Regency Inn Manhattan

I arrived in Manhattan KS on Sunday the 4th. Monday the 5th, we started to work on Custer Hill, which is on Ft. Riley. We are working with the 2nd Brigade which just returned from a year in Iraq. HUA! The first Saturday, I visited my wife's cousin, who lives in the thriving metropolis of Herrington KS. (500 pop.)? The next Saturday we were treating to tailgating at Kansas State, and witnessing them whup up on Texas A&M 62 to 14! This weekend I ...

... So it was on to Colorado Springs, home of the Air Force Academy, the Olympic Center and Pikes Peak. This afternoon, we rode the Pikes Peak Cog Train to an elevation of 14,100 feet. It was 26 degrees on the top and it had just snowed last Monday.

Since we took a bit of a detour, it's time to figure out where to next.

News from Sara:

We got up extra early today and left Manhattan :) for Denver. We ...

... to points east. After a consist has been completed the consist is then released from the yard and an engineer and conductor are assigned and off they go to the east. All this happens the same way on the east hump for trains coming from the east and that has 75 tracks for making up consists bound for the west.

It was quite an operation and I would like to go back on a better day....and when there is not some very annoying people in the tower that ...

... to be 36 deg but boy it seemed worse. Central Park covers 843 acres, which is 6% of Manhattan. I eventually found a great spot under a huge tree in the Heckscher Playground to flopped myself down and had my lunch. There were so many people there, schools on their outings, sunbathing, picnicking, roller blading. After reading and snoozing under the tree, it was time for ...

... Square Garden by foot. The vibe at Madison Square Garden was awesome. As a gesture of thank you to the Knicks fans for their support this season, they gave us food and non-alcoholic drinks for free. We couldn't believe all the stuff they were giving away. There was colddrinks, hotdogs, burgers, fried chips, kettlecorn (crisps ...

... Ben, Becca, Jessie and Rachel have a fun time with their thirty something chickens and many chicks. Unfortunately, Caden didn't get to enjoy any eggs in the morning as he was sick all night and we moved him three times as he kept throwing up on everything. Lesson learned; don't put a child that is throwing up in your bed with you or on fabric cushions. TJ

Left Branson early this morning, drove about 5 1/2 hours in pretty high winds, (yes, Dorothy, we ARE in Kansas!) which were blowing south to north. Luckily, our rig has something called "Howard Steering", which can be adjusted to apply pressure to the steering wheel so that you're not fighting it all day long in the wind - even with that, Greg had ...

... that stretched for ever until the gold met the blue. It was breathtaking and when the wind blew, it was as if the land moved. Maybe my eyesight was bad, I could not pick out Wichita. But my eyes picked her up immediately that night they took me to the best chicken restaurant within driving distance from the university. Even before we were seated. Read the rest in - The Ghosts & I

... Fe National Historic Trail National Park Stamps the weren't to be: Brown v. Board of Education NHS, Various Trails originating in Independence, MO (Poor Paul) Stay Over: Fairfield Inn, Manhattan, KS Trivia Question of the Day: What military installation is in Manhattan, KS? Answer to yesterday's trivia question: We aren't getting much participation so you must read on for answer! Phrase of the Day: "Come over to the dark side...we have ...

... joked about adding ..."and one old hag" to the sign, but I digress). I had never seen anything like it, even with my face plastered to the bus window, I could only see part way up the buildings. I was fascinated, it totally captivated my attention. We went through the Holland Tunnel and saw the Port Authority. I think our hotel was in New Jersey to save money. We took the PATH train to get back and ...