| Trip Journal |
Photos
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November 30 - -0001 - |
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November 30 - -0001 - |
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August 01 - 2011 - Monday -This morning we travelled through tremendous rain storms above the Twin Cities. The rain stopped at lunch in Alexandria and we had a tour at the Runestone Museum. This afternoon we're on the bus all the way to Thief River Falls and the Seven Clans Casino. |
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August 02 - 2011 - Tuesday - After a night at the casino and a hearty breakfast, we crossed into Canada very easily. Our first tour stop today was at the Mennonite Heritage Village. We had guided tours and a traditional Mennonite meal. Next we stopped at the Mint for a tour of the coin factory. Our hotel tonight is the Club Regent Casino in Winnipeg. We checked in early and tonight will attend the Folkorama Festival. |
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August 03 - 2011 - Wednesday - Our last day in Winnipeg and we had an extensive tour throughout the city stopping at St. Boniface Cathedral and the beautiful Assinibone Gardens. Crossing the border bask into the USA was a breeze. We are continuing our journey onto the Shooting Star Casino / Hotel in Mahnomen Minnesota. |
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August 04 - 2011 - Thursday - Today we started off with a tour of the Charles Lindbergh Museum in Little Falls. We plan on arriving home later this afternoon. |
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August 21 - 2011 - Sunday - A full travel day with buffet in Rockford. Tonight we're at the Hamptin Inn in Maumee Ohio. |
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August 22 - 2011 - Monday - this morning we stopped at the National Packard Museum in Warren Ohio. Beautiful cars filled the building and it was great just to get off the bus and break up our day. We had lunch at the museum and are now continuing on through the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. Tonight we'll be at the Hampton Inn in Stroudsburg PA. Not too far from New York City. |
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August 23 - 2011 - Tuesday - A perfect sunny day when we stopped at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We went inside both the Statue and Ellis Museums to view the displays. Next the earthquake happened but none of us felt it but buildings in lower Manhatten were evaquated filling the streets with people. Back up at Times Square, the naked cowgirl was out with crowds of people. Everyone thought with our hotel in Times Square they are really going to enjoy their time here. After checking into the hotel we had time to get ready for our show, Mary Poppins. It was great. |
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August 24 - 2011 - Wednesday - sunny and 72 degrees as we toured throughout New York City this morning. Our guide Phil took us to Wall Street, Ground Zero and we caught the subway for a walk through Central Park. After lunch at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we had free time for the rest of the afternoon to pursue our individual wishes, for some that meant a nap at the hotel to recharge for tonight. |
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August 25 - 2011 - Thursday - Our weather held out good at the Today Show. Hopefully some of us made it on TV. We had signs and were able to see the hosts and the filming process. St. Patricks Cathedral is quite a church inside as well as outside. Next our elevator trip up 70 floors to the Top of the Rock for pictures and you can see it's starting to get really cloudy. After our Radio City Music Hall tour we came out to rain, the first time in the trip. When leaving New York it took us an hour just to get into the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey. All those poor people have to go through that each day to and from their homes in New Jersey. Tonight we'll be in the Hampton Inn In Dubois PA. |
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August 26 - 2011 - Friday - Another good day, overcast and mid 70's. Our tour of Stan Hywet Hall in Akron Ohio went by too quick. There were many gardens and the home is the 7th largest private home in the United States. It was beautiful. Lunch was on our way out of town and tonight we'll have many fine dining choices in Elkhart Indiana. |
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August 27 - 2011 - Saturday - Our last day fittingly ended perfectly. The whole trip was full of memories and photos. The timing was pefect, great weather, sunny days and just getting out of town in time to miss the hurricane. |
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September 06 - 2011 - Tuesday - we're off to a good start hoping for favorable weather. We'll find out tomorrow. |
