April 30, 2019 - Tuesday
Somerset, PA

The rain has held off so we can play golf today.  We played Somerset Country Club (semi-Private course).  The course is not shy of beautiful rolling hills and plenty of mounds in the fairway.  We both had a hard time reading the greens, which didn't help our score and were in great shape. But, neither of us ended up in a bunker and there where plenty.  The golf course is a place to play for all levels.  They offer 4 tee boxes and 2 set of combo tees. 

After golf we visited  "Flight 93 Memorial" just outside of Shanksville, PA which was about 20 minutes from the golf course.  This is the site of where Flight 93 went down after being hijacked by the Al-Qaeda terrorist on September 11, 2001.

As most of you know, John worked at the Redwood Estates Fire Station.  Mark Bingham's mother, Alice Hoagland lived around the corner of the fire house and would visit the firehouse occasionally.  Mark was a passenger and seated in First Class seat 4D, behind 2 of the terrorist in seat 3C & 3D.  Mark was among the passengers who, along with 3 other male passengers, formed the plan to retake the plane from the hijackers, and led the effort that resulted in the crash of the plane into a field near Shanksville, PA, thwarting the hijackers' plan to crash the plane into a building in Washington, DC. most likely either the U.S. Capitol Building or the White House.

The bench in these pictures resides in Redwood Estates in Mark's honor.  It was a very somber  atmosphere as we toured the memorial and hiked to the impact site.  Engraved in the marble white wall in these pictures is the 40 names of the crew and passengers and lines up with the flight path as does the Visitor Center Complex.  Just beyond the wall is the impact site.

God Bless them all and their Families.

April 29, 2019 - Monday
Triadelphia, WV - Somerset, PA

We enjoyed our short stay in Triadelphia and now for a 2 hr drive to Somerset, PA where we are staying  2 nights.  We chose this town cause they have a Super Charger and it's half way from Triadelphia to Washington, DC which is our next stop after Somerset. 

The terrain is quite different from the last 3 states we passed.  We are now enjoying the mountainous views, terrain and elevation.  Our family lived in PA but not this far south.  We lived in Reading, PA for a couple of years, which we will be visiting on our way back to California.

The weather was supposed to be better but seems like it wants to try and rain.  Darn it...we can't seem to escape this cold, rainy, windy weather.  During our travels, almost passed an interesting golf course.  Donegal Highlands Golf Course.  Making a quick stop.  The Pro Shop is nothing like the course.  This course is beautiful, wish we could have played but it was so dang cold and windy, we passed and hung out in the Pro Shop talking with the Manager.  The course is very unique in that the front nine is a traditional links-style course with man-made mounds & moguls and the back nine is tree-lined fairways & rolling hills. 

We have arrived in Somerset, PA.  Here is recent history from Wikipedia on this small Borough

• On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93, bound from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco and one of the four planes hijacked that day by al-Qaeda operatives, crashed near Shanksville, killing all 44 persons on board. It is believed that hijackers intended to fly this plane into the U.S. Capitol Building.

• In July 2002, nine miners were trapped for 77 hours, 240 feet (73 m) underground, by flooding in the Quecreek coal mine, just outside Somerset. All nine miners were rescued. The Quecreek Mine Rescue was chronicled by journalists from around the world and was televised globally.

• Somerset Crater on Mars is named after Somerset.

We checked into our Hotel and decided to head out to the Somerset Country Club and check out the course we are supposed to play tomorrow.  We went into the Pro Shop and the Pro was so happy to see us since we were the only customers he has seen all day and it's 2:00pm.  That's because it's so freaking windy and cold.  The course has manicured greens, strategically placed bunkers and water hazard to add complexity.  Oh, that's what I really need. HA  The course is rolling hills and natural elevation changes and It offers breathtaking views of the town of Somerset.  Hope the weather cooperates.

We continued on a countryside road and ended up in Garret, PA. on a dead end road.  The scenery was beautiful.  

Heading back to Somerset, I took a couple of video's of the Borough.  

We ended our evening having dinner at the Pine Grill Cafe in Somerset.  Excellent food, Service and Ambiance.  I ordered a Steak Salad (Salad with NY Steak and Sauteed Mushrooms on top), very yummy.  Johnny ordered the Meatloaf w/ Mashed Potatoes which he thoroughly enjoyed.  

Goodnight!!!  Keeping our fingers crossed for descent weather tomorrow.

April 28, 2019 - Sunday
Dayton, OH - Triadelphia, WV

After a terrible stay at the Comfort Suites (will NEVER stay at another one), we are on our way to Triadelphia, WV.  This destination was only picked because they have a Super Charger and the driving distance is perfect for the day.  On our way we decided to stop in the capital of Ohio (Columbus) and Super Charge Tessie.   Across the street is the Columbus Convention Center.  I decided to check it out.  WOW!!! I entered the building and the Ohio Volleyball Region Championship is playing.  OK..let's check it out.  The OVR Championship playing where ladies 11-18 years of age. OVR, Inc is one of the largest of the 40 regional volleyball associations of the USA Volleyball (USAV).  The members have opportunities to participate at local, regional, zonal and national competitions.  They have an active membership of over 23k and the region includes states of Ohio and W. Virginia and some bordering counties of Western Pennsylvania.

