Pambling Roads

Friday, September 11, 2020

My Illinois Journal

Illinois!

Our travels have brought us all around the "lower 48" and Canada. We've tried to zip zag, circle through, and around every state we could. Florida was where this endeavor started.

Enjoy your journal.

Thank you for taking this wonderful journey with us. It has been absolutely incredible.

Please keep in mind that some museums don’t allow photography and will not be available on the Pambling Roads Blog

Pambling Roads−My Illinois Journal

Leaving Indiana, we hit the side roads and then swung over to 90 west. We were expecting a nightmare for a drive through Chicago. Wow, we were thrilled. Driving in Chicago on 90 west, with heavy noontime traffic, however, kudos to the Chicago area drivers, no one was stressing, traffic was flowing without a hitch. No one was on the phone, texting, zigzagging in and out, etc. No one was being rude or pushy. They were polite and courteous all the way through.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our trips and are glad you have joined us in our adventures. We have met so many wonderful people from the United States, Mexico, Canada, and all over the world. We have taken hundreds of pictures and plan to share more of our memories with you.

Illinois:

Our stay at the Best Western in Monticello, Illinois was a pleasant visit. They had an indoor heated pool that was huge. We had to use their printer and fax. No problems, no issues, they were very eager to assist us.

www.bestwesternillinois.com/hotels/best-western-monticello-gateway-inn

Monticello Red Wheel was nearby and a blessing. We were very happy with the speed of service, the great tasting food and excellent prices.

www.facebook.com/pages/Monticello-Red-Wheel/117251324960724

Right around the corner from the Best Western hotel is the Railway Museum. It has train displays and a history of the operating railway system. We were hoping to take the train tour, however, we were there mid-week. The train only runs on Saturday and Sunday.

www.mrym.org

We could not go to Illinois without going to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield. It is owned by the National Park Service. The area where the home is located has been beautifully renovated.

Lincoln’s home:

www.nps.gov/liho/index.htm

Lincoln’s Tomb and War Memorial State Site is located practically around the corner from the National Historic Home Site.

www.lincolntomb.org

The New Salem Museum located in Petersburg, Ill was our next tour. It is a reconstructed area of the township of New Salem that Lincoln spent his earlier years in before he became involved in politics.

Oddly enough, this is where we learned what the expression “Where in Sam Hill did you find that?” means.

www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/new_salem.htm

Going around the back roads we were able to see a lot of agricultural areas. Unfortunately, we also saw how bad the drought was affecting everyone. We did see some pretty huge wind farms. We also spent a considerable amount of time driving in circles looking for the Little Grand Canyon. Not sure how we kept missing the turn or what we were supposed to be looking for but we missed it and finally gave up.

Chester, Illinois was our next stop.

Guess what Chester, Illinois’ claim to fame is? Popeye! That’s right, I can hear the song now,

I’m Popeye the sailor man. Toot toot.

I’m Popeye the sailor man. Toot toot.
I'm strong to the finich
Cause I eats me spinach

I'm Popeye the sailor man. Toot toot.

E. C. Segar, the cartoonist who created Popeye and the rest of the cast, was born and raised in Chester, Illinois. The man who made every boy and girl want to eat spinach and be big and strong like Popeye.

The next day after we arrived was Sunday. The Popeye museum wasn’t open so we were not able to spend any time there.

However, the Chester Welcome Center on Bridge Bypass Rd. near the Chester Bridge has a beautiful lookout over the Mississippi River and an informative section for Illinois and Chester. The lookout was awesome. I have never seen the Mississippi River. I could have stayed there for hours looking at it. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. A train went by while I was mesmerized by the Mississippi’s beauty. The driver honked and waved

Don’t forget to take a picture of Popeye at the Chester Welcome Center. Also, if you drive around Chester, there are other statues of other famous characters created by Mr. Segar.

Best Western Reids Inn, Chester, Ill. Our stay was awesome. We had a nice view in the back of the hotel with a balcony, so very relaxing after driving for so long.

www.bestwesternillinois.com/hotels/best-western-reids-inn

Reids Harvest House

The food at the restaurant was delicious. The employees were friendly and outgoing.

www.reidsharvesthouse.com

Fort Kaskaskia

Located in Ellis Grove, Illinois, it was a short drive to this site. We were able to get a great look at the Mississippi, walk around where the fort originally was, and see the Garrison Hill Cemetery. It was fascinating, literally walking around all that history.

Pierre Menard Home State Historic Site

This home belonged to a prominent businessman and Illinois’ first lieutenant governor. It is a French Colonial Creole type architecture overlooks the Mississippi River. It has been dubbed the “Mount Vernon of the West”. Our guide was a little hesitant, reserved, at first, but once we started asking our questions, she seemed to be a bit more receptive to us.

