Home Again

Yesterday we drove east on I-10 to just east of Tallahassee where we turned south east on US 27. Driving past the horse farms west of Ocala we noticed a lot of them appeared to be empty and many had for sale signs in front of them. I suppose the economy affected them also. Turning south at Ocala we drove I-75 and the Florida turnpike until we intersects US 27 at Clearmont. We arrived home at about 7PM finding that Terri had supper ready for us. Today we have spent some tome unloading and putting things in the house. The temp was close to 90 degrees. It is going to take alittle while to adjust to the heat & humidity. We will be here all winter other than our monthly rallys with our NKK Florida Sea Turtles club.

De Funiak Springs, FL

This morning before leaving the RV park we watched a couple of river boats pushing barges on the Mississippi River. One was pushing 18 barges up river and one was pushing 15 down river. We crossed over the river into Natchez, Mississippi on US 84. Traveling east through rolling pine covered hills. What a change from the flat fields on the west side of the river in LA. It seems like often when you cross a major river you see a drastic change in the terrain.
US 84 is a 4 lane highway that bi passes all of the towns. It's just like driving the interstate only no traffic. As we traveled into Alabama the road became 2 lane passing through many small towns that mostly just consisted of a run down convenience store. It also became flatter and we began seeing cotton fields. At Opp we turned south on US 331 traveling by more cotton and some peanut fields. Traveling on into Florida we are staying at another PA park (Jupitor Lake RV Park). Not as nice as last night but very acceptable and only a couple hundred feet to a lake.

Oct. 7 2010

This morning we awoke to sunny skies and no morning river fog. I suppose that was because the temp was near 50 degrees rather than the 40 degrees it had been being. After getting turned around and out of the RV Park with out hitting any rocks or scratching the sides on any trees we headed south on winding hilly roads through the Ozark Mountains with occasional sightings of the White river.
At Mountain View we turned SW on Ar 9 driving on curvier and steeper roads yet. As we neared Clinton it became less curvy as we passed by hilly meadows with cattle in them. At Clinton we turned south on US 65 passing through Conway and Little Rock. As we continued on south the land became fairly flat as we passed by harvested fields of corn, soybeans, rice and cotton. It seemed strange to see volunteer corn knee to waist high in the harvested fields.
Rolling on south into Louisiana it was much more of the same but we did start seeing cotton still being harvested. We also passed many cotton gins and saw several river terminals for loading grain onto barges. We rolled into Vidalia, LA about 5 PM and are set up at the River View RV Park on the banks of the Mississippi River. This is a very nice PA park. The temp has been in the upper 80's most of the afternoon. We have only seen that a few times since leaving Florida in April

Calico Rock, AR

Sun. afternoon and Mon. were pretty chilly about 65 degrees Tues. and today have been low to mid 70's. It has been 40 degrees every morning when I get up. Yesterday and today I went trout fishing with Nancy's cousin Thurl Watts. The river has been rising both days and the fish don't bite very good when it is rising. The reason it was rising is that they put 2 or 3 additional generators on line at the dams up river. We did catch fish but had to work pretty hard at it. Neither one of us like trout so we release them as soon a we catch them.
Nancy has been spending time with her aunts. This evening we drove south 28 miles to Mountain View, AR and listened to the different groups that were picking and singing near the courthouse square.. There were some pretty good musicians, but of course there always are. The top picture is calico Rock taken from the boat on the river. The bottom picture is looking down on the river from the bluff that the RV park is located on.

Calico Rock AR

This morning after spending 4 days in Branson, MO We departed southbound on US 65 driving up and down the long limestone, tree covers hills into Arkansas. At Harrison, AR we turned east bound on Rte 401 driving thru more rolling and less steep hills past small hill farms and thru towns with names such as Flippen. At Mountain Home we turned south on A 5 for the last 25 miles to Calico Rock
We went to the Haygood Family show on Thur. eve. They are a family of six boys and 1 girl ranging in age from 17 to 33 years of age. The show has ran for the last 18 years. On Sat. eve we went to the Ray Stevens show. The first 1/2 was a patriotic show and the second 1/2 he sang a lot of his old songs starting with his first hit in 1960. The picture at left is of an interesting group that were seated next to us. When they came in I thought they must be part of the show but they weren't. I guess they just chose an interesting dress for the evening. We spent a lot of time just visiting with Paul & Mary.

