Category Archives: Railroad

And You Left Me There Cryin’ Wonderin’ What I Did Wrong

Today is Jason’s birthday. Happy birthday Jason!


June 14

I hope your birthday is as amazing as you want it to be!

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Time to clean up the backlog. These images are from September that never quite fit into any previous posts. Some are alternates for THE WEEKLYPHOTO CHALLENGE. Another is a photo I took of Ron for last year’s Computer Mine Holiday Card.


And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

Railroad Bridge near Jefferson

Railroad Bridge near Jefferson

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

And You Left Me There Cryin' Wonderin' What I Did Wrong

Ames, Iowa

Boone Scenic & Valley Railroad

Boone Scenic & Valley Railroad

Boone Scenic & Valley Railroad

Boone Scenic & Valley Railroad

Boone Scenic & Valley Railroad

Ron - 2022

Maybe you are wondering about the George A. Wyman sign. Don’t worry, I’ll feed you baby birds. From the Wiki:

Wyman used his 1902 California machine for his crossing of the United States. The California had a 200 cc (12 cu in), 1.5 hp (1.1 kW) four-stroke engine attached to an ordinary diamond-frame bicycle. Wyman’s machine was equipped with 28 x 1.5 in. tires, wooden rims, a leading-link front suspension fork, a Garford spring saddle, a Duck Brake Company front roller brake, and a 1902-patent Atherton rear coaster brake. A leather belt-drive with a spring-loaded idler pulley directly connected the engine output shaft to the rear wheel.Using a standard steel bicycle frame, the California weighed approximately 70–80 pounds (32–36 kg) without rider, and was capable of approximately 25 mph (40 km/h) using the 30-octane gasoline of the day, with a range of 75 to 100 miles (121 to 161 km). Throttle control was not yet perfected, and engine revolutions were mainly controlled by means of a spark timing mechanism. The wick-type carburetor was crude, consisting of a metal box with internal baffles stuffed with cotton batting. With no float chamber, the rider had to open the gasoline tap periodically to admit fuel into the carburetor.

For such a long trip, Wyman carried a remarkably small amount of gear. A set of warm clothing, money, water bottle, cans for spare oil and gasoline, a Kodak Vest Pocket camera, a cyclometer, various bicycle tools and spare parts, and a long-barreled .38 Smith & Wesson revolver constituted his total luggage.

Wyman departed from Lotta’s Fountain at the corner of Market and Kearny streets in San Francisco at 2:30 P.M on May 16, 1903.[4] He had previously agreed to keep a diary of his journey for later publication in The Motorcycle magazine, a periodical of the time. The first part of his trip took him across the Sierra Nevada, through the Nevada desert into Wyoming, then on through Nebraska to Illinois.

As the dirt trails and wagon tracks of the day were often impassable, Wyman rode the railroad tracks for over half of his journey. During the first part of his trip, he frequently slept in railroad company housing or at rooming houses located in division settlements (small municipalities founded by the railroad). His motorbike suffered several breakdowns along the way, requiring him to make improvised repairs until he could get to a larger town to obtain new parts. As he neared Aurora, Illinois, his engine’s crankshaft snapped, and after pedaling his way to Chicago, Wyman was forced to wait there five days for a new crank to arrive by railway express.

After leaving Illinois, Wyman traversed the states of Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania before entering New York state. Outside of Albany his engine lost all power, and he was required to pedal his heavy motorbike the remaining 150 miles (240 km) to New York City using a cycle path reserved for licensed cyclists.

On July 6, 1903, Wyman arrived in New York City, completing his transcontinental crossing and becoming the first person to cross the North American continent aboard a motor vehicle. His journey took a total of 51 days to cover some 3,800 miles (6,100 km). Afterwards, Wyman’s motorbike was placed on display at the New York Motorcycle Club while Wyman recovered from his grueling journey. While in New York, Wyman was present for the inauguration of the very first nationwide motorcycle organization, the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM)[14] at the Kings County Wheelmens’ Club in Brooklyn; it was reported at the time that his hands were still in bandages from the trip. Wyman later returned to San Francisco by train. His California motorbike was put on display in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park for a special exhibition commemorating the trip.

