Gone a While

Wednesday-Friday, June 27-29

We've been a bit busy and distracted the past few days but we're back on the road in the early morning, headed for Colorado for a couple of days. Pictures will definitely get better! We've been attending sessions, visiting with new friends, eating and being generally entertained. Fun stuff!

Today was going to be a slow day. We ate a late breakfast and hung out at the coach and took a nap.

 I woke up with Kona making a fuss and Steve wasn't inside anywhere. Just as I got up and got the dog to quiet down Steve came in and said there was a tornado WARNING and we had to get to the main building. He had been outside talking with the neighbors and they heard a "horn" but didn't know what it was for. It had stopped but one of the campers was coming around and telling everyone to get inside the main building. Cars were heading out and after putting our slides in (to save the toppers) we hopped on our golf cart---you heard that right--GOLF CART --to head to the main building (a HUGE note to add to our PROS for bringing a car next time!). It was blowing really bad and dust was flying. I realized I wasn't wearing my glasses (and yes, I was driving) when it was blowing in my eyes! It started to rain a little and then the hail hit. YEOUCH! The main building is only 1/2 to 3/4s of a mile from where we're camping, but it seemed like miles in the hail.

We all piled into the available locker rooms (with pets in tow!) and after some really hard rain, we got an all clear. Before the storm, it had been in the high 80s but when we came out to head back, it was VERY cool. It's 55 now and supposed to get to 50 overnight. We went back at 5 for a closing dinner (Prime Rib! YUM!) and were treated to some more great entertainment by Jimmie Travis. He was great. We'll hate to leave the group in the morning but I'm itching to get back on the road and see some new things. More tomorrow evening. 

These were taken on our way BACK to our coach after the weather scare. You can see in the first one that the sky still looks a bit ominous in one direction but the other shows the sky and mountains off in the other direction. 

Wi-fi What???

Monday, June 25

Just so you know, I stayed up last night and wrote a post that DIDN'T get posted!!!! The wi-fi here is spotty, at best. I'm trying to use the free wi-fi they offer instead of using my hotspot on my phone but it's just not cooperating, so I'm doing TWO posts tonight for Monday and Tuesday....

Today (Monday) we went to a few sessions and learned some new things! We learned what a Wi-fi Ranger is, how to make sure we don't take out a gas pump after filling up, and how to NOT hook up a tow car. We really did learn some good stuff and met some more new folks. We also found our new motorhome, yeah right, the one we'll buy AFTER we win the lottery!

At 6 we attended the opening ceremonies and saw just how many people are at this rally!! Whoa! 450 motorhomes with most housing 2 people. Add that up!!!

Tuesday, June 26

Today we started with a great buffet breakfast at 8:00. After breakfast we visited our new motorhome again (it's torture!) and then went to a session on Ford Motorhome Maintenance and Towing. Just saying, I was NOT very excited about attending this one but it turned out to be a good one. Around 11:30 we headed back "home" for lunch and Steve took a nap (I think he's liking our schedule here :))

Dinner was at 5:30 and it was a good one. BBQ pork, brisket, green beans, grilled potatoes, salad and blackberry or peach cobbler. Whew! Entertainment after dinner was a concert by Daily and Vincent. I had never heard about them before but they are Grand Ole Opry members and put on a wonderful bluegrass/country music event. We really enjoyed it. It was funny when we came back to the motorhome afterward as did everyone else. We went to take Kona for a walk and every one else with a dog was out doing the same thing. There were a lot of DOGS! 

The last couple of days have been beautiful weather-wise. It's been hot but with no humidity it's much easier to take. Today was a high of 84 and yesterday was around 80. 

This is what our "street" for the week looks like. Now imagine that times six more streets. 

Coaches as far as you can see!

A beautiful Wyoming evening sky.

Night all!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Sunday, June 24, 2018

We woke up to rain and it looked like it was here to stay for the day.  We slept on and off and the sun came out around 5. Just in time for a First Timers meeting. 

Met some more new people--one lady from Colorado who retired, sold her house, and bought a motorhome and went on the road never having camped before!! We also met our regional director, and our SC chapter directors. NICE people. This looks to be like it's going to be great fun. It all starts tomorrow. Praying for sunshine.

We're HEEERRREEE!

June 23, 2018

We left this morning at 8:30 and made a stop at Wal-Mart in Spearfish to pick up milk and bread. Then we headed out for Gillette since we had to be there at 11:00.  The place we stayed last night is part of a planned community in Spearfish. It's the first part, along with a store and gas station. It was crowded but really nice. Tennis, basketball courts, pool, hiking trail, and paved trail to the store/gas station. It had campsite and cabins, facing the prairie or mountains.

Prairie

Moutain

BEAUTIFUL!

 It was pretty interesting how the scenery changed pretty immediately once we got in to Wyoming. Especially at first. We went from flat, open land to mountainous areas with lots of trees.

                         

                        


We also got to see some animals that we weren't quite sure what they were. Until good ole' Google helped us out. They were Pronghorn, apparently pretty plentiful in Wyoming. Kind of interesting. Very much like deer but smaller and funny markings that made them stand out. We didn't get a picture of them but here's what they looked like (thanks again, Google):

There were lots of outcroppings of rocks we saw. I missed the "Welcome to Wyoming" sign but got this one. This state seemed like it was a lot more industrial than South Dakota. We saw a lot of mining evidence in buildings and trucks and just a lot more business areas. It was kind of sad after all the wide open space of SD.

We also saw a LOT of this type of fencing along the interstate. The only thing we could figure was that maybe it was there to keep snow from drifting on to the road in the winter. There wasn't a lot of anything to block snow from blowing across onto the roads. Didn't google this one. Maybe I should have????

