Missouri, Kansas & Colorado

These statues of the "Madonna of the Trail"
were erected along historic Route 40
to honor pioneer women.

Interstate 70 skirts the northern edge of the Ozark
Mountains.

Wild black eyed susans.

Rolling hills of Missouri.

ET is on his way home in this Fiat.

Flint Hills in Eastern Kansas.
Flint was important for making firearms
and starting camp fires.

Field of grain sorghum called milo. The seed heads
are used in many agricultural products.

Bill and Barack are helping feed
the Russell Stover bear.

Historical marker identifying Kansas
as the leading wheat producing state.

I am here at the entrance of the Smoky
Hills Wind Project. There must have been
400 of these wind turbines on one ranch.

The turbines don't bother the cattle's grazing.

Oil being pumped near Hays, Kansas.

Granneries are considered "Prairie Cathedrals".

After 410 miles in Kansas, we finally
arrived in "Colorful Colorado".

This is America's High Plains.

Imagine this as a 360 degree picture wrapping
around you on all sides. It is easily 30 miles
from horizon to horizon.

Why am I including this photo of the Best Buy in
Colorado Springs? If you have clicked on the last
several pictures in the blog hoping to enlarge them,
you know that it can not be done. By accident some of
the settings on the camera caused a mal-function
that I could not correct. We went to this Best Buy
store looking for help. A sales associate from their
camera department re-set the settings at no cost to me.
Go shop at Best Buy!

Illinois and Eastern Missouri

Cumberland County Covered Bridge over the
Embarras River, Illinois.
This replica was built in 2005.

This is the Route 40 Bridge constructed in the 1930's.
I took the photo through a window in the
covered bridge.

The obligatory corn field shot with President Obama.

These signs appear on what is left of the original
Route 40 road.

"Truckers are invited to the Cross"
was a sign posted along Interstate 70.
It was easy to spot this 100 foot metal monolith.

We had burgers and Buds here at Thirsty's in Vandalia, IL.

Malcom Martin Park is located across the Mississippi River
from the Gateway Arch in East St. Louis, IL.
This reminded me of Old Faithful.

The Gateway Arch with the St. Louis, MO skyline behind.
I took this while sitting in a traffic jam on Interstate 70 bridge.

Ohio and Indiana

Eastern Ohio - Interstate 70 West.

The hills you see are full of coal.
Up and down the hills - bumpety, bumpety!

I have become a real photographic "wiz" as I have
learned to take pictures as we whiz by. Here we see Columbus, OH.

"Goodbye, Columbus." If you study the picture
carefully, you can see this was taken with the side view
mirror. I had to do this for my daughter, Donna, since
she was able to photograph a buffalo last year using the
same technique!

Hello, Elsie! Hello, Jean!
Elsie Stuhler was my choir librarian for
many years at Holy Cross. She now
lives in Indianapolis.

A little hug from Bill's girlfriend.

"Give me a little kiss, will ya, huh?"
And she did!

First Stop: Bentleyville, PA

We came upon this bucolic farm scene just outside
of New Egypt, NJ. I love the clouds just above the
trees. The weather was perfect and the sky so blue.

We stopped in Breezewood, PA for lunch where there
was a quaint shop right inside. Bill bought this
tapestry. I purchased a smaller version for myself.

A close up of the tapestry.

I just had to try a shot of going through one of the
tunnels on the PA turnpike!

One of many pleasant countryside scenes.

Tom, the Cowboy, greets hotel guests upon their
arrival in Bentleyville, PA.

This is a shot of California University of PA, where Bill
graduated a few years ago. The Monongahela River
flows right by the University.

Imagine placing this picture to the left of the one
above, and you would have a nicely shaped
horse shoe. The Monongahela River flows
by the town of Newell.

You knew I just had to have an artsy fartsy picture
somewhere along the way! No, the moon is not quite a
full moon, but I thought it was fascinating.
Don't forget, you can click on these photos
to enlarge them.

Montana Office

As most of you know, I have wanted to totally
do my office over for many years. This was the year
to make this happen. After we were out to Montana this past
summer, Bill came up with the idea of the
"Montana Office".
This is where we began in January, 2009.

The first thing we needed to do was to cover the orange
walls. What was I thinking years ago to paint
this room orange?!?!

After we got the white paint on the walls, we were able
to paint the two colors you see here. I was adamant
about having a Montana sky blue in the office.
We used that color on the bottom.
Bill taped the borders on the wall so I could see
what the final product might look like.

Here you see a close up shot of the Misty Elk border.

We are moving along to where we have all the borders up
and Bill added a nice touch to the valance.

He even added a border to the closet as a nice accent.

Now you see we are getting serious about completing this
project. I had twenty 8 x 10's made and framed of beautiful
landscapes from several trips. I absolutely love this room!

Just about moved in.

The final touch was the closet organizer and door
Bill installed. This room is a joy and a memory of wonderful
times on the road.

I guess I need to think about getting to work now.
What a wonderful transformation.
Thank you, Bill!