- Left Norfolk on THU 6/11 & returned on SUN 6/21, our longest ever solo (duo?) road trip.
- First official vacation site was Scotts Bluff National Historic Site, just outside Gering, NE, which was also where we spent our first night. I purchased a Lifetime Senior's National Park Pass for--wait for it, wait for it--$10. That's right! A lifetime pass that will get me into all National Parks & many if not most National Historic Sites for $10! (Should have gotten one for Lois, too. As long as she's with me, she gets in free, but she can't use my pass on her own, since it requires a photo ID.We not only used this pass at Scotts Bluff, we also used it to travel in & out of Grand Tetons National Park when we made a side trip to Jackson, WY; in & out of Yellowstone National Park several times, since our cabin was 7.5 miles outside of W. Yellowstone, MT; & it got us onto the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Historic Site. (It turns out that you don't need it to get free admission to Wall Drug.)
- Re: wildlife, we experienced many mosquitoes, a plethora of bison, a fair amount of elk, plus pronghorns, trumpeter swans, wild geese & ducks, evidence of beavers (but no actual animals), prairie dogs, marmots, a possible pika, one moose & one bear.
- One minor complaint . . . I was not at all impressed by the quality of the toilet paper found throughout the National Park System. It reminded me of stories re: how the agents on Indian reservations would defraud the government & Native Americans by accepting money for quality goods, let's say prime cuts of beef, then purchase sub-quality good, let's say spoiled beef. Indians would get the spoiled beef. Indian agents would pocket the difference in what they were paid & what they actually spent. I'm just wondering if some bureaucrat in charge of making bulk purchases of toilet paper for the NPS authorized purchases of Charmin, turned around & bought millions of tons of toilet paper from North Korea at cut-rate prices, & pocketed the difference. I'm just sayin'. I will say that the public restrooms themselves, along with the bathroom in our NPS cabin in the Colter Bay Resort in Grand Tetons National Park, exceeded my expectations.
Why I Am Not an Advice Columnist
(From Ask Amy, Omaha World Herald, 7/9): "Dear Amy: My sister lives on the other side of the country & I visit her once a year. She also visits me. While our politics don't match up that well, we still agree on some pretty basic values re: religion, gay rights, women's rights, the environment, etc. Plus, I just adore her & we get along beautifully. However, her husband "Stan" & I couldn't be more different politically & religiously. For years I have just accepted this about him, & given our distance & infrequent contact, it hasn't been an issue. And as long as he's good to my sister, it's all good. As he has gotten older, he has become a lot more strident & aggressive in his views . . . A random comment I made in response to a broadcaster provoked a very unpleasant tirade from him. He verbally attacked me. He let it be known that he viewed me as a naive, clueless "socialist" who is hell-bent on destroying America. I was shocked. Within a few minutes he seemed fine & unaffected by his previous antics. I'm still reeling from this. I don't have a thick skin. How do I handle future visits? Signed, Peaceful Sister. [MY ANSWER: Dear "So-Called Peaceful." The solution is simple. Stop being a naive, clueless, socialist who is hell-bent on destroying America or stop visiting your sister & her patriotic, flag-waving, America-loving husband. Problem solved. And stop calling me Amy.]
Excerpts from the Norfolk Daily News (some are a little dated):
(3/9) "Americans on trial over damage to Colosseum. Two American tourists have been ordered to appear in court for carving their names into the Colosseum, the latest act of vandalism sustained by the ancient monument at the hands of tourists." [As I watched Lois carving her name on Register Rock, a landmark where travelers carved their names along the Oregon Trail, I recalled this story. My chest swelled w/pride, knowing that we live in a country that still prizes freedom of speech.]
(7/7) "Man killed after lighting fireworks from his head. The mother of a man (in Portland, Maine) who tried to launch a firework off the top of his head for July 4th & was killed instantly said MON she's advocating for stricter controls about who can use the explosives . . . The state should consider requiring safety training courses before allowing someone to use them, she said. She compared fireworks with other regulated items such as cars & guns. At least it'd be a little more than, 'Here you go,' (she) said. 'That's an explosive. They didn't just hand me a license & put me in the car.'" [That's so sad, I can't even summon up a suitable comment.]
Excerpts from the Omaha World Herald (one's a little dated):
(6/30) "Shreve sticks to schedule, sinks 4th ace. Bob Shreve knew Toni was the right wife for him during their 1st Christmas together. 'She bought me a set of golf clubs,' he said." [What say you, Lois? I can't remember the exact moment when I knew you were the right wife. You never bought me golf clubs.]
(7/4) "Iowans are challenged to get their hands dirty, plant butterfly gardens. Dozens of conservation & gardening organizations under the umbrella of the National Pollinator Garden Network have launched a nationwide campaign to reverse the decline of pollinating insects. In Iowa, another conservation initiative is encouraging the planting of butterfly gardens. [Well, that's just plain "duh." Even my 5-year-old grand-daughter can tell you what will happen to declining, pollinating insects if you start planting butterflies.]
Excerpts from USA Today:
(7/8) "Rockfall at Yosemite's Half Dome Adds Challenge. A massive, 100-by-200' sheet of rock fell from the vertical face of Half Dome inYosemite National Park, making one of the most popular routes attempted by climbers in North American even more challenging, officials in the California park said Tuesday." [In a related story, spokesmen for PETRC * are demanding that officials at Grand Tetons National Park blast off the top 500' of the Grand Teton, making a popular but difficult mountain-climbing route even more challenging.]
* People for the Ethical Treatment of Rock Climbers
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