Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year to all!

Location, at Home, CA

Today brings the close of another year. Looking back over the year there are several highlights to mention.

The visit this summer of our son Tim and family for two weeks is surely a highlight. We always like having them here.

Our trip to Glacier National Park in July and August was outstanding. We really enjoyed that trip.

Going up the "Going to The Sun" highway.

Big Horn sheep at Logan Pass, Glacier.

Looking back down "Going to the Sun" highway.

I was looking back at how many days we spent camping during the year. We were in the RV for 176 days which is almost ½ of the year. That is close to our annual average.

I was looking forward to more travel starting Jan 8th next year but we have cut our trip short. Let’s say that we got a “better offer”.  Our friends Cindy and Gary from the Bay Area asked if we would like to share their Timeshare on Kauai for a week starting the end of February. Of course we said “YES”. Who wouldn’t?

So, we will cut our winter trip short and come home several days before we leave for Hawaii. We will drive to Walnut Creek and fly out of Oakland with Cindy and Gary. I am really looking forward to that.

I will leave home on the 8th of January for Las Vegas where I and a few friends will once again attend this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). After a week in Las Vegas we will travel to Quartzsite, AZ for a few weeks of all the activities there. Clyda will fly to Phoenix later in January and join me in Quartzsite. We do plan to visit relatives in Casa Grande and then go on to Benson, AZ to use our tickets from last year at Karchner Caverns before the tickets expire. We were unable to use the tickets last year as I ended up in the hospital while in Benson.

Happy New Year to all!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Poinsettias mean Christmas.

Location, at Home, CA

Poinsettias are a sure sign of Christmas. We usually have one or two small plants in the house or at the front door during the holidays. However, this year we have a humongous plant at the front door as well.

It belonged to a neighbor down the street and when she left to visit family out of town over the holidays she asked Clyda to bring it to our house.

It is a welcome sight on the front porch and brings exclamations from most guests who see it.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Still kicking in California.

Location, at Home, CA

Just a short blog to let folks know I am still alive. We babysat for my nieces twins last Monday I got what I think is the flu on Tuesday night. I have been lying around ever since. I’m ok now but have terrible heartburn which even Tums doesn’t appear to help control. I have eaten little since Wednesday so don’t know what the real answer is. I’m sticking to bland foods and yogurt to see if that helps.

I did get the Christmas packages mailed out this week and a few other things done. Mostly I read.

We attended a small gathering of friends this afternoon while Santa came to visit the small children and grandchildren in the group. Later we had pizza and cookies. So far, I’m ok as I didn’t over indulge.

This week I should finish up my shopping and maybe get a few more things done. The list never ends.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Water heater problems.

Location, at Home, CA
 
Last night we saw Mannheim Steamroller in concert at the local Indian Casino. Man, are they good! I bought the tickets as a birthday present for Clyda.

I have had some of their Christmas music for years and it certainly is popular around Christmas. Listening to it on the radio or from a CD has no comparison to being there in person. What a talented group of people.

It has been very cold at night. All the roofs and lawns are covered with frost in the morning. In fact, I don’t start my morning walk until about 7:20 each day. Just hoping for a little sunshine to warm me as I walk.

I have been fighting computer problems which can be really frustrating. My new Canon printer quit after using it 2 times. Something in the power supply must have gone haywire as the power light wouldn’t even come on. I must say that Canon was very helpful both in answering my emails and on the phone. Anyway, a rebuilt printer is on its way to me and should be here on Wednesday.

I still have my old XP unit running or I should say it comes on but is so slow. Also found out that I am missing Internet Explorer from the unit. Can’t get to the internet now. Must find a work around.

Tuesday evening Craig walked into the garage and saw water coming out of the top of the water heater. It was coming from around the vent flue. I do have a drain pan under the unit so all the water was collected there. He turned off the water and gas and disconnected the unit. He has water heater removal down to a fine science now. This unit was less than 3 years old.

Wednesday morning I went to Home Depot early and picked up a new same model unit as a replacement. Made for easy installation. I took the old unit back for a rebate. It hasn’t shown up on my credit card yet, nor has the cost of the new unit.

Here are a few more photos from Napa Valley taken before Thanksgiving.




The pumkin weighs at least 500 pounds.




