Ward's Wanderings; April 14-17

Mid-April; Seattle WA to Des Moines IA ---

Uncle B and I took off from the Mooney Base at about 0830 Monday morning (14 April) for "points East". Flying at 13,500, with a tail-wind sometimes in excess of 50 knots, we arrived in Billing MT about noon-thirty to refuel. We landed on a 5,000 foot runway rather than the "regular" one which was 10,000 feet. This minimized the cross-wind -- and associated gusts -- so that I made a decent landing.

After refueling, I was instructed by Ground Control, to taxi to the long runway for Take-Off. The wind had not subsided -- in fact, if anything, it had grown stronger and more gusty! As the Mooney gained airspeed down this long runway, I suddenly became aware that it was being pushed toward the right turf! A quick sequence of logic, and a glance at the airspeed indicator, led me to instinctively pull back on the yoke and prematurely "lift" the aircraft into the air; the stall warning screamed at me, but the Mooney continued to accelerate as I eased off on the yoke and allowed it to remain airborne.

In retrospect, [and next time!] I should have used the left rudder to steer into the wind, instead of steering toward the skid [automobile tactic!].

With continuing blue skies, we landed in Spearfish at about 1500 that afternoon -- again aided by the tail-wind at 13.5k. We rented a car [A Subaru, Heidi!!] and went to our motel from where we contacted our Cousin, Bitsy. Another Cousin Kay was there, and after a short visit, we all went out to dinner at a casino/restaurant where they served pot roast and delicious Rib-Eye steak -- medium rare!!

Jack, Bob, Bitsy, Jim, Ann, Kay

The next day, Tuesday, Bitsy had arranged for a "Cousin Party" which included Cousins Jim and Ann, and Ann's husband Jack. We all returned to Bitsy's place to have a delicious German-Chocolate style cake with ice cream. More visiting until Jack and Ann had to leave for their home at about 1800 that afternoon/evening.

Wednesday morning at sunup found Uncle Bob and I up for an early breakfast and a study of the weather. It had turned overnight into a gray day, not unlike Seattle. However the clouds were fairly low at about five thousand feet with an obviously sunny day above. After fueling up -- now with a little sunshine coming through the breaks in the clouds -- I took off for Des Moines. Bob vectored me around to remain in sight of I-90 and other identifiable points on the ground below. We topped out at 15.5k to clear the tops of all the clouds below us and giving us a smooth flight. In just over four hours we landed at Ankeny IA; a tail-wind at that altitude helped us along.

Ankeny Airport is NNW of downtown Des Moines. The winds on the ground when I landed were about 25-35 knots, but almost directly from the South -- runway 18, on which I landed, is magnetc South, so there was little cross-wind with which to contend. However, there were eddies of wind as I approached touchdown which moved the airplane left and right making the landing (on the runway!) an interesting challenge. Bob says I am a better pilot than he, but I don't believe it; he has much more experience, both in the Mooney and in the air.. Nevertheless, any landing from which the pilot and co-pilot walk away smiling is a good landing

We rented a car [a 'miniature "baby buggy" of a Chevy -- you would stick out all over, James!] and drove to Aunt Hazel's house where we were welcomed royally -- and with her typical "left-handed" chiding me about not calling when we landed so she could come pick us up.

Today (Thursday), we did some shopping and thought about where we fly tomorrow -- or Saturday. The winds have subsided and this afternoon in Des Moines has blue skies again.

More in coming days!!

I landed at Ankeny IA -- a few miles NNE of downtown Des Moines.

Around the USA in a Mooney

10 September thru 10 October 2013; Various daily locations--

As part of this flight around the United States, Grumpy diverted to Turkey with Uncle Bob and his lovely wife, Adelaide. But that story will have to wait; tonight I want to tell you about Bob's and my adventure in the Mooney [his airplane, but with my newly earned "Complex Aircraft Certification", I got to fly it!]. We left the Mooney's home base here in the Northwest early on a foggy morning September 10th. We refueled in Billings MT and stopped for an overnight at Clyde Ice Airfield in Spearfish SD. While in Spearfish, we had dinner out with our cousin Bitsy. "My bad" is that there are no photos from that meeting.

The next morning, we took off for a relatively leisurely flight to Ankeny IA [near Des Moines]. Sister Hazel met us at the airport and we stayed a day or so at her house before catching the "midnight bus" to Chicago for our flight to Istanbul Turkey. The bus ride turned out to be almost an all night affair, as traffic and a blow-out tire on the bus conspired to delay our arrival at O'Hare airport until almost six o'clock the next morning, 12 September. We joined Adelaide at O'Hare where the three of us were to board our plane for Istanbul scheduled to depart about noon that day.

Seven days later, we arrived back at O'Hare after an exciting and eventful six days seeing the sights and experiencing the sounds, foods and smells of Turkey. Again we [Bob and I] took the express bus back to Des Moines where we spent a few days visiting with Sister Hazel. We wanted to convince Hazel to accompany us in the flight around the Eastern parts of the USA. She finally agreed when enticed by the promise of a visit with her daughter-in-law, Siv, and her Grandchildren in Champaign IL; also her younger daughter Kay in Blacksburg VA, as well as getting to visit her Niece Jane in MD, her Nephews David in NC and Ward in VA, and a "Mystery" cousin, Willa, whom none of us had ever met, in Savannah GA.

Uncle Bob visiting with Kari;
Aunt Hazel listening in background

We flew the Mooney on 27 September from Ankeny to the Champaign airport, where we rented a car for the drive into Champaign to meet Siv. [All flights for the remainder of this Post will be in the Mooney, with Grumpy as "Captain" and Bob as "Navigator".] We enjoyed a very pleasant evening dining and visiting with Siv, Kari, Sofie and Olaf. Bob and Kari seemed to have a particularly good interchange. Grumpy's hearing handicap prevented him from overhearing enough to comprehend the context of their discussions. We stayed this night in a motel about 50 miles West of Champaign; some kind of event at the U of Illinois had all of the nearby motels booked solid.

