Roadrunner Review – Travel in July July 31, 2013

July has been a busy travel month for us.  It takes a different mind set to pack up and move every 2-3 days.  And that is what we did.  13 times we packed up and moved.  That is not to say we didn’t like it.  We did.  We enjoyed it and saw more people and places and things than we have in a while.

But, we need a vacation or some R and R time…

Currently we are in Boise, Idaho for a few days.  I will be catching up on my online work, we’ll see the State Capitol here, and we are going to catch our breath.

Here’s a recap of our travels:

Our itinerary:

• A – La Valle, WI            (Tom and Cathy’s)
• B – Milwaukee, WI        (State Fairgrounds)
• C – La Valle, WI            (Tom and Cathy’s)
• D – Moscow, IA             (HWH factory)
• E – Des Moines, IA        (KOA overnight stop)
• F – Sioux Falls, SD         (W.H. Lyon’s Fairgrounds)
• G – Omaha, NE              (Offutt AFB Base Lake Campground)
• H – Lincoln, NE             (Camp-A-Way)
• I – North Platte, NE       (Holiday RV Park)
• J – Cheyenne, WY          (F.E. Warren AFB FamCamp)
• K – Fort Bridger, WY     (Fort Bridger RV Park)
• L – Salt Lake City, UT    (Hill AFB FamCamp)
• M – Boise, ID                  (Gowen Field Campground)

Whew!

Along the way we have had those memorable, fantastic moments.  And those sights and scenes that one hope’s to remember for a long time.  In fact, seeing so much sometimes is hard to adequately process.  And way to much too blog about each day.  So I have plenty of pictures and material for later…

At the top of our highlight list is seeing friends:

– Tom and Cathy

– Steve and Therressa

– Rebecca and Gary

– Gary and Susan

and meeting many many new ones.

Some of the sights we saw and things we did:

• Pontoon boat ride on Lake Redstone
• 4th of July parade
• Ringling Brother’s Circus Museum
• Devils Lake
• Brewers MLB game
• Milwaukee Museum of Art
• Lake Michigan
• HWH RV Jack Factory
• Herbert Hoover Library, Museum and gravesite
• 5 yr Driver’s Licence Renewal
• Nebraska State Capitol
• North Platte Canteen
• Bailey Railyard
• Cheyenne Frontier Days
• Rodeo Parade
• Wyoming State Capitol
• Fort Bridger Historic Site
• Utah State Capitol
• Mormon Tabernacle
• Golden Spike Promontory Point Historic Site

We’ll be here at the Gowen Field Campground getting caught up on things.  We have ordered mail and expect it today or tomorrow.  I started my 3 day RV cleaning and waxing task which I look forward to. Good exercise and it’s fun to get the Roadrunner shining again. And I will be doing a few days of online work.  We get great internet reception here on my Verizon mifi.

So that’s a look at our July – Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Wyoming State Capitol July 27, 2013

It is a short drive from F.E. Warren to downtown Cheyenne and the State Capitol.  It was on our list and we spent some time there earlier in the week.

The quest for statehood began in 1869 when Wyoming became a U. S. Territory and petitioned Congress to become a state.  It took another 11 years when in 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed the bill for statehood, making Wyoming the 44th state.

The Territorial Legislature authorized construction on the building in 1886 and work began one year later. The building is classically designed resembling the Corinthian style architecture of the U.S. Capitol.

Near the entrance, a statute of Chief Washakie, the State seal, and a statue of Esther Hobart.

Wyoming is known as the “Equality State” because of it embraced women’s voting rights early in their state history.

In 1869, the territorial legislature enacted a woman’s right to vote and became the world’s first government to do so.  A few months later, Ester Hobart, became the first woman to serve as Justice of the peace. In 1925, Nellie Ross became the first woman governor elected in the United States.

Inside, there a number of inviting historical and historical displays throughout the hallways.  

The rotunda small, but the interior of the dome was beautiful!

The hallways and stairways were ornate and full of detail.

We made it a point to stop in the Governors Office, and were greeted by the friendly receptionist and intern.  We peeked into the governor’s ceremonial signing room.

Next, we went upstairs to the waiting area of the House of Representatives, looked at the Tiffany Skylight in the House Chambers and got a feel for the work areas/desks of the representatives.

Murals inside the four corners of the House Chambers depicting life in Territorial Wyoming

The murals were named: Stagecoach, Cattlemen, Trappers and Homesteaders and well done.

