And We're Home

The last few days at Cloud 9 were beautiful, almost fall days.  We had enough rain Monday to have the fire ban lifted, so Ron and Carolyn had a campfire Thursday night complete with s'mores.  Rose, Maggie and Noah came Friday afternoon for a visit.    Saturday it looked like rain again, so we took down the screen room, brought in the chairs and took the tablecloth and seat covers off the picnic table.  Gene rode up to the Big Top with Ron and Carolyn for the Chili Cook Off and Employee Appreciation get together.  After that they packed up and left for home.  We were the only campers left at Wilder Springs 2.

Sunday, Rose picked us up for the Chapel service - such a blessing to us.  After church we said our good-byes.  It's always a bittersweet time.  That afternoon I started the "getting ready to travel"  rearranging.
On Monday morning, 8th, we left Cloud 9 and met Rose at the Dollar General in Caulfield.  Maggie had lined a picnic basket with red and white cloth and arranged fruit, cheese and crackers in it.  Noah had made delicious cookies and added them to the basket.  Such a thoughtful gift for snacking as we travel.  Again we said our good-byes and headed down the road.

That night we stayed at Memphis South RV Park in Coldwater, MS, Tuesday we traveled to Okatoma RV Resort in Hattiesburg, MS with a stop at Donna's 6 Produce in Florence.  They have delicious hand dipped ice cream and it's become a tradition to stop there for a treat.  Usually we spend two nights at Okatoma, but we were in the "go mode", so traveled on to Florida Springs RV Park in Bonifay, FL and met my sister, Faith and brother-in-law, Len in Tallahassee for lunch on Thursday.  They gave us a good amount of venison for ourselves and to share with the family.  All of us appreciate it so much.

Thursday afternoon we were back in Ocala.  Gene felt it a good idea to get an oil change as we had been 8400 miles.  I would have preferred coming straight home, but he was driving, so we stopped.  Finally reached our driveway at 5:15 and the unloading/unpacking began.  It takes several days to get everything put back in it's place - I'm still working on it.  Brad had mowed, trimmed, cleaned up our yard and it looked great.

Yesterday we had a joint birthday party at Brad and Candy's for Jennifer (daughter), Gene and me.  It was wonderful to spend time with our family.  Methinks we won't take a three month trip again - I really miss being with them

So, that brings to a close the trip blog for this year.  We had a great time visiting the sights, meeting new friends, and seeing old friends.  Until next year, God's blessings to all our friends and family.

We've Been Relaxing

It has been a nice 2 1/2 weeks here at Cloud 9 Ranch in Caulfield, MO.  Usually we move from campground to campground, but this time we have stayed at Wilder Springs.  Gene set up my screen room, put out the awning and we have stayed put.  My view has been of the little meadow, the section of the creek where the ATVs cross over, birds, butterflies, a deer sighting and even the groundhog showed himself a couple times.  The weather has been hot and only on Monday night did we get rain.  Hopefully enough so the burn ban can be lifted and we can have a campfire.
Our new friends, Ron and Carolyn, enjoy the fishing here.  On Monday, 18th, we joined them for a grilled fish dinner.  It was great getting to know them and we've spent time visiting back and forth.  
Our friend Rose invited us to her home on Sunday, 24th, with other friends, for a delicious meal and fellowship.  She homeschools her teenage children, Maggie and Noah, and they are all a blessing to be around.
On Wednesday, 27th, RVs started pulling in for the Labor Day weekend.  By Thursday evening, the ATVs were out in good number and the rest of the weekend was pretty noisy from before dawn to after midnight.  The bright spot of the weekend was the Elmores concert at the chapel Sunday morning.  They sing a variety of Southern gospel and inspirational songs and it was most enjoyable.
Today we drove into Caulfield, about 6 miles, ate lunch at The Hitchin Post, and bought some groceries  at Dollar General.  Since we were out and about, we stopped at the Clubhouse so I could check my emails and post my blog.  Gene has walked up to the Clubhouse several times to watch the US Open and has been able to get wifi at the bathhouse at the other end of the Wilder campground.  I have not been that ambitious.  I have enjoyed sitting in my screen room, reading and generally taking it easy.
We plan to leave Cloud 9 Ranch on Monday, 8th and take our time traveling home.  My Mommy, Grammy, Great-Grammy heartstrings are being pulled upon and it's time to go home to see everyone. 
So, until my next post, God's blessings to all our friends and family.

