Well Hello again,
It sure seems like along time since we left South Dakota...I know it hasn't been but I have sure seen alot since my last post.
Update then....
We did go to "Wall Drug". This is a funny little town of nothing that was made famous by some good merchandising beginning from the early 1900's to now. The drug store was in a very poor little farming town that no-one ever stopped at until The wife decided to offer free ice water to get people in the store. And when that worked so well, they worked on advertising. All along the highway up till Wall Drug, you will find huge hand painted billboards about the store. It is now the largest Drug Store in North America. Check it out on line. Fun place. I think this is where the folks in Coombs got the idea!!!!!lol
We went through the Badlands N.P. from there. So beautiful and at some points it looks like you are on the moon. The world is amazing.
I guess from there we basically headed east on I-90 till we reached Mitchell S.Dakota. Not alot of miles that day.
The next day we headed into Minnestoa where the roads are very bumpy....rattles the head abit...lol
We spent the night at a beautiful campsite located on Lake Neshonoc, Minnesota.
Then on our quest to make some miles we headed for LaSalle, Illinois but ended up reaching Joliet, Illinois. We didnt want to go through Chicago so we took I-80 around it through LaSalle to Joliet.
Headed east on I-80 to I-90 again and off to Ohio. We took the toll roads and they are nice and smooth.
We arrived in Geneva on the Lake (just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. About 1 hour east.) It is a wonderfully cute little town on Lake Eerie. You can tell that it would be PACKED in the summer time with holidayers. The whole area is geared for summer fun with outdoor arcades, restaurants, pubs or lounges as they call them. Lots of family activities with cute older cabins that are rented out seasonally. Large oak trees line the streets and people fly the flag at almost every home.
The little downtown area is filled with old brick buildings and people sit on their screened in porches and wave at their neighbors.
Today, we headed downtown Cleveland to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That was fun. Lots of interactive displays and great artifacts all the way from the days of Les Paul's first try to make good sound on a guitar. Mike and Lorraine, I have to tell you this crazy tale when I see you. All the way to memorbilia from The Clash. All of the in between as well. So neat. Tina Turner, Van Halen, Aretha Franklin, Bill Haley and the Comets, Elvis (of course) The Beattles, Beach Boys, ect ect ect. Almost too much to take in....We did it however.
Then, on the way home, we pass through the town of Geneva, where they were having their "grape festival" (lots of vineyards in this area. Good for Gywerstaminers (wrong spelling, sorry Teresa)
They had a parada earlier today and tonight they had the carnival in town. What a riot to walk through a small town and see all the kids gazing in amazement at the lights and sounds and smells of a carnival.
I felt like a kid my self. If we hadn't enjoyed a beautiful meal in town (Blue Point Grill) with fresh ahi tuna appies, and grilled polenta with rock shrimp, sundried tom's and oyster mushroom....gruper with lobster mashed for me and more tuna with tempura zucc's and lobster rice for Daniel. Just in case you were wondering where the food was for this commentary Jess!!! lol. I would have loved to since my teeth into some fried corn dogs or swiss cheese, candy apples, cotton candy, funnel cakes (deepfried dough that they curl in the deepfriers to form a holey (like lace) fried cake that they sprinkle with powdered sugar), pizza, italian sausages, stombolies, chicken or beef philly sandwiches, iced lemonade, soda's and of course a beer garden. I did have to have a "grape ice cream cone" though.
You know, when in Rome.
We had a blast watch people play crazy carnival games.
There is a game that you roll a ball into a hole. Either a slow, medium or fast hole that makes your game piece advance....well, my "horse" beat every one and I am now a proud owner of a really brightly colored purple stuffed Charpe dog. LMAO I do know now why people get all wrapped up in trying to win "their gal" a toke of love at a cheap carnival. The adreniline rush is unexpected and exhilerating....
And now we have that dog that everyone said we should get to keep us company while on our travels....lol
We have named him Geneva, for obvious reasons....
I have been able to get to the gym a couple of times (thank god) and some of them are interesting. All of them are staffed by really freindly people. The most interesting one was housed in the basement of a old brick hospital (Great Falls, Montana) Half way through my routine, I had this crazy thought. ?????Wasn't the morgue always in the basement of hospitals????? LOL Just kidding. I laughed and thought I would throw that one in for you Patti.
We are off to Buffalo, NY tomorow. Maybe go see Niagra Falls.
I will keep in touch.
Thanks for the posts gals, I love to hear from you
with the wind at our backs
Shannon and Daniel
