Sept -5
Cancelled our boat ride and hike this morning do to my allergies really acting up and not being able to sleep the last two nights. We drove up to Canada instead and visited Glacier-Waterton Peace Park and nice little trip. We ate our lunch there – ice cream, yum! On the way back across the boarder we got busted. They took our kiwi, and avocado. They let us keep our, way too old peach. Seem that if it has a stone it okay to transport across the broader. Going in to Canada they didn’t seem to care about such things . We got back to Glacier in time to take the shuttle up to Logan Pass. Jerry did a short hike to Hidden Lake. I stayed back and took some pictures. Seems that Big Horn Sheep like to visit the parking lot there. Sure enough. One showed up and after walked around the lot for a while people took pictures – he seemed to be posing. We took the very last shuttle of the season back down.
Sept 6
Happy Anniversary to us – 36 years. Wow. We broke up camp and headed out of Glacier today and drove towards Yellowstone. The landscape here is totally awesome! Spent the night in a Super 8 – big spenders - and will end up at Yellowstone later today – That’s the plan. Going back to the world of scarce cell phone and internet coverage. Ah, the beauty of it all.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Red, Red Wine...
Actually it was a glass of white wine, but that is not the way the song goes, we had while watching a moose feed in a lake, while the sun set over one of the, oh, so many mountains around here. What a wonder-filled day. But first let me try to play catch up.
August 31
Slept well after all. Got up with the sun to take a ride along the Wildlife Loop Road. Saw some pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs. No sooner than I made the statement about it apparently being the wrong time of day to see buffalo, we rounded a bend and ended up in the middle of a herd of about 60 of them. How neat! We sat there for about an hour just pretending to be one of the gang. After finishing the loop we returned to our campsite only to find out that a single bull buffalo had visited our campsite. The couple next to us had some amazing pictures – our picnic table and the buffalo. Apparently her rested there for about ½ hour before he left. He did however leave us a little gift, a buffalo ‘pie’ right by our picnic table. A little bit later we looked at the google map[ directions for Glacier. Our goal was to arrive there on Thursday before the holiday rush. Total driving time, which we hadn’t looked at before was 13 hours. Oh, Good Grief, we just drove 13 hours on Sunday and didn’t want to do it again. Let’s take off and get some hours in on Wednesday. So we broke camp at about 1:30 p.m. and hit the road. Some hours later we came into Billings MT. We had intended to camp there but both campgrounds in town wanted $30. For a tent site. All we needed was a 9x9 piece of ground and maybe to flush the toilet maybe four times between the two of us. $30. No, Way. So we drove on, and on, and, on. The roads out here are long and lonely at night, and dark. In one spot we saw a bunch of blinking red lights ahead of us, not on the road but in the sky. Jerry brought up the image of Twilight Zone. Just what I needed. They grew closer and closer but we couldn’t make out just what they could be. Finally, a flash of lightening in the background revealed a windmill farm. How cool. So here we are in the middle of nowhere looking for a campground that did not exist. I was doing okay until Jerry said that maybe we should call the kids and let them know where we were. Well it was about 9:00 our time making it midnight their time and besides we didn’t know where we were. We headed for a place called Louistown, MT. Just before we hit town we spied a rest area with a sign that said that overnight RVs welcome, no charge. They didn’t say no tents so in the pitch dark we put up the tent in the shadow of our van. A little later we realized that we were at the end of the local airport runway. The plane taking off at 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. was our first cue. Actually we slept well and broke came before dawn to continue our journey to Glacier.
Sept 1 – I think
So we got up before dawn and drove the rest of the way to Glacier. Think that getting there on Thursday would land us a campsite before the holiday weekend crowd arrived. We pulled up to the entrance booth about 3:30. Used my trusty little senior citizen pass to get us in free. On the way back to the campground we saw a bear cross the road in front of us and a moose feeding in the lake. Concerned about finding a site we didn’t stop to take in the sites. That turned out to be a wise move since there were only a few sites left by the time we got there. The evening was cold and windy. So much so that we ate in the café. We’re trying not to do that too much but please don’t keep tract of the times that we do.
Sept 2
The Wind was really strong during the night – really strong and loud. But we slept through most of it. In the morning we took an eight hour Red Bus Tour over Logan Pass to McDonald Lake on the other side of the park. The weather was – well just about everything. There was a chill in the air in the morning, too much of one to have the top pulled back on the bus. By the time we got to Logan Pass we had sleet, snow and about ½ inch of ice on the road. This was not a road for wimps and I’m so thankful someone else was driving. By the time we were about ¾ back to the Many Glacier area the driver decided that he just had to pull back the top. It was cold but the sun eventually came out and the view was indescribable. Just WOW! When we got back to the lodge where we had boarded we say with a drink and watch the sun sink from the mountains. Thus, the red, red wine.