While we were there, Representative Sam Zwonitzer was getting some work done.  He told us about the $100 million renovation planned for the next 3 years and answered a lot of questions.

At 31 years old, he has been a Representative for four years and is in charge of the renovation.  One challenge is determining was gets done and another is moving all the people out of the building for two years during renovations.

On the other side of the capitol are the Senate Chambers

It has similar detail in the woodwork, murals and glass work in the skylight.  Both chambers were small but not crowded, as one might expect in a state with one of the lowest populations in the country.

Outside in the hallway, the arches and ceiling area where full of more beautiful detail.

A closer look at the colorful stained glass in the dome.

A view of the building from a distance.

The Wyoming State Capitol was a good stop!  It was a beautiful, lively building which was inviting and interesting.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Cheyenne Frontier Days – Pancake Breakfast July 25, 2013

A couple of days ago we got up early and went to the Pancake Breakfast that is held during the Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD).  We had heard from a number of people that it were going to be a lot of people, that it was interesting, that the food was good and that it was definitely worth attending.

It was a nice day and we were there a little after 7:00 AM on a Monday morning.

The line was so long we had to catch it going the wrong way.  It doubled back around and ended up in front of the Train Depot.

Along the way – we met some interesting characters

And in about 10 minutes we were up near the front where they were making pancakes.

It was quite a sight- I did a retake and these pancake flippers were tossing them to the catchers who were caring them over to the serving area.

Can you see a couple of them flying through the air?

And then we saw the stacks of pancakes.

Hot, steaming pancakes!

And ham!

They gave everyone two slices of ham.  And these were not skimpy, thin pieces – they were good sized!

We found a place to sit and ate away

After we were finished, we looked around and saw some interesting folks

Like some Rodeo Queens

I wanted to go back over to the ‘chuck wagon to see if I could get a better action shot of those flying pancakes

And a few minutes later a guy next to me said, “I want to introduce you to the governor of Wyoming”.
Before I knew it he said, “This is governor Matt Meade”.  We had a good long chat and then asked for a picture.

Not surprisingly, he was happy to oblige.

The next time someone mentions “Pancake Breakfast” – I will probably think of this one.  It was certainly one to remember…

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Cheyenne Frontier Days July 22, 2013

We didn’t really plan on being here during the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days.  It just happened.  We were looking for a campground and the first couple we tried were filled.  One host said, “Its the Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD), so you won’t find anything within a hundred miles.”

She was pretty much right on that.  We looked into staying at Laramie and places in between Cheyenne and there and did not find anything.  But we were able to stay on base at F.E. Warren Air Force Base as long as we didn’t mind dry camping.

Turned out to be a good move.  And at $10/night we are close to everything.  Close to the CFD grounds and only about 5 miles from downtown Cheyenne.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and got set up.  We took a drive around the area and found the capitol and the main downtown area.  On Saturday we went to the CFD Parade.  It was great!

We arrived early and found a spot near the front of the parade.  We sat near Jerry who has been a regular here for the past 15 years.  He was an interesting guy and we had a nice time chatting while the parade participants got lined up.

One thing he said was, “I hope you like horses, because there are about 1200 of them in the parade.”

I am not sure there were that many but several hundred for sure.  And they were beautiful!

We saw a cowboy doing rope tricks

And a number of wagons and stage coaches and buggies

Some of these horses were magnificent!

and then some

not so much…

And there were more Rodeo Queens and Ladies in Waiting than I have ever seen anywhere

And some more wagons and stage coaches

And some beautiful old cars

And some tractors

And then the street sweepers

signaling the end

It was a great way to spend Saturday morning at the Cheyenne Frontier Days and our second parade we’ve seen this month!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

North Platte Canteen July 20, 2013

Why would anyone go to North Platte Nebraska?

For us – it is along the way to the Oregon Coast and Northern California.  We are headed to San Jose for Matt and Sierra’s wedding in September.

And a few years ago I heard about the North Platte Canteen and how it met troops on trains going to the Pacific Theater during World War II.  Here’s a video that tells the story.

It begins 10 days after Pearl Harbor when a small group of people in the small town of North Platte got ready to meet the train for a 10 minute stopover at the Union Pacific Station.  Although troop movements were secret, the heard through the grapevine  ‘their boys’ were going to be on the train.  They got together some baked goods and a few gifts and got ready to meet them.

