Tag Archives: Sheridan Wyo Rodeo

2013_07_14 (Sun) Housekeeping Chores

We have had an exciting but fairly intense week, including our ‘grand auto tour’ of the northern Wyoming Bighorn Mountains, so we had decided in advance that today would be a low key, stay at home day for us.  Besides, there are some things that living in an RV does not change.  At the top of the list (for us at least) are grocery shopping, doing laundry, and paying bills.  (Some RVers avoid grocery shopping by eating all of their meals out.  They usually have the largest, fanciest kitchens.)  Tank dumping is not to be overlooked, of course, and we tend to throw that into the mix on a chore day if we are stationary for a while, such as we are at the moment.  Taking care of our website/blog has become a daily task, but does not rise to the level of a chore as it is in no way necessary.

We had two rigs and three members of our team leave this morning.  Steve, our intrepid co-leader, told the team on day 1 that he had a long-standing family obligation the second week of the build and would be leaving us.  Bruce and Pam also had to leave unexpectedly as they got a call on Friday that their daughter, who has Multiple Sclerosis, had taken a turn for the worse.  Every member of a team quickly becomes a unique piece of a puzzle, and the premature departure of these three leaves a hole that is felt as a genuine loss.  Steve had made us feel welcome in a group where we might not have automatically fit in and worked with both of us at the job site.  I had the pleasure of working closely with Bruce on some trickier aspects of the build and appreciated his knowledge, skill, and patience.  We had a chance to say our “so long for now”s to Steve last night, but we did not get a chance to say goodbye to Bruce and Pam.

Our driver-side neighbors, Marvin, Leo, and their families, pulled out mid-morning.  They had helped us early last week deal with our awnings when the wind suddenly came up very strong.  By early afternoon there were quite a few vacant sites.  We went to get groceries, but took a few minutes to first find and drive through Kendrick Park.  On our way to Albertson’s we passed the Safeway so we stopped there instead.  The store was nice enough but smaller, and their selection was not as extensive as Albertson’s, which has become our preferred grocery store out here.

In the course of the afternoon new campers arrived including a RoadTrek Class B that pulled in to the site on our driver’s side.  They had just come from Cody via US-14 and were heading on to Gillette and then Sundance and Devil’s Tower, the opposite of what we have done the last four weeks.

We had our 4:30 PM SKP social, although it started a little later and was a bit smaller, with just me, Linda, Jack, Shirley, Kent, and Jan.  Kathy, Mara, and Leota returned from shopping and other adventures, and Kathy and Mara joined the social until we all went home to have dinner.  We compared notes about our program selling efforts the previous evening at the Sheridan Wyo Rodeo.  Linda and I sold $201 dollars but Kathy and Mara sold $500, so they covered the Rodeo’s donation to the local HFH affiliate all by themselves.  Good job.

After dinner we turned the TV on for the first time since we arrived in Sheridan a week ago as Linda wanted to watch Masterpiece Theater.  We scanned for OTA signals with the antenna pointed in three different directions and finally found the local Wyoming PBS station, and most of the others, on the 3rd try.  I watched out of the corner of my eye while I worked on uploading blog posts.

 

2013_07_13 (Sat) The House Takes Shape

Our SKP HFH BOF RV CAV team.

Our SKP HFH BOF RV CAV team.

Our HFH team was back on the job this morning at 8:00 AM; our last day as a full team as three of our members would be leaving tomorrow.   Three members went to work at the ReStore and most of the rest of the team worked on building the 76 foot long west wall.  Linda and I worked with the air nailer to tie all of the partition walls together and to the east wall.  Four of the partition walls were built 3/4 of an inch short (floor to ceiling) so we cut 1×4 fillers and nailed those to the top plates.  We were able to stand the west wall up, tie it to the front and rear walls, and temporarily secure it with diagonal braces before lunch, a good morning’s work.  But it was hotter and more humid than we expected, and the whole team was ready to get inside and have lunch in the air-conditioning.

Angel has been coordinating and staging our lunches at the Catholic Church that is a very short walk from the building site.  Today was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and watermelon, as well as apple and cherry strudel.  She brought two 6″ veggie subs for me and Linda.

