Trip is over - time to pack

Got into Oklahoma early, but decided to stay there instead of heading home. We all went out to eat good mexican food that night with Judy and her mother. Headed home the next day - dropped bill and emily off at Temple and got home early Friday afternoon. Tim and Ruth had stayed in Denver a couple of nights and flew home Friday too.

It was a great trip - everyone had a good time and all were fun to be with. Nobody got mad (I think) or got their feelings hurt (I hope). Don't know what the boys have planned for their 61st birthday year, but I hope I get to go. I don't mind being the youngest of the group and tagging along, if they don't mind being the old folks, ha, ha.

Well, time to start packing for my Colorado trip - wheeeeeee!

Leaving the coolness

We got up really early (tim and ruth slept in tho) and loaded up and headed home. It was 54 degrees when we left Deadwood, and 95 degrees when we stopped in Kansas to spend the first night. Eeek. We saw a wagon train on the road in Nebraska or Kansas. Can't remember which - seemed like a perfect way to end a trip to cowboy country. Never knew what it was for - just a regular midwest occurrence I guess.

Spearfish Canyon & Sturgis

Today we rode/drove in Spearfish Canyon to Spearfish (big bill rode on the motorcycle) then on to Sturgis to have lunch and look around. Sturgis is a really small town, but they have a motorcycle rally for 2 weeks in August, and 500,000 motorcycle riders come to town. I wouldn't want to be there then. After lunch, everyone but bill and I went with Tim back to Rapid City to turn in his bike. Bill and I rode the motorcycle on the back road to Deadwood. I had never ridden for very long before and it was so much fun. The road was great - windy, hilly, not much traffic. Hmm, maybe I'll get a motorcycle!!

Mt. Rushmore

Today we drove thru Custer State Park to Mt. Rushmore, then on to the Crazy Horse Memorial, then back to Deadwood. This is a beautiful area - lots of trees and water and rolling hills. It rained really hard while we were at Mt. Rushmore, but we were luckily inside and waited it out. The boys got a little wet on their bikes later in the afternoon, but they had put their wet gear on and were prepared. Emily got to ride on the motorcycle today.

and Crazy Horse

Rapid city and the Badlands

We all drove into Rapid City to the Harley place so Tim could pick up the motorcycle he had rented. Then Emily and Ruth and I piled into the car and Tim and Bill and big Bill got on the motorcycles and we headed to the Badlands. It was a nice drive and we put the top down when we started going on the slower roads. The weather was great. This is a real bleak looking but pretty area. I was impressed that Big Bill was able to ride behind the motorcycle all that way - he had so much fun doing it too.

Arrived in Deadwood

Made it into Deadwood early afternoon and proceeded to hit the slot machines in our hotel. I'd never played penny slots before. You just stick a dollar bill in and play 1 cent at a time. You can play for hours at that rate and not lose much. Of course, you don't win much either. Tim and Ruth got there later in the evening and we all went out to eat across the street at the casino buffet. This picture is us with the free champagne lady in the hotel casino (the champagne was free, not the lady).

Leaving Oklahoma

We loaded up the truck and left early this morning - made it all the way to South Platte, Nebraska. Here we are ready to take off with the truck, trailer and motorcycle in tow in Bill's driveway.

South Dakota trip

It's really July 2 but I'm pre-dating these entries so the dates will match the activities. For those of you who don't know the story - here's the setup. My brother Tim (Orlando) and his best friend from high school Bill (Edmond, OK) since before they were born (parents were best friends too) turned 60 this year and decided to take a trip to Deadwood, South Dakota to ride their Harleys. I invited myself along, then so did Emily (Temple), who also is turning 60 this year and has been friends with them since before birth too (her parents and our parents were all bestest friends for all their lives and her little sister Andrea was my best friend when we were growing up). So we decided to also take Bill's 90-yr old dad with us, Big Bill (see, there's little bill and big bill, even tho Big Bill is now skinny and little and Little Bill is now not, ha, ha). Ruth and Judy were coming too but Judy had to back out at the last minute so it was just going to be the 6 of us. Anybody not confused yet?

OK, South Dakota here we come! Emily and BIll and I set off for OK today, leaving Andrea and Sophia all sad that they weren't coming with us. Too bad!!! Nyah, nyah, nyah. Little Bill's house in Edmond is really pretty and the neighborhood is beautiful. We had a nice evening there.

Cool picture

Here's a cool tree I saw while hiking on the greenbelt last month.