Santa Maria, California to Arizona

Well, Dennis and I have made it to another state, but not before having a great time in California! After we left Santa Maria we went to Goleta, California to meet our friends, Ron and Pat Wharton (we have been traveling with them since we left Ocean City, MD) as well as Laura and Tom Miller who live in the area. We took a quick tour of Moss Motors--who supplies many of the parts needed to keep our British cars running--before going on a tour of Santa Barbara. I was amazed at how the houses were built into the mountain sides. People living on the mountains look out their front window to get a view of the roof of the house across the street, as well as a beautiful ocean view. The houses were beautiful, but I can see why so may burn if there is a fire, or why they might fall down the mountainside during a mudslide. I guess those are the risks you take to get the beautiful view--I'm not sure I could do it! After our tour we had lunch with

our friends at a marina in Santa Barbara. It was beautiful! Afterwards we went to a Spanish Mission for a photo op. Finally we drove through Montecito for a beautiful view of the ocean before we headed further down the Pacific Coast Highway on our way to Los Angeles.

The traffic around the Los Angeles area was terrible--all three days we were there! I don't think I could handle that much traffic all the time. I guess I am just a country girl! While in LA we went to visit the La Brea tar pits--well worth the visit. We had a great time learning about the animals that used to roam the area and we saw many skeletons found in the tar pits--really fascinating! Dennis and I then took a ride up into the canyons and around Mulholland Drive--terrifying, but beautiful. We saw the Hollywood sign, the homes of Meg Ryan and Ron Howard, and the Hollywood Bowl. The scenery was breath taking. After our ride around LA we headed out to Pat Wharton's sister's (Kathy) house in Fullerton. More LA traffic--very frustrating! However, it was worth the trip because we had a wonderful night of food, conversation and a game of Buzz before heading back to the hotel. The next morning it was back out to Fullerton because Bud, Kathy's husband, had arranged a tour of Jay Leno's garage--140+ cars--and later a visit to his show! Before the garage we were treated to a local fast food joint--In and Out Burgers--which was great! Then on to the garage and finally to the show. We really enjoyed the show and had pictures taken with Jay Leno afterwards. When we get those pictures, I will share them with you. In the meantime, here is a picture of our group as we left the studio.
After the show we went into Hollywood for dinner and then checked out the Grauman's Chinese Theater. Here are pictures of the star and the hand prints of two of our favorite movie stars.




We finally headed back to the hotel because we wanted to get an early start this morning. We found out the temperature in Arizonia would be over 100 today, so we got an early start. We left at 5:45 a.m. and still ran into some very hot weather. We were really wishing for air conditioning as we drove the last two hours today, but we got here around noon, went out to eat, and now we are lounging in this beautiful air conditioning. Tomorrow we will be having lunch with my nephew, Rob, and his wife, Christa before heading to Tucson to see our friends, Ann and Ned.

Oh yeah--a special shout out to Pat and Ron Wharton--we have really enjoyed visiting with you and will miss you during the remainder of our trip. Have a great time in Alabama. A shout out to Bud and Kathy as well--thanks for a great two days in California.

You will probably next hear from me when we get to my brother's house in New Mexico. That should be Monday. Until then, have a great weekend--I know we will!

Driving Reno to SF to LA

We left Reno on Friday and headed over the mountains to SF. After all the great roads on US50 I figured this would just be a quick drop into California, another example of why I don't play the stock market. Coming out of Carson City you climb around 3000 feet in less than 10 miles while cruising at 50MPH through sweeping turns with great vistas all around, and occasionally there is a switchback just to keep you interested. After passing over Spooner Summit you cruise along the SE shore of Lake Tahoe great sights and no straight or level roads. After driving through the town of South Lake Tahoe and crossing into CA you once again start climbing and turning to pass over Echo Summit at a switchback with great views, for the passenger. Then is all down hill, while you twist, going up a little and down a lot like a ME109 pilot trying to loose a P51 off his tail. Finally the road turns to four lanes and the fun is almost over for awhile. Dropping into Sacramento to the end of 50 the temperature climbs and the traffic grows until you are just another commuter on the super slab. After about on hour through the valley you start over the hills east of SF and get some relief from the heat as you enter the cooling fog producing air from the Pacific. The only thing to say about the interstate to SF is it gets you there. The streets of SF however are another story.

