We check out the grounds that David’s Country cottages are situated on, which includes a pond with a pair of Mute swans, then head for home to complete this leg of the Great Megan Tour Read More...

Third and final day on the Natchez Trace Trail National Parkway. Travelling from the state capitol of Mississippi to just just west of the state capitol of Louisana. More trails and overlooks and a leisurely drive.
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Day 2 of the Natchez Trace Trail National Parkway, stopping at Park places along, including the Army Corp of Engineer Visitor center at the Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam the way until our goal: Jackson, MS
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Abraham Lincoln Birthplace, National Historic site, and the First leg of the Natchez Trace Trail National Parkway. Adding Tennessee State Capitol, Nashville along the way. Our goal was the Belmont Hotel, in Belmont Mississippi.
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Halloween and Mammoth Cave National Park- The day was spent exploring the Mammoth Cave National Park, and the evening was spent Trick-or-Treating in Glasgow KY. We took two cave tours, had lunch underground, hiked a trail, and Megan got dreesed up like a frog.
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After Breakfast at Billie and April’s Apartment, we checked out Billie’s new CRV, and then got on the road just before 10:30 AM. Our destination for the evening was the Hall Bed and Breakfast in Glasgow, KY. Along the way we’d stop and see the state capitols of Ohio and Kentucky. We also wanted to see the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace, National Historic Site.
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Fred and Mary Ann made a delicious country breakfast, and showed off their new barn they had built. The snow was dusty and the wind was blowing the flurries about. We had two goals for the day. The First goal for the day was to pick our own apples from an Apple Orchard. The second goal was to make it to Columbus, OH where Billie and April lived.
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It was another grey and wet morning. We had yet another delicious breakfast at the Crest Bed and Breakfast. We really enjoyed staying there. The bed was comfortable, and fresh, hot breakfasts were as mentioned delicious, and the proprietors friendly and accommodating. Plus it was a convenient place to stay. We didn’t get back on the road until 11:30, and we hoped that the weather wouldn’t actively try to ruin our day at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
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When we woke up, cho started with a delicious breakfast at Crest B&B and then the went to Case Western Reserve University where Winston and Julie first met. We visited Winston’s Ph.D. Advisor Dr. Ica Manas-Zloczower. We also saw other professors still there. We then met cousin Andrew for lunch. We ate at Aladdin’s Eatery which was one of our favorite restaurant when we lived in Cleveland. It was across the street from our apartment on Surrey. Andrew’s attending CWRU along with his sister Connie whom we had dinner with. Dinner was at a restaurant called Nighttown also in the neighborhood. We had steamed artichoke for an appetizer. It was the first time we had artichoke, and it was pretty good. The weather was cold, and throughout the day the precipitation varied from rain, to sleet, to hail, to snow, to icy rain. In the afternoon between the meals we took Megan to the Cleveland Children’s museum. Read More...

In the morning, after a light breakfast at the hotel, we checked out, and set out on the road again. It was 9:20 am, and we had 350 miles and 2 stops to make before settling at our lodging for the evening. The skies were alternating cloudy and sunny making for some dramatic shots. Our first stop was in Grand Ledge, MI where we met Anna and William for Brunch. Anna and Winston know each other from Junior Achievement back in high school, and haven’t seen each other in just about 14 years. Breakfast was at Sophia’s house of Pancakes, which had large portions of delicious food. We caught up on things and watched Megan eat. After breakfast, we filled up on gas (8.23 gallons at $2.56/gal) and then drove to see the state capitol in Lansing. Read More...

In the morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we explored our options for exploring Kalamazoo. It was cold and damp, which ruled out outdoor activities, as much as we wanted to go out and hike a trail or so, the thought walking on the wet, muddied, trails while we got cold, wet and muddy, just didn’t seem to make sense. Megan was a little young for the Kalamazoo AirZoo, and while seeing an SR-71 Blackbird would have been pretty cool, the admission price was a bit steep, considering we’d only be there for about an hour. We instead decided on the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. Which, unlike what the name sounds like, is a children’s museum. Also, it offers free admission! While we were deciding on where to go, Megan played around the hotel room, and by the time we’d made it to the museum she’d fallen asleep in her car seat. So we sat in the parking garage contemplating going in or going back to the hotel. Julie went in to check it out. Read More...

In the morning, Brady had to go to work early, but Peggy’s who’s writing her dissertation had some time to host us in the morning. After Breakfast we played with the Wii, Wii Fit and Wii Sports. Peggy beat Winston at Tennis, and Winston and Julie had a nice Wii Jog. It was a lot of fun, and we’ve been mulling over whether or not to get one ourselves.

Peggy and Brady’s apartment has really tall ceilings. It’s also has a high depth to width ratio. It’s very nice and has a room kitchen. And of course it’s stylishly decorated.

Just before noon we got back on the road. Our destination was just about 150 miles away in Kalamazoo, MI. Read More...

It was time to get on the road again. The weather was overcast, a slow moving storm front was creeping across the plains. Since we were driving North-north-east, we spent the whole day in it. First though, it was Megan turned 17 Month old so we had to take some portraits. We had brought along the foam numbers we’d been using, and set up in the Baugher’s dining area with the Megan-o-lantern. We got dressed up in the outfits we’d be wearing to Amanda’s wedding, since we had them along. Breakfast was a delicious meal cooked up by Alan: French toast and sausages. Then we packed back up the car and head out. It was 10:45 am, first stop: Jefferson National Expansion Monument, also known as the Gateway Arch...
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After two long days of driving, we took it easy and relaxed at Alan and Tina’s house. We watched their three girls and and 1 nephew get ready for school. Alan was telecommuting so we got time to just hang out and catch up with him and Tina. Julie and Megan wandered around the yard, and the neighborhood, and when the kids came home from school, Julie and Megan spent time with them. In the evening Winston carved a Megan-o-Lantern and took some group pictures. Click the Read More link for details on the pumpkin carving Read More...

In the morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel, and Megan enjoyed the waffles. She also liked standing on the HVAC unit and checking out the fountain in the lobby. We got back on the road around 9:30 AM and headed to the State Capitol Building. As we pulled up into the visitor parking lot, we wondered what the weird metal structure in front of the Capitol was for, other than getting in the way of a nice photo of the building. It turns out it is there to commemorate the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Fields. Then as we turned and looked around we noticed that there were quite a few oil derricks in view of the Capitol building. That and the really low gas prices reinforced the abundance of petroleum resources of Oklahoma.

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First thing in the morning we dropped Hunter off at the kennel, and packed up the car (including the future Megan-o-Lantern). The week before we purchased a new car seat for Megan as she had just about out grown her infant car seat. Then we headed off to the Harris County Public Library where we early voted in the 2008 elections. There was a pretty long line (About an hour) as it was the first day of Early Voting in Texas, but we waited. Megan went with Daddy into the voting booth, and got to press the big red button to cast the vote. We checked out some books for the trip, and then we were off! Read More...