Travels of Mark and Pat: August 2020

Monday - August 31

This last day of August has been busy................................good news with negative results for Mark. Kim called around 8 AM and said they had come in late last night. Alleluia!

So, got on the phone with VisionPoint to reschedule my appts for cataract surgery - got those done with a bit of juggling and all moved back one week later. Also got my physical and EKG rescheduled.

Then Mark was on the phone - 3-way call between John and Beth at the she shed, a tech guy in Naples, FL and us here in IL.....got the issue figured out and a new modem is on its way! There had been a bad storm and tech guy was able to tell that the modem was shot! Thanks again John and Beth!

I made some phone calls, sent a bunch of text messages with Mark's news and played 2 games of euchre with Mark's sister, Nancy and Mark with Nancy and I beating the guys 2 for 2. Till tomorrow....

Went for a walk - more clouds today, but warm and windy. Mark's back is much better - just needs to avoid sitting on the bench seat???

Mark got an e-mail today that his 55th high school class reunion which was to be in Branson has been cancelled. We were not able to go as it was same time as eye surgery, but also hesitant to go anyway with crowds, etc. Apparently, others were starting to think the same way. So.....now planning for September, 2021.

Anne brought out Mandarin Garden (our favorite Chinese) for supper. Just a quick hi and bye, but much appreciated. It was sooo good and more leftovers!. She took Connor to Dr. Oakey today - 2 more weeks till the all-clear on the wrist but only has to wear brace for gym.

Went for a walk tonight - the beans are really starting to turn. And KK is dwindling with fewer and fewer campers coming - maybe cause of school starting although there's a family here tonight from Ohio with kids, so probably doing remote study.

Sunday - August 30

Mark was feeling pretty good when he got up. We had breakfast, walked, Mass with Father Casey in Boston, and then while he was sitting at the table, all of a sudden, the bad pain was back. So he spent some time lying down with ice bag??

Anne, the boys and Gibson came out with sub sandwiches and dinner for tonight and laundry! She's a keeper!!! We stayed inside Flo and they didn't stay long.

So good to see these guys

Mama and her baby

Did zoom with all 12 siblings - so many topics to chat about!!! Prayers for our teachers going back tomorrow.

Anne's dinner was wonderful - good ole comfort food.....sweet 'n sour meatloaf, cheesy potatoes, vegetables and ghiradelli dark chocolate brownies!!! BIG thank you!

Have a safe, healthy week! Mark's back is better tonight!

Saturday - August 29

No phone call.....but then office closed at noon today for the weekend, so.....have since heard about a couple who were tested at same time and got their results 36 hours apart and a family of 4 tested same time and got their results back 3 different times. So, patience patience!!!

Nice sunny day and much cooler - feels good to open Flo's windows after all the heat from past few days. We took a little trip into town this morning - Kim (NP) said as long as we were totally contactless, it was fine Obviously no drive-thru for coffee, carry-out, etc. Got our laundry from Anne and she had made us a loaf of zucchini bread which was still warm. Delicious! Also storage to put stuff away. Quick trip and no contact with anyone!

Made a batch of BBQ and just enjoyed this pretty day.

Tonight we were to arrive at Lake James ------Bummer. Brooke is helping Davis move into apartment this weekend in Raleigh. But lots to be thankful for....Drew is 100%, I'm negative and hopefully,we'll hear same for Mark soon!

Mark had some outside jobs on Flo and truck to work on - I caught up on e-mails, read, and we both took a little power nap!

Blair did facetime this afternoon asking when we were coming (she thought tomorrow).....she cried when I said we couldn't come cause Drew had Covid and we had been with him last weekend, so we have to stay home. She knew Drew had Covid but couldn't understand what that had to do with us? She was really upset.....Grandma, too.

This afternoon, Mark was sitting in our bench kitchen area and when he tried getting out of the seat, his back started hurting big time - been resting and took ibuprofen. Arghhh

We went for a walk later - that felt good on the back. Hope this is a quick fix! BBQ sandwiches and sliced tomatoes for supper.

Something I do not understand (and have a problem with) are that several restaurants have closed temporarily (2-3 days) when an employee tests positive. So they shut down to do a deep cleaning, have all employees tested and reopen? Why don't they have to quarantine for 14 days - they are dealing with the public???

