So here I am in the midwest.  Getting a little tired of the plains, although there have been some neat things along the way today and yesterday.  Have been learning about the Corps of Discovery Expedition and the Louisiana Purchase.  Lewis was a very creative speller and had a dog named Seaman.  Have also passed a particularly famous town- famous atleast for those who are into motorcycle culture and rallies!  Other than that, not much of note- have been pushing hard to make miles.  Yesterday, we covered three states, and today, we got up at 5, to get into the next one and make it on time.  I am getting tired of the radio out here, though.  All there seems to be is weather and hog reports and NPR!!!!!  (Doesn't help that the cd player died, either!)

 

Oh yeah- crossed the Missouri River, passed the hometown of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and had to bypass Mt Rushmore due to the rushed schedule.  Lunch is almost ready, will try to get pics up later.

Well, this has been an interesting couple of days!  We left that town up north- good thing they have oil, that Hummer limo must need a steady supply of fuel! 

 

We had some time to dilly dally, so we met up with my sister and nephew for coffee.  It's his second birthday today, as I write this.  He is getting so big, and wow, he is smart!  To keep him somewhat settled at one point, I let him play with the camera- and he could say what everything was while looking at the pictures in the back.  He also has a thing for keys, and thought Troy's were super cool- being on the belt loop and all.  So, he ran away and tried to put them on, but with nothing to clip them to, we had to fix that before we got more tears! lol  He wasn't so sure what he thought of the semi once it started up and got all noisy- I think he'll like it a whole bunch better the next time he sees it, after some time to process the whole idea.  The visit finished off with a big sloppy baby kiss and hug and a 'luv you, Auntie'.  All good!

 

Then heading south some more.... and spent over a day at a packing plant that was behind for some unknown reason.  Because of leaving late, we knew that we wouldn't make USDA before they closed, so we tootled a little farther, and called up my great Aunt and Uncle in Taber.  More coffee!!!  And comst borscht, farmer sausage, homemade bread, cheese, veggies, banana cream pie.  It was an awesome visit, as these two are on my list of favourite people in the world, but I hardly have the opportunity to go down to see them.  So, there went a couple more (fabulous) hours.

 

And off to the border!  It's so different crossing like this, rather than on a personal trip.  More ID is asked for, we went through two different offices with paperwork before going through an xray machine while in the truck, before hitting USDA, which would open in 3 more hours.  While there, we ran in to someone that Troy knows, so they talked about routes and stuff for a bit.  He also found out that someone else who was there waiting got a run to Georgia and Louisiana, but didn't want it!  

 

And into Big Sky Country!  One of the first things I noticed was the defintie lack of helmets on many motorcyclists- is this the state's way of ensuring only the best and brightest succeed?  Also, the speed limit for semis on the highways is 10 miles less than that for autos- why do they want to slow down the biggest obstacles on the road?  Are the 2 ideas connected????  It is very pretty country here, lots of farming and ranching country that has alot of gold when the sun comes out, lots of little townships along the road with all the quaintness you might expect.  Also went by a wind farm under construction and saw the massive blades up close.  Wow.

 

Funny stuff today- getting Krispy Kremes at the Kum and Go, no helmets, gun culture, them complaining about gas at 2.45.

Minutes after I posted that last entry, the call came in.  Went to BC, where I awoke to a golden morning, travelled up, waaaay up - so high I had to drink Coke and 'holla' to pop my ears.  I'm sure the load appreciated being dropped off to visit some minister in the west.  Then we grabbed another trailer, and later got to see some people enjoying the Jasper National petting zoo.  Lucky them!!   We kept going, though, on through to the so called 'city of Chumpions' (lol, jk!)  Have the wifi subscription bought, and will go through pics in the morning.  Then off again!

 

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