Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
March Daily Photo Challenge
Goodbye March…..Hello April…..and spring!!!
Here is the March Daily Photo Topic List and the photos I took to represent the topics!
April’s Daily Photo Challenge Topic List is something a little different…..every day I’ll need to look for and capture a glimmer of joy or hope… Something desperately needed in these trying times… I look forward to the challenge! Here it is:
February Daily Photo Challenge
Here are all the February Daily Photo Challenge Topic Photos……It was a LONG, COLD, SNOWY month, but, it’s over and the sun is shining and the weather forecast seems to be improving for March!!! AND….daylight savings time begins next Sunday so we’ll begin to have more daylight hours…..not to mention the first day of spring is just a few short weeks away!!! Life is good, indeed!!!
First — the February List to refer to – the topics followed the alphabet with two “free choice” topics to round out the last two days of the month:
And, now for the March topic list…..check back to see what I do with it!
Maybe now that the sun is shining more and the weather is looking up and my spirits are returning to a normal level, I just might start posting more frequently!!! ???
January Daily Photo Challenge
Well, January sure turned out to be a long and cold YEAR!!! hahaha! Just kidding – sort of – it did really seem to last a whole lot longer than 31 days! But, it’s over….or will be in a few hours!
Here are the photos I chose to represent each of the Daily Photo Challenge Topics listed in the graphic above.
And….here’s February’s Daily Photo Topic List….we’re doing the alphabet!
December Daily Photo Challenge
December…..the last month of the year! Here are the photos I chose to represent each of the Daily Photo Challenge Topics listed in the graphic above.
And, here are January’s Topics……can’t wait to see what photos are created to represent them!
12-20-24 Mystery Tour
Yep, it’s Mystery Tour time, again! You know I love these very special day trips…..we pay a fee – in today’s case: $169 – and are only told what time the bus will be departing, that we won’t be more than four hours away, that we’ll have a delicious lunch, and what time we’re expected to return….the rest is a mystery!!! I try to go every time First Choice Travel offers one…..this year, they did three with this being the third and last one for 2024 and I participated in all three of them.
So, sit back and enjoy the ride….here are all the mysteries of the day for December 20th:
The weather forecast was a bit concerning for me….my weather app said the snow fall prediction was “51% for 2-4 inches” and “49% for 1-3 inches”…..so, sounded like a “your guess is as good as mine” prediction! But….I wasn’t the one driving and it didn’t sound like it was going to be that much of an issue for a big motor coach, so I made a joke about it on Facebook and moved on! As it turned out, it was just fine….the weather cooperated! It did snow, but lightly….it was enough to make everything “Christmas-y” – a nice Winter Wonderland so to speak, but not enough to hinder any activities at any of the mystery stops and certainly didn’t make driving or visibility difficult for our capable driver, John!
The motor coach pulled out of our meeting spot in Batavia at the planned time of 7:30 am (which means I was up at 5:30 am so I could get ready and make it to Batavia in time for everyone to begin boarding the bus at 7:00 am). It was a slightly smaller group this time – probably due to the time of year and unpredictable weather – there were, I believe, 28 on the motor coach ready and excited to find out where our wonderful tour manager, Kathy was going to take us and what we were going to see!
OK, so two mysteries solved – we knew snow would be involved and we got on the Thruway going EAST!
We made a quick rest stop at the Fort Byron Service Area on the Thruway for those who needed coffee, potty breaks, or other sustenance….I picked up the Breakfast of Champions offering and we got back on the road.
MYSTERY STOP # 1
Our first mystery stop was in Cazenovia, NY at the Lorenzo House – a State Historic Site overlooking beautiful Cazenovia Lake. In 1790, John Lincklaen, an agent of the Holland Land Company, planned a village on the shores of what was then known by the Oneida as Owegehaga lake and name the village and lake Cazenovia. After his first home was lost to a fire, John and his wife built this 1807 Federal style home he named Lorenzo – it is now a stunning museum available for our enjoyment. Since it was built, the home was continually occupied by the Lincklaen/Ledyard family for five generations until the property and it’s contents were transferred to New York State in 1968. So, it is filled with many original pieces of furniture and décor that remained in the home and was passed down along the generations, greatly reducing the need for those who restored the property to search for and solicit important artifacts that had been removed over the years.
