Driving Through Nebraska, Sandy’s parents and installing Big Foot levelers.

After spending the night in North Platte, NE we headed north on US 83 through the Sand Hills region. We have driven through the Sand Hills a couple of times before and have always thought we should stop and spend some time here. It is interesting that these sand dunes are covered with grass and there are lots of pockets of water and several lakes. Though not as majestic as the rocky mountains they are beautiful and interesting.
Dunes in the Sand Hills may exceed 330 ft. in height. The average elevation of the Sand Hills region gradually increases from about 1,800 ft. in the east to about 3,600 ft. in the west. The dunes were the end result of the last ice age known as the Pinedale glaciation.
The Sand Hills sit atop the massive Ogallala Aquifer; thus both temporary and permanent shallow lakes are common in low-lying valleys between the grass-stabilized dunes prevalent in the Sand Hills. This provides lots of habitat for ducks and geese that use the area for nesting and for stopping on their migration.
The fragility of the sandy soil makes the area unsuitable for cultivation of crops. Unsuccessful attempts at farming were made in the Sand Hills region in the late 1870s and again around 1890. Some development of cropland agriculture in the modern era has occurred through the use of center-pivot irrigation systems.

There were miles and miles of the Yellow Evening Primrose along the right of way of the highway.


We came upon this group of cattle being moved from one pasture to another. We wondered how far they were moved.


Cowboys with their trusty canine helpers.  These cattle dogs have amazing herding instincts.






It’s interesting to see how many windmills are still in use.



Sandy’s sister’s husband’s first job with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. After he married Cindy, John went on to manage the Waubay NWR and then the Sand Lake NWR.




Getting closer to home as we enter South Dakota north of Valentine, NE. and headed to Sandy’s folks in Aberdeen, SD.

As we crossed the Missouri River at Fort Thompson we found the river still to be at flood stage. It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago some stretches were almost back to the old river channel size before the dams were put in.


We spent a couple of days in Aberdeen visiting with Sandy’s folks, sister and brother-in-law. Here is Sandy’s dad doing what he likes best--working-- no, playing in the garden. This is where Sandy gets her love of flowers. She just does not like playing--no that’s working in the dirt. Here are some of the results of his labor.  He's 86 and still going strong.











Here are Sandy’s parents, Dalles and Erwin.

We left Aberdeen and drove on US Hwy 12 east of Aberdeen through the Waubay area.  Water levels in this area have been steadily rising for some reason over the last few years on this glacial coteau.  Here are a couple pictures of flooded lake homes on Blue Dog Lake.  Many farms, homes and small towns are being flooded out.  Sandy has a friend from her home town in South Dakota who said that some of the houses on Blue Dog Lake are selling for $1.  The houses are ruined, of course, but someone must be betting the water will recede some day.  Flooding has also closed US Hwy 12 west of Aberdeen for most of the summer.



On Sunday the 24th I drove to White Pigeon, MI to have Big Foot levelers installed on the motorhome. When I got out there I spent the night in their parking lot and by 8:00 they had me in the shop where two young men attacked it from both ends. It took them about 3 ½ hours to finish the job.





After they finished up around 11:30 I headed back the 539 miles to home. Along the way I decided to just drive straight though. Here is a sunset picture I was able to take driving back.

We have been busy doing modifications to the motorhome and spending a lot of time arranging and rearranging where we are going to keep stuff in the motorhome. It seems as if we have a lot of stuff that we took out of the old MH that will not fit into the new one. But I guess that’s not surprising as the new one could fit into the kitchen and living room area of the old MH.
Until next time,
Dave and Sandy

Rocky Mountain N/P (Part two)

While I walked back to take this picture Sandy saw a group of 5 deer.

Here are a couple of them.






We stopped at the Alpine Visitor because there is a one way road that comes from the east side of the park and exits here and I wanted to find out what condition it was in. (It also has a gift shop for Sandy to spend a little money).

Well, I guess this tells me what I need to know. I found out that it will not open this year because of all the snow still on the road.

The road comes out behind where the pickup and bulldozer are parked. The new snow will be falling before this snow melts.


There is a herd of bull Elk in the center and lower right of the picture. Double click on the picture to enlarge it. Here is where we need a 300mm zoom lens.  Sandy’s little Canon Sure Shot just doesn’t zoom in close enough all the time.

Here is a Yellow-Bellied Marmot basking in the sun.

One of the things about the Alpine Tundra is that the plants and flowers are small, but they do not lack anything in color or beauty. It took Sandy a long time to get to the top of the trail. She couldn’t pass up taking pictures of just about every flower.  That must come from her Dad’s love of flowers.  We couldn’t include all the pictures or we would have an “Alpine Flower Book” by the time we were done.




These bull Elk were up closer to get a better picture.


Note—the people in the picture are not quite as old as the rocks.


Below you can see the long switchback in the road going up to the Alpine Trailhead.





I wonder from what direction the wind usually blows in this area?

We had to follow this adventurous couple at about 5 mph for awhile to find a spot to get around them. And, yes, Manuel, she had pretty eyes.


There is still a lot of flowing water coming down the mountains. Road crews have been repairing wash-outs on the shoulders of the road.



We stopped just for lunch just outside the east park entrance near Estes Park. This is a good place to stop as the prices are reasonable and the food was great.



Sandy took this picture from the balcony where we ate. That’s the Fall River and a 1939 Buick.

Hummingbird feeders were all along the deck that were constantly visited by the hummingbirds.

Sandy had the Turkey Rueben while I had the Blue Moon Brat with a Blue Moon beer. Sandy couldn’t resist taking a picture of the delicious sandwich on the pretty plate.


As we headed to Loveland, CO, we went from this to….

To this in less than 3 minutes.

Then the next thing we knew we were in Nebraska.

Until next time,
Dave and Sandy