9/24/2013 / Yellowstone to Atlanta

Subject: Moving on

This is the eighth Yellowstone to Atlanta email that was originally sent out as separate emails to family members to let them know where we were, what we were doing and give tidbits about our activities. I have copied the original emails and added some pictures for viewing. The trip started in August and ended in October.  This is the first of our extended stay trips in the Adventurer.

Howdy from the north country.  When we last reported to you we had made our 'escape' from Mitchell, SD to Forrest City, IA.  Our Garmin (nickname = Minnie because of her female voice) had a particularly hard time pronouncing Iowa.  Minnie was trying to tell me to drive down Iowa Highway 9 but called it Iowa 9 and pronounced it phonetically without any pauses 'eyeOHwuhnine' which did not sound like anything my Texas ears recognized.  Luckily Beverly caught on to the phrase and we managed to make it to Forrest City on Iowa 9.

The next day (Friday afternoon) we went to the Winnebago Visitors Center to sign up for the factory tour and met two nice gentlemen that gave us a quick overview of the afternoon’s events and invited us to look around the center.  Upstairs was a chronological timeline of the growth and development of Winnebago with exhibits.  Downstairs were numerous other exhibits and cutaways of current manufactured pieces including an old trailer from the early days of RVing and an early Class A type motorhome.  When time for the tour to begin we were carried to a theater room to watch a short video introducing us to Winnebago production techniques.  Then we loaded up on a shell of an Adventurer motorhome that was fitted with bench seats like a bus to begin the actual tour of the manufacturing facilities.

We stopped four different times to see various different manufacturing departments.  (note to self – visit factory tours on Monday afternoon through Friday morning/workers are not impressive on Monday morning and like to go home early on Friday afternoon)  One of the most impressive stops was the main production assembly facility with its multiple rows/lines of various types of motorhomes in varying stages of completion.  David and I were impressed with how many different components are actually manufactured by Winnebago versus buying them from independent manufacturers.  We also were told many times they needed additional workers to keep up with demand so we could get an application for employment at Gate 1.  Naturally we declined because we are already retired, as were most of the people on the tour.  Of course any trip to a venue is not complete unless you spend some time in the gift shop at the end of the tour.

We also met some fellow Texans on the tour.  They lived in Mt Vernon for quite some time but now live in Aubrey (not too far from Melissa).  They are visiting friends in 'eyeOHwuh.'  Matt and Rikki, they told us about a great place to eat in Aubrey called Mom’s Place on Main.  Might need to try that out when we can.

We stayed at a city park in Forrest City because the Winnebago visitors center 17 sites were all occupied.  As it turned out, we are glad because the park is situated just around the corner, has a creek running through it with a golf course on the other side of the creek.  There were just a few sites occupied and it was a quiet, relaxing place with a great view and several resident geese that gave us a symphony of honks each evening as they flew over to roost for the night.  They even had 10 public dump stations for RVers.  You can really tell the city encourages and welcomes the RV community.

Pretty much had it to ourselves

View from our spot

The one on the left seems to be saying, "What are you looking at?"

Saturday we visited a fall festival in nearby Osage called Autumn Artistry.  David and Sophie had seen it advertised on TV and it included a car show.  Well I had wondered what the farmers did when the planting, plowing, harvesting was all done.  David had suggested work on their equipment.  I think their equipment is cars and the work is restoring automobiles.  I have never seen that many restorations at a car show and all the owners just beaming that someone was looking at their handiwork.  We even saw a 68 or 69 Studebaker Avanti.  Did not know what it was when we first saw it but read it on the placard next to the car.  We got to ride a shuttle wagon pulled by a John Deere tractor as it shuttled folks from downtown to the fairgrounds for the car show and back.  Prior to boarding, David and I noticed a three sided set of tables full of homemade pies for sale.  Well one thing led to another and the ladies’ hospital auxiliary gained a contribution from each of us.  We both bought a pie to help them out (and us too)!  It was a grand day with beautiful weather and we got to mingle a bit with the local populous. 

Our shuttle with Beverly and Sophie

They had all shapes and sizes at this car show

One of about six rows of cars and this is taken about halfway down the row

Sunday was repair and wash day in preparation for leaving on Monday.  David experienced some overheating issues and he found information online that led him to a repair technique that all of us really want to work.  We also worked on the carburetor on my generator and David got it to purring like a kitten.  Quietest it has run in years.  The ladies spent most of the afternoon at the ‘laundrymat’ (yes that is how it was spelled) and a quick trip to the grocery store.  After a very good grilled pork chop, fresh corn on the cob, salad and Red Lobster biscuit meal topped off with Apple Pie (thank you ladies’ auxiliary) ala mode, we had a strategy meeting to determine our next move.

After some extensive discussion, we decided to make our way to Atlanta, Georgia since the rally we are attending is in three weeks.  It is amazing how the time has slipped by and before we know it, the rally is almost here.  So we leave Forrest City for a little town outside of Galesburg, IL called Knoxville, IL.

Across Eastern SD, Iowa and Illinois fields of crops without end

Hello Illinois

More corn fields, even on into Indiana

Traveling all day, we asked for a local restaurant recommendation from our hosts at the campground.  They both enthusiastically told us about the café on main street (actually the only street with businesses) which is where we ended up.  The stares we received when we entered told us all we needed to know about visitors to this town.  There ain’t none!  The wait staff was very nice and did not make fun of our Texas accents even though we sounded totally different than all the other folks in the restaurant.  We enjoyed the food and the atmosphere after the staring subsided.  I found if you smile really big and stare back, then they are satisfied you are not a mass-murderer and will not endanger their lives so they stop staring (eventually).

