September - Back to South Dakota

Sept. 1 - Time to say goodbye to our new friends and adventure at the 7th Ranch RV Camp. Miles and Deb said goodbye before they left to visit Red Lodge and Chip and Sandy came by for a final goodbye.  This was a great summer, once again we have good friends to keep in touch with in the months and years ahead.

Saying goodbye to Sandy & Chip

That day we drove south and ended our travel in Douglas, WY. We stayed at the City Park, no hookups but a nice area to stay.  We took the car and visited the Douglas Railroad Interpretive Museum.  We were able to walk through a dining car, a passenger car and sleeping car. Many of the rail cars there had been used until the 1970's.  Douglas claims to be the home of the Jackalope and there was a large statue in the square.  Driving downtown, we came upon the Headstrong Brewery, newly opened.  They had a nice Kolsch and Red Ales.

Rail cars to explore

The Captain loves engines

Sept. 2 - south on I-25, then we angled southeast on Hwy 26 into Nebraska.  We stopped to see the Fort Laramie National Historic Site.  It was hot and windy so we did not walk to all the buildings on the post, but went through the museum.  The fort was an active post from 1849 until 1890 when the Indian Wars ended.  We considered staying at Lake McConaughy near Ogallala, but wanted to go a little further that day.  We ended the day in Sutherland at a small RV park run by the golf course there, along the Platte River.

Fort Laramie grounds

Sept. 3 - we were up early and on the road to go see the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center in North Platte.  This is the Union Pacific's Bailey Yard, the world's largest rail yard.  It is where east meets west on the Union Pacific line and handles 10,000 cars each day.  The volunteers working there were very knowledgeable, many having worked there for years. Quite a view from the upper floors, both inside and outside.  We continued on our travel, staying at Hastings that night.

North Platte rail yard

Rail width

Sept. 4 - we drove on old Hwy 6 from Hastings to our destination south of Lincoln, NE. This Labor Day weekend was a Cousin's Reunion, for all the cousins on my Mom's side of the family.  My cousin Jon lives on an acreage southeast of Lincoln, near Bennet.  I had called and found a spot for us to dry camp in a church parking lot near there, but it was going to be a hot, humid weekend in Nebraska and we knew we needed to plug in for air conditioning that weekend.  We drove to the Wagon Train State Recreation Area, which had first come, first served campsites.  We got there about noon that Friday and there were two sites open.  Yay! And only three miles to my cousin's place.  After we were set up and cleaned up, we went in town for groceries to take to the reunion and stopped at Lazlo's for a late lunch. That evening we went to Jon's and had pizza supper with the cousins that were in town that night.

The reunion gatherings were Saturday afternoon and evening for the cousins and then Sunday afternoon and evening for extended family, all our parents and children/grandchildren of the cousins. Thirteen of the sixteen cousins were able to attend.  We were able to get a good group picture and then pictures of the families.  It was a wonderful opportunity to see everyone. Sunday night after we were home, quite a storm came through the area.  Lincoln had some hail and high winds, but everyone came through it okay.

Thirteen of the 16 cousins

Labor Day - we left Lincoln and drove home to Sioux Falls.  We took the motorhome out to Jan and Bob's acreage and stayed there that night. We packed a bag to stay at Katie's for the next couple nights.  Tuesday we went in early for my blood test and then I had my doctor appointments that afternoon.  We had fun playing with the boys after they were home from school each day.  Friday we moved the motorhome to Newton Hills and had the boys there for a camping night.  We played on the playground equipment, had a campfire, played games and watched movies. Saturday we moved the motorhome to the campground in Sioux Falls and got set up with the boys help.  That night we were invited to supper at Lyn & Diane's.  Sunday we spent the day with the kids and later that week went to our dentist and doctor appointments. Supper Wednesday night with Kleins, and Thursday we moved the motorhome back out to Jan's.

