Beautiful Wyoming

We were on the road extra early this morning and drove into Douglas for breakfast at 6:30 am. It was cold last night and as our furnace is not working again we were grateful for warm blankets. It wasn't cold for sleeping but it sure was cold when we got up to get ready. There was frost on the ground and much on the car.  It is a good thing that we are tough Canadian girls.

I love Wyoming. It is a beautiful state where you can see forever. Lots of huge, rolling hills and we passed by many small herds of antelope.

Antelope in Wyoming

We passed by a huge Open Pit Coal Mining operation. I couldn't get a decent picture of it but it was at least 1/2 mile long.
We passed a sheep ranch and also a ranch that had a large herd of buffalo.

Today we have had mountains ahead of us and  off to our left. Those mountains have an awful pile of snow on top of them still.

Mountains in Wyoming

We have been bucking a bad wind for most of the day today so when we reached Buffalo we decided to call

 it a day. We  are staying at The Indian Campground right in town and we have power so it will be warm

 tonight. Tomorrow if the weather allows we will head to Montana.

Keep warm.

Quote for the day:

 None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.

 Henry David Thoreau

Wyoming

We got an early start this morning and were on the road by 7:30 am. We drove up the 281 through North Platte to Highway 30. I caught a picture of a nice mural as we were going through.

 We stopped at a place called Paxon and had breakfast at a place called Ollies Big Game  Steak House and Lounge. This place was originally started Rosser O. Hersledt in 1933 after prohibition ended.

Ollie was  a big game hunter and for 35 years he hunted on  every continent. The place has been added on to over the years and now consists of a large restaurant and a large lounge. Along the walls, and in some cases on the floor, he has about 100 different kinds of animals that he has hunted. Many of the animals were taken from Africa. There is an elephant,a giraffe, a water buffalo, and a polar bear, just to name a few.

This place is apparently quite famous and has been visited by people like Jack Dempsey and numerous other politicians, singers and actors.

After  a hearty breakfast, we continued down the highway. When we got to Ogallala I saw a street similar to the one we saw at Dodge City.

Frontier Street in Ogallala

We were seeing some snow in the ditches here and there and crossed our fingers.  The land is much prettier than what we saw in Kansas and I was taking lots of pictures as we were driving along.  Much of it is farmland but we are seeing lots of pasture also.

It was hilly in places and off to the side there were buffs similar to what we see in Alberta.

Here is Anna taking a break next to one of the bluffs.

We crossed over the Oregon Trail where the wagon trains used to come through. At 12:30 we crossed the border into Wyoming.  It is very beautiful. Lots of big rolling hills.  To the far north we could see the Black Hills.

As we approached Glendo we could see what looked like snow  coming down over the mountains to our left and rain coming down to our right. Where we were driving it was clear and sunny.

The Glendo Res. which the North Platte River flows into was to our right and I could not resist snapping some pictures as we drove by.

 We seemed to be right between two storms.

About 10 miles from Douglas we found a place along the highway where we could pull over and park so we decided we would call it a day. We have been on the road for over 8 hours and that is enough.  Anna drove nearly 300 miles today. Time for a break. 

Keep warm.

Nebraska

This morning we went to get our free breakfast and found out the restaurant did not open for breakfast until 11am so we had to pass as we wanted to hit the road early.

The landscape remained unchanged. As it is winter everything is rather gray. No green here at all. We passed by some snow in the ditches  along the way. Drove across the border into Nebraska around noon. The landscape got  hillier. It seemed that we were always either going up a hill or down.

Nebraska

We found a State Park south of North Platte and decided to call it a day.  The campground is on Lake Mahoney and is very pretty.

Campgrounds on Lake Mahoney

 There are campsite on both sides of the lake. We stayed on the closest side and can park here for $7.00 a night. We have no hook ups but there is a dump station so that is really all we need. There is supposed to be a storm coming in tonight. They really need rain in this area so it will likely be welcome.

Around 6 pm the camp host, who was parked across from us,  came to the MH to warn us that there was a tornado watch out and that there had been one that had  touched down across  the lake.  He told us to keep an eye out and if we saw anything we were to run for the building next door and he would come and unlock the building and the three of us would hide there until it passed over.  Anna and I spent the next couple of hours watching rain and hail and looking for tornados. Thank goodness none materialized.  Being in a tornado is definitely NOT on my bucket list.