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September 07 - 2011 - Wednesday - It was rainy today but it stopped raining for lunch. When we arrived at Penns Cave it drizzled but the water was too high to board the boats for the Cave ride. Instead we boarded buses for a ride through the animal park - very interesting. Tonight at the Holiday Inn in Bloomsburg PA, they started closing some roads due to flooding. |
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September 08 - 2011 - Thursday - This morning the power for the whole town of Bloomsburg PA was knocked out due to flooding. No elevators, no lights and a limited breakfast made for the beginning of a trying day. I-80 closed to the east, (our route) and we had to detour to the west and north. More roads closed so we continued north to the Corning Glass Factory in Corning New York for a rest break and lots of help pointing us in a better direction. Notrh to I-90 and east to Conneticutt and our hotel the Foxwoods Casino. We arrived at 6:30 PM. Not too bad. We did have some sights to see including a firetruck on its way to New York City for September 11th rememborances. |
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September 09 - 2011 - Friday - we left Foxwoods after breakfast for the Mystic Seaport. The Seaport is full of restored museum buildings and ships. A beautiful sunny day. Our afternoon stop was in Newport. A drive down Bellevue Avenue to look at the fantastic mansions. We stopped at the Breakers, the largest home on the street for a tour. Tonight we arrived in Hyannis at the Holiday Inn. |
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September 10 - 2011 - Saturday - It was a great day for sightseeing. The weather was sunny and mid 70's - beautiful. We started out with a 4 wheel drive dune tour on the Cape Cod National Seashore. A little time for shopping, lunch and then a 3 1/2 hour tour in search of whales. We were successful. Dinner was a lobster dinner at the Lobster Claw. |
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September 11 - 2011 - Sunday - a memorable stop at the New York State Museum. On September 11, the exhibits following the events on that day are well portrayed. Personal accounts, debris and the remainders of a firetruck. Other state displays and a beautiful government plaza surround this area. This afternoon we're on our way to Turning Stone Resort. A casino hotel with plenty to do. |
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September 12 - 2011 - Monday - Today we entered Niagara Falls, Canada. Everyone had to get off the bus and hand over their passports. It didn't take too long. We had lunch in the Skylon Tower's revolving restaurant high above the falls. We then went down next to the falls for better pictures and a closer view. Tonight we're at the Raddison Hotel in London Ontario. |
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September 13 - 2011 - Tuesday -a sunny day as we crossed back into the USA. Our first stop was the Chrysler Museum full of beautiful restored cars. Our hotel tonight is another luxury Casino Resort, The Blue Chip in Michigan City Indiana. |
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September 21 - 2011 - Wednesday - We're all on our way and off to a good start. Crossing into the Eastern Time Zone, tonight we'll arrive in Toledo at the Hampton Inn around 7:15 PM. We covered a lot of ground and will appreciate a good nights rest. |
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September 22 - 2011 - Thursday - It's in the mid 70's as head into Pittsburgh for a stop at the National Aviary. After a bird show and lunch. they brought in birds for a close up look. Birds from around the world can be found here and it was a great stop on our way to Gettysburg. When we arrive at Gettysburg there's an outlet mall next to the hotel, that will make a lot of folks happy. |
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September 23 - 2011 - Friday - A day of rain but our morning started out dry at the Gettysburg National Park. We just were finishing our tour when the rain started. Arriving in DC we stopped at the Holocaust Museum then onto the World War II Memorial. Our hotel is in Arlington and only 5 minutes from downtown and the monuments. That is very convenient. |
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September 24 - 2011 - Saturday - It was a great day with lots to see. No rain today as we started out with a city tour. Here are a few things we saw, the Capital, the White House, Lincoln Memorial in the day and night plus the Natural History Museum, the Ford Theater and lots more. It was a full day with lots of people out and about. |