Ahh, the memories from here at Kamp Komfort....in August, 2015, Brady came and spent a fun week with his cousins, Liam and Connor. We took the train to Chicago, did the Children's Museum, Navy Pier, enjoyed State Farm Park pool and mini golf and of course, Busy Corner for pie. The pool here at KK was a big hit and 5 years later, it's closed

Connor, Liam and Brady

And then September 9, 2015, Luke came to visit and loved riding this little horse which now sits sad and lonely here in the park

Giddy up Horsey

And today Annette told Maeve "Daddy will be home in a few minutes", so she hauled her little chair outside and patiently waited

Friday - August 28

When the 48-hour mark from when we had our tests came and went, it was time to take some action. We've been on pins and needles all day waiting.....................so we called and of course, waited and waited and finally, Kim (nurse practitioner) came on the line and said "I have good news and bad news. She told me "Pat is negative", but we don't have Mark's results back yet"? WHAT? She was baffled as to where they could be and was waiting for them to be faxed. Since the swabs were sent in at same time, makes no sense. So, there is a very slight possibility she would hear tonight or tomorrow morning - otherwise, Monday? Of course, could still be lost or misplaced??? I have 14 days to quarantine and since I've done 7, 7 more coming up.

Whew......humidity was way up there this morning, but a nice breeze, so off we went for our walk.

Kamp Komfort has just 74 sites but since we are so close to the interstate, they keep busy and interesting to see where everyone is from......Mississippi, Washington, Missouri, South Dakota (2), Tennessee, North Carolina (2), Virginia, Michigan, Indiana, Utah, Alabama and tah dah....the prize goes to Florida with six RV's/campers here tonight! Rest are from Illinois!

Several of the owners have left on a trip, visiting relatives/friends in the area, etc., so RV is sitting for a while (like Flo would've been next week when we were to be in NC).

Thought we would get some rain from Laura, but later this afternoon when the sun was shining brightly, we got a few big drops and that was it. Sure could use some. It seems like forever in all the weeks traveling, since we've seen any significant rainfall.

Tried keeping busy today as the worry genes were on overload.......cleaned more cabinets, read, played some cards, and finally, we decided to take a drive thru the country. So tempting to go into Eureka and get some ice cream from Uncle Bob's on this hot day, but we did not!

Getting these sweet photos makes our day.......Maeve is off to the pool with Mommy (fancy dress and all), but first, strapping her 3 babies in the Polaris. Good job, Maeve!

Sweet Maeve taking good care of her babies

Have a good healthy weekend!

Thursday - August 27

NO phone call today! But we felt good, so hopefully, tomorrow, we'll know negative or positive!!!

Drew update: almost normal! 👍

After breakfast we walked down the country road between the corn and bean fields - the crops look so healthy compared to what we saw in Iowa. It is humid, so not a real long walk....but gotta start sometime, somewhere!

I forgot to mention yesterday that we got the whole shebang along with our tests - a CNA/paramedic came in and weighed us, took our temp and BP then checked our ears, throat, glands and lungs. We had both nostrils swabbed but have heard that sometimes, they only do one? Don't understand so much of this.....

This is the path we took on our big trip. The little "tents" indicate the campgrounds we stayed at.

Decided that while we are quarantined, might as well make use of this time and do something productive, so.......did some pre-fall cleaning of kitchen drawers!

Mike and Claire drove out to Kamp Komfort this afternoon and brought some of their awesome home-grown tomatoes, bacon (WalMart was out of Oscar Mayer yesterday) AND 2 slices of pie from Busy Corner (cherry and coconut cream) Now that's really going above and beyond and we nomads were very grateful! THANKS Mike and Claire!

Gee, it's getting dark earlier......by 8, time to call it a day! Walked around the park tonight - still humid. One more hot day and then nice cool down in the 70's coming!

A sweet story to share......Luke and Blair are in the same 2nd grade class.....and after a week of school, Blair asked Luke "who is your best friend? Luke said "You are my best friend"? Blair was shocked and said "me"? But I'm your cousin and cousins can't be best friends, but Luke assured her they could be cousins and best friends!!! Love these little tykes!

Wednesday - August 26

Oh my.....such troubling times we are living around our country...............just a very scary time and as if Covid wasn't way more than enough, now a hurricane coming, the terrible fires out west, violence in Kenosha, colleges sending students home, etc., etc.

Drew has some back pain and stuffiness, but otherwise seems to be on the mend.

So, after a quiet morning on Flo, we went to town this afternoon - stopped at Anne's to drop things off and pick things up and waved from the doorway. This is the pits that we won't be seeing Anne or the boys till after this quarantine......and still from a distance. So appreciate her doing our laundry!

The test wasn't too bad - nurse practitioner was very good about explaining various things and since the CDC changes their quarantine rules daily, until she knows our results, she will then explain what we need to do whether negative or positive, Dr. Pilcher has a rapid test but still takes 24-48 hours, so not sure if we'll find out tomorrow or not. There is also a "rapid rapid" test which he hopes to have soon. It could be thru Saturday (4-7 days after exposure) till symptoms show up.

Stopped at WalMart to get our grocery pickup and on home. Wal Mart on the west side of Bloomington is next to the Interstate Center (home of the McLean County Fairgrounds). This is one of the major testing sites for Covid - we were shocked to see the long line of cars.

