Yeah man. S'all good. Cool.

We have been washing, and dusting, packing and draining water for days now. It has been unusually warm and except for that quick blast we had in October, it has been snowless. The old timers in the area have been arguing that the last time it was this warm during deer hunting season was in '58... no no it was '59!

The exact date has been the topic of heated debate lately and these debates have been taking place mostly down at the newly opened cafe! I am pleased to report the restaurant... fondly known as 'Mom's Cafe' received it's clearance from the health department and the new management re-opened it yesterday!

I worked at the Post Office yesterday and it was nice seeing cars actually stop on their way through town. The loss of the bar, although not really a busy place most of the time,and a source of continuous gossip and disdain for the non-bar appreciating folks was really a big loss to the town. It made Sidnaw just one step closer to being a ghost town. But then the cafe opened back up and it looks like Sidnaw is going to hang on a bit longer after all!

However, cafes, bars, snow, dancing girls, hunting season... we see none of it. We have put on our blinders and have a new focus... and while it is warm we are going to take full advantage of this good fortune. After Thanksgiving we are going to hit the road! We have decided to become gypsies and get the heck out of Dodge before we are iced in and can't go anywhere! We remember perfectly well the 7-8 month winter last year and don't plan on a repeat.

I mentioned in the last post that we traded in the camper for a pull behind travel trailer. It is 22-ish feet long and it seems like a luxury liner compared to the camper! There is a regular bathroom with a full door and in the kitchen area there is a dinette, and the fridge has a separate freezer, and the stove... it even has an oven and a microwave!

Heck, we could live in that thing... and plan on doing exactly that for several weeks... maybe a few months even. We will be living it it at least until

• the snow is starting to disappear in Sidnaw.
• the house sells.
• we find a new place to hang our hats

Who knows... whichever comes first!

In any case, it is very exciting and we have been working very hard to get ready. We had to go through our stuff see what we needed to pack, clean, and stage the house in case someone comes to buy it. At the same time we have to winterize the house so it does not freeze solid while we are gone. Additionally, we have folded washed and packed the trailer, and ordered a couple of bikes to enjoy on beach strewn bike trails where ever we end up on our travels.

I can wait to save my nickles and PeeWee Herman out my bike!
I need a basket and a bell and a rack.. I should get a cart to haul Delta around... maybe some of those reflector things for the spokes, a bright orange flag, lights.... hmmm.

I can tell you one thing for certain. We are headed southeast through 'the middle' out to Virginia again and then south... south.... south... DEEP south until we see the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.

There is one thing I know I definitely do not want to see while I am sitting in the sand down south... and it is these two fellows below. The first one is body surfing for criminy sakes:



I thought the freshwater crocs did not like salt water.

He is breaking the rules!

... then then there is this wise guy just out for a stroll in the sand:

No thanks.
No.. seriously, no thanks.

Anyway... I am pleased to report that we will have computer access thanks to a combination of some lovely mouthwatering technology:

This way we will be able to stay in touch with the world and update my blog as we go along . We will be able to get emails and do business etc. I promise, I will let y'all know if I do happen to see a gator wandering along the beach.

(I gotta practice my 'y'alls', before we get down there...
They might wonder about my combination
'oooo you betchas' and 'like... ya know... it's cool... s'all good.')

We are just so excited about the whole situation we can hardly sleep at night nor seem to take breaks during the day! We have lists of things to do, pack, see, etc., spinning through our heads. Primarily what we are doing now that we are 80% packed is planning our route, keeping our eye on the weather, and crossing our fingers.

You're getting sleepy... so sleepy...

Just keep your eyes on the watch and relax... you are getting sleepy... and now we are going to go back in time a couple of weeks... when I clap my hands you will awake refreshed and you will not remember anything...
tick tock tick tock

Well, before we left Sidnaw this last time we did a little extra washing of the windows, sweeping of the floor and mowing of the lawn.
Heck. I even picked my socks up off the floor.

Then we had a fella come put this sign in the yard:

LAKE FRONT HOUSE FOR SALE
(Click on picture for the link)

We got big plans I tell ya!
Big ones...
Dunno what they are yet but they are goona be big!

The three of us then jumped in the camper and headed West!

'Made up my mind to make a new start, Going to California with an aching in my heart. Someone told me there's a girl out there With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.'

Actually there is MY girl out there with my Grandson in her tummy....
She has love in her eyes... but no flowers in her hair.
Well, not today anyway.

Yup.
Heading to California.

David has traveled around quite a bit but I have not really until the last few years. Here is a pretty shot of North Dakota. The northern part is not quite as flat... rolling plains I believe it is called. Very pretty this time of year.

But there are long long long stretches of lonely road.

Pretty hardy people have tried to make a go of it out in those areas. They apparently have a sense of humor as well...

Yes. That says "HOME ON THE RANGE".

It was out in the middle of somewhere... no houses around... but you can see it clearly from the highway. If anyone tells you America is overcrowded they have not driven through the middle of this country.

I have to admit it has been wonderful driving around the country even if most of it is going by in the window at about 60 mph. The older I get, the more I am beginning to appreciate the history of this country... young as it is... and while traveling east and through the middle you literally trip over places you have read about in your grade school history book or saw in a John Wayne movie.

On this trip out we really had a focus of getting to California as I was worried we were going to miss my grandson being born. The docs said he might be a week or two early so we decided not to dilly dally along the way. However, I had one place in particular I wanted to see on this trip and that was the Little Big Horn Battlefield in Montana. We had driven past it once before on a trip... actually right through the battlefield and Wounded Knee. I want to see both places but on the earlier trip we were too far in the middle of both to detour either way. I told myself if we ever go that direction again I would stop... and so we did this time.

