THURSDAY

...........I was on the road by 7am and after making one stop for gasoline [$3.39 per gallon]  I found myself in West Branch, Iowa by 11:30. I made my first McDonald's stop of the trip before crossing the freeway to the Hoover Library/Museum. I like the little town and they do a good job of directing out of towners to their main attraction. The Museum has very clean lines from the outside and the inside is done very well also. It is not a large building and a good share of the presentation uses the Civil War as a backdrop. I enjoyed the old buildings that are still standing in wonderful shape just as they looked when 'Bert' Hoover was growing up. I will not post many of the pictures I took but these will be the best ones. Iowa has slow speed Internet available for free at their official Rest Stops. That is nice but it has taken me almost an hour to down load these few pictures to the blog. Enjoy! This afternoon I start toward the Detroit area [Ford's Library]

These pics did not load in the order I had hoped for but so it goes. This first one shows Hoover in full dress and rubber boots fly fishing. I guess that is the way rich folks went fishing in his day.

A bust of Hoover in what appears to be an unfinished or remodeled section of the building.

The house Hoover was born in sits about one hundred yards from the location of the Museum. The Museum is off to the right of this picture.

The one room school is a couple of hundred feet and across the street from the house. It is so small that I had to take a left picture and a right picture then fuse them together to make this panorama of the room.

Across the street from his house and looking toward town about two blocks away.

The museum is in a wonderful sitting, with many bushy, green trees and an expanse of lawn.

WEDNESDAY 14TH

.............I slept very well last night and this morning I checked the outside temperature. It was 67 degrees, just right for sleeping! I was on the road by 7am and pulled into the Truman Library lot a few minutes after noon.  The house was a few blocks away and I was unable to get inside but the Library/Museum was beautiful.

House was built 1867, no doubt the Nat'l Park Service is keeping it looking first rate!

The Museum/Library is a couple of miles away from the house, sitting on a very nice little knoll in town.

The Lobby is very bright and inviting, there were several other visitors who had joined a guided tour, I followed them for several minutes but it was boring. I enjoyed my own tour.

I made this panorama of the recreated 'Oval Office'.

It is as it looked while Truman was President. How do you like that top of the line B/W Television?

This is a picture of his actual office while he was at the Library. This glass wall was one of his favorite things, he could look outside and see the inner court yard. This part of the building has since been walled in. This office is exactly as he left it the moment he died. You can't see  the stopped clock

to the right of the picture. It reads 7:50:45, the time of his death.

Courtyard and burial site of all three of them.

A view of the court yard from inside looking past the forever flame. A statue of Truman [life size] is standing beside the camera location, enjoying the view.

MONDAY, TUESDAY

Monday 12^th. I filled the gas tank before leaving Vernal this morning. It was less than one hundred miles to Grand Junction but you never know, you know. I did not stop for pictures until I got a few miles into Colorado State Highway  139. I think it would take a lifetime to discover all the beauty this state has for picture taking. The entries below are only a little glimpse of what is available on that highway alone. The Canyon pictures of the highway winding its way between canyon walls were something to behold. I do remember driving through there once or twice before and not having a camera. The pictures were taken from the car because there is no such thing as a wide spot to pull over to. I arrived in Colorado Springs too late in the day to find the RR Station that goes to the top of Pikes Peak so I drove it. It is a one hour drive, covering 19  miles of torture to arrive only a mile above the starting point. The drive is an experience some folks would not enjoy one bit. Talk about going over the side! The guard rails are few and far between, as a couple of these pictures will show. The top is not so great; the parking lot is of mud, cold mud any time of year. The temperature was 36 degrees at 7pm. I was lucky to get some sunshine so a few of the pics turned out OK.

Tuesday 13^th. I was in Limon, Colorado at 8AM stocking up on groceries. The rain was coming down by the buckets during a lot of the drive today. By noon I was in Wakeney, Colo. for more gasoline. I arrived at Ike's Library late in the day and spent most of my time taking a tour of the house he was raised in. The campus is surrounded by many old houses that once were the cream of the crop for Abilene but the streets are now in disrepair and most of the properties are not being cared for. I found a rest stop a few miles east of town to bed down for the night.

