Home

Definition Home: home

noun

1. a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household.
2. the place in which one's domestic affections are centered.
3. an institution for the homeless, sick, etc.: a nursing home.
4. the dwelling place or retreat of an animal.
5.  the place or region where something is native or most common.

That’s where we are!

We will be back to blog when we are on the road again!

The Mighty Mississippi

What a Difference a Year Makes

Last year (2011) we had a trip planned that would take us from Nashville to Memphis and down into Louisiana, following the flow of the Mississippi.  At that time, we abandoned that trip because there was so much flooding along the Mississippi.  The river was overflowing its banks everywhere.  We did get to New Orleans on that trip and Lafayette, LA.  Both were being threatened by the waters of the river. We left the area before there was any problem.  And when we returned the waters had receded.

And through the drought of 2012, the waters of the Mississippi continued to recede.  As I sit here in Arkansas and look at the TN border across the river, it seems so much closer – there is land where there was once water.  And we have not yet seen any barge traffic.  By this time, in the past, we would have seen at least a few barges moving in each direction.  But, for now the river is quiet – and smaller than I have ever seen it. 

The effects of this drought will be felt in so many ways, for such a long time.  It migh actually be worse than the floods of 2011.

Update:  There has been a bit more traffic than my first impressions led me to conclude.  However, the barge rafts seem to be much smaller, having seen only two that had between 15 and 18 barges.  Most are much smaller.  The push boats seem to be traveling very, very slowly - slower than I remember.  And all the barges seem to be riding higher in the water, implying a light load.  So, there is barge traffic on the Mississippi, but, it seems to be a bit slower and lighter than I remember it.

Feels like Home

But, not exactly

Last week we crossed back into the Central Time Zone.  Now, that feels like home to me.  This is my “home” time zone.  It feels comfortable. I understand it and I like its TV schedule!  This is being said by someone who lived 62 of their years in the Eastern Time Zone.  I can count on one hand (I think) all the times that I have ventured into the Central Time Zone prior to moving there!  And yes, I have been into the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones before.  But, that, too, can be counted on the other hand.

But, I digress. Reaching the Central Time Zone was making me feel closer to home.  And today, I feel even closer.  I can see TN and breathe its air.  Well, not exactly. I am in Arkansas, on the banks of the Mississippi River.  Tennessee is a stone-throw away, just across the river. This implies that I can throw a stone that far.  Bet I can’t!  But, you get the idea.  And I am sure that I am breathing Arkansas air.  But, there must be some TN air mixed in.  All this makes me feel closer to home.  But, I am not quite there.  That will happen soon.  And it is bittersweet.  This has been a great vacation.  It was about 50 or more days long.  We covered many states, experiences and terrain.  We had a wonderful time.  And even though I have been “home” for the last 50 or so days, a home with an ever-changing backyard, it will be good to be back at our sticks and bricks home – at least until the next opportunity to change our backyard arises!

Yes, Dorothy, We are in Kansas

But, where is Auntie Em

This morning in Wyoming, I clicked my heels and hoped to be in Kansas.  It didn't work.  Maybe, it was the lack of red shoes.  So, we drove for 8 hours (or so) and finally got to Goodland, Kansas.  This is our first visit to Kansas.  We should have a "map party" to add the state to our national map.  We will probably do that down the road a piece!  Instead, we had stuffed green peppers, with buffalo meat, black bean, and tomatoes. And vanilla ice cream with hazelnut chocolate sauce, with almonds.  Sound good? It certainly was.  We are about an inch from the Central Time Zone - on the "tourist map" from the Welcome Center.  So, after a wonderful meal, we have to lose an hour as we travel back home! We have already set the clocks back, so that it won't feel so bad in the morning. 

At about 7AM - in some time zone - it will be Willie Nelson time again. We will be on the road - yet again.

See you in Oklahoma City!

Casper Wyoming

On our way back east, I decided that we could go through Casper, Wyoming.  “Why?” you ask.  My answer is “Because”.  Not sure why I selected it.  One reason is that it is not in Montana.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love Montana.  It is a beautiful state and has spectacular scenery (even though it does not have any moose!), friendly people.  It is a great place to vacation. And it is large, very, very large.  And we have been in it for over 2 weeks.  It took a second day of driving just to get to the Wyoming border.  So, I was happy to be able to call Wyoming home for 2 days.  We had driven through portions of the state earlier on the vacation, but this is the first time that our backyard was in Wyoming.

Casper seems like a nice city.  As with many of the places that we have seen on this vacation, I would not want to live there.  All the pictures of the activities in the snow, the very, very deep and cold snow, are not to my liking.  And I love where I live.  But, it seems nice for a visit.
But as a tourist I thought it was difficult to get around.  The “tourist map” that the hand out at the welcome centers is just not sufficient.  Ever notice that they don’t have all the streets and roads listed?  This makes it more difficult to navigate.  And our GPS could not get us to any place successfully.  So, between, the map, the GPS and some driving, we finally figured out how to get around!

Casper has some numbered streets, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd.  Some lettered streets, A, B, E.  Some presidential streets, Lincoln, Grant, Jefferson. Some tree streets, like Poplar, Ash and Beech. And even some state Streets like Wyoming and Pennsylvania.  This all made the navigating a bit more fun.

