And here is a picture of the lighthouse that the ferry across Lake Michigan goes past.
And, that's all. Enjoy!!
-Bridgete-
Friday, August 24, 2007
Photos!
Sorry these took so long. Here are a few of the many pictures I took at Niagara falls.
And here is a picture of the lighthouse that the ferry across Lake Michigan goes past.
And, that's all. Enjoy!!
-Bridgete-
And here is a picture of the lighthouse that the ferry across Lake Michigan goes past.
And, that's all. Enjoy!!
-Bridgete-
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Comcast sucks just as much in Boston as in Portland
Oh. My. God.
Yes, that was supposed to sound like Janis on Friends. Because while I was supposed to get cable and internet a week ago, I finally got it today. So, since I had nothing to watch because I had no cable and no "rabbit ears" to get any regular tv, I chose to watch my Friends DVDs. And while I enjoyed watching them because it is my favorite show, I would rather have a Friends marathon by choice, not out of necessity.
Now, you may be wondering why my cable was a week late. Well, Comcast chose to send me the most incompetent installer ever, and then every time I tried to call them and get someone else to come out, they essentially sided with him and made up BS answers as to why he couldn't find the other end of the cable line.
So the story is, the incompetent installer came out, went and looked a couple times for where to turn on the cable, fiddled around for about 20 minutes, and then said he couldn't find it and so I had to be rewired, said there was nothing he could do, and then gathered up all his stuff and left. I was very confused so I called Comcast. They told me that the installer said it needed to be rewired and that an electrician had to do it.
So I told my building manager. She was confused as to why it needed to be rewired so she called the previous tenant and asked him if he had cable. He did, with Comcast, and he had it right up until he moved out at the end of July. So when I call Comcast and tell them this, do they immediately apologize for the installer's mistake and send someone else out? No! They tell me that the installer couldn't find the "home line" and that means the wire has been cut in the wall and so an electrician needs to do something called "wall fishing" and find where the cut is and repair it. While I didn't believe them, I didn't necessarily know if something had happened that could have cut the wire so I called my building manager again. She said that there's no way the wire could have been cut so clearly they're just trying to give me BS answers rather than admit they screwed up. Just to be sure she sent the maintenance guy up to look, and he said everything is fine and he called Comcast for me and told them he checked everything out and there's nothing wrong. So that's when they finally made the appointment to send a new installer.
Now here's the real kicker. The new installer came this morning, and he told me that the cable was ALREADY ON. He didn't have to go turn anything on, all he had to do was hook the wire up to the wall and set up the cable box. So I have no idea what the first installer's problem was! And besides that, I could have put a cable wire from the wall to the TV and had at least basic cable the whole time! True, no internet and very few channels, but still. So next time I move I'm just going to hook the TV up to the cable outlet in the wall and just see if it's already on. And then all I have to do is wait for the digital cable stuff and the internet stuff.
Anyways. That's my lame Comcast story.
-Bridgete-
Yes, that was supposed to sound like Janis on Friends. Because while I was supposed to get cable and internet a week ago, I finally got it today. So, since I had nothing to watch because I had no cable and no "rabbit ears" to get any regular tv, I chose to watch my Friends DVDs. And while I enjoyed watching them because it is my favorite show, I would rather have a Friends marathon by choice, not out of necessity.
Now, you may be wondering why my cable was a week late. Well, Comcast chose to send me the most incompetent installer ever, and then every time I tried to call them and get someone else to come out, they essentially sided with him and made up BS answers as to why he couldn't find the other end of the cable line.
So the story is, the incompetent installer came out, went and looked a couple times for where to turn on the cable, fiddled around for about 20 minutes, and then said he couldn't find it and so I had to be rewired, said there was nothing he could do, and then gathered up all his stuff and left. I was very confused so I called Comcast. They told me that the installer said it needed to be rewired and that an electrician had to do it.
