January 2, 2019 - January 7, 2019
SUMMARY
Mollie and I took the same route home. Going to St. Louis we tried Best Western Hotels and the way home we tried Choice Hotels. The pricing was comparable but Best Western Hotels were by far much nicer.
There are a few things (pictures) we will share that are specific to our trip home.
On our way to St. Louis we saw these billboards. We decided on the way home we NEED to stop in Uranus and poke around.
Well, sure enough right off of Historic Route 66 is Uranus, who would have guessed!!
This monolith stands proud.
Interesting..."Home Of The Pirates". I didn't see any sailing ships or water ways to the ocean. I wonder what these pirates steal?
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| Uranus is know for outstanding fudge. |
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| We found a number of interesting items in Uranus |
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They even have a police department to make sure
there are no moving violations in Uranus. |
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| Lots of sweet things in Uranus. |
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| Lots of stuff!! |
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| As we explored we found a gun shop in the back of Uranus. |
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| Very well stocked. |
We hit snow...
During all the driving we only encountered one crazy driver from Texas.
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| Phoebee |
And when we walked in the house on January 7th after almost 3-weeks on the road we had this smiling face waiting for us.
December 23, 2018 - January 2, 2019
Over the course of the following week or so we took a ton of pictures. Please enjoy them as much as we enjoyed taking them...
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| Mommy's boy |
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| Ugly Sweater Day |
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| Finn, what are you wearing? |
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| Okie dokie now!! |
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| Passing out Christmas presents |
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| Opening gifts |
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| Hugging a butt?? |
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| Love the red arm-band |
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| Aiden |
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| Aiden on the left; Finny on the right |
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| View from the porch in the backyard |
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| Grandma is just a little happy with Finny |
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| Grandma is just a little happy with Aiden |
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| We took the boys out for lunch and a little sightseeing. All three look very very happy. (Man can these guys eat!!) |
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| Walking into the main area were the Clydesdales are kept |
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| This is the main cart the Clydesdales pull |
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| We got there at lunch time. Seems they all look the same. |
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| Main gate going into the main brewery. |
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| Each tank is 2-stories tall, 12-feet in diameter and 60-feet long. Each of these tanks holds 3,600 barrels of beer. That's 111,600 gallons of beer per tank. There are 64 of these tanks on this property. (That's 7,142,400 gallons of beer.) |
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| Clock tower |
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| This is the original office/corporate office of the Bush Family. It is also the oldest building. It was converted from a school house. |
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We're very sorry MO had to work.
(Starting on the left) Finny, Sean, Mollie, Aiden and me) |
December 22, 2018
ROUTE
Welcome to St. Louis, Missouri.
St. Louis is a major city in Missouri along the Mississippi River. Its iconic, 630-ft. Gateway Arch, built in the 1960s, honors the early 19th-century explorations of Lewis and Clark and America's westward expansion in general. Replica paddle wheelers ply the river, offering views of the arch. The Soulard district is home to barbecue restaurants and clubs playing blues music.
St. Louis Travel Guide
December 21, 2018
ROUTE
Yes, we had
to stop to see if the LUCK-O-THE-IRISH followed Mollie into Oklahoma.
All in can say is....kinda a
Lots of nothing on the highway.
One thing that was not big in Texas was their gas prices.
How can the same stuff that makes cars go be half as much in Texas as in California? I'm starting to understand why so many folks move out of California and settle any place else.
On our way to Oklahoma we came upon this Cross. I can't tell how tall it is but if you look closely the building to the left of the Cross is a two-story building
December 20, 2018
ROUTE
We have family and lots of friends who moved to Austin, Texas. But at 498 miles and 7 1/2 hours south of Amarillo we just didn't have the time.
I was also thinking of paying our respects to President George H.W. Bush at the Presidential Library in College Station, TX but again at 529 miles and over 8 hours south we just didn't have time.
December 18, 2018
We arrived in Albuquerque late afternoon on December 18th and left the morning of December 20th. We wanted to spend one full day with Michael and his family.
ROUTE
Mollie and I had dinner with our Godson, Michael Stack. Michael spent 10-years in the active Army National Guard of New Mexico. I think that much time in the military has effected him.
This is Savanna, Michael's 3-year old daughter. She's a little pistol.
December 17, 2018
Please take a close look at this picture. You will notice a "Horsealope". It is a cousin of the famous Jackalope. As we drove through Arizona going into New Mexico we had to be on the continual lookout for both of the "...alopes". I was told in confidence that they travel in very large herds very late or very early in the morning. The Horsealope in the picture worked at the hotel we stayed at and was kind enough to pose for the picture.
ROUTE
We took the much shorter "Blue Line".
ROAD WARRIOR
Mollie is now a 100% certified ROAD WARRIOR
Departure Day at 5:00am
All packed up and ready to go. Review "check list"
- Mollie's suitcase with warm clothes = ✔️
- Al's suitcase with warm clothes = ✔️
- Christmas presents = ✔️
- Extra heavy blanket (just in case) = ✔️
- Flashlight & batteries (just in case) = ✔️
- Food & water (just in case) = ✔️
- Tools, snow chains and a assortment of survival stuff (just in case) = ✔️
- Music (CDs, etc) = ✔️
Planning The Route To St. Louis, MO
During the planning of the trip we had the option of three different routes. We choice the southern route due to the unpredictability of the weather. We took the same southern route in both directions.
- Bakersfield CA to Flagstaff AZ
- Flagstaff AZ to Albuquerque NM
- Albuquerque NM to Amarillo TX
- Amarillo TX to Tulsa OK
- Tulsa OK to St. Louis MO
Pamper Day
Two days before we left Mollie decided to pamper herself. As you can see these two fellas are literally waiting on her "hand and foot",
