Tuesday, July 31, 2012--Branson, MO to Harrison, AR
My hotel had scrambled eggs and biscuits with gravy for breakfast. It was nice to have fewer sweets for a change. Most of them have had waffles, muffins, pastries, oatmeal, etc., and I have gotten tired of so many sweet choices.
I had one last show to attend before leaving Branson this morning at 10:00. It was at the God and Country Theater which specializes in tribute shows that feature the music of a famous artist or group. This was a touring show from Las Vegas entitled Thank You for the Music: A Tribute to ABBA. I was surprised at the quality of the production and disappointed at the low turnout for it. There were fewer than 20 of us in the audience. The four performers came out with great enthusiasm, good costumes, a nice sound, and good lighting. They worked hard, and it must have been difficult for them knowing that they had so few people to see the show. The problem, I think, is that Branson just isn't the place for such a show. Everyone here wants to hear country and western music. The saving grace was that the manager of the Andy Williams Theater was in the audience along with the owner of the production company for this act. Later, I read on their website that they have regularly had sold-out audiences in Las Vegas. It's too bad they didn't here. But the show was good. They took the songs in the sequence they were written and produced and told what was happening in the lives of the ABBA members in relation to each of the songs. It would have been exciting seeing the show with a full house.
I drove to Harrison after seeing the show. It's an older city in northern Arkansas. I expected it to be a better place to visit from what I had read in a guidebook. I walked the streets downtown, but there wasn't much else to do. There is a river several miles south of town with camping and trails, but the trails are linear rather than loop trails, so it wouldn't have been easy for me to walk them. Instead, I picked out a barber shop from the 3 I found in town and got a haircut. Unfortunately, it was no better than the cuts I get at home, and, as I usually do, I had to doctor it up after getting back to the room.
There is an Aldi here. It's a German supermarket chain that is popular in Europe and has been expanding here in the US. (They also own Trader Joe's.) Arne and I used to shop at Aldi in Copenhagen. They are known for having cheap prices, special offers (one-time buys they are selling at good prices), cheap butter, etc. I bought some chips, some hummus, and some cookies. Instead of eating out tonight, I ate those in my room.
Steps Walked: 4539
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Branson
Monday, July 30, 2012--Springfield to Branson
It's a short drive from Springfield to Branson. The route is lined with businesses, so it really just all flows together as one large community. There is a big change in terrain, however. Springfield is on flat land, and one enters the Ozarks before arriving in Branson. Once one exits and drives down "The Strip" in Branson, it's a whole other world--one of gaudy buildings and massive traffic jams. Except for the scenery, I could have imagined myself back in Yellowstone creeping along behind a long row of cars. The only thing that made me feel better was that there was MORE traffic going the opposite direction.
I missed my turn for my hotel. After going a mile or so too far, I turned around. Coming back, I missed it again. (Unfortunately, the only directions they had given were to watch for the Andy Williams Theater and turn at the Dairy Queen after it. Well, I saw the theater both times, but missed the Dairy Queen!) On my way back for the third time, I just started watching for a street to the left after passing the Andy Williams Theater, and right there was a Dairy Queen. The street, however, is packed with gaudy buildings, so a Dairy Queen sign doesn't stand out well among all the rest. It was much easier seeing the Titantic Theater, the Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater, etc.
Fortunately, a room was available even though I arrived rather early (around noon) for check-in. The lady at the front desk came originally from Ft. Worth, and she gave me lots of good information--a place to buy show tickets without paying a premium, a schedule for shows this week, advice to avoid any place referring to itself as a tourist information office, how to use back streets to avoid the traffic jams on the main street, etc. She also said that things are more hectic this week than usual. She said it seemed that everyone realized all at once that summer ends and school begins again in a week or two.
I studied her information and decided on two shows--one this afternoon at 15:00 and one tomorrow morning at 10:00. I called, and they delivered my tickets to the hotel by 14:00. In the meantime, I researched where I will go next and made reservations for hotels for the next 3 nights--one in Harrison, one in Eureka Springs, and one in Fayetteville.
The New Shanghai Theater for my afternoon show was just down the street from my hotel. I saw The New Shanghai Acrobats of China. It was a two-hour show that was better than I expected. It wasn't as snappy and quick as the shows in China or the major ones that tour the US and charge $80-100 per ticket. Instead, it had plenty of drawn-out pauses for applause. But for $30, it was worth it. I sat on the fourth row in the center of the theater between two families. One was from Iowa, but I didn't visit with the other. Almost everyone was either elderly or in a family group. The theater is large, and only about 1/4 to 1/3 of it was full which seems understandable for a Monday matinee. The group performs the show twice a day EVERY day! (They are truly from China, so they apparently do not have to meet any kind of limits on working hours. They perform here about 10 months a year and go back to China for two months during the winter.)
After the show was over, I drove down to the dam on the river that goes through town. It's massive. And above it is The Chateau on the Lake, one of the fancy resorts here.
The town is FULL of hotels, including very large ones. (A Radisson across the street from my hotel is maybe 8 stories high and is very long.) The town also has so much for tourists to do in addition to all the theater shows. I can't imagine anything people might want that they do NOT have here. It seems that everyone with any kind of idea of how to make money has come here to try to do so!!
During the early evening, I went to downtown Branson. I walked the streets seeing the shops there. Then I went to the end of the street to Branson Landing, a new development along the river with all the chain stores, dancing water fountains, and a promenade along the river. It was a pleasant place to walk and watch people, although the air still felt quite warm at 18:30.
I was glad to get back to my hotel without too much of a traffic hassle. Will stay inside for the rest of the night. Have another show to see tomorrow morning before heading out for Harrison just a few miles further down the road.
Steps Walked: 6558
Miles Driven: 69
It's a short drive from Springfield to Branson. The route is lined with businesses, so it really just all flows together as one large community. There is a big change in terrain, however. Springfield is on flat land, and one enters the Ozarks before arriving in Branson. Once one exits and drives down "The Strip" in Branson, it's a whole other world--one of gaudy buildings and massive traffic jams. Except for the scenery, I could have imagined myself back in Yellowstone creeping along behind a long row of cars. The only thing that made me feel better was that there was MORE traffic going the opposite direction.
I missed my turn for my hotel. After going a mile or so too far, I turned around. Coming back, I missed it again. (Unfortunately, the only directions they had given were to watch for the Andy Williams Theater and turn at the Dairy Queen after it. Well, I saw the theater both times, but missed the Dairy Queen!) On my way back for the third time, I just started watching for a street to the left after passing the Andy Williams Theater, and right there was a Dairy Queen. The street, however, is packed with gaudy buildings, so a Dairy Queen sign doesn't stand out well among all the rest. It was much easier seeing the Titantic Theater, the Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater, etc.
Fortunately, a room was available even though I arrived rather early (around noon) for check-in. The lady at the front desk came originally from Ft. Worth, and she gave me lots of good information--a place to buy show tickets without paying a premium, a schedule for shows this week, advice to avoid any place referring to itself as a tourist information office, how to use back streets to avoid the traffic jams on the main street, etc. She also said that things are more hectic this week than usual. She said it seemed that everyone realized all at once that summer ends and school begins again in a week or two.
I studied her information and decided on two shows--one this afternoon at 15:00 and one tomorrow morning at 10:00. I called, and they delivered my tickets to the hotel by 14:00. In the meantime, I researched where I will go next and made reservations for hotels for the next 3 nights--one in Harrison, one in Eureka Springs, and one in Fayetteville.
The New Shanghai Theater for my afternoon show was just down the street from my hotel. I saw The New Shanghai Acrobats of China. It was a two-hour show that was better than I expected. It wasn't as snappy and quick as the shows in China or the major ones that tour the US and charge $80-100 per ticket. Instead, it had plenty of drawn-out pauses for applause. But for $30, it was worth it. I sat on the fourth row in the center of the theater between two families. One was from Iowa, but I didn't visit with the other. Almost everyone was either elderly or in a family group. The theater is large, and only about 1/4 to 1/3 of it was full which seems understandable for a Monday matinee. The group performs the show twice a day EVERY day! (They are truly from China, so they apparently do not have to meet any kind of limits on working hours. They perform here about 10 months a year and go back to China for two months during the winter.)
After the show was over, I drove down to the dam on the river that goes through town. It's massive. And above it is The Chateau on the Lake, one of the fancy resorts here.
The town is FULL of hotels, including very large ones. (A Radisson across the street from my hotel is maybe 8 stories high and is very long.) The town also has so much for tourists to do in addition to all the theater shows. I can't imagine anything people might want that they do NOT have here. It seems that everyone with any kind of idea of how to make money has come here to try to do so!!
During the early evening, I went to downtown Branson. I walked the streets seeing the shops there. Then I went to the end of the street to Branson Landing, a new development along the river with all the chain stores, dancing water fountains, and a promenade along the river. It was a pleasant place to walk and watch people, although the air still felt quite warm at 18:30.
I was glad to get back to my hotel without too much of a traffic hassle. Will stay inside for the rest of the night. Have another show to see tomorrow morning before heading out for Harrison just a few miles further down the road.
Steps Walked: 6558
Miles Driven: 69
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Surprising Springfield
Sunday, July 29, 2012--Kansas City to Springfield
Today represented another move back toward home. I had decided to stop in Springfield, because it had several listings in the guidebooks and because I was unsure of how crowded and expensive Branson might be. I arrived around noon and, since I wasn't supposed to check into my hotel until after 15:00, started to explore the town, .
First, the size of Springfield surprised me. I had heard of it mainly because it used to be considered the "home" of Silver Dollar City, a western amusement park that has existed since I was a child. (Branson is now listed as its home, although the park has not moved as far as I know.) Otherwise, I really knew nothing about the city. When I got here, I found it ringed by expressways like a large city. Then as I explored, I realized I was going long distances, passing multiple Wal-marts and K-Marts, seeing lots of large industrial sites, etc. I even passed a Lexus dealership which none of the cities in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota or South Dakota had and which Corpus Christi doesn't have. Instead of the town of 30,000-50,000 that I expected, I realized it had to be bigger. A later check on the Internet indicated that the metropolitan area is about 450,000, slightly larger than that of Corpus Christi's metropolitan area.
I had a streak of luck. While following a sign for a tourist information center, I found the Springfield Nature Conservation Center. It's a small park with walking/hiking trails. I immediately set out to walk their outer loop trail which is about 3 miles long. It was such a pleasant experience, even if it was a hot afternoon. The trail went up and down hills, through a prairie section, along a creek, etc. I saw deer, redbirds, and other wildlife. I was really perspiring when I finished the hike, though. I saw on the car thermometer that it was 99 degrees F outside as I departed.
I decided to stay mostly inside after that. I drove by the Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State) campus, the second largest public university in the state with 20,000 students. It looked attractive from the car.
Then I drove up and down the streets in the downtown area. Walnut Street was lined with beautiful old homes. And downtown itself covered a large area with many buildings that have been converted to loft apartments. It's close to the university (and to a private university named Drury University [Congregationalist or United Church of Christ--a very liberal church]), so it seems that the proximity helps keep downtown alive and thriving. There were many shops, lots of bars, movie theaters, a live entertainment theater, etc. (The town also is home to Evangel University (Assemblies of God) and a connected seminary, but I doubt that their students contribute much to the night life, especially the part that involves drinking alcohol.)
