Yellowstone-Wonder of Wonders

Today was definitely one of my favorite destinations, even though I had seen Yellowstone when I was 13. I don't really think I had the appreciation for nature at that age that I have at the ripe old age of 53. Today was my day to drive, and I drove from Alpine to the Grand Teton National Park first thing in the morning. I was a little wary because the Tetons look so imposing, but the roads we took just meandered through the mountains and weren't nearly as scary as the drive from Yosemite. We loved the Grand Tetons and the gift shop in Moose, which is my husband's nickname. Needless to say, I had to pick up a few "moose" souvenirs.

Entering Yellowstone, we saw a small waterfall on the left, which was more imposing than any other waterfall we had seen on this trip. We headed for Old Faithful and ate lunch at the Old Faithful Lodge; it was an amazing edifice. Disney's Wilderness Lodge imitates it nicely, but it was a real thrill to see the authentic lodge with the timbers from the local trees supporting the ceiling of the lobby. Look it up online, if you have never been. We timed it well as far as seeing Old Faithful erupt, but Mother Nature ruined our photographs with a solid downpour right at the time of eruption. It didn't rain long; however, and we toured the southeast corner of the park.

This is another place where families spend weeks, and we had half a day. We saw as much as we could; we saw the rim of fire, steam vents (also known as fumeroles), mud pots (the paint pots were amazing), and one area where the hot sulfuric water flowed into pools of the clearest water i believe I have ever seen. Knowing that we were walking on volcanic land makes everything more amazing.

The variety of wildlife we saw was bounteous. We spotted a wolf playing with a frog, which we watched through binoculars; we stopped and crept closer to a herd of elk, grazing by the side of the road; we saw mule deer, and oh, I can't forget the buffalo. In fact, since it was my day to drive, I will personally never forget the buffalo, especially the big daddy buffalo, who kept looking my way as if I were going to approach his baby. Believe the rangers when they tell you these animals are more dangerous than the grizzlies; they are more aggressive, the rangers say. Just our close encounter with the buffalo stopping traffic in our "buffalo jam" made a believer out of me. The one animal we did not spot today was the grizzly bear; I would not have minded seeing one from a distance, but I'm a little glad they weren't around. The buffalo were fierce-looking enough for me.

Our last destination in Yellowstone was the falls, and for once it looked just like the photographs. We all took lots of pictures. My eyes wore out in the evening, and Jane relieved me of driving duty once we left the park. It was a wonderful day, but it was a long drive to Cody,Wyoming, where we spent the night at the Beartooth Inn. I'm sorry we drove that road at night; I have read since then that the drive is one of the most beautiful roads in America. We passed the site of the Cody Rodeo, which is one of the biggest in the country, on the way to the hotel, but we were all too worn out to go. Maybe next trip; I would like to see a real rodeo one day.

Salt Lake City to Alpine, Wyoming

Today we went to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, which was one of Betty Jo's places to visit. Two very devout Mormon "sisters" gave us a tour. One girl was from Korea and one was from southern California. This is their mission for two years, just like the Mormon boy from my hometown who is gone away for two years on a mission. All Mormon youth are required to do this, from what we could gather. We toured the visitor center and saw some beautiful mural size paintings of the life of Christ and a huge statue of Christ on the top level. The girls took us into a chapel and ended our tour by singing together "We are Children of God." If the visit had ended there, things would not have been too bad, but unfortunately, we left rather angry. Betty Jo asked one of the ladies at the Visitor Center desk why they claim to be Christians but they don't allow other Christians who are not Mormons to enter the Tabernacle. We allow anyone to enter our church, no matter their religious background. She told Betty Jo she was not "worthy." Well, they were "fightin' words" to Jane, who quite quickly told the woman that Betty Jo was as worthy as any or all of the Mormons in Salt Lake City, and I suggested that now might be a good time to leave!

Kristee wanted to swing by Park City, Utah, home of the winter Olympics in 2002. We took some pictures of the ski runs and bobsled tracks and bought some postcards. We drove through part of Idaho on our way to Yellowstone. We pulled off the road at a gas station for about 35-40 minutes to wait out a terrible thunderstorm. It was raining so hard and visibility was so bad, we just chilled for a while. We definitely depended on the tom-tom a great deal after we left the interstate.

We had made reservations at a Best Western Flying Saddles in Alpine, Wyoming, which is not too far from Jackson Hole. The hotel restaurant was closed because of a private party, so we ate across the street at a place called Nordic Inn. The bartender was a very entertaining gay man whose partner is the chef and a former professional pianist. They close up shop here in September and leave in November for New Zealand, where they stay until April. Not a bad life, huh? He had pictures of his partner performing onstage, and all sorts of fascinating stories to tell. It was really a pleasant evening, even the Norah Jones CD playing in the background was soothing and added just the right touch to my two cocktails.

This is definitely cowboy country. We have seen road signs all afternoon that say "Watch for stock" and "Open Range." Pictures of cows are on yellow road signs like we have pictures of deer at home. Our hotel rooms are nice, but not worth the $149 price tag. I ran the bathtub full of water and turned on the jacuzzi, only to find that it was broken. When I called the front desk, I was told none of the jacuzzis work, and they had not advertised them as working. The hotel lobby is filled with bear, moose, elk, and bighorn sheep decor. I took pictures of Jane and Betty Jo on some "flying saddle" bar stools after breakfast the next morning. They were so cute!

