Memorial Day Trip

Tammie and Randy picked Kendra and me up Friday morning, then we met Mom and Dad in Grand Island. (Due to the depression Jaydee is fighting, she and I agreed to let her stay in Lincoln, instead of going through "another funeral") From Grand Island, we headed west on I-80. We stopped for lunch in Paxton, NE (just west of North Platte) at Ole's Big Game (Bar?). Kendra really got a kick out of all of the displayed safari animals! She kept asking if the elephant head was real.

We started to head north from Ogallala. The route was planned so we could go past Chimney Rock. After pictures were taken at Chimney Rock, we stopped at the little trading post. Kendra bought a couple of souvenirs, two of the items were arrowheads.

Other than the bizarre bathroom stop in (little town name here) WY, where a life size cut-out of George Strait "watched" a girl do her thing, the drive was uneventful up to the Interstate in WY. It had been raining most of the day. When we got to Interstate (forget which number, and I don't have a map in front of me) in WY the wind picked up and it was raining sideways, then the hail started. Mom and Tammie were driving the two vehicles, hanging on for dear life. A tornado had touched down about 70 miles south of where we were. Other than that one time, the weather behaved itself with "just" rain.

We spent the first night in Billings, MT. Saturday we drove the remaining 3 hours to Butte, to meet George's family and a few friends for the Spreading of the Ashes. From Butte, we drove another hour to Harrison Lake. This is the lake where George's dad's ashes were spread. At that time, he had said "this is where I want my ashes spread." Since I had only been to the lake that one time, we had to follow George's nephew Trevor. The rain held off long enough for us to have our little ceremony. Originally, I had asked Pastor Ryan to "run" the ceremony. He turned the table on me (after checking his calendar, and discovering he couldn't make the trip.) "since you want to be a Youth Pastor, you can consider this as part of your (unofficial) internship" So with the copied pages of the service, we turned the remains of George back to God's Earth.

From the lake, we went back to Butte for a reception George's mom, Jeanne had arranged. I was able to talk to friends and family I hadn't seen in a long time. (note: it's sad that events like this are what bring people back together.) Jon and I made plans to have the girls and me visit Charlotte and him in Davis next year. It may be on the move to Portland, but we are definitely getting together next summer! George's cousin Shelly lives just a bit north of Portland. She and I exchanged ph. numbers so we can stay in contact. Her daughter goes to college in Portland, so there will be plenty of coffee and/or shopping opportunities!

We spent Saturday night in Billings. Sunday morning we left for South Dakota. We were on the hunt for the "Roo Ranch," south of Spearfish and Deadwood. The directions sounded simple enough...follow Hwy. 14. If we had looked at the map a bit closer, we would have realized there was a MUCH shorter route! The longer route was worth it though. "Scenic route" definitely describes what we took...beautiful sites! As I took over driving after lunch, I got the fun of driving the mountain driving. (love it! lol) Kendra says "Mom almost hit 2 antelope, 1 deer, 1 turkey and 1 human" Um the human was not even close, and the antelope were running across I-90.

The Roo Ranch is a small kangaroo farm. We did locate it and took the tour. For an additional charge, you can have your picture taken holding a Joey. Randy, Tammie and Kendra took turns holding the Joey. Mom snuck a picture of Kendra, while the employees were trying to get Randy's picture to print. From there we went to (the infamous) Sturgis. The place we stopped for gas was where George and I had stopped on one trip through the area, many years ago. I recommended the little cafe' tucked away in the back of this gas stop. I think we all agreed it was "just like they Hi-Way Diner in Lyons." Good eats for cheap...can't beat that! After supper, we drove on to Rapid City, then south to Mt. Rushmore. We also went through the museum part of the display area. It was interesting to see the process the sculptor went through before the final piece. There were many models of his vision on display, as well as videos and newspaper articles.

From Mt. Rushmore, we drove back to our hotel in Spearfish. The list of places to see on Monday, were made before we called it a night.

After midnight, I got a call from the parents I had watching Jaydee. Jaydee and her friend decided to run away, after the parents had told them they weren't going out Sunday night. The girls were reported as runaways. Monday morning, I let the rest of the travelers know what was going on. The decision was made that Mom, Dad and I would head back to Lincoln and deal with Jaydee's issues. Kendra would stay behind with Tammie and Randy to go to Bear Country and the Reptile Gardens, then they would head back to Lincoln, too. Around 2 pm, I got a call that Jaydee (and her friend) had been found. All I know is it is going to be one long summer for Jaydee. She is on restrictions and will not be going to any summer activities, unless it is a family event (like Janell's picnic.)

As we pulled into Lincoln, just before 8, I noticed there were a lot of tree limbs and branches on the ground and in the street. The aftermath of a storm seemed to describe what I was dealing with, with Jaydee.

There it is...the good, the bad and the ugly.