Today we went touring, leaving Tillie behind to relax and enjoy the solitude for a change. Took the ferry to the mainland and met Patty’s cousin, Jane, for lunch at one of Seattle’s famous seafood restaurants. It had only been ??? years since they’d seen each other (more than 30 we’re sure but who wants to count beyond that). They recognized each other instantly as neither had changed a bit. Of course, the BIG signs they carried saying “Jane” and “Patty” may have helped (just kidding).
Cathy & Joe’s daughter, Melissa, & her two small kids joined us for lunch as well. A real family get-together.
Then it was back to the island for a little shopping at the commissary (military retirees definitely do get their perks!), and a little more sightseeing. Uncle Joe, Cathy & Mary are on Erie lookout – what a view. Apparently hanggliders jump off that mountain but Mary forgot to pack hers so had to be content staying grounded with the older folks.
After such a grueling day it is back to hanging out in the hot tub again to prepare mentally as well as physically for the 4th.

Like we said, Tillie is a real beach bunny. We took a wrong turn this morning and ended up at the world’s longest beach. Where? Long Beach, of course. Who would have guessed?

Is it snow? Is it sand? No, but it could be chicken feed, or driveway fill, or those little gray pills middle aged women take. Still haven’t guessed? It’s a huge pile, one of many we saw, of oyster shells.



Then it was TREES, TREES, TREES and GREEN, GREEN, GREEN (almost enough to equals the HOT and FLAT of the plains). Washington certainly grows them bigger and taller than any we see in the east. However, unlike the plains, they don’t go on for days and by the middle of the afternoon we were on the ferry to Whidby Island. We were in line 3 which meant we were about the 40th vehicle in line. Unlike the ferry to Vinalhaven, this one was considerably bigger and we had no problem getting right on board. In fact, Tillie was put right up front so she got a bird’s eye view of the voyage.

Uncle Joe (another of Mary’s real uncles) and his wife Cathy are hosting us for the next few days. Right now everyone except Tillie is luxuriating in their hot tub overlooking the bay. Not bad.

State parks are wonderful places to stay but they haven’t caught on yet that internet access might be a good thing to offer… hence no blog from yesterday.
Crater Lake was spectacular and Tillie made it without any problem. There was still plenty of snow on the ground. Half the rim road around the lake won’t open until the end of July. The 6% grade on the way down was made for Tillie – she purred contentedly and used just enough gas to keep her engine running.
Then it was on to California, mainly so Mary could say she’d been in California & could put another state on Tillie’s map. It proved to add several highlights to our trip. The northern edge of the National Redwood Forest is on that route. The redwoods here were probably some of the smaller ones but they were HUGH! Then it was on to the Pacific. We just realized that even though Mary flew into Newark we did not take her to the Atlantic becomes starting west so she cannot yet say she’s been coast to coast. Guess we’ll have to bring her back east with us.
Anyway we’ve been taking old, scenic route 101 up the coast seeing such highlights as the world’s largest Monterey Cypress; the area that produces more lily bulbs than anywhere else in the world; the sea lion caves (the only mainland place in the world that’s home to sea lions) – from a distance they look like giant slugs and sound a bit like John some mornings when he’s waking up; the breathtaking Oregon coastline (perhaps we shouldn’t use that adjective as we kept going into and out of “Tsunami Hazard Zones”); and of course the Tillamook cheese factory (Oregon’s largest tourist attraction). Mary managed to eat all of her VERY generous ice cream cone and half of Patty’s – she seems to have inherited the Grossmann appetite. Hopefully, she will return to France before she develops the all too typical American back profile we witnessed at the factory.
Tillie decided she needed a little sprucing up for the beach so left her old, dented gas cap at the first Oregon station we stopped at. She is now sporting a shiny new jazzier model. From Boise on she seems to be feeling at home. We’re now up to 40 “on the road” VW’s like her. She’s no longer so lonesome.

