Hitting the Highways with the Holmaases

Travel along with us as we tour the country!

Saturday, August 5, 2023

We are in Rapid City, South Dakota—the home of Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills National Park, and the Badlands. Mount Rushmore was a rush simply because of its place in history. Seeking to attract tourism to the Black Hills in the early 1920s, South Dakota’s state historian Diane Robinson came up with the idea to sculpt several of the giant natural granite pillars into the shape of historic heroes of the West. Needless to say, it is quite impressive and a sight you won’t want to miss!

From Mount Rushmore, we proceeded to the town of Custer, South Dakota where we enjoyed lunch on a restaurant patio along with the hundreds of bikers who, as some of you know, were in town for the 83rd motorcycle rally held in Sturgis, South Dakota. I think Jim would have been more than happy to be a part of these bikers.

Our waitress told us that we really needed to go into the Custer State Park to see the “needles”, so despite the continuing rain, off we went—and we were happy we went because it was beautiful. We encountered three different tunnels, each that were approximately eight feet wide and ten feet tall. You could pretty much roll down the windows and touch the sides of the tunnel. An RV would be a definite no go!

This day far surpassed our expectations. But it was about to get better! We found a Mexica food restaurant that sounded worth trying so off we went again. Shortly after arriving, Holly and Ryan FaceTimed us to tell us they were officially engaged! Needless to say, we were/are thrilled!

Although I am several days behind in this blog, we have been hiking all morning, and it is past time for me to shower. More later!

Sunday, August 6th, 2023

Today is our last day in Rapid City, South Dakota and we have one more big adventure in store for us—the Badlands! The Badlands were originally inhabited by the Sioux or Lakotas. The Lakota knew the place as mako is a. Early French trappers called the area les mauvaises terres a traverser. Both mean “bad lands.” We had no idea what to expect but determined that we would take the “scenic” route that the map identified as opposed to traveling east on I-90. We were underwhelmed on the “scenic” route, but eventually came to the Visitor’s Center. They advised that we take another route on the way out that was more picturesque. There is a reason why these good folks work at the Visitor’s Center—they know their stuff. The path out of the Badlands was truly amazing. Very reminiscent of the Grand Canyon!

After leaving the Badlands, we located a restaurant and had a quick bite to eat with a few of our biker friends. They are everywhere!

Stay tune for Monday’s adventures!

MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 2023

On the road again! Jim and I were up bright and early to get a running start to our final destination for the day, Cody, Wyoming. On our way, we wanted to see Devil’s Tower which is located in in Devils Tower, Wyoming. From a distance, it looked like a shark fin emerging from the forest—up close, not so much. It was an interesting sight of nature.

This sojourn took us through the mountains. At one point we went from 75 degrees to 39 degrees and encountered snow/sleet along the way. It was a steep, winding, crazy weather drive!

Cody, Wyoming brought back fond memories from a trip in 2008 or 2009 when my brothers and I took our Mom to Wyoming. We spent a night in Cody, Wyoming and sat outside eating Mexican food and drinking margaritas and reminiscing about our childhood. It was a memory I will never forget. Unfortunately, much in Cody, Wyoming has changed and I was unable to locate the restaurant or the hotel from that trip. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our evening in Cody. Our next stop: Jackson, Wyoming!

TUESDAY-FRIDAY, August 7-11, 2023

Again, Jim and I were up bright and early to get started on our travels through Yellowstone on our way to Jackson. Our trip to Jackson was to meet up with Holly, her fiancé Ryan and his parents, who have a residence in Jackson. It was a wonderful two and a half day visit with Tim, Judy, Holly and Ryan. Holly and Ryan took us on an 8-mile hike around Phelps Lake. Holly jumped off a large rock that had about a 30-foot drop into the lake. Jim and I declined. Not only was that rock really intimidating, but I’m pretty sure that water was icy cold. On Wednesday, Tim, Judy, Jim and I went headed to the golf course. Tim, Jim and Judy played and I chaperoned. It was a beautiful course with a perfect backdrop of the Tetons. Many, many laughs, good conversations and fond memories.

Friday, August 11, 2023

Today found Jim and I leaving Jackson, WY, Tim and Judy and Holly and Ryan for Missoula, Montana. We were a little sad to go because we had such a good time and very much enjoyed our visit with Tim and Judy and getting to know them better. But we were also a little excited about the next adventures awaiting us. As stated earlier, I had been to Yellowstone before with my mom and my brothers, but Jim had never been. Of course, we had to go see Old Faithful and it did not disappoint with about a five minute eruption. There were a lot of people in the park. It appears that there is still a fair amount of post-COVID traveling occurring as everywhere we have been it has been crowded. It was crazy in Jackson.

