The entire landscape was covered in a thin layer of snow and more was in the forecast.
The Montana highway was coated with alternating patches of slush and powder snow. My fenders accumulated so much ice that when I hit a dip in the road my tires would rub against the ice. The ice was as solid as concrete, and just as heavy.
Arriving in Rapid City, I found myself in the middle of a dinosaur fight. I escaped! Whew! Then I was able to visit with my cousins and toured the Lost Cabin Beer Company. I can personally recommend the brew named "Father-in-Lager." 
My next stop was in Omaha at the home of my sister-in-law, her husband, two teenage girls and two friendly little dogs. One of them found my knitting basket and ate part of the cord that holds the top closed. It was the kind of thing you might expect of a goat, and it so happened that my next stop in Iowa, at the home of my aunt and my cousin, was also the home of three newborn billy goats gruff. I helped feed the goats, horses, and chickens, and enjoyed playing my trumpet (doesn't everybody bring a trumpet on a road trip?) outside along with the howling of George the Golden Retriever, another very friendly dog.
After Iowa I went to Alabama, North Carolina, and western Virginia where I discovered some very friendly horses. This freckled beauty even posed for a selfie. My visit here was too short as I needed to continue to eastern Virginia and see my brother.
After several days of relaxing with my brother, we were ready to head for Florida. Our goal was to drive all the way to the end of the road at Key West. This photo was taken along the intercoastal highway.
Here's the photo I took at the southernmost point of land in the contiguous United States. That sign says "90 miles to Cuba." My next goal was to see the star Alpha Centauri, or as some call it "Rigel Kent" as the closest star to our Sun. It is only visible in the southern hemisphere, or from the southern tip of Florida. We headed back north until we found a place without street lights and a view to the southern Atlantic Ocean. The sky was partly cloudy and there was mist on the horizon but at 1:00 AM the sky cleared and both Alpha and Beta Centauri appeared, along with the topmost three stars of the Southern Cross.
After viewing the stars we returned northward and into the Everglades National Park where we saw lots of exotic birds and animals, like this peacefully sleeping alligator.
My next stop was to be Kansas City but along the way I found the town of Metropolis, Illinois. With that name they have declared themselves to be the home of Superman. And they built a gigantic statue of Superman in the town square.My cousin and her family in Kansas City treated me to dinner and live jazz entertainment. I wasn't aware that Kansas City had a jazz night life.
The next day I went to Topeka where I met as many cousins (and their families) as I had seen along my entire trip up to that point. In this photo I was playing trumpet duets with a talented musician.
Kansas cousins. One of these cousins I had not seen for more than fifty years prior to the day of this photo .
After sitting in the car for many days and long hours, I welcomed the opportunity to help on this deck building project. It was also delightful to work with four brothers and their father, with all the teasing and helpful suggestions each person provided.
