Reset search
Herb & Martha Discover AmericaHerb & Martha Discover America
SatelliteEdit route

Herb & Martha Discover America

April 2018 - May 2024
I am a recently retired nurse and my husband and I have just sold our house and we are going to full-time RV until we get tired of it.
There is so much of this country that I haven't seen. Herb has seen a lot more of it, but it was 50 yrs ago. Read more
Currently traveling
  • 44footprints
  • 1countries
  • 2,204days
  • 335photos
  • 2videos
  • 9.5kmiles
  • 4.8kmiles
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Herb & Martha Discover America
    Day 28

    Branson 2.0

    May 18, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    My first impression of Branson was that it was Las Vegas circa 1955, but having spent a week here, I have some to find it is truly so much more than that.  

    Branson is iconic heart of the Ozarks. Country music has a very long, rich history here, so the establishment of an area where there were many artists who established permanent and/or semi-permanent theatre shows was a natural progression. The many shows that are here are generally reasonably priced, family-centered and the staging and talent are top shelf!

    As a desert rat, I am loving the green everywhere. Humidity be damned—my cracked and bleeding hands are finally healing!

    There is a college here, the College of the Ozarks that offers a range of 4-yr bachelor degrees. Their statement: “C of O is unique among higher education institutions in America: no tuition is charged, all students work on campus, debt is openly discouraged, and no federal, state or private loans are made.” 

    They operate a hotel, grow their own vegetables and livestock, and operate a restaurant that is totally farm-to-table. We were not able to eat there—you have to get reservations weeks ahead! https://www.cofo.edu/.    Read more

  • Herb & Martha Discover America
    Day 36

    Minneapolis-St. Paul

    May 26, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    I have fallen behind in my Blog posts, but it was really on purpose.  I thought to condense my thoughts about Minnesota in one blog post. Our trip here from Branson was in two segments. Branson to Des Moines was a long segment and it had recently rained and the KOA was a muddy mess, but it was just an overnight stop. The next day, our trip was a short one--or would have been if I hadn't put the wrong address into Waze. But we finally arrived at Town and Country RV Campground with plenty of daylight left. 

    Herb is still dealing with a partially torn rotator cuff, so after wrestling this rig 300 miles or so, he needs a day of rest, so Monday was it , except for locating the stores that have stuff we really need. Costco has Fonzie's prescription and PetSmart carries the brand of weight management dry food that Touly eats and neither was available in Branson.

    Tuesday we  went to Mall of America. It is as advertised--YUUUUGE! We saw about a ¼ of it Tuesday, went back yesterday (Friday) and still have more to see. We were pleasantly surprised that the MOA sets apart some spaces for active duty military and veterans.  The center of the mall is an full-sized amusement park with lots of rides. Food is broken down to fast-food and more upscale restaurants. We loved Noodles and Company. Herb said his Beef Stroganoff was very good and my buttered noodles and Parmesan was to die for. 

    Wednesday we saw the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Has a lot of great exhibits. And it's free! On Thursday we went to the Science Museum of Minnesota--it was very entertaining. Tons of school kids competing for the various science stations with a few old fogies like us. 

    Yesterday we for a short hike to the Minnehaha Falls and we got some wonderful pictures.

    Today we went to the Minnesota Zoo. It's certainly one of the best zoos I have ever seen. The animal habitats are really well done and they had animals that I have never seen. And Margaritas--they had Margaritas! 

    It sounds like we are on the go all of the time, but in truth, we limit our excursions to about 4 hrs and get back to the RV in time to get a nap in. The lack of stress we no longer feel related to chores that we SHOULD be doing is wonderful! I highly recommend it!

    Minnesota is beautiful, green with big trees and woods. The people are warm and friendly. Their drivers are polite. In California, a turn signal is an invitation for drivers behind you to get ahead of you. Here they actually wave you over. (With all of their fingers, mind you!). I miss sunrises and sunsets, but you need a horizon for that.

    Info on the zoo which is on the top-10 US zoos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Zoo    Read more

  • Herb & Martha Discover America
    Day 39

    Chicago, May 30

    May 29, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We drove from Minneapolis to Union, IL. The Chicago KOA is actually 56 miles Northwest of Chicago. It's a really pretty park and the next day we drove downtown. The traffic was a nightmare, parking was $26 for 4 hrs, but we had a wonderful time. The city is so alive and vibrant. I loved the Riverwalk, We had a Rosati's deep-dish pizza that was the best thing I have ever eaten! we walked around, taking pictures as we g0.  The road home in traffic was, shall we say, difficult. We figure that we spent at least $36 plus the aggravation. For the remainder of our forays into Chicago we took the Metra train--$9 each way, with a $10 Weekend pass for all the rides Saturday and Sunday. 

    The dogs were left alone for 8 hrs, so there was that.    Read more

  • Herb & Martha Discover America
    1
    Day 41

    Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago

    May 31, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    So, on Thursday, we took the train to downtown (an hr and 20 minutes) and walked from the Ogilvie Transit Station to the Art Institute. At the risk of showing my plebeian upbringing, I was completely blown away by the Impressionists! Herb and I took an Art Appreciation course in 2009 and these pictures all appeared in that course and now, here I was--right in front of the real paintings! I could see the brush strokes that Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Latrec made as they painted them a hundred or more years ago!Read more

  • Herb & Martha Discover America
    Day 44

    The Field Museum

    June 3, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 61 °F

    After taking the train into town, we started out the day at Al's with an Italian beef. It was much better than the Chicago dog. For the uninitiated, a Chicago Italian Beef is smoked, shredded beef with sauteed green and red bell peppers and onions. Pretty good, actually!

