Saturday, July 30, 2011
Henry's Take on the Wind Cave Adventure
Today, we drove down to Wind Cave National Park which is about 50 miles south of Mount Rushmore. Ruth and Mom decided to not go on the underground guided tour with the ranger but Dad and I chose to do it. It was amazing. We walked about 300 steps down into the cave and the hike was only about 1/2 mile, but it still took us about 90 minutes to go through it. It would not have taken so long but the lights along the route went out three times and we were just stuck there waiting for someone on the surface to fix it. No one was worried or anything but we were definitely stuck cause it was so dark you could not see your hand in front of your face. I took plenty of video of the cave when I could, and the ranger helped me find 'boxwork' images on the walls and ceiling. The ranger also said that there were over 136 miles of passage ways in this cave which makes this the 5th largest in the world.
After we finally made it out of the cave, we tried to find a herd of buffalo that Ruth and Mom found during our cave time. We did see a few but we think the herd walked over a hill so we couldn't see them all. We then decided to drive into Custer State Park in search of more animals. We eventually stopped at Sylvan Lake and walked along the edge where we saw minnows and crawfish. After the short lake side stop, we drove back to the camp and went swimming with Mom and Dad. At dinner time, we drove into Hill City and ate at Desparado's. It wasn't too bad but mom had the ribs and I should have gotten those too. After dinner, we walked around town and then took the stinky jeep to the car wash where I sprayed and Ruth used the foam brush. I have to say that I was soaked to the bone cause I kept spraying myself. I would have to also say that I had a good time today. Until next time,
Henry B. Dean
After we finally made it out of the cave, we tried to find a herd of buffalo that Ruth and Mom found during our cave time. We did see a few but we think the herd walked over a hill so we couldn't see them all. We then decided to drive into Custer State Park in search of more animals. We eventually stopped at Sylvan Lake and walked along the edge where we saw minnows and crawfish. After the short lake side stop, we drove back to the camp and went swimming with Mom and Dad. At dinner time, we drove into Hill City and ate at Desparado's. It wasn't too bad but mom had the ribs and I should have gotten those too. After dinner, we walked around town and then took the stinky jeep to the car wash where I sprayed and Ruth used the foam brush. I have to say that I was soaked to the bone cause I kept spraying myself. I would have to also say that I had a good time today. Until next time,
Henry B. Dean
Bear Country USA, by Henry
The first part of the park was elk and reindeer. There was a reindeer with huge antlers. Then we entered the sheep and goat area and saw Dall sheep, big horn sheep and mountain goats. I spotted a white big horn sheep on a hill. They also had an arctic fox section, but we only saw parts of them while they were sleeping in tall grass.
We saw some mountain lions, but since it was hot, they were sleeping in their houses so we couldn't see much of them.
Then we went to the bear section. There were so many bears. There were black bears and brown bears and light brown bears. Some were in the water keeping cool. Some were walking around, and one was in front of our car! There were other bears in between our jeep and the car behind us, and the blue car couldn't go anywhere because the bears were in the middle of the road. Dad drove slowly behind the bear in the road until it moved out of the way.Then we went to the small and baby animal section. There were lots of baby bears climbing in a tree. Some were fighting because one was a bully and picking fights. Some of the baby bears must have been hot because they went in a pond to cool off and play.
I really liked Bear Country USA.
Henry
Jeff's Favorite Campground
Jeff was excited the whole trip to stay at the Mount Rushmore KOA in Palmer Gulch. He calls it the Cadillac of KOAs. It's a huge campground with lots of amenities. They have two pools, a huge store, a restaurant, playgrounds, horseback riding, pancake breakfasts and activities for the kids. The campground is close to Mount Rushmore and the town of Hill City.
Two years ago, we had a not-so-great campsite with little room to sit. This year, our site was much better. We were under some nice trees which kept the RV cooler, but the downside for Jeff was that we couldn't get a satellite signal.
We took advantage of the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast our first morning there. The pancakes are pretty good, and it's fun to watch the man who makes them. He has a huge griddle that makes 48 pancakes at a time. He glides a batter dispenser over the griddle that makes the pancakes all the same size, then he flips them. It keeps the line going pretty quickly. We were all full with our first order of three each.
