Heading into June

Here we are in the month of June and I have been trying to keep up with this blog, but it seems as if I get complacent and think to myself that I will do it later and later never comes. However, today I am going to bring everything up to current events. At least that is what I hope to do.


The first of June we found rain. With all the road construction projects going on they are even working in the rain. Amazing, the construction workers aren't afraid of getting wet


I have no clue what those two guys are doing standing looking at a tree, but I hope they are working.

As you can see by the rain drops on the windshield, the rain is coming down pretty good. The moisture is welcome, but not a lot at once as it is doing in some places.

We were in Texas and as we were leaving a distribution center there was a pond of water and these birds were in the waterm, fishing for food. A friend tells me that this one is a Jimmy Durante Egret. I can see why it is called that, but the long beak. Jimmy Durante had one big nose, that is for sure. At least when the bird is searching for food it doesn't have to dunk it's head in the water, just it's beak.

Now when we were coming into a Wal-mart distribution center this sign caught my eye.

Now, what other color could a stop sign be in the United States? What if a person is color blind? Only in the South would a person find a sign such as this.


Now if you are having a bad morning or day you can call this business and place your order for something uplifting that would make you happy. No pun intended, of course.

When I saw this sign on the building I wondered if I traveled somewhere other than the United States, by what the sign said. Maybe Russia? Then again it could be the name of a person.

Peoples Telephone Coop. Or, could it be a chicken coop? Who knows.

As we came into Yantis, Texas the second hand store had an interesting name.

All Mixed Up and if you don't want to go into the store, you can go to the Catfish Classic. I assume that it is where you catch the biggest fist and win a prize.

I think it might be a nesting ground for them. There were many different birds and they all seemed to be getting along quite well. Maybe the human race could take a lesson from the birds.


One thing for sure that in Texas the fishermen take their fishing seriously. Here is a truck full of fishing gear heading for a store. I have never heard of this brand of fishing gear, but then again it has been years since I have been fishing.

On this note, it is time to call it a day. 

So, until the next time I will see you on the other side.

Wyoming to Colorado and onto Kansas

The mountains of Wyoming and the farmland are just about ready for summer. Some of the mountains still have a little snow on the peaks, but the low lands are ready for the herds to come and graze for the spring and part of the summer. The clouds this day were so light and puffy, but alas there was not a bit of moisture in them for the ground below.

The Grand Teton Mountains are so beautiful and they have snow on them year round. Today the clouds blended in with the snow and made such a beautiful sight. Whenever I see these sights, I never doubt that God has a hand in the beauty that surrounds us each and every day.

The highest peak on the mountains is Grand Teton (13,766 ft/4,196 m). No wonder there is snow on this all the time..burrr.

After looking at the beauty of the mountains then down at the Interstate, it was..oops. There seemed to be a back up forming, right ahead of us. The lead truck was the cause of the problem. From where we were it didn't seem like too much of a problem until we came closer to it, then

we could see why everything was backing up.

This took up one and a half lanes on the Interstate, to the point that no one could pass it on either side. The Wyoming Highway Patrol was escorting the truck down the road to make sure that everyone would be safe on the roadway. At one point the truck did pull to the side of the road so that the traffic behind him could pass and go on their merry way.

To move tanks this size, the only way is on a flatbed truck. Not even the railroad could haul this to wherever it was going. Some of these trucks that haul the oversize loads have special controls in them to drive the extra long loads that are a lot longer than fifty-two feet. At least it was a good day to be traveling and the weather was being kind to the driver. This area can be bad with dust storms and/or snow. The wind is always blowing, and some days it can be blowing as fast as 6o mph.

The majesty of the mountains gave way to the low laying hills below. Where the farmland became predominate.

The lowlands of the farms were so lush and green. The hay was about ready to cut, and in some places they had already cut the first crop of hay. The barns and corals were waiting for the cows and horses to come for the round-up. Spring is always a busy time for the ranchers, for taking care of their herds after a long winter.

The rock formations change the closer you come to the Denver, Colorado area. All of a sudden there will be a rock sticking up out of the ground in the middle of nowhere. I have a few friends that paint, and this is one of the photos that they might like to try putting on canvas.

Soon we will be leaving the beauty of the mountains for the Prairie Lands of the Midwest and my driver/husband will be on the look out for cars and big animals on the road ways. Come to think about it, sometimes there are big animals behind the wheels of cars and trucks. These people that show now respect for the roadways need to be removed from the general population, as far as I am concerned. They can cause an accident in just a blink of an eye. My husband is a good and safe driver. He has driven over a million and a half miles in his 24 year career in the transportation industry, with not one accident. That is a lot to be said, since there are so many unsafe drivers, cars and trucks both, out there on the roadways now.

