Rain!-September 29, 2012

It rained all night last night and all day today. It is still raining. You cannot find a soul who will complain about it. It smells so clean and fresh outside. Hopefully some of the crops can be saved. There's no dust settling on everything. It cuts down on the fire danger which has been extremely high of late. It's just a wonderful thing to have this much rain when it was so badly needed. We just hopped on the shuttle and went to the hotel for a fish sandwich. Yes, another one. It was a restful day. I wish you all a very blessed and peaceful day tomorrow.

Gainesville, TX-September 28, 2012

We did make it to Gainesville today, but we were unable to find a wiper blade for this big baby. So, it was a wasted trip. That's fine. It was really cloudy today, so that made it very muggy. We are still having a hard time adjusting to that, but we'll get there eventually. We discovered that WinStar has two new restaurants and a fresh pastry shop. One restaurant is Italian and one is Mexican. We chose Mexican and it was fabulous. They are building one more hotel which will bring the total to 7 separate hotels on the property plus this huge RV park. The buffet is being moved to another location inside WinStar and it will seat 500 people. It will soon be too large to walk through! It's just fascinating and we have a wonderful time here. Not sure what we will do tomorrow. We'll decide over our coffee.

Thackerville, OK-September 27, 2012

We made it!! Drove through tons of rain, but it had not rained here. It's hot. We are having to adjust to the heat. We've been in cool weather for so long, it's hard to go back to summer. Plus we changed time zones again. It rained so hard in Wellington, KS last night and for a such long length of time we were looking for wood to carve oars out of! We have not been in rain in a very long time so it was fascinating to watch and hear. No complaints here. We just went to Chips and Ales in WinStar for our very favorite grilled fish sandwich. We've not had one since we were here in May. We might eat one every day we are here. They are fabulous. This week has been a whirlwind. Monday we were in South Dakota, Tuesday we were in Nebraska, Wednesday we were in Kansas and today (Thursday) we are in Oklahoma. We might drive south to Gainesville, TX tomorrow to get new wiper blades. I think we qualify to be correctly called "geriatric gypsies".

Wellington, KS-September 26, 2012

We know one thing for sure. If they ever quit selling corn seed, Nebraska will dry up and blow away! We have never seen that much corn in our lives. For a reason I cannot begin to explain, as we drove from Nebraska to Kansas, we had a very rare opportunity to look down on a thunderstorm that was south and east of where we were traveling. I can't even adequately describe it to you. I have no doubt we will never see that sight again. We were not on a mountain. We were in flat Kansas. But there it was. We watched two huge columns rise out of the middle and dissapate. There were some severe thunderstorms in that area tonight. It is difficult to take pictures through a bug covered windshield traveling 65 mph down the highway, but I did my best.

Look carefully. It's not the smooth clouds at top. Look just above the trees

and follow that lumpy stuff that looks like a snow capped mountain.

That's a thunderhead. Over to the right side the columns were building.

 

 

The low clouds were the trailing end of the thunderhead. Just

the low ones just above the horizon.

 

I am so sorry I don't have a wonderfully professional camera so you could see this rare sight the way we did. We were happy to go past it! Oklahoma tomorrow. 

 

Henderson, NE-September 25, 2012

We'd prefer to be in Henderson, Nevada, but we are in Nebraska. It's in the middle of farm country. It's dry and hot and dusty. The flies are awful. We are delighted we are here for only one night. Sometimes you have to tolerate some bad stuff to enjoy the fun down the road. We did pass through Kearney today. East of town is the Great Platte River Archway Monument. That's a mouthful, isn't it?
It's a monument built in 2000 to highlight Nebraska's roll in the westward expansion of the United States. I think they spent too much money. However, it is kind of neat to see something like this across the interstate in the middle of nowhere.

Isn't this odd?

 

 

The actual museum which boasts the second longest excalator in the state of Nebraska is over on the left (north) side. The exit to get there is way beyond this thing. We have no interest in seeing anything inside, but find this arch across I-80 to be fascinating. 



