Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 09

“I have the substance of things hoped for. I have the anticipation of things unseen.”  from the book “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger

Alarm went off at 6:30a.m. and the two old buzzards were on the road again by 7:32, having broken their fast in their room.  Leaving North Platte, Nebraska they got on Hwy 30 for a short bit then spent most of their drive today headed north on Highway 83. Daily trivia: did you know that Highway 83 goes from Mexico to Canada? Did you care? Just remember, it might come in handy when you are on Jeopardy.

We now have a car fly swatter so Linda marked that off her Wall's shopping list. There was a plastic one hanging on top of the wall calendar in the our last motel room and it jumped off the wall and into Wilma faster than you could say “Happy Birthday, Linda!” She figured that was OK since it has the motel's name on it and we will be advertising to flies (flys?) in several states.

As we were approaching the Nebraska border into South Dakota we realized that we hadn't taken any photos in Nebraska other than of our dinner last night. It is the Corn Husker State but the corn we saw was corn that must have been crops that did too poorly to be harvested (lack of rain). There just weren't that many attractions along the road, scenic or otherwise, and we were too tired when we got to North Platte to go exploring around town, although what we saw of it was nice. Linda forgot to mention that when we pulled into our lodging yesterday the first guy she saw walking by had on a red t-shirt with black letters that said FEAR THE CORN. What was that all about?

Valentine, Nebraska (called Heart City) is about 20 miles before the South Dakota state line and just to the left of Valentine the time zone changes from Central to Mountain Time. Wilma got very confused and kept changing the time from 10 something to 11 something and back to 10 something, etc. John's cell phone got even more confused when he put it back on "automatic" and it took about a half-hour to catch up to reality. We stopped for a rest stop and driver change the Valentine McDonalds at 10:30. Linda drove us 80 miles north to Murdo, South Dakota and we got there at 10:40 (according to our mixed up Wilma's clock). Next we headed west on Interstate 90 and soon got back into the Central Time Zone for good (at least until we leave Idaho on the way back home). When you study the jaggedy back and forth vertical lines on the time zones in the atlas, it makes you wonder how they were devised. Some don't seem to make a lot of sense.

Back to our quote for today – about the anticipation of things unseen and things hoped for. We had heard about Wall's Drug before, so we were wondering when we would start seeing the signs. Sure enough, right after we got onto the interstate at Murdo there was a sign saying “Entering Wall Drug Country” and we were then 80 miles away from Wall, South Dakota. They probably start even further back on the interstate than 80 miles. Anyway, Linda jotted down what the signs said and it was sort of like a Burma Shave saga at some points with signs coming so close together. With hardly any repeats, she counted 32 signs in the 80 miles before getting to Wall's Drug. She tried to photo a few of them but it is hard at 80 miles an hour (75 speed limit plus 5 for good measure). Here's some samples, each was on a separate sign and included the words Wall's Drugs: Coffee 5 Cents, Homemade Breakfast Rolls, Doughnuts, Shooting Gallery, Free Ice Water, Cowboy Up, 25 Minutes to Wall's Drug, Badlands then Wall's Drug, Homemade Ice Cream, Don't Miss Out, Quality Black Hills Gold, Take a Break, Wall's Drug or Bust, Chuck Wagon Quartet, Have You Dug Wall Drug?, Cowboy Hats, Dinosaur, Traveler's Chapel, Wood Carvings, Homemade Lunch Specials and our favorite FREE Coffee and Donuts for Honeymooners.

We got to Wall, South Dakota before noon and our room (at America's Best Value Inn – not at Wall's Drug) was not ready so we found the City Park and shared a Subway foot-long turkey/ham sandwich for lunch. Linda saw an ad for Subways NEW Birthday Cookie so just had to have one. We then drove through town to get a look at Wall's Drug and the first thing we saw were parking signs and tour buses. Amazing! And the other side of the street from Wall's Drug is filled with the Chamber of Commerce and a  lot of touristy type businesses that probably would not be there except for the draw of Wall's Drug. Linda and John took a quick peek inside and returned to Wall's Drug later after checking into their room and unloading. Quite an amazing place! Here's some of the story: During the Depression in 1931, Ted Hustead, a young pharmacist, his wife Dorothy and son Billy bought a small drug store in Wall, a town of about 300 people. They moved into the back of the store. After a few years they realized they could not stay in business because people in western South Dakota were having hard times. In desperation, Dorothy suggested they advertise free ice water to attract the traveling public who seemed to by driving past in huge numbers. The idea saved the drug store, Because of the Husteads' tenacity, Wall Drug slowly grew to be the largest drug store in the world. Ted and Dorothy have passed onto that great pharmacy in the sky but Wall Drug is still family owned. And, you can still get free ice water. You can learn more about Wall Drug by clicking here.

