We Like Ike!

After 6 days and almost 1,800 miles, we finally got our Presidential Library Tour "officially" underway today, with the understated but impressive, Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, in the throwback town of Abilene, Kansas.

The day started with some confusion - what was this UFO hovering over the freeway?

A little while on, we were disappointed by the Hastings Museum in Hastings, Nebraska. We were led to believe there was an awesome exhibit about the origins of Kool-Aid, but it turned out they just had Kool-Aid stuff in the gift shop. Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings by one Edwin Perkins, who wanted to call it Fruit Smack.We got as few items there, but it was not all we were expecting.

In case you were wondering, it is CRAZY windy in Kansas. I think they shot the Kansas scenes in The Wizard of Oz on location along US-81. No gunshots in the stateline sign this time.

What, no bullet holes?

Crossing into Kansas, we saw another massive transition in the landscape - they added shades of brown!

Fun Facts about Dwight Eisenhower (according to the film they show you):
Dwight Eisenhower cured polio.
Dwight Eisenhower ended racial strife in the US by signing the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
Dwight Eisenhower convinced Sen. Joseph McCarthy to tone down his rhetoric.
Dwight Eisenhower kept the cold war "cold."

We started with a short tour of Eisenhower's boyhood home (where it always stood), that seemed much too small to have had parents and 6 boys living in it.

The Museum was very impressive, with an excellent timeline exhibit of his military and political, and post-political careers. The architecture of the whole site was very cool, very modern.

The Museum

The Library (duh!)

They had a few WWII vintage vehicles on display, and it was very telling that the staff car Cadillac was larger (and probably heavier) than a troop mover. One item on display we found interesting was a paratrooper's uniform - the uniform of the #23 guy in this picture, from D-Day minus 1, talking to General Eisenhower! They preserved it pretty well.

The political career displays were also neat, especially this sign that was on the Eisenhower's campaign train from 1952.

Why don't they use trains anymore?

DDE's final resting place

Tomorrow, Gates & Sons BBQ and the Truman Library! Talk to you later!

we made it at last!

After 6 days, our 1st library

From the mountains to the prairies...

Day 5 was nonstop action driving from Colorado Springs to North Platte, NEBRASKA!

We started our day with a tour of US Olympic Training Center, where we were entertained by Mike Prout, a 2004 and 2008 Paralympian swimmer - he won gold in 400 freestyle at 2004 Paralympics in Athens.



Allegra prepares for Rio 2016

 We were able to see weightlifters, wrestlers, and swimmers in training, and we picked up a little US Olympic Team merchandise, of course. We learned that 1/3 of the athletes living at the Training Center are paralympic athletes. We didn't get to see any team handball practice, but that is sure to be the next sport the US dominates in the Olympics - they've started by putting up a sign on the campus, to let folks know the sport exists (though Allan Kingston is ahead of the curve on that). We also realized why the US is so weak at table tennis - we should try tables with tops...it couldn't hurt.



Why isn't the ball bouncing?

 We managed to switch our (slightly) damaged Prius for a new one, at a local Enterprise office in Denver. Then we stopped by the Colorado State Capitol to snap a picture - I sense a trend here, as we will be passing through at least 4 more state capitals on our journey.

Also, after just 5 days, we have heard the entire 70's channel playlist on XM/Sirius, so we will need to find another channel to fill the time in the car. Unfortunately, wall-to-wall Ira Glass is not ideal for driving long distances. Let's hope the Real Jazz channel has a longer playlist!
　
The drive out of the Rockies brought us into the prairies, where we will be for a few days. But it was an especially huge transition when we crossed the state line from Colorado into Nebraska. See if you can spot 10 differences between these two photos.

Colorado



Nebraska - or is it Colorado?

We'd hoped that the 'Welcome to Nebraska' sign would have some bullet holes in it, like the North Dakota sign from a view years ago. Oh well, the sketchy dudes with the emergency gas can and beatdown pickup truck would have to suffice.

Just like our last road trip, we just seem to find interesting and/or giant sculpture. The giraffes and the butterfly-thing were done in wood, then bronzed - they are in several sites around Sterling, Colorado. Then, as we pulled into North Platte, we were struck by the awesomeness of Fort Cody, complete with the 50 foot statue of Buffalo Bill Cody.

the butterfly thing

And definite props to the Canteen Grille of North Platte and Chef Lalanne - excellent steaks!

Time to sign off - talk to you later!

