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| Cynthia and Hudson at dinner |
30 Sep: Tomorrow. We are praying that Cynthia's sister survived the night and is recovering from her recent covid setback. Merrilee has been hospitalized with Covid pneumonia and has been on full oxygen mask for two weeks. She now refused the ventilator. We intend to keep praying for her. We found an acceptably pleasant walk from the hotel in the neighborhood, and today we discovered Eagan Central Park complete with Seniors 50+ activity center, but we didn't find the fitness center. Tonight we have to hope that it will stay dry long enough for us to ride 4.5 miles over to Mendota (click here) to Axels (click here) for dinner with Brett, Jenn and Hudson. Too amusing; some days we walk farther than that. Precious how Hudson loves Ron!
29 Sep: Eagan, Minnesota. Much like yesterday - exercises, oatmeal, a long walk through the neighborhood, a ride on a different route to Hastings to visit Greg & Donna for a couple of hours, grocery shopping (blueberries & bananas are usually on the list) and home before 5 pm. Ron is again eating cornbread until his weight goes back down. Frozen mango & spinach are next. Cynthia is munching grapes, as usual. Time for Ron to get back to work on the Peter Gunnarsson Rambo biographical sketch for Candace and Herb. And at sunset time for a second neighborhood walk over to the Sperry Tower (click here) - not so spectacular as yesterday.
28 Sep: Today's plan is to ride to Hastings again to see Greg & Donna. We did awaken early enough to get downstairs to breakfast after the usual exercises. Ron's back has stopped complaining, so he is again enjoying a pain free body. The 25 mile ride to Hastings is really quite pretty with lots of yellow leaves and a few red ones, lots of green fields and pastures, and not much traffic. Greg was alert and cheerful and laughed heartily at my silliness. (Cynthia and Donna didn't laugh quite as hard.) We stopped for groceries on our return are are ready for the next few days. Now, as darkness is approaching, we need to get out for a walk. Climbing on and off the motorcycle doesn't burn enough calories to keep us svelte. And we did walk several blocks towards the dimming sunset, then several blocks in gathering darkness on return and were quite impressed by the multicolored lights on the Sperry Tower. Svelte, that is us.
27 Sep: Cynthia tells me that Hudson came down the stairs this morning expecting to see us and was sad to find out that we've gone. At our end, the Hilton Garden Inn not only disappointed us by having nothing we could eat for breakfast, but they also violated their "satisfaction guarantee" when we asked for something we could eat. The response was "we serve only those 7 items." No offer of any nature to satisfy us. We complained to Hilton Corporate and moved to the much cheaper Hampton Inn that will at least have oatmeal for us. Ron had just finished his morning Sudoku when cousin Lance and Shelley picked us up at our "new" hotel at 1 PM. We enjoyed their company immensely, enjoyed the hike in Swede Hollow and the early dinner at Axels in Mendota, perhaps the oldest settlement in Minnesota.
26 Sep, Sunday: and we need to get dressed, fed and ready to leave the house at 7:45 AM to watch Hudson's swimming lesson. It was a hoot. The instructors are simply trying to make the kids comfortable in the water. We were able to pack up and leave without trauma after the swim and before noon. Ron thought Hudson loved us more than that. Our relocation to Eagan went without a hitch. We went out exploring for a walk near the hotel, and Cynthia's feet became unbearably uncomfortable quickly even though we found a dirt trail in Rahn Park. We limped her home early enough that Ron was able to ride the 25 miles to Hastings to visit Greg & Donna for an hour - although it was a bit too dark by the time he left, and it was sobering to see a deer fleeing across the road at the edge of town (Hastings). Greg and Donna both look good, and Greg laughed at all of Ron's wise cracks as usual.
25 Sep: Since it is Saturday in Hudson's household, we arose "early" today as soon as we heard the pitter patter thump thump THUD with accompanying vocals overhead. Hudson is a little live wire, a typical, normal three-year-old boy. We did lots of playing and rebuilt the new barnyard puzzle. Ron is puzzling himself about what Hudson sees and how he puts the puzzle together. Interesting to wonder when the development will include pattern recognition and color matching. Right now memorization and affinities (cows, stripes) are the strongest aids. Edge pieces are not noticeably different yet. Ron aired up the tires on Jenn's bicycle and took it for a test ride but had trouble changing gears. Then we all went for a walk around the block with Hudson riding his tiny bicycle. He didn't pedal but was able to really ride fast by just running while sitting. He had absolutely no problems balancing on two wheels. Six or eight other older kids were at the playground and easily allowed Hudson to join in with their play. He was frantically active. Jenn cooked dinner of rice and potatoes and salmon so that we could all get to bed earlier tonight. We are grateful.