This is actually something Jesse and I have talked about doing as well. Not on a motorcycle, but driving across the country. We’ve never done anything about it, but maybe will someday.

Here is more information on the route he took:



From: https://wymanmemorialproject.blogspot.com/

It is hard to read, but the towns we care about in the Cyclone State are:

Council Bluffs
Woodbine
Denison
Ogden
Boone
Ames
Marhalltown
Tama Reservation
Cedar Rapids
Clinton

He stayed the night in Ogden. I hope he ate at Zeno’s when he was in Marshalltown!*

*That is a joke, don’t email me telling me that Zeno’s didn’t exist back then, because I will only reply back that Zeno’s has always will always exist.

Henry & Jefferson County Aux. – Vol. 2

Time for another collection of images from my road trip to harvest the town signs of Henry and Jefferson County I took with Teresa. The majority of these pictures were taken in Mount Pleasant. We met up with Doug and Jodie for lunch in Mount Pleasant. Afterwards, Doug went back to work and Jodie gave us a tour of Mount Pleasant. This was the highlight of the trip.


Henry County - Winfield

Henry County - New London
New London

Henry County - New London

Henry County - New London

Henry County - New London

Henry County - New London

Henry County - New London

Henry County - New London

Henry County - New London

Henry County - Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

Henry County - Mount Pleasant

The statue of Belle Babb Mansfield is located on the campus of Iowa Wesleyan. That school recently went out of business. Like a couple weeks ago. Which is a shame, because of the rich history of Iowa Wesleyan. It was founded in 1842. The only college in Iowa older than Iowa Wesleyan is Loras College in Dubuque. It is older than the University of Iowa by 5 years. Iowa State University by 16 years. Northern Iowa by 34 years. Drake by 39 years.

Iowa Wesleyan was Iowa’s first co-educational institution. The oldest west of the Mississippi River. Its campus houses the summer of of Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Todd Lincoln. Notable alumni include Belle Babb Mansfield, Davey Lopes, Dana Holgorsen, James Van Allen and Peggy Whitson.

The school will forfeit on its loan and the campus will become property of the United States Department of Agriculture.

With its closing, Clarke University in Dubuque becomes the 2nd oldest college in Iowa.

The Windy City: Day 1A

I’m going to cover my recent work trip to Chicago in a different format than I covered my work trip to Las Vegas. I’m going to mix the camera images with the cell phone pictures. I’m also going to try to tell the story mostly through the pictures. Rather than telling the story and then sharing the pictures. I’m also not going to include the food pictures. I’m going to put all my Chicago food pictures together in one big Sunday food adventure entry.

Here are the first collection of images from my Day 1 of my work trip to Chicago:


Chicago, Illinois
I was dreading parking in the Gray Lot, but I got stuck there again. But now I’ve been there a couple of times I’m starting to dig it. Especially when I get paid by the hour.

Chicago, Illinois
Even though I parked approximately 15 miles from the terminal, I got to my gate in plenty of time.

Chicago, Illinois
I’m roughly 6 foot 4. Tony is pushing 6 foot 8. Putting us next to each other in one of the world’s smallest planes is the height of cruelty. The type of thing you would see in a museum dedicated to torture.

Chicago, Illinois
The hotel.

Chicago, Illinois
This time we didn’t have to wait 3 hours to get into our room. We dropped off our stuff and looked for food, but that meal will be covered later.

Chicago, Illinois
The hotel was straight across the street from the river and a half block from the Chicago Theater. A good location.

Chicago, Illinois
I never ate here, but reminded me that my favorite restaurant on my trip to NYC was Empanada Mamas.

Chicago, Illinois
A dispensary. I’m not into marijuana cause I have elements of a control freak, but seeing one reminded me how backwards thinking Iowa has become.

Chicago, Illinois
True words.

Chicago, Illinois
At Naima’s age, she might benefit, but she is such a dang picky eater, I’m not spending that much money for her not to eat it.

Chicago, Illinois
Wake and bake.

Chicago, Illinois
I do love the names of marijuana products.

Chicago, Illinois
Day 1 was the day before International Pot Smokers Holiday.