I stopped by their local Battlefield Mall just to walk some more and to watch people for a while. It was larger than I expected, but was a rather typical mall. Nothing in it appealed particularly to me other than the indoor air conditioned space for walking.
On the way to check into my hotel, I passed the Bass Pro Shop. I had seen signs on the highway about it and thought nothing of it. But it was HUGE--a central building with a side building and a side wing that had been added on, and it was in the central part of town instead of on the outskirts. I parked and entered just to see their exhibits. There was a tourist desk. I overheard a man talking to tourists there. He said that this is the ORIGINAL Bass Pro Shop and that it draws more tourists than any other individual tourist site in Missouri. (The St. Louis Arch is second.) Unfortunately, the whole place is undergoing a remodeling. The museum building was completely closed because of it. But the major building still was amazing to see even though it had a couple of off-limits areas where remodeling was occurring. Anyway, I happened upon the biggest tourist site in Missouri without even knowing about it. Click here for a video.
I stopped at Sam's Club for gas and bought a slice of pizza to serve as my dinner before continuing to the hotel. Tonight, I am staying inside. There is an Inspector Lewis program on Masterpiece Mystery I have not seen, and I have a 5-bar connection (best possible) to the Internet on my computer. Plus, I have brochures to read about Branson so I can decide if I want to stop there tomorrow or not.
Steps Walked: 11,850
Miles Driven: 224
Today represented another move back toward home. I had decided to stop in Springfield, because it had several listings in the guidebooks and because I was unsure of how crowded and expensive Branson might be. I arrived around noon and, since I wasn't supposed to check into my hotel until after 15:00, started to explore the town, .
First, the size of Springfield surprised me. I had heard of it mainly because it used to be considered the "home" of Silver Dollar City, a western amusement park that has existed since I was a child. (Branson is now listed as its home, although the park has not moved as far as I know.) Otherwise, I really knew nothing about the city. When I got here, I found it ringed by expressways like a large city. Then as I explored, I realized I was going long distances, passing multiple Wal-marts and K-Marts, seeing lots of large industrial sites, etc. I even passed a Lexus dealership which none of the cities in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota or South Dakota had and which Corpus Christi doesn't have. Instead of the town of 30,000-50,000 that I expected, I realized it had to be bigger. A later check on the Internet indicated that the metropolitan area is about 450,000, slightly larger than that of Corpus Christi's metropolitan area.
I had a streak of luck. While following a sign for a tourist information center, I found the Springfield Nature Conservation Center. It's a small park with walking/hiking trails. I immediately set out to walk their outer loop trail which is about 3 miles long. It was such a pleasant experience, even if it was a hot afternoon. The trail went up and down hills, through a prairie section, along a creek, etc. I saw deer, redbirds, and other wildlife. I was really perspiring when I finished the hike, though. I saw on the car thermometer that it was 99 degrees F outside as I departed.
I decided to stay mostly inside after that. I drove by the Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State) campus, the second largest public university in the state with 20,000 students. It looked attractive from the car.
Then I drove up and down the streets in the downtown area. Walnut Street was lined with beautiful old homes. And downtown itself covered a large area with many buildings that have been converted to loft apartments. It's close to the university (and to a private university named Drury University [Congregationalist or United Church of Christ--a very liberal church]), so it seems that the proximity helps keep downtown alive and thriving. There were many shops, lots of bars, movie theaters, a live entertainment theater, etc. (The town also is home to Evangel University (Assemblies of God) and a connected seminary, but I doubt that their students contribute much to the night life, especially the part that involves drinking alcohol.)
I stopped by their local Battlefield Mall just to walk some more and to watch people for a while. It was larger than I expected, but was a rather typical mall. Nothing in it appealed particularly to me other than the indoor air conditioned space for walking.
On the way to check into my hotel, I passed the Bass Pro Shop. I had seen signs on the highway about it and thought nothing of it. But it was HUGE--a central building with a side building and a side wing that had been added on, and it was in the central part of town instead of on the outskirts. I parked and entered just to see their exhibits. There was a tourist desk. I overheard a man talking to tourists there. He said that this is the ORIGINAL Bass Pro Shop and that it draws more tourists than any other individual tourist site in Missouri. (The St. Louis Arch is second.) Unfortunately, the whole place is undergoing a remodeling. The museum building was completely closed because of it. But the major building still was amazing to see even though it had a couple of off-limits areas where remodeling was occurring. Anyway, I happened upon the biggest tourist site in Missouri without even knowing about it. Click here for a video.
I stopped at Sam's Club for gas and bought a slice of pizza to serve as my dinner before continuing to the hotel. Tonight, I am staying inside. There is an Inspector Lewis program on Masterpiece Mystery I have not seen, and I have a 5-bar connection (best possible) to the Internet on my computer. Plus, I have brochures to read about Branson so I can decide if I want to stop there tomorrow or not.
Steps Walked: 11,850
Miles Driven: 224
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Hot Day in Kansas City
Saturday, July 28, 2012--Kansas City
Today was my day to try to experience Kansas City. It worked out quite well considering the heat. I made it to every place I intended to go but one.
I started by going to Country Club Plaza. I've always heard about it mainly because I grew up in the Dallas area. Dallas has a hard time of accepting that they were not first and the best. They want to claim that their Highland Park Village was the first suburban shopping center in the US--designed and built as a shopping center rather than a collection of shops and restaurants haphazardly developing in a neighborhood. Everyone else accepts that it was Country Club Plaza and Dallas now claims that theirs was the first INWARDLY planned and developed shopping center (meaning that the stores face inwardly and the cars park in a parking lot inside the center rather than on the street). Like The Village in Dallas, The Plaza has a Spanish design. However, it is a much bigger development with much more elaborate architecture and lots of fountains and statues scattered around. Furthermore, unlike The Village in Dallas, it was not pinned in by the neighborhood. The Plaza area has continued expanding and growing with wonderful hotels, apartment buildings, etc., that have developed for blocks around its periphery. Because of that, The Plaza has remained THE destination in Kansas City since it opened in the 1920s. I wandered the streets taking photos of the elaborate Spanish details in the designs and enjoying the general atmosphere. As far as shops and restaurants are concerned, it is a mostly upscale center filled predominantly with national and international chains--H&M, Tiffany's, Forever XXI, P.F. Chang's, the Cheesecake Factory, etc.
From there, I headed just a few blocks northeast to the two major museums which are on either side of the campus of the Kansas City Art Institute. I started with the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Unlike the exhibits I saw yesterday, these were wonderful--contemporary art that required talent to be done and that showed artistic accomplishment. From there, I walked to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. It sets on a campus that is much like the grounds of a castle with a terraced lawn filled with sculptures (including 4 badminton gamecocks) produced by internationally known artists. A comprehensive, large museum, the exhibits there varied--Greek, Roman, Asian, European, and American accomplishments in painting, sculpture, decorative arts, etc. Their new Bloch Building housed a very nice contemporary art collection, too. I paid to see their special exhibit which was drawing a large crowd--Decorative Arts at the World's Fairs, 1851-1939. They had exhibits of glassware, ceramics, furniture, jewelry, etc., that had been displayed at various world's fairs as examples of work by the world's best artisans. For each item, there was a note to tell when and where it was displayed, and often there was more information to tell why the piece was considered to be so special. Many of them had notes indicating that they had won prizes given by the fairs.
I had been out 5 hours already by the time I left there. I headed toward the downtown area and stopped in what is called the Crossroads Art District just south of downtown to see an exhibit at a branch of the Kemper down there. From that location, I walked uphill to explore downtown. Unfortunately, it is mostly an office district, so it is like a desert on the weekends. I took photos of some of the interesting architecture--the new twin theaters called the Kauffman Center, the science-fiction-looking towers of the convention center, theaters, older office towers, etc.
By the time I got back to my car, I was hot and dehydrated. The temperature was about 98 degrees F and I had been away from the hotel for almost 7 hours. I had planned to go a few blocks further to see the Crown Center, an office/shopping/entertainment complex built by the Hallmark Corporation. It's sort of the Kansas City version of The Galleria area in Houston. But I was tired, and neither the architecture nor the idea of going to a shopping center appealed to me. Instead, I drove to the nearby Costco and bought a soft drink. I drained the cup 3 times while there and had a "happy hour" sampling their tastings for the day. Then I filled the cup a final time and returned to my room.
Steps Walked: 19,706!
Miles Driven: Minimal, since I stayed within a few miles of my hotel
Today was my day to try to experience Kansas City. It worked out quite well considering the heat. I made it to every place I intended to go but one.
I started by going to Country Club Plaza. I've always heard about it mainly because I grew up in the Dallas area. Dallas has a hard time of accepting that they were not first and the best. They want to claim that their Highland Park Village was the first suburban shopping center in the US--designed and built as a shopping center rather than a collection of shops and restaurants haphazardly developing in a neighborhood. Everyone else accepts that it was Country Club Plaza and Dallas now claims that theirs was the first INWARDLY planned and developed shopping center (meaning that the stores face inwardly and the cars park in a parking lot inside the center rather than on the street). Like The Village in Dallas, The Plaza has a Spanish design. However, it is a much bigger development with much more elaborate architecture and lots of fountains and statues scattered around. Furthermore, unlike The Village in Dallas, it was not pinned in by the neighborhood. The Plaza area has continued expanding and growing with wonderful hotels, apartment buildings, etc., that have developed for blocks around its periphery. Because of that, The Plaza has remained THE destination in Kansas City since it opened in the 1920s. I wandered the streets taking photos of the elaborate Spanish details in the designs and enjoying the general atmosphere. As far as shops and restaurants are concerned, it is a mostly upscale center filled predominantly with national and international chains--H&M, Tiffany's, Forever XXI, P.F. Chang's, the Cheesecake Factory, etc.
From there, I headed just a few blocks northeast to the two major museums which are on either side of the campus of the Kansas City Art Institute. I started with the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Unlike the exhibits I saw yesterday, these were wonderful--contemporary art that required talent to be done and that showed artistic accomplishment. From there, I walked to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. It sets on a campus that is much like the grounds of a castle with a terraced lawn filled with sculptures (including 4 badminton gamecocks) produced by internationally known artists. A comprehensive, large museum, the exhibits there varied--Greek, Roman, Asian, European, and American accomplishments in painting, sculpture, decorative arts, etc. Their new Bloch Building housed a very nice contemporary art collection, too. I paid to see their special exhibit which was drawing a large crowd--Decorative Arts at the World's Fairs, 1851-1939. They had exhibits of glassware, ceramics, furniture, jewelry, etc., that had been displayed at various world's fairs as examples of work by the world's best artisans. For each item, there was a note to tell when and where it was displayed, and often there was more information to tell why the piece was considered to be so special. Many of them had notes indicating that they had won prizes given by the fairs.
I had been out 5 hours already by the time I left there. I headed toward the downtown area and stopped in what is called the Crossroads Art District just south of downtown to see an exhibit at a branch of the Kemper down there. From that location, I walked uphill to explore downtown. Unfortunately, it is mostly an office district, so it is like a desert on the weekends. I took photos of some of the interesting architecture--the new twin theaters called the Kauffman Center, the science-fiction-looking towers of the convention center, theaters, older office towers, etc.