After lunch everyone worked to start getting the walls plumb and square.  We made some progress on this, but called it quits at 2:00 PM due to the heat and the fact that twelve of us had volunteered to sell programs at the Sheridan Wyo Rodeo starting at 5:00 PM.  In return for our service the local HFH affiliate is receiving a $500 donation from the rodeo.

The temperature peaked around 90 degrees F in mid-afternoon, but by 5:00 PM clouds had moved in and a strong breeze was blowing.  Linda and I worked at the Rodeo from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM selling programs and day sheets.  We were stationed at the north end of the main grandstand and were able to view the opening ceremonies, either directly or on the jumbotron screen.  We also got to see the finals of the Indian Relay Races, a wild event in which five riders at a time circle the track three times using a different horse each time and riding bareback.  The horses are retired thoroughbreds, and just one step shy of being wild.  As the main rodeo events began we returned our unsold programs, aprons, and cash.  We walked the midway and then left the fairgrounds in search of French Fries as today was National French Fry Day.  We ended up at MacDonald’s as we did not want to sample the local bar and grill scene on the last night of the Wyo Rodeo.

 

2013_07_12 (Fri) The Bighorn Mountains

Our normal work schedule for HFH is Tuesday through Saturday.  The schedule was changed due to the activities connected to the Sheridan Wyo Rodeo (pancake breakfast, bed races, parade, etc.) and we had today off in exchange for working next Monday.  Angel was throwing a Bar-B-Que after the parade and our HFH team was invited for lunch.  One of the challenges we face when doing group activities is that our food choices are often limited, and sometimes non-existent, unless we bring something.  Such were the food offerings today.

The change in schedule was fortuitous for us as the closing on the sale of our old house was scheduled for 10:00 AM EDT today back in Michigan (8:00 AM MDT in Sheridan).  Our daughter handled the signing of documents on our behalf, but we wanted to be available by phone or e-mail in case anything came up.  Everything was arranged properly, and shortly after 9:00 AM (our local time) we got the “thumbs up” that the transaction was concluded.

Linda and I opted out of the Wyo Rodeo activities and went for an all-day drive through the northern Wyoming Bighorn Mountains.  US-14 and US-14A are National Scenic Byways that we wanted to see, but we had been told, and read, that they were not friendly for large RVs and should be avoided by larger/heavier rigs in particular.

Coming into the Bighorn Mountains on US-14

Coming into the Bighorn Mountains on US-14

US-14 connects Ranchester and Dayton, Wyoming on the east side of the Bighorn Mountains to Greybull, Wyoming on the west side.  It has numerous switchbacks and some 7% and 8% grades, but is used by semis, as we saw today.  We also saw four full-size Prevost buses (H3-45’s) during the day, so we know vehicles that size can use this route if they have enough power to go uphill and good enough brakes to come back down.

US-14A warning sign at Burgess Junction.

US-14A warning sign at Burgess Junction.

Part way across US-14, traveling east to west, is Burgess Junction.  US-14A starts at Burgess Junction and goes north and then west to Lovell, Wyoming.  It has numerous warnings at both ends and along its full length for semi’s, motorhomes, and any other vehicles pulling trailers.  Like US-14, it has switchbacks and tight turns, but the road is good and seemed wide enough to be drivable.  In fact we saw a couple of semi’s along the way (climbing eastbound and going real slow.)  The major hazard is a 13 mile stretch on the west side of the range that features long stretches of 10% grade going downhill when traveling west.  There are several mandatory brake check areas, and a couple of runaway truck stops, which always give one pause for thought.

Observation Point on US-14A.

Observation Point on US-14A.

The summit of this drive was Observation Point at 9430 feet ASL, between Burgess Junction and the turnoff to the Bighorn Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark.  The Observation Point turnout provides the first view of the Bighorn Valley that lies between the Bighorn Mountains and the Absaroka Range on the eastern edge of Yellowstone N. P.  Clouds were blowing up the side of the mountains from below us, and it was refreshingly cool.

View SW from Observation Point.

View SW from Observation Point.

Open range above 9000 feet!

Open range above 9000 feet!

Approaching the Medicine Wheel turnoff.  FAA facility on top of mountain.

