Dorcas Does Duluth

Dorcas and I, with our friends Wayne and Lynda, have passed through Duluth many times on our way to and from the BWCAW. Duluth has a lot of neat things, but on those trips we never had more than a few hours to see the sights. During yesterday and today Dorcas and I did Duluth.

Duluth, MN was built on mining, shipping and railroading, so that set the tone for our tours. Our first event was a ride on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. This ride consisted of a 1.5 hour excursion from the historic Duluth Depot, along the waterfront to the Lester River and return. It was a nice ride, but rather boring. Except for the first mile or two when we were near the waterfront, the scenery was mostly of suburban back yards. Half the time on the train we were stopped for switching. The best part of the train ride was discovering the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, located at the Depot. This museum is said to be one of the finest railroad museums in the country. I'm a believer. It had dozens of engines of all types and many more cars and artifacts, mainly used in the hauling of lumber and iron ore. The trains were set on the tracks in the original depot yard, enclosed under a metal roof cover. It also featured authentic period store fronts of early Duluth. We spent about half a day in the museum.

The next event was a boat ride on the Vista King, where we toured the harbor. The "Twin Ports" serve Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. Actually, there is only one natural entrance to this harbor, the one between Minnesota Point and Wisconsin Point near Superior. In the 1870s the folks from Duluth determined that if their city was to prosper, they must establish an opening to the lake closer to their city. Consequently, they began digging the current canal which crosses the base of the peninsula of Minnesota Point. The folks from Superior objected to the the new opening and acquired a Federal injunction to stop the digging. The injunction was issued on a Friday, but could not be served until the following Monday. The folks from Duluth learned of the pending injunction, and had three days before the sheriff could arrive to serve the papers. In those three days the folks from Duluth rallied and completed the canal, making the injunction meaningless, and thereby assuring the prosperity of their city. Typical molasses government bureaucracy at work. Today the famous Aerial Lift Bridge spans the Duluth canal and the Duluth port is much more important than the Superior port. In our harbor excursion we sailed down the harbor towards Superior, entered Lake Superior via the Superior opening and returned via the Duluth canal, passing under the Aerial Lift Bridge. Along the way we saw the grain docks and the steel docks where commodities are loaded for the mills on down the Great Lakes. The most important product coming into the port today is parts for large windmill turbines being constructed all across the Midwest. On the docks were acres and acres of wind vanes, towers, turbines and generators. We also spotted the last of the tall ships to depart Duluth following the annual Duluth Maritime Festival. Prospective mariners can pay $1200 for a two-week hitch on these ships and learn the art of sailing the way it was done way back when. It is hard work and spartan accomodations. Ya gotta really want to do it.

Our third tourist activity was a visit to the Great Lakes Aquarium. The GLA is rare in that it features only fresh-water exhibits. They had exhibits featuring habitats from Isle Royale (Lake Superior), the Baptism River (a fast-moving river with waterfalls) and the St. Louis River (a slow-moving river). We particularly enjoyed the otter pool and the sturgeon touch tank. We also liked the special sea horse exhibit (I'm assuming these were not in fresh water???).

Finally, we walked along Canal Park, the one part of Duluth where we have previously spent some time. There we witnessed a spectacular rainbow as it set on the light at the end of the canal. On that note, we stopped at Fitgers Brewhouse and got a "Growler", and then departed for the hacienda.

Camped on the North Shore

Today we moved north about 100 miles and are camped on the shores of Lake Superior. We are at Burlington Bay Campground, a municipal park, within walking distance of the town of Two Harbors, MN. We let Matilda play off-leash in the water at the lake shore, and she had a grand time.

We are about 20 miles from Duluth and plan to spend time seeing the sights there. We have been in Duluth many times, but never stayed long enough to see the sights. Lots of things are going on in Duluth during the summer and campsites are scarce. The Duluth Maritimes Festival, featuring the tall ships, ended Sunday. The Bayfront Blues Festival is this coming weekend in Duluth.

Paddle: Namekagon River

One of our big objectives during this trip was to paddle on the Namekagon River in northwest Wisconsin. The Namekagon is in the upper part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. We had crossed the river many times previously, coming and going from the Boundary Waters, and it always looked inviting. One year we even stopped at the visitor's center and talked to the ranger and picked up some maps.

So, today was our day to paddle the Namekagon. One can paddle over 100 miles of the Namekagon within the park, so we had a lot of river to choose from. Not having any idea which sections of the river were best, I figured it was all good, so my biggest criteria was to choose a section that could be shuttled on a bicycle. We chose the section from West Howell Landing to Namekagon Trail Landing, a distance of about 12 miles. When we arrived at the take-out, the parking lot was practically deserted. We dropped the bike and headed to the put-in at West Howell Landing. As soon as we put onto the river I was impressed. It was much nicer than the other rivers we had recently paddled. It had a nice flow, the water was clear, and the bottom was covered with lush green vegetation. Fish were abundant; we primarily saw suckers, but also saw a few small mouth bass and a 3' northern pike. Several other paddlers reported spotting a sturgeon. I was not fishing today, so I had to be content to watch the fish as we glided over them in the boat. Matilda did fine; there was no out-of-boat experience today. We left her un-tethered in the boat, which made it a little easier for her to get around in the boat. We stopped on a few sandbars and let her go wild. As usual, she slept much of the last part of the trip.