Outdoor chat time

Morning cartoons

Boys exploring

Campfire boys and friends

Sept. 18 - we drove the car up to Minneapolis to see Ben and Kelsey in their new home.  Had an early supper with them before Ben had to go to St. Paul for staging practice.  We took Kelsey with us and went to the IKEA store nearby, getting ideas for our little home in Arizona. Saturday morning they made breakfast for us and then Ben took us downtown to see the Minnesota Opera offices where he works. From there, we went on a walk along the river.  It was a beautiful day and the tree colors were beginning. We stopped for a late lunch and watched football at the Freehouse Pub, window shopped and then went to the Deschutes Brewery Fest being held that afternoon. Listened to a great band, browsed through the vendor stands and people watched. Went back to the car and then dropped Ben off at the Light Rail station, so he could get to work that evening in St. Paul.  Sunday morning we walked to St. Helen's church from Ben and Kelsey's and walked through their Fall Festival booths after Mass. Back at their house, we had pizza for lunch and watched football before we had to leave to drive back to Sioux Falls. It was wonderful to see them, we realized we had not been with Kelsey since New Year's Day 2014.

Ben & Kelsey

Minneapolis skyline

Time to head north for Sugar Beets.  We packed up Monday morning and drove the motorhome to Brookings.  We stayed there one night in the City Park - Gary had some shopping he wanted to do. He needed to replenish his SDSU attire and bought a long sleeve shirt and new cap.  We did some window shopping and then stopped at the Wooden Legs Brewery and later supper at Cubby's.

Tuesday we drove to Grand Forks.  After we were in North Dakota, we began to see the big fields of sugar beets.  We arrived at the Red River State Recreation Area campground in East Grand Forks and got set up.  Later that day we went to Walmart and bought new bike tires and tubes for my bike.  Gary worked on those, so we could ride along the bike trail during our stay there.  Wednesday AM we reported to the Express Employment office and completed our paperwork for the harvest.  They confirmed we would work the night shift as piler operators. That afternoon we went for a long bike ride on the bike trail system Grand Forks put in when they built the levees after the 1997 flood.  Friday I went thrift store shopping, found a sweatshirt, hat and mittens to wear for the harvest.  We caught up on projects in the motorhome. I sewed a new cover for the couch pillow and mended Gary's jeans.  The days passed by, we had a piler operator meeting on Monday afternoon, but it really was too many days to just sit around.  We were told to report for work at 10:00 PM September 30.  The harvest officially began at midnight Oct. 1.

August Activities

August started out very warm again.  It did rain a few days, so we did not have to water as much.  That worked well since we were without our car for several days until it was fixed. After Gary (and Chip) finished putting it together on Wednesday/Thursday, we went to Bob's and mowed after work that day.  Friday morning, Gary took the car to Hardin and had the air conditioner recharged and picked up groceries.  That afternoon, we worked the afternoon/evening shift for the first time at the park, 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  We found it was quite different as people arriving later in the day are very tired from their travel and (sometimes) not as friendly.  On our day off, we drove up to Sibley Lake and took the kayak out.  It was a beautiful day to be on the water and cooler in the Big Horn mountains than at the ranch.

The Captain and his ship

August was company month for us.  Kathy, Steve, Gretchen and Larry arrived on the 8th, staying at the park that night in the cabins.  We went into Hardin for Mass and then had supper at Three Brothers Pizza.  The next morning, we had them all over for breakfast before they continued west on their journey toward Glacier Park.  They returned on Thursday from their adventures of golfing, visiting Glacier Park and white water rafting.  We grilled brats for supper and had a nice evening. Friday morning, we all went to the Trading Post for breakfast before they headed back to Sioux Falls.

Sioux Falls friends

August 13-16 was the annual Crow Fair celebration in Crow Agency.  This is the biggest Native American gathering now in the United States.  In years before they have had up to 1500 tepees set up for the celebration.  There were many events over the days, ranging from costume contests, decorating the horses with blankets and draping, Native American dancing and the rodeos and Indian horse races. In the week leading up to the events, we saw how they covered their arbors with fresh cut branches, tarps and screens in the gathering area.  This was where the families cooked and relaxed, using the tepees only for sleeping.  Unfortunately that week, it was very hot again and the park where they were set up in was in a valley away from the breeze.
Saturday morning, Sandy, Deb and I went over to watch the parade.  The costumes and horses were quite elaborate and all ages participated.  That afternoon, Gary and I went to the rodeo. The Indian horse races were the most interesting, each team had three horses and one rider. The rider jumped on the first horse, with only a rope around his neck and ran the lap. The team members held the next horse ready and the rider jumped on the first and on to the second, made another lap and finished with the third horse.  The horses were fast.  We saw one rider fall off on his ride on the second lap. All around the rodeo arena, there were children of all ages riding their personal horses, having their own little races and fun. Most of them were riding bareback and a couple boys had quite a time getting their Shetland ponies to follow their directions.   After the rodeo, we went in to Hardin for groceries and had supper at the Four Aces Bar.

