Duane's Blog

Well, my Blog is finally back up and running. The web host where I had my websites closed down so I had to find a new host. Then I had to fix all the bugs after it got transferred. It was a major headache!

I will post more about my last trip later. I have added a bunch of pictures of some of the places I visited. North Dakota, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Montana, and Wyoming.

In Montana I was driving on Highway 87 about 80 miles east of Great Falls Montana. It is not a freeway. I came to a small town that looked deserted; ghostly. I guess there are a lot of small towns in the Dakotas and Montana like that. This one was called Moccasin. I took pictures. Very cool place.

I also visited the towns in North Dakota where I grew up (half grew up). They are about the same. One to five homes; almost ghost towns. I will talk about them again in a later post.

Go to my Photos page to see the pics.

From the Black Hills I drove to Wyoming. The last few days I have seen very different country side. Medora ND has rolling hills with few tress and it is green, very green. The Black Hills have trees, lots of them. Wyoming seems flat but is very rolling, but very brown. All the prairie grass is a golden brown, very little rain. Beautiful scenery, of course.

I drove to Devil’s Tower. What a sight. Sticking straight out of nowhere. There are a few other peaks but nothing like this. I waited in line to get into the national park. I used my senior pass for the first time! I had to drop my trailer because there is tight parking at the visitor’s center. The visitor’s center is small, not worth the wait. There is nothing there of interest unless you want to hike the trails.

The drive from Hill City to Sheridan was interesting. Road construction! There was eleven miles of mud! Bumpy mud! My camper was covered in mud. I was thinking I needed to find a self car wash. But then it started to rain and hail. I drove for a few miles in the rain. It washed off 99% of the mud, nice!

The road wound around through the tress going higher and higher, all the way to 8246  feet. Driving right next to a drop off straight down a mountain can be spooky at times. But what a view. I could see for many miles.

I stopped in Sheridan. The main interest there for me was King Rope and Saddle. World famous rope and saddle shop. They also have a museum full of cowboy and western items. They must have a few hundred saddles, many very old and many that belonged to famous people.

I have not had good luck with campsites so far. The first one had no cell or internet service, one bathroom with one stool and one shower. The one in Cody has a small bathroom with two showers but no privacy and no internet.

I went to Buffalo Bill Cody Center for the West. What an amazing museum. Actually five in one; American Indian, Art, Natural History, Guns, Bill Cody. I was there nearly nine hours. Some of that time I was online with my laptop writing these posts.

I went to the rodeo last night. Fun! There were some good riders. There was a five year old girl competing in barrel racing on a full sized horse. Boy could she ride! The top five women’s barrel racing had a time all within 0.6 seconds from first to fifth.

I have one more day here. I am at the Cody Museum now writing this. The ticket is good for two days.

From here I go to Yellowstone and Tetons. Wish me luck. The driving can be tough and I have a trailer.

As always, check out my Photos page.

Of course I found a train to ride on! There is a train that runs the twenty miles between Hill City and Keystone. It uses a steam engine, 2-6-6-2, and pulls six restored cars. Some cars were enclosed and some had no windows but a roof. I was in an open car. The route went up 4-6% grades, some of the steepest of any rail in the USA. Trees, streams, two tunnels, twenty road crossings with loud whistles. I saw many deer, took pictures, and enjoyed my train ride. I got on the train in Keystone. We stopped in Hill City for 30 minutes and then returned.

The engine burned hundreds of gallons on used engine oil each round trip. It used 2000 gallons of water each trip. South Dakota banned coal and wood burning in 1930. Seems like that was ahead of the times.

I took lots of pictures. Go to my Photos page to see them.

From Medora I drove to Hill City South Dakota. Beautiful country! I found my campground, a small place with a few cabins a about eight RV spots. Nice looking place, but…it had no cell service, TV, WiFi, nothing! The bathroom had one stool and one shower; small. So I did not spend much time there. And again my post is late.

I went to Mount Rushmore that afternoon and night; very impressive. There is a nice museum and ice cream shop. The evening program was very patriotic, very moving.

The next day I went to Hill City and Keystone and walked the streets looking in the shops and had ice cream.

When I was in Medora with my cousins there was a rain storm one evening. (It didn’t slow us down much). They had a lot of rain in the Black Hills. The streams were overflowing. The streams going through town was up on the lawns, flowing rapidly. Oh yeah, the storm knocked out my afore mentioned WiFi.

The next day I went to Crazy Horse Monument. Very impressive. I wish I could get closer to the sculpture. The visitor center is huge. Very well done. I sent a lot of time looking and reading.

