Final station stop: Kentucky

Aug 20-24 Kentucky

Drove to Kentucky to stay at Yogi Bears Jellystone Park for a few days - our last destination for exploring. After this, we are making a run for the border to head home. The park was great - tons of stuff for the kids, not to mention photo ops with the statue of Yogi (amazing what a thrill even that is for them). Cindy Bear and Boo Boo (for all you Yogi fans) were also on hand in costume for the kids to meet. Aside from a pool, this place also had a great water slide - so much fun! The girls thought it was fantastic - Megan’s first time on a water slide. She looked so tiny shooting down all by herself - very cute. We even watched a movie outside one night - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp - I loved that book as a kid!


Mammoth National Park was our first place to investigate, as it has the worlds largest cave system - over 365 miles of surveyed passages (geologists guess there might be an additional 600 miles yet to explore!). A public attraction since 1812, this park is now a World Heritage Site - pretty impressive.
We took two separate ranger-led tours with each showcasing a different and unique section of the caves. The first caves were unbelievable in the sheer size of these underground “rooms” - absolutely massive. The temperature went from being around 90 degrees on the surface to 54 degrees in the cave - natural air conditioning! As we entered the cave, about 20 yards in was called the “Twilight Zone”. This was the point in the cave where natural light from the surface will no longer reach - from here you need to have an alternate light source. Only 20 yards in! As we walked back through the caves on our way out, the lights were on a system to go out behind us. You want to see PITCH BLACKNESS, that’s the place to go - wow. Let’s just say that kept the stragglers in the group moving quickly forward to keep up.

The second tour took us in a different entrance to the caves, and gave us an incredible display of formations. The rest of the system had no water running through it so interestingly had no formations, whereas this section was just the opposite. As we crouched through tunnels and climbed stairs, we were surrounded by mystical looking stalagmites and stalagtites, columns, “cave bacon” (they really looked like bacon strips!), “drapes” and so many more. One of the most impressive formations was the Frozen Niagara - truly looked like a rock version of cascading water. This underground world didn’t even seem real - I half expected to turn a corner and see Yoda sitting there watching us.

Before leaving the park, the girls were awarded their Junior Ranger badges for completing their work books. They beamed as Ranger David handed them their badges and them announced in a loud voice to the entire visitor center that they had two new rangers, which prompted applause from all the rangers. Pretty cool for the divas. Driving back out of the park we saw lots of deer, TONS of butterflies, and even a wild turkey.

The next day we headed to a water park for the day to cool off.
A splash pad, lazy river, wave pool, and best of all (for the biggest kid - AJ) three huge water slides. He managed to convince Megan to go down one with him, but Emily and I were not interested. Give me a death-defying roller coaster any day, but water slides make me nervous - who knows why... Megan had fun going down once but wouldn’t do it again, so we left AJ to play on the slides on his own. Apparently one of them was fully enclosed and pitch dark all the way down...yeah, that sounds fun...?? I think I’d be in a full panic attack by the time I shot out the bottom. To each his own, eh? The girls and I watched a magic show, and would you believe Emily got up on stage to be an assistant! Bold move for Em - I was really proud of her. She was thrilled when she was given a magician’s wand as her prize for helping out...which of course prompted an ocean of tears from Megan who wanted one. You can’t win, can you?

Editor's note: Due to AJ sporting a Speedo at the park, no photos beyond this one were knowingly taken ... (there was nowhere for him to keep the camera was the excuse).








The other part of the park was all the rides, and we lucked out that this part of the park was virtually empty. The girls went on tons of rides and mostly were the only ones on them - when does that ever happen? Emily and AJ ventured onto a rickety roller coaster, only to find that it was brutally rough and Em ended up with a huge scrape and bruise down her arm - nice. Really gave her that child-abuse victim look - just what we were going for. Luckily the rest of the kiddie rides were gentle, so her confidence was restored. AJ and I even took turns riding a huge wooden roller coaster that was AWESOME!!
(Wade - if the Disney Yeti ride made your heart race, this one would have stopped it completely...)

