SHELBY TO VICTORIA SPRINGS -- ANSELMO, NEBRASKA

9/8
 After leaving our parking lot campground, the first order of the day was to find the Camping World and peruse its aisles. Camping World is like an department store for campers and their owners, and a VERY seductive place. Everything for your camping vehicles and then some. Toilet paper? You got it! Lawn chairs with fancy prints? Yup! Darkening film for your windows? Of course! Carpeting, strings of lights, flags, and on and on. Lots of things you also think you need, but you really don't. In Council Bluffs, Iowa ( don't you love the name?) we found the place and left with our pockets a little lighter.

       Next on the list was to find some Nature's Variety dog food for Xian.By now we're in Nebraska.  As we were on our way into Lincoln to a pet store we had researched, Bill spied a building with a sign on it announcing. NATURE'S VARIETY, so he made a quick turn into the driveway off of Cornhusker Highway.( Bill is very talented at making sharp turns and U-ies  when you least expect it.).As it turned out, this building was a distribution place for Nature's Variety, not a place to buy the food. However, the office staff is a wonderful bunch of people, and Linda Miners, the account manager, very gladly gave us a 40# bag of Xian's favorite flavor, along with a box of biscuits which are a new product. Nature's Variety is a grain-free food for both cats and dogs, and one that was recommended by Xian's veterinarian. Of course, after those gifts, Bill had to put Xian through his paces: "down-and-unders", "leave it, take it", etc. They all loved it, and Xian left a happy dog.
   After our good luck stop, we drove for many hours today. The day was gray, gloomy and windy, some rain spitting on our windshield. Because we had lingered so long in the AM, we couldn't make our original destination, but we did find our first really lovely state park-- Victoria Springs at Amselmo, where the cottonwoods arched protectively over our camper and we were the only ones in the park. Nice, but somewhat eerie.
( Och! Posted this a day late and am afraid of losing it if I delete it in the editing section.....oh well! I'm sure you'll understand! )

ANSELMO TO CHADRON

9/9/10
This is our first time in Nebraska, and we have found it quite surprising and fascinating. A large portion of our drive took place in the Sand Hills.  Did you know there are sand dunes in Nebraska? Nebraska actually has the largest area of sand dunes, albeit covered with grass, in the US, At the southwest end of what was probably an ancient inland sea.  And trains! We saw trains enough to last a lifetime-- all hauling coal-- and all consisting of more than a hundred cars. Usually an engine in front and one in back. They ran parallel with the road in front of the dunes.

   Outside of Alliance we came upon Carhenge, not one of the wonders of the world. However, a circle the size Stonehenge was marked by cars partially buried on end, with other cars and trucks positioned on top, the entire sculpture coated in a gray material. We lingered long enough to take a photo and then carried on without going in. (Photo by Bill)
    Late in the day we rather abruptly left the sand dunes ( or they left us!)and entered country that looked more like Utah than Nebraska, some areas reminiscent of the Black Hills of South Dakota. Eventually we pulled into our destination of the night, Chadron State Park, another gem. We have a lovely spot on a hill surrounded by trees, which give glimpses rock formations that we're eager to explore.
   Which reminds me, I would just absolutely love to show you the pictures I took of the dunes, the trains, and the dog food folks However, I somehow lost them all when transferring to the external hard drive. Yes, I'm disappointed, too, but Bill has a few. In addition, I have refrained from taking a photo of the smashed -in rear panel of the truck that occurred when Bill backed into our campsite and hit a post. The panel sports a nice band aid covering of black Gorilla tape!! Aren't we a pair?!

ROCK ISLAND TO SHELBY, IOWA

 9/7
For spacious skies, for fruited plains and amber waves of corn, corn, and more corn. IOWA!! You might think that driving along with cornfields on either side as far as you can see, for mile after mile after mile might be boring, but far from it. Forget genetically altered for a moment and envision our highway as it rises and falls with the rolling hills. ( Iowa is NOT flat!) On both sides of the road lie undulating rows of corn, glinting antique gold in the sun. Sometime they march in straight rows, sometimes they roll with the hills. Sometimes they're interrupted by a serpentine swath of emerald, a path cut by the mowers and then grown green. Sometimes they lie with dark bands of terracing stepping up to the horizon, a way to keep erosion away .Occasionally a stream will snake its way across the field, lush cottonwoods clinging to the banks. Oh, and sometimes the fields will be broken by other fields of bright gold , which we think is soybean. The side of the road is lit with thick patches of goldenrod and a heliopsis of some sort. Absolutely glorious!

   The other sight that delighted us-- maybe not others- was the many wind farms we saw along the way. We don't find them an eyesore, we find them graceful and elegant. I saw a pair of windmills that I could swear from my perspective was dancing-- arms spread and wheeling in joyful play with each other. ( Photo from Bill.)
  It's been windy in Iowa, and driving is always challenging. We were glad to finally decide to stop at a small not-too-attractive RV park /combination motel. Just a parking lot, really, with hookups. Hot, dusty, and right off the highway. Sometimes you just can't be choosers!!

