# Go West, young scarlet



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Okay, I'm off on vacation for three weeks. For tour details, click on the link....

http://www.globusjourneys.com/product.aspx?content=overview&trip=1APQ

I will try to post, but most probably not before Wednesday. See you in October.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Have fun!


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Enjoy your vacation, scarlet! That looks like a fun trip.


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

Hope you have a great time!


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Have fun. Bring back lots of pictures. We'll miss you!!


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

We will try to keep chat going without you, but it won't be easy!  Have lots of fun.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Looks like a lot of fun.
We will anxiously await your return.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Wish I was going!


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Have a good time and be safe.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Have a great time; We'll "see" you when you get back with all the pictures!


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

Have fun! It's a great time of year to go out there.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Enjoy and travel safe.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Have a good time!  Looks like a great trip.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

at newark waiting for flight to denver.  still no idea what i will be doing there tomorrow


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## Guest (Sep 27, 2011)

scarlet said:


> at newark


Ahh, I see you've wasted no time getting to the scenic hotspots. Enjoy!


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

scarlet said:


> at newark waiting for flight to denver. still no idea what i will be doing there tomorrow


Wave when you fly over.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

don't think the flight plan goes by you  jeff


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

scarlet said:


> don't think the flight plan goes by you jeff


Just wave toward the south. I'll see you.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

scarlet said:


> at newark waiting for flight to denver. still no idea what i will be doing there tomorrow


Well, I've never been there without a car, and I have no idea where you're staying but usually the hubs and I have breakfast at the Original Pancake House (nothing at all like an IHoP). It's near the Denver Tech Center which if you're not staying nearby is kind of out of the way, but I know their train system goes pretty much everywhere. There's a neat shopping area near downtown in an area called LoDo. I have no idea how to get there, but maybe someone in your hotel can point you in the right direction.

There's a neat local bookstore called the Tattered Cover. They have three locations in Denver, one is in LoDo.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

was on the wrong side of the plane to wave at the texans, but flew over iowa


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Well, I'm in Denver. 

Flight time was listed as 4 hours 15 minutes, but we got here in 3 and 1/2 hours.  Empty seat next to me, and the lady at the window and I had a nice time chatting.  She's an artist and has done a couple of cruises around the world so we exchanged travel tales.  Had a bit of turbulence and the seat belt sign was on most of the trip, but not terrible.

And she was reading a quilting magazine, so I thought of Betsy.


It's 70 degrees here, so I'm going to drop off my bags in my hotel room and go walking.  More to follow.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

scarlet said:


> was on the wrong side of the plane to wave at the texans, but flew over iowa


Did you see me jumping up and down while waving to you?


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

crebel said:


> Did you see me jumping up and down while waving to you?


oh, i thought that dot looked familiar....

Coral, I found the Tattered Cover. Didn't go in, but took a picture to prove I was there.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

After dropping my stuff in my hotel room (nice view of some mountains and a big blue bear statue), I set out walking.  The altitude isn't really bothering me, but I am taking it a bit easy and not rushing.  Walked over to the state capitol building and walked up the stairs so that I can actually say I was a mile above sea level.  After that I walked over to the 16th Street Mall, which a shopping district about 3/4 of a mile long.  It's closed to cars, but there is a free bus that runs along it.  Walked to what was marked as the "Millenium Bridge"  on my map, but was disappointed.  To me, Bridge means a longish stretchover water.  This was a very short span over train tracks.  I'd hoped to get some pictures from it, but no go.

So far, this city is okay, but nothing spectacular.  Saw some nice looking Victorian style houses on the way in from the airport, and downtown has some funky statues and big buildings, but it just seems like another big city (with a lot of homeless) to me.  I'm hoping to hit a couple of museums tomorrow.  There's one called the Money Museum that should be fun.  And if I can find the Colorado History Museum, I want to go there.

So, we shall see.  And I shall type at you....


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

The Denver Museum of Science and Nature is good, including great dinosaurs, but may not impress a New Yawker.  It would take a ride to get to from where you are.

The Denver Art Museum is supposed to be good, and is in your area.  I seem to be under a curse, tried to see it three separate times, and it was closed, or downtown was jammed 'cause of Cinco de Mayo, or something prevented.  

There's always the US Mint, it isn't far.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Donor dye on NW Denver has awesome dinosaur tracks and fossils in their original place.  Not sure how mass transit access is, but I recommend it to all Dinophiles.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> The Denver Museum of Science and Nature is good, including great dinosaurs, but may not impress a New Yawker. It would take a ride to get to from where you are.
> 
> The Denver Art Museum is supposed to be good, and is in your area. I seem to be under a curse, tried to see it three separate times, and it was closed, or downtown was jammed 'cause of Cinco de Mayo, or something prevented.
> 
> There's always the US Mint, it isn't far.


No offense, but when I'm traveling, I'm more interested in history of the place then in science museums or art museums. as cool as they may be, they're not really much that new (if you've seen one big bunch of restored dinosaurs, you've seen 'em all). It looks like the Colorado History Museum is under renovation and not reopening until 2012, so I think it's gonna be Molly Brown's house and the Money Museum. Or maybe not..

and i'm not dealing with mass transit, but thanks for the suggestions.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Stupid Apple autocorrect....That should be Dinoridge, not donor dye.  Sounds like you have a strategy for mañana.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

It's been a long time since I was in Denver, but Olde Town Arvada used to be fun.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

scarlet said:


> After dropping my stuff in my hotel room (nice view of some mountains and a big blue bear statue), I set out walking. The altitude isn't really bothering me, but I am taking it a bit easy and not rushing. Walked over to the state capitol building and walked up the stairs so that I can actually say I was a mile above sea level. After that I walked over to the 16th Street Mall, which a shopping district about 3/4 of a mile long. It's closed to cars, but there is a free bus that runs along it. Walked to what was marked as the "Millenium Bridge" on my map, but was disappointed. To me, Bridge means a longish stretchover water. This was a very short span over train tracks. I'd hoped to get some pictures from it, but no go.
> 
> So far, this city is okay, but nothing spectacular. Saw some nice looking Victorian style houses on the way in from the airport, and downtown has some funky statues and big buildings, but it just seems like another big city (with a lot of homeless) to me. I'm hoping to hit a couple of museums tomorrow. There's one called the Money Museum that should be fun. And if I can find the Colorado History Museum, I want to go there.
> 
> So, we shall see. And I shall type at you....


