The Great Road Trip of 2017....Part Twenty Six/Day Nineteen

Part One of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Two of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Three of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Four of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Five of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Six of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Seven of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Eight of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Nine of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Ten of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Eleven of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Twelve of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Thirteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE  

Part Fourteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE  

Part Fifteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE 
Part Sixteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Seventeen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE 

Part Eighteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Nineteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE 

Part Twenty of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Twenty One of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Twenty Two of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Twenty Three of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Twenty Four of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Twenty Five of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Then we hit Rapid City, South Dakota as we headed out of the Black Hills National Forest.

We happened to go into their local Walmart to pick up some souvenirs(same stuff we saw in boutique gift shops in this area but at much lower prices-we're no dummies lol).

While wandering around the store to find the souvenir area was saw a separate area which could be closed off where they were selling all kinds of hard liquor.  That particular day one of the then Master Distillers for Jack Daniel's was making a guest appearance(ok Rapid City is not a hot spot for tourists, except when Bike Week in Sturgis is going on).  He was signing bottles of JD when you bought one or ten.  Interesting but Hubs is strictly a George Dickel whiskey fan and not fond of Jack.

We found the small souvenir section.  they had Mt. Rushmore mugs.....

And this strange and poorly painted cheap salt and pepper set in a wire basket the likenesses of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jack on them.  I could hear the both of them rolling over in their graves back in Deadwood from the Walmart. 8-)))

That very same salt and pepper set was being sold at the gift shop next to the Mt. Moriah Cemetery in a bougie gift shop for double what Walmart was selling it for.

Of course there were the obligatory knives shaped like shotgun shells with South Dakota written across them.

And various shot glasses(for your Jack Daniels I suppose), with "The Badlands" emblazoned on them.

I had to chuckle at this tank top shirt...."Lawn Dart World Champion" with a kid wearing an eye patch.  If you are old enough to remember Lawn Darts you know. ;-)

In hindsight I should have picked up this Ren & Stimpy t-shirt for my brother....sigh

This t-shirt was amusing too.  Mmmm....bacon!  I don't think eating all the bacon is a "snaccident" though, more of a well thought out plan. lol

We stopped for a quick lunch at an Arby's near the Walmart(Jamocha shake and seasoned curly fries anyone?)before leaving the tiny metropolis of Rapid City, South Dakota and heading South.

Leaving Rapid City we were behind this car with an Alabama license plate.  Now THAT was unusual as they were far from home.  I guess our rental car with PA plates made us unusual and far from home too. 8-)

On the road again, headed South on winding Route 16.  A Bighorn Sheep Crossing sign?

Loads of bikers on the road around here.  We came upon a biker accident.  See the ambulance on the left side and there is a state trooper standing next to his patrol car on the far right off the road.  See the backside of a woman walking toward the accident in the ditch by the road in the center of the photo?  As we rode by we could see a geriatric motorcyclist laying in that ditch with a huge expensive bike next to him mangled up.  You could see skid marks from the tires on the roadway as you got closer leading into that ditch.  It didn't appear to be a 2 vehicle accident, but a case of that biker losing control and crashing into the ditch.  At his age, well, the age he appeared from our car window, he could have had a medical emergency like a heart attack or something.  I prayed that he would be ok but we continued on as there was no aid we could offer in this situation.

Pop up shops along the highway with bikers hanging around.  Vendors selling merchandise appealing to all the bikers driving by going to Sturgis for the Bike Week Rally.

More Bikers and Vendors on the side of the highway.  Between all the traffic on the road and in Deadwood I've never seen so many motorcycles in my life!

I can't remember now what body of water this was that we crossed of skirted.

A Smokey the Bear fire danger sign along side a "Motorcycles Use Extreme Caution" sign.  Ummmm, after seeing the wipeout North of here, maybe they need more of those signs during Bike Week?

Another bighorn sheep warning sign.  Didn't catch a glimpse of any though.

A billboard for "Naked Winery". Hmmmm.  And more bikers ahead.

Going through a tiny town called "Hill City".  More motorcycles on the road.....this is the theme of the day evidently.

