Elk Creek Campground Breakfast with the Moose!

Had a pleasant surprise this morning with a visit from a young male Moose. He was about 200 ft away from  the MH down by the creek near the playground.

He was busy eating his way through the willow bushes, fresh grass and taking a morning drink from the stream. The young moose paid no attention to all the campground guests taking his picture.

Elk Creek Campground in Grand Lake, CO is one place you are almost guaranteed to sight a moose or two during your stay.  This is our 4th summer in the CG and seeing all the wildlife is always a delight.

Mariana Mie Beard, Artist

We met Mei at lunch and were very impressed with her and her pencil drawings. Mei is originally from Brazil   and has degrees in both architecture and animation. She and her husband are currently living in Grand Lake. Mei does custom pencil drawings on request using a supplied photo. Her contact information is below. 

 

 

 

 

Grand Lake, CO --- Back Again to our Summer Hangout!

Lunch at The Sly Fox at the Grand Lake Golf Course...

Ted's favorite summer hangout...

 

On the Road: Gillette, WY to Grand Lake, CO

Pit coal mine just outside Gillette, WY on hwy 59

One night spent at FE Warren AFB in Cheyenne, WY....with antelope as our neighbors.

 

Traveling south out of Laramie on hwys 230 & 125 we saw the Rockies at their best.                                 

FMCA Celebrates 50 Years in Gillette, WY

The Maestro's provided entertainment at the morning coffee and donut get together s.

 

Had a nice visit with Howard and Linda, camp-working friends we hadn't seen since our summer at Thunder Bay Golf Resort in Hillman, MI.  I thank Linda for introducing me to the wonderful world of BEAD-WEAVING at Thunder Bay.

The Buckinghams are an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top selling acts of 1967. The band dissolved in 1970 but reformed in 1980, and still tour as part of "oldies" shows in America

The Buckinghams put on a good show at the rally. They were big during Jan's college years, so the song brought back a lot of memories. Click for a video of the Buckinghams performing.

Jan's sister, Jean, and husband, Gerry, joined us at the rally. We all got to check out the new motor homes and learn at the seminars.

The rig was over due for a wash and wax. Janine and Walt did a great job...thanks!

 

Ken and Scotty were our neighbors at the rally. They are ready to head back to NM.

Saturday, the last day of the reunion, saw several waves of bad weather come through Gillette. The area was under tornado watch for several hours and we were hit with 60 mph winds and hail. Luckily no damage to the MH or car, but our flowers looked like they were mowed down.

FMCA Rally in Gillette, WY

Since we were volunteers at the Rally, we got to check in on Sunday before everything opened up on Wed. We were able to explore the rally grounds on our bikes to get a good lay of the land, since we were volunteering in the "Information" area.

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Our site at the rally, as you can see, we were very close to our neighbors But a large percent of the sites at the Cam-Plex are full hookup...water, elec & sewer. So we were set with a 50 amp full hookup site!!

Gillette is a small town with limited good restaurants." The Coop" was a great find as you can see from the Empanada meal pictured below.

 

Empty sites just waiting for the 2300+ RVs to show up....

A trip down memory lane with a 1962 MH.

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Devils Tower Monument Wyoming

A geologic feature protrudes out of the rolling prairie that surrounds the Black Hills. The site is considered Sacred to the Lakota and other tribes that have a connection to the area. Hundreds of parallel cracks make it one of the finest traditional crack climbing areas in North America.

The 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind used the formation as a plot element and as the location of its climactic scenes.[18][19] Its release was the cause of a large increase in visitors to the monument.

 

In the first use of the Antiquities Act, President Theodore Roosevelt designated Devils Tower a national monument 9/24/1906.  The Tower rises 867 feet from its base and 1267 feet above the red banks of the Belle Fourche River.

According to the Native American tribes of the Kiowa and Lakota Sioux, some girls went out to play and were spotted by several giant bears, who began to chase them. In an effort to escape the bears, the girls climbed atop a rock, fell to their knees, and prayed to the Great Spirit to save them. Hearing their prayers, the Great Spirit made the rock rise from the ground towards the heavens so that the bears could not reach the girls. The bears, in an effort to climb the rock, left deep claw marks in the sides, which had become too steep to climb. (Those are the marks which appear today on the sides of Devils Tower.) When the girls reached the sky, they were turned into the star constellation the Pleiades.

 

There are five different species of prairie dogs, but only the black-tailed prairie dog inhabits Devils Tower National Monument. Click for a video of the Devils Tower Prairie Dogs

During our stay at the Devils Tower KOA we visited with several of the German tourists traveling the USA  for 30 days in the Rotel...next stop for them Yellowstone.

Hart Ranch Golf Course Rapid City, SD

 Hart Ranch is nestled against the foothills of ponderosa pine creating a beautiful Black Hills golfing resort.  Hart Ranch's 18-hole Championship Golf course is located just outside Rapid City.

Ted on the putting green....

 

Ted gets his shot even tho he had to fight the sprinklers. 

Nice condos and houses lined the 18 holes....

 

Wild turkeys are seen everywhere on the back nine.

One of the many scenic holes, which make the Hart Ranch course a challenge.