Minnesota Sept. 30, 2010

Well, I am skipping over some things I want to blog about that happened earlier but wanted to get this done while it is fresh on my mind.

We arrived in Wadena, MN yesterday.  We are here because Bob has a brother and sister-in-law, John and Jan, that live not far from here and Bob is seeing a dentist in Staples, where they live.

Wadena is a small town of around 5,000 people.  It has a cute downtown area…which we will visit in the next few days.  There is a community college here and they had a tornado that came through in June doing quite a bit of damage to the residential area.

I left the motorhome early this morning because a farmer’s market was advertised to start at 7:00 am at the train depot…well, the farmer’s were still asleep I guess as there was no one there.  I snapped this on the way.

We wanted to see the headwaters of the Mississippi River so we headed north today, driving through several small towns before arriving at Lake Itasca about 2 hours away.  We stopped at two city parks that offer RV parking. 

We went to Bemidji first and stopped to see the Paul Bunyan statue with his blue ox, Babe.   

Here’s Bob signing the visitor register at the Welcome Center…he had to borrow Paul’s pencil.

There is a lot of sculpture on the streets of Bemidji…this fish was stolen several years ago and the paper publicized the theft and the fact that the piece was worth $10,000 (yeah right).  The thief returned the piece and they have kept it in the Welcome Center since.  It is constructed out of old tools.

I got to see my first cranberry bush or tree or whatever.

Chicago has it cows and Bemidji has it beavers.

Bemidji is also know for its woolen mill called…are you ready…are you sure…The Bemidji Woolen Mill!  It was much smaller than I expected…it would have been neat to see all the ladies at work…where the heck were they?

They had a great store…but not much there for people that spend less than a month in cold weather. Interesting.

Finally we arrive at Lake Itasca.  They have had so much rain that the water was really up.  When we were here in 1991 or 1992 you could literally walk across the Mississippi.  It was just lovely today as we were here around 5:00 and there were only a few other visitors.  Hard to believe that the might Mississippi starts right here.  We have now visited the headwaters of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers.

I had to put a toe in…hey Lorraine North I know you would have.

The portion of water in the background is Lake Itasca and the water in the foreground is the start of the Mississippi. 

It was a special moment for Bob also…he has his phone glued to his ear!

And a good time was had by all.

Moving on.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The last 2 days have flown by…that’s because they were our days off.  We seem to stay on the road the whole time running everywhere but not getting much done.

We will be closing our campground on Sept. 13 but Bob and I are going to stay in the area for another week to 10 days so we have been checking out all of the campgrounds in the area.  I told Bob we had to have internet even if we can’t get one where our AT&T cell phones work.

The weather is starting to turn cooler…we are turning our small heaters on each morning when we get up and today it was jeans and sweatshirts…yippee…my kind of weather.  They tell me they have had snow as early as the middle of September up here.

We spent some time some time in Custer State Park yesterday.  We ran into some burros, mules, donkeys…we are not sure which.  They had no problem going right up to the cars.  Unfortunately some people were feeding them…right in front of the signs that said not to feed the animals…go figure.

This little guy was all legs and he was kicking up a storm.

    

We saw a few prairie dogs but were once again disappointed in the number of animals we saw throughout the park.                    

Today we took Buddy and Cissy to the beauty shop in Custer where they had a spa day.  We then met Dave and Betty in Keystone to ride the tram up the side of the hill.  We had tried to do this once before but it was raining buckets by the time we got there and they were closed.  Today they were closed again…the sign said they would be open for Labor Day.  It’s just not meant to be.  So, we had lunch at the local DQ and got to have a nice visit.

Right across the street from the DQ we saw this sign about the Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Another view of part of Keystone.

This evening we met Larry and Rosalie, friends that we had worked with at Adventureland in 2005, at the Alpine Inn in Hill City for dinner.  Also joining us were Rod and Marsha Schultz. Rod and Marsha are one of the couples that run the campground office at the Tiffin service center in Red Bay, AL.  Rod and Marsha invited Joe and Jan Dabney of Houston, TX to join us.  They have an Allegro Bus made by Tiffin.  A pleasure to meet such nice people and find out they know other Tiffin owners that we too know.  Small world.  The food was great as was the company.  Unfortunately I didn’t not have my camera on the right setting.

It’s back to work tomorrow…getting ready for the Labor Day weekend crowd we are expecting.

Moving on.

Sunday, August 15, 2010 The Black Hills of South Dakota

We are still working at Sheridan Lake Campground near Hill City, SD.  We have 4 weeks left and counting.  This has been a very quiet weekend for us…we only had 12 of our 39 spaces occupied…the other 3 loops were pretty full.  Sunday is always nice because most of the campers are leaving…I think we will only have 3 spaces with campers tonight unless someone else comes in.  The weather turned quite cool yesterday…high was 65 degrees.  It is supposed to start warming today and we should be back to about 80 degrees within a few days.  We had to turn one of our small heaters on early this morning but it looks like it is going to be a beautiful day.  We are working the beach/day use area as we do 5 days a week.  There are a few people fishing across the lake from where I am sitting…that is a free parking area right next to the highway.  This is the view I get from the booth.  Sheridan Lake is 385 acres…this is just a small part.

