I loved and I love Western films, those with cowboys.
As a child what I loved most was going to the movies, not toys.
With guides like John Wayne I visited every State
[from East to West.
Among the westerns, I fell in love successively with
[Kim Novak and Mae West.
Due to the hundreds of western movies I consumed,
[my mind became confused.
Over time this confusion grew, I was not amused.
The present and the time of the Wild West are mixed
[in my mind as a cocktail
A shuffle that nothing could curtail.
So when my sister Ann took a tour of the Western States,
I was sending her my thoughts,
[''beware of dangers please send me continuous updates...''
Her group was somehow retracing the route
[of the daring riders of the Pony Express
and I warned her that in Missouri there was a mess
as the Βattle of St. Louis (Battle of Fort San Carlos)
[was in progress,
and also if the 18th Kansas Volunteer Calvary would attack
[was anyone's guess.
''Do not go to Colorado'', (I wrote to her before departing
[from Chicago),
''because it is not certain if it was signed,
[the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo''.
Ann in her e-mail wrote
"hereinafter I will keep turned off my iPad
because your're crazy, mom was right as was dad...
A Rap Opera or Hip Hopera
Story Script scene-by-scene
____________________________________________ by Odysseus Heavilayias
Story Script scene-by-scene
____________________________________________ by Odysseus Heavilayias
Language adjustments and text adaptation Kellene G Safis
Digital adaptation and text editing Cathy Rapakoulia Mataraga
____________________________________________________
The Ann's Diary: ''Tour in the West''
Chicago Sept 12, 2015
- First stop was in Normal, IL at 10:05. Cute town, they had a festival going on. The charging station was in a parking garage; we walked around the festival and found a coffee shop to get some java.
- Second stop was in Springfield, IL around noon. Ran into a salesman from the Tesla shop on Grand that George knows. We had a few snacks and used the restroom in the sports store where the charging station was.
- At 4:00 we stopped in Columbia, Mo. We had an early sandwich at Jimmy John’s; the charger was in a Holiday Inn but not much else around it.
- Stopped in Independence, Mo to charge up. Took George in his Bass Pro Shop, he enjoyed it and bought something.
- Stopped in Topeka, Kansas for a quick charge, saw our first deer. Likely the first of many animal sightings. George was able to find the MSU game on Slingbox as we drove towards Salina.
- Pulled into Salina, Kansas at 10:00, we stayed at the Holiday Inn with a charger. Nice hotel and we were able to watch the end of the MSU versus Oregon – MSU wins!
Sunday Sept. 13:
-Stopped around 9:15 in Hays, Kansas. Landscape was pretty, rolling hills with cows, windmills and oil drilling. Saw sorghum – or at least that is what Google says is the crop I did not recognize. We also started to see fields of sunflowers.
- Stopped at noon in Goodland to charge and had lunch at Steak and Shake. Another first for George. We both got grilled chicken sandwiches – George was unfortunately not impressed. The landscape between Hays and Goodland was flat, just crops and cows.
- Crossed into Colorado, still cows but a few more rolling hills. Stopped in Limone – George changed into shorts.
- Saw our first antelope, which we later will learn are actually pronghorns about 30 miles outside of Denver – small herd.
- Stopped in Denver around 2:30. We can see the mountains in the distance – it’s hot and hazy, 91 degrees.
- Short stop in Silverthorne to charge, the charger is in a cute shopping area. We found a bathroom and a chocolate shop, both were good. We are now 30 miles from our hotel.
- Very nice drive to our hotel, Vail is everything we expected it to be. The hotel is great, very nice at check in and the room is huge. We have a fireplace, balcony, walk in closet and a bathroom that is not only huge but has a heated floor. After getting checked in we headed out and checked out the town. Lots of pedestrian streets, George says it is much bigger than he remembered it to be. We went back to the room and changed for dinner – now where to go for dinner. We saw a few of the recommended places; we ended up at Peppi’s which was a nightlife recommendation. George had the German special and I had gnocchi, they had a great singer who was performing out on the deck where we ate. We came back to the hotel, say in the outdoor hot tub and relaxed. It was beautiful during the day and dropped into the 50’s after the sun set. Came back to the room and enjoyed a fresh baked cookie and a bottle of their special water.
Monday, Sept 14:
- We got back around 1:30 and headed to the spa for a soak in the hot tub and a lunch at the spa. Both were great!
- George rested and I headed out to do a little shopping. Found a nice place to get a Vail pull over, I’ve decided I may not have brought enough warm cloths! Also found a great little coffee place that I later took George back to.
