The Blogette of Dr. D

Roswell, NM

Question:  Has life from other planets visited Earth?

Answer:  Some people say “yes’; the U.S. government says “no.”

In 1947, a farmer who lived 40 miles from Roswell found some unusual metal-like wreckage in his field.  When he had a free day from farm work, he took the wreckage to the local sheriff for examination.  Eventually, the wreckage was the subject of a U.S. government investigation that concluded the wreckage was a portion of a weather balloon.  Years later, the government declassified the documentation from the investigation, revealing that the wreckage was from a U-2 test plane.  The controversy over what the wreckage really was continues.  Many people believe it was material from outer space, and witnesses provided affidavits describing the spacecraft and the living beings they had seen.

The UFO Museum and Research Center is an interesting place.  The many exhibits include copies of the affidavits from the original Roswell event, newspaper articles, government documents, and scientific opinions, as well as cartoons, artwork, and displays featuring alien beings.

The UFO Museum has had over 3 million visitors.

This is one of the alien displays.  Every 15 minutes, the “spacecraft” above spews red and green smoke as if it is taking off, lights flash, and other-worldly music plays.

“Star Wars”–the ultimate modern alien culture.

Remember E.T.?  Roswell doesn’t forget.

Little green people are everywhere in Roswell.  Here are two at a gas station.

Even Roswell’s street lights have an alien appearance.

Smokey, the bear

Question:  Was Smokey, the bear, real?

Answer:  The people say “yes.”  The U.S. Government agrees.  It made Smokey a representative of the U.S. Forest Service.

After our visit to the UFO Museum, Ted and I drove the Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway out of Roswell.  It goes through Capitan, NM where Smokey Bear is buried.  In 1950, some kids were playing with matches and started a huge forest fire.  A five-pound, two-and-a-half-month-old bear cub was rescued from the fire and named Smokey.  He was referred to as Smokey, the bear and his name later became Smokey Bear.  (The old joke about “What is Smokey the Bear’s middle name?” is inaccurate because he didn’t have a middle name.)  Smokey became the U.S. Forest Service spokesperson for fire safety.  When he died, he was buried in Capitan, NM near the place where he was first rescued.

Smokey’s final resting place is in a very pretty little park in Capitan, NM.

Smokey with his well-known slogan.

Smokey is buried within this ring of rocks.

Of course, there are Smokey souvenirs available for sale.

And of course, Ted and I had our picture taken with Smokey.

Socorro, NM

Question:  What’s out there in the universe?

Answer:  Most people say “I’m not sure”; the U.S. government says “It’s worth a lot of money to find out.”

Ted’s and my last stop of the day was the Very Large Array, west of Socorro, NM.  I can’t help wondering why the U.S. government is reluctant to accept citizens’ reports of UFO sightings, but is willing to spend a lot of money to find out what’s in outer space.  The VLA cost $78.6 million to build in 1972 and $81.5 million to operate in 2016.  I find it ironic that Roswell and Socorro are barely 200 miles apart.

There are three reasons this site was selected for the VLA:

1.  It is a 55-mile wide, flat plateau, allowing for easier movement of the 27 antennae on railroad tracks.  They are moved four times each year.
2. The plateau is ringed by mountains (I counted nine ranges on a map of New Mexico), and this eliminates man-made radio interference.  (All electronic devices must be turned off when visiting the VLA.  Digital cameras may be used.)
3. The altitude of this site minimizes the blurring effect of the atmosphere.

We have arrived at our destination: the VLA Visitor Center.

This antenna is just behind the visitor parking lot.

One of the first things we passed on the self-guided walking tour was an interesting sundial. It keeps time from 8:00 am-4:00 pm and has markings on the ground so that it even tells the date.

At the next stop on our walking tour, Ted and I had a chance to better understand how the VLA disks magnify radio waves.  Two disks are set about 50 feet apart facing each other, and each has a narrow tube extending from its center.  If Ted and I faced each other and shouted, we could barely hear each other, but if we whispered into our respective tubes, we could hear each other clearly.  Ted is whispering into one of the disks.  That was fun!

Each of the 27 antennae of the VLA is 94 feet high, has a diameter of 82 feet, and weighs 235 tons.  Ted is my scale figure here.

This is the maximum number of antennae that fit in my camera viewfinder.

[cf the Fifth Dimension’s 1967 hit, “Up, Up and Away.”]

The alarm went off at 5:00 am and, by 5:30 am, Ted and I were started on the 40-minute walk from our hotel to the Balloon Fiesta.  (Sunrise was at 7:11 am, just to give you some perspective of how early I can get up if I have to.)  A local TV station was broadcasting from the Fiesta grounds and we heard the traffic announcer say that I-25 was backed up a mile-and-a-half at the exit for the Fiesta.  That’s why we walked.