24 Sep: is the day we WILL get exercise. But then, Ron laid abed until 10:15 AM. Cynthia's digestive system surprised her by pulling out all the stops to rid itself of last night's curry meal. WELL, except for the rain we would be hiking. WELL, because it is cold outside, Ron is now tasked with getting groceries alone. And SURPRISE !! It wasn't cold outside at all. Apparently the late morning rain chilled everything to 55 degrees and two hours later it was back into the lower 60s. After an evening walk and a puzzle with Hudson session, we all went to McCormick & Schmicks for dinner. Strangely, their chefs didn't pay attention to the no oil stipulation of our diet and served us potatoes fried in oil instead of clean as we ordered. The manager pleased Ron by deducting those from our ticket. Puzzling with Hudson is very interesting since his memory is excellent but his attention to patterns hasn't yet developed. Some pieces he remembers and immediately places them where they belong. Others get tried every which way - here, there and everywhere.
23 Sep: We are recovering from our motorcycling ordeal ever so slowly, slept until 8:45! We did get out for a walk around the neighborhood at noon. Hudson enjoys having Ron do puzzles with him. Brett made a delicious rice curry for dinner.
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| The lion hunt - or was this the retreat? |
22 Sep: Medina, Minnesota, Ron rode to Minneapolis to spend an afternoon with sister-in-law Carolyn. She also likes sudokus, but Ron forgot to tell her about the cave man cartoon AND he forgot how to get to her house (most embarrassing). Hudson came home from school with his first, second and third questions, “Where’s Ron?” Cynthia’s sister in Nevada is hospitalized with Covid pneumonia, but seems to be improving. Tonight, Cynthia was back in the kitchen baking salmon and sweet potatoes, successfully. The sweet potatoes caramelized perfectly, and everyone was surprised and delighted. She and Hudson went on a lion hunt after dinner.
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| Brett & Jenn's kitchen. |
21 Sep: We enjoyed a restful nights sleep and a warm breakfast; likely we will hike and go to the market. That was successful, too. Cynthia made a pot roast unsuccessfully and steamed new red potatoes just ok. The pans were so heavy, she could not lift the pan and pull out the oven rack. I think we are still tired. The photo aptly describes the kitchen where Cynthia actually cooked two meals. Ron was delighted to be spared clean-up duties.
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| Hudson caught on film. Ron is bald guy. |
20 Sep: We departed from Kathy at noon! Miraculously, we arrived dry, thanks to a restaurant stop in Sunburg, MN where they advertised Norwegian food, but only on Tuesday's. No Taco Tuesday's in MN! Where is Ron now? Enjoying an abundance of warm embraces from three-year-old Hudson who remembered us from last fall. Route: Minnesota 9 E to Sunberg, past US 71 to L on county road 33 to merge with MN 23 E, R on MN 4 to MN 55 into Medina, L on Arrowhead, immediate R on Bridgewater, immediate R on Blue Bell Trail.
19 Sep: Leaving Webster, SD. Wind gusts forecast to be 28 mph today. We slept 9 hours after an exhausting day yesterday. Cynthia was excited about egg white omelets, but refused to walk alone to the cafe, and Ron wanted to eat oatmeal and leave early. We left at ten and we are now eating lunch in Benson, Minnesota because we cannot find Kathy's address. Our "early" departure didn't help with the wind; it was still bad. Route: again US 12 all day.
