April 29, 2022
We were able to do 3 or 4 more sites today before we were rained out. Another 2 loads of pine needles. Nancy, Belinda, and Cathy opted to clean the office and I set up our winter water lines. We purchased a 12 foot and a 25 foot heated drinking water hose. For our water filter we bought a tote and I insulated it with towels and then strapped the lid down with bungee cords. We are expecting sub-freezing temperatures over the next 5 or 6 days.
It has also given me the chance to catch up on this blog! Yea!! I am caught up. Tomorrow the plan is to hang the new site number signs. We got our schedule today. We officially start Sunday May 1. I am working the 9:00AM shift first. Then you alternate early and late shift every day. So, Sunday and Tuesday I start at 9 and Monday and Wednesday I start at 1:00PM. Then off 3 days, work 3 days, off 4 days.
April 28, 2022
An unofficial work day. The weather is nice. Nancy is doing laundry. While doing so, she is also cleaning the laundry room. Belinda, Cathy, and I are cleaning sites. We worked about 4 1/2 hours and cleaned up 5 sites. We used the Toyota pickup and loaded and unloaded it 3 times with pine needles. The cool thing is it is a stick shift. Very easy to drive except my large feet and reach at least 2 pedals at the same time. We had a great time talking and working. We found a lot of wood so we decided that later on in the evening we would get together and have a fire and a cocktail. Steve was coming out of his office so we held up a beer and he came over for one. Had a great time talking and getting to know each other. We decided we would continue clean up tomorrow as long as the weather held up.
The other two couples arrived. Haven’t met them yet but I’m sure we will soon.
The first picture is Steve and Cathy and the next is Belinda and Nancy.
April 27, 2022
We officially do not start until May 1. Steve gave us today off. It was a good day to go to town for groceries, etc. We went into Custer. It is a small town about 5 minutes away. There is one large grocery store, Lynn’s Dakota Mart and a Family Dollar and a small organic store. We found the organic store first. Just checking things out. We parked and walked a little and looked at shops and restaurants. I’m sure this little town will be hopping in a few weeks. Didn’t find anything at the store but on the walk we did discover the Custer Candy Company. We met Erin and had a great talk. We decided that a few samples of the local cuisine was a must. We each chose a couple of items but we each had to try the snickerdoodle truffle. WOW!! All of their truffles and chocolates are made by them on site. Excellent place.
We found Lynn’s and it was a very nice store. Well stocked. I will miss my Boar’s Head Meats and Cheeses. And no Yuengling beer. However, there is a brewery/restaurant right on the main drag (Mt. Rushmore Road). You know I’ll check that one out.
At 4:00PM we had orientation. At least 4 of us. The other two couples have not arrived yet. Steve showed us the office and the locations of important places for us. He took us around and explained the basic duties and that there will be special projects from time to time. Our work schedule is work 3 days one week and 4 the next. Nancy will be working in the office, handling reservations, handling the gift shop, etc. I will be working outside, cleaning sites, maybe staining buildings, cleaning bath houses, building something, etc. We both work the same day but not at the same time. I’ll work from 9:00AM to 1:00PM or from 1:00PM to 5:00PM. Nancy will work 12:00PM to 4:00PM or 4:00PM to 8:00PM. Only 4 hours a day.
Cathy and Belinda are very nice and we hit it off. We all decided that tomorrow, we would help Steve get the campground ready. We would start cleaning sites for the first arrivals. Steve was busy with a couple of water leaks, and other business. At least we can help and do something. It will also give us a chance to get to know the campground. There are 100 sites, some basic tent, some electric tent sites, some RV. They also have 2 cabins and 4? barrels and 2 tepees they rent out. There are a lot of Ponderosa Pines on site. Raking needles will be done a lot. Fortunately there are two tractor mounted rakes which will make it easier.
April 26, 2022
We have arrived! Our summer home. We are the first of the four workamping couples to arrive. We met Steve, one of the owners. He seems very nice but no nonsense. He’s a former Army Sgt. He shows us to our site, Number 37. He helps Nancy guiding me into the site. The challenge is the two trees, one on either side, of the site entrance and the angle you have to approach. We spend about 15 minutes maneuvering and Steve decides to put us next door at 38. More of a straight shot in.
