If there is one food that my Handsome Chauffeur must eat at least weekly is hot wings! When we lived in Kansas for 19 years most every Wednesday we would go to a local watering hole to enjoy adult barley and hops beverages, friends and WINGS! At the time we started the tradition wings were a whopping 10 cent per flat or drumette! The prices these days are much higher for the same deliciousness, but we still enjoy them.
We referred to our group of wing connoisseurs as the “Wing Nuts”. We had nicknames, such as, “Grill Marks”, “Flamin HOT” and “Naked On The Side”! When we decided to hit the road our weekly meeting of the Wing Nuts was one of the things we truly missed. Just because we were on the road did not deter our weekly consumption of wings. It became one of our missions to try wings at every place we call home… after all it’s part of our journey as WE BE WINGING IT!
It only stood to reason that as we made our way to Western New York one of our MUST stops was Buffalo, New York to the bar where Buffalo Wings were first created!
As the Wing legend goes….On a Friday night in 1964, Dominic Bellissimo was tending bar at the now famous Anchor Bar Restaurant in Buffalo, NY. Late that evening, a group of Dominic’s friends arrived at the bar with ravenous appetites. Dominic asked his mother, Teressa, to prepare something for his friends to eat.
Teresa had a bunch of chicken wings that she intended to boil to make chicken broth…. That evening she deep fried the wings and tossed in a “special sauce” and served them to her son’s friends. The wings were an instant hit! The treat known as Buffalo Wings was created that evening are now a global hit.
We were certainly glad to try the original wings and get the history. I have to say that over the years of our sampling wings all around the USA we have perfected our own recipe and enjoy them often!
One cannot go to Western New York and not see Niagara Falls… and we are no exception. We did plenty of reading about the Falls and saw reviews about which side was more spectacular… USA vs Canadian. CoVid again foiled our plans to see both sides as we were unable to cross the border. I guess that it means we will have to go back someday..
The sights we did see were amazing and LOUD!
A few fun facts I picked up from our damp adventure:
3,160 tons of water per second go over the Falls! There are some fluctuations depending on time of year or day. June, July and August see the most water fall.
There are actually three falls that make up the beauty. The water comes from four of the Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Ontario, Huron and Erie.
Niagara Falls produces large amounts of electricity. It’s first Hydroelectric station was built on the Niagara River on 1881. In the 1890’s Nikola Tesla harnessed the energy made from Niagara Falls creating alternate current electricity which gave electricity 21 miles away to Buffalo! Here I thought Tesla was only a name of a car😜😆Just kidding!
The Niagara State park was the very first state park in America established in 1885.
And last but certainly not least Niagara Falls was the popular honeymoon destination back in the day!
Our “home” for the week in Western New York was situated on the shore of Lake Ontario. We met tons of great folks who are seasonal campers at the park. They were a great resource of what sites to take in and things to do.
One of the surprises to us both were the TONS of vineyards. As we road our Harley around we were astounded by the sizes! Many of the vineyards were growers for Welch. In fact this area is known for the Concord grapes and covers 1,300 acres! That’s a lot of juice and jelly! There were also many vineyards that produced there own wines. Tons of options to stop and sample.
There were amazing Apple orchards as well. Lucky for us as well there were lots to of vegetable and fruit stands along the road sides selling their bounties! We were in heaven with all of the selections available.
Another stop for us was the Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a 363-mile waterway that connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River in upstate New York. The channel, which traverses New York state from Albany to Buffalo on Lake Erie, was considered an engineering marvel when it first opened in 1825. The Erie Canal provided a direct water route from New York City to the Midwest, triggering large-scale commercial and agricultural development—as well as immigration—to the less populated frontiers of western New York, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and points farther west.
The canal has 83 locks. As we enjoyed an ice cream cone we were able to watch a few boats go through the locks. My Handsome Chauffeur actually serenaded the Lock Operator with his rendition of the song Low Bridge, Everybody Down. I am uncertain if the Lock Operator was impressed by the vocal talents of this tourist or thought he was a bit of his rocker! I bet My Handsome Chauffeur’s grade school music teacher was smiling down from heaven though!
Too soon our visit was over in Western New York. We will miss the sunsets on Lake Ontario, the gorgeous landscapes and the folks we met! As we often say when we like a spot on our travels ..”ITS A DO OVER” … Indeed WNY is a DO OVER!
My heart began pounding a wee bit quicker with every site of the majestic mountains we were coming upon, not only with anxiety of breaking down, but the BEAUTY of the terrain as well! We chugged along doing our usual 65mph even though the speed limit was 
We are like a turtle….slow and steady we go. We have no problem with people flying by us. We are in no hurry AND with the unknown diagnosis of our previous engine failure we were not going to over tax the engine by going 80 mph.
When we called to set up an appointment for service we were told it was a first come first serve basis. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon. They would not be opened until Monday at 7a.m. We would most definitely be the FIRST in line as we were the ONLY coach there waiting! So wait we did. Sitting outside in the parking lot enjoying Father’s Day
I found out that the “Sea Monkeys” are actually Brine Shrimp! Who knew?!