In the lonely shack by the railroad track
I spent my younger days
And I guess the sound of the outward bound
Made me a slave to my wanderin' ways
And the wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And I was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind
Oh, I met him down in the border town
He vowed we'd never part
Though he tried his best to settle down
Now I'm all alone with a broken heart
And the wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And I was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind
I spent my younger days
And I guess the sound of the outward bound
Made me a slave to my wanderin' ways
And the wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And I was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind
Oh, I met him down in the border town
He vowed we'd never part
Though he tried his best to settle down
Now I'm all alone with a broken heart
And the wayward wind is a restless wind
A restless wind that yearns to wander
And I was born the next of kin
The next of kin to the wayward wind
18 Sep: Leaving Lemmon, South Dakota. The wind worsened today, Lemmon to Webster, SD took six hours. We are exhausted. Dining in Aberdeen, I asked a little boy his age. He answered, “eight next week.” I asked, “Are you in college?” Laughing hard with his hands on his face, he said, NO!” I asked, “Are you married?” Now, red-faced, rolling his eyes, “NO!” Then he pointed his fingers at me and whispered, “I’m waiting for you!” All is good again. The meal at the Millstone Family Restaurant was not as good as remembered. As we rode out of town we espied a Ruby Tuesdays still in business. If only we had known. As expected, there was not much of interest in Webster, but we were able to walk about town for an hour. The hotel was a bit better than expected although other guests were noisy. Route: US 12 east for another whole day.
17 Sep: Leaving Miles City. Heidi, owner of Horton House, B&B prepared an excellent, fancy breakfast for her guests, and oatmeal with blueberries and bananas for us. Visit the Horton House in Miles City, and Eat a huge breakfast! Whipped by wind, but still upright. The ride from Miles City, Montana to Lemmon, South Dakota, on this, the third day of riding against brutal Winds. We are the only wildlife to see today, but I am curious about huge golden yellow fields in North Dakota. Shorter than corn, about two feet high, the golden top looked like a lily or tulip. Does fighting wind count for exercise? Maybe not, so we must get in a good walk in this town of 1200. We walked through the Petrified Wood Park (click here) tourist attraction, crossed the railroad tracks into ND, toured six more blocks of town, and enjoyed a nice visit with the new, young Roman Catholic priest. Route: US 12 east through Plevna to Lemmon, SD.
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| This was AFTER three pecan or cinnamon rolls. |
16 Sep: Leaving Billings. The usual activities completed, it is another one of those glorious days to be alive, just like every other day. Our next stay is the Horton House B&B in Miles City, MT, only two plus hours northeast. Yikes! The wind was BRUTAL! The cold was COLD! And we were STARVED! Miles City has several fast food places that can't feed us; Ron remembered a drug store lunch counter last year, and the owner found things we could eat for salad. On our second pass through town, Ron accidentally parked right in front of Vintage and Rustics of Montana, with the same lovely, helpful staff and the same antique drug store lunch counter. Ron had forgotten all the pastries that one walks by upon entry and all the antiques arranged EVERYWHERE throughout the old department store building. Cynthia was agog over the assortment of pastries and cinnamon rolls. Owner Vicki made large vegetable salads with turkey and toasted dry English muffins, but ... we were still hungry! Ron remarked off hand that if Cynthia wanted to taste a pastry, he would be willing to finish it. Never, ever, ever, has Cynthia seen such huge cinnamon or caramel pecan rolls. Yum! Yes, they were indeed delicious, especially since Vicki warmed them for us - all three caramel pecan and cinnamon rolls. By now we were warm! Having eaten all that contraband, Ron decided to splurge like old times with a quart of ice cream - three scoops each of three flavors. If you ever plan a trip west of the Mississippi, Vintage and Rustics Montana is the best place in Miles City. Vicki said that we made her day by breaking our long-held diet for her pastries. This was the most brutal day of the trip, and the cold wind had rendered Ron practically unconscious by the time we arrived in Billings - justifying the dietary binge. Route: I-90 east to I-94 to Miles City.
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| Goodbye Butte - until next time. |
15 Sep: Leaving Butte. Any bets on what time we get moving? Here is a hint: Cynthia wants to eat lunch at the Rib & Chop House before we leave, which we did! Pam insisted that we say goodbye before leaving and was eager to take our recycling; only then did Ron remember that she did that last year too. The ride to Billings was brutally windy but warmer than we anticipated. We arrived in Billings at 4:30, just in time to eat cedar plank salmon at the Rib and Chop House next door to our hotel. Once we saw them, we remembered from last year the rabbits in the parking lot of the Doubletree Hotel. Route: I-90 Butte to Billings.
