Turning for Home

Pepper Bear turned for home on Saturday August 6, 2011. The route was through Yellowstone National Park, in the West gate and out the South gate and into Grand Tetons National Park to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and across desolate West Wyoming to Rock Springs, Wyoming. Lots of pictures of the Grand Tetons were taken, but only one panorama view is included here. A brief stop was made in Jackson Hole to make a proof of travel picture of Pepper Bear at the Antler Arch before striking out across Western Wyoming to Rock Springs. This trek could be called the Rock(y) Springs Horror Show as there is only one place for a rest room break in 200 miles that being Big Piney which 50 miles into the trek which we passed by. Big mistake. The only other sign of a place to stop was a cowboy bar in Eden, Wyoming which was filled with Sturgis bound bikers. We passed on this stop too. We survived this long ride however. Some photographic proof follows:

Pepper Bears Route on Saturday August 6, 2011.

Grand Tetons

Pepper Bear at the Antler Arch in Jackson Hole Wyoming

Close Up of Pepper Bear
at the Antler Arch in Jackson Hole Wyoming

Bozeman Sampler

Pepper Bear didn't get to go everywhere that members of her party went while staying in Bozeman, but here are some pictures of things around these parts of Montana:

Sphinx Mountain in the Gallatin Mountain Range

Virginia City Montana Mason's Hall

Old Wagon Virginia City Montana

Tour Fire Engine Virginia City Montana

Inactive Church Virginia City Montana

Abandoned Copper Smelter Stack at  Anaconda, MT

Georgetown Lake Montana

Flint Creek the outlet of Georgetown Lake

Cousins Paul and Amanda Snyder Panning for Sapphires

Old Faithful Geyser

Roosevelt Arch at North Entrance to Yellowstone  National  Park

Arriving Bozeman

Pepper Bear and party finally arrived at their destination in Bozeman, MT on Friday July 29, 2011, the home of sister Pat Snyder and her son Paul Snyder.

Last Leg of Trip into Bozeman, MT

The next day, Saturday July 30, 2011, Pepper's party rendezvoused with Amanda Snyder and David Rouse in Bozeman, MT.  We all went to Sir Scott's Oasis Steakhouse & Lounge in Manhattan, MT for celebratory dinner. Now Sir Scott's is not vegetarian friendly as the menu is mostly Montana beef. The meal starts with a vegetable relish tray and crackers (that is as far as vegetarian can go), soup, salad, beef entree, potato, and finishes with a small ice cream and coffee. I like this place for its prime rib and the rumor this place denied seating Ted and Jane Turner. Sir Scott is a Viet Nam era veteran as am I. So it is nice to think that Sir Scott would deny seating to Hanoi Jane and Ted for political reasons. But in truth I believe it was because dinning room seating requires a reservation even if you are Ted Turner and own a big ranch up near Big Sky where you raise buffalo to avoid taxes.  

Pepper Bear and Me at Sir Scott's

Mary Ellen had the T bone as the porterhouse ran $12 more and was far too big a piece of meat for her to justice to. I eat from the relish tray, had the salad, passed on the soup, had the prime rib, failed to eat the baked potato and the last two bites of the prime rib, and managed to finish with some coffee and the small chocolate sundae. Pepper Bear had stay outside in the truck like other Montana dogs but was rewarded with choice morsels left over from the meal. I rate Sir Scott's as $$$ as you can beef feast here for $25 a head if you don't get the large expensive cuts. The trimmings are included in the entree price.

Our Party Finishing Up at Sir Scott's

Making Montana

On Thursday July 28, 2011 Pepper Bear and Party finally got to Montana. Before we started out we visited Casper, Wyoming's city center and took pictures in the courthouse square. The pictures are below: 

Pepper's Route Thursday July 30, 2011

Pepper Bear with Sheep Sculptures  in Courthouse Square in Casper, WY

Pepper Bear and Cowboy Sculpture in Courthouse Square in Casper, WY

Dick Cheney Federal Building on Courthouse Square in Casper, WY 

City Hall on Courthouse Square in Casper, WY 

On the Trail

On Wednesday July 27, 2011 Pepper Bear and party took route from North Platte, NE to Casper, WY. In some areas the route paralleled the path of the Oregon and California Trails in Western Nebraska.  After leaving North Platte, NE the country becomes dryer and the fields of corn give way to wheat fields and pasture lands.  On the route of the California and Oregon Trials Pepper's party passed Chimney Rock and Scott's Bluff. 

