Finally, I got Mom to help me with my story. She has been doing nothing but sitting around looking at the view and relaxing with friends not giving me much time at all but luckily for me I found a box loaded with toys to destroy.

Anyway here's my story.

We stayed in a very nice place in Nashville which is the capital of Tennessee and home to Vanderbilt University. Legendary country music venues include the Grand Ole Opry House, home of the famous “Grand Ole Opry” stage and radio show.

Next to the hotel was a great Mexican restaurant where we had a delicious supper.................well, not exactly WE, 

I did get a few of those crackers but apparently, that green stuff isn't good for me and it's Moms favorite so she didn't share

Monday morning we went to Broadway Historic District, which, is probably best known for the many music and tourism-related businesses that remain in this area. Known as Lower Broad, this section of Broadway has for decades attracted country music fans to its honky-tonk bars. Several of the street’s furniture and hardware stores played a key role in Nashville’s economy in the late nineteenth century; many of these have been adaptively reused as restaurants catering to locals and tourists alike. The Ernest Tubb Record Shop, at 417 Broadway, was the site of the second-longest running radio show in history, the Midnight Jamboree, still broadcast on Saturday nights on WSM Radio

We parked by Bridgestone Arena which has a seating capacity of 17,159 for ice-hockey 19,395 for basketball, 10,000 for half-house concerts 18,500 for end-stage concerts, and 20,000 for center-stage concerts, depending on the configuration used. It has also hosted several professional wrestling events and a boxing card since its opening.

It's 9 am on a Monday and bars are already open and bands are playing...............It's not very crowded yet but it's hot so we went into a shop that sells cowboy boots. Mom LOVES the scent of leather and she admired these gorgeous boots which she wishes she could fit into, but she has flip-flop feet and could never fit into those pointy boots.

The most expensive was Cayman and snake skins

I met a cowboy here that picked me up and never wanted to let me go he wanted to keep me.................noway that will ever happen

It's getting very hot so I walked into a bar and told Mom I was thirsty....................no bars she said, it's 9am Monday...........so what? I insisted

Music is good so come on Mom 

She relented and I got my own stool and she ordered a beer for us.....................I took one lick and Ewwww what kind is this?  It's an alcohol-free beer because we're driving Mom said ...................What do you mean WE? I'm not driving I said. .........but nope copilots cant drink alcohol either......................ooh shucks

A  very ornate leather jacket that probably weigh a ton

Neon signs were already lit and doing their best to make people come in and enjoy the parties. 

Mom said if she was 30 years younger we would have stayed to join in...................

Personally, I'm glad she's too old for it because to me it's very loud

OH, and everywhere we went we had to leave our weapons outside....................

Mom, do we really have any?...........no she says...............you're my protector she said, and that made me very proud

After walking up and down Broadway it was time for me to put my vest on and get to work............We were at Grand Ole Opry

We joined a tour and we looked at many artists dressing rooms, but Mom doesn't know too many singers and she forgot the names so there's no telling who stayed where.

This was Tammy Wynette's Rolls Royce

she was born Virginia Wynette Pugh (May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was a country music singer-songwriter and musician and was one of country music's best-known artists and biggest-selling female singers during the late 1960s and first half of the 1970s. 

Wynette was called the "First Lady of Country Music", and her best-known song is "Stand by your man" Many of her hits dealt with themes of loneliness, divorce, and the difficulties of life and relationships

lots of glitter and glam

we did get our picture taken at the stage where all these famous people have been performing and Mom wished she could sing while standing there.

I'm glad she didn't because I've heard how bad she is when we're alone in the car and she tries to sing along to Abba

The place is huge and it must feel amazing to stand there with an audience of 4372 people

Finally a guy that Mom recognizes..............and wasn't he playing at that bar with gross beer?

Yupp, it was his song, but not him because he went over the rainbow bridge in 2003

This is the view Mom has been watching the last few days and I have to agree it's pretty and relaxing

Oh, I forgot............we did stay at a nice place in Nashville but in the morning we noticed this happened and that annoyed the crap of Mom so I had to cool her down with "it can be fixed"

All is well 

Henry

Up early again and it looks like it'll be a gorgeous day

I thought we weren't going to any big cities? but now I hear we're going to Indianapolis?? What's up with that Mom?

