Hi there! Nope, I didn’t fall off the face of the earth. LOL. Just had a few extra balls in the air. Let’s start with a couple of things I missed:
- I told y’all about going to the county fair in Worland, Wyoming, but didn’t talk about the judging. In the past we’ve talked about how animal judging totally goes over my head. This time I took notes during the goat event, and here are a few of the quotes: “Stouter out of her head.” Does that mean she is a fat head? “Sound and feminine.” I understand the differences between male and female goats, but there is nothing that I can see that is remotely “feminine”. “He’s a little washed out in his loin.” “He’s more jumped up in his loin.” Okay, either of those just sound mean…or rude. A goat could get a complex!! “Definitely the more elevated, toe (or tow) shoulder option.” If it is “toe” what the heck does that have to do with his shoulder? If it is “tow” are they talking about the strength to pull a cart? “Plenty of clearance about her hock.” I’ve got nothing for this one. MW and I feel like these judges get together and make up nonsensical phrases to use, then just pick the kid they like. It is fun to watch, though. Especially when the cow, pig, or goat decides to make a u-turn, and the pint-sized cowboy or cowgirl has to stop them. All kidding aside, though, these kids are dedicated…and precious!
- As we were heading across Nebraska, we passed a sign about a Japanese Balloon Bomb. Having absolutely no idea what it was talking about, I looked it up. According to Wikipedia, during WWII, Japan actually bombed us…here…and people died!!! Near the end of the war, Japan launched as many as 9,300 balloons from the coast of Honshu, the largest of their islands, depending on the jet stream to take them across to North America. While not the best plan, their long-range bombers didn’t have enough reach to return, and a previous attempt using small, bomb-laden seaplanes launched from submarines didn’t produce the result they were looking for. It did drop two large fire bombs in the Siskiyou National Forest (on the Oregon-California border) which caused small fires, but watchful response crews extinguished them quickly to Japan’s chagrin. Plan C was the balloons, which were about 33′ across and carried four incendiary devices and one high- explosive bomb. About 300 of these deathly party favors were seen or found in North America, and there were explosions, mostly in remote areas. Thanks to an unusually wet season, they didn’t rain down the planned fire and brimstone, though. In January 1945, our government, in its infinite wisdom, asked the media not to report balloon incidents to keep Japan in the dark about the results. Three months later, they congratulated the media on doing a fine job. Unfortunately, that also meant Americans were unaware, which inadvertently led to the only fatalities of WWII in the contiguous United States. On May 5, 1945, Reverend Archie Mitchell took his pregnant wife, Elsie, and five of their Sunday school students for a picnic in the Fremont National Forest near Bly, Oregon. He dropped everyone off and was parking the car when he heard a loud explosion a few minutes later. The group had found an unexploded balloon bomb. Four boys, Edward Engel (13), Jay Gifford (13), Dick Patzke (14), and Sherman Shoemaker (11), died immediately. Elsie Mitchell and Joan Patzke (13) died a short time later. A later investigation concluded that the bomb, which had been there for about a month, was probably kicked or dropped. Can you imagine!!
Thursday, August 8, started with a visit from the deer family we saw on the trails…a buck, doe, and twins. They milled around the campsite allowing plenty of time for pics, which I just loved. Other than that, it was a bit of a rough day. Mr. Wonderful (MW) planned to get up and go hike, then we would hit the road around 8 AM. We woke up to a very low overcast, and it had been raining overnight. Neither of us like to hike when trails are slippery, so that nixed the first part of the plan. We hadn’t expected rain in the morning, so checking the tires, then airing up a low one, was done in the mist. On the plus side, though, it was in the mid-50s, so no sweating. By the time I finished up the inside and headed out to hook up, it was drizzling, so we were both soaking wet and happy to be out of the rain when we finally hit the road. Although we have had the occasional passing thunderstorms in the last couple of weeks, this is the first day of solid, grey drizzle since being along the California coast back in mid-June. I had been missing rain, but was sure wishing at that point that it had not arrived during hook-up time on our travel day!
