June 27, 2008 - Back Home in NC

Well, all good things must come to an end. So it is with our big trip. We have arrived back home in NC and this is my final entry for the "Trip of Our Dreams" blog.

I last wrote when we were in Shipshewana, IN. When we left Shipshewana, we drove to Hagerstown, IN where Mike's sister lives. We visited with her for a few days and got to see all her family. It was nice catching up on their lives. We actually parked our RV on the street beside her house which made it real convenient for us. Sue works as the minister for the UMC in Hagerstown and we stayed through Sunday and went to services at her church. We both enjoyed the service and the people there could not have been nicer to us. It is obvious that they love Sue.

Hagerstown is a small community just a short drive west from Richmond, IN. Sue took us on a tour of the town as well as the surrounding area. I was surprised to learn that there is an Amish population here. We actually saw some buggies during our stay. Sue lives right downtown in Hagerstown and it was nice to be able to get out and walk all around the downtown area. There are several antique shops and gift shops as well as a well known restaurant - Welliver's Smorgasbord. I don't know how long Welliver's has been in business, but I know it has been there for at least 28 years because Mike and I ate there back in the late 70's when we lived in IN. Of course, we had to try it again and it was still a great place to eat (or overeat, as is the case for most everyone who goes to Welliver's).

We left Sue's house on Monday morning and drove to Hillsboro, OH and stayed at Rocky Fork state park just outside of Hillsboro. Mike was in Hillsboro earlier this year when he was helping his brother by taking some of his brother's cattle to Hillsboro to sell. Mike was impressed with this small town and suggested we stay there. Rocky Fork turned out to be a very nice state park. There is a large lake there with a small marina. They have camping along the lake shore as well as up on top of a hill overlooking the lake. The camping sites along the lake were all taken, so we went up to one on the hill. I actually liked the ones up on the hill better because there was plenty of shade up there unlike down by the water. It was pretty hot while we were there and the shade was nice.

Another reason that being up on the hill was nice was the park was hosting a camp for children with physical and mental disabilities. There site was down near the lake and there were a ton of kids there making it pretty noisy. This camp is an annual event and I guess it is quite popular based on the number of kids present. It was a really nice event and the sponsors made sure that the kids were able to go swimming or boating or horseback riding or participate in any of the events. We met a volunteer and he said they have one person assigned to each child to make sure that child can participate in the events. So, if you know anyone in the area who has a child with a disability who might want to go to this camp, let them know.

Also, if you ever go to Rocky Fork, go to the office and get some ice cream - but only order one scoop. I ordered two scoops and I think I got a pint of ice cream. Thank goodness, Mike was with me and ate half of it. I never expected them to give me so much. The lady helping me said they like to give customers their money's worth. What an understatement!!

We left Hillsboro on the 19th of June and drove to South Shore, KY and parked our RV in Mike's cousin's drive. We were in South Shore to attend the family reunion for Mike's mothers side of the family. The reunion was on Saturday afternoon and we spent the days prior to the reunion just visiting with family. Mike has such a close family and they have such a fun time when they all get together. I am so blessed that they have claimed me as part of their family.

On Sunday, the 22nd, we left South Shore and drove to Carter Caves State Park in KY. We have stayed at this state park many times over the years. It is a great place for Mike's family to get together because it is pretty centrally located for all of us and it has both cabins, a lodge and a campground so everyone can find accomodations suitable. We also like that there is a shelter house in the cabin area where we can gather for meals. Plus, there are lots of activities for kids here at this park. They have a lake for fishing, a big swimming pool, playgrounds, horseback riding, a golf course, putt putt golf, and caving. In the evenings, we all head to the campground for a campfire. All of us love to have a campfire and sit around and drink wine while the kids make smores. It is a great time to unwind and catch up on family happenings.

On the 26th, we left Carter Caves and drove home. We made a stop in Mt. Airy to see our daughter and her family and finally got home around 7pm. We had no sooner gotten stopped when one of our neighbors came out to greet us and then another and another. It was great to have them welcome us back home.

