After may SKP hugs and handshakes we packed up and left Gillette Wyoming and the 2011 Escapade. We traveled east and settled in Elk View Campground in Sturgis SD. They had saved the closest spot for us. It was a nice level spot and we were soon all hooked up and watching the rest of the VCR (Volunteer Club Representatives) arrive. At 4:00 PM there were some SKPs wandering around looking for a Happy Hour. We found a shady spot beside our RV and set up Social time. We had a good time visiting with friends, old and new.
Of course, SKPs travel on their stomachs, so we all dispersed to go find dinner. Some people went into Deadwood to a buffet but Keith and Shirley Murphy, Betty Bear and Phil and I headed into Sturgis to Pizza Hut. Between $10 specials on the large pizza and our Senior Discount, dinner cost us less than $15. Plus we had half a pizza left over for breakfast on Saturday.
We had a quiet day on Saturday. We had a Pot Luck Dinner Saturday night, followed by an Auction for CARE. We were pleased that a half gallon of PA Maple Syrup that we had donated sold for $100. Also, a bottle of champagne from my stash went for $50. Phil bought me a goody bag for $50. and a hair cut for another $50. and I bought a Carnival Glass covered dish for $20. Care did well by us that night.
Then the VCR training started on Sunday. It was a full and productive day. Susie Orr taking pictures:
The day ended with a great steak dinner provided by the campground.
Sunday morning Denny and Susie serenaded me under the bedroom window with “Happy Birthday to you…”. Nice way to start the day. Everyone also sang to me when we came in to breakfast. Again, there were lots of hugs and handshakes before we were all on our way.
We headed for Council Bluffs IA to the Camping World. We had an appointment the next day to have a new washer installed in the RV. We had not really looked at the mileage on the map before setting up this appointment. We traveled over 500 miles to get to Council Bluffs and then had to go around a detour of an extra 50 miles before reaching Camping World. They have had flooding along the Missouri River.
We reached Camping World after missing the road and having to find somewhere to turn around. We slept well that night in their parking lot. Phil was up early the next morning and had the front windshield washed and everything ready for Camping World by 8 AM. We went inside and signed papers and headed out for breakfast. We could not find the Cracker Barrel but did find Perkins. So we had breakfast, visited Sam’s Club and went back to Camping World. The RV had been moved and we checked the inside and sure enough, I had a new washer in place, all ready to use! Old washer was gone never to be seen again.
Before we set out, I called our friends Dave and Karen Long from Iowa. They were in Bellevue camped at a county park. So, we set out to find them. It was another long travel day, as we needed to cross Iowa and then go NE from Iowa City to Bellevue. However, we were able to get there before dark, and after a few wrong or missed turns, we were successful. Dave and Karen were just returning to the campground from a day trip around the time we arrived. So, of course we set up, did some visiting and then headed out to supper. There was a neat restaurant next door that we enjoyed.
The county park was RIGHT on the Mississippi River. We could watch the barges going up and down the river from our camp sites. So early in the afternoon we headed downtown to the locks to watch the barges go in and out of the locks. Here are some pictures of the barges:
Tug pulling barge into lock.
This barge was full of trash recovered in a River Cleanup Mission.
We enjoyed our short visit with Dave and Karen and gave hugs before setting out the next day. We traveled into Illinois for the night and then on to Ohio. We will be heading for our Chapter 20 Rally in Manheim PA next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment