Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta!

The dust didn’t have a chance to settle on our tires before we 
were off on another road trip. Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
 has been on our list for several years and this was the year!

We arrived in town about 6:30 pm so we stopped at 

Cracker Barrel on I-25 and San Antonio Dr. NE.

 They are an RV/bus friendly business.  
Since an average 750,000 people visit during this week we 

didn’t think we would even get in without an hour wait

 but we were wrong! Parked and seated right away. 

Great food and a fantastic place to stay the night.  

Woke up and there were several balloons right above us and 
one landed in the field next to Cracker Barrel. Score! 

There were over 100 balloons every morning! 

It looks like these two bees were holding hands and kissing 

but they are two separate balloons. 
Just lucky to be at the right place at the right time. 

 During the day we visited Old Town Albuquerque. 
There was a stage in the town center with 

entertainment and lots of shops. 

You do need to watch your step because of the brick sidewalks. 

Cool place to visit!

We stayed at Starr Brothers Brewery, one of our 

Harvest Host locations.

 Beautiful weather so we had dinner out on the patio. 

Great food and sunset.

The festival is so organized! 

We took advantage of the Park & Ride tickets

 that we purchased online ahead of time.

 Seniors are $20 each and they drop you off right at the field.

  The cost includes admission to the balloon field which is $15.

No driving hassles or $20 parking fee. 

They have several buses lined up ready to go. 

There are three locations around town to ride the bus.

You can take in water and food which we recommend 

because the lines are long and not many healthy choices. 

Skydivers at the opening ceremony.

 It was so cool to be able to walk around

 so close to the balloons and crews. 

The Special Shape Glowdeo was amazing! 

So many different shaped balloons that we 

have never seen before.

Can you believe the skydivers with lighted suits 

 and they set off fireworks on their way down? 

Amazing!

Plus, fireworks on the ground at the end of the night. 

Top notch! 

If you want to go, you won't be disappointed.

You know it is going to be an interesting day when you

see a cow flying in the sky

and a frog!

Three faces!

A lot of work went into making these special balloons. 

Gun toting armadillo.

It was great to be able to spend several days in

Albuquerque because the weather changes.

Love the blue skies!

This will be the last blog post for a while since

 we will spending the next several months in Arizona.

Time to plan our travels for 2022.

We hope to inspire you to travel and enjoy 

what the world has to offer. 

Send us a message on your travel plans

 (maybe we can meet up) 

or interesting places you have visited.

Happy Harvest!

So Many Miles and So Much Fun!

The last few years it has been an experience

meeting up with my cousin Jim & Marilyn.

They have been world travelers on their sail boat 

and we have always loved their adventurous spirit.

 They currently cruise on "Norma Jean" their boat.

While traveling we text each other to see

 if we are close in proximity. 

This year we met in Arkansas on 

Lake Dardanelle. Great memories!

Another new experience.

Jim let us take the wheel!

You can see Mt. Nebo from the lake so the next 

morning we maneuvered the many hairpin turns to the top.

Beautiful view of Lake Dardanelle.

We didn't know there is a nuclear

plant in Arkansas so close to the lake!

You can see it in the top center

of this photo.

Unexpected sign on the top of the mountain. 

We are now traveling back west and stopped to 

spend a few days with our friend 

in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Have you seen the Blue Whale of Catoosa

on Route 66? 

Everyone and everything has a story.  

If you want to know more, click on the link.

Scott was thrilled to ride in a 1955 Thunderbird 

that they have been restoring for several years. 

We are blessed to know so many people 

around the United States!

Our last stop before heading back to Arizona was

Arroyo Secco, New Mexico to see relatives 

and camp along the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument.

It is so peaceful and beautiful along the gorge. 

We have been here before and will be back again any time 

we are in this beautiful part of the US. 

7539 miles! 

We had a great time and so many stories. 

In case you didn't know,  I love photography.

I am thrilled to announce that one of my photos was

 published (page 56) in

Discover Southern Arizona 2021

A great magazine!

Some more great photos in the next blog!

Illinois

 

This photo was taken 8-23-1930 on

 the Darnall-Spence Homestead for the centennial.

My dad is in the front row, 9th from the left side. 

What a thrill it was to be able to visit the farm 

in Livingston County, Illinois.

History of the Spence Farm 

Phelps School was moved onto the property 

in 2003 and is still a local voting place.