Well, we aren't really going to the city, we're going to Speedway, which is a town with a separate governmental unit within Indianapolis with its own town council, police department, fire department, street department, parks and recreation department, water and wastewater utilities, school system, and public library. The population was 11,812 at the 2010 U.S Census. .........

Constructed in 1909, it is the second purpose-built, banked oval racing circuit after Brooklands and the first to be called a 'speedway'. It is the third-oldest permanent automobile race track in the world, behind Brooklands and the Milwaukee Mile. With a permanent seating capacity of 257,325, it is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world.

I put my vest on and we were off on a tour around this place.

I thought we have seen enough cars Mom? 

The track was closed because BMW had a driving school event.

Indianapolis businessman Carl G Fisher first envisioned building the speedway in 1905 after assisting friends racing in France and seeing that Europe held the upper hand in automobile design and craftsmanship. Fisher began thinking of a better means of testing cars before delivering them to consumers. At the time, racing was just getting started on horse tracks and public roads. Fisher noticed how dangerous and ill-suited the makeshift courses were for racing and testing. He also argued that spectators did not get their money's worth, as they were able to get only a brief glimpse of cars speeding down a linear road.

Fisher proposed building a circular track 3 to 5 miles (5 to 8 km) long with smooth 100–150-foot-wide (30–45 m) surfaces. Such a track would give manufacturers a chance to test cars at sustained speeds and give drivers a chance to learn their limits. Fisher predicted speeds could reach up to 120 mph (190 km/h) on a 5-mile (8 km) course. He visited the Brooklands circuit outside London in 1907, and after viewing the banked layout it solidified his determination to build the speedway. With dozens of carmakers and suppliers in Indiana, Fisher proclaimed, "Indianapolis is going to be the world's greatest center of horseless carriage manufacturer, what could be more logical than building the world's greatest racetrack right here?

Here was a map of the world and they wanted us to put a pin in our hometown, and Mom proudly stuck a pink pin in her puppy town, the first visitor from her country,and another in mine

The Pagoda is one of the most recognizable structures at the Speedway and in worldwide motorsports.

The current Pagoda was built during the massive construction project from 1998-2000 at IMS that included the original, 2.605-mile road course, Formula One-style pit side garages, and media center. The Pagoda towers in its magnificence centered on the start-finish line. It has nine tiers or viewing levels and reaches a height of 153 feet, equal to a 13-story building. The flagpole on top extends to 199 feet.

There are state-of-the-art facilities for race control, safety, timing and scoring, and radio broadcast booths. We sat at the booth but had no one to congratulate on winning the race

the guy with the flags have to climb up to stand in this cage 35ft in the air............not a job for Mom

After the tour, we went to the museum and we did get the opportunity to sit in a car and get the feel of how cramped and low it is.

I preferred this seat

Mom decided to try out driving in this simulator and found out it was much harder than it looks. Good thing it was a simulator because she crashed several times driving over 150 miles/hour

   the showroom had many cars new and old................I came to the conclusion that Mom is driving our Chevy faster than the racers in 1930......

 the longest Indy 500 was the very first one in 1911, taking almost seven hours, which is understandable given the average race speed was about 75 miles per hour then. However, a typical Indy 500 takes about three to four hours depending on weather and the number of caution flags.

completely exhausted after winning on a brutally hot day Bill Vukovichis caught in a private moment after the 1954 race.  While the use of relief drivers was common in those days Vukovich drove the 500 miles alone

I could tell Mom was looking for someone special, and yes she found him.......the best looking dude to ever win the race..(according to her) is a Swede

a really old gas pump, even older than Mom .................

The Borg-Warner Trophy pays tribute to many of the most revered drivers in auto racing history year-round, but during the month of May, it becomes the focal point for the drivers attempting to qualify for the 500-mile race It is a reminder of the glory and tradition associated with winning the fabled event.