Great Salt Lake Desert

Today was a travel day, but we got a late start. Jane and I had stayed up late last night playing slots, and we played a few more this morning. Betty Jo and Kristee had a morning massage, so we weren't exactly behind the wheel at 8:00 this morning. We crossed the state of Nevada today and arrived in Salt Lake City tonight. We stopped and took pictures of the Bonneville Salt Flats and saw the Great Salt Lake. The Great Salt Lake Desert was interesting at first, but after a while it was a little dull. The highlight of the day was seeing the Morton Salt factory, but we were too far away to get a decent picture of the little girl with the umbrella. Kristee provided the other entertainment by sliding on some salt-covered mud that she and Jane wanted to walk on; fortunately she hurt nothing but her pride. This is probably my shortest blog because we really did cross the desert most of the day, and after a while, it all looks the same. I even got the Mad-Libs out for the first time. Kristee had never played, so it was fun teaching the game to a newbie.

The Wild West-Old and New

Today we drove around most of Lake Tahoe, spent a delightful afternoon in Virginia City, and spent the night in Atlantis, a gorgeous new casino in Reno. We saw some beautiful natural scenery, the western "tourist" town where Ponderosa was filmed, and spent the night in what was one of the nicest hotels (for the money) of our trip. Casino hotels tend to be more reasonable, because they plan to sock it to you at the slots, but it was still worth every dime I lost there to sleep in really nice beds with luxurious surroundings. In one day, we traveled over one hundred years in time, and we had a bit of fun along the way.

Lake Tahoe was beautiful, with lots of plush accommodations surrounding it. We enjoyed seeing all the people skiing, boating, and just plain enjoying this lovely spot. From Lake Tahoe, we headed east and really just decided to visit Virginia City on an impulse. We ate lunch at the Delta Cafe, toured the town on a tram, dressed up as saloon girls at a costume shop (that photo is priceless-especially such we are all such good Methodists!), and visited the newspaper office where Mark Twain got his first job. Virginia City was the site of the Comstock Lode and the setting for Bonanza. Jane and I had newspapers made for all of us with the headline "WOW Girls Conquer the Sierra Nevadas" to hail our feats of driving prowess through the last few days.

After feeling really ripped off by last night's hotel rates in a rinky-dink Best Western that charged $140 for a double, coming across this Atlantis hotel seemed like a bonus. It wasn't in downtown Reno, but it was a miniature city in itself, and we joked about finally seeing waterfalls with lots of water-in the lobby no less! Jane won over $300 in one bonus game on a slot machine named "Grandma's Cookie Jar" and I lost overall but had a good time. I'm one of the reasons casinos stay in business and can charge $43.68 a person for really plush, comfortable rooms. The food was great, the slots were fun, and the beds were so comfy! Another memorable day!

Yosemite- A Natural Paradise

Today we headed to Yosemite National Park and spent most of the day there. It's pretty clear some people spend a week here, but with our overall tour of the country, each of these amazing destinations rates about half a day. One good thing is that we know which places we will want to return to for longer stays in the future.

I drove from Fresno to Yosemite, and there were beautiful views and many hairpin curves along the way. The mile long tunnel bothered me a little, but mainly because I still had my sunglasses on and didn't have enough notice to change, plus the insides of the tunnel are still big chunks of rock, which seem rather intimidating. Our first pull off in Yosemite, called Tunnel View, is the classic postcard picture of El Capitan (the largest chunk of exposed granite in the world), Half Dome, and Bridal Veil Falls. Unfortunately, once again, the falls were a mere trickle because of the drought.

We ate lunch at the historic Ahwahnee Lodge dining room, which is worth the visit all by itself, and then took a two hour tour on an open tram. Yosemite is a truly beautiful place, with granite cliffs, forests, rivers, rippling brooks, lakes and rivers, filled with families, couples, and mountain climbers who were all hiking, tubing, wading, or just photographing the scenery. Our guide was a retired high school principal whose lifelong dream was to work in a National Park. He and his wife both live and work in Yosemite. It made me happy for them that they have made this dream come true, and now share their delight in Yosemite with those of us lucky enough to visit.

Today we saw a bear, thanks to the quick eyes of Betty Jo (who also spotted Cadillac Ranch earlier in the trip). He was lumbering along the side of the road to the right of our car as we were leaving. He was a large black bear with a patch of grey on his chest. We actually lowered the windows and shouted to hikers that he was behind them.

We exited Yosemite by the Tioga Pass, which I heard more about later, a road filled with hairpin and corkscrew turns, dangerously steep descents, and cliffs right beside us that dropped thousands of feet. Kristee didn't look out the window this afternoon either. Signs indicated that we were as high as 9k950 feet at times, and we descended to 5,000 feet by evening. We traded a visit to San Francisco and Los Angeles for Sequoia and Yosemite. Best decision we have made so far!

Sequoia National Park

This morning we left Lemoore for the Sequoia National Park, the home of the largest grove of giant trees in the world. The redwoods in northern California are the tallest, but the Sequoias are the most massive. The ride to Sequoia was a breathtaking climb up the Sierra mountains, including some rather scary one lane roads, due to construction. They were building barriers and supports on the outside lanes, so we figured we would just have to suffer for the sake of the future generations! Maybe our kids won't be scared to death when they travel up here!

Once we entered the park and parked, the first sign we saw in the parking lot read, "Active Bear Area." Immediately, I thought of my sister Connie, who has a deep-seated fear of the creatures, stemming from my family's visit to Yellowstone in 1966. No, Connie would not have left the car. We actually never saw a bear in Sequoia National Park, but we did see one later in Yosemite. The people in the tram that passed us on our tour had just seen one, but we missed it. I did take a photo of a bear photo that was on the bus dashboard, and I zoomed in to make it really look authentic. I admit I had a little fun with sister Connie with that later on. Once people on the bus saw how my picture turned out, they all tried it.

