It’s been a long time since our last blog, last April. The last we
wrote we were driving back to Colorado to spend the summer working
in Cotopaxi at the KOA.
We had a great
summer, even though it was hot and dry. I worked in the office and
Jim planted an amazing garden for the campground
(Pictures of Cotopaxi).
The fishing was not all that great as the Arkansas River was low all
summer as the run-off in the spring was almost non existent.
Unusually hot weather all summer stressed the fish, the campers, the
staff and the campground.
We got to Golden a
couple of times to spend time with the grandkids (and Alisha &
Billy). Sadie loves it there because she can run and run and run.
Here is a link to a video of her first interaction with a
sprinkler….. hysterical!
Sadie video with the sprinkler
We started looking
for a place to work this winter close to the grandkids in Sacramento
or Phoenix but have not had any results so far. So as an interim job
we decided to come north to Hallock, MN to work the sugar beet
harvest. Hallock is only a few miles east of the ND border and south
of the Canadian border. It is a beautiful small town of 981 souls.
Lots of hardwood trees changing colors and a great little RV park.
There is also a brewery and distillery, so we’re all set. Jim is
going to be driving truck (an 18 wheeler) for the 1st time
in 30 odd years! He’ll be hauling beets to the piler, 12 hour
shifts for about 2 weeks.
(Video of the sugar beet harvest)
(Pictures of the harvest and Hallock, MN)
Jim started on Monday the 1st of October and then on Wednesday the rains came! And the snow! The fields turn into “gumbo
mud” and after several trucks, including Jim, got stuck, they called it a day. The weather
should clear soon and they’ll be back to harvesting. We should be
here about 2-3 weeks, depending on the weather.
Along the way we
went to Lake John in Walden, CO. We met friends there and Jim got in
some awesome fishing. (Pictures at Lake John)
Next stop was our son, Jeremy’s in Whitewood, SD. We picked up our
mail and got SD drivers licenses. We were able to take the Needles
Highway scenic drive through Custer State Park this year (it was
snowed close last November) and the rock formations were amazing. You
can even see Mt Rushmore from 1 of the overlooks. There are 4 tunnels
along the way and they are all 1 lane, narrow and short. No way you
can get a motorhome up there!
(Pictures in South Dakota)
We saw on Facebook
that other friends, John and Wendy were going to be east of Wall, SD
about the same time we were heading east to Minnesota. They are full
time Rvers that we meet while working at Amazon. We made plans to
meet up and spend a couple of days “boondocking” with them while
they went rock hunting. John polishes his “finds” and makes very
beautiful creations, especially his wine stoppers. Where we camped
was just on the east side of the Badlands with amazing views!
(Pictures of boondocking with John and Wendy)
When we left we backtracked to Wall, SD and went through the Wall
Drug store…. A fascinating road side attraction and a part of
history. Here is a link to its story…...
(Website about Wall Drug)
Another side trip we
wanted to take on the way north was to go to Swanville, MN where my
Dad and Aunt Jean were born. My Grandfather owned a gas station and a
grain elevator. They moved from there in 1945 when my Dad was 15 and
moved to Boulder, CO. My Aunt Jean sent me directions on how to find
their house “ I
thought I would tell you a little about Swanville. It is a small town
- a least it used to be. One main street going North and South. The
school is on the south end of town and our house was just close by.
On the west side of the road heading North was a road coming into the
main street, then a house on the corner and then our house”.
Needless
to say the town is still small, the school is on the south side of
town but
we
weren’t
sure if it was in the same location. If it was, there
were a few houses in the area, but I couldn’t tell if they were the
right ones. It
is fun to think that their house was still there. As we were driving
the motorhome, towing the jeep, we did not explore the town very
much. It is a beautiful little town, population 350.
Aunt Jean says its grown from when she lived there.
It is right next to Pipin Lake in the midst of rolling, wooded hills.
How wonderful to be
able
to explore
my family roots! (Pictures of Swanville, MN)
So long for now. Until next time, from wherever, whenever.
