Oh Yeah!

One thing I like about KOA's website is that each KOA lists area attractions. I usually read through the page to see if there's anything of interest to us. The local page for Grand Island KOA noted the Happy Jack Chalk Mine and the town of Hastings, NE, as the birth place of Kool-Aid. Really? Kool-Aid Days is held in August. How fun! 

The Hastings Museum has a permanent exhibit devoted to the classic kids' drink. Kool-Aid: Discover the Dream tells the story of how Edwin Perkins got started, and Kool-Aid worked its way to national recognition. The museum does have a number of dioramas and other exhibits. So I suppose they don't necessarily want to be called the Kool-Aid museum. However, the Kool-Aid exhibit was the reason we went. What's your favorite flavor?

Diorama of cranes - Nebraska sandhills are a stopping point

Early firetruck from Hastings Fire Dept.

Big, wide, happy, ear-to-ear Kool-Aid smile

Fruit smack - Kool-Aid's predecessor

Kool Ade

Ade  had to be changed to Aid to comply with FDA regulations

Packaging by the various Kool-Aid brand owners

Oh yeah!

 Where Are We Going Next?

Chalking Up Another Mine

We've toured a coal mine, a gold mine, a salt mine, and now, a chalk mine. The Happy Jack Peak and Chalk Mine is in Scotia, Nebraska. We were staying about an hour away at Grand Island KOA and decided to make the drive out to the mine, only one of two diatomic mines in the United States. It's privately owned and tours are held on weekends as guests arrive. We had our own private tour. The whole place looks to be a labor of love that could use some capital.

Most of the mining was done in the 1930's and 1940's by an Omaha paint company. The rock was used as filler in paint. However, the rock was used as building material prior to that, and a chalk building still stands in Scotia. The state had wanted to operate the mine as a recreational area after it closed. However, they decided it wouldn't be feasible. Much of the mine has been filled in. Some areas are off limits for safety reasons. 

After being essentially abandoned, it was used by people as a local hang-out. From dancing in the grand room to motorcycle racing through the tunnels, it was a cool place to escape the heat. Eventually it was purchased by a few folks and a non-profit was formed to preserve the history and provide a glimpse into the past. 

Jellyfish

Sand dollar

Invading roots brought mushrooms

More roots causing issues

Time trial racing area

Bat habitat

Tools of the trade

Partially filled tunnels

Why was Jack happy climbing this peak?

Chalk building in Scotia

Corner of the building

Where Are We Going Next?

One Week Later

 So many possibilities for naming this post....

Tree-1, RV-0

Timber!

Our New Favorite Tree

His Eye on the Sparrow

3:30 am Wake Up Call

A mere one week after finishing our warranty service appointment at the mothership in Nappanee, we were sleeping soundly when a severe thunderstorm struck. We woke just after 3:30 a.m. to acorns hitting the roof, wondering at first if it was hail. A few minutes later we heard a thud, felt some shaking, and another ominous thud. Harold got up to investigate.

He came back in to tell me that a tree had fallen, just grazing our bus. We had a busted bedroom window and would probably need a chainsaw to cut some limbs. I opened the blinds a little, and in a flash of lightning could see tree leaves right against my window. I started giving thanks right then and there.

Recently we had been reminded of that wonderful hymn, His Eye is on the Sparrow. It certainly applied to us. When daylight came, we saw just how close we had come to having a tree trunk smash our bus. Another tree had slowed its fall with the main trunk going to the further side and only the smaller fork toward our bus.

A neighboring camper, Mike, came over with his sawzall. Another camper, Randy, soon joined. Together with Harold, they managed to get the branches from our bus. Again, we have much for which to be grateful.

We had a shattered bedroom window. Thank the Lord for safety glass. We had paint scratches, but as far as we could tell, no major damage. Thank you Lord. 

Right by the bedroom slideout

Mike and his sawzall

Our new favorite tree taking the beating

The next day we stopped at Bish's RV of Lincoln to have a service technician inspect the roof and bedroom slideout. We wanted another set of eyes looking for leaks or loose parts that may cause damage as we traveled. Bish's gets five stars in our book. We called them Saturday morning as we were passing through Lincoln. They understood our situation and fit us in immediately. We had called an RV dealer near where we were going to stay, and they were two months behind on estimates! 

We have slide topper and top rail damage in addition to the broken window and paint scratches. Thankfully, the technician did not spot any showstoppers. Good thing, because the window alone is a 6 to 8 week backorder! 

While it's sad to see our beautiful bus with a taped window and scratches, we're quite grateful that we were spared serious damage. 

