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Prepping for 2024 bike tour: Kansas to Wi

By
Judy
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0

The 2024 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is prepping for takeoff. This year’s tour is Wichita, KS to Wisconsin… with heaps of adventure on tap.

The first BIG announcement is my friend and I built wings for my jacket so I can take advantage of strong tailwinds.

It’s an invitation I’ve been dreaming about since my brother and I were obsessed with jetpacks in our youth.

My brother John also spoke often in the 1970s about putting a television and phone in the car. I distinctly remember my dad telling him to “get over it” and “it’ll never happen.”

Interesting the advancements in technology.

My dad was better with wood, wheels, and bikes when it came to inventions. He had a master-class workshop in his basement with sturdy drills, a solid vice, a drawer packed with lumber scraps, and a collection of power saws.

My mother had a different perspective. “Full of sawdust,” she said.

But it was my Dad’s nightly escape that featured country music on the radio mixed with a little 3-in-1 oil, a noisy whirring power saw and, in its heyday, we even had a bb gun shooting gallery in the dank crawl space.

Eventually Dad learned not to saw when towels, sheets, and cloth diapers were on the line in the neighboring laundry room.

He would retreat to the workshop every night after supper. Kids were always welcome. “You draw it and we’ll build it,” he would say.

We would scratch out rough designs of our ideas on paper or draw directly onto a piece of wood. We had a toy jigsaw; that gave us a good start at not pushing too hard we’d break the blade or sharpen our skills at following the line.

After all his years as the local Me Fix It, dad still could hold up five fingers on each hand. He made sure we followed that same path and he was diligent about making sure we kept our eyes protected as well. Safety goggles were a must – with everything including sparklers on the 4th of July.

Some of our more memorable projects included a wooden yellow race car similar to the Mach 5 on the Speed Racer cartoon that normally aired after school.

If something broke, Dad could fix it. The boys had a large collection of “dolls.” They called them action figures. All of them from GI Joe to Planet of the Apes to the $6 Million Dollar Man were maimed in some fashion. Most were missing hands. Al Steffes had a great triage clinic, next to his vice. With the skill of a handyman surgeon he gave everyone a pirate hook.

A bent nail sufficed. It was crude… but I don’t recall any of us ever complained – surprisingly none of us ever lost an eye.

What else did we build? Well the 7 Steffes kids had a large collection of wood stilts. One pair was so high we had to climb into them after scaling the garage.

We also begged for a Big Wheel. Red body, blue seat, yellow handlebars. The one all the kids had. Purchased at Winkie’s and factory produced by Marx.

That’s not what my Dad envisioned.

He took the front of a tricycle for the pedals, added a car steering wheel and the rims off his Dad’s wheelchair.

Unconventional… yet creative and the only one like it on the block.

Fifty years later I’m now designing wings for my “squirrel suit” featuring simple panels of fabric that fill the void in the space between my hand and my hip.

My jacket provides the base and the panels are sewn in place.

The idea is that space will now catch the wind and offer a boost as I cycle to my next destination. It’s no secret, wind will be key.

Making wings for the tour

“Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

______

The 2024 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2024.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

The long trek back to Wisconsin

By
Judy
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0

September 2, 2023 – I’m going to take a chapter out of Sarah Kreb’s playbook and go with Plan B. Earlier this year Sarah of Jackson, Wi set out to run the entire Ice Age Trail in record time. The goal was to raise money and awareness for cancer and her friend Corey, who died too young of pancreatic. Her adventure was titled Sarah’s Crusade for Corey.

There was a lot of planning, logistics, and promotion; a week into the ultra event Sarah was hindered by a nagging leg injury that put the 1,150-mile trek on hold.

Undeterred, Sarah rested and within a week was back on track. She put in 50-mile days; running. She successfully finished her journey on July 16, 2023.

Be. Like. Sarah.