Sept 3 – Saturday
We were up to the lodge to watch the sunrise. The sun dancing with the mountains to a score all their own. A bald eagle must have heard the music and joined in. He flew no more that 20 ft. from us. We ate a great breakfast of sweet potatoes pancakes back at the camp site. They were not as good as what Clair makes but there were good. We headed over to the Two Medicine part of the park. There we took a boat ride across the lake and a boat captain lead hike up to Twin Falls. The walk was good but not enjoyable. The guy leading it had a stride longer than Jerry’s or Jay’s. It was an effort for most everyone to keep up. The falls were beautiful, as is everything in this park. After the boat docked we stopped and walked back to Hidden Falls. A unique falls since it came out from underground. We then continued on to East Glacier to see the lodge there. The lodges in this park are something else. So grand and ornate. We ate at the Whistle Stop café and then headed back to campsite sweet campsite. I was beat and hit the sleeping bag early.
Sept. 4
Up a little after dawn. Our campsite is shaded so it’s hard to get warm in the mornings. Tried to do an all day boat ride and ranger lead hike to a glacier but they were all sold out. We bought tickets for Monday’s trip. Then hiked up to Rock Lake and Falls. It was a good walk and when we remembered to look up from the trail there were times when we saw Mountain Goats way up there on the mountain side. How do they do that? Jerry did a hike on his own in the afternoon while I did the laundry. We were both happy. How long can you wear clothes until they get so dirty they become socially unacceptable? Remember we are campers so the bar is lowered.
Laundry is expensive in the park but Oh well!
You may get the idea that internet coverage is almost nonexistant where we are. Along with phone coverage you are right.
August 31
Slept well after all. Got up with the sun to take a ride along the Wildlife Loop Road. Saw some pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs. No sooner than I made the statement about it apparently being the wrong time of day to see buffalo, we rounded a bend and ended up in the middle of a herd of about 60 of them. How neat! We sat there for about an hour just pretending to be one of the gang. After finishing the loop we returned to our campsite only to find out that a single bull buffalo had visited our campsite. The couple next to us had some amazing pictures – our picnic table and the buffalo. Apparently her rested there for about ½ hour before he left. He did however leave us a little gift, a buffalo ‘pie’ right by our picnic table. A little bit later we looked at the google map[ directions for Glacier. Our goal was to arrive there on Thursday before the holiday rush. Total driving time, which we hadn’t looked at before was 13 hours. Oh, Good Grief, we just drove 13 hours on Sunday and didn’t want to do it again. Let’s take off and get some hours in on Wednesday. So we broke camp at about 1:30 p.m. and hit the road. Some hours later we came into Billings MT. We had intended to camp there but both campgrounds in town wanted $30. For a tent site. All we needed was a 9x9 piece of ground and maybe to flush the toilet maybe four times between the two of us. $30. No, Way. So we drove on, and on, and, on. The roads out here are long and lonely at night, and dark. In one spot we saw a bunch of blinking red lights ahead of us, not on the road but in the sky. Jerry brought up the image of Twilight Zone. Just what I needed. They grew closer and closer but we couldn’t make out just what they could be. Finally, a flash of lightening in the background revealed a windmill farm. How cool. So here we are in the middle of nowhere looking for a campground that did not exist. I was doing okay until Jerry said that maybe we should call the kids and let them know where we were. Well it was about 9:00 our time making it midnight their time and besides we didn’t know where we were. We headed for a place called Louistown, MT. Just before we hit town we spied a rest area with a sign that said that overnight RVs welcome, no charge. They didn’t say no tents so in the pitch dark we put up the tent in the shadow of our van. A little later we realized that we were at the end of the local airport runway. The plane taking off at 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. was our first cue. Actually we slept well and broke came before dawn to continue our journey to Glacier.
Sept 1 – I think
So we got up before dawn and drove the rest of the way to Glacier. Think that getting there on Thursday would land us a campsite before the holiday weekend crowd arrived. We pulled up to the entrance booth about 3:30. Used my trusty little senior citizen pass to get us in free. On the way back to the campground we saw a bear cross the road in front of us and a moose feeding in the lake. Concerned about finding a site we didn’t stop to take in the sites. That turned out to be a wise move since there were only a few sites left by the time we got there. The evening was cold and windy. So much so that we ate in the café. We’re trying not to do that too much but please don’t keep tract of the times that we do.
