Sad Day in South Dakota

Three Flags RV Park, Black Hawk, SD – May 6-11, 2014

We needed a place to roost for a few days to let our mail catch up to us. Three Flags looked good on the Internet and the price was right. We were even able to negotiate a slightly lower price because the kind of hookups that we wanted weren’t open yet. The owner was very nice, but she is new to the campground business so it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Three Flags.

She’s going to have to really advertise this place and offer some incentives because it has a few things going against it. It is located right next to Interstate 90 and you have to travel about a half mile on a red clay road to get to it.  If it rains, the road is a mess and you end up with mud all over your rig and car. After a while you start to ignore the road noise, but it might put some people off. Oh yeah I forgot to mention the trains. Luckily there are only two a day, none at night.

But she agreed to let us have our stuff sent here and even delivered it right to our door when it showed up.

While we waited for the mail, we decided to get some projects done. Hair cuts, laundry and fixing the tow guard for the Element were 1st on the list. It is windy and cold and we may have what the weatherman calls a Winter Mix precipitation later.

After all our hard work, we ran into Rapid City and took in a movie (Draft Day) actually pretty good flick. Of course the popcorn & drinks were more than the tickets especially since we get the geezer/early bird rates.

It has been raining and about 11:45 pm it stopped so EJ took a look outside. Here’s what she saw – Yep, the Winter Mix is here.

And the next morning it looked liked this. It didn’t last long, but it was still a surprise.

Thursday was a sad day for us here in South Dakota. Taz, our 17 year old cat passed away at 6:50PM on May 8th, 2014. As many of you know Taz had been dealing with an increasing number of health issues over the past two years. However, there was some spark in her, a desire to not let it interfere with her unique attitude, that enabled her to compensate for her frailties and continue to enjoy life.
   
Seventeen years ago she came into our lives on a trial basis. A lady Frank worked with had several young kittens that needed a home. Frank told her we would take two, but only if our 18-year-old cat would accept them. They didn't exactly all get along, but an atmosphere of tolerance prevailed. Kind of like "If you won't bother me, I won't hiss and swat at you".

Taz was the runt of the litter and was endowed with short legs, a short bent tail and a stocky body. She never had the lithe flexible body you would associate with a cat. As she grew older we began to call her "Bulldozer" because she would just plow right through what ever was in her way. Her build and size were perfectly suited for this.

She loved to get in bed and snuggle between the two of us and be petted. She had a purr that sounded more like wheezing but when she got between us in bed she was at her happiest.

She was a very tactile cat in that she loved to be rubbed, petted and brushed. She also liked to make sure that one of her paws touched you when she was close.

She was also a very quiet cat, rarely meowing and never complaining. When it came to asking for food, she let her sister Mocha do all the talking. Occasionally, if she was really excited she would let out a squeak.

As her infirmities increased she accepted having to rely on us more and more. She knew how to signal she wanted up in your lap, or down off the couch. We just had to be alert to the signals.

We bought her a special bed and immediately she claimed it. When we started traveling this year, we took her bed and she very rarely left it except to eat and answer natures' call. The bed was her throne and she could keep an eye on everything that happened around her.

Her personality was more than just being a cat. The love she gave us more than made us aware that she was glad that we were part of her life. She was full of surprises. The picture below was taken a few days before when EJ came out one morning and found Taz up on the couch. How she got up there we haven’t a clue.

On her last day with us, she craved constant attention and became very vocal. As the day wore on, she became weaker and weaker. We put her in our bed and lay on either side of her and that seemed to help make her happier. Then finally, we could no longer avoid the
inevitable trip to the Vet.

We will miss her terribly. Love you Tazzer, sweet dreams.

We are both having a hard time adjusting and keep getting over whelmed with emotions. Frank thought it would be good to get out and stay busy. We spent time taking inventory and shopping in anticipation of higher prices and unavailability in Canada and Alaska. Things that we know we won’t be able to find north of the border at reasonable prices such as toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, one pound propane cans and more. Every nook and hidey spot on Big Guy will be filled and even the Element is being used to store supplies.

We got a call from our friends, Jeff and Debbie, who are on their way delivering a rental RV from Chicago, IL to Seattle, Washington. They were traveling with their friends Tom and Susie who were also delivering an RV. They were nearby and decided to come and stay at Three Flags Friday night. The RV’s were brand new and had some pretty real looking graphics on them.

Saturday morning, Jeff, EJ, and I went shopping for a new camera for Jeff (his broke on the way) and a new GPS for Big Guy as the Rand McNally 7725 GPS went belly up the week before. Jeff got his camera, and Big Guy got a Garmin Nuvi 2797 GPS. Shopping completed, we got Jeff back to his RV and on the road so he could meet up with his friends and wife in Sturgis by noon.

That afternoon EJ and I decided to go to Deadwood and travel up the Canyon road and Nemo road to get there. Nice drive, and you definitely  see some interesting things along the way.

We went through Lead, SD and visited the site of the Homestake Gold Mine. Interesting place and a critter sighting to boot.

We stopped at a place called the Pump House for a late lunch. It was an old converted gas station that also had a glass making studio in it. We got lucky and they were doing a demo while we were there. Very interesting turning two piles of glass pieces into a work of art.

Of course we had to take a stroll downtown to check out the place. Lots of casinos and hotels with a few shops. Still felt a little like the old west though.

Coming back to BG we passed the Black Hills National Cemetery. No matter how many we see, they always make a strong impact on us.

Weather was great today, but they are predicting another winter storm tomorrow. We decided to stay two more days and wait it out. Our memories of Black Hawk will always have a sad twinge, but the journey will continue.

Wasta, Walls, What?

24 Express Campground, Wasta, SD – May 5, 2014

EJ’s research found a campground in the little town of Wasta, South Dakota. A town verging on the edge of being a ghost town. The campground was self-serve, had 8 pull through sites, had 50 amp service and was only $5 a night. A dump station and fresh water were available at the entrance. You can’t beat that!

We were in one of the 3 occupied sites. One appeared to have permanent residents. The second had an RV that was abandoned or stored( we never did figure out which). So we parked halfway between the two.

Having passed the Wall Drug Store 10 miles back up the road we pressed the Element into service and headed to the tourist spot we’d seen advertised for the last 200 miles.

And it was as klitchey as ever. Tourist doodads for every budget and lifestyle. I checked out a Fat Tire while EJ looked for that perfect purchase.

After she exhausted all the possibilities, she joined me for a pizza and some additional adult beverages.

Afterwards, it was still light enough outside, we decided to drive over to The Badlands National Park. Drat! The entranced gate is still occupied. They want $15 to look at all the pretty rocks. Oh, wait! We have the geezer pass so we get in for free. Being older does have some advantages.

We stopped at several overlooks and they all had great views.

It was getting on towards dusk and the animals were coming out to feed. We saw Pronghorn Sheep and Bison up real close.

But darn, Prairie Dog Town was deserted.

When we got back to Big Guy it looked like a Motel 6 – they had left the light on for us.

Camping at Cabella’s or Build it and they will come.

Cabella’s, Mitchell, SD – May 3 – 4, 2014

The nightstand drawer has been fixed, the gaping hole in the middle of Big Guy’s camp map has been filled and EJ came out ahead at the casino, the Element runs normal again, the sun has actually shown itself so it’s time to roll out of here while our luck is holding.

It’s time to save a little money on camping fees so we set our destination for Mitchell South Dakota where there is a Cabella’s that reportedly allows over night camping.

Coming up US 81 from US 20 we came across a Welcome Center out in the middle of nowhere just before the South Dakota border. We asked the manager about it’s location and found out the local landowners were concerned about this area being the center of a lot of illegal activities. So they bought the land the Welcome Center is located on and convinced the government to give them a $100,000 to build the roads and building with the understanding the Welcome Center would be entirely self sufficient once completed.

This guy was keeping a watchful eye out for lunch as we approached the Welcome Center.

We learned that the road we had been driving on was a very special road. It’s 17,000 miles long and connects Winnipeg in Manitoba Canada to Tierra Del Fuego in South America. Original known as the Meridian Hiway until 1926 when it became US 81. That same year, an international congress meeting in Buenos Aires Argentina decided to build a Pan American Hiway meeting US 81 in Laredo Texas. That is how we came to be driving on the Pan American Hiway.

 

The views from the Visitor Center looking into South Dakota.

Leaving there we drove across the Missouri River on this really odd looking bridge. We guess the posts sticking up in the air are just for decoration. Or maybe they just never finished it.

We arrived in Mitchell, SD a little later and checked into the Cabella’s campground. Well, actually it’s parking area reserved exclusively for RVs and it had a pretty good slope to it.  We circled 3 or 4 times like a dog settling into its bed before we found ‘the’ spot with the least amount of slope. We walked into Cabella’s and asked security what their policy was on overnighting in an RV. It was an interesting answer. Sort of don’t ask and we won’t tell. But their response was “ we neither encourage or discourage it”. Good enough for us, so we feel comfortable staying a night…..or two. We also tried really hard to give Cabella’s some money but they didn’t want it. They didn’t have anything we really needed.

