May 11, 2022
Today starts our four days off. Work week was fine. We puttered around the RV today. I again tried to isolate the water leak and make repairs. Unsuccessful still. I haven’t totally given up yet but I am close. Nancy put the wheel covers on and anchored our outdoor mat. We went to the grocery store and since we had a late brunch, decided to try out the Alpine Inn located in Hill City. Hill City is a small, quaint little town about 12 miles north of us. We had been told the Inn was a great place to eat as the food was really good and very affordable. They only have three entrees on their menu. The first is a 6 ounce bacon wrapped filet, served with a lettuce wedge salad (with house made Ranch dressing), baked potato, and Texas Toast. All of this for only $13.95. The second option is the same except you get a 9 ounce bacon wrapped filet for $15.95. And the third option is Kaes Spaetzle Primavera for $13.95. You get German dumplings with Swiss cheese, topped with fresh steamed vegetables, Texas Toast and a lettuce wedge salad with Ranch. Of course drinks and dessert are extra.
Surprisingly, at least to me, Nancy ordered the Spaetzle. It looked very good. She enjoyed it but I think would have enjoyed the filet more. As for me, the 9 ounce filet. The meal was truly delicious. We took dessert home with us but was not impressed with our selections. I did enjoy a good German beer, Erdinger Hefeweizen. Rather tasty! Nancy opted for a blended Pina Colada made with wine. They only have a license to serve beer and wine. It was okay but she’s not a big wine drinker.
Overall a great night. This establishment has been in business for at least 3 decades. The Inn is also a hotel built in 1876. They have quite the lunch menu which I hope we can check out a few times. A lot of menu options sound very intriguing. If you want to see more about the Inn go here.
May 7, 2022
Today we played tourists. We decided to take a drive on Needles Highway. It’s a 14 mile loop through Custer State Park with a couple of unique tunnels. You’ll see by the pictures and videos. The drive took us through some very beautiful scenery. Along the route there are plenty of pull-offs to relax, take pictures, maybe hike a trail, or have a smoke if you had a harrowing drive. The route also took us by the Busskohl S Ranch, a private game refuge. That is where we were able to capture the photos of the bison. Technically they are bison, but most people refer to them as buffalo. Check this page for more information; https://www.nps.gov/articles/bison_badl.htm Either way, you do not pet the fluffy cows. The first video is one of my favorites. It is us going through Needles Eye Tunnel. Appropriately named. The second video is just a view through our dirty windshield along the Needles Highway. The last video is us going through the second tunnel, Iron Creek Tunnel. Impressive but not as cool as Needles Eye. I broke out my old Nikon D40 SLR camera. The pictures are okay from it but today’s phones have a higher pixel count. But still with the different lenses, the photos are okay, I think.
Later we went out to dinner with our friends, Belinda and Cathy. We went to the Custer Beacon. It was a great place. Not only did we have a very good meal, we had some very good adult beverages. The big draw was the live band. A 6 member band called Hot City Soul played for several hours. They were awesome and played songs from our era, mostly. They were so good, even Nancy dragged me up to dance a few numbers. Over 20 years ago we had taken dance lessons. I did remember a little. We had a great time.
May 6, 2022
Today is a clean up day. Time to reorganize. We had packed a variety of clothes in totes. Some were our winter clothes which we pulled out for our first week here. Well the temperatures are going up so we decided to repack the totes and put them away in our basement. I’m still trying to find the source of a very small water leak.
We finally cleaned the front of the RV and put up our LED flag. We got our camping rug out and put out. We still need to put our wheel covers on. Just before we left, I purchased 4 new fire extinguishers. 2 - 5 lb. ABC and 2 - 2 1/2 lb. ABC. One 5 lb. extinguisher went into the cottage and the other in the Big House. The smaller extinguishers, one went in the truck (under the back seat) and the other one I hung in the RV. The RV came with one but not very reliable, big, or dependable. And then it was beer thirty. Plan to ride Needles Highway tomorrow.