Ogallala, NE-September 24, 2012

It was absolutely beautiful when we left Sturgis this morning. We landed in Ogallala and the heat slapped us in the face. We won't be here long so it doesn't matter. We knew we'd be going through Chadron which surprised us by it's beauty last time. We knew they had had a fire in Chadron National Forest. The smoke had assaulted us while we were in Colorado. So we were eager to see if there had been much damage. When we turned onto the highway to go toward the national park and Chadron State College, there was a sign that read "Wild Life on the Highway Next 11 Miles". We were unsure if they meant the four legged kind or college students! We only saw buffalo, deer, antelope and lots of wild turkeys. Nice drive.

This was before we got to the burned part. The short little trees

had a lavendar color. Very pretty.

 

 

A sample of the burned forest. Fortunately many pine trees were

spared and a few were only partially burned. Hopefully this land will

recover very quickly.

 

We made a quick decision tonight to go to Thackerville, OK, again for a few days. Terry Bradshaw won't be at home since it's football season. Too bad he'll miss us again!! 

What is this?-September 23, 2012

This has pulled into this park and connected water and electricity but no sewer.

 

 

It is obviously military and it is amphibian. A young couple in their mid 30s drove up in this. They have no tow vehicle so they cannot go anywhere. We do not see signs of a satellite dish so we don't know how they watch TV. The a/c unit must be underneath. It is not on top. The guy had to climb on a ladder to connect the power and water. They have to climb like you would have to climb a tree to get into the thing. It has to ride very rough. You cannot enter the living part from the cab, so that makes it more like a Class C. We are trying to figure out why someone would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on something that is not practical or useful. They must have more money than they know what to do with. Must be nice. Maybe it's their personal armored vehicle? 

Pretty clouds-September 22, 2012

On our way back from Spearfish, cirrus clouds started forming all around us. They are ice crystals so that tells you how cold the air is above us. They were so pretty I had to share a picture of them. I'm a sucker for a nice blue sky and pretty clouds. It is another beautiful day here.

Chilly Saturday-September 22, 2012

It is almost 11:00 AM and it's only 46°. Chilly, but the sun is warm. At least the wind has let up a bit.
Yesterday when we went to Deadwood to finish our paperwork, we could hardly walk against the wind. It was unbelievable. It let up about the time the band got fired up at the Knuckle Saloon last night. We were entertained with music until about 1:30 this morning. The Knuckle is a gigantic bar in downtown Sturgis that has to be a hotbed of activity during Bike Week. They have live music on weekends. Normally it does not bother us, but last night's band must have had a huge sound system. We are moving around a bit slower this morning. We will go to the store in Spearfish this afternoon and stock up some food for our trip south. We leave on Monday and will head in a southeasterly direction, slowly but surely. Tomorrow we will rest. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. Have a very blessed Sunday.

Spearfish Canyon-September 19, 2012

The wind was blowing like crazy this morning but we decided to drive through Spearfish Canyon anyway. It was absolutely beautiful. Here, as in Colorado, there is not a huge variety of colors in the trees, but it is still a pretty sight to see. We could tell that the red leaves had already blown off the trees, so we mainly saw yellow, referred to as "gold in them ther hills". Did that line come from a song? I'm not sure. I have narrowed down 63 pictures to only 5. Please enjoy.

Bridal Veil Falls

 

 

The tall walls of the canyon are tons of rocks. Signs everywhere

say "Watch for rocks on the road".

 

The water is so clear it's hard to see. Trust me, it is there and

the sound was so peaceful.

 

 

 

A picture does not do this tree justice. It almost

glowed like the sun. Again, the water is too clear to see.

 

 

Out of Spearfish Canyon and on the road to Lead, South Dakota

 

I wish you could have been with us today. It was a delightful drive. The air was very cool but it smelled so clean. Sometimes we just got out of the car to enjoy it. 

 

 

 

Wind--September 18, 2012

I guess logically we have to accept that in order to get rid of all that horrible thick smoke, we must have wind. But, good grief, we don't need this much wind. It is unbelievable! In spite of it, we made a quick trip to Rapid City for a few items and for lunch. I will spare you the place where we dined because you already know it. We were able to drive through the entire city and see parts we had not seen before. We both really like Rapid City. It's just special and I can't tell you why. The same applies to Sturgis. There's just something here that makes us feel at home and at peace. Too bad they have such hot summers and cold winters. I did notice that none of the trees in Rapid City had changed colors yet. I can't explain it. This is such a pretty time of year everywhere. Too bad we can't keep it this way, but without all the wind. The jet stream is moving south so that colder weather can settle into the lower part of the forty-eight. Such is life. Button up, cold weather is on its way!

