Kansas City Dragon Boat Festival

The weather semi-cooperated on Saturday for Hubby's Dragon Boat Festival. Rain on Thursday made for less than ideal water quality in Brush Creek on the Plaza and the race had to be rescheduled for next Saturday. Third time's a charm! Saturday was the reschedule date from the original date in June. But the festival part went off without a hitch!

There was a great turn-out, good food, and fantastic entertainment. It was terribly hot and humid, which made for good water sales! But, I think the children's part of the entertainment was my favorite. So precious! Sister and the two nieces volunteered and we so appreciate it. It takes many volunteers to pull it all together.

Hubby has worked hard putting the festival together. He has put his heart and soul into it, with proceeds going to victims of the earthquake that devastated China back in May.

I attended the MACE (Mid-America Association for Computers in Education) Conference on Thursday and Friday. Missouri's Teacher of the Year, Eric Langhorst, was the keynote speaker and is quite inspiring. Students who pass through his 8th grade history class have been truly blessed. What an amazing credit to the profession! It was good to spend the two days with teachers doing so many amazing things in their classrooms.

Not much on the schedule this week. Help one of the nieces prepare for a math test, work on plans for school, and make a couple of trips to the gym. Oh yeah, and stay cool.

Back to Reality

Why is it you have to rest up after a vacation? Maybe it is just that it is such a shock to the system to get back to the daily routine. No matter. We’re back and we’re rested. We’ve unpacked, done the laundry, and put the suitcases away. We logged about 4200 miles on the trip to Montana. And my rear end shows it! It was great fun, but it sure is good to be home. Wonder Dog is glad too!

We went to the Farmers Market in Overland Park yesterday. Us and about 1000 of our closest friends! We picked up Sister and away we went. Decided to have breakfast first at the Farm to Market Café on Santa Fe in downtown Overland Park. The breakfast strata was delish, as always, and the coffee was the blackest and hottest in town. It was a great way to start the day.

After perusing the produce at the farmers market, we picked up a watermelon, some sweet corn, peaches, candy onions, and yellow tomatoes. And…my favorite tomato preserves.
Sister got some berries and cut flowers.

Hubby grilled the corn last night, along with burgers. I sliced a couple of the yellow tomatoes and we had quite a feast. Grilling the corn brings out the sweetness and caramelizes some of the kernels. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The tomatoes were pretty tasty, too.

The Sunday paper is filled with Back to School ads today. I love this time of year! Many people think of spring as a time of new beginning. That is what September does to me. It has since I was a little girl. If I breathe deep, I can still smell the sharpened pencils and new crayons. But, this means that I need to start getting ready for the new school year this week. Summer break will be over in a few short weeks. I finished my summer classes on Friday, so I am ready to start planning for my students. The planning is almost as much fun as the teaching! I’m ready!

July 11, 2008 – Billings to Ogallala

Another travel day. Up at the crack of 7:30 and on the road by 9:30. The only surprise today was when they charged us for a "senior breakfast" at the hotel this moring.

The rolling hills and mountains of Montana and Wyoming were really beautiful. We just really enjoyed the changing scenery. This is really cowboy country. It was extremely windy today which added some excitement to the drive.

We had not planned to make any stops, but as we neared the Little Big Horn National Historic Site we agreed that we should take a little time to see it.

In the 1980s, a range fire went through and cleared dense brush from the site, exposing the soil. The Government took the opportunity to bring in archeologists and there have since been several explorations of the site. Artifacts from the digs are at the visitor’s center.

There is also a national cemetery at the site, so of course I had to check it out too.

We used the Interstate system more today then yesterday and took advantage of the 75 MPH speed limits in Montana and Wyoming. But later in the day we opted for some 2-lane roads that were marked as scenic. We stopped by Castle Rock in Nebraska and then took US 26 on in to Ogallala tonight.

On the way we drove through an area of wheat harvesters working the fields after dark by headlights. We’ve really enjoyed our trek across the western US and seeing the custom cutters was a fitting cap on the trip.

July 10, 2008 – departure

We have not been setting an alarm most days, because one of us is usually awake pretty early. So we didn’t worry about it last night, thinking we’d get up and get going without it. So this was the first day that we both slept in. In spite of that we got going in pretty good time. The car was about half loaded last night so we just had a little bit of packing and loading to finish up today.