On the 28th of September we flew to Blacksburg (Western Virginia Tech Airport). Kay picked us up and we had dinner together. We also visited Kay's horse ranch where she has a large [larger than she would like, if you ask her!] number of horses. Most are "Pony of Americas" [a registered breed developed from Appaloosa and Welsh pony -- with a little Quarter horse stock thrown in], but several are Norwegian "Fjord" horses.If Grumpy had a larger acreage -- or had a fence around what he has! -- he would sure like to have a pair of the Fjord's! [I could sell the lawn mower, and not have to hire a kid to mow my lawn next Summer!]

The next day, the 29th of September, we flew to Fayetteville SC, where we rented a car for use for the next two or three days. First, we were to meet Bob's friend and sometime boss, Dr Daryush Ila. While waiting for Dr Ila, we toured some of the historic sites in the town of Fayetteville. 

After breakfast the next morning, 30 September, we drove North to Raleigh NC to have dinner with Bob's son David and wife Julie. After dinner, we drove back to our hotel in Fayetteville.

The 1st of October found us flying from Fayetteville to Savannah GA. We rented a Prius this time; Grumpy [the designated driver] was befuddled for several minutes before he figured out how to start this car without a key and how to shift gears with the seemingly unresponsive shift knob. With that confusion settled and after reserving motel rooms for the night, we phoned for directions from our Cousin Willa and ventured forth into the suburban wilderness to find where Willa and her husband Chuck live. 

Grumpy, Cousin Willa, Uncle Bob, Aunt Hazel
 Chuck Baisden

This visit with our "long-lost" Cousin Willa had the most surprises for us of any that we experienced on this entire trip! Her husband, Chuck, is a veteran (one of the last four living!) of the famous Flying Tigers group that flew out of Burma, over "the Hump", prior to our entry into World War II. Willa is a couple of years older than Grumpy, but she is a lot nicer than Grumpy ever was. 

Chuck is a few more years older, but is still able to navigate on his own. He authored a book* about his experiences as a Master Chief Sergeant in the "Flying Tigers" [the American Volunteer Group (AVG)] and its subsequent organizational names and assignments of duty. The artifacts from his affiliation with that group as well as other items he has collected as a hobby since retiring, fill an entire room in their house. It was a great honor and privilege to meet this man and a pleasure to finally meet our cousin, with whom Grumpy has been corresponding via e-mail for the past year or two.

Willa called a local eatery from which we enjoyed some of the foods for which Savannah is famous, including crab cakes. 

After a good visit and receiving an autographed copy of the book that Chuck authored, we drove the Prius back to the motel for our night's rest. The next morning, Grumpy recorded over 60 miles of driving and had to "click off" the gas pump four times in order to get it to take more than one gallon of gasoline.

Aunt Hazel, Neil, Ward, Jane, Uncle Bob

On 2 October, we flew northwesterly from Savannah to Fredericksburg VA where Ward met us and drove around most of the D.C. "going-home" traffic to get us to Frederick MD where we met Bob's daughter Jane, and husband Neil. We enjoyed dinner and a visit with them, and then stopped by their home and Jane's downtown studio for a look at some of her stained-glass artwork. She markets her glass art work under the name of Trilobite Glassworks. [Jane is a Paleontologist and a student of microbiology.] Some of her art features enlarged realistic images  of such things as microbes and malaria germs. [How would you like to eat your dinner on a plate in which were embedded images of typhoid larvae?]

Stratford House; birthplace of Robert E. Lee

After our visit with Jane and Neil, Ward drove us back around D.C. to his and Peggie's home near Colonial Beach VA where we were warmly welcomed, fed and watered. We stayed two nights in Ward and Peggie's home. Ward drove us to some historic sites which were not open due to the government shutdown. One memorable site that was open (owned and operated by a private foundation) was Robert E. Lee's birthplace. Ward also drove us to the site where John Wilkes Booth was captured (and killed); he and Peggie took us to an excellent restaurant in the village of Colonial Beach where we enjoyed crab cakes and other special seafood dishes.

The Mooney at Fredericksburg

On 4 October, Ward drove us back up to the airport at Fredericksburg where we departed for the 300-mile flight down to Huntsville AL, landing on the turf strip at Moontown. Bob had some things he wanted to drop off there, as well as some things that he wanted to pick up from there. Hazel stayed in the home of Bob's friends in Huntsville [which he "house sits" when he is in the U.S. and they are at their home in Brazil]; Bob and Grumpy checked into a motel nearby.

The Mooney at Moontown;
Time for an oil change

After breakfast on 5 October, Grumpy ferried the Mooney over to a paved runway about ten miles from Moontown. This was because Grumpy was uneasy about attempting to take off from the turf strip with the near-limit gross weight we would be carrying in the Mooney for the long flight to Ankeny IA. On the way from Huntsville to Ankeny, we had to dodge through a frontal system that was sweeping across the Mid-continent. With Bob navigating, including monitoring the lightning detector instrument, and directing Grumpy's flight path, we were able to negotiate the front without incident.

Bob and Grumpy spent a couple nights at Hazel's home visiting and helping collect fruit and vegetables for canning before setting out on our flight West to home base. We took advantage of this opportunity for viewing and photographing Hazel's cacti that were blooming in an outside cactus garden.

Grumpy called our Cousin Bitsy, who lives in Spearfish, to check on the local conditions there, as this would be our first stop for an overnight before embarking on the long flight leg over the Rocky Mountains and Cascades.  Bitsy informed me that the Northern Black Hills had suffered a four-foot snowfall with winds which piled up drifts such that I-90 was closed from Chamberlain to Gillette WY! Clyde Ice field in Spearfish would likely not be open and, even if it was, there would be no ground transportation to enable us to get to a motel, and obviously we would not be able to visit our Black Hills cousins. 