Thursday, December 1, 2011

Lots of wind and computer frustration.

Location, at Home, CA

The wind finally caught us here last night. About 9 PM I heard leaves from the backyard tree swirling around on the metal patio roof. It sounded a lot like rain.

I heard something crash to the ground and found a broken 4 foot fluorescent bulb by the wood shed. It blew off the roof where Craig had stored it. The wind blew all night but no real damage had been done. Leaves from the trees swirl in a heap by the sliding door on the patio. It makes them easier to pick up. For the most part the wind died by mid-morning.

It was a most frustrating day. Some of the problems I think were wind related. The computer was slow, the cell phone didn’t make all of its connections, and I can’t get my new DVD/CD player to read a disk. Frustrating!

I am trying to get my old XP desktop unit cleaned up so it will operate a little faster. I want to use it to transfer my old record collection to MP3 files. I bought a turntable with the right outputs to do that while in the Bay area last week. I got the unit for about $45 so think I have a bargain. The records will be played at standard speed so it will take some time to do all the recordings.

I have a list of fall things that need to be done so I better start to tackle them soon. None of them are major but all need to be done.

A few trees need pruning, plants need to be fertilized, asparagus needs to be cut back and fertilized, and the compost bins need to be emptied.

Things like this I look forward to less and less each year.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Update of past week.

Location, at Home, CA

After spending more than a week away from home over Thanksgiving, we returned today. This is a shortened version of our week away from home.

We spent 6 days with our friends Cindy and Gary in Walnut Creek over Thanksgiving with side trips to the Napa Valley and Nevada City. We had a really nice Thanksgiving with Cindy and Gary and got in some shopping on Friday.

The fall colors were spectacular in Walnut Creek and Napa. We visited Mumm Champagne Cellars and sampled some really nice champagne. Here are some pictures.


The grape orchards had really vivid colors.




On Monday we drove to Tehachapi and visited Budd and Brenda. It was good to spend time with them. We managed to get in a few card games, some Pegs and Jokers, and a round of Checkit. The weather was really nice yesterday.

We drove home through the wind on Hwy 138 but it was nice and 75 degrees after that.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Water every where.

Location, at Home, CA

We woke up to rain this morning. Actually it was quite a downpour when I left for church at 7:10 AM. The gutters were running full but the streets were not too bad. I checked the rain gauge a little while ago and it showed almost 1 ¾ inch so far.

There has been a bad odor in the car when I drove it Friday so last evening I started to investigate. I pulled everything out of the back compartment and then removed the spare tire cover. There was water in the bottom of the well the spare lies in. The cushion the spare lays on is made of old rags and it was soaked. That is where the smell was coming from. I pulled everything out and dried out about a quart of water. I hung the cushion over a bar to drip. It needs to lie in the sun, whenever that comes out, to dry completely.

With all the rain we had this morning I thought there would be water in the spare tire well but so far there isn’t any. Tomorrow we will run a hose over the back and see if it gets wet.

I also had water in one of the side compartments in the RV again. I had replaced the seal but I guess I need to take another look at that. Bummer.

We will be gone over Thanksgiving so I doubt if I will blog.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Synopsis of my annual Fall Trip.

Location, at Home, CA

After a nice long trip it is hard to get back in the routine, especially updating the blog.

I think a synopsis will have to do for this trip as there wasn’t any internet available so no daily updates were possible.

I left home about 7:15 AM on Oct 18th headed for the Boron rest stop on Hwy 58 East of Mohave. Traffic was light and I arrived about noon after a short stop in Mohave for food and fuel.

Dick arrived about 12:30 and we decided to go on to Baker and spend the night behind the Mad Greek Restaurant in their big parking lot.

We used the 19th to go over our schedule for the trip and to make sure all was ready when the remainder of the crew arrived.

Everyone else arrived before dark so we had a meal together at the Mad Greek.

On the 20th we moved to Las Vegas where we will spend the next four days.

Saturday we drove to a petroglyph site South of Boulder City which is situated in a canyon. This was an easy drive with some very good rock art. On Sunday we drove South of Las Vegas to Sloan Canyon, another petroglyph site which is located in a canyon and requires a 1.1 mile hike and some rock scrambling to view the extensive rock art. Here the petroglyphs are located on individual rocks with only a few on panels. Lots of real nice rock art here.

