Oregon Trail

We are traveling the famous Oregon Trail to get from Illinois to Oregon. The original trail started in Independence , MO. This is one town we had to go through on our trek.

I've decided to post the pictures we have taken on our trip to Oregon in a slideshow. For the entire two weeks we will be adding pictures hopefully on a daily basis. If there are too many pictures in one show, I may add a second.

In addition to the pictures each day I will try to post about that day's adventure.

I'm going on a trip and in my bag

I'm going on a trip and in my bag.... This was the game I played as a kid when my mother, my sister and I were traveling for our vacations. It's a memory game. The first player says "I'm going on a trip and in my bag I have a(n) ..." They then insert whatever item they want. The next person must repeat the phrase, including the previous items(s) and then add their own. It doesn't even have to be something that you would normally take on a trip.  My mother always had an 8x10 glossy of  someone, Elvis, Bobby Goldsboro, Burt Reynolds (it was during the period when Burt posed for Cosmopolitan). Obviously the best way to win was to add an item that was hard to remember like "a giant purple people eater with eight toes". It really helped past the time away. I think the longest game was over one hundred items.

Life's Crossroads

What do you do when you reach a crossroad in life? Many run and hide. Some attack it with vigor and force. Others stroll the path and allow fate to determine the outcome. Life is full of choices. When we choose one direction over another we usually do so because we believe it's the best for us, either now or in the foreseen future. But when the choice is wrong we hope we can correct the mistake quickly enough. If not we try to make the best of it and keep moving on.

Being a Father/Grandpa

On this day, the third Sunday in June, which is typically celebrated as Father's Day in the US, I often ask myself,

"Have you been a good father? Are you admired and respected by your children?"

 As I reflect on my many years as a father I am confused and perplexed with the true answer. There were and are times when the answer is an astounding YES. But to my embarrassment there are too many times when the answer is a hurtful NO. It's not from a lack of trying to do my best. There are times in my opinion that I just failed.

Getting Older

Have you noticed  yourself getting older? Does your body ache more than usual? Are you gaining weight in places you never noticed before? Is your hair changing color? Are you needing to wear glasses? Are your reading glasses becoming an every hour necessity? I had to change my eye glass wearing habits. I have found that more and more I need my reading glasses. I went for my annual checkup with the ophthalmologist and everything was good despite my personal views. It's important for me to get those checkups because of my Diabetes. The eyes have the smallest blood vessels and is anything should start to go wrong, the eyes should show it first.

Travel Planning

The family and I are planning our trip west from Illinois to Oregon. We will be attending the Bentley Family Reunion at Beverly Beach State Park. I love the driving but I'm not always a camping person. My brother-in-law reserved two cabins for everyone to use. So far there are at least 8 people attending.


I am excited that the beach is a short walking distance from the campgrounds. I need my ocean fix every 4 years or so. I don't necessarily need to go into the water but I need to smell the fresh ocean air. When Hurricane Katrina hit and moved up the Mississippi River we could smell the salt air in the air here in the St. Louis area.

When I was a child...1977

I was listening to the radio on the way into work today.  They had Kasey Kasem's Top 40 from 1977.  That was 34 years ago and I was 12 years old back then.  I heard some songs that brought back good memories.