Our fourth year in Iowa, January started out mild & beautiful.
Butch's first project of the new year, was to remove the sheetrock off the largest wall in our living room. He added framing & insulation before installing new paneling, travertine tile & an electric fireplace. The room looks so much nicer with a feature wall.
New Years Sunrise~
The snow & cold came mid-month. By the end of January, I made the first of two-trips to Washington. February in the Pacific NW, usually boasts a week or two of good weather. This year though, was very wet with rain almost every day. The Snoqualmie Valley was completely flooded & Duvall's water treatment plant was maxed out.
The weather did cooperate enough, I managed to get in some fine rides on Farah. When I'm with her, it seems like just yesterday, rather than month's, since we've been together. Our first ride, was at the Bracken Tree farm. The woods, ferns & moss seem so lush to me now!
2-9-2020 West Coast of Whidbey Is. Ft. Ebey~
One weekend, David was golfing, so Courtney, Mason, Cassidy & I took the Mukilteo Ferry to Whidbey Island. We shopped, enjoyed fresh seafood for lunch & combed the beach at Ft. Ebey. The rain held off until late in the afternoon, giving us enough time to hunt for agates & wish rocks. We left with full buckets!
2-10-2020 At the Monument~
On my 69th birthday, I was riding Farah! We trailered to the Victoria track of the tree farm, to meet-up with our old riding buddies Charlotte & Fancy. Afterward, Linda met us too. Our little group celebrated my birthday, with dinner in Arlington. The visit was too short, as usual. I missed getting to see our youngest daughter's family in Oregon.
3-1-2020 Butch feeding the chipper~
Arriving home to Iowa sunshine, was wonderful. Late winter was mild & dry. The end of the month, Butch rented a chipper. We spent the weekend chipping all the dried stacks of invasive Honeysuckle & Autumn Olive. The work resulted in enough mulch to cover the ground along the edge of the woods & part of one trail.
4-1-2020 Sunny on the Wabash Trace~
April first, I decided it was time to get back on my bike! We are so lucky to have the Wabash Trace close. My first ride was from Agriland to Silver City, eight miles. A misunderstanding & no cell service turned my ride into a round-trip of eighteen miles! A stiff wind didn't make it any easier! With only three gears on Sunny (An Electra 3i) & balloon tires, the ride was longer than I'd planned!
4-15-2020 My new bike! Speedy~
Butch suggested we go bike shopping! Speedy is my new Electra 7d, an updated version of Sunny. (It's a shame these bikes are no longer made in the USA. The company was sold to Trek.) Seven gears, smaller profile tires & lighter weight.We added fenders & I bought a few needed accessories. Speedy & I were on the trail two or three times a week. My longest ride, was a round-trip of 24-miles, from Malvern to Imogene.
5-9-2020 City Sign
In May, with funding provided by the Glenwood Garden Club, Butch took on the task of removing all the weeds & old overgrown plantings from around the city sign. We planted new rug junipers - for a low growing ground cover & applied fresh mulch. Red day lilies will add summer color.
6-23-2020 Trail Signs~
June, I finished painting the trail signs for the woods. Butch planted the posts & the trails now have names. Thanks to several friends, especially Clara, I planted many, many starts of ferns, hosta's & sedums. With such a dry year, watering was non-stop. I lost almost half of the P.J.M Rhododendron's I'd planted in the spring. The moles continually dug under them, leaving the roots bare of soil.
7-19-2020 Badlands~
Mid-July, after our visit with family in Sheridan, WY, we drove through Badlands National Park. An opportunity to fly in a Helicopter is one we never pass up. Since the pilot's wife was hiking & no one was waiting - we enjoyed an extended flight to find her!
8-3-2020 Todd & Butch, planting the island~
August, was summertime hot. Butch volunteered to help dig up a island, in the middle of the parking area, at Glenwood Lake Park. With monetary donations from Sugar Makery & plants from Hillsdale Lily Gardens, the island will be a show stopper next year.
9-20-2020 Late afternoon~
September, I flew to Washington for the second time. I needed to move Farah yet again. This time, to what I hope will be her forever home. The first week, we stayed with friends & enjoyed some quality, if smoky riding. Thankfully, I had Farah settled in with her new owner, before the ride that resulted in my injury.
9-22-2020 "Bridge" & leg~
I had a total dislike of this bridge for many years & always refused to ride across it. This day, I didn't recognize where we were. When I did, wasn't smart enough to turn back. Instead, I decided to dismount & lead Farah across. The result of that decision - sent me to Skagit Valley Hospital with a shattered tibial plateau.
10-01-2020 At daughter Courtney's~
What was to be a two-week visit- was extended by six additional weeks. I'm so Very Thankful for our daughter Courtney, son-in-law David & grandkids Mason & Cassidy! They took excellent care of me during my convalescence. I was so happy when daughter Jentry brought Skyla & Josie up to see me! How they could grow so fast - in such a short amount of time - is a mystery! The Doctor's cleared me to fly home, after my six-week checkup. By then, I'd missed our 37th Anniversary :-(
11-18-2020 New Owls~
The first week of November, I flew home! After weeks of rainy WA weather, the sunshine & warmer than normal temperatures were welcome. I sat out on the back deck with Nika most afternoons. Thanksgiving was a quiet one, just the two of us, at home.
