Sites from Wyoming...

Devil's Tower - America's First National Monument

Vore Buffalo Jump

"Why" Wyoming!

Don and I took a trip to Devil's Tower, which is America's First National Monument, with the Wood's (Lloyd & Jerri). We hiked around the tower which is a little over a mile...up and down; of course they couldn't make it flat, could they? The temperatures were higher than those we've encountered so far this summer but a little lower than those that Southern California is experiencing right now! We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed it before we started our hike! We didn't see any wildlife (well, Don said he saw a chipmunk, but the rest of didn't see anything) but we did get to see several "different" things! June is a sacred time for Indians in the Devil's Tower area and there were many prayer bags and prayer cloths hanging in the trees. Some fairly close to the path and others higher up in trees! Another interesting site was the climbers! They asked you not to climb the Tower out of respect for the Indians but it was strictly voluntary. As we got around to the back side of the Tower we saw a few climbers. Actually, we think they might have been instructors as it seemed like they were teaching someone how to repel off or from a ledge that is there. The reason we think they might be instructors was because you could hear them talking from the ledge down to the person on the side of the Tower!

After we finished our hike we headed back in the direction of the campground and stopped at the Vore Buffalo Jump. Vore is actually a sinkhole that was used in the 1500 - 1800's as a natural hole to lure the buffalo into. It was incredible to see all the bones that were left in the sinkhole after the Indians were through butchering the buffalo! It was also neat to see how they used parts of the buffalo for their everyday needs! I am eternally grateful that I was not alive in that era! I do like the comforts we now have! :-)

On Wednesday, we packed up and headed the 75 or so miles to Gillette. Found the campground with no problems and one of the first persons we ran into was Robb Steinheider, a long-time friend of ours from Kountry Kampers in So. California. Robb is on the parking committee for FMCA. Before we could get the car un-hooked, Ray & Glenda Roe arrived. There are about 11 of our Monaco friends who are supposed to be parked with or near us. We got into our sites and set-up when Sue Steinheider came by to say “hi”. Sue just had her second knee replacement surgery (for the same knee) and had trouble getting up the steps. I told her I’d come down to visit with her so she didn’t have to struggle getting into our motorhome. I was able to visit with Sue and catch up with some of the Kountry Kamper news but couldn’t stay long! A trip to the grocery store was a MUST! Jerri, Glenda and I headed for the grocery store where we stocked up for a few days! When we got back, Bob & Maribel Clerc and Andy & Linda Clarkson had arrived. We invited them to join us for dinner and we ended up with plenty of food! Enjoyed catching up with everyone and had a nice evening.

Today we relaxed and took our time getting around. Jerri, Glenda and I took a trip to Wal-Mart (not a Super-Center and under construction) and then stopped at the “Trading Post” which is a Wyoming Gift Shop that is almost across the street from the Cam-Plex. I ended up finding a couple of unique Wyoming moose items! It was a fun shopping experience. I even found something there that Don could buy for me! Again enjoyed another great meal with all of us, and enjoyed socializing for the evening.

Tomorrow we are going to take a tour of a local coal mining operation. It should be fun and different!

A Trip On the Black Hills Scenic Byway

We headed west from Rapid City, SD today. We only traveled about 90 miles to Beulah, WY. Our purpose was to be centrally located to Devil’s Tower, WY and Spearfish, SD. It didn’t take long for us to reach our new destination so we loaded up in the car (Jerri & Lloyd Wood and Don & I). Took a drive on the Black Hills Scenic Byway (14A). Stopped for a quick glance of Bridal Veil Falls and then onto Roughlock Falls. We got out at the Lodge and took the trail…it’s about 1 mile. Got to the top of the falls and lo and behold, there’s a parking lot up there! Guess we could have driven to the falls, but the walk was probably MUCH better for us! Jerri & Lloyd had said that they had heard of some place good to eat at the top of the Canyon. Well, we didn’t know if we were at the top or not, so we continued on! Once we got so far…it was clear that where we had gotten out for Roughlock was probably where we were supposed to eat, so we shifted gears and went into Deadwood. Don and I had been there several times already (last year) so there wasn’t too much new to see. It was fun to show Jerri around since she had never been there before. We found one of Don’s favorite places to eat – a buffet and headed for it! After we finished stuffing ourselves, we finished walking along the famous Main Street of Deadwood. Something amazing that we saw…what was once a hole (last year) was quickly becoming a new-old building! It was still daylight and they were working on it as we walked by! It was a fun day! Tomorrow we will head to Devil’s Tower before heading to Gillette, WY for the FMCA Into Rally.

