Home Again, Home Again, Lickety split

It was like the old horse smelling the barn...once we realized we were really heading home, we started to push a little harder to get home. Our campground in Elkhart was nice for a day or two but it was hot and we didn't spend much time outside. Biting insects seemed to like the campground also. Elkhart is in the center of the Indiana RV industry and since some of the companies, including Holiday Rambler, have folded in the last year or two, there are a lot of empty buildings. We did see the RV/Motorhome Hall of Fame along I-80 but decided not to stop. Our motorhome may not be eligible for display at that museum but we like it just fine.



Ohio is another of those flat, boring states - at least along the I-80 corridor. Since we had already traveled this route, there wasn't much new to see. So we played an updated version of the old license plate game. This time we attempted to get photographs of all the state license plates. It proved to be quite challenging but kept us interested for the drive home. We saw most of the states except for Hawaii (of course), New Mexico, and Maine. This plate was unidentifiable - any guesses?






Pennsylvania looked great as we crossed from Ohio. Unfortunately, Driver #1 was substituting for Photographer #1 while Photographer #1 substituted for Driver #1. We wanted to turn around and go back for the photo shoot but the RV and van didn't fit through any of the Officials Only turnarounds. As much as we may complain about I-80, it was a joy to drive/ride on after some of the bad roads we have covered on this trip. And nothing can beat the PA countryside: evergreens, deciduous trees, hills, valleys, farms, etc. We enjoyed the other states but realized how much we like living in PA. We were getting really anxious so we continued past our intended stop and drove on to the Flying J at Lamar. That put us close to State College and the next morning we made the short trip to meet up with Dan and Ann for breakfast. Back at their home, Libby was glad to see us and had her bags packed.


We reached home just in time! Another day and we might have had to become full-timers in the RV.

We hoped you enjoyed our trip as much as we did. Thanks for every one's support and encouragement as we took this "once in a lifetime" trip. Now to plan for that "second in a lifetime" excursion.

Pennsylvania here we come!

It is bittersweet to think of being home in a few days. We are dying to see the dogs but really hate for this marvelous trip to end. We drove from Mitchell SD to West Salem WI on Tuesday. There were some pretty impressive thunderstorms around 4 am and we had a lot of rain. Not enough to wash the bugs and dirt off of the RV or van, but enough to flood some of the farm fields.









South Dakota has very nice rest stops along the interstates. They honor the Native American heritage with this tepee like structure. By the way, in South Dakota the word is commonly spelled tipi. We also noticed that it is common here to provide coverings or wind screens for the picnic tables at the rest areas. Nice touch!









Our intended overnight was at the Neshonoc Lakeside Camp Resort. This would have been a great place to spend a week with the kids (don't have any young ones), swim in one of three pools (don't own a bathing suit), fish in the huge lake (didn't bring a fishing rod) or play horseshoes, basketball or volleyball (what? in this heat?). We set up and then watched the hayride go up and down each row of campers and peer into our windshield as we were eating dinner. Then the procession of golf carts driving around the campground started. Maybe they were headed to this setup? All in all the campground was not one of our favorites and we left early on Wednesday to continue our trip home.




We wanted to reach Elkhart Indiana on Wednesday we did get an early start. That was easy to do since we didn't stay up late watching TV. Neshonoc Lakeside Resort did not have cable and we could only get one channel. After trying to adjust the antenna and checking equipment, we realized the problem. Our TVs in motorhome are not equipped for digital and the converter box I purchased is not installed. Duh???
Our morning drive was foggy along I-90. But that was OK since there really isn't much to see except farm after farm.






We crossed the Mississippi River again in the rain. Apparently there are sandbars, much like the bays down at the eastern shore. This boat was trying his best to extricate himself.













Wisconsin Dells was a stop we had considered when planning this trip. When we realized the main attraction at Wisconsin Dells are the numerous waterparks, we decided we didn't need to stop. Waterparks, especially indoor waterparks, are fairly common in this area. And the numerous billboards are all written to attract the children. Daddy, can we stop????










