DRIGGS, IDAHO - TETON VALLEY

 This was our warm-up hike which we needed after hours of sitting in the truck driving. It was flat and smooth. Started raining in the last 15 minutes of the hike but it remained warm. The trail followed Aspen Creek.

 Leaving our lunch spot on the top of the Teton Shelf; gateway to all the high mt. meadows and cirque lakes. This was a brutal hike called the Devil's Staircase. It started out teasingly easy with only a gradual elevation through fields of flowers and a creek and towering cliffs. I stopped counting flower varieties after i got to 20. But then the trail switched 'moods' and in full blazing sun without a breeze (the black flies were horridly pesty) we climbed 1000 feet in 0.9 miles. It was worth it though once we got to the top.

Both these pictures were taken from the Bannock Trail which is one of the many hiking trails that start at the Grand Targhee Ski resort. It goes to the Dreamcatcher ski lift so most people we met were coming down as they rode the ski lift up. We hiked up as i was not real comfortable with my skills in getting on and off this moving seat that swingingly goes up 2000 feet.

The trail goes along the ridge after traversing fields of flowers and through groves of aspen trees. This area is known for its abundance of mountain biking trails so it was fun to look down and see the lines criss-crossing far below. No bikes were allowed on the Bannock Trail.

The views were incredible including all the mountains in the area including the Tetons. It was once again a hot day and the hike was in unrelenting sun and both Bill and I had a spell of not feeling well from too much sun; nauseated, headache, weak, mentally unfocused and I had a lot of GI upset. By later that night, however, we were feeling pretty normal. The absolutely delicious burger and hand-cut fries we had for dinner helped a lot. The place was called Basin Burger and was in an Exxon gas station. Ya never know where gourmet food lurks.!

CHEYENNE, WYOMING

we stumbled into Cheyenne not knowing it was the start of their gala 118th celebration of Frontier Days which brings over 200,000 people to the area and which is also where the finals of the National Rodeo Circuit are held.  Motels like the  Day's Inn were going for over $200 a night!!!!!! The Day's Inn?????

However, we didn't do too much better; finally settled on the Sands Motel; a notch above what would be politely called a "fleabag" sort of place. Thursday night was only $70 but Friday night was $130 and at best the place is a $50'er.

And then the next day, knowing we didn't have to drive anywhere and after a good night's sleep, Bill looks at the map and sees that just an hour or so farther down I-80 was Laramie and we could have stayed there!

However, except for the motel, it was an enjoyable stop. The downtown area is darling and has the oldest train depot in the states and Cheyenne was important in the history  of the Transcontinental Railroad so there are lots of historical buildings and placques. Because of the Frontier Days, downtown had a gala festive air with all shops open late and gunfights on a lot of corners and guitar players and some pretty good looking cowboys too.

We did a lot of sightseeing and the library is awesomely big and well organized with great spots all through the 3 floors for sitting and perusing some of their thousands of magazines. We went through the Botanical Gardens which had been decimated from a recent hail storm (Cheyenne gets the most severe hail storms in the whole u.s.- 13 per year.) and then did a great walk around a lake.

We saw Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and loved it. Caesar, the head ape, and his family are great with wonderful expressive faces. The moral of this film was apes can be bad and good and humans can be bad and good. No group of people is all saints or all sinners.

Then ate at Qdoba Grill. Its like a Chipotle Grill which means they slop on the food in whatever tortilla shape or texture you want and then you watch it get cold as the people in front of you can't decide between cheddar cheese or queso.
I had 2 ground beef tacos and it was too spicy for me to eat.

So as consolation we had to go to Spooners, a yoghurt place where we had chocolate and raspberry lemonade with a side of hot fudge. Delicious.

Very very glad to be exiting this motel this morning and heading down the road; closer to our 4 day rest in Driggs, Idaho where we are going to hike in the Bridger-Teton Wilderness.

FINAL ACT WITH ENCORE - CHICAGOLAND

 Marie, Rich's wife, and film sound celebrity to be, Becky, preparing the salad for dinner.

