Cheyenne

We left early Thursday morning for a trip up to Douglas, Wyoming.  Douglas is the sight of the Wyoming State Fair.   The trip took us up I-29 through St. Joseph, Mo and then crossing the Missouri river at Nebraska City.  We reached Lincoln, Nebraska by about 10 am and we were soon back on the interstate heading west on I-80.   At one point we were delayed by a hailstorm.  Luckily a gas station was found, with some cover, just as the biggest of the hailstones started to fall. One poor guy was there on a motorcycle. Ouch, that would really hurt. 

We reached Cheyenne by around 5 pm and decided that was a good place to stay for the night. Cheyenne is the sight of “Frontier Days’, one of the biggest rodeo events in the nation. The motel was at the intersection of I-80 and I-25 so that worked out well as Douglas was north on I-25.  That evening we went downtown Cheyenne for dinner. They have done a fantastic job of re-inventing their downtown.  We ate at the completely restored Union Pacific Depot, now called the Cheyenne Depot.  If in Cheyenne and hungry you have to do the Snake River Pub and Grill. (It is in the Cheyenne Depot and Railroad Museum Building)   The stone fired pizza’s are to die for, not to mention the sweet potato fries sprinkled with a brown sugar mix and some honey butter for dipping.  I promised after leaving I would not eat again for a week. Lol The trains, as you can see in the picture, are within just a few feet of the restaurant and add a unique charm to the atmosphere.  Oh, one last thing about Cheyenne.  The motel we stayed at was a haven for dogs.  I guess they had a very pet friendly policy and lots of travelers stay there that have pets. As a matter of fact, at the front desk, there was a basket of dog treats for incoming “guests”. 

The next morning we drove up to Douglas, Wyoming, dropped our van and headed back home.  The evening found us at York, Nebraska.  A former Superintendent of the schools there founded the 4-H clubs of America in York. They also boast their farmland as being the most fertile in all of America.  I suppose that has a lot to do with the Platte River snaking its way through that area.  Anyway, I would recommend eating at Chances “R” Restaurant.  I know, I said after the pizza Thursday night I would never eat again. Lol  I did eat light though, some fantastic Potato Soup and a salad. 

We got back to KC around noon on Saturday. It was a good trip except for my driving partner putting a dent in the back bumper of the van.  That happened the last morning as he was backing out of the motel lot.  We will see how the company handles that mess. Lol 

Hope your weekend went well. It has heated up here in the heartland and I am off now for a long walk. 

Enjoy,

Ed

Quick Chicago Trip

I left late Wednesday afternoon to take a van to Chicago.  It was a nice drive across central Missouri on US 36 heading into Hannibal, Missouri.   I thought about stopping there for the night but it was only 7:30 so decided to head on into Springfield, IL. As it turned out, I was glad I did.  Shortly after I crossed the Mississippi River at Hannibal it was beginning to get dark and there were a lot of dear out.  None crossing the highway thank goodness, but I bet I saw over 100 in total. One herd must have had at least 30 in it.  They looked so peaceful out there grazing in the fields.  It was too dark and I don’t really have a super zoom lens to be able to get much of a picture. 

I stayed at a Holiday Inn in Springfield that night.  When I travel alone I like to eat at a place that has a bar so I can sit down at the bar and have someone to talk to. Ok, maybe drink a beer too. Lol Anyway I was at “Capital City Bar and Grill” (Hey, at least I didn’t go to “Hooters” next door) ordering dinner when this couple came in and sat next to me. Why is it that people want to give me their life story? Within 10 minutes I knew where all she had lived, why her and her family were all mad at each other and that she now works for the FBI.  At any rate I did enjoy the conversation, ate my dinner, drank my beer, and went back to the motel for a nice long sleep. 

The next morning I was headed for Chicago on I-55.  When I got about 60 miles south of my destination I had to stop for some gas.  I must tell you of a story while I was in the men’s room.  First of all, when I walked in all the stalls were full.  Now a men’s room is not like a lady’s room.  There is not a lot of privacy in the male bathrooms.  That is always an awkward moment.  What do you look at as you wait your turn?   Ok, maybe it is more important to say, what you DON”T look at.  Ok… well… anyway moving on. Lol There was this man at the hand dryer trying to get it to work.  He did everything he could to get it to start but to no avail. Finally he bent over to dry his hand on his pants leg, and, you guessed it, the dryer came on and did a wonderful job drying his butt.  He looked up and we both started cracking up.  Maybe it was one of those things that you had to be there for but to see him bend over and then the dyer start to work on his backside, I thought was very funny.

I delivered the van to a location that is right next to Chicago Midway Airport so that is where I flew out of.  Have a great weekend coming up. 

Enjoy,Ed

Stay Focused

I have tried twice to post a blog since the deadly shooting at Virginia Tech.  One attempt was to just ignore it and write something whimsical. I deleted it. My second attempt was to delineate my feelings on all the issues involved with the deadly massacre.  I deleted that as well.  

I have come to believe that we must stay focused on two issues. The first and foremost is our thoughts and compassion towards the Virginia Tech faculty and students that were killed, injured and also those that have been emotionally scared for life. 

My second focus is that the blame lies solely with the gunman.  Yes we need to ask questions about police response, signals the gunman had given prior to his rampage, gun control, etc.  But let us lay blame on him and only him.  All other topics are merely investigations on how things could have been done differently and should not be a manhunt to try and blame others.

Ed

You Are In Charge

Be NOT defined by what brings you down.

Be defined by what drives you.

See NOT only the sunset.

See also the horizon.

Dive NOT into the sea of despair.

Dive head up into the wave of the future.

Live NOT in fear of the past.

Live with the knowledge of what the past has taught.

Keep NOT your depression to yourself

Keep faith in the one you love.

Dwell NOT at the clouds in the sky.

Dwell beyond to the blue sky ahead.

Feel NOT the darkness of the night.

Feel the light of the coming of each new day.

Exist NOT for what others want you to be.

Exist to be only true to yourself.

Worry NOT of what you cannot control

Worry only of what you have the power to direct.

Live each day to it’s fullest.

Written by Ed (4/07)

Philosophy

I was thinking today about a college roommate of mine many years ago.  He was a political science major and always studied very hard to get good grades.  An incident during finals week reminds me of how so often we make simple problems difficult.  Case in point.

My roommate, Tim, was in philosophy class.  Tim had worked very hard all semester to grasp the deep discussions and readings that he had to do for the class.  Final exam time finally arrived. I remember seeing Tim spending hours preparing for the final exam. When he came home from the test I asked him how he thought it went.  This is what he said. 

The professor handout out the blue books and wrote the final exam question on the board.  Here is what it was.   “Why?”   I asked him, “That’s it, that was the final exam question? “   He said ‘yes”.  After he thought for a moment he glanced around the room and saw all, busily writing in their blue books a long and detailed answer to the question “why?”  Tim then took out his pen and wrote his answer. He wrote “Because” and turned in is blue book.  You know what?  He got an A.  

I guess it just go to show you that we often make difficult things out of something that is really very simple. 

I am leaving again Wednesday, to Indiana for a couple of days.  Then a short trip out in Kansas when I get back.  Saturday and Sunday will be time with family for Easter.  Happy Easter weekend to you all and peace be with each and every one of you.

Enjoy,Ed