Sitting here waiting for the first so called "Big Storm" of the season. It has rained most of the day and all night last night. Our gauge had over 2 inches in it. Supposed to change over to snow tonight and bring us 5 or 7 inches of the fluffy white stuff. It is too cold for me now....don't even want to go outside...and the nice thing this year, is that I don't have to if I don't want to! Won't be driving north of Axtell to work and although I miss the boss and my job, I won't miss the roads! Winding the last few days down spending time with my dogs...before they go out with DH and I spend most of the day looking behind me to see where they are. We got mail today so have bookkeeping chores and bills to pay to keep me busy. I'm looking forward to getting this snow and cold behind us so we can move on and get to warmer climate. Looks more and more like it'll be Casa Grande Arizona. Even if it's cold there it'll be a welcome relief from this!

                                          BEFORE...Leaving Tucson......4-08

We are back in Colorado Springs. I'm sitting here today reflecting back on the year, and all we've seen and done, all the changes in our lives so far, and the growth of ourselves and our family.... The pictures you see of DH...when we first got the Coach heading out on I10 from Arizona, and now, coming down I25 in Denver traffic. We are down to usually one incident a day of intense.....haven't done Mountain passes yet, but that's another adventure on down the line. For now, we are getting the Windshield replaced in the morning and getting old Betsy serviced on Tuesday before she goes into the heated Garage on Thursday and we travel east for the beginning of the Fall Hunting Season. I have a while to decide for sure what path we will take in January....that is when we will come and fetch Betsy and continue on the Adventure. We have covered 10 states this year. Not bad for a start. Kinda took a swipe out of the center...but we're newbies and I think that's alright. My blog posts may be farther apart now through the holiday season, but I'm sure I'll have something to discuss at least once a week. I apologize for the latest, 4 Days in Kaycee WY got put into draft some way, but it's out now and available. Pretty cool little town...We stopped off in Cheyenne WY. for 3 days and did some pretty serious shopping. Guess we were needing our Mall fix. I have hit a couple of stores here in CO SPGS. and we will go for a couple more before we go home. We'll have 4 hours to burn while the Windshield gets fixed in the morning. Oldest Son went Elk Hunting up north of Glenwood Springs this week. He will return on Wednesday and leave for Florida on Sunday for Classes with John Deere. Hope he gets his Elk, this is the 2nd try. This campground is a KOA Resort type and is very nice....It's right by a river and has been pretty peaceful. We will stay here again. We've met some super people on our travels and have retained a few and just visited with some in passing. One couple that we met here in Colorado Springs when we were here for the Sr. Open, we have kept in touch with. Their Son and DIL were due to have a baby next month. We had that in common when our DIL was also pregnant. Well, I got to town the other day and called so they could meet us for supper, and they were at the hospital. The baby didn't make it, the cord was around her neck and in a knot. They didn't catch it in time, and they delivered stillborn. I went into Sypathy mode and made a casserole and took it to them. They will have a difficult time ahead. So sad and such nice people - made me yet all the more thankful for our beautiful new granddaughter. She still has lots of dark hair and kinda looks like a little papoose. DIL goes back to work this week...to the tune of a promotion and a raise. Shayne isn't liking to take a bottle, so don't know how it will work at daycare. She may have to go to work with mom for a while! DIL now moving up in the Y and the head of 4 departments. I think we dodged our bad weather this weekend. Think we will escape before the first snow...It was kinda rainy yesterday but the sun is bright today and you can see the mountains again. And so it goes! One chapter ends, and one begins.

                   AFTER......  Heading through Denver.....10-6-08

4 Days in KayCee Wyoming

Hello again! We're finally back in service.  We got to Cheyenne about 2:30 this afternoon. Got situated and drove around a bit. Went to the mall and DH had a soothing hand massage by a young lady selling skin cleansers and lotions from Isreal!  It had been a long day I guess.  We split a Chipotle Burrito for supper and will run around more tomorrow.  Even though I about went into DTs without phone or computer all weekend, and the fact that we were in a town of 297 people, we learned a lot about the area, and met some really nice people. I will go back there when Chris LeDoux's Memorial Park is finished. They are working hard on it. The family owns the land and are doing all the work. Two people were unpacking tools and starting this morning when we left town. It's supposed to freeze here tonight.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

O.K  so we left Hardin Montana about 10 a.m. and traveled down I 90 to I 25 and on down to Kaycee Wyoming. Got here about 2 p.m.   Pulled into the Powder River Campground and got set up.....it's pretty small, leaves and dirt....on the edge of town.  The office is a house and the woman that checked me in doesn't speak very good English....(Spanish)   I'm writing all this in a Word File...to save it from day to day, Because.....WE HAVE NO COMPUTER or CELL PHONE service until MONDAY!!!!  At least we have Cable TV.....So guess I'll be blogging on here all weekend and transferring it and catching up with pictures and what ever touring that we do on Monday! It was 85 degrees when we got here.  Another stellar fall day today. The changing colors of the leaves really were beautiful on the way here.  A rain cloud did come across the mountains when we were North of here, and now it is really clouding up so maybe a rain shower will be the order of the afternoon.