Richard

 Katie, making a delicious salad dressing.

sitting around and talking with the family plus Alex.

I have to apologize for the poor set of pictures on this visit. I was so caught up with the high energy bantering and verbal jousting and inquisitive knowledge sharing that i lost control of my meager camera skills.

THIRD OR IS IT THE FOURTH ACT - GRAND ASPELL-ATOR MARATHON

 In Mauston, WI to see Darren and Amy and their daughter, Kara, who visited on her way home from work. This is the back porch on their lovely secluded private home.

Kara and her fiance, Tadd, who she will marry in September.

FORTUNATE BLESSINGS - SUN DANCE (HUNGER-THIRST) - UPPER PENINSULA, MI

 Mary outside one of the tepees on the grounds of the Sun Dance.

 Don geared up to fry the wall-eye during this welcoming festivity.

 On our way to have lunch at Subway with Bill's dad, Bud, and Mary.

 Corey, Mary's son. I had never met him so was glad he was at the Sun Dance.

CONTINUATION OF THE U.S. ASPELL-ATION TOUR

 In Chelsea, MI with Joan and Jon. one of our morning walks; this is the library which was very impressive since the town is small. We were on our way to the farmer's market.

 Their wonderful son Jeremy with his vibrant and vivacious girlfriend Pam.

 and we were lucky enough to see Joey who had driven almost non-stop the day before from the L.A. area. This picture is in their driveway by their lovely back deck.

The restaurant which Bill and I went to a lot in Portland had this same 'in your face' boy but the name was Bob's Big Boy. Bob has moved on i guess and now the restaurant is just Big Boy.

RETURN TO WHITE CASTLE

We have talked and dreamed and planned this moment for a long time. We have perused maps and locations and driving directions. We have altered routes and changed times and amounts of breakfasts eaten. but the moment finally arrived!!! In Cincinnati!!!

All the workers knew we had come all the way from Tucson to eat here and that we grew up in Chicago devouring these sliders as often as we could and that my sister would kindly drive me to a White Castle after picking me up at the airport when i would fly in for a visit and my first date with Bill ended with chomping down on White Castle's.

I only ate 4 and 1/2; the rest of the boxes were Bill's and 1 held fries. (as lackadaisal as ever.) But the boxes are a little more corporate looking and the to-go bags are no longer white. The waitress said the company has gone green. Boo!! Also their menu has a lot of chicken stuff on it; including a breakfast sandwich of a fried piece of chicken smothered with country gravy sprinkled with bacon bits and stuffed between two grilled waffles. Oh no; back "in the day" you got your grease and saturated fat and grilled and oiled onion fix from the burgers; not all this extra 'fancy' stuff.

The restaurant we ate at wasn't quite dingy enough and there were no shady characters and you didn't get to watch the cook spatula up your order from the vast grill table with all those sizzling patties with the 4 holes and the onions below it.

But the taste and smell was the same and bill and i were very very happy.

P.S. Later on we both confessed to each other that our stomachs were upset. Bill kept burping the lunch and i had to take a Tagamet and some Gaviscon. Now i'm not saying i wouldn't forgo the discomfort for another slider experience but i need to let this senior GI system calm down.

It was a lot of fun though and the colonic churning was worth it.

MAMA'S CARIBBEAN GRILL - CHARLOTTE, NC

We finally ate here; last dinner in Charlotte and we wish we had eaten here earlier in our stay. Excellent food and large portions and reasonable prices and great atmosphere with Bob Marley playing, of course, on an endless loop. The waitresses were all friendly in their laid back Jamaican reggae way.

We had plantains done perfectly, nice and crisp on the outside and soft but not mushy inside with just a hint of sweetness. Bill and I shared our main entrees. I had brown stewed chicken with veggies and Bill had glazed beef. Both meats were so tender and flavorful and each had a distinctively different spicy gravy/marinade/sauce. Not spicy like too hot but spicy like complex flavors and richly seasoned.

Both entrees came with a side (i had sweet potatoes and Bill had collard greens) and a huge rastafarian pile of delicious rice.