Today, Kathy wrote a list of quite a few attractions and then asked Blake which three he definitely wanted to do.
To be continued...
Monday, August 1, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Zippity Doo Dah-- Saturday, July 30, 2011
After breakfast we first visited Top Secret, one of the local attractions. Although we had all read some negative reviews of the site, Blake thought it was intriguing, so off we went. The coolest thing about this place is the exterior; it's a large replica of the White House, upside-down!! Inside they have it decorated with all the furniture, etc. on the ceiling so that you feel like you are walking on the ceiling. OK, that's about the extent of what was interesting here; although, as Blake put it, "our guide seemed real nice."
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Blake enjoyed the tour around the site. Chris and Kathy thought it had potential if they just plain hyped it as a "haunted [White] house" attraction. Several times the guide let the visitors walk down very dark tunnels on their own, sometimes with surprises along the way. They could also make use of the basic premise and make more of the fact that something has happened to the White House and we have to gather clues; or we time travel in to the future and find the White House in this condition and discover all these anomalies on the premises, etc. Oh, well, what's a trip to a tourist town without something like this?
Our big planned activity took place during the afternoon. After a lunch at perhaps the largest (and noisiest) McDonald's we've ever seen, we headed over to Bigfoot Zipline Tours. Kathy didn't take part in this activity because the doctor recommended she not do it because of the osteoporosis in her spine. Afterwards, Chris agreed this was probably a good call, after all!
The zipline course has 6 ziplines. You start by climbing 4 to 6 flights of steps to the top of a tower. The zipline course ranged from 462 feet to 1,397 feet. The last and longest course was a race between Blake and myself. Blake was given a headstart and won the race.
Our zipline guides were Gilligan and Jordan. Since Jordan caught us at the other end, he would go first showing us the trick they encouraged us to try. Gilligan would stay behind and attach each of us to the zipline and send us on our way. Our equipment consisted of a harness, helmet and leather gloves with thick leather attached to the palm. We were supposed to hold on to the harness with our left hand and use the glove on our right hand to lightly hold the zipline for control and breaking. Chris tried all the tricks, but had difficulty using the glove to guide and brake because it is too fat and weak. Nevertheless, it is fun.
One of the nice things is that the Bigfoot people let Kathy go out on one of the buses about two hours after the guys left. She was delivered to the final tower and got to go up and see Chris and Blake come zipping toward her on the only double zipline of the course. So at least she got to see what they looked like!
We purchased one of the photos of Blake ziplining and one of their entire group.
Next stop on the vacation agenda was a tour of the Upper Dells on a jet boat! We took the tour with Captain Ron's Original Dells Jet Boats. This is one form of Dells tour that both Kathy and Chris and never done before, so it was another new experience for all three of us! Although the tour itself is much like some of the slower boat tours of the upper Dells, it's the speed that makes it different! And to spice things up, Captain Ron would "put on the brakes" and that would splash many of the passengers. If you want to get really wet on the tour, sit in the first couple of rows in the boat. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) we were running late getting there and the three of us ended up sitting in the back of the boat. We still were splashed, but not much.
For supper, we decided to go eat Japanese food at Ginza of Tokyo. We enjoyed watching our food be prepared at the table, and Chris also ordered some sushi. There were two other parties at our table; both from Wisconsin. That made 7 adults and three kids; it was fun watching the kids experiment and try to use chopsticks. Well, actually, Chris was teaching the other adults how to use them too!
Such a busy day... we ended it by going to the nearby drive-in theater, Big Sky Drive-In. Yes, Wisconsin Dells still has a working outdoor theater. Not only do they have a drive-in, but there are two different screens! Annndddd.. each screen shows a double feature of first-run movies for the same price! Blake chose to go to Captain America. We enjoyed it, but Blake was really wiped out after the movie, so we didn't stay for the second feature, the third Transformers movie.
One bit of excitement "hit" when we were entering the theater lot. After paying at the booth, we began driving in and heard a crash. We had no idea what it was! Chris got out and looked and couldn't see anything at the beginning. He finally found the pieces of our lid for our vent on the camper. Come to find out, there was a bar across the entrance and it must have been just a fraction too low for our van!
But wait, there's more! When we got back to the campground it was very dark (after midnight, etc.). Kathy was trying to be quiet in the campground and Chris couldn't hear her directions, plus couldn't see much behind him in the dark. Long story short, he scraped a tree while he backed! This may not have done much more than scrape a little paint, but we had been lazy (and hot!) and had left the louvered windows in the back open. We ended up losing the bottom louver off the back passenger side... Bad words were spoken, testy words were exchanged, life went on...
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Blake enjoyed the tour around the site. Chris and Kathy thought it had potential if they just plain hyped it as a "haunted [White] house" attraction. Several times the guide let the visitors walk down very dark tunnels on their own, sometimes with surprises along the way. They could also make use of the basic premise and make more of the fact that something has happened to the White House and we have to gather clues; or we time travel in to the future and find the White House in this condition and discover all these anomalies on the premises, etc. Oh, well, what's a trip to a tourist town without something like this?
Our big planned activity took place during the afternoon. After a lunch at perhaps the largest (and noisiest) McDonald's we've ever seen, we headed over to Bigfoot Zipline Tours. Kathy didn't take part in this activity because the doctor recommended she not do it because of the osteoporosis in her spine. Afterwards, Chris agreed this was probably a good call, after all!
The zipline course has 6 ziplines. You start by climbing 4 to 6 flights of steps to the top of a tower. The zipline course ranged from 462 feet to 1,397 feet. The last and longest course was a race between Blake and myself. Blake was given a headstart and won the race.
Our zipline guides were Gilligan and Jordan. Since Jordan caught us at the other end, he would go first showing us the trick they encouraged us to try. Gilligan would stay behind and attach each of us to the zipline and send us on our way. Our equipment consisted of a harness, helmet and leather gloves with thick leather attached to the palm. We were supposed to hold on to the harness with our left hand and use the glove on our right hand to lightly hold the zipline for control and breaking. Chris tried all the tricks, but had difficulty using the glove to guide and brake because it is too fat and weak. Nevertheless, it is fun.
One of the nice things is that the Bigfoot people let Kathy go out on one of the buses about two hours after the guys left. She was delivered to the final tower and got to go up and see Chris and Blake come zipping toward her on the only double zipline of the course. So at least she got to see what they looked like!
We purchased one of the photos of Blake ziplining and one of their entire group.
Next stop on the vacation agenda was a tour of the Upper Dells on a jet boat! We took the tour with Captain Ron's Original Dells Jet Boats. This is one form of Dells tour that both Kathy and Chris and never done before, so it was another new experience for all three of us! Although the tour itself is much like some of the slower boat tours of the upper Dells, it's the speed that makes it different! And to spice things up, Captain Ron would "put on the brakes" and that would splash many of the passengers. If you want to get really wet on the tour, sit in the first couple of rows in the boat. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) we were running late getting there and the three of us ended up sitting in the back of the boat. We still were splashed, but not much.
For supper, we decided to go eat Japanese food at Ginza of Tokyo. We enjoyed watching our food be prepared at the table, and Chris also ordered some sushi. There were two other parties at our table; both from Wisconsin. That made 7 adults and three kids; it was fun watching the kids experiment and try to use chopsticks. Well, actually, Chris was teaching the other adults how to use them too!
Such a busy day... we ended it by going to the nearby drive-in theater, Big Sky Drive-In. Yes, Wisconsin Dells still has a working outdoor theater. Not only do they have a drive-in, but there are two different screens! Annndddd.. each screen shows a double feature of first-run movies for the same price! Blake chose to go to Captain America. We enjoyed it, but Blake was really wiped out after the movie, so we didn't stay for the second feature, the third Transformers movie.
One bit of excitement "hit" when we were entering the theater lot. After paying at the booth, we began driving in and heard a crash. We had no idea what it was! Chris got out and looked and couldn't see anything at the beginning. He finally found the pieces of our lid for our vent on the camper. Come to find out, there was a bar across the entrance and it must have been just a fraction too low for our van!
But wait, there's more! When we got back to the campground it was very dark (after midnight, etc.). Kathy was trying to be quiet in the campground and Chris couldn't hear her directions, plus couldn't see much behind him in the dark. Long story short, he scraped a tree while he backed! This may not have done much more than scrape a little paint, but we had been lazy (and hot!) and had left the louvered windows in the back open. We ended up losing the bottom louver off the back passenger side... Bad words were spoken, testy words were exchanged, life went on...
On Wisconsin... In Which We Have Seen Kyle, Shawn, Maddie, & Atlas! -- Friday, July 29, 2011
Kyle and Shawn actually had to go to work, like real people (not vacationers!), so we were on our own for the morning. We made plans to meet Kyle for lunchtime before we headed north out of Madison. The guys had some breakfast there at the apartment and then we made a trip to Wisconsin Active Sportswear so that Blake could buy some Badger gear (yes, he's still a Jayhawks fan, but he has an aunt in Madison now!).
The rest of our morning was actually spent in Middleton, Wisconsin. For you Kansas readers, think Overland Park related to Kansas City. (And Madison seems to be a combination of Lawrence and Topeka, only bigger...). Middleton is the home of the National Mustard Museum. The museum is in the basement and shows some history of mustards, plus hundreds of containers of mustard from around the world! The displays are divided by state and country, even. It was interesting to see that some of the European mustards are packaged in a toothpaste tube-like container.
But we really had fun upstairs on the ground floor. This is actually the "gift shop". They have a lot of t-shirts with clever sayings (about mustard, of course) and other unusual gift ideas. The bulk of the shop is mustard after mustard, grouped in various categories. Want a mustard made with some sort of liquor or beer? Look over there... Want one made with fruit? Look over there... The best part is that they have a tasting stand, where knowledgeable staff will discuss the mustards and let you taste-test! Yes, we did alot of that; but we also left the shop with quite a few mustards and assorted clothing, etc!
Back to the apartment for a few more minutes with Kyle, and then we bid Madison "good-bye" for now. For those of you that are asking, "Why didn't you visit all the other cool things in the Madison area?", we have done so (all three of us) in earlier trips, plus we hope to be visiting up there other times in the future!
So, on to our destination, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin! For Kathy's kids, this name conjures up other memorable trips to similar sites: Keystone, South Dakota; Branson, Missouri; and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. What do these four locations have in common (other than the fact that the kids and I have all visited them)?
During the late afternoon we walked around downtown, ate, and visited the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. We do NOT recommend the Wisconsin cheese and beer soup at High Rocks; it was really awful as far as we were concerned. Buyer beware.
We found a nice campsite north of town at Stand Rock campground and will stay here two or three nights.
Earlier in the day we purchased tickets for the Rick Wilcox Magic Show, so we headed over there at 8pm. We had great seats right on the third row, but we couldn't seem to convince Blake to volunteer! This was the second time Chris and Kathy had seen this show, although much had changed. All three of us enjoyed the show.
The rest of our morning was actually spent in Middleton, Wisconsin. For you Kansas readers, think Overland Park related to Kansas City. (And Madison seems to be a combination of Lawrence and Topeka, only bigger...). Middleton is the home of the National Mustard Museum. The museum is in the basement and shows some history of mustards, plus hundreds of containers of mustard from around the world! The displays are divided by state and country, even. It was interesting to see that some of the European mustards are packaged in a toothpaste tube-like container.
But we really had fun upstairs on the ground floor. This is actually the "gift shop". They have a lot of t-shirts with clever sayings (about mustard, of course) and other unusual gift ideas. The bulk of the shop is mustard after mustard, grouped in various categories. Want a mustard made with some sort of liquor or beer? Look over there... Want one made with fruit? Look over there... The best part is that they have a tasting stand, where knowledgeable staff will discuss the mustards and let you taste-test! Yes, we did alot of that; but we also left the shop with quite a few mustards and assorted clothing, etc!
Back to the apartment for a few more minutes with Kyle, and then we bid Madison "good-bye" for now. For those of you that are asking, "Why didn't you visit all the other cool things in the Madison area?", we have done so (all three of us) in earlier trips, plus we hope to be visiting up there other times in the future!
So, on to our destination, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin! For Kathy's kids, this name conjures up other memorable trips to similar sites: Keystone, South Dakota; Branson, Missouri; and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. What do these four locations have in common (other than the fact that the kids and I have all visited them)?
During the late afternoon we walked around downtown, ate, and visited the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. We do NOT recommend the Wisconsin cheese and beer soup at High Rocks; it was really awful as far as we were concerned. Buyer beware.