It looks like State College PA is getting a new fire truck. The lettering on the side of this engine indicated it was on its way. Unfortunately, reading the lettering and grabbing the camera did not happen as quickly as we would have liked. It is indeed a small world.

We arrived at the Elkhart Indiana campground after a long day. I-90 is one of the bumpiest roads we have been on. I-39 has massive construction - actually a lot of the highways do. I-80 had a lot of traffic and some of the rudest drivers we have seen so far. If today would have been the third day of our trip instead of the third from home, we may have been tempted to turn around and go back home. It is time to go home!

It may be corny, but...

We have started the long trek back to Pennsylvania. We miss the dogs so much and can't wait to get them back. But it will take several days till we are home. Driving along I-90 in central South Dakota we enjoyed the rolling hills and the contrast between the yellow clover and green grass. The natives tell us this much green is unusual for this time of year but they have had more rain than normal. Since the state had droughts the last several years, the rain is welcomed.






East of Rapid City the exits on I-90 are labeled with strange street names. The exit is in the middle of nowhere and the name will be 152nd Avenue, 161st Avenue, or this one, 173rd Avenue. As you can see there is nothing around here but grasslands and cattle farms. Is this extreme planning for the future expansion of Rapid City?









There is extensive roadwork on I-90 and we came through two sections that were under construction for very long stretches. But this one was so unusual. The westbound lanes were torn up for several miles and this farm tractor was discing the roadbed! Maybe he took a wrong turn and thought this stretch of soil needed to be worked?











Temperature were in the mid-80's and the sun was very hot today. As we drove through south-central South Dakota we saw several large herds of cattle. Some were taking advantage of the shade provided by billboards. This herd had some belly deep in the pond.








We planned on overnighting in Mitchell SD and visiting the Corn Palace. As we drove along I-90 we saw only grass and grains in the fields - no corn. Then we crossed the Missouri River and suddenly there was corn everywhere. We reached our campground around 5 pm Central Time. Yep, we're loosing those hours we gained on the trip west. We set out to see the world famous Corn Palace. It sounded hokey but we wanted to check it out. It is amazing! The Corn Palace goes back to 1892 and this is the first building that was used. It was intended to celebrate the harvest and showcase the crops that could be produced in South Dakota. It was also an attempt to draw attention to Mitchell, in hopes it would become the state capitol. It never made that distinction but Corn Palace has been redecorated with a new theme each year since 1892.


Every year, the murals on the outside of the building are taken down and redone with a different theme. The design is transferred to roofing paper which is then nailed to the panels. The corn ears are sized and cut in half longitudinally before being nailed to the panels. It takes over 100 acres to produce the materials for the murals each year. There are 12 different colors of corn used - didn't realize there were that many colors.






Obviously the murals on the outside of the building are subject to the elements. They also are subject to feeding by birds! We saw a few pigeons looking for an easy meal but surprisingly there were very few birds and the sidewalks were not covered with bird droppings!














The inside of the building is also decorated with corn but only replaced every 10 years. This building is used for public events and basketball games. The Mitchell High School plays here and the local college also uses the gymnasium for their games. When it is not basketball season, the gym is used for a very large gift shop, of course.









Corn Palace was certainly entertaining and we never realized corn could be so versatile. They were selling corn cob jelly in the gift shop. Ingredients included corn cob juice, pectin and sugar. The clerk said it tasted sweet - duh? We've all seen corn cob holders and dishes, maybe even coffee cups and serving dishes. But have you ever seen a corn-themed mailbox?

We'll be on the road again tomorrow - Minnesota here we come!