- Looks like rain and quite cool, we headed out to have dinner. Ended up at American Standard, specializes in pork dishes. It located on the banks of the creek and we got a nice outdoor table under an awning, which was good as it did end of raining. Actually a very relaxing night, we could hear the creek and the rain on the awning. Back to the hotel to another fresh cookie and water.
Tuesday, Sept 15:
- Woke up to rain, we were on our way by 8:00 am. Steady rain but we could see the mountains.
- Stopped in Glenwood Springs, we didn’t need much of a charge but we needed a break and breakfast at Starbucks. We drove through a pass called Glenwood Canyon, very pretty drive despite the rain.
- Stopped in Grand Junction for a quick charge. Mountains are more like desert; you can imagine an Indian on a horse up on the ledge especially near Mesa. Took George to his first Cabella’s – again he was impressed.
- Stopped in Green River Utah to charge. The charger was in a museum parking lot and there was one restaurant - Tamarisk. We were hungry so decided to give it a try. What a treat, the location was great – it was right on the river, the service good and the food great. We now love Navajo Bread, especially with Honey Butter and homemade jam. We googled Green River and found out it is known for Uranium Mining and it was home to a Missile Arsenal.
- Pulled in to the hotel in Salt Lake City, free night so all is good. (points) We decided to head out to the Great Salt Lake, there was a charger near there so it worked out. Not sure what we expected but it is a very large lake, nothing lives in it except Brine Shrimp (also known as Sea Monkeys) the shrimp draws the birds – we did not see them. We did get a small charge and headed off to Temple Square.
- Temple Square was very interesting. We went inside the Tabernacle, Old Church and the got to see the outside of the very impressive Temple – which you cannot go into. We were impressed with the buildings and tour we got from two volunteer missionaries. We walked over to an impressive mall and split a sandwich at Kneaders Bakery – City Creek Mall was where we were.
Wednesday, Sept 16:
- Stopped in Tremonton, Utah for our first charge of the day. Raining, we waited inside the Hampton Inn for the charge. No walking the grounds today.
- 12:33 on North Bear Lake Boulevard we saw our first snow showers. Due to the cold and mountains we are a bit concerned about the charge in the car, it should be OK but the car is warning us we may not have enough! Stopped just outside of Bear Lake to use the restrooms at a gas station. Bought some great beef jerky – wish I would have bought more.
- Got into Jackson with a break in the rain and 25 miles left on the charge. We got checked into the Lexington Hotel and got the car plugged in. We explored downtown, found the Elk Antler arches in the park – took the obligatory picture under the arch. We had dinner at the Gathering, nice place. George had the Bison ribs and I had Elk Bolognese. I was more impressed with mine than George was with his!
- We came back to the hotel and George watched the debates and I watched the Cubs (two TVs) while doing a load of laundry.
Thursday, Sept 17:
- We left to go to Teton Village, a very pretty drive. We had planned on taking a gondola to the top of the mountain but the clouds were so low we couldn’t see the mountain and it was still raining. We drove around the southern part of Teton National Park. We went to the Elk Refuge; unfortunately they don’t seek refuge until November. We stopped at the Miller House on the Refuge, one of the volunteers talked to us about the area and the history of Jackson. She was very interesting; she and her husband do this as volunteers in their retirement years – sign me up!
- We had booked a wildlife safari for that afternoon. They picked us up at 3:30 in the rain and we were off with high hopes. We were thrilled! We saw what we learned were pronghorns (antelopes to us previously) Elk, a Bull Moose and then a Moose Cow and Calf. We got caught on the other side of the Cow and Calf when they came up the hill out of the marsh they were in – for about 30 minutes. During that time the Elk came out just below the tree line and were bellowing – it was magical. We stayed in that night and ate snacks – to tired and wet to go out.
Friday, Sept. 18:
- We left the Lexington around 10:30 and headed towards West Yellowstone. We went up through the Grand Tetons into southern Yellowstone.
- We saw some beautiful sights. Lake Jackson was gorgeous, then on to Yellowstone. We stopped at took pictures at the entrance sign and stopped again at Lewis Falls. Little did we know that these would be the first of many falls in Yellowstone. We went to the Old Faithful Inn, had a nice buffet lunch there and looked around the historical Inn. There was a “cowboy band” playing on the second floor overlooking the lobby. We walked around the boardwalk and saw quite a few sulfur pools and mini geysers. Our first Bison sightings were near Old Faithful as well. We stayed and watched Old Faithful, she was suppose to go 10 minutes before or after 4:09 – she showed us her beauty at 4:15. We left for the cottage; all along the route we saw Bison and Elk. We had Bison cross the road in front of us and crawled along the road at one point following two Bison walking in our lane. Our first “Bison Back Up”. We saw at least 100 Bison during this short trip.
