Kahay!

Kahay, welcome in Crow speak.  This morning we toured the Little Bighorn Battlefield and went early before the temperatures got too high.  We took the Native American guided van tour and since we were the first of the morning we had a private tour with just the two of us, our driver, and our guide.  It was very informative with all our questions being a one on one experience.  We did get one piece of information that Custer sent John Martin to Maj. Reno's camp to ask for more troops and supplies.  Maj. Reno refused and John didn't return to the last Stand ridge and therefore survived the battle.

Little Bighorn Battlefield

After our visit to the battlefield we stopped at a grocery store and fueled up before returning to our campground.  Jo took this picture of mustard weed that is invading this north west area.

This is a picture of our campsite showing the source of our July snow.

snow storm in July

It may be 91° outside but our campground tonight is in the middle of a July snow storm.  The campground is in a large grove of cottonwood trees in full shedding mode.  It's nice to have the shade but every time we open the door some "snow" tries to fly inside.

Today we crossed through and over the Black Hills of South Dakota, beautiful country.  We passed by some real serious soil erosion, at least that's what Jo's mom (a good farmer's wife) said the first time she saw the Badlands of South Dakota.  Then we passed right on by the world's most famous (or at least the most advertised) drug store.  We stopped once several years ago and once was enough.  Back in 1977 on a trip with Kenneth and Phyllis we borrowed the Ledgerwood's pop-up tent trailer for a late summer trip to Yellowstone.  It was on that trip that we stopped at Wall Drug after our visit to the Badlands.  On that trip we stopped at Mt. Rushmore and then made it to Yellowstone.

It was a long day's drive today but we are here for three nights which will give us some time to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield.

Day 3

It was nice, cool, and dry this morning as we got all buckled up and ready to travel.  Not long after getting back on I-29 it started to rain and before we got out of Iowa we drove through some good rain showers.  It stayed cloud covered and cool all the way to Sioux Falls and when we turned westward the sun popped out and the heat began to rise.  In our campsite now in Belvidere, SD the current temperature is 93° and rising.  It's supposed to be down to the upper 60s tonight so maybe our drive tomorrow morning will not be too bad.

Our drive from Onawa, IA into SD was right along the MO River valley and there was water everywhere.  At Sioux City the river turned westward while we continued northbound.  Later as we traveled westward on I-90 we crossed the MO River at Chamberlain, SD and again the river was very high and obviously out of its normal banks.

Detour day 2

It was another nice short day on our alternate route to the original first night campground.  Last night was a very quiet campground and it looks like we will have another quiet evening.  We are very near the Missouri River but in this area we are high enough to not be affected by the flooding that caused our detour.  Tomorrow we continue north to Sioux Falls, SD and then we turn westward.

The temperatures today have been nice and moderate, only 76° at this time.  We had a little shower or two during last night but then this morning was only overcast.  When the sun did come out it still didn't get back to the oppressive heat that we have been having.

Detour

Since our original route is flooded out we are on a detour around that problem.  The original first day of travel was going to be an eight hour drive which is a bit longer than our usual day but after the detour added miles and a couple of hours of drive time we decided to break that into two 5 hour days which is more to our liking for a day on the road.  Tonight we are in Eagleville, MO which is along I-35 right at the Iowa line and tomorrow we head on north to Des Moines and west from there to Council Bluffs and back on track north to Onawa, IA.

This route today is the exact same route that we made 12 years ago in July of 1999.  That was the first trip that we made with our first fifth wheel trailer on our way to Des Moines for a square dance weekend.  Larche and Marianne shared the trailer with us that weekend and then after the dance we toured the covered bridges of Madison County (from the movie) and visited the boyhood home of John Wayne plus visited the Amana Colonies.  That was the beginning of our fifth wheel traveling that has now covered 106,115 miles within this North American Continent.

bug juice

As you could imagine the front of our trailer is tall and wide so as we roll down the highway through all of our trips it catches many bug splatters, YUK!  The last couple of evenings after the sun moved to put this part of the trailer into some shade I washed a six month accumulation of bug juice off the front cap and then put a coat of wax back to help with the next bug removal operation.  After 12 years of travels with a similar trailer I finally got a bit smarter this time and figured out that I could lower the front jacks almost to the ground and that would make the top of the front cap easier to reach with the 6 ft. step ladder that I have.

