The first major sight which Grumpy likes to call a "highlight" is the "traffic jam" caused by the herd of Buffalo in the North Dakota Badlands. In front of our car (lower left in the above photo) are five other cars (the white pickup in front is the Park Ranger who is holding the tourist cars a respectful distance behind the herd of Buffalo).
Part of the herd (there were more than 100 head!) can be seen
walking on the roadway around the curve and out of sight in the center of the photo. There were another ten or more cars behind us; we all proceeded at a "leisurely Buffalo pace (about 1/2 mile per hour)" for about two hours before the herd finally decided that they had reached the "greener pastures" on the other side of the South Unit of the ND Badlands, and vacated the roadway. The worst thing was that there was no "Rest Stop" during this interval and not all behind the Buffalo (including the Grand Mother and Grumpy!) were prepared for such a long wait -- you should have seen the scramble to the latrines at the visitor center afterwards!!
The next highlight, which we enjoyed on several different occasions during this trip, were the times when unexpected people gave us pleasant surprises by being where we had planned to visit. Specifically, this includes seeing Mia (Ed & Sara's daughter who had flown in from Iraq the day before our visit there); Jack and Ann, who drove all the way from their ranch in mid-western SD to be at the cousin picnic in Spearfish; Roy (my old high-school buddy) whom I had the pleasure of bamboozling again with my made-up story about being lost on I-90 when I surprised him at the visitor center between Sturgis and Rapid City; having the pleasure to see Gary's daughters, Stephanie and Alisha, her husband and children who were up from Texas due to floods at the military installation there; also getting to see Larry's daughter, Melanie and her children; the surprise of seeing Kay and Bob, up from Colorado Springs for the 4th of July; getting to have lunch with Edythe (Elynor's cousin) and her brother, Harry in Altoona IA; the surprise of seeing my cousin, Jeannie (from Everett WA!!) at my sister Hazel's place; getting to visit simultaneously with both Karl and Kathy (our former foster twins), not once but twice, once in Buffalo WY and again a few days later in Thermopolis WY; and, getting to meet Neil's & Dylllis's granddaughter, Natalie, and Dulcinda's husband, John when we stopped in Lander for a visit and lunch with Neil and Dyllis.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention this old church we found in Arthur NE; it is made of straw bales! Now maybe that fact wouldn't have had such a powerful meaning to us if our Grandson, in concert with his wife, hadn't built
their house of straw bales (Grumpy had the distinct honor of doing the electrical wiring for the Amboy and his spouse!). This church was built in 1928 -- who says straw houses are "flimsy" and won't last a long time? (Incidentally, Grumpy was just a year old when this church was built, and look how he is still alive and kicking!)
I think it would also be remiss to fail to mention the great honor and pleasure Grumpy had in showing the Grand Mother the namesake features of Thermopolis WY: The natural hot springs and the resulting mineral deposits left by the evaporation of this hot, mineral-laden water as it flows over naturally-forming terraces and into the Wind River, as shown in this panoramic photograph.
Grumpy is also honored to have had the opportunity to drive the Grand Mother through the Wind River Canyon -- we had to negotiate this scenic drive twice: going to Thermopolis from Casper WY and again going from Thermopolis to Lander WY. Scary but impressively beautiful. Too bad Grumpy didn't stop to take pictures. But they wouldn't do justice to this grand sight. It is best viewed in person.
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The highlights are all pleasant memories. But there were a couple of notable
unpleasant things that happened during the trip that may be worth remembering -- if only so we don't let it happen again.
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The first was our stay in Livingstone MT; Livingstone is a nice little town and the people are hospitable. But our stay at the
Travelodge Motel was memorable in that it was the most expensive of our trip and also one of the least accommodating. The "free INTERNET" didn't work and the "free custom breakfast" turned out to be a breakfast buffet with fewer choices than the advertised "custom" breakfast. Grumpy made the mistake of thinking he had stayed at the
Travelodge last time he was in Livingstone whereas it was the
Econolodge next door: half the price with as good or better beds; maybe even with free INTERNET-- that worked.
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The second unpleasant thing was our "welcome" at the Super 8 in Indianola. Grumpy had made a
confirmed reservation for a room with all the requirements needed for the Grand Mother (first level, non-smoking, queen- or King-size bed). The reservation had been made by calling
directly to the motel six weeks before our planned arrival and Grumpy was
even given the room number: #108! While we were visiting at Hazel's, the Grand Mother, being ever cautious, had convinced Grumpy that he should call the motel to "make sure that they have our room and will hold it if we are late getting there". Grumpy acceded to her wishes and was assured that "the room was ours and they wouldn't give it away; we could come in as late as we wished".
But when Grumpy walked up to the front desk at about 9 p.m., he was informed that "we are sorry, but #108 isn't available -- the people that had it last night haven't checked out. But we will give you another room -- here, #2xx". Grumpy firmly announced that a second floor room was out of the question since the motel did not have an elevator and the Grand Mother couldn't accommodate stairs. The clerk then offered a room downstairs with two Queen-size beds. "Non-smoking, right?" Grumpy asked.
"Oh, no. Sorry sir, but that's all we have. Is that a requirement?" the clerk offered.
At this, Grumpy, having driven from Olivia MN to central IA that day plus visiting all afternoon, erupted into a very foul mood. Slamming his fist on the counter, he demanded that something be done to give us the promised (and required) accommodations, "AND
NOW!".
"Would you like to speak to the manager?" asked the young clerk, redundantly.
"You d---ed right I do!" said Grumpy, grumpily.
The manager was called from some back room and, when he appeared said, "May I help you?"
Grumpy explained the situation and the manager immediately "found" a non-smoking room on the ground floor with two Queen-size beds. Why couldn't the clerk have "found" that room without the clumsy effort she had made? Grumpy and the Grand Mother will remember
NOT to stay at this Super 8 in the future.
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The best is left for last. As many of you know, at least those of you who are related to the paternal ancestor's family (either by birth or by marriage), there is a tendency for one with a certain surname (usually a male member), when posing for a picture, will put one leg up, the foot resting on a step, a log or a rock --
sometimes even another human being! Some of those related by marriage in particular, have noted this phenomenon and have questioned it's source, summarily attributing it to genetics. Grumpy disagrees and thinks he has found the answer: see the following photo.
In the photo above, the observant reader will note the Grand Mother gazing at a scenic overlook of the North Dakota Badlands,
with one foot up on the convenient railing!! Now, to Grumpy's keen observation and with his scientific mind, this is proof positive that the trait is a
tradition, not a genetic characteristic unique to the paternal strain as some naysayers would have you believe. So go ahead there offspring and associated companions: When posing for a photograph next time, lift a leg without shame or worry.
It's traditional!