Thursday   5:20 pm

We went for a ride to see what was up in Kaycee Wyoming.  It is the town where Chris LeDoux lived with his wife and sons. He met his wife here. We are right across the road from this RV Park. In town there is a new small park in the middle of town and there is a large Cement Guitar in the middle of it...and its not done yet, but a bet would be that is going to be a dedicated park to Chris LeDoux.  He died at 56 of liver duct Cancer in 2005 after being beat up as a Rodeo Star and living a hard life as a Country Musician, he survived a liver transplant and before he died, he provided us with many good old Country Songs.  

Friday

Today we went downtown and visited the "Hoofprints of the Past" Museum and the Rusty Spur Tack Shop. The museum has lots of memorabilia from the old Wild West. They have tours in this area of the infamous "Hole in the Wall" and the "Dull Knife Battlefield"  Some relatives of Butch Cassidy live here and his homestead cabin, the Blue Creek Ranch is on the tour. The Sioux Trail, Outlaw Cave Campground is overlooking the majestic Middle Fork of the Powder River canyon.  We learned that this river, that runs real close to this campground and through town, has a history of flooding a couple of times, the most recent in 2002, where the whole town was under about 4 feet of water. The lady running the museum told about how a firm from Casper came to the museum and cleaned everything .

We moved on down main street, two doors , past the post office, and into the Rusty Spur. This Tack Shop is owned by Chris LeDoux's father in law, Bud, who we sat and visited with for a couple of hours. He touts his son in law to be a Natural Artist, very musical and had never a bad word to say about anyone. If he didn't have something good to say, he didn't say anything. There was a couple in there from Georgia, that just bought a ranch around here..and they were really nice also.  The walls of that store was filled with all kinds of Artwork of Chris's , Music selections, books of his life and TShirts. DH (bless his heart) bought shotgun shells from Bud instead!  His Chaps from winning the Bareback World Championship in 1976 were signed and hung on the wall. He told us about that park across the street from the store.  A friend of Chris's is doing a lifesize Bronze Statue of the Horse and Chris's winning ride, posted on top on his famed Guitar. The family owns the lot and they are doing all the work.  Last week they planted 36 trees and have cement poured for walks and where there will be benches. I intend on taking pictures tomorrow of it and also he told us about a log cabin that Chris started in 1972 and finished in 1976. It is right across the street from here and then across the highway is the rodeo grounds where he preformed.  His youngest son Ned, who is a drummer in Chris's band, lives in that log house. Currently he is touring with the band, as they are still together.  Another one of his sons works with Leather and there were Pairs of Chaps and a Purse that he had made and were for sale in the store. His sister makes clocks using lariat ropes. They were for sale also. One of his best friends was Garth Brooks on the music circuit. We took a ride out north and right by Chris's Ranch.  A herd of Antelope were grazing and lazing in the front yard.  Bud bought that ranch and called Chris in Nashville and told him about it. 3000 Acres.   As I sit here and look out the front window ...just across the driveway on the edge of town, stands a big Mule Deer. We saw tons of Antelope and 5 mule deer jumped across the road in front of us, just past the LeDoux Ranch.  We drove through the city park here and it also is by the river and would be a nice place for a gathering or camping. Guess you can camp there free for 5 days.  The weather is supposed to take a turn south for the weekend, so we'll probably be staying in.  That's o.k. because the Nebraska Football game is on TV. Most of the folks in this campground are either permanent workers, and they went home for the weekend, or hunters that are here to hunt Antelope. Had some from Omaha that filled their tags and were heading for home.  I think it will be really quiet here.  A good TV weekend!

