Another Travel Day in Kansas

October 26, 2026

After a quick breakfast of biscuits and gravy at our Harvest Host location we popped across the street to Eisenhower Park to take in the Iwo Jima Memorial and view the restored F14 Tomcat on display. What a beautiful sunrise backdrop!

We then continued east down Interstate 70 to our next resting place for the next couple of days, the Topeka KOA. On this drive I was able to finish reading my latest book. I then came to the conclusion that not all New York Times bestsellers are well written.

We arrived at the campground where we realized we were surrounded on 3 sides by interstates and a turnpike. It was going to be a noisy stay.

And then I went to take a shower where I found that my choices were either to have a mist-like spray (which would take forever to be thoroughly rinsed) or be practically sandblasted by the showerhead. Hmmm, no happy medium? But that’s life on the road. I was thankful to have a shower.

We were also thankful for the beautiful weather. The temperatures were as close to perfect for the both of us. . . cool in the morning, and warm but not hot in the afternoon.

That evening we watched a couple of YouTube videos and played 12 games of rummy, with each of us winning 6 games. We were too tired by then to play a tie-breaker!

 

A Little Kansas Treat

October 26, 2026

One last sunrise in Colorado, Day 24 of our western trip this year. What surprises would Kansas hold for us this year?

It was a travel day, and we were grateful for clear weather. But we were not so much looking forward to driving through Kansas. Let’s face it, it’s pretty flat.

For the past couple of years when we’re on the road, we have checked off state names when we see their license plate on a passenger vehicle on the road. The rules are that it can’t be a moving van or semi, and we both have to see it.

Since June 26 of this year on our trek home from Gulf Shores, we had seen 48 of the 50 plates. Vermont and Hawaii being the only holdouts. And then we saw Vermont that day!! So we decided to start the list over again. Because what are the chances of seeing Hawaii?

That kept us occupied for a while, but I did finally have to resort to reading a bit!

We finally arrived at our Harvest Host site for the night, Rosie’s Bar & Grill in WaKeeney. We ate a late lunch there, Terry enjoying a catfish basket and me a grilled chicken sandwich.

They also have a small “Top Gun” museum inside the Inn portion of the building which was interesting.

We got parked and settled in and then went back inside the bar to watch the Chief’s game and the Bill’s game on a split screen tv. How fun! Especially since both teams won!!

As we were leaving, we asked for a brownie to go. I thought we could share it that evening before we went to bed. We didn’t look inside the styrofoam container until later.

Let’s just say we were both highly disappointed in the size of this brownie and poor Terry only got a small crumb—which was his decision as he knows how much I love my chocolate!! He’s such a sweetheart!!

A Day of Rest at the Buffalo Ranch

October 24, 2026

We decided to stay a second night at the ranch since we weren’t in any hurry to get home. So we took our time getting up and emerging from our cozy van on Day 23, especially since it was a nippy 29 degrees again!

Terry read while I wrote and we enjoyed the slow morning.

We decided to head into Limon for a late lunch at El Paso, a delightful Mexican place situated next door to Taco Bell, which we thought was funny. Terry enjoyed a plate of enchiladas while I had a huge steak quesadilla.

Feeling the need for some souvenirs, we stopped at a gas station that had a wide variety of tee shirts, sweatshirts, and any other kind of memorabilia you can think of. I got a new hat with a horse on it—look for it in a later post and let me know what you think of it.

We then headed back to the ranch to nap and read.

And then there was the glorious sunset.

Psalm 113:3, “From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised.”

 

 

Prairie Ridge Buffalo Ranch

October 20, 2026

We awoke to the coldest morning in the van on Day 22, a frosty 29 degrees outside! With no heater and only a comforter and one extra blanket, I think we did okay. My shampoo seemed to be quite thick, but it still worked!

It was a travel day, so we decided to eat a hearty breakfast at Denny’s before hitting the highway. After a bit of discussion and checking the weather forecast, we agreed to start heading home. Still taking our time and enjoying the adventure but in an eastwardly direction.

And so, we said goodbye to the Rockies until next year and headed to one of our absolute favorite Harvest Host locations from last year, Prairie Ridge Buffalo Ranch near Limon, Colorado.

We were so happy to be back on that great expanse of Colorado prairie! Our only regret was that Baby Bruce (the bottle-fed buffalo with a huge personality) had been moved to a different ranch. We picked up some more PRB souvenirs and in the twilight, we settled in for a quiet peaceful night’s rest.

