Homeward Bound

Yesterday, we stopped at the Western Trails Interpretive Center learning more about how the settlers came West. We also stopped at Independence Rock, it was said if you left St Joseph, MO, in March and made it to Independence Rock by July 4th, you could make it over the mountains on the way to OR before the snows. We made it way before the 4th, so I guess we are safe.

Today we drove hard, 584 miles. UT has 80 MPH speed limit, cars, trucks, cars pulling trailers, everything. I drove 65/70 and let everyone else whizz
around me. Be home tomorrow.

Right before I left on this trip I joined a weaving design group called P2P2. I have thought about it for the last 5 weeks, next week I will get serious!


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Location:St. George, UT

Homeward Bound

We are finally in WY, another of my top 5 states.

Today, we drove a lot but before we left Mitchell, we had to drive by the Corn Palace.

We did check out the National Minuteman Monument, the system that was supposed to be dismantled some 30 - 40 years ago that still has nuclear war heads spread across the west, but I'll not get started on that.

Also on the list was SD's Grassland Prairie. It was great to get out of the trees and into the prairie.

Just for kicks, we stopped at Wall, SD, to visit Wall Drug. An unbelievable store that upwards to 20,000 people visit everyday in the summer. It's wild!

We will cut through the corner of WY tomorrow and try to make some time.

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Location:Sundance, WY

Homeward Bound

Today we have seen over 100 wild buffalo at Blue Mound Tall Grass Prairie.
Unbelievably lucky as they have 1800 acres to roam and there they were, not a quarter mile from the road. Further up the road in Pipestone National Monument, are the quarries where the tribes of the Midwest came for stone to carve their pipes. The Pipestone runs from the palest pink to a dark almost light burgundy. A creek runs through the quarry making it impossible to remove the stone until late fall.
Today, we will leave Minnesota. The last couple days have been beautiful, light rain in the morning, sunny all afternoon. Temperature in the high 70s. I know I have complained about the weather here but without the rain, the ecosystem would not be what it is. Rain or shine, Minnesota is in my top 5 favorite states. It is extremely beautiful and the people are very friendly, if they would only do something about the food and the hunting thing.


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Location:Pipestone MN

Homeward Bound

Started yesterday by heading East to Calumet, MI, to see an exhibit by Audrey. Audrey was in charge of vendors and did an great job. Not thinking about the whole Midwest thing, the shop was, of course, closed for Sunday, resting I suppose. The Quincy Copper Mine was open, so now I know way more than I wanted to about copper mining in the early 1900s.

While taking one of those "shortcuts", known as alternate routes, to save you from driving hundreds of miles getting from one major road to another, we saw a Mother duck and her tiny babies on the side of the road. I stopped and she quickly ran across the road to a lake that looked exactly like the lake she came out of to cross the road. This shortcut was a two lane road through a wildlife preserve meaning you had to drive under 45 because the animals do have the right of way, but as the speed limit on the main roads is 55, you might as well go the short way.

It's time to hit the road, again.

No sun, misting out, but I'm wearing shorts pretending it's summer.


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Location:Tomah, WI

Midwest Weaver's Conference

The last conference on this trip is finished and we are homeward bound. We have had sunshine the last couple days but it's really cloudy now. I think we will stay north for awhile to avoid the fire and smoke of the southwest.



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Location:Hancock, MI

Midwest Weaver's Conference

After finishing up our selling day, we walked outside and the sun was shinning. As it was only 6:pm and it stays light until 10:15, we decided to walk the main street of Hancock, then over the blue draw bridge to Houghton for dinner. There are 12 restaurants in Hancock and you can get Pizza at 11 of them. Most of the places in Houghton served fish. Walking to the restaurant furthest away, we had fish and chips at Joey's Fish Shop, good, but not as good as the fish and chips at Two Fools Pub in Albuquerque. Only had 2 miles to walk back to the hotel.
Tomorrow is a short day, 9:00 to 3:00, then pack up the little bit of stuff we have left, go to bed early so we can be bright eyed and bushy tailed to hit the road Sunday. It's not supposed to rain until next Tuesday here, hopefully we will be long gone.


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Location:Hancock, MI

Midwest Weaver's Conference

wow, first day is over! It decided not to rain today but was so foggy we couldn't see. Walking in a strange town in the fog is an adventure everyone should try at least once.


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Location:Hancock, MI

Midwest Weaver's Conference

SURPRISE!!!! The iPad takes pictures. duh!


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Location:Summit St,Hancock,United States

Midwest Weaver's Conference

We are all set up and ready to sell in the morning. Our friend Melissa of Peace of Yarn had to cancel and gave us her booth, so we have tons of room. The conference provided a nice lunch and it only rained when we unloaded.


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Location:Hancock, MI

Traveling

I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when.

We are heading into Hancock a day early to try to find a motel for the week. We were planning on camping but it's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring.

We have made it to Hancock, no room at the college, the conference person in charge was trying to find us a room and sent us across the river to another town. On the way there I pulled into a Best Western and some one just cancelled a week of reservations, probably someone from the conference. We got a room, can't believe our luck. Karma.