It's a good idea to start off slow. At Denver height you're probably okay, but if you go up into the mountains from there it might be a different story. When we were going over some of the mountain passes even getting out of the car to take pictures made me dizzy!

Yes, there are a lot of homeless in Denver. I never could quite figure that out because it gets so cold there, but maybe they have a lot of shelters.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

So, I took my friend Mark's advice and went to visit the Molly Brown House Museum today.  It was a bit of a walk from the hotel, up hill, but not too bad.  The museum does tours every 1/2 hour, so I had to wait a bit, but it was worth it.  The house has been restored to how it would have looked circa 1910.  Why 1910?  Because the Browns hosted a lavish event that year and there was incredible photographic records (lost for a while and then found when they were starting restoration) of the house.  Of course, the photos were black and white, but apparently Mrs. Brown had put color schemes and other info on the back of the photos so the restorers had a lot to work with.  Unfortunately, for those pesky insurance reasons, no photos are allowed inside the house, so sorry, no pictures today.

My remembrance of my knowledge of "Molly" Brown was pretty superficial, but as the tour guide spoke, things came back to me.  And I have to tell you, she sounds like a pretty cool lady.  Margaret Tobin was born in Hannibal, MO, moved to Leadville Colorado at 18 where she met and married JJ Brown.  He apparently was very inventive and influentinial in mining circles.  When the Leadville mine they owned struck gold, the family moved to Denver.  Margaret became active in a variety of social causes and this caused a split between her and JJ, and eventually they separated, with Margaret, the children and her parents staying in the house in Denver.  

The version of the Titanic story that sticks in my mind most clearly is the Broadway musical one of a few years ago.  And Mrs. Brown isn't even mentioned in that one, so I've never really connected her with the Titanic all that much.  Most people will remember her from the Titanic movie, but according to our tour guide, she was quite as abrasive as Kathy Bates portrayed her.  And she wasn't some backwater ignorant *******.  At the time of the Titanic sinking she spoke 6 languages and acted as a translator and advocate for the immigrant widows who survived the wreck.

The house is gorgeous, with ornate stained glass windows, an incredible wooden staircase and the elaborate painted ceilings typical of the time.  And it was a technological marvel.  Steam heat, telephone AND electricity.  During the 1920's Margaret converted the house to a boarding house and moved to NY, where she taught and acted on the Broadway stage.  When she died in 1932, she was buried next to her estranged husband, who had died in NYC in 1922.  The house was sold by the children and remained a boarding house until the 1970's when the entire block was scheduled to be demolished.  Fortunately, Historic Denver, Inc. was formed and the house was saved and restored.  

So, how come we all know her as "Molly"?  The original headlines and press coverage following the Titanic disaster all refer to her as the Unsinkable Maggie Brown.  But in the 1930's, after her death, a short story writer preferred Molly and that misnomer has been carried through the century.  While I like the name Molly, I am sorry that she's not been called correctly for all these years.

After leaving the museum, I wandered back over to the state capitol.  I was going to take a tour of it, but since I hate metal detectors, I walked right back out!  Went back to the 16th Street Mall and took the free shuttle bus to the "Money Museum".  Turns out, that's in the Federal Reserve Bank Building, and since it was another metal detector, I left there too!

Got back on the shuttle bus and went almost to the end of the line to Wynkopf Street.  Walked along there to a pedestrian bridge over the South Platte River. From the look of things, Denver is one of the areas of the country that can use some rain, there was almost no water flowing!  Crossed the bridge and saw the Pepsi Center (can someone tell me what team plays there?) and then recrossed the river a bit further up to head back to 16th Street and back to the hotel.

We leave at 8 am tomorrow morning for Rapid City, but I will try and check in tomorrow night after the 400 mile bus ride!


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Sounds like your having a lot of fun, absent the metal detectors.

Are you referring to the Colorado Avalanche?


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I hope the trip to Rapid City is a good one.  Keep an eye out that Window, especially the first few hours from Denver (I have a suspicion things might get a little flat later on....).


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Thank you for sharing your adventures, Scarlet.  Have fun and be safe. 
deb


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

thanks gertie.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

...and so the adventure begins !!  

'da Cat is with you in spirit !!  Have fun.

P.S. Congrats on passing 10,000  posts


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Whoo, Isaac Asimov status!!!

Oddly enough, I channel-surfed to a show called "Prehistoric" on cable this evening. They were talking about fossils in the Denver area, and they showed the Molly Brown house and did some narration from there. Apparently it is built of Rhyolite<?> My guess of spelling, Napcat will know the right way. That's a volcanic rock common in the Denver area that is good for fossils.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Whoo, Isaac Asimov status!!!
> 
> Oddly enough, I channel-surfed to a show called "Prehistoric" on cable this evening. They were talking about fossils in the Denver area, and they showed the Molly Brown house and did some narration from there. Apparently it is built of Rhyolite<?> My guess of spelling, Napcat will know the right way. That's a volcanic rock common in the Denver area that is good for fossils.


Correct spelling, Claw.......Rhylolite is a volcanic rock which normally will not preserve fossils.

Congrats on your post #4000 !!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

NapCat said:


> Correct spelling, Claw.......Rhylolite is a volcanic rock which normal will not preserve fossils.
> 
> Congrats on your post #4000 !!


Whoops, I missed the bit about not preserving fossils. They said it is light, strong, and a popular building material (including the "Molly" house.

I hadn't even noticed that I broke 4000! Now that I'm not a Dostoevsky and am an AA Milne, I guess that I can stop writing these long, tedious, depressing post, and start illustrating my posts with drawings of stuffed animals and a boy!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

i don't remember the tour guide mentioning the building material, but there was a lot if info to process.  and the browns did not nuild the house, they purchased it.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Keep the travelogue going, Scarlet - please.
And pics as soon as feasible.

