Catch Up--10-5-10

It's been a long time since my last post and a lot has happened. We arrived in the Mankato, MN area on 9-7 and we camped in Shady Oaks Campground inside the county fairgrounds in Garden City. The town was very small but the campground was quite and surrounded by trees-very nice. We were alone and then others came in and they all parked around us when there was all this room--don't know why. It didn't much matter because we were always gone. Bob's Mom's side of the family the Kresoya's were having a reunion. Just cousins except for one 94 yr. old uncle. Everyone congregated over at the home of Pat & Pete Hansen just a few minutes from us. Pat fed all of us the whole time thru the 12th and it was all good. She would hardly let anyone help her. We had brought 2 watermelons: We bought them while in Montana researching my grandfather but they had come up the day before from Nebraska from the farmer that grew them and boy were they good and sweet. We all ate on it the entire time we were there and she said she ate on it for another week after that. The other one went with us to IN. We had a great time visiting with his cousins. A few were missing but a good time was had by
all and I got everyone to write up a short geneaology and took pictures by family groupings and will pass it on to someone else to pass out to others who might want it along with the pictures.

We left on Sunday morning for DeKalb, IL to stop and see Karen Haas and her new baby. We parked in a WalMart lot and she came over where we were and we had a really nice visit. She is like another daughter because she and Christy were always together. It was so good to see them both. We left the next morning.

We arrived in Seymour the same day and parked in my cousin, Candy's driveway. We had a 50 amp hookup and was out of her way. Took our car to be serviced and cleaned and polished while we were going to be gone. Bob and I went our separate ways visiting with friends in town. The next morning Candy took us to the Indy airport to fly to Tampa to visit for a few days with Christy and her family. Couldn't get up to see our son so hopefully at Christmas time on the way to Tampa. We had a great time playing with our grandchildren and celebrating our son-in-laws birthday with his family. We flew back to Indy and my step-father picked us up at the airport because Candy was gone to Gatlinburg, TN for several days. We picked up our car and spent more time visiting with friends and getty my hair cut by my hometown beautician-Yea!!!!! Two different couples came out to the RV and spent time visiting with us and seeing our home on wheels. The weather was wonderful fall and it was so nice to be home. That will always be home for me no matter where else I may live.

We left Seymour on the 24th to drive to Campbellsville, KY to Heartland Campground on top of a hill across the road from Amazon.com where we are now working and hopefully will be until Dec. 23. They just finished the campground in Aug. so it is just flat gravel with elec., water and sewer and WiFi if you can get it. The laundry and shower area is very nice and clean and the people are real nice. The town is quite nice also.

Bob is working full time now which is M,T,Th,F from 5pm till 3:30 am which is the hours he wanted and I am working part-time days which is W,Th,F from 6am till 4:30 pm. We will be working until Dec. 23 if all goes well.

We went to Bowling Green last Sat. the 2nd to get a new head for our antenna. Somewhere we lost a one wing off the bat wing.It is now installed by Bob but it needs an additional hook up to be fully operational and that requires electrical and he doesn't do that. Then on Sun. we went to a local Christian Church which was real nice and the congregation was very friendly. Next weekend we go back to Seymour because my brother is in from Yuma and we will be buring my cousin Kenny who died out in AZ. and then near the end of the month we will also go back for one final eye Dr. app't. Things are "looking" good with my eye so I am in hopes I can stop putting in drops. That's pretty well put me up to date so I will close and hope to keep up better from now on.

To Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D. 9-5-7-2010

In Montana and Wyoming we were beginning to see ranch land with grassland and then planted alfalfa fields for hay and lots and lots of hay bales and pronghorn antelope.



In South Dakota we were seeing more planted fields with corn and lots of sunflowers, some corn and either milo or sorghum, I think. The weather has been nice and sunny and comfortably warm. We would never get anywhere if I took all the pictures of old run down shacks and out buildings that I wanted. The way it is by the time you see it you have passed it. I guess I will have to come back riding a bike in order to stop fast enough to get the pictures. I did get a cute picture of a metal guy leading a huge metal dinosaur near 1880 Town on I90 Exit 170.