There are a lot of things that the Bounce dryer sheets are supposed to do but except for the laundry use there is only one other use that is very true and that is bug juice removal.  I wet the surface down with a liquid car wash soapy water and then the dryer sheet just wipes away the bugs with minimal effort.  It does also remove any previous wax surface but then again with the front end lowered for easier reaching I put on a new coat of wax and the front now shines like a new RV.

I doubt that there were many bugs out last January when we pulled our new trailer home from Kansas but the trips in March, April, and June sure piled them on.  I know that on previous trips to the northwest we sure encountered many bugs and swarms of grasshoppers that really make a big splat so I am glad that at least we are starting out with a clean front end.

flood update

Our original route is still closed due to the flooding Missouri River but we are on go for next Tuesday to begin our trek westward.  Because of the length of the detour route we are leaving a day earlier than originally planned.  I sent an email to the Onawa, IA campground and they are still above river levels and it looks like we will be good to go from there.

We have begun our checkoff list in preparation for liftoff but there are always many items on that list that can only be completed the morning of departure.  We keep the fridge on between trips so there are many items that are maintained without having to load and unload.  Also laundry items from the trailer closets are returned as soon as finished.

We do enjoy our travels and even though we love our Missouri home we are always ready to head out again.  Our great neighbor that keeps an eye on our house while we are gone put a sign on the kitchen door of our "sticks and bricks" house that reads "welcome to our 2nd home."

Happy 4th of July to all ...

and a big Happy Birthday to the USA!  We hope that everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday.

"How highs the water mama?"

?  feet high and rising.

Our trip westward is supposed to begin next week with the first day's route planned to be to St. Joseph, MO and then north on I-29 to Sioux Falls, SD.  Right now that isn't possible as I-29 is closed due to the Missouri River flooding between St. Joe and the Iowa line.  The campground for that first night's stop is scheduled for Onawa, IA, just north of Omaha a few miles, and they are saying that they are not affected by the flood (yet) and still open for business.  Right now we will be able to get there by heading toward Des Moines, IA and then over to Omaha on I-80 but that adds a bunch of miles to that day of travel.  We can break it up with an overnight in northern Mo along I-35 but that will mean starting the trip one day earlier, which isn't going to be a problem.  We will check with that campground in Onawa as the time gets closer to see if the route north of them on I-29 is okay and if so then we will be okay and back on our scheduled route.  The route home at the end of the month will also be affected so we will just have to keep track of the flood levels along that portion of our route.  The record snow fall from last winter and its spring melt is feeding the Missouri River and it's tributaries and sure causing many problems along the way.

It has arrived

The package was delivered a little before lunch time this morning.  To answer the last comment, yes it will find a place in the trailer on our next trip.  Shore is purty ain't it?

waiting for the brown truck

When we were in PA, JoAnn allowed me to order my birthday and Christmas gifts for the next several years.

After our tour of the Martin guitar factory I checked on line and found the best price was in a music store just 20 miles from our campground near Allentown.  We drove by the store but found they were closed for remodeling and their sign suggested using the internet to shop.  I placed my order that afternoon and by ordering it on line saved the cost of sales tax that I would have had to pay at the store.  Tracking the shipment through the UPS website shows that it arrived in the local distribution center this morning and is on the truck for delivery today.

We had told Phyllis about my purchase and she is just happy to know it will be hers someday, just not right away.

heading to Missouri today

When I posted yesterday I didn't mean that we were actually into the State of Missouri but were into the time zone that we are accustomed to.  We are actually in Lynnville, IN which is just North of Evansville along I-64.  Every time we get back to the central time zone I think about the Don Williams song, "Living on Tulsa Time" but then we don't live in Tulsa so that is why I said we were into Missouri time.  Have I confused anyone beside myself this morning?  It looks like another very hot day but as always it will be good to get back home at least for a couple of weeks.