Keyhole Canyon.


Rock Art in Sloan Canyon.



On Monday we left Las Vegas and drove to Pahrump, NV where we topped off our fuel and proceeded to the Tecopa BLM camping area. Our site of the last few years was unoccupied so we circled all the rigs. This site has spectacular views but can be nasty if the wind blows and blow it did but only for a day. No one got much sleep while the wind blew as the RV rocks so much that you wake up with every large gust.

We had four 4x4 trips scheduled here and we managed to do all of them. A new map showed us all the allowed 4x4 corridors through the wilderness and the National Park.

 Saratoga Springs.


Picking our way down China Ranch Wash.


Railroad cut through China Ranch Wash.


A well earned date shake at China Ranch.


On Friday Oct 28th we moved to Sunset Campground at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park. We kicked back on Saturday and moved to the Furnace Creek Campground where we had reservations for two weeks.

While in Death Valley we took several 4x4 trips. The most spectacular was a long trip to Panamint Valley and up Pleasant Canyon with a return down South Park Canyon. We saw lots of mining areas, cable ways to remove ore from high on the mountains, wild burros, mines, old cars, and cabins which are available for anyone’s use. Just hoist the flag while you are there to let others know the place is occupied.

Cable in Pleasant Canyon.


A very rough road in South Park Canyon.



We explored an area where we had found early man evidence last year. This area has many sites which coincide with the areas in other parts of Death Valley.

Rock Alignment in Death Valley.


We visited the old town sites of Furnace, Kunze, and Greenwater which are within Death Valley.

The last 4 days in the valley were spent partaking of the events that are part of the Death Valley 49er days. The finale is the playoffs for the fiddle contest winner on Saturday night.

We left Sunday morning Nov 13 and again drove to Baker and a spot behind the Mad Greek where we watched all the southbound traffic on I-15 which was stop and go. The heavy weekend traffic from Las Vegas slows in this area and creates a 60 mile backup because of the Agricultural Inspection Station north of Barstow, CA. Even though no actual inspection takes place, all vehicles must slow to pass through the station.

I drove home on Monday Nov 14. I had a little wind but still made it hear by 1:30 PM.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Last minute items before I leave.

Location, at Home, CA

Well, time is slipping away. I have been working diligently this past week on the to-do list for the fall trip.

I leave Tuesday morning so that only leaves one day to finish up. I have several major items on my list for tomorrow that remain to be done.

The most vexing is the one tire on the RV which is not holding air. I set the air pressure at 80 PSI for each tire and expect a small amount of leakage over a few weeks. This tire however was at 45 lbs which is not good. I inflated it to 80 PSI yesterday and it was down to 77.5 this morning. I will check it tomorrow morning but suspect I need to remove it and have it checked at Big O in town. I really don’t want to leave with a bad tire and need to inflate it every day. That is a pain.

The other 2 major items are grocery shopping and a physical tomorrow afternoon. The physical is my annual so I need to get it done. The health carrier I have has been after me to get it.

I don’t know how much time I will have for the next week and a half to update this blog but I will try.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Moving forward.

Location, at Home, CA
 
I did buy a 1.5 TB hard drive as a backup for all my files. Actually, it is a backup to the backup as I have another drive I also use. Can’t have too many backups!
 
I am still working on plans for our annual fall trip. I think I now have all the facts together. We have had two drop out from our original bunch. It tends to happen every year. It is very hard to plan 6 or more months in advance with a large group of people.

We do have enough 4x4 vehicles this year so that is one less worry. We have three vehicles and only 7 people which makes it comfortable especially as most of the driving is off highway. A crowded vehicle is uncomfortable.
 
I washed the front and back of the RV today. The bugs really were stuck tight to the front. They were an accumulation from 6000 miles of driving. I also waxed the front but it is hard to tell I did anything. The gel-coat has lost its shine and wax doesn’t seem to bring it back. It just makes the surface smoother.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Cleanup and prepairing next trip.

Location, at Home, CA

This week was taken up by clean up duties after being on the road for two months. Actually, one day short of two months.