It was an excellent paddle. The river and the scenery was beautiful. We saw a 12-point buck, a weasel and a few rodents that were either very small beavers or very large muskrats. The only negative thing was the high number of other paddlers. It was a beautiful Saturday and many other paddlers and tubers had chosen to float this section today. We don't have to go out on weekends! Why do we continue to do this? Well, the number of other paddlers did turn out to be a benefit. When we reached the take-out the parking lot was packed and there were cars, trucks and canoe trailers lined up and down both sides of the road. I easily scored a ride back to our put-in to get the car, saving a 10-mile bike ride, half of which was along a narrow state highway.

This section of the Nanekagon is only about 45 miles from our camp. I wish we had another chance to paddle this river, but we will be moving north on Monday, and there are sights up on Lake Superior we want to see. If we have time, we will drop back down and paddle another section of the Namekagon before we leave the Superior area. Also, we may do a 2-3 night camping trip on this river after our Boundary Waters trip in September.

Two Memorial Tributes

Today is the first anniversary of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. On August 1, 2007, at 6:05 PM, the bridge carrying eight lanes of rush-hour traffic over the Mississippi River collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring over 100 more. Today at 6:05 PM there was a memorial service to honor the victims of the disaster. The new St. Anthony Falls Bridge is nearing completion, and is scheduled to open in late September this year.

This evening Lynyrd Skynyrd played at the casino amphitheater. The campground was full of beer-drinking rowdy rednecks. I felt like I was back in NC. I have always been a fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but the heart and soul of the band died in 1977, when several of the original members died in a plane crash in Mississippi. The band now performing as Lynyrd Skynyrd is essentially a very talented and authentic tribute band. We didn't ante up for tickets, but we did enjoy the music from the hill behind the motor home. The band played about 1 1/2 hours and played only pre-1977 hits. It was a good show, but I miss Ronnie Van Zant.

The American Pasttime: Play Ball!

One thing I have observed while traveling in Minnesota is that folks here are the nicest folks I have ever met. Strangers are always polite, friendly and helpful. But that was before I saw them at a Twins game ..... but I digress.

When we went to "the cities" on Monday, we didn't see all the things we had wanted to see. We also wanted to catch a Twins game, so off we went, back down to "the cities". First stop was St. Paul and historic Fort Snelling, not to be confused with Fort Snelling State Park. Fort Snelling is on a bluff at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. It was completed in 1825 and became a hub for fur trading and Indian activities. Over the years the fort was used by the army for various purposes, but was never involved in hostile action. It is perhaps best known as a training and processing center where over 300,000 soldiers were inducted during World War II. After WWII the fort was decommissioned. In the 1950s the fort was threatened by development and highway construction, and efforts were started to save the fort site. By that time, little of the original fort structure remained, and reconstruction efforts were started. Today the reconstructed Fort Snelling offers period displays and demonstrations with costumed characters.

Pets are not allowed in the restored Fort Snelling, so we weren't able to go in. But we did walk into adjacent Fort Snelling State Park. We hiked onto Pike Island to the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers and later hiked along the trail upriver towards Minnehaha Park. At one point we saw a hen turkey with chicks. As we got closer to take pictures, the hen did not retreat. Actually she became aggressive and charged us. I can see the headlines now: "Tourists Mauled By Wild Turkey." Thankfully, we survived the attack.

Our next stop was the St. Anthony area for dinner and a Twins game. We chose Tugg's Tavern and had their stuffed Saloon Burger and a few brews. We ate on the patio so Matilda could be close, and we could look across the river towards the Minneapolis skyline. While dining the street in front of the pub was kinda like a parade. A group of about thirty folks on Segway transporters came by. Then along came a "PedalPub", a rolling bar, powered by the folks on the barstools. It looked like a good way to see the city. I hope they had a designated driver.

After dinner we walked to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome to see the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox. The Twins and the White Sox are bitter rivals and are locked in a tight race for the AL Central division championship. The game was pretty dull until the 5th inning, when the home team had a big three-run inning. Things really heated up in the bottom of the 7th during a disputed checked swing/called strike on Twins batter Denard Span. Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire stormed the field and argued with the 3rd base umpire for about 10 minutes. He was ejected from the game, and the Twins fans threw baseballs, hats and other debris onto the field. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen pulled his team off the field, while fans booed and peppered the field with more debris. The PA announcer warned that if fans continued to throw things onto the field, the game would be forfeited to the Sox. It was great fun. Eventually things settled down and the players returned to the field. The Sox promptly walked Span, and the Twins subsequently scored 4 runs in the inning. The Twins won 10-6. It was a wonderful game.