By the time I got back to my car, I was hot and dehydrated. The temperature was about 98 degrees F and I had been away from the hotel for almost 7 hours. I had planned to go a few blocks further to see the Crown Center, an office/shopping/entertainment complex built by the Hallmark Corporation. It's sort of the Kansas City version of The Galleria area in Houston. But I was tired, and neither the architecture nor the idea of going to a shopping center appealed to me. Instead, I drove to the nearby Costco and bought a soft drink. I drained the cup 3 times while there and had a "happy hour" sampling their tastings for the day. Then I filled the cup a final time and returned to my room.
Steps Walked: 19,706!
Miles Driven: Minimal, since I stayed within a few miles of my hotel
Friday, July 27, 2012
Kansas City
Friday, July 27, 2012--Des Moines to Kansas City
I was on IH 35 from Des Moines to Kansas City. It isn't nearly as busy in this part of the country as it is in Texas. It was a 3-hour drive without the tension I would have had on stretches of it at home.
My Days Inn is "brand new." The quotes are based on the fact that the building has been here, but it has just gone through a complete remodeling. Everything is new--the beds, the TVs, the carpeting, and even the windows. Their wifi signal is a bit weak, but I seem to get a fast response.
I have been reading literature since arriving just after lunch. Missouri is a state that never sent me tourist information in response to my online request. I stopped at the tourist office on the border and picked up some things. Because I expected the Olympic opening ceremonies to be broadcast live beginning at 15:00, I decided to do my research and watch the ceremony before going out.
I discovered that my location is good. The major tourist sites are within 5 miles of my motel. I only reserved my room for two nights, so today and tomorrow consist of my time for exploring. (Almost nothing is open Sunday morning.) Fortunately, I found out that the three museums that are supposed to be must-see sites are open until 9 p.m. tonight and one of them is open until 9 p.m. tomorrow night. Two of them are near a famous neighborhood I want to see, so I decided to save those for tomorrow so I can park in one location and see them together. I thought I would go tonight to see the Nerman Museum on the southwest side of town (inside Kansas) after seeing the Olympic ceremony. When the Olympic ceremony didn't come on at 15:00, I checked on the computer and discovered it will be broadcast on a delayed basis at night. I quickly changed my plans and headed for the Nerman.
The Nerman is located on a community college campus, and it took about 20 minutes to get there. It's in a very modern building which I could recognize from the photos on their website. It specializes in contemporary art which I tend to enjoy. However, much of what they had on display today did not impress me. The pieces were by fairly young artists, and I get the feeling that they are being allowed to be sloppy--showing no indication of skill in the production of their work. Out of 3 ceramists who were in a show, only one (a German named Matthias Hess) had produced anything that looked like it took skill to do so. The work by William J. O'Brien and by Arlene Shechet looked like junk that needed to be discarded. Only a few of the paintings and photographs from the permanent collection of the museum looked like quality had been a factor in producing them. The museum, in a wonderful building, was a disappointment.
I stopped for a quick bite to eat and got back to my room in time to write this before the Olympic ceremony began. Will be out doing lots more in Kansas City tomorrow.
Steps Walked: 4499
Miles Driven: 237
I was on IH 35 from Des Moines to Kansas City. It isn't nearly as busy in this part of the country as it is in Texas. It was a 3-hour drive without the tension I would have had on stretches of it at home.
My Days Inn is "brand new." The quotes are based on the fact that the building has been here, but it has just gone through a complete remodeling. Everything is new--the beds, the TVs, the carpeting, and even the windows. Their wifi signal is a bit weak, but I seem to get a fast response.
I have been reading literature since arriving just after lunch. Missouri is a state that never sent me tourist information in response to my online request. I stopped at the tourist office on the border and picked up some things. Because I expected the Olympic opening ceremonies to be broadcast live beginning at 15:00, I decided to do my research and watch the ceremony before going out.
I discovered that my location is good. The major tourist sites are within 5 miles of my motel. I only reserved my room for two nights, so today and tomorrow consist of my time for exploring. (Almost nothing is open Sunday morning.) Fortunately, I found out that the three museums that are supposed to be must-see sites are open until 9 p.m. tonight and one of them is open until 9 p.m. tomorrow night. Two of them are near a famous neighborhood I want to see, so I decided to save those for tomorrow so I can park in one location and see them together. I thought I would go tonight to see the Nerman Museum on the southwest side of town (inside Kansas) after seeing the Olympic ceremony. When the Olympic ceremony didn't come on at 15:00, I checked on the computer and discovered it will be broadcast on a delayed basis at night. I quickly changed my plans and headed for the Nerman.
The Nerman is located on a community college campus, and it took about 20 minutes to get there. It's in a very modern building which I could recognize from the photos on their website. It specializes in contemporary art which I tend to enjoy. However, much of what they had on display today did not impress me. The pieces were by fairly young artists, and I get the feeling that they are being allowed to be sloppy--showing no indication of skill in the production of their work. Out of 3 ceramists who were in a show, only one (a German named Matthias Hess) had produced anything that looked like it took skill to do so. The work by William J. O'Brien and by Arlene Shechet looked like junk that needed to be discarded. Only a few of the paintings and photographs from the permanent collection of the museum looked like quality had been a factor in producing them. The museum, in a wonderful building, was a disappointment.
I stopped for a quick bite to eat and got back to my room in time to write this before the Olympic ceremony began. Will be out doing lots more in Kansas City tomorrow.
Steps Walked: 4499
Miles Driven: 237
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Quite a Surprise!
Thursday, July 26, 2012--Des Moines
It was cooler today after all the rain last night. Even into the afternoon when it became warm, it wasn't like a convection oven wafting heat against me. The high is forecast to be 93 degrees today and only 86 tomorrow. What a relief from the 100+ temperatures. I wonder if it will save the corn? The stalks actually still look green. I had expected them to be brown from the sun. Maybe the rain and the milder temperatures will allow the farmers to get the crops in before they burn up.
I was out early today to explore downtown. I went first to the Iowa Capitol. It is impressive on a high hill with not only a main dome but also four corner domes. Inside it was light and airy. It was obviously larger than the ones I've seen in the previous states; the population of Iowa is much larger. I had to go through security here, but then I was given a map and allowed to give myself a self-guided tour. It is a pretty building. I was told by the man at the tourist desk not to miss the library, and it was quite nice with about four levels of books on wrought iron flooring with circular stairwells going up to them.
From the capitol, I headed to the Iowa State Museum nearby. It had very nice exhibits about the history of the state. There was an especially good exhibit about the period of the Civil War--the numbers of men who went to war, the resistance that existed against participating in the war, how the women managed to do the farming while they were gone, the hardships of fighting the war, etc. There were also honest exhibits about how Iowa, although a free state, legally blocked Blacks from having full citizenship privileges. There were many other exhibits--about the native culture, about the arrival of the Europeans, about the development of mining and farming, etc.
A disappointment came next. I had hoped to visit the Borlaug Hall of Laureates which is in an old building with nice murals and other features. Unfortunately, the sign on the door said it is open to the public only for limited hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I will already be gone before it opens again.
Leaving that part of town, I drove eastward to see the Iowa State Fair grounds. The fair here is considered to be the ideal state fair. The grounds are in the process of being prepared. The fair starts in just two weeks. Too bad I will miss attending it.
I parked on the west end of downtown and went to the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. It is a long city block that is filled with sculptures owned by the Des Moines Art Center. I wandered through the grass taking photos and being very happy that the afternoon temperatures were so much better than they have been being.
From there, I headed to the Des Moines Art Center. I entered and started touring. I walked into the first small hall and saw art that did not impress me much--a rope with plastic bottles partially filled with colored water hanging by twisted wires from it, a piece of plastic packing binding stuck onto the wall and falling loosely according to its bends from its use around a box, etc. I looked at the name of the artist, and that's when I got a surprise. I KNEW (know) him! His name is Tony Feher, and he lived in Corpus Christi growing up and for a few years after college. He was best friends with artists in town, but I never knew he considered himself to be an artist or was trying to be one. We weren't close friends, but we have gone out together, and he has come to my home. Anyway, the surprise was further enhanced when I discovered the main gallery was full of his work. His art is the major exhibition there currently. In the main room, there was a "coffee table" book that has been published about his work. And on the Internet, there are many articles about him and many photos of him with other artists and of his works. I had not heard anything about him and had not thought about him since he left Corpus Christi in the early 1980s. Researching on the Internet, I discovered that he was recently in San Antonio as a resident artist at ArtPace and that he had an exhibit there that ran through the spring. I don't know how I missed that information. Anyway, it was a real surprise to see his name. And I find it difficult to understand that the work he produces sells for tens of thousands of dollars.
This evening, I went to Valley Junction. It's the original downtown of the town of West Des Moines. It has two long blocks of store buildings from the early 1900s. I had read it was a tourist site, and when I looked it up on the Internet, it said that tonight was an event night--a farmer's market combined with live music. I drove about 4 blocks from my hotel and caught a free shuttle bus there. Because of I was one of the first 400 drivers to take the shuttle, they gave me a $5 coupon for buying anything I wanted there. I used the coupon to buy a pork loin sandwich--two thick (3/4") slices of pork on a hamburger bun and topped with barbecue sauce. Later, I bought a piece of peach pie from a lady who had made them at her home with a homemade crust. I walked up and down the streets for two hours listening to the music--a young man singing folk songs, a trio singing songs from the 60s and 70s, a jazz band playing big band music, and a rock band playing more modern music. There was a big crowd and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was fun watching the people, seeing the foods, hearing the music, and just being in a crowd.
Steps Walked: 18,590
Miles Driven: 33
It was cooler today after all the rain last night. Even into the afternoon when it became warm, it wasn't like a convection oven wafting heat against me. The high is forecast to be 93 degrees today and only 86 tomorrow. What a relief from the 100+ temperatures. I wonder if it will save the corn? The stalks actually still look green. I had expected them to be brown from the sun. Maybe the rain and the milder temperatures will allow the farmers to get the crops in before they burn up.
I was out early today to explore downtown. I went first to the Iowa Capitol. It is impressive on a high hill with not only a main dome but also four corner domes. Inside it was light and airy. It was obviously larger than the ones I've seen in the previous states; the population of Iowa is much larger. I had to go through security here, but then I was given a map and allowed to give myself a self-guided tour. It is a pretty building. I was told by the man at the tourist desk not to miss the library, and it was quite nice with about four levels of books on wrought iron flooring with circular stairwells going up to them.
From the capitol, I headed to the Iowa State Museum nearby. It had very nice exhibits about the history of the state. There was an especially good exhibit about the period of the Civil War--the numbers of men who went to war, the resistance that existed against participating in the war, how the women managed to do the farming while they were gone, the hardships of fighting the war, etc. There were also honest exhibits about how Iowa, although a free state, legally blocked Blacks from having full citizenship privileges. There were many other exhibits--about the native culture, about the arrival of the Europeans, about the development of mining and farming, etc.
A disappointment came next. I had hoped to visit the Borlaug Hall of Laureates which is in an old building with nice murals and other features. Unfortunately, the sign on the door said it is open to the public only for limited hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I will already be gone before it opens again.
