I just had to share

My friend, Terrell sent this to me.  I just had to share with my friends.  I can't say I totally agree with all of it, but......I'm still laughing.


    RULES OF MONTANA, NEVADA, OREGON, IDAHO, WYOMING AND THE WILD WEST [the non-Denver Metro parts of Colorado] ARE AS FOLLOWS:
 
1. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.

2. Turn your cap right, your head ain't crooked..

3. Let's get this straight: it's called a 'gravel road.' I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're gonna get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way. 

4. They are cattle. That's why they smell to you. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-80 and I-70 go east and west, I-15 and I-25 go north and south. Pick one. 

5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $250,000 combines that are driven only 3 weeks a year. 

6. Every person in the Wild West waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept.

 7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of geese/pheasants/ducks/doves are comin' in during the hunts, we WILL shoot it outa your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.

  8. Yeah. We eat trout, salmon, deer and elk. You really want sushi and caviar you can get them at the bait store on the corner.

  9. The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.

  10. We open doors for women. That's applied to all women, regardless of age.

  11. No, there's no 'vegetarian special' on the menu. Order steak, or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham & turkey.

  12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup! Oh, yeah.... We don't care what you folks in San Francisco call that stuff you eat... IT AIN'T REAL CHILI!!

  13. You bring 'Coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice. You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.

 14. College and High School Football is as important here as the  Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.

  15. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards -- it spooks the fish.

  16. Colleges? We have them all over. We have State Universities, Universities, and Vo-techs. They come outta there with an education plus a love for God and country, and they still wave at everybody when they come home for the holidays.

  17. We have more folks in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines than all of you put together, so don't mess with us. If you do, you'll get whipped by the best.

  18. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers! Refer back to #1!

Busy Weekend

Wow...where did the month go?  Summer is really screaming by.  OK...I'm so tried but I had to make this entry before I forget everything that went on. 

Thursday evening Milo and I took our evening walk.  We went out the the fork in the road and then returned.  We had every intention in lowering the flag.  As we walked around the corner by the firehouse, Milo darted down the hill, away from the school house.  He must have seen a chipmunk.  My eyes followed him as he  bolted down the hill.  As I turned my head back on the road, I came to a sudden stop.  Right there in front of me was a bear.  He was just sitting in the middle of the road, not bothering a soul.   I slowly turned and followed Milo down the hill, called him to me, and attached his leash.  We took the long way home and returned a half hour later.  We still had to lower the flag.  By that time, the bear had moved on to better and tastier things.

Friday morning my Boy Scout Troop led the pledge of allegiance at a large ceremony.  The traveling Vietnam Memorial wall came to town.  We were asked to participate and were happy to be there.  It brought back some memories I would like to forget forever so there were a few tears for lost friends and fellow soldiers.  I found their names on the wall in DC and did not feel a need to look on the traveling wall.

Although Saturday was a day off from work, Janice found plenty for me to do preparing for the community pot luck dinner.  Sorry, I forgot my camera.  It was fun and went well into darkness.  If you have followed my journal, you will remember that we lost the electricity to the Sunshine School house when the fire house burnt to the ground 3 years ago.  The darkness made the cleanup interesting. 

 

My niece Kelcey, Oldest son Nate and youngest son Michael.

Sunday morning I woke my youngest son up early and we headed up to Cheyenne.  My brothers are all in town so we had a mini family reunion.  Mom and Dad are both gone so it was the four sons and as much of their families as we could get together.  My younger brother, Dan, his wife and daughter,  flew in from Maryland.  My youngest brother, Phil, flew in from Portland, Oregon and my older brother John, lives in Cheyenne.  Janice had to work so I was accompanied by my two sons.  We met at my cousin Cathy's house and had a very enjoyable afternoon.  We  headed home around six so my son Nate could do his radio show.

