21 days and 5,165 miles: Part 2

On Thursday, our drive to Minnesota took us through Nebraska and then Iowa. I tried to take photos of the signs as we crossed into each new state, but they were all done on the fly through the car window, and therefore pretty blurry. However, we actually stopped once we entered Minnesota, and I give the most points to Minnesota for having the best "welcome to our state" sign.

It had been our longest day of driving so far, but Google Maps took us through a lot of back roads and small towns. We were taking our time and the drive was really enjoyable. By the time we got to St. James (in southern Minnesota) and our hotel, we were ready to be in the same place for four nights rather than loading and unloading the car at each stop along the way. 

On Friday morning, we drove to the house that Mark grew up in before moving to Butterfield before his junior year. He had been able to contact the current owners and they even gave us a tour of the inside, which has undergone many changes. When Mark lived there, the one bathroom was down in the basement, the tub was upstairs but without hot water. Of course, that is no longer the case. They have added on, updated and remodeled the kitchen. 

The house was built in 1915...

We headed back to Butterfield for lunch at the hardware store. Yes, you read that right--the hardware store. They serve breakfast and lunch, and it is always busy. 

Mark had been looking forward to a "beef commercial"--a weird name for what is basically white bread, slices of beef, mashed potatoes and gravy. I don't like soggy bread, so I opted to have mine without the white bread.

Each August, Butterfield, a town of about 600, hosts a steam and gas engine show, which brings upwards of 15,000. It's noisy with all those engines going. 

We spent most of the day Saturday at the show. Mark's three brothers were also there--his brother Scott usually has something at the show.

Mark's oldest brother, Leon, drove down from St. Paul for the day, along with his daughter, Christina. Mark's youngest brother, Pete, rode his motorcycle from Idaho. It's been five years since they have all been together, the last time we went to Butterfield for Mark's 50th high school reunion.

Leon, Mark, Scott, Peter.

We talk to Christina frequently and it was so good to see her in person.

Scott's youngest daughter, Jessica, also drove down from Minneapolis for the day, along with her son Siggy. 

That night, we attended the class reunion at the St. James golf course. Of his graduating class of 36, 17 were there, not a bad turnout at 55 years. Because I have attended a lot of the reunions myself, I know a lot of these people and their spouses, and it was fun to reconnect with them.

We spent more time Sunday at the gas and steam engine show. 

Later in the afternoon, I got to ride on Pete's motorcycle back to the hotel (about 7 miles). It is a luxury motorcycle, that's for sure!

On Monday morning, we headed to Buffalo to visit Mary and her husband Bob. It wasn't a long visit but I'm so glad we got to spend time with them. They live right on the shore of Lake Pulaski in one of my favorite houses ever. 

The next morning, I tested positive for Covid and the rest of our road trip took an entirely different course.

21 days and 5,165 miles: Part 1

 On August 10, we embarked on a three-week road trip. Mark's high school class of 1969 was having a 55-year class reunion and we decided to take some time and drive instead of fly. We also packed 12 quilts with the idea of photographing along the way and possibly making a Road Trip calendar. Those photos will be in a separate post(s).

So we left Saturday morning and headed for Las Vegas. The scenery was flat and dry. And the thermometer in Baker, CA, was 110 degrees.

Right outside Las Vegas, we stopped at Seven Magic Mountains. It is an art installation that was supposed to end in 2018 but proved to be so popular that it is now permanent.

The only thing we did while in Las Vegas was to go see the Sphere, which has a constantly changing show. It is pretty spectacular. You can actually park and watch it just like a drive-in movie.

The next day we headed to Green River, Utah, with some miles through Arizona. Here the scenery was much more interesting.

 

We spent the second night in a bed and breakfast called the River Rock Inn. Our room was charming, and we even had a little rain.

Apparently, a lot of movies are filmed in this town (there are a lot of abandoned buildings). This building will be in an upcoming Marvel movie. The B&B owner said when filming is happening, a lot of the crew stays in town, while most of the stars stay in Moab, about 40 miles away.

Next it was on to Denver. Western Colorado lives up to the state name of "colorful Colorado."

We stopped at the No-Name rest stop for lunch, which was just beautiful.

Later we had a bathroom break in charming Frisco--I would have enjoyed spending more time here.

We spent the evening with close friends, Matt and Valerie Croskey. We had a delicious home-cooked meal, which is a treat when you are on the road. They have a huge garden in their backyard, along with an electrical tower.

Next stop: Scott City, Kansas, where we lived for the first five years of our marriage. We stayed with Don and  Trudy--we have been friends with them for 51 years! Another delicious home-cooked meal, along with Bill and Sue Riner (Bill is Trudy's brother). So much fun, and not nearly long enough to see these friends of over half a century (yikes, that's a lot of history).

The next morning we headed to Hillsboro, Kansas, where we went to Tabor College. This is where Mark and I met. We spent the afternoon and evening with Big Mike Klaassen, and toured the campus which has changed dramatically since we were there in the early 1970s (side note: Mark played football with Mike's father).

The first stop on the campus tour was the football field and sports complex. Mark played center on the football team for quarterback Bay Lawrence, who went on to be an NFL player with the Atlanta Falcons. Awhile back Mark donated some money to the athletic department, for which he got a brass plaque with his name on it. This was the first time he had a chance to see it in person.

Mark with the current Tabor Bluejay football coaches...

This is a few feet from the actual spot where we met all those years ago, right outside the gym.

While Tabor has many beautiful new buildings, including a state-of-the-art performing arts center, this will always be my favorite, the administration building. 

Not a great photo, because Kansas = wind. But good memories. Thanks, Mike!

We spent a little time with Clint and Ev Seibel--we had known them while at Tabor, and then they lived here in Fresno for a few years. 

We had dinner with Mike, his mother and sister. Mike is a very special friend and it was such fun to spend the afternoon and evening with him. 

The next morning we had breakfast in the coolest coffee shop I have probably ever been in, Rhubarb Market, and then it was time to leave for Minnesota.