Big Day in the Big Cities

We were in St. Paul a few weeks ago for the FMCA convention, but were so busy convening, we didn't get to see any of the Twin Cities. Excepting one short excursion to the Mall of America, we never left the FMCA venue.

Our camp in Hinkley is about 1 1/4 hour drive from "the cities", so we decided to go back to town. We didn't know precisely where all we were going, but we had several places on our list. We considered leaving Matilda behind because it would be difficult to take her to some of places we could go, but ultimately we decided to take her with us, so we could stay in the cities as long as we wanted to. I think it turned out to be the right choice.

Our first stop was the Cathedral of St. Paul, located on the highest point in the city of St. Paul. This Cathedral of St. Paul is the forth, and likely last, cathedral of St. Paul in this city. Construction was begun on this architectural marvel in 1907. The exterior was completed in 1914, and it has been undergoing almost continual additions since that time. We spent about an hour wandering through the cathedral on our own, then went on a formal tour. Later we walked around the Minnesota state capitol, a few blocks from the cathedral.

Next we went to the visitor center for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. This park includes 72 miles of the Mississippi River above and below the Twin Cities. It is managed by the National Park Service, but in a very different manner than most national parks. The National Park Service actually owns less than 1% of of the land included in the park. The land is actually owned by a variety of local government entities, and is a collection of city, county and regional parks. We spent some time at Minnehaha Regional Park in the Mississippi Gorge section. There we saw Minnehaha Falls, made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his "Song of Hiawatha". Lock and Dam No. 1 is just above the park. We took a self-guided tour of the lock works. This is one of 29 locks and dams allowing barge and pleasure boat navigation from St. Anthony Falls just above Minneapolis to St. Louis. We waited, but no ships came through. The dam here also provides hydroelectric power to the Ford Motor Company assembly plant across the river, where Ford Rangers are made.

Finally, we visited the Mill Ruins Park, St. Anthony Falls, the Stone Arch Bridge and Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, all in the St. Anthony National Historic District near downtown Minneapolis. This area contains the only falls on the whole Mississippi River and the remains of many historic mills. Minneapolis owes its existence to St. Anthony Falls. Water power was harnessed here, first for saw milling and later for flour milling and hydroelectric production. Between 1880 and 1930 Minneapolis led the nation, and at times, the world in flour production.

The Twin Cities area is the most biker-friendly area I have ever seen. Bicycle commuting is very popular. There are many bike lanes on the city streets and there are a multitude of bike and walking trails connecting regional and city parks and the downtown areas.

This area is only a few blocks from the Metrodome where the Minnesota Twins play. They were playing as we toured the park and will be playing at home the rest of the week. Hopefully we can catch a game before we head north.

Paddle: St. Croix River

Today we paddled on the St. Croix National Scenic River. We put in at Riverside Landing and paddled to Yellow River Landing near Danbury, WI, a distance of about 9 miles. We had hoped to use the canoe livery in Danbury, Pardun's Canoe Rental and Shuttle Service, for a shuttle, but they were swamped and the guy we needed to talk to was out delivering tourists. We elected not to wait. Plan B was to do a bike shuttle. The problem with that is that Yellow River Landing is private and was posted no trespassing. Nolo problemo. We found a place just up the mouth of the Yellow River near the bridge that had fair access and was not posted. I chained the bike to a tree laced with poison ivy, and we headed for Riverside Landing.

Riverside Landing was a very nice federal facility. It offered paddle-in and walk-in camping, and had water and pretty clean pit toilets. We put in and headed down the river. The river was wide, shallow, sandy and slightly stained. It reminded me somewhat of the James River below Lynchburg VA. It was a beautiful Saturday and we saw a lot of canoe and tubing traffic on the river. It was not your quiet wilderness experience. The St. Croix has designated canoe campsites and there were two on this section. We stopped at one for lunch and found it to be rather trashy and not very inviting. It did have a Boundary Waters-style pit toilet, though.

While Matilda is doing well, she is not yet totally comfortable in the boat. She spends the first hour of the trip running from one end of the boat to the other. The problem with that is that she is too tall to go under the thwarts and too short to step over them. She tries to jump over, but is a little clumsy, and it is not pretty. The second hour, she crashes and takes a nap on the bottom of the boat. During the third hour the cycle repeats. She did have one out of boat experience near the end of the trip. I didn't see exactly what happened. She likes to balance precariously with her paws on the gunwale, and sometimes she slips. I think she just fell out of the boat. By the time I reached for her, she already had one leg over the gunwale trying to get back in the boat. I took a picture of her while wet and pitiful, but I won't embarrass her again by posting it. See Tuesday's picture; it's pretty much the same.