After watching Volleyball I decided to roam the Convention Center to see what else was happening.  I came up this "AS WE ARE" Facts.  This is created by Matthew Mohr.  It's the only type of sculpture of it's type in the world.  Sculpture shape created as composite of 5,000 faces.  OK, I thought, "How do I get my face on this", well I sat in a photo booth with 29 cameras that creates an image projected by 850,000 LED ribbon lights.  "Say CHEESE"...it took my picture.  I came out of the booth and within 2 minutes my face is being projected around the world via the cloud.  The 14 foot portrait is in proportion to a person being 94 feet tall.  This was pretty cool.  OK..time to move on Tessie is
charged. 

While we were in Columbus, OH...let's go see the Capitol Building.  Well, we found the original Capitol Building and was running out of time to search for the current resting place of the Capitol Building. 

We have now arrived in....

As we were traveling to our destination, I was reading about an old suspension bridge in Wheeling, WV.  Gotta stop and learn about this piece of history.  My first thought when we arrived is this towns a ghost town. 

We walked around and took in the sites.  Wheeling was the first Capitol of WV till after the war when it was moved to Charleston from 1870-75 and then moved back to Wheeling for ten years then moved back to Charleston permanently when the W. Virginia government arrived in 1885.  Wheeling became a manufacturing center in the late 19th Century.  Following WWII, the town experienced closing of factories and substantial population loss.  It's major industries now include Healthcare, Education, Law & Legal Services, Entertainment/Tourism and Energy.  We did not experience much of these businesses when we were there.  It looked like a ghost town.  Yes, we were in the Historic District but my goodness, this historic district is very run down.  They do have beautiful historic churches.  

Old Apartment complex still being occupied

Enough of Wheeling, WV...on our way to Marriott in Triadelphia, WV and Super Charge for Tessie.

Good Night!!!

April 27, 2019 - Saturday
Normal, IL - Indianapolis, IN - Dayton, OH

We left our very comfortable stay at the Candlewood Suites in Normal, IL heading to Dayton, OH.  But not without entering Indiana and another time zone change. 

The weather has been rainy so it made for a good travel day.  But, wait...we have to stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway..VROOM, VROOM... 

They offer golf cart tours around the track and we were hoping for a tour, but they were hosting a fundraiser for Doggies "Mutt n Strut" by Indyhumane.  The owners and there pets walk around the track.  This is their largest annual fundraiser which help serve the animals of Central Indiana.  Good Cause 🐶

So we enjoyed ourselves by Touring the Museum:

Winner of the First Indy 500 in 1911

Winner of the 2018 Indy 500

Since there were so many cars in the Museum, we decided to share the car in the year we were born. 

Johnny being born in 1945, the first "500" to be held after WWII was in 1946.

Guess who WON!!! 

Johnny thought it would be funny to see me try and get out of the this car.  There is a sign with warnings before you attempt to get in this car, "Bad back", "NOT flexible" and "Bad shoulders".  Well watch this...ha ha

We had such a great time, we thought Selfies were in order.  

We arrived in Dayton, OH just in time for Dinner.  We charged Tessie and had dinner at the El Toro Mexican Restaurant.  $3.99 Special Margarita's and a shared plate...PERFECT..Order me another Margarita....HA!!

Checking into the Comfort Suites

April 26, 2019 - Friday
Bloomington/Normal, IL

We stayed another night in Bloomington/Normal, IL to be able to play golf at the Prairie Vista Golf Club.   The weather was Sunny and VERY windy.  The course had very tall rough, the fairways were in great shape as were the greens.  So, if you were in the rough, you made the hole even longer.  Hence our scores and lets just say we didn't shot our handicap.

After golf we decided to take a drive down a small section of Historic Route 66

Feel a bit exhausted from our windy day of golf, we decided to stop at our favorite grocery store, Hyvee Market. to pick up a cheese board, bread and wine for dinner.  It was a great day to end our evening.  

Good Night!!!

April 25, 2019 Thursday
Des Moines, IA to Normal, IL

We departed Des Moines very early in the AM, knowing we had a long drive with a charge required in the middle.  We traveled to Normal, IL which is a little less than an hour east of Peoria.  Peoria does not have Tesla Chargers but this little college town which is the residents of University of Illinois does.

The beauty of this part of the country is enjoying the massive farm lands and structures.

The excitement was crossing the Mississippi River leaving Iowa and entering Illinois.

  We decided since the hotel we are staying at has Bar B Que pits, that it would be nice to enjoy a bar b que.  So we went to HyVee's (amazing store, everything you need, seriously) bought a couple of steaks, mashed taters and green beans and enjoyed our evening in our suite with our "Normal Bar B Que" HA!