All Ain't Bad in the Badlands

Father's Day was bright and sunny in South Dakota. We had a later than usual start because we took time to plan our "escape" from South Dakota before taking off for our daily adventure. Lunch packed, camera ready, we headed east on I-90. Our first stop was to be Wall Drug. After all, you can't visit South Dakota without a stop at this famous landmark. It would be impossible to miss since the signs started right after we passed Rapid City. Promises of free ice water and 5-cent coffee urged us on.








Some aspects of Wall Drug were not exactly what we expected while others exceeded our expectations. We expected to see one very large building, not a number of small shops that were strung together. And we never dreamed there was that much tourist junk in one spot! Nonetheless, we shopped and walked away with t-shirts and fudge (good fudge, in fact). We found the jackalope but were even more amazed by this non-typical whitetail. Seeing this come toward you in the woods would raise any one's adrenaline.







The Badlands lie south of Wall so we continued on our way to this National Park. This weekend was free entrance for most of the National Parks. We don't know if this increased attendance because the place is so large that we were not crowded. We drove a few miles after the entrance gate and enjoyed the view of sweet yellow clover in bloom. This plant is not native but was introduced with seed and has become well established in the grasslands. It has a wonderful smell but can pose a fire hazard in fall and winter.









Suddenly, we rounded a corner and there it was! Sharp peaks, deep valleys and the most incredible rock formations. There wasn't a lot of color so again the pictures do not do the landscape justice.











We enjoyed many of the different formations on our way to the visitors center. Each mile had something slightly different. Some areas had green valleys and others had a lot of the sweet yellow clover. The rocks themselves did have slight variations in color with bands of reddish rock apparent in some areas.










At the visitors center we watched the short film and then asked where we might find the bighorned sheep that are supposed to be present in the park. The prime spot was actually on our route in and out of the park so that was helpful. And sure enough, when we reached the pinnacles, there they were, feeding along the road. We only saw ewes but that's OK, we did see some bighorn up close. It looks like they were shedding their winter coat and looked pretty shaggy. So with this sighting the only animals left on our "want to see in the wild" list are a wolf and mountain goat. We are pleased to have seen as many animals as we have so the wolf and goat will have to be on the list for the next trip.

The many faces of South Dakota

Saturday was the day we headed to Mt. Rushmore, about 30 miles south of Rapid City, SD. With a stop for gas, it took us about an hour to get there. On the way we saw this neat bridge and couldn't resist a picture.












Shortly thereafter we spotted George Washington through the trees and knew we were close. There were lots of people so we took some pictures, looked around in the visitors center, checked out the gift shop, and left. When we got back to the van, we discovered the small crack in the windshield (due we believe to some gravel in one of the construction sites in E. Wyoming) had now grown to almost two feet in length! That repair will be one of the first orders of business when we get back to PA.






After leaving Mt. Rushmore, we headed towards Custer State Park via the Iron Mountain Road. That has to be one of the most interesting roads in the US because it has many switch backs both ascending and descending the mountain, so-called pigtail bridges, and narrow, low-height tunnels. Signs tell you to sound horn, so the entire way through the tunnel we kept honking, even though in some cases it was clearly evident no one was coming from the other direction. This road is clearly a favorite of the motorcycle riders!






On the ascent and decent, we noticed many, many piles of brush. We later learned that, unlike Yellowstone where things are left to Nature's devices, in South Dakota they clear out the underbrush and dead/dying trees to hopefully reduce the spread of fire. What we thought were firestarters are actually fire preventers.











Shortly after we got to the bottom of the mountain, we saw a number of cars stopped along the road and some were basically surrounded by burros. The info we had was the burros have learned how to get food from the tourists. One or two will stand in the road and block traffic while the others "beg" for treats at the car windows.











Not much further along we came to the Custer State Park sign and the ticket booth. With hopes of seeing mountain goats, we decided to drive the wildlife loop which required a ticket ($6 per person). We ate lunch at the visitor's center while watching a bull bison munch grass across the street. Then the rains came!