We reached the take-out about 3:00. I left Dorcas on a gravel island in the Yellow River and waded to shore. The bike was still there. Poison ivy is apparently a strong theft deterrent. I biked 7.5 miles up WI 35 to Riverside Landing and retrieved the car. We were on the road headed for home by 4:00.

I guess I was a little disappointed with this section of the St. Croix. It was a pretty river, but it was rather wide and straight, and not terribly interesting. It would probably be better on a weekday, when there are less folks out. If we paddle the St. Croix again it will be an upper stretch above it's confluence with the Namekagon. More likely we will paddle on the Namekagon, which is also a part of the St Croix National Scenic River system.

Paddle: Kettle River - Matilda's Second Boat Ride

A few days ago we paddled on the Kettle River, putting in at the MN 48 bridge and paddling upstream. Today we put in at the same place, but paddled downstream instead. After about 1 1/2 hours we turned around and paddled upstream back to our put-in. I figure we paddled down 2-3 miles. This section was much like the upper section we had paddled on Tuesday. It alternated from deep still pools to moderately swift and shallow sandy sections. The trip was uneventful; Matilda did not swim today. We saw another bald eagle and got up close and personal with a white-tailed deer. The deer here are a bright red color, very different from the gray-brown deer at home. We explored several back-water sloughs. We turned up one side creek and followed it upstream about 1/2 mile before it returned to the river. It turns out it was not a creek at all, but an alternate channel in the river. It was a very pleasant paddle, but now we are ready for some conventional downstream action. Unfortunately we can find no other paddlers here to help set a shuttle for a longer trip.

I find that I am getting in a rut, showing pictures of Dorcas' backside (again), but now with Matilda in the foreground. Some readers are demanding pictures of Matilda so they can watch her grow. I will try to provide some balance.

Photo of the Week

I don't know... this image just kinda grabbed me. I guess you don't have to be a big dog to run with the big dogs. We know a few folks with smaller rigs, and this made me think of them

Paddle: Kettle River - Matilda's First Boat Ride

This afternoon we put in on the Kettle River. The Kettle crosses MN 48 only 3 miles from our camp. Since it was Matilda's first ride in the canoe and we wanted to keep it short, we decided to paddle upstream for a while, then turn around and come back to the bridge. A contributing factor to this plan was that we had no easy way to set a shuttle for a more conventional downstream run. The current was slow in both directions as far as we could see from the bridge. The river was very scenic, in fact the river is designated as a "Wild and Scenic River". The water was clear, but stained, much like the blackwater rivers in eastern NC. When we started out the river was deep and still, but as we went upstream, it became shallow and slightly more swift, revealing a sandy bottom.

I expected that Matilda would jump out of the boat at least once. Both PD and Izaak jumped out on their first canoe ride. I was not disappointed. We had just cleared the bridge when in she went. She came up swimming, but since we had been paddling upstream against some current, she could not swim fast enough to catch up. I had her on a long leash, and we slowed down and led her back to the boat. I lifted her back into the boat, and of course she was soaking wet and looked pitiful. She may have swallowed a little water, because she was coughing, but otherwise seemed to be fine. I think she learned that it was better to be in the boat than in the river, because she didn't jump out again. I knew she was a smart dog! We stopped on several sand bars along the way and she never showed any reluctance to get back into the boat. We paddled about 1 1/2 hours and about three miles before turning around. On the way back, we got a pretty good look at a bald eagle. The first time we saw him he flew from a tree beside our boat directly at us. When he was about 20 feet away he turned and flew downstream. From that point he hopscotched downstream with us before eventually turning and disappearing upstream.

This evening we attended the circus in Hinckley. It was a relatively small affair, apparently operated by a family of performers from Argentina. The performers all sold tickets, programs and snacks before and after their acts. The majority of the performers were children; one was only 5 years old. It was a little campy and amateurish. Kinda like what you might see in an old movie. But "Tiny" the elephant was good, as well as some performing stallions. There was also a young boy, perhaps about 13 years old, who performed as a clown. He was very talented.

Taking No Gamble in Hinckley, MN

Our original plan from before we ever left home was to spend some time camping in St. Croix State Park, which is along the St. Croix National Scenic River. Because the state park was full last weekend, we ended up instead at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, about 14 miles away, which we found to be a very nice place. Today we visited the St. Croix SP and now are not too excited about relocating there. Casino: paved sites, 50A electric, water, sewer, cable TV, wi-fi, few bugs, close to town and restaurants, $16.00/night. State Park: 30A electric, uneven gravel sites, many bugs, closed hiking and biking trails, $24.00/night. Where would you want to stay? In the morning I will re-up here at the casino until Monday, after which we will have been here 10 nights. We may stay even longer, particularly if we haven't figured out where we are going next. Why take a gamble when we already have a sure thing?