 

Cold Colorado Rain

October 20, 2026

And then it got cold and rained. . . for two days. At least it wasn’t 40!! It was so rainy and foggy we couldn’t see the mountains, which was very sad. But I was thankful it didn’t snow where we were, only in the higher elevations west of us.

Days 19 and 20 were spent inside the van except when we scurried to the bathroom/shower house behind our site. And when Terry dodged raindrops to pick up our Domino’s order at the main office! Boy was that pizza good! Especially when accompanied by a little Netflix!

Day 21 it stopped raining and we got the laundry done.

And that was the day the Brewers SWEPT the Dodgers to punch their ticket to the World Series!!! Yeehaw!!

I kicked myself for not purchasing a Brewers shirt when we saw them play back in August. I should have known better!

 

Maramec Spring Park

October 20, 2026

The photos above are from October 2025, taken at one of my favorite places in the world, Maramec Spring Park near St. James, Missouri. Do not confuse this place with Meramec State Park because they’re totally different, in spelling and overall atmosphere. Terry and I spent the last night of our last Western trip there simply because we weren’t ready to go home yet.

AND this is where we went on our very first camping trip together three years ago. . . in a tent! And I came down with Covid in the middle of the night! Poor Terry had to pack everything up that morning as I watched in a feverish daze, too weak to help.

I’m including the photos in this post as neither Terry nor I took any photos on Day 18 of this trip. And it’s fun to reminisce about all the fun times we’ve had together.

But the only exciting thing that happened that day this year is that the campground hired a company to trim all the dead tree limbs on the property because there was a big storm system coming through the next few days. So it got kinda noisy.

But I wrote and we both read and relaxed.

And the next day we regretted not doing more!

 

Rocky Mountain High

October 17, 2026

On Day 17 we said goodbye to Wyoming (again!) and hello to Colorado and the Rocky Mountains. It was a cool cloudy day but at least the wind had died down. We grabbed gas and breakfast sandwiches in Glen Rock and headed south.

Since Terry hadn’t slept well the night before, we pulled off to nap at a rest area after a couple hours on the road. We woke up refreshed but hungry!

I found Las Delicias, an authentic Mexican restaurant/meat market, in Fort Collins Colorado where Terry had his usual Chili Relleno and I had a huge steak torta. The place was packed when we arrived so I figured it would be good and it was delicious!!

We checked into our KOA for the next couple of days, happy that they had given us a site next to the bathroom/shower house. We love it when that happens!

It was a beautiful campground with the leaves turning colors and I caught the sunset that night!

Wonderful Windy Wyoming

October 17, 2026

Before we left the campground on Day 16, Terry insisted on riding a mustang! I let him have his fun as I knew he was going to have a tough drive that day due to the very windy conditions heading south.

And the wind was whippy, 20-25 mph the whole day. I had to just ride and enjoy the beautiful scenery. It’s a tough life!

We stopped in Casper for lunch at Wood Fired Pizza. I had a chicken bacon artichoke pizza while Terry enjoyed dry rubbed jumbo wings and iced tea. And their fresh strawberry lemonade was the best I’ve ever had!! It had chunks of fruit floating in it and I sucked up some strawberry pieces (and lemon seeds!). Yummy!!

Our Harvest Host site for the night was at the Rolling Hills Wyoming City Park. We tucked in beside a building as the wind was still blowing that evening. Several deer came by to check out what we were doing.

I finished reading my latest book and Terry listened as the White Sox lost. Which made us both sad. But they had a great season this year.

We tucked in for the night, thankful for another wonderful day together.

 

 

A Day for the Birds

October 14, 2026

Don’t judge us but on this trip, we didn’t actually get any closer to Devils Tower than our campsite just outside the entry gate to the national monument. We were tired and our dirty laundry was taking up too much space in the van! Also, we plan on returning to Wyoming very soon!

And so, we did laundry, rested, and I wrote.

While waiting for the washers to complete their cycle, this stunning Magpie visited and sang a little song for us. What a treat!! I wish Terry’s video had picked up the beautiful melody she shared!

For lunch that day we enjoyed summer sausage, cheddar cheese, and spinach artichoke dip with crackers. Yummy!

That afternoon we were amazed to be visited by a flock of wild turkeys at our campsite!

And after dressing much warmer and tucking into a cozy blanket we were able to watch the conclusion of the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” on the campground’s patio.