We have quite a system worked out between the four of us for traveling.  David is in charge of routing and mapping the destinations including stopovers.  Sophie is in charge of navigational duties and communications.  Beverly is charged with finding the perfect campgrounds on our trip and negotiation of the best rates possible.  My primary job (there is not a secondary job for me) is entertainment (usually at my expense) of the other three.  So far this arrangement is working out well (at least for me) and I hope stays intact (for my sake) the rest of the trip.

David mentioned that Beverly is batting 1,000 for her choice in campground spots so far.  He might have spoken a little too soon for today she came close to testing that batting average severely.  She worked hard all morning on finding the right spot to stop for a couple of nights in or near Indianapolis, IN.

Unfortunately, Indianapolis is not a RV campground mecca and does not have many to choose from that will fit our rigid standards.  (i.e. rigid standards = someplace to park with electricity, water and sewer if at all possible but none of the three are required, in other words any place to park is okay)  

Well she finally made her decision after lunch, only about an hour out from stopping, called and got affirmation there are two sites available for two days.  Then she dutifully punched the address into the trusty Garmin.  Minnie did her job directing me off the interstate at an exit with a Pilot station (always a good sign if you are RVing) but then Beverly says wait she is not taking me the right way.  After a few seconds of frantically reviewing her notes, she says okay go ahead and follow her it will be six of one and half a dozen of the other either way.

Well the first turn off this highway had me wondering what in the world was going on.  We turned onto a small one way road with heavy trees and foliage.  David, who was following, said it looked like we had turned off the highway and disappeared into the trees.  He was not so sure he wanted to follow but since he did not have the coordinates of our destination, he was forced to make the decision to plunge into the trees after me.  

Now you must realize when you are towing a car (which we both are) there is not any backing up in the motorhome.  You can only drive forward so dead end streets with no outlet are a huge problem.  I look over at Beverly, who by this time is shaking her head and saying things like ‘I don’t like the look of this’ and ‘I don’t know why she (Minnie) is taking us this way.’  All great comments to boost my morale at the moment.  I would have like to been a fly on the wall in the coach following us just to hear the comments about where are they going, this doesn’t look good, etc.

Anyway, we made about fifty turns onto very small back roads crossing by farmhouses and crops during the next fifteen miles or so.  The road would turn to pass by a cornfield and then make a sharp turn to go down the other side of the field.  All the time, Minnie telling me to turn right in 500 feet or to go left in 200 feet.  It was maddening.  To the point that David swears he heard the banjos playing ‘Dueling Banjos’ at the house next to the river as we passed by. (ala the movie 'Deliverance')

Finally, off in the trees Beverly spots some RVs and is ecstatic.  The rest of us, not so much, because after two more turns, we do not see the RVs any longer.  The third turn finally reveals the entrance to a large campground that is filled with many folks who live here all the time but it has over 200 sites and does take overnight travelers.  There is a miniature golf course, pond, trees and a gate that is locked at all times to everyone but the residents and overnighters.  What a sigh of relief from my bride when she found out the rest of us are more than okay with the choice.  So for now, her batting average is intact.

She claims I-65 is only 5 miles (not the 15+ miles we drove from I-74) from here.  We will see.  We are going to the Indianapolis Speedway museum tomorrow for a rest day from driving before heading out towards Atlanta again.  We will catch you up on the travels again soon and let you know how the search for I-65 turns out.

9/19/2013 / Yellowstone to Atlanta

Subject: Wanderers update

This is the seventh Yellowstone to Atlanta email that was originally sent out as separate emails to family members to let them know where we were, what we were doing and give tidbits about our activities. I have copied the original emails and added some pictures for viewing. The trip started in August and ended in October.  This is the first of our extended stay trips in the Adventurer.

Wow, we have traveled the last two days from Hill City, SD through Rapid City, SD with a stop overnight in Mitchell, SD before ending up at Forest City, IA on Thursday night.

I left off a couple of observations from the last email because I got so caught up in the German RV driver episode, it just escaped my memory.  So here are the things I forgot to mention.  The first thing we noticed when we stopped at the Horse Thief Campground was there was ‘pixie’ dust all over the ground.  It did not matter if it was dirt, grass, rock, the road or up in the mountains or forest; there was this twinkling ‘pixie’ dust everywhere.  It is really pronounced when a light shined on it such as a flashlight or sunlight.  For the longest time, we could not figure out where it came from or if there really is such a thing as ‘pixie’ dust.  We discovered the source of this phenomenon when we were reading the marker placards placed along various points of interest on the Needles Highway.  The rocks in the Black Hills are a combination of Granite, Feldspar and Mica.  The pixie stuff was mainly Mica chips and bits scattered everywhere.  Some of it is so light it floats in the air when a good wind blows so that explained our marvelous fantasyland we were living in during our stay.

The other item to tell you happened towards the end of our Needles Highway tour.  As we descended in elevation, having already been to the top of the highway and now were exiting towards Custer, we began meeting Corvettes.  Mostly new red convertibles to begin with but by the time it was all said and done, there were 28 of them in a row.  Evidently a Corvette club was out for a beautiful scenic drive in the opposite direction on Needles Highway.  We just hoped there was not supposed to be 30 of them with the last two taken out by the crazy German as he screamed down the mountain at breakneck speeds and the other 28 did not realize their friends had been knocked off the road. 