Leaving that part of town, I drove eastward to see the Iowa State Fair grounds. The fair here is considered to be the ideal state fair. The grounds are in the process of being prepared. The fair starts in just two weeks. Too bad I will miss attending it.
I parked on the west end of downtown and went to the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. It is a long city block that is filled with sculptures owned by the Des Moines Art Center. I wandered through the grass taking photos and being very happy that the afternoon temperatures were so much better than they have been being.
From there, I headed to the Des Moines Art Center. I entered and started touring. I walked into the first small hall and saw art that did not impress me much--a rope with plastic bottles partially filled with colored water hanging by twisted wires from it, a piece of plastic packing binding stuck onto the wall and falling loosely according to its bends from its use around a box, etc. I looked at the name of the artist, and that's when I got a surprise. I KNEW (know) him! His name is Tony Feher, and he lived in Corpus Christi growing up and for a few years after college. He was best friends with artists in town, but I never knew he considered himself to be an artist or was trying to be one. We weren't close friends, but we have gone out together, and he has come to my home. Anyway, the surprise was further enhanced when I discovered the main gallery was full of his work. His art is the major exhibition there currently. In the main room, there was a "coffee table" book that has been published about his work. And on the Internet, there are many articles about him and many photos of him with other artists and of his works. I had not heard anything about him and had not thought about him since he left Corpus Christi in the early 1980s. Researching on the Internet, I discovered that he was recently in San Antonio as a resident artist at ArtPace and that he had an exhibit there that ran through the spring. I don't know how I missed that information. Anyway, it was a real surprise to see his name. And I find it difficult to understand that the work he produces sells for tens of thousands of dollars.
This evening, I went to Valley Junction. It's the original downtown of the town of West Des Moines. It has two long blocks of store buildings from the early 1900s. I had read it was a tourist site, and when I looked it up on the Internet, it said that tonight was an event night--a farmer's market combined with live music. I drove about 4 blocks from my hotel and caught a free shuttle bus there. Because of I was one of the first 400 drivers to take the shuttle, they gave me a $5 coupon for buying anything I wanted there. I used the coupon to buy a pork loin sandwich--two thick (3/4") slices of pork on a hamburger bun and topped with barbecue sauce. Later, I bought a piece of peach pie from a lady who had made them at her home with a homemade crust. I walked up and down the streets for two hours listening to the music--a young man singing folk songs, a trio singing songs from the 60s and 70s, a jazz band playing big band music, and a rock band playing more modern music. There was a big crowd and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was fun watching the people, seeing the foods, hearing the music, and just being in a crowd.
Steps Walked: 18,590
Miles Driven: 33
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Moving Around
Wednesday, July 25, 2012—Omaha
to Lincoln to Des Moines
I headed to Lincoln
Fortunately, the International Quilt Study Center and Museum was away from the
center of town. I spent quite a while
there seeing their exhibits. They had
some wonderful quilts on exhibit ranging from old ones made in the 1800s to
contemporary designs created recently.
I drove around and through the University of Nebraskacampus trying to get to the Sheldon Art Museum to see its
exhibits and had to give up. It was
obvious that it would be impossible to tour the campus or to get anywhere on it
because of parking restrictions and construction.
From there, I headed to the NebraskaCapitol building. Fortunately, there
were some parking spaces near it, although they had a one-hour limit. The building is a tall one similar to the
capitol in Baton Rouge
I gave up on Lincoln
after that and headed for Des Moines Omaha
Steps Walked: 6000
Miles Driven: 240
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
If You Are in Omaha, Do NOT Miss the Zoo!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012--Omaha
.
Because of the heat, I got out of the room early today to explore the town. My first stop was at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. What an experience! It's one of the best zoos I have ever visited. And TripAdvisor agrees with me, ranking it the top zoo in the country. All the animals have large enclosures, and more than half the zoo is indoors in environments especially built to represent places in the world where the exhibited species are from. There is a huge glass-domed building that houses deserts--Namibian, Australian Outback, Sonoran, etc. The native plants from each are growing, and the animals from those places are mostly "loose." The ape house is absolutely huge with lots of different ones on exhibit in very large enclosures. The "night" building has a huge section that is a swamp, and as one walks along, movement can be seen in the waters--an alligator here, a fish there, a bullfrog barking elsewhere. The jungle exhibit is like the desert exhibit with sections for various jungles--Amazon, Africa, etc. Rather than having an animal like a hyppopotamus in an enclosure with a pool of water where it can cool down, they have it in a "natural" pool of water within the African jungle section. That's the way most of the exhibits are for this zoo. There's even a huge building dedicated to Madagascar and its birds and animals--something rarely seen anywhere. The zoo is a must-see if you are ever near Omaha. I spent over 3 hours there, and there were hundreds of cars in the parking lot indicating that a lot more people know about this special place.
From the zoo, I headed downtown. I drove by the Old Market, a district of town with shops and restaurants for tourists. I parked and saw the exhibits at the Joslyn Art Museum. It's a large museum that with varied collections, but it seems to specialize mostly in American art. I drove by the Creighton University campus, a small, private school that has a pretty campus and a good reputation.
It was HOT again today, and it was already 14:30 when I got back to the hotel area. I decided to pull into Costco and buy me a drink and have appetizers on them--the samples they give out between about 14:00 and 16:00. Then I came to the hotel to relax. This evening, I just went to the nearby McDonald's for a simple dinner.
Steps Walked: 15,685
Miles Driven: 30
.
Because of the heat, I got out of the room early today to explore the town. My first stop was at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. What an experience! It's one of the best zoos I have ever visited. And TripAdvisor agrees with me, ranking it the top zoo in the country. All the animals have large enclosures, and more than half the zoo is indoors in environments especially built to represent places in the world where the exhibited species are from. There is a huge glass-domed building that houses deserts--Namibian, Australian Outback, Sonoran, etc. The native plants from each are growing, and the animals from those places are mostly "loose." The ape house is absolutely huge with lots of different ones on exhibit in very large enclosures. The "night" building has a huge section that is a swamp, and as one walks along, movement can be seen in the waters--an alligator here, a fish there, a bullfrog barking elsewhere. The jungle exhibit is like the desert exhibit with sections for various jungles--Amazon, Africa, etc. Rather than having an animal like a hyppopotamus in an enclosure with a pool of water where it can cool down, they have it in a "natural" pool of water within the African jungle section. That's the way most of the exhibits are for this zoo. There's even a huge building dedicated to Madagascar and its birds and animals--something rarely seen anywhere. The zoo is a must-see if you are ever near Omaha. I spent over 3 hours there, and there were hundreds of cars in the parking lot indicating that a lot more people know about this special place.
From the zoo, I headed downtown. I drove by the Old Market, a district of town with shops and restaurants for tourists. I parked and saw the exhibits at the Joslyn Art Museum. It's a large museum that with varied collections, but it seems to specialize mostly in American art. I drove by the Creighton University campus, a small, private school that has a pretty campus and a good reputation.
It was HOT again today, and it was already 14:30 when I got back to the hotel area. I decided to pull into Costco and buy me a drink and have appetizers on them--the samples they give out between about 14:00 and 16:00. Then I came to the hotel to relax. This evening, I just went to the nearby McDonald's for a simple dinner.
Steps Walked: 15,685
Miles Driven: 30
Monday, July 23, 2012
Car Is Ready for the Road Again
Monday, July 23, 2012--Sioux City to Omaha
I had made a reservation at a motel just a block from the Lexus dealership. Arriving an hour before my appointment, I decided to take a chance of asking if the motel might already have a room ready (even though official check-in time isn't until the afternoon). The lady was very kind when I explained I was getting my car serviced and would prefer not to take it there with the trunk full. I got a room and moved everything out of the trunk and into it.
When I took the car to the dealer, I apologized for how dirty it was. I asked how long the service would take, and they told me about 1 1/2 hours. Unlike San Antonio, there was not a stream of cars coming into the service bay. In fact, mine was apparently the last one of the morning. The waiting room had only about 10 people inside, and some of those were couples so that there were no more than about 6 cars being serviced. The waiting area was much more sterile than in San Antonio and lacked the "luxury" offerings. It had only a single-cup coffee maker, some teabags, some jellybeans, some salty snacks, and some dried fruits. In San Antonio, they have a full coffee bar with a barista, juices, pastries, nuts, chocolates, etc.
Anyway, I read and waited. Gradually, they called everyone but me to pick up their car. Then it was my turn. They were very nice and explained everything they did.
I was tired, and the day was turning hot. I returned to the hotel room for the afternoon. I spent time on the computer, read a couple of magazines, and finished reading my present novel--Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. It is written as if it is the memoirs of a dying 70+-year-old minister to his 7-year-old son. It was very well written and has won multiple prizes. It was a long read for me just because of my general lack of interest in religion. I would give the book 3 1/2 stars out of 4 for its quality and probably 2 out 4 stars in terms of my interest in it.
There is a Costco just across the street from the Lexus dealership, so I went there at 16:30 just to get out of the room and to grab something to eat, since my only meal had been breakfast. I got a polish sausage in a bun and a cola and wandered the store just looking around. Afterward, I returned to the room rather than consider doing anything else, because the temperature was 106 degrees!
Tonight, I must plan what I will do now. It is hot everywhere in the plains. I have to decide whether to explore further in this area or to try to reach the mountains of Missouri and Arkansas which should be a bit cooler.
Steps Walked: 4907
Miles Driven: 103
I had made a reservation at a motel just a block from the Lexus dealership. Arriving an hour before my appointment, I decided to take a chance of asking if the motel might already have a room ready (even though official check-in time isn't until the afternoon). The lady was very kind when I explained I was getting my car serviced and would prefer not to take it there with the trunk full. I got a room and moved everything out of the trunk and into it.
When I took the car to the dealer, I apologized for how dirty it was. I asked how long the service would take, and they told me about 1 1/2 hours. Unlike San Antonio, there was not a stream of cars coming into the service bay. In fact, mine was apparently the last one of the morning. The waiting room had only about 10 people inside, and some of those were couples so that there were no more than about 6 cars being serviced. The waiting area was much more sterile than in San Antonio and lacked the "luxury" offerings. It had only a single-cup coffee maker, some teabags, some jellybeans, some salty snacks, and some dried fruits. In San Antonio, they have a full coffee bar with a barista, juices, pastries, nuts, chocolates, etc.
Anyway, I read and waited. Gradually, they called everyone but me to pick up their car. Then it was my turn. They were very nice and explained everything they did.
I was tired, and the day was turning hot. I returned to the hotel room for the afternoon. I spent time on the computer, read a couple of magazines, and finished reading my present novel--Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. It is written as if it is the memoirs of a dying 70+-year-old minister to his 7-year-old son. It was very well written and has won multiple prizes. It was a long read for me just because of my general lack of interest in religion. I would give the book 3 1/2 stars out of 4 for its quality and probably 2 out 4 stars in terms of my interest in it.
There is a Costco just across the street from the Lexus dealership, so I went there at 16:30 just to get out of the room and to grab something to eat, since my only meal had been breakfast. I got a polish sausage in a bun and a cola and wandered the store just looking around. Afterward, I returned to the room rather than consider doing anything else, because the temperature was 106 degrees!