We stayed at Morro Bay until Monday morning and of course the weather was nicer by Monday. We played lots of Mexican Train and Tony won 9 out of 13 hands in one game. The game lasted until 11 PM on Sunday.

The trailer is just about ready for the next trip. I need to wash the bugs off the front and look at a problem in the cabinet under the TV. The wall next to the refrigerator cabinet seems to be collapsing at the bottom. Without pulling the refrigerator from its cabinet I would guess there is not enough bracing in the wall to take the bouncing of the refer weight. For now I think I will put a brace on the TV side of the wall but eventually, the refer has to come out to do a proper job. Ooooh… Budd! Looks like a job for us!

Thanks to Budd both at the start of our trip this summer and at the end when he helped me with several blinds. The cords eventually give out so the solution is to remove the day part of the shade and only use the night portion. This puts less stress on the cords.

My days are filled with plans for our fall trip. I think I have the actual 4x4 trips well in hand but other logistics need to be done ASAP. We need reservations in Las Vegas for 4 days, food assignments need to be done (my job). Menus need to be planned (we all take turns cooking), groceries need to be bought, etc. It is always a busy time.

I had a real scare yesterday. I bought a new Dell desktop computer just before we went on our summer trip so I am spending a lot of time trying to figure out how Windows 7 works. Yesterday I turned it on in the morning, read my email then went off to do errands for a few hours. When I came back I went to bring the computer out of hibernation which I always do during the day. I pushed the power button and nothing happened. Well, something did happen as in the power light blinked but the hard drive didn’t spin up. Uh.. Oh..

Early in their life, 1TB hard drives were known to fail frequently and I thought that is what happened. I called Dell support (India?) and after a few minutes the tech asked me to unplug the unit. As I reached behind the CPU the power cord fell into my hand. Problem solved! I plugged the CPU in when I first started it up back in July so I don’t know how the cord got loose.

Anyway, disaster averted.

However, I do plan to buy a 1 or 2 TB external hard drive to back everything up on as an insurance policy.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Back at home after 2 months on the road.

Location, At Home, CA

The problem with having multiple computers is not remembering what you did on one vs the other. I have been using the Acer Netbook while on the road to write the blog each day.  Now that I am home I use the Dell desktop to update the blog. I don’t remember what I wrote about last so I had better check the blog on-line I guess.

Oh! I see that I last posted on Friday. So to bring you up to date from then.

We spent the weekend with great friends at the beach in Morro Bay, CA. We played lots of Mexican Train, and a new game Tony had made. Tony loaned Budd the game board as a pattern so Budd can make more. Budd will be under the gun to get them done before Tony and Joanne go through Tehachapi on their way to Death Valley in late October.

We played a long game of Mexican Train Sunday night with Tony and Joanne. Of the 13 hands in a double twelve game, Tony won 9! I know he cheats! Maybe he is just lucky.

Budd and Brenda, Kori, and Jessica left for home after cooking us a nice breakfast of waffles and sausage on Sunday.

We decided the weekend was so much fun that we made reservations for next year in April and added Paul and Kathy to the group.

We drove home Monday morning and have been on the go ever since. I don’t think the wash machine has quit running since we got home. Of course, unpacking all the stuff that gets put in nooks and crannies takes time. The refer was unpacked right away so we had food for Monday night, but it still needs to be cleaned tomorrow. All will be done in a day or so.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Blog is up to date.

Location, Morro Bay, CA

Ooops! I’m a little behind in posting.

We drove from Fillmore, UT on Sunday to the Oasis Casino RV Park in Mesquite, NV. The Oasis is a defunct casino but the RV Park is open and run by a Casino down the street. The temperature was rather warm so we ran the AC as soon as we got the power hooked up and then left it on for the rest of our stay.

We visited friends who now live in Mesquite. Clyda worked with Cindy and actually we have known she and husband Roy for years. Nice visit.

Monday morning we ate breakfast at the Casa Blanca coffee shop before we checked out. A big breakfast of 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 pieces of bacon, and hash browns for $3.99. A great deal!

We drove the 77 miles to Las Vegas where we stayed at the Main Street Station RV Park downtown. It was very warm, in the 90’s but the AC keeps it comfortable.