With victory comes the honor of having one’s face sculpted onto the trophy. Separate squares are affixed to its sterling silver body, on which each winner’s face, name, and winning year are permanently etched. A silversmith is commissioned each year to create the new champion’s portrait/sculpture in bas-relief for placement on the trophy.

and yes, here's Moms guy in silver

As usual, I behaved exemplary in my vest and I'm so ready to get out of it because I do not get any love from people with it on?  What's wrong? don't I look as cute with it on?

Mom explained it's because I'm busy working and can't be disturbed..................Oh? have they not heard about multi-tasking?

Back to our car, this guy showed up and he was so proud of his car he wanted Mom to sit in for a picture

We're now at a junk hotel (according to Mom)in the middle of Indiana. It's getting a little too hot for camping.................maybe we should turn back North? Canada is opening the borders 

Don't know what's happening tomorrow ?? I'll keep you updated

All is well

 I wish people would be honest about their WiFi connections so I could update more often. We do have wifi in the car but it's not fast enough to upload pictures, so now we're in a good old Mc Donalds.

According to Mom, they do have great coffee.

So we left Kalamazoo and headed for Lake Michigan and to a town called Holland.

It's a very cute little town with lots of gorgeous planters and statues

This flower is growing everywhere up here, we don't know what it is because even though they look like hydrangeas they aren't. Mom thinks they smell like pee??? but they sure are gorgeous to look at

If the shoe fits I sits

Continuing south along Lake Michigan we found a great little town named South Haven where we took a long walk along a pier.

This was a typical tourist town with all the Tshirt and nick nack shops. There was a great specialty shop for me and Mom was tempted to buy this flag because it almost looked like me. But after a second thought, she didn't because she always considered these flags a tad tacky.

We watched the boaters for a while, and they did have a cruise on the lake that would have let me go along, but Mom opted against it  since what more is there to see from the water............

Still a great place that we may visit again.

Continuing south we stopped to look at the dunes and I got an icecream

Now we're pretty close to Chicago but thankfully for me, Mom is not interested in the big cities. She says they're all the same..........tall buildings and a lot of noise.

We spent a night at Walmart parking next to this guy

Somewhere here Mom got a hold of a brochure that was showing garden quilting with flowers exhibit...............and THAT was right up her alley it's a must-see, so off we went.

What a huge disappointment ..................this was it????

We did have plans to stop in to visit Pete Buttigieg in South Bend but he was probably too busy to meet so we we kept going to a campsite to spend the night.

Here we met this couple that camped almost like we do

We are in Indiana now

The lady at this camp was great and advised us to visit this Amish town Shipshewana and that was quite interesting. It was close to the amp soi we arrived very early. 

   
Mom has heard a rumor about the Amish and puppy mills and the first thing we see and hear is puppies barking.

I wasn't very interested but of course, Mom had to pet and reach into the pen where 10 pups jumped up and scratched her arm which is now bloody.  See, I've never done that.................... let us get out of here OK

Mom wanted to take them all, but NO No no 

This town is very interesting (to Mom) I don't like the poop all over ( My predecessor Buttons loved it he ate it like oatmeal) 

We spent a lot of time here because Mom was looking for something authentic Amish, but like everywhere else most of the stuff was the same made in China nicknacks.

She looked long and hard on this shirt, but I put my paw  down again and said no

The Amish community are famous for their quilts so there was a lot of fabric shops and believe it or not Mom resisted...........I'm so proud of her. She really tried to get the pattern for this quilt, but the lady said it was for classes only.

This quilt Mom already made but in different colors

A sweet town with the most gorgeous flower arrangments everywhere, and this was Moms favorite

This lady didn't want her picture taken

As hard as we looked we couldn't find anything authentic Amish made so when Mom saw all the buggies on a row we stopped there. It was a supermarket

Mom went inside to look and everything was sold in bulk .............huge bags of stuff

This girl is carefully stocking the shelves with???

And ladies are packing the groceries in their buggies 

A very interesting town and Mom was so impressed with the horses that held their heads high and seemed so proud trotting along. 

