Day 1 of the Great Wyoming Adventure!!

Today is the first day of our Wyoming adventure. We have come to some agreements on the road. We will get on the road by 9:00, instead of 8:00. We are not going eat every meal at a fast food restaurant. Imagine Dragons isn't that bad of music and neither is Jimmy Buffet. Today we went approx. 519 miles and took 8 hours to get from Cincinnati, Ohio to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Once you get past the rolling hills of the Ohio Valley, things flatten out. We saw lots of corn and soy bean fields. The highway keeps going on and on and on. There are plenty of signs on the highway in Ill. saying they love their guns. We saw an interesting site. I have seen beautiful homes on golf courses. In Illinois, we saw a hugh farm, overlooking a 36 hole golf course! Probably part of the original farm. For lunch we stopped at a place called the Pit Stop Diner. It was a really neat place. Very 50's with lots of car memorabilia. The food wasn't bad either. It was fun to find this little place on the highway. The big shock was gas for $4.99 in Ill. and then $3.45 in Iowa. The pleasant surprise was the rest stop in the land of Lincoln. It was very pretty place. Lots of flower beds, walking trails, and they even had a play area for kids. It was nice to talk about the end of school and what the summer will hold. Then there was just the riding along in silence. Jake sleeping, taking pictures through the car window and not complaining are we there yet. I guess that will come tomorrow. And so the adventure begins. I hope you check back and see how things are going.

The Buzzards of Hinckley Ohio

Today is a very special day in Hinckley Ohio. It is the day the "Buzzards," or Turkey Vultures return to Ohio. This is a real sign that Spring is right around the corner. Since March 15, 1957, "Buzzard spotters" have been watching for this great birds return. They start watching at 6:30am. at Hinckley Reserve in Clevelands Metropark. Armed with binoculars, warm clothing and hot coffee, these dedicated souls watch out for the first dark spot high in the sky. If you have ever seen a Buzzard fly it's a beautiful site. They are a large bird with a dark brown/black body and a red head. From a distance you can see them fly gracefully over head, looking for their next meal. They are not hunters, they are scavengers. They are unable to kill anything, so they look for road kill. Because of their size, they easily scare off other animals. This allows them to come in and take over, and have their meal. Although they are beautiful in the sky, they are ugly on the ground. They look big, awkward and just plain ugly. The Sunday after March 15th, is Buzzard Sunday in Hinckley. The festivities are celebrated with coffee and treats. Along with the budding flowers, trees and warm, sunny days, they are another sign of Spring. Here in Cincinnati we usually see the last Buzzard in December. A few weeks ago I saw the first one here. Now I see them everywhere, flying over head. I always wonder when I see five or six of them circling what they have found. They are a vulture after all. I hope you spot a sign of Spring soon. Even if it is an ugly bird. Take Care!