Yes, That's THE WALNUT GROVE. On our way home from Madison, S.D. we stopped at Walnut Grove, Mn. Our daughter is a real Little House on the Prairie fan. She asked us if we got a chance to go, would we take some pictures for her. Well, Tom sure enough took pictures. About 150 of them. The town itself was not much bigger than Waterville, N.Y. Probably smaller. I think we took a picture of the population sign.
We started at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. You go into the main building where you buy the tickets, get your map, and any other instructions you need, which also houses the gift shop. Off you go on the tour of the different buildings. First you go to what is called Laura's Room. It has so much information. There is a corner for genealogy, with pictures of her grandparents and other family members. It tells where they came from and when they came to America. From there is goes to parents and siblings, with lots more pictures. Pictures are labeled Ma and Pa Ingalls, etc. We found out that Mary really was blind. There is a case where the newspaper at that time wrote about Mary being ill, and her eyesight was failing. The next couple of papers had article saying how they went to Mankato to see the doctors to get her some help, and one more that said her sight was now gone.
If you remember the show, the store owners were the Olson family. Actually their last name was Owens. There is a number of photos of the real family, as well as others from the town. Some of them were mentioned in the show. It was so interesting to see the real people and know they really existed. They also had the fireplace mantle from the show. The one with the initials of Charles and Caroline. CI-CI. That was cool to see.
The room was filled with pictures and memorabillia. You can actually see her grow up. They have pictures and info on Laura and Almonso Wilder. From the time they were young til they were quite old. There are also pictures of their daughter Rose. She was married, but there is no mention of any children. There is mention that she left some items to her lawyer. So as far as I can figure, Laura's line ended with her daughter.
After that we went to the other exhibits. They have a miniature one room school, with slates and primers. There is also a small church resembling the church of the time, with a pump organ you could try to play. Then it was on to the Heritage Building. It showed how life was at that time, with covered wagon, utensils, etc. Lots of the pioneer stuff. The was also a house there called Grandma's House. It was furnished with pieces of a time years after the Ingalls family had left the area.We ended with a trip to the gift shop where we bought a few items, and called it a day.
It had been raining for most of the day, so we left the rest till the next day. Actually, we may have saved the best for last. The next day we went to the sight of the Ingalls' family sod house. This is where they lived during the book "On the Banks of Plum Creek". All that remains is a depression in the bank. You can actually see where the house was. You can see how they dug out the bank, and how they picked a spot high enough so they would stay dry. There are markers to show where the spring still runs into the creek, and what Laura called the "Big Rock" in her book. No one knows the site of the little house they built, but can guess the approximate location, or what part of the farmers field it may have been in. The fields around the site have been planted with native prairie seed, but the rest of the area is up to date farm. To get to the site, you have to drive up to the barn, pay $4.00 per car, and drive out to the site. You can get a pretty good idea how far they had to walk to school. It was at least a mile. Of course, they could walk across the prairie.
Then it was time to go back, hook up the Tracker, and head back to St. Cloud. I forgot to mention that we stayed at Plum Creek Campground. It was county owned, with nice wide sites. Just before the turn into the campground was the area where they hold the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant every summer. For 2 week-ends every July they perform this program. From what we have learned, it is a very nicely done festival.
We hope you all enjoy the photos we add, and don't forget to check the ones from our trip to the Corn Palace. Tom was having some trouble with the connection. All is down loaded now. We have quite a few fellows in the campground now that work for the pipeline being installed here. I think we are all really working at the same time on our computers. What with the storms going through, we have had a rough few days with the internet. We just have to do things early in the morning. That's easy enough.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/WalnutGroveMn
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/DugOutSite
Monday, September 24, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Our South Dakota Adventure
First of all, I have to split this adventure up into more than one entry. Second, I know I said I would write more often, but we did not have internet service while we were gone. When we came home, the service here at the campground was really slow. We had some really nasty weather for a couple of days. Most people were inside and on their computers. Tom had a pretty hard time downloading pictures. When he got up this morning he did them in a few minutes.