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Location:Merriweather, MI

Traveling

We have pulled up stakes and moved on down the road. The trees, rain and mosquitoes have won. This is a very beautiful place but I'm ready for the desert. We went to the Grand Portage and the reenactment yesterday, walking back to the truck it started raining and then it poured, for the rest of the day and all night. We stayed dry but geeez, so tonight we are once again in a motel drying out equipment. Heading out to MI tomorrow, hope it's not raining there!


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Location:Tofte, MN

Traveling

Today was another day of wonder. How can one state have this many trees and all this water?? Might have something to do with it raining almost everyday. It was beautiful today, we went out on the lake in a long boat canoe, my arms will probably fall off in the morning.
We also did some hiking, saw many wildflowers and drove awhile, destination unknown.


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Location:Ely, MN

Traveling

We have been traveling the back roads of Minnesota camping in State Parks and seeing the local sights. What a beautiful state full of very nice people, eh? I have seen more trees on this trip than I have in the last 20 years. A few of the highlights:

We stayed at Moosehead Lake State Park where we camped, hiked, saw tons of wildflowers and mosquitoes.

We are fast learners, after Florida, we have a net tent, bug repellent clothing, mosquito repellent soap and wipes, I have only been bitten 3 times.
It's funny to see them come within 2 inches and then back off.

We stayed at Itasca State Park where we camped, hiked, saw tons of wildflowers, swarms of mosquitos, and the Headwaters of the Mississippi River. You can wade across it, it's only about 20 foot wide.

We stopped at the Lost 40 to see a virgin forest of white pines, some of the trees are 400 years old.

We are now in International Falls, MN, in a motel, where I can see Canada from my window. We are in a motel for a couple days to shower, do laundry, dry out camping equipment, and eat fresh food. Tomorrow we are going to Voyageur National Park where we will take a long boat canoe trip.

Of course, since no hikes were planned, it's the first day of no rain and sun but tomorrow is supposed to be the same. We can only hope.


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Location:International Falls, MN

Surface Design

Surface Design is over and we are happy and sad. Happy because the conference was great, the people were great, especially Katherine Tilton, who was in charge of the vendors and the ladies, Jeanne and Pat, who were our neighbors from Thai Silk. We are sad because of the one person who stole my orange felt art piece from our booth. Stealing will bring the worst kind of karma on this person.


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Location:Minneapolis, MN

Surface Design

There are a lot of fellers here and our wool is just flying of the rack. Being around all these creative people makes me want to go to my studio and make stuff!
Just a couple of hours in the morning, then we pack up and another show bites the dust! We will be heading home before we know it.


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Location:Minneapolis, MN

Surface Design

This is a great show and the people at the Radisson know how to be helpful. There are many great artists here and the fiber shows are wonderful. Very long selling hours but there are lots of people, it opens to the public tomorrow.
India Flint was in the vendor hall today, a hush went over the room as she went from booth to booth. Diffidently the star of the Conference.


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Location:Minneapolis, MN

Surface Design

Arrived in Minneapolis, checked in and went to sleep.
This morning we had a hard time finding the loading dock and this town is totally torn up as they are putting in a new sewer system and a light rail system all at the same time. They also have all one way streets and they all go in the wrong direction. We finally went down the street that said "do not enter" "not a through street" and there it was!
We are set up and tonight was shopping for registrants only for 3 hours. Once again it's bedtime.


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Location:Minneapolis, MN

Traveling

Yesterday we stopped at the George Washington Carver National Monument. Spent the morning, had a nature trail. Whole lot of water here, way too green.
Decided we would spend the night in Des Moines, wrong!, when the Pork Expo's in town, there is no room at the inn! Thinking this is bad karma for vegetarians, we moved on but 25 miles out of town in Ames we only got a room because of a cancellation. Movin' on.


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Location:Ames, IA

Traveling

Left TX, now we are in OK heading North. Our motel has dial up (???). Drove through OK no one has heard of wireless. Drove through MO, no wireless. Entered Iowa and the first rest station has wireless.



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Location:Muskogee OK

Contemporary Handweavers of Texas

T-Shirt yesterday: She who dies with the biggest stash is dead! When's the estate sale?

Temperature: 74. Humidity: 82

Pack up at noon and move to the next stop. Seems like we just left home and the road trip is half over!


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Location:College Station TX

Contemporary Handweavers of Texas

Very little down time today, Texans love RedFish! Tomorrow is our long day, 12 hours.


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Location:College Station TX

Contemporary Handweavers of Texas

We got totally set up today so we have tomorrow morning off. There are 17 used book stores here.

I figured out how to upload from my camera to my iPad and would do it if I had brought my camera cord. I'm not too good at this.


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Location:College Station, TX

Contemporary HandWeavers of Texas

Left Bandelier sadly but had to move on down the road. Next stop Fort Sumner, NM to check out Billy the Kid's grave site. There are several museums on Billy and also the museum of the Long Walk of the Navajos, Bosque Redondo, another atrocity by our Government.

Spent the night in Post, TX, in a nice little motel run by a very nice couple. While I was registering, I asked if there were any vegetarian restaurants in Post. She laughed and said she was probably was the only vegetarian in Post. After that she said she would give us a special rate and her best room (I would rather have had a nice Indian meal but that wasn't offered). The room turned out to be pink and gold with flowers everywhere, even had pink sheets.

Headed for College Station this morning and made excellent time as the roads were long and straight with a speed limit of 70.

Hopefully I will have time tomorrow to learn how to upload photos.


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Location:College Station, TX