I really wish I could just pick up my rod and reel and walk the few feet down to the lake but don’t think our employer would like that.  Because of the cool weather we probably will have very little activity…we normally sell around 50 parking passes on a good day…yesterday we sold 4.  I can’t being to tell you how many books we have read in the last few weeks.

Last Tuesday, one of our days off, we drove over to Custer which is less than 15 miles from here.  As previously mentioned, the Sturgis, SD motorcycle rally is in full swing and there are bikers everywhere.  This is downtown Custer which is probably about 80 miles from Sturgis.

Sorry, I was snapping these thru the windshield as we drove thru…I am wondering where this guy put the crutch when he was riding.

We had dinner at the Blue Bell Lodge in Custer State Park.  It was built in the 1920s by an executive with Bell Telephone.  It is a beautiful location.  

Sorry I did not take any pictures of the interior of the restaurant.  The setting was lovely…the food was so-so.  We are having trouble finding really good food in this area…but it is just as well as we don’t have much time to eat out.  Hard to believe I am cooking almost every day.  It can’t last forever.

Moving on.

From The Black Hills of South Dakota

The following was written about 2 weeks ago…I just have not had the internet time to get it posted until today, 8-9-10.  Sorry, vm.

We continue to enjoy mostly great weather in The Black Hills…we have had thunderstorms the last few days and nights and even some hail yesterday but nothing bad.  We have had a few days in the 90s but then we get some rain and it cools things off.  Where we are near Hill City the temps are about 10 degrees cooler than in Rapid City…Rapid, as the locals refer to it, is about 30 miles north of us.

We took yesterday to do some sightseeing with our friends Betty and Dave.  We took a short drive to Keystone before going on to Mount Rushmore.  In Keystone there is a museum dedicated to Gutzon Borglum…the man that began the Mount Rushmore project.  As we entered, there was a man working that was giving information to the people in front of us.  I really was not looking at him but when I heard his voice I looked up and told Betty that I knew him and I knew she did too.  It was Bob Griffiths and he recognized us also.  After watching the movie about Borglum we went into the gift shop where Bob’s wife, Eddy, was working.  I had asked Bob not to tell her that we were there.  What a surprise for all of us.  My Bob, Betty and I worked with Bob and Eddy at Adventureland in Iowa in 2005 in the retail department.  We are running into so many people that we know! Here we are, Bob and Eddy, Dave and Betty and Bob and I.  We have made plans to get together in a couple of weeks for dinner in Keystone.

Then we went on to Mount Rushmore.  Bob and I had been there once before several years ago but having been to the Borglum museum we got so much more out of it this time.

And you know, you just can’t get away from those Texans…these guys are from Austin…could you guess?  We had talked to an Aggie while lunching in Keystone.

Talk about a small world, while in Keystone we got a phone call…yes, my phone actually rang…from Chuck and Lorraine North.  Chuck and Lorraine were one of the couples that were part of the Alaska group last summer and we had not seen them since.  They are in Rapid City for a few days so we were able to have dinner together last night.  We always seem to work food into whatever we do. 

It was so good to seem them…wish we had more time to visit with them but we are hampered by that darn work thing.

Today we just hung around the park until it was time to come into Rapid City for Bob’s appointment with the oral surgeon to have 2 teeth removed.  He is having that done as I write. 

Here in South Dakota

Okay, so the job in Cody, Wyoming did not work out for us.  Betty and Dave were going to work for the Black Hills National Forest near Hill City, SD and told us about an opening just a couple of days after we gave our notice in Wyoming.  So long story short…I know, you can’t believe it…we applied, got accepted and arrived on June 14 to work at Sheridan Lake.

It is a beautiful area and we are hosting one of the loops in the campground with 39 spaces plus we work everyday at one of the day use areas that has fishing, picnicking and a small beach area.  I figure we are putting in about 10 hours a day total with 2 days off.  I don’t mind the day use area at all but I am not fond of being the police force in our loop.  Most people are very nice but you always have a couple that want to buck the system.  These are campsites with no utilities at all.  Fortunately we have full hookups at our site except for the fact we have no phone reception, no internet and we just got Directv a couple of days ago.  We have to drive into Hill City, about 6 miles away, to make a phone call.

Last Monday Bob and I and Betty and Dave rode the 1880 Train from Hill City to Keystone, SD.  I have no idea how far it is in miles but the ride is only one hour and it goes really slow.  Bob and I have done several of these types of trains before but I have to say this was the most pleasant.  The train going from Williams, AZ to the Grand Canyon was so slow we threatened to walk back.

When we reached Keystone we went into the gift shop and a woman walked up and called me by name.  What a small world…it was Rosalie and Larry…another couple we worked with at Adventureland and had not seen since 2005 or 2006…I can’t remember which.  How funny is that.  They are staying about a mile down the road from our campground and they work for the 1880 train but this was one of their days off.  They had friends visiting so we all got a picture together. 

That’s Larry hiding behind Rosalie on the far left.  Way to go Betty with the hat…cowgirl up!