The pleasant lady tram driver said she saw bears every day, and she had never seen them behave aggressively. All the trash cans here have a special feature on them that makes it difficult for bears to get to the trash (and for humans to throw it away.) We saw the tree that people used to drive through, but it collapsed several years ago. There is one on its side that has a tunnel that small cars were driving through. This is an amazing place, and the size of these trees makes you stand still with wonder. Surely, one feels closer to the creator when faced with such tremendous works of his hand.

The hike to General Sherman, the largest living thing in the world, was not too bad because it was downhill, but the path was dotted with warning signs about the fact that you have to come back up. On a cool, fall day, this might not be too bad, if you get here before the snows, but we visited on July 31, when it was 95 degrees. We were above 7,000 feet throughout the park, so breathing was a little difficult to begin with. Betty Jo and I paced ourselves and rested every now and then, well, we may have rested many nows and thens, but we made it back to the parking lot not too far behind Kristee and Jane, who saw the hike as a challenge. I would do it again, just to see that magnificent tree, but I would prefer doing it on a cooler day. It took two pictures to get the whole tree because I couldn't back up enough to take the whole thing in. It was truly amazing. I just wished it had another name; being from the South, General Sherman isn't exactly one of my heroes. I suppose he gets the last laugh, because General Sherman still has a way of bringing some southerners (and northerners) to their knees, just like he did to Georgia.

We then drove just a few miles to King's Canyon National Park, just to say we went there. It is the home of General Grant, the third largest tree in the world. Jane was driving this day, and she brought us out of the parks through a pass, which I believe was carved from the side of the mountain by some very drunk Indians, mountain men, or Virginia Tech engineers. Kristee refused to look out of her window, but Betty Jo and I loved looking over these steep, steep, drops as Jane brought us careening down the mountain road. No male could have done better; in fact, all three of us became rather adept at mountain driving during this trip. Once we reached the valley, we were once again treated to beautiful orchards, this time of orange and tangerine trees, all of them lovely to behold. We headed towards Yosemite, staying in Fresno that night. Another glorious day! Thank God, John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, et. al. for our National Parks!

The Turn Eastward

Today we left Santa Barbara and drove north towards Hearst Castle, San Simeon, which was our major destination of the day. We stopped off to see the mission of San Luis Obispo and made another stop at Harmony Winery. I bought three bottles and had them shipped home, which proved to be a major headache because they didn't delay delivery as I had asked; they shipped them immediately. UPS wouldn't leave them because there were specific instructions not to leave them in the sun. I finally had them left at my brother's office. So I'm getting phone calls during my vacation because these folks didn't delay delivery as I requested!

Anyways -- as I was saying-- after the winery we took a few shots along the Pacific Coast Highway, which we had originally planned to take to San Francisco. After our afternoon on one California freeway, however, we all decided to forego the major cities of SF and LA for more natural scenery. We opted to turn east and head towards Sequoia and Yosemite, which turned out to be one of our smarter decisions.

We spent a few hours at San Simeon and visited the gardens, the guest house, the pool and a few of the rooms, but for $24.00 we all thought we should have seen the entire place. I was amazed at the ancient Greek and Egyptian artifacts that Hearst had purchased legally. Today, there are laws against the sale of such antiquities. We then left and headed easterly, with a sense of sadness, for it seemed we had reached the halfway point of our journey, and the view of the ocean from Hearst Castle was our last view of the Pacific.

We crossed mountains and entered a valley of vineyards on the left and the right, as far as the eye could see. The vineyards gave way to huge groves of trees, which we found out were pistachio and almond trees. We stopped at a store and bought some of both and learned that this store was the last stop James Dean made before his fatal accident 25 miles down the road. We live in peanut country and were shocked that the folks in this part of the country call our wonderful peanuts "dirt nuts." Of course, I know peanuts are not true nuts at all, but they used to be one of the biggest cash crops in our farming community.

We ate supper at Jack's Roadhouse in Kettleman, CA, where I had the most audacious meal so far: chicken fried steak, baked potatoes, greens, and a big chunk of cornbread. It was a diner/gift shop/local hangout, but the food was good and plentiful. We made it to our Best Western in Lamoore, which was not too far from Sequoia National Park. It was a wonderful day of seeing some great man-made sights as well as some beautiful countryside.

Crystal Cathedral and San Juan Capistrano

This morning Lanneau's son, Christian, took Kristee, Betty Jo and me to the Crystal Cathedral for their 9:30 service. It is hard to explain what this visit meant to me because this had become my church away from church when visiting my own church had become too difficult. After my 19-year old daughter, Amanda, was killed in a car wreck, I began having problems just being in my home church. Amanda had been so active in our church, singing a solo just a week before the accident, and memories of her were everywhere. The Hour of Power from the Crystal Cathedral became a source of inspiration for me every Sunday morning. At times, a song or message would speak to my need as if the Holy Spirit itself was whispering in my ear. I gradually eased back into my favorite pew, with some ups and downs along the way, but the Crystal Cathedral will always be special to me as a source of healing when I was so very broken. I'm not happy with what is going on there today, and I hope they will repair the relationship with the son, Robert Anthony Schuller, but I will always treasure the place the Crystal Cathedral has played in my own spiritual journey.

This place was special to Kristee too, because her mom had bought a glass brick in memory of her father after his death from ALS. It took some real digging to locate it, but with the help of a volunteer at the cathedral and Christian's Blackberry, she was able to find it.

When we left the East Coast, we had no idea what day of the week we would be visiting the Crystal Cathedral, but we happened to arrive on a Sunday and were able to attend a service. Serendipity? Neither of the Schullers was there, but the associate pastor did a fine job, and the musical selections were just as beautiful as the ones we had heard on television. The church lived up to all my expectations, just as glorious and uplifting as I had pictured it to be. We were all fascinated with the sculptures throughout the grounds, as well as the landscaping and other buildings.

