Home

The journey has ended.  We have traveled 8,998 miles in the coach.  Add to that 8,365 in the car for a grand total of 17,363 miles on the road over seven months this year from Sunday, February 23rd to Sunday, September 21st!  Needless to say, it feels wonderful to be home and off the road in spite of all the fabulous sights and great times we experienced this year.  At the most recent count we have something like 23,000 photographs on my computer.  That amounts to on average 82 miles and 109 photos per day over a period of 211 days.  We've covered 39 states in two years and I wouldn't have wanted to miss a single one of them.

Snoopy is loving his new running and exploring space and the wonder of having lizards on the window screens.  We are enjoying having room to spread out without having to "pickup-to-move" every day or so.  We are going to delve into our hobbies and the charity work we enjoy doing during our time off.  We'll even play at being "retired."  The beach is calling to me as I write.

We'll hear soon what our territory will be next summer.  I'll let you know when we hear the news where the road will take us during next year's journey.  We hope you will join us.

In the meantime, we are going to take a well-earned rest.  Thank you for following us down the road through this incredible Country we all call home.  

South of Atlanta

Tonight we stopped in a little town called Wenona just south of Atlanta.  Crossing from Cordova, Alabama southeasterly along everything from Interstate highways to two-lane, small town roads, we traveled through Birmingham, then into Georgia through Columbus and on through Plains, Georgia until we reached I-75 near Cordele.  It was a long day from 8 am to 4 pm with a small stop in a Home Depot parking lot for lunch.

Along the way we traversed the Fort Benning Military Reservation where basic training for the Army is done.  I think I visited the base with my parents when I was 16 to see my cousin Steve who was in basic training there at the time.  We also passed the birth town of our 39th President, Jimmy Carter in Plains, Georgia.  Plains has not changed since the last time I drove through the town sometime in the 1980's.  Today we saw our first cotton fields with bits of white peeking out through the leaves and passed through orchards of pecan trees with the beginnings of pecans decorating the trees looking like little green beads hung in the leaves.

We are a little more than 350 miles from home now and will spend one more night on the road.  The weather is warm and rain has crossed our path a couple of times today.  It was a good day and tonight we are in a KOA Campground at the edge of I-75 after spending the night last night in rural Alabama in the middle of what seemed like nowhere.  The campground there was in a big grassy field surrounded by pines with only one street light at the end of the field.  We were the only overnight camper with just a couple of "seasonals" in place and what looked like some stored campers.  In the total darkness overnight I was listening for the bogey man to appear!  Funny how you get used to crowded campground parking and freeways to feel safe!

We are now officially in the Eastern Daylight Savings time zone.  After a seven hour drive today, we are tired and heading off to go to sleep.  All is well and they have left the light on here for us tonight.  For that we are grateful.  

Graceland & Memphis TN

Today we arrived in Memphis, Tennessee.  This is a first visit for me and it was an opportunity to see Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley.  The grounds and home are maintained impeccably with tours managed in such a way that the crowds don’t feel overwhelming as you walk through the mansion.  That makes the visit more personable as if you are a guest in his home not a curious fan.  This is also the site where Elvis, his parents and his grandmother are buried. 

The tour includes an iPad with earphones for each person on the tour that describes each room of the house and the grounds as you go through filling in details about Elvis, the room’s use, its décor and bits of history.  The description changes as you move about automatically and includes interactive options as well if you want more details by just touching the screen as you go.  It made it so special because I could hear and see each description very well as I walked about.  Technology is amazing!

We were impressed by how many tourists were here from other countries.  With the kids back in school, seniors were certainly in the majority on this tour and obviously we’re the generation who remembers Elvis the best at this point.  The tour includes the main level and lower level (basement) of the home, the grounds and outer buildings situated on thirteen acres that make up the estate.  Across the street the two custom jet planes used by Elvis are on display.  I don’t know what I imagined Graceland to be, but I came away with a respect for the man Elvis was because of the down-to-earth and charitable way in which he lived according to what we were told on the tour and from the homey feeling of his residence.