We played a few rounds of miniature golf there. Jeff took the kids once and then I took them another day.
Our third night there, around 8:45 p.m., Ruth suddenly got up and said that we had to go to the flashlight scavenger hunt at 9:00 p.m. Who knew she was paying attention of the schedule of events?
We got our shoes on and our flashlights out, and she and I headed to the boat house. (They also have paddleboats.) College kids who work at the campground for the summer run many of the family activities, including this one. We went on a short walk to a field by the main building, and the kids had to hunt for candy scattered all over the ground. Ruth had a fantastic time filling her back of candy.
I took advantage of the free daily wine tastings they have at the campground. There are a few South Dakota wineries represented at the campground. Some wines are made with grapes and some are made with berries and other fruits grown in South Dakota and elsewhere.
It's still one of our favorite campgrounds in the U.S., and I hope we'll get back here sometime again in the future.
Two years ago, we had a not-so-great campsite with little room to sit. This year, our site was much better. We were under some nice trees which kept the RV cooler, but the downside for Jeff was that we couldn't get a satellite signal.
We took advantage of the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast our first morning there. The pancakes are pretty good, and it's fun to watch the man who makes them. He has a huge griddle that makes 48 pancakes at a time. He glides a batter dispenser over the griddle that makes the pancakes all the same size, then he flips them. It keeps the line going pretty quickly. We were all full with our first order of three each.
We played a few rounds of miniature golf there. Jeff took the kids once and then I took them another day.
Our third night there, around 8:45 p.m., Ruth suddenly got up and said that we had to go to the flashlight scavenger hunt at 9:00 p.m. Who knew she was paying attention of the schedule of events?
We got our shoes on and our flashlights out, and she and I headed to the boat house. (They also have paddleboats.) College kids who work at the campground for the summer run many of the family activities, including this one. We went on a short walk to a field by the main building, and the kids had to hunt for candy scattered all over the ground. Ruth had a fantastic time filling her back of candy.
I took advantage of the free daily wine tastings they have at the campground. There are a few South Dakota wineries represented at the campground. Some wines are made with grapes and some are made with berries and other fruits grown in South Dakota and elsewhere.
It's still one of our favorite campgrounds in the U.S., and I hope we'll get back here sometime again in the future.
Friday, July 29, 2011
New Faces on Mount Rushmore
It gets pretty crowded at Mount Rushmore during the day, which makes taking a good picture of your family without lots of extra people in it challenging. So this year, we opted for a different approach.
I used Henry as the test and positioned him on the main viewing platform. I sat down on the ground about 15 feet away, and leaned back as far as I could. He's not quite tall enough, but my goal was to add his face to Mount Rushmore. We came close, and then took everyone else's pictures.
I used Henry as the test and positioned him on the main viewing platform. I sat down on the ground about 15 feet away, and leaned back as far as I could. He's not quite tall enough, but my goal was to add his face to Mount Rushmore. We came close, and then took everyone else's pictures.
Mount Rushmore, Night and Day
Every night, they have a ceremony to light the sculptures on the mountain. Last night, we went up to see it. We did this before, two years ago, and really liked it. You can't help feeling very patriotic when you're there.
As we were heading to the amphitheater, it started to drizzle. We went in the gift shop to get out of the rain and picked up a few things. Jeff got a t-shirt, Henry got a puzzle (because he wanted something he could put in his room), and we got some pens for our collection. When we came out, it was still raining. I took Henry into another area to get our passports stamped, but it was the wrong place. Instead, we were in the cafe. So we picked up some water, cotton candy, and a fudge-alo. It's a buffalo cookie cutter filled with chocolate fudge. We just had to buy it.
The rain on Mount Rushmore made it look like some of the presidents were crying. Ruth said it looked like their mascara was running.
A ranger opens the ceremony by telling a story and talking about the Presidents. This time, the ranger talked about how he lived in Tucson when Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot, and how it affected him. He talked about the importance of citizens being able to communicate with their elected representatives, and how critical it is to participate in our government. It was very moving.
