Mitchell to Wall, SD

May 31, 2019

On the road again today. Driving down an interstate can be somewhat boring, especially when you are looking at the same view all day, a ribbon of highway in front of us and green grass, and cows to the sides. We did see a few antelope towards the end of the day. Also saw a couple of dump trucks with multiple axles.

Views of the road ahead and the scenery to either side of the road.

You count them, based on what I can see in the back, it doesn't look like they are dulies. There are two dumpsters here and the back one looks longer than the front one. I think there are 10 axles on the back.

At about mile marker 265 on 90 there is a rest area that is also a Lewis & Clark Interpretation Center. We stopped there to see the Dignity of the Earth and Sky statue that is an amazing piece of art work.

To put it in perspective, that's me standing in front of Dignity.

The back of Dignity

The view from Dignity, looking down on 90 to the town of Chamberlain and the Missouri River beyond

The skeleton of an overlarge T-pee

This is the back end of the Visitor's Center/Interpretation. This is the back end of a 'Keel Boat' of the type used on the expedition. The front end is in the building, and you can walk through a door to the outside part.

An interesting piece of art about the exhibition 

The front end of the keel boat

On the keel boat

Our site at Sleepy Hollow in Wall, SD

Sleepy Hollow campground

A visit to the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD

May 30, 2019

Partly cloudy this morning, but at least we can see some blue sky and a little bit of sun!

Today we visited the Corn Palace, where they decorate the entire outside of the building with 325,000 ears of corn, or part of the plant and approximately 3,000 bushels of rye, oat heads and sour dock. Each year in the fall, they put up a new design, which means they have to start taking the previous year's design down in June. They were starting to do this when we were here today. All of this stuff is nailed on, so the guys we talked to were using small hay forks and a variety of other tools to get this stuff off of the walls. Each ear of corn is cut in half, length-wise and then nailed to the wall (plywood). Corn doesn't come in very many colors, so the designs are made to accommodate the yellow and brown, any other color means the ears have to be painted. The designs are done by local artists. The inside of the building is a multi functional gym, used for basketball games, concerts, dances, stage shows and a variety of other uses. The intricate designs are all very interesting, as is the history of the building, what it has been used for and who performed there.

 Pretty flower baskets hung from light posts along main street. The little yellow thing in the base of the post is an ear of corn, one on each side.

Here they are starting to take last year's design down.

One of the designs of the past, even the spires are done.

Another design from the past

See how intricate the designs can get

We finally head west on I-90

May 29, 2019

We had a little farther to drive today, so we got an earlier start, 248 miles today.

It was cloudy and much cooler than what we have been used to, even in Independence. The high today was about 66, it was 61 in the rig when I got up this morning. Considered turning the fireplace on, but just put a flannel shirt on and that was good enough. We got rained on a couple of times. The first time was just as we had stopped to take some pictures at the Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth, MN. Because of the rain, we didn't explore it as closely as we might have, just took a few pictures and got back into the truck.

Also in Blue Earth, on the interstate is a Golden Stripe on the shoulder of the road. It is there to celebrate the meeting of the west coast construction crew and the east coast crew that originally built I-90, which goes from Boston to Seattle. There are sections of this road that are under construction, but it will take a long time, and most of it is pretty bad. 

Other than the Green Giant and Golden Stripe, the drive was pretty boring. I had a real hard time staying awake. 

Tonight we are parked in the Ron Dee's RV Park in Mitchell, SD. We will be here for 2 nights. Tomorrow we are going to the Corn Palace. More about that tomorrow.

We head north, to Minnesota

May 28, 2019

We only had a couple of hours to drive today, so we slept in and took our time getting out of the campground. We left Timberline about 11:45 am. We traveled east on I-80 for a little while, then north on I-35 into MN.

Traffic was light and we made pretty good time. Had some light rain, but nothing serious. We did see a lot of flooding, rivers overrunning their banks. Along the interstate the flooding is mostly farm lands. Some of these acres of rolling farm land has already been planted, we could see little green shoots sticking up out of the ground. But, a lot of this has not been planted yet. As wet as the ground is right now and as heavy as farm equipment is, its going to take a long time before the farmers can get out into these fields.

