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Home, Sweet Home 10/03/20

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 We got up early on Friday morning and headed for Arkansas.  We traveled on I-40 through the Texas panhandle.  We crossed back into Oklahoma and stopped for lunch at a roadside rest area about 40 miles west of Oklahoma City.  Oklahoma City is a major city with a lot of traffic.  As this is being written, they are in the middle of a major, major rebuilding of the Interstate highway going from west to east.  They have funneled 6 lanes of traffic into one lane. We made this passage safely and continued on the road to Arkansas.  When we crossed the state line, I felt almost home.  We were back in the South and the SEC footprint. War Eagle. We stopped overnight in Conway, AR.  The city of Conway came into existence after the Civil War ended. Asa Robinson, the Chief Engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad, was given a 1 mile square tract of land as part of his compensation.  He donated a portion back to the railroad and had a depot built for t...
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Amarillo by Morning 10/01/20

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 It really is time to head home.  We have toured 3 National Parks...  Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and the Rocky Mountain National Park.  We have seen elk, buffalo, long horned mountain goats, antelope, deer, and a chipmunk. ..but no bear.  We saw two buffalo fighting and a buffalo stampede...a great adventure.  Today begins the first day of our three day trek across the U.S.  Long days and many miles are in front of us.  Our objective is to be home in time for the Auburn football game scheduled at 6:30 on October 3rd. Our route today will take us out of the mountains, around Denver, and headed east to Limon, CO.  We will then turn south toward Lamar, CO...afterwards, through the panhandle of Oklahoma, to the panhandle of Texas, and the Embassy Suites in Amarillo.  It was an uneventful trip.  We did travel through miles and miles and miles of southeast Colorado...not may towns, but lots of tumbleweeds. If you have been following t...
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The Rocky Mountain National Park 9/30/20

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We were up early this morning.  Our entry time in the park was at 8:00 AM.  Times were restricted due to Covid 19.  We started our exploration by going straight to the Trail Ridge Road.  This road is normally closed most of the year due to heavy snowfall in the winter.  It was open today and we were going to the top.  When I was flying jets, I flew a Lear 45 to 49,000'.  A good idea...maybe not.  But I was not uncomfortable.  Today at 12,000' in the Rocky Mountains, I was uncomfortable...narrow roads, sheer cliffs, no guard rails, lack of oxygen. We checked that block and headed to the meadows.  I might add, the views were spectacular.  The facilities were in good shape.  I guess because not many people use them up there.  We were above the treelines and walked on the tundra. After this little adventure we drove back to the lower elevations and explored the various meadows.  We saw more elk than you can imagine. ...
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Part Two.. The Adventure continues...9/29/20

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  Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep We got an early start today.  It was going home time for Harry and Amanda.  Their flight from Jackson Hole back to Atlanta was scheduled to leave at 7:30 AM.  I dropped them at the airport and returned to our condo to pack the SUV and check out of the condo. Linda and I began out drive to Estes Park, CO.  We have rented a one bedroom apartment in downtown Estes Park for two nights.  We will be spending the next two days in the Rocky Mountain National Park searching for more elk before we turn towards Alabama. We left at 7:00AM right before sunrise.  Coming down through the mountains,  the sun was right in our eyes.  Sunglasses and car visors did very little to dim the bright lights of the sun.  The brightness of the sun was horrendous.  It seemed to be at eye level.  I drove very slowly and was happy when there was a mountain between us and the sun.  Things eased up as the sun got higher in...
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Yellowstone Finale 09/28/20

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King of the Mountain  Today is our last day in Jackson Hole Valley.     Tomorrow we will begin our journey home to Alabama.  We will drop Harry and Amanda at the Jackson Airport.  Their flight will leave at 7:30 A.M.  Linda and I will be driving out about the same time.  Harry and Amanda will arrive back in Atlanta around 6:30 P.M. and then drive to Prattville.  Linda and I have stops planned in Estes Park, CO, Amarillo, TX, and Conway AR.  We are stopping in Estes Park for two nights to tour the Rocky Mountain National Park.  We plan to be back in Alabama sometime Saturday,  We would like to be there to watch the Auburn- Georgia game on T.V. This has been a great trip.  We have explored the Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton National Park.  We have seen elk in both parks.  We have seen buffalo in both parks.  We have seen moose in the Grand Teton Park.  Today we took an early drive into the Grand...
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Old Faithful 09/27/20

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Old Faithful  Our day-off ended, back on schedule.  We left Jackson Hole for Yellowstone.  Today's schedule is the "Old Faithful" Geyser, the Grand Prismatic Spring, the Black Basin, and our continuing search for the elusive bear. Yellowstone was the first National Park established in the U.S. It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President U.S. Grant on March 1, 1872. It is known for its wildlife  and many geothermal features. There about 10,000 hydrothermal geysers in the Yellowstone. Old Faithful is the most recognized.  It erupts about every 90 minutes.  Just be patient and your patience will be rewarded with an eruption. The Grand Prismatic Spring is the Yellowstone's largest hot spring.  The tourists flock by the thousands to view this spring.  Parking is a problem, as we can attest.  It is beautiful.  If you go there, don't miss it. We saw everything we wanted to see except for a bear.  We had lunch i...
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