The night before we made it to the Little Big Horn we stopped at a park in North Dakota. It was the Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park and it was a wonderful park. Little did we know... and this was completely unplanned... this just happened to be the last posting of General Custer and the 7th Cavalry before they rode out towards Montana and the Little Big Horn.

The Fort is maintained very well and sits along the Missouri river. The barracks and stables are there and have been redone as well as Custer's home as you can see below.

We arrived early enough to walk up towards the museum and enjoyed another surprise tour. Approximately 200 years BEFORE this was a Fort, this was the site of a Mandan village translated as "On-a-Slant" village. It is obvious why it is called that because it is on a slope of the river and used to go all the way down to the banks. The village was abandoned after a large mudslide destroyed many of the homes and a smallpox epidemic nearly wiped the entire village out. The surviving people moved to what was later known as Fort Mandan... one of Lewis and Clark's stops along their route. I have to give North Dakota some props because this was one of the nicest state parks we have stayed in... not only was the park well designed but the museum and restoration of BOTH the 7th Calvalry's section and the "On-a-Slant" section were very well done.

We had a great tour through the "On-a-Slant" village with a wonderful guide. This was a typical home of the "On-a-Slant" Mandan (Nu'eta) villagers.. it is larger than it seems as I can stand up in the entrance way just fine. When you first walk in there is a wall or partition facing you which forces you to move right into the building. In the center there was the fire pit (hole in ceiling for ventilation) and in the edges were the bedding areas and storage areas. Because the kids liked to play on the roofs, the smoke hole would be covered with the family boat so the kids would not fall in to the fire through the ceiling. Good thinkin'.



This photo below was taken in the 'meeting hall' if you will of the tribe. It was the largest of the buildings and was used for tribe meetings, trading, etc. A town hall. The Mandans were an agricultural tribe and traded with the more nomadic tribes surrounding them, including the Sioux. In this picture below you can see people sitting on the benches... there were 5 or 6 rows of benches around that center area and the benches went back 6 or 7 deep at least.

The park has recreated a small section of the village but the guide pointed out numerous indentations where other homes were and they estimate this village had a population of between 1,000-1,500 people.

Pretty cool and what a surprise tie in to both our last trip
(Lewis & Clark - Jefferson)
and this trip
(Little Big Horn - Last posting for Custer et al).

OKAY.

So on to the Little Big Horn.

The Little Big Horn Battlefield is right smack in the middle of the Crow Agency Reservation along the Little Big Horn river.

Back in the day, June 25, 1876, a whole mess of different tribes of natives were camped there along the Big Horn having a rather unusual sized gathering. They were their with wives, children, grandparents... everyone. And along comes the army with plans to ... lets be honest... kill as many as they could and then send the rest back to the reservations.

On this particular day, that was a mistake...

Despite the native army scouts warning that there were more Indians there than they themselves had ever seen in one spot... Custer et al ordered the charge. You know the rest of the story. No matter the political agenda on either side... soldiers following orders or the natives protecting their families... this was a running battlefield and it was touching. There are markers where the men fell...

I must note...

There are markers where the soldiers fell, there was no native memorial on this site until a couple years ago. Yes... I said a couple years ago. The newly completed memorial is very fitting and I am glad to see it there sitting across the street from "Custer Hill".

Custer Hill is where a majority of Custer's command fell... including Custer himself.

It is hard to see in the photo below but there are white markers in bunches... or alone... where soldiers died while trying to retreat. While taking this photo I am standing on the edge of the Custer Hill site looking back towards Little Big Horn river where the natives were camped.

I turned around and you can see the native memorial pictured below:

The native memorial was circular, cut down into the earth, with openings at the four directional sides, and plaques on the wall for each of the tribes and bands involved in the battle. Quotes, names of warriors, and scouts who died, photos, and drawings were included. I particularly like the sculpture you see of the warriors riding into battle. It looks like the ledger book drawings and the warrior at one end is being handed a war shield by a woman... wife , daughter, mother.. no matter which. It reminds you that there were native families camped on this bank... not a standing army ready for battle.

It was a very good visit, and the museum is well done too. Small but well done. Many of the ranger folks are local native college students which is helping to balance out the memorial nicely.

Then... we scooted out... past the zillions of tourists (if you go prepare for that) and headed westward again.

Flew past the eye of Sauron:

Oops.. wrong picture....
I repeat we ran past the eye of Sauron:

and made it safely into Idaho. We camped in the lava beds near the Snake River at Massacre Rock. Good grief it was hot. Almost 98 degrees. ::chuckle::

Then we drove on through the backside of Oregon... through Burns and down to Goose Lake, and rolled into California several days earlier than planned. In plenty of time for Amber's shower and before Mr. Donovan showed up.

I do have to report two rather unpleasant things that occurred after our arrival at our destination in California. First... I caught one of my sister being mean to Delta. Pushing her down. Bully.



and the other was that David and I renewed our relationship with this rather unpleasant beast:

Note the red color.. pretty eh?

Hell no. it's not!
That is poison oak and and we both caught it.
Real nice to have in 100 degree weather. DANG.

There... you are fully awake. Now isn't that better?
You are back in the present...
feeling fine and groovy
and not even irritated at the length of this post in the least bit.

Change goona come...

Well... after a very sad few days we have dusted ourselves off and are looking around us and beginning to wonder what comes next? Our gypsy blood is calling and I think we are ready to answer.

Next stop on this express train is a trip (temporary) to sunny California. We will have the camper packed soon and be heading out to welcome the first grandson! Showers are being planned, doctors are being visited, nerves are being frayed... and one heck of a thrift store shopping extravaganza is being mapped out... We all are beside ourselves waiting for him to arrive. Along with that, David and I have many irons in the fire right now and we are itching to grab one out and run with it!

Stayed tuned to see what happens next.