Branson, MO

This morning we awoke to 50 degree temp. Surprisingly even at that temp. there were small hummingbirds at the feeders. Gail says he thinks the one that are still there are this years hatch as the larger ones have left. They know that some hatch during the summer but have never been able to find a nest. After breakfast of bacon, eggs and rolls we visited a while and then were on the road again about 10;30. It was back north through Pleasant Hill and then west on US 54 crossing back over the Mississippi River at Louisiana, MO. After passing through Bowling Green the terrain became flat passing by fields of corn & soybeans. As we continues SW crossing I-70 the terrain became very rolling and covered with trees. After passing by the Lake of the Ozarks we turned south on MO 5 to I-44. Journeying on SW on I-44 for 40 miles before turning south on US 65 traveling up and down the long rocky hills to Branson where we are staying at Americas Best Campground. Friends Paul & Mary from Kentucky will meet us here tomorrow. We will spend the rest of the week here enjoying the shows and sights of the area.

Nebo, IL

Yesterday at about 8:30 we left the Amana Colonies headed east on I-80 as we had a 10AM appointment at Moscow IA to get the leveling jacks worked on. We arrived about 9:30 and got right in and were back on the road headed south on US 61 for Branson, MO in about an hour. I looked at the GPS scheduled route and saw that we would be within 50 miles of our Illinois relatives I told Nancy we can't not stop and she agreed. At Fort Madison we crossed the Miss. River on a narrow toll bridge and then drove IL 96 with the Miss. river on our left and the bluffs on our right. The bluffs had many houses that overlooked the river it was a very beautiful drive. Continuing on south we moved away from the river passing field after field of ripe soybeans and corn. Mid afternoon we arrived at Pittsfield, IL were we stopped to visit my Aunt Inez in the rest home. She is the only living sibling of my dads. For a lady going on 102 she is amazingly agile and sharp. After about an hour visit we headed west on US54 and then south on IL96 for an over night stop at cousin Gail & Chis Ball's. Most of the Humming birds that were here in the spring have gone but there are still a few around. They told us that hey had used 260 lbs of sugar this summer mixing the water for the feeders. About 1/2 of the corn is picked in this area and an occasional soybean field has been harvested.

Amana, Iowa

.Unlike the cool rainy day of yesterday this has been a sunny clear day with temps in the 60's. This afternoon we went to a few shops in Amana and the Amana Heritage museum where we learned more about the Amana Colonies. In 1855 they came to Iowa and purchased 3300 acres for $1.50 per acre and began moving from the Buffalo, New York area. The communal style of living lasted until 1932 when they voted to discontinue the communal style and began living as individual families. During those years they established 7 colonies in the valley here. You were supplied with living quarters, meals and a credit to buy all of the things necessary .
In return you gave then an honest days work. In 1932 when they changed many of the people had a hard time adjusting to cooking their own meals etc.
At 3 this afternoon we met a couple from Cedar Rapids that we had met at the rally last week. They have manufacturing plant where they make stainless steel conveyors that are used in ethanol plants etc. They have a very impressive plant. We saw a lathe that is 45ft. long and one 32 ft. long. They live at the villages in Ocala during the winter so we will see them this winter.

Amana Colonies

This has been a rainy day with light rain with occasional heavier showers. We went to the cooper shop and communal kitchen museum in Middle Amana, the woolen mill, furniture & clock shop, meat shop & smoke house and other shops in Amana.

Barn in East Amana









Communal Kitchen








The residents were allowed 15 minutes to eat their meal. They were not allowed to talk or laugh during meals.

Amana, Iowa

This morning under blue skies and chilly temperature we enjoyed omelets in a bag and said our goodbyes to all of our new friends in the Newmar Kountry Kruiser Klub of NE. It was then back down US 275 to Fremont where we turned east on US 30 crossing the Missouri River at Blair. At Missouri Valley, Iowa we turned south on I-29 a few miles before heading east on I-680 and then on east on I-80 through Des Moines passing some fields where the corn had been picked. About 100 miles east of Des Moines we turned north on RT 151 about 10 miles to the Amana Colonies campground. After setting up we went to farmers market at Homestead and then had supper family style at Ronneburg restaurant in Amana. As usual we ate to much.