We did tour a ranch that was established in 1848. It was a working ranch until 1981. The Adobe home that was built to be the home of a Mormon pioneer Fielding Garr a widower and his nine children. Their “Mobile Condo” was also on display
I can ONLY imagine what difficulty they must have endured going up and over the mountains! Again, I give thanks to the Good Lord above that He saw fit for me to be born in the era of Diesel engine power AND paved interstate!
it was cool to see something from Kansas!
The area a bit down the mountain is great for ATV and there were trails everywhere. We were on the search for bear. Unfortunately, we did not see any, but there were deer! Thankfully they were more interested in grazing than darting across the roadway in front of CrAzY humans on a motorcycle. The snow was melting and the waterfalls were flowing
We enjoyed days of golfing at the beautiful course on the base. The backdrop of the mountains and the fairways were like playing on lush green velvet
We have been living at a higher elevation this summer. We thought walking the course would be great exercise . Indeed it WAS!!! It proved more of a workout than we had anticipated, but we made it! We don’t walk up many mountains golfing in Florida😉😎
The Base hosted a country concert for the troops with Easton Corbin and Thompson Squared that brought near to 3000 people. It was a carnival like atmosphere with free music and food! 
The best part was that the festivities was they were right next to our campground. We were able to listen to the great music and not fight the crowds while sitting in our own front yard!
It clearly was NOT front row seating, but the music sounded great😎😉
We have fallen in love with this area of Utah and will most definitely be back again. My Handsome Chauffeur is so enamored with the area he made it sound like we may someday spend a LOOOOONG time here!
We finally got everything back in order and hit the road. Next stop 
We have friends who had made the journey and recommended we stay in Arco, ID. The town is small and quaint. We were looking forward to rest and relaxation along with a bit of touring. We would be part of the community over the 4th of July. A true slice of Americana
Not much happening there right now, but it can be a busy place when NASA comes to town as our camp host informed us!
There are 3 lava fields and miles of sage brush steppe grasslands that cover 1,117 square miles of land.
We had just missed the explosion of annual wildflower blooms that peak in mid June. I bet that is spectacular to see!
On July 17, 1955 all the lights in Arco were successfully powered by atomic energy! Not far from the town was the 900 square mile Idaho National Laboratory the birthplace of our Nuclear Navy and EBR-I Atomic Museum. 
We took the tour and learned the history of peaceful use of Atomic Energy. It was really interesting for my Handsome Chauffeur as in his previous career in the USAF he worked with nuclear missiles. For me it was interesting, but WAY over my head. As the guide was explaining things and other tourists were asking scientific questions, I felt like the character Penny on the Big Bang Theory sitting there trying to make sense of what Sheldon and Howard were talking about and looking for a glass of wine 😉😊
but it was time to head further north…. next stop Henry Lake State Park, ID just outside of Yellowstone.
We were again surrounded by mountains and on a pristine lake where we saw moose, Trumpter Swans, and reports that there may be bear in the area as well. We were hoping to see bear, but from AFAR for certain.
We only had a few days in the area. The day we rode to the park was only 56 degrees and partly cloudy. That didn’t stop us! We donned all our leathers, gloves and neck warmers
BRRrrrrr it was COLD, but the majesty of the landscape was warming our souls 
We kept our eyes out in search of bear, but no luck. We did get up close and personal to a Bison
The photo is not doing itself justice. The Bison appears to be further away than it truly was. I had learned that Bison can run at a speed of 40mph when charging. All over the park were signs telling tourists to beware of wildlife. Welllll my CrAzY Chauffeur thought it would be great for us to get close to this guy. I was less than pleased! He kept encouraging me to get a picture and assured me the bike was in gear and we would be faster than the Bison. UGH! Not even a week after we left the park the viral video of a poor little girl getting tossed in the air by a not so pleased Bison!!!! Man, were we lucky that this guy was more interested in chowing down on the grass than the stupid humans on a motorcycle!
In all of our travels we have seen beauty that we store in our mind and hearts. This area of the country has certainly left its mark on our hearts. As Arnold Schwarzenegger says in his Terminator movies… “I’ll be back”
AMEN ..We made it without any difficulty.
There was a slight problem in that I didn’t research fully… because of the free roaming animals AND because most of the roads are gravel through the range they do not allow motorcycles to travel through the park 🙃😞… a liability issue we were told. Sooooo we took the ride through the mountains to a park in search of bear and only got to see the parking lot and a pyramid of antlers 🤣
Our goal of seeing a bear was not fulfilled in Montana but we DID get to spend time with our dear friends.
We can see how happy they are in Montana! We shared our stories of what has happened since we both left Kansas and how Kansas will always feel like home. Miles may separate us physically and our hearts were filled just being with them!
Back to climbing more mountains and crossing the Continental Divide one more time!
We were told last year that they would be disassembling it as there were so many leaks and the reassembling which would take years. Much to our surprise on our arrival we saw the chapel was still standing where we last saw it a year ago. We were informed that the funds that were appropriated to repair the chapel were now being used to rebuild Tyndall AFB in Florida that had been destroyed by Hurricane Michael last fall. We have seen the devastation of Tyndall AFB first hand last December when we traveled through the area. The funding would rebuild housing for active duty families and restore hangars for the planes. I am certain the funding for the chapel restoration will be raised. For now I am thankful they are using the funds for Tyndall AFB families.