Driving in SF is alot of fun and the tour the SF MG Club lead us on Saturday was just outstanding. Although it was low speed it did have its share of climbs and dives, some of which seemed steep enough they would require a parachute if done in an airplane, along with plenty of turns, and views that required slow speed to take them in.

Leaving SF on Monday we headed down the Pacific Coast Highway, CA1. I though I knew what was in store since I had driven the PCH from SF to Half Moon Bay, what a novice. The cuts and cliffs between SF and HMB were interesting as was the rest of the drive down to Monterey, but then you pass through Carmel and enter the Carmel Highlands. We have all seen the sign on various roads, you know the one, it looks like a snake with a arrow head and usually has a speed advisory or a distance like 1 mile posted below. While they have one of those as you enter the Carmel Highlands and the and the little sign below says 73 miles, and they ain't kiddin. The speed limit occasionaly gets up to 45 MPH then you get on the brakes and grab a lower gear to whip around a curve all the while looking at the surf a couple hundred feet below or a shear rock wall. What a drive!!!!! After two hours of that the more gentle hills and turns into Santa Maria, which would merit a couple hour driveout to do anywhere else seem almost mundane.

Finishing up into LA on the PCH is just beautiful. The highway rolls along the coast and its huge beaches, as you pass through all those places you have seen on TV and the movies all your life. It takes a hugh effort to keep your eyes on the road with all the mansions hanging off the hills and cliffs above, while you look for Rockford's trailer on the beach. I can't imagine a better drive than US50 and the PCH but I am gonna keep looking, it's just too much fun.

Rallye Over, Headed South and East

Okay everyone, this is going to be a long one, so sit back, put your feet up and start reading. This will be long because I have not blogged for a while--I do have excuses, are you ready for them? First, while we were in Reno we stayed very busy and when we returned to the room, I just wanted to relax. Then, when we reached San Francisco, the internet was unreliable so we kept losing all the things we typed. We finally decided to wait until today--so now is the time!



Okay, when last we wrote we were in Ely. So the next day we headed off to Reno. Again, it was an amazing display of God's creativity. The scenery was out of this world. The clouds were hanging low on the mountains as we started out. They looked amazing.


Then, we were surprised by a mountain made of sand. Here is a picture. It may not seem too impressive until you realize those little dots at the bottom of the sand are RVs, cars, and people walking around. It was truly a mountain of sand. The day was beautiful and we couldn't get enough of the mountains. We finally made it to Carson City where we gathered to drive into Reno as a parade of MGs. There must have been 50 of us. It was amazing to see so many different models and years of MGs all together. We finally arrived in Reno to a crowd of people waving and taking pictures. It really was fantastic. While in Reno we met a lot of new friends and some old ones. We went to dinners, auctions, toured some of the local areas, and I even played the slot machines a little (started with $10 and left with $30!!!). On Wednesday we went to Virginia City. For those of you who remember Bonanza, that is the city the Cartrights used to frequent. It still looks like an old western town with saloons, donkeys, and horse drawn carriages. However, the roads up the mountains had a lot of switch backs, and I was scared out of my mind!. However, I think Dennis loved it. We did get to see some wild horses on the way down--really cool, but I was holding onto the car so tight that I didn't get any pictures!


On Thursday there was a huge car show with about 612 cars. Believe it or not, our little midget came in second in the rubber bumper midgets--yeah! Congrats Dennis!


Friday we headed out for San Francisco. We were traveling with our friends Ron and Pat and Trip and Georgia. Let me tell you, Trip has had his share of trouble with his car on this trip. He has replaced the starter, gotten a new muffler, had the radiator fan sling a blade, replaced a plug, and then on this trip he broke down again! We have a rule--no car left behind, so on the way up a mountain in Colorado, we stopped at a beautiful landscape and the guys changed Trip's fuel pump! Good job guys! I took the opportunity to take some pictures of our award winning Midget against the beautiful scenery. Once the guys got the car running again, we were once more on our way. We went around the south end of Lake Tahoe-what beautiful country--they still had many feet of snow in the mountains. Check out this beautiful scene. I think my camera was constantly clicking. Again, we were going up, up, up, and down, down, down--not quite as scary, but a little nerve wracking. After many hours, we finally arrived in California and stopped at the bottom of the Bay Bridge for a photo op before entering San Francisco.


