September 17 through September 23, 2004

Friday September 17:

I awoke late today, and noticed the lot had filled considerably during the night. I had not noticed any noise from the arriving RVs either…..  :-))  I want to shop once more in Cabalas before we go, and take pictures of the taxidermy display inside and try again for the fish...The taxidermy display alone is worth the visit here.  I doubt I ever get this close to antelope in the wild....

I took way too many pictures of this display, and will not overload your bandwidth with many...but I HOPE I do not get any closer to a mountain lion than this...EVER.  :-)

The fish resisted my attempts to capture their souls mightily .....but I finally lucked out with this gar.

I just MUST find a better way to deal with reflections from glass!  I am intrigued by this Ford pickup truck on display outside the store.

  It is priced at $42,000, and I am wondering just how much the added Harley Davidson name tag can be worth....  :-)  We shower, dump, fill water, and move on toward the west.  This is the corn belt as we can plainly tell...

Here there has been enough rain to keep the corn green and even sections of fields flooded.  We find the Walmart in Worthington MN after missing it and taking a second loop around the interstate.  The sign is  visible from the interstate, but disappears totally after taking the exit.  We fuel, as prices in the Walmart are very low, and settle for the night.  I have much to do on the website and work late.  

Saturday September 18:

I awake early and download the e-mail and financial data.  There is MUCH to do on the website too.  Claire finds that Worthington is having their "King Turkey" festival this weekend, so we decide to bike downtown and see what the commotion is all about.  Folks are lining the streets waiting for the parade due in about an hour.  There are all sorts of calorie laden carnival goodies to buy from trailers who came here for the occasion, but we resist.  :-)   I could not resist these horses being groomed for their job in the parade; pulling a shiny red Wells Fargo stagecoach.  

Their handler said they were Belgian/Quarter Horse mix breed, and they did seem to be enjoying the attention they were getting.  This clown was walking along the road pushing his unicycle.

I thought it was good he had a smile PAINTED on his face.....  :-)    We returned to the RV, had lunch then departed for Sioux Falls.  We had a LOT of difficulty finding the Walmart we were heading for.  The computer plotting of detailed routes had been deferred as the website work took precedence, and the Walmart guide was wrong on the interstate exit to use for the store we sought.  We seldom need to ask directions, but now had no choice.  The lady answering my question in great detail then had one for me....her "check oil" light had come on, and she had added a quart...then suspected she had overfilled it.  I confirmed that indeed she had it a quart high, and suggested she have the quart removed.  She said her husband would do that later tonight...OK!  We quickly found the Sams, and found their gas prices were the lowest we had seen since Ohio.  We filled even though we did not need much.  The weather in the afternoon was HOT.  I continued to work the web page, finished it, but found uploading slow and difficult. The cell system seemed to be fully loaded.  It's time to sleep, and do it in the early morning!

Sunday September 19:

Today was a late day leaving Walmart, as there was lots of Internet business to attend to, and fuel to buy, and we received a cellphone call as we were fueling, but we finally got off to see nearby Sioux Falls.  It was interesting and scenic.

The above view was from the observation tower.   I was surprised to find the falls had been used for hydropower in the past, starting in 1908 for street lights and street car power, and being used as backup to a steam generating plant into the late 1940's

 The long abandoned power plant was just now being converted to a cafe overlooking the falls...  :-)  A third layer of the falls had been completely blasted away to better harness the water power for polishing rock and milling grain in earlier years.  The rock around the falls is pink quartzite, very hard and pinkish, and useful for construction. Even today this rock is crushed and used as aggregate for road construction.  This park is quite pleasant.  We wondered what the little chipmunk like  animals we saw running around were.  One chap sitting on a bench said they were called "squeakies" by locals.  

The lady at the information desk said she thought they were 13 stripe ground squirrels....you can count 'em if you wish!  :-)  The falls were long favorite places for family photographs.