Then on to Custer State Park. I drove the loop looking at the scenery and looking for wildlife. I saw Pronghorn antelope a few times. I saw buffalo at a distance and prairie dogs up close. I took pictures as best as I could. At one open meadow there were cars stopped and people walking out into the meadow a loooong way. I didn’t even realize they were people at first they were so far away. I zoomed my camera and took a picture. When I got the pic on my computer and blew it up I found they were out with the to burros.

In the park I drove and drove, around  sharp corners up and down, through the tress and gullies. Beautiful! I wanted to drive the Needles Highway. I set my GPS and took off. I drove through tress and more trees but no needles. I stopped at a picnic stop (with an outhouse). I asked a couple standing in line where the needs highway was. He said “You are on it”. I thought I was on the right track, I just hadn’t gotten to the needles.

The needles are amazing. I had not seen them since 1973. Narrow winding roads, right on the edge, tunnels so small. Cool !!!

Then back to Hill City, ice cream, and then to bed.

Go to my Photos page to see pictures.

I have a great family! My cousins get together every other year for a reunion. We go to different destinations around the country, mainly between Minnesota and the west coast. We come from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, California, and Washington.

This year, July 18-22, we met in Medora North Dakota, home of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There were 42 of us; cousins, spouses, kids, and a few aunts and uncles, from 3 to 93 years of age. We explored the park and all its wildlife. We went to the petrified forest. We walked the shops in town and ate ice cream, three times. We went to the cowboy museum.

Even though we do a lot of things, the main purpose is to get together, to enjoy this wonderful family. We do have a lot of fun together. All of us of the same faith in Christ but of varying political views 🙂

We all stayed at the Buffalo Gap Ranch about 12 miles west of Medora. A rustic place with a deck over a hundred feet long. We gathered on the deck with lawn and deck chairs and sat for hours talking, remembering times past, enjoying the littlest ones with us, and looking forward to seeing each other again.

On Sunday morning one by one we all left for home. I brought my new camper with me and am continuing to travel from here. I am going to Black Hills, Sheridan and Cody Wyoming, Yellowstone, Tetons, Kalispel, Glacier, NW North Dakota, then home. I am going to visit our ND farm on the way.

During the cousins gathering I have not had time to write so this post is late.

Stay tuned for more.  Duane.

I forgot to tell you about the mud! We got to Quigley Wednesday noon, setup camp and said hi to friends. Monday through Friday shooters can practice. The match is shot on Saturday and Sunday.

Friday afternoon it started to rain. It rained until Sunday morning. They called off the Saturday shoot. Sunday morning was very cloudy/overcast but they started the match at 8:00 am. We were out in the middle of nowhere, in the prairie, in the open range pasture. All that rain turned the prairie into mud, mud and more mud. Cars and trucks that tried to drive spun, slipped, and slid in the greasy mud. The more cars that drove made it worse. Deep ruts and broken up sod.

We decided that at the end of the match when 300 cars, trucks, campers, and motor homes tried to drive out, the trails would be impassible. We decided to skip Sunday’s shoot and get out! We packed up our camp and prayed for the best. Jeff’s 4 wheel drive truck and camper got out fine, some spinning and sliding, but out. Our friend Tim had a U-Haul van, two wheel drive. He got about 100 yards and that was it. We pushed by hand and got another 50 yards! He asked me to drive. A young couple from Texas had a Jeep Wangler and offered to pull us. Well that didn’t work as the Jeep just spun. The van was on grass so we pulled backwards. That worked. Tim and I got in the van and drove out! Once I got moving it kept going.

What an adventure. We did not get to shoot for score but did shoot for practice. We had fun visiting with friends so the week was a success.

I went to Montana to the Quigley Long-range Rifle Competition again this year.  My fifth time. Brother Neil and brother-in-law Jeff Palm went with me. We always have a great time. I have a photo gallery of Quigley pictures. Go to the main page and click on Photos. The photos of me with a gun are of my old gun. There are two close up photos of my Pedersoli Sharps rifle.

The match is using rifles made in the style made in the years around 1874. Most shoot 45-70. The bullets must be lead cast with no cladding. The targets a steel gongs at 350, 405, 417, 530, 600, and 805 years. (A half mile is 880 yards; about 5 city blocks). We shoot 350 years off-hand, standing upright holding the gun. The other targets are shot while sitting on the ground or a stool a few inches high, using cross sticks to rest your barrel.

In my Quigley photo gallery there are two photos of the targets. I drew red arrows pointing to the targets. You can see how small the targets look from the firing line.