The final site to explore here in Kentucky was the Makers Mark whisky distillery - you can guess who put this on the list of things to see. A scenic drive took us there - to the world’s oldest operating bourbon whisky distillery (built in 1805 originally as a gristmill distillery). This area is known as the “Bourbon Trail” as there are so many distilleries you can tour. We had a great tour through this one, and learned the history and step by step production of the Maker’s Mark product. The Samuels family had been making whisky since 1780, when the current President’s father decided to create a whole new recipe in the early ‘50‘s. Instead of using rye as most other whisky’s do, he replaced it with soft red winter wheat for a gentler taste. The end result was the Maker’s Mark product - distributed worldwide from this tiny distillery in the countryside. The tour ended with AJ dipping his own bottle into the signature red wax that Maker’s Mark bottles are known for.

We even managed to have a campfire on this last stop of the trip, as the evening temperature finally dropped enough to stand it. With the evening temp being in the hundreds over the last few weeks, it was not even conceivable to have a fire - ugh. I must admit, I wanted one last chance to cook a s’more and watch the flames - all part of the camping experience. We had some wildlife hanging around the fire with us, however not what you’d expect. A bunch of cats roamed the campground, and came to hang out with us, as well as four ducks that patrolled the area. Here we were, sitting around with a couple of cats stretched out to relax, and four ducks all snuggled down for the night with their bills tucked in...two feet from our fire. Quite the scene.

One final update on our escaped convicts...they are “escaped” no more. The guy and his fiancee/cousin were captured, so that puts an end to that saga.
From here we head north through Ohio all the way home - just stopping for the night once on the way. By dinner time tomorrow, we will be happily back in our house with Cooper prancing around - we’ve missed our furry four-legged boy!

What a trip this has been - so many things we’ve experienced and amazing that we’ve had this time together. As much as we are definitely ready to be home, I feel so lucky that the twists of life allowed us to steal this window of time to have a Sparkes family adventure.

Thanks for joining us as we chronicled the journey.

Memphis, Tennessee!

Aug 16-19 Northern Mississippi & Memphis, Tennessee
Drove from Texas through Arkansas (with one night spent en route) and into Tennessee - we came to explore Memphis! We actually stayed just over the state line in Mississippi but headed into Tennessee each day.
Ahhh - the vibe of Elvis everywhere!
Apparently we just missed the anniversary of his death (he would have been 75 years old) and I can only imagine the die-hard fans that must have been here for that.
We went (of course) to Graceland to tour his mansion. We’re by no means real Elvis fans but you just have to pay homage to a legend like that - he really was a spectacular musical presence. To think he bought Graceland for $100,000 when he was just 22 years old. Pretty impressive for that time. Going through it now, it is not nearly as huge and grand as you would expect - and some pretty...um, interesting...decorating choices. Picture pleated fabric covering an entire room - I mean entire walls, ceiling, couches - all the same fabric. Or the room that was green shag carpet - again, floors, walls and ceiling. Some wacky stuff but very cool for that era I suppose. He actually recorded some music right there in his house as apparently green shag carpeting is quite good for acoustics. Who knew? It’s strange how you actually feel like you know him a bit better after touring his estate, and listening to the tour - I felt quite sad at the end as we walked past his grave marker. One fan (oh yes, in full persona) was there with flowers quietly paying his respects. What an end to such a vibrant personality. It’s been funny hearing the girls chat about Elvis throughout these few days, as if they know him. Ever since we have visited places where we have learned about the Indians and their history, each time they learn about someone new (like Elvis), their first question is “was Elvis before or after the Indians?”. Just keeping the chronological timeline straight. So funny.

Aside from Graceland, the musical presence here in Memphis was everywhere. We roamed down Beale St. - one of America’s most famous musical streets. Three blocks of more than 30 clubs, restaurants and shops - music pouring from each one. Not quite the same experience when you are dragging two kids around, but we still managed to have lunch at BB King’s restaurant and soak up some of the streets funky atmosphere. You could just imagine the amazing musical giants that have performed here - and still do.
We walked the street at night as well, when it really comes alive (again, not exactly a kid atmosphere but hey, we held their hands...). The blues music and neon signs were endless! There also seemed to be some kind of event happening as the street was overrun with bikes - with some pretty neat custom work.

AJ went on a tour of Gibson’s Guitar Factory to watch them at work as they craft these beautiful instruments. Unfortunately, as we found with a few places, kids under five years old were not permitted so he had to go solo while I went swimming with the girls.
The other place we had been hoping to tour (but no kids under five allowed - ARGH) was Sun Studios - birthplace of rock’n’roll, and the most famous recording studio in the world. This is the place where so many of the greats played and recorded songs - Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, BB King and more. Elvis even recorded his first single here at 18 years old for $13. Ah well, guess this just isn’t the easiest destination to visit with kids.