Northwest Colorado farm country.

 

 

There is a lot of beauty in this state.

 

I 70 Tunnel Near Denver

 

Lower part of highway to Pikes peak

 

Road to nowhere,  like those guard rails?

 

I made it! And the sun was shining, great luck.

 

Long way down.

 

Ike's family home.

 

Living room.

 

 

 

 

 

I 70 through the canyon

These pics are only a taste of what I have of these locations.

Now it is time to get on the road and visit Truman's Library.

 

SATURDAY and SUNDAY

SATURDAY 10^th.   I got away from the house by 6:45 and my first stop was Bridge of the Gods. I was told by the toll taker that the bridge was open to walkers but the cost was 50 cents. I like to walk across bridges so I took her up on the offer. The bridge is made of the steel structure that you can see through quite easily if you look down. I didn’t. I walked half way and took some pictures but I had to be careful because there is no pedestrian walkway. I was in competition with the traffic. The nice part of that is that the speed limit is only 15 miles per hour. I did take a picture looking down through the mesh at the RR tracks about 50 feet below me. I was thinking of posting pictures this evening but I discovered that I had forgotten my camera/computer connection. I phoned Caren and asked her if there was a Kodak Dealer in Boise but it turns out none exist. She did tell me about a Kodak repair rep in town and I found his office but he had gone home. No pictures will be posted until I find a way to do it. I will be in Colorado Springs on Monday morning so I will start the search again. Saturday night was spent at a rest stop near Exit 129 on I84 in Idaho; the temperature was 95 at sundown.

SUNDAY 11^th…..10AM. . . .I was driving down the highway in Southern Idaho when I suddenly decided to stop at the next Rest Stop and examine my Laptop for a possible SD port. Bless my Soul! I found one! I then downloaded all the pictures in the camera to the laptop. Then, before continuing on my way I recorded this little note. My plan is to add pictures and post the whole thing on the blog. Wish me luck! When I left home I thought that Pikes Peak at the end of two days was a cinch. Tonight I am in Vernal, Utah with a long way to go. I was doing too much pokey exploring to keep any kind of schedule. When I got to the Motel I started in on the pictures, hoping to post some tonight. The results are as follows. I will mention that while posting this we [Vernal] enjoyed a warm and wet thunderstorm. Noisy too!

This is Mt. Adams from the South East. I was driving back from the Reunion In July.

This is Dick and Bonny's summer palace on the Kalama River. We are all enjoying the great weather!

The view from their place.

Bridge of the Gods from the Oregon side.

Nice view, looking upstream.

This is what the bridge is made of, my left foot is trembling with fear as I look down at the RR tracks below.

Mitchell Point looking across the Columbia at the Washington side.

 

FRIDAY

.........This was not really a busy day. I had the laundry all caught up by 8:30 and the bed installed in the car by 9:30. During the course of the day I got all of my stuff together so now all that remains is loading the trunk in the morning and taking off. I delivered ChiChi to Ron and Caren this evening. Sol and Amy were there so I got to visit with Sol for the first time in several years. He seems to be feeling great and is looking for work. School starts in December for him. I didn't stay long because I want to have my cookies and milk and get to bed early. I told Roy, my landlord, that I would leave after I got up in the morning. He got the humor and said that was best.

THURSDAY

..............I really enjoyed the picnic this afternoon. There were close to 40 people there, most everybody knew everyone else, a great time was had by all. Dick and Bonny have a very nice summer cottage at the rivers edge. Luckily it is built on 4  foot stilts to account for the high water in the spring time. There was enough food for a hundred people and the weather was perfect. I was not sure what to expect with the weather because as I drove into town for my Protime check I attracted some rain drops but that did not last long. The Protime check turned out fine so I am ready to pack the car tomorrow and then leave Saturday morning. I am feeling fine and doggy is doing great. Life is good.