Today has been a beautiful fall day. The only thing that was bad about today was that Penn State lost. The Mets won, though, so 1 out of 2 isn't bad.So, back to the adventure....
We took off last Saturday for South Dakota. Tom and I are now citizens of the State of Great Faces and Great Places. Many RVers become citizens there. There are many good tax advantages, among other reasons. There are no state inspections, drivers' licenses cost $8.00 every 5 years, and there is no state income tax. Those are just some of the reasons. We did this all in Madison. It took only about a half hour to change the plates on the Tracker, and about the same to get our drivers' licenses the next day. Very quick and easy. Emily's plates will come later. After all that, we went over to Mitchell, S.D. The home of the Corn Palace. As you will see in the pictures, all of the murals on the outside of the Palace are made from different colors of corn, with other grains to add texture. Tom got some really good pics to show you. There are a few of those tourist trap shops that we all love to visit, and we ate in a saloon. The sandwiches were pretty good, and they gave a nice pile of fries to go with it.
While we were in the Palace, they were in the midst of a Polka Rally. The clubs were having the parade of flags , so we stopped to watch. After the U.S. flag came in, in came the Canadian flag, South Dakota, Poland, and the flag of the club. Then all of the state flags came in in alphabetical order. The folks carrying them bowed to the U.S. flag and went on. The polka band played patriotic songs in the background. When they were done, they formed a horseshoe. We sang the Star Spangled Banner, and then they retired the colors. It was nice to see. Out in the hallway they have state books. Tom found the Pennsylvania book and singed our names. We bought a couple of things for Connor in the gift shop, I bought a pair of earrings (turquiose and gold flecks) and we were on our way.
Our next stop was to an archaeological site. It was the site which was an old Indian village thousands of years ago. We went in and paid the small fee, and signed the book. I was really surprised to see the name just above mine was Joyce Roberts. That's my Mom's name. I knew for sure she was in New York State. It was weird. We went on a short walking tour of the facility, and then went into the building where the digging was done. It was really interesting to see how they go about finding what they find, and how they take such care, and what they do with it all. It was well worth the trip out to the site.
On back to the campground we went. We stayed at Lake Herman State park. It was quiet, with large sites. We were just about by ourselves. There was only one other camper there after Sunday afternoon. It was chilly, but really nice. Right next to the State Park was a little place called Prairie Village. We would have liked to go there, but it was closed after Labor Day. We did see a little old engine, but not much else. I'm sure it would have been a great place to see.
Tom will post the pictures later. The rest of the trip will be posted tomorrow.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/TheCornPalace
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/PrehistoricIndianVillageDig
Today has been a beautiful fall day. The only thing that was bad about today was that Penn State lost. The Mets won, though, so 1 out of 2 isn't bad.So, back to the adventure....
We took off last Saturday for South Dakota. Tom and I are now citizens of the State of Great Faces and Great Places. Many RVers become citizens there. There are many good tax advantages, among other reasons. There are no state inspections, drivers' licenses cost $8.00 every 5 years, and there is no state income tax. Those are just some of the reasons. We did this all in Madison. It took only about a half hour to change the plates on the Tracker, and about the same to get our drivers' licenses the next day. Very quick and easy. Emily's plates will come later. After all that, we went over to Mitchell, S.D. The home of the Corn Palace. As you will see in the pictures, all of the murals on the outside of the Palace are made from different colors of corn, with other grains to add texture. Tom got some really good pics to show you. There are a few of those tourist trap shops that we all love to visit, and we ate in a saloon. The sandwiches were pretty good, and they gave a nice pile of fries to go with it.
