Labor Day Long Weekend...Keith Urban, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, birthday and fishing!

First things first....I was desperate to get my hair done after 10 weeks of holidays.  The weather and altitude here makes my hair really dry, wild and out of control, so I was really happy with the result...even if it only lasted less than 24 hours.  Unfortunately I don't have a hairdresser on standby 24 hrs a day to get me these results, so I thought I'd take a photo to hold the memory!

It was Labor Day long weekend last weekend, and we had tickets to see Keith Urban on the Friday night at Red Rocks, with Sharon and Lindsay. I was so excited to be going to a concert at Red Rocks...it is an iconic venue and the biggest bands and musicians in the world all want to play there.  I didn't know much about Keith Urban until he was on Australian TV as a judge on The Voice ( a couple of years ago) and he quickly won me over.  So it was too good to be true that we got tickets to see him....and of course to see an Aussie as well!
We arrived at the car park early and enjoyed dinner and drinks that we'd bought along ourselves, while overlooking Denver.

We sat there for ages, chatting, drinking....and when we decided to go up to the Amphitheatre we discovered our tickets were General Admission and you sat wherever...not the assigned seats that were on the tickets.  The concert was a sellout and we were a bit annoyed as there was no room for the 4 of us to sit together.  Anyway our seats were OK...a long way from the stage, but there is the big screen and we didn't really care...we were just a tad excited to be there!

The view is amazing from up there.  There had been a huge storm an hour earlier...thunder, lightning and rain and the clouds were still around but fortunately no lightning.

As the sun went down, the rock was lit up and it was a sight to see.

What can I say about Keith Urban...what a guy!  He had a great personality, seemed to love what he was doing...it was his first concert at Red Rocks and he was so happy to play there....and he sang beautifully, played brilliant banjo, piano and what a guitarist! He started off by walking out on stage by himself, playing banjo and then his band slowly joined him one by one, playing guitars and then the drums.  It was such an unassuming start to a concert by a very unassuming man.

 I'm not into guitar solo's, but he did a couple and it was amazing! He is a huge name in the States and the crowd were right into it.  It was bloody fantastic and I would thoroughly recommend if you ever get the chance to see him you won't be disappointed.  When he sang John Denver's Rocky Mountain High, the crowd went off, singing along with him.  It was such a nice touch.  Below is a link to a video Stuart made of our night with Keith!
Keith Urban at Red Rocks, August 31, 2013
The next morning we headed off in search of Mt Rushmore.  We didn't get the chance to go there during summer break and it's only 7 hours from Denver, so an easy weekend trip. So we left Colorado and drove into Wyoming...a trip we have done a few times now. Then we crossed the border into South Dakota...

and did a really interesting drive to Custer, where we had booked 2 nights accommodation.  We checked in to the Best Cowboy Inn in Custer and then made our way out to Custer State Park...what a beautiful part of the US.  We had no idea.

We did a recommended wildlife drive and saw some bison in the distance, plenty of deer and prairie dogs galore, returning to Custer around 8pm.

 The next morning Stu and I got up went for a wander around the town of Custer.  We really liked it, especially all the bison.

However, my favourite was this one...he is gorgeous!

There was a car show on as well. Studebaker's....which were lovely old cars....

but without doubt, the highlight was seeing the man himself, General Custer, wandering the streets, looking at the cars!

We wanted to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial, which turned out to be a 10 minute drive from Custer.  On the way there, we stopped at an Antique store to look for number plates..this place had them all and was run by an eccentric guy, with a story for everything.  He had the number plates we wanted but more surprising was the burro that was wandering through his store.  It was like a pet dog!

Crazy Horse Memorial was very, very impressive.  It is grand on a huge scale...ambitious beyond belief. It depicts Crazy Horse, a Oglala Lakota warrior, riding a horse and pointing into the distance. It was commissioned by Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota warrior to sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski in 1948.  It is on Thunderhead Mountain, in the Black Hills in Custer County, South Dakota. When completed it will engulf Mt Rushmore in size, but the finished product is a long. long way off!  This is as it is today.