The Dawn Patrol, a group of a dozen hot air balloons, ascends before dawn (6:30 am) and stays up until they can see a landing site.  Their purpose is to determine wind speed and direction at different altitudes to make sure conditions are safe for the mass ascension.  Over the years, the Dawn Patrol has become a balloon glow “event” in the pre-dawn hours.

On cue, the Dawn Patrol turned on its glow lights.

There were twelve Dawn Patrol balloons.  Some went high to the right and didn’t fit in the picture.

Here we are, wide awake before sunrise.  We are wearing three jacket layers.  The morning air is cold in Albuquerque, although it warmed up quickly after 9:00 am.

The sky is lightening, but the sun is still behind the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque.

When the sun cleared the mountaintops, it was like a switch turned on, instantly making the balloons bright and colorful.  Look at all the people in the background who got up this early to see hot air balloons.

The balloons seemed to have an order in which they inflated and took off, so some are in the air, some are ready to launch, and some are still inflating in this area.  The TV station announcer said the organizers decided several years ago that 550 balloons was the limit for what this area can handle well.

When we walked among the balloons, we were dwarfed and completely surrounded by colored nylon.

The air was very calm, so the balloons didn’t go far.  In fact, many of them seemed to rise and slowly spin in place.  At the end of the three-hour mass ascension, balloons were often coming down very close to the chase vehicles where they had previously been inflated.  Sometimes the crew would manually pull the basket closer to the truck for loading because it was easier than moving the truck through the crowds.  The chase teams had an easy day, and we had great views of the balloons.

The red circle shows a crew walking its balloon to their truck.

I overheard someone say that it’s unusual for all the balloons to have a chance to launch before the wind picks up later in the morning.  We lucked out, because every balloon was able to launch today.

The mass ascension is off to a good start.

Today’s tickets included breakfast.  This was our view of the mass ascension from our breakfast table.

Wow!

Here are some of the specialty balloons that launched today.

These three bees went up as a joined group, then separated in the air, but still flew close to each other as a trio.

The alligator seems to be watching the vampire inflate.

We assume Smokey the Bear was looking for forest fires from the air.  That pink spot to the right of Smokey is a distant fish balloon.

The back of this baby’s head said “My daddy is a pilot.”  I overheard a toddler say, “That baby has a binky.”

Darth Vader was the crowd-pleaser.  You could tell when you got near this balloon, because there was a ring of people with cameras pointed upward at it.

Ted and I have attended St. Louis’s Great Forest Park Balloon Race and Balloon Glow events several times.  I think the St. Louis balloon race is the second largest in the nation, but it doesn’t come close to the number of balloons at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.  Words cannot describe how beautiful the mass ascension is, but you’ll have a clue if I say that, as much as I dislike getting up early, these four hours were worth it.

Ted and I planned our entire Southwest trip around our Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta ticket dates.  We had evening tickets tonight for the “special shapes” Balloon Glow.  Our hotel is close enough to walk to the Fiesta and, given how many shuttles were lined up in the traffic and the number of intersections at which police were needed to direct backed-up traffic, I think we easily beat the shuttle time by walking.

Unfortunately, as we were walking to the Fiesta under a sunny sky, a single cloud started to sprinkle on us.

Those are raindrops, not snowflakes, dotting the photo.  You can see the approaching shower in the background.

We stood under a tree for the 5-minute shower and saw this beautiful double rainbow ahead of the rain.

A few minutes after we arrived on the Fiesta grounds, we had another 5-minute shower and another double rainbow.  (The double part is faint–look for it.)

An hour later, we had a picture-postcard New Mexico sunset over the balloon field.

I have no idea how many food and souvenir booths were set up at the Fiesta, but I’d guess well over 100.  The crowd was so thick, it was sometimes hard to make forward progress.

Our tickets included a New Mexico dinner and seats in a great viewing area for the fireworks tonight and for the balloon launch tomorrow morning.

Little Anita’s of ABQ catered the meal–tacos, refried beans, nachos, and other Southwest favorites.

Here’s the eating/viewing area.

After dinner, we walked among all the balloons and watched the crews inflate them.  Just as most of the balloons reached nearly full inflation, the wind picked up and put a damper (no pun on the showers) on the balloon glow portion of the evening.

This crew just unloaded.  The balloon is in the duffel bag on the blue tarp.  Can you believe it folds up that small??!!

I’m not sure what this balloon was going to look like when it was upright.

Here are Ted and I, surrounded by balloons.

I thought this one was cute.  The “glow” part of the evening is just beginning.

When the wind picked up, the crews couldn’t hold the balloons in place, so they turned off the fans and the burners.  In less than 60 seconds, the entire field was deflated.  After having so many huge balloons around us for over an hour, the landscape suddenly looked very flat.

The laser light show was followed by the fireworks, and then everyone went home.  The morning activities begin at 5:45 am. (Yawn.)

