Mountains and more

I am in beautiful Granby, Colorado and a giant grizzly bear is looking right at me.  Honestly, I am sitting in the lobby of my hotel and a giant stuffed grizzly bear is ready to attack.

I actually posted the picture on this blog and hopes everyone enjoys it.

On your way to Granby, make sure to stop by a fantastic deli called “Rudy’s Deli” in Winter Park.  Thank you, Sally Meier, for recommending the “Holiday on a Bun” sandwich.  It hit the spot!  It’s turkey with cranberries, sprouts, and cream cheese.  It will change your life.  Pictures of the deli and the awesome sandwich are also posted.

So about one foot of snow is expected in the area I am traveling.  But it’s okay.  I’ve got 4-wheel drive and the scenery is gorgeous.

I plan to be home on Friday.  I’m telling you Colorado is the greatest way to end a 3-week trip on the road.  Mountain Parks Electric rocks!  Thank you, Rosemerry Knerr, for being so nice to me.

I hope to post another blog before the week is over.  I am waiting for some great pictures from Montana.  Can’t wait!

Good coffee and good character

The more time I spend on the road, the more I appreciate good coffee and good character.  Last week, my car broke down on Highway 73 in South Dakota.  I spent about 45 minutes in the car talking to OnStar, hoping they could get police or a tow truck to help me.  Well, they were very nice to me but couldn’t get a hold of anyone.  This is when you start to wonder what’s really going on and how you will react to the situation.  Honestly, I knew everything was going to be fine.  And once I realized that–two truckers (Pat and Victor) stopped to help me and they were great people!  I called them my angels.  They took me to the nearest town, Kadoka, SD.  Pat waited with me until the tow truck (which was over an hour and half away from me) finally arrived.  I thanked the truckers several times and had tears in my eyes because I was so thankful they came along.  The tow truck driver was a gift from above too.  Doug actually drove me all the way to Rapid City and made sure we got the car to the right place.  While we were driving to Rapid Chevrolet, he said more than once that this was a “character building experience!”  And I absolutely agreed.  We enjoyed a good cup of coffee from the gas station and laughed about the whole thing.  I made it to Rapid City and slept like a rock.  Life is good.

This week, I’m in Great Falls, Montana.  I am working with Sun River Electric out of Fairfield, Montana.  I look forward to beautiful views of the mountains and students excited to learn more about electricity.  Oh!  And I was actually GUEST OF THE DAY at my hotel today.  Now I have some candy and bottled water to carry me through to Tuesday.  And if you are looking for a great place to eat, I recommend the Macaroni Grill and try the ravioli.

Is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa

I had never spent time in Iowa before this past week. Boy, they weren’t kidding about the corn in that state. I was surrounded by corn fields…and it was beautiful. I did presentations in Dow City, Dunlap, and Woodbine, Iowa. All were nice small towns with great kids…and the weather was warm! On Wednesday, it was 73 degrees and sunny in Omaha, Nebraska and I loved it! I went to dinner in an area called the “Old Market” and ate a a place called “M’s Pub.” It was delicious and I strongly recommend everyone eat there when visiting Omaha. On my drive back to North Dakota, the closer I got to the state, the colder and darker it became. I love my home state but why can’t we have just a little bit more of that warm, sunny weather from Iowa and Nebraska? Oh, for those who were wondering where the real “Field of Dreams” is in Iowa…I was told by some friends that the actually baseball field within the corn fields is located near Dyersville, Iowa. Free admission, souvenirs available. http://www.fieldofdreamsmoviesite.com.
Now I’m back in ND for a just a few days before heading to Martin, SD. Now that I’m here, there are snowflakes falling from the sky and I didn’t wear any gloves today! Oh well, I still love being home.

Hostfest and having fun!

It was one of the largest Scandinavian festivals in the world where I just had the best lefse of my life! The Norsk Hostfest in Minot, ND never fails to surprise me.  It was potato lefse and it tastes best when you spread butter and sprinkle sugar on it…then you roll it up and I swear I could eat 27 of them.  Not only were the electric cooperative representatives wonderful to work with at this year’s Norsk Hostfest, but the visitors and performers were nice too!  There wasn’t one mean person to be found.  65,000 visitors this year!?!  Bring it on!  I had more fun this year than last year…so I can’t wait for next year!

Now I’m on my way to Omaha and it’s been raining off and on throughout the trip.  It gets a little lonely on the road but I have to say rock n’ roll really pulls me through…especially music from the ’80s.  And coffee!  Oh bring it on…here’s hoping warm weather awaits me in Omaha.  And hundreds of happy, excited students are pumped for a demonstration on electricity!  Remember kids–electricity and water don’t mix!

On the road again!

Thanks to my amazing friends at Basin Electric Power Cooperative, I am now looking forward to a month of exciting adventures throughout several states…and recording all of the good news in this new blog!  Thanks Tracie Bettenhausen for showing me how to do this properly.   I will be talking about the Story Behind the Switch to hundreds of students and teachers.  Basically, it’s a demonstration on how electricity is made and how to be safe around it.  This week I travel to Minot, North Dakota for the Norsk Hostfest!  I will be working with the best rural electric cooperative representatives around for four days of food and fun.  Next week, I’m off to Iowa, where the corn and sun are plentiful.  Get ready Martin, SD!  I’m heading your way the second full week of October.  I can’t wait to head into Montana and visit friends, family, and electric cooperatives in Bozeman and the Great Falls areas the third week.  And, last but not least, there’s nothing like the Rocky Mountains and fresh air to pull you through to Halloween.  I hope to record the most exciting and interesting parts of my trip.  So, move over Travel Channel!  Tracy is on the road again and it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!  Happy trails to you…until we meet again…