We found a nice campsite north of town at Stand Rock campground and will stay here two or three nights.
Earlier in the day we purchased tickets for the Rick Wilcox Magic Show, so we headed over there at 8pm. We had great seats right on the third row, but we couldn't seem to convince Blake to volunteer! This was the second time Chris and Kathy had seen this show, although much had changed. All three of us enjoyed the show.
If It Rains, It's Still Fun!-- Thursday, July 28, 2011
We ate breakfast in downtown Amana and headed for the meat market. The restaurant gave us tokens for a pound of brats for $1, so we had to take advantage of that. And, of course, we spent more money there, just as they hoped!
The morning started with thunderstorms, so the temperature was better than the day before, but the humidity it still, naturally, pretty darn high! Chris and Kathy will be ready to return to the much lower humidity of central Kansas before this vacation is over.
Our first planned stop was in Dyersville, Iowa. Since it was still raining we first visited the National Farm Toy Museum. If you ever owned or played with any toy even remotely related to farms and farming, this is the place to reminisce. All companies are represented, even though the Ertl Company began the Museum.
With her love of genealogy, Kathy's favorite part was a whole wall tracing the "genealogy" of present day AGCO . It's amazing how many companies have merged to create this company! Some of the best known names, even to this non-farm kid, are: Massey Ferguson, Gleaner, White, Hesston, etc.
The rain had stopped, so we headed to our "real" Dyersville destination, the Field of Dreams Movie Site. Even though the field was awfully soggy, with standing water, Chris and Blake were able to play a little catch and pose for the photos Kathy wanted to take. [photos to be added] Since the corn is nearing harvest time, we even got to take shots of them entering and exiting the cornfield. (For those of you that don't understand that part, you really need to watch Field of Dreams!)
The site was a little different from when Kathy took her kids years ago, but still is a peaceful stop for families, whether you like baseball or not! There's a new souvenir stand now, but that's about it. I appreciate the simplicity. As stated in the promotional information: "Enjoy the surroundings. Bat a few balls, play a little catch, run the bases or sit and dream on the bleachers."
After leaving the Field, we were officially on our way to Madison, Wisconsin, home of Kathy's daughter, Kyle. But even stalwart travelers need to eat, so we stopped in Dubuque, Iowa, at a restaurant Blake had enjoyed with his folks, Crust.
By the time we arrived in Madison, both Kyle and Shawn were home from work. We had a good visit with the two of them and enjoyed watching the antics of Maddie, the cat, and Atlas, the dog.
The five humans went out to eat and spent the rest of the evening talking and watching the new version of Arthur.
Another high-point of the day was the fact that we got to sleep in the apartment for the night, out of the heat!
The morning started with thunderstorms, so the temperature was better than the day before, but the humidity it still, naturally, pretty darn high! Chris and Kathy will be ready to return to the much lower humidity of central Kansas before this vacation is over.
Our first planned stop was in Dyersville, Iowa. Since it was still raining we first visited the National Farm Toy Museum. If you ever owned or played with any toy even remotely related to farms and farming, this is the place to reminisce. All companies are represented, even though the Ertl Company began the Museum.
With her love of genealogy, Kathy's favorite part was a whole wall tracing the "genealogy" of present day AGCO . It's amazing how many companies have merged to create this company! Some of the best known names, even to this non-farm kid, are: Massey Ferguson, Gleaner, White, Hesston, etc.
The rain had stopped, so we headed to our "real" Dyersville destination, the Field of Dreams Movie Site. Even though the field was awfully soggy, with standing water, Chris and Blake were able to play a little catch and pose for the photos Kathy wanted to take. [photos to be added] Since the corn is nearing harvest time, we even got to take shots of them entering and exiting the cornfield. (For those of you that don't understand that part, you really need to watch Field of Dreams!)
The site was a little different from when Kathy took her kids years ago, but still is a peaceful stop for families, whether you like baseball or not! There's a new souvenir stand now, but that's about it. I appreciate the simplicity. As stated in the promotional information: "Enjoy the surroundings. Bat a few balls, play a little catch, run the bases or sit and dream on the bleachers."
After leaving the Field, we were officially on our way to Madison, Wisconsin, home of Kathy's daughter, Kyle. But even stalwart travelers need to eat, so we stopped in Dubuque, Iowa, at a restaurant Blake had enjoyed with his folks, Crust.
By the time we arrived in Madison, both Kyle and Shawn were home from work. We had a good visit with the two of them and enjoyed watching the antics of Maddie, the cat, and Atlas, the dog.
The five humans went out to eat and spent the rest of the evening talking and watching the new version of Arthur.
Another high-point of the day was the fact that we got to sleep in the apartment for the night, out of the heat!
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!-- Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Chris and Kathy arrived in KC, MO on Tuesday night and stayed at the Jason & Toni's household so we could start out bright and early (?) on Wednesday morning. Although Jason leaves for work even brighter and earlier, Toni had some munchies to start the day and off we went!
This is our second "grandkid" trip. Kathy's grandparents began by taking their 10 grandchildren, one at a time, on each child's own vacation. Their two kids and spouses continued the tradition and now the original grandchildren are taking the next generation! This year it's Blake's turn! Thie challenge for us is to find activities for a pre-teen boy...
The BAD -- Our first stop wasn't too far north of Kansas City, Jesse James' birthplace. The tour wasn't bad, it's Jesse that we're talking about here. The movie shown at the beginning of the tour shows how Jesse and Frank got started in their lives of crime during their lives as Bushwhackers during the Civil War. (Well, they might have called it the "War of Northern Aggression" since they were Southerners in a Union state!).
Several rooms of museum displays are there at the Visitor's Center and then we took a guided tour of the actual house where the James' lived for several generations. One of the main themes seems to be the role of Jesse and Frank's mother in, not only their lives, but as a fiercely protective mother of all her children.
When Jesse was killed (while straightening a picture on the wall of his own home) by a man he considered a friend, his mother, Zerelda, had him buried in the front yard of the family home with a tall monument. She even moved her bed so she could watch out the window and make sure no one came to desecrate the memorial!
Zerelda was actually married three times; Mr. James, a preacher, was her first husband. She lost two children because of Jesse's life choices: Jesse and one of his young half-brothers, Archie, who was killed when the Pinkerton detectives through a "bomb" in to the house hoping to flush out Jesse and/or Frank.
We began with our first of our sports-related trivia here at the James Farm. The family maintained the site as a tourist attraction for at least three generations. One of Frank's sons liked golf, so for awhile the home had a three-hole golf course attached so that visitor's could play a little golf when they came too! We then headed out of Missouri in to Iowa
The GOOD -- Our "good" is an all-American legend. John Wayne was really born as Marion Robert Morrison in the small town of Winterset, Iowa. "Duke", as he became known, only lived in Winterset a few years, but visitors can tour his home and view memorabilia from his long and varied career. As Blake pointed out, people think he was just in Western movies, but he was in a lot of different ones: war movies, one in Ireland, sports movies, "romantic comedy", historical movies, etc.
Our sports trivia of the tour was the fact that John Wayne, as he became known later, played football on a scholarship for the University of Southern California.
Although the house is small, the curators have filled it with movie stills and other mementos of Wayne's career. There are also items from his childhood, even a copy of his parents' wedding license.
If one wants, you can take a photo next to one of the several images of Wayne found in the gift shop.
The UGLY -- Oh, yes, there is no doubt what is the UGLY of our day... the heat!!! There was a disagreement (Chris and Kathy) about whether the air conditioner was working in the camper van. The result is that we rode the rest of the day with the windows open!! It was hot, hot, hot! I believe the gauge hovered around 100 for most of the day with maximum humidity ranging from 62-98!! Maybe it was the humidity, not just the heat.
Even at night when we were setting up our camp at the Amana Colonies Campground in Amana, Iowa, the sweat was just pouring off us (I apologize if anyone's tender senses are offended, but it WAS offensive). In the end, Chris slept outside on the sleeping bag on the ground most of the night while Kathy and Blake slept in the camper. After a cool shower, it wasn't too bad once we actually settled down for the night,
Chris moved inside around 5:30 AM or so when a thunderstorm actually arrived!! That did lower the temperature, but the humidity was awfully high!
A high point of the evening was eating in Marengo, Iowa, at Phat Daddy's restaurant. We saw lots of people entering, including children, so we figured it must be popular. The food was very good. And it had the extra perk of being air conditioned! ;-)
This is our second "grandkid" trip. Kathy's grandparents began by taking their 10 grandchildren, one at a time, on each child's own vacation. Their two kids and spouses continued the tradition and now the original grandchildren are taking the next generation! This year it's Blake's turn! Thie challenge for us is to find activities for a pre-teen boy...
The BAD -- Our first stop wasn't too far north of Kansas City, Jesse James' birthplace. The tour wasn't bad, it's Jesse that we're talking about here. The movie shown at the beginning of the tour shows how Jesse and Frank got started in their lives of crime during their lives as Bushwhackers during the Civil War. (Well, they might have called it the "War of Northern Aggression" since they were Southerners in a Union state!).
Several rooms of museum displays are there at the Visitor's Center and then we took a guided tour of the actual house where the James' lived for several generations. One of the main themes seems to be the role of Jesse and Frank's mother in, not only their lives, but as a fiercely protective mother of all her children.
When Jesse was killed (while straightening a picture on the wall of his own home) by a man he considered a friend, his mother, Zerelda, had him buried in the front yard of the family home with a tall monument. She even moved her bed so she could watch out the window and make sure no one came to desecrate the memorial!
Zerelda was actually married three times; Mr. James, a preacher, was her first husband. She lost two children because of Jesse's life choices: Jesse and one of his young half-brothers, Archie, who was killed when the Pinkerton detectives through a "bomb" in to the house hoping to flush out Jesse and/or Frank.
We began with our first of our sports-related trivia here at the James Farm. The family maintained the site as a tourist attraction for at least three generations. One of Frank's sons liked golf, so for awhile the home had a three-hole golf course attached so that visitor's could play a little golf when they came too! We then headed out of Missouri in to Iowa
The GOOD -- Our "good" is an all-American legend. John Wayne was really born as Marion Robert Morrison in the small town of Winterset, Iowa. "Duke", as he became known, only lived in Winterset a few years, but visitors can tour his home and view memorabilia from his long and varied career. As Blake pointed out, people think he was just in Western movies, but he was in a lot of different ones: war movies, one in Ireland, sports movies, "romantic comedy", historical movies, etc.
Our sports trivia of the tour was the fact that John Wayne, as he became known later, played football on a scholarship for the University of Southern California.
Although the house is small, the curators have filled it with movie stills and other mementos of Wayne's career. There are also items from his childhood, even a copy of his parents' wedding license.
If one wants, you can take a photo next to one of the several images of Wayne found in the gift shop.
The UGLY -- Oh, yes, there is no doubt what is the UGLY of our day... the heat!!! There was a disagreement (Chris and Kathy) about whether the air conditioner was working in the camper van. The result is that we rode the rest of the day with the windows open!! It was hot, hot, hot! I believe the gauge hovered around 100 for most of the day with maximum humidity ranging from 62-98!! Maybe it was the humidity, not just the heat.
Even at night when we were setting up our camp at the Amana Colonies Campground in Amana, Iowa, the sweat was just pouring off us (I apologize if anyone's tender senses are offended, but it WAS offensive). In the end, Chris slept outside on the sleeping bag on the ground most of the night while Kathy and Blake slept in the camper. After a cool shower, it wasn't too bad once we actually settled down for the night,
Chris moved inside around 5:30 AM or so when a thunderstorm actually arrived!! That did lower the temperature, but the humidity was awfully high!
A high point of the evening was eating in Marengo, Iowa, at Phat Daddy's restaurant. We saw lots of people entering, including children, so we figured it must be popular. The food was very good. And it had the extra perk of being air conditioned! ;-)
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Home again, home again... Merriman, Nebraska to Great Bend, KS - Saturday, September 4, 2010
More to come!
See note on Friday posting!
See note on Friday posting!
Wall, SD to Merriman, Nebraska - Friday, September 3, 2010
More to come...
For all of the vacation postings, click the 2010 tag in the right column. Then you can view all vacation postings. The newest is at the top!
For all of the vacation postings, click the 2010 tag in the right column. Then you can view all vacation postings. The newest is at the top!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Hill City, SD to Wall, SD - Thursday, September 2, 2010
More to come... Yes, we know we are very far behind!