Pender, NE

Mon. morning after spending the previous 5 days visiting relatives in the Omaha area we departed Two Rivers State Park Campground and proceeded northwest on US 275 to West Point, NE. We then turned north on Rt 9 to the Blue Ox Campground at Pender, NE. We met 14 other Newmar coaches for the NE state Rally of the Newmar Kountry Klub. Wed. morning we went to the veterans memorial that the Pender VFW has built there. They have raised over $200,000 and a built a very impressive memorial to veterans of all the past wars. At noon we had a walking taco luncheon. Then in the afternoon Blue OX put on a seminar about the products that they manufacture for the RV industry. This morning we had a tour of the Blue OX manufacturing plant fallowed by lunch in downtown Pender. This afternoon we drove south to West Point where we had a tour of the new community center there. Some of the leaders in the community raised over $6 million dollars and they have built a very impressive community center for a town of 3500 people. After that we toured the Harry Knobe feedlot and learned a lot about the cattle feeding industry and the marketing of beef. We then had our evening meal at the Hide Away supper club in West Point. It rained most of the day today so it has been very wet. After breakfast of omelets in a bag tomorrow morning we will again be on the road and will have gained a whole new set of RVing friends.

Two Rivers NE State Park

We left Pipestone, MN this morning under cloudy skies headed south on US 75 passing by large flat fields of corn and soybeans along with neat well groomed farmsteads. Progressing on south into Iowa the lands became more rolling and most farmsteads had either small feedlots or hog confinement buildings. The sun came out and we enjoyed clear blue skies. Crossing the Missouri River at Sioux City we continued south on US 77through the rolling farm lands, small towns and ,Winnebago Indian reservation of eastern NE. Just north of Fremont, NE we turned SE on US 275 and then west a couple of miles on SR92 to the Two Rivers State Park were we are parked for the next 6 or 7 days while we visit relatives in the Omaha area.

Pipestone National Monument

This morning we left Ashby, MN under bright blue skies. Driving south on SR 10 we passed by mostly wooded hills. Soon after intersecting with US 59 at Barret the terrain became flat with fields of ripe soybeans, corn and an occasional field of sugar beets. We saw one field of beets being dug, it looked like a muddy mess.At Appleton we went west on SR7 to US75 where we turned south, The terrain became more rolling with grazing lands and smaller fields and more trees. We stopped at Pipestone RV Park as we were about 1/2 way to Omaha. We went to Pipestone National Monument this afternoon.
This where the Indians of all tribes quarry the pipestone for their pipes. Indian lore has it that a long time ago it rained for many days continuously and drowned all the Indians except a young squaw that climbed to the top of a high hill. When she got up there it quit raining and a bird appeared out of the sky it opened it's wings and a man came out, together they started the Indian race again. Legend says that the pipestone was a result of all the blood from the dead Indians gathering in the low places when the water went away caused the rock to turn red. Pipestone national monument is a sacred place where Indians from any tribe could come and quarry the pipestone in peace with each other. To this day the Indians are the only ones that are allowed to quarry here. There is a waiting list of Indians wanting to quarry. Once they get a quarry permit they have to work it once a year and then they can renew the lease annually. The quarrying is all done by hand with hammers and wedges.To get to the pipestone ledge that is 12 to 20 inches thick they have to remove the topsoil and then about 10 fee of hard Quartzite rock. Because it is all done by hand it may take a few years before they reach it,

Ruby's City Cafe

Today we went into Ashby (population 570) around 12:30. We saw a cafe on main street and decided to have lunch. There were only a couple of cars in front so were a little sceptical. We entered into a cafe right out of yesteryear. A long narrow room with the old counter, old cash register, pie & pastry display cases along one wall and the old high backed wood booths on the opposite wall. It even had the old pale green 3 or 4 cup malt maker to make malts with. We sat down when the waitress came to serve us she said today's specials are meatloaf or roast beef and if that doesn't interest you I will bring you a menu. I decided to order the meatloaf and Nancy ordered the roast beef. When we went to what looked like an ordinary small town cafe salad bar what a surprise we got. There was the bowl of lettuce and usual salad salad dressings along with 9 other bowls of various home made salads and a bowl of watermelon & cantaloupe squares. I believe it was the best salad bar I have been at in many years. She brought the desert and set it down before the meal was ready it was a banana walnut cake with a chocolate cream swirled on it and a dark chocolate syrup swirled across that. It was a very pretty desert but my least favorite part of the meal because of the walnuts. She then brought out this plate with a huge serving of meat loaf, 1/2 roasting ear and mashed potatoes. Nancy makes the best meat loaf of anyone I know but this was even better than hers. She had two large thick slices of roast beef that you could cut with your fork that just melted in your mouth along with the potatoes and corn. Each meal was only $8 and change. This just goes to show what you can find in a small town. After that we drove south on SR78 and then west to the town of Elbow Lake through the rolling hills with small lakes, corn & soybean field and tree covered coulees. From there we went north on US 59 to Fergus Falls passing through flatter terrain covered with large fields of corn and soy beans and a occasional sugar beet field. Then east on SR 210 back into the rolling hills lakes and smaller farms to the town of Battle Lake. Then back south through mostly wooded hills and many lakes to Ashby and on south to the RV park on SR78.