Daughter of Elvis, Lisa Marie still returns to stay in the home when she is in town.  The upper level is a private family area the tour does not include.  There are still horses on the property, although we did not see them during our time there.  The Mississippi River is about a five-minute drive away and downtown Memphis is about twenty minutes from the estate.

We went down to Memphis after the tour for dinner with Jim’s nephew Danny and his wife Ginger at the Blues City Café which has been featured on television and in magazines for its ribs.  We tried the gumbo soup, the ribs and ended the meal with pecan pie à la mode.  The opportunity to visit with Danny and Ginger was terrific.

We all strolled Beale Street (the main street of Memphis) after dinner on what turned out to be the traditional Wednesday “bike night” downtown listening to blues music coming from a couple of outdoor venues as well as bars and restaurants along the street making it a very festive atmosphere and the music reminding me of New Orleans.  Crowds of all ages were admiring the bikes and enjoying the warm evening fragrant with the smells of Southern cooking lingering along the street.

Omaha, Arkansas

Traveling from Peculiar, Missouri today we had good weather and saw the beginnings of the corn harvest.  Interesting rock formations continue along the road and layers of sediment in multiple colors of rock appear where the highway has been cut through the rolling hills that are now more prevalent.

We have now crossed into Arkansas stopping in a town called Omaha just south of Branson.  This is where the Ozark Mountains are located and we can see them tonight from the hilltop where our RV Park is situated.  High on a bluff, we have views in three directions all the way to the horizon, which yielded a wonderful sunset as a finale to the day. 

We arrived here after having lunch with Jim’s cousin Patsy and her husband Jack at a restaurant called Lambert’s Café in Ozark, Missouri.  Visiting with them after a 33-year hiatus since Jim, Jack and Patsy had their last get together made for a fun lunch.  This is my first opportunity to meet a portion of Jim’s Midwest family.  The restaurant is famous for tossing yeast rolls to its patrons across the tables from the aisles for everyone to catch in midair as the hot rolls come out of the oven.  It is also famous for its large portions and what they call a “pass around” – servings of fried okra, pasta, fried potatoes and beans served by the spoon full in addition to whatever you ordered.  A great place to visit and be sure to bring a big appetite.

A young couple bought this RV park two years ago and I can see the effort they are putting into the park with flower beds, a new pond, fountain and landscaping around a variety of trees from cedar, to oak to black walnut.  The crickets are out chirping in force and it is as if we are staying at someone’s home rather than an RV Park as we park on grass under the trees around the office.  It is busy here with the park filling all around us after we arrived.  We will be home by Sunday.  Both of us are ready after all these months on the road.

On The Road Again

We have left Owatonna, MN and traveled south safely again for two days spending the first night near Altoona, Iowa and last night just below Kansas City, Missouri in a spot called Peculiar, Missouri.  The skies have cleared and we are enjoying a 20 degree rise in overnight temperatures.  Walking last night after dinner without a jacket was decidedly a pleasure.

The draw of home has modified our plans and we are going to linger less along the way and drive more.  As the sun touches the tiniest of white clouds above us beginning its climb over the horizon, we are already getting ready to get on the road.

The last two days have been a passage through rolling farmlands dotted with silver silos and red barns we've grown accustomed to.  The corn is still not harvested nor the soybeans.  In one area yesterday we saw evidence of the deluge of rain the farmers endured here about a week ago.  The stalks of corn in one low lying field were muddy-looking two thirds of the way up what appeared to be totally dead stalks.  The streams and rivers here are high and also muddy-looking.  Fall leaves are still eluding us.  And so it goes traveling south "on the road again."  

Winnebago Plant

We did tour a Winnebago Plant yesterday also.  It was absolutely amazing to see the work that goes into constructing an RV like all of the different ones we see on the road.  We saw several versions on the "line" in several states of completion.  We were not allowed to take photos inside the plant as we traveled through several buildings on their property.