Deadwood, SD to Hill City, SD - Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The first stop of the day was at Tantanka: Story of the Bison. This is an attraction created and owned by Kevin Costner and is found a few miles north of Deadwood.
The museum is small, but has interesting displays and a small gift shop. Our tour guide was very informative about bison and the animals' role in the life of the Lakota (Sioux). She also spoke about Lakota history and how they lived before white men moved in to the area. The guide was actually of Cheyenne heritage. She has a degree in American Indian Studies and has lived in South Dakota most of her life, I believe.
Outside the main building there are tipis and then the pièce de résistance, a huge sculpture of a bison hunt. This larger than life bronze sculpture features 14 bison pursued by 3 Native American horseback riders. It is very impressive.
We then drove through Sturgis, home of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, on the way to Rapid City. The Rally is usually held the first part of August, so we did not have to compete for camping space during our stay in the Black Hills. We DID see many motorcyles in this whole region of South Dakota. It's almost like bikers like to make a "pilgrimage" to Sturgis even if they don't attend the event.
We did some needed grocery shopping in Rapid City and decided to head towards Keystone. It just wouldn't be a Black Hills vacation if we didn't go to the Black Hills Maze, so that was the first order of business. The promotional material states that it is one of the world's largest mazes. Over 1.2 miles of walkways, bridges, and stairs are included. A new, challenging configuration is created every two weeks. Visitors search their way to all four towers, stamped a card at each, and then find the exit. Staff stamp your card at the beginning and the end so that you can see how long it took to finish the Maze.
Chris finished first, two minutes before Kathy. Both took about 1 hour and 20 minutes to finish. Luckily we were not quite slow enough to be included on the posted "Board of Shame" that shows the slowest times for the last few configurations! Traveling through the Maze can be extremely frustrating, but it's also fun to face the challenge and finally finish! Highly recommended for all types of families! (The last time Kathy and her kids visited, all four teens finished well ahead of her. They sat on the hill side outside and heckled while she continually back-tracked trying to find the way to the final tower!)
More to come...
The museum is small, but has interesting displays and a small gift shop. Our tour guide was very informative about bison and the animals' role in the life of the Lakota (Sioux). She also spoke about Lakota history and how they lived before white men moved in to the area. The guide was actually of Cheyenne heritage. She has a degree in American Indian Studies and has lived in South Dakota most of her life, I believe.
Outside the main building there are tipis and then the pièce de résistance, a huge sculpture of a bison hunt. This larger than life bronze sculpture features 14 bison pursued by 3 Native American horseback riders. It is very impressive.
We then drove through Sturgis, home of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, on the way to Rapid City. The Rally is usually held the first part of August, so we did not have to compete for camping space during our stay in the Black Hills. We DID see many motorcyles in this whole region of South Dakota. It's almost like bikers like to make a "pilgrimage" to Sturgis even if they don't attend the event.
We did some needed grocery shopping in Rapid City and decided to head towards Keystone. It just wouldn't be a Black Hills vacation if we didn't go to the Black Hills Maze, so that was the first order of business. The promotional material states that it is one of the world's largest mazes. Over 1.2 miles of walkways, bridges, and stairs are included. A new, challenging configuration is created every two weeks. Visitors search their way to all four towers, stamped a card at each, and then find the exit. Staff stamp your card at the beginning and the end so that you can see how long it took to finish the Maze.
Chris finished first, two minutes before Kathy. Both took about 1 hour and 20 minutes to finish. Luckily we were not quite slow enough to be included on the posted "Board of Shame" that shows the slowest times for the last few configurations! Traveling through the Maze can be extremely frustrating, but it's also fun to face the challenge and finally finish! Highly recommended for all types of families! (The last time Kathy and her kids visited, all four teens finished well ahead of her. They sat on the hill side outside and heckled while she continually back-tracked trying to find the way to the final tower!)
More to come...
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Lead, SD to Deadwood, SD - Tuesday, August 31, 2010
In the morning we ate breakfast in the campground's restaurant decorated with pictures of motorcycles, campers and advertisements. Picked up a newspaper about this year's recent Sturgis motorcycle rally. At this year's rally, Pee Wee Herman was auditioning for extras in his new movie on his bike adventure.
After breakfast we drove into the Lead to the Black Hills Mining Museum. The museum covers
gold mining and the economic development cultural/social history of Lead. Kathy found a telephone operator's panel.
The museum was in an old Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store. Some ex-miners had converted the basement into a simulated mine. A young man guided us on an interesting tour explaining the history of the Homestake Mine and the process of gold mining mixed with jokes, e.g., alcohol is not allowed in the mine because everyone is a minor.
The Homestake Mine is the deepest mine and the second largest producer of gold in North America . It goes down 8,000 feet below the surface. The mine closed in May 2001. (Google pictures)
Now the mine is being converted to look for neutrinos and dark matter particles. The new lab is called the Sanford Underground Laboratory at Homestake. At this time they are draining the mine of water. By May 2009, the water was drained down to 4,850 feet.
The 4,850 foot level was the central clearing level when the mine was in operation. This level contained the mine's most extensive and sophisticated railway and communications system and many major workshops. Each day, miners went to this level first before proceeding to the level where they would work for the day. The Sanford Underground laboratory is going to put their first detectors at this level.
After the tour, Kathy and I went to look at the big mining hole in the middle of Lead. Homestake started as a surface mine. The surface mine continued off and on until 1998. The hole is 1,200 feet deep and a half-mile across. It is big.
One the way our of Lead, we stopped for lunch at the Pizza Lab. Kathy and I had three kinds of pizza: ranch vegetarian, pesto tomato, and a thai chicken pizza. We agreed that the thai chicken was the best. Though the place is a really good pizza place, Chris was disappointed that they had not emphasized the "lab" theme. You can see the kitchen from the front. They could have had bubbling beakers and tesla coils sparking between the kitchen and front. (Video of a tesla coil playing 2001: Space Odyssey) The servers could dress in lab coats and laugh maniacally, i.e., like a mad scientist, when they served your pizza.
We drove the short distance to Deadwood. After finding our campground, Kathy and Chris took the trolley in to see a murder of Hickok in the #10 Saloon (video) and the Trial of Jack McCall. (video) The shows Kathy and I saw were more relaxed than the ones recorded in the videos linked to.
Fifteen minutes before the trial began, the main actors in the trial including Jack McCall played music. The music was humorous. My favorite was "Ghost Chickens in the Sky" to the tune of "Ghost Riders in the Sky." The audience helped by making chicken noises after each line and in the chorus of "Bwaak Bwaaa Bwaaa" instead of "yeppie yi yo, yeppie yi yeaa." (video by Sean Morey, the writer of the song) (Other Sean Morey songs)
After breakfast we drove into the Lead to the Black Hills Mining Museum. The museum covers
gold mining and the economic development cultural/social history of Lead. Kathy found a telephone operator's panel.The museum was in an old Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store. Some ex-miners had converted the basement into a simulated mine. A young man guided us on an interesting tour explaining the history of the Homestake Mine and the process of gold mining mixed with jokes, e.g., alcohol is not allowed in the mine because everyone is a minor.
The Homestake Mine is the deepest mine and the second largest producer of gold in North America . It goes down 8,000 feet below the surface. The mine closed in May 2001. (Google pictures)
Now the mine is being converted to look for neutrinos and dark matter particles. The new lab is called the Sanford Underground Laboratory at Homestake. At this time they are draining the mine of water. By May 2009, the water was drained down to 4,850 feet.
The 4,850 foot level was the central clearing level when the mine was in operation. This level contained the mine's most extensive and sophisticated railway and communications system and many major workshops. Each day, miners went to this level first before proceeding to the level where they would work for the day. The Sanford Underground laboratory is going to put their first detectors at this level.
After the tour, Kathy and I went to look at the big mining hole in the middle of Lead. Homestake started as a surface mine. The surface mine continued off and on until 1998. The hole is 1,200 feet deep and a half-mile across. It is big.
One the way our of Lead, we stopped for lunch at the Pizza Lab. Kathy and I had three kinds of pizza: ranch vegetarian, pesto tomato, and a thai chicken pizza. We agreed that the thai chicken was the best. Though the place is a really good pizza place, Chris was disappointed that they had not emphasized the "lab" theme. You can see the kitchen from the front. They could have had bubbling beakers and tesla coils sparking between the kitchen and front. (Video of a tesla coil playing 2001: Space Odyssey) The servers could dress in lab coats and laugh maniacally, i.e., like a mad scientist, when they served your pizza.
We drove the short distance to Deadwood. After finding our campground, Kathy and Chris took the trolley in to see a murder of Hickok in the #10 Saloon (video) and the Trial of Jack McCall. (video) The shows Kathy and I saw were more relaxed than the ones recorded in the videos linked to.
Fifteen minutes before the trial began, the main actors in the trial including Jack McCall played music. The music was humorous. My favorite was "Ghost Chickens in the Sky" to the tune of "Ghost Riders in the Sky." The audience helped by making chicken noises after each line and in the chorus of "Bwaak Bwaaa Bwaaa" instead of "yeppie yi yo, yeppie yi yeaa." (video by Sean Morey, the writer of the song) (Other Sean Morey songs)
Spearfish, SD to Lead, SD - Monday, August 30, 2010
Spearfish's city campground is beside the DC Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery. The first thing we did this morning was tour this historic site.When the whites stole these hills from the Indians for the gold, the whites also discovered the streams are a perfect environment for trout. Trout are not native to the Black Hills because the fish can't get here on their own. So the federal government sent D. C. Booth to establish a program for seeding the streams with trout. Over the next 30 years, Booth built a hatchery that provided over a million tiny trout a year to streams in the Black Hills, around the country and even Europe. In the picture, Kathy stands in front of a bronze statute about restocking a stream.
One of the most interesting exhibits on hatchery grounds were the fish railroad cars. The government had 10 railroad cars specially designed and built to transport tiny trout across the country. The car had a dozen of wooden fish tanks, plus facilities for the room and board of a crew of five people. These railroad cars were discontinued in 1947 with the building of more hatcheries across the country, more and better roads, and the development of better trucks for transporting stock fish.
The historic hatchery still stocks some trout even today. Though they now release fewer numbers, the fish are larger, the size is called "catchable." We fed the fish.
Our next stop in Spearfish was the workshop art gallery of Dick Termes.
Termes creates six-point perspective spherical art called Termespheres. Since visiting his workshop, we have seen a number of them hanging around the Black Hills. (Google images of Termespheres)We left Spearfish through Spearfish Canyon. We saw Roughlock Falls
and one place where they
filmed the Black Hills scenes of Dances with Wolves.Roughlock Falls has changed a lot since Kathy first saw it as a child; it's even changed a lot since she began taking her own children to see it! Where once we climbed down the bank to the stream and then walked in the water to go under the Falls, you now can not even go down to the stream! There are now fences and viewing platforms around the Falls. The banks near the falls are now pretty much straight up and down and there is a lot more vegetation everywhere.
It's still a beautiful little falls; quite photogenic. But part of the magic is gone now. It was always fun to walk in the freezing cold water (in our tennis shoes) and struggle up the rocks to find shelter in a "cave" under the Falls. I hope our grandchildren will still get to see Roughlock Falls, but I regret they won't get the same fun experiences three other generations of the family had!
Near Cheyenne Crossing, we found the road and Hanna campground Kathy remembered from her childhood visits to this area. She also camped here with her children.
We camped five miles from Lead.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Dickinson, ND to Spearfish, SD - Sunday, August 29, 2010
When we left Dickinson we traveled east along I-94 until be saw a sculpture called
Flying Geese. This marks the northern end of the Enchanted Highway south to Regent, ND. Along the highway, the fields every 5 miles or so contain large, often amusing, sculptures of mostly steel welded together. Beside each sculpture is a parking lot for people to stop and take pictures.
The lower picture is one of our favorite sculpture of an aquarium out on the plains. Kathy is pretending to be the little diver at the bottom of the tank. At the bottom, Chris looks at the panties of a farmer's giant wife.
The Enchanted Highway is the inspiration of artist Gary Greff. He had the idea of using large sculptures along this highway to draw tourists 25 miles south to his hometown in Regent. It works. Lots of people drove the highway, even on a Sunday morning, stopping at each sculpture to take pictures. We also talked and got to know each other. Visiting each other over and over again at each sculpture, several carloads formed a cohort driving down the road. At the end of the road in Regent, some of us again met in the artist's ice cream parlor and souvenir shop and talked some more. Kathy and I sat at a table talking to a couple from Georgia. One of the other families was from Minnesota; the wife had grown up in Concordia, Kansas!