We get in 38 and then as we are checking out positions we decide that we won’t be able to open up a couple of our slides. So out we go. Site 37 here we come. After another 10 minutes of maneuvering, we are in. Time to unhitch and set up. After setting up our water, electric, and our sewer hoses, we put the slides out. Well, almost. We have 6 slide outs, or slides. The main has 2 bedroom slides and 2 living room slides. Then there are 2 kitchen slides. All slides came out except one kitchen. It wanted to go out at an angle.
Fortunately we phoned a mobile technician and he came out within 40 minutes. He spent about one and a half hours working and diagnosing. When we purchased the RV we also purchased an extended warranty. Our repair tech is doing what needs to be done to get new parts for the slide. Fortunately we have 5 months before we need to bring it in. It should be repaired in about 3 months. Always something with an RV. While we were setting up, the second of the workampers arrived and set up a few sites away. We met them, Belinda and Cathy. Seem very nice.
Early evening we had company in our back yard. 4 deer! Great ending to an up and down day.
April 25, 2022
Again we pack up and hitch up and off we go. We decided that instead of trying to drive 7 hours straight, we would break it up. Our route today is north on Interstate 29 and then west on Interstate 90. The wind has subsided a lot so driving isn’t so bad. We opted to go as far as Presho, SD. There is a campground right off the highway and is actually open. There are hundreds of campgrounds but most of them are only open from May through September. Not unusual for this part of the country. We arrived at the New Frontier Campground. It is nice and mostly level. During check in we had a chance to sit down and talk with the owners. Very nice folks.
We find our sight and opt not to unhitch as we are relatively level. No water but we still have plenty left, so we just hook up our electric. Tomorrow is our final push.
One really cool thing, at least I thought so, was crossing the Missouri River. I guess I missed the Mississippi River. Still cool though.
April 24, 2022
Last night was the first time we had boon docked. Before we left Jellystone, I filled our fresh water tank and emptied our other tanks. Once we unhitched and leveled, I broke out the generators. We have 2 dual fuel generators. They can be run parallel, which gives us the same as a 30 amp hookup. I opted to run them on propane. They ran all night long. And we still had a little propane left.
The initial plan was to visit Sioux Falls. The winds are still at 30+ miles per hour. We needed a couple of things from the nearby Target, so we opted to go to Target and get gasoline for the generators and then just hunker down.
We did our Target run, got fuel for the truck and gasoline for the generators. And next door to the gas station was a Perkins Restaurant and Bakery. We really liked going to Perkins but all of them closed up by us in NC. So we treated ourselves to lunch and went back to the farm. On our journey we passed a casino. We later were told that it was probably on Native American land. It looked wonderful. If the weather were a little better, we might have checked out the interior.
We checked with the host and we were allowed to stay an extra night. We were the only ones there. Harvest Hosts can be farms, museums, wineries, breweries, etc. It is expected that since you stay there for free, you should patronize the host. Buy a product, take a tour, etc. Stensland has a self-serve store. They are not only a dairy farm but also a creamery. They make their own ice cream! We needed milk so we purchased a gallon of milk, a half gallon of chocolate milk, and each of us chose a flavor of ice cream. I haven’t tried mine yet but Nancy loves her Gravel Travel (salted peanut butter ice cream with Oreo and caramel swirl). I got How Now Brown Cow (decadent rich cocoa ice cream). Nancy has decided that Homeland Creamery has a better richness and texture but the flavor is fabulous. The first picture was taken right after we had set up. Beautiful sunset.
April 23, 2022
Another travel day and its sunny. A little windy but not too bad., Left Jellystone and headed west on Iowa 20. We have a long road ahead of us. Checking the weather report again, winds are going up to 37 sustained with gusts up to 40. The winds are coming out of the south. A few hours into our drive we see traffic stopped ahead of us. The reason is that a semi has been overturned by the wind. We stopped and Nancy got out to check on the driver. He was fine. The reason he overturned was an empty trailer. We are able to get around it on the median side. Just another reminder that Mother Nature is in charge. I had to slow down my speed but was able to continue on. Just a mile or two up the road there is another semi on its side. This time it was heading east and it appeared that the wind pushed him into the median, which was a steep incline and soft from the rain., Once his wheels dropped off, he was down.