Maybe we'll name our bus Sparrow. God certainly had his eye on us. The bus is on the smaller side, like a sparrow, and as Harold pointed toward the windshield, it eats a lot of bugs!

Where Are We Going Next?

Safe Water in Hannibal

When we left the Nappanee area, we headed west. Actually, it was more south than west as we stayed well away from toll roads and the Chicago metropolitan area. We spent a couple of nights at Bo Woods Campground on Lake Shelbyville in Illinois. Like most COE campgrounds at lakes, the sites are extra spacious to allow for your RV, your tow vehicle(s), and your boat. 

We then moved to Indian Creek Campground on the Mark Twain Lake in Missouri. In retrospect the Ray Behrens campground might have been a better choice. Indian Creek was further back from main roads. 

We took a day trip to Hannibal, Missouri, boyhood hometown to Mark Twain. The town offers plenty of free parking for their Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museums. One tour ticket gets you into all the venues. Everything is in pretty easy walking distance. However, the hike up those 244 steps to the commemorative lighthouse on a hot day is not for everyone. 

Norman Rockwell illustrated The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The Mark Twain Museum is home to fifteen original paintings for those books. If you're a Rockwell fan, you will be delighted.

We enjoyed the shopping too. I came away with a new book to read - a collection of Mark Twain's short stories. We especially appreciated the free ice cream at the Dutch Country General Store. I was able to stock up on my sweet lebanon bologna supply too. 

Now, for those of you wondering why this was titled safe water, it's because that's what Mark Twain means. 

Lake Shelbyville - picnic grounds at dam visitor center

Never a navigational lighthouse

Inside the home

 Original Norman Rockwell paintings

Whitewashing time

Foreign language translations

Safe Water Ahead

 Where Are We Going Next?

Newmar Mothership and Showalter RV

Returning to the manufacturer for service has come to be known as returning to the mothership. We reached Nappanee the day before our scheduled appointment and got set up in the campground. The service tech arrives at 6:00 a.m. to get your coach. Thankfully, the new service center has a fantastic customer lounge with as much coffee as you can stand. You can watch the official service center video from Newmar here. Do they not have a crazy clean floor?

We had a rather lengthy list of things to be addressed. Most of it was cosmetic in nature with only a couple of pesky issues. We were very pleased with the service received. 

While the Newmar service facility is first class, that 6:00 a.m. service tech knock is not necessarily something we wanted to experience each morning. So we took advantage of my cousin Steve and his family and stayed at their home. This allowed the Newmar techs more time to work on our coach since they didn't have to return it to the Newmar campground on a daily basis. It was a win for us all.

Steve and Junelle had recently completed a new service facility and showroom. Showalter RV looks pretty sharp with new additional service bays and expanded retail floor space and indoor showroom space. They've got some top notch employees who do everything they can to help you out, whether it's service, parts, or sales. Plus, it's still very much a hands-on family business with the second generation coming along. Josh works in sales. His wife, Missy, cleans and preps units. Jody works in service, and the youngest daughter is on hand for cleaning and yardwork.

And if that wasn't enough to keep them busy, there's Perfect Twist Pretzels down the street in Coppes Commons. The oldest daughter and her husband, Trevor and Krissy, run the pretzel shop with a little extra help for special events now and then. 

The new expansion

Camping accessories!

Josh (sales) and Jody (service)

The youngest doing the mowing

Jody in action

Junelle filling in out front for a change

Steve working the office

Pitching in at the festival booth

Where Are We Going Next?

Studebaker National Museum and Oliver Mansion

Just under an hour from Nappanee is South Bend, home of the Studebaker National Museum. We bought the combination ticket for it and the History Museum, which included a tour of the Oliver Mansion. The History Museum also had an exhibit for women's baseball, including A League of Their own movie memorabilia. 

Studebaker Brothers got their real start with investing money made from selling wheelbarrows to gold rush miners.

Did you know how the term station wagon got started?  It makes sense when  you think about it. 

Whenever I think of Oliver, I associate the name with tractors. It was actually the chilled plow that got them started. Their beautiful home, though not as large as the Studebaker family's home, is something to see. The Studebaker family home is now a restaurant.

A bit of a hodge podge of exhibits, but there you are.

Studebaker wagons

Station wagons - brought luggage and people to/from train stations

Fashionable

Durable

Elegance

1963 Avanti

The last Studebaker

Predictor

Bullet nose photo opp

Signed by the real players

The Oliver Chilled Plow

Oliver Mansion

Grand Entry

Where Are We Going Next?