Some Picturesque Barns

This will be a quick entry. It contains a few photos of some barns that we saw as we travelled across Iowa, southern Minnesota and South Dakota that we thought were memorable.

There's something majestic about barns, how they look, what they're used for and how they end their lives and so many different styles. 

Enjoy them.

...not sure this was a barn but it's very photogenic

A typical road out in South Dakota shows off this barn. We were the only vehicle on this road for miles. So peaceful being off the interstate.

This is one crazy looking barn for sure

 

We have covered a lot of ground since we started and hope to get cracking on some new entries, including the Badlands of South Dakota, Wall Drug and Mount Rushmore. 

steve/kim/katie

It got a mite chilly when we got to Wisconsin in late April 

NEW TRIP OUT WEST 2025

Well, off we go on another adventure, this time out west for the summer. Here's the map of our itinierary. We'll spend 6 weeks at one spot in Libby, Montana and 6 weeks at one spot in SW Wisconsin before taking a month to get back home in Florida.

We'll be posting more this time of our travels with lots of photos.

steve/kim/katie

July/August/September/October

Here's a map of the second half of our 2024 Summer out-West trip. 23 stops! 

We visited the "Scabland" again for the third time....us amateur geologists cannot get enough of the place. In case you've not heard of the greatest flood in US history, here's our blog entry that describes it.

https://stricksretirement.blogspot.com/2020/06/glacial-lake-missoula-montana.html

This is Dry Lake. It was formed by the flood coming over from the upper left. You can see the yellow circle that shows a car down at the bottom to show the immense scale.

We spent an entire month at one stop in July. Libby, Montana. One of our all-time favorite RV campgrounds. Not much to do there expect to relax, do some home projects and be lazy.

I did say "relaxing" didn't I? This is during one of our kayak paddles on a nearby lake.

Our "front yard" view where we sat every morning and had our coffee

Kootenai Falls.....spectacular!

Then, in August, we started on the road again. First stop: Glacier National Park, both east and west sides.

 

We stopped at Cheyenne, Wyoming for a week to poke around. Great weather and some drinks.

And a couple of extra photos of our journey....

Wonderful 4-night stay in Shelby, Montana. It was so nice to see some horizons after a month in the forest of NW Montana.

This used to be the greatest sheep gathering place for shipping to the east in the west at one time. Neat little town. Population: 177.

And we weren't without our troubles....

Look! Our right door came off one day when I went to open it!

 

This is how we had to keep it refrigerated until I could fix it. Fortunately, I found a local guy that instructed me on how to rivet and weld/glue the latch back together. (we also have an extra frig "downstairs" where we stashed some food so it wouldn't spoil). Gotta love traveling !

 

Okay...there are just too many photos and stops worth showing but you're probably getting worn out now just looking at all these photos. I'll do another one later. Enjoy for now! 

Thank you for following us. It's a blast!

steve/kim/katie

TX, NM, CO, UT,

 Those initials are for the next part of our summer journey. Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah.

We are in Soap Lake, Washington for 2 weeks to visit the "Scablands"

Here's some highlights of our trip up to this point:

AMARILLO BOTANICAL GARDENS

Small but beautiful gardens in Amarillo. One of the best we've seen. Spent over 2 hours taking photos and enjoying the different parts of the garden.

Gorgeous Columbine display at the entrance.

Common Morning-Glory

Fishtail Palm Tree that was located in the indoor tropical part of the garden.

CHACO CANYON RUINS

We were here years ago but the last visit, we were stopped by the roads being washed away. This year, we got to get back here. Pueblo Bonito is the most thoroughly investigated and celebrated cultural site in Chaco Canyon. Planned and constructed in stages between AD 850 to AD 1150 by ancestral Puebloan peoples, this was the center of the Chacoan world.  More than 600 rooms towered four and five stories above the valley floor, covering 3 acres.

Present day aerial image.

Image showing how it became after construction years and years ago.

Notice the rock face that tumbled down to the upper left.

Here's what it looks like present day while walking through.

Original wall construction

Imagine placing each and every one of these rocks?

MESA VERDE

Even after coming here for five times, it's still amazing that people built and lived in these cliff dwellings.

MONUMENT VALLEY

Even though we've been here twice before, and swore we wouldn't take photos this time, we still took so many photos. It's difficult to only put in a few here. The place is just too gorgeous! 

Kayaking in the desert?

The clouds were magnificent this day

The dirt road is the best way to see the park. It's 17 miles and the worst road we've ever been on. It's gotten worse over the years. Potholes, side-to-side bumps...had to go 5 mph part of the way. But...it's was worth it.

More wonderful clouds

GOOSENECKS STATE PARK

This is an amazing view of three "goosenecks" on the San Juan River. It's over 1,000 feet to the river surface.

Don't get too close to the edge. It's over 1,000 feet down!

Okay....the rest of these highlights will have to wait until next blog entry.....too many fantastic sights to share.

VALLEY OF THE GODS

GOBLINS STATE PARK

CAPITOL REEF

BURNS TRAIL ROAD

HIGHWAY 12

DRUMHELLER CHANNELS (SCABLANDS)

KAYAKING

We trust you enjoyed this one. We sure are having a ball in our 13th year of RV travelling.

Steve/Kim/Katie