While we were in the Palace, they were in the midst of a Polka Rally. The clubs were having the parade of flags , so we stopped to watch. After the U.S. flag came in, in came the Canadian flag, South Dakota, Poland, and the flag of the club. Then all of the state flags came in in alphabetical order. The folks carrying them bowed to the U.S. flag and went on. The polka band played patriotic songs in the background. When they were done, they formed a horseshoe. We sang the Star Spangled Banner, and then they retired the colors. It was nice to see. Out in the hallway they have state books. Tom found the Pennsylvania book and singed our names. We bought a couple of things for Connor in the gift shop, I bought a pair of earrings (turquiose and gold flecks) and we were on our way.
Our next stop was to an archaeological site. It was the site which was an old Indian village thousands of years ago. We went in and paid the small fee, and signed the book. I was really surprised to see the name just above mine was Joyce Roberts. That's my Mom's name. I knew for sure she was in New York State. It was weird. We went on a short walking tour of the facility, and then went into the building where the digging was done. It was really interesting to see how they go about finding what they find, and how they take such care, and what they do with it all. It was well worth the trip out to the site.
On back to the campground we went. We stayed at Lake Herman State park. It was quiet, with large sites. We were just about by ourselves. There was only one other camper there after Sunday afternoon. It was chilly, but really nice. Right next to the State Park was a little place called Prairie Village. We would have liked to go there, but it was closed after Labor Day. We did see a little old engine, but not much else. I'm sure it would have been a great place to see.
Tom will post the pictures later. The rest of the trip will be posted tomorrow.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/TheCornPalace
http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/PrehistoricIndianVillageDig
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Good Eats, New Schedule, and Trip
Well, let me start by saying, this week I have found out that more folks read our blog than I thought. I was really surprised to hear from e-mails and a couple of phone calls that people really look forward to seeing new posts. So, I have decided to try to post more often. In the next few weeks it won't be hard to think about what to write. We have lots planned.
First of all, let me tell you about 2 places we went to eat. Last week we went to a chain hamburger place called MAID RITE. They have loose meat that is steamed instead of fried or broiled. We really didn't know what to expect, except that one fact. We had no idea that they covered the bottom half of the bun with mustard. I am not a fan of regular yellow mustard. I like sweet hot honey mustard in moderation. Well, we were a bit disappointed, but we figured live and learn.
Today we went to a little place called Val's. It is a little place with no seating, you have to take- out. You can choose what you want on your burger, and what size fries. We ordered small fries. They give you so many that we thought they made a mistake. The burgers were good, too. But the hit of the day, as far as I'm concerned, was the milkshakes. They have a bunch of flavors. Banana, cherry, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pecan, creme sickle, just for starters. You can mix any flavors. Tom had vanilla, I had pecan-vanilla. It was by far the best milkshake I ever had. Needless to say, we will be back there before we leave here. If not for burgers, then for shakes.The food today was definitely better than last week.
Now for the schedule. One of the work camper couples have moved on. Mary and Gerry left after Labor Day. They are headed for California. That left 4 couples to fill the hours of 5. We had a meeting, and decided to have our hours extended. After Labor Day the office closes at 7 during the week. We stay open later on the week-end. So, we will have 5 hour shifts each on Sunday thru Thursday. 9-2 and 2-7. Still three shifts on Friday and Saturday. We all had to switch around for the appointments that were made with doctors, dentist, and trips that were set up. We are all set to go for the rest of the season. Which brings me to the next item.
On Saturday we are off to South Dakota to change our domicile. That means drivers' licenses, registrations for Emily and the Tracker, and becoming citizens of the state. For a lot of reasons it is beneficial to RVers to do this. South Dakota welcomes us folks with open arms. They make it easy and quick, and we should be done in about a day and a half. It's too bad that we won't get to vote at home. There is someone who could really use our votes for county coroner. Sorry John! The trip over there will take about 4 and a half or 5 hours. We will be staying in a state park, and will surely take pictures. We'll let you all know how it all comes out.
And for those at home...I finished the Connor's rainbow blanket today. It came out rally nice. I hope he likes it. He picked out the yarn. Maybe we'll add some pictures tomorrow. Tom is already in bed. It's going for 11 o'clock, which is past our bed time. We have lots to do tomorrow to get ready for the trip. We work the late shift (5-8), and want to be ready before we got to work. I keep thinking we will forget something every time we move or go someplace. I have to get used to the idea that we take everything we have with us. How could we forget anything.
