Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Saturday, June 26
8:00 in the morning we took off to Devil's Tower with Bob and Elaine Vasser. The day was overcast and windy, threatening rain, but we were optimistic.
When we arrived the weather began clearing and the cloud covering lifted over the "tower" by the time we got close to it.
After a short visit to the Visitors' Center we decided to walk the trail circling the tower. I think I took pictures from every single angle!
It is a pretty awesome sight and I don't have the brochures describing the geological formations that caused it in the first place. There were hikers in various positions of assent. Are they crazy?
One story told of a man who decided to parachute down to the top of it and got stuck there for about 6 days. He had to be rescued. Hopefully, at his expense!
In the afternoon we attended the Donkey Creek Festival at the technical college. We enjoyed the jazz bands and especially the statues on display. I believe that if they're purchased they will enjoy a permanent place in the community.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday in Gillette
Every morning I wake up to the sound of the Western Meadowlark. It reminds me so much of my childhood. So does the sky.
Life at an Airstream rally is a bit like being at camp. We're with our best friends and they all live next door or across the street or around the block. We can pop in and see them whenever we like, have dinner out on the (grass) patio, go somewhere for dinner, catch up on happenings of the past year, etc.
We have probably hugged a hundred people already and not everyone is even here yet. The Nor Cal rally is due to arrive tomorrow at 1:00 and we're looking forward to seeing all of them and hearing about their caravan here.
Today we have lunch with the Rotary Club, as our host is president of the club this year.
Yesterday we toured the technical college and were again amazed by its newness and up-to-date technology. In the afternoon we boarded the bus for our tour of the coal mine just west of town. It's an open pit mine and I won't go into the statistics because I can't remember them, but there's a whole lot of coal there. They put back the upper ground layers better than they were before and eventually there will be a hole where the coal occupied space.
They work 12 hour shifts, round the clock and do have to stop for thunder storms from time to time. Entry level job is driving the trucks! The huge shovels scoop out the coal and dump it onto the trucks. The trucks take it to the dumping area. It is loaded onto the train cars by way of conveyor belts. Each car has tons and tons of coal. There are something like 120 cars on each train - and there are many trains. Like I said before, "Coal is King". Wyoming - and Gillette- are very wealthy as a result.
Pictures later. We must now go register for the rally. I guess that's why we're here!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Stormy Weather
It's Tuesday already?!?! Where has the time gone?
Sunday, Fathers' Day, was quite busy. After the church service we headed for the Prime Rib restaurant for brunch with the electrical-water crew. They don't have a lot to do for this rally, but keeping in touch socially is very important. The food was excellent, especially the Russian Creme for dessert. One of the desserts...
After that it was laundry time. Not a great time to go; apparently all the coal miners, etc. save Sunday for their washing needs also.
Monday was our tour of the new firehouse. VERY impressive, as is everything around here.
They sure do have nice facilities to work in around here. In the afternoon we went to the recreation center again. More and more of our friends are arriving. Carlos and Rosemary, the White twins (and wives) and the caravan leaders.
Our "Happy Hour" with the Leaches and Blanchards turned into dinner. Chips and dips and spinach triangles do not make the most nutritious of meals, but we couldn't stop talking long enough to go get some real food. We will all be together on the Yellowhead Caravan, so this is just the beginning.
Tuesday was hectic and went by quickly. Another trip to Ben Franklin where the sale is now 50% off, a visit with our Host to Host coordinator, Chris, trip to Wal Mart, Happy Hour with Viking Trail caravaners and others. And, now a very impressive lightning storm with lots of rain. We get warnings, but it still seems to materialize out of nowhere! Almost every night, too.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Off to the Races
Sometime this morning we learned that the Poasts, Littlejohns and Helms were heading to Wright for some festivities. Would we like to go? Sure, so we picked up Charlie and Carol and off we went, figuring we'd find Sandy, Gene, Blair and Sally when we got there. It's not a big place.
Finding the celebration was not easy, however, so we decided we needed some nourishment before we kept looking. The restaurant was full of gift items and had great food to boot. Larry and I split a Monte Cristo sandwich and then a piece of Almond Joy pie. YUM! Others had similarly delicious meals.
Then it was off to the races. We hadn't gone far enough, but the large gathering of cars and trucks let us know we were in the right place. None of us had ever seen mud truck races before. We made the acquaintance of a nice man whose truck was backed in, giving him a great view.
He invited us to share his tailgate, so we obliged. He also described what was going on, which helped. Basically, two trucks race against each other in the mud down a short course. They do many elimination rounds until they come up with 3 winners - because that's the number of trophies they have.
