Here are my grandchildren Addy & Mason singing and playing the Banjo for a special tape for their Mom & Dad.

What a Summer!!! Look at Mom Smilin'!!!!


Sept 6,Sunday......100 Days on the Road!!! Yes..Can you believe it is 100 days already?It seems like yesterday that we left town!! We have traveled over 9,000 miles (total will be announced later). We have met alot of friendly nice people all over America. We have seen less than 8 hours of TV since June 7th..Did you know Michael Jackson Died??? America has alot to see and we haven't begun to see it. We tried to travel the backroads whenever possible. The unknown roads have more to see and we can do it without being run over by high speed traffic.

We enjoyed the leisure pace that we covered. We recieved alot of e-mails that we were seeing many of your old travels and Thanked Us for reliving those sights. Somedays were alot of driving to get over the long boring highways but for the most part we had some short mileage days. I was amazed by how many abandoned buildings were along the way. Just thinking about what those people did in the past and why they left their homestead and businesses vacant. I guess $$$$ was the main problem.

I did see alot of hard working Americans trying to provide for their familys and have nice places to live. There was no special place better than the rest. But knowning each area was proud of their neighborhood and glad to live there. I talked to lot of full-timers that live and work all over the place and would not go back to a stick&brick house. They loved the simple life and the less worry of upkeep of their old houses. All seemed very Happy and Healthy and glad to be on the road..north in summer then head south in winter.

What a Life!!! Believe it or not..it was the wife that loved full-timing...No Big House Keeping!! was their answer to Happiness and keep on moving at their pace. As this trip comes to a close in a few days and we will be back home, we are Thankful for the Great Summer we had ..3 days of rain!! Can you believe that..15,000 pictures ..ok maybe a few more..grin... We will see how long we will be at home before we want to go again!! We did manage to survive living in 29 foot Airstream all this time. So Thanks for following along and I hope I (we) brought you some laughs and pictures of our travels along the way. Here is the last Photo album ..enjoy.. http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/MichiganToPennaBackroads#
Any Comments would be appreciated... E-mail us .. obclown@ptd.net
God Bless and Thank-You AirstreamHobo & Carol

Helena Fire Co Tractor Show in Ohio

P&S Refinishing Shop in Helena,Ohio

Airstream Reflection in the pond.............read on Sept 4,Friday, At 7 am I peeked out the back window and saw a foggy covered pond, Up and out of the camper with the camera..What a view..The soft fog over the pond,docks,boats, and just all over the campground. Click..click..300 times.. Check out the photo blog! We packed up and left at 11am for Penna.

We followed Rt 6 thru the back roads of Ohio, I spot a farm with Airstreams all lined up in the back field. Look I said, there is a Rally...WRONG... It was P & S Refinishing Shop. I pulled in to see this place. Airstreams all over the place in several barns in different stages of repair. I met Kevin one of the owners, he showed me around and we talked about Fire Co's. He is the Ass't Chief of Helena Fire Co. He told me about their annual fund raiser "Tractor Show" down the road this weekend. After seeing all the airstreams, we left and went down to the Tractor Show...another awesome display of all kinds of farm tractors. The field had hundreds of them. The outside row along the field was also full of campers near the shade trees. I did see 2 airstreams camped there too.

After spending an hour there, we left down Rt 6 east again, no speeding in Ohio when they say 55 do it! Not 56 I saw lots of police pull over cars all along Rt 6. We stop at CrackerBarrel for supper and to stretch our legs. Then conntinue on into Pa. it was getting dark fast but I still had an hour to go. We arrived at Penn'sWoods an Airstream park at 9pm and set up quickly..water/elec/sewer/and cable too..

Sept 5,saturday, We finish setting up this am. I walk around the park, it is very nice park,log cabin office,pond with fountain, a meeting house with kitchen facilities. I come to find out there is a Rally this weekend, it is their 50th Anniversary and Installation Banquet too! So I signup with a fee for the weekend Rally. Caterered Dinner tonite,full breakfast(sun) Cook-out (sun) and 50th Birthday Cake Party Too!!! Everyone is so friendly(aren't all Airstreamers?)They even have happy hour today at 4pm. We just had supper, Chicken,Ribs,Green bean casserole,potatoes,Spagetti noodles/meatballs, salad,dessert...Yum Yum I didn't have to cook tonight!!!! Installation Meeting at 7 pm.

God Bless...AirstreamHobo & Carol

Sept 3,Wednesday, Happy Birthday Mason!!! Our Grandson!!! We will see you in about a week!!!

After a restful 2 days at Shipshawanna we hook-up and leave for Auburn,Ind. I heard about the Cord/Duesenberg Museum being there. We find the place easy with all the street signs to get there. It seems this is the Big Weekend for Car Collectors in town. There is a 5,000 car sale at Kruse Auctions and they are expecting 100,000 plus people in town for all the planned activities. We find a spot to park along the street one block from the museum. The street in front of the museum is blocked off with Cords & other Classic Cars(too many to mention). I took a few pictures now and then went inside the Museum to see the Cars.

WOW!!! What a showroom!! The place is Amazing!! The cars are displayed just like in a car dealer showroom. This is World First Class Place. 3 floors of all makes of Classic Cars and the stories behind them and what made Auburn Famous. There are numerous Cords on display. I was just overwelmed by the Class of Cars , I didn't dare touch any of them. But click,click, I did!! Every year on Labor day weekend they have a Car Show and Festival in Auburn, home of the Auburn and Cord Car Manufactures. There are numerous activities planned. I wish I was staying this weekend but time to move on. I walked around the museum for about 3 hours just trying to digest the Era of these Cars, It must have been an awesome time in America. I am glad someone Preserved these Cars for all future generations to enjoy!! I sure did today, even the gift shop was a sight to see. Outside most of the cars have left but a few are in the parking lot now..click..click. What a sight to see!!

We head on down Rt 6 toward Bowling Green, Ohio and arrive at Fire Lake Campground for the night, another PassPort America camp..50% off..$16.00/nite. with a beautiful Sunset across the lake at our backside of the campsite. We drove about 130 miles today and saw a slice of America!!! Why can't we build these classics today?? (answer $$$$$$)
God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

Need a Canoe?? These were stacked at a Water Float Store....Read on...

Sept. 1, Tuesday, we leave at 9 am for Howe,Ind. Driving down Rt. 31 along the shoreline. We see a sign for a lighthouse and follow the road to it. Point Betsie light house is back this road, however, due to cutbacks it is only open on weekends for tours.

We pass a tubing/canoe/kayaking store , I stop to take pictures and talk to locals. He tells me to go down the side road to see Salmon fish starting to spawn, he says there are about 100 there at the dam now..in a few weeks there will be 10,000 there to cross the dam. We drive back to see these extra large fish..2-3 feet big...no fish story...really..There are kayakers in the water causing the fish to move about so we can see all these big fish..wow..wow. Then back down the highway.

We follow Rt 31 all the way to Holland then catch Rt 40 all along a very scenic drive with no rush of traffic and sometimes I do pull over to let locals go faster!! We pass Grape farms with acres of grape vines on both sides of the road. Into Indiana we turn east on Rt 120 to Howe. We arrive at about 5pm and stop at a Pass Port America Park, believe it or not we were here 13 weeks ago today. The cost was $8.50 in June now it is $14.95 now (rates went up!!) But it is a nice park near Shipshawanna Flea Market..tues & wed's..We will go tomorrow.