As a matter of fact, Mom stopped several times on the road to look at them trotting by seemingly tireless

.
   At another town close by they seemed to want to copy the Amish style, but it was just fancy and expensive

There was a car show there and a lot of gorgeous cars, but after the Ford museum, we were a little car tired but did do a quick walk around.

Leaving this town heading south we pass a lot of cornfields and at times Mom thinks the GPS got sick because some of these roads can possibly be on any map? 

We followed the Lincoln Historic byway for a while 

And stopped in this town filled with murals on almost every wall. (guess these towns try hard to appeal to tourists like us)

I know somebody that would really like this on their roof

We're still in Indiana in a town called Muncie and we're not far from Indianapolis...............I know it's a big city, but I think Mom may have a plan here.

This little girl made Mom smile

It's almost 10 am so we're back on the road shortly, all is well

Monday night Mom decided to look for an inexpensive motel because we were in a larger city. The neighborhood of the hotel was located in an "iffy" area but the bed!!!!!! wow .............Mom was worried about losing me in this giant bed.............she really didn't have to worry, because I like to snuggle as close as I can

In the morning it was time for me to put my vest on and go to work. We were going to the Henry Ford museum.

Henry Ford founded the museum on October 21, 1929, and the 523,000 square-foot building was designed by architect Robert O. Derrick.

From the Model T to the civil rights icon Rosa Parks bus, the Henry Ford Museum highlights a wide range of great exhibits that people from all over the world thoroughly enjoy

This is a picture of the factory from a tower and shows part of the 2000 acres.

We did walk around looking down at workers assembling trucks but we weren't allowed any pictures there

This is the lobby of the factory 

Mom took so many pictures of cars and tried to remember background stories but her memory stinks so for more information She said to tell you to use google and Wikipedia.....................kind of rude me thinks

There were a lot of airplanes there too

Richard Byrd flew this airplane toward the North Pole on May 9, 1926. Though Byrd generally is credited with reaching the pole, controversy remains. Edsel Ford financed the expedition, and Byrd acknowledged his patron by naming the plane after Ford's daughter Josephine.

aeronautical engineer Arthur Raymond flew cross-country aboard a Ford trimotor in 1932
He remembered it well, "That trip was an experience I'll never forget. They gave us cotton to stuff in our ears, the Tin Goose was so noisy The thing vibrated so much it shook the eyeglasses right off your nose. In order to talk with the guy across the aisle, you had to shout at the top of your lungs.The higher we went to get over the mountains, the colder it got inside the cabin.My feet nearly froze. The lavatory in the tail was so small that you could barely squeeze through the door

The leather-upholstered wicker back chairs were as comfortable as lawn furniture, and they were so narrow they pinched....when the plane landed on a puddle splotched runway, a spray of mud sucked in by the cabin air vents splattered everybody...........Mom promised they fixed all that stuff by the time I'll be flying to Sweden.

at this exhibit, they were showing a film about how they used to walk on the wing to show off.................... Knowing Mom's crazy ways I made sure to put my paw down so she wouldn't get any stupid ideas of trying it. There WAS a room where you could try out how it feels.............

more cars and cars and cars

this thing is another car????

Mom would LOVE to have this camper, but we probably couldn't have been driving as far as we have now

American 50ies nostalgia

Mom was looking at this bike for a very loooooong time, and I think I noticed a smile and maybe a little wet in her eyes.............wonder what THAT was all about?....................if it only was red Mom sighed 

cars cars cars

There were trains there too and this was a BEAST. 

#1601 was one of the first ten 2-6-6-6locomotives built for the Chesapeake &Ohio by Lima in 1941.
Designed to work over Allegheny Mountains on C&O's Clifton forge Division
The locomotives were named "Alleghenies" and of only 60  built this is one of the only two to survive.