BB took us around the south end of Glacier National Park and out onto the Montana prairie. It was a nice drive through rolling hills that I assume are glacial moraine. The route she chose included only a little Interstate. Mostly we were on 2-land highways through grazing and farm land. The speed limits are pretty high in Montana. Wife proved that the Escape will do 90 when passing and seemed to have plenty more.

We are just hanging out in Billings tonight, ready to hit the road again tomorrow.

July 9 - Back to the National Park

Today was spent getting organized for our trip home. My, how we do spread out! When we had gotten a good handle on that task, we decided to take one more quick trip into Glacier. We didn’t want to miss anything! We decided to take little road-less-traveled branches off of Sun Road. The first one we took was closed about 2 or 3 miles in. But that was okay. We were in the forest and away from the crowds. We took another road farther down at the end of Lake McDonald. Again gravel, but that was nothing new to us on this trip. We just forged ahead.

Now, Wonder Dog loves the gravel roads. She sits-up in my lap the whole time, scanning the woods for critters. She spotted a deer which we think she believes is a long-legged, big dog. She is so funny! The drive was also a dead end, after about 6 miles. But well worth it. We saw damage from one of the forest fires; we think one of the 2003 fires. We also saw where the new growth was beginning. The sun was dappled on the ground from the trees. Quite breath-taking. We stopped and took photos several times on the drive. When we stopped at McDonald Creek for photos, we had to cut it a little short. The mosquitoes were thick! So, a couple of quick clicks and back in the car. We saw quite a lot of deer on our outing today. It was late afternoon/early evening and they were becoming active.

We left the park for the last time of this trip. We felt like we had explored just about all that is accessible by car. I think we both were a little sorry, but we are also looking forward to getting home.

We discussed altering our trip home to take in Yellowstone National Park. It is practically on the way home! Our better judgment took over and we decided that might be a good trip for next summer. So, Hubby, Wonder Dog, BB, and I will hit the road early in the morning and head to Billings, MT.

July 8 - North to Eureka

Today we decided to head north and west of the cabin. We drove to within a few miles of the US/British Columbia border. We were surrounded by national forests the entire way. It caused us to ponder. How does a forest get the national forest designation and what is the advantage of the designation? As we turned back south, we decided to follow Lake Koocanusa. Koo is for the Kootenai forest, can is for Canada, and usa is for USA! We followed the lake for 67 miles and there was more north of where we started! I am continually amazed by the number and size of the lakes in Montana. Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, has nothing on Montana. They are so clear and a beautiful turquoise color.

We decided to take a National Forest road to cut back east. We had gone for about a mile on this one lane gravel road that we would have to follow for about 30 miles or so, when we questioned our judgment on this decision. Now, we tend to be somewhat adventurous (the sons would probably disagree ;) ) but this was a little too much. We turned around and went back to the highway! A little farther down the highway, we finally got to see a moose. She peeked out of the forest, saw us speeding down the highway, and turned and ran back to the safe haven of the forest. My trip was complete! I had seen a bear and a moose along with the deer, mountain goats, and long-horned sheep. I watched for bears our entire trip to the Smoky Mountains. I watched for moose our entire trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Again, confirmation that Montana has it all!

We then drove to Libby, MT. It looked like a nice little town. Bigger than many we have seen, but small enough to be quaint. The towns in the area are very pleasantly not too touristy. I can’t believe I got touristy past the spell-checker! From Libby we went over to Kalispell and then up to Columbia Falls.

We stopped in Columbia Falls at our favorite DQ. Now, if you remember, Hubby can’t pass up ice cream. But our purpose was two-fold. I also needed to check-in on my online class and do a little homework. And DQ has free internet access. Hubby worked on updating the blog while I did homework. By the time we both finished, we realized what a sight we must be. Two middle-aged people and their little dog, sitting in a mud and dust covered car, in a dark parking lot with their faces lit by the glow of computer screens! Fortunately, no one called the local police. Maybe Columbia Falls is so little that they don’t have any police. Not sure. All I know is we chuckled about how we must have looked all the way back to the cabin!

