Norman and Vilah

Home again

2009-06-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

A train wreck we see in Minn. on way home.

Picnic dinner out of Duluth on way home.

Home- and how the corn had grown

What a wash I had after the trip.

2009-05-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Here are the pages that were found in the envelopes from the previous post. Unfortunately, I left them on the table after taking my pictures and I believe someone threw them away. Thinking they were just scraps.
Update: They didn't get thrown away, I had put them in another part of the book.

My guess is that these first three items are documenting the accident and other important information.

Gentlemen:
Thought it was time to write you about the insurance check we have no as yet received. Your driver Carl G. backed into our door July 26 if you will recall us being at your place in regard to such. From there you sent us the the Body shop to get an estimate as to the cost of repairs and from there to your insurance adjuster. Your adjuster came down and looked at the damage and O.K. the bill and said everything was alrite and taken care. We were to receive a check at our home in a short time. To-day it was been two weeks and two days and we have not heard a word. Therefore we thought it time to notify you folks, as after all that's why one pays their insurance to take care of such mishaps as these. Expecting to hear from someone within the next weeks - I thank you.
Your's truly, Norman

This is his receipt for the repairs

This is a letter in response to the letter that Norman wrote them.

This is a note acknowledging they're payment to Norman.

Backed into

2009-05-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

Taken on the street in downtown Winnepeg. He doesn't look happy here but he was really O.K. Later that day we were backed into in a parking lot. Letters below were about our settlement on claim.

(I'll post what is inside the envelopes in the next post)

2009-05-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

Stayed in this town Fri nite July 23rd

The boat trip at Kenora, Canada

Home bound.

2009-05-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

Friday nite July 23rd we left Glacier park thru east entrance and pushed north to canada. We stayed at cardston all nite.

Saturday nite July 24th stayed at Swift Current. Went to the show - "Hell Below Zero" - while we went to the show - the newspaper shop burned. A bad fire. We looked it over and then retired.

Sunday nite July 25th We stayed at Portage La Prairie.

Monday nite July 26th - We made it to Kenora. Where we stayed all nite. Took a boat ride from about sun set till real dark. A beautiful trip. got my hair washed and set on tues. here in Kenora.
Tues. nite July 27th - stayed at Poplar, Wisconsin. Went to see Jean and Doyle in evening. Had lunch with them.

Wed. nite July 28th had supper with Mildred and Sig in Eau Claire - got home at 10 o'clock that nite. Miles on car when we
got home 15, 095. We made 4,187 miles on trip.
Had a wonderful time and really see a lot.

Lots of snow in Glacier park

2009-05-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Lots of snow in Glacier Park

It's me alright plus the snow

I'm scared I'm hanging on. It was a long way to the bottom.
That is snow in the back ground and it is melting and running down.
That is the road - no rails.

The road where the light is, is a long way from the road we took the picture from.

More mountains and snow, with green trees by road.

A scene in the glacier park.

Glacier National Park

2009-05-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

Friday July 23rd at the glacier park -

Lots of mountains with loads of snow.
Everything nice and green down in the valleys
and by the road and flowers were blooming.

Pawnee Motel

2009-05-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

Stayed here Thurs. nite, July 22 - New motel - Great Falls, Montana. Doesn't look like much but it was very nice - motel rooms line up in the back of this building. We went to a show this nite "High and the Mighty" Theater on fire. Show was very good.

Circus at Browning, Montana

Million Dollar bar

2009-03-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

The million dollar bar in Jackson Hole - we had a drink here - really something to see.
Norm is in the car ready to pull on.
$1,032 on bar at silver bar - (8 wide)

We had a sandwich here.

Stayed here wednesday nite July 21st at west Yellowstone.

Near our cabin in west yellowstone.

Spent the evening here -
drank and danced -
had a nice time.

Grand Teton National Park

2009-03-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

Tues. nite July 20th
We stayed in a cabin beside Macks Inn in Idaho - Took a drive after supper back in the mountains.
See big trout in a trout stream - see wild caribou also.
Tuesday during day we went thru the grand tetons and down to Jackson Hole, Wy.

The snow coverd Tetons - A most beautiful drive.
Teton pass - 8,429 ft elevation

Geysers!

2009-03-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

Old Faithful

A few of the many geysers in the park.

Bears and elk!