So I told my building manager. She was confused as to why it needed to be rewired so she called the previous tenant and asked him if he had cable. He did, with Comcast, and he had it right up until he moved out at the end of July. So when I call Comcast and tell them this, do they immediately apologize for the installer's mistake and send someone else out? No! They tell me that the installer couldn't find the "home line" and that means the wire has been cut in the wall and so an electrician needs to do something called "wall fishing" and find where the cut is and repair it. While I didn't believe them, I didn't necessarily know if something had happened that could have cut the wire so I called my building manager again. She said that there's no way the wire could have been cut so clearly they're just trying to give me BS answers rather than admit they screwed up. Just to be sure she sent the maintenance guy up to look, and he said everything is fine and he called Comcast for me and told them he checked everything out and there's nothing wrong. So that's when they finally made the appointment to send a new installer.
Now here's the real kicker. The new installer came this morning, and he told me that the cable was ALREADY ON. He didn't have to go turn anything on, all he had to do was hook the wire up to the wall and set up the cable box. So I have no idea what the first installer's problem was! And besides that, I could have put a cable wire from the wall to the TV and had at least basic cable the whole time! True, no internet and very few channels, but still. So next time I move I'm just going to hook the TV up to the cable outlet in the wall and just see if it's already on. And then all I have to do is wait for the digital cable stuff and the internet stuff.
Anyways. That's my lame Comcast story.
-Bridgete-
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Delayed Report from Boston
Boston was quite an adventure. There was so much to do and oh so very little time to do it in.
Apologies for leaving you hanging, but Comcast in Boston is no more efficient than it is anywhere else. Bridgete is still without cable and internet and I've only been home a few days. I finally got my laundry done tonight. So here's a quick recap and some pictures.The movers arrived Saturday morning and unloaded the truck in about 90 minutes. Then Bridgete's poor little apartment looked like this.
Then we had the 2 hour adventure of trying to find where in hell we were to return the truck to. We couldn't find the address on any maps online. Bridgete kept trying to call the Budget truck office number and getting no answer. She finally called the 800 number for Budget and got someone who thought he could tell us where it was, but we ended up in Dorchester. We tried to go to the library, but it was closed. So we went into a pharmacy and met a lovely man who found us a map and showed us where he thought it was. But the street wasn't clearly marked on the map. And the streets are not clearly marked in Boston. Perhaps this is what makes Boston drivers so cranky.
We drove around and around and around - looking in vain for some sign that we were in the right place. We finally found the street - which only exists for about 2 blocks - and couldn't see any signs of a Budget place. Then we saw another Budget truck and drove madly around the block to go where we had seen it. But it was only a parking lot - and on Saturday it was used as free parking for a Chinese grocery. Somehow, we knew we were close and went around the block again - finally finding the truck rental attached to a storage facility.
Once that task was accomplished, we gots some eats at a nice little deli, where a couple of true Southie's came in and harrased the Asian store owner. He looked a lot like Apu. But he just kind of shrugged off the abuse and made us some great sandwiches which we could only eat half of.
Then we found a cab and a shopping mall and went to Target. Little did we know it was Tax Free weekend in Mass. No sales tax. The store was crazy and the shelves were quickly emptied. But we got what we needed and got back to Bridgete's with no loss of life. We got a little exposure to Boston cabbies and to the pirate cabs that operate in the city. We met a lovely lady whose name I will not mention. She lives near Northeastern where Bridgete will be going to school and gave her phone number to B. So I feel like she'll have a surrogate mom there - of a sort.
Sunday we unpacked and assembled and arranged things. Monday we decided to explore downtown and see some history and then do some more shopping. Boston is amazing. So much of what we are as a country happened there -and there is so much to see and do and enjoy.
Here's a few pictures - including ones of B and I on the site of the Boston Massacre.
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Monday night we treated ourselves to a movie at the Coolidge Theatre. A fabulous place to see a movie if you are in the Brookline area. We happened to go to a big screen showing of WEST SIDE STORY. I haven't seen it on a big screen in years and it was so fun - and cool. The weather in Boston was changeable. Rainy and cool one minute. Hot and muggy the next. And they say Portland is changeable! HA!
Tuesday was more unpacking. Wednesday was some neighborhood exploring - looking at restaurants along Harvard Ave., wine and liquor shopping, and a viewing of THE DEPARTED back at the apartment.