We arrived at the Lorenzo House about 10:15 and spent about two hours touring the home, Carriage House (now the Welcome Center), and a small gift shop. I understand that during the warmer seasons, the grounds are a maze of stunning gardens and lawn with breathtaking views of Cazenovia Lake. The property spans about 80 acres and there is also a school house on the property that we did not see. Click here for their website to get more information.
Here are the photos I took of the mansion and grounds….each room was beautifully decorated for Christmas!
The staff throughout the tour were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The director said a few words of welcome and then another staff member gave us a brief history of the family and their home.
There were a few jokes throughout the day about putting snow tires or chains on the walkers used….but, I did just fine with mine!!! My trusty travel companion never fails to assist me when there is a lot of walking or standing involved…..I take it with me on trips like these where I can just leave it on the bus if not needed, but have it available if my back needs a little help!
MYSTERY STOP # 2
After taking in all the magnificence of Lorenzo House, we were ready for lunch! So, the second mystery of the day was where we headed next – a fabulous lunch at the Lincklaen House in downtown Cazenovia! And if you picked up on the name connection with Stop # 1, you’re right…..same historic family from the early days of Cazenovia! The Lincklaen House – an historical landmark – is the oldest grand hotel in Central New York. It has operated for more than 180 years – built in 1835 and opened in 1836.
We could choose between petite filet, chicken, or fish….I had the petite filet! YUM!!! I have actually eaten here once before — at another mystery tour, in fact! It was the lunch stop on the Fall 2023 tour where we went to the Chittenango area to visit the Land of Oz and other cool mystery stops. The lunch and venue was so awesome that the planners of this tour decided to book lunch there again – repeat venues are rare on these mystery tours, but if you find a great place to eat, you keep it in mind!!! I even chose the same meal option that I chose last time…..and it did not disappoint!!!
I didn’t think to take a photo of the building this time, so this is the one I took when we were there in the fall of 2023….notice there is no snow! hehehe And, actually, it would have been hard to get a good shot even if I had thought of it this time because the bus was parked right there on the street!
Petite Filet with a béarnaise sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans
The meal began with a HUGE and deliciously “eggy” warm popover with honey butter – OMG – YUM!!! Some asked for seconds…..I resisted, but it was a terrible hardship to do so!!! Then we had a salad and the meal was finished with an apple crisp type dessert with vanilla ice cream. Everything was absolutely delicious – including the mint medley tea I chose as my beverage!
MYSTERY STOP # 3
After lunch we drove to Seneca Falls where we spent about an hour at Sauders – an Amish grocery, deli, bakery, crafts, etc…..cool shopping experience! It was huge and full of the most amazing baked goods, homemade candy, fresh meats and produce, and beautiful works of art in the form of quilts, furniture, craft items, etc. We were there from about 3:30 to almost 4:30 and everyone on the bus left with something they just had to have!
I left thinking, “WOW – this is Miller’s on steroids!!!” I am both sad and happy that they aren’t close enough to visit more often….if you get my drift!!! But, if I’m ever in the area, I will definitely stop in again!
As for my purchases at Sauders: I bought a small tray of fudge and this nativity scene that I just knew would be perfect on my hearth — I’d been looking for a nativity this year and couldn’t find anything I liked that was even close to being affordable……then, I found this one for $14.95 and it’s hand crafted, unique, and lovely!!! SCORE!!!
MYSTERY STOP # 4
Our final mystery of the day was a Christmas delight! We arrived in Liverpool, NY a little before 5:30 and drove through the Onondaga Lake “Lights on the Lake” presented by Wegman’s! We drove through about two miles of incredible Christmas light displays – most were animated scenes!!! Spectacular!!! There were various themed sections – like “Under The Sea”, “The Land of Oz”, animals, fairy tales, and holiday delights. It took us about a half hour to drive through and I was sad when we got to the end and had to leave!
Unfortunately, because of the glare on the bus windows and the fact that we were moving (albeit slowly) these are the only photos that came out decently…..so you’ll need to take my word for it…..it truly was simply amazing!!! If you’re looking for a light show, this one is WELL worth the drive to the Syracuse area!!! I think it is about a two hour or so drive….so worth it!!!
On the way home, we watched “The Christmas Chronicles” with Kurt Russell — fun movie – I’ve never seen it, before, but always wanted to – not sure why I hadn’t, but now that I have, I’ll need to find the sequel and watch that….and, we also discovered there is a third in the series that has just recently been released!