Sept 2
The Wind was really strong during the night – really strong and loud. But we slept through most of it. In the morning we took an eight hour Red Bus Tour over Logan Pass to McDonald Lake on the other side of the park. The weather was – well just about everything. There was a chill in the air in the morning, too much of one to have the top pulled back on the bus. By the time we got to Logan Pass we had sleet, snow and about ½ inch of ice on the road. This was not a road for wimps and I’m so thankful someone else was driving. By the time we were about ¾ back to the Many Glacier area the driver decided that he just had to pull back the top. It was cold but the sun eventually came out and the view was indescribable. Just WOW! When we got back to the lodge where we had boarded we say with a drink and watch the sun sink from the mountains. Thus, the red, red wine.
Sept 3 – Saturday
We were up to the lodge to watch the sunrise. The sun dancing with the mountains to a score all their own. A bald eagle must have heard the music and joined in. He flew no more that 20 ft. from us. We ate a great breakfast of sweet potatoes pancakes back at the camp site. They were not as good as what Clair makes but there were good. We headed over to the Two Medicine part of the park. There we took a boat ride across the lake and a boat captain lead hike up to Twin Falls. The walk was good but not enjoyable. The guy leading it had a stride longer than Jerry’s or Jay’s. It was an effort for most everyone to keep up. The falls were beautiful, as is everything in this park. After the boat docked we stopped and walked back to Hidden Falls. A unique falls since it came out from underground. We then continued on to East Glacier to see the lodge there. The lodges in this park are something else. So grand and ornate. We ate at the Whistle Stop café and then headed back to campsite sweet campsite. I was beat and hit the sleeping bag early.
Sept. 4
Up a little after dawn. Our campsite is shaded so it’s hard to get warm in the mornings. Tried to do an all day boat ride and ranger lead hike to a glacier but they were all sold out. We bought tickets for Monday’s trip. Then hiked up to Rock Lake and Falls. It was a good walk and when we remembered to look up from the trail there were times when we saw Mountain Goats way up there on the mountain side. How do they do that? Jerry did a hike on his own in the afternoon while I did the laundry. We were both happy. How long can you wear clothes until they get so dirty they become socially unacceptable? Remember we are campers so the bar is lowered.
Laundry is expensive in the park but Oh well!
You may get the idea that internet coverage is almost nonexistant where we are. Along with phone coverage you are right.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
ROAD TRIP
August 25
ROAD TRIP vs. road trip
Our Road Trip was delayed a week due to a medical issue. This time it was my turn and not Jerry’s arm. Nothing major just a nuisance. So for Jerry’s birthday we decided to take a day trip. We headed to Yellow Springs OH. A place we have heard about for a long time but never had the opportunity to visit. The ride up was a long one, mostly back roads. We had a nifty little book that directed us to a Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs. That was our first stop. We stopped in at the bookstore to ask about the trails. The lady recommended one that lead down to the yellow spring – what an idea. Except part of the trail was closed and we had to back track. Oh, no, a Von Handorf going back the way they came! After the hike we headed in to town in search of some lunch. Town consisted of a lot of little shops, just like any trail town. We ate at Peaches Grille and then headed back home. It was good to get away for a day road trip.
August 28 – ROAD TRIP
Headed out of Dodge, aka Covington, about 6:45. We were aiming for 5:00 but someone had a late night out with his brothers and decided to ‘sleep in’ until 5:30. By the time we gassed up and got someone’s coffee and donuts it was about 6:45. We took the road more traveled and passed through OH, IN, IL, IA. The end of the 13 hour drive found us in western IA. In looking for a place to pitch our tent we discovered that most of the state parks in that area were still closed due to the flooding of a couple months ago. The road we were on was still sand bagged in places. The fields were still under water. We finally found Lewis and Clark State Park which has just opened three weeks ago. Still a major part of the campground was closed because of water in the sites. The campground was next to a lake full of water lilies (?). Sleeping was good but the best part was waking up at night and going out to see the stars, and the stars, and the stars. Hadn’t seen the Milky Way in a long time. How wonder-full. It was a good place to be even if we were in only little tent in RV City.