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September 25 - 2011 - Sunday - This morning we went to Mount Vernon for a visit to the Presidents home, farm and final resting place. Thet have a wonderful museum and gift shop. Our lunch stop was at the Air & Space Museum along with ample time to visit the exhibits. Before ending our day we toured Arlington Cemetery and watched the changing of the guard. Our last stop was the Iwo Jima Memorial. |
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September 26 - 2011 - Monday - Our last day in Washington started out with a tour of the Capitol. Our guide did a great job taking us through. The Rotunda ia an amazing sight with all the historic paintings and statues. Our last stop was the Museum of American History. A welcome sight was the bus providing a comfortable relaxing trip to our next hotel in New Stanton Pennsylvania. |
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September 27 - 2011 - Tuesday - Today we made our last tour stop in Dayton Ohion at the National Air Museum. Three large hangers full of aircraft specifically built for combat. It's the largest air musuem of its kind in the world. Tonight we'll be at the Drury Inn in Indianapolis. |
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September 28 - 2011 - Wednesday - We enjoyed our last day together very thankful for the good weather. With just one afternoon of rain, it was a very good tradeoff. |
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October 03 - 2011 - Monday - A great forecast for out tour and todays temperatures hit 93. A good day to be inside the bus. Tonight we stayed in Deadwood right downtown close to the shops and casinos. |
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October 04 - 2011 - Tuesday - We had yet another great day. Today we visited Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, and Bear Country USA. Temperatures in the low 90's and blue skies above made it a good day for pictures and walking around checking out the sites. Tonight we are back in Deadwood.
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October 05 - 2011 - Wednesday - a gorgeous October day and we still have a lot to see. We left Deadwood driving through the scenic Spearfish Canyon onto Wall Drug for shopping and lunch. After lunch we drove through the Badlands, stopping for photos and viewing wildlife. Today we saw many prairie dogs and some bighorn sheep. It's very windy as we continue on I-90 to Chamberlain for our hotel. |
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October 06 - 2011 - Thursday - Another very windy day. This morning we stopped for a very interesting tour of the Corn Palace in Mitchell South Dakota. After the tour we continued onto Worthington Minnesota for lunch. We will arrive home this afternoon ending our tour. |
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November 08 - 2011 - Tuesday - Our departure date went AOK. Rainy most of the day through Chicago & Indianapolis, it didn't matter, we were just riding the bus. Tonight we're in Greensburg Indiana. |
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November 09 - 2011 - Wednesday - Lots ot see today. Still rainy off & on but in the mid 60's. After arriving in Pigeon Forge and checking into the hotel, we're ready for entertainment. We started off at the dinner theater watching the Hatfield & McCoy dinner fued. We ended the day at the Comedy Barn with good clean humor. |
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November 10 - 2011 - Thursday - Finally sun and just in time for shows and shopping. We started out with a breakfast show featuring the Blackwoods -they can really sing. Shopping for anything Christmas at the Incredible Christmas Place. Ending our day at Dollywood with more shows, a dinner buffet, train ride and parade. The lights here are the best around. |
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November 11 - 2011 - Friday - This morning we had a cool sunny drive through the Smoky Mountains. It got down to around 30 when we made our rest stop on the Tennessee / North Carolina Border. We were fortunate to see a small herd of elk. After that we drove to Asheville for a tour of the Biltmore Estate. Lots of people but well worth the visit. Tonight we'll be in Crosseville TN. |
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November 12 - 2011 - Saturday - An excellent sunny day to tour President Andrew Jackson's home in Nashville TN. It's a great museum and home. Tonight we stayed in Effingham IL. |
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November 21 - 2011 - It is a sunny Monday down here in Clearwater. The temperature is about 79 degrees and everyone is out enjoying the beach and surf. The drive down went smooth with no delays. The time was passed watching Disney movies to prepare for the week ahead. Check back later to see more. |
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November 21 - 2011 - Monday - we arrived on time at Clearwater Beach. Fortunately all the rooms were ready. The hotel is located on the beach. It's sunny and 80.