So, we are confined to Flo but can go outdoors - no accepting food from anyone thru car window for carryout, etc. Unless it's left by our door, it's a no no.....we are so grateful to Anne and several friends who have offered to bring groceries, a meal, etc. We are good for now! We can go outdoors.

We were having an issue with the electrical in the she shed - our dear friends John and Beth in Fort Myers have made 2 trips to check on what's going on and numerous phone calls and pictures with Mark, As long as the AC is working, that's the main thing, but thinking it's the modem? HUGE thanks to John and Beth for "always being there"!!!

So the dorms have all shut down at NC State where Davis just started his freshman year......guess it was a matter of time. First, switch to all remote learning and now this. Davis will remain in Raleigh and move into an apartment with 3 other guys. Their #'s are very high and so thousands of students will be moving back home and taking the virus with them? What a mess!!!

Praying tonight for the folks in Texas and Louisiana in the path of Laura.

Thanks for the phone calls, e-mails and text messages we've received since Monday.....family and friends checking up on us! Love you all.....

Tuesday - August 25

A much better day - Drew is feeling better and no symptoms for us - now we just wait! It was 91% humidity when Mark went outside this morning. We are staying put in Flo (except for learning some of the bells and whistles on my car).

Normally we would've been with the sales person going over all the gadgets, but yesterday, we called Eric along the way and told him what had happened (exposed to the virus) and obviously we shouldn't be getting close. He really appreciated us telling him as he has 3 small children under 5. So since the paperwork was all done, he could just turn the keys over and I was good to go. Between reading the manual and figuring out all the amazing features, wow.....lots to learn!

Mama's new wheels

Of all the campgrounds we've been to since the virus, Kamp Komfort is probably the most strict which is a good thing........office, pool, restrooms and pavilion are closed. No tent camping. An envelope with Mark's name and several rules and info was taped to the office door. If anyone experiences symptoms for Covid, they are to remain in their RV or go home!!!

We should be celebrating Connor's Confirmation tonight with Father Stirniman, but not happening, so for the 3rd time, will reschedule. I told Anne not to choose the 25th (as April 25 and August 25 were the previous dates).

Stunning sunset tonight at Lake James

I was really looking forward to seeing our NC family next week, along with their gorgeous sunsets, hiking in our favorite spots from springtime, etc. Sadly, not going to happen - stupid Covid!!!!!

Monday - August 24

What a day....................August 24, 1968 Mark proposed and here we are 52 years later but with a totally different day than originally planned. During our travels this summer, Mark bought me a new car - Lincoln Corsair SUV (dark navy) which we were to pick up on our way to Kamp Komfort today.

We left Iowa City at 6:45....one hour later, Brooke called telling us Drew had tested positive last night!!! He woke up Sunday morning with some symptoms (achy and headache). Later he developed a slight fever. His roommate had shown symptoms earlier....they both went to the University hospital for the test and got results back last night. Oh dear...................a jillion thoughts going thru our brains as we kept truckin' down the road. We had a busy week ahead.......Connor's Confirmation, 3 Dr. appts., (preparing for cataract surgery), etc. And Saturday we were leaving for NC (in the new car) for a 1-week visit and Brady's Confirmation on 9/2. And of course, biggest of all.....will we get this?

So......we drove onto Pontiac as planned, got my new wheels and I drove the car to CVS to pick up some zinc and Vitamin C which can help our immune systems and then on to KK. Mark was just finishing setting Flo up, we had lunch, compared how we were feeling. It's total paranoia about does this hurt or that, and a bundle of nerves. Driving a brand new car for 1st time didn't help.....

I made a bunch of calls along the way changing appts., (Connor will be rescheduled with Father); switched my orthopedic appt.(shoulder) for tomorrow to a new date; and will wait for results and then imagine all the eye appts. will have to be rescheduled. And no trip to NC. 😞

Drew is feeling a little better this afternoon - he has youth on his side and pray he has minor symptoms.

It's really hot here and we'll just hunker down till Wednesday when we are tested.

We are very thankful we are back in central IL, close to family, friends, doctors, etc. This is our "home" when we're in IL, so.....will be staying here into October or when they close (November 1).

Ten weeks and 1 day ago, we left KK for our big trip west. We traveled 8100 miles (ALL driven by Mark), visited 13 states and stayed in 33 different campgrounds.

We drank lots of coffee and so enjoyed all the cute little stands and did NOT have one single Starbucks!

Mark is the best logistic guy - so appreciate and admire all the time spent planning which routes to take, campgrounds to stay in, etc., etc. He did a phenomenal job and made the trip that much more enjoyable! We'll always cherish the memories of the incredible stunning scenery of mountains, hills, flatlands, the Pacific Ocean, lakes, rivers, streams and bubbling brooks! God did a magnificent creation of the Pacific Northwest and surrounding areas.

Please keep Drew and us in your prayers......

