Road Trip to Souxi Falls South Dakota 6-9-09

Stan and I took a week long road trip to Sioux Falls South Dakota on our way to a three day Polka Festival.

Bright and early on Tuesday we took the quiet roads out of Denver toward Fort Morgan. It is beautiful open farming country dotted with housing developments and pockets of suburban shopping centers.

Once we head north through the Pawnee National Grassland there is nary a car or truck riding the highway with us. The Grasslands are lush in rich shades a green from all the recent rains in April and May.

Toward Kimbell Nebraska we see a couple groups of antelope with their white tails sailing through the countryside not a bit concerned with the fences lining the fields of grazing lands. This brings to mind the lyrics from Home on the range "Where the deer and antelope play.." or something like that. As the morning gray from rainy days burn off, the sky fills with blue and overlays with silky wisps of gossamer clouds beneath billows of cumulus. The layers look so inviting, the depth and dimension so pronounced you feel like taking a walk through their mystery.

From time to time we see a few old windmills spinning next to pools of water from yesterday's rain. I snap a shot as the car speeds by, just to catch the moment.

A hum V, painted in camouflage, rests on a dirt road with a couple of army folks soaking in the view. There are several of these fenced in unobtrusive sites along the way; supposedly the grounds of missile silos.

Driving through Kimbell Nebraska we pass by a few blocks of quiet homes with well manicured lawns to the two or three blocks of the downtown. Nothing seems to be going on and many former busy shops are now empty and closed up. Trees line the road out of town as we drive toward Scottsbluff to visit my sister Nancy and her husband Bob.

The jaunt over Wildcat Hill brings an expansive view of the city of Gerring - Scottsbluf. Nancy told me many a story of winter trips over this hill that were a cause of concern due to slick roads on stormy days. Today the view was spectacular with the sandstone formations dotted with pine and other scrub trees.

GPS works to find Nancy's home off a dirt road form the Sugar Factory Road. We were greeted warmly by their friendly dog Jackie. The Angus steers in the corral lifted their heads just long enough from their naps to see who had driven into the yard. The still silence is amazing. Miles and miles of quiet.

We had a nice visit with Nancy and Bob. I had planned this trip to drop off a couple of quilts for my Grand Nieces; Brianna just graduated from High School and her sister Brittany who just got married Saturday 6-6-2009 to Shelby Neilson. Brianna likes blue. Her quilt included fabric her Great Grandmother, Frances Swanson had collected. Brittany loves pink. Wedding quilts are such fun to make and give as gifts. Her pattern was the May Basket pattern in bright pink with green polka dots.

I have given several May Basket patterned quilts for weddings. Beth Jones a black and white one (black was popular when she married ten years ago in about 1998 or 1999). Robert Truett got a bright green May Basket quilt when he married Rebecca right out of high school and moved to Lamar around 1993. Wonder if he still has that one. When my niece Tracy married Steve Libby she received a black May basket with peach as the contrast. That was really a long time ago sometime in the nineties way before digital cameras were the rage. Sarah, Rachel's sister, just married Chris Jones on May 15 2009. I made them a green May Basket quilt. It was one of the prettiest I've made.

We visited with Nancy's 12 cats that all came as a result of the one lone stray mother cat that was dropped off in the country. Some are good mousers(catching only) out on the farm. Mostly they provide company for Nancy. They all have names and a play yard to die for. PVC pipes provide fun places for them to romp around and hide from each other in their enclosed yards. They use an old chicken coup where they have their lounging room of cushy beds. They can roam about the farm when company is not visiting.

Bob has a coup of about 7 Ginny hens. Their feathers are dark gray with white spots. They can fly if they want although they have a pretty nice life in the chicken coup and fenced in yard. Bob started with a couple of hens and grew his flock. One time they were flying about when the corn was tall. Coyotes captured most of the flock as they couldn't get a good take off through the tall corn. He has grown the flock again. Most are old hens so their eggs probably are menopausal.

Off we traveled toward the Rocky Presidents at Mount Rushmore. We stopped for gas at $2.59/gal in Chadron Nebraska and a cup of coffee from 85 cents. There were no Starbucks in sight, but we did see a Walmart.

We stopped for the night at Hot Springs South Dakota. It is a quite resort type town with red sand stone buildings along the main street. Food is nice and greasy and delicious. Amenities are limited, but I do have an internet connection. I put a few photos on facebook.