We're in Kansas

We left Oklahoma and headed northwestish into Kansas. Our first stop was Dodge City. Wow, are there a lot of cattle feed lots. If the wind is blowing right, it smells like it too! Whew!

We went to Boot Hill Museum, which was within walking distance of our campground. Since it was off-season and a weekday, we almost had the place to ourselves. The can-can girls and gun shootouts are strictly a summertime thing.

Doc Holliday at little upset at my royal flush hand

At Boot Hill Museum

Our next stop was Goodland, KS. We had two goals in mind. First was a 30 mile backtrack in the Jeep to Mingo, KS. The second goal was to gander at the Big Easel. Well, we ended up stopping in Mingo on the way to Goodland. That gave us a full day to explore Goodland. The visitor center gave us a couple of great ideas, not to mention a couple of free stickers and postcards of the Big Easel.  Yeah!

The Big Easel

Just where am I?

Giant Grasshoppers in Kansas

Where Are We Going Next?

Covid Bummer

Well, it finally caught up to us. I was beginning to think we were going to be among the rare exceptions that never caught covid. Sadly, that turned out to be false thinking. 

Bummer!

We were leaving the Newmar Kountry Klub rally, and I felt a bit off. I thought maybe I had a head cold or allergies kicking in. Harold drove the whole day. When we got to our next campground, I took some benadryl and tried to sleep. I was sneezing a bit, and my sinuses were starting to get congested.

I was still feeling tired and congested the next day, which was another travel day. We don't normally do two back-to-back travel days. We were trying to get to Enid, OK, for the American Kitefliers Association's National Convention. When we got to the campground, I decided to take a covid test. We had been to two rallies over the past couple of weeks. Plus, last year, covid had broken out at the AKA convention. I wanted to be able to tell anyone who heard me sneeze or cough that I tested negative for covid. Well, the surprise was on me! I did have covid! 

Harold immediately took a test. He tested negative. However, there's only so much space in an RV. So we fully expected him to catch it. Surprise! He never caught it. We had been vaccinated and boosted. I was using liberal amounts of Lysol disinfectant spray, wiping down things with disinfectant wipes a couple of times a day, and laundering pillowcases and towels in Clorox on a daily basis. 

Since he was continuing to test negative, he felt comfortable in participating in outdoor events on the kite field. He won first place in rokkaku kite building with a very special kite. Thanks Rick Agar for the photo!

Though we were incredibly disappointed in the timing, we were both thankful that I only had mild symptoms. Time to count our blessings. I got some reading done, and Harold completed some maintenance projects. I got in some time in our new trip planning software. Still it was a relief when I tested negative 48 hours apart. Yeah! 

Huh, an active oil well near our campsite

Replacing some closet trim

What to watch next?

Isolation exercise

Harold entered the rokkaku kitebuilding with our wedding kite

Where Are We Going Next?

Rally Time!

We attended our first Newmar Kountry Klub International Rally in Sedalia, MO. The state fairgrounds have ample full hook up sites to accommodate over 400 big rigs. Wow! I saw several drone shots of the campgrounds on Newmar groups. They looked pretty cool. I didn't seek out the owners to ask permission to use their photos though. So no photos on our blog.

We attended several seminars and bought some new accessories. The biggest purchase being a Magneshade for the windshield. With the help of TC, a friend we met in Spearfish at Elkhorn Ridge, Harold was able to get it installed.  Super thanks to TC for taking on the ladder so Harold wouldn't have to do it with his knee. 

We also purchased a subscription to Adventure Genie. It's an AI based RV trip planning software. It's only been released for a few months, and I'm sure will have some bugs. However, I really like its potential and am ready to try it out. The more you use it, the more it matches you. Kind of cool and perhaps a bit scary to think about too. Route planning and deciding on campgrounds is a huge time consumer, so I'm game to try it out.

Harold bought a Wash Wax All kit. The key to the system is the 15" extension mop head that allows Harold to wash and wax the RV without climbing up and down a ladder. Though Harold has been very loth to buy an all-in-one system, Wash Wax All has gotten very good reviews. Plus, since the system doesn't use water, we'll be able to clean our rv in all those campgrounds that don't allow you to wash your rv. It might not be as durable as Rejex or another polish, but it works.

Though a bit of an expensive week with our purchases, seeing new products and learning new things were part of the reason we went. We enjoyed meeting other Newmar owners and catching up with some folks we'd met earlier in our travels. 

