11/23 to 11/28/05
Savannah is a beautiful city and very interesting. It is credited as being America's first planned city. James Oglethorpe sailed from England and landed along a high bluff in 1733. Oglethorpe laid the city out in a series of grids that allowed for wide open streets intertwined with shady public squares and parks that served as town meeting places and centers of business. Savannah had 24 original squares with 21 still in existence. The River Front is built down about 20 feet or more below the city. Several blocks of businesses of all kinds including many eateries are established in old original buildings. It is a fun place to shop…and eat. We saw sail boats, Cruise ships, huge tankers, tug boats, pleasure boats and more on the Savannah River. The city of Savannah is very old and continues its old traditions but get away from the “old town” and it is a modern city with everything every other modern city has. There are strip malls on almost every corner and 2 large malls. One of them had a Bass Pro Shop. We had a great time visiting Savannah.
Monday, November 28, 2005
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Tuesday, November 22, 2005
11/22
We are making our way this morning to Riceboro, Ga. which is south of Savannah. We have reservations in a campground there for 6 days. We are trying to time our arrival in Jacksonville about the second week in December. This campground is next to a river so should be a nice view. Who knows, Gene might even go fishing. The road we are on now is pretty much flat land with quite a few trees. It is a sunny day and is going to be warmer than the past few days. The weather forecast from Atlanta for tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, is for 69 degrees. That will be very nice. We are passing by cotton fields and lots of groves of pine trees to be harvested. The prices of gas are all over the possible range. We paid $1.77 this morning at Wal-mart with our Wal-mart card. However we just went by stations charging $2.07. We just passed some cotton fields which have not been picked yet and some pecan tree groves. Besides Georgia peaches the state is also known for their pecan crop. Now we just passed a grape vineyard. In a very small town we just passed through they have a huge plant that processes chickens. We have not seen any chicken farms though. There is much evidence of recent harvesting of pine trees. We can see seedlings in every stage of growth. This definitely is big business in this area.
We are making our way this morning to Riceboro, Ga. which is south of Savannah. We have reservations in a campground there for 6 days. We are trying to time our arrival in Jacksonville about the second week in December. This campground is next to a river so should be a nice view. Who knows, Gene might even go fishing. The road we are on now is pretty much flat land with quite a few trees. It is a sunny day and is going to be warmer than the past few days. The weather forecast from Atlanta for tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, is for 69 degrees. That will be very nice. We are passing by cotton fields and lots of groves of pine trees to be harvested. The prices of gas are all over the possible range. We paid $1.77 this morning at Wal-mart with our Wal-mart card. However we just went by stations charging $2.07. We just passed some cotton fields which have not been picked yet and some pecan tree groves. Besides Georgia peaches the state is also known for their pecan crop. Now we just passed a grape vineyard. In a very small town we just passed through they have a huge plant that processes chickens. We have not seen any chicken farms though. There is much evidence of recent harvesting of pine trees. We can see seedlings in every stage of growth. This definitely is big business in this area.
Monday, November 21, 2005
11/18 to 11/21
We had a good time in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg Tennessee area. There is every kind of shopping imaginable there including 3 outlet malls. Also the typical tourist shops. We saw three “As seen on TV” stores which have all the stuff you see advertised on TV. It is not at all hard to find a place to eat!! They have every kind of food you could possible think of. The shows do not have well know performers but we did see three very good Christmas shows. Two of them had very inspirational productions of the birth of Christ and the awesomeness of our Great God. We did take a drive up into the “Great Smokey Mountains National Park”. We took a few pictures but not of the fall foliage as most of the leaves were gone. There is a road that goes up to “The Dome” which is the highest point in Tennessee but the road was closed for the season and for repairs. Yesterday it was raining when we got up and still raining when we went to bed. So we pretty much stayed at home. We did go out in the evening for a trolley tour to see the Christmas lights. The windows were so fogged over in the trolley car we could not see much. This morning we are on the road again. We were in rain for a short time, then spitting snow. Then we begin to see snow up on the tops of the hills. Now it is spitting snow but not sticking at all. We see some break in the clouds now and then but it is mostly overcast. We are heading for Savannah, Ga. And hoping the weather will be better there. The leaves have mostly fallen from the trees but once in a while we pass an area of trees that are a dark burnt orange color and they sure stand out. It is still snowing off and on, a very fine snow that doesn’t even show up on the ground. We will be glad to see sunshine if that ever happens. Now we are in a mountainous area and climbing quite high. Just above us we can see they had freezing rain overnight and it has covered everything. A groundcover, Cutzue, (spelling) covers large areas of the land. It is kind of pretty in the summer but very ugly when it dies off in the fall. It is nearly impossible to get rid of once it gets started. As we come into Athens, Ga. the sun is finally shining. It is so good to not have moisture coming down on us. We are making a “pit-stop” tonight at the Wal-mart in Thomson, Ga. Hope we don’t freeze to death.