An advertisement for "Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns".  No spelunking for me!

Some touristy attraction called "Bear Country U.S.A.".  Alas it was closed.  Not like we haven't seen bears up close and personal in the wild so we moved on.

This intersection of Rte. 40 and 16A had movable temporary signal lights.  I guess they are only needed in high Summer as that's when there is actual traffic around here.  This was on the way to the Mount Rushmore area.

Billboards for Mt. Rushmore and other fun activities ahead, like Mine tours(no thanks!)and Gold Panning.

Then the road ran through this natural tunnel formation.

And just like that we were entering Keystone SD, or rather the outskirts of Keystone, another touristy area.

Congestion on the main road through Keystone......

And of course......more BIKES! lol

They had painted fake bison statues here, all painted up.  This one was up on a platform above the entrance to a building and was painted with horses fording a stream.

Bikes as far as the eye could see again.  It's not just Sturgis, but this whole part of 

South Dakota that was taken over during Bike Week.

"Teddy's Deli" as in Theodore Roosevelt.  Old Rough and Ready himself would feel at home in SD, not necessarily in these tacky tourist towns. ;-)

Went by a sign advertising the Borglum Museum located near Keystone SD.  Gutzon Borglum is the man behind the creation of Mount Rushmore by the way.....

Another row of little shops dubbed the Keystone Mall, in the Keystone area selling Subway, Dairy Queen, Fudge, Holy Terror Brain Coffee and I don't know what else!

And we finally made it to Mt. Rushmore.  Of course I had to have my picture taken in front of the Parks Department's massive sign there.  Hubs wouldn't even get out of the car so some foreign tourists took my picture for me and I reciprocated and took their photos with the sign.

There was a tremendous line to get into the Rushmore Monument parking area(and it cost $10!)so instead of waiting in that long line for maybe an hour or more just to park before getting out to walk aways to the viewing area, we just continued on the road the wound around the ediface.

Of course we didn't get real close ups(like Jefferson's nostril)but with something on this grand scale, viewing from a distance you can take it all in at once.

I couldn't help but think about the local native Americans and how they looked upon this desecration  of their sacred mountains.

Then the road wound behind and I got a profile shot of George Washington's head.....

Bye, bye cousin George and Mt. Rushmore........

As we backtracked a bit to get on Rte. 16 up to Rapid City and onto I-90 drove along we began seeing these signs........

To be continued next time.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table....the February 12th Edition

The "Tried a New To Me Food" Edition.......

When the power went out yet again! last Friday around dinner time we had to go out to eat.  We went to a regional Pizza Joint to eat dinner(nobody we have found does "good" pizza in Louisiana FYI, not allowing for chains like Pizza Hut and Domino's which we have here).  I love me a Muffeletta Sandwich and they had a Muffeletta Pizza on the menu so we tried it.  And now I am loving this pizza(if you love olives you'd love this one too)!  The only issue is I think they grease their pans because I had to keep sopping up the grease on my plate with napkins.  I believe it was Olive Oil so not too bad but still, why all the oil???
This pizza may be the one thing I will miss when we leave Louisiana besides my Daughter....and the Brisket in a little town over the border in Texas. 8-)

Have you ever had a Muffaletta Sandwich or a slice of Muffaletta Pizza?  Do you like olives?(Not those tasteless black ones but briny Spanish or Kalamata Olives?)

This is day 246 of the new "diet".  Down 59 lbs. since the cruise(not counting the 8 I gained on the cruise and then lost again, which would make it 67 lbs.).  

Not actively trying to lose right now, just maintaining.  I plan on kicking the weight loss up again in March. ;-)

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned for last week...........

1. Sunday--Leftover Chicken n' Dumplings

2. Monday--Liver and Onions w/Corn, Mashed Taters

3. Tuesday--Salad

4  Wednesday--Roasted Chicken, Stuffing, Veg

5. Thursday--Soup and Rolls or Grilled Cheese

6.  Friday--Beef Pie

7. Saturday--Whatever is easy or Hubs makes

And here's what actually happened......