It was off to Oregon this morning skipping back and forth over the Oregon Trail before heading north. Three days of chatting easily in Garry's car spoiled us and we were quickly back to starting every answer with "What?". Tillie definitely believes in keeping her motor loudly purring to give us time to ponder our own thoughts.
Bob & Elinor had suggested we head slightly north from Boise toward John Day, Oregon, as that was a prettier route to Crater Lake than going straight west across the desert. They were absolutely right. Who would ever believe the Fossil National Monument which covers about 20 square miles could be so beautiful? The visitor center has a wonderful exhibit and you can watch the researchers chipping away at rocks to uncover the fossils. If you ever come to Oregon it's a not to be missed sight.
We only had time to visit the John Day Center named after, you guessed it, John Day. They say on the posted info that "John Day was of no importance". Now really, we think they could have phrased that a bit better. The river is named for him and thus the area, but he was only at the beginning of the river 100 miles away and never came this far south. He was just a regular "joe", not a Lewis & Clarke type.
Tonight we're camping just north of Crater Lake. Broke out the mesquito tent to put over the picnic table as the mesquitos seem to be quite taken by Tillie. We agree, she is charming (especially when she runs!).

It was off to Oregon this morning skipping back and forth over the Oregon Trail before heading north. Three days of chatting easily in Garry's car spoiled us and we were quickly back to starting every answer with "What?". Tillie definitely believes in keeping her motor loudly purring to give us time to ponder our own thoughts.
Bob & Elinor had suggested we head slightly north from Boise toward John Day, Oregon, as that was a prettier route to Crater Lake than going straight west across the desert. They were absolutely right. Who would ever believe the Fossil National Monument which covers about 20 square miles could be so beautiful? The visitor center has a wonderful exhibit and you can watch the researchers chipping away at rocks to uncover the fossils. If you ever come to Oregon it's a not to be missed sight.
We only had time to visit the John Day Center named after, you guessed it, John Day. They say on the posted info that "John Day was of no importance". Now really, we think they could have phrased that a bit better. The river is named for him and thus the area, but he was only at the beginning of the river 100 miles away and never came this far south. He was just a regular "joe", not a Lewis & Clarke type.
Tonight we're camping just north of Crater Lake. Broke out the mesquito tent to put over the picnic table as the mesquitos seem to be quite taken by Tillie. We agree, she is charming (especially when she runs!).

It was off to Oregon this morning skipping back and forth over the Oregon Trail before heading north. Three days of chatting easily in Garry's car spoiled us and we were quickly back to starting every answer with "What?". Tillie definitely believes in keeping her motor loudly purring to give us time to ponder our own thoughts.
Bob & Elinor had suggested we head slightly north from Boise toward John Day, Oregon, as that was a prettier route to Crater Lake than going straight west across the desert. They were absolutely right. Who would ever believe the Fossil National Monument which covers about 20 square miles could be so beautiful? The visitor center has a wonderful exhibit and you can watch the researchers chipping away at rocks to uncover the fossils. If you ever come to Oregon it's a not to be missed sight.
We only had time to visit the John Day Center named after, you guessed it, John Day. They say on the posted info that "John Day was of no importance". Now really, we think they could have phrased that a bit better. The river is named for him and thus the area, but he was only at the beginning of the river 100 miles away and never came this far south. He was just a regular "joe", not a Lewis & Clarke type.
Tonight we're camping just north of Crater Lake. Broke out the mesquito tent to put over the picnic table as the mesquitos seem to be quite taken by Tillie. We agree, she is charming (especially when she runs!).

We almost forgot to put Idaho on our map - Yvonne got to do the honors. Their very comfortable, air conditioned (have we said that before?) home, is in the background.
Today was another day down memory lane. We went by where John took his first swimming lessons, by John's Jr. High, by where he used to ride his bike (which was almost everywhere), by the train station where he and his family first arrived in Boise, by the spot where his father used to put his cigar when they went to the movies (trust me, the pool photo shown is more interesting), to the historical museum where John & Garry were shocked that toys like they played with were on display, to a nursing home where John used to perform for the residents etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. Had lunch with Steve Brown, one of our fellow VISTA's in N.C. A good day.
Tonight we're going to see "Funny Thing Happened..." in the open air Shakespeare Theater which should be fun. And tomorrow we're off bright and early to Oregon & Crater Lake and another adventure.

Post from Tuesday...
Last night we had cocktails at Ramona (whom we hadn’t seen in… Yikes!, we’re not telling) and her husband, Dale’s. They have one of the Boise’s houses built in the early 1900’s that is heated by a hot water well. Guess there really is an active volcano somewhere below us. Just don’t think about it, just don’t think about it,… (Sorry, but we somehow deleted the photo)
Early this morning John picked up Tillie at Boise’s VW shop where she got fiddled with and tightened up and given a clean bill of health to head west. Garry met someone just bringing in her old VW who had actually lived in it for 5 years and traveled throughout the US in the 70’s with her 2 dogs and a parrot. When she finally bought a house in Boise the dogs and parrot refused to leave the van. Patty & Mary doubt they would ever choose to sleep in Tillie when a bed & bathroom are available, however,
John????
Garry took us on a luxurious ride in his air conditioned Jag through the mountains to McCall. It is very beautiful there and also 20 degrees cooler than Boise that topped 100. Garry treated us to a boat trip around the lake where John lost his Riley’s cap to the wind and water. (Patty is somewhat relieved as they were forever going back to places where John had left it.) However, John’s scalp should either think about growing back some of that hair overnight or find a new head covering before venturing out in the sun again.