There are 64 images in today's photo gallery which you can view by clicking here.

We also did a drive-by shooting of the Wall Drug store with our nifty little GoPro Hero2 camera suctioned onto the windsheild. That video is below.



The old buzzards did not make it around the whole place but they did pause mid-afternoon for some homemade ice cream. John had butter pecan and Linda had raspberry. Both flavors were yummy and really did taste homemade.

Dinner was next door to our motel at South Dakota Roadtrip Cafe and Fat Boy's BBQ (it's really the same place). It was very good. John had pulled pork and beef brisket, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Linda had a smoked buffalo sandwich, Fat Boy beans and a Fat Tire amber ale. The service was slow but old printers always study the menu carefully and can entertain themselves by finding typos. For example, at the Roadtrip Cafe you can order “potrions of coleslaw, waffle fries” etc. and “All smoked sandwiches swerved with your choice of one side."

All in all, it was a most enjoyable day and Buzzard Number One had a quite memorable birthday.  Buzzard Number Two bought her a couple of souvenirs and a birthday card at Wall's Drug. He gave her the sweet card at dinner and said “I was going to get you a funny one but you're getting really old and . . .” He's all heart! And always so concerned about Buzzard Number One's advancing age (she is a whole NINE months and five days older!). Says he's always preferred older women.

Happy trails!

P.S.Another sign you might see in today's photos is for Firehouse Brewery in Rapid City. There were 3 huge signs at different places along the interstate, each with an actual big red firetruck parked in front of the sign – very attention getting.

P.P.S. Fannie Mae is enjoying the buffalo and the while-tailed deer at our motel.

Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 08

"Travel for the young is part of education, for the old, a part of experience." ~Francis Bacon.

After the two old buzzards had their La Quinta Sunnyside Breakfast (same song, second verse) they motated outta Dodge City at 7:27 on Highway 50 right onto Highway 283 going North. They turned left onto 96 at Ness City and found a Pot o' Gold. It is a unique giant slot machine on someone's private property. You can find it in today's photo gallery. The old buzzards hereby grant permission for you to print and frame it for posterity. You can bet that you will never see another one! We also found a convenient Wendy's to our "relief". When necessary, you can always find a room of necessity in Ness City!

Wilma and her GPS did NOT want us to turn left onto 96 out of Ness City. She sternly kept telling us to “Make a U-turn if possible!” By the time we got onto 83 going north she recalculated and helped us find Monument Rocks National Natural Landmark. Seeing it required driving 14 miles round trip on a dirt road. But, it was well worth it. We were driving on a very flat area when we suddenly came upon the towering formations. John's first comment was “Stonehenge!” They are actually chalk pyramids from what was once the floor of a vast inland sea. This site is the first natural landmark chosen by the US Dept. of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark. This landmark is on private land but the owners are generous to share this site with the public. The limestone formations, originally formed 80 million years ago, stretch to 70 feet in height. Sadly, the Pyramid Ranch, upon which the Monument Rocks reside, is on the auction block. Don't know what will happen in the future. See the link in the next paragraph and check it out.

So far, it is very pristine. It would be a terrible shame if it was vandalized. It is just seemingly out in the middle of nowhere and there is no one around for miles and miles except for a few tourists at times. It has also been designated as one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas. Click here for more information about the Monument Rocks.

There are lots of photos of Monument Rocks in today's gallery, and you can get an idea of the rocks and the 7-mile long dirt road  you get to drive to reach them on the following video.



While we were still on 96 we stopped by the side of the road and got to see a monument to George Washington Carver. He had a homestead in the area for several years while he was a very young man. It was a sod house. He left to continue his education and was later in his life that he conducted so much on peanuts and sweet potatoes, among other things.

On Hwy 83 we saw a historical marker about El Cuartelojo Pueblo Ruins. This is the furthest north that there are any records of the Pueblo Indians having made a settlement. They came to Kansas in the 1600s to get away from the poor treatment they were receiving from Spanish soldiers in Taos (now in New Mexico instead of Mexico).