Dahl Lungren, Uncle Bob, Cousin Barbara Lungren;
Mooney at Broken Bow

A "southern route", through Nebraska and southern Wyoming, was deemed more appropriate. Hazel informed us of some cousins who live in Broken Bow NE; Grumpy thought of his Granddaughter, Amy and family who live in Oregon! So it was that Bob and I took off on 7 October for the two-hour flight to Broken Bow. We met our heretofore unmet Cousin Barbara and her husband, Dahl Lungren. Cousins Darry and Marvin Weber, with their wives, Dolores and Gaylene, drove up from Arnold to visit with us also.

After our overnight stay in the Arrow Hotel in Broken Bow, Barbara and Dahl met us for breakfast the next morning and then came out to the airport with us. Dahl showed us his crop-spraying aircraft and a beautifully-restored Cessna that belonged to their son. He also used his on-field ATV to tow the Mooney over to the fuel station, thereby taking a strain off of Grumpy's still-healing back if we had had to push the aircraft over to the station.

"Great Grumpy" and newest
Great Grandson Samuel

We flew from Broken Bow to Boise ID for an overnight in a nearby motel. The next day, 9 October, we flew from Boise to Valley View Airfield near Estacada OR. An airfield resident spotted us after we landed and kindly gave us a ride to the Fox Motel in Estacada where we booked our room for the night. Amy's husband, John, picked us up on his way home that afternoon and we had the pleasure of a home-cooked meal in Amy's house, as well as a good, long visit with Grumpy's Great Granddaughter, Elianna and her four brothers, Malachi, Amos, Ezekiel and Daniel -- Grumpy's newest Great Grandson, Samuel, who Grumpy saw for the first time since his birth in early September, was sleeping and didn't have much to say even when he woke up later.

Daniel, Elianna, Ezekiel, Amy, Uncle Bob;
Mooney at Valley View Airport

On 10 October, we left Valley View with our intended destination being the West coast Mooney base. However, as we neared our destination, we could see that low-lying clouds made our approach and landing prohibitive [we are both VFR-rated pilots and in any case the visibility on the ground would have prevented an instrument landing given the equipment in the Mooney].  We turned back to land at the Troutdale airport where we remained overnight,  booking a motel on the other side of the field from where the Mooney was tied down.

On the 11th, after watching the satellite weather picture, hoping for a break in the cloud cover to the North, we finally decided to take off with sufficient reserve fuel to fly all the way to Arlington airport and then return if necessary to Troutdale. As we flew over the Seattle area we saw that the low cloud cover persisted. However, as we approached the areas further north, the cloud cover had been pushed south by the prevailing air currents and we were able to make a clear landing at Arlington. A quick call to daughter Susan got us a ride to her home where we enjoyed her usual hospitality of dinner and a place to sleep overnight.

The 12th of October dawned with the promise of good flying all over, so Bob and I took off for the last leg of our long and divergent flight home from "Around the USA in the Mooney".

*"Flying Tiger to Air Commando", by Chuck Baisden [Schiffer Publishing, Ltd]

Fifth of July -- A Birthday, A Farewell Breakfast and a Warning for Next Year

5 July 2013; Around Rapid --

Ranch Headquarters on the Cottonwood

This day was my cousin Bitsy's birthday. She entertained her brothers Larry E. and Jimmy E, and sister Kay E as well as Larry's and Jimmy's wives, and Grumpy. We all had a good visit together; Kay N. gave me a 8.5" by 11" colored photo of their ranch down on Cottonwood dated sometime in the early 1940's. It brought back fond memories for me, as I used to treasure the families'  big get-together's (there were five of us kids, three or four Bailey's and at least seven kids in the host family that would be present!) when my Aunt Laura would host a huge three-family luncheon or dinner. As kids, we used to enjoy playing in the hay loft of the barn, or hiking along the creek that flowed just behind the house.

I finished off the day in Rapid, with a dinner and visit with Frances, Larry N., Kay N., and Gary & Cindy. Having failed to test my new water weapon on the intended and persistent "Victim", Grandson of Gary & Cindy, I was reduced to merely passing on, via his Great Grandma Frances and his Grandpa Gary, the veiled damp threat that, "... just wait until next year!" I also disclosed, with the admonition to keep it a secret, the fact that I had "cold-soaked" the  loaded water gun -- chock full of water! -- in the refrigerator overnight. Just in case!!

On my return trip to my cabin on Spearfish Creek, I got to witness this South Dakota sunset as the last day of this visit to my Cousins and friends in the Black Hills ended. Tomorrow I would begin my two-day journey back to Grumpy's Castle. 

Fourth of July Celebrations, and other happenings

4 July 2013; The Black Hills and Environs --

The day dawned early, with warm sunshine pouring in my window as I awoke at 0530 MDT, eager for the adventures of this day -- whatever they may be. First, before my breakfast of microwaved steel-cut oats and a cup of fresh-brewed black coffee, I took a short (half hour) walk up and down the bike/hiking trail that borders Spearfish Creek here in the city. 

The birds (Robins, mostly) that were out for their early morning worm entertained me with their wary walk and hop as they stayed on the sidewalk in front of me. Soon they decided a more determined method of evasion was in order as they flew into the welcoming branches of trail-side bushes or trees. Not being my "old self", when I could maintain about 2 miles per hour hiking uphill with a 30-pound backpack, I estimate that I covered at least one mile in my 30-minute walk.

After returning to my cabin, taking a shower and sitting down to eat my breakfast, I was attracted by the sound of thunder. Thunder, at 0700 in the morning?! That is characteristic of the thunderstorm activity over the ocean, but on land? What is going on here? Grumpy went outside to investigate; the clouds were zipping by from the Northwest, suggesting winds aloft at 5-8 thousand feet to be 40-60 miles per hour. I then surmised that the rapid movement of humid air (from where? -- had to be of Caribbean origin) rising against the North end of the Black Hills massif was what was causing the thunderstorm activity. Anyway, the damp coolness that accompanied this storm would be a welcome relief from the otherwise promised heat of this day.

And so, with my "water weapon of choice" covertly tucked under my arm, I proceeded off down the Interstate toward the fore-destined battle field; will I win this day, or lose again like in past years?

