JULY 5 - JULY 28: Life on the Prairie

Our stay at Bob's Resort, 15 miles west of Gettysburg, is down to the final 16 days. This campground has no resort activities, but it fits our lifestyle perfectly. The Central/Mountain time zone line is in the middle of the Missouri River below us, so daylight lasts until almost 10 P.M. There is no railroad nearby, no large airport, and very little traffic on Hwy. 212, so the quiet surrounds you interrupted only by bird calls and occasional truck noise from the highway. There are a lot of RV's here, but most of the owners only come occasionally. The few fulltime residents are always ready to wave and say hello.  The trailer park on the property is never busy, so we assume most of those units are weekend or vacation properties. Bob's Steakhouse is very popular despite being out in the country, especially with fishermen looking for a good meal after a long day on the river. The office in the convenient store is open until 10 P.M. The campground Wi-Fi is the best we've experienced, except that it does occasionally go down for several hours. Our Verizon cards work well most of the time. So if quiet time in a usually windy environment are what you're looking for, along with fishing and hunting venues, Bob's is definitely the place to come. The surrounding area is basically farmland for corn, soy beans, hay, wheat, sunflowers, and cattle.

Hank was able to get the damaged Eagle One antenna back up after putting a "cast" on it, made from PVC Pipe.

The owners of the Gettysburg Ace Hardware store were happy to help with cutting the pipe for him, and selling him what other items he needed to make his repair idea work. The antenna has been up for three weeks, and we're getting great reviews on how it's performing. Meanwhile, John, a ham friend from Raleigh who has since moved to Atlanta, sold us a "like new" Eagle One antenna he no longer needed, so we now have a backup on hand. We'll have to see if the mended antenna will still retract as it should when it's time to move on without taking it completely off the RV, but we're very glad to have its replacement ready to use.

We stay in touch with a group of hams in the USA and Canada via radio contact at least twice a day. We've met many of them on our travels.  If reception is not the best, we can listen on our computers using websites connected  Software Defined Radios.  Our TV reception is not very good, but most days we get ABC and NBC channels, and PBS is always available. Most of our free time is filled with our computer activities.

Other than our trip to Mobridge, SD the first week we were here, we haven't ventured out too much. About once a week, we go to town (25 minutes one way) to get groceries and visit the post office for package/mail pickup. In Gettysburg (population 1100), there are a couple of motels, one grocery store, one drug store (also has some grocery items), 2 restaurants, 2 hardware stores, churches, a city park, schools, farm-related businesses, gas station with convenient store, small auto dealer,  medical facility and hospital (10 beds), fire department, laundromat, florist, 2 banks, small bowling alley, American Legion post, and a few other businesses. Everyone we've met has had a smile and a pleasant greeting for us, probably because they're so glad to see another person!
Traffic is never an issue, unless you get behind a large farm vehicle, and you rarely have to wait in line for purchases.

Other than being windy, the weather here has been better than if we were further south. There was a week of 90+ degree days, many mid-80's, and now the past week the highs were in the 70's with cool nights.  We've had another storm or two, but nothing like the extreme winds of July 3rd. Most of the stormy weather has been north and south of us. Warmer weather will return in the coming week.

We'll be here until August 14 when we start a two day trek to Spearfish, SD in the Black Hills for an American Coach rally.

June 18 - July 4: Staying Put in South Dakota

We have been at Bob's Resort since June 18. This is near Gettysburg, SD  on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River surrounded by large farms. The campground section is basic, with full hookups, gravel pads, and bathhouse. This is fishing and hunting country, and many of the RVs here are long term, many with boats. The area is quiet and it's just the spot for sitting back and watching the wind blow....which it usually does. The campground wi-fi is better than almost any place we've been, although it does drop out every now and then. All of these amenities fit our plans to sit still for a while, and have the time to do what keeps us entertained most of the time (use our computers). Hank had some major website work to tackle, and the latest updates to Window 10 to deal with on both of our laptops. Ham radio provides some entertainment, and we do have some over-the-air TV reception from Sioux Falls, Lowery, and PBS. (although no CBS channel). Many camper residents are only here on weekends.

Our view of the river and beyond.