That's just one of the things a first year full timer has to adjust to. We are really loving it.
How could I have forgotten to say PENN STATE BEAT NOTRE DAME !!!!! The Mets are in by 6 and a half games. Things are looking Good. http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/RainbowBlanket02
First of all, let me tell you about 2 places we went to eat. Last week we went to a chain hamburger place called MAID RITE. They have loose meat that is steamed instead of fried or broiled. We really didn't know what to expect, except that one fact. We had no idea that they covered the bottom half of the bun with mustard. I am not a fan of regular yellow mustard. I like sweet hot honey mustard in moderation. Well, we were a bit disappointed, but we figured live and learn.
Today we went to a little place called Val's. It is a little place with no seating, you have to take- out. You can choose what you want on your burger, and what size fries. We ordered small fries. They give you so many that we thought they made a mistake. The burgers were good, too. But the hit of the day, as far as I'm concerned, was the milkshakes. They have a bunch of flavors. Banana, cherry, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pecan, creme sickle, just for starters. You can mix any flavors. Tom had vanilla, I had pecan-vanilla. It was by far the best milkshake I ever had. Needless to say, we will be back there before we leave here. If not for burgers, then for shakes.The food today was definitely better than last week.
Now for the schedule. One of the work camper couples have moved on. Mary and Gerry left after Labor Day. They are headed for California. That left 4 couples to fill the hours of 5. We had a meeting, and decided to have our hours extended. After Labor Day the office closes at 7 during the week. We stay open later on the week-end. So, we will have 5 hour shifts each on Sunday thru Thursday. 9-2 and 2-7. Still three shifts on Friday and Saturday. We all had to switch around for the appointments that were made with doctors, dentist, and trips that were set up. We are all set to go for the rest of the season. Which brings me to the next item.
On Saturday we are off to South Dakota to change our domicile. That means drivers' licenses, registrations for Emily and the Tracker, and becoming citizens of the state. For a lot of reasons it is beneficial to RVers to do this. South Dakota welcomes us folks with open arms. They make it easy and quick, and we should be done in about a day and a half. It's too bad that we won't get to vote at home. There is someone who could really use our votes for county coroner. Sorry John! The trip over there will take about 4 and a half or 5 hours. We will be staying in a state park, and will surely take pictures. We'll let you all know how it all comes out.
And for those at home...I finished the Connor's rainbow blanket today. It came out rally nice. I hope he likes it. He picked out the yarn. Maybe we'll add some pictures tomorrow. Tom is already in bed. It's going for 11 o'clock, which is past our bed time. We have lots to do tomorrow to get ready for the trip. We work the late shift (5-8), and want to be ready before we got to work. I keep thinking we will forget something every time we move or go someplace. I have to get used to the idea that we take everything we have with us. How could we forget anything.
That's just one of the things a first year full timer has to adjust to. We are really loving it.
How could I have forgotten to say PENN STATE BEAT NOTRE DAME !!!!! The Mets are in by 6 and a half games. Things are looking Good. http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/RainbowBlanket02
Monday, September 3, 2007
What a Great Week-end
That's exactly what it was. Great! As you would expect, we were filled up again. Tom and I were off on Friday and Saturday, but worked for most of the activities. On Saturday morning we went into town to a small farmers market for some fresh veggies. Therefore, we missed the arts and crafts hour. The kids made sun catchers with colored tissue paper and plastic wrap. We didn't see the completed project, but I am sure they were all really nice. They made enough kits for about 40 kids. They had to close the doors when they hit 39 just to make sure everyone had enough materials. I would call that a great success.