I took Clyda by the Pawn Star’s shop of TV fame on North Las Vegas Blvd. The line of people was around the building and into the parking lot. Can’t imagine standing in that heat for a few minutes inside the building.

We drove down Las Vegas Blvd to MGM City Center. I wanted to show Clyda the new casinos. I had never driven into the Cosmopolitan parking garage before so it was an adventure as my truck is big and the garage is underground with sharp turns. It was a real challenge but we made it without knocking over any of the rubber posts they use to make the turns.

The Cosmopolitan is known for its more than 2 story chandelier. It is a real work of art. The casino is also pricey.

We walked via the Skywalk to Crystal Shopping center and then out the back of it to Aria another large hotel and casino. We checked out the artwork and shows featured currently. A short monorail ride back to Crystal and another Skywalk trek across Las Vegas Blvd found us in the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile shopping center in search of food and drink. We found an ice cream stand selling LOBSTER ice cream. Not exactly my cup of tea but they also had Huckleberry ice cream which suited just fine.

We returned to the parking garage and retrieved the truck which now required a few back and forth turns to get up the exit ramp and out of the garage.

We had dinner at the Main Street Station buffet which is still quite good.

Later, we walked to Fremont Street to watch the overhead light show. The featured artist was the Doors from way back when. It was quit good.

Clyda wanted Madi Gras beads so we stopped by the casino that was giving them out. Along with the beads you get a ticket for a drawing worth $10,000. They call out a number every half hour so while we waited Clyda played the slots. When the number was called it was one more than my ticket number. So close, but no cigar.

We drove to Tehachapi on Tuesday and stayed with our friends Budd and Brenda until Thursday morning. Budd helped me with several projects like day/night shade repair, fixing trim on the living room slide, and washing the awning which really needed it.

Thursday Budd drove his rig and Clyda and I took ours to Morro Bay to canp for the weekend. Brenda, Kori and Jessica will come Friday after Kori gets off work. We met Tony and Joanne at the campground. Tony and Joanne camp with Budd and Brenda and our neighbors Paul and Kathy in Death Valley each year while I am there. Good people! I think Tony cheats at Mexican Train as he beat all of us by winning 6 games in a row.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Travels through Provo Canyon, Utah.

Location, Fillmore, UT

Re-reading yesterday’s post, it occurred to me that I talked a lot about the Mountain Men. I admit I have been intrigued by their efforts and feats as recorded in history.

I have read both “Undaunted Courage” by Stephen Ambrose and the abridged version of the “Lewis and Clark Journals” by Bernard DeVoto. Both of these books tell of the hardships and sacrifices of the “Core of Discovery”.

One of the men with Lewis and Clark was John Coulter who on the return trip to St Louis in 1805 asked to be relieved of his duties so he could guide a group of fur trappers back up the Missouri from which he had just returned. Thus began the era of the Mountain Man which continued until about 1835 or so. I recently finished a book called “A Majority of Scoundrels” by Don Berry which pulled together the history of the fur trade in America. It revolved around the Mountain Men who did the trapping and the men who supplied them from St Louis so the men could stay in the mountains and trap.

The exploits of these and all the Mountain Men are hard to comprehend unless you travel to some of the same places they did. Of course, today we can travel in a few hours what took them weeks to accomplish.

I have been lucky to travel and visit many of the places mentioned in the above books and have come to a great appreciation for what these men accomplished.

On our trip back from Wisconsin we drove along the Platte River which Interstate 80 parallels. This route became the road to the west for the fur traders from St Louis and later, the emigrants heading to Oregon and California.

This concludes today’s history lesson.

Last evening we had rain and pea sized hail. It also rained overnight and this morning so I waited until there was a break in the rain to hookup the RV. A quick stop for fuel and we were on our way west in the rain which quit about the time we entered Utah.

Our trek was again on I-80 until we got to the turn for Heber City Utah and the route down Provo Canyon. I have been to Heber City before via Provo Canyon but not pulling an RV. It was ok but there are lots of sharp turns down in the canyon. We exited the canyon in downtown Provo and eventually got to I-15 south. Tonight is the big foot ball game between BYU and Utah in Provo so all the radio stations were predicting dire traffic problems. Of course I-15 is all under construction as usual but we had no problems.

