Vegas/Pet Shop Boys - Day 1

Last week we took a short trip to Las Vegas to see the Pet Shop Boys in concert.  We're big fans and always catch them on tour, but this year they didn't come to Dallas.  What to do?  Well...

The Vegas show was the first U.S. stop on their SUPER tour.  We flew out the day before the concert and flew home the day after.

Todd (and my desk) is a mess

That's better.  At Love Field enjoying a Dunkin' Donut before our flight

Hanging above Todd's head is SKY by artist Brower Hatcher

South Dakota Road Trip - The Journey Home

Well, all good things must come to an end, so it was on this day that we had to pack up and start for home.  We planned to drive back to Salina, KS, albeit via a different route from the way we came, then drive home the following morning.

We had breakfast, then sandwiches were made for the road and put with a couple of bottles of frozen water in the small collapsable cooler we brought.  Todd loaded up the car and we we were off...almost.  We made a short stop down at Sylvan Lake for one last look before driving to the lodge to check out.

Goodbye you gorgeous place

After checking out at Sylvan Lake Lodge, we were truly on our way...well, almost.  Our route took us south past Wildlife Loop Road and as we passed through, lo and behold:  buffalo!

Hello sir

South Dakota Road Trip - Day 6 - The Rest

This is part 3 of a 3-part post about the 6th day of our trip.  See part 1 here and part 2 here.


Let's see...where did we leave off?  Oh yes: it was 1pm and Todd and I had just returned to the cabin after our hike up Harney Peak (now known as Black Elk Peak.

We got out the sandwich stuff and Mom, Todd, Shirley and I sat down for lunch.  After our sandwiches and chips we cleaned up and got in the car - the plan was to spend our last day in Custer driving around the park.

A map of the park

South Dakota Road Trip - Day 6: Summit

This is part 2 of a 3-part post about the 6th day of our trip.  See part 1 here.

Picking up where I left off in the last post:  Todd and I had just hiked up to Harney Peak (now known as Black Elk Peak) and were about to enter this cave:

The mysterious cave

Turns out it's not a cave - it's a rock chamber that's open on top.  Along one wall there's a set of steps that spirals up...

...to these stairs which bisect the top of the chamber.

South Dakota Road Trip - Day 6: Ascent

Today was the big day:  Our hike to the top of Harney Peak (now known as Black Elk Peak), which is the tallest point in the U.S east of the Rockies.

We'd been looking forward to this ever since we planned the trip!  Todd and I got an early start (Mom and Shirley stayed in the cabin area and went to the lodge) and arrived at the Cathedral Spires trailhead right at 7am - we were the only ones in the parking lot and the first ones up the trail.

The trail from Cathedral Spires to the peak and back is 7+ miles, and the elevation at the peak is 7,242 feet with an elevation gain from our starting point of about 1500 feet.  Harney Peak is the tallest At the summit is an abandoned fire tower that is open to hikers.

Wildlife spotted along the way:  chipmunks (so many chipmunks), deer, woodpeckers, squirrels, hawks, various other birds.  There are no bears here, but there are mountain lions; luckily we didn't come across any.

There's a lot of pics for this day, so I've broken it up into three separate posts:  Ascent, Summit, and The Rest (of the day).  I'll try to keep the text brief.

Let's start with the ascent.

The car's done a great job so far on this trip.  Time for the wheels to have a rest while we put our legs to work.

Wish us luck - in case we don't make it back

Pet Shop Boys In Concert In Las Vegas

Just returned from a quick trip to Las Vegas to see the Pet Shop Boys SUPER tour - had a great time! I can't wait to share it with you, but first let me finish up with posting about South Dakota.  Next post coming soon!

South Dakota Road Trip - Day 5

On this day we visited the Crazy Horse Memorial and walked around Sylvan Lake by our cabin.

I woke up early and was the first one ready, so I walked down to Sylvan Lake for some photos.  The lake was formed in 1881 when a dam was built across a gulch, and is most recognized as a location from the movie National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

The morning was brisk and still and beautiful.