August 28 – Quickly we crossed over in to ND. Took a little jaunt to Sioux Falls. Another beautiful spot. I even went up on the observation tower, folks! A lot of water, a lot of falls, a good place to stretch our legs after becoming one with the van. We ended up in The Badland National Park for the night. We drove through a little rain late evening but resisted the temptation to spend the night in a motel. The sleep was again good. Many stars early on interrupted by a shower and a little thunder. This morning the stars were back. I woke up the guy in my tent and talked him in to getting up and going somewhere to watch the sunrise. If you never been to the Badlands put it on you Bucket List. It is indescribable. The sun coming up over the pinnacles was magnificent. After breakfast we took in two ranger talks. Anyone want to guess the topics? Geology and fossils – that’s right, folks. Talk about a rocky relationship…. We did have our first argument of the trip today. I thought it was Monday, Jerry tried to convince me it was Tuesday. Of course…he was right-again – but we did have to check our cell phones to be sure. Clair has asked us to stay in touch with the kids as much as we could. So today I called … Clair in Antarctica. From a high spot in the Badlands to The Ice. How about that! We left the Badlands and headed west again for a couple of hours. Our goal was Custard State Park. And we made it. Turns out you need reservations to camp anywhere in the park. So we had to call from the gate and take the site they gave us. Our first impression was not a good one. Kind of crazy looking spot. But we worked with it and now our tent is set up, there is a fire in the fire place, Jerry is munching on a mett and I’m getting chilly. Saw mountain goats – in our campsite today and a great horned owl in a tree within a stone’s throw – which we will not do. Heard that buffalo frequently walk right through our campground – not just one or two but sometimes a whole herd. Good sleep tonight? – I doubt it.
ROAD TRIP vs. road trip
Our Road Trip was delayed a week due to a medical issue. This time it was my turn and not Jerry’s arm. Nothing major just a nuisance. So for Jerry’s birthday we decided to take a day trip. We headed to Yellow Springs OH. A place we have heard about for a long time but never had the opportunity to visit. The ride up was a long one, mostly back roads. We had a nifty little book that directed us to a Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs. That was our first stop. We stopped in at the bookstore to ask about the trails. The lady recommended one that lead down to the yellow spring – what an idea. Except part of the trail was closed and we had to back track. Oh, no, a Von Handorf going back the way they came! After the hike we headed in to town in search of some lunch. Town consisted of a lot of little shops, just like any trail town. We ate at Peaches Grille and then headed back home. It was good to get away for a day road trip.
August 28 – ROAD TRIP
Headed out of Dodge, aka Covington, about 6:45. We were aiming for 5:00 but someone had a late night out with his brothers and decided to ‘sleep in’ until 5:30. By the time we gassed up and got someone’s coffee and donuts it was about 6:45. We took the road more traveled and passed through OH, IN, IL, IA. The end of the 13 hour drive found us in western IA. In looking for a place to pitch our tent we discovered that most of the state parks in that area were still closed due to the flooding of a couple months ago. The road we were on was still sand bagged in places. The fields were still under water. We finally found Lewis and Clark State Park which has just opened three weeks ago. Still a major part of the campground was closed because of water in the sites. The campground was next to a lake full of water lilies (?). Sleeping was good but the best part was waking up at night and going out to see the stars, and the stars, and the stars. Hadn’t seen the Milky Way in a long time. How wonder-full. It was a good place to be even if we were in only little tent in RV City.
August 28 – Quickly we crossed over in to ND. Took a little jaunt to Sioux Falls. Another beautiful spot. I even went up on the observation tower, folks! A lot of water, a lot of falls, a good place to stretch our legs after becoming one with the van. We ended up in The Badland National Park for the night. We drove through a little rain late evening but resisted the temptation to spend the night in a motel. The sleep was again good. Many stars early on interrupted by a shower and a little thunder. This morning the stars were back. I woke up the guy in my tent and talked him in to getting up and going somewhere to watch the sunrise. If you never been to the Badlands put it on you Bucket List. It is indescribable. The sun coming up over the pinnacles was magnificent. After breakfast we took in two ranger talks. Anyone want to guess the topics? Geology and fossils – that’s right, folks. Talk about a rocky relationship…. We did have our first argument of the trip today. I thought it was Monday, Jerry tried to convince me it was Tuesday. Of course…he was right-again – but we did have to check our cell phones to be sure. Clair has asked us to stay in touch with the kids as much as we could. So today I called … Clair in Antarctica. From a high spot in the Badlands to The Ice. How about that! We left the Badlands and headed west again for a couple of hours. Our goal was Custard State Park. And we made it. Turns out you need reservations to camp anywhere in the park. So we had to call from the gate and take the site they gave us. Our first impression was not a good one. Kind of crazy looking spot. But we worked with it and now our tent is set up, there is a fire in the fire place, Jerry is munching on a mett and I’m getting chilly. Saw mountain goats – in our campsite today and a great horned owl in a tree within a stone’s throw – which we will not do. Heard that buffalo frequently walk right through our campground – not just one or two but sometimes a whole herd. Good sleep tonight? – I doubt it.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Just a short walk...