Tonight was our first "official" event for the convention. We weren't sure what to expect and even sat at a table near the back in case we wanted to leave early! We met a nice couple from Florida who sat at our table for the same reason! But we were very pleasantly surprised with the entertainment. The Riders in the Sky were great!

 

South Dakota

Thursday, June 21 & Friday, June 22

Thursday

We got up early AGAIN and were on the road by 8. Steve kept mentioning the pink roads (they were even PINKER near the end of Iowa) and I started noticing them more and more. So I did what every curious person does: I googled it! Seems they use quartzite to make the roads out this direction and quartzites natural color is...you guessed it: PINK. So as the roads age and the materials they use to stick it all together wear away, you see more of the color. Googe also mentioned that railroad beds would be even pinker--which they were, but I couldn't get a picture taken fast enough as we passed by one. Just a quick useless bit of information there for you!

There was a LOT of standing water and flooded areas alongside the road. They've undoubtedly had their share of the rain out this way..

The countryside out here is just beautiful. I'll probably say that over and over. I'm just absolutely awed by what the views are in this part of the country. Steve and I have both said that pictures just can't do it justice. Beautiful.

More flat land as we started out. Still pretty though. Just can't deny it.

 We crossed the Missouri River AGAIN! I think this may be the third time,

This is a sample of what we saw as we first made our way into SD. The "rolling hills" were pretty tree-less. Just seemed like miles and miles of pastureland.

Bees! We saw several groupings of bee hives out in the middle of nowhere. Sort of unexpected but it a cool use of all the land.

We stopped at a rest area and saw this huge teepee frame. At first, we thought it was under construction but then realized it was a sculpture. Every rest area had the same thing.

                                               
Tonight we stayed at "Al's Oasis" in Oacoma, South Dakota. Nice place.

Friday

This morning we got up and were on the road again by 7. It was a pretty morning. We are SO enjoying the cooler weather. It was 70 and my weather app said if  'felt like 70'. We're just not used to seeing that in SC. It's nice to open the window while we're driving and it being bearable.

We started to see more hills this morning. And more trees. Still pretty.

Then we started to see rocks in the distance. 

Steve and I got a good giggle out of talking about the westerns we'd seen where the cowboys were on the plains and that big long line of indians on horseback were on the top of those rocks. Can't you see them?

We drove out of the rocks  and we staeted to see mountains coming into the background. Black Hills maybe?

 

This was one of those strange things we saw. We could see this bull head from a looonnnng way off. We thought it may be at the gate of some place but as we got closer, we realized it was a pasture of weird sculptures. I got this picture of the bull head and a hammer. There were many more but I couldn't get them as we drove fast.

This photo was taken as we passed near Sturgis. If you look closely on the right side you can see "Sturgis" spelled out in white rock on the side of the hill. This came up quickly and Steve was clipping along.

For miles and miles we kept seeing advertisements for Wall Drugs. The signs would say it was "as seen on the Today Show" and "as seen in Time Magazine" or Readers' Digest. We had no idea about what to expect since we'd never heard of the plaee. But with all the ads it got our curiosity up, so when we came to the exit, we had to take it. Turned out to be a one-street tourist stop kinda like a Western Gatlinburg. They advertise as 76,000 square feet of gift shops, eateries and amenities. We drove by and looked but didn't get out. Maybe we'll regret that one day when we see it on the Today Show!

This was Kona's thoughts about our drive today. She's a good little traveler.

Tonight we're staying at Elk Horn Ridge Resort. It's in a beautiful valley. It has cabins and campsites facing a creek, a prairie, and the mountains. We can see the prairie and mountains. SO PRETTY!

There are several Newmar motorhomes here, all heading to the same place in Gillette as us. Our neighbors are from Wisconsin and are really friendly. They too, are heading to Gillette in the morning. We only have about a hundred miles to drive tomorrow before reaching our destination for the week.

I-O-WHERE?

We headed out in a noticeably COOLER morning. It rained on us last night and we didn't have to use the AC this morning at all. We were SO READY for some cooler weather. This was our view as we headed out and headed toward the interstate.

A Wal-Mart came along not too long after we got started and since we needed to pick up a couple of things, we decided to pull in. Pulling in is what we WANTED to do, but it seems Wal-Mart didn't want us to. Since we are a full 13' high, we couldn't go in this entrance.

We decided to turn around in a hotel across the street but then we saw an 18 wheeler going down the road a bit and assumed he might have been going in another entrance to Wal-Mart around the corner. NOT!!!! No side entrance and no place to turn around all the way down the little side road until we'd driven a good two or three miles in the wrong direction before we could get back on the interstate and go BACK to Wal-Mart. I think Steve was determined not to let the store 'beat us'! We headed to another entrance and ran in to the same height issue as the first one. Going just a little further we found the truck entrance and made out way in to the parking lot. This message is to the little Wally World in Odessa, MO: RVers are people too!

We went around Kansas City, crossed the Missouri River AGAIN (another impressive bridge), passed several Casinos (those photos are for you, Mom!). Omaha, Nebraska came next with some interesting sculptures at the entrance to the city.
                                                         

At the Chiefs Stadium going in to KC

Kansas City

        

         

Omaha, Nebraska

Missouri had started to get a little flatter yesterday afternoon and it kept doing so this morning. Flat and corn EVERYWHERE. The fields are beautiful and we saw the "amber waves of grain" along our way yesterday but I didn't get a picture of one. Corn, I DID get today. You could see for miles in every direction. Beautiful really.

Tonight we are staying in Onawa, Iowa. We are staying in the "On Ur Way" campground. Pretty, small, and quiet. It has obviously rained a good bit here before we arrived. Lots of standing water. The manager of the park said more is expected tonight and tomorrow. I guess that's just we what get in pay back for the cooler weather. I'll take the rain.