Mr. Sinclair came through. What a wonderful house and family he has. Made us T-bones on the grill, sausages, and hamburgers with grilled corn to make a wonderful meal.. That along with many cool drinks topped off our wonderful visit with our friend. Many thanks to him and his.
Talked for hours about our West Street days with topics like the Mission feast, Eastmans, Georges Variety Store, Sinclair gas station, Cecil Welton, Murray's Bake Shop, Toppit Diner, Welty's, Pure Gas station, Coca Cola bottle caps, free Sat. movies at the Sheas, our memorable days at West Jr. High and the football games at Guarnieri Field. Also Edgie Turano and La Pumas, and the Wagon Wheel and Cifelli's Spaghetti House near Flat Iron Park where an old Civil War cannon stood for many years.
After polishing off a home made cherry pie topped with whipped cream sided by vanilla ice cream we gave our hugs and good byes to Mr Sinclair and his family. They promised to visit us in Ashtabula one of these days.
Ratsnake was in tears as we steered the Buick north on a sunny California off- beat highway. It is nice to have good, old friends like Mr. Sinclair and the beautiful memories we have of West Side Ashtabula.
Heard Threelegged was at the fireworks at Walnut Beach talking to the ladies about how he wasn't afraid of fireworks and that they could stay close to him if they were afraid. Old Threelegged never will change. Just loves the ladies, I guess. Oh Well, just as long as he stays out of that South Park where Grady hangs out...
Hope we don't have any eartquakes while we're driving along. Guess we'll go to San Francisco.. "I left my heart in San Franscisco" was the song crooning out of Rat's mouth as we slowly moved along... Tony Bennett would have been proud...

The Grant Hotel in San Francisco. What a nice place. Slept like logs. Didn't even hear Ratsnake's loud snoring. Rode a street car to Izzy's Steak and Chophouse and had a sirloin, topped with mushrooms, onion rings, baked potatoes, salad, hot Italian bread, vino, and delicious spumoni ice-cream. A meal fit for two kings, Ratsnake and I,of course.
A busy town with many hills and one way streets and trollys. Took a tour bus and saw the sights. Crossed the Golden Gate bridge. Reminded me of years ago when I came back from Korea. A beautiful sight. Ratsnake was excited about this town. Said he may move here someday.
Threelegged contacted us and said that he missed us badly and needed some money to pay for utilities at the house in Bula.( We think he spents all the money we left him on some beauty he met) but we sent him a few bucks to keep him quiet. Think we will head for Reno and see how we can do at the casinos. It is very hot as we drive out of San Francisco east towards Nevada. We had a very good time in California. Our trip has been wonderful. America is beautiful. We are travelling the secondary roads. We are in no hurry and are just rolling along taking in all we can. God bless America!

Blackjack. Never want to hear that word again. Ratsnake lost a ton on that game. Couldn't pull him away from that table. He kept saying, "his boat would come in!" I think his boat sank. We're still waiting for it.
Good looking ladies all over this One Eyed Jack Casino in old Reno, Nevada. A lot of them are hanging all over older guys for some reason. A lot of money and booze floating around. Had to put a bear hug on Rat and take him out of One- Eyed Jack's. He had his eye on one of those pretty girls. We would have really been broke if she latched on to him.
I did fine on my machine. Played it for an hour and hit for $2,000. It'll help our nest-egg.
Ate lunch at a nice diner called Pecos Bill's. Had a BLT and Rat had a Bill Burger. We had fries and onion rings drowned by several bottles of Stewart's Root Beer. Pecan pie for dessert and hot coffee.
Threelegged called and said that it is hot in Bula and that he had to get a new hot water tank for the house. Luckily the basement didn't get wet. Of course he charged it a Lowe's. Nice guy.
Well, gang,had enough gambling for awhile so I guess we'll head for Idaho to see that State. Never hear much about Idaho, just about Idaho potatoes. We'll try a few there, I'm sure.
Heading north on a lazy summer day on an old Nevada highway. This is the life. Wish you were here with us. Later. Brenda Lee is singing "Crazy" on a country station. Rat just loves Brenda. I think we all do.

Are you sure it's not Patsy Cline singing "Crazy"?

quote:

Originally posted by the buckeye:
Are you sure it's not Patsy Cline singing "Crazy"?

Thanks. I'm sorry. Oh I think that the name of the song Brenda Lee was singing. Am I right?. Just crossed the Idaho line. Saw some elk run up a mountain.This is beautiful country.

