Hello y'all,
We are winding up our stay in Cheyenne, Wyoming and today (Sat) we have a ton of chores to accomplish as we will be leaving Wyoming tomorrow. As this is a small town for a capitol city we now know this town like the back of our hand..We have had alot of down time anticipating the start of Cheyenne Frontier Days, but the event was worth the wait! I will condense down the timeline of events during CFD, hitting the highlights:
17th= Saw Despicable Me 3D at the Frontier Mall; it was just o.k.
18th= Watched the CFD Cattle Drive (550 head, really neat), then took off on a scenic ride on Wy hwy 34, between Chugwater & Laramie. Stopped at a rest area that contained a large Lincoln memorial statue, then just avoided a wicked rainstorm on the way "home".
20th= Sheila the lady next door cooked us buffalo burgers, then later a guy named Steve helped me replace a rather noisy u-joint on the motorhome.
21st= Went online and purchased a 7-day Alaska cruise on Royal Carribean's Rhapsody of the Seas--from Seattle to Juneau and back. Aug 20-27
23rd= Went to the mall, saw Inception; we liked
24th= Went downtown for the CFD parade; lengthy but interesting; drove close to the Frontier Park & parked in the neighborhood. So-so grand entrance (the horsemen were a little rusty) but nice rodeo: 3 sessions of bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback bronc riding, team roping, saddle bronc riding, colt-to-mare race, wild horse race (crazy) girl trick riders & barrel racing. Afterward we got in the placement line for standing-room-only for Brooks & Dunn; despite standing up from about 5pm 'til the show was over (around 11 pm) it was a killer show! BTW this is their last concert tour..
25th= Went to Frontier Park & saw the Aaron Tippen / Neal McCoy concert--Tippen was really good, McCoy was o.k. Late that night spoke to Dan Austin in Oregon, we will be in his town in August.
26th= Went to the CFD rodeo, left the grounds for dinner (cheaper at Wendys) came back for the Professional Bull Riders nightshow. Saw Chris Shivers, Dusty LaBeth, Shane Proctor, Sean Willingham & others. 40 bull riders compete, then the top 10 go in the final. Sue & I being big PBR fans, this had been something we've always wanted to attend--we had a blast!
27th= CFD rodeo event, came home, left again & had dinner at Taco Johns, then on to the PBR day 2 event. Saw Tony Mendes, Cord McCoy, Brandon Clark & Wiley Peterson to name a few..lots of bulls ridden tonight! Good close-up fireworks show afterwards!
28th= Been enjoying good weather lately. Drove over to the Laramie Cnty Commun. College & watched the 30-minute Thunderbirds airshow, then on to downtown for the street gunfight/show. From there to Chilis for lunch, then over to Sierra Trading Post for free t-shirts. Later on it was back to CFD grounds for the Clay Walker concert. Opening act Glen Templeton was o.k. and Clay Walker was great!
30th= Drove downtown for the big pancake breakfast (10K-12K estimated people) & enjoyed the food and entertainment; next around the corner to the Cowgirl Museum, then back to Sierra TP for more free t-shirts (they have coupons on alot of ticket stubs, magazines, brouchures, etc) and next to the CFD rodeo--our last CFD entertainment. Afterward we went to Walmart to load up on groceries-we got carried away buying but managed to get all the stuff onto the Honda somehow (looked like the truck on the Beverly Hillbillies I think).
31st= Just so you know what needs to happen before we head back out on the road:
wash 3 loads of clothes
put up the tv, vcr, helmets, shoes, books, video game unit, vests, jackets,
dishes, remotes, converter box & anything else not bolted down
fill the shower with clothes, boxes
clean the house
drain the black & grey water tanks
unhook the sewer hose & stow it
unhook the power cord & stow it
filter water & fill jugs
fill up the fresh water tank
stow the water hoses
put up the spare propane tank & stove
put the Honda & scooter onto the trailer, strap down
lock up the generator and gas cans
meet with manager to settle electric bill
fuel up the motorhome & gas cans
check fluids and batteries and tire pressures
hook up trailer to the motorhome
make sure nothing is left behind
From Cheyenne we will travel into Colorado, seeing some sights along the I-70 as we go west into Utah, Idaho & Oregon.