Ashby, MN

Fri. morning after early morning rain we left Aberdeen heading east on US12 traveling by fields of corn & soybeans ripening in the flat fertile fields. Nearing I-29 the terrain became more rolling with grazing lands and fields. Turning north on I-29 we quickly came back into the flat farm land. We also began driving in light rain. At Whapeton, ND we turned east on state rd 210 going past the large farms in the Red River valley growing sugar beets, corn & soybeans. Leaving the valley entering into Minn. the terrain became rolling with trees in the valleys and many small lakes. Corn & soybeans were growing in the rolling fields. At I-94 we turned SE and stopped at the Prairie Cove RV Park at the Ashby, MINN exit. The rain had continued so we had to set up in the rain. We called our friends Rich & Irene at Evansville and made arrangements to see them. Later in the afternoon after the rain had stopped we drove to their house located on a lake NE of Evansville. Soon after they arrived Jim & Judy & Lee Ann arrived. These are all friends from Buttonwood Bay. After visiting for awhile we all went out for supper. Later in the evening we drove back to the camp ground in hard rain. Sat. morning we awoke to bright sunny skies with a gorgeous view out our front window of a corn field in the foreground and a lake about 1/3 mile down the hill. Sat we explored the country side, visited with Rich & Irene, went out to eat again & played dominoes.

Wylie Park Camp ground

Little Miss Muffit.









Cinderella


Today we went to the Dakota Prairie Museum in down town Aberdeen. There we saw exhibits about the Pheasant Canteen. The purpose of it was to supply food and encouragement to the 500 or s0 servicemen & women that passed through Aberdeen daily on 4-6 trains during WW2. We also saw exhibits of Native American bead & quill work, old toys, old telephones, and one very interesting exhibit about the history & demise of old towns in Brown county. On the way back to the motor home we stopped at Storybook Land and Land of OZ here at Wylie Park. Story Book Land has large exhibits depicting nursery rhymes and childrens stories. Oz Land is about the Wizard of OZ. We really enjoyed this even if it is geared toward children.

A rare picture with both Nancy & I in it.


Jack & the Beanstalk.

Aberdeen, SD

This morning we left Hazen Bay with no plans to return next year as camp hosts. Hazen Bay has become one our most favorite places in the US. We really enjoyed being camp hosts and the friendships we have made with so many people are something that we will cherish for ever. The beauty of the sun setting over Lake Sakakawea symbolizes the feelings and memories that we have of this period in our lives.
As we traveled east across Garrison Dam we saw many boats salmon fishing along the face of the dam. As we traveled south on US 85 we were struck by how green the country side still is. The grass is normally dry and brown by early August. Upon entering South Dakota we noticed that the corn fields and pastures were dry and brown obviously they haven't been blessed with the rains that we had in central and northern ND. Turning east on US 12 we soon left the grazing lands and entered into farming country with many large grain facilities. We are staying at Wylie Park campground here at Aberdeen. Wylie Park is a large city park that has a small zoo, bumper boats, go carts and a storybook land.