Just a few miles down the road, MW noticed that the temperature gauge wasn’t working. The dreaded “check engine” light also came on, but was amber and not red. Once on I-25, the transmission was shifting more than it typically would on low grades, which he attributed to the engine not getting the proper temp information. I jumped on the phone and called the Chevrolet dealership in Chadron, Nebraska, our destination for the day. J. J. said he was overbooked because one of his mechanics was on vacation, and suggested I call the GM dealership. He said to call him back if they couldn’t take us, though, because he wouldn’t leave us stranded. The GM place just flat said no dice to even plugging it in to see what was wrong. After a quick call back to Eagle Chevrolet Buick, J. J. said bring it in when we get to town, and he’d fit it in somewhere. We reserved our campsite for an extra night just in case and let him know that we would work with him in any way we could. That left us without a vehicle, and Chadron, Nebraska didn’t offer a lot of options. There is a company at the airport that owns THREE jeeps. That’s it. I contacted the reservation number, and yes, they had one for me. Awesome! Five minutes later the manager of the location emailed that she rented it out. Dang!! I called and apparently she was in the process of renting it out when the main office put the reservation on it. She did give me a couple of options that did not come up on my map search, though…a used car dealership and the Ford dealership. The latter did not have anything available until possibly the next day, so I called the other and made a reservation. We exited on US-85 and continued north.
The next thing on our list was fuel. For those who aren’t aware, and that included us, this was Sturgis week. We were still in Wyoming, but any route that leads to the South Dakota cycle Mecca is covered up with bikers coming and going. Thanks to those crowds, we couldn’t get anywhere near a gas pump in Lusk. That was okay…we could wait a bit, but below half a tank is not MW’s favorite territory, especially in these wide open spaces. Since it was time for lunch, we picked one of the three possibilities in town, a pizza joint. Nope…not open. The other two places were bars, and the review on one said they allowed smoking inside. Yuck! That left The Silver Dollar. Well…it allowed smoking inside, too! (We both thought those days were completely over, but apparently posting a “No One Over 21” sign on the door gets you around it in Wyoming.) Thankfully there was only one person actually smoking, and they did have a huge thing to suck the smoke out, but the entire place still smelled stale. We ate quickly and got back on the road. With deadlines for picking up the rental and dropping off Big Jake, we decided to forgo our planned stop at the Stagecoach Museum. By then the rain had mostly stopped, but it was still very grey as we crossed into Nebraska on US-20. The scenery was beautiful, though, as we moved out of the mostly flat area and into intermittent rolling hills. We’ve crossed this area from South Dakota headed south before, and spent about 1/2 hour on stale road today.
We made it to Chadron State Park by about 3 PM, got Priscilla set up, and headed over to the car rental place. For the second time in a day…we should have just walked out. The lady was very nice, but the entire office smelled like cat pee. No kidding! The building looked like it was built in the 1950s, and it didn’t appear to have ever met a vacuum or dust rag inside! With no other option, I tried not to touch anything and get out as quickly as possible. I wasn’t much more impressed with the actual car…2019 with around 120,000 miles on it. Although it did not smell like cat, it did smell like dirt. Don’t think they clean those either.
Friday morning J. J. called about 9:30 AM to give us the news…broken wire. (We can thank a prairie dog or field mouse or rabbit for this one!) It was ALREADY fixed!! What a blessing! We wholeheartedly recommend the shop at Eagle Chevrolet Buick in Chadron if you are ever in the area and in need. I dropped MW by there on my way to the Spin-N-Go laundromat, which was barely tolerable. I got things started and sat at a table to write a bit, then got smacked in the head pretty hard with a laundry basket. The lady, who was trying to navigate the narrow aisle, muttered an apology, but didn’t even stop moving or look back to see if I was okay. Wow! After finishing up the chore, I sat at Taco John’s and took care of paying bills and writing a bit. Then MW met me to return the rental car.
