from Kansas City to Cincinnati yesterday, and the disorder that comes from moving, we only stayed for 3-4 hours, and then got out of their way.  The girls all got a kick out of me when I said, "What?  Didn't Aunt Stephanie tell you that her and Ryan's daddy looks like Santa Claus?"

Staying at another Cracker Barrel, this one at the boarder of Indiana and Ohio.  Had a thunder storm roll through, which was refreshing and it helped to clean some of the bugs off the van.