July 7, 2008 – Canada, Flora, and Fauna

Ehh? Today we went to Canada to see the Waterton side of the park. The two parks together are known as the Waterton – Glacier International Peace Park. I (Hubby) was please to learn of the key involvement of Rotary clubs on both side of the border in getting the governments of the two countries to create the joint park designation and then get recognition from the United Nations for the arrangement.

We set the alarm for a change so that we could get going, knowing that it was going to be a long day. We needed to get to the east side of the Park so we chose to take Going to the Sun Road through the Park rather than taking the highway around the south side. GSR is much shorter, but slower driving speeds. I think the drive time probably works out to be about the same, but GSR is a much more scenic drive. Anyway the four of us (Wife, Hubby, Wonder Dog, and our GPS, BB) got an early start for Canada.

BB really had a lot of trouble with the route from the east side of Glacier up to the Waterton entrance. She was obviously confused but refused to admit it. She mapped out a truly bizarre route which we chose not to follow. This of course really annoyed her.

I was surprised at how much Canadian culture we encountered right away. People really say “ehh” – some of them use it in every sentence. Of course there were plenty of visitors from the USA, but most of the license plates we saw were Canadian.

The Waterton Park environment is similar to Glacier, with notable differences. The glacial moraine (left behind with the retreat of ancient glaciers) is very pronounced in the eastern area. The park isn’t as lush as the western part of Glacier, but seems to have more precipitation then the eastern side of Glacier. Wildflowers were everywhere. In general they have really started to bloom since we got here, and the open areas in the Waterton park were really in bloom.

Waterton would be a terrific place to have a base camp/cabin and make a lot of day hikes. We drove the two main roads and walked a little, but since this was just a day trip didn’t have time to do a lot of hiking, but we saw a lot of trail heads. There is at least one trail that you can take between the two parks.

We encountered a lot of critters, both domestic and wild. The highway that we took from the USA north went through an open range area, so we had to slow down occasionally for cattle. In the Waterton Park we got up close and personal with a gang of hoofed creatures. I am still not sure whether they were mountain goats or big horned sheep. They don’t really look like the mountain goats at Logan Pass, and their horns are similar to the photos I’ve seen of big horn sheep. But their horns are not all that – big. Until notified otherwise I’m going to assume that they are just young big horn sheep.

Then there was the bear. Wife was really hoping to see a bear on this trip and she got her wish. Fortunately we were not so up close and personal with the bear. He/she was along the roadside and we stayed in the car. Wife’s camera was available and the bear was on my side so I grabbed it and shot away. Fun stuff.

On the way home we went back over GSR. I highly recommend driving this road as the sun is setting. There was practically no traffic and the last light of the day was really beautiful as we drove toward the setting sun.

July 6, 2008 – laundry, groceries, etc.

Today was sort of a catch up day. We did laundry and used the Internet at the laundry mat. After we got our “chores” done, we took a little driving tour of the Flathead Valley. The village of Bigfork is very nice. It is a little bit more touristy than most of the town around here, but it is very nice.

July 5, 2008 - Exploring the North Fork

We’ve found Internet access somewhat challenging so we are a bit behind on updating the blog. Wife is letting Hubby take a crack at this one.

Today was devoted to exploring the North Fork area of the park. To get there, one has the choice of either taking the North Fork Outside Road or the North Fork Inside Road. One is outside the Park and the other is inside the boundary of the Park. Both roads are described as being very rough in the guide books, but the inside road gets really bad reviews. As it turned out we didn’t have to choose, as a 7-mile segment of the inside road is closed right now. Actually almost half of the route is paved if you take the road north from Apgar, so it really wasn’t so bad.

Our interest in seeing this area was its remoteness and limited access. We were in hopes that on this holiday weekend it might offer more solitude and less crowding. In general, we haven’t experienced crowded conditions at all on the trip, but it makes a good excuse to run the Escape over some really bad roads.

