Zooming to Wisconsin

We departed Riverside Golf and RV Park in Morganton on Sunday morning.  On most past trips to Minnesota we have driven pretty hard, with long days, usually staying at Walmarts, rest areas or other quick and easy stops.  This time we planned to spend two nights at campgrounds along the way before arriving in Sparta, Wisconsin for a rally.  We are doing this for several reasons; first, it's fairly hot, and it's not fun spending the night in a parking lot if it's hot, without running the generator and the air conditioning all night.  Second, we had the luxury to take our time, more so than on some previous trips. And third, we have a new puppy.  We wanted to stop often during the day and then early for the night in order to give Ginger some time to get out and exercise.  

Ginger seems to ride pretty well.  She has not gotten car sick and does not whine while traveling. Best of all she does not criticize the driver.

We spent Sunday night in Cincinnati after driving 430 miles, a relatively short day for us when on a long trip.  We are members of the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA).  FMCA is headquartered in Cincinnati and has an RV campground at their headquarters for the use of members. A member may reserve a site with 50 amp service, water and sewer, and best of all .... it's free!  Members can stay two nights each month at no cost or can stay longer for a modest fee. COOL!  This was the first time we have stayed here.  It was a bit off our route, but we are glad we came.

Site #3 at the FMCA Round Bottom campground

Is it a liability thing???

After departing the FMCA CG.  We had a bit of an adventure.  Another camper had warned us of construction and a very rough road surface on US 50, our logical route out of town. Not being ones to ignore sage wisdom, we plotted a different route out of town towards I-71 and I-75.  That route took us to a railroad underpass with a clearance of 12' 0''.  Our height is 12' 10". Do the math.  After an heroic u-turn, we plotted a new route down some small back streets and finally found the interstate.  It's always an adventure. 

Our drive through the remainder of Ohio, Indiana and southern Illinois were thankfully uneventful.

Ginger takes it all in stride

We spent Monday night at Pleasant Creek Camp Ground near Oglesby IL after an easy 357 mile day.  Pleasant Creek was only a few miles off I-39 and was a Passport America park, meaning half price camping for the Whitleys.  We had a level gravel pull-through with 50 amp service and water.  The park was fairly wooded, but we could shoot through a hole in the trees for good Dish satellite reception.  I hate it when I can't watch my news shows!

Site #6 at Pleasant Creek Camp Ground

Ginger likes to chill after a hard day on the road

Notice all the rest stop photos?  It's a puppy thing.

On Tuesday we parked at Whiskey River Family RV Park in Sparta WI, where we attended a rally hosted by the Newmar Kountry Klub (NKK) Wisconsin Northern Aires.  We belong to three NKK chapters, but are not members of the Wisconsin Northern Aires.  This rally was on our way to Minnesota, and the timing was right so we barged in.  The Wisconsinites were very hospitable to these southern folks and we had a great time.  The Wisconsinites also refer to themselves proudly as "Cheeseheads".

There were about a 15 coaches at the rally

There were activities planned for the rally.  On Wednesday we drove to La Crosse and enjoyed a cruise on the Mississippi River aboard the Lacrosse Queen, a stern paddle wheeler.   

We had live entertainment 

We had to wait about 15 minutes for this Amtrak train to cross the draw bridge before we could pass upriver. 

Then we passed through the rotary swing drawbridge. 

Not my best photo of a bald eagle, but not bad for an iPhone

A barge on the river

We cruised about 4 miles upriver to Lock and Dam #7.  The dams on the Mississippi River create adequate water depth for navigation.

Back through the swing bridge

Fun on the water

After our cruise we visited the Dahl Auto Museum in La Crosse.

On Thursday we toured some sights in Sparta.  

The old Monroe County Courthouse

Sparta is on the Elroy-Sparta State Trail  a 32.5-mile Wisconsin State rail trail between Elroy and Sparta, Wisconsin. The Elroy-Sparta State Trail, opened in 1967, is considered to be the first rail trail in the United States.

Sparta claims to be the Bicycling Capital of America.  Unfortunately we did not have time to bike during this visit.  Maybe next time!

We also visited the Deke Slayton Memorial Space and Bicycle Museum.  Deke Slayton was a Sparta native and one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts.

There is a canoe and a tent on the stream in this model train display 

I once had a friend who owned a Barnes hot air balloon, and I served as his crew chief for several years.  He liked having me around, because I could hold the balloon down pretty well during windy hot launches. 

Barnes hot air balloon 

Deke Slayton had no particular association with bicycles, so it is unclear to me why he shares this museum with the bikes.  In any case, there were a very large number of very old and very unusual bikes. It was certainly worth the price of admission. 

Finally, we had dinner at the Oasis Supper Club in Sparta.  Baby back ribs were this evenings special, and I ordered a whole rack.  I actually filled up on the salad bar and fresh bread before the ribs were served, so I only ate four ribs.  Dorcas and I had ribs leftovers for the next two nights.  Hog heaven!

On Friday, after a doughnut and coffee breakfast, we bade farewell to our new friends and headed north to Duluth MN.

A Family Reunion in Linville Falls

On Friday, August 12, Dorcas and I left for a 5-week trip, our primary destination being the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in northern Minnesota.  Our first stop would be to attend the Franklin Family Reunion, held the 2nd Saturday in August each year in Linville Falls.   Due to our typical fall travel schedule, we are not often able to attend this reunion, but this year it worked out for us. 