We had a good time in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg Tennessee area. There is every kind of shopping imaginable there including 3 outlet malls. Also the typical tourist shops. We saw three “As seen on TV” stores which have all the stuff you see advertised on TV. It is not at all hard to find a place to eat!! They have every kind of food you could possible think of. The shows do not have well know performers but we did see three very good Christmas shows. Two of them had very inspirational productions of the birth of Christ and the awesomeness of our Great God. We did take a drive up into the “Great Smokey Mountains National Park”. We took a few pictures but not of the fall foliage as most of the leaves were gone. There is a road that goes up to “The Dome” which is the highest point in Tennessee but the road was closed for the season and for repairs. Yesterday it was raining when we got up and still raining when we went to bed. So we pretty much stayed at home. We did go out in the evening for a trolley tour to see the Christmas lights. The windows were so fogged over in the trolley car we could not see much. This morning we are on the road again. We were in rain for a short time, then spitting snow. Then we begin to see snow up on the tops of the hills. Now it is spitting snow but not sticking at all. We see some break in the clouds now and then but it is mostly overcast. We are heading for Savannah, Ga. And hoping the weather will be better there. The leaves have mostly fallen from the trees but once in a while we pass an area of trees that are a dark burnt orange color and they sure stand out. It is still snowing off and on, a very fine snow that doesn’t even show up on the ground. We will be glad to see sunshine if that ever happens. Now we are in a mountainous area and climbing quite high. Just above us we can see they had freezing rain overnight and it has covered everything. A groundcover, Cutzue, (spelling) covers large areas of the land. It is kind of pretty in the summer but very ugly when it dies off in the fall. It is nearly impossible to get rid of once it gets started. As we come into Athens, Ga. the sun is finally shining. It is so good to not have moisture coming down on us. We are making a “pit-stop” tonight at the Wal-mart in Thomson, Ga. Hope we don’t freeze to death.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
11-4
We are enjoying the beautiful fall colors here in Tennessee. I wanted each of you to see some of the pictures we have taken. We are also enjoying our time here with our daughter and husband, Jackie and Steve. Tomorrow we are taking them to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg which is very much like the Branson area in Missouri. They do not get out much and we hope they will enjoy it. We plan to be here another week or so and will make a trip in to Knoxville just to see the city and what is there for us to see and enjoy.
We are enjoying the beautiful fall colors here in Tennessee. I wanted each of you to see some of the pictures we have taken. We are also enjoying our time here with our daughter and husband, Jackie and Steve. Tomorrow we are taking them to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg which is very much like the Branson area in Missouri. They do not get out much and we hope they will enjoy it. We plan to be here another week or so and will make a trip in to Knoxville just to see the city and what is there for us to see and enjoy.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
11/2 and 11/3
As I write this we are about 75 miles west of Memphis. We are seeing lots of cotton fields that have recently been cut. The cotton bails are quite large…bigger than a hay bail. They almost look like a covered trailer sitting in the field. We also have seen some rice fields. Most have been cut but we saw something different back a ways and decided that is what it was. The altitude here is less than 100 feet according to our GPS. It is very flat and mostly crop land. We are just west of Memphis now on I 40 and there are actually more big trucks than there are cars. I have never seen it quite like this. We are planning to stay in Memphis for a couple of days. We wanted to revisit Mudd Island River Park but found out when we got to Memphis it is closed for the season….just 2 days ago. The river walk is a permanent outdoor exhibit of the Mississippi River. It is a scale model of the lower Mississippi River from its confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. The model features twenty scale maps of river cities; panels showing the river’s major tributaries; concrete wedges showing smaller tributaries; engineering structures and bridges; and 68 free standing text panels that detail particular locations on the river. At the south end of this exhibit is a swimming pool which is the Gulf of Mexico. We may go to Beale Street for some food and music too. We are staying at T. O. Fuller State Park. It is heavily wooded. On Thursday we went to the “big city” to explore. We started out at an upscale mall, had lunch, and did some shopping for clothes. We each picked out some bargains. Then we did go to Beale Street. We walked up and down to see the sights and to decide where we wanted to eat. We picked a restaurant that also had live music in the evening. The music was to start at 6:00 and it was only 4:30 so we did some more sightseeing. We went to Peabody Palace which has several shops plus several places to eat and a very large movie theatre. It has a center court yard which was quite beautiful. We rested there waiting closer to time to eat. When we went back to the restaurant we were told the music did not start till 7:00. We decided to ride around on the trolley which went by some areas we wanted pictures of so that was nice. Check out this plate of food we ordered: Cajun Feast for Two…. A combination of Shrimp & Crawfish Etouffee, Championship Gumbo, Blackened Catfish, VooDoo Potatoes, VooDoo Chicken and Fried Green Tomatoes. We were there until 7:45 and the music never did start. Bummer. However we did hear some music along the street on our way back to our car. Tomorrow we will be leaving and will stay one night at Walmart before arriving in Morristown, TN where our daughter, Jackie and husband, Steve live.
As I write this we are about 75 miles west of Memphis. We are seeing lots of cotton fields that have recently been cut. The cotton bails are quite large…bigger than a hay bail. They almost look like a covered trailer sitting in the field. We also have seen some rice fields. Most have been cut but we saw something different back a ways and decided that is what it was. The altitude here is less than 100 feet according to our GPS. It is very flat and mostly crop land. We are just west of Memphis now on I 40 and there are actually more big trucks than there are cars. I have never seen it quite like this. We are planning to stay in Memphis for a couple of days. We wanted to revisit Mudd Island River Park but found out when we got to Memphis it is closed for the season….just 2 days ago. The river walk is a permanent outdoor exhibit of the Mississippi River. It is a scale model of the lower Mississippi River from its confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. The model features twenty scale maps of river cities; panels showing the river’s major tributaries; concrete wedges showing smaller tributaries; engineering structures and bridges; and 68 free standing text panels that detail particular locations on the river. At the south end of this exhibit is a swimming pool which is the Gulf of Mexico. We may go to Beale Street for some food and music too. We are staying at T. O. Fuller State Park. It is heavily wooded. On Thursday we went to the “big city” to explore. We started out at an upscale mall, had lunch, and did some shopping for clothes. We each picked out some bargains. Then we did go to Beale Street. We walked up and down to see the sights and to decide where we wanted to eat. We picked a restaurant that also had live music in the evening. The music was to start at 6:00 and it was only 4:30 so we did some more sightseeing. We went to Peabody Palace which has several shops plus several places to eat and a very large movie theatre. It has a center court yard which was quite beautiful. We rested there waiting closer to time to eat. When we went back to the restaurant we were told the music did not start till 7:00. We decided to ride around on the trolley which went by some areas we wanted pictures of so that was nice. Check out this plate of food we ordered: Cajun Feast for Two…. A combination of Shrimp & Crawfish Etouffee, Championship Gumbo, Blackened Catfish, VooDoo Potatoes, VooDoo Chicken and Fried Green Tomatoes. We were there until 7:45 and the music never did start. Bummer. However we did hear some music along the street on our way back to our car. Tomorrow we will be leaving and will stay one night at Walmart before arriving in Morristown, TN where our daughter, Jackie and husband, Steve live.