Sept 2, Wednesday, Today we go to the flea market and look for bargains and afterwards we stop to do the weekly laundry. Back at the camp, we make spare ribs on the grill. They are a treat!!! Lots of meat and very good!!! Rest and relax..zzz As you can see...no pictures here also...wi-fi won't le me download pictures ...someday soon ???
God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

August 31,Monday, We rise and go over to the Boat Museum at Glen Haven, a little village of long ago. The waterfront is wonderful to walk along the shore, there is more stones/rocks than sand along here. We did see the old Coast Guard Station with old boats on display and talked to the volunteer guide host, she was from Florida doing a work camper job here 16 hours a week for free camp site, her husband demo'd at the Blacksmith shop too. They Love IT!!! We did talked to alot of people all summer that have traveled north to volunteer a few days a week and then see the area the other days with free camping all summer. What a retirement life! These people loved to mingle with tourists and share their knowledge. Check-out at noon, we head down the road, to Ludington State Park. These is a lake shore state park, over 300 sites. This is the Most Popular destination for the Michigan Tourists, the place is packed with families enjoying their vacations, not many vacant sites left. You can park along the road way to the park at the Lake Michigan with sand dunes on both sides and go swimming in the lake.

August 30,Sunday, Today we leave St.Ingrace, a beautiful waterfront town. Crossing the bridge with the airstream...Hurray the rain and Wind has stopped!! Easy drive over the bridge and down the west coast on Rt 22 of Michigan looking for LightHouses. We head for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. We arrive about 3-4 pm and check in at DH Day Campground, we get the last site that has electric, there is plenty of other sites though. We stay here for $6.00(Golden Access Card) & $5.00/electric fee, we have a nice shaded sight. After setting up we went for a drive on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive thru the dunes with 10 stopping places along the way. At stop #9 there is a breath taking view of the sand dunes 450 feet above the lake. At the top there is a sign telling you to be careful of the steep incline down to the lake. Many kids are sitting on the side of hill watching the lake water. Wow..what a View and place to take pictures. We are told come back at sunset..8:30 pm to see it. So we go back to camp for supper and relax. At 7:30 we drive back...WOW...The sunset is about 1/2 hour to drop and the sky is red already, many have tripods and cameras ready for that great shot. This was the BEST SUNSET we saw all summer..click..click.. By 8:45 it is dark...zzzzzz

August 29,Saturday, We wake up to a wet,raining day that will be with us all day. We drive over to Mackinaw City. The ride over the bridge was scary with the wind blowin' warnings were flashing for motorists to drive 20 mph. The bridge has a open steel grate in the passing lane all the way over the bridge, the outside lane was blacktop. On windy days the wind comes up thru the steel grate and I did feel the push!! We get to the otherside to Mackinaw City and drive downtown. There is a Corvette Car Show this weekend..expecting 700 or more. However I only saw about 50 arrive in town. The rain has kept many away, the rain was all weekend and did reduce the attendance. There was to be parade too but was cancelled. We drove over to the Light House and walked around the grounds and waterfront..yes we got wet. We then drove around to keep warm and dry. We then stopped at a local resturant "Darrows" there was a waiting line. After eating here I can see why!!! I had White Fish Basket, it came with 8 BIG Strips of fish and Real Mashed Potatoes & Salad, Carol had Roast Beef Dinner and needed a take-out box to eat the rest later. Yum..Yum!!
God Bless..AirstreamHobo & Carol

August 28,Friday, We drive around St.Ingrace today and see the shoreline, the water in the lake has white caps as it hits the shore. I did stop at the library to download the blog, and they have fast wi-fi so I download the pictures I have waiting. We then drive up to "Castle Rock" They have Paul Bunyun and the Blue Ox on display at teh base of the steps. You can walk-up 142 steps to the top of the castle rock to see all over the lake and waterfront. We then leave and see a sign for "Pastries", we pull into Bessie's Red Resturant to try them. It is a Dough bread filled with Beef,potatoes,onions,carrots then wrapped over and baked. When you get it it comes with a pot of gravy too. It was a good local pastrie to eat here, with the place filling up with patrons.

God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

Here we Go!! To Mackinac Island by Hydro-Jet Boat.....

August 27, Thursday, Today we drive over to the ferry crossing and used our free tickets for the crossing(We still don't believe the generosity of these Michigan People!!). The Ferry ride is on a Hydro-jet boat..what a fast trip..20 minutes and we arrive. Wow..what is that Smell??? Guess what ...The Horse liquid on the street is TERRIBLE!!! They do clean up the Road Apples but not the rest (YUCK !!!).

Main street is full of shops..mostly Fudge Shops..I heard 17 shops... Lots of specials on Fudge. We headed for the Horse Surrey guided tours of the island, we signed up for the tour and the ButterFly House too. We had the 1:45 tour, started with a downtown tour ...up to the Grand Hotel..passed it.. then pass the horse stables...to the ButterFly house...we spent about 45 minutes there. Then onto another tour thru the Mackinac State Park on the Island..Dave was our guide..one cool guy.. Next stop was the Stone Arch along the coast then back to the gift shop for a switch to the return surrey to down town. We passed the Grand Hotel, some got off for a look, we continued on. It was $10.00 admission to sit on the front porch of the Grand Hotel...I can sit under my awning for Free!!! The surrey tour lasted till 5pm,then we then headed for a pizza/salad buffet at the Murray Hotel on Main St. Then we walked around the shops and caught the 7pm ferry back to the mainland. Back to camp,Had a Great Day!!! ZZzzzz
Here is the Album..Mackinac http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/MackinacMichigan#
God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

Seul Choix Point Lighthouse......Read on....

August 26, Wednesday, We got going by 9 am today..Weather is sunny about 70* and a great day for travel. Down the road we saw a billboard for a Historic Light House..Seul Choix Point Lighthouse. We turned down the side road for 8 miles back to the waterfront. We took the $3.00 tour and saw the residence fo lighthouse keepers and walked up 96 steps to the light. While in the tower I talked to some other tourists there. In talking they told us how to get to Mackinac Bridge area. We talked about going to the Island also. They said them were not going there but had tickets for the Ferry crossing. WOW...They gave us 2 round trip tickets for the ferry, value of $50.00 how's that for friendly people in Michigan. We parted and kept saying Thank-You...and then waved good-bye to them as they drove off... What Nice People!!!

We left and drove another 60 miles and arrived in St. Ignace at Straits State Park. We got a space near the waterfront area in the second row, there are sites up on the hill away from the lake too. We paid for 4 nights to stay and see the area. We needed groceries so off to town we go to restock. Today was about 150 miles and we are now enjoying a campfire beside the airstream. I did get some night shots of the Mackinac Bridge from the shore line. We did not cross the bridge yet as we are on the north side for now. God Bless..AirstreamHobo & Carol

Everyone in "Yooper Land" Has a Car Snowplow!!!

August 25, Tuesday. We woke up to rain drizzle, but decided to leave anyways at 10 am for Mackinac City. We drove down highway 41 then down to the south coast of the UP on Rt 2 we drove all along the coast towns with Lake Michigan on the right side of highway. We stopped at a "Yooper" Tourist Trap Gift shop. Very interesting collection of odd vehicles made into some fun contraptions. I ask what is a Yooper? Answer is the upper peninsula people are nicknamed "Yoopers" and the south of the UP people are called Flat Landers!!! It finally stopped raining so the drive became a nice afternoon.

Around 4 pm we stopped for the night at Whispering RV Park. A nice level sites and full hook-ups with cable and wi-fi too. But the wi-fi would would recieve e-mails but would not let me e-mail out!!! I did download my Blog and 2 photo albums, I hope you saw them even though I didn't tell you to look. God Bless...AirstreamHobo & Carol

Camper on fire in the campground...read on....

