We Made It!

Sure enough, US-50 does have an eastern end.  We are here in Ocean City Maryland.

So, the namesake portion of our great adventure has concluded.  And quite successfully, at that.

And, sure enough, the sign in West Sacramento does have a counterpart here in Ocean City.

We drove in today from Washington, DC, arriving around 2:00 PM.

This town is pretty much everything we were told that it would be.  Beachy, touristy, rather tacky in places, lots of people, and dozens of T-shirt shops.  It is much like the Santa Cruz boardwalk, except that it is larger by, let's say, 12 to 1.

We conducted a ceremonial wetting of our feet in the Atlantic Ocean.  The Atlantic is warmer than the Pacific.

The sun went down a short while ago, and, strangely enough, it did not set over the ocean.  Quite the opposite, actually.  It set on the bay, which is on the other side of the peninsula from the ocean.

Miles today = 148

Miles on US-50 today = 148.  We are (obviously) 100% of the way to Ocean City, MD.

TO = 3295.

Chronologically measured, our road trip is exactly 1/3 over, as of tonight.

FAIR WARNING:  Likely no blog tomorrow evening.  The plan for the day is quite ambitious.  A long drive, with a visit to the Flight 93 memorial.

Then, if the good Lord is willing, and the creek don't rise, we'll end in suburban Pittsburgh, with an evening out at the Pirates game.  No Dodgers to root for, and therefore, Go Bucs!

an In 'N Out kind of day..

Sorry Uncle Ron, but that does not mean burgers.  We left W Virgina this morning, then went into Maryland, then back to W Virginia, then Virginia and then Washington DC - whew!

DC was clearly the highlight of the day.  We arrived mid afternoon and then headed to the Mall...  We walked bunches and saw many memorials:  Washington, Jefferson, WW II, Korean, Martin Luther King, Korean War and Franklin D Roosevelt.  Very moving...   We both have been before but it has been about 23 years.  We also did a quick walk by the White house. 

We also stopped today at a quick carwash and noticed that the front license plate of our car was GONE.  It appears to have been "borrowed" and we think we might know where.  Whoever constantly checks the front of their vehicle!

The day ended perfectly - at the Bier Baron Tavern.

Miles today = 220

Miles on US-50 today = 220.  We are 95% of the way to Ocean City, MD

TO = 3133.

Almost Heaven, West Virginia

As mentioned yesterday, today our day began in Newport, Kentucky.

We found a completely unexpected sight in town while walking a few blocks to find some breakfast.  It is known as the 'World Peace Bell', and it is an impressive sight indeed.

Wikipedia has quite a good article on it here.

Today brought us to West Virginia, a state which is new to both of us.

It is very green, lush, and lovely with lots of rolling hills.

And,  we discovered a great Italian restaurant right here in downtown Bridgeport.

Miles today = 270.

Miles on US-50 today = 264.  We are 87% of the way to Ocean City, MD.

Chronologically, the round trip adventure is 28% done.

TO = 2632.

We have covered 34% of our estimated total of 8500 miles.

It was a Four State kinda' day

This morning we awoke in Illinois

After an hour or so of driving, we crossed over into Indiana.  In doing so, we entered the Eastern time zone.

We remained in that lovely state until about 3:30 PM, when we crossed the Ohio State line.

Our stay in Ohio was brief, only about 40 minutes.

We are now in Kentucky - Newport, KY to be specific.  It's a tourist town with lots of bars, restaurants and shopping.

US-50 does not enter Kentucky, but it does parallel the Ohio river going through Cincinnati, and Kentucky is just across the bridge (any of several) to Kentucky.  Lodging is a bit cheaper on this side.

Tonight we walked to dinner, and afterwards to the riverbank for a lovely view of the river, and the bridges which cross over.  One of them is a 'Pedestrians Only' bridge, and we walked part way across and then back.

The Reds baseball stadium, and the Bengals football stadium are both on the riverbank, and they are actually best viewed from the Kentucky side.  Here's a shot of the baseball stadium.

If the Reds were in town, we would likely be there with them.  Instead, they are in our home state playing the SF Giants.

The Dodgers are only two games behind the Giants in the standings, so GO REDS ! ! !

Of the four states seen today, three of them are new to David, Illinois being the exception.  None of the four are new to Lynne, thanks to her business travels prior to her retirement.

Tomorrow, we will re-enter Ohio, rejoin US-50, and continue east to West Virginia.

Miles today = 254

Miles on US-50 today = 254.  We are 78% of the way to Ocean City, MD.

TO = 2632.

All is now East of the MIssissippi

Hello from Flora, Illinois... note East 50 on the sign...

Today we experienced the St. Louis Gateway Arch, the St. Louis Cardinals baseball stadium, Old town St. Louis, the "Ballpark Experience", and Old Court House...   

The Arch is absolutely amazing.

You ride up in a "pod" car to the viewing area which is at about 630 ft. and then get to look down east and west for as long as you want - all for $7.00 (a bit more without a National Park Senior pass!)

The Busch baseball stadium is beautiful - new in about 2006.  Old town very much reminded us of Old Sacramento.  Old town in St. Louis is on the Mississippi River. 

We attempted to have lunch at the "Experience", but found it was the USA vs. Germany soccer match and hundreds were crammed in for a beer and lunch too - so we ate lunch at the Hilton across the street - watched some of the game from there and had a nice quiet lunch. 

The Old Court house is where the Dred Scott decision came down in 1857 and was a leading cause of the our nation's Civil War.