With the nearest grocery and post office in Gettysburg, 13 miles away, that's our prime destination for replenishing supplies and picking up mail. Gettysburg, SD (population 1100) is less than 2 square miles in area and was founded in  1884 in commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg. A large share of the early settlers were veterans of the Civil War, and the town motto is "Where the Battle Wasn't". Grocery options are one supermarket, one large drug store, and Dollar General. The closest Walmart is 48 miles away. The local citizens we've met are very friendly and welcoming. Hank went to the Barber Shop and found out the lady barber lives in the mobile home park at Bob's,and also works part-time at Bob's Steakhouse (also part of the resort).



Downtown Gettysburg, SD








Bob's Steakhouse

The view from Bob's Steakhouse patio









Last week, we drove to Mobridge, SD about an hour north of us. Mobridge is also on the Missouri River, population of 3500, and has a larger number of commercial outlets - two grocery stores, a casino/hotel, and an even larger drug store. The Mobridge pharmacy was the closest place to refill our prescriptions under our drug plan. While we were there, we checked out some camping places, picked up our medications, and shopped at one of the groceries. Compared to Gettysburg, it seemed like a large city!

We haven't experienced a lot of the extreme heat during our stay that many places south and east of us have been going through. We've also missed some of the severe storms that have gone around us, although we had two previous episodes of high winds - one with a dry gust front that woke us up about 3 A.M., and one with an evening thunderstorm. Both had wind gusts near 50 or 60 MPH that had Little House vibrating.

Last night, we watched big storms coming right toward us with even higher winds and predictions of very large hail. Before going to bed about 12:30 A.M., we pulled in the slides. We didn't have any hail, but 16 miles to our east, Gettysburg had wind gusts of 50 MPH,  and to our north along the river there was a reported  gust of 91 MPH, so we definitely knew Mother Nature was having a tantrum outside. By 2:30 A.M. things had calmed down enough for sleeping. Luckily, in all of these situations, we have not had the flooding issues that are plaguing many communities east and south of us in Iowa, Minnesota and southeastern South Dakota. It's been a very stormy time in South Dakota over the last 3 weeks.

The storm winds overnight did damage our 31 foot Eagle One ham radio vertical antenna.  The fiberglass tube flexed to the point that it broke where it was attached to the ladder at the rear of the motor home, and the top of the antenna folded over to the ground. We've never had a problem before in high winds, so the conditions must have been the worst we've been in while RVing. Luckily, there was no one parked anywhere close enough to us to be affected. Hank took down the antenna base today and is researching repair or replacement options. We have a second antenna in place all the time, but it's not very high above the coach and reception is not as good as with the Eagle One.

Overall, we're very satisfied with our stay in this part of SD. Our original summer plans were to go as far west as Yellowstone before heading back east. But as of now, we've decided to only go as far west as the Spearfish SD area for an American Coach rally and then make our way back to Osseo, Wisconsin by mid-September. Of course, like many RVers, our plans are written in Jello, so changes are always a possibility.

So far, the  Fourth of July has been quiet. There is a fireworks display tonight scheduled for a recreation area across the river from our location. So the rockets' red glare and resulting booms will be with us for awhile at dusk.

JUNE 17-JUNE 18: Travel to Gettysburg, SD

Sunday, June 17: Our route for this day was Valentine, NE to the Walmart in Pierre, SD. We expected rain during our trip, but we were not expecting the very dense fog we encountered about 20 minutes into our journey north on US 83. Luckily, there wasn't a lot of traffic, but Hank had very uncomfortable driving conditions for about 45 minutes.

We prefer to get fuel at Flying J Truck stops because they usually have easily accessible RV Lanes. There was a Pilot truck stop (owned by the same company)in Murdo, SD  that listed having RV lanes and the satellite view verified the fact. When we arrived, this station was very busy, the RV lanes were right next to the building, and there was a Pilot fuel truck filling the underground tanks  that didn't allow us to pull straight beside the pumps. Hank got Little House close enough to refuel, but with the motorhome and the car at angles,  we realized we couldn't pull through without hitting the building or the pumps. We had to unhook the car so Hank could back out and get a little straighter, then pull through to the rear of the station to hook up the car once again. Selene had to stop entry traffic twice for him to have enough room to manuever. The fuel stop that should have taken no more than 20 minutes, ended up being almost an hour.

The rest of our trip into central South Dakota was uneventful through flat prairie and rolling hills. We crossed the Missouri River into Pierre and found a nice spot to overnight at Walmart. After stocking up on supplies, we enjoyed a peaceful evening with other RVs and semis.

