We’re very familiar with the Shakers. We lived for ten years in Harvard Massachusetts on South Shaker Road, a short distance from the side of a former Shaker community. We also toured the majority of the Shaker communities in the Northeast, always impressed with the simple elegance of their architecture, furniture, and organization and focus of their community. So it was like finding a treasure hidden in the boonies oto come upon a historical market pointing to the former South Union Shaker community. Of about 200 buildings built to support a community of about 350 Shakers, half a dozen remain intact of which 3 open as a museum.

Our second day on the road brought us to the National Corvette Museum which has one of the finest collections of restored Corvettes in existence. Located in Bowling Green, Kentucky just a quarter mile from the Bowling Green Assembly Plant where Corvettes have been made since 1981, it was opened in 1994.

One of the first cars we viewed was the Corvette model below that Roger once owned, a 1954 Corvette, the second year that’s Corvettes were sold. His was white with gold interior.

Another car he would have welcomed the chance to own was also there,…

In 2014, tragedy struck the Corvette Museum when a sinkhole opened up beneath the front showroom and 8 Corvettes disappeared beneath the ground in a matter of seconds. They have since made this event a highlight of the museum, showing a circulating film of the sinkhole, the news coverage of the event, a simulated experience of walking through the sinkhole (very eery with sound effects and floor rumbling) and details on the the subsequent recovery of the vehicles. (Search for “Corvette Museum Sinkhole” on YouTube where there are several videos capturing the events.} Below are some of the recovered Corvettes and details of the sinkhole.

Thankfully we managed to leave without buying a Corvette (no more room in our garage), but new owners can take delivery of their new vehicles at the museum and also receive a VIP tour of the museum and the plant. It’s well worth seeking out this museum that has an amazing history of its own.

And in case you’re wondering, the Chevrolet name came from its founder, Louis Chevrolet (along with William Crapo Durant.) Chevrolet was also integrally involved with the history of automobile racing, and Corvettes continue to be very competitive in international racing.

When Roger creates an itinerary, it’s fairly certain that we’ll be where we say we’ll be. So our plans for ultimate destination and the highlights of each day are as follows:

June 4 — Ashland , KY (I-64)

June 5 — Calvert City, KY (National Corvette Museum)

June 6 — Neosha, MO (US Rte. 20)

June 7 — Woodward, OK  (US Rte. 20)

June 8 –Fort Sumner, NM (Billy the Kid Museum)

June 9 — Springerville, NM  (Very Large Array)

June 10 — Flagstaff, NM (Petrified Forest, Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, Walnut Canyon National Monument)

June 11 — Williams, AZ (Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Grand Canyon South Rim)

June 12 — Bakersfield, CA (I-40)

June 13 — Fresno CA (Sequoia National Park)

June 14 — San Rafael, CA (Our destination!)

June 15-16 (Sightseeing in and around San Rafael)

June 17 — Ridgecrest, CA (Rte. 120)

June 18 –Mesquite, NV (Death Valley National Park, Dante’s View)

June 19 — Page, AZ (Zion National Park, Grand Canyon North Rim)

June 20 — Gallup, NM (Canyon de Chelly National Monument)

June 21 — Tucumcari, NM (Petroglyph National Monument)

June 22 — Oklahoma City, OK

June 23 — North Little Rock, AK (Arkansas Capital, Clinton Presidential Library and Museum)

June 24 — Dickson, TN (National Civil Rights Museum)

June 25 — Blountsville, TN

June 26 — Home!!!