We then drove south to Spearfish, South Dakota. We camped in the city's wonderful campground. We were camped near a very nice running stream. Off and on we have commented about camp showers. On this trip, we have suffered some of the small showers little bigger than coffins. We have also had the good fortune to use some really nice showers. The showers at the city campground in Spearfish are the best we have seen.
Flying Geese. This marks the northern end of the Enchanted Highway south to Regent, ND. Along the highway, the fields every 5 miles or so contain large, often amusing, sculptures of mostly steel welded together. Beside each sculpture is a parking lot for people to stop and take pictures.
The lower picture is one of our favorite sculpture of an aquarium out on the plains. Kathy is pretending to be the little diver at the bottom of the tank. At the bottom, Chris looks at the panties of a farmer's giant wife.
The Enchanted Highway is the inspiration of artist Gary Greff. He had the idea of using large sculptures along this highway to draw tourists 25 miles south to his hometown in Regent. It works. Lots of people drove the highway, even on a Sunday morning, stopping at each sculpture to take pictures. We also talked and got to know each other. Visiting each other over and over again at each sculpture, several carloads formed a cohort driving down the road. At the end of the road in Regent, some of us again met in the artist's ice cream parlor and souvenir shop and talked some more. Kathy and I sat at a table talking to a couple from Georgia. One of the other families was from Minnesota; the wife had grown up in Concordia, Kansas!
We then drove south to Spearfish, South Dakota. We camped in the city's wonderful campground. We were camped near a very nice running stream. Off and on we have commented about camp showers. On this trip, we have suffered some of the small showers little bigger than coffins. We have also had the good fortune to use some really nice showers. The showers at the city campground in Spearfish are the best we have seen.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Medora, ND to Dickinson, North Dakota, Saturday, August 28, 2010.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park was the first thing on our agenda for Saturday. We first visited the Visitors' Center, viewed the exhibits, and watched a video about Teddy Roosevelt's time in the Medora area.
We then drove the loop for the scenic tour. We only visited what is called the South Unit. The
area is considered badlands and has a stark kind of beauty. It is not as empty of vegetation as some of the Badlands National Monument. Prairie Dog villages appear regularly along the loop drive. Early in the day, they appeared far away from the road. Later as we neared the end of the loop we saw them very near the road. One had even been killed by a passing car. At the end of the loop, we finally saw bison. They were graving and resting beside the road (they are not fenced). We stopped to admire them. They ignored us. One handsome horse wondered by, but we don't think it was part of the wild horse herd. Probably just an escaped domesticated animal. (More Google images)
From Medora, we drove along I-94 to Dickinson, ND. Their motto is "Explore the Western Edge." Dickinson is home of the Dakota Dinosaur Museum. This is a small museum with a nice collection of dinosaur and other animal fossils and minerals wonderfully displayed. Their mineral collection offers several interesting examples of objects that look like fossils of animals and plants, but are not. One looked like the skin of a dinosaur. Another looked like a fish.
We stayed the night in Dickinson and ate dinner in a nice restaurant. We both had a very tasty garlic soup. Chris had an expensive rack of lamb. And Kathy had an appetizer. The piped in music played Frank Sinatra and similar songs.
We then drove the loop for the scenic tour. We only visited what is called the South Unit. The
area is considered badlands and has a stark kind of beauty. It is not as empty of vegetation as some of the Badlands National Monument. Prairie Dog villages appear regularly along the loop drive. Early in the day, they appeared far away from the road. Later as we neared the end of the loop we saw them very near the road. One had even been killed by a passing car. At the end of the loop, we finally saw bison. They were graving and resting beside the road (they are not fenced). We stopped to admire them. They ignored us. One handsome horse wondered by, but we don't think it was part of the wild horse herd. Probably just an escaped domesticated animal. (More Google images)From Medora, we drove along I-94 to Dickinson, ND. Their motto is "Explore the Western Edge." Dickinson is home of the Dakota Dinosaur Museum. This is a small museum with a nice collection of dinosaur and other animal fossils and minerals wonderfully displayed. Their mineral collection offers several interesting examples of objects that look like fossils of animals and plants, but are not. One looked like the skin of a dinosaur. Another looked like a fish.
We stayed the night in Dickinson and ate dinner in a nice restaurant. We both had a very tasty garlic soup. Chris had an expensive rack of lamb. And Kathy had an appetizer. The piped in music played Frank Sinatra and similar songs.
Ceylon to Medora, North Dakota, Friday, August 27, 2010
In the morning, the park caretaker came along to collect money and chat. Then we drove to Montana.
The US customs agents took all our uncut tomatoes, one green onion and the mountain ash berries (on right) we had picked up in Boissevain, Manitoba. We had not thought that the food in our refrigerator might be an issue. It all had been in the camper since Great Bend but, of course, we couldn't prove that. It is interesting that sliced tomates were OK.
We reentered the US in the northeast corner of Montana. We drove east into North Dakota to Medora, near Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Medora's history focuses on two major events. The town is named after the wife of a French aristocrat/adventurer, de Mores, who attempted to start in 1883 a cattle business and packing plant to ship meat back east. Theodore Roosevelt also came here for adventure and later to overcome depression over the loss of his wife and mother in 1884. Theodore credits this area into forming him into a man who could become president. So both men were in Medora at the same time and knew each other.
From this inspirational past, the town has slid into mere tourisms, i.e., shops, restaurants, one stage theater, museums, and two campgrounds. In the evening, we went to the Medora Musical.
We were expecting a musical telling the history of Medora. What we got in the first half was music with no real story. The singing and dancing was very professionally performed, but the lack of a story made the event comparatively meaningless compared to the inspirational story we expected. This was a 45th anniversary show which may have replaced the story-telling show we had expected and would have preferred. Why would tourists care about the 45th anniversary of the show? This reminds me of the time Bob Hope did a "Thanks for the memories" show in front of the University of Florida undergraduates. Since the students had no memories of Bob Hope, their behavior showed that they didn't care.
The second half of Medora Musical was much better. Acrobatic clowns, the New York Goofs, were amusing. This was followed by a skit about Theodore's Rough Riders' charge of San Juan Hill. This portion of the show was very sentimentally patriotic, very much in the spirit of Theodore's own enthusiastic nationalism.
We did not partake in the western delicacy popular in Medora, pitchfork (steak) fondue.
We reentered the US in the northeast corner of Montana. We drove east into North Dakota to Medora, near Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Medora's history focuses on two major events. The town is named after the wife of a French aristocrat/adventurer, de Mores, who attempted to start in 1883 a cattle business and packing plant to ship meat back east. Theodore Roosevelt also came here for adventure and later to overcome depression over the loss of his wife and mother in 1884. Theodore credits this area into forming him into a man who could become president. So both men were in Medora at the same time and knew each other.
From this inspirational past, the town has slid into mere tourisms, i.e., shops, restaurants, one stage theater, museums, and two campgrounds. In the evening, we went to the Medora Musical.
We were expecting a musical telling the history of Medora. What we got in the first half was music with no real story. The singing and dancing was very professionally performed, but the lack of a story made the event comparatively meaningless compared to the inspirational story we expected. This was a 45th anniversary show which may have replaced the story-telling show we had expected and would have preferred. Why would tourists care about the 45th anniversary of the show? This reminds me of the time Bob Hope did a "Thanks for the memories" show in front of the University of Florida undergraduates. Since the students had no memories of Bob Hope, their behavior showed that they didn't care.
The second half of Medora Musical was much better. Acrobatic clowns, the New York Goofs, were amusing. This was followed by a skit about Theodore's Rough Riders' charge of San Juan Hill. This portion of the show was very sentimentally patriotic, very much in the spirit of Theodore's own enthusiastic nationalism.
We did not partake in the western delicacy popular in Medora, pitchfork (steak) fondue.
Indian Head to Ceylon, Saskatchewan, Thursday, August 26, 2010
This morning we drove north of town to see the Bell Farm Round Barn. Actually, the current attraction is a reconstruction of the original barn. The barn is stone and served as a stable for the large farm. The original was built in 1882.
The barn is more of a museum inside now, with only one stall as an example. However, the panels containing history of the area, the farm, and the owner were well done and interesting about the settlement of this part of Saskatchewan. The farm eventually failed and the owner, Bell, moved elsewhere.
After visting the Barn, we went south of town to the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) Shelterbelt Centre. We were especially interested in seeing any shrubs they are growing because we will be planting new shrubs in front of our house this year. We really didn't find a variety that looked like what we want, but did take a few pictures of possible ideas. We also picked up a few brochures and enjoyed looking at a model of the suggested arrangement of a farm with well-planned shelter belts. It was quite interesting. This summer we had to remove three trees on the north side of the house, so it gave us some ideas about what to do in that area.
We then drove west and stopped in Moose Jaw to visit the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre (SBOIC)First opened in 1997, the interactive interpretive center was developed adjacent to an abandoned racetrack surrounding the native habitat of several wild nesting burrowing owls. The Centre is also home to any wild Burrowing Owls that may not be released into the wild due to injury or loss of migratory ability. We were told that the original wild burrowing owls in the area have not returned at this time; this may be because the city is developing more around that area.
We enjoyed our tour and observing the owls. These owls are very small and nest underground. Although called Burrowing Owls, they do not actually dig their own burrows. They use burrows that have been dug by prairie dogs, gophers, or badgers. At the Centre they actually live in constructed burrows using flexible pipes. However, there are prairie dogs living there also and we saw some "visiting" the owls in their cages. The staff member that was showing us around said the staff have to refill holes near the cage walls made by the prairie dogs often so that the owls can not escape. Since most of the owls currently in residence can not be released because of their past injuries, this is a concern.
They are very small birds and their coloring certainly blends in and makes them difficult to spot sometimes, even in their cages. Three of the owls are imprinted on humans and are used in programs outside the Centre. You can see a short film about some of the Centre's activities and the owls here.
Our next stop was Rouleau, Saskatchewan, location for the Canadian TV comedy, Corner Gas. This is the show we have been watching on DVD in the camper each evening. We like the songs at the beginning and the end of the show during the credits. The song at the end is part of "My Happy Place"; the full song was originally done by The Odds. Here's the part used as the Corner Gas closing theme. Folks in the Great Plains, whether U.S. or Canada, will enjoy!
In the show, the town is called "Dog River." "Dog River" is painted on the grain elevator across the main highway from the town and easily seen from the Corner Gas station/convenient store and Ruby's Cafe, the main locations for show. All these buildings could be seen first as we approached the town from the northwest. We picnicked at Corner Gas and took pictures.
While we were there at least two other vehicles stopped, people got out and took pictures.
After taking the pictures, we drove into town. The local bar and one store sold souvenirs. We bought some.
Then we drove south to Ceylon, Saskatchewan, just short of the border. We camped in the city park.
The barn is more of a museum inside now, with only one stall as an example. However, the panels containing history of the area, the farm, and the owner were well done and interesting about the settlement of this part of Saskatchewan. The farm eventually failed and the owner, Bell, moved elsewhere.
After visting the Barn, we went south of town to the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) Shelterbelt Centre. We were especially interested in seeing any shrubs they are growing because we will be planting new shrubs in front of our house this year. We really didn't find a variety that looked like what we want, but did take a few pictures of possible ideas. We also picked up a few brochures and enjoyed looking at a model of the suggested arrangement of a farm with well-planned shelter belts. It was quite interesting. This summer we had to remove three trees on the north side of the house, so it gave us some ideas about what to do in that area.
We then drove west and stopped in Moose Jaw to visit the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre (SBOIC)First opened in 1997, the interactive interpretive center was developed adjacent to an abandoned racetrack surrounding the native habitat of several wild nesting burrowing owls. The Centre is also home to any wild Burrowing Owls that may not be released into the wild due to injury or loss of migratory ability. We were told that the original wild burrowing owls in the area have not returned at this time; this may be because the city is developing more around that area.
We enjoyed our tour and observing the owls. These owls are very small and nest underground. Although called Burrowing Owls, they do not actually dig their own burrows. They use burrows that have been dug by prairie dogs, gophers, or badgers. At the Centre they actually live in constructed burrows using flexible pipes. However, there are prairie dogs living there also and we saw some "visiting" the owls in their cages. The staff member that was showing us around said the staff have to refill holes near the cage walls made by the prairie dogs often so that the owls can not escape. Since most of the owls currently in residence can not be released because of their past injuries, this is a concern.