Here are a few pictures taken from the train and in Keystone.    This house was almost hidden from view.

This is the Lazy 2, Crazy 2 ranch.

Betty was trying to mimic the way this dear old lady was shaking.

The next day we had to take Little Buddy, our Yorkie, to Sturgis for an appointment with an orthopedic specialist.  Sturgis is where the huge motorcycle rally is held every year in South Dakota.  It is a lovely little town that swells to thousands and thousands for the rally.  This tree was at the florist shop…someone had carved it with a chainsaw I suppose.

Back to the train ride…it was enjoyable but been there, done that.  Keystone is pretty much a typical tourist town.  There are places everywhere selling Black Hills gold jewelry…the problem is that none of the gold comes out of the Black Hills anymore.  The area is really lovely though.

Moving on.

Bit by Bit June 25, 2010

While still in Cody, we were in touch with an old friend that some of you will remember from our first year at Adventureland, Betty Bowers.  It seems that she and her husband Dave were working on the other side of Yellowstone Park in West Yellowstone.  We made plans to meet them in the park for lunch.  It was so good to see Betty again and meet Dave.

When we met Betty, she was a single lady that was workamping and traveling on her own.  We have had so many laughs about the famous car she bought while we were in Iowa.  She was traveling in a class C camper with no other transportation.  She decided that she really needed a car so she found one for about $350.00.  It was something to see but she only needed it for her stay of several months and thought she would sell it when she got ready to leave Iowa.  I think this was the car that kept taking…I know Don and Alex spent a good bit of time keeping it running for her.  More later about Betty and Dave.

I never tire of Yellowstone in it’s winter attire.  Even though it was the end of May when we got together with them in the park winter still had a hold in the eastern portion.  

This is my favorite…Yellowstone Lake starting to thaw.

On our way back we came across a female moose and her calf…the calf was in the bushes so I did not get a good shot of it.

I must warn you that the next shots can be disturbing.  We saw this bison being moved down the highway.  I am not sure it it was dead or just tranquilized but this was outside the park boundary.  I certainly have never seen anything like it before.   Sorry about that but I warned you didn’t I?

Moving on.

Surprise, Surprise June 19, 2010

Well, a lot has happened since our last posting.  Our job in Cody, WY. just did not work out for us.  There was such a high level of stress that the morning after I left work at 1:30 am (I should have gotten off at 11:30 PM) we decided to give our 2 week notice.  We loved Cody and most of the other workampers and our boss but it was just not the job for us.  Our employer was so nice and asked it we would consider another position but we were over it by then.  So, we worked our 2 week notice and left there on the 10th of June. 

Just a couple of days after we gave notice, we were told of a position with the company that manages the campgrounds for the US Forest Service near Hill City, S.D.  We applied and were told they had already filled that position but there was a volunteer position open that involved 20 hours of work a week for your site.  That sounded great so we accepted and told them we could start on June 14.  Well, before we even got to the job, we were notified that a paid position had become available.  So here we are at Sheridan Lake in the Black Hill National Forest near Hill City, South Dakota.

We are the Hosts for one of the loops in the campground…that would be Smokey loop.  We also work at the day use area that they call the south beach.  Our days starts with Bob driving through our loop inspecting our 39 camp sites around 8:00 am.  At 9:00 we meet the other hosts and our area manager at the main entrance booth for our morning meeting which usually lasts anywhere from 3 minutes to 30.  We then proceed to the day use area which is at the lake itself and has a small beach.  We sell parking passes to anyone entering this area for swimming, fishing, boating or just picknicing. We spend a lot of time sitting and reading.  It is a beautiful area and we can watch people fishing.

We close up shop at 5:00 pm and return to the campground which is only a short distance away.  We drive through our loop just to be sure everything looks okay.  Then we have some free time until the main booth closes at 8:00 pm.  We make another round about 8:30 pm and again at 10:00 pm.  Between rounds we may have people coming over to buy firewood or as happened tonight some campers wanted to plug into our electrical outlet to blow up a couple of air mattresses.  This campground has no hookups (water, electric or sewer) except for the host sites.  They don’t even have a dump station here. We have 5 loops within the campground so you can see it is a fairly large area.  Then we have the south beach area (which we cover) and the north beach area on the other side of the lake.  The north beach area also has 5 group camp sites.

Now for the real corker…WE HAVE NO CELL PHONE SERVICE, NO TELEVISION RECEPTION AND NO INTERNET!!!!!!  Bob says it’s a good thing because we don’t have time to watch television anyway.  We have to drive 6 miles into Hill City for cell service and to use the wifi at the library. I am slowly getting used to it.  We have no idea what is happening in the real world.  We will be off on Monday and Tuesday and plan to go into Rapid City which is only about 25 miles from here.  There is NO fast food in Hill City.  We went in to eat at a Mexican restaurant one night and they wanted $6.95 for chips and salsa…we passed on that and should have passed on everything.  I am cooking often!  I hear they have a Safeway grocery store in Rapid City…I am so excited.

It’s late and we get up fairly early, especially for me, so more later.

Moving on.