We made a final quickie stop at a thruway service area for a break and some grabbed some dinner at the Shake Shack that was inside the facility – I had a chicken sandwich that was amazing!!! I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten at a Shake Shack, but will if the opportunity arises, again!
We got back to Batavia right about 9:00 pm…..it was a long, but wonderful day! Another great Mystery Tour in the history books!!! The weather on the drive from Batavia to my home was slick and a bit tense….I didn’t drive above 40 the whole way and mostly under 40! But, I made it home safe and sound and happy to have shared the day with my fellow Mystery Tour enthusiasts! Can’t wait till they announce the 2025 Mystery dates so I can get my name on the lists before they sell out!
November Daily Photo Challenge
Here are November’s Daily Photo Topics…..all in one place! I didn’t miss a single day, this month!!! Woo Hoo!!! Granted, a couple were archived photos because they were a perfect shot for that day, but only 2 or 3!
The list of topics
And, here’s the December topic list:
October Daily Photo Challenge
Here are the photos I took to represent each of the Daily Photo Challenge Topics in October…..I missed Oct 28-30, but the rest of the days are here!
The List!
And…..here is the November list:
Historic Palace Theater & Movie Review
So, I had a little fun today….after a good night’s sleep, I got up about 8:30 or so, ran a load of laundry, puttered around the house a bit, went to the post office, and then got my “Monday work” done at the church. After that, I headed to Lockport! I made a quick stop at Office Max on Transit Rd and had a nice lunch at the Fieldstone Country Inn – I had the salad bar with a 1/2 corned beef sandwich while I read a few chapters in a new book I started yesterday.
Then, on to the main event……I have heard a lot lately about the Historic Palace Theater in Lockport. I’ve never been there, but keep hearing great things, so I “liked” their Facebook page to watch for something I might be interested in. A couple days ago, I noticed a post advertising the showing of “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” and it sparked my interest – I loved the original “Beetlejuice” and was curious about the sequel! Yeah…..I could have saved a couple bucks by seeing it at Tinseltown on “Senior Day”, but I really wanted to see the Palace Theater more than the movie, itself! hahaha
The theater definitely lived up to my expectations…..it is gorgeous and so “vintage”! Here are some photos I took:
I was the first to arrive for the 4:00 show…..I bought some popcorn (it is against all laws of nature to see a movie in a theater without popcorn) and a coke and chose my seat. It wasn’t long after I took my photos and settled in that others started to arrive…..there were about a dozen by the time the show started….all behind me, which was nice – I felt like I was the only one there and there were no heads in my way!!! 😉
About 20 minutes before the movie started, I was delighted to get to watch a vintage Porky Pig cartoon!!! That was so cool and perfect for the venue!!! After the cartoon, there were several previews of other movies that have recently come out or are about to.
So, did I like the movie? the short answer is YES……but, you know I rarely stick to the short answer! hehehe
I mentioned earlier that I loved the original “Beetlejuice”….I especially loved Michael Keaton in the lead role. So, I was happy to hear there was a sequel in the works and that a few core characters from the original were reprising their roles…..including Michael Keaton as the fantastically evil “Beetlejuice”! And, I was excited about the addition of Jenna Ortega in the role of Lydia Deetz’s (Winona Rider) daughter, Astrid – LOVE her in “Wednesday”.
Both Michael Keaton and Jenna Ortega were excellent in their roles……Winona Rider was good, but I’m not a huge fan of her, so I can’t put her on the same level as the other two. I found Catherine O’Hara irritating, but I usually do in most of her roles and this role was designed to be irritating, so I guess she was good at bringing that to life! LOL
The movie, overall, was good……I still prefer the original story, but was glad I went to see the sequel….it was “weirder” than the original — I know, that seems impossible — hahaha, but it was weirder in a different, more bazaar way. The first 20 minutes or so I kept thinking it was not going to live up to the original, but then it got into the groove and I got more interested. All the parts involving the core characters was good and I found myself getting into their stories. The parts I didn’t care for involved the “side story” of Beetlejuice’s ex-wife – the soul sucker, Delores – and Willem Dafoe’s character, Wolf Jackson — I found that story line to be an unnecessary distraction – it just didn’t “fit” in my never-to-be-humble opinion…..but, fortunately, it was what I would consider a minor weaving throughout the movie…..if it was more prominent, I would not have liked the movie as much.
