July 29, 2007

While reading about things to do in the Western Nebraska Official Travel Guide, I noticed that the Cheyenne County Fair and Rodeo started on July 25th. We decided to drive about 30 miles to Sydney and take in the fair. When we arrived at the fair grounds, we noticed there wasn’t much happening. There were some people with horses in the arena but no fair. The signs at the entrance stated the fair was July 30 – August 5. Looks like I made a mistake. We went to a horse show instead. It was fun to watch the competition. We saw kids that looked about 5 years old or younger to adult men and women showing and riding their horses. I think our favorite was very small boy showing his pony and then demonstrating his riding skills.





We saw a lot of great horse handling skills. No matter what the outcome in the arena, it looked like everyone had a goodtime.

After enjoying the riders and horses, we started back to the campground in Chappell. As we neared town, Richard suggested we take a drive around the area to look at some of the ranches. There is lots of land in Nebraska and the ranches a very large. We went past fields of alfalfa hay, sugar beets, wheat and oats stubble and just plain tilled earth. We saw lots of irrigation systems. Check out this picture. Some of these devises are a half-mile long. Most we saw were somewhat shorter.

We also saw a very large stack of straw bales near the road. We couldn’t resist going for a closer look. As you can see in the pictures below the bales and the stacks were very large.

One last comment, Vera confirmed that the magazine had printed the incorrect dates. We still had a good time even though we didn’t see the fair.

July 27, 2007

Today we went to see some of the historical rock formations in the area. As we started out this morning a light rain had settled in around us. We drove about 50 miles to Bridgeport, Nebraska to see Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock. Although it was overcast, the rain had stopped just prior to arriving. These two outcroppings can be seen from 25 to 30 miles away. In the picture below Courthouse Rock is on the left and Jail Rock is on the right.

Our second stop was at Chimney Rock. It is a little easier to understand how this name came about. It not only guided the travelers on the Oregon and California Trails but also the Pony Express and early Rocky Mountain trappers and traders. Today, the estimated height of Chimney Rock is 325 feet. It is still an awe-inspiring sight today. One can only imagine how the early travelers must have felt.

Our third stop was Scotts Bluff National Monument. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we ate our lunch near the visitor’s center. We elected to drive to the top instead of taking the 1½-mile walkway. The view from the top is incredible. We took a couple of short trails to some great overlooks. The trails were all blacktopped and easy walking but sometimes close to the edge. We were a long way up and this was difficult for me. Our photographer, Vera took some great pictures while I admired the views back a few steps from the edge. Because of the earlier rain, the temperature was very pleasant in the mid to upper 70’s. One of the Park Rangers said the temperature the day before our visit was 106 degrees. We sure picked the right day to visit this area.

Our fourth and final stop was at Cabela’s: World’s Foremost Outfitter in Sydney, Nebraska. I’m not sure the man-made mountain in the rear of the store counts as a historical rock formation but it is entertaining to look at the various animals. It is easy to see why each year over 1.2 million people visit this store. I bought a new hat and t-shirt to enhance my collection. Richard bought a pair of jean shorts. Char and Vera couldn’t find anything they had to have.


I think Char did enjoy some of the animals at “Conservation Mountain” as you can see below.

There are signs asking visitors not to touch the critters and she wasn’t touching the polar bear. It just looks that way in the picture. Isn’t it amazing what can be accomplished with great photography? Thanks again Vera.

After a fun day of sightseeing, we headed back to the RV Park to see Brandie. Charlotte and Vera prepared another wonderful dinner and then we played “RACK-O” until bedtime.

July 25, 2005

Today was a day we have been waiting for but hoping would never come. After a nice breakfast, we packed our picnic lunch and headed east to Buffalo Bill Ranch Historical Park. We had driven a little over thirteen miles when we realized the thump thump thump noise we were hearing wasn’t the road. We pulled into a nearby scenic overlook and started checking under the car, under the hood and the tires. Richard found the problem. The front passenger side tire had a bulge coming from the tread. It was a ply separation and looked like it was growing. I haven’t changed a tire in the last 30 years but I still thought I knew how. It took a little while to figure out how to open the jack but Richard and I are smarter than average and opened it in under 10 minutes. Of course, that was after Charlotte and Vera said, “How about reading the owners manual”. After the jack was in place and the car off the ground, we proceeded to change the tire very quickly and easily. I should add at this point, I am not comfortable using the little “doughnut” that is called a spare.

After cleaning up and putting everything away, we looked up the phone number of a local repair shop in Chappell where we are staying. The man said he didn’t sell Goodyear tires but recommended we drive to nearby Sydney. He thought they could help us with the warranty on the tire. So off we go. It is only a 42-mile drive. We found the tire store in Sydney and this young fellow looked at the tire. He explained he couldn’t help us because even though he sells Goodyear tires occasionally, he cannot handle the warranty. He suggested we drive to Cheyenne and take it to the Saturn dealer or try an authorized Goodyear dealer. We called Saturn of Cheyenne and asked if they could help us. They checked and said they had the same tire in stock and would be glad to help us. It’s only about 100 miles so we headed for Cheyenne. The tire expert at Saturn checked the bad tire and said it should be replaced for free because it was defective. The other three were only two years old and he thought they would probably be OK. But, we could replace them if it would make us feel better. We talked about it for a while and came to the following conclusions. I don’t get excited about changing tires along the road. Neither Char nor I liked driving approximately 140 miles on the dinky doughnut spare. We didn’t feel comfortable towing the car with less than perfect tires. Lastly, that is why we have an emergency fund. So we bought three new tires to match the one he was giving us. Two and a half hours later we left the Saturn dealership and headed home in an extremely hard rainstorm. Our luck was about to improve. After thirty minutes the rain stopped and we had a nice drive back to our RV Park.