- We got to the cottage around 6:00; we found the hook up for the car and unpacked. Nice cottage, on the main road but just outside of town. A good location for our “home base” for the next three days. We made the decision to sleep on the sofa couch; closer to the bathroom and there was a TV. The bedroom upstairs was nice but missing both of these necessities.
- We walked into town and had pizza, pretty good considering we were told the town was not known for its food. We stopped at the grocery store on our way home to get a few groceries for a picnic tomorrow in Yellowstone.
Saturday, Sept 19:
- We traveled north to Mammoth Hot Springs, very pretty but not as much water as we had seen in the pictures. It looked like stone falls with some hot water running over them, but because of the color of the rock and the microorganisms in the water, many different rust colors. It’s a pretty little town within the park with a hotel and private homes. We stopped at a little store and I picked up some Huckleberry Jam to take home with us. The grass around the hotel and homes was so green and lush that the Elk were grazing on it. They were not at all concerned with the people.
- Next stop were the Tower Falls, very pretty and quite large.
- Lunch was a picnic complete with Merlot and overlooking a beautiful canyon. There were herds of Bison across from us; a very peaceful setting. Lunch was cheese, crackers, apples and nuts. A perfect lunch.
- We headed south towards Canyon, the second most popular place in Yellowstone. I do not have any memory of this when I was here as a teenager. The upper and lower falls were beautiful. I hiked down to the point where you were even with the upper falls, just breath taking and unfortunately the pictures do not do it justice.
- We arrived back at the cottage at 6:15. We bought a few more groceries to have another picnic tomorrow. Dinner was interesting. We ate in a stagecoach (poorly made) at Buckaroo Bills. George had a steak and I had a beef brisket sandwich.
Sunday, Sept. 20:
- We saw on the map a small road called Firehole Canyon Drive so we took it. We stopped along a pretty stream with a rock wall behind it and took some very nice pictures. We traveled on and the stream became a small river, we stopped at Firehole Falls. This was a charming 2 mile detour.
- Our next stop was Lower Geyser Basin; well know for the Fountain Paint Pots. Mud pots that boil and gurgle 24 hours a day.
- We drove down Firehole Lake Drive where we caught just the end of a large geyser erupting, it was Great Fountain Geyser. There were at least 10 other active small geysers and hot pools of beautiful colored water in this area.
- Off to the Midway Geyser Basin where we saw the Grand Prismatic Spring – we had seen a picture of it in our guide book. While it was hard to take in the full beauty of the large pool with colored rings rimming it – it was beautiful. We were also treated to 5 bison running across the hot springs. We think they were running because of the hot water, but they might have just been running.
- We bypassed Old Faithful and headed to the West Thumb Geyser Basin. The Abyss Pool is here, its crystal blue and 53 feet deep. It looks so peaceful and so inviting but would kill you very quickly with its boiling water.
- We had a picnic lunch on the way to Bridge Bay, pulled off and had lunch along Yellowstone Lake. Lunch today was very similar to yesterday but we added salami, new cheese and 7 grain bread today. It was a bit chilly by the Lake but after moving to the sun it was delightful. We also stopped at a geyser basin right along the lake, very cool. The steam vents and pools were right next to the lake and in some cases in the lake, we wondered if this warm water would attract fish or keep them away – we didn’t see any fish.
- We stopped at the Lake Hotel, we had hoped to have dinner there but the timing didn’t work out. We had coffee and admired the hotel and the view. It reminded us both of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. If we return, this would be a great one night stay.
- We went on the Fishing Bridge, which because of the bears you can no longer fish off of. Not much there so we drove on.
- We entered what they call the Hayden Valley, a known place to see many types of wildlife. We stopped at Mud Volcano during our trip through Hayden. It smelled horrible, worse Sulfur smell I can remember. But we were glad we stopped, our favorite here was Dragon’s Mouth Spring. It roared and steam came out of it – all due to the way the water hit the back of the cave.
- We had not seen many Bison or Elk but came to a place where quite a few cars had pulled over. With the help of binoculars were able to see a Grizzly Bear. Maybe that was close enough!
- We returned to our cottage and I stayed in town to do a little tourist shopping for the kids. I got the Nick’s Moose Drool Beer t-shirts and Lauren and Jillian Yellowstone shirts. I picked up a few more jars of Huckleberry Jam for gifts as well. (and here I thought only Yogi and Boo Boo liked Huckleberries)
- We had called and made 7:30 reservations at Madison Crossings, we were not disappointed. Dinner was very good and we had an enjoyable evening. A nice brisk walk home.
