What a welcome sight!!!!!  There is definitely NO PLACE LIKE HOME

We are back in good ole West Virgina!!!!  What a trip this has been.  We have seen so much, got to see so many old friends and have made so many new ones.  People ask us what was our favorite place and we can only reply, "we can't compare because they are all so different and beautiful in their own way".  This has been a trip we have dreamed of for so many years.  Terry and I will always cherish the wonderful memories we have made.  As we start our retirement together we look forward to many years of health and happiness, oh yes, and many more trips.  But, on this trip we traveled 16,000 miles, 1,500 gals. of diesel fuel, 32 campgrounds, 23 states, and one cruise. I wonder if Archie knows what a lucky dog he is!!!!!!  Thanks for following us on this great journey we have been on. I hope everyone has enjoyed it as much as we have.

Sallie, Bruce, and Terry---We love the wine from here.  Fun wine tasting!!!

Found this bar outside of St.Louis.  To bad they didn't know how to spell Cathy!

Front of the baseball  stadium in St. Louis 

The arch from our seats.

Pirates up to bat.  They won!!!!

St. Louis cardinal entertaining everyone!

St. Louis scoreboard

We have been in St. Louis since Tues, staying with my sister Sallie and brother in law, Bruce.  We decided to stay at their house since it has a Big bathroom, king size bed, and my sister is a great cook.  I think Archie is even happy to be in a bigger space!  Of course we have been running around since we got here.  There is so many things to see in St. Louis.  We went to a winery in Augusta yesterday and it has the best blackberry wine.  So, we are well stocked with blackberry and red raspberry wine for a while.  Tonight we are going to the pirates and cardinals game.  I am ready for the game decked out in my pirates shirt.  I just hope the St. Louis fans are nice!!!  We will be leaving for home early in the morning.  It is a 12 hour trip and Terry is hell bent on making it all the way.  Can't wait to see the family.  Four months is a long time to be away from them.  I will post pictures when I get home.

A rose between two thorns!!!!




Rodney and Cindy Schwarts

Rodney and Terry

Thanks for the great dinner!

We are in Lincoln, Ne.  Today we spent the day with another  Air Force friend from Panama City, Fl, Rodney J Schwartz and his wife Cindy.  We have not seen Rodney in over 40 years!  And we haven't changed one bit!!!!!!!  Ha Ha.  But, as soon as we started talking, it was just like old times again.  It was so nice to spend time with them.  Rodney and Terry were stationed at Wright Paterson Air Force Base  and Tyndall Air Force Base together.  Rodney and Cindy treated us to dinner before we had to leave. It is so nice to see old friends and catch up on our lives since we saw them last.

Mt. Rushmore at night

Another of Terry's friends.  A real Jackass!!!!!



The bikers loved the mules.  I wonder if they know they bite!

Deadwood---mostly casino's and bars

The original No. 10 bar.  Just like the show on HBO--Deadwood

Wild Bill's gravesite

The streets of Sturgis.  WILD

Crazy Horse Memorial Park

Mt. Rushmore

Wonderful sight

The WV flag flies proudly at Mt. Rushmore

Going through one of the many stone tunnels.  Mt. Rushmore in the distance

We arrived in Custer, SD on Wed and have been so busy since.  The first day we drove to Custer State Park and saw so much wildlife!  They just stand in the road and you have to drive around them.  We especially liked the mules.  The bike rally is going on  and the bikers were having a good time with them.   The next morning we got up early and drove to Deadwood and Sturgis.  We took a bus tour of Deadwood.  They took us up to Wild Bill's grave site.  The town was swamped with bikers.  We would of liked to stop in Sturgis, but the traffic was terrible and only a bike could find a parking spot!!!!!  Did see some interesting things walking down the street!!!  Today we went to Mt.Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial Parks.  The country is very beautiful here and we just happened upon a road that went along four stone tunnels.  I think we could stay a week and still not see everything here.  We are going back to Mt. Rushmore tonight to see it with lights.  Tomorrow we start towards Lincoln, Ne to see some Air Force friends we have not seen since Panama City Fl.---39 years ago!!!

Monument at the top of the hill marking where Custer was killed.  The monument has all the names of those killed on it.

The white markers are where each body was found.  The fields are full of them . Red markers are where Indians were killed  Not many red markers!

The battle field much the way it looked in 1878

Wild horses are all over the hills around the battlefield

We are in Hardin, Mt. I was talking to someone who lives here and they told me it hasn't rained here since March!   The west side  of Montana is green and beautiful and the east side is dry and brown.  About 15 miles east of Hardin, is the site of Custer's Last Stand (Battle of Little Bighorn).  We went there this morning before it got so hot out.  We listened to a park ranger explain the battle.  It gave us a sad feeling to look out at the battle field and imagine the bodies and how it happened.  We will be leaving tomorrow morning for Custer, SD. 

Arch of antlers in Jackson Hole, Wy

The bar stools at the Diamond Cowboy Bar are shaped like saddles!

Our view from where we ate lunch of downtown Jackson Hole

The Grand Teton Mountains

Teton Mountains

Falls along the road in Yellowstone Park

Popular swimming hole at Firehole Canyon in Yellowstone

There was a mountain man rendezvous in West Yellowstone while we were there!

Yesterday we drove through Yellowstone south to Jackson Hole, Wy.  We were here 11 years ago and it has grown so much in that time.  We drove along the Teton National Park.  I don't think you could ever get tired of looking at the snow capped mountains.  When we arrived in Jackson, first place we went was the Million Dollar Cowboy Saloon to wet our whistle!!  The bar seats are shaped like saddles.  There was a bike rally going on and of course, bikes everywhere.  As we were eating lunch at an upstairs balcony, Terry noticed  that a biker dropped his cell phone at the red light.  He whistled and yelled and luckily caught his attention and he picked up his phone.  That was Terry's good deed for the day!!!!  We took Archie and it was so hot we couldn't leave him in the car, so  Terry and Archie sat on a bench while I shopped.  Tomorrow we will be leaving and next stop Hardin, close to Custer last stand.  It feels good to be heading east!!!!!!

Elk

Elk-----I almost got a picture of a bear, but he was in the woods by the time I grabbed my camera

Old Faithful in Yellowstone----

BIG Bison!!!!!

No you are not looking at chemical plants in the distance!  They are some of the many geysers in Yellowstone!!!!!

Moose along a lake.

We are staying at the nicest rv park in West Yellowstone, Mt.  Yesterday we drove the loop in Yellowstone National Park.  We have found out there are so many beautiful sights in the United States.  After dinner last night we took a bottle of wine, lawn chairs, cheese and crackers, and stopped at one of the turn offs and watched the wildlife in the park.  When you are from the hills of West Virginia, you know evening is the time to spot the animals!!!!! 

A lake at the foot of the road leading to Glacier National Park

Along the route from Clarkston, Wa to Missoula, Mt

Driving up the road to Glacier National Park, Mt

View from the top

Snow topped mountains

One of the many falls along the road