Ted and I went to a local Albuquerque restaurant for lunch today.  They had a Hollywood theme, which was fun to look at.

This was a picture I liked–especially the Three Stooges.

How did the hostess know I’m an Elvis fan?  She seated us in the area she called the “Elvis Corner.”

A Highlight

Yesterday, while we were at the awesome Texas rest stop, we learned about Palo Duro Canyon, located about 25 miles south of Amarillo.  It looked like it was worth a detour, so we decided to visit it today.

Palo Duro Canyon is touted as “one of the most renowned destinations in Texas” and is described as a “mysterious terra-cotta badland.”  It is also referred to as the “Grand Canyon of Texas.”  Neither Ted nor I had ever heard of it before yesterday, but we’ve learned that it is the second largest canyon in the United States.  (Guess which one is the largest.)  Palo Duro Canyon is about 120 miles long, with an average width of 6 miles (although some places are 20 miles wide), and a depth of 820-1,000 feet.

The canyon has dramatic geological features, including multicolored layers of rock and steep mesa walls similar to those in the Grand Canyon.  A weird thing about it is that, as you’re driving along, gazing at the redundant flatness of the Texas prairie, the landscape abruptly changes and you see this beautiful canyon.  Apparently, the flat ground is at an elevation similar to the mesa tops of the canyon, because there’s no advance notice that a canyon is going to appear.

Our schedule for today included a six-hour drive to Albuquerque, so we limited ourselves to frequent stops on the 16-mile driving loop and skipped trail hiking.  We could see some of the trails leading to what were probably beautiful vistas, but we resisted and kept our visit to three hours.  Below are some of the beautiful views we saw in Palo Duro Canyon.

Another Highlight

For many years, Ted and I were stuck at having visited 47 states.  We checked off North Dakota in August, and we checked off New Mexico today.  That leaves only Hawai’i–coming up in January 2018.

We are ready to be enchanted.

The welcome center gave us a hint of what/who we might see in Roswell next week.

Naturally, we were reminded that we are traveling on historic Route 66.

The Lowlight

Ted and I were looking forward to driving the Musical Highway, located about ten miles west of Albuquerque.  In 2014, rumble strips were strategically placed on a short section of Route 66 near Tijeras, NM so that rolling tires play “American the Beautiful.”  The tune can only be heard at 45 mph, a tactic designed to slow the traffic on what is described as “an otherwise unremarkable stretch of Route 66.”  The music only plays eastbound, but drivers often circle around to repeat the performance.

Over the years, the rumble strips have deteriorated.  Ted and I made three passes over the road, but never heard more than just enough notes to recognize the tune.  Bummer!  What a disappointment.

Jeff has won the Honorable Mention Award for his response to The Blogette Reader Challenge.

Jeff is more creative than I am.  I’m too literal to “get” this.   Had the waitress written “Preciate cha” rather than “Perciate cha,” I would have recognized it as a contraction.  Way to go, Jeff.

There is no cash prize for winning this challenge, so please help Jeff achieve his 15 minutes of fame by re-reading this post several times.

We continued on Route 66/I-40 from Oklahoma City to Amarillo, TX today.  We all know from our grade school geography that Texas is at the southern end of the Great Plains, and my blog readers know that Ted and I were at the northern end of the Great Plains when we visited the Dakotas in late summer.  The southern Plains look a lot like the northern Plains.

This is about 100 miles east of Amarillo.  I think I can see South Dakota in the distance.

This is what the South Dakota Great Plains look like.  Or is this another photo of Texas?  (Answer: It’s really SD.)

We weren’t planning any stops on our way to Amarillo and didn’t expect to see much of interest except the Great Plains.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), we discovered that Oklahoma has no rest areas along I-40 westbound for the 144 miles from Oklahoma City to the Texas state line, and the first rest area in Texas is 40 miles west of the state line.  Needless to say, we stopped.  What a good decision.

We had a chance to visit one of the best rest areas we’ve ever seen.  (Kansas has a good one too, on I-70 eastbound, with a Kansas History Museum inside.)  The scenery changed abruptly from Great Plains flatness to deep gullies and small canyons just before the rest area.

We went from the scene above to this kind of landscape.  Beyond the rest area, the gullies became longer and deeper, like small canyons.

The rest area is constructed as a tornado shelter (no big shock in the Texas panhandle) and included an interesting display of the history of the Texas Panhandle, from the free range to barbed wire which ended the free range, to the Dust Bowl years, through the oil years, and into the green energy years as the Panhandle moves to wind energy.  We learned that the Panhandle is the windiest place in Texas and we traveled westward through many miles of wind farms.

This is the highway-facing side of the rest area/tornado shelter building.  The visitor space is all under the ground level.  The metal flag above the picnic shelter has a Lone Star in it.  Notice the star cut out of the building wall.