Monday, Sept 21:
- We drove the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge. It went right through the mountains with many hairpin turns and stunning vistas. We stopped for lunch in Red Lodge, a cute town that use to thrive as a mining town. I had two blueberry pancakes that were as big as my plate; for once I could not finish my pancakes.
- Our first chare was in Billings, Montana in a parking lot of a hotel. Not much around to occupy 20 minutes.
- We stopped at the Little Bighorn National Park honoring the battle of the same name, Battle of Little Big Horn or as most know it, Custer’s Last Stand. We watched a movie and visited the monument to the 7th Calvary and the Indians. Sad story of Native American Indians being forced into a reservation that we now know as the Black Hills. But after finding gold in the Black Hills we decided we wanted the land back. The Indians lived off the Bison that were dwindling in number and what resulted was the war. It was won by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, but they paid a price when the US government later came with more troops. We also saw our first Prairie Dog area here – such cute little varmints!
- Next stop was in Sheridan, Wyoming for a quick charge and a walk around the town. Along the way we saw lots as in hundreds of Pronghorns, deer, turkey and even a wolf. (although George did not get to see the wolf stalking a small herd of Pronghorns) We had seen only one Bison outside of Yellowstone and it was just outside of the park exit. We did see thousands of cows including needing to stop for a cattle crossing complete with cowboys several times. We also decided everyone owned at least one horse; we saw 100’s of horses during our trip as well.
- We spent the night in Buffalo at a Quality Inn short on the Quality part. It was under construction which caused part of the problem. We dinner across the street at Bozeman Steakhouse, we enjoyed dinner.
Tuesday, Sept. 22:
- We stopped in Deadwood upon reaching the Black Hills area. It is a restored “true wild west town” where Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok were made famous. There was not a lot going on, I put $10.00 in a slot machine to donate to the town. We both said it reminded us of Geneva, Wisconsin.
- We drove to Custer and checked in and the Comfort Inn. Nice hotel and our room overlooked the hill behind us with very pretty rock formations. We decided to head over to see Crazy Horse before it got dark, unfortunately just as we pulled into the drive a fog rolled in and we could not see the mountain. We decided that this visit would need to be put off. We headed downtown and after getting a few groceries and a recommendation for the Bugling Bull we headed there for dinner. Always good to ask the locals, it was a nice place and we enjoyed our dinner and a drink.
- The pronghorn sightings continued today, we saw at least 100.
Wednesday, Sept 23:
- We headed to Mt Rushmore, a bit concerned about the fog but we were just fine. It’s changed a lot since I was 14 years old. We did the Presidential walk, really nice views of the mountain and we were treated to a mother and baby mountain goat feeding on leaves along the way. We enjoyed our visit and decided to return later that evening to enjoy the ceremony.
- We drove towards Custer State Park and started our tour of the Park with the Needles Highway, what a stunning drive. We had to go through very small tunnels that had been cut out of the needles. (tall slices of the mountain that resembled needles) We also drove the Wildlife Loop but didn’t see much wildlife. (compared to Yellowstone) We did see a few Pronghorns, quite a few deer and about six Bison. We had heard the Bison were “herded up” for the Bison Round Up that was happening in two days. Unfortunately the herd of 1,200 Bison were in a part of the park we could not see. We did find the Begging Burros – they had been used to carry riders to the top of one of the mountains, but when the ride was discontinued they let the burros go in the park. They are very friendly, and unlike all other wildlife, you are encouraged to stop and feed them. We had several apple and crackers with us so we quickly became a favorite. We stopped at several of the lodges, one which was the summer home of President Coolidge and we got to see the bedroom the president slept in. It was for rent but we didn’t ask how much.
- After enjoying the park we came back to Custer and stopped at the Bugling Bull for a late lunch. We had enjoyed it so much we returned again. I stayed in town and did a bit more shopping and then walked back to the hotel.
- We left about 6:30 to return to Mt Rushmore for the evening lighting ceremony – it was beautiful. It started with a ten minute talk by the ranger, then a movie about Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln – explaining why they were chosen to be on the mountain. They turned the lights on during the signing of the National Anthem then asked all past and active military to join them on the state. They retired the colors (took down the flag and folded it) and asked each military member to state their name and branch of the service. It was very moving and there were many rounds of standing ovations.
Thursday, Sept 24:
- First stop was in Wall at Wall Drug, I had built it up from out stop when I traveled with my family. It was actually much larger and nicer than I remembered it to be. We did not partake in the 5 cent coffee.
