Saturday 10-14 Rainy Day

It started raining in the early morning and continued throughout the day. We spent most of the day inside reading. The rain let up for a couple of hours around 9:00 am so Larry and I went for a walk. We walked down to the swimming beach and the boat ramp and around the camping area. When we got back we read for an hour and then I made lunch. It's amazing how sore our calves and thighs are today, not sure if it was from riding the bicycle or climbing all the stairs yesterday at the Capitol Building. Everytime we got up and moved around we could feel them. 

After lunch Larry went over and took a shower and when he got back I went over. I had finished my shower when the rain came back. I was going to wait for the rain to stop but Larry showed up with an umbrella. I had walked out and then went back inside the bathroom when I heard Larry saying my chariot awaits. I came back out and he escorted me back to the Minnie. The rain stopped again around 6:00 so I walked down to the swimming beach and around the campground and finished getting all my steps. I was lucky to get back when I did considering the rain started up again. It's suppose to be out of here by morning. The rain was not a surprise considering the weather report said it was going to rain all day. 

Friday 10-13 Topeka Kansas

Topeka Kansas

Today we left Sac & Fox Casino and headed down the road for 54 miles to Topeka.

We arrived in Topeka around 9:00 and decided to go by Shawnee Lake Campground which is on the outskirts of Topeka. Shawnee Lake is a beautiful lake where people fish, do water sports and the University has their rowing team. The campground is setup like a parking lot. The sites look over the lake. It has a bike and hike trail that goes around the lake which is 7 miles long. There is a golf course, a couple of boat ramps with docks, beach area and day area.   

Larry's, Aunt Barbara lives in Topeka, Larry called her a couple of days ago and told her we would stop by between 1:00 and 2:00. Topeka is the capital of Kansas so before meeting up with Barbara we toured the Capitol Building. The Visitor Center for the Capitol Building is in the basement but their signs directing you there were not very good. We walked around the whole building before figuring out where to go. Once we got there we asked about touring the building. The lady said we were right on time, there was a tour at 11:00 and there was a tour of the dome at 12:15. We decided to do both. The first tour was an hour tour where the tour guide talked about the structure of the building, the paintings on each floor and took us through both the House of Representative and Senate Chambers. The paintings in the building were painted by three different painters and told the history of Kansas. There were sculptures in the building. We were taken in the governor's office where she talked about the furniture in the room. This governor uses this room for official greetings and press conferences. We used the old operator run elevator to get to the second floor, it's was installed in 1911. We walked through the State Library and took a spiral staircase to the second floor of the library and walked on a glass floor. We also went to the old Supreme Court. Our tour guide did a great job. 

Topeka Capitol Building

The Speaker's desk

The State Library

The Senate Chambers

The old Supreme Court room

The dome tour started on the fifth floor, we took an elevator up. During the tour we climbed 296 stairs. Our tour guide Joe, did a super job talking about the dome. We stopped on three different levels before we walked a spiral staircase all the way up to the top of the dome where we walked outside and around the dome, we had a great view of the city. It was a challenge to do this tour considering the spiral staircase was very narrow and only had hand railing on one side. We got a workout but it was fun.

The staircase we climbed

The spiral staircase to the top of the dome

After the two tours we went back to the Minnie and had a sandwich before going to see Barbara. We had and very enjoyable visit. She looked great.

Larry and Aunt Barbara

By the time we got back to Shawnee Lake it was time for dinner and it was 94 degrees. We have not seen temperatures in the 90s for two months, heck we have seldom seen them in the 80's. After turning on the A/C and cooling off I made spaghetti for dinner. Shawnee Lake Park has a bicycle program, where you can rent a bike for $2.50 an hour. Larry went online and signed me up and paid $5.00 to the account. After dinner we decided to test out the program. The bikes are locked up and to get them unlocked you have to enter your account number and a pin on a pad on the back of the bike. It took us a little bit to get it to work. It has been years since we have been on a bicycle so we didn't go far. At the beginning we were a little shaky and we had to figure out how to shift the gears. The bikes had three gears. The bike trail had hills so you had to go up and down the hills. We ended up riding 1.2 miles. By the time we finished we were tired and we could feel our legs working. It was a lot of fun riding the bike, maybe tomorrow we'll ride some more.