Tonight, I must plan what I will do now. It is hot everywhere in the plains. I have to decide whether to explore further in this area or to try to reach the mountains of Missouri and Arkansas which should be a bit cooler.
Steps Walked: 4907
Miles Driven: 103
Sunday, July 22, 2012
You Squash Um, We Wash Um!
Sunday, July 22, 2012--Pierre to Mitchell to Sioux Falls to Sioux City
I explored the South Dakota capitol building and downtown before leaving Pierre. Unlike the one in Wyoming, the building in Pierre was open on a Sunday. I walked inside. A policeman was in an office to the side of the door and looked up to say hello. I signed in at a register. Then I wandered the building by myself with a printed guidebook. It was amazing that I could go through the whole building on my own.
I wonder if the South Dakota and Montana capitol buildings had the same architect, since they share some similar features--stained glass in the dome, stained glass in the ceiling of the Senate chamber, and a curved, galleria-style stained glass ceiling over the main stairwell. The stained glass in the Montana building was more beautiful, but the other decorative features of the South Dakota building were more elaborate. (I took a photo of a fascinating polished brass drinking fountain inside a marble niche.) Also, the South Dakota building seems to be larger.
Pierre is the smallest of the cities that serve as capital cities, I believe. It's metropolitan area has fewer than 20,000 people. It is really a small town that just happens to have a government center on the north side. The downtown is very small. It goes about two blocks and has only simple shops. Most shopping is done at Walmart. It has no university, but instead has only a university center in one building where classes can be taken. It would be difficult living there, I think, since it is so far (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours) from anywhere larger.
I took a scenic route out of Pierre which followed a lake formed on the Missouri River. As I crossed the bridge going west, I saw a sign indicating I was entering the Mountain Time Zone, so I had only entered Central Time last night by crossing that bridge and going about 5 blocks to my hotel. This road went through a large area of Sioux Indian reservation land.
As I approached Sioux Falls, there was an air show taking place. I first saw a plane do a complete loop. Then I saw several planes flying in formation and splitting up at points. It was probably the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels. I continued seeing them as I drove through the center of the city.
In Sioux Falls, I exited to visit the zoo which has a reciprocal agreement with the one in San Antonio. The zoo itself is rather small, and many of the animals were hidden from view because of the heat (over 100 degrees). However, the zoo is combined with a natural history museum that has stuffed animals arranged by habitat--African savanna, Rocky Mountains, Artic Region, etc. That makes it possible for people to see animals which the zoo cannot afford to have on show in live exhibits. They even had a Giant Panda!! There was a note saying that the government of China had donated it. This is a great idea that other zoos should copy, especially since many animals are rare and may be impossible to acquire alive. But as they die in other zoos or in the wild, the bodies could be sent to zoos to put on display for perpetuity with no feeding or medical costs.
I'm staying in south Sioux City so that I can get a good start for Omaha tomorrow. It is about 1 1/2 hours away, and I have an appointment to get my Lexus serviced there tomorrow at 11:40. My car is so dirty that I searched for a car wash. There was only one near my hotel, and it was closed. I'm now in the plains with lots of corn and wheat crops which means lots of bugs in the area. The local car wash sign said, "You squash um, we'll wash um." After getting the car serviced, I can slow down some and not drive so much each day. However, the plains is an area of excessive heat, so I don't know how much I will be able to enjoy.
Steps Walked: 9129
Miles Driven: 328
I explored the South Dakota capitol building and downtown before leaving Pierre. Unlike the one in Wyoming, the building in Pierre was open on a Sunday. I walked inside. A policeman was in an office to the side of the door and looked up to say hello. I signed in at a register. Then I wandered the building by myself with a printed guidebook. It was amazing that I could go through the whole building on my own.
I wonder if the South Dakota and Montana capitol buildings had the same architect, since they share some similar features--stained glass in the dome, stained glass in the ceiling of the Senate chamber, and a curved, galleria-style stained glass ceiling over the main stairwell. The stained glass in the Montana building was more beautiful, but the other decorative features of the South Dakota building were more elaborate. (I took a photo of a fascinating polished brass drinking fountain inside a marble niche.) Also, the South Dakota building seems to be larger.
Pierre is the smallest of the cities that serve as capital cities, I believe. It's metropolitan area has fewer than 20,000 people. It is really a small town that just happens to have a government center on the north side. The downtown is very small. It goes about two blocks and has only simple shops. Most shopping is done at Walmart. It has no university, but instead has only a university center in one building where classes can be taken. It would be difficult living there, I think, since it is so far (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours) from anywhere larger.
I took a scenic route out of Pierre which followed a lake formed on the Missouri River. As I crossed the bridge going west, I saw a sign indicating I was entering the Mountain Time Zone, so I had only entered Central Time last night by crossing that bridge and going about 5 blocks to my hotel. This road went through a large area of Sioux Indian reservation land.
As I approached Sioux Falls, there was an air show taking place. I first saw a plane do a complete loop. Then I saw several planes flying in formation and splitting up at points. It was probably the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels. I continued seeing them as I drove through the center of the city.
In Sioux Falls, I exited to visit the zoo which has a reciprocal agreement with the one in San Antonio. The zoo itself is rather small, and many of the animals were hidden from view because of the heat (over 100 degrees). However, the zoo is combined with a natural history museum that has stuffed animals arranged by habitat--African savanna, Rocky Mountains, Artic Region, etc. That makes it possible for people to see animals which the zoo cannot afford to have on show in live exhibits. They even had a Giant Panda!! There was a note saying that the government of China had donated it. This is a great idea that other zoos should copy, especially since many animals are rare and may be impossible to acquire alive. But as they die in other zoos or in the wild, the bodies could be sent to zoos to put on display for perpetuity with no feeding or medical costs.
I'm staying in south Sioux City so that I can get a good start for Omaha tomorrow. It is about 1 1/2 hours away, and I have an appointment to get my Lexus serviced there tomorrow at 11:40. My car is so dirty that I searched for a car wash. There was only one near my hotel, and it was closed. I'm now in the plains with lots of corn and wheat crops which means lots of bugs in the area. The local car wash sign said, "You squash um, we'll wash um." After getting the car serviced, I can slow down some and not drive so much each day. However, the plains is an area of excessive heat, so I don't know how much I will be able to enjoy.
Steps Walked: 9129
Miles Driven: 328
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Adjusting Trip to Get Lexus Serviced
Saturday, July 21, 2012--Miles City, MT to Pierre, SD via Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Mount Rushmore
I knew I would need to get my car serviced on this trip. The fact that it only gets an oil change every 10,000 miles and that this will be the 20,000 mile service makes it even more critical. However, there are no Lexus dealerships in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, or South Dakota. I had hoped I could make my trip without concern and end up in either Omaha or Kansas City by the time I hit 20,000. But the distances have been long and the mileage has been piling up. I realized in Helena that I needed to head straight for Omaha. I called and made an appointment for Monday morning knowing that there would be little to see between the two places. But the distance from Helena to Omaha is HUGE. I've gone a little out of my way to see the little that is worthwhile on this route.
Today, I traveled about 13 hours and made only two major stops!! The first was the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. It is a beautiful and nice park. Best of all, it is not overrun with tourists. There were people there, but the longest line of cars I was in on the whole visit was 3 or 4 of us. I drove the loop trail seeing the unusual and sometimes colorful hill (mountain?) formations that seem more like dirt hills than rocky ones and the wildlife of the park. Prairie dogs were in many locations and were fun to watch. I saw several herds of buffaloes and observed how they seem to like traveling on the roads. It's a bit scary trying to pass 4-5 huge buffaloes on a 2-lane roadway seeing how big they are and realizing they could get scared and turn on your car aggressively, especially since most of the groups had young calves the mothers were protecting. Speaking of that, it was fun to watch one mother and her calf moving along the roadway; the mother walked along the side of the road while the calf, with so much youthful energy, ran up and down the small hills beside the road while following along. The park is also known for its wild horses, but I didn't see any of them.
The second stop was for Mount Rushmore which is a tourist trap! I was expecting it to be a reverent place because of it being a national monument. Instead, it seems to exist mostly to rake in parking fees, listening device fees, etc., from the thousands of people who show up--$11 per car and $50 per bus for parking. I had already pulled off at a roadside stop to see the monument and take a photo, so when I saw the line of cars, the hundreds of people, and the cost of the parking lot, I just continued driving. I actually got a fantastic view, because the roadway turned and I was driving right toward the monument. I didn't have my camera out, or I could have taken a perfect photo through the windshield. Anyway, I have seen the monument, and I would advise anyone not to take the effort to go there. At the base of the hill is also a tacky tourist development designed to further get money out of people's pockets.
Besides those two major sites, I drove through the town of Deadwood and was disappointed with it. Instead of being an old city that is interesting to see, it is mainly casinos and tourist shops. Many of the buildings are new ones made to look old. I suggest going to see Virginia City and Nevada City in Montana instead. I also pulled off in Wall, SD, because there had been signs for miles about the Wall Drug Store--homemade doughnuts, homemade pie, homemade ice cream, 5 cent coffee, etc. Wall is a small town that has two blocks of solid traffic and full parking because of this business that has taken over most of one block. I needed to use the toilet, so I went into the business and looked around. It was interesting. Everyone in there was eating something fattening!
When I got into the hotel room, I discovered I'm back in the Central Time Zone. I expected it to be 21:00, and it was already 22:00. That means I'll be getting to bed later than I had hoped.
Tomorrow, I'll have a shorter drive, but there won't be much to see. I'll explore Pierre before leaving tomorrow morning, and I'll stop in Sioux Falls. Otherwise, that will be it, I think. I'll write about it tomorrow night.
Steps Walked: Only 3140 (due to so much driving)
Miles Driven: 645!
I knew I would need to get my car serviced on this trip. The fact that it only gets an oil change every 10,000 miles and that this will be the 20,000 mile service makes it even more critical. However, there are no Lexus dealerships in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, or South Dakota. I had hoped I could make my trip without concern and end up in either Omaha or Kansas City by the time I hit 20,000. But the distances have been long and the mileage has been piling up. I realized in Helena that I needed to head straight for Omaha. I called and made an appointment for Monday morning knowing that there would be little to see between the two places. But the distance from Helena to Omaha is HUGE. I've gone a little out of my way to see the little that is worthwhile on this route.
Today, I traveled about 13 hours and made only two major stops!! The first was the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. It is a beautiful and nice park. Best of all, it is not overrun with tourists. There were people there, but the longest line of cars I was in on the whole visit was 3 or 4 of us. I drove the loop trail seeing the unusual and sometimes colorful hill (mountain?) formations that seem more like dirt hills than rocky ones and the wildlife of the park. Prairie dogs were in many locations and were fun to watch. I saw several herds of buffaloes and observed how they seem to like traveling on the roads. It's a bit scary trying to pass 4-5 huge buffaloes on a 2-lane roadway seeing how big they are and realizing they could get scared and turn on your car aggressively, especially since most of the groups had young calves the mothers were protecting. Speaking of that, it was fun to watch one mother and her calf moving along the roadway; the mother walked along the side of the road while the calf, with so much youthful energy, ran up and down the small hills beside the road while following along. The park is also known for its wild horses, but I didn't see any of them.
