Roadrunner Review - Travel in July

July has been a busy travel month for us.  It takes a different mind set to pack up and move every 2-3 days.  And that is what we did.  13 times we packed up and moved.  That is not to say we didn't like it.  We did.  We enjoyed it and saw more people and places and things than we have in a while.

But, we need a vacation or some R and R time...

Currently we are in Boise, Idaho for a few days.  I will be catching up on my online work, we'll see the State Capitol here, and we are going to catch our breath.

Here's a recap of our travels:

Our itinerary:

• A - La Valle, WI            (Tom and Cathy's)
• B - Milwaukee, WI        (State Fairgrounds)
• C - La Valle, WI            (Tom and Cathy's)
• D - Moscow, IA             (HWH factory)
• E - Des Moines, IA        (KOA overnight stop)
• F - Sioux Falls, SD         (W.H. Lyon's Fairgrounds)
• G - Omaha, NE              (Offutt AFB Base Lake Campground)
• H - Lincoln, NE             (Camp-A-Way)
• I - North Platte, NE       (Holiday RV Park)
• J - Cheyenne, WY          (F.E. Warren AFB FamCamp)
• K - Fort Bridger, WY     (Fort Bridger RV Park)
• L - Salt Lake City, UT    (Hill AFB FamCamp)
• M - Boise, ID                  (Gowen Field Campground)

Whew!

Along the way we have had those memorable, fantastic moments.  And those sights and scenes that one hope's to remember for a long time.  In fact, seeing so much sometimes is hard to adequately process.  And way to much too blog about each day.  So I have plenty of pictures and material for later…

At the top of our highlight list is seeing friends:

- Tom and Cathy

- Steve and Therressa

- Rebecca and Gary

- Gary and Susan

and meeting many many new ones.

Some of the sights we saw and things we did:

• Pontoon boat ride on Lake Redstone
• 4th of July parade
• Ringling Brother's Circus Museum
• Devils Lake
• Brewers MLB game
• Milwaukee Museum of Art
• Lake Michigan
• HWH RV Jack Factory
• Herbert Hoover Library, Museum and gravesite
• 5 yr Driver's Licence Renewal
• Nebraska State Capitol
• North Platte Canteen
• Bailey Railyard
• Cheyenne Frontier Days
• Rodeo Parade
• Wyoming State Capitol
• Fort Bridger Historic Site
• Utah State Capitol
• Mormon Tabernacle
• Golden Spike Promontory Point Historic Site

We'll be here at the Gowen Field Campground getting caught up on things.  We have ordered mail and expect it today or tomorrow.  I started my 3 day RV cleaning and waxing task which I look forward to. Good exercise and it's fun to get the Roadrunner shining again. And I will be doing a few days of online work.  We get great internet reception here on my Verizon mifi.

So that's a look at our July - Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Wyoming State Capitol

It is a short drive from F.E. Warren to downtown Cheyenne and the State Capitol.  It was on our list and we spent some time there earlier in the week.

The quest for statehood began in 1869 when Wyoming became a U. S. Territory and petitioned Congress to become a state.  It took another 11 years when in 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed the bill for statehood, making Wyoming the 44th state.

The Territorial Legislature authorized construction on the building in 1886 and work began one year later. The building is classically designed resembling the Corinthian style architecture of the U.S. Capitol.

Near the entrance, a statute of Chief Washakie, the State seal, and a statue of Esther Hobart.

Wyoming is known as the "Equality State" because of it embraced women's voting rights early in their state history.

In 1869, the territorial legislature enacted a woman's right to vote and became the world's first government to do so.  A few months later, Ester Hobart, became the first woman to serve as Justice of the peace. In 1925, Nellie Ross became the first woman governor elected in the United States.

Inside, there a number of inviting historical and historical displays throughout the hallways.  

The rotunda small, but the interior of the dome was beautiful!

The hallways and stairways were ornate and full of detail.

We made it a point to stop in the Governors Office, and were greeted by the friendly receptionist and intern.  We peeked into the governor's ceremonial signing room.