We walked and walked and walked, this place is huge. As usual, I was on my best behavior trotting along with Mom wearing my west. I was surprised that no one came to pet me like they usually do? Mom said it's because I'm working and people respect your vest ................oh well, can we take it off then? not until we're out of here she said, or I would have to stay in the car.........ok I'll wear it

racecars 

there was also a section of old farm equipment, and if it wasn't for signs telling what it was used for Mom would have no clue.

two pictures are steam engines used for ????

this gigantic contraption was a tomato picking machine ????

and the cast iron stoves looked awesome, so ornate and practical to heat and cook on in the old days

The first Wienermobile was created by Oscar Mayer's nephew, Carl G. Mayer, in 1936.

Wienermobiles are in current use by the Oscar Mayer company. Wienermobile drivers are known as Hotdoggers and often hand out toy whistles, which are shaped like a Wiener.

There are six of them currently driving around the US, according to Oscar Mayer. The Wienermobile from 1969 had a

Chevrolet motorhome frame and Ford Thunderbird tail.

Mom notices an ad where they are looking for drivers...............sounds like fun Mom let's apply.......

 

 

 

My feet are getting tired and so is Moms so it's time to leave this 523 000 square feet museum despite I'm sure

we missed seeing a lot of things here.

OH, as the grand finale, here are some of the president's cars

     

 

Back to the car and Mom called a dear old friend from our home in Florida. They used to be neighbors and my predecessor Buttons used to run to their house for bacon all the time. He even got some sent in the mail once.................

Sounds like my kind of people for sure

 

 

We had supper together and after a great visit, we were on our way going west. Sun was going down in Moms eyes 

so she pulled over and slept well.

Now we are at a great outdoor cafe in Kalamazoo ...............and the only reason we are here is that Mom likes

to say Kalamazoo  Kalamazee

 

The sky is blue and the sun is shining and Mom had great coffee and a ham sandwich at this wonderful water street cafe

that's very dog-friendly. They served me a cup of ice cream

 

all is well

Henry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was sad leaving our great camp with great friends, but they had to leave too since they had jobs to go to. I sure hope we'll see them again.

It was raining when we got to Niagara Falls, but after a little nap in the car, it lit up and got sunny again so we quickly went to see the world's wonder that's located on the border of Canada. The buildings in this picture are in Canada. The border is still closed so we had to stay put

Mom had decided that we should take the "Cave of the Winds" tour and that started with a 175ft (53m) elevator ride down and then a tunnel ..........so far so good, I'm not scared.

Cave of the Winds is torn down and re-built every year

Mom was given a bright yellow poncho and special sandals which she didn't use because she wanted to keep them as a souvenir. Then we walked a series of wooden walkways to the famous “Hurricane Deck”. As you stand at the railing, you are a mere 20 feet (6 meters) from the billowing torrents of Bridal Veil Falls. The rushing waters loom above you, dousing you with a generous spray as you face the thundering Falls head-on. And it is LOUD

On October 24, 1901, a 63-year-old schoolteacher named Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to successfully take the plunge in a barrel.

After her husband died in the Civil War the New York-born Taylor moved all over the U. S. before settling in Bay City, Michigan around 1898. In July 1901, while reading an article about the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, she learned of the growing popularity of two enormous waterfalls located on the border and strapped for cash and seeking fame, Taylor came up with the perfect attention-getting stunt: She would go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

 Taylor strapped herself into a leather harness inside an old wooden pickle barrel five feet high and three feet in diameter. With cushions lining the barrel to break her fall, Taylor was towed by a small boat into the middle of the fast-flowing Niagara River and cut loose.

Knocked violently from side to side by the rapids and then propelled over the edge of Horseshoe Falls, Taylor reached the shore alive, if a bit battered, around 20 minutes after her journey began. After a brief flurry of photo-ops and speaking engagements, Taylor’s fame cooled, and she was unable to make the fortune for which she had hoped. She did, however, inspire a number of copycat daredevils. Between 1901 and 1995, 15 people went over the falls; 10 of them survived. Among those who died were Jesse Sharp, who took the plunge in a kayak in 1990, and Robert Overcracker, who used a jet ski in 1995. No matter the method, going over Niagara Falls is illegal, and survivors face charges and stiff fines on either side of the border.