So — I give it a solid B++…..I liked it and was glad I saw it…..but, there were parts that brought the overall rating down a bit for me.
I will look for other things at the Historic Palace Theater…..I REALLY enjoyed being there and want to find other reasons to go again!!!
10-16-24 Mystery Tour
So I do love a good Mystery Tour! You know what I mean – a day trip where you pay a fee for the privilege of getting on a motor coach early in the morning to go on a day trip that you have ZERO clue as to what you’ll be doing! All you know is that you won’t be more than four hours away and you’ll get a good lunch! That’s it…..no other details are divulged….it’s a leap of faith, but you’re sure to have fun and do some cool stuff!
On October 16th, I did my fourth Mystery Tour with First Choice Travel and I had a BLAST!
I started my morning at 5:00 am and headed to Batavia about 5:45 to have a relaxing breakfast at Settler’s before meeting up with the group.
This is our motor coach in a photo taken at the last stop of the day (no spoilers — you’ll have to wait to read where this actually is)!
Fifty-something (if I remember correctly, it was 55 mystery lovers plus our tour manager, Kathy, and our driver, John) loaded up in Batavia and headed out for the day about 7:45 am. I failed to snatch a photo of our fearless leader, Kathy, but this is our driver, John:
My assigned seat was in the first row directly behind the driver! YAY! Can you say “bird’s eye view, boys and girls”? My seat-mate was Linda – someone I have known through past mystery tours and the last Lancaster trip, so that was cool!
We were concerned about the weather — it was quite brisk, cloudy, and rainy…..but, we didn’t need to be concerned after all…..the rain stopped and the sun came out….it was still cold – mid-40s – but we were mostly inside and with the sun out, it didn’t seem too bad! It turned out to be a very nice day for an adventure!
We headed EAST on the Thruway and then, after a quick rest stop about an hour and a half into the drive, the “guessing frenzy” began…..Kathy got us all riled up trying to guess where the first stop was going to be.
I commented that it would be really funny if we ended up at the brewery in Utica because I have mentioned it to friends several times over the past few weeks – I used to enjoy doing their tour and having an ice cold beer in the old fashioned saloon at the end of the tour and that I would love to plan a trip to do it again, if they are still doing tours – I know they are under new owners……maybe there is a reason I’ve thought about it so often recently!
Finally, we took the Utica exit….and I got excited and some of the other mystery lovers were guessing the brewery! As we drove through Utica, I noticed several statues all along the center median of the street we were on. One, in particular, I tried so hard to get a photo of, but there were trees in the way and I couldn’t get a clear shot of it…..but, it is a Statue of Liberty replica….look close, you’ll see it!!!
The Utica related guesses continued, but…..nope…..no one guessed correctly…..I had the “Utica” part right, but it wasn’t the brewery! Then, we turned onto Utica Zoo Way and the guesses were related to the zoo…..but, nope….not the zoo!
STOP # 1:
The John S. Dyson New York Energy Zone located next to the Utica Zoo in Utica! The Energy Zone is a really cool interactive museum – from their brochure: “Powerful journey through the Past, Present, and Future of Electricity! A fully immersive, hand-on science center with more than 40 interactive exhibits, and eye-popping 3D movie, and Free admission!” It’s a part of the NY Power Authority and very enjoyable!
We split into two groups — 1/2 of us went through the interactive exhibits and the other 1/2 watched the 12 minute 3D movie and then we switched…..more on the movie in a bit!
One of the interactive exhibits was a room called “Future of Energy” or something like that…..you walk inside and it has a show on the walls — lightening bolts and an eclectically charged figure that danced and flashes of views and backgrounds related to electricity…..it BEGGED me to make some selfies!!! LOL The blue lighting wasn’t ideal for great photos, but here are a few…..
After my selfie fun, I went in to watch the 3D movie…..that was great! I love 3D anyway and this was fun! It was about some students learning about the history of energy and the professor was telling them about Edison and Tesla and their inventions…..one of the students put her hands on an energy source and finds herself back in time and face to face with Tesla himself! She manages to bring him back to the present to show him all the amazing things that his genius resulted in…..she takes him to Niagara Falls and to see the lights in New York City and so much more – all in an electric vehicle! He was mesmerized by it all…..and then he decided it was time to go back to his own time and the movie was over!