This morning, we went back to Mount Rushmore to walk the Presidential Trail, which goes underneath the sculptures and goes by the sculptor's studio. As we were heading to the trail, we saw a sign that one of the men who worked on Mount Rushmore from 1938 to 1941 was in the gift shop signing copies of his book. Henry and I went in to meet him. He's a very nice man, and he was telling stories about his job. He worked mostly on Theodore Roosevelt, but also worked a bit on Lincoln. We learned that originally, there were only going to be three presidents on Mount Rushmore; Roosevelt was a later addition. The plan was to have Jefferson be on the left of Washington, but the rock wasn't suitable, so they blasted the work they did on him off the mountain and started again on Washington's right. Henry got the man's book, and he autographed it for him.
Having worked up an appetite on our stair climbing adventure, we stopped at the cafe and got some ice cream.
The only downside of our time there is that we're looking for license plates from Connecticut, Hawaii and Rhode Island to complete our license plate game app on my iPhone. We thought our best chances would be at Mount Rushmore, but we didn't find any of the three. Does no one leave Connecticut or Rhode Island?
As we were heading to the amphitheater, it started to drizzle. We went in the gift shop to get out of the rain and picked up a few things. Jeff got a t-shirt, Henry got a puzzle (because he wanted something he could put in his room), and we got some pens for our collection. When we came out, it was still raining. I took Henry into another area to get our passports stamped, but it was the wrong place. Instead, we were in the cafe. So we picked up some water, cotton candy, and a fudge-alo. It's a buffalo cookie cutter filled with chocolate fudge. We just had to buy it.
When we got out, it was still raining. We found Jeff and Ruth hiding under an elevator overhang to stay dry. That's when I remembered that at a lower level, they have a little museum area where they show a movie. With about 40 minutes till the lighting ceremony began, we headed down to watch the movie.
Fortunately, when we got out, the rain had stopped. I ran into a nearby gift shop and got some plastic bags to sit on.
A ranger opens the ceremony by telling a story and talking about the Presidents. This time, the ranger talked about how he lived in Tucson when Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot, and how it affected him. He talked about the importance of citizens being able to communicate with their elected representatives, and how critical it is to participate in our government. It was very moving.
Then he showed a video on a big screen that talks about the creation of Mount Rushmore and the four Presidents on the mountain. Of course the Presidents are great, but the work involved in creating Mount Rushmore is also very interesting.
As the video is closing, the lights start to shine on the faces of the Presidents, and gradually get brighter. Then the ranger invited us to sing the National Anthem. To close the ceremony, all veterans are invited to come up on the stage to be recognized. It was a large group this time, and the applause went on for a long time.
This morning, we went back to Mount Rushmore to walk the Presidential Trail, which goes underneath the sculptures and goes by the sculptor's studio. As we were heading to the trail, we saw a sign that one of the men who worked on Mount Rushmore from 1938 to 1941 was in the gift shop signing copies of his book. Henry and I went in to meet him. He's a very nice man, and he was telling stories about his job. He worked mostly on Theodore Roosevelt, but also worked a bit on Lincoln. We learned that originally, there were only going to be three presidents on Mount Rushmore; Roosevelt was a later addition. The plan was to have Jefferson be on the left of Washington, but the rock wasn't suitable, so they blasted the work they did on him off the mountain and started again on Washington's right. Henry got the man's book, and he autographed it for him.  |
| Sculptor's Model of Mt. Rushmore. |
The Presidential Trail is great for giving you a different view of the Presidents. There are lots of stairs involved, so we got exercise too. The sculptor's studio is very interesting. We saw the original model for Mount Rushmore, which had more detail besides the heads. They must have originally planned to include some of the presidents' upper bodies, but for some reason, it never got done.
Having worked up an appetite on our stair climbing adventure, we stopped at the cafe and got some ice cream.
The only downside of our time there is that we're looking for license plates from Connecticut, Hawaii and Rhode Island to complete our license plate game app on my iPhone. We thought our best chances would be at Mount Rushmore, but we didn't find any of the three. Does no one leave Connecticut or Rhode Island?
Anyone for Buffalo?