We stopped at a visitor center and met a fellow motorcyclist who encouraged us to take a quick 50 mile scenic ride on a county road to Jefferson, CO. He told us the ride would spectacular and an added bonus …there was a great little diner that had the best burgers! Always in search of beautiful scenery AND yummy burgers at the end we were OFF….next stop Jefferson!
We finally made it to the diner. Unpeeled ourselves off the bike and headed for the comfort of the shelter and the deliciousness of a well earned burger.
one of our guardian angels was right with us. I had no doubt as she has left me signs of feathers in the past. I took this as a sign that we were not alone. Soon my Handsome Chauffeur returned from his inspection and found NOTHING amiss! Now we really were perplexed! After a few more minutes he decided to give the ignition a turn and IT STARTED RIGHT UP like nothing EVER happened! HOLY HOLY HOLY was I ever praising God!
and all of our gauges go WACKY kinda like being in the Bermuda Triangle, but the engine continue to run! Praying was incessant! We traveled this area plenty and the knowledge of the grade we would encounter and climbs did not give me ANY sense of peace! I saw a mile sign that said we were 92 miles from our next destination.
Traversing the roadway through the Canyon following the river that was roaring due to the melt off of the mountain, I was dry as a bone. All of my saliva was GONE. I sweat through my shirt and my hands were ringing wet. We FINALLY arrived at our campground. I think we both sighed a HUGE breath of relief.
doing his best to try to make some sense of our current situation. Soon he was over investigating the issue. We made plans to have it checked near our next stop. Not much he could do here and there was too much exploring to be done on our Harley. He closed the compartments and decided to have fun and worry about it another time. Me …. on the other hand knew it was 396 miles to go to get it checked out…, I was a bit more concerned, but if he was OK with the decision I would just put another pair if my big girl panties on and not worry until there was a need and keep having my many conversations with the Man Upstairs… after all it’s ALL in His hands anyway!
There was evidence of an avalanche.. trees broken like toothpicks 
Independence Pass, according to Wikipedia is a Pass between Twin Lakes and Aspen at an elevation of 12095 ft in which they try to get open by the Thursday before the Memorial Day weekend. It is the second highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide. It offers excellent views to the east of Mount Elbert, Colorado’s highest peak and the second highest mountain in the contiguous United States.
We finally made it to the summit. The sun was brilliant gleaming off the snow. There were quite a few backcountry skiers and snowboarders having the time of their lives. It was AMAZING!
We took advantage of the Hot Springs for a rest and relaxation kind of day. 
The therapeutic spring waters called Yampah which means Big Medicine by the Ute Native Americans have been bubbling from the Earth’s core for million of years. There are 15 minerals found in the waters of Glenwood Springs. Besides relieving aches and pains the mineral waters help release toxins from our bodies. There are 2 pools. The largest is 495 ft long by 100 ft wide and holds 1,071,000 gallons of water that remains around 90 degrees F* and a smaller pool that is 100 ft long containing 91,000 gallons of water which is kept at 104 degree F*. Let me say it was a slice of heaven on earth for these Nomads! I absolutely love our life and our Mobile Condo. The only thing I really miss about our sticks and bricks home is my big soaking tub. A day floating in the therapeutic waters surrounded by mountains on a sunny day was good for my soul!
Famous for his part in the gun fight at OK Corral that left 3 members of a cattle rustling gang dead; Doc was avoiding the legal trouble in Arizona and was suffering from Tuberculosis. He made his way to Glenwood Springs to experience the healing waters. Unfortunately, the waters did not heal his tuberculosis. On November 8, 1887 he died at the age of 36 in a hotel downtown. He was destitute. As he lay dying he asked for a shot of whiskey. His last words were “This is funny” as He fully thought he would have died in a gun fight not sick in bed
We took the journey to pay our respects to the famed gunslinger at his final resting spot. Climbing the rugged dirt path 1/2 a mile straight up!
or at least we THOUGHT we were paying respects to him. It appears that when he died he was to be buried in Linwood Cemetery which was located on a hill above Glenwood Springs. 
However, the hearse was unable to make it the muddy hill. So they buried him at the bottom of the hill fully intending to move the body later. The cemetery records have been lost…, by all accounts he was never moved and may be in someone’s backyard DOWN the “hill“we just climbed to pay our respects to a marker bearing his name😳. At least we got a work our climbing the “hill” that felt like a MOUNTAIN!
After a day of hiking the mountain to see Doc we hopped on the Harley to explorer an area south of Glenwood Springs in search of yummy barbecue that was recommended by a friend of our’s we saw in Kansas. First stop Redstone, CO. “The Ruby of the Rockies”
This quaint village is nestled among the red colored mountains is home to a population of about 130 people Swiss Chalets homes painted brilliant colors stand out against the red colored rock of the mountains. Most of these homes are on the Historic Registry. The town was developed by a man named John Cleveland Osgood as part of a coal mining expedition. The dominant feature of the village is the “Redstone Castle” a 42 room mansion that Osgood built for his wife that is now used as resort inn. Across from the town we saw what appeared to be HUGE bee hive-like structures
We stopped a gal walking through town and she enlightened us about these curious structures. These “beehives” were actually coke ovens built in the 19th century. According to Wikipedia there were actually 200 built because the coal in the surrounding mountains was ideal for refining into coke. At their peak they were producing almost 6 million tons a year. After they were no longer used for coke, years passed and it is said “hippies” made them their homes. As far as we could tell they were abandon structures that were being restored as a historic landmark.
My Handsome Chauffeur was “thirsty”
We passed fields of spring blooms
Soon we can upon Marble, Colorado. A quiet little hamlet with a population of around 131 people. There were chunks of of white marble along the winding road as we came into the town 
Soon we came upon carved statues in yards through the town. 
We stopped and visited with a local artist who gave us a bit of a history lesson about Marble. The same John Osgood of Redstone entered a block of the marble stone into the 1893 World’s Colombian Exposition in Chicago and the judges ranked the marble among the worlds finest marble. The marble from this area is part of the Capital building in Denver and was also used to make the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier along with parts of the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. Artists from all over the world come here to carve the beautiful stone. The mine is still being used to this day.
This guy stood in front of this little screen on the upper left corner the entire game🤣! Unfortunately, the Blues were not victorious that night and got to play again in a few days. We made plans to go watch the game in town on a much bigger screen! The big screen and watching it with a group of Blues fans was AMAZING… especially because “MY” BLUES won the Stanley Cup!! What a celebration it was!!!!
Our time in Glenwood was coming to an end. We had a great time and both said that we would be back! Before we left we took one more ride through the canyon. This time on the Harley. The ride was MUCH more relaxing than when we came through the canyon a week before worrying if our Mobile Condo was going to make it. We truly got to enjoy the beauty.
Redstone Arsenal was established in 1941 during World War II mainly to serve as a chemical weapons producing center. The area is now used by the Army’s missile and rocket programs. It’s a very busy place. As we rode our bikes around there were many areas that were Top Secret which did not deter my VERY curious Handsome Chauffeur from asking people donning security badges we met along our ride what was behind the razor wire in the buildings. He of course knew he would not get an answer aside from “Its Top Secret Sir…I cannot tell you.” But that never stops him from asking!
He wore his Astronaut suit and was thrilled to see the REAL BIG rockets! You never know….we may have a future engineer or astronaut in our family! Now we were calling this place home for at least a few days.
All the visits we made over the years we missed stopping at The Blue Spring. WOWZER this is a MUST see if you are ever in Eureka Springs! On the beautiful Spring day it was STUNNING! I wish the photos captured its magnificent beauty.
The spring is 70 feet in diameter at the surface. The actual opening of the spring is 25 feet below the surface and 10 feet across. It is shaped like a funnel. They estimate that the width of the fissure in the Rock opening that allows the water into the spring is only 2 1/4 feet! The temperature of the water remains 54 degrees year round. The landscaping throughout the area is spectacular! So very peaceful. What was even cooler is we had the WHOLE place to ourselves it was like our own little piece of paradise.
We were thrilled to be back with family, friends and familiar surroundings. Our time Kansas was packed full of celebrations…. Easter
Carnivals
with Easter Egg hunts
sleepovers
and a trip to a farm
We celebrated a wedding and a graduation! 
Along with a visit from Aunt Molly 
Oh how happy we were to be “home”.
He found anything useful to elevate the carpet.. including my kitchen spatula! The man never stops to amaze me with his ingenuity!
We quickly gathered belongings, flashlights, filled oil lanterns and headed to the safety of the basement….that is I headed to the basement. My Weatherman Wannabe and our gracious hosts stayed upstairs watching the storm on radar and in REAL TIME head our way. When they saw the herd of cattle start to stampede towards shelter in our neighbor’s farm field, the winds start swirling AND heard the freight train sound classic of tornadoes did they join me in the basement! When we felt as though we were in the clear we made it upstairs and saw only a few limbs were down off of a few trees and a small tree was snapped off at ground level. We certainly were thanking God we were spared. We were without electricity and natural gas. So my Handsome Chauffeur and our host headed out to the Mobile Condo, started the generator and got updated from the weatherman on TV.
These photos do not capture the devastation! Trees were snapped like toothpicks, mattresses in trees, and RV’s turned completely upside down in a ditch! There were belongings from those affected found 50 miles away! Thank God there was no loss of life! Homes can be rebuilt.
Sitting besides the Bay each evening was refreshing. Too soon Hurricane Michael decided that He also wanted to come to the panhandle of Florida which was NOT part of anyone’s plan.
It was wonderful to see familiar faces of friends and neighbors we have had in the past winter seasons. We were “home” and it felt GREAT! Soon we were hitting the links 
We kept busy golfing, riding our bicycles and actually did some traveling via truck, hopping a few plane rides and on our Harley.