San Francisco is a beautiful city--if you get a little out of the city. The SF MG club gave us a wonderful tour of the town. We saw the Pacific Ocean (with some surfers), the Golden Gate Bridge from below (and later Dennis took us to view the Golden Gate Bridge from above), the Presidio, we went to the highest peak in SF, and then ended with a picture of all the people who actually drove coast to coast. What a great morning.







At Twin Peaks, the highest peak in SF, Dennis decided he had had enough and tried to jump--we coaxed him back up. Good thing he has strong fingers!!!!!







Sunday morning Dennis and I went to church--very nice service, and we met a very nice couple. The young lady had an MGB and was a flight attendant--how cool is God to lead us to a couple that has so much in common with us. We also went to Lombard Street--that really curvy road you always see in SF on TV. What a beautiful road--but the curves are unbelievable!

Later we took a ride on the cable cars--what a blast. We both chose to ride on the outside. Going up and down those SF streets is better than a roller coaster. You will not believe how close you come to other cable cars, and cars in general!

Later in the evening we took a trip to Alcatraz. It was very interesting, definitely worth a look see.

We left SF today and headed down the Pacific coast on Route 1. OMG, you would not believe how magnificent the coastline looks. The cliffs dropped right down to the ocean on the right side of the highway, and there were mountains on the left. In some areas there were cattle grazing on the mountain side of the road. As we traveled down the highway, we saw a lot of people stopped at one viewing spot. We had stopped at so many we decided not to stop, but as we were going by I glanced out and saw movement. I told Dennis to please turn around so I could see what was happening. I couldn't believe the number of Elephant Seals on the shore. They were magnificent to see, and you would not believe the noise they make. I was thrilled to get to see these animals in their natural habitat.

We are now in Santa Maria, and tomorrow we are heading to the Los Anglos area.

Dennis will be blogging tomorrow. Until then, have a great evening

Travel log for our Rallye

I am sorry I have been shirking my blogging duties. I have been tired when I finally got back to our room for the last few days, so I have put it off, but now I feel pretty good, so I will get you up to date.

First, I promised to let you see the picture of our friend, Dick Lunny, getting pretend arrested by the state trooper. Well, here it is. I still can't believe what a good sport the trooper was!

Now, where did I leave off. Oh yes, we were in Lenexa, KS. When we left Lenexa we were Headed to Dodge City, KS. That's right, another day of driving in the same state. They really make these states large--being from the small state of Connecticut it just seems strange that you can drive so long in one state. Anyway, the temperature was very pleasant for the whole drive. We noticed we were in the Bible belt of our country and there were crosses everywhere we looked. Other than that, the land was flat for most of the drive. We did notice that the wind really kicks up across the plains. When a large truck went by it was a challenge to stay on the road! But, those people in Kansas are really smart. They put that wind to use by building windmills for electrical power. Just check out this wind farm in Spearville, KS. The windmills stretched as far as the eye could see. They were very interesting to watch and to read about.

We entered Dodge City, KS in the late afternoon. We went to the Old Dodge City Museum and had a great dinner and watched a reenactment of a gunfight and then went into the Long Branch Saloon for entertainment by Miss Kitty and her girls. It was a fun evening. When we got up the next morning, we were surprised to find that it was quite cool. We had to put on our jackets and roll up all our windows. We were headed to Canon City, CO. Along the way we saw a lot of Cattle Feed Yards. This is a large area where the cows are taken to fatten them up before they were sold. Their activity is limited, so they just eat and get fat. We knew when we were getting close to one because of the smell--very distinct! We saw some sage brush as we entered Colorado, and tall mountains came into view. The landscape was changing dramatically. We made it to Canon City very early in the afternoon so we took in some of the local culture. Dennis and I went on a train ride through the Royal Gorge--what breathtaking views! Afterward we went across the Royal Gorge Bridge--one of the highest bridges in the world. What a view. check it out for yourself. That view is looking down from the bridge--very scary, but I managed to keep myself together long enough to get the picture, and it was worth it!

After a dish of ice cream for dinner--don't judge, we're on vacation!--we settled in for the night.

After leaving Canon City we headed to Grand Junction, CO--yes, another large state! What beautiful scenery! There were mountains everywhere. Our little Midget climbed those mountains like a champ! We made it to The Continental divide. That is the place in the mountains where the water divides itself and half flows to the Atlantic Ocean and half flows to the Pacific Ocean. Definitely a photo op. Oh, did I mention that there was still snow on the ground at these elevations. In case you can't read the sign, we were at 11,342 feet above sea level! As we continued our day, we traveled around the Black Canyon, and the Grand Mesa. I am going to let Dennis tell you about those beautiful locations, the thought of them still scares me!