Heading down from the cabin

A variety of watercraft are available for rental

South Dakota Road Trip - Day 4

This was the day we migrated from Rapid City to Custer State Park.  After a leisurely morning spent having breakfast and coffee at Alternative Fuel Coffee House then walking around downtown one last time, we packed up the car and checked out.

Gardener's quiche and vanilla latte at Alternative Fuel.  Yummy!  On a scale of 1 to 10, I gave it a 12.

A great little coffee shop/eatery in downtown Rapid City

South Dakota Road Trip - Day 3

I believe we were talking about breakfast?  We needed delicious fuel to start the day before visiting Wall Drug and Badlands National Park:

Waffles with yogurt and fruit at Tally's Silver Spoon

South Dakota Road Trip - Day 2

An early start today on a bright and beautiful morning.  After the complimentary breakfast at the hotel (omelettes, sausage, biscuit, cereal, banana, juice, coffee - you know I'm not much of a breakfast eater but on vacation I love a big breakfast to start the day) we checked out and were on the road at 8am.

Oh, what a beautiful morning!
Yes, I know that's from the musical Oklahama!; as soon as they make a musical called Kansas! you be sure to let me know.

South Dakota Road Trip - Day 1

South Dakota here we come!

When we decided on relatively short notice that we wanted to take a road trip with my mom and my aunt Shirley, we knew that we wanted to go someplace familiar that would be a great getaway.  South Dakota quickly topped the list.

Todd and I had previously driven to South Dakota in 2013, and had had a great trip.  Custer State Park was a standout of that last journey, so this time we knew we wanted to stay in the park.  With that in mind we booked a cabin and set the following itinerary:

Day 1:  Drive from Dallas to Salina, KS - check in to the Holiday Inn Express
Day 2:  Drive to Rapid City, SD - check in to the Hotel Alex Johnson
Day 4:  Check in to the cabin at Sylvan Lake Lodge in Custer State Park
Day 7:  Drive back to Salina and stay at the Holiday Inn
Day 8:  Drive home

When the day came we loaded up the car with luggage, snacks of nuts and dried fruits, and were on our way.  So, with that out of the way, let's be off!

Our chariot awaits!

Universal Orlando Trip - Day 5: Going Home

All good things must come to an end, and so we had to bid farewell to Universal Orlando and the Loews Royal Pacific Resort.  It was hard too because we woke up to such a beautiful day:

Hard to leave, but it's gorgeous after days of rain and it's Saturday - crowds are sure to be out in full force.  Our timing seemed to work out perfectly.

Todd's in good spirits waiting for the shuttle to the airport

Just plane fun

Ha ha, made you laugh

Why is the window wet?  Adjust focus...

...oh crap.  What happened to the great weather?!
This looked a lot worse in person - like the hurricane had circled back around and was headed straight for us.  The plane took forever to taxi - we kept willing it to go faster.

Phew! - we beat the storm and weren't delayed.  It didn't take long to go from this...

...to this.  Then it was clear skies all the way home.

We had a great time.  Next time (next year?), we're planning on going during Halloween Horror Nights.  They were setting up some of the outdoor areas while we were there and it already looked amazing.  Can't wait!

Thanks for reading.  Coming up next:  South Dakota - so stick around, we'll be right back!  ;o)

Universal Orlando Trip - Day 4

Strong wind and rain overnight, but Hurricane Hermine ended up not being a threat for this area.  The only impact was that we'd have rain on and off throughout the day (which again was fine by us).

We woke up to heavy rain that stopped by the time we were ready to walk over to the park.  On the way over the path was strewn with palm leaves, mulch, and other natural detritus.  I also noticed for the first time these beautiful and alien plants - don't know what they are though:

I'll call you Audrey II

Amazing color

We started off with Universal Studios today, and then took the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure.

The sky doesn't look too stable

Go Speed, Go!

I made this for Todd the other day, because...why not?  Plus, it's almost Halloween.  Enjoy!

Universal Orlando Trip - Day 3

This was our Universal Studios day.  The park opened at 9am, but we weren't in any hurry and headed over around 10.  On the walk over I found a little friend on the underside of a leaf:

Hello little snail

But you'd rather see more about the park, wouldn't you?  Ok, here we go.