Buffalo, Wy

After the rally in Gillette, we made a short drive to Buffalo, Wyoming - located in Johnson County ... tucked away between the rolling plains of the old west and the towering peaks of the Big Horn Mountains and the vast Bighorn National Forest. It's a land rich in both western history and scenery. A place of sheep herders and cattle barons, renegades and rustlers. Where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid holed up after their outlaw exploits. Where miners consumed with gold rush fever passed through on the Bozeman Trail. Where some of the most famous Indian battles in American history occurred. And where the Johnson County Cattle War, a rangeland dispute which historians often deem one of the most notorious events in our history, left its mark here in the late 1880s ... and that Owen Wister wrote about in his epic American novel, The Virginian.




After getting setteled in at Indian Campground we drove to Crazy Woman Canyon and made the drive throught the canyon. The road was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp. back in the 1930's. This drive is a loop drive and took us into some real back country.




On our return to Buffalo, we saw a group of people standing along the highway. We stopped to see what they were looking at and saw a big Bull Moose feeding. Boy what a sight!

Newmar Rally - Gillette, Wy

We are in Gillette, Wy for a week to attend the annual Newmar Rally. There are approximately 750 RV's at the rally. Like most rallies, we will have seminars, vendors, entainment and food.


While in Gillette I went golfing at Bell Knob golf Course. It had some of the meanest rough that I have ever seen. Most of us shot 10 storkes or more above what we normally shoot.



I also attended a local Geocaching event that was held close by on one of our free nights.

Toterman

This evening quite a site pulled into the campground. It was Dave and Uta from Delaware. They have a Volvo truck, a Newmar Mt. Aire 5th wheel and a Mercedes-Benz SMART car. They are also on their way to the Newmar Rally in Gillette, Wy.

Deadwood, SD

Today we drove to Deadwood, SD, the town of western lore in the Black Hills. Many of the businesses in Deadwood are casinos which takes away from the history, but I guess it pays the bills. At any rate we walked around town following a walking tour map we got at the information center.

We drove up to Mount Mariah Cemetery where Wild Bill and Clamity Jane are buired. We didn't go inside because they are charging admission.

Crazy Horse Monument

We parked our motorhome in Black Hawk, SD and drove to the Crazy Horse Monument. Just after we arrived, a big rain storm moved in. Because of the storm, we were unable to get any closer than the visitor's center. They show a very nice video about the history of the Crazy House Monument. We walked around the display and gift shop areas.

We drove back towards Rapid City and past Mount Rushmore. It was raining, so we did not stop. We could see rushmore from the road and we had been there 7 years ago.

Wall Drug - Wall, SD

Like most westward travlers on I-90 we stopped at Wall Drug to get our "free" ice water. One has to look very hard for the drug section of the store. It is one of those places where you have to stop at least once.

Corn Palace - Mitchell, SD

We stopped in Mitchell, SD to see the Corn Palace and grab a bite of lunch. This year's theme is a salute to rodeo. It is something what they are able to do we corn and corn related products.

Minn. and the Mississippi River.

We left Rockford this morning and continued our trip on I-90. We crossed the Mississippi River and entered Minn. We stopped at the Welcome center, had lunch, took a few pictures and continued on our way West.

We are stopped for the night outside of Austin, Minn. Austin is the home of Hormel which makes SPAM. There is a SPAM museum, but it closes too early and opens too late for us to visit. Oh well, a future must visit before we die item on the list. :-)

Tomorrow we will be stopping in Mitchell, SD and visiting the Corn Palace.

Exhaust Gasket Blowout

This was day two of our trip. Our plan was to go from Fayette, Ohio to Rockford, Il.

We made a fuel stop in Indiana and as we were coming up to highway speed, the exhaust started to make a very loud noise. Well, we heard this noise several year ago when the exhaust gasket blew on the right side of the engine.

When we arrived at our stop for the night in Rockford, Il. I checked things out and it appears that the exhaust gasket on the left side blew. We will have to wait until we return to Taneytown, Md to have it repaired.

Several years ago we had a Gibson Exhaust System installed and from what the installer said, they used a very poor gasket. I have to say I agree with him. I called Gibson after the first Gasket blew and got the line that they never had a problem with the gaskets that they supply with the exhaust kit. If you are thinking about using a Gibson Exhaust System, DON'T.

Our travels will continue, but with a bit more noise during the trip.

On Our Way to Gillette, Wy

Well, today is Father's Day and we are on our way to Gillette, Wy. and the Newmar Int'l Rally.

What a week it was prior to our departing. For one thing we worked everyday at the Taneytown Firemen's Carnival and if that wasn't enough, the Perry Brothers were replacing the siding on the front of our house and the sunroom.

Our first day's travel took us to Harrison Lake State Park outside of Fayette, Ohio. We arrived at about 7:30 and after setting up camp, we went to Tom's sister's house for a visit with her family and Tom's mother.

Traveling Americans at Lickdale, Pa.

This weekend the Traveling Americans gathered at the Lickdale Campground in South Central Pa. This was a deli weekend for Saturday evening dinner. Everyone signed up to bring various deli meats and/or cheeses. It worked out very well as nobody had alot of prep work and cooking to do. We will have to remember this for future outings or you can try this with your own group.

