June 30
More will be coming when I have more time and an internet connection again. Then I'll upload the Corn Palace pictures I mentioned.
Day 4, Part 4 - June 28 South Dakota
We got an early start this morning. We had pulled into the Walmart parking area in Sparta, Wisconsin about 10:30 P.M., and went to sleep shortly afterwards, so we were up early this morning. Bob went into the store to get groceries this morning while I showered (Yes! Our RV has a bathroom in it!) I put a pork roast in the crock pot to cook while we drove, so we've been smelling delicious food all day long.
We crossed the Mississippi between Wisconsin and Minnesota, and were surpised both by how wide it was there (since the headwaters are not too far away in Northern, Minnesota), and by how much it looked like the Thousand Islands in NY because there were so many islands in the river at that point. Near the river were lots of pretty hills, but we soon reached the plateau, and then the road became straight as a ribbon going across the lower part of Minnesota and South Dakota.
You can literally see farms and farmland for miles in all directions. The wind is so strong that it is difficult to keep the RV in the lane. We saw heavy road signs twisted from the wind, as well as old collapsed barns the wind had whipped into a pile of broken lumber. The farmhouses and most of the barns are surrounded by trees on the north and west sides to act as a wind break. There are many "wind farms" along the way. I'm reminded of the phrase "amber waves of grain" as the wind is blowing the grain into huge waves today.
When we crossed into South Dakota, there wasn't much difference in terrain. We could still look for miles in any direction across the flat prairie. We stopped in Mitchell, SD to see the famous Corn Palace. The original Corn Palace was built in 1892. They are now on the 3rd building. The outside of the entire building is covered with murals made from ears of corn. Every year the old corn is cut down and replaced with new, in a totally new design. It takes over a half-million ears of corn cut in half lengthwise to create the murals along with 3,000 bushels of various grains which are tied in bundles and attached. The 2010 murals were all related to transportation, and included a picture of a person on a Segway. They are actually removing the corn now to get ready for the 2011 mural. Look at the slideshow on the right side to see some of the pictures.
After we crossed the Missouri River, the terrain changed to rolling hills for awhile before going back to flat prairie land where youcould see forever. You can see much farther even than in Minnesota because there are no trees to block your view. Now I'm reminded of the phrase "for spacious skies." It is truly an amazing sight.
Farming seems to be the main occupation, and we saw lots of hay bales and cattle, but no farms. One farmer told me it takes 20 - 30 acres to provide enough to feed one cow!
Day 4, Part 2 - June 28 Ancestors
We stopped in two towns in Minnesota where my ancestors lived. My great, great, great grandparents left the Cortland, NY area and moved west to Blue Earth, Minnesota sometime in the 1850s. A few of their children moved with them, but my great, great grandmother, Esther, who was already married to Rev. Rodney Rose, stayed behind. Rodney was a minister in the Wyoming Conference (NY and PA) so they lived around Candor and northern PA, moving every couple of years. They had three children before Esther died.
Their daughter, Anna, my great-grandmother, became a teacher and moved to Minnesota to be near her brother, Samuel, who had moved out to Minnesota near his grandparents and bought a farm. Anna's "beau," O.J. Ward also just "happened" to be in Minnesota working as a logger. They decided to get married, and were married in Worthington, Minnesota. They lived there about a year later before they had to return to Candor because O.J.'s father was sick, and O.J. needed to take over the family logging business.
Worthington is 70 miles from Blue Earth, so I'm not sure exactly why they got married there unless that is where Samuel lived or where O.J. worked. I would like to know more information about which of them went out to Minnesota first, where exactly they lived, etc., but sadly there is no one left who would know this. I searched for years and years before I finally found out who Anna's grandparents were, and the fact that they had moved to Minnesota.
Day 4, Part 1 - June 28 Technology
Did I mention our 2010 technology? TomTom GPS, smart phones, netbook, digital cameras, Kindle, and crockpot for cooking dinner as we drive!
