Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill

Las Vegas, the City of Lights! How could one not love the city view at night with all the colorful lights. The Strip and Fremont Street are the two highlights of Las Vegas, but once you step out of the car and walk into one of the casinos, you will be blown away by all of the attractions and places to see!

The MGM Grand is one of my favorites on the Strip. Here, you will find yourself in the midst of an indoor city full of upscale stores and restaurants, of which our choice for the day was the Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill.

The restaurant is located in the juncture of the casino and the indoor mall. You need only walk up a couple steps up into the open-air casual atmosphere. The smell of food will lure you to the spot in no time. You will be greeted and seated, and will be pampered with gracious hospitality during your entire visit.

Be sure to come with an empty stomach and a hungry appetite. The prices may seem reasonably high to some, but the prestigious name and trademark should suffice to make it worthwhile. Since Nancy and I had eaten earlier at the Texas Station, we were not real hungry, but we could not resist to try something and split it between us.  Our choice?

The Grilled Prime Burger – $17. The burger came with Vermont Cheddar, Smoked Onion Marmalade, and French Fries.

The burger was to die for! It would have definitely been too much for just one of us to eat alone. And the fries? Delicious!

The experience was fantastic and the service was awesome. Our meal was definitely worth the price, and the experience was great! I think Nancy would agree with me in saying that if anyone plans to go to MGM Grand, be sure to stop at Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill!

Winterset, Iowa – Birthplace of John Wayne

On May 26, 1907 in a small rural town of Winterset, Iowa, Marion Robert Morrison was born to “Doc” (a pharmacist) and “Molly” (a telephone operator). In 1912 Marion’s brother Robert was born, and a short time later Marion’s middle name (Robert) was changed to Mitchell (his grandfather’s name).

Roughly seven years later, the family relocated from Iowa to California. As a youth in school, Marion was often teased about his given name sounding like a girl’s name. Marion eventually convinced his parents to change his name to Duke, the name of their family dog.

The Duke got his first taste of acting in Hollywood in 1928 through a good friend, John Ford, as an extra in several films. Two years later he landed a starring role as Breck Coleman in “The Big Trail”. It was at this time he acquired the name “John Wayne”, which he continued to use for the remaining years of his lifetime.

Visitors are able to tour the four-room home where “The Duke” was born, and spend time browsing through the museum and gift shop. Many memorabilia and historical film collections are on display, depicting the years of fame that John Wayne won the hearts of millions of movie viewers for nearly 40 years, all the way up to his last movie he starred in, “The Shootist”, in 1976.

John continued to battle with cancer, succumbing to stomach cancer June 11, 1979 at the age of 72.

The Bridges of Madison County

One of the nation’s beloved movies starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep was filmed in the heartland of America, in Madison County, Iowa. Home to six remaining covered bridges, this county lies in the west central part of the state, and is also known for John Wayne’s birthplace home in Winterset.

Of the six bridges yet in existence in the county, we stopped and took photos of four. Here is a brief bio for each we saw.

Cedar Covered Bridge –

Built in 1883 by Benton Jones, Cedar Bridge was 76 feet long and was the last bridge open to vehicles. It was built over Cedar Creek north of Winterset on what is now U.S. Highway 169. It was moved to its present location over the same creek in 1921. In Robert James Waller’s novel, “The Bridges of Madison County”, Cedar Bridge is where Francesca Johnson goes to meet Robert Kincaid to help him take photographs. Cedar is also the bridge on the novel’s cover. The bridge was renovated in 1998 at a cost of $128,073.

Cedar was destroyed by an arsonist on September 3, 2002. A replica of the original bridge was built from the original plans using authenitic materials and methods. The new bridge was dedicated on October 9, 2004.

Cutler-Donahoe Bridge –

Built in 1870 by Eli Cox, the Cutler-Donahoe bridge is 79 feet in length and features a pitched roof. Originally located over the North River near Bevington, it was moved to its present site in Winterset’s City Park in 1970. Cutler-Donahoe was renovated in 1997 at a cost of $35,538.

Hogback Covered Bridge –

Built in 1884 by Benton Jones, the Hogback Covered Bridge measures 97 feet and is in its original location in a valley north of Winterset. Hogback gets its name from the limestone ridge which forms the west end of the valley. It was renovated in 1992 at a cost of $118,810.