They are very small birds and their coloring certainly blends in and makes them difficult to spot sometimes, even in their cages. Three of the owls are imprinted on humans and are used in programs outside the Centre. You can see a short film about some of the Centre's activities and the owls here.
Our next stop was Rouleau, Saskatchewan, location for the Canadian TV comedy, Corner Gas. This is the show we have been watching on DVD in the camper each evening. We like the songs at the beginning and the end of the show during the credits. The song at the end is part of "My Happy Place"; the full song was originally done by The Odds. Here's the part used as the Corner Gas closing theme. Folks in the Great Plains, whether U.S. or Canada, will enjoy!
In the show, the town is called "Dog River." "Dog River" is painted on the grain elevator across the main highway from the town and easily seen from the Corner Gas station/convenient store and Ruby's Cafe, the main locations for show. All these buildings could be seen first as we approached the town from the northwest. We picnicked at Corner Gas and took pictures.
While we were there at least two other vehicles stopped, people got out and took pictures.
After taking the pictures, we drove into town. The local bar and one store sold souvenirs. We bought some.
Then we drove south to Ceylon, Saskatchewan, just short of the border. We camped in the city park.
International Peace Garden to Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Wednesday, August 25, 2010
We woke up to our first day of camping in Canada! We really were impressed with the campground at Adam Lake. It had lots of trees, good separation between campsites, and showers and electricity.
First order of business was to return to tour the International Peace Garden. The entrance is actually on the border between North Dakota and Manitoba. We had to go through Canadian Customs the night before, but did not need to on our return.
The International Peace Garden is a 2,339 acre botanical garden "devoted to World Peace, along the world’s longest unfortified border". The atmosphere while walking in the garden was quite "peaceful". Visitors can walk up one side of the main garden area and then back down the other side. Along the way there are a number of special structures: the Carillon Bell Tower, the Peace Tower, the Peace Chapel, a 9/11 Memorial, and a new Interpretive Center. (PDF map)
The Peace Tower consists of lots of concrete featuring four huge slabs (columns 120 feet high) representing the immigrants' aspiration when coming to both the United States and Canada and the other bonds between the two countries.
The Welcome Center seems to be brand new and isn't even quite finished yet, although it is open for business.
In Chris' opinion, the managers of the International Peace Garden seem to have a strong understanding of the garden part. There are lots of colorful flowers in a variety of pleasant arrangements. Their understanding of the peace part of their name seems more doubtful. Here are two observations.
The Peace Chapel is the place where the garden managers can most clearly express their thoughts about peace because inspirational quotes are carved on the interior walls. (YouTube video of quotes) The quotes are very thoughtful and inspirational. I really did like them. But this is a Peace Chapel. Shouldn't the quotes be about peace? When the quotes were being selected for the chapel walls the selector(s) seem(s) to have forgotten the main theme half way through and just started picking quotes they liked. For example:
"Does't thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." - Ben Franklin.
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you." - Jesus. This quote may or may not be about peace, but Jesus said several things that definitely are about peace, e.g., Matthew 5:9, 5:38-48 and 26:52. Aren't these passages more relevant?
The Interpretive Center's gift shop sells wooden toy guns. This itself is not a contradiction because some claim the intimidation of guns causes peace. But, this garden on the "world's longest undefended border" symbolizes a peace created by trust between two nations sharing a common belief in democracy. Therefore, selling guns at this gift shop is ironically amusing. It would be appropriate to sell toy guns at a peace monument on the border between North and South Korea.
After leaving the Peace Garden, we again had to go through Canadian Customs to re-enter Manitoba. Our plan was to head for Brandon, Manitoba, to catch Trans-Canada highway 1. [as an aside, I think Brandon Manitoba sounds like a great stage name for someone. How about you?--Kathy]
While passing through Boissevain we first stopped to get tourist information. This community has many murals painted on buildings around town and a giant turtle welcoming visitors (remember the Turtle Mountains?). We ate lunch at a new facility that included food and snacks and gifts. It was nice and the folks there were very friendly. The café part had books on shelves all around the large room. It was very nice and homey for two librarians on the road!
We caught the Trans-Canada Highway at Brandon and headed west toward Saskatchewan. This would be the first time either of us had been in that province.
We had discovered, while reading some of the travel brochures, that Indian Head, Saskatchewan, was were a Canadian TV program called Little Mosque on the Prairie was filmed. After reading about it and watching some clips on the Web, we have decided that we are going to interlibrary loan the series to watch. It seems like it might be fun.
So, of course, we decided to stop in Indian Head to see the "mosque" from the show. After driving around fruitlessly searching we went to the city office to ask about this. (Yes, the library was closed!) We discovered that the church building in the show was actually just a façade and had already been taken down for the season (they film in town during July and August each year). The helpful lady in the City Office pointed out where it usually stands during filming.
We decided to stay in Indian Head at the KOA campground. We also ate supper at the Craft Tea Elevator Restaurant. Kathy was excited because they serve breakfast all day (the omelet was very good)! Chris had good liver and onions.
When we first began camping in Canada, our night-time DVD viewing has included episodes of season one of Corner Gas, another Canadian TV show. We have enjoyed watching the show which seems similar in spirit to Northern Exposure. Take a look at the first season, episode one opening scene on YouTube.
We hope to visit the town where it was filmed later on the vacation, so we watched more episodes before we bedded down for the night.
First order of business was to return to tour the International Peace Garden. The entrance is actually on the border between North Dakota and Manitoba. We had to go through Canadian Customs the night before, but did not need to on our return.
The International Peace Garden is a 2,339 acre botanical garden "devoted to World Peace, along the world’s longest unfortified border". The atmosphere while walking in the garden was quite "peaceful". Visitors can walk up one side of the main garden area and then back down the other side. Along the way there are a number of special structures: the Carillon Bell Tower, the Peace Tower, the Peace Chapel, a 9/11 Memorial, and a new Interpretive Center. (PDF map)
The Peace Tower consists of lots of concrete featuring four huge slabs (columns 120 feet high) representing the immigrants' aspiration when coming to both the United States and Canada and the other bonds between the two countries.
The Welcome Center seems to be brand new and isn't even quite finished yet, although it is open for business.
In Chris' opinion, the managers of the International Peace Garden seem to have a strong understanding of the garden part. There are lots of colorful flowers in a variety of pleasant arrangements. Their understanding of the peace part of their name seems more doubtful. Here are two observations.
The Peace Chapel is the place where the garden managers can most clearly express their thoughts about peace because inspirational quotes are carved on the interior walls. (YouTube video of quotes) The quotes are very thoughtful and inspirational. I really did like them. But this is a Peace Chapel. Shouldn't the quotes be about peace? When the quotes were being selected for the chapel walls the selector(s) seem(s) to have forgotten the main theme half way through and just started picking quotes they liked. For example:
"Does't thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." - Ben Franklin.
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you." - Jesus. This quote may or may not be about peace, but Jesus said several things that definitely are about peace, e.g., Matthew 5:9, 5:38-48 and 26:52. Aren't these passages more relevant?
The Interpretive Center's gift shop sells wooden toy guns. This itself is not a contradiction because some claim the intimidation of guns causes peace. But, this garden on the "world's longest undefended border" symbolizes a peace created by trust between two nations sharing a common belief in democracy. Therefore, selling guns at this gift shop is ironically amusing. It would be appropriate to sell toy guns at a peace monument on the border between North and South Korea.
After leaving the Peace Garden, we again had to go through Canadian Customs to re-enter Manitoba. Our plan was to head for Brandon, Manitoba, to catch Trans-Canada highway 1. [as an aside, I think Brandon Manitoba sounds like a great stage name for someone. How about you?--Kathy]
While passing through Boissevain we first stopped to get tourist information. This community has many murals painted on buildings around town and a giant turtle welcoming visitors (remember the Turtle Mountains?). We ate lunch at a new facility that included food and snacks and gifts. It was nice and the folks there were very friendly. The café part had books on shelves all around the large room. It was very nice and homey for two librarians on the road!
We caught the Trans-Canada Highway at Brandon and headed west toward Saskatchewan. This would be the first time either of us had been in that province.
We had discovered, while reading some of the travel brochures, that Indian Head, Saskatchewan, was were a Canadian TV program called Little Mosque on the Prairie was filmed. After reading about it and watching some clips on the Web, we have decided that we are going to interlibrary loan the series to watch. It seems like it might be fun.
So, of course, we decided to stop in Indian Head to see the "mosque" from the show. After driving around fruitlessly searching we went to the city office to ask about this. (Yes, the library was closed!) We discovered that the church building in the show was actually just a façade and had already been taken down for the season (they film in town during July and August each year). The helpful lady in the City Office pointed out where it usually stands during filming.
We decided to stay in Indian Head at the KOA campground. We also ate supper at the Craft Tea Elevator Restaurant. Kathy was excited because they serve breakfast all day (the omelet was very good)! Chris had good liver and onions.
When we first began camping in Canada, our night-time DVD viewing has included episodes of season one of Corner Gas, another Canadian TV show. We have enjoyed watching the show which seems similar in spirit to Northern Exposure. Take a look at the first season, episode one opening scene on YouTube.
We hope to visit the town where it was filmed later on the vacation, so we watched more episodes before we bedded down for the night.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Custer, et al -Tuesday, August 24, 2010
We began the day with tours of some of the sites at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. This park contains a calvary fort, infantry fort, and Mandan village called On-a-Slant because the village is on a slope down to the river. (Map) (Google Images)
General George Custer and his wife, Libby, were posted at the cavalry fort. Custer and the 7th Calvary left on May 17th, and marched West to their deaths at the Battle of the Little Big Horn on June 25th, 1876.
We began the day with a tour of Custer's house. A gruff Sergeant Johnson (in 1876 character) took us through the house (Virtual tour). The time is 1875. The house was very comfortable. Custer and his wife had made a number of modifications to the usual officers' house plan. Libby had added a bay window on the south side of the parlor. That evening the Custer house was hosting a dinner party. The group of Custer's extended family and their spouses would gather at the house at 7 pm. for music, singing, and dancing. At 8 pm the dinner bell rang and everyone moved into a dinner of roast beef and vegetables. Vegetables always included Custer's favorite, onions. Custer loved onions and would even eat them raw.
Another building at the fort is one of the barracks. The design of the barracks is similar to the infantry barracks at Fort Larned, but the back kitchen and dining area are much larger. One side of the barracks was dedicated to the men of the 7th Cavalry at the time of the Little Big Horn. The cots, arranged perpendicular to the walls, are lined up and down the barracks with an aisle in the middle. At the foot of each cot was a light blue wooden box, i.e., soldiers' footlocker. The lids are up and in each lid was a short biography of a 7th cavalry soldier at the time of the battle. Many, of course, died at Little Big Horn, but not all. Several had been posted on other assignments. Kathy observed that many were immigrants.
The Mandan village, On-a-Slant, is near the fort. The Mandan lived here from mid-1600s to the mid- to late-1700s. In other words, they had abandoned this village before Lewis and Clark came through in 1805. This village is located on a peninsula cliff overlooking the river. The river and ravines on two sides protected the village on three sides. A wooden palisade protected the fourth side. At its peak the village had 75 circular earthlodges.
Today's On-a-Slant has five earthlodges constructed by the CCC during the 1930s under the direction of a Mandan spiritual leader called, if I remember correctly, a Corn Spirit. The earthlodges are 20 to 40 feet in diameter and 15 to 20 feet high. (See pictures at the bottom of the page) Extended matrilineal families, i.e,. the female head of household, her husband, her daughters and their husbandsand children, about 10 to 15 people, occupied each earthlodge. Inside, a large fire area is in the center of the lodge. A hole in the ceiling lets the smoke out. A large wooden wall in front of the door forces air to approach the fire from two directions. This encourages the smoke to go straight up through the hole rather than filling the lodge. Our guide said that in another earthlodge without the wall blocking the door, the air rushes in and pushes the smoke toward the walls, filling the lodge with smoke.
We also visited the infantry post on the hill near On-a-Slant. This is now basically the three reconstructed blockhouses. Chris climbed to the top (3 floors); Kathy quit after the second!
After leaving Fort Abraham Lincoln, we drove north to visit another Mandan village called Double Ditch and then north again to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center with Fort Mandan. (Virtual tour of Fort Mandan.)Fort Mandan was built by Lewis and Clark's men to survive the winter of 1804-5. It is a triangular in shape and appears quite cozy, for a frontier fort.
We traveled north again to Rugby, geographical center of North America. Since we travel to Lebanon, Kansas (the geographical center of the 48 contiguous U.S. states), often, it seemed that we should also visit here.
