Badlands!!!

The Badlands National Park is a favorite stop when we pass through South Dakota. We camped at Cedar Pass CG at Interior SD in the Badlands NP for 2 nights. We were last here in May 2011 on our way to Alaska. At that time they had just added electric service to a number of sites, a pleasant surprise.

When we pulled into our site we saw a Safari TREK parked two sites away from us. We always check out the Treks; we used to own a TREK, and we still travel with the Southeast TREK Fun Club. Sure enough, we knew these folks: Doug and Judy from Washington state. We had last seen Doug and Judy at rallies in Galax VA in September 2012 and Tampa FL in January 2013. Small world. Of course, with 3000 motor homes converging on Gillette WY, only about 200 miles away, for a convention the following week, it really isn't such a coincidence that we would see someone we know.  Doug and Judy offered to cook dinner for us. Ground beef patties with onions and peppers, and it was delicious.

One of the perks to staying in the National Parks is that they usually have ranger led programs each evening at an amphitheater, usually within walking distance to the campground. We walked over to the evening program, but we could tell there was a storm headed our way. At our location you could see a long distance, and there was severe lighting on the horizon. When we arrived at the amphitheater, the ranger announced that there was a dangerous storm headed directly towards us, and that the evenings program had been canceled. Bummer. We headed home to batten down the hatches, but ultimately the bulk of the storm missed us. We had a bit of wind and some rain, but nothing too significant.

The next day we took a driving tour of the park. The Badlands feature distinct hills that have been eroded into interesting shapes and unusual colors. We saw bison, prairie dogs, pronghorns and bighorn sheep throughout the park. We also drove into Wall SD to see the famous Wall Drug, famous for offering free ice water to thirsty travelers. It's pretty much a tourist trap now, but one that you should see at least once if you are passing through.

 

After our drive Dorcas and Judy did a few short hikes up beyond Cedar Pass, while I took advantage of strong winds to fly my stunt kite. The winds were great, but when I landed the kite I usually got it fowled in the sage brush. We attended the evening program which was about the black-footed ferret. The black-footed ferret feeds on the prairie dogs. Unfortunately, the prairie dogs have been affected by fleas carrying the plague and both populations are declining. There are programs ongoing to treat the colonies, but with limited success.

We will hit the hay very shortly tonight. We have a very long travel day tommorow: ~450 miles to Cody WY.

Through the “I” States Once More

We departed the Thousand Trails park in Batesville questioning whether we will ever return here again. I expect we will, but we can also choose from two other Thousand Trails parks not a far distance away on either side of this one. We'll see. We continued our trek across the dreaded “I” states: Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. We have nothing against any of these states, but the topography is rather bland and boring, and we have passed this way many times before. The most interesting features are the wind mill farms: hundreds of them sprouting across the plains.

To break up the day we had a lunch date planned in Champaign IL with a high school classmate of mine. I have only seen Bill a few times since we graduated from high school in Morganton NC; the last time about three years ago when we were passing through the area. We met bill at the Cracker Barrel just off I-74 in Champaign and had a very nice visit, talking mainly about his family and our travels. After lunch we continued westward across Illinois and into Iowa. We stopped for the night at the Walmart Supercenter in Mason City Iowa, where bought groceries and fuel. We pumped 104 gallons of diesel at $3.599 per gal, perhaps the cheapest fuel we will find on this trip.
 

The next morning we drove about 30 miles to Forest City Iowa, the home of Winnebago for a factory tour. Winnebago Industries has a long history in the RV business. They began producing travel trailers in 1958 and produced their first motor home in 1966. Their products initially were very inexpensive compared to their competitors and the company thrived. Today “Winnebago” and “motor home” are synonymous for many people. Currently Winnebago manufactures motor homes, with about a dozen models ranging from about $100,000-$400,000.