14 Sep: Ron still needs those few stitches, receipts and recycling. Cynthia has a full list of chores for Ron: take box to UPS, pick up cookies at bakery in town, deliver cookies to cemetery crew, added to Ron's list: air in motorcycle tires, recycling drop off, walks in cemetery. Busy, busy, with no room to postpone much because we leave tomorrow. Cookies picked up and delivered to a happy crew at the cemetery. Walk #1 done, and Cynthia is now at the spa for pedicure & manicure. Boxes delivered to UPS. There is no recycling drop off in Butte; Ron checked two, both closed at least five years ago. Tires got air, fuel tank got gas. He rode through a couple of nicer neighborhoods while meandering around on the way back to the Copper King; Park Street is really quite nice. Ron discovered that Miles City is 370 miles on the interstates - 70 miles beyond Cynthia's maximum comfortable distance. Oops. We might be able to do it, but it would be smarter to reschedule ALL of our reservations. Cynthia was up to the task and had it done immediately.
13 Sep: We begin our last two days in Butte; Wednesday we relocate to Miles City. We woke up early, exercised (as always), and ate oatmeal (as always). Now Ron is putting on shoes preparatory to purchasing frozen mango at Walmart (as almost always). Then we will see if Cynthia wants to hike Maud S. one more time. She did, and we did, although it was a struggle with legs tired from too much sitting while avoiding smoke in the last week. It was a delight to see the fall colors expanding and brightening. (The air quality is rated good although Our Lady and the Montana Tech "M" are not as clear as we'd like.) Ron's goal for the day is to pack his bags once, log his receipts, sew a few stitches and rinse recycling before resuming computer projects. Well, he did get his bags packed. We walked the cemetery after sunset until too dark to see on the way "home." Our Lady was crystal clear by evening. Ron ate pretzels and cornbread in hopes of sleeping more tonight.
12 Sep: Another beautiful morning in Butte, although there is too much smoke for us queasy types to go up the hill. We walked in the cemetery this morning until Cynthia remembered that it is Sunday.!! The day that she can get an omelet.!! But at the restaurant, she opted instead for eggs Benedict. Ron walked for frozen mango as usual and is now beginning the shivering cycle. Our lodging is booked for Miles City at the Horton House, the Dakota Lodge in Lemmon, South Dakota, Boomers Outback Motel in Webster, SD. Then we meet Cynthia's cousin Cathy in Benson, MN for two nights. Cynthia’s bag is almost packed, and the box is ready to be shipped on Tuesday morning. Ron finally finished the draft of Peter Gunnarsson Rambo biographical sketch for the next edition of The Rambo Family Tree. Two down and one to go. Then we walked and picked up debris at the cemetery again. It is beginning to be hard to find debris.
11 Sep: We awakened unusually early and were finished breakfasting by the time the pill alarm sounded at 9 AM. It looked smoky until Ron walked to Walmart for frozen mango and noticed clear skies to the north. Yay, the clear skies means we can hike the canyon trail. Yay! We did, followed by lunch at the Montana Club, followed by computer work, followed by an hour walk in the cemetery, followed by doing laundry. The day did not pass without remembering. We will never forget. What irritates Ron is that all this "remembrance" of 9/11 is totally silent on the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan - which is where the 9/11 plot was hatched. So now the people who HATE America have even more reason to plot more carnage - and we have an open border in the south to give them unlimited access. Ron is betting that there will be another savage 9/11 type carnage visiting us from ancient Persia in the next couple of years. Any takers? How can anyone find appealing a religion which promotes suicide to eliminate people of other religions?
10 Sep: Apparently Ron is insensitive because, when he walked to Walmart this morning for frozen mango, he didn't even notice the smoke in the air, now rated as "unhealthy for sensitive groups." At least we can still see the outline of the East Ridge mountains. Now Ron is well provisioned to consume 3 pounds of frozen mango while editing his biographical sketch of Peter Gunnarsson Rambo and shivering.
9 Sep: Let's hope for less smoke, but the forest fire reports are not reassuring. Ouch! The smoke is again so thick we cannot see the outline of the mountains. We awoke at nine AM, and Cynthia rushed to eat without doing exercises, and now, way too much over full, we exercise. Ron did all of his crunches, but still needs to do his pushups. The air quality is approaching "unhealthy for sensitive groups" but is still moderate according to the web site. The view outside the window tells a different story. Regardless, Ron walked to get frozen mango after pushups, so now he is approaching shivering as he freezes his tummy. Cynthia will probably hold out for swimming and whirlpool today. MIT dorm-mate Joel has written a book entitled Who's My Daddy (click here). Oh, no! Cynthia is continuing a lazy day. We must find out the days Katie works at the Rib&Chop House and surprise her.