In the afternoon came the famous animal races. http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/LaborDayAnimalRaces My personal favorite. The kids just have such a good time. This time we had some elderly ladies come and play. Once they got the hang of it, they were just as excited as the kids. We had eight races total, and two drawings to split the door prize. Tom was out taking pictures all week-end, as you will see. It took about an hour and a half to set up and have to races. Time well spent!! Nothing beats a happy smiling bunch of kids
The lawn jarts contest that was scheduled next, had to be cancelled. Only three people signed up to play. But, I have to tell you, the sign up sheet for the massages was filled up. You could get a 10 minute massage for $5.00. They lasted about 15 minutes. Both Saturday and Sunday sheets were booked solid. We were so busy helping out, we didn't sign for one. That was our loss.
Sunday was our Pancake Breakfast. http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/LaborDayPancakeBreakfast For $2.50 you could have all the pancakes you wanted, 2 sausage links, juice. coffee or tea. Or......Biscuits and Gravy!!! John and Shirley can sure make good gravy. Sausage gravy is one of my favorites. Tom tried it for the first time. He really enjoyed it, too. Of course, you can only have 2 biscuits, but we give enough to fill up the whole plate. You sure don't go away hungry. It took almost no time to clean up, but that is Roger and Dorothy's job. They always do the pots and pans. The tables stay out for the bingo later in the evening.
We had to go to work at 5 o'clock. We had the night shift on Sunday night. We missed the bingo, but had all the kids who didn't go to that, came to the office to play pool, or some other kind of games. Tom was out delivering wood, and taking any roadies (people coming in off the road for the night) to their sites.
We came home at 9:15 to the great news that the Mets had won and the Phillies had lost. LET"S GO METS. We watched Big Brother, maybe I should say I watched Big Brother, and Tom checked things out on the computer, and we hit the sack.
Today, we had work at 1:00. So many folks went home early. As we walked up to the office, so many of the sites were empty. School starts here tomorrow, so they all have to be home to get ready. When we came home, we again found out the Mets had won and the Phillies had lost. What more could we ask for them this week-end? Not much. Just think where they would be if they had beat the Phillies last week.
Now for some other events of the week-end. It would be very remiss of me not to mention the win of Penn State. We watched the game before we went up to the animal races, and Tivoed the end. Tom had also heard about the game in Michigan, and switch to that, and we saw the big win against them in The Big House. The end of that game was really exciting. I think we will like that new Big Ten channel.
We also have to mention our Grandson's first day of school. He lets everyone know his teacher is beautiful. He thinks he's such a big boy now. He can ride the bus all by himself. He is so happy about going to school.
I think that is about enough for this post. Maybe I should have split this one up. Tom will post the pictures, so let us know what you think.
In the afternoon came the famous animal races. http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/LaborDayAnimalRaces My personal favorite. The kids just have such a good time. This time we had some elderly ladies come and play. Once they got the hang of it, they were just as excited as the kids. We had eight races total, and two drawings to split the door prize. Tom was out taking pictures all week-end, as you will see. It took about an hour and a half to set up and have to races. Time well spent!! Nothing beats a happy smiling bunch of kids
The lawn jarts contest that was scheduled next, had to be cancelled. Only three people signed up to play. But, I have to tell you, the sign up sheet for the massages was filled up. You could get a 10 minute massage for $5.00. They lasted about 15 minutes. Both Saturday and Sunday sheets were booked solid. We were so busy helping out, we didn't sign for one. That was our loss.
Sunday was our Pancake Breakfast. http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/LaborDayPancakeBreakfast For $2.50 you could have all the pancakes you wanted, 2 sausage links, juice. coffee or tea. Or......Biscuits and Gravy!!! John and Shirley can sure make good gravy. Sausage gravy is one of my favorites. Tom tried it for the first time. He really enjoyed it, too. Of course, you can only have 2 biscuits, but we give enough to fill up the whole plate. You sure don't go away hungry. It took almost no time to clean up, but that is Roger and Dorothy's job. They always do the pots and pans. The tables stay out for the bingo later in the evening.