Tonight we are in Fillmore, UT at the KOA. Not our first choice but the other campground was closed. I am not a KOA fan because of their high prices. This RV Park was no different. Full hookups but no cable TV. We do however have lots of over air channels, many in High Definition so that helps.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Exploring Ft Bridger

Location, Ft Bridger, WY

Our drive today had us bucking headwinds most of the way. I could feel the wind but don’t think it slowed us down too much. Western Wyoming has a lot of open spaces with antelope and even a small herd of wild horses.

There are also lots of gas wells especially around Wamsutter. I wish I had seen how the town looked a few years ago as BP has put upwards of $2 billion into the enterprise including the town site. It is a sprawling oil town now.

After we arrived at Ft Bridger RV Camp, we toured nearby Ft Bridger which actually is at the entrance to the RV Park. Ft Bridger was built by mountain man Jim Bridger as a trading post and way station for emigrant trains. Most of the area is comprised of the old fort which was major stopping point for wagon trains during the time of all movement west to Oregon and California. It was also used as a Pony Express stop. Later the Carter family operated a store along with out buildings. All of these buildings have been restored and remain in good condition.

The original Ft Bridger burned down. The reconstructed fort is located on the property but several hundred feet from the original. Archeological digging recently confirmed where the old fort stood.



Even as a reconstruction, the fort looks much like the original. It had two buildings set at right angles to each other and all surrounded by wood picket walls. Later, a separate wood fort was made for horses so they could be locked up at night.

Many of the foundations of the barracks buildings are still visible although all have long disappeared.

The Generals house is intact and well preserved and open to tours. This building was moved at least three times and even disassembled and stored at one time. It was built with all the amenities to house visiting dignitaries.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Great back country trip.

Location, Rawlins, WY

Tuesday morning we got up earlier than usual so we could have the RV ready to hit the road after a brief shopping trip to the Cabela’s store. This was their first store and the corporate headquarters.

Clyda found a few things but for the most part everything is quite pricey.

We drove to Laramie, WY and parked the rig at the daughter of friends of ours. We took a short drive with them in the afternoon and yesterday we took an all day drive over the Snowy Range south of Laramie. In all we saw some great scenery, lots of wildflowers, alpine lakes, and even some cowboys off on a fishing trip, and covered over 200 miles.




The weather had turned cold and windy with occasional rain. We left this morning and drove a secondary road, Hwy 30, to Rawlins. Only about 100 miles but it allowed us time to grocery shop and do laundry.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Tire problems taken care of, for now.

Location, Sidney, NE

Sidney, Nebraska, home of Cabela’s, the out door store. In fact, we are camped in their RV Park. Full hookups, cable TV, and free WiFi. Very nice!

Tires were the problem of the day. I got an early call from the shop that answered our Good Sam call on Saturday telling me that they couldn’t find tires for me. Now what to do? Back to the internet of course. I called Big “O” Tire to see what they had in stock. They had 4 tires in stock but an off brand. That’s the problem with having tire problems on the road.

Eventually I drove the rig to Big “O” which was way on the north end of Kearney while the interstate was way on the south side. They had 4 Commodore tires in the size I previously had on the rig. I kept the old spare, which I had put on before we left home, as the spare. It still has lots of tread.

Tires will always be a problem I guess. I would like to go up to Load Range G but that requires new rims as my rims are only good for 80 PSI. Must look into that though.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Never forget!

Location, Kearney, NE

Never forget!

What do you do while stuck in a Kearney, NE cornfield on a Sunday?

After Mass this morning, Clyda made us pancakes and eggs. After we cleaned up the dishes we drove south to Miden and Pioneer Village. This was the work of one man who made his money from plastic wrap.


Pioneer Village comprises 28 buildings on 20 acres and 50,000 items from “every field of human endeavor” from 1830 until 1970. There are buildings full of buggies, cars, tractors, farm machinery, airplanes, and every kind of collectable you can imagine. Several hours of walking, climbing stairs, and reading displays were enough for us so we came back to Kearney and recuperated with a stop at Culvers for frozen custard. That always revives me!

Tractors 
and more tractors! Even the second floor had tractors.


Making rag rugs on a hand loom. My mother and dad did this for years.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Tire problems.

Location, Kearney, NE

Today’s leisurely trip turned into something more than we expected.

