Hail Yes

Hail drops. It is one step removed from snow. I am taking bets that as the snow magnet we will have snow before we leave here. Today was a needed break as we went through Spearfish Canyon scenic byway on Thursday.

This meant getting up early and heading about an hour and a half north of here. We started at the end of the drive Cheyenne Crossing and ended in Spearfish where the trail begins. This was the plan because the most strenuous and IMO the most beautiful falls is Roughlock Falls. There is a two-mile round-trip path to the bottom of the falls, and back again the path is paved and fairly level until you encounter three very steep inclines at least for a wheelchair. I will have to admitted why they give you the warning not to go down steep inclines because you have to get back up. After I made it down the second incline and saw the third incline I turned around and headed back up. Smart decision. ( I almost tipped over) So here is two of the pictures I snapped at these from the last viewpoint I could safely navigate.

Before we did the adventure at Roughlock Falls we pulled into a turnout that I don’t know the name of, or if it had a name. The water was amazingly still so I had to take my anytime there is a reflection picture. I also experimented with some Depth of Field zooming in on flowers with the river behind them. I pulled out my chair for this which helped my traverse the whole pullout. I found this yellow and black butterfly flying around my chair landing and taking off

After Roughlock falls we drove to Bridal Veil Falls the pull off for this was on the other side of the road from the falls so, back in the chair and off I roll to take some photos and a short video.

Like I said earlier I’m glad this was at the end of the canyon byway.

On the way home we stopped by Sturgis which sure looks and sounds quiet. The Biker Rally isn’t until August, so Sturgis feels like a small town that it is. We did a quick run through Wildlife loop (buffalo were on the wrong side of road for photos). before heading to dinner and a show the play was at the Black Hills Playhouse which is in Custer State Park. The dress rehearsal performance is give a donation, and you can see the play.

Pulling in after dark we were treated to deer grazing in the campground, there was about 12-15 on both sides of the driveway.

We’ve been in one spot for over a week now, this feels good. I’m looking forward to some fun this summer.

A Day for Catching UP

After a drive down to Hot Springs SD for some things I had to do at the VA. We decided to kick back and relax sorta the trailer had to get cleaned and so did I. I spent the remainder of the day visiting with 2 parrots and watching Roy help a complete newbie figure out what was wrong with their trailer. Sometimes the fix is the simplest thing, a blown circuit breaker. Once that was fixed her thing worked.

I’ve been to a few VA hospitals and clinics but nothing compares to the VA facility in Hot Springs SD. It was built in 1907 and most of those buildings are still in use. It is on a bluff overlooking Hot Springs. It was originally a Sanitarium and used the medicinal waters of the hot springs to treat anything from lung problems to skin issues. Battle Mountain Sanitarium as it was called only cost $150,000 for construction and another $20,000 for equipment. Pricey for that day and age. Today It serves Veterans with mental health, kidney dialysis, TBIs, and an urgent care. As for how I was treated everyone was attentive and very helpful, which was refreshing. I plan on going back down to this VA and will take pictures of the grounds to share. I did get one picture of the grounds. There was this lone white lily.

After getting one prescription and trying to figure out how to get another prescription filled, we decided to do lunch. I have not stopped at a DQ for lunch in a long time, today was the day.

On the ride home we stopped by a known hang out for prairie dogs and of course my camera was out and snapping photos. He was just sitting there like a potato. It summed up how I felt after a long day of waiting around. I did see some prairie dog porn but didn’t photograph it. I have to say they are interesting to watch but the holes are everywhere busy colony for sure. This colony is on the way to Wind Cave National Park. I can and probably will sit for hours watching these little ones play and run around this trip.

We try and drive wildlife loop at every opportunity this trip around seemed like it was going to be a bust. (plus I forgot the apples for the burros). We get to one of the visitor’s centers and haven’t seen ANY buffalo which is rare. So, after taking a short cut and still seeing no buffalo I almost give up hope. We turn a corner, and it seemed like the whole herd was there. Interesting that they were this far away from the usual stomping grounds. We stayed here moving a few feet every time, some because of my picture taking but mostly because the buffalo own the road. You don’t go until they say you go.

We also decided to take some interactive pictures of a few of the brave prairie dogs next to the buffalo.

It felt good to sit back and relax today. Next, we check out some water falls on our drive of Spearfish Canyon.