Thursday was supposed to be the day we got internet and cable. But that's another story. I'll let Bridgete tell that one when she finally does have internet.
Friday was - for me - the best and worst day of the trip. We went to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, someplace I've wanted to go for years. And it was everything I wanted and more. I plan to go back whenever I'm in Boston. I missed the Edward Hopper exhibit, because it was sold out - but everything else I saw moved my artists soul to tears.
The MFA is a few blocks from Northeastern and we walked back to the campus - here a pictures of the law school buildings - and I finally had to face the fact that Bridgete was staying here - in this wonderful city. And I would be leaving on Saturday. That post will follow this one. I wrote it in LAX when I was waiting for my plane home to Portland.
Thanks to those of you who have commented on the blog. And thanks to all the rest of you who have been reading.
In which Pooh and Tigger go on an Expotition
"Oh! Piglet," said Pooh excitedly, " we're going on an Expotition, all of us, with things to eat. To discover something."
"To discover what?" said Piglet anxiously.
"Oh! Just something."
There’s a popular saying that the only real things we can give our children are roots and wings. I beg to differ. While it is true that I have given my daughter roots – a stable loving environment where I believe she has been given respect and honor and a great deal of love – I have not given her wings. Those were her own. Her own to find and stretch and try and fall with. And now they are hers to fly with.
I’m sitting in LAX – waiting to return to Portland – the home I left 18 days ago. And all I can think about is the daughter I left behind in Boston. She’d probably be mad to know, but I cried as I watched the city grow smaller and smaller in the window. A part of me knows that nothing will ever be the same between us again. She’s found her wings and she’s found a place to fly with them. I have to let her go. And nothing in the world makes me happier than knowing that she is ready.
I’m so glad I did this trip with her. There are so many memories – sweet and funny and frustrating – and they are ones that I will always and only share with her. But to know that she will now be moving down a path that will lead her to a job and most probably a husband and children, and that my part of that path is now completely different than any other I could have, it’s a bittersweet parting. I hesitate to define because I don’t want it to sound trite or over emotional or easy. It’s not easy. And only someone who has had to separate from a child can know what I am feeling at this moment.
So Pooh went on an expotition. And discovered something. She learned she was smarter than she knew. Braver than she thought. And more fragile than she knew was possible.
I love you Bridgete. I know you know that. I’ve never hesitated to show you and tell you. Even when you didn’t want to believe it. But you are the best decision I ever made. The only one I made from my heart – no second thoughts ever. And you are the best, bravest, smartest, funniest, most loving person I have ever known. So go fly now. And don’t you ever look back and wonder if I’m okay without you. Because I am – even when my heart is breaking – I am okay.
"To discover what?" said Piglet anxiously.
"Oh! Just something."
There’s a popular saying that the only real things we can give our children are roots and wings. I beg to differ. While it is true that I have given my daughter roots – a stable loving environment where I believe she has been given respect and honor and a great deal of love – I have not given her wings. Those were her own. Her own to find and stretch and try and fall with. And now they are hers to fly with.
I’m sitting in LAX – waiting to return to Portland – the home I left 18 days ago. And all I can think about is the daughter I left behind in Boston. She’d probably be mad to know, but I cried as I watched the city grow smaller and smaller in the window. A part of me knows that nothing will ever be the same between us again. She’s found her wings and she’s found a place to fly with them. I have to let her go. And nothing in the world makes me happier than knowing that she is ready.
I’m so glad I did this trip with her. There are so many memories – sweet and funny and frustrating – and they are ones that I will always and only share with her. But to know that she will now be moving down a path that will lead her to a job and most probably a husband and children, and that my part of that path is now completely different than any other I could have, it’s a bittersweet parting. I hesitate to define because I don’t want it to sound trite or over emotional or easy. It’s not easy. And only someone who has had to separate from a child can know what I am feeling at this moment.
So Pooh went on an expotition. And discovered something. She learned she was smarter than she knew. Braver than she thought. And more fragile than she knew was possible.
