Cowboy Country

I have had a little time to tangle of an evening and we have made it, way out west. Yesterday we stopped at the famous motorbike rally town of Sturgis. Every August about half a million motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the world gather and ride the fabulous roads around the Blackhills. It is very quiet at this time of year but at least we could wander around the museum and shops with ease.

Next stop was the cowboy town of Deadwood, rich in the wild west history of Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok. We had lunch at an old hotel and check out the beer!

Just on sunset we drove up and around Devils Tower, America's 1st National Monument, a huge stone pillar, it is the core of a volcano and sacred to the American Indians.

There was a campground close by which looked quite deserted and fortunately the caretaker was happy for us to stay the night as long as we didn't need the restrooms. Glad our RV has a beaut heater, fabulous hot shower, good toilet and everything we need.

Today we ventured over the Big Horn Mountain Range, Wyoming, to Cody, Buffalo Bill territory.

The weather is quite mild but there is snow on the mountains, we hope the roads are clear for the next couple of days to explore Yellowstone National Park.

The Great American Road Trip

All along Interstate 90 were signs about the Corn Palace at Mitchell, intrigued we made a stop, the whole building which is a community and sporting venue is decorated each year with corn cobs, stalks and grasses from the region. This seasonal event has been happening for over 100 years. A Tangler's delight!

We have continued into the Badlands, the roads and scenery are picturesque with the changing colours from desert to the green and gold of the trees in the Blackhills of South Dakota. We have seen the small prairie dogs dart down their holes, deer grazing on the side of the road, even a large buck with beautiful antlers. Last night 3 huge bison just roaming calmly while people stopped to take photos.

Luckily the weather has been good to us, we woke one morning to a slight frost, with a clear sunrise, gorgeous! Yesterday we were able to miss the rain while admiring the amazing carvings on Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

As we came into Rapid City last night just on dark we spotted a campground with the most wonderful view over the city, perfect except for the 'Closed for the season' sign!! Ok the GPS guided us to another campground 2 miles down the road but no, that was completely gone so we settled down in a Baptist Church car park, safe and quiet.

Fields of Gold

Our 1st 2 nights on the road were spent in Travel Plazas, large flash truck stops. They are very clean with everything you need. The 2nd Travel Plaza even had power plug ins, it cost $20.00 but good for charging up our gadgets (like the computer).

Paul is driving well in the traffic, he drove straight through the centre of Chicago. We parked on a parking meter to go into the Navy Pier area and had to pay with the credit card, that was a 1st!

Although we did have a hiccup coming into Milwakee, I entered a camping ground address into the GPS but when we arrived a 6 lane Freeway had been built right through the middle, all we could see was a broken gate! It was dark at this stage so we stopped the night in a Bank carpark, we had a 24 hr MacDonalds on one side and a drive through ATM on the other, luckily it was quiet and no problem.

A photo of our RV in the Harley-Davidson Museum carpark in Milwaukee, we spent half the day looking about. We had planned to be here in 2003 for the H-D 100th Anniversary but that didn't

happen. We actually had a better look because back then the whole place would have been crowded. Amazing how things are meant to be!!!

Today we crossed the Mississippi River and drove most of the day through thousands of acres of corn fields across the southern part of Minnesota. The area must look stunningly lush and green in the summer. I love the old barns and farm houses. Some of the signs along the roadside are fun to read but I'm not quick enough with camera, one advertised an 'Adult Shop and Bakery' that's OK, I've heard many folks say they are off to the bakery for a tart!

Tonight we are just east of Sioux Falls in a lovely camping ground looking over a lake. It's a bit to cold to get the camp chairs out but the wine is good and we are warm inside.

It's Official!

What a day and celebration!


Plenty of tangling and official business, photographs, more tangling, more laughs and wonderful friendships formed.
I know I wasn't the only one feeling emotional and thrilled about receiving our gorgeous certificates.



With Kit (also from Tasmania), Rick and Maria.

CZT7 in full swing!

The Hotel Providence a buzz with tangle talk, our lessons are taken in the beautiful ballroom. We all chatter and compare notes and tangles until Rick and Maria step up and all is quiet.

You can feel the appreciation and gratitude from everyone, our passion is shared and is flowing out and around the hotel and into the dining room. Tonight our waitress had a peep in the Zentangle shop and now she has been bitten by the Zentangle bug too.

What a treat it is to actually chat (in real life) with these lovely ladies....Tricia, Lori and Linda.

It's all go!

Name tags and seminar bags were passed out as we introduced ourselves. So many faces that we recognised from small internet photos. Hugs and smiles as we finally met and connected names to faces. After dinner and a glass of bubbly with pomegranate juice we spent a lovely evening admiring each others Zentangle art work and special pieces created by Maria.

Providence

I knew we were at the right place when the Hotel Providence front door opened, we were greeted by an especially large Zentangle tile. WOW!!

Early this morning while waiting for the train at Penn Station, Paul was sitting with our bags while I ordered coffee. He must have looked as though he was guarding all his worldly goods because a very kind lady came over and offered him $5.00.

And no he didn't take it.

The train from New York to Providence takes about three and a half hours through beautiful coastal towns.

Our room is very flash and comfortable, quite a few happy Tanglers have arrived and we have met Maria and Rick, they so very friendly. What a treat!!