On the way out, I took some photos of the view overlooking Utica:
Also – while driving through Utica, we saw some of the biggest, most beautiful mansions…..just gorgeous!!! And, the drive to stop # 2 was met with a detour that took us down some winding, steep roads that had incredible views and parts of our drive was along the edge of stunning lakes! If nothing else happened that day, the views as we drove were worth every penny and minute of the trip!!!
STOP # 2:
Cooperstown – the Otesaga Resort Hotel for lunch and then time to shop and wander around downtown Cooperstown! Otesaga Resort is a stunning hotel overlooking Otsego Lake minutes from downtown Cooperstown, NY. They put us in a beautiful banquet room with an incredible buffet lunch….including garden salad, shrimp and crab salad, a pasta dish, fish, roast pork, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, and more…..my favorite was the potato leek soup — OMG —- so good!!! Then, there was an assorted dessert table that was a pleasure to view and sample!!!
When we arrived, John maneuvered the motor coach up a long, narrow entrance to the front entrance…..we were greeted by someone who told John he came to the wrong entrance and directed him around to the back, which was an even more majestic entrance facing the lake — breathtaking!
After we ate, we drove a couple blocks to Main Street to walk off our lunch……I love Cooperstown! I was there in September 2013 and have often thought of going back, so I really enjoyed the walk along Main St. The motor coach was parked at one end of the historic downtown area so we could walk down one side a few blocks to the Baseball Hall of Fame and then back up the opposite side back to the bus. It was a joy to see all the sights again…..we only had about an hour to wander around and shop, so there wasn’t time to go in any of the museums or the Hall of Fame, but seeing them all brought back such fond memories of my visit in 2013.
Cooperstown is such a quaint, lovely town…..very baseball themed because of the National Baseball Hall of Fame located there. It is nicknamed “America’s Hometown” and it boasts having “America’s Perfect Main Street”…..it is quite picturesque and feels very “All American” and welcoming. There is so much to do in Cooperstown, too…..in addition to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, there is also a Farmer’s Museum and the Fenimore Art Museum, festivals, breweries, restaurants, and more. Makes me definitely want to put a return visit on my “to do” list to spend more time revisiting all the fun things I did in 2013 and things I didn’t get to on either visit!
We often find that our drivers enjoy our mystery adventures as much or more than we do…..when we got back to the bus after our stroll around town, we found this on the dashboard of the bus:
STOP # 3:
Fly Creek Cider Mill near Cooperstown. This was a wonderful stop…..cidery, bakery, snack bar, tasting room, fudge, shopping…..and lots of cool stuff to look at in and around the property! We were greeted by one of the owners of this multi-generational family business and he told us all about the history and the operation of their orchards and mill.
We were each given a $5 voucher to use as we pleased. After tasting the fresh cider they made from a blend of five different apples, I used my voucher to purchase some to take home, as well as a block of homemade fudge. And, then, as if I needed more to eat after that incredible lunch….I had a fresh warm cider donut and a cup of fresh pressed hot sweet cider!!! So good – the hot cider really hit the spot on the chilly day!!!
In the back, there was a little pond with ducks and awesome views:
The autumn colors were out in force…..and we saw a spectacular sunset on the drive back…..these photos were taken through the window of the motor coach while driving along – often with glare and resulting in muting the vibrancy of the images, so they aren’t very good pictures, but I couldn’t NOT share them to give you an idea of how lovely everything we saw all day was!!!
Like I said earlier…..if none of the other fun and interesting things happened, the stunning views we got to see on the drive to and from made the whole trip worth every minute and penny spent!
We arrived back in Batavia about 9:00 pm and I got home about 9:30…..totally exhausted and satisfied from another grand adventure with all the mysteries of the day!!! The next Mystery Tour is scheduled in December and I’m booked and looking forward to it!!!
2024 South Dakota Adventure # 3
Continuing on with the South Dakota Adventure I did September 13-23, 2024! Again….don’t worry — you don’t necessarily have to read these in order, but it might flow a bit better if you read # 1 and 2 first…..but it really won’t be confusing to do them out of order.
When I closed out post # 2, we just finished the last night in the Baymont hotel in Sturgis and now we’ll be starting the drive toward home.
Day # 8 – Friday, September 20th: Last night was our last night in the Rapid City / Sturgis area. I repacked my overnight bag – the one that I will take in to the hotels each night on our drive back home – with the clothes I’ll need for the next three days (four counting this day, but the overnight bag didn’t have those clothes in it – I wore them!)