Nevertheless, we started the wildlife loop drive with optimism. We spotted several antelope, whitetail deer, and turkeys even though the pouring rain made visibility poor. Finally we came upon a rather large herd of bison. Our impression was that these bison were smaller and more scraggly looking then the ones we had seen in Yellowstone. We also saw the pens where the bison are herded during the annual roundup. Custer checks health and then sells excess bison to maintain a manageable herd in the park.










We went the length of the park and never saw a mountain goat! So we decided to head toward the Wind Cave. As we exited Custer State Park, a herd of about eight whitetail deer was spotted not far off the road. Not much further on, we spotted two more wild turkeys moving through the grass. The goats must not have wanted to get wet!








At Wind Cave, we decided to take the Natural Entrance Tour which lasts about 1 and a quarter hours. The tour starts at the exact location two men discovered air being expelled from the cave. The tour then leads down into the cave so that after 300 steps, you are about 200 feet underground and the end of the tour. This cave was different than any we had ever been in before. Normally we expect to see stalactites and stalagmites, but this cave had very few. Also, the caves we've been in before generally had large rooms. Wind Cave is more like walking through fissures in the rock. Several larger rooms were seen, but none were on the same scale as other caves we've visited. The lighting was extremely subdued and pictures just did not turn out well. Even flash did not produce good pictures. The return to the surface was via elevator (we were glad we didn't have to climb back up those 300 steps).

By that time, we were both tired. So we took the fast way back to Rapid City, found a Pizza Hut, and had a good pizza for dinner. Got back to Sturgis about 8 PM so we turned in so we'd be ready for the morning when we plan to visit Wall Drug and the Badlands.

Deadwood and the big rock

The weather cleared after we arrived at the Rush-No-More Campground and we are expecting several sunny days. This area is in the Black Hills - called that because of the dark green of the pine trees in the mountains. These are Ponderosa pines, one of the long needled pines. They are quite attractive in their natural setting but, in Pennsylvania this tree does not do well at all. This area has been having higher than normal rainfall for the last several weeks and everything is lush and green. But I suspect in August, the trees will be the only green thing since water does not appear to be as readily available as it was in Montana.



Our first stop was Sturgis and no, I didn't buy a new outfit. We made a quick stop and asked a storekeeper why Sturgis has become such a mecca for bikers, especially Harley riders. She told us it started with one man who loved to ride and race his bike. He invited 10 friends with similar interests to come to his house in Sturgis for a weekend and they raced on the flats, partied and had a great time. It was continued every year and has grown into an event that draws riders from all over the world. Some fly in and rent bikes for the week and some of the campgrounds cater to Bike Week attendees. Their rates are sky high - $600 for no services, just a place to pitch a tent (and pass out, no questions asked).


This weekend is Wild Bill Days in Deadwood so we decided to visit on Friday since the main events appear to be on Saturday and Sunday. The Main Street is blocked off for free concerts with Glen Campbell (is he still alive?) and Ricochet performing Saturday and Sunday. So this weekend Deadwood is anything but dead. Deadwood has a law banning open containers of alcoholic beverages but during "events" you can buy a commemorative mug and get it refilled at numerous establishments and walk about on the main street with the special mug.





Of course no visit to this old west town would be complete without a stop at Boot Hill to see the graves of Wild Bill and Calamity Jane. We opted for the tour bus and the guide was a lot of fun. Some of the stories may have been better suited for an adult only audience but he believed in calling a spade a spade. I just wouldn't have wanted to have to explain syphilis,prostitutes, and alcoholism to my 9yr old son. But then, that is a large part of what Deadwood was about. Boot Hill is, by the way, on a hill - a very steep hill - that overlooks the town. There are no Catholics buried in the cemetery but there is a Jewish section and a section for Chinese workers. Some of the older headstones have deteriorated or been vandalized and been replaced from the $1 admission fee charged visitors.