I love you Bridgete. I know you know that. I’ve never hesitated to show you and tell you. Even when you didn’t want to believe it. But you are the best decision I ever made. The only one I made from my heart – no second thoughts ever. And you are the best, bravest, smartest, funniest, most loving person I have ever known. So go fly now. And don’t you ever look back and wonder if I’m okay without you. Because I am – even when my heart is breaking – I am okay.
Friday, August 10, 2007
If God had a fridge, would your picture be on it?
That has to be the best church sign I've ever seen. And I think it was the most interesting thing I saw in Wisconsin. Corn and cows get really boring.
The ferry across Lake Michigan was pretty cool. I got some nice pictures of the lighthouse on the Michigan side, and got some fun souvenirs. And we hit a giant rainstorm in Michigan which made it very interesting when trying to find our hotel.
Then...driving through Ohio wasn't all that interesting. We only drove through a tiny bit of Pennsylvania, so I can't really comment on it. And then we got to Niagara Falls which was absolutely fantastic. Pictures later.
Then today, we drove into Boston. As of right now...I'm never driving in this city!! I suppose if I live here permanently after school I may decide to change my mind...but that's 3 years away, I might be used to it by then.
Anyways...now I'm here. It's fantastic. I'm getting all my stuff into my apartment tomorrow, I have movers reserved and everything. The cat is already there, I decided it would be a good idea to let him get used to the place on his own while we stayed in the hotel across the street since I can't get my bed in without the movers.
Well, it was a great journey. The cat finally got used to everything during the last 3 days, we didn't even need to sedate him. He just slept in the truck and that was that. Today something really spooked him near one of the toll booths, he was trembling in my lap and then he leapt into the carrier. I don't know what it was but he's ok now.
And now, I'm tired. The pictures I took are still in my camera so I'll have to put them in a new post later. Right now, I'm going to zone out on some TV and then sleep.
-Bridgete-
The ferry across Lake Michigan was pretty cool. I got some nice pictures of the lighthouse on the Michigan side, and got some fun souvenirs. And we hit a giant rainstorm in Michigan which made it very interesting when trying to find our hotel.
Then...driving through Ohio wasn't all that interesting. We only drove through a tiny bit of Pennsylvania, so I can't really comment on it. And then we got to Niagara Falls which was absolutely fantastic. Pictures later.
Then today, we drove into Boston. As of right now...I'm never driving in this city!! I suppose if I live here permanently after school I may decide to change my mind...but that's 3 years away, I might be used to it by then.
Anyways...now I'm here. It's fantastic. I'm getting all my stuff into my apartment tomorrow, I have movers reserved and everything. The cat is already there, I decided it would be a good idea to let him get used to the place on his own while we stayed in the hotel across the street since I can't get my bed in without the movers.
Well, it was a great journey. The cat finally got used to everything during the last 3 days, we didn't even need to sedate him. He just slept in the truck and that was that. Today something really spooked him near one of the toll booths, he was trembling in my lap and then he leapt into the carrier. I don't know what it was but he's ok now.
And now, I'm tired. The pictures I took are still in my camera so I'll have to put them in a new post later. Right now, I'm going to zone out on some TV and then sleep.
-Bridgete-
Boston Mass - We made it
At last we are here. I know I've been neglecting to update, but we really had to push these last couple of days to get here. To think that on Tuesday Morning we were in Fargo and at 3:30 Friday afternoon we were in Brighton - I'm amazed myself that we did it.
Tuesday we got all the way through Minnesota - even through Minneapolis/St Paul at rush hour and into Wisconsin.
Wednesday we got to the SS Badger ferry in Manatowac, WI and landed in Ludington, MI. (Side note to Liz G. - I love Ludington and want to go back there some day. Didn't have time to do much more than oooh at it.) Considering that we had 4 hours without driving, we then pushed ourselves to Ann Arbor that night. Got in around midnight.
Yesterday we got through Ohio, a bit of Pennsylvania, into New York, saw Niagara Falls and pushed on to Utica. Got to our hotel around 11:30. Upstate New York is another one of those places that I want to come back to. Beautiful country. And I love those New England farmhouses. So plain and simple and box-y.
