Onward to Missouri, Iowa and South Dakota!

Since my last post, we have just about run out of data on out hotspot, so I have to conserve the hotspot and had to wait until I could find some free WiFi to upload another post! So, we left Eureka Springs, Arkansas on September 22nd and moved to Peculiar Park Place RV Park in Peculiar, Missouri. Peculiar got its name in a peculiar way! Click here: Peculiar
The park is near the interstate which, of course, is good and bad. However, since we were still using air conditioning, the interstate noise did not bother us.

The park is nice, well maintained, had good water, electric, sewer and fair WiFi. We didn't do much in Peculiar, mostly because our mission has now shifted to one of business. It's all about getting to South Dakota, becoming residents and getting out of there before the snow starts falling! Since we arrived on a Thursday and our rules do not permit traveling on weekends, we stayed until Monday. We did a little sight seeing, but not much. The highlights of the visit was that Dodie and Maggie got their hair cut, in different places, of course! :)

 When we left Peculiar, we moved north to Pacific Junction, IA. The town was actually established and named by the railroad. Most of Iowa seemed to be corn fields. For that matter, most of Iowa, Missouri and South Dakota seems to be cornfields! We've never seen so much corn! The campground is named i29 hwy 34 campground. It's kinda like naming a cat, Cat! The campground is near high 34 just off of interstate 29! Anyway, it was a farmers move into a sideline business. When he is not running a campground, he and his brother run a 2000 acre farm. I believe he (Joe) said that he started it 10 years ago. At first, business was slow and locals laughed at Joe. The construction started in the area and he quickly filled up with construction workers. Soon, he had to expand. We were in a site by ourselves that he reserves for over-nighters.

There was good water, sewer, electric and good WiFi. Everyone was real friendly. I wouldn't mind staying here again.

We left Iowa on the 24th of September and arrived in Salem, South Dakota. We are in a beautiful little park called Camp America Campground. The grounds are meticulously maintained and there is a lot of grassy areas between campers.

They have good electric, water and sewer. The first two days, the WiFi was awful and I was using our hot spot and carefully monitoring usage! However, last night they got the WiFi fixed. It is not as good as farmer Joe's, but it is acceptable. Thursday, we went into Madison which is about 35 miles from here. It seems that everything is about 35 miles from here or more! There is just endless farms between towns. So, we met Terri at the mail service. She has been handling our mail for the last month and a half. She fixed us up with the paperwork we needed for registering our truck and getting our drivers licenses. The only thing is, we can't do it all in Madison. The drivers licenses are not done in Madison on Thursdays or Fridays, so we need to go to Mitchell (about 60 miles away) for that! So, we got the tags for the truck and went back to the campground and dropped off Maggie. Then on to Mitchell for drivers licenses. We were armed with many years worth of documents and the paperwork from Terri and it all went smoothly. We were now residents of South Dakota with drivers licenses to prove it! Only problem...waiting for paper to get the camper registered. It should be here on Monday.
One little problem we encountered when we got here was with the satellite set up. Until we crossed some imaginary line somewhere heading north, we were able to get our local Dish programming with major network feeds from satellites in the southeastern arc. Now, we must get our signals from the satellites in the western arc. However, that requires a western arc LNB ( in simple terms, it's a part for the antenna) for the satellite dish. I didn't have one. After a few phone calls, I located a Dish retailer that would be in Madison while we were who could sell me a western arc LNB. So, after lunch on Thursday, I met him and traded him $50.00 for an LNB. Later that afternoon, we were receiving all of our programming and local channels were from Sioux Falls, SD.
Friday, we went grocery shopping and took care of laundry and other chores around the camper.
Today, we did some sight seeing. We went back to Mitchell and saw the Corn Palace.

The Corn Palace was interesting. Check this link I took a lot of pics and I'll have a link to them. There are mosaics outside and inside the corn palace and they are all made of corn.

 

 

 See how the mosaics are kinda like a paint by number picture only it's corn by color! LOL! 

