tastewar.com

Month: July 2009

  • By the way…

    While our main goal on this trip is to have fun and see many amazing wonders, which we certainly have been doing, we had a few personal guidelines to help us make decisions along the way:

    1. No fast food – Subway is allowed but we haven’t been there yet and Dairy Queen is allowed for ice cream only. Unfortunately some of the food at tourist places like Niagara was not much better than fast food – we have been having lots of picnics. So far, so good.

    2. No Wal-Mart – we were directed to Wal-mart when we asked about the nearest grocery store – but we declined and waited for a better opportunity. So far, so good.

    3. Return in better shape than when we left (parents mostly) – no great progress to report on this one, but we are plenty active when we get out of the car, so I think we are holding steady. There will be more hiking in the 2nd part of the trip.

    Just a little insight into the strange workings of our minds.

    More about our fun day at the Rockies game in another post!!!

  • The Rockies!

    No; this isn’t a duplicate post. Grampa bought us all tickets to an afternoon Rockies game against the Nationals.

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    It was a bright sunny afternoon, and 97º, but our seats were in the shade most of the game.

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    And when the sun finally reached us, we were able to move to empty seats behind us. After the game, we sat briefly in the “Mile High” seats

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  • Rowell Pool

    Normally, Rowell Pool refers to the family football pool, but at this moment, it refers to the neighborhood pool. A refreshing way to celebrate our arrival!

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  • We Made It!

    We have reached our intermediate destination, at Susan’s parents’ house. We will be here for about a week before heading on to further adventures West and South.

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  • Rockies

    First view of the Rocky Mountains!

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  • A Sterling Break

    One of our favorite stops along the way has been Dairy Queen, as there are DQ’s in most towns.

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    Two hours to go!

  • On to Centennial!

    This morning, we leave behind Alliance, Nebraska and the Holiday Inn Express there

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    and the very bumpy land

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    and the big coal trains

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    and head to Colorado

  • An American Copy…

    Who needs big stones…

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    When you have cars to stick in the ground.

  • Goodbye, Oreville

    This morning, we had breakfast by a not so roaring campfire. Seeing as we were trying to get going, there seemed little point to getting a blazing fire going, when we would just have to put it out. I think everyone slept better either due to exhaustion from lack of sleep the night prior, or due to familiarity. In any case, we had breakfast, packed up our gear, and headed out. The oatmeal was warm today, as we broke out the propane stove for cooking (thanks, John!)

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  • South Dakota Sights

    After camp breakfast (cold oatmeal, made with lukewarm water heated over the remains of the campfire), we headed out to Mt. Rushmore.

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    In spite of the cold beginning, the weather was glorious today. We had a great visit with the presidents, including a brief tour with a guide who was clearly still honing her skills.

    From there, we thought to stop by the Crazy Horse monument on our way to Jewel Cave. But when we drove in, we discovered it was nearly $30 just to get a closer glimpse than you do from the road. Oh, and also for the opportunity to buy souvenirs. So, we turned around after taking a picture.

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    We went onward to Jewel Cave, only to learn that we should have called ahead to make reservations for a tour. So, we made reservations for a late afternoon tour, and drove back to town for some lunch.

    We had lunch at the Cowboy Cafe in Custer City, where I had a buffalo burger, just for some authentic something or other. It tasted unsurprisingly a lot like hamburger. It was drier, and I think that’s because it’s a leaner meat, rather than overcooking. But who knows.

    After lunch, we went across the street to the mini-golf place that only took cash, and played a round of 18, which takes nearly forever with a family of five. Two of the children took turns being cranky.

    From there, with a little time to kill, we stopped at the National Museum of Woodcarving, also about $30 to get in, but it seemed more worthwhile than Crazy Horse. After having paid, we learned that it is really a gallery of one person’s work. An amazing artist, to be sure, but I found the name to be rather deceptive.

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    Then finally, our appointment at Jewel Cave. And the cave did not disappoint. We had a tour of about an hour and a half, which started with a 27 second elevator ride down 230 feet. It’s an amazing cave, with many large caverns, and they’ve built in platforms and stairs and catwalks and sidewalks for a great walking tour (lots of steps, though!) The kids did not get bored, even though much of the crystal structure was the same throughout. This guide seemed much more at ease and practiced. Highly recommended.

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