May 5, 2022
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Our first day off. Today we decided to venture to the Big City. Rapid City is about an hour drive north of Fort Welikit. It is the largest city that is even remotely close. We were looking for a few items so we decided to check out the city. The drive was easy and very nice. Some beautiful scenery. We passed the Crazy Horse Memorial. You could see it from the road. Can’t wait to see more. We also passed the entrance to Mount Rushmore. About 10 miles north of here is a town called Hill City. They have a local grocery store and it is very nice also. No one has a deli where you can get fresh sliced luncheon meats and cheeses. I miss Publix. No Boars Head meats and cheeses. The only American Cheese is the prepackaged processed stuff. YUCK!
A major event to end the summer season is the Governor’s Buffalo Roundup. I am so looking forward to seeing that in person. To coincide with that, there are buffaloes scattered around town. Each are painted by local artists and high school students. At the roundup they are auctioned off. I have two favorites so far. One is the patriotic which I have a picture of and the other is a motorcycle themed one. I will get a picture of it soon.
We got to Rapid City and made our stops. There is a large grocery chain with 2 stores there, Safeway. On the next trip we will check them out. We did find a Target and there is a couple of Wally Worlds. And if you remember from Iowa, we found another Perkins. We really like that restaurant. So we had lunch there. As we were leaving, Nancy started talking to a couple who had come in and had overheard part of their conversation. They were in a Penske rental with a trailer moving across the country. They are moving from Spokane, WA to Greensboro, NC. What are the odds??
As we were driving around, we noticed that the majority of the car dealers had shelter erected with the cars under them. It is apparently to protect them from the frequent hail storms they have here. The hail tends to be quite large as well.
Rapid City has a small quaint downtown area. One day we will park and walk around. It is known for having statues of presidents on downtown corners. We saw a few. It was really cool.
We have also made a list of places we wanted to check out on our next trip. One looks very promising. Dakota Butchers. It’s a real butcher shop. Can’t wait.
May 2 - 4, 2022
We survived our first work week. Nancy is doing well in the office. Steve gave her a compliment on how well she was doing. If you come in at 9:00AM your first duties are to re-supply the firewood and clean sites. If you come in at 1:00PM your first duties are to clean the restrooms.
Since we have only a few campers here, all of the restrooms are not open yet. One of the days this week, I cleaned a few of the bathrooms to be ready for guests. This is a deep cleaning. They have not been touched since last October. All dispensers had to be filled, water to the toilet turned on, and everything scrubbed and sanitized, floors swept and mopped. Also this week, did more sight cleaning, replaced more signs. Even replaced a sign post. I am still getting used to the elevation. We are at 5,315 feet. The air is a little thinner. Beautiful country though. We have the next 3 days off and have plans. We want to try and get to a lot of places before the top of the tourist season. Some places haven’t opened yet. Great trip so far.
May 1, 2022
Our first official day of work. I went in at 09:00AM and Nancy will go in at 12:00 Noon. Since we had no departures, I didn’t have any sites to clean. We have 2 gasoline powered golf carts. I set one up for the morning site cleaning and maintenance. My very first duty was to hang an official sign at the campground entrance. In the picture above it is the bottom sign. We still have several sites that need to be cleaned up as far as downed branches, pine needles, etc. I cleaned up a couple of sites and then I had to put dirt and gravel on one as there had been a couple of water leaks discovered when the water was turned back on. We had one large area in the drive. I put a few buckets of gravel on the spot and tried to level it out. After all that the spot was still soft so we decided to leave it coned off and try again in a couple of days. The bucket I am referring to is a Kubota tractor with a bucket on the front and currently has a back hoe on the back. There are a few other attachments for it also. It’s lots of fun. It’s not a large tractor but bigger than a garden tractor. 1:00PM came and I was ready to go home and put my feet up. I have not had any problem getting my 5,000 steps a day in. Nancy got home a little after 4:00PM. She was tired but had a good time. She has a computer booking system to learn then the nuances for the campground such as which sites will take what size RVs, etc. She needs to learn how to up sell also. Eventually she will also have to learn the cash register as their is a small convenience store in the office. Miscellaneous items for camping, firewood, snacks, drinks, wine and beer. We also sell propane here so I will need to learn how to fill propane. Fortunately for us we will get a lot of stuff at cost.