Hope everyone is having a safe & enjoyable Summer!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
July 14, 2010--Long Post
Greetings from Colorado! So far we haven't been disappointed in this beautiful state. So, after a quazi-lost trip thru downtown Denver (we wanted to see Coors Field & Mile High Stadium) we got on the I-25 south toward Colorado Springs. Upon arrival we drove thru the Garden of the Gods, a red rock geological spectacle which has alot of rocks, boulders & other features which the public can hike, bike, climb, photograph, etc. After lunch we drove on to Manitou Springs, had difficulty finding parking but the attendants hooked us up close to the train depot to Pike's Peak! Bought the 1st tix available so had to wait 'til 4pm for the train..the long, slow ride up the mountains was nothing short of breathtaking (literally-it's difficult breathing up there). Saw some waterfalls, old structures, wildlife (marmots, ravens), killer view of the lakes, forest, plains, mntns & tiny towns below..
At the summit (14,105 ft--ouch) we got off the train & walked around what seemed to be the top of the Earth or a view from near-Earth orbit! The air is really thin up there & we were feeling woozy--not sick but just 'loopy'. On the trip down we passed the time by talking to a nice couple from Texas..
Later that evening after almost hitting a stupid motorcyclist we had dinner at Rudy's BBQ then tried to park for the night at Walmart, but security ran us off (1st time that's happened) so we went next door to park alongside the Office Depot.
Tues we got on the 24 west to Canon City (pronounced canyon) then over to Royal Gorge Park. Thought we'd have to choose which activities to do (or could afford) but turns out they have a day pass for only $25 which includes all but the crazy bungee thing & horseback ride..the Gorge is a magnificent marvel of nature, and the bridge gives a great view at 1000 ft over the Arkansas River! We rode the Incline Railway--1200 ft almost straight down to the river's edge--saw many kayakers and rafters, one of which spilled 2 passengers including the guide (but got back on). On the other side of the Gorge we got on the Aerial Tramway which carries about 20 people over 2000 feet across without supports (other than the cable). We also walked across the bridge, rode the 2-horse-drawn carriage, saw a gunfight in the street of the old west town, saw "wildlife" aboard the trolley (elk, mntn sheep, BURROS, buffalo including 1 white). Before leaving we got on the little train that goes in a short loop that has fake sights of "yellow stone", "boot hill", "box canyon", 'rattle'snake gulch, etc...all & all one of the best places we've ever spent a day at! From the Royal Gorge we got on the 9 (only paved road to Cripple Creek from here-turned out to have some dirt portions) & drove seemingly forever before getting to Cripple Creek. In town we found a dirt bus lot to park in--we were able to 'pirate' some nearby electricity off the engine heater power sockets..
Forgot to mention last night, I was trying to open a can of biscuits; after pounding on it maybe 10 times it finally popped (exploded) ALL OVER the R.V. in about an 8 ft radial pattern--I salvaged most all the biscuits (it's just sprinkles)!
Wednesday morning a coyote walked up close by, Sue got pix..we travelled the 5 1/2 miles over to Victor to go into the gold mine via a giant truck, however couldn't get tix (capacity-14) & didn't want to wait 6 hrs for the next tour, so we toured the mining museum & panned for gold in their little horse trough--alot of iron pyrite (fool's gold) & a few small gemstones, but little or no gold of any significance. Disappointed, we left Victor on the 67, back thru Manitou Springs to Colo. Springs, onto the interstate back to Cheyenne (temporary 'home')...
At the summit (14,105 ft--ouch) we got off the train & walked around what seemed to be the top of the Earth or a view from near-Earth orbit! The air is really thin up there & we were feeling woozy--not sick but just 'loopy'. On the trip down we passed the time by talking to a nice couple from Texas..
Later that evening after almost hitting a stupid motorcyclist we had dinner at Rudy's BBQ then tried to park for the night at Walmart, but security ran us off (1st time that's happened) so we went next door to park alongside the Office Depot.
Tues we got on the 24 west to Canon City (pronounced canyon) then over to Royal Gorge Park. Thought we'd have to choose which activities to do (or could afford) but turns out they have a day pass for only $25 which includes all but the crazy bungee thing & horseback ride..the Gorge is a magnificent marvel of nature, and the bridge gives a great view at 1000 ft over the Arkansas River! We rode the Incline Railway--1200 ft almost straight down to the river's edge--saw many kayakers and rafters, one of which spilled 2 passengers including the guide (but got back on). On the other side of the Gorge we got on the Aerial Tramway which carries about 20 people over 2000 feet across without supports (other than the cable). We also walked across the bridge, rode the 2-horse-drawn carriage, saw a gunfight in the street of the old west town, saw "wildlife" aboard the trolley (elk, mntn sheep, BURROS, buffalo including 1 white). Before leaving we got on the little train that goes in a short loop that has fake sights of "yellow stone", "boot hill", "box canyon", 'rattle'snake gulch, etc...all & all one of the best places we've ever spent a day at! From the Royal Gorge we got on the 9 (only paved road to Cripple Creek from here-turned out to have some dirt portions) & drove seemingly forever before getting to Cripple Creek. In town we found a dirt bus lot to park in--we were able to 'pirate' some nearby electricity off the engine heater power sockets..
