Homer's Travels

The "J" Cometh: Day 5 And 6

2009-07-19T15:43:00.002-05:00

The "J"'s trip has been full of history. Omaha reaks of history. The last full day here was no different.

Day 5 (Saturday) we went on a north Omaha tour. The bus tour took us through north Omaha and Florence. The tour started with the location of the 1898 Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition. The exposition sounds incredible with gleaming white building surrounding a lagoon with gondolas. It was very elaborate and profitable for the area during an economic downturn. Now only the slightest hint remains amongst the rundown homes of one of the poorest areas of the city. The tour ended on the Street of Dreams and a brief history of the vibrant Jazz scene along 24th street.

After the tour we perused the farmers market, walked through the Durham museum, and had lunch at the Upstream. We drove past the mural, to the pedestrian bridge. We watched a bride in full regalia getting her picture taken on the bridge amongst all the Ragbrai riders (Ragbrai started today). We watched a group of party boats tied together, music blaring, filled with drunk, booby baring, party animals, floating down the Missouri under the bridge. It was a perfect July day. "J" brought to good weather with her.

We drove past the Wife's schools before heading home. Later the "J" went to have dinner with Omaha friends while the Wife and I had a quiet evening.

Day 6, today, we went to mass at the cathedral. The Archbishop is retiring this week and his replacement will be Archbishop George Lucas (may the force be with you). We ended "J"'s stay with lunch at Louis M's Burger Lust. The "J" insisted on paying us back for all our hospitality by paying for our lunch ... and getting us four tickets to the Green Day concert at the Qwest Center ... and getting us four tickets for the after party. She is so totally awesomely cool. I'm sure my face was one of disbelief. Thank you "J"!!!

You've been gone for three hours and we already miss you. So does Homer.

The "J" Cometh: Day 3 And 4

2009-07-19T13:59:00.002-05:00

I've been a little slow at posting about the "J"'s visit. Too busy I guess. Now that she's gone I have time to catch up.

Day 3 was a day for the "J" to visit other Omaha friends. She has so many friends here she should just move here. She'd wanted to experience a good thunderstorm while here and nature obliged with a short but quite thundery-lighteningy storm in the morning before she went visiting. The Wife and I spent the day buying and planting plants for our new garden. It will look great once the coral bells, purple parasols, peonies, two colors of cone flowers, and other perennials we bought get established.

Day 4 was filled with an obligatory "J" activity - we went on a roadtrip. This roadtrip took us to the small town of Red Cloud, NE, population 1,000+, childhood home of author Willa Cather. The Wife, before we met, used to take her students on a Saturday field trip to Red Cloud. One of the things she described that peaked my interest was an old Russian schoolhouse northwest of town. The schoolhouse was in some farmer's field reachable by unmaintained dirt roads. I thought it might be a great photographic opportunity.

After a three hour drive we arrived at the restored opera house that is now the headquarters of the Willa Cather Foundation. We paid for our guided city tour and we asked about the location of the Russian schoolhouse. To our dismay and my dissapointment the schoolhouse had been struck by lightening a few years back and had burned to the ground. Poop. I had to settle for a picture the Wife took back in 1997. The Wife and I have searched online for information about this school and there is absolutely nothing. What a loss for history.

The guided town tour took us past historic buildings and we went into the childhood home of Willa Cather, a couple of churches she attended, and the train station. Willa Cather wrote three books about the immigrant struggle on the prairie and all the characters were modeled on Red Cloud residents.

We ate lunch at a local cafe that ended with me spilling my drink on myself. The waitress commented that I was not as bad as three unsupervised five year olds eating spaghetti. I was glad to hear that. After lunch we drove five miles south to the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie. The prairie is 608 acres of virgin prairie never touched by the plow. The land, purchased by the Willa Cather Foundation and the Nature Conservancy, is being returned to it's pre-1900 conditions before farming and over grazing. Standing out there you could feel what it was like to be a new immigrant, looking out over the land, wondering how you would turn this land into your future. Many didn't. Some pictures of the town and buildings are here.

Day 5 will be more history. Can anyone ever have too much history?

The "J" Cometh: Day 2

2009-07-15T18:56:00.002-05:00

Day 2 was a slow start followed by a trip to downtown Omaha. We first met one of the "J"s Omaha friends at M's Pub for lunch. We'd never eaten here before and the food was mighty tasty.

After lunch we wandered around the old market before heading to Heartland of America park to see the fountain. Unfortunately the fountain wasn't fountaining.

We dropped the "J" off at her friends work place (She will have dinner with them tonight) and the Wife and I returned home for a leisurely evening of television.

Day 3 the "J" will spend with another Omaha friend so the Wife and I will be going plant hunting so we can fill in the holes in our new backyard garden.

The "J" Cometh: Day 0 And 1

2009-07-14T21:07:00.001-05:00

One of our bestest friends in the whole wide world, the "J", arrived Monday for a week long visit. Monday, Day 0, was occupied with catching up and boy, can the Wife and the "J" catch up. Of course I held my own at times.

Day 1, Tuesday, we left the state and went over the river to Iowa. After a lunch at the Duncan Diner, we visited the weirdly fascinating Squirrel Cage Jail (Our third time this year). The "J" was fascinated by it and enjoyed being locked up in solitary.