I Promise

I promise this summer will not be all about buffalo I will throw in other things. Like these deer we found on our way to the Fairburn Agate fields. But the creek rose, and we couldn’t get there from here. More on that later.

run Bambi run

Fairburn South Dakota is a very small town, think ghost town with a few people still living. We wanted to go see the agate bed outside of town but had to ask for directions. There were people outside cleaning up the school. You guessed it go down over yonder see the yellow trailer on that road. I asked what’s out there and is it worth going down a dirt road to see. Their response was depends what you are looking for. Click here to find out some basic information on the town. Here is the Facebook page

Roy and I said what the hey it is worth checking out. The road itself was good to drive even though it was gravel. We saw lots of cows and grasslands we were in Buffalo Gap Grasslands and no buffalo. As Roy said it was a well-maintained road to nowhere with no outlet. One way in one way out.

So, we head down this road to the campground and the agate fields but even with the four-wheel drive we would have floated. No one mention a river crossing. Roy did not want to risk it as the water looked quite deep. I have to say I’m glad. We are here 3 months so maybe it will become easier to cross.

I think the easiest way to get a Fairburn Agate is to go to the rock show in Fairburn this weekend. I’m including a Wikipedia link explaining the agates and an article about where to find them.

Fairburn Agates (And Where To Find Them!)

I know this summer we will be finding some off the beating path adventures to share.

Where the Buffalo Roam

or Don’t stand so close to me. We have settled in put phone troubles behind us and are making lemonade. (with limited internet gives more practice with the camera. After taking a couple days to unpack and slow down we are getting around to finding buffalo and driving roads to nowhere. The photos I took are a little of this and A LOT of this. When we were here last time they were in the process of building another visitor center. This center is by the area where the fall round-up of buffalo occur. This is an event that happens in fall allows rangers to check the health of the buffalo. Here is a link to info Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival | South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks (sd.gov) Maybe next year we can stay for it.

Again there is a ton of babies in the park.

We even saw some pronghorn lying next to buffalo. Although there has not been a sign of the burros. We have only been around wildlife loop once. The Prairie Dogs are active and I see an afternoon in my chair photographing these buggers.

The moms are still protective of the little ones it nice to see the bonds develop. Although like any kids you can watch them and try to keep them out of trouble until one of them juts in front of the car. Roy did miss it, all I could think of was look both ways before you cross the street. It was quite funny the way we were creeping up to get by ths camper I was thinking I bet one of them are going to run out in front of us. Here is the video.

Look both ways

I think the buffalo wanted a challenge but thought better of it when they realized Roy was bigger then them.

Chicken anyone?

Just in the time we were going down wild life loop we saw more prong horns than all of last trip through the park. Not in the same area but the we did see praire dogs

The best part of seeing the buffalo were sharing the road with them. We had a large one close to us and I wanted to get just the head of it. The interesting thing is if you look into his eye you see the reflection of our jeep. I am looking for more close encounters this year.

Not the Tunnel of Love

But it was a tunnel, all 11,112 ft of it. The Eisenhower tunnel outside of Denver is a feat in itself. The tunnel consists of two bore holes, the west bound tunnel (Eisenhower) was started in 1968 and completed in 1973. The east bound tunnel (Edwin C Johnson) was started in 1975 and completed in 1979. Today, if you have hazmat materials or you are too tall for the tunnel, you have to go 9.1 miles out of your way. This road has hairpin turns and you go over Loveland pass on US 6 the elevation is 11,991. In reality, the tunnel was short, but it made an interesting impression on me. If you want to learn more, click here https://codot.gov/travel/ejmt

Well, you’ve now read the apex of the day, so how we got there is also interesting. We left Fruita Co bright and early so we could travel all day through some beautiful scenery. I have to say I was impressed to still see some snow on the side of the road. Even more impressed that we got to drive through slush. Had we been a little later in the day, it would have been snow. I am the snow magnet and that’s a fact. Aside from the slush I could not believe the amount of people and houses on the mountain. Going through Vail, Roy commented that it used to be a small ski town. Not anymore there is a West Vail, downtown, and East Vail.

Driving next to the Colorado River and seeing the high water level, I know that means gains in ground water. there will be plenty of ground water for us. We even saw a few rafters on the river.

After arriving at our home away from home for 3 months, we found that our cell and hotspot are very limited. Other than the cell service and nightly rain. We made the right choice. Today was our first trip around wildlife loop and yes, I’ve seen some buffalo. Pictures and video to come soon.

Wow! It’s Summer Again.