Well, I sort of won; I found out that the Famous Backyard BBQ had been cancelled, at least for this year, so no little Grandson and/or Granddaughter would be soaking me today. On the other hand, I definitely lost; the climax to my visit to SD on the 4th of July had been this backyard BBQ and the anticipated fun of exchanging water with these (and other) little kids -- and ultimately being gotten wet by their combined efforts.

So, my agenda for the day had to be drastically revised. First I called Emil & Irene, our old friends from McLaughlin; Woops! they don't live in Black Hawk any more! They are both in an assisted living home in South Rapid. So I stopped in to visit with them for an hour or so, until their lunch break was announced. We got caught up on the goings-on in both our families and Grumpy promised to come again next year to continue our visits.

Having the wrong telephone number for cousin Ethel, Grumpy decided to drive up to the retirement home which was nearby. I obtained Ethel's correct telephone number from the receptionist and told the receptionist to not bother Ethel as it was close to her lunch time; I would call later to see if she would like to go out to a light dinner with me. Despite my request to not bother Ethel, she was called and came to the lobby where we had a short visit before confirming a tentative dinner date for later that day.

Fossil of very early Bison ancestor

Modern Bison; same scale as ancient

With the whole afternoon to do something until the dinner date time came, Grumpy chose to spend it in the SDSM&T Museum of Geology & Paleontology.

Grumpy very much wishes that the youngest Grandson could have been here; the semi-precious gem displays, the mineral specimens and the fossil skeletons were things that Grumpy is sure he would have enjoyed. there was also a comprehensive display showing the evolution of the Bison, in which both Nancy Nurse and Hammerhead would have been interested.

Ethel and I met at about 1730 and went to a nearby Perkins restaurant where we each had tomato basil soup and a salad or sandwich. During our subsequent visit, we told about our respective families and Grumpy got to brag about his Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren and pending Great Great Grandchild.

After returning Ethel to her residence, Grumpy motored back up to Spearfish where he would sleep very soundly tonight to the trickling tune of the nearby creek.

Old Friends Meet for Lunch and a Visit

1 July 2013; Sturgis in the wind --

One of my very good friends from my High School days is Roy A. He was missed yesterday from the Dupree Picnic and Reunion. Today Grumpy tracked him down.

Roy and I played basketball together in Dupree H.S. in the early '40's. He was about 6' 1" and I was about 6" even. A taller and much more skilled player was Dean V. at 6' 3" or 4", so Roy and I played forwards, often on the floor at the same time. I left Dupree in 1944 and moved to Philip where I became a member of the Scotties basketball team. One of our first preseason games was against Dupree; this was the first time that Roy and I played as opposing Centers. Philip won the game 13-12, as I recall; a very sloppy, poorly played game on the part of both teams.

Roy married the eldest daughter of my oldest cousin [Grumpy's second cousin?], so Roy and I sort of became related. Shirley died about 6 years ago, so both Roy and Grumpy have had to depend solely on our

own poor memories to get done what needs to be done -- and when it needs to be done.

Both Roy and I have "shrunk" some in our old ages [he is more than a year younger than I, but graduated the same year]. But he is still the gangly, easy-going Norskie that he was in High School. Some day we may both decide to grow up! Grumpy enjoyed seeing Roy again and looks forward to a few more get-togethers with him before each of us cash in our chips.

A Memorable Picnic in the Park

30 June 2013; Spearfish City Park --
The annual "Dupree Reunion & Picnic" was held today in Salem Park. Grumpy had looked forward to this possible meeting with old friends that he remembered from the years he had lived in Dupree: from March 1936 to June 1944. Especially he looked forward to seeing his South Dakota cousins another year.

The first anticipation was satisfied when he saw his old basketball teammate dating back to the South Dakota Class B District tournament of 1942 in Mobridge. Grumpy remembered how that teammate, at 6' 3", was confronted with playing center position opposite a 6' 5" or 6" player from Mobridge. Knowing he couldn't prevent this taller guy from making a basket if he got the ball, Dean instead "fronted" the guy and waved his hands in front of his face to making it as difficult as possible for the guy to get the ball in the first place. Grumpy, at barely 6', emulated Dean's strategy when he played center opposite a 6' 5" player from Fort Pierre in a gamethat the Philip coach had virtually conceded we would lose. Grumpy succeeded in preventing the taller guy from getting a single point while Grumpy was high-point man for our team. Admittedly the Fort Pierre guy was not agile, nor was he a good ball handler. Grumpy stole a number of balls in the duel. Philip won the game.

The day was capped with this gathering of the Cousins of the "Zimmerman Clan"; only Katy S was missing, and Roy A., who joined this clan by marriage to the eldest daughter of the recently-deceased oldest of this batch of cousins, "Rainey". From the left: Larry, Irene, Grumpy, Jack, Joan, Jimmy (behind), and Ann.

Tomorrow's adventure: Undecided as Grumpy lays his sleepy head down on the pillow tonight.

Wonder Where Ward is Wandering this Week?

27 June - 7 July 2012; My Annual Midwest Auto Tour, First Half --
Wednesday, Day Zero; Seattle to Deerlodge MT: As usual, I got up early and started out. I took a picture of the Eastern sky -- Venus was visible, but I apparently shook the camera too hard [Actually, that is about how my bleary eyes saw things, too!], so it will not be included.

I crested Snoqualmie Pass at about 0500 and was in Montana by noon. I arrived in Deerlodge with the gas-trip Odometer reading 566 miles (yes, as this photo of the "A" odometer -- the one I reset when I get fuel -- taken a ways out of Missoula shows, setting the cruise control at 65 really pays off in high mileage per tankful!)  TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 565.1

Thursday, Day One; Deerlodge to Wyoming: I found my Uncle Leonard Zierlein and his ex-wife, my Aunt Carol, in north-central WY. They live across the County Road (lane 39) from each other and seem to get along pretty well. We went to lunch in Greybull WY, where I had to buy a new tire; also reserved a room for the night.

 Their oldest, son Louis, was at Uncle Leonard's and I was happy to get to see him and Leonard's oldest daughter, Glenda again. [I first met him when he drove his Dad and two sisters to IA for Grandma Nettie's memorial.]