She was telling us about living on one of the islands in the Mississippi when she was a child, and how the island has been flooded so much that most of the residents on the island have moved to the mainland.

www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/pierre_menard.htm

Cohen Mansion

The house with the famous blue windows. (Mark Twain) We drove around for about a half hour looking for this house and could not find it. Hopefully, you may have better luck.

Before we left Chester to head to Arkansas, my husband took me over the Chester Bridge. I was thrilled. I had never been on the other side of the Mississippi River and it was my first time crossing it. Now I can say I have been west of the Mississippi and in Missouri!

Visit Pam’s website www.pamelaackerson.com

Friend/Follow Pam on Facebook - www.facebook.com/pam.ackerson.7

Twitter with Pam - https://twitter.com/pamackerson

Oh Canada!!

Oh Canada!

Our travels have brought us all around the "lower 48" and Canada. We've tried to zip zag, circle through, and around every state we could. Florida was where this endeavor started.

Enjoy your journal.

Thank you for taking this wonderful journey with us. It has been absolutely incredible.

Please keep in mind that some museums don’t allow photography and will not be available on the Pambling Roads Blog

Pambling Roads−My Canada Journal

Niagara Falls, Canada

NY and Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

So much to see and so much to do!

We stayed in Niagara Falls, NY for a handful of days at the Rodeway Inn. It's about 5 miles from the falls. It was perfect. The wind must have been blowing in the right direction because I could hear the falls for a while that first night.

www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-niagara_falls-new_york-NY492

Crossing the border was a little longer of a wait than New Brunswick, as we had expected, considering that it was Niagara Falls. We spent the first day on the Canadian side walking back and forth. (Parking is $20 for the day.) If you continue to walk past the falls near the park area, you can get closer to the Niagara River. There is more to see and an up-close look at portions of the lock and the original older section. We ate lunch and dinner on the Canadian side. We were warned that the prices were a bit high, but considering that it is a tourist area ... I personally didn't think the prices were any higher than any other tourist town.

The next two days we spent on the American side of the falls. (Parking is $10 for the day.) We purchased the Discovery Pass, the attractions were well worth the price of the Discovery Pass.

My illustrious words for our experience on the American side:

OMGoodness OMGoodness OMGoodness OMGoodness!

It was AWESOME!

The Cave of the Winds was an experience of a lifetime. The Hurricane Deck-OMGoodness! It has been several months since we have been there and I am still thrilled at the memory.

Other attractions that went with the pass was Maid of the Mist (the boat ride), Niagara: Legends of the Adventure (movie), Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, Niagara Aquarium and the Niagara Trolley where you could listen to the drivers talk about their awesome town. Niagara Falls State Park was beautiful, well kept and the employees there were extremely tolerant of our questions. My husband and I both have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and we tend to ask a lot of questions. (Even worse, I am a why child)

The second night we had dinner (and drinks) at the Top of the Falls Restaurant. We were able to see the falls from our seat. The food was excellent, service was excellent, and the drink prices were extremely reasonable. The diners there were friendly and we chatted between tables. One family was from Scotland and another family seated at a table near us was from Wisconsin.

www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/top-of-the-falls-restaurant.aspx

The fireworks over the falls ... the tightrope walker ... live music. It's all there. What an adventure! I would go back to visit in a heartbeat.

Tidbits we learned from our multiple questions to the park rangers/representatives and employees:

The park's tourism is slower in the winter.

The falls have frozen over.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were in charge of "dewatering" the falls.

Yes, after the galls were turned off, a body was found, among many other various things.

There have been two major rockslides on the American side.

There is an ice boom that helps to prevent massive jams.

The falls flow slower at night than during the day.

The large broken down steel boat in the river near the falls was intentionally grounded so they would not go over the falls. The boaters were rescued.

People have survived (barely) when accidentally going over the falls.

Yes, they allow boaters on the Niagara River.

There are large signs for boaters on the Niagara river that warn them not to go beyond a certain point because they/their motors will not be able to fight the force of the water.

http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/

Our last full day in Niagara Falls we took a road trip to Genesee County where my husband's ancestors were originally homesteaded. We drove around and actually found his grandfather's house in Basom, Batavia area and Ackerson Rd, named after his family.

New Brunswick

We didn’t stay overnight in New Brunswick but we did take a day trip. Crossing the border wasn’t too bad of a wait. They asked the usual questions. Where are you from? Why are you here? How long do you plan on staying? They were pleasant, yet business-like.