August 22, Saturday, Continued, We went form a drive to Houghton. We saw the Quincy Mine Shaft Historical Site. We decided to stop and take the tour.This was a 2 hour tour in the building where they had a steam engine ...Big Ball Pulley... operate the mine cables to pull up the copper filled cars(7 tons) to the top of the mine and drop it into the mining buildings for mining the copper. There were 92 levels to the mine in it's hay day. Now there are only 7 floors down, the rest are filled with water. We then loaded onto a cog car for a descent down the mountain to the seventh level on the outside. We then loaded onto a outdoor wagon with bench seats pulled by a small John Deere tractor into the mine at one level into the shaft 2,000 feet, wet,damp,and dreary. We had hard hats and Carhart jackets on, it was 43* down here. I don't know how miners can do this everyday for a 10 hour shift. When working the mines are full of rock dust all the time. We then heard stories of how they worked here and the tools they used.( I will stay above ground to work!!!) We walked around a little then back up the cog railroad up the mountain. We saw interesting antique mining equipment all around the fields just rusting away.

We then drove around seeing the sights in Houghton, there was a RV park along the river, I stopped and she said they have been full all summer. Back to camp...zzzzzzz

August 23, we wanted to drive around today too but the Van just went grr..grr..grr..Battery Dead!! Being sunday, I said lets wait till monday when something is open to fix the van. we just hung around the camp and watched the waves on the shore then later tonight we watched the beautiful sunset!!! We collected rocks too just like "Lucy" in "The Long Long trailer" movie.

August 24,Monday..load up laundry and grr..grr.grr again, a neighbor camper helped jump start the van..Nope it didn't start. So I called CoachNet RV Airstream Road Service from the camp office..cell doesn't work here. They said someone will be there 45-60 minutes. 45 minutes later a tow truck showed up, he hooked up the van for the garage trip. On the way his fire pager went off..Camper fire in McLain Park, my ears perked up!!! They said site #12 I was in #33..relief. The scanner said fully involved camper and car. As soon as the tow truck dropped me, he got a call from 911 to respond to pick up the camper.

Off he goes, I am here to fix the van I hope. The man "Dave" checks out the battery and finds it ok, just wondering is there a second battery? YES there was..that was the one that was dead..guess what? It is under the floor at the back wheels in a box strapped up to the floor. The other man "Rodney" stuggles to retrieve the battery..got it...yes this is the one DEAD!! They order one and it is here in 10 minutes. Rodney installs it shortly and the Van starts!!! Yeah!! Problem fixed..

The tow truck man returns with the motorhome on tow truck rollback...sad..sad..completely burned out. The people were out walking and their 2 dogs were left inside and perished in the fire...sad..sad!! Carol was there at camp when the firemen arrived and grabbed the camera to take pictures from a distance, she got some pretty good shots too!! I am glad I trained her to take good shots these past 2 months...Great Job Carol!!! I made copies of the shots and gave them to the people. They also lost the car which was parked behind the motorhome.

Well we started to do laundry this am and we made it to the laundry by 5pm..not bad?? We will be leaving in the am for Mackinaw City on tuesday...Just follow along!!! Pictures are posted ...http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/UpperPeninsulaMichigan# 2http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/Rt20NebraskaIowaIntoWisconsinMichigan# new albums posted today

God Bless...AirstreamHobo & Carol

Snow Thermometer....39 feet???in one year!!!

August 21, Friday, We awake to a steady rain again, it is supposed to clear up this afternoon. We decided not to tear down in the rain, so we will stay one more day here at Ft.Wilkins. We end up going for a drive to Calumet for a look around. We arrive downtown and all the streets are paved in brick,quiant old historical town. We see the Fire House Museum is just opening by a volunteer "John" His grandfather & father were some of the early members here. There was a $2.00 admission charge here to see the old fire house and equipment, we toured the place then went upstairs to see more, This was a collection of neat old fire stuff, If they had more $$$ they could display it in a nicer display cabinets etc. John said they are very short on $$$, some months they have a hard time paying the electric bill. We also bought a soda out of the machine for $1.00 John said wow!! I made $5.00 so far today more than all week ..it was sad to see the place in such a need of finances!! We then drove around town to see more old buildings, some were pretty cool others were abandon and boarded up with no future in sight.

We then went out to McLain Park to see if they were full and look at the sites for camping. This place is right on the Lake Superior Water front sites. We will come here tomorrow!!! We pass a Therometer of snow fall from previous years, one year it snowed 390'' here, Thats alot!!! We drove about a 100 miles today then back to camp for a pizza supper.

At 7:30pm we left for Brockway Mountain top again because the sky did clear up and I think we will see a sunset tonite. We drive up the mountain to the top..WOW...The view is forever!!! We can see mountains on one side and Lake Superior on the other...Beautiful sight to see the lake run off into the horizon. The sun is up in the upper clouds hiding, We wait for an hour to see it come down into the opening, so do many other cars arrive. Must be a popular spot for everyone. About 8:30 the sun peeks thru the bottom of a cloud then into the opening before the horizon, just a big Ball of Orange Glow..click..click..click.. I got a few shots. Then we drive down the otherside toward Eagle Harbor, the sky is still red along the waterfront, I try some more pictures but no success of good shots here, too late I guess. Back to camp..zzzzzzz

August 22,Saturday, we tear down at 8 am to head for McLain which is 40 miles away. Arriving at 9 am there is a good site available in the 2nd row. Our trailer's rear faces the lake, so we have a wind buffer from the lake. The sun is shinning brightly today & we have a great site for the next 3 nights. I hope to get some good sunset shots here too!!
God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

Sunset at Copper Harbor ..............


Aug 18, Tuesday, Rise and shine off we go to the northern tip of the Upper Penisula of Copper Harbor,Michigan. We travel along some pretty highway scenery thru alot of trees that are over hang the highway. we arrive in Copper Harbor State Park and pick a site..#169. We decide to stay 6 nights here to see all the area. $23.00/electric per nite & we have to buy a season stamp of $29.00 for a pass to all Michigan state parks. We get a nice site next to the showers and plenty of shade. It is cold here because of the lakes and the wind passing over them into the area. It is the first time I wear a sweatshirt this summer. But it does feel good to have the breeze blowin'.

We take a drive along Rt 26 all along Lake Superior stopping to see the overlooks and pull offs. Beautiful sites as always and picture time. We even pass a sign telling us to watch out for blowing sand across the highway. We drive to Eagle Harbor and then to Eagle River enjoying the drive all the way then return on Highway 41 back to camp. We see the sunset along the way back.

August 19,Wednesday, We tour the local fort..Fort Wilkins Historic Park..This is a collection of buildings, redone to the 1800's the way they were during the time they were designed to keep peace in Michigan copper country. The town of Copper Harbor is a neat little village of craft shops, little cottage cabins everywhere, a general store, and a waterfront of resturants and boat docks for cruises from here. Tonite we made a campfire to relax around and to pass the time.ZZzzzzzzzzz

Aug 20,Thursday, Also the 74th day on the road, would you believe this is the first bad weather day since we left home!!!! It is Raining and low fog clouds all around us, it is a slow drizzle all day. We can't see more than a mile. We drove up Brockway mountain road to the top of the mountain. It was a no show at all the turn-offs for a look down the mountain across Lake Superior. Maybe later this week we can come back. We ate supper in Copper Harbor at a small resturant. There was a humming bird out side the window drinking from the water feeder. It is still drizzling and back to camp for a night of dvd's movies of "Mash" and "Roy Rodgers" Tomorrow, we will packup and move 40 miles to McLain State Park to see the sights around there. ZZZZZZZZZZ God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

August 16, Sunday, We leave Pikes Peak Camp and headed up the Mississippi River. The first town we hit is Marquette,Iowa, They have a Showboat Casino with a buffet for sunday brunch. I stopped to take pictures of the Showboat, but found out they don't run the river anymore and it is stationary along the river. Carol and I went in for brunch, they had 3 buffet bars full of breakfast,dinner, and salad bar. We filled up fast,every thing was delicious. We then went over to the showboat, lots of people spending $$$$$ I lost $2.00 that was enough.. We went up to the top deck to look around and left shortly.