Indian princess

Colorful parade

Sunday was special - Miles and Deb prepared a Country Boil for all of us.  They had fresh shrimp and oysters shipped in for the meal.  We learned that you start the Country Boil with a large pot of boiling water and then add small red potatoes.  When those are 2/3 done, they added Louisiana Shrimp & Crab Boil seasoning and then put in small ears of corn.  When the potatoes and corn were done, they took the corn out and put in the shrimp.  It takes just a few minutes and the shrimp are done.  While the boil pot was cooking everything, they lightly breaded other shrimp and deep fat fried it, also grilled shrimp and breaded and fried oysters at the end.  During all this, Miles and Gary were eating fresh oysters.  Ooh, not us Debs!  At the very end, Miles took Pillsbury biscuits and fried them in the oil.  We transported all of the hot food in one of our golf carts to Sandy and Chip's house and enjoyed the meal together. Delicious - what a treat for us Midwesterners!

Shrimp frying

Country boil pot

Monday, my folks arrived to visit. Unfortunately earlier that day, Gary discovered our water heater was leaking, so he had worked on that all day and it still wasn't totally resolved.  We got them checked in to their cabin at the park and then had supper together at our house.  The next morning after breakfast, Gary and Dad went to Hardin to get parts and Gary fixed it when they returned.  Then we drove them over to see the Battlefield Memorial, to Crow Agency to see the tepees and showed them the ranch where we mow and water.  We had played cards and had supper here at our house.

Crow Days tepees

We were back to the work the next morning and my folks headed back home.  Work was busy this week, a large RV caravan and another group were staying with us.  The caravan had 20 rigs and the other group 15, so on Saturday night that week there were only three sites left for RVs.
Friday afternoon, Gary's brother Tom and his wife Rosie arrived.  We were almost done working, so they got checked in to their cabin and rested.  That night we drove in to Hardin for supper and then played cards outside on our picnic table until it got dark. Saturday morning we had breakfast here, took them to the Battlefield Memorial and then drove over to the Yellowtail Dam. We learned a lot about the building of the dam in the Visitor's Center and drove down to the marina.  We stopped for lunch outside of Fort Smith at Forrester's Resort, then went back to Hardin for Mass and had supper in town.

Last Stand Hill markers

Battlefield Monument

Yellowtail Dam at Fort Smith

Sunday morning, they were up early and headed home.  We were up and having breakfast when we got the call telling us the workampers for that morning were in town at the Urgent Care and could we come in and cover for them.  Of course we did.  I went in to the office and Gary took care of the park.  Chip was branding the calves that morning, had a neighbor and friend come to help and Neil and Miles were helping too. Some of our park guests stopped by to watch the process, there was a lot of noise in the park because the mama cows were not happy!  Sandy had us all over for supper that night, ham and beans, a Montana cowboy meal.

Branding day

Now it was our last week at the park.  Monday we went to Billings for groceries and errands. Tuesday we defrosted the freezer and starting putting things away in the motorhome for the travel ahead.  It was another hot week in Montana.  We mowed on Wednesday and continued watering.  Thursday morning we worked and went to Sheridan with Miles and Deb that afternoon.  Another stop at Boot Barn, Miles bought a hat and Gary bought cedar liners for his boots.  We had a great meal at the Rib & Chop house and then made the necessary stop at Walmart before heading home.  Friday night, Kathy, Moe, Gail and George hosted a pizza party for all of us and then we played dominoes.  We worked the weekend mornings, then did laundry, went to Hardin for Mass and groceries and continued to pack up.  Monday Gary mowed at Bob's for the last time, I did final laundry and we finished getting ready to move.  That night we went with Chip, Sandy, Deb and Miles for supper to Parkman, WY.