Crazy Horse model vs real thing- Hole in rock is 10 stories high

Mt. Rushmore viewed through walkway of state flags

The next day it rained and turned off cold.  We decided another rest day was in order and had homemade corn chowder soup that really hit the spot on a cold day.  So you see, even a wet, cold, miserable weather day does not affect you in a motorhome.  You just make lemonade with your lemons and thank God for the lemons.  We had neighbors move in next to us and found out they were from Iowa headed to Estes Park, CO but the day they left is when they heard about the flooding.  It turns out one of the flooded rivers runs right through the campground they were planning to visit.  When they called about their pending reservations, they could not reach anyone and decided to pull over in Hill City until they could find someone in Estes Park they could question about the situation.  Talk about lemons, there are some lemons.

Our final full day in Hill City, SD dawned bright and beautiful and of course we had to make a visit to one of the main attractions in the area, Mount Rushmore.  We went during the day and then to the lighting ceremony at night.  Our photography team probably will need some therapy for their aching finger joint from snapping so many images that day.  Everywhere you turn is another reason to point and shoot.  As we were leaving the monument during the day, we discovered two mountain goats on the side of the rocks taking a rest.  So naturally this is an opportunity for the perfect image capture.  It is very interesting to learn about the building of Mount Rushmore, the people involved, time and money it took and of course the dedication of the sculptor.  Then also have the opportunity to compare that with the Crazy Horse monument since Rushmore was government funded and Crazy Horse is privately funded.  We also learned the Crazy Horse sculptor worked for a time with the Rushmore project.

Gi-normous in size

Up close shot of faces

Mountain Goats outside of Mt. Rushmore entrance

Collar helps keep track of the herd

Good Bye Horse Thief, it has been fun!

Now it is time for us to say goodbye to SD but before we do, we decide to stop during the first day of travel at Wall Drug in Wall, SD.  It is very confusing since Wall Drug is really Hustead’s Drug and there is no Mr. Wall.  Wall refers to the end of the wall of badlands in the Badlands of South Dakota.  Too much information, I know.  All along the route are signs urging us to stop at Wall Drug for various reasons.  

The interesting thing about Wall Drug is its size, longevity and marketing genius.  It covers a lot of downtown Wall and has all kinds of merchandise and food available for the traveler and you can get FREE ice water just for stopping in.  During the summertime, 25,000 people a day stop in and they hand out over 5,000 glasses of water each day.  After a few small purchases and lunch we are on our way again.

The next stop is overnight in Mitchell, SD but we lost an hour on the way.  We lost an hour that day because we passed back into Central time from Mountain Time zone close to the Missouri River in SD.  I am glad because of the confusion the times were giving me during our stay in the Mountain Time zone.  Some of the clocks switched over automatically, others did not and I never got around to changing them so I had a hard time finding out the correct time of day the rare times I wanted to know.  This stop provided us the opportunity for a Wal-Mart visit and as Sophie correctly pointed out, we bought out the place.  That night there were big thunderstorms and a lot of rain but no damage.  We took time to visit the Corn Palace in Mitchell before departing for our Forest City, IA stop.

Front of Corn Palace - notice scaffold truck they are changing murals

 

One side of the Corn Palace

Close up of one panel

The morning was very brisk and cool so Sophie and I waited for David and Beverly to snap pictures of the Corn Palace for documentation.  The palace was being re-done for the following year because it is now time to harvest the corn.  It is interesting how they pick certain colors, prepare the corn for putting on the wall and we got to see the ‘paint by corn’ method used to create the murals.  An image is projected on the wall and someone traces it out and labels the various areas for coloration purposes.  Then the corn is simply cut for nailing into place according to the template up on the wall.  Most of this information came from a booklet we picked up but some of it came from our photography team.

It is most shameful how they obtained this information and I am embarrassed by their actions but forced to relate the story to you anyway.  As they were outside the car taking pictures, Sophie and I noticed they had gone down the street and around the corner to get a better angle on the murals on that side of the building.  Of course, they were completely out of sight for some time.  We noticed this rather large tour group coming from that same side of the building, crossing the street and stopping a short distance from the car.  The man obviously in charge and providing information waited patiently as the entire group assembled before beginning his dissertation of facts and figures.  It was at this time we noticed our photography team, David and Beverly, ambling back across the street trailing this large group.  Our team stopped in close proximity to the group to ‘snap’ a few more pictures of something they had already snapped from this same angle earlier.  It soon became apparent what was going on as first David and then Beverly attempted to blend into the group and listen to the oration from the leader.  There is a picture attached (***) that documents this event lest you not believe me.  But as truth must always win out, they were found out because they did not have the ‘telltale’ I belong to the group plastic name card hanging around their neck like the actual tour group members.  It was at this point several of the group members began pointing to our team and asking each other, do you know those people?  So David and Beverly quietly tried to slip away so as not to be brought up on official charges of listening without paying.  But here comes the shame and embarrassment of it all.  They get in the car with Sophie and I with all eyes of the group now on them instead of the object of the leader’s point which causes him to stop and watch as we pull from the curb.  Then in the rear view mirror I see a lot of finger pointing at our car with animated discussion between several of the group members.  It appears we barely escaped the wrath and indignation that they surely would have shown a couple of interlopers.  I did not stop the car again after that until we got back to the campground having made several turns and crossovers to make sure we had not been followed.  You never know when one of them ‘old codgers’ might try to take the law into their own hands.

That is David, fourth from the left in the crowd, Beverly is hidden close behind.

When viewing the picture, David is fourth from the left of the group of people standing together.  Beverly’s hair can be seen behind the gentleman with the red, white and blue jacket and shorts.  Notice how some of the group on the right are now staring at David and Beverly instead of the presenter.  Sorry about the clarity but this is all my iPhone 3 could do, since I do not have a fancy camera like our photographers.