We were able to take a bike ride.  Seven and one quarter miles and at an elevation of 5200 feet.  It was good to get out of the RV and out of the car and do something.  There is a bike path thatmeanders along the Platte River.  So, we biked a portion of it and walked a portion of it.  It was a lovely area.  There is even a section of the river that has man-made white water rapids for kayakers and rafters.  This too seemed lovely.  If I were ever to run some rapids, this just might be them.  But, I don’t think that will happen any time soon.

 We leave Casper in the morning and move onto Kansas for one night.  "Why Kansas?" you might ask.  Because it lies between Casper and where we are headed.  No other reason!

What I Have Learned

On each vacation, I like to recap the experiences and create a What I Have Learned List.  As we have started our trek home, I thought this would be a good time to do it.  This is at least the first installment, as our trek is long and we still have vacation ahead of us!

Wherever you travel, there is beauty, scenic vistas, grand mountains, picturesque streams and waterways and magnificent animals.

• There are friendly people everywhere, people who will share their time, talents, information or local lore.
• In spite of on-line information and volumes of reviews, some RV parks are just better than others.
• What constitutes a “good” RV park is relative and personal.  For some it is location and convenience, for others it is shady trees and wildlife and for yet others it is concrete pads and patios, fast Wi-Fi and good satellite reception.  Your mileage may vary.
• Montana Lambert cherries are the best I have ever had.
• It is fun to travel with friends and neighbors.
• No matter how much time you spend in a National Park there is always more to see.  And you leave with a strong yearning to return as soon as you can.
• Gas prices are volatile.  It takes just a bit of confusing news to jack the price up.  Also, the price is very dependent on the location of the next gas station.  (This last item learned in Lodgepole, MT a “town” with 2 buildings and a 50-gallon gas tank.  To partake of the tanks contents would cost you $5.75 – and this was before the refinery slow-down news!)
• Moose do not exist.  If I was a researcher and I travelled the paths that I have just travelled, I would say that none exist, as I saw none on the entire trip.
• If the above item is not true, then moose are invisible.
• And if this is not true, then moose are the most lethargic animals in late July and August.  And they can hide extremely well.
• Whenever and wherever there is road constructions, there are idiot drivers.
• It always takes longer to do things than you expect.  But, often it is more fun, as well.
• Noxious weeds are often quite pretty to look at and fun to photograph.  In particular, spotted knapweed’s lovely blue flowers are among my favorite.  The National Park Service is trying to eradicate it as it is causing much trouble in the environment where is does not occur naturally (but has been imported by visitors).
• Until this week, I did not know what a glacier really was.  While at Glacier I found out that it must be at least 25 acres in size, at least 100 feet deep and it must move.  Most glacial movement is slow and difficult to measure.
• Grizzly bears love to frolic in the water, particularly on a hot day in a cool stream.
• Until yesterday, I had never seen a grizzly.
• Geysers and mud pots have a noticeable odor.  Perhaps, it is better called a stench.
• Mt. Rushmore can be seen from almost any angle for miles around.
• The Badlands are not bad and the Black Hills are not black.
• Black Hills Gold is not necessarily gold. And when it is, the gold does not come from the Black Hills.  There is no gold in the Black Hills.  Black Hills gold refers to the design of the jewelry, not its composition.
• There are many mountains.  There are all large, striking and intriguing.  But, some are more majestic than others.
• It is always fun to do “a first”.  Like a first trip to Yellowstone, or a first rodeo.

These are the lessons so far.  There may be another installment, or there may not.

Which was Better?

On this vacation, we have experienced 3 national parks - Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Glacier. And I know that I will be asked, “Which was the best?”  Maybe the question will be phrased differently.  But, the object will be the same.  The questioner wants me to rank the parks and tell them which is “the best”, the one that is better than the others.  But, I can’t do that.  They were all spectacular and they were the best for very different reasons. Yellowstone was the champion of many different climates/environments.  There were geysers and meadows, lakesides and mountains.  There was a myriad of colors and smells and fascinating steam. It was just glorious.  Grand Tetons is a visual spectacle.  The mountains are gorgeous.  They are prominent and rugged and can be seen for all points on the road.  Glacier is where the plains meet the mountains.  It is where the glaciers did a lot of work to create a phenomenal valley with mountains and rocks and lakes scattered throughout the park. Wildflowers are in bloom everywhere you look.  Waterfalls are created anywhere water can seep from existing glaciers. Some areas are lush and green, while others are dry and rugged. 

But, is one better than the other?  Absolutely not!  They are all the “best”.  You just have to see each of them to understand!  And we would love to get back to each of them and be able to see more and more, especially in areas that are more remote and not on the "main road".

Do Angels Play Pick-up Stick?

That is a question that has been plaguing me for over a week now.  As we drove through Yellowstone and then Grand Tetons, everywhere you looked there seemed to be giant, abandoned pick-up sticks games in the forest.  Now that the National Park Service has decided to let nature control as much of the park environment as possible, they leave all trees where they fall.  The only ones that are removed/moved are those that adversely affect, roads, trails, buildings and other human facilities.  The result has the appearance of giant pick-up sticks left wherever they fell. 

Now that we have been to Glacier, the same pick-up sticks are there, too.  Maybe Angels do play pick-up-sticks.  After all, they bowl whenever it thunders.