Within a week of setting out on my annual bike tour, Cody, WY to WI, I had an unexpected encounter with a low-hanging tree branch. While it pushed me sideways and to the ground, I got up, brushed some dirt on it, and pedaled another 30 miles.

Something wasn’t right as I couldn’t brake with my left hand and it felt extremely weak. My sister, the nurse, prescribed RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

I didn’t have time for two of those and this wasn’t going according to plan.

Be. Like. Sarah.

I took a day off but then needed to soldier forward to get home in a couple of weeks. Any normal person would phone a friend, buy a plane/bus/train ticket, or rent a car.

Instead, I sought out Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois license plates at the KOA campground and started hitchhiking with retired people in mobile homes. It was safer than trying to hitch a ride at corner gas stations.

While unconventional, it still did afford lots of adventure and newfound friendships.

Noreen and Jeff from California were touring the wild West and helped me safely get from Moorcroft, WY to Rapid City, SD.

Jamie and Mary Kay from Illinois are probably going to start their own bus tour business. They took me through Wall Drug, the Badlands, and the Corn Palace before dropping me in Mitchell, SD.

“So where will you be staying tonight,” asked Jamie after a full day of traveling together.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ll knock on a couple of church doors and see if someone will take me in.”

“You travel weird,” said Jamie.

“I know,” I said.

Mary Kay and Jamie have contacted me daily to see how I’m doing.

Be. Like. Sarah.

After securing a church that night in Mitchell, SD, I took my sore, swollen arm and pedaled 8 miles east to a KOA campground and met Marc from Illinois. We became fast friends and he welcomed someone to talk to as he drove back home after seeing Grand Teton National Park.

“I cried, they were so beautiful,” he said.

Marc was a Cubs fan, recently retired from UPS, and a people person.

“I guess that’s why I was a good union steward,” he said. “I like people.”

The miles between Mitchell, SD and Albert Lea, MN passed quickly. The landscape changed from plains to fields of corn and windmills.

Marc dropped me at a McDonald’s in Lake Delton, Wi. I have friends in the area and another day of resting my wing will definitely help.

Be. Like. Sarah.

Sarah Krebs was always smiling. She was putting in grueling miles, she may not have even known what day it was… but she was always smiling and enjoying the experience even though it didn’t go as planned.

I phoned my friend Shelly who I’ve consulted before for physical therapy.

“It’s all about maintaining a range of motion,” she said.

“Can you reach behind and tug up your pants,” she asked.

Yup.

“Can you scratch the back of your head?”

Yup.

“Can you tug your pants, scratch the back of your head and now trace two fingers on your left hand down your outstretched right arm,” she instructed.

Yes… Is that range of motion?

“No, but if you played fast-pitch softball for Joan Gianniou at Dominican that was our steal sign,” said Shelly.

Yes, I’m still trying to be like Sarah and enjoy the adventure.

“Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

______

The 2023 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2023.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Adventure in the Badlands…

By
Judy
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0

August 31, 2023 – South Dakota – If it weren’t for my new best friends, Jamie, and his wife, Mary Kay, from Illinois, I would have never experienced the Badlands or had a buffalo cross the road in front of me.

It was such a tremendous experience. The bull had such a large head, a regal stride and he definitely commanded the roadway.

The rest of the Badlands was majestic, and vast, and had a topography definitely not found in the Midwest.

Plus my hosts made it fun. I met Jamie and Mary Kay when I knocked on the door of their mobile home at 9:15 p.m. Monday night.

They had an Illinois license plate and my plan was to hitch a ride east; finding someone at the KOA campground had to be safer than choosing a person with a pickup at the gas station by the highway.

Mary Kay did most of the screening. “Who are you and what do you want,” she asked. It was all very polite and, I admitted, it was odd.

I had been knocked off my bike on Sunday, hurt my arm, looking for help going east, and “no I guess I don’t believe in renting a car or jumping on a bus or phoning a friend…. But could you help?”

