Collegedale, TN to Avon Park, FL

We were gone a few days short of five months. The motorhome registered 18,355 miles. The flight from Anchorage to Barrow was 1,525 miles round trip. We sailed on five ferries between Haines, AK and Prince Rupert, BC, for a total 645 miles. We also took three sightseeing cruises but have no idea the miles covered. Home was a very welcome sight! Our son and his family had kept the yard manicured, and everything look so very nice.

Wednesday, October 7, was a travel day to Collegedale, TN. We parked our unit at the home of our friends, Bob and Clymera Lorren and also visited with Cliff and Rachel Myers, former friends from Avon Park.

On October 2 we arrived at Hot Springs, AK and stayed there through October 6. While there we visited with his sister, Betty Montgomery, and sister-in-law, Faye Palsgrove.

Georgie

Yesterday we left Forest City and arrived today at St. Joseph, MO. Our stop here is to pick up Georgie. He is a Havanese puppy. This picture was taken when he was about three months old. However, we didn't pick him up until he was four months old. We had purchased him when we were in Alaska, and the breeder kindly held him for us. He is the most loving dog and won't let at least one of us out of his sight. When we move from room to room he trots after us. While I am typing this, he is on the floor beside me. We are actually posting this narrative on December 13. This breed comes from Cuba. They do not shed and are hypoallergenic. He gets along with our cat, Oreo, and loves to chase a ball. He seems to prefer to hang out with John, but he shares himself with Carol at times. Below is a more recent picture. His fur is so soft and fluffy. They are sometimes called Havana silk dogs. In this picture he is all tired out from chasing his ball down the driveway.

Forest City, IA

We were in Forest City from 9/25 until 9/29. The reason being our motorhome was sideswiped while we were parked in Anchorage. We came to Winnebago's factory to have it repaired. It appeared to be caused by a rental motorhome that had been parked next to it, and it was gone when we returned. Evidently the driver turned as he was backing, causing the bumper to scrape the side. There was about $3,000 worth of damage and our insurance covered all but $400.

Carrington, ND to Mitchell, SD

We had never been to Mitchell, South Dakota to see the Corn Palace. These are some scenes taken both outside and inside. The theme for 2009 was Americas destinations. The pictures depicted many places we had been, like Mt. Rushmore, Lincoln Memorial and Crazy Horse Memorial.


The picture above is a close-up to give you an idea of how the natural materials are used. We read that there are about a dozen different colors of corn that are grown for this project.

The 2010 theme is transporation. They have completed this train and car, and you can see they are constructing another scene. You can't tell by the picture because of equipment blocking the view, but it is a 4-wheeler.

The picture above is of the very first Corn Palace built in 1892. We liked the picture below because it shows a parade passing and the Statue of Liberty in "center stage." It was from the early '20's.


The next two pictures each contained twelve different years of designs.

Below are two very colorful designs.

On the road to Carrington, ND

We thought these highway markers were very appropriate. Someone had added the angel and flowers. Many were decorated with flowers. Printed on the back side was the word, "Think." Some other states in our travels had white crosses. These certainly encourage you to drive safely.

This is Carrington's water tower.

The reason for stopping in Carrington was to visit our friend, Ginger Unruh. Her family lived in Avon Park in the late '60's, and our children played together. We camped with their family in Yellowstone about 1977, after they moved west. We have only seen her one time since. She lost her husband a few years ago.

Theodore Roosevelt NP to Carrington, ND

Before continuing our trip to Carrington, we went back into the park for a couple hours and took more pictures.

Teddy Rosevelt National Park, ND

This was our first visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There are actually two units, located 70 miles apart. The terrain reminded us of South Dakota's Badlands. Theodore Roosevelt was enchanted by the wildlife and landscape. He stated he would never have been president had it not been for his experience in North Dakota. He was known as the conservation president and had a great impact on the national park system. This buffalo was the first animal we encountered after we entered the park.

