11/7-17/2010 Last leg of 5 month journey

The last leg of this wonderful journey took us from Las Vegas over to the coast in Santa Cruz, CA where the weather was "picture" perfect! From our vantage point on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was framed in the most stunning colors of blue we'd seen in a long time. The Pacific Ocean was a sight to behold these last few days with temps in the mid 70's and visits with old friends it completed our 5 month journey.





Our vantage point on West Cliff Drive showcased the Santa Cruz Minicipal Wharf and Beach Boardwalk with Lili's beloved Santa Cruz Mountains visible in the background. During the summer months this area is mostly foggy and not all is visible at the same time. This is a mecca for folks from Fresno and Sacramento Valleys to escape the hot days in the summer months.








Along with beach combing the surfers provide entertainment at Cowell's Beach between West Cliff Drive and the Wharf. Some of those brave souls were out there without wetsuits on. Brrrrrr. Even though the air temps were in the mid 70's the water is still only 50 degrees. This was a pretty calm day so the waves were a bit wimpy. So, our journey comes to an end upon our arrival back home tomorrow. We'll have had a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner with family and wish all our friends, new and old, a very Happy Christmas season wrapped in the warmth of family, friends and love..............................

CHEERS, LILI & CARL

10/23-11/6/2010 St George, Utah/Las Vegas

Our favorite spot on the Las Vegas strip is the MGM Grand lion exhibit. Here is a pair of pooped out 16 months old lions enjoying their afternoon siesta.

Below are a couple of 37 day old cubbies learning how to chase not only each other but their trainers and this great big red ball. Can you imagine. They're not even steady on their feet yet and the trainers are rolling the ball around them to teach them to dodge it and when they don't move the ball pushes them over and down they go! They are still quite wobbly on their feet.

This little guy is anticipating a leap of faith into a pit only 6" deep! He did make it but not on all fours!..They were sooooooo cute........................These animals are raised on a ranch 12 miles out of Vegas and are rotated twice a day for the enjoyment of the viewing public, come see them.................and the journey continues

10/29/2010 more of Bryce Canyon

Rainbow Point, at left, is our first stop as we traverse the 18 mile Rim Trail from the south end back north.

Yovimpa Point or point of pines at right. Both of these points offer views of southern Utah. Most days Navajo Mountain and the Kaibab Plateau 90 miles away are visible. If we could we would show you but the camera battery is running out of life!

It hasn't warmed up yet but here we are at Agua Canyon and not a drop of water to be found, at least not up here but mother nature is at work in the canyon below. The Paria River and it's tributaries still carve plateau edges. Carrying dirt and gravel, rushing waters gully the edges of the Paunsaugunt Plateau on which lies the national park.

"Natural Bridge" was not formed by a stream like true natural bridges. More accurately an arch, it was carved by rain and frost erosion acting from the top of the rock. Our eyes are full, the camera battery is exhausted, we're cold so we're heading back to St George where it's warm and play golf.............................................and the journey continues

10/28/2010 Bryce Canyon

Hi all, we're back to Internet, photos and sharing more fun. While we stayed in St George, Utah for 5 days a trip to Bryce was on our schedule. 20 years ago we planned a visit to Bryce but it snowed, we had our old motor home and no tow vehicle. This time the weather was beautiful but verrrrrry cold and windy which made for spectacular views of the hoodoos.

We were lucky the Park could accomodate us in one the their lovely cabins just 100 yards from the canyon amphitheater. We pushed the "on" button and presto, we cozied up to the fire to peruse the Park map and stratigise the following days adventure.

Nanuke from the North decided it was time to brave the chill before dark so off we went and was sure glad we brought our down jackets along. So far it's the only time we've needed them.