The white area at the top of the wall is sunlight; the dark portion is shadow.  The white star is sunlight shining through the cut-out star in the wall (see the photo above).  The blue star is sky, showing through an identical cut-out on the opposite wall.

This side of the building looks like the front, but is facing away from the highway.  Tornadoes will come from across the highway, so the earthworks that protect the rest area building need to be on that side.  You can see through the inside of the building to the space between the “star walls” on the highway side.

The rest rooms have mosaic decorations and are marked as tornado shelters.  That’s probably why the baby-changing table on the left and the walls of each toilet stall are made of granite.

Here’s the view from the picnic tables.  You might be able to see that the grill in the lower left center is shaped like Texas.

Since we spent the night in Oklahoma’s capitol city, it made sense to visit the State Capitol today.  It was a unique visit.  It appears that the entire Capitol is undergoing rehabilitation.  Crews are working on one entire side of the exterior, and they are also replacing windows, doors, HVAC, wiring, plumbing, etc. in the entire building.  If it can be updated, I think it’s being done.  As a result, many areas were restricted to construction workers, and others were in varying states of disarray.  The entire first floor is under construction.  To enter the building, we had to pass security at a first floor door and then wend our way through a lengthy maze to an open stairway that took us to the second floor.  Many doors throughout the Capitol were marked “Construction Workers Only.”   We took a guided tour, which helped us find our way around the construction areas.

The OK State Capitol is the only one in the U.S. that has a working oil rig on the grounds.  That’s it in the far right background.

The Great Seal of OK has 45 stars in the blue fields to represent the 45 states in the Union prior to OK’s statehood.  The large center star is for OK.  The five points of the center star depict the five tribes of OK:  Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole.

The Hall of Governors has a bust of each OK Governor, including the first woman governor, who is currently serving her term.  The construction crew was busy in this room.

This is called the Blue Room.  It’s the room in which the governor holds press conferences and signs bills.  The wall on the right is covered for construction.

The tour included the state art gallery.  This was my favorite picture.  I like the colors and the impact it makes when you see it.

This painting has a name, but I dubbed it “A Good Start.”

It’s no surprise that one of the stained glass windows in the building recognizes the oil workers of the state.

Each of the four wings of the Capitol is decorated like this with beautiful moldings, arches, and art depicting qualities of Oklahoma. The upper part of the photo is the lower part of the dome.

Ted and I have been enjoying the light-hearted attractions we’ve visited on this trip, such as the Blue Whale of Catoosa, the Golden Driller, Pop’s, etc.  Today, we visited a somber remembrance:  the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

This memorial was created in memory of the April 19, 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.  Reading the texts; listening to a tape recording of a hearing in the building that was interrupted by an explosion and screams; watching videos and listening to survivors describe their experiences; and looking at the pictures of destruction, were emotionally difficult.  If you have ever visited a Holocaust exhibit, you know what I mean.

After more than three hours, Ted and I had not seen every exhibit, but I asked him if we could leave.  I couldn’t bear to hear any more about such a tragedy and I was afraid I was going to begin sobbing if I heard one more personal story about that day.  My mind cannot comprehend how people (e.g., Timothy McVeigh in this case, mass shooters today) can do such horrendous things to other people.  While I understand that thoughts and prayers are supportive actions and that we must never forget, I cannot help but wonder when we, as a nation, will finally find the courage to make changes to help prevent these tragedies.

Having said that, the exhibit is extremely well done and deserving of visitors’ time.

The entrance to the Memorial includes a colorful tile wall and chalk and chalkboards on the plaza for visitors to write messages.

A close-up of the tile wall.  Thousands of tiles were sent by children from around the world to Oklahoma in 1995.  Some of those tiles were included as part of this permanent display.

This is a well-known photograph of the destruction caused by the bombing.  The crater created by the bomb’s explosion in front of the building was eight feet deep.  The two day care centers (children) were on the second floor.  One woman said that the eight other women she was talking with simply disappeared from in front of her when the bomb exploded and the floor collapsed beneath them.

Here is one example of what the destruction of ordinary objects looks like.  There were other displays of bomb-ravaged building components and of personal items such as watches, key chains, jewelry, purses, etc. that had been collected from the rubble.

This Wall of Honor includes photos of the 168 people who were killed in the bombing.

The wall on this end of the reflecting pool is called the “9:01 Wall.”  It represents the minute before the bomb exploded and changed the lives of so many people.  At the opposite end of the pool is the “9:03 Wall,” representing the minute when the healing began.

