(This was written Monday evening after we stopped for the day) Today started out early. I was up at 4:30 for a conference call at 5:00. It’s now 11:04 p.m. In between these two times, we have left Limon, CO and are spending the night in Lusk, WY.
Taylor helping Jim by making sure the Nasty didn’t drag as it was being driven on the trailer.
The cool temps and clouds made for a nice travel day! I can’t say that I ever got so sleepy I couldn’t stand it. Maybe it was the pop for lunch?!
Brief recap of the day goes sort of like this:
Up early.
Remained quiet after the conference call until the rest of the family woke up about 7:30.
Once everyone else knew it was time to get up, the girls and I started taking things off the walls and getting the cottage on wheels road ready.
Once we reached the point of all we had to do was hook the trailer to the Pete, we all headed to the “home place” to load the Nasty on the car trailer and start the trucks.
Back to the KOA to hook the Pete to the cottage, gather boards used to level the cottage, grab the water hose and the electric cord.
Pulled camp and parked the outfits in the lot of the old truck stop just south of the KOA.
Walked to Wendy’s for lunch.
Left Limon about 12:30.
We took a very quick break in Brush, CO to fuel the Pete and Frank and gas up the dually. Everything was filledl so we should be able to make it as far as we decide to drive. Our intentions were to get to Scottsbluff, NE for the night.
Just south of the Nebraska border. Interesting sand formation.
HOME!
I’m so disappointed to see the brown countryside continues through Nebraska! Usually when we get close to the Nebraska line we start to see a little more green again. Not this year. I will have to admit, though, it was good to be back in my home state – even if “home, home” is clear across state on the East side! I haven’t been in Nebraska since we left home in May. That’s beginning to feel like a long time ago.
Headed down the long hill towards the town of Scottsbluff
The towns of Gering/Scottsbluff are in the distance between the two hills.
Scottsbluff Monument
We arrived in Scottsbluff early enough that we decided to continue on to Lusk, WY.
The Sandhills north of Mitchell, NE – very dry!
The second stop we made was in Van Tassell, WY (Jenna’s favorite little town). A quick break and we were back on the road heading west.
Van Tassell, WY
We arrived in Lusk about 7:15 p.m. This is where friends come in the picture again. Actually, these people are more family than friends. I’ve known Nicole since 1981 – that was the first year we cut wheat in Jordan, MT and it was for her dad. As the years came and went, more brothers and a sister were born and we looked forward each year to being reunited with the Murnion family. Jamie and Jenna have very fond memories of being on the Murnion ranch south of Jordan – sometimes for a week at a time. Nicole and her siblings became more like sisters and brothers to the girls than friends.
Nicole’s dad was killed in a plane wreck. He and a friend were coyote hunting and their two-seater plane went down on December 5, 1996. At the time, it was the largest air rescue mission in the State of Montana. Charlie and George were found a week after the plane went down. A moment that would forever change the lives of Nicole, her siblings, their mother and those of us who called Charlie, friend.
Charlie was one of a kind. Not much more I can say about him. He touched many people’s lives. He’s been gone for almost 16 years and we’re still laughing at his antics and stories! He was 42.
Nicole and her family have moved from Jordan, MT to Lusk, WY. How appropriate that we should make our first night’s destination in Lusk. Tomorrow, Jim and I will continue the northward trek to Jordan. Taylor and Callie, however, will stay in Lusk with their “other” family until we come back through with the combine. I’m sure they’ll have a great time with Nicole’s kids – just as Jamie and Jenna had with Nicole and her siblings at the ranch. And, as Jamie and Jenna, Taylor and Callie will have great stories and memories to take away from their time at the Graham’s – thanks to the wheat harvest and our gypsy way of life!!
The Graham’s and the Zeorian’s together again!
P.S. The title for this post is an inside joke between the Graham’s and the Zeorian’s. It’s a story that will NEVER get old and is ALWAYS good for a laugh – sometimes to the point of tears.
I was going to end this posting right here last night. However, the battery on my computer died and I had no way of charging it. We ended up “dry camping” in the lot of the truck stop. “Dry camp” means no electricity or water – just park and sleep (and hope for a cool night or at least a breeze).
I’ll give you the updated version which will now include today (Tuesday). We left Lusk about 9:00 a.m. We stopped at a rest area just south of Upton, WY. We always try to stop here for a break. Years ago, there were no houses surrounding the stop – just pine trees. It reminded us of being on vacation because of the smell of pine. Sometimes we hit it right at lunch time. When this happens, we pack all our sandwich makings to the picnic table and enjoy the vacation smell all the while we’re eating.
Rest Area south of Upton, WY
Coal mine just outside of Gillette, WY
Stopped for road construction
Most of the roads between the towns of Lusk and Jordan are good. I can remember a time when Grandma and Grandpa used to come to Montana and the roads were HORRIBLE. They were narrow and lacked shoulders. Every year, it seemed, we’d see a wrecked combine in the ditch because the driver of the truck had allowed the combine trailer to go off the road. There is still a stretch of that kind of road between the WY/MT border and Biddle, MT. This is ten miles of pure torture for me! It never fails – I will meet a semi on that particular stretch. I sort of just close my eyes and hope all is well when I open them again. The road is narrow – no shoulders – and STRAIGHT down! I literally get sick to my stomach when I know I have to drive Frank and the header over this part of the highway. I made it one more year!
One chance to get a photo before heading down this stretch of road with both hands GRIPPING the steering wheel!!
Eastern Montana beauty
We stopped in Broadus for a quick break and email updates. Soon, we were back on the road with Miles City being the final break before arriving in Jordan. When we arrived in Miles, it was 102 degrees – the heat is BACK on! I topped Frank off with fuel, we had a quick bite at Taco John’s and were back on the road. We pulled into the Jordan trailer court right at 7:30, backed the cottage in its new spot and set everything up again. Tomorrow when I wake up, I’ll be wondering where I am again!