A few fun facts...

We've been "full-timing" for 357 days!
We've traveled 16,419 miles
We've spent an average of $17.00/day on campsites for a total cost of $6084.63!
We've stayed in 18 different states (at least over night)!
We've put in 3,106.736 gallons of diesel at an average price of $3.12 per gallon! Total cost of fuel has been $8,259.64! Our average miles per gallon has been a whooping 5.2849678891286546394672736917459 (I just LOVE this number)

**These numbers don't include miles driven in the car, gas put into the car or the cost of gas for the car!

Grandma & Grandpa Babysit...

Don and I had the opportunity to babysit Justisse & Shae just before we left Rapid City. It also gave me the opportunity to take some more pictures! It's hard to make up for two years in just a matter of days but I did take LOTS of pictures! Don't want to sound too prejudiced, but Justisse is one smart little girl! She talks so well and clearly it's hard to remember that she just turned two! She's usually pretty serious, but she was really laughing when Grandma started acting silly! It made for some interesting pictures like the one of my hair or the one of the ceiling, but hey...I was also able to get some great ones of Justisse as well!

Shae was playing with a friend from down the street so I didn't have as many opportunities for photo ops with him, but I did manage to get a couple as we were working on "summer homework"! Shae is such a sweet, loving little guy! He told me "Grandma, I wish you lived closer to me so I could see you more". I thought that was just too sweet!

Babysitting your grandchildren has so many rewards! The hugs, kisses and memories are priceless!

A Day with Grandkids...

Today we spent the day at Storybook Island in Rapid City, SD. This is a free park that is huge! I've never seen a park (especially a free one) that has so many things to do and play on for kids!

What made it even more special is that we were able to spend the day with our granddaughter, Justisse. Justisse just turned two and before we got to Rapid City Don had never even met her. I last saw her when I was in Okinawa, Japan for her birth. When I came back to the states, she was 6 weeks old! It's been a long time!

Let me tell you...that little girl is solid! You would think that she would be light and thin because she is constantly on the go! It tired me out to keep up with her! She was off like a light! I guess she also reminded me of the Energizer Bunny because she just kept going and going and going!

After the park, we met up with our friends, Jerri & Lloyd Wood and Dottie & Lew Anderson. We all went to the Alpine Inn in Hill City for dinner. We had a long wait since everyone had to wait on us to return from SI. Justisse once again kept me on my toes! She wasn't too thrilled with sitting inside waiting so we went outside and raced up and down the sidewalk! I would lose all the weight I need to if I was around her all the time! Once we were able to be seated and our food came, both Shae and Justisse chowed down! It was a great dinner, great company and we all had fun! Everyone enjoyed meeting Stacy, our daughter, as well.

On the drive home, we made it almost 1/2 the way home before the kids conked out! If I wasn't driving, I might have joined them!

A Tribute To A Friend (The Wanderer)

In the early 80’s I decided to “do” something different. I left So. California, my family and friends, packed up my children and moved to St. Louis, MO. I was recently divorced and starting a new life. A key factor was the company I worked for had an office in St. Louis and I had a job there! I settled first in a very small apartment in Washington, MO. I traveled about 50 miles each way to work. Compared to traffic in So. California it was a piece of cake! It was a lot of empty highway so I had a CB in my car. To pass the time each day I chatted with others driving the highway. It wasn’t long before I met Pat O’Connor…the Wanderer. I think he was “intrigued” by me. I was “California Girl”. One thing I’ve found out over the years is that most people who’ve never met a “true” Californian or been to California have a stereotype of the “typical” California girl. They think we go surfing every single day, are tanned, blue-eyed blondes like so many TV. shows portray and have lots of money. Well, for those that know me…about the only thing I can claim is the blue-eyes! Many of those that I talked to thought I was pretty courageous and “gutsy” for moving long-distance with two young children!

I can’t remember when I actually met Pat face-to-face, but I think we might have stopped along the highway one day just to say that we’d met! Now one of the things that you should know about Pat is he was a happily married man with 4 children at home! His oldest son was a little older than my daughter, Kim but his daughter was pretty close to her age. His youngest son was just a little younger than my son, Nathan. His wife, Barb is a jewel! She welcomed me to their home and to their family and never questioned our relationship! Pat at times became my “Guardian Angel” and there were a few times I really needed one! I had a boyfriend at the time, but he turned out to be a louse many times over! Pat just listened! At one point I ended up in the hospital for 28 days in traction, my kids were at their babysitters until my Dad came to pick them up. Let me tell you 28 days in the hospital are NOT fun! Quite a few mornings Pat brought me an egg biscuit from McDonald’s on his way to work! That really hit the spot! Then there was the time that Pat came with me to “give” my boyfriend all his things when I found out he had been cheating! Talk about a friend and going above and beyond friendship!! He also helped me move a few times…from the apartment in Washington, to a house in Gray Summit and then to my last apartment in Pacific. Finally, a few years later when I returned to So. California, Pat was right there again…pitching in and helping!