The “town” of Polebridge is in the North Fork area, about 25 miles north of Apgar. Its two main attractions are the Mercantile and the Northern Lights Saloon. There is also a bed and breakfast and a hostile, as well as a smattering of cabins. Polebridge has telephone service, but no electricity other than what is provided by generators. Most lights are propane. The Mercantile was built in 1914 and the saloon looks to have formerly served as a log cabin. Both of these buildings were spared in the 1988 Red Bench Fire that burned 38,000 acres. Several other cabins in the area were not so fortunate. There have been a lot of fires in the area, but this one is significant in that the Forest Service followed a then-new policy of letting it burn. The land’s recovery from this and many other fires is still very visible.

After grabbing some lunch at the Merc (really tasty pork and mango salsa turnovers) we moved on to Bowman Lake. Up to now the road had been bad, but wide. Soon it got much worse and very narrow. We drove through more area recovering from fire as well has huge stands of trees that have not been burned. The dense forests are of course beautiful. But when you look close, the recovering areas are beautiful as well. Many of the burned tree trunks are still standing and in between are grassy areas or small conifers growing so densely that at first glance it appears to be grass. And I have never seen so many wildflowers. Loads of Indian Paint Brush, something that I think is a wild rose, a purple spikey one that we thought might be columbine but decided it wasn’t. Okay so I’m no good at plant identification – there were lots of them and they were amazing to see.

Our mapping software had declared this to be a 2 -hour round trip. We of course knew that wasn’t going to be true because we like to stop a lot and take photos. It took was a bit longer than I would have guessed – we stretched it to 3 ½ hours one way.

At Bowman lake there is a campground and picnic area. The lake is really beautiful and we found people fishing and canoeing on the lake. There is a trail around the lake and it connects to other trails that go farther into the back country. We got out the tripods and stayed quite a while taking pictures. At one point some deer came very close to us and we both went into Great White Hunter mode – stalking them through the forest and clicking away. Okay actually we stalked them through the picnic area, but it was still pretty exciting! This is a style of photography I have not previously experienced. I have a lot of room for improvement here. My results were more about quantity then quality.

On our trip out of the Bowman Lake area we were amazed at the number of cars we passed coming in to the lake. It made us glad that we’d gotten a fairly early start and were ready to leave before they arrived.

We drove down to McDonald Lake just to see what it is like. The Wonder Dog got a chance to chase small waves that were breaking on the gravel beach. She had a great time. From McDonald Lake we drove to Apgar Village, where there is Visitor’s Center for a look around. There are a few small shops and food vendors there. Wife asked if I would like some ice cream. What kind of a question is that? Has she ever known me to pass up a chance for ice cream? The only question is the flavor – I had huckleberry.

Fourth of July

Today’s entry will be short in honor of our nation’s birth. Happy 4th of the July, as Oldest Son said when he was about three. It has stuck with Hubby and me, the cute sayings when they were young.

We like to take summer vacations around the 4th and take in the local celebrations. We have spent the holiday is Gatlinburg, TN, some small town in New Hampshire that neither of us can remember the name of, and now Whitefish, MT. Small towns have some fun traditions for the 4th. This year, in Whitefish, there was an art fair, parade, and fireworks. We missed the parade because we stayed too long at the art fair. We missed the fireworks because Ruby the Wonder Dog was not allowed in. But we still had fun. We visited with several of the artists at the fair and heard some interesting personal history, as well as learning about their art. And we did get to see some fireworks off the deck of the cabin. There is a meadow down the road and some locals were shooting fireworks.

Ruby the Wonder Dog had a good time in Whitefish, too. She made friends with dogs of all sizes. She is so funny though. If one of us leaves our “pack”, she gets very concerned. She likes us all to be together. Hubby says she is more concerned when I venture off than when he leaves. I am not sure I am buying that.

After Whitefish, we went to Kalispell to see what was there. I was pleasantly surprised that it is not too touristy. It does seem to be a popular place to stay in the Flathead Valley area. We also saw Columbia Falls, another quaint small town.

We had cell phone signal for awhile today. We got to talk to both Older Son and Younger Son in our short window of cell phone opportunity! It was a nice surprise.

Hope your 4th was a good one!

July 3, 2008

Today we drove the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. It was only the second day the road had been opened this season. They had been clearing the snow at Logan Pass, on the Continental Divide, the location of the Visitor Center. As we drove the road, something occurred to me. When we were in the Black Hills of South Dakota, it was all about Harleys and black leather. In Glacier it is all about bicycles and spandex. Quite a contrast, don’t you think?

