Reno, NV

Well, 7000 miles and almost a month later, here we are back in Reno.  Glad we took the trip and visited with family and friends, but we're sure glad to be back home. 

Left early this morning from W. Wendover and got back on I-80 heading west.  No problems with navigating this stretch of the road.  Nevada was beautiful - we missed the mountains and everything is still green from all the rain and snow we had.

The above picture is of the Ruby Mountains near Elko, Nevada.  All the rivers are running full and even the Carson Sink and Humboldt Sink are lakes.  Not sure when the last time that happened.

Everything was fine at home, except the driveway was covered with pine cones - must have had some good wind storms while we were gone.  Picked up our mail, started the paper and we're in for the duration.

W. Wendover, NV

Gee, it seems like it was only yesterday that we were here in W. Wendover on the start of our journey back East.  Actually, it was almost a month ago, only this time the temperature is 97 degrees and not freezing cold.  Amazing what a difference several weeks can make.

First, we'd like to wish Tim a Happy Birthday - sorry we weren't there to celebrate on your actual day, but we celebrated a little earlier in the week. 

Today we travelled across the wide open prairie of Wyoming, admiring the wide open spaces and making much better time than the pioneers did on their trip west. We would have counted antelope, but that would have put us to sleep - not good when you're going 75 mph on I-80.  Easy driving - not much in the way of mountains until we got to Utah.  Did cross the continental divide several times at varying altitudes, but mostly around 6500' to 7500'.  As we crossed into Utah, it got a little more scenic.  It's beautiful coming through Echo Canyon - downhill all the way.  Off to the side, you could see the old road which was the Mormon Trail.

The Mormons came through here starting in 1846 after travelling from Illinois.  At least they had the sense to stay in Utah and forego the hardships experienced by those pioneers who continued on through Nevada to California.  After going through Park City, we dropped down into Salt Lake City and saw the vast expanse of SLC and the great salt lake. Traversed the flat land around the south end of the great salt lake and arrived in the mountains surrounding W. Wendover.  We could have continued on into Reno, but we had been on the road long enough.  Tomorrow is another day and we can arrive back in Reno rested and relaxed.

Looking forward to being back home!

Laramie, WY

Leaving St Joseph, MO, this morning, we headed the northern boundary of Missouri, caught the south west tip of Iowa and crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska.  We took NE 2 into Lincoln and picked up I-80 for the trip home.  Guess we don't need any more maps or directions - it's pretty straight forward going home to Reno.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that there were plenty of corn fields and natural gas plants in the area we were travelling through.  This morning as we drove north on I-29 through Missouri, we noticed once again the proximity of grain elevators to the gas facilities.  It then dawned on me (who says I'm a little slow) that the gas facilities were really ethanol plants.  It explains all the corn fields - it had seemed that there were just too many fields to feed cows in the area. 

As we crossed the Missouri River, we were steadily climbing as we drove through Nebraska and into Wyoming.  From an elevation of around 600 feet, we climbed to nearly 8000 feet at the Lincoln statute between Cheyenne and Laramie.  It marks the highest spot on I-80 which I always thought would be in the Sierra Nevada, but is actually here in Wyoming.  Crossing Nebraska on I-80, we crossed the Platte River.  Reminded me of the saying about the Platte - It's too thick to drink and too thin to plow. 

Arrived in Laramie around dinner time - neat little university and Cowtown.  Had dinner at the Altitude Brewery in town and had a great time talking with the staff about the history of the brewery.  Fun evening.

Heading out tomorrow and think we'll probably make to W. Wendover in Nevada which will get us home sometime Monday evening. 

St Joseph, MO

Got another early start this morning from Wright-Patterson AFB.  Might have been occasioned by the early to-bed time!

Took I-70 from Dayton over to Indianapolis.  Passed by the Indianapolis Colts Lucas Oil Stadium - didn't know any Colts fans, so we didn't call anyone.  It's a huge building completely indoors - not like the Buffalo Bills. Out of Indy, we took US 36 which is the Ernie Pyle Memorial Highway.  Wasn't sure why it was called that until we were almost out of Indiana.  Turns out that Ernie Pyle's hometown was Dana, IN (right on the IN/IL border).  For those of you unfamiliar with Ernie, he was a beloved war correspondent from WW II who was tragically killed on Okinawa toward the end of the war.