Keep warm.

Quote for the day:

What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matter compared to what lies within us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dodge City, Kansas

March 28, 2013

We left Hobart, Oklahoma around 8:30 am and headed up Highway 83. As we got farther north the land changed from flatland to some valleys. Passed over a river called the Canadian River so of course-being the good Canadian I am -  I had to take a picture.

 

It is a beautiful river. Nice to see water when so many of the smaller rivers and creeks are dry.

 Most of Kansas was very flat and since it is winter time things are mostly gray. We took the 270 over to the 283 and crossed the state line into  Kansas around noon.   One more state behind us on our road home.

 We arrived in Dodge City and found the Boot Hill Casino off Highway 283 on Highway 50 , just on the west side  of town  where we could park for free. Free is always a good price for us and we will take free any time we can.  We took the car and went downtown to check out the famous Dodge City.

Dodge City  is a very  interesting place. We went to the Boot Hill Museum and given that we only had 1 ½ hours before they closed and the museum and grounds were massive, I did a speed tour and took pictures  of all the things I wanted to read and did not have time to  so I could read them later. Part of the complex included  The Plains of the People  Museum.  One could easily spend at least half a day in there. It is mostly about the history of the Indians in that area and the early settlers. There were stories( sometimes on audio) of the way the Indians way of life changed when the white man came. There were many stories of the buffalo hunts such as the one below.

The buffalo were huge as you can see on the right. 

By the way, in the US the Indians from all tribes are referred to as Indians whereas in Canada we call them First Nations people. 

 There are many scenes of the old days such as the gunfight scene below.

There were far too many exhibits to even begin to cover on this blog.

 On the museum grounds is a replica of the original Front Street. 

 Nearly all the stores were open so we could go through them and see what the inside of those places looked like in years gone by.

Boot Hill Cemetery

I walked up the hill to the Boot Hill Cemetery. 

Some of the grave  markers were quite amusing. 

This one was my personal favorite.

 We drove to the downtown area and took a picture of the Long Horn  who is famous in this area.

When we returned to the MH we decided to go into the Casino to have something to eat. We found out if we got  a Players Card that we could get $10.00 put on the card to gamble with. I put my card in and won zero. Anna put hers in and ended up with $500.00.   She was pretty happy.  She wants to use the money for gas money home. After putting in a couple dollars I decided to put in $5.00 and  after going up and down for a very long time I ended up winning 30.00.  I quit while I was ahead.

We then found out that we could get compt for a free buffet so we had prime rib and crab leg buffet-it was 19.99 each and we were given a 49.00 comp . It was delicious. I love crab and I would be embarrassed to tell you how many crab legs I ate. They were so good. Before we left I asked if we could get compt for breakfast. The fellow gave me a 30.00 certificate for breakfast good for the next three days.  We returned to the MH very happy.

It was a super day. But then again, to those of us who are pretending to be retired every day is a  super day. 

Keep warm.

Quote for the day: 

Wonder where there is no path. You lay a path in walking.

A. Machado

Kiowa County Museum and Babbs Memorial

Accordian at Kiowa County Museum

This morning I toured the Kiowa County Museum. One would need at least one full day to tour it properly but as I only had about 1 hour I did a speed tour. I met Celecia Stoup who works at the museum and she related some interesting information regarding some of the artifacts.

I have seldom seen a museum with this many artifacts in it. She told me they have spent two years doing inventory and are still not finished.

Some of the rooms were set up to look like actual rooms from an earlier time period.

This is a washing machine. I sure am glad that I never had to use one of these.

Slide Show Projector

Technology has come a long way.












There was a room with some very  old vehicles on display.

Imagine travelling in this chuckwagon across the country. Rough riding.











My favorite room was the one showing Indian artifacts. One showcase held articles that were from 500 to 15,000 years old. There were several pictures of the Kiowa and Apache people and several articles of clothing and adornments that they wore and articles they used. Check Anna's blog for  more articles of clothing.

