Some corrections, and an addition

Back when I was talking about the Wagon Wheel Ruts in Wyoming, I miss-stated the name of the cliff where past travelers carved their names. It was not "Record Cliff", it was "Register Cliff". In looking for some pictures of what we saw, I came across the following site, which I will also add to the affected posting. Thanks to Daniel for his permission to link to his site.

http://www.eg.bucknell.edu/~hyde/jackson/lindaOregonTrip.html

The site includes pictures of both Register Cliff name carvings, and the ruts cut in stone.

I think I have all the other typos out, now, too.

For the bikers in the audiance

When we pulled into Tupalo we found a motel a bit off the beaten track (well, it was out of the main part of town, but close to the Natchez Trace). It had been pouring down rain for the previous hour, and it was dark. We found out later that this same storm had caused extensive flooding and even been responsible for several deaths further North. We were happy to find nice accommodations; initially we were somewhat worried by the characters that pulled in around the same time we did. One couple, however, did not worry us in the least. They were riding an older BMW R75/7 (I think) and had the neatest motorcycle trailer I have ever seen. I didn't get any pictures (wish I had) but I did get the name of the trailer, and talked to the owner in the morning. The trailer was designed and built for some years in New Zealand, and the company name was recently purchased and the trailer is now being manufactured here in the US. The owner sang high praises for the trailer, which, since it has only one wheel, handles exceptionally well. Their bike, trailer, and rain gear had kept them dry even in the nasty storm we had come through, together, as it turns out. We had our wipers on "high" for most of the storm -- it couldn't have been too much fun for them. I've been out in that kind of weather on a motorcycle, myself. Anyway, here's some links to the Uni-Go that I found on the Internet:

http://www.uni-go.com/

http://www.uni-go-trailers.com/

Forced hiatus

A few months back my physical exam turned up an umbilical hernia -- which explained the odd pain I had experienced there from time to time. I had surgery scheduled the week we returned from our road trip, and was tempted to postpone it until things started to get worse during the trip. So, the surgery went as planned Wednesday, two days ago, and I thought I would have some down time to catch up, maybe even finish this trip. Alas, I did nothing but sleep Wednesday evening, and yesterday was in too much pain to do much of anything after I got home from an abbreviated day at the office. Things feel much better this morning.

Mill Creek WA -- The end of the trip, but not the blog.

Home at last. Another high mileage day (615) with an hour break in Spokane to check in on Marilyn's brother (he is recovering, but as of Friday afternoon, his doctor was still not entirely happy with everything, so they are keeping him another day). We stopped for lunch in Moses Lake -- El Rodeo's Mexican restaurant is very good. Since Tamales are made with white corn (Masa), I can usually find something without wheat in Mexican restaurants. Not much to say about the day except that Butte has a really pretty setting, and the Western mountains are way different than the Eastern ones! We crossed the Continental Divide coming into Butte at about 6900 feet, and the ride into Spokane was mostly down hill. Spokane to home is an easy 4 hour drive, so we pressed on over the Cascades and arrived home at about 7:00 last night.

Lots of chores to do this morning, so this will have to do for now.

For the readers not completely bored at this juncture, remember I left off in the middle of the Natchez Trace. I will pick up the detailed story line at the birth place of Elvis Presley, Tupalo Mississippi, and maybe trace his path North to Nashville Tennessee.

Butte MT

We did take a quick tour through Sturgis, where we found the best Espresso yet, and Deadwood, which has been using its gambling money wisely to fix up the town. The last time we were though here in late 1999, there were buildings which had not been touched since the late 1800's. Now these buildings were in pretty good repair, and still authentic, just not in danger of falling down in a strong wind! Some period paint was in evidence, and the whole town had a new life. Now if they could just do it without all the stupid slot machines and such....

Reasonable speed limits allowed us to travel about 622 miles today, and we are both tuckered out.

More to follow.

Rapid City, SD

South Dakota has Bill Boards. Lots. Wall Drug. Reptile Gardens. 1800's Town. 12 foot tall Prairie Dog. Too many to name -- but will post some pix ASAP.

We took a quick swing through the Badlands, which are as scenic as ever, and since this is late in the season, and was late in the day, we had the road pretty much to ourselves. We stopped at the old homestead hoping to see a friend we had made years ago on another trip through the region, but she wasn't there. The docent on duty, however, had her phone number and called her for us, so we got to talk to her and re-exchanged mailing addresses.

Wednesday morning found us in Rapid City SD, and unfortunately we cannot begin to do justice to this area. Deadwood. Boot Hill. Sturgis. Crazy Horse. Mount Rushmore. Black Hills. Pigtail Bridges. We have seen it all before, of course, but still, it will be a real pity to just pass it by this year. We need to be in Spokane by Friday to see Marilyn's brother who will be undergoing some surgery, and time will have to be managed carefully if we are to make it.

I have not been feeling well since dinner back in Worthington. I chanced some Cajun Seasoned fish, and they must have used flour to bind the seasoning. I am gluten intolerant (mild Celiac disease) and so must avoid all wheat products. Hence, not much writing -- just wasn't up to it.

Worthington, MN

We transitioned from the fall-colored forested hills of Wisconsin to the flat windy prairies of Minnesota, passing through the birthplace and wintering grounds of famous circuses in Baraboo Wisconsin and an Amish community in Minnesota. Today we are heading for the Corn Palace and the Bad Lands, and Wall Drug and then points West. Gotta go!

Rockford IL

We spent an extra day in DC and went out to Mount Vernon, George Washington's home, then made a bee line for the Amish area in Northern Indiana to find a nice quilt. While there we heard about the horrific events that unfolded in West Nickle Mines, Pennsylvania. Lightning storms followed us all the way here, and we got shaken down by the Illinois toll roads more times than we remember. More on all of this later. . Right now we need to shake some dust.