Christmas took us to Orange Beach, AL. to spend with our parents. We are HUGE Kansas City Chief football fans and our season was going pretty well. What fun was it to watch them play with our parents who are SUPER FANS
We have chosen to be Snow Birds.. snow is not part of our plan, but when the opportunity to fly to Kansas in January to see our kids new home we jumped on it. We dug through the recesses of our Mobile Condo to find coats, hats, gloves and squeezed our feet into socks and shoes. Kansas City here we come!It was also weird to pack a suitcase. Living in the Mobile Condo we very seldom have to pack a bag as we bring all our worldly possessions with us at all times in the Mobile Condo. Then fitting winter stuff into a carry on case was a challenge we met with ease😉🥴
Although it was bitter cold and our blood has thinned;our hearts were warmed with the hugs of our kids and grand babies. Our Grandson was especially thrilled to have snow while we were visiting. He built an amazing Snowman with his Mommy. My Handsome Chauffeur and I cheered them on from inside where we were bundled up in layers of clothing trying to stay warm. Our blood had CERTAINLY thinned and we were freezing! No snowman building for us… we prefer Sandman!
The sunshine and sand between our toes was amazing! Riding over 400 miles on the bike we were ready to walk around exploring. We walked around Key West several times over the 5 days we were there and had HUGE blisters on our feet to prove it!
We heard great music, danced to our hearts content ,enjoyed amazing food and libations! 
It felt GREAT to be on a vacation! Away from our home, eating out and relaxing! Too soon we hopped back on the bike and headed north back home. Our feet were happy to not be walking, but other parts of our body were not so happy to be back in the saddle for 400 miles😉. The weather cooperated and soon we were back riding along Alligator Alley counting them as we zoomed past them. Wow, the road is named correctly. We saw MANY Gators lounging in the sun along the canal and equally as many beady eyes peering out of the water.
Phew… looking at the ENTIRE route mapped out on an atlas I am both so excited to see the sights AND tired! I have not totaled all the mileage but from the route perspective there will be A LOT of windshield time. The beauty of the country and the amazing adventures we will enjoy will taking the “sting” out of our fuel purchases.
Our time in Kansas was filled to the brim with work for my Handsome Chauffeur. He spent hours investigating the internet, all the while having full use of a very well equipped garage of our friend. The guys were able to diagnosis where the screaming noise was coming from. The beauty of being in Kansas and having this challenge was that we knew where we needed to go and get the job done ….CORRECTLY this time! Off to Kansas City, Missouri to have the repairs done.
Our visit to Wisconsin flew by. Soon it was time to follow the shores of Lake Michigan to our next destination near to the shores of Lake Superior.
Time flew by visiting with family on the shores of Crooked Lake. Fishing for dinner and fires lakeside
Soon we were on the road again to an area of Michigan we had never visited. Next stop St Ignace, Sault Ste. Marie, and Mackinac Island!
This is the closest I had ever been to Canada. Alas, we didn’t take our passports with us so we had to see Canada from the shores of the USA.
We spent time at the locks learning the history and importance of the locks.
We rode around the entire island along with HUNDREDS of other bicyclists stopping here and there to take in the splendor of it all! 
Everywhere along the shore were cairns (stacked rocks) that people went to great lengths to commentate their trip to the Island
You cannot go to Mackinac Island without a visit to the Gorgeous Grand Hotel!
Built in the 19th century and famous for the world’s largest porch. The building and grounds were SPECTACULAR! After riding around the island we were ready to sit and enjoy an adult beverage. We made our way through the halls of this amazing hotel to the upper most bar to take in the majestic views while quenching our thirst.
OH MY LANDS! To say I was NERVOUS was a BIG understatement! I was terrified! The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge over the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan come together. The bridge connects the Upper Peninsula to Lower Michigan. It is 26,372 ft ( roughly 5 miles). It’s the 5th longest suspension bridge in THE WORLD! The 4 lanes that move traffic both direction are a total of only 54 ft wide! Mid way over the bridge it is 200 feet above the water with the depth below water reaching 230 feet!
Flashers flashing per instructions traveling at 20 miles per hour it seems like an ETERNITY going across. I know I was holding my breath. My calm cool Handsome Chauffeur kept telling me to open my eyes, but I just couldn’t for any length of time 
FINALLY we were back on land in lower Michigan! Prayers answered and regular breathing resumed.
We have made some fabulous memories on the shores of Lake Erie over the years with our family. Northern Ohio has lots to offer us. We not only love the Lake, but riding roller coasters and good old Rock and Roll hold special places in our hearts too.
We had the time of our lives AGAIN! We spent 10 hours in the park and only got to ride 6 coasters. The lines were LONG! The rides were an adrenaline RUSH that lasted only minutes, but OH SO WORTH IT! We actually were a wee bit thankful to wait in line for the next ride as long as we did because it took a bit to get our equilibrium back from being tossed and turned. I guess our age is starting to show as we don’t rebound as quickly. Still our minds are willing and our bodies say ” do you know how old you are” by rebelling on the quickness of recovery between rides.
We have made 4 trips to this museum and EVERY time we get goosebumps when we enter. The day we visited this time was unfortunately the day Aretha Franklin passed away. It was a somber time. Her music was piped in everywhere. She held the distinction of being the very FIRST female inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The tribute was amazing 
Before we left the Lake Erie area we had the best time visiting with my Aunt and Uncle. Nothing beats spending time with family on the road.