We spent overnight in the R&R Campground in Mitchell, S.D. Nice place. We have stayed in several Passport America parks at about $18/night and they were nice. Passport is very worth belonging to, I think and we did this by calling the night before on a holiday weekend. It had rained the night before and was still threatening and cooler. We drove to the Corn Palace in town and toured the inside and out. This is an auditorium where they play local basketball games, have concerts, proms, etc. This is the 3rd one built since 1892. It was built to showcase the crops grown in the area and to attract immigrant farmers to settle here and also a festival was planned to celebrate the harvest. Renowned entertainers were brought here and area crops were exhibited to celebrate the fertility of the land and the productivity of the people and this continues today. It is also known around the world as a folk-art wonder on the prarie of South Dakota. Each year a new decorating theme is choses and the outside of the building is stripped and redecorated with new corn and grain. In early summer the process begins with removal of the old grasses and grains. Over the summer, 3,000 bushels of milo, rye, oat heads and sour dock are tied in bundles and attached. The corn murals have to wait until late summer when the corn crop is ready. The corn they now plant in a separate field in order to grow the colors and keep them consistent: red, brown, black, blue, white, orange, calico, yellow and green. Over a half million ears of corn are sawed in half and nailed to the buildings following patterns created by the local artist. All summer long you can watch this process being completed. This year's theme was transportation so their were pictures showing all the different modes of transportation. Inside there is a lobby with a couple of food areas and gifts to buy and then the auditorium with bleachers on one side and a stage on the other with mural above the stage and high on the side walls. These permanent murals were created byOscar Howe a Sioux artist and South Dakots artist laureate. Along the walls their are pictures of all many of the past completed palaces thru the years. This is the 3rd one. The first burned and I think the second they tore down because it was all wood and the city had passed an ordinance against public buildings being all wood but they discovered that it was too small also. The first was built in 1892, then 1905 and the present one in 1921. They used to decorate both sides as well as the front but the city built their city building right next to it and eliminated one of the sides. It costs around $130,000/year to do this. It is an interesting sight.

The next evening we had rain and lots of strong wind and the next day as we drove toward Mankato, MN we had strong side winds and gloomy weather but we made it here to the little town of Garden City in a county fairgrounds campground. One of only two campers surrounded by trees. Very nice and inexpensive. This is as close to his cousins house as we could get. Patsy and Pete live back in the woods with no way to take in the RV. Their house will be the center of all the activity. We went there last night and had brats and beans and enjoyed their company. Penny and Ray are flying in today and and we are to meet them at his Uncle Ben's house in Edina which is near Minneapolis. His wife just died a few weeks ago.

Recived a call last night from Mr. Lambert from whom we bought the melons and whose father-in-law worked on the railroad. The father is hard of hearing so he transmitted info back and forth and at least I know where the home office for the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe RR is which is Forth Worth. I will see if they have any info on my grandad.

Researching Pappy in Montana--9-4-10

We left Reed Point, MT this morning and headed to Hardin and Crow Agency. Saw a flock of wild turkeys close by in a field we passed early on in the morning and all day still saw lots of pronghorn antelope. They love the fields of growing green alfalfa--you see these white spots and know what they are before you get close.