Monday, October 31, 2005
10/31 & 11/1
We stopped in Oklahoma City to visit with Gene’s brother, Bobby and his wife Dorothy. They both have physical issues and are doing as well as can be expected. It was good to see them again. It was a short visit but we were able to share our travels with them and catch up on news about there kids.
We stopped in Oklahoma City to visit with Gene’s brother, Bobby and his wife Dorothy. They both have physical issues and are doing as well as can be expected. It was good to see them again. It was a short visit but we were able to share our travels with them and catch up on news about there kids.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
10/31/05
We are back on the road again. We were in Manhattan for 7 weeks. As I look back over what we did while there, I see what we did mostly was eat!! We had dinner with several of our friends and our grandson, Jeremiah. Some more than once. It was really good to visit with all of you and made me realize I was somewhat home sick, at least for our friends and family but not the cold/hot weather. Thanks to all of you for your prayers. God is so good. We got our physicals done and both of us are very healthy. We did sell the motorcycle, the little trailer we pulled behind it and our pickup. We are now driving a very nice Honda CR-V. It is in great shape and we now have room for others to ride with us. So, come on, visit us some time. We would love to have you wherever we are. We stayed for a week in Lebo where I, Sue, have a brother. Just 20 miles away in Emporia, I also have a sister. We were able to get together with them as well as my brother John and my brother, Jerry who lives in Wichita. We and our spouses met at Montana Mike’s in Emporia for dinner. It is the first time we have all been together since 2001. Gene has a brother who lives in Jacksonville, Florida who is originally from Melvern, Ks. He and his wife were visiting in Kansas and we were able to meet with them as well as their daughter and grandson at Beto Junction for dinner one evening. Also while here we attended a couple of the Lebo Wolves football games. My brother John and his wife Neva have a son who is a senior playing on the team. He is a starter and quite good. They won both games and are hoping to do well in the playoffs. I believe they have a perfect winning record this year. We are off to Oklahoma City for a couple of days to visit another of Gene’s brothers and family. Looks like we were able to visit most all of our relatives in a very short 10 days. We are excited about getting back “on the road again” and on the way to warmer weather. It is just getting too cold for us.
We are back on the road again. We were in Manhattan for 7 weeks. As I look back over what we did while there, I see what we did mostly was eat!! We had dinner with several of our friends and our grandson, Jeremiah. Some more than once. It was really good to visit with all of you and made me realize I was somewhat home sick, at least for our friends and family but not the cold/hot weather. Thanks to all of you for your prayers. God is so good. We got our physicals done and both of us are very healthy. We did sell the motorcycle, the little trailer we pulled behind it and our pickup. We are now driving a very nice Honda CR-V. It is in great shape and we now have room for others to ride with us. So, come on, visit us some time. We would love to have you wherever we are. We stayed for a week in Lebo where I, Sue, have a brother. Just 20 miles away in Emporia, I also have a sister. We were able to get together with them as well as my brother John and my brother, Jerry who lives in Wichita. We and our spouses met at Montana Mike’s in Emporia for dinner. It is the first time we have all been together since 2001. Gene has a brother who lives in Jacksonville, Florida who is originally from Melvern, Ks. He and his wife were visiting in Kansas and we were able to meet with them as well as their daughter and grandson at Beto Junction for dinner one evening. Also while here we attended a couple of the Lebo Wolves football games. My brother John and his wife Neva have a son who is a senior playing on the team. He is a starter and quite good. They won both games and are hoping to do well in the playoffs. I believe they have a perfect winning record this year. We are off to Oklahoma City for a couple of days to visit another of Gene’s brothers and family. Looks like we were able to visit most all of our relatives in a very short 10 days. We are excited about getting back “on the road again” and on the way to warmer weather. It is just getting too cold for us.
10/31/05
We are back on the road again. We were in Manhattan for 7 weeks. As I look back over what we did while there, I see what we did mostly was eat!! We had dinner with several of our friends and our grandson, Jeremiah. Some more than once. It was really good to visit with all of you and made me realize I was somewhat home sick, at least for our friends and family but not the cold/hot weather. Thanks to all of you for your prayers. God is so good. We got our physicals done and both of us are very healthy. We did sell the motorcycle, the little trailer we pulled behind it and our pickup. We are now driving a very nice Honda CR-V. It is in great shape and we now have room for others to ride with us. So, come on, visit us some time. We would love to have you wherever we are. We stayed for a week in Lebo where I, Sue, have a brother. Just 20 miles away in Emporia, I also have a sister. We were able to get together with them as well as my brother John and my brother, Jerry who lives in Wichita. We and our spouses met at Montana Mike’s in Emporia for dinner. It is the first time we have all been together since 2001. Gene has a brother who lives in Jacksonville, Florida who is originally from Melvern, Ks. He and his wife were visiting in Kansas and we were able to meet with them as well as their daughter and grandson at Beto Junction for dinner one evening. Also while here we attended a couple of the Lebo Wolves football games. My brother John and his wife Neva have a son who is a senior playing on the team. He is a starter and quite good. They won both games and are hoping to do well in the playoffs. I believe they have a perfect winning record this year. We are off to Oklahoma City for a couple of days to visit another of Gene’s brothers and family. Looks like we were able to visit most all of our relatives in a very short 10 days. We are excited about getting back “on the road again” and on the way to warmer weather. It is just getting too cold for us.