We're At Cloud 9 Ranch

I'm going to get caught up on my blog!  We left Council Bluffs, IA on the 11th.  (We actually were in four states that day).  We entered Missouri and saw an exit for Watson, MO.  You know we had to check it out. It was a tiny town on the Missouri River.  We saw the Lewis and Clark historical marker arrow and were on our way down a gravel road between very tall fields of corn.  We ate our lunch there and then back onto the main highway, into Nebraska and then to Hiawatha, KS  We had read in Nick Russell's Gypsy Journal of a monument built by John Davis for his wife Sarah in the 1930's at Mt. Hope Cemetery.  There are several theories why he spent so much money on this monument.  They were childless and because Sarah's family disowned her when she married him, he did not want to leave any money to her family.  For whatever reason, it is an impressive monument.

We looked in our GPS for a state park and found one in Atchison, KS.  We learned there are two types of state parks in Kansas.  The one we found was a "Fishing Lake" state park.  We traveled over 3 to 4 miles of gravel roads to a lovely little lake.  There were no electric or water hookups, but there was also no fee. We parked on a little hill overlooking the lake, I sat outside and enjoyed the view and Gene took his exploring walk.  The next day we drove into Atchison and toured the Amelia Earhart Birthplace and Museum.  A beautiful home with period furnishings - I loved the wallpaper.

Amelia Earhart's childhood room

We were off again to Moon Marble Co. in Bonner Springs, KS.  Another place Nick had written about.  We watched Ernie make a marble with intricate designs of flowers and vines - amazing to watch.  After the demonstration, we browsed through the shop which had marbles and a myriad of other toys.  Gene found 5 large marbles that he really liked, so we have our memory of the tour.
We ended our day at USI RV Park in Wichita, KS.  A very nice park recommended by friends Kat and Paul who live in Wichita.  Gene met them on Facebook when he was playing Backyard Monster and we wanted to meet face to face since we were in the mid-West.  They treated us to a delicious meal at Piccadilly the next evening and it was a delight to get to know them. 

Thursday we left Wichita and headed for Independence, KS to see the site of Laura Ingalls Wilder's  house on the prairie.  It was the last of our Laura tour.  Now when I reread the books, it will be even more special as I have visited all these places where she lived.  That night we were in Bartlesville, OK - just over the Kansas stateline at Riverside RV Park. Another nice Passport America park, but I was now in the "go mode" to get to Cloud 9, so we only stayed one night.
Friday afternoon we were finally here.  On Saturday we put up the screen room, put out the awning, I put the tablecloth on the picnic table and sighed a sigh of relief.  Now I can get lazy and just sit and read.  We have been in touch with old friends, Scott and Rose, and made new friends, Ron and Carolyn. 
And with that, I am up to date.  Did you think I was ever going to make it?
Until my next post, God's blessings to all our friends, new and old, and our family.

Badlands and DeSmet, SD, into NE and IA

We left Arrow Campground on Monday, August 4th and drove the Badlands Loop road.  It was another one of those WOW moments as soon as we drove through the entrance and parked in the overlook section.  The incredible rock formations looked like we were on another planet!  There were buttes, jagged peaks, a stark barrenness and then beyond that lush grasslands.  It was another major picture taking day.  Each rock formation was different and I didn't want to miss any.  I did the same thing with fall leaves when we were in New England a few years ago.  Gene asked if I was going to take a picture of every tree from New England to Florida.  I tried to.  We took about four hours to travel about 40 miles, with many, many stops and then stopping at the Visitor Center to view their exhibits.