Next we went to the General Dodge House. Gen. Dodge, one of the youngest civil war generals, was instrumental in completing the intercontinental railroad and consulted on railroad projects in France, Mexico, Cuba, and Russia (The Trans-Siberian Railway). The place is pretty impressive and reeks of wealth.

The last stop of the day was the "Black Angel". The angel, carved by Daniel Chester French, the same guy who carved the statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial, was based on a dream that Gen. Dodge's wife, Ruth Anne had. Supernatural events have been attributed to the statue. While it took us a while to find it, nothing supernatural happened to us.

Tomorrow, downtown Omaha and the Old market.

One More Thing Checked Off The List

2009-07-12T16:11:00.001-05:00

We've been to the roller derby three times. The first time everything was new (Roller Derby: √ ). The second time we had friends with us and we saw one of the candidates for Mayor of Omaha. Since I really never have seen a political candidate, even a losing one, live in person, it was another first for me (Mayoral Candidate: √ ). Our third roller derby outing also had a first.

First of all, the Omaha Roller Girls (O.R.G.) were winning, something we'd never experienced. They really whipped the No Coast Derby Girls from Lincoln. (100-something to 61). But that win was not my only first that night. Near the end of the bout, before the start of a jam, the head ref, Ellen DeGenerate, approached the O.R.G.'s jammer, Ima Firestarter (#5'3"), got down on one knee, and proposed there on the spot. I couldn't see from vantage point but I think a ring was exchanged. My first Public Lesbian Marriage Proposal. I'm guessing there will be a trip to Iowa in their future.

√ So, what's next on the list?

Happy Anniversary To ... US!!!

2009-07-11T09:36:00.000-05:00

We've been pretty hit and miss when it comes to spending our wedding anniversary together. The Wife is usually at some workshop or seminar working on her professional development. This year she returns home on our anniversary (today) and we will celebrate by going to the roller derby (How else woulds you celebrate your 12th?).

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY To ... US!!!

The coming week should be fun too as the "J" is coming to visit.

Book: James P. Othmer's "The Futurist"

2009-07-08T18:58:00.001-05:00

This is a hard book to pin down. Did I like it? Did I not like it? Not really sure. James P. Othmer has written a book full of cynicism and commentary. That book is "The Futurist".

Othmer's main character is a futurist named Yates. The book starts with Yates preparing to give a speech to a conference. After emptying the mini-bar and having a long heart-to-heart with a charming South African prostitute, he gets up on stage and denounces his profession. He outs futurists as totally ignorant about what the future holds, that the futurist goal was to make money by telling people want they wanted to hear, and that he was founding the Coalition of the Clueless.

Leaving the conference, Yates is convinced that his career is over. He is introduced by an acquaintance to representatives of a secretive organization that Yates mistakes for a government organization. Thinking he had no options, he accepts their lucrative and seemingly benign offer to work for them. To Yates' surprise, his career doesn't crash and burn, demand for his honest point of view skyrockets, and the benign offer of the secretive organization is nothing of the sort.

The organization is a capitalist organization who wants to use Yates to sell their ideas to investors and to maximize their profits. After deciding at the conference not to sell out any longer, Yates had stumbled into the ultimate sell out. When he tries to get out, they frame him for terrorism and blackmail him.

The rest of the book tells of Yates' attempt to redeem himself, hide from his deal with the devil, and self exploration. He rescues the South African prostitute, he runs to a tropical island, but in the end he returns to confront his bad decision.

Making a deal with the organization, he sells what remains of his soul for one last task, a task that nearly kills him.

The last chapter, a mere three pages, is a series of one liners about what happens, or maybe does not happen, to Yates afterwards. While a hasty ending often leaves me wanting, there wasn't anywhere else to go with the story and a quick, concise ending had the right feel and worked for me.

So, did I like it? Yes. No. Maybe. Probably yes, I guess. I think what I liked about it was the artistic, expert use of cynicism throughout the book. I can be a cynic at times and Yates is the epitome of cynicism.

I guess I liked it. Somewhat recommended.

The Morning After

2009-07-05T08:34:00.001-05:00

The fourth ended in the whistles, rumbles, bangs, and booms of our independence. From my deck the eastern horizon was lit up with myriad bombs bursting in air. The festivities seemed never ending, continuing well past the witching hour. I was lulled to sleep by the rumbles of fireworks exploding and Homer snoring.

But my sleep was short lived as the Wife's Emilie Dickinson adventure began early with a trip to the airport. The gloomy clouds that dominated the day before were gone, replaced with a morning of blue skies and misty haze, punctuated by the silence of celebration's ended.

We kissed our goodbyes and I returned to what now feels like an empty shell of a home. Two hours and I already miss her.

Happy Fourth Of July!

2009-07-04T10:38:00.003-05:00

Happy independence day to everyone!

Memorial Park Concert Fireworks
by Homer-Dog

2009 Vacation - Epilogue And Lessons Learned

2009-07-03T10:37:00.001-05:00

Our 2009 vacation turned out to be a mixed bag of good, bad, ordinary, extraordinary, cheesy, and cool. The first half, except for our day at Little Bighorn, was dominated by drizzly, gray, rainy days that, at least to me, sucked some of the excitement out of being on the road. What saved the vacation for me was Arches and Moab, UT. Arriving at Moab marked the return of sun, warmth, and new places to visit. Moab, for me, saved the vacation though the stuff we did and saw in western Nebraska comes in a close second.