Here is the bands link for photos
www.facebook.com/pages/wshs-band-boosters/100766323354794 |
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November 22 - 2011 - Tuesday - We started our day bright and early leaving Clearwater at 6:00 AM bound for Universal Orlando. Lots of people and lines. Sunny, warm, and 80 degrees. This evening after we checked into the Disney All Star Movies Resort we went to Planet Hollywood for dinner. |
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November 23 - 2011 - Wednesday - We started of the day early and headed over to Magic Kingdom. After spending the morning checking out the park and the rides we got ready for our parade. The parade went well and everyone was great. After the parade we finished off the day at Epcot with more rides and the fireworks display. It turned out to be another great day. |
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November 25 - 2011 - Thursday - Yet another magical day down here at Disney. Today we went to Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and ended the day back at Magic Kingdom. Lots of excitement, sun, and fun. Only one more day to go before we head back to the cool weather of the north. See you all soon! |
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November 26 - 2011 - Saturday - At 7;00 AM we were in Effingham IL for breakfast, everything is going great. Should be home on time or a little earlier. |
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January 11 - 2012 - Wednesday - We departed on a good note with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 50's by noon. Tonight we stay at the Drury Inn in Mt. Vernon IL. |
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January 12 - 2012 - Thursday - The weather turned drastically colder and windy. About 35 degrees when we stopped on Beale Street in Memphis for lunch. Still it was an interesting stop, neat shops, good food and we drove by the Motel where Martin Luther King was shot. Tonight we'll be at the Silver Star Casino. We're bound for a good time as the casino is giving everyone $40.00 of free slot play and a food voucher. |
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January 13 - 2012 - Friday - It's full day of the sights of New Orleans. It's a sunny day but cool as we stopped in the French Quarter for lunch. We walked down Bourbon Street and viewed the St. Louis Cathedral. Later we stopped at the World War II Museum for exhibits and a special effects movie. Tonight we're off to the Mulates Restaurant for dinner, music and dancing. |
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January 14 - 2012 - Saturday -This morning we had a city tour of New Orleans, highlighting Katrina and stopping off at a cemetery. Next we toured Mardi Gras World, thats where they make the floats for all the parades. It's a nice sunny day with pleasant temperatures. Getting aboard the Carnival Ship Elation went very smoothly. Once on board, we checked out our cabins and began to enjoy all the different choices of food. |
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January 15 - 2012 - Sunday - It's a great day to be out on the open sea in the Gulf of Mexico. It's windy but a lot warmer than home. This evening we enjoyed an elegant dinner, lobster, prime rib, or a variety of scrumptious choices. A wonderful show followed dinner. |
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January 16 - 2012 - Monday - It's shopping day and tours in Progresso. The sunny warm weather is a treat. High 70's as we take in all the sights. |
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January 17 - 2012 - Tuesday- Almost hot, low 80's and it another pleasant day in Cozumel Mexico. Everyone went off the ship and did their own thing. Whether shopping, touring, or boating, it's great everyone can pursue thier own interests. |
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January 18 - 2012 - Wednesday - Just a few photos today from our last day at sea. One of the many towel animals we received each night back at our cabin, and a few shots of our attentive dining staff. |
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January 19 - 2012 - Thursday - Getting off the ship in New Orleans was a breeze. As we left town we got a great view of the Superdome. Our hotel was the large gambling resort, Sams town in Tunica Mississippi. |
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January 20 - 2012 - Friday - Our first stop this morning was in Memphis at Graceland. We had plenty of time for a tour of Evis's home, view his cars and climb aboard his planes. Lots to see and the weather was pretty good also. Looking forward to our drive towards home. Tonight we'll be in Effingaham Illinois. |
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January 21 - 2012 - Saturday - Last night we got ot the hotel just in time. We were an hour late and shortly thereafter the freeway stopped moving because of ice. This morning, the roads were clear, a few cars and semis in the ditch but we had no problems. At lunch we were running about 15 minutes behind schedule. Should be home close to on time. |
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