Time to Catch our Breath

The reason I'm filing this first entry on the third day of our trip is that we covered nearly 1400 miles Sunday and Monday.

By midday Sunday, I realized I'd forgotten: our 2008 National Park Pass, Ralph's jacket, a warm jacket for me, my book.

By Monday, the "Things We Left Behind" list (TWLB) had grown:

We dropped Dallas off in Coon Rapids and drove to Bismarck Sunday night. Monday we drove to Butte, Montana.

Monday the "Things We Left Behind" list (TWLB) had grown: my makeup brushes, my black shoes, pictures to share.

Along the way, we passed a North Dakota that was so green, it looked more like spring than the end of July. We passed the Badlands. Monday morning for breakfast, we stopped in New Salem, North Dakota, at the site of Bonnie's first job in the restaurant industry. At the girls' urging (Bonnie and Barbi), we stopped to see "Salem Sue" the large, six ton fiberglass cow that looks out over Highway I-94. I'm sure my pictures don't do it justice. I couldn't find a vantage point that would allow me to get the whole cow in one shot.

Driving through Montana always lifts my spirits. We were amazed again by how green it was. I have no pictures because each time I said, "I'd like to get a picture of that," Ralph replied,"Uh-huh."

[NOTE FROM EDITOR: It is now Thursday, July 24th and we are in The Dalles, Oregon. I have to get new batteries for my camera (TWLB) before I can download the pictures, so I'm sending this log on without them.]

Stay tuned, Ralph & Pat

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