Yes, it is. I’m so glad that we were blessed with cooler than mid triple digits when we packed. Here’s to hoping they continue. The goal until we get to Timber Ridge is to stay connected. I’m glad we packed my chair and Roy’s scooter so we can explore and still stay connected. Day one had us drive to Las Vegas spending the night and eating steak and king crab at Angry Butcher. (Yes, we also donated do the Vegas building fund.)

Setting up camp for one night Roy is already being goofy and this is only Day two. I will post one of him on day 105. Seriously I was trying to put the final touches on learning my camera. The moon was shot using my R7 and 100 – 400mm lens, I had it completely extended and this is cropped way in. The sunset in Beaver was not as colorful as I had hoped I was however able to catch some color on the mountains on the east.

We are in Fruita right on the very swollen Colorado River, I will be getting out and taking some pictures tomorrow as we are taking a break. The trip from Beaver UT to Fruita Co had some rest areas with wide open Vistas.

I even got some kitty therapy today at one of these pull offs. I was headed over to take a few pictures when this 9 week old kitten jumped of her owners shoulder and came over to me. She was all black had tiny ears and did not meow. I asked if I could hold her she said yes. It was so cool to snuggly her. I should have gotten a picture, I did ask Roy if I could keep her the answer was no. I understand Buki was the best pet we had and he is still irreplaceable.

I know that I will always be learning. One of the photo goals I have this summer is getting some lightening photography. We are in the perfect area to experiment with this genre. I am also planning some milky way shots over the badlands. Hopefully the wildfires will be non-existent, last time we were here we had the smoky way.

Things Not Covered

Well first off we are headed home it is official. The ferry left port last night. We had one more shot at the northern lights but, they did not cooperate. I did however see some stars. Today I slept because open seas do not agree with me. Tomorrow should be a little easier as we will start hugging the coast so there will be land on each side.

Now, I want to share some of the things I did not share from summer vacation. The first is I have lost my cribbage mojo. I taught Roy cribbage on our summer trip in 2017. I have to say he won a few every once in awhile. He just sometimes couldn’t beg borrow or steal any points. I am not sure when it happened but it did. Roy can now pull a double double run out of his bum and skunk me almost everytime . It’s funny that the shoe is on the other foot. We didn’t play alot this year but we did play on the nights we had no OTA (over the air) channels. I do enjoy the now rare occurance when I can beat him

Some of the nights were filled with trying to figure out what movie we want to play for the rally in October. The choices were Rocky Horror Picture Show, Blazing Saddles, and Little Shop of Horrors. All I can say is feed me. I had seen Blazing Saddles years ago Roy had never seen it. He loved the humor but we realized not quite right for our crowd. Rocky Horror requires a lot of crowd participation. We both came to the conclusion that Little Shop of Horrors fits the group better.

Food this trip has been a mix of cooking in the trailer and eating out. That old saying when in Rome. The first food we looked forward to having again was Copper River Red Salmon at Sheep Mountain Lodge. In my opinion, Red and King Salmon are awesome but Copper River Red Salmon are the bomb diggity. This restaurant always has it on the menu and we planned the trip so we had it twice.

This brings me to the food on the Kenai. They are known for seafood, crab, halibut, cod, clams, shalots, oysters and some salmon. All from Kajamack Bay or the Cook inlet. The spit offers these at small restaurants. Roy said he had the best clams ever from one of these places. It also was very easy to get the scooter and chair in. I had my first halibut of the trip in Homer. We had more halibut fresh off the boat given to us by one of our camping neighbors.

The best ice cream at least according to Milepost was right next door to one of the places we camped. Roy said his hard packed black cherry ice cream was the best he ever had. It even had a small ice cube in it. I had the soft serve twist cones which they had different twist flavors. I couldn’t bring myself to try pineapple and vanilla but did try raspberry and vanilla.

When we were in Nenana we found one of the best home cooking restaurants. Roughwoods Inn, Kari is the owner and chief cook and bottle washer. She is open til 6pm every night except for Tuesday, family emergencies, and roadkill. Let me explain the roadkill comment. In that part of Alaska if the troopers know of a recent fresh roadkill they donate it to local people. This is one thing you have to get when it is fresh. (No, she does not feed it to her customers.) We both loved the fresh halibutand chips, hand battered and fried from fish caught in Alaska. She had Roy at the fact that she grills her chicken fried steaks and I was won over by her Philly Cheese steak. Although the halibut was hard to get by.

The farmer’s market in Fairbanks helped keep my salad for lunch streak going. I also got my fill of fresh garlic (keeps mosquitos away). Roy was able to get fresh mushrooms for his own crack an egg. This market also kept us in good homemade bakegoods.