We saw computer controlled machines that cut the fabric and leather for chairs, trim and interior cabinet lining.  The process uses computer designed patterns to minimize the wasted portions.  Then we saw the cushions sewn together and the most amazing vacuum system to shrink foam to fit perfectly into the cushion where it then expands back to its original size to fill the cushion.  The foam is purchased locally in pre-trimmed sizes for everything they make.  In fact Winnebago uses local providers for many of their components, in not most!  This creates a delivery system to them called "just in time" meeting their needs as they arise and avoiding the need to keep huge amounts of parts and material inventory on hand at their factory.

The chassis for smaller campers are built by Ford or Mercedes while large RVs like ours are Cummins.  These are delivered by truck to the Winnebago factory which keeps a three week supply or about 600 on hand in various sizes.  The chassis are ordered and used to fulfill orders from dealers so each RV is already pre-sold before they start making it.  Upon delivery to the dealer, Winnebago is paid with a middleman transport company across the street from the factory working between the dealers and Winnebago to coordinate the deliveries.

We saw welders working on attaching the RV frame to the chassis, then the floors and side panels being constructed and finally the roof put into place.  Then wiring and plumbing and interior cabinetry is installed.  The exterior is painted on-site by a separate business.  They even have a "test track" and a "shower stall" where the RV is test driven and checked for leaks.

So it was a great experience to see all of this I highly recommend to anyone.  I took away a feeling of confidence in the quality emphasis (not quantity) the company is focused on.  I also am so pleased to see so many Americans making a product "from scratch" with American parts.  Hurray for Winnebago!  By the way, the average age of workers there is 47 years with lots of evidence of ages both younger and older as we walked the factory floor.  There were as many women employed as men.  The company requires a high school diploma to start there and they have on-site training.  Another pat on the back for Winnebago and the little town of Forest City, in the middle of Iowa that makes all of this possible.  You have my utmost admiration!

 

Spam Museum

The Spam Museum is located in Austin, Minnesota and is the world headquarters for Hormel Foods.  The Spam ham product was named by Ken Daigneau, a Hollywood actor who coined the word from what the product is made of:  "spice" and "ham" or S-P-A-M and for which he won a $100 prize when the name he came up with was chosen by Mr. Hormel.  From its inception in July 5, 1937 to now SPAM has remained a constant popular product of the Hormel Foods Company and is marketed around the world.  There are now ten flavors available including the original Classic SPAM flavor, SPAM with cheese, SPAM with pepper, SPAM with jalapeno, Spam Light, Spam Hot & Spicy or Low Sodium SPAM for example.  The U.S. state it is most popular in is Hawaii when annually they have an event called SPAM Jam the last week of April.  Japan and Australia are also top consumers.

SPAM got its kick-start during the World War II effort with the military using it to feed the troops.  It was marketed on the radio starting in 1946 by the first women's military band ever created at the time.  With only women who had served during the war playing in the band, the product and the band gained huge popularity.  As television became more available, dancers were added to the Hormel Girls with everyone traveling around the country to promote SPAM in uniforms and driving white cars with Hormel and SPAM lettering.  The act continued until 1952 when it became too expensive to maintain.  But by then SPAM was a household staple.

The museum is moving from its building at the Hormel factory to downtown Austin.  We were lucky to see it before it closes for two years to make the move.  The visit was interesting and we now know more about Spam than we ever knew.  We are also the proud new owners of two cans acquired in their really nice gift store (two of the tamer versions-Classic and Spam with Cheese.)  I was also surprised to see how many products Hormel has on the market that I buy regularly.  We'll let you know how the taste test works out....

The company holds many trademarks (see photo above) and also emphasizes safety since its inception.  Processing 10,000 hogs a day, they produce 44,000 cans of SPAM per hour!