April 30, 2022
We met Belinda and Cathy at the Maintenance Shed at 10:00AM. This morning’s project is to hang the new site number signs. Each sign had to have 2 holes drilled in it. It took Belinda and I about 15 minutes to drill 100 signs. Then we spent the next 1 1/2 hours putting up the signs. Some we couldn’t install as they are presently marked with a metal post. Those will be replaced with wooden posts. Some sites do not yet have their number so we were not sure which sign to place where. The weather was sunny, cooler than yesterday and very windy. Overall still a nice day.
We completed what we could and reported to Steve. It was then decided that the 4 of us would go into Custer for lunch. We chose Black Hills Burger and Bun. Great choice. Their burgers are made with beef burger or buffalo burger. We started with an order of fried dill pickles with a house sauce. I was expecting pickle chips. Not this time. Pickle slices (lengthwise). The house sauce was excellent also but too spicy for Nancy. I had to try some craft beer. I had a Remedy Amber Ale. It is brewed in Sioux Falls. Very good. Nancy got the Black Hills Burger (blue cheese crumbles, bacon, grilled onions, and garlic aioli). She opted for buffalo burger. I got the Western (cheddar cheese, bacon, grilled onions, and chipotle BBQ sauce). I also opted for the buffalo. Very tasty and leaner than beef. The texture and flavor is just slightly different but as long as we are out here, I’ll order buffalo.
After lunch we rode over to Custer State Park and got an annual pass. Lots of state parks nearby and this is the way to save. A lot of driving tours if you aren’t a hiker or kayaker, etc.
April 29, 2022
We were able to do 3 or 4 more sites today before we were rained out. Another 2 loads of pine needles. Nancy, Belinda, and Cathy opted to clean the office and I set up our winter water lines. We purchased a 12 foot and a 25 foot heated drinking water hose. For our water filter we bought a tote and I insulated it with towels and then strapped the lid down with bungee cords. We are expecting sub-freezing temperatures over the next 5 or 6 days.
It has also given me the chance to catch up on this blog! Yea!! I am caught up. Tomorrow the plan is to hang the new site number signs. We got our schedule today. We officially start Sunday May 1. I am working the 9:00AM shift first. Then you alternate early and late shift every day. So, Sunday and Tuesday I start at 9 and Monday and Wednesday I start at 1:00PM. Then off 3 days, work 3 days, off 4 days.
April 28, 2022
An unofficial work day. The weather is nice. Nancy is doing laundry. While doing so, she is also cleaning the laundry room. Belinda, Cathy, and I are cleaning sites. We worked about 4 1/2 hours and cleaned up 5 sites. We used the Toyota pickup and loaded and unloaded it 3 times with pine needles. The cool thing is it is a stick shift. Very easy to drive except my large feet and reach at least 2 pedals at the same time. We had a great time talking and working. We found a lot of wood so we decided that later on in the evening we would get together and have a fire and a cocktail. Steve was coming out of his office so we held up a beer and he came over for one. Had a great time talking and getting to know each other. We decided we would continue clean up tomorrow as long as the weather held up.
The other two couples arrived. Haven’t met them yet but I’m sure we will soon.
The first picture is Steve and Cathy and the next is Belinda and Nancy.
April 27, 2022
We officially do not start until May 1. Steve gave us today off. It was a good day to go to town for groceries, etc. We went into Custer. It is a small town about 5 minutes away. There is one large grocery store, Lynn’s Dakota Mart and a Family Dollar and a small organic store. We found the organic store first. Just checking things out. We parked and walked a little and looked at shops and restaurants. I’m sure this little town will be hopping in a few weeks. Didn’t find anything at the store but on the walk we did discover the Custer Candy Company. We met Erin and had a great talk. We decided that a few samples of the local cuisine was a must. We each chose a couple of items but we each had to try the snickerdoodle truffle. WOW!! All of their truffles and chocolates are made by them on site. Excellent place.
We found Lynn’s and it was a very nice store. Well stocked. I will miss my Boar’s Head Meats and Cheeses. And no Yuengling beer. However, there is a brewery/restaurant right on the main drag (Mt. Rushmore Road). You know I’ll check that one out.