Jeff
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Black Hills of South Dakota
We arrived in Hill City yesterday afternoon. We're camping at the Mount Rushmore KOA, one of our favorite campgrounds. It's more like a resort. It has lots of activities and things for the kids to do. They even have nightly wine tastings for local wineries for adults.
Shortly after we set up camp and pulled out the awning, it started to drizzle. We bring the rain, that's for sure. It didn't rain for too long, but it rained hard for a bit and then finally stopped.
Jeff took the kids to play miniature golf while I built a fire to make dinner. The fire pit was a bit soggy, so it was a challenge to get the fire going. Once I got the fire starter brick solidly lit, it went much better.
I made a good-sized fire, and once it was pretty hot, I pulled the grate up on top of the firepit. Tonight's menu: fettuccine alfredo, grilled chicken and asparagus.
I boiled the water over the fire, and cooked the chicken in foil packets with garlic and rosemary. I brought out the electric griddle and tried to heat the small pot for the alfredo sauce on it, but it didn't work very well. Instead, I pulled the chicken breasts out of the packets and finished them on the griddle so they got some browning on them, and made the sauce in the RV on the stove. I threw the thin asparagus spears on the griddle with some olive oil once the chicken came off.
It was pretty easy to boil water over the hot fire. The noodles cooked very well. All in all, dinner was delicious.
Afterward, Jeff went back to the RV to finish watching Race to Witch Mountain on TV. Henry went in and out, and Ruth and I hung out by the fire. She pulled out her book of campfire songs from the Chimney Rock gift shop, and we sang some tunes. It was a clear night sky, so we looked at the stars.
The night was pretty cool and we left the windows partially open in the RV. While Jeff slept, I read my book using my iPhone flashlight app as a reading light. One thing is for sure, the iPhone has been very useful on this trip. I'll write about that later, along with what we did today. Now, we're off to the Lighting Ceremony at Mount Rushmore, one of our favorite things to do in the Black Hills.
Shortly after we set up camp and pulled out the awning, it started to drizzle. We bring the rain, that's for sure. It didn't rain for too long, but it rained hard for a bit and then finally stopped.
Jeff took the kids to play miniature golf while I built a fire to make dinner. The fire pit was a bit soggy, so it was a challenge to get the fire going. Once I got the fire starter brick solidly lit, it went much better.
I made a good-sized fire, and once it was pretty hot, I pulled the grate up on top of the firepit. Tonight's menu: fettuccine alfredo, grilled chicken and asparagus.
I boiled the water over the fire, and cooked the chicken in foil packets with garlic and rosemary. I brought out the electric griddle and tried to heat the small pot for the alfredo sauce on it, but it didn't work very well. Instead, I pulled the chicken breasts out of the packets and finished them on the griddle so they got some browning on them, and made the sauce in the RV on the stove. I threw the thin asparagus spears on the griddle with some olive oil once the chicken came off.
It was pretty easy to boil water over the hot fire. The noodles cooked very well. All in all, dinner was delicious.
Afterward, Jeff went back to the RV to finish watching Race to Witch Mountain on TV. Henry went in and out, and Ruth and I hung out by the fire. She pulled out her book of campfire songs from the Chimney Rock gift shop, and we sang some tunes. It was a clear night sky, so we looked at the stars.
The night was pretty cool and we left the windows partially open in the RV. While Jeff slept, I read my book using my iPhone flashlight app as a reading light. One thing is for sure, the iPhone has been very useful on this trip. I'll write about that later, along with what we did today. Now, we're off to the Lighting Ceremony at Mount Rushmore, one of our favorite things to do in the Black Hills.
Rocks from Chimney Rock
The museum had these pieces of rock, donated by a local Nebraska man who found them near Chimney Rock. It's plausible that rocks could fall off of the upper layers of Chimney Rock due to erosion. You can faintly see a name and year carved into the rock. Since it's sandstone, it was fairly easy to carve with a knife.
Chimney Rock, Nebraska
On our drive from Cheyenne to Hill City yesterday, South Dakota, we planned to stop at Chimney Rock. It's a natural landmark first spotted by white men back in the 1800's when coming west along the Platte River. The Indians actually named it after a male elk's private parts, but the white settlers thought it looked like a chimney, and the rest is history.