We are back on the road again. We were in Manhattan for 7 weeks. As I look back over what we did while there, I see what we did mostly was eat!! We had dinner with several of our friends and our grandson, Jeremiah. Some more than once. It was really good to visit with all of you and made me realize I was somewhat home sick, at least for our friends and family but not the cold/hot weather. Thanks to all of you for your prayers. God is so good. We got our physicals done and both of us are very healthy. We did sell the motorcycle, the little trailer we pulled behind it and our pickup. We are now driving a very nice Honda CR-V. It is in great shape and we now have room for others to ride with us. So, come on, visit us some time. We would love to have you wherever we are. We stayed for a week in Lebo where I, Sue, have a brother. Just 20 miles away in Emporia, I also have a sister. We were able to get together with them as well as my brother John and my brother, Jerry who lives in Wichita. We and our spouses met at Montana Mike’s in Emporia for dinner. It is the first time we have all been together since 2001. Gene has a brother who lives in Jacksonville, Florida who is originally from Melvern, Ks. He and his wife were visiting in Kansas and we were able to meet with them as well as their daughter and grandson at Beto Junction for dinner one evening. Also while here we attended a couple of the Lebo Wolves football games. My brother John and his wife Neva have a son who is a senior playing on the team. He is a starter and quite good. They won both games and are hoping to do well in the playoffs. I believe they have a perfect winning record this year. We are off to Oklahoma City for a couple of days to visit another of Gene’s brothers and family. Looks like we were able to visit most all of our relatives in a very short 10 days. We are excited about getting back “on the road again” and on the way to warmer weather. It is just getting too cold for us.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
9/1
It is cloudy and cool this morning and it rained just a little. As we get close to Salina it is looking clearer and the sun us peaking through. We are staying at Tuttle Creek State Park and will be here for six weeks. We welcome anyone in the area to visit us. You will need to ask at the gate which site we are in as we have to move every 2 weeks. We would love to see you.
It is cloudy and cool this morning and it rained just a little. As we get close to Salina it is looking clearer and the sun us peaking through. We are staying at Tuttle Creek State Park and will be here for six weeks. We welcome anyone in the area to visit us. You will need to ask at the gate which site we are in as we have to move every 2 weeks. We would love to see you.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
8/31
This morning the wind woke us up blowing at 15 to 20 MPH with gusts to 30. Gusts, on the highway, of 40 or more are dangerous for high profile vehicles like motorhomes. So we are hoping it doesn’t get any worse. We are on the road and the dust is blowing. We are heading east towards Wichita and the wind is straight out of the north. The winds were pretty strong for about 100 miles and then seemed to let up. Last fall when we were coming back to Kansas the wind gusts were so strong we had to stop for 5 hours until the wind subsided and it was safe for us to continue. I think Kansas doesn’t like us. We are staying the night at the Walmart parking lot in Newton. We had dinner at Applebee’s with my brother, Jerry. My other brother, John and his wife, Neva, were supposed to join us but had a last minute plan change. After eating we visited with Jerry’s daughter and family. It is so good to see family again.
This morning the wind woke us up blowing at 15 to 20 MPH with gusts to 30. Gusts, on the highway, of 40 or more are dangerous for high profile vehicles like motorhomes. So we are hoping it doesn’t get any worse. We are on the road and the dust is blowing. We are heading east towards Wichita and the wind is straight out of the north. The winds were pretty strong for about 100 miles and then seemed to let up. Last fall when we were coming back to Kansas the wind gusts were so strong we had to stop for 5 hours until the wind subsided and it was safe for us to continue. I think Kansas doesn’t like us. We are staying the night at the Walmart parking lot in Newton. We had dinner at Applebee’s with my brother, Jerry. My other brother, John and his wife, Neva, were supposed to join us but had a last minute plan change. After eating we visited with Jerry’s daughter and family. It is so good to see family again.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
8/30
We are traveling along the flat land through eastern Colorado and on into Kansas. We heard the devastation in New Orleans and other gulf coast cities on TV this morning from Hurricane Katrina. It is very sad. I am praying for those who have yet to be rescued but my prayers won’t stop there. As the day goes along the conditions there seem to be getting worse. May God have mercy… The countryside today is hot and dry…and flat. It looks very much like western Kansas. Oh My? It is western Kansas. We are almost home. We will stay the night at Garden City Walmart. As we pull in we are very hot. We walked around inside Walmart to cool off.
We are traveling along the flat land through eastern Colorado and on into Kansas. We heard the devastation in New Orleans and other gulf coast cities on TV this morning from Hurricane Katrina. It is very sad. I am praying for those who have yet to be rescued but my prayers won’t stop there. As the day goes along the conditions there seem to be getting worse. May God have mercy… The countryside today is hot and dry…and flat. It looks very much like western Kansas. Oh My? It is western Kansas. We are almost home. We will stay the night at Garden City Walmart. As we pull in we are very hot. We walked around inside Walmart to cool off.
Monday, August 29, 2005
8/28 & 8/29
We made our way to Pueblo Lake Reservoir. We are now out of the mountains. Pueblo is a much larger city than I had thought...over 100,000 people. While we were there we took a side trip to Bishop's Castle which is in the San Isabel National Forest. This castle is being built by Jim Bishop, not to live in, but just as a tourist attraction. It is quite a site. He has an on going feud with the law concerning this project. Since it is on private land and he is not charging anything they really can not do anything. If you are ever in this area, it is well worth the trip to see it. For more information about the castle and more pictures go to:
http://www.moosh.net/mark/castle/ We had a great time with Kaley. She will be 5 in October and will start pre-school in a couple of weeks. She is very excited. We bought her some school clothes and spent time reading books we had bought for her. She seems to be ready for school. Kaley’s mother has 3 other little kids so she has her hands full. But she is doing a great job, very patient and loving to all of them.