Last night, we went to a party in our little neighborhood. Most of our neighbors were there and many asked what was my favorite place on our trip. It is really not possible for me to pick one place that is my favorite. There were just so many wonderful and beautiful places that we were so priviledged to see on this amazing trip. I think every place we went had it's own special beauty. So, I can't really pick one place. But, I can tell you that NC is looking really good to me right now and I think I will stay here for a bit and just enjoy being home again.

June 7, 2008- Update on Final Days of Our Trip

We are now in Shipshewana, IN. The past few days we have been traveling in Michigan. We traveled down the coast of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. We stopped at both and I put my foot in the water to test the temperature. I wanted to see if they were about as cold as Lake Superior. They were. We saw people out in the water up in Ashland, MI I(Lake Superior). I say “burrrrrrr”. Maybe since they have such cold, long winters, they don’t mind the cold water. I think I’ll hold out for the pool in my neighborhood. I like my swimming water a bit warmer.

I have heard it said that the MI state bird is the mosquito, now I know why. Mike and I stopped along Lake Huron and got out and walked down to the water. As we got closer to the water, the mosquitoes started to swam around us - and I mean swarm! There were thousands of them and they are big. I don’t know why, but I did not get a bite. Maybe they were not hungry or my smell was not appealing to them. Whatever it was, I am thankful. I could have been covered with bites within a few minutes.

Like I said, we are in Shipshewana, IN. Shipshewana is a small town just a few miles south of the MI state line in IN. You probably wonder what in the world made us decide to come to Shipshewana. Well, about 8 or 9 years ago, we were in IN for our nephew’s wedding. He got married in a state park in IN not too far from Indianapolis. We had our travel trailer with us for that wedding and after it was over, we decided to tour a bit of IN . We lived in IN for 13 years when we were first married, but we did not travel into northern IN during that time. We had heard of Shipshewana because it is an area with a large Amish population. Anyway, we traveled up here that year and had such a good time that we said that we would like to come back someday. That someday is today.

This little town has a huge flea market that is open every Tue and Wed. We went to it last time we were here and it was so much fun. They had tons of stuff - some old and some new. They had a plant section with some of the most beautiful planters I have ever seen. I want to visit the flea market again this time. I don’t remember buying anything the last time we were here. Maybe I’ll find something that I just can’t live without on this trip.

I also want to go back to Yoder’s store. The Amish are famous for their quilts. Naturally, if they quilt, they have to have places that sell fabric. Last time I was here, I had just started to get into quilting. If my memory serves me correctly, they sell the fabric a few dollars a yard less than I can buy it at home. You know what that means - I MUST BUY. I cannot pass up a good price.
Yoder’s is more than a fabric store. They are like a Wal-Mart for the Amish. They have everything an Amish man or woman could want under one roof. It is fun to check out the hardware section. They have items that the Amish use every day that most of us have only seen. The tools are ones that our grandparents or great-grandparents used to work their gardens or farm. They have canning supplies because the Amish can a lot of their vegetables they grow in their gardens.

So what else is there to do in Shipshewana? This is a tourist town and there are lots of other shops that cater to the tourists. There are also some good golf courses in the area that Mike is hoping to check out. And, this is the area where many of the RV’s sold all over the country are made. I think they have factory tours. If they do, we may go to see how the Jayco’s are made.
There is also REST. Mike and I need a rest stop and we have decided to stay in Shipshewana for a week. We’re going to take it easy and do some reading and just enjoy being outside in the beautiful warm weather.

June 1, 2008 - Bayfield, Ashland and Washburn, WI

I can’t believe it is June 1st. Where has the time gone. It does not seem like we can have been gone for 3 whole months already. The time has flown by and we have enjoyed each day. I now realize that I don’t need a large home. I have gotten quite good at living in a very small space. The best thing is that I can clean the whole place in about 30 minutes.

We have spent the past two days in Washburn, WI. Washburn is a tiny town up on Lake Superior between Bayfield and Ashland. We are in a nice city park right on the lake. It is a small campground and not very busy yet. There are probably 10 campers here. Some of the people spend the whole season here and have permanent places. There is not a place to put a boat in the water at this park, but you don’t have to go far up or down the road to find a place to put in.