Having successfully made our escape, we hit the road for the remainder of South Dakota, for a short piece of Minnesota into our final destination of Iowa.  We passed miles and miles of corn, soybeans and sunflower fields already or almost ready for harvesting.  David said he was tired of mountains for now and I can honestly say I am tired of cornfields too.  Now you are probably asking yourself, why are they in Forest City, IA.  This is where Winnebago Industries is located and we thought it would be fun to take a plant tour.  That is our agenda tomorrow.  We will report in the next email how this tour goes, especially since we will officially be part of this tour and not eavesdropping as is the modus operandi of our photography team.

You may also be wondering when we will be back in Texas.  We do not know for sure.  We heard today that it was 98 degrees there today.  Well the high today is 74 degrees where we are.  I think you can do the math and realize the differential is too large to overcome yet.  Maybe soon.

Until the next report; be safe and take care.

Larry and Beverly (Gran and Bibi)

9/15/2013 / Yellowstone to Atlanta

This is the sixth Yellowstone to Atlanta email that was originally sent out as separate emails to family members to let them know where we were, what we were doing and give tidbits about our activities. I have copied the original emails and added some pictures for viewing. The trip started in August and ended in October.  This is the first of our extended stay trips in the Adventurer.

Please enjoy and feel free to share the link to the blog site with family and friends that might like to read and see the pictures.

Subject: Horse thief campground update

Here we are still located at Horse Thief campground.  On Friday we had a good rain and the temp never got above 60 all day.  This is a laundry day for the group.  During laundry I took advantage of the close proximity of the office to determine the origin of the name ‘Horse Thief Campground.’  According to the owner, in 1870 a fellow stole a horse down in Rapid City and they caught up with him right outside the campground.  When they did, they hung him from a tree in front of the lodge.  The tree is no longer there but when it was, the campground folks used to re-enact the capture and hanging nightly.  Even more interesting is there was a fellow that came through a few years back and thinks the hanged horse thief was his great-great uncle.  All that to let you know, my horses are safe.

Beverly in her 'big girl' chair at Horse Thief Campground

I also utilized the time Friday to catch up on some Ancestry work.  And no I have not found a criminal or scalawag (not counting me) in the ancestor line yet.  I did find some interesting reading though.  My father’s grandfather on his mother’s side served in the Confederate army during the Civil War.  He was captured in Tennessee in December 1863 and was prisoner exchanged in March 1865 close to the end of the war.  His prison time was spent in Rock Island, IL and was part of the affidavit given when he applied for a soldier’s pension from the government.  In it he also went so far as to let them know he ‘is ruptured and has piles and cannot do heavy or lifting work.’  For those of you who do not know, that means hernia and hemorrhoids.  Interesting reading, wouldn’t you say?

Saturday dawned bright and clear with the sun warming the air quickly.  We decided to do some exploring as we were all interested in the tunnel (remember the warning we encountered on our way to the campground) that is just up the road.  As it turns out we are right outside of Custer State Park and within the park is Sylvan Lake (we are told a good fishing lake that can be circumnavigated on foot).  We find the tunnel very quickly and indeed it is as advertised, very tiny and only one lane through it.  The intrepid explorers we are, we plunge right through it (in our car and not the motorhome) without incident.  Before we come to the park entrance, we find ourselves driving on a narrow roadway with many switchback curves that deposit us many more feet higher than when we began.

First tunnel warned about on way to Campground

Of course this presents a photo opportunity for our photography team and with boundless energy they jump from the car to capture just the right images.  After the stop we proceed further and locate the Custer State Park entrance adjacent to Sylvan Lake with a park store, restaurant and campground.  After surveying the lay of the land and the parking lot, David runs in the store to obtain fishing information.  He and I will be back before we leave because this lake is stocked with Rainbow Trout and the fishermen we saw did not know how to catch them.  We will show them if they are still hanging around when we return.  As we leave the parking lot, we catch a glimpse of another one of those signs about tunnels and no maintenance on the road during the winter months.

Picture taken at pullout along Needles Highway

We knew we were traveling on the Needles Highway but did not fully understand what that meant when we left this morning.  We are getting more and more information as we proceed and by the days end fully comprehend the significance of the terms ‘needles’ and ‘no maintenance.’  To give you a ‘feel’ of the experience, please picture deep, deep valleys and extremely high mountains.  Now look on the mountain and you see this car zig-zagging back and forth as it ascends the peak.  Now picture yourself in the car and look at the road ahead.  There is no center line painted on the road and it seems extremely narrow.  Look outside the car to the side and you see nothing but sky until you look down and you are staring at the edge of a precipice and over the tops of trees into the valley.  Now you look forward again and you see a sign with a curved arrow and a 5 MPH warning.  Uh-oh there is another vehicle approaching and you are scooted to the side as close as you dare and wonder if the other car will actually squeeze past you without hitting you or the rock on the other side of it.  Okay, you can breathe now because even though we experienced this many times today, we made it just fine.  Although Sophie is still gasping for air and asking for the oxygen bottle from time to time.

Kind of looks like the 'eye' of a needle

Yep, this is the Needles Highway

As we approach the forewarned tunnel (the second we encounter today-see picture below) we find a pull out to stop and take more pictures.  When we exit the vehicle we notice many more stopped vehicles with people peering down this very narrow tunnel.  Yes we see cars going through it and it is only one lane with narrow clearance.  We even see a dually truck that has very wide mirrors make it through but then we look and see a rented Cruise America Class C RV pulled over.  Now for those of you that do not know, it is quite a popular thing for foreign individuals from other countries visiting the US to ‘rent’ a RV and drive around our country looking at everything that is so marvelous about our homeland.  The only problem is the language barrier, understanding language idioms, warnings, signs, etc.  About this time, David wanders over to me and says, “let’s stay here until he decides to go through or turnaround.  I want a picture of this!”  “Okay”, I say in reply.