Jeff and I went to the match in 2014. I shot and Jeff spotted for me. I bought a new Sharps rifle when we were out there. Much better gun than the one a started with. 45-70 caliber. We camped between a guy from Denver and a guy from New Hampshire. We have camped with them every year since.

In 2016 we talked Neil into coming with us. I shot and now Neil spotted. Again a great time.

A year ago I got Macular Pucker in my right eye, my shooting eye. I can see fine for everything in life but I cannot see the tiny spot exactly in the middle of my vision. That means I cannot see the target! The surgeon said it may get better in a year or two. So in 2017 and 2018 Neil shot and I spotted. Still a great time together.

This photo is of the cart I built to carry my rifle, ammo, stool, and stuff.

I forgot. I have added a bunch of photos. Go to the main blog page and click on Photos in the menu.

I forgot to tell you about the Branson Scenic Railway. As many of you know I am a railroad nut. This train goes through the Missouri country side for an hour and 45 minutes. Lots of tress and great scenery. Two tunnels through rock mountains and two bridges. It was built in 1902-1912 (something like that). The tunnels were long. Can you imagine carving out a tunnel by hand pick axe and dynamite?

I sat with a couple from Texas. Very nice visit with them. They were about my age. In the casinos I parked at and the RV parks, it seemed like a lot of the people were retired age. It is good for all of us old farts to get out and moving. 🙂

Until next time. (Maybe I will remember something else I forget, and have to write more).

I got home on Friday the 25th at 4:00 AM. The last couple days camping I did not have wi-fi so had no internet access and when I did have it I was too tiered to write. The last couple days I have just been lazy.

After Nashville I went to Memphis. The biggest draw for me there was the Gibson guitar factory. I wanted to tour the factory. But that did not happen. Gibson has closed that factory. I walked Beale Street and went to a rock and roll museum.  I camped in West Memphis which is in Arkansas, right on the river. The camper next to me was from Marshall MN. They sold their house to their daughter and now live in their motor home full time.

Bass Pro Shop has an amazing place in Memphis! The building is a 300 feet tall pyramid. The pro basketball team built the building as their stadium, then some time later built a new stadium. Bass Pro bought it. It is huge! The first thing you see are giant trees. These are concrete 50 to 150 feet or more tall with spanish moss hanging from them. There are ponds everywhere. You can walk right up to the water as if it were real. It is real water with fish in them; 7 foot Gar and 6 foot Sturgeon. Wooden walk bridges take you over the ponds. There is a great big aquarium, restaurant with a huge aquarium in the middle, a bar, 13 lanes bowling. In the middle of the store there are two glass elevators. At the top there is a restaurant with a big aquarium. There are outdoor walkways, at 283 feet, with glass floors that you can look out at the city. AND there is a hotel! The rooms are high in the trees and look like tree houses. A truly one of a kind place!

From Memphis I drove to Branson MO. The RV park I stayed in was right on the lake/reservoir. I was close to the bathrooms, which is a good thing. I was close to the bathrooms the whole trip, nice. I went to one show, SIX. Six brothers singing acappella. Very good.

Next I drove to Des Moines IA. I parked in the parking lot of the casino in Altoona. It was hot! In the parking lot of course there is to way to plug into electricity so I did not have air conditioning. I ate in the restaurant and had my laptop with me but the casino internet security blocked my website. So I could not write on my blog. I went to bed but was too hot and restless. I got in the car and headed for home. I was too tired to drive but went anyway. The four hour drive took my about five and a half. I stopped a lot, I did not want to die! I actually did ok. Got home about 4:00 am, park the camper, and went to bed.

It was a great trip. I had a blast. Saw some cool things, heard great music, talked with interesting people, and did a lot of relaxing. I cannot wait for more travels!

My last day in Nashville. This afternoon I went to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage (his plantation). Beautiful. Jackson was an interesting man.

Tonight I went to the Grand Ole Opry. More great music. They always a great variety of artists on the program. Some were Jeannie Seely (in her early 80s), new young woman Jillian Jacqueline, Larry Gatlin, Caitlyn Smith (singer songwriter that has written for some of the biggest names), Riders in the Sky (four old cowboys in their 80s. They sang one song on the movie Toy Story 2), and Ricky Skaggs. Ricky is an amazing musician. He started playing mandolin professionally at age 6! He must be in his late 70s now. He plays that mandolin so fast that it does not seem possible. He sings and is great on the guitar also.

Tomorrow on to Memphis!

Well, today feels very hot and humid, but it is only 82 degrees. Sun was shining early this afternoon but late afternoon is cloudy. It rained some this morning. Yesterday afternoon it rained hard while I was bar hopping. I got wet; my umbrella was in the car.