We wouldn't want to break with local tradition, would we?  :-)  We moved to Flying J for the night.  We did not need fuel, and they were more expensive than Walmart by quite a bit, but I bought a tape player audio input adapter with 12 power regulator here.  They said they would take it back within 30 days if it did not work.  This tape adapter worked right out of the box.  One I had tried before had the symptoms of being inserted with the tape player in the reversed mode mentioned in these instructions.  After looking in the book for the radio, I found that pressing TWO buttons simultaneously would reverse the tape direction...GEEZE, what ever happened to form follows function design...?  I had tried every button on the radio at least twice when the other adapter would not work....but never two pressed at once.  Live and learn...and pay an unnecessary $20 for the learning!  :-)  

Monday September 20:

This is a planned long day.  After showers and dump at Flying J, we weighed the motorhome on their truck scale.  It weighed in at  16680 pounds, comfortably under the 18000 pound Gross vehicle weight limit, with both axles within their ratings with full water and fuel, and empty waste tanks. It is well worth the $7.50 charge to do this annually to make sure we are not succumbing to "stuff creep" as we travel. We stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD.

This place is decorated with murals made of dried corn ears of various colors.   The workers were busy redecorating when we visited.

 They are set up to halve ears of corn, and the designs are chalked on roofing paper on the side of the building including the color of corn to use.

 The workers said that the corn lasts about a year due to weathering and consumption by birds.  :-)  Here is an up close view of a finished corn mural.

We moved on to the Lewis & Clark commemorative rest stop in Chamberlain SD.  The drive here through rain showers was WINDY, and one RV pulled off the road ahead of us.  It was listing badly due to the wind, and had passed us twice only to slow down, then finally pulled off.  I thought it had a broken spring, but then thought about the 30 degree steering wheel correction I had to use to stay on the road against the force of the strong south wind, and concluded maybe we had some list too.  :-)   The wind blew hard enough to make walking against it difficult, but the scenery overlooking the Missouri river was worth it.  

Even on this grey rainy day the view was impressive. This rest stop had lots of displays about the Lewis and Clark expedition (it is the bi-centennial anniversary of their trip this year).  The observation platform overlooking the river was a modified replica of the expedition's keel boat used to carry supplies until the river got too swift to use it.

The keel boat was sent back when it was no longer useful.  The front causing the wind had passed through while we stopped in the rest area, and driving was improved in the lighter north wind that blew on the rest of our trip to the badlands.  We passed large fields of sun flowers (now I know where the bird food we buy comes from...). We could not tell before paying WHAT the Badlands National Park campground charge would be.  They had a hard to use computer based terminal that took info sequentially, starting with golden age passport number and ending with the charge...I suppose we could have refused to put in the credit card...but the charge was $5, and the dump costs an extra $1.  Not unreasonable, I just think it would be better if they had prices listed up front.  The terminal had a touch screen that took light but long presses of the screen to work...the harder and more desperately you pushed the keys (and said "encouraging" words to it ) as it told you on the loudspeaker that the transaction was timing out, the more it refused to work....WHAT are the designers thinking?  DUHHHH....  After I returned to the campsite I learned that I had paid for the wrong space, and we would have to move one site over.  This one is totally my fault...double DUHHHH.  The heated squash soup must be returned to a covered container and microwaving of dinner started over after we move.  :-((  This campground is quiet, but uninspiring...we have been in more spectacular ones.

 The badlands formations are clearly visible in the distance, but not spectacularly "in your face" as in some of the Utah and California parks.  We observe a young couple move into a spot next door with only a car....and evidently they spent the night sleeping in the reclining front seats.  They were gone quite early the next day!

Tuesday September 21:

50.7 degrees under the RV at 7AM.  It rained most of the night…not real hard, but steady showers, no thunder.  Today we plan a long hike in the badlands….then another night here.  The weather forecast of showers all day changed those plans; we will walk less, so we can return if it rains, then go through a fossil site and into Wall on our way to Rapid City.  This way we get more out of a day not real good for outdoor activity.  We start kinda late for a planned long day, but it IS raining.  Claire goes to take out the trash, and kicks something she is sure is a cat underfoot...

It turns out to be a way too tame cottontail rabbit.  :-)  We drive to the hiking trail start, and take our full rain suits.  It is QUITE cool today, so they are welcome as wind breakers and added warmth even if it does not rain.  There is a "fossil trail" exhibit....but some of the plaster is showing.  Oh well.....something has to hold the teeth I guess.  :-)   We start the main trail hike.  It leads back into the formations.

We hike almost 4.5 miles total to an overlook and back. Some of the terrain looks like pictures I've seen of the dark side of the moon.....if we ignore the dark clouds.  :-)

We had the good fortune to have no rain for the hike out to the overlook.