“Do you want to murder us,” said Jamie… just trying to clear up the elephant in the room.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” I said.

Plus, if you think about it, a mobile home is a terrible getaway vehicle. And Mary Kay was in charge of making sandwiches while we traveled.

So, it was quickly settled… there would be no murdering on this trip.

We chatted a bit more. I went to get ID while Mary Kay Googled me. By the time I returned, she was telling me things about me. “You write a lot of obituaries,” she said.

If that is how someone was going to describe me, I’ll take it. “Yes… the news we post is free and obituaries are well read.”

Mary Kay took my ID with the West Bend Police Chief’s contact and my pastor-brother-in-law’s number.

“I’m 99 percent sure we’ll take you but we’ll call you by 8 a.m. as we’re trying to leave by 9 a.m.,” she said.

Obviously, since you see we toured the Badlands together, it was a go.

“We really do like to pay it forward,” said Mary Kay. “And Megan at the chief’s office and a guy named Paul vouched for you…. He asked if you hit your head and we didn’t think so.”

Oh, we had a good time. Mary Kay and her husband often referenced their daughter who traveled worldwide…. also with few supplies and little planning.

The couple was enjoying retirement, loved the adventure in a mobile home, and both knew how to power up the rig and program the Garmin mapping device. Jamie referred to it as SOM, which stood for Save our Marriage.

A couple that can travel together that well is like finding your mate who can survive with you on a tandem; you have to pull even and be understanding.

So we actually made three adventure stops starting with Wall Drug Store…. where I still didn’t buy anything.

Then on to the Badlands…

Jamie asked if I would have seen the Badlands on my bike and the honest answer was no. I’m learning my limitations… and the positive aspects of being normal and traveling with an engine.

For bikers, the Badlands had absolutely no shade, you had to carry in your entire water supply … and then, there were signs about snakes. No, thank you; opting for a motor home with friends is my No. 1 recommendation.

We ended the day in Mitchell, SD at the famous Corn Palace. It’s still worth the stop. Giant art using corn from the cob. This year’s theme was ‘The Circus.’

After all our running about we stopped for some ice cream therapy and to discuss our next move.

“I’m going to unload my bike in the parking lot and you’re going to drive away,” I told my friends.

“Where will you stay? Do you know where you’re going?” All common questions.

I was going to find a grocery store and look for a church on the way. Hopefully, someone would take me in and I can tuck myself away on a church hall floor and be gone by 7 a.m.

“Call us and let us know,” said Mary Kay with a hug goodbye.

What a perfect day.

Side notes:

-About an hour and 3 churches later I texted Jamie and Mary Kay that the Cornerstone Church had taken me in and now I had to go get groceries.

-I pedaled about 3 miles and have questionable strength in my forearm, the one that hit the pavement. I still can’t shift and would play it by ear the next day. But, at least I’m moving east.. even though it’s not my desired mode of travel.

“Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

______

The 2023 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2023.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Rubbing a little dirt on it after a crash

By
Judy
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0

Gillett, WY – I don’t think anyone ever plans on crashing. I didn’t. On my way out of Gillett, WY on Sunday morning I had a slow roll going down the sidewalk on 12th Avenue. I just picked up some fuel at the grocery store after foregoing supper the night before. My 70-mile day just wore me out.

There was a low-hanging branch that I thought I could duck under … and I did, but it was followed by another branch that caught me in the face, and since I was still clipped into my pedals my world ended up sideways and shortly thereafter on the pavement.

A scraped knee, a little blood, and since I didn’t hear any bones break I thought I was no worse for wear. Plus, there was only one witness, and he stopped his car to see if I was okay… so my pride wasn’t really hurt either.

I gathered my thoughts, took a couple of deep breaths, and pushed along for 30 miles with some soreness in my left arm.

I had trouble shifting and there was some swelling. At the Sinclair gas station in Moorcroft, WY I stopped to reassess the situation and asked for help.