This is what the sculpture is based on, so still plenty of work.

This is my favourite look though...

There was a great Visitor's Centre, gift shop, informative video and dancing.

After nearly 4 hours spent at Crazy Horse, we drove to Mt Rushmore, taking the scenic route through the Needles Highway.  We really were so impressed with the scenery, it is only a small area, but so much to see.
We watched a big tourist bus maneuver it's way through this tiny tunnel...and he was a student driver.  He took a while, but got through.  So much pressure!

 We eventually got to Mt Rushmore....one of those "I can't believe I'm here" moments!

 What do you think?  Presidential enough?

We got there with plenty of time to see the place and some more...and decided to stay around for the light show.  A Ranger gave us an informative talk on the Constitution, then a short movie, the President's were lit up, then he called every US serviceman onto the stage...there were over 100.  He them proceeded to put the microphone to everyone's lips as they called out their name, rank and field.  It is a nice gesture, however we thought it would have been more appropriate for them to stand up in the crowd and be acknowledged like that. 

We were able to condense so much into the short time we had in Custer and the State Park and the next morning (Monday) headed off towards Nebraska, to check it out.  On the way...

It was about 35C (95F), so pretty warm as we crossed over into Nebraska...

 I loved these scenes as we were driving...

When we were organising our Summer break, we went and visited Janice, who is an American who has done 2 exchanges...one to Scotland and one to Australia.  She was a wealth of knowledge in what to see over the holidays and one place she "tongue in cheek" said we should go to if we were in the area was Carhenge.  So I was delighted when I got the map book out to see we were headed straight there! 

Thirty eight cars were placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge. Some of the cars are held upright in pits 5 feet deep, boot end down and the cars that form the arches are welded in place and all are covered in grey paint.

It originated as a memorial built by family members after the passing of their father and has now been passed over to the city of Alliance.  I have never been to Stonehenge and probably don't need to now after seeing this!! Bizarre!

Next stop was the Chimney Rock National Historic site, which was hot and windy and DANGEROUS!

Then quite by accident we made our way to Scotts Bluff National Monument in Nebraska.

  It rose up out of the ground as you drove towards it.  The sky was so blue, not a cloud and this rock formation was majestic.

Towering 800 feet above the North Platte River, Scotts Bluff has served as a landmark for people from Native Americans to emigrants on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails.

 We were so glad we "stumbled" upon it. It gave us some small indication of what the travellers went through on their way to California.  Over 250 000 people made their way through here between 1843 and 1869.

The views were lovely..

We left Scotts Bluff and made our way back towards Wyoming....

We crossed into Wyoming, still really hot outside...

and watched the storm clouds brewing....I just love it.  We got hit by a rainstorm that lasted about 1 minute, the temperature dropped by about 20C, drove through it and the temperature went back up to 35C...in the space of a few miles!

We stopped in Cheyenne at our favourite Wrangler store..Stu wanted to get another hat...we love this town!

before crossing back into Colorado and back to Denver.

We have never underestimated the size of Australia...and the US is about the same size.....but can you imagine being able to visit 4 States in one weekend back home?  Australia is vast!!  So another fantastic weekend.  I never get sick of being in the car, seeing all the wonderful places, and embracing it all.  What an amazing experience we are having!
While we were having a great weekend in the States, Morgan was celebrating his 20th birthday.  His is the only birthday we won't be there for, so it was a little sad for me.  I was pregnant with Morgan while we were at Wangkatjungka and he was born in Derby, August 31, 1993, so he's our Kimberley boy.  Fortunately my lovely family had a birthday celebration with him at mum's house in Australind

before he went on a Pub Crawl with Jakeb and friends in Perth. I have seen no photographic evidence of this Pub Crawl, however I wouldnt be surprised if it ended up looking a little like this...Happy Birthday to our gorgeous Morgan!!

