Back from Kansas

We got back from Kansas yesterday afternoon and started getting ready for our next trip. We only have 2 days here in Idaho before heading to Greenville, California so it's a short turn around. We are also taking the 5th wheel with us on this next trip so we had to go and get it and now we have to get that thing ready to go as well. Busy, busy, busy!

I must say that I had such an enjoyable trip down to see Kieth and his family and one of the highlights of that trip for me was seeing fireflies again after over 50 years. It's funny how little things like that can make such an impact on us. Anyway, now it's time to get ready for another adventure.

Keith's Birthday

Today was Keith's birthday and we had a nice relaxing day just checking out a local park in Leavenworth down by the river and we ended it up by driving into Kansas City to have dinner at a barbecue place that Keith knew of. When we came out of the restaurant there was a very active thunderstorm going overhead and lightning was hitting all around us which I thought was very cool.

After dinner we sat on the porch back at Keith's house and watched another thunderstorm go by and as it got dark we watched the fireflies flitting around the yard. I remember seeing fireflies in Indiana when I was a kid but I haven't seen them in 50 years or so and it was a real treat to finally see them again.

It was another hot day and real muggy but not too hot for me and I was loving it. This trip has been a fantastic one so far and Keith and Kathy have made us feel right at home. In 2 more days we will be heading back to Idaho.

Sightseeing in Kansas

Keith and Kathy took us up to Atchison today to a cool old train depot museum with a stop along the way at a little town called Weston. There is a street called Thomas street which I thought was cool since I was there with the Thomas family.


The train depot was in Atchison where Amelia Earhart came from and they advertise that all over town. Later on we took a walk down along the Missouri River and I got a picture of the group out on a floating dock at one of the boat ramps.

It was hot today around 100 with a very high humidity but I have to tell you I was still loving the heat. I had a wonderful day and we went back to Keith's and had barbecued hamburgers which were also very good. Ya gotta love it!

Leavenworth

Well, we got into Leavenworth yesterday about 7:00 in the evening after a slow start in the morning and a very nice drive through 4 states. The temperature here was 97 with a very high humidity which made it really feel warm. I love the heat and so far I'm loving this heat too but I guess it could get old if you spend too much time outdoors doing anything strenuous.

Our hotel room is air conditioned of course so it was nice and comfortable to sleep in last night but the day is young and we will see how this hot day turns out in the end. I'll get some pictures put up this afternoon maybe or tomorrow morning.

The scenery along the way was actually quite nice, not as flat as I had expected but instead a lot of rolling hills and grass land but since I was driving I didn't get any pictures of it. They would have been pretty boring anyway so it was all for the better. Fuel prices were around $2.50 for diesel along the way and they are a little cheaper here in Leavenworth.

Made it to Cheyenne Wyoming

Well, we got here about 5:00 this evening and had a pleasant drive getting here. I made one wrong turn this morning that took us about 30 miles out of the way but I don't think that's too bad considering I didn't have any maps to go by. Karen's laptop has a map program and after checking that we got back on track. The scenery today was pretty nice. Here in Cheyenne it's still a little hilly but I think we will be getting into some more flat ground tomorrow as we pass through Nebraska.

We stopped today and got a picture of some wagon tracks along the old immigrant route to Honey Lake Valley, of all places. It was an interesting sight and we almost drove right by it.

Tomorrow we should be into Leavenworth by 5 or 6 in the afternoon.

Back to IF

Well, we got back to Idaho Falls last Monday and since then we have been getting chores done around Karen's house and getting ready for our trip to Kansas. It's been raining on and off all week so the wet weather continues. It's Friday today and we are off to yard sales this morning then I need to get packed and ready to leave again. Our plan is to leave Sunday morning and get to Kansas by Monday afternoon.

This next trip will take me into some very new country for me. We are going to go through Nebraska along I-80 and then at the Missouri river head south to Leavenworth. I have never been out in the plains states and I have heard it is pretty flat which is not the country I'm used to. It should be an interesting trip even if the scenery might be a little boring. We will see about that...

Walking in the rain!

Well, I woke up to rain Saturday and decided that walking was the only option for doing anything outdoors. After taking my time in the morning I left Logan about 11:00 and headed up the canyon to a place that Krista and Curtis had taken us to go hike the Crimson trail on Mother's Day. There is a trail that goes along the river so since it was pouring down rain when I got there, I put my rain gear on and took off with a sandwich and apple in my pocket. Before long the rain stopped and the sun even tried to come out and I was able to take this flower picture with the fresh rain drops on it.


I just sauntered along taking my time and enjoying the smells and watching fish swimming in the river. I didn't go all that far and came back to the truck and thought I might drive up canyon to Logan Cave.

Logan Cave is an interesting sight with a stream coming out of the mouth of it but the Forest Service has it gated and posted that the area is closed to protect some bat that lives there. It seems that no matter where you go on public land now days there is either some restriction due to some endangered species or a closure to protect people from themselves. I can understand the desire to save the environment and I actually support that idea to a degree, but the folks who make these rules carry it to extremes and in effect are closing our public lands to the public which I don't agree with. Recently an old mine site in Death Valley called Keane Wonder Mine was closed to the public due to some perceived danger and luckily I had the fortune to see it before it was closed and low and behold I made it without hurting myself. To tell the truth, you'd have to be an idiot to hurt yourself there and then you'd deserve what you got for being stupid. But that's the mentality of the land management people in this country currently and like it or not, they have the power. Go figure!