As we started out from North Platte we visited a local tourist trap and snapped a picture of Pepper on a fiber glass Buffalo.

Pepper Bear on Buffalo at North Platte, NE

Chimney Rock pictures:

Pepper Bear at Chimney Rock

Chimney Rock Nebraska

Driving Through the Corn

On Tuesday July 26, 2011 Pepper Bear and party started a trip across Nebraska. We had stayed in Omaha and traveled on to North Platte, NE on I-80. The news reports have been reporting record heat so we expected to see a lot of stunted and swiveled brown corn like we had seen in Eastern North Carolina a week earlier where they are experiencing record heat and drought. But the corn in Nebraska was standing tall and green. Hot but there is no drought here so the corn is growing. Before leaving Omaha we visited a Trader Joe's to get provisions and trade goods (gifts for my sister and nephew), and the world famous Boy's Town.

Peppers Route on Tuesday July 26, 2011

Here is some photographic proof of our visit to Boy's Town.

Pepper, Father Flanagan, and the Boys Monument at Boy's Town

Pepper with Boy's Town Statue "He's not heavy he's my brother "

Catholic Chapel at Boy's Town

Omaha ha ha

On Sunday July 24, 2011 Pepper Bear, Mary Ellen and I stayed at one of the La Quinta Inns at the St Louis Airport in Hazelwood, MO. We were tired and had a hard time finding a place to eat. We finally broke down and ate at a Longhorn Steakhouse (chain restaurant) so there will be no description of the meal. I will comment is  that this was our second visit to this chain while traveling this year and both turned out to be very satisfactory. However both were little rich for our budget running about $60 tip included which I rate as $$$. There are no pictures from our travels to and in St Louis.

Pepper Bear's Route on July 24 and 25, 2011

On Monday July 25, 2011 we traveled from St Louis, MO to Omaha, NE.  It was a long day made longer by an unexpected detour. As we approached Omaha we were forced to leave our intended route by a Missouri River flood. Interstate 29 was flooded and at Rockport, MO we were forced to detour through Tarkio, MO and Council Bluffs, IA on US and State Highways to get to our destination.

Missouri River Flooding at Rockport, MO July 25,  2011

There were some very nice houses in Tarkio which made us wonder why.  An internet search later showed it was the home of Tarkio College from 1883 to 1992. Tarkio College suffered a bankruptcy in 1992. Sorry but we were hurrying and took no pictures.

Memphis, TN Headed West

Pepper at Corky's Bar B Q in East Memphis, TN

Pepper Bear made it to Memphis, TN at 6 PM on July 23, 2011. This was here second visit here. She visited Memphis in July 2010 so my daughter Amanda could visit Graceland. Amanda  described that visit to Memphis in her blog . This time Mary Ellen and I arrived late in Memphis and didn't have the energy to go out to Charles Vergos' Rendezvous Ribs in downtown Memphis so we went to Corky's Bar B Q .  This is a good place for carry out. This worked fine since it was too hot to leave Pepper in the car while we ate. We ordered a slab of ribs with set up for two. We had a choice of wet or dry ribs. Wet is basted with Bar B Q sauce while cooking.  This is how ribs are done at Dreamland in Tuscaloosa, AL.  Dry is rubbed with dry spices like Charles Vergos'. We ordered wet and took our feast back to the La Quinta to eat it. It was a good value costing roughly $ 23 and included a slab of ribs, two rolls, and two individual servings coleslaw and baked beans. 