I also got to meet, for the first time, their youngest son August ("Augie" -- named after our Great Grandfather Zierlein). TOTAL MILES FOR DAY: 506.2

FRIDAY, Day Two; Greybull to Big Horn Range in WY: I had wanted to go over Powder River Pass (on the South end of the Big Horns), but I didn't remember its proper name, and wound up going US 14 over Granite Pass (into Sheridan WY) instead. As it turns out, there is a lot of spectacular scenery over this more-Northern pass. One of the most interesting was this, the Shell Creek Falls.

After going over Granite Pass down into Sheridan, I continued on South to Buffalo and then re-ascended the Big Horns toward Powder River Pass. I wanted to get Sunset and Sunrise photos from this area, because I had remembered that it looked easterly with the Black Hills on the horizon in the distance. To get the Sunrise view, I had to sleep up there -- in the cold (45 degr F!) -- and I thought I was going to freeze to death!  TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 188.3

SATURDAY, Day Three; 8500-foot level of Big Horns to Spearfish Creek Cabins: Arising at about 0300 -- mainly because I was cold, but also so I could capture the first glimpse of the Sun as it arose -- I realized that I had not the slightest idea where the Sun would make its appearance! I made an educated guess and turned out to have it in the lower right corner of my view; rather artistic if I do say so myself.

After getting my Sunrise shot, I dropped down out of the altitude, basking in the warmth from the car heater, and drove the short distance into Spearfish for an early breakfast at the Cedar House restaurant. Then I checked into my motel (Spearfish Creek Cabins) where I would headquarter for the next three days.  TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 102.1

SUNDAY, Day Four; In and Around Spearfish: After a "visiting" breakfast with Cousin Joan (Bitsy), I joined her at her church service. Then I dropped in to see Cousin Jimmy Eddy and his wife, Shirley, who still live on the old dairy farm where Uncle John and Aunt Laura brought up about six of the eight Eddy kids. TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 5.9

MONDAY, Day Five; A Pilgrimage back to our Roots:  With Bitsy driving and two more girl cousins (Kay and Lorraine) joining us, we first went down South of Dupree, to the site of my birth where a covey of grouse spooked from the remains of the cellar that was under the frame part of the house. A few pieces of rotted logs from the log cabin part was also in evidence to the East of where the house used to sit.

Then we drove the 2 or 3 miles over to where the Eddy girls grew up. The present owner is the son of the first guy I beat up (a third grader) when I started 2nd grade at Sunnybrook, the little country school.

Next we meandered cross-country up to where our Zimmerman Grandparents lived; also where their graves are. Lorraine (and my sister Donagene) were born in my Grandparents' house, in a room upstairs where that little window is, above Lorraine's head.

After a long day, we returned to Spearfish. TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: None for me!

TUESDAY, Day Six; Visiting Cousins and Old Friends:  My first stop in Rapid City was to have coffee with my Cousin Ann and her husband Jack. I presented him with the usual "Care Package" brought from Seattle; but also, I had found a delicacy along the road called "Moose Drool", which I gingerly passed over to him, telling him that my curiosity had led me to want to share a taste of it with him. We split a bottle, both declaring it "not bad" for something put together in Missoula, Montana originally as a joke! [Kind of reminded me of a certain "Zeta Brew" cooked up by none other than two of my Grandsons.]

I met Cousin Ethel for lunch, as Mother and I had done the year before. However, this time Ethel insisted that she buy me lunch and to enjoy it with her son and his wife who would be there visiting soon. [And, of course, I can't remember the son's name!! Or his lovely wife's either!]

On the way back for the night in Spearfish, I met my old school classmate, Roy, in Sturgis. He and I had played basketball in Dupree as teammates, then when I was a Senior at Philip, we were adversaries in a non-league game played in Dupree. Roy took me to a "biker's bar and grill" where we both ordered the "Kiddie's Sirloin Bits", a filling meal for each of us! TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 117.5

WEDNESDAY, Day Seven; Fourth of July Backyard Barbecue and Water Fight:  Last year, when Mother and I attended this event-to-end-all-events, a young Great Nephew named Brandon "somehow" got me wet during the afternoon's "wet"-stive goings-on. As I left that day, I committed to Brandon that "next year" I would bring a "machine water gun".

But when I arrived this year and Brandon asked to see my "machine water gun", I explained that "as long as (he) didn't cause any trouble, I would not bring it out." Well, he found where I had stashed it and later challenged me to a water gun duel. Of course I had to accept [didn't I??!], so at twenty paces, we turned and "watered" our weapons. Since mine was capable of short, repeated blasts of water and his emitted a single, long [and with great volume!], my water gun outlasted his and he began to run. These kinds of things are half the fun of going to this event each year.

Gary and Cindy put this on mostly by themselves, but other relatives and friends pitch in with some of the goodies. Larry was ill this day and did not make it this year; Kay and Bob stayed in Colorado in case their home was endangered by the forest fires. Aunt Frances was the Belle of the Ball as usual; she will be 92 this December [if I am not mistaken]. TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 68.4

THURSDAY, Day Eight; Travel to Aunt Hazel's:  Arising from my bed before dark, and after an earlier than usual complimentary breakfast with my complimentary Day's Inn room, I ventured forth toward Iowa; the Sunrise occurred as I was speeding [at 65 miles per hour, thank you!] over the flat country of Eastern South Dakota.

In the "Olden Days", this would have been a push-over for me. But this day I wisely took a couple of respites along the way, spending half hour or so each, at the Chamberlain rest-stop, and at the Sgt Floyd Memorial rest-stop in Iowa. Even then, I was exhausted by the time I got to my reserved motel in Indianola. TOTAL MILES FOR THE DAY: 649.5

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, Days Nine & Ten; Visiting Aunt Hazel:  Hazel and I had spent a few days together in late March, witnessing the spectacle of the Sandhill Cranes in their annual migration to the Platte River valley in Central NE. We had previously confirmed that we are still of opposite politics and religious beliefs, so we were able to get serious about visiting -- and picking peaches.