We traveled on to Ft. Pierre, SD and stayed at Oahe Recreation Area.  It used to be a COE, but is now managed by the State.  They had nice clean restrooms, which I always appreciate.  On previous trips, I have always wanted to know where I was going to spend the night and have a reservation, if possible.  This trip I have learned to relax more in that area.  There have been many times when we just arrived at a state park, county or city park or corps of engineers park without a reservation, paid our fee and settled in for the night.  It does reduce the stress of keeping to a schedule "have to be in such and such a place tonight".  So, I'm living proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Tuesday and Wednesday we stayed in DeSmet, SD - the "Little Town on the Prairie".  Laura Ingalls Wilder actually wrote four books about her time spent in DeSmet.  This is the town where Pa and Ma finally settled.  Pa had the homestead, but also owned several stores there at various times.  Laura and Almonzo Wilder met and married here, then later moved to Mansfield, MO.  We visited the cemetery and saw the graves of Charles, Caroline, Mary, Carrie, Grace and Laura and Almonzo's baby boy.  I normally don't visit cemeteries, but this was special.  Many of the buildings have placards in the window giving the history of the building in relation to Laura's books.  The streets were very wide.  When we asked one of the long time residents, she said, "They needed to be wide enough for the horse and wagons to pass". We met very friendly people there.  It has the wonderful small town, "everyone helps everyone" atmosphere.  Gene didn't want to leave.  Were it not for the dreadfully cold winters, it would be a lovely place to live.

Prairie grass in the Big Slough

We headed south to Gavin Point Dam.  As we crossed over the dam, we entered Nebraska.  Usually when we enter a state I take a picture of the state sign.  As they were doing work on the road, there was no sign, so we didn't realize we were in a different state until we went to the Gavin Point Dam/Lewis and Clark Visitor Center.  They had an excellent history about the Army Corp of Engineers, which began back when George Washington was president.  They actually worked on the White House and Washington's Monument.  Off again the next morning heading for IA.  We stopped at Sioux City and visited the Sgt. Charles Floyd monument.  He was the only member of the Corps of Discovery (Lewis and Clark Expedition) who died on the trip.  (They think it was a ruptured appendix).

That evening we stayed at Lewis and Clark State Park at Onawa, IA.  There we met another Roadtrek couple, David and Sally, from SC.  One usually does not see many Roadtreks, so there is an instant bond when you cross paths.  After a nice visit, we went over to the campfire of another  group of  folks who meet together once a month at different campgrounds.  They are all from the Iowa area and we enjoyed spending time with them.  Off and running the next morning to Missouri Valley, IA, on the Loess Hills Scenic Byway where we stopped at the Lavender Farm.  The owners were visiting in Sequim, WA and saw the lavender fields there, came back, waited for land to become available and started their own farm in 2009.  This past year the winter was so hard that they lost 1200 plants.  They have replanted and the fields should be blooming again next year.  There was still the very relaxing fragrance of lavender in the store and we had to make a few purchases. 

While there, Deb told us of Watson Station in Missouri Valley.  Well, you know we had to go check it out.
There was a city park with electric hookups, so we decided to spend the night.  They have a little train you can ride and a museum relating to the railroad history in the area.  At that point I was rather weary from the constant pace we've kept, so a long nap was more appealing to me.  Gene took his usual "walk around and explore" jaunt.  We later learned that this is a hub for engine and engineer exchange.  The brochure said "70 trains pass in a day."  I can assure you they pass in the night too!  I understand they must blow the whistle for safety's sake when they come to a crossing, but that still doesn't make for a restful night.