This is where the fun and entertainment begins.  As we are watching this scene unfold we realize the couple driving the RV are from Germany.  The wife is nervously watching her husband contemplating their next move.  The husband is ‘eyeballing’ the situation very closely.  He wisely seeks the counsel of one of the American bystanders who tells him in unequivocal terms, “no your RV will not fit through that opening.”  Not to be so easily persuaded to turn around and go back the way he came, our intrepid tourist walks off the distance across the tunnel as he counts, eins (1), zwei (2), drei (3) taking three large steps, then turns with his arms outstretched and looks at his wife with a nod that says it all.  I can make it and by George I am going through that tunnel.  He walks determinedly back to the RV and the wife waits nervously at the entrance of the tunnel.  Now don’t get ahead of me here or you will miss the grand entertainment we experienced.

One fellow has backed his car out of a parking spot to proceed in the opposite direction having already gone through the tunnel when he sees the gaggle of people that have congregated to watch this spectacle.  He pulls back into his parking space, runs over and breathlessly asks, “is he really going to try and go through there with that RV?”  Yes! We all exclaim as one voice.  David has sidled up to the wife and told her he is going to take pictures of this and she smiles pleasantly as they try to communicate through this wild haze of not comprehending words and the nervousness of the moment created by her determined husband.  Most people are in shock at this point that they are about to witness this ‘event.’  David continues his ‘conversation’ with the wife by asking her, do they have insurance.  We are not sure if she understood or was just being polite but we did hear a definite, Ya.  Soon after this with the entire congregation of spectators standing on tippy-toes to get the best vantage point and a thousand camera lenses pointed at the tunnel entrance we hear the cranking of a motor and a racing of the engine.

It was at this point, the fellow who gave the tourist the very sound advice, was overheard to say, “he did not take into account that the tunnel gets narrower the further you go and he only measured the opening.”  David also pointed out that there are numerous points and crags of rock that stick out from the walls creating even a narrower space than was measured by our German fellow.  Just then a swoosh of white and a cloud of dust accompany the RV as it makes the narrow turn into the entrance……

You can either read the rest of the story below, or if you are a visual person, please enjoy the attached video provided courtesy of our negotiator/photographer/wife, Beverly.  Make sure the sound is up and not muted so you can hear the comments too.

What you may not pick up in the video is the harrowing gasp from the crowd when he hits the wall the first time.  We do know he hits the wall at least two more times with a very audible gasp from the onlookers the last time because it was so loud.  Please watch the lady at the end shaking her head, scratching her head as she heads down the tunnel to catch up with the RV, that is our German wife dutifully following her crazy husband, shaking her head, after he exits the other side of the tunnel.  If you listen closely you will hear her say Nein, Nein, Nein as he hits the third time at the end of the tunnel.  You will know it by the last time you see taillights and then you see daylight around the RV.  

Now you may think that is the rest of the story, but you would be wrong.  For you see, there is another tunnel on down the road apiece.  It is after this second tunnel we spot the RV pulled over with the husband desperately trying to convince his wife he is not crazy as h_ _ _ and to please get back in the RV so they can continue their trip.  I do not speak German but I can sure read body language and it was definitely expressing the sentiment I relayed to you.  I would love to be the ‘fly on the wall’ when he turns the rented RV back in to the dealer as he explains the bumps and bruises on the fairly new looking rental.

Beverly also made a movie of us passing through the same tunnel as shown above to give you the sensation from a vehicle that is well within the parameters provided on the warning sign.  You can imagine the difference in a significantly larger vehicle.  Here is what the drive looks like going through the same tunnel as you just viewed watching the RV, however we are in our car (a much smaller vehicle) and you can readily see the sharp edges protruding into the tunnel.  We never did spot the one that caught the RV towards the end of his excursion through the tunnel.  Boy was this great fun!

The rest of our trip down the Needles Highway was rather uneventful.  We proceeded into Custer for a burger at a local bakery on our way to see the Crazy Horse Monument.  It is only partially finished but dwarfs all other sculptures in the world in its size and scale.  It is totally funded by private enterprise and that is the main reason it is not finished yet.  The original sculptor has died and his wife and family are carrying on the work.  Someday it may be finished but as of yet, the face is the most prominent part that has been completed.  We will show you pictures when we return and tell more about the details later.  We finished our tour today at an ice cream shop in downtown Hill City before returning to the campground.  Wonder what lies ahead tomorrow?

We will let you know.  For now that is all.

9/12/2013 ^ Yellowstone to Atlanta

This is the fifth Yellowstone to Atlanta email that was originally sent out as separate emails to family members to let them know where we were, what we were doing and give tidbits about our activities. I have copied the original emails and added some pictures for viewing. The trip started in August and ended in October.  This is the first of our extended stay trips in the Adventurer.

Please enjoy and feel free to share the link to the blog site with family and friends that might like to read and see the pictures.

Subject: Update time

Well it has been a few days and so here is the next update.  We got the part fixed in Cody as the mechanic promised if the delivery folks cooperated.  They did and after 3 nights in the KOA we were able to leave Cody, WY.  During our stay in the KOA, we noticed a trailer that had been purchased at Paul Hayes Travel Center in Longview with Texas plates.  The towing vehicle was not there when we spotted it and promised ourselves we would circle back around later to introduce ourselves and meet the owners.  Well one thing led to another and we forgot until the next day and went over but the trailer was gone.  Bart had two more couples come visiting from Longview while we were there and Beverly wonders if one of the couples belong to the trailer.  We will find out when we return to Longview if that indeed was one of the Longview couples visiting Bart.