We went into Marquette and walk around the stores down town, there was also a R/R Station there too!! My buddy Dick Marquette loves trains!!! So I took a few pictures for him, I will send them later. Just imagine ..."Marquette Train Station" I know he would have loved this town!!

Then we crossed the Mississippi River into Wisconsin and followed the river north. We did see trailers placed on cement blocks WAY UP in the air, to be above flood waters. It sure looked Funny to see them so high above ground(grin). We then headed for Michigan across the state. We saw a park for camping later in the day at PinePoint County Park, we pulled in and it was 1/2 empty or 1/2 full. We found a site along the lake, the sunset was happening, so I hooked up the electric and skooted down to the lakefront for some shots of the sunset...click..click. Awesome!!! Then back to the airstream for supper,that Carol made for us, it is almost 9pm by now ..over 200 miles today. ZZZZZZZZZZ

The next morning Monday, August 17, I hear Carol up at 7 am and I look out the window at the lake and it is covered with a ground/water fog...time for pictures!!! Quickly I arose and grab the camera and headed for the lake front...Yes I did get dressed!!! Click..click.. the morning is the best time to take soft color pictures... wow great view. We then eat breakfast then leave by 9 am for Michigan.

First we stop at Wal-Mart to restock the airstream. We follow Rt 8 east..then Rt51 north to Ironwood into Michigan following Rt28 east. We turn at Bruce Crossing onto Rt 26 and see a town park on the right with some campers in there. We decided to stop early for the night, donation of $10.00/nite honor system with a lock box at registration. We have water/electric. Carol makes supper of Chicken/potatoes...yum..yum.. we eat outside and later watch the sunset..romantic ain't we??? Another 230 mile day ..Thats enough!! ZZZZZZZZZ
God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

HORRAY!!! I hit a Single at the Field of Dreams!!! Read on!!!

August 15,Saturday, Last night the train went thru again, but this time he blew his horn out of town and just went thru town quietly, I had to look out the window to see if he was going thru. Thank-you Train Engineer!!! After a good nights rest , we packed up again and left Webster City on Rt 20 east.

We traveled about 150 miles to Dyersville,Iowa, 1st we stop at the Toy Farm Tractor Museum. We eat a lunch in the trailer then go in the museum. The cost is $5.00/each then thru the doors...THOUSANDS of Toy Tractors!!! Rows and rows of display cases with so many toy tractors, they are displayed by manufactures and models too. Unbelievable??? I never saw so many tractors, we read some of the display signs, International Harvester tractor display had a game of 14 questions and when you filled out the card..correctly..you got a multi-colored pencil..it changes color when you hold it in your hand and the heat changes the color. We were there about 1 1/2 hour..great museum for Big Kids..see but don't touch!

Next we go into town to see "Basilica of St. Francis Xavier'' Catholic church...It took up a whole city block. Mass was at 4pm and we were going past a few minutes before. Across the street,cars parked in the street side by side and behind each other blocking the whole street, lots of people were on the sidewalk headed toward the church.

Then we saw a sign for "Field of Dreams" 3 miles outside of town, I decided to follow the road. When we got there the parking lot was filled with Baseball Fans wanting to play baseball on the field, where the Movie was made. There is no organized games allowed, just take turns hitting,running, and fielding the field. I saw all ages & all boys & girls playing....Guess what??? I stepped up next to bat..I told the pitcher to take it easy on this old man...Grin... I hit the 1st pitch and ran...I Got a Single!!! Then was called out on the next hit to 2nd hit by the next kid. I guess I should have run faster!! Then I got some pictures around the farm. We spent about an hour there also...This place is popular with the tourists..over 65,000 come here each year!!

Then we continued north on Rt 136 to Rt 52 to follow the Mississippi River. We arrive at Pikes Peak State Park and get a site for the night. Complete with electric and showers across from the campsite. Beautiful day and night here, we ate at the picnic table and enjoyed the neighborhood... showers later..then Zzzzzz ... 200 miles today(still no plans..just look and see the sights!!!) Tomorrow more Adventure..............
God Bless..AirstreamHobo & Carol

Some of the old Barns along Rt 20

August 14, Friday, I can't believe it is friday already? We hang out this am taking our time to eat and tear down the camp, it is so easy here unplug elec, then unhook water hose..Done!! we leave here about 11 am for Iowa, We have to take a detour to get around Rt 20 to the east. It is about 34 miles out around. You have to remember that these states don't have alot of back roads. Most roads are anywhere from 6-7 miles between intersections so when you drive around the square detour you do drive 21-28 miles out into the country. That is why these Ranches are so big as to being chopped up in little plots. Boths sides of the highway, corn fields are growing as far as you can see...thousands of acres of corn. There are also water giants spreading water over the corn to help it grow.

I look out my window to the rear and see that my stone guard has let loose on one of the screws...stop to make a rivet repair in 15 minutes and off we go again. Thanks goodness for rivets and duck tape, I do know how to use those tools..not much else though.

In about 50 miles down Rt 20 we enter Iowa..still on Rt 20 however the little towns are now off the 4-lane highway, more people I guess. I am seeing more traffic now, so now I have to be on guard for the other guy. I am still stopping and getting some pretty good shots tho!!! We pull into Webster City, Iowa and find the city park..here it is $12.00/electric hook-up ...Looks nice, several trailers are here, creek on one side and a R/R on the other. Everyone is on the creekside and I am on the R/R side of the park. Well here comes a train as I type..bells/crossing ringing...AIR HORN Blaring!!!! WOW..My Ears hurt!! A truck just crossed the tracks a few feet in front of the train, the engineer laid on the HORN for a long time... It doesn't matter which side of the park you camped on ..it is LOUD!!! Well I hope I sleep soundly tonite! I am tired and covered 267 miles today, we should be in Wisconsin tomorrow, I hope to drive along the Mississippi River towns, but we'll see...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
God Bless....AirstreamHobo & Carol

Aug 13, Thursday, today we only moved about 35 miles(because of a detour actually only 15 miles) We are in Plainview, NB. and are camped in another city park..Free!! water/electric hookups too!!

We are across the street from"KlownDoll Museum" Largest in the world!! Over 4,000 Clowns on display...wanna see all the pictures??..grin..This museum has all kinds of clown figurines and pictures on display..all were donated by clown lovers...They have never bought anyones collection but have recieved donations from all over the world. Mary was our guide and took about an hour to point out the special ones to us. She sure knows her clowns.

I spotted a collection of 3 paintings for Sale and ask how much? Now "Obie" has 3 awesome clown paintings in his posession...Yeah!! I went to clown college and had this person as my teacher at one of the seminars, he has since passed on, so I knew I had to have these paintings.They are also autographed by him and the artist. Did you see the SMILE on my Face??????

We are parked across the street, so I did return this afternoon to pickup the paintings and take some pictures....I won't bore you with them all ,so the ones above will be enough!! Do you realize since I left home I have seen the Circus museum, a Circus Parade, now this a Klown Doll museum Too!! What a fun Day!! Tomorrow we will leave early and continue along Rt 20 into Iowa...follow along....

God Bless ...AirstreamHobo & Carol

This is Rt 20 across America in Nebraska..lots of little Towns to pass thru!!

