Boy have we been busy!  At the end of February and into early March, JoAnn and Matt took a very long drive from their home base in Western Wisconsin, heading all the way down to Payson, Arizona to meet with Kari down there.  Since this was JoAnn’s idea, Matt decided that he should get to decide where they’ll be staying.  For some years, Matt has had an interest in the paranormal, and he decided that their business road trip would be an excellent excuse to see some things that he might not otherwise be able to see.  Besides, it sounded like fun.  Their trip started by having lunch with an old family friend at Billy’s Bar and Grill in Anoka, Minnesota. 

For their first night, Matt chose to stay in the Blackhawk Hotel in Downtown Cedar Falls, IA.  It’s the longest running hotel in the state, and before you ask, yes there is paranormal activity.  As it was a quiet night, the desk clerk gave Matt and JoAnn a tour of the place, letting them see the suites that are there, and also telling them a little about the history of the building.  The guests there that haven’t checked out are more helpful than anything, sometimes even moving the furniture so housekeeping can clean under it while they’re out of the room.  The only strange sounds that Matt heard that night were coming from JoAnn, but it was just the first night of their week long trip, so he had high hopes for what might be ahead.

The following night found us at the Tuck-U-Inn, located in Atchison, KS.  Atchison has the dubious honor of being the most haunted town in the state, and they actually stayed across the street from the most haunted house in the state.  It’s commonly referred to as Sally’s House and has been on television on several occasions.  This would be the first time Matt ever stayed at a Bed & Breakfast, and he never imagined the first time he did it would be with his mother.  The owner spoke about it, mentioning that when people come to do experiments there, they usually stay at the Tuck-U-Inn.  Again, nothing paranormal happened to him that night, but he was a little offended that JoAnn believed she had something unusual happen to her.  After an amazing homemade breakfast, the two of them took pictures in front of Suzie’s house and also took in the museum of Amelia Earhardt’s Birthplace.  Even though he has an interest in paranormal places, considering that Sally has a reputation for an extreme dislike of men, he declined to go there after dark.  What happened to JoAnn?  You’ll have to ask her that yourself.  Matt was willing to stay and wait while JoAnn continued on, but for some reason she wanted her son to travel with her, so he reluctantly packed his bags and they were on the road again.

The next day found us visiting the R Bar B, a western outfitter in Topeka, Kansas.  One of the first things that caught Matt’s attention, other than the huge building of course, was the fact that the owner Russ Brown was actually the one who did the saddle work himself.  Matt thought it was refreshing that in today’s day and age, there are still some people who do the work themselves, rather than sending the saddle someplace else to have another person do it.  While Matt looked around, JoAnn spoke with Russ and his wife Dina about the EquiScential products.  They seemed very interested and JoAnn will be making a point of getting in touch with them again soon.  Having put in a long day, Matt and JoAnn called it a night just a few hours later, at a Marriott Hotel.  At this point, Matt was quite hooked on staying at Bed & Breakfasts, but it was far too late and they were just too tired to go look for one.

Even though it was just a little out of the way, Matt insisted on going to see Dodge City while they were in Kansas.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t their tourism season and not everything was open, and what was closed early, but the trip was more than worth it.  Matt has never been all that into westerns, and history wasn’t even close to his best subject, but he was truly fascinated by what they were able to see.  They were only able to be there for a few hours, but Matt would very much like to go back there, hopefully this summer, and see more of what was there to be seen.

The two weary travelers called it a night in Guymon, Oklahoma, this time staying at The Willows Inn Bed and Breakfast.  While it was a few miles off the beaten track, it was easy to reach and well worth the couple minutes it took to get there.  They were met at the door by the owner, and were shown to a sweet that was larger than the master bedroom at home.  Though he had to sleep on the couch that night, since there was only one bed, Matt slept like a rock and they both took their time getting ready to go.  The owners used to own a restaurant, with the husband as the cook, and the breakfast made the following morning truly showed it.  As with the last B&B, Matt offered to stay there and catch JoAnn on the way back, but he was again overruled.

Their final stop on the trip was made in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Matt didn’t spell the city right the whole day.  This time they spent the night at the Cinnamon Morning Bed and Breakfast.  Instead of having their own room, Matt and JoAnn found themselves with their own little cottage!  As was the case with the other B&Bs, their hosts were very knowledgeable about the area and were glad to point Matt and JoAnn in the right direction for supper, both of them coming back later very full and smiling.  What thrilled Matt the most about this place was the fact that they had a cat!  Having been missing his own cat for several days, Matt was glad to have a cat purring in his lap once more.

Even though he would’ve loved to sleep in, Matt dragged himself out of the very comfortable bed and joined the others in the large great room for breakfast.  As was always the case, the food was fantastic, and he probably ate more than he should have, but it was more than worth it.  You guessed it; Matt offered to stay but had no luck yet again.  Since it was their last day on the road, it really didn’t matter though.

After breakfast, the owners showed them to the Amigos Tack and Gift Shop.  The owners Bruce and Dawn Silver weren’t there at the time, so JoAnn spoke with the young lady who was there, and she had several horses of her own.  JoAnn left samples for the owners and some for the young lady as well.  After a short visit, Matt and JoAnn piled back into the car and got back on the way to Payson, Arizona.  Thankfully, the remains of their trip went well, and they arrived safely at around eight or so that night.

Along with several family visits, and visiting with some other horse friends, the weather in Arizona was a much needed change from the bitter cold in WI.  While they were down south, not only did they get to wear shorts almost the whole time, Matt and JoAnn also got out of shoveling well over a foot of snow. 

Sadly, every vacation (and that’s what it was for Matt) must come to an end, and the two of them had to start the long drive back to Wisconsin.  JoAnn had babysitting duty that week, so even though they were able to take several days to get there, they only had 3 days to get back.  Their second night on the road found them in Vesper, KS at a Comfort Inn.  Even though they were far from Dodge City, they had a late supper at the Boot Hill Saloon and Grill.  It was a fantastic supper that was even delivered by a waitress in period style clothing.

Both meals were had at local diners the following day, Matt and JoAnn both eager to get home.  They made it home early on the evening of Tuesday the 17^th of March, Saint Patricks Day.  It was a long trip, but even Matt had to admit that it was a good trip.  They’re already debating making another trip down there and if you’ve got any places that you’d like them to stop at, go ahead and let them know.  Just send them an email and tell them that you’d like them to stop at your tack store, they’d be happy to see what they can work out. 

This trip also marked the start of their efforts in fund-raisers as well.  The local German Club had a very successful event with them and some of the places Matt and JoAnn stopped were also interested in them as well.  Pictures of this amazing trip will be added as soon as Matt figures out how to do so.