This was such a great place… so rich with history. As a retired member of the Air Force, my Handsome Chauffeur truly enjoyed our time there. We especially enjoyed the exhibit regarding the missile system he worked with during his time in service.
Another exhibit that really tugged on our heart strings was the actual Air Force One that was President Kennedy’s plane. 
We learned that this plane returned him to Washington after the assignation. What truly was amazing is that his Secret Service detail would not hear of his body being transported in the belly of the aircraft. They actually took saws and enlarged an area in the airplane that would allow his casket to be flown inside with his security detail and his wife sitting at his side.
One more beautiful waterfall before we left Kentucky
Our hearts were fluttering as our travels were taking further south to Tennessee where our kids and grandbabies lives.
We spent days playing in the park, swimming in the swimming pool and just having tons of FUN.
We are looking forward to what 2019 holds for us… more adventures await!
With the help and recommendations of our good friends we winter with in Tampa we planned the adventure last fall.
we contemplated on stopping, but I for one was ready to get parked at our next “home” and get off of the “rollercoaster” ride. It didn’t take much persuasion to get my Handsome Chauffeur to agree so I clicked a photo of the sign and we proceeded to our destination with the idea of coming back to see it another day.
So thankful to be stationary and be able to call this beautiful area home for a week with amazing vistas for as far as one could see. Soon we hopped on our Harley to start exploring.
We joined Ranger guided group to explorer. Down very narrow rock clefts
Down approximately 10 stories to get an up close look at these spectacular architectural feats. It is AMAZING to think how they built these with rudimentary tools and the engineering involved! 
Once the tour was completed… what goes down must go up so we began our climb of several wooden ladders to the top
I am not saying that we are in poor shape, but coming from the flatlands we certainly were sucking wind after the climb! It was all worth it though!
While the fires were to the east of us we were able to take a ride and found beautiful McPhee Reservoir nestled in the San Juan National Forest
there too we could easily see how the levels of this reservoir were low due to the lack of snow. The campgrounds within the forest were like Ghost Towns. Just after we made our ride through, the entire forest was closed to people because of the extreme high fire danger and the 2 large fires already burning with only 10% containment.
Our travels took us over Lizard Head Pass at 10,222 feet in elevation through the San Juan mountains. If this was a “better pass” than the Red Mountain Pass my Handsome Chauffeur wanted to take you could have fooled me. The steep climbs and the descending about gave this Nervous Navigator a heart attack!!
Loads of cars, Fellow Circus trains AND Bicyclists!! Holy Cow, I cannot even tell you what it was like to come to a curve and meet up with a vehicle rounding the bend going the opposite direction AND a bicyclist on our side of the road with little to no shoulder! I wish I had a photo to share, but things happened so quickly there was no way to take a photo while holding my breathe, eyes closed and PRAYING all of us made it through the scene!
Indeed they were SPECTACULAR!
Ouray’s nickname is America’s Switzerland. Not only are there mountains surrounding the city, but they also are home of seven natural hot springs! A short walk through our campground brought us to the community hot springs pool that offers three different pools with temperatures of 88-105 degrees and miraculously no sulfur smell!!!
The entire downtown is on the Historic Register
Ouray was originally established as a mining community. Miners chasing gold and silver. There are still mines in the area. We took a Jeep tour to get a closer look at the mines and the many beautiful waterfalls! 
What a treat for my Handsome Chauffeur!! He was able to relax and enjoy the beauty! I assumed my same white knuckle anxiety filled ride 
as we traversed single lane mining roads 
up, up and UP until we reached the waterfall
and snow 
If the Jeep ride wasn’t enough of an adventure for my thrill seeking husband… we HAD to make the drive over the Red Mountain Pass (11,000 ft in elevation) aka as the Million Dollar Highway. Thankfully, we did the ride on our Harley which for some strange reason doesn’t create as much anxiety for me. It must be that we have more room on the road than when traveling in the Circus Train😉.
There are a few theories of how the road got its nickname “The Million Dollar Highway”. The roadway was originally founded by Otto Mears in 1883 as a toll way for Miners and operated as such until 1920 then rebuilt. There is also rumor that when the road was rebuilt they used gravel from the nearby gold and silver mines hence the road was rich in ore which was worth a million dollars. My favorite theory is that a traveler had experienced such a bad case of vertigo from traveling the steep and hairpin winding road, he said he would have to be paid a million dollars to do it again … I think he and I are kindred spirits!
Our journey ended in Silverton, CO. For as far as you could see the roads were full of ATVs. Many waiting to be rented. Yet, even though the air was filled with smoke from the fire, a few people were out for adventures. We also noticed many of the restaurants and shops were closed. We spoke with one shop owner that informed us due to the fires and road closures the once bustling town filled with tourists was virtually a Ghost Town. Many couldn’t afford to stay open due to the lack of customers. The town itself was preparing for pre-evacuation. Such a shame. The scary part was the fires still were not contained and they still were unsure of how it had started! We spent a good portion of the day touring the town’s museum dedicated to mining learning about the amazing dedication of the folks who settled the area.
It’s no wonder we had trouble with allergy symptoms. Between the smoke and the blizzard of cotton off the trees! Even given the CrAzY ride over the mountain passes, smoke, fires and mounds of cotton in the air …Ouray has stolen a piece of our hearts! We most definitely will be back! We hated to leave this little piece of heaven on Earth. Next stop Gunnison, CO!
