Nebraska

For the Love of Football and Family

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Our fall travel and marathon season is upon us. Over the next few months we’re heading east and have races and new adventures planned. 

We left Michigan and headed to Dayton, Ohio with our sights on the Air Force Marathon. 

While in the area we did a little biking and visited the Dayton Aviation Heritage Historical Park. Dayton was home to the Wright Brothers’ cycle shop, and their many accomplishments are celebrated across the town. At the National Museum of the Air Force, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, all forms of aviation are on display, including our nation’s space vehicles.

Biking in Dayton
Wright Bros Cycle Shop
US Space Program

The marathon events began with an expo where we picked up Steve’s packet and took some fun photos. Early the next morning we arrived to the start line on the Air Force base in very warm weather. It was in the 70s at the start. 

Getting ready!
Early morning at the start
Sunrise before the race

I took a free shuttle to see Steve at the 15 mile mark and by then the temperature was in the high 80s. The race had issued a red alert, indicating dangerous running conditions. Steve’s heart rate, normally around 130 beats per minute when he runs, was pushing 160. This, along with the prospect of even higher temperatures at the finish line, was enough for Steve to call it a day. Better to be safe than sorry. So, we’ll be back through Ohio next year to do another marathon so he can claim the state. 

Air Force took security on the course seriously
Still running at mile 15
Happy to fight another day

From Dayton we headed west a little to position ourselves for Steve’s next Nebraska Cornhusker game in Lafayette, Indiana. While waiting for Saturday’s game to arrive we visited a local Wolf Park to learn a little about these beautiful animals (trained foxes too!)

We also took advantage of the great facilities at Prophetstown State Park where we camped. A great bike/running path took us through the park and was decorated for the season with unique scarecrows presented by local organizations.

Biking in Prophetstown State Park
Statue of Liberty Scarecrow
Young Scarecrows
Checking out the Farm
One more “Scarecrow” on the trail

The Cornhuskers crushed the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, and Steve cheered them on as he always does.

The Huskers are in the house
Steve’s escorts into the stadium
Purdue’s World’s Largest Drum
GO BIG RED!

Ashland, Ohio, my birthplace and hometown, was our next stop. We had not been back since a family reunion over 15 years ago. This stop was brief, but we made the most of it by hanging out with my cousins, Red and Judy, who let us park our RV next to the old barn.

The Old Barn at Shoemaker Farms
Me and Cousin Cindy
Bob loved Kira

There are still a bunch of Finleys/Shoemakers/Zimmermans in Ashland, and it was super awesome to see everyone. We were especially grateful to see Uncle Shoey, who will celebrate his 95th birthday in January. We even got to join him and Tom at the Dairy Bar for breakfast before we pulled out of town.

Sharon with her girls: Kelly, Laney, Kira, Sharon, and Zoe
Laney loved Bob too!
Uncle Shoes with Red and Sharon
Breakfast at the Dairy Bar with Tom and Uncle Shoey

And before we left Ohio, we crossed one more National Park off the list. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is located just south of Cleveland. We stopped there to explore the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath via bike. Our 15 mile cruise took us along the canal that in the mid-1800s transported goods between East Coast cities and America’s rural heartland. 

One more National Park!
Farm market along the trail
Inside the lock over the river
A little green in this lock
Another old lock on the towpath
Riding into the lock built over the Cuyahoga River
Amazing that these were made in the mid-1800s

We’re now continuing our eastward path and have some pretty cool things ahead. 

Crossing the USA, Visiting Family & Friends

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The bulk of this summer will be spent at our “new to us” RV lot at Traverse Bay RV Resort in Traverse City, Michigan. However, to get there, we had a bit of a haul from Idaho. Traveling across the country with an RV is certainly the way to go, and we made the most of our cross-country trek by stopping along the way to visit family and friends. 

From Idaho we stopped at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park near Whitehall, Montana to check out the caves.  Discovered in 1892 by local hunters, these caverns went on to become Montana’s first state park. As one of the largest known limestone cavern systems in the northwest, people have been exploring the caves for over 100 years. However, Lewis and Clark weren’t among them though they did explore in the area. We were glad we took the two hour, two mile guided walking tour that gained an elevation of 300ft, ascended over 100 stairs, and descended over 500 stairs. 

Entering the caverns
Steve braves the cave
Cool formations
Narrow passageways
Yep, that’s a bat maternity ward
Exploring the columns
Large pool of water amidst the rocks

While in the area we checked out a place where Lewis and Clark definitely stopped:  the headwaters of the Missouri River. Steve lived along the river as he was growing up in Blair, Nebraska, and he’s always had a fascination with the river. Now he’s been to where it all starts.