“The Field of Empty Chairs.”  The 168 chairs represent the 168 people who were killed on April 19, 1995.  They are arranged in 9 rows, symbolizing the 9 floors of the building.  Each person’s chair–with small chairs representing children–is positioned in the row that corresponds to the floor on which they worked or were visiting.  The 5 chairs on the westernmost end of the Field designate those who were killed outside the building.  The wall surrounding three sides of this Field is the original wall of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

One of the stops Ted and I were looking forward to on Route 66 was Pop’s–a gas station/ restaurant featuring over 700 flavors of pop.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Pop’s, looking at the displays and partaking of the fare.

A 66-foot tall bottle at the roadside announces that you have arrived at your destination:  Pop’s.

If you want an idea of how tall a 66-foot pop bottle is, check out my scale figure–Ted.

Ted is less than five bottle rings tall.

The front and back walls of Pop’s building are wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows filled with shelves of (empty) pop bottles.

It’s a colorful way to decorate, but who dusts all those bottles?  They were clean, so I know someone does.

Six-pack carrying cartons are ready for customers to fill with whatever flavors they choose–if they can make a choice from such a plethora of fizzy favorites.

Each of the coolers along the wall is stocked with a specific variety of pop:  lemon, lime, cherry, grape, orange, etc.  Which of the 40 or 50 shades of grape would you choose?  How would you make your decision?

Since Pop’s is on Route 66, some of the walls are decorated with iconic scenes from along the route.  One of the pictures showed the Blue Whale of Catoosa.  Another showed the Coral Court Motel in St. Louis.  In 1989, the Coral Court Motel was designated on the National Register of Historic Places as a magnificent example of art deco architecture.  It was at its peak during the heyday of automobile tourism on Route 66, but declined when I-44 bypassed the motel.  Many people in St. Louis (including Ted and me) remember a phase of its decline when it was available at hourly room rates.  (Ahem!)

Naturally, Route 66 souvenirs are available at this roadside attraction, and so are Pop’s-specific items.  This Pop’s sweatshirt was Ted’s and my favorite.

Before leaving, Ted and I decided to complete our pop experience with a childhood summer favorite:  an ice cream float.

They tasted just like we remembered.  Can you even buy flavored pop in the grocery stores any more?

And now, a special offer for you, one of my select few readers.  You could be the winner of the “Blogette Reader Challenge.”

The Blogette Reader Challenge

When Ted and I finished our ice cream sodas, the waitress brought our check to us.  Neither of us knew what her handwritten message meant, so we asked her.  If any of you readers know what “Perchiate Cha” means, please email me.  If you are correct, your first name will be given Honorable Mention in an upcoming blog post.

Ted and I started our day by visiting Tulsa’s tribute to Oklahoma’s oil industry:  the Golden Driller.  The 75-foot tall Driller was created for the 1953 International Petroleum Exposition and is the fifth tallest statue in the United States.  It was built to withstand Oklahoma’s 200 mph tornadic winds and its paint is supposed to last for 100 years.  It is now the Oklahoma State Monument–utility wires and all.

The Center of the Universe is not too far from the Golden Driller.  As a passer-by remarked to us, “This thing is just weird.”  The Center of the Universe produces a mysterious acoustic phenomenon.  My internet search told me that if you stand in the middle of the circle and make a noise, the sound is echoed back several times louder than it was made–as if you are in a private amplified echo chamber.  According to legend, a foghorn could go off in the center of the circle and those on the outside wouldn’t hear it.  Human voices are distorted when heard outside the circle.  Although there are several theories about this phenomenon, there is no clear consensus about what causes this natural sonic distortion.  (Note:  Ted and I both experienced the amplified echo effect, but we could also hear each other’s voices outside the circle, although the sound was much fainter than it would normally have been.  We think a foghorn blasting from the center could be heard outside the circle.)

Seventy-five feet from the Center if the Universe, stands a 72-foot tall sculpture called the “Artificial Cloud.”  The artist based this sculpture on the premise that more people would look at a naturally rusting steel cloud than at the real thing.  He also wanted to call attention to air pollution.

After all this artistic stimulation, we were ready to get back on the Mother Road and head for Oklahoma City.

This is a typical scene from Route 66 in Oklahoma.  The original sections we drove are rural and dotted with small towns.

This round barn is on Route 66 near Arcadia, OK.  There are also round barns in Wisconsin.  They are round so the devil cannot sit in the corner to watch you work.

I think I hear my mother calling.

In Oklahoma City, we planned to walk across the Sky Dance Bridge.  This is a pedestrian bridge that crosses I-40.  It’s 380 feet long and has a 197-foot tall sculpture inspired by Oklahoma’s state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher.  The bridge is illuminated from dusk to dawn.  Except right now.

Civic improvement necessitates completely renovating the land on the north side of the bridge, so there is currently no access to it. . . . But isn’t it a pretty bridge?

We finished our day by googling “restaurants near us” and picked a locally-owned establishment that advertised a nautical theme.  The food was good, but the nautical theme was minimal–not even seafood on the menu!

Well, the center piece does resemble the prow of a ship and the rafters are painted blue, but we didn’t see anything else remotely nautical.