Our problem started about 9:30 this morning and we got home a little after 7:30 this evening. By the way, we didn’t get to Buffalo Bill Ranch Historical Park but we did enjoy our lunch in the car on the way to Cheyenne. Even with this problem, we still had a good day with our friends. At the end of the day, we are still happy, healthy and enjoying our journey with Richard and Vera. We only lost a little of our emergency fund.

July 24, 2007

Today we went to Ogallala, Nebraska. We stopped at Front Street, which represents a taste of the old west. We visited a couple of shops, the Cowboy Museum, the General Store and the Petrified Wood Gallery. Of course we had to buy t-shirts that represents Nebraska.


Our next stop was Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala. Lake McConaughy was created when Kingsley Dam was built on the North Platte River. The lake is 22 miles long and 142 feet deep at the deepest point and the dam is 3 ½ miles long.





Lake Ogallala is on the down riverside of the dam. The immense spray of water passing through the hydro plant’s bypass valve intrigued us. The valve is used on a regular basis during the summer to maintain dissolved oxygen levels for the benefit of the lake’s trout population.



We had our picnic lunch at Lake Ogallala State Recreational Area. The temperature was in the upper 90’s but, with the wind blowing, it was comfortable in the shade along the lake. Lunch is always better when you have a great view.

After lunch, we took the long way through the towns of Lewellen and Oshkosh to our campground with no stops for additional souvenirs.

July 23, 2007

Today we traveled north and east to Nebraska. We saw lots of rolling hills and flat top buttes. In the picture below you can see what Vera and Richard watched all day. It was the back of our Motorhome.





Even though the scenery was the same for most of the day’s trip, we did see some interesting sights such as this large figure of a coyote on a hill along the highway.




We are staying at Creekside RV Park and Campground in Chappell, Nebraska. This is the only RV Park we have ever stayed that told us to go to the garden and help our self to some lettuce and cucumbers. I’m sure we will visit the garden before we leave. There is a giant flag painted on the grain elevator. It measures 52 by 100 feet and the curves in the elevator make the flag look like it is blowing in the wind.



Nebraska has some very beautiful sunsets.



We will only stay a few days because of the trains going through town every 15 to 45 minutes. Vera has a difficult time sleeping with the train whistles going off so often. Hopefully we will not have trains close by at our next campground.

July 21, 2007

Yahoo! The Cheyenne Frontier Days, “The Daddy of ‘Em All”, celebration is on again. Bareback, Saddle Bronc, Tie-Down Roping, Bull Riding, Steer Wrestling, Steer Roping, Wild Horse Race, Team Roping, PWBR Barrel Racing, Trick Riders, Matched Horse Racing, Cheyenne Frontier Days Parade, Art Show & Sale, Living History Presentations, Indian Village featuring Native American Dance Performances, Buffalo Roast with all the fixings, BBQ Buffalo Burgers, “Behind the Chutes Tours”, Cheyenne Frontier Days Carnival, Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social, Night Concerts featuring Bon Jovi, Trisha Yearwood & Reba McEntire, Neal McCoy & LeAnn Rimes, Los Lonely Boys & Ronnie Milsap, Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, Big & Rich and Def Leopard are some of the things you can see. This should be enough to entertain anyone. Richard and Vera were able to see a lot of the above listed things. They went to Cheyenne, Wyoming today while Char and I stayed in the campground. I was having a little trouble with the altitude (breathing problem) and decided not to go. Here are some of their pictures.

The Behind the Chutes Tour:

The Native American Dancers:

For lunch they had a real Buffalo Burger. (Notice the shape):

The Rodeo:

Trick riding:

Wow! The horses jumped over the car while he was standing on their backs.

Vera got a picture of a fun loving New York Cowboy enjoying the Rodeo:

And finally the rain they missed on the way back to the campground:

Even though the temperature was in the upper 90’s, they managed to have a very entertaining day.

July 20, 2007

Today was another learning experience for me. I have been trying to respond to comments in this blog but have been unsuccessful. I talked with my teacher (Karl) today and he talked me through the process again. His tutoring was terrific. I now can add comments. Karl was to kind to say, I'm not sure if the problem was with the system or with the operator. My guess is it was the operator. It usually is. So Derek and Joy, I finally responded to your comment.

Karl, THANK YOU once again for all your continued support.

July 19, 2007

After a late breakfast, we headed west to Estes Park, Colorado at the edge of the Rocky Mountains. On the way, we stopped so Vera could take pictures of a large tree carved into an Indian. It was at least 25 foot high and very impressive.


At Estes Park, we checked out the visitor’s center then headed for Main Street to do a little shopping. We did a lot of looking but very little buying. There were lots of wonderful souvenirs to admire. We understand the most basic rule of living in a motor home; if something comes in then something goes out. Of course, we do have room to add a few things like hats for Ray without removing things. But we all try to adhere to the rule.

On the way home, we saw several cars stopped in one of the pull off areas along the road in Thompson Canyon. This could only mean one thing – some kind of picture opportunity. It was our lucky day. There were several mountain sheep along the road eating their dinner. Up on the side of the canyon were several more sheep including a couple of babies. We stayed for 15 or 20 minutes while Vera took lots of pictures (I forgot to take my camera). We had two pair of binoculars that Char, Rich and I shared while Vera was busy. It was very exciting to be this close to wild mountain sheep.

We then went home to enjoy a nice dinner and a walk around the park. Char and Vera fixed salads and pizza. It was another great ending to a great day.