Approaching the Medicine Wheel turnoff. FAA facility on top of mountain.

The car, with Linda at the wheel, handled the road just fine.  Besides the scenery, which was great, one of the reasons we went this way was to see the Bighorn Medicine Wheel, an archeological site that is still in use by Native Americans today.  To get to the Bighorn Medicine Wheel site, we took a steep, narrow, curvy, dirt road 1.5 miles to a U. S. Forest Service station.  Four-wheel drive is not necessary, but four-wheel stop is.

USFS station at the Medicine Wheel.

USFS station at the Medicine Wheel.

From the station parking lot there are two gravel roads, one to the FAA facility on top of the mountain you see driving in, and another one that goes to the actual Medicine Wheel.  The road to the Wheel is closed to all vehicles except those displaying handicapped tags, so we hiked the final 1.5 miles.  The USFS station is at 9500 feet ASL and there is some up and down before reaching the Wheel at 9,956 feet ASL, which makes it the highest medicine wheel in North America.  The sun was intense when not obscured by clouds and parts of the road were exposed to wind, which was strong.  The air temperature was very cool, but we walked briskly and were comfortable.

A view from the road hiking to the Medicine Wheel.

A view from the road hiking to the Medicine Wheel.

The final climb to the Medicine Wheel.

The final climb to the Medicine Wheel.

Yup, we were pretty high up.

Yup, we were pretty high up.

Note: We forgot to bring jackets.  Rule number one about any mountains, always bring adequate clothing.  Rule #2; wear adequate hiking boots or shoes.  Rule #3; bring water.  We missed on all three today,  L but I was recalled having learned some years ago in wilderness survival training that most cases of hypothermia occur between 40 and 60 degrees F, particularly when people get wet (or sweaty) in a windy situation.

An aerial view of the Medicine Wheel (from a display board).

An aerial view of the Medicine Wheel (from a display board).

The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is an archeological site because its construction and initial use pre-dates any written record or oral history of the area.  The best estimate is that it was constructed around 1200 C.E. by people who had subsequently disappeared from the region long before “modern” Indian tribes moved in.  It is made of rocks placed on the ground in the shape of a wheel 80 feet in diameter with 28 spokes, making it the largest medicine wheel in North America.  It has a rock cairn at the center hub, and six smaller cairns spaced around the perimeter.  Its origin and purpose are unknown, but the nature of the site suggests that it served both astronomical and spiritual functions, and it is the later that continues today.

Approaching the Medicine Wheel.

Approaching the Medicine Wheel.

The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is worth the trouble it takes to get there, but like many archeological sites, you might be underwhelmed if you don’t understand what you are going to see and appreciate when/where/how/why it was built.

The spokes and cairns of the Medicine Wheel.

The spokes and cairns of the Medicine Wheel.

The view to the west from the Medicine Wheel.

The view to the west from the Medicine Wheel.

Besides the Wheel itself, we experienced being above the tree line and above the base of some clouds.  The views were magnificent in all directions, and although it was hazy to the west, we could clearly see the Bighorn River valley spread out below, and the Absaroka mountains of the Yellowstone N. P. area on the other side of the valley over 100 miles away.

Bruce at Medicine Wheel.

Bruce at Medicine Wheel.

 

As we backed out of our parking spot I heard a loud screech.  I got out of the car and checked each wheel position as Linda moved the car backwards and forwards.  The screech was coming from the passenger-side rear disc brakes.  I tapped on the caliper with my hammer and gravel fell onto the inside of the wheel rim.  I repeated this until I stopped getting gravel.  Linda tested the brakes again, and they were fine, another example of a potential problem resolved.  We pulled out and headed for Lovell, Wyoming, the western terminus of US-14A.

Brake check ahead on US-14A!

Brake check ahead on US-14A!

The drive from the Medicine Wheel turnoff going west is where US-14A becomes a challenging drive with a long stretch of 10% downhill grade.  There are brake check turnouts, and runaway truck ramps, and just to make matters more interesting, as if the scenery weren’t distracting enough, it’s open range.

10% grade on US-14A!

10% grade on US-14A!

More open range on US-14A!

More open range on US-14A!

