Installment #13 - Retirement Trip

4-2-06

Continued drive up through Kansas and into Nebraska, saw lots of cabooses on people’s land, hundreds of semi cabs (artic tractor units) just south of Council Bluffs, Iowa on Interstate 29, stopped just inside Omaha to look at Doorly Zoo (largest glass doom covering a man-made desert). After spending the evening with cousin Jary & Dee and his extended family (Jennifer, Sarah & Kate and Allison & Olivia), we started our trek for Alliance, NE (Sharon’s home town). Rainy and windy most of the morning. Headwinds were as high as 52 miles per hour and we couldn’t muster speeds much in excess of 40 mph.

We decided to stop in Broken Bow NE early in the afternoon because of the high winds. Spent the night on a street in Broken Bow with an east/west train track and crossing just two blocks behind us. Trains came through either east or west every 15 minutes all through the night, blowing their horn, to alert the traffic. Next morning we travelled on to Alliance beside the railroad track. Usually trains were 100-125 cars long, mostly coal trains….trains travelling west were empty, trains travelling east were full.

More visiting of relatives in Alliance – Jean & Maxine, Judy & Larry. Calving season for Judy & Larry – went out to ride around the baby calves in Larry’s pickup…one set of twins that we saw….four ATVs have replaced the horses they used to use for herding cattle. Picture of Nebraska sunset.

Day 58 we headed farther north for Uncle Bob & Bernadine’s in Hermosa South Dakota (arrived in time to see about a dozen head of white tail deer cross through their yard). Left the motorhome at Judy & Larry’s ranch. Went to Keystone where cousin Mary & Dallas have three tourist shops (not open yet for the season). On to Otho, the town purchased by Mary & Dallas to see all the renovation they have done for MTN (Meeting the Need) (http://www.meetingtheneed.org/) Corporation they began for disabled population.

Day 59 breakfast entertainment was the turkeys in the back yard that Bob feeds (must have been a dozen turkeys in the back yard). Drove up to Mt. Rushmore (http://www.blackhillsbadlands.com/go.asp?ID=322&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_term=MtRushmore&utm_campaign=Spring06) to take pictures We’ve tried to show in the pictures of Mt. Rushmore how Borglum (the sculptor) scooped out the presidents’ eyes and very effectively created the glint or pupil by originally using large timbers pushed end-on into the mountain. We then drove on over to Crazy Horse monument (http://www.crazyhorsememorial.org/) to see if much progress had been made in the last five years (not much in five years). Mary took us to the Etta mine (picture) and to the Keystone cemetery where Harry Hardin was buried (his picture with his donkey on a tombstone is the prospector used by Landstrom’s Black Hills Gold Jewelry for all their advertising – the prospector died with no money but huge stone was erected by Landstrom’s when he died). Mary & Dallas met us in Hill City later and treated us to dinner – Over a 100 year old hotel made into a restaurant – all they serve is steak, potatotes and salad (only choice is how big the steak will be and how it should be cooked).

Tony and Bob spent the next morning shooting every gun and rifle that Bob had at a target in Bob’s back yard. Dinner with Bob & Bernadine, cousin Roberta & Jerry and daughter Callie. Later over to Roberta’s to come face to face with Callie holding a pet snake in her room (her room was decorated to look like a scene from the Harry Potter books).

Day 61 we headed again for Alliance after waking up to an inch of snow in South Dakota and "blizzard like" conditions reported in Alliance. By the time we got back to motorhome there was a pile of snow in front of the motorhome that had slid off, but roads were fine for the drive. Almost got Tony to a bull sale, but unfortunately it was called off because of the weather.

Next few days we will stay in Alliance and Scottsbluff visiting more relatives and friends and then head to Wyoming (pointed in the homeward direction). Probably won’t be doing much more sight seeing, so emails will be less frequent. We hope everyone has enjoyed our tales of our trip. Thanks again for all the calls and emails we have received along the way.