Mall of America

Jim and I drove directly north about an hour today from our RV park to Minneapolis to see the "Mall of America"-the largest mall in America!  Along the way the weather threatened rain and it was chilly, really giving us impetus to head south on Saturday when we leave Minnesota for Des Moines, Iowa.  The leaves are starting to change color with a few glimpses of red and yellow here and there. The farmers have fields and fields of corn and soybeans to harvest here and other that the city, the countryside here is all about farming, with red barns, white houses and steel or cement block silos.  It is a contrast from the horse and cattle ranches of our last stay-over.

The Mall of America is three levels with an amusement park in the middle of it.  You can ride several roller coasters, a ferris wheel, a carousel or a zip line.  There are Legos to see and build or toy stores to browse plus food courts to visit for treats or meals all within the center of the mall.

There is every store here you could possibly imagine from Nordstrom's to Macy's or Sears to Hallmark and every size and specialty store you have ever seen.

If you walk the circuit of any level you have covered a mile.  We did all three levels and ended up with about three and a half miles.  Mayo Clinic even has a "heart trail" measured out within the mall.  On winter days this would be an ideal walking venue.  But I would have to stop for a Cinnabon and coffee after!

If you are ever in the area, this is a worthwhile excursion.  I just left my credit card at home, because it would be easy to spend money here.  We controlled ourselves (except for lunch) and I am proud of us.  We did walk through the Apple Store hoping to see their new computer watch, but it won't be in until January.  I sat in a Brookstone massage chair about two-thirds of the way through and it was so nice I seriously hope I win the lottery one of these days!  That or the VW would be one my first purchases!

Travel Day

Today we traveled from Mitchell, South Dakota to Owatonna, Minnesota after waiting for a heavy layer of fog to lift in Mitchell and after a momentary scare of thinking we'd lost Jim's cell phone.  The cell phone had slipped down between the seat and door of our car with its ringer turned to silent so dialing its number was to no avail.  Luckily after the third search of the RV and car, we found it and that spells R-E-L-I-E-F!

The fog was also testy lasting until 11:00 am before we could see across the Interstate highway just a few feet from where we stayed. We'd been watching the weather and wanted to head out before a predicted rainstorm to our west and at the same time we wanted to stay behind one to our east.  We accomplished both.  We arrived in Owatonna after a 270 mile trip through for the most part cornfields decorated with barns, farmhouses, cows and wind generators.

This is the end of our journey on I-90.  We will spend a planned four nights here exploring the largest mall in the country-"Mall of America", touring the Spam Museum and possibly a visit to the Winnebago manufacturing plant located about an hour from here to view the process of making an RV firsthand.

They are predicting heavy thunderstorms here tonight and tomorrow and we have a pesky engine warning light that came on today which may alter our plans but we'll see.  It is supposed to get cold here (at least by our standards) with the weather system that is coming through tonight.  We are also watching west for a Canadian cold front that may put snow into Montana and Wyoming.  We are glad we left Washington when we did!  At the same time we are watching east for a storm that has developed off the coast of Africa that could potentially become a hurricane.  We have no desire to deal with either of these types of weather up close and personally.  When we leave here we will head south on I-35 toward Memphis.  Our journey takes us down the west side of the Appalachian mountains.    

Wagon Train

South Dakota is celebrating its 125^th Anniversary of its Statehood.  One of the events occurring for the celebration of the anniversary is a wagon train.  Consisting of 45 wagons with their passengers and numerous horseback riders, more than 200 people will cover a 250-mile trip over 17 days ending up in the state capital of Pierre on September 20^th.

Today it stopped in Mitchell, SD while we were still there and to our delight we were able to photograph several of the drivers, wagons, mules and horses that make up the wagon train.   Settled in at the local rodeo grounds in Mitchell for the night.  They will rest here for tonight and through tomorrow, then have a celebration before continuing on their journey Wednesday morning. 

The feeling they may acquire along the road may indeed give them a small sense of what early pioneers experienced.  Breathing the cool morning air, hearing the sounds of horses, tack and wagons being prepared for the day’s trip, passing fields of grass swaying in the breeze or sharing stories at the end of the day around circled chairs are just a few of the possibilities that might recreate the feelings of pioneers within these modern day adventurers.