The next morning, somewhat bleary eyed, we were on the move again.  We had a great breakfast at Penny's Diner (where Gene had wifi and could play his game and check Facebook) before going to the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge.  In the 1800's the steamship Bertrand was headed for Wyoming when it struck a submerged log and sank there in the Missouri River.  In 1968 and 1969, they were able to retrieve the ship with over 200,00 items.  Many of these items are now on display at the Refuge.  It was a many varied collection of glassware, clothing, tools, mining equipment, etc.  We then went to Council Bluffs, IA.  There we found the Lewis and Clark monument where they had indeed had a council with the Oto Native Americans.  It has been intriguing to stop at so many places where Lewis and Clark also stopped.  It really makes history come alive.

That evening was our last night in Iowa at Lake Manawa State Park, Council Bluffs.  So, this is a good stopping place for now.  Until my next post, God's blessings to all our friends and family.
  

Devils Tower, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial

And I have wifi again!  We are currently in Wichita, KS, but we've been to and seen such wonderful sights that I just can't leave them out.  On the 29th of July we left North Dakota (after 21 days) and traveled into South Dakota to Belle Furche with a side trip to Devils Tower in WY.  Gene walked the trail around it while I viewed the exhibits.  When he came back, I walked with him to the first plateau - not a long walk, but up a little hill.  In the high altitude, it was enough to get me winded. 

The following day we drove down to Spearfish Canyon - such a diversity of canyon walls and timbered hills.  We pulled off many times at the overlooks to marvel at the beauty and take pictures.  This drive took us to Lead and on to Deadwood.  This happened to be the week before the Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis and many of the motorcyclists were also out enjoying the sights.  When we arrived in Deadwood, the streets were lined with cars and cycles and people everywhere.  I'm not fond of crowds,  so decided there wasn't really anything there I needed to see.  At least is anyone asks, I can say I've been there.

On the 31st we were able to meet our friends Mark and Sharleen in Rapid City at Applebee's.  We first met them at a Gypsy Journal Rally in Selina, Ohio in 2009.  It had been a couple years since we had seen them, so it was great to spend time with them.

.                                                                                                                                                                              Our next big event was the visit to Mt. Rushmore.  We drove up the winding road, around a corner and caught our first sight of it.  It was a breathtaking moment.  We thought we could be satisfied with a few pictures from a distance, but not so.  We gladly paid the parking fee of $11.00 and walked up to the viewing area.  I'm so glad we did.  It was one of those moments when you realize how blessed we are to be able to travel and see these marvelous places.   We rested up a couple of days at Country Charm near Custer, SD and then headed back north to Crazy Horse Memorial on Saturday.  They had wonderful displays of Native American items.  The highlight for me was the Native American dances done by Jumping Buffalo, a sixth generation descendent of Sitting Bull, his son and other family members.  It touched me deeply!

We traveled from there to Wall, SD and stayed at Arrow Campground for two nights.  On Sunday, we ate a delicious breakfast at Wall Drug,  attended First United Methodist Church and then browsed through the shops.  That was the last time I had wifi, so will continue to play the "catch up" game. 

Until the next post, God's blessings to all our friends and family.

Painted Canyon & Enchanted Highway

Sunday we were on the road again.  We stopped at Painted Canyon Visitor Center, also in T.R.Nat'l Park. Even though it was overcast, the scene was still spectacular.  We had read in Nick Russell's Gypsy Journal about the Enchanted Highway that goes from Gladstone to Regent, ND on Hwy 4531.  The sculpturer, Gary Greff, has made seven larger than life sculptures from old farm machinery and other scrap metal, beginning in 1991.  His purpose was to bring tourists into his town, Regent.  We traveled the Highway taking pictures and enjoying the pastoral sights along the way.  The wheat was rippling in the breeze, "amber waves of grain",  horses were silhouetted on the top of a hill, and the canola fields were bright yellow.  When we arrived at Regent, we stopped at the Ice Cream/Gift Shop.  When Gene asked the fellow who was dipping up ice cream what Gary did when he wasn't sculpturing, he answered, "I work here."  He has several more sculptures planned.  The next one will be "Spider Web" 