He also gave us information about the area. People are very happy in Gillette because they make a good living and have no reasons not to be happy. Sounds logical to me! Low or no sales taxes as well.
We are now enjoying dueling radios with some Texans who are playing their country music very loudly. Ours is a Newfoundland CD to counterattack.
Airstream Rally in Gillette, WY
We have been here since Monday and are settling in nicely. We love the community and the people are very friendly. Quite a few of our friends are already in and the rest will be in next week.
The Campbell County Recreational Center is our favorite place. It's a cross between Disneyland and a gym. I wish I could take it home with us, but it wouldn't be the same. We have too many people at home who would love it as much as we do and it would be way too crowded.
The DQ here has great Blizzards and we have consumed three of them between us so far. More in the future, I'm sure.
The shopping here is quite good for such a small town (under 20,000). The quilt shop is large and well-stocked, I found the needlework section of a lovely gift shop - way in the back. But, they have my favorite designs and threads!
The Ben Franklin store is going out of business and I probably shouldn't have told so many people, because I'm going back and hope there will be something left to buy.
The wide open spaces here are very calming. We've had one super storm with heavy wind. That was the day our truck was being repaired, so we just hunkered down in the trailer and I finished reading my very long book.
I love waking up to the sound of the Western Meadowlark - my favorite bird - and the state bird of Montana. We're not too far from Montana, so I can get my "fix".
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Gillette, WY, Airstream Rally - 2010
We arrived in Gillette yesterday afternoon. Our first stop after leaving home was the Hi-Desert RV Park in Winnemucca. It's much improved since our first stay there several years ago when it had just been purchased by new owners.
Day 2 took us to Meridian to see Mom and my sister, Sue. And, of course, the dachshund, Tammy. Tammy is always distraught when we leave, poor thing.
Sunday it was off for Wyoming. We stayed in Lyman. Note: don't stay in Lyman again. It was a KOA and we didn't get the promised WiFi OR TV. That just doesn't cut it for us; we've been spoiled!
Yesterday was the long way to Gillette. The scenery is beautiful, due in part to the large amounts of rain they've had. Who hasn't??? The rivers and creeks are almost overflowing. We hear more is expected.
Last night we got a new antenna, shopped for groceries and visited a few friends. Darrell and Sharon have a granddaughter with them this year. Madelyn is sure to have a great time and is quickly learning how to "live in aluminum". Dottie and Fred told us to be sure and do the coal mine tour.
The meadowlarks are singing, the "Montana" sky seems to have extended beyond the state's border, it's windy and a big storm is predicted in the next few days. We're going to have a great time!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
On to the Next Adventure
Spring is almost over - before it ever really began. Since my last posting we have been very busy with our travels.
The caravan ended January 31 and we headed back home for a short time. We went down to Monterey with Ken and Vicki for a few days and then spent the rest of our week in Solvang. Both were at World Mark resorts and we had a great time. My birthday this year was in Solvang and we had a great dinner at an Italian restaurant.
After a short time at home, it was time to go to Las Vegas. I had a phone solicitation I couldn't pass up. Maybe I should have, but that's water under the bridge. We spent one night in Bakersfield going down and another coming back home. Las Vegas was warm, anyway. Our lodgings were right on the Strip (Jockey Club) and we went to Hoover Dam and the Red Rocks as well as several wonderful quilt shops. I really do like Las Vegas, although we found that food costs have gone up considerably. One night we split an Italian dinner of lasagna. For $15 all we got was bread and a small piece of lasagna, about 2 1/2 inches square. Yes, it was a VERY good piece of lasagna, but still. Think how much money they made for the entire pan! Ridiculous!
After Las Vegas we got ready for our journey back down to Palm Desert to visit with George and Juliaanne (the Madison, WI, cousins) at their Marriott Resort timeshare. Gorgeous place.
We always have a good time with them and this was no exception. We golfed, took a trip up to Idyllwild, ate, and played Joker.
We just had enough time to get home, do laundry and pack for Maui. Bob and Elaine Vasser met us there and we all had a fabulous time. Sunrise at Haleakala, Luau at the Hyatt, tour of the Sugar Museum, Road to Hana tour, lots of driving, zipline adventure for Larry and Bob, and delicious food. We must return!
May was our Model A Club Roundup down in Jackson. Since it's close to home we were able to trailer the newly restored Sport Coupe down for the competition. It achieved a First Place and Award of Excellence (third in points overall) so we were very happy. Larry judged and I sold some of my era clothing. We also helped out where needed because many of our friends were in charge of the various events.
Now we are getting ready to head for Meridian to see Mom and then go to Gillette, WY, for the Airstream rally. After that, it's the Yellowhead Caravan. More about that to follow.
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