I was able after 30 years of being with this man of mine to find something that he can not do I do not know who else can do it either. It all started with a facebook post, that said if a cop stops me for a DUI and asks me to say the alphabet backwards I will get in the car. I asked you can’t do that. He said he never thought of it and no, he can’t. I proceeded to show him. I am not sure he was impressed.

I need to make one comment about people from Wisconsin; when you meet one you immediately become family. Roy and I hung with some on the ferry. He basically got a crash course on Wisconsin tradition, right down to quarters and bar dice.

There are other things that happened that I am sure I will remember once I sit down and look through the pictures. Speaking of pictures I am still putting together the baby bald eagle growth journey.

Someone did what Roy couldn’t.

People who know me know that I’m not thrilled with the thought of a helicopter ride. In fact I think it has been said over my dead body. This couple I met changed everything (No he or she do not own or fly helicopters.) She just took her first helicopter ride to begin a new chapter of live. It wasn’t the fact that she did her first helicopter ride that changed my mind it was what happened afterwards that changed my mind.

Some back story first. Three months ago Roy and I embarked on an adventure, so did a few other people. I know this because waiting to board the ferry I had to be a social butterfly, riding around finding out where people are from and where they are headed, and if they are coming back. This is when I met John and Jean and their dog. This was a couple who seemed like any normal 40ish couple. What attracted me to them was the trailer they had behind the ‘truck camper’ (I use the term loosely) Pick up truck with a shell on top. This trailer held everything including a kitchen sink. I asked what their adventure was.

I saw that they were excited and a little unsure and questioning because they were heading off the grid for the summer to build a cabin on land they bought in the middle of nowhere Alaska. They would return on the same ferry we were on in September. (Inside I thought, if you don’t get eaten by a bear.) The trip up was about five days so it is a small ship and we chatted many times each time I felt they were thinking if this was the right decision for them. They seemed well prepared with supplies and stuff. I was impressed with the research they had put into it. I will be honest I was concerned and thought of them often over the summer. Fast forward to September 5th and the waiting line to board the ferry. No trailer, they left everything they brought with them at the cabin. John comes up and says hi. I have to say I was relieved they made it out. He was more sturdy and hairier then when he left and had a differant air about him I wanted to know more.

Catching up and listening to both of them has given me a new outlook on things. It is amazing how these two blossomed the courage, strength and determination you can now see in them. In Jean retelling how she hand peeled the bark from the trees that John cut and delimbed mind you only using a chainsaw and she using her hands and some tools to strip the logs for the cabin. I could tell that it was a joint effort that made the bond between them stronger. I am sure it wasn’t all getting along I mean three months with just one other person for the majority of the time and no modern ammenties could wear on you.

Roy and I were lucky enough to see the photos and hear how the three months were spent. Here is where the helicopter comes in. Involved in getting to the property there was a bush plane ride a helicopter ride and some ATV transportation. Remember I said over my dead body I would do a helicopter ride. Jean was also a little afraid to go in a helicopter. So she is describing holding the dog’s leash, her cell phone to try and take pictures (she said she got a few) then still trying to look at the scenery. She got through the ride by just thinking of the majestic landscape. So when I get my all terrain chair I will take thaty helicopter ride to visit.

I am impressed how much they completed this summer. A one room cabin with a door large enough to fit an ATV in. Her poo path for compost and a little garden. Cooking on a wood stove and making homemade bread. Their efforts reminds me that sometime issolation and depending on yourself can give you the strength you need to move on.

Fly Away Home

Both the sandhill cranes and Roy and I are doing just that. Tonight, (Aug 31) is our last night in Fairbanks we head down the Parks Hwy and eventually to Whittier and the ferry. The cranes migrate every year and they congregate at Creamer’s Field in Fairbanks before flying south. It was neat watching Canadian Geese and Sandhill Cranes sit side by side each getting fat for the trip south.

The third weekend of August is the Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival. This was our first weekend in Fairbanks, so we headed over to see what was flying overhead. We also went over to the field a few times before the festival to take some pictures of the cranes.

Here are a few pictures of the cranes just hanging out and flying about.

I was in one of the photo blinds waiting for the birds to come to me. It took a bit of time, but they moved slowly towards me with cute little movements and even some one-legged posing.

The birds seemed to be happy just to hang out and fly every once in a while.

That is until the bald eagle comes around looking for dinner. This got the birds to fly up all at once. I really need to work on tracking these birds when they take off En masse. I also think they need to give me an alert saying we are taking off. They do make an alert with a vocalization I just am not sure what that is.