Labor Day morning, Monday, Sept. 2, Genie and I left by car from our home in Albert Lea, Minn., for our one-week stay at the Arrowhead Lodge in the Big Horn Mountains, 40 miles above Sheridan, Wyo. This tradition began in 1973. We leave on Labor Day because most people aren’t traveling and the road construction people are enjoying Labor Day away from the freeway.
Our first major stop was Mitchell, S.D. to view the recognition theme of the five branches of the U.S. military outside of the world famous Corn Palace. As usual, this old Navy veteran clicked his heels and gave a smart salute while swallowing the lump in his throat.
The next stop was T-Rex, the big dinosaur in the backyard at Wall Drug in Wall, S.D. He eats every 12 minutes with his favorite entrée being redheads. He eats so fast and so often you can always see red hair in between his teeth.
We stayed at our favorite place in Wall, namely the Super Eight Motel. The general manager let us know she is also CEO of the family ranch owned by hubby Brady. I know this to be true when observing Brady stop in for a payday loan to buy lunch. In talking to Brady, I found out there is a reason for his loan for lunch money. He has never paid the loan back, thus free lunch!
We arrived at our destination, Arrowhead Lodge, 7,700 feet elevation, Tuesday evening, staying one week in the Big Horn Mountains. Employees Katelynn, Gretchen, Daren, Gary, Chad and Pat, along with owner Petie, did a great job of spoiling us.
In the Minnesota vs. Arkansas mule deer hunting contest, Minnesota was represented by Dan Blogen and Jim Palmer of the Mankato area plus Gary, Chuck, Mark and Austin Sobeich of Brooklyn Park. Arkansas was well represented by about 16 members of the “Mamo” Club (Muley, Ark., men only), plus their black lab mascot Sally Mae. They had their big banner across the front of rustic cabin #15 (Mule deer capital of Arkansas).
Short shorts
1. My damage for eating all those huge mountain meals was 5 pounds the wrong way.
2. In Sheridan, Wyo., new houses have the choice of a lawn that you water or a rock lawn with your choice of color.
3. The further west you go, the higher the price of gas. It was $3.99 in the mountains.
4. The speed limit is 80 mph in South Dakota and Wyoming.
5. We saw the most bull moose we have ever seen including two bulls fighting for a cow as the mating season was on. The irony was when the cow walked away with a third bull!
6. Jim Giroux from the same area as our son in Vermont visited with us. He even walked to the top of the Black Mountain, a tough two-hour hike each way, to a fire lookout.
7. Judge Genie ruled no mule deer hunting contest as only one deer had been harvested the first nine days. She compared it to a snowball contest with very little snow (Thus as last year rankings stay, Minnesota finishing a “strong” second, while Arkansas coming in “next to last”).
8. Sept. 10 at 11 p.m. a tornado struck Sioux Falls, S.D. as we were on our way home. It blew an empty 18-wheeler off the road at an incline; it landed on top of a barn. There was massive destruction in parts of Sioux Falls.
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.