Devil's Tower and Vore Buffalo Jump- September 3, 2012

Happy Labor Day!! We were up and moving early this morning (this happens when we change time zones east to west).  A little past 8am we were in the Jeep headed for Devil's Tower, about 28 miles from Sundance.  Not far from Sundance 3 does and a fawn crossed the road in front of us to a field that had a wire fence around it.

The does were able to jump the fence but the fawn was having a frantic time trying to find a way through the fence and we were adding to his stress so we quickly moved on.  Miles from Devil's Tower we were able to get views of it and the roadside pullouts allowed for picture taking.

Arriving at the Visitor's Center we saw that a ranger led walk around the tower was scheduled for 9:30am so we whiled away some time and then went along on the one and half hour walk.

Periodically, the ranger would stop and talk about the various aspects of the "Tower", the geology, the recreational, the spiritual and the flora and fauna.  The "Tower" resulted from magma that cooled underground causing it to contract and fracture into columns.  Erosion of the sedimentary rocks over millions of years exposed the "Tower".  A horizontal cut through the "Tower" would appear as a bundle of pencils grouped together.  There are hiking trails around the base of the "Tower" as well as over 200 trails to climb to the top.  This is one of many sites in this country that has special meaning for Native Americans and throughout the surrounding area prayer cloths  are seen tied to trees by Native Americans.

Ponderosa pine trees and an oak tree grow about the base of the "Tower"- the oak is seen from this elevation and lower and the ponderosa in higher elevations.  In the grassy lower level near the park entrance prairie dogs abound.  Porcupines live around the base of the "Tower" in the piles of rocks and in the winter eat the bark of the ponderosa trees.  Rattlesnakes, coyote, cougars, deer and squirrels also frequent this area.

Leaving the "Tower" we continued on a circular route through scenic rural Wyoming.  In the little town of Aladdin (population of 15) we stopped at Cindy B's restaurant for lunch of burgers that had been recommended by the campground personnel.  The food was good.  Their pie is supposedly very good but we were too full of the 1/2 pound burgers to partake. 

Continuing on our next stop was at the Vore Buffalo Jump.

This archeological site was discovered when Interstate 90 was being built in the 1970's.  The sink hole was used by the Native Americans to stampede the herds into the hole that resulted in the death of the animals and the butchering and processing of the meat in the hole.  There are 7 layers of bones that are being uncovered by University students during the summer months.

A building has been erected over the dig area.  It is overseen by a foundation set up ny the Vore family on whose property this area was found.

Tomorrow we will move on to Cody, Wyoming.  We should meet up with Larry and Joanne there as we have been hopscotching across the country with one another.  We will be going into Yellowstone on Thursday and should get together a time or so while there.  We will be staying at Fishing Bridge in the park, Larry and Joanne in West Yellowstone at a private park.

The weather has been very pleasant here.  The high today was 81 degrees with sunny skies.  It was 59 degrees this morning- great for sleeping and no air conditioning needed.  This sure beats the 100 degrees we saw in South Dakota 2 days ago.

Badlands and Wall Drug- September 2, 2012

We awoke this morning to see a beautiful sunrise over the prairie at Presho, S.D. 

By 8am we were on the road once again and shortly after starting out we were in Mountain time so we gained an hour.   We passed huge fields of sunflowers this morning in South Dakota as we had passed yesterday in Minnesota.   

Leaving the interstate we drove the loop road through the Badlands.  We had taken this drive before but the views continue to be amazing and beautiful to us. 

Leaving the badlands we were immediately in the town of Wall, S. D., the home of the famous Wall Drug Store that has billboards all along the interstates.

We had been here once before but decided to stop again and, like before, found nothing to get overly excited about.  Back on the road we stopped for fuel and a short while later at a rest area for lunch.  Entering Wyoming we made a stop at the visitor’s center to pick up a state map and gather information about Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.  Two hundred sixty-eight miles of travel, the last 20 miles into the state of Wyoming, and we made our stop at Sundance.  We will be here for 2 nights- time to catch our breaths and get a side trip to Devil’s Tower tomorrow.

Corn Palace and Missouri River- September 1, 2012

Just a little past 7:30am we left behind the land of the Jolly Green Giant and continued west on I-90.  Before leaving Minnesota we passed wind farms with those big windmills.  

Today’s 319 mile trip took us into South Dakota.  Before noon we were in Mitchell, South Dakota and stopped to see this year’s Corn Palace decoration.  The title of the decoration was “Youth Activities”.

We have seen this palace several times previously but it was always late spring or early summer after the decoration had been worked over well by the birds throughout the winter.  The display we saw today was newly done this summer and very little picking had been done by the birds yet.   It is amazing to see this knowing that the pictures are entirely of different colored corns and seeds. And each year the theme and pictures are new.  After stopping for lunch at Culver’s and filling up with fuel we continued on.