 

After the Corn Palace, we went to lunch. We weren't sure about local eateries, so we just cruised down Main Street. At the end of Main Street there is the Depot Pub and Grill. Click here to see the Depot

When we decided to stop here for lunch, we didn't realize it was an historic site. Pretty cool! And...they had Buffalo on the menu! So I had my first ever Buffalo Burger! 

After lunch, we decided to go back to the camper because Maggie had been alone for about 4 hours. While there had only been 4 RV's here, we found some more had checked in. I believe we are up to 7 RV's and there's one young couple in a tent.

Tomorrow, we'll take it easy. Take care of some chores and such. That's it for now. As always, here is the link to more pics! Link thingy

Here are some pics from this morning (Sunday 9/28). Maggie saw her first horses.  Click here

 

Still touring Arkansas

I'm still fighting this cold, but there is a marked improvement today. So, I haven't kept up with the blog. I know it is a flimsy excuse, but it's all I got! On Saturday, Jami, Ed and Amy came over to spend the day and Ed helped me with the shower door modification. For some stupid reason, the RV manufacturer chose to use clear glass for the shower doors. They looked great until after the first shower! It is nearly impossible to keep water spots off the glass. We found some glass film at Lowes for about $30.00 per roll. It takes a roll for each panel. So, Ed and I took the doors out and put the film on the doors. It wasn't too difficult, but was definitely a two person job. We'll still have to clean the glass periodically, but it won't show that it's not perfect!

On Sunday, we all went to Fayetteville to a birthday party at a bowling alley for 5 year old Conner. Conner is Amy's boyfriend! We all had a good time, but the kids really enjoyed it.

On Monday, we went to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is a rescue center for large cats that people think they can make into house pets. Each one had a different story. Some were abused, some declawed, some abandoned, etc. One cat was "dropped off" by its owner some 60 miles from his home and it made it back home! So, the owner then took the cat to Turpentine Creek. It is interesting to note that Tyson Foods and Wal-mart contribute quite a bit to feeding the cats. I believe the tour guide said they go through 600 pounds of meat a day! There is a self guided tour of the upper part of the refuge and a guided tour on a trolley through the lower part of the refuge.

Tuesday was a non touring day. We acted like we were retired or something! LOL! I took care of a couple of projects. One of those projects was to install a back-up camera on the RV. This is going to come in real handy when backing up, but also when changing lanes. I'll be better able to see when I have cleared the vehicle that I am passing. The camera was bought with money the guys at work and Dodie gave me for a retirement gift. Thanks y'all! Yesterday, Wednesday the 10th, we picked up Amy at her pre-school and took her to the Promised Land Zoo. It is a self guided petting zoo and a drive through zoo. We got a bucket of food for the animals and fed them along the way. It was a fun time for us, as well as Amy!

As always, you can see more pics at this link: Link

Today, we toured the old Eureka Springs. When we took a trolley tour in Savannah, GA, we learned that trolley tours can really be a great way to see a city. We were not disappointed with today's trolley tour of Eureka Springs. To quote from Wikipedia: "The city has steep winding streets filled with Victorian-style cottages and manors.

 

The old commercial section of the city has an alpine character, with an extensive street-scape of well-preserved Victorian buildings. The buildings are primarily constructed of local stone and lie along streets that curve around the hills and rise and fall with the topography in a five-mile long loop. Some buildings have street-level entrances on more than one floor. Eureka Springs has historically been called "The Little Switzerland of America" and "The Stairstep Town" because of its mountainous terrain and the winding, up-and-down paths of its streets and walkways. The streets wind around the town, and no two intersect at a 90 degree angle; there are no traffic lights".

One stop along the way was the Cresent Hotel.

It was completed in 1886 after 2 years of construction. The group of men that decided to build it thought it should be built using the same techniques that were employed in Great Brittan to build castles. So, they brought over masons from Ireland to build it. One of the masons fell from the roof into room 218, was killed by the fall and is said to haunt that room. There are other ghost reports, as well. If you stay there, ask for room 218 and tell us all about it! There is more history to this hotel than I have typing skills to display. Read all about it here: Crescent Hotel
On the 4th floor of the hotel, you can get a great view of the surrounding mountains. Over on one of those mountains is a huge statue of Christ. Clicky thingy 

I used a telephoto lens to get this picture.