One of the things I’ve learned on the road is 99% of the time if you reach out and ask for help people are genuinely responsive.

There was a big mobile home trailering a yellow Jeep and a guy at the pump filling up. I told the man I had fallen and asked if he could give me a lift to Sundance, WY. He eyed me with a little speculation and said I’d have to ask his wife.

Normally, this leads to a much better scenario.

Noreen was in the passenger seat. She and her husband Jeff were in their 80s and from California. They had been to KOA campsites all over the US, including Alaska.

Noreen came down and listened to my story. “I don’t want any money. I just hurt my arm in a fall and need to get further down the road. I don’t want anything…. Just a little help,” I said. “And it’s good that I picked you because there’s a female in the mix.”

Noreen was sharp and she got it right away. Plus, I think judging by my age and the gear on my bike … who else was going to help this crazy woman riding across the country.

“We can get you to Sundance, WY but we’re going to Rapid City, SD,” she said.

Even better. Rapid City was on my route and I was done with Wyoming anyway.

Using my good arm I unloaded my gear and tossed it in their Jeep. Then I tucked my bike in the alley of their motor home and joined them on a much faster adventure to Rapid City, SD.

It’s a compromise I’ll gladly make and adds to the adventure. The kindness of strangers is always a good story to tell.

Noreen and Jeff had three kids, and five grandkids and they ran their own business. They loved to travel and go to concerts. Amy Grant was the CD they were playing on the ride to Rapid City.

“If it’s Sunday and we don’t have a chance to go to church we listen to Gospel songs,” she said over the music.

Within a few miles, conversation came easy. Noreen and Jeff were both adventurers; she still reveled in a hot air balloon ride she had taken in New Mexico and Jeff talked about white water rafting.

We made one stop at a wayside and Noreen went in to use the facilities and came out about 15 minutes later having run into another friend with a mobile home. She was also armed with promotional pamphlets of things to see in South Dakota.

Noreen was loaded with touring information. “Our younger friends have stopped traveling,” she said. “But since we’re still able to do it we’ve got a lot to see yet.”

Asked if they had ever been to Wisconsin, Noreen recalled a Bluegrass festival in the Kickapoo Valley. They really did get around.

We pulled into the KOA campground and went our separate ways. I secured a little log cabin to spoil myself and avoid sleeping on the ground with my injured wing.

I would review the situation in the morning but according to the camp nurse, it just looked like a bad sprain. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.

Stay tuned…

On a side note:

-I did call my mom to let her know the latest. Funny, she seemed unfazed. “You sound fine,” she said.

-Do you know the little KOA cabins come with air conditioning?

– I gave Jeff and Noreen a thank you note with money for helping me and I chipped in for gas. They tracked me down at the campsite and gave me the money back, asking that I donate it to music and exercise programs for people suffering from Alzheimer’s.

-Received a touching note from a friend. “You old bag… you’re still tougher than the youngsters today.”

“Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

______

The 2023 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2023.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Running out of water on way to Gillett, WY

By
Judy
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0

Gillett, WY – My respect for the west and its pioneers before me is growing daily as during my 68-mile trek from Clearmont, WY to Gillett, WY, I ran out of water.

I think it was the 15 mph headwinds that did me in… and the desolation, and the altitude, and the fact I simply didn’t pack enough water.

“That’s a long way of nothingness between here and Gillett,” said Steve from behind the counter of the Food n’ Fuel in Clearmont.

I planned and packed a couple extra bottles of water and I struck out early, at 7:45 a.m., to get a jump on the wind. The wind caught me by 9 a.m.

Becoming fascinated with more road art in the form of clever ranch signs

There was a saving grace at the 33-mile mark. A tavern in Spotted Horse; population 2 and one dog.

The tavern looked like it had been there forever. I was greeted by a giant German shepherd and a couple of owners who welcomed me.