Our final weekend at Hazen Bay

Our Last weekend at Hazen Bay has been an exciting,emotional one full of surprises, farewells and a few tears. Fri was a nice warm calm day that kept Nancy very busy with checkins. From 4-8 PM there was a flieshkekla fund raiser to raise funds for playground and other improvements here at Hazen Bay. It was a huge success as they cooked 900 fleishkekla's.
about 7 o;clock Al Mautz the park board president came and got Nancy & I and took us out on the deck where everyone was. He presented us with a very nice combination clock & thermometer from the park board and Hazen Bay campers and thanked us for our five summers here at Hazen Bay. We were really surprised as we had no idea that they would do anything like that for us. Sat. evening Larry & Cindy Moos & Jeff & Dorene Leingang had us come to their campers for turkey, BBQ chicken, sweet corn and cucumber salad. Later Sat evening we were at the Schmidt and Kayler campers for cotton candy. Sun. we were envited to Don & Sandy Retteraths camper for Sunday brunch of Potato sausage, blueberry buckwheat pancakes and orange juice. Sun. eve we made the rounds trying to see everyone we could as rain was forecast for today. This morning it was raining and has continued to rain all day. We had a lot of people stop to tell us goodby as they left. The Kayler boys wanted their picture with Nancy & I. The two oldest ones where about the age of the that the two youngest are now when we came here 5 years ago. The Schmidt girls wanted their picture with Nancy so they could hang it on their bulletin board. We received a lot of cards with very special messages. It is a nice feeling to know that people have really appreciated us and that we have become like part of the family to many of them.
The two pictures show the growth of Hazen Bay Campground in the five years that we have been here and the difference in the level of the lake by the contrast of the bay from being dry to being full. The pictures were taken from approximately the same location on July 4th 2006 and 2010.
The other picture is of Nancy & I with the Kaylor boys.

Aug. 30th

It is cold windy and rainy this morning feels like fall to me. Last Wed. my cousin Rodney Wheeler and wife Joy came from SW NE to visit and see the area. Thur. morning we did the mine tour along with the tour of Antelope Valley Power Plant and the Dakota Gasification Plant. After lunch in Beulah we went to Washburn where we went through the Lewis & Clark interpretive center and Fort Mandan. On the way back home we toured the Knife River Indian site at Stanton. They returned to NE Fri. morning. We sure enjoyed having them come and enjoyed showing them the area. The week before that we had a couple from Georgia stop for one night they liked our camp ground and the area so much that they stayed for 5 days. We became good friends with them, I am sure we will see them again in our or their travels. He played the guitar and she the dulcimer they played and sang for us one evening. Both couples enjoyed trying some of the German foods (fleishkekla & Kuken) that you seem to only find in this area.

Fall is in the air

This weekend we have gone from the calm humid mid 90's all week to windy blustery high 60's of yesterday and 50 degree's this morning. This weekend the campground has again been nearly full. It is amazing the number of new campers that are using our campground because they have heard about it from someone else. We have a group of young men from South Africa that are camping here while working for a custom harvest crew in the area. They all come from farm backgrounds and are very interesting to visit with. One of them comes from a farm that has 5000 sheep and 500 cows, anothers family has a farm that raises pistachio's and some kind of fruit. I asked them what the reason was for working in the US and the reply was an opportunity to see the US and every dollar they make here converts to 7 dollars in South Africa.

Hazen Bay

This morning we left Murdo, SD about 9AM. This is the time for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally so we heard motorcycles going down the interstate all night long. Traveling the 20 miles east on I-94 we must have seen over 500 motorcycles headed west. Of the rest of the traffic probably 75% were pulling trailers with motorcycles on them. We arrived at Hazen Bay about 5PM with temps near 90 degree's but it didn't seem as hot as at Murdo, SD or all week in Imperial, NE. It seemed nice to be back. Mary Ann that filled in for Nancy said she had a whole new appreciation for what she does. She really enjoyed it but was ready to get back to town and attend to laundry etc.

Murdo, SD

Yes here we are in Murdo, ND again and the temp was 96 degree's when we stopped late yesterday afternoon just like it was a week ago when we were here. After 5 days in south west NE we will be back in Hazen Bay this evening. We kept busy visiting family and old friends. On Fri morning we attended the memorial service for my Aunt & Uncle that had lived in Louisville, KY and their son who had died several years ago. Their ashed were enterned at the cemetery in Wauneta, NE. Fri afternoon we attended a mini Wheeler family reunion at my sister Kathy Cook's house, there were 35 or 40 in attendance. Yesterday we stopped at Stapleton, NE and had lunch with Derb & Lewellen Frey one of my fellow sales reps. from when I sold Pioneer Seed Corn. It is going to feel good to be back in northern North Dakota where the temps are cooler and the humidity is lower.