This is where they hold the Passion Play which is an outdoor play performed in an amphitheater about Christ.
 After the hotel, we continued through town and stopped at one of several springs that originally brought people here. As soon as you stepped down inside, you could feel how much cooler it was in there. Natural air conditioning! Many people believed the spring water had powerful healing properties. They drank and bathed in the water and many ailments were cured. Of course, it may be that they left dirty polluted cities, drank a lot of good mineral water, ate better natural foods, and got a lot of fresh air and exercise from walking all over the city! 

 Here the tour guide tells us about the springs and how the city has them had to cover them to prevent people from drinking the water directly from them.The reason...if someone got sick from the water, they could sue the city. Sad but true. 

The tour continued through the city and we saw other springs and many beautiful homes and shops along the way. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and made it an enjoyable tour.

After the trolley tour, we went to the Thorncrown Chapel. Here is the link This chapel is made of wood and glass. It has 425 windows! Id sure hate to be the window cleaner!

This is the view looking forward.

 The view looking straight up at the roof.

 This is the slate floor.

 

So, that was it for today! You can see all of the pics we took today at the following link: This is the link

Well, we left eastern Arkansas and headed to the north western corner on Thursday, the 28th of August. It was a relatively short trip, but it covered some pretty good mountain roads. Lots of tight turns a few good inclines. Some of the towns we went through had populations as small as 110. That was Big Flat. Going through Big Flat was like going back in time about 50 years or more! I noticed that the fire department building didn't seem to be much bigger than a standard size garage! If it was easier to turn around 65 feet and 26,000 pounds of truck and trailer, I would have gone back for pictures! However, I found some online! What a quaint and quiet town!

We saw other nice little towns along the way. We arrived at the KOA campground in Eureka Springs in mid afternoon and got set up.

A couple of hours later, Jami, Ed and Amy were at our RV visiting! They live about 16 miles away in Berryville. Since our arrival here, we have been busy, busy, busy! And, that is why I'm a few days late with this update.
Yesterday, we went to Ed's Mom and Dad's house which is located in the middle of nowhere! They are definitely out in the sticks! If you searched for the definition of "sticks" on Google, it would probably say 'see the Wallace place'!
Dan and Lucy Wallace bought a two room house on the mountain and added and added to it. They have a great place with lots of room and multiple work shops.

Later that night, Amy decided she wanted to spend the night with us. Jami had a bit of trouble dealing with that, but reluctantly agreed to let her go! Amy is a little chatter box and talked the entire 16 miles from her house to our RV! We played, watched TV and finally slept. Well, most of us slept. Amy wasn't so sure about sleeping on the convertible couch in the living room while we were in the bedroom and asked if she could sleep with us. Dodie decided she would sleep with Amy and left Maggie and I in the bedroom. It seems that Amy is a bit of a wiggle worm when she sleeps. The truth is she is a thrasher! So, Dodie didn't sleep too well! This morning, we had French Toast and Bacon for breakfast. After breakfast, I was going to take Amy to the playground just as Jami and Ed arrived. So, the 4 of us went to play and had a great time.
Since this is a holiday weekend, we are laying low and waiting for the crowds to go away, We'll then do our sight seeing. We'll be here for a few weeks, so there will be more posts from Arkansas!
Here is the link to our pics: Clicky thang  