Forgot to mention last night, I was trying to open a can of biscuits; after pounding on it maybe 10 times it finally popped (exploded) ALL OVER the R.V. in about an 8 ft radial pattern--I salvaged most all the biscuits (it's just sprinkles)!
Wednesday morning a coyote walked up close by, Sue got pix..we travelled the 5 1/2 miles over to Victor to go into the gold mine via a giant truck, however couldn't get tix (capacity-14) & didn't want to wait 6 hrs for the next tour, so we toured the mining museum & panned for gold in their little horse trough--alot of iron pyrite (fool's gold) & a few small gemstones, but little or no gold of any significance. Disappointed, we left Victor on the 67, back thru Manitou Springs to Colo. Springs, onto the interstate back to Cheyenne (temporary 'home')...
July 11, 2010
After waiting for mail that never came, we hit the I-25 Saturday afternoon southbound toward Fort Collins. We then got on the 14 but lost it, got directions & successfully headed west toward Steamboat Springs. Hwy 14 goes thru the Poudre River canyon, twisting/turning/winding/knarly road with great views of river rapids, waterfalls, mntns & canyon walls..After fueling up in Walden we decided to continue (it was 7pm) 1 and 1/2 hrs into Steamboat. Upon arriving we parked for the night at public lot set up for the Balloon Rodeo the next day!
Got up at 5:30 am after little or no sleep & boarded bus to the 'rodeo'. Was a really neat event; we saw the whole balloon process from start to finish! There was about 40 hot air balloons doing tasks of dipping the balloon basket into the nearby lake, dropping beanbags onto targets and of course ascending & descending properly.
After the Balloon Rodeo we got on the US40 headed to Denver--nice mntn views. On the way we found the Buffalo Bill Gravesite & Museum- which was an adventure getting to as the facility is on top of a huge hill-a very steep climb. Besides the cool museum there is spectacular view of Denver and seemingly hundreds of miles of landscape from the observation decks.
Upon leaving the B.B. Museum we got back on the interstate & used McD's wifi to find a campground (Walmart LOL) close to Denver where we stayed the night.
Got up at 5:30 am after little or no sleep & boarded bus to the 'rodeo'. Was a really neat event; we saw the whole balloon process from start to finish! There was about 40 hot air balloons doing tasks of dipping the balloon basket into the nearby lake, dropping beanbags onto targets and of course ascending & descending properly.
After the Balloon Rodeo we got on the US40 headed to Denver--nice mntn views. On the way we found the Buffalo Bill Gravesite & Museum- which was an adventure getting to as the facility is on top of a huge hill-a very steep climb. Besides the cool museum there is spectacular view of Denver and seemingly hundreds of miles of landscape from the observation decks.
Upon leaving the B.B. Museum we got back on the interstate & used McD's wifi to find a campground (Walmart LOL) close to Denver where we stayed the night.
July 5, 2010
We haven't been doing much since we got here in Cheyenne, but today we rode the Honda into downtown. Took a 90 minute city tour that included 20+ minutes in the Old West Museum-on the Cheyenne Frontier Days grounds. Had lunch at Sanfords-good food & tons of nostalgic decor and crazy artifacts (old bicycles,hubcaps,championship banners,Elvis statue,etc.) Then took a 30 min horse-drawn carriage ride thru downtown; basically repeating most of the trolley tour..Later we went back to the CFD grounds & bought tix to the PBR performance July 27 and Clay Walker July 28.
One thing about the weather here--it's mostly dry (although it can rain every afternoon) mild days, cool nights--subject to change on a moments notice.
We will be preparing to make a trip into next week into Colorado...
One thing about the weather here--it's mostly dry (although it can rain every afternoon) mild days, cool nights--subject to change on a moments notice.
We will be preparing to make a trip into next week into Colorado...
Sunday, July 4, 2010
July 4, 2010
Happy 4th, everyone!
From Pinedale rest stop we proceded to Rock springs, WY and stayed there overnight. Our coach battery was still giving us problems, so I worked on the connections extensively..I think I got it back to normal, although the battery was damaged & won't hold a charge quite like it did..Then after researching RV parks in and around Cheyenne we found only 2 parks with spaces left--Cheyenne Frontier Days has all the hotels, RV parks & campgrounds all booked up in July. We decided to drive to Cheyenne to rent a spot while we could..T-Joes Restaurant, Bar & RV Park isn't much to look at but had a space for $280 a month + electric..from there we drove a few miles to the WY welcome center I-25 @ I-80 to stay the night--free wifi!