Power generation facilities along the River, supply more than one-quarter of all power used in New York State and Ontario 

This is very very scary and we both got soaked, I hated every minute of it but Mom just smiled and told me to be brave

I didn't think this was fun at all, so Mom carried me most of the way and thankfully we didn't stay very long. 

Getting wet with freezing cold water ...........I want to go back to my new friends at the camp 

The falls are a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara gorge spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls also known as Canadian Falls, which straddles the international border of the two countries. The smaller American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls lie within the United States. 

 the combined falls have the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America that has a vertical drop of more than 50 m (160 ft). During peak daytime tourist hours, more than 168,000 m³ (six million cubic feet) of water goes over the crest of the falls every minute. Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America, as measured by flow rate. Niagara Falls is famed for its beauty and is a valuable source of hydroelectric power. 

Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in America, established in 1885 as the Niagara Reservation. Over 8 million visitors explore Niagara Falls State Park annually

The birth of Niagara Falls can be traced back more than 12,000 years to the end of the last glacial period.

   Our friends from the camp told us to stay away from surrounding areas because it isn't safe, and from what we saw driving there I believe it was good advice, so we went on our way after we dried up.

Next, we stopped in a town called Jamestown still in New York state I had no clue why and I still don't know other than the fact Mom left me in the car while she went looking at something.

this is where Lucille Ball was born on August 6, 1911, in a very young age Ball knew that she loved being on stage

Lucille Ball started as a singer, model, and film star before becoming one of America's top comedic actresses with the 1950s TV show I Love Lucy co-starring on the show with her husband, Desi Arnaz. Mom watched this show a lot growing up.

Ball would appear in 72 movies during her long career, including a string of second-tier films in the 1940s that garnered her the unofficial title "The Queen of B Movies." One of the earliest ones, a movie called Dance girl Dance introduced her to a handsome Cuban bandleader named Desi Arnaz. The two appeared together in Ball's next film, Too many girls and before the year was out, the pair fell madly in love and married

here's the set where most of the episodes took place

and her car...........

 In the late 1940s Ball, who had dyed her hair red in 1942 at MGM's urging, was looking at a stagnant movie career, unable to break into the kinds of starring roles she'd always dreamed about. As a result, Arnaz pushed his wife to try broadcasting, and it wasn't long before Ball landed a lead part in the radio comedy My Favorite Husband. The program caught the attention of CBS executives, who wanted her to recreate something like it on the small screen. Ball, though, insisted it includes her real-life husband, something the network clearly wasn't interested in seeing happen. So Ball walked away, and with Desi put together an I Love Lucy like vaudeville act and took it on the road. Success soon greeted the pair. So did a contract from CBS  

As the title of the show indicated, Lucy was the star. While she could at times downplay her hard work, Ball was a perfectionist. Contrary to perception, rarely was anything ad-libbed. It was routine for the actress to spend hours rehearsing her antics and facial expressions. And her groundbreaking work in comedy paved the way for future stars such as Mary Tyler Moore, Penny Marshall, Cybill Shepherd, and even Robin Williams

On April 26, 1989, she died from a ruptured aorta following open-heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles

After this stop, we made a quick drive across Pennsylvania and into Ohio where we slept at a truck stop.

Many small towns on the way

How cool is to live in a small town where you can ride your horse to the ice cream shop

Mom finally got her car washed and vacuumed, it had bugged her forever 

these are some really big paws for me to fit into................maybe if I can get more cookies?    Moooooooooooom 

Not much happening in Ohio, we drove along the coast of Lake Eerie and it was pretty but not very accessible since most were private 

we skipped Cleveland and now we are in Michigan, The welcome center wasn't very welcoming since it was closed

talk about private? these signs are on trees in the middle of the forest? Mom said you don't see that in her puppy country.  Too bad we don't have the same rule here, so we can sleep in the woods instead of noisy truckstops

Going to sleep now, and from what I've heard there are plans for tomorrow.............it better not be any more waterfalls ok.........

All is good

Henry

As always we got up early and there were no screaming kids at the pool to make me nervous. We made some awesome friends at this camping that so graciously shared everything they had with us, so we stayed a second night.