Saturday  10-4-08

Did some more touring around the area today.  Was surprised that the rain wasn't falling and it was pretty nice out yet this morning.  We took Pics of the Cabin that Chris LeDoux Built, where his son Ned currently lives when he's at home.  No one home now. Grandpa Bud lives right up the street from there at the end of this street.  We took pics across the road of the Rodeo grounds and helicopter pad for their flight for life helicopter.  We went uptown and took pics of thebeginnings of the Memorial Park,  one of the boys put their Dad's boots on and made footprints that start and then disappear the farther you walk. It's gonna be quite a tribute when its done. Someone added  C.L  + P.L. in the cement. I'm sure that will be covered by the guitar but will be there forever. We also got Bud's shop, the main street area and the signs for KayCee. Had to have my KayCee have her picture taken with the town that she's named after! When I named her, I had no idea! We drove East of town on the Sussex Road, past their new fire department building, went and toured the Cemetary. Drove West of town towards the town of Mayoworth, ran out of paved road and never found the town! We drove back out to the Ranch and took some good pics of where Chris lived with his wife.  She still lives there. It's quite a spread.  We saw dozens and dozens of Antelope and a few deer. Quite a few horses and cows. Back in town, we took the dogs to the City Park. We did some grocery shopping at the Kaycee General Store. Very nice and well stocked. Came home and had lunch and now DH in the chair asleep and football on TV. Still no rain or bad weather.  If it misses us, I won't be sorry.

I think we need a bigger chair now! DH made the mistake of letting the old boy - Wyatt sit on his lap one day, and now every once in a while he cries until DH picks him up. Well that happened today and then miss KayCee got really jealous, as she always sits on his lap and looks out the window....so then I said "You might as well get them both up there!" So there they all sat...lazy Sunday afternoon watching Drag Racing. I have had a rather busy day. Fixed some food....Blueberry Pancakes for breakfast. Washed all the windows in the coach...inside and out. 3 loads of laundry. Trying to figure out where the next place will be that we will stop. Supper is over and the dishes are done. Last load is drying and I'm looking forward to watching the Season opener of Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. It's hard to believe that the month of September is just about over. Tonight there was a beautiful sunset in the west. This whole day was so nice....I hate to see it get cold. There's big Pheasants running in the fields around this park on two sides. DH takes the dogs and they run and run. They know that the seasons are changing and it's time to go have fun. We have to be careful here, esepecially on these hotter days, because of rattlesnakes. In that aspect, I hope it gets cold enough that we don't have to worry about that in Nebraska. There's more Indian Battlefields on the way down I 90 and I 25. More nice scenery, so we'll just head out and enjoy the fall weather. :)

We got up early and drove into Billings today. We have been hearing about a big huge RV Show at the Metra Park....Billings Fairgrounds. There were not many Class A RVs and nothing to even compare with the old "Adventure Wagon" There was a 2005 40 foot Allegro Bus that we looked at...and it was pretty, but didn't have half of the amenities that we have. We looked at a lot of Toy Haulers and 5th wheels and even a "Bambi" Airstream pull type trailer. They all are o.k. for short timers but not for extended living and travel in the amount that we are doing. Made me feel good that I'm really satisfied with the choice that we made for our lifestyle. I really thought there would be more vendors selling RV accessories and products but that just wasn't the case, so we moved on before noon. We spotted a Tractor Supply and are in need of dry dog food for KayCee and Wyatt and thought we'd check to see if they had Diamond food. I can't change KayCee's food easily, she gets sick....well we pulled into the parking lot just in time to see two officers and cars with a pick up stopped and the driver got cuffed and stuffed! Got to love the city. The clerk inside thought it was fictitious plates or something. They took the plates off the truck. We went in and got the dog food and left. On up the Main Street, we headed in for lunch at a Fuddruckers. First time for that, and it was pretty good. Wandered on up to Wally and dropped our usual $100 on groceries....we really aren't eating out as much which helps our funds. We got home here by 5 p.m. and really did enjoy the nice day. It was nice to stroll around outside this morning. Listening to the Presidential Debates tonight, I don't think they are helping anyone decide how to vote...it's tedious at best. I don't like to watch Judge Judy either! Hog wash. My agenda in these parts is about finished for now and I'm going to be working on a route back south at the first of the week. I asked DH when we passed the rest area this afternoon if he wanted me to pull in and drop him off to go Rattlesnake hunting, and he said he'd pass. There's Pheasants running around in 2 fields here around the park. The dogs are sensing the change in the season and like to go out chase them around. There's so much here in this state to be visited and we haven't even scratched the surface. The next time we'll have to make our way much farther north. A trip into Canada wouldn't be out of the question either. But that's all another trip.....Stay tuned.