Ethan has a question for you guys!

Ethan saw this tee shirt and could not stop laughing! You should hear some of the comments from people when he wears this shirt. :-)



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Location:Custer, South Dakota

Badlands National Park

Today we visited Badlands National Park in South Dakota. On the way, we crossed the Missouri River and saw some minor flooding. The further west we drove, the country side changed to beautiful rolling hills scattered with cows grazing. It is easy to imagine herds of buffalo roaming the plains.

The Badlands was very impressive and very hot on the low prairie! We walked around on the rocks and took pictures. Every turn in the road was a new surprise for us. It is a different kind of beauty that God has given to us, and I'm so thankful that we have had a chance to see it.



Below are just a few of the pictures taken today. All the rock formations were so unique. We thought it was awesome!











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Location:South Dakota

Westward Bound

This was taken at Mitchell Lake in Mitchell, South Dakota. Because of all the rain and the flooding, the water is much deeper running over the dam.


We left Davenport on Sunday, June 26 and traveled as far as western Iowa before stopping for the day....very boring traveling on a straight highway with the only scenery being corn fields. I'm very thankful for those corn fields and the farmers who work so hard for us, but after 5 hours of it....I'm done!

This morning we saw the Missouri River overflowing its banks. It was very sad to see all the damage to homes and corn fields. Parts of the highway we were on was closed and we were detoured.

We decided to stop in Mitchell, South Dakota after about 5 hours of traveling today, and pitched our tent at the KOA here-first time on the trip that we've used the tent. The wind was blowing so hard, we about gave up and went to a hotel!!

After dinner, we did a little sight seeing in Mitchell, came back to the campground, played a game of miniature golf and now it's time for bed. Will make it to the Badlands tomorrow.

We visited the Mitchell Corn Palace this evening....a very unique place. Everything you see in this picture is made with corn cobs. Over 250,000 corn cobs are used every year to make new designs on the building!





Flooding in Sioux City. I took the picture as we were crossing a bridge, so can't see a lot of the damage.




MacDonalds is ready for whatever comes! We could not believe all the sand bags around businesses. Some of the farmers built dikes around their fields and homes.


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Location:Mitchell, South Dakota

A Walk Down Memory Lane

We arrived in Davenport, Iowa on Thursday, June 23rd after a long day of traveling from Ohio. I don't think we'll do a long day like that again!

As many of you know, Ethan and I lived in Davenport the first seven years of our marriage. Sons Ethan and Brad were born here, so we have a lot of fond memories from the years we lived here. Ethan attended Palmer College of Chiropractic and received his degree in 1969 . I also received my PHT (putting hubby through).

We had a good day on Friday revisiting the places we lived, the hospitals where I worked, and the park where we took the boys to feed the ducks. We went to Lock and Dam 15 on the Mississippi River and watched a tow boat take it's load of barges through the lock, and in the evening we walked a couple miles on the walking path along the Mississippi River.

It's been 40 years since we left this part of our country and a lot has changed for sure, but we will always remember the years we lived here--not easy times for us, but we made it through.

Today we went back to the church we attended those seven years. We didn't expect to find anyone there that we knew. Can you believe that it wasn't minutes after entering the church a lady looked at me and asked, "Are you Linda Owen?". She looked familiar to me, but I couldn't remember her name....she was 85 years old and remembered us!

We will leave Davenport tomorrow to continue our adventure, but have enjoyed our time here looking back, and we are thanking God for the way He has lead us over the last 47 years.


This is the church we attended today. The building to the right is the elementary school. When we were here those many years ago, we had just built the school and met in the gym for church. Ethan and I remember laying the sod around the school, and now we know what 40+ year old trees look like!




Ethan checking out the ducks, pelicans and river boat with his new binoculars as we walked the path by the Mississippi River.




Here is the tow boat pushing it's four barges into the lock. The little white dots behind the boat are pelicans.





We are standing on the observation deck at Lock and Dam15. You can see the tow boat in the background as it pushes the barges out of the lock.


