Quiet in Scottsbluff

When I called Deron this morning he said it had rained hard last night in his part of South Dakota and more was predicted for today. That meant no trip, as he is at the end of miles of dirt road that turns to deep muck when it's wet. As we saw on the Cedar Rapids news this afternoon, the mess included car windows and bodies smashed by baseball-sized hailstones and roads blocked by multi-vehicle accidents, not a good day to travel to western South Dakota.

So instead I walked several miles along the bank of the North Platte River. I've lost track of my camera so you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the photos of the river and Scott's Bluff. Unlike the cold weather and falling snow that kept me from photographing the city's biggest landmark during my March visit, today was hot, hot, hot, relieved slightly by occasional passing clouds.

Tonight Dorothy and I made her famous mango salsa for a backyard barbecue we're going to tomorrow evening (my third this trip). I haven't tasted it yet but it's gorgeous, with yellow diced mango (from small yellow-skinned Mexican mangoes I've never seen before); red, yellow, and orange bell peppers and an orange habanero pepper, tiny and fiery hot; green scallion tops and cilantro; and lime juice and a bit of salt.

Good-night.