I feel God blessed us with finding the mechanic just a quarter of a mile from where we decided to find a mechanic on Saturday and then he turns out to be an honest hard-working fellow that did not take advantage of a stranded traveler.  My total bill was $336 and the parts and overnight freight were $138 of the total.  I felt very comfortable with his knowledge and thoroughness in testing the part after installation.  I hope others will find their way to this great guy when needing work in Cody, WY.  The part arrived around 10 on Tuesday and when I pulled out of his service area, it was 12 noon.  So we ate a quick sandwich at the KOA, loaded up the toads and were off for Gillette, WY and an overnight stay at Wal-Mart.

We took a more southerly route to Gillette because the maps showed the terrain as relatively flatter.  North or South, we had one more mountain range to pass through before Gillette.  If our terrain was flatter, I would hate to navigate the Northern route.  David said he was tired of mountains, a feeling shared by a guy from Florida that we met in the Cody Ponderosa RV campground earlier.  In fact, this fellow said he was cutting his trip shorter than planned and heading back to Tampa.  He recommended a campground in Hill City, SD which is our next stop.

Good Bye WY, Hello SD

The next morning we left Gillette headed for Hill City with a stopover at Devils Monument.  We stopped at a picture taking location before we arrived at the monument.  This is where David announced he was not impressed but would reserve judgment until we had viewed up close.  His opinion changed considerably after we got up close and personal with the rock.  It is America’s first National Monument and highly revered by Indian culture.

It is easy to see why it is important.  It is over 600 feet tall and almost vertical on all sides.  There is a story the Indians tell as to how it came into existence that involves Indian girls chased by a large bear.  The most impressive aspect to us is the people who want to climb.  We counted around a half dozen or so climbing the day we were there.  Of course I must tell you about one of them.  We watched this guy climbing along with his buddy.  When they got ready to come down, the buddy kicked away from the side and with about three touches had rappelled down to wait on his friend.  Well his friend, Fred, started to make his descent and slipped almost falling.  That was all it took for Fred to catch himself and ask the question, ‘why did I ever come up here’?  Fred seemed frozen and would lean forward as if to go and then pull back to reassess over and over again.  Finally, there were people below yelling encouragement to poor ol’ Fred and in about 12 different languages but to no avail.  Fred could not make himself jump off the edge after almost falling.  I for one felt for Fred and wondered if there was a helicopter rescue on the way.  Slowly, ever so slowly, Fred began to inch his way down, sweating all the time.  We do not know the end of the story for we had tired of watching this drama and opted for lunch instead.  Good luck Fred, you either will get hungry enough to come on down or you will have to stay up there until someone comes to get you.  Either way, we are out of here.

Devil's Tower from afar

Closer but not there yet

Right next to it - That is Fred and his buddy beside the white arrow!  Oh my!

We drove around to a picnic area and had lunch before leaving.  We then stopped on our way out of the area to photograph some prairie dogs.  There is a colony right inside the front gate adjacent to Devils Tower.  They are fun and funny to watch but in reality, they look like a bunch of rats.  After several clicks of the cameras, it was time to get moving again.  Our destination is Horse Thief Campground in Hill City, SD which is located close to Rapid City, SD and strategically located between Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments.  This is the campground recommended by the Florida fellow.  We do not know why it is named ‘Horse Thief’ but I intend to find out before I leave.  I have about 400 horses with me, between the car and the motorhome, and I plan on leaving with all of them.

What are you looking at?

His recommendation told us it was nice, quiet and off the beaten path and he enjoyed it.  He is correct and it is off the beaten path.  We saw a sign right before the entrance to the campground warning that vehicles over 8’ wide and 10’ tall needed to stop and turnaround because there is a tunnel straight ahead that would not allow passage of those vehicles.  Well David and my rigs are 8-1/2’ wide and over 12’ tall.  Needless to say, we were awfully proud to see the driveway before we saw the tunnel.  The campground is up in the mountains (sorry David) and away from normal tourist traffic.  Cell phone service is spotty and the internet is the only real communication possibilities.  Beverly, our resident negotiator, got us a great weekly rate.  In fact, it is so good the lady that checked us in said in surprise when she pulled up our reservation what a good rate we got and wondered how we got it.  It does not hurt to have a silver tongued orator with you that is used to negotiating with powerful bankers to get what she wants done.

This is our first full day here and we decided yesterday we would take this day off and do nothing.  Mainly because David experienced a bit of an overheating problem as we climbed back into the mountains yesterday.  He told me last night that he might just be through with the mountains instead of being tired of them.  He reset the ‘Service Engine Soon’ light and researched to find out there is probably nothing permanent or damaging that has occurred.  He will finish the evaluation later and decide on what if anything he should do.  So we did exactly what we planned to do today, nothing.

Yep, this is what I am talking about!

Last night Sophie prepared a Mexican Stack and Quesadillas for supper.  Overnight it got down to 44 degrees and today the high was 70 degrees.  Beverly is preparing vegetable beef soup tonight.  Looking for another cold one tonight but it feels really great and we are certainly enjoying the non-100 degree temperatures.

We hope this finds everyone well and enjoying these rants.  Until next time...

9/8/2013 ^ Yellowstone to Atlanta

Subject: Catching up from Cody

Hello all.  Here is a report from Cody, WY as we are preparing to leave.  We have really enjoyed our time in Cody.  But now we are moving.  Having heard from our friends, Sam and Brenda, who are currently in Lewisville, TX we hear the temps are still close to 100 and they even reported a 107 temp during their drive through CO.  We took a vote and the unanimous decision is not to head towards the heat but to continue our travels eastward until the heat leaves TX.  So tomorrow we will head to Gillette, WY for a stopover.