At 4:00PM we had orientation. At least 4 of us. The other two couples have not arrived yet. Steve showed us the office and the locations of important places for us. He took us around and explained the basic duties and that there will be special projects from time to time. Our work schedule is work 3 days one week and 4 the next. Nancy will be working in the office, handling reservations, handling the gift shop, etc. I will be working outside, cleaning sites, maybe staining buildings, cleaning bath houses, building something, etc. We both work the same day but not at the same time. I’ll work from 9:00AM to 1:00PM or from 1:00PM to 5:00PM. Nancy will work 12:00PM to 4:00PM or 4:00PM to 8:00PM. Only 4 hours a day.
Cathy and Belinda are very nice and we hit it off. We all decided that tomorrow, we would help Steve get the campground ready. We would start cleaning sites for the first arrivals. Steve was busy with a couple of water leaks, and other business. At least we can help and do something. It will also give us a chance to get to know the campground. There are 100 sites, some basic tent, some electric tent sites, some RV. They also have 2 cabins and 4? barrels and 2 tepees they rent out. There are a lot of Ponderosa Pines on site. Raking needles will be done a lot. Fortunately there are two tractor mounted rakes which will make it easier.
April 26, 2022
We have arrived! Our summer home. We are the first of the four workamping couples to arrive. We met Steve, one of the owners. He seems very nice but no nonsense. He’s a former Army Sgt. He shows us to our site, Number 37. He helps Nancy guiding me into the site. The challenge is the two trees, one on either side, of the site entrance and the angle you have to approach. We spend about 15 minutes maneuvering and Steve decides to put us next door at 38. More of a straight shot in.
We get in 38 and then as we are checking out positions we decide that we won’t be able to open up a couple of our slides. So out we go. Site 37 here we come. After another 10 minutes of maneuvering, we are in. Time to unhitch and set up. After setting up our water, electric, and our sewer hoses, we put the slides out. Well, almost. We have 6 slide outs, or slides. The main has 2 bedroom slides and 2 living room slides. Then there are 2 kitchen slides. All slides came out except one kitchen. It wanted to go out at an angle.
Fortunately we phoned a mobile technician and he came out within 40 minutes. He spent about one and a half hours working and diagnosing. When we purchased the RV we also purchased an extended warranty. Our repair tech is doing what needs to be done to get new parts for the slide. Fortunately we have 5 months before we need to bring it in. It should be repaired in about 3 months. Always something with an RV. While we were setting up, the second of the workampers arrived and set up a few sites away. We met them, Belinda and Cathy. Seem very nice.
Early evening we had company in our back yard. 4 deer! Great ending to an up and down day.
April 25, 2022
Again we pack up and hitch up and off we go. We decided that instead of trying to drive 7 hours straight, we would break it up. Our route today is north on Interstate 29 and then west on Interstate 90. The wind has subsided a lot so driving isn’t so bad. We opted to go as far as Presho, SD. There is a campground right off the highway and is actually open. There are hundreds of campgrounds but most of them are only open from May through September. Not unusual for this part of the country. We arrived at the New Frontier Campground. It is nice and mostly level. During check in we had a chance to sit down and talk with the owners. Very nice folks.
We find our sight and opt not to unhitch as we are relatively level. No water but we still have plenty left, so we just hook up our electric. Tomorrow is our final push.
One really cool thing, at least I thought so, was crossing the Missouri River. I guess I missed the Mississippi River. Still cool though.
April 24, 2022
Last night was the first time we had boon docked. Before we left Jellystone, I filled our fresh water tank and emptied our other tanks. Once we unhitched and leveled, I broke out the generators. We have 2 dual fuel generators. They can be run parallel, which gives us the same as a 30 amp hookup. I opted to run them on propane. They ran all night long. And we still had a little propane left.
The initial plan was to visit Sioux Falls. The winds are still at 30+ miles per hour. We needed a couple of things from the nearby Target, so we opted to go to Target and get gasoline for the generators and then just hunker down.