We made our way to Pueblo Lake Reservoir. We are now out of the mountains. Pueblo is a much larger city than I had thought...over 100,000 people. While we were there we took a side trip to Bishop's Castle which is in the San Isabel National Forest. This castle is being built by Jim Bishop, not to live in, but just as a tourist attraction. It is quite a site. He has an on going feud with the law concerning this project. Since it is on private land and he is not charging anything they really can not do anything. If you are ever in this area, it is well worth the trip to see it. For more information about the castle and more pictures go to:
http://www.moosh.net/mark/castle/ We had a great time with Kaley. She will be 5 in October and will start pre-school in a couple of weeks. She is very excited. We bought her some school clothes and spent time reading books we had bought for her. She seems to be ready for school. Kaley’s mother has 3 other little kids so she has her hands full. But she is doing a great job, very patient and loving to all of them.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
8/21 to 8/27
We arrived on Sunday at Mountaindale Campground just west of Colorado Springs, Co in the foot hills of the Rockies. We will stay here a week. The Springs, as the city is called, is a big city but easy to get around in. We, of course, spent time at Walmart shopping and the mall. They actually have 2 malls, one on the north side and one on the south. On Tuesday we drove clear to the north side of town to get the passenger windshield, which got broke in Canada, replaced. They also fixed the chips on the drivers side. We can still see those chips but they are much less noticible than before. We took a side trip in the truck to the Cripple Creek area which is an old gold mine town from the 1800’s. The first time we were here was in 1967 and was the first vacation we ever took. We really didn’t have much money and probably shouldn’t have even taken a vacation but we had fun. That time we stayed at the Imperial Hotel in Cripple Creek. As I remember, the only place to eat in the little town was an expensive buffet at the hotel restaurant. It was late by then, the food was cold and the only meat left was very dried up chicken wings. It seemed like everything was flavored with nutmeg. It is a memory. Now the town is lined on both sides of the main street with casinos. The few gift shops they had are fronts for the casinos. In 1996, with the price of gold rising, mining resumed in the area. The surface mine, CC & V, is located between Cripple Creek and Victor. It is quite large. Information about it can be found at:
http://www.cripple-creek.co.us/gold.html We drove the Phantom Canyon Road back to the Springs. It s a gravel road and has some spectacular views. We found the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo starts on Friday. Since we are planning to stay in Pueblo Sunday and Monday nights we decided we should make sure we could find a campground to stay in. So we drove to Pueblo, about an hour’s drive from our campground, on Saturday to check it out. We will have no problem finding a spot. While in Pueblo we stopped to see our great granddaughter, Kaley, for a short time. It is to spend time with her that we are staying in Pueblo.
We arrived on Sunday at Mountaindale Campground just west of Colorado Springs, Co in the foot hills of the Rockies. We will stay here a week. The Springs, as the city is called, is a big city but easy to get around in. We, of course, spent time at Walmart shopping and the mall. They actually have 2 malls, one on the north side and one on the south. On Tuesday we drove clear to the north side of town to get the passenger windshield, which got broke in Canada, replaced. They also fixed the chips on the drivers side. We can still see those chips but they are much less noticible than before. We took a side trip in the truck to the Cripple Creek area which is an old gold mine town from the 1800’s. The first time we were here was in 1967 and was the first vacation we ever took. We really didn’t have much money and probably shouldn’t have even taken a vacation but we had fun. That time we stayed at the Imperial Hotel in Cripple Creek. As I remember, the only place to eat in the little town was an expensive buffet at the hotel restaurant. It was late by then, the food was cold and the only meat left was very dried up chicken wings. It seemed like everything was flavored with nutmeg. It is a memory. Now the town is lined on both sides of the main street with casinos. The few gift shops they had are fronts for the casinos. In 1996, with the price of gold rising, mining resumed in the area. The surface mine, CC & V, is located between Cripple Creek and Victor. It is quite large. Information about it can be found at:
http://www.cripple-creek.co.us/gold.html We drove the Phantom Canyon Road back to the Springs. It s a gravel road and has some spectacular views. We found the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo starts on Friday. Since we are planning to stay in Pueblo Sunday and Monday nights we decided we should make sure we could find a campground to stay in. So we drove to Pueblo, about an hour’s drive from our campground, on Saturday to check it out. We will have no problem finding a spot. While in Pueblo we stopped to see our great granddaughter, Kaley, for a short time. It is to spend time with her that we are staying in Pueblo.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
8/20
As we cross the border into Colorado we can see the amazing Colorado Rockies in the distance. Ft. Collins, where we hope to stay at Walmart, is less than an hour away. We were held up on the highway for about an hour due to an accident. There were 3 lines of traffic. As we passed by the scene we could see a small car had collided with a semi. Ouch!! We pulled in to Walmart at about 3:30 and found there were many RV’s already there. We found a place just right for us. During the rest of the day several more arrived. It was almost like a campground. On our evening walk we found a girls softball game being played so we watched it.
As we cross the border into Colorado we can see the amazing Colorado Rockies in the distance. Ft. Collins, where we hope to stay at Walmart, is less than an hour away. We were held up on the highway for about an hour due to an accident. There were 3 lines of traffic. As we passed by the scene we could see a small car had collided with a semi. Ouch!! We pulled in to Walmart at about 3:30 and found there were many RV’s already there. We found a place just right for us. During the rest of the day several more arrived. It was almost like a campground. On our evening walk we found a girls softball game being played so we watched it.