Chicago, Illinois
That is over 50% off!

Chicago, Illinois
Just looking up and trying not to run into somebody on the street. Full disclosure, I don’t care if run into somebody on the street.

Chicago, Illinois
I love street art so much!

Chicago, Illinois
Art in the hotel. The hotel was much nicer than the one we stayed at in Miami Beach, but less interesting. So a wash.

Chicago, Illinois
Taxi up close.

Chicago, Illinois
“Staytion”. Lame.

Chicago, Illinois
I don’t know if Kim hates me but I always get a “view” of a parking garage. Lowell’s view was so much better.

Chicago, Illinois
Wasn’t as loud as expected.

Chicago, Illinois
For people who don’t know how elevators work. Much better elevators than in Las Vegas though.

Chicago, Illinois
While waiting for Kim to get done, so we could go get supper, Lowell, Tony, and I went for a walkabout. That is a lot of commas, probably not used properly.

Chicago, Illinois
I miss this guy.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

Two more collections of images from just Day 1 of this trip are in the hopper. I hope you like Chicago!

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This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is RUINS:


WEEK 400 - RUINS
RUINS

RUINS! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what in the Ron Harris is a RUINS image? Simply put, it is a picture of something that is in the state of physical destruction or disintegration. Something that is in bad shape.

RUINS has been a theme a few times before. Take a look back at some previous submissions for inspiration:


WEEK 30 - RUINS - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth – Week 30

WEEK 103 - RUINS - DAWN KRAUSE 1
Dawn Krause – Week 103

WEEK 121 - RUINS - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland – Week 121

WEEK 211 - RUINS - JEN ENSLEY-GORSHE
Jen Ensley Gorshe – Week 211

WEEK 362 - WEEKENDS - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett – Week 362

Happy photo harvesting!

Muscatine County Aux. – Vol. 1

Back on July 30 I cruised around the towns of Muscatine County harvesting their town signs. Muscatine County was one of my favorite counties that I have visited. There are a few photogenic towns in Muscatine County and I purchased the most delicious watermelon I’ve ever eaten from a dragon in rural Muscatine County.

Here is the first collection of images from my road trip to Muscatine County:


Muscatine County - West Liberty
West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty
I have questions.

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - West Liberty

Muscatine County - Atalissa
Atalissa

Muscatine County - Atalissa

I still have a ton more pictures from Muscatine County. So many more that I don’t even know how many more I have. We might find out together.

Wapello County Aux. – Vol. 3

Time to share the final collection of pictures I took while harvesting the town signs of Wapello County. Almost all of these are in Eldon. Eldon is a town that is most famous for being the home of the home that makes the backdrop for the most famous American painting to ever be painted. American Gothic. I’ve seen this painting once, at the Des Moines Art Center. It is amazing how tiny it is. It is only 2’5″ x 2’1″. But its impact on American culture can not be measured.

Here are some pictures:


Wapello County - Eldon
Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Eldon

Wapello County - Bladensburg

The next time we hit the open road to look at auxiliary images from THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Muscatine County.

Wapello County Aux. – Vol. 2

Seems like a good time to share a second collection of images I took while harvesting the town signs of Wapello County. A good chunk of these were taken in Ottumwa, but a good portion is also taken in Agency, the sport where Iowa was “born”.


Wapello County  - Ottumwa
Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Ottumwa

Wapello County  - Agency
Agency

Wapello County  - Agency

Wapello County  - Agency

Wapello County  - Agency

Wapello County  - Agency

Wapello County  - Agency

Wapello County  - Agency

Wapello County  - Agency

Wapello County  - Agency

Wapello County  - Eldon
Eldon

Wapello County  - Eldon

Wapello County  - Eldon

Here is some information on Chief Wapello’s Memorial Park from the Wiki:

Chief Wapello’s Memorial Park, also known as Chief Wapello’s Gravesite and the Site of Sac and Fox Indian Agency, is a historic site located near Agency, Iowa, United States. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The park is on the site of the Indian Agency that became the home of the Sauk and Meskwaki (Fox) tribes. They were relocated here by the United States government after the Black Hawk War of 1832. General Joseph M. Street was appointed the Indian Agent and settled with his family on the agency. He earned the respect of the Meskwaki chief Wapello. A stone marker marks the site of the Agency House. Another stone marker commemorates the 1842 negotiations for the tribes to hand over their Iowa lands to the United States government, and the first Christian services that were held in Iowa’s interior by the Reverend Thomas Kirkpatrick, a Methodist Circuit Rider, in 1838. The tribes were relocated from here to Kansas.