Just askin.....


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

sorry, no pics till i get home


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)




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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

welcome to wyoming


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

scarlet said:


> welcome to wyoming


Why, oh why, oh Ming?


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

That sounds like a great place you visited, scarlet. It must've been a beautiful home, and the historical significance is cool too. Other than seeing shows/movies, is the Titanic something you've had a long interest in?


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

nope, i have minimal interest in titanic. i went to the museum because i like old houses.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

So, today was spent on the bus. From 8 am to just about 4 pm. As Jack (our tour guide) put it, today is a long airport transfer. It's a lot simpler for many people to fly into Denver than into Rapid City, so Globus starts the tour there. Bus ride was pretty uneventful, cloud cover when we were leaving Denver meant that we couldn't see the peaks of the Rockies in the distance, but it cleared up as we got into Wyoming. About 20 people on the bus, and according to Jack there are a total of 45 on the tour. A bit more than I've had on the last tours, but such is life. And apparently, some folks are only going as far as Salt Lake City. 

Saw some free range antelope as we drove through Wyoming. While they can run up to 60 miles per hour, if you put out a fence, they have no idea how to get over it. 

Lunch was in a small restaurant in Lusk, Wyoming. Sat with a couple of other ladies on the tour, one from Las Vegas, the other from Connecticut. There are a few folks from Australia on the tour and a couple from Great Britain. 

Well, I'm gonna go and relax before our meeting this evening. I should be able to type at you tomorrow, but may not be able to get net access again for a few days after that.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I took a little walk after we got to the hotel.  Main Street seems to have been done up with the tourist trade in mind.  A few restaurants (including a vegan one), some stores, and on each corner a statue of a president.  According to the info I got from other people on my tour, there is a statue of every president somewhere in town, but I didn't hunt them all down.  

Quick "meeting" at 6 pm.  After spending the bus ride up with just 20 people, it was weird to see 40 some people in one room.  And realize that as much as I just want to hide out in the back of the bus, I am probably going to have to sit next to someone the whole time.  The tour guide said he will do a seating chart every morning.  That sounds like fun.....

There are a number of Australians on the tour, a few folks from England, a couple from Malaysia and a couple from Peru.  That might prove interesting.  I met a mother and daughter from Brooklyn traveling together.  

After the meeting I headed out for supper.  I wanted to go to the vegetarian restaurant, but they were expecting a big party and couldn't seat me.  Let's see if I have better luck there tomorrow.

Had dinner at the Firehouse Brewery restaurant and scored my first free souviener.  The people at the table next to me were discussing a button one of them designed and I chimed in that I'd like to see the button and the gentleman gave me one.  It's a Yellowstone Enthusiast
button.

Well, I'm off to my room for dessert and some TV.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Is it cold yet?


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Check out Stavkirk Church if you can (I've never been there, but I'm dabbling with joining a photo group tour to SD next Fall, and that's one of the shoots), and enjoy actually having cable tv!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

morning.  bit windy this morning


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

So, today was spent at two different big mountain memorials.  If you know the history of Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse sculpture, then skip ahead....

The Black Hills were considered sacred land by the Lakota people who lived here.  And in the original treaty between the US government and the Lakota, the Hills were part of the territory ceded to the tribe.  However, once it was discovered that there was "gold in them thar hills"  the Lakota were forced off the land.  When mining started to die down in South Dakota, the powers that be decided to try and up the tourism business.  Gutzon Borglum was working on the Stone Mountain outside of Atlanta, and was approached by the South Dakotans to do something in this state.  He decided to do 4 presidents.  And you know who that turned out....  Well, the Lakota people eventually decided that they needed to show that they had heroes also, and so they decided to commission a monument of their own in the Black Hills.  They choose Korczak Ziolkowski (who had actually worked on Mount Rushmore) and the project was begun in 1948.  After 60 years, Crazy Horse's face is complete, and the mountain has been blasted down to the level of where his arm will be (the sculpture will show Crazy Horse on a horse with this arm extended over the head of the horse).  

Gotta say, the Crazy Horse Monument is really cool, and will be incredible when (if) it is ever completed.  And while I'm happy that the Lakota are getting tribute to one of their heroes, I find it a bit depresing that they are choosing to rock blast another mountain.  We spent a couple of hours there, and I had fun exploring the museum and checking out the craftsmen working there.  Some gorgeous bead and stonework to be seen.

After that, we headed to Mount Rushmore.  I had been afraid that it would not be as incredible as I hoped, but let me tell you, it was indeed incredible.  I wonder why anyone would spend their life blasting dead presidents into a granite mountain, but the outcome was worth it.

There's a pathway that goes down to near the mountain and then back up again to the veiwing terrace.  300 hundred stairs on it, but I'm glad I did the walk.  I think I got some great pictures (teaser.... you have to wait until I get home to see them).  We had 3 hours there and we were really lucky.  It wasn't too crowded, and the weather was gorgeous!  But I should have listened to the friend who told me to pack the insect repellant!

The disappointment for the day?  Well, because days are getting shorter, the Antelope Canyon optional tour is not offered on this trip.  But that is in order to give us a decent amount of time at the Grand Canyon, so I guess I can live with it.

Tomorrow we're off to Deadwood and Sheridan.  I don't know if I'll get internet access, so don't worry if you don't hear from me for a bit...


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

DH and I did the Black Hills when we were first married.  Your travelogue is bringing back so many memories.  Thanks for that.  Deadwood is cool.  There is a cemetery there that has the graves of Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane (I think).  It has been a number of years, so the memory escapes me.  

Anyway, glad you are having fun.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I love this thread, Scarlet.  Looking forward to seeing your pix, but am happy to wait while you enjoy the journey.  Some day I'd like to go out there to see and experience these sites.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Keep on postin'!  Too bad about Antelope, but now you'll have more time and money for that flight over the Grand Canyon!