Friday, August 19, 2005
8/17 to 8/19
It is cloudy as we leave this morning and a few sprinkles on the windshield. It never did actually rain. This stretch of highway, about 300 miles, is really boring. Every mile looks like the last. We arrived in Cheyenne at about 3 pm. We are staying at the Greenway Trailer and RV Campground. This is on the east side of Cheyenne and close to Walmart and a shopping mall. We went to the Visitors Center to find out what there might be to do or see here. There really isn’t much other than museums which don’t interest us much anymore. We have decided to cut back on our slat intake so we shopped for food that ar net high in salt. Everything good is either high in salt, sugar or fat. Sooo MODERATION is the key. Close to the mall was a nice park that had a walking/bike trail that went way beyond the park. It was a great place to walk. We also walked around the mall looking for summer clothes bargains but didn’t find much. Basically we didn’t do much in Cheyenne. Cheyenne has a number of Cowboy Boot Statues around their city. These are a fund raiser for the city as were the buffalo we saw in Great Falls and the horses in Billings. It is our understanding several cities are doing this. The city furnishes the statue and citizens paint the statue and give it an appropiate name. Then at a later date they are auctioned off to the highest bidder.
It is cloudy as we leave this morning and a few sprinkles on the windshield. It never did actually rain. This stretch of highway, about 300 miles, is really boring. Every mile looks like the last. We arrived in Cheyenne at about 3 pm. We are staying at the Greenway Trailer and RV Campground. This is on the east side of Cheyenne and close to Walmart and a shopping mall. We went to the Visitors Center to find out what there might be to do or see here. There really isn’t much other than museums which don’t interest us much anymore. We have decided to cut back on our slat intake so we shopped for food that ar net high in salt. Everything good is either high in salt, sugar or fat. Sooo MODERATION is the key. Close to the mall was a nice park that had a walking/bike trail that went way beyond the park. It was a great place to walk. We also walked around the mall looking for summer clothes bargains but didn’t find much. Basically we didn’t do much in Cheyenne. Cheyenne has a number of Cowboy Boot Statues around their city. These are a fund raiser for the city as were the buffalo we saw in Great Falls and the horses in Billings. It is our understanding several cities are doing this. The city furnishes the statue and citizens paint the statue and give it an appropiate name. Then at a later date they are auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
8/13 – 8/16
We are back on the road again. A cold front pushed through here last night and the temperature this morning is 45 degrees. They did not have much rain here in July and so far in August so the countryside is beginning to dry up. The terrain is small rolling hills and not really useable for farming or grazing. In other words its “boring”. We are planning to stay at Kaycee, Wyoming for 4 days. It is one of the parks we can stay at for ½ price. It is a small town, 200 people, so not much to do but it is economical. We took a side trip to the areas around the Hole in the Wall and Outlaw Cave where Butch Cassidy and his outlaws hung out.This web site, http://www.willowcreekranch.com/hole.html, gives some good information and pictures of the area. It is actually on private property. You cannot get close to it without a tour guide which costs $85 per person. I am not sure many people choose to take the tour. The area was beautiful and the canyon where the cave is was awesome. Kaycee has a small museum with interesting old stuff and the lady there really knew the history of the area.
We are back on the road again. A cold front pushed through here last night and the temperature this morning is 45 degrees. They did not have much rain here in July and so far in August so the countryside is beginning to dry up. The terrain is small rolling hills and not really useable for farming or grazing. In other words its “boring”. We are planning to stay at Kaycee, Wyoming for 4 days. It is one of the parks we can stay at for ½ price. It is a small town, 200 people, so not much to do but it is economical. We took a side trip to the areas around the Hole in the Wall and Outlaw Cave where Butch Cassidy and his outlaws hung out.This web site, http://www.willowcreekranch.com/hole.html, gives some good information and pictures of the area. It is actually on private property. You cannot get close to it without a tour guide which costs $85 per person. I am not sure many people choose to take the tour. The area was beautiful and the canyon where the cave is was awesome. Kaycee has a small museum with interesting old stuff and the lady there really knew the history of the area.
Friday, August 12, 2005
8/11 & 8/12
We are heading to Buffalo which is only 32 miles away. We are in an area of rolling hills sort of like the flint hills only much higher and with the Bighorn Mountains to the west. The clouds are hanging down over them. It is a great view. We are beginning to back track on highways we were on last summer. Since leaving Kansas in June of 2004 we have been in 21 states, 3 provinces in Canada and crossed the border in Mexico three times. We have gone a little over 15 thousand miles in the motor home, 12 thousand miles on the pickup and around 7 thousand on the motorcycles. We praise God daily for our safety. As we get close to Buffalo we are in an area that was some of our favorite rides last summer. We are staying 2 nights in the same campground we stayed in last year, Bighorn Mountain Campground. One thing we didn’t get to do last year when in this area was to go to Crazy Woman Canyon. It is on a very rough gravel/rock road and not suitable for a motorcycle. So we took the pickup and saw a spectacular and unique area. It is 5 miles long and down hill all the way with a beautiful creek running all along. Towards the bottom the canyon was very narrow. When the canyon was formed gigantic boulders, some as big as houses, rolled onto the canyon floor. Some were balanced on small ones. The colors in the rocks were many and beautiful to see. It was a magnificent view and quite different from any area we have been in. This web address:
http://www.travel-to-wyoming.com/buffalo/crazy_woman_creek.htm give some of the information on how this canyon got its name.
We are heading to Buffalo which is only 32 miles away. We are in an area of rolling hills sort of like the flint hills only much higher and with the Bighorn Mountains to the west. The clouds are hanging down over them. It is a great view. We are beginning to back track on highways we were on last summer. Since leaving Kansas in June of 2004 we have been in 21 states, 3 provinces in Canada and crossed the border in Mexico three times. We have gone a little over 15 thousand miles in the motor home, 12 thousand miles on the pickup and around 7 thousand on the motorcycles. We praise God daily for our safety. As we get close to Buffalo we are in an area that was some of our favorite rides last summer. We are staying 2 nights in the same campground we stayed in last year, Bighorn Mountain Campground. One thing we didn’t get to do last year when in this area was to go to Crazy Woman Canyon. It is on a very rough gravel/rock road and not suitable for a motorcycle. So we took the pickup and saw a spectacular and unique area. It is 5 miles long and down hill all the way with a beautiful creek running all along. Towards the bottom the canyon was very narrow. When the canyon was formed gigantic boulders, some as big as houses, rolled onto the canyon floor. Some were balanced on small ones. The colors in the rocks were many and beautiful to see. It was a magnificent view and quite different from any area we have been in. This web address:
http://www.travel-to-wyoming.com/buffalo/crazy_woman_creek.htm give some of the information on how this canyon got its name.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
8/10
We are on our way this morning to Sheridan Wyoming. We will stay there tonight at the Walmart. We stayed in Sheridan last at a campground and paid the most we have ever paid -- even when we were in Canada and Alaska and with a lot less services. We are passing through a big Indian Reservation. Whenever we are in a reservation we see a lot of poverty. The Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument is here. This is where Custer was killed in that battle. We can see the Bighorn Mountains to our west. We rode through them last year and they are awesome, especially the Bighorn Canyon. We will not be going through them today. We parked at the Sheridan Walmart and then walked around the shops downtown. As usual we bought nothing but we did spend our share at Walmart stocking up.