1. Sunday--Leftover Chicken n' Dumplings

2. Monday--Penne with Mushroom and Sausage Pasta  Sauce

3. Tuesday--Salad and Steak

4  Wednesday--Lunch out Applebee's, no dinner

5. Thursday--Sliced Apple, spoon of Peanut Butter

6.  Friday--Caesar Salad, slice of Pizza

7. Saturday--Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Roasted Broccoli

The Beef Pie and Liver and Onions didn't happen due to deals I found last week. Those meals move to this coming week.

What got taken out of the freezer last week...

*  1 Whole Chicken

*  1 Frozen Pizza

*  1 rope of Kielbasa(Hubs ate some of this on Thursday as I didn't want any protein after Wednesday's lunch)

What got put into the freezer last week....

*  3 small Steaks

*  2 packages of Cod

*  3 lbs. of Ground Beef(most made into Meatballs)

*  4 Lobster cakes

*  big bag of Pepperoni

*  2 x 1 lb. bags of Shredded Cheese

*  a Garlic Butter Shrimp Rice Bowl meal

Last week we spent $228.29 on grocery(dog food, paper products, toiletries, etc.)shopping for February. 

Total shopping comes to $388.29 for February.   

There are 17 shopping days left in February.  

Rebate monies earned this month so far.....

I've earned $58.04 on Ibotta in February.

I've earned $24.00 on Shopmium in February.

I've earned $26.00 on Alexa app in February.

I've earned $1.50 on Kroger Cash Back in February.

I've earned $5.23 on TaDa in February.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in February.

I've earned $3.88 on Aisle.

I've earned 8,050 points on Fetch from food shopping in February.

I've earned 2,226 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in January

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in January.

That is $91.15 in rebates(not counting the Kroger Cash Back/Shop Kick/Fetch/Alexa)on $388.13 of grocery spending so in reality it's $297.14 in food spending after the 6 rebate apps I count. 

My savings percentage for the last week was 37.45% and the monthly savings total for February comes in at 36.93% spent so far.  

Leftovers going into this week....Kielbasi, Roast Chicken, Pasta and Sauce, Stuffing, Broccoli and Peas(Hubs).

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Leftover Kielbasi, Strawberries

2. Monday--Chicken Parm Buitoni Ravioli w/Sauce, Salad or Veggie TBD

3. Tuesday--TV Dinners(I'm having injections in my back so something easy)

4  Wednesday--Maybe Soup if it's still raining and raw here

5. Thursday--Beef Pie

6.  Friday--Leftover Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Broccoli

7. Saturday--Liver and Onions, Gravy, Mashed Taters, Sautéed Cabbage or Harvard Beets

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy    

It's A Wonderful Day in The Neighberhood in Louisiana

I woke this morning to what sounded like someone throwing rocks at our house.
Got up and saw that we were having a big hailstorm with a side of thunder and lightning.
Oh Goody.
Link to video below...........

https://youtube.com/shorts/bFWtD6SMAsc?si=tNWCEZccF-KdgdGX

Hailstorms are something I've had little experience with.  In PA I think we got two of them in the 36 years we lived there.  But of course how could I forget that Epic Near Death Experience in 2017 up on the High Prairie in Idaho.

When the weather finally calmed down a bit Hubs went out on the back porch and snapped a picture of this big Mama Jama with his Croc next to it for scale........

I am surprised that we didn't get a tornado warning amidst all this crazy weather....but then again, it isn't tornado season yet.  That comes after the Rainy Season and before the Dry Season here.  

I texted my Daughter and she said the hail knocked out their internet.  Not surprising since they have a tall pole on the roof of their house so as to pick up an internet signal/connection so I am sure the Son in-law will be climbing up there to repair that today. 8-(

With all this new rain(and melted hailstones)Evelyn Egret will no doubt be back on Monday for another fishing expedition in "the river".

Sluggy

Our Country Is Broken

First off, I am basically apolitical.  I have no dog in this fight.  If it coms down to a Presidential face off of Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump I won't be casting a vote for either one.

I am not trying to alienate any reader or bash anyone with what I am about to say but....lol

How come the Special Counsel, Robert Hur(a Trump appointee btw), declined to charge Joe Biden for his shoddy handling of classified materials in his personal possession due to his mental state, saying the President  presents himself as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory" if taken to court over this charge.

