Lazy Day

No news today. We are resting from the trip, and Kathy was battling a 24-hour bug. I have two days of catching up on email, Instagram, Facebook, and do-lists.

I realized it's seldom that we give ourselves the time we actually need to deal with all the clutter in our heads. With Kathy being sick yesterday and at work today, I have had the opportunity to do just that. It's like a bonus. With that said, today's post is really this brief with nothing else to report.

I'm going back to mental cleansing!

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 10 Batavia, NY to Norfolk, MA

We've arrived!

We've reached the end of our cross-country trip and have arrived in Kathy's new home in Norfolk, MA. We traveled 4110 miles (because we didn't take a direct route), saw some amazing scenery, visited with family, and have wonderful memories of the trip.

Kathy drove the entire way and can now say she has driven across the country. Yay! Industrial strength Dramamine handle all the mountains and winding roads, so I was able to take in all the scenery and get lots of pictures of this amazingly beautiful country.

The stop in Niagara Falls was a great topper for the trip. It really is quite something, and although the foliage colors were past peak, there was still a lot of incredible color.

The last day was through upstate NY via I-90, so we saw more fall color. Again, we were too late for the reds, but there is still plenty of gold and yellow left on those mountains! (Hills?)

Both of us commented on the heighth of the trees here vs. west coast. Although both sets of mountains are covered in trees, they are short here on the east coast. The trees in the Pacific Northwest and in western Montana are huge!!! I would definitely recommend seeing them with your own eyes to appreciate their grandeur. 

It has been quite the trip! Now we will rest, unpack, and probably continue to eat too much until I head back to the southland (and heat - ugh) on Satuday.

A few random shots from our travels:

Thanks for stopping by!

Day 9 Cuyahoga Falls, OH to Batavia, NY

Today was mostly an "unplanned" day. Our first stop was Cuyahoga Falls National Park (who knew?), where we did a quick drive-thru and got our National Parks Passports stamped.  (Note, if you don't already know: if you are at least 62, you pay a one-time fee of $10 to get your senior pass, then get into all the parks for free for the rest of your life.) (also, contribute to the park system by buying a passport to keep track of where you've been.) 

Then we decided to go here:

It's quite impressive, indeed! After 8 days of mostly sitting on our keisters in the car, we actually got in a bunch of walking. It was cold and, of course, misty, but we enjoyed the visit tremendously. A great way to (almost) end the drive across the country.  Today is our last day of driving. We will arrive at Kathy's new home in Norfolk, MA.  Quite a change for her after living a bunch of years in the California climate. I expect to eat lots of "lobstah" before I fly home on Saturday. Hopefully my clothes will still fit when I'm ready to board!

What a country! Everything you could possibly imagine is here to see and discover. Beautiful! Treat yourself to a drive from coast to coast one day. You won't be disappointed!

Thanks for stopping by!

Day 8 Northbrook, IL to Cuyahoga Falls, OH

We stopped here for a visit with Kathy's parents. The terrain is not as flat, although there are still vast amounts of corn. Everywhere. Corn. Who knew? We've seen corn fields across multiple states now.  Miles and miles of it. It is being harvested as we pass through. Even though I realize how many people there are in the world, it's still hard to fathom that much corn actually being used. Corn starch, corn syrup, feed, corn meal, corn as corn (what a concept!). It's mind boggling.

The last two stops have been visits with family, but today we will be heading to an adventure other than the road trip itself. We are seeing some fall color, still mostly gold with a bit of red, but we are about a week late for the Big Fall Show. It's all good!  The weather has been In the high 60s/low 70s, but that will change today. Time to bundle up a bit!

A couple of color shots

The place where we had breakfast (Georgey V's) had an art display  from one of the local schools (can't remember if it was high school or junior high). I was intrigued by the masks, but all their art is great. So glad to see this being encouraged!

And again we're off! Tune in tomorrow to find out where it is that we had to bundle up.

 Thanks for stopping by!

Day 7 Fairmont, MN to Northbrook, IL

(Northbrook is a Chicago 'burb)

The photos are not syncing as they should, so it could be a no-picture day unless something magical happens between the beginning and end of this post.

We are safe for Starbucks this morning! 5 in walking distance. Where! After yesterday's withdrawal, we will be able to feed our Starbucks addiction with ease.

The drive was nothing to speak of. Flat, flat, flat! I didn't expect that for some reason.  At least I'm adding states to my list of "been there". We passed through Wisconsin, so that gets added as well. The terrain did change once we got almost across Wisconsin - not so much flat. There is also still some color on the trees, although it's mostly the golds and yellows. The reds seem to have already turned to brown. 

This pic was taken in the yard of Kathy's cousins, where we spent the night. The pinks are surprising.

More tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by.

Day 6 Rapid City, SD to Fairmont, MN

The weather is surprisingly warm, but cool enough to be pleasant. Except for the trip through Montana, we've had lovely weather all the way....so far.  Montana's beauty made up for the lousy weather there, at least the western part of it.

Today was more views of miles and miles of fields, corn being harvested, and more hay than I knew there was on the planet.  Seriously.  Very flat up here! 

We started yesterday with a trip to Badlands National Park (where it definitely isn't flat). The rock formations are really quite cool, and the layers offer a touch of color.

And it's vast!

It was an interesting visit. 

We're off again to our next stop, where they know how to spell my name. :). Thanks for stopping by!

Day 5 Bozeman MT to Rapid City, SD

I almost forgot to write a post!

We took a different route. We were going to go through North Dakota, but there were no hotel rooms in Bosmark! Who knew?

Anyway here are a few pics from the ride.  We saw lots oand lots of fields, and lots and lots of hay. Western Montans certainly has it over the eastern portion!

This was our. I've from Starbucks.  

The rest of the way we saw this:

How (not) thrilling. But not everything can be gorgeous.  Zoom in on the next pic and you will see the welcome to Wyoming sign. We only nipped a corner, the. Onward to South Dakota.

Now we are on our way again. Stay tuned!  Thanks for stopping by.