This was the day I was waiting for!!! I finally get to see the Badlands again! If you haven’t been reading these posts in order, I’ll mention here that getting to visit the Badlands once again was one of the main reasons I decided to go on this trip…..it turned out that there was WAY more than just the Badlands that made the trip amazing and we did a TON of things that were “new to me” (not something I saw or did on my other two trips to the area), but I was still primarily excited to visit this particular spot! It is one of my most favorite places in the world…..it does have a lot of competition – many places are way up there on my list of awesome places, but for some reason, this one sticks out as an extra special memory for me. And, it didn’t disappoint me to go back!
What time did we need to have our luggage loaded and get on the bus? Yep…..8:15…..8:15…..8:15…..8:15!!! I really regret not getting a video of the bus chanting our “back on the bus” song….it’s a key part of our trip and just can’t be described in writing! we left about 8:30 and arrived at the Badlands about 10:00 am.
First – here’s a photo of me in 2024 (left) and 2016 (right) and my very favorite photo of the Badlands taken in 2016 – in fact, my favorite photo of the entire cross country motorhome trip it was part of and maybe my favorite photo of all time…..it was taken when I happened to turn around and saw my brother and sister-in-law hugging while looking out over the beautiful valley in the Badlands – I snapped it quick before they moved!!!!
We made a couple stops at overlooks, but mostly drove through the park with the buttes and valleys and spires all around us – what awesome views we had! Photos can never do justice to this kind of spectacular beauty, but even the photos I took through the bus window are undeniable that this is God’s majestic artistry right here before our very eyes! I could not help but be overwhelmed with emotion and love and awe and just WOW……looking at the splendor of it all! My only regret is that I couldn’t see in every direction at the same time – the fact that I could not do that meant that I was missing some of it…..
There is another route through the park that takes you along the ridge that looks down into the deep valleys that is superb….but, it is a gravel, dusty, bumpy road that is not at all suitable for a bus – we took the motorhome down it in 2016 and, while we absolutely don’t regret it, we did have a rough go of it. However, the paved route is just as spectacular….just a different perspective – one that is just as amazing in it’s own way!
These striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds throughout the park’s 244,000 acres protecting an expanse of mixed-grass prairie. The name, as I understand it, came from the first Native American settlers who, when they came across this section of the prairie and saw that nothing could grow or thrive there, gave it their name for “Bad Land”, which became The Badlands.
So — following is my attempt at showing restraint in not posting every photo I took and trying (poorly, I’m sure) in just posting the very best of the ones I took:
Ok….so restraint is not my strong suit when it comes to stuff like this…..I can’t pick just a few…..each photo is so very different and shows off the range of ever changing beauty that it is impossible to tell the story in just a few shots! But, I’ll stop here….and move on to the rest of the day!
We also stopped at the Ben Reifel Visitor’s Center for our morning rest stop. It was an interesting place with educational exhibits, some researchers going about their work, and of course, a gift shop! I purchased a bag full of t-shirts for myself and my brother…..because I am quite certain I’ll never go back there again (although, you never know) and I actually didn’t get any t-shirts on my first trip (I just got a refrigerator magnet) and the t-shirts my brother bought on that 2016 trip were lost when their house burned a few years ago. So, we now have several t-shirts each to remember our beloved Badlands!
OK….just a couple more of the views after the visitor’s center….then, I promise I’ll move on!
After we left the Badlands, we stopped at a Subway for lunch…..I had to mention this stop because they did THE BEST job of handling a bus load of hungry people I have ever seen! They moved us through the line with ordering and serving in no time flat! It was so very impressive!!!
The following are things I captured on the highway on our way to Sioux Falls, SD:
Our afternoon rest stop was at a place called Al’s Oasis in Oacoma, SD…..that was fun! It is like a strip mall with a grocery store, a clothing store, a restaurant, gift shop, and even some arcade games!
It’s not every day you go into a grocery store and find a life size bison and other stuffed wildlife all on display!
This is a large refrigerated walk-in room in the middle of the grocery store full of liquor and beer and stuff like that….all guarded by the wildlife display on top!
Dinner that night was at the Best Western in Sioux Falls, SD – they put on a pasta buffet for us – very nice!