We are on our way this morning to Sheridan Wyoming. We will stay there tonight at the Walmart. We stayed in Sheridan last at a campground and paid the most we have ever paid -- even when we were in Canada and Alaska and with a lot less services. We are passing through a big Indian Reservation. Whenever we are in a reservation we see a lot of poverty. The Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument is here. This is where Custer was killed in that battle. We can see the Bighorn Mountains to our west. We rode through them last year and they are awesome, especially the Bighorn Canyon. We will not be going through them today. We parked at the Sheridan Walmart and then walked around the shops downtown. As usual we bought nothing but we did spend our share at Walmart stocking up.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
8/3 to 8/9
We are on I 90 heading to a small town near Billings. The countryside is quite interesting and beautiful. The rolling hills are very colorful. The farmers grow crops on any areas possible, and because of little rainfall, they have to irrigate everything. So the fields are very green and the rest is many earth tone colors. There are foot hills to the north that are spotted with trees and in the distance a tall mountain range. The sky is dotted with big puffy clouds. Isn’t God good?!! Amen. Just out of Bozeman, we bare now heading into the mountains through a narrow canyon with awesome rock formations. The canyon has now widened out into a gorgeous area with crops, including corn and wheat, in the flat lands and houses dotted along the mountain side. The vehicles on this interstate highway seem to be mostly RV’s and big trucks. We are straight north of the Bear Tooth Mountain range in Wyoming which was some of our favorite rides last summer. We are staying at Laurel, MT in the city park campground. It is shady and very nice. We hope to be able to stay here a week. We want to take a side trip to Red Lodge. Also hope to get the windshield replaced while in Billings. Billings is only about 20 miles east of here.
The first day here we went to Billings to stock up on groceries and supplies at Walmart. There doesn’t seem to be much tourist places here for us to visit. Billings has a number of Horse Statues around their city. These are a fund raiser for the city as were the buffalo we saw in Great Falls. It is our understanding several cities are doing this. The city furnishes the statue and citizens paint the statue and give it an appropiate name. Then at a later date they are auctioned off to the highest bidder. We did drive south to Red Lodge. We took a few pictures on the way to Red Lodge and then some of a coal mine which was working until the 1950’s. When we got home I copied the pictures to the computer and deleted them from the camera. Then I shut down the computer program before saving it so those pictures are gone, gone, GONE. I have enclosed a wed site with info about the coal mine as well as Red Lodge. http://www.redlodge.com/visitors/categories.asp?catID=VIS02 The town, Bearcreek nearly became a ghost town after the fire but now is finding new life as a bedroom community for the growing city of Red Lodge. We did get our mail here the morning we left but we did not make contact with the insurance company soon enough to get the windshield replaced while here. Arrangements were made for us to do that while we are in Colorado Springs.
We are on I 90 heading to a small town near Billings. The countryside is quite interesting and beautiful. The rolling hills are very colorful. The farmers grow crops on any areas possible, and because of little rainfall, they have to irrigate everything. So the fields are very green and the rest is many earth tone colors. There are foot hills to the north that are spotted with trees and in the distance a tall mountain range. The sky is dotted with big puffy clouds. Isn’t God good?!! Amen. Just out of Bozeman, we bare now heading into the mountains through a narrow canyon with awesome rock formations. The canyon has now widened out into a gorgeous area with crops, including corn and wheat, in the flat lands and houses dotted along the mountain side. The vehicles on this interstate highway seem to be mostly RV’s and big trucks. We are straight north of the Bear Tooth Mountain range in Wyoming which was some of our favorite rides last summer. We are staying at Laurel, MT in the city park campground. It is shady and very nice. We hope to be able to stay here a week. We want to take a side trip to Red Lodge. Also hope to get the windshield replaced while in Billings. Billings is only about 20 miles east of here.