Main street is full of gambling houses - probably 10 times as many as were there in Deadwood's prime. Of course, we visited several! Lunch was in the Midnight Star, which is owned by Kevin Costner. The restaurant is decorated with costumes from his movies and we had a great lunch that didn't break the bank. He actually owns the tour bus company also, but he wasn't our guide on this day. Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed in Saloon No 10 by Jack McCall. Our tour guide said McCall fell off his horse when attempting his get-away and the local law enforcement still had trouble catching him as he ran down Main Street. His trial is reenacted regularly in Deadwood, as are numerous shootouts on Main Street.



We left Deadwood in late afternoon and drove to Devil's Tower. Our Senior Pass is certainly getting a workout at these National Parks. The rock is so impressive when you get closer. Of course I was at the wrong angle with the sun but thought this picture was interesting anyway. The 3 mile drive into the Visitor's Center passes a prairie dog town and the little guys were busy whistling and grunting.









The Visitor's Center had two versions of the Native American explanation about how the tower was formed and both were different than the one I relayed in last post. However, they all involved a huge bear that clawed the sides of the tower, leaving long claw marks in the rock. Of course there was the scientific explanation about super heated rock cooling quickly and splitting into columns. Which one to believe?




















As we travel it is interesting to see the various signage used by State Highway Departments. In South Dakota, left lane closed is indicated by a "Left Lane Ends" sign; two way traffic is "Head On Traffic". One thing that is morbidly interesting is the way highway fatalities are marked. We saw small white crosses in Montana but here in Wyoming and South Dakota they use different signs. This is the South Dakota sign. Wyoming uses a headstone with a red heart and white flower.








As I mentioned previously, AT&T isn't very good in this area. The owner of Rush-No-More Campground (our present location) told me this is Verizon territory. Well, on the way to Deadwood we came across this sign. Apparently Verizon isn't as strong in that area. By the way, I didn't have much signal at this spot either.










We're off to enjoy a trip to Mt. Rushmore and Wind Cave. It's pretty windy this morning and I'm watching the neighbor's awning flap in the breeze. They pulled in yesterday and put out their patio mat, setup lawn chairs and opened all their awnings. The lawn chairs are blown over and if the awning wasn't staked down, it would be up over the coach and they'd be looking for a repairman. Oh and maybe this is where Dan and Ann need to look for a new bike for Ann.

Billings, Cody and now Sturgis

Our purpose for visiting Billings MT was to go to the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody and visit with Dennis' cousin Harry and his wife Shirley. And then we found out about the Yellowstone Valley Kennel Club dog show. So, since GSP's were on at 8:30 we planned a stop at the show and then on to Cody. I had an opportunity to chat with a judge I love to steward for and then it was showtime. Well, it was but nobody seemed to care. Some rings started immediately, others started a few minutes later and one or two started when they got around to it. The AKC reps in our area would have had a fit! Col Purkheiser was the judge for GSPs and there were 5 dogs, 4 bitches and 1 special entered. He had a few pointers first and then it was time for the GSPs. But nothing happened. It seems an exhibitor was tied up with Weims in another rings so they waited and waited!!!! All in all it was more than 5 minutes till she was able to come to the GSP ring. Like I said, our AKC reps would have been livid. This boxer (just for you Susan) is 8 mo old and was WD 2 days for 2 pts each day. A mite leggy, I would say.



The GSPs were not from any kennels I would recognize. And only half of them showed up. The woman that was late for the ring had 3 of the 5 that showed up. And none of them were very well trained for the show ring. In fact, we would probably be embarrassed to show them in a match. The quality was not very good overall and the entries made our east coast competition look even tougher. The dogs and bitches were on the small size and movement was poor. So much for the dog show.






The road to Cody from Billings ran parallel to the Beartooth Mountain Range for a while. There was still snow on some (of course) but they were beautiful in the distance. At one point we came relatively close to this mountain and the side looked like teeth layered one upon another. Beautiful!