This land was the agency’s garden area. When Street died in 1840 he was buried at this location on the agency and the tribes gave the property that surrounds the grave to his wife so she and her family could make a living. Two years later Wapello was buried next to General Street. Other graves include those of Eliza Street and their children and Major John Beach who was the Street’s son-in-law and who replaced General Street as Indian Agent. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was granted an easement on the south side of the park by the Street family with the stipulation that they take care of it. This they have done and the stainless steel marker in the park was installed by the railroad.

Imagine having having to sign a treaty and being forced to leave Iowa for Kansas. That had to hurt.

Rodan139: Beaver

Both my free time and some decent weather actually aligned the other day and I managed to take Rodan139 out to stretch its wings (propellers). Unfortunately, it was a little bit impromptu, so the battery situation wasn’t great. I have 3 batteries for Rodan139, so I took it to 3 different places and flew it until the battery drained. The first place was Beaver, Iowa. I want to get some drone pictures of all the incorporated towns of Boone County. While I got a few of Beaver, I will go back and get some coverage from different angles.

Here are some low battery Beaver, Iowa images:


Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

Rodan139: Beaver, Iowa

The second place I went to on this battery drain trip was the Pilot Mound State Forest, but those pictures are for another day.

Edward Grasshopper

I named this post Edward Grasshopper because I love grasshoppers and I like and am somewhat influenced by the art of Edward Hopper. I admittedly don’t know much about Edward Hopper the person, so I did a little bit of research on him and the most interesting thing about him is that he was married to another artist, Josephine Nivison. She aided him in being a model and as a creative partner.

Edward died before Josephine. She passed away 10 months after him. She left their entire artistic estate to the Whitney Museum of American Art. This is what sucks. It was believed that the Whitney turned around and just threw away all of Josephine’s artwork. BUT, thankfully they didn’t, they just shoved a bunch of them in the basement. In 2000 about 200 of Joephine’s works were discovered. Which is sad because Edward was great to Josephine the artist.

From the wiki:

Beginning in the mid-1920s Jo became her husband’s only model. It was she who thought up the names for a number of her husband’s paintings, including one of his most famous oil paintings, Nighthawks. Despite their complicated relationship, she helped when her husband felt insecure about a painting in progress, as in, for example, the case of Five A.M. (1937). As late as 1936, Jo reported that her husband was highly competitive and that her starting a work would frequently inspire Edward to start his own. In The Lonely City Olivia Laing discusses Jo’s career and how it floundered because Edward was “profoundly opposed to its existence. Edward didn’t just fail to support Jo’s painting, but rather worked actively to discourage it, mocking and denigrating the few things she did manage to produce”.

One of the paintings that Hopper did when not being a jerk to his wife, Automat, is part of the Des Moines Art Center’s collection.

Which reminds me that it should be about time for my nearly annual trip to the Des Moines Art Center with Suzie.

Here are some pictures of grasshoppers that probably love and support their significant others in every way possible:


Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

Edward Grasshopper

The last two pictures are from the Boone Art Center. Also known as the Union Pacific railroad tracks.

Rodan139: High Bridges

A reminder that you have until Thursday at 11 AM (Central) to get your picks in for Year 18 of the Roundball Oracles. Click on the link below to join:

Roundball Oracles – Year 18

It costs nothing to participate. First Place gets a trophy. Last Place Adult that give full effort also gets a trophy. Hope many of you participate!

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One of the last times Rodan139 took to the skies last year was near the Kate Shelley Memorial High Bridge. I flew around it to take pictures for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme STRONG. Here are the picture I took that day:


Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

Rodan139: BHS Parking Lot

I think it would be pretty cool if some day they made it so people could walk across the abandoned bridge. I’m sure it will never happen cause of a myriad of security reasons, but it would still be pretty cool.