So, my favorite stop was Moab and my favorite activity was the jet boat ride on the Colorado River. The boat ride was comfortable, relaxing, full of incredible vistas, and calmed me down. By far the most relaxed and most content I felt on the vacation. The Chocolate Mousse Pie we had in Moab helped quite a bit too.

My biggest disappointment was Yellowstone. Not sure what it is about that place. I've been there twice and both times, good weather and bad, crowded and not so much, the park has left me empty. Despite the incredible volcanic features, gorgeous waterfalls, and the wildlife, it left me weary and wanting. I wonder what it is.

So, lessons learned, there are several.

Until I figure out what I'm doing wrong, stay away from Yellowstone.
Having a laptop with us helped. We were able to look up information about where we were/were going and it was nice to get directions. It was nice to upload pictures on the road to see if they'd come out.
Having said this, having a laptop doesn't mean you should Blog. I was a lot more tired at the end of the day than I expected I'd be and adding the burden of blogging kind of stressed me out. I would have rather sit with the Wife and talk about the day instead of what actually happened - The Wife watched TV while I slaved over the lasted post.
Peru, ruined me. This vacation, a substitute for a Thai/Cambodia vacation we'd wanted to go on, seemed so ... pedestrian, mundane, bland. Oh, there were many things I liked about it and I really did enjoy myself but the idea of exotic Thailand was lurking in the back of my thoughts. Don't get me wrong, the Corn Palace was fascinating but it's no Angkor Wat.
I like driving - not really a lesson learned as I already knew this, but this vacation reaffirmed it. Driving through the green, rolling, sand hills of Nebraska was a treat.

I'm sure there were more lessons learned and quite a few that I should have learned but was clueless. For those who missed them, here is a link to all the pictures.

And The Geopicty Goes To ...

2009-07-01T18:13:00.001-05:00

To all those who took the time to vote for my pictures in the Nebraska Geopicting contest, I would like to say Thank You for making me the second quarter contest WINNER!

I haven't been officially notified yet. The Wife went to vote and noticed that all my pictures had been removed from the voting page. When I investigated I found the contest winner link.

I think that this may be the first contest, not involving random drawings, I've ever one. The prize is $250 paid as either a gift card to a local camera store, a gift card to Cabellas (an outdoors store similar to REI), 250 lottery scratchers, or a digital picture frame. The four quarterly winners are then eligible for a drawing for a laptop (valued at $1,000) - a 1 in 4 chance ain't bad.

So Cool!!!

Backyard Renovations

2009-07-01T14:54:00.001-05:00

Some of you may have heard that we were having some work done in the backyard. I mentioned it here a few days ago. The landscaper finally showed up two days late. Bad weather the week before had delayed the start of our project. Bad/unpredictable weather seems to be the norm here in Nebraska. Spices up life a bit.

The work we had done was along the back fence. As you can see in the before picture (Click on the pictures to see bigger versions), the yard was rather bland. We had two trees a a small garden area being held together by rotting railroad ties and a prayer (That's Mary standing in the garden). What is not so apparent from this picture is the slope of the yard. There is a 4 1/2 foot drop from the top of the garden's back wall and the bottom of the back fence. This makes mowing along the back fence a real chore and the Wife and the GodSon (who house sat for us while we were on vacation) can attest to it. After mowing it a couple times, the Wife passed the backyard mowing chore to me. It's a real bear. Or, should I say, it was.

Backyard Before

The landscapers came in and over four days ripped out sod on the slope between the garden area and the evergreen tree on the right. They hauled in dirt to built up and flatten out the slope. Shrubs and short trees were planted along the back and the area was graveled. The garden area was enlarged and the railroad ties were replaced with a block wall.

Backyard After

The after photo shows the results. It came out pretty good. The five trees along the fence in the center are Purple Smoke Bushes. Don't ask me what the rest are. The Wife picked out most of it and she has told me several times but plant names don't stick in my head. She did a good job picking stuff out. If you want to know what it all is, leave a comment and I will ask the Wife. I do know there is a lilac in there somewhere (I think it's behind the evergreen). The garden was left un-planted and will be filled in by the Wife once she returns from the Emily Dickinson Workshop she's heading to next week. I think I'll plant something in the little area around the evergreen.

I can't wait to see how the plantings mature. The trees will grow and block the little street noise we get from the road out back. We have a lot of color from the different foliage. I also can't wait to mow the backyard now. It will be much easier, especially on those hot 100+ summer days.

Our landscapers did an good job but there were some issues as there are with all contractors. He was terrible with being anyplace on time. He wasn't good at communicating. He and his crew would leave each day without saying a thing to us. It's like, "Are they gone?!?" He was supposed to stop by yesterday for the balance of his payment and he never showed. Didn't even call. I guess I can't complain since we owe him and not the other way around.

Elevated Heart Rate

2009-06-29T18:46:00.001-05:00

I'm riding my bike on the Big Papio trail, wondering if my heart rate was elevated.

I approached one of the underpasses where the trail passes under the busy street.

This particular underpass was curved so you really couldn't see up ahead.