WEDNESDAY

........Great weather again today, ChiChi and I walked to the river and back. It was not as warm as yesterday, only because it was a bit earlier. The doggy did fine but he was breathing pretty hard by the time we got back. Most of my day was spent reading and napping, not to mention eating. Tomorrow is a Protime appointment then the Class lunch/picnic in the hills above Kalama. Friday will be packing day for my journey cross country. Ten minutes of packing is all I will need, everything is ready by now.

TUESDAY

..................I delivered the car to the car hospital this morning and waited while they did the oil change. I also complained about the drivers side window not going down as rapidly as in the past so that was checked and it needs a new part that will be delivered by Friday. I told them to not sweat the small stuff, I will not stick around to have it fixed if the part does not arrive in time. It was also discovered that the idler pulley was making noise so I had that replaced. It was amazing how much improved the noise level is in the car now. That pulley was making more noise than I had thought. I guess as cars get older we have a tendency to get used to the slowly raising noise level that occurs over time. This forty dollar change really made a difference.. . . . This afternoon I walked the doggy down Riven dell Lane for our two mile walk. On the way back he was showing a lot of strain, he actually stopped and was panting heavily. I never thought he would get old enough for me to have to carry him up that hill but that is what I did.  I have to admit though, on a relative basis he is much more overweight than I am, it should be no surprise that a almost nine year old dog might have trouble on a really warm day. He also stopped under the shade tree next to Roy's house and rested before walking the last fifty feet to his water bowl. At the moment he is asleep under the fan, snoring his little head off.

MONDAY

..........I had some errands to run today and after that was completed I drove straight to the Bowling Alley. I was really excited about attempting again, the almost unheard of [for me] results of yesterday. I was not a bit disappointed.My first games ended with scores of 177-150-141-170-157. That was an average of 159 and after throwing the 6th game of 167 I had an average of 160. The last four games were not as good but I did end the day with the same 155 average I had yesterday. Seven of the ten games scored over 150. No need to mention that I was walking on cloud nine when I left the bowling alley. I am excited about trying this new approach during league play but I will be missing the next four weeks  because of my upcoming cross country drive. . . . . I will take the T Bird to the car doctor in the morning for an oil change and check-up. I have a foot doctor appointment on Thursday, along with a pro-time check and class picnic that day. I will start loading the car with all I am going to take with me on Friday and plan on leaving Saturday morning. I will deliver the little dog to Caren and Ron Friday evening. I will take my lap top and attempt to stay in touch, perhaps even post a few pictures along the way.

SUNDAY

..........I had a very interesting day at the bowling alley this afternoon. My first five lines averaged 133 and the second came in at 145. I felt during the last three games that I had discovered a delivery that was working better than usual for me so I decided to bowl five more games and that turned out to be a 155 average. The final result was 144 for the day. I really felt good, I will return tomorrow since I have to go into town anyway. It will be interesting to see if I can make that new delivery work as well for me after a nights rest.

SATURDAY

...........I went to the market today to get a gallon of milk and on the way I stopped by Teigens for a short visit. They invited me to a hamburger dinner so after going home and getting some lunch as well as watching a good movie on TV I loaded the dog in the car and went back for dinner. Amy [Sol's girl friend] was there with her two little girls and Ruby; the three of them were having a good time making screaming noises with Coltor while a lot of dirt and cut grass at each other. All in fun, of course but such noise and laughter! Those kids will sleep the sleep of the dead tonight. I got home in time to have my cookies and milk before going to bed myself.

FRIDAY

................ChiChi and I spent over three hours at the fishing hole today, I caught up on my reading but caught no fish. The boats were a bit active for the first time in weeks but I never saw anyone hook a fish. That will happen eventually, I hope.  .  .   For lunch I had a couple of soft shell tacos that Natalia taught me to make from my own Pulled Pork recipe. Good stuff, if I do say so myself. I used less hot peppers this time, the last batch was pretty warm.

