Station in Gothenburg, Nebraska. This is an original building, however it had been moved
from it's original site south of town.
Some wildlife we encountered along the way....just happened to be inside a Bass Pro Shop inOmaha, Nebraska....
Crossing the Mighty Muddy Mississippi....
And, Heeerrrreeee'ssss Emily! She is posing next to a picture of herself along with her classmates....a picture quilt they made to leave behind so that they will never be forgotten atXavier University. Emily (and the 19 others) are receiving their Master's Degree in
Occupational Therapy.
The Happy Graduate with Mom and Dad...
And the Happy Graduate complete with Diploma. We are so proud of her, and know that shewill have a bright future ahead!
After Graduation, we all headed to Joe's Crab Shack for a celebration. Tom & June had made the trip to share this important event, as well as Emily's maternal grandparents, Carl & Kay
The next morning, we loaded up the Beloved Prius with some of Emily's prize possessions so that we could haul them back to Oregon for her. (Emily and her dad had already loaded up
June and Aunt Patsy.....
Aunt Lois and Cousin Mary....
Tom and Cousin Mary....
Tom and Cousin Marie, with her daughter Sarah.....
and Cousin Jimmy.....
The next morning Tom & June headed to Maynard, Minnesota, to visit the farm where Tom lived until he was 15 and moved to The Dalles. The farm is currently owned by the Gustafson
Here is the old machine shed which housed all the machinery to farm the farm....now you can't get one piece of equipment in there. At least it's still standing!
A view of the current yard...
The old barn is still standing. It was pointed out to us that there are no nails in the large beams in the barn - it was built with dovetails and wooden pegs!!!
and the silo....
Here is the house, which has been added on to and updated a bit. The little building on the left was the wash house...it has been updated as well. From what we have been able to find out, the house was built sometime in the late 1800's and had square nails in it! They told us that when they replaced the floor they found under the boards some newspapers dated 1910, but
After Graduation, we all headed to Joe's Crab Shack for a celebration. Tom & June had made the trip to share this important event, as well as Emily's maternal grandparents, Carl & KayWilliquette. While celebrating Emily's achievement, we also celebrated Carl's 70th
birthday! Joe's Crab Shack has some unusual celebration ideas....Carl became a flying Shark, complete with wings, and Emily was given a stick horse and cowgirl hat, which they proudly wore around the restaurant.
The next morning, we loaded up the Beloved Prius with some of Emily's prize possessions so that we could haul them back to Oregon for her. (Emily and her dad had already loaded up'Pedro' [her car]) . After a Sunday breakfast gathering, Tom & June headed towards Minnesota. First stop was in Bloomington, Minnesota, to visit relatives at Aunt Lois's
house. Here is Tom with cousin Roger....(Roger suffered a stroke a few years ago)...
June and Aunt Patsy.....
Aunt Lois and Cousin Mary....
Tom and Cousin Mary....
Tom and Cousin Marie, with her daughter Sarah.....
and Cousin Jimmy.....
The next morning Tom & June headed to Maynard, Minnesota, to visit the farm where Tom lived until he was 15 and moved to The Dalles. The farm is currently owned by the Gustafsonfamily, and although some of the old buildings were there, several of the out buildings are no longer there.
Here is the old machine shed which housed all the machinery to farm the farm....now you can't get one piece of equipment in there. At least it's still standing!
A view of the current yard...
The old barn is still standing. It was pointed out to us that there are no nails in the large beams in the barn - it was built with dovetails and wooden pegs!!! 
and the silo....
Here is the house, which has been added on to and updated a bit. The little building on the left was the wash house...it has been updated as well. From what we have been able to find out, the house was built sometime in the late 1800's and had square nails in it! They told us that when they replaced the floor they found under the boards some newspapers dated 1910, but obviously the floor had been replaced once before that!
The Gustafsons were very cordial and were happy to show us around and tell us what they had done. They have lived there for 30 years and it was evident that they really care for the place.
The Beloved Prius once again earned our admiration. We traveled 5077 miles and spent $248.77 on gas...usually averaging $2.49 per gallon! Driving speeds of 70-80 we managed to average 47 mpg. We're now trying to figure out how to put the camper on the Prius for our
The Gustafsons were very cordial and were happy to show us around and tell us what they had done. They have lived there for 30 years and it was evident that they really care for the place.Before we left, they even offered to let us have the farm for a Mertz family reunion someday!
We made a stop in Sturgis, South Dakota to check out the bikers, bars, etc. Our last tourist stop was in Deadwood, South Dakota, where we found Saloon #10 where Wild Bill Hickok was shot. It looked like a very fun town, and someday we may get back there to spend some time. But for now....it was onward and westward. Here is the visitor center in Deadwood...
The Beloved Prius once again earned our admiration. We traveled 5077 miles and spent $248.77 on gas...usually averaging $2.49 per gallon! Driving speeds of 70-80 we managed to average 47 mpg. We're now trying to figure out how to put the camper on the Prius for our
trip to Alaska......
