Iron Mountain Road - Needles Highway

Iron Mountain Road is definitely one of the more scenic roads in America. No wonder motorcyclists love the Black Hills, and Sturgis is such a successful rally. We hit the road on a day when it was rather chilly out, and the wind was howling. Covid-19 had closed Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Black Hills visitor centers. 

Even so, we were surprised at the number of vehicles on the road. We were quite glad that we weren't there during peak hours. The volume of traffic would greatly detract from the experience and add a little stress if the vehicle or motorcycle behind you wanted to go a bit faster. There are lots of pullouts though, so that helps. You want to stop and view the scenery, and you can't do it while driving. The road demands your full attention.

The scenic loop takes you on Needles Highway in Custer State Park in addition to Iron Mountain Road. The scenery is amazing and those narrow tunnels may find you holding your breath as you pass through them. A couple of them are pretty tight feeling. 

Needles Eye Tunnel 8' 4" wide

Logo is a go-go!

Shout out to my friend Deirdre who designed a logo for us. Who says there haven't been side benefits to the Covid-19 shutdown and the availability of extra time. Thanks Deirdre!

Mt. Rushmore - Southern Black Hills

When we checked in at Heartland RV Park in Hermosa, South Dakota, one of the ladies manning the counter suggested that we take the Mt. Rushmore and Custer State Park road trip, which includes a the wildlife loop. It's around 67 miles, but takes the better part of a day. 

We thought there was a surprising number of people on the loop considering just about everything was closed due to Covid-19, and it was in the 40's with a howling wind.  It would take a full day during peak summer  hours with lots of one-lane tunnels, scenic pullouts, and 15 - 25 mph zones. Iron Mountain Road is deserving of a blog entry in and of itself. Of course, we could probably say that about a lot of things. We're kind of glad that it wasn't peak summer hours. 

The visitor center is still closed, as are the concessions. In addition to the usual Covid-19 concerns, there's a work shortage because of Covid-19. Many of the summer staff are overseas students who haven't been able to get into the USA.  

Black Hills

Cathedral Spires

First glimpse of Mt. Rushmore

We made it

Mt. Rushmore - same view area, one foggy morning later

Closer view

Profile View

First solo

It was time to move the rock star bus from Camp Showalter at Showalter RV to the garage at Elizabeth's Cousin's house. It was a Sunday so the  traffic should be reduced and that we were not towing the jeep due to the short distance Elizabeth decided to drive the bus and have me follow her in the Jeep. 

Camp Showalter

She decided that we would not use our FRS/GMRS walkie talkies to cut down on the distractions.

We set off from Showalter RV with an easy left hand turn. She negotiated the right hand turn downtown Nappanee without issue. The same can be said for the traffic circle. Note the perfect lane positioning with the wide bus!

For a reason unknown to me she slowed down to walking speed for a bit, and I was getting concerned. Then, suddenly, she floored the accelerator pedal and moved to the left lane of the two-lane road we were driving on.  At first I was surprised, but when I saw this,I was no longer concerned.

The last thing was easy as it was a horse and buggy approaching from the other direction.  Note how both drivers gave all the room they could, barely staying on the road.

One last right hand turn and then the driveway was just down the hill on the left.

I think that Elizabeth was happy she drove the bus solo as she may have to do it again in the future.  She is a real trooper!!!!!!

I am so proud of her!

Kites squared

While visiting Elizabeth's cousin in Indiana I made a "Square Incher" kite for the youngest member of the family.  Here she is flying it in in the showroom at Showalter RV.

It is called a "Square Incher" as it has exactly one square inch of sail area.  It is actually that small.

A couple of days later, the weather had warmed up. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and we decided to fly a kite at the home.  Here is most of the family enjoying the slow pace and sunshine. Note the kite at the top of the photo.

To tend the kite, I hooked the lightest and youngest member of the family into a strap. She put some effort into pulling the kite when the wind slacked off. Enough so that she noted her arms hurt the next day. 

When she got tired, one of the family dogs tried to help too.

It was finally time to bring the kite in.

The kite is a Premier Kites 19 foot delta.  it is 19 feet across the back of the kite and it is 9 feet 4 inches tall. I want to thank my friend Jim Cosca for introducing me to this kite and assisting me in my purchasing decision...

For comparison between the two kites the Delta has 12,768 square inches of surface area.... but unlike the "Square Incher,"it does not fit in a pocket.

Two Ply Bliss

Just before selling our home and becoming full-time RVers, I was conducting some annual maintenance on the rock star bus (we have yet to name her) in our gravel driveway.  To do this, I normally use a cardboard creeper. A wheeled creeper does not work on gravel, and due to the added inches, there becomes negative clearance between my round body and the bottom of the bus.

Recently I received a box of parts to make the Jeep towable four down, and the box was just the right size for a XXL Harold-sized cardboard creeper.

The hidden asset was this is was a heavy duty box. So, just like other two-ply products that are on the market, this two-ply product made Harold's backside quite comfortable through this process. Free creepers are nice.

Slide Maintenance

Well, if you're going to shelter in place in your motorized home, there are far worse places than your cousin's RV dealership. Showalter RV had just completed water and electric hookups in their customer parking area. So, while we were hunkering down, we were able to get some work done on the coach.

Harold took on the task of replacing the slideout seals and weatherstripping. He had ordered the parts months ago and was just waiting for the time to get them done. He spent a couple of days working through each slide. He lost count of how many times he went up and down that ladder.

The thirteen-year-old seams in the slide toppers had worn out. So, the guys pulled the toppers off and took them down the road to Amish-owned Millers Custom Canvas Shop LLC in Milford, Indiana. They confirmed that the Sunbrella fabric was still good and simply restitched the seams. The price was incredibly reasonable, far more so than buying entirely new toppers. Back at the lot, the guys reinstalled the toppers for us. Yeah, Harold didn't have to go up and down the ladder again.

We are so glad that we have family with RV expertise. If you're looking for an RV, we encourage you to give Showalter RV a call. You'll get a great price and excellent service.  🙂