Tonight we were treated to a wonderful dinner at Bob (he & Frank – Mary’s father, have been friends since 2nd grade) and his wife Elinor’s. They have all sorts of interesting things growing in their yard… an orange tree that’s hardy here, beautiful hydrangea including a huge oak leaf one… did you know an almond tree can be pollinated by an apricot tree? Ponder that one for a while…

Post from Tuesday...
Last night we had cocktails at Ramona (whom we hadn’t seen in… Yikes!, we’re not telling) and her husband, Dale’s. They have one of the Boise’s houses built in the early 1900’s that is heated by a hot water well. Guess there really is an active volcano somewhere below us. Just don’t think about it, just don’t think about it,… (Sorry, but we somehow deleted the photo)
Early this morning John picked up Tillie at Boise’s VW shop where she got fiddled with and tightened up and given a clean bill of health to head west. Garry met someone just bringing in her old VW who had actually lived in it for 5 years and traveled throughout the US in the 70’s with her 2 dogs and a parrot. When she finally bought a house in Boise the dogs and parrot refused to leave the van. Patty & Mary doubt they would ever choose to sleep in Tillie when a bed & bathroom are available, however,
John????
Garry took us on a luxurious ride in his air conditioned Jag through the mountains to McCall. It is very beautiful there and also 20 degrees cooler than Boise that topped 100. Garry treated us to a boat trip around the lake where John lost his Riley’s cap to the wind and water. (Patty is somewhat relieved as they were forever going back to places where John had left it.) However, John’s scalp should either think about growing back some of that hair overnight or find a new head covering before venturing out in the sun again.


Tonight we were treated to a wonderful dinner at Bob (he & Frank – Mary’s father, have been friends since 2nd grade) and his wife Eleanor’s. They have all sorts of interesting things growing in their yard… an orange tree that’s hardy here, beautiful hydrangea including a huge oak leaf one… did you know an almond tree can be pollinated by an apricot tree? Ponder that one for a while…

Today was the day to visit the sites in Boise and walk down nostalgia lane. The photo is of 101 N. Garden where John & Frank (Mary's father) grew up. It is also the spot where wolverines were first successfully bred in captivity. You may want to note these events are both true but did not happen at the same time.
We also visited the capital building where Governor Steunenberg's statue is in front of the building. Steunenberg brought law & order to Idaho in the 1890's but met an untimely demise when he went to get the paper one morning and was blow up by a bomb. For some reason, John's original 4th grade poem still is not recorded. In case you have also missed it, it goes like this... "Old Steunenberg didn't know his fate when they wired the bomb unto the gate. But when for the paper he did go, he found his life at all time low."
Another piece of trivia - John sang in the capital, and the post office. Apparently kids were allowed to roam freely in those days, and John liked the sound of his voice echoing in the halls. The capital is beautiful and really amazing to us New Yorkers in that there's no security checkpoints to go through.
Every time Patty has come to Boise the temperature has been in the 90's. Those who live here contend that most of the year is very pleasant, but Patty remains unconvinced.

Guess what? National forests in Idaho don’t have wireless but they do have beautiful campsites. Saturday we started from Jackson, Wyoming and went almost straight up (10% grade = STEEP) over the Teton pass. Tillie decided second was the gear for her, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the spectacular view. Not all vehicles could be that considerate.
Then it was on to Idaho. First mountains and then miles of potato fields – those famous potatoes have to come from somewhere. Then endless miles of sagebrush and lava outcroppings, home of the world’s first nuclear energy plant and still a nuclear research facility. It is truly desolate so it is no wonder they decided to put it here. John took us to Craters of the Moon which is very picturesque as only old lava fields can be. It was here that we met Tillie’s sibling, only a year newer, but definitely from the same family. It still runs too! Mary went off exploring some of the lava caves while John & Patty sensibly decided to remain in Tillie out of the sun.
Finally we were out of the desert and drove north into the start of the Sawtooth Mountains that are beautiful. We camped near Ketchum/Sun Valley, did a bit of touring around town, then went back to camp to grill Mary’s first T-bone (a cut they don’t do in France). For dessert she had her first s’more. Although their may be some argument, Patty is obviously the best at roasting marshmallows.
Today we drove up & down, up & down, up & down through the Sawtooths. Unfortunately, thousands of acres of pine forest have been almost destroyed by the pine beetle. We had lunch in Idaho City where John had once considered buying the old hotel/bar. Patty again gave thanks that it never happened.
Garry & Yvonne’s home is beautiful & air conditioned! Garry fixed us a great meal featuring all Idaho products, including one of his great pies – cherries are in season as are apricots. We got lucky!