Since the International Peace Garden did not have any campsites with electricity, we crossed in to Manitoba, Canada (yes, we remembered our passports!) to the Adam Lake campground at Turtle Mountain Provincial Park and Forest. It has very, very nice campsites. We were quite happy.
General George Custer and his wife, Libby, were posted at the cavalry fort. Custer and the 7th Calvary left on May 17th, and marched West to their deaths at the Battle of the Little Big Horn on June 25th, 1876.
We began the day with a tour of Custer's house. A gruff Sergeant Johnson (in 1876 character) took us through the house (Virtual tour). The time is 1875. The house was very comfortable. Custer and his wife had made a number of modifications to the usual officers' house plan. Libby had added a bay window on the south side of the parlor. That evening the Custer house was hosting a dinner party. The group of Custer's extended family and their spouses would gather at the house at 7 pm. for music, singing, and dancing. At 8 pm the dinner bell rang and everyone moved into a dinner of roast beef and vegetables. Vegetables always included Custer's favorite, onions. Custer loved onions and would even eat them raw.
Another building at the fort is one of the barracks. The design of the barracks is similar to the infantry barracks at Fort Larned, but the back kitchen and dining area are much larger. One side of the barracks was dedicated to the men of the 7th Cavalry at the time of the Little Big Horn. The cots, arranged perpendicular to the walls, are lined up and down the barracks with an aisle in the middle. At the foot of each cot was a light blue wooden box, i.e., soldiers' footlocker. The lids are up and in each lid was a short biography of a 7th cavalry soldier at the time of the battle. Many, of course, died at Little Big Horn, but not all. Several had been posted on other assignments. Kathy observed that many were immigrants.
The Mandan village, On-a-Slant, is near the fort. The Mandan lived here from mid-1600s to the mid- to late-1700s. In other words, they had abandoned this village before Lewis and Clark came through in 1805. This village is located on a peninsula cliff overlooking the river. The river and ravines on two sides protected the village on three sides. A wooden palisade protected the fourth side. At its peak the village had 75 circular earthlodges.
Today's On-a-Slant has five earthlodges constructed by the CCC during the 1930s under the direction of a Mandan spiritual leader called, if I remember correctly, a Corn Spirit. The earthlodges are 20 to 40 feet in diameter and 15 to 20 feet high. (See pictures at the bottom of the page) Extended matrilineal families, i.e,. the female head of household, her husband, her daughters and their husbandsand children, about 10 to 15 people, occupied each earthlodge. Inside, a large fire area is in the center of the lodge. A hole in the ceiling lets the smoke out. A large wooden wall in front of the door forces air to approach the fire from two directions. This encourages the smoke to go straight up through the hole rather than filling the lodge. Our guide said that in another earthlodge without the wall blocking the door, the air rushes in and pushes the smoke toward the walls, filling the lodge with smoke.
We also visited the infantry post on the hill near On-a-Slant. This is now basically the three reconstructed blockhouses. Chris climbed to the top (3 floors); Kathy quit after the second!
After leaving Fort Abraham Lincoln, we drove north to visit another Mandan village called Double Ditch and then north again to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center with Fort Mandan. (Virtual tour of Fort Mandan.)Fort Mandan was built by Lewis and Clark's men to survive the winter of 1804-5. It is a triangular in shape and appears quite cozy, for a frontier fort.
We traveled north again to Rugby, geographical center of North America. Since we travel to Lebanon, Kansas (the geographical center of the 48 contiguous U.S. states), often, it seemed that we should also visit here.
Since the International Peace Garden did not have any campsites with electricity, we crossed in to Manitoba, Canada (yes, we remembered our passports!) to the Adam Lake campground at Turtle Mountain Provincial Park and Forest. It has very, very nice campsites. We were quite happy.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
"Go North Middle-aged Campers" -- Monday, August 23, 2010
Today was "drive across South Dakota from south to north" day.
We didn't do much "sightseeing" today, although we saw a lot of the two Dakotas. Amazingly enough, much of it looks a lot like Kansas! I think we will feel that way a lot on this vacation, since much of our planned itinerary is in Prairie states and provinces! Luckily, I find the prairies beautiful in their own way; they may not be dramatic, but they have a peaceful aspect.
North of Pierre, South Dakota, and beyond, we discovered more and more cultivated sunflower fields. They are usually so cheerful as the flowers turn to face the sun. We did see one field that seemed to be depressed; the flowers drooped and faced away from the sun. Obviously something going on...
In the morning we were on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Mission and Antelope are two towns that actually seem to be one. We stopped in at the local university bookstore to check out what they had. The name of the university is Sinte Gleska University.
We enjoyed looking at the textbooks and other books they have and, of course, could not leave without buying some. They had one Don Coldsmith book!
The campus seems to be scattered in numerous locations around both Mission and Antelope.
We also went to the large grocery store at the edge of Mission. It seems to be very new. They have a deli that serves at lunch and the line was quite long.
Most of the rest of the day was spent with one or the other of us driving. We ended the day outside Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota, at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. The campground was very nice, with good separation between spots, although you could see all of your neighbors. Luckily, there weren't many that night!
We spoke to a retired couple from the east coast about their camper. We really thought it looked good for the type of camping we do. We have no interest in driving a huge camper around and basically just want a place to sleep. That's why our Roadtrek has been great.
This couple has an Aliner camper. It is a small pop-up camper that is very easy to set up. They like it because of the ease of set up and the fact that it has a low profile while driving. After years of having my kids help with setting up our Jayco pop-up camper it was a shock when Chris and I began to use it. Two middle-aged folks take a lot longer to set one up than four teenagers with Mom helping! The Aliner looks much simpler for a couple like us. You can see a short video about setting up the Aliner here.
After enjoying a shrimp cocktail supper, we ended the day watching some DVD episodes of Rome, House, and started season one of Jeremiah.
We didn't do much "sightseeing" today, although we saw a lot of the two Dakotas. Amazingly enough, much of it looks a lot like Kansas! I think we will feel that way a lot on this vacation, since much of our planned itinerary is in Prairie states and provinces! Luckily, I find the prairies beautiful in their own way; they may not be dramatic, but they have a peaceful aspect.
North of Pierre, South Dakota, and beyond, we discovered more and more cultivated sunflower fields. They are usually so cheerful as the flowers turn to face the sun. We did see one field that seemed to be depressed; the flowers drooped and faced away from the sun. Obviously something going on...
In the morning we were on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Mission and Antelope are two towns that actually seem to be one. We stopped in at the local university bookstore to check out what they had. The name of the university is Sinte Gleska University.
We enjoyed looking at the textbooks and other books they have and, of course, could not leave without buying some. They had one Don Coldsmith book!
The campus seems to be scattered in numerous locations around both Mission and Antelope.
We also went to the large grocery store at the edge of Mission. It seems to be very new. They have a deli that serves at lunch and the line was quite long.
Most of the rest of the day was spent with one or the other of us driving. We ended the day outside Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota, at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. The campground was very nice, with good separation between spots, although you could see all of your neighbors. Luckily, there weren't many that night!
We spoke to a retired couple from the east coast about their camper. We really thought it looked good for the type of camping we do. We have no interest in driving a huge camper around and basically just want a place to sleep. That's why our Roadtrek has been great.
This couple has an Aliner camper. It is a small pop-up camper that is very easy to set up. They like it because of the ease of set up and the fact that it has a low profile while driving. After years of having my kids help with setting up our Jayco pop-up camper it was a shock when Chris and I began to use it. Two middle-aged folks take a lot longer to set one up than four teenagers with Mom helping! The Aliner looks much simpler for a couple like us. You can see a short video about setting up the Aliner here.
After enjoying a shrimp cocktail supper, we ended the day watching some DVD episodes of Rome, House, and started season one of Jeremiah.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Great to Valentine, Nebraska -- Sunday, August 22, 2010
We spent the night in Valentine, Nebraska.
From Great Bend we drove to Russell, west on I-70 to Grainfield, Kansas, north into Nebraska, following highway 83 to Valentine.
We stopped at Hays to purchase a new convex circular mirror for the driver's side mirror. I also purchased eyeglass holders for the sun shades and a compass. Kathy purchased a colorful new top.
We ate lunch in Buffalo Bill Park in Hoxie. The spot was shade, but a bit of a disappoint because we say no buffalo nor Bills.
We drove through Nebraska's sandhills. Kathy says they are like Kansas' hills around Wilson except the Nebraska hills are more rounded like breasts. She thinks their breast-like appearance should be incorporated into a tourist attracting slogan. I suggested some phrase like "as big as you think."
Valentine, Nebraska is near the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. The only wildlife I saw where birds flying overhead. There are supposedly lots of campgrounds up and down the nearby Niobara River, especially east of Valentine. We are in the Riverside Campground on this river.
Nearby is the Bryan Bridge. It was built in 1932. It is a one-of-a-kind cantilever
truss bridge, held together by a pin in the center of the bridge. Designed by a Russian immigrant, Joseph Sorkin, his design was selected because it is "aesthetically compatible with the surrounding environment of the Niobrara River Valley". The American Institute of Steel Construction declared this the "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge of 1932 in Class C", the first bridge between Wisconsin and the Pacific Coast to receive such an award".
In the evening, we watched an episode of Rome and two episodes of House.
From Great Bend we drove to Russell, west on I-70 to Grainfield, Kansas, north into Nebraska, following highway 83 to Valentine.
We stopped at Hays to purchase a new convex circular mirror for the driver's side mirror. I also purchased eyeglass holders for the sun shades and a compass. Kathy purchased a colorful new top.
We ate lunch in Buffalo Bill Park in Hoxie. The spot was shade, but a bit of a disappoint because we say no buffalo nor Bills.
We drove through Nebraska's sandhills. Kathy says they are like Kansas' hills around Wilson except the Nebraska hills are more rounded like breasts. She thinks their breast-like appearance should be incorporated into a tourist attracting slogan. I suggested some phrase like "as big as you think."
Valentine, Nebraska is near the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. The only wildlife I saw where birds flying overhead. There are supposedly lots of campgrounds up and down the nearby Niobara River, especially east of Valentine. We are in the Riverside Campground on this river.
Nearby is the Bryan Bridge. It was built in 1932. It is a one-of-a-kind cantilever
truss bridge, held together by a pin in the center of the bridge. Designed by a Russian immigrant, Joseph Sorkin, his design was selected because it is "aesthetically compatible with the surrounding environment of the Niobrara River Valley". The American Institute of Steel Construction declared this the "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge of 1932 in Class C", the first bridge between Wisconsin and the Pacific Coast to receive such an award".In the evening, we watched an episode of Rome and two episodes of House.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009: Natchez to Louisiana
Natchez is called the Jewell of the Mississippi because of its beauty. One of the beautiful things in Natchez are the old plantations. We toured the Longwood. It just looks cool, with its octagonal design. Though the exterior structure was completed, the Civil War interrupted the completion of the interior and the plastering of the exterior.
After Longwood we drove through Louisiana into Mississippi.
We stayed at the Bay Hide Away RV Park and Campground. Very nice facility. The restrooms are spacious and well-designed.
Over the years I have begun noticing shower design related to comfort, e.g., hooks and shelves to place stuff, and, even more interesting, keeping the water contained in the smallest area, as opposed to soaking dozens of square feet of floor.
In most showers, the shower head is at head height or below. The shower heads are aimed out, not down. Often the water is aimed out of the shower. Even when the shower head is on one side of the shower aimed toward the other wall of the shower, shooting water horizontally bounces water off the body and some of it flies out the door.
The shower heads in these showers are over six and a half feet high and stick out of the wall so that the water comes almost straight down. By putting the shower head above the person the water is aimed down. Even water bouncing off the body is more likely to be reflected down to the floor. Less water flies horizontally out the door.
I suspect the reader is thinking that a good shower curtain is the answer. Shower curtains work well when people pay close attention to ensure that it is properly tucked in and the water is not sneaking out the sides. Mistakes here are the floor outside the shower is soaked. Though this shower did have a shower curtain, but the curtain and the walls of the shower had relatively little water. Proper placement of the shower heads helps ensure water is reasonably contained even when the curtain is not carefully arranged.
Furthermore, the floors of these showers were angled back toward the shower. The only drain was in the middle of the shower stalls. Showers with drains outside the stalls are much less effective in containing the water inside the stall.
After Longwood we drove through Louisiana into Mississippi.
We stayed at the Bay Hide Away RV Park and Campground. Very nice facility. The restrooms are spacious and well-designed.