Having fun riding a bike

After putting the bike away I walked the trail for a half hour to get my steps. We had a very fun day.        

Thursday 10-12 Where are we?

Where are we?

We started the day in Nebraska, then we crossed the Missouri River and we were in Iowa. We traveled south through Iowa to Omaha, but we didn't get back into Nebraska until we were well south of  Omaha. We then entered back into Nebraska and from there we went Kansas. 

Nebraska welcome sign

Iowa welcome sign

Kansas welcome sign

Larry drove 230 miles today for about four and a half hours. We stopped at the Golden Eagle Casino near Holton, Kansas. When we entered the casino the security guard opened the door for us and asked if we had been there before, we told him no. He told us if we went to the players club area we could sign up for a card and the casino would give us $25.00 on the card to gamble with. After signing up Larry left me in the casino so I could gamble for a couple of hours. The casino was small but it was very clean and well kept. There wasn't a non-smoking section so I had to put up with the smoke. When I finished gambling and giving them their $25.00 back I went back to the Minnie. 

We decided to check out another casino that we had seen on the way to Golden Eagle Casino. It was a few miles back on the highway. It was called Sac & Fox Casino. Before going there we called and asked about overnight RV parking. They said yes, it came with power and cost $10.00 a night. The Sac & Fox Casino was a little bigger. We stopped at the desk to get a RV spot for the night. The gentleman said no problem he could take care of us. Then we asked about the players club card, he said he could help us with that. He signed me up for the card and once again they put $25.00 on the card. After paying for the RV spot they paged a gentleman so he could unlock the power box. Once we were hooked up to the power we had chicken wraps for dinner.

After dinner Larry walked me over to the casino so I could gamble. When Larry was leaving the casino he stopped by the snack bar and got a piece of apple pie for our dessert. I gambled for a couple of hours and then went back to the RV.  We shared the piece of apple pie then I went back to the casino and gambled another couple of hours. I gambling off the $25.00 card and came back with $10.00 in cash. While I was gambling I went to the snack bar and bought a cinnamon roll for our breakfast in the morning. 

I had fun gambling at both casinos and it didn't cost me anything, I actually ended up $10 ahead which paid for our camp spot, not bad.  

Wednesday 10-11 Sioux City

Site Seeing in Sioux City Iowa

We woke up to 28 degrees and there was heavy frost on everything. Our agenda for today was to go to Sioux City and be tourist. 

Around 9:30 we ventured over to Sioux City, which was just over the river. We thought about walking  the two miles or so across the river but decided it might be better to drive the Minnie. The other day we had located a public parking lot downtown that allowed you to park for 24 hours for free.  

The first stop after parking was The Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. In order to get to the center we had to walk through a gorgeous riverside park. It had a hike and bike paved trail, a playground and a dance stage. We walked the trail for about a mile and a half to get to the center. The center was in two buildings. The first building was photography from local people and the history of Sioux City. The second building was about Lewis & Clark's adventure along the Missouri River. Both buildings were very nice. The Lewis & Clark building had animated figures of Lewis and Clark that told a story of their exploration. There was also an animated figure of the Newfoundland dog (Seaman) that had gone with Lewis & Clark, Seaman barks at the prairie dog , moves his head and wags his tail. The figures were very real looking and moved just right. It was a great museum. The admission was free but we made a donation.

Standing in front of a Lewis & Clark & Seaman statue

Clark talking about Lewis and the expedition

Lewis & Clark remembering Sergent C. Floyd at his funeral

Seaman barking at a prairie dog

The next stop was about a block away, it was a museum and visitor center that was located in an old riverboat. There were three floors. The first floor was the gift shop and information for Iowa. The second floor was Sergeant C. Floyd Memorial, he was the only person that died on Lewis & Clark Expedition. The third floor was where the captain drove the boat from and you can ring the bell up there. As we walked through the boat and climbed to each floor we saw different displays about Sioux City.