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

I was at the Crazy Horse Monument in 1957...not too much was completed at that time, but it was still an impressive project.  I also was overwhelmed by Mount Rushmore.

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us....this is great !


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

*smacking*  Scarlet lovingly upside the head, again.  I TOLD you to pack insect repellant...  Don't they have any stores in the Wild West?  I confess, "I told you so" is one of my favorite things to say.

I'm looking forward to your pictures.  I saw Mt Rushmore and the start of Crazy Horse years ago, they are impressive.  Keep having fun and stay safe!


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)




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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

greetings from deadwood and its beer fest and weiner dog races.  both of which start after we leave down.  but mean that main street is closed to traffic.

and yes, crebel i should have listened to you (or bought some at the supermarket yesterday, duh)


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Today was another long day on the bus.  I think that's going to be a recurring reality.  When you're seeing as many places as we are, it's a lot of travel time.  We left the hotel at 8 am and head out of Rapid City for Deadwood, South Dakota.

Kevin Costner apparently became enamored of the region around Deadwood whle filiming Dances with Wolves and while he was able to build a casino in the town, apparently the powers that be put the kibosh on his desire to build a resort on a hilltop outside the town.  But he was able to go ahead with a cultural center telling "the story of the Buffalo".  I've always been a believer that there are three sides to every story, yours, mine and the truth.  So after a couple of days of hearing the settlers version of the story (although I must say that Jack, our tour guide has been pretty even handed ), it was nice to hear the Native side of things.  Tatanka has a nice exhibit hall and outside there are a couple of tepees you can examine.  But the coolest things about the place aqre the view (supposedly you can see parts for 4 states from it) and a HUGE buffalo hunt bronze sculpture installation.  It depicts Indians on horseback stampeding bison towards a drop off as part of the hunt.  It's slightly larger than life size and really impressive as was the talk given by the local speaker.

After Tatanka, we took a bus tour of Deadwood.  Unfortunately, we didn't go up to Boot Hill, where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane were buried, but the bus driver for the tour was really funny.  We had about 1.5 hours in Deadwood, and honestly, I saw most everything in 1/2 hour.  The main street was lined by casinos (including the one Costner owns), and tourist trap type stores.  But I found something fun, the Black Hills Model Railroad club.  They have a really nice model train set up in the basement of one of stores.  According to the gentleman I was speaking to, they were closed for a year and are only now fixing everything up again for public viewing.  It was a really nice set up and they obviously love what they do.  

And there were a couple of other fun things to the town today.  It was weiner dog race day, and beer festival.  Because of this, the main street was closed off to vehicular traffic, and there were a whole bunch of cute dogs leading their owners along.

Next we went to the town of Lead (prounced Leed, not Led), which was where the biggest gold mine in the country was.  It opened in the 1876 and was still in production as late as the 1990's.  It started as an open cut mine, and so there is a very big hole in the ground.  Which you will see pictures of later.

After leaving Lead, we drove back through Deadwood to I-90 to Sheridan, stopping briefly in Gillette, Wyoming.  Dinner was at the hotel restaurant, and now I'm off to rest for another long day tomorrow.  Which will include a stop in Montana.  Yeah, another state I can say I've been in!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

@napcat.  I can't see images when I'm accessing the board from my kindle, so your posts just look empty to me....


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

scarlet said:


> @napcat. I can't see images when I'm accessing the board from my kindle, so your posts just look empty to me....


First was a "Welcome to Wyoming: sign
yesterday's was Was a photo of Mt. Rushmore and a "No mosquito" sign....


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

did you take the photo of mt rushmore?


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

scarlet said:


> did you take the photo of mt rushmore?


NO, the last time I was there, I had a Kodak "Brownie" Ha !


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I'm beginning to feel like this trip is 70% riding on the motorcoach and 30% actual seeing stuff.  Okay, maybe that's an exageration, but it does feel like A LOT of time on the bus.  Left Sheridan this morning at 8 am, drove from there to the Little Bighorn Battlefield.  On the way, we watched the videos that are shown in the visitor's center so we wouldn't have to spend time there getting oriented.  

The battlefield itself looks like a big field of grass.  With scattered white gravestones (and a few red ones).  The National Monument is two separate sites, about 4 miles apart.  One part is the Reno-Benteen battlefield and the other is "Last Stand Hill."  I never knew that the battle was actually two different fights that far apart.  Custer split up his forces into three groups, with Reno in charge of one, and Benteen in charge of other and having the supplies with him.  Benteen was supposed to meet up with Custer but was cut off due to high ground being held by the Native forces and ended up trapped with Reno and surrounded by Crazy Horse's forces.  Once the Indians left the area and more of the army folks showed up, the dead were buried where they fell and markers were installed.  Eventually, the bodies were exhumed and moved into a grave on top of the hill, where the memorial now stands.  

We spent some time at the Reno-Benteen site and then drove back to Last Stand Hill and visited the memorial and saw the iron Indian Memorial Sculpture  I liked that sculpture a lot, it was an outline of 3 horses and riders and you could see the field through them.  After a stop at the visitors' center, it was back on the bus....

Back through Montana to Wyoming and time to cross the mountains.  We climbed all the way up the Bighorn Mountains with some pretty spectacular views and a stop at the Bear Lodge Resort for lunch.  Lunch was not included in the tour, but our guide has a nice deal with the place, and we had a yummy buffett for a decent price.  After climbing, you have to descend, so most of the afternoon was spent driving down the mountains.  Normally there would have been a brief stop at Shell Falls, but the rest area there has already closed for the season.  

So, now we're in Cody.  I'm heading out to grab dinner.

Tomorrow morning we go to the Cody Museum and then on to Yellowstone.  Since there is no TV in the rooms in Yellowstone, I'm guessing that there is also no internet, so don't expect a blog for a few days.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks for sharing. I'm enjoying the trip.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I've never been to the Little Bighorn battlefield, I'm jealous. Major Reno is a minor (ironic) hero favorite character of mine (I actually think he did the right thing in the circumstances).

