Friday, July 23, 2012 - Short Drive Today...To Rawlins, Wyoming

Friday, July 23, 2012 - A Short Drive Today...To Rawlins, Wyoming

It was 5:15 when I awoke this morning.  I came downstairs and made the coffee.  It wasn't but 15 minutes later or so, that Dean came downstairs as well.  As we had our first cup of coffee, he happened to look at his phone or watch and realized we didn't set the clock upstairs and it was only 4:30.  It may end up being a long day!  Lol!

I finished up Thursday's blog then made breakfast burritos for breakfast.  It was a nice change from our morning shake.  Afterwards I washed the dishes while Dean went out to begin the routine of getting ready to move again.  

I took the trash up to the dumpster.  When I came back, I went inside to make sure I had everything stored before I put the slides in.  I set down on the couch.  Dean came inside, and started walking up the stairs.  I said I'm down here.  He went on up the stairs and again I said I'm down here.  He thought I was in the bathroom, when he turned and saw me sitting on the couch he got tickled, and so did I.  Sometimes we have the most fun over the silliest thing.  Lol!

It was 8:45 when we pulled out of the Terry Bison Ranch.  Head west young man, that's our plan!

Wide Open Spaces as we traveled I-80

The scenery begins to change.  

More rocky area

The Lincoln Sign at a rest stop 
It was 67 degrees at 9:46am

The drive today was really pretty - changing off and on

The two pictures above look as if the road goes on forever
It was 73 degrees here at 11:00am

Some road construction today, but the traffic was light

It's really beautiful driving I-80 through Wyoming, with constant changes in the landscape.
At 11:48 it was 66 degrees.

I checked the temperature again when we arrived.  It was 79 degrees.  

Our campground for the night.

We've stayed at this park before.  They give you Andes mints when you check in.  A nice touch, especially since we love them!  LOL!

Dean wanted to fill up the fuel tank here before we travel to Utah tomorrow where the prices are higher.  We headed to the far east side of town to get fuel, then made a stop at Walmart for a few things.  

After putting the groceries away, I made chicken salad - for our sandwiches the next few days.  Before we left Oswego I purchased a frozen meal of orange chicken from our local grocery store, G&W.  It was too much to make it all at once, the first time.  Tonight, I made the rest of it  for dinner, along with a pan of rice.  It was a quick easy meal for us and pretty good, too. 

We will be back on the road tomorrow, moving in to Utah, where we will stay in Tremonton.  We are going to take a scenic route leaving Wyoming and travel Highway 30 to Tremonton.  We enjoy the scenery and passing through small towns in our travels.  Since we will be leaving Utah on Sunday we will probably take the Interstate south around the Great Salt Lake.  We hope the traffic will be lighter on Sunday morning as we travel to Wells, Nevada, our last stop before arriving in Winnemucca.  

Thursday, July 22, 2021 - Cheyenne, Wyoming and The Terry Bison Ranch

Thursday, July 22, 2021 - Cheyenne, Wyoming and The Terry Bison Ranch

We had planned to leave North Platte, Nebraska by 8:30 this morning so we could have a little extra time when we arrive in Cheyenne, but it didn't work out that way.  It was 9:37am when we pulled out of I-80 Lakeside Campground.  However, it all worked out as we forgot that we would gain an hour during our travels today, so we weren't too far off on time after all. 

I took a few pictures as we completed our drive through Nebraska.  

This cute little trailer was sitting at the first Rest Stop we visited today.  I couldn't resist taking a picture.

The remainder of the pictures are ones I took as we moved across Nebraska.  While there was lots of open country along the way, I enjoyed the landscape of this part of the State.

I love this metal sculpture of a coyote howling!

When I noticed the Welcome to Wyoming sign, I grabbed my phone but I couldn't get the camera turned on fast enough and we blew right past it.  Shoot!  From that point we didn't have too far to go until we arrived at our overnight stay at the Terry Bison Ranch in Cheyenne, WY.  It was 1:14pm when we pulled into our site.  Prior to that we set in line just outside their gate waiting to register.  

