Ramblin Stoweaway Final Post and Final Thoughts

Well readers my Faithful and Obedient Companion and I have come to the end of our journey.  We arrived in Stowe last evening after a trip that lasted 41 Days and a little over 11,000 miles.  In that time we visited 8 National Parks (Yosemite, Bryce, Zion, North and South Rim of Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Sequoia, Kings Canyon (Briefly) Joshua Tree, 2 National Monuments (Devils Postpile, Canyon De Chelly), 4 Presidential Museums (Reagan, Nixon, Eisenhower, Truman), numerous wineries, Big Sur State Park, the Central California Coast, Sausalito, and the High Sierra at Mammoth Lakes.  We played Golf twice and of course spent some time in San Diego upon Eric's return.  We met numerous nice people on our journey and had an opportunity of a lifetime meandering in general.  It was a dream come true for both of us.

What has also been gratifying is the chance to share our trip with all of you.  So many of you have posted comments and shown an interest in sharing our trip.  Many have not posted public comments but have let us know your thoughts by Email.  As I promised at the beginning this blog may be fun or like a bad Christmas Letter.  I am sure you have found it to be both!  Like all good (or bad) events in our lives it is time to close this chapter and move on.

I could go on with a lot of comments about America in general, but I won't.  Instead I thought I would rap it up with the following which sums up perfectly my feelings.

Oh Beautiful for spacious skies

For amber waves of grain

For purple mountains majesty

Above the fruited plain

America, America God shed his grace on thee

and crown thy good ......

with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!!!!

With that dear readers, I bid you adieu.

Shuffling off to Buffalo - what -- no wings???

On the way to Rainbow Falls - near Mammoth Lakes

Basically it was a day in the car - we have 560 miles to go to reach the solitude of Marmota Acres.  We are finally in the Eastern Time zone.  Maddox (our car)  will have added over 11,000 miles during our trip.  Whew, she is ready for a rest!

Following a Lanz tradition, we (I) kept track of the state license plates and are still missing only two states.  Can you guess which ones? Maybe Alaska or Hawaii?  No!  We saw several Alaska cars and one Hawaii (guess they shipped it here cause it wouldn't float).  Surprising that over the last 40 days we didn't see a Mississippi or a West Virginia.

Dear Sons: we haven't played the alphabet game even once - need you for that.  I get too distracted to play fairly while driving.

Here is another surprising thing:  Today we had our first rain in 40 days.  The last was a few dribbles driving through NY on the way west.  Today it was in Ohio & PA on the way east.  Maddox was thrilled to finally get the red clay from the Navaho Reservation partially watered off of her.  This is a  phenomena for us!  Every vacation we take it seems to be in the rain.  We went to Turks & Caicos and they had 8 inches of rain --they only get 17 inches a year!  We always pack rain jackets and this time they have remained int he bottom of the suitcase.  Fair warning if you ever vacation with us!

No new pictures to post today so I will post 3 of my favorites:

Blair & Eric Outside their apartment

Bryce Canyon

Looking forward to hearing from all of you when we get home and hopefully seeing you all soon.

Love, 

Mrs. Murray Rider

I Like Ike, and The Buck Stops Here! Politics never change

General Murray Rider Strikes a pose with Ike

and few hours later tells Harry T to "Give'm Hell Harry"!

Good evening readers from the Effingham, Illinois Rodeway Inn .  My Faithful and Obedient Companion and I ended up in a town that yours truly had the pleasure of spending a week in back in 1986 or so (24 years ago?) on a business trip.  I remember it well because the only room available then had a heart shaped bed.  Not so lucky tonight, we have two double beds instead of the queen we were promised.  Guess we will have to snuggle up!

As I promised last night we visited two Presidential Libraries today, Eisenhower's and Truman's.  Hard to believe these back to back Presidents grew up virtually as neighbors!  It actually is three hours apart vis I 70 so they probably never faced each other in H.S football or anything!