The one thing the state park did offer was access to the St. Croix River, but there are other good access points in the area. At one access we ran into an outfitter waiting for some paddlers. He gave us some good information on the river and said his company could provide shuttle service. We may try to catch a day trip or two on this section of the St. Croix before we leave.

We went into Hinckley to visit the Post Office and buy some supplies. Hinckley is known for the great fire of September 1 1894, and the Hinckley Fire Museum. On that day a forest fire swept through the area killing 418 people. After lunch we were sitting in the town park, and a very unusual specimen of Minnesota wildlife came lumbering by. At first I thought we may have spotted a great woolly mammoth, previously thought to have been long extinct. Perhaps this specimen has been hiding in the north woods, and was driven out by the effects of global warming. Upon further examination I realized we were looking at an African elephant, still fairly rare in wilds of east central Minnesota. We then learned that the circus was in town for two shows tomorrow night, and this guy was out walking his elephant. I hope he was carrying his poop bag. That also explains the huge circus tent that was going up in the park. Perhaps we will go to the circus. I haven't been to a small town circus in a real live circus tent in a long time.

Later we discovered the Kettle River. The Kettle apparently has some very good whitewater and crosses Highway 48 only a few miles from our camp. At that point it is fairly wide and gentle. Tomorrow we plan to go back and paddle upstream as far as we can and float back down. This will be Matilda's first introduction to real canoing. Wish us luck.

We Have a Winner!!!

We have a winner in the guess-the-quote contest. The correct Benjamin Franklin quote is "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." Congratulations Katie!

Katie is a good friend and also Matilda's veterinarian. Of course she asked how Matilda is doing. Matilda is doing great. She is growing by leaps and bounds. We just weighed her using a fish scale and a tote bag, and she weighed 18.7 pounds. I guess this is the last time we can weigh her that way, because my fish scale only goes up to 18.8 pounds. I think she's a keeper. Her chewing on Dorcas has slowed somewhat, and we are starting to teach her some commands and to correct some negative behaviors. She has not yet been in a canoe, at least not a canoe in the water. Hopefully we will get her out this week.

We went over to the casino today and played some slots. We each signed up for a players club rewards card, each with $10 in complimentary credits. We played for several hours and I turned my free $10 into $14. No small feat! Dorcas was not so lucky. She came out with just $2. I'm sure we will both blow the remainder of our free money before we leave. Hopefully we won't blow too much of our own money.

On The Road Again

As I write this message, we are listening to Willie Nelson. Not the music, but the dried-up old hippie himself, live and in person. For free. Believe it or not, as I type these words, right this very second, Willie is singing "On the Road Again". No shit.

As my faithful readers have realized, I have been grossly negligent by not updating this journal for several weeks. I have no excuse, except that we have been just so busy and worn out. I know, you say: "Hey you guys are retired! You're just tooling around the country in your motorhome, not a care in the world, no schedule, no worries. How can you be too busy and tired to take a few minutes and let your friends know where you are and what you're doing?" Well, the truth is, motorhome rallies are just plain hard work. Between the meals, socials, happy hours, seminars, service calls, more happy hours, concerts and so on, there is not time to do anything else. We have been getting up early, moving all day and then crashing late. We have just finished our third back-to-back rally. We've been rallying straight since July 1. Too much fun! Finally the rallies are over, and now we can spend some time relaxing, recharging and catching up on business. I will give a brief update tonight, and then post some back-dated reports over the next few days.

We are currently camped at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN, operated by the Mille Lacs Band of the Ojibwe Indians. We had actually hoped to be at St. Croix State Park about 10 miles to the east, but they were full for the weekend. Dang. So we started looking for other places in that same area, planning to get to St. Croix State Park after the weekend. That's when we discovered the Grand Casino, which it turns out has a pretty nice RV park. When we called, they were full for Friday night (tonight). It turns out Willie Nelson was playing here tonight and the place was sold out. But they did say we could stay in their overflow area for $5.00. Cool. So here we sit on a hill overlooking the amphitheatre, listening to Willie and surfing on the net over the WiFi. Sweet. It's actually been a good week for concerts. Last night we saw Gary Puckett (formerly of the Union Gap) and the night before that we saw the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Last week we saw Janie Frickie. Dorcas scored autographs from all of the members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band . One of the band members liked my T-shirt, which had a cool quote from Benjamin Franklin.

Mini-contest: correctly guess the Ben Franklin quote on the T-shirt and win public recognition in this space. Hint: it involves an alcoholic beverage and a religious figure.

Trivia note: Gary Puckett, Bob Dylan and Roger Maris were all born in Hibbing MN, population 17,071.

That's all for now. I'm going to kick back and enjoy the music.

