Oct. 11th. Campbellsville, KY

We left Edwardsville, ILL yesterday morning around 9:30 AM. In keeping with our goal to avoid the interstate system we went south on ILL Rte 4 To Lebonon where we turned east on US 50 driving across the flat fertile farm lands of western ILL these turned to more the rolling but still good farm lands of eastern ILL and western IND. At Loogootee, IND we turned south on US 231 driving through the rolling hills that were sometimes farmed and sometime wooded. Shortly after crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky we turned east on US 60 driving through the fertile river bottom farm lands that turned to wooded rolling hills after leaving the river bottom. At Garfield we turned right onto KY 86 a very narrow two lane road that wound through the hills to Elizabethtown. After crossing I-65 we then drove on KY 210 arriving at Campbellsville around 7PM EST. On the drive across ILL and IND we saw very little harvesting taking place but we did note that about 1/2 of the corn was flat on the ground so when they do start harvest it is going to be at a very slow pace. In southern IND and into Kentucky we did see corn being harvested. There was some soybean harvest taking place all along the route but we also saw many fields that were still completely green.
In the wooded areas the trees are starting to change color with the most color being in Kentucky. In MO and ILL they are expecting a lot of color because they have had a lot of rain this summer.

Daniel Boone House Defiance, MO

We were driving north on St. Rd 47 after crossing the Missouri River north of Washington toward our friend Ardath's house, I spotted this sign that said Daniel Boone house 2 miles right on 94. I told Nancy lets drive over there and take a quick picture. Well after 2miles there was another sign that said 1 1/2 miles to the right guess what another sign any way after driving about 15 miles through the beautiful Femme Osage valley and surrounding wooded hills we arrived at The Daniel Boone House. You don't just drive up and take a picture you have to pay $6 a person for a guided tour. I might add that it was $12 well spent. When Daniel Boone was in his 60's he left Kentucky to explore the vast land to the west for the Federal Government. He was given 640 acres to homestead for his efforts. His son Todd came west a short time later but wasn't given a homestead so he purchased 540 acres near where his fathers land was. They erected a large 3 story limestone house on Todd's land in which Daniel Boone lived the remaining 20 years of his life so this is the house that he died in. Todd and his wife also raised their 14 children at this location. A lot of this house is original but some parts have been replaced or added over the years. The square holes on either side of the windows on the main floor were where they stuck their rifles out in case if an Indian attack.

Louisiana, MO

Fri. we went to historic Louisiana, MO on the banks of the Mississippi River. Louisiana has a lot of big grand old houses. The kind of house that if one were younger it would be really interesting to try to restore to its original grand state. While there we also toured the Whittle Shortline Railroad hand crafted wooden toy train factory. As the name implies they make wooden toy trains as well as Volvo trucks, UPS trucks and Fed-ex trucks. They are also starting to make several different multi tiered wooden puzzles that that they cut with a laser cutter. Later in the afternoon we drove across the river to Pleasant Hill Ill. to my cousin Gail & Chris Ball's house. In the evening we went to Kampsville Ill. and ate catfish at a restaurant on the banks of the Illinois River.
The trees here are just starting to show a little bit of color change, once in a while you will see one that the top has turned a bright red. With all of the moisture they have had this summer they are expecting to have a lot of color in a week or two.
They are harvesting corn and soybeans in the fields in the Mississippi river bottoms. Seeing the combines out in the fields still gets this old farm boy/seed corn salesman excited. It just makes me want to pull over and go ride on the combine to see how it is doing.

Bowling Green, MO.

After spending the last two weeks in Omaha cleaning out a house and getting it ready to put on the market we are finally on the road again. Yesterday morning we left the KOA Kampground at Gretna, NE heading south on hi-way 5o after crossing into Kansas we turned east at Seneca KS on US 36. we continued east on 36 crossing the Missouri River at St. Joe . driving east across MO on 36 we saw many fields of corn and soy beans but very little harvest activity has occurred yet. Just west of Hannibal, MO we turned south on us 61 and stopped at the Lazy C campground at Bowling Green, MO. We are about 12 miles west of the Mississippi River that is the boundary between Mo. and Ill. We have enjoyed not driving the interstate since leaving ND and have decided that we will go all the way to Sebring without using the interstate system.Today we drove to Pleasant Hill, Ill. where we visited my 99 year old aunt Inez and 3 of my cousins. Aunt Inez is another of my amazing relatives she is the only living aunt or uncle on my fathers side. She has lived at her home in Pleasant Hill until this last spring when she fell and broke her arm and had to go to the nursing home in Pitsfield, Ill. To look at her you would swear she wasn't a day over 75 and her mind is so sharp that she puts us younger people to shame the way she can tell you all about when different people were born, things about the family and her life.