Over the years I have begun noticing shower design related to comfort, e.g., hooks and shelves to place stuff, and, even more interesting, keeping the water contained in the smallest area, as opposed to soaking dozens of square feet of floor.
In most showers, the shower head is at head height or below. The shower heads are aimed out, not down. Often the water is aimed out of the shower. Even when the shower head is on one side of the shower aimed toward the other wall of the shower, shooting water horizontally bounces water off the body and some of it flies out the door.
The shower heads in these showers are over six and a half feet high and stick out of the wall so that the water comes almost straight down. By putting the shower head above the person the water is aimed down. Even water bouncing off the body is more likely to be reflected down to the floor. Less water flies horizontally out the door.
I suspect the reader is thinking that a good shower curtain is the answer. Shower curtains work well when people pay close attention to ensure that it is properly tucked in and the water is not sneaking out the sides. Mistakes here are the floor outside the shower is soaked. Though this shower did have a shower curtain, but the curtain and the walls of the shower had relatively little water. Proper placement of the shower heads helps ensure water is reasonably contained even when the curtain is not carefully arranged.
Furthermore, the floors of these showers were angled back toward the shower. The only drain was in the middle of the shower stalls. Showers with drains outside the stalls are much less effective in containing the water inside the stall.
Saturday, October 17, 2009: Famous frogs we know...
We stayed the night in Greenville to visit the museum of the 1927 flood the next morning. The Mississippi flood of 1927 was one of the greatest natural disasters in the history of the US. Chris had read a book, Rising Tide, about it several years ago and wanted to refresh his memory. Unfortunately, the museum advertised as open on Saturday morning was closed. So we drove east toward Leland.
Muppet creator Jim Henson spent his early years in Leland. At Leland is a little memorial building with lots of Muppet stuff and a person who knows a lot about Jim Henson and Muppets and who will not stop telling us about them. As a result, we learned a lot about Jim Henson. She also showed us a video documenting Jim Henson's early career as a puppeteer doing commercials and late night satire. Henson has said that this is the birthplace of Kermit the Frog because the seeds of his creation began during Henson's years exploring the Leland countryside as a child. The little place was actually rather inspirational.
We drove on Jackson, Mississippi where we drove the Natchez Trace Parkway (map) southwest to Natchez, Mississippi. We camped at Natchez State Park, on the Mississippi River. Nice park. Good facilities.
Muppet creator Jim Henson spent his early years in Leland. At Leland is a little memorial building with lots of Muppet stuff and a person who knows a lot about Jim Henson and Muppets and who will not stop telling us about them. As a result, we learned a lot about Jim Henson. She also showed us a video documenting Jim Henson's early career as a puppeteer doing commercials and late night satire. Henson has said that this is the birthplace of Kermit the Frog because the seeds of his creation began during Henson's years exploring the Leland countryside as a child. The little place was actually rather inspirational.
We drove on Jackson, Mississippi where we drove the Natchez Trace Parkway (map) southwest to Natchez, Mississippi. We camped at Natchez State Park, on the Mississippi River. Nice park. Good facilities.
Friday, October 16, 2007: From Arkansas City into Greenville, Mississippi
In the morning we drove down to Arkansas City, Arkansas, near the Mississippi River. During the steamboat area, Arkansas City was a major steamboat stop on the Mississippi River. When the Mississippi River ate Napoleon, the county seat was moved to Arkansas City. The 1927 flooding of the Mississippi River, one of the worst natural disasters in US history, changed the course of the river away from Arkansas City. Arkansas City went into decline, but the county seat remains because the two large towns in Desha County would never agree on where the county seat should be moved. So imagine Admire, Kansas, as a county seat and you have a good picture of Arkansas City.Kathy's plan was to find out something about the time her great-great grandfather, Samuel Woods Reid spent in Napoleon as a young man. This is where he also joined a Confederate unit called the Napoleon Grays. Family stories about Sam make it believable that he was a part of this hard-drinking bunch of Irish riverboat men! More about this is included here.
It was hoped that Sam would at least show up in a poll tax listing of some type for a year or two so a period of residence would be established (he is listed in the 1860 census at Napoleon). These types of taxes were based on who could vote (mostly adult, white, males) so a young man without property might show up in these listings. Unfortunately, even though the county employees were very helpful, and we checked records in three different buildings, we didn't find anything new on Sam's time in Desha County.
Beside the old high school, now the county courthouse annex, is the boyhood home of John H. Johnson, the publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines.
From Arkansas City crossed the river to Greenville, Mississippi. We spent the afternoon doing laundry. In the evening we ate at "Doe's Eat Place." We entered and left the restaurant through the kitchen. When the waitress approached our table she asked us what we wanted to order. We said we have not seen a menu. She told us the menu was simple
- 10 oz. filet steaks
- 2 pound ribeye
- 3 pound T-bone
- 4 pound sirloin
- tamales, or
- shrimp
- everything comes with fries
- you can also get a dinner salad with their special oil-vinegar and lemon dressing.
We camped in the city's campsite, Warfield Point Park, down by the river. The spots were nice with plenty of room, but the whole place needs to be refurbished. Restrooms have rusting metal stalls, etc. The sinks are definitely kept clean, it isn't that. It justs needs some loving care.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009-- A Fair day in Arkansas
We actually saw the sun for a brief time today! Then it returned to overcast and cool, but we have hopes that the weather is improving, plus we are heading further South!
Chris has been a great sport on this vacation and has assisted Kathy in satisfying some of her genealogical questions. This morning we headed for the Arkansas Vital Statistics office in Little Rock in search of Ted Perdew's death certificate.
After a wait of over an hour, we are now in possession of the certificate! We already knew his birth and death dates and his parent's names, so the new information included the fact that he died of a heart attack (infarction of myocardium) at the VA Hospital. But the best part was discovering that he had been living in Hot Springs, Arkansas before his hospitalization! Ah, other avenues to pursue!
Another fact on the certificate was the name of the funeral director. After checking the phone book, we discovered that the company (Ruebel) was still in business in Little Rock. A quick phone call and Justin assured us that he would copy what information they had and it would be ready when we arrived. And he was true to his word! While verifying much of the same information as the death certificate, we also learned that the next of kin listed was a sister, Mrs. Henry Solberg. There are two known sisters that were living at this time, we believe, but there is no way yet to determine which this is (the married names Kathy has are different from this one). It appears she may have been living at the same address in Hot Springs that was reported for Ted. (Or she simply listed his address)
On that successful note, we decided to head out of town. However, sometimes we are easily distracted and decided to check out the Arkansas State Fair! The day was cool and dreary so the crowd was pretty small. We checked out the Hall of Industry that had the vendors and enjoyed some of the displays. We toured one building in which they were asking Spam trivia questions (Kathy shudders). We, of course, ate a few fair-type goodies like funnel cake and roasted corn.
The most fascinating foods were offered, though (by fascinating I might mean fried things that we never have imagined). Some of the offerings included
We were actually surprised this Fair seemed much smaller than the Kansas State Fair. This is not comparing the number of attendees (it was a gloomy Thursday afternoon), but rather the number of exhibits and buildings. One of Kathy's favorite activities at the Kansas State Fair is touring through the RVs, camping trailers, and modular homes. There did not seem to be any equivalent activity in Arkansas. For us, it was a disappointment. But the midway did seem to have some new rides we were not familiar with and we are sure the grandsons would have enjoyed them immensely.
We finally headed south and decided to stay the night at Cane Creek State Park, south of Pine Bluff. This State Park is situated along the Arkansas River, so we feel right at home. (And we still pronounce it "Ar-kansas" like at home!) It is a nice campground with good separation between all of the spots. But the month of October brings quite a new glamour to the campground! Most of the spots were already reserved and/or occupied. Some of those spots have been reserved for nearly a year!
The reason for the “rush”
in October is that many of the same families return each year and they all decorate their sites for Halloween. And we don't mean just decorate, we definitely mean DECORATE! There are lights everywhere and all types of wonderful displays: partially buried skeletons, ghosts dancing in rings or flying from trees, horse drawn hearses, many inflatable pumpkins and other spooky paraphernalia, and lots and lots of jack-o-lanterns of all types. It is a veritable Halloween wonderland! Our site looks very boring compared to all the glitter of the other sites.
We talked to one gentleman tha
t actually lives only three miles away, but his family stays at the campground each October so that they can participate in the Halloween decoration extravaganza. They make their reservations a year ahead for twelve sites.
It was a busy day. We hope to continue on toward the Mississippi River. Kathy gets one more bit of genealogy searching. Her great-great-grandfather, Samuel Woods Reid, was an Irish riverboatman. He is found on the 1860 census in Napoleon, Arkansas, and later served with a Confederate unit called the Napoleon Grays (made up of mostly Irish riverboat men according to one source).
Napoleon, situated at the junction of the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers, no longer exists. The rivers have done their work and the town has supposedly disappeared.
We hope to go to the Desha County courthouse at Arkansas City, Arkansas, to see if there is any other information about the Napoleon Grays or Sam's time in Napoleon. Then Kathy plans to let Chris rest from genealogy for the rest of the trip!
Chris has been a great sport on this vacation and has assisted Kathy in satisfying some of her genealogical questions. This morning we headed for the Arkansas Vital Statistics office in Little Rock in search of Ted Perdew's death certificate.
After a wait of over an hour, we are now in possession of the certificate! We already knew his birth and death dates and his parent's names, so the new information included the fact that he died of a heart attack (infarction of myocardium) at the VA Hospital. But the best part was discovering that he had been living in Hot Springs, Arkansas before his hospitalization! Ah, other avenues to pursue!
Another fact on the certificate was the name of the funeral director. After checking the phone book, we discovered that the company (Ruebel) was still in business in Little Rock. A quick phone call and Justin assured us that he would copy what information they had and it would be ready when we arrived. And he was true to his word! While verifying much of the same information as the death certificate, we also learned that the next of kin listed was a sister, Mrs. Henry Solberg. There are two known sisters that were living at this time, we believe, but there is no way yet to determine which this is (the married names Kathy has are different from this one). It appears she may have been living at the same address in Hot Springs that was reported for Ted. (Or she simply listed his address)
On that successful note, we decided to head out of town. However, sometimes we are easily distracted and decided to check out the Arkansas State Fair! The day was cool and dreary so the crowd was pretty small. We checked out the Hall of Industry that had the vendors and enjoyed some of the displays. We toured one building in which they were asking Spam trivia questions (Kathy shudders). We, of course, ate a few fair-type goodies like funnel cake and roasted corn.
The most fascinating foods were offered, though (by fascinating I might mean fried things that we never have imagined). Some of the offerings included
- Hot beef sundae
- Fried Coke
- Chocolate covered bacon
- Fried Oreos
- Fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
- Fried dough
We were actually surprised this Fair seemed much smaller than the Kansas State Fair. This is not comparing the number of attendees (it was a gloomy Thursday afternoon), but rather the number of exhibits and buildings. One of Kathy's favorite activities at the Kansas State Fair is touring through the RVs, camping trailers, and modular homes. There did not seem to be any equivalent activity in Arkansas. For us, it was a disappointment. But the midway did seem to have some new rides we were not familiar with and we are sure the grandsons would have enjoyed them immensely.
We finally headed south and decided to stay the night at Cane Creek State Park, south of Pine Bluff. This State Park is situated along the Arkansas River, so we feel right at home. (And we still pronounce it "Ar-kansas" like at home!) It is a nice campground with good separation between all of the spots. But the month of October brings quite a new glamour to the campground! Most of the spots were already reserved and/or occupied. Some of those spots have been reserved for nearly a year!
The reason for the “rush”
in October is that many of the same families return each year and they all decorate their sites for Halloween. And we don't mean just decorate, we definitely mean DECORATE! There are lights everywhere and all types of wonderful displays: partially buried skeletons, ghosts dancing in rings or flying from trees, horse drawn hearses, many inflatable pumpkins and other spooky paraphernalia, and lots and lots of jack-o-lanterns of all types. It is a veritable Halloween wonderland! Our site looks very boring compared to all the glitter of the other sites.We talked to one gentleman tha
t actually lives only three miles away, but his family stays at the campground each October so that they can participate in the Halloween decoration extravaganza. They make their reservations a year ahead for twelve sites.It was a busy day. We hope to continue on toward the Mississippi River. Kathy gets one more bit of genealogy searching. Her great-great-grandfather, Samuel Woods Reid, was an Irish riverboatman. He is found on the 1860 census in Napoleon, Arkansas, and later served with a Confederate unit called the Napoleon Grays (made up of mostly Irish riverboat men according to one source).
