Travel Day - July 1, 2009

2009 Holiday

On 1 July we traveled from Saint Louis to Clayton County, Iowa. Of course we planned our route to take in some very interesting landmarks and eating establishments. This picture was taken in Macon, Missouri. In as much as we reside in Macon, Georgia this small town was a must visit for us during our 2009 Holiday.
Some time back we watched a "Food Channel" television show which focused on the best places to eat breakfast in the U. S. A. One of the sites was "The Machine Shed" near Des Moines, Iowa.
Here is my bride and some new friends of ours enjoying a lunch. We did not make it in time for breakfast.

Now, let me tell you about our new friends. Earlier in 2009 I was visiting the USS Ranger (CVA-61) Website and viewed the page of a former shipmate from my time in Ranger during the 1963 deployment. He was a Machinest Mate and I was a Yeoman. Our paths never crossed. He had joined the Navy the same year I did and we shared our Ranger experiences during our lunch at The Machine Shed. You can learn more about each of us by visiting this website:

http://www.uss-rangerguy.com/uss_ranger_cva_61.htm

Then click on the "Shipmates-Now and Then" listing. Once you get to this page you can visit the pages by Marvin Griffin and Alan F. E. Thiese as well as other Rangermen who served on this great ship "The USS Ranger (CVA-61)/CV-61) The Top Gun of the U. S. Pacific Fleet.

Of course no Iowa dining/eating establishment with a name like "The Machine Shed" would be proper without appropriate yard art. These two tractors also garnered a lot of interest.

As we traveled through Marshall County Iowa I could not help but stop to capture a picture of this beautiful Iowa Farm Scene. In the foreground you can see "Corn" and the plethora of grain storage facilities which adorn every Iowa Farm. Most Cash Corn Farmers store their own corn and sell on the futures market which is usually higher than selling directly from the field at harvest time.

After a long, but exciting day on the road we arrived at the Clayton County Farm of our Host in the late evening of 1 July 2009. A great day, indeed.