Murdo, SD

Yesterday morning we left Hazen Bay for a week away from our camp host duties. We will spend the week back home in the Imperial, NE area visiting friends, relatives and a memorial service for my Aunt & Uncle that lived in Louisville, KY. Since we are ones that like to take new routes after arriving at Mandan, ND we turned south on ND 1806 traveling along the west side of the Missouri river. For a while the bluffs reminded us of the badlands. After entering the Standing Rock Indian Reservation we traveled through the rolling green grass lands filled with many herds of cattle. After entering South Dakota we turned east on US 12 crossing the Missouri river and Lake Oahe. Nearing Mobridge, SD we entered into the farming area covered with fields of ripe wheat, green corn & sunflowers. After turning south on US83 we began seeing the large combines harvesting the fields of wheat. At Pierre, SD we crossed back over the Missouri river and were back in the grass lands. We stopped at Murdo, SD for the night. The temp was 98 degree's and still was at 88 degree's when we went to bed at 11 PM. It is 75 this morning as I write this and it looks like it will be over 100 when we arrive in Imperial this afternoon.

Medora

Tues. morning after the long 4th of July weekend we took the weeks receipts into city hall and then headed for a couple of days R&R at Medora, ND. We arrived there about 1;30 and checked into the Roughrider Hotel at $160 a night. Being Tues.we got a 15% senior discount on the hotel bringing the price with tax down to $145. We also got our tickets for the pitchfork fondue and the Medora Musical at the same time for an
added fee. Nancy stayed at the Hotel and rested while I walked down the street to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. The lower floor is a horse and Indian museum and the 2nd floor is the hall of fame with pictures and stories of ranchers and cowboys that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. There are also animals such as the famous bucking bull Little Yellow Jacket along with rodeo events that have been inducted. I really enjoy reading the bio's of these people and events.
Wed. morning we drove through Teddy Roosevelt National Park. This is our 3 time through the park and we still haven't seen the herd of wild horses. On the way home we went south on US85 and then east to Regent where we turned north on the Enchanted highway. On this route we enjoyed the huge metal sculptures. We drove on north where we intersected Rt 200 east to Hazen. We also saw a lot of old barns and houses that we took pictures of for an album that we hope to make someday on old buildings. We arrived home about 5PM rested and relaxed.

July 4th.

July 4th weekend we were full to overflowing and had very nice weather. The lake continues to rise at a rapid pace of 2 to 6 inches per day. When you stop to think of the size of this lake (75 miles long and up to 5 miles wide) one just can't comprehend how much water is coming down the Yellowstone river out of the mountains. I have been told that when the lake is this full that the water in it would cover the state of North Dakota to a depth of 6 inches.
On Sat. we added snake tamer to the list of duties that a camp host performs. I know my children won't believe it, but that is me holding a 5 ft. long bull snake. It had appeared by one of our cabins and the father had put his fish dip net over it and was going to move it away, but the snake got entangled in the net and that is where I got involved. I put my gloves on and held his head and body while the father clipped his fish net and the mother and daughter, holding their hands over their mouth looked on from a safe distance.
Our campers here take such good care of us on Sat. evening we were invited to a cream can supper hosted by one of our seasonal campers. Mid afternoon another camper brought us 3 big slices of a sauerkraut bacon roll they had baked. Sun morning about 11;30 another camper invited us to a brunch of pancakes, potato sausage and bacon. One camper brought Nancy a bottle of wine and some one else brought us two kouchens. Every week someone brings us rhubarb or vegetables or fish. We are sure going to miss all of our friends and campers here next year as we have decided this will be our last year here.

Sea Turtle Friends

Yesterday Ken & Joyce Greenwood our Sea Turtle friends from Florida arrived and will spend a few days with us. After we ate supper Mike Rixen one of our seasonal campers took us for an evening cruise on the lake. The lake was smooth like glass as there was no wind. The picture of the deer was taken about 8:45 after the sun had set. The deer was along the lake and ran to the top of the hill to pose for a beautiful picture. The sunset picture was taken about 10 minutes earlier as the sun set behind the cloud on the horizon.
We arrived back at the boat ramp about 9:15. We are truly blessed to have such great friends both locally and in Florida.

Neat ending to a cool nasty day

Sat. morning June 12 started out drizzly, cold (50 degrees) and miserable. However by noon it was just cool (60 degrees) and cloudy. The day ended with this beautiful sunset about 8:30 in the evening. Just another in a never ending series of beautiful sunsets her in North Dakota.

