Kansas.... We didn't know!

Our original plan for our adventure through Kansas was quite simple... grab Mingo... the oldest active geocache in the world!   We struggled with how to make a trip into western Kansas for the cache without adding too much time to our travels.  We routed and re-routed our return trip from Washington to Georgia trying to make the path shorter, smarter, easier.  In the end, we went back to the beginning.  We changed our travel plans on the way to Washington (catching different states in the new route) and this afforded us more time to reach Mingo (Colby, KS).

We arrived in Colby after dark and decided to just head for the hotel.  The plan was to stop at Mingo first thing in the morning, maybe catch a cache or two nearby... then blow through Kansas and in to Oklahoma.   Well.... Kansas had more to offer than we realized!

Mingo was a quick find... as were the few other caches located nearby.  We were back on the trail in no time flat.

A few miles down the road, we decided to stop for a quick restroom break.  We pulled into a town called Oakley.  In the median of the road was a sign that caught our eye... a teaser about the "significant historical value" of the seemingly quiet town.   Cue the music... break out the Google!!

As luck would have it, we landed just a few miles from the historical Bill Cody and Bill Comstock show-down.   Drumroll please..... Oakley is the birthplace of "Buffalo Bill"!

The twice-the-size-of-life statue had a commanding presence on the hill above the interpretative center. Buffalo Bill on top of his favorite hunting horse with his gun, Lucretia, about to down a buffalo.   Prior to his Buffalo Bill fame, Bill Cody was a professional hunter... hunting buffalo for meat he contracted to provide to railworkers in the region.

Oakley is also the home of Annie Oakley.... the sharp-shooter that traveled with Buffalo Bill's shows!

It seems fitting that the TTMs could step back in time for just one split-second to become these historic people.... so we did!  :)

Then we were off again... Next stop was planned for Hays, KS.   A couple of earthcaches, a virtual.... and a microbrewery for a late lunch!    But again... it just isn't that simple in the TTMs world.  On our way, we stumbled upon an unusual geo-art.  E-L-L-I-S is spelled out along the dirt roads of it's namesake town.  What makes this geo-art unusual is the each smiley is a traditional cache.  Most geo-art is made from puzzle caches which allow the icon to be placed almost anywhere with the final cache located some distance away.  This gives the cache owner a little creative-licensing to focus on the art without being restricted on icon placements. With traditional caches, they are physically located where the icon is placed.  It was fun to find something different... and so strategically placed!  

With the geo-art done, it was off to Hays.  A few caches... and a few pictures... a new microbrew later... we were finally heading out of Kansas and on to Oklahoma!

♡Mac

New Mexico and Colorado... just a tease...

We knew we would have a few "power - driving" days... and that would mean less caching and tourist stops.   New Mexico and Colorado were victims of this downside of the EPIC adventure.

We did make a few quick geocaching stops and we did snap a few pics... but we didn't come even close to witnessing the grandeur we are sure each of these states has to offer!

One goal we did gave for New Mexico was to drop off a travel bug (a Boy Scout coin) headed to Philmont that Team Letterman had passed on to Swiz.  Ironically, our search for a traditional large enough to hold two coin took us to a BSA cache that was placed for a merit badge!  Things are meant to happen as they happen!

One of the most unique places we stopped was an obscure cemetery... Otero County Cemetery in Colorado.  All but one of the 200 markers is a metal cross without names or dates.  The one unique grave, that of a veteran, is the only regular marker with a date.

Looks like The Tick-Magnets are going to have to plan another westward adventure!  Skiing, balloon fest??  Surely we can think of something!  ;)

P.S. -  Heehee... something else unique happened... we had pizza delivered to our room!    We are so worldly!

~Mac

The Grand Canyon... another struggle for words!

There are a million places on earth I have yet to visit, a few I only dream about.... but I just can't, even the wildest of dreams, imagine even ONE that could compare in magnitude and awe to the Grand Canyon!  It is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World... and rightfully so!

This is my third visit to this magnificent wonder and I am just as awe-struck as I was the first time... and the second.   It's size is uncomprehendable and it's depth seems immeasurable.

Eight million years in the making... slowly carved by wind and water...

It is surreal... seemingly unreal... I swear it is a painting.... I literally reach out to touch it... my hand passes unobstructed through the air...