Today, Ted and I drove Route 66 from St. Louis to Tulsa.  Route 66 in this area is also I-44.  In Oklahoma, a portion of Route 66 just northeast of Tulsa is a 60+-mile byway off I-44.  We drove the byway in order to see The Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma.

My pre-trip internet research described the Blue Whale of Catoosa as one of the most recognizable sights along Route 66.  It was also referred to as a “quirky attraction.”  That’s probably like “kitschy.”  The wife of the Blue Whale creator collected whale figurines, so her husband built the Blue Whale as a surprise anniversary gift for her.  The pond in which the Blue Whale sits used to be a popular swimming hole, but the signs we saw said “No Swimming.”  Times have apparently changed.

Here’s the entrance gate at the little park.  Visitors enter the whale (at the end of the sidewalk) through its gaping mouth.

The Blue Whale!  There is a second floor in its head (see the row of windows) and stairs to a diving platform at the top of its tail.  It has a white chute on each side to slide into the water, and ladders on the sides and at the back of the tail to climb out of the water onto the whale.

Emerging from the whale (or entering it) takes you over its tongue and between its teeth.

Visitors can walk through the whale from its mouth to its tail.  Here’s Ted leaving the belly of the whale.

A (literally) 5-minute shower started when we arrived at the whale site.  When it was over, a rainbow appeared and was perfectly reflected in the whale’s pond.

Our next stop was a visit to the largest praying hands in the world.  This 30-ton bronze sculpture resides at the entrance to Oral Roberts University and is surrounded by the “Avenue of Flags,” with flags from 34 countries.  The hands were donated by a couple in memory of one son and in thanks to God for the healing of their other son.

The day was sunny and hot (around 90 degrees), which created late afternoon thundershowers when the cold front approached.  We saw some awesome clouds as the thunderstorms began to build.

This beautifully lit cloud was just beginning to develop into a towering cumulus cloud prior to becoming a thundershower.

We watched this cloud build for several hours as we drove through Oklahoma.

You can see a local shower on each side of this picture.

Get ready. . .

Get set . . .

Go!  Heading for the Southwest.  First stop:  Tulsa, OK.

In one of my MAT (Midwest Adventure Trip) posts, I questioned why there were hay bales in the ditches in the Dakotas.  Mutzie, my sister-in-law, must have read my blog right after I posted that, and she clarified the question for me.  To quote her:

Yes, in the prairie states the hay in the ditches is harvested.  I don’t know if the state charges for the right to do that or not.  Those hay bales don’t come cheap.

Thanks, Mutzie.  I try to learn something every day, so I’m good for today.

Our next destination is dinner tonight in Longmont, CO with Jeff’s family.  We had several activities planned for this afternoon in Cheyenne, but when we learned we could cover a lot more in a 90-minute trolley tour, we opted to do that instead.  Unfortunately, the trolley was scheduled to leave ten minutes after we found out about it.  That meant we didn’t have time for lunch, so we bought some trail mix at the depot gift shop and looked forward to dinner with Jeff’s family.

Wyoming is very proud of its women.  (Yes!)  It was the first state to give women the vote and there are tributes to women in many places throughout the city–enough to be noticeable.  Below are some of the highlights of our trolley tour, including another sculpture of another woman.

The State Capitol and the depot face each other from opposite ends of Capitol Avenue.  The Capitol building is being renovated, so only a small portion of it is visible for photographs.

The governor’s mansion is also being renovated, but less extensively than the State Capitol.

The city has a boot theme, so there are decorated cowboy boots scattered around the downtown area.

Bob Dylan has fans in Cheyenne.

A sculpture of another strong woman.  This one is titled “No Turning Back.”

The picture below shows a sculpture of Lane Frost, a rodeo rider.  According to his mother, Frost seemed interested in rodeo when he was only five months old.  He won many rodeo championships on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit.  In 1987, Frost rode Red Rock, the Bucking Bull of the Year.  Red Rock had unseated 309 riders before Frost rode him successfully four out of seven times.  In 1989, Frost’s dream of riding in the Cheyenne Frontier Days came true, but it was his last ride.  After a 91-point ride, he was hit in the back by the horns of another bull and died of internal injuries and broken ribs.

Lane Frost on Red Rock

The tour guide told us an interesting story about four Wyoming women.  A wealthy man in Cheyenne had four daughters and wanted them to live close to home after they married.  To achieve this end, he built four identical houses–one for each daughter and her family–next door to his own house.  As parents learn, children find their own ways.  All four girls married wealthy ranchers and moved away from Cheyenne.

These look like nice houses, but seriously, who wants to live next door to Mom and Dad after they get married?

The tour was interesting and we enjoyed Cheyenne, but it was time to leave to see our children and grandchildren, and then go home.  The MAT is nearing its end.