Viva Las Vegas: Day 1A

I need to start today by wishing Nora a happy birthday, so happy birthday Nora!


Canvas No. 50

I hope your birthday is filled with lots of candy and cake and ice cream! If not, I will buy you so much ice cream next time I see you.

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Time to start sharing the real camera pictures from my work trip to Las Vegas. I took the backup camera to Vegas just cause I’m always leery of traveling on planes with the 1st string camera. Even though the bag never leaves my side. It is probably a mental block that I will never get over. We’ll see what happens next time I walk on a plane. In April.

I took enough pictures on Day 1 in Vegas to split them into to two posts. This is post 1.

Vegas Day 1 started in Boone. I got up and headed for the Des Moines International Airport a little after 9 AM for my 12:15 flight. I’m one of those people that gets to the airport early. Probably cause I don’t fly that much and probably because I get paid to be there early, sorta. That is how I interpret the travel rules.

I knew there was bad weather west of us and the potential that one of our flights could get cancelled. The good news is that they didn’t. The bad news is that a little after getting to the airport, I got the notification that the flight from Des Moines to Denver had been delayed. Which worked in my favor because the Des Moines International Airport is currently under construction right. They have taken away a bunch of the parking in the parking ramp to make room for employees to park. This meant I had to drive by the parking ramp and the Blue Lot and the Green Lot and the Red Lot and the Yellow Lot and the Indigo Lot and the Cyan Lot and the Polka Dot Lot and ended up all the way in the Gray Lot. A lot so far away from the airport terminal I think it might be in Norwalk. Possibly Cumming.

I took a 15 minute shuttle ride to the airport. It took me a minute but I finally located the Southwest check-in counter in the room with all the weird car rental places and checked my luggage. Two things here. First, I wasn’t crazy about flying Southwest. I haven’t flown Southwest since the last time I went to Vegas, which was almost 20 years ago. I haven’t heard good things about Southwest. They say the people on there are animals. But not in the millions of good ways that animals (in this scenario humans are not animals) are easily superior to humans. But in the bad ways where humans compare other humans to animals to make them seem lesser than. Second, I did buy new luggage for this trip. I don’t travel much in the manner that requires luggage, but the two trips I took in 2022 showed me that the luggage I have been using isn’t practical. Merely sentimental. I bought the new luggage off of Amazon because I had a Amazon gift from my computer mine anniversary. I can say, that while the walls of the luggage seem a little thin, so far I am digging the new luggage. I bought red luggage so they would be easy to spot in the baggage claim line and because they were $30 cheaper than more mundane colors. I don’t know why.

After getting through the security line without incident, I found my gate, grabbed a seat and discovered I was the first person there from the Computer Mine. I wasn’t there long before I got another notification that the flight had been delayed again. Now it was going to be over an hour late taking off. I took solace in the fact I had been reassured by the Southwest ticket lady that there were over 30 people transferring from our flight to the connecting flight in Denver to Las Vegas and there was no way that they would leave that many people behind.

While I was comforted by that information, one of the things that concerned me is that Southwest has no assigned seats. You have an assigned position to get into the plane and then once in there, it is every person for themself. I was worried that I would get there late for the connecting flight and lose any chance at getting a good seat. I’d end up in a middle seat. Nobody wants that. Not me. Not the person in the window seat. Not the person in the aisle seat. However, they hadn’t started boarding when we got to the connecting flight and I was able to grab a sweet spot in the emergency exit row!

If you don’t know, that means extra legroom! It is like 1st Class for those of us in steerage! Bingpot!

The flight into Vegas was a little rough because it was so windy. I didn’t get a snack or beverage service. That is how I determine if a flight was rough. By the time we got to the hotel, I was famished. The only sustenance I had knocked down was a bag of snack mix and 6 ounces of 7-Up on the flight from Des Moines to Denver.

We took a shuttle form the airport to Planet Hollywood, our home away from home for the next 5 days. Here is my review of Planet Hollywood:

It is kinda dirty. It is a little rundown. The big selling point is that it has what I would call a glorified mall. There is virtually no Hollywood artifacts or paraphernalia there. But for what we were there for, it worked great. The conference facilities and staff were great! And it is near places that are cool like the Bellagio, Paris, Caesar’s Palace, and The Flamingo.

