Sorry, I’ve been bad! This is especially for those not on Facebook.
Upon arrival in Williston, ND, main slide of trailer would not work right. We spent 4 nights with slide 1/2in/1/2 out. Only one RV repair guy in the city, swamped with all the RVs around, couldn’t help. Upon leaving Williston, had to manually help the slide close. Stopped at several RV dealers in ND & MN, NO ONE could/would look at it. Finally called Lloyd Bridges in Chelsea, MI (dealer we purchased trailer from) & they agreed to look at it. So we skipped sightseeing in MN, WI & UP of Michigan & got to Lower MI nearly 3 weeks sooner than planned. Got lucky, Lloyd Bridges had parts needed in stock & fixed in one day!
With extra time, spent 4 days in Chesaning visiting relatives & friends, then headed to Sparta for the Barnum 4th (3rd) of July Party. It was Great seeing members of the family that had not been on our schedule. Then to Hart to see Cindy & Joe, Melissa & Kajsa. Great grandchildren Austin, Tori & Logan were there too. A trip to Harrison gave us the chance to visit old friends at Long Lake for a few days! Now we are back in Hart, awaiting the arrival of our kids, grandkids, & great grandkids for a few days of fun, beach & eating!
So in a way, the trailer problems helped – we have had more time to visit than planned, and it’s been fun. Remember, our itinerary as known to us, is in the right-hand column.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Williston, North Dakota
You’ve all seen the emails telling how much oil is under North Dakota? Well, I can tell you, it is being drilled for! Northwest ND is in the midst of a “Boom”.
We planned to stay a couple of nights in Watford City, go visit Theodore Roosevelt Nat’l Park. But as we got closer to the city, we were seeing oil rigs, and tanker after tanker on the highway and going & coming from the side roads. Also started seeing what looked like temporary RV parks everywhere. Downtown was BUSY, late afternoon, & yes, you guessed it, NO room at the RV park or the city park. 
So another 50 miles to Williston. Early evening, raining, road construction, mud, trucks of ALL kinds! Fortunately, Prairie Acres RV Park reserves half their sites for travelers, we got the LAST one. Truck & trailer had changed colors because of the reddish brown mud.
The highway is a steady stream of trucks; asphalt, gravel, dirt, tankers, equipment haulers, you name it. Streets are lined with trucks parked on both sides, local commented, “if it has a sleeper, the driver is probably living in it”. We’ve heard comments such as, “Williston is the only city in the US that is hiring homeless people”, “17,000 jobs available, but you need to find your own housing, and there isn’t any”.
While visiting the Roosevelt Nat’l Park yesterday, got talking to a couple from Minnesota, he is a road contractor. He doesn’t have any idea how they got the oil rig there, but he has been asked to cut a road to a rig 13 miles from the nearest highway. The road needs to be able to handle loaded oil tankers. We have also seen several pipe lines being laid along the roads & coming across the fields. The terrain here is very rolling & hilly.
As we came into Williston, we crossed the Missouri River, normally 200 yards wide, now over 3 miles wide. The bridge in the foreground is where the river channel is, the rest is usually dry land! It is currently at its’ all time highest level! And the snow in Yellowstone & Montana is not melted yet, and it rained again since we got here! And FEMA is rejecting ND’s request for help.
Monday, June 13, 2011
North Platte, Nebraska
Golden Spike Tower: The tower rises 8 stories above Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard – the world’s largest train yard, covering 2,850 acres stretching out eight miles. It’s Huge! Every 24 hours, up to 150 trains, 10,000 railroad cars are handled, sorted, made into trains in Bailey Yard utilizing
315 miles of track. The Locomotive Repair Shop can handle up to 750 engines per month.
Scout’s Rest Ranch: North Platte was home to the man who made the Wild West world-renowned, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the West’s most colorful showman, army scout and buffalo hunter. Cody established a 4,000 acre ranch where he entertained guests, many of them wealthy & famous (actors, businessmen, royalty). He named the ranch Scout’s Rest as his fellow scouts were al
ways welcome to come visit for a spell.
Fort Cody Trading Post: Ernie and Virginia Palmquist are the creators of buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Miniature, which has its permanent home at Fort Cody Trading Post. Nationally known,
this show of 20,000 hand carved pieces, all hand painted, took over 12 years to complete. The pictures are only part of the display!