On Saturday as we headed out in the morning, we saw a turkey hanging out at the bird feeder near the camp host’s site. MW saw several there the day before when he walked, too, so they must like the bird seed. Either that, or they are trying to flirt with those pink flamingoes. Our first stop of the day was The Ridge downtown, where we had lunch. Our waitress was quite an impressive young lady, having just graduated with her bachelor’s degree while acquiring no debt. She said too many of her fellow students were happy to borrow and not work, leaving them holding the bag later. She planned to continue for her PhD in the same manner. Before leaving, we noted an ad on the wall for The Butte Bakery, which operated weekends only out of a therapist office downtown. We walked down to check that out, and thinking we were in the right place, picked up a treat from The Rustic Bake Shop. It wasn’t until we came out and walked a little further that we realized the mistake. Of course, we had to go in and check her place out, too. LOL.
Our next stop was a short drive out of town to the Museum of the Fur Trade. That doesn’t really sound like much, but there was a lot there. The facility hopes to preserve the history of what they say was the first business in North America…fur…and is located on the original site of the trading post of James Bordeaux. He and his Native American wife Marie operated it during the winters from 1840 to 1849 for the American Fur Company, then as their private business from 1850 to early 1872. Then, Francois Boucher showed up the end of that year. For 3 or 4 years he sold repeating rifles, ammunition, and surplus Army supplies to the HOSTILE Indians. As you can probably guess, the Army put a stop to that, sending troops from Fort Robinson in 1876. The museum houses interior exhibits including a main exhibit hall, firearms (where you know MW spent a bit of time), textiles and beadwork, and one dedicated to the canoe men who transported the furs across the continent, plus a pretty nice gift shop and bookstore. Outside you can take a look at the warehouse where goods were stored, the reconstructed trading post where the Indians came to trade and the family lived, a robe press for baling bundles of buffalo robes, and the Indian Garden, where the plants grown are typical of what the plains Indians, including the Sioux, would have grown. The number and quality of displayed artifacts was pretty impressive. I was most fascinated by the actual Trading Post, though. The Indians often came long distances to trade there, setting up teepees all around the area to stay a while. Picturing that scene, the activity, and what it must have been like to live in that little room in the middle of nowhere was pretty cool.
Back at the park, we drove up to the Blackhills Overlook Trailhead and took the short walk out to the point. These hills really are beautiful, and the long range views are terrific. Although it was a little warm, a good breeze helped. On the way back to the campground, we saw TWO snakes crossing the road. If there are that many where we can see them…
Sunday we passed more turkeys on the way out to services at First Baptist Church in town, where we listened to a message from Ephesians by Pastor Aaron Sprock. After that we had lunch at the Country Kitchen, then spent the afternoon relaxing.
Chadron State Park was established on 640 acres of land in 1921 as Nebraska’s first state park. Today that area had grown to more than 970 acres, and is truly beautiful. Located in the Nebraska’s Blackhills and just about 8 miles south of town, it provides easy access to restaurants and shopping. If you want to explore further, Scottsbluff, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, and Carhenge are all within an hour or so. Facilities include an office, trading post, meeting room, shooting complex, archery range, disc golf course, pavilions, tennis courts, playgrounds, and pool. Other activities available are fishing, horseback riding, paddle boarding, hiking, and sledding. Lodging opportunities include modern and rustic cabins, some of which were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s, and the campground. The latter has 69 electric, back-in sites, with 30- or 50-amp, and primitive tent sites. All include a picnic table and fire ring/grill. A bathhouse is available in the RV camping area and several vault toilets are scattered about. This was an awesome park, and we would definitely return. It is immaculately kept, including the toilets and bathhouse, and has a lot to offer for everyone. Cell signals were fine, but we can’t remember about over-the-air TV. For this stay in August 2024, we paid a little under $33 per night PLUS $70 for the Annual Nebraska parks pass. Without the latter, out-of-staters pay $14 a day in entrance fees. Our additional stops in Nebraska made that a deal for us on this trip.