Aug 11,Tuesday, Up and going... we stop to wash the rigs as they have alot of dust on them and time to clean them!!! They travel faster and better mileage when clean??? We follow the highway 120 out of town toward Nebraska, we decided to go south and catch RT 20 to follow all across the states to Wisconsin.

We go thru the Wind River Canyon..high rock walls on both sides of us. at dinner we pull over at a pull off.. there is a Yellow Train with a Back/hoe on the low bucket cars on the top rails, he is scooping stones out of the cars and dumping them along the tracks for filler. we make lunch and watch him work and move along the cars emptying each car as he goes. Entertainment while we eat...wow!! Then off we go again...into Nebraska finally..around 4-5 pm and stop at Fort Roberts State Park, They have campground there, we pick a site and make supper and relax. I don't even unhook tonight, we want to leave early again tomorrow. 350 miles today..

Aug 12,Wednesday, we check out the Fort Roberts before we leave then we follow Rt 20 east. just a 2 lane highwaybut the speed limit is 65 all the way with reduced speeds at each little town. Alot of towns have dwindled down in size and alot of abandon buildings are present. We stop for fuel and lunch, in the diner there are hard working cowpokes taking a break. You can tell they work outside and hard Too!! They are very polite and friendly too. There are poloroid pictures on the wall, I ask..she said this wall is Truckers..next cowboys..next motorcyclists...What No Clowns?? She said they are all clowns, so I give her a "Obie" card and she tapes it to the wall next to front door...Look for it if you stop in!! Sands Cafe is the Diner, Merriman,Nebraska.

There is a book on the table with mile markers all along Rt 20 and it explains what to see. I ask for one and she said they are free. It is nice to read short essays about each town, some have 39 residents some have more or less. But each highway town sign has the population on them. We stop and drive around each little village and return to the highway again. It is a shame for some of these towns that used to have such buildings,but now are in disrepair.

We arrive in Randolph,Nebraska, they have a town park for tourists to camp in the night...did I say FREE!!! You get water/electric too...but you may leave a donation too...what a nice gesture for these towns...yes... each town does this...5-10 spots Free!! Just Donation. Think of the business they bring in from campers. I already spent $60.00 on fuel and plan to get a few groceries tomorrow...NO Wal-Marts Here!! Just Mom & Pop Stores the Back Bone of America!! Sometimes we get caught up the fast life we forget what did build these small towns years ago..now some are falling apart. There are 3 motorhomes and 2 trailers here tonight. A late supper under the Beautiful Sunset!! 370 miles today...Then zzzzzzzzzz
God Bless...AirstreamHobo & Carol http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/Rt20Nebraska#

Youth RV Park, Thermopolis,Wy.

Aug 11,Tuesday, To day we also made a historical stop. 20 years ago when I joined the airstream club, I read about a couple that traveled in their Airstream around the world. They were Oscar & Etta Payne from Thermopolis,WY. I knew I was going thru their town, so I stopped at a museum at the beginning of town to inquire. I met a nice lady,Donna, who looked up the info and told me where they used to live. I knew they owned a campground with Hot Mineral Water Spa on the grounds.

So off we went to the Youth RV Campground at the edge of town. I pulled in and was greeted by a host, Jim, He showed us around the camp and told us the Paynes had traveled 64 countries in their 15' airstream. He wishes he could do that!! When they were home they would soak everyday in the hot mineral water, would you believe Oscar lived to age of 103 and Etta live to almost 100..WOW!! I was hoping to see their old airstream but was told it is in Casper somewhere. I did touch the hot water( It was 103* in the first part then down to 92* in the third part of the pool..all natural heat.) and it felt inviting but we wanted to keep moving. The camp charges $33.00 a day for full hookups and the hot springs swimming is included. Jim did tell me that the whole place ..buildings is heated by the hot springs.

20 years ago I did write to Etta and she sent me a book, one of several she wrote about their trips around the world. I still have that book, I guess I will have to get it out and read it again. I did call Pee Wee Schamborn to tell him where I was, and I could tell in his voice he was delighted to hear that, he was the advance scout for that Caravan.He said they were very little people about 5' tall and were very adventuress for their age, Oscar was in his 70-80's when they did the Cape Town to Cairo Caravan then continued on the Around the World Caravan. Wow, to do that today would be fun, but so much red tape is required today. So any ways, I was part of a historical venture today by being in their campground and learning new info on the Paynes!!! http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/CodyToNebraska#
God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

Old West Town ......Cody,Wy.

Aug 10,Monday, We decided to stay one more day in Cody..ain't retirement full of decisions? Time to catch up on laundry, we are lucky that that the laundry is right across from the camper in the campground. So we fill our time this am doing the necessaries.

After lunch. we drive over to see the Old Town West...old buildings of the West. It was Ok ? same as 1880 Old Town, but we liked 1880 Old Town better. After the short tour, the lady here said don't miss the Trading Post across the street. We stopped in to see the "Trading Post Gift Shop" but in the back half there was a giant room filled with Old West stuff and a Minature Old West Layout behind glass. There were buttons along the glass to push to give us a short explaination of the layout. Wow..this was great!! And Free Too/ Donation Box at the end...of course I left a donation!! In the room had Cowboy & Indian outfits that were displayed all along the outside wall around the room. The layout was about 40 wide and 75 feet long for the minatures. They even had trains running.

Then back to camp for a snooze...at 5:30 we went downtown for the daily Gunfight Shoot-out with real cowboys at the Irma Hotel (Buffalo Bill's Hotel)... We got to see them enact a shoot-out and do their funny stunts. They sold Posters with their pictures on for Charity. After the show they all autographed the poster. Then Carol & I went to a resturant across the street for a good old west meal. The cowboy bar/resturant was full of patrons but we got a table right away. I had Roast beef hoagie..Carol had a Bacon/burger, Very Good!! After the meal we walked around and poked in several gift shops, cowboy stuff is very expensive!! zzzzzz
God Bless...AirstreamHobo & Carol

Buffalo Bill Historical Museum, Cody,Wy.

Aug 9, Sunday, Carol needs a rest today, so I go downtown to the Buffalo Bill Museum for a look. This the Museum of the West, if you want to see alot of interesting facts of the West! Admission is only $15.00/adults and is good for 2 days if you need it. The Building is huge, 300,000 square feet, but is pleasure to walk around and see all the displays.

There is many different wings for each part of history, Buffalo Bills' Wild West Show artifacts, Indians, Art Gallery of Western Art, Hands on Nature & workshops of the outdoors, Guns...lots of guns...1,500 here then 1,200 on the second floor if you didn't see enough(I did and skipped the second floor!), Buffalo Bill's family history and his personal collectables. This Museum is a must see for everyone. I thoughly enjoyed this afternoon of Western History Lesson.

Back to camp for supper, Carol is feeling better, so I take her out for supper at "Bubbas Bar-B-Que" What a tasty meal Chicken & Ribs & Salad Bar. Then we watched the sunset at the west end of town, seeing the sun go down behind the mountain range, last night the sun was bright Red!! zzzzzz God Bless..AirstreamHobo & Carol

View from the Top of Beartooth Highway Scenic Drive

Aug 8, Saturday, Off we go for a drive of a lifetime...We have the map in hand of loops to follow for scenic drives, We pick the Beartooth Highway..right choice!! About 15 miles from Cody, we hit the mountain range...here we go!! Up..Up..surprises around each curve, more beautiful scenery, pictures don't copy what we are about to see.

We pulled off alot of scenic overlooks, even the big burly motorcycle riders said .."Wow..Gee..what do we tell the folks back home, how do you describe this awesome nature that abounds Us...Yes there is a God!!" Only he could make this wonder of the world. This was the quote that we heard all day as we followed the cyclists and other tourist also on this tour.

