What I Did on my Summer Vacation

 

The Great Adventure of 2021 has concluded, covering twenty-one days and fifteen states. I did no writing (some research was accomplished), so this week’s post will be an accounting of the highlights. Not that you care, or should, but I like thinking back on them and I need a topic.

 

Date: Tuesday July 13

Woke up in: Laurel MD

Highlights: Closed the last of my parents’ accounts. Dinner at Primanti Brothers; dessert at Glen’s frozen custard, the best in the world.

Went to sleep in: Harmar PA

 

Date: Wednesday July 14

Highlights: A driving day. Hooked up with Culver’s burgers and custard. Both are very good and will be even more appreciated over the next several days.

Went to sleep in: Madison WI

 

Date: Thursday July 15

Highlights: Visited Spam museum in Austin MN. Dinner at the Rusty Spur, the only functioning restaurant in town.

Went to sleep in: Murdo SD

 

Date: Friday, July 16

Highlights: Visited an authentic 1880s town. Tried to get lunch at three different places before settling for beef jerky and energy bars in our room.

Went to sleep in: Murdo SD

 

Date: Saturday, July 17

Highlights: The Badlands and Custer State Park; bighorn sheep and buffalo. Drove out of Badlands on longest gravel road in North America. The dust may still be settling.

Went to sleep in: Custer SD

 

Date: Sunday July 18

Highlights: Drove past Devils Tower. (Line was too long to get in.) Took three tries to find a place open for lunch.

Went to sleep in: Gardiner MT

 

Date: Monday, July 19

Highlights: Yellowstone. Saw hundreds of buffalo, some close enough to touch. Lost an argument with a picnic table at Sheepeater Cliff picnic area; swore vengeance.

Went to sleep in: Yellowstone Park, then Gardiner MT

 

Date: Tuesday, July 20

Highlights: Yellowstone again. Even more buffalo. Later we watched an elk grazing on the main street of Gardinar. Returned to scene of yesterday’s altercation to find the table already occupied, so I’m having mine cold.

Went to sleep in: Cody WY

 

Date: Wednesday, July 21

Highlights: Buffalo Bill Museum of the West. Rodeo in the evening.

Went to sleep in: Coy WY

 

Date: Thursday, July 22

Highlights: Dinner with former co-workers.

Went to sleep in: Fort Collins CO

 

Date: Friday, July 23

Highlights: Hung out with my brother’s family. Outstanding bison parmigiana at Café Jordano.

Went to sleep in: Lakewood CO

 

Date: Saturday, July 24

Highlights: Delivered family heirloom to niece’s new condo. Cook out at my brother’s included some wicked cornhole games.

Went to sleep in: Lakewood CO

 

Date: Sunday, July 25

Highlights: Family time. Dinner at the 49^th State in Denver.

Went to sleep in: Lakewood CO

 

Date: Monday, July 26

Highlights: Driving day. Heavy rain caused a brief waiting period.

Went to sleep in: Abilene KS

 

Date: Tuesday, July 27

Highlights: All Abilene attractions closed, though it didn’t appear we were missing much. Dinner at an excellent microbrewery tap room in Hamilton.

Went to sleep in: Hamilton MO

 

Date: Wednesday, July 28

Highlights: The Quilting Capitol of the World. The Beloved Spouse™ ravaged the town while I hung around the library and ice cream shop. Dinner in the tap room again.

Went to sleep in: Hamilton MO

 

Date: Thursday, July 29

Highlights: See entry for July 28. Dinner at the tap room again again.

Went to sleep in: Hamilton MO

 

Date: Friday, July 30

Highlights: Lunch in St. Louis with my trumpet teacher from New England Conservatory and his friend.

Went to sleep in: Louisville KY

 

Date: Saturday, July 31

Highlights: Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. Drinks with Chad Williamson and the lovely Alice Blevins at the one bar in Louisville Jimmy Hannah hasn’t gotten Chad banned from.

Went to sleep in: Georgetown KY

 

Date: Sunday August 1

Highlights: Kentucky Horse Park. Found what must be the southernmost Culver’s for custard.

Went to sleep in: Georgetown KY

 

Date: Monday, August 2

Highlights: Driving day.

Went to sleep in: My own bed.

 

Total driving distance: 5,090.5 miles at 32.0 miles per gallon.

 

A wonderful vacation. Not perfect: restaurant issues due to lack of staffing, extremely hot weather in places, the altercation with the picnic table and its aftermath. I’d do it again even if I knew all of the above would happen.

 

Many thinks to my brother’s family (Stu, Cris, Aspen, and Hailey); Charlie Schluter and Mary; my former co-workers at USDA; Chad Williamson and Alice Blevins; and various new acquaintances, including, but not limited to: Vinnie at the Rusty Spur; all the folks at the Sheepeater Cliff picnic area (If I had your names you’d get cards), Mari of Mari’s Bed & Breakfast, both librarians in Hamilton, and, last but not least, Toni, Amanda, and all the staff at the Levi Gallagher & Sons Brewery in Hamilton.

 

This trip was so much fun, I enjoyed toting up the bills because of the memories they evoked.