We then met Lanneau and Jane, who had gone to Lanneau's home church, at the Cedar Grove Inn across from San Juan Capistrano for lunch. We ate in yet another lovely courtyard with several of Lanneau's friends from church. We then crossed the street to the Mission of San Juan Capistrano. Once again we were blessed with beautiful music, as they were preparing for a benefit that evening, and a high school orchestra was playing familiar show tunes the whole time we were touring. We learned a great deal about the history of California by reading the informational signs throughout the mission. We were all fairly ignorant of the importance of the Catholic missions and the role they played in California history, but each of these places became a self-supporting community, offering education for the local children, work for the natives, and a place to worship. The flowers and plants at San Juan Capistrano were breathtakingly beautiful. This was a golden day, filled with all the things we loved, music, laughter, history, nature and good friends. We left Lanneau and Christian and headed out, making it to Santa Barbara for the night.

From Atlantic to Pacific!

Saturday, July 28, 2007. Today we left Vegas and headed to San Clemente, the home of Jane's sister, Lanneau. She had very generously offered to house us for two nights while we accomplished two of our goals -sticking our feet in the Pacific and touring the Crystal Cathedral. This was another great opportunity to get our laundry done for free--thanks again, Lanneau! By the way, Lanneau is now in a battle against colon cancer, so please say a prayer for our gracious host for a full and speedy recovery.

Today's journey took us across a vast expanse of Mojave desert, and we saw Barstow, the city made famous in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath as the first taste of California the Joads experienced. We also saw the World's Tallest Thermometer, which we made sure to mention to Betty Jo's sister, Kathy, and her husband Bill. They love roadside attractions, and they had bragged on seeing the World's Largest Frying Pan!

We had our first taste of California freeway traffic just getting to San Clemente, and we started to reconsider one of our destinations, Rodeo Drive. Just how many hours of our trip did we want to spend sitting in traffic? Was there an alternate attraction that might be more appealing?

We started to consider our options as we steamed in normal California coming-home-from-work traffic.

San Clemente is a charming town with beautiful views, temperate weather, and gorgeous homes. No wonder people flock to California. We saw some of our most beautiful scenery there.

Lanneau lived on the side of a hill, which was accessed by a rather curvy road, but when we reached her house, what a vision! Her poolside patio overlooks the Pacific Ocean, and the view is stunning. Lanneau and her son, Christian, took us down to San Clemente's beach, and we got our pictures taken of our toes in the ocean. We wanted proof that we had traveled from sea to shining sea.

We ate supper on the patio of Cafe 207, and I noticed that almost all of the restaurants we saw had outside dining. Very few of the restaurants in our area offer this, but we do not have temperate weather all year round. We ended our sightseeing by driving to an overlook from which we could see the car lights below and the pier lights of Laguna Beach. On this day, we reached the western-most point of our trip, and we knew from this point on, our direction would be easterly; it was a bittersweet realization, but many of our favorite destinations were yet to come, so it was impossible to feel truly depressed.

Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas

We left the Grand Canyon area on Friday, July 27, 2007 and headed towards Las Vegas. It was my day to drive, and it was our first real animal encounter of the trip. Afterwards, it seemed that most of our animal encounters occurred while I was behind the wheel. Our scenery today was breathtaking, and I was glad to be driving because the landscape before me seemed as beautiful as museum masterpieces. Sometimes, Arizona and Nevada can seem a little other-worldly to those of us from the East Coast. We stopped at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead to snap a few pictures before going on to Vegas. We did not do the "dam tour" because some of us had done it and the others claimed to be too claustrophobic. While rounding a bend right on the "dam road," a bighorn sheep ran right in front of me. What was even more amazing is that he was catching up to two of his buddies who were lolling around in the "dam parking lot." No pictures of the sheep; he took us by surprise.

We tried using our AAA books to make reservations in Vegas, but the rates we were quoted on the phone were out of sight. Jane called her daughter Iris, who had access to the Internet, and she found us really good rates at the Paris Hotel. I had visited there before and knew we would like it. My husband and I stayed at the Bellagio for our 25th wedding anniversary, and I had taken photos of everything on the strip. That is why I don't have any Vegas pictures to post. I did have my picture taken with an Elvis, but that's on my refrigerator, where it belongs. We went to the Bellagio for the lunch buffet, because Jane and I both swore that Betty Jo and Kristee really needed to see this for themselves. They were suitably impressed.

Kristee and Jane made for the Mirage to pick up tickets for Jay Leno's show, which started at 11:00. Betty Jo and I bought tickets for The Producers, which was right at our hotel. Quite frankly, I didn't want to bet on staying awake that late, as the 106 degree temperature had worn me slam out. Plus, it had been my brainstorm to buy the monorail tickets, which were a big waste of money. The Vegas tourist industry has not yet realized that moving visitors around in a cool, comfortable atmosphere and location would benefit them all. The stupid monorails dropped us off in parking garages from which we had to walk half a mile to the front of the hotel. This place needs a modern subway system, with entrances to each hotel in the lobby near the casino. Hello, Vegas transportation people! Is anyone out there listening? Betty Jo and I were so frazzled from the heat and the hiking back and forth to the stupid monorail that we split the cost of a taxi to take us back to the lobby of our hotel. Money well spent!

The Grand Canyon

We set out from Santa Fe the morning of July 26, 2007. Our destination for the day was the Grand Canyon. This might be a good place to explain how we made our hotel reservations, because by no means did we make them before we left home. None of us wanted to live with such a rigid schedule that we felt that we had to drive a certain number of miles each day; even though we knew our basic route, we wanted to give ourselves breathing space. Usually Betty Jo and Jane would look at the map and figure out each day where we would probably be in the evening. We usually knew by lunch or early afternoon where we would stay each night. I would check the mileage and estimated time of arrival of the destination on the GPS, and Betty Jo would call the hotels that looked interesting in the AAA book. Once we chose a hotel, I would log its street address into the Tom -Tom, and most of the time, we drove right up to the front door.