Bad smoke-September 17, 2012

Saturday when we left to go exploring we were startled at the smoke in the air. It not only blocked the sun but the smell of burning trees was very strong. We went on with our plans. By that night we were both coughing like we had pneumonia. It was awful. Yesterday the smoke was just as bad so we stayed in. Today it is no better. We are told the smoke is coming from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana and is being pushed through here by a cold front. I'm not sure that's correct because it has cooled down quite a bit, but the smoke lingers. The fires in Montana are classified as "massive". I think it is very sad to know that our forests are being destroyed, but the loss of homes is even sadder. Rain would be such a blessing at this point. We need to go out today but we dread smelling that smoke. This has been a truly rough year weatherwise especially lack of moisture in so much of the country. Pray for rain here. Please.

Spearfish-September 14, 2012

We decided to make a trip to Spearfish today to have lunch. We did eat lunch at a local restaurant. It was really good, the place was clean and the waitress was as friendly to us as she was the locals. That was nice. We went into every antique store in town looking for doorknobs for a friend in Decatur, Alabama. No luck. Then we came back through Deadwood. We like Deadwood a lot. Cute little "old" town. It's so clean and everybody is nice. There are not very many people left in Sturgis. I bet the town nearly closes up at the end of this month. We are starting to see that the trees are changing colors a little more each day. All the pictures I took today were out of the car window. Of all the ones I took, one shows the bright gold of the aspen trees.

We might be here long enough to see the complete change. We didn't think so at first, but the trees are turning so rapidly now, it will all be over within about 10 days or so. The weather is so gorgeous it is going to be very hard to leave here, but we must. I hope your weather is equally as beautiful as ours has been.

Rapid City-September 12, 2012

We made a quick trip to Rapid City to pick up our mail and to eat lunch at On The Border (you are surprised, aren't you?). It was a nice day but the smoke has moved in again. It makes the sky a whitish gray color. So sad. My sinuses are threatening to pack their bags and move south to get out of the smoke. On the way back we took a wrong turn somewhere while looking for the South Canyon. Not only did we see some pretty country, but we wound up in Deadwood on a road we've never seen before. It was so pretty. How delightful!

A few trees are starting to turn but most are still green.

See how the smoke makes the sky look white.

 

 

In the canyon we found a very pretty park that had historical significance. It had to do with the logging industry being stopped by Pres. Grover Cleveland. It crippled this area, so within a few months they got logging restarted in this area and saved the economy. Where we stopped was where the first trees were logged once logging resumed. There was a nice peaceful stream and the wind blowing through the extremely tall pine trees was so soothing.

 

 



I think this is Box Elder Creek during a very dry year.

 

This is the kind of day we enjoy. We just take off driving and wherever we end up is fun. The surprise is a wonderful adventure. Obviously, we had no trouble finding our way back. Tomorrow we will go to Deadwood again but for business this time. 

Beautiful day-September 11, 2012

After shockingly high temps yesterday, today turned out so gorgeous it cannot be described. Blue skies, clean air, bright sunshine and a cool breeze, in the low 70s. We went out for a nice lunch and are having a wonderful time letting the breeze blow in through our open windows. There has been so much smoke, we have not been able to open our windows in a very long time. We realized today that we are going to miss the changing of the tree leaves because this park closes on Sept. 30 and the trees are just now starting to change colors.

Both of these pictures are of the hillside beside this park.

 

The aspen trees have just started turning. Some leaves have just fallen off. Odds are a hard freeze will kill the leaves and they will turn brown and fall to the ground without getting a chance to show their radiant colors. Aspen trees turn gold and birch trees turn red. They are cousins and look very much alike as far as bark and leaves are concerned. The hot dry summer has changed many things this year and fall trees are just another victim of that heat. Oh, well, there's always next year. I'm sorry I cannot package this day and send it to you to enjoy. It's wonderful. 