We stopped for fuel and continued our journey. We are headed for our first Harvest Host. Harvest Host is an annual membership and you get to stay on properties for free. Most of them are a single night stay only and you are boon docking. We finally arrived at Stensland Dairy Farm. I drove and am thoroughly exhausted. The picture that appears to be smoke is only dirt blowing in the wind.
April 22, 2022
Travel days are nice but tourist days are rainy. It is cold, wet, and windy. We’re still going to the Field of Dreams Movie Site. We also decided that because of the weather we wouldn’t be there long so we took our laundry also. Found a laundromat in Dyersville. Convenient. When we arrived at Field of Dreams, they were supposed to be filming a local commercial. Not sure of how much got done but there were several people hanging out in the gift shop. Posting a few pictures from the Field of Dreams and also the Iowa countryside. In a couple of the distant views of the field you will see newer light towers. This is the professional baseball field they built and games are actually played there. We stayed at a Jellystone Park in Monticello, IA and they had a bear statue.
April 21, 2022
Travel day again. This is getting old. Had a nice sunny day. We hitched up, packed up and headed north and west toward Iowa. A truck came along side of us and motion that we had something dangling in the back. We got off the highway for fuel and discovered that the 2 bungee cords we had around the bicycle cover had come loose and were no longer useful. To the trash they went. Tomorrow I check off an item from my bucket list. Can’t wait.
April 20, 2022
We woke to a little rain and some wind. The temperature was not bad. We decided to hit another Route 66 food joint, Mel O Cream Donuts. We bought some donuts and hit the road. They were okay but nothing exciting. We left there and headed to Hall’s Harley Davidson. I was interested in a shirt with Harley and Route 66. It was a very nice store and terrific people. We talked for about half an hour. I did find a couple of poker chips (Billy) and a T-shirt. They are having an annual Bike Blessing on April 23rd. It sounds neat. They have a large and very nice store.
Next stop is the 1.4 miles of the original Route 66 that is totally brick. We drove the entire 1.4 miles. Very bumpy ride.
On our way to the Brick Road, we saw a sign for the Sugar Creek Covered Bridge. The weather was holding so we found the bridge. It gave us the opportunity to let Bree run a little as we were the only ones there. We love the old bridges and the architecture. Was really cool!!
Sugar Creek Covered Bridge Pictures
Late afternoon and again, we were hungry. We opted to go to the Cozy Dog, another Route 66 landmark. Some consider it the home of the corn dog. I’m not a big corn dog fan but “when in Rome…” To wash down the dogs and fries we had to have root beer. A drive in staple.
April 19,2022
We did some research last night, downloaded a couple of apps, looked online, etc. Looked at the weather and we decided to do some walking today and tomorrow we’d drive around due to rain.
We started out by driving on Route 66 to downtown Springfield. We found a place to park. Parking is free in Springfield. We walked to a park that is a part of the Lincoln Museum. Next to the park is Union Station. It is a train station that was restored to the way it was in the 1860s. Unfortunately it was locked. We walked around the park and I had a chance to sit down with Honest Abe and talk to him about his platform.
We had purchased tickets online last night for the Lincoln Museum. It is an awesome experience. You enter into an atrium and then walk down a hallway into another large atrium. It’s actually a hub. The volunteers will greet you and explain the set up and show times for the movies. Journey I is the log home taking you from birth to the 1860 election and show casing important events in Lincoln’s life. There is so much to learn. The one point I found extremely interesting is that it is believed that at a young age Lincoln saw a slave auction and this formed his opposition to slavery.
Journey 2 was the White House years which included the Civil War. There were a lot of things I learned. Lincoln was the only Republican candidate. The party had just been formed. For the 1860 election there were 3 Democrats which really split the votes. Lincoln won the electoral vote but not the popular vote. One of those candidates was none other than Stephen Douglas, whom had defeated Lincoln just 2 years prior for a Senate seat.