I zipped down the grade, staying on the right side of the trail in case someone was coming the other way, pedaling hard so that I could make it up the hill on the other side.

I reach the curve, look ahead, and see a lawn mower coming at me in the middle of the trail.

I ain't talking about a wimpy push mower.

I'm talking an industrial size, as-wide-as-the-trail cutting swath of doom, riding lawn mower.

I'm sure my face turned into a mask of abject panic as I put a death grip on my rear brake lever.

My rear tire skidded, the rear end of the bike wagged around like a crazed fish, and, to my relief and amazement, I managed to stay on two wheels.

The mower dude pulled over out of my way and we passed each other with a wave.

An uneventful end to a potentially disastrous event.

Yes, my heart rate was elevated.

Music: Grand Funk Railroad, The Guess Who, And Night Wing

2009-06-27T15:41:00.002-05:00

Thursday I saw an advertisement for a free concert at Memorial Park on Friday evening. After I overcame the surprise of not having heard of this before hand I decided to check it out.

Unlike the other two free events I've attended at memorial park (Feist and Gomez), this one was crowded when I arrived twenty minutes before the start of the show. I think there were a few reasons for this: school is out, the weather was cooperating, and the acts were known by most people over 40.

The day was pretty hot but not nearly as bad as earlier this week. The place was crowded and it took me a while to find a spot near the stage that had a somewhat unobstructed view. The crowd was a sea of Harley Davidson paraphernalia wearing, tie dyed, concert shirt, tattoo revealing, 50-somethings with a healthy mix of other age groups. Beach balls were flying and, as the sun went down, the crowd became a star field of glowing chem lights thanks to the free 'glow necklaces' that were given out. The sun going down also brought relief from the heat but this wasn't until th end of the second act. I was prepared this time with food, water, a hat, and sunglasses.

The fun started with a first act that, like most free events I've been to, was a local artist. Night Wing is the local Offutt Air Force Base country/rock cover band. They started with an impressive rendition of the National Anthem, performed by Technical Sergeant Lara Murdzia accompanied by a solo guitar. Night Wing did a half hour of typical cover songs which bordered on the mediocre with the exception of TS Murdzia who has a great singing voice. The fact the whole band was in Air Force coveralls seemed a little strange.

After a very short intermission the Guess Who took the stage. Actually I would rename them 40% Guess Who as only two of the five members are from the original Guess Who. This is actually saying a lot as the Guess Who formed in 1962 and, having been in the band for 47 years, the old farts still rocked. They were pretty good and they matched their old 60s-70s sound pretty faithfully. The crowd obviously enjoyed the band as I did. There were a few in the crowd who looked like that had 'prepared' themselves for this dip back into the 60s. This kept the police busy patrolling the crowd.

The third act was Grand Funk Railroad. (Back in 2008 I almost paid to see them at the Chumash Casino. This time waiting paid off) Like the Guess Who, only 40% of the members were original 1968 band members. Didn't bother me much as they rocked. They did a lot more stuff that I'd never heard before which caught me by surprise. I'm not a Grand Funk expert but I expect more of the greatest hit list. It was kind of refreshing to have a mix of electric blues mixed in with the more known songs like "Locomotion" and "We're An American Band". Because of this mix, I was once again surprised to find out that I knew more of the Guess Who songs than I did Grand Funk songs. I went in expecting the opposite.

Two songs in the drummer, one of the originals from 1968 did a hard core drum solo. He then went on to sing a couple of the songs and play the drums for the entire show. I wish I have his endurance when I'm this age.

At one point during "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)", the mike cut out and after a brief audience disorientation, the crowd picked up where Max Carl left off. When the mike came back on the crowd and Max were right in sync. It helps to have old fans who know all the lyrics.

After the last song a barrage of fireworks was shot off, an early July Fourth celebration. I have to say that Omaha knows how to do fireworks shows. At one point I had to squint because the explosions over the stage were so bright. It rivaled the new years eve show last year.

There was singer on stage that was not in any of the bands but performed with all of them. Actually, she was on the stage for over four hours. She was the signer. Yep, she not only signed the master of ceremonies, she signed all the song lyrics for the entire concert. I can't remember ever seeing this before.

A great concert. It always helps if you are familiar with the acts. Can't wait for the next free concert. Pictures of this one can be found here.

Vote For Me! Vote For Me!

2009-06-24T15:05:00.002-05:00

Voting for the Boston.com May contest is open. You can vote here. Please vote for my picture. The one I submitted is this one. Thanks in advance

Voting ends Monday the 29th of June.

Friendships, I have Neglected You

2009-06-23T21:32:00.002-05:00

It's been almost five months since I signed up for Facebook. I figured that the only 'friends' I would have would be blogger friends and some of the younger members of the Wife's family. What was unexpected to me were the high school classmates that I hadn't heard from for almost 28 years. More unexpected was the conflicted feeling this brought.

Thinking about it a bit, I shouldn't really be surprised with the conflict I felt. My history of staying in contact with schoolmates, dorm mates, and co-workers has been rocky, all the fault of myself. You see, I'm not a very good friend when it comes to separation. As soon as a friend has left, no matter how close I was to that friend, I almost hostilely push them out of my mind.