Sunday - August 23

Hot and humid today.....after breakfast we walked across the street and the plan was to hike on the Woodpecker Trail. Nice 'n pretty in the woods, but we hadn't gone that far when up ahead, trees were blocking our path. Arghhhh.....3 different places just like that and this became our "shortest" hike of the summer! So,......came on back to Flo. Good day for "indoor" activity!!!

Went to Mass with Father Adrian Milik in Boston this morning. We drove into Iowa City - good to see the college kids (in droves) out walking around campus, eating on the blocked-off street or on sidewalks) and just about all wearing masks. We picked up tenderloins from the Hamburg Inn (another Michael favorite from days past) and came on home - good stuff along with our sides of pasta and potato salad.

Got computer stuff caught up, read and took a little nap this afternoon. It was in the 90's and more of that coming this week!

Family zoom with 10 of Mark's siblings - missing Nancy and Janet.

Tomorrow we are off to Kamp Komfort - the last hurrah of our trip that started 10 weeks ago today!

Saturday - August 22

Today was a very fun Saturday - cloudy and threat of rain but we were off to get a haircut at Tru Salon by Ellie. And just a few doors away was "Press" coffee cafe which Mark checked out while I was getting the haircut. I got my coffee and a donut afterwards. It's been 8 weeks, so in dire need of a new "do"!

Stopped at a few other places and got a some groceries at HyVee - 1st time for me to be in a big grocery store since March in FL at Publix.

Drove thru the U of Iowa campus, past Drew's apartment he shares with 4 other guys and on home. Put our groceries away and then we were off to Swisher, about 20 minutes away and where we got Big Red and Flo washed yesterday. Mark's college friend, Mike invited us to the Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery out in the country for lunch (he lives 10 miles away). Mike's friend is owner of this place and wow - so pretty with all the vineyards, wine tasting room and indoor and outdoor dining.

Mike and I had pizza and Mark, the bruschetta along with wine - everything was delicious and so pleasant sitting outdoors. Really enjoyed our visit and caught up on our families, retirement, the storm damage from derecho, etc. Mike's wife, Dorothy passed away almost 6 years ago from brain cancer.

Back to Flo and the rain started a little - they need rain badly (only got 4/10" from the derecho)!

Mike in the vineyard

The vines are covered with netting to prevent Japanese Beetles.

This was such a treat as we've had so very few "dining out" times this summer!

Grape pickers

Drew came out at 2:30 and brought his bike - the guys had planned a bike ride, but the weather was threatening and radar looked like rain was finally coming. But, arghhhh, only a few sprinkles. So the guys took naps and around 4:15, took off on their bikes.

Drew is resting after the bike ride...

We enjoyed a wiener roast for supper with all the fixins topped off with warm brownie fudge sundaes. It's been so much fun hanging out with Drew and looking forward to seeing him next Friday when he comes to Bloomington.

Congratulations to my brother Ron and Vicki and our friends, Bob and Martha who are both celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today!

Friday - August 21

Hot sunshiny day....we had French Toast and sausage and then took off from Cedar Falls to Cedar Rapids where we got Flo and Big Red washed at a big truck wash in Swisher.. There was one in Waterloo that we went to first, but they wanted $110 + labor, so...."no thank you", The AFCS Truck Wash workers were very efficient, did a great job and only $60. Hopefully we are at the end of all the dusty gravel roads.

When we were about 10 miles out of Cedar Rapids (on 380), we saw the first signs of what the Derecho did 11 days ago with many downed trees and flattened fields of corn. Amazingly, one field looked like it had been trampled on and across the road, corn was standing just fine. Saw other damage to homes, roofs, etc.

We arrived at the Linder Point Campground, Iowa City and it's a pretty, woodsy area of 18 sites. There are trails and paved path for hiking/biking. Planning to be here 3 nights.

Davis (freshman at NC State) found out today that his classes will all be remote starting Monday. Most of his had been anyway, but now entire school is going that route.

Mark and I both mentioned that since we've been in Iowa, we've seen way more semi trucks than campers - totally opposite from out west where RV's and campers rule the road!

Also, the Iowa kiddos must not be back in school as we've seen a bunch of them especially at the campground in Cedar Falls.

Drew came out this afternoon - great to see him (last time was June 1st when we left NC). He brought sandwiches from Pullman - their popular crispy chicken sandwich and I do believe it's the best chicken sandwich I've ever had. Nice and juicy and loaded with all kinds of good stuff including special sauce. YUM! How nice to have him visit and deliver our late lunch/early supper! We kept our distance and after a good visit around the picnic table, we went for a walk to the West Overlook Campground and Coralville Lake - such a pretty evening and as always, a Friday night and start of the weekend, makes for a happening place. Our campground is really nice and quiet - newer and smaller than West Overlook.

Drew

Looking forward to seeing the Drewby again tomorrow! Have a great weekend!