Stay tuned as our travels continue.

Back in Missouri time

The drive today was under totally clear blue skies but unfortunately that means higher temperatures.  We have seen the forecast for our homeland and it is going to be tough for the next several days.  It's a good thing we have a brand new air conditioner to come home to.

The puzzle for the day is what I saw on the GPS screen earlier just after lunch.  When the current time read 1:00 pm the distance to destination read 53 miles. The estimated arrival time read 12:53 pm so the question is, how can this be?  I told Jo that we would have to turn around and back up the rest of the way but she didn't like that idea.

We really like this Lynnville Park campground.  It is small but easily accessed and for the water and electric sites it is only $15.  We backed into a very good site and then found that there was no electricity working in the box.  The attendant checked it out and allowed us to plug into the next site over without having to move so all is good.  There is someone working on the electric service right now so we may be able to plug back into our own service post soon.

Blenko Glass Factory

We have known there was a glass factory here for several years as we have used this same campground on almost every trip eastward.  We went this morning and were glad that we did.  This company has been in business since the early 1800s and maintains old style hand blowing technique for each piece of glassware that they produce.  After the tour, watching the craftsmen at work, we browsed their retail outlet for a couple of pieces.  Tomorrow we will get back on our trek homeward.

Blenko Glass Factory

Milton, WV

Today's leg of our trip homeward is the longest and winds through the mountains of western MD and WV which is beautiful scenery.  We even saw a deer along the roadway this afternoon.  We originally had planned only one night stay here and then continue westward in the morning but have decided to extend this stay to two nights and tomorrow visit the Blenko Glass Company here in Milton, WV.  We have been to this campground many times and have talked about the glass factory but just didn't set the time aside to do it.  We will see the time honored tradition of hand blowing fine art glass for which this area of West Virginia is known.  Since Jo was able to get a couple of washer loads done at Phyllis' house she won't have as much to do back at the Martin Manor before our next outing

Ledgerwood visit

It was a very nice day for a trip to Lancaster, PA and a visit with Jo's brother and his family.  It was good to see both Geo and Dana and to meet their best friends.  Phyllis had a good visit with her cousins and has made a commitment to drive up again soon to visit and shop the area with them.

Now unfortunately it is time to head back to the Ol' Martin Manor RV park so we head westward in the morning.

Hand and Foot

It was game-day today and as usually when we visit we try to get a few card games in with Phyllis.  She likes to play the game of "hand and foot" which is a game that we play four handed/partners with Larche and Marianne but with Phyllis it is a very good three handed game.  She let me win the first game but then didn't show any mercy in the second game.

Jo also got another load of washing done taking advantage of Phyllis' laundry so then she won't have to do so much after we're home to get ready for our next trip.

shopping

Phyllis doesn't seem to do any grocery shopping until her mother comes to visit and then fills the cart and her pantry shelves.  We had a few items from the grocery store that were on our needed list also so it worked for both of us.  Yesterday while entering a post to this blog my "S" key simply broke and fell off.  There is still a small pin in the middle of that space that I could push to enter an "s" but it wasn't comfortable.  After the grocery trip and while Jo was doing a load of wash in Phyllis' laundry I went to a local Wal-Mart and purchased a wireless keyboard that now makes this entry much easier without having to hunt for the "s" key pin for the 39 that are in this (oops 2 more) note..

PA to MD

It was a nice drive today from Allentown, PA to our campground near Baltimore MD.  We called Phyllis and will meet her at her house after she gets off work.  We are here for the next 4 nights and then will head west back toward the Martin Manor to refresh all supplies and be ready for the next adventure.

seen today

We took a short drive out in the countryside this morning into the mountains and coal mining area around our campground.  On the way back we were stopped by a State Police car needing room for a couple of over sized loads.  Then we just had to sit and watch as these two huge concrete bridge girders made their way around the corner and then down the hwy.  It's a good thing that the axles in the back were also steerable.

This first picture is the second girder making the turn and the last picture is the first one already around the corner and ready to travel down the road.  Judging from the cars and semi in the lane beside the last picture I would say that it was at least 150-180 foot long.