    The Field Museum was fantastic! There was a special exhibition of mummies (wasn't allowed to photograph) that was wonderful. Many of the items on exhibit have been there for more than a hundred years.  I recently finished a fictionalized account of the rivalry between two paleontologists whom were responsible for the discovery of ancient dinosaur bones in the Dakotas about the time of Custer's Last Stand. I love that kind of stuff! The book gave me the understanding of what they went through back then and the bones provided a framework for the story. One of the things I really liked was how great the dioramas are. The animals were posed in family groupings and even their expressions were perfect.    Read more

  • Herb & Martha Discover America
    Day 45

    Navy Pier

    June 4, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    Navy Pier we did 'cause you haven't seen Chicago unless you do the Navy Pier and take pictures of The Bean, so here are the requisite pics:

  • Herb & Martha Discover America
    1
    Day 46

    Museum of Science and Industry

    June 5, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Monday we did the Museum of Science and Industry. Very interesting--but we were about museumed out at that point, and although I have discovered that if I take them for a long walk in the morning, and another long walk after dinner that tend to do well, they need more outside time and attention (yeah, I know--who'd a thunk it?). 

    Loved it though. There were scads and scads of kids and it was loud. but we had a good time.    Read more

  • Herb & Martha Discover America
    11
    Day 50

    Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    June 9, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We got set up with a campground halfway between Cleveland and  Akron. We got up early Friday to go to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. It was impressive from the very first and we loved it! It is absolutely the place where senior citizens go to feel young again! They did an excellent job of showing how the roots of rock 'n roll coalesced from jazz, gospel, rhythm 'n blues, country, and folk music. There is even an exhibit about the conservative mind-set (not unlike today's) railed against rock 'n roll as an invention of the devil. The music is loud, pervasively loud, but it draws you in to each section as you go around. The best thing is that as it unwinds, more or less chronologically, it has something for every age. There are items on display from every age and type of music, right up to a stage dress for Taylor Swift.

    Incidentally, their cafe showcases local chefs and is excellent. On the food side, a very old friend of ours suggested we go by her nephew's new delicatessen, which we did. Everything there is fresh--farm-to-table fresh and was excellent! <https://larderdb.com/&gt;

    Today we went to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They don't allow pictures, but it was rather ho-hum frankly. I was somewhat under the weather with a mild gastrointestinal issues, so that might account for my disappointment.    Read more

  • Herb & Martha Discover America
    Day 53

    Niagara Falls, NY & ON

    June 12, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Niagara Falls is kind of like the Grand Canyon--it's singular majesty makes it a bucket list item the world wide. But it had another significance for Herb and I. It was the closest point we would be going to that would allow us to meet a long-time Facebook friend, Hilde Wagner. For many years, Hilde and I have posted, commented, replied, PM'd, and never met face-to-face. I am pleased to say that we rectified that. Hilde and her daughter, Erika, drove the 90 miles from Kitchener to Niagara Falls to have lunch with us on the Canadian side of the Falls. It was a delightful afternoon! Both Hilde and I are notorious introverts, polite small talk is hardly our strong suit, but we talked for hours. Herb and Erika, normally more garrulous took a back seat for a while.

    After we got to the campground Monday, we drove the 12 miles to the Falls and got a look at the Falls. The sheer size of the Falls are completely mind-boggling! We weren't able to take any of the tours or boats where a tour guide could overwhelm us with the massive amount of water that rushes around Goat Island to form the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls. The best views of the Falls are from the Canadian side and we got some amazing views.

    I have had a good sense of magnetic direction for much of my life. I have lost a good deal of it, but I can usually pinpoint north by studying the sunlight.
    Some things are a given: Fresh water rivers east of the Continental Divide flow south and east, toward the Atlantic Ocean. Fresh water rivers west of the Continental Divide flow south and west, toward the Pacific Ocean. The water flows over the Niagara Falls is backwards—the river (and the Falls) flows north! Hilde reminded me that the Great Lakes are connected and water flows from Lake Superior to Lake Michigan, to Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and through the St Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean. If you look at the picture of the lakes you can see that Lake Erie, even though it is somewhat south of Lake Ontario, the water will flow from Erie to Ontario, regardless of the fact that the connection is northward.    Read more

  • Herb & Martha Discover America
    1
    Day 55

    Baseball Hall of Fame

    June 14, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    This is one of the really good ones! The marvelously quaint little town that seems to have been frozen in time about the same week that Abner Doubleday invented (or not) baseball. That they manage to create the whole atmosphere without it looking like cheap dressing makes it even more admirable. The buildings really are that old and they are in use as store fronts and offices.

    The Hall of Fame is really quite beautiful and well-arranged. The first floor is dedicated to the Hall of Famers. I like the bas-relief plaques. The second and third floors are a series of exhibits about baseball and the men who played the game. All of it well done. As long-suffering San Diego Padre fans, much of it is bittersweet. I think the museum would be quite interesting to someone who is not a baseball fan, but it's heaven to the baseball lover!    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English