“We’re closed,” said the man who was chucking beers into a portable cooler.

His better half was a little more understanding. “We’re leaving for the rodeo hun but I can get you something quick,” she said.

An ice-cold Coke was sounding really great at the moment and a couple of bottles of water for the road.

I could have stayed inside forever as there were collectibles everywhere, especially old toy cars and motorbikes which were hanging from the ceiling.

I took my refreshments and sat out front with the dog.

According to brief history notes on Wikipedia, the town was established in the 1900s and named after a Native American. The building had many prior lives including a US Post Office, a general store, and a gas station.

There was apparently a school at one time, and a dance hall. That dance hall was destroyed by a tornado in 1940.

Taking leave of much-needed shelter I chugged on and announced aloud to my captive audience, “37 more miles to go.”

At the halfway point I celebrated with a stretch, a swig of water, and two Tylenol.

The hills, the headwind, and the lack of training prior to the trip were taking a toll.

As I got closer to Gillett the traffic picked up and I felt less alone, but it was a grind to the end. The last six miles seemed to take 12… the town just kept getting further away, even though I could easily see it on the horizon.

When I saw a woman watering her lawn she saved me with some hose water. It never tasted so good.

Sidenotes…

  • Ended the day at 70 miles. The fatigue was extreme and I went to bed without supper.
  • Yes, I am having fun.

“Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

______

The 2023 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2023.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

A lesson in mapping in Wyoming

By
Judy
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0

Sheridan, WY – It’s the unexpected little mistakes that can set someone back 17 miles when you thought you were paying attention.

It is now 12 hours after my road to Clearmont, WY turned to gravel and I can barely move.

The day began perfectly, good weather, early start, only one snake… and after 17 miles on a desolate country road a sign pops up that reads “pavement ending.”

I laughed because I thought the sign company was kidding. A couple more miles down a gravel road a friendly mom of 3 in a huge pickup says, “Oh no, there’s about 50 more miles of this. You’re taking the back way… with some big hills ahead.”

The “pavement ending” sign just got real.

Her name was Betsy. She was on her way to Sheridan for a doctor’s appointment. Small, but strong, she helped me heft my ride into her rig to haul me back into town so I could start over.

Now, 11:30 a.m. and back at ground zero… I set off again. After a brutal 5 hours I’m in Clearmont, WY and going no further.

I can barely move. While sunny, there was a headwind and some famous Wyoming hills. At times I wished for an engine.

The best part of the day came packaged as a tiny woman with a big cowboy hat. Fran was eager to have a visitor at the Clearmont Historical Center.

“Can you please sign our guest book,” she asked. By the looks of it they averaged a person a day for the 3 days a week they were open.

Fran was sweet. 87 years old and lived in seven states, including Alaska.

“We should have stayed there,” she said.

An avid hunter and rancher Fran easily relayed stories about her family, travel, and hunting.

“We got out of the car because a herd of caribou was passing by. I had a permit and so did my husband, so I got my gun and took out a nice bull and then passed him the gun and he got one too. We were there until dark cutting them up.”

Fran was delicate at 5 foot 5 but she struck me as the person who could eat nails, walk away the victor in a WWF arm wrestling contest and then serve you up a hot slice of homemade apple pie and tuck you in at night.

Fran took me to the back of the Clearmont Historical Center to show me some intricate leather artworks and carvings. “We also have a lot of quilters in town,” she said pointing to a board with an array of colorful handmade pieces.

When she started talking about the importance of the beet harvest I felt like I was the perfect person to be her guest and focus of attention that day.

Fran was sharp and in wonderful shape. She clomped across the wood floor in black cowboy boots relaying local history.

“Our cemetery in town is named Sunnybrook. That’s also the name of a whiskey. Matter of fact the first guy buried there was drunk on Sunnybrook whisky. He got loud and sassed some people and one of them shot him dead. So the cemetery is named Sunnybrook.”