Yesterday, we drove back to Bayfield. Bayfield is about five miles west of here. It is an old town, but the area has seen the addition of newer homes and some condos on the water. The downtown area has been converted into little, touristy shops. There are several nice restaurants and lots of bed and breakfast places. We parked downtown and got out and walked around the marina and visited some of the shops. Then we took a drive into the older sections and saw some beautiful old homes. One, in particular, is a large old Victorian home that has a fabulous view of the lake. Like Duluth, this city is build on the hillside and the homes are stacked up the hillside so that they all have a view of the lake.

Today, Sunday, we took it easy. We decided to drive into Ashland and got in the truck only to have the truck not start. Mike said he had planned to buy new batteries before we left home, but just did not get around to doing so. He tinkered with the truck and finally got it started. While he was doing this, I checked Marge (GPS System) to see if I could find a place to get batteries on Sunday. Fortunately, there is a Wal-Mart in Ashland. I called and they had what we needed. So, we took off for Ashland.

Ashland is a small town too, but larger than Bayfield by several thousand people. They have a nice downtown area that appears to be active. Since this was Sunday, all the shops were closed. But, I saw a lot of stores with merchandise in them, so it must be where people shop. The Wal-Mart is on the eastern edge of the town. It appears to be a new store.

Mike went into the auto section and I did a bit of grocery shopping while the truck was being serviced. Once we were done, we started back toward Washburn. The sky out over the lake was dark and threatening. The wind had picked up and Mike was anxious to get back because we had left the canopy out on the camper. We both were crossing our fingers that the wind had not caught the canopy and blown it up over the camper. We had that happen once years ago and it is not a good thing to happen. We got back and, thankfully, the canopy was ok.

Tomorrow we are leaving for Michigan. We hope to find a nice place to spend a few days.

Pics - May 30, 2008 - Duluth, MN

Pics - May 28, 2008 Minneapolis, MN

May 29, 2008 Update

Hi all. Mike and I are now in Duluth, MN. We traveled from Rapid City, SD up into ND and across to Minneapolis, MN this past few days. Mike has a cousin who lives in Minneapolis and we stopped by to visit him and his son for a few days.

I did not realize that the Mississippi River runs through Minneapolis, but it does. I should have known this from the news last year about the I35 bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi. It was right in Minneapolis. In fact, we were on I35 but not when we crossed the river. I remember the news on TV last year and it seemed to me that the river was very wide in the newscasts. But, it is not a very wide river in Minneapolis. I have crossed the Mississippi in Memphis and it is a whole lot wider in Memphis than it is in Minneapolis. I'd just call it a regular size river in Minneapolis.

I guess the big thing I got to do in Minneapolis is visit the Mall of America. I have heard about this mall for years and have always wanted to see it. It has an amusement park inside the mall. Not only that, but it has an aquarium in there too.

Mike took me to the mall on Wednesday. Marge (our trusted GPS system) got us there without any problem. Mike's cousin lives on the north side of Minneapolis and the mall is a bit south of downtown, very near the airport. We went into the mall via a mall entrance rather than going through one of the stores. The first thing we saw when we walked in was the amusement park. The mall is basically a square with four major department stores anchoring each corner. It is five stories (counting the basement where the aquarium is located). The center area is an atrium that is four floors high. This is where the amusement park is located. Then there is a wing going off in each direction leading shoppers to each of the four major department stores.

The amusement park was really nice. It is not huge, but they have made use of every inch of space. I think I counted four different types of roller coasters, one of which is a log flume with real splashing water. There is one that has a car that goes straight up to the ceiling and then straight down. I am not exaggerating when I say straight up and straight down. This same ride had a complete circle so that the riders come out of going straight down to doing a 360. It is some more of a ride. There were also a lot of kiddie rides for the younger kids. There were quite a few people on the rides while we were there.

Of course, we had to get a map of the mall to find our way around. It would be real easy to get lost if you don't know the layout of the mall. My first stop was to the QVC store. All of you who know me, know that I like to shop on QVC and have for years. I knew they had a store in the mall. As it turns out, the QVC store was just around the corner from where we came into the mall. Mike got a couple of pictures of me going into the store. I was surprise that the store is very small. They have a lot of makeup products and jewelry, but not a lot of clothes or other products. I was expecting it to be a lot bigger. I know you are wondering if I bought anything and the answer is, yes. I got some of the Amazing Grace shower gel that I love.

Mike and I walked around the mall for a while and went in several stores. I guess we where there for a couple of hours. I can't really shop with Mike with me because he does not enjoy shopping. We did spend a while in Barnes and Noble and checked out Macy's and Sears. Then we left and went back to Mike's cousin's place.

The drive from Minneapolis to Duluth was a short one. We got into Duluth and to the RV park around noon. Since we got here so early, we decided to go and do some sightseeing. Duluth sits on Lake Superior. The city is built on a hillside that slopes down to the shores of Lake Superior. There are homes all along the hillside overlooking the downtown and the lake. Because the hillside is rather steep, the homes on one road are high enough to have a view of town and the lake over the tops of the homes on the road below. Most of the homes near the downtown are very modest. I'd say that most of these homes have been here for many years, but they are well maintained. The downtown is typical of any downtown. There were several hospitals just a block or two from the lakefront. The downtown seems to be very much alive. I did not see many unoccupied storefronts.

There is a small strip of land that juts out from downtown into Lake Superior. This peninsula separates Lake Superior from the Duluth harbor. There is a road onto the peninsula that has a bridge called an aerial life bridge. The bridge has a support structure on each end that looks like steel beams with X shaped supports going up high into the air. Then these two sides are connected by the same type of X steel supports across the top. The center roadway of the bridge is also steel. If a big ship or barge needs to go through to get to the port, they have a pulley system that raises the entire bridge floor way up in the air between the two side supports. I know this not a great description, but in essence what happens is that the whole bridge is raised way up into the air to allow ships to pass. We actually got to go across the bridge and later we got to see it raised.

This strip of land out into Lake Superior is populated with lots of homes. Most of the homes are older and small homes. There are also some newer and larger homes there as well. I suspect that as people have sold off the older homes, developers or people who want to live on the lake front have purchased the older homes and torn them down and replaced them with new homes. We stopped at a beach access and got out and walked on the beach a bit. The sand here is sort of a medium brown color. There was a lot of wood chips and small stick all along the beach. I guess these are the remains of trees that have broken up into small pieces and made there way to shore.

After visiting the beach, we drove on out onto the peninsula and found a nice park area and a small airport. From this point on the peninsula, you can look across the harbor and see more land. This is land in Wisconsin. Duluth is right on the MN and WI line.

Mike and I continued our sightseeing by driving north out of Duluth. We drove right along the shore of Lake Superior. Out on this side of town, there are some beautiful old homes sitting on the banks of the lake. However, across the street from these elegant homes are some very average homes. It is like the road divides the wealthy from the working people. The farther we drove, the fewer homes there were and we got to enjoy some of the countryside and the lake. We saw a sign that said we were 135 miles from the entrance into Ontario, Canada. We continued on to the small town of Two Harbors. It appears that the main business in this small town is the loading of iron ore onto barges. There is a pretty lighthouse out on a point here and they have converted the old lighthouse home into a bed and breakfast inn.

I have some pictures that I will post of our trip to Minneapolis and Duluth. Tomorrow we are off to WI. We probably won't be in an RV park with Wifi for several days, so I won't be posting for a few days.

May 26/27, 2008 - Update from Rapid City, SD

Hello everyone. Today is Memorial Day and for us, it holds special significance this year. We have just finished up all of the major parks and sights we planned for our BIG trip. And has it ever been a memorable trip. We have seen God’s handiwork in America. He blessed us tremendously. I just wish every American could see what we have seen of this country and then they would know just how blessed we are. We should give thanks every day for what we have here in the USA.

For the past two days, we have been in Rapid City, SD. We came here for me to see Mt. Rushmore. Mike has been here before and seen the sculptures. We got here on Saturday afternoon and our drive in took us past the new carving of Crazy Horse. It is a long way from being finished. Mike said the man who started the work has died and his wife and son have taken over the work. From what we could see, the head is done and they have started on the horse.