Before crossing the Missouri River there is a rest/viewing area that we stopped at.

To me this is one of the more scenic areas on I-90.  The blue water of the river surrounded by the golden hills as the road descends down a lengthy hill is breathtaking.  It was quite warm and windy as we walked to the viewing area at this stop.   Along the way we saw large fields of sunflowers with their heads drooping in the afternoon sun.  We did stop at Presho. S.D. for the night at New Frontier Campground.  Not the cheap camping tonight- $28.89- but we have full hook-ups and some laundry can get done.  The temperature at Presho reached 100 degrees today and it is quite windy.  Winds are usually blowing steady across the grassy plains.

Jolly Green Giant Land- August 31, 2012

Shortly after 8am we pulled out of Fisherman’s Corner campground after we took on some water and dumped our holding tanks.  Crossing the Mississippi River we were in Iowa and we continued west on I-80 to Iowa City. 

Then we started a northwestern ascent on I-380 to Waterloo where we picked up state route 218 that finally connected to I-35.  On I-35 it was a straight north shot into Minnesota and I-90 heading due west.  In Waterloo we did stop at a Appleby’s for lunch.  Three hundred forty-three miles behind us, we stopped for the night at Blue Earth, Mn., home to the Jolly Green Giant.  A 47.5 foot statue of the “Giant” on a 8 foot base overlooks the town.

 

The Blue Earth Fairgrounds has an area for camping that we are staying in tonight and what a deal this is- the first 24 hours is free camping ($20.00 a night after that) and we are able to hook-up to 50 amp electric. 

It is another warm day with a nice breeze.  We have been seeing rivers and ponds throughout this area that are really low.  It is a definite water need here and just maybe  hurricane Isaac along the Gulf coast will bring some much needed rain to these states suffering a drought this year. 

The Westward Trail- August 30,2010

Tuesday morning (8/28/12) we left home at 9:15 am.  We went north to Hagerstown, Md. and then continued into Pennsylvania where we picked up the Pennsylvania turnpike in Breezewood.  Continuing west we crossed into Ohio on that states turnpike.  As we were passing through the mountains in Pennsylvania we noticed that trees were beginning to show some changes in their colors.  Fall will soon be here.  Nearly 300 miles, we stopped at Newton Falls, Ohio, about 30 miles into Ohio for the night.  Ridge Ranch Campground has been a stop for us on previous trips.  It is a Passport America park so our half price cost for the night was $15.00 for full hook-ups.  The weather was very pleasant and we didn’t even need to run the air conditioners.

Wednesday morning we got underway about 8:40am knowing that this days trip would be a little less than 200 miles.  Twenty –five miles from the Ohio/Indiana border we exited and went to Harrison Lake State Park where we stayed for the night.  Harrison Lake was another Passport America Park and we only paid $12.00 for this night (50 amp electric , no water or sewer hook-ups).   Tom’s sister and family lives in this area so we make a family visit when in this area.  We arrived there a little past 12  noon, had lunch and the rested for a while before visiting.  We spent several hours in the late afternoon and evening visiting and enjoying a pizza supper with the family.  The weather again on this day was just beautiful and was cool enough that air conditioning was not needed.

Today, Thursday, we were on the road by 8:30am traveling west across Indiana on the turnpike  into Illinois.  We continued across Illinois on I-80, 345 total miles. Tonight we are in a Corps of Engineer campground, Fisherman’s Corner, on the east bank of the Mississippi and at a cost of $8.00,  half price with our National Park Senior Pass ( again 50 amp only hook-up).  We were in the campground by 2pm.  After resting a little while, we drove around the area finding a Walmart, of course, to pick up a few items and then to a little Mexican restaurant for dinner.  We stopped at the Corps of Engineer dam near the campground and walked out on the dam.

The water by the campground has lots of water lilies and other aquatic vegetation growing.

The weather today has become much warmer with temps going into the 90’s, air conditioning is being run in the motorhome.

Westward Ho!

Tomorrow we will start heading westward toward Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park , then the Grand Circle of National Parks in the Utah/Northern Arizona area and finally the Albuquerque Balloon Festival.  We have planned for this trip differently than previous trips.  Using Microsoft Streets and Trips we planned out our route and then we planned our stops along the way, even campgrounds.  Of course, nothing is etched in stone so if need be changes can and will be made.  We have some commitments that is dictating our travels somewhat.  Tomorrow we will be in eastern Ohio and then Wednesday we'll have a shorter day to western Ohio for an overnight visit with Tom's sister and family. 

