Labor Day morning, Monday, September 3, Genie and I left by car from Albert Lea, Minnesota, for our annual one-week stay at the Arrowhead Lodge in the Big Horn Mountains, forty miles above Sheridan, Wyoming. This tradition began in 1973. (We missed the last two years because of a thing called vertigo that Genie now has under control.)
Our first major stop was Mitchell, South Dakota, to look at the new theme on the outside of the Corn Palace for 2019. The recognition theme will be the five branches of the U.S. Military. (It was almost completed.) This old Navy Veteran clicked his heels and gave a smart salute while swallowing the lump in his throat.
On to see the t-rex in the back yard of Wall Drug; he eats every 12 minutes, with his favorite entrée being redheads. He eats so fast you can always see red hair in between his teeth.
Our favorite place to stay in Mitchell is the Super Eight Motel. Lane, the general manager, gave us the great South Dakota welcome, “Howdy!” She let us know things haven’t changed. She is still “CEO” of the ranch owned with hubby Brady as they share the ranch income plus his income. (Her income as general manager is all “hers,” none “his.”)
We arrived at our destination, Arrowhead Lodge, 7,700 foot elevation, in the Big Horn Mountains. The new owners, Jared and Petie Severson, as of 2016 have made a few changes since we last stayed there in 2015. One thing that hasn’t changed is the great service as provided by employees Chad, Cody, Matt, Jeff, Gary and Kate Lynn. Former employees Yuki, Dale, and Clay with his doggie Gabe, tracked us down with great reminiscing conversation.
Father and son (The Johnstons from Wisconsin) were staying at Arrowhead while trout fly fishing. They decided to bury the hatchet (because the Vikings stole their favorite quarterback, Brett) and gave us a block of Wisconsin cheddar cheese. Thanks guys; it was really good.
We got to yak with fly fishers Cary and Betty Hiner of Olathe, Kansas, who are usually there the same time we are. Cary is one smart fisherman as once again he “let” Betty catch more trout than him. Dan and Esther, longtime friends of Sheridan, Wyoming, let us enjoy an evening meal with them.
As in other years the “Mamo” Club (Muley Arkansas Men Only) was well represented. They had their banner across the front of the rustic cabin #15. (“Mule Deer Capital of Arkansas”)
Three of the Arkansas hunters arrived for the first (nine came for the second) week of deer hunting: namely Steve Crump, (plus his well-behaved retrieving firewood black lab named Sally Mac), John Harper and Gary Wallace. The three men got into a friendly comparison with two Minnesotans. This led to a one-week bow hunting contest between Arkansas and Minnesota to determine which state had the best mule deer hunters.
Points were the determining factor. Points were given for each mule deer shot, the difficulty of the shot, the distance of the shot, plus points for the weather conditions at the time of the shot. Points were also given for any random acts of kindness while hunting. Points were deducted for littering, damage to the landscape, illegal activity or rudeness.
They agreed that a judge was needed to select the winning state. All five hunters agreed it should be Genie, as she was from Iowa. At the end of the week Genie tallied the points and her ruling was:
Minnesota finished a “strong” second, while Arkansas came in “next” to last.
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.