The photo does not show how really beautiful blue the water is! The Blue Mesa Reservoir is the LARGEST lake located entirely within the state of Colorado. It is a fisherman’s meca. It is filled with Lake Trout and Kokanee Salmon. Our home for the next week was located across the street from a portion of this beauty. In fact most of our neighbors were here solely on a fishing mission. They were gone by day break and home in the afternoon limited out.
The ride there was spectacular. The wild flowers were just starting to bloom. Pops of yellow, blue and orange peeking out along the mountain side. We were a bit early to see them in full bloom the locals informed us. I guess they are stunning the first 2 weeks of July. Maybe our next time out we will plan to see them! For know my eyes were peeled on the mountain tops in search for cell phone towers! Each and every time one came into view I would send family an update letting them know we were doing well!
At the rim we were 8,000 feet of elevation! Below the Gunnison River cuts through the mountains 1,800 feet below. When we entered the park the Ranger told us we should consider taking the ride to the base of the canyon. He told us the ride is about 5 miles in length filled with lots of curves and many folks on motorcycles really enjoy it. So off we went! What the Ranger left out was that the road grade was 16%!!!!! Oh MY GOODNESS… I get choked up and so anxious on a 6% grade when traveling in the Mobile Condo… this 16% grade on the Harley about did me in!!! AGAIN with the hairpin curves, no guard rails and steep drop offs I was BEGGING my Handsome Chauffeur to please turn around there was absolutely no need to see the bottom of the canyon! But noooooooooo we were going to see this! I believe he had bruises on his sides as I had a death grip on him! We are a team and if one of us goes over the side of the canyon we were for darn sure going together as my death grip grew tighter and tighter! Finally we reached the rivers edge safe and sound
There were a few folks fly fishing and picnicking. I was trying to compose myself and summon the courage that was needed to go back up the 16% grade from HELL! My mind was reeling with the thoughts that we had no cell phone service, our kids had no idea where were and they would never find us in the depths of this canyon…. but what a majestic place it was indeed! Finally, I got on the Harley and just like the Mountain Goats we have seen, that Harley climbed up the mountain and got us back up to 8000 ft in elevation! As we made our way back to our campground I kept my eye to the sky in search of cell towers to let our family we were still alive, but did not share our latest escapade we just did! Why worry them🤣!
Unfortunately, that did not fix the issue. The air pressure DOES build up for safe travel, but takes longer than it should. MacGuyver has spent hours on the phone, reading our manual and has a better idea of what it could be, but his little red tool bag doesn’t have the tools needed. We were heading for “civilization” and He made a reservation for service in Denver area, BUT we had to get to Denver which caused me a WEE bit of anxiety. Not only do we have that pesky air pressure issue our fuel gauge went on the fritz and reads EMPTY even though we filled our tank.
Often times we are asked by folks “What kind of gas mileage do you get in that thing?” My reply always is that we have no idea what mileage we get. That bit of knowledge would not change how we travel and would only put a HUGE damp rag on our party😉. Now that we have NO working fuel gauge that little mpg calculation would have come in handy!!!
Thankfully the air pressure held and we had no need for one of these
I had to laugh as they had a sign 2 miles before the ramp letting drivers know that it was coming up… or it was giving you warning that if your brakes went out you only had 2 more miles to gain excessively higher speeds due to the grade and to Hold on Nelly🤣….
We decided to stop to top off the fuel tank as we had no earthly idea how much fuel we used climbing the mountain pass. To our astonishment we only could fit 6 gallons of fuel in! Holy COW! 
We took a long ride to the Royal Gorge. 
There were people walking a bridge across and zip lining! It all looked like fun, but we decided to spend our time taking the Gold Belt Scenic Byway back to the Academy. Riding through the mountains catching glimpses of Elk, Alpacas and cattle. The ride was not only beautiful, but breath taking with Pikes Peak in the distance.
Stunning both outside and inside! 
We were so thankful to be able to tour it as it will be closed soon for the next 4 years to be renovated. Since it has been built, it has leaked water which was evident on some of the upholster and wood pews. When it was being constructed they were rapidly going over budget and made some cutbacks in not only the size, but what they used to put it together with. Sadly, it has leaked from the time it was built in 1962 until now due to inferior supplies. The plan is to completely dismantle the structure and put it back together. What an undertaking this will be!
We arrived in Tucson the first week of April. Our campground was virtually a ghost town as the masses of Snowbirds who called Tucson home for the winter had flown the coop back to their homes up north. We were so excited to to be reunited with family who now call Tucson home! It had been too long since we had seen our Dad. The reunion was chicken soup for our Nomadic souls.
This beauty also came at a cost to many of us. Not only was it hot in the desert, the winds were fierce. There were wind gusts upwards of 45 mph which filled the air with loads of dust, sand and pollen! On a clear day we enjoyed the vistas of the Santa Catalina, Rincon, Tucson and Santa Rita that surrounded the city.