There were 2 great movies. One was the Ghosts of the Library and the other was Lincoln’s Eyes. The movies were actually shorts. There was a special exhibit in the Illinois Gallery titled Stories of Survival: Object, Images, Memory. There was also an exhibit area called Treasure’s Gallery. Great lessons in history and you get to see a lot.
We left the Museum and crossed the street to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Admission is free. It was interesting but did not take us long to go through. I recommend the visit.
We were pretty tired from walking so we only did a drive by on the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Couldn’t get any pictures.
By this time it was late afternoon and we had not eaten anything yet. We decided to check out a Route 66 restaurant. The Motorhead Bar and Grill. Their signature dish is called a Horseshoe Sandwich. It’s a piece of Texas Toast with choice of meat on it, then covered in tater tots, fries, or chips, and then covered in cheese sauce. Had to try one. It’s also a museum with lots of toys, motorcycles, cars, etc. on display.
April 18, 2022
Travel day again. Usually the night before we prep a lot of things. It’s not unusual. Then in the morning, after I have my coffee, we finish packing things up, hitch up and depart. Well, this morning we got a big surprise. It had snowed a little last night. It was warming up and the snow was melting but still. It’s the day after Easter. Good by Indiana! The roads were fine and we had a short trip so we were in no big hurry. The midwest is very flat and the weather was very windy. I could feel the wind on certain highways but it wasn’t too bad. Then I got to check off a Bucket List item. We are staying at the Double J Campground. The only campground on the Mother Road, Route 66! This is just the start. We specifically chose Springfield for Route 66 and some of the area attractions. We got the idea from watching Keep Your Daydream on YouTube. They bought an 84 Bluebird bus RV that was themed in Route 66 and they traveled the entire route. #keepyourdaydream
One good thing, when I hooked up the water, I think I discovered the leak. It was coming from an elbow. So on our travels one day I’ll get one and hopefully repair it. One last thought, we’re now in the Central Time Zone.
April 17, 2022
Happy Easter!! Our daughter got great news last night. They sold their house and bought one in Monument, CO. Wow! The house market has really changed since our last foray into the market,. Today’s plan is a little pastry for breakfast and then the Easter Egg Hunt. After eating Brian and I hid the eggs in the yard. Then the grands had to find them. I realized that I can have my own egg hunt. I can hide my eggs and then about an hour later, I can attempt to find them. Again, the weather was gorgeous. We spent the day with family and had dinner. After dinner it was time to leave. Hugs were given. Always hard to leave. We told them that we would come visit them in Colorado next year.
April 16, 2022
Today is a very busy day. The plan for the day is for Grandpa to go to Lachlan’s karate practice. Grandma will do laundry and then we have a combined birthday party. On April 22, Georgeann will turn 13 and on May 31 Lachlan will turn 9. These kids are growing up way too fast. Lachlan’s practice was really interesting. It was a large class with all levels. The class met at a gym at a local country club. The class started with warmups and stretching. Then the class broke into various levels and worked on movements and codas. Lachlan was pulled to the side and tested. He earned 4 stripes toward his next belt testing. He is doing very well in karate.
Brian, Lachlan’s Dad, dropped me off at the laundromat. I helped Nancy with the laundry and then we went to Blinkley’s for the birthday party. Great food. Great conversation. Great time. The weather was beautiful. Just a fabulous day!
After the birthday party, the family came to the campground. They wanted to see our RV and the grands wanted to see Bree and Ashes. The twins were very disappointed that Ashes would not come out. He hid behind the theater seating so they could see him but not pet him. He’s not real social.
April 15, 2022
Good Friday. Today Grandma went to swimming lessons with Carissa. The twins, Emmeline and Elia, are taking swim lessons. While Grandma was out I decided to attempt RV repairs. The water leak was out of the question as we had no water. But I could look into the drawer and the handle. I also knew the cap on the galley grey tank was missing one ear so it needed to be replaced. I looked up rv parts stores and found one on the west side of Indy. I chose this one for two reasons. The first is that the store looked awesome. It was a local Mom and Pop. The second reason is that it was on the west side. It was conveniently located just 10 minutes away from one of my favorite drive in restaurants. Mug N Bun. They make their own root beer. I remember taking Carissa and Phillip there some 40 years ago. Still an awesome place. When I think of Indianapolis food, I think of a breaded tenderloin sandwich. So I had one. Extremely good! Also had fries and a large root beer float. Great lunch!