Brenda let me know from the last email she expects the Screwy Louie tournament to continue once we are back together in TX.  Of course, Sophie and I are game but I am not sure Beverly (Bibi) is up to it after the last ‘spanking’ their team endured.  We will see.  Maybe she will have recovered enough from the mental stress to participate.

Getting  close to Cody, WY

Lake and tunnel entrance to other side entering Cody

Our first full day in Cody was Sunday and Bart dropped by that evening.  During his visit, he showed David and I the lures, line and fishing tackle he uses for trout fishing.  He is taking us fishing on Tuesday.  So Labor Day, David and I searched in Wal-Mart for the appropriate fishing enticements.  We did not find exactly what we were looking for but found enough similar lures to go fishing.  Bart had already bought all the lures he recommended we use but anticipated the store would have more by now.  Not to be deterred, we went looking for other tackle stores but are pleasantly surprised that people in Wyoming take Labor Day seriously and were not open.

The next morning Bart picked us up at 7 and we went to a local eatery for breakfast, called ‘Our Place.’  He told us we needed to be there no later than 7:30 or we would have to stand and wait for a place to eat.  It is a place the locals enjoy and he was correct, because around 7:30 the place was packed and hungry folks waiting to get in on the porch.  Wish I could take ‘Our Place’ with us and its 25 cent bottomless cup of coffee.  Next we headed off towards the Shoshone River for our first stop of fishing during the day.

We pulled up in front of a house and Bart told us to wait there while he carried the bait (homemade peanut brittle) up to the house to get permission to fish.  In Wyoming, the water is publicly owned but the land underneath the water and beside it is privately owned.  So you can fish anywhere you want as long as you stay in a boat but you cannot step out of the boat without a landowner’s permission unless you are on public lands.  Shortly he returned with a big smile, without the bait, and told us we have permission and that the bait works every time.  (Note to self, learn how to make peanut brittle)

We made our way to the river’s edge full of anticipation and trepidation.  The bank was steep since the river is not swollen with melted snow this time of year and the bed is full of rounded river rock making the walking somewhat clumsy.  Bart, being the old pro he is, navigated these skillfully like a mountain goat while David and I learned as we walked how to get around without falling.  After a bit, we each took our places and within two or three casts we hear a whistle.  It is Bart with the first catch of the day, a nice 18 inch trout.  Evidently he noticed the excitement mingled with disappointment on my face so he brought me up river to where he was and told me where to cast my lure.  On the second cast, I too have a fish but it is only 16 inches long and not big enough to keep.  Since it is my first trout I have ever caught, it felt funny releasing him back into the river, after all, 16 inches is a pretty big trout anywhere. 

My next cast into the same spot cost me my lure.  This is how it went for me this day.  It seems whenever I caught a fish, the next cast I lost my lure.  Bart consoled me by telling me that I was doing it right and that I was getting the lure down where the big fish were located.  Somehow this did not help too much since he caught bigger fish all day and never lost his lure.  David had better luck with the lures and actually caught a big fish too.  All in all, we had a good day and enjoyed Bart’s company and fishing expertise.  We kept a rainbow, a cutthroat and two German browns all 18 inches or more since that was more than enough for a fish plentiful meal.  Pictures are attached of Bart with three specimens and David with his biggest fish of the day for those of you doubtful of this fish tale.  Bart had a good time as well.  He drove us to many places not on the tourist map and reminisced all day long.  Bart grew up here and we enjoyed hearing his stories probably even more than he enjoyed telling them to us.

Bart with 3 of the fish from the Shoshone River

Catch of the Day!

David's first trout caught in Wyoming!

We made plans during the day to meet Sophie and Beverly (Bibi) at Bart’s nephew’s place in Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame) just north of Cody and next to Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River.  The GPS navigation system worked well for the girls but driveways are shared in WY and made for some guesswork on their part.  Luckily Brett, the nephew, was home and saw them as they tried to turn around and leave.  He ran outside and flagged them down because we were late getting there due to the great fishing and they could not see us or Bart’s truck.  All’s well that ends well.  We had a marvelous time getting to know Brett and his wife Stella.

They have a magnificent place built right beside a stream on 40 acres.  The area is in a high wind area (some have been clocked at 130 MPH+) and he built the house to withstand the force of the winds and the cold temps encountered during the winters.  They are very warm, inviting people and prepared a delightful meal for us.  Bart fried the trout we caught during the day and judging by the amount of fish consumed by everyone, it was some kind of good eating.  We said goodbye late in the evening and drove back to the RV park for a good night’s sleep.

The next day we headed over to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a historical research center and series of 5 museums.  We enjoyed learning about Buffalo Bill, the habitat of the area, indian cultures and seeing the collection of over 2,700 guns of all shapes and sizes.  We were tired after this excursion so we took the rest of the evening off to review our future travel plans.  During this review, we were assaulted with violent winds and rain.  We had been told the winds could really blow here but this without a doubt proved it.  I had not felt this much movement in the RV since riding out a tropical storm in Perdido Key, FL years ago.  Finally, it settled into a nice rain the rest of the night.

There is Buffalo Bill Cody inviting us to come on in

Some of his stuff from the Wild West Show days

Waking the next morning to a beautiful day, we took Sophie and Beverly (Bibi) to ‘Our Place’ to experience the wonderful breakfast.  We needed to eat well before heading off on a day’s drive on Chief Joseph Scenic Highway and the Beartooth Highway.  We packed a picnic lunch for later in the day.  Our photography team went nuts with the various vistas offered throughout this drive.  Cody is around 5,000 feet above sea level and we climbed through various levels up to 11,000 feet during the day.  There was one stop at the very top where the temperature was 64 degrees and we noticed when we got back to Cody the temp was 93 degrees so there was a 30 degree swing in temp between the two elevations.  We stopped for our picnic lunch beside Beartooth Lake nestled right up against the Beartooth Butte.  As we ended the drive in Red Lodge, Montana we found the candy store with homemade saltwater taffy, Beverly’s favorite.  We bought over a pound of the stuff and were surprised when David showed up with their sack full of goodies that easily outweighed ours.