Yellowstone will be big. These days should be a highlight of your trip.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

it's funny that jeff and thc are the first ones to respond, because they are the two people i thought of this morning at the memorial


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

scarlet said:


> it's funny that jeff and thc are the first ones to respond, because they are the two people i thought of this morning at the memorial


Thinking of you too. Can't wait to read your reaction to seeing the Tenons and the Snake River from Jackson Hole.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Yellowstone will be big. These days should be a highlight of your trip.


Definitely! That's my favorite part of the country. Jackson just makes me smile.

As far as time on the bus, that's a lot like the vacations the hubs and I take. We usually spend the first part of the day driving and then check-in early and go on sight-seeing jaunts after. We plan our routes so that we drive through some of the exciting stuff and make periodic stops throughout the day as well. It is a lot of time on the road, but we split it up between us and try to break up the longer days with a couple of short days in between. We also choose a couple of spots along the way to spend more than one night to recover. I love doing those trips because we see so many different things that way. We drove up mountains, hiked through the woods to waterfalls and ate seafood in a bistro on the shore all in the same trip. Plus I got to see some of the most amazing scenery in two countries out my window the whole time.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Keep the travelogue going Scarlet.
We are all enjoying this.
I hope it inspires others.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

morning from buffalo bill historical center. very nice museum.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Thanks for including us on your trip, scarlet!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

scarlet said:


> morning from buffalo bill historical center. very nice museum.


I've been to Buffalo Bill's grave in Colorado. Apparently where Bill was to be buried was a bone of contention. The site in Colorado says that they poured twenty tons of cement over his casket after burial to ensure that no grave robbing would be done. The historical center is apparently viewed as one of the potential corpse-nappers! 

In 1948, the Cody, Wyoming Chapter of the American Legion offered a reward for the "return" of his body. This prompted the extra cement. A guard was mounted over the burial site till the barrier was in place!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill#Death


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

and supposedly he's not really still buried in CO.  i'll tell you the story our guide told us later


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

Scarlet, several of us are interested in a photo taken from inside the bus showing the back of the heads of the people in the bus.  We want to see what you see!!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

picture taken sm

rain poncho used.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

scarlet said:


> rain poncho used.


Oh, good girl! You were protected from the rain and hunter's bullets at the same time.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

scarlet said:


> picture taken sm
> 
> rain poncho used.


People like to say it doesn't rain there often, but without fail every time I've been to Wyoming it's rained. Of course, it also rained the first time I went to Las Vegas, so maybe it's me? 

_I'm just a little black raincloud..._


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Glad you have the rain gear!  

Don't tease the rutting elk. I do hope you get to hear them bugling.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

three rainbows
elk in the parking lot
geysers and mudpots and fumaroles
bison
grand canyon of yellowstone


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

Nice!!!  Kinda wish I was there.  Big storm coming here- hope it doesn't go your way.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Sounds like a great day! Huzzah for Globus and Yellowstone!


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Geysers, Elk and Rainbows !!!  What a wonderful day !!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

rain was heavy last night but on and off today.

and elk bugling is scary.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

scarlet said:


> and elk bugling is scary.


Haha.

Don't feed the bears!


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

We are in chat missing you.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

still raining off and on.  at the jackson lake lodge for lunch and hopefully photos of the Grand Tetons, but it doesn't look like the clouds want to move out of our way.  free day in Jackson tomorrow, so I'll probably update my blog then.  

and glad that Wednesday night chat happened without me.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

I love Jackson! I hope you get a chance to see the mountains.

If you're in the mood for fantastic steak, I recommend Burke's Chop House. A little pricy, but totally worth it. There's also a place--I want to say it's called the Long Barrel or something?--that specializes in game meats like Elk, Caribou, that kind of thing. I've heard it's good, but I always go to Burke's when I'm in town and craving meat.

If you're more in the mood for pizza or something, Mountain High Pizza Pie is very good and right near the center of town. There's also a bistro called Rendezvous that's been recommended to me, but I've never eaten there. That's a little further out, near the Safeway, but might be closer depending on where you're staying.

PS- Tonight is Wednesday night chat.  They were cheating!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

today is Wednesday?  sigh.....


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

I've been enjoying your blog posts. Sounds like a lot of fun.  Enjoy every minute of it!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Monday morning we visited the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.  Very nice museum, 5 galleries including a Plains Indian section, a Natural History of Yellowstone section, the Whitney Art Gallery, a firearms exhibit and a section about Buffalo Bill himself.  In true fashion, that was the section I most wanted to see, and it was the one that was closed.  Sigh....

The other galleries were nice, with the Western Art being the nicest.  I didn't go into the firearms wing, but did go out into the sculpture garden.  

Even though the museum was nice, and I'm glad we stopped there, I think it would have been nicer to have more time in the Park itself.  

Drive to and through the Park was really nice.  Got to Old Faithful just in time to watch it go off.  Gotta say, even in the rain, that was impressive.  Some of the folks on the tour are disappointed, we were supposed to be staying at the Old Faithful Inn, but instead were at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge.  I liked the Lodge so I'm not unhappy.  And we got to see the inside of the Old Faithful Inn, which, while rustic and unique, I found too dark and overdone for my taste.  Quick dinner and then I got to watch Old Faithful a second time.

Tuesday morning I got up early and walked around the geyser field.  Didn't get to see Old Faithful go off again, but did see the Plume Geyser spurt.  We drove from Old Faithful and went to the Mammoth Hot Springs area. We stopped off at the Celestine Pool and saw the Mud pots and the Spasm Geyser.  Again, we had rain, but you know what comes from rain?  Rainbows.  Three of them we saw during the drive.  And they were gorgeous. 

We had to go out of the park for lunch into the town of West Yellowstone.  Decent food at a decent price.

After lunch we went back into the park and stopped at Gibbone Falls, the Upper and Lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  Going over Dunraven Pass we saw our second rainbow, a complete one spanning the valley.  Our third came at Overlook Cliff, a calcite formation that made me really dizzy!

