June 29^th we arrived in Johnson, Ohio. After 5 weeks of rib pained coughing and congestion from a sinus infection turned into bronchitis I completed a second round of antibiotics, prednisone, codeine cough syrup and inhalers and I feel fine. Life is good.

Ashtabula county is famous for covered bridges. We planned on seeing all of them but fell 2 short. Why? Who ever made up the map left a lot to be desired. We hope that the county did not pay for a poor excuse of a map. On the plus side, the 16 bridges we saw were long, short, of great variety and well worth finding.

July 1^st (Canada Day) we arrived in Sandusky, Ohio. That night we abandoned cooking dinner to spend just short of an hour in the camp bathroom along with many other campers. A noisy thunderstorm complete with hail pounded down impressively. The threatening tornado did not appear and the storm passed on to douse the next town. Dinner was late but appreciated. A knock on the door after dinner and a request that Mitch lend a hand to another camper continued the evening chaos. A family with a fifth wheel was towed in but a truck was needed to tow the fifth wheel to the site. An hour later I went in search of my missing husband and truck. To make a long story a bit shorter the 41 foot toy hauler and our truck got stuck by long, slippery grass and mud created by the storm earlier in the evening. All ended well.

On the 4^th we went to a Merry Go Round Museum. The carousel is beautiful and the museum has hand carved and painted animals that are lovely and creative. The building was a post office at one time. It is one of two round post offices in the United States. The other is in New York City. Our next stop that day was the Ohio Veterans Museum. The building is old, well maintained and filled with donated memorabilia of all the wars including the current foreign involvement in Afghanistan. Due to heat, wind and unfavorable weather elements the local fireworks were cancelled. We watched the Macy fireworks from New York on TV.

July 5^th we drove to Milan, Ohio. Milan is the birthplace of Thomas Alva Edison. We were fortunate in having a knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide. She was familiar with the house, Edison family and his many inventions. We were unaware that he made both aluminum foil and wax paper but sold his patents . Next we went to the Milan Historical Museum and Edna Roe Newton Memorial Building. There are about 5 buildings with emphasis on farming, gardening and life in Milan. One building was filled with dolls…made of cloth, with ceramic faces, period dressed and with doll houses. The Memorial Building contained exquisite carpets, pictures, statues, china, crystal and a myriad of knickknacks from every country visited by the Newtons. They had no family and left their collection intact to the Memorial Building. It is a stunning and eye popping collection.

July 6^th we decided to go to the African Safari Wildlife Park. Unlike a traditional zoo you drive through and animals approach in hope of getting carrots and grain. The day was very hot and the animals were understandably lethargic but some still came up to the truck for a handout. We fed antelope, bison, giraffes and zebras. The zoo part of the grounds was extremely disappointing. The smell was vile, the animals were filthy and the flies came in clouds. We were distressed by the poor conditions and small areas they were confined to.

Then we went to Johnson Island. The Preservation Society cares for the cemetery for Confederate soldiers and officers that perished in northern prisons. There are two monuments and a statue dedicated to lost lives. It is situated near a river and if it hadn’t been so hot we might have lingered longer.

On the 8^th we were in Utica, Illinois. We had to replace a tire that caused a teeth shaking shimmy. With 2 new tires on the back of the truck we continued on to Des Moines. It was a bad day for tires. Another Carriage Cameo passed us on the freeway and his tire blew out. We pulled over and made sure that the driver was okay and had means to get his tire changed. Back on the road and 85 miles away from Des Moines our passenger side tire blew on our fifth wheel. It took about 2 hours on the side of a major road in heavy traffic and over sized vehicles before we got our spare tire on.

The next day we were back in tourist mode and went to the Blank Park Zoo.

Then we went to the Des Moines Botanical Center, a large geodesic dome containing beautiful trees, ivies, flowers and ponds with koi. It was very hot and the humidity shortened our stay. The gardens outside of the dome were equally impressive and without the humidity we walked the entire perimeter.

On Wednesday, the 11^th, we thoroughly enjoyed the Living History Farms at nearby Urbandale. We went to the 1700 Ioway Indian village when we arrived. During the day we followed changes of pioneer farming techniques of the 1850s and 1900s. There was so much to see that we stopped for lunch and returned for a great afternoon. People were in costumes and were full of information about family life, farm equipment, etc. This ranks just below Williamsburg in our opinion. Prepare for a lot of walking. There is a tractor pulled vehicle for those less inclined to do the walking.

The State Capitol building is very nice. The library is quite unique and an outstanding part of the building. It is attractive and has a spiral staircase.

The main dome is flanked by 4 smaller domes. There is a display case with dolls representing all of the first ladies of Iowa in their inaugural gowns. At the Iowa State Historical Building displays and dioramas depict civil, military and social aspects of the state. There is also a genealogy library.

Saturday we attended a huge farmers market and indulged in local corn and other vegetables. Some booths offered luscious looking croissants and fruit breads and we caved in and bought a few. Mmmm good.

July 16^th we arrived in a small town at a midpoint between Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska is state number 48 for us to be in towing the fifth wheel. We did 2 outstanding things in Omaha. The first was the Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. The zoo was recently voted the number one zoo in the country and for good reason. In addition to the traditional zoo exhibits there are the Scott Aquarium, The Butterfly and Insect Pavilion, the Lied Jungle, the Desert Dome, the Hubbard Gorilla Valley and Orangutan Forest plus more. Our AAA book recommends 5 hours to see the zoo. We were there 7 hours and did not see the children’s area no less the Imax.

In October of 1968 my oldest sister, Susan, married into the Cooper family from Omaha. What a lucky lady. I have met with the Coopers a few times for special family events but truly never had a long one on one conversation. After the long zoo day we met with Sarita, David and Judy for a long relaxing dinner. It was a very memorable and enjoyable evening.

On Thursday we melted with the heat at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo and went to the coolness and beauty of the Nebraska State Capitol. The dome is similar to the style of churches. We climbed the 48 steps to the top and looked out over the city from different angles. The prairie colors are found in the intricate mosaics on the floors and walls. We found the muted lighting unusual. Most capitol buildings are brightly lit. Across the street is the Governor’s Mansion. We accidentally lucked out in getting a tour. They only give them on Thursday. It is a beautiful residence. In addition to lovely artwork done by Nebraskans the mansion has a collection of first ladies and first gentleman dolls. This is the second time we have seen this type of doll collection.

Skip the International Quilt Study Center & Museum. The building is very attractive with lots of glass bricks and nice staircases. The few quilts were a mix of modern patterns and signature quilts. Many of the samples were small 2 x 2 examples of traditional patterns. There were no foreign quilts and the gift shop closed for lack of business.

The heat has won. I had about 4 inches of my hair cut off. It is so hot in the Midwest. Crops are shriveled and it is hard getting nice vegetables any more even at the grocery store. We took a drive across the river to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Union Pacific Railroad Museum chronicles the building of the transcontinental railroad and covers modern day railroad operations. They have an interesting area devoted to the funeral car used for Abraham Lincoln after the assassination.

The 21^st we went to Lincoln for the day. We did a farmers market and a small crafts fair. The Nebraska History Museum had a good WWII area and to my delight some beautiful quilts.

Our next stop is state # 49 in our travels…Kansas. This is running long so I will stop for now.