The first time I can remember, but I'm sure there were other instances earlier, was a friend in grade school in Guatemala. I'll use his initials, PH. We were pretty good friends. I would say we were pretty close. But, like most of my early friends in Guatemala, he moved away when his parents were reassigned. A few years later his dad came back to Guatemala, for business and PH came with him. When he showed up at school, what did I do? I pretty much gave him the cold shoulder and hardly acknowledge his existence. I remember him walking away muttering something in the F.U. vein which I deserved in spades.

When I left for college my friends and I scattered all over the U.S.A. I had the addresses of many and for the first semester or so I wrote letters furiously in what I though was an attempt to stay in contact but in fact I was hard core homesick and the letters I would receive back calmed my fears somewhat. Over time I'm sure most of my ex-classmates got fed up with the barrage of letters I was sending and the replies became fewer and more rare. I became stubborn. I would not write if they didn't write first. By the end of my first year, I can't remember for sure when, the letter writing faded into non-existence. I was bitter and self-righteous.

In college I made new friends. Some were older than me and graduated a year or two ahead of me. When one returned a few years later talking about his amazing job working with computers and stuff, I gave him the minimum attention I had. I bet he wondered what the hell was my problem. I kind of felt a little guilty - I should have felt a lot guilty - but I haven't kept in touch with anyone from collage except for one.

My best friend from college, BP, graduated the same year that I did. We went our separate ways but, through a little effort on both our parts, we were able to maintain a tenuous link through e-mail. We never talked enough though. He went to Taiwan, taught English, and met his wife there. He attended my wedding. Last I heard he lived in Minneapolis with his Wife and son. His last e-mail was March 2002. I never responded.

I started working for the Navy back in 1987. From 1987 to 2003 I was in the same group of great guys. We worked together, got each other's jokes, and fought like banshees together. We were damn close. In 2003 forces beyond our control broke up our group and we were dispersed throughout the warfare center. I use the term dispersed but in fact we were not that far apart - five minute walk across the parking lot at most. We did get together for lunch a couple of times but even that kind of died out. My new job kept me busy and I never seemed to have the time to visit. That of course is just a lame excuse I told myself. I discovered at my retirement party that one of my friends thought I didn't what to socialize with them. Looking back, I understand why he had that impression. I didn't try so why should he?

Then I joined Facebook. When I got the first friend invitation from a high school classmate my first reaction was Wow! My second reaction was oh sh!t. Why this second reaction? No idea. It's like I'm afraid of old friendships. We've exchanged a few e-mails but I know my replies have been a little curt. (Sorry R.P.) I want to know what they're up to without being committed. That's not friendship, that's voyeurism.

My longest friendships have been internet friendships. Friendships that never existed in the real world. It seems that if I have no reality to miss, I can maintain the friendship. Weird huh? That, of course, could be the great thing about Facebook, at least for me. I can 'convert' all my old friendships into into internet friendships and maybe then I can keep it going. Who knows, maybe I can go back the other way once I ween myself from my crappy behavior.

My most enduring, non-familial, on again off again, friendship was with a girl that I'll call Janice (not her real name but we called her that because she looked like another girl named Janice - weird, I don't remember much about the original Janice). She was a year or two behind me in high school. I remember her sitting in empty classrooms between periods reading in a corner or by a window. The most I ever said to her was "Hi Janice" when we walked into the room. On my last day of high school she stepped out of her classroom and handed me a scrap of paper. It had her address on it. When I got to college I wrote to her. I guess you could call our penpal friendship sort of an early blogging. The correspondence started and stopped several times. Sometimes started by me, sometimes by Janice. It lasted through my college years. It lasted briefly in the 90s (I think it was the 90s, not sure). It was never really ended. It would just fade and would start up again when we were ready to talk. Janice is now on Facebook and once again, we are reconnected. I guess it lasted so long because of the internet-like nature of our communication.

So, after reading this ungodly diatribe, I hope any of you readers who have been my friend in the past find it in your heart to forgive me. I sometimes treated you wrong and I am truly sorry. I do want to be your friend. I just need to get over myself and be the friend you deserve.

News of Landscapers, Heat, And High Blood Sugar - None Of It That Great

2009-06-22T14:13:00.002-05:00

Today our landscaper was supposed to start work on the back slope of out backyard. The slope is a killer with respect to mowing. It looks so deceptive until you get out there and push the mower up the hill - having done it a few times I now understand the trials of Sisyphus. With the help of our landscaper, the evil slope of doom will be transformed into a garden area devoid of grass and the need for mowing.

Having said this, the landscaper didn't show today. The rain last week has slowed him down and he has postponed the start for a day or two. Or maybe he's recovering from the cruise to Alaska he just got back from. The delay was probably a good thing at the heat index is around 109°F (that's 42.8°C for you Canadian readers). The last thing we need is landscapers dropping like flies in our backyard from heat stroke.

I did manage to get out on my Bike this morning when the heat index was a more manageable 80°F. The humidity, in the 90% range, was pretty oppressive but once you got going it the wind made it more tolerable. I'll be going out to walk Homer later this evening (after 8:30 PM) if the temp/heat index goes down. May not happen though. Poor Homer just doesn't get around like he used to and wearing a fur coat doesn't help in this heat.