Walking hand in hand back to our site we saw the very large Big Dipper shining in the huge Wyoming sky. What a perfect way to end the day!

Close Encounters at Devils Tower

October 14, 2026

We were sorry to leave the chilly morning of Day 14 of our latest journey. The Holmes Farm was so quiet and peaceful.

I actually set an alarm so we wouldn’t miss the sunrise coming up over the Yellowstone River valley. It was worth it!

The fog, the cows mooing in the distance. . . and then a couple of deer came frolicking through the pasture. The flowers, the pumpkin patch all beckoned us to photograph them. And we did. And enjoyed every moment!

Leaving the farm, we drove for miles down a gravel road less traveled! We knew we could have turned back and taken the highway, but we didn’t. We encountered pheasants, hawks, geese, black-billed magpies, and more deer along with cows and horses.

After stopping in Miles City for gas and a quick breakfast, we then turned south toward Wyoming again. From plateaus, hills, absolutely flat prairie, then more rolling hills, the view just kept changing.

We spotted prairied dog colonies, antelope herds, and a lone bald eagle. And only 1 school bus stop sign!

Our resting place for the next couple of days was the KOA at Devils Tower, and our site had a direct view of the amazing rock tower! And to top it off, they show the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” every evening at 6pm on their patio! I had never seen the movie before, so I was really looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, that night we only got halfway through the movie before I got too cold and we had to retreat to the van. I was determined to dress warmer the next night.

 

A Beautiful Place to Rest

October 13, 2026

We hit the road early on Day 13 as it was a travel day with a stop at a historical site. We grabbed some “cheaper” gas and breakfast sandwiches and headed for Big Sky Country, although we couldn’t imagine the sky getting any bigger than it was!

In June of 2026, the US marked the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass or Custer’s Last Stand. We visited this somber national monument site in south central Montana that Wednesday morning.

The main building was undergoing renovation, so we took the 9-mile round-trip drive through the hills of the property reading the narratives of soldier movements and warrior accounts.

One of the quotes I read struck a chord with me, “In order to heal our grandmother earth we must unify through peace.”

It was a beautifully moving experience, and I encourage you to visit if you are in the area.

We ate lunch and did some shopping at the Trading Post across the road and then headed to our Harvest Host spot for the night, the Holmes Farm near Rosebud.

What a beautiful, peaceful piece of God’s country Mark and Patty have in the Yellowstone River valley. Both the sunset and sunrise were absolutely stunning!

We would have loved to have stayed longer but we had more places to see!

 

Bighorn Mountain Majesty

October 11, 2026

Chef Terry whipped up a fabulous breakfast for us on Day 12. Cheesy scrambled egg and sausage bowls, one of my favorites! Well, any breakfast sweet Terry makes for me is my favorite!

And then we took a drive into the stunning Bighorn Mountains which reach up to 13,000 feet in elevation. This mountain range is a spur from the Rocky Mountains and lies in northern Wyoming and southern Montana.

I’ll admit I was a bit affected by the elevation, so I didn’t take nearly as many photos as I wanted to. And I knew Terry was in photography heaven, so I let him click away.

We drove around for several hours, stopping at Meadowlark Lake as well as most of the other pull-offs along Highway 16 on the way to Ten Sleep.

And speaking of sleeping, we were quite tired by the time we made it back to our campsite! We were tucked in for the night by 7:30pm and didn’t even watch any baseball that night.

 

 

Tall Fences

October 11, 2026

Day 11 we made it to Wyoming, the least populated state!! For us introverts, this made us very happy!!

That day’s travel was long and windy. But the scenery was amazing! It kept rotating between bluffs to rolling hills, to plateaus and mesas, to fields and pastures, with a huge sky all around. I saw several herds of antelope as well.

After having lunch at the Invasion Bar in Kaycee, population less than 300, I noticed that the fences along the interstate were twice as high as they had been. I wondered why so I googled it, of course!

I found out that this 36-mile section of Interstate 25 between Kaycee and Buffalo was the second highest interstate deer collision stretch in Wyoming. So the WYldlife Fund, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s and others got together to put up 8-foot-tall wildlife exclusion fencing to funnel big game toward special underpasses like the one in the photos above. With cattle guards at each exit and onramp to the interstate in that section, the project was completed in 2024 and cost $3.8 million. And it’s saving lives of animals and humans. How cool is that!