After a 100 yard stroll through a pine forest from our cottage the canyon edge just dropped off into this valley. The rock formations are so different from Zion, it took our breath away but so did the cold wind! This view is called the "amphitheater". It's everything Bryce. Rock formations here are called hoodoos - a pillar of rock, usually of fantastic shape, left by erosion. Hoodoo - to cast a spell. 10 million years ago forces within the Earth created and moved massive blocks known as the Table Cliff and Paunsaugun plateaus. Over time tall thin ridges called fins emerge. Fins erode into pinnacles and spires called hoodoos that, weakening and falling add their color to the Paria Valley below......................and the journey continues

Canyon de Chelly 10/18-10/21/2010

If these two pictures look similar, they are. The first is from the canyon floor while the second one

is from the canyon rim. It's Spider Rock, an 800' sandstone spire. We're standing at 1000' at the canyon rim looking down at the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Monument Canyon. Legend has it that Spider Rock is where the Navajo indians learned to weave and make baskets.

We are standing in front White House Ruin built by ancestral Puebloan people and occupied about 1000 years ago. It is named for the long wall in the upper dwelling that is covered with white plaster.

This is Mummy Cave Ruin and was occupied to about 1300. The shaded alcoves are comprised of living and ceremonial. The tower complex resting on the cental ledge was built in the 1280s by people who migrated from Mesa Verde.

This is Cat Rock. See the resemblance to a cat's face? Way cool..................and the journey continues

Albuquerque, 10/8-10/18/2010

Here we are enjoying the Balloon Festival. What a scene to see these balloons fill, lift, fly and land! As you can see, there are some near misses here. We drove the Turquoise Trail around 10,000 ft Sandia Mt one day but forgot the camera! We did get to see the tavern featured in the movie "Wild Hogs", the one where the motorcycle gets torched. It was a Sunday and the town was packed with looky loos and lots of beer drinking and high fives going on so we just passed through. We stayed here for 10 days and relaxed and played golf. The weather is perfect and hard not to be outside....................and the journey continues

Oklahoma City 10/4-10/5/2010

These images are at the memorial site of the victims of the 1985 bombing of the Federal Building. The lighting at night on the reflection pond and lighted chairs in memory of those who lost their lives gives this space a beautiful and peaceful aura.













Lighted chairs of those lost in the blast

Reflection pond

One can only hope the 911 memorial is this well done.

On our way to the Cowboy Museum we stopped by the Okla State Capital to see the only pumping oil well on a state capital grounds to find it had been capped and moved down the street. As long as we were there we decided to take a look inside this beautiful building and as usual, our quick trip ended up spending half the day at the capital enjoying the art and history.................and the journey continues

Tennkiller Lake Oklahoma 10/2-10/4/10

From Hot Springs we journeyed to Sallisaw, Okla traveling through western Arkansas. This part of AR is mostly rolling hills, oak forests and rural farms. Nothing to photograph or memorialize. A stop here gave us the opportunity to visity where Lili's mom was born and pay respects to Lili's grandparents in Okla City. On 10/3 we traveled to Lake Tenkiller in the Cooksen Hills of central eastern Okla where Lili's grandparents owned a combination grocery store, bait and tackle shop and 2 gas pumps for 20+ years. A couple of summers were spent helping out

at the store and eating all the candy and pop available for the efforts. This photo was taken in 1959 of Lili, her grandparents, her mom and brother in front of Charlie & Clara's store. Lili's last visit was in 1964. The store was sold to the neighbors, Fin & Feathers, resort which has now developed into a major RV park, conference center, additional cabins and meeting halls and encompasses most of what is called Paradise Hill. Much to Lili's delight the store

and gas pumps are still there with an additional pump for diesel fuel. We enjoyed a picnic on the grounds of Fin & Feathers which is now closed for the season so we weren't able to visit with one of the family members Lili used to play
with on her vacations here.

It was a good stop for us........................and the journey continues

Hot Springs Arkansas 9/29-10/01/10

This old bathhouse is now headquarters for the Hot Springs Nat'l Park office in the downtown area. In 1883, the US Gov't purchased all the bathhouses to regulate an "out of control" situation. Many of the houses were shut down due to poor standards and run down conditions. Today, 5 bathhouses and the springs have been restored and are used for medicinal, healing and just relaxing purposes. The Fordyce Bathhouse is 4 stories and serves as the museum of Hot Springs in it's glory years with it's stained glass windows, Sir Francis Drake Fountain, below, women on the left, men on the right, special rooms for special treatments and so on and very segragated, in all aspects. No, didn't take a bath but did get a great massage!

