Home Sweet Home

This will be my last post.  We left Crossville, Tennessee this morning and decided to top off our trip by driving through our favorite National Park - The Smokies.  Turned off I-40 at Sevierville and headed through Pidgeon Forge into the Smokies.  They were in their smokey glory this morning, but were a beautiful site.  Traffic through the park was minimal, probably because school has started for most areas.  Drove down 441 into Franklin (one of the most picturesque drives), visited the post office to get our 2 months of mail and headed home.  Were not sure what we were going to find, but home sure looked good - a bit weedy, but good.  Did some unloading and quit for the day.  Turned on TV and nothing works.  Apparently, the earthquake in Virginia today must have moved our satalite dish.  No service tech until Thursday.  UGH!!!!  Home Sweet Home - there is nothing like it.  Labor Day is a day closer.  Chatterbox passed her praxis (teaching) exams - YEA!- and Squirell got her drivers license - look out everyone, Herbert is on the road).  Life is Good.  Love ya'll - see ya'll soon. 

Crossville, Tennessee

Here we are in Crossville, Tenessee.  It was a day of reminising about the last 2 months.  It is a bittersweet post, as we saw everything we set out to see, but at the same time our adventure is coming to an end.  We shall drive up our mountain road tomorrow evening hoping that our log home is still standing and is not eaten up by critters or overgrown by weeds.  Our birds and hummingbirds will be very thankful for our return.
Over the last two months we saw the most beautiful, awesome country and thank God for all his creations.  We saw different lifestyles in Canada and Alaska.  I must say that their lifestyles do not seem to be materialistic - they all live in meager homes, but all have a boat and an RV in their yard.  The boat and RV allow them to travel to the coast to fish during the salmon runs.  It is amazing to hear a gentleman from Nova Scotia share that he worked in Pink Mountain, British Columbia for 7 weeks fixing generators, pumping gas and running the gas fields campground and earned enough money to live on until next June.  We saw towns with only 50 residents and they live there year round and their winters are brutal -- they rely on ATV's, snowmobiles, and planes to get supplies.  Most of the residents rely on tourism, fishing, winter sports and gas fields.  I am assuming that during the 9 months of darkness (3 hours of light a day) they are working to prepare for the coming summer tourists and during the 24/7 of daylight they work and play and sure don't get much sleep. 
All in all, we are so thankful that we had the health to accomplish one of our bucket list dreams.  We shall remember our experiences for the rest of our lives.  We do look forward to returning home and reuniting with our children, grandchildren and friends again.  Love ya'll and will see ya'll very, very soon.  Labor Day is closer than we all think. 

Benton, Illinois

Drove through Kansas today and we had no wind- thank goodness.  For a Sunday morning, St Louis was a zoo.  Was there a football game there or something?  We decided to make a short day of it and stop in Benton, Illinois around 3 pm.  After yesterday, we needed to get off the road.  It is really, really, hot and humid here.  Tomorrow we will drive to Crossville, Tennessee for the night.  Then -- off to Franklin, NC.  Our days of being Gypsies will end and it will be time to settle into our cozy log home (if we can find it).  Love ya'll and will see ya'll very soon. 

On our way to Kansas City

What a day.  We left Mitchell, South Dakota thinking we would stay in Nebraska City, Nebraska, BUT as we approached Souix City, Iowa we saw evidence that the flooding of the mighty Missouri River has not really receeded yet.  We drove some of I-29 roads that had huge sandbags to keep the water off the roads.  We had to take the same detour we would have had to taken in June around Omaha as the interstate is under water.  How horrible for these people - most of them are farmers and have not been able to get their crops in let alone their homes being flooded.  Now- God is so good!  Wednesday evening before we arrived at Mitchell, SD they had a horrible storm with wind and hail.  Today as we were driving the detour through corn country we saw miles and miles of blown down corn fields - I mean leveled. not only have these people had to deal with flooding, but what crops they were able to plant have all been leveled by the wind.   When we pulled into the Kansas KOA we found out that the storm had gone through Kansas City last night and just received power today at noon.  Today we drove almost 500 miles (no wind today) and we are both tired.  We are hoping to get to the other side of St Louis tomorrow - depending on the wind.  Will post tomorrow evening.  Love ya'll.

Mitchell, South Dakota - The Corn Palace

Passed fields of corn, hay and sunflowers today on our way to Mitchell, South Dakota.  It's Back - THE WIND!!!  It was a very hard 300 miles with the wind howling the way it did, but we made it to Mitchell KOA for the night.  Dad stopped into the local Cabela's to get some hackles for our fishing flies and there were none - all the women have bought them up to put in their hair.  Went to the Corn Palace where everything on the outside of the building is made with corn and parts from the corn.  It is changed every year and was amazing.  The designs were something else.  Everything from the cob to the stock was used.  Very unique.  Hoepfully we will make it to Nebraska City, Nebraska tomorrow and hopefully the wind will not blow as hard as it did today.  From what I understand - the wind always blows here.  Love ya'll and can't wait to see everyone. 

Custer State Park

Today we road toured Custer State Park.  Saw quite of few of the 1300 buffalo that roam the 71,000 acre park.  We also saw a band of curious burros roaming free looking for a hand out of food.  They caused quite a log jam.  Then we traveled up the Needles Highway and went through 6 granit tunnels that were amazing.  The last one was the eye of the needle and it looked like we were threading the needle.  We passed a tour bus and were trying to figure out how it was going to get through that eye as it was only 8'4" wide and 10' high.  Did our last load of laundry on the road.  It will be good to not have to find quarters to feed the washer and dryer.  Tomorrow we head our motor coach toward home.  We will be staying in Mitchell, South Dakota where the only Corn Palace is.  More tomorrow after we have seen the palace.  Hopefully we will be home by next Thursday.  Love ya'll and are looking forward to a huge homecoming with ya'll over Labor Day.  See ya' soon. 

Crazy Horse - Mt Rushmore

We traveled to the Crazy Horse Museum.  Not only was the stone carving in the side of a mountain impressive and massive, the museum was so well done.  The pieces in the museum were all donated and amazing.  Really enjoyed this tour and learned alot.  Then we traveled to the Wood Carvers Museum.  Saw some amazing carvings along with animated carvings.  Then off to Mt Rushmore.  It sure has changed from when I first saw it when I was 13.  The carvings in stone on the side of that mountain, though, is still very impressive.  Tomorrow we head to Custer State Park.  Love ya'll.