While much of the Platte River Road was flat, Chimney Rock marked the warning signs of mountains to come.
As settlers passed the massive rock spire, thousands stopped to carve their names in it to mark their passage through. Because of erosion, the top of the spire is shorter than it used to be, and many of the names have worn off.
We checked out the Visitor Center, which has some nice exhibits and a short movie. Unfortunately, they don't let you walk out to Chimney Rock to see all the names carved on it. I'm not sure if it's on private land or if they just want to keep idiots from carving their names on it. I'd really like to see that up close.
There were lots of sunflowers and other wildflowers growing on the prairie around Chimney Rock, and I took pictures of them while we waited for Jeff to get some work done.
We picked up some books and candy sticks in the gift shop. Nebraska has most of the major pioneer trails westward going through the state: the California, Oregon and Mormon Trails. The Pony Express all followed the route through here. They have some brochures on the trails, and we picked them up in case they might be a good plan for a future RV trip.
Jeff Chimes In
'Sup. Jeff here. My friends back east always ask, "why doesn't he write?" Well, I'll tell you why. I'm exhausted. (Actually, those that know me realize that I have no friends so there's little need for me to write anything, but I'll play along for the sake of the blog). The trip has been really great, and there's still quite a few days left, so my rankings may very well change by the time I get back to my favorite recliner on Waynewood Blvd.
The highlights for me thus far have been....
10. Eisenhower Museum in Abilene, KS
9. Zion National Park
8. Navajo-guided Monument Valley Tour
7. Tour of Indianapolis Motor Speedway
6. Bull Riding Night in Cheyenne with Henry
5. Cog Train ride to summit of Pike's Peak
4. Drive through Rocky Mountain National Park
3. Jet Boat Tour into Canyonlands National Park
2. Hikes in Arches National Park - especially Sand Dunes Arch
1. Ruth taking an afternoon nap on my shoulder in Kansas City
Low lights:
10. Wounded A/C in RV
9. Towing Jeep across passes in Rockies over 11,000 feet in elevation
8. Ruth getting stitches at Bryce Canyon
7. Gas prices
6. Unable to pick up local channels on satellite on night of All-Star Game
5. Not driving to Dead Horse at Canyonlands NP
4. Driving I-25 from Albuquerque to Santa Fe - too hilly and drivers too aggressive
3. Drive from Loveland, CO to Estes Park, CO - worth it though once we were there
2. Too many showers/thunderstorms
1. Tweaking my back while brushing my teeth....it cost me a week of exercise.....
Best Eats:
1. Leon's Creamy Chicken Enchiladas in Grand Junction, CO. Second best dish ever. (Penne ala Lenzi at Via Veneto in VA is the best ever.)
2. Burnt Ends - Jack Stack BBQ in KC
3. Tuffy's Burgers in Cincinnati
4. Pulled Pork at Ruby's in Manitou Springs, CO
5. Frito Pie at Orlando's in Taos, NM
6. Navajo Tacos at Four Corners, AZ or was it NM, UT or CO - not sure....it was at Four Corners
7. Navajo Tacos at Indian Village Cheyenne, WY
8. Sandwich at Shapiro's Deli in Indianapolis
9. Fried bananas with caramel and ice cream at the Bent Fork in Denver, CO
10. Chili Dog at Sonic in Colorado Springs, CO - hard to believe it was at 'Sonic' but it was awesome.
If there is another night where I can't sleep, maybe I'll write something else a little more meaningful.
Jeff
The highlights for me thus far have been....