Denver was as brief stop over for us. Then it was on to Kansas, the land of OZ as in the Wizard of OZ. The state makes a big to do about the movie. They have all kinds of memorabilia wherever you go. Anything that can have an image placed on it, will have it. From salt shakers to toilet

seats nothing is safe from the impressions from the Wizard of Oz movie,  that is for sure.

We spent the night in a truck stop in Kansas and the sky appeared to be on fire. The storm that came in during the night was very turbulent. The wind rocked the truck as if it were just a toy and the thunder rattled the windows, sometimes. But we are use to this kind of weather and just go with the flow. There is nothing else you can do, other than cry and that doesn't do any good, either. So, as my husband would say.."Honey, just hunker down and ride it out."

Kansas has some beautiful birds. I don't know what type of bird this is, but it was just sitting in the tree as we were turning the corner. It had such a long tail, that it seemed that there was more tail than bird. Or could it be a "droan" appearing to be a bird?

It could be checking out the helicopters at Fort Riley and wondering if they could come out and play. Have you ever wondered what birds think when they see aircraft flying in the air?

The wheat fields were ready to harvest. We could see the golden color for miles and miles. This region of the country is known as: The Great Plains region, of the US is called "the Breadbasket of the US" because of its huge production of grain, particularly wheat, which is used in making bread.

Farm machinery is on the move wherever we looked. We call them "Big Farm Animals". This one is a wheat harvester. It is fun when you are going down a two lane road and big truck meets big farm animal. The truck can't move off the road, so the farm equipment has to go off into the fields. We have met a few on the roadways this year and it was fun to watch the farmer face as we passed by. He appeared to be thinking that a big truck had no business on "his" road. I just shake my head and laugh.

Today we weren't far from Dodge City, Kansas.

Dodge City was founded in 1872 and quickly became the world’s largest shipping point for Longhorn cattle. Dodge was the wildest of the early frontier towns, but law and order was soon established with the help of men such as Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Bill Tilghman.
Dodge City was a town that persisted and grew, and still honors its western heritage

There are a few towns that use the name "Boot Hill" for their graveyard, from the Old West. The first graveyard named "Boot Hill" was at Dodge City.Kansas. The term alludes to the fact that many of its occupants were cowboys who "died with their boots on," the implication here being they died violently, as in gunfights or by hanging, and not of natural causes. The term became commonplace throughout the Old West, with some Boot Hills becoming famous, such as Dodge City, Kansas, Tombstone, Arizona and Deadwood, South Dakota.

                  

                                  

It is always a site to see the American Flag waving in the breeze, wherever we go. There are some towns and cities that have special areas set aside for those who have served their country in various wars and conflicts. It is a place to gather and remember.

And now we have come to the end of our travels for the month of May and will have gone about six thousand and six hundred miles this month. That is a lot of road we have covered.

So, until the next time I'll see you on the otherside.

From Oregon to Las Vegas, via California

Now there are water trucks that are the ordinary type. Gray or black sometimes white, but nothing to write home about until now. The water trucks here are the colors of the rainbow. We were going a little fast for me to capture the whole fleet, but I was able to get a few on my camera. Along with yellow, blue, pink, there are green, orange and purple. I couldn't find a name for this place, but I am sure it would have the word "rainbow" in it. Only in California would you find something like this. At least someone has a sense of humor.

A few days later we are outside of Tracy, California and it must be just that time to have strange things occur. We came up over a hill and this is what we found...

It was snow and here we thought that we were through with winter. It keeps on showing up no matter where we are. Don't mind the white splats on the picture, a few birds had flown by and made a deposit. Next stop is for window cleaning.

From California we were able to pick up freight that would take us through Las Vegas, so we were able to spend a few hours with family.
Our oldest grandson will be graduating from high school this year. He is a growing boy with a healthy appetite. My son grilled steaks with corn on the cob, so everyone was busy eating. The steaks were done just right.

My son grilled steaks with corn on the cob, so everyone was busy eating. The steaks were done just right and it was great to visit for just a little while.

One of their boxers, I think this one is named Skittles, thought he had enough of this group and was leaving for higher ground.

Out number two grandson, Curtis, was into the corn as you can see by his face. He has the cutest smile and just a joy to be around. If you want to know something about sports, he is the go to guy. I wouldn't be surprised if one day he became a sports announcer for one of the major networks. He is a walking fountain of sports knowledge.