Summer RallyFest Triathlon 2008 - FMCA Finale

Two times a year the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) holds an "International Convention", somewhere in the US. FMCA's 80th International Convention was held July 14-17 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul, MN. And we were there. Actually we arrived on Sunday, two days prior to the start of the rally. They set us up in the dry camping area in Lot 56, just south of the Warner Coliseum. Dry camping means that we have no hook-ups. It was pretty hot, and so we had to run the generator to power the air conditioners to keep Matilda cool. We were also parked near the caravan area where many of the folks from Safari International were parked. Safari International sends a truck full of adult beverages to FMCA conventions. The tailgate becomes an open bar for SI members each afternoon. Sweet. Country Coach International could learn something from Safari International.

There was an extremely full calendar of events, with seminars and presentations going on in 14 seminar rooms, non-stop for three days. We attended seminars on Cummins engines, Allison transmissions, refrigerators, hydronic heating systems, pet training, "cooking on the go", braking systems, various computer topics, crafts and many, many more. There really was not enough time and energy to do and see everything we wanted to do and see. There was also daytime entertainment and evening entertainment, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Gary Puckett. Additionally there were hundreds of display coaches and hundreds of vendors selling parts and accessories. I dropped several hundred dollars on fuel filters and oil filters and hard-to-find synthetic transmission oil. We also bought a few nifty accessories and scored some free parts from the companies that built some of the systems in our coach.

The convention was not as well attended as expected, probably due to fuel prices and other economic woes. The final coach count was 3078, which includes display and vendor coaches. This is the lowest attendance at an FMCA international convention since 1990. Still, there were a lot of folks there. The Country Coach Veranda seemed to be a hit. Folks had a wide range of opinions about it, but everyone wanted to see it.

We enjoyed the convention, but didn't get to do everything we wanted to do. My biggest regret is that we had no time to explore the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, which has many interesting sights. Our only off-site excursion was to the Mall of America, "the nation's largest retail and entertainment complex". A brochure claimed that the Mall of America had more visitors than Walt Disney World and the Grand Canyon combined. I find that hard to believe, but can understand how Minnesotans, afflicted with severe cabin fever in February, would flock to this huge complex, complete with indoor parking, an amusement park and aquarium. We spent about three hours there and didn't nearly see it all.

When we left St. Paul today, we had hoped to get into the campground at St. Croix State Park, about 75 miles north of the Twin Cites. They were full up for the weekend however, so we looked at the Grand Casino Hinckley, which is said to have a nice RV park. They too were booked solid, because Willie Nelson is playing there tonight, but let us stay in their overflow lot tonight and will put us on a regular site on Saturday.

Whew! This rally marathon has been hard work! We have been attending rallies since July 1, with practically no break. But now we are done with the rallies. We are looking forward to doing nothing for several days. Then we will spend some time digesting and transcribing our rally notes and literature.

Photo of the Week

This guy was parked next to us in Amana at the Country Coach rally. As you can see, some folks invest a lot into the appearance of their rigs. We also own a Honda Element, so I talked to the guy. With as straight a face as I could manage I asked him how much it cost to paint his Country Coach to match his Honda. Unfortunately, he didn't get the joke.

Rally Fest Part 2 - Country Coach Reunion

We have now completed the second of our three back-to-back RV rallies. This rally was sponsored by Country Coach, Inc., the maker of our motor home. This rally was also at Amana Colonies RV Park, the same venue as our Safari rally, which ended two days prior to the Country Coach rally. All the top Country Coach brass were present, and you could talk to them one-on-one. They brought about a dozen coaches too, including about six models with the new Veranda feature. There were about 200 attending coaches. Country Coach subsidizes this rally heavily, to the tune of over $800 per attending coach. They hoped to sell some new coaches during the rally and did sell at least eight new coaches. When you buy a new coach at the rally, you can spin a wheel to earn an additional discount, up to an additional $10,000 off. One lucky buyer did hit the $10,000 jackpot. There was a breakfast buffet each morning, a happy hour social each afternoon, dinner and evening entertainment. Entertainment included Janie Fricke, Coup deVille and the High Society Big Band. There were a number of interesting seminars by equipment vendors and Country Coach's top service and technical folks. We saw many friends that we have made at other Country Coach rallies and parks as we have traveled around the country.