We had to go to work at 5 o'clock. We had the night shift on Sunday night. We missed the bingo, but had all the kids who didn't go to that, came to the office to play pool, or some other kind of games. Tom was out delivering wood, and taking any roadies (people coming in off the road for the night) to their sites.
We came home at 9:15 to the great news that the Mets had won and the Phillies had lost. LET"S GO METS. We watched Big Brother, maybe I should say I watched Big Brother, and Tom checked things out on the computer, and we hit the sack.
Today, we had work at 1:00. So many folks went home early. As we walked up to the office, so many of the sites were empty. School starts here tomorrow, so they all have to be home to get ready. When we came home, we again found out the Mets had won and the Phillies had lost. What more could we ask for them this week-end? Not much. Just think where they would be if they had beat the Phillies last week.
Now for some other events of the week-end. It would be very remiss of me not to mention the win of Penn State. We watched the game before we went up to the animal races, and Tivoed the end. Tom had also heard about the game in Michigan, and switch to that, and we saw the big win against them in The Big House. The end of that game was really exciting. I think we will like that new Big Ten channel.
We also have to mention our Grandson's first day of school. He lets everyone know his teacher is beautiful. He thinks he's such a big boy now. He can ride the bus all by himself. He is so happy about going to school.
I think that is about enough for this post. Maybe I should have split this one up. Tom will post the pictures, so let us know what you think.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge and Haircut
Well folks, we went to the refuge. I suppose we expected something different. The drought we have had here in Minnesota has really done a number on it. In most places where there was a sign for a memorial pool, there was nothing but mud or nothing but dirt. Those of you who know about cattails, they were even drying up and brown. That is the first time I ever saw that. We did see a few ducks, a crane(we think), and some geese. The highlight of the trip was an eagle's nest, complete with eagle. We were quite far away from it, but old baldy sat right there for pictures. We had to park where they said. The refuge was about 30 miles away, and we were pretty disappointed that there wasn't more to see. We also took some pictures of the prairie that was seeded in 1993 and 94. It is growing naturally, and looks like it did in the days of the covered wagons. They haven't messed up the area with a bunch of buildings and roads. There are hiking trails and one dirt road to drive around the loop. On the way home we stopped and got some sweet corn and little red potatoes. That was a good end of the day.
We have had rain for the last 3 days. The grass is turning green again, and the trees look a little better. It is quite a bit cooler, also. Over the week-end we even had the furnace on. Today is a bit warmer, and the sun comes and goes. We even got the shorts back on today. Right now (7:00 pm) it is overcast again, and we have a few sprinkles. Now at 7:15 it seems to be clearing, and the sun is back out.
OK, I know you are saying 15 minutes between sentences. I am watching the the Mets beat the Padres. It is the 4th inning , and they are ahead 4-1.
Today I took a big step!!! I went to town and got a haircut. It was not easy. You ladies reading will understand. Diane has cut my hair for 35 years. Where do I go in Minnesota for a haircut? The other work campers where not much help. They go to relatives or friends. We saw a place the other day not to far from the campground. I went in to make an appointment, and she said they take walk-ins. Just come in any time. Today was the time. The outcome was terrific. I have a great cut from a really nice girl named Lynn. It was only 12 bucks, plus the tip I gave her. She was fast and good. I'll go back and get it done again before we leave for Texas. I was very pleased.
Tom has the pictures ready to post along with this entry. We'll attach and publish. One more day off, and we start the rotation again. Such a hard life. http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/SherburneNWR
We have had rain for the last 3 days. The grass is turning green again, and the trees look a little better. It is quite a bit cooler, also. Over the week-end we even had the furnace on. Today is a bit warmer, and the sun comes and goes. We even got the shorts back on today. Right now (7:00 pm) it is overcast again, and we have a few sprinkles. Now at 7:15 it seems to be clearing, and the sun is back out.
OK, I know you are saying 15 minutes between sentences. I am watching the the Mets beat the Padres. It is the 4th inning , and they are ahead 4-1.