We spent Friday and Saturday nights at Riverside Golf and RV Park on the banks of the Catawba river in Morganton.  It's not what you would call destination park, but it is affordable and very convenient when visiting my home town.

 On Friday, we had a reservation to attend Grandfather By Night, a special private event, to view the sunset from the summit of Grandfather Mountain and to explore a nature trail by night. 

The gatehouse at Grandfather Mountain

No, the camera is not tilted (much).  The ground is made that way at Grandfather Mountain

The sunset from the summit of the mountain was stunning.

Dorcas on the famous "Mile-High Swinging Bridge"

After the sunset we were led on a half-mile nighttime walk on the Woods Trail.

Everyone was provided a headlamp that emitted both a white light and a red light, and a blacklight flashlight.  

We found a number of salamanders

And phosphorescent fungi

We spent Friday and Saturday night in Morganton at Riverside Golf and RV Park and visited the family plot at Forest Hill cemetery.

Ginger: One of the family now

Isn't she cute?

Linville Falls Community Church in the spring

For many years my brother Ran and I looked nothing alike.  However, as the years have passed, and we have aged, we have morphed to near twins.

Myron and brother Ran

Uncle John, Myron and Ran

Each year the Franklin Reunion features an historical presentation related to the family. This year that presentaion was .... wait for it ... "Finding Dorcas".  The reunion brings together the descendants of Samual Franklin and Dorcas Burns Parker.  Previously, we had talked about all the men in the family, but little was known about most of the women.  And there has never been another member of the family named Dorcas until I brought my own favorite Dorcas in.  The life and history of Dorcas Burns Parker was not well known, so Cousin Tense did some genealogical research and tried to clear up some mysteries.

The presentation goes on for 3 pages.  Contact me if you want to see the whole story.

The Franklin Reunion always has live entertainment.  Click HERE to hear a rendition of "The Brown Mountain Lights".  Click HERE to hear "I'll Fly Away"

Uncle John is 91 years old and is the only living charter member of the Elks lodge in Morganton.  After the reunion he treated the cousins to dinner at lodge.  

Spending Cousin Laura's inheritance

The 0.5x wide angle lens on my iPhone 13 Pro makes everyone look fat!

On Sunday morning we headed west and north, bound towards Minnesota.  Stay tuned for the continuing Adventures of Myron and Dorcas.

A New Addition to the Family - Meet Ginger

The passing of Matilda left a terrible hole in our hearts.  It seemed like there was nothing to get up for in the morning, without Matilda to take for a walk. We had been debating if or when to get another dog, but we kept going around in circles, unable to make a decision.  If we did get a dog our preference was another Aussie and maybe one a few months to a year old. We did submit an application to a regional shepherd rescue organization, Save Our Herders Outreach (SOHO).  Most of the dogs at SOHO were at least a year old, often older than that.  When we talked to them they said the competition was very stiff, that there were typically up to 50 applications for any particular dog.  Our initial application was for "Willow" and we got a call from a SOHO staffer asking some followup questions.  We were told that we were 1 of the 2 top applicants being considered for Willow, and that the foster family would make the final decision on homing willow. Unfortunately Willow eventually went to another home.  We transferred our application to "Cooper" who also, ultimately, went to another home.  Most every dog listed on SOHO had either a requirement, or a strong preference for, a home with a fenced yard. The Whitleys have no fenced yard; heck about nine months out of the year we have no yard at all, per se, as we travel about the country.  This clearly worked against us.

Ginger likes to sit on the air conditioning duct

The disappointment we felt by not getting Willow or Cooper seemed to affirm that we might really be ready to actively find a new dog.  A puppy may be the easiest to adopt.  We talked to a few breeders and researched some other sources on the web.  Finally we found a guy on Craig's List that had 7 puppies in Mocksville. They were 9 weeks old and were ready for a home.  The pictures showed all were as cute as they could be, so we made the call and drove over there.  It turned out that 3 males and 3 females were still available: 2 tri-colored, 3 bi-colored and a single red merle. After playing with all the pups for about an hour, we picked out the only merle, which happened to be a female.  The red merle was the cutest and most distinctive, and according to the owner, who has taken them to his lake house a few times, the one least prone to jump in the water.  This is an important characteristic for a canoe dog, and one that Matilda shared.

On the drive home. Our first picture of Ginger

Greeting wildlife in the yard

So, we introduce Ginger, born June 3 and adopted August 7.  We are already using some nicknames, such as "Ginger Bread Baby" and "Ginger Cake".  If she is agile and likes to dance, she may also become known as "Ginger Rogers", as Matilda was sometimes called "Waltzing Matilda"

See Ginger arguing with her squeaky bone.

Ginger currently has two blue eyes, but it looks like one may be turning hazel.  We expect she might eventually have one blue and one brown eye.

After attempting to weigh Ginger using a few different methods, we determined she currently weighs 6.30 pounds.

How humiliating!

Based upon her parents weight we expect Ginger will weigh about 35 to 40 pounds at maturity. 

So here we are, 14 years after finding Matilda, we have a new puppy in the house, preparing to depart on a long motor home trip.  On Friday, we will leave for a 7-week trip, heading north towards Minnesota and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. When we put into the Boundary Waters Ginger will be just shy of 12 weeks old, and we will have had only about 2 1/2 weeks to work with her.   Talk about an adventure!

Stay tuned.