Road Trip Days 26 and 27 - Council Bluffs to Peoria to HOME!

Sunrise in Council Bluffs

The Epic Road Trip of 2015 has come to an end.  The best part of any trip for me is almost always to get home and sleep in my own bed again.  Last night was no exception.

Day 26 started out in Council Bluffs, Iowa with this beautiful sunrise.  I was really ready to get home but know that I cannot drive more than about 400 miles a day maximum.  So after the mandatory stop at Starbucks I started driving.  As for the majority of this trip, I took the less traveled road, which in this case was I-34 along the southern part of Iowa.  There are not many towns, just a lot of farming.  South Dakota was mostly wheat.  Iowa seems to be farming mostly corn and soybeans.  The terrain is hilly with trees.  Smaller farms than in SD.  Really beautiful!

Tree damage in Peoria

The weather can always be an issue and I was watching a huge thunderstorm that was passing through just ahead of my route.  I got all the way to Peoria, Illinois, before I had any rain and then it was not much.  Apparently, I had just missed a mother of a thunderstorm.  The power was out at the Courtyard and for almost 14,000 people in Peoria!  Power was OUT!  No lights, no elevator, no air conditioner and no BAR!  What to do?  Oh, what to do?  And, of course, my room was on the third floor!

Peoria rainbow

As with most of my travel experiences, there is always a rainbow at the end of the storm.  And the seasoned traveler is always prepared!  When I left Hartville Wyoming, Scott and Christine gave me three bottles of a Wyoming white wine. The brand is "307" which is the area code for the entire state of Wyoming.  I travel with flashlights, sewing lights that hang around my neck, knuckle lights for walking in the dark and.... most important of all, a corkscrew!! So I settled into my room with a bag of Doritos, a granola bar and my bottle of wine.  Funny.  After three glasses of wine, I really did not care that the power was out.

Roughing it in Peoria

About three hours after I checked in, the first phase of the power came back on with bathroom lights and the air conditioner.  That was all I needed!  When I checked out in the morning, that was still all that was on.  No elevator, no hot water, no Starbucks latte.  Just part of the adventure!!

The Epic Road Trip of 2015 took 27 days and covered over 6,400 miles.  My 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe was absolutely fabulous for traveling.  I think I have finally found my favorite car!

I am so very glad to be back home in Indiana but definitely will be planning my next Road Trip soon! For now I will get back into tennis, gardening and quilting.  Lots of quilting!!  So many ideas, so much fabric, so little time.

Road Trip Day 25 - Aberdeen SD to Council Bluffs, Iowa

A quilted car cover!  Someone has too much time on
their hands!

Day 25 of the Epic Road Trip started in Aberdeen, SD.  I wanted to see the Dacota Prairie Museum there but it did not open until 1 pm and I had planned to be on the road by then.  So I looked up quilt stores in town and found the Fabric Bin on Main Street.  The sign on the door said they were not open on Saturdays after April 18 but the lights were on and the door was open so I ventured in.  Turns out that there was another quilt show going on and the store was only open because of that!  Wow, did they have some deals.  70% off if I finished of the bolt.  I managed to finish off 5 or 6 in a very short time!  

No white gloves at
the quilt shows

Just a quick note about the Lickety Split Quilt Store I visited in Lusk, WY.  I got an email saying they were temporarily closed - flooded out.  Very sad.  I guess the whole downtown area of Lusk was under water Thursday June 4.

Anyway, since the museum was closed, what else was there to do but to head over to the local very old high school to the Aberdeen Quilt Show!  The high school reminded me of the school I went to in the early 1960's.  Very fun!  Great show put on every other year by the 3 guilds in town.  Again, there were no "white glove" ladies.  When you buy a ticket to get in, you get a disposable plastic glove.  Brilliant!

Pie covers for Treasures

Also, both in Rapid City and in Aberdeen, the show was put up with pipe and drape, not quilt racks.  The quilts were hung using plastic skirt hangers. The bigger the quilt, the more hangers.  Might be a good idea for the BQG show in 2017 for hanging the smaller quilts. Their treasure shop used plastic pie carriers for some of the fabric.  Some really goody ideas! 

The quilts were not as spectacular as Bloomington but still was really fun to see.

It is almost 400 miles from Aberdeen to Council Bluffs and I do not drive at night so had to take I-29 and bullet my way down through South Dakota to Nebraska/Iowa.  And look what greeted me at the Marriott Fairfield Inn in Council Bluffs!

