Westward Ho!

Monday, June 22^nd the Pondit is leaving the serenity of Dickerson Pond in rainy Westchester County New York for a fourteen day road trip to Wyoming's Grand Teton Mountains and back again. My first stop will be Niagara Falls, Ontario. Along the way I will stop to play golf at seven golf courses. The first week of the trip will bring me across the northern part of the United States including the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana. After two days in the Grand Tetons, I return via Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania. I will take as many photos as I can and try to post a blog at least every other day. My driving distances are aggressive on several days but I am hoping I can make good time during these legs. The trip out will include very little Interstate highway driving. The trip back is almost all those Eisenhower tank roads funded by our federal gasoline taxes. I will take the Blue Ridge Parkway for my leg in Virginia.

Friends have suggested packing lightly except for the ten dozen golf balls I will most likely need for my seven rounds of golf. So far it looks like good weather for the trip out to Wyoming. My daughter also mentioned that I will be passing two of our three ICBM bases that remain on US soil. It is so reassuring to know that in the middle of nowhere, I will be targeted for annihilation by both Chinese and Russian missiles. This make me feel very important.

I have my passport and Garmin. These along with my Visa card are the real trip essentials. I know I have to use the passport for getting in and out of Canada, but suspect that there are a few "red states" where a New York liberal might need it for entrance. I plan to borrow a friend's Stetson hat to try to sneak across the Midwest. I hope it goes well with shorts and sandals.

Here is my itinerary:

Date	Start	End	Miles	Motel	Golf Course
22-Jun	Croton	Niagara Falls	377	Courtyard Niagara Falls - 5950 Victoria Ave - 905-358-3083	Links at Hiawatha Landing
23-Jun	Niagara Falls	Mackinaw City	482	Days Inn - 825 S. Huron Ave, Mackinaw City 231-436-5557	Off Day
24-Jun	Mackinaw City	Duluth	435	Fairfield Inn Duluth - 901 Joshua Ave - 218-723-8607	Chequamegon Bay Golf Club - Ashland
25-Jun	Duluth	Minot	476	Fairfield Inn Minot - 900 24th Ave SW - 701-838-2424	King's Walk Golf Course - 5301 Columbia Road, Grand Forks
26-Jun	Minot	Billings	570	Fairfield Inn Billings - 2026 Overland Ave - 406-652-5330	Off Day
27-Jun	Billings	Jackson Hole	321	Alpine House - 285 North Glenwood, Jackson Hole - 307-739-1570	Off Day
28-Jun	Jackson Hole	Jackson Hole	0	Alpine House - 285 North Glenwood, Jackson Hole - 307-739-1570	Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis
29-Jun	Jackson Hole	Cheyenne	434	Fairfield Inn Cheyenne - 1415 Stillwater Ave - 307-637-4070	Jacoby Park Golf Course - 30th ST and Willet, Laramie - 307-745-3111
30-Jun	Cheyenne	Des Moines	632	Courtyard Des Moines Ankeny - 2405 Creekview Dr., Ankery 515-422-5555	Off Day
1-Jul	Des Moines	Bloomington	304	Fairfield Inn & Suites Bloomington - 1014 Wylie Dr., Bloomington 309-827-8099	University of Illinois Golf Course - 217-359-5613
2-Jul	Bloomington	Dublin	347	Chez Lawrensen - 6057 Dublinshire Drive, Dublin Ohio 43017. Home # 614 356 3893, cell 614 282 4705.
3-Jul	Dublin	Buena Vista	349	Buena Vista Motel - 447 East 29th ST, Buena Vista - 540-261-2138 # 8963730	Grandview Country Club - 1500 Scott Ridge Rd, Beaver WV - 304-763-4909
4-Jul	Buena Vista	Carlisle	270	Fairfield Inn & Suites Carlisle - 1525 East Commerce Ave - 717-243-2080
5-Jul	Chambersburg	Croton	266
			5,263