The items to the right were likely used for dances or perhaps by  their shaman.

This is a picture of Apache Chief Geronimo who was held at Fort Sill from 1886 to 1890.

He later travelled the world with the  Wild Bill Cody show.














If you ever come to this town this museum is a must see. It is impossible to cover even a fraction of it in this blog.

I returned to the MH just in time for Barbara to pick me up and take me to the Seniors place for dinner. Once again the food was delicious and the people were full of fun.

After dinner Barbara took me to see the Babbs Switch School Memorial.

This memorial is for the 35 people who died when the school caught fire on Christmas Eve in 1924 while the people of the community were taking in a Christmas Concert there. The fire is said to have started from a candle on the Christmas Tree. The doors of the school opened to the inside and they jammed, leaving  the people trapped inside and unable to get out.  After this incident Oklahoma made a law that all doors  must open to the outside.











Barbara  told me the story of a young child around 2 years of age  who was at that concert  but whose remains were never found after the fire. Many decades later the woman was found to be in California and was reunited with her family. Apparently she was found by someone in the confusion  after the fire  and taken there. She later wrote a book called Child of Tragedy.

Barbara toured me all around the countryside, showing me the Clubhouse at the Golf Course, the hospital, schools etc.  It was a big day. Thank you Barbara for all the places you have taken me and for your friendship.

Tomorrow we head for Dodge City Kansas. I will be sad to leave Hobart and the people I have met here but glad to be on the road towards home.

Keep warm.

Charlie, Friendly Ghost of Shortgrass Playhouse

As I promised in an early blog I am going to attempt to  relate the story of "Charlie". As I stated previously, last Monday evening I attended the play " Nunsensations!" at the Shortgrass Playhouse which is located above the Fire Station.

Fire Station and home of Shortgrass Playhouse

  I had met a lovely lady named  Barbara Doyle there and during the intermission she   introduced me to Larry and Paula Willis. During the course of our conversation,  Larry  began to tell me the story of Charlie.  Apparently, about the time the Shortgrass Playhouse was being renovated a tombstone was found in the Firehall with the name Charles D. Savage on it.  It was placed in the side stairwell of the Shortgrass Playhouse and there were attempts made to find its origin but no one claimed it. While painting in the Greenroom, a voice asked  "What are you doing in here?". The person responded that they were "renovating the theatre" The counter response was "I wish you would hurry because you are making a lot of noise". The next day a ghostly image appeared on the wall where they were painting.  Larry informed me that the image has been painted and repainted but the image keeps reappearing. Larry took me to the room where the image was and also took me to look at the Tombstone in the stairwell.

Image of "Charlie" in the Green Room

Tombstone of Charles D. Savage

I have asked around town about "Charlie". Some people do not believe in his existence, but many do and stated they have experienced his presence. I was told at the library that I should talk to Kathy as she knew a lot about Charlie.  I  tracked Kathy down at a local insurance office and sure enough she truly did know a lot about Charlie.  She invited me to meet her at the playhouse this evening. She took me through the green room and told me that when the image first appeared one of the painters traced the image on the wall afraid that otherwise it might disappear. She also told me that once when she and a child were in this room that a very audible sigh was heard from the side of the room. She then took me through the dressing rooms  and showed me where clothes often moved as though being brushed against, and she took me into another room where she said she often heard "whistling".

 Kathy  also told me that children could often be heard running and playing there and that a voice calling "mama" has been heard. She related an occurrence when she and a  friend were painting or decorating and one of them asked, "Okay Charlie, why are you still here?" A soft answer came back saying, "Children".  Kathy informed me that some of these things she has on video tape and audio tape. 

Kathy was a very down to earth person and was not in any way intimidated by "Charlie". I got the feeling that she liked having Charlie there. Another story she told me was of them coming into the playhouse one day and finding one of the pictures of past plays on the floor with the glass on it broken. When they bent to pick it up they discovered that the picture on the floor was of the play  "Curious Savage". They tried stamping their feet on the floor and banging on the walls to see if they could make any of the other pictures fall but they could not. 

Kathy in front of  pictures of Plays at the Playhouse

There are several walls full of pictures of past plays put on at the Shortgrass Playhouse.  