This morning, we set out from Utica on the NY Thruway and around noon got onto the Mass Turnpike. We'd have been in Boston sooner but for an accident outside of Worcester.
Can I just say that I'm glad to be done driving and I'm especially happy I won't be driving in Boston. These people are nuts!
We seen just about every kind of driver and road condition on this trip. In fact I think we should have called the blog Road Work Ahead! We encountered road work of some kind in every state but Montana. And we were only in a little corner of Montana by the entrance to Yellowstone. But only in Mass did we see and accident and only in Boston have we seen every rule of the road broken. Amazing. We'll be doing public transit and cabs for the rest of my stay here. Too nuts for me.
But anyway - we've made it here. We've had real food for tonight. Severus is happy in his new home and sleep is just what the doctor ordered. We'll fill you in with pictures from the last few days and of the move in later. Just wanted you all to know that we made it - and we still like each other!
- kc
Tuesday we got all the way through Minnesota - even through Minneapolis/St Paul at rush hour and into Wisconsin.
Wednesday we got to the SS Badger ferry in Manatowac, WI and landed in Ludington, MI. (Side note to Liz G. - I love Ludington and want to go back there some day. Didn't have time to do much more than oooh at it.) Considering that we had 4 hours without driving, we then pushed ourselves to Ann Arbor that night. Got in around midnight.
Yesterday we got through Ohio, a bit of Pennsylvania, into New York, saw Niagara Falls and pushed on to Utica. Got to our hotel around 11:30. Upstate New York is another one of those places that I want to come back to. Beautiful country. And I love those New England farmhouses. So plain and simple and box-y.
This morning, we set out from Utica on the NY Thruway and around noon got onto the Mass Turnpike. We'd have been in Boston sooner but for an accident outside of Worcester.
Can I just say that I'm glad to be done driving and I'm especially happy I won't be driving in Boston. These people are nuts!
We seen just about every kind of driver and road condition on this trip. In fact I think we should have called the blog Road Work Ahead! We encountered road work of some kind in every state but Montana. And we were only in a little corner of Montana by the entrance to Yellowstone. But only in Mass did we see and accident and only in Boston have we seen every rule of the road broken. Amazing. We'll be doing public transit and cabs for the rest of my stay here. Too nuts for me.
But anyway - we've made it here. We've had real food for tonight. Severus is happy in his new home and sleep is just what the doctor ordered. We'll fill you in with pictures from the last few days and of the move in later. Just wanted you all to know that we made it - and we still like each other!
- kc
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Heartfelt Gratitude
I sit here next to Bridgete and Severus at 8:00 in the morning of our 8th day. I feel deeply grateful for the chance to spend this time with her. I hope she feels the same. We have a tough couple days ahead to get to Boston on Friday and I want her to know that I thank her for letting me come along. And along with that gratitude, it's time for a few call outs to those who have made this expotition just a little more bearable.
First - to Best Western - where Severus is always welcome and the rooms are always clean and safe and air conditioned. (and we get a free night or 50.00 by being a Golden Club member)
To Katie at Amelia's in Spearfish - who asked to keep my lunch warm while I took a phone call.
To Brittany at #10 in Deadwood - good luck on those LSATs. The world needs more lawyers like you and Bridgete.
To the ladies at Adams House in Deadwood for showing us the those little extras on our "exclusive tour."
To the guy at Didier's AG somewhere outside of Fargo who pumped our gas and gave us a great opportunity to hear that lovely ND accent while he chatted with Bridgete and I.
To Barb and Mike and all the staff at Black Hills Tattoo. Thanks for letting Severus sit in the office, thanks for taking time to get our tats just right, and thanks for the emu oil. It's great. Mike - you're the best!
And last but certainly not least - thanks to Budget trucks. We've put our little 10 foot truck through quite a test. And it's responded to the task. Thanks Connie for recommending them. I give them 5 stars, thumbs up, hip-hip-hooray.
First - to Best Western - where Severus is always welcome and the rooms are always clean and safe and air conditioned. (and we get a free night or 50.00 by being a Golden Club member)
To Katie at Amelia's in Spearfish - who asked to keep my lunch warm while I took a phone call.
