Nebraska!

I finally made it out of Iowa today. After 220 miles on I-80, I set up camp at Fort Kearney State Recreation Area. I chose a spot away from the weekend crowd. There are at least six small lakes at this SRA, but I'm facing the woods with corn fields behind them. There aren't any campers on either side of me, and that's the way I like it. I have electric, but forgot to fill the water tank before setting up. I've got less than 1/3 tank of fresh water, so my water pump is objecting. :( I guess that eliminates a shower tonight.



Most fulltimers carve their plans in jello, and with three days lost to high winds, I've had to make adjustments. I've decided to stay two nights here so I can visit the Fort Kearney State Historical Site tomorrow. I'll definitely have to unhook and go fill the water tank tomorrow. At least now I know where the water spickets are. No one was at the registration kiosk when I pulled in, so I just wandered around and found a site that I liked. (that's when I forgot about needing to fill the water tank) The cost of this site is $17/night.



After setting up, I checked the weather forecast. Although it is not outstanding, I think I'll be alright spending two nights here, and then heading for Colorado. I may end up getting to Daniel's a day later than planned, but my latest thoughts are to stay at the state park close to his condo for a few more days than originally planned....through next weekend. Then I'll head down towards the Colorado Springs area to see all the sights there. I just hope the snow holds off!



Maybe I'll be able to get some pictures tomorrow as I visit the area. A lot of history happened along the Platte River.



Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Time to blow this popsicle stand!

I think I'll finally be able to leave Avoca, IA, tomorrow. Tonight will make three nights of weathering rain and wind gusts up to 50 mph! The first night I was here, the wind took hold of my door and whipped it into the door of the storage area I had open, which resulted in a break in the fiberglass door lining. I'm not sure what to do about that. It didn't poke all the way through, but I don't know how to repair fiberglass.

Sitting here puts me a few days behind my intended schedule, but after getting blown off of the road in New Mexico back in '08, I'm very leery of high wind gusts. I'm amazed at the number of RVs that travel under these extreme wind conditions.

On the bright side, this is a Passport America campground, and I have water and electric for $13/night. I tried the restaurant on the campground the first night, but it's a little too greasy for more than one meal.

I'm hoping to make a sizable dent in getting across Nebraska tomorrow. Apparently there is another storm front approaching, so I want to "make hay while the sun shines." I sure wish I'd get a tail wind for a change. ;)

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

The Sunday Blast from the Past

At the end of August, 2007, I left Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina and headed northwest for a return to Indiana. It was a busy six weeks before I headed south to Texas for the winter. While at my daughter's house in Dyer, IN, we all flew out to Las Vegas for the marriage of my youngest son, Andy, over the Labor Day weekend. I then flew back and drove the RV to the 2007 Escapade. From there, I returned to Rice Lake State Park in Minnesota to camp host for a month while I did my Mayo Clinic checkups, and have repair work done on the rig.

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Finally, it was time to head south. My first stop was at the Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area in Iowa. I met my sister, Pam, and her husband, Stan, there for the weekend.

Pam and I toured the Amana Colonies, and we took pictures of each other in Iowa's largest rocker. It is the same rocker used by Lily Tomlin when she was on Laugh In. It was interesting getting up into that rocker!

After spending the weekend with them, I continued on my journey with a five night stop at Watkins Woolen Mill State Park, a little northeast of Kansas City.

What a historic place this woolen mill is. All the original equipment is still intact.

I went on an interesting tour of the mill.

The countryside in this park was gorgeous.

As I made my way to the Rio Grande Valley, I stopped along the Gulf Coast to visit Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

Aransas NWR is the wintering home of the endangered Whooping Crane. I was hoping to see this magnificent bird, but I struck out. I will definitely return to Aransas some time down the road. The best way to see the cranes is to take a boat tour of the bay. I was unable to do that on this trip, but I'll be back.

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I visited many other sites on my three week excursion getting to Laguna Atascosa NWR, but these have been a few of the highlights of the trip.

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

A slight change in plans

Today was Greenwing Day at the refuge. This was a five hour program for families with youngsters 0-17. The local Ducks Unlimited Chapter ran this show along with the refuge. There was another retrieving demonstration with four talented Labrador Retrievers, skeet shooting, duck identification, and a wetland station along with a duck calling competition and several other activities. Over two hundred people took part and enjoyed all the activities and a free lunch. It's great to see so many families enjoying the refuge.

Pam and Kirk, the other volunteer couple, had suggested to me yesterday that they could handle the visitor's center on Sunday if I wanted to leave a day earlier. At first I turned them down, but the more I thought about it, I decided it was a good idea. I only work a few hours on Sundays, since they came, and it would mean I could take two days to drive the 400 miles to Rice Lake State Park in Minnesota instead of trying to do it all in one day. So, late this afternoon, I put my pack up routine into high gear. I emptied and packed the three bird feeders I had out. The birds were a little confused, but they'll find feeders in the same places in the next few days as Pam and Kirk put their feeders out. I also got all the outside work done other than dumping and stowing the hookup cords. I can take my time tomorrow doing those final chores as I'll only have about 200 miles to travel. I think I'll even sleep well tonight. ;) That's not always the case when I'm preparing to leave a place I've been at for a couple of months.

I'll be stopping for tomorrow night near Ames, Iowa, and will do laundry at a private campground I have picked out. There are no laundry facilities at Rice Lake, so I want to arrive with an empty laundry bag. Leaving tomorrow will make for a much more relaxed move up north.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy