VINTAGE HOMES OF MERCED, CA

ANNA & SUE AT THE BEAR CREEK INN

 

I  recently had the privilege of accompanying Anna, (the classy career girl)  to Merced for a speaking engagement at the University of California, Merced.  The school is a few miles from the city center and surrounded by the farmlands of the San Joaquin Valley in northern California which makes for a lovely setting. 

COTTAGE - BEAR CREEK INN

   We stayed at a lovely B&B called The Hooper House - Bear Creek Inn.   Classy reserved the cottage next door which was very comfortable and spacious.               

A book I discovered at the B&B titled  Homes of Old Merced  by Henry DePertuis was the inspiration for these photos:  

HENDERSON HOUSE



MERCED DOOR

 

RAWLINS, WYOMING USA - WILD WEST

FERRIS MANSION RAWLINS WY

It's fall in Minnesota, and we are joyfully heading to San Diego, California for the winter (and maybe forever).   Our road trip will require a stop in Des Moines, Iowa this year.  Ben, our traveling son who has kept our lives very interesting, has taken up residence in Des Moines for the next year or so.  He is enjoying his new job and we had a great visit.  From here we headed through Nebraska and stopped in Rawlins, Wyoming. 

WYOMING STATE PENITENTIARY

 The next morning I had time to explore while Ron worked.  Rawlins is an old mining town which was outlaw heaven back in the 1800s.  This formerly wild town was frequented by dozens of famous outlaws including Butch Cassidy who spent time in the old Wyoming Frontier Prison located here.  The prison was closed in 1981 but still offers daily tours. 

RIFLEMAN CLUB BAR 6AM-3AM DAILY

There is a bar called Rifleman Club in Rawlins which I found rather interesting because it is "open from 6am to 3am daily" according to the front sign.   From the sounds of the place at 9am I think it was hopping at 6am like the sign says. I really regret not stepping in to see what was going on at 9 am - maybe next time. 

BUCKS

 Buck's for dinner is also unique to this area - the food is great and plentiful and one could read the signs and look at the memorabilia for hours.  

RAWLINS TRAIN DEPOT

OLD GARAGE IN RAWLINS



WYOMING STATE PENITENTIARY IN BACKGROUND

Our road trip continued through Wyoming which is great for antelope viewing and unusual rock formations.