Tomorrow is Sunday, Day 26, and I doubt there will be anything interesting to see that is open on a Sunday.  The Midwest kind of shuts down on Sundays.  Next stop will be Peoria Illinois because that is as far as I want to drive in a day - 390 miles.  Then back home to Indiana on Monday.  I think I am ready to be home.

Road Trip Day 24 - Rapid City to Aberdeen South Dakota

All half square triangles!

Sign to not touch quilts
or be "tied & basted"

Itty Bitty ideas

Day 24 of the Epic Road Trip - June 5, 2015.  I thought I might go back from Rapid City the 27 miles to Mount Rushmore to see it not in the clouds.  Turns out that the clouds were still there and even lower so I did not even try.  Instead, the search started for quilt stores in Rapid City.  Turns out that the Black Hills Quilt Guild was holding its annual quilt show starting today at the local Convention Center.  Serendipity again!!  Oh my!  22 vendors all in one place.  Over 500 quilts hanging.  It was a fabulous show and really friendly people.  The Guild there has around 350 members!  I loved that they gave each person entering a disposable plastic glove to use.  No "white glove" ladies!  Very nice show and well done!

Wall Drug

The next stop heading east on Interstate 90 was to be Wall Drug Store.  Wow, is that a tourist trap!  Tons of people all wanting their free ice water and a donut.  It was National Donut Day June 5.  I've been collecting playing cards throughout the trip and found another deck with Wall Drug all over them.  And a really nifty Coca Cola lunch pail that will be great for my sewing notions when I travel.

Another item I have been collecting along the way are crushed pennies for Sara.  I always have 2 quarters and a penny in my pocket in case I come across a machine.

Found one there at Wall Drug.  This was crushed penny number 4 for Sara's collection.

From Wall, SD, I headed north and east toward Aberdeen just to see what South Dakota looks like off the 80 mph highway.  There are miles and miles of wheat fields!  As far as the eye could see, wheat fields.  Absolutely fabulous demonstration of the agricultural dominance of states like South Dakota.  The city of Pierre is the state capitol.  The people here call it "pear".  It is not a large city - only 13,000 population but it sits next to the great Missouri River, which may explain why it is the capitol.  I really love seeing the tiny little towns along the way with populations of 12 or 84 or 256 and wonder what it would be like to live in such a small community.

I noticed that along the way the historical markers mentioned that this was the Lewis and Clark Expedition Route.  So on this trip I have been on the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail and now the Lewis and Clark Trail.  Imagine that!

Tomorrow I will visit the Dakota Prairie Museum here in Aberdeen before heading toward Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa.  I think I am now officially homeward bound as I should be back to Bloomington sometime on Monday - Day 27 of the Epic Road Trip for 2015.

Road Trip Day 23 - Deadwood to Rapid City

Adams House

It was a dreary and rainy day in Deadwood for Day 23 of the Epic Road Trip.  I wanted to see some of the historical sights before I left town so I kind of took my time hoping it would clear up but not this time.  First stop in Deadwood was at the historical Adams House.  The house was built in the 1892 by Harris and Anna Franklin.  Later the house was sold to W.E. Adams (for $8,500) and became known as the Adams House.  Because it was closed up with all the furnishings in place for 50 years, the house is very authentic with the furniture and decor as it was at the turn of the century in Deadwood.  Very fascinating tour by a very good docent.  I give this one five stars!

One of the main streets of Deadwood are under construction and is completely without paving and is a muddy mess.  Made me think of how it must of been in this mining town 130 years ago.  Anyway, I managed to find the Moriah Cemetery where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried along with many other old western icons.

 I did not know that Hickok was assassinated and that Calamity Jane requested to be buried next to him in Deadwood.  Fun history!

Next I headed south in the Black Hills to find the Crazy Horse mountain that is still being carved.  Much to my dismay, after paying the $5 to enter the viewing area, the monument was completely hidden in the clouds.  However, there was a great museum and gift shop there so I spent about an hour checking it out.  The closest I could come to an image was of the 1/34 scale model of the project.  It is massive!  Much larger than Mount Rushmore.

Crazy Horse model

Jars of Glass Beads

 There was a display of glass beads and beaded garments and objects that were really wonderful. Someone acquired 70 tons of glass beads from an Italian company.  This is the company that supplied the fur traders in the 19th century with beads for the Indians.
 The beaded things were really intricate.
Lots of Indian history and art.