The remainder of my year has revolved around physical therapy, exercising at home & the YMCA. At eleven-weeks, I no longer had to use the walker. My goal remains to be riding my bike by spring!
12-25-2020 Christmas gift from daughter Jentry~
2020 is a year most of us would like to forget. So much sadness, so many who have lost loved ones. Seniors suffering in isolation from their families & many kids unable to attend school. The list goes on...
The virus has made us appreciate all the more - the many things we've always taken for granted.
Together - we pray for the success of the vaccine. Just in my lifetime, other vaccines eradicated measles, small pox & polio to name a few. Praying - this one will be as successful!
We decided since our trip to WA was cancelled, we'd take a long weekend & drive to WY. Leaving early on Friday morning - we pulled into Sheridan by late afternoon. Our couple days visiting family - as usual - went by way too fast.
On the trip back, I really wanted to take the Badlands detour. We've managed to visit this park a few times over the years.
Our first stop to admire the view~
The day was cool & overcast. We'd driven through a few rain showers on the way. Pulling up to the Park Entrance, there was a short line of cars. The entry fee was $30. I'd forgotten to bring my Senior National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Pass... When I mentioned it to the lady at the booth, she offered to save us $10, by purchasing a senior yearly pass! There was a slight delay while a small herd of Bighorn Sheep crossed the road.
July, 1970
This was my fourth trip through the Badlands. The first was above, when we took a scenic detour on our way from CO to IA to visit my Grandmother. The pilot was a Viet Nam Vet, as was Courtney's father. At a year-old she flew under her father's arm, feet hanging out the door, giggling the entire time! (You can just see her foot at the far left.) Since the guys were reminiscing about Viet Nam, we had a totally off-the-charts amazing flight! That ride hooked me on helicopters!
The second time was in 1986, now living in WA - the four of us - were returning home from Grandma's. Courtney took the photo below.
Butch & Connie - August 1986
The third time, Jentry & I left Butch in WA, working on the Homestead (our first year there) & left for another Iowa road-trip! Both of these visits, we had the park literally to ourselves. It was far from a popular destination in those days.
Jentry & Sunny - 6-1990
Sunny made two round-trips to Iowa over the years - on this trip - Grandpa John found room to put my old saddle in the back!
Contrasts~
It was a perfect day to tour the park. High overcast & moderate temperatures, neither common in this country. I was amazed at all the people there. Every pull-out was full of cars. There were many more places for cars to park than in the past. With fewer people traveling - I'd not have wanted to visit on a busy day! There was also informative signage that had not been there in the past. Thanks to AZ & CA, the dark of night - when the stars shown brilliantly - is no more :-(
Capturing the colors~
I have such a reverence for this country. A land of such stark contrasts, rugged & remote beauty...
No respect~
I was incredibly saddened by the rampant disregard of park rules we saw everywhere. At almost every stop - people were leaving the walkways & taking off across the landscape for that perfect selfie... At one place, a Dad with a young girl - let her walk right up to the edge & sit dangling her feet off the side. The landscape was damaged in many, many places. Everywhere we looked, people we going off trail with no regard. It would have taken an army of Rangers, one at every stop, to control the hoard of visitors...
As were were leaving, I saw a helicopter in the air! Just as I mentioned it to Butch, he was pulling in to the heliport parking! (It was already getting late in the day & though I'd tried to lobby for an extra day, my husband planned to drive us on home this night.)
In the Air!
Black Hills Aerial Adventures is the same company I'd ridden with back in 1970! Only one other couple was waiting for a ride. Our wait was short - we signed up! This was a bigger bird than the little Bell's I'd flown in before. We stood on a weight scale together - a first for us! :-)
A four-seater, we had it to ourselves. Our pilot Mark introduced himself & handed us headsets, which we adjusted to both hear & talk back & forth.
Up, up & away!
I can't even describe how much fun it is to fly in one of these! I must have had an ear-to-ear grin the entire time!
Views~
Mark told us that somewhere down there, his wife was hiking & asked if we'd want to go look for her? Of course we did! Down we went! Tree top flying - if there had been any trees! :-)
Swooping low over the canyons~
Suddenly, Butch said; "I see her! She's waving!" Sure enough, she was just a tiny speck in that huge, magnificent landscape! I can't imagine hiking there without either being on a marked trail or with a map & compass.
I did remember - eventually - to use the video! We were flying at about 3,000 feet. Winds were light, but it's fun - when you feel the helicopter respond - as the pilot handles the controls. Mark mentioned that just the day before, he'd had to climb to 5,000 ft. to avoid the turbulence. The increase in elevation gave the customers a smoother ride.
Coming in for a landing~
By the time we returned, there were several more cars in the parking lot. We'd timed our ride perfectly!
Back on the ground~
We stopped for dinner in Mitchell. By the time we pulled into the driveway at home - we'd covered 1,670 miles & it was just after midnight. Too short a trip, but really fun!