Another spotting on Hwy 83 was a huge bronze statue of Buffalo Bill in the process of shooting a buffalo.

All of this and more in today's photo gallery of 32 images. You can view them by clicking here.

After lunch at a nice city park in Rexford, Kansas, Linda took the wheel and drove until we got to our America's Best Value Inn in North Platte, Nebraska.

Since we are in North Platte, we thought we would have some Mongolian food at Kings Mongolian Buffet. We will let you know later if there was anything memorable about it. LATER: We had our Mongolian Buffet. They had lots of seafood, especially shrimp (boiled, bacon wrapped and grilled, fried). Bubba would have loved the place. Lots of fruits, good hot & sour soup and soft ice cream for dessert.

Happy trails!

Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 07

“Invitations to travel are like dancing lessons from God.”  ~Kurt Vonnegut

The two old buzzards and their Fannie slept in for a while before going downstairs for Sunshine Breakfast at La Quinta. John gave up making a waffle since bacon and scrambled eggs were a part of the fare. Linda brought her Raw Bits Twang Twang and added a Dole fruit cup to them. She looked on the package to see if the fruits were from Kansas. It said California. Then she noticed that California was just where you write for nutrition information. The origin of the fruits (peaches, pears, pineapple) was actually Thailand. Go figure . . .

We were on the road to Meade, Kansas by 10:10 for a short day trip to see the Dalton Gang's hideout and secret escape route. We took Hwy 283 south, then turned right (SW) onto Hwy 54 to get to Meade. We found the hideout with no problem, pulled up and waited for the rain to subside. It was coming down a little harder so we drove into town, got coffee (John) and iced tea (Linda) at the Smoke Boss BBQ & Espresso place (another go figure). Since it was still raining and John rationalized that they could both sit in Wilma's luxurious leather seats, or he could do that and let Linda shop. So, Linda spent about 20 minutes in an antique store called Oldtimers Antiques. She found a bargain treasure for her garden – a metal star for $2.00.

The locals were happy to see the rain but would have liked for it to be coming down harder. We felt their pain but just wanted it to slow down for long enough for us to go see the Dalton Gang's old stomping grounds. We got our wish very soon and had a great visit to the museum and secret tunnel. In one of the rooms there was a photo of the couple who lived in the house after the Daltons. No one (except the Dalton gang) had known about the tunnel until the new residents discovered it.

The attendant at the museum was very friendly, dressed in Westerny clothes and spoke with a cowboy accent, as in “Howdy Folks” etc. Turns out he farms wheat. We left with a badge, a newspaper repro from October 7, 1892. The Dalton gang had been wiped out two days earlier so the Coffeville Journal had lots of news to report about the excitement. Two of the three Dalton brothers were shot and killed as well as two other gang members, the third brother was captured. Four brave Coffeeville citizens lost their lives.

The following is a short video we shot at the Dalton Gang Hideout:



The bank cashier who fetched the money at gunpoint was Bert Ayers (Linda's maiden name is Ayers). The surviving Dalton brother, Emmett, was sentenced to life and got out after 15 years for good behavior. He went to California and was a real estate man at the time of his death in 1937.

The buzzards headed back towards Dodge going north on Highway 23. It was there that they finally got to see some specimen-sized sunflowers instead of the small ones that grow wild along some of the roadways. This field had obviously been planted since the large sunflowers were in straight rows. They were getting so heavy that their heads were beginning to drop.

John also found a group of very old farm buildings and a healthy sorgum crop to photo on that same stretch of road. As we came into Gray County we spotted their Senior Center and a target marketing advertisement on the bench outside. (see photo gallery). We also took a photo of a "NO J TURN" sign. Had to look that one up on Google.

We also got some shots of a couple of feed lots. The cows seemed to be mostly black (with a few brown and white ones) and not as crowded together as some places we have seen in California and Texas. There also was no noticeable "fragrance" in the air.

During our travels today, John came up with a motto: "Kansas, where you need a flyswatter for your car." What a great promotional giveaway for some political candidate. Our car had an abundance of flies in it when we left and it seemed that just when we got rid of them, more appeared – along with mosquitos.

We turned right (east) at Cimarron and were soon "back in Dodge" via Highway 50. John parked and went into the first bank we could find (Bank of America). No, he was not inspired by the Dalton Gang. He bought a roll of quarters so we could do laundry at the motel.