- We enjoyed the drive through the Badlands. George agreed that it looked like Mars or the Moon – but nothing he had seen before. We finally got to see the Bighorn Sheep! We also got an up close look at the Prairie Dogs, such an interesting place. We hiked for about 15 minutes but the terrain all looks so familiar, it would be very easy to get lost without good trial markers.
- Stopped in Murdo, South Dakota to charge. There was nothing around the hotel parking lot so we put together what we had left in the cooler and had our last picnic lunch. We ran into the couple from Vermont who were also at the hotel in Custer.
- Next stop was Mitchell to charge, no time for the Corn Palace – mom will be disappointed. We walked across the street to the Chinese Dragon for dinner – it was pretty good for $20.00. The rain is back, it’s sprinkling now.
- I drove for the rest of the night; we stopped for a quick charge in Worthington, MN. We walked over to a Holiday Inn to use the facilities and watch a few minutes of Thursday night football.
- We had a late night; we pulled into Albert Lea around 10:45. We probably over estimated how long we could go in one day with the stops we had planned. We stayed at a decent Best Western.
Friday, Sept 25:
- First stop is Lacrosse, Wisconsin. Before charging we stopped and got a Starbucks. The area is very pretty, hilly (no more mountains) and along the Mississippi River.
- Stopped in Madison for a charge and to have lunch. We ate at Doolittle’s Woodfire Grill. Very good, we were able to eat outside. We were on our way at 1:50 to Chicago – no more stops before we get home.
- Welcome home, our first traffic jam that was not caused by a Bison on his way to greener pastures. We got home around 5:30 and began the task of unpacking. Wonderful trip!
to be continued ...
____________________________________________________________
Editor Odysseus Heavilayias,
Language adjustments and text adaptation Kellene G Safis
Digital adaptation and text editing Cathy Rapakoulia Mataraga
________________________________________
*Ponny express: The Pony Express was a mail service delivering messages, newspapers, mail, and small packages from St. Joseph, Missouri, across the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento, California, by horseback, using a series of relay stations. Officially operating as the Leavenworth and Pike's Peak Express Company of 1859, which in 1860 became the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, this firm was founded by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell all of whom were notable in the freighting business.[1] During its 19 months of operation, it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days.[2] From April 3, 1860 to October 1861, it became the West's most direct means of east–west communication before the telegraph was established and was vital for tying the new state of California with the rest of the United States.
A second simultaneous attack on the American outpost at Cahokia, Illinois was also repulsed. The retreating Indians destroyed crops and took captive civilians outside the protected area. The British failure effectively ended their attempts to gain control of the Mississippi River during the war.
*18th Kansas Volunteer Calvary 18th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Battalion. Organized July 15, 1867. Mustered Out November 15, 1867. (Source: Thirteenth Biennial Report of the Adjutant ...
* the Βattle of St. Louis (Battle of Fort San Carlos)
The Battle of St. Louis (Spanish San Luis, also known as the Battle of Fort San Carlos) was an unsuccessful British-led attack on St. Louis (a French settlement in Spanish Louisiana that had been ceded by France to Spain in 1763) on May 26, 1780, during the Anglo-Spanish War. A force composed primarily of Indians and led by a former British militia commander attacked the settlement. The settlement's defenders, mostly local militia under the command of Lieutenant Governor of Spanish Louisiana Fernando de Leyba, had fortified the town as best they could, and successfully withstood the attack.
A second simultaneous attack on the American outpost at Cahokia, Illinois was also repulsed. The retreating Indians destroyed crops and took captive civilians outside the protected area. The British failure effectively ended their attempts to gain control of the Mississippi River during the war.
*18th Kansas Volunteer Calvary 18th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Battalion. Organized July 15, 1867. Mustered Out November 15, 1867. (Source: Thirteenth Biennial Report of the Adjutant ...
* The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo in Spanish), officially entitled the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits and Settlement between the United States of America and the Mexican Republic, is the peace treaty signed on February 2, 1848, in the Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo (now a neighborhood of Mexico City) between the United States and Mexico that ended the Mexican–American War (1846–48).
With the defeat of its army and the fall of its capital, Mexico entered into negotiations to end the war. The treaty called for the US to pay $15 million to Mexico and to pay off the claims of American citizens against Mexico up to $3.25 million. It gave the United States the Rio Grande as a boundary for Texas, and gave the US ownership of California and a large area comprising roughly half of New Mexico, most of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. Mexicans in those annexed areas had the choice of relocating to within Mexico's new boundaries or receiving American citizenship with full civil rights. Over 90% chose to become US citizens.
The US Senate ratified the treaty by a vote of 38–14. The opponents of this treaty were led by the Whigs, who had opposed the war and rejected Manifest Destiny in general, and rejected this expansion in particular
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