I could take a million pictures... from all angles... in all weathers...  at all times of day... and I could never convey it's grandness, it's expanse, it's presence....

The walls of the canyon are rough...  trees and shrubs fighting to take root...

Nature plays with our minds... creating shapes and formations familiar to us....

Clouds pass overhead casting shadows into the canyon... threatening rain... more erosion....  It isn't the same place it was when I first visited in 1991, it won't be the same place if I should come again....

The Grand Canyon is a place you have to visit to absolutely appreciate... Go!  :)


~Mac

Standin' On the Corner....

Standin' On The Corner....
     words from Swiz

Anyone that knows me knows I love 70's and 80's music.   And the Eagles are easily a top 10 band for me--- so this virtual cache was pure necessity.

After leaving Kingman, Az, we spent a few hours at the Grand Canyon. From there, one of Mac's "Must Do"s was to cache along Route 66.   She studied the maps and found a way cool traditional that had some great history into the building of Route 66.  Take a look at HistoricAZ66: Cinders (GC3Z5FA).   Terrain was a bit different than what we are use to-- but hey, go where the arrow points you.  Mac made the quick find and spotted the red cinders mentioned in the cache page.  It really is an interesting read of how they used local materials to make a lasting road -- and to see parts on the road that were put down as early as the 1920s.

Now, it was time to head to Winslow.  We rolled in and found a few folks taking pictures.   It was our turn soon and we had a ball.  We gathered the important info for the virtual,  all while singing along with the loud speakers playing The Eagles.   Quick trip into the cute store across the street for a few souvenirs and we were done---- or at least we thought we were.

As we drove back to the interstate, we spotted a painted rock.  It was Captain America .... So you know we had to get a picture.

Another fine day of exploration.... Off to the next.

~Swiz

Hoover Dam

After leaving Las Vegas, the plan was to reach Kingman, Arizona, for the night.  That meant passing right across Hoover Dam.  A new beautiful highway bridge has been built which actually bypasses the dam itself but we wanted to see the whole dam thing.  ;)  That meant following the winding switchback road down to the dam entrance.  It was already dark by the time we got there and even though Mac and Swiz had both visited the dam before, it was much different at night.

Here is where I will admit being a bit of a chicken when it comes to heights.  Okay, I'm actually a complete scaredy cat, so I had to pull over and let Mac drive us across!  (Funny, a coyote trotted across the road in front of the car while Mac and I did the driver-switcheroo!)

We learned from the gate attendant (who was from South Carolina) that we could not stop or walk on the dam after dark.  That was fine by me... I didn't even step close to the railings when we parked on the other side!

But the dam was beautiful all lit up.  It was quiet, more quiet than I expected, and the scale and magnitude of the structure was massive.  Truthfully, in the dark, we couldn't see Lake Mead (the water impounded on the back side of the dam).  That only added to the mystique and marvel!

What a feat to think of the back - breaking work, the shovels, hand picks, and dynamite that built this engineering masterpiece so many years ago.

~Clyde

P.S. (by Mac)... on our way into town, we dropped into the Boulder City Brewing Co for a relaxing dinner and some tasting.  Quint being art en with neat dam artifacts, street art, and tasty brew!

NAS Fallon, Nevada

Monday was one of our longest driving days yet.  We left Newport, Oregon, and made our way across California to Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada.

We rolled in very late and had to leave out very early on Tuesday, so we really didn't get to see all the things on base.  But it didn't take long Tuesday morning to appreciate Fallon's claim to fame... NAS Fallon is the training facility for the Navy 's TOP GUNS!  The Nevada desert sky was filled with jets bright and early.  They roared across the sky, at least 6 of them flying by, turning, banking, climbing, and diving.  There was no mistaking that sound... it was the sound of freedom!

We were fortunate to be positioned perfectly for reveille outside the Administrator building.  Three young seaman did a beautiful job raising the colors at exactly 8 AM (the jets had been flying long before then).

I also snapped a picture of the Chapel at Fallon... "God's Oasis in the Desert."

~Clyde

Yabba Dabba Doooo

Sometimes you just need to let your inner child take control!

We stopped here for a quick traditional. ... and stayed to have a little fun!   Why?  Well, why not??  ;)

♡Mac