We had yet another barbecue dinner--sponsored my the North American Classic MG Magazine--starting to get full of barbecued pork, but it was delicious.

We left Grand Junction and headed to Ely, NV. All I'm going to say about this part of the drive is WOW! You would not believe the panoramic views. Everywhere you looked your breath was taken away. Dennis called it eye candy and he was right. I will add some pictures later, but I haven't had time to download them yet. Believe me when I tell you they are worth waiting for.

Today we start our last leg of our trip to Reno--we will be there for a few days, and then we head to San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean. Dennis wants to say a few words, so I will sign off. I miss seeing all our friends and send a special shout out to Heather, Dave, Carley, and Olivia. As the little girls will tell you, they are my sweethearts.

In my previous missives I mentioned the drive through WV, parts of IN and MO had been worth the heat and sameness of the plains. Well, let me tell you they tweren't nothing. Driving into Canon City one starts to get a sense of what is in store as you continue west, but leaving CC and heading to Grand Junction it becomes almost too much to describe. The first part of the drive winds along the Arkansas river as it cuts through the mountains headed east. The road has been cut into the mountains so it is one continuous series of curves most of which are taken at 60MPH with the ocassional 35MPH thrown in just to keep you awake. Then it up and over the Continential Divide where the rivers start flowing west as they cut the path that the road builders followed and dive into the next valley, again giving you all the curvey thrills you ever are gonna need along with views that make it hard to concentrate on hitting the apex of all those curves. Just when you think it can't get any better you pop out of the mountains into a valley that looks like something out of a John Houston movie.

Although US 50 goes right into Montrose and Grand Junction we chose to take CO 92 through Black Canyon to connect with CO 65 over The Grand Mesa then into GJ. When you turn off US 50 onto CO 92 you imediately cross the Blue Mesa Damm with Blue Mesa Lake to your right and The Black Canyon to the left. Water is shooting out of the outlet pipe 50-70 feet into the air before plunging into the canyon 300 hundred feet below, and then you start to climb the side of the canyon. The speed limit is posted at 25-35 and at those speeds snakeing your way along the rim of the canyon you're praying nothing breaks or blows because, as they warn hikers at the Grand Canyon, few will survive the first 300 foot fall before plunging down the remainder of the 1000-2000 foot drop into the river below. Yup, it is like driving along the hiking trails on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, my palm are sweaty now just remembering it. Once past the canyon rim 10-12 miles it becomes just beautiful mountain driving up an over to Crawford and on around to the CO 65 to The Grand Mesa.

Climbing out of the valley from the junction on 92/65 the road does another series of swithbacks, some at 55mph some at 20MPH, pay attention, as you gain 5K feet in altitude and pop out onto the Mesa where the ponds are still frozen and 3-4 feet of snow continues to melt feed the mighty Colorado. An absolutely beautiful drive through a winter wonderland on June 10th. Then it's down the other side through hairpin switchbacks, while you admire the valley and the road below, finishing with driving through a river canyon so cool you'd swear it was computer generated as you and the river dump onto I70 and the mighty Colorado, for the 17 mile run into GJ.

Next day you think 200 miles of I70 before you get back on little old US 50, boring. Shows how little we know. I70 across Utah has to be the most awe inspiring interstate drive you can take. Every where you look movie scenery and more computer generated sights, or at least they seem so. I have not seen movie with visuals any better.

If you love to drive US 50 seems to be the way to go across the country, just when you think the driving can't get any better it does. See you latter after Reno and the final run into SF.

6/7/11
Pat has been doing a wonderful job detailing the logistics and specifics of our trip so far but I wanted to chime in with my $.03 worth from an operational (Driving) perspective. As Pat pointed out the first day of our journey was highlighted by the stifling crawl through the seat of our gubmint, and we all know what makes up a seat. Sunday though was a different story.