We spent the night in a very wet KOA just across the border in MN. Otherwise looked like a nice campground, but I didn't think it was quite up to KOA standards.

At last a sunny day

May 27, 2019

Happy Memorial Day to all of the families and friends who have lost a loved one who died while serving our country. Thank you for your service.

Didn't rain a drop (so far) today, was in the 70's most of the day, did get up to 81 by about 4:00 this afternoon, but there was a nice breeze (sometimes a wind), so it didn't feel to warm.

Phil put his Mr Fix-it hat today and did a few minor repairs, I worked on Caravan stuff...as usual.

On one of Phil's trips to Lowe's today, he found a Cheesecake Factory, so when he came back he asked me if I would like to out to dinner there, well it took about 1.5 seconds to say yes to that!! We brought dessert home though, was to full to eat it there.

Tomorrow we will leave here and head up to the I-90 and begin our trip west towards Great Falls. Can't wait to meet everyone on the caravan.

We move to Des Moines, IA

May 25, 2019

Against my better judgement, we have traveled north on I-35 to just west of Des Moines, IA. We are at the Timberline RV Campground in Waukee, just off I-80.
We got here about 3:00 pm, under cloudy skies and 82*.

We no sooner got here and storms started forming in Oklahoma, that round went well south of us, staying mostly in northern Missouri. Round two is fast approaching, but it looks like the worst of it will hit Missouri and northern Arkansas. This whole area is saturated with water and flooding has already become some of the worst that has been seen in many, many years. The creeks and streams have overflowed, the rivers they flow into are also reaching their maximum. In order to save the towns and farmlands from the overflow of these smaller rivers, water has to be released. The rivers up here flow into the bigger rivers south of here, the Mississippi, the White and the Arkansas Rivers. These rivers have already reached their maximum, just from the volume of water coming from the small rivers that feed into them directly in the local areas. The Arkansas River is already at flood stage and low lying areas are already threatened around Little Rock and Fort Smith. The Arkansas River, just to name one, then flows into the Mississippi, which is also fed by the Ohio. It's not looking good for the bottom lands in East Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, but especially New Orleans.

Round two is approaching: top is a couple of hours ago, bottom is current shot. We are the green dot on the bottom shot, so it looks like once again, we have dodged a bullet. But look how far south this is going, and it hasn't actually moved very far in two hours. It's just dumping more rain where it is least needed.

Storms, more storms

May 24, 2019

The pump arrived at 9:50 this morning, surprise!! Wasn't scheduled to be here until around 3:00 pm, so that was a very good thing!! Phil called the mobile tech, but he was evidently busy elsewhere, so Phil put the pump in by himself. It is so nice that he is able to do these kind of things!! He tested it and it appears to be working, we will find out for sure when we get ready to leave in the morning.

He no sooner got finished with that when a line of storms started to form, starting in Texas and stretching all the way up here. This time we were in a direct line for the worst of the storms. The line has now shrunk and reaches from the border of Texas and Oklahoma to just about Chicago. There is a lot of lightening with this band, but haven't heard of any tornado warnings since late this afternoon. If it continues on it's current path, we might get lucky and the bad stuff will go south of us. Meanwhile, we will just wait and see.

This is the shot of the storm that came through last night, if you look closely, there is a green dot on the the green background, that's where we were. Most of the red stuff stayed just south of our location, but the ground shook with the thunder.

'Murphy' is back

May 22, 2019
Woke up to sunshine today, so we decided to hit the road. Traveling north on I-49, which runs up the west side of Missouri to Kansas City. Sky's became a little overcast, but no rain. But, as we traveled north, we were watching the weather and it wasn't looking good for K.C. or Des Moines, IA either. Phil was determined that we would spend at least a couple of days in Independence, his intention was to be able to spend a day at the Mid West Genealogy Library that is located in Independence. It is a very nice one and we have visited it often. But, I was all for hitting the road and getting out of the path of all of these nasty storms.