Time with the Grandkids- August 18, 2012

We have had a 2 week period of Grandkids.  We started out the first week with 12 year old Maddi and Parker who turned 3 years old that week.  Finding things to do with kids of these 2 ages can be somewhat challenging.  Aside from being around the house we did have a couple of days of hopping in the car and venturing out.  We went to Hanover, Pa. for a hot dog lunch and then a visit to the Utz potato chip factory for a tour.  Maddi had taken this tour before but she still enjoyed a repeat and Parker was really exciting seeing the "tractors" moving the stacks of boxed potato chips into the warehouse.  Codorus State Park was another days adventure with a packed picnic lunch.  The problem that day was Parker walking in the "dog poop" which actually was not from dogs but from the geese.  And then there was the day at the zoo that Tom posted about.

As that week was ending we had another grandchild added to the group, Gabi, 9 months old on a Friday.  Then on Saturday we packed the 3 grandkids in the car and drove to Strasburg, Pa. where we met up with our son, Todd, and his wife, Beth.  Parker is a big fan of Thomas, the train, and goes wild for any trains.  Tom and I had wanted to take him to Strasburg so he could ride the train there so we arranged for all of us to do just that.  We first went through the train museum and then took the 45 minute train ride  from Strasburg to Paradise, Pa.  What an exciting time for Parker and for us seeing his excitement.




We spent the night in a motel in Elizabethtown, Pa.  and the next day we all went to Hershey Park. 



Leaving Hershey park Todd, Beth, Parker and Gabi went home to Virginia.  Tom and I along with Maddi headed for our home.  Maddi was with us until Thursday evening when we met Todd in Leesburg, Va. for Maddi's return to Virginia.  It was a fun 2 weeks but we both said we were feeling our ages.

A Day at the Zoo - August 9, 2012

Today we took Maddi and Parker to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.  It was a nice day but the temps were on the rise.  From the parking area we rode a tram that took use to the actual zoo area.  The zoo seems to be divided into three areas.  The first big animal we saw was the Polar Bear in it's swiming pool.  The next area we entered we saw a snake trying to eat a frog.  The snake had one of the frog's legs in its mouth but that was as far as it had gotten during the time we watched.  The snake didn't look big enough to swallow the frog, but it might have succeded after we moved on.  Next we entered an area that had goats and other farm animals that the kids could get in a pen with and pet them.  We spotted a train ride, but it was closed for lunch so we moved onto the next area that had African animals.  During I walk threw parts of this area the train came by.  Parker, our grandson, is wild about trains, but had never rode on one.  The train depot was our next stop and we all rode the train.  After the train ride, we stopped and ate lunch that was way over priced for what you got.  We all did fine until after lunch when we all got hot and tired.  Our final stop was to see the Elephants.  Afterwards we got aboard the tram and headed back home. 
 

Home- Thursday, July 26, 2012

We left Max meadows at 8:30am and got home by 2:45pm.  The traffic on I-81 moved along - of course, with all the trucks on that road it was move along or get run over.  What a hot day to deal with unloading the motorhome- temps in the 90's and humidity to sap the starch out of us.  But we unloaded what was necessary and will wait until tomorrow morning to get other things when it should be cooler.  Tom went down to the postoffice to retrieve our mail and then we checked through picking out important stuff and tossing junk- the junk pile was by far the biggest.  We will now be home for a couple of weeks.

Continuing Northeast, Wednesday, July 25, 2012

We left Chatanooga, Tn. this morning continuing our travels toward home.  We are stopped for the night at Fort Chiswell Campground in Max Meadows, Virginia.  We are finally in cooler temperatures(80's not high 90's) but the humidity is still pretty high.  Tomorrow we continue on and, barring no problems, will be home.  Keeping it short and sweet.

Finally, Light at the End of the Tunnel, Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Yesterday, Monday, morning we had been instructed to move the motorhome to a parking area by the mechanical bays to have the propane tank sensor repaired.  A apparatus was connected with a hose to the propane tank from a distance from the motorhome.  The propane was turned on and the apparatus was ignited and the gas was burned off emptying the tank.  So we spent most of the day watching gas burn- what fun!!  By 2pm the flame was gone.  A technician removed the sensor probe made some adjustments and then replaced the probe- about a 5 minute job.  A driver came to the motorhome and drove out to a local propane dealer to refill the tank. 

This morning after eating breakfast Tom walked to the Service Center to see when we would be taken in to have the engine coolant leak checked out.  This was the last item to be dealt.  It was thought the problem was a loose clamp.  About 9:30am we were given the word to move into the bay.  The motorhome was put up on lifts and sure enough a the clamp was the problem.  After securing the clamp coolant was added and we were finally finished having work done.  By 11am our paper work was completed and we were on our way.