 

The Great Adventure

I went off the radar (and pretty much off the grid) the last two weeks of July for what The Beloved Spouse and I hope is the first of many not dissimilar vacations. I highly recommend the trip we took, so I’m taking a break from writing and related subjects to give a capsule description of how we spent what TBS described as our Great Adventure.

Saturday, July 15

States Traversed: MD, WV, PA, WV (again), OH, IN, IL

Major Routes Taken: I-70, I-68, I-80, I-294, I-88

Highlights: Saw signs for the Triple XXX Family Restaurant. Place used to be an adult bookstore and the new owners didn’t have the cash to completely replace the sign.

Pendleton IN, former home of Les Edgerton.

Dinner: Portillo’s in Lombard IL. Best Italian beefs in the world, though Lou Malnati’s gets the most pub. (Not that Lou’s aren’t worthy.)

End Point: Lombard IL

Sunday, July 16

States Traversed: IL, WI, MN, SD

Major Routes Taken: I-290, I-90

Highlights: Crossed the Mississippi River.

Terrain changing by the mile.

Dinner: Anchor Grille.

End Point: Chamberlain SD, a block from the Missouri River

Monday, July 17

States Traversed: SD

Major Routes Taken: I-90, US-16

Highlights: Badlands, where we saw three Bighorn sheep.

Custer State Park, where we saw at least a hundred buffalo (they blocked the road and a pair damn near blundered into the side of the car), and fed donkeys from our hands.

Mount Rushmore. Once inside the Visitors’ Center it rained so hard we couldn’t see the top of the mountain.

Dinner: Slate Creek Grille. Good, reasonably priced food and excellent service in a not-touristy Western atmosphere.

End Point: The Iron Horse Cottage at the Whispering Winds Lodge, Hill City SD

Tuesday, July 18

States Traversed: SD, WY

Major Routes Taken: US-85, I-90, US-14

Highlights: Deadwood. (A bit of a disappointment. The history is name only; it’s now a biker casino town.)

Crossed the Bighorn Mountains. (Elevation 9600 feet.) Saw a moose.

Dinner: Bubba’s Barbecue. Outstanding pulled pork. Laid-back Western atmosphere.

End Point: Cody Cowboy Village, Cody WY. (Log cabins)

Wednesday, July 19

States Traversed: WY, MT

Major Routes Taken: US-14

Highlights: Yellowstone Park, including at least a thousand buffalo. (Honest to God.) I could list all the great things we saw, but it’s a waste of time. Go.

TBS was disappointed she didn’t get to see an elk until we pulled into the hotel and saw one grazing in front of the office.

Dinner: Two-Bit Saloon. Under new management and not as I remembered it. Still good, but not like it was.

End Point: Gardiner MT

Thursday, July 20

States Traversed: MT, WY, CO

Major Routes Taken: US-26, US-287, I-80, I-25

Highlights: A second pass through Yellowstone. Saw two more elk and TBS spotted a wolf. Roaring Mountain had one small steam vent yesterday when we stopped. Today it had at least fifty. Quite a sight.

Grant Tetons National Park and a spectacular view of the Tetons.

Forest fire in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Dinner: Skipped

End Point: Lakewood CO

Friday, July 21 – Sunday, July 23

States Traversed: None

Major Routes Taken: None

Highlights: Relaxing weekend with my brother’s family. Salt of the earth people. No way not to have fun with them.

Took my now legal nieces out for a drink.

Dinner: Friday: Great Frontier Brewing Company. Excellent beer and good food truck.

Saturday: Cookout

Sunday: The 49^th. Alaskan restaurant. The beef/elk burger was outstanding.

End Point: Lakewood CO

Monday, July 24

States Traversed: CO, KS

Major Routes Taken: I-70, KS-23, US-400

Highlights: Boot Hill Museum. Up close look of a replica of the old Main Street. Extremely well laid out.

Dinner: Central Station. Another non-touristy winner. Always ask the locals where to eat when traveling.

End Point: Dodge City KS

Tuesday, July 25

States Traversed: KS

Major Routes Taken: US-400, I-35

Highlights: Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita KS. Boot Hill was just the main street with more detailed exhibits. This was the whole town. The two combined gave a good feel for what things much have been like then.

Dinner: Applebee’s. We tend to stay away from chains for dinner when on the road but we were exhausted and it was right next door. They treated us right.

End Point: Ottawa KS

Wednesday, July 26

States Traversed: KS, MO, IL, IN, KY

Major Routes Taken: I-70, I-64

Highlights: Discovered I’d left my credit card at Applebee’s. (They were more than cooperative and helpful in getting it returned.)

Dinner: A&W. Long day, worn out, and it was across the street.

End Point: Lexington KY

Thursday, July 27

States Traversed: None

Major Routes Taken: None

Highlights: Rained too hard to go to the Kentucky Horse Park; saw Ghostbuster. Liked it a lot.

Dinner: The Pasta Garage. Outstanding.

End Point: Lexington. Same hotel two nights in a row was a treat.

Friday, July 28

States Traversed: KY, WV, VA, MD

Major Routes Taken: I-64, I-81, I-66, I-495, I-95

Highlights: Getting home.

Dinner: Chick Fil-A

End Point: Our own bed.

Total States Traversed: 16

Total Miles Travelled: 5,010

Sure, it was good to be home, but we could have happily stayed out another week.

Next week, back to writing topics.