8 Sep: The heat is up to 88, and the smoke appears to also be way up! Bummer! We want to hike the Canyon Trail. But air quality reads low moderate. Speaking of bummer, Ron hasn't gotten off his duff all day. We've been up until nearly midnight too many days in a row. Today we WILL break that pattern. (11 PM + a few minutes) Ron has finished the first draft of his speech. Now he needs to find the number of words Candace wants - only 3000. We couldn't see the East Ridge mountains at all when we walked the cemetery once, but after Cynthia's dinner of salad and potato, the air had cleared so that it didn't appear any more smoky than "usual."
7 Sep: Will we see or be smoked out. The 15th is getting closer. I see only smoke and feel 85 degrees today. Our morning cemetery walk produced one full bag of trash, plus we had a lovely visit with the cemetery superintendent (named Kenny) and secretary (named ??). Kenny postulates that the flooding outside the office door may be due to a homeless guy he believes is camping at times in the cemetery.
6 Sep: Will we see or be smoked out. The 15th is getting closer. And smoke it is. No rush to get out into the smoke-filled air this morning. Cynthia is now on the treadmill while I look at the air quality. High moderate, upper 20s. Best was 19 at 6 AM. Again Rib & Chop House salads followed our usual cemetery walk and pick up. Brandy was our waitress/ asst. manager (and Steve is the manager we usually enjoy). SURPRISE this evening when we discovered clear skies on our slightly chilly sunset walk through the cemetery. It seemed strange today to not see the groundskeepers, but then I guess it is a holiday. Ron is making progress through Herb's list of materials to add to his biographical sketch of Peter Gunnarsson Rambo although most of the additions are already there with different dates or places according to the documentation.
5 Sep: Another smoke-filled day dawned here in Butte, and we walked the cemetery before lunching at the Rib & Chop House for another egg white omelet for Cynthia. The air quality rating is still moderate although the numbers are higher. Next project is underway, preparing a biographical sketch of ancestor Peter Gunnarsson Rambo. Good grief !! Here it is already 12 minutes until midnight. Amazing how time flies when one is preoccupied.
4 Sep: And another beautiful day dawns with smoke in the air here in Butte. We walked three miles in the cemetery for two reasons: 1) smoke, 2) recovery from Maud S. yesterday. Cynthia says I should tell Oke that I am gluing the second envelope inside out to send completed sudokus back to him. I expect to mail both envelopes on Monday. (Cynthia's note: Oke amuses Ron, so Ron wants to keep Oke amused, too.) Cynthia enjoyed getting a haircut! And we walked the cemetery again tonight for an additional three miles. Sunset was really quite pretty with reddish tint on the southern horizon and a clear view of Our Lady providing hope that the smoke is being pushed out of our air.
3 Sep: Only 12 more days until departure towards Medina. We hiked Maud S. Trail (click here) again and met a new friend, Leo, at the Vista point. He is on the board of the East Ridge Foundation and claims to be the board member who hikes the trail most often. We learned a lot from him and can respond that we have hiked "his" trail 9 times since August 12. We meet the nicest people hiking! The desert sage has blossomed full of brilliant golden flowers. Air quality in Butte (click here) today held steady at "good" although visibility decreased significantly throughout the day as local Montana wildfire smoke flowed eastward. After hiking, we ate (huckleberry) salad and baked potato at The Montana Club. Cynthia is a judge for the virtual 2021 Mrs. Iowa America Pageant, having served as the 1980 Mrs. Iowa America. Ron was "terribly" disappointed that none of the contestants wore bikinis.
2 Sep: is another slightly smoky day in Butte. We did our morning ecumenical ministry by walking the Catholic cemetery picking up trash to the amusement of the cemetery custodian. One of the workers said he appreciated our help after we let him know he is appreciated. Dinner tonight was at the Rib&Chop House, with a delightful waitress named Katie. She has a same-age adopted sister and a fraternal twin. (Ron was hoping for identical as he thinks Katie is absolutely beautiful.) Our second walk was at sunset, apparently just after a cool breeze improved the air quality hereabouts.
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| Cynthia caught Ron unaware again |