We arrived in Cooke City,Montana, here is a city that lost it's blacktop road this spring and have been dealing with a hard dirt road with a few bumps for 8 miles of constuction all the way to Yellowstone. I think it added to the mystery of a mountain town. We stopped in the historical general store for a look, there were old fashion counters, display cases, cash register, scales, and a display of old grocery items on the top shelf for display. Then we walked around the other buildings in town, it was a one block town on both sides with all dirt road in between. Then back on the road into,Silver Gate,then Yellowstone north east entrance, now we have been to all 4 sides of Yellowstone. After a short drive in Lamar Valley, we turn around to head for Beartooth Highway.

We hit the Beartooth and here we are amazed by the beautiful drive, Up..switchbacks..up..stopping everywhere to just gaze down into the valleys and to see the cloud cover moving in. We did drive above the clouds for a few miles, we hit rain...hail..sleet..then it began to snow( yes I said snow!! on August 8th, can you believe this?).We got up 10,000 feet in elevation among the snow banks along the road, stopping to walk on snow. I just had to make a snowball and fired one off to Carol..then the fight started...Brrr our hands are cold!

Then we started down the drive..stopping along the way, pulloffs are at every turn, a different view at each one. The cyclists pull in , they have ski masks ,gloves,all leathers on and they are frozen bodies shivering looking for warmth by stopping to rest up. We desended about 10 miles .switch backs all the time..20mph is top speed most of the time!! I didn't touch the gas pedal for 10 miles just coasted down. My pictures don't do the drive justice, you have to see it for yourself. We arrive back at camp at 7:30 pm , a total of 275 miles of all scenic drive. zzzzzzzzz

New pictures posted.. http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/CodyWYBeartooth#
God Bless...AirstreamHobo & Carol

Balloon Lift-off at Cody,Wy.

Aug 8, Saturday, would you believe I got up at 5:30 am again?? The weather was great for a balloon launch this morning. I went to the park and most had their balloons laid out on the yard, time to fill them with air then hot air for lift off. The colors are so vivid on each balloon. It wasn't long before the first lifted, then another, the sunrise was awesome too. About a dozen balloons were off into the sunrise before the hour was up. Click..click.. lots of colorful and into the sun shots. All this before 7:30 am, can you believe this ? I went back to get Carol for a long drive today on the Beartooth Highway scenic drive...off we go!! More later!! God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

Beautiful Drive from Yellowstone to Cody!!!

Aug 6, Thursday, We leave Yellowstone after a week/8 Days of Fun enjoying the area. I know we have missed some parts of the park, so we will have to come back some day. We leave at 9 am head to West Yellowstone at an RV park to dump and fill up with water. We enter the park to head for the east entrance. We pass the Eagles'nest one more time, traffic is always backed up for 2-3 miles and takes 1/2 hour to pass. Then onto Yellowstone Lake for a pull-off for a short lunch break,boy I love the scenery here. Water splashing against the shoreline for a bit of natures' musical beat. Click..click more pictures.

Then up..up..a mountain to go over Sylvan Pass over 10,000 feet up ...what a view of Yellowstone Lake..wow..wow !!! Then here we go down..down..at least 10 miles without the foot on the gas pedal...just breaks to slow down. Some guard rails are broken thru..wonder what happen?? Then thru the east gate..100 miles so far..took 3-4 hours. We pass lots of campgrounds in the wilderness before Cody.

We pass the Buffalo Bill Dam thru 3 tunnels thru solid rock mountains..beautiful tunnels with rock formations inside. We arrive into Cody, stopping 1st at Visitor Center for maps and camp info. We find the campground (Absaroka Bay RV Park) at the other end of Cody. 99 sites with all pull thru..w/e/s & wi-fi.. yeah... yeah!! We set up then drive around deciding what to do for the next 4 days. Balloon Rally, Buffalo Bill Museum, Shopping/groceries/ , Drive the Beartooth Highway, Dan Miller Cowboy Show(Great Show) , Dinner at Buffalo Bill's Hotel (great lunch buffet), oil change,haircuts, Etc.

Aug 7, Friday, I wake up at 5:30 am (yes thats right!!) and drive to the park to see the Balloons lift off..Too windy this am..one does tether for a while. Also it is stormy at 4-5 pm too so No Balloons today. Maybe tomorrow?? We ate at the hotel Buffet todays lunch, then both of us got haircuts, off to the Dam for a tour/film. Then back to rest before tonights "Dan Miller Show" in the old movie theater,great show and entertainers. Quick stop at McDonalds for a sundae treat, back to camp..zzzzzzzzzzzzz
God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

The Falls at Yellowstone!!

Aug 3,Monday, It's been a few days since I wrote here, but we been busy touring around the area. One day we went into Yellowstone and drove to Canyon Village. all of Yellowstone is set up about 14-16 miles apart from each highlight of the park.It is a beautiful drive to each area and we learn to stop certain places for pictures. The Canyon Area has the waterfalls to see and many turn outs to get closer. all the campgrounds have been marked full all week, this is a poplar place to camp. Only one,Fishing Bridge, has full hookups for $35.00/nite the rest are $18.00/nite with no hookups. Lots of generators are in use here.


Another day drive was to Mammoth Hot Springs with lots of thermal activity with lots of steam spouting off. Lots of colorful areas here. We did see plenty of buffalo in the park, once we were in a five mile backup. The Ranger urged everyone to keep moving..Tourists!!! Me Too!!

We did see a coyote in the woods come out to the highway, he sure looked sneaky walking around..ears up all the time listing for danger. The next backup was because of a Big Brown Bear across the river/stream with cars just stopping everywhere,me too but I did pull off the road to safety. We were there about 1/2 hour watching him walking thru the trees and come down to the water edge for a drink. But I think all the chatter on this bank scared him back further into the woods. I did get some good shots..naturally!!

We headed for the north entrance and thru the Stone Arch into Gardiner for a short look around. Back in the park we saw more antelope and then a herd of Elk at the Yellowstone Hotel just basking in the sun in the front yard,people were watching from their hotel windows.

Tonite after supper we take a dusk drive around the area that people recommended.So off we go past Quake Lake which an Earthquake struck here 50 years ago and a mountain side just slid down over a campground of 250 campers,killing 28 people and injuring 150 also. We saw the mountain and it looks like someone just sliced a layer of rock off the side. They never did find the 28 people. Then we continued down the route and thru Idaho for a few miles then back into Montanna. WOW what mountains and seeing cabins all by themselves with no neighbors. There was plenty of firewood piled up next to some. I guess they are the ones that stay all winter.

We even see a Mountain Man Display of Vendors displaying their crafts and tent city. We did but tickets to see 3 Imax movies this week at different times..Yellowstone...Alaska..And Bears, They were awesome to see on the Big Screen!!

There is so much to see and do in the park and west Yellowstone that it is hard to keep track of the daily tours. We have hit all entrances to the park except the East Entrance which we will go to when we leave on thursday to go to Cody,Wy. Here are the pictures so far!!http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/Yellowstone2#
God Bless..AirstreamHobo & Carol

There she Blows....Old Faithful !!!

July 30, Thursday, We go into West Yellowstone to see the town and walk around. There are painted Buffalo's all over town (37 I am told). We get a map and start looking for them. We stop at the Yellowstone Historical Museum to have a look. Interesting tibits of history, how train(Union Pacific) used to bring tourist to Yellowstone to hotels and camps set up all over the area. We even saw a documentary on the bad fire of 1988 and how it devestaded the area but they worked to save the Old Faithful Inn with thousands of fire fighters.