Napoleon, situated at the junction of the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers, no longer exists. The rivers have done their work and the town has supposedly disappeared.
We hope to go to the Desha County courthouse at Arkansas City, Arkansas, to see if there is any other information about the Napoleon Grays or Sam's time in Napoleon. Then Kathy plans to let Chris rest from genealogy for the rest of the trip!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009-- Hail to the Chief, and all that jazz
We didn't get to use the Internet last night. The campground we stayed at advertised “Wifi”. However, when you log on you get a message that tells you that you have 30 minutes of “free” Internet, then you have to go to the office for more time (one imagines that means “for a fee”). Even if we wanted to, we arrived after the office closed so had no option! It seems like this is definitely a “bait and switch”-type situation. Advertising wifi and then only giving a short time, while other places sincerely have free wifi with no strings did not set well with us.
Ah, well, enough gritching... back to vacation!
We headed for Little Rock, capital of Arkansas. Chris did not know anything about his maternal grandfather, Edward E. Perdew (Ted), because his grandparents were divorced in the early 1930s and Ted left Kansas City. In the last year, Kathy discovered a listing at the FindaGrave website for an Edward Perdew with approximately the correct birthdate. Now we had a death date (12 October 1952), but we didn't know where he had lived in the ensuing years. After requesting that one of the volunteers post a picture of the stone, the results showed that it must be the correct Ted Perdew! The military headstone (think all of the white markers lined up perfectly) states that he was from Nebraska! Bingo!
So we headed to the National Cemetery in Little Rock. This is a U.S. military cemetery. We hoped that the Cemetery officials would be able to tell us his address and/or next of kin information. Well, due to regulations, they will not provide that information without a formal request from an heir, even if the deathdate was 57 years ago! The kind staff person at the Cemetery told me how to make a request and where to send it.
There is a computer at the cemetery that will print out a page with your loved one's burial location and a map. We discovered that Ted was buried quite close to the office. It appears that the stones were placed about six feet apart during the 1950s and then later there were newer stones placed between each of the older ones. So, even though we didn't really discover too much that was new, it was interesting to actually be there at the Cemetery.
And where better to go after the Military cemetery? Well, to another U.S. agency, the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum! Our tour of the museum's displays was very interesting. We opted for the audio tour, which means we had audio players to listen to at designated sites President Clinton explained things in more detail. There was also an introductory film that we watched. This was narrated by President Clinton and provided a good basis for viewing the displays.
It was interesting to learn more about the Clinton presidency after nearly ten years have passed. Even though the “spin” is, of course, favorable to President Clinton, it still served as a good reminder of all the good things that he either accomplished or attempted during his two terms.
One of my favorite parts of the film was where he told that he was the youngest governor in the country when first elected. Unfortunately, he was defeated in the next election and then became the “youngest EX-governor in the country”! He later decided to run again and served at least four more terms as governor before moving on in his political career.
After leaving the Museum, we drove down the street to the Clinton Museum Store. It has an eclectic inventory. Kathy purchased a top that was on sale, simply because it was sooooo soft! The top is actually made out of bamboo! (renewable energy source) Another favorite for Kathy was a woven basket in many bright colors. The basket was created by women in Africa from telephone wires! It was really nice, but Kathy wasn't willing to spend the $90+ that it cost.
We decided to camp for the night at the North Little Rock KOA. We really liked out site because it was isolated in it's own little triangle of land, but was right near the restrooms. The spot was too small for many of the bigger RVs, so they were probably happy to see us. There was even a little “stream” right behind our site.
After eating supper at the campground, we returned to Little Rock and went to the Public Library to see if we could look through some Little Rock city directories to find Ted Perdew. We were directed to an adjacent building that houses the Arkansas Studies Institute. We searched their run of city directories from the 1930s to the early 1950s. But no Ted Perdew! Perhaps he lived elsewhere in the region. We had time to browse some of the other materials in the collection before closing.
From a librarian's viewpoint, the reading room in this building was a real surprise. The central part of the room had many of the lights off and so was extremely dim. It was actually difficult to read the reference items! The stack areas had better lighting, but it is still a mystery why they have such poor lighting in the other areas.
Tomorrow the search for Ted Perdew continues...
Ah, well, enough gritching... back to vacation!
We headed for Little Rock, capital of Arkansas. Chris did not know anything about his maternal grandfather, Edward E. Perdew (Ted), because his grandparents were divorced in the early 1930s and Ted left Kansas City. In the last year, Kathy discovered a listing at the FindaGrave website for an Edward Perdew with approximately the correct birthdate. Now we had a death date (12 October 1952), but we didn't know where he had lived in the ensuing years. After requesting that one of the volunteers post a picture of the stone, the results showed that it must be the correct Ted Perdew! The military headstone (think all of the white markers lined up perfectly) states that he was from Nebraska! Bingo!
So we headed to the National Cemetery in Little Rock. This is a U.S. military cemetery. We hoped that the Cemetery officials would be able to tell us his address and/or next of kin information. Well, due to regulations, they will not provide that information without a formal request from an heir, even if the deathdate was 57 years ago! The kind staff person at the Cemetery told me how to make a request and where to send it.
There is a computer at the cemetery that will print out a page with your loved one's burial location and a map. We discovered that Ted was buried quite close to the office. It appears that the stones were placed about six feet apart during the 1950s and then later there were newer stones placed between each of the older ones. So, even though we didn't really discover too much that was new, it was interesting to actually be there at the Cemetery.
And where better to go after the Military cemetery? Well, to another U.S. agency, the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum! Our tour of the museum's displays was very interesting. We opted for the audio tour, which means we had audio players to listen to at designated sites President Clinton explained things in more detail. There was also an introductory film that we watched. This was narrated by President Clinton and provided a good basis for viewing the displays.
It was interesting to learn more about the Clinton presidency after nearly ten years have passed. Even though the “spin” is, of course, favorable to President Clinton, it still served as a good reminder of all the good things that he either accomplished or attempted during his two terms.
One of my favorite parts of the film was where he told that he was the youngest governor in the country when first elected. Unfortunately, he was defeated in the next election and then became the “youngest EX-governor in the country”! He later decided to run again and served at least four more terms as governor before moving on in his political career.
After leaving the Museum, we drove down the street to the Clinton Museum Store. It has an eclectic inventory. Kathy purchased a top that was on sale, simply because it was sooooo soft! The top is actually made out of bamboo! (renewable energy source) Another favorite for Kathy was a woven basket in many bright colors. The basket was created by women in Africa from telephone wires! It was really nice, but Kathy wasn't willing to spend the $90+ that it cost.
We decided to camp for the night at the North Little Rock KOA. We really liked out site because it was isolated in it's own little triangle of land, but was right near the restrooms. The spot was too small for many of the bigger RVs, so they were probably happy to see us. There was even a little “stream” right behind our site.
After eating supper at the campground, we returned to Little Rock and went to the Public Library to see if we could look through some Little Rock city directories to find Ted Perdew. We were directed to an adjacent building that houses the Arkansas Studies Institute. We searched their run of city directories from the 1930s to the early 1950s. But no Ted Perdew! Perhaps he lived elsewhere in the region. We had time to browse some of the other materials in the collection before closing.
From a librarian's viewpoint, the reading room in this building was a real surprise. The central part of the room had many of the lights off and so was extremely dim. It was actually difficult to read the reference items! The stack areas had better lighting, but it is still a mystery why they have such poor lighting in the other areas.
Tomorrow the search for Ted Perdew continues...
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009: In Search of the "wild" RIPPELs!
In the morning Kathy continued her genealogy research in Rogers Public Library, County Administration Archives and the Rogers Historical Museum. The original plan was to find the marriage of Chris' grandmother, Bonnie Gene Black Rippel to her second husband, Albert Moody. We knew they had lived in this area while Chris' dad, John Rippel, attended high school at Rogers High School.
Unfortunately, we couldn't find a marriage record in Benton County. The search will have to continue elsewhere. (the county archivist suggests they may have married in Fayetteville; I know they lived there in 1943).
Because of the failure to find the Moodys in the marriages, taxes, voter registrations, and a list of eighth grade graduates, the research focus switched to trying to verify when they lived in Rogers and John's school attendance.
We checked city directories at both the Public Library and the Museum. Unfortunately, between the two they still did not have all of the late 1930s-early 1940s volumes. The only success was in the 1939 Polk Directory for Rogers. Mrs. Jean Ripple is listed. So that helps with pinpointing the marriage date, at least.
We were also disappointed looking for John's school yearbook. Between the two facilities they only had a couple and they were probably too recent. We did not find him in either. All in all, it was a disappointing day for family research. At least we found one thing!
The Rogers Library contains great signage as flags.
A librarian named Leslie hand writes "shelf talkers" using ShelfWizes. Chris and Leslie agreed to start a Website for posting shelf talkers for librarians all over the country to print out and use to promote authors in their libraries.
Walmart has purchased a supercenter-sized children's room in the
Rogers' library with lots of fancy sets and other stuff.
We also met a library employee, Mary Koch (pronounced "cook"), who grew up in Great Bend and even worked in the old library building! What a small world...
In the Rogers Historical Museum, Chris learned that Will Rogers was married a Rogers, Arkansas girl, Betty Blake: Informal quaint bio, Formal bio with picture.
When we left the museum we drove a few blocks to find where Chris' paternal grandmother had lived on the wrong side of the railroad tracks on Arkansas Street. The lot seems to be occupied by a laundromat now. The location was interesting though, because they are right next to the train depot and the downtown is right there and convenient.
We stopped briefly in the Roger Library's used bookstore in an old bank building on 2nd street. This is the first time I have seen a Friend's bookstore outside the library. It was large and one of the best used bookstores I have ever seen. It contained numerous large signs hanging from the ceiling. Libraries should have such good signage.
On the way out of town, we called the companies that produce the salsa and bread that we purchased at the Bentonville Public Library. We learned that we could purchase Shaggy's Salsa at one location in Rogers (White Oak Station), but the bread was not available in Rogers. So we drove back to the Library in Bentonville just to purchase a few loaves. We also stocked up on the salsa at both locations. Obviously, we like these products!
Unfortunately, we couldn't find a marriage record in Benton County. The search will have to continue elsewhere. (the county archivist suggests they may have married in Fayetteville; I know they lived there in 1943).
Because of the failure to find the Moodys in the marriages, taxes, voter registrations, and a list of eighth grade graduates, the research focus switched to trying to verify when they lived in Rogers and John's school attendance.
We checked city directories at both the Public Library and the Museum. Unfortunately, between the two they still did not have all of the late 1930s-early 1940s volumes. The only success was in the 1939 Polk Directory for Rogers. Mrs. Jean Ripple is listed. So that helps with pinpointing the marriage date, at least.
We were also disappointed looking for John's school yearbook. Between the two facilities they only had a couple and they were probably too recent. We did not find him in either. All in all, it was a disappointing day for family research. At least we found one thing!
The Rogers Library contains great signage as flags.
A librarian named Leslie hand writes "shelf talkers" using ShelfWizes. Chris and Leslie agreed to start a Website for posting shelf talkers for librarians all over the country to print out and use to promote authors in their libraries.Walmart has purchased a supercenter-sized children's room in the
Rogers' library with lots of fancy sets and other stuff.We also met a library employee, Mary Koch (pronounced "cook"), who grew up in Great Bend and even worked in the old library building! What a small world...
In the Rogers Historical Museum, Chris learned that Will Rogers was married a Rogers, Arkansas girl, Betty Blake: Informal quaint bio, Formal bio with picture.
When we left the museum we drove a few blocks to find where Chris' paternal grandmother had lived on the wrong side of the railroad tracks on Arkansas Street. The lot seems to be occupied by a laundromat now. The location was interesting though, because they are right next to the train depot and the downtown is right there and convenient.
We stopped briefly in the Roger Library's used bookstore in an old bank building on 2nd street. This is the first time I have seen a Friend's bookstore outside the library. It was large and one of the best used bookstores I have ever seen. It contained numerous large signs hanging from the ceiling. Libraries should have such good signage.
On the way out of town, we called the companies that produce the salsa and bread that we purchased at the Bentonville Public Library. We learned that we could purchase Shaggy's Salsa at one location in Rogers (White Oak Station), but the bread was not available in Rogers. So we drove back to the Library in Bentonville just to purchase a few loaves. We also stocked up on the salsa at both locations. Obviously, we like these products!
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