Regrettably, the day we left the rally, I wasn't feeling so great. I thought I was coming down with a cold. Ha!

Where Are We Going Next?

The Inverted Catenary Curve

 ...Otherwise known as the Gateway Arch. The Arch is now a national park. We made a stop on our way to the Newmar Kountry Klub International Rally being held in Sedalia, MO. We spent three nights at Dam West Campground on Lake Carlyle in IL. It's around an hour east of St. Louis. The campground's location is perfect for day trips and returning to peaceful surroundings. 

Our Gateway Arch combination tickets included a documentary film on the arch's construction. I got the shivers just watching those guys up there on their scaffoldings. 

Our next event was a one hour riverboat cruise on the Mississippi. It was the perfect mid-afternoon activity. The boat goes under the Eads bridge which was the world's first steel truss bridge and is absolutely beautiful. The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, which carries I-70 traffic, is another eye-catching bridge. 

We capped our day with a tram ride to the top of the arch. We timed it beautifully. We were in a group of 7 total. How amazing is that? So thankful we were there on a slow day. 

Dizzy yet?

Eads Bridge

Old Power Plant and Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge

Classic Arch View

Tram to the top

All by myself!

Looking east - Mississippi River and Illinois

Looking straight down

Looking west - St. Louis

Last ones down

Where Are We Going Next?

Having a (Mini) Hoot

What happens when you get around 15 Newmar coach owners together? You have a mini hoot, that's what. Years ago some guys hashing around maintenance and modifications on their coaches thought it would be a "hoot" if they all got together. Well, the hoot rally got bigger and bigger. Some folks decided a smaller, mini, hoot rally would be more to their liking. 

But, before the rally, and after our routine annual chassis maintenance at Spartan in Charlotte, MI, we stopped by Showalter RV in Nappanee, IN. Our goal was twofold. One, to get our washing machine replaced. It had leaked once, and only once, but we weren't going to take chances. Two, we wanted to attend the Nappanee Apple Festival. Several other of Steve's friends camped out at his lot as well. Then we all headed to Duck Creek RV Resort for the mini-hoots rally. 

Activities at the rally included a day at Silver Lake State Park on the sand dunes, a zipline and roller luge adventure, an evening cruise on Lake Michigan, several evenings of campfire camarderie and potluck meals. There were golfing, ATV trail riding, shopping, USS Silversides Museum outings. All for the choosing, or not. There was still plenty of time for coach maintenance, and maybe a few naps. 

What a hoot!

Jody and Shawn install the new washing machine

Junelle, Krissy, and the rest of the Perfect Twist staff sneak out to enjoy the parade

Steve, Perry, and kids toss out the candy

Bacon, it's what's for supper

Bacon, it's what's for breakfast

 

Professionally washed and detailed

Lost item tree on the sand dunes

Refrigerator repair time

Archery time

Luge time

Zipline time

A little tight on the USS Silversides

Bike ride time - U.S. Bike Route 35

Nap time

Where Are We Going Next?

Boats, Rocks, Snowshoes, and Pasties

We left Oahe Recreation Area near Pierre, SD, and headed to Minnesota. We spent a couple of days in Barnesville, visiting Kevin and Tammy before heading down the road to Steinbring Motorcoach. Each year Steinbring hosts an owners rally affectionately known as Quartsite North.  We enjoyed a pontoon ride, some great food, and a private event at the Legacy of the Lakes Museum. Wow, does that museum have some great boats. 

Heli-bout

From MN, we headed across northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of MI to get to our next appointment at Spartan in Charlotte, MI. It may have been the longer route, but is was much more scenic and far less traffic than trying to go around Chicago. 

We spent two nights in the Munising, MI, area. We wanted a day at  Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The weather was cool and pretty windy. We decided to save the boat tour for another time. We settled for a couple of quick hikes. Some day we'd like to spend more time in the UP and along the Lake Superior shoreline. It's beautiful.

Miner's Castle

Pictured Rocks

Munising Falls

An unexpected experience was Iverson Snowshoes, a snowshoe manufacturer in the Munising area. We weren't sure we had the right place at first. It looked like someone's garage. The overwhelming smell of laquer lets you know you're in the right place. The artistry in the snowshoes almost made me want to buy a pair. Eh, maybe not. 

Here?

One room operation

18 different models made

Found me a rocking chair

Ooohhh, got to have a pasty. It's kind of like a pot pie without the gravy. 

Where Are We Going Next?