Thursday - August 20

Warm and sunny - 80's again and after some cleaning up inside Flo, we took our bikes downtown Cedar Falls (LOVE their bike paths with plenty of benches, bathrooms, etc.). What a charming downtown with really cute shops, eateries, flowers AND..."Cup of Joe" which was one of the cutest coffee shops we've seen (mainly been driving or walking up to the tiny ones out west). Got our coffees and cinnamon coffee cake for Mark and pear zucchini muffin for me - all delish! We sat outside with a nice breeze and no one close to us.

Rode back to Flo and later, took Big Red to Waterloo and some errands - after ALL the talk about how important it is to wear masks, just can't believe there are still folks strolling around in stores WITHOUT? WHY? Guess the rules don't apply to some people?

So good to see some favorites of ours that we've missed cause they are NOT out west......Chick-fil-A, Dunkin Donuts, Panera, etc.

I mentioned a bubble tea and how much I loved that drink (Grand Forks, ND and Coos Bay, OR). So, I googled "bubble tea" and tah dah......Pearl Tea is in Cedar Falls and the reviews were all ***** Went there and I enjoyed my peach one - not too sweet - perfect with the tapioca balls! Then to Panera for pick up - wanted a salad but no romaine today - WHAT? That's a main ingredient? So we each had a sandwich - good!!! Got some diesel for Big Red and on home.

The temp climbed on up and away this afternoon with higher humidity than we've been used to! We stayed indoors and read, did computer stuff, etc.

Pretty trek thru the woods this morning

That's Mark up ahead

Miss Maeve is all set for JK4 (Junior Kindergarten) this morning along with big brother Luke

Luke and Blair in their classroom yesterday - Blair in front; Luke to the right of teacher.

I walked and Mark rode his bike around the lake. So impressed with the Rotary who have really beautified this park with all the prairie grass and signs describing it, nice restroom facilities, and several benches dedicated to someone. Today we came across 2 more "fix-it" stations for bikers. Must be an Iowa thing!

Hats off to these fine folks!

11 months ago tonight, Patrick passed away......he would be so proud of Anne and his boys. I'm sure he's looking down on the boys going off to high school with a big smile!

Wednesday - August 19

Another picture-perfect summer day....all sunshine and low 80's. We left our campground in Sac City and headed downtown to Denise and Ross's quilt shop for coffee and a short visit. And then we were off eastward.......143 miles today with a stop in Holland, IA for lunch on Flo at a truck stop off Highway 20.

Arrived at the Big Woods Lake Campground in Cedar Falls around 1. Settled in with a pretty view of the lake outside Flo's door.

We took off for Cedar Falls (a few miles south of the campground). Cedar Falls and Waterloo are sister cities of over 100,000 total. Mark had a gift card from Father's Day to Camping World so he enjoyed browsing there while I had my gel polish taken off nails.

Back to Flo.....read, took a little power nap and then Zoom with Claire and Kathy. While I was zooming, Mark went for a bike ride around Big Woods Lake - nice walking/biking path around the lake and entrance is just off our campground site. It is a 1.8 mile ride around the lake and very popular.

After supper (BLT's) we biked around the lake - really nice. Rode along the lake, then thru the woods, and out among the prairie grass, The lake is 65 acres with 10 acres of natural prairie and 12 acres for the campground.

Big Woods Lake

After our bike ride, we sat on a bench overlooking the lake and read. Another pretty evening, we walked around the campground, too.

Freshman (Connor); sophomore (Liam) and lonely Gibson

Luke - 2nd grade

Tuesday - August 18

Cloudy and cool when we left the KOA in Yankton this morning. We drove to Vermillion, SD for coffee at "The Bean" (community coffeehouse) and then got on highway 19 which took us past rolling hills, corn and bean fields and really felt good to be back in America's Heartland!

Stopped in South Sioux City, NE for a Wal mart pickup - makes it so easy when we have Flo and able to put everything away just like that! The sun came out around 11 and was a beautiful sunny 81-degree day.

And good ole Casey's - (love their donuts) which we haven't seen anywhere out west. Got some sandwiches there and had lunch on Flo in Correctionville, IA. Arrived in Sac City, IA around 1:15 at the Riverside Campground in very pretty Chautauqua Park..

This small campground is on a first come basis....so a bit leery that there will be a spot, but since schools are mostly back in session and probably not that many folks coming to this little spot on the map, there was plenty of room. - just us and 6 others

Downtown Sac City is just a short jaunt away so around 3ish, we took off on this pretty day. We crossed the Raccoon River which we discovered runs along 4 different trails in town - would be some great hiking, but we just wanted a little walk today.

Had never seen one of these before? A bicycle repair station, including air, tools, etc. for whatever ails your bike!

