last post for this trip

Saturday Aug. 1, 2009
Arrived home yesterday afternoon about 3:00 in the afternoon.
The trip Thursday from Cambridge, Ohio to High Point,NC was long and tiring mainly because of the rain and fog in the mountains of West Virginia. But it was uneventful, just slow. No car or trailer problems , arrived in High Point about 3:30 in the afternoon and set up. Had a very nice visit with the family that evening.
Friday
The trip from High Point to Wilmington was slow, mainly because of the heat. It made it necessary to drive slower to keep the transmission temperature under control. Hit a very heavy rainstorm about Wallace, but it didnt last but about 2 miles. Arrived home about 3:00. No problems. The whole trip went by without a flat on the trailer. That was a big first. In general the trip was a plesant one.
Starting to think about my next trip in the spring. Thinking about going on out west to see Yellowstone and
some of the other parks in the west and then going on to Washington and Oregon. That trip would probably make all lower 48 states that I have seen.

This post will close out this blog for now. The next trips will be in a new blog called my travels-exboater-continued

Wedndesday,July 29,2009

Traveled today from Crawfirdville,indiana to Cambridge, ohio.Trip wasnt too long. Worst part of trip was from Columbus to Canbridge. it was raining, just enough to be a nuicense at first, then it really came down. Lots of traffic, especially trucks on this roAD ALL DAY. nO pICINC. To top it off rest areas are very scarce. Saw two all dy.The road is under construction in numerous aeas. i hope North Carolina is doing as much as the states in this area. I Doubt it though.North Ccaroinaq missed the boiat somewhere.
If all goes well, I.ll be in High Point tomorrow eening nad home Friday afernoon.

Sunday and Monday

Got up very early Sunday morning and started home. Traveled to Souis falls koa in Souix falls, hsd. no problems with the trip just long and boring, lots of corn fields and soy beans. I found several gasoline places that were selling e85 ethanol and 10 percent methanol. the 10 percent burns fine in the expy and it is about 10 cents per gallon than regular grade,
Monday Morning got up again and hit the road, traveled to rolling Acres rv park in Newton iowa. Another day in the corn. Only thing that was a surprise was that iowa wss not flat. It has been very hilly at least in this area.
Tuesday traveled to Crawfordville koa in Crawfordville,indiana. Not far from indinapo;is. Another day in the corn and the same rolling hills in illinois as iowa. wasnt what I expected. I had always heard that these were flat plains and corn raisisng places. there is corn, but not flat.
Tomorrow I go to cambridge ohio, then if all goes well Kernersville thufrsdayevening and home on friday.

saturday mammoth fossels

Forgot to tell you in the earlier post. When the buffalo are eating they make a sound like passing gas the whole time.
Today I went to hot springs to see the mammoth fossel site. it was interesting to see the bones and hear how they came to this water hole of warm water to graze on the grass growing around the edges, and slipped in because of the steep bank and couldnt get out.
Sunday afternoon Souix falls koa
Finally got the pics posted. The internet at that other campground was terrible. Couldnt get it to stay on. Lost the post yesterday several times and the pics just would not go. The first picturre is a depiction of a columbian mammoth- one of the types found in this pit. The second pic is supposed to be of a wooly mammoth the other kind found in this pit. There are 59 fossel remains to date and many more years of digging.

Just as i got here the Blue Angels were putting in an air show but couldnt get pics because they were too fast and we were not on airport.
Plan is for tomorrow to go to Timberline rv camp at waukee, iowa- near Des Moines.

July 24 Mt rushmore and custer park

There is so much to talk about today. This was worth the trip. Day started out by going to Crazy Horse Monument , This thing took 59 years to csrve this much, and estimates are that it will take another 50 years to finish, it is a monument to the indian culture and their western homes. Crazy horse was one of their leaders who never conceded defeat or surrendered. He was killed by a soldier. The last three pictures are of the mountain and the last one is of what it is supposed to look like when it is done. Therre are a lot of indian exhibits with this memorial and a whole range of other things are planned, Might know just as i was trying to take a last pic here, my camara battery went deat=d. No matter di had another set in the car charged. (HAH) They were dead also. So what to do , went to town and bought a bunch of aa alkaline batterys and used them to finish the day. From town i started to go to Mt. Rushmore, it turned out to be a trip. The frour pictures just before the crazy horse are the scenery up to Mt, Rushmore the way i went. Very beautiful, curving road,lots of rock formations,etc.
Before I start on Mt Rushmore, I bought a dvd that has the whole story and pics on it so everyone cdould see it. The pics i took dont do it justice.This was a very moving visit for me. There are two pics of the walk of states with each state flag and the date they were admitted to the union. The next one is of the mountain,then there is one of the ampitheater where the night program was held. THis was a beautiful program. Unfortdunately my pics didnt turn out because it was too dark and the lighted mountain was too far away. What it was, There were patrotic songs playing as we waited for the prsogram to begin. It started with a pledge of alliegance to tdhe flag,The mountain was lite up , one of the park rangers gave a talk on each of the men and their contrubitions to the United States. Then the national anthem was played . Last a troop of boyscouts came down to lower the flag and pass it amoung a group of service men to close the program. Very nice. Then ther is a plac about the carver. to read it you will have to expand it.The next four are of the carvings used as models for the actual mountain carvings.Yhis visit will stay with me as much as my visit to ft.McHenry in Baltimore.
When I left the park from the day visit, I decided that there was plenty of time so I would visit Custer state park. i took a backroad called needles trail. It was a happy accident. The scenery along this road was beautiful.The first pic up after the mt, rushmore ones is of one of the tunnels that you go thru on this road,It screws around the mountains back and forth and across one lane wooden bridges, The four pictures after the tunnel going up are of an overlook calaled norbeck overlook. The pics dont tell the story well enough. As you know I'm not given to outbursts of excitement, but I climbed up on a small rock formation here, and when i got to the top and looked out "OH MY GOD" just came out. It was one of the best sights i've seen right up there with the grand canyon. Off to the right was Mt. Rushmore in the distaance, and then all around to the left was this deep valley with Mountains climbing up in the background as far as you could see. I noticed several other people came up while iwas stainding therre and their first comment was almost exactly like mine. The next pic up is another tunnel on this road.
The nexct twelve pics are of the buffalo herd l in this park. The ranger told me that there were 500 in the herd and they roam free. Then there are two Big horn sheep in the distance in the next pic. Then a lpic of an antelope herd. Next are two pics of jackasses feeding two wild jackasses next to a sign saying do not feed the animals.Then a lpic of a deer in the distance and another pic of antelope. andd tdhe last are two pics of two faun feeding. There were a lot of deer, but i just got tirede of feeding them. After this I went back to the trainler and ate ddinner befdore going back to Mt.Rushmore for the night program atd 9:00. Got home at 11:00. Full day, butd rewarding.
There will probably not be too many more pics as i am going to start home tomorrow.
I plan to go to see a mamouth bone site this pm.
Later