 And Kristoffer was also making the most of the good life he has, living in the Kimberley, over this weekend.  He went on a charter fishing boat to the Rowley Shoals, which is 260 kms west of Broome, with a group of school mates from Bunbury, for a week.  By all accounts it was a blast and the fishing was plentiful (catch and release)...beautiful weather and spectacular blue waters.

Mark and his Humphead Maori Wrasse!

Blue spotted coral trout

Trout

Kristoffer with his Yellowfin tuna

GT

Kristoffer then got to go out on a helicopter to help fix a generator on a boat near Kuri Bay, 370km north of Broome....and was treated to this stunning landscape....the Kimberley coastline. Far, far removed from anything we have seen here.

Life is good.

Rocky Mountain NP...Colorado and everyday life....

Joshuah had a 5 day week back at school, where he had his Senior class photo, for the Yearbook which we will probably never see.  Again another cultural experience.  We could have arranged for a professional photographer to "do" Joshuah's photo shoot like some students did, but instead agreed the school photographer could probably do the trick!
Stuart had a 4 day week, starting on the Tuesday.  He has 16 weeks of school left with 5 days off over November, so a long Semester. His job has changed somewhat at school, so he going with the flow and is his usual adaptive self.
Friday night we had the Hancock's and Smith's over for a barbie and we were fortunate with the weather as the previous night there was a hailstorm.  In some places close to us, it was 2 feet high!!  It wasn't that huge here, but it was quick and intense and the hail was perfect circles.

I really enjoy the company of the Australians who are on exchange.  Tanya, Sharon and I get along really well and I hope the friendship continues, despite the distance, when we're all back home in Australia.
On the Saturday we had another CITEL event...a picnic, to get together, talk about our Summer break and to meet the Americans who are going to Australia for exchange in 2014. Surprisingly, there are only 2 people going on exchange next year.  A married couple from Colorado Springs will be going to Adelaide and a single lady from Denver who is going to Perth. So it was good to meet them, especially the girl going to WA.
Sunday morning Stu and I headed off for a drive.  There is a Peak to Peak Scenic Byway drive we have wanted to do up in the mountains, but of course you can't get up there in winter.  Most afternoons storms come in..thunder and lightning (like Wet Season in the Kimberley)...so it's best to be up there in the mornings.  We drove up to Estes Park...firstly through Black Hawk...a bizarre place heading up the mountains, that is basically a casino town.  The population of the town is around 200, but there are heaps of casinos and hotels which brings the tourists and locals in.

The drive up was lovely,

 and we got to Estes Park, which was heaving with tourists.  There were loads of tourist shops and we picked up lunch here...at "the best burger place in town".  As much as I love bison, I had to try my first buffalo burger and needless to say,  if that was 'the best burger place in town" the others must be shite! And I feel sorry for the bison that gave up his life for THAT burger!
We headed to Rocky Mountain NP,  again in search of wildlife...(we love the wildlife here) and within minutes were not disappointed. The only problem with this photos is, Stuart stalked the animal for a photo and his elfin vision is of no value when he is looking through a camera lens.  He thought it was an elk and we only discovered when we got back to the the house that it was a MOOSE!!

There was a gravel track that we had wanted to take, but had been shut during winter.  It was open now and I can see why it's closed during winter.  It was one way, sheer drops to the side, windy, plenty of switchbacks and warnings about avalanches.  It offered some gorgeous scenery though...

Once we got to the Visitor's Centre we turned left to do the Trail Ridge Drive, and oh my, it was simply breathtaking.  Storm clouds were coming in, there was a bit of rain, but it didn't detract from the absolutely breathtaking scenery.  The Rocky Mountains are amazing!