Pretty area in the park with metal sculpture (several around town)

Nice little downtown, but very quiet this afternoon. One of the big attractions in Sac City is their "claim to fame" boasting the world's largest popcorn ball. Sure enough, another mile and there it was!

The stats...

And here it is.....the world's largest popcorn ball in a glass enclosed case.

One of the shops open was "Tin Ceiling Quilts" - also tea shoppe and had the coffees, too. Mark sat outside in the shade - neat little garden area. I went in and oh my.....beautiful fabrics and sooooo many bolts and bolts. So, in this old building, one side was the fabric and on the other side, was where classes took place, beautiful quilts on display and the coffee/tea area. I chatted with Denise, the owner who has been quilting for years. What a nice lady.......also met her husband Ross and Mark and I had coffee (him) and blackberry iced tea (me) and we visited (from a distance on the patio). They have no Covid cases in Sac City. They were the nicest people - chatted away like we've known them forever.....Denise's Dad was the State Farm agent for 30+ years. Really enjoyed this visit and plan to stop in for coffee tomorrow before we leave town. Ross and Denise live in the back of their store. Any quilters out there................if you're ever near Sac City, IA, you would love this place for all your quilting needs.

Love these kiddos!

Monday - August 17

Nice 'n sunny - 84 today. We did facetime with Blair this morning - she's going to school tonight and meet her 2nd grade teacher, put away her school supplies, etc. New school for Blair and she and Luke will be in same 2nd grade class.

Exercised, had breakfast and then took off for Lewis and Clark Recreation Area - beautiful along the Missouri River with paved hiking/biking path and 3 campgrounds. The marina was full of boats (pontoons, speed boats, sailboats, catamarans, etc.) Quiet during the week, but imagine a happening weekend spot. While we were walking, Blair wanted to do facetime and tell us about the dock party she was having this afternoon - 8 little friends (5 girls and 3 boys including Luke and Maeve) were coming with their Mommies for an afternoon of swimming, snacks, drinks and fun! She was so excited!

The humidity when we were walking was 81% - whew.....we fizzled after 2 miles and called it good!

Pink rocks along the shoreline

Peaceful setting on the Missouri River - water was so crystal clear

Drove around downtown Yankton - cute town (14,454) with most businesses open and operating, pretty flowers, but restaurants didn't really sound all that good or where we could sit outdoors or do carry-out? We found Tastee Freeze, another local drive-in/. Had sandwiches and chocolate malts which were really chocolate shakes. We liked Frosty's in Valentine better.....

Back to Flo, got the laundry all caught up - had the place here at KOA to myself. Our patio here in the shade was thee place to sit and read this afternoon - sooo pleasant out of the sun with a nice breeze.

We had our spaghetti on the picnic table - a beautiful evening.

Yesterday after Mass, Father put on his mask and said "don't forget to wear these cause you're in "Maskachusetts".!!! Nighty night! Iowa, here we come!

Sunday - August 16

Sunny Sunday greetings from Yankton, SD. We left Valentine around 9:30 and traveled 217 miles past many corn and bean fields (more and more as we headed east). Many small towns but NO little coffee shops. After seeing them all over the west, I think they are now a thing of the past! 😥

Highway 20 is a really good road and not that much traffic - other than the very dusty dirt road from a few days ago, it was great!

Healthy Nebraska corn

The bridge crossing the Missouri River from Nebraska to South Dakota

We veered off 20 and drove 36 miles north on Highway 81 to Yankton. Soon as we crossed the mid- point of the Missouri River, we were in SD. This makes our 12th state The KOA Yankton/Missouri River Campground is nice - just all unpaved roads and sites, so more dust. Their pool is closed (never opened this year) and we could count on one hand the # of pools that have been open at campgrounds all summer. And the # of campers/RV's, far outnumber the semi trucks on the road. At least that's the way it's been throughout the west.

Went to Mass via Boston. Sure hope we can return to church soon?

Ryan is hanging out with Anne and her boys for a few days......all our kiddos start back to school this week. Davis actually started hast week.

Wishing them all a great year - staying safe and healthy!!!

Drew - U of Iowa (Junior)

Davis - NC State (Freshman)

Liam - CCHS (Sophomore)

Brady - Patton High School (Freshman)

Connor - CCHS (Freshman)

Luke and Blair - Morganton Day School (2nd grade)

Maeve - Morganton Day School (Pre-K-4)

Zoom with 10 siblings but a bad connection for us. Always good to check up on one another!

Went for a walk around the campground and met a couple from Ames, IA who rented an RV and started out this morning for their 1st time. They only have 1 week, so trying to pack in as much as possible, but will be putting in some long days.

Wishing y'all a healthy, safe week!