......
before dawn – streets are quiet - no exhaust fumes in the air just yet – only one cyclist passes – branches hang over the sidewalk - I reach my modest goal
dawn – is breaking between the houses of the city keeping it’s summer distance from the church steeple – heat waves already begin to rise in the air – the hill is more of a challenge now
early afternoon – a walk in the rain – no umbrella just feeling the rain, listening to the thunder and being aware of the lightening in the distance – feelings of childhood – looking for puddles to step in - smells of freshness – cool breeze last for a short time before turning warm again – steam rises from the sidewalk
I reached my modest goal
before dawn – streets are quiet - no exhaust fumes in the air just yet – only one cyclist passes – branches hang over the sidewalk - I reach my modest goal
dawn – is breaking between the houses of the city keeping it’s summer distance from the church steeple – heat waves already begin to rise in the air – the hill is more of a challenge now
early afternoon – a walk in the rain – no umbrella just feeling the rain, listening to the thunder and being aware of the lightening in the distance – feelings of childhood – looking for puddles to step in - smells of freshness – cool breeze last for a short time before turning warm again – steam rises from the sidewalk
I reached my modest goal
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
A Few Last Thoughts
Body Art – It was amazing to see some of the tattoos that visited the Center. Some were typical. Some you wished you hadn’t seen. Some were in color. Some were almost beautiful. There was one on the back of a woman that was fascinating. From what I could see it was a trunk of a tree those branches became arms of a woman, the branches were full of life i.e. birds, animals. There was the face of a woman above the trunk. I would have loved to have seen the whole thing or even to have taken a picture of it. Never having visited a tattoo parlor I can’t imagine how expensive these works of art are.
The Guest, Staff and Volunteers of the Rebuild Center – God bless every one of them, please.
Hats off to our traveling team - I was grateful and happy to be a part of it.
As far as the New Orleans adventure goes – Amen!
The Guest, Staff and Volunteers of the Rebuild Center – God bless every one of them, please.
Hats off to our traveling team - I was grateful and happy to be a part of it.
As far as the New Orleans adventure goes – Amen!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
My Old Kentucky Home...
It is so good to be home.
Needless to say we spent a lot of time in the car yesterday. We left New Orleans at 4:30 a.m. on the dot. We arrived home at 8:00 p.m. (maybe missing the dot by a minute or two). Spent about 1 ½ hours in Birmingham picking up our van from the garage, taking the rental back to the airport. You can do the math. On the way to the airport while I was driving our van the check engine light came on – O, Good Lord, really? A call to the garage assures us that it was okay to drive. All my instincts and background said – you’ve got to be kidding? Everything else looked okay so we hit the road hoping and praying for the best. Well, I guess the Good Lord was just kidding (what a sense of humor …).
We ate a fast food breakfast sandwich in Mississippi (I think), we had lunch at a rest area just as we arrived in Tennessee and we snacked our way through supper.
We arrived back in Covington safe and (somewhat) sound. Hats off to Sisters Ruth, Claire, Dolores and Amanda. It was a good week, a little too short but still good.
There are still a few reflections rattling around in my head. Perhaps they will find themselves in the blog in the next day or two – perhaps not.
It is good to be home!!
Needless to say we spent a lot of time in the car yesterday. We left New Orleans at 4:30 a.m. on the dot. We arrived home at 8:00 p.m. (maybe missing the dot by a minute or two). Spent about 1 ½ hours in Birmingham picking up our van from the garage, taking the rental back to the airport. You can do the math. On the way to the airport while I was driving our van the check engine light came on – O, Good Lord, really? A call to the garage assures us that it was okay to drive. All my instincts and background said – you’ve got to be kidding? Everything else looked okay so we hit the road hoping and praying for the best. Well, I guess the Good Lord was just kidding (what a sense of humor …).
We ate a fast food breakfast sandwich in Mississippi (I think), we had lunch at a rest area just as we arrived in Tennessee and we snacked our way through supper.
We arrived back in Covington safe and (somewhat) sound. Hats off to Sisters Ruth, Claire, Dolores and Amanda. It was a good week, a little too short but still good.
There are still a few reflections rattling around in my head. Perhaps they will find themselves in the blog in the next day or two – perhaps not.
It is good to be home!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
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