We decided against the "very strenuous" hike down the hill, as we would just have to hike back up to get back to the RV.  We ate "lunch" here....trail mix and water eaten behind a badlands formation that gave shelter from the wind.  Light rain started as we finished lunch and continued until we got back to the RV.

It did little to dampen our spirits inside the suits though.... The sticky mud that stuck to our boots like glue was a bit of a different matter; it required a thorough water/stiff brush cleanup, or a plastic bag...we elected to bag them, as we expect to use the boots to hike soon again, and the soil may be equally sticky. We drove past some really beautiful overlooks high above the badlands.

 It was here that the resemblance to the formations at Bryce Canyon in Utah became obvious.   The badlands seem to be formed by the same process as Bryce, but the soils are different so the slope of the formation sides are much steeper at Bryce. I can sure see why a family looking for a place to farm would term this area the 'Badlands".  It is pretty though, and now is a major attraction of the tourist industry.  :-)  Wall Drug in Wall, SD is a typical tourist trap.

 We partake of their well advertised nickel cup of coffee, paying with pennies which made us feel a bit lighter too.

I figure they can sell a cup of coffee for a nickel at just about break even in the china cup they use.  Pay is by the honor system, coins in the slot over a box, so the only labor is washing the cups and filling the percolators.  We pass up the rest of the "temptations", although the prices here are not as outrageous as at some tourist places.  We drive to Rapid City under leaden skies, with intermittent rain.  We arrive after 5:30 PM, and Claire is attracted to the Golden Corral steakhouse next door to the Walmart.  It is late to be starting dinner, and we are both hungry from the light lunch and exercise, so we succumb to the lure of the buffet once more...  :-(  We do not grossly overdo it this time.  Claire enjoys her steak, and I the fish and chicken.  We pass on most of the rich desserts, but cannot pass up the soft serve vanilla/orange sherbet twist mix ice cream though!  It was a good way to end the rainy day, and bed came quite soon after return to the RV.

Wednesday September 22:

It is COLD this morning; 48 under the RV at 5 AM, and likely to get colder before the sun starts to warm us…if it does. Rain is likely here until Thursday.  We expect to see Mount Rushmore today, then drive the scenic loop to Spearfish SD for the night.  We must use great care in selecting our route to Yellowstone Park, as the dreaded S word has been mentioned in weather reports already, albeit now mixed with rain.  We need more information, but it may be best for us to stay on I-90 up into Montana and approach the park from the north on the only entrance open all winter.  We will soon be needing the furnace.  It is 52 inside the RV this morning, and even in my fleece "snow suit" it is kinda cold to type.  :-)  We drive to Mount Rushmore and find parking costs $8 with no Golden Age discount, as the parking is concessionaire operated.  There is no other place to park, so we pay, and receive a parking pass good for the rest of the year.  I imagine most visitors are like us, and will not use the pass again.  Mount Rushmore is awesome....

The rocks below the statues are the cuttings left from the sculptors work.  This 1925 photo shows the mountain before work started.

No wonder that rock pile under the statues is so big.....  :-)   I was surprised to find out that the US Government paid 90% of the cost of the project.  It cost over $900,000 ( in 1920's dollars) to bring to it's present state, and was not considered "finished" by it's creators when work stopped in the 1940's for lack of funds and the more important WW II war effort. It looks pretty complete to me now though.  :-)  The rocks are not free of weathering effects, and cracks are sealed to prevent pieces from cracking off from water penetration and freezing.  This park has other attractions too.

A tame herd of mountain goats is prominently visible in the park.  They all wear large collars, perhaps for an invisible fence, perhaps for other reasons, but they are delightful to watch so close yet pseudo wild.  We drove towards Spearfish on hilly roads.

 It had been a LONG day for me, and finally we both agreed not to take the longer and more difficult scenic route to Spearfish, but to get on I-90 by the most direct route.  The camera was insisting on focusing on the windshield bugs almost all the time, so we were getting no photos worthy of looking at any way.  While on I-90, a road sign indicated Gillette WY was only 97 miles away, and we decided to go for that instead  of the more touristy Spearfish.  We could find out about the routes to Yellowstone on the way at Sundance WY too.  At Sundance the lady suggested roads we could use, but said snow was a possibility.  She said the Wyoming road crews were very good at clearing, but did not use any salt to clear roads, just sand.  I noticed in the weather forecast that the lows in Yellowstone were 20 degrees all week too...  :-(  She suggested we drive to Yellowstone through Cody, then down the western edge of Wyoming through Jackson to pick up the interstate to Salt Lake City.  We continue on to Gillette, find the Flying J does not have the usual RV parking spaces, and find a place to park at K-mart.  Claire prepares dinner of Jumbalya while I listen to the business report discussing the huge rise in oil prices.  We decide to eat, then immediately fuel to avoid possible price increases.  While fueling, a Flying J truck driver filling the station tanks tells Claire our headlight is out.  He also mentions diesel prices are going up 4 cents a gallon tomorrow.  YIKES!  We decide to park overnight at Walmart, where I buy a new headlight bulb and install it.  I am READY for bed this night!!