Painted Canyon

Geese in Flight

Pheasants on the Prairie

Deer Crossing

Teddy Rides Again

Largest Tin Family

Grasshoppers in the Field

Fisherman's Dream

We traveled on to Bowman Haley Rec.Area near Scranton to spend a couple days and on Tuesday we left North Dakota and into South Dakota.  So, this is a good stopping place for now.  I have high hopes of having wifi again wherever we end up tomorrow and can continue this saga. God's blessings to all.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

We've seen so much in the last two weeks!  This may be a "series" instead of just one post.  When we left Lewis and Clark State Park, we drove up through Williston, ND.  There were a lot of  trucks on the road, as we had been told - trucks carrying oil, gravel, and who knows what.  There was also a lot of construction on Hwy 85.  Gene gets a little antsy driving for 25 mph for any distance, so after we stopped for a picnic lunch in Alexander, we took the scenic route 68 through the Little Missouri Grasslands Area to Beach, ND, then over to Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit, Medora, where we spent three nights.  As we are over 62 (most definitely) we have the Senior Access Pass that gives us free entry to National Parks and Monuments and half price camping.  The only drawback is that camping is usually without electric.  There are always several places to get water, though.  If necessary, we can run the generator, but we were out and about during the day and it had cooled down when we returned to our campsite.  We met another Roadtrek couple, Marlene and Buddy from MN.  Since this was their first trip out in it, Gene was able to help with info and suggestions.  The next day we traveled the 5 miles back to Medora and ate lunch at the Chuckwagon Buffet.  It was a very good selection, reasonably priced and delicious.  While in line, a lady spoke to us and when we turned around, we were surprised to see she was in period costume.  It was Mrs. Edith Roosevelt. When we met later on the street, she introduced us to her husband, President Theodore Roosevelt and we had quite an interesting conversation.

That same day we toured the Harold Schaefer Heritage Center (Gold Seal products - Glass Wax, Liquid Floor Wax and Mr. Bubble bubble bath).  He contributed majorly to the restoring of the Rough Riders Hotel and promoted the town of Medora.  The buttes and cliffs with different hues make it a beautiful place.  We could see why he loved it so.

The next day we went to the Visitor Center, saw the Maltese Cross cabin where Theodore Roosevelt spent a lot of time, and then over to the Chateau de Mores.  The Marquis de Mores started the town of Medora in the mid 1800's.  His idea was to butcher the cattle there and send the meat to the East rather than ship live cattle.  It must have been an idea before it's time, as it didn't prove to be profitable.  On the porch of the Chateau, we enjoyed an interpretation of Felix Gottnick, a German immigrant to this area, presented by Don.
He is a very talented actor who made the life of Felix come alive.  The information he presented was gleaned from letters given to him by Felix's great grand niece. It was a step back into history and much enjoyed.

We finished our day by driving the scenic loop - and it truly was - the variety of grasslands, prairie and cliffs are amazing.  Pictures just don't do it justice.  We even saw a few buffalo - not the main herd, but  we were able to get a few pictures.

S

On Sunday we headed out to new adventures, which I'll cover in my next blog.   Until then, God's blessings to all our friends and family.

Following Lewis and Clark

Not exactly in their footsteps or in their mode of travel (thank goodness!), but we have stopped at several places where they also traveled.  From Jamestown, ND we went to Ft. Abraham Lincoln State Park in Mandan, ND.  This is the place where Gen. Custer was stationed with the 7th Cavalry before departing for the Little Big Horn in 1876.  They built a replica of his and Libby's home 25 years ago and this weekend was the celebration of that event.  There were demonstrations of the 10 barrel Gatlin gun and cannon, tour of the Custer House with period interpreters,  and an army camp illustrating life during that time.  Gene enjoyed all of this while I stayed at the RV with a headache.  This is the first time I've been not well since we left June 3rd.  The day before we had walked up to the Visitor Center, looked at the exhibits and then walked out to the On-A-Slant Mandan Village.  The name came from the fact that it was built on the hill overlooking the Missouri River.  When Lewis and Clark arrived at this place in October 1804, the smallpox had already wiped out most of the people and those remaining moved north to live with the Hidatsas.  A few earthlodges have been reconstructed  so we can see how they lived.  The women were responsible for building and maintaining the lodges, growing corn, squash and beans and the men hunted elk, deer, etc. 