The RV park where we decided to stay was just on the outskirts of Rapid City on the road to Mt. Rushmore. It sits high up on a bluff and overlooks the city. It is not the nicest RV park we have been in, but the view was great. During the day, you can look out over the city and then to the wide open prairie beyond. At night, the lights of the city are like diamonds sparkling off in the distance. It was so pretty that I raised up the blinds in our bedroom and just sat there and gazed out the window for a long time.

Sunday was our sightseeing day. We got up and headed for Mt. Rushmore. It was only about 20 miles up the road. We got some great snapshots of the mountain. You can’t get very close, but we did get close enough to get good pictures. When we left the main entrance, our drive took us around to the side of the mountain and we were able to get good pictures of the side of Washington’s face.

Our next destination was going to be Crazy Horse, but we decided instead to take the Needles Highway through Custer State Park. Mike’s uncle Bud had driven the Needles Highway and highly recommended that we make the drive. This is a 14 mile long drive through the park that showcases some of the most fabulous rock formations anywhere. The trademark is a rock formation that actually has a slit at the top that looks exactly like the elongated eye of a needle. The highway is narrow and winding and has three tunnels cut out of the rocks. We came up to the first tunnel shortly after entering the highway. We had traveled a few miles up the winding highway and were up pretty high on the mountain. There was one of smaller campers that you drive sitting off the road and the woman was out of the vehicle. It appeared that she was trying to measure the width of the camper to see if they could get through. We went by them and through the tunnel. We did not see them again, so they either backed up (which would have been a harrowing experience on that highway at that spot) - or - they got through and then took another road out of the park. I bet they were pretty glad to get out of there whatever route they took.

After this first tunnel, we only drove a mile or so and came to the “Needle” section of the highway. This area was an opening in the rocks. The entrance was narrowed by the tall rock formations on either side of the road. I need to stop here and explain that the rocks here are not like boulders where they are big and round. Rather, these rocks are like tall spires. They look like a grove of trees - only they are rocks. I would guess that some of them are well over 100 feet tall. With the analogy of a grove of trees in mind, the road entered an opening in the grove of rocks. It was a circular opening that was wide enough for the highway in the middle and space to park about five vehicles on either side with their front ends pointed away from the highway. The exit for the highway was another tunnel through the rocks. We stopped here and Mike climbed up a pathway around the rocks. I did not try the climbing, but I did get out and viewed the “Needle” and a maze of sorts in the rocks on the opposite side of the road from where Mike was climbing. I hope my pictures can show this to you better than I am able to explain it. This section of the Needles Highway was the most interesting. However, we did see some more rock formations and even a man sitting up on top of one of the tall rocks. The remainder of the drive on the Needles Highway led us back down to a lower elevation where we saw some beautiful meadows.

Next, we headed for the Badlands National Park. This is another surprise in the landscape of the west. The whole area around Rapid City was miles and miles of green pasture and hillsides covered with deep green trees which form the “Black Hills” of South Dakota. So we are just driving along and all of the sudden up ahead it appears that the land just drops off and changes immediately to this area of gulches and mounds of dirt. Some spots below are green and they reminded me of the putting greens on a golf course. There are places that appear to be white sand. In the distance, there are tall, pointed ridges that have horizontal bands of different colors. It is one of those places that you could say is so ugly that it is pretty.

The land on one side of the road was green prairie and badlands on the other side. We were almost to the intersection where we planned to turn off for Wall, SD when we came upon a prairie dogs town. This section of green prairie was probably 10 or more acres, dotted with white mounds of dirt every 10 or 20 feet apart. I’ve never seen such a place, nor had I ever heard of one. Mike says that the travelers in the old west days avoided these areas because their horses could step in one of the holes and break a leg. There must have been a thousand prairie dogs in this village. They were popping in and out of the holes and scampering around their town. It was fun to watch them.