For those who may be wondering, why is this fool exercising on such a hot day. Well, my last blood test showed elevated triglycerides (They've been high for a while and I'm on medication), high cholesterol (higher than it's been which is above normal), and, the more recent development, high blood sugar levels (134.1 mg/dL - should be between 70 and 99). I've been restricting my diet, watching what I eat, and, being back from vacation, I am attempting to be more active, hence the bicycling and walking. I re-test in September and we'll see if all this effort pays off. Odds are my efforts will bear little fruit and I'll probably go on some medication. Yippee.

Updated Heat Index: At 4:40PM the heat index was 128°F (53.2°C)

2009 Vacation - Days 11 & 12: Panhandling In The Sand Hills

2009-06-21T13:51:00.001-05:00

The night before it stormed in Scottsbluff. I mean hardcore, full blast, rain mixed with hail. In the morning we went out and there were piles of hail on the grass, on the roof of the hotel, and by the windshields of cars. The hood, top, and trunk of my car is now randomly covered in little dents. Damn you weather!!!

Our original plan was to visit a couple places out in the panhandle of Nebraska but as we drove in from Moab we realized it wouldn't be enough to fill the day. Consulting the AAA book we added two more places to the plan.

The first stop was Chimney Rock. Chimney rock acted as a waymark for pioneers traveling across Nebraska heading west on the Mormon, California, and other well traveled trails. Unfortunately we were there around 8:00AM and the visitor's center didn't open until 9:00AM. This means ... no magnet for our collection. Oh well. I did take a couple pictures (The long shot is actually from Scott's Bluff).

Our second destination for the day, one of the two late additions, was Scottsbluff's namesake, Scott's Bluff. The visitor's center there had a slide show (a slide show??? In the year 2009???) that we decided to skip. Most of the history at the center concerns the California and Oregon Trails. A short drive from the visitor's center, through three tunnels, takes you up to the top of the 800 ft tall bluffs. The view from the top is pretty cool and, being spring, there are a lot of wildflowers and cacti blooming. I, of course, took some pictures from up there.

The third destination of the day was the second addition, Fort Robinson. Going into this state park we had few expectations and fewer plans. We get there and start looking at the options. We liked two: a hay ride historical tour of the camp/fort area and a jeep tour of the surrounding bluffs, hills, rivers, lakes, and buffalo herd. This is how our misadventures went down. We walked over to the stable to ask about the hayrides. We were told that the tickets could be purchased at the information booth. By the time we found the information booth we saw the wagon tour ride off in the distance. So we walk back to the stable area to see if we could take a stagecoach ride but the driver was nowhere to be found. We see the jeep tours and think that might be fun so we go back to the information booth to ask about tickets. As we are asking our questions, we watch the jeeps drive off. The next hay rides and jeep tours are in two hours. After whining to ourselves about our piss-poor planning we make hay rides appointment (a minimum of 4 are need and we are the only two signed up - we were save by a couple of hardcore Geocachers who signed up with us).

With two hours to kill, we head inside the officer's quarters building that is now a hotel and restaurant to have lunch - the best, and only, open faced buffalo sandwiches smothered in gravy I've ever had. A quick walk through a nice little history museum and a short scenic drive through the buffalo herd (you know, those little black dots in the distance) and the buttes later and we had a nice horse drawn hay ride through the history of Fort Robinson. The fort has had a long history involving Native Americans (Crazy Horse was killed here), training of calvary remount horses, training of what would become the K-9 corp, a POW camp for Germans (who considered it a resort because of the comfortable conditions they were held in), a USDA beef cattle laboratory, and a state park. The place lost a lot of buildings during the post WWII USDA phase when they started tearing down buildings that they weren't using. Local residents of nearby Crawford raised a stink and the USDA was phased out and the Park and Game commission was phased in. The result is a state park with period lodging, horse back trail riding, jeep tours, river kayaking/tubing, fishing, swimming pools, tennis courts, polo grounds, and a lot of history. The place is a hidden gem. Sorry, no good pictures here.

The fourth destination of the day was Carhenge. While this was a pretty weird place to visit, it was pretty cool too. Along with the Stonehenge replica made from cars that gives the place it's name, there are other pieces of car/metal art spread out throughout the field. My favorite is this metal fish. Pictures can be found here.

Some wise person once said, It's not the destination that matters, it's the journey. The rest of day 11 was part of that journey and was just as important as the destinations. The drive from Carhenge to our stop for the night took us along the scenic Sand Hills Journey byway. (On this day we also traveled parts of the Buttes to Bridges byway and the Gold Rush byway). The Nebraska Sand Hills which dominated the next six hours of our drive are serenely beautiful. The best way to describe the landscape is to imagine a sand dune covered desert landscape. Now cover the sand dunes with green grass. Those are the sand hills. The rolling hills are virtually treeless - the only trees being planted around ranch compounds and a few along the highway. The landscape is dotted with windmills (the old ones, not the wind turbines), cattle, and horses.

Highway 2, which we took, traveled through tiny towns, many unincorporated. The towns were few and far between - 20 to 40 miles apart. Between the towns were dirt roads that took you to the large ranches that graze cattle and horses on the grassy hills. I can't imagine the loneliness and isolation you would endure out on these ranches. Especially when the nearest town may have a population less than 100 people. It would take a very special type of person I'd imagine.