Dinner tonight was at El Charro Restaurant. John had a ground beef chili rellano, a beef enchilada and a guacamole tostado. Linda had a Southwest chicken salad. Both had a Dos Equiis with lime.

Well, there are 48 photos in today's gallery. It's a real mixed bag of subjects. You can visit today's photo gallery by clicking here. There will be a video of our visit to the Dalton Gang Hideaway added to this post fairly soon. We'll let you know when we've added it.

And so another day of travel comes to a happy close.

Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 06

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to gain all while you give, to roam the roads of lands remote: to travel is to live.” ~Hans Christian Anderson

We had breakfast in our room (Post Honey Bunches of Oats and RBTT) and were on the road by 8:04 back to Highway 50 after a short stint on I-25.

At Rocky Ford, Colorado they were celebrating National Back to School Day and a sign wished good luck to The Rocky Ford Meloneers (ever heard of a melon as a high school mascot?). We have noticed lots of signs showing many kinds of melons for sale during the last few days.

After getting coffee at Dog House Espresso in La Junta we decided to find Bent's Old Fort. Note to Mileage Madness gamers – add 14 miles for the extra miles spent on Colorado 194 roundtrip to Old Fort.

Bent's Old Fort was one of the most significant centers of the fur trade on the Santa Fe Trail, influencing economies around the world. It was opened in 1833 and became one of the pillars of the Western fur industry in the 1830s and 1840s. The fort was located on the Arkansas River, the international boundary between Mexico on the south and the United States on the north. The post played a major role in U.S. Expansion into the Southwest leading to the establishment of the present-day United States boundaries.

On one of the display boards was the following poem:

Buffalo fresh, buffalo dried,

Roasted, boiled, stewed or fried,

Buffalo serves in every stead

For poultry and pastry,

for meat and for bread.

(Doesn't this remind you of Bubba's ode to shrimp in Forest Gump?)

The old buzzards were very impressed by the detail with which the fort gives visitors a view of what life was like for residents of the fort. There is everything from chickens to a functioning blacksmith's shop. There is a complete kitchen of the era with ingredients that would been used in their meals. There are living quarters, a dining room, stored provisions, furs spread out to dry, a trade room, a carpenter's shop, a well room and many other features. Each is very complete with furniture as well as small items. And the really fantastic feature is that you can walk through the rooms. The entrances aren't roped off as they are in many historic sites.

 

They have farm animals like the fort residents had....sheep, chickens, horses, mules, steers, cows, peacocks and pea hens. The docent brought in about a dozen eggs she had just collected from the hens. Two pea fowl graced the courtyard of the fort. Back in the day, if you owned a pea fowl, you were considered to dwell in the "upper" class.

There were living quarters and a billiards room (men only allowed) where it is reported that strip billiards was played for male entertainment and some of the losers would inevitably end up nearly naked. There were also games of cards, backgammon, chess and checkers.

The docents and rangers were all very friendly and helpful, making our visit even more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. Fannie was welcomed in all areas so all three of us got some well-needed exercise as the fort was a little of a hike from the parking lot. John figures about a mile, round trip, plus what we walked in the Fort.

And on our way back onto Highway 50 we stopped on Colorado 194 for photos at a few oddities we had noticed on our seven miles of backtracking. In today's photo gallery you will see a John Deer mailbox, some old buildings and a modern looking home with sod covering as a big part of its structure. It looked like it would be very well insulated. It was so tempting to go knock on their door and ask for a tour. Maybe next time . . .

We stopped in Lamar, Colorado for lunch at 12:25. Using Wilma's GPS, John found nice shady Willow Creek Park. It was just a few blocks off the main drag. Linda had a boiled egg, whole wheat Pringles and Tarvin tomatoes. John had a La Quinta banana and a rice cake smeared with a little peanut butter.

Linda took over as driver at 12:50 as we departed Lamar. Some quirky business names viewed as we made our way back to Highway 50 were Thoughts in Bloom (a florist) and Check Inn (a motel)

We try to photo the welcome signs at the state lines but they are sometimes hard to see in time but we did get welcomed into Kansas at 1:30 by a sign. However, it was fully 50 minutes later before we saw a trace of a sunflower. Actually, so far we have seen more sunflowers in Colorado than in Kansas. We did not pass the line for a time change until about 20 miles into Kansas. That is because the four counties in northwest Kansas are on Mountain Time and the rest are on Central Time. That must get confusing at “times” for people doing business in both zones.

