May 31 thru June 5 - Cincinnati, Ohio

Thursday we got to visit with Stacy and husband to be, Brian.  We had lunch with Stacy, Jeff, Cody and Tanner at the infamous Gold Star Chili where they have Stacy's & Jeff's favorite Chili Cheese Coney (hot dog) and Spaghetti with chili and cheese.

Friday Kelly (Jeff's significant other) and Kelsey flew in from Sacramento.  Then we went to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Had a great dinner at the Pebble Creek Golf Club and then desert at the Grand Finale  (Bananas Foster, Berry Cobbler with ice cream, Decadent Flour-less Chocolate Cake).

Kelsey & Stacy

Jeff, Kelly, & Kelsey

 Saturday since we did not already have enough to do we went to the Cincinnati Zoo
 with Kelly and Kelsey. They have a great zoo on many acres. Did a lot of walking.

 

Finally the wedding.  It was an evening wedding.  The service was performed by Stacy's grandfather and was very nice and moving.  The reception was held at Tori's Station with a prime rib dinner served.  We stayed until the end and watched all the young kids dance the night away.

Father(Jeff) and Daughter(Stacy) Dance

Cody, Jeff, and Tanner

Mitsey, Stacy, Brian, and Jeff

Wedding Party

Sunday was a day to unwind and rest.

Monday we went with Jeff and the boys to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson Field in Dayton.  We spent several hours trying to get through all of the exhibits. It was a very interesting museum.  Couldn't believe all of the planes they had on display. You actually need two days to see everything.

Tuesday we drove Jeff and the boys to airport in Columbus.  We stopped at the Katzinger Deli in Columbus, known for it's great Pastrami and Corned Beef sandwiches and they were good.

Day 8
Made it to Cincinnati Ohio.  We put on 3,060 miles. It was an easy day, 320 miles. Will be staying in Cincinnati for six days. Our Grand Daughter is getting married Saturday, so we will have a busy schedule the next few days.  One thing is to get the car to a car wash, it is dirty. 

Day 7
Left from Council Bluffs, Iowa. Stopped in Muscatine, Iowa to visit a very good friend, Shirley (met in Palm Creek, AZ). Stopped by her house and then went out to lunch down by the Mississippi river.  We had a good visit and lunch at the Pearl Button Restaurant. 

After visiting drove on to Peoria, IL.  Another 410 miles for the day.

A couple of pictures, a tug and a barge in the Mississippi River.

Day 6
This was a day of driving. Across South Dakota and then down into Iowa.  The weather yesterday and today are just great compared to the cold and snow. A lot warmer, but windy.  By the time we made Council Bluff, Iowa it was 76 degrees.

Of course the time changed to central time in Iowa, so we lost an hour.  Put on 470 miles today.

Day 5
Left Gillette, Wyoming heading east.  The first stop of the day was Deadwood, a cute restored old town from the gold rush days. They have legal gaming. A couple of pictures of main street.

From Deadwood stopped at Sturgis, South Dakota.  A nice little town, no Harley's yet. A picture of the Harley dealer and The Knuckle Saloon.

The last stop of day was Mount Rushmore. The place was jammed packed, being Memorial Day Weekend. Two pictures, including a neat tunnel. 

We finally ended up at Wall, South Dakota after only 250 miles, but a lot of stops and sightseeing.

Day 4

Woke up to about 6 to 8 inches of snow this morning (see the first three pictures). It was still snowing a little as we pulled out of West Yellowstone. Fortunately no chains were required.  A beautiful drive to Bozeman, Montana where we had good old Starbucks.

Put on about 460 miles today. Went across Montana and then dipped down into Wyoming. Stopped at Gillette, Wy.  It was very isolated country, not many towns.  The scenery was great , but could not appreciate as it much since it was cloudy with rain off and on. The fourth picture is just scenery in Wyoming.

Looking forward to some warm weather, probably another couple of days.

 

Day 3
Our day in the Park. Yellowstone is a beautiful park, not as dramatic as Yosemite, but a lot more expansive. Reminded us of Tahoe with smaller and shorter trees. It snowed most of the day making it hard to see Old Faithful. It was about ten minutes late while we all stood around in a snow storm.  When it finally erupted you could hear it more than you could see it.

Saw many bison. People were stopping all over the road taking pictures.  At first we could not tell why traffic was stop and go, until we finally made it to where the bison were walking down the road.

Still had a great day.

Have attached a few photos showing the bison, people waiting for Old Faithful, Gibson Falls, and a few other small geysers.