The first day here we went to Billings to stock up on groceries and supplies at Walmart. There doesn’t seem to be much tourist places here for us to visit. Billings has a number of Horse Statues around their city. These are a fund raiser for the city as were the buffalo we saw in Great Falls. It is our understanding several cities are doing this. The city furnishes the statue and citizens paint the statue and give it an appropiate name. Then at a later date they are auctioned off to the highest bidder. We did drive south to Red Lodge. We took a few pictures on the way to Red Lodge and then some of a coal mine which was working until the 1950’s. When we got home I copied the pictures to the computer and deleted them from the camera. Then I shut down the computer program before saving it so those pictures are gone, gone, GONE. I have enclosed a wed site with info about the coal mine as well as Red Lodge. http://www.redlodge.com/visitors/categories.asp?catID=VIS02 The town, Bearcreek nearly became a ghost town after the fire but now is finding new life as a bedroom community for the growing city of Red Lodge. We did get our mail here the morning we left but we did not make contact with the insurance company soon enough to get the windshield replaced while here. Arrangements were made for us to do that while we are in Colorado Springs.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
8/1 & 8/2
We stayed at Lewis and Clark Cavern State Park near Three Rivers, MT. with plans to take a side trip to Virginia City. One of United States’ richest placer mining camps once lured people to Virginia City. From 1863 to 1865, at the height of the Civil War, more than $30 million in gold was washed out of the rich gravel of Alder Gulch. When the placer mining slowed down they began to use a dredge to remove the gold. Charles and Sue Bovey found the town in the dark days of the 1940’s, after President Franklin Roosevelt declared mining to be a non-essential industry during wartime. The last scoop of the ore had been removed from Alder Gulch. Only 400 people were left in town. The Bovey’s struggled to preserve what was left of the town. They used their own money to buy and restore property after property. They rebuilt the town with a combination of past and present with the past being 100 % authentic. In the days of decline of the town, the business owners skipped town leaving their merchandise on the shelves. This merchandise is now on display in some of the old buildings that are set up like individual museums. There are displays of groceries and medicines, patented, and guaranteed to cure blacksmith shops, dry goods and general merchandise. The buildings still look like 1800’s but now, besides the museums, are gift shops, restaurants and even a bank and post office. They have an ice cream shop which makes their own ice cream in a unique way. At the Opera House they have live shows 2 times a day. In 1997 the Bovey’s son convinced the State of Montana to buy the properties and to set aside moneys to further restoration. We enjoyed the campground and the cool weather we had while at the State Park.
We stayed at Lewis and Clark Cavern State Park near Three Rivers, MT. with plans to take a side trip to Virginia City. One of United States’ richest placer mining camps once lured people to Virginia City. From 1863 to 1865, at the height of the Civil War, more than $30 million in gold was washed out of the rich gravel of Alder Gulch. When the placer mining slowed down they began to use a dredge to remove the gold. Charles and Sue Bovey found the town in the dark days of the 1940’s, after President Franklin Roosevelt declared mining to be a non-essential industry during wartime. The last scoop of the ore had been removed from Alder Gulch. Only 400 people were left in town. The Bovey’s struggled to preserve what was left of the town. They used their own money to buy and restore property after property. They rebuilt the town with a combination of past and present with the past being 100 % authentic. In the days of decline of the town, the business owners skipped town leaving their merchandise on the shelves. This merchandise is now on display in some of the old buildings that are set up like individual museums. There are displays of groceries and medicines, patented, and guaranteed to cure blacksmith shops, dry goods and general merchandise. The buildings still look like 1800’s but now, besides the museums, are gift shops, restaurants and even a bank and post office. They have an ice cream shop which makes their own ice cream in a unique way. At the Opera House they have live shows 2 times a day. In 1997 the Bovey’s son convinced the State of Montana to buy the properties and to set aside moneys to further restoration. We enjoyed the campground and the cool weather we had while at the State Park.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
7/28 to 7/31
We are on Highway 89 which passes through the Lewis and Clark National Forest. We stopped to take pictures of the Sleuse Box Canyon which gets its name from a silver mine down the canyon. A sleuse box was used to get the silver out of the ore. It is a very pretty valley. We later passed through the two small towns where the silver was mined. We could see some of the abandoned mines. They, unlike many mining towns, are surviving and seem to have new residents. It is quite a ways to a city of any size for shopping. We have to wonder what the people living here do and why they would even want to live here. We have seen a couple of ski resorts, one named Showdown Ski Resort. We are staying in White Sulphur Springs for a few days. We will get our mail here. The springs here are located inside a motel!!! We took a side trip on a gravel road which went into the Lewis and Clark National Forest. It was a single lane road most of the way and quite bumpy. Our destination was an old abandoned silver mining town 19 miles away. It was a beautiful and interesting drive. Much of the time the road ran through private property and we were instructed to stay on the road. We did not see any wildlife but lots of wildflowers. It was a fun trip. We had WiFi while at this campground so I was able to almost get caught up on “Our Travels We moved our RV to a spot at a motel for two more days in this little burg. We saw a beautiful Montana Sunset. We went to an old Victorian home that is now open for tours. It was built around the turn of the century by a mine owner. It was quite extravagant in its day. We also took a side trip back to the silver mine area we had passed through on Thursday. We thought there might be some points of interest there but saw very little. We did see the remains of an old mine shaft. Along the way we saw an area where beaver had built several dams and lodges. We have done much reading and resting and ready to hit the road again tomorrow.
We are on Highway 89 which passes through the Lewis and Clark National Forest. We stopped to take pictures of the Sleuse Box Canyon which gets its name from a silver mine down the canyon. A sleuse box was used to get the silver out of the ore. It is a very pretty valley. We later passed through the two small towns where the silver was mined. We could see some of the abandoned mines. They, unlike many mining towns, are surviving and seem to have new residents. It is quite a ways to a city of any size for shopping. We have to wonder what the people living here do and why they would even want to live here. We have seen a couple of ski resorts, one named Showdown Ski Resort. We are staying in White Sulphur Springs for a few days. We will get our mail here. The springs here are located inside a motel!!! We took a side trip on a gravel road which went into the Lewis and Clark National Forest. It was a single lane road most of the way and quite bumpy. Our destination was an old abandoned silver mining town 19 miles away. It was a beautiful and interesting drive. Much of the time the road ran through private property and we were instructed to stay on the road. We did not see any wildlife but lots of wildflowers. It was a fun trip. We had WiFi while at this campground so I was able to almost get caught up on “Our Travels We moved our RV to a spot at a motel for two more days in this little burg. We saw a beautiful Montana Sunset. We went to an old Victorian home that is now open for tours. It was built around the turn of the century by a mine owner. It was quite extravagant in its day. We also took a side trip back to the silver mine area we had passed through on Thursday. We thought there might be some points of interest there but saw very little. We did see the remains of an old mine shaft. Along the way we saw an area where beaver had built several dams and lodges. We have done much reading and resting and ready to hit the road again tomorrow.
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