Monday, June 30, 2014

Badlands! - Day Four

Today we started off with a tour of the Badlands National Park.  We entered the park from the eastern most entrance and immediately were in awe.  The scenery and the landscape tends to tease you with a little peek here and there before it opens up into an expanse of striated rock formations.  The muted red, yellow, and gold hues form a pastel landscape with the azure sky as the backdrop.  We took a boardwalk out into some of the rock formations and members of our party promptly joined the other tourists and went walking around and over the rock.  The landscape at first blush looks like it is just barren land.  But if you sit quietly and pay attention you will begin to see and hear all the lifeforms around you.  The quick, darting movements of the thirteen lined ground squirrel along with the floating seeds of the biggest dandelion I have ever seen quickly capture your attention.  





We stopped at a picnic site and had a gourmet lunch thanks to Cynthia.  She prepared a LOT of food and we have yet to go hungry!  And man was it good. Many thanks Cyn!  

After hopping back into the trusty family truckster we continued on our loop and we were so excited to come across some bighorn sheep.  Very cool stuff!  



Our navigator, John, was prepared and had recommended the Sage Creek Rim Road as the road to take to complete our scenic tour.  And it was amazing!  Of course we saw the ever ubiquitous prairie dog but then..... we saw our first herd of bison.  It was incredible.  These massive animals grazing down in the green valley with a backdrop of the beautiful mountains.  We were and are in awe.





We finished up our day back in Rapid City, South Dakota.  Had dinner at an Irish pub and walked along the street looking at the statues of the presidents.  The city has a statue of every president and they are placed on the sidewalks.  It's a pretty neat little city.  Of course, I had to take a picture of William H. Taft!






Tomorrow it is Mount Rushmore in the morning and Crazy Horse in the afternoon.  

Let the adventure continue!  

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Driving Through Iowa - Day Three

Today is a driving day. We are zipping along in our trusty family truckster and the miles are racking up. As I look out my window I see acres of open farmland. There are small agricultural communities dotting the landscape and it appears that a great number of farms have their own silos for storage. Occasionally we come across a farm that has some irrigation capability but for the most part it appears they are getting plenty of moisture. 

This area of farmland is bounded on the east by a ridge of hills which are part of the Loess Hills State Park. 

Driving through here I am reminded of Paul Harvey's "So God made a Farmer". If you have not ever listened to it - well you really should. Mr. Harvey plainly tells about the hard work that goes into farming and ranching. And from great toil and effort comes great satisfaction. 

Enough rambling for now, I think it's time for a game of Scrabble. :D

Our stopping point tonight is Rapid City, South Dakota. Tomorrow, it's the Badlands!  

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Family Truckster - Day Two

Day two of the Holiday Road adventure is quickly coming to a close. 

Our first stop this morning was an unexpected find. It was in Chester, MO. Their claim to fame.... The home of Popeye and who doesn't like Popeye!  
Due to technical difficulties (ahem I'm not as computer savvy as I thought I was) I'm not currently able to download photos from my camera.  Hopefully that will be solved today or tomorrow. 

Our next stop was in Kaskaskia, IL to see the Liberty Bell of the West.  The bell was cast in 1741 and was a gift to the Mission of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Kaskaskia from King Louis XV of France. 

If you can't tell by now we love history!  

On to Hermann, MO for a stroll down the Main Street and a stop at the Hermanhoff Winery. When we lived in St. Louis in 1997 we would take day trips on the weekends. One of those trips was to Hermann. It's a beautiful community with a rich German heritage. 
While Cynthia and I were doing our window shopping we found a day care for husbands. We checked them in and strolled off. Finished our window shopping, turned around to go claim our hubbies and apparently they had checked themselves out of day care. Sauntering along with their bags of cheese and sausages. 

As we left Hermann the skies were getting darker and we were headed into some nasty weather. 



Our plan was to stop in Kansas City for some award winning BBQ. We called ahead for reservations and they were booked. And that's when the Activities Coordinator and the Navigator (Cynthia and John) jumped into action to create a Plan B. and man it was a good one!  

We headed to St. Joseph, MO and stopped at Boudreaux's.  We had some tasty Cajun food in the middle of Missouri!  Side note - John and I recommend the crab bisque. :o)

Another interesting note about St. Joseph.... Home of the Pony Express!  



Currently we are on the road and headed to Omaha. As the sun dips below the horizon and the bright orange swiftly turns into soft yellows I am reminded of some of my favorite sunsets. The vast majority of these are in places that are close to my heart. Taft, Rocksprings, College Station and my own backyard. 

So please step outside, look around and see the beauty that surrounds each of us. 

And remember, every day is a new adventure. :D




Friday, June 27, 2014

Holiday Road - Day One of WestFest 2014

Family and friends you are invited to follow along with us on the WestFest 2014. 
It's a 17 day road trip covering over 5,000 miles.  The goal have fun and spend time with our dear friends Cynthia and Curtis. 
We left Huntsville this afternoon and we have made our first stop for the night in Marion, IL. 
Below is a map of our projected routes and we are so excited!!

It has been a dream of mine since I was young to visit the Badlands of the Dakotas, Glacier National Park in Montana, Devil's Tower in Wyoming, and of course Yellowstone. 
I had the luxury of growing up in rural South Texas on a farm. Wide open spaces were my backyard and my imagination was the only limiting factor. 
I read books all the time and was transported from the sorghum and cotton fields of South Texas to these equally majestic faraway places. 

Let me introduce you to my fellow road trippers. 

Cynthia and Curtis

Me and John


So please join me on the adventure of a lifetime. :D