At rallies Country Coach also provides complimentary service for attending coaches, up to three items and one hour of service. I had two items on my list and, unfortunately, they were not able to accomplish either one. The first item was my entry step cover, which extends nicely, but gets finicky when it's time to retract. When that happens, we must jump out of the coach about three feet to the ground. Kinda like parachuting: jump, tumble, roll. Not fun. Consequently, we have not been using the step cover, and Dorcas' feet dangle when we drive. The suspected cause is one or both of two limit switches in the actuator mechanism may be bad. The tricky part involves access. The actuator runs across the top of the generator, and it will take someone who is seven feet tall and weighs less than 84 pounds to get to it. We could probably drop the generator (again), but it would involve several hours of labor. Country Coach was unwilling and unable to accomplish the repair at the rally. With RV service rates over $100/hr, we'll likely live with it a while. Perhaps I can fabricate a manual step cover. The second service item involved the radiator fan controller. Country Coach employs a variable speed hydraulically driven radiator fan. My fan sounded like it was running on high speed all the time. The fan controller reads coolant temperature, air intake temperature and dash air function and actuates a valve to control hydraulic fluid flow to the fan engine, and consequently, controls fan speed. The technician did crawl under the coach and did verify that the fan controller was stuck in the high speed position. The fan controller would have to be replaced, but Country Coach did not have the part on-site. Besides that, the controller would have to be programmed for my coach before it could be shipped out. Dang. In talking to other owners I learned the part costs about $600. Dang, dang. But I probably do need to get it fixed as soon as I can. It doesn't hurt the engine to run the fan in high speed, although my engine is running a little cool (~180 degrees). The real penalty is fuel mileage. I have been told by different people that the fan consumes 20 HP or 80 HP, and that my fuel mileage is down 0.5-2 MPG. This means 5% to 20% mileage penalty, depending on who I believe. I will be talking to Country Coach about ordering the new controller. I should be able to install it myself. Messy, but doable. A happier service story involves the folks from Carefree Awnings. They adjusted and serviced my awnings and arranged for some free replacement parts. Attaboy!!!

The weather for this rally was not as pleasant as it was for the Safari rally. It was much warmer and more humid this week. Afternoon storms were common. One afternoon a black wall of rain approached from the west. We saw it coming for some time and had plenty of time to batten down the hatches. Thinking I was being overly cautious, I turned the canoe upside down and tied the bow to a maple sapling at our site. When the storm hit, it was fierce. When it was all over, the boat had been blown right-side up and landed on top of the maple tree, bending the tree to the ground. No harm done; the canoe was undamaged and the maple rebounded the next day. I am sure the folks from Country Coach were also disappointed in the weather. Their coach display area became a quagmire, even though they had outdoor carpet over the grass, and crews vacuuming and sweeping away the water. More than one coach had to be towed out of its site.

Onward to our next rally .....

Photo of the Week

OK, you are not seeing double. Matilda found a friend who is very similar in color and size. Actually "Bear" is a fully grown "miniature" Australian Shepherd. He is a bit on the porky side and had piercing blue eyes, but otherwise looked amazingly similar to Matilda. He was a little grumpy, however, and had little use for Matilda.

Amana Colonies, Iowa

In 1843 a group of Germans, motivated by religious persecution and economic depression in their homeland, departed for America. They intially purchased 5000 acres near Buffalo NY. They called their community the Ebenezer Society and adopted a constitution that formalized a communal way of life. Needing more farmland, in 1855 they relocated to the valley of the Iowa River and called it Amana. They initially established six colonies and self-sustaining agricultural activities. The Amana Colonies became one of America's longest-lived and largest religious communal society. In 1932, during the Great Depression and a changing rural economy, they made the decision to end their communal society with an action known as "The Great Change". They established the Amana Society, Inc., a profit-sharing corporation, to manage the farmland, the mills and the larger enterprises. Each communal member received shares in the Amana Society, Inc. The original farmland land, over 26,000 acres, and some of the businesses are still owned and managed by the society. Amana Refrigeration Products was once part of the Amana Society, but it was later sold to private investors. Remember the Amana Radarange? It became a subsidiary of Raytheon Corporation in 1965. It is now owned by Whirlpool, who still operates a manufacturing plant here. Dorcas and I attended a hike led by a Society forester. The Society manages over 7000 acres of hardwood forests. It harvests sustainable timber for the Amana furniture makers as well as for outside customers. During the hike, we let Matilda off-leash for a few hours in the woods. She did great. She stayed with us, although she did get a little bored when we stopped to talk about forestry stuff.

A Midwest Safari Adventure

We are still parked at Amana Colonies RV Park, Amana, IA. We have just completed the first leg of our Summer Rally-Fest Triathlon July 2008. Today ended Safari International's 20th Anniversary Reunion Rally. Most readers will know that we previously owned a Safari TREK, a relatively high-quality gas-powered motorhome with the unique MajicBed feature. We no longer own the TREK, but this rally, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Safari International, the official Safari owners club, specifically invited all former Safari owners. We met many old friends and made many new friends. Perhaps half of the 200 some coaches in attendance were TREKs. Most of the remainder were other models of Safari coaches, primarily diesel pushers such as the Panther, Cheetah, Continental, Ivory, Sahara and Zanzibar. There were also a number of SOB's (some other brand) in attendance, which included us.