To Brittany at #10 in Deadwood - good luck on those LSATs. The world needs more lawyers like you and Bridgete.
To the ladies at Adams House in Deadwood for showing us the those little extras on our "exclusive tour."
To the guy at Didier's AG somewhere outside of Fargo who pumped our gas and gave us a great opportunity to hear that lovely ND accent while he chatted with Bridgete and I.
To Barb and Mike and all the staff at Black Hills Tattoo. Thanks for letting Severus sit in the office, thanks for taking time to get our tats just right, and thanks for the emu oil. It's great. Mike - you're the best!
And last but certainly not least - thanks to Budget trucks. We've put our little 10 foot truck through quite a test. And it's responded to the task. Thanks Connie for recommending them. I give them 5 stars, thumbs up, hip-hip-hooray.
Monday, August 6, 2007
The world is flat.
You heard me. Driving through the rest of South Dakota once we got out of the black hills, and then driving through North Dakota to Fargo...all you see is flatness. And...I have to say it...amber waves of grain.
Anyways, yesterday we went to Mt. Rushmore, which was cool. Smaller than I expected. Then we went and got our tattoos. I love them both. Of course, each one fits our individual personality. I would never personally get a Winnie the Pooh, just like she would never get a Tigger. But they're both really cute, and very well done. I'm glad I spent as much time as I did researching where we should go, because the place was just perfect. It was clean, and friendly, and they even let us put the cat in the back office as long as he stayed in the carrier. He meowed loudly the whole time, but no one was really back there and with the door shut you couldn't really hear him.
Today we just did some driving. Came to Fargo in order to see my first best friend from when I was somewhere around the age of 3. I think. We're hoping to get in touch with her for breakfast tomorrow morning, so that should be fun. Then it's off to drive through Minnesota.
Anyways, here are the pictures I took at Rushmore.
-Bridgete-
Anyways, yesterday we went to Mt. Rushmore, which was cool. Smaller than I expected. Then we went and got our tattoos. I love them both. Of course, each one fits our individual personality. I would never personally get a Winnie the Pooh, just like she would never get a Tigger. But they're both really cute, and very well done. I'm glad I spent as much time as I did researching where we should go, because the place was just perfect. It was clean, and friendly, and they even let us put the cat in the back office as long as he stayed in the carrier. He meowed loudly the whole time, but no one was really back there and with the door shut you couldn't really hear him.
Today we just did some driving. Came to Fargo in order to see my first best friend from when I was somewhere around the age of 3. I think. We're hoping to get in touch with her for breakfast tomorrow morning, so that should be fun. Then it's off to drive through Minnesota.
Anyways, here are the pictures I took at Rushmore.
-Bridgete-
On Bikers, Bad Roads and Beauty
It's been an interesting couple of days. We are now in Fargo and seem to have gotten beyond the majority of the bikers. There are still plenty around, even here at this hotel there are a few bikes and trailers.
Everyone we talked to said that attendance at the Stugis Rally is way down this year. Well if this is down - I'm glad I wasn't here during a record year.
This isn't something I'd ever choose to see, but having seen it by accident, I have to admit that these guys (and gals) are great. They are courteous and kind to our big truck. Of course they have one eye on Bridgete most of the time. :) Last night, we even heard some French Canadian bikers at our hotel.
The only drawback - and it is a big one - they are absolutely everywhere in western South Dakota. Every hotel, restaurant, gas station, park, tourist attraction has bikes in abundance. We had booked our hotel in Spearfish ahead, but last night had to drive for some time before we found a place that would take us and kitty. If I was an alien and just happened upon South Dakota at this time, I would think that everyone rides motorcycles and 90% of them are Harleys. I understand the appeal. They are gorgeous and if I were to buy one, that would be the one I'd want. I did ask Bridgete which came first - the girth of the rider or the size of the bike. I'm thinking that the size of the bike has grown as the girth of its ridership has also expanded.