We made it back without being eaten by bears! But before today's adventure we'll fill you in on yesterday 6/22..
We had an early morning planning session and decided to head straight to Yellowstone and "do" the Tetons on the way back and to Idaho.
It's official! John is an "old duffer" - got his Golden Age pass which lets all of us and Tillie get in free to the national parks. Even got us a discount on camping (even though the ranger said if he didn't have a card he'd give him the discount anyway - guess the day's driving must have made him look his age!) A beautiful campsite, running water & a bathroom close by & free firewood for only $9. Of course the ranger did mention there was a grizzly sighting in our campground that morning...
Yellowstone is always beautiful. The trees are starting to grow again on the thousands of acres that were burned in '88. The wildflowers are incredible. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone spectacular. We've sighted elk, pelicans (honest), trout, a wolf, bison. Question - why do bison love to hang around the sulfur hot springs? a)the springs smell better than they do b) the acid deposits they roll in takes off their molting fur c) it gets rid of buffalo fleas d) it's cheaper than going to a spa in Saratoga.
Anyway, we've seen lots of volcanic activity, from bubbling gray mud to incredibly blue and stinky hot springs. After visiting LOTS of them we ended up at Monument Geyser Basin and walked down to see Steamboat Geyser. Patty had had enough fumes and geyser excitement for one day so opted to go back & sit in Tillie & continue work of her memoirs of a geyser. Those with a stronger German heritage walked on to see Portchop Geyser.


Today we started the morning at Old Faithful who faithfully performed right on schedule. We also saw the kids from Louisiana who were driving the other old VW we saw a couple of days ago. They had spent the night in the parking lot and had pushed their VW to the service garage that morning for a new fuel pump. Tillie's not the only one who acts up now and again.
Went on to see several more geysers before turning around and heading south through the Tetons which are Patty's favorite. We looked for the Jenny Lake Lodge which John had remembered as a youth but the rangers said the new, smaller lodge was the only one that had ever been there.???? Lots of stops for picture taking including Mary's first sighting of a moose.
Now we're in Jackson looking for a night on the town!

John & Rob transplanted the starter motor once again last night and we all took Tillie on a test run into Boulder. Lots of turning on and off of the engine. She performed beautifully although the ride back to the ranch was a bit scary. When they say "terminal winds" off the mountains in early evening they mean it literally! However, Tillie stuck to the road and we got back safely.
Tillie made one last effort this morning to stay in Boulder. For some reason her timing went aschew overnight but John fixed that easily enough. Kenny made us a lovely breakfast, we packed things up again, hugs and kisses all around, and we were off and running heading toward Wyoming.
We spent most of the day driving through incredible scenery on highway 287. It felt like we were in the set of a cowboy western with Tillie and her 85 horses bucking the wind all the way. In Colorado we saw lots of antelope and John seranaded us with "Home, Home on the Range". Unfortunately, or perhaps it's fortunate, he only knows one verse. Do NOT believe it when you see all those people and animals out on the range in the movies supposedly filmed in Wyoming. We went miles without seeing even a bird.
Tomorrow it's off to the Tetons and maybe even Yellowstone. If you don't see a post for a couple of days it will either be because our national parks don't have wireless or I've been eaten by a bear.