June in ND

This starts our 3rd. weekend here at at Hazen Bay. Last weekend was nice but camping was slow. This weekend is cold and rainy with hardly any campers. It looks like this is going to be a slow year compared to last year. The weather will warm by the first of July and we will be busy again I am sure. The picture of the abandoned farm stead is north of Hazen. The old threshing machines are also located between here and Hazen. Every time I pass them I am reminded of a parade of circus elephants. I am sure that they were placed like that as a windbreak for the farmstead just to the south. There are hundreds of abandoned threshing machines in ND. Usually you only see one at a time and it will be sitting on top of a hill.

Memorial Weekend

After an inch and 1/2 of rain on Mon night I washed the motor home in 35 mph winds and 50 degree temp on Tues. morning, it had to be done but wasn't much fun. We then picked up our things at city hall and moved to Hazen Bay to set up for the summer. The winds remained 35-40 MPH all day long with gusts to 60 mph reported, what a welcome to North Dakota.. Wed was nice temps in the mid 70s and calm winds. Nancy got her office organized and cleaned and I started on some maintenance and cabin cleaning. Eddie had mowed a lot before we got here and continued with the mowing. Thur. saw more rain in the early morning but the day turned out pretty nice. Fri. was nice with temps in the 80's. They had delivered our new mower wed. eve. so I mowed about 3 hrs. in the AM. WOW going from a 6ft. cut to an 11ft. cut sure makes a difference. It looks like a couple day a week will now keep the RV park, the golf course and the Frisbee course all looking pretty nice. We are about 1/2 full this weekend. We certainly enjoyed making new acquaintances and renewing old friendships. Nancy got done with check ins about 8 PM and we then sat around our neighbors campfire until nearly 11PM before going to bed.

Hazen, ND

This morning after fueling up at the Flyingj we headed north under cloudy skies on SD-79 bypassing around Rapid City we continued on north through the Black Hills to Sturgis, ND. Continuing on SD-79 the terrain became semi flat rolling grass covered hills dotted with cattle and occasionally a flock of sheep. The further north we went the less inhabited it became. We encountered a lot of road work and it became very misty and foggy with poor visibility. We then traveled east on RT 20 and eventually we started seeing a few ranches and farms headquarters and an occasional small town. We then turned back to the north on SD 73 and as we entered North Dakota it became ND 49. As we continued on north we entered into the farming
regions of ND passing through small towns until we arrived at Beulah ND where we turned east on ND 200 a few miles to Hazen, ND. We decided to stay at the RV Park in town as it had rained last eve and drizzled all day. Tomorrow after washing the motor home we will drive out to Hazen Bay and get set up for the season. The motor home is covered with dirt and mud. We still have the cloud with us as it has rained for the last two hrs. and the temp is only 56 degree's.

Hermosa, SD

After spending four days visiting friends and relatives in SW Nebraska and NE Colorado and being parked in my sister Gloria's beautiful landscaped yard we departed Grant, NE we headed north on US 61 through the level farm lands of SW NE. At Ogalalla (home of boot hill) we turned west on I-80 through the Platte river valley. Near Julesburg, CO we entered the rolling hills of the NE panhandle passing by many fields of winter wheat and pastures with cattle grazing the green grass. At Sidney, NE we stopped at Cabela's to look for a pair of shoes which we didn't find. Sidney is where the first Cabela's store was and is also the home of their corporate offices. We turned north on US 385 crossing the North Platte River at Bridgeport, NE on toward Gering, NE passing many fields planted to sugar beets and the many trains loaded with coal. Just to the south of Chadron, NE we passed through the through
the Nebraska National Forest in the pine tree covered Pine Ridge area. Continuing on north as we entered South Dakota found us driving through the long rolling green grass covered hills of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. At Hot Springs we continued on North on ND 79 enjoying the grasslands to the right and the tree covered Black Hills to our left. We stopped in Hermosa, SD at the Heartland RV Park for the night. I guess we still have the cloud over us as it rained in the night and the forecast is for rain today. The first two days in SW NE also were rainy.

Grant, NE

Today we made the trek across NE on I-80 that so many of our friends talk about being the longest stretch of nothing that they dread driving through. Personally I can't understand what why they hate it. As you drive west toward York you pass the flat corn fields that will produce the corn needed to fatten the beef, pork and chickens that we are all so fond of. Passing through Grand, Island and on toward No Platte & Ogallala you enter the great Platte River valley with the trees on one side and pastures full of black angus mama cows with their young babies by their side. For most of the way you can see for a couple of miles to each side and you don't go up and down hills or round and round curves. However upon departing the motor home at my sister and brother-in-laws south of Grant we immediately became aware of the western NE wind. We will be here until Sun. morning visiting friends and relatives in the area.