If you ever motor west forget about what that Bobby Troup fella wrote about that other highway, after all it only goes from Chicago to LA. Route 50 will take you from the Atlantic to the Specific ocean, you know the one on the left coast. Now we have only reached St Louis but the drive from Winchester VA through WV and then from the Indiana border through eastern and central Indiana is worth the price of admission. As Pat said WV was up and down with a bunch of 180 steeply banked switchbacks that make you feel like Jim Clark or at least Juan Manuel Fangio. I still have the finger nail marks in my right arm from Pat's reaction to one particularly tight corner. If you can only do a part of WV try Winchester to Grafton. The rest of WV and Ohio was "Lovely" but not as much driving fun. The real surprise came in Indiana from Seymour to Shoals. Route 50 wound through beautiful rolling hills with enough corners to keep your interest up. The best part though were the trees, they covered the road in many places effectively making tunnels which shaded and cooled the road. Too bad we didn't have that kind of cover this afternoon trough the remainder of Indiana and all of Illinois, it was hotter than
H-E double hockey sticks.

Well that's about all from the operational (fun) side of the trip, the Midget is running great, only two small problems so far, a loose exhaust clamp and throttle return springs that decided to lose their "springyness", and as my friend George says " Fixing problems makes men feel like men.

I'm feeling manly now.

6/9/11
We have now made it to Canon City, CO and finally out of the heat of the Plains. As many of us have talked about in past philosophical discussions about driving a sports car or a motorcycle through the Rockies and down the left coast, it would be a great trip if not for the 1000 miles or so of the Midwest that is flat, featureless and HOT. While I'm here to tell you we were correct. We drove through IL, MO, and KS in relentless heat and for the most part it was flat and almost featureless. MO was a nice surprise with rolling hills and sufficient corners to keep you interested. Of course there was the 30 minute stretch where we were trapped behind a wide load truck averaging 10 MPH with no where for one to pass, never mind all five of us. Once we were finally by most of the nice driving road was lost and we were back to the flats. The Flint Hills of Kansas would have been at least acceptable if not for the direct crosswind, 25 gusting to 40, from the left all along the 100 or so miles of US 56. The 18 wheelers passing by in the opposite direction combined with the wind to make it feel as if we were going to get airborne and wind up out with the grazing cattle. Today we caught a break in the weather cool and dry and now we are headed in the area we have always talked of in our past discussions. I will fill you in on the driving experience when I next write in a couple days.

How Hot Can It Get?!?

The last two days have been a mix of friendly people, beautiful scenery, and hot, hot driving days!! We started out yesterday from Newport, Kentucky and drove through part of 5 states--Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and finally arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. We connected up with five other cars for this part of the trip--Dennis was the lead driver. I have to admit that I slept for a lot of this part of the trip because I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. the night before---blogging. I did, however, get some nice pictures, and I will share a few with you. At about 11:30 a.m. we pulled into Shoals, Indiana where we met some great people in the Hoosier A's club. They had set up a very nice reception for us. They offered a place for us to get out of our cars, stretch out legs, and go to the bathroom--always a welcome relief! They also had fruit, water and gifts besides being very friendly. We then ate at a local restaurant called "The Sugar Shack." It had great food, even better desserts, and friendly people. We even met one very nice state trooper who agreed to pretend he had stopped one of the MGers. It was a great photo op with handcuffs and everything. Of course, I didn't have my camera--who needs a camera to eat? Anyway, one of my friends said she would email me the picture, so when I get it, you will also.

While in Shoals we stopped to see an interesting natural rock formation the locals call "The Jug." There was also a beautiful area where the trees seemed to form a tunnel. I tried to capture the beauty of the picture, but it just doesn't capture the Ahhhh! factor, However, below are a few of the pictures of that area of the country.

Eventually we headed across the flat lands of Indiana and Illinois--just in time for the temperatures to reach 96. I was wearing a sundress, so I was relatively cool, but poor Dennis was roasting. We wet his handkerchief and wrapped it around his neck. This gave him some relief, but not much. I know we used to travel before air conditioning, but why?!?

After a long hot day, we finally reached St. Louis, Missouri. The arch was lovely as we entered the city. When we got to the hotel we just relaxed and enjoyed the cool air for about an hour, then it was out to an Irish pub to enjoy the hospitality of the St. Louis MG Club. Again, great food arrangements, a few drinks and some very lively car talk--it is really amazing how long guys can talk about a car!!! After that, we hit the sack.

