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It's about time for me to end this blog.  We've arrived home. End of story.

Grand Teton National Park

We've been enjoying another visit to the Teton Valley, just west of the  Grand Teton National Park in Idaho. The Walls are renting a condo for the next year here in Victor, Idaho and we're lucky enough to be visitors to their here.

The mountains have been spectacular and the visiting has been great.

The Tetons

South Dakota and Wyoming

All day Sunday was spent driving mostly across South Dakota. We moved from the green, lush corn and soy bean fields to the grass lands, wheat and pastures of Eastern Wyoming on Monday.  We waved at the Bad Lands and the Black Hills and turned north to visit Devils Tower, a National Monument that we're waved at every other time we drove Interstate 90.  It was a great visit and very interesting up close.

This is the view we've always seen from I80 - that's it
in the middle of the horizon

From the Visitors' Center

Closer to the base

Bob on the trail around the base

Today, we're off to the Tetons, where John and Wanda Wall are staying for the summer (as is usual for them) and a couple of days visiting.

Iowa

Friday was spent as any tourist would do.  We went to Galena, IL and walked around all the shops is town.  That got old really fast, but we did tour the historical museum in town, General Grant's home there, and visited a local winery for a little tasting on our way back to the campground.  Even bought some wine.

This picture of the Savanna/Sabula bridge is being shown again because we learned something interesting about it today.  It's for sale, for nothing.  The states of Iowa and Illinois are wanting to build a new bridge, which is slated to be started in 2015.  This steel truss bridge was built in the 30's and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The only hitch in buying this bridge is that it has to be moved and preserved "in its historical significance in perpetuity." No small job. Just thought you'd like to know. This is how we crossed the Mississippi this morning, into the town of Sabula, Iowa's only island city, basically in the middle of the river.

Bridge for Sale

 Tonight (Saturday), we've stopped at Storm Lake, Iowa and are at a marina/campground right on the shores of Storm Lake.  It's a pretty, little, natural lake and a popular summer vacation spot.  We were lucky to get the last empty spot.

On the Road, Again

We're staying at the Mississippi Palisades State Park in Illinois.  It's a beautiful park on the River. The river is still very high around here, and parts of the park are inaccessible, but the views from the high bluffs are great.

Looking north

Looking south

Just looking

When we went into Savanna, just south of the park, for an ice cream cone, here is what the city riverside park looked like.

A little hard to have a picnic.

River, river everywhere

Our campsite is very secluded, to all but the bugs, which are numerous and varied.  But the road away from our site is very interesting.  These trees are bent over the park road.  The trunks are huge curves. I wonder where their center of gravity is???

I haven't identified them yet, but will for the next post.

Camping in Racine

We had a great weekend camping with the Perdue/Mitchell gang over the 4th of July.

Two adjacent sites for tents and RV

An ice cream treat was popular

Three kids, three bikes, three tents, lots of room to play

We tried every playground in the area, including a gigantic one at North Beach in Racine.

Area for small ones

Plenty of trails and climbing to explore

We went to the beach.

Some of us got wet and some if us enjoyed the sand and sun

Thanks for being patient with the lack of posts on this blog.  We've been more into the "doing" than the writing while in Wisconsin.  Later this week we'll be on the road again, heading for Oregon. We are going back home before going to southern California.  See you on the road.

Finally in Wisconsin

Here we are at the Cliff Side County Park just south of Milwaukee.  Yea!  Having dinner with Sam and Emma and Grace tonight (oh yes, Jennifer and Greg will be there, too).  We are again enjoying this well cared-for park.  Hoping for good weather over the Fourth of July weekend when the gang will be here camping with us. Last night's storms gave everything a really good soaking, but no wind damage around here.

Bob reading at our campsite

A Camping Move Across State

Algonac State Park continued to give us great river shots.  A we played bridge with the Sears every night.

Not even sure what Coast Guard Boat this is

But we had to move on.  And so we moved to the west side of the state.  The Pioneer County Park was a beautiful, spacious park on Lake Michigan when we were here two years ago.  We practically had the whole park to ourselves in October.  This time things were much different. On a hot, June weekend, all 200+ sites were full of families, enjoying the out-of-doors and the Lake Michigan swimming.  The Girl Scouts next to us were entertainment by themselves.

We visited with Natalie (Bob's cousin). Paula (her sister) and Steve were there and we got to see them again.

We did a pub crawl in Muskegan

We walked out to the end of the pier

Stood against the lighthouse - Do you think it needs some paint?

A picture of it from the Internet