After getting to my room, which had a breathtaking view of a parking garage, and organizing some stuff and claiming the bed nearest the breathtaking view (my roomie Tony didn’t come in until the next day so I got choice of beds) I connected with Lowell and we went to supper.

We walked down to Caesar’s Palace to look for a buffet, but we actually ended up in the Caesar’s Palace food court where we ate at Bobby’s Burgers. A restaurant that is connected to Bobby Flay. Who is some kind of chef of note, but he isn’t a raging douchebag like Gordon Ramsay, so you might not have heard of him. I’ve only heard of him because Faust used to be big into him back in the day.

I ordered a Bacon Crunchburger (Bacon, American Cheese, Potato Chips, Bobby’s Sauce – yeah not crazy about that name either), French Fries, and a Soft Drink. The price tag came to a little over $30.

THIRTY BUCKS!

I consider the Computer Mine to be generous with their per diems. I know it is set by the government, but I usually come back with a little extra coin jingling and jangling around in my pockets. This is mostly cause I don’t drink alcohol. In fact I was actually mostly off pop before this trip, but I fell of that wagon pretty dang hard in Vegas. I don’t think it is inaccurate to say I went on a regular Pepsi Cola Bender. We are almost 2 weeks out and I’m still weening myself back off the hard stuff.

The per diem I got for this trip was $288. The fact that I had just spent $30 for a food court burger caused me to take a step back. I expected this to be one of the cheapest meals I shoved in my face on this trip to Sin City. I wasn’t sure $288 was going to make it.

Dang!

After Day 1, I had an estimated $258 remaining in the per diem fund.

Maybe eating is overrated…

After the meal we walked around something I would describe as an open air mall that was between The Linq and The Flamingo. This is where I took the majority of the pictures I took on Day 1.

Here is the first collection:


Las Vegas, Nevada
Caesar’s Palace Sportsbook

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada
There are few musicians I like lesson than Jimmy Buffett, but the man can market.

Las Vegas, Nevada
In-N-Out Burger was on Lowell and I’s list. It was the only thing that we crossed off our lists.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada
I wasn’t expecting there to be so many candy stores in Vegas.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada
Seeing the actual Vegas sign was on my list. This is the closest I came.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada
I do regret not going in here a little bit.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada
Not the Bellagio fountains.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada
This was so close to being my MUSIC photo for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

I have several more pictures to share from Day 1 that I’ll share at a future date. My best guess is March 17th, while I’m eating a Reuben from West Street Deli.

And nobody better give me any nonsense about letting the Reuben rest for a day and it somehow being better. Got it?

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This is your reminder that this week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is SUNRISE, SUNSET:


WEEK 391 - SUNRISE, SUNSE
SUNRISE, SUNSET

What is a SUNRISE, SUNSET picture? It is a simply a picture of a SUNRISE or of a SUNSET. I’ve heard some grumbling this is a hard theme. The weather is bad. I go to bed at 6 shortly after eating my early bird special at the nursing home. I don’t like going outside. Whatever. Of course THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is hard sometimes. That is what makes it great. If it was easy everybody would do it.

“Maybe you will just have to get creative.” He muttered while sipping on a cocktail made out of tequila, orange juice and grenadine. Unmixed. In a tall glass. Served on the rocks. Sometimes garnished with a cherry and orange slice.

If getting a little lit doesn’t inspire you, maybe these example submission from when SUNRISE, SUNSET was a theme in days past will:


WEEK 43 - SUNRISE/SUNSET - CARLA STENSLAND 1
Carla Stensland – Week 43

WEEK 43 - SUNRISE/SUNSET - KIM BARKER 2
Kim Barker – Week 43

WEEK 43 - SUNRISE/SUNSET - STEPHANIE KIM
Stephanie Kim – Week 43

WEEK 43 - SUNRISE/SUNSET - MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt – Week 43

WEEK 43 - SUNRISE/SUNSET - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett – Week 43

Happy photo harvesting!