With a few days left in June, we decided to see some sights in east-central WY,so we took off on the I-25 northward to Casper. The next day we left the Chamber of Commerce/ Info center (where we parked overnight in the back of the facility) a few miles up the road to the Fort Caspar Museum, where they had log buildings and an informative walking tour. Then we headed down the 220 about 50 miles to Independence Rock State Hist. site, a huge rock dome which the 1800's pioneers stopped at and used for a point of reference--many of these people signed their names on the rock face. Saw a rattler in a crack on the rock. From there we drove a few miles to see the Devil's Gate, simply a gap in the hills also used as a reference point. After leaving the "gate" we went back to Casper & stayed the night at you guessed it--Walmart.
Next day (Tues) we headed south to Glenrock & visited the Dinosaur Museum, a very cool and informative venue that even offers the excitement of going on a "dig" with the scientists (we didn't go--no dig this day). Next we had lunch & wifi at McDonalds in Douglas, then went east on US26 to the Register Cliffs site, where pioneers (and others) wrote their names during their travels on the Oregon/Mormon/California Trail. Then 1 mile over to the Oregon Trail Ruts, actual tracks carved into the rocky countryside by the thousands of wagons passing through--very impressive. From there we continued on to Fort Laramie, perhaps the most important outpost on the westward trail. The site has many buildings original & restored from the 1830's on, plus items and artifacts used by the workers and soldiers. From there we drove several miles back to a highway rest area, where we stayed the night.
Oh, I left out the Ayers Natural Bridge, between Glenrock and Douglas, an awesome rock bridge formation over the N.Platte River. There is a nice park and camping facilities there at the natural bridge, as well as outstanding red canyon views.
The next day we drove down to Cheyenne and set up camp at T-Joes RV park. There is a fireworks stand in the same (large) parking lot, so we should expect some explosions during the days leading up to the Fourth of July...
From Pinedale rest stop we proceded to Rock springs, WY and stayed there overnight. Our coach battery was still giving us problems, so I worked on the connections extensively..I think I got it back to normal, although the battery was damaged & won't hold a charge quite like it did..Then after researching RV parks in and around Cheyenne we found only 2 parks with spaces left--Cheyenne Frontier Days has all the hotels, RV parks & campgrounds all booked up in July. We decided to drive to Cheyenne to rent a spot while we could..T-Joes Restaurant, Bar & RV Park isn't much to look at but had a space for $280 a month + electric..from there we drove a few miles to the WY welcome center I-25 @ I-80 to stay the night--free wifi!
With a few days left in June, we decided to see some sights in east-central WY,so we took off on the I-25 northward to Casper. The next day we left the Chamber of Commerce/ Info center (where we parked overnight in the back of the facility) a few miles up the road to the Fort Caspar Museum, where they had log buildings and an informative walking tour. Then we headed down the 220 about 50 miles to Independence Rock State Hist. site, a huge rock dome which the 1800's pioneers stopped at and used for a point of reference--many of these people signed their names on the rock face. Saw a rattler in a crack on the rock. From there we drove a few miles to see the Devil's Gate, simply a gap in the hills also used as a reference point. After leaving the "gate" we went back to Casper & stayed the night at you guessed it--Walmart.
Next day (Tues) we headed south to Glenrock & visited the Dinosaur Museum, a very cool and informative venue that even offers the excitement of going on a "dig" with the scientists (we didn't go--no dig this day). Next we had lunch & wifi at McDonalds in Douglas, then went east on US26 to the Register Cliffs site, where pioneers (and others) wrote their names during their travels on the Oregon/Mormon/California Trail. Then 1 mile over to the Oregon Trail Ruts, actual tracks carved into the rocky countryside by the thousands of wagons passing through--very impressive. From there we continued on to Fort Laramie, perhaps the most important outpost on the westward trail. The site has many buildings original & restored from the 1830's on, plus items and artifacts used by the workers and soldiers. From there we drove several miles back to a highway rest area, where we stayed the night.
Oh, I left out the Ayers Natural Bridge, between Glenrock and Douglas, an awesome rock bridge formation over the N.Platte River. There is a nice park and camping facilities there at the natural bridge, as well as outstanding red canyon views.
The next day we drove down to Cheyenne and set up camp at T-Joes RV park. There is a fireworks stand in the same (large) parking lot, so we should expect some explosions during the days leading up to the Fourth of July...
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