Then, we arrived back at the same Avid Hotel in Sioux City, IA that we stayed in on the way out. I, again, got a big chuckle out of how the square light around the bathroom mirror reflected as a bright square around the pupils in my eyes…..again, I’m easily amused! hahaha Still love that hotel…..this time I was in a different room with the layout in the opposite direction of the previous room (the bed and bathroom was on the left on the way out and on the right on the way back…..which makes sense because we’re now driving in the opposite direction! Ha ha ha……a little travel humor for ya!
Day # 9 – Saturday, September 21st: The next morning and early afternoon was mostly driving with a rest stop and lunch at McDonald’s somewhere along the way. Our tourist stop on Saturday was at Amana Heritage Museum. This is a quaint communal settlement established by Germans who were religiously persecuted and fled Europe around the 1800s. The video of their history was fascinating and the original communal buildings were interesting. They also had many shops….including a Christmas shop, leather shop, general store, several wineries, gift shops, bakeries, and much more! The weather was perfect that day – just right for strolling the streets and taking in all the things the village had to offer.
That night, we had dinner at PERKINS!!! Breakfast for dinner! YAY! I really miss Perkins around here and knew I would absolutely not miss out on ordering some of their pancakes while I had the chance!
Our hotel on Saturday night was the same SureStay Plus in Coralville, IA that we stayed at on the way out – the one I said wasn’t my favorite – not that it was bad at all….just that it wasn’t “quite” as comfortable a night’s sleep as the other hotels! BUT….this time, either the bed and pillows in the room were better than the other one OR I was a lot more tired….not sure which, but I hit the bed and crashed and slept like a log all night long! Just goes to show…..don’t give up on something or “poo-poo” it after just one experience!
Day # 10 – Sunday, September 22nd: Sunday was another mostly driving day with rest stops and lunch at Wendy’s somewhere along the way.
But…..at 4:00 pm we made it to the Studebaker National Museum in south Bend, Indiana!!! WOW!!! What a place! Three floors of the most beautiful cars I’ve ever seen! Studebaker made everything from buggy’s to race cars to luxury cars to military vehicles to postal carrier vehicles! How could a car company that made such stunning vehicles go out of business? And, why can’t we get cars that these anymore!!!???
Sadly, we only had an hour there, as they closed at 5:00…..I was able to quickly go through all three floors on the Studebaker side and pick up a couple t-shirts (one that says “I’m not old, I’m a classic”) and a refrigerator magnet. But did not have time to go through the History Museum side – I noticed they had an All American Girls Baseball League display that I would have liked to see – I did get a t-shirt that said “there’s no crying in baseball”, though!
This is Don…..he was on our bus……I usually try to respect the privacy of my fellow travelers, but after hearing I was going to blog about our trip, Don said “I can’t wait to be in your blog and can’t wait to read it!” I’m not sure if he literally meant he wanted to be “in” my blog, but here he is, anyway! Hi, Don!!! Thanks for bringing the humor to our trip every day along the way! 🙂 (Don was also featured in the part about Deadwood in post # 2….he was chosen, along with our other bus-mate, Wendy, to help Wild Bill tell the story of his demise!)
I remember hearing that my father had a Studebaker when I was little…..not exactly sure, but I think it was a Lark!
The Studebaker Museum was our last tourist stop of the trip!
That night, we ate at Bob Evens and had a really good meal! Our hotel was a new one we didn’t stay at on the way out….Holiday Inn Express in Perrysburg, OH — VERY NICE!!! Our last hotel stay of the trip!
Day # 11 – Monday, September 23rd: Monday was out last day — no tourist stops….just a rest stop and lunch at a Chick-Fil-A somewhere along the way. We arrived back in Batavia safe and sound just about the planned time of 4:00 pm! YAY! As much fun and amazing memories this trip made, I was so very happy to get home and sleep in my own bed Monday night!
That’s all for my 2024 South Dakota Adventure! Hope you enjoyed the photos and stories!
If you’re reading this one first, be sure to scroll down to read the other three posts:
2024 South Dakota Adventure # 1
2024 South Dakota Adventure # 2
2024 South Dakota Adventure # 3 (this is the one you’re reading now)
Random Pics of America’s Heartland
Thank you to Kathy and Rachel for making this a most excellent adventure and to all my bus-mates for sharing your time and experiences with me! I had a wonderful time and hope to see you all on another trip in the future!
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