Turns out...Murphy won! We are camped at Campus RV in Independence, this is where we usually park when here, it's close in to a lot of things we like to do. Under normal circumstances, I can't run the slides out if Phil is still leveling the rig, so when the slides started acting sluggish, I thought he must still be messing with the levelers. Well, he wasn't, the hydraulic pump that operates the system was gasping it's last breath. Phil literally had to push the kitchen slide out! So, we called a mobile repair guy out and he came right away. He confirmed our suspicions, pump dead!! Now the trick is to find another one that will fit the spot allotted for it. Phil gave the repair guy until late this morning to see if he could find one locally...not happening. So, Phil called Lippert, the company in Indiana who makes these parts. They don't have the model of the old one in stock, but can have one made by the second week in June. We can't have that, that's when we are to meet the caravan. So, the parts guy at Lippert comes up with the new and improved model. Phil may have to adjust the spot a bit to make it fit, but he ordered it. SUPPOSE to be here tomorrow, but then it still has to be installed!!

This being Memorial Day weekend, Campus RV is booked solid, so the guy isn't happy that we can't move until the pump in fixed, but he understands that these things happen. Of course, we have reservations in Des Moines as well.

Free, as is: one Mr Murphy. No longer needed!!!!!

A couple of photo's along the way:

 You will have to zoom in to see these photos (I hope it will let you do that). This one is the 'Welcome to Peculiar' sign. There is also a town in MO called Tightwad. You have to wonder what people were thinking when they named their towns!

The bottom photo is the mascot of a car dealership. I have seen this guy a few times. He was in Ft Smith, and a couple of other times coming up 49, but this is the only time I had the chance to take a decent picture of it.

An extra night in Ft Smith

May 21, 2019

Since the storms that are ravaging the plains right now are not getting any better, we decided to stay another night here, where it looked fairly safe.

We did have some heavy thunder storms here, but no tornadoes. Although Missouri and Iowa are still having bad storms tonight, it looks like by tomorrow things should be clear enough to safely travel to our next stop.

Geez, I sure hope so!!

Bright side was that we got to spend more time with Zoe, and her Mother in Law, Ursula. Since Zoe and Dauntae got married, Ursula and I have become friends, and she keeps me up to date on what's going on with the kids when I'm gone.

First day back on the road, heading for Great Falls, MT

May 20, 2019

We were only going a far as Ft Smith, AR today, so we weren't in a big hurry to leave the campground, left around 11:00 am. Trip up was uneventful, but we were watching a massive storm develop in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. By the time we got to the Overland RV Park in Van Buren, AR, that storm was getting bigger and more dangerous. News reports were of multiples F-5 tornadoes and huge hail. So, in an effort to play it as safely as possible, we have decided to stay put through tomorrow. Plus side is that we get to visit another day with Granddaughter Zoe and her husband Dauntae, who live in Ft Smith.

I have been trying to get a screen shot of the radar on my phone to go to my phone so I could put it on here, but it's not happening right now. Anyway, it looks like we may get hit with the tail end of this mess sometime tonight, or what remains of tonight, since it is now after midnight.

Our time in Little Rock

May 19, 2019

We spent two nights at the Burns Park campground, then moved over to the North Little Rock Riverside Park. The only real downside to Burns Park is that there is no sewer and long stays are difficult with no sewer.

We did many trips to and from the "house" dropping off things we wouldn't need for the Alaska trip and picking up everything we would need to take with us. The back seat of the truck is now full of books, jackets, totes, etc.

We met with friends, Rick & Jennifer several times as they we accepting special deliveries from various companies for us. One of which was a new satellite system that mounts to the roof of the rig. Phil & Rick spent one morning installing that, so we now have one touch Dish reception that finds the satellites automatically. So great full for Phil's ability to do this kind of thing himself, saving us hundreds of dollars on installation fees. Supposedly, with this system, and the satellites it focuses on, we are going to be able to get TV reception while we are in Alaska. That would be nice, but remains to be seen!