As we came out of the mountains into the Bighorn River valley, we left the Bighorn National Forest and entered the Bighorn Recreation area.  The river is obviously dammed somewhere and we crossed the reservoir and headed towards Lovell.

Bighorn Rec Area Reservoir.

Bighorn River Recreation Area Reservoir.

Before we got to Lovell we stopped at the Bighorn Recreation Area Visitor Center, and made some follow-up phone calls pertaining to our house sale.  By then it was almost 2:00 PM, so we found a Blimpies Sub Shop in Lovell and split a veggie sub.  Wyoming 37 heads north out of Lovell along Bighorn Canyon, which we would have liked to see, but our return route to Sheridan was via US-14, so we took US-310 south to Greybull, Wyoming.  Although not marked as a scenic drive, this stretch of US-310 was very interesting.  Except along the Bighorn River and Shell Creek the valley is arid and reminded us of the dessert southwest; stark but beautiful in its own, otherworldly way.

Heading into Shell Canyon.

Heading into Shell Canyon.

We headed east on US-14, and stopped in  Greybull to change drivers as Linda’s right hip and leg were bothering  her.  (This tends to happen if she drives for too long.)  We crossed the river and started climbing back up into the Bighorn Mountains.  As we got into the mountains we found ourselves following Shell Creek along the floor of Shell Canyon.  This stretch of the highway was very dramatic, and the roadway was somewhat narrower with tighter blind curves.  Eventfully the road left the floor of the canyon and climbed up the sides of the mountains, getting more and more dramatic with each bend in the road, the canyon walls and mountain peaks still looming high above us.

Shell Canyon.

Shell Canyon.

Shell Falls Visitor Center.

Shell Falls Visitor Center.

On both US-14 and US-14A we often had the road to ourselves, and even the scenic pullouts were often empty.  Thus we were surprised when we came upon the Shell Falls Visitor Center.  The large parking lot was almost full and the place was crawling with people.  (So that’s where everybody was!).  We pulled in anyway and watched a Trafalgar Tours Prevost H3-45 disgorge a large number of sightseers.  (We saw four 45 foot tour buses on US-14, so large RVs can obviously do this route as long as they have the necessary power and braking.)  We waited in line to get our “passport” stamped and then hiked around the site, which was actually quite stunning.

Nearing the top of Shell Canyon.

Nearing the top of Shell Canyon.

After leaving Shell Falls, the road continue to climb and the canyon eventually gave way to the broad mountain meadows that cover the top of this part of the Bighorn Mountains.  The grade on US-14 reaches 7 – 8% in places, but takes more miles to change elevation than US-14A does.

 

On top of the Bighorn Mountains (almost).

On top of the Bighorn Mountains (almost).

We went through Granite Pass at 9033 feet ASL, and started our descent towards Burgess Junction, and eventually Dayton, Ranchester, and finally back to Sheridan.  The whole trip was approximately 240 miles and took about 9 hours.

 

 

 

Although it was 6:00 PM when we got back to Peter D’s RV Park, four members of our HFH team were having an extended social hour so we poured a couple of glasses of wine and joined them.  Dinner could wait.

 

2013_07_10 (Wed) It Takes Studs To Frame A House

It was all hammers on deck today.  Because the afternoon high temperature was forecast to be in the 90’s, most of us started work at 7:00 AM instead of 8:00 AM so we could be done by 2:00 PM.

Part of our Sheridan HFH RV CAV team taking a break.

Part of our Sheridan HFH RV CAV team taking a break.

We split up into smaller crews.  One of them covered the floor slab with Tyvek house wrap to protect it.  Several crews then laid out and assembled the 76 foot long east wall of the house while other crews cut, laid out, and assembled interior partition walls.

Brian, our local HFH construction supervisor.

Brian, our local HFH construction supervisor.

There’s another guy on our team named Bruce, who retired after 40 years as a builder, and I worked with him to lay sill seal and install metal foundation flashing.  The team delayed going to lunch in order to raise and secure the east wall, which was something to see, with all but two of us involved (and those two were taking pictures).

Raising the 76' long east wall.

Raising the 76′ long east wall.