More pictures on Facebook.
315 miles of track. The Locomotive Repair Shop can handle up to 750 engines per month.
Scout’s Rest Ranch: North Platte was home to the man who made the Wild West world-renowned, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the West’s most colorful showman, army scout and buffalo hunter. Cody established a 4,000 acre ranch where he entertained guests, many of them wealthy & famous (actors, businessmen, royalty). He named the ranch Scout’s Rest as his fellow scouts were al
ways welcome to come visit for a spell.
Fort Cody Trading Post: Ernie and Virginia Palmquist are the creators of buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Miniature, which has its permanent home at Fort Cody Trading Post. Nationally known,
this show of 20,000 hand carved pieces, all hand painted, took over 12 years to complete. The pictures are only part of the display!
More pictures on Facebook.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Taps
The info below is incorrect, see comments for explanation. Sorry! Still VERY beautiful.
Taps, as you probably have never heard it before. In honor of all who died for our Freedom!
http://www.flixxy.com/trumpet-solo-melissa-venema.htm
The original version of Taps was called Last Post, and was written by Daniel Butterfield in 1801. In 1862 it was shortened to 24 notes and renamed Taps. Melissa Venema, age 13, is the trumpet soloist, playing Taps in its entirety. May we always Remember and Honor our Heroes!
Taps, as you probably have never heard it before. In honor of all who died for our Freedom!
http://www.flixxy.com/trumpet-solo-melissa-venema.htm
The original version of Taps was called Last Post, and was written by Daniel Butterfield in 1801. In 1862 it was shortened to 24 notes and renamed Taps. Melissa Venema, age 13, is the trumpet soloist, playing Taps in its entirety. May we always Remember and Honor our Heroes!
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Old Hardware Store
This stone building, built in 1879, has been a hardware store for 126 straight years in Halstead, Kansas. The current owners took over in 1998. Within the store, you walk on the old board & brick flooring under a 12 foot tin ceiling.
The selection of genuine antique hardware for the house or furniture is amazing. Thousands of pieces all tucked away in 1916 parts cabinets - over 500 bins & drawers! The round nail bin is identical to the one I worked with at the Ace Hardware in Chesaning. What a great place to visit!
More pictures on Facebook.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Valentine, Nebraska
Driving from North Platte north through the central portion of Nebraska, we noticed a dramatic change in the topography with the appearance of undulating, grass-covered sand dunes. The Sandhills, covering over 19,000 sq miles, is the largest grass-stabilized dune region in the Western Hemisphere. Sitting atop the Ogallala Aquifer, the area is dotted with spring-fed lakes, marshes and winding rivers - providing outstanding wildlife habitat and prime rangeland. The miles of undulating hills dotted with large cattle herds made for a very enjoyable drive.
Valentine is the center of a diverse region of quiet lakes, grassy sand hills, secluded waterfalls, a national forest, two national wildlife refuges, big ranches with real cowboys and one of the top 10 canoeing rivers in the US. With 2,800 residents, Valentine is the "big city" of Cherry County.
Though larger than the state of Connecticut, Cherry County is home to only 6,000 people. Traditionally, "frontier" was defined as a place with fewer than six people per square mile. Even with all those folks living in Valentine, Cherry County averages only one person per square mile!
While in Valentine, we visited 3 waterfalls, a national wildlife refuge and a State Park. Pictures will be posted on Facebook.
Two notes. 1. In the picture of the Sandhills, notice the sandy spot. These are areas where the wind has managed to strip the grass off the sand, and are known as blowouts. 2. The Niobrara falls - Smith & Fort - are unique because of their convex faces. A very interesting look.
Valentine is the center of a diverse region of quiet lakes, grassy sand hills, secluded waterfalls, a national forest, two national wildlife refuges, big ranches with real cowboys and one of the top 10 canoeing rivers in the US. With 2,800 residents, Valentine is the "big city" of Cherry County.
Though larger than the state of Connecticut, Cherry County is home to only 6,000 people. Traditionally, "frontier" was defined as a place with fewer than six people per square mile. Even with all those folks living in Valentine, Cherry County averages only one person per square mile!