 












 Another story she related to me  was of her and a friend working in the playhouse and  the  friend asked Charlie for a sign that he was there. Immediately, the sound of a chair scraping across the floor of the stage was heard and then the sound of a chair being thrown down the stairs.

Kathy told me  a story of  years back  tombstones   from the Indian graveyard outside of town being found on main street. All of them were claimed and returned except for one. After doing some research and reading some old newspaper articles I found one that stated the the police department had found  a Tombstone with the name Charles Savage on main street and placed it in  the side stair case of the "Playhouse". I do not know if Charlie's tombstone was the one that was not claimed. 

Also of note is that at one time there was a Funeral Home in part of the Fire Station. 

So that is  as much as I can tell you about the story of "Charlie, the Ghost of the Shortgrass Playhouse in  Hobart". It was fun tracking down the stories and reading the articles about Charlie. He seems to be a favorite of the town. Whether you choose to believe in him or not is up to you. 

Keep warm.

Quote of the Day: Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.
                                 Marie Curie

Touring the Countryside

Lake in the Quartz Mountain Range

This morning my friend Barbara picked me up and took me sight seeing.  We drove out to the  Quartz mountains, and drove in and out of the Wichita Mountains. The countryside on the way there was very pretty.

There were crops of winter wheat several inches high already so the countryside was very green.

 Old School House

This is the area where Barbara grew up. Her father went to school in this school house to the right.











As we were driving along we came across this flock of vultures. There are not a pretty bird.

 Barbara could not remember ever seeing that many all together before. They are  very large birds and when they are in the air they have a very wide wingspan. If you click on this picture it should enlarge so you can get a better look at them.


When we arrived at the Mountain Range there was a beautiful lake nestled in the mountains. Barbara told me it used to be way bigger but there has been  a serious drought here the last couple years.

Two years ago there was a terrible thunderstorm that started a fire on top of these mountains. It spread from one mountain to another and could be seen for miles.  It completely  burned all the brush off the mountains. The firemen managed to save all the buildings at the   base of the mountains, including a couple of church camps but the fire came very, very close to the buildings.

As you can see from the black remains of the trees, the fires was within a few feet of the buildings.










We drove  up into the mountains to get a better view of the lake.

The ground surrounding the lake was much redder than it appears in the picture. It was a very bright sunny day so it washed out the colors somewhat.










On the way up the mountain, we passed a beautiful campground and found over 20 deer grazing there.

The deer did not seem to be at all disturbed by our presence. We sat for awhile and just watched them.










Also nestled in the mountains was the Oklahoma Arts Institute where artists of all kinds from all over the world come to study.

The bridge you see crosses over the water-or where there used to be water coming in from the lake- and joins the rest of the complex pictured below.
It is a massive Institute.

There are a number of buildings, including dorms for the students, a swimming pool, library and beautiful statutes and artwork throughout the complex. All the buildings look out over the lake.

Barbara on patio of restaurant at Art Institute

There was a very nice restaurant there and a lovely patio on the side of it where you could eat while looking out over the lake.

The lobby of the main building is full of artwork from floor to ceiling.













We continued on and I took several more shots as we came down the mountain.

We made it back to Hobart just a few minutes late for lunch at the Seniors place.  Barbara introduced me to everyone there and they seemed quite amused to have someone from Canada show up there. They were a very friendly bunch and they told me that they would like to see me come back tomorrow if I am still around. The lunch was only four dollars and included rice, gravy, baked chicken breast, peas, and chocolate ice cream for dessert. It was delicious.
Barbara took me to the The Western Technolgy Centre where her friends were making quilts. They were definitely artists at work. The one below especially caught my eye. It is part of a quilt that is actually going to be a wall hanging when it is finished. I cannot even begin to imagine how many hours of work is in this piece.

After leaving there Barbara took me to her beautiful home where she showed me some of her quilts.  They were all beautiful works of art. 

Barbara with one of her quilts.

It was a wonderful day! 

 For those of you who are wondering about it, I have not forgotten  about the ghost story I promised you. I will put it in my blog tomorrow.

Keep warm.

Quote for the day:

Friends are like angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.

Wayne Zaharia