THURSDAY

...................I was raining in town today as I was driving in to bowl but it had stopped before I arrived so I did not get the car wet. It might have rained while I was bowling too but it was all gone by the time I headed home. My results today were all over the place, 102-120-176. The average was above my league average so I can't feel too bad. I will get back down there before long and get in some more practice. I hope I will be able to remember what I was doing to arrive at 176 in that last game. I have heard there are some Steelhead in the Cowlitz so perhaps tomorrow will find me fishing, if there is no rain.

WEDNESDAY

..................I spent a bit of the day hanging a couple of pictures that Terri had given me yesterday. I am also now the proud owner of one of her dads favorite clocks. It has been made from a tree stump or limb of a really dark colored wood. It is going to look good over the TV.  I will replace the clock motor tomorrow or the next day.  I have collected a lot of things for this place in the past two years, I hope I never have to move. Moving it all would be a real chore. I have enough trouble keeping it clean and dusted.

TUESDAY

................I had lunch with Terri this afternoon and visited for several hours at Starbucks in Tigard. She is in the process of cleaning out her local locker and getting her car ready for its shipment to Hawaii. We also mailed a package of stuff to her address in Hawaii, I wonder why we did not just leave the package in the car and let it arrive when the car arrives. Perhaps she will read this and wonder the same thing herself. It was sad saying goodbye but she expects to return for several weeks next summer so we will meet again, As soon as I win the lottery she and I will be taking a round the world cruise, that is something nice to look forward to. I was home by 7:30 and ChiChi was so upset that I had left him alone all day that he refused to eat his dinner [it was four hours late] for at least twenty minutes after I set it out for him. Poor dog...into each life a little rain must fall............

MONDAY

..................We have been having some very nice weather around here lately.
It has been cool at times but the lack of rain has been really great!.....I stopped by the bowling alley again today and came home happy enough. My first five lines added up to a 135 average and after giving myself a talking to the second five showed a 142.2 average. The day ended with a 137.3 average and since that is better than my league average I feel just fine with the world.  My high game was only 150 so that indicates consistency. Lookin' good!

SUNDAY

.................I drove in to the bowling alley late this morning. I threw eleven lines and averaged only 135. That was not the best in the world but the practice will do me some good eventually. I hope. When I got home I masked off the mirror on each side of the car and painted the black trim. It was showing a bit of wear after so many years of no more than an occasional waxing. It looks a lot better. Those little details add up to a better looking automobile each time I attend to one. If I am going to be driving cross country next month I want the car to look as good as possible.

SATURDAY

.........This was an OK day. The dog talked me into a 45 minute walk and that perked me up pretty much. I also got as far away from the house at the Post Office to get a package in the mail to Aunt Coral. While I was in town [Castle Rock] I left the car in the PO parking lot and walked around town looking at all of the Classic cars that were visiting today. There was even a '91' GEO setting in the mix. It won't be long and my '94' T-Bird will qualify. It was a little cooler today but at least no promise of rain any time soon.

FRIDAY

..............I took Caren to lunch today to celebrate her Birthday. As usual I ate too much so good bye diet for this entire week. This evening they invited me to go along with them to the County Fair. It was fun seeing all of the animals again. I was surprised to find that goats seem  to be much more popular than dairy animals or beef animals. Things have changed over the years. There were many different breeds of chickens available too. Some of the chickens at auction brought very high prices. I just don't know what the world is coming too! I got home after my bedtime but that did not stop me from enjoying my cookies and milk before calling it a day!

THURSDAY

.................Got to the bowling alley on time but only averaged 134 for the day. I didn't feel really bad because that is better than the average I have been holding in league play. At least I felt I helped the team. After bowling I stopped by the Market to stock up on Rum. I got out of the place with $85 having been deducted from my checking account. With prices like that I should give up drinking.