The second stop was for Mount Rushmore which is a tourist trap! I was expecting it to be a reverent place because of it being a national monument. Instead, it seems to exist mostly to rake in parking fees, listening device fees, etc., from the thousands of people who show up--$11 per car and $50 per bus for parking. I had already pulled off at a roadside stop to see the monument and take a photo, so when I saw the line of cars, the hundreds of people, and the cost of the parking lot, I just continued driving. I actually got a fantastic view, because the roadway turned and I was driving right toward the monument. I didn't have my camera out, or I could have taken a perfect photo through the windshield. Anyway, I have seen the monument, and I would advise anyone not to take the effort to go there. At the base of the hill is also a tacky tourist development designed to further get money out of people's pockets.
Besides those two major sites, I drove through the town of Deadwood and was disappointed with it. Instead of being an old city that is interesting to see, it is mainly casinos and tourist shops. Many of the buildings are new ones made to look old. I suggest going to see Virginia City and Nevada City in Montana instead. I also pulled off in Wall, SD, because there had been signs for miles about the Wall Drug Store--homemade doughnuts, homemade pie, homemade ice cream, 5 cent coffee, etc. Wall is a small town that has two blocks of solid traffic and full parking because of this business that has taken over most of one block. I needed to use the toilet, so I went into the business and looked around. It was interesting. Everyone in there was eating something fattening!
When I got into the hotel room, I discovered I'm back in the Central Time Zone. I expected it to be 21:00, and it was already 22:00. That means I'll be getting to bed later than I had hoped.
Tomorrow, I'll have a shorter drive, but there won't be much to see. I'll explore Pierre before leaving tomorrow morning, and I'll stop in Sioux Falls. Otherwise, that will be it, I think. I'll write about it tomorrow night.
Steps Walked: Only 3140 (due to so much driving)
Miles Driven: 645!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Crossing Montana
Friday, July 20, 2012--Helena to Bozeman to Billings to Miles City
My goal today was just to get across Montana. Most of what is worth seeing is in the western part of the state, but I needed to be ready to enter North Dakota tomorrow morning. That meant traveling eastward across much of the state. I left around 9:00 in the morning and got to Miles City at 17:30.
I made only one big stop on the way. That was to see Bozeman which I've heard and read good things about. I first went to the Montana State University campus. It is a big campus with lots of open grass lawns and views of the mountains in the distance. But I was not impressed with the buildings. The 4-5 older buildings were rather plain looking on the exterior. The student center, which is among these, had a nice lounge with a mural inside, however. And the many buildings from the 1960s-80s were even plainer looking--essentially just brick boxes with windows for the most part. There were a couple of recent buildings that were better than others, especially the biology/biochemistry building.
I intended to also walk downtown, but when I got there, it was so crowded with people that I just drove through. It gave me the impression of the downtown in Boulder (minus the pedestrian mall) with lots of local people crowding the sidewalks to visit and shop.
I had thought to explore downtown Billings and its riverfront, too, but time was slipping away by the time I got there. Instead, I pulled off at Costco to get gasoline and continued on my way.
Miles City isn't a tourist town. It's downtown is 1/3 empty, probably due to the new Walmart near my motel. There is a wonderful old theater called the Montana that is still operating. Too bad I didn't have time to see the feature showing there which started at 19:00. It was already 19:30 by the time I researched my reservations for the weekend and got down there.
Tomorrow will be a busy day. I will visit the Badlands in both North and South Dakota (along the western side of both states) and will probably camp somewhere there.
Steps Walked: 9187
Miles Driven: 411
My goal today was just to get across Montana. Most of what is worth seeing is in the western part of the state, but I needed to be ready to enter North Dakota tomorrow morning. That meant traveling eastward across much of the state. I left around 9:00 in the morning and got to Miles City at 17:30.
I made only one big stop on the way. That was to see Bozeman which I've heard and read good things about. I first went to the Montana State University campus. It is a big campus with lots of open grass lawns and views of the mountains in the distance. But I was not impressed with the buildings. The 4-5 older buildings were rather plain looking on the exterior. The student center, which is among these, had a nice lounge with a mural inside, however. And the many buildings from the 1960s-80s were even plainer looking--essentially just brick boxes with windows for the most part. There were a couple of recent buildings that were better than others, especially the biology/biochemistry building.
I intended to also walk downtown, but when I got there, it was so crowded with people that I just drove through. It gave me the impression of the downtown in Boulder (minus the pedestrian mall) with lots of local people crowding the sidewalks to visit and shop.
I had thought to explore downtown Billings and its riverfront, too, but time was slipping away by the time I got there. Instead, I pulled off at Costco to get gasoline and continued on my way.
Miles City isn't a tourist town. It's downtown is 1/3 empty, probably due to the new Walmart near my motel. There is a wonderful old theater called the Montana that is still operating. Too bad I didn't have time to see the feature showing there which started at 19:00. It was already 19:30 by the time I researched my reservations for the weekend and got down there.
Tomorrow will be a busy day. I will visit the Badlands in both North and South Dakota (along the western side of both states) and will probably camp somewhere there.
Steps Walked: 9187
Miles Driven: 411
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Taking a Day to Relax in Helena
Thursday, July 19, 2012--Helena, Montana
Last night I studied my guidebooks and my maps and I thought a lot about whether I should try to return to Yellowstone to see more of it. I decided not to do so. It is a mess with traffic jams, full campgrounds, etc. It is better to visit that park during the school year--maybe May or September. I also decided against going up to Glacier National Park for two reasons: 1) From what I have read it will be just as overrun with tourists as Yellowstone is at this time of the year. 2) My car will need servicing in 800 miles, and there are no Lexus dealerships until I get down to Nebraska. Before planning exactly what I would do, I headed out to enjoy Helena today.
I stopped at the State Capitol and wandered through the building. It is a pretty one with lots of stained glass--a side window, a curved galleria ceiling, and a ceiling inside the old supreme court portion. It also seems to be well maintained. There was no security at the door and no one seemed to pay any attention to me as I wandered through the building.
Across the street, I went to see the Montana Museum. It was a bit of a disappointment. There were some nice exhibits, but it seems there could have been so much more. The best part was the portion showing the progression of the history of the residents of the state.
From there, I explored downtown Helena. It's much smaller than the downtown I explored in Butte yesterday with only a few big buildings. But it is clean and attractive. There seem to be lots of creative people here with many of the downtown buildings housing design offices, architecture offices, advertising agencies, etc. I visited the Holter Museum of Art, and I searched for the Myrna Loy Center and never found it. That's fine, though, since I have already seen one of the films showing there and have no interest in seeing the other.
It was hot and I was only a little bit hungry after my large breakfast at the hotel this morning. I drove out to Costco and bought one of their hand-dipped ice cream bars--like a Dove bar but with a THICK coating of chocolate and LOTS of LARGE CHUNKS of almonds (and 870 calories, unfortunately). It was my first time to eat a whole one by myself. In the past, I have always shared them with either Wes or Sue. It's hard to get more calories for the same amount of money, though--at $1.50, that's almost 6 calories per penny! I'll have to walk a lot more for the next few days.
I considered going to the swimming pool called Last Chance Splash Waterpark which has a lazy river, water slides, and other features. I drove by there, but when I walked around the outside of the pool looking to see what was happening, I decided against it. It was full mostly of children and their mothers. It would have been awkward for a person alone to have been in there, especially since it was too crowded with the people already there. I returned to the hotel to do some reading on the computer.
While further researching my tourist literature, I decided to head across Montana tomorrow with short stops in Bozeman, Livingston, and Billings. I made a reservation for tomorrow night at a hotel in Miles City near the border to North Dakota. The next day, I will explore the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and continue into the Badlands of South Dakota. Tomorrow night, I will have to decide whether to make a hotel reservation or to try to camp for a night when I get to the Badlands.
The newspaper had listed an outdoor concert by the State Capital Band at 20:00 in an amphitheater at Memorial Park where the swimming pool is located. After eating pizza for dinner, I headed to there. It brought back memories of the many Sundays that friends and I attended concerts in Corpus Christi in the summer at the amphitheater. The band here may not have sounded as good as the one in Corpus, but the announcer was definitely better!! They played a variety of marches and show tunes and ended the concert with the state song of Montana entitled Montana. I had never heard it before, but it was a peppy and nice sounding song. Here's a video of the tune. The words are:
Montana, Montana,
Glory of the West
Of all the states from coast to coast,
You're easily the best.
Montana, Montana,
Where skies are always blue
M-O-N-T-A-N-A,
Montana, I love you.
It was nice sitting out in the fresh air with a crowd. The music was nice, and there were mountains to see in the distance.
Steps Walked: 11,981
Mileage Driven: Minimal (Will report it with tomorrow's total when I drive all the way across the state)
Last night I studied my guidebooks and my maps and I thought a lot about whether I should try to return to Yellowstone to see more of it. I decided not to do so. It is a mess with traffic jams, full campgrounds, etc. It is better to visit that park during the school year--maybe May or September. I also decided against going up to Glacier National Park for two reasons: 1) From what I have read it will be just as overrun with tourists as Yellowstone is at this time of the year. 2) My car will need servicing in 800 miles, and there are no Lexus dealerships until I get down to Nebraska. Before planning exactly what I would do, I headed out to enjoy Helena today.
I stopped at the State Capitol and wandered through the building. It is a pretty one with lots of stained glass--a side window, a curved galleria ceiling, and a ceiling inside the old supreme court portion. It also seems to be well maintained. There was no security at the door and no one seemed to pay any attention to me as I wandered through the building.
Across the street, I went to see the Montana Museum. It was a bit of a disappointment. There were some nice exhibits, but it seems there could have been so much more. The best part was the portion showing the progression of the history of the residents of the state.
From there, I explored downtown Helena. It's much smaller than the downtown I explored in Butte yesterday with only a few big buildings. But it is clean and attractive. There seem to be lots of creative people here with many of the downtown buildings housing design offices, architecture offices, advertising agencies, etc. I visited the Holter Museum of Art, and I searched for the Myrna Loy Center and never found it. That's fine, though, since I have already seen one of the films showing there and have no interest in seeing the other.
It was hot and I was only a little bit hungry after my large breakfast at the hotel this morning. I drove out to Costco and bought one of their hand-dipped ice cream bars--like a Dove bar but with a THICK coating of chocolate and LOTS of LARGE CHUNKS of almonds (and 870 calories, unfortunately). It was my first time to eat a whole one by myself. In the past, I have always shared them with either Wes or Sue. It's hard to get more calories for the same amount of money, though--at $1.50, that's almost 6 calories per penny! I'll have to walk a lot more for the next few days.
I considered going to the swimming pool called Last Chance Splash Waterpark which has a lazy river, water slides, and other features. I drove by there, but when I walked around the outside of the pool looking to see what was happening, I decided against it. It was full mostly of children and their mothers. It would have been awkward for a person alone to have been in there, especially since it was too crowded with the people already there. I returned to the hotel to do some reading on the computer.
While further researching my tourist literature, I decided to head across Montana tomorrow with short stops in Bozeman, Livingston, and Billings. I made a reservation for tomorrow night at a hotel in Miles City near the border to North Dakota. The next day, I will explore the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and continue into the Badlands of South Dakota. Tomorrow night, I will have to decide whether to make a hotel reservation or to try to camp for a night when I get to the Badlands.