And our daughter-in-law, Sherry is always in a good humor. With four sons in the family you have to have a good sense of humor, for sure.

As we were leaving town, we passed by the Stratosphere Hotel, and one of the rides was in operation. Now why would someone want to dangle off the top of the tallest hotel in Las Vegas? I would imagine that the view from up there would be spectacular, that is if your eyes were open.

The Stratosphere Hotel has a revolving restaurant at the top, so while you have dinner you are able to see the whole Las Vegas Valley and all the lights of the Strip. I wouldn't recommend the restaurant at the top though. My husband took me there a few years ago for our anniversary and what a great disappointment it was. I have had better food on the Carnival Cruise lines in the dinning room or their steak house.

From Las Vegas we headed to Northern Utah, where I come from, up in the mountains. Even towards the end of May there were still snow capped mountains.

                          
On occasion, we are able to stop and see family in Toole, Utah. The name of the town is pronounced ; too-will-a. You can always tell when someone isn't from Utah or hasn't lived there for very long, for they most always, mispronounce the name by calling it; too lee. There are places all over the world that the names are pronounced different than the way the are spelled. It just depends on where you are from. Or could it be, that it helped the pioneers that settled the area determine if people coming into the area were "friend or foe"? Have to think about that one, or better yet call my family and ask them to check it out for me.

We just found out that we will be heading for Denver, Colorado, so off we go.

So until the next time, I' ll see you on the other side.

Heading for the Oregon Coast

OK, now I am catching up with my travels. I never knew that it would be this time consuming to catch-up on the past few months, but now I know. I don't think I will let this go again for as long as I did.
As we continue on our journey, we find ourselves on the Oregon Coast. I have never been on this stretch of highway, and it was beautiful in its own way

As we came from inland to the coast the tide was out and the waves were beautiful to watch. There is something about watching the waves go in and out that calms the spirit.

The buildings in some of the communities had great art work on them. This one caught my eye and sadly, there had to be a traffic light in the way. I wonder how many hours did it take to paint this picture and was it done by just one person or many?

I am always on the look out for something that is different. Wiggles Seafood caught my eye. The question that I have is: Is the seafood for the fish or for the people? It isn't a very big place, and it appears as if you order and go. Perhaps, the "wiggles" is actually worms. Now that is a thought. The parking area was large enough to get a big rig into, but sadly the place was closed. Maybe another time.

There is something to be said about the buildings that have artwork on their sides. This is a restaurant that had fresh seafood. I'm not sure if it wiggles or not, though.

People just fascinate me. Whenever I see them walking down the street or sitting outside, I wonder what they are talking about and if they have been part of the community for a short or long time. It is usually in the smaller towns that you see people sitting outside visiting with one another.

These two old fellers are just enjoying the day. I guess business isn't very brisk, but at least they are outside enjoying the fresh air. Maybe the guy above, is on his way to join in on the gossip.

Then again, they could go down to the Pig'N pancake to have breakfast or just a cup of coffee to pass the time.

Then again, it seems as if the rocking chairs and loungers are set out for those who want to come by and visit. Rest your feet after you have been browsing the wares inside. Or could this be a roadside rest area?



After you visit the roadside ? you can stop off at the Blue Bird Station. I assume that it is a rest area for the blue birds and other fowl. It sure is an interesting place.

What a sight to see. I just had enough time to click this picture. I wonder if they are waiting for high tide to get the car out of the tree?

Then you have the boat that is sitting in the front yard waiting for the tide to come in. Then again, the car and boat maybe waiting for the Submarine Races to begin, sometime soon.

But, never fear. The U.S. Coast Guard is on the watch. They are just waiting in the bay for something to happen. Maybe they are waiting for high tide to help get the car out of the tree with the crane that is aboard the ship. Stranger things have happened.

I've made this picture a little bit larger, so that maybe you could see the name of this boat. QUIT. Have you ever wondered how and why a boat is named what it is? Why would someone name their boat Quit? Does this mean that they quit their job to sail the sea's or what? Something to ponder upon, when you have nothing else to think about.

The homes and businesses along the coast are very near the water. It takes a special type of person to live near the sea/ocean. Coming from the desert, I wouldn't care to have the moisture in the air all the time, but then again it would be good for the skin.

All good things must come to an end sometime, and that time has come for me tonight. Tomorrow we will be on the long road to somewhere else.

so until then ...I will see you on the Other side.