The tour was very fun and interesting. Our tour guide was a long-time former employee and knew most of the folks on the production lines. The factory building were rather old, but the production techniques were modern and innovative. The most impressive part for me was the automated system that delivered components to different parts of the production lines. Various components, such as air conditioners, furnaces, water heater, roof vents, etc. are transported via an elaborate automated system of overhead conveyors and elevators to the point on the production line where they would be installed in the unit. Very cool. Winnebago also manufactures many of their parts including metal framing, cabinets, body and wall panels and upholstered parts, keeping quality control up and costs down. They also produce a number of these products for other customers. After the tour we spent a while in their museum which documents describes the history of the company and its founder. There is a campground on site that has electrical hook ups where guests can spend the night at no charge, whether or not they own Winnebago products. They also had about a half dozen display models there for viewing. 

 

After the tour we zigged north into Minnesota where we picked up I-90. We continued westbound on I-90 until we entered South Dakota at Sioux Falls. We went into town at Mitchell SD to visit the famous Mitchell Corn Palace. The Mitchell Corn Palace is a city auditorium that is decorated inside and out with murals made of different colored corn, depicting historical themes. The original Corn Palace was built in 1892 as a tourist attraction and to highlight the rich soils and to encourage farmers to the relocate to the area. In 1905 the Corn Palace was rebuilt with a larger version as part of the town's bid to become the State capitol (they lost). In 1921 the palace was rebuilt for a final time with a larger structure. There are lots of puns associated with the Corn Palace. I signed the guest register with the comment “Shucks!” There is a “Corncession” stand and the mascot is named “Cornelius”.

We are parked for the night at the Cabela's store in Mitchell. Cabela's is the most RV-friendly store I have every visited. This particular store had a dedicated RV parking area on the far side from the main parking area. It had ~50 long, wide painted RV parking spaces. There was a dump station, kennel and corral for visitors' use. They really do want you to spend the night there. We shopped for an hour or so before hitting the sack.

We are finding it hard to sleep late in the mornings. The sun is setting after 9:00, but rising before 5:30.  With summer solstice almost 2 weeks away, it will only get worse ... but we'll adjust.

Dissapointed in Indiana

We departed Tamarack under clear blue skies and headed north on the West Virginia Turnpike towards Charleston. Beyond Charleston we continued into Ohio and eventually skirted the north side of Cincinnati. From there we entered Indiana and arrived at our camp at Thousand Trail Indian Lakes near Batesville.

Dorcas and I have been members of Thousand Trails for over 6 years. Our membership allows us to stay at any park in the system for up to two weeks at a time for no fee. We often stay at Indian Lakes because it is on the way to Minnesota and because Dorcas likes the hairdresser that works in the salon in the park. Actually there are two other very nice Thousand Trails parks close to our route within a few hours of this one, but Goldilocks says we have to stop here. Unfortunately, Thousand Trails has made some changes that negatively affect the experience. Previously, Thousand Trails only admitted members into the parks, all of whom paid dearly for that exclusive privilege. In an effort to increase revenue, they now also admit the public at large. They also rent their sites on an annual basis, with the effect that less overall camp sites and a small number of the most desirable sites, are available to travelling members. In Batesville there is a pipeline construction project on-going nearby, and all the full hook-up sites were filled with the so-called “pipeliners”. They have also leased or sold a significant number of sites in a very desirable section to KOA. Not only could we not find a full hook-up site, we had difficulty finding a dry level site at all. Eventually we did find a dry grassy site in Phase III and set up for our two night stay. If things don't improve here we will start staying at one of the other Thousand Trails parks, haircut be damned!

Another irritating aspect of our ride through Indiana is their silly-ass diesel pricing practices. On the surface it would seem that diesel is cheaper than gasoline. Sweet!. But nay, it is not so. Fuel depots post the “exempt” diesel price, meaning the price that exempt truckers pay. Apparently they pay their road tax on some other basis than a tax added to the fuel, thus a lower price at the pump. Joe Blow (AKA Myron) pulls up to the island, pumps 120 gallons, then goes in and finds the price is 40 cents more per gallon than the posted price. CRAP!!! We actually learned this many years ago and always boycott diesel stations in Indiana. We have a 135 gallon tank and have a lot of flexibility where we buy fuel.