The newspaper had listed an outdoor concert by the State Capital Band at 20:00 in an amphitheater at Memorial Park where the swimming pool is located. After eating pizza for dinner, I headed to there. It brought back memories of the many Sundays that friends and I attended concerts in Corpus Christi in the summer at the amphitheater. The band here may not have sounded as good as the one in Corpus, but the announcer was definitely better!! They played a variety of marches and show tunes and ended the concert with the state song of Montana entitled Montana. I had never heard it before, but it was a peppy and nice sounding song. Here's a video of the tune. The words are:
Montana, Montana,
Glory of the West
Of all the states from coast to coast,
You're easily the best.
Montana, Montana,
Where skies are always blue
M-O-N-T-A-N-A,
Montana, I love you.
It was nice sitting out in the fresh air with a crowd. The music was nice, and there were mountains to see in the distance.
Steps Walked: 11,981
Mileage Driven: Minimal (Will report it with tomorrow's total when I drive all the way across the state)
Exploring Montana
Wednesday, July 12, 2012--Yellowstone to Virginia City to Nevada City to Butte to Helena
Before going to bed last night, I looked at the maps and considered my options. I knew I would not have a place to sleep inside Yellowstone if I returned today, so I decided just to turn the opposite direction and start touring Montana. I may return to Yellowstone in a couple of days if I can make contact and get a reservation for a camping site.
I drove to Virginia City and Nevada City, two old mining towns that are mostly ghost towns today. Many of the buildings are dilapidated and maintained with the old furnishings and merchandise from long ago. It was fascinating to walk the wooden sidewalks and peek into them. There were clothing stores, a barber shop, grocery stores, etc. What made it so special was all the authentic merchandise that could be seen on the shelves. I walked the streets of both towns and took photos.
From there, I headed to Butte. It's an interesting town. It seems mostly poor, and it is not very large today. However, the downtown area is many blocks in size and filled very many huge brick buildings (5-6 stories tall) from its heyday as a copper mining town. Some of these buildings now house apartments or lofts. Most have either shops or offices on the ground floor and are abandoned above that level. I spent a long time walking the streets and taking photos of the interesting architecture of the city. I went inside the old Fox Theater where they were rehearsing a play. I also went inside a modern grocery store, Hennessy Market, that serves the people living downtown--something many cities do not have for their downtown residents. The view of the town is dominated by the huge mountainside which was carved out for its copper in the 1800s.
From Butte, I continued to Helena, the capital. I arrived too late to explore the city. I checked into the Howard Johnson and got directions to Costco where I went to have a hot dog for dinner.
Steps Walked: 14,207
Miles Driven: 238
Before going to bed last night, I looked at the maps and considered my options. I knew I would not have a place to sleep inside Yellowstone if I returned today, so I decided just to turn the opposite direction and start touring Montana. I may return to Yellowstone in a couple of days if I can make contact and get a reservation for a camping site.
I drove to Virginia City and Nevada City, two old mining towns that are mostly ghost towns today. Many of the buildings are dilapidated and maintained with the old furnishings and merchandise from long ago. It was fascinating to walk the wooden sidewalks and peek into them. There were clothing stores, a barber shop, grocery stores, etc. What made it so special was all the authentic merchandise that could be seen on the shelves. I walked the streets of both towns and took photos.
From there, I headed to Butte. It's an interesting town. It seems mostly poor, and it is not very large today. However, the downtown area is many blocks in size and filled very many huge brick buildings (5-6 stories tall) from its heyday as a copper mining town. Some of these buildings now house apartments or lofts. Most have either shops or offices on the ground floor and are abandoned above that level. I spent a long time walking the streets and taking photos of the interesting architecture of the city. I went inside the old Fox Theater where they were rehearsing a play. I also went inside a modern grocery store, Hennessy Market, that serves the people living downtown--something many cities do not have for their downtown residents. The view of the town is dominated by the huge mountainside which was carved out for its copper in the 1800s.
From Butte, I continued to Helena, the capital. I arrived too late to explore the city. I checked into the Howard Johnson and got directions to Costco where I went to have a hot dog for dinner.
Steps Walked: 14,207
Miles Driven: 238
Escaping the Mess of Yellowstone
Tuesday, July 17, 2012--Thermopolis to Jackson to Grand Teton to Yellowstone
Thermopolis is known for its hot springs. I arrived at the Wyoming State Bath House at 8:45. It's free to soak in the slightly sulfuric waters. There's a limit of 20 minutes, then one must wait two hours before returning. I was checked in by a lady who said that she and her husband are there from Bastrop to volunteer at the bathhouse for the summer. There were maybe 5 other people soaking in the outdoor pool at that hour. The water felt great. After my 20 minutes were up, I showered and hit the road.
I headed for Jackson. The roadway there was beautiful with views of Grand Teton National Park. When I arrived, the city was overrun with tourists. Many of them seemed to be Chinese. I got a map of the city from the tourist office and walked back and forth going up and down the streets. It's really a town for shoppers, and I had no interest in shopping. The architecture was nice, though, with a western style to it. I stopped at a bakery and bought a pastry before heading back to my car.
I entered Grand Teton National Park as I left town. I have always admired the photos of the mountains in it, and they looked just as I remembered. I was a bit surprised, however, that the roads in the park do not go through the mountains. Instead, they stay in the valley. They are closer to the mountains, however, than the road I followed going into town. The views were spectacular.
Just a few miles after leaving Grand Teton, I arrived at Yellowstone National Park to be greeted by signs indicating that all campgrounds were full. I followed a long line of traffic to enter the park around 16:30. I pulled into one of the large developments with a visitor center and went inside to get information. The woman said I could try the campground to see if there had been any cancellations. She further said that sleeping in the car is not allowed in the park. No camping sites were free, so I would have to go to the west and exit into Montana (about 90 minutes away) or to the east and exit toward Cody (about 2 hours away). I decided to go west, because that route would at least take me by Old Faithful.
I realized the timing would be right for me to arrive there just before it erupted. Sure enough, I pulled into the lot about 8 minutes before the beginning of the 20-minute period when it might erupt (anticipated at 18:51 plus/minus 10 minutes). I sat on a tree back away from the main seating area and visited with a woman and her son from California. At 18:55, Old Faithful erupted. It was beautiful and bigger than I expected. Hundreds of people were there to see it, and I kept wondering how horrible the crowds would be in mid-morning to mid-afternoon.
I rushed back to the car to get out before others could reach their own vehicles. Still, I was in a long line of traffic due to the overall crowds in the park. And the line of traffic would come to a standstill if anyone say any sign of wildlife. Once, it was stop-and-go traffic for about 15 minutes, and when I reached the point of the delay, I could see it was because of two deer!!! I was so frustrated by the time I got out of the park, I was wondering whether I wanted to return or not.
Even outside the park, there was a carnival atmosphere with people everywhere and lines of cars on the streets and roads. A national forest campground recommended by the lady at the park had a sign saying it was full. The traffic situation was horrible. I was so frustrated at not finding anything, I started just driving away. In a few minutes, I passed a sign indicating another campground. I drove for about 20 minutes down a rough, washboard-type road and finally reached it. I got there at 20:30 with just about 30 minutes left of light to see to get the tent up and my things inside it. It was a nice location, however, beside a lake.
Steps Walked: 6623
Miles Driven: 375
Thermopolis is known for its hot springs. I arrived at the Wyoming State Bath House at 8:45. It's free to soak in the slightly sulfuric waters. There's a limit of 20 minutes, then one must wait two hours before returning. I was checked in by a lady who said that she and her husband are there from Bastrop to volunteer at the bathhouse for the summer. There were maybe 5 other people soaking in the outdoor pool at that hour. The water felt great. After my 20 minutes were up, I showered and hit the road.
I headed for Jackson. The roadway there was beautiful with views of Grand Teton National Park. When I arrived, the city was overrun with tourists. Many of them seemed to be Chinese. I got a map of the city from the tourist office and walked back and forth going up and down the streets. It's really a town for shoppers, and I had no interest in shopping. The architecture was nice, though, with a western style to it. I stopped at a bakery and bought a pastry before heading back to my car.
I entered Grand Teton National Park as I left town. I have always admired the photos of the mountains in it, and they looked just as I remembered. I was a bit surprised, however, that the roads in the park do not go through the mountains. Instead, they stay in the valley. They are closer to the mountains, however, than the road I followed going into town. The views were spectacular.
Just a few miles after leaving Grand Teton, I arrived at Yellowstone National Park to be greeted by signs indicating that all campgrounds were full. I followed a long line of traffic to enter the park around 16:30. I pulled into one of the large developments with a visitor center and went inside to get information. The woman said I could try the campground to see if there had been any cancellations. She further said that sleeping in the car is not allowed in the park. No camping sites were free, so I would have to go to the west and exit into Montana (about 90 minutes away) or to the east and exit toward Cody (about 2 hours away). I decided to go west, because that route would at least take me by Old Faithful.
I realized the timing would be right for me to arrive there just before it erupted. Sure enough, I pulled into the lot about 8 minutes before the beginning of the 20-minute period when it might erupt (anticipated at 18:51 plus/minus 10 minutes). I sat on a tree back away from the main seating area and visited with a woman and her son from California. At 18:55, Old Faithful erupted. It was beautiful and bigger than I expected. Hundreds of people were there to see it, and I kept wondering how horrible the crowds would be in mid-morning to mid-afternoon.
I rushed back to the car to get out before others could reach their own vehicles. Still, I was in a long line of traffic due to the overall crowds in the park. And the line of traffic would come to a standstill if anyone say any sign of wildlife. Once, it was stop-and-go traffic for about 15 minutes, and when I reached the point of the delay, I could see it was because of two deer!!! I was so frustrated by the time I got out of the park, I was wondering whether I wanted to return or not.
Even outside the park, there was a carnival atmosphere with people everywhere and lines of cars on the streets and roads. A national forest campground recommended by the lady at the park had a sign saying it was full. The traffic situation was horrible. I was so frustrated at not finding anything, I started just driving away. In a few minutes, I passed a sign indicating another campground. I drove for about 20 minutes down a rough, washboard-type road and finally reached it. I got there at 20:30 with just about 30 minutes left of light to see to get the tent up and my things inside it. It was a nice location, however, beside a lake.
Steps Walked: 6623
Miles Driven: 375
Monday, July 16, 2012
Laramie Hoping People Will Forget Mathew Shepherd?
Monday, July 16, 2012--Laramie to Casper to Thermopolis
After breakfast, I headed out to explore Laramie going first to the University. One interesting thing I did not know is that the University of Wyoming is the ONLY state university in Wyoming!! Any other state institutions are just community colleges, so anyone wanting a college education within the state must go to UW for the degree. I stopped to see the UW Art Museum and Heritage Center which share the same ugly building. There were 4 different art shows at the museum, and two of them were quite interesting--art from Papua New Guinea and art moderne works by American artists.
