Dick's Perspective (all seven days 2,000 miles)

I thought readers might be interested in my small part of this extended journey, so I'm contributing at this time.  My journey took me from home (Cedar Rapids, Ia.) to Bozeman, Mt.  As a traveling partner, Tom was flexible, generous, knowledgeable, and just plain fun.  He is, at one time, a philosopher, a businessman, a botanist, and a jokester.  Always, he's a raconteur, so much so that any interesting soul we met along the way was immediately incorporated into his traveling odyssey.

Tom's blog is a nifty thing, and because I was part and parcel to his first week, I'd like to give my version of what Tom has already written.  He may choose to incorporate, abridge, or just plain delete, but here's my version:

Day 1 (Sunday, 8/15) – After spending the night at my place we visit the Reitman Gardens in Ames, IA, and are smitten by the attractiveness of the place.  But Tom is most taken with the Quilt and Weaving (or something like that) Show with hundreds of meticulously crafted items.  A picture of my favorite quilt should show up on the blog. 

The only place I suggested we visit was Howard, SD, the hometown of a good friend and the place where his brother owns a B&B.  It was a nice place, but the town was deserted and we were fortunate to find something to eat at the local golf course. 

Day 2 (Monday, 8/16)– We are off now, plowing west on I90 when the van dies.  Tom immediately says, "It feels like we're out of gas."  After several hours, we determine that that was, in a sense, the issue – his gauge is screwed up, and after a few miles, we figured it out.   Increasingly optimistic, we forge on toward a place Tom demands we visit – the Fur Trader Museum in Chatham, NE. 

The Museum is closing as we pull up, so the Director makes a call, and we spend the night at her friend's B&B referenced in Tom's blog.  It was a great, century old place with character, that has housed, among other notables, Dick Cavett (who went out of his way to bring his new bride there a couple months ago.)

Day 3 (Tuesday, 8/17)– After several hours at the (fascinating) museum, 

we take off for Wyoming,

      

Chadron, Nebraska The undiscovered gem. 50,000 yearly visitors and world wide museum patron membership of 3,000. Dick an I joined up and will get the Quarterly publication. The fur trade was the conquering commerce of north american with sovereign nations competing for the wealth to be had. Fortunes were made and Indians became shrewd in dealing with their first exposure to barter and trade

 and spend the night in Gillette.  Tom's appetite subsided to the extent that he doggie bags much of his meal, but gives it to two young waifs we confront at the Visitor's Center. 

Day 4 (Wednesday, 8/18)– We arise and head to the airport for a flight over the myriad coal mines surrounding Gillette. They were very cool, but we were disappointed that Ken (our soon-to-be octogenarian pilot…) couldn't find the herd of 2,000 buffalo he'd sited the day before.  Back on the ground, we head for the foothills of Yellowstone, and lite in the last open hotel in Cody, WY.  Before hitting the hay, we enjoy dinner in the beautiful Irma hotel restaurant (http://www.irmahotel.com/html/hotel.html) and visit with a couple Buffalo Bill impersonators, a guy who worked 40 years in Alaska, a geriatric on a $40,000 three-wheeled motorcycle, and a Russian bartender.  And the food was good, too…

Day 5 (Thursday, 8/19) – Yellowstone welcomes us with its magnificence, but not before a fascinating hegira through the Badlands.  As we approached them, I asked Tom why they were so named – he suggested I just wait until we arrived, and the question would be answered.  It was – this place both amazing and indescribable. 

Dick Meisterling viewing the thermal waters at Yellowstone National Park WY.

I erred in making hotel reservations, assuming we'd stay in Yellowstone, but we wound up in the Tetons. 
 I wish all my mistakes resulted in such a favorable outcome – our place was fantastic, we had a wonderful dinner, met a terrific guy from Jersey at the bar, and awoke to the most beautiful panorama one could imagine. 

Day 6 (Friday, 8/20) – Blog pictures tell it all – Yellowstone is marvelous, and as a first timer, I was simply blown away. The vistas, the wildlife, the geysers…  all too amazing, and equally inspiring.   We work our way to our campsite where we bed down and

Day 7 (Saturday, 8/21) awake to another perfect day. Camping was cool, and after Tom's indescribable camp breakfast, we finish our trip to the Park with a flourish by visiting Canyon Falls – perhaps the most gorgeous of all the Park sites.  We leave, head north, and wind up in Bozeman, MT for dinner at a super place where the bartender sees my logo shirt, and claims they don't serve anyone from Coe College (where I work.)  It turns out that she's a graduate of Coe's rival, Cornell College, 10 miles from my campus.  Small world, though you'd never know it after visiting the endless wonders of Wyoming. 

Day 8 (Sunday, 8/22)  Tom drops me at the airport, where I fly back to the real – or is it, unreal – world.  I had a great week with an equally great guy.  DM

Dick Meisterling