Monday, June 18: This was a short drive day - ony 48 miles farther into the South Dakota ranch lands to Bob's Resort 15 miles west of Gettysburg, SD, on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. Bob's resort includes a gas station with convenience store, campground, trailer park, cabins, boat storage and Bob's Steakhouse (a popular restaurant in this remote area).  We decided to stay at Bob's for the next month.

JUNE 15 & 16: Valentine, Nebraska

Friday, June 15: The 2 hour drive from O'Neill to Valentine took us deeper into the Nebraska Sand Hills. Valentine  (pop.  2700) started as a railroad town named after a Nebraska representative.  The Valentine post office participates in an annual February re-mailing program so items can be re-mailed with the Valentine postmark and a special verse.  Our destination was the Wacky West Travel Park for 2 nights with full hookups to empty tanks, catch up on laundry and stay longer if the park internet was satisfactory

. The Wacky West campground, on southeast edge of town, is a rustic sort of place owned by very friendly hosts....nothing fancy here, the sites are close together, and the park needs some sprucing up.


It had everything we needed except dependable internet, and with our throttled back Verizon signals, it was a short two-night stay.

Saturday, June 16:  We drove a few miles east of Valentine to the  Fort Niobrara National Wildlife
Refuge which includes over 19,000 acres.  We started at the Visitor Center to get information on the 3.5 mile self-guided auto tour and to learn more about this area, the home of the Fort Niobrara Military Reservation in the late 1800's until the early 1900's.


There are 350 bison plus calves and 90 elk roaming the huge refuge, along with many prairie dogs, deer and other wildlife.  Our wildlife sightings included a young deer or elk (not sure which),  many birds and a bison herd on a distant hillside.




The large prairie dog 'towns' provided many minutes of entertainment as the animals popped in and out of their holes, many right on the side of the road.

After a stop for lunch,  we went to the Rosebud Casino, 9 miles north of Valentine and just inside the South Dakota line.  This small casino is owned by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.


 Power for the casino is furnished in part by one of the nation's first tribally owned electricity-generating wind turbines. We enjoyed winning a few dollars between the two of us.

Saturday evening and overnight, several rainstorms moved through. Cooler weather finally caught up with us on Sunday as we prepared to move north.

JUNE 9 - June 15: Carney Park, O'Neill, NEBRASKA

Saturday, June 9: The 2 hour drive from Pender to O'Neill took us through northeastern Nebraska farmland and small towns. O'Neill (population 3700) is the Irish Capital of Nebraska, although now a greater percentage of its residents are of German heritage. Carney Park is one of 3 parks in O'Neill, and incudes a western arena, softball complex, and a small campground (first come first serve) with tent areas, bathhouse, and 18 campsites with water and concrete pads. Half of them have electricity.  We got a site with water and electric since there were only 4 other RVs and two tents on the grounds.



Sunday, June 10: There was a youth rodeo on the grounds, and a staging area for families and horses was on the large grassy area in front of our site. We didn't attend the rodeo, but enjoyed watching the families unload their horses and prepare for the day-long event and then pack up and reload for departure. It was amazing to see how the smallest children (some pre-school age) handled the large horses with ease.

Monday we toured the town, which didn't take long, and picked up a few grocery items.

The rest of the week was quiet with campers coming and going. There is no charge for the first 3 days of camping) (donation requested). After 3 days, you must go to the city office and get a permit for the rest of your stay ($10 per night). We took care of that on Tuesday and paid for 3 more nights.

Wind turbines are very popular in the midwest and we've seen many semi's on the highways transporting the huge blades and generators. You get a better idea of just how large these items are when you see them up close. Last night, a group of escort vehicles spent the night here. 



During our stay in O'Neill, the weather was cool for a couple of days and then the heat returned with highs in the mid-nineties (above normal for this time of year), but with little rain. Carney Park was a nice quiet spot to relax and at the same time,  stay busy with our computers. There is no Sprint coverage in this area, and one of our Verizon air cards is over the "unlimited" use for the month, with the other one coming close to the signal being throttled back.  But we're managing and learning to be patient with our slower download speed. The Verizon cell phone signal was good annd we could pick up several OTA tv stations.  As we move into more remote areas, these are situations that we'll  continue to deal with.