This situation reminds me of the guards we as Christians are to have on our hearts and minds.

Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Matthew 12:34, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

What is your heart full of today?

 

Famous Rocks

October 9, 2026

Day 10 of our trip, a Sunday, started out at a chilly 41 but heated up to 84. We headed north out of Ogallala taking a more scenic route to some amazing rock formations.

In Oshkosh, Nebraska, we stopped at Reyman’s Roadhouse for lunch where I got the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl and Terry enjoyed a fish sandwich with fries. My portion was so large I had leftovers to stash in the fridge.

Our first stop was at Chimney Rock where we enjoyed the Walk to the Rock, a scenic set of trails which opened in 2023, that brings you up close to the iconic landmark used by pioneers on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails west. This property is privately owned by the Nebraska State Historical Society. It was a really impressive piece of rock!

We then drove about 30 more minutes down the road to Scotts Bluff National Monument which also served as an important landmark for pioneers as well as Native Americans. There was a museum and more hiking trails at this location. The huge bluffs were amazing!

After all that walking, we were happy to settle in at our Harvest Host site near Minatare where we caught the last half inning of the Brewers game and the last 2 minutes of the Chiefs game.

It was a quiet night and. . . we slept like a rock!

Psalm 18:2, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Ice Cream!

October 9, 2026

First, I would like to apologize for not posting every day. Even though I write about each day’s events, some days we are just too busy driving or experiencing things, or we don’t have adequate internet to post online. And I’ve been feeling a little under the weather.

And some days we just don’t do much at all. Day 9 was like that.

We spent the day reading, writing, and watching baseball. And Terry cooked a delicious dinner of beef stroganoff.

We then went for a walk around the campground and enjoyed sharing a Ben & Jerry’s Brownie Batter ice cream! And what a beautiful sunset!

Before we began this trip, Terry purchased a couple of new pillows as his old ones had lost their fluff. As we were getting settled in to watch baseball, he complained there was something hard and uncomfortable in his pillowcase.

That’s when we found the tag. He was much happier after I removed it.

Stay tuned because the next day we saw some sights!

 

 

A Chilly Start

October 6, 2026

Even though the temperature dropped to 40 degrees overnight, we didn’t reach for the extra blanket or the space heater. I was pleasantly surprised at that as I usually chill easily. Although the sun was shining brightly the wind was blustery all day.

On Day 8 we drove into North Platte and chose to eat breakfast at The Daily Dish, a newly converted dry cleaners. The place was nothing fancy, but the biscuits were fresh from the oven and covered with sausage gravy. . . delicious!!

We then drove down the road a bit and entered Mountain Time, a first for me. And since that just added an hour to our day, we had some time to kill before checking into our next site.

Grocery shopping at Wally World usually takes up quite a bit of time but I believe the one in Ogallala, Nebraska, might be the smallest one we’ve encountered so far. We were in and out easy peasy.

So, we then got Terry a coffee and sat down at McDonald’s and did some planning of where we wanted to head next. I of course checked the weather and saw that there was a cold front coming in next weekend that was going to produce some white fluffy precipitation. Not having a real heater in the van nor having all wheel drive, we needed to make sure we avoided that for sure.

After checking for places of interest, travel times, reviews of locations to stay overnight, I was able to come up with a game plan for the next few days.

We then checked into Tri Trails KOA, thankfully I had chosen this location over the other KOA in town that was situated right next to the Interstate and a truck stop.

Terry heated up some soup for our dinner and did the dishes (thank you, dear!) while I wrote.

The wind finally died down, and we had a very quiet night.

Tasty Travel Day

October 3, 2026

Day 7 dawned cloudy and quite breezy. By the time we emerged from our cozy van that morning, the landscape was already drying out. Which was good news because it was time to head on down the road.

We stopped for lunch in Kearny, Nebraska. One of my “jobs” as we travel is to pick interesting places to eat. Terry was excited to try The Toasted Goat when I read to him the sandwich choices as they appeared on their online menu. Apparently, they were all musically themed!

I enjoyed a roast beef sandwich called Ironman, while Terry munched down a turkey delight called Good Vibrations. The photo above is from the ladies’ restroom. Terry said the wall in the men’s room was covered in old 45s. What a hoot!

The drive that day was a windy one and even though we were headed straight down Interstate 80, Terry said his wrists were feeling it when we pulled off for the night at North Platte.

