Jaunts to Expeditions

Leaving LeClarie, we headed south back to Galesburg where we left the car two weeks earlier.  The rental car agency shares the parking lot with Amtrak, so it was easy to transfer the luggage and leave the rental. We couldn’t resist and had to make one last stop as we were heading home. As we’d headed to Galesburg two weeks previously, we’d scouted the location of a small farm-based store in Fithian, IL selling - what else - cheese!  Ludwig Farms is located at the end of a series of small back roads, ending up in a parking lot across from cow barns. We, of course bought some of their artisanal cheeses to enjoy once we get home. The trip back to Fishers was uneventful and we arrived around 4pm. The car was unloaded, suitcases emptied and the first load of laundry was in by 5pm.  Although traveling is great fun and always an adventure, it is still great to be home and sleep in one's own bed. One the few souvenirs I look for on all my trips are patches.  I have been collecting si

Departing our hotel in Davenport, we made the short trip to LeClaire, IA.  LeClaire is the birthplace of  Buffalo Bill Cody (it’s been a Wild Bill sort of trip) and home to American Pickers ( popular TV show on History/A&E channels. The Twilight Riverboat has three stories and upon boarding, we were assigned a table on the middle level.  We would have this table for all of our meals, but were otherwise free to move about the boat.  Various seating was provided outside including comfortable rocking chairs on the fore and aft decks.  Some seats were under cover, something needed on day two of the trip as the weather was a little bit damper with intermittent rain showers. The boat also had a gift shop, bar and live entertainment during the afternoons (a single guitarist playing riverboat favorites).  The food was not fancy, but mostly tasty and appeared to be enjoyed by all aboard.  It is cooked on the boat with many of the recipes being from the owner's family. As the boat

Today was mostly spent driving from point A to point B.  About 7 hours and 450 miles after leaving Sioux Falls, we arrived in Davenport, IA.  The evening was spent rearranging clothes for our overnight on the Mississippi and catching up with the friends that flew home from Rapid City. It seems that we took the best option in Rapid City, compared to some others in our tour group.  Glenda and Howard traveled home through Chicago; Howard's sister Bea was getting back to Washington, DC through Minneapolis.  None of them made it home the same day.  Spending the night in a local hotel, Bea made it home early the next morning, but Glenda & Howard did not depart for Indianpolis until late the next day.  They were very happy with the stretch party limo that picked them up at the Indy airport! Speaking of airports, back at O'Hare, our fearless tour manager, Deb was also unable to make her connection home.  However, all the local hotel rooms were gone, and she spent the night on a