This morning we traveled west on I-80 until about 40 miles from our destination when I noticed something fly across the road behind us first on the left side then on the right. About that time a vehicle pulled along side and motioned towards the trailer wheels. I immediately pulled to the side of the road and found that we had shredded the passenger side front tire on the trailer.

There was some damage to the trailer but really a minimal amount considering. I put the 4 way blinkers on and put out 2 safety cones to warn traffic which was considerable. Mostly trucks, which for the most part moved over to the left lane before passing us. However, as heavy as traffic was, some could not move over so they really rocked the rig. We put out chairs in the shade near the back of the rig well off the road. I just don’t think it is wise to sit in the vehicle while parked like this.

I called Good Sam Emergency Road Service which said a truck would be out to us in about an hour. We were about 14 miles east of Kearney so I gave them the info off the GPS which told me how far back the last overpass was and how far to the next overpass. This helped the emergency service operator pin point our location.

An hour later we were back on the road, following the tow truck to a campground in Kearney. I decided to replace all the tires as these have about 25,000 miles on them and are 3 years old. The problem is this is Saturday and nothing is open until Monday. So, Monday they will try to find us some tires. We will be here at least until Tuesday.

This is a new campground and the only one in town. I am sure it was a cornfield last year. There are 3 rows of all pull through full hookup sites each 120 feet long. The surface is rough rocks and gravel which needs to be packed more to make it stable. We have several TV stations on the antenna and free WiFi so life is good.

Caqmpground next to a cornfield.

There are plenty of things to do here so we won’t be bored. Tomorrow we will go to Minden south of here to Pioneer Village which I understand takes at least two days to see everything. A report tomorrow.

A Nebraska sunset.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Today's trip not according to plan.

Location, Greenwood, NE

Today’s trip did not go according to the original plan.

We left Welcome, MN about 8:30 as we had about 280 miles to travel today so an earlier start was in order. We drove west on I-90 to Worthington, MN and then south on Hwy 60 towards Sioux City Iowa. As soon as we made the turn we encountered highway construction which diverted us way out in the country but still parallel to Hwy 60. Eventually we got back to the original highway but was it ever rough. It bounced us for several miles until I found a speed which smoothed out the ride.

We also had to backtrack one time because they were removing a transition road to a south bound interstate on ramp. That one caused a little head scratching on my part (plus a few blues words) and a loop through a truck sales lot to get back on track.

We were also diverted by high water along the Missouri River. In places the highway was lined with large black sandbags filled with rocks to keep the water from flooding the road.

For the most part, the Missouri River is back in its banks but there are still fields underwater and farms surrounded by water. Sandbags are everywhere. Some in the most unlikely places. We saw one gas station all banked with sandbags far from the river. Fields which had been flooded and now drained are brown with mud so it is very evident where the water was.

Signs along the road said the transition ramp from I-29 to I-680 around Omaha was closed due to flooding. A lady at a rest stop told me of an alternate route west of Omaha that would put us back on I-680 where we wanted to be. It was good advice.

Tonight we are camped south of Omaha, NE and tomorrow will move west past Kearney, NE.

We sampled a local BBQ place about 3 miles from the campground for dinner tonight. I can recommend the Texas brisket for sure. Clyda had St Louis ribs. All very good and too much food.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

On the road west!

Location, Welcome, MN

Welcome is not a greeting in this instance, it actually is a town but a small one. It is located somewhere between Albert Lea and Worthington, MN on I-90.

What happened since Sunday? Monday was quiet. We did go see my mother as usual, as we did every day.

Tuesday we did last minute stuff to get ready to leave on wednesday. Things like groceries, fuel for the truck, and a last ice cream from Hawkeye Dairy. We were invited to Sharon and Kenny’s for a last night of Sequence which the guys won all but 1 game.

We left Dorchester yesterday morning and took a somewhat unusual route to La Crosse, WI. We drove west on Cty A through Dorchester then south on E to Curtiss where we went west on Hwy 29 to Withee, WI. From there we went south to Neillsville and Black River Falls. Eventually we picked up I-90 and crossed the Mississippi River. We stopped for the night at Great River Bluffs State Park. It was very early afternoon but I picked stops that are about 200 miles apart. If we arrive early, so be it. That gives us time to explore the local area. Also, we don’t a sore butt from hours in the seat. Stopping at rest stops help also.


