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Cathy and Bill Price shuffle to the Buffalo Reunion
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Day 1 We left Phoenix on June 4 at 5 AM traveled thru Flagstaff then east to Grant New Mexico. About 375 miles, stopped for food and one stop for tour and pictures at the Petrified Forest national park. Day 2 Left the motel about 7AM and drove about 400 miles to Shamrock Texas. Didn't intend to go that far but hotels in Amarillo, Texas were full due to a convention. Rolling low hills, Storms all around us, but we did not see any rain. Beautiful country lots of cattle, thru the north panhandle of Texas.
We were up and on the road by 7AM. Driving East thru Oklahoma to a small town called Emporia in Kansas. A small motel, off highway on old Route 66 was just across the street recent refurbished Conoco station built in 1936. I had a tower and we took several pictures of this old Hwy 66 landmark.
We traveled north thru Kansas and into Missouri to St. Joseph. We are here now and plan on visiting the Pony Express landmark, Louis and Clarks starting points, and Jessie James's home and gravesite. There is a lot to see and do in St. Joe and we will be here for two nights, lots of pictures, and then off to St. Louis for more sights visiting my sister for two days. Will drop you a note whenever we have a data port available as we travel and then pictures when we can. Wish you could have gone along. Cathy and Bill From: Med2retired@aol.com Save Address | Headers Hi Sam, still in St Joe, Missouri, We watched the news with all the Ronald Reagan and the June 6th stories. Was very sad at the passing of this president. I loved him. Went to see the pony express depot and the home where Jessie James was killed. Had some good Bar B Q, Kansas City style last eve. We will do some more sight seeing today on an off on trolley that tours the city and many historic sites. More later. Cathy and Bill ------------- From: Med2retired@aol.com Save Address | Headers Hi Sam, Wonderful day with good weather, but very humid for us from the desert. We toured through out the city. There are many large mansions that date back to the mid 1800's. As you know, two of our sons are firefighters. They have a small station here that is now a museum from the period when all fire equipment was horse drawn. There are many photos of the early days and the original slide down pole. A very nice lady conducted our walk thru. The city sold the station to the fire fighters association for one dollar several years ago and they maintain it. She gave me a shoulder patch to take back to Phoenix and I promised to send her one from my son's station. We were the only one there and she spent several hours with us. She is the wife of a retired Chief. The waterfront is under construction and they hope to make it board walk area. We also visited the Glore Psychiatric Museum. Didn't seem to inviting when we first arrived, but we found this very interesting. Many full sized replicas of things used through the years to treat mental illness. The early days were barbaric and people were locked away in all kinds of things to control them rather than treatment. The museum is located in a building that was once known as the Missouri Lunatic Asylum Number 2.At its height it had some 3000 "inmates". Took several pictures today for the scrapbook. Went to the military museum, but it was closed today. Back at the hotel now, we will load our car up for an early start in the morning. We plan on dinner out and off to St Louis and the Gate Way Arch and other sites in the AM. Will spend two days there. Will shut down the computer for packing. More at our next data port availability. Best, as always, Bill From: Med2retired@aol.com Save Address | Headers Hi Sam, Wow. What a day this was. We were up early, had a good breakfast and left St. Joseph, MO about 8AM for a 3-hour trip to St. Louis. The rain was coming down in buckets. The visibility was at times less than 100 yards with a Max of about 5-600 yards. When it would slow down, there was fine mist and fog. The trip took about 5 and half-hours, but we are here, safe and sound. The countryside thru central Missouri was beautiful with tall Oak, Walnut and maple trees. There are lots of green fields, very tall trees, cattle, and horses. We had planned a couple of side trips to the Truman Library at Independence, but he slow travel made us skip the tour and drive on. We are now 1700 miles into our trip. The heavy rain stopped bout 4PM and we drove over to the cemetery where my mother is buried, said some graveside prayers, took a couple of pictures and went back to our motel. We had dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant and then made it back to watch the arrival of President Reagan in Washington to the capital rotunda. Exhausted after that drive, will turn in early. More tomorrow.
From: Med2retired@aol.com Save Address | Headers June 10, today started out with scattered showers. We stopped at the cemetery to pay our respects to my paternal grand parents and my Dad. Next we went down to the riverfront and the Gateway Arch and took some river and Arch Pictures. Underground there is a large exhibit for the Lewis and Clark expedition and several stores. We then watched a movie for about one hour depicting St. Louis as a starting point for the early opening of the West and the hardships the endured. After lunch we traveled to President US Grant's farm. Took some more photos. It is an open Game preserve sponsored by Bush brewery. US Grants home is there and the National Parks Service also has a site where Grant met his wife and later married her. Interesting because her father was a large slaveholder and Grant later led the army against the South. After the war, Grant and bride returned to "White Haven," but without slaves to do the farming, the farm failed. Grant returned to Washington and later was elected to two terms as president. We had an excellent tour guide. The tour of Budweiser Old Bavarian village was also great as was the free beer. We returned to our motel about 4:30, rested a while and then out to a quiet meal at a near restaurant. Tomorrow we will be up early and only 111 miles to Springfield, Ill, then 20 miles to New Salem where young Abe Lincoln practiced law while also the postmaster. His tomb is also in Springfield. Will see how the time and weather goes to determine how far we will travel.