The road conditions continue to hinder our travels. There is a great deal of construction on I-90, often down to one lane in each direction. We finally broke with that and got onto 285 N into North Dakota, but the construction followed us here too. At one point we were back to gravel roads - with a small sign warning us - Pavement Ends. And it did. I think I-94 into Minnesota will be okay and I'm looking for a way around Minn/St. Paul. With the recent bridge collapse, I don't want to get caught in anything there.
For the most part, everyone we've met has been kind and courteous. Everyone takes great interest in what we're doing here and they all want Bridgete's business card when she becomes a lawyer.
We had rainstorms today through the Dakotas - but still I see the beauty of the waves of grain. Field after field of corn, grass, sunflowers, all undulating in the wind. It was something to see.
Oh - and Bridgete and I are now biker babes by proxy. We got tattooed in Rapid City during Stugis week. I think that counts! I'll post picture soon and ask for your vote on who got the better one.
Everyone we talked to said that attendance at the Stugis Rally is way down this year. Well if this is down - I'm glad I wasn't here during a record year.
This isn't something I'd ever choose to see, but having seen it by accident, I have to admit that these guys (and gals) are great. They are courteous and kind to our big truck. Of course they have one eye on Bridgete most of the time. :) Last night, we even heard some French Canadian bikers at our hotel.
The only drawback - and it is a big one - they are absolutely everywhere in western South Dakota. Every hotel, restaurant, gas station, park, tourist attraction has bikes in abundance. We had booked our hotel in Spearfish ahead, but last night had to drive for some time before we found a place that would take us and kitty. If I was an alien and just happened upon South Dakota at this time, I would think that everyone rides motorcycles and 90% of them are Harleys. I understand the appeal. They are gorgeous and if I were to buy one, that would be the one I'd want. I did ask Bridgete which came first - the girth of the rider or the size of the bike. I'm thinking that the size of the bike has grown as the girth of its ridership has also expanded.
The road conditions continue to hinder our travels. There is a great deal of construction on I-90, often down to one lane in each direction. We finally broke with that and got onto 285 N into North Dakota, but the construction followed us here too. At one point we were back to gravel roads - with a small sign warning us - Pavement Ends. And it did. I think I-94 into Minnesota will be okay and I'm looking for a way around Minn/St. Paul. With the recent bridge collapse, I don't want to get caught in anything there.
For the most part, everyone we've met has been kind and courteous. Everyone takes great interest in what we're doing here and they all want Bridgete's business card when she becomes a lawyer.
We had rainstorms today through the Dakotas - but still I see the beauty of the waves of grain. Field after field of corn, grass, sunflowers, all undulating in the wind. It was something to see.
Oh - and Bridgete and I are now biker babes by proxy. We got tattooed in Rapid City during Stugis week. I think that counts! I'll post picture soon and ask for your vote on who got the better one.
Deadwood!!!
Here are the photos from Deadwood.
To start with, I have Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane's grave sites and a statue of Wild Bill that is in the middle of the town.
Next I took some shots of just the town itself, from up in the cemetery.
And then just some random stuff, a few interesting grave sites and, of course, a nice shot of the many, many motorcycles since we got there just in time for the Sturgis Motorcycle rally.
Hooray for Deadwood!!
-Bridgete-
To start with, I have Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane's grave sites and a statue of Wild Bill that is in the middle of the town.
Next I took some shots of just the town itself, from up in the cemetery.
And then just some random stuff, a few interesting grave sites and, of course, a nice shot of the many, many motorcycles since we got there just in time for the Sturgis Motorcycle rally.
Hooray for Deadwood!!
-Bridgete-
Wyoming and Rockies
Here are the pictures of the...interesting road we drove on in Wyoming, and the pictures I got of the Rockies as we drove through them.
Deadwood photos in next post.
-Bridgete-
Deadwood photos in next post.
-Bridgete-
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Yellowstone photos
Here are the pictures I took of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. The shot of the really high water spray from between some trees with all the people in front of it is Old Faithful. That's where I was when it went off...just walking up to it and there it went. Then I have some other shots of just various interesting rock walls and steam vents and such.
The photos of the Rockies and in Deadwood will come later. Enjoy!!
-Bridgete-
The photos of the Rockies and in Deadwood will come later. Enjoy!!
-Bridgete-
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