Fran was nonchalant in her story telling.

“We have an old jail out back,” she said. “One time a couple school girls climbed the water tower and the sheriff put them in jail for a couple hours to teach them a lesson.”

Fran asked if we could step outside so she could take a photo with my bike. She was so adorable with her silver belt buckle and cowboy print shirt and blue jeans

“You know,” she giggled. “I never once learned to ride a bike. Give me a horse any day.”

Today I was ready to opt for a horse as well… and one with a sense of direction.

On a side note:

-Fran hooked me up with Shirley at Community Church. A large church for a small town but they were smart to put a couch in the youth room and it was a comfortable place to stay in a community that tops out at 116.

-I poured myself onto the couch and was instantly overcome by a an all-out exhaustion nap. Very slow progress since leaving Cody on Wednesday.

-Distance O-meter Cody to Shell 68 mi, Shell to Sheridan 56, Sheridan to Clearmont 48 and onto Gillett with winds predicted at 30 mph. I’m praying for a tailwind.

-It’s been good biking weather; sunny and in the 80s during the day. It’s around 50 in the early mornings so throughout the day I shed my layers.

-It’s very dry. Not dusty – tumbleweed dry, but chapped-lips dry where your teeth kinda hurt and your tongue doesn’t help because it’s like sandpaper no matter how many water breaks I take.

-Having fun. It’s a good test of my mettle at 59 and a half years old. I’m not gonna lie .. I can feel my 2-year-old hip barking at me sometimes. I use it as an indicator to stop for a water break and stretch more.

“Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

______

The 2023 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2023.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

VIDEO | Wild time at the Cody Rodeo

By
Judy
-
0

Cody, WY – There’s definitely a high energy level at the Cody Rodeo. The 2-hour show is a nightly event in Cody, WY that runs from June through the end of September.

 

Locals buy season passes for $75 and tourists can pick up a ticket at the gate for $25. It’s well worth it from the patriotic start when a cowgirl on a white horse circles the track, to the singing of the National Anthem, followed by a prayer from the emcee and asking everyone to say, “God bless America.”

Kids love the non-stop excitement and adults can feel it in their hips and joints as the broncs buck and the steers swing in wild disarray.

The roping of calves puts pure cowboy talent on display as during a full gallop and a twist of a lariat, the cowboy’s noose hits the mark and in a split second he’s off the horse, upends the calf, and ties off the hooves hoping for record time.

The Cody Rodeo is a can’t-miss event.

 

 

“Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

______

The 2023 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2023.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Roadside art a hoot in Wyoming

By
Judy
-
0

Shell, WY – One of the many benefits of bicycle touring is being able to stop and appreciate the wayside history information and roadside art.

These are normally clever pieces that, in a car, you drive by so quickly… but on a bike, they bring more flavor to the experience.

Pedaling from Greybull, WY to Shell, WY. So simple, yet adorable

All side by side in Greybull, WY. They were all along the east side of the railroad track.

Just east of Cody, WY
A weathered image of an Indian head just outside Shell, WY
Vintage motel sign in Greybull, WY.
Reminds me of Route 66.
A mural in Cody, WY depicting Native American history

Kindness of Strangers

Meet my new best friend, Irbi.

“What’s Irbi short for,” I asked.

“Nuthin,” she said. “It’s my name.”

Irbi has lived for 30 years in a grand house in the small, small town of Shell, WY, at the base of the Big Horn Mountains.

Irbi lived around the corner from the Shell Community Church. She didn’t have a key but she did have a church directory.

“The church gave me this. I’m a member but I never go… because I’m lazy,” said Irbi.

She was direct and dry. I loved her immediately.

Irbi worked the phones and then we went to explore my “nest” for the evening.

Polly, her small white dog, tagged along.

“Now, Polly, you get over here,” said Irbi.

“She can hear me, she just doesn’t listen,” said Irbi.

