On the remaining leg of our journey, we went through Decorah, Iowa, home of the Decorah Eagles.  We have been here before but still wanted to take a quick look.

We didn’t see Mom or Dad but you could see eaglet activity in the nest.

As we traveled though the small towns, all were dressed in red, white, and blue for Memorial Day events.

You remember the last year when we were in Clear Lake, Iowa we stopped to see the site of the plane crash in which Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper were killed in 1959.  This time we got to see the Surf Ballroom, the place of their final performance.

The ballroom opened in 1948 after the original Surf Ballroom located across the street( circa 1933) burned in 1947.  Both have offered music and dancing from the Big Band era to present day.

The Surf Ballroom was fashioned after a south seas beach club.  The maple dance floor, 6,300 square feet, was built to resemble an outdoor patio.  The ceilings were dark as a midnight sky.  The promenade and booth seating area( for up to 894 people) look as if they are located under a  awning cabana roof with painted murals acting as an outdoor view.

Most things are unchanged at the Surf:  the stage, the booths, dance floor, coat check, and phone booth; all are the original.  Tributes to all who have played the Surf are displayed.

But none more so than the three who made their final performance on this stage.

You can feel the history of rock and roll.

Indeed he does as a major influence on other popular music artists that began to emerge in the 60s including the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Elton John.

What do you mean ‘We ain’t nothing but a hound dog.’  Happy Trails ~ Indy and Lucy

 Coming to you from the Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, Iowa

Sadly we had to leave Door behind for another year.

We cut diagonally across Wisconsin to reach Ferryville, WI on the bluff of the Mississippi River.  We stopped at Lynxville at The Dawg House for fish and chips before ending at our destination for the night.

Perched on the Great River Road, the Grandview Motel was just that…a grand view.

All nine rooms faced the river.  What a gem.

You cannot beat the personal touches of independent businesses.

Early the next morning, we were on the road again.  Rather than drive to Prairie du Chien to cross the Mississippi, we decided on Lansing which was closer.

We crossed this on Saturday before the collapse a few days later.  Across the river though is…

but a story for another day.  Hang on…we are almost home. ~ Indy and Lucy

On the last leg of our journey, we followed the Great River Road and crossed to Wisconsin at McGreger, Iowa.

We cut across Wisconsin on Highway 131 and headed up to Tomah to see our friends Deb Strozewski and Connie Radke.  We stayed at another family operated inn in Tomah called the Lark Inn.  It was a lovely place with a doggie swing.

Deb picked Mom and Dad up and took them to the Hawk High Dairy, Connie’s farm.

After an interesting tour of the dairy given by Connie’s daughter, lunch was served at Connie’s.  Mom said it was a delightful time.  The next day we continued to our final destination: Fish Creek, our home for the next week.  Woof! ~ Indy and Lucy

Welcome back to the Blue Horse.

The Great River Road….

We stopped at the lock and dam outside of Le Claire, Iowa to see if we could spot an eagle.  None were flying but we enjoyed watching the pelicans float down the river fishing and then flying back up to do it again.

A visit to Antique Archaeology, home of the tv show American Pickers, is always necessary if you are in the area.  Photo ops required.

We have yet to meet Mike, Frank or Danielle but it’s always fun to peek inside.

Following the Mississippi River past Dubuque, we dropped in on the Field of Dreams movie site.

Of course, we had to run the bases.

We then headed for one of our favorite towns, Guttenberg, Iowa.  It is a charming place that takes its name from the inventor of movable type, Johannes Gutenberg and is located along the limestone bluffs of Northeast Iowa.  The riverfront limestone buildings were built by German immigrants in mid to late 19th century when the town was sizable and nearly all German.  Our pit stop for the night was The Eagle View Motel.

The Eagle View is a 14 room motel perched on the bluffs overlooking the river and run by Brian Street.

What a perfect place to relax and the views of the Mississippi….majestic!

Truly an Eagle’s View as we saw them riding the air currents over our heads.

We had a marvelous time.  Bark at you later. ~ Indy and Lucy

However, the long cut is our favorite. We do love the two lanes.  For this trip,  Dad made us some window shields out of plastic pallet dividers to keep the sun out.  Mom said it was time to retire the maps.

We spent the morning dodging storms so we didn’t take as scenic a route to head north as previously planned.

Baxter Springs, Kansas is one of our favorite Route 66 towns.

We stopped in Cameron, Missouri for dinner before reaching Des Moines, Iowa, our first overnight.  That’s a 9 hour day on the road.  We are excellent travel dogs, Mom said. Bark at you tomorrow. ~ Indy and Lucy

After the tests at MDA Mom had wanted to go to the Museum of Natural Science but a nap got in the way.  She did rally for Valentine’s trip to Pappadeaux though.  Yes, they ate there 4 times in two different cities but hey, that kind of menu is not available in landlocked Oklahoma.

After the seafood feast, Dad got this: Praline Cheesecake.

On Wednesday Mom went to see her radiation oncologist, Dr. Komaki, for test results.  The CT scan showed no sign of recurrent cancer in the area that received radiation 7 years ago.  There is an area of cells they are referring to as hyperplasia which were on the original scan in 2009 but have slightly increased in number since then.  Presently, the cells are too small to even biopsy so they watch them from scan to scan in order to treat if necessary.  We go back in 6 months.

After the doctor, we headed back to Dallas.

See you in August Mr. Houston.

We stayed in the same place we always do.  It was getting a facelift though and we got a new suite on the top floor.

A celebration dinner was in order at; well, you know.

Mom ordered her new fave: Greek salad.

She also tried the grilled shrimp and cheese grits with Andouille sausage and corn in a Creole butter.  Another fave was born.

The next morning we packed our bags for home.

We crossed the Red River entering Oklahoma.  Dad stopped at the Army base in McAlester to look for some boots.  It was a pretty cool place.

We also want to thank our friend Leah McIntosh for our wonderful cookies and toys when we visited Houston.

Thanks for keeping our Mom in you thoughts and prayers. ~ Indy and Lucy

When I first begin a trip, I always feel a little apprehensive.

Sister gives me a pep talk and by the time we hit the highway, I am usually fine.  We are excellent travelers and sleep most of the time.

We traveled to Dallas to see the Scottie pup of our friends DD and Diane Lewis.

He was awesome cute although his big brother Duff was undecided.

Later Mom and Dad went to dinner at Mom’s favorite restaurant.

Mom had this: crispy salmon, grilled shrimp and oyster on sautéed spinach. It was delish.

Oh and some oysters on the half shell.  Don’t forget to share the love; tomorrow is Valentine’s day. ~ Indy and Lucy

Driving Route 66, our destination was Shawnee, Kansas, home of Gillis, Gordon and Stewart Lauber.  Sorry G & G, Mom only has pics of the new boy.

Meet Stewart.  He is pretty cute and pretty nosy.

But he loved playing chase with me.  Sister?  Well, you know she has a no tolerance policy.

Stewart lives with his staff, Mary and Larry, outside of Kansas City.

Later in the evening, the hoomans went to enjoy BBQ at Jack Stack’s BBQ on the Plaza.  Mom said they had something called burnt ends that were very yummy and the cheesy corn was also delish.  This is all hearsay since we saw no evidence of take home containers and cannot verify the yumminess.  The plaza was still in its Christmas splendor.

After looking at all the lights, they toured some of KC’s places of notable interest.  Many buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Mom and Dad want to come back and visit the WWI Museum for sure.  The next morning we headed back home.

There’s Will Rogers welcoming us back home.

Until our next road trip…  ~ Indy and Lucy