Today I took a big step!!! I went to town and got a haircut. It was not easy. You ladies reading will understand. Diane has cut my hair for 35 years. Where do I go in Minnesota for a haircut? The other work campers where not much help. They go to relatives or friends. We saw a place the other day not to far from the campground. I went in to make an appointment, and she said they take walk-ins. Just come in any time. Today was the time. The outcome was terrific. I have a great cut from a really nice girl named Lynn. It was only 12 bucks, plus the tip I gave her. She was fast and good. I'll go back and get it done again before we leave for Texas. I was very pleased.
Tom has the pictures ready to post along with this entry. We'll attach and publish. One more day off, and we start the rotation again. Such a hard life. http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/SherburneNWR
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Big Storm and Clean-up
The other night while Tom and I were on duty, people kept coming into the office to check the weather on the TV. I don't usually have it on, but folks were worried about a storm coming. I guess they had reason to be. It wasn't long before the sheriff called to warn us that a strong storm was coming, and to be sure the campground was prepared. They asked if they should come out to assist. I told them "No we can handle it." I no more than hung up, and a deputy drove in. I knew it was serious. Boy did we start moving! I called some of the other work campers, and they got busy, too. We got everyone notified, and they were told to go to the bath house, as it is the only cement block building we have. Some opted not to. The awnings all were put up, and slide-outs put in. Of course, some of the folks where out of the campground. Those units where also taken care of. Everyone helped everyone else.
We were lucky that the main storm went south of us, but the second one hit us. The thunder was the weirdest that I have ever heard. The lightning was terrible. It rained really hard. What a mess it made. Everyone was fine, and went home to bed.
The next day, was clean-up day. Cris got the roads back in shape, Tom had to pick up debris, and residue from the run off. He found some of our wood 2 sites from ours. There are piles of the dead grass from the drought left all over the place. It looks like fuzz. They say they are on fuzz patrol when they are supposed to clean it up. All the acorns are falling, also. Because of the lack of rain, the leaves are also falling. The time they save not cutting the grass, they use raking up all of the junk.
Tom got some really nice pictures of the humming birds. He will post them when I am done with this entry. (http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/TheElusiveHummingbirds). Let us know what you think. We may go to a wildlife refuge tomorrow. We'll probably take pictures. We always do. Finally the temp will be lower that 90. We will have a couple of days of lower humidity. We can get out and do something fun. It's just been too hot to do things like walking trails. We'll enjoy the day.
We were lucky that the main storm went south of us, but the second one hit us. The thunder was the weirdest that I have ever heard. The lightning was terrible. It rained really hard. What a mess it made. Everyone was fine, and went home to bed.
The next day, was clean-up day. Cris got the roads back in shape, Tom had to pick up debris, and residue from the run off. He found some of our wood 2 sites from ours. There are piles of the dead grass from the drought left all over the place. It looks like fuzz. They say they are on fuzz patrol when they are supposed to clean it up. All the acorns are falling, also. Because of the lack of rain, the leaves are also falling. The time they save not cutting the grass, they use raking up all of the junk.
Tom got some really nice pictures of the humming birds. He will post them when I am done with this entry. (http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/TheElusiveHummingbirds). Let us know what you think. We may go to a wildlife refuge tomorrow. We'll probably take pictures. We always do. Finally the temp will be lower that 90. We will have a couple of days of lower humidity. We can get out and do something fun. It's just been too hot to do things like walking trails. We'll enjoy the day.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Updates and Itasca State Park
I know it's been a while since I've posted anything in the blog. It has been so hot here that we mostly sit inside with the air on. We have sun most of the day and it gets like an oven inside Emily. The heat reflects off the concrete pad, and makes it even hotter. We did manage to rouse ourselves to do a couple of things.
Last week was the Benton County fair. It was your typical little 4-H fair, with goats, pigs, etc. We were looking for something different to eat, but we couldn't find anything that caught our eye that we don't have at home. Tom had a meatball sandwich and I had an Italian chicken sandwich. Then, of course, we each had a funnel cake. Rain threatened, and then blew away. Still no rain here.