Omaha, NE

We left Hazen Bay Sept.3 rd. arriving at Fort Robinson State Park near Crawford, NE for a 3 day reunion with my 3 sisters and their husbands. This is something we try to do every year. I am so blessed to be from a family that gets along so well and not one of us harbors any bitter or harsh feelings. That is tribute the way our parents raised us. From there it was a short drive back to Hart Ranch near Rapid City for the region 4 Newmar Kountry Klub Rally. While in the Rapid City area we revisited many of the places that we had visited about 25 years ago. I must say they have all undergone major improvements and are now much better than they were in the past. We also drove the wild life loop and the Needles hi-way in Custer State Park. After leaving Hart Ranch on Sept. 13 th. we drove to Imperial, Ne where we set up camp in our sons lush buffalo grass yard. While there we had the motor home serviced and took care of some business as well as seeing friends and relatives. I have to mention my 85 year old uncle Wesley that we visited. We called their house in the morning to see if they would be home and Aunt Marjorie said he was moving cattle from pasture to the feed lot at home and she would check with him. He called back in a few minutes and said that he would be free from 2 until 4. We drove into the yard about 2 and the last truck was just backing up to the loading chute to unload. After watching them unload and looking at the cattle we went to the house for ice cream and banana bread and a nice visit. We left around 4 as he needed to get the cattle into the proper corral and fed yet that afternoon. I really think that is amazing for an 85 year old man. Yesterday we left Imperial and traveled hi-way 6 to the KOA here in Gretna, NE. It was a nice leisurely drive with little traffic and much better scenery than traveling I-80.

Hazen Bay Sept. 2nd.

As the sun sets on another great summer experience here at Hazen Bay on Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota it's hard to believe the summer has gone by so fast and that tomorrow we will be on the road again. I guess it is time as I am getting itchy feet and need to be moving again. I don't know what we will do when we get to old for this and I can no longer scratch that itch. Our plans are to arrive in Florida late in Oct. hopefully in time for Oktoberfest at Buttonwood Bay. We definitely have fall in the air here in northern ND. Sat. & Sun we had temps of 95 to 100 degree's and yesterday the high was 57 degree's with rain showers and more of the same forecast for today.
The labor day weekend again saw us with a full campground. We had many familiar campers along with some new ones. One of our regulars brought their cotton candy machine and supplied cotton candy for the whole camp ground. This is the second time this year they have done this. Sat. evening we sat around the another campfire and had a pre wedding celebration for one of our seasonal campers daughters who is getting married next weekend. We also were invited to numerous campsites for delicious meals and farewell toasts and chats. Mon. morning it was a steady stream of people stopping by the motor home or the office to bid us farewell. Being the softy that Nancy is there were also a few tears shed. For some reason that we don't understand we have grown fonder and bonded closer with the people here than any other place we have ever been, even more so than Buttonwood Bay. We like what we do here and the people so much that after analysing the cost of our planned Alaska trip we have decided to return to Hazen Bay and do this all over again in 2009. We have seen the lake level come up 20 feet this year and hopefully it will rise that much next year and we will be able to see the bay full of water.

Medora

On Tues. of this week we took a day off to journey to Medora, ND. Medora is home to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the De Mores State Historical Park also the Medora Musical and Pitchfork Fondue take place at the open air amphitheater.
The Chateau De Mores was built in 1883 by the Marquis De Mores a French aristocrat and was used from 1883 until 1886 as a summer residence for the Marquis and his wife Medora and their children. The town of Medora is named after her. The Marquis had this idea that it would be cheaper to slaughter cattle in North Dakota and send them in refrigerated rail cars to Chicago that to ship the live cattle to Chicago for slaughter. He built a packing plant, bought cattle and land, started a stage coach line to Dead wood and built most of the town. The plant was capable of processing 150 cattle a day but due to drought in the area and finding good quality cattle it never processed more than 80 cattle a day. After losing nearly 1 1/2 million dollars by 1886 his father in law the banker closed it down and they returned to New York.

Medora the Musical and Pitchfork Fondue are held at the outdoor amphitheater atop a hill overlooking Medora and the Chateau De mores. The Pitchfok Fondue consists of rib eye steaks cooked in hot oil while stuck on the tines of a pitchfork. This makes for a very delicious and tender steak. The musical is a 2 hour production held in the outdoor amphitheater.

Theodore Roosevelt National park is located in the badlands of ND. There is a 30 mile loop drive through the badlands where you see very pretty scenery, a buffalo herd, a herd of wild horses and many prairie dog towns. Teddy Roosevelt came to ND after the death of two close family members in 1883. He fell in love with the area and established two cattle ranches in the badlands of ND. He said that he would not have become president if not for his experiences in the Bad Lands. While here he became aware of the needs for conservation and thus became known as a great conservationist while he was president.