10. Eisenhower Museum in Abilene, KS
9. Zion National Park
8. Navajo-guided Monument Valley Tour
7. Tour of Indianapolis Motor Speedway
6. Bull Riding Night in Cheyenne with Henry
5. Cog Train ride to summit of Pike's Peak
4. Drive through Rocky Mountain National Park
3. Jet Boat Tour into Canyonlands National Park
2. Hikes in Arches National Park - especially Sand Dunes Arch
1. Ruth taking an afternoon nap on my shoulder in Kansas City
Low lights:
10. Wounded A/C in RV
9. Towing Jeep across passes in Rockies over 11,000 feet in elevation
8. Ruth getting stitches at Bryce Canyon
7. Gas prices
6. Unable to pick up local channels on satellite on night of All-Star Game
5. Not driving to Dead Horse at Canyonlands NP
4. Driving I-25 from Albuquerque to Santa Fe - too hilly and drivers too aggressive
3. Drive from Loveland, CO to Estes Park, CO - worth it though once we were there
2. Too many showers/thunderstorms
1. Tweaking my back while brushing my teeth....it cost me a week of exercise.....
Best Eats:
1. Leon's Creamy Chicken Enchiladas in Grand Junction, CO. Second best dish ever. (Penne ala Lenzi at Via Veneto in VA is the best ever.)
2. Burnt Ends - Jack Stack BBQ in KC
3. Tuffy's Burgers in Cincinnati
4. Pulled Pork at Ruby's in Manitou Springs, CO
5. Frito Pie at Orlando's in Taos, NM
6. Navajo Tacos at Four Corners, AZ or was it NM, UT or CO - not sure....it was at Four Corners
7. Navajo Tacos at Indian Village Cheyenne, WY
8. Sandwich at Shapiro's Deli in Indianapolis
9. Fried bananas with caramel and ice cream at the Bent Fork in Denver, CO
10. Chili Dog at Sonic in Colorado Springs, CO - hard to believe it was at 'Sonic' but it was awesome.
If there is another night where I can't sleep, maybe I'll write something else a little more meaningful.
Jeff
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Henry's Review of the Professional Bull Riders
Dad and I went to see the Professional Bull Riders and it was great. When we got to Frontier Park, we got dinner. I had pizza and it was good. Then we got a cartoon drawn of me and Dad. It doesn't really look like Dad, though. After that, we got an Old Time photo done where Dad and I are outlaws carrying guns.
In the rodeo area, they moved up all the gates from the regular rodeo so we were closer to the action. They let all the cowboys come out and told us their names.
We sang the National Anthem at the beginning. The first bull riders came out, and the first 11 or 12 didn't make it to 8 seconds. These bulls were bigger and meaner than the ones at the day rodeo. A guy named Tyler Thomson was the first guy to ride the bull for 8 seconds.
It was lots of fun. They rolled in big speakers and it was really loud. I took lots of videos. Dad and I were in the sixth row, and during the show, people came out throwing t-shirts into the crowd. We didn't catch one, but later, the lady next to us gave me the t-shirt she caught.
My favorite part of the show was when Tyler made it to 8 seconds on the bull. The whole crowd starting cheering.
There were about 45 bull riders, and only about 11 rode the bull for 8 seconds so they could get a score. They got to ride again in the second round. Only Tyler Thompson was able to ride a bull for 8 seconds in the second round, and he won first place.
At the end of the show, they had fireworks.
In the rodeo area, they moved up all the gates from the regular rodeo so we were closer to the action. They let all the cowboys come out and told us their names.
We sang the National Anthem at the beginning. The first bull riders came out, and the first 11 or 12 didn't make it to 8 seconds. These bulls were bigger and meaner than the ones at the day rodeo. A guy named Tyler Thomson was the first guy to ride the bull for 8 seconds.
It was lots of fun. They rolled in big speakers and it was really loud. I took lots of videos. Dad and I were in the sixth row, and during the show, people came out throwing t-shirts into the crowd. We didn't catch one, but later, the lady next to us gave me the t-shirt she caught.
My favorite part of the show was when Tyler made it to 8 seconds on the bull. The whole crowd starting cheering.
There were about 45 bull riders, and only about 11 rode the bull for 8 seconds so they could get a score. They got to ride again in the second round. Only Tyler Thompson was able to ride a bull for 8 seconds in the second round, and he won first place.
At the end of the show, they had fireworks.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Cheyenne Frontier Days Slideshow
I need to do some editing to crop some of the rodeo pictures, but wanted to get some posted tonight to keep everything in order.