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Location:Davenport, Iowa

Ethan's Reunion with Family

Karen, Ethan and Darlene


The family enjoying dinner together. The boys, Kevin and Mike really had
a lot of fun with Darlene's and my iPad! Around the table are Darlene,Larry,
Michael, Rodney, Kevin, Karen, Linda, Ethan. The food was so good, we all ate toooo much!


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The last few days have been very special for us--especially Ethan. On Wednesday we traveled to Fairborn, Ohio where we joined Ethan's niece Darlene and her hubby Larry and went to visit Ethan's sister, Chickie. Chickie is in a very nice memory care facility. Ethan has not seen her for many years, and we're not sure she knew who we were. We were so happy to see where she is being taken care of...such nice people looking after her. Darlene and Larry live about 6 hrs. away in Michigan, and they come to see her Mom often. While we were there, Ethan's niece Karen came to the facility as well. Ethan has not seen Karen for over 30 years. It was a wonderful reunion for them.

Later that day, we met Karen's husband Rodney and their sons Kevin and Mike, and we all went out for dinner. We had such a wonderful time with family we just don't see often enough.

This morning we went back to Emeritus at Fox Run to spend time with Chickie again before leaving for Davenport, Iowa.

Location:Fairborn, Ohio

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

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Today we spent the day exploring Cuyahoga Valley National Park just south of Cleveland, Ohio. This area was first named a National Park in 2000. No wonder I didn't know about this place until I started reading my National Park book.

We walked on part of the towpath trail, which runs the length of the park--22 miles, visited two of the waterfalls in the park, stopped at several of the visitor's center and read a lot about the incredible history of this place. The
canal that runs through the park had working locks back in the 1800's.

The middle picture above shows the remains of one of the locks. That's Ethan walking on the edge of the lock. The bottom picture shows Brandywine Falls behind us. What a beautiful place!

We had a great day, and now Ethan is sleeping in the recliner in our hotel room. Time to rest up for the next adventure!

Location:Ohio

On The Road Again......

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It's 9:00 a.m. Sunday, and we're on our way to Shenandoah National Park. We had a wonderful visit with Amee, Michael and the kids, and now the real adventure begins!!

Happy Father's Day to our sons. This is the first years since I can remember that we haven't been together today for a cookout and a golf
game with Dad. You all have a great day. We love each of you so much.

Perryville Community Park

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Had a nice walk with the family last evening at the community park. We saw deer, a colony of feral cats that are fed by those who love cats, and Ethan saw a Baltimore Orioles nest. Have seen several different birds that we don't see in Maine. Enjoying our time with Amee and Michael.

Day at the Park

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We arrived at Amee and Michael's in Perryville, MD around 5 p.m. last night,
and have been enjoying our visit so much. Tristan and Kiera are so
precious to us. Today we went to the park in Havre de Grace--just across the Susquehanna River, had a picnic and walked the boardwalk. Back home now, and everyone is taking a nap, including Grandpa! Think I'll settle in with a good book for a while.

Location:Harve de Grace, MD

We left on our trip around 12:30 p.m. today, and traveled to Peekskill, NY. What a beautiful place. We're staying at the Bear Mt. Overlook Lodge tonight, and our room is overlooking water, mountains and paths. It's very peaceful--just what we need.

When Ethan was a young boy, his parents went to Florida every winter, and he remembers coming this way and crossing the big bridge. So, it's been a walk down memory lane for him.

Headed to MD tomorrow and then to Shenendoah National Park...will see if I can post pictures without help when we get to the park!

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We can't believe it's almost time for us to leave on our summer cross country adventure. We have talked about doing this for so long, and the time is finally here. We feel so thankful and blessed to be able to take this time together, and ask for your prayers for us. We not only want to see all the beautiful things God has given to us, but also want to be a blessing to those we meet along the way. We are hoping to leave on Wednesday, June 15th.....will keep you posted.