While in Valentine, we visited 3 waterfalls, a national wildlife refuge and a State Park. Pictures will be posted on Facebook.
Two notes. 1. In the picture of the Sandhills, notice the sandy spot. These are areas where the wind has managed to strip the grass off the sand, and are known as blowouts. 2. The Niobrara falls - Smith & Fort - are unique because of their convex faces. A very interesting look.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Oklahoma - 2011
Thank you to all who responded to my survey. It appears that most would like more on Facebook, but many want me to continue the blog. And then there is the problem of some who are not on Facebook. As someone said "what to do, what to do, what to do?" Sooo, I will try to do both, but with some changes. Since photos have been a complicated issue on the blog, I plan to put some photo albums on Facebook and put mainly narative on the blog. I will also put a link to Facebook on the blog. Hope it works, let me know.
Our 2nd stop in OK was Guthrie, a city born of the 1889 Land Run. Located in the Unassigned Lands, Guthrie was chosen as a site for one of the Federal Land Offices where land seekers were required to file their claims. It became a city of over 10,000 in a single day, April 22, 1889.
Four months after the Run, in August 1889, The Guthrie City Directory listed: 6 banks, 16 barbers, 16 blacksmiths, 17 carpenters, 2 cigar manufacturers, 5 newspapers, 7 hardware stores, 15 hotels, 19 pharmacists, 22 lumber dealers, 39 doctors, 40 restaurants, and 81 lawyers!
November 1907, OK was declared a state and Guthrie was the First State Capital. However, in 1910, an election was held and Oklahoma City was named the capital. Only 1 session of the State Assembly was held in Guthrie. Today Guthrie is nationally renowned for its collection of late 19th and early 20th century Territorial- and Victorian-style architecture. There are over 2,000 buildings within the Guthrie Historic District covering 1,400 acres.
The State Capital in Oklahoma City was built 1914 - 1917. Though the blueprints specified a dome, it was not added until 2002. It is the only Capital in the USA with an oil well on the grounds.
April 19, 1995 will always be remembered as the day of the Oklahoma City bombing. Pictures of the Memorial will be on Facebook.
Oklahoma has nearly 400 drivable miles of Route 66, more than any other state. We found the only round barn on Route 66, built in 1898. We also had lunch at Pops: gas station, restaurant, shake shop & convenience store with 500+ soda selections; 66 ft soda bottle; & a 12,000+ soda bottle collection. The roof over the gas pumps features angular steel-beam structure inspired by historic bridges on Route 66. Check out the pictures, the anchor beams are buried 50 ft in the ground!
Our 2nd stop in OK was Guthrie, a city born of the 1889 Land Run. Located in the Unassigned Lands, Guthrie was chosen as a site for one of the Federal Land Offices where land seekers were required to file their claims. It became a city of over 10,000 in a single day, April 22, 1889.
Four months after the Run, in August 1889, The Guthrie City Directory listed: 6 banks, 16 barbers, 16 blacksmiths, 17 carpenters, 2 cigar manufacturers, 5 newspapers, 7 hardware stores, 15 hotels, 19 pharmacists, 22 lumber dealers, 39 doctors, 40 restaurants, and 81 lawyers!
November 1907, OK was declared a state and Guthrie was the First State Capital. However, in 1910, an election was held and Oklahoma City was named the capital. Only 1 session of the State Assembly was held in Guthrie. Today Guthrie is nationally renowned for its collection of late 19th and early 20th century Territorial- and Victorian-style architecture. There are over 2,000 buildings within the Guthrie Historic District covering 1,400 acres.
The State Capital in Oklahoma City was built 1914 - 1917. Though the blueprints specified a dome, it was not added until 2002. It is the only Capital in the USA with an oil well on the grounds.
April 19, 1995 will always be remembered as the day of the Oklahoma City bombing. Pictures of the Memorial will be on Facebook.
Oklahoma has nearly 400 drivable miles of Route 66, more than any other state. We found the only round barn on Route 66, built in 1898. We also had lunch at Pops: gas station, restaurant, shake shop & convenience store with 500+ soda selections; 66 ft soda bottle; & a 12,000+ soda bottle collection. The roof over the gas pumps features angular steel-beam structure inspired by historic bridges on Route 66. Check out the pictures, the anchor beams are buried 50 ft in the ground!
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