There are about 900 residents over the winter here, -57*... 300inches of snow..I don't think I want to be here!! The town is built to look like an old western town and has lots of gift shops and hotels now, there was one old general store"Eagles" that has been here 100 years.

Then back to the camp to rest, we are taking each day in small trips so we can enjoy the area a little at a time. We chat with neighbors and see where they are from. One was living in East Petersburg in the 80's to help start up the Kelloggs Plant for 12 years. One was a school teacher from South Carolina who comes here every summer to unwind!! She gave us some helpful local sights to see that are not on the maps for tourist. I have posted pictures on album of Yellowstone sights, I am sure you have seen most in National Geographic,but it is awesome to see in person. Enjoy!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/YellowstonePark#

God Bless ...AirstreamHobo & Carol

Here we are!! At Yellowstone...Beautiful Place..Read how we got here!!

July 27, Monday, Today it is raining off and on, the Tetons are covered on the tops by dark clouds. It is funny to drive thru rain then see sunlight again. We drive back up to the Jenny Lake and see some moose with calf (same one as yesterday). We then turn around to see the Teton Village. First stopping at the visitors station, saw a 1/2 hour film/documentary on the Tetons. Then walk around the displays...very well done.

The off to the village..past some people looking in the bushes and I stopped to see a young bull moose..click..click.. arrived at the village ..a big Resort Hotel..horse riding trips etc. even a firehouse on the grounds. There was even more building going on all around. There was a tram built last year to go up the mountain for viewing the mountains...30 million to build(ouch) It was closed due to the rain. There are numerous ski slopes everywhere.

Then into town of Jackson Hole., we lookup a girl who lives here from Manheim and works at Betty Rock Cafe, sorry she is off mondays. we had a light lunch then walked around the shops. The sidewalks are wooden and the porch roofs covered the sidewalks just like the old west days. The gifts shops are on the pricey side but did have some nice things that everyone should have. We went into a western art and sculpture store...wow..the paintings jump out at you ... color and designs...only $12,000 to $40,000 each ( I should have bought one but my credit card is maxed out (grin). There was a sculpture of a stage coach with horses about 4 foot long, the manager said guess how much?? I was wrong..only $65,000.00 there was only 50 made and 30 have been sold so far. Then we saw a Gunfight on the street...cool...fun for all...pass the hat for tips. Then we walked around the shops and took our picture infront of the Antler arches on the square..Thousands of antlers. I saw a Cowboy Bar and ask the doorman if I could peek inside, he said go on in!! The bar stools were Complete Saddles.. and the room was all deck out in The Old West. Awesome!! Then back to the camp..tomorrow is check out.

July 28,Tuesday, The Day from Hell!!! We were only 58 miles from Yellowstone, we left at 11 am up Rt 191. We first ran into construction 8 miles of dirt road, remember it rained yesterday..Muddy roads.. We had to stop and wait about 30 minutes for the other lane to pass. then it was our turn 10mph over and thru potholes and mud and bumps and dips..Then we arrived at the Yellowstone South entrance..golden acess..or pay $25.00 for a 7 day pass. We entered and drove pass many beautiful sights..Buffalo again. We got to all the campgrounds and found them to be FULL!!!

We went out the west gate to West Yellowstone. We found the camps to be full also, then we saw a sign for another down this dirt road..6 miles of washboard rumble strips. 5 mph even tossed our drinks out of the cupholders.#$%^**&^^%#@#. The dust storm behinds us was covering the van/airstream. I found if I drove 30mph the bumps smoothed out..still there but more calm? We arrived and they had a site for us..$38.00 a nite water/electric. I am tired and not yet irritable but close!!!!! Carol starts supper and we calm down..what was supposed to be 58 miles turned into 225 miles of searching. You should see the Airstream & Van ..Covered in a pile of dust..Also the big mirrow on the wall fell off and onto the kitchen floor. Guess what? , it didn't break..yeah..yeah, No Bad Luck!!!

July 29,Wednesday, A much better day!! We leave early to return to a camp "Bakers' Hole" that we liked yesterday. We found "one" site available with electric...I took it and parked then registered. $14.00 & 6.00/electric= $20.00 but Golden Acess is 1/2 remember?? So We pay $7.00 & 6.00/electric =$13.00/nite..wow..I paid for 8 nites..$104.00. We are in the pines..65* and cool with electric. I also have slow wi-fi and cell phone service. So this is our Base Camp for 8 days and we will enter Yellowstone each day to tour the sights.

We enter Yellowstone again, the road scenery is beautiful,we see elk,buffalo, even an Eagle in it's nest. Traffic slows down everytime there is something to see, so we keep our eyes peeled. We pass many geysers along the way, it is something that the thermal water just bubbles and blasts out of the ground. Some are big and small, each have a name for them and some have walkways to tour the geyserholes. We get to Old Faithful Inn and go in ...Wow!! All logs ain the lobby with a 3 story high ceiling and balcony all around. Also a big fireplace/with 4 openings on each side. And a fire is going in one of them. We then go outside to see Old Faithful at work..soon time..we wait about 15 minutes..There She Blows!! Awesome sight of steam high in the air. Then back to camp.ZZZZZZ

Check out more pictures added to Tetons http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/TetonsWy#
God Bless...AirstreamHobo & Carol

The Grand Tetons of Wyoming

July 24,Friday, Time to leave Cheyenne, off we go on Rt 80 west..winding up and down hills..did I say hills, I meant Mountains!!! Every hill top gave us a view into the future highway way out there as to where we are going. We traveled to Rt 191 north and folowed that for a long way to Pinedale,Wy. along the Wind River Range of mountains to a nice little campground facing the spectacular view of the range. The owner said they were still 75 miles north of us. Today was 353 miles, time for a rest.

After supper we just rested watching the traffic..not much but some. There was an osprey nest at the end of the our row high on a pole. She was feeding her young and did not like me walking around the nest taking pictures.
Next morning we did the weekly laundry here at the camp..all new machines and nice laundry room. I got to talk to one of the fulltimers here, he works on the gas line that construction is building here. He seemed to like it but it does take him away from his family.

We finally pull out at noon an head for Jackson Hole..about 80 miles from here. Long lonely highways ..speed limit is 75mph here...wow...would you believe that we saw a state trooper pulled over a speeder??? Come on... it's 75 mph how fast do you need to go??

We arrive about 4pm at Gros Ventre campground ..they have a few spots open, we go in and pick a spot then sign in ..then park..the other 4 camps in Grand Tetons are full, so we are lucky!! No hook-ups, with Golden Acess we stay for $9.50/nite, we decide to stay till tues ..3 nites. The sites are nice , we are in the second row and can see the Tetons from our site. I fire up the generator to fully charge my batteries..no generator after 8pm. zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Yesterday, the lady(Ranger) at the office gave us a map for a great drive today, so we left at 11am for an awesome drive around a loop for 73 miles with pull offs for sightseeing the huge Tetons & wildlife. We see buffalo again tie up traffic,then off to the Mormon Row of village barns (abandon) for a great view against the mountains...WOW..is all I can say!! Then we arrive at Jackson Lake Lodge for lunch. Buffalo Burgers are on the menu, so we order them. Carol says do you think we saw this buffalo when he was alive(grin). The lodge has a Big Bay Picture window wall looking at the Tetons..WOW again..

