Go West, Old Man!
Go West, Old Man!
May 9-14, 2021
Minneapolis is as far north as our travels take us this year. Our focus now will be to the west, spending the fall in Oregon and California. Winter plans are still a bit loose; however, we will be looking at taking the southern US route back east from California. It will be a year before we are back in the Midwest.
Along our path west we have a couple of more opportunities for family and friends! We tend to aim for each leg of our trip to take us around 250 miles. That seems to be a comfortable amount of road time, allowing us to do a bit of exploring once we have settled in at our new location.
As luck has it, 252 miles from Minneapolis is Cherry Glen Campground, located on Saylorville Lake near Ankeny, Iowa! First on our list was to get new tires for the 5th wheel. Wear and tear on the original, factory RV tires finally reached the point where we wanted to get then replaced. Sitting on the side of the road with a blowout doesn’t sound like any fun. Why tempt trouble?
We’ve been hearing a lot about the shortage of blood for people in need of transfusions. Apparently, in order for a patient to qualify for a transfusion, there needs to be at least a 25% risk of not surviving! Yikes! We found an American Red Cross donation site not too far from the campground where we were able to book appointments. Bonus: they also test for COVID antibodies, so we will learn whether or not our immunizations really are protecting us! Pretty slick!
Maggie and Luke invited us over for dinner one night while we were in the area. Luke grilled brats for us and the grill master did not disappoint! Even better than the brats was being able to sneak in one last playtime with Norah. Norah is growing so quickly! The changes that happen in one's first year of life are pretty incredible! Norah is starting to sit up for longer periods of time and beginning to eat solids. Baby-Led Weaning looks scary to this mom who used all of the pureed foods; however, I do believe it is a positive update to parenting.
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| Playing with Norah! |
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| Papa and Norah time! |
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| Crane Family! |
We had another opportunity to do one of those things “I’ve always wanted to do” but didn’t when we actually lived in the area! It was fun to finally cross "riding the High Trestle Trail" off my list! Dick rode a portion of the trail a year ago with our friend, Blake, shortly after Iowa was hit by the derecho. It was nice to see how much has been put back together. The trees still tell their story. It will be decades before recovery begins to hide the trauma. Having had the guidance of Blake, we recreated his route, beginning at Slater and riding to Woodward and back to Slater.
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| High Trestle Tunnel |
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| We made it to the bridge! |
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| At night the bridge is lit up! |
"High Trestle Trail" mural in an underpass
The day before we left Iowa, we were able to have Jane and Blake visit our campsite. We went out for dinner at Guadalajara in Ankeny and then returned to the campground to enjoy a campfire together. No better way to end our visit to Iowa than relishing food and a campfire with dear friends!
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| Saylorville Lake behind Jane and me |
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| Guadalajara has the fastest service I've ever seen! |
Iowa is our roots. Dick and I were both born here and raised our family here. It felt great to be back in this beautiful state!
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| Prairie Oasis Lake |
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| They have a storm shelter! |
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| Where's the beef? In Nebraska! |
Another 282 miles west on I-80 from Henderson you will find Sidney, NE. If you have driven this stretch, you may recognize the place as the world headquarters for Cabela’s. We have driven past here many times but have never taken the time to check Sidney out. Well, you can be sure Sidney is more than Cabela’s!
Sidney was one of the stops the Pony Express made. Here you will find a bronze statue giving tribute to one of the most dangerous and essential occupations in American history – mail delivery in the wild, wild West!
Sidney certainly was part of the wild, wild West, having earned the nickname of being the wickedest town in the west. We walked to the edge of town where we found Boot Hill Cemetery. From the stories recounted at the cemetery, this nickname was no joke. Pretty gruesome events happened regularly here and the cemetery is here to prove it! Strangely, shortly after we arrived, some large storm clouds popped up and you could hear thunder booming from them. Our power walk back to town had a little different pace than our stroll to the cemetery had!
They did what to him?????
Today Sidney is a quant, small town. It’s home to 6,500 people and it seems everyone knows everyone. As we were driving to the historic downtown area, I couldn’t help but notice the car behind me. As soon as I pulled into a parking spot, the car pulled in right behind me. Before I knew it, this 92-year-old woman was approaching the driver window! Turns out her name is Sue. Sue noticed the Iowa State stickers on our truck and decided to follow us and tell us her story. Sue was raised in Sioux City, Iowa and has lived in Sidney for 43 years. I guess as an out of towner, we must have stood out! When we stopped by the local coffee shop, I was telling the barista the story. Her only comment, “Sounds like Sidney!” No one is a stranger and if you are, you won’t be for long! Locacated in the historic area is Heritage Square, which explained the history of Sidney. Pretty interesting! The railroad goes right through here, so there is a lot of information regarding the track laying. Anyone else singing the song? That was another dangerous occupation! When gold was discovered in the Black Hills, Sidney became the starting point for the Sidney – Deadwood Trail.
Today, there is a 9-mile Deadwood Trail that takes you around town and through Legion Park. We didn’t ride the trail; however, we did walk a small section of it.
The past several Sundays have been travel days for us and it hasn't worked out for us to get to mass. I know God hears our prayers and praise wherever we are; however, we couldn't resist going into St. Patrick's Catholic Church while we were downtown. Just a few minutes of quiet prayer brings such peace and calm to any day. St. Patrick's is a beautiful church with amazing stained glass art!
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| Ascension Day was celebrated May 13th |
Not far from downtown is the Cheyenne County Museum which was the Fort Sidney Officers’ Quarters. Fort Sidney was built mainly to protect the railroad workers and the gold that was delivered via the train. The museum was still closed for the season when we were there; however, it was still interesting to stroll the grounds and read up on it a bit. The museum opens Memorial Day weekend.
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| Fort Sidney Officer's Quarters |
We aren't the only ones traveling to Salt Lake City to see Brandon and Anne and the kids. Anne's parents (Maurice and Julie) are also headed there, as on Saturday Eva is making her First Eucharist and being Confirmed in the Catholic faith. As coincidence would have it, Maurice and Julie decided to call it a day of driving when they got to the Sidney exit! It was nice having them visit us in the camper and be able to show them what full time living in a RV looks like. I think people understand how doable it is when they actually see our "home" and how really comfortable it is!
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| Frankie was thrilled to have company! |
Another 252 miles west brought us to Rawlins, WY. This is our final stop before arriving in Salt Lake City. It’s just an overnight stop for us. We aren’t even going to unhitch. We’ve been able to spend time with Emma and Eli in Minneapolis and Norah in West Des Moines. Now we are aching to get some time with Josh and Eva! By tomorrow afternoon, we should be finishing our last 290-mile leg and pulling up next to Brandon and Anne’s home!
You are having too much fun! You were so close to where we live near Jester Park. Madrid is our PO but we live closer to Granger. I am making a list of some of the places you have been! Keep having fun.
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