A Beautiful New England Fall Foliage Trip (1)

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Thursday night the rain front moved through Paducah, as predicted, leaving our departure dry but cloudy. I checked the weather radar, and found the front in central Kentucky moving east - north east. I knew we would eventually run into the slow moving front later that day.

Today was all about interstate mileage. We drove straight east across the WK and Bluegrass Parkways, and continued on 1-64 and I-79 north, across West Virginia. As expected, we found  light rain in Lexington KY, and it gradually increased intensity until we called it a day in Frostburg, MD. We drove 650 miles for the day.

The next morning we left the interstate in moderate fog, and turned  north on PA hwy 220 to I-99. The front had moved on and the fog eventually lifted around mid morning. Blue skies prevailed the rest of the day.

A fog filled valley near Cumberland, MD

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance. ~Unknown~

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Maine/Canada Leaf Peeping - Fall 09

Our friends in Maine have invited us to come up for the Fall Foliage Peak. We will be leaving Friday morning, again in the Camry. Unlike usual, I will blog this trip, with pictures, on our return. We will use the Spot Tracker throughout the trip. If interested Click Here or click the Spot Logo on the right sidebar.

The function of man is to live, not to exist. ~Unknown~

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Paducah (We're Home)

We spent the night in Columbia, MO and, this morning, took a driving tour of the University of Missouri campus before departing.

We continued east to St. Louis via I-70, where we turned south, down the west side of the Mississippi River, stopping in Cape Girardeau, MO for lunch. From there it was a short 80-mile hop home, arriving around 1:30 pm.

The total miles driven during the trip was 9,149 and we were gone 28 days.

It should be noted; Carolyn is in a blue funk and already planning the next trip... LOL

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.

~Mark Twain~

Evanston, WY - Burlington, CO (26)

Leaving Evanston, we continued east on I-80 with the primary goal of making eastward mileage.

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Along the way we passed beautiful scenic red rock formations.

We climbed to nearly 9,000 ft as we crossed the Continental Divide and the high mountain deserts of southern Wyoming. Row after row of huge wind mills could be seen around every turn. The largest wind mill concentration we saw was near I-70 in central Kansas.

It is not hard to tell they have a lot of snow in this area. Snow fences were everywhere.

Beautiful blue skies continue to favor our trip. Today was not an exception.

At Cheyenne, WY we turned south for no other reason than to see new and different roads through parts of Colorado and Kansas. We skirted around the northeast side of Denver, near the airport, and continued on to Burlington, CO, where we are spending the night.

At present, we plan to arrive home sometime Monday, August 3rd.

There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded. ~Mark Twain~

Reno at Night - Salt Lake City - Evanston, WY (25)

Last night, we took the time to drive downtown to see the city lights and all the hustle and bustle.

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The pictures speak for themselves. Reno is no Las Vegas, but it is well lit and very interesting to see.

Neither of us gamble, but we do enjoy seeing cities at night.

The Silver Legacy Casino has a "Gotham Like" quality, lit in green.

This morning we continued east on I-80, across the Nevada desert. Interesting sights along the way included The Bonneville Salt Flats and The Great Salt Lake. We stopped to eat in Salt Lake City, and included a side trip to The Morman Temple. Major construction obscures the Temple in most directions. It was still very interesting, to say the least.

A statue of Brigham Young stands at the entrance to the church grounds.

We drove on to Evanston, WY where we are spending the night. Tomorrow, we will make the decision whether to drop down to Denver or continue east.

If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right. ~Mary Kay Ash~

Lake Tahoe - Reno (24)

This morning we crossed the Sierra Nevada mountains, following I-80 for about 80 miles, before turning south to circle Lake Tahoe. For those interested, some interesting facts about Lake Tahoe can be found here.

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We circled this beautiful lake along the California side (west) with the sun in our eyes. It was not until we reached the south end of the lake and turned north up the Nevada side that quality pictures were possible.

Scenic turnouts are easily found overlooking the lake.

Steep rocky mountains surround the lake in many places.

One of the most scenic spots was Emerald Bay, overlooking Fannette Island.

Fannette Island

The lake and snow community of South Tahoe , at the southern end of the lake, sits astride the California - Nevada state line. It is full of the latest amenities, including modern shopping and several brand new Casino's with the latest entertainment.

In places the lake is literally alive with boats, para-sailors and kayaks.

Heavenly Tahoe is a gondola ride to the top of the mountains with stunning views of South Tahoe. It rises to a dizzying height of 10,067 ft. The vistas at the top of the mountain and the decent back down were simply awesome. This was no small accomplishment for Carolyn who has a fear of heights.

Beautiful flowers are planted everywhere!

People at the top of the mountain climbing an artificial rock wall.

Coming in for a landing at the end of the unbelievable ride!

Everywhere you look you find flowers.

Even the local Applebee's takes on a ski village look.

Lake Tahoe and the sounding area does not disappoint. We can only wonder what this area looks like in the winter. What an amazing site it must be!

Tonight we are in Reno, Nevada and plan to go out to see the lights later. Tomorrow we turn east once again toward home.

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. ~Mark Twain~

Sonoma - Napa (23)

Our goals for today were to simply explore The Sonoma and Napa Valleys.

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The Visitor Center in downtown Sonoma.

After taking in downtown Sonoma, we drove the scenic Hwy 116 up through the valley. You do not have to like wine to appreciate the beauty of wine country.

In the Napa Valley we drove The Silverado Trail and Hwy 128. These two scenic highways run the length of the valley and return to Napa.

Many of the vineyards are very beautiful.

Petite Sirah is one of the newest and most elegant.

Lunch/Dinner came at The Culinary Institute of America, at Greystone. For those uninformed, this restaurant is a chef training school and features some of the finest dining imaginable.

The restaurant has a very old world Italian charm.

We ate outside on the second story patio, surrounded by olive trees and a stunning view of the nearby winery.

Carolyn had Bay Scallops, while I had the Hanger Steak. I would rate my meal in the top five best meals I have ever eaten. Carolyn rated her meal in her all time top two. Simply delicious!

The Culinary Institute of America, at Greystone.

The landscape in the city of Napa is amazing, and is at every turn!!

Later we stopped at Dean and Deluca, a very elite food and kitchen store. We also toured Yountsville and Nappa, before we turned east on I-80 and drove to Auburn, California, where we are spending the night.

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. ~Mark Twain~