I'm pretty sure they dedicated this chair for me.

These guys knew how to camp and cook, and I made myself available to clean and taste everything. They had my favorite drink which they also shared until Mom stopped me from having as much as I wanted.

For the first time in my life, I got to taste Filet Mignon, and that my friends are absolutely scrumptious.................Mom thought it was too good meat for me but what does she know?

They also played a game I wasn't too sure about, but it turned out not to be too noisy and Mom loved it. (because she's good at it) They were shooting on targets and It is an airgun OK

as the evening progressed and the fire roaring it was time for Mom to learn how to make smores.

marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate smooshed together. 

Sweet tooth Mom thought it was delicious, but I didn't get a taste ..................it was messy 

one guy in the party really liked fire and built it real big, which made Mom a little nervous but I wasn't worried at all. I knew these guys knew what they were doing

They didn't live too far from here so they brought lots of firewood and giant axes ..............the kind Paul Bunyan used Mom thought

The guy working here has a pet chicken named Miss Prissy.

For some reason, I didn't get to meet her close up  

A little while ago Mom got up from her seat and left PC open so I jumped up to write a few things myself, but somehow I managed to wipe out everything so she had to start all over......................I could tell it made her unhappy

Anyway, we're going to pack up our camp and continue on for new adventures.

It's cool and it looks like it's going to rain ....................boohooo 

All is well

Finally, a place with good WiFi so I could continue my story. 

So many days and I'm forgetting all the great places and roads so my story may be a little out of order. Right now we are in a town called Lewistown which is not far from Niagara Falls which Mom has been to once before but she promised to show me the falls tomorrow.

We have been driving up and around so many gorgeous mountains in the Appalachian park and seen so many amazing views around every corner.

We finally took a ferry from Vermont to New York

The goal was to get to Lake Placid village.

  As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,303. The town along with nearby Saranac Lake and Tupper lake comprises what is known as the Tri-Lakes region. Lake Placid hosted the 1932 and the 1980 Winter Olympics and will host the 2023 Winter Universiade, so every single site had a lot of reconstructions going on.

We began at the bobsled place, and I thought Mom was going to take a ride, but it looked too much like a rollercoaster and that's not great for Mom

I'm the winner of everything so I will sit on the top one

Next, we visited the ski-jump area, and we watched people training to jump and make all kinds of acrobatics before landing in the water ...............quite courageous thought Mom

Mom noticed the flag from her puppy country was quite tattered, and offered to donate a newer one, but was told they were all to be replaced tomorrow.

Of course, we had to drive up the Whiteface Mountain which is the fifth-highest mountain in the U.S state of New York.. Set apart from most of the other High Peaks, the summit offers a 360-degree view of the Adirondacks and clear-day glimpses of Vermont and even Canada where the skyscrapers of Montreal are 80 miles (130 km) away, can be seen on a very clear day. The view was great but not THAT great.

 the mountain's east slope is home to a major ski area with the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies, which hosted the alpine skiing competitions of the 1980 Winter Olympics which Mom's home country hero Stenmark won gold for Sweden.

Unique among the High Peaks, Whiteface features a developed summit and seasonal accessibility by car.

Whiteface Memorial Highway reaches a parking area at an elevation of 4,600 feet (1,400 m), with the remaining 267 feet (81 m) being obtained by a tunnel and an elevator. 

The drive-up was a piece of cake according to Mom but the last 81 m became quite hard since no elevator was working.

a lot of huffing and puffing and a couple of times Mom had to lift me up big boulders too high for me but we made it.

Mom claimed she was huffing because of the elevation .....................hmmm?

I met the cutest boy here and he had the same name as me I thought he looked a little like me too 

His brother was great too and I kept tickling his ears to make him laugh

Back down to the parking area, I ordered myself a pork sandwich which Mom grabbed???? 

Ok, I did get a few pieces

Here we met a great couple from Rochester 

After all this hiking and climbing we were both exhausted so we went to a Motel where the lady said she had good WiFi............she lied. Mom did her laundry and we made a very early night.