Basically we have akin to "Uncle Joe" from the old tv sitcom "Petticoat Junction" as our POTUS IMHO.

Then, with the White House infuriated by the Special Counsels remarks, his handlers had the President give a very rare press conference(tell me the last time Biden's handlers let him give an actual live press conference, I'll wait for you to give me the last time Biden was put before reporters and not just given a written statement to read and then tried to find his way off the stage, looking like a Roomba).   Oh and he mixed up the Presidents of our allies Mexico and Egypt in that press conference.  Not say people don't get "mixed up" at times but seriously, every time Joe Biden opens his mouth another gem comes out like the above.

Then let's talk about the President's handling of our border policy(or rather his staff's handling of it).  Biden disassembled any inroads of our border control his predecessor instituted just because he hates Trump and Republicans.  Now our Southern Border is a sieve, Border Agents are told to stand down, help illegal immigrants attempting to cross the river into our country, that use to be collection of Sovereign States, and are told to put them on buses and ship them somewhere into our country and just hope they show up to their hearings(and I am just guessing here, that once they are in the US, they never attempt to go to their immigration or asylum hearing.  There is no vetting of these people, like before or for the people who came to this country using the legal channels that had worked for a century or more.)  Turning people lose into the interior of America and crossing your fingers you have not let in dangerous and/criminal elements(btw-the drug cartels are a large presents at the Southern Border, using some of these people crossing ib to bring in dangerous illegal drugs, the use of which is killing many young people).

You ask an immigrant who came into the US and obtained citizen ship the "old fashioned way" before this debacle we have now and they will tell you, if they trust you, that this is just wrong and a bad policy.

The man is too feeble and addled to be President IMHO.  We need new ideas and younger people in these top jobs and not just Damage Control persons and Handlers keeping our country's ship on course.

Thank you to the far left who created a Mr. Trump and MAGA and thank you for all the voters who keep voting all these corrupt political hacks into office(from the state level on up)just to keep their dirty hands on power.  If you read at all, you know that George Washington and James Madison warned the country against the rise of political parties. Among the three prescient warnings to the American people made by Washington during his Farewell Address in 1796 was about Political Factionalism.  Reacquaint yourself with his words HERE.

This situation is just sad on so many level; for our country, for us personally and for Mr. Biden and his family.

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the February 9th Edition

There are a few Frugal wins this past week so here goes....

*  We had a visitor, again!

Mr./Mrs. Snowy Egret came back on 3 separate days this past week as "the river" still hasn't dried up.

We have dubbed him/her Evelyn(could be a boys' or girls' name)Egret.  Hubs saw him/her the third day as he was out in the yard but didn't get another photo of him/her.  Having something like this in your yard and being able to watch nature up close and personal is a frugal win in my book.

*  Hubs and I went to Applebee's on Wednesday and used two old gift cards to pay for lunch.  I got the All You Care To Eat Deal(with choices of Boneless Wings, Riblets and Crunchy Shrimp).  You could order/reorder any of the 3 entrées.  the meal came with Cole Slaw and French Fries.  I couldn't eat the bland Slaw as it had chopped up fresh Cilantro in it(soap gene victim here)and the FFs held no appeal to me though I ate a few while waiting for a new protein to be delivered to the table.  I had water to drink as I was tired of unsweetened iced tea and they only had Diet Pepsi.  So basically I had a protein loaded meal and water so that sufficed for my eating that day.
Hubs ordered a cheeseburger.  I ordered that once here and they incinerated the cow so I wasn't doing that again.  I have such bad luck at restaurants. lolz        

*  As for saving money last week at the grocery stores....

I did a small shop at Walmart on Monday.  These are the grocery/toiletry items I purchased that had rebates/coupons and were a good deal.  The travel size Irish Spring body washes were a $1.06 moneymaker after rebate,  the Gatsby chocolate bar was free after manufacturer's rebate, the KY item was a $1.53 moneymaker after rebate and digital coupon, the MegaRed was a $4.12 moneymaker after rebate and digital coupon, the Skinny Girl dressings were .38¢ each after rebate, the Bic razors were $2.47 after rebate and the Orowheat/Arnold's bread was $1.48 after Fetch Rewards.  I also hit my weekly bonus so got another $3 from Ibotta.