 From there we traveled to Cross Ranch State Park near Washburn and visited the ND Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.  They had exhibits depicting the journey from the beginning May 14, 1804 from Camp Dubois to the end September 23, 1806 back in St Louis.  The hardships they endured can hardly be imagined, but a route to the Pacific Ocean was found.  We also toured a replica of Fort Mandan, just two miles down the road.  This fort was built to shelter them during the winter of 1804 to 1805.

Our guide for the fort tour was extremely informative and we enjoyed the time spent there learning more about these brave men.

Next day we were off again to the Knife River Indian Village in Stanton where again we enjoyed learning more about the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Tribes - later known as the Affiliated Tribes. This is where Sakakawea, a Shoshone girl, lived after she was taken from her tribe near the Bitterroot Mountains.   We ate at a local cafe - Cafe du Mond - recommended by a volunteer at the Gift Shop.  He suggested ordering fleischkuechle - seasoned ground beef wrapped in a pastry/dough and fried.  It was delicious. 
We spent the next three days at Lake Sakakawea State Park.  Yes, there are about 20 ways to spell her name, all because Lewis and Clark would write it phonetically in their journals.  We had not made a reservation and found a beautiful "first come first served" spot overlooking the Lake.  Gene set up my screen room and I enjoyed the time to rest and relax. 

We then spent time at Lake Sakakawea
COE on the Missouri River, visited the Audubon Refuge Center in Coleharbor & spent last night at Fort Stevenson State Park on Lake Sakakawea.  Today we drove north to Lewis and Clark State Park on Lake Sakakawea near Epping, ND. It's a big lake!  We are now in oil country - seeing the oil rigs and what we call "praying mantis" drills.

 We have seen beautiful country on our trip - grasslands, wheat fields, corn in all stages of growth and have now learned what the brilliant yellow fields are - canola, and purple/blue fields are flax.

So we shall rest up for another day or so and turn south towards Theodore Roosevelt National Park and then into South Dakota.  I am so thankful we have this chance to see this glorious country of ours.
It is truly a blessing!

So until I have wifi again, blessings to all our family and friends.

 

And WiFi at Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, Washburn, ND

But to back up - on our way to Mel Rieman Rec Area we drove through Akeley, MN and saw Paul Bunyan.  We met the son-in-law of the man who constructed it - in his backyard - with steel frame, then covered with fiberglass.

These little surprises are one of the reasons we enjoy traveling the back roads.

While at Jamestown, we saw White Cloud, a white buffalo, which has great spiritual significance to the Native Americans and her 5th calf, who was born white, but now has reddish coloring, Dakota Miracle (pictured below).  We also saw the small herd of buffalo that roam the very large fenced in area.  There is a concerted effort to restore buffalo herds in various areas of the country.  Currently, Yellowstone National Park has the largest herd, which we were privileged to see in 2007.

We stopped at Wal Mart and found a small screen room that would 1. protect me from the bugs and 2. was in a small enough case that it would fit in the RV behind my seat .  The one at  Gander Mountain was so big we would have had to buy a carrier to attach to the back of the RV!  Back to Pelican Point where we were staying and Gene put it up for me.  Now I can sit outdoors and enjoy the fresh air without being harassed by the mosquitoes.  Pelican Point was another delightful campground overlooking Jamestown Reservoir.  I could watch boaters and fisherman enjoying the beautiful weather we were having.  The next stage of our journey will be covered in the next blog - to Ft.Abraham Lincoln State Park in Mandan, ND.  See you later.