The highway paralleled the railroad. Empty trains headed west followed shortly by coal ladened trains from Wyoming heading east to feed our need for electricity. Crossing the road ahead of us were ... turtles. The Wife counted 11+. Not sure why the turtle crossed the road but there were amazingly few dead turtles on the road. It helps that this road doesn't seem to be traveled much.

We spent our last night on the road in the town of Thedford, NE, population 243. We really thought that we would be staying in a little dive hotel in a hick town but we were pleasantly surprised. Our hotel was a a full feature hotel with internet access and comfortable beds. It was next to the railroad tracks so it was a little noisy but we did see a cool sight - two full length passenger airplanes, wings and tails removed, loaded on a train.

We walked next door to the Stubs restaurant. It looked like a nice restaurant but the service was very slow and the food was mediocre. It took us nearly an hour and a half to eat. Another client who came in right after us was up at the counter telling them that she couldn't wait any longer. I guess we were lucky to actually get out food.

Day 12, our last day on the road, started cloudy and went downhill from there but we didn't care because we were headed home. Our only stop for the day was a short drive through the Nebraska National Forest. When you think of Nebraska you rarely think of forest and for good reason - there are very few. The Nebraska National Forest has one unique distinction - it's the largest human-planted forest in the United States. The forest was planted starting in 1902 to see if a forest could be planted on the great plains. The Bessey Ranger District, the part we drove in, is a mixture of different tree varieties. Several different types of trees are grown to see which ones best adapt to the conditions.

Most of the roads through the forest are unpaved. I'm sure the 31+ miles of scenic back country roads are awesome but the recent rain turned them into a muddy mess so we stayed on the short three mile paved road. I had hoped to climb the fire lookout tower on the high point of the forest to get a panorama shot but it was closed when we were there. We probably could have gotten a ranger to let me up there but frankly I wanted to get home. I will have to go back sometime as there are hiking trails in the 90,000 acre man-made forest that temp me.

The rest of day 12 was spent driving in rain. As we got closer to home the rain intensified. Visibility was limited and cars were going in the ditch. We made it home without incident and the hard rain washed the bugs off the front of the car (I was going to take a picture of the bug gut graveyard on my license plate but they're all gone). I will have one more vacation entry to sum things up later this week.

Tachnical Difficulties

2009-06-20T21:00:00.001-05:00

Some people have been experiencing technical difficulties accessing and/or commenting on Homer's Travels. I think the issue may be the URL (Internet Address) being used to access the site.

The correct URL is HomersTravels.com. Some of you may be using the old URL valevue.blogspot.com.

Please change any links you may have from the old address to the newer, correct URL.

I Interrupt This Vacation To Announce...

2009-06-19T18:12:00.000-05:00

We finally got home today. I will post about the last two days sometime this weekend ... probably. What I do want to ~~brag~~ blog about is that my submission for the May Boston.com photo contest, whose theme was May Flowers, made it in the top 50 (out of 307). I submitted this one:

The voting for the top 10 hasn't started yet but when it does I will post a link.

2009 Vacation - Day 10: A Second Day Of Transition

2009-06-17T21:33:00.001-05:00

Wednesday we left Moab and drove most of the day. The day was pretty uneventful until be turned north off I-80 towards Scottsbluff, NE.

I usually think of Nebraska as being flat but around Scottsbluff the farm land and green pastures are punctuate with buttes, cliffs, and bluffs reminiscent of the Badlands. The mixture of buttes, pine trees, and pastures are not only unexpected but very attractive.

One other thing about Scottsbluff. Something around this town stinks to high heaven. Not sure what it is but it reeks!

Tomorrow we have a day full of nature and history.

Note: I can't believe I actually caught up on my posting.

2009 Vacation - Day 9: 4x4 And Jet Boat - Pictographs And Petroglyphs

2009-06-17T21:19:00.001-05:00

Our second day in the Moab area was tour day. It turned out to be the best day of our vacation so far.

The day started with a 4x4 Jeep tour. Actually it was a 4x4 Ford Excursion tour but that's being picky. Our driver, Dave, was a grizzled ex-cop from the Chicago area. He looked like he could tear you apart if you looked at him wrong. He turned out to be a real fun guy. I was surprised to find out that he was 72 years old. He didn't look a day over 50-ish to me. I hope I look like that when I'm 72.

The tour took us up in the hills to the Gemini Bridges – stone bridges. The road was rough but the scenery was interesting. Dave's descriptions of plant life, mineral deposits, and area history were spot one and interesting.

After the bridges we went to Dead Horse Point State Park. The views from the point were amazing. Multi-color stone cliffs and the winding Colorado River. You'd swear the cliffs were carved.

Next came the Pictographs and Petroglyphs. (Pictographs: Paintings. Petroglyphs: Carvings in stone) The Pictographs are estimated to be 5,000 to 8,000 years old and were drawn my person or persons unknown. Some looked very alien like … just saying.

The petroglyphs are younger – 1,000 ± 500 years old from several known tribes. They are more extensive than the pictographs. The petroglyphs and pictographs were the highlight of the 4x4 tour.

Dave returned us to the tour office in time for a delicious lunch provided by the tour company. After lunch we got on a Jet Boat tour that took us down the Colorado River.