The fun began around 9.  Nate has been helping a friend make a movie.  His friend has been going to school in NYC, majoring in film production.  Flying in half the staff from New York, they filmed here in Colorado.  The filming wrapped up on Saturday.  We hosted the "Wrap" party Sunday night.  It was fun and the party went on until around 1:30 in the morning.  Need I tell you how hard it was to go to work on Monday morning?

Monday morning (yesterday) my oldest brother John, started experiencing severe pains in his right arm.  He has had quadruple bypass surgery several years ago and recognized the signs.  My other two brothers took him to the hospital.  He is scheduled to have another procedure on Thursday.  Keep him in your prayers.

Make it a great week,

David

Happy 4th of July

Greetings to all,
I hope the 4th of July, 2008 finds you all healthy and with a smile on your face and in your heart.  I have a couple of things to share.


David, Janice, Mike and Yoshiherto

We wished our Japanese Foreign exchange student a fond farewell.  Yoshiherto will always have a place in our hearts.  Our oldest son, Nate, has been to Japan twice as an exchange student.  Hosting a student is one way we have to repay the favor.



David and Janice, 1983

Janice and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on Wednesday.  I have no idea how she has put up with me for such a long time.  We enjoyed dinner at the Gold Hill Inn and had a great time.

My Drive to Work

Our dear friend, Ellen, had a great idea so I though I would join in on the fun.  Here is my drive to work, in pictures.

After driving down our driveway, I pass the Sunshine school.  Milo and I have already taken our morning walk and hoisted the US flag.  We will lower the flag after I get home.

 

Our destination is down there somewhere, 6 miles down the hill, in Boulder.

 

Sometimes I have to glance off to the west and admire the view.  I never get tired of it.

 

I start down the big hill, a 700 foot drop in about a mile.  It's a bitch in the winter when it is covered in snow and ice.  Fortunately it faces south and the snow melts early.

 

Here's the view looking south from the big hill.  Lots of sunshine and blue skies.  The building is Boulder's water plant.  The stripes in the forest is where the trees have been cleared for the power lines.

 

More of the big hill.  We're about half way down in this picture.  Note all of the traffic I have to put up with.  I drive a little more than 6 miles before I have my first stop sign.

 

We're getting close to Boulder.  You can tell by the cottonwood trees.  I have to start watching out for bicycles.

 

Here's the map store, The Boulder Map Gallery.

 

I walk to the bank every morning.  Here is the path across the street from the store.

 

I get to walk under the main drag, Broadway Road.  We are always watching for Boulder Creek to flood.

 

Here's the bank.  After getting change for the store, I'm off for a days work.

Thanks for coming along for the ride (and walk).

Northern Wyoming

Unlike the desert of southern Wyoming, northern Wyoming is a mixture of beautiful mountains and grasslands.  Moving from east to west, you leave the Black Hills into the Thunder National Grassland.  At Buffalo and Sheridan you enter the Big Horn Mountains.  Buffalo is the county seat of Johnson county, location of the famous Johnson County War between the open range ranchers and the homesteaders.  It's quite a story.  The Wyoming Stock Growers Association wheeled as much power as the state legislature (several people were members of both)  It is reported that the WSGA hired some Texans to run the homesteaders out of Johnson county.  Some of the settlers were murdered but they rose up and surrounded the cattlemen.  The US Calvary arrived and escorted the ranchers to safety of a jail and everything quieted down.  The book "The Banditti of the Plains" by A.S. Mercer was written about the incident.  In the 1900's the books were destroyed and it was dangerous to own a copy as late as the 1950's.  My grandfather hid his and only a few people in the family knew of his acquisition.

North of Sheridan, in Montana, is the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, location of the battle between Gen. George Custer and the Indians (Lakota Souix and the Northern Cheyenne).  Although not in Wyoming, a trip to Sheridan would not be complete without visiting the battlefield. 

Sheridan is also the headquarters for the International Association of Turtles.  For those of you who are Turtles, no explanation is needed.  For those of you who would like to know more click here.  There is only one correct response to the question, are you a turtle?