WiFi at Ft. Abraham Lincoln State Park!

It's been almost two weeks, but I'm online again.  Gene has the advantage of a tablet and excessive energy so can walk to wifi locations when they're available at campgrounds.  But, here I am, so will catch you up.

We spent the 4th of July weekend at Winnie Dam Rec. Area on Lake Winniebigoshish.  It was a restful time with some rain and even a pelting of small hail stones.  The mosquitoes, however, were bothersome, so I spent most of the time in the RV.  That's when I decided I'd like a screen room.  When we left there, we
drove south and west and into Fargo, ND.  I spotted a Gander Mountain and we turned around and stopped in to look for one.  We thought at first we wanted one with a floor, which they didn't have, and we traveled on. 

The next two nights we spent at Mel Rieman COE which was beautiful and mosquito free.  We watched little bunnies feeding in the evening and  little yellow birds which I think are finches.  Our view was Lake Ashtabula - gorgeous.

We then traveled to Jamestown, ND and stayed at Pelican Point.  Went to Buffalo Museum. 

OK, battery is low.  Hope to continue soon.

Door County, WI to Walnut Grove, MN

We have covered a lot of territory, seen new sights and had a great time since my last post.  As stated before, the campgrounds we've been in have had sketchy or nonexistent wifi, but they have been very nice.
We left Baraboo, WI and traveled up to Green Bay so Gene could stop by Lambeau Field and get pictures of the stadium.  We then went on to Sturgeon Bay to stay at Harbour Village, an RPI resort, for three nights.  We're discovering that we need "rest days" along with our sightseeing days. Wednesday we drove up to the northern tip of Door Peninsula - Gills Rock - and visited the Door County Maritime Museum.  They had a lot of interesting exhibits, (Gene saw a Johnson outboard motor same as his step-dad used to have), some relics from shipwrecks in addition to information on their ferry system.  We ate lunch at the Shoreline Restaurant which overlooks Garrett's Bay, then to the ferry landing at Northport to watch the ferry come in, unload and reload.  This particular ferry travels between Northport and Washington Island.  There was a tour bus on the ferry along with bicyclists, a Segway tour group, pedestrian passengers and about a dozen cars and trucks.  After reading about the shipwrecks that had taken place in this area, I was not too eager to take a ferry ride!  We drove over to Cana Island Lighthouse near Bailey's Harbor to take pictures.  The lighthouse is on the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula - very choppy water.  Back to Harbour Village where the mosquito population kept us inside the RV, but we brought several DVD's, so just enjoyed a good movie.  The next day Gene did some RV cleaning (outside) and I worked on downloading and organizing pictures.

Friday we left Harbour Village and stopped at Quietwoods RV Service in Sturgeon Bay.  The hot water heater was not working on electric, only on propane.  The heating element had quit working - it had lasted 11 years, so no complaints.  The new one was installed, we filled up our propane tank and were good to go.  A quick stop at Wal Mart for some groceries and on down the road we went.  We spent that night in Wausau at Marathon County Park.  Gene has found some very nice places for us using  "RV Parky" and "Oh Ranger" apps on his tablet. 

Saturday was another Laura Ingalls Wilder day in Pepin, WI.  This was where she was born and her first book "Little House in the Big Woods" is based on this area.  We toured the museum, spent the night in Lake
Pepin Campground and next day went to the actual site where a replica log house has been built.  I fixed sandwiches for our lunch and we ate there - a lot less work than Ma went through to fix a meal!