Instead, the train carried men from Kansas.  The folks decided they were not going to take their cookies and candy and bread and other things back home with them and gave them to the surprised service men.

Rae Wilson, a single 26 year-old was one of those that met the train.  

She was thinking her brother was on the train.  She was struck by how appreciative the men were and wrote the following letter to the editor of the local paper:

The next day the idea caught on and preparations began to meet more trains.  Committees were organized, whole communities (over 125) were mobilized.  The next train pulled in to North Platte on Christmas Day.  What a surprise for the troops on a long trip.  Coffee, conversation and someone who gave them a memory of a lifetime with their generosity and hospitality.

Over the course of the war, over 6 million service men and women were met by those that manned the North Platte Canteen!  

This is astounding!  For people to meet the trains, they traveled a long way.  This was during a time when gasoline and other things were rationed.  

Sadly, the train station was demolished in the 1970’s.  But many artifacts and memorabilia have been moved over to the Lincoln County Museum in North Platte.

Including the original doors to the Canteen.

The museum had a good display of pictures from the Canteen

I am really glad we got to stop in North Platte.  The story of the Canteen and the thousands of volunteers that made it work and the profound appreciation of all that took part in the hospitality was a great one to learn more about.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Sculpturewalk and Other Things July 17, 2013

On Friday, we made it downtown to Sioux Falls to catch the Noon Concert.  I wasn’t too sure what that was about but we were up for it.

Steve and Therressa suggested we go to the concert, then to Minerva’s for lunch.  What a great time!
Apparently the City puts on noon time concerts during the summer at the Old Courthouse Museum.  

We got there after it had already started and didn’t find a shady spot right away.  After cooking in the sun for a while, we decided to look for another place and ended up right behind the band in the shade.

Turned out to be a great spot.

We had the pleasure of hearing “Mogen’s Heroes”.  They seemed to be a mix of “easy listening/Jimmy Buffet” type of songs.  Very entertaining.  They were very good and a lot of fun.

Next, we took a quick tour of the museum.  We didn’t stay long but did catch the historic chair display.

And saw a piece of heavy duty angle iron that was driven through a tree during a tornado

And a patriotic/historical flag display

And then we walked through town to Minvera’s Restaurant

Then we wandered around and took some photos of some the Sculpturewalk Sculptures on Phillips Avenue.

There were lots more sculptures but we only saw a few of them.

The sculptures on SculptureWalkSiouxFalls are owned by the artist on loan to the City of Sioux Falls for one year.  During May-Sept,  the public can vote for their favorites.  Then the city purchases the annual “People’s Choice Award”.  And the sculptures are for sale to the public.

Interesting time in downtown Sioux Falls ~ one of our favorite places!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  As always – we love those comments!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

The Falls at Sioux Falls July 16, 2013

Sioux Falls has a great downtown area.  The Falls of the Big Sioux River is at one end of town.  In the evenings our friends Steve and Therressa drive through the parking lot checking license plates.

I didn’t ask where they got their checklist, but they pulled out it out and checked off a few more.   It is a perfect excuse to go to a beautiful park.  I don’t know how long it has been a beautiful park but Hazel O’Conner made her contribution.

And we get to enjoy the lovely walk ways and trails. 

The Falls Park isn’t very big, but it is scenic, really gorgeous.

At one end is the Observation Tower.

And more walkways, including this bridge to the other side.

It was a beautiful day.

It is not unusual to see Special Events taking place.  One evening we drove through the park and they were doing an “Romeo and Juliet” in the Outdoor Theater.

And a wedding party was taking some photos.

We really love seeing it every time we are here.

It is something you may want to see.  A beautiful park in a beautiful town.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Please check back for the next edition ~ “Sculpturewalk in Sioux Falls”.

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

On the Sioux Falls Bike Trail July 14, 2013

It has been a long time since I have been out on a good long bike ride.  I miss that.  I am hesitant to go out on a route that is not well marked and/or does not have a separate trail.  Especially in a new place.  So I was especially glad to get back to Sioux Falls and on my bike again.

Sioux Falls has an excellent set of trails and routes around and through the city.

I had to air up my tires and check things out and install a Father’s Day present:  A holder for my iPhone.

I also installed a locking bike cable just in case I found somewhere I wanted to securely tie up.

Then I picked up the trail near marker 12 and put in some miles.  Interesting shelter near the start

on the bike path with lots of picnic tables, a restroom and my first ever on a bike trail:

electronic sign with temperature and time!

