Category: Gap Year Adventure 2017

This morning we didn’t know which way to go – stick with the interstate or take the back roads through Alliance, Nebraska and travel through the Sandhills area. Well, we decided to take the road less traveled. After cruising along for a couple of hours, it was time for lunch so we stopped at a Subway in Lusk, Wyoming for a sandwich. Nothing special about the place and the sandwich was as good as any other Subway provides. Just as I was about to close the car door and drive away, I noticed two people we actually know! Dale and Roxanne live in Arizona.

We first met them in Oregon at IPNC but they haven’t been to the event for several years. Turns out they are on vacation. Roxanne’s mother lives in Nebraska and having completed their visit, they were heading to Mount Rushmore when they too decided a break and a sub would be a good idea.

 

Here we are in Lusk, Wyoming seemingly a million miles from anywhere and whom do we see, but two friends. We had a nice visit for a while and then we both headed on our way. Small world for sure.

After connecting with Dale and Roxanne, we continued on our journey towards the Sandhills of Nebraska. Along the way we stumbled upon Carhenge in Alliance Nebraska. This is a replica of the famous Stonehenge in England.

 

 

Carhenge is formed from vintage cars all covered with gray spray paint and built by Jim Reinders in the summer of 1987.   It was dedicated on the summer solstice. This display consists of 39 automobiles arranged in a circle measuring about 95 feet in diameter. As you can see from the pictures, the cars are in various positions.

In addition to the Stonehenge replica, the Carhenge site includes several other artworks created from autos covered with various colors of spray paint.

It was a fascinating stop on our journey along the road. We continued on through lots of small ranching towns along two lane roads for the rest of the afternoon ,until we reached North Platte for the evening.

This morning, after leaving Bonnie and David Andes’s place in Bozeman, we continued on our travels. Our goal, in a couple of days, is York,Nebraska to visit some friends from a along time ago in Michigan.

However, as we were moving along, I realized that the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument was just off the freeway – so we stopped.

I also discovered that the National Park Services thinks I am worthy of a lifetime pass!

 

 

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians  as the Battle of the Greasy Grass and commonly referred to as Custer’s Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho  anti-treaty tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment.  The battle, which occurred June 25–26, 1876, along the Little Bighorn River in eastern Montana Territory, was the most significant action of the Great Sioux War of 1876.

Needless to say, this battle didn’t turn out very well for Gorge Armstrong Custer. In a little more than 2 hours, from start to finish, the warriors was engaged and fighting ended. The total casualty count for U.S. Cavalry was 268 with 55 severely wounded. The various Indian participates, from the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho, didn’t loose that many warriors.

Upon our arrival at the Monument, we sat through a very informative Ranger Talk about the battle bringing the history to life through his story telling.

The one take away line, for me, was this was a battle between Euro-Americans and Native-Americans – with no one really winning on either side, and no understanding of the cultural differences that engendered the fight.

There are several sites to view as part of the Monument including the area where Custer had is “last stand” and the spot is marked where he fell. Throughout the area there are white markers for where U.S. Cavalry fell and red markers for locations of known Indian deaths.

 

 

This is a solemn spot with lots of history – none of which is really good for either side.

Across the road from the Cavalry Monument is an Indian Monument placed by the local Indian tribes.

After leaving the Monument, and getting back on the highway, it is clear the land hasn’t changed much in the last 200 years!

Our visit to Bozeman, with David and Bonnie, included a visit to The American Computer & Robotics Museum. This is a museum of the history of computing, communications, artificial intelligence and robotics and includes a number of very interesting pieces of computer history including the very first Apple created.

 

After the Computer place, we went to the Museum of the Rockies. The Museum houses the largest collection of dinosaurs in the United States. This includes the largest Tyrannosaurus skull ever discovered, T-Rex remains and lots more. It also had an interesting collection physical and cultural history of the people and animals who lived in the area.

 

Outside there was a living history farm which includes the Tinsley House were costumed interpreters demonstrate life in a turn of the century home.

To end the day, we went to a Shakespeare in the Parks presentation of You Never Can Tell It was a fun evening.

For those of you just joining our adventure, here’s what’s happening.

We have rented our home in Alhambra (Los Angeles for those of you not in the know) and have decided to travel and see the world.  We left late June and have traveled along the west coast visiting friends and family for the last 7 weeks or so.  Our current plan is to start heading EAST in a couple of days winding our way through Idaho, Montana, a bit of Wyoming and South Dakota stopping in Nebraska before heading to Macomb Illinois to visit Janeen’s dad.  After the Solar Eclipse, on the 21st, we continue east to Springfield Virginia.

Staying with Jason, Terri and little miss sunshine until we fly to Portugal for a river cruise on the Douro River. Once we finish the river cruise, we fly to Stuttgart and pick up a new Mercedes-Benz with the stated goal of driving to Sicily. While we have some goals, we don’t have any specific plans. Our hope is to be able to stay in Europe having Christmas and New Years in Paris.

 

Today was a relaxing day. We contacted Janeen’s high school friend, Holly and arranged to meet them on Bainbridge Island.

So we walked down to the ferry landing, bought our tickets and headed out around 11 this morning. It was not a clear day, due to the smoke from the fires north in Canada and east in Washington but still a nice time to be on the water.

We connected with Holly and Wade (her husband) after we got off the ferry and walked towards the town for lunch. It was a nice time to reconnect with old friends.

 

 

 

After taking the ferry back to Seattle, we changed and headed out for a champagne tasting at FatCork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bryan Maletis, owner of FatCork, has a tasting every so often and we surprised him by showing up! It was great to see his place, taste some really nice bubbles and meet some new folks who also enjoy bubbles. If you like Champagne you really need to reach out to FatCork.com and learn about grower producer champagnes from France. We have enjoyed virtually everything he has shared with us over the last 5 or 6 years.