Trippin' To Trinadad

Trinadad, CO (June 29, 2009) ..

Today we stopped at Trinadad for an overnight stay in our travel to New Mexico. Settlers and conestoga wagons used to make their way through town on the way to Santa Fe from St. Joseph, MO. Downtown one can find the last coal burning steam engine in the United States on display.

Unbelievably this little town of 9,000 people is very famous for something quite unusual. It is the capital, the epicenter of a very radical medical procedure/process that is practiced more so here than anywhere else in the country. Who would have thought. To find out more about this go to ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad,_Colorado

Dakota Ridge

Golden, CO (June 29, 2009) ..

As the month draws to a close we say goodbye to Dakota Ridge which has been our campground for the past 11 days as we visitied with Andrew, Erica and Lucie. This is really a nice spot with paved lots and amenities including a workout facility which Ed made use of on a daily basis. Today we head out to New Mexico by way of Trinidad, CO. See you in the desert !!

Andrew and Erica

Golden, CO (June 29, 2009) ..

Andrew and Erica are now embarking upon a decade's long journey of parenthood. We had a great time visiting with them for the past week and a half and having seen how they interact with baby Lucie we can be sure that they are wonderful parents to this happy, beautiful child. Thanks for spending such nice quality time with us. We're looking forward to seeing you in Arizona this winter along with Olivia, Sarah, Kathleen and Kevin. Maybe we can have a grandchild get together under the warm desert sun !!

Now we are off to New Mexico as the adventure continues.

See ya,

Ed and Ellen

Red Rocks

Red Rocks Park, CO (June 27, 2009) ..

Late this afternoon we stopped at Red Rocks Park which overlooks the city of Denver. This area is composed of red sanstone boulders and uplifted layers of the same material. The park also contains an amphitheatre which hosts many musical events. It's quite beautiful and has a commanding view of the front range to the east. Click the above image and see if you can find downtown Denver.

Echo Lake

Echo Lake, CO (June 27, 2009) ..

Echo Lake (elevation 10,500 ft.) situated in the Arapaho National Forest on the road to Mt. Evans is one of the highest lakes in the United States. Today we visited the lake and the took a hike on one of the trails surrounding its' greenish blue water. Pictured above are Andrew, baby Lucie, Erica and Ellen discussing their next turn on the trail. Eventually baby Lucie told them to go to the right which got us to a nice grove and picnic area on the south end of the lake. As you can see they are all wearing thermonuclear protection (sunglasses). Where did Lucie get those cute frames ??

Here's a view of the lake. Notice that there is still snow in the upper elevations of the Rockies !!

Dr. J

Golden, CO (June 26, 2009) ..

Pictured above with Ed is Dr. J .. Well not Julius Irving the famous NBA basket ball star but Dr. John Moore of the Colorado School of Mines. John is one of the world's leading authorities in the field of surface engineering and the application of coatings to metallic substrates to protect them from harsh production environments and thus add to their durability. What does all that mean ?? John and Ed worked on several projects through NADCA and GM to enhance the life and utility of die cast die components.

We had lunch today and caught up on old times. It was good seeing John and here's hoping that the future brings even more success to his career. For more information about Colorado's Dr. J go to http://metallurgy.mines.edu/pe/faculty/moore.html

Vail

Vail, CO (June 24,2009) ..

Today Ellen and I visited Vail which is a ski resort located in the Rocky Mountains about 90 miles west of Denver. Ellen thought the town was a shopping mecca in the mountains and purchased several items including a chair, jackets and an outfit for baby Lucie. We had lunch at the Red Lion and would recommend it to anyone.

Gore Creek runs through town .. as you can see below two kyakers were trying their upstream skills in the late afternoon.

Denver Botanical Gardens

Denver, CO (June 22, 2009) ..

Today we visited the Denver Botanical Gardens. Andrew, Erica and baby Lucie (pictured above) enjoyed the several hours we spent there. The weather was great .. sunny, dry and high 80's. The gardens are located in downtown Denver and have undergone a major renovation and capital improvement program since we last visited this city. While visiting the gardens a crew was busy erecting a stage for the B-52's who are scheduled to perform a fund raiser tonight.

For more information about the gardens go to http://www.botanicgardens.org/

Denver

Denver, CO (June 22, 2009) ..

Hello from Denver. We arrived in the Denver area on the 18th and are planning to stay until the 29th. Main purpose of our visit is to see Andrew and Erica and the our new grandchild, Lucie pictured above with her grandpa. The home on wheels is camped at Golden, CO. The weather has just changed from cold and wet to hot and arid so we are looking forward to visiting some of the tourist spots in Denver and the Rocky Mountain front range. Today we will be visiting the Denver Botanical Gardens.