Cheyenne and the Frontier Days Rodeo
We've been in Cheyenne for two nights now. We came here in 2009 on our first big RV road trip. Cheyenne is the state capitol of Wyoming, and just about an hour or so north of Denver. It's a pretty small city - 53,000 people. To be honest, if not for Frontier Days and the "Daddy of 'Em All" rodeo, there's not much to do in Cheyenne.
Since we had time to kill after we checked in at the campground, we drove to downtown Cheyenne and walked around a bit. It was really hot - about 97 degrees. We grabbed a late lunch at a microbrewery that was pretty good.
When we got back to the campground, we did see dark clouds overhead. We're pretty used to that by now. But instead of rain, what first fell was hail. I've seen hail on the East coast before, but nothing like this. First it came down a little, with no rain with it. The balls of ice bounced off the ground, the RV and cars. It came heavier and heavier and the banging sound was intense. Then some rain got mixed in, but it was mostly hail. The balls were the size of quarters - some bigger and some smaller.
It hailed for at least 15 minutes, probably longer. The campground owner was nice about coming around afterward to make sure people were okay and to survey the damage. (We later learned that a man was taken away from the rodeo grounds in a stretcher after being knocked out by the hail.) The hail busted some of our lights, which we'll have to replace.
On our first night in Cheyenne, we stayed at the A B Campground. We got here a day early and the KOA couldn't take us. It turned out to be a good thing. Yes, we were packed in pretty tight like when we came in 2009, but this campground had a great barbecue restaurant in it. Turns out the owners are also known for their barbecue.
After the hailstorm, Ruth and Henry went out to pick some up and clean off the Jeep. The windshield was covered. We met some of our neighbors as we all surveyed our damage. After the social hour was over, I walked over to the restaurant and got some barbecue. I got brisket and pulled pork. Both were very good, as was the sauce. We all made sandwiches for dinner.
The next morning, Jeff and Henry headed off to a RV service place to get an oil change and our broken lights fixed. I took Ruth to a doctor's office to get her stitches removed. We picked a place to meet afterward.
The wait for the oil change was 3-4 hours, so Jeff passed on it. When Ruth was done, we all met up at a Walmart across the street from the medical building, and then we drove over to get a parking spot at Frontier Park. We had pretty good parking kharma, because we got two free spots on the street pretty close to the rodeo grounds.
We got tickets for the rodeo and had a little time beforehand to get something to eat. Jeff got us great tickets, right in the center.
Cheyenne calls their rodeo "The Daddy of 'em All" because it's the largest outdoor rodeo in the U.S. They're very proud of their rodeo. In addition to the rodeo during the day, they have parades, an air show, pancake breakfasts and a carnival midway on the grounds. They have concerts or Professional Bull Riding shows every night. The Charlie Daniels Band was playing the first night we got here. Toby Keith and the Zac Brown Band will be playing here later in the week.
While we watched the rodeo, we also got to see some of the air show practice sessions. Pretty cool.
We all enjoyed the rodeo, but since we had the RV parked on the street with the gas running the refrigerator, we had to leave right after the rodeo ended to go hook the RV up to electricity at the campground. Ruth was not happy about that, since she wanted to go ride some rides. We told her she would get to ride the rides another time.
We had planned to take her to the pool now that her stitches were out, but there were dark clouds again with a little bit of thunder. We decided to dodge the storm and go out to dinner. Didn't make sense to light charcoal if it was going to rain. We found a Mexican restaurant that was pretty good called Guadalajara's.
Today, we slept in and headed to Frontier Park around 10:30 a.m. so the kids could ride the carnival rides. We got fair food - funnel cakes, lemonade, etc. We walked around the indoor vendor area, and Jeff got himself a black cowboy hat. He looks mighty fine in it.
Jeff and Henry got tickets to the Professional Bull Riders show tonight. I knew it would be too loud for me (I wore earplugs at the daytime rodeo), so Ruth and I stayed at the campground and had a Girls Night In. We played Scrabble, cleaned up the RV, made chicken marsala for dinner, did some laundry and watched tv. Jeff and Henry had a great time. They got an Old Time photo dressed up as outlaws, had dinner, loved the bull riders show, and even got a free t-shirt from someone sitting next to them who caught one thrown into the crowd.