I got back to the RV and started my repairs. I found the issue with my drawer and quickly fixed it. Put the drawer back in and it works great. The cap was an easy fix also. As for the handle, I found a replacement screw. I bought some blue thread lock (an old Harley trick) and used it on all three handles so hopefully they will all stay on now.
April 14, 2022
Travel day! Yea!! Boo!! While packing up, I pulled out a drawer to stow some items. The drawer would not close. So to get underway, I removed the drawer and would fix it later. While wrapping up the exterior, I noticed another water leak. I noticed water on the floor of our basement. We didn’t have freezing weather. But while I was wrapping up the water line, I noticed the water pressure was around 80 psi. I thought I had recalibrated the pressure regulator but apparently I was mistaken. GRRRR!! This is not the first water leak either. So now I have to troubleshoot. Then as we were at the dump station, the grey water tank handle to open the valve came off in my hand. I had to dig out the tools to find pliers so we could empty the tank. We emptied our tanks and moved on to Indianapolis. It is the current home of our daughter and her family. Four of our six grandchildren. Of course this is only temporary as they are planning on moving to Colorado. They’re currently renting an Air BNB this week so to clean, stage, take photos, and have an open house. They’ll move back in sometime Sunday.
When we arrived at the Indianapolis State Fair Grounds we were told that the water had not been turned on yet. So the only water we had was the 15 gallons or so that we had been carrying in our fresh water tank. We hooked up our electric and gathered clean clothes. We took a shower at our daughter’s place. You always feel better after a shower.
April 13, 2022
Today was a very busy day. Our first stop on our Bucket List Tour (BLT) is the Kentucky Horse Park. Conveniently located next door to where we are camping. The weather was overcast but the temperature was comfortable. The Horse Park covers several acres. It is a walking tour and at various times throughout the day there are events that occur. Because of the time, we decided to start at the top of the hill and work our way back to the museum. The first stop was the Hall of Champions. This stable houses champion horses that been retired. The horses we saw were either pacer or trotter champions. We saw Mr. Muscleman, Won the West, and Western Dreamer. Beautiful animals. Great show. Additionally there are many champion horses buried on the grounds surrounding the stable. As we were leaving the stable Nancy was able to feed Mr. Muscleman a mint. PICTURES
We had lots of time to before the next event so we went to the Big Barn. In the Big Barn, the draft horses are kept as well as the trolley and multiple other carriages. We were lucky to be able to see a baby Clydesdale also. The foal was only 4 weeks old. Really cool. PICTURES
The next event was the Parade of Breeds. We had enough time before the official show to walk through the paddock and see and read about the various breeds that were there. I think the neatest breeds we saw were the American Miniature Horse and the Lipizan PICTURES
After the show we continued to roam the grounds. Lots of beautiful areas to see in addition to the animals. We walked through the Kids Barn and Nancy decided to try her hand as a jockey. Then we wandered over to the Police Barn. The officers were wonderful and very knowledgeable. The majority of the horses there were mixed breeds with some type of draft horse. The draft horse is very muscular so is great for police work, especially moving crowds of people. We then moved on to the Trolley Ride. Jake and Connor, Belgians, teamed up to pull a trolley full of people for a 10 minute tour of the grounds. Loved it! We made our way through the museum. One of the pictures, the fox hiding, is actually a jump used in a competition held at the Park. It was one of three very distinct jumps. PICTURES
I saved the best for last. My favorite was the statue and story of Staff Sergeant Reckless, a Marine. I’ll let you read the story. It is on the plaque in one of the photos. True hero!! PICTURES
We ended the day at the Red State BBQ. I had the 3 meat platter(smoked wings, pulled pork, and brisket) with baked beans and coleslaw on the side. Nancy had the pulled pork platter with corn pudding and beer cheese grits. The pulled pork was good but the wings and the brisket stole the show for me. Nancy said the corn pudding was excellent and the grits were too spicy for her to eat. I know it seems we are eating out a lot but currently in our kitchen is an antique hall coat rack (family heirloom) that we are transporting to our daughter in Indianapolis and a box full of boxes for when she moves this spring/summer to Colorado. PICTURES
April 12, 2022
Happy 47th Anniversary Nancy!! Not only is our Bucket List Tour commencing, but we are celebrating 47 years of marriage. Our first destination is the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. We made it to Wytheville, VA and I decided to fuel up for the very hilly West Virginia. We also decided it was time to east some lunch. We fueled at a T/A Truck Stop and pulled to the back of the big rig parking. We backed into a spot, got out and stretched our legs, took Bree for a walk, used our own bathroom, and finally opened up our outdoor kitchen and made some ham and cheese sandwiches. After lunch we got back on the road and pulled into the Kentucky Horse Park Campground around 5:30pm. After we got set up, we were too tired to cook so we sought out a local restaurant. We found the Thoroughbred Restaurant. I tried a local beer and it was delicious. The food was okay. The owner was very friendly. It is a well established restaurant with what I am thinking regular customers. The tourist stuff starts tomorrow.