This morning we start our day with a nice breakfast and then headed to the top of the garage for the famous St. Louis Arch for a photo op--can't wait to get the photos, they were taken from a helicopter. There must have been fifty cars! We couldn't get to the bottom of the arch, which was the original plan, because there is still some flooding in the area. Then we headed out for Lenexa, Kansas--just outside Kansas City. There isn't much I can say about this part of the trip--not many pictures, but it sure was hot--in the upper 90's! When we arrived we went to a barbecue provided by Victoria British Ltd. It was delicious, and they gave us a t-shirt--who can argue with that?!

With all the sweating, I had laundry detail tonight, but it wasn't too bad.

Dennis wants to add his $.03 to our blog, so you will hear from him tomorrow--sorry for the shortage of pictures, this Internet connection is giving us a little trouble, so I have stopped with just the two. I'll be back in a couple days. Have good ones!!

Day one and Two Rallye to Reno

I didn't add anything yesterday because I thought it would be more interesting to do two days at a time. So, I will tell you a little about what has happened for the last two days, and Dennis will add his two bits in a couple days. It has been an interesting two days.

Yesterday, Saturday, June 4th, was the first day of the Rallye. It really was fantastic. We had approximately 50 cars ready to leave Ocean City, MD. We actually drove up the board walk!!! All the people on the board walk were so friendly, waving and encouraging us on. What a great start. Check out the great pictures of the cars on the board walk, and the pictures of the Atlantic Ocean--what a beautiful city!!!

Next we drove to Washington D.C. I have decided that the roads through Washington are just as confusing as the elected officials we have in that city--perhaps they are just frustrated about how to get around the city. Do you think that could be the problem in Washington--I know there has to be something wrong, they just can't seem to get it together, and they have completely forgotten that we are supposed to have a "government for the people by the people." I think they think they are the only people that count, but after trying to follow route 50 through the city, I feel their frustration. Anyway, hereis a picture of us in front of the Washington Monument. The hood of the car is up because Dennis is checking to make sure we can make the rest of the trip.

After leaving Washington, we returned to Virginia and drove through Fairfax--what a mess! There was so much traffic that we had a hard time making any progress, but we stayed true to Route 50, one of the first highways to cross the country. After getting out of the traffic, we drove through some really beautiful towns--very scenic and small town feeling. I think we wanted to stop and live in some of the towns. Then we passed through horse country. Really, there were so many horse ranches--they were just beautiful, and our house--not tiny at 2400 square feet--would have fit three times in some of these houses. Surely one of the more affluent areas of the country. We finally arrived in Winchester, VA at around 5:00.

The local MG club had arranged for the Rallye cars to drive down to a mall and park in an area that is usually closed to cars. All the people were fantastic--they loved the cars and were just so nice. We were welcomed at a pub called the Union Jack. The local MG club provided snacks (more like dinner) and drinks, so we had a great time. Later Dennis and I along with a couple other MGers watched some Civil War reenactors perform. It was interesting to hear a different point of view from the actors, and the costumes--particularly the hoop skirts of the girls--were beautiful. All in all, a wonderful day.

Today we got an early start because it was one of the longest drives on the trip.It rained last night, and the day was over cast--which was a blessing in disguise because it stayed cool most of the day--a blessing because this car does not have air conditioning. We left Virginia at 7:15 a.m. and arrived in Kentucky at about 6:15 p.m. It was a long drive, but what beautiful country. The road in West Virginia was very scary to me--a lot of cut backs through the mountains. The road was also very steep. I've added some pictures to show our altitude, and the grade of the roads--very steep. Not only were the roads very winding, but a deer jumped out right in front of our car and Dennis had to break and steer carefully to miss it. A very scary moment indeed. We saw some huge windmills--which shows that states have not forgotten about alternative means of power (I have included a picture of one of the windmills). Then, in Ohio, the rolling farm lands were just beautiful. I've added some pictures I think you will enjoy

We finally arrived in Kentucky where we are staying for the night. It was a great day of driving and socializing--all our stops were at least a half hour because we just talk too much. We could make better time if we just didn't talk so much, but what fun would that be?!? Tomorrow we are on to St. Louis where we are getting a group picture of the MGs under the Arch--what a hoot. Below are those pictures I have mentioned above, but I still haven't figured out how to label them, so bear with me--maybe by tomorrow I will figure it out. At any rate, it was a beautiful day.

Some of you were concerned about whether or not Dennis would be married at the end of this trip--well, so far so good, no signs of trouble! Dennis is great to travel with--he'll have to tell you if he feels the same way about me!!!

I'm sorry this blog is lacking details, but I am tired, and I am going to bed. Until next time.