Coal

Wheatland, WY (June 17, 2009) ..

Wyoming is the largest supplier of coal in the United States. The Powder River Basin contains enormous amounts of low sulphur coal that is shipped to electric power stations throughout the USA. Pictured above is the Laramie River Station (about 3 miles from our campsite) which produces about 1500 megawatts of electicity. The plant consumes one 7500 foot long trainload of Powder River coal per day !!! For more information about this huge source of coal go to ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powder_River_Basin

South Dakota

Hill City, SD (June 16, 2009) ..

Today was our last day in South Dakota so we hung around the campground doing laundry and constructing a mount for the flat screen in the bedroom. Ed brought about 100 lbs. of tools from the garage so he can construct quite a few things while on the road. We enjoyed our 12 day visit to the state and leave with lots of memories .. Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Sturgis, 1880 Train, Black Hills, Cosmos, the Wandering Bison, Deadwood, Reptile Gardens, Ellen's Birthday, Sioux Falls, Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, Minuteman Missile Silo and of course, Methusaleh the land tortoise !!

Sturgis

Sturgis, SD (June 15, 2009) ..

Today we visited Deadwood and Sturgis. Sturgis is famous for the huge Harley rally held every August. Like the Hollywood hills they have they town's name enblazoned on a hillside overlooking Main St. Both towns are great places to visit if you love to gamble or ride a bike.

1880 Train

Keystone, SD (June 14, 2009) ..

Today we rode the 1880 Train from Hill City to Keystone and return. Lots of fun. The seven passenger cars are pulled by a genuine Baldwin steam locomotive through the Black Hills on grades as steep as 6% !! The Baldwin runs on recycled automotive oil. Ellen and I enjoyed the ride and shot close to 300 photos and about 7 minutes of high definition video. At the end of the day the camcorder and camera both had completely full memory cards. This photo was captured by hanging the camera out the window.

Check out the equipment at their website ... go to http://www.1880train.com/train-restoration.html

For a really nice video go to ... http://www.1880train.com/video-contest.html

Methusaleh

Rapid City, SD (June 13, 2009) ..

Today we visited Reptile Gardens on the southern edge Rapid City. Pictured above is Methusaleh the turtle. Why such a name ? Well, Methusaleh is the oldest character in the Bible at 969 years and our land tortoise friend is celebrating his 128th birthday. The Gardens have all kinds of reptile exhibits such as snakes, lizards, turtles, birds including an American Eagle. The flower gardens are really beautiful and expertly arranged. Ellen misses gardening and fell in love with the flower pictured below.

Mt. Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore, SD (June 12, 2009) ..

Today we visited the presidents during the day. One of the park rangers gave us a guided tour which ended at the sculpture studio of Gutzon Borglum, the creator of what is seen in the above picture. Gutzon carved a 6 foot head of Lincoln from a single piece of marble; it sits in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC. He was also commissioned to produce a memorial to the Confederacy at Stone Mountain, GA but after numerous disagreements he quit before completing the project. He fled to South Dakota (they wanted to kill him) and fortunately for us he found the right combination of funding and artistic control that allowed him to complete this memorial to the four presidents. Incidentally, Teddy Roosevelt (3rd from left) was a personal friend of Mr. Borglum. Oh, did I mention that Gutzon got to pick the four presidents that he thought best represented the first 150 years of the US ???

Bison

Black Hills, SD (June 12, 2009) ..

While driving through Custer State Park we encountered this huge beast ambling along the side of the road. It's a male Bison (buffalo) off for a stroll. He hung around for awhile and then got tired of the attention and mosied off into the woods. The less dominant males roam by themselves while the other males hang with the herd. Bisons are the largest land based mammals in North America. All restaurants serve buffalo meat and burgers in this part of South Dakota. For more info about the american bison goto ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bison_(animal)

The Presidents

Keystone, SD (June 11, 2009) ..

We heard a noise outside the home on wheels and when we looked out we saw these four guys hanging out in the campground. Well, not really. It's the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. The presidents, left to right, are Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt (Teddy) and Lincoln. Elly and I made the trip over to Rushmore after her birthday meal to see the evening lighting of the mountainside. Very impressive. Photo shutter speed is 1/4 second, aperture f 3.5 We plan on visiting again tomorrow to see the memorial in the daylight. Weather forecast is good.

Double Nickels

Hill City, SD (June 11, 2009) ..

Today Ellen celebrated her 55th birthday !!! Here she is at the Alpine Inn getting ready to devour her well done filet mingon steak wrapped in bacon. Normally not a beef eater Ellen decided to really go wild on her birthday and thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the evening. She can't believe she's 55 !!!