Saturday - August 15

Clear sunny skies today and warming up.....so, we left the campground around 9:30 and first stop was "Auntie D's Gifts and Coffee" on the main drag of Valentine (Heart City). This town of 2820 seems to be doing well as almost all of their buildings are occupied with 3 banks, library, Ford dealer, restaurants, bars, nail and hair salons, etc. And Auntie D's was really cute with very nice gifts and in the back.....COFFEE! No one is wearing masks in this town - guess they are not concerned as Cherry County has such low #'s, but we wore ours.

So, coffees in hand, off to Henderson's IGA on edge of town.....parked Big Red and Mark went inside to get some apple fritters to go......we ate and drank in Big Red and then walked a short jaunt to catch the Cowboy Trail. A beautiful morning for a walk (had thought about biking, but so glad we didn't as it was very soft gravel and our small bike tires would not have done well nor we riders.) We walked to the Valentine Bridge that crosses the Niobrara River. Very scenic.....

The Cowboy Trail

Down in the valley

Standing on the Valentine Bridge overlooking the Niobrara River. We'll be driving over the bridge in the distance tomorrow with Flo.

That's the longest we've walked in several weeks and felt really good and glad to "beat the heat" as it got to 91 today.

A first - nice bench to take a break but this one had a canopy to keep off the sun! Not seen that before!

Nebraska prairieland

We stopped at Frosty's Drive-In for some potato salad-to-go. Mark had some last night with his Alaskan cod sandwich and it was really good. So, decided to get a pint.......didn't take long and we were on our way back to the campground. Came inside, opened the brown sack and what???? They gave us mashed potatoes and gravy..................arghhhhh! We really wanted that potato salad, so Mark drove back into town. The young man had written it down correctly, but.....owner came out and apologized and said he was making a fresh batch and could Mark wait 10 minutes or so? Sure......so, he ended up giving us a quart instead of a pint and off he went - happy campers are we with tuna/egg salad sandwiches and our freshly-made potato salad!

Just seeing the healthy crops here in Nebraska reminds us that when we get to Iowa, it will be a totally different story as they were hit so hard by the derecho last week - over 10 million acres of corn flattened. And many grain bins destroyed or blown away....Mark has been in touch with his college roommate, Mike, from Cedar Rapids where the damage was really severe. We plan to get together with Mike next weekend when we are in Coralville AND, also see Drew!

Here at Fishberry Campground, we are just 5 miles south of South Dakota. We'll be heading there tomorrow as the campgrounds between here and next destination are few and far between.

Went back to town around 4 and you betcha....Frosty's was our destination for ice cream treats (banana split for Mark and hot fudge sundae for me) Scrumpt-dillicious!!!

Came back to Flo, read our books and then around 6:15, the sky darkened, the wind picked up and our phones said rain starting in 10 minutes. We went for a short walk to check out the weather, felt a few sprinkles .....but that was it and sure didn't settle the dust!

Friday - August 14

Geez.....what is it with electrical issues, Nebraska and us??? Yesterday we didn't have enough power and today, too much? We were all settled in our site and then the AC stopped.....what? The voltage was too high (something new I learned).....arghhhh so we hooked back up and moved to another site. Fortunately, today's weather was sooo pretty and in the low 80's unlike yesterday.

We drove 180 miles in flat and hilly countryside. And lots more trees farms, and crops ranking in popularity

1. wheat

2. hay

3. sunflowers

4. corn

Sunflowers are big in Nebraska! The pretty flowers are past their prime!

Lots of little farming communities along the way and many are in pretty sad shape. All have the obligatory grain elevator, bar, church and "maybe" a few more local establishments. Makes me so proud of my little hometown, Sublette, IL which is thriving!

We were hoping for some coffee in Gordon which had "The Coffee Nook" but when we got there, all closed up? Darn.....we did see this funeral home and I got some produce at a little farmstand.

Between the teeny town of Nenzel (population - 20) and Valentine, the time changed, we lost an hour and now in the central time zone.

The next 2 nights we'll be in Valentine (4 miles north) at the Fishberry Campground. Their website said they have a laundromat, but.....office was locked this afternoon. Usually that is a separate entrance, but not the case here. So we drove into town and did 2 loads at "Loads of Fun" laundromat.

wasn't one of our better choices, but when it's all you've got? Maybe tomorrow we can do the rest here in the park. They have strange hours as to when someone is actually here?

Since washing RV's is usually a no no in parks/campgrounds, we were surprised, there was no such rule on the info sheet for Fishberry....so we did a little hosing down and scrubbing of Flo (she looks much better). Took big red thru a car wash in town. It's crazy with all the dust out here, gravel roads, campgrounds, etc.

The Cowboy Trail (former railroad tracks) runs 321 miles in Nebraska and we drove alongside it today. May check it out tomorrow on our bikes.

After the laundry, we went to Frosty's Drive-In for supper......good food and long time since we've been to a drive-in, bringing your food on a tray and hooking up to window! I had a corndog that was delicious - long time since I've had one of these good ole summertime treats - all that was missing was a lemon shake-up1 Fun!