We drove east through Alabama to Chatanooga, Tennessee a little more than 200 miles and are in a Holiday Trav-L-Park for the night.  We are glad to be heading for home and are keeping our fingers crossed that we will not need to go back to Red Bay anytime in the near future.  When we left the Tiffin Campground it was filled and overflowing with people boondocking.

Rain Foils Plans- Sunday, July 22, 2012

This morning we thought we would go to the Dismals Canyon, a privately owned park about 35 miles southeast of Red Bay.  We had read that there is a trail through the canyon of mosses and ferns and the temperature there is about 15 degrees cooler than the surrounding area.  But we were also warned that it can be muddy and some places there may be water ankle deep in the trail if there has been recent rain.  There were lots of clouds in the sky which is not unusual for here but as we got closer to the canyon the skies opened up and the rain poured- so much for those plans.  We continued driving through a town, Phil Campbell (yes that is the name of the town), that several years ago was hit by a tornado and is still ungoing reconstruction of houses and buildings.  Again, today we got into the area called "the Shoals" along the Tennessee River, the cities of Florence and Muscle Shoals.  We pulled into a beautiful park along the river and took a few pictures.  The grounds were very wet from recent rains.  Since it was near lunch time we looked for a place to eat.  Most restaurants within the city of Florence were closed today.  We found a road leading back to Muscle Shoals on the south bank of the Tennessee River which took us across a TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) dam.  This dam had a lock system that moved boats from above the dam to below and vice versa, about a 100 foot difference.  After passing over the dam we then passed a large power station that was also part of the TVA.  Finally we got back to a main thoroughfare and found a Mexican reataurant that was opened and we had a great lunch.  We both had shrimp dishes that were loaded with shrimp.  After lunch we continued on to Red Bay where it was apparent that a drop of rain had not fallen today.

This area has been in a drought.  When we arrived here 2 weeks ago everything looked brown.  Then rain hit this area and now the grasses are back to being green again but the fields of corn are gone.  These corn fields look like fields in the fall of the year.  Small roadside  produce stands sell watermelons and tomatoes but not corn.  Sweet corn in the grocery stores does not look fresh and are expensive- 3or 4 ears for $1.70.

Florence and Rattlesnake Saloon, Saturday, July 21, 2012

Today being Saturday meant no work on the motorhome so what to do?  This northwestern area of Alabama leaves a lot to be desired when looking for things to do.  Florence, Alabama is about 50 miles to the northeast of Red Bay and we had not been there so off we went.  Florence is on the north side of the Tennessee River and Muscle Shoals is on the south side of the river.  We saw a signs for a music festival throughout the town of Florence and then a sign for W. C. Handy home and museum.  W. C. Handy, "the father of the blues" was born in Florence and always had a love for the city.  He was a musician and a composer.  "St. Louis Blues" is his best known composition.  The home is a 2 room log cabin that is attached to the museum as it was moved from another location in the city.  The music festival is not getting underway until Sunday evening.

We drove around the city and came to the Woodrow Wilson Park, one of those beautiful  city parks often seen in southern towns with a central water fountain and tree lined walkways.

Around the park a car show was being held and we strolled around  looking at some interesting vehicles.  An old rusty Dodge pick-up caught our eye.

The owner restorer told us that has been in possession of this heap for many years, using it for target practice with his gun until he decided to restore it.  He won first place in his class.  Another interesting vehicle was a 1935 Chevrolet with a Phaeton body sure looks different than our Phaeton!!

Leaving Florence we headed back towards Red Bay but stopped for a late lunch at a unique place, Rattlesnake Saloon.

We had heard about this place but this was our first visit.  The Saloon is only opened on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoon and evenings and Sunday afternnoon.  Pulling into the area designated the Rattlesnake Saloon there was nothing that looked like a saloon.  Horse trailers and barns with horses were close-by.  Finally spying one of the horseman I asked about the whereabouts of the saloon and he directed us toward a pickup truck that would haul us down the road to the saloon. 

The pickup was equipped with benches in the bed of the truck for us to sit on and the down a steep hill we went.  The saloon is built in a cave.

There is a small dining room inside the saloon but a bigger dining area is outside in the cave.

We ate in the cave.  The menu is mainly sandwiches and appetizers.  We had burgers which are quite large but were really good.  Fries or onion rings are served with the sandwiches. I ordered onion rings and Tom ordered fries and then we shared.  Desserts are also available (apple fritters and deep fried cheese cake) but we passed on that.  After eating we caught the pickup taxi service back up the hill and stopped into the souvenir store.  A wood stairway goes down to an upper level of the cave and we walked down there and then back to the car to return to Red Bay.