I hope you are having a good time Loco,Nice to hear your traveling Loco.
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Take care, Sanju and good luck.
A lot of guys are hunting mountain goats here in Idaho. Ratsnake wanted to hunt but it cost too much for a license and Rat couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, anyway. Potato fields are all over Idaho. They say Idaho potatoes are the best. What do you think? We stayed at the Lone Mountain Motel right at the base a mountain. We could see the snow on top as we lounged in the dining room. Meatloaf, french fries(Idaho, of course), fresh graden salad, home made sourdough rolls, tender green beans topped with fresh butter and peach pie a-la- mode satisfied our terrible hunger.
Idaho people are very friendly and curious. Asked Ratsnake how he got his name? He told this old lady that he loved snakes all his life so he lived up to his name that his Pop branded him with. Her husband wanted to know why my name was Locoweed. Told him that my Mom always looked for strange names and he gave me that one. You can guess why cousin, Threelegged, got his name. One look at him as a baby was all it took.
We went swimming in a small lake owned by some people we met. The water very cold and clean. We had a good time and refreshed ourselves.
We are headed for Wyoming now on another deserted highway that was used many years ago but hardly used at all anymore. It is a lot of fun to travel the secondary roads of our country. You can see everything you want and are not bounded by free ways.
Ratsnake is driving along and my eyes are drifting to slumberland as "Misty" is softly speaking to me on the radio AM waves.

Hey Loco, Stop by Little America Wy. and have a slice of the Apple Pie w the best vanilla ice cream, The ice cream tastes like it came from the Harbor, what was the name of that ice cream place on Lake Ave? been gone too long, can't remember. Have a great trip, stop by Lake Ashtabula again.

Wyoming is a desolate State, but beautiful. Mr. Sinclair goes through here a lot in his travels. Still remember the spread he gave us in California. Thanks again, my friend.
The Buick wasn't running right so we stopped on Highway 26 in Northern Wyoming. Jack Rivers, owner, checked it out and said that the thermostat had to be replaced. Jack reminded me of Gomer Pyle, but he knew his stuff. Ratsnake and I laid back on a grassy spot near Jack's, gas station and waited. Some kids came by with a dog. Rat played with the dog and the kids had a pop on us. It seems Jack's was the meeting place for this area. Some oldsters were sitting in front telling Jack how to do the job. This scene reminded me of a turn of the century setting. Very nice and peaceful.
Jack finished the job. Didn't charge us much, and we were on our way. Since we were very tired we decided on the Lost in Time Motel where we unloaded our worries and slept real well. Need a lot of energy for our trip ,you know.
Ate at Ruth's Diner, close by. Home fries, bacon, cake, eggs, wheat toast, hot coffee, and sausage made us happy and roaring to go. as we headed towards Cheyenne.
And Yes, Mr. Sinclair, I remember the old Dairy Queen on Prospect Rd. It was just a small wooden shack with a dirt parking lot. It was the first one around. Policemen Jim Morehouse and Bob Luke opened it up and ran it on their spare time. Can you remember those chocolate milkshakes. They cost 30 cents each in those days. I think Bob Luke is still kicking. He is in his 90's.
The Buick is running well, now. Bob Denver is crooning something about a highway lineman. Ratsnake is fast asleep andI am happy and content as we slowly move along . The snow-covered mountain tops give us scenery one would die for...

Cheyenne, a city of about 60,000 people was having their Frontier Days as we ran into a rodeo with all types of cowboys, horses, Indians, and on-lookers. What a show we watched and met so many friendly people. Ratsnake was having the time of his life riding a horse and twirling his lasso. And I was sitting in my lawn chair listening to a high-school band,Paul Bunyan Senior, play Indian and frontier marches.
We hated to leave all the good times but we did because we had to find a place to rest after a long, dusty, hot drive.
Ended up at the Rocky Road All Season motel, hauled in some gear, and looked for a good place to eat before we hit the sack.
Dusty Dan's had a special on steaks so we ate like kings. Sirloin, baked potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, Wyoming paradise pudding and Coors beer hit the spot .Our bellies were bulging as we trudged towards the Rocky Road.
Nebraska isn't too far away so that will be the next State we cover. Don't know much about Nebrasks but we are ready to explore.
Ratsnake is asleep on his bed and I am on mine staring out the window at the beautiful Wyoming dusk. There are so many things rolling around in my head I can't think straight. But one thing I know is that I love our country and am glad Ratsnake and I are seeing it. Wish you were here with us. Talk to you later. Good night, John Denver, where ever you are.

Loco,
Thank you for taking all of us on your road trip. Makes us feel important! Thank you again. Take care and drive safe.