From there, I drove to the main part of the campus. I had looked online, and the only page I found that said anything about Mathew Shepard seemed to be an independent one. It identified the location of the bar where he was the night he was killed, and it showed an image of a bench which supposedly exists on the UW campus at a point called Quealy Square. It also points out how road names have been changed since his murder. While I explored the campus which is quite beautiful with a large green in the middle that has landscaped (trees, large stones, benches) sitting areas at points around it and with beautiful old stone buildings, I looked for the Shepherd bench. I never found it. I looked at the campus map, and there was no reference to Quealy Square or to the bench. Inside the student center, there was a much more detailed map of the campus with an index, but Quealy Square was not named on the map nor listed in the index. Then when I went downtown, the building housing the bar where he had the encounter with the two men who murdered him was missing and replaced by a new tourist office which takes up the whole block. I could see no memorial. It makes me think that Laramie and the University of Wyoming wish people would forget about what happened there and do not feel that no kind of memorial (a bench, wherever it exists, is not much) is needed. Too bad. I left the city with a bad feeling about it all.
I took back roads to enjoy the scenery. The first one took me westward over the mountains through Centennial to Saratoga. The former is almost a ghost town with only 100 residents but lots of motels and cafes on the scenic route. The latter, at the end of the scenic route was a quaint, attractive town. The second one took me northward from that area to Casper. The first route was beautiful and paved all the way. The second one, had wonderful scenery, but much of it was unpaved. The problem wasn't that but was the fact that the surface was very rough like a washboard making it necessary to only go about 15 mph much of the time. My neck was sore from the tension. I'll pick my back roads from now on based on whether they are paved or not.
Casper is about the same size as Cheyenne and as Laramie. All three have close to 60,000 residents. Casper has more of a "business" look to it. The downtown has tall bank buildings, for instance. Downtown was quite interesting. There were two old movie theaters still operating with one of them showing an independent film. But Casper was overrun with tourists. I don't know if it is because they have a rodeo every night all summer making people want to stop there for the night or what. Anyway, I couldn't get a room there.
Since I had seen everything I wanted to see in Casper except their community college campus which has been named one of the 5 prettiest in the country, I decided to head toward my next projected stop. It was a little over 100 miles westward. I arrived in Thermopolis and ran into another problem. There are only a couple of major motels and they were full. I expected that, but I hoped to find a small motel. Well, the small motels have offices that are already closed for the night. I'm going to a camping site that I passed on the way into town and pitch my tent, I guess.
Steps Walked: 12,024
After breakfast, I headed out to explore Laramie going first to the University. One interesting thing I did not know is that the University of Wyoming is the ONLY state university in Wyoming!! Any other state institutions are just community colleges, so anyone wanting a college education within the state must go to UW for the degree. I stopped to see the UW Art Museum and Heritage Center which share the same ugly building. There were 4 different art shows at the museum, and two of them were quite interesting--art from Papua New Guinea and art moderne works by American artists.
From there, I drove to the main part of the campus. I had looked online, and the only page I found that said anything about Mathew Shepard seemed to be an independent one. It identified the location of the bar where he was the night he was killed, and it showed an image of a bench which supposedly exists on the UW campus at a point called Quealy Square. It also points out how road names have been changed since his murder. While I explored the campus which is quite beautiful with a large green in the middle that has landscaped (trees, large stones, benches) sitting areas at points around it and with beautiful old stone buildings, I looked for the Shepherd bench. I never found it. I looked at the campus map, and there was no reference to Quealy Square or to the bench. Inside the student center, there was a much more detailed map of the campus with an index, but Quealy Square was not named on the map nor listed in the index. Then when I went downtown, the building housing the bar where he had the encounter with the two men who murdered him was missing and replaced by a new tourist office which takes up the whole block. I could see no memorial. It makes me think that Laramie and the University of Wyoming wish people would forget about what happened there and do not feel that no kind of memorial (a bench, wherever it exists, is not much) is needed. Too bad. I left the city with a bad feeling about it all.
I took back roads to enjoy the scenery. The first one took me westward over the mountains through Centennial to Saratoga. The former is almost a ghost town with only 100 residents but lots of motels and cafes on the scenic route. The latter, at the end of the scenic route was a quaint, attractive town. The second one took me northward from that area to Casper. The first route was beautiful and paved all the way. The second one, had wonderful scenery, but much of it was unpaved. The problem wasn't that but was the fact that the surface was very rough like a washboard making it necessary to only go about 15 mph much of the time. My neck was sore from the tension. I'll pick my back roads from now on based on whether they are paved or not.
Casper is about the same size as Cheyenne and as Laramie. All three have close to 60,000 residents. Casper has more of a "business" look to it. The downtown has tall bank buildings, for instance. Downtown was quite interesting. There were two old movie theaters still operating with one of them showing an independent film. But Casper was overrun with tourists. I don't know if it is because they have a rodeo every night all summer making people want to stop there for the night or what. Anyway, I couldn't get a room there.
Since I had seen everything I wanted to see in Casper except their community college campus which has been named one of the 5 prettiest in the country, I decided to head toward my next projected stop. It was a little over 100 miles westward. I arrived in Thermopolis and ran into another problem. There are only a couple of major motels and they were full. I expected that, but I hoped to find a small motel. Well, the small motels have offices that are already closed for the night. I'm going to a camping site that I passed on the way into town and pitch my tent, I guess.
Steps Walked: 12,024
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Off to Wyoming
Sunday, July 15, 2012--Pueblo to Ft. Collins to Cheyenne to Laramie
After a great breakfast with David and Jim, I left their house at 9:00. The first stop was Ft. Collins, another Colorado city with a very active downtown area. I arrived at noon, and downtown was full of local people shopping, eating at sidewalk cafes, resting on benches, etc. It's an attractive downtown and quite large. While there, I went to the Ft. Collins Museum of Art which was free for me because of a reciprocity agreement. There was an interesting exhibit of metal sculptures by a Chinese artist named Liao Yibai.
While in town, I also visited the Colorado State University campus. It's a nice campus. Some of the older buildings are rather plain and even cheap looking, but all the newer buildings look quite classy in design which uses lots of native stone and glass.
From there, I headed to Cheyenne. I am a week early; their Frontier Days celebration begins next week. But that just means that I was able to to what I wanted to do without it being too crowded. I walked around the State Capitol and the nearby State Museum, both of which were closed because of it being a Sunday. Then I walked down Capitol Street to the old train depot looking at all the old buildings along the way. Downtown Cheyenne is mostly dead, at least on Sundays. On my way back to my car near the capitol, I took a different route to see more of the older buildings in town.
I drove out to the park where they have the Frontier Days celebrations. They were setting up the carnival. The rodeo arena is so large it looks like it is a major football stadium. I walked through the Botanical Gardens across the street where the seating was set up for a wedding to take place. As I walked to a lake in the gardens, there sat the bride, rather pretty in her wedding dress except for one of her exposed arms being heavily tattooed.
From there, I drove to Sam's Club to eat a piece of pizza for dinner and to use their wifi to make a hotel reservation in Laramie. I had tried to make one last night on David's computer, but he has only a satellite connection to the internet. It was so slow that the attempt would time out before I could get a reservation made. But that worked to my advantage. I was able to get a room at the Ramada for $15 less than it was priced last night!
I took the scenic back road to Laramie--Route 210. It went through the Medicine Bow National Forest which covered some rugged hills. It would have been a good place for tent camping, but it was because of rain clouds I could see in the west that I made the hotel reservation. By the time I arrived in Laramie, it was raining. Because of that, I have spent the night in my room catching up on e-mail, reading the news online, etc.
Steps Walked: 11,327
Miles Driven: 357 (Over the two days in Pueblo and from Pueblo to Laramie)
After a great breakfast with David and Jim, I left their house at 9:00. The first stop was Ft. Collins, another Colorado city with a very active downtown area. I arrived at noon, and downtown was full of local people shopping, eating at sidewalk cafes, resting on benches, etc. It's an attractive downtown and quite large. While there, I went to the Ft. Collins Museum of Art which was free for me because of a reciprocity agreement. There was an interesting exhibit of metal sculptures by a Chinese artist named Liao Yibai.
While in town, I also visited the Colorado State University campus. It's a nice campus. Some of the older buildings are rather plain and even cheap looking, but all the newer buildings look quite classy in design which uses lots of native stone and glass.
From there, I headed to Cheyenne. I am a week early; their Frontier Days celebration begins next week. But that just means that I was able to to what I wanted to do without it being too crowded. I walked around the State Capitol and the nearby State Museum, both of which were closed because of it being a Sunday. Then I walked down Capitol Street to the old train depot looking at all the old buildings along the way. Downtown Cheyenne is mostly dead, at least on Sundays. On my way back to my car near the capitol, I took a different route to see more of the older buildings in town.
I drove out to the park where they have the Frontier Days celebrations. They were setting up the carnival. The rodeo arena is so large it looks like it is a major football stadium. I walked through the Botanical Gardens across the street where the seating was set up for a wedding to take place. As I walked to a lake in the gardens, there sat the bride, rather pretty in her wedding dress except for one of her exposed arms being heavily tattooed.
From there, I drove to Sam's Club to eat a piece of pizza for dinner and to use their wifi to make a hotel reservation in Laramie. I had tried to make one last night on David's computer, but he has only a satellite connection to the internet. It was so slow that the attempt would time out before I could get a reservation made. But that worked to my advantage. I was able to get a room at the Ramada for $15 less than it was priced last night!
I took the scenic back road to Laramie--Route 210. It went through the Medicine Bow National Forest which covered some rugged hills. It would have been a good place for tent camping, but it was because of rain clouds I could see in the west that I made the hotel reservation. By the time I arrived in Laramie, it was raining. Because of that, I have spent the night in my room catching up on e-mail, reading the news online, etc.
Steps Walked: 11,327
Miles Driven: 357 (Over the two days in Pueblo and from Pueblo to Laramie)
Visiting Friends in Pueblo
Friday and Saturday, July 13 &14, 2012—Pueblo , Colorado
I arrived at David’s and Jim’s house at
11:30. David was preparing sandwiches
for us (sliced meats, sliced avocado, mustard, and lettuce) and used the
multigrain bread that I brought. We sat
outside on their deck with the view of the mountains to eat them.
We spent the afternoon at their home
visiting. Then in the evening we went to
the nearby Pueblo Raptor and Nature Center Arkansas River . We sat in a covered outside area facing the
river with a singer performing nearby—nice songs at a level that allowed us to
enjoy them but to still be able to talk.
I wasn’t very hungry. I just had
chicken tortilla soup which was delicious.
After dinner, we walked down the river through the nature center and
back to the car. We had dessert back at
home.
Saturday morning after having cereal for
breakfast, we headed to La Junta. On the
way there, we had a detour in Fowler which we could see was related to a parade
that was about to start. We parked the
car and walked to Main Street
When the parade ended, we continued toward
La Junta. Our goal was to see Bent's Old Fort. It is a fantastic place to visit. It is an adobe complex built on the north
side of the Arkansas River after the Louisiana Purchase, because that river was
the new border between the U.S.
and Mexico US had admitted Texas as a state, U.S.
We ate a late lunch/early dinner back in Pueblo West
In the early evening, we drove into Pueblo Union Ave. Historic District San Antonio San Antonio
In the evening, we just had a glass of wine
and ate dessert—pastry covered with ice cream and strawberries. It was a perfect way to end the day.
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