We had a few days off, so we decided to go to Itasca State Park. Lake Itasca is the headwaters for the Mississippi River. We stayed at the state park campgrounds there. You could tell they have had more rain than here. The grass is green and needs to be mowed. It is a good 3 and 1/2 hours from St. Cloud. The drive was really very nice. Lots of small touristy (is that a word?) towns. There is a reason they call Minnesota the Land of 10,000 Lakes. They are everywhere. I have to tell you, the trip was well worth it. The history of the area is documented by signs and photos as you walk along the different paths, and stop at the spots of interest. The headwaters is the busiest.
Years ago at the point where the lake starts to form the river, they have made a little dam of rocks. Everyone wants to step in the water. You will see what I mean by the pictures that we will post. http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/MississippiRiverHeadwaters We did not take off our shoes, there were so many folks there, we just took some photos and watched for a while. It is so neat to see how The Mighty Mississippi starts out as such a small creek. We picked up a couple of little stones, one for Connor's rock collection, and one for ourselves. With a stop at the gift shop and a couple of little purchases we were on the the rest of the park.
Two of the attractions are the Big White Pine Tree, and The Big Red Pine Tree. The White was amazing. It stood so big over the area like it was guarding the place. The Red pine was another story. The top had been blown off by a high winds just last month. It was sad to see what was once a mighty Champion (it was tied for the largest in U.S.) now dying. The white was around 300 years old. I wanted to touch it, like touching a living piece of history, but they have a wooden fence around it so no one abuses it. Sad to say, some folks just do stuff like that.
We came back to more hot and dry weather, and were grateful for the short time away from all the heat. Back to work, and on we go. We can't believe we have been here almost 2 months. We must be having fun because the time is flying.
Last week was the Benton County fair. It was your typical little 4-H fair, with goats, pigs, etc. We were looking for something different to eat, but we couldn't find anything that caught our eye that we don't have at home. Tom had a meatball sandwich and I had an Italian chicken sandwich. Then, of course, we each had a funnel cake. Rain threatened, and then blew away. Still no rain here.
We had a few days off, so we decided to go to Itasca State Park. Lake Itasca is the headwaters for the Mississippi River. We stayed at the state park campgrounds there. You could tell they have had more rain than here. The grass is green and needs to be mowed. It is a good 3 and 1/2 hours from St. Cloud. The drive was really very nice. Lots of small touristy (is that a word?) towns. There is a reason they call Minnesota the Land of 10,000 Lakes. They are everywhere. I have to tell you, the trip was well worth it. The history of the area is documented by signs and photos as you walk along the different paths, and stop at the spots of interest. The headwaters is the busiest.
Years ago at the point where the lake starts to form the river, they have made a little dam of rocks. Everyone wants to step in the water. You will see what I mean by the pictures that we will post. http://picasaweb.google.com/tnank101/MississippiRiverHeadwaters We did not take off our shoes, there were so many folks there, we just took some photos and watched for a while. It is so neat to see how The Mighty Mississippi starts out as such a small creek. We picked up a couple of little stones, one for Connor's rock collection, and one for ourselves. With a stop at the gift shop and a couple of little purchases we were on the the rest of the park.
Two of the attractions are the Big White Pine Tree, and The Big Red Pine Tree. The White was amazing. It stood so big over the area like it was guarding the place. The Red pine was another story. The top had been blown off by a high winds just last month. It was sad to see what was once a mighty Champion (it was tied for the largest in U.S.) now dying. The white was around 300 years old. I wanted to touch it, like touching a living piece of history, but they have a wooden fence around it so no one abuses it. Sad to say, some folks just do stuff like that.
We came back to more hot and dry weather, and were grateful for the short time away from all the heat. Back to work, and on we go. We can't believe we have been here almost 2 months. We must be having fun because the time is flying.
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