I'M OUTTA HERE

May 12

I'm finally on the road for Montana. It is curious, but I'm not nearly as excited as I was last year. Probably for several reasons -- first, last year was certainly a new adventure for me, so that was extremely exciting. I've worked my whole life, and never have I had a chance to just go away for 2 months. So this year, it isn't that brand new experience.

And second, I'm still concerned about Ludo and his recuperation. When I planned the trip in February, his rehab was coming along well with no problems. I figured I would have 2 months to ride him, and then I'd leave him in Anke's capable hands. But we had a set back, and we have just barely finished the second rehab. And I really think he'll still be in a rehab state for several more months. So I'm thinking about Ludo and hoping that he's still hanging in there with those tendons. At least he is with the best trainer around, and she knows what to do. That's a relief.

But it is good to get on the road -- at 5:00 AM no less. I've got a 10 hour drive in front of me to Columbia, MO. But this year I am armed -- I've got a GPS!! So I figured I wouldn't get lost in St. Louis again this year and waste an hour. The GPS systems work great, except mine kept telling me about every 20 minutes that it had "lost the satellite system". Now how does it do that across the mid-west -- there are no mountains yet. And of course, it always loses the satellite just when I hit the cities and actually need directions. TECHNOLOGY!!

May 13 - NEBRASKA

One thing I will always remember about Nebraska is that it is flat, flat, flat.....and WINDY!! For sure you don't need a GPS when you are going 394 miles on the same straight freeway. With all the wind, my gas mileage went down, the big 18 wheelers who are usually rolling at about 80 were surprisingly slow, and I was fighting to keep my big diesel truck on the road. I heard that night that the wind gusts were 35 miles per hour. But the lady at the hotel in Cheyenne said, "Oh this is nothing". Sure don't want to be around here where there is an actual storm. Yikes!!

And we were on the road for a very long time -- 12 hours worth to get to Cheyenne, WY. Now you know you have left the Georgia/Atlanta sophisticated market, when the radio ads are for buying an Angus bull for breeding. And of course, there was the "FFA Minute". For those of you who did not grow up in an agriculture community, FFA stands for Future Farmers of America which is a high school club. But they got their minute on the radio.

May 14 - THAR BE MOUNTAINS OUT THERE

As soon as I left Cheyenne heading for Jackson, WY -- I finally saw my first mountain in the distance. Now this is what I wait for on these driving trips -- to see a snow capped mountain -- then I know I'm in the West. It was also obvious by the temperature. When I left Columbia, MO the day before, it was 67 degrees at 7:00 AM. Today it's in the 40's.

I am excited about staying in Jackson and will arrive early enough so I can do a little shopping. Jackson is great for many things, but the shopping is fantastic. Particularly if you enjoy anything with a bear, moose, or buffalo on it (although I realize not all my friends enjoy this). It also has a Coldwater Creek which is an entire block long, with the entire downstairs as the "clearance" section.

And there is the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar -- complete with saddles as seats at the barn. Before, during, and after the Sturgis Harley rally, this place is packed with bikers -- drunk ones. In Jackson, there are the zillions of shops with the "Jackson Hole" t-shirts and sweatshirts (of which I have a new one), fabulous leather and fur stores (they don't seem to be "PC" when it comes to fur), and wonderful art galleries. The western art and sculpture in Jackson is unrivaled.

And I had a great room at the "49er Inn". The were so kind to upgrade me to a beautiful suite with a fireplace (couldn't figure out how to turn it on). And as I did every other day on the trip, I spent multiple hours doing Sandestin rentals. They are always with me!!