Hardin is a town just before you get to Crow Agency and I thought maybe they might have a museum or something that I might do some research on my grandfather. My grandfather Stegner worked in the town of Crow Agency when he was 23 in 1910. He was a telegrapher for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway Company and the reason I know this is because my brother gave me information and because I found a copy of a train order dated Aug. 16, 1910 with his signature in my genealogy papers. Sure enough there was the Hardin Historical Museum with lots of buildings and stuff outside and other things inside. One sweet little lady lead me to the backroom where they kept the old newspapers. The oldest book was from 1908-1910 but didn't find anything in them; however, she knew a gentleman who used to work for the railroad. Unfortunately he had just moved to Nebraska but his son-in-law was supposed to be up here delivering watermelons, squash,etc. yesterday. We found him by phone at a local store and he stopped by the museum on his way out of town. Not only did we buy 2 melons to take to MN for the reunion and an acorn squash for me but the ladies in the museum were happy also because they hadn't gotten any as of yet. We told him about my grandfather and what I was doing and he took our card to give to his father-in-law. That was a very interesting stop.

We headed into town to go back to the interstate and to DQ for lunch; however, we didn't turn where we were supposed to and ended up going the opposite direction on a narrow county road. After a few miles we finally found a road to the interstate and back to DQ.

We headed toward Crow Agency and went into their downtown(barely). I think this is almost totally an Indian town. I went into the local store and told her what I was doing and ask for any really old people 90-100+ and after some discussion with others in the store they sent me to the local nursing home. I bet they don't suffer from all the dimentia that we white people do. Anyway I had the opportunity to speak with a lovely lady of 94 years named Winona Plenty Hoops. She is almost totally blind but so sweet. Again didn't really learn anything regarding my grandfather but we had the nicest conversation and she was telling me about her grandfather and where they lived in Lodge Grass and how they came to live there. They were getting ready to play Bingo so I had to quit talking because we were in the same room but she asked me if I was going to be around for a few days but I had to tell her no and she said that was too bad. She would like to talk more. I didn't learn much the whole day but sure had a great time.

The railroad now is called Burlington Northern Santa Fe. I have to discover how to get in touch with them. Tonight we are parked in a WalMart in Gillette, WY

Smelterville, ID to Reed Point, MT--9-3-10

We left a little late this morning because we were on the phone checking on my insurance. We are driving on Interstate 90 thru Idaho and now thru Montana. The countryside was really beautiful. We are in mountains and then rolling hills and then into some pasture and farmland where I think they are growing mostly alfalfa for hay. The mixture of colors is wonderful and the some of the trees are beginning to turn a little yellow.

Missoula is located in a large valley very spread out. I would like to come back here and visit some time. We saw this very tall smokestack that was used years ago which we had seen on the way up or last year and we also went past Butte. This was the town we found in which we found the pasties on the way to Alaska. I also had a good view of the large white statue of Jesus up on the mountain top.

We saw lots of antelope munching on the new green alfalfa that the ranchers were growing and also crossed the Yellowstone River a couple of times and it followed us along. We came into Reed Point, MT where we are spending the night in the Old West RV Park. Quaint little town but not much here. This Sunday they have a big sheep drive thru town and I guess there are vendors and the town is packed--we leave tomorrow morning. It would be interesting to see though.

Still in Oregon--Aug. 25-Sept. 2

I am not keeping as good a notes as I was but somewhere during these days this is what went on with us. As far as the coach is concerned it is as finished as it will be until we get to Florida in 2011. The cargo door is new and silvery but it will be painted in Florida. We left the coach sitting at Monaco and drove to Florence which is on the coast. It is a lovely town right on the ocean. Bob and I just wandered around the shops and they also had some tents set up by the marina that was selling things. I finally bought me a french butter keeper. You can keep your butter sitting out and it will not get rancid. This was the least expensive one I've seen. A Baptist church had a small tent and was handing out things but the wind caught it just right and tore it up so we were holding things down so he could start taking it down.

We went on down the coast road just a little and went to the Sea Lion Caves. They say it is the largest sea cave in the U.S. It is a 2 acre cave. They have even put in an elevator that is 208 feet thru solid rock and this was done over a period of 2 years because they could only work on it when the sea lions were out of the cave. It is still privately owned and is very nice. The state or national talked of taking it over and the people of Oregon wouldn't have it. The owners have done a great job of protecting the Stellar Sea Lions. Their are also Grey Whales that pass thru the ocean in this area. A side note: the California Sea Lions disappeared from San Francisco Bay and many of them were tagged and they discovered that they had come up into this area in order to follow the fish into cooler waters. The sea lions have already had their calves and are beginning to go back into the ocean but there were quite a few mom and pups lounging in the sun on some rocks outside the cave. From their building property you could see up the road to the Heceta Head Lighthouse which is very pretty and still being used.

We drove on up the coast and then caught a road going inland and wandered awhile trying to locate a William J. Finley National Wildlife Refuge. We finally found it and drove thru a portion of it and at one point we parked and I hiked down one of their trails to the lake and saw some ducks and white pelicans and I think the back half of a red fox. There were blackberry briars and ripe blackberries so I went back to the car for my jug and picked a half gallon to take home. Back at the coach the next day before we left I baked a cake and added 2 cups of berries. It was good.

We left Monaco and drove north from Eugene toward Portland but stopped at Champoeg State Park and stayed for 2 nights. In the morning I got up and went for a hike on some of their trails while Bob went to Camping World. I got some good walking in and then after he returned we went over to McMinnville to the Evergreen Air and Space Museum and spent the rest of the day touring it. The main attraction is the Spruce Goose that Howard Hughes designed and had built and flew. It was very interesting. The next morning I went to the Pioneer Mother's Cabin which was closed and up to the Museum which was very interesting but I missed the garden but I also ran out of time. I also drove to the Butteville Store in the town of the same name. It is one of the oldest continuously operating stores. It began in the 1860's. I picked up a small Zucchini and Squash Receipe Book. We drove back to Portland.

We parked in front of Penny and Ray's again just for 2 days. My Dr. appt. went well and he cut my doses down so that was good. They had friends over for dinner that night and we showed them the coach. Nice couple. The next day Penny and I went looking at bicycles for us both. Neither bought but we have information at least. Saw Derek at the mattress store and tried out mattresses and then went home. That evening we treated Penny and Ray to dinner out in thanks for all their hospitatality. We went to the Portland Grill, a very nice place with a full view of the city. Great food and great company.

We left about 9:30 thursday the second and drove to Smelterville, ID and parked in a WalMart.

Still at Monaco in Coburg--Aug. 24

We had a nice visit with Deven and Raiko at their home in Eugene. We missed Elly because she had previous plans. We spent most of the time visiting outside because I am allergic to cats but it was interesting seeing what he had planted in his yard and is planning to do. His back yard has 2 levels and on the upper level he has the frame of a greenhouse and several raised beds and some are already planted. Because the soil is not real good on the hill he has planted prarie flowers and grasses as well as in some of the front yard. He will put plastic over the frame and enclose it. On the lower level he also has some raised beds for vegetables and around the sides of the house. In the front on one side he has a fence encloser that has berry briars. They make a lot of freezer jams using marionberries, blueberries, and blackberries. We are at the end of the growing season here but I bet his yard is beautiful in the spring and early summer. I love plants and knowing what they are so I really enjoyed his yard tour.

We left and stopped at the grocery near him to pick up a few things and outside they had a large display of organic vegetables and we tried some very small tomatoes and it was like eating candy they were so sweet.

Over the weekend we stayed in the Monaco parking area where they have electricity. One afternoon we drove to a couple of parks and stopped to do some hiking in the Elijah Bristow State Park. It was so good to get out and do some hiking. This is the season for the blackberries to ripen and they are everywhere. All I had to collect some in was a quart ziplock bag but I could have filled a gallon without a problem. These wild briars are everywhere and the wild are always sweeter and tastier than the tame. There are a couple of fields right next to the Monaco and Cummins businesses and around them are they huge briar patches. People from the coaches have been picking them. It is very dry here. There are farms all around this area and when you are driving into the large valleys the sky is hazy. The farmers are out cutting hay and plowing and the dust is rising so I am assuming that accounts for the haze. All the fields except for the fields of broccoli or brussel sprouts are brown as well as the yards. They are waiting for the rains to begin.