2009-02-09T19:57:00.001-08:00

What can I write?
Nothing much as you can plainly see.
It's bears in the park and then elk. Lots of bear - not so many elk.

Yellowstone

2009-01-23T18:42:00.001-08:00

Pass into the Yellowstone Park -
July 19th $3.00 Good until August 3rd.

Beware - Bears in the park.

This shows only 1/2 of the hotel where we stayed mon. nite July 19th
Right in park. Not to far from the hotel was a dance hall.
We went to the dance that nite.

From hotel were we stayed.

Snow in July

2009-01-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

First snow of the trip. This was after we left the Buffalo Bill Dam.

This is a perfect picture of the road (Cody road) to the Buffalo Bill dam and on toward the yellowstone. It was a very up grade pull. Cars with trailer houses were being towed by heavy tractors. We stayed at Sheridan. See a show "Nite People." July 18th, Sunday.

Buffalo Bill Dam

2009-01-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

We took this road to the Yellowstone.
We stopped here at the Buffalo Bill Dam walked across it.

Buffalo Bill Dam Reservoir

Took this while on the dam.

We walked on the walk over dam where the rails are on left in picture.

Went through this tunnel near dam to parking lot
and walked back to go out in the dam.

Road going to the dam.

A lake near the dam.
Buffalo Bill Dam today.

Gold mine

2009-01-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

Sunday July 18th - after going to the cemetery we went to Lead - went through as much of the gold mine as we could - very interesting. Then we started to head for the Yellowstone.

Homestake today

Brochures thus far..

2009-01-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

Old Style Bar

2009-01-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning we went up on the high hill to the cemetery where Wild Bill and Calamity Jane were buried - at Deadwood.

We were in this bar on Saturday evening. Nail kegs made into chairs. Saw dust on floor, guns and pistols everywhere. This is where the shooting of Wild Bill took place.

July 17th, 1954

2009-01-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

Map of the Black Hills We had a meal of Buffalo steak for dinner July 17th at Sylvan Lake restaurant. The Sylvan lake was beautiful- could look down at it as we ate.

We see this in the evening in Deadwood.

We stayed here on Sat. night July 17th

The Wildlife

2009-01-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

We were lucky to see the buffalo herd in the Black Hills.

large amount back in valley- a sight to see

These begging burros will come and eat out of your hands.

Here is a write up on them.

Mt Rushmore and the Needle Eye

2009-01-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

Mt Rushmore in the Black Hills

One of the tunnels you drive thru in the Black Hills

road & rocks

You drive through this tunnel to go to the Needles Eye in the Black Hills.

Needles Eye

Keeping track of the route.

2008-12-30T20:15:00.000-08:00

I don't know the exact route that they took, as I94 didn't exist then. I thought it would be fun to map it anyways. I'll update this map every time we reach a new destination.

View Larger Map

The badlands

2008-12-30T19:51:00.001-08:00

Scenes of the bad lands

All rocks in soft colors

Acres of such waste land.

Went on and stayed at Rapid City for 1st nite.

Our cabin the first nite. Rapid City, So. Dakota. Friday nite July 16

The departure

2008-12-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

July 15, 1954 - We left home 15 minutes to midnight on Thursday nite. Miles on car when we left was 10,908. We drove till almost daylite then pulled off for a snooze. After a little sleep we went on. Stopped by a picnic table and cooked breakfast. Next stop was at Mitchell, South Dakota to see the corn palace.

View Larger Map
396 miles
http://www.cornpalace.com/newpages/palace.html

Who they were

2008-12-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

I don't have too many details about who they were or how they met. I know that they lived in Melrose, Wisconsin. Vilah was born in 1914 and Norman was born in 1912. They were married at least 30 years.

Norman as a young boy.

What is this?

2008-12-28T22:17:00.000-08:00

Several years ago when I was still living with my parents, they brought home a box of travel journals and photos from the 1950's. They had gotten them from the dump (landfill). They are filled with detailed descriptions of Norman and Vilah's road trips across the US. Someone threw these away. We were never sure what we were going to do with them, but they seemed too special to just toss. I've decided that I will start to blog about the journals and what is found inside. I don't want to give a lot of detail about where they went because finding out as we go is part of the fun. I hope that you will join me as we learn about Norman and Vilah's adventures.