Sun Road was awesome. I don’t mean awesome like my middle school students do. I mean it leaves you full of awe. The mountains appear sharp and jagged at the top rather than rounded like the Colorado Rockies. Hubby tells me it is because the Montana Rockies are limestone, whereas the Colorado Rockies are granite. He is always so full of…valuable information. We were stunned by the devastation from the Trapper Fire, which happened in 2003 and jumped Going to the Sun Road. Fires that year destroyed 53,315 acres of the park, one of the worst years for fires in Glacier’s history. The only new growth that is evident at this point are grasses and wildflowers. From a distance however, all you can see are huge brown patches on the mountains. Even knowing that it can be healthy for the forest to burn and begin re-growth, with the burned trees adding nutrients to the soil, it is still stark and scary looking.

I consider myself to be ecologically conscientious. I believe in the message of the documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” I know the world’s glaciers are melting. However, learning that the Jackson glacier will be gone by the year 2030, drove it home. That is, the Lord willing, in my lifetime! I feel guilty, burning all that fossil fuel and putting all those pollutants in the air by driving 1200 miles to get here and then the same getting home.

There weren’t the crowds we expected on Sun Road. We wondered if it was because of gas prices going through the roof or that the road had only been open 2 days. Most likely it is a combination of the two. The road is so-o-o-o narrow in places. It was down to 1 lane for awhile due to road repairs, but that seemed to provide breaks in the pull-out areas for scenic views. We did get a lot of photos!

We finished the drive at the St. Mary entrance to the park. It was about an hours drive back around to the west side of the park where the cabin is located. When you are on the east side of the Continental Divide, you would think you are in a different world. The west side is so lush, while the east side is desert-y. (I like to make-up words like that, but it makes the spell-checker crazy!)

Hubby, Ruby the Wonder Dog, and I were exhausted when we finally made it back to the cabin. Too tired to think of what to fix for dinner, so we went to West Glacier to get dinner and give me a chance to do a little homework for the online class I am taking. I have to do homework where I can get a WiFi connection. We haven’t found a single place where you can connect for free. One time, we had to pay $10 to connect for an hour! I could connect using my cell phone as a modem, but we are so remote, there is no cell signal. We got home around 10:30 PM and crashed and burned.

It was a good day. A really good day.

From Belgrade, MT to Abbott Valley Homestead, Martin City, MT

As I write this entry, I am sitting on the wrap-around deck of the cabin. I can hear about 7 or 8 different kinds of birds, squirrels chattering, and wind rustling the aspen leaves. Hubby is in the cabin, cleaning up after dinner. I cook and he cleans up. It is our system. And his favorite part of this is that he finishes any wine that is left. It is a long standing tradition.

We drove in the mountains most of the day. I have always loved the mountains. The Smoky Mountains were nice, the White Mountains in New Hampshire were even better, but the Colorado Rockies have always been my favorite. I think I have a new favorite. The mountains in Montana are even better than Colorado! As we drove north today we were surrounded on all sides by mountains. Mixed in with the mountains are beautiful lakes, many of which are huge. They are a deep blue like I have never seen before. Because the snow in the mountains is still melting, I am sure that the lakes are freezing. We saw only a handful of people on or in the lakes today and I think that is why. But, the lack of activity on the lakes left them still and smooth. Breathtaking! We let BB, the GPS, pick the route again today. She doesn’t like interstates, so we get to see some amazing countryside.

Today’s drive was the shortest of the three. Good thing. I think Ruby the Wonder Dog would have declared mutiny. She has the best little set up. We have the back seat of the Escape folded down flat. We stack up a couple of suitcases and then put a little perch on top for her. It is one of those Sterilite plastic boxes, with a pillow inside. She climbs up on the pillow and then can see out the front window of the car. She seems to like “her spot” quite a bit.

We got to the cabin about 5:00 PM. We stopped at the grocery store in Hungry Horse before heading to the cabin. We knew we wouldn’t want to get back out tonight. Enough of the car!!! We got everything unloaded and put away in the cabin so we can settle in. The proprietor stopped by to say hi as we were getting unpacked. The land has been in her family for years. The cabins were formerly occupied by various family members and she now rents several of them out to vacationers. Pretty good gig.