The road through the Badland’s National Park is a 26 mile loop. We planned to do this drive, but we were low on fuel and decided instead to go into Wall, SD to get some fuel and to visit Wall Drugs. Now you may wonder what would make us want to visit Wall Drug. Mike told me about Wall Drugs from his previous trips out west to go hunting. There are billboards for over a 100 miles east of Wall, SD that advertise this store and probably as many coming in from the west. Some of the signs are humorous and others are informational. Wall Drugs was opened in 1931 in the tiny town of Wall, SD. I doubt that anyone other than the people living in Wall would have every heard of the place had it not been for the highway advertisements. As it is, these highway billboards bring in people from all over the country. Like Mike, after seeing these billboards for 100 miles, you want to stop and see what this place is all about.

So we pulled into Wall, SD around 2pm and got our fuel and then made our way the few blocks to the downtown. I’d say that at least half of the main street in Wall, SD is Wall Drug. The original store is there, but it has been added onto multiple times. Now it is sort of like a small shopping mall with mini stores under one roof. There is a shoe store, jewelry store, bookstore, art shop, and even a section selling Brighton items. There is a restaurant and candy store and a place to get ice cream. AND, they even have a drugstore. I don’t know if the original owner was responsible for the advertisements or not. If so, he sure was a smart man. He spent money on billboard ads and they have been paying off ever since. So, what did we buy - only a package of clips to hold our tablecloth onto a picnic table. We spent all of about $2. But, that is $2 that Wall Drugs would not have had if Mike had not seen those billboards on his first trip out here.
After our adventure at Wall, Mike asked if I wanted to go back and do the 26 mile loop in the Badlands. I told him, “no”. I was tired and really just wanted to go back and rest. We had not eaten and I did not feel like cooking, so we took the dogs home and we went out for some Mexican. It was not nearly as good as the Mexican we got in Santa Fe, but it was ok and I did not have to cook.

Today, we are traveling to ND or MN. We have not decided which yet. We left Rapid City around 9:30am. We had to go the direction of Wall, SD and the Badlands on our way to the east. Mike asked if I wanted to do the 26 mile loop into the Badlands and I said that I would. I am so glad we did. It was really an experience. Our trip yesterday was only the tip of the iceberg as far as seeing this area. I’ve tried to come up with an analogy that will help you understand what this place is like. I decided that it is like being on the beach where you are the size of bug. Someone has gone along the beach with a large sand bucket and made thousands of sand castles. They are not all in a straight row. In some places they are clusters of sand castles and some are higher than others. Some have been shaped so that they are more of a pyramid shape and others are more rounded. Then it rains on the sandcastles causing them to have gulches and valleys and some to melt like snow. Now, you are the bug walking along (or in our case - riding along) through all of these sand castles. If this analogy didn’t do it for you, maybe the pictures I am going to post, will. Like I said, I am so glad we made the trip into Badlands National Park. It is unlike any place I have ever seen.

We made a decision to go to Aberdeen, SD and stay the night and then head to Fargo, ND. Our trip took us through the SD state capital of Pierre. Actually, the sign coming into town says “Fort Pierre”. The city is small by the standards of state capitals in other states. Of course, the population of then entire state of SD is small. Most of this state is open land used to farm and raise cattle. The Missouri River runs through the city of Pierre. There is a park along the river that we could see from the bridge we crossed. It appeared to be a very nice park with walking paths and picnic shelters.

The trip to Aberdeen was a beautiful drive. The countryside out here is just something to see. You can see forever and what you see are miles after miles of open grasslands. The fields are either very green or brown because they are last year’s cuttings of wheat or corn. I did get to see some new wildlife - pheasants. The male is brightly colored and easy to spot. The females are a brownish color and blend in with the cut fields. I bet we saw over 50 cocks and maybe 20 hens.

We are staying the night in Aberdeen at the Wylie Park Campground. This is a wonderful place. It not only has a top notch campground but there is also a lake with beach, bumper cars, go-karts, water slide, zoo, storybook land with its own castle, Land of Oz with rides, volleyball courts and softball field. It is a super place for families. I wish we had something like this in NC. I’d love to take my grandchildren to a place like this. I wish we could stay longer, but we have places to go and people to see. Anyway, it is suppose to get down to freezing tonight. This part of the country is still pretty chilly.

Tomorrow, we head to Fargo, ND. I’m not sure if we will be spending the night there or moving on into MN. We will cross that bridge tomorrow. Now, it is time for me to get to bed.