Beaded gloves

Trying not to think that the Crazy Horse Monument was a bust, I headed then to Mount Rushmore to see the heads of stone.  Again, I was hoping that the clouds would not be covering this one.  This time, I was not willing to pay $11 to park and go see some clouds covering the monument, so I stopped alongside the road like everyone else.  Oh my gosh!  I saw the faces just like the pictures!  But the clouds were covering the tops.  I hopped out of my car and walked about 20 yards to get a better picture and this is what I got.

Mount Rushmore in the clouds

The clouds were dropping so fast that all that was showing were the bottom of the chin - sort of.  I did get to see it just not record it.  Bummer.  Maybe I can swing back by there before I leave western South Dakota and have better luck.

I still do not know what route I am going to take tomorrow.  If the weather is clear, I will drive the 20 miles back from Rapid City to Mount Rushmore to get a better view.  Then maybe down to Custer and the Custer State Park south of the Black Hills.  I missed Sturgis but will probably just skip it this trip.  Too many people there.

Not sure what tomorrow will bring but still moving onward as the Epic Road Trip continues.

Road Trip Day 22 - Hartville Wyoming to Deadwood South Dakota

Scott with his Auntie in Hartville

Lusk Wyoming

Starting into the fourth week of the Epic Road Trip and still so much to see.  I said my goodbyes to Scott and Christine in Hartville and headed north to Devil's Tower.  First stop was a little town called Lusk.  And guess what I found?  A fabulous little quilt store!  I just got a call from Scott and found out that the towns of Manville and Lusk are under water from 8" of rain last night.  I really hope this little store is okay.  And I am very glad I left Hartville when I did.  Scott says the road is closed from Hartville up past Lusk because the bridge washed out.

Devil's Tower

The road north was through some absolutely beautiful ranch country.  There were almost no cars on the road and that is what I like!  Heading towards Devil's Tower, I did not know what to expect but just knew I wanted to see it.  Oh my!  This is amazing!  The rock formation is about 800 ft from the base to the top.  It is not a volcano, but a bulge in the magma from 50 million years ago.  There are a couple of bulges still covered with dirt that I was told will be more of these towers in another 40 or 50 million years.  Lots of rock climbers tackle this and one guy decided to parachute down to the top of it.  Not too smart.  He was stuck there for 6 days until some climbers could get up to rescue him.  Lesson here:  Plan ahead!

Belle Fourche museum

Geological Center of the USA

115 year old store

From Devil's Tower I turned east into South Dakota and set out to see the Geological Center of the Country.  Twenty miles outside of Belle Fourche is the actual spot in someone's pasture.  I drove all the way out there but could not see the flag that was supposedly planted on the spot.  Back in Belle Fourche is a wonderful little museum and monument.  And even a sewing machine in the museum!  On the way there, I passed the site of the Custer Expedition campground and an old store that had been open for 115 years!

Falls on Spearfish Scenic Byway
in Black Hills

I took the Spearfish Scenic Byway down into the Black Hills National Forest to Deadwood.  It was absolutely phenomenally beautiful!  The recent rains have kept everything green and lush and the streams are full.  Unbelievably breathtaking!

I am starting to think about all the things I want to do when I get home to Bloomington.  Still so much to see, though.  Maybe a few more days.....

The Epic Road Trip continues.  Onward!!

Road Trip Day 21 - Hartville and Fort Laramie

Miners & Stockmans Steakhouse

Boot Hill

The last few days have been so jammed with fabulous history and memories, I have gotten a little behind in recording it.  Day 21 was spent in and around Hartville Wyoming.  First thing we did was to visit Boot Hill in Hartville.  It seems that Hartville had quite a sordid reputation.  Scott told me that the boots were hung on the posts surrounding Boot Hill because when an unknown person died, his boots were a way to identify him.  Boots used to be made to order and were very distinctive.

Guernsey Lake Museum

Guernsey Lake

From Hartville, we went to Guernsey Lake and drove all around.  Most of the structures there were build by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930's.  The workmanship in these buildings was fabulous with hand hewn stones and huge wooden beams.  Really beautiful!  The lake is serene, though not the clearest water.  Lots of campsites and a few vacation homes around the lake.  Seemed like a very relaxing place to spend some time.

Laramie bunny rabbit

From Guernsey, we went on to Fort Laramie.  The Fort there had several names over the years but mostly known as Fort Laramie.  A lot of the buildings have been restored and furnished with period things that really gave a feel for what life was like at the fort in the late 1800's.  At its peak there were over 700 soldiers stationed there.  Most alarming was the size of the solitary confinement cells for those who were repeat offenders for whatever wrong.  The cells were only five feet long, about 3 feet wide and only 5 feet high.  After a few weeks in something like that with only bread and water, I would probably not cause trouble ever again!