Up on the hilltop The Mountain Tower stands as the century of the village rising 250' tall. It was a great landmark and made it easy to stay the course toward town. In several places throughout town one can walk or drive to a "jug fountain" and obtain free hot or cold spring water directly from the earth, compliments of the Nat'l Park.

This Sir Francis Drake fountain is in the men's section with a towering ceiling with an ornate stained glass window depicting Neptune's daughter with dolphins and fish swimming about. Behind the orange doors are showers heads with 15 to 20 outlets vintage 1800's. Kohler has nothing on these faucet makers.

Since it was a Friday evening and the weather was perfect for a stoll , after dinner we returned to town to find 100's of other folks doing the same thing. There were many civic activities going on to celebrate the end of tourist season. We heard steel drum music coming from one of the bathhouses and found Darril "Harp" Edwards playing to an enthusiastic audience of 40-50 ladies on a retreat from Oklahoma City and were they keeping him busy with requests. The fun began when several began dancing with each other and before you could say 1,2,3 the place was really jumpin'. What a blast

This jug fountain is about 2 miles out of town and in the center of a neighborhood. You just bring your jug, push the black button and the water poors in, free. Scientists have determined the water from these springs if 4000 years old and the park collects 700,000 gallons a day for use in these public drinking fountains and bathhouses. During the Golden Age of Bathing over a million visitors a year immersed themselves in the park's hot water. They then stolled Bathhouse Row with cups to "quaff the elixir" at decorative fountains...................and the journey continues

Elvis, Rock and Roll and golf 9/26 - 9/28/10

This is truly Elvis, in bronze, as he stands guard at the visitors center on the Mississippi River. His home, Graceland was purchased in 1957 for a mere $102,000.00 from Dr. and Mrs. Moore who built the house in 1941. It was named Graceland to honor Mrs. Moore's aunt Grace long before Elvis purchased it.

The house is pretty modest by today's standards but certainly was elegant for the time. The stained glass peacocks were magnificant leading into the music room off the living room.

His music achievements are well documented in a room 10 x 40 feet. Too many to photograph but this is just a corner of that room.

A trip to Sun Recording Studio displayed a valued photo of Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis and Johnny Cash having an unplanned jam session that was recorded by the owner, Sam Phillips. During Sun's haydays, this was known as the $4 million dollar photo. Probably worth a lot more than that today!

This is an early record cutting machine in the Sun Studios museum. It was state of the art at the time.

Mirimichi Golf Course..........why you ask? This is Justin Timberlake's course........and is the first Audubon certified GC in the US. Mirimichi means "a place to relax" and this course was anything but relaxing! The greens were like putting on glass, tight fairways and lots of sand traps! We both hit quite a few of them................and the journey continues

Memphis 9/23

Memphis is about everything American. It's history as a river port is depicted in the Riverwalk along the Mississippi showing how it flows from Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico. Again, a strong slave state, TN was a stronghold for the seperation of black and whites.

After the war, the KKK was born not far from here and there was a rather violent recontruction period. MLK was asassinated here in the 60's and this was a city where busing was part of the early civil rights, EEO movement.

This carriage is drawn by Penney, crewed by Claudia and dog Macy. We pranced around downtown Memphis learning exactly how much this town is still racially divided but it's music is the heart and soul and the common denominator bringing folks together. After a wonderful dining experience at the world famous, Peabody Hotel, where the ducks are on parade twice a day, we journeyed to Beale St for a first hand look at the heart of the blues and the starting point of rock n roll. This section of Beale street is just 4 blocks long and baracaded like a maximum security prison to prevent any potential problems. Lots of booze and probably some drug use.