Westward Ho ... again

We're on the road again! Actually we have been on the road the majority of the time since we returned from Alaska in the fall of 2011, but this writer has suffered from severe writer's block (AKA laziness) and has not posted any updates to this journal since that time. We have just departed for a rather long-distance adventure to the Rockies, so I wanted to resurrect this travelog. I hope that once I get started it will begin to flow more freely again. I regret not writing in the interim, because we have done so many interesting things and been to so many interesting places. Not only have friends said they miss our tales, I miss going back and reading them myself. Reading my own past writings brings back the memories of those trips as much as does looking back at the photos.

So off we go. We are heading west towards South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana, then meeting friends in Minnesota for our traditional Boundary Waters wilderness canoe trip. We left home this evening at about 6:00 PM in a light rain. We often like to leave home after the evening rush hour, driving about 3 hours, then spend the night somewhere along the road. We headed north through Virginia and West Virginia and stopped at Tamarack in Beckley WV.  Tamarack is a kinda shopping center/conference center that specializes in West Virginia crafts and folk products. Best of all, it has a dedicated RV parking lot that is very quiet and safe. It is our favorite RV parking spot in all WV. The rain abated and our first night on the road was very nice. Life is still good.

Fries (rhymes with trees) Out!

We had a three-day weekend coming up and we wanted to do something with some of our working friends. A paddling trip was considered. We hoped Jim and Ann, Katie and Michael would be able to join us for a three-day, two-night canoe camping trip. Everyone had Friday off and Katie had Saturday and Sunday off (her only weekend off in November). Yea! Next came the obstacles... OK, Jim and Ann were going to be in Hawaii for her brother's 11/11/11 wedding...trip to Hawaii vs padding with Myron and Dorcas...duh, no brainer. Next, Katie and Michael's 2 year old daughter has never been in a canoe...and with their work schedule not sure when they will have time to do the introduction... Maybe we should consider a backpacking trip. It was early...we still had time to plan.

Our friend Ken sent us an e-mail inviting us to spend the weekend with him and another couple in a co-worker's "cabin" in Fries, VA. We could go up on Thursday, bike and hike two or three days, enjoy the hot tub, time around a campfire and a great view overlooking the New River.

Choices, choices... We talked with Katie to see how their plans were coming together. Nothing definite yet. So, she suggested we go with the Virginia trip. We could get together with them another time. Ah, it's great to be retired and flexible.

So, how do we pack for a weekend in a cabin? We need sheets and towels, food for breakfasts, lunches and dinners... We know how to pack for canoe camping trips, no problem. We know how to pack for RV camping, no problem. We know how to pack for a backpacking trip, no problem. OK, I know we can do this. The cabin has a fully furnished kitchen, check. Will we have quick breakfasts of cereal, yogurt or group breakfasts and cook? Will we eat out for dinner or cook group meals? After consulting with Ken we planned for quick breakfasts, cook in Saturday night and eat out Thursday and Friday. We have a plan and we'll stop by the Super Walmart in Galax on the way up.

Now, for packing. There is a king, a queen, a twin and 2 full size beds. What size sheets do we take? King, Queen and Full? Well, maybe take the king set and it can fit either. We'll need trike gear, layered clothing for cold weather. Packs and hiking boots (from the RV) camera, binoculars, food and medicine for Matilda. ...this shouldn't be this hard. Believe it or not...we packed the car and met Ken in King at 4:30. At Walmart in Galax we shopped for groceries. The plan changed from quick to group cooked breakfasts. OK, Myron would fix omelets for everyone on Saturday, John would fix French toast for everyone on Sunday. We could cook in three nights...meat to grill, charcoal...extra snacks and beverages. OK, we're good.

We finally arrived at the lovely "cabin" which is a very lovely house well furnished with a great view of the New River, hot tub, gas log fireplace, private yard for Matilda to run and play. Nice.