On Monday afternoon we drove back to Portland to stay with Penny and then go to my eye Dr. on Tues. a.m. early. We stopped at Camping World on the way up and back to pick up some items. Deven and Raiko arrived at Penny's in the late afternoon/early evening. Raiko was going to stay with Penny and Ray while Deven went on business to Washington State to meet with some mint buyers for the rest of the week. Penny was trying to bribe us to stay and help but we are still dealing with the RV--waiting for an OK from the insurace company to do one last thing.

The report from the eye Dr. was that everything is progressing and he has cut back my medication. He will see me for the last time next week and then I have to see my doctor in either IN or FL in the next few weeks. When I look only thru my left eye it is still blurry but at least it doesn't affect seeing out of the other eye. He says this may take a few months and then I may still not have as good a sight as I had in that one eye but there is nothing I could have done besides cancel our trip or delay our leaving and caught up with them later. That would have meant that we missed a lot and wasted money. Oh well, that's life on the road with a caravan. Caravaning is fun but is not something I would do on a regular basis. After the appointment we went to a beauty school and had my hair trimmed and Bob had the oil changed in the Saturn as well as the air filter which was no surprise considering the dust we were in travelling. We headed back to Coburg and our RV so we are waiting.......

Time in Portland & around Oregon--Aug.14-18

Bob found a really good deal at the truck stop for washing and putting rainX all over the coach so he and Raymond went and had that done. It certainly looks better. On Saturday evening Penny, Ray, Bob and I went to see the movie Salt and afterwards they showed us around the town. We went into a hotel that has a balcony on the 8th floor outside their bar. It was really beautiful looking at all the lights. While we were in the bar with Penny and Ray there was a guy who came over and asked Bob if she was Judge Judy. She says that she gets that a lot. We went from there to another spot that serves drinks and warm Gorgonzola cheesecake with bread. This was one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth. This was about 11 p.m. We made one more spot that they wanted to show us. It was a good restaurant but not serving by that time but it also had a bar and music and the place was hopping. We just hung around for a few minutes and they said Hi to some people they knew and we went home. Needless to say, the next morning we slept late.

On Sunday I washed clothes and tried to collect all our stuff and put it back in the coach so we could leave on Monday. I've also been going thru old mail but not doing much on the computer. We also drove over to Derek and Mike's house for dinner. We ordered Thai food which was real good and Penny had made a fresh peach cobbler for dessert. I was in the back seat holding it and trying to keep it level and not spill it all the way over. I was so glad to get there and never spilled a bit. I took my computer and Mike showed me how to do a few things with my pictures which really helped me.

I went to the eye Dr. on Mon. morning early and he gave me a good report, but I could already tell that it was getting better. My eye is no longer blurry--thank you Lord--but I will see him again on the 24th to see if maybe I can cut back on the medication I am taking. After getting back to Penny's we hooked up the car and left for Coburg near Eugene for the coach repairs and maintenance. Coburg is the location of one of the manufacturing plants for diesel Monaco coaches and some trailers they make. We also took a tour of the plant and learned about all the new things they are doing since being bought out by Navistar. They started work on our coach on Tues. morning.

Today we went over to the town of Sisters which is toward Bend, Oregon. Dee and Marvin are there and we were going to spend some time with them. It took longer than we expected to get there because one of the roads is a scenic byway and it is really twisty and going up to over 5000 ft. and back down. It was a beautiful drive and we went thru where the Belknap Crater had exploded 1700 years ago and there was all this black lava rock for about 20 miles. We didn't know about it before hand. It was truly something to see and still not much growing throughout the area. They still have some things to do on the coach so we will still be here for a few days because when they are done we go across the road to a Cummins shop to change the oil and filters. We also want to see Deven and his family again and see where they live in Eugene which is very near here.