Today, Friday, we're driving further west to Valentine, Nebraska.

JUNE 2-8: Quiet Time in Pender, NE

It's always good to find a location now and again where life slows down and we can settle in for awhile. The Blue Ox Campground in Pender, NE fits the bill nicely. The campground is adjacent to the Blue Ox facility that makes a variety of towing equipment. They offer service at your campsite and free tours.





 Our location was at the western edge of Pender, which is a small village of around 1000 people in far eastern Nebraska. When we arrived here, there were about 9 Tiffin motorhomes here for a rally, but they left on Sunday, leaving us, and one trailer next to us with a family of 6.

June 3,Sunday: Bob (a ham radio friend we had never met) who lives about 35 miles away, visited with us for a few hours. We shared a pizza in Pender and then he headed home. It was great getting to know him and learning of his life in rural Nebraska while working an hour away in Omaha.

Monday was a quiet day other than a trip in to Pender for gas and a mail drop.

Tuesday (yesterday) was grocery day. We drove 45 miles west to Norfolk, NE to go to our bank, CVS and Walmart. We didn't find a town any closer where there were those three companies in one town. It was a nice outing, but the weather was sunny and in the mid-90's so we didn't want to spend much time outside. Norfolk, NE was the boyhood home of Johnny Carson.

Wednesday, we received maintenance service on our Blue Ox Towing System. Kevin, our tech, disassembled and lubricated all parts at our campsite.

Friday afternoon, we were joined by Howard & Linda Payne, who we had met up with a few weeks earlier in Iowa. They're now headed back west and they were here to get their towing system checked out. It never gets old meeting up with friends on the road!

A few more RVs came and went during the week. During our stay, two strong thunderstorms with very high winds, but the most severe parts went south or west of us both times.

MAY 30 - JUNE 3: Westward Travels and Repairs

Wednesday, May 30: We left the Cedar River Campground near Tipton, IA about 11:30 A.M. for the two hour drive on I-80 to just north of Des Moines, IA. We were lucky to get a prime campsite in the popular Bob Shetler Recreation Area Campground for two nights. With our America the Beautiful Senior Pass, the cost was only $11 per night.  Our site had a 50 amp electric hookup, a concrete pad and water nearby if needed and it was right beside the Des Moines River just below the spillway from Saylorville Lake.






 This scenic area draws lots of fishermen  hoping for a catch in the rapidly moving water.



On the way to Des Moines, we stopped at a rest area for lunch. With temperatures in the 90's, Hank tried to start our generator so we could use our coach A/C, but the generator wouldn't start. Wednesday evening, Hank phoned a Cummins repair faciity in Des Moines about 20 minutes from the campground and was told to come in on Thursday for work.

Thursday, we drove to the Cummins shop. The first diagnosis was a bad starter, and one was ordered to arrive on Friday. They offered to let us stay overnight with a 50 amp electric hookup just outside of the service bays. We decided to do that we wouldn't have to drive back  to the campground in a hot coach, and to be on the premises when the part arrived. It also gave us a front row seat to watch as they worked on semi's, school buses, etc.



Friday, the new starter was installed, but unfortunately that didn't fix the problem. A new inverter, a much more expensive replacement, fixed the problem. We also had them do some routine maintenance work. By the time all was finished, it was 4 P.M. and again the temperature was in the mid-90's.  Hank found an available site with electric at the Acorn Valley Recreation area just a few miles north of Bob Shetler's, again for $11 a night with our Senior Pass. We drove to Acorn Valley with the dash air on, and with the generator and coach A/C on to test the repairs, and arrived with a somewhat cooled-down coach for a relaxing night in the woods. Luckily, the predicted severe weather overnight modified before it reached us.

Saturday morning dawned bright and cool. We left Acorn Valley about 10:30 a.m for the 4 hour drive
via I-80, I--680, I-29 and various state roads to Pender, NE and the Blue Ox Factory.





Blue Ox is the brand of towing equipment and auxillary braking system we have. They have a nice campground with full hookups, they offer service at your site, and give factory tours. With service, you can stay at the campground at no charge. Pender is a small village of about 1000 people in far east Nebraska,  surrounded by large corn-raising farms, and a nearby Indian reservation. We've been told the closest grocery store is at least 20 miles away. There is good Verizon coverage and reception from several TV stations in Souix City, Iowa. We expect to be here for the next week.