Miss M. E. Darnall was the second teacher in 1861.

Too much history for this blog.  

Will Travis is showing us on the old map where the 

Darnall, Spence and other family members had farms. 

It was pouring rain so we dashed into the barn.

They are still using this Allis-Chalmers tractor today. 

In 2016 a documentary was filmed about the 

Darnall-Spence farm.

Check out the Sustainable trailer by 

clicking on the link. 

Will's dad, Marty, stopped by to say 

hello in the pouring rain. 

We are glad they are still farming 

and preserving the original farm.

They are also working on rebuilding the log cabin

to its original specifications. 

Also, there is family history about the 

Kickapoo Indians!

So many great stories to tell about our visit.

When you travel the back roads you find 

gems like this country store filled with local

meat, produce, dairy products, honey and more.

We really enjoyed the homemade vanilla-lemon 

twist soft serve ice cream! Yummy!

After leaving Fairbury we headed north to

Pontiac, Illinois which is part of Route 66.

There are many murals in town and 

local artist have decorated these small cars

which adorn the downtown area.

My favorite was this VW Bug!

Next we traveled northwest to Thomson Causeway

 along the Mississippi River where we stayed two days.

American Goldfinch

Barges on the Mississippi River.

It was a wonderful, relaxing time before we went to 

the family reunion in Lena, Illinois. 

We had a fantastic time reconnecting with family, 

sharing stories and memories.

Iowa - Back to our roots!

 One of the places we stopped at in Iowa 

was the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter
and we were surprised to see one of the Freedom Rocks. 

The Freedom Rock

Please click on the link above to read the article

and watch the video which is well worth your time!

We have had the honor to see several Freedom Rocks throughout Iowa.

This one was very emotional because it reminded us of 

when Scott's mom would have been in that chair.

Thanks to all the men and women who have served 

or are serving our country!

 Since we are originally from Iowa 
we try to spend several weeks there to see family, 
friends, our favorite restaurants, 

and eat as much sweet corn as possible!

Anytime we are back in the Des Moines area we stop at 

Buzzed Bee Meadery in Melbourne, Iowa.

Wayne & Michelle participate in the Harvest Host program 

so we were able to spend the night. 

 A peaceful, relaxing place to unwind and reflect.

They do make great meads (honey wine) so check them

out when you are in the area. 

We love catching up with our friends and family! 

We camped in Wallachuck at Lake Redrock 

with our good friends. 

It is a very nice campground.

 They showed us all around Pella and Oskaloosa 

which is where they lived for many years. 

Jaarsma Bakery is a must stop!

Pick up some Dutch letters, cherry bites, 

cookies and cinnamon bread.

Amazing, irresistible Dutch treats!

Not as many pictures in this blog because we were in 

so many livings rooms and restaurants.

 

Thanks for showering us with so much love and 

continuing to build memories together!

Northern Wisconsin & Apostle Islands

 

We had the opportunity to meet up with a longtime friend 

who use to live in Wisconsin. 

 

He took us to the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center

 just west of Ashland. It is worth stopping and viewing the 

sensational murals, displays and the views from the third level. 

Bayfield, Wisconsin has some stately homes and lots of 

interesting shops. A fun place to walk around and visit.

We are so glad we did the Apostle Island Boat Tour.

It was a cold, overcast day but we had a great time

riding on top of this Catamaran!

Being out on Lake Superior was quite the adventure.

We saw several Bald Eagles!

So cool to see these red sandstone cliffs

and sea caves.

Two of the many lighthouses are

Devils Island Lighthouse

and Raspberry Island Lighthouse.

 We also toured Hayward, Wisconsin.

Scott and Rich went to the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.

Home of the biggest musky.

A must stop is Coops Pizza. Yummy!

We also stopped at Tremblay's Sweet Shop. 

This place will definitely test your will power!

We are sure you have heard of the 

Lumberjack World Championship. 

Did you know they have a day camp 

where kids can learn how to log roll?

Of course, we had to go to the AYCE (all you can eat) 

Friday night fish fry at a local tavern in Drummond. 

The place was very busy with the regulars so we were 

thankful  to get a table. Great fish dinner!

Part of the fun of traveling is experiencing the local festivals.

 We bought some blueberry popcorn, 

and a brat with blueberry relish!

Surprisingly they were delicious!