Sioux City Visitor Center

A carved out canoe that was used to transport cargo and people

As we were walking by the Lewis & Clark Center we noticed a few carvings made out of old trees. In 2011 the Missouri River flooded and wiped out a lot of trees. Theses carvings were made on what was left of a few trees. They were beautiful.

Tree carving at the Lewis & Clark Center

Another carving on the grounds

After touring these two museums we walked back to downtown where we stopped at Burger King and had lunch. .

Our next stop was the Sioux City Public Museum. Before walking around to look at the displays we watched a 14 minute movie about Sioux City. They did a super presentation with the movie. The museum was all on one floor, it had a lot of displays about the history of Sioux City. It was also free but once again we made a donation. The donation box was a cow and every time you put a bill in the cow would moo. It was very cute.

Some antiques on display in the Sioux City Museum

Our last stop was at the Palmer Old Fashion Candy Shoppe. It is known for the Bing candy bar, we were given a free sample. The Bing is handmade with cherry nougat covered with roasted peanuts and chocolate. They come in three different flavors: cherry, vanilla and blue raspberry. They had a lot of different candies for sale, some were sold in bulk, some out of glass display units and there were seconds that came from the factory. Palmer Candies have been in business since 1878 and is family owned. We bought a couple of peanut clusters, a chocolate pretzel and three small pumpkins with a creme filling, they were delicious.

Palmer's Old Fashion Candy Shoppe

The candy we bought

 We had a great time visiting Sioux City. .

     .

Tuesday 10-10 A cold damp day

It's cold!!!!

It rained all night and into the morning. When we woke up it has just stopped raining and everything was wet. The temperature was 37 degrees. The rain went completely away by 9:00 but it was overcast. The wind was down a bit from yesterday. 

We were planning to go to town but we decided not to considering the roads were wet and it was cold. Instead we walked around for an hour and fifteen minutes. We walked the trail to the dog park. As we were walking by the river we saw a beautiful bald eagle flying along the river. I had gloves on and by the time I got them off to take a picture he was too far away. It was a very nice dog park, there was a section for small dogs and one for the big dogs. It had an agility course and a lot of room for dogs to play. It also had an area where you can have a picnic. The park was a memorial park for John Douangdara, who died in Afghanistan alongside Bart, a military work dog and 29 fellow soldiers in 2011. We continued our walk down the trail to G Street. G Street took us through a neighborhood and back to the campground. The walk started out cold but by the time we got home we weren't cold. 

Agility Course at the dog park

Memorial Monument of John Douangdara and Bart

In the afternoon we went to the office to pay for another night. Then we went on another walk, this time we walked by the YMCA complex towards the main highway. We walked through another neighborhood and back to the campground. We walked for another hour and fifteen minutes.

While we were eating dinner the sun came out and it felt good. Even though it was cold all day we still had fun.

Monday 10-9 Scenic Park Campground

Wow, what a day!!!

We decided to leave Deer Ridge Campground this morning considering there was a chance of rain in the afternoon. We headed to Sioux City, Iowa, which was only 12 miles away. 

Larry was looking at the Minnie's tires and decided they needed to be rotated so he went online and made an appointment for 9:30 this morning at Discount Tires. We arrived there about 9:00 and they got us right in. As the worker was rotating the tires he found that one of the extended valve stems was damaged. Larry happened to have an extra one which surprised the worker. When we bought the Minnie, Larry had all the tires replaced and at that time he had extended valve stems installed on the inside dual wheels so that he could easily check the air pressure. He also got an extra one just in case he ever needed one. He has been carrying that extra one around for almost a dozen years and now he needed it. These long stems are really hard to find, he has to order them online. 

Once the Minnie was finished we drove around Sioux City. Larry wanted to check out the public parking available because we're planning to visit the city tomorrow. He found the parking and was happy with it. The final stop today was Scenic Park Campground. 