On Monday, August 12, it was time to move on down the road, but first, a quick stop a Daylight Donuts. It just seemed like the right thing to do! It was a gorgeous morning, but along the White River on US-20 we found a thick bank of fog. Thankfully it was just over the river, and we never entered it, but it did go on for miles. The drive was scenic all the way over to Gordon, then south on NE-27 to Ellsworth. There we picked up NE-2 east, which took us all the way to Anselmo. A few miles east of there we stopped at Victoria Springs State Recreation Area.
Anselmo is a tiny little town, but they had a charming place called The Market and Mill, a combo grocery store, deli, and coffee shop. Tuesday we headed over there for sandwiches and to see if I could hang out and write. The sandwiches were delicious, and I tried a banana smoothie from the coffee bar later that was pretty delicious, too. MW left me for several hours, which was needed.
Wednesday I had an early afternoon appointment in Broken Bow, so I went early to Runza, had lunch, and did some more writing. (Being behind drives me nuts, and I’ll be tied up for a few days the end of the week.) At the appointed time I headed over to Klipz and Kurlz on the square where Courtney hooked me up with a haircut, mani, AND pedi!!! It was much needed and very appreciated! When I was finally ready to head back to Priscilla, I picked up Subway for MW.
Victoria Springs SRA is Nebraska’s first state recreation area and the second oldest park in the state park system. It is divided into two parts with separate entrances…the day use area and campground. The former had an office, playground, two cabins, a pavilion, picnic area, and a pond. Boats were available to rent, but the pond was completely covered with green algae. There was a walking trail around the park and information about the springs, which were once a bottled water operation. The campground was one road in with a loop at the back. Sites were wall-spaced, but grass, which was not good from a bug perspective. Mosquitoes were everywhere! Also there was a bit of a mud hole at the entrance to our site, which made us wonder how we would fare in rainy weather. Sites had 20-/30-/50- amp electric, picnic tables, and fire rings, but no water connections. There was a faucet at the bathhouse to fill. Cell signals were minimal, but there were some over-the-air TV stations. The nearby bathhouse was clean, and there was also a vault toilet. There were two log cabins at the front entrance, one of which was the first Custer County Post Office, built in 1875. The other was an old home and general store. There was also a dump station. I talked to a neighbor who visits this park several times a year and loves it. The grass parking and associated mosquitos were a turnoff for us, though, so we probably wouldn’t return. It was also located next to the road to Broken Bow, which was very busy and created some noise. For this visit in August 2024, we paid a little over $33 per night, which did not include entrance fees that were covered by our Nebraska annual pass.
Thursday we headed out about 7:30 AM, stopping at Howdy Coffee in Broken Bow for a little breakfast on the way through. The highlight was MW’s meal. I don’t know what they called it, but it was basically everything in a breakfast sandwich baked into a roll. He gave it two greasy thumbs up After a quick O’Reilly stop, we continued on NE-2 down to Ansley, then headed east on NE-92 through Loup City and St. Paul. Near Clarks we hit US-30, which took us all the way over to Fremont and the Fremont Lakes SRA. Due to the weekend’s activities, this was an abnormal travel day. As soon as we were parked and set up, I loaded up the clothes and headed into town to the Blue Sky Laundry. It was super nice, clean, and mostly empty. The chore was knocked out quickly, and I managed to get a little writing done, too. On the way back to Priscilla I picked up a pizza. (I’ve never been a big Domino’s fan, but their New York style pizza is pretty darned good.) It was a long, exhausting day, so the rest of the evening was feet up.
Friday I was up early to pack. MW dropped me off at Eppley Airfield in Omaha for my flight to Hartsfield in Atlanta. Amazingly, my non-stop flight pushed back 25 minutes early and arrived 42 minutes ahead of schedule! My bag was the FIRST to arrive at the baggage claim belt, and I picked up the rental car just by showing the receipt in my app and loading up! Okay, that NEVER happens!! I called MW when I hit the road in Georgia, and he said I better plan ahead for an awful return flight. LOL. The drive up to my Mom’s place in Rome, Georgia, was uneventful, but I was exhausted upon arrival. It’s always good to see my parents, though.
