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Saturday, September 29, 2012

First Night!

Well, first night on the yard has passed…

And I had forgotten what graveyard shift was like! But I survived my first.
Going by office this morning and let them know that I can't continue in "the lab", my feet are back to how they were when I left NM…and that just can't happen!
Temperature here is to be in the 80's next few days, so we're shutdown as of 7am, & will be for at least 3 days, so I'm off…but I get paid for half a shift each day - not bad to get paid to be off, huh!
This large area with the plant in background is where all the beets come in to. And in the next 5 weeks it will basically be filled and emptied about 5 times…that's s bunch of beets!

The Frog - Posted from my iPhone

Thursday, September 27, 2012

11 Days & Counting

I just realized that I have been up here in MT parked for 11days & my "room" is still straight! That is rather amazing! I do believe that I am actually finally getting used to my little rolling apartment!

The front end is still pretty well in an organized condition……



And my "bedroom" is still made up each morning without even thinking about it now…



And even though I'm still working out the arrangement if the kitchen & storage areas…



Overall, my 135 sq ft apartment is coming along quite well!!

The Frog - Posted from my iPhone

Raining!

It has been raining lightly off & on all day. Will have to call in at 4pm to see if we work tonite. If the damp is too much, then beets not pulled & we have nothing to do for the evening. But starting tomorrow, I'll still be at the gate from 12a-8a.


It's not much, but it's a guard shack!! LOL

The Frog - Posted from my iPhone

Monday, September 24, 2012

Laundry Time!!

As you can tell from the time, I am up and getting used to staying up all night and sleeping during the day!  I will be officially staying up all night in about 4 days, so it was a good time to start getting in practice for it by staying up til an ungodly hour and doing my laundry!!  And I was in for a very nice surprise......the wifi here at the laundry mat is the best that I have found in town!  Quite fast and very smooth!  A nice change!!

And it has been so long since I used a front loading machine, I am having to relearn how much they can take! I used the "x3" machines, and I now know that I can get away with the "x2" machines. I knew that you could get more into a front loader, but .....
telling me "x3" and showing a little basket does not really tell me just how much it will hold. Now I know that all my whites, and towels and other bleachables will fit in a "x2" machine, so that will save me $2 each week, and the dryers here are in 3 sizes and ALL my clothes will go into one machine!! SWEET!!

And the wash only takes 21 minutes, now I put the dryer for 41 minutes, didn't realize it, so I'll check it at 25 and see how we are doing. I just might get away with doing 2+ weeks of clothes for under $8.50 next time!  :)  Trying to get all my updates done on the iPad while I'm here. And just might go ahead and do the iOS6 update also. It is only 3am here now, so I have several hours before the "day" people start moving around, and I like the peace and quiet here with being the only one here.  Saw three cars on the way over here and one of them was the city policeman. I'm not sure, but I think that they just have 2 cars here for the police department. I've seen a little SUV type and I think that I saw one car.  :)

Sunday, September 23, 2012

A Sunday off!,

I decided that I had 2 days in a row off so I would just watch football all da yesterday (which I did), and today would just be a goof off ay & laundry day! Went by the new laundromat and it was packed, so parked over here by the city library and have almost gotten the iOS6 update done on my phone. I'll go back to the laundry LATE tonite and do clothes……because after today, I'll have no clean clothes if I don't get them done!!! LOL
The RV park is almost full, glad that I got here early, because it is interesting watching some of these folks get into their assigned holes. I was the 4th here and there will be 39 or 40 in the lot by tomorrow evening, I think.
And starting tomorrow, I won't have a day off for at least 4 weeks, probably 5, and if I can figure out a way to stay around and not have to pay $1,000 or more for a spot, I'll probably stick around for the whole "session", which would keep me here until Jan or Feb from the sounds of it.
If you are going to do the iOS6 update, be sure you have a really good Internet connection and lots of power available....so far it has taken me over 5 hours to do the 787mb download! Unbelievable!!
Over the next couple of days I'll try to remember to get some pics of the outside of the plant and the area where I'm working, then of the gate area and the "piling" yard where I will be each nite. The plant was built around 1922, and they have been doing sugar beets here ever since. Can't wait to get a tour of the plant in a couple of weeks.

I don't believe it!!! Te update download just finished, now installing! S time to play with it, soon I hope, and let. You know what it's like!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Sidney, MT

Well I got here yesterday, found my RV parking area, got trlr setup & then went in to get my "application" for employment, did my first orientation video ( have two more to sit thru) so long days start now!!

I figured I would be the little guy in the block here! LOL


But I still love my 'lil mobile Japanese apartment!

And out here they have real sunsets…


Enough for today…I'll check back in tomorrow & let you know how it might be for the next 6+ weeks!