Jefferson River meeting the Madison
Proof!
Headwaters of the Missouri River

As we crossed Montana, we made a stop at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. This area memorializes the US Army’s 7th Cavalry, Crow, and Arikara scouts and the Lakotas, Cheyennes, and Arapaho in one of the American Indian’s last armed efforts to preserve their way of life. Here on June 25 and 26 of 1876, 263 soldiers, including Lt. Col. George A. Custer died fighting several thousand native warriors. It was a quick stop for us and a sobering reminder of the lives that were lost in the battle for western lands.

Men were not the only casualties
Black Elk was a wise man
Custer and others honored here
Sculpture honoring the American Indians lost in the battle

After several more days of driving we landed in Elkhorn, Nebraska and the home of Steve’s brother Brian. During our two day visit we hung out with the kids, spent time in the pool, and celebrated my birthday. It’s always fun to stop at Brian’s house!

Lydia, Nathan, and Steve
Brian and Chanel
Steve, Heidi, and Jarrot
The boys: Steve and Brian
We celebrated with ice cream cake
“Somebody” thought I wanted this for my birthday
Nathan and Elise with Brian on the phone

As we traveled through Iowa we made stops in Corning to visit the cousins, in Des Moines for lunch with our friends Dan and Jackie, and in Muscatine to spend time with Steve’s high school buddy Kent and and his wife Lori. Unfortunately we didn’t take any photos of our night with the cousins but we did remember to snap a few at our other stops. Again, our RV lifestyle allows us to stay connected with so many of our loved ones, and for that we are grateful.

Dan and Jackie
We were in Watermelon Country!
Steve and Kent

We had one more stop before arriving to our new place in Michigan. In Elkhart, Indiana, Steve attended the Lippert RV Owner’s School. For three days he attended classes related to plumbing, electrical, roofs, suspensions, and more. He doesn’t promise to be able to fix your RV, but he now knows more than he did before. 

Ready for school!
Working hard on a wheel

Next we arrive to our new home in Michigan and we’ll have another post soon to give you all those details.

Bardstown, Kentucky: Let the Bourbon Trail Begin!

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We’ve made the long trip from the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque to the heart of Bourbon Country in Kentucky. Our exploration of all things bourbon has just begun here in Bardstown, and we’ve got quite a few stops ahead.

First, a few things to catch up on. On our way to Kentucky we made stops in Kansas City and Omaha to see family and catch one more Cornhusker game in Lincoln. Our days were filled with chilly soccer games, basketball games, birthday celebrations, shopping, a tailgate, and a fun day with the Iowa cousins surrounded by beautiful fall colors. Click the arrows on the photo below to scroll through the highlights.

Indianapolis lured us in for just a few days. Steve ran a marathon in his 31st state and I cranked out another 5K. 

And then we arrived in Kentucky! Our first stop was at My Old Kentucky Home State Park where we were camped in the center of the Bourbon City, Bardstown!  Heaven Hill was our first exposure to how Kentucky Bourbon is made. This sprawling facility has a great museum that features the history of bourbon.

The next morning we were up early to tour Willett where we were able to taste the mash at various stages before it begins the distilling process. Our awesome tour guide took us through the entire distilling process, offering tastes along the way. What a great way to take a tour! From there we did some shopping, checked out the fun little town of Bardstown, and then hunkered down for some cold weather overnight.

Thankfully our Grand Design Solitude is keeping us and the dogs toasty warm so that we sleep well and are up early for full days of touring.

Hadorns Bakery in downtown Bardstown is considered a must-stop. While in line at this popular bake shop, we met a very friendly man who offered to buy our yum yums (chocolate, glazed donut twists). As we chatted he shared that he spent much of September in the ICU and is now awaiting a new heart. He showed us all of his wires and ports. It was a touching moment to come across such a positive and generous soul who is spreading joy and love while himself struggling.

Our encounter at the bakery fueled us for another full day of touring. First stop was Kentucky Cooperage where we weren’t allowed to take photos inside the factory, but wow! This is where the majority of the world’s bourbon barrels are made, and we watched the craftsmen choose the white oak staves, create the barrel, char the barrel to the distillery’s specifications, and then finish the barrel with bands. The virgin barrels are used to make bourbon and then are often sent to Scotland to make scotch or to other manufacturers to make bourbon-infused coffee, rum, syrup, or other products.  This tour is not to be missed!

After a stop at Limestone Branch Distillery for a quick tasting, we arrived at the beautiful property of Makers Mark. Makers Mark is the world’s oldest operating bourbon distillery and showcases its history and quality in a fun tour and tasting. We saw the stills, the rickhouses, the print shop, and lots of beautiful Chihuly glass art which adorns even the warehouses where the bourbon is aged. After the tasting we bought a bottle of Makers Mark 46, a specially aged version of the classic bourbon. Dipping the bottle in the hallmark red wax was a bonus!

We are learning about the rules of bourbon. It must be aged in a new, charred oak barrel and contain 51% corn. It cannot be distilled above 160 proof and must enter the barrel at no more than 125 proof. Bourbon bottles cannot be filled below 80 proof, with no color or flavoring added. Our goal is to become experts and we still have a lot of learning to do!