April 24, 2019 - Wednesday
Grand Island, NE to Des Moines, IA

Today was a long driving day to Des Moines, IA.  We arrived in De Moines, IA around 2:00pm.  Just enough time to visit the State Capitol Building.  We did a guided tour.  Our guide, Terry has been doing tours for 30 years at the Capitol building.  We were very educated afterwards.

The Capitol building construction began in 1871.  It was dedicated in 1884 and completed in 1886.  The structure is comprised of Limestone, Granite and Sandstone.  The building’s interior is furnished with 29 types of marble as well as a variety of woods.

The Golden Dome:

Exterior: The dome has been a symbol of Iowa government and politics.  The 23-karat (not 24k), gold-covered dome rises 275 feet above the Capitol grounds.  The re-gilding began in 1998 and was completed in 1999 at a cost of approx. $482k.  This is the only Capitol building that has 5 Domes.

Interior:  Suspended across the dome is the emblem of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R).  The emblem, painted on canvas and suspended on wire, was placed there as a reminder of Iowa’s efforts to preserve the Union during the Civil War.  The painted sky with clouds was added to the interior of the dome during recent Capitol renovations. 

The Capitol building fire in 1904 burnt the North Wing where the House of Representatives resided.  Despite the damage, House members chose to convene in the chamber.  Once the legislative session ended, repairs began. 

  

The collection of dolls represents Iowa’s first spouses in the inaugural finery.  If you notice, there is a male displayed in this showcase.  This is because Iowa elected the first women (Kim Reynolds) as Governor in 2017.

The chambers of the Iowa House of Representatives and the Iowa Senate, occupy most of the second floor.  The state’s 50 senators and 100 representatives meet during the annual Legislative Session of the Iowa General Assembly, to create Iowa law.  The Legislative Session convenes on the second Monday in January of each year.  Each session lasts approx. 100 days.  While we were there the Legislative Sessions were still convening but were told they will be ending shortly.  It startled me at first when I was walking by the doors to the House chamber, when an Official made a very loud announcement “The House is Voting”!!!!.

The State Library – Law Library occupies the entire west wing of the 2^nd floor and contains over 100k volumes.  The circular staircase of iron grill work at each end of the library, leads to four tiers of law books and court decisions from each state and the federal government.  The library also houses a collection of legal periodicals; materials produced by the Iowa Legislature and antique law books.  The oldest law book was written on sheep skin and is displayed in a protective case…sorry no picture.

One of the most interesting art features of the capitol is the series of grand mosaics which is located in the grand balcony staircase back wall.  The six subjects represent the functions of government are from left to right.  Defense, Charity, The Executive, The Legislative, The Judiciary and the Education.  The mosaics were made in Venice, Italy out of tiny pieces of glass.   Frederick Dielman created the mosaics and installed them in the capitol in 1908. He was paid $10k to create this work of art.  It was the last artwork to being installed in the capitol.

April 23, 2019 - N. Platte, NE to Grand Island, NE

Today is a golf day for us in Grand Island, NE at Jackrabbit Run Golf Club.  We have to first stop and charge Tessie in Gothenburg, NE.  Gothenburg was named the Pony Express Capital of Nebraska in 1992.  Mail was carried 2,000 miles between St Joseph, MO and Sacramento, CA from Apr 1860's -  Oct 1861.  It's a very small town of 3500 but is filled with history.  The Sod House Museum is a memorial to the first settlers in the area.  It was not open when we arrived. 

On our way to Grand Island on I80, there is an Archway that spans 300 feet over I80 and has an exit to a museum and monument to Nebraska and the Platte River valley's.   

As we move onward we arrived in Grand Island, NE at the Jackrabbit Run Golf Club.  Tuesday's are discount days.  It was $26.88/person to play this beautiful municipal golf course with a cart.  It was a bit windy which made it chilly but, when we made the turn the wind died and it was beautiful.  It's very flat but challenging with tree lined fairways.  The greens were perfect for me, John thought they were a little slow. 

April 22, 2019 - Monday
Thornton, Co - N. Platte, NE

11:00am -  Our journey has ended for the state of Colorado.  Thank you so much to Tom and Judy for welcoming us into there home for a couple days stay.  Judy was a GREAT host, while Tom is still recovering from Pneumonia.  But, today Tom was is doing MUCH better.  We were so happy to being able to spend some time with him before we moved on.  THANK YOU soooo much Tom and Judy.

We are now in North Platte, NE which was about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Thornton, Co. and another time change.  So after having to get a few charges, we arrived at 6:30pm.  We are now on Central Time..crap I lose another hour of sleep.  There is really nothing here but, they do have a few golf courses we are going to check out tomorrow morning.  Nebraska is a very flat, farming, cattle herding state.   A bit boring after coming from Utah and Colorado.  But, we are taking in it's beauty.