JimmyandPatti’s Weblog

Great advice from Horace Greeley…even if you’re not a young man!

When we started this blog, it was based upon the premise that life’s a bus ride…a wonderful analogy from our friend Laurie.  Life is like that…pick a destination, enjoy the ride and those you meet. Getting there is only a small part of the trip!

This bus ride lasted more than two years, although it felt much shorter…or went by much quicker..depending on how you look at it.  Our “bus ride” actually had hundreds of real bus rides within it if you count all of the mass transit and airport shuttles   Although our original plans included about 3 years or so on the east coast – we couldn’t pass up a wonderful opportunity to return to Oregon – and so here we go again!

Hillside park is right next to our apartment and was our favorite little shortcut on the way to work and shopping.  It had been closed for most of the year for an upgrade with new steps, decks, and landscaping.  We initially thought we wouldn’t get to enjoy it, but it opened on the last day we were here and we took a 5 minute stroll before driving away. Simple pleasures are the best.

It was quite a chore to get packed up even though we travel pretty light these days.  I started us off with about a 2 mile detour in getting the moving van – not bad most days, but we were on foot   Our last full day was a rush but we made the deadline and passed our apartment inspection. 

Our first day on the road was uneventful, although we did cross into West Virginia twice due to the way the interstate winds around. Our little moving van was pretty cozy and we enjoyed reminiscing about our east coast time and daydreaming about what lay ahead.  Lunchtime on day 2 found us just outside of Chicago and we had arranged to meet up with a friend from the National Fire Academy at a famous Chicago-style hotdog restaurant.  It was very convenient, just off I-65 and close to his home too.  Jim (from Hobart, Indiana) was a terrific host and we enjoyed the visit.  He clued us in to a “must see” attraction up the road – the Mars Cheese Castle.  Count me in!

Day 3 found us rolling along I-90 and loving the fall colors.  We decided to go a bit north for this trip across the US to see some new sites this time – this was our 5th time driving across the country (the 1st was only 33 years ago).  While enjoying Wisconsin and studying the map, we saw a town named Winona and thought that would be a perfect place to pick up a postcard for our friend….Winona!

Sometimes these kind of detours can hold the nicest surprises….and this one was perfect.  The town of Winona has been around for more than 150 years and is actually on an island within the Mississippi River.  Although the town has a population of more than 50,000 – we felt like we were whisked back in time to the perfect little burg.  Not Mayberry…but charming nonetheless.  We enjoyed our 1 hour stop so much that we have it on our “maybe we should spend a summer here” list.  Time will tell.

Motoring along I-90 we saw a billboard advertising the SPAM Museum.  Another one of life’s surprises….gotta stop! 

Day 3 was definitely a fun one and we bunked for the night in Brandon, South Dakota.  We could definitely tell we were getting in the north part of the US when we woke to frost on the windows and 24 degree temperatures.  After breakfast and coffee we were off for the next stop along I-90, the world-famous Corn Palace.

At first, we thought this place might be kind of quaint (and corny) but after pulling into town and seeing the a-”maize”-ing works of art – we were quite impressed.  All of the murals and decorations are corn. Ears of corns. Bushels and bushels. In fact, more than 275,000 ears of corn are used each year. I think I’m getting hungry again.

We spent about an hour here and toured the inside as well.  It was interesting to see the photographs from year’s past that documented the history of the palace.  This tradition has been continued since 1892.

Our trip west continued and we enjoyed the blue sky and wide-open spaces.  In fact, this is quite a refreshing view when we compare it to our DC, Beijing, Shanghai, Dubai, and other adventures.  I like it!

Wall Drug was never on my personal bucket list, although I have always been intrigued by the thousands of Wall Drug bumper stickers that I have seen over the years.  It was worth the stop, especially since we were in need of a good ol’ fashioned burger.

The nice thing about traveling I-90 in this part of the country is all of the attractions that pop up every 100 miles or so.  Our next stop was wonderful, and, unlike Wall Drug, this one was on our bucket lists.  Mount Rushmore was beautiful, not only the rock sculptures, but the entire area.  The National Parks Service has done a great job in providing hiking paths around the area and we enjoyed the minimal crowds, good weather, and fresh air.

After drinking in the beauty of this place, we drove a few more miles to take in the Crazy Horse Memorial as well.  This was a great stop and a real learning experience.  The carving began on this mountain in 1948 and dwarfs Mount Rushmore in comparison. 

Our day was about done and we found another great deal on a Holiday Inn Express, this time in Deadwood, South Dakota.  From the looks of this town, it gets pretty busy during tourist season…who knew this was such a tourist destination.  We were glad we landed here in mid-October…otherwise our posing in the middle of the street might have been a bit riskier…..

After a good night’s sleep, tasty (and free) breakfast, we were back on the road to intersect with I-90 and visit Sturgis.  Although I have seen many pictures of the street-clogging motorcycle event, it was still hard to imagine more than 1/2 million people here in a town that’s normally about 6500.

After a tank of fuel (no lines at the pump) we were off to the next attraction, the geographical center of the United States, which is Belle Fourche, South Dakota.  This quaint little town of 5,000 residents is actually a few miles from the official marker…but we were glad to have found the tourist site without trekking into the farmlands!

For being such a sparse area of the country…..we had no problem finding tourist attractions….seems like every hour or so it was time for another photo op.

During the early part of our trip, it was not uncommon to cross state borders every hour or so…not so much out here in the west.  South Dakota was a 2-day adventure, followed by Montana.  This is what I call…. “land stretchin’ out so far and wide…”   (if you know the rest of this song…you might be gettin’ up there in age

Our initial travel plans included an overnight stop in our old hometown..Kalispell.  We had it all planned….lunch at Norm’s, dinner at McKenzie River Pizza, and donuts at Rosauer’s.  Still facing a full 12 hour drive to Salem…and needing to start a new job in about 3 days….we decided to press on and make camp in Hermiston.  We did luck out though when we stopped for fuel in Missoula.  What a great surprise to see a McKenzie River Pizza restaurant! One “good ole boy pepperoni coming up…”

The drive from Missoula to Hermiston was mostly a blur….maybe because we’ve taken that trip a dozen times or so…..maybe because we’ve been on the road nearly a week.  Wow…Washington DC is “way back” in our review mirror.  We stayed the night in Hermiston and enjoyed a great dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant with some of our best friends, Gerald and Joanie.  It was fun to catch up on life and walk the streets of my old, old, old hometown (how many can a guy have anyway?).

And just like that, we were home again.  A bit older….a bit wiser….our luggage scarred and road-worn, our passports stamped and re-stamped, our memories deeper, our appreciation greater, our love deeper. Life is a precious bus ride….and what a blessing to have someone waiting at the bus stop when you step off.