We did our Target run, got fuel for the truck and gasoline for the generators. And next door to the gas station was a Perkins Restaurant and Bakery. We really liked going to Perkins but all of them closed up by us in NC. So we treated ourselves to lunch and went back to the farm. On our journey we passed a casino. We later were told that it was probably on Native American land. It looked wonderful. If the weather were a little better, we might have checked out the interior.
We checked with the host and we were allowed to stay an extra night. We were the only ones there. Harvest Hosts can be farms, museums, wineries, breweries, etc. It is expected that since you stay there for free, you should patronize the host. Buy a product, take a tour, etc. Stensland has a self-serve store. They are not only a dairy farm but also a creamery. They make their own ice cream! We needed milk so we purchased a gallon of milk, a half gallon of chocolate milk, and each of us chose a flavor of ice cream. I haven’t tried mine yet but Nancy loves her Gravel Travel (salted peanut butter ice cream with Oreo and caramel swirl). I got How Now Brown Cow (decadent rich cocoa ice cream). Nancy has decided that Homeland Creamery has a better richness and texture but the flavor is fabulous. The first picture was taken right after we had set up. Beautiful sunset.
April 23, 2022
Another travel day and its sunny. A little windy but not too bad., Left Jellystone and headed west on Iowa 20. We have a long road ahead of us. Checking the weather report again, winds are going up to 37 sustained with gusts up to 40. The winds are coming out of the south. A few hours into our drive we see traffic stopped ahead of us. The reason is that a semi has been overturned by the wind. We stopped and Nancy got out to check on the driver. He was fine. The reason he overturned was an empty trailer. We are able to get around it on the median side. Just another reminder that Mother Nature is in charge. I had to slow down my speed but was able to continue on. Just a mile or two up the road there is another semi on its side. This time it was heading east and it appeared that the wind pushed him into the median, which was a steep incline and soft from the rain., Once his wheels dropped off, he was down.
We stopped for fuel and continued our journey. We are headed for our first Harvest Host. Harvest Host is an annual membership and you get to stay on properties for free. Most of them are a single night stay only and you are boon docking. We finally arrived at Stensland Dairy Farm. I drove and am thoroughly exhausted. The picture that appears to be smoke is only dirt blowing in the wind.
April 22, 2022
Travel days are nice but tourist days are rainy. It is cold, wet, and windy. We’re still going to the Field of Dreams Movie Site. We also decided that because of the weather we wouldn’t be there long so we took our laundry also. Found a laundromat in Dyersville. Convenient. When we arrived at Field of Dreams, they were supposed to be filming a local commercial. Not sure of how much got done but there were several people hanging out in the gift shop. Posting a few pictures from the Field of Dreams and also the Iowa countryside. In a couple of the distant views of the field you will see newer light towers. This is the professional baseball field they built and games are actually played there. We stayed at a Jellystone Park in Monticello, IA and they had a bear statue.
April 21, 2022
Travel day again. This is getting old. Had a nice sunny day. We hitched up, packed up and headed north and west toward Iowa. A truck came along side of us and motion that we had something dangling in the back. We got off the highway for fuel and discovered that the 2 bungee cords we had around the bicycle cover had come loose and were no longer useful. To the trash they went. Tomorrow I check off an item from my bucket list. Can’t wait.
April 20, 2022
We woke to a little rain and some wind. The temperature was not bad. We decided to hit another Route 66 food joint, Mel O Cream Donuts. We bought some donuts and hit the road. They were okay but nothing exciting. We left there and headed to Hall’s Harley Davidson. I was interested in a shirt with Harley and Route 66. It was a very nice store and terrific people. We talked for about half an hour. I did find a couple of poker chips (Billy) and a T-shirt. They are having an annual Bike Blessing on April 23rd. It sounds neat. They have a large and very nice store.
Next stop is the 1.4 miles of the original Route 66 that is totally brick. We drove the entire 1.4 miles. Very bumpy ride.
On our way to the Brick Road, we saw a sign for the Sugar Creek Covered Bridge. The weather was holding so we found the bridge. It gave us the opportunity to let Bree run a little as we were the only ones there. We love the old bridges and the architecture. Was really cool!!