While I didn't do much at Walmart I hit a good protein clearance at Kroger this past week, plus got a freebie and cheap deals.....

This is just some of the haul from Kroger.  This Scott & Jon's seafood rice bowl dinner was marked down plus Shop Kick gave me 700 Kicks(almost $3)for buying it which made it less than $2 OOP.

Then we hit the protein jackpot.  Two marked down packages of Cod for $1.25 each.(marked down to $2.25 but were part of the Mega Sale I got another $1 off each one.)
A large bag of Pepperoni for $2.15(reduced and part of Mega Sale), a package of Lobster Cakes for $4.05, 2 boxes of  full sized StarKist Tuna pouches(each box contained 4 pouches)for $3.15 per box so .79¢ per pouch.
Not pictured are a reduced package of loose Italian sausage meat(which I combined with 2 reduced containers of sliced mushrooms at .89¢ each to make pasta sauce and served over penne pasta), a reduced pack pf 4 thin boneless pork chops and a large package of 6 reduced beef steaks.  Those have been used and/or repackaged into smaller meal portions.

A few other items on sale and that had Ibotta rebates--a bag of Siete potato chips(cooked in Avocado Oil), 4 canisters of Lay's Stax which after Mega Sale and $2 Shopmium Q were .49¢ per, a bottle of Kinder bbq sauce on Mega and Ibotta rebate made it $2.49, a free carton of 2% Milk after Ibotta rebate, 2 boxes of soft oat bars for .99¢ per box after Mega Sale and Ibotta rebate and a Tide pen for .99¢ after KCB and Ibotta rebates.

There were other items that were a good deal or I needed to stock Hubs on for breakfasts(cereal, English muffins, fresh berries, etc.)but these were the best deals.

Then we hit Aldi(my first time in this new one here)to scope it out and to buy mostly some specialty items(mostly cheeses which are cheaper here or only available here)and fresh produce which we were low on.  No photos but we spent $47.59 there.

*  While we were over near Aldi we hit Ollie's as I had a 15% your total purchase coupon to use.

Got a few food deals--2 containers of Cashews(one for snacking and one for cooking), 3 bottles of Marinade(Teriyaki and Lemon Pepper), a box of Grits, a box of Cheddar Biscuit mix, a jar of peanuts(for Hubs), 2 boxes of cereal(one for each of us)and 3x 2 packs of AirWick small spaces air fresheners.  Our master bath has a "potty closet" with no electrical outlets so instead of using my Air Wick Plug Ins I can set one of these on the window sill behind the toilet.  I also picked up a new zippered hoodie at a discount price, as I had to get rid of my 3 old ones as they are now huge on me....but that's not in the grocery budget. 8-)

*  I used a Zaxby's gift card when I was out shopping to get an Asian Zalad.  I also had recently signed up for their app/rewards program and was suppose to have a Reward of a Free Chicken Fingers Snack but it disappeared before the 2 weeks was up, so I contacted corporate and they put it back on my account.  Me thinks we'll be having Zaxby's chicken in the coming week. 8-))

*  I found Money!

I stopped in at Zaxby's for a "Zalad" on Tuesday(it was both my lunch and dinner).  I actually went into the store inside of the drive-thru.  As I stepped out of the car, I spied a penny in the parking lot(guess which one is that coin). 8-)

Inside the restaurant I found both a penny on the floor mat inside and a nickel tucked underneath the counter on the floor.

I found an abandoned cart in the parking lot at Aldi so got another quarter.

Hubs returned our cart and found another abandoned cart but he kept that quarter for himself.  It will be kept in his car to use at Aldi when we go there in that vehicle. ;-)

Total Found in last Week.... .32¢
Grand Total Found this Year.......$1.16

That's all I got.  

Any frugal wins in your neck of the woods?  Let's hear all about them!

Sluggy