Last night I went to the Ryman Auditorium and heard great music. The Ryman was built as a church around 1900 maybe earlier. It holds 2,200 people. Today I toured the Grand Ole Opry. It was built and opened by and for the Opry. It holds 4,400 people. I saw back stage, the 18 dressing rooms, many photos on the walls, and walked on stage.  I have proof that I have been on the Opry stage. Maybe someday I will perform there, Yea right! Tomorrow night I hear more great music at the Opry.

More music today. It is an incredible experience. Walking down the sidewalk, you hear music to the left, right, forward, and back, all at the same time. But when you go into a bar that is all you hear. Of course, the music is kinda loud. I heard a great fiddle player today. She was amazing.

Tonight I went to the the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium. It isn’t really a concert, it is a radio show. There are 4 to 6 artists at each show. Each one gets to perform three songs. One of them is always a bigger name and she/he gets 4-5 songs. Tonight the artists were Larry Gatlin, Jimmy Fortune (formerly with the Statler Brothers), Kalie Shorr (brand new 19 yr old), Michael Ray, and spot-light artist Lorrie Morgan. Great show.

Temps are not bad, 84 and a little humid. Cools off at night. The RV park I am in is very clean. The bathrooms are air conditioned; never seen that. Fun talking with people in the RV parks. My little camper sure does start conversations. At the show tonight I sat between a couple from Chicago and a couple from Virginia. Fun!

What will tomorrow bring?!

Nashville is amazing!  I heard more bands today than I have in the last years. On Broadway there is a bar every other store for about four blacks, both sides of the street. I heard a couple really good bands. One was a lead female vocal, guitar, drums, and bass.  She was great and the guitarist was unreal good!  Another band was two young women, singing and playing guitar. Great vocals! More tomorrow and then the Ryman for the evening show.

I drove through the Mark Twain National Forest on Tuesday. Tress and more trees. The road was up and down and very winding. Beautiful! I camped in the forest. I had electric hookup and pit toilets. It was very isolated; no cell and no TV service. It really hit me that I was alone.

As I drove through the countryside, the houses were few and very backwoods looking. I stopped at a bar in the middle of nowhere for directions. The people looked like backwoods people, with old trucks and missing teeth. 🙂 I took the back roads to Tennessee where I hit the freeway. Grumpy Smurf comes with on all my trips.

I went to the Meramac Caverns in Stanton, MO.  The tour walked for 1.25 miles and took about two hours.  Very neat. It is a total of 26 miles long.

Today I went to the Lincoln Museum. Very nice. I saw a couple short films. One was about freeing the slaves. The other was about preserving history and was a hologram! Combination of real stage props and hologram. Looked absolutely real. When I was planning my trip I forgot about Sundays. (Every day is the same now). The museum was open but the library was closed. I think I missed a lot.

Last night I talked all evening with the couple camped next door to me. Had a great time with them and ate super with them. They are from St Louis. They say St Louis has been very violent lately. They said I cannot park my camper near the arch when I go the the arch. My camper will be empty when I return. They say absolutely do not take my camper downtown to the arch.

Yesterday I forgot to include a photo. Wisc is beautiful even in the rain. My Monday drive was like this 50% of the time. In the casino parking lot in Davenport I was beside a couple big rigs.  I looked really small beside them.

This is day 12 of retirement! Seems only natural already. Tomorrow is just another day. I am now in Springfield IL. Going to the Lincoln Library and Museum tomorrow.  I have heard that it is great.

It has been raining or sprinkling my whole drive these last two days. I took old Federal Highway 61 from St Paul to Hannibal MO.  Went through many small towns. Most of the roads were ok some were not. Iowa’s were the worst.  Monday I drove 8 hours to Davenport and stayed in a casino’s parking lot.  Ate dinner in their restaurant, listened to some dude play piano and sing 60s music.  Donated $10 to a slot machine in 3 minutes. Used their bathroom about 4 times during the night; more than normal.

Today, Tuesday, I drove about 7 hours to Springfield.  It takes me a little longer as I have to drive a little slower on two lanes roads.  Also, my car pulls the trailer ok but it does not like hills that are two miles long (I measured them; more than one!)

I am in a KOA tonight and tomorrow night. Very nice, out of town, lots of trees, and electric hookup for my air conditioner.

Been fun. Will have to see what tomorrow brings.

Well, May 1st will be my first day of not getting up at 6am and not going to work!  I am looking forward to this, really.  But it is not without some apprehension.

I bought a small camping trailer and plan to do a bunch of traveling this summer.  I have Continue reading →

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