Also in the area was the Peabody Hotel - known internationally for it’s ducks. That’s right, I said ducks. A hilarious tradition that all started with a practical joke. Over 50 years ago, the general manager had just come back from a hunting trip, and was still on a drunken high. At that time they used live decoys, so as a joke he put the ducks in the hotel lobby fountain. Much to everyone’s surprise, the ducks were still there the next morning, happily paddling around the grand fountain, with hotel guests watching with amusement. A bellman then stepped forward stating he was an animal trainer, and he could train those ducks. He would have them live up on the roof, then every morning come down in the elevator, march into the fountain for the day and then march back to the elevator at the end of the day to return to the roof. And that’s exactly what he did...for fifty years. They called him the Duckmaster, and his work continues today as the ducks are now internationally known. They have appeared on Letterman, The Tonight Show, been featured in many top magazines and have had countless mentions in publications. Many celebrities have visited the hotel to see the ducks and have been honorary Duckmasters for the twice daily procession. Of course, we have to go and see these little duckies and watch them parade down the red carpet after an elaborate presentation by the present day Duckmaster.


With the heat still being above a hundred, we spent the rest of our time trying to stay in the pool, or in the air conditioning while visiting places like the Memphis Children’s Museum.
We even took in a Memphis Redbirds ball game one evening, with the girls belting out “Take me out to the ball game.” for all they were worth. In the world of Emily and Megan, there is a song to be sung for every moment.

Off to Kentucky next ...

Keepin' it weird in Austin

Aug 10-13 Texas

Funny thing - you’d expect that we would have had a dreamy nights sleep in our hotel last night after 5 straight weeks of being in a trailer. In truth, we were kept up by restless kids and a fairly uncomfortable bed. I must admit we were relieved to be back into the trailer for the next night - how scary is THAT?!?!? I am starting to think we are getting just a little too used to our life in the trailer - that is probably not a good thing (haha). Imagine the traveling we could do if we sold the house...hmmm.
Nah.

We had a great time exploring Austin - what a cool city. There is a really neat area (South Congress St) that is just like Queen St. in Toronto.
Tons of shops and restaurants - the weirder the better. In fact, there is a slogan you often see on stickers and t-shirts: “Keep Austin Weird”.Love it!
Anything goes in Austin - creativity is everywhere. I’ve never seen so many tattoos.
We went out one evening for ice cream along South Congress - just a trailer called “Amy’s”. Amazing ice cream, served to us through the window by a guy wearing a tin foil helmet. Yup - keepin’ it weird.
We could hear some live music nearby so went to find the source. It was a trio of guys playing outside on the patio of a bar, with basically no audience. They sounded great so we hung out on the sidewalk eating our ice cream and listening, and the girls danced up a storm! It was hilarious - they were loving it!



The band invited us to come on the patio to listen as we were obviously enjoying their tunes. So, unexpectedly AJ and I got to sit on a patio having a beer and listening to some live music. The band, named Jubal’s Lawyer, thought the girls vigorous dancing was awesome! We took some video and posted it to facebook, which the band saw and replied to - we are their #1 fans (earning us a demo CD from them).

With the incredible heat, the top priority was to find a spot for some swimming (the pool at our RV park was almost too hot (yes, hotter than Redden hot) so we needed some place cooler). Barton Springs was a natural spring that is open for swimming and WOW was it cooler - a consistent 68 degrees year round. Once your body recovered from the painful shock of going from 102 degree air temperature to 68 degree water, it felt fantastic!! There was a constant fog over the water from the hot air on the cold water - really eerie effect.

The following day, our next escape from the heat was to rent a ski boat for 2 hours out on Lake Travis. Ahhhhh - nothing like being on the water - absolutely love it. That’s our first chance on the trip to have a swim in a lake and it was great. Megan was strangely terrified with the way the boat bobbed (you’d never guess we have a sailboat??), but quickly got over it as we then zoomed around the lake.AJ and I had a great time gawking at all the mansions on the lake - whoa, this place has MONEY. The incredible lakefronts of these places can only be properly snooped from a boat, and we eagerly obliged.