Have a great weekend.....stay safe 'n healthy. These covid #'s just keep climbing. We're in Cherry County, NE and their total # of cases is 4 (FOUR)! Yeah!

Thursday - August 13

This has been an interesting day.............dealing with extreme heat, dust, dirt and electrical issues here at our park. We left Glenrock this morning around 10:15 and just one brief stop in Lusk, WY at "Bean Grinder", (delicious iced drinks hit the spot). We visited with the owners - cute couple who we talked with about Sturgis, SD (just 150 miles north), where the big bike festival was going on, they warned us that the next gas station was full of bikers. Yup....we passed it by and of course, just a teeny part of the supposedly 250,000 who attended this year's rally.

We kept on trucking on Interstate 25 and then Highway 20. While still in Wyoming on Highway 20, we hit construction and my gosh....it was unlike anything we've ever seen. 2 sections totaling about 15 miles. They had totally torn up the road and it was all fine dust and dirt and very rough + all the big trucks involved in this construction. They had developed a new road for traffic (taking turns sharing this makeshift "dirt" road with road workers directing traffic) The dust was something else and poor Flo really got jostled around! Good thing they don't get much rain or what a muddy mess that would be.

And then we were in Nebraska - more pretty scenery and free of dusty, dirty construction. We traveled 140 miles total, and after first checking out the town of Crawford, NE, we picked up some sandwiches to go at the Tailgate Bar and Grill (only 900+ in this little town, but this place had been recommended). While I waited for the sandwiches, Mark got some diesel for Big Red and onto the Fort Robinson State Park Campground, It is 22,000 miles of nature and everything imaginable to see, do and enjoy. When Mark first booked this spot for 1 night, we thought "yeah, we will do some hiking". Well not.....as along with all the dust, the temps kept climbing and 100 was the peak! Needless to say, we do not hike in these temps.

We had an issue with the electrical box at our site after Mark exhausted all other options of what could be wrong only getting 1/2 the power on our 50 amp service. Mark figured it out and the guy who just stopped by didn't have a clue what to do. His boss will stop be tomorrow and fix (we'll be long gone)! We'll be comfortable tonight with 1 AC with just 30 amp service but geez......nothing like this happening on one of thee hottest days.

Enjoyed our sandwiches and stayed indoors!

Dusty highway - we were on the far left "new" makeshift road and main road is to the right

Workers moving the dirt around

Nebraska scenery

Flatlands of NE

The Buttes of Nebraska

Steamy day just outside Crawford, Nebraska

Wednesday - August 12

Hello from Glenrock, Wyoming where it was 98 when we arrived at 2:15 after traveling 233 miles on Interstates 90 and 25. We are in the boonies again on the outskirts of town at the Platte River Campground.

Mark made a trip to Garryowen to pick up our mail this morning and got the scoop on the population of 2. A man and his worker lived above the store and that made up the population for years. They have since sold the business to the local Indian tribe so the postmistress is not sure what will happen (currently 0 population). Mail covers 550 residents "outside" of Garryowen. We stopped in Buffalo, WY for our coffee fix appropriately named "Fix".!

Thank you Montana for a great visit - we enjoyed sooo much beauty from your state!

Wyoming had much more civilization but still very pretty.. However, soon as we crossed the state line, the roads were definitely rougher. Went past the bigger towns of Sheridan and Casper.

Had a brief shower along the way, but just enough to make Flo and Big Red dirty again......arghhh!

Welcome to Wyoming

Just one night in Wyoming - tomorrow....Nebraska, here we come!

Started my eye drop regime today - 4x a day for the next 2 weeks before I have first appointment leading to cataract surgery.

BLT's for supper - sure would've liked some fresh sweet corn to go with our sandwiches.....oh well, we'll look forward to that back in the Midwest! Fields of corn are very few and far between here in the west.

Tuesday - August 11

Hot and sunny today - 97. I did zoom session - funeral mass for my cousin's husband at Holy Cross in Mendota, IL - the video was good but not so much the audio and some of the other zoom participants did not mute their volume, so.....

Afterwards we took off for Garryowen and checked out this "itty bitty" area of a Conoco gas station, general store and post office. We're thinking the owners live upstairs (population of 2) and run these businesses???

Off to the Bighorn Battlefield - got a map of the area and 1st stop was the huge Custer National Cemetery. We parked and walked around the cemetery (they had every other parking space not in use with a cone). Not seen that before and when we left, many more people came and parking would be a problem? The visitor center was closed. As we drove the battlefield route, I read the various markers/landmarks to Mark.

From there we drove to Hardin (18 miles away) - the closest "big" town of 4,000+. Not too much here but had lunch at DQ (carryout and ate in Big Red) and on back to Flo.

Read and took a nap this afternoon. Did zoom with Claire and Kathy, supper and then a walk up the hill.