July Adventures in Montana

We worked the first three days of July, Gary helped round up more cows and calves one day. We took July 4-6 off from work for a family visit.  Saturday morning we packed for our trip that day to the Black Hills to join my family celebrating my folks' 60th wedding anniversary.  My brother, two sisters and their families were all there for the weekend.  We stayed together at my folks' home which is just outside Rockerville, southwest of Rapid City. Our kids had other family commitments and were not able to join us this time.  We had a great time looking at family pictures, watching home movies and playing games.  Sunday we went to church together and then brunch at Minervas. Monday morning my brother and his family left to drive back home.  The rest of us drove over to see Mount Rushmore and enjoyed walking the trail and looking at all the displays again.  We had lunch at folks, then went into Rapid City to see the new Habitat for Humanity offices, where my sister Heidi works. Supper in town and a visit to Dinosaur Park that night completed our day.  (And a special visit to Armadillo's for one of their specialty ice cream dishes for dessert).

Round em' up, cowboys

Family pic

Visiting the boys

The girls on Dinosaur Hill

Tuesday morning, my sister and her family left to fly back to Tampa.  Gary and I packed an overnight bag and drove up to Spearfish to meet Gary's cousin Kela and her husband for lunch. We had a great lunch and conversation and then went with them to tour the D. C. Booth National Fish Hatchery.  One of those places we always thought we should visit and never had.  The historical home there was very interesting to tour. That afternoon we drove to Lead and bought tickets to the opening night of "Deadeye's Wild West" musical comedy taking place at the historic Homestake Opera House. We had a beverage at the Stamp Mill Restaurant Saloon and Hotel. They have two rooms above the restaurant they rent, but we decided to walk just a half block up the street and booked a room at the Town Hall Inn.  This was Lead's town hall building, built in 1912 and housed many of the town's civic offices.  The Homestake Mining Company housed their general offices there for nearly 50 years and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They have twelve unique rooms available, ours was very comfortable and we had a nice continental breakfast the next morning.  After checking in and freshening up, we walked back to the Stamp Mill for supper and then went to the show.  We had time before the show to look around the opera house. It was built in 1914 with a theater that seated 1000 people, a heated indoor swimming pool, billard hall, library, bowling alley, and lounges for the men and women.  In 1984, the theater portion of the building was nearly destroyed by fire and then sat empty for 11 years.  Their nonprofit organization is now working very hard to restore the theater and have it in condition to have performances there again.  Our friend, Sarah Carlson, who had sang with us in the Cathedral Choir for many years, is the Executive Marketing Director for them.  Sarah was one of the star performers for the show that night. She did not know we were going to be there - toward the end of the show, she (Badlands Bessie) and Deadeye Dan had to run through the audience and it was fun to see her surprise when she saw us. We had time afterward to visit with her and her husband Richard afterward.

Stamp Mill Restaurant and Hotel

Fire damaged opera house

With our star, Sarah!

Wednesday we drove back to my folks home via Sturgis and Bear Butte.  Nearby, we stopped to see The Buffalo Chip Campground, the newly incorporated biker town.  Close by was the famous Full Throttle Saloon, the "biker bar".  We walked through the bar, saw the motorcycle racing ramp and all the stages being prepared for the Sturgis Rally, this year the 75th. (In September 2015, the Full Throttle burned down!)  Continuing on, we stopped and toured the Pactola Lake museum and had lunch in Hill City.  The Black Hills were very green for July, it was beautiful and all the lakes were filled up again.  That night, our daughter Katie and her family arrived to stay and visit for a couple days.  They were returning from a family reunion in Colorado, so Riley and Sam (twin grandsons) had many stories to tell about all they had seen there.

Buffalo Chip entrance

Sculpture at The Full Throttle Saloon

Pactola Reservoir

Thursday we all went to Mount Rushmore so the grandsons could see it.  Afterward, we went to Reptile Gardens to pet the tortoises and snakes and see all the other creepy crawlers.  We had lunch at the Prairie Berry Winery and then went back to the house for supper and games.  The boys enjoy playing Left, Right, Center. Friday morning it was time for us to head back to work in Montana.  We picked up coffee in Deadwood, groceries in Broadus and then we were home again.

Jordan, Riley, Sam and Katie

Family picture before leaving

Back to work on Saturday morning, the excitement that day was six RVs arrived all at the same time for check in.  On our off hours we concentrated on keeping the lawns at Bob's watered, it was still warm and windy, which dried up the ground fast.