Sarah & Kenny have great parties and the one last night was no exception. They have so many nice and interesting friends. One member of our Tillie travelers “partied” more than the others.
After folks went home, Rob went down and installed the relay on the VW. This morning John went down and, with Kenny’s help, finished the wiring and it started like a dream. To give it the old temperature test we all piled in and John drove us to the Butterfly Pavilion just outside Denver. Lots of fluttering about, gorgeous colors. Even saw some butterflies emerging from their cocoons. The bug room wasn’t as colorful but a couple of hundred cockroaches and a few tarantulas made it almost as memorable. Then we all pile into Tillie and wait. Nothing happens. Once again it’s back to giving her a “gentle” push to get her started.
Back at the ranch, John & Rob take off the starter motor once again, then take it in to Boulder to exchange for another one. Luckily they honored the warranty of the one we got in St. Louis so we didn’t end up buying a new one. But all work and no play makes John a dull boy so we piled into Rod’s 1967 Chrysler Fury for a ride into the mountains (Zimmerman tours we called it). A convertible is a great way to get a panoramic view of the mountains. Ended up at Pete’s Beaver Park Inn (he’s a friend of S&K&R & standing next to the sign) for the best pizza we’ve had in ages. Followed it up for a short hike up, up, up the mountain. The photo was taken when we were half way down.
Having been delivered safely back at the ranch by Zimmerman tours, John & Rod are performing another starter motor transplant on Tillie. Personally I just think she’s intimidated by the height of the mountains she has to take us over. Perhaps I’ll blindfold her before we leave for the Tetons in the morning.

Sarah & Kenny have great parties and the one last night was no exception. They have so many nice and interesting friends. One member of our Tillie travelers “partied” more than the others.
After folks went home, Rob went down and installed the relay on the VW. This morning John went down and, with Kenny’s help, finished the wiring and it started like a dream. To give it the old temperature test we all piled in and John drove us to the Butterfly Pavilion just outside Denver. Lots of fluttering about, gorgeous colors. Even saw some butterflies emerging from their cocoons. The bug room wasn’t as colorful but a couple of hundred cockroaches and a few tarantulas made it almost as memorable. Then we all pile into Tillie and wait. Nothing happens. Once again it’s back to giving her a “gentle” push to get her started.
Back at the ranch, John & Rob take off the starter motor once again, then take it in to Boulder to exchange for another one. Luckily they honored the warranty of the one we got in St. Louis so we didn’t end up buying a new one. But all work and no play makes John a dull boy so we piled into Rod’s 1967 Chrysler Fury for a ride into the mountains (Zimmerman tours we called it). A convertible is a great way to get a panoramic view of the mountains. Ended up at Pete’s Beaver Park Inn (he’s a friend of S&K&R & standing next to the sign) for the best pizza we’ve had in ages. Followed it up for a short hike up, up, up the mountain. The photo was taken when we were half way down.
Having been delivered safely back at the ranch by Zimmerman tours, John & Rod are performing another starter motor transplant on Tillie. Personally I just think she’s intimidated by the height of the mountains she has to take us over. Perhaps I’ll blindfold her before we leave for the Tetons in the morning.

A fun day in Boulder! Can you tell from the photo where we went? Second clue… there were wonderful smells of hibiscus, peppermint, cinnamon, orange etc. Third clue… we all had to wear hair nets and John had to wear a mustache net but unfortunately no photos were allowed. Fourth clue… the bear Sarah is kissing is Sleepytime (Yes, Kenny was a bit jealous.) The answer is Celestial Seasonings. Having started in a garage, production has expanded to a capacity of 10 million teabags a day. Over 100 different varieties are available and we could have sampled every one but choose not to.
This morning Rob & John took Tillie’s starter motor to Boulder’s VW guru. They were escorted into his inner sanctum for a consultation. They came back with a new improved wiring diagram and special harness this guy designed that supposedly fixes the design problem that Tillie has. In the cool of tomorrow morning, Rob & John will perform “surgery” once again. The good news is that the motor is not “fried” and everything else seems to be working well.
Sarah & Kenny have planned a big party for tonight. We’re hoping they will still be in shape to take us for a picnic and hiking in the mountains tomorrow.

Ok, ok… we missed yesterday but only because our campsite didn’t have wireless. However, it was a great day. Barb & family took us in the morning to the Konza Prairie and a friend of hers gave us a great tour. It’s a 8,600 acre “virgin” prairie used as a research facility by Kansas State. Among interesting things they’re finding out is prairie grasses respire(?) more carbon dioxide by an unbelievable amount (that’s my scientific term) than all of the traffic on I70. We also saw bison. More info than that and you’ll need to look it up on the internet.
After sandwiches back at the house, the kids gave Tillie a push down the driveway and we were off and running. First stop, Cawker City, KS to see the world’s biggest ball of twine. There is still time to participate in the “twine-a-thon” the first weekend in August if you’re interested…
Then on to Lebanon, KS, the geographic center of the US. Other that a marker, there’s not a lot more going on in Lebanon. From there we went on to Nebraska. Why? So we could add Nebraska to our state map on the van of course.
We camped at the Prairie Dog State Park campground in KS and saw….???? The answer, in case you really need to know, will be available at Thanksgiving.