If I were driving, Jane worked the GPS; if Jane were driving, Kristee helped Betty Jo with the AAA books.

We drove through Albequeque but didn't stop to check out the sights. We bought t-shirts with "Route 66"on them from a Gallup, New Mexico gas station/casino/restaurant/gift shop. We ate lunch in a historic Route 66 diner, which still sold hamburgers and fries, although the rest of the menu was decidedly Mexican in flavor.

Passing through the entry to Grand Canyon National Park was a little disconcerting, because there is really no hint of the grandeur you're about to experience at the entrance. Then all of a sudden, there is the first pull-off for a scenic view. WOW! It nearly took our breath away. I will admit it is just as impressive as the first time I saw it, maybe more so, because I was 13 at the time. I don't think I had the deep appreciation for nature at 13 that I have at 54. It was vast, colorful, mind-boggling. I remembered my mother telling me that when my grandfather first saw it, he cried. I understood.

It was 4:00 p.m. when we arrived at Bright Angel Lodge. We caught a trolley to take a few photos before the threatening clouds descended upon us. Unfortunately, the clouds beat our trolley to the first stop, and the second, and so on. Kristee became ill on the bouncy, bumpy trolley, which was the most miserable bus ride we took in 25 days of travel. Once we returned to Bright Angel Lodge, Kristee took a little rest, and we browsed through the gift shop, waiting for the storm to pass. Once it started moving out, the shadows, clouds, and flickers of sun made for some amazing shots. My favorite is hanging on my den wall; it will always be one of my treasured possessions. We stopped by El Tovar to see where Jane's daughter Iris had worked for two summers during her college years, then we returned to our hotel, the Red Feather Lodge, right outside the entrance to the park. Someday I would like to see more of the Grand Canyon, but we were on a cross-country tour, and each destination received a quick once-over and we were on the road again. This was definitely a WOW experience.

Cadillac Ranch to Sante Fe, NM

We ate our free breakfast at our hotel with the lovely lobby and the bare-bones bedding. One of the things we looked for as we traveled was a hotel with a free breakfast. We managed quite often to find hot breakfasts, do-it-yourself belgian waffles, fresh fruit; we had a lot of nice breakfasts. The place in Amarillo this morning actually cooked your eggs to order, not a bad deal for $39 a night, if you don't mind skimpy towels and cheap sheets. We didn't always sleep cheap, but we didn't know what we were getting into that night.

Today's events occured on July 25, 2007, my daughter Melissa's birthday. I called her and all the WOW girls sang to her, but I didn't realize that since she was on vacation in Arizona, it was 7:00 in the morning there. I forgot Arizona didn't recognize daylight savings time. Oh, well, sorry, honey. We had all seen pictures of Cadillac Ranch and looked forward to seeing this piece of Americana. We didn't realize how poorly it was marked; if Betty Joe hadn't spotted it, we would have missed it completely. As it was, we had to go past it, turn around and come back. If you're not familiar with Cadillac Ranch, google it for a complete story. It's pretty fascinating. To summarize briefly, there are several Cadillacs from different years buried nose first along Route 66 and I-40. It was one man's folk art message, but it has become America's folk art message. People spray the cars with personal messages, propaganda, whatever. I heard they were painted Hokie colors after the massacre on the Virginia Tech campus, and I believe someone spray paints them pink during breast cancer awareness month. We were told someone would be there to sell cans of spray paint, but no one was there. We wanted to spray "WOW Girls" on the cars and take our pictures. We took pictures anyway, and took to the highway. This was cowboy country, with all the buttes, mesas, and mountains that any Western movie maker could have desired.

We pressed on to Santa Fe, our next destination. This was Betty Jo's number one; her sister lives nearby. We arrived at our lovely bed and breakfast, The Territorial Inn, which was one of the nicest places we stayed in the entire country. We always found a hotel with two rooms so that we each had our own bed each night. Betty Jo and Kristee roomed together, and Jane and I roomed together. The Territorial Inn had separate bedrooms with a shared bath for Jane and me, and Kristee and Betty Jo each had separate bedrooms with a shared bath. Each bedroom was decorated differently, with beautiful colors and antique furniture. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone traveling to Santa Fe. I wish I had taken pictures of our rooms, but my camera did not do well with indoor shots, and I didn't know how to fix the problem.

We had lunch at the Tia Sophia Restaurant, and I had my first taste of something Jane had been raving about, Navajo fry bread. It really was quite good. Then we headed to the plaza where the native American craftspeople sell their wares. We all bought some jewelry, most of it silver and turquoise. Santa Fe is a beautiful place, and the colors of the sunsets and the desert make it a mecca for artists. Georgia O'Keefe discovered this years ago, and many others have followed. Tourists can see artists at work and buy their work at many of their studios both in town and along Canyon Alley (I believe this was the road's name.)

We took a trolley tour around Santa Fe, and had the displeasure of having one of the most arrogant tour guides of our entire trip. He was obnoxious and rude and accused us of being rude when one of our group didn't understand what he had said and asked one of the others to repeat it. We saw no other tours getting ready to leave, so we stuck it out. We did learn that Santa Fe is the highest state capital, although Denver bills itself as the mile-high-city. Santa Fe looms over the country from an altitude of 7,000 feet plus.

We visited the Loretto Chapel, which has the famous spiral staircase with no means of support. It is the object of scientific study and Ripley's Believe It or Not television crews. Legend has it that a carpenter arrived, having heard that the nuns at this chapel needed access to the choir loft. The man built the magical staircase and disappeared without pay. Was the carpenter Jesus, the son of Joseph, the carpenter? There are many who believe.