We saw a whole bunch of bison and even watched some running across the road.  Those things are scary big.  And speaking of scary, having elk bugling outside your window at 1:45 am is really mindblowing.

The elk were all hanging out in front of hotel at Mammoth Hot Springs.  One of my fellow travelers called it elk-a-vision.  

Got up early again this morning to walk over to the hot springs themselves.  Once again, in the rain.  Sigh... But the good part was that I had the pathway all to myself for quite a while.  Retraced our route through Yellowstone to come out the south gate into the Grand Teton National Park.  Stopped at Jackson Lake Lodge for lunch and some mountain veiwing.  And the clouds cooperated a bit, they moved out of the way and were able to see the mountains for a little bit.  After that, more driving, with a stop at Jenny Lake for more pictures and the Grand Teton Visitors center.  

Dinner tonight is included in the tour, but is not what was listed in our brochure.  We should have had a chuck wagon dinner, but I guess those are done for the season.  Tomorrow is a free day, and hopefully the weather will cooperate and let me explore the town.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Still sounds like a fun trip!


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

Jenny Lake.  I do remember it well!  Hope you get to see the Tetons in all their glory.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

snow forecast for tomorrow night


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

A nice white coating would be great!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

i packed for cold, not below freezing!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

snow was pretty and i got some nice photos, but it was cold. bought gloves and wandered around town.  nice town. typical yuppie tourist place mixed with some funky western stuff. now i'm at a sushi place.  tempura roll, veggie roll and cowboy roll.


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

Keep your eyes open.  harrison ford lives there!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

If you see Harrison Ford, we want photos!

I seem to recall tomorrow is a bus day.  Stay warm and enjoy the scenery!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

if i saw harrison ford you would hear the squeal cross country.  tomorrow is jackson to slc and time to sat goodbye to some of our group.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

One of the difficulties on 3 week trip going through multiple weather zones is trying to figure out how to pack.  Well, before leaving, I checked the 10 day forecasts for where I'd be and decided that autumnal clothing would be best.  Pants, mostly long sleeve shirts and a heavy fleece hoodie.  But Mother Nature has her own way of doing things and today was winter, not fall.  It was raining when I got up this morning, and by the time I left the hotel, there was snow mixed in and by the time I walked to the town square it was snowing.  And sticking.  And let me tell you, snow on wooden sidewalks can be very slippery.  During my meanderings through the town, I found the ski shop and bought some gloves because my hands were freezing.

The town center is interesting, typical yuppie tourist spots mixed with old time western style places.  I looked in a couple of art galleries (and was appalled at what they were charging for stuff), some souviener shops (over priced in the extreme).  Found a gourmet chocolate shop and picked up some truffle.  Wasabi white chocolate is an interesting idea for a chocolate, as is basil and olive oil.  Interesting and yummy. Had lunch at the Cadillac restaurant and then after lunch I wandered over to the Jackson Hole Museum. Very nice, but kind of small.  Got some really nice (if I say so myself) winter pictures.....

Dinner tonight was not what you would expect when in Wyoming.  I went to a sushi place near the hotel.  Really good sushi.  I had a couple of different veggie rolls and a cowboy roll which was kobe beef in a nice miso honey sauce.  The wasabi aioli sauce with my tempura roll was spicy and good and the wait staff was really nice.  And I ended up talking to some nice local folks.  

Now I'm heading back to my room for some more chocolate and some sleep.  Tomorrow we head to Salt Lake City.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks for keeping us informed.


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

Really enjoying the updates, Scarlet.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I love that you have chocolate back in the room at the end of the day.  Reminds me of some foreign trips with my friend Roberta.  She would get Cadbury and Milka to have in her room in London, and then I started doing that.  But I don't mean to talk about my trips.  

Carry on.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Today was another long day on the bus, from Jackson Wyoming to Salt Lake City Utah.  Through some very pretty, but very snowy, mountains.  And an added bonus, we actually cut through Idaho, so I can tick that off my list of states visited.  The funniest bit of the day was when our bus suddenly slowed down and stopped on the highway.  There were a bunch of puppies on the road, and our tour guide got out of the bus and shooed them back onto the farm they seem to have wandered off from.  They were adorable. Lunch stop was in Logan, Utah, and when we got into SLC, we stopped at the State Capitol Building and then  had an hour at the Temple Square.  I remember taking a tour through a big visitors' center last time I was here, but didn't find it this time.  Did see 4 couples posing for wedding photos.

Weather is still grey and gloomy and chilly.  Hopefully it will warm up tonight and be nice in Bryce tomorrow.

We have a buffet dinner tonight and and about 2/3 of our group will not be continuing on, so I better go up to my room and get ready for that.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

this trip?  colorado, south dakota, montana, wyoming, idaho, utah.  will also visit arizona and nevada


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Cobbie said:


> Wow! That's a lot! What's your all time total?


this trip is the most states visited. I've also been to California, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana. I think that's it.... Oh, and Washington D.C.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Tomorrow's a big day, I've never been to either Bryce Canyon nor Lake Powell, so I am jealous!  We'll hope for pleasant weather, though actually if you could get SNOW at Bryce, that might be kind of cool.


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## Guest (Oct 8, 2011)

scarlet said:


> There were a bunch of puppies on the road, and our tour guide got out of the bus and shooed them back onto the farm they seem to have wandered off from. They were adorable.


Could've been a great souvenir there!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

For any of you thinking of goingto Bryce Canyon, one word---


Spoiler



GO!


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

I'm taking it that you didn't like Bryce Canyon.  Why in the world not


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

spotsmom said:


> I'm taking it that you didn't like Bryce Canyon. Why in the world not


Umm...since the "one word" was "GO!", methinks you may have misunderstood?


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

The word was blacked out, so I thought it was er, ah, negative, in some way!!!  Hope you liked it, Scarlet!!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

one useses spoiler to build suspense.  don't assume it's somethingt bad.

and i did not like bryce, i LOVED it.

and thc, we did have snow here


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

Now, you see, nobody has ever told me about putting my cursor over the black!!  how cool.  Someday someone must teach me how to do it.