Our Cheyenne motel was named “Little America.”  We had never heard of Little America, but Ted arranged all of our hotels and thought it looked like a good place to stay.  We followed the GPS instructions and found it.  My first thought was, “Oh no!  Motel 6 would be a giant leap upward!”  I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to hurt Ted’s feelings, but the only things visible at the driveway with the Little America sign were dozens of semi-trailer trucks and a Sinclair gas station.  I assumed the hotel was behind the gas station and was a haven for the truckers.  In fact, Little America was far behind the gas station and is classified as a four-star hotel / resort.  Whew!  Ted chose very well.

We unpacked and asked the concierge to recommend a nice Italian restaurant.  She recommended Losteria Mondello, a family-owned restaurant with a pizza carry-out section in front and dining rooms in the back.  We were surprised to be the only diners at 7:00 pm.  The waitress told us they were really busy in the pizza area until 6:00, when people left to go home and watch first NFL game of the season on TV.

Our dinner was excellent and, being the only diners, so was the service.  When our salads arrived, a man who’d been sitting at a nearby table with a laptop (and whom we assumed was the owner) came over to our table and informed us that he sings in the dining room on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.  Since it was Thursday, he moved a few feet away, and began serenading us (authentically) in Italian.  It was another restaurant first for us.  He sang another song during our main course.  Since he sings on Thursdays and performed for only the two of us, would he have sung to an empty room to fulfill his job responsibilities?

In the morning, we headed for downtown Cheyenne to see, among other things, what is described as one of the most beautiful train depots in the country.

The depot now houses a railroad museum and restaurant.

The model of the depot shows the entire building.  Union Pacific donated the depot to the city of Cheyenne.

The floor of the waiting area in the depot features a scale floor map of the railroad’s route from Omaha, NE to Promontory Summit in the Idaho Territory.  Tables were set up for an event, so I couldn’t get a picture of the entire map.

The waiting area of the depot–including the tables for the upcoming event that cover most of the railroad map.

There are several topical sculptures outside the depot.

This is titled “Hard to Leave.”

Women are more optimistic.  This is titled “A New Beginning.”

The first floor of the museum seems to include every word ever written about every train that ever rode the tracks.  It is probably of more interest to someone who worked with the railroads or is passionate about them for some other reason.  Upstairs, however, there are exhibits with less text to read.  For example, we saw this calculator.

This calculator can count into the duodecillions.  That’s a 1 with 39 zeroes after it.

Ted’s and my favorite exhibit was the scale model train that occupied about half of the second floor (originally the baggage room of the depot).  The literature describes the model as “one of the world’s most popular and loved narrow gauge model railroads.”  It is an HO scale of the Clear Creek Lines of the Colorado and Southern Railway and took the builder 30 years to complete.  He handcrafted everything–the trains and the scenery.

The model runs in and out of six bays like those in the picture, beginning at the darkened doorway in the background and running continuously to the foreground of the picture.  A stairway beside the third bay allows visitors to see the model at its scaled higher elevations.

As we were leaving the depot to have lunch, we learned that a 90-minute trolley tour was departing from the depot in ten minutes.  Coming up:  a trolley tour.

[Query:  Does the title sound like a children’s book?]

One of Ted’s and my goals for this vacation was to take time to enjoy some National Scenic Byways.  We drove two of them today as a slower alternate to driving I-80 to Cheyenne.

The Snowy Range Scenic Byway (aka The Great Sky Road, aka WY Hwy 130) runs from just south of Saratoga to Laramie, Wyoming.  It crosses the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Snowy Range.

Verification that we are on the Snowy Range Scenic Byway.

We stopped at the Libby Flats viewing tower (elev. 10,653 ft.) along the way.

I can affirm that the “ferocious winds” part is true.  It was very windy here.

Medicine Bow peak is 12,013 feet high and the Snowy Range Pass is at 10,847 feet.  It was a gorgeous route to drive on a sunny day.  The pictures below show a little bit of the scenic beauty of this route.

On the east side of Laramie, we saw an unusual sight.  Over a few miles, we saw numerous houses that leaned to the east.  What would cause that?  Wind?  Earthquake?  All of the houses appeared to be inhabited, but they definitely leaned.

At Laramie, we picked up the Happy Jack Road (aka WY Hwy 210), another alternative to I-80.  Happy Jack Road begins in the mountains, then passes through ranchlands and forests on the plateau.  It is sometimes described as a road in the middle of nowhere.  For Ted and me, it was another beautiful drive on aContinue reading

What’s a great way to start your day?  How about in a natural hot spring like, say, in Saratoga, Wyoming?  That’s what Ted and I did today.  The Hobo Hot Springs are located in Saratoga on the banks of the Platte River.  Indian tribes would lay down their weapons to partake of the healing waters in peace.  I’m convinced that if we all had more time in a hot spring or under the hands of a masseuse, none of us would have the energy or the desire to pick up our weapons afterward.