The Hartland Bridge is the longest covered bridge in the world. Built in 1899, it’s 1282 feet worth of a one-way road that crosses the St. John River with lots of history to go with it. It’s known as a kissing bridge with a cute story about how gentlemen would stop their horses and wagons and steals a kiss from their sweetheart.

Yes, we kissed–can’t argue with tradition. Don't forget to stop by the Visitor Center right there near the covered bridge. The employees were great and they had some really neat stuff to purchase.

We love traveling and have many more wonderful places to share with you. If you have anything you’d like to share with our readers, please head over to the Pambling Roads blog on my website and let us know, all suggestions to enhance any of our readers’ travels are welcome.

These journals are for you!

Pages for you to fill in the blanks.
A personal journal with tidbits and trivia about Canada.
Lined and Unlined for your convenience.
Journaling and diary writing improves and encourages positive attitudes, provides a creative outlet, and is a perfect place to record life's precious events.

Grab your Canada journal today.

Purchase My Canada Journal

mybook.to/MyCanadaJournal

All the journals: (Journals do not have images in them.)

Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Dakota Oregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Wisconsin Washington, D.C. Wyoming

and Fortune Cookie Wisdom

author.to/PamelaAckerson

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

My Idaho Journal~~ Pambling Roads

Meeting the Americans!

Pambling Roads ~~ Idaho

Pambling Roads, Meeting the Americans continues. Our travels bring us to Yellowstone National Park and Old Faithful! We met people from all over the world and from all over North America. There wasn’t one moment when we weren’t rubbernecking to see everything we possibly could. I call Yellowstone the Animal Kingdom of the West.

We stayed in Idaho and drove to the park from there.

Idaho

Rexburg, Idaho

Idaho is such a beautiful state. We stayed in Idaho because we wanted to be on the western side of Yellowstone. The Quality Inn was exactly that, good quality, good service, a good continental breakfast, and happy employees.

There were several families staying at the hotel from Utah (As seen by the multitude of Utah license plates in the parking lot). There was a young couple with small kids at the pool/spa while we were there. We chatted and had a wonderful time visiting with them. It was refreshing to know that not everyone who lives in Utah had perpetual frowns and were unhappy.

We were beginning to worry that the sense of entitlement and unhappiness was a Utah trait. So happy to have met this couple, they were wonderful, great sense of humor, and very enjoyable to be around.

Pambling Roads continues as we explore the western U.S.A. Our travels this time takes us from Idaho to Nevada, and then onward to Utah. We met so many different people from all over the world. It was absolutely one of the most memorable trips so far.

Nampa, Idaho

Sleep Inn was clean and comfortable. However, we did have a problem that was not rectified by management. The people above us were very noisy. The first night we didn’t say anything. Honestly, I think it was kids jumping around or maybe some very heavy footed people. We expect some noise, it’s just natural when you have a large group of people staying in hotels. These people above us were very, very noisy, to the point where we finally said something. We weren’t getting any sleep. Not sure if management went and said anything to them because the noise and banging didn’t stop.

It was over the 4^th of July holiday. We pulled up some chairs, grabbed a couple glasses of wine, and enjoyed the celebration. From the hotel room we were able to see a few different towns in the distance celebrating with fireworks.

They didn’t ask us how our stay was when we checked out. I’m guessing they already knew and didn’t want to hear it?

During our usual tours of the area, getting a feel for the town and the directions we need to go we were driving down one road and saw this house. Wow, it was a replica of a castle. I made hubby turn around so I could get some pictures of it.

Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area

If you are involved with bird-watching or just enjoy it as an occasional hobby and are in the Snake River Canyon area, this is a great place to go. We saw countless different species of birds from falcons, eagles, hawks, and many we could not identify. The Snake River Canyon was probably the largest one I have seen so far and it did not disappoint us in any way. Absolutely beautiful.

Swan Falls and Swan Falls Dam

They have tours at the dam but tour times are very limited. It was closed when we were there. There were a decidedly happy group of people fishing in the area. It was lunchtime and we picnicked in the Swan Falls area with a breathtaking view. We saw a few boat and noticed a launching area.

http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/birds_of_prey_nca.html

http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/visit_and_play/places_to_see/morley_nelson_snake/swan_falls.html

Canyon Creek Restaurant

This was a restaurant we ate at on the 4^th of July. It was located at another hotel (Shilo Inn). I have a few stars next to the restaurant with a note that says it was good. I wish I had thought to write more. It is common for me to write notes to myself, if it wasn’t good food or good service I put a “no” next to it and I avoid mentioning them in the travel articles. This did not have any note like that at all. So I’m going to recommend them as a good place to dine.

Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho

The Shoshone Falls are considered the Niagara of the West. There is a nice park with a trail that leads to the canyon rim. (Evel Knievel jumped there.) There are a few overlooks where people can get great views of the falls. The Falls are not as wide or vast as Niagara Falls. However, it is a deeper drop. It has a 212 foot drop and is 900 feet wide.

In comparison Niagara Horseshoe Falls is 170 foot drop and 2200 feet wide (Crestline). The American side of Niagara Falls is 70 to 100 feet deep and 850 feet wide (Crestline).

http://www.tfid.org/index.aspx?NID=309

Pages for You to Fill in the Blanks!
Personal Journal with lined and unlined pages. Fun Tidbits and Trivia about Idaho.Journaling helps improve mental health and happiness, provides a creative outlet, and gives a perfect place to record life's precious events. Pambling Roads journals with multiple US states to choose from.

Grab your journal today. And Fill in the Blanks!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DST21HM

My Tennessee Journal

Pambling Roads ~~ My Tennessee Journal

Our travels have brought us all around the “lower 48”. We’ve tried to zip zag and circle through and around every state we could. Florida was where this endeavor started.

Kingsport

Bays Mountain Park

Pure glory! Hiking, biking, camping, and listening to the wolves. And learning about wolves.

Their howls are used for communication, preceding a hunt, to bring the pack together, to declare territory, etc. The wolves at Bays Mountain are captive born and are used to having people around. However, they are NOT tame.

It’s not just about the wolves, there’s so much more. If you love looking at the sky, and find it fascinating, check out the planetarium.

Alcoa/Knoxville

We stayed in Alcoa for a few days. We drove around and made notes of the places we wanted to see. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. We were there for a convention, and didn’t get the extra time to explore.

What caught our interest?

The Millennium Manor Castle is constructed of stone and marble. Possibly haunted. The locals call it the everlasting house. Perhaps next time we’re in the area.

Nashville

So much to see and do!

The Grand Olde Opry

Musician’s Hall of Fame

The Belle Meade Plantation

This is a Greek revival architecture. The tour is a must-do. There’s free wine tasting at the end of the tour. Obviously, you must be old enough to drink alcohol.

Don’t forget the gift shop, and checkout the other historic buildings on the property.

Hungry? The Harding House restaurant is there to please everyone’s palate.

We highly recommend doing the Nashville City Tour or the Trolley Tours.

My Tennessee Journal continues with the Pambling Roads collection of US state journals, helping readers spark their interest with historical trivia and tidbits about Tennessee. It's an interactive journal designed to nurture creativity and self-motivation.

It features one side for drawings, sketching, or pasting personal pictures, and the other side lined for notes or journal writing. Use this journal to cultivate exploration, focus on daily acknowledgment of the simple joys of life, or to write inspirational quotes.

Pages for you to fill in the blanks.

Journals are great for jotting down notes, thoughts, plans, and stories. It's for everything you want it to be. They can be relaxing. They can be inspirational, and they can help with overall mental health and happiness. Writing can give you peace of mind, and a offer the perfect creative outlet.

Grab your journal today and start filling in the blanks!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0863V39KR

Go to my Amazon Author Page

author.to/PamelaAckerson

Books by Pamela Ackerson

The Wilderness Time Travel Series

Across the Wilderness

Into the Wilderness

Wilderness Bound

Warriors of the Wilderness

Out of the Wilderness

The Wilderness Series Ebook box set

PI Time Travel

Garrett’s Ghost

The Gingerbread House

Living the Wright Life

Historical Fiction

Dear Margaret

Romance Anthology

Wounded Heroes (heat levels from one to five)

Non-fiction

I Was Just a Radioman (A memoir of a Pearl Harbor survivor, Black Cat, and decorated veteran.)

Be More Successful with Marketing and AdvertiZING

I am a Runner ─ The Memoirs of a Sepsis Survivor

A Granny Pants Story (Children’s Stories)

The Long and Little Doggie

Riley Gets into Predicaments

Available in Spanish:

El Perrito Largo y el Perrito Pequeno (La Serie del Perrito Largo y Pequeno)

Pambling Roads Journals —

Pages for you to fill in the blanks! Nurture your creativity with Pambling Roads State Journals, interactive journals designed to spark imagination and self-motivation. They include historical trivia and tidbits about each state, and a small section in the front of the book by the author sharing her travels.

States:

Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Florida Georgia Louisiana Maryland Mississippi Rhode Island South Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington, D.C.

More to come! Check Amazon for the latest state journals.

Loved my books? Honest reviews are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

PamelaAckerson.com

Pam@PamelaAckerson.com

@PamAckerson