Our Harvest Host was Pals Brewing Company, which turned out to be a hopping place. . . it was Music Trivia Night! This should be a breeze, I thought to myself, as Terry knows music.

We sat down and ordered an IPA and water along with pretzel rods with beer dipping sauces, and we settled in to win. Except we didn’t. The table next to us won 2 rounds. So, then we ordered chips and queso and another beer. And we didn’t win a single round. But we still enjoyed hearing snippets of songs we hadn’t heard in years.

We walked hand in hand back to the van under a faint canopy of stars and tucked in good as it was going to get down to 40 degrees that night. But at least the wind had finally settled down.

 

 

A Very Rainy Day

October 2, 2026

Some days you just want to stay in bed. The last day of September, Day 6 of our current trip, was one of those days.

Terry brewed his pot of coffee and tried to sit outside in the fresh air to drink it. But the rain started. And didn’t want to stop.

That morning while Terry read, I studied the weather forecast. There was a warmup on the horizon! After a brief discussion about where we wanted to head next, I booked our stops for the next few days. And the rain continued.

For lunch we decided to take advantage of our campground being close enough to a town and ordered Domino’s Pizza delivery. I was so excited! Until it was time for me to walk to the office and meet the delivery driver. . . it was still raining.

That afternoon I did some writing while Terry watched baseball and napped. And it continued to rain.

We only had 3 more episodes of our Netflix series to watch so we decided to knock them out before bedtime. And then the wind began to blow and the van started rocking. And the rain came down so loud we had to turn the volume all the way up to hear our show!

We found out the next morning just up the road Lincoln broke a record that day for daily rainfall, recording just over 6” in a 24-hour period. We were so thankful we were not traveling and that we didn’t experience any leaks.

Psalm 46:1-3, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”

Matthew 7:24-25, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

Thank you, Jesus, for being my solid foundation. Amen!

 

Taking Care of Business

October 2, 2026

Back in the day, laundry was done on Mondays. For us this week, it was done on Day 5 of our journey. Because we were at a campground with machines. And because the following day we were going to be hit by remnants of Hurricane Polo.

We also reported our lack of electricity which they couldn’t fix so we moved to site next door. Thank goodness we got that taken care of before the weather turned!

With the MLB playoffs starting that afternoon, we quickly filled out our brackets separately and then compared notes. Our first year together I actually won when the Diamondbacks surprised everyone. Terry was impressed because at that time, I didn’t follow baseball at all.

This year we both have Milwaukee winning the World Series. . . Go Brewers!!!

We enjoyed a late lunch of mac and cheese with chicken. Terry cooked and I cleaned up afterwards, our usual routine. Terry then tuned in to baseball while I finished reading my first book of this trip. We watched a few episodes of a Netflix series we’re almost done with and tucked in for the night.

The photo above is AI generated by Terry as we took no photos at all that day. Hope you enjoy it anyway!

Slow Start

September 30, 2026

One of the best parts of retirement is being able to sleep in on Mondays. And on Day 4 of our current trip, we definitely took advantage of that!

The winery we were staying at was closed. There were no other businesses around as it was out in the country. So, we took our time getting back on the road.

Terry made his pot of coffee and read while I wrote and relaxed.

We finally decided we would head into Lincoln for a late lunch at Don & Millies. I enjoyed a grilled chicken club with onion rings while Terry wolfed down a footlong chili cheese dog with fries.

As we drove through downtown, we caught sight of the capital building which didn’t look like any other state capital we’d ever seen. So I googled it, of course.

The unique Nebraska State Capitol building is 400 ft tall and is topped with a 19 ft bronze statue of “The Sower” which sits upon a 12.5 ft pedestal that is decorated with shocks of wheat and corn. The statue is of a barefoot man with rolled up pantlegs and shirt sleeves, scattering grain with his hand in honor of Nebraska’s agricultural heritage and the hopeful spirit of its people. How beautiful is that!

Not far west of the city we arrived at our home for the next few days, the KOA near Seward. The remnants of Hurricane Polo were headed our way, and we decided to stay put while the heavy rain came through.

We took a walk and enjoyed a stunning sunset. And then realized our electric hookup had stopped working. And the Wi-Fi wasn’t working. But it was after office hours, so we let it go until the next day.

We were thankful we had a safe place to get off the road and rest.

Psalm 136:1, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”

Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

What are you thankful for today? Have you told Him about it?