Holliwell Covered Bridge –

Built in 1880 by Benton Jones, it is the longest covered bridge, measuring 122 feet. It remains in its original site over the Middle River southeast of Winterset. Holliwell was renovated in 1995 at a cost of $225,000. It is featured in “The Bridges of Madison County” movie.

Source: Madison County Chamber Directory & Community Guide, p.8.

2015 Vacation Trip to Minnesota (Part 2)

Day 3 –

After spending the night in Ottawa, Kansas, we made a stop in Kearney, Missouri to visit the James Farm, home of where Jesse James and his siblings grew up. We walked around outside the farm house and yard and spent time browsing the museum and gift shop.

Less than 100 feet from the side of the house there is a granite monument at the site where Jesse James was originally buried after he was murdered by his cousin, Robert Ford on April 3, 1882 at his home in St. Joseph, MO. Jesse’s body was exhumed in 1995 to verify his identity through DNA tests, which proved he was indeed Jesse. His body was then interred at the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Kearney.

We continued north through Iowa and reached our destination in Minnesota at a family member’s home in Lonsdale. We made this our temporary stay for the weekend while visiting other family members and attending our son’s wedding on Friday in Farmington.

Day 5 –

The location of the bridal couple’s outdoor wedding could not have been more perfect. The setting was a large white gazebo located in front of a replica pioneer village within the Dakota County Fairgrounds. An old Presbyterian Church was located within a few hundred feet in case of inclement weather, which turned out sunny and mild. The Bridal Party was allowed access to the old Drug Store building to prepare and dress for the wedding, and to use for lunch prior to the wedding as well.

Since I was not in the Bridal Party, I took the opportunity to walk around the village, known as the Dakota City Heritage Village. Dozens of old building were brought into the fairgrounds over the years to represent what the towns were like over 100 years ago. I could not resist taking a lot of photos!

Day 6 –

On Saturday, Nancy and I took my sister to Fort Snelling Historic Site in St. Paul. This was the first time my sister had visited the fort, and the second time for us. We enjoyed watching the Military Drill Review on the lawn, and to walk through several buildings to see what the fort was like back in the days of the Civil War.

Fort Snelling was first constructed in 1819 and completed by 1825. It was mainly used as a trading post between fur traders and the local Native tribes. During the Civil War, Fort Snelling became the training center for all Minnesota troops, and later was used to muster troops for the Spanish-American War and both World Wars.

 

2015 Vacation Trip to Minnesota (Part 1)

Between September 21 and October 3 of this year, Nancy and I took a 13-day vacation trip from Mesa, Arizona to various destinations in Minnesota. The main reason for the trip was to attend our son’s wedding on Friday, September 25 in Farmington. During our five days in Minnesota, we had an opportunity to visit several other family members and friends throughout the southern part of the state. On Monday, our stay in Minnesota came to an end as we headed back home.

This blog is divided in a few parts in order to provide overview and photos of each day’s events.

Day 1 –

On September 21, 2015, we were on the road at 12:00 a.m. and drove over 16 hours, finally stopping for the night at Shamrock, Texas. The first day we checked out Russell’s Car Museum in New Mexico and the Big Texan Steakhouse in Amarillo.

Day 2 –

We decided to take a detour north through the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles into Kansas. A few miles into the southwestern corner of Kansas, we came across the town of Liberal, home of Dorothy’s House and Land of Oz.. While the community does not have any direct connection to the movie, it did find a house outside the town that resembled the house from the movie, moved it into town, and added a lot of other buildings and props to produce its own picturesque “Land of Oz”. The museum provides neat souvenirs and replica Dorothy slippers worn in the movie “The Wizard of Oz”.

Roughly 40 miles east of Liberal, there is a small town by the name of Meade, a town that has become famous for the Dalton Gang Hideout. A farm house, owned by a sister of the Dalton boys, was located on the south edge of town. A 95-foot dirt tunnel ran underground between the house and  barn, known by locals to be used by the Dalton Gang when visiting.

We continued our day’s venture traveling north to Dodge City, where we stopped and visited the Boot Hill Museum Gift Shop. Here, we were able to purchase a few souvenirs and take photos across the street at the Visitor Center of the Museum’s outdoor collection of buildings, representing what Dodge City looked like over 100 years ago.