In addition to hitting the children’s museum, we then spent some time enjoying the food of Texas - namely tacos and BBQ!! So many places are just trailers set up serving food - from coffee to ice cream to tacos - and they are amazing. “Torchy’s Taco” sounds a bit suspect but they made the most delicious tacos ever and came highly recommended. AJ had been there on a previous visit to Austin and also made sure we hit The Salt Lick for lunch one day. This place had a BBQ history going back to the original couple who settled there back in the mid 1800’s. This couple’s grandson was the first to try his hand at selling his BBQ cooking using the family’s longstanding recipe that was well-known in the area. He would set up and start cooking on a Thursday and stay there cooking and sleeping on a cot, selling the food all weekend long until it was gone. He would come home earlier and earlier as business took off, and things just grew from there. The restaurant is still at that location today and is a huge success - with a BBQ pit ten feet across. The ABSOLUTE best BBQ meat you could ever hope to enjoy - pure Texas.

On a separate note, we experienced our third reason for our travel medical insurance. Yup - Emily again! She got nailed in the mouth with a toy while playing (yeah, Megan sweetie, we know it was an accident) and had half of a tooth broke off. And here we were, wondering what all the tears were for once the blood had evidently stopped from the lip. Oh, there’s a tooth broken too? OK, off to the local dentist who took an x-ray and fixed up her tooth. They were great and Emily was a champ through the whole thing. And hey, she got a new princess toothbrush, so life is good. We are just about on a first name basis with the claims rep now. Maybe we’ll invite him to dinner along with our escaped convict pals - what a party it will be! Apparently, the fugitives are now suspected to be in the Arkansas area, which is where (gee, here’s a shock) we are heading on our route home. One more chance to become trailer park buddies!

Alamo-what??!!

Aug 6-8 - New Mexico
From Arizona we headed to New Mexico - the town of Alamogordo (the girls had trouble remembering this one and kept saying “AlamoWHAT?!”). The most incredible feature of this place was White Sands National monument - located within the White Sands Missile Range. Within the vast desert, the Tularosa Basin is a valley surrounded by mountains, and it is here that you find this gorgeous monument. It is 275 square miles of the world’s largest gypsum dune field. Absolutely spectacular, it is like driving suddenly into rolling hills of snow - glistening white sand everywhere. And, as you would expect - a ton of fun to play in! Who would have thought we’d be tobogganing in August in 90 degree heat? whhoooeee!


Strangely, the gypsum sand doesn’t retain the heat as regular sand does, so stays cool to walk on in bare feet. We went back to the sands a second time in the evening to try to watch the sun set. There was a storm building so we didn’t actually catch the sun set, but had a ball running around the dunes and admiring them in the late day light. The sky was so dramatic with the approaching storm, and even gave us a rainbow. We had our picnic pizza supper and stayed until the rain came pelting down.
This monument is located within the White Sands Missile Range, which was first used as a military proving grounds after WWII for testing V2 rockets captured from German armed forces. A 4000 sq.mi. area, it’s still used for testing experimental weapons and space technology. This is also the site (called the Trinity Site) where the first nuclear bomb was developed and tested during WWII. Today, they actually have to close the park and the highway that runs through the basin twice a week when they conduct missile range testing. Wouldn’t want to be the dorky tourists obliviously pulling our trailer along when SHAZAM! - a missile shoots by.

We took in an IMAX movie at the Space Museum, and watched some great footage of the astronauts and their shuttle missions to work on the Hubble telescope. Narrated by Leo DiCaprio, the movie showed a lot of the absolutely unbelievable images of solar systems and stars that the Hubble has provided. Hard to believe the whole manned shuttle space exploration program is going to be coming to a grinding halt - what a shame.

In addition to seeing the white sands and space museum, we had the life-changing experience of seeing the WORLDS LARGEST PISTACHIO!! Yessiree! Lots of pistachio trees here and some pretty amazing flavours they have created - yum.

During our stay in Alamogordo, we also got to celebrate the second birthday of our roadtrip - AJ’s!!!!! Our boy turned 39 this year - WHOA. The girls and I belted out Happy Birthday for him and we pigged out on decadent chocolate cake. Ahhh...any reason for cake. We actually happened across a parade in town that was just starting - I don’t think AJ believed me when I told him it was all arranged for his birthday.