Now I didn’t always make him work! He invited me to his home several times. He loved to show off his latest Ford project! Pat LOVED Ford trucks or anything FORD…the older the better! He was always so proud to show me what he had done to his latest one! Barb fed us all and we had some fun times! I also invited Pat and his son to a game in St. Louis courtesy of tickets from my work! I also had him and Barb over for dinner to repay their hospitality. I can’t really explain our relationship. I guess you could say that it was almost like a brother-sister thing. One thing I can say is that I always envied Pat and his relationship with his wife and their children!

I think it was 10 or 15 years ago when I made a trip back to St. Louis to visit a girlfriend there and help her and her family with a move to a new house. Pat and I met at Wendy’s for a hamburger and then spent a few hours at the Arboretum in Pacific. It was like no time had passed! We had kept in touch, but nothing on a regular basis! The last few years have been better with the internet! We’ve sent jokes back and forth and kept each other updated on what’s been going on in our lives. For the past six months or so, Pat has been struggling with health issues, but kept on fighting to get better. He thought he was on the road to recovery, or at least it sounded like it in the last e-mail that I received from him. It’s ironic that the last e-mail I sent to Pat was “Flowers for You” about giving someone flowers while they are on earth, instead of waiting to put flowers on their grave. I received an e-mail yesterday from Pat’s wife, Barb, letting me know that Pat had passed away. I was truly shocked and saddened. Heaven has surely welcomed a deserving angel into their midst.

Pat…rest in peace. You will be missed by so many!

Patrick O’Connor
Aug, 21, 1944 – June 14, 2006
A wonderful husband, loving father and a great friend!

A Trip Up The Cog Railway

One of our stops in Colorado Springs was the Cog Railway which takes you to the top of Pikes Peak. Below (where you catch the “cog”) temps were in the mid-80’s. At the top it was freezing! I’m not sure what the temp actually was but it was COLD! Luckily I had thought to grab two lightweight jackets, but we sure could have had warmer ones!

Of course the main attraction at the top of Pikes Peak is a gift shop! Go figure! Did I mention that the elevation is 14,110’? The high altitude does affect you! Especially on the way down! You are allowed 30 to 40 minutes on the top of Pikes Peak. The reason for this is that most people begin to feel the effects of high altitude (slight nausea, headache) after about this amount of time. Most of the passengers on the way down also slept…another affect of the altitude!

Shae enjoyed his ride up (we rode up backwards) and down (facing forward but fighting gravity)! He had to wear Grandpa’s jacket at the top because it was so cold! We all had on shorts and we froze! Didn’t stay outside too long! If the temps weren’t enough…it’s mid-June and there was *s*n*o*w* on the ground! It was scattered, but there none the less!

It was pretty interesting seeing the scenery change as you rode up and down. Although we didn’t see any big horn sheep, we did see a few marmots!

Before we took our trip on the Railway, Don and Shae had gotten up early and went over to see the parachutists and gliders training on base! They both really enjoyed that! It was a fun day seeing the sites and spending the time with Shae!

A Long Overdue Visit...

from our grandson Shae! We had Shae fly (alone for the first time) from Baltimore, MD (he lives in Dover, DE with his dad) to Denver, CO where we picked him up. He has LOTS of flight miles but this was the first time by himself. He was able to fly on a non-stop flight and he did SUPER! He was a little afraid at first but this cute young girl sat next to him. She came up to me at the airport and identified herself. She was a speech therapist and told us how well behaved he had been! I’m sure he chatted up a storm during the entire flight! He was so excited to see me…and Grandpa! He had the biggest smile on his face when he saw me as he walked out of the airplane! I was very excited myself! I was amazed at how tall he had gotten! It’s been almost two years since we had seen him…that was the last time I took him and brought him home from Okinawa, Japan where he visited his mom. No more of that…Stacy and Korey have recently been stationed in Rapid City, SD!