Needing a bit of rest, we chose Peaceful Valley Campground in Le Sueur, MN to spend the next couple of days.  To get there, we crossed the Mississippi River again - still very high from all the rain - into Red Wing, MN and almost straight west to Le Sueur.  When we entered the town, we saw a huge sign of the Jolly Green Giant that said "Welcome to the Valley".  As it turns out, the Giant hasn't been in Le Sueur for many years.  I was disappointed.  I looked forward to sitting outside and soaking up some sunshine, but , alas, rain and mosquitoes nixed that, so I read and relaxed inside.  Gene walked up to the office with his tablet and played his "Clash of Clans" game on his tablet
. 
Yesterday we drove further west to Walnut Grove, MN to another Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum.  Her Pa traveled almost as much as we do.  They had a sod hut, school house, settler's house, chapel and many items related to the television series "Little House on the Prairie."  In "Grandma's House" they had displays of butter churns, old washing tub, and other household items that make me very thankful I live in a modern age.
It was an extremely windy day and our drive here to Randall, MN in and out of rain was wearying.  Again, the need to rest up before our next leg of the journey.  Tomorrow we're off to Winnie Dam Campground near Deer Lake, another COE, for the holiday weekend, then into North Dakota.  We're still smelling the roses and enjoying the trip.

Wisconsin Dells

Our plans when we left Decorah were to stay at the Blackhawk COE near DeSoto, WI, which we did for one night.  With all the recent rain, the Mississippi River was rising and the campground had to be closed.
We drove up to LaCrosse, WI and took the LaCrosse Queen paddlewheel boat tour on the Mississippi River.  I've wanted to do that for quite some time.  Gene met some folks that recommended Rudy's Drive-In, so we drove over for their famous chili hot dogs.   Since we were in the area, we went up to Granddad Bluff where you can see Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.  It was a lovely view.  We had not made reservations for Saturday night - Gene said we would wing it.   We found a quiet state park near Camp Douglas, WI - Mill Bluff State Park.  It was a non electric, no water site, but we had plenty of water in our fresh water tanks, we switched the refrigerator to propane and our "house" batteries ran our lights.  I opened a can of chicken and dumplings (manual can opener), added some frozen peas and heated it up on our propane burner.   It was quite tasty.  I also made sure I called for a reservation at a campground for Sunday night.  An interesting tidbit - Mill Bluff is #40 on the state park list.  It was also our 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday, the 22nd.  When we left Sunday morning, we took the scenic route Hwy 12/16 rather than the interstate.  If we don't have a deadline we prefer the slower pace.  I'm glad we did because we saw the cutest display of cows for the cow-munity project in Mauston, WI.  We arrived in Wisconsin Dells, stopped at Culver's for lunch and then on to Fox Hill RV Park and Campground in Baraboo.  Another nice, clean campground.  Today we drove into the Dells and took the "Original Wisconsin Ducks" amphibian tour through forests and into the Wisconsin River and Lake Delton.  It was an exciting ride and we loved it.  We ate lunch at Moose Jaw Pizza, then stopped at Market Square Cheese for some real Wisconsin cheese.  We're now back at Fox Hill to catch up on emails and such.  Tomorrow we head for Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay where we'll explore Door County.  We've been busy, but are having a lot of fun.

Laura Ingalls Wilder and Vesterheim

We have had an interesting three days!  On our way into Decorah, IA on Tuesday, we spotted a sign for
Pulpit Rock Campground.  It is a city Parks and Recreation campground right on the Upper Iowa River.  We registered, then drove ten miles up to Burr Oak to tour the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum.
The building was the Masters Hotel and they lived and worked there awhile after leaving Walnut Grove, MI.
Ma, Mary and Laura did the cooking for up to 25 people three times a day and the cleaning.  Pa took care of the animals and whatever else needed to be done.  There were many items from the time period 1876 and 1877 such as clothing, shaving supplies, cooking utensils, etc.   Laura was nine years old when they moved there and did not cover this time period in her books.
On Wednesday and today we drove into Decorah to visit the Vesterheim  Norwegian-American Museum.
Yesterday Travis gave us a guided tour of the outside buildings including small homes, parochial school, church and mill.  Today we toured the three stories and basement of the museum itself.  The Rosemaling (flower painting) on bowls, plates, storage chests and many other items was exquisite in detail as was the carving on furniture.  We thoroughly enjoyed our Norwegian experience!