Tonight we are going to stay around here and enjoy not being in the car. Hubby said he felt kind of guilty for not going out and exploring the area. I think he is over that after getting a full tummy and having a glass or three of wine. Tomorrow is soon enough. We will explore to our hearts content tomorrow. Probably head to Glacier National Park. It is only about 10 minutes to the west entrance and there is a lot to see. I read where they just opened Going to the Sun Road today. It is the road that takes you up and over the Continental Divide. Finally got the snow all plowed off the road and it is ready for cars. How nice of them to finish it up for us, don’t you think? I am hoping to see a bear or two while we are here. When we went to the Smoky Mountains, all I got to see was bear scat.

The other news of the day is that the oldest son got his next billet! I think I said previously that he was hoping to stay in San Diego. He has worked at staying at the top of his C school class so he could get first choice of the available bases. Well, he got San Diego! He will be on the USS Benfold. When we can get someplace with a wireless Internet connection, we plan on looking it up. It is a destroyer is about all we know at this point. Oh, and that the ship is on its way to the Persian Gulf at this very moment. Once his classes are finished, the Navy will fly him to Bahrain (not sure of the spelling) and then fly him by helicopter to his ship. He said he was really stoked. I must admit, I was glad he got San Diego, but more than a little shocked that he would be going to the Gulf so soon. He is happy and that is all that matters. He loves the Navy, his job as a Sonar tech, and being in San Diego. Isn’t that what parenting is all about? Getting your children to where they are happy and contributing members of society? But the Gulf…so soon.

Well, that is all for today. This will get posted tomorrow because there is no Internet connection at the cabin. There is no phone or TV either! We are really roughing it! But, we are roughing it in style.

From Badlands National Park to Belgrade, MT

We got up and left the cabin to take photos of the Badlands at around 5:30 AM. It was gorgeous out. Good light for photos, perfect temperature, and not crowded at all. But, who other than us would get up at that hour? Only a couple of people. When we lost the optimal early morning light, we headed back to the cabin to get ready for the day.

We took the Badlands Loop to see all that we could. It is so quiet and eerie, very surreal. Some folks backpack in the park, which I just can’t imagine. It seems so spooky, even in the daylight! But Hubby thinks it looks like fun. We enjoyed this natural wonder so much that we decided to detour and take in the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore. I didn’t know South Dakota was so beautiful. Yesterday, as we rounded a bend, the most beautiful scene was right in front of us. We went from prairie to big lush, rolling hills that were on either side of the Missouri River. Now, being from Kansas City, I had never thought of the Missouri River as anything other than brown and yucky. What we saw in South Dakota was wide and blue. I couldn’t believe it was the same river! The lush hills looked like they would be soft and cushy to lie down on and take a nap.

The Black Hills did not disappoint either. I thought they would be similar to the Flint Hills, which I think are very pretty. They make the drive to Heaven, I mean Manhattan so pleasant. But, the Black Hills are more like mountains. They reminded us of the Smoky Mountains, without the kudzu. It rained on us, so we did not get to take any photos, but were glad we made the side trip. Mt. Rushmore was nice to see, but very touristy. We took a look at the old guys and then headed back on route to Montana. We had completely befuddled BB, our GPS. She had us taking a different highway from what our Streets and Trips software had shown and we were feeling adventurous, so we went with BB. Good plan! We saw old, old little towns, mostly mining towns. We saw some of the most amazing countryside. Western South Dakota and the little bit of Wyoming we saw had us slack-jawed. We didn’t even mind the 9 miles we had to drive on unpaved road! When they do highway improvements up here, apparently they just dig up the whole dang thing and start again!

Eastern Montana was very different from where we had been. The hills are filled with scrubby desert-y growth. The landscape was less inspiring, but beautiful in its own way.

As it was getting dark, we ran into some rain. Not bad, but slowed us down a little. We saw a gorgeous rainbow. I had never seen a rainbow where you could see through it. We saw houses tinted red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. It was like you were looking at the houses through a filter. Quite cool. We arrived at Belgrade, MT about 11:00 PM. We thought we could see mountains in the distance as we approached Bozeman and can’t wait to see it in the daylight.