I am a little to tired to get long winded on political commentary and I am sure many of my readers will appreciate that.  However, My Faithful and Obedient Companion and I could not help but observing that all of the "ugly name calling" and "paralysis" we hear the media commenting on, the politician's complaining about and even many of us feeling "bad about" is NOT NEW GUYS.  That is why I love presidential Libraries.  Think we worry about civil liberties versus security in an age of Islamic Terrorism, try McCarthyism and the Red Menace or which party lost China.  How about Health care and the influence of Unions or Lobbyists, how about stealing elections, etc etc.   All of it has been going on since the US political system has been a vibrant and yes necessary means of having a democracy.  So let's hear it for political discussion, political discourse and let's hear it for a system that as broken as we think it is is still the best one in the world!  There I said it.  Now for some pictures from the Eisenhower and Truman years to add a backdrop:

First from Ike's Library here are some that caught my eye!

Prophetic? Hey we have a 150 Channels of Nothing how bout you?

A pleasant surprise the Eisenhower Library had a Quilts of Valor Exhibit.  As you know Barbara is a big member of QOV'

Getting the kids ready for the Terrorism of an A Bomb attack

Now this is a real leader-no wonder he could play Golf all the time!

Can you imagine what today's press would do with this Presidential Quote.  Yet Ike left office with the highest approval  rating of any modern president.

Now maybe you think I did not make a point with the I Love Ike stuff.  Well I dare you to check out Truman's Exhibits below

Look close is this an Obama or Truman Scorecard??????  Note Health Care still has no Public Option and those tax increases?

How about Lobbying for health Care  Oh  buy the way the Author was a pharmacist, even then the Drug companies had an interest!

Let's Blame Truman or Carter,or Reagan or... Bush or Obama for......whatever is wrong!

Truman, I mean Bush, I mean Obama all have "Too Much Power" Oh but about those meat prices it's OK to use your power to fix MY PROBLEM!

OK I am going to leave you with a final one that caught my eye.  OK Phi's (and others) check out the letter from "Rusty (Lester wasn't that your nickname?) to the President.  Note his interest in obtaining a puppy from the president.....he would name it "Whitey".  Prophetic?

Until tomorrow then,

Adieu

There's no place like "Home" Toto!

I assume tonight's headline will require very little explanation.  As our thoughts turn homeward Faithful and Obedient Companion and I find ourselves in Abiliene Kansas.  We stopped here not because Abiliene was once know as the trail head for the Chilsom trail nor that it was a stage coach stop on the Santa Fe Trail, but because it is home to the Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library.  Don't worry by the time we arrived it was closed so no "I Like Ike" lectures until we tour tomorrow....and if your lucky (or unlucky) we may throw in another Presidential Library to boot.  Tonight's quiz: Which reader knows which Presidential Library lies about 2 to 3 hours due east of us in Missouri?  Answer tomorrow.

So what Pics do we have in store for you today.  The answer not many.  The first is a surprise shot of Colorado, at least for those of you who do not know your US geography.  Colorado not only has the beautiful Rocky Mountains of John Denver fame, it also consists (almost half of it) of "High Plains" of Clint Eastwood fame.  I would add that most of the drive east to Abiliene featured the same scenery.  I would tell you all that the last 50 or 60 miles began a change to endless fields of grain (Wheat, Corn etc).  I figured I already gave you pictures of those on our westward posts a little over a month ago (seems like yesterday).

Somewhere (or anywhere) in Eastern Colorado

The other two pictures have personal meanings.  The first is for my Lafayette friends who may think we were back on campus tonight.  My Faithful and Obedient Companion and I dined at "Kirby House".  Here we met a nice couple from LA on their way to Connecticut.  They make this trip every two years (to visit relatives) and eat at Kirby House on every trip!  While the food was good I am not sure I would put a pin on Google Maps for future reference!

Hey Eric Jaxheimer can we join you for dinner? (Inside Lafayette Joke)

The second picture gave us a chuckle as we were both Zsa Zsa fans of "Green Acres".  At one time I had my cell phone ringtone for Faithful and Obedient Companion programmed to play the tune from this show.  I lost it when my old phone died and have not purchased a replacement....yet.  While I am not sure that Hooterville was in Kansas this sign seemed to fit some of the small towns we passed today.  Faithful and Obedient Companion tried to get me in to bowl but I refused, if you think she's tough at golf I refuse to be humiliated at 10 pins!

Mr. Drucher's and Mr. Kimball's home alley?

Well that's it for tonight.  We hope you all dry out east coast readers (We have checked in with family back east, and understand you all had some bad storms...we have not encountered a drop of rain on this Journey since day one in New York!).  So until tomorrow.

Adieu