April 11, 2022
The time has finally arrived. Tomorrow we will start our western adventure. Or as I like to say, our Bucket List Tour. Over the last 4 weeks, many things have developed. We had discussed renting out our cottage to traveling nurses while we are away. Well, our first tenant, arrived April 3, 2022. So we decided to move into the RV early. We spent last week moving, downsizing, purging, etc. We had several items on our list to prepare for our trip. The final item was to build a rack for my truck to store propane, diesel fuel, and gasoline. The propane and gasoline can run our generators. The diesel is to help stretch our fuel mileage if needed. We completed that just before dinner. We also decided that we needed to shoot a little before we left. Phillip took us to the back yard and we fired a few rounds with the 20 gauge shotgun and a few rounds with our M & P 9mm EZ. Felt great to shoot. Phillip and Michelle made dinner for us and we had one last family meal before our trip. It was really difficult to leave home but this is something we talked about for years. It was finally coming to fruition.
February 22, 2022
Today is our tour of Georgetown. One of the first things we did was to wander the back roads of Pawleys Island. SW was in search of a grave that as a youth, they would visit and tell ghost stories. Low and behold he found it on the very first attempt. The grave is located at the All Saints Church. The area has changed some since SW was last there but he found it. After we parked we crossed the street and entered the cemetery. The story goes that Alice’s grave is a simple marker. We scattered and based on SW’s clues we searched for about 15 minutes. In the distance I noticed 2 females and a male standing and talking. There was also a camera on a tripod. Not wanting to be obtrusive, I wandered in a different direction. A few minutes later SW had spoken with the people and said he had found the grave.
The people were a local historian and a couple that owned a paranormal business. They were investigating Alice. We spoke for about 15 minutes and found that the couple were really interested in the back story of the history of the paranormal more so than the actual “ghost”. The couple own Shady Lane Paranormal. They have their own YouTube channel. It is a very interesting story. If you are interested, Google it. Lots of information available.
After we left the cemetery we ventured on to our tour of Georgetown and SW’s youth. It was very interesting and gave us some insight into our friend. After riding for a while he took us to one of his favorite dining establishments. The Ball and Cue. The food was very good. Great service. After lunch we continued our tour and stopped in Historic Downtown Georgetown. We checked out the Rice Museum but opted not to go on the tour. As a side note, the area, Low Country, was the rice capital of the world.
We did go through the Georgetown County Museum. It was a very educational experience. It was fabulous. SW even had a chance to talk to some locals. It was a great day. On the way home we stopped at Pawleys Island Hammocks. They are very comfortable and seem like they would last for several years.
The rest of our week there we discovered new dining, at least to us, Lee’s Inlet Kitchen. And we shared a couple of our favorite places with our friends, Johnny D’s Waffle House and The Sea Captain’s House. Additionally we had a chance to catch up with our friends Chris and Jim, the campground hosts.
All and all a very nice week. Friday February 25, 2022 we packed up and headed home. We will restock, go to our appointments and get everything ready to depart on April 12th to continue our Bucket List Tour. See y’all in April.