Anyhow, we picked up Shae and returned to the motorhome. Visited for a short time and then it was time for bed! The next morning Shae was up bright and early and we packed up the motorhome and headed for Colorado Springs, CO where we met our friends, Dave & Marie Ostrander. Dave & Marie had graciously invited us to be their guests at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. It was a beautiful campground except we couldn’t get our satellite to work due to the many, many tall pine trees. After getting set-up there we set off for a tour of the base/academy. We took Shae to see some of the airplanes they have on display (every since he was little Shae has LOVED airplanes! With both his parents being in the air force…it was pretty natural!) We also took him to the museum and guest center they have and then walked to the chapel. The chapel looks like planes getting ready to take flight…except they head straight up! It was an awesome sight!

One of our first purchases was a baseball cap for Shae! Shae just turned 7 the previous Sunday and just before he left home, he got a Mohawk! We were afraid his shaved head would get sunburned! I think we all had a good time visiting the museum and finding out about the academy!

Flag Day, Westminster, CO

Today the Westminster, Colorado Elks Lodge held a ceremony in recognition of Flag Day. It made me think about the reasons we have a flag and what the flag means to me. I don’t know about you, but there are certain things about the flag and the ceremonies that are held around it that really move me. I’ve never considered myself a particularly patriotic individual, but when the pledge of allegiance is said I feel so proud to be an American. When we sing the national anthem, I get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. When I’m in a crowd of Americans and other citizens and our anthem is sung or the flag is saluted I want to loudly (and proudly) proclaim that “I AM GLAD THAT I AM AN AMERICAN”! Since we’ve had so much discussion in the news the last few years about including or not including “God” in so many things, during those particular parts of the pledge I want to LOUDLY proclaim “ONE NATION UNDER GOD” as well!

When I decided I wanted to Blog about today, I found some interesting facts (online) about our pledge of allegiance…

- The pledge was first given national publicity on Columbus Day in October 1892
- Who wrote the pledge? Both families of Francis Bellamy and James Upham claim authorship and both families held evidence to substantiate their claim
- In 1939 a committee was formed to determine who authored the pledge and it was unanimously decided in favor of Francis Bellamy
- The pledge has been modified three times. The original version was:
I pledge allegiance to my Flag,
and (to*) the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.
- On June 14, 1923 it was modified to:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.
- In 1924 it was modified to:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.
- On Flag Day, June 14, 1954 President Eisenhower approved adding the words “under God”. As he authorized this change he said: “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”
- This was the last change made to the Pledge of Allegiance. The 23 words that had been initially penned for a Columbus Day celebration now comprised a 31 word profession of loyalty and devotion to not only a flag, but to a way of life....the American ideal. Those words now read:

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.”

Along with our flag and the national anthem there are some country and patriotic songs about our freedoms and rights that mean a lot to me as well. Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” ALWAYS moves me to tears! Some of my other favorites are:

- America the Beautiful – Katharine Lee Bates
- Courtesy of the Red White & Blue – Toby Keith
- Have You Forgotten – Darryl Worley
- Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (Angry American) – Toby Keith
- Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagles Fly – Aaron Tippin

I wanted to also include the words to our national anthem:

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Bartlesville, OK

We left Cabot, AR and headed west. We are due in Denver, CO by next Tuesday where we are picking up our grandson, Shae. We haven’t seen Shae for almost two years. He is flying from Dover, DE to see us! The last time I saw Shae, I took him to Okinawa, Japan where we stayed for 2-1/2 months so he could spend time with his mom who was stationed there. This time, she will pick him up in Denver. We’re both excited to see Shae. He will have his 7th birthday just days before we get him, so we’ll get to celebrate his birthday with him as well!

Since we have plenty of time, we meandered up through Oklahoma. We were thinking of staying in Tulsa but the AAA books for OK were still in the car. I happened to check-out our Passport America book for places to stay and there was nothing in Tulsa. However, they did have an RV park in Bartlesville, and it said there were several things to do in the area. With this life style, it’s easy to make these types of decisions so Bartlesville it was!

Got up this morning and headed to Woolroc. Woolroc was Frank Phillips ranch. Philips was the founder of Phillips Petroleum. Woolroc is a very LARGE ranch with buffalo, elk, deer, ostrich, emu, and many other animals that I don’t rmember. There is a huge museum and lodge on the property as well as a petting barn. We spent several hours going through the museum. Headed off to the Keepsake Candle Museum and then finished our day by going through the Phillip’s mansion. The house was remodeled in 1930’s and before this Mrs. Price had a professional photographer come in and take pictures. The pictures were used to restore the house to it’s present condition. They’ve done a phenomenal job! There were many, many great things to look at and we were the last tour of the day. There was only Don and I so we had a very private, personal tour of the house! Tomorrow we will again continue west and north!