Today on to Colorado!!!! HOT, HOT, WINDY, WINDY, FLAT, FLAT!! We did this trip in a Saab 35 years ago. Perhaps it’s not necessary to do the trip through western Kansas and eastern Colorado too often.
Finally we reach Denver. We call Sarah, Sarah calls us. We’re all excited. Plans are made to rendezvous at the Legion. Simple directions, I70 into Denver and then… there’s an accident ahead of us. The temp is 95. We’re going up a hill. The VW has an air cooled engine. Traffic is almost not moving. And now we’re not moving at all. AAA to the rescue! The last 50 miles to Sarah & Kenny’s we got the royal treatment.

Tillie loaded onto the back of the tow truck with a wonderful view. The three of us squeezed into the cab of the truck (it was air conditioned! And the guy didn’t make one of us find another way to get there – he was fine with Mary sitting on John’s lap). So now Tillie is nestled into S&K’s barn awaiting some tender loving care by Rob & Chuck.

We made it to Kansas and Gruenbacher's not so little house on the prairie. Barb & Don and their kids Rosie, Peter, Joy & Antonio have made us so welcome. They have wonderful views in all directions from their home. The prairie is quite beautiful with some wildflowers that we have in the east and some we don't. The neighbor had just hayed the adjacent field into high round bales just to give the kids something to climb on we think.

Back in St. Charles, Connie & Roland and their daughter & grandkids waived goodbye to us around 11 this morning. The correct starter came in this morning for Tillie so she appeared ready to go. How was the drive? HOT, HOT, HOT! When the thermometer in the car registered 100 we hid it in the glove compartment. WINDY, WINDY, WINDY! Several times it felt like we were going to be blown off the road. In the middle of the heat and wind we stopped for gas and Tillie wouldn't start. Luckily we were on a hill so Mary & Patty didn't have to push in Missouri but something still seems to be wrong. (John & Peter who is 8 are working on problem right now.)

Other than that, Mary had her first Big Mac (and probably the only one we'll treat her to while she's with us.) And one of the things Barb gave her for dinner was cottage cheese (something else they don't get in France). Barb, following her mother Helen's example, also made us great chocolate chip/oatmeal/peanut butter cookies to keep us fortified on the road.

Patty has discovered the advantages of ear plugs. No, Frank, it's not that Mary talks too much. In fact, in spite of the new Quietpack 3 muffler system, conversation as we know it is not possible in Tillie.

Tomorrow we're off to see more of the prairie.

New heights were reached today as we reached the top of the Gateway Arch. It was a beautiful day with a nice breeze even if it was in the 90's. We all walked under/through the Arch so are officially on the way to the west. Lots of info on the Lewis & Clark expedition. In case you don't remember, they completed their expedition in 1805 so we're starting out almost 200 years later. We trust it will not take us 2-1/2 years to complete our journey. The pictures of the Rockies look somewhat intimidating for our VW so who knows.

St. Charles, from which Lewis & Clark actually started & where Connie & Roland live, is beautiful and well worth a visit. Connie and Roland could not be better tour guides.

John, for this trip, has named the VW, "Tillie", after his mother & Mary's grandmother. Tillie is still in the shop awaiting a starter transplant. There are 2 possible starters for this year VW so of course the wrong one came in. The other has been ordered and should be here in the early a.m. from California. (Fed Ex uses something other than VW's for deliveries.) Then it's off to Kansas.

We made it to Missouri. Connie & Roland (Frank's friend from his days in the Peace Corps) have made us very welcome at their home in St. Charles. We're being treated to all sorts of St. Louis delicacies including "toasted ravioli", "gooey butter cake" and tomorrow we'll have barbequed pork steaks and Fitz' rootbeer.

Today we also got to add Indiana & Illinois to the list of states visited. Remember the problem yesterday of the VW not starting & how John read it was probably a problem with the ignition switch and he just needed to wiggle it a certain way? Well, let us just add that Mary & Patty have now "push started" the VW in Ohio, Indiana & Illinois giving the addition of the states to our map a whole other meaning! Luckily Roland found a VW mechanic within a few blocks of their house. A new starter is being overnighted from California and they'll put it in tomorrow while we visit the arch & the brewery.