Up early continuing driving many scenic routes around the mountain, the first town was Saranac .................fog was thick

Many beautiful winding roads and we're following a river

We spent the next night in the forest and that was very nice and quiet

in the morning we drove through many small mountain villages that hadn't woken up yet, except for this diner where Mom went in for breakfast and surprise surprise............There's Darryl the chef from the local diner where we live............the world is small

Lunch was at another gorgeous place where this big guy lived. He didn't care too much about me and I was more focused on Moms quiche.

This would have been an awesome place to go Kayaking, but it was about to rain

In one sleepy town, a deer came to meet us. Mom rolled down the window and he gave me a quick sniff and went on his way.................Mom got so excited she could not get the camera up fast enough to get a better picture

Mom said there's a special animal that builds homes like this for themselves...............I take her word for it

Right now we're sitting next to a pool at the campsite (the only place with great WiFi) and I'm so terrified of the kids screaming and jumping into the water so I'm shaking.

Mom is feeling bad so I will continue this story early in the morning before the kids get up.

Talk to you tomorrow

All is well. ..........................

Yesterday was quite an exciting day, after breaking camp packing up muddy wet stuff we headed to Mt.Washington hoping that this time we'll have a view when the sun rises. HA nope not this time either.

It was a very scary drive with fog so thick you couldn't see a car length ahead of you. As a matter of fact, Mom caught up to a truck that didn't have any lights on and had to brake not to hit him. (she wasn't the slowest on the road)

On the top was no visibility at all, and it was freezing cold and very windy

This is how it looks in the winter.........................we will never visit here in the winter said Mom 

You could hardly see other people in the fog

But all of a sudden lots of people arrived? Maybe there's a tourist bus? how else did so many arrive together....sure there's a cog railway?      It is the world's first mountain-climbing cog railway (rack-and-pinion railway). It uses a Marsh rack system and both steam and diesel-powered locomotives to carry tourists to the top of the mountain. 

It is the second steepest rack railway in the world after the Pilatus Railway in Switzerland. with an average grade of over 25% and a maximum grade of 37%. The railway is approximately 3 miles (5 km) long and ascends Mount Washington's western slope, beginning at an elevation of approximately 2,700 feet (820 m) above sea level and ending just short of the mountain's summit peak of 6,288 feet (1,917 m). The train ascends the mountain at 2.8 miles per hour (4.5 km/h) and descends at 4.6 mph (7.4 km/h). Steam locomotives take approximately 65 minutes to ascend and 40 minutes to descend, while the biodiesel engines can go up in as little as 36 minutes.

Mom said she be more frighten in that since she's completely out of any control at all, and as soon as the train went over the edge it disappeared in the fog

It WAS windy, but not quite this bad

some people got up here on two wheels and several hiked up

We spent a couple of hours up here hoping for a clearing in the fog, it did get a tad brighter but nothing but fog to see, so we started drive down, and I could tell Mom was a little worried. A lot more cars up here now

Visibility got a lot better so Mom stopped often to take pictures and let brakes cool, not that I think they were hot since Mom knew to drive in low gear.

Down on the ground again it was sunny and clear skies, looking up we still couldn't see the top

I wonder if they really use these or just for show/

We are now in Woodstock NH another tourist trap with only souvenir shops hotels and restaurants. We're camping away from it all and today we're going to drive the Kancamagus Scenic Byway that's been recommended by several people. It means that we will drive west again but it's ok why miss it when we're here.

Covered bridges are also an attraction here

 There are 54 historic wooden covered bridges currently standing and assigned official numbers by the U.S state of New Hampshire. There are additional covered bridges extant in the state, some of which are on private property and not accessible to the public. The newest covered bridge known to have been constructed in the state is the Chester Covered Bridge, built-in 2011

these signs are also plentiful around here.............

A train museum that was closed, could have been of interest if open

A short pitstop to get maps and brochures 

It's 8 AM and we're ready to drive on. We're doing great with our setup camping, but I can tell that Mom looks at these RVs with a longing to get one, but much smaller than this one. (couldn't get up the mountain with that)

Maybe next year? 

All is well