Got dem ol' Kosmic Blues again, Mama, St. Louie blues that is!

September 30, 2010 – We wrapped up September with a six-hour drive to St. Louis, Missouri.  We passed through Kansas City (Allison & Angie – I thought of you when we stopped at a gas station that was selling TONS of Wizard of Oz memorabilia) and Sedalia, Missouri (Carol, isn’t this where you went to the rock concert another life ago?) finally checking into the Drury Hotel upon the suggestion of Helen & Jim Riley.  GREAT suggestion – we could have fun without even leaving the hotel!  Most of the best shots (attached) of the St. Louis Arch were taken right from our hotel room!  We did walk to the Arch and rode one of those little pods up to the top.  It’s the highest monument in the U.S. – 630 feet high!!!  

We got back to the hotel in time for the Drury Happy Hour – 3 free drinks per person AND enough hot appetizers to provide us a good base before hitting the blues bars downtown (Mom always says to eat before you drink!).  On our walk, we got tied up with the crowd for the Cardinals' game which was fun plus, we took a "bike taxi" which is where some poor girl peddled our butts to a bar we were looking for while we sat in comfy seats watching her! The blues bars were phenomenal – thanks to our nephew, Mark, Joe & I looked like cool blues patrons because we had Mark texting us songs to request J  (Thanks, Mark, they didn’t know Honey Hush but did know Killing Floor).  You could  have bet me that Joe & I would be dancing with a bunch of locals in a blues bar and I would have said, “no way”, but there we were . . . cuttin’ a rug, ha!  

This is a pic of Joe & I walking back to our hotel from the blues bars . . . we were a little lit, ha!

Next stop . . . St. Joseph, Michigan to see my brother, John, and sister-in-law, Pam.

Going to Kansas City, Kansas City here we come!

September 29, 2010 – Our hotel was so nice that we opted for a late start to take advantage of the amenities J they had a nice pool but I skipped a swim to do a much needed load of laundry!  Once again, we spent the day traveling through mountains, BUT, we also viewed the beautiful Colorado River! I can’t believe how nice it was to see water!  We stopped to wade it in for a while.  It’s so clear and clean and as cold as Lake Superior.  I stood in it until my feet were numb (yes, those Freddie Flintstone feet that I posted a couple of days ago – that picture was for my friends so they could see my infamous Freddie feet enjoying vacation).  It was killing Joe to see all of the fisherman lining the streams as we drove by, especially since he’s missing the end of brookie season.  He’ll have to clean up on Salmon and Steelhead in October!!  We were thinking of our downhill skiing friends as we travelled through Vail and the other ski resorts of Colorado. We drove 11 hours today and so far have put on over 6,000 miles on this trip.

We're bedded down in Salinas, Kansas, hoping to get an early start in the a.m.

On the Road Again

September 28, 2010 – We spent our last few hours in Las Vegas floating around the lazy river at the MGM Grand Pool.   It was a hot morning, already in the 90’s.  As we cruised out-of-town, we both agreed that Vegas was a good stop.  We set the GPS to Michigan and began a long day of driving through mountains.  We’re realizing that in each state the mountain ranges look different but they are all beautiful!  We are missing water though – we can’t wait to see Lake Superior!!  We’re settled in for the night in Grand Junction, Colorado.

There was a "controlled burn" fire in the mountains of Utah.

Viva Las Vegas!!!!

September 27, 2010 – Has it only been a day?  It feels like a week!  We’ve done sooooo much in the last 24+ hours!!  Highlights include hopping the monorail from casino to casino checking out the sites, walking many MILES, lunch at Harrah’s at Las Vegas Rio, swimming in one of our FIVE pools, watching the Packer game with a bunch of crazed sports fans (it was such a close game!!!!!), playing a few slot machines and, best of all, attending the Cirque Du Soleil show entitled, “The Beatles Love”.  This show alone made the trip to Vegas worth it.  It was unbelievable!!!  Joe & I were both so impressed and recommend it to EVERYONE!!

 

My pillow is calling me . . . Good-night!

Gettin' our kicks on Route 66

 September 26, 2010 – Wow, what a day!!!  We were able to travel on the infamous Route 66 (anyone our age will remember the TV series) while on the way to the Grand Canyon . . . all I can say about the Canyon is that it certainly is GRAND!!  I’ve never felt so small in my life!  I confess that I have a little fear of heights and, of course, Joe doesn’t.  He was getting tired of me holding the back of his shirt while he was on the edge of the Canyon taking pictures (Anne & Tony – it was as scary as standing on that glass bottomed ledge off the old Sears Tower in Chicago!)  Once again, the pictures don’t do the beauty of the scenery justice – it’s breathtaking!!!! Louise, if you’re reading this – I missed you at the Grand Canyon! Thelma J

  

 

We were sitting in the parking lot of the Grand Canyon, setting the GPS for St. Louis, Missouri when we made an impulse decision . . . we scratched St. Louis and New Orleans and are headed to Vegas!!  We’ve never gambled too much so never had this on our destination list, but, there’s so much to do there that we decided, “Why Not?”  (Don’t worry, Allison & Angie, we will be VERY cautious!).  We checked into our hotel, the MGM Grand on the strip – it’s so impressive.  We walked and walked and walked tonight - more exploring tomorrow.  Our guide, Kristen, is texting us with sights not to miss :-)