After a few housekeeping chores and turning on everything, we settled in for a cozy evening. Friday was forecast to be a bit chilly so Ken, Myron and I agreed a hike would be our best choice. John and Easter would arrive Friday evening so we will bike on Saturday when the temps will be warmer.

We drove to Cumberland Knob for a 4 mile hike. Access to the parking lot and our trail head was closed so we joined another vehicle and parked beside the road and walked through the gate. The day was beautiful and just the right amount of chill in the air for a moderately strenuous hike. We had the trail to ourselves most of the day. We met a couple from Raleigh who Ken knew (small world) and later met a large border collie running ahead of his owner. Matilda was a bit shy initially (he was really big for a border), then they became friends and chased each other for a few minutes. The dog's owner arrived and told us he was a "wolf" border collie. Interesting...

The hot tub wasn't warm enough to try out after our hike. We grilled steaks and enjoyed a nice campfire. We welcomed Ester and John when they arrived later and settled in.

Saturday was another beautiful day. Myron treated us to a delicious breakfast of hearty omelets and cheese grits, then we all set out for the New River Trail access in Fries. Myron and I packed a lunch and planned to eat on the trail; Ken, Esther and John decided to bike into Galax for lunch at a local diner. The trail was in good condition so the trikes (Myron and I) moved along fairly well albeit not nearly so fast as the bikers (Ken, Esther and John). I was trailing everyone...but not a problem, it was a great day to enjoy a leisurely ride. It had been about a year since we last triked. Myron pushed ahead and stopped periodically for me to catch up. There were several groups of riders (not crowds) out this day with most pedaling from Galax to Fries and return. There was one church group traveling our way Fries to Galax and return. They had folks setting up for lunch and a campfire at the Fries access. I think they turned around at Fries Junction.

Our bikers had lunch at Aunt Bea's and Myron and I lunched at Cliffview campground. A really nice place to stop and enjoy the day. Too bad we hadn't planned to camp. Another time... We all arrived back at the cars about the same time with me bringing up the rear. Everyone was eager to "hit" the hot tub. The temperature was right and the jets soothing. A fine way to end a day of exercise followed by steaks on the grill and marshmallows and tall tails around the campfire.

Sunday morning John treated us to delicious French Toast and Ester prepared a wonderful fruit salad with her "secret" ingredient chocolate chips. Yum.

Before heading home we decided to do a short hike on the Virginia Highlands horse trail near Fries. After quite a bit of car "hiking" we located the trail and enjoyed a nice walk in the woods.

We returned to the "cabin" and cleaned house, turned everything off, locked up and packed up for home... the workers back to face a new week and Myron and me to plan our next adventure. Life is good. Nice meeting you Esther and John. Thanks Ken for inviting us...keep us on your list for next time.

Out of the BWCAW

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Once again we have survived our annual canoe trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Dorcas and I have gone into the BWCAW every year since we met in 1997, except one. This year was unique in that this was the first time we have gone by our selves. In every other trip we have gone with our friends Wayne and Lynda. This year Wayne and Lynda went to New England and the Adirondacks instead. Wayne and Lynda had always planned the route, which meant Dorcas and I were on our own to plan our route and all our meals. In previous trips we shared meals and cooking chores, and shared certain camping gear. Dorcas really stepped up to the plate and planned our route.

We decided to take a very leisurely trip. We planned short days with many lay-over days, days when we stayed on the same lake and campsite two nights instead of moving to another lake and site. We also stayed on smaller lakes, which tend to be more interesting, and paddled a number of creeks and rivers. In total we paddled and/or portaged about 50 miles over 14 days. This is a trip many folks would do in a week or less. It is good to be retired and not have to rush a trip. Following is a GPS track of our trip showing our route and the location of our camps.

We had a really great trip. The weather was mild, with highs generally less than 80 degrees and lows in the 60s. It rained a few times, but usually after we had retired to the tent. We only set up the rain tarp twice and only actually used it once. We saw a fewer number of other paddlers than in past trips. At one point we went 72 hours without seeing another party. We had our choice of good campsites.