The rally featured a continental breakfast each morning, a happy hour and catered dinner each evening, technical seminars, crafts classes and evening entertainment. There were "potty races" featuring a vintage 1998 RV potty vs a 2008 RV potty, representing the 20 years of Safari International's existence. While the motorhome industry is experiencing severe financial hardships, I don't think the event planners were suggesting that the industry was going down the crapper. On July 4th there was a very moving and inspirational presentation by Major Harold E. Johnson, USAF (retired). Harry Johnson, a Safari owner and Iowa native, was shot down over North Vietnam on April 30, 1967, while flying missions for the secret Wild Weasel surface-to-air missile killer group. He was subsequently captured and remained a POW in North Vietnam for the next six years. He told the amazing story of his ordeal, from the time he was deployed to Vietnam until his release and reunion with his family. His tale of torture, heroism, endurance and faith was the most moving 4th of July experience I have ever had.

The weather was very pleasant during the event, although we experienced high winds and occasional storms. One day a tornado warning was issued and a twister did touch down 7 miles from the park. We were all looking outside to see if we could see a funnel cloud. It's a good thing one didn't come to us, because there was really no place to go. All the buildings in the park are sheet metal construction. Think shrapnel. Most agreed we would be best off in our coaches if a twister did hit. We might get thrown around, but at least we would be in a sturdy box. During that event two awning pull hooks, steel hooks screwed to the side wall of our coach, broke off. One day we toured Cedar Rapids about 12 miles away. Cedar Rapids, bisected by the Cedar River, was devastated by flooding several weeks ago. The flood waters have receded, but there was still evidence of the recent flooding. The first floors of all buildings in the central building district, as well as many adjacent commercial areas and neighborhoods, were being gutted. Much of the downtown area was still without power; portable generators and recovery company trucks lined the streets. During the rally Safari International and its members raised $8000 to aid flood victims.

We will be attending a Country Coach rally 2 days after the Safari rally. During the Safari rally, display Country Coaches were arriving, including the revolutionary new Veranda model. The Veranda is said to be the biggest innovation in the RV industry since the slide room. It is a vertical side wall that drops down and pivots out to form a patio accessible from inside the coach. I had heard of the Veranda before leaving home and was very skeptical. After actually seeing it, standing on it and operating its controls, I am much more impressed. It's certainly not for everyone. It adds over $40,000 to the cost of the coach and decreases inside storage space, but I think it will be a success. Country Coach owns the patents to the technology and expects it will help them weather the current industry downturn. Their investors are excited and have infused cash to help keep the company viable. I wish them luck. It is ironic that the Safari folks got to play with the Veranda before the Country Coach rally attendees arrived. Someone suggested we find out how many Safari owners we could pack onto the Veranda before it tipped over. After unsuccessfully tipping the Veranda, we went to the pasture next to the RV park and tipped some cows.

The "I"s Have It

Yesterday afternoon we reluctantly departed Thousand Trails Horseshoe Lakes and within 5 minutes had left Indiana and were in Illinois "The Land of Lincoln". We spent the day cruising across northern Illinois. About dusk we crossed the Mississippi River near Moline and then the Cedar River and the Iowa River near Davenport, IA. We passed through only "I" states on this day. The Cedar and the Iowa Rivers were in high flood a few weeks ago, but seem to be largely back within their banks now. We spent the night at "Camp Wal-Mart" just outside Iowa City. Wal-Marts are great places to stop for a quick layover. They are often convenient to the interstate, relatively safe and secure (most have parking lot cameras and security patrols) and the price is right. We usually drop much more $$$ in groceries than we would have spent at a campground. When we park overnight at a Wal-Mart (or any other similar establishment) we try to be inconspicuous. We make it a point to arrive after dark and do not put out slide rooms, chairs, or anything else that might make it look like we are "camping". We park on the fringe of the parking lot, usually with a small group of other RVs.

We are now parked at Amana Colonies RV Park, in the heart of the Amana Colonies. We are attending a 20th aniversary reunion rally of Safari International, the social organization for Safari motor homes. We no longer own our Safari TREK, but have many good friends who own TREKs and still attend TREK rallies. One of the trademark features of Safari products was a wildlife mural on the rear by one of the members of the Dame family. Our TREK had a family of snow leopards created by Dennis Dame. Dennis is here doing custom murals for $1900 a pop. In this photo he is painting over an older mural and creating a new custom mural because the owners wanted something different. For $1900, I'd go for a whoop-ass solar array instead. There are about 200 coaches registered for this rally. We are looking forward to exploring the Amana villages, but it will be difficult to find time between all the rally activities.

Matilda is doing fine. She will be twelve weeks old on Thursday. She is still chewing, but now is chewing less on us and more on inanimate objects (carpet, chairs, shoes, etc.) . She is very frisky and is the star of the rally. Everyone thinks she is precious. Fortunately Matilda is on her best behavior when greeting her "fans".