Brent's Graduation Dinner

What a busy weekend! After spending three days at the Good Sam Rally in Frederick, Md, we came home and attended a graduation dinner for our great nephew, Brent Stover.

He will be attending Eastern Carolina University this fall.

The picture on the right is of Brent, his Great-Grandmother, Virginia Little and his sister, Bree Stover.

Horse Farm

Today a group from the Maryland Good Sams Club visited a race horse farm. The horses were magnificent animals. The farm manager gave us a lot of information about the farm, the nature of horses, and the racing industry.

It was a very informative afternoon.

The theme of the weekend is a weekend of races and a trip to a race horse farm fit very well into the theme.

Weekend near Rehobeth Beach Delaware

This weekend we went camping with our local Good Sam chapter, The Traveling Americans. The weather was great on Saturday and we drove over to Rehobeth Beach and walked the boradwalk. A number of people were on the beach enjoying the warm Spring day as well.

Forth Worth and Dallas

Monday came and it was off to the Dallas-Fort Worth Area to visit Tom's cousin and her husband. They are staying at a campground just South of Denton Texas. When we arrived, all Tom had to do was pay for the site as his cousin, Connie, had everything setup for us.

On Tuesday morning Tom set out to have some keys made. While in Austin, I lost my motorhome door and compartment door keys. After getting the keys, We struck out to see some of the sites of Dallas-Fort Worth Area.

The first place we visited was the Mustangs of Las Colinas Statue. What a site! You can just let yourself imagine a small herd of Mustangs running across a small stream and the pounding of hoofs. What talent to be able to bring this much emotion to a statue.

Off we went to the Fort Worth Stock Yards where many, many years ago cattle were shipped from this location. This area has under went a rehab and has been turned into a tourist area with shops and several places to eat. A cattle drive is held twice a day and we arrived just in time for the afternoon cattle drive.



Next door to the Stock Yards is Billy Bob's, the largest honky Tonk in the country.
It has a large show area, several bars, a gift shop and a bull riding ring (the real ones not the mechanical ones).



Our final stop ot the day was the Fort Worth Water Gardens. This is another area that is very relaxing in the heart of a city.



This was our last stop of the day. Tomorrow, Dallas...

Austin, Texas

The first stop on our return trip to Maryland was in Austin, the capitol of Texas. We are staying at the Austin Lone Star RV Resort which is located 5 miles south of Austin.

The fact that it has "resort" in it's name should have clued us in that it was going to be over priced and it was. It costs us $90.00 for two days. The sites are tight and the roads narrow. WIFI Internet access and a two pancake and coffee breakfast are included in the cost.

Anyway, we wanted to see some of Austin. Sunday, after the "free" breakfast we drove into Austin and stopped at the LBJ library. This is a free library on the campus of University of Texas. We toured the exhibits about the great socitity and though many of the laws LBJ pushed for were needed, many others are part of the problem the USA is in today with many government give away programs.

Our next stop of the state capitol building. What a great building this is. We were taken back about how open it is to the public. Every half hour there is a free tour that takes you to various parts of the building. We could not go into the house chambers as there was a reception of some sorts going on. If ever you are in Austin, make certain you visit the capitol.

Our final stop was a late lunch-early dinner and than a walk down 6th street. This is the area that is known for the music scene. We were too early in the evening for the place to be jumping. We decided to call it a day and go back to the motorhome and get ready for Monday's travels to the Dallas area.

Moving North

Well, after two months, we are on the move towards Maryland. Our first stop will be for two nights in Austin, Texas. On Monday we will move to Denton, Texas for 3 nights and visit with some of Tom's family. After that it is on towards Maryland and home by Easter.

Chocolate Babka and Orange Blossoms

After church this morning we drove over to a Breadsmith Bakery and purchased a Chocolate Babka and a couple of scones to have for breakfest. Since we know about a Sienfled show in which a Babka was mentioned, we got a discount on our purchase.


All week long we have been smelling orange blossoms. It sure beats the smell of someone empting their black tanks. Citrus trees bear fruit and blossoms st the same time. This is quite a sight to see and smell.

Don't Shop at Brady's Duty Free Hidalgo, Texas

Today on our way to Reynoso Mexico we stopped at Brady's Duty Free Store to make a liquor purchase. If you have not shopped a duty free shop on the border, it should be a simple process, you make your purchase and pick it up at a location in the next country. Well we made our purchase, crossed into Mexico, but was not able to locate the pick-up location. We asked around, but nobody was able to direct us. In fact, everyone looked at us like we had two heads. We were able to locate to other duty free stores, but not the Brady's Duty Free.

In short, if you are going to get something from a duty free store don't buy from Brady's Duty Free.

Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle

We visited the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine. The Basilica was dedicated on April 19, 1980. The present structure replaces one that was destroyed on October 23, 1970 when a pilot flew his airplane directly into the Shrine. Very significant for the many pilgrams visiting the shrine was the fact that the statue of la Virgen was rescued from the flames completely intact.

The inside of the Basilica is very modern looking, as I hope everyone can see from the pictures. As you enter, your view the alter area your drawn to the rear wall and the ststue of the Virgin Mary.



The North side of the Basilica has a big Mosiac of Jesus and the Virgin Mary which can be seen when passing by on the expressway. Even viewing it up close it is still quite a sight to see.