Below are some scenes of the park. The big ball is called a cannonball. They wash out of the formations and roll down to ground level.

These are a few of the wild horses found in the park. It was almost dark when we came up on them standing in the road. You can see the guardrail on the one side, and there was an embankment on the other; so they had no place to go.

Custer NFCG to Theodore Rosevelt NP, ND

We spent the previous night at Custer National Forest Campground. There were very few campgrounds along this area of rolling hills and flat land. We had located this place on our map, but it was already very dark (no moonlight at all) when we arrived at the turnoff. We drove over five miles on dirt roads. There were not adequate signs, so we wondered if we would find the campground. Walking around the area this morning, we found this horse and other sandstone carvings. We also discovered there were a few other campers that we were unable to see in the dark.

There was a fairly deep canyon just next to our campsite.

Last night we knew the road was bad, but this morning it was confirmed. This picture doesn't do it justice. Many of the rutted areas were much worse!

It was a surprise to see large rock formations and hills scattered around the area.

The above picture was our first view of Theodore Rosevelt NP. It is taken from a rest area on the I94 near the park entrance.

Hill City to Custer NFCG

A statue of Wild Bill Hickcock, a person of importance in the American Old West. He was ultimately killed while playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood.

Mt. Rushmore is located in this area of the state. Last year we visited this park in the late afternoon and evening so were limited as to what we saw. We highly recommend being there for the evening lighting ceremony. A ranger gives a talk and recognizes the veterans in the audience by having them come on stage and give their name and branch of service.


This year we had time to walk to the base of the mountain, where we visited the sculptor's studio and got this close-up picture.

The center of the United States formerly was located in Kansas; but with the addition of Alaska and Hawaii in 1959, the center moved to an anonymous spread of pasture 20 miles north of Belle Fourche, South Dakota. However, because of the area's inaccessibility, the geographic monument was placed next to the Belle Fourche Visitor Center. The picture doesn't show the 50 state flags flying around its perimeter.

Hill City, SD, Custer State Park

Custer State Park is just a few miles south of Hill City. We spent most of the day driving the many roads in the park and having fun watching and taking pictures of the animals.

They have a large bison herd. During the fall roundup the new arrivals are branded and some of the older animals are designated for auction. The herd is kept at a number which the park can support without overgrazing.

There are also quite a few wild donkeys.


And we saw several of this year's additions.

This mule was a real surprise. It reminded us of a paint horse our son and his family have on our property.

This male pronghorn antelope had a good-sized harem.


Just a few of the turkeys that were in a flock near the road.

This mule deer made a nice pose for us.

On the way back to the campground we passed near Mt. Rushmore and saw this view of George.

Hill City, SD

We stayed at Hill City last year ago and really liked the campground. Also, it is located near a number of attractions in the Black Hills. This was a rainy day, so we decided to just stay put and work on our blog since we had good internet.

Hardin, MT to Hill City, SD

We saw these interesting tepees along the road, at a tourist trap.


We did not have a stop at Little Bighorn in our schedule. However, we discovered we would be driving right by the gate. John had purchased and just finished reading a book, The Killing of Custer; so we decided to take a tour. This was the military cemetery at Little Bighorn National Monument, also known as Custer's Last Stand, in southeastern Montana,


There were many small tombstones scattered around the hilly area of the park.


The Little Bighorn River ran through the park


Another view of some of the many tombstones scattered around the area. A brochure stated that each stone is located on the actual spot where a soldier fell.

Cut Bank, MT to Hardin, MT

Cut Bank, Montana is considered the coldest spot in the US, not because it has had the lowest temperature but because it had the most extreme drop in temperature in a 24-hour period. We seem to remember that the drop was 100 degrees.


This is an old, wooden grain silo. The newer ones are metal, and we have seen a few made of cement.


We probably saw over 100 Pronghorn Antelope.

They are making hay while the sun shines. We saw thousands of bales of hay.


We saw many wind farms in this part of the country. Click on the triangle to see one in action.