At Cimarron, Kansas, the Lazy Blue Jays were being congratulated on a sign for being State 3A Champs. Maybe the team isn't as lazy as the name of their mascot. Moments That Matter is the name of a photography studio seen as we went through Cimarron.

No state seems to have a franchise on road work. There are lots of jobs provided all along our route so far. When we were on the last leg of our trip we came to a full stop near the main drag of a tiny town. We had to wait for the flagmen to let us go on the one lane that was in use. We watched a cute little old man toddle from the corner grocery with his just-purchased cold drink. He came across the street to the Post Office and stood there watching the stopped traffic. A postal employee noticed him and thoughtfully brought out a chair for him so he could relax and enjoy the view. We then noticed that lots of other folks (mostly older) were viewing the stopped traffic from the corner store. We decided that they must be pretty hard up for entertainment. Either that or they are very easily entertained. Glad to help.

We had intended to stop near Garden City at a bison preserve but learned that reservations for a tour are necessary. Apparently the buffalo have to get all spruced up for guests. How would you like to give a mani-pedi to a 2000 pound buffalo?

The crops in Kansas seem a lot healthier in general than many we saw in Colorado. Lots of corn and grains looked to be sadly lacking for moisture and may not even be worth harvesting. John noticed several corn fields with signs at the end of rows of corn indicated $0.40 less per gallon than unleaded regular.

We got into Dodge City at 5:15 and went to check in to America's Best Value Inn. They had sent us a welcoming email a couple of days ago about our reservation and how they were looking forward to having us stay with them. However, apparently they have recently changed their pet friendly policy so that if you have a pet you must stay in a room that is a smoking room. That didn't sound appealing so we went down the road a bit and found a very nice La Quinta where our room is on the second floor. Fannie hates elevators with a capital H so it is good that we are not on their fourth floor. The good news is that she does love stairs and we can all use the exercise.

The La Quinta staff recommended a place called The Bad Habit as a good place for John to find some Kansas beef. It was quite nice and John thoroughly enjoyed his filet mignon, salad, cottage cheese and Texas toast (just half a piece). Linda had an excellent Southwest chicken salad with a glass of moose drool from Missoula, Montana. She was surprised by what had been described as corn chips on the menu. They were Fritos which John pointed out ARE corn chips. And, they were good in the salad.

Okay, then, our 50 photos from Bent's Fort and along the farm road are posted in today's photo gallery. You can view them by clicking here.

Good night all! Happy Trails!

Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 05

“Our surroundings were of the wildest possible description. The roar of the water was constantly in our ears, and the walls of the canyon, towering half mile in height above us, were seemingly vertical. Occasionally a rock would fall from one side or the other, with a roar and crash, exploding like a ton of dynamite when it struck bottom, making us think our last day had come.” ~Abraham Lincoln Fellows, 1901

The Old Buzzards got up before the alarm went off and had a quick  La Quinta Sunrise/Sunshine Breakfast. Linda had coffee, OJ and RBTT with a little added strawberry yogurt. John had a bagel, strawberry yogurt, OJ, half a banana and coffee. There was too long of a line for a make-it-yourself waffles, so he made do with other items.

After the luggage cart was loaded with all the Buzzard's paraphernalia Linda was waiting with it while John went to fetch Wilma. A barefooted guy came by and after looking over all the gear and Linda's camping like attire said, very enthusiastically “Did you have a great ride on the river?”  He was so sure of himself that Linda just answered “Sure!”

We took Highway 32 onto 50 out of Grand Junction and soon came upon Delta, Colorado. We had gone through Delta, Utah yesterday so it was a little confusing for a minute when it looked like we had made a wrong turn. On the outskirts was the Devil's Thumb Golf Course. In town we noticed a Delta Pawn. There were fireman out on the main drag doing some kind of fill-the-boot fundraiser. They helped us find Doghouse Espresso which was a funky place with great coffee. There are some photos of the firemen and Doghouse Espresso in the day's photo gallery.

John had mentioned that it would be nice to find some fresh peaches and just outside Delta Linda spotted a pickup on the side of the road with a sign saying “Peaches, Picked Fresh this Morning” but she didn't see it in time to stop and it was on the wrong side of the road. Soon we came to a fruit and vegetable stand on the right side of the road and John saw it in time to stop and get some peaches.

Montrose was next with a Rose Bowl and a Taco John's. There were lots of businesses named after the Black Canyon that we were fast approaching. We wondered if there might be a Black Canyon Dentistry and a Black Canyon Septic Tanks, among others.