Central Montana has a lot of casinos. They are associated with restaurants, gift shops, gas stations, bars, and even ice cream shoppes. The strange thing is that they are only permitted to have 20 machines in each casino. It has been a topic of discussion as to whether or not the casinos should all be located in the same general area of each jurisdiction or scattered. Right now they are everywhere so I guess they are scattered.










We drove through some agricultural areas and into desert with amazing rock formations. We never tire of seeing this kind of scenery. One of the small towns we passed through is Belfry. As we entered the town we were amused by a large, homemade sign that read: "What part of 25 MPH don't you understand? Please slow down". Obviously a lot of people do not obey the posted speed limit. As we drove by the school, we had a real laugh. The mascot for the Belfry High School is... you guessed it, Bats. Sign read "Home of the Belfry Bats". Very interesting.





Cody is a tourist town- nice wide Main Street with lots of old west themed shops. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is located on the west end of town. It houses 4 museums: Buffalo Bill, Plains Indians, Natural History and an art museum that had a showing of paintings about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We wanted to focus on the Buffalo Bill museum but later in the day, we spent a lot of time in the other sections. Each one was fantastic and we had to rush to see everything. I visited the gift shop while waiting for Dennis and looked at some turquoise and silver necklaces the were selling for $3400. They were beautiful but I'd be afraid I'd loose one of the stones. Besides, I only wear gold (Ha Ha).






We contacted Harry and met him for lunch. He suggested the Irma Hotel downtown. This was named for Buffalo Bill's one daughter and has a lot of original furnishings. There are mounted deer and elk heads around the dining room and lots of paintings. Lunch was excellent. It was nice to have a great lunch in such a pleasant setting and with good service, too. In the evening we went to Harry and Shirley's house for a longer visit. They insisted we stay for dinner and spend the night. We accepted the first invitation and had a great meal and fun visit.




It was later than we would have liked when we left to drive back to Billings. But, we knew we wanted to leave the next morning so off we went, with warnings from Harry and Shirley to watch for the deer and elk on the road. It had started to rain before we left Cody and we drove through rain off and on. The sky was full of dark clouds but every once and again the lighter sky would peek through. This photo was taken driving at 50 mph through the van windshield. Boy, did I get lucky.









When we returned to the motorhome around midnight all was quiet and very wet. We noticed a big white bus parked beside our site but were tired and off to bed we went. At 6:30 this morning I woke up and pulled back the front drape to check the weather. I was very surprised to see a second bus and lots of teenagers loading gear into the cargo area. I don't know how many people were there but they filled 2 large passenger buses and 6 or more vans with people and gear. And we never heard a thing until one of the bus drivers started the engine. Someone told me after they left that they had arrived and setup in the pouring rain the evening before. But all appeared to be in good spirits and ready to be off on their adventure.



We were not far behind the teenagers since we had a long drive to Sturgis, South Dakota. We are used to starting the day under cloudy skies but usually the sun appears mid-morning and we have a pleasant day. Lately we've had more late afternoon showers but that's OK since we're usually back at the campground writing the blog by then. Well today we drove under cloudy skies and rain most of the day. But even the bad weather could not detract from the beautiful landscape that lay in front of us. Rolling hills with lush green grass as far as the eye could see.







We were able to glimpse Devil's Tower in the far distance as we drove along I-90. The Native American legend about this place tells of a family of 7 sisters and 1 brother. The brother was magically transformed into a giant bear and when the sisters saw him they ran for their lives. They climbed a nearby tree stump and the stump began to rise to the sky. The bear clawed at the bark but failed to reach the 7 maidens. The sisters ascended into the sky and became the stars of the Big Dipper. The bear's claw marks still show on the sides of the tower/stump. Of course we "modern" Americans remember the Tower from Close Encounters rather than legends. We hope to get a closer view of those claw marks before we leave this area.

We'll be here 4 nights and have a lot of things to see and do. Since last night was so late (at least late for us), we're off to bed early tonight.