There was one out-of-boat experience when Matilda fell asleep and rolled off the boat into the water. This was not the first time she has fallen out of the boat, but this was a little different in that I don't think she woke up until she was about a foot under water. I dragged her up and she came out coughing and choking. Not a happy camper.

While in Alaska we purchased an REI tent that is a bit larger than our North Face tent we have used for several years. The new tent worked out well. It has plenty of head room, two large vestibules which Matilda stayed in and is very easy to set up.

All in all it was a very laid-back trip.

The fishing was good early in the trip. Dorcas caught one small northern pike and probably would have caught more if she had kept her line in the water. I caught the usual assortment of small mouth bass, walleye and pike. Typically, Wayne and I would fillet the fish we ate, so Dorcas was not looking forward to helping me. Something about the combination of a sharp weapon, slippery squirming fish, and trying to cut out sections of fish without the bones didn't seem like fun to her. The appeal of a delicious camp fish meal won her over in the end. We actually made a good team, and our fish dinner was quite good.

Into The Wilderness of Minnesota

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We arrived in Ely MN before noon on Friday. We stopped at the post office and picked up our mail, then headed to Fall Lake Campground, a unit of the Superior National Forest, about 10 miles east of Ely. We have spent the last three days getting ready for a two week canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It is amazing that we did not forget anything essential considering we left home 3 1/2 months ago without actually packing for this trip.

In all our past trips to the BWCAW we have traveled with our good friends Wayne and Lynda. This year Wayne and Lynda are going to New England instead, so we will be traveling alone in the Boundary Waters for the first time. We had not made a reservation for our entry, so this afternoon we went to our favorite outfitter to see what entry permits were available for our put-in tomorrow.. There were lots of choices, but most were for areas that were not particularly appealing. Finally we chose the entry point at Little Indian Souix River and snagged the last permit for that entry point. We put in there in 2005 and will roughly follow the route we did that year. We plan to take out on Sunday September 4. Until then we will be out of touch.

So that's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.

Ripping Across Canada

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After leaving British Columbia we entered Alberta. About this point the terrain became rather flat and dull and the temperature increased into the 80s. This was miserable for us since we hadn't hardly seen 70 degrees since May. At least the highway was good; straight and smooth. From here on out we are just making miles and trying to get to Ely MN for our camp site reservation on Friday August 19. We bought 95 gallons (360 liters) of fuel at the Flying J in Edmonton. We spent Monday night at a pull-off near Bezanson AB, We spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights in Walmarts at North Battleford SK and Portage la Prairie MB, respectively. We are making about 450 miles per day with frequent stops. We zigged south and bypassed Winnipeg and entered North Dakota north of Grand Forks. We spent Thursday night at another Walmart in Hibbing MN.

It's good to be back in the USA.

Repairs in Fort Saint John BC

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We spent last night at a rest area on the Alaska Highway about 30 miles west of Fort St. John BC. We cruised into Ft. St. John about 9:00 AM and saw the Inland Kenworth facility on the right. This is the Cummins service facility that we knew had the part I needed. I first drove past the facility, thinking, shoot, they won't have time to look at us either, as was the case in Whitehorse. But Dorcas said "What do we have to lose?" So I u-turned back to the shop.

There are actually two divisions here. One services over-the-road trucks and the other services heavy machinery and equipment. The truck service manager said they didn't work on motor homes. It apparently distresses the truckers when there are motor homes in the bays. He did hook us up to his diagnostic PC, and he confirmed what we already knew: bad Engine Speed Sensor. He said maybe the guys next door in the equipment division could work on it. Sure enough Derek said he could look at it right now. He did another computer diagnostic test which showed the same results. Bad engine speed sensor. We had had 255 events of lost engine RPM signal. There are actually two identical sensors; one is identified as the Engine Speed Sensor and the other is the Engine Position Sensor. They are identical parts, mounted side-by-side on the crankcase and perform similar functions. Apparently they also send redundant engine speed signals to the ECM, which is why the engine was still running. Normally, it is a simple job to replace the part; it is usually very accessible and an easy bolt-on. Kinda like a spark plug. But nothing is easy on a motor home. The frame rails obscured access, and there was other equipment in the way too. Derek could not even see the part, much less access it. He agreed to do the repair, but could not accurately estimate how long it would take until he started taking parts off. He guessed at least three hours, probably more, at $130/hour. OUCH! Well, we were a million miles from home, we were already in the bay, the part was available, he had time to it and we had the day to spare. We were probably operating on borrowed time anyway, so we bit the bullet and authorized the work. Derek suggested that since one sensor was bad, we might want to consider replacing the other while he was in there. What's another $50? Let's go all in!