West of the Big Horn mountains is the Big Horn River and the plains containing the towns of Lovell, Greybull and Worland; the smaller towns of Basin, Ten Sleep and Meeteetse.....  And then there is Powell and Cody, the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park.  Cody was founded by William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) in 1897.  It is the location of the Buffalo Bill Historic Center and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art (containing many Charley M. Russell paintings...my favorites).

The northwestern corner is the home of The Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.  Yellowstone is probably one of the best know of the national parks, for it was the first.  Thank you Teddy Roosevelt.

Here are several photos I would like to share.  My father took these pictures in 1953 when he returned from Korea with his brand new 35mm camera.  Many of them were framed and hung in my parents house for years.  The original photos are on slides.

Yellowstone lodge before the fire.  The lodge survived but the forest didn't.

Old Faithful gyser.  I have a funny story about my friend Chris and his trip to Old faithful.  I'll share it on the Teton Post

Lower falls of the Yellowstone River.

Elk or Wapiti

Our next visit to Wyoming will be Jackson Hole and the Teton Mountains.  Until then, remember, life ain't about how fast you run, or high you climb, but how well you bounce. 

Don't squat on your spurs!

Following the Oregon Trail through Wyoming

The early settlers of the American west mostly traveled through Wyoming without staying.  They followed known rivers to a point that they could easily cross the continental divide.  On the other side of the continental divide they would follow the rivers that flowed west to the Pacific Ocean, and their final destination, Utah, California or Oregon.  The three main trails that cut across Wyoming are the Oregon, the Morman and the California trail.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, they followed the North Platte river.  You can still find wagon wheel ruts and places where the early pioneers carved their names in the sandstone cliffs.  On the south side of the North Platte, across from Fort Laramie, is Register Cliff.  North of Rawlins and northeast of Whisky Gap is Independance Rock, also known as the "Register of the Desert".

The towns that sprung up along the old trails are Torrington, Fort Laramie, Guernsey, Douglas, and Casper.  Just north of Douglas (home of the famous jackalope) is the site of the most notorious gambling resort and saloon in the territory. In 1882 it was known as the "Hog Ranch".  Northwest of Casper is the "Hole-in-the-Wall", Butch Cassidy's hide out. 

As the trails moved west they crossed the continental divide at South Pass and then moved southwest to Fort Bridger.  After Fort Bridger, they split, some going south into Utah and California, the others going west toward Oregon.  Fort Bridger was the home of the early fur trapper, Jim Bridger.

One of my favorite places in Central Wyoming is Lander.  Is is at the southern edge of the Wind River Indian Reservation, and the grave of Sacajawea, the famous Shoshone girl guide and heroine of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1805-06.  West of Lander is Pinedale.  This is the location of one of my not-so-secret fishing places.  There is a series of lakes in the Wind River Mountains east of Pinedale.  My favorite is Burnt Lake.  Unitl the late 1970's you could only access it with a four-wheel drive vehicle.  It  holds many memories of fishing trips with my father in the 1950's.  If you plan a trip to Jackson Hole (The Tetons) and Yellowstone via this route, take along your favorite tape or CD to listen to.  That is unless you enjoy listening to country and western music on an AM radio.  The only station you can receive is KMER-AM, Kemmerer, Wyoming.

Before I move on to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone, I would like to share one of the strangest sensations I have ever experienced while driving.  On US20 between Shoshoni and Thermopolis, is the Wind River canyon.  The river flows north through the canyon (contrary to most in the area that flow south).  The highway slopes down ever so gently that it gives the illusion that the water in the river is actually flowing up hill!  The first time I drove it alone (1970), it freaked me out so much that I almost drove off the road and into the river.  To top it off, I was listening to the sound track to "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and could imagine ol' Butch and Sundance riding horseback along the river.......  And I wasn't even smoking anything!