SEE YA LATER

9/7/10
    I thought I would let you all know that we're not just disembodied voices; we are actually along on this trip, and here's proof.
    Enough relaxing, we have to get along the way, and so we say good bye to our friends, old and new and pack up the rig, heading for Omaha and then Chadron State Park.
   Friends are what keep us going, at home and while traveling, and we're very lucky to have such treasures. Meeting people along the way is just as exciting to us as seeing the country, and so here are a few pics of our "finds". 

You've seen them before, but you've not seen their tiny camper. Everything you could hope for an more crammed into a cramped 40 feet of space. We love ours, but we sure do love to get together in theirs!!

Our friends, Doug and Jen, with Ziba ( left) and Kody. What fun we've all had! Kody and Xian have had a great time playing ball-- it's also Kody's favorite thing to do. But, she gives way to Xian and then races alongside barking and nipping at his mouth. She overflows with energy and boundless joy, leaping like a little deer to get the ball and Xian. Sadly, she has a severe heart murmur and is on two meds a day. She's two years old and they cherish every day of her life.  Jennie has a sewing machine in their camper and whips out incredible work with the neatest prints. Dog beds, table runners, welding caps, welding duffles, sweat pants, you name it. We're  going to be trading some wine cups for pillows some time in the near future.

Last but not least, is little Ava, Jennie's grand daughter, who made friends with Xian immediately. Xian loves kids and seems to know not to grab the ball and not to jump up. Kids come out of the woodwork when he's around.
  And so, goodbye to Rock Island and onto the road.

MORE FOOD AND FRIENDS

9/6
 A couple of lazy days, spending time with Sandy and Ross, whom we love dearly. Lots of teasing and laughter. Yesterday it was shopping at Hy Vee and lunch at same. All-you-can-eat salads for $6.99, and did we ever CRAM!! The salad bar included not only delicious salad makings, but soups, lots of fruits and some lovely desserts.

We each returned to the bar x  number of times-- we won't tell how many or what the scales now say. Of course, we shopped after lunch, like you're supposed to--never shop while you're hungry, you might buy too much.

   Here we see Peck putting back the 10 bottles of bubble soap that he sneaked into my cart, while Sandy ponders how she puts up with such a nutcase.

  Supper was at the Byers', where once again we shared the lasagna, now down to two pieces, which I put into the freezer. Rats, now I have to cook!!

   During the night a gale force wind came up, forcing the camper into a shake, rattle and roll as torrents of rain pounded the sides and lightning flashed across the sky. (Xian spent most of the night on our bed.) Fortunately, late in the afternoon Bill had discovered some tears in the rubber roof as well as a grommet that had come loose around our antenna. Our newly- purchased ladder came in handy for that repair, and the camper stayed dry. Our neighbors and friends say this is weather is par for the course out here, but not usually in September.
  Here's Bill's description of the storm: "Connecticut's celebratory fireworks are like penny fire crackers with wet fuses compared to nature's display. The blasts lit up the sky for 20's of miles around and from 40k feet to earth. Oh My! The wind blew the cream off the milk, and limbs off trees. I'm glad for the firm rooting of my head of hair." And, as you know, he has quite a bit of that!)  

FOOD AND OLD FRIENDS

9/3/10
  As you might imagine, today was a lazy day. Breakfast with Sandy and Peck Ross around 11-- luscious omelets and hash browns, with a handful of popcorn snagged as we went out the door. (Sandy and Peck are dear friends we met in Colorado in 2005 and have kept in touch with ever since.) Naps, blog-writing and then drinks and snacks later on with the Ross' in their gorgeous 40' motor home in a lovely county campground up the road. 
   I will digress to say that the county campgrounds in Iowa are just beautiful and really inexpensive ( like $18 for full hookups and a spacious site). We couldn't get into that particular one because of the holiday weekend, and they don't take reservations. KOA's are expensive, but convenient and always clean. Plus we can reserve. Tradeoffs, tradeoffs!   Grandchildren Page and Hunter came to spend the night with Peck and Sandy. Bright, friendly and funny kids as you can see by the photos. We trooped into Happy Joe's for din-- an interesting pizza, etc chain-- where I had a BLT pizza ( something new that I won't probably repeat, but it was tasty) and Bill had catfish.

Now this is a photo that Hunter will no doubt continue to love for awhile. ( He's 7.) But Page, darling girl who is in 6th grade, will probably find this very unfunny by the end of the year!!! As you can see, neither was shy  around us, and we had a great time with both of them.

NEW FRIENDS/ ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS

9/2/10
All of us were tired by the time ( 4 PM, Central) we rolled into this KOA for the Labor day Weekend. Our plan was to go for the bed as soon as possible, for a nap before supper. Once the camper was set up, we stepped next door to the motor home to introduce ourselves to Doug and Jenny Peden, who turned out to be  just  a marvelous young couple, bright, funny, and warm. So it was beers all around and no naps!!  We sat under their awning while the rain came down in sheets and exchanged stories. Jenny and Doug are electricians, now working at a nuclear facillity while hoping to sell their home in the area and then  go full-time in their RV. In their jobs, they can go just about anywhere, and they want to. Suppertime arrived and we all had St. Jamie's lasagna  and salad in our pad, until we all yawned. widely. The sunset over the lake beside our camper was breathtaking.