We decided to take time to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison (the Gunnison is a river) National Park which meant leaving highway 50 to go seven miles in and seven miles back out (you Mileage Madness players should take note of those 14 miles). The quote at the start of today's post is from one of the early explorers of Black Canyon. The rocks aren't really black but it is so deep, so sheer and so narrow that very little sunlight can penetrate it. In 1901 Abraham Lincoln Fellows (quoted above) and William Torrence floated the canyon's river on a rubber mattress – 33 miles in nine days – and said an irrigation tunnel was feasible. The 5.8-mile Gunnison Diversion Tunnel, begun in 1905 and dedicated in 1909, still delivers river water for irrigation.

It took fans of Black Canyon from 1930 to 1999 before they were able to persuade Congress to declare Black Canyon of the Gunnison as a National Park. In just 48 miles in Black Canyon the Gunnison River loses more elevation than the 1,500 mile Mississippi River does from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The river drops an average of 96 feet per mile in the park. It drops 480 feet in one two-mile stretch. All that fast moving water and debris are why the canyon walls are so steep.

We entered at the south rim, went to the visitor center to get our National Park Passport stamped and a park pin for Linda's collection. Then we stopped along the park's paved road at several of the vista points to peer down into the canyon and take photos. At the crossed fissures vista Linda took a nice 394 yard path to the viewing area. But when she got on the path to return it was suddenly very much of an uphill climb and she got back into the car gasping for air. Of course, the elevation could have been having some affect on her as well since we were at places up to eight thousand feet while in the park. John even took some 300 yard paths to viewing points and did just fine. Even up and down hill. His 100# loss is making a big difference in his walking endurance.

Here is a short video with shots of the Gunnison from the canyon rim, and John's walk out to one of the view points.



We emerged from the park back onto Highway 50 at 12:45. So our little jaunt cost us a little over two hours. We felt that it was well worth delaying our arrival to Pueblo. Soon were were at Blue Mesa Reservoir and we then started noticing fly fishermen in the river down stream from it.

By 1:45 amid sprinkles of rain we found a roadside picnic table with a nice cover so we stopped for a late lunch of a peach, a stolen La Quinta banana and a peanut butter rice cake. We were both looking forward to Mexican food dinner at Jorges tonight in Pueblo, recommended by former Puebloite (Puebloan?) Gale Hammond (not of Morgan Hill). So we didn't want to have a heavy late lunch. Linda thought the hand sanitizer dispenser instructions at the site were funny since the instructions said to start with clean hands.

Back on Highway 50 the rain had stopped. We had green plains, cows, sheep and gentle hills. The hay was mostly in large rolls. We only sighted one place that had bales of hay in the fields. By Monarch Pass there were lots of Rocky Mountains, some with snow still dusting their tops. There were also lots of winding roads. And there were many mountains that we couldn't see because they were completely covered with trees. In a few places there were yellow patches in some of the deciduous trees. The fall colors will be beautiful within a few weeks. The mostly all green is very nice for now though, The Continental Divide is at Monarch Pass – 13,720 feet.

After being on a two-lane road for several hours (with occasional passing lanes) and being behind trucks which were hard to pass safely the traffic came to a dead stop at 4:15. We figured that some rocks had fallen into one of the lanes but it was a traffic accident and after about 15 minutes we started to move slowly past the unfortunate vacationers. Fortunately, it appeared no one had been injured, but their Audi had a bad Labor Day.

Some nice photos of the Black Canyon on the Gunnison in today's photo gallery, along with an eclectic espresso place. You can view today's gallery by clicking here. Also, for more information on the Black Canyon on the Gunnison National Park, click here.

We finally reached our sumptuous lodging at Motel 6 at a little after 5:00. We called to make sure that Jorge's was open since it was Labor Day. Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, no answer. Oh, well, maybe next time. So we chose to eat at a Black-Eyed Pea since we had never tried one anywhere and it was excellent. It was Chicken Fried Monday so John had salad, chicken-fried steak, green beans and baked potato. Linda had grilled Cajun catfish, sweet potato fries, squash casserole AND substituted BLACK-EYED PEAS for rice. John actually finished the day 134 calories under budget.

Stopped to gas up at a Loaf 'n Jug (owned by Kroger Foods) for $3.459. Then back to our Fannie at Motel 6 and to bed after blogging.
Happy trails!