Glad you loved it Scarlet.  It is a beautiful place.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

above the post box is aset of icons.  the one that says sp is the spoiler one.


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

You mean


Spoiler



like this??



Whee!!!!!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

i don't know.  spoiler doesn't work when accessing on kindle.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

scarlet said:


> For any of you thinking of goingto Bryce Canyon, one word---
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Glad it was good!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

leaving lake powell to head for grand canyon via navajo reservatoin


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Was the Lake Powell boat tour good?


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

yes, the boat ride was fun, except for uncontrolled children


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

lunch at cameron trading post


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

greetings from the grand canyon


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

dinner with a view of the canyon.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

What a way to eat!  I on the other hand, had frozen pizza in my apartment.  With a view of my tv set.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

my hotel room has a view of the canyon so


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

'get your kicks, on route 66'


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

scarlet said:


> 'get your kicks, on route 66'


Been there, done that.

Glad you're having so much fun. When are you going home?


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

scarlet said:


> 'get your kicks, on route 66'


I've been enjoying your posts.

I lived on Rt. 66 once...in Tulsa.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I live about a mile and a half from the former path of Route 66.  At one time in the past, I drove every weekday to work on part of the old highway.  Look out for those concrete dinosaurs by the road!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

made it to vegas.  loud, garish, crowded.  everything i hate. especially after two weeks of natural beauty.  two days here and home on friday.  got a ticket for terry fator for tommorrow night.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

scarlet said:


> loud, garish, crowded. everything i hate.


Don't you live in NYC?


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

yes, sebat i live in nyc and hate the parts of it that are loud and garish.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

scarlet said:


> made it to vegas. loud, garish, crowded. everything i hate. especially after two weeks of natural beauty. two days here and home on friday. got a ticket for terry fator for tommorrow night.


Yes, after a few days of driving through that area LV can be a bit of a shock. Of my three times there, I had the most fun when we went to Fremont Street, so I always suggest that. There's a neat bar/bowling alley/arcade in that area that I can't remember the name of but had good food and a fun atmosphere.


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

Wow, Scarlet, good luck to you there!  Just think tomorrow you're going H-O-M-E!!!

We all await photos.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

friday, sm, not tomorrow.

blje man group last night, terry fator tonight.  
one of the people who was on the tour through slc lives hyere and is gonna show me around tomorrow


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I have some great pictures of Bryce Canyon from a trip I took a couple of years ago. I need to get to the Grand Canyon someday.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

hiked the strip from mitage to excalibut.  dodn't make it to luxor


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

sorry, on my kindle and can't modify posts.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

scarlet said:


> sorry, on my kindle and can't modify posts.


You've got to see the Luxor, it's one of my favorites. Mandalay Bay has a great aquarium. There's a tram that runs between them and it goes to the Excalibur, too.


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

Just think.  You can take a picture of something we should know (like Grand Central), and we can have fun guessing what it is!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

sorry, unless my native guide takes me to luxor, i ain't going. saw the bellagio fountain show, that was fun.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I was born and raised in Vegas. I miss it, but not enough to move back. It has gotten so crowded. 

My favorite hotel/casino is Paris. No matter how crowded it is, I can still relax there.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Just don't blow the money budgeted to fix the Weather Control Machine playing slots!


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

When I lived in S. California, I always said that Las Vegas was just a city you had to go through in order to get to the National Parks.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

omg terry fator!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

hoover dam
lunch in boulder city
downtown vegas
pawn shop


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

the pawn shop from the tv show.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Were any of the Pawn Shop "stars" there?  I bet that was fun!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

no, none of them were there.  place is a bit smmaler than it seems on tv, but it was cool.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

For what it's worth, my mother will be jealous of you.  She likes that pawn shop show a lot!

Have fun with the final day of Lost Wages.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

btw, i did 'donate' five dollars to one of the casinos.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Cobbie said:


> What pawn shop show? I did a search on U-Verse and got nothing. Sounds interesting.


http://www.history.com/shows/pawn-stars

Looks like they even have full episodes online!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

it's called pawn stars


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

Cool!  I love that show!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

bye bye to vegas....


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

scarlet said:


> bye bye to vegas....


Hope you had a safe trip.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

back in jersey. quiet flight.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Glad you're back and that you had a good time.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

scarlet said:


> back in jersey. quiet flight.


Nothing brings closure to an exploration of natural beauty like Newark NJ does.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

NogDog said:


> Nothing brings closure to an exploration of natural beauty like Newark NJ does.


no, nothing bring closure like Friday night in Penn Station...


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Oh, and the NJ Transit train!


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Welcome home!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> Oh, and the NJ Transit train!


i made great connections. about a 10 minute wait for the NJT, then got a train at 34th street in 2 minutes and transferred right to my R train at Pacific street. From landing to my apartment in less than 2 hours (that includes the wait at the gate and getting my luggage).


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Good to see you back in one piece, Scarlet.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

She's back....  Welcome home!


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## Eeyore (Jul 16, 2009)

Enjoyed your trip updates and glad you made it home safely ! Now time to settle in with your favorite quart of ice cream.  

All the Best.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

as some of you know, I didn't have decent internet access for the past week on the trip, so catching up with the blog posts...

SLC to Bryce Canyon

Farewell dinner in SLC was quite good. It was a yummy buffet (with pretty yummy desserts) held on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. With a great view of Temple Square and the temple itself. While the food was good, the drinks were a bit less than what we hoped. Since the restaurant is LDS owned, no coffee, no tea, and no alcohol. But they did serve Coke products and we were debating if they were the caffeine free versions.
And while you can't get coffee at the restaurant, there are plenty of coffee shops in the city, so a few of our folks walked back to the hotel so they could get their fix.
Our group went from 45 on the trip from Rapid City to SLC to 18 for the rest of the tour. I was sorry to see the rest of the folks go, but fortunately, I have e-mail addresses for some so we can keep in touch, and one of the ladies lives in Vegas and has offered to show me around once I get there.