Since we had some time to kill, we decided to drive on over to Dawson Creek, "Mile 0" on the Alaska Highway. It was 50 miles away and on our route, but we could save some time by going on over there and see the sights, rather than stopping again later. Dawson Creek was a major hub during the building of the Alaska Highway. The town is the western terminus of the Northern Alberta Railways and was used to bring equipment for the construction of the highway. There is a very nice museum there depicting the building of the highway. More than any other museum or exhibit we saw it showed the hardships and suffering the highway workers endured.



We visited the "Mile 0" marker in town one block south of the actual Alaska Highway. It is ironic that we first passed Mile 0 on our way home and almost 2 1/2 months after first entering Alaska. On our way back to Fort Saint John we detoured onto an original section of the historic Alaska Highway and crossed the historic wooden timber bridge over the Kiskatinaw River. The bridge was built on a curve to conform with the crossing of the gorge. It is the last remaining original timber bridge on the Alaska Highway.




We arrived back at Inland Kenworth about 3:30 and Derek was still under the coach. I was dismayed to see my starter motor on the floor and all my engine coolant and hydraulic fluid in buckets. YIKES! Derek had replaced the sensors and was putting everything back together. Since the hydraulic system had been drained I asked him to replace a hydraulic hose which I had previously observed to show signs of cracking. In order to access the sensors he had to remove the starter, the hydraulic pumps and the air compressor. The compressor is water cooled, meaning the coolant had to be drained. I was lucky that he was very careful with the fluids. He had steam-cleaned his buckets and kept the buckets covered while doing the work. He was able to recover all these fluids. This was good, because I had spent almost $300 to replace these fluids in May. Derek finished up by 5:30. I was fortunate that he only charged me for 5 hours of labor. He had tested the other working sensor that he had replaced, and it was out of spec and appeared to be failing as well. It was a good thing we stopped.

Liard River Hotsprings BC

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Another must-do stop along the Alaska Highway is the Liard River Hotsprings.  It is a British Columbia provincial park and has a very nice campground.  We parked in site No. 13 where we had a very remarkable wildlife encounter.  We have seen a bear or a moose almost every day of our trip.  Our sightings have been so common that we rarely bother now to stop and take a picture.  We just point and say "bear"; maybe slow down in case it decides to run out into the highway.  I had made myself a promise that I would post no more bear or moose photos, but hey, when a sow and three cubs stroll through your camp site and climb a tree 50 feet away, what can you do?  Although they were black bears, the mama and at least one of the cubs was a reddish brown, perhaps cinnamon.  Actually only two of the cubs went up the tree.  Mama and the 3rd cub were rattling the bushes under the tree.  After a while the two cubs came down the tree and the whole family wandered away.  Big fun!





About 6:00 PM we walked to the hot springs and enjoyed a nice soak.  At the upper end of the spring head the water is almost unbearably hot.  At the lower end of the pool it is just tolerable.  The flow then passes over a small dam into another pool and the water there is very comfortable.  We visited the springs once more in the morning before checking out and continuing our journey southbound.



Since leaving Chicken and Alaska we have moved a significant distance southward.  It is also now the middle of August.  Consequently, we are finding that daylight length is approaching normal.  It is actually getting dark at night and staying that way until morning.  We now can tell when it is time to get up.