Ex-brother-in-law, Tom, has a peach tree that tempted even this Old Man to stand on the top of the six-foot step ladder to try to reach the most luscious looking peaches that had benefited the most and longest in the Iowa sunshine. TOTAL MILES FOR THESE TWO DAYS: 21.9
TOTAL MILES FOR THIS HALF OF THE TRIP: 2,222.3

Stay tuned, after I pick up Cousin Bill, for the last half of this Auto Tour; the return trip West.

A Visit with a Great Cousin

April 17th and 18th; In the "Oregon Mists" --

After a time on your knees de-waxing the kitchen floor, the Ammonia fumes just "gets to you", and you feel the urge to get away from it all. Heck it doesn't take that much to urge Grumpy to "get away from it all". He has always had a sort of visceral animal urge to leave the mundane anyway and get out and see the country/world, et al.

With the annual FORM1040 ritual finalized and mailed, Grumpy contacted the Grand Mother's cousin Bill in Oregon to see if I would be welcomed for a short visit. The answer -- virtually assured -- was "Yes!", so away Grumpy "flew" like the Red Rocket knew how to do only too well. The "Oregon Mist" (that seemingly ever-present liquid precipitation so endemic of the Pac N.W.) intermittently turned visibility to less than 1/8 mile, but Grumpy was able nonetheless to make good time, arriving at Bill's place in time for lunch.

Bill is one of the Grand Mother's relatives that I have always liked and admired. His younger sister, Marjorie, was another one.

Bill: Pretty spry for an 87-year old!

Bill is a very interesting guy: he was born in 1925 of a teenage mother and a barely "dry behind the ears" father. Thus, in his own words, he virtually grew up in the care of his Aunt Ruth, Elynor's Mother. In 1942 at the age of 16, he joined the U.S. Marines by altering his birth certificate to show that he was born in 1923. It took the Marines a year to discover the fraud, but by that time he was 17 and old enough to join the Navy. He spent the next year as a Navy Corpsman, caring for the wounded of Pearl Harbor as well as later casualties. The mental trauma of watching men suffer and die eventually overwhelmed this young man and he has been haunted by the memories ever since.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in law and has been on the police force in several cities and towns in SD, and a State Highway patrolman in western SD for about 5 years. As a highway patrolman, he witnessed a tragic accident, which triggered the wartime memories so he resigned that position and took on a job as an insurance claims adjuster from which he retired several years ago. He has been and continues as a contributing columnist for a few newspapers, including the Haakon county Pioneer Review. One of his columns, including photos he had taken, told the story of the history of the Noble Garage. He has photos, which he took, of John and Robert Kennedy when he had a press pass to accompany their respective presidential campaign tours.

During our visit, we talked about the pro's and con's of digital versus film cameras, the ethics and trials of growing up during the difficult years of the Great Depression, and of the memories we shared as well as those that were private. In the interests of comparing the resolution and color depth of the two camera's (his film and my digital) Bill took this portrait of me to compare with a print of that which he took with his Nikon film camera.

Marvel, scurrying to prepare the table for lunch

He and his wife, Marvel [she is indeed marvelous!!], were married when both were very young, and have four children.

Bill and I are planning to meet "somewhere in Iowa" this coming July to visit Bill's and Elynor's cousins who live in Iowa, as well as subsequent travel to visit in our old home towns in SD. Stay tuned for the travels and adventures of two grumpy old men;     To be presented this Summer!

Our Summer Auto Tour through the Midwest; A Journal

June 23-July 7th, 2011; All Around the Midwest --

Day 1: We left home at about 0700, planning to stop in Couer d'Alene ID for a lunch and dinner visit with my cousin. Unfortunately, in the hub-bub of getting ready and a "few" other miscellaneous duties around the Castle, Grumpy forgot to advise his cousin of the exact day and time we were expecting to be there. "No problem", he thought, as he dialed his cousin on the cell phone. [Ten rings and no answer.] "Well, they are probably out shopping or seeing a doctor; I'll try again later." [An hour or so later -- about Moses Lake: Ten rings and the answering machine, to which Grumpy identified himself and announced our expected arrival for a lunch get-together.] After another hour or so -- now about an hour from Coeur d'Alene -- a third call [Ten rings and the answering machine, to which Grumpy again spoke pleadingly for a response if they were to be available for lunch and a visit.] Not getting a response as we were arriving in Coeur d'Alene, we decided to forego this visit opportunity; we would be coming back through C d'A on our return trip anyway. We topped off the gas tank and continued on to Deer Lodge MT for the night. The restaurant next door to our motel had the most delicious, homemade tomato soup, which we enjoyed for our evening meal.

Day 2:  With Grumpy's carefully plotted plans now all messed up (we had planned to stay overnight in C d'A the first night and Orem UT the second), we ate lunch as we drove down to Ogden UT, calling ahead to cancel previous reservations in Orem [as well as in Lander WY and an extra, earlier day in Indianola IA and in Spearfish SD] and to reserve lodging at an Ogden Super 8. Grumpy insisted on a "Handicap Accessible" room this time, after having not done so the previous night in Deer Lodge, and we had a good night's sleep. [Although the bed was too firm to suit these old folks.] We spent the afternoon and dinner visiting with our long-time friends, Hap and Gladys.

Day 3:  Leaving not too early this day, we arrived in Orem UT in time to have a brief mid-morning visit with our Nephew Jeff's middle daughter, Sarah, who had presented Jeff with his first Grandchild about three months previously. Little Angeline Belle was quite adaptable to allow these "out-of-town" strangers to hold her and get her picture taken. At this visit we also had a couple of bonuses: we met Shelby (Jeff's youngest daughter) and Sarah's husband John.

From Orem, we drove up to Lander WY -- again having our lunch as we drove -- arriving in mid-afternoon to visit another long-time couple from our days in Belle Fourche SD. This elderly couple, Neil and Dyllis (both in their 90's), were happy to see us and we had a good visit. Their daughter Dulcinda, husband John and granddaughter Natalie were also welcome faces in our meeting. After our visit, we then continued back down to I-80 at Rawlins WY where we had dinner and lodged for the night sans reservations.