Happy Birthday Ellen !!!!

Bye Bye Badlands

Badlands, SD (June 11, 2009) ..

Today we said goodbye to the Badlands. I must say that our stay was interesting even if the weather only cooperated on the first and last day. The place definitely makes you feel that you are walking on the face of the moon. The landscape is so stark. It stands as testiment to the power of the earth's wind and weather. Everywhere you look you see evidence of erosion that has occurred over countless generations. Amazing place .. now on to Mt. Rushmore.

Cold War

MinuteMan Missile Silo, SD (June 10, 2009) ..

Today we visited a remnant of the Cold War between Russia and the United States ... a decommisioned Minuteman I misssile silo located off I-90 between Wall and Rapid City, SD. This silo had been abandoned per the SALT I treaty signed by the Russian and American governments limiting the number of allowable nuclear land based missiles. When operational this missile could be launched on a moments notice; its' W56 warhead could hit a target 6000 miles away with a destructive force of 1.2 million tons of TNT which is 120 times greater than the nuclear weapon dropped on Hiroshima during WW II. Pictured above is the access hatch with the main silo hatch off to the left. Main hatch weighs 9 tons and is opened using an explosive blast of compressed air at launch. Off in the background is a VHF antenna (small cone shaped device) which allows for communication with an airborne launch control platform.

Fortunately, none of these missiles were ever fired in anger and the standoff between the two nations was resolved peaceably.

For more information go to .. http://www.nps.gov/mimi/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGM-30_Minuteman

Sunshine

Badlands, SD (June 9, 2009) ..

Yesterday was sunny but today has been overcast and rainy. The clouds parted briefly to illuminate some of the rock outcroppings far off in the distance. We toured many of the overlooks scattered throughout the park and also made a trip down a 9 mile gravel road to SD44. Occasionally we slid adding to the fun of discovering a new road.

Highway To Heaven

Interior, SD (June 9, 2009) ..

Located right outside the gate to our campground this stretch of SD 44 seems to be making its' way to the heavens. Who knows .. maybe the Pearly Gates are right behind that thick bank of clouds. Time to rev up the automobile and accelerate to the top of the hill and ramp our way into the grey. We'll let you know what's on the other side.

Wall Drug

Wall, SD (June 9, 2009) ..

Business thrives even in the hinterlands. A good example is Wall Drug Store established in 1931 by Ted and Dorothy Hustead. Currently a third generation of Hustead's run the store which got its' start by giving away free ice water to tourists on their way to Mt. Rushmore. South Dakota is peppered with small signs announcing the distance and virtues of Wall Drug to all who pass by. Interstate 90 must have at least 100 of these signs between Wall and Sioux Falls. Wall Drug has evolved from a small country drug store to a large complex of variety stores and tourist traps on par with any in this country. Ellen and I had fun visiting this South Dakota institution and will leave with fond memories of the T-shirts, jewelry, hats, ice cream, food, shot glasses, wind chimes, dinosaur, shoes and works of art found in the vortex of this far away tourist black hole.

For more info about this location see ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Drug_Store

Jail

Interior, SD (June 9, 2009) ..

Believe it or not this is a view of the city jail located at Interior, SD just a few miles from our campsite. This area is pretty remote. The nearest library is almost 50 miles away. Our cell phones and wireless internet do not work here so in effect we are in telecommunications jail. Our onstar phone does function and the campground has wifi which provides a slow connection to the web. Interior has suffered a 16% decline in population since the last census of 2000. For more information about this troubled metropolis go to ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interior,_South_Dakota

Badlands

Badlands, SD (June 8, 2009) ..

Today we arrived at the Badlands National Park and set up camp just outside the small town of Interior, SD (population 65). We traversed 1154 miles in the home on wheels since leaving Louisville, KY. Above is a view of the sedimentary rock found everywhere in this part of South Dakota. It resembles the Grand Canyon but on a smaller scale. The park encloses about a quarter million acres of land. The rock and the grasslands above it are slowly eroding away revealing millions of fossils. We plan on spending three days here and then move on to the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore. For more information go to ... http://www.blackhillsbadlands.com/home

Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, SD (June 5, 2009) ..

We stopped at Sioux Falls today and plan on spending tomorrow here as well. Our bus driver, Ralph Kramden, decided he needed a break after driving almost 900 miles from Louisville, KY in the last three days. Pictured above are the famous falls of the city that bears their name. Take note that the underlying rock is a pinkish granite, not usually seen in the eastern US.