Mountain View, Arkansas

We left Savannah, Tennessee on the morning of 8/25/14 and drove to Mountain View, Arkansas. We saw a ton of farm land! Seems like we could never run out of food with as many crops and farms as we saw.
I think we were spoiled by the last couple of RV parks because this one just doesn't measure up. Like they say in home sales, curb appeal is everything. Our first view of this park was the entrance and office area where the weeds and grass probably haven't been cut in months. I think the fact that it is so stinkin' hot here and we are pretty much stuck in the RV doesn't help. We need cooler weather! The park is small, but it's not bad. Just 100 feet from our site is a road down the hill to the "lower level." Smaller campers can camp down there and be right on the beach. The creek that is there is part of the White River and is controlled by the Army Corp of Engineers so the water level varies as they see fit. I thought about putting my yak in the river and trying some fishing, but it is too stinking hot! See above reference to "stinkin' hot"!!!
Tuesday, we went to a nice little restaurant called the Wing Shack and Cheeseburger Grill. I hereby testify that they have great cheeseburgers!
Yesterday, we did a bit of sight seeing and drove some of the mountain roads through the Ozark Forest.
Maggie seems to like going down to the creek. She always seems to run and do #2 when we go down there! In all fairness, this is an OK campground and the countryside is beautiful.
Here are some pics! Clicky thingy
Tomorrow, we headed to Eureka Springs!  
  

This is our last day in Tennessee. Tomorrow, we leave for Mountain View Arkansas.
Yesterday, we did a self guided windshield tour of the battlefield at Shiloh. Here's some pics:  Pictures from Shiloh Battlefield
It was very interesting and allowed us to spend most of the time in the cool truck. I jumped out to take pictures.
Today, we are going to the Sheriff Buford Pusser home and museum. Click here: Museum

On the 18th of August, we traveled to Monte Sano RV Park in Huntsville, AL. We arrived in the rain which might have been welcomed, considering how hot it has been, but the lightning was not so welcome! So, whenever it seemed like it was letting up, I got out of the truck to do some of the set up. Of course, now the auto leveler would decide to act up! More lightning, so back to the truck and thinking about the leveler. I seem to recall reading that holding two buttons in would do a reset. Back out and held in the LEFT and RIGHT buttons. Turned the unit off and back on and it worked! Finally, after a couple more trips to the truck to wait out the lightning, I got the camper powered up, AC running, slides out and awning out. Dodie and Maggie came inside and we did some of the setup items that get done inside while waiting out the storm.
This park is on the mountain and in the woods. No WIFI, no cell phone service, no satellite TV. This is primitive camping! LOL!

That is why you haven't heard from us since the 17th. The park is nice and the trees helped the air conditioners. However, it has been hot as heck!
We did take a day to go to the Space Center in Huntsville. If we had not spent two days at the Kennedy Space Center, this would have been great. However, it was basically a "mini-me" of Kennedy.

The rest of the time was spent puttering around and finishing up some projects. Although it has been too hot for bikes, I noticed one of Dodie's trike tires was flat. I put air in it before we left Macon. So, I again aired it up to see if I could tell where it was leaking. Those tires hold 60 to 80 PSI, so it was right at 60 when there was a loud kaboom! Dodie came out to see what happened and the guy in the next camper came over. It sounded like a gun shot and my ears were ringing since my head was only inches from the tire! Evidently, the tire had been rubbing on the fender or something and was worn on the inside sidewall. There was one spot where there was a hole and perhaps the tube pushed out from there? I don't know. I do know the tube exploded at that spot and I do know there are no 24 inch by 1.5 inch bike tires in all of Huntsville!
Yesterday, 8/21/14, we left Huntsville and arrived in Savannah, TN in a place called Green Acres RV Resort. Thinking about the heat and how hard the air conditioners are going to have to work, we asked for a shady spot. When we made the reservations, the lady on the phone was really nice and did say we got a spot with a tree!

Yup. There is a tree, but it won't be helping the air conditioners! However, this is a nice park and it would be a good cooler weather stopping over point. The folks here are really nice and the park is meticulously clean. Last night was Karaoke night and there were about 10 of us there. No, we did not sing! There were only 3 of the folks that did sing. Now that we are back in civilization, I'll try to keep up with the blog! We plan to be here until Monday, 8/25/2014. We haven't decided where we will stop next, but we need a place about halfway between here and Berryville, AR. Any suggestions?