View from Dead Indian overlook on Chief Joseph Highway

Same overlook with a pan to the left from 1st picture - WOW!

Sophie and Beverly as we leave Chief Joseph highway and head to Beartooth Highway

Beartooth mountain (tallest); where highway gets its name

View from our picnic area beside Beartooth Bluff and Beartooth Lake

Felt like we are and next pictures look like we are at the Top of the World!

View from the top

Where did all the trees go?

Notice the snow pole on the rail.  Must get a lot up here.

Heading back down

Back in the trees again.  That is our highway to use in getting down from up here.

Sophie and David, Rock Creek Vista Point - Elev 9,190 ft

Friday is our last day in Cody and there are three things I wanted to do before leaving.  Visit the Japanese ‘relocation’ center, Old Trail Town and the gunfight in the street re-enactment.  David and I went to the relocation center at Heart Mountain, located midway between Cody and Powell.  The site is preserved in part and is open to the public to see the conditions at the camps.  There were 10 of these camps established in different places during WWII to house Japanese and Japanese-Americans away from the West Coast of the USA for fear of spying and invasion by Japanese forces after the sneak attack by Japan on our Navy at Pearl Harbor.  The population at this camp was right around 11,000 people, making it the third largest city in Wyoming at that time.  We spent our time learning about the camp and the people.  We know it was wartime and strange things happen during war including harsh reactions to people.  Not unlike today with the Al-Qaeda threat.

Heart Mountain - Indian laying on his back, head to left with big hump in his chest shows his heart.  We used this as our landmark in Cody.  Always knew where we were by locating Heart Mountain.

Beverly and Sophie opted out of the visit to the camp and instead chose to catch up on the laundry.  During the day a large thunderstorm came up and it began to rain.  This left them no choice but to go back to the RVs and put David and Sophie’s awning back up due to the wind.  They did it just fine and felt a lot more confident in their future efforts to learn about all the various RV systems on the rigs.  Speaking of thunderstorms, a second round came up overnight and caused both of us to ‘batten down the hatches’.  It was even more dramatic than the previous ones we endured earlier during the week.  We moved the slides in due to the awnings flapping so hard and closed the small bat-wing roll out windows in the bedrooms because of the wind shaking them so much.  This was quite a show of forceful wind and rain.  We had been warned earlier in the week not to leave the awnings out and leave the motorhome.  This is because Cody will get winds that come up quickly (with or without rain) that can easily rip or tear the awning from the RV.  I, for one, believe it.

Well, in between the weather episodes, it cleared off and we all went to Old Trail Town.  This is an attraction in Cody that represents how an old trail town would have appeared in the late 19^th Century.  They have collected a number of real cabins and buildings from various areas in Wyoming, disassembled and reassembled them here all together along with furnishings, historical items, wagons, buggies and other articles to resemble a town.  This is a very interesting and unique exhibit to walk into places where Butch Cassidy, Jeremiah Johnston and other historical figures actually walked and lived.  After dinner that evening, Beverly and I went downtown to the Irma Hotel (built by Buffalo Bill Cody and named after his daughter Irma) to witness the gunfight in the street.  Sophie and David chose to sit this excursion out.  After it was over, I wish I had opted out too.  It was interesting but sound quality interfered with the story line and was not as engaging an experience as I had wanted.  Turned out as I expected, a bunch of dead bad guys in the street with the good guys not even suffering one single wound and clearly victorious without seriously trying to win.  Oh well, us bad guys never get a break.

Old Trail Town

It is now Saturday and time to leave Cody.  Our plans are to travel to Gillette and spend the night.  Then we will head towards Rapid City, SD with a stop between Gillette and SD to see Devils Tower.  But, wait a minute.  There seems to be a problem.  First rattle out of the bag and David encounters an issue with one of the arms on his tow bar.  Beverly and I had stopped for gasoline at the station we had scoped out the day before.  I had finished filling up and no Sophie or David yet.  About this time we get a text telling of the troubles and instructed that everything is now okay after David broke out his tools and did some quick repairs.  So we await them in an adjacent parking lot because they will need gas too.  After they fill up, we take off pulling in behind them as we leave Cody.  But wait, there are more problems.  Now I have a warning light on my dashboard telling me there is an issue with the Auto Park brake on my RV.  We have made it approximately 3 – 4 miles out of Cody when we decide there is nothing left to do but have a mechanic check out the issue.

It is Saturday but we find one open just about a mile from us so we unhook the car (could not find a turnaround large enough to make a u-turn with the rig and car still hooked together) and go back to his garage.  (Note to self - drive/travel on weekdays)  David and Sophie proceed thinking this is a minor thing and we will be along shortly.  Well 2 – 3 hours later it is not so minor.  A pressure switch must be ordered from the closest Workhorse Chassis location in Denver on Monday and replaced on Tuesday.  So here we are still in Cody for at least the next three days.  David and Sophie had to retrace the miles between Greybull and Cody.  Ahhhhh.  Life on the road, just what we expected would happen.  The good news is traveling with friends makes this a lot easier to deal with and there are no deadlines for a bunch of retirees.  So this is just what the doctor ordered, a few days of R&R while awaiting repairs to the rig.  We will update you in a few days as to our progress and whereabouts.  Until then, we are still having a great time.