The trail follows along the city canal.

It crosses the canal a few times on these type of bridges.

 I was out by the end of the airport and the Air National Guard.

 Fun to see some F-16’s do some ‘touch and goes’.

Over near the State Penitentiary

the canal merges with some other ones and flows at a pretty sharp decline over the spillway.

The trail crosses a bridge and has a pretty sharp decline down to the other bridge.

I rode to the bottom on some switchbacks to get some aerobic work in on the otherwise pretty flat course.  Going back up, the trail follows the split rail fence.

The complete circuit around to my starting location is about 24 miles.  At this point, I began to notice how long this ride was getting to be and turned back and retraced my path.

 It was a fairly windy day so it was a challenge at times.  I really enjoyed getting out there though and would love to come back and do a complete loop.  I will have to train for that one though.  It took my just under 2:30 do go a little over 18.5 miles.  I use the app:  M aymyride+ and it logged the course and details for me.

It was a nice day for it – thanks for joining me on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

USA Cycling National Championships – Madison July 13, 2013

Now and then it is fun when you are at the right place at the right time.  We went to see the Wisconsin State Capitol and happened upon the U.S. Cycling National Championships!  We’ve never been close to an event like this so it was quite interesting.

Before every race they have a warm up period and I believe we saw three races.

The course is 1km and the races were around the 1 square block course of the State Capitol building.

It was fascinating to see these guys go for it!

They lined up and took off after last minute instructions.

 We got a different vantage point and some them zoom by!

 I have never seen a cycling race except the Tour de France.  This was pretty exciting though!

 One thing you hear as they round the corners in a pack is the noise of the gears and the sprocket action.

Now and then you can tell there are a few on a team and they jockey for position helping each other.  But mostly it seems like the strategy is hanging near the front and being able to sprint to the finish.

And then the inevitable – a crash

Four or five riders rounded the corner and hit the ground.  They got some help and got back on their bikes (except for one guy whose bike was messed up) and finished the race.

I am not sure about the different categories of races, but we saw one that was a C3 para-cycling race.  Some guys have obvious situations that put them in the category:

It looked like there were some ladies competing with the men in the para-cycling race?  Like I said, I really don’t know too much about it so I had a lot of questions.

During the warmups, the booth announcer had time to interview some officials in the National Cycling organization.

As we were watching the warm up, I chatted with this guy who was a competitor.  He is from Indiana and 16 years old.  His sister had just won the national championship for her age group.  His race was later in the day.  Talk about pressure!

He said his bike and gear cost in the $5000 range.

Years ago our son was into cycling and worked as a bike mechanic at a couple of bike shops in Washington D.C.  He got to where he could assemble and tune those bikes in no time.  Actually it took him in about 20 minutes from box/crate to road ready.

I have had a road bike but nothing that high tech or expensive.  15 years ago I think my whole setup with gear and the bike was in the $500 range.  I enjoyed recreational non-competitive rides in Virginia. They have some great trails.  For me 20-30 miles was a long ride.  I was looking for an alternative to long distance running.  I ran lots of fun runs, 1/2 marathons and finished four marathons before my body broke down and I had to find something else.  Biking/cycling seems to work for me now.

Though we hadn’t planned on seeing the bike race (and certainly not a National Championship) it was great fun to get a glimpse of these special athletes in competition!

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

A Night at the Brewers Game July 12, 2013

Every time we get the chance, we see a baseball game.  While in Milwaukee, we saw the Brewers play the NY Mets.  We decided to really get into it and do some tailgating.

We cooked some brats, sauerkraut and bean on the barbecue.

And we had plenty of veggies to munch on.

 The group shot didn’t turn out so well, but we tried.

 It was fun to join in the celebration of a summer night at the baseball game.  A lot of folks brought their corn hole set up.

 Others did just what we did and had some food cooking.

 There were rows and rows of folks that got there early.

We expected to find a lot of empty seats and have a chance for some good ones but the stadium was almost full.  Even for the struggling Brewers.

Even though we were way up top, we had a good view of the game.  It is a lot more fun to be there if we get seats where we can track what is going on.   Last year in Boston at Fenway Park we got seats in right-center field and it was too far away to keep my head in the game.

Since then we have tried to get seats with a better view.  Also – it seems as if everyone has a gi-hugic screen with stats on the scoreboard.  That also makes it easier to follow the action.

It was a great night at the baseball game and we are glad we could attend!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com