For more information about Ralph Kramden go to .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Honeymooners

For more information about the falls go to .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sioux_Falls

Pictured below is a closer view of the falls.

Bugs

I-29 Mile Marker 77, IO (June 5, 2009) ..

Why is the home on wheels parked in a rest area with a ladder in front of it ?? Bugs. Ed got tired of driving down the highway with numerous bug carcasses obscuring the view through the windshield. A 15 minute rest for the hummin Cummins and a little elbow grease applied to all that glass was what was needed to clear the view for today's journey of 315 miles to Sioux Falls, SD.

The View

St. Joseph, MO (June 4, 2009) ..

The View ??? No, it's not the estrogen soaked TV show; it's the view from our motorhome camped (parked) at St. Joseph, MO. The view ... well clicking the picture will reveal that the roof of a catering facility lies straight ahead. Sometimes this happens when you make reservations the morning of arrival. Such are the vagarities of the road. This is definitely the most urban and least attractive of all our campsites. Happily we will be here just tonight and will then head out for Sioux Falls, SD first thing in the morning. Should reach the Badlands by Sunday or Monday !!!

WhazzThat??

Bellair, MO (June 4, 2009) ..

Elly and I travelled 5,000 miles since we departed Michigan in mid December. We have not seen the likes of this until today. The plastic things have the faint look of a face, the yellow elephant trunks .. well they look pretty wierd. So what is it ??? We'll be checking your posts.

Dirty Side Up II

Mile Marker 155 I-70, MO (June 4, 2009) ..

Dirty side up ??? Well not quite. the dirty side is down but due to hot brakes the truck cab caught fire resulting in a total loss as seen above. The driver ??? He escaped the inferno and will live to drive the interstate again. Thank God. We spotted this today on the eastbound lanes of I-70 as we followed the Missouri River across its' namesake state. Tonight we stop in St. Joseph, MO on our way to the Badlands of South Dakota. It's dangerous out there. Drive carefully and if ever involved in a vehicular fire hit the exits immediatey.

Click the photo to enlarge it.

Yipee, Yipee We Crossed The Mississippi !!

St. Charles, MO (June 3, 2009) ..

Westward Ho !!! Ellen and I and the home on wheels have now started the westward portion of our journey. There's a certain permanency to this segment since we plan on living in Chandler, AZ when the odyssey is complete. Our current goal is to make it to the Badlands in South Dakota by Monday .. so driving 200 - 300 miles per day will get us there on time. Today we travelled from Clarksville, IN to St. Charles, MO a distance of 288 miles crossing both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers along the way. Our current location is a suburb of St. Louis, the gateway to the west and our future.

St. Louis Gateway Arch ... Wikipedia

Houseboats

Dale Hollow, KY (June 1, 2009) ..

Another day on the lake ... the fourth to be exact ... we were just motoring along having fun when we came upon EastPort Marina loaded with houseboats. Dale Hollow Lake is houseboat heaven; on a typical summer day the lake is dotted with these large floating homes. Some even have gardens on the upper deck and most haul at least one ski-doo. EastPort Marina is located at the southeast end of the lake near route 111 which crosses the lake via a high steel girder bridge on the way to Livingston, TN. Check it out at ... http://www.eastport.info/

Grandma Elly

Dale Hollow, KY (May 30, 2009) ..

Pictured above is Ellen with her two grandchildren, Olivia and Sarah. They were enjoying the day on the boat with Greg at the helm. They call her "grandma Elly" but refer to grandpa as "Eddie". Yup.

Adrift

Dale Hollow, KY (May 30, 2009) ..

Olivia, Ed and Ellen's grandaughter, had her first tubing experience today. Needless to say she loved it. Here she is pictured above waiting to be picked up from the cool water. Thanks to Tom O'Malley for providing the tow with his new Glastron boat !!!

Dale Hollow Lake II

Dale Hollow, KY (May 29, 2009) ..

Day 2 at Dale Hollow. We spent time on the boat and then adjourned to Greg's front porch for refreshments at the end of the day. Pictured above are Kathleen, Kevin and Ed waiting for refills. Kevin is also texting some friends in Bedford.

Dale Hollow Lake I

Dale Hollow Lake, KY (May 28, 2009) ..

We've been visiting our friends Greg and Janice who have a home at Dale Hollow Lake in Kentucky. Kathleen, Kevin, Olivia, Sarah, Mike and Jason all piled into Greg's new boat for a day on the lake. We had lot's of fun and as you can see Olivia had the opportunity to steer the boat under the watchful eye of Capt. Ron (Greg). Thanks for the ride, Greg !!! Many happy years of boating fun !!!!!!