The architecture and statues were gorgeous

While in Louisville, Kentucky Rachel Relish and I were able to enjoy time off to do a little sightseeing. And one place we had to visit while in the area was Churchill Downs, the home of the famous Kentucky Derby. Although we weren’t able to see the Kentucky Derby (which would have been amazing) we were able to catch a few horse races while we were there. Neither of us had ever been to a horse race before so we really enjoyed choosing a horse to win and to cheer them on during the race. Now we just need to come back during the Kentucky Derby!

If any of you are like me, you rarely think of the state of New Mexico and if you do, you think it is a desert-ridden place. I learned how wrong I was today!

Cruisin’ Crystal and I finally made it to New Mexico, bringing our total state count for the southwest region up to six. Now, I know this isn’t a big number but please understand that our states are HUGE! Nevertheless, we were excited to explore a new part of the country.

It is through the Bandelier National Monument that we were able to fully grasp how beautiful New Mexico really is.

After driving up the mountain, parking the Wienermobile between some trees and making sure our cameras were fully charged, we set out across the plain.

We ended up running into homes that were built around 1,100 A.D. The only things left are the foundations that they diligently dug and filled with stones as well as the kavis. Kavis are ritual and ceremonial rooms dedicated to rites and education.

It was while taking in the beautiful landscape and the weight of history, that I fully understood just how much I’ve come to enjoy New Mexico. Please accept my apologies and find me a changed man.

The ruins of the pueblo.

How can you not be in love with this landscape?

While cruising in Corpus Christi, TX Guac and I spotted something over 40,000 hot dogs long! It was the USS Lexington docked in the Gulf of Mexico.  Which immediately got me to pondering about a “Don’t sink my Wienermobile“ game using the Wienermobile and Mini Wienermobile but that’s a brain storm for another day.

A mile down the road was the beautiful Selena Memorial.  We paid our respects and were in awe of the scenic view over looking the Gulf Coast.

WEENR chillin at Safeway in Klamath Falls

The sky's the limit!

The entire Klamath Falls community organized to contribute to this great cause. The KLAD Wake Up Crew, the doggone DJ’s from the local radio station, even broadcast live from a cherry picker and refused to come down until they raised 120 tons of food for the food bank.

Besides making people smile and handing out wiener whistles , the Hotdoggers wanted to make a franktastic contribution of our own.

Behold the Frank Bank!  MmmK and I presented the food bank with this piggy bank shaped like the Wienermobile to help raise donations for the canned food drive.  Over $250 were put into the Frank Bank in the two hours the Hotdoggers were at Safeway. Hot dog!

A frank bank for donations benefiting the food bank!

Furthermore, the Hotdoggers made yet another contribution to the Klamath County Food Bank.  MmmK and I filled a shopping cart with a delicious non-perishable Kraft Macaroni & Cheese! Yummy!

A shopping cart filled with Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Delicious.

Arkansas has plenty of places to have some fun.  The astronaut cardbord shape for pictures was one of the many things that I found on my visit to Little Rock.

Our schedule had us back in Wisconsin for a few days where I got to visit my home state. While there, we saw our first snowflakes of the season. It was a perfect Wisconsin welcome home! Thank goodness for those winter jackets!

This dog is the envy of all other dogs.  He is a proud wiener dog and is having the Oh I wish… dream.

Wanting to make a difference in the Phoenix community, Cruisin’ Crystal and I decided to help out a local food bank: St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance.

It started off with us raising awareness about the new location for their emergency food boxes (3131 W. Thomas Rd.). We parked the Wienermobile out front to bring a smile to those waiting in line and collected canned good donations to the food bank from local residents.

Bringing smiles to patient customers at the food bank.

We didn’t stop there though, we took our seat behind a desk for a few hours and did deferrals, while passing out Wienermobile stickers to any kid within our site. There’s no better way to spend the day than at the food bank!

Everyone should be able to see the Wienermobile from their desk!

The next day, we took part in the food bank’s B.R.E.A.D. program (Bridges Reaching Elderly And Disabled). We loaded up the Wienermobile with 27 food boxes and plugged the address into our GPS, ready to make a difference in someone’s life. We pulled up to the Maryvale Independent Senior Living Community, our vehicle full of food and our pockets overflowing with whistles to hand out to the residents. I think it’s the best food delivery they’ve ever had.

So much food!

While in Boston we took OUR DOG to visit the historical Village of Salem, MA.

Salem Witch Museum

We learned that Salem was the hometown of the Parker Brothers, famous for numerous board games including Monoploy, Clue, and Trivial Pursuit. In fact, Salem was the inspiration for the game of Clue.

The home where that inspired the game Clue

As the Wienermobile visited Omaha, Nebraska, some young fans came to the Wienermobile to obtain proof that they saw it!