Pepper's Route on  July 23, 2011

Getting to Sweet Home Alabama in Demopolis on the Way West

Pepper Bear rode with on the route below to Demopolis, AL from Charlotte, NC on Wednesday July 20, 2011.  We deviated from the usual route that follows I-85 to visit Lockhart, SC (flag B on Map). This side trip was to investigate a hydro electric power plant at this place. My interest in this place arises from my historical investigations of the Spaulding Fibre Company (aka J. Spaulding & Sons Company) and their engineer I. W. Jones of Milton, NH. The hydro electric plant was sited at Lockhart Shoals in SC on the Broad River to power a cotton mill there.  The design of a dam, canal, and turbine generator building was begun by I.W. Jones Engineers in 1909 and the project was completed in 1920. The cotton mill at Lockhart operated until 1980 when Milliken & Company, the owner then, shut the Lockhart mill down.

Our Route on Wednesday July 20, 2011 from Charlotte, NC to Demopolis, AL via Lockhart, SC

The hydro electric power station continued to operate supplying electricity to homes and business in the vicinity. Pictures from the visit follow:

Pepper Bear and Me at Lockhart Mill Gate in Lockhart, SC

Mill Smoke Stack at Site of Lockhart Mill on Broad River in SC

Lockhart Power Station with 1920 on Arch

Generators at Lockhart Power Company

Gate Through Which Lockhart Employees Entered the Mill by
Crossing the Power Canal on a Bridge 

Bridge that Connected the Mill Town of Lockhart to the Lockhart Mill

Art Shot of Lockhart Mill Smoke Stack Reflected in Power Plant Canal

Additional pictures can be found on the Lockhart Power Company web site.

Loaded Up and Headed West

Well today Pepper Bear's time in Bunyan, NC came to an end for now. Pepper headed west on the route shown below:

Before leaving a few pictures were taken. The first two are of Pepper on the side porch steps in Bunyan.

Closeup of Pepper Bear on side porch steps
at Eborn Mixon Simmons Snyder House
in Bunyan, NC

Pepper Bear on side porch steps
at Eborn Mixon Simmons Snyder House
in Bunyan, NC

Some pictures from around Bunyan and Washington, NC

The field behind Eborn Mixon Simmons Snyder House
in Bunyan, NC was planted in tobacco in 2011.
The white flowers of the tobacco were removed by
field hands shortly after this picture.

Washington, NC Service Station of Interesting Architecture
There is a similar one elsewhere in Washington but it has many
unflattering additions. This one has remained unused for the
last decade but seems to have architectural continuity.

Truck and Crane on Railroad Trestle across Tar River
at Washington, NC replacing track ties 

Well Pepper Bear didn't get to go but we wound up at Deadwood Restaurant / Dinner Theater in Bear Grass, NC for our 40th Wedding Anniversary celebratory dinner on July 17, 2011. We set out to have the celebration at the "Down on Main Street Restaurant" but they have begun closing on Sunday so we had to move the celebration. Well Deadwood is an interesting place. It has the restaurant, the dinner theater, and amusements that include a train, miniature golf, and various kiddie rides. It also has logging and farming artifacts from a hundred years ago. Its menu items are just OK, so I will not describe or recommend any of them. Among the fields of tobacco,  cotton, soy beans, pines, and corn, Deadwood at Bear Grass seems bizarre 

40th Wedding Anniversary Party at Deadwood
L to R Susan, Amanda, Deadwood Bear, Mary Ellen, and James 

Horse, Oxen, or Mule Drawn Log Skidder on
Display at Deadwood Restaurant in Bear Grass, NC 

On leaving Bunyan and on route to Charlotte, NC, Pepper Bear got to chance to visit Dupree Crossroads in  Pitt County, NC.  In this area James Dupree, an ancestor of Mary Ellen's, emigrated from Virginia circa 1760 and established a plantation. Five subsequent generations of Dupree's lived in this region working the land. The crossroads and a topographic feature on the Tar River known as Dupree Landing are ghostly remembrances of that 200 year old habitation. We returned to investigate a fine old house in the vicinity that had caught Mary Ellen's sense of deja vu during a prior visit made five or so years ago. A restoration of the old house has been in progress and it turned out to be the home of Elias Carr, governor of NC 1893- 1897. Pictures follow:  

Pepper Bear and Me at Dupree Crossroads, NC

Historic Place Marker for Bracebridge Hall 

Home of NC Governor 1893- 1897 Elias Carr

Home of 1893- 1897 NC Governor Elias Carr Bracebridge Hall
 

Historical Marker on Highway Falkland to Pinetops, NC