 By chance we heard of their adventure and found them.  We are glad we did.

Mitchell Corn Palace

The world's only Corn Palace is located in Mitchell, South Dakota.  First built in 1892 when the town was only twelve years old, the Palace has been a tourist attraction ever since. 

Originally it was constructed in an attempt to attract enough attention to the city to make Mitchell the state capital.  To their disappointment, Pierre was chosen by the powers that be.  However, their Corn Palace was such a huge success it has survived every year since then as an attraction.

The town also was attempting to attract new settlers to the area by demonstrating their agricultural bounty achieved in the fertile soil found here.   Each year for 122 years they have attached fresh corn cobs in twelve different colors and grains grown in the local area to the exterior of the building.  A new theme for the exterior pictures was created each year.  A drawing was done on roofing paper and then the corn cobs were cut in half, trimmed even and then nailed to the roofing paper according to the color pattern desired.  To maintain the purity of each cob's color, the corn is raised in separate fields by color so they do not intermingle.  Each fall the unveiling of the upcoming year's theme is unveiled during a fall festival after harvest.  

Over 3,000 bushels of rye, oat heads and sour dock are tied in bundles and attached to the walls surrounding the corn cob pictures.  Then 275,000 ears of corn are sawed in half lengthwise and nailed to the building.  Local artists create each year's designs known as a folk art wonder on the prairie of South Dakota.  Inside, the town hosts stage shows, basketball games, trade shows and thousands of visitors per year.  This is indeed an amazing sight to see!

Prehistoric Village

The climate existing now in South Dakota is the same as it was 1,000 years ago-hot summers and bitterly cold winters.  Climate was just one of the challenges the prehistoric peoples had over the one hundred years they chose to live here at a site discovered in Mitchell, South Dakota.  On a bluff overlooking a stream, they settled into farming and hunting.  Building houses into the ground, they achieved warmth in the winter and protection from the wind and snow.  The construction also provided a cool place to retreat to during hot summer days and offered protection from the rainstorms that could sweep violently across the plains.

An elaborate system of precious wood and sticks gathered with difficulty from the mostly grass covered plains was used to make supports for the roof and to hold the home’s clay walls in place.  Food storage pits were dug in its floor to preserve food.  Buffalo hide covered cots were constructed providing beds for the adults while children slept on the floor-all surrounding a central fire pit for warmth and cooking.  Unfortunately, the fire pit also led to their early demise in their late thirties or forties from lung diseases.

This matriarchal society revolved around the grandmother who taught house construction, cooking, the making of pottery and gardening while the older men passed on hunting skills to the youth.  These people were one of the first to grow crops for survival including corn, squash and beans mingling all three when planting the seeds in their gardens.  The corn in the center gave a stalk for the beans to grow up while the squash surrounded and supported the other two.  They sliced, dried and stored the squash.  Corn and beans were dried.  All were stored in cache pits within the home and then boiled to reconstitute the vegetables in large pots made from the clay they found in the area.  Every bit of the buffalo brought home from hunts was used for food, tools, clothing, blankets and even decorative items.  The buffalo skeleton below stands higher than Jim and he's 6' 2" tall!

All this and more is being learned by archeological excavations going on at this site.  The site has an ongoing, active excavation occurring here every summer.  Removing layer after layer of soil to reveal more and more details about these people and the way they lived, the site has been very successful in expanding our knowledge of prehistoric peoples.  The ability to see an actual archeological excavation and the methods used to preserve the history of this site is what makes it so interesting. 

Woman's Work

It has been interesting to see what a woman's life was like in 1880.  I am drawn irresistibly to the old ways of doing things but I also recognize the strenuous physical life that was endured by everyone at the time, men and women alike.  We took over three hundred photos today and I wish I could share others with you but I will end with the following:

There was church to nourish the soul...

and kittens to love...

with fine things to strive for...

and Long Horns for meat on the table...

along with a villain here and there to keep things interesting!