Day 4:  Having been forewarned of a potentially long day's drive, we left fairly early [the days were getting shorter by an hour every time we crossed into a new time zone!!]. For lunch we stopped in Sidney NE ("Grandma's Cafe), Grumpy enjoying the best-tasting, best prepared steak ever. We were happy to make it to Grand Island NE in time for soup and comfortable lodging -- again without reservations.

Day 5:  The advantage of yesterday's long drive to achieve Grand Island was that now, with an early morning start, we were able to get to sister Hazel's house in early afternoon and enjoy an extra half day's visit! Grumpy had originally made reservations for two days stay at the Apple Tree Inn [the only motel in the Des Moines area with which we have not yet had a bad experience!]. Due to the aforementioned schedule mess-up, our stay was now to be three nights; Grumpy had called ahead to ensure the additional earlier day was also reserved. Our room at the Apple Tree had probably the most comfortable bed of our whole trip [In fact, it was so soft that Elynor found it difficult to turn over or change positions]. [The owner-manager when we checked in commented, "My wife has a note here that says, 'DO NOT MOVE!!' " When Grumpy had called to request the additional, earlier day of reservation for Room 100, is wife had told me that the person(s), who previously had been assigned to that room for that night, could be accommodated in different room.]

Day 6 & 7: We saw Hazel's two three-day old baby goats, each being fed on a bottle like human infants. We enjoyed organic eggs laid by free-ranging, hens who "enjoyed" the luxury of having two roosters each of whom thought they "owned" the flock. As a result of this competition, one rooster was always kept in a kennel in the house part of the day while the other one was out with the hens. [Ever had the unique experience of visiting while hearing a lusty rooster crowing in the background in the middle of the day?] 

Hazel, Elynor, Harry and Ward

One afternoon we were treated to a Blue Grass concert in the Indianola town square. We were able to find a spot in the shade, though, so didn't suffer any sunburn of our Northwest slug-skin. We also spent a mid-day visit with Elynor's 90-plus years old cousin Harry, who insisted (as he usually does!) in treating us to a delicious lunch. [He had really hoped to treat us to lunch in an Italian cuisine restaurant, but we found it closed.] This outing was particularly impressive to Grumpy, who was guided, not by Greta Garmin, but by Harry whose eyesight is virtually gone and whose guidance was dictated by a fantastic memory of the streets and distances along each with which he had become familiar in younger, better-sighted days.

Cousins Elynor and Edythe admire Oriental lily

Day 8:  Leaving Indianola, after a good night's rest, we traveled the back roads of Iowa to visit Elynor's other 90-plus years old cousin Edythe, who lives by herself in the country farm house shared with her husband Clem before he died many years ago. Again, Edythe [pictured here with a beautiful Oriental lily] insisted on fixing a bountiful lunch before we could depart. [Edythe is the older sister of Harry -- the "insist" genes run strong in the Norwegian blood, don't they!] While visiting and having lunch, Grumpy spotted this male Goldfinch grabbing his own bit of lunch from the feeder outside the dining room window. An attempt to photograph a pair of elusive Purple Grackles failed when they flew away as soon as they spotted the camera 50 yards away.

Continuing on after lunch, we made it all the way to Chamberlain SD and Al's Oasis before calling it a day. Again without reservations, we "made do" with a room at Oasis Inn that was not fully handicap-accessible. [We were fortunate in getting even this room -- other motels also had no handicap-accessible rooms since we had not made reservations. At $94, Grumpy thought this was to be the most expensive lodging of the trip, but alas, that would come later!] At least it was on the ground floor so the Grand Mother had no stairs to climb or descend, and there were sturdy assist rails in the bathroom. And the bed was deliciously comfortable. And we enjoyed a big dinner next door at Al's Oasis restaurant [Grumpy had the specialty of the house: Buffalo sirloin steak!].

Day 9:  After the typical complementary breakfast at Oasis Inn and topping off the gas tank, we drove to Kadoka where we were met by Betty, Elynor's childhood friend from Midland SD. What was originally intended as a visit over coffee turned out to be coffee and lunch, an extended visit with lots of laughs (girlie giggles, included!), and sharing of family updates. 

However, there was still time to drive on to Spearfish -- wait a minute!! WE DON'T HAVE RESERVATIONS ANYWHERE FOR TONIGHT!! -- so we stopped in Rapid City at around 1:30 p.m. and found handicap-accessible lodging at a Day's Inn just off the freeway. [This was by far the most expensive lodging of the trip -- $144! -- and the most undesirable! The room smelled like it had been smoked in; we requested and were assured by the manager on duty that it would be "deodorized" during the afternoon hours prior to our coming back for the evening at 7 p.m. Unfortunately, when we arrived later that evening, the smell was as bad as ever; we complained again to yet a different manager on duty, but since there was no other available handicap-accessible room, we accepted our fate and went to bed. A complaint to upper management of Day's Inn was filed via e-mail; no response to date.]

Long-lost Cousins, Elynor and Ethyl finally meet.

During our time away from the motel, we were able to do our accumulation of laundry and enjoy a long visit over dinner with Elynor's cousin, Ethyl. Elynor had maintained a letter correspondence with Ethyl for maybe 30 years or more, but they had never met face-to-face! Ethyl is the daughter of Grandpa N's sister, also named Ethyl.

Day 10:  Leaving our "unluxury" motel [further surmising that the obnoxious odor seemed to emanate from the air-conditioner], we drove to Newell SD for a visit and lunch with Grumpy's second-oldest (at 92) cousin Lorraine. Lorraine is the oldest (by six or more years!) of eight children, and has survived longer than three of her younger siblings. She lives alone in an elder-care facility, able to walk with a cane, but dependent on others to provide her necessary transportation.