Register Bluff

Lots of walking around the grounds of Fort Laramie and then we were off to the Register Cliff where the pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail in their covered wagons carved their names and dates of travel in the sandstone cliff side.  A lot of the names are not legible but we found several from 1850 and 1853.

Scott spotted a huge monstrous bull snake.  I really, really do not like snakes.  Before we left, he also spotted a rattle snake and managed to end its reign of terror.

Bull snake at Register Bluff

Historical sign

From Register Bluff we headed over to the Oregon Trail Ruts.  These ruts were formed in the sandstone rock from the wheels of thousands of covered wagons heading west on the Oregon Trail.  Very impressive to be walking in the ruts formed so very long ago.

Oregon Trail wagon wheel rut

Day 21 was amazing!!  So much history!

Day 22 will take me up to Devil's Tower and then on the Deadwood in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  Each day just keeps getting better.  This is an amazing country we live in!

Onward!!

Road Trip Day 20 - Cody Wyoming to Hartville Wyoming

Buffalo Bill Center, Cody WY

Chuck wagon

The Epic Road Trip Day 20 started out in Cody Wyoming.  First stop was the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.  What an amazing place!  There are actually several museums here.  The nature museum is an amazing collection of the animals past and present in the Yellowstone and Plains area.  The Indian wing had a fabulous collection of artifacts and some very impressive displays of living conditions for the Plains Indians.  The Center has the largest collection of guns dating back to pre-revolutionary times.  It is massive!

The last area I visited was the Buffalo Bill memorabilia.  As you enter this area, there is this smoky steam stuff coming out of the door way to the right and an image of Buffalo Bill speaking is projected onto the mist.  Fascinating and kind of eerie.  You can barely see it in this picture.

Friends and Company

I could have spent another 3 or 4 hours here taking a tour and enjoying all the history.  But it was getting close to noon and I still had a lot of seeing to do on my way to Hartville.  But, before I could leave Cody, I had to find the Friends & Company Quilt Company.  It was one of the Top Ten store several years ago.  I met the owner, Vicky, on the beach on Kauai.  She was knitting and so was I and we starting talking.  Turns out she owns this store and I promised myself I would visit the store if ever I was in Cody Wyoming. Wow!!  The store is absolutely fabulous!  It is jam packed with fabric, samples and toys.  Very impressive!  I did find a few treasures to bring home.

Tunnel Wind River Canyon

Oops!  Landslide

The drive from Cody took me through the Wind River Canyon Scenic byway out of Thermopolis.  Absolutely beautiful drive.  The canyon walls are really steep and there were indications of lots of landslides.  One actually took out the railroad tracks on the other side of the Big Horn River.  The road went through three short tunnels.  I love roads through tunnels!

The rest of the drive was across the Plains. Montana claims it has "big skies" but the sky of Wyoming was bigger than anything I have ever seen.  The storm clouds were forming to the east and I could see the rain coming down and the lightning was magnificent.  I kept thinking about the story Lonesome Dove and the wagon trains.  Part of my route was along the Sand Creek Massacre Trail.  The history of the west between the white settlers and the Indians is not a very pleasant one.

Scott with stack of Crown Royals bags

The destination for Day 20 was Hartville, Wyoming, which has a population of 76 and is about 13 miles north of Guernsey.  Hartville is the oldest incorporated city still in existence in Wyoming.  When my nephew Scott and his wife Christine moved there, they increased the population by 3%!  Anyway, they now own the Miners and Stockmans Tavern and Steakhouse which is the oldest tavern still operating in Wyoming.  The place is another museum!  It is wonderful!  The ceiling tiles are not the original but are reproduction of the original ceiling.  The back bar is beautiful and was made sometime in the late 1800's.  Christine mentioned something about making quilts with Crown Royal bags and I said that Jenni was making one.  Turns out that they had a stack of the bags!   Bonanza!!  Now there are enough the finish one quilt and probably make another!

Scott is one of the best cooks ever!  He does all the cooking for the restaurant and I was treated to a fabulous steak dinner.  Just the three of us - the restaurant is only open Thursday through Sunday.  It just doesn't get much better!

I get to stay here in Hartville for one more day to see and explore the history around this area of eastern Wyoming.

Another amazing day on the Epic Road Trip!!