A field of goldenrod.

Looking south from the bluffs with the Mississippi river in the forground and Lake Onalaska in the background.

Looking North.

An apple tree in the campground. Apples are small.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Labor Day weekend.

Location, Dorchester, WI

As a Labor Day to remember, so far this is one to forget as the weather has not cooperated. It has rained off and on, and now turned chilly as a cold front has moved south with the rain.

I doesn’t really bother us as we had no plans for the weekend that weather can interrupt.

Friday afternoon we (Judy & Art, Clyda & I, and Ray) met in Ma’s room before we all went to dinner. We ate at Allison’s which is a large facility in Abbotsford and can seat lots of people. We all had the seafood buffet which has more than just seafood. Brother Dennie and wife Jeanette joined us after getting off work. We were seated in a large room which was quiet and allowed us to talk for a long time after eating. It will be the only time we all get together while we are here.

On Saturday, Clyda made chicken soup which we took to assisted living and ate in the recreation room with Ma. We also invited Ma’s sister Beatrice who lives nearby in very nice senior housing. It was a nice lunch and a nice visit with Beatrice.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

A busy day.

Location, Dorchester, WI

We had a very busy day yesterday.

It sprinkled most of the night on Tuesday although there wasn’t much measurable rain. It was still raining as I took the truck in to the Ford dealer in Abbotsford for an oil change.

Later I picked Clyda up and we drove to my sister’s farm east of Wausau. We arrived just in time for a nice dinner. I always enjoy visiting Judy and Art as he has so many projects going on. This year there is an old dump truck sitting by the shop with a Caterpillar engine installed and much more work needed. We also looked at the new shop addition with the full car lift hoist. Very nice!

On our way home we stopped to see my mother for a few minutes.

While we were in Wausau, my cousin called and invited us to supper. We enjoyed a nice visit with her. She recently lost her husband.

Today is very humid with temps near 90 degrees.

We did laundry this morning and visited my mother this afternoon.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Routine day.

Location, Dorchester, WI

Only routine things for the last few days.

I finally had the propane tank filled. I had to go by the bulk propane store twice before I found someone there to help me. Small town businesses operate on their own schedule.

I also picked up the oil I need to get the oil changed in the truck tomorrow.

This morning I met and old high school buddy for breakfast. We both drove to Withee, WI, a half way point, and met at a local restaurant. An hour’s conversation caught us up on family, aches and pains, grandchildren, etc. During the conversation we realized that only 6 males remain from our high school graduating class. We have lost a lot of old school chums in the last few years. Only one female has died since we graduated.

At some time during each day we stop in Colby to see my mother. She enjoys an hour or so of conversation. They do keep them busy at assisted living but conversation is rather limited.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Edgar steam and tractor show.

Location, Dorchester, WI

Today was the final day of the Edgar Steam and Tractor Show on a farm near Edgar, WI and what a show it was. Four years ago we attended this show and it has grown tremendously since then.

My brother Ray and I talked to the secretary for the organization which sponsors this great 3 day show. She said attendance has been running at 10,000 people a day with the show getting bigger each year. There were 800 tractors and 350 venders set up for the show as well as food venders, small hit and miss engine section, hundreds of people camping, and demonstrations of work done by small and large engines.

Clyda and I arrived about 10 AM and watched a very large steam engine run an old fashioned saw mill. It drew quit a crowd. We watched a shingle mill cutting shingles, a crew sorting and banding the shingles, and a man branding shingles with the 2011 logo for the show.

There was silo filling, threshing using large steam engines and old stationary threshing machines. There was plowing with a large steam engine pulling an eight gang plow. It took 4 men on the plow to set the depth, three on the engine to run it, 300 plus gallons of water to provide steam, and lots of coal to keep the boiler fired up. One round of the field required another load of water before the next furrow could be turned.

There was a tractor parade which lasted about an hour and a half for all to pass by. Each tractor was announced and the drivers name given. Some were fully restored pristine tractors while others were working tractors. It was a great show!
That's  one big tractor.

Look at  the line up of steam engines!

Treshing, the old fasioned way.