Tonight, we checked in to our reserved, handicap-acceptable, pool-side room at Spearfish Creek Inn [next to pleasantly gurgling Spearfish Creek!]. The ownership had changed since a year ago, but the friendliness and desire to please has remained. We would spend the next four nights at the Spearfish Creek Inn, choosing to drive the 50 miles to Rapid each day rather than spend about twice as much for questionable quality accommodations in the big city. [Another year, we had reserved a handicap-accessible room at a Super 8 and found that it required a treacherous detour down a steep ram, through a cramped doorway to get to our room -- across the hall from the motel laundry! No thanks Super 8!!]

Day 11, Sunday:  We found the Baptist church that we had attended last year with Grumpy's cousin Bitsy. It began at about 9:30 with coffee/doughnut fellowship, with worship service following at 10:30. We introduced ourselves as Bitsy's cousins and met many friendly people [who bemoaned with us that she was in hot Texas instead of here in cooler Spearfish], including the young interim pastor. As is becoming typical due to Grumpy's failing hearing, not much of the sermon was understood by him, but the feeling of worshiping with like-believers was nonetheless comforting.

In the afternoon, we had coffee and a visit with a 90-plus years old couple whom we met when we lived in McLaughlin SD. Among other things (children, grandchildren, etc, etc) we discussed the way things in McLaughlin has changed since we all lived there. [Although the Badger Cafe has probably survived!] Emil and Irene live in a Senior Citizens housing area in Black Hawk SD (north of Rapid City).

Day 12, Fourth of July:  Today was the "big day", around which Grumpy's entire trip itinerary was scheduled: the now-infamous back yard barbecue and water fight at Gary and Cindy's!! [NOTE: A water fight, using toy water guns reloaded from a convenient collapsible kiddy pool, has been customary since Grumpy and the Grand Mother first experienced this event five years ago. So naturally, it was to be expected that the tradition would persist in 2011.]  

Before going to the barbecue in the afternoon, we stopped to visit Grumpy's cousin Ann and husband Jack, having mid-morning coffee [and ice cream!!] with them while sharing memories of days gone by as kids growing up in rural South Dakota. Jack showed Grumpy an antique, right-handed log-peeling ax (and an adze) that he won at an auction. The axe was right-handed because of the distinctive bend in the handle to allow for the blade to have a more horizontal orientation when wielded by a right-handed woodsman.

Just a sample of the continuous "liquid" action! 

Melanie with Brady and proud Grandpa Larry

The back yard barbeque did not disappoint Grumpy vis a vis the occurrence of the traditional water gun fight. In fact it was made more interesting this year with the surprise appearance of an awesome pump-action water gun capable of firing at [more correctly, "wetting down"] an unsuspecting victim as far away as 30-40 feet! Due to his "inadvertently" getting involved in the water gun fight, Grumpy warned certain would-be "squirts" that he would be bringing an automatic repeating water gun in 2012. [Conditional on permission being first obtained from the resident "peace officers", Gary and Cindy. Also, being granted leave to do so by the Grand Mother, of course!]  In any case, this annual event is something to look forward to with great glee. This day was especially enjoyable because of getting to see Francis and all of the Rapid City clan, including those who came from Colorado Springs; and Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren, oh my!! We especially enjoyed a bubbly, energetic conversation with Haley, the teenage member of the Great Grandchildren generation. [Five years before, Haley was the culprit who "accidentally" -- on purpose!? -- soaked the Grumpy One during an especially heated water gun episode. Now five years later she was much too mature to engage is such childish antics.]

Day 13:  Today, we took our time, catching up on some much-needed sleep and packing for tomorrow's travel back towards home. Grumpy originally chose to not plan to travel this day in order to avoid possible "crazy" drivers so soon after the Fourth of July holiday. As it turned out, a memorial service for our Nephew Robert had been planned for this afternoon. We were glad we were able to be there. Robert's widow Marjorie from Alaska had arranged for a triple service (Masonic, Military and Episcopal), held at the Rapid City American Legion hall. There we met Tammy, Robert's daughter from Florida and her husband; and Larry's wife Marsha, and all four of their children, including Jason (Dr, if you please!) who is busy setting up his practice in Rapid.

One more cousin to visit before we left the Hills was Jimmy and wife Shirley. They live on the dairy farm that Jimmy's dad, Uncle John bought when the family moved from their Ziebach County ranch to the Black Hills in the late '40's. All of the cropland is leased out, raising corn or alfalfa hay. But Jimmy still can't resist the urge to go out on his tractor [yes, he still keeps all of the farm machinery as if he wasn't retired!] and mow or bale hay when he thinks the one who is supposed to do it is not getting it done when it ought to be done; this is where he was the day before when we called to see when it would be a good time to come out. Jimmy is one of Lorraine's younger siblings; his twin brother died several years ago. We found both to be in good spirits and we had a good visit during the mid-morning, with coffee served up by Jimmy.

Day 14:  Leaving our motel at 6 a.m., with breakfast at the local Cedar House and topping off the gas tank in Belle Fourche, we headed west on US-212, arriving in Missoula MT about 12 hours and 625 miles later. With sore behinds, we found lodging at a Super 8 motel for the night, and after a supper at the McDonald's across the street, we retired early in anticipation of the relatively short drive to Coeur d'Alene tomorrow to visit my cousin there whom we had missed on the trip out.

Day 15:  Timing our start to allow our arrival in Coeur d'Alene for mid-morning, we now found that the telephone number we had previously contacted was "no longer in service". When we arrived at their address in C d'A, we found a "FOR SALE" sign in the front yard and the house obviously vacant. Checking with the neighbor across the street we learned that, after some serious medical problems, my cousin Ed and Sara had been moved by their daughter Mia, to Texas "about six weeks ago".

We drove on west on I-90, stopping for lunch at the Perkins restaurant in Ritzville [see previous post!]. After lunch, we drove on, exiting near George WA to go through Wenatchee. In Wenatchee we stopped at our favorite peach and cherry orchard and bought 16 pounds of succulent Rainier and Bing cherries to bring home to share. We then continued on over Blewett and Snoqualmie passes and were home this day by about 5:30 p.m. We were tired, happy and yet somehow refreshed by having been able to travel almost 5,ooo miles in two weeks and visit so many different friends and relatives.