Welcome from the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee

On Day 4 we drove from Durango to Colorado Springs, putting us well over 1,100 miles so far. We even got to drag this piece of underbody cover all that way. We'll be out for 14 more days, so there are many more miles to go. 

fine Toyota workmanship

Today we got a good fill of beautiful alpine scenery, which is very difficult to capture on a cell phone camera at 65 mph, sorry for lack of photos. We crossed two passes, Wolf Creek Pass at 10,550 feet, the very top of the Continental Divide, and La Veta Pass (9,415 feet)

The high prairie between the passes, at about 8,000 feet,  was all potato farms and boarded up shops, different from our 2008 trip across Montana and Idaho, where there were plenty of potato farms but not so many closed up stores. We are seeing definite signs of tough economic times.

When we were leaving Durango this morning we saw some vehicles with “Race Across America” signs on them. For those of you who don’t know, the Race Across America is just that, a nonstop bicycle race, this year from  Oceanside to Annapolis, 2,989 miles. The vehicles are necessary to support and protect the riders, especially on climbs like the Wolf Creek Pass, where we passed this guy and his support crew. If you ride, you might think you’re hardcore, but until you can ride 2,000 miles in 5 days, like this year’s race leader, Christoph Strasser (who is already in Illinois), you’re not really hardcore.

hardcore climb up the Wolf Creek Pass

We got into Colorado Springs in time to visit the Air Force Academy, checking out the Visitor Center and gift shop (passed on any merch, we’re a Navy family). I guess our Prius tagged us as "unreliable", since the guard at the gate insisted on searching the car after letting an RV pass unmolested. 

off we go...

We also saw the famous Air Force Academy chapel, quite striking, and got a little sneek peak at the dorms, which seem just as sloppy as at  a normal college.

into the wild blue yonder

Air Force Academy dorms - so modern

Talk to you later!

Wolf Creek Pass

Quick post as we got over the infamous Wolf Creek Pass at 10,550 feet earlier. A little nippy up there, just 46 degrees!

Happy Father's Day from Durango!!!

First off, Happy Fathers Day! We could only make this one post today, because between 9 this morning and 6 tonite, when we got to the hotel, there was zero cell service. We had an eventful drive from the Grand Canyon to Durango today. The transition from the mountain forest (a lot more trees around the Grand Canyon than we expected) to the deserts of the Hopi and Navajo Reservations to the mesas and meadows of Colorado was quite striking. The rock formations on Hopi Reservation were a sight to see, especially the structure below.

We stopped at the Four Corners Monument, of course, so that we could include 4 states in our itinerary at once. The site is on the Navajo reservation, and very popular with the road-tripping tourist set - we had to wait at least 15 minutes for the 4 Corners to open for this photo op. It was a little windy out there, too - Allegra's FULL water bottle almost got carried away in a gust!

Entering Colorado, the landscape changed almost immediately, getting green and colder right away. We arrived at Mesa Verde National Park. It's not Yosemite, but it is pretty cool. The winding road up from the park entrance would be a favorite of Jeremy and Richard from Top Gear, except for the 35 MPH speed limit.

Mesa Verde NP is worth the work to get there, because the restored and preserved pueblo cliff dwellings are amazing. After the climb up the mesa (up to 8,000 feet!) we walked to the Spruce Tree House, one of the largest sites in the park. 

Of course, I had to point out a few things to Allegra, as I am an expert on 13th Century masonry construction. Legs is such an attentive student!

Wisely, Allegra escaped the lecture by hiding in a kiva, an underground chamber used for spiritual and worship ceremonies. Eventually she had to climb out, so we could get to the main event of the day, a tour of Cliff Palace, the largest pueblo cliff dwelling in the park.

The Cliff Palace was massive, in a chamber more than 60 feet high and 400 feet wide, but apparently it wasn't a "palace" in the traditional sense. It was more of a government center than a residence, as the archaeologists who have studied the site found very few hearths (indicating residents) but 23 kivas, showing that many ceremonies were held there. 

The climb down to Cliff House was kind of treacherous, thru some narrow passages and on non-OSHA compliant stairs (according to the park ranger, anyway - no lawsuits resulted from our tour group). We all made it up and down OK.

We got to Durango just in time for dinner, and we found a great, if understaffed, pizza place, Home Slice Pizza.  The pizza was the bomb, so be patient as the rastafarian staff messes up your order once or twice, because it is worth it.

Tomorrow we will be crossing two 10,000 foot mountain passes, including Wolf Creek Pass (a special place to all you folks from the Lair!), so we hope to survive to post another day! Talk to you later!

Farewell, Big Ditch

One more afternoon spent at the Grand Canyon, and many more sites to see. We thought it was strangely empty at Mather Point and the Visitor Center yesterday, but we realized why today. All of the crowds are around the lodges and the head of the Bright Angel Trail, which can take you all the way across the Park to the North Rim - in about 2 days hike. Our friends George and Denise did that a few years back - or, did they?

We passed on that strenuous exercise and opted for the touristy stuff, walking on the Rim Trail and seeing a few new vistas (but to be frank, they all kinda look the same after a couple days). We also walked around the historic El Tovar Hotel, which opened in 1905, just up the hill from the Grand Canyon Railroad. It's quite a view from the 3rd floor rooms, since they are maybe 50 feet from the edge of the abyss.

We did find this view, on the Trail of Time (don't ask unless your REALLY love geology, gneiss, and that sort of schist) to be pretty sweet. The bright foreground gives a nice perspective on the vastness of it all.

Instead of being adventerous by hiking down into the Canyon, Allegra and Blythe decided to live on the edge, as it were. Legs thought we had something of a death wish, posing all the way out there. "Ok, move back just a little bit more...."



And with that, we say "Farewell, Big Ditch!" Someday we may come back and get down to the Colorado River, but until then many new places await. We are off to Durango, Colorado tomorrow, passing through the Hopi, Navajo, and Mountain Ute Reservations. We'll talk to you again then!

A Bird's Eye View

We took a flight around the Grand Canyon this morning, and it was spectacular! A little bumpy in the twin prop plane, but when you're maybe 500 feet above the ground, you can expect that.

Allegra got to sit in First Class, of course, and was able to carry on a conversation with the pilots thru the cockpit door. Blythe was able to brush up on her Japanese, thanks to the multi-lingual narration on the plane.  

While they aren't allowed to fly you below the canyon rim (like in the old days), the view from 500 feet is incredible. Photos from cell phones hardly do it justice, but Blythe captured a couple beautiful views. Below you can see where the Little Colorado meets the Colorado River - the Little Colorado is turquoise because of mineral springs that feed it as it flows from northern Arizona.

The view of the North Rim is also gorgeous - the climate is very different, so many more trees over there!

We're going back for a ground-level view of the Canyon later, so we'll post some more tonight!

Day 1 - Grand Canyon

Kind of gray day here in the Grand Canyon, but still an amazon site. It was strange (to me at least) that it wasn't more crowded - we even found a parking space right by Mather Point!

What really cracks me up, though, is the shade, second tier hotels and restaurants that congregate at the gates to national parks. Something more upscale than a Best Western couldn't survive on the ONLY road to the South Rim? Sounds improbable to me.

The Prius ran perfectly, and traffic was nonexistent, so it was a very good, if tiring day.

grand canyoga

For my friend Lisa

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We made it!

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The Grand Canyon

We made it and the view is SPECTACULAR! Here at Mather Point you can see for miles and miles, and the sun is just starting to come out. But even when it's overcast, the colors are beautiful.

Gas prices - Yikes!!

Stopped for gas in Needles - $4.79 per gallon! Some nice scenery out here in the Mohave Desert, just a few more hours to the Grand Canyon.

Gorgeous California morning!

A lovely day here in LA. Getting on the 15 get to Barstow!

About time to go!

It's 5am and time to grab some breakfast, pack the car, wake up Allegra and get on the road...

Now its 615, the car is packed and we are ready to go!

Tomorrow it begins!

Just 20 hours until departure, and we are barely ready to go! We are all really looking forward to seeing the Grand Canyon tomorrow afternoon, because we expect it to look just like this. I hope we're not disappointed.

At least our first day's drive won't be the 13 hour, LA to Salt Lake City marathon we did in 2008, that was a little much, even for the first day. And at least we will get away from this serious June Gloom in the LA Basin - can we get a little Spring, anyone?!?

Just 3 more days!

It's getting close now, just 3 more days until the epic (and epically educational) road trip of 2011 begins! I hope that the heat wave in the South breaks just a bit in the next few days - or is it just normal for all of Texas and Lousiana and Oklahoma to be in the 90's in mid-June?

The anticipation is building...

We're all very excited about the big trip - less than 10 days away now! And we may get a slight reprieve on gasoline prices - down to $3.98 here in the South Bay. We'll be sure to include some tracking of gas prices on our trip, and have some kind of award for the town with the lowest price. What's the odds of that town being in Texas?