After lunch we head on down to Jenny Lake...another great view...click..click.. every turn in this scenic drive just demands more stops for pictures. The it starts to rain a little...we come across alot of people standing along the road watching...a mother Moose and calf grazing...click..click.. the Tetons look awesome with storm clouds all around the peaks..click..click. I won't tell you how many shots I took today..but it was plenty!!! Back to camp..will go back tomorrow for more of the drive. I did see 4 airstreams today without ### on them. Now it's raining and into the sun it looks like snow coming down. I can smell fire pits burning all over and people are still standing around..the rain stopped. zzzzzzzzzzzz Photos......http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/TetonsWy#

God Bless..AirstreamHobo & Carol

July 23, Thursday, After eating breakfast, we head downtown for the Big Cheyenne Frontier Days Parade. We find parking one block from where we want to sit..Free...some were charging $4.00 to park in their lots, but there was plenty of space on the side streets. We find a spot on the curb to sit on the shade side of the street. It is getting Hot today..high in the 90's. I walk around because we have time before it starts. I take pictures around town of the cowboys, trucks, buildings,etc. I find a bootmaker and he shows me his finished product, a beautiful red,white boot..$1,800.00 Wow...He said it lasts a lifetime(I hope So!). Then another cowboy sells me a chance on a Winchester Rifle...What am I going to do with it..I never owned a gun. Oh well I just made a donation.

Now the parade begins... Lots of cowboys...horse drawn wagons of the old west...antique cars..clowns..can can girls, firetrucks, Local & State government officals..even the Governor is here. The wagons were beautiful. Lots of horse riders all decked out in silver outfits. There was even an old car saying "Cheyenne or Bust!!" on the side, that was my favorite. There was a float with military wives and kids with big pictures and signs with tribute to their dads serving in Irag. No dry eyes here!! Thye parade lasts an hour and 15 minutes with no gaps..very well done as a tribute to Cheyenne Days!!

Back to camp for lunch and a quick nap...then off to the rodeo..we see cowboys in action ..you know the classes of competition..bull riding, bucking horses,calf roping, barrel racing, etc. That was a fast 3 hours , the stands were full of spectators, we had the shady and windy side,cool but hot sun. We then walked around the midway and had Sirlion tips dinner, it was made at one of those out door bar-b-que pits. It was very filling,tips,potatoes,onions, fried mushrooms,green beans...mmm good!

Then we walked over past the Chuck Wagon Displays..Looks like a Tailgate party from long ago? These people sure get into the western theme with out door cooking and baking competition. We then stop at the indian reservation to look at some crafts,then back to camp.I think the Heat is getting to both of us...still 90* here. Tomorrow we leave for Jackson Hole and the Tetons...till then .. http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/CheyenneFrontierDays#

See my Album on Cheyenne Days...its a lot of photos
God Bless ....AirstreamHobo and Carol

The Air Force ThunderBirds

July 22, Wednesday, This am we catch a bus at the local mall as there is no cars allowed on the airport fields. The buses run very fast and there is hardly any waiting, we arrive within 10 minutes at the Air Show. We are stranded on the bus because the ThunderBirds are moving soon on the runway...sucks..I wanted to take pictures. They change their minds(security) and let us off, but must stay on the field before the security tent..we all said ...Yes Sir !!! and Thanks for letting us see off the bus!

The ThunderBirds then cross the runway in front of us and prepare for take off..WOW!! Awesome Power!! We then go thru security.. very quick .. the airport is filled with all kinds of Planes on Display and Flight show at noon. I am dissappointed though...the ThunderBird show is 3 miles away at the Local College(less houses we are told) But we see them form here and can easily see them in flight. Also we get to see them take off and land back here with much fanfare here. I am told later that we see a much better show here. There is so much on display here..Navy..Air Force..National Guard all have stands. There is custom motorcycle here & even a Big Monster Truck( Both by the Air Force). The food stands are plentiful and good prices too!! We had Papa Johns' pizza for lunch, with sodas. It is HOT here so we load up on sun screen and wear hats and drink plenty of water too!! Did I tell you this Air Show was all FREE??? Hey, don't blame me!! They did this because I am in town..Thanks Frontier Days Celebration for the Free Show!!

Noon time ...The Show begins with parachute jumps..smoke and flags..impressive!! Then the vintage planes and jets give us a show. I don't know all the makes, just know they are fine running planes!! The show lasts till 3:30 and we bus back to the mall within 30 minutes...see I told you it was fast... Culvers for afternnon supper then back to the airstream to relax..Retirement is hard on our old bodies. Tomorrow is a fullday too!! Stay tuned, we will fill you in then ...Fun..Fun...Fun.. is plannned!! Can't wait ...
God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

Indian Dances at Cheyenne Frontier Days .....

July 21, Tuesday, Rise and shine at 6:30 am Leave at 7:30 for Cheyenne. The parade starts at 9:30 and I would like to see it. Well we arrive at 9:30 and the parade has started, there is another one on thurs am. We went to the camp ground on the premises...no hook ups.. but close to everything. The charge is $25.00/nite and we can walk to the gate.

We walk over after setting up to see the sights. There is cowboys /girls everywhere. There is a western town strip mall(?)along the fence behind the Rodeo Arena, Shops are full of cowboy/western things, like a little flea market of crafts. We walk in and out of the shops and down at the end is an Indian Village setting. There is a free show about to start, the indains show us various dances and songs. After the 1/2 hour show they also have a craft row of indian things,pottery,jewelry,shirts,furs,and of course food stands. Then we have a Indian Taco Salad for dinner ..one plate was enough for two of us...mmm.. good.

It is getting hot and the locals tellus to keep drinking liquids because of the higher altitudes and the heat. We walk over to the midway to see more craft/junk stands and lots of rides for the kiddies/teenagers too. We are tired so we walk back to the airstream to catch a nap. I set uo the honda.generator so we have electric, we may run it from 6am till 10pm each day. That will keep the batteries up for the nights. Tomorrow the Thunderbirds have an AirShow for free, they were practicing fly bye's today...Loud!! Tonite we will relax to get ready for tomorrow..Air Show and the Rodeo too. God Bless AirstreamHobo & Carol

Bison ...First..Remember That!!

July 20, Monday, Today we pack up to leave for Cheyene,WY. But first I stop in at the Fire House in the campground. They have the trucks out in the yard doing repairs to one of them. I talked to one of the fireman and he says he has been to Calif. and also Alabama. They get calls for forest fires all over the USA. The trucks are mostly brush trucks holding 3 men and go!! Now we are ready to leave, we turn right out of the camp go 1/2 block and stop at another camp. Why? I wanted to see and ask about their set-up. This is a Horse Camp, people bring their horsetrailer/camper to this area and camp with their horses and go riding on the trails around here...cool ..the owner said this is a fun camp once you get used to the Smell.

Now we are on our way...well.. we run into a herd of Bison 200 strong..click..click.. traffic is at a stand still.. we work our way thru after about an hour down time. We head for Custer,S.D. then east on Rt 16 then in New Castle we head south on Rt 85.. We pass thousands of acres of deadly forrest fire damage. What a shame the hills are so barren and will take decades to recover. When we turn on Rt 85 south the sign says "no services' for 81 miles, and they ain't lying. Just a long highway passing ranches of thousands of acres. Not many neighbors to fight with? We arrive in Lingle and turn right toward Laramie to a RV park, We arrive shortley after 3 for the night about 190 miles today...thats my limit.... This is a Passport America park,so 50% off our total is $14.99 for 30 amp/water. This is an old KOA and is an old park but nice about 30 rigs are here. Even free Wi-Fi too!! Tomorrow we are leaving at 7 am for Cheyene for the morning Parade at 9:30, I hope we make it..Cowboys,Indians, and the Wild West!!! Maybe I will take a few pictures..Make sure you catch up on my albums..now downloaded ....Any Comments???

http://picasaweb.google.com/AirstreamHobo/CusterStateParkNeedlesHighway#

God Bless..... AirstreamHobo & Carol