 It was getting late and there were still quite a few people up in the mountains, eying off some mountain goats.  We looked a bit further ahead and saw all these elk on the side of the road.  You are not supposed to stop in the middle of the road to look at wildlife unless they are crossing as it causes traffic jams (fair enough), so we timed it beautifully to catch an elk bugling to his mates across the other side of the road,

before he made his way in front of the car, (forcing us to stop...first in line!!) Such a privilege to see sights like this!

As the rain came in, we headed down the mountain and saw these on our way out of the park.

Stu liked the look of all the wildlife we had seen, so thought he would hunt them.  So we made our way to the local outdoor shop for Stu to get all his gear! (just joking!!!!)

 That night we had a lovely chat with Kristoffer and Asha, who were in Broome for the weekend before Kristoffer went on his fishing trip to the Rowley Shoals. They showed me the tide coming in, people walking their dogs along the beach, Gantheume Point, boats out in the water, Broome Jetty.  It was such a stark contrast to what we are seeing here.

Monday night, 26th August, we decided to go to Joshuah's school to watch a high school football game. Joshuah had decided to play US football, went to a few training sessions and didn't enjoy it.  After playing (and watching) Aussie Rules, this game can be particularly frustrating. STOP, START, STOP, START!! And some kids didn't even get to go on the field!  BUT, seriously, it was very, very entertaining.  I think I watched about 2 minutes of the game (which seemed to take hours)...and the rest of the time was spent watching all the off field entertainment.
There was the high school band,

 cheerleaders,

 flag girls and..oh, that's right....the football players. 

There was an electronic scoreboard, commentators, 500 coaches (nearly), 600 players (nearly), and parents and students all watching.  The students were all sitting down the front doing chants and arm waving and dancing in collaboration with the cheerleaders.  I felt like I was at Rydell High and expected Danny and Sandy, Rizzo and Kenickie to come walking around the corner!  It was one of those "why I came to America" experiences...so far removed from ANYTHING I had sat through at my kids Junior Sports.  I think they need all the razzamatazz to keep the crowd occupied, coz in my opinion, the football was bloody boring!
 One thing that amazed me...one of the 100 (nearly) Umpires/Referees??? fell over.  There was a hushed silence and once he got up, the players, cheerleaders, and crowd all clapped.  There was not one shout out of "white maggot"....which you would occasionally get at home! :)
So amongst all that, the home team won...Joshuah's school...and every time they scored a touchdown ??, the cheerleaders would do high kicks for whatever score they were on.  They ended up with 40 points, so the girls had had it by the time they did their 40 high kicks.
What really impressed me was the look of fun in the young kids, be it band members, cheerleaders, students in the crowd...they all really got into it and were having a great time. 
Here is a link to a video Stu made of everything but the football!
High school football
The next night there was a "meet the teachers' at Joshuah's High School.  Joshuah is a Senior. We had no idea what to expect and have been to many, many similar nights when the boys were in High School. We were most impressed with this one.  Joshuah is doing weights training, life sports, creative writing, health, psychology and Invertebrate studies.  The health teacher is English and has been able to mention the Ashes a few times to Josh and then to us.  He said it was great to have someone who knew cricket in his class!! I won't go into details about every talk, but needless to say the story about morning sickness from the psychology teacher will be forever embedded in my brain!!
The cheerleaders were on hand to direct parents to the relevant classrooms and we had a few more issues with language. "Can you tell us where the weights room is please?"  "The white room?" "No weights, the weights room"  "The white room?" So I ended up doing the actions of a weight lifter and she got it!!
Stu asked where the Library was.  "The lobby?" "No, the library"  "The Lobby?"  "No, the place where you store books". "Oh, the library!"
Joshuah has signed up for basketball, which is a winter sport, so he'll only get a few games in, but there is training 3 nights a week which is great for him....in the weights room (white room) and then in the gym practising basketball.  It's a good way for him to meet people and to keep active.
So another eventful week.  The weeks are going pretty fast now , we are enjoying being able to go on roads that are only open during summer.  before we know it, the snow will arrive (it can't come soon enough for Stuart) and it will be back into the snowboarding!