Dining in Valparaiso, IN

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When I visit Tanya in Valparaiso, there are a couple of restaurants I try to always make time to visit. My favorite restaurant in Valpo has to be Don Quijote Spanish Restaurante. We discovered this gem due to a billboard on the highway claiming it was the only Spanish restaurant in Indiana. I guess a second Spanish restaurant has opened in Indy, so they will have to settle for being the first and, most likely, the best. Elena, one of the owners is very friendly and seems to always hire friendly people as servers. We always enjoy ourselves and having …

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Photos from the Cumberland Loop

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Since I was spending a few days in Valparaiso, Tanya and I took our dogs (Hershey and Buddy) for a couple walks around the Cumberland Loop. The Cumberland Loop is close to downtown Valpo and seems to be a wildlife refuge. To be honest, I am not sure if it is designated as such, but there were plenty of geese and ducks that seem to think it is. Either way, there are a couple different routes you can take and it is quite relaxing and scenic. Back to Cumberland Loop Photos Back to Cumberland Loop Photos

Photos from Springfield, IL

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After crossing the Mississippi, we were in Illinois and within range of Tanya\’s home, which I planned on using as a base of operation for the next week or so. We stopped at the Shake & Shake for a quick meal, then headed on to Indiana since it was now to dark to do much in the way of photography. These photos were taken in the Springfield, IL area. Back to Springfield Photos Back to Springfield Photos

Photos from Meramec Caverns

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After what can only be described as a thrilling evening in the Ozarks and southern Missouri, we spent the night in Lebanon, MO. We had found weather or it had found us, I am not sure. The first six photos in this set were taken within ninety seconds. Finding foul weather was going to be easier it seemed. A few miles east of Lebanon was Stanton, home of the Meramec Caverns. I had no idea what to expect, so I asked Tanya to Google it for me. She said it looked like some caves, but had a nice river to …

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Photos from Arkansas and the Ozarks

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Thursday, we woke up somewhere around Oklahoma City. This was day five of our trip and I was contemplating washing the car to attract some rain. I watched the weather channel and their storm chaser was having the same luck as I, so I could not feel too bad. I had to make a decision, go north into Kansas or go northeast into Arkansas and Missouri. The forecast looked a little more promising east but one thing I learned was that they are not very good at forecasting them more than an hour or so ahead of time. We headed …

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Photos from Central Oklahoma and Tulsa

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Leaving New Mexico, we blasted through Texas and into Oklahoma. The panhandle of TX was very dry with many warnings of wildfires. At one point we were leaving Amarillo and noticed a little smoke in a small patch of grass. Within seconds they had a full fledged fire. They could definitely use some rain, which so far, seemed to be avoiding me like the plague. The beginning photos were taken at various stops in Oklahoma on my way east. The photos at Ruby Tuesday and beyond were taken in Tulsa on my home. Back to Oklahoma Photos Back to Oklahoma …

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Photos from Benihana, Torrance

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To be honest, I try to avoid restaurants that are part of a chain. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. In 2009, I introduced Tanya to Benihana\’s and they suddenly became a chain restaurant that I became a regular diner. While I have become readily familiar with the \”egg roll,\” the \”disco\” onion and the \”beating heart\” rice, I can safely say that I have never left Benihana, Torrance hungry or disappointed. Here are a few photos from our frequent visits to this Teppanyaki style steak house. Back to Benihana Photos Back to Benihana Photos

Stormy skies over Mount Vernon, MO

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These photos are from a large storm I ran into on my way to Joplin. I had stopped at a rest stop about 50 miles east of Joplin and checked the weather report on the National Weather Service website. It looked like Joplin was getting hammered again and a storm was headed straight for me. When it cleared I continued on. When I hit Mount Vernon the skies became amazing, so I had to pull off the interstate and try to photograph it. The storm ended up circling over me. It made for a great photo op. Back to Storm …

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Photos from Joplin, MO

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These photos were taken on May 27, 2011 in Joplin, MO. I am going to jump forward a little on my photos since this is current events. I drove to Joplin today to see if Buddy could offer any comfort to the victims of their tornado and to donate some items I got from a waitress at Uncle Monkey\’s in Illiopolis, IL and Tanya, along with a barbecue I happened to have with me. After spending some time at SMU with victims and volunteers, and dropping off the stuff with the Salvation Army, we took a drive through the area …

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Photos from a day in New Mexico

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These photos were taken at Bayard, Hurley, City of Rocks, Las Cruces, White Sands, Roswell and Portales, NM. They were having lots of fires in the forest at the border, and the heavy wind was mixing the smoke and sand so that visibility was terrible throughout most of the state. After leaving AZ we visited Bayard and Hurley, then stumbled up the City of Rocks. It was a very cool place as it is surrounded bu flat desert then the city of rocks pops up. We stopped for lunch in Las Cruces, which was great. As we headed to Roswell, …

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