We’re dragging our feet a little, making up our minds about mail delivery, and killing time waiting for weather up north to warm up a tad. We decide to make reservations at Three Flags RV Park in Black Hawk, SD and contact our Fox Valley friends and ask them to forward some important mail to us. We also ordered some parts for the tire pressure management system. All will be delivered to the RV park in Black Hawk.

We had dinner at Whiskey Creek and caught a movie at Wal-Mart, (they had a RedBox). That was about a mile round trip walk from Big Guy and it felt good to get some exercise. The next morning we repeated the exercise to return the movie except we substituted Hardees for Whiskey Creek.  And Wal-Mart was more than happy to take the money that Cabella’s didn’t want.

No visit to Mitchell is complete unless you visit “The Corn Palace”. This is a multi-purpose arena for high school and college games, rock concerts, plays, and young ladies recitals. But, the best part is….It’s decorated with corn!!!

The building is made of standard construction, but the exterior covering is made of corn and grass. The design on the outside of the building changes every year. Once the old exterior is removed, scene sketches are made on the bare wall. The corn and grass is carefully chosen for color. The corn cobs are cut in half length-wise then, along with the grass, glued and nailed to the wall. The effect is quite amazing.

And one more ‘corny’ picture and ‘kernels’ of knowledge!

Brain Storm in the Rain Storm

Scenic Park Campground, So Sioux City, NE – April 30 – May 2, 2014

What are we doing sitting here in the rain? We've got wheels on this thing! Duh!! (this is where the light bulb over our heads turns on) Let’s go somewhere that it's not raining! We've lost count of how many days it's been since we’ve seen the sun, but it's been way too long!

While I've been out playing in the rain looking for propane and stuff, EJ has concentrated her efforts on finding us a sunny spot. The weather radar shows no rain to the west of us and that's in the direction we need to go to reach our crossing point from the US into Canada. She finds us a campground that is just inside the Nebraska border.

But first we must return that Redbox movie we rented. We watched “Labor Day” and enjoyed it enough to recommend it to our friends. Oddly enough, it's a love story that even guys can enjoy.

After depositing the movie we went in search of breakfast. Our first choice was under construction and not open yet. So we drove downtown thinking that surely there would be a restaurant there. Main Street yielded nothing, but then we consulted the iPad app "Around Me" and it suggested The Morning Glory Coffee Shop. Good choice and the staff was very friendly.

Finally we’re on the road headed to South Sioux City and the Scenic Park Campground. Still having to deal with this rain stuff though…

And we’re driving with only one headlight. It’s been too cold and wet to crawl underneath Big Guy and fix it. However if we do get pulled over, I can at least show them the replacement bulb. Good intentions…

Our experience with county campgrounds is that they are, as a rule, under used. So we had a big surprise when we pulled into this one.

This one looked like it was almost full. Hope they have a site for us. Is this going to be one of those times we should have made a reservation?

But we got a spot and then we had to take care of one very important item. Filling that big blank spot in the middle of Big Guys camp map.

Crunch! Is the sound we heard when we tried to put out the rear slide. Sigh (big), another one of those sounds you never want to hear in an RV. Apparently one of the nightstand drawers on Frank’s side decided to commit suicide by opening up on the drive across Iowa.

It’s repairable, but we see a trip to Lowe’s or Home Depot in the immediate future.

Across the river was a casino that was calling to EJ. Tantalizingly in sight, but out of reach. It was in Iowa and we were in Nebraska and that was the Missouri River between EJ and the casino. I am sure it won’t take ling to get that problem solved!

Folks in this house must have some really big children. Actually it’s a day care center, but it sure caught our attention.

The clear sky we had been seeking finally puts in an appearance just before the days end. It’s not much, but that’s more blue than we have seen in a long time.

Our campground even has wild life.

Driving around Sioux City one day the Element stuttered and the dreaded CEL light came on.

We drove to the local Honda dealer and made an appointment for Friday morning at 10AM. They actually suggested a civilized hour. Friday I drove over there and told them what the problem was. Of course I had no idea what I was talking about and they proceeded to do the error code check and suggest that a non-standard oil filter was to blame. I jumped on the internet real quick and found out that in a few cases an oil change and a Honda filter cleared up an oil pressure problem that causes the VTEC valve assembly to throw an error code. Having just had the oil changed at Jiffy Lube I asked them to just change the filter. They declared it cured and I took it for a test drive and the engine was still was cutting out.

I took it back and suggested that now would be a good time to replace the part I thought was bad. Luckily it turns out they had one in stock and a couple of hours later I was on the road again and the problem was cured.

To celebrate, EJ suggested I take her to the casino that she’s been staring out of the front window at for the last couple of days. And so I did. Here’s the view from the casino side of the river. Doesn’t Big Guy look good sitting there?