Folks have asked us what we talk about when we drive or if we even to talk to each other!  David has done most of the driving while Lynne knits, navigates or checks on local facts for wherever we are.  When he is ready to relax - Lynne does drive.  We do chat lots about what we see (weather, agriculture, roadside sites, lousy drivers etc.) and we play our tunes through a USB drive in the car that has over 4000 songs loaded onto it.  So - lots to do while driving!

Miles today = 150

Miles on US-50 today = 122.  We are 70% of the way to Ocean City, MD.

TO =2374.

The Arch beckons

Apologies for the tardiness of last night's post.  It's down there now.  The wi-fi- in last night's hotel was very dicey.  The wi-fi in tonight's hotel is excellent.

Today we traversed more or less the entire state of Missouri.  We started the day less than two miles from the western border.  Tonight we are within 10 miles of the eastern border.

Hi-way 50 took us right through the Missouri Capital City, which is Jefferson City.

The Capital building is quite imposing.  And, when we went in, we had a chance encounter with a delightful gentleman who introduced himself as a retired State Senator.  He generously offered to show us the floor of the Senate chamber.  We would love to give him credit by name, if we could only remember!

Tonight, for the first time in 8 days, we were reminded of what the inside of a private home actually looks like.  Many thanks to our friends Diane and Phil for a lovely home cooked authentic St. Louis meal.  And, thanks to them all the more for letting us use their laundry room through the dinner hour!

Tomorrow we see the sights in downtown St. Louis, including the Gateway Arch.  Be sure to tune in for pictures of that.

Miles today = 248

Miles on US-50 today = 248.  We are 67% of the way to Ocean City, MD.  That's two-thirds of the way!

TO =2200.

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...

 We are now in Missouri.

Some folks have asked about our meals - breakfast has been provided by hotels, we are picnicking for lunch and finding dinner out somewhere.

Today we picnicked in Ottawa, KS which was the boyhood home of my maternal grandfather, Philip Gray.  We found his house - he and his dad built it when he was a young boy in the early 1900's..

The highlight today (or tonight you might say) was seeing the LA Dodgers play the Kansas City Royals.  Clayton Kershaw pitched an 8 inning shutout.

Final score:  Dodgers 2, Royals 0  -  GO Dodgers !!

Miles today = 218

Miles on US-50 today = 179.  We are 58% of the way to Ocean City, MD

TO = 1731. 

Kansas - Another State, Another Day

We have now entered our 4th state - a new one for David.  Lynne had been to Kansas City proper many years ago on business.  We are in Newton, KS tonight.

Kansas is much prettier than expected .....  lots of green, silos, ranch homes and fields.

One thing we did discover is that there is a spot in the state known as the windmill capital and we saw many.  We even saw an industrial site that housed the parts on the ground: the blades, the posts, etc. and they are very LARGE and LONG!

We did, of course, see lots of corn fields. They are early in their season as they were none too tall yet.

We have seen clouds in the distance that look like Kansas storms but fortunately we have not experienced them.  So far, we have had only a few rain drops here and there and a bit of lightning in the distance.

And best of all are the awesome rest stops.  They are super clean and very efficient!

Miles today = 312

Miles on US-50 today = 312.  We are 52% of the way to Ocean City, MD

TO = 1731.

Rocky Mountain High

Today, we got REALLY high in Colorado.  And, that has nothing to do with the recent liberalization of the laws in this state.

Instead, it captures the experience that we had going over a very high summit.

The views from the summit are quite spectacular.

The descent on the east side of the summit is very quick.  In the course of 15 to 20 minutes, the temperature changed from low 50's to high 80's

It is not only a high summit, it is also the Continental Divide.  Apparently, from here on out, all of the rivers run backwards.

We were only about 30 minutes over the summit when one of those rivers showed up alongside the highway.  What a surprise, here in Colorado, to see that the name of the river is the Arkansas River.  Sure enough, Wikipedia tells us that it truly does flow all the way to Arkansas, where it joins the Mississippi. Who knew?

A notable sight seen prior to the summit was a HUGE contingent of bicycles.  Not all in one clump, but in small groups that went on for some miles.  Certainly many hundreds in number, and quite plausibly over one thousand.

It seems that there is an annual week-long event known as 'The Bicycle Tour of Colorado'.  Unlike the tour of California, it is not a competition.  Just a big ride for ambitious fans of the two wheeler.

Less than an hour beyond the summit the landscape becomes pretty flat, much in contrast to the Rocky Mountain region of the state.

The flat landscape is expected to continue tomorrow, when we enter Kansas.  The state line is only about 35 miles further down the road.

Trivia for the day:  'Rocky Mountain High' is, as we all know, a John Denver tune.  As many of you know, we are good friends with Pete Huttlinger, who was JD's lead guitarist for the last 3-4 years of John's life.

Today is Pete's birthday.

PETE:  If you are following the blog - Happy Birthday Buddy!  We are looking forward to seeing you in Snowmass on the homeward leg of this great adventure.

Miles today = 337

Miles on US-50 today = 337.  We are 42% of the way to Ocean City, MD

TO = 1414.

'Nother Day, 'Nother National Park

Today we visited the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

It was just like Arches National Park, except that it was a lot different.

It was alike in that the sights were absolutely breathtaking.

It was different in that it was 15 to 20 degrees cooler (Amen!), it was much less crowded, and the the sights were viewable from locations that were a lot closer to the parking places.  That gave us a much needed break, as we are still feeling the effects of a very rigorous day yesterday.

It was also different in that the rocks are much less red, instead showing a lot of black, gray and tan.

Although we enjoyed the visit very much, the visit was still very somber in one respect.

Why?  Well . . . . we have been to this park once before.

It was on September 11, 2001.

Miles today = 130

Miles on US-50 today = 63.  We are 30% of the way to Ocean City. That figure will increase substantially in the next three days.

TO = 1070.