HI AGAIN LOCO, WHEN YOU ARE GOING ACROSS NEBRASKA, LOOK FOR A OFF RAMP THAT SAY'S "BEAVER CROSSING", THEN OFF ON THE NORTH SIDE IS A DINER/GAS STATION THAT USED TO HAVE A SIGN ON THE ROOF THAT SAID "EAT HERE AND GET GAS" ALSO LOOK BETWEEN LINCOLN AND OMAHA, THER IS A TRUCK STOP THAT HAD THE WORLDS LARGEST COFFEE POT, ACTUALLY IT WAS A WATER TOWER THAT THEY MADE UP TO LOOK LIKE A OLD TIME COFFEE POT.
HAVE A GOOD TRIP, DRIVE SAFE, SEE YOU BACK OUT HERE SOME TIME (SOON BECAUSE I HOPE TO MOVE TO THE OZARKS ONE OF THESE DAYS)

Thanks, Mr. Sinclair for the travel trips. And to Skychief .who loves to travel, too. Nice hearing from both of you.
On highway 16 in Nebraska. Just left North Platte where there is a beautiful large war memorial honoring our men in uniform.The tour guide was Amos Little, a Korean War Veteran. He had many stories to tell about the Chinese tunnels in Korea and how there were no trees left because of the American bombing and how the Chinese used to sneak up to the American front lines and look for GI's in their sleeping bags.
Ratsnake bought a case of water for the car and put it in our cooler along with pop.We are headed towards Omaha. It is 95 degrees here and everone is trying to cool off anyway they can. As we drive along we see little kids getting squirted with hoses. They don't seem to mind the heat. A little guy waved to us as wedrove by.
Just came to a little town called Harris. There is a diner called the Valley Pride. Since it is lunch time we will stop and get a bite to eat.
We miss Ohio but love to travel. Nebraska is nice and quiet and the people are very friendly. Sychief would love this place. Mr. Sinclair knows how special Nebraska can be.
Can't wait to dig into a big hamburger with fries and maybe an old fasioned milk shake. Hope they have em in The Valley Pride. Will let you know...

Had a chocolate milkshake at the Valley Pride. The old fashioned drug store kind. The best I ever had. Even better than at Wentlings on Main Ave. in Ashtabula many years ago.
Omaha is a large beautiful city of around 400,000, Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, and Warren Buffett, the richist man in the world are from Nebraska.
Ratsnake drove me around this town and we saw all the sights. Omaha is named after an Indian tribe and there are many Indian remembrances around.
Lot of rural areas and cornfields as we leave Omaha. And the corn is ripe and all the restaurants feature it.. Had some at Carl's. Sweet buttered corn just picked from a field. Rat and I had three ears each smothered with home-grown butter. Also had chili that was out of this world. Mostly meat with a few beans thrown in. Rat ate some hot peppers with his chili.Said they were real hot. Sweat was rolling off his forehead. Glad I skipped them.
Think we will go back to South Dakota to see some friends we met the last time we were there.
We are northbound on highway 943. Not much traffic. It is very peaceful. Omaha was too big for us. We like the small rural towns better. More down to Earth and hospitable. Still see some Copenhagen signs on the barns. Remember them in Ohio? Ohio and Nebraska are much alike. As we travel along it seems we are in rural Ashtabula County..... Hey, we are coming to Windsor.. Sorry. Just daydreaming...

Looking up at Washington, Lincoln,Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt at South Dakota's famous Mt. Rushmore. Started in 1927 it took 6 and a half years to complete. The project was stalled by loads of red tape and politics before it was finished. But here it stands. A tribute to our American Presidents. According to a curator,no other additions are planned. A beautiful sight to see.
Threelegged called and said that he wishes he were with us because Ashtabula is getting worse with all the politics and name calling. He wishes it would stop and Ashtabula could return to a nice place to live,as it was in the old days. Ratsnake and I wish the same and told him to keep his head up and not to get discouraged.
Harry Jenkins has lived in South Dakota all his 83 years. Says he loves it and would never move. Wants his ashes thrown over his 100 acre dairy farm that he has been farming for 70 years. He went on to say that he belongs here with his cows. His wife of 60 years, Sally Jenkins, said that she wants to be with Harry and the cows, someday, too.
Nice people. Gave us some cold milk with home made oatmeal cookies fresh from Sally's oven. What a treat. We made more friends and drove down old Highway 22 as we continue to see South Dakota.
America has wonderful people, no matter where. Rain is pouring down and Rat so I have just stopped at Leon's Swedish Cafe to beat the rain and relax a while, my friends.
Our trip is going very well. Hope things get better back home...Or we may stay on the road for a long, long, time.