We stopped at Dyer's hamburger stand to get the obligatory walking margarita for the stroll to
listen to music drifting from every bar, court yard and watch acrobats doing back flips up and down the blocks. No need for a flash light here, neon lights do the job just fine. It's a miniature Las Vegas strip.

BB King is alive and well in Memphis. He celebrated his 85th birthday a few days after our visit and performed at his club. Beale St will never be the same.................and the journey continues

9/14-9/17/2010 Land Between The Lakes, KN

This motorhome parked next to us during the night and of course we were amused with all the art the next day. Must be quite a distraction on the road....it certainly took us several minutes to read all the details...........turns out the owner is a pro-hunter and we're outta here heading to Memphis TN before he wakes up!

On our way from Lexington to Memphis, TN we wondered what Land Between the Lakes was. Found out the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers flow out of TN into the Ohio & Mississippi Rivers. They are separated by 10+/- miles of land and include both TN & KN and was settled in the early 1800's. During the Civil War, KN was a neutral state but most of the western residents sided with the south. As neutral as it was, 75,000 KN's served in the Union army as well as thousands of freed slaves. The Union eventully took control of the area of the two rivers because of the vital supply routes. After the war and into the early 1900's, tobacco was big and there were a lot of tobacco wars waged on the farmerm who did not join the tobacco co-op. Night riders would burn home and crops of farmers who didn't join to keep the prices inflated.

Floods in the 1920's prompted the FED's to dam the TN River and created Kentucky Lake and later the Cumberland R was damed to create Lake Barkley, named after Truman's VP in the 50's, together they created the largest man made water system on the planet. In the 60's all the land between the two lakes was acquired by, in many cases, eminant domain , by the US Gov't and TVA creating a massive recreational area. On the non-fed side of the Cumberland River, the St of KN has 4-6 State Resort parks which in themselves are massive and contain trails, marinas, stables,lodging and golf courses on the scale of a Nat'l Park. The scenes here are looking at Barkley Lake at the State Resort Park from our lunch table in a Yosemite style lodge.

Within the LBL is a nature center with many species of rescued animals including 5 species of owls one of which posed nicely for us. We became acquainted with a couple,who are naturalists here and soon will wed and wanted to honeymoon in Yosemite, we chatted and gave them suggestions on how to enjoy the area on limited time. Very nice couple and we wish you much happiness John and Aviva. Kentucky is a great state, especially the committment to their park systems.

We took a week away from TN to return home as Lili's mom passed away on Sept 16th, we are back to TN and will continue westward so..........the journey continues

9/10-13/10 more horses and bourbon

Around Lexington lies 1,000's of acres of blue grass horse farms. If the grass were left to grow long it produces a little blue flower, thus the name. We drove many miles and observed ranch after ranch with miles of white or black fences, trails, jumping facilities, some with race tracks on site and if you don't have a mane, long perky ears or bridle with your name on it your not a local here. Like a picture on the wall, it really has more feel to it once you're here. We have nothing but good feelings seeing this part of Kentucky.




Shown in the Champions Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park are many past derby winners and just old horses that are donated by their owners to represent their breeds. This beautiful speciman is named Cigar, a 1990's horse who was unbeatable, now retired and living the good life here. He was purchased for $15,000 and won over 9 million for his owners in prize money and was sold again for $25 million for stud and charged $75,000 a pop only to find out he was sterile and no insurance!

Kentucky is also known for it's bourbon and we can attest to the quality of Maker's Mark, Woodsen and Buffalo Trace to be high quality bourbons, all having a different take on how to make their whiskey. All use 50-80% corn and some use wheat, some use rye, all use malted barley during the distilling process and they all have different opinions about where to store, how long to store, what toast or char to use in the barrels and whether or not to blend. The distilled spirits are aged in 53 gallon barrels to produce color and flavor and sometimes end up producing only 6 gallons of finished whiskey(the small barrels in this photo are trial sizes). After visting 3 distillaries, housekeeping chores and a golf day..................the journey continues