Friday, September 28, 2007
Hello from Chandron,
We are now in Nebraska and almost a third of the way across the USA. Did I mention that 75% of all the pronghorn antelope are within 90 miles of Casper. We’ve seen quite a few along the side of the road but of course I didn’t have my camera ready. When I finally got it out, we only saw a few more but farther away.
Nebraska seems pretty flat and we are still driving on Hwy 20 which goes across the northern part of the state. We stopped in Chandron for the night and went into town to explore. First we had a light lunch at the local coffee shop and then checked out the Museum of the Fur Trade. Paul really liked the model of the Yellowstone Paddle Wheel Steamboat that went all the way up the Missouri River to Montana. I liked the display of abalone shells that the Indians traded with the California Indians. We came home for a nap and then went to see the movie, 310 to Yuma. We are in the Wild West and felt like seeing a Western. It was a very good movie and we want to see the original. We’ll have to visit the prison in Yuma. Have any of you seen that? Been to any good movies lately?
From the Traveling Neils,
Paul and Jackie

Sunday, September 30, 2007
Hello from Valentine, Nebraska,
Yesterday we arrived in Heart City, as they call it. The weather was pretty nice when we arrived but all heck broke loose later. Once we got set up, we headed for the Rosebud Casino for a bit of gambling but no luck. Came home and went for a short early evening walk and noticed a bit of lightning on the horizon. We started to walk a bit faster and pretty soon the lightning and thunder and rain were upon us. There was quite a storm and then it got quiet. So we turned on the only 2 TV stations we got and we noticed a tornado warning (our first tornado warning since we’ve been traveling) for our area. Well, that was pretty scary but things calmed down after a while and we could go to sleep.
This morning we woke up to horrid winds-20 to 30 with gusts up to 45 mph. That got our attention. So we decided after breakfast at the local Bunk House that we would stay in for the day. After all Sunday is a day of rest. Most of the day the winds have been blowing but right now-around 5:00pm-the winds have died down and the sun is even out.
It was so pretty outside we decided to go for a drive through the Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge hoping to see some wild turkeys. (Of course once we got into Nebraska, we saw 5 bunches of turkeys but again I didn’t have my camera ready. So I was on a mission. By the way the local newspaper says that Monday, tomorrow, is the first day of turkey hunting by archery and next week by gun. We didn’t see any because they must know and have disappeared.) The refuge was very nice-full of prairie grasses, a few buffalo, some deer, and a pheasant. Paul’s Dad requested a pheasant feather but Paul didn’t get one. There was a lovely 1 mile hike to the Fort Falls which we took and got some exercise and some fresh air out in nature.
From the Heart City Neils,
Paul and Jackie


Monday, October 01, 2007
Hello from the Road,
We are in North Sioux City, South Dakota and have stopped for the night. We finally have TV and computer connections. That hasn’t happened much lately. We haven’t had TV for the last 3 nights and had to miss seeing Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. And of course, I missed a picture of wild turkeys once again this morning. I can’t believe it. Oh, well, I’ll try harder.
Went downtown to the Historic 4th Street, got dinner at the Mac Behr Restaurant, and watched part of the tie breaking game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres on a 12 foot TV screen. That was fun. Later we came home to watch Chuck, Two and ½ Men, and Rules of Engagement. Rules might be a show that we watch again. Steve and Lucy know the tall guy on Rules and he was pretty funny. And then we finished watching the ball game that lasted for 13 innings. That was a great ballgame and too bad the Padres had to lose it.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Hello from Sioux City,
Decided to stay another day. Severe thunderstorms were predicted for the way we were going and decided we could use a day off. Of course, we are doing the laundry, going to the grocery store and then as a reward, we’ll head for the ice cream company which calls itself the Ice Cream Capital of the World.
Our afternoon turned out quite nicely. We drove to Le Mars, Iowa and took the tour and learned about the history of ice cream. The ancient Chinese first thought up ice cream and then the Romans had their version, too. The Blue Bunny Ice Cream Co. started in 1913 and of course, we sampled quite a bit. I had a great banana split and Paul had some caramel ice cream thing. It was terrific ice cream and Paul found out they have a new facility in St. George, Utah, so they can distribute to the West Coast.
Then we went for a drive and found Bev’s on the Missouri River. It’s a new restaurant and will have the Hilton next door. There don’t seem to be many restaurants on the river so this one was a find. We tried their crab cakes which were delicious. Since we had TV at home, we watched The Unit and Boston Legal, two of our favorites.
From the Sioux City Neils,
Paul and Jackie

Thursday, October 04, 2007
Hi from the Waterloo, Iowa Neils,
Yesterday, we made it to Waterloo. Do you know why? Because the John Deere Co. is here and you know who wants to tour the plant. So today we’ll be there. We are staying at the Deerwood Park(our cheapest rate of $14 a night) in nearby Waterloo and are backed up to the river. There is a sign that says, “Don’t feed the geese, “so maybe we’ll see some geese out our back window.
We got up at 7:30 this morning and were on the road by 8:30. We grabbed a quick breakfast at WalMart, the only place we could find close by. Did you know that Subway has a breakfast sandwich? It was very yummy. We headed for the John Deere Engine Factory and got a very detailed and most interesting tour. We had to wear protective glasses and a badge and stay on the cart. A really cute elderly gentleman-around late 70’s- gave the tour. He had worked for the plant for over 35 years and seemed to know just everything about the engine. Paul will take our adventure from here. (Paul here, very interesting and a very good tour. Took over an hour saw the new million dollar CNC machines that machine the main bearings and drill all the holes for water and oil in the block and heads- very good stuff! Some of the castings come from Germany and some from Brazil or Argentina not sure which one. They no longer have a large inventory of parts; they rely on, on time delivery of all their parts from the other plants.)
We got a quick lunch in downtown Waterloo and then headed for the Tractor Assembly Factory where they put it all together. One young lady said that first we saw the guts and then we saw the glory. This tour was not as interesting but still fun to see all the parts of the tractors and how they go together. Of course the gift shop at both tours was divine. (Paul here again, Another great tour!! Very informative I do like to see how things are made. Jackie is just a peach to go along with me to all the car, truck, boat and other misc. museums that I have taken her to.)
Well, we weren’t done yet. I wanted to go to the local mall (think Chico’s) and on the way we found a Ford dealer who could change our oil and filters. So we checked out the mall and got our truck serviced at the same time. Double duty-I like that. That was our busy but fun day.
From the Waterloo, Iowa Neils,
Paul and Jackie


Friday, October 05, 2007
Hello from Geneseo, Illinois,
We drove on a 2 lane road along the Mississippi River to reach this place. That river is a big, wide one. We are staying in a lovely campground in the trees and near a canal. We took an hour walk along the canal and found the Hennepin Canal which was build in the early 1900’s and became a model for the Panama Canal. We also saw a muskrat, a bunny, and a turtle.

Sunday, October 07, 2007
Hello from South Bend, Indiana,
We drove yesterday and started noticing all the Notre Dame references as we got closer to South Bend. Will have to visit the university to check it out. Regis is always talking about it.
We are taking our time this morning but will soon be on the road to the Studebaker Museum. Paul is very ready.