Yellowstone Road Trip - Day 04

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming  'Wow! What a Ride!'”  ~ Hunter S. Thompson

John's phone alarm went off at 6:30 but he didn't hear it and Linda was enjoying snoozing so she waited until Fannie Mae set off her alarm before getting up. John rolled out of bed at 6:52, surprised that he had missed the alarm. We all got moving pretty fast and were headed out of Baker, Nevada by 7:25 having breakfasted in "efficiency #2" on RBTT for Linda and Honey Bunches of Oats for John.

We returned the key to Rayven (yes, that's her name) at Silver Jack's, got some ice for the cooler and headed out on the Baker Shortcut to Hinckley, Utah. If you are ever going to visit Great Basin National Park we recommend that you stay at the Silver Jack Inn. It is near the park, the managers are great and their Lectrolux Cafe is excellent. There is zero, nada, none, forget-about-it, cell service here. But, the wifi on the front porch of the Silver Jack Restaurant is quite good and it's very peaceful and quiet. Just make sure your laptop is fully charged as there is no AC outlet on the porch. About 20 miles down the road we finally saw another vehicle – not a busy Labor Day weekend in this part of Nevada.  At 9:13 we finally came upon a vehicle to pass in our lane – a giant RV, at first Linda thought it was a tour bus.

The Old Buzzards spent about 20 minutes in Delta, Utah for a quick rest stop at McD's. John got a senior coffee (what a deal – 50 cents, but it's not on the menu, you have to know to ask for it) and Linda got iced tea with a little lemonade mixed in. The mistake she made was that she used some McD's hand soap in the restroom when washing her hands and had a hard time getting rid of the lingering aroma. Once back in the car she used some hand sanitizer. Even that didn't get rid of it. Luckily she had some Herbs de Province lotion (Rosemary, Thyme, Sage – no Parsley) and that did the trick. Thanks Sheila!

An interesting old building in downtown Delta had a lacy sign that said The Gathering Place. Linda has a friend who is the pastor of a church by that name in Dallas, Texas. They both seem like very welcoming places. The photo didn't make the cut for the gallery, Linda will send it on to her friend, Joy.

Upon leaving Delta there was lots of green vegetation in the fields and many sunflowers along the roadways. AND, some more traffic action: we passed 2 pickups.

Salina City was a cute little town. They have the All Washed Up coin laundry, a Hot Spot eatery and Mom's Cafe.

You know those guard rails along the curves on highways? They actually do work. On I-70 we came upon a place where a truck driver had just taken out about 10 of them, which probably prevented him from going over the ledge.

We stopped for a quick tailgate lunch at a rest stop on I-70 near the Fishlake National Forest. John had peanut butter on rice cake and a boiled egg. Linda had some Tarvin tomatoes and the rest of her turkey panini from Genoa, Nevada. We warmed the panini by setting it on the engine manifold!

After we were into Utah for a while we noticed a definite difference in the landscape. It seemed like all at once there were columns and shapes very similar to those we remembered from our previous trip through the lower part of Utah where there are so many beautiful national parks (Bryce, Zion, Arches etc.). We think you will notice a big difference too when you see today's photo gallery. Another difference we noticed was in the fines for littering ($2000 in Nevada, $100 in Utah). AND in Utah there are no tacky casinos. Or untacky ones for that matter.

After Linda took a turn at driving, we arrived at our La Quinta in Grand Junction, Colorado around 4:30. Today was what will likely be our second longest day of mileage on this trip but we are getting to be old hands at unpacking and setting up our blog equipment for the evening.

We picked a nearby restaurant that we had noticed on the way to our lodging. It turned out to be very good. Linda had broiled tilapia which included broccoli, fruit bowl, whole wheat toast and a salad. John had the Cobb salad. John had done so well on calorie intake for today (cereal and rice cake with a dab of peanut butter), that he toyed with the idea of getting a slice of Caramel Pecan Silk pie, or their special limited edition Salty Hog pie....yes, it incldes bacon, caramel, chocolate silk and a special filling. He asked for calorie information, but they couldn't provide it, so he skipped the pie and settled for a 2.07 oz Snickers (280 calories). Still finished way under budget.

Today's photo gallery has but 22 photos...but, they shout "Utah"! You can view the gallery by clicking here.

Here's a short video driving across Utah. Some decent scenery and music. Oh, and this was the first time we used the Hero2 camera out in the rain.



Happy trails!