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Big Trip '99 - Nevada to New Jersey
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For years I had promised Sally that "someday" we would drive across the country together. So, on September 9th, 1999 we packed up and boarded a rented Ford Windstar and left on our great adventure.
1999 was the worst fire season in Nevada history so the first part of out trip across "The Loneliest Highway In America" (Hwy.50) was very smokey.
Out in central Nevada is nestled the tiny mining town of Austin. When heading east on "The Loneliest Highway in America", Austin is usually our first comfort stop.
We stopped for gas in the quaint Nevada town of Eureka. Again, like Austin, Eureka is a historic Nevada mining town.
Out on the flat land of eastern Nevada cruise control is set on 85 mph for hours on end.
After a night's stop in Delta, Utah, we cruised into the beautiful canyon country of Utah. At this rest stop there was NO Vending allowed unless you are Native American (Injin)... Oh...of course.
Here, years of wind driven sand and water have carved the rocks into beautiful dioramas.
Utah is one of the most scenic states with views like this everywhere.
Kiska and Bill take a stretch at a roadside rest area.
That evening, we overnighted in the quaint Colorado town of Glenwood Springs. This is the huge hot spring pool in the center of town.
We stopped early, rather than pushing on, so we could browse in this picturesque Rocky Mountain town.
Of course, Kiska made himself right at home on his lace pillow next to Sally's side of the bed in our motel. The way he slept you would think he did the driving!
We crossed the Continental Divide while driving through the Eisenhower Tunnel high in the Rockies.
Our next night's stop was in Boulder, Colorado where Bill attended the University of Colorado many, many years ago. Bill had scheduled the trip so he could shoot in a local pistol match here.
"What you lookin' at, Mom?"
This is the view from the mountains just to the west of Boulder. It's hard to believe just how flat it is from here all the way to the Mississippi River. The Great Plains are just that.
The buildings with the red roofs are the University of Colorado.
Bill and Kista just goofin' at a rest stop in eastern Colorado.
"Give me five...."
Over night in Goodland, Kansas. As we drove around town look what we found. Sally was NOT happy about the instructions telling her to proceed directly to the scales.
"How RUDE!"
For the next two days, grain elevators were the highest things on the horizon. What a fabulous country in which we live. Sally had never driven east of Colorado, so this was all new territory for her.
We parked on a dirt freeway overpass and just sat there holding hands for about twenty minutes watching this beautiful sunset. Yep, there are dirt overpasses in Kansas.
While other families travel to Disney World and Epcot Center, we went to Cawker, Kansas and saw the.....
This monster ball weighs 16,000 pounds. Wow, don't let the cat get it!
And if you think we could never top this... WELL, next we went to.....
Lebanon to see the center of it all! Now, this is a BIG DEAL!
WOW, HOW COOL! Right up there with straddling the "Four Corners" where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet!
It wasn't MUCH out of the way, so Sally insisted we stop and see the USPSA National Championship shooting competition in Berry, Illinois.
Sure right, Bill!
"Are you ready?.... Stand By".... BEEEEP! Bang, bang,bang,bangbangbangbang....
Bang, bang,bang,bangbangbangbang.... Sally is really such a good sport!!!!!!!!!
Sally, Kiska and the ghosts of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn wading in the mighty Mississippi outside Hannibal, Missouri, home of Mark Twain.
It's hard to see in this picture but this is one of the many locks on the Mississippi.
It was harvest time and here they were harvesting thousands of acres of corn.
We planned to go up in the Gateway Arch in St. Louis but the road construction had other plans. We drove back and forth trying to get off the damn freeway to get to the arch. No luck! This is as close as we got!
"Sally, are you sure this is I-55?"
Actually we were off exploring south of St. Louis while on our way to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, (boyhood home of Rush) our next overnight stop.
We found this Civil War cemetery way back in the woods and spent a relaxing hour reading old grave stones.
The next day we found ourselves in Ashville, NC. We wanted to tour the Biltmore Estate, the largest private home in the United States, owned by the Vanderbilt family, but the charge was $29.95 each and the trip took five hours. No wonder the Vanderbilts have all the bucks! This is the gate house.
There was a reception center with a large diarama of the whole estate. This was as close as we got! Ashville was jammed with families fleeing in front of Hurricane Floyd.
High in the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Skyline Drive, we stopped by this beautiful stream for a break. So very different from our beloved Sierra Nevadas.
The next afternoon we arrived at Lake Hopatcong. Bill and his brother, Larry, had to do a lot of clean up from Hurricane Floyd's passing. The power was out but came on later that day.
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