Santa Fe was Betty Jo's meeting point with her sister Peggy, and we met for supper at the Coyote Cafe, an expensive, classy restaurant where the waiters size me up when I enter as one of those who would rather eat at Golden Corral and then behave rather patronizingly all evening. Betty Jo's grand-niece had the most appetizing meal on the table, the kiddie mac 'n cheese.

Oklahoma City memorial, Route 66, Big Texan Steakhouse

Before I begin our day in Oklahoma City, I had promised some "tips" along with the "tales." One of these tips was passed along to us by Betty Jo, and this tip saved my relationship with the WOW girls for over three weeks. You see, Kristee had told everyone to bring only one suitcase, so I naturally bought the largest one I could afford that had rolling wheels. It fit just fine in the van, but once I had loaded it with clothes, I could barely lift it off the ground. Betty Jo showed us how she had packed for the trip with each day's outfit, bra, and panties in a 2 gallon zip-lock bag. Each night, she unzipped her suitcase and pulled a bag out. The next morning she slid the used bag to the bottom of the suitcase. Her other necessities were in her carry-on. The other three of us went to a K-Mart and bought enough 2 gallon zip lock bags for a week's worth of clothes apiece. That night, I unloaded my monster bag and repacked everything one day at a time. My bag stayed at the bottom of the pile, and all I had to do was unzip one side and slide new things out and old things in. Once a week, we found a hotel that had a laundry room, or we did laundry at Jane's sisters. No more lugging the monster bag every single night! On to Oklahoma City!

The memorial to those who lost their lives in the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City was beautiful and touching, especially to those of us who had watched the news that day on April 19, 1995. I still remember the news showing the fireman carrying out a child, whose legs dangled helplessly; I later heard that child did not survive. It is a fitting tribute to those who died and those who risked their lives to try to rescue them. One nurse did lose her life trying to rescue someone; she has a special chair by the reflecting pool. The Survivor Tree is a symbol of hope to the people of Oklahoma City in particular and people everywhere; the tree should not have survived the blast, but it did. The statue of the weeping Jesus across the street was a gift to the people of Oklahoma City from the country of Italy. It portrays Jesus weeping for his children and turning his head away from the devastation. Kristee had brought something from Virginia Tech to pin on the fence which is covered with memorabilia from visitors, and Betty Jo had brought a cross to hang on the fence.

Once we left Oklahoma City, we headed down Interstate 40 until we reached Route 66. We stopped at the Route 66 museum in Elk City, which had a lot of Route 66 nostalgia. We made it to Amarillo in time to eat supper at the Big Texan Steakhouse, the home of the 72 ounce steak--eat it all in one hour and it is free! Several people were attempting it while we were there, but we didn't see any winners. Once again, we were serenaded while we ate, this time by an elderly cowboy trio with guitars and fiddles. This restaurant is worth a stop just to see the waiters and waitresses dressed as cowboys, cowgirls, or Indians, the giant rocking chairs to have your picture taken in, and other cool stuff.

Tourists beware!! We used a coupon for a hotel just down the road from the Big Texan; our hotel lobby was beautiful with white sparklling lights decorating the trees, and the breakfast area looked inviting. Upon receiving our coupons for $39 a night, we were sent to the back of the hotel, which was so far removed we really did need to drive. The room looked like the rooms my family stayed in when we crossed the country back in 1966; however, we saw no bugs, the towels were thin but clean, so we stayed.

JFK 6th Floor Museum, Dallas, to Oklahoma City

I'm rather glad that I'm doing this blog in retrospective mode. I chuckle over some of my journal entries, and I'm not the least bit sorry that I didn't take time away from the enjoyment of each day to detail each sight and download each picture. Now I have more time to reflect and savor the entire experience, and writing this blog is allowing me the pleasure of reliving one of the most satisfying travel opportunites I have ever had.

I was chuckling to myself over the first line of today's journal entry because it begins, "We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel, and I had Uncle Hershel's breakfast." Need I say more? I remember watching Regis and Kelly shortly after Kelly Ripa had discovered Cracker Barrel. She loved it; in fact, she adored it. She said if she had known about them earlier, she would have had her entire wedding reception there. We Southern folks know the delights of Cracker Barrel, and the WOW girls stopped at a few before we headed out west.

We arrived in Dallas and drove through the city, following the guidance of my Tom-Tom, which led us right to the parking lot next to the museum. This museum was one of Kristee's top three choices, but once again, all four of us were taken in by the history and painstaking detail given to this memorial to the late president. We made a smart move in renting the headphones which give you the audio tour; the authentic voices of the president, Walter Cronkites, and many others added so much to the experience. If you're not familiar with this museum, this is a must see for students of American history. The museum is the site of Lee Harvey Oswald's hiding place in the Texas Book Depository, the place from which he assassinated President John F. Kennedy, and it is very professionally done. It really brought back moments from my childhood, as I am old enough to remember the principal's voice over the loudspeaker telling us that our president had been shot. Watching the videos and exhibits in the museum made me feel like I was 10 years old again, sitting in front of my TV while little John John Kennedy saluted his father's casket. Far from macabre or sleazy, this memorial is a fitting tribute to the 1960's, the people, the president, and those who loved America during the age of Camelot.

We made tracks for Oklahoma City, Kristee's third choice, the site of the bombing of the federal building. People told us to be sure to see the outside of the memorial at night, so we ate supper at Abuelo's a great Mexican restaurant, and went to the memorial afterwards. Everything about the memorial is symbolic of something from that day, the small chairs represent the children, the larger ones represent the adults. They are placed in areas according to the floors on which they were found. Each chair is lit and the whole reflecting pool is lit, and the glow gives an other-wordly effect. I was moved to tears in the face of so much grief, when my own grief for my daughter seemed still so fresh and painful. We are coming back in the morning to tour the inside, but seeing this outside memorial at night has set the stage for what is to come. What a beautiful tribute to the innocents of Oklahoma City. I wish I had pictures of the memorial at night, but my camera was giving me trouble that night.

