Calvin Borel at Churchill Downs in Louisville

Another one off the bucket list! Well close enough. As a horse lover, I’ve always dreamed of attending the Kentucky Derby someday. Well this week is a bit late in the year for the Derby but at least we had an opportunity to spend a full day at the races at Churchill Downs, including a Calvin Borel bet (which we lost by a length). In our first race we bet an Exacta boxing tow horses and won. It was a beautiful warm sunny day and in the end, between the two of us, we were down $3.20. So it was a cheap day of great entertainment.

Amana Colonies, Moraine State Park and Turkey Run State Park

With Sandy's activity off the east coast we are delaying our movement that direction. Not a problem for us but very sad when you consider all the storm has meant to those in it's path. We hit a few of our usual campgrounds like the little park in Clear Lake Iowa and two days in the Amana Colonies. While the campground is nothing to brag about the little town of Amana is worth a day trip. I found a nice warm cap to keep my head warm. Traveling through Illinois we found Moraine State Park near Bloomington, the park was nice but the only level sites were f4 and f5. Turkey Run in Indiana had really nice sites and the park has lots to offer for trails. Blue enjoyed the path near the rig for his speed walks that include Olympic balance beam like moves on the downed tree stumps skirting the path. Both parks are worth a return visit.

Snow flies along with the snow birds,

As the snow flies, so do we. That's correct, it snowed back home yesterday so today, we head for the SE. Can't wait for this years adventures to begin!

Missouri state parks

Wallace State Park makes a nice retreat for the night. As we walked the campground Gary found a tree with elaborate carvings of native species including geese, raccoon, a snake, and owls and even a donkey or maybe it is a horse. A creative way to bring life to a tree stump.

The unexpected in Oklahoma

As we move north we take our time to see the sites of the areas we travel through. Sometimes there is not much to offer on the freeway so we venture off the fast lane and find the hidden gems in that region. Hard as it is to believe the northern part of Oklahoma has some amazing vista with sweeping sand dunes and mesa's with views that stretch for miles. Gloss Mountain, so named for the shinny appearance of the mesa's due to the selenite content. The area is rich in minerals including copper, salt and spar giving the valley floor and eroded landscape colors ranging from deep rust to white and blushes streaks of gypsum. What a pleasant surprise.