The Frog - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Sidney, MT

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Morning World!

A good night's sleep, a nice cool night & morning, fresh pancakes for breakfast…


Got dressed & had a few more cups of coffee…Bama hammered Razorbacks & Tigers pulled out a win. Aggies won also-welcome to the SEC world! So, it was a good Saturday & today looks to be cool & overcast, so I think I'll drive for a few hours, then stop, get satellite up & running & watch some more football!!

The Frog - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Broadus,United States

Saturday, September 15, 2012

90 mi is a good day! LOL

Made it to the MT Welcome Center outside Broadus, MT. It has cooled down greatly & I decided to spend the nite here in the Center. It is just a few years old, I can remember driving a rig thru here when they were building it. :)

So, the end of a good day … now to see how Auburn did! Night!!


The Frog - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Douglas to Gillette

I got to Gillette yesterday evening about 7pm. You could say I took my time! It has really grown in the past few years! City limits sign now says almost 30,000 - about 40% larger than just several years ago.

I'm definitely outrunning the wireless technology! My connection at the Home Depot even leaves something to be desired.

It is a rather late start for driving, but I watched football today & enjoyed it! Bama did well, I haven't heard about Auburn yet??

I'm headed on up north, going to look for a quiet spot in a few hours for the nite, then get close to Sidney tomorrow - well, closer, anyway. Don't have to be there until Monday afternoon.

Have a good nite and see you tomorrow. :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Gillette, WY

Friday, September 14, 2012

Headed North

Well, broke camp this morning and said good-bye to what is now one of my most favorite spots that I have gone to! Just such a lovely little gorge!

But, my feet are itching, so back on the road I go! Stopped back in Douglas to dump & water up. Wendell told me about the "City Park" here, right on the N Platte River passing thru town and it is a nice spot. Not only do they have an RV dump station, but restrooms with a SHOWER! Sooooo…needless to say, I took care of the trailer's needs and then I took care of me! Was not fancy, but clean & for free, you just don't complain! It is always nice to be able to stand in a shown a shower & not worry about how much water you use!
On my way in on Monday I stopped at the Chamber of Comm here in Douglas and visited their rail car museum. It was really nice. I'll get the pics uploaded in a fee days. But I passed stopping at the Pioneer Museum so could get on out to the park.
We, I just got done ending about 1.5 hours going they the Pioneer Miseum & it is well worth the stop. If you read all the cards and info in it, you could prob spend 2 full days in there!

I shot quite a few pics on my iPad, but in my notes program, so now have to figure out how to save to photos! Never thot about that issue! But anyway, a rely good museum to see!








I'm at the Library here in Douglas & about to head on out to get a few miles in for the day. Have 420 mi to go and will be in Sidney by Monday. It's terrible to be so crunched for time! Heheheheh! ;)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Douglas, WY

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

To be the only RV here!!!

Yesterday (9/11/2012) started out with me & two other rv's here, by this morning, I am the only one here…& you talk about peaceful…this is it!!

My spot yesterday…


And my spot as of last night until tomorrow…



It's a little bit sunnier…but I now have 110v power, thanks to Wendell!

Tomorrow will be my last full day here, are almost full. I'll pull out sometime mid-afternoon to finish making my way to Sidney.

But, until then, I enjoy all the little peaceful places here!


This spot is next to the old Power Plant just up a trail from the campsites. Even with day use visitors here, it stays quiet & cool. It is just a beautiful little grassy "beach" area - two benches & a gorgeous cliff for a view!


I almost hate to put this spot on my blog because it is just so pristine & well maintained that I would hate for "traffic" to increase with folks coming to see it that it would get messed up!!

But 3 nites & 4 days here has done more to relax me & "recharge my batteries" than any place I've been in many years!

The day has been really nice, you can just feel fall trying to steal its way in. It is 65° with just a light breeze. There have been a few passersby today, but mainly just very quiet & calm.


3-4:30pm - Went for my daily walk, on top of the bridge to see the view one more time. Went up from the camp side, then came down on the picnic side…you know, I remember climbing steep grades like that sure seems to have been a lot easier 20+ years ago!

I then decided to walk to the back of the picnic area…that was quite a hike, but worth it. I found the old dam that they built when trying to set up that power/irrigation system.





It looks all wasted & worn & broken down to a degree, but after talking with Wendell, they are still using it for irrigation. Right now it is split being sent down the "creek" side & the canal side.





The creek side is basically not viewable unless you want to crawl/fight thru the overgrowth…I didn't want pics that bad-not much to see there anyway! But I found it interesting that a canal & dam almost a century old is still viable!

And as I made my way back to the rear of the picnic area I realized they had volleyball & horseshoe pits set up.





