55th Anniv - Katie & Ryan's Wedding

 Well, I have now switched from doing the daily email updates to using this venue.  It's easier and makes it simpler for people to access.  This way if someone wants to read the updates, they can.  I'll send a link to the blog and then you can check and see if there are any updates.  If I miss a day or two (and I may not update every day), you can catch up on the site.  Today was a catch-up day, laundry, organizing both Char's van, my trailer and running errands.  Weather really turned warm for a change - got up 62 degrees.  There's some talk of 70 degrees on Sunday and Monday.  As I said, these will not be daily updates, just something to let you know where I am and what is going onl  Let me know how you like this format.  Not sure I'll change it, but you have option of voicing your opinion :-). 

We arrived in Reno around 2;30 this afternoon after completing a trip of 6,992 miles!  Too bad we couldn't have taken a detour of eight miles to round it out; however, I don't think we were thinking of anything but getting home.  Great trip, good adventures, good friendships, and awesome events. Not much to report on today's trip.  Continued on I-80 from West Wendover to Reno in beautiful sunny weather.  A little smoke in the air but didn't affect our trip at all.  Everything was fine at home although it was a little toasty since we had turned the a/c off. I think Zelda is now two inches higher since we unloaded everything. Now it's back to the routine.  Thanks to everyone who made our trip so memorable.  We celebrated old friendships, welcomed new members to the family, and thoroughly enjoyed our trip. Time for the well-worn ending - take care and enjoy life. 

 We arrived in West Wendover yesterday about midday after a relatively short drive.  Who knew they had casinos in this small town (well, I guess maybe we did).  Staying at the Rainbow which is one of the Peppermill's properties out here.  Crowded because it was Saturday, but we were able to find a place to stay. The trip over from Rawlins was interesting - windmills, cattle, oil wells in Wyoming.  No wonder they are so resourceful.  Coming through Utah has its own scenery.  The ride down through the canyons from Park City to Salt Lake City is beautiful, cutting through amazing red rock canyons and then it opens up to an awesome view of SLC and the Great Salt Lake.  Unbeknownst to us, when we traveled through the canyons going East, Katie and Ryan were attending a wedding in Park City.  We would have waved as we went by had we known. Felt good to be back in Nevada and only a short day's drive to Reno.  Had an excellent dinner and enjoyed ...

Those of you who have been paying attention (and I don't know why you should) will recognize that we have been here some days ago.  Rawlins is where we cut off I-80 on our trip out and went up to Casper heading to Fargo. Anyway, we're still on the road and heading for Wendover today.  One more night on the road and we'll be home!!!! Yesterday was another day of nonnavigational skills.  I-80 all the way and will be the same until we hit Reno.  One high spot (pun intended) was just west of Cheyene where we hit the highest elevation on I-80 across the nation.  I-80 is nicknamed the Lincoln Highway and there is a brooding bust of Ole Abe at the rest area marking the elevation.  You would think the highest point would be in California when it crosses the Sierra Nevada, but Wyoming steals the distinction. Had take-out dinner from Chez Walmart' and relaxed after another day on the road.  Looking forward to today's trip out of Wyoming, across Utah, and into Ne...

 Well, if we had arrived here a couple of months earlier, we could have visited Ryan Orth at the University of Nebraska; however, he is now firmly ensconced in the Research Triangle in North Carolina.  We at least got to see him in Fargo which was great. It seems appropriate that we are in Lincoln since we seemed to be driving through a panoply of presidents yesterday.  Tourist attractions included the birthplace of Ronald Reagan in Indiana, home of Abraham Lincoln in Illinois and of Herbert Hoover in Iowa.  Lots of interesting places to visit, but we're anxious to get back home.  At least we're on familiar territory, having hit I-80 near Davenport, IA.  Not much navigational skill necessary to get back home from here. We stopped at the rest area in Grinnell, Iowa which we have visited before.  It was interesting to note the connection to Vermont; however, my memory of Grinnell was when my sister, Mary Ann, visited when she was a young college student....

Today was another easy drive for the navigator. Get on I-70, get off for gas, get back on I-70, get off I-70 for lunch, get back on I-70, repeat.  Although the scenery was beautiful, we certainly got our fill of trees - not a common sight in Nevada.  We went straight west on I-70.  Originally, we had planned to stop at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, but we decided to continue on to Richmond, Indiana - crossed another state off our list this year.  Traffic is heavy, but Vi guided Zelda through it all.  Richmond turned out to be a good stop - lots of shopping, good hotel, and excellent dining opportunities.  Tomorrow, we head to Indianapolis and then catch an interstate which will take us back up to I-80.  This will satisfy our wish to skip all the toll roads and the Chicago traffic.  Clear sailing from Davenport to Reno.