Missoula, Montana you might ask because let’s face it, Missoula, Montana is not on the short list of places to visit. However, it was kinda a mid-point on our way to Yakima, Washington. Yakima, Washington is the home of Jim’s long-time friend, Barbie Slater. Barbie’s parents, Lena and Cal were Jim’s parents’ best friends. They got to know each other when they all lived in Chicago and the guys worked at the same bank. Lena and Cal eventually moved to New Mexico and strongly encouraged their friends, Marion and Stan to join them—which they did—in Hot Springs, New Mexico, which is now Truth or Consequences. Marion and Stan bought a restaurant and Lena and Cal had a pseudo motel and gas station. Jim’s mother was pregnant with him when she attended Barbie’s wedding to Walter Slater in Santa Fe, which would have been sometime in 1950. Their reception was at the LaFonda Hotel—which is part of the reason why we always stayed there—lots of memories! Barbie and Walter lived in Hawaii on the big island for years and when we lived in Seattle we visited them on two separate occasions. Walter managed Parker Ranch in Hawaii and was a long-time cowboy. Barbie is now 92 and lives with her daughter, Sherry in Yakima on a mountain that overlooks Yakima. The view is spectacular, and we had a lovely visit with the two of them, including picking blackberries on our evening walks!

Monday, August 14, 2023 – Tuesday, August 15, 2023

We are now on our way our old residence—Issaquah, Washington, and a lot has changed in 22 years. While we hardly recognized the plateau and Klahanie, I somehow managed to navigate it all and drove straight to our old house. It too has changed and in our opinion—not for the better. We liked it a lot more when we lived there. The entire Seattle metroplex area has grown tremendously and is very crowded AND expensive. Gas is over $5.00 per gallon and we paid $36.00 just to park in downtown Seattle near Pike Place Market. However, we enjoyed a fish and chips lunch, and a flight of beers at a brewery overlooking Puget Sound. After that, we rode the ferris wheel that extended out over the Puget Sound providing us with sweeping views of the Seattle skyline and Puget Sound area. Mount Ranier was somewhat visible, but was mostly obscured by a haze. You can tell by the picture below that there is a lot of construction in the Seattle downtown area.

We will be leaving Seattle bright and early Thursday morning heading for Port Angeles to catch the car ferry to Victoria, B.C. Somehow or other, we never made it over to Victoria when we lived here so we will be seeing the city for the first time. Stay tuned!

Before leaving the Issaquah/Seattle area Thursday morning, August 17, on Wednesday morning we visit Snoqualmie Falls, which was just up the road from the airbandb we were staying in. The Salish Lodge and Spa are located directly adjacent to the falls. They are spectacular!

We spent the afternoon touring around the City of Issaquah taking in the sights including the church we used to attend and the salmon hatchery. Wednesday evening we had dinner with two couples we used to go to church with and had a wonderful evening reminiscing and catching up. Thursday morning we were up bright and early to catch the ferry from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, B.C. It was about a three hour drive and we didn’t really know what to expect so we made sure to give ourselves plenty of time for the unexpected. Essentially that meant we had loads of time to get some breakfast and walk around Port Angeles before boarding the ferry.

Friday, August 18, 2023

Today we visited Butchart Gardens. You have to see it to believe it—truly magical. Makes me want to return to Tulsa and spend the day in the garden. Only problem is that the flowers and plants would not grow in Tulsa the way they grow here. It is just too darn hot in Tulsa to have these kinds of gardens.

We are staying in an airbandb in Victoria that has beautiful gardens as well. It is a nice cottage, but it has no coffee maker! They have a “french press”. Ok—Starbucks it is! This afternoon we are having high tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. It will be delicious and we will return to our cottage stuffed to the gills. We return to the U.S. tomorrow and head to Portland.

Friday, August 18, 2023 continued

While we were in Victoria and after Butchart Gardens, we found our way to Chinatown and had the best Won Ton soup with noodles—so delicious! We also managed to find a lovely shop that had lots of good stuff so I managed to score a chinoiserie pot for a lovely price! We also found our way down this very narrow alleyway that had shops on either side—pretty cool!

Later that afternoon, we had high tea at the Fairmont Empress hotel. The hotel was fabulous and tea was pretty wonderful as well. And that was our dinner!