We didn’t actually go to the Hobo Hot Springs because our hotel conveniently had private pools fed by the hot springs.

There is a Native American chessboard in the hotel’s pool courtyard. The big hot pool is within the fenced area.

Each tipi has a hot spring pool inside. The water in these pools is about 120 degrees.  That’s probably great in winter, but it was too hot in today’s warm weather.

Here we are in the hot pool.  This big pool is about 105 degrees.  Wonderful!

While we were enjoying the warm water and getting a relaxing start to our day, other people gradually joined us at the pool.  We all had a good time chatting together.  They were all local people–you can buy a membership to this pool area through the motel–so they recommended that we have lunch at the Wolf.  We didn’t have a better idea, so we promised we’d do it.  While we were at the Wolf, one of the couples we’d been talking to at the pool arrived and sat at a table beside ours.  It felt like having old friends in Saratoga.

Here’s one of the light poles on Saratoga’s main street.  The fine print says “Where the trout leap in Main Street.”  Saratoga is also a hot spot for rainbow trout fishing.

The main street isn’t very long–about twice this, on both sides of the street.  It’s definitely a Western town.

Our lunch venue–the Hotel Wolf Restaurant.  It was easy to find in the downtown area.

The Wolf is a bit more genteel than Buck’s.  Once again, we had delicious food and met friendly people.

There is apparently an “upper crust” in or near Saratoga.  There were at least 30 private jets at this airport.

Now we’re off to Happy Jack.  Check the next blog for more information.

After enjoying Sheridan, we spent the day driving to our next destination:  Saratoga, WY.  About 40 miles from Saratoga, we stopped in Rawlins for dinner.  Rule of the road:  when in doubt, choose the restaurant with the most vehicles parked outside.  Hands down, that was Buck’s.

First clue that this is going to be an interesting experience:  The gas pumps on the overhang and at the door.

Buck’s outdoor seating. This is the entire area.

This is the first thing you see inside the door.  The front half is–appropriately–on the other side of the wall.

Do you think the menu is big enough?  We each had one and we needed the four-top table to have room to read them.  Everything was in bucks, as in “Buckilicious pizza, 10 bucks.”

The food was hot and delicious.

Lots of “napkins” available on the handy tableside pipe.

Have you ever seen a mounted animal head made out of corrugated cardboard?  Buck’s has several varieties of cardboard animal heads.

The last stop before leaving.  I can honestly say that I’ve never before had the opportunity to watch an old classic TV show in the bathroom–and there were two TVs in here.  Check out the license-plate baseboards.

Ted and I needed some snack food, so our first stop today was at the grocery store in Lovell, WY.  One wall inside the store displays photos of Lovell citizens who served in WWII.

The center section is framed in gold cord and has a gold star for the Lovell soldiers who died in the war.

With our fortified food supply, we headed for Alt US 14–the Bighorn Scenic Byway.  Although it extends from the South Dakota-Wyoming border on the east to the eastern gate of Yellowstone National Park, we only drove the section from Lovell to Sheridan, crossing the Bighorn Mountains.

You can see the haze from the Montana wildfires in the upper half of the picture, but the drive was so scenic, the haze didn’t interfere with the pleasure of taking this route.

This is a view of the Granite Range.  We crossed the Granite Pass at 9,033 feet.

We had lunch in Sheridan, described as “one of  Wyoming’s hidden jewels” offering “New West culture and Old West hospitality.”  We can’t disagree.  It was a charming town and, without even getting into its cultural activities (we only stayed for lunch and some walk-around time), it wasn’t hard to find the New West/Old West contrasts.

On our way to lunch, we saw evidence of Old West hospitality.

Cowboy, bucking bronco:  Old West.

Cowboy Cafe where we ate:  Old West and great food.

Dining room of the Cowboy Cafe.  The waitress was super-friendly.  Notice that whatever you need is already on the tables:  water glasses, pitcher of water, napkins, straws, silverware (white packages in the black wire canister), and condiments.

Walking around for about an hour after lunch showed lots of evidence of New West culture in Sheridan.  Every intersection in the main downtown area has four sculptures–one on each corner.  Some streets also have sculptures mid-block.  Some of the sculptures were donated to the city and some are for sale.  The least expensive one I saw was $3,200.

A “history of Sheridan” mural. One of the characters on the far end of the mural is the first schoolteacher.

“Great minds think alike.”

“Where Imagination Roams”

“Broke Everything but My Word.”

“Wyoming Spring” (Did you notice the Tin Man sculpture in the background?)

This is Ted’s and my favorite:  “Second Star to the Right.”

Wyoming also has a sense of humor.

Sure, “WY not Wyoming?”  (Another slogan we saw in town.)