Thursday September 23:

I started the morning shivering while typing; it was COLD, 45 under the RV.  We had numerous discussions about whether it was wise to continue on to Yellowstone.  The forecast there was for nights in the low 20's, with a chance of snow each day and night.  We agreed it was not going to be pleasant worrying about snow, even if it did not appear, and nights that low in temperature are not much fun either. We go RVing to ESCAPE winter, not find it early in a different place!  We choose a route south from Gillette to Casper going through National Grasslands, with the destination ultimately Salt Lake City UT in a few days.  We hoped to see buffalo in the grasslands, but the lady in the visitors center next to Flying J said the best chance was at a private buffalo ranch before the grasslands.  She also suggested a local free "mining museum" in town.   We went there but found most of the exhibits dealt with local ranching life in the early 1900's.  This sheepherder's wagon was interesting.

The cover is fabric to save weight.  The interior is space efficient and cozy, but has all the equipment necessary for one shepard to spend month moving along with his sheep across the wide grasslands.

Can I see us downsizing the RV in a few years...  :-)  Noooo...Claire has already declared there is no room for two, and she will not go!  :-))  Might be hard getting the fuel for a horse at Flying J too....   There were beautifully tooled  saddles on display.

This Model A Ford truck had the hood off, exposing its 200 cubic inch 4 cylinder engine

It is said to get 20 miles to the gallon, but no horsepower was stated.  We started our drive to Casper.  There were MANY pronghorn antelope visible along the highway.  

Some crossed the road, jumping fences like they were not even there.  These were a bit elusive for photography at first.  The camera insisted on focusing on the reflections in our windows, but finally I found out how to force the focus to infinity manually; pictues got MUCH better, and the camera took them faster too.  This is how ALL pictures should have been taken from the vehicle for the past three years...DUHHH!  We did find buffalo visible in the distance from the road, and Claire stopped so I could take pictures.  I was not fully satisfied, but these were better than any I had so far.  We continued a short distance and there was a herd right along the fence.  They seemed to be disturbed that I walked toward the fence, and they got up and ambled slowly away.  I got as many pictures as I wanted, and returned to the RV as two animals approached the fence looking at me intently.

 I remarked to Claire that those buffalo had seemed a bit defensive.  She said they looked to her like farm animals expecting a meal from the RV.  I looked out the RV window and the whole herd had gathered at the fence in apparent anticipation of being fed.

 We hate to disappoint them, but WHAT do buffalo eat except grass? We drove to Casper, and the RV transmission started "bumpy" shifting from stop into 1st, and 1st to 2nd gear as we pulled up the hill and into Walmart after making a wrong turn, and turning around in a car dealership.  I checked the transmission fluid and it was right on the "H" on the stick, and bright red, with no burned smell.  We decided to wait for it to cool off and see if it is different in the AM; it definitely bears careful watching.  We sorta do try to make up for disappointing the hungry buffalo at dinner time, when we enjoy DELICIOUS buffalo burgers with potatoes mashed with the last  kale from our garden back home. :-)

 This meat deserves much more popularity.  It is much better than beef in my opinion.  We paid $7 a pound for it, but there was so little fat in it that Claire had to add a bit of oil to the pan to fry it. I think this may be comparable in value to 90% lean ground sirloin at $6 a pound, and it tastes better.  I know one pound gave each of us two medium burgers that were quite an ample dinner serving.   We do not yet find it at Walmarts, but Albertson's in Rapid City SD had it.

PLANS:  We will continue south and west through Salt Lake City, and then probably into some of Utah's fabulous parks.  We enjoyed the ones we saw there two years ago, and there are others we have not seen.  The speed of our southerly progress will be determined in large part by the weather.  Until next time...ENJOY!  We are!