About halfway between Indy and Dana, we passed through Rockville which billed itself as the covered bridge capital of the United States (not sure that Vermonters would agree with that statement).  Along the way, we passed through more farmland punctuated by huge elevator complexes as well as a lot of natural gas facilities.  Made our fourth state of the day when we crossed the Mississippi from Illinois to Missouri.  We alternated between I-72 and US 36 which are mostly interchangeable.  We passed through Springfield, IL (quick, what's the capital of Illinois). Some time we're going to have to spend more time in these areas - looks like a lot to explore across mid-America.  In Missouri, US 36 was a four-lane divided highway all the way to St Joseph.

Tomorrow, we head up I-29 toward Omaha, but will cross the Missouri River and cut across to Lincoln, NE to pick up I-80.  Should be able to navigate easily toward Reno from there.

Dayton, Ohio

This is also the home of Wright Patterson AFB where we are staying for the first night on our return to Reno,  Left at oh-dark-thirty Thursday morning - wanted to say good-bye to Tim when he left for work, so we got an early start

Headed out of Rochester on I-490, but quickly headed south to pick up US 20 and travel through the rolling farm countryside rather than take the New York Thruway.  Nice drive and traffic was all going the other way.  A lot of dairy land and farms in this part of upstate New York.  Passed through Aurora and Orchard Park on our way.  I was going to call all the Buffalo Bills fans as we passed their stadium; however, I didn't think they would appreciate a call that early in the morning.

We did pick up the New York State Thruway south of Buffalo (Nickel City) - lots of vineyards along the way.  As we passed the Southern Tier Expressway exit, we reckoned that we had just completed a loop of some miles.  Kind of like a lollipop, although we hope to find a different way home than when we came out.  Stopped at Presque Isle Race Track and Casino for breakfast and found that they are not big on breakfast places.  However, a bagel and coffee sufficed before we helped to contribute to the Eldorado coffers.  Racing there only goes Sunday through Thursday and starts at 5:30, so we just saw some of the jockeys and their horses out warming up.

Quickly passed through Pennsylvania (only the tip is on our trip) and drove south from Cleveland toward Columbus.  Just north of Columbus, we saw (from a distance), the players on the driving range for the Memorial Golf Tournament (Jack Nicklaus' s tournament).  We had made reservations at Wright-Patterson AFB and arrived in the late afternoon.  Huge base in several segments, so we had to make several attempts at finding where we were staying.  This is not only the home of the Air Force Logistics Command, but also the Air Force Museum and several monuments to the Wright brothers.  It's known as the cradle of aviation because of Orville and Wilbur.  Bet they would be surprised at the size of the aircraft now taking off from their home turf.  I'm not sure, but I think the wing span of these planes is longer than their first flight.

Heading off Friday morning to head through Indiana, Illinois and probably stay somewhere in Missouri this evening.

Back in Rochester

We took a different route out of Morrisville this time, heading down Route 100 through Stowe all the way south through the Mad River valley and then down the White River valley to Killington before heading west on 4 to New York State.  Back in 2011 when Hurricane Irene hit Vermont, there was widespread devastation along the White River.  We can remember traveling that route for a year or two afterward and there was still evidence of the storm's power.  Now it's a peaceful, idyllic trip along a quintessential New England route.  Beautiful countryside and peaceful rivers.  Lots of green trees and fields - we're trying to soak up as much of that green before we get back to Nevada.

Killington is a ski area in the heart of the Green Mountains.  It's where the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail intersect in southern Vermont.  As were eating breakfast, I thought perhaps we should order a meal to go and bury it for Char, Tom III and their families as they hike the Long Trail later this summer.  Naah, the bears would probably get it before they reached it.

Crossing into New York State, we passed the birthplace of the US Navy (at least that's what the sign said).  It's right at the bottom of Lake Champlain and is also the headwaters of the Erie Canal Way.  The Erie Canal is much further south, but there is a whole network of feeder canals which helped with the distribution of goods back in the early 1800's. 

Cutting southwest from I-87 to I-90, we hit the Mohawk River and encountered one of the most heavy rainstorms we have ever experienced.  Traffic slowed to a crawl and a lot of people pulled over to the side.  After about thirty minutes, it subsided and we were in beautiful, sunny weather.  We watched the temperature climb from 59 to 77 in the space of about twenty minutes after the storm went through.  One of the side benefits was that we got a great free car wash!