Sturgis, SD, again-September 10, 2012

When we stayed at this park in June, we had no idea we would be returning. But as legal residents of this state, we have to do legal business here. We are going to try to get that done tomorrow so we can explore some more. It is really hot here. It sort of shocked us as we stepped out of the coach. In fact it is 93° as I type this. The drive here was very pretty though much browner than when we were here last. We came here by a very different route than we ever have, so we could see different scenery.

Imagine if the dry grass was a pretty green

 

 

We did go through some horrible smoke this morning blown by tremendous winds. The fire appeared to be in or near Yellowstone NP. We could see the red glow reflected in the low clouds. It was bad. Fortunately by the time we turned toward this area of South Dakota, the wind had blown the worst of the smoke away.

 

 

This is near Spearfish, SD

 

If we had to return to one place we had visited earlier this year, this is not bad at all. In fact, we like it here. However, we are hoping it cools down a bit soon. 

 



Mystery Meat-September 9, 2012

Yesterday, in Cheyenne, we stopped at a King Soopers grocery store to shop for a few meals. While we enjoy eating out we know it is much healthier to eat at home. We were browsing through the fresh meat when I noticed that the labels on the packages had "Mexico-Canada-United States" stamped on them. I asked the butcher on duty what exactly did that mean? I know full well that all food must be labeled with the place of origin per federal law. He told me that they have no way of knowing where the meat actually comes from so they cover their bases by putting all three countries on the label. I did not find that appetizing at all. I guess beef is beef? So I asked him if he eats it? He said we have all been eating it for all our lives. This discussion was not making me feel good. He did not, however, say he ate it. I don't want to eat it either. Becoming a vegetarian is beginning to sound very appealing. I also discovered about two weeks ago that the toothpaste I have used for at least 20 years is now made in Mexico. Ugh. I thought I would start your day with good healthy consumer information. Now, have a very blessed and wonderful Sunday.

Camels-September 7, 2012

It took two trips past the camel pen to try to get a picture. They are not close to the road at all. I wonder if car and truck noise bothers them? These are just odd creatures. Watching them eat is quite funny. They bend their knees and lower legs outward and then bend their bulky bodies down to get to the food. Bless their hearts.

This is the best looking of the four resident camels.

 

 

These camels really look ratty. They need some vitamins for their fur. It's falling out in large clumps. There are also some Scottish Highlander cattle here. Talk about funny looking, oh my. We are probably going to stay another couple of days. Still need some more down time. It was very windy last night but that's not unusual for this area. It has been cloudy all day. Sure beats inhaling smoke!

 





Terry Bison Ranch, WY-September 6, 2012

We stopped here for a couple of days to decompress and rest. This is a 27,500 acre ranch that has huge buffalo herds. They serve buffalo in the Senator Restaurant. We ate here years ago and it was delicious. We hope the food is still good. We noticed as we drove in that there a few camels living here also. We will have to see what else is here. This is merely a stopping point until we decide where we want to go from here. We need to go to Rapid City to do some legal paperwork and then we will probably think about turning south for winter. We have narrowed our winter stay down to three states: Nevada, Arizona or Texas. We may end up throwing a dart to make the choice. You know I will keep you posted on the decision.

Mountains-September 4, 2012

I mentioned this morning that we finally had blue sky and mountains. I thought I would show you that I was not kidding.

We had to wait 3 weeks to see this.

 

 

We had a fun visit with friends, Ed and Mary K, this afternoon. Good laughs, a fabulous coffee cake and I am now hopelessly hooked on Frappicino! Shame, shame. 

Ready to move on-September 4, 2012

It has been a busy few days but we did manage to squeeze in a long lunch with Jerry's sister in Denver. We always enjoy catching up with her on family matters. We laugh and share good memories. Our work here is done except Jerry did not get all of his mowing done. At our age and being retired, sometimes we don't get everything done as planned! We are currently talking about where we might like to go from here. We're not ready to settle in for winter, so we will roam around a bit longer. We finally have a blue sky and no smoke. We can thank a nice rain for that. Will keep you posted as always. So much to see, so little time..........