Mon. Evening Gretna,NE

The past 4 days have been at a leisurely pace visiting relatives on Nancy's side of the family. We enjoyed watching great nephew Talon play baseball on Sat. For a six years old he appears to have a lot of athletic ability. Yesterday while visiting brother Duke and family we also saw her 1st. cousin Roger that we had not seen for several years. Today we visited niece Kim and her 4 children in Carter Lake Iowa. We had not seen her for several years and really enjoyed reminiscing about old times when she had visited us on the farm as a child. We got to become acquainted with her 4 children and also enjoyed the newly hatched ducklings swimming in the canal in their back yard. We also had a surprise when son Dan came from western, NE on Sat. and we were able to visit with him. Also bumped into the Schram's (our farm tenants) while eating pizza at Big Freds.

Gretna, NE

Last night it rained and rained and we heard one of the loudest booms of thunder I have ever heard. After being jarred awake by it at about 1;45 I looked out to see if the building that we were parked next to had exploded or maybe one of the motor homes next to us. This morning some of the others parked on the other side of the building next to a propane tank thought it had exploded but luckily for us all it was just thunder very close to us. After the work was done on the motor home we left Moscow about 10;30 headed west on I-80 with Gretna our destination. From Moscow to Des Moines we saw many fields partially under water and many streams running bank full. From Des Moines west occasionally we saw some fields with water on them but no streams swollen by runoff. All across Iowa the corn either had not emerged or was only a couple of inches high. We arrived in Gretna about 2:30 under sunny skies and 60 degree temps.

Moscow, IA

Mon. we visited my Aunt Inez who will turn 101 on May 17th. What an amazing woman she doesn't have a wrinkle on her face and doesn't look more than 75 or 80. She is still able to be up and about with out the aide of a wheel chair unless she is leaving her room to go to events at the manor. Her memory is sharper than mine. She can tell you exactly where anything is and what drawer and where in the drawer or closet anything in her house is and she hasn't been in her house for a couple of years. She related many events of her childhood to us. We had a very enjoyable 3.5 hr visit with her. On Tues we visited cousin Bea in Troy, MO. We parked in cousin Gail & Chris Ball's yard so spent many enjoyable hrs visiting with them and watching the birds. We also ate to much as they don't want anyone to go away hungry.
This morning as we headed north on IL 96 the Mississippi river bottom farms became bigger and bigger as the bottom widened out. We crossed the Mississippi River at Hannibal and continued north on US 61 through the rolling farm country of MO. Just before entering Iowa the rt turned to US 27 which took us north through the rich rolling to farmlands of Iowa. At I-80 we turned east about 30 miles to just north of the small community of Moscow where we are parked for the night. In the morning at 7AM we are to get some maintenance work done on our leveling system.
We still seem to have the cloud over us as it rained while we were at Pleasant Hill and we drove in light rain today and have had a couple of pretty good thunder showers since arriving here at about 2;30.

Pleasant Hill, IL

Sat. morning about 10 AM we left Edwardsville traveling west on IL 143 through the rolling hills to Alton where we connected with IL 100 traveling north with the Mississippi river on our left and the tree covered rocky bluffs on the right. What a pretty drive this was. At about Grafton we started to move away from the river where the the rocky bluffs began to turn into rolling hills and to our left were the fertile Mississippi bottom farms with corn fields in various stages of growth up to about 12 inches. At Hardin we crossed the Illinois River and proceeded north to Kampsville
were we turned north on IL 96. We knew we were supposed to turn at Wild Cat Holler just after we crossed a bridge and just after we had gone past a certain cattle farm we missed it and continued on into Pleasant Hill so we could turn around. We called Gail and he said to come back 7 miles and just after crossing the 4th bridge to turn left and sure enough about 3/4 mile up the holler there was Gail & Chris's house. The road sign was no where to be found I suppose somebody needed it for their den.
Gail fixed some very tasty pork steaks on the grill which along with deviled eggs, potato salad, Baked beans and chocolate cheese cake made for a very delicious mothers day meal. In the afternoon we enjoyed visiting and watching the humming birds feed at the 3 feeders attached to the patio. I have never seen so many humming birds at one time. Just before dark all three feeders were just covered with them. They have to fill the feeders everyday.