Terry Bison Ranch Sign

3 RV's in front of us when we arrived at the entrance gate.  2 were in front of us, and one off to the left.

There were 3 rigs ahead of us.  We waited for a very long time.  Finally, one owner came out and left (he was actually pulling away in the picture above), but the 2 in front of us still had not returned.  In the meantime 3 motor home's pulled up on the outer road as there was no room to pull in behind us.  I finally got out and walked up to the office area. By the time I registered and returned to Bentley, the other two rigs were gone.  We moved to our site, #71.  We quickly got set up, turned the air conditioners on and waited for it to cool down some.  

When registering for our site, I also bought tickets for the Train ride that will take us out to a bison herd on the ranch.  I chose the 3pm ride so we had time to get set up, and relax a bit.  At 2:30 we walked from the RV to the office to ask for directions to the Train Station, took a little time to walk through the gift shop (everything was really expensive), then made our way to the train.  We stopped to look at a few things on the way.

Metal sculpture out of numerous pieces of scrap iron - a horse and rider, leading a pack mule.

When I took this picture, and reviewed it I never thought it would look this good.  Again, I think it looks more like a painting.  

We joined the others who were already boarding the train.  We were in the first row of the second open air car.  We drove through a number of sites within the park area, where we saw horses, peacocks (including an albino peacock), camels, and a few other animals.  From that point we began to make our way to the bison herd.  The train conductor pulled up and stopped this side of a large muddy area, you can see it behind the bison who met us as we stopped. It was interesting to watch the bison as they crossed that muddy area.  They were so heavy half or more of their legs would disappear in the mud.  Most of the bison made their way to the train.  They knew what we were there for - to give them food!  Everyone (except me) had fun feeding them, especially the kids.  I let Dean have the honors of feeding them as I took pictures.  LOL!

This large bison was one of a few males in the group.  

Male bison, Mama Bison and part of the baby bison

 Here's a little closer look at the baby bison

I caught Dean in this picture.  He might have been giving me the evil eye with a half smile.  Lol!  He's such a good sport!

The group in front of us, participating in the hands up, were from a nearby nursing home.  

We left the bison, as our train passed into Colorado for a short distance, before returning to Wyoming as we made our way back to the train station.

We visited Colorado---for a few minutes

Our train, back at the station.

Another metal structure - a buffalo.  I really loved this one.

Dean petting the horses.

It was 4:30 when we returned.  Since Dean was going to grill steaks for our dinner he took the time to get the Blackstone grill out.  While he was doing that I made salads for us - lettuce, fresh tomatoes, bacon pieces, and cheddar cheese with Ranch dressing.  It wasn't long and the steaks were ready.  It was a great meal and very filling.

After dinner, Dean said we needed to get fuel for the truck.  While we were out we spied a Dairy Queen - if you've followed us for very long, you know how our truck seems to take control when we are near one.  We found an empty school parking lot a few blocks away, where we parked to enjoy our treat.

Tomorrow we move to the west side of Wyoming for a one night stay at Red Desert Rose RV Park as we continue our trek to Winnemucca, NV.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - We Made It To Nebraska

Wednesday, July 21, 2021 - We Made It To Nebraska

I guess the early mornings caught up with me, because I didn't wake up until after 6:15 this morning.  Dean already had the coffee made when I got up and that doesn't happen often.  We hoped to get on the road by 10 this morning, but it was 10:15 before we pulled out of our site.  We made a quick stop at the dump station before leaving Glen Elder Park.

I didn't take many pictures on the road as it was mostly fields.  I did take a picture of the Welcome to Nebraska sign - although, it's not a very good picture, but here it is to show we "were there".  

NEBRASKA, The Good Life!