Today’s drive should be should be shorter but just as pretty as what we saw early yesterday. It will be nice to get to the cabin, unload the car, and stay awhile.

From Home to Cedar Pass Cabins, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

As a part of preparing for our trip, we bathed and groomed Ruby the wonder dog yesterday. Because we have heard that the mosquitoes in northwest Montana eat small dogs for dinner, we decided she should have her first Frontline treatment of the summer. I went to the local Petco to make the purchase, but was surprised to see that it is akin to liquid gold, selling for a little over $60. Okay, so I am thinking…that is the price of a tank of gas for the Escape and we will be using significant amounts of the stuff on this trip. Opting for the $20 treatment wouldn’t be so bad, would it? The worst that could happen is that is doesn’t work very well and we have to get something else in Big Sky country. Sigh. That is not the worst that can happen. Within an hour, RTWD (Ruby the wonder dog) was very agitated, panting, and pacing. At first I just thought she didn’t like the icky feel of the treatment stuff we put on her back. This went on for awhile, when she looked up at me and with pleading puppy dog eyes seemed to say, “Mom! Do something!” I gave her a second bath for the day and she has never seemed to enjoy a bath so much. After about another hour, her condition hadn’t changed. Kile googled (I just love that noun/verb word!) the offending substance, sold as Sentry Pro, and found that many people have had the same trouble or worse. Benedryl was recommended and between that and me holding her, she could relax for brief periods of time. After another dose at bedtime, we went to bed to get a good night’s sleep. Two hours later, she finally dozed off and slept the rest of the night. This morning she was good as new. But we were exhausted!

We slept later than we had planned, but after the rough night we needed the sleep. We got up, finished packing, and loaded the car. After a quick stop at the bank, we hit the road at…11:10. Oh well, we are on vacation and aren’t going to get our panties/boxers in a bunch over the late start. As soon as we left the bank parking lot, I mentioned that now I was hungry which was met with guffaws from Hubby. I think he was reminded of a trip to Colorado when the boys were little and announced they wanted a snack before we were ever on the highway. Snacking in the car is an important part of our road trips. Planning the snacks takes almost as much time as planning our route!

We finally did have lunch somewhere in Missouri, near the exit to Rulo, NE. It was a beautiful day for traveling. The temperature was probably in the low to mid 80s all day. The sky was a beautiful blue, dotted with cottonball clouds. Late in the afternoon, we tired of the same XM radio station we had been listening to all day and switched to the audiobook I had downloaded. We started listening to, and I highly recommend, The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman. As baby boomers who have watched computer technology develop over the last 50+ years, we are thoroughly enjoying the book. He describes how an individual can place an order at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Cape Girardeau, MO with the person on the other end of the speaker who, unbeknownst to the customer, is located behind a computer in Colorado. And the order is ready when you arrive at the window! McDonald’s franchisees have found that orders are actually delivered in 30 seconds less time and with greater accuracy than if the order taker was inside the McDonalds, which means more profit for the McDonalds. And if a call is made to Microsoft about a computer that has gotten a mind of its own, the young man on the other end of the phone, Bob, is really Tabash, who lives in India. Bob/Tabash works nights at the help line, which is daytime in the US, so that he can go to college on the weekends and help support his family. The job offers him a benefits package that he could not otherwise obtain. This book is fascinating! Especially to a couple of nerds like Hubby and me.

We turned off the audiobook not a moment too soon though. We arrived shortly thereafter at Badlands National Park. I had seen pictures, on the same Internet that transmits those McDonalds orders and the Microsoft helpdesk questions, but it was even more amazing than what I had imagined. It was dusk when we arrived, so we are anxious to see everything in the morning. We are in an historic little cabin. Hubby said he could just imagine the cabins with those huge boat-like cars of the 1930s and 40s parked out front. It feels like we are in an old movie, except for that fact that I am on my computer and Hubby is playing with his digital camera. Okay, so it doesn’t feel exactly like an old movie. But you get the idea.

Well, I must sign-off for the night. We are getting up early to take photos of the Badlands in the early morning light. After we get all of the shots we want, we will be off to Belgrade, MT, where we will spend the night. Then we will hang a right and head to Glacier.

Hubby and RTWD say goodnight!