New Orleans to Longview, Texas

This was basically a travel day; we explored some of the bayou area of Louisiana and saw a sign that led to Kate Chopin's house. I was the only one who had read her, but everyone was willing to see her house. Our docent was quite well-versed but she was equally well-pickled in alcohol. The back of the house was in terribly disrepair, but the interior was in good shape. We ate at a delightful restaurant for lunch, Copelands of New Orleans, although we weren't in "N'Awleans" anymore. Once again, we were serenaded by a great jazz quartet while we ate. Music, churches,crosses seem to be a recurring theme as we travel from state to state. We saw some plantations on the Cane River and a place called Natchitoches (or something like that)

The hotel in Longview, Texas, was the pits, but we were tired. They had a grasshopper infestation, and I actually killed some in the room with my tennis shoe. Grody!

I am posting my New Orleans pictures separately because I couldn't download them on the previous page.

New Orleans 9th ward to the French Quarter

Saturday, July 21,2007

After reviewing my diary entry for this day, I realized that I spent quite a bit of time detailing my menu for each meal. I will attempt to spare you the more mundane foods, but I will point out ethnic and regional fare that I probably would not eat at home.

Rebecca, Jane's sister, was our host and our tour guide on our jaunt to New Orleans. This was one of Kristee's top three destinations, and she requested a tour of some of the devastation from Katrina. Rebecca used to live in one of the neighborhoods by the levee, and she drove us through some of the hardest hit areas. We saw a huge pile of rubble that used to be a mall and a vacant Methodist hospital that had been condemned. We saw the symbols search and rescue workers had made on houses: huge X's, "gas turned off," numbers (body counts?) and others. Many, many people were still living in FEMA trailers in the front yard of their homes. Some had finished restoration and had moved in; other houses were obviously abandoned and looked as if no one had been back at all. Kristee and Betty Jo got out to speak to one family that had a sign in their yard, "We will rebuild! We are New Orleans."

Then we drove towards the French Quarter, passing the Superdome on the way, the scene of the fiasco following Katrina that showed government mismanagement at its worst. Rebecca took us to the Courtyard of the Two Sisters for a jazz buffet brunch from 11-3 (we didn't stay quite that long). I did, however, at least taste many of the traditional Cajun and Creola dishes I had heard about, including turtle soup, shrimp etoufee, jumbalaya, shrimp pasta, king cake and ice cream with praline sauce. A jazz trio played trumpet, snare drums, bass and guitar, and we dined outside under large umbrellas.

Then we walked around the French Quarter and admired many of the beautiful wrought iron balconies with hanging baskets, street performers, Royal Street with its antique shops, and Bourbon Street with its loud, raucous music and shops full of Mardi Gras beads and masks. We entered a historic church near the New Orleans visitor center; we seemed to happen upon beautiful churches across the country. I said a prayer for Amanda and for each of us. Then we took a carriage ride around the French Quarter with a thoroughly entertaining driver. We ate beignets and drank cafe au lait (the others did) at the famous outdoors cafe.

We walked down to the Mississippi River and saw the steamboat and ferryboat. Jane, Rebecca and I went to Harrahs for half an hour and Kristee and Betty Jo listened to the calliope on the steamboat while they sat in the shade on the river. A beautiful rainbow graced the river as we left New Orleans and returned to Slidell. We took it as a sign of promise for New Orleans and for the WOW girls. Rebecca was a gracious hostess, and we had a flower arrangement sent to her as a thank you.

Gadsden, AL, Birmingham, AL to Slidell, LA

Friday-July 20, 2007

This morning we visited a city park in Gadsden, AL named Noccalula Falls, named for an

Indian princess who jumped off the falls rather than being forced to marry a man from another tribe to please her father. Unfortunately, the falls were rather weak because of the drought. Little did we know that this was the first of many waterfalls on our trip that were nearly dried up by this year's drought. The city park was just a bonus; we saw a brochure in the hotel, and it turned out to be a lovely way to start our day. There were several historic buildings preserved at the park, and one happened to be a one-room schoolhouse/church. I gave the sermon for our morning devotional; the WOW girls declared me a natural preacher!

We stopped in Birmingham to see the 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of a bombing during the 60's that took the lives of four young black girls. We took some pictures in the sanctuary and met some of the current members who were folding bulletins.

Our destination that evening was Slidell, LA, which is right outside of New Orleans and is the home of Jane's sister, Rebecca and her husband, Sonny. Their home backed up to the bayou and we spotted an alligator from the backyard. During Katrina, they were forced to evacuate. Their entire first floor was flooded; 75 to 80% of their trees in their yard were destroyed; and Sonny's first edition books and teaching notes (he was a college professor) were destroyed.

Day 2 - N.C to Alabama

Day Two of our trip - July 19, 2007

We woke up in the beautiful Smoky Mountains and went to the outdoor amphitheater at the base of the cross for our morning devotions. Jane presented us with our visors and spoke of the significance of our "WOW" girls nickname. We were indeed embarking on a walk, even though we used a Ford Explorer; we were going to see many wonders throughout our country, both natural and man-made; and we were all Women of Wakefield. She also thought "WOW" was most appropriate because we would be using that word quite often as we traveled. She was right. We took pictures with our new visors, and we were off.