Saturday-Sunday, August 19 and 20, 2023

We departed Victoria, B.C., today via the ferry and made our way to Portland, OR where we will be staying with my nephew Todd and his wife Kelly. They took us to Multnomah Falls which was amazing. We hiked midway up which was literally straight up all the way. So beautiful despite the hazyiness due to all the wildfires in the area.

Later on, we found our way to an outdoor patio where they served oysters and beers! It was great! On Monday, we begin our journey to Yosemite. Hard to believe we have been on the road for almost three weeks and that our epic journey is fast drawing to a close. Stay tuned!

Monday – Wednesday, August 20-23, 2023

We we left you last we were in Portland with Todd and Kelly. We left Portland on Monday and traveled to Redding, California. Throughout the entire state of Oregon it was extremely smoky due to all the wildfires. We never actually saw any fires, but the effects were sent and felt all the same. Redding, California was uneventful and we departed for Sacramento, California on Tuesday morning. After experiencing some issues with our devices, we visited an Apple Store in Sacramento and ended up chatting with an Apple advisor over lunch. Turns out all was well and so we proceeded on our journey to Yosemite.

The drive to Yosemite was uneventful although I have to tell you my heart was in my throat more than once. As we ascended the mountains, we noted that there were NO guardrails. Hard to believe but it was true. Every time I took a hairpin curve, I had to struggle not to whimper out loud. It was not a particularly fun drive—yet we managed to make it safe and sound. As is our custom given the fact that it was “taco Tuesday”, upon our arrival in Mariposa, we located a Mexican food restaurant and had tacos and ok—I admit it—a margarita as well!

Wednesday morning, we made our way further into Yosemite. What we found was unbelievable. During this trip, we have seen many, many unique and fabulous sights, yet not one of them were similar and Yosemite was no exception. It was unbelievably beautiful.

El Capitan!

Half Dome!

The Sequoias in Mariposa Grove. Some of these trees are close to 3,000 years old! So beautiful and majestic! Their bark is as much as 2 feet thick which helps to protect them in fires. They also contain a special internal ingredient that protects them from insects. Hence, the fact that they live long, long lives!

On Thursday morning, we depart Yosemite for Las Vegas. As of Thursday, August 24th, we have been on the road for three weeks. It has been a wonderful, wonderful trip filled with sights and experiences we will never forget. During Las Vegas, I will be seeing the Princess Diana and the Royals exhibition at the Aria Resort. Super excited as this exhibit contains a lot of her gowns and artifacts.

Stay tuned!

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Our journey to Las Vegas included a two and a half hour journey just to make it out of Yosemite.

This was the entrance into Yosemite. So cool!

A beautiful lake along the way!

We made it to Las Vegas where we stayed in an AirBandB in North Las Vegas. Unbeknownst to us, North Las Vegas is an hour drive from the strip. Nevertheless, once we got unpacked with Jim and Hank settled in, I departed for the Shops at Crystal where the Princess Diana exhibit was located. In addition to an hour drive, the entire strip was under construction which added another half an hour to my journey. The Princess Diana exhibit was good, but I honestly cannot say it was worth everything I went through to get there. But I saw it and am happy that I saw it. Plus it was really, really hot!

Friday, August 25, 2023

Las Vegas has had tremendous growth since the last time we visited. I did not recognize much, if anything. Anyway, we made our way from Las Vegas to Sedona. Jim, Holly and I visited Sedona many years ago—when Holly was probably around 10 or 11. It too has had tremendous growth since we were last there. And we had forgotten how beautiful it is. Pictures of our drive into Sedona.

On Saturday, we took a three hour Jeep tour of the area, with Hank, and were able to capture some great photos.

I Mother and child rock formation.

Jim, Hank and I. Could be a Christmas pic!

We departed Sedona Sunday morning and made our way to our last stop on this amazing, amazing adventure—Santa Fe. As most of you know, we love Santa Fe, and visit here every year. It is almost like a second home for us. We have had many nice walks along Canyon Road, and have eaten at all of our favorite places. It is, without a doubt, the perfect ending to a perfect trip.

We feel so blessed that we have been able to take this month-long journey throughout the western part of the U.S. and see all of the amazing sites, all of which were unique in their own way. There is no way we could pick a favorite segment of this trip as each segment was unique in its own way. Of course, getting to be with family and friends, and seeing our daughter become engaged to Ryan were all highlights of our trip.

We are somewhat sad to see our journey end, and somewhat glad to be going back to reality and our lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Wednesday, August 30th. Who knows where the road will take us next!