So, here’s a quick update on our favouritest little convicts as we follow the latest headlines on the national manhunt. Recap - after escaping from prison in Kingman, Arizona (when we were there), they hijacked a truck to get to Flagstaff (which we had just come through), so they could buy a car. They are travelling with the fiancee of one of them - oh, this is the best - she is his fiancee AND cousin. No joke. Paddle faster, the banjos are getting louder... Then as they were coming through New Mexico (yup, we’re here too!!), they allegedly grabbed a couple and burned them up in their trailer and took their truck. Soooo....targeting travellers with trailers...excellent. We’re thinking of just inviting them over for dinner to get to know them a little better as it seems we have the same travel itinerary.

Aug 9 - New Mexico,Texas
Today we left Alamagordo to go to our next state - Texas. As we were packing up, AJ had his first experience with the sewer pump at the RV park backing up. Yes, it was every bit as gross as you are imagining. Let me tell you, in that moment I was so glad that AJ handles the pumping out of the trailer and there is really nothing I can do to help. THANK GOD. Yup - I’ll handle the kids dear - you take care of that sh*t! He got us organized and on the road in no time.

The drive began by heading over a mountain that had us gaining over 4000 ft in elevation (up to 8650ft) over only 16 miles. That was a pretty big pull for the little ol’ truck. When you see all the warning signs for trucks as you approach the base of the mountain, makes you stop and wonder just how steep this wee climb is going to be. With all the horses in full gallop we did just fine (OK, we had the girls get out and push but that’s to be expected, right?).

Then on to Texas!
I must say - first impressions of Texas are a bit of a flat and boring drive (we’ve been so spoiled with all the mountains and valleys so far) and a LOT of oil wells. A lot.And a bit of a gassy smell - ugh. Natural gas, not AJ. Or at least, that’s what he told me.

We actually gave ourselves a night off and stopped at a hotel for the night. Stopped in Midland - home of good ol’ George W. Bush. Just a quick stop overnight for us - enjoyed not having to set up camp - especially because a huge storm came through. We happily watched it from inside the restaurant we ate in for dinner, and it was all over when we came out. The girls loved having a TV in our room for a few minutes of cartoons - though no TV all summer has actually been nice for a change.

On to Austin, TX next ...

Grand Canyon to the O.K. Corral

July 31 - Arizona
Woke up to the continuing pouring rain, and the sight of water flowing under the trailer to a bit of a lake forming at the low end of the RV park (thank god we weren’t parked there). Watched a Jeep drive through it and the water was up to the top of his tires - fun. Not the kind of weather we want to be RV’ing in to say the least. We decided there was no point staying as the forecast was for the storm to continue and we were at the center of it if we stayed in Williams. It was bad enough we had to drive over the washed out road to a gas station on the way in (holy-hold-my-breath on that one. Looks like a raging river when it really is just a few inches of flowing water...but as we later learned, you can be washed out in your vehicle in just a few inches. Let alone dragging a trailer through it too...OK, so next time we go around).
We couldn’t believe we were going to have traveled to within 1/2 hour of the Grand Canyon (TOTALLY on our bucket list!) and wouldn’t be seeing it, but what are you gonna do? You are definitely at the mercy of the weather when you are traveling and have to just go with it. We were more concerned with getting somewhere away from flooding and where we could dry our trailer out - yup, we were leaking a bit from the driving rain and had some wet beds. So, we hurriedly packed up in the morning and then sat in the truck debating where to go - west out of the rain? Or east through the rain for a few days until we clear it?
Quick decision - LET’S GO WEST!!
Sure enough, we drove a few hours and ta-da!!
Bright sun and hot weather - ya, baby!!
About 100 degrees, but we weren’t complaining after leaving the rain. We drove along Route 66 (1926- first highway built east/west across the US as people went west to seek their fortunes) which was pretty cool, and ended up in the small historic town of Kingman. (remember the Route 66 lyric ... "Don't forget Winona, Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino ... )

Set ourselves up and dried out in no time - whew.
Oh, did I mention that while AJ was checking the news online that night, he read the CNN headline that 3 convicted murderers had just escaped that day in KINGMAN. Sooooo, we leave the floods, spin the wheel and randomly decide to stop in the one town where three murderers are wandering around.
Awesome luck.
I was suddenly imagining these guys setting up their RV beside us...OK, probably not, but the imagination is an amazing thing.