First stop was Cherokee, because we were only a few miles away, and Kristee had never been. We didn't have time for a major tour so we took in the museum and the Ocanaluftee gift shop. We ate lunch at a nearby restaurant with an outdoor patio that fronted a bubbling stream with an occasional person in an inner tube floating by.

Then we drove across the NC/Tennessee border through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We went through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg before turning south. Both of those towns were jam-packed with tourists and every type of Ripley's attraction, gift shop, and gimmicky business known to man. Please remember we did not head straight out west, or Interstate 40 would have been our main route. Instead, we dropped south for New Orleans, one of Kristee's top three choices, and traveled through a section of Georgia and then into Alabama before calling it a day. Four states in one day, beautiful mountain scenery, really scary hairpin curves-we were the WOW girls. WOW! What a day!

First Day-Destination Lake Junaluska, NC

We left home at 9:37 on July 18,2007. We made it to Lake Junaluska, N.C. at 5:45 after a beautiful drive across the state of North Carolina. Lake Junaluska is near Cherokee and Maggie Valley, and the setting is gorgeous. The picture on the previous blog is the view from the outside amphitheater where the large cross is located. Lake Junaluska is a retreat owned and run by the United Methodist Church, and I suggested this for our first stop because my daughter, Amanda, had been so happy here. It is also convenient to Interstate 40, which was our main route to Tennessee. Amanda and several other members of her youth choir had come here for several summers for a week of music camp, and I had come to chaperone. The location and the beautiful music those teenagers performed made for a magical time for all of us, and the place did not disappoint.

We stayed for our first night at Lambuth Inn and discovered that a minister's convocation was in progress when someone mistook me for a Methodist preacher. The gentleman invited us to the evening worship service, which was held in the lakefront assembly center where my daughter and the other youth had performed during music camp. This is an excerpt from my diary entry that day.

Junaluska is still as beautiful as I remembered it, except that it lacks the beauty of Amanda's smile and lovely voice gracing its lakeside stage. I feel her loss keenly here, but I do not regret stopping. Here she was happy, here we made good memories and beautiful music.

During the worship service, they called everyone to the altar to be anointed with oil and placed the sign of the cross on our foreheads. I was reluctant to go up with my tear-stained face, but I'm glad I did it. We felt that we had received a blessing on our first day. It was a lovely way to begin a cross-country trip that was part sight-seeing and part pilgrimage.

Planning and Preparation

Before I begin our journey, I should probably take a moment to mention a little background. The four of us held several meetings over the course of a year, planning a basic outline of the trip, making monetary decisions, and dividing duties. Kristee owned a Ford Explorer, which she planned on trading in soon after our trip. She provided the vehicle and the three other ladies split the cost of gas. We set up a gas fund at a local bank, accessed with checks and debit cards. That way, we never had to worry about whose turn it was to fill up the tank, who paid the most per gallon, or any of those concerns. We actually overbudgeted, and we split the excess money three ways when we returned and closed the account.

Betty Jo was the navigator, the map and AAA expert; she had all the AAA books, phone numbers, etc. Kristee was in charge of security, the vehicle, and the overall head honcho. I was appointed devotion leader, and we had a devotional time each day, whether we were in Yellowstone or the desert. I also had made up songbooks for each of us as a special surprise, filled with songs about each of the states we would be visiting, patriotic songs, favorite hymns, and songs that I thought most of us would recognize. I suppose this made me the entertainment director. I also bought a GPS right before we left, which proved to be a godsend. Jane was assistant navigator, second-best driver, and general morale booster. She gave us our visors and our nicknames on our first morning away from home. Kristee had given us all journals, which proved to be invaluable, and Betty Jo had made us all monogrammed laundry bags.

At our first meeting, we each picked three special places we wanted to visit, and Betty Jo started planning our route based on our choices. We all wanted to see the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Mount Rushmore; they were unanimous choices. Kristee wanted to see New Orleans, the Oklahoma City federal building bombing site, and the JFK museum in Dallas, Texas. Betty Jo wanted to see Santa Fe (and her sister who lived nearby), the Mormon tabernacle in Salt Lake City, and Yellowstone. Jane wanted to visit a sister in New Orleans, a sister in San Clemente, California, and Mount Rushmore. I wanted to see the Crystal Cathedral, travel along historic Route 66 and see one of the Great Lakes.

Betty Jo called AAA and they mailed the appropriate books and maps. She also kept brochures and clipped articles from magazines on any place of interest that we might encounter. At our last meeting, we each brought the suitcase we planned to use, and we practiced loading the Explorer. It was a cinch! Of course, they were all empty! After much planning and preparation, we were ready to embark on our adventure. Off we go!

The WOW Girls Discover America

Welcome, lovers of travel and beauty. If you enjoy natural splendor, humankind's masterpieces, and fellowship with good friends, you are sure to feel at home on my blog. I make no claims to worldwide travel, but I have been fortunate enough to travel across this gorgeous country of ours for 25 days with three other lady friends. One of my friends made us visors with "WOW Girls" printed across the top and announced that "WOW" stood for "Women from Wakefield" (our hometown); Women on a Walk; and Women of Wonder.

Our trip across country included stops at places that hold great historical significance; some were places that showcased nature's majesty; some were places that tugged at our heartstrings; and all of them combined in a life-changing experience for the four of us. We range in age from forty-something to sixty-something, we are all married with husbands and empty nests, and we planned and saved for this trip for one year. We also were on a "walk" for various reasons: one of us is a cancer survivor, one is dealing with the death of her father from ALS, one is living under the shadow of lupus, and I was and still am attempting to find joy and meaning in this life after the death of my beautiful 19 year old daughter in a car accident.

This blog will be both a journal of our physical trip as well as an emotional and spiritual journey that brought us closer to each other and our God as we traveled from sea to shining sea.

I hope you will join me as I take you across America with the WOW Girls.