There were some days the winds blocked the views 
and the roadsides were filled with pollen that were reminiscent of snow after a storm in the Midwest. Thank goodness for allergy medicine as my Handsome Chauffeur was sneezing constantly!
which was a welcome relief!
to deciduous bushes and trees
then to a Pine tree ski resort at the top 
Gone were the 90 degree temperatures! It was so cool we donned our jackets and gloves!
The views were spectacular and the cool fresh air was so welcomed!
Bisbee was founded as a copper, silver and gold mining town in the 1800s. In the distance on the above photo you can make out the Copper Queen Mine.
As we headed back to Tucson we were waved through Border Patrol stations. We passed through Tombstone, AZ
Because Tucson’s low humidity (10-20%), and meager annual rainfall of 11 inches annually, altitude of 2550 and hard packed soil allows the aircraft to preserve naturally. It is a sight to behold!
baking cupcakes 
afternoon snuggles
and just hanging out 
Too soon that big jet plane that took us to Tennessee was headed back west carrying two Nomads with heavy hearts but loads of fun memories made.
This is not your “regular” campground. Westworld is 386 acres of desert at the base of McDowell Mountains. It is a multipurpose venue that is host to many events including assorted horse competitions and car auctions such as Barrett-Jackson Collector Car. While we were staying on their property there was a Reining Competition. We hopped on our bicycles and made our way to the stables to be educated.
We met a few competitors who were more than happy to tell us about their sport. As we asked questions it became obvious we are “City Slickers”. We have ZERO equestrian knowledge. Our new found friends patiently explained their sport.
Speaking of Cool … we were in search of some cooling off so we hopped on the Harley and made a trip up the McDowell Mountain to the Tonto National Forest. While we enjoyed the scenery and the cooler temperatures our eyes took in the beauty of Bartlett Lake
As we climbed the air WAS cooler! The scent of Piñon Pine, White Pine and Juniper was heavenly! Our home for the next 8 days was 10 miles west of Flagstaff at a small campground (only 14 sights) on a Arizona National Guard Base. It was a little piece of heaven as far as we were concerned after living in cities for the last 6 weeks.
This remote campground came at a small price… no sewer connection! We had to be cognizant of our water use in order not to have to pack everything up to go “dump” out our tanks before we were leaving the campground for good. It can be done, but no matter if you move the Mobile Condo miles or just a few feet we have to secure everything etc.. aka HASSLE! Sooooo we were officially “Glamping”. Showers were taken at the shower house, laundry done at the laundry mat and we ate using paper plates more as not to have to do multiple loads of dishes which wasn’t such a bad thing as far as The Queen of the Mobile Condo was concerned! 😉
Arizona is in a drought and it was OBVIOUS just looking around. The Flagstaff area “only” got 100 inches of snow for the 2017 season. In 2016 they received 312 INCHES of snow. There hasn’t been any rain to speak of either. There were Red Flag warnings…. no campfires, no charcoal grills and no smoking outside as there fire danger was extreme! Our camp hosts highly recommended that we be careful setting up camp . They suggested just setting out the essentials as we needed to be ready to evacuate if there happened to be a fire in the area.
After we thawed out with hot coffee we set out to check a box on our bucket list… The GRAND CANYON. We had experienced the beauty of the Canyon from the window of an airplane plenty of times at 35,000 feet. Our visit would be a first for us up close and personal! The ride to the Canyon was through LOTS of flat yellow grass areas nothing to write home about. As we entered the park with the masses of tourists we saw HUGE Elk munching away without a care. Thankfully they were more interested in eating than crossing in front of us… that would have made for a really bad experience!
There were plenty of people trying to capture its majesty. Some were crawling over the metal barriers to step out on cliffs. Not us!!! Although my Handsome Chauffeur did take leave of his senses to stage this photo
We took a tour through the park to find the hotel that was featured in a scene in the movie National Lampoon’s Vacation…..one of our ALL time favorite movies! Often in our travels it feels as though we can be characters played in the movie due to shenanigans that we find ourselves in😉. There have been plenty of instances that I referred to my Handsome Chauffeur as “Clark”!
Northern Arizona aka the High Country has some of the best motorcycle riding we have experienced! We took a trip south of Flagstaff to Sedona,AZ along 89A winding our way through mountains along Oak Creek Canyon. 
It was a SPECTACULAR ride. The red rock against the greens of the forest is out of this world! Years ago we did a quick stop through Sedona and it captured my heart. One of the greatest sights was a church up on the mountain. We had to make the trip up there again as it is breath taking!
As we entered the chapel and looked out the windows over the Canyon we were taken back by the majesty of the entire experience. One of God’s masterpieces!
I guess if there is a will there is a way when it comes to Mother Nature!
As we start our journey over the mountains in Colorado we sure hope we don’t come across any of the white stuff!
We were taken outside to see rain gauges, anemometer, satellites and other necessary instruments to help them with predicting weather.
This gadget relays information back to the center regarding atmospheric pressure, temperatures, humidity and wind speed all the while being tracked by GPS. Two of these are sent up per day and unfortunately are not returned. It would be like hunting for a needle in a haystack trying to locate them. The information they transmit for the duration of their flight is valuable and outweighs the cost of the equipment which can be considered disposable. Wow, what an education we received thanks to our host.
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