Next, we went upstairs to the waiting area of the House of Representatives, looked at the Tiffany Skylight in the House Chambers and got a feel for the work areas/desks of the representatives.

Murals inside the four corners of the House Chambers depicting life in Territorial Wyoming

The murals were named: Stagecoach, Cattlemen, Trappers and Homesteaders and well done.

While we were there, Representative Sam Zwonitzer was getting some work done.  He told us about the $100 million renovation planned for the next 3 years and answered a lot of questions.

At 31 years old, he has been a Representative for four years and is in charge of the renovation.  One challenge is determining was gets done and another is moving all the people out of the building for two years during renovations.

On the other side of the capitol are the Senate Chambers

It has similar detail in the woodwork, murals and glass work in the skylight.  Both chambers were small but not crowded, as one might expect in a state with one of the lowest populations in the country.

Outside in the hallway, the arches and ceiling area where full of more beautiful detail.

A closer look at the colorful stained glass in the dome.

A view of the building from a distance.

The Wyoming State Capitol was a good stop!  It was a beautiful, lively building which was inviting and interesting.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Cheyenne Frontier Days - Pancake Breakfast

A couple of days ago we got up early and went to the Pancake Breakfast that is held during the Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD).  We had heard from a number of people that it were going to be a lot of people, that it was interesting, that the food was good and that it was definitely worth attending.

It was a nice day and we were there a little after 7:00 AM on a Monday morning.

The line was so long we had to catch it going the wrong way.  It doubled back around and ended up in front of the Train Depot.

Along the way - we met some interesting characters

And in about 10 minutes we were up near the front where they were making pancakes.

It was quite a sight- I did a retake and these pancake flippers were tossing them to the catchers who were caring them over to the serving area.

Can you see a couple of them flying through the air?

And then we saw the stacks of pancakes.

Hot, steaming pancakes!

And ham!

They gave everyone two slices of ham.  And these were not skimpy, thin pieces - they were good sized!

We found a place to sit and ate away

After we were finished, we looked around and saw some interesting folks

Like some Rodeo Queens

I wanted to go back over to the 'chuck wagon to see if I could get a better action shot of those flying pancakes

And a few minutes later a guy next to me said, "I want to introduce you to the governor of Wyoming".
Before I knew it he said, "This is governor Matt Meade".  We had a good long chat and then asked for a picture.

Not surprisingly, he was happy to oblige.

The next time someone mentions "Pancake Breakfast" - I will probably think of this one.  It was certainly one to remember…

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Cheyenne Frontier Days

We didn't really plan on being here during the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days.  It just happened.  We were looking for a campground and the first couple we tried were filled.  One host said, "Its the Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD), so you won't find anything within a hundred miles."

She was pretty much right on that.  We looked into staying at Laramie and places in between Cheyenne and there and did not find anything.  But we were able to stay on base at F.E. Warren Air Force Base as long as we didn't mind dry camping.

Turned out to be a good move.  And at $10/night we are close to everything.  Close to the CFD grounds and only about 5 miles from downtown Cheyenne.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and got set up.  We took a drive around the area and found the capitol and the main downtown area.  On Saturday we went to the CFD Parade.  It was great!

We arrived early and found a spot near the front of the parade.  We sat near Jerry who has been a regular here for the past 15 years.  He was an interesting guy and we had a nice time chatting while the parade participants got lined up.

One thing he said was, "I hope you like horses, because there are about 1200 of them in the parade."

I am not sure there were that many but several hundred for sure.  And they were beautiful!

We saw a cowboy doing rope tricks

And a number of wagons and stage coaches and buggies

Some of these horses were magnificent!

and then some

not so much...

And there were more Rodeo Queens and Ladies in Waiting than I have ever seen anywhere

And some more wagons and stage coaches

And some beautiful old cars

And some tractors

And then the street sweepers

signaling the end

It was a great way to spend Saturday morning at the Cheyenne Frontier Days and our second parade we've seen this month!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!