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Statistics When We Left:

8:00 a.m., September 6, 2003

Van odometer: 37,159 miles

Weather, cool and dry, sunny.


Who Went on This Trip:

Every time the old folks decide to go on vacation, they have to decide which of us gets to go along, cuz we ride in the van, and pretend to be jest Stuffed Animals.

Picture of Hiram
Hiram--"The Old Feller," who always gets to go on vacation.
That's me standing to show off my superhero outfit
Sparky--I always get to go on vacation, too.
Sniffy shown with 2 different kinds of his favorite cheese
Sniffy--He also always gets to go on vacation.
Dexter posing for a portrait
Dexter--He gets to go on vacation sometimes.
ty_photo.jpg (22129 bytes)
Ty--He has been going along on vacations, cuz he's reely cool and likes to check things out, too.

Picture of "Lil Benny," our newest brother

Lil Benny--This was his first trip to the East Coast.
Picture of Big Joe
Big Joe--This was his first vacation, cuz he's so little we're scared he'll get lost.

 

Covering the recent 4,547 mile trip to New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
September 6, 2003.  We left Denver at about 8:00 in the morning anPicture of Ty, who was on duty that first day of the tripd headed east on Interstate 70.  We stopped in Burlington, Colorado so the old folks could get out and stretch their legs, and Ty looked out the window and found a penny in the parking lot.  Then a little while later when we stopped in Oakley, Kansas, for lunch, Ty found another penny in that parking lot.  That's Ty's picture at right, and if you look reel close, you ken see him smiling cuz he was so rich by then!

That night we got to Topeka, Kansas, and spent the night at a motel next to the highway there.  We had dinner at a Ruby Tuesday Restaurant there, even though it was Saturday.

September 7, 2003.  The next morning we checked out the free breakfast at the motel and decided that it would be better to eat at a Burger King that was next door to the motel.  Well, I think that place was where the truck finishes out his route and turns around, cuz the ham in the sandwich was kinda like what us guys sometimes find in the parking lot, like that beef jerky stuff they sell in those little stores, and the bacon in Gloria's sandwich was like a bungee cord.  The coffee was reel good, though, and the little cinnamon rolls were pretty good, too.

Katy Trail  After while that day we stopped in Rocheport, Missouri, where there is a reel long bike trail named the Katy Trail.  That trail was named for the lady that makes the ice cream cones at the little ice cream store by where the old folks parked the van and went on a ride.  Us guys moseyed around a little, and somebuddy called the lady Katy or Mary or Sally, or something.  Anyhow, she messed up an ice cream cone and dropped it on the ground next to the store.  After some people left, me and Ty and Sniffy and Lil Benny finished it off.  (The other guys was scared of catching Hydrophobia or something else off of ice cream that was in the dirt).

The Katy Trail is about a million miles long, and goes almost all the way across Missouri, I think, and it used to have train tracks on it and the trains used to go there, but somebuddy stolt the tracks, I think, so the train had to stop going there, so they turned it into a bike trail called "Rails-to-Trails," and there are a lot of other places like it all around the country.

Picture #1 shows the parking lot for the Katy Trail.  The store is where you can rent a bicycle if you don't have your own, or if yours is a reel ugly bike that you're ashamed of and you jest want to look cool while riding the Katy Trail.  To the right of it, behind the sign is the little ice cream store that us guys reely like.

Photo #2 shows the big train tunnel just west of the parking lot about a couple of blocks.

Photo #3 shows Gloria riding across a cool old train bridge that is still used to carry bicyclists across the little creek that runs there.

Photo #4 shows some vultures circling around above the bike trail, jest waiting for somebuddy to get in a bad bike wreck and turn into vulture food.  Somebuddy said they watch for people who can't ride a bike reel good and follow them for a while jest in case.

Sparky's Photo Album of the Katy Trail

Katy Trail sign at the entrance to the parking lot
1. Sign at the parking lot

Tunnel west of the parking lot
2. Tunnel west of the parking lot

Old railroad bridge along the trail
3. Bridge along the trail

Vultures soaring above the bike trail
4. Vultures on the prowl for lunch

You can click on the Katy Trail website here for more information and for a whole bunch of cool pictures:

Katy Trail Information 

You can click here for the Rails-to-Trails website:

Rails-to-Trails Information  

The old folks rode 17.3 miles on that bike ride, then we headed off and spent the night in Hazelwood, Missouri which is just west of St. Louis.  That way we were able to take the road that bypasses most of the traffic of downtown St. Louis, cuz the next morning was Monday morning.

Columbus, Ohio

September 8, 2003.  After getting through St. Louis, we arrived in Columbus, Ohio, that afternoon.  The odometer on the van read 38,493, which means we were 1,334 miles from home.

Sparky's Photo Album of Park of Roses
Sign at the entrance of the Park of Roses in Columbus, Ohio
1. Sign at Park entrance
Narrow bike trail on a bridge
2. Narrow path on side of bridge
Bike path running alongside a highway
3. Path running along highway
Lots of shade and trees along the bike trail
4. Lots of trees and shade

The pictures above show a few of the pretty views along the bike trail that passes through the park.  There is plenty of free parking and drinking water and restrooms.  You can find out more by clicking below:

Columbus Park of Roses Information  

 

Missouri
The "Show Me State."

State Capital:
Jefferson City

State Animal:
The Missouri Mule

State Bird:
Bluebird

State Flower:
The blossom of the Hawthorn Tree

State Insect:
The Honey Bee

State Rock:
Mozarkite

Population:
5,595,211, ranking Missouri 17th among all U.S. states.

Area:
69,698 Square Miles

Website for more information:

Missouri Information 


Ohio
"The Buckeye State"

State Capital:
Columbus

Population:
11,353,000

Area:
41.335 square miles

State Song:
"The Hokey Pokey"

State Vehicle:
Ford F150 Pickup


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