Between us, we saw 5 doctors while we were 'home'. One was a followup with my eye surgeon. I was having some problems and thought the eye might be infected, but it turned out to be some scar tissue that was irritating the eye and causing it to become red and inflamed. He deadened the eye and removed it, gave me some drops and sent me on my way. My eyes are getting better at focusing, and he seems to be impressed with the progress. We will look at it again when we return in the fall.

Sunday, 5/19, was the big day that we came back home for. Granddaughter and step-Granddaughter's high school graduation. It was a bit of an emotional day for me, this is our youngest grandchild and to have it hit home that she is now considered an adult and will be forging her own life, her own way in this world. It made me reflect on her life and my part in it. I'd like to think that Phil and I were a good influence on her while she was growing up. Congratulations on your accomplishment Quinn and Carson! We are proud of you!! Following are some Graduation highlights:

Carson, our step-granddaughter. Carson goes to Arkansas National Guard boot camp in August and will enroll in Jr College when she gets home.

Granddaughter, Quinn, will join us on the Alaska Caravan, then join Carson at Jr College.

Quinn with diploma

Carson waits her turn to get hers

After the graduation we all met at the elementary school where Daughter in law, Jennefer teaches art, for a catered BBQ dinner and a meeting of the families

The whole group

Carson and her Grandmother  Mittie

Grandmother, Carson and her Uncle Mark

Jennefer joins the picture

Jennefer, Mittie & Danny, Mark, Tucker (Jennefer's youngest) and Carson

Quinn's special friend, Allysa

Carson gets her diploma

Quinn gets her diploma

 

Henderson, TX to North Little Rock, AR

May 10, 2019

Got an earlier start this morning, under the threat of more rain. Headed straight north out of Henderson to I-30 and followed the 30 up to 430 to 40. Seemed strange to pass the turn off to our house. But, since we are only going to be in town until the 20th, it makes since to stay in the rig, rather than unload part of it for just a short time.

A first for us, we are staying a couple of days at Burns Park, which is a huge complex run by the city of North Little Rock. They have almost everything the outdoor person could hope for, equestrian trails, bike trails, golf course, Frisbee golf course, soccer, baseball, outdoor pavilions for large get togethers. And a large RV park with 30 amp power and water, this is where we are headed. The RV park is very nice, sites are spread out and easy to get into. We are here for a couple of nights as there is a big BBQ bash going on at Riverside RV Park, our park of choice, and we will move over there on the 12th.

May 12, 2019

Made the move to Riverside this morning, total mileage for today under 10 miles. Have a very busy schedule while we are here, between us we have 5 doctor appointments, plus the move of all the caravan jackets, totes, books, binders, sleeping bag for Quinn (she will join us in Great Falls, MT), as well as clothes we didn't pack for the short trip, cleaning the refrigerator in the house out...and the list goes on and on.

As soon as we got here, I set the clock on the microwave, then Phil came behind me to warm something up and it was dead! Just like that ...kicked it's heels up ...stuck it's fork in the wall! Well, we can't survive without that for six months, so it has to be replaced. Phil found one online at Best Buy, same make, model and dimensions!! It fit like a dream, unbelievable!!

Next day, the little fan in the bedroom goes out! This is beginning to be kind of like the twilight zone. Supposedly things like this happen in threes, so if we go on that assumption, then we are done...big fan in living room, microwave and little fan. Murphy is dismissed!!

Granddaughter, Zoe and her husband Dauntae, will be down from Ft Smith on Saturday to spend the night at the house and we will all go to Quinn and Carson's high school graduation on Sunday afternoon. Can't wait to see them and get to visit for a little while. Then they will go back home and we will go back to the house and close it up for the next 6 months.

We leave College Station

May 9, 2019

We finally caught a break in between storms and headed up Texas Hwy 21. Our goal was Linden, TX.