Tomorrow morning, we head to South Dakota to continue to make our way back home.
Since we had time to kill after we checked in at the campground, we drove to downtown Cheyenne and walked around a bit. It was really hot - about 97 degrees. We grabbed a late lunch at a microbrewery that was pretty good.
When we got back to the campground, we did see dark clouds overhead. We're pretty used to that by now. But instead of rain, what first fell was hail. I've seen hail on the East coast before, but nothing like this. First it came down a little, with no rain with it. The balls of ice bounced off the ground, the RV and cars. It came heavier and heavier and the banging sound was intense. Then some rain got mixed in, but it was mostly hail. The balls were the size of quarters - some bigger and some smaller.
It hailed for at least 15 minutes, probably longer. The campground owner was nice about coming around afterward to make sure people were okay and to survey the damage. (We later learned that a man was taken away from the rodeo grounds in a stretcher after being knocked out by the hail.) The hail busted some of our lights, which we'll have to replace.
On our first night in Cheyenne, we stayed at the A B Campground. We got here a day early and the KOA couldn't take us. It turned out to be a good thing. Yes, we were packed in pretty tight like when we came in 2009, but this campground had a great barbecue restaurant in it. Turns out the owners are also known for their barbecue.
After the hailstorm, Ruth and Henry went out to pick some up and clean off the Jeep. The windshield was covered. We met some of our neighbors as we all surveyed our damage. After the social hour was over, I walked over to the restaurant and got some barbecue. I got brisket and pulled pork. Both were very good, as was the sauce. We all made sandwiches for dinner.
The next morning, Jeff and Henry headed off to a RV service place to get an oil change and our broken lights fixed. I took Ruth to a doctor's office to get her stitches removed. We picked a place to meet afterward.
The wait for the oil change was 3-4 hours, so Jeff passed on it. When Ruth was done, we all met up at a Walmart across the street from the medical building, and then we drove over to get a parking spot at Frontier Park. We had pretty good parking kharma, because we got two free spots on the street pretty close to the rodeo grounds.
We got tickets for the rodeo and had a little time beforehand to get something to eat. Jeff got us great tickets, right in the center.
Cheyenne calls their rodeo "The Daddy of 'em All" because it's the largest outdoor rodeo in the U.S. They're very proud of their rodeo. In addition to the rodeo during the day, they have parades, an air show, pancake breakfasts and a carnival midway on the grounds. They have concerts or Professional Bull Riding shows every night. The Charlie Daniels Band was playing the first night we got here. Toby Keith and the Zac Brown Band will be playing here later in the week.
While we watched the rodeo, we also got to see some of the air show practice sessions. Pretty cool.
We all enjoyed the rodeo, but since we had the RV parked on the street with the gas running the refrigerator, we had to leave right after the rodeo ended to go hook the RV up to electricity at the campground. Ruth was not happy about that, since she wanted to go ride some rides. We told her she would get to ride the rides another time.
We had planned to take her to the pool now that her stitches were out, but there were dark clouds again with a little bit of thunder. We decided to dodge the storm and go out to dinner. Didn't make sense to light charcoal if it was going to rain. We found a Mexican restaurant that was pretty good called Guadalajara's.
Today, we slept in and headed to Frontier Park around 10:30 a.m. so the kids could ride the carnival rides. We got fair food - funnel cakes, lemonade, etc. We walked around the indoor vendor area, and Jeff got himself a black cowboy hat. He looks mighty fine in it.
Jeff and Henry got tickets to the Professional Bull Riders show tonight. I knew it would be too loud for me (I wore earplugs at the daytime rodeo), so Ruth and I stayed at the campground and had a Girls Night In. We played Scrabble, cleaned up the RV, made chicken marsala for dinner, did some laundry and watched tv. Jeff and Henry had a great time. They got an Old Time photo dressed up as outlaws, had dinner, loved the bull riders show, and even got a free t-shirt from someone sitting next to them who caught one thrown into the crowd.
Tomorrow morning, we head to South Dakota to continue to make our way back home.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)