Welcome to Nebraska sign on the bridge

The Scenic Park Campground is located on the other side of the Missouri River. When we take the bride over the river you are no longer in Iowa, you're in Nebraska. We had no problem getting a site. Scenic Park Campground is run by South Sioux City. It is a gorgeous park. Some people are staying there full time. The park has a playground, concrete trail that goes to town and around the park, restrooms with showers, a YMCA, Aquaplex, soccer fields and a drive in theater. The sites have full hook ups or just electric. It has tent sites and four cabins. The cabins are all different and to me they're ugly. There is a dump station.We took an electric site.  

A Cabin

Another Cabin

Today we walked around the campground using the trail a couple of times. Both walks were cold and windy. Our first walk went walked along the river towards the soccer fields. As we walked down Veterans Ave we saw a beautiful granite wall which was a half scale duplicate of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. We walked for an hour and a half.

The Drive-In Screen

Larry checking out the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall

After we rested a couple of hours we went on our second walk. This time we walked towards town and the bridge that went over the Missouri River. As we were getting closer to the bridge we saw these blue lights so we had to check them out. They were warning lights for boats that there was a bridge. There were green and red lights on the bridge to indicate where the boats should go. On the way back we walked by the YMCA. It has a big swimming pool with a slide and a couple of stands for diving boards. It was a very nice facility. By the time we got home we had walked another 40 minutes.

Our water pump was making a lot of noise so after dinner Larry backed the Minnie up and filled up the water tank. It still was making noise so he adjust the lines to the pump and it quieted it down. 

We spent the rest of the night keeping warm and dry considering the rain came in around 5:00  

   

Sunday 10-8 Do you know where is the ice cream capitol of the world?

Just having fun

This morning we left Rock Valley Iowa and headed towards another city park, which was only 50 miles down the road. 

On the way we stopped in Le Mars, Iowa which is the Ice Cream Capitol of the World. It is the home of Blue Bunny ice cream. Le Mars has been the home to Wells' Dairy since 1913. Fred H. Well and his sons started making ice cream in Le Mars in 1925. He partnered up with his brother two years later and started distributing to Sioux City. Then in 1928 they sold out to Fairmont Ice Cream. Seven years later the brothers started making ice cream again. They had a contest on naming their new company, the winner got $25. They decided on "Blue Bunny" because he remembered how his son liked seeing the blue bunnies in the department stores at Easter time. 

We thought the sign said the Blue Bunny Visitor Center opened at at 10 so we parked the Minnie and walked over only to discover it didn't open until noon. That was ok considering we saw that there were ice cream cones around town sponsored by different organizations. We walked around for about a half hour. We had fun.

Eating my ice cream cone

A beautiful cone of Jesus

Blue Bunny Visitor Center

The campground we spent the night in was Deer Ridge in Hinton Iowa. The GPS was going to take us down a dirt road but Larry decided to go through town to see if there was another road he could take. We took a paved road but to get to the actual campground you had to go down a dirt road. We decided to try the road, it was less than a mile so that was ok. The campground road is pea gravel and the sites are the same but the campground was very nice. Once we found a site, which was no problem we paid for the night. There were a few other RVs when we got there but by 2:00 we were by ourselves. We have been on the road for over six weeks and the Minnie had a lot of dead bugs on it and was filthy from driving in rain. There were no signs about not washing your RV so Larry washed the Minnie. It looks a lot better. By the time he was finished he was tried. The reason we picked this campground was because it has a lot of hiking trails but after washing the Minnie, Larry was too tired to try to attempt the trails. I wanted to get my steps so I walked around the campground. 

As I was walking I took pictures. The campground is surrounded by beautiful rolling hills, farmland and a lot of trees. I took a short trail down to the trail head parking lot which is a small day area. There was a small lake and people fishing on the banks. The trail was only .2 mile but it was down hill so when I was going back it was a challenge considering it was pretty steep. We had another gorgeous day in Iowa.    

Camping at Deer Ridge Campground

Lake at the day area

Playground at the park