V2N5B

The Grape Nectar

While we were at Owensville, MO we decided we would take in a couple of winery tours in Herman, Missouri about 25 miles north of our campground on the Missouri River. Hermans heritage is decidedly German which is clearly evident by their buildings and restaurants. The first tour we attempted was at the Hermanhof Winery. But when we arrived, we were informed that the tour guide did not show up that day. So we tasted a couple of wines and then went on our way. We were disappointed but sometimes things happen that way and this was New Year's Eve.

Our second tour took us to the Stone Hill Winery. This is the #1 winery out of three and has a sister winery in Branson. We had toured that winery last Spring on our way home from out west. The tour this year was given by a young lady that was very informative. We learned that the cellars had been used during prohibition to grow mushrooms and how to make Champagne ''in the bottle.'' Apparently the fine Champagnes are made just that way. Upon completion of the tour, we partook in the wine sampling. After a 2-bottle purchase we headed home. It was still early so we went for a swim in the pool.

ZAP !

We may not have had a Y2K problem this January 1st but we certainly had an 'Electronic Meltdown.' The first problem was the satellite dish. For some reason I couldn't find the signal for 3 days right after New Years. I searched and searched the heavens to no avail. Finally it was time to pack up and leave and we still didn't have a signal.

The second incident was a failure of the computer to connect to our Internet service. This problem is still happening every other day. There is no point in blaming the Internet provider however, because it's always my fault whenever something screws up. Whatever happened to 'The customer is always right?'

I Got Gas

Last year by the time we got to St. Louis we had already found gas for 73 cents a gallon, and were hoping that this would be the norm for the entire trip. Needless to say it wasn't. It fluctuated from 73 cents to 1.27 a gallon. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for the variances.

This year we have found the price to be a little higher.....more in the neighborhood of 1.07 to 1.15. While this is more expensive than what we paid last year, the price now is a little more consistent overall. It is definitely going to cost us more in the total price of our trip, because of the mileage we will attempt to cover over the next four months.

Dyer's

We came, we ordered, we ate! Dyer's is the finest Bar-B-Que Restaurant in Amarillo, Texas. At least that's what everybody says. In our humble opinion, ALL those people are right! We made our biannual visit last night, and it was excellent as always. Dyer's is the place where you can get a 3-meat Bar-B-Que that is out of this world. Beef chunks, Pork Tenderloin and Ribs make a delectable dinner that makes you lick your fingers. It's served with potato salad, cole slaw, onion rings, beans and bread.

The Capitol

An afternoon trip to Jefferson City, MO found us at the Capitol where we opted to see what the Capitol Building was like. We have never taken this type of tour before and we were curious about what it would entail. We were pleasantly surprised by the information, and by the sights of the building. The House Chamber and the mural in the House Lounge were especially impressive. There were also multiple murals adorning the hallways which were indeed worth the effort to investigate. We had a very enjoyable day.

ROUTE 66

While we were in Amarillo we were reading through a tour guide and found a reference to Historic Route 66. We had been down 66 during several visits to Albequerque. Central Avenue has been preserved to reflect the sites as they once were during the heyday of the Mother Road. We knew we had to drive down 6th Avenue here to see what was still there. We contemplated an extra day here on the way home to explore. We were sorely disappointed to see that the buildings and the sites were not preserved, and were mostly unrecognizable. Too bad.

Where's

Everybody?

This year all of our traveling companions went to Florida. So for the most part the only people you may read about in this column are Bob and Jayce Dale, who will also be in Arizona. Sharon and I will be traveling quite a bit this year, having decided to visit my brother and his wife in Manteca, California. We will also spend a week in Mexico in Baja California. The rest of the time will be spent visiting my favorite places.......National Parks, in California this time.