After dropping me at the airport, MW spent his afternoon relaxing. Most likely he was savoring the quiet!!
Saturday was the reason for my trip…Uncle Russ’s memorial service. There were lots of family and friends there to celebrate his entrance into the Kingdom. Emmanuel Guglielmi, along with his wife Sharon, flew all the way from France to officiate, and included stories and favorite memories from their 43-year friendship. It was very special. The poem played was particularly moving. Uncle Russ did a lot with his dash. (You can listen here.)
THE DASH By Linda Ellis I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end. He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth. For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash. So think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged. To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before. If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile… remembering that this special dash might only last a little while. So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash… would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?
While I was hanging with family, MW enjoyed a relaxing Saturday in Fremont. That night I stayed at a local hotel so other family members could have the guest room at Mom’s house. I couldn’t find a church that started at 9 AM, so Sunday morning I caught a Yancey Arrington sermon on why there is evil in the world. He is from a church out of League City, Texas. We went there with our niece, Taylor, in the Spring, and I really enjoy the way he teaches. Some of the family and friends gathered for lunch at Provino’s (pretty darned good Italian) before my little sister headed back to North Carolina.
On Sunday morning MW headed over to Mel’s Diner for breakfast, then went to services at Liberty Baptist Church where he heard about the story of Isaac. Then, in the early afternoon, he headed back to Omaha. Nope, it wasn’t to pick me up, although I’m absolutely certain there was a bit of pining and loud keening by this point in his aloneness! Before this trip we scoped out minor league baseball teams to see what games we could catch along the way. There were only two that fit…Las Vegas and Omaha. In early June we opted out of the Aviators contest because it was going to be more than 100 degrees for the entire game. We just didn’t think we could sit out there for 3-4 hours and enjoy ourselves. This afternoon MW was heading to the only other game on our schedule, the Storm Chasers. He was pretty excited, too. I love minor league baseball, but family always comes first. I confess to being a little bummed that this would be another season without seeing any, though. The game was great, and they won by one point. The coolest part was that MW caught a foul ball. There was a little girl nearby with a glove hoping it would come her way, so she was very excited when he tossed it over to her. Apparently her little cousin, who was on a bathroom break at the time, was baffled when he returned and found her with a ball. She told him where she got it, and they both moved a little closer to MW…just in case. Little did they know that he has caught exactly ONE foul ball…EVER! LOL. It was cloudy with just a few minor sprinkles, but that kept the temperature perfect. He was pretty happy.
Fremont Lakes SRA covers 340 acres, mostly in 20 small, sandpit lakes. It is right on the edge of the town of Fremont and within 30 minutes of the Omaha metro area. There are four campgrounds scattered around, and we stayed in Pathfinder at the west side. Facilities included a park office, playground, boat ramp, water stations, a fishing pier, a swimming beach, a group lodge, and a dump station. Boating, fishing, and swimming were the main activities in the park, but there were also several playgrounds and a restaurant. Lodging opportunities included the group lodge and campgrounds. Improved sites were either 50-/30-/20-amp or 30-/20-amp without water. There were a few pull-through sites, but most were back-in, many right along the water. There were also plenty of basic, tent sites. The bathhouse was older but well-kept and clean. Cell signals were strong and there was plenty of over-the-air TV channels. The sites were well-spaced, and they left plenty of trees. We would definitely stay again if in the area. For this visit in August 2024, we paid just over $32 per night, which did not include the entrance fee covered by our Nebraska annual pass.
Well, that gets us back on a Monday schedule, so I’ll stop with MW in Fremont, Nebraska, and me in Rome, Georgia. Next up…Back Together, Strategic Air Command, And A Bullet To The Head! See you on the path!!
Talisa
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