Dressed in blue pants and a simple white t-shirt that had ‘Alaska’ decoratively written on the front, Irbi relayed some of her own history and some of Shell’s.

She was an acrobat in her day. “Needed to have both my shoulders replaced,” is how she described her career… which extended into college.

Irbi got a degree in physical education. She came to Shell when she got married. Her husband died at 77, several years ago.

Now it’s Irbi and Polly holding down the fort in Shell.

“Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9
______

The 2023 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.
Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2023.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.
Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095
Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432
You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Post Office art in Greybull, WY

By
Judy
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0

August 25, 2023 – Greybull, WY – The small town of Greybull, WY has some interesting US Post Office artwork that dates to 1940.

Mural painted by Manuel A. Bromberg, is titled Chuckwagon Serenade. It is an oil on canvas painting that sits over the top of the postmaster’s door.

The artwork is unique because following the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the New Deal, which was designed to stimulate the economy by using federal money to create jobs for unemployed artists.

The colors in the painting are similar to those used in a piece at the US Post office in West Bend, WI titled Rural Mail Carrier by Peter Rotier which has been on display since 1937.

Click HERE to read that article.

Bromberg was from Ottumwa. Iowa and he was commissioned for the piece as a result of the 48th state mural competition of the section of fine arts.


“Whenever men gather in groups after the work of the day is over, songs follows naturally. Here is a group of cowboys sprawl beside, their chuck or food wagon and sing plaintive ballads of the Western plains.”

“The artist states that in this painting he seeks to depict a specific group carrying on a universal action in a manner indigenous to their surroundings.”

The documentation about the painting does not post a date; there is some writing in the lower right corner of the painting that shows the artist’s name and the number 40.

Click HERE to read about other US Post Office artwork.

The painting is inside the Greybull, WY Post Office which, according to the cornerstone, was built in 1937.

______

“Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

______

The 2023 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2023.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Cedar Community is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

Small town Cody, WY has big appeal

By
Judy
-
0

August 23, 2023 – Cody, WY – Summing up the attractions in Cody, WY in one day would include a multitude of buffalo skin coats, a plethora of bison skulls, and the fact Wild Bill Cody was an impressive entrepreneur for the ages.

Cody was a master entertainer, builder of hotels, band organizer, city builder, carnival barker, clever negotiator, and remarkable visionary… to say the least.

Cody’s Irma Hotel is one of the regal centerpieces of the small community of 10,000.

When Cody built the hotel, he said to his wife Julia Cody Goodman, in March 1902, “I’m going to build a beautiful little hotel in Cody. I’m going to have the finest furniture. I’m going to run it on the European plan right up to date and regular tourist-hotel prices will be so high that the toughs and bums can’t hang around.”

The Irma Hotel, built for about $80,000, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Alfred Willdermanwoods a Lincoln, Nebraska church architect.

Certain exterior walls are made of river rock and locally quarried sandstone from Beck Lake just south of town.

The fireplace is an established assemblage of rock orders, minerals, and fossils from the Big Horn Basin.

The Irma’s famous cherrywood bar dated for the period of construction is one of the most photographed features in all of Cody.

The original part of the hotel was built for Buffalo Bill in 1902.


Noteworthy nuggets in Cody, WY

-Probably the most unique sign in Cody is for Cassie’s Bar Lounge. It feels very Route 66 with its vintage shape, saucy imagery, and random parrot.

-Secured my traditional state license plate from Rachelle at Mc Cue Auto Specialists.

– The Cody Rodeo is country western magic from the woman carrying an American flag on a white horse during the National Anthem, to the cowboys trying to eke out an 8-second ride, to the fiery bulls looking as fierce as they do on TV. The Cody Rodeo made it happen.

“Have I not commanded you? …  Be strong and courageous. … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

______

The 2023 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community.  Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2023.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.

Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community Foundation” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095

Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432

You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.

Cedar Community is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

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