Aug 1 - Arizona
Since we only drove a few hours west from our original stop in Williams, we were still in range to go and see the Grand Canyon - hooray! Drove an hour and a half and saw it in all it’s incredible beauty.Wow - that is one big canyon.
We had seen some pretty amazing stuff in Moab, Utah and I was really wondering how much better the Grand Canyon could be...well, it is. Or at least magnificent in a whole different way - so huge it blows your mind that is exists.

Oh, did I mention we saw it from the HELICOPTER we flew over in?!!!!!!???!


Yes, we went for it!! I’ve always wanted to fly in a helicopter, let alone over the freakin’ Grand Canyon. An incredible experience that you only do once.

The downside to viewing the canyon from where we did was that we had to access it through the Halupai Indian reservation. They control this access completely and charge you through the nose for everything - touring the viewpoints to look out over the canyon, seeing Indian huts, tipis etc.
Oh well, at least we got here!
Such a totally different experience than Moab - here we were only able to stand and look out over the canyon (and fly over), whereas in Moab, we were right in it - walking and driving around to explore. AJ and I would love to do a river trip down in the canyon (sans divas!) to experience what it must be like being down in it. One day...


Aug 2 - Arizona
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!! Our baby was five years old today! Em was loving having her birthday on our adventure trip. She woke up to the trailer being decorated with balloons and a sign, and loved her presents I had brought from home - Pet Shops and LiteBrite! AJ made a special “E” pancake for Em and she thought that was just great.

We explored along Route 66 today (gorgeous drive through the desert, with it’s hills and valleys) and stopped in a tiny western town called Oatman. So cool - all the old west still preserved. Wild burros roamed the town and we fed them carrots, and cowboys strutted around and did shootouts. The girls were not happy with how loud the guns were in the performances but we thought it was good. Then driving onward through the vast Mohave to Nevada where we suddenly found ourselves in the big explosion of hotels & casinos along the Colorado River. Grabbed lunch at Harrah's in Laughlin, Nevada and then just had to drive another 15 minuted to cross the border to California - for the record, we made it to California!!! Three states in one day - not bad. Alas, just stayed long enough to grab a coffee then back out again. The Sparkes’ exploration of California will have to wait for another trip.
Then back to the trailer for some big giant birthday cupcakes...YUM.

Aug 3 - Arizona
Drove from Kingman to Tucson and have now experienced heat like never before - good lord. About 108 degrees, it was even 102 at night! Once after shopping, we returned to the truck and it read 122 as an outside temp. I think maybe we took a wrong turn and arrived at Mars instead - I’ve heard it’s hot there. Luckily our RV park had a pool so we happily hung out in there. There was an airforce base right nearby which gave us an airshow each time the jets flew over - pretty cool.
And just to continue our streak of weirdness, turns out someone was shot and killed at the gas station up the street the day we arrived. Really. With our knack for choosing headline-worthy places, maybe we should be travel agents for the thrill-seekers. We’ll set ‘em up with a vacation that’ll be sure to put them in harms way!!
Anyway, aside from that, it is so neat seeing all the cacti everywhere - they are huge. I keep expecting to see the Wiley Coyote setting up a trap for the Roadrunner each time we drive through the winding stretches of desert. Note for Aunt Cath - we drove past “Limberlost Rd” here in Tucson!

Aug 4-5 - Arizona
Today we headed out to the real town of Tombstone! Talk about stepping back in time to the wild west...to be walking the same streets as Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp and his brothers. Very neat. Took a stage coach tour of the historic section of town and learned so many interesting tidbits about the town and all it’s famous shootouts. Saw the OK Corral, hotels and saloons that have been restored to their original states. World’s largest rose bush is also in Tombstone...somehow that never made it into the movies about this town. Went into a little shop where we got to shoot real guns of the west - FUN! AJ and I were actually pretty good shots. We watched another cowboy shootout re-enactment, but the girls made it clear they were done with this loud shooting stuff.
One interesting fact we learned was where the term “shot” of booze came from. When cowboys were out of money, as was so often the case, they would give the barman a bullet, which had the same value as a dram of booze. They would then ask for a shot’s worth of liquor. Ahhh...the things you learn when you least expect it.

That evening we had a pretty good thunderstorm which ended with a fantastic double rainbow and lightening show. Ah, a little break from the heat.