Sugar Creek Covered Bridge Pictures
Late afternoon and again, we were hungry. We opted to go to the Cozy Dog, another Route 66 landmark. Some consider it the home of the corn dog. I’m not a big corn dog fan but “when in Rome…” To wash down the dogs and fries we had to have root beer. A drive in staple.
April 19,2022
We did some research last night, downloaded a couple of apps, looked online, etc. Looked at the weather and we decided to do some walking today and tomorrow we’d drive around due to rain.
We started out by driving on Route 66 to downtown Springfield. We found a place to park. Parking is free in Springfield. We walked to a park that is a part of the Lincoln Museum. Next to the park is Union Station. It is a train station that was restored to the way it was in the 1860s. Unfortunately it was locked. We walked around the park and I had a chance to sit down with Honest Abe and talk to him about his platform.
We had purchased tickets online last night for the Lincoln Museum. It is an awesome experience. You enter into an atrium and then walk down a hallway into another large atrium. It’s actually a hub. The volunteers will greet you and explain the set up and show times for the movies. Journey I is the log home taking you from birth to the 1860 election and show casing important events in Lincoln’s life. There is so much to learn. The one point I found extremely interesting is that it is believed that at a young age Lincoln saw a slave auction and this formed his opposition to slavery.
Journey 2 was the White House years which included the Civil War. There were a lot of things I learned. Lincoln was the only Republican candidate. The party had just been formed. For the 1860 election there were 3 Democrats which really split the votes. Lincoln won the electoral vote but not the popular vote. One of those candidates was none other than Stephen Douglas, whom had defeated Lincoln just 2 years prior for a Senate seat.
There were 2 great movies. One was the Ghosts of the Library and the other was Lincoln’s Eyes. The movies were actually shorts. There was a special exhibit in the Illinois Gallery titled Stories of Survival: Object, Images, Memory. There was also an exhibit area called Treasure’s Gallery. Great lessons in history and you get to see a lot.
We left the Museum and crossed the street to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Admission is free. It was interesting but did not take us long to go through. I recommend the visit.
We were pretty tired from walking so we only did a drive by on the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Couldn’t get any pictures.
By this time it was late afternoon and we had not eaten anything yet. We decided to check out a Route 66 restaurant. The Motorhead Bar and Grill. Their signature dish is called a Horseshoe Sandwich. It’s a piece of Texas Toast with choice of meat on it, then covered in tater tots, fries, or chips, and then covered in cheese sauce. Had to try one. It’s also a museum with lots of toys, motorcycles, cars, etc. on display.
April 18, 2022
Travel day again. Usually the night before we prep a lot of things. It’s not unusual. Then in the morning, after I have my coffee, we finish packing things up, hitch up and depart. Well, this morning we got a big surprise. It had snowed a little last night. It was warming up and the snow was melting but still. It’s the day after Easter. Good by Indiana! The roads were fine and we had a short trip so we were in no big hurry. The midwest is very flat and the weather was very windy. I could feel the wind on certain highways but it wasn’t too bad. Then I got to check off a Bucket List item. We are staying at the Double J Campground. The only campground on the Mother Road, Route 66! This is just the start. We specifically chose Springfield for Route 66 and some of the area attractions. We got the idea from watching Keep Your Daydream on YouTube. They bought an 84 Bluebird bus RV that was themed in Route 66 and they traveled the entire route. #keepyourdaydream
One good thing, when I hooked up the water, I think I discovered the leak. It was coming from an elbow. So on our travels one day I’ll get one and hopefully repair it. One last thought, we’re now in the Central Time Zone.
April 17, 2022
Happy Easter!! Our daughter got great news last night. They sold their house and bought one in Monument, CO. Wow! The house market has really changed since our last foray into the market,. Today’s plan is a little pastry for breakfast and then the Easter Egg Hunt. After eating Brian and I hid the eggs in the yard. Then the grands had to find them. I realized that I can have my own egg hunt. I can hide my eggs and then about an hour later, I can attempt to find them. Again, the weather was gorgeous. We spent the day with family and had dinner. After dinner it was time to leave. Hugs were given. Always hard to leave. We told them that we would come visit them in Colorado next year.