We enjoyed the drive through Nebraska.  Most of it was similar countryside to Kansas. The drive was smooth and we arrived at our overnight stop, I-80 Lakeside Campground in North Platte at 2:36pm.  Our site is alongside the South Platte River.  When we arrived at site 11, someone had parked their truck in our site.  Dean had to walk next door to see if it belonged to someone there.  It did and the young man came out to move it.  I think he was visiting our neighbor.

It didn't take long to get set up.  We had one place we wanted to visit while we were here, the Golden Spike Tower.  

TAKEN FROM THE INTERNET:  Union Pacific's Bailey Yard in North Platte, Nebraska is the largest railroad classification yard in the world. Named in honor of former Union Pacific President Ed H. Bailey, the massive yard covers 2,850 acres, reaching a total length of eight miles.

We arrived at The Golden Spike Tower between 4-4:30pm.  It was very interesting to see all of the memorabilia on display in the tower, especially the pictures showing the change in the railyard from the late 1800's until now.  

We enjoyed our time looking out of both the open air tower and the closed tower watching the trains as they moved through the railyard.  It was interesting and fascinating to watch from 1 to 4 cars move at a time from one of the many rails within the yard to the point they are dropped at the train that will take them on their journey to their final destination. 

We had planned to cook dinner at the RV, but it was already 6pm when we left The Golden Spike Tower.  We made a quick stop at Walmart for a few things we needed.  When we left we spied a fast food restaurant called Runza's.  

I thought their webpage was interesting and different, so take a look if you'd like at:  https://www.runza.com/about

Once I read that Runza's have onion in the meat, I passed and chose a bacon cheeseburger, and Dean had the same.  I love cabbage and wish they made one without onions.  I would have liked to try a runza without onions.  The cheeseburgers were good, but not much different than any other cheeseburger.

We returned to the RV to eat our dinner and we rested the remainder of the evening.  Dean is watching TV and I want to finish this short blog post.  We are both tired.  Tomorrow we move on to Cheyenne, WY for one night.

When we returned to Bentley, one of the young men next door caught Dean and asked him about an item that we have hanging on our hitch.  Dean explained it was a thermometer that provides temperature to outside, inside and also to check temperature in both the freezer and refrigerator so we can ensure it is working properly.  

My pictures for the day:

Golden Spike Tower

These two pictures are of the railyard.

Pictures on display of the railyard from 1966 to 2020.

1966-1970

1995

2020

We were both deeply touched by stories from the Orphan Train.  While many young children found wonderful homes, others were not as fortunate.  

Tomorrow we travel to Cheyenne, WY, where we will stay overnight at the Terry Bison Ranch.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - Ours meals got switched......What a ride we had today!

Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - Ours meals got switched......What a ride we had today!

I slept great last night and it felt good.  After Dean got up and we had both enjoyed our coffee, I suggested we go out for breakfast, and of course Dean was ready to go.  I suggested a place in Glen Elder, with very good reviews called HeBrews.  As we were leaving the park I was looking up the directions to the restaurant....only to discover it had closed.  The next closest town with a restaurant was Beloit, which was 12 miles east of Glen Elder.  We made the drive to Beloit and we sure were glad we did. 

We really enjoyed our breakfast at Kettles in downtown Beloit.  Located in a beautiful stone building, it was apparent from the activity here, we had made a good choice.  We both ordered breakfast bowls, which included a choice of sausage or bacon, along with nicely fried and seasoned bite sized potato chunks, scrambled eggs, covered with gravy and cheese.  It was delicious.  While waiting for our food we had a delicious cup of coffee.  I really enjoyed the light roast they serve. What a great experience for our first meal out on this trip!

Beautiful building...we loved all of the rock buildings.

K for Kettles - a nice lounge area, with several table and chair settings throughout the building.

Dean's breakfast bowl.

We spent quite a bit of time driving around in Beloit.  What a beautiful community with some amazing buildings and beautiful homes.  

Mitchell County Courthouse - Beloit, KS

The following pictures were taken at the Catholic Church and Rectory.  