Left SLC and drove to Bryce Canyon. The snow that we had in Jackson had also hit there, so we had some nice photo ops.

Bryce is an fascinating and gorgeous place. You drive in and out on the same road, you don't drive through. Like the Grand Canyon you are looking down at it from the rim, but the colors are completely different. Vivid reds, yellows and oranges mixed with snow covered trees. It was more beautiful than I had even imagined. If someone told me that I could only go back to one canyon, of the three I visited this trip, Bryce would be my choice. We stopped at Rainbow Point, Agua Canyon, Bryce Point and Sunset Point. I could spend all day there and still find something to look at.

Interesting story about our accommodations at Bryce. Apparently, this gentleman by the name of Ruby Syrett had some land in the canyon and when it became a National Park, he was able to obtain land on the only road into the canyon. He and his descendants have built up a nice little tourist trap town. They even have a dinner theater where they do a country/western show every night. I skipped that and opted for the buffet dinner instead which was quite good. The "inn" rooms aren't in one building, so had to travel back and forth to the dining room, but it wasn't that far. Most annoying was the fact that they wanted a ridiculous amount for internet access.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Zion and Lake Powell

Today started with a re-trace of our route into Bryce. That's part of the fun of this trip, a good bit of it is spent getting from one cool place to the next and often you have to backtrack your previous day's drive. But the scenery is enjoyable, so it's okay.

Drove to Zion Canyon. Entry into the canyon is a bit hair-raising. First you go through a tunnel built in the 1930's. And since it was built when cars were smaller, so now they only let a bunch of vehicles in at a time in one direction. The tunnel has these huge "windows" in it, designed for ventilation purposes and they give you your first great view of the canyon. Once through the tunnel, you go down this wonderful switchback road. It's so new that they haven't even painted the lane dividers yet. 
Our tour bus was not allowed to take us through the Park, so we were dropped off near the lodge and were on our own on the shuttle bus. Jack (our tour guide) gave us great advice, to take the shuttle to the end at the Temple of Sinawava and do the river walk and then make our way back to the lodge via the shuttle. I did that, but didn't do the whole river walk. The elevation was getting to me, and honestly, while some of the rock formations were interesting, I found the canyon kind of boring. 
I wanted to see the "Weeping Rock", but got halfway along the steep trail and turned back. Did manage to do the trail from the Grotto back to the lodge, which they need to mark better and to note as very narrow.

After Zion, we drove into Arizona and on to Lake Powell. Trivia about Arizona, they do not believe in changing the clocks, so right now, they are in the Pacific time zone. A bit confusing for electronics if they pick up a signal from Utah....

Our hotel was right on the lake. Again, it was a hotel with a bunch of spread out buildings. And we were pretty far from the main building and dining room, but this was compensated by the fact that our rooms had lake views.

We had a boat ride of the lake and Glen Canyon. The ride was nice, except for the parents who do not know how to control their children. We got so close to the canyon walls that we could almost reach out and touch them.

Dinner tonight was a bit annoying. The hotel had 3 times open for us, each for a set of 6 of us. That wasn't a problem, we all get along, even at meal times. But when you tell me that we have to be seated at 7 pm and then you do not serve me my food until almost 8 pm, I'm not happy. And telling me that you're understaffed because the season is over doesn't cut it. There were at least three tour groups in house. They had to know how many people would be there, and should have figured out a way to keep their kitchen staff.

I really wanted to sit outside and watch the stars over the lake, but I was so irritated after that meal that I just turned in. And honestly, the food wasn't that great, and the single option of cheesecake for dessert was not good.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I visited the Grand Canyon a few years ago on a day trip, so knew what to expect of it.  But even with foreknowledge, that great big rent in the Earth is still something breathtaking.  And that's not just due to the elevation.

Left Lake Powell in the morning and drove through the Painted Desert.  Lunch was on the Navajo reservation.  Yum, fry bread with honey!  The trading post at Cameron could easily suck in all my money, it has some incredible things, but I was able to restrain myself.  

Got to the Canyon in the mid-afternoon, and made a stop at the Desert View and a couple of other places before heading to our hotel, the Thunderbird Lodge on the rim of the canyon.  Had an early dinner (with a view of the canyon), then walked along the rim of the canyon watching the colors change as the sun set.  Went out for another walk once the sun was down and the moon was up, but while the human eye could pick out the subtle shades at night, the camera was no good at it.

Got up early in the morning to catch the colors that came with sunrise.  Came to an important conclusion.  No matter how long I walked, there would always be more to see, so I had to be content with doing my best and realizing that it would be there if I ever came back again.


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Scarlet,

Looks like you had a grand adventure!

Thanks for sharing with us,

Casper


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Welcome home.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Scarlet, we are looking forward to pictures.  I am particularly interested in the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

some should be posted tomorrow.  rest over the weekend.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

scarlet said:


> SLC to Bryce Canyon
> 
> Farewell dinner in SLC was quite good. It was a yummy buffet (with pretty yummy desserts) held on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. With a great view of Temple Square and the temple itself. While the food was good, the drinks were a bit less than what we hoped. Since the restaurant is LDS owned, *no coffee, no tea, and no alcohol. But they did serve Coke products and we were debating if they were the caffeine free versions.*And while you can't get coffee at the restaurant, there are plenty of coffee shops in the city, so a few of our folks walked back to the hotel so they could get their fix.


Just thought I would add my 2 cents (late, as usual) about the caffine "debate" you had w/ your fellow travellers. We do not have a rule against caffine, but our Word of Wisdom (which is the guideline that prohibits alcohol, coffee, tabacoo products and tea) does not spell out everything, so caffine is a hot button topic. I have been known to drink a Mt. Dew when I really really need a migraine to go away (when not pregnant, I take excedrin migraine, which is the only thing that actually works on my migraines). So the coke products that were served, most likely were the real deal, unless otherwise stated.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Thanks, Alle, I appreciate the clarification.  It's been a while since I've had LDS friends I can ask these questions to, so was unclear on the caffeine thing.  It didn't matter to me, since I had the iced tea and enjoyed it.


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