The drive on Hwy 21 through this part of Texas is a pretty drive. We began to see Historical Markers about every 5 miles, so curiosity up, I Googled it. The following is what I found:

The King's Highway

The Camino Real/King's Highway stretched some 1,000 miles from Saltillo, Mexico to Louisiana. Utilizing Indian and buffalo trails, Domingo Teran de los Rios laid out the portion known as the "Trail of the Padres" in 1691, thereby joining Monclova, then capital of the province, to the Spanish missions of east Texas. The Texas Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution chose to support a resurvey and marking of the trail, providing substantial financial support. In 1915 the Texas legislature appropriated $5,000 to survey and mark the route. V.N. Zivley was commissioned to make the survey. The road was verified and resurveyed based on extant Spanish land grants and other documents. In 1918, granite markers were placed every five miles along the Texas section of the road. Ultimately, the project cost the Society $10,544.00, and the Texas government, $8,000.00. The railroads contributed by transporting the granite monuments at one-half the standard portage rates.

The Zivley manuscript volume, containing 114 sheets is endorsed: "I certify that this trail has been marked by granite boulders, inspected & dedicated, March Second, 1920", by Mrs. Lipscomb Norvell, State Chairman Old Trails Committee, Daughters of the American Revolution.

Excerpt from V.N. Zivley's "Preface":

In East Texas, that is from the initial point to the crossing of the Colorado River at Bastrop, the King's Highway, while in many places has been abandoned and entirely obliterated, was very definitely located by the Field Notes of land surveys made in the early years of the last century. These surveys were either bounded on one side by the old road, or if they crossed it the course and distance from the nearest corner to said crossing was in most instances stated, so that the relocation of the road in that part of the State was only a question of time and labor. From Bastrop to San Antonio there was little to guide me except tradition and the remaining evidence of the road to be found on the ground. From San Antonio to the Rio Grande or vice verse from the Rio Grande to San Antonio, about the only guide I had was the afore mentioned Diary of Morfi, a very learned and observant Spanish Priest who traveled the King's Highway in December 1778 form Presidio Rio Grand to the old Missions at San Antonio, and to that old Padre, though I am a Protestant of the most ultra blue stocking type, I want to doff my hat, as the most accurate artist in words of a country traversed that I have ever met -- in books. Every place he mentioned, every object of interest, I found just as described by him in that brief Diary. His only inaccuracy was in the distance stated between given points, invariably the distance given by him was greater than that given by the steel tape. But I picture him as a scholarly devout man of fragile physique and wearied as he was by the days travel "y muchas inflexiones inuteiles" how natural for him to overestimate distance.  There is your history lesson for today...

This whole part of the state has had lots of heavy rain over the last month or so. The ground is obviously saturated, the creeks, streams and rivers have all over flowed their banks. Cattle is knee deep in mud, just trying to stay out of the deep water. The area has also been hit hard by tornadoes. A huge one went through the area around the town of Alto, TX a couple of weeks ago. There were trees down everywhere along the highway, road crews have obviously been very busy cutting them up just to get them off of the road. Damaged buildings everywhere, very sad to see. I managed to remember to get the camera out and snap a few pictures as we were driving down the road, but they don't cover the worst of what we saw.

Shortly after we pulled out of Alto, we had a warning light come on, one we had never seen before. So I pulled the manual out to see if I could find it. You know how helpful car manuals are!! Finally found it, coolant level low, recommended that we pull over and turn engine off. We are on a narrow two lane road, pulling the rig, there is no place to pull off. At the next turn in the road there is a Valero station where we could safely pull in and shut the engine off. Phil went inside to see if they had any coolant. While he was inside, a young white kid stopped to see if we needed any help. I told him what the problem was, and that Phil was inside looking for coolant. Shortly after that a young black kid stopped to see if he could help, and stayed until we had the coolant in, and told us there was a Dodge dealer in the next town, in the direction we were heading.

Before we got 20 miles down the road, the coolant symbol was on again. At this point, we were just a few miles out of  Henderson, TX and the Dodge dealer was just at the other end of town, about 5 miles. So, we limped in, the service manager brought the code reader out, sending the info to her computer. We found an RV Park close by and parked the rig. Phil went back to the dealership and they took him right in. Phil said two or three guys worked on it, couldn't find any leaks, or a clue where the coolant was going. One guy took it out and drove it to see if the light would come back on, but it didn't. They made sure the reservoir was full and sent him on his way...no charge. Can't beat that for service!!