A beautiful home near the downtown area

Before leaving Beloit, we made a stop at Ray's Apple Market for a few groceries.  Dean noticed a farm store called Bomgaars next door and suggested we walk over to take a look before going to the grocery store.  Before we left, he bought two pair of work shorts and some rubber boots. They will be great for when he's working on the lots.  

Next door at Ray's we bought a few things for snacks while we are on the road for the next several days and a few other groceries we needed.  

Before returning to the campground we made a stop in the community of Glen Elder.  We drove along the west end of Waconda Lake, driving along the dyke that surrounds the lake.  It was a beautiful, serene view looking out over this beautiful body of water.  

As we returned to Glen Elder we enjoyed this view of the many colors of green in the fields and those beautiful blue skies full of fluffy white clouds.

It is definitely farm country when you see these large elevators in every small community.

Another beautiful stone building.  I'm not sure if it was a local apartment site or someone's home.  There was a sign that said Castle Lodge but it looked more like a home.

I loved this old stone barn and the name above it - Porter's Porkers.

As we neared the campground, Dean said he wanted to show me this row of RV's within the park.  I would have to really, really, really like my neighbors to share this space with them.

Do you think they could get much closer?

Beautiful sites near the water.  I love the trees.

We returned to Bentley so I could make a few phone calls.  Dean wanted to check out a near by golf course along Lake Waconda (Glen Elder State Park), so he left to do that while I made my calls.  

He returned a short time later.  I made us each a shake, since we weren't that hungry after our breakfast.  Earlier this morning, I had planned a route to check out some sites in the area.  After our shake, we left Glen Elder State Park, heading West on Hwy 24, turning North at Downs, onto Hwy 181 that took us to Lebanon, KS.

We thoroughly enjoyed the ride and the scenery as we made our way north to Lebanon, KS.

Such beautiful countrysides.

Our first stop was at the "Geographic Center of the United States" in Lebanon.

Stone plinth and a US flag at the center of America's 48 states, as marked by US Geological Survey.

Close up of plaque.

In Lebanon, we found a couple of other interesting items:

Nicely renovated gas station currently used as their Visitor Center.

City Jail, est. 1910  Those beds do not look very comfortable!

From Lebanon, we headed West on Hwy 36 to Smith Center.

Former Bank Building in Smith Center now used by Edward D. Jones Investments

Smith County Courthouse

My favorite picture of the day!

From Smith Center we drove South on Hwy 281 to Gaylord. 

We were looking for a specific stop here but all we found was the Gaylord water tower. 

No matter how we tried, we could not get the entire name of Gaylord in the picture.  Gaylo on the left

 and Ylord on the right!  Lol!

Leaving Gaylord, we made a stop along Hwy 281. 

Lady Liberty - a project by a Local Boy Scouts Group

View from Lady Liberty site looking south.

Looking across the road from Lady Liberty to the west.  Everything is so green here.

From here we headed further south to Osborne.  

Geodetic Center of North America in Osborne, KS

Osborne County Courthouse - It's beautiful!

Before leaving Osborne, Dean fueled up the truck in preparation for tomorrow's drive to Nebraska.

As we made our way back to Glen Elder, we made two more short stops at Waconda Lake where I snapped this picture about an artesian well which after the lake's construction is under the lake.

Golf Course

Lake in the background to the left, golf course on the right.

One final stop was to take some pictures of these Sunflowers near the golf course Dean visited earlier today.  

Just another pretty picture.  I just love it!

I took this last picture looking toward Waconda Lake.  This is my second favorite picture from today's adventure.  I think it looks more like a painting than it does a photo.

When we returned to the campground, I made a sausage/bacon pizza that Dean cooked on the Blackstone.  It was delicious!  

After dinner and dishes, the rest of my evening was spent posting this blog.  I hope you enjoy following along with us on this day of exploring the mid northern areas of Kansas.  Thanks to each of you who take the time to read it, and especially make comments.  I look forward to hearing from you.