This was by far the most relaxing part of the vacation. This part of the Colorado river is as smooth as glass. The boat took us through red rock canyons lined with Tamarix trees. The tamarix is an invasive species of tree that has been creeping up the Colorado river from California at a rate of about 50 miles per year. The tree is incredibly hardy, resilient, and hard to kill. It also sucks water up at an outrageous rate, increases the humidity around them (which encourages mosquito growth), and squeezes out the native species. The park service has introduced a beetle to kill the tree. Wonder when they'll introduce a bird to eat the beetle that was introduced to kill the tree?

Along the way we stopped to see some petrified trees near the shore and more petroglyphs. Our driver, Rory, would turn off the engine and we would drift as he pointed out different geological features and talked about the many movies and commercials that have been filmed in the area. With the engine off it was so peaceful and serene. I took over 250+ pictures. I sample of those pictures are here.

On the way back the boat was brought up to speed (59 mph max but we hit around 40 mph). The wind felt good and the speed felt energizing. The boat ride was the highlight of the entire vacation so far.

The day was made complete with dinner at the Sunset Grill high on a ridge overlooking Moab. Prime Rib, Chicken, and a slice of Chocolate Mousse Pie to die for (No, not good for my cholesterol and high blood sugar but I'm on vacation).

2009 Vacation - Day 8: Somewhere Under The Arches

2009-06-17T20:46:00.001-05:00

Monday was spent exploring Arches National Park and the town of Moab, UT. Here the odd weather we've been experiencing went to our favor. Normally the temperatures in Moab this time of year are in the 100s. Today the forecasted high was in the upper 80s.

We stopped at the visitor's center to figure out how we should tackle the park. There we saw an awesome guided hike to Fiery Furnace. Unfortunatly the next open slot was Wednesday after we were scheduled to leave. We considered doing the hike in the morning and turning Wednesday into a very long day but then the ranger listed the skills needed – rock hoping, no claustrophobia, no fear of heights, climbing in tight spaces. None of these things scared us really but the ranger then listed the equipment we would need – Good shoes (I had my boots but the Wife didn't) and four quarts of water each (I didn't have my camel back). We realized we were not equipped for this hike. We were both really bummed as it sounded like a magnificent hike. Next time. I swear next time I'll be ready. And there with be a next time.

After watching a movie about the park we started our car tour. We covered all of the park stopping at almost all of the turnouts. We did a group of small hikes – 1, 0.5, 0.5, and 1.8 miles (total of 3.8 miles). It was warm today (better than cold, believe me) and it limited how much we wanted to hike. Despite this the Wife and I climbed rocks all over the place and got up close an personal with several cool stone arches. The last hike, the longest, took us to the Landscape arch, the longest arch in the park at 290 feet and possible the longest in the world. At its thinnest its only six foot thick.

After driving around the park for over five hours we headed into Moab for a late lunch and a short walk down Main street. After a while we had enough, went back to the hotel and took a soak in the hot tub and a swim in the pool. Nice end of the day. Pictures can be found here.

2009 Vacation - Day 7: A Day Of Trasition

2009-06-17T20:24:00.001-05:00

Sunday was a day of transition. We left Yellowstone early and went south through the Tetons. Unfortunately the rain and low clouds completely obscured the mountains.

After stopping for breakfast in Jackson, WY, we tried to find a dry place to continue our vacation. We headed south through wide open ranch land, buttes, and small towns. We passed authentic cowboys herding sheep – I guess that would make them sheepboys but I wouldn't tell that to them. If I were brave I would have stopped and taken a picture. They had that rough, old west, feel to them.

The weather cleared up and we thought we finally had left the rain behind. Then we entered Utah. We stopped at a rest stop to use the facilities when it started to hail. Hail! Only pea sized but hail never the less. After the hail came the torrent of rain. We couldn't see very far ahead. This was by far the heaviest rain we'd seen on this vacation. This might turn out to be the rain's last gasp.

Ten and a half hours after leaving Yellowstone we pulled into Moab, UT. Temperatures were in the 70s – 80s and there was no rain in sight. Finally. Real Vacation Weather.

2009 Vacation - Day 6: Yellowstone By Bus

2009-06-16T20:13:00.001-05:00

Saturday was tour day. We booked an all day bus tour around most of the southern loop road including the majority of the volcanic phenomenon in the park.

The day started out pretty good with somewhat clear skies and sunshine. As we went from one steaming hole to another the clouds began to build but, as our luck had it, it never rained while we were out of the bus walking around. We saw all sorts of hot springs, fumaroles, mud pots, and geysers. It even remained dry while we waited for Old Faithful to blow.

We probably could have seen all of this from our car but it was so nice to be on a bus having someone else do the driving for a change. The bus was old and the driver a little inexperienced with double clutching but the seats were comfortable, the driver answered all questions intelligently, and the tour was pleasurable. We also learned a lot more than we would have if we'd done it by our lonesome. Pictures can be found here.

The tour ended with the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone – both spectacular.

There was less wildlife this trip than on my 1995 roadtrip. Most of the wildlife, the little we saw, was in the distance. The only exception was an Elk near canyon land. I think the difference is the time of the year.

Tomorrow is a long, long driving day – Ten plus hours – to Moab, UT, Canyon Land, and Arches National Monument.