Got to Rochester about the same time Tim got home from work.  We're going to celebrate his birthday (June 4th) early and then head home on Thursday.  Went out to dinner at Basil's at the foot of Irondequoit Bay, part of Lake Ontario.  Water was still very high (and the rain earlier today probably didn't help any).  Outside the restaurant, they had a walking trail called the Swan Trail  There were a couple of the beautiful birds in the bay - much prettier than the Canadian geese which were also swimming around.

Morrisville, VT (graduation continued)

We left off on the baccalaureate Saturday for Danny's graduation.  On Sunday (which dawned beautifully sunny and warm), we met the group over at Coram Library (of course you remember that's where the baccalaureate service was, right?).  Tom III had gotten there earlier and saved seats with various blankets and jackets.  Bates family and friends being the friendly sort did not usurp the saved seats - unlike perhaps some other environments.

As I mentioned, it was sunny and very comfortable.  There was a slight breeze which made it very nice.  We were glad Bates is a relatively small university, so there were only 438 graduates.  Their commencement speaker was Geoffrey Canada, a person who had started the Harlem Children's Zone in New York City.  He was a dynamic speaker who had a clear message for the graduating class.  One aspect was very cool - he made mention of the fact that what one generation starts, another may have to finish.  He quoted from MLK's Mountain Top Speech where he said he had been to the mountain top and seen the other side.  I might not get there with you, but we will get there.  When he quoted MLK, he had the same resonant quality to his voice and gave you chills.

Honorary degrees were bestowed on four individual - one of whom was Senator Susan Collins from Maine.  Another was Patrick Dempsey, an actor from Grey's Anatomy - those who are familiar with the series might add that he's more than just an actor, he's a heart-throb!  Listing his accomplishments as a race car driver, founder of a facility to support people living with cancer.  As I texted Tom III during the ceremony, he really made you feel like you had missed so many opportunities.  Feelings of inadequacy abounded. 

After the commencement address, they went through the calling up of each one of the 438 graduating students and presenting them with their diplomas.  As I mentioned above, it's a small university, so each student got presented a diploma and their individual cheering sections made noise - we like to think that we were the loudest; however, one group brought cowbells.  Vi had that idea, but we never followed through on it.  Too bad.  The below picture is not of Danny receiving his diploma, but hey, at this distance it could be!

Proud families below.  We checked to make sure that the diploma had the right name and wasn't blank!

After commencement, the college provided lunch on the Library Quad behind where the ceremony was.  They served thousands in a very efficient manner.  They had four long tables set up and you served from both sides.  Good food and we all found a hillside to sit on.  Needed some of the wine from yesterday to top it off, but we all had to drive home to Vermont afterward, so that wasn't a good idea.

We left Tom III and his clan to head back to Vermont.  They were going to load up the car and RV with Danny's "stuff" (accumulated over four years) and then follow us.  We had a great trip back through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont - wish we could go through three states out west as quickly as we did those three.  Took the northern route so we wouldn't duplicate our trip over and passed through the White Mountains region.  With it being the middle of the three-day weekend, there wasn't much traffic, although the trailheads and tourist attractions along the way were crowded.

Everyone arrived back home in Morrisville safely and the RV made it even though it was pretty heavily laden.  Pizza for dinner and then an early night.  For some reason, everyone was a little tired.

This morning Tom III and Danny gave us a demonstration of the capabilities of their drone, flying it from the house and out over the valley, around the area, back to take a picture of us on the deck.  Afterward, Vi and I went down to the Civil War statue in Morrisville for their Memorial Day service.  I must say I have been to bigger parades, but not one with more enthusiasm and patriotism.  The parade consisted of two honor guards, a boy scout troop, one car, one SUV and one ambulance.  Two bands had promised to show up; however, the impending rain (which held off until after the ceremony) kept them away.
 

The American Legion and VFW did an excellent job of speeches, songs, pledges, memorial presentations, and ended with a great rendition of Taps.  Made up in fervor what they lacked in numbers.  Good small town ceremony.  Quite a change from the thousands at graduation the day before.

This afternoon we watched a slide show of Katie's trip abroad to Austria and all the other countries she visited in her semester abroad.

Tomorrow, we start our trip back to Reno with a couple of days in Rochester before heading home.  Route still unknown, but we'll keep you posted.