The sun keeps shining!

The next week we got up on Tuesday to pack the car and explore.  We did not leave as early as expected, because when I opened my dish towel drawer that morning I saw that we had had visitors.  Mice again!  I took the time that morning to wash all the towels and clean out and disinfect all the kitchen drawers.  I sprayed peppermint oil outside around the perimeter of the motorhome and we set all the traps outside again. Yuck.  Finally on the road, we drove on Hwy 14 & 14A through the Big Horn mountains and arrived in Powell, WY.  We found out there was no room at the inns in Powell. Tourist season and the local fair that week.  One hotel there told us we would have to go to Cody or Red Lodge.  We stopped and had lunch in Powell, then headed north for Red Lodge.  I called ahead and got us a room there.  High season for tourists, the rate was much higher than the room was worth, but we had to stay somewhere. (I had not made reservations ahead of our trip because we were not sure what day we would be able to leave that week) We checked in and then went to the Sam's Tap Room/Red Lodge Ales brewery for a beverage.  We drove around town to see the sights and then had supper at Foster & Logan's Pub & Grill.

Early Wednesday morning, we left Red Lodge to drive the 68 mile Beartooth Highway, Hwy 212 between Red Lodge and the Wyoming state line, continuing to north Yellowstone.  Called "the most beautiful drive in America" by Charles Kuralt, the summit at Beartooth Pass is 10,847 feet above sea level. Our goal and the reason we were up driving early, was to see moose or bear as we drove.  We did see a young female moose lying high up on a mountain meadow and we had a female elk bound across the road in front of us at one point, but nothing closer and no bear. :(  We stopped at the Top of the World store and took a few pictures at Beartooth Lake.  We saw a marmot there.  It is a beautiful drive with many switchbacks and the vistas were incredible.  We drove up to the Clay Butte Ranger Tower and loved the incredible views and the wild mountain flowers covering the ground on the mountain hillsides.  Gary wanted me to run out in them and sing "Sound of Music".  We reached the end at Cooke City and stopped and had brunch.  Then we went on further into Yellowstone Park and drove the northern loop, still hoping to see bear. (Lots of bison, no bear!)  We did see elk lying in the lawns at Mammoth Hot Springs, we were told they like the grass grown there.  After completing the north loop, we drove out of the park, up to Gardiner, MT and north to I-90.  We were back home about supper time.

Switchbacks to the top

The high mountain plains at Beartooth Pass

Beautiful vistas

Mountain wild flowers

Beartooth Lake

Thursday, we took our kayak and drove southeast to the Tongue River Reservoir to go boating. Once there we realized it was too windy for our little paddle powered boat to be on the water. We could have traveled one way with the wind, but we wouldn't have had enough crew power to get back.  We drove on south on Hwy 314 to Decker, MT and then made the loop back to Dayton, WY where we had a picnic lunch in their city park. We played cards that night at the park.

Friday, it was time to mow again at Bob's and catch up on laundry and cleaning before working again. That week, Gary was on the horse again working the cattle.  We had the excitement of finding a nest of mice in the cabinet behind our living room TV, so we had to clean and disinfect all of that area. We found the big hole around the washer pipes where they came in, so we corrected that with fine mesh screen and Great Stuff foam. (No more mice inside for the rest of our stay)  It was windy and rainy this week, so we did not have to water lawns every day.

Thursday afternoon, we went to Sheridan with Miles and Deb.  First stop: Boot Barn. Miles found a pair of boots and Gary bought polish for his dress boots.  It was Crazy Days and the opening night of the weekly Farmers Market, so we browsed in stores and bought fresh cherries at the market.  We had a beverage at the historic Mint Bar and then supper at the Wyoming Cattle Company. 

Friday we were off, so Gary decided to change the oil in our car.  Working on that, he and Chip decided to find out why we had been leaking oil and ended up taking most of the front of the car apart!  They discovered a rock had put a hole in the transmission cooler.  They ordered the part and put it back together on Wednesday when the part came in.

I pulled out my sewing machine and finally sewed the cover for our extra couch cushion. Saturday night we cooked Peppers and Shells for everyone.  Sandy let us use her kitchen in the house and had the big pots we needed, everyone enjoyed the meal.

Looks like trouble!

Putting it back together