After lunch we raised the rear wall and tied it to the east wall.  The exterior walls sit on wood sill plates, so they were anchored using 16 penny nails nailed the old-fashioned way (with hammers) like all of our framing so far.  By 2:00 PM we were ready to call it quits for the day, packed up, and returned to our rigs.

This is where the hats go during lunch.

This is where the hats go during lunch.

Most of our team decided a couple of days ago to attend the Sheridan Wyo Rodeo this evening, so we did not have our usual 4:30 social.  Linda and I did not attend the rodeo and had a quiet evening at home instead.  Linda did a load of laundry while I continued to edit and post blog entries and discover new things about WordPress, which is what we use to create our website and blog.

 

2013_07_08 (Mon) A Day To Get Ready

The historic Sheridan Inn.

The historic Sheridan Inn.

Our nominal HFH work schedule is Tuesday through Saturday, so we had today available to do whatever we wanted/needed to do.  The Sheridan visitor center is close by so we went there early to get information and a walking tour map of downtown.  Sheridan has more than 50 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, many from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s.

Buffalo Bill Cody hung out here and interviewed acts for his Wild West show on the porch.

Buffalo Bill Cody hung out here and interviewed acts for his Wild West show on the porch.

Just coincidently, the Sheridan WYO Rodeo is taking place this week (it’s a big deal), so there is a lot of signage and commerce related to that.  Accommodations are hard come by, and a bit pricier, in the area because of the rodeo.  Fortunately our spots at Peter D’s were pre-arranged far in advance and at a slight discount.  We were asked to contribute $20/day towards the $32 cost of our site, and the local HFH affiliate picked up the difference.

Our walking tour done, we found the local Albertson’s grocery store using the Point Of Interest feature on our Garmin 465T GPS.  (This is the GPS we use in the car.  We can use it as a handheld unit, but we rarely do.  We have a DeLorme handheld GPS that we use for hiking and geocaching.  We use a Rand-McNally RV GPS in the motorhome.)

The Mint Bar.  "Meet me at the Mint" is what the locals say.  Lots of bars in town, not too many wine stores/

The Mint Bar. “Meet me at the Mint” is what the locals say. Lots of bars in town, not too many wine stores.

Besides a few grocery items, we were looking for some wine.  The Albertson’s in Gillette had a separate, attached store, but the one in Sheridan did not sell beer, wine, or liquor.  In this county you can only buy alcoholic beverages at a “liquor store.”  There was a small one a few doors down from Albertson’s, so we went there.

Back at the rig I continued working on my blog posts until it was time to go to the 4:30 PM social at Steven Gullette’s trailer.  A glass of wine and finger snacks with our new(est) friends; RVing is a good life.

For dinner, Linda made a flatbread pizza with caramelized onions, peppers, olives, kale, mushrooms, garlic, and a touch of balsamic vinegar.  There were severe storms in the area that we were tracking using several weather apps on our smartphones, but none that appeared to be a concern for us.  Before she got the pizza in the oven, the wind came up very suddenly and flipped up the front arm on our large driver-side awning.  We scrambled outside to retrieve the ladder and poles needed to stow the awnings, and were assisted by Marvin and Leo from the motorhome just to our west.  Linda hung on to the patio awning strap (barely) while we got the driver-side awning straightened out and stowed.  We then ganged up on the patio awning and got it stowed.  I then stowed the two small awnings.  The wind in Wyoming is constant and can get very strong very suddenly.  Hot, bright sunshine notwithstanding, we may just leave our awnings up for the duration of our visit.

The potential crisis averted, Linda finished assembling the pizza and baked it using the convection bake feature of the microwave oven.  She bought a flexible silicone baking disk at Escapade and has been using it to great success.  The pizza was fabulous; another example of how she is developing the ability to improvise dishes based on ingredients (G-BOMBS) that are the staples of our way of eating (WFPB).  (Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds.  We also let G stand for Grains.)

It was still light after dinner, so we went for a ride to locate the two build sites and see a bit more of Sheridan.  We found the county fairgrounds where the Sheridan Wyo Rodeo will take place and saw a magnificent sunset from there. We also found Kendrick Park, which has a wild animal section with Bison and Elk, but couldn’t find the entrance.  The Kendrick family was prominent in the founding and development of Sheridan, and a number of buildings in town bear the “K” which was their mark.