"Cause for Applause"

Had a very early day and headed for downtown Little Rock. Now the traffic in these parts is nowhere near what we’re used to, but being out of traffic for the past year…it was a pain! Not sure what the problem was, but it took a little while to get there! Of course, it helped that EVERYONE was running late because of the same problem!

This is the second year that I’ve volunteered to be with the “girls” backstage. This year I had (6) 5 year olds. No parents are supposed to be backstage. This means I get them into their costumes, keep them entertained, get them on stage in time, fix hair, make-up, etc., etc.! The morning is the dress rehearsal, then there’s just enough time to get back “home”, eat lunch, do hair, etc. and head back for the recital! This year we had Ashleigh’s hair done “up”. Last year her curls were gone before she even hit the stage! An added plus, the stylist was a professional ballet dancer in the past, and is going back in Jan. of 2007! We had just enough time for a nap (Ashleigh said to me “that was a short nap”), ate and drove back into Little Rock. The girls numbers were 4th and 37th plus Ashleigh, Taylor and Grace were in a gymnastics routine and all were in the finale! It is a LONG day for everyone but worth every minute! I enjoy spending the time with Ashleigh and get to see the recital from a totally different perspective! Thank goodness that they have a DVD of the entire recital so I do get to see it from the front! J One of my favorite moments is just before they go onstage I tell the girls “big smiles” and look forward! I then hurry behnd the curtains from one side to the other. This year Ashleigh was second from the end. She looked over to me at one point, I smiled and pointed forward, she put on the biggest, brightest smile and faced the audience! You could see the pride in her face! Another priceless moment, is their second number is from Lion King. Much older girls danced first, then our girls went on, did their number and sit in the middle of the stage when their done. The older girls come back out, dance around the little ones, one girl is lifted over their heads and carried around the little girls. The little girls are just AWED by this and you can see it on their faces! I am amazed at the difference in just a years time and thought that Ashleigh did an awesome job! She loves to dance and does a great job! The recital was over about 10:00 pm. You’d think a five-year old would have fallen asleep on the way home, but she was still wide awake when we got home!

Had an added bonus at the recital! Our daughter, Kimberleigh was also a part of it! Although she did take a tap class this year, she didn’t dance. One of the numbers was from the Wizard of Oz and they needed volunteers to play the characters! Since Kim had been “Dorothy” for Halloween a few years ago, she was a natural! She wore a horrible “Dorothy” wig though instead of braiding her own hair! She said she didn’t want anyone to recognize her! I wasn’t able to see her “perform” but I did get to see pictures! J

Oh My! Oh Me!

Ashleigh had her birthday party on Saturday! It was at the Fairytale Tea Parties in Little Rock, AR. When we first arrived, Ashleigh was “schooled” on how to acknowledge her guests, what the schedule would be and then shown to a room FULL of dresses! She was allowed to choose whatever dress she wanted. It didn’t matter if it was too big because we had pins and such to “alter” them! She was then shown the tiaras. Her guests would all wear hats, she was wearing a tiara because she was now Princess Ashleigh! As her guests arrived, she thanked them all for coming, showed them where to place their gifts and took them into the dressing room. There they were also allowed to pick out any dress they wanted. A funny note…this place also has costumes of every shape, size and variety. All the girls wanted to be something with a big head (I think it was a bear but it could have been a dragon or something)! All these beautiful “gowns” and they wanted a costume!

Then it was time for “make-up”. All the girls were allowed to put on their own make-up with the help of a hand mirror! It was pretty cute! Blush and lip stick! Time for “tea”. They were schooled on the proper etiquette for tea and then allowed to pour their own tea, add cubed sugar, pour milk, etc. Each girl was then given a plate with a cute little sandwich dipped in sprinkles (the corner only), fruit kabob (a small toothpick with colored marshmallows and grapes), shortbread cookie, chocolate “soup” and finally a petit four. Ashleigh’s had a candle on it. The girls sang to her and she must have been hungry because her mouth was full when she was supposed to be blowing! It was sooo funny! Some time before this they heard a fairytale story that involved Ashleigh. When a certain word was said, all the girls would say “oh my, oh me, Princess Ashleigh needs some tea”! Then there was a “fashion show” where each girl got up, picked out a colorful boa, their fashion was described and their picture was taken! After they were done they went outside for a parade! They stood on the sidewalk and gave “Princess” waves to the passing cars!

It was a fun day and Ashleigh had a great time! She loved her birthday party!