Day 3 - June 27
Spent another relaxing day with Rob and Katie. Talked a little about the wedding. It's 15 months away, but they do have to think about the wedding venue soon so they can book the place. This is completely different from when Bob and I got engaged about 36 1/2 years ago. We didn't want to wait very long, so we planned our wedding and reception in 3 months!
We left Rob's about 3:30 PM when he went to play soccer, and drove 440 miles before stopping in Sparta, Wisconsin. We have determined that when we just have a long day of driving, we don't need to stay in a campground. We just pull into a Walmart parking lot, pull the shades, and we're home! The picture above shows us in our "living room" enjoying a drink after a long day of driving!
Things sure have changed since our long camping trips of 36 years ago. One big word, TECHNOLOGY. At the touch of an app on my iphone, I can find out where the nearest Walmart is; where the nearest gas station selling diesel is, and the approximate cost per gallon; rest stop locations; nearest restaurant; etc., and it counts down the number of miles and shows a map of the route with a little blue moving dot indicating our RV! And of course, I can't fail to mention this blog, text messages, and facebook which are also ways to stay connected. My future grandchildren will probably never have to use a map!
We're hoping to make it all the way to the Badlands National Park tomorrow. Then we'll really begin our "adventure!"
Day 2 - June 26
Spent the day with Rob and Katie, and the afternoon with about 300 of our closest World Cup friends at a sports bar. We were watching the USA/Ghana game on about 50 tvs at once!
Delicious Greek food for dinner...We're all stuffed.
Day 1 - June 25
We excitedly began our long-awaited trip today, and drove 650 miles to Rob's house in Indianapolis. The RV is extremely comfortable to ride in, and of course, it's easy for the passenger to get up and fix snacks and lunch for the driver :)
Bob and I reminisced about the first extended camping trip we took the summer we lived in Europe. We spent a month driving around England, Ireland, and Scotland in a tiny Ford Capri, staying in a small tent at night. The tent worked well until we had a week of intense rain while we were in Scotland. We ended up making a tent-within- a- tent by suspending an Army poncho over our floating air mattress!
Since that time, our mode of travel as well as our sleeping facilities have changed many times. We changed from tent camping to camping in a VW camper, and then camped with our preschool kids in a van turned into a custom-made camper by Bob. As the kids reached school-age, we changed our camping to a pop-up camper with room for everyone to sleep. That lasted all through the kids' school years, until the camper was worn out and became our "bedroom" at the Tree Farm before the mice took it over. Then, when there were just the two of us again, Bob and I switched back to tent camping, which we really like. However, the last few years, our bodies have been telling us that sleeping on the ground is rough, so we began dreaming of another small camper.
On a trip to Europe two years ago, we saw the small sprinter van RVs and decided that with their great gas mileage, that would be the thing for us to get. Last summer we located the RV we were looking for, customized it to our liking, and that's where we are today!
Customized RV
This is what the RV looks like now with all the add-ons. There is now a "place for everything, and everything in its place." You can see little spaces in the back doors which we have turned into our video and campbooks libraries. Screens have been made for both the back door and the sliding door. Storage under the bed is utilized as well.
A cupboard/pantry and a set of drawers have taken the place of two of the captain's chairs. The one just inside the door contains items that will be used outside when we are camping. A table comes out of each cupboard to make a space for eating since the regular table will not fit with the cupboards in place. There is a shelf above the drawers for lightweight, crushable items like bread and chips. The couch has been made into a bed. The "Closet" is in place above the bed.
Under the passenger seat is a small cupboard which we are using for our laundry care products. The door holds National Park books, and inside the door we have storage for more outdoor necessities like a folding shovel and awning tie-downs.
A cupboard/pantry and a set of drawers have taken the place of two of the captain's chairs. The one just inside the door contains items that will be used outside when we are camping. A table comes out of each cupboard to make a space for eating since the regular table will not fit with the cupboards in place. There is a shelf above the drawers for lightweight, crushable items like bread and chips. The couch has been made into a bed. The "Closet" is in place above the bed.
Under the passenger seat is a small cupboard which we are using for our laundry care products. The door holds National Park books, and inside the door we have storage for more outdoor necessities like a folding shovel and awning tie-downs.
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