Sunday, June 14, 2015

Summer 2015 Cross-Country Road Trip

Day 1 (Sun May 31)     [103,508 at the start]
Tucson, AZ to Buttonwillow, CA (624 miles)
2 letterboxes - "I-10 Westbound, Out of Gas" just west of Palm Springs at the rest area
                         "McDonald's History #1: Big M" - San Bernadino, CA at the site of the first McDonalds....ever!
Motel 6 (fair)

Day 2 (Mon June 1)
Buttonwillow, CA to Novato, CA (329 miles today - 953 total miles from my house to Dede's)
3 letterboxes - "Eye 5 Series - Gruesome" (I-5 Lost Hills, CA)
                        "Eye 5 Series - Eye 5"  (I-5 Harris Ranch/Coalinga, CA)
                        "Survivor" (Bel Marin Keys, Novato, CA)

Day 3 (Tues June 2)
Novato, CA to Elko, NV (516.4 miles)
4 quilt shops - Meissner's Sewing & Vac (2/5) Sacramento
                        Windy Moon Quilts - one in Reno (4/5), one in Sparks (4/5)
                        Comfy Cozy Quilt Shop - Winnemucca, NV (4/5 but a 10 for Nadine)
Elko Motel 6 (fair)
pizza at The Blind Onion

Day 4 (Wed June 3)
Elko, NV to West Yellowstone, MT (453.8 miles)
2 letterboxes - "Blue Moon of Idaho" in American Falls, ID (roadside I-90)
                         "Massacre Rocks" in American Falls, ID (roadside I-90)
1 quilt shop - The Gathering Place, Rupert, ID (5/5)
Holiday Motel, West Yellowstone, MT (good)
salad bar at The Outpost

Day 5 (Thurs. June 4)
West Yellowstone, MT to Billings, MT (262.4 miles)
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK/ OLD FAITHFUL
1 quilt shop - Back Door Quilts, Billings, MT
Billings Motel 6 (fair)
Sirloin steak at Texas Roadhouse

Day 6 (Fri. June 5)
Billings, MT to Dickinson, ND (350.6 mi)
FINALLY GOT TO STATE #48 - North Dakota !
THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK
1 letterbox - "My 50" in the National Grasslands outside Medora, ND
2 quilt shops -  The Enchanted Room in Glendive, MT (5/5)
                         Sip 'n Sew in Beach, ND (2/5 for fabrics, +1 for niceness & cuteness)
Dickinson - My Place Hotel (excellent with a glitch)
(Another) steak at Applebees

Day 7 (Sat. June 6)
Dickinson, ND to Bismarck, ND (185 miles)
THE ENCHANTED HIGHWAY
3 letterboxes - "A Little Bit of New England in North Dakota" New England, ND
                         "The Enchanted Highway - Pheasants on  the Prairie"
                         "The Enchanted Highway - Deer Crossing"
Bismarck Hampton Inn (excellent)
Soup & salad at Olive Garden

Day 8 (Sun. June 7)
Bismarck, ND to St. Cloud, MN (373 mi.)
Buffalo Museum and the Giant Buffalo, Jamestown ND
2 Letterboxes - "The Big Buffalo" Jamestown, ND
                           this included a hitch-hiker: "Go Vols!"
                          "Regal Ruminant" Fargo, ND
St. Cloud Country Inn & Suites (excellent)
Chopped Chicken Salad at Boulder Tap House

Day 9 (Mon. June 8)
St. Cloud, MN to Duluth, MN (167 mi.)
1 letterbox - "Stopping for a Picnic" - found the 2nd of 2, and I really looked for the first....
4 quilt shops - Quilts on Broadway, Foley, MN (5/5)
                        Quarry Quilts, Sandstone, MN (5/5)
                        Creations Quilt Shop, Duluth, MN (4/5)
                        Hannah Johnson Fabrics, Duluth, MN (5/5)
Duluth Super 8 (a very good motel)
Pork burger with unbelievable onion rings, smashed potatoes, and hobo soup at the Duluth Grille

Day 10 (Tues. June 9)
Duluth, MN to Munising, MI (upper peninsula near Marquette) (312 mi.)
No letterboxes
2 quilt shops - Ashland Area Fabric & Quilt Co., Ashland, WI (3+/5)
                        Fabric Patch, Ironwood, MI (6/5) - Hexie flower row-by-row!
Comfort Inn in Munising, MI
Dinner in our room - late - turkey sandwich on Hawaiian rolls

Day 11 (Wed. June 10)
Munising, MI to Bay City, MI (outside Saginaw) (320 miles)
MACINAC BRIDGE - Lake Michigan
FATHER MARQUETTE NATIONAL MONUMENT
THE CROSS IN THE WOODS SHRINE - where I locked the car keys in the car
2 quilt shops - Delphine's Quilt Shop - Gaylord, MI (5/5)
                        Au Sable Fabrics - Grayling, MI (1/5)
Econolodge in Bay City, MI
Another 7oz. sirloin at Applebees

Day 12 (Thurs. June 11)
Bay City, MI to Amherst, OH (
FRANKENMUTH, MI: Bavarian town
          Bronner's Christmas Wonderland
          Zehnder's Famous Chicken Dinners
0 letterboxes - couldn't find the one in Holly, MI at a DQ where Dede indulged....again....
2 quilt shops - The Quilter's Garden, Fenton, MI (5/5)
                         Quilting Kreations, So. Amherst, OH (2/5) all colors together
Motel 6 in Amherst, OH
Subway in our room
Day 13 (Friday, June 12) 
Amherst, OH to Stroudsburg, PA (436.6 miles)
Cayuhoga National Park
Brandywine Falls
Jo-Ann Distribution Center/National Office Complex in Ohio
lunch at Winking Lizard, Peninsula, OH (wonderful - food AND place!)
0 Letterboxes
2 Quilt Shops - Sew Deja Vu; Stow, OH (3/5) Dede bought her new sewing chair here
                         The Gallery of Fabrics; Mercer PA (clueless but nice workers, 3/5)
Supper on-the-road (making time!) McD - Dede's such a good sport
Hampton Inn, Stroudsburg, PA

Day 14 (Saturday, June 13, 2015
Stroudsburg, PA to Long Island City (Queens), NY to Mt. Holly Springs, PA (317.0 miles)
yaaaaaay!

Totals: 

4854 miles
3 National Parks
20 quilt shops
14 letterbox stamps
9 motels (4 Motel 6, 1 Super 8, 2 Hampton Inns, 1 Country Inn & Suites, 1 Econolodge, 1 privately owned (Holiday Hotel in West Yellowstone) and 1 My Place Motel)

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