From: Med2retired@aol.com Save Address | Headers Arrived in Salem, Ill, then turned north west for about 29 miles to New Salem. Young A. Lincoln lived there at about age 29. In partnership he operated two stores at different times while studying law by candlelight. He was also theist master. The small town has been recreated on the same foundations as the formed buildings. A few of the log homes are original. The street is full of people in their period clothing that answers any questions about the town or people who lived there. They are volunteers. They are cooking and all food there has been grown in their gardens. Took many pictures. After lunch drove back to Springfield. We then visited Lincoln's tomb. It is massive with a large spiral that I suppose is 100 feet high. When entering the structure, there are engraved plaques of his many addresses. His three children and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln are also entombed there. Back to motel. The sky was varied today with alternate sun and cloudy. Few scattered light showers, but for the most part clear. Very humid. The next morning we visited Lincoln's large two story home in Springfield. A city block with several homes of the period has been repaired, painted as they were. The name of who lived where is posted at each home. A guided tour hosted by the US Park Service is conducted thru Lincoln's home. He lived in this house for several years while practicing as an attorney, and was residing there when he was elected to the Presidency. Again took lots of pictures. Left Springfield about noon and we continued east to Indianapolis, Ind. We will stay her for the night.
From: Med2retired@aol.com Save Address | Headers As we travel thru the rest of Ill and into Indiana, we see very large and many, many great and green fields of growing crops. Lots of corn. The divided highway is not crowded and we cruise along at about 65 miles per hour enjoying the countryside. So much different than Phoenix, not a palm tree in sight. We have stopped at several stores and welcoming offices as we cross state lines. The weather continues to be cooperative; Rain forecast all around us has not appeared. No historic points to stop at on this state route as we pass thru to Indianapolis, where. We spent the night. ------------------- From: Med2retired@aol.com Save Address | Headers Leaving Indianapolis we continue travel east and leave our planed route to visit Dayton, Ohio. Dayton, heavy history in flight has many museums about early flight. Today we visited the Wright Bros site of their Bicycle shop and their home. A city block of homes has been preserved and the shop is operated by the park service. It has been refurnished and appears as it was when they were working on the first craft for flying. There were several failures before the first successful flight at Kitty Hawk. Their bicycles shop flourishes and supports their continued work. More pictures. There is much more to see in Dayton, could spend a week here to see it all, but need to get back on route. Leaving Dayton we drove north again and caught up with our original route Hwy 70 to Columbus, Ohio, where we are now. We will change to Hwy 71 north to Cleveland, Ohio tomorrow for some more sight seeing there. We were at the 2214.8 miles into our trip this Am before leaving Indianapolis. We are four days from Buffalo and the reunion and a little ahead of our schedule. Enjoying every minute of our tour across this great country. If you have the time, this is the way to go and see our USA. More next data port........... Cathy and Bill ---------------------- From: Med2retired@aol.com Save Address | Headers CC : Date : Mon, 14 Jun 2004 15:41:40 EDT Subject : Trip Day 10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Started the day, cloudy. Weather forecast is for "Severe" Thunderstorms and wind. The highway is divided and beautiful. There are a few dark clouds mixed in with the fluffy white and very blue sky. Wind is strong at times. We have changed hwy. three times getting around Columbus, Ohio and arrived at Mentor, home of former President Garfield. It is a national Park Service Site and we decided to take a chance on the weather and visit. The home dates to 1876 and has been added to by Garfield's wife, Lucretia, in 1885 after his death. The original site occupied some 180 acres. called "Lawnfield" at the time by reporters for the wide expanse of the front lawn where they camped out during the presidential election of 1880 and the name stuck. The name is still used today. The home has 20 rooms all refurnished to the period when Garfield or his wife lived there. It has a large windmill that supplied water to the several houses on the estate that resembles, for me, one that you would see in Holland. A former barn, now houses the visitors center. Yes, we took lots of pictures again. James A. Garfield, a General in the Army, former senator from Ohio, attorney, and was elected to the presidency on March 4,1881 was shot to death by a disgruntled civil servant who did not get an ambassadorship on July 2, 1881, later died Sept. 19.1881. The guided tour took several hours and the sky was even blacker when we came out. We are about two days ahead of our schedule, so have decided to rest here in Mentor, Ohio for two days, catch up on the laundry, and not temp the weaather today. Forcasts are for lots of wind and rain. Plan on driving on to Erie, Pa on Wed. when the weather is reported to improve. More later........ Cathy and Bill Price
From: Med2retired@aol.com Save Address | Headers To : CC : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam, Will be in Buffalo in a couple of days. My Computer has only memory for two photos, but will go over them when I get to Cathys Sisters home in Philadelphia and send along some of them. Have taken over 150 so will not keep all after editing. How many do you want? The rains came in buckets full and knocked out the powerin our hotel for about three hours. We felt very safe here and are sure glad we decided to stay. Lighting, thunder and heavy rain, the kind we never see in Phoenix. Following the reunion we will go to Hershey, Pa and tour the Hershey palnt, then down to Ben Salem, a suburb of Philadelphia for a week at Cathys sister,s home. The families from both New Jersey and pa will hold an annual get together at Autoban, NJ for fireworks, etc. Following a week in a condo at Wildwood on the ocean. Swim, Fish with Cathy's family. Following will start back to Phoenix, via the southern route and expect to be there the end of Aug or first of Sept. Will drop you a note after the reunion and try to include some pictures of that too. It has been fun traveling and do not let any one tell this country is not a friendly place. We have really enjoyed the trip. We will be at 3,000 miles when we get to Buffalo. Best, as always, Bill and Cathy --------------------------------- From: Med2retired@aol.com Save Address | Headers Our trip meter in the car shows 2870.4 miles since we left Waddell, Arizona. This half of our journey has been an awsome experience. We look forward to meeting perhaps a shipmate from CL 82 and also making new friends. It has been our pleasure, Sam, to send you our daily activities and I promise pictures as soon as I can get a larger computer that will send them. We only wish you could have traveled with us. Your Shipmate, Bill.....................and Cathy too!
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