If you hadn't noticed, I am really impressed with the park! And I will be here for one extra note. Wendell said that since they were not really busy (there have been about 11 vehicles here today & no RV's), if I wanted to spend one more night & leave on Thursday, that was fine with him…that was an unexpected happening & I'm gladly taking him up on the offer. I even get to stay plugged up to power!








Oh, and as a side note, :), I have been trying to figure out a way to use my DeWalt drill to run my stabilizers up & down…so as I was going thru my tools to see what I could figure out, what do I find!?!?!?! A 3/8 adaptor for the drill that I didn't even realize came in one of the DeWalt kits that I had bought!


S I am now set! I have to tighten them with my ratchet, but running them up and down now takes about 3 seconds! And does my back appreciate!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

More about Natural Bridge Prk

9/11/2012

For all travels, this has to be one of the best secrets that I have run into! It borders on being pristine! There also has to be a lot said for "the locals"…they are probably 90% of the users here & I applaud them for taking such good care of this little treasure.

I just spent some time walking up the road coming in, that is where the skeleton of the almost was power & irrigation pumping station is.





There is also the remains of an old bridge that looks like where the original road was coming into the gorge to the plant.


It always amazes me just how well things arête served out in the west. No protection, left totally to the elements, yet you could probably throw a decking on the beams and drive on across!

On the other side of the creek from the campsite is the day use side of the park, which has accommodations for families up to groups as large as 30-50.













But the really fantastic thing of this park is the "bridge", which is a gem!


It is about approximately 30 ft high & 50 ft wide. The LePerle Creek (originally called Bridge Creek"). In 1920 Andrew Clement Ayers gave 15 acres to Converse County, WY for a park to be known as "Ayers Natural Bridge park. In later years Glen Edwards donated 100+ acres to the park.








When you walk up the short and STEEP trail, ;), to the top of the bridge, you are treated to a view of nature's beauty!





And a bird's eye view of my camp spot!

The Park Manager & caretaker of the park is Wendell Manning, for the past 12 years he's held the job, and he's the reason this park is like it is! I've seen him ride around here in a pickup, atv & on his bicycle! He really sees to it that the park is kept up and is always making improvements.


I tip my hat to a man that loves his job and the land he's is keeper of!



By Frog - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday, September 10, 2012

Natural Bridge State Park, WY

I got here about 4:30pm yesterday (9/10/2012)……and this worth the drive to! It is maintained by the county & very well done! There are 8 campsites here, 3 are tent, 1 is tent or RV, & 4 are RV. There is a 3 day limit on stays, but that is because it is free! There are restrooms, no showers, but what a place! It is in a little gorge that has a stream running through it, and from the looks of the water flow, must be spring fed.




There is an old block building as you enter the park that was going to be a power generation plant some 70-80 years ago, but the company doing it went bankrupt before they got it done.



On the other side of the stream & across/under the "bridge" is a day use area that is just really amazing for a county park!




And I just realized just how high this bridge is. In the pic below is a two person wrought iron & wood bench, it is about 50 ft from my campsite… looks kind of small, huh!?




The park is open May-October, and I'm sure in summer, with kids out of school, this spot is not nearly so peaceful! But right now it is just a little piece of Nervana on Earth!

To find it, take exit 151 off I-25 in WY and start driving south. Ignore your GPS if you plug the park into it……just get on the road, head south, and…enjoy the drive (about 4 miles). Along the way, look for a herd of bison on your left going in! They are beautiful creatures.


Frog - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Traffic!

I had planned on getting to a Home Depot about 12 miles on up the road, but I am taking a break! I used to think Atlanta was about the worst place to drive! BUT… Nay-Nay I say!!! I-25 between Colorado Springs & Denver has some of the most maniacal, rude, impatient drivers that I have seen! They rival NYC!
So…I pulled off onto a side highway & setup temporary camp!






Now, I did luck out and get parked in a spot with a decent view-

Even though I-25 is in my front yard, about 110 yds out. And there is an active rail track about 100 yds behind me…& I'm in coal mining country…so I'm learning today that "peaceful surroundings" are totally in the eyes/ears of the individual! But being off the racetrack makes this a VERY peaceful break area! ;)







From the looks of it, another hour or do & I will endeavor to ease back on the track & make my way 12 more miles to my predetermined spot for the nite so I will be able to have good Internet & update this with more pics & info of the day!
Until later, I will continue to enjoy my peaceful surroundings & appreciate even more the lifestyle I have been allowed to partake in!

Well, I made it to Home Depot in Castle Rock, CO...had some dinner and now trying to decide jus where I will finish out the night. I am considering going ahead and running across Denver under the cover of darkness just so I don't take a chance on hitting their Sunday morning traffic.


The Frog - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone