Blog Archives

Red Sky in the Morning

9/30/2014

And you know what that means. We had rain last Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, but since then really spectacular weather for camping. However, this afternoon, rain is headed this way. They appear to have taken the severe storms and hail out of the forecast. Anyway, it is almost worth it for this gorgeous sunrise. We are at Lewis and Clark State Park, near Onawa, Iowa and this is the view from the back of our camper.

Yesterday was a long driving day but the scenery was great and we were amazed by the number of trains. We live in a town that grew up around the railroad and are used to a fair number of trains each day. But it is in the Plains that the prominence of the railroads in commerce becomes very evident. We took highway 34 most of the way and waited six minutes to get on the highway while three long freights--two going east and one west--passed. Then all along 34, we constantly met or passed trains, many hauling coal from Wyoming.

After we arrived at the park and set up, we took a short bike ride and stopped at the full sized replica of Lewis and Clark's keelboat. There is also a 1930s CCC lodge plus a brand new much larger lodge overlooking the lake. According to the DNR site, they hold a Lewis and Clark festival here in June, complete with a buckskinner's rendezvous that sounds like fun.

We want to explore the Loess Hills today before the rain. Then perhaps a fun trip to the Dirty to Pretty Clean Laundromat in Onawa is in order.

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Road Trip

9/29/2014

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Yesterday began auspiciously with the sunrise reflecting off the clouds over the pond by our campsite and only got better. We had planned to leave Kearney and head north and northeast back toward Iowa. But after much discussion and poring over maps and campground brochures, we decided to stay where we were one more day. I wanted to get up into Custer County and see the area. My grandmother grew up in Grand Island and as a child spent summers with cousins who lived in a sod house in the sand hills of Custer County, This would have been in the 1890s. A judge's daughter from the 'city,' she was enthralled with the idea that you could build anything you wanted from the prairie. So we decided it was more practical to just take a day trip into the area.

I had read about a little town called Comstock and the restored Dowse Sod House near there. It's about four miles southwest of Comstock on a gravel road and is an amazing place. First of all, no one is there. It is open to the public and there is a box for donations next to the guest book, entirely on the honor system. The house was one of the first 'soddies' in Custer County and was occupied by the Dowse family until 1959. Through the years, modern amenities were added such as plaster walls and wood floors. The outside was coated with cement and shingles to prevent erosion. In 1941, a tornado took every outbuilding on this farm and left the soddie.

One section of the outside wall is uncovered under the eaves to show the sod. The son of the builder claimed there were holes in the walls called 'crowbar holes' where "in a storm, the folks would stick a crowbar through and if it was bent when they pulled it back in, they stayed inside." The original house was three rooms: the kitchen, parlor, and bedroom, with an upstairs loft. William Dowse, the builder, and his wife raised five boys in this house. After viewing the inside we sat for a bit in a glider under a pine tree in the front yard to enjoy the breeze and the view across the countryside.

Then we drove on in to Comstock, population 110. There is a sign for a nearby turkey farm, population 149. The most amazing site is in the center of town, the Centennial Garden. It is packed with a wide variety of flowers, shrubs and trees, and beautifully maintained. Hundreds of butterflies zip around the flowers. Around every corner are interesting objects.

After this incredible place , we drove over to Broken Bow, population 3600 and the county seat for Custer County, which is, by the way, almost twice the size of Rhode Island. It appears to be thriving and is very well kept. We lunched at the Tumbleweed, obvious outsiders by our lack of boots and rhinestones. Then back to camp for a quiet evening.

Today will be a pack up and driving day--all the way to Lewis and Clark State Park in Iowa on the Missouri River.

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A Covey of Cousins in Kearney

9/28/2014

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Between us, Butch and I have eleven siblings and sixty-five cousins, give or take a few. So it's always nice when we can see several of them in one place. This weekend, Kearney, NE was the gathering spot for several of the Hildebrands.

Kearney really is the middle. They claim to be 1733 miles from both Boston and San Francisco. There were cousins from Texas, California, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa. Aunt Dorothy, who I believe is ninety, said she guessed she was "the last of the Mohicans" but also disavowed any responsibility for behavior. There was a little peanut shuck throwing incident at dinner.

Earlier in the day, we visited the Archway--a museum of sorts that stretches over I-80. It contains kind of a Disney version of the Westward Movement, more realistic but with lots of multimedia effects. My former eighth graders should recognize many of the incidents and trials of the Pioneer game we did. But very impressive and a good overview of the opening of the West. For a more complete story, read Men to Match My Mountains by Irving Stone.

We also visited Cabela's, a first for me. Learned from brother-in-law Dan that if they include a certain number of wild animals per square foot in their stores, they can be classified as a museum. Hmmmm.

So where from here? Like the pioneers, we will be striking out to parts unknown, foraging for food, searching for safe havens each night, and hopefully not having to turn the trailer on its side as a fortification against attack. Hopefully also, we run into a laundromat and supermarket. I guess there's always the Internet.

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The Return of the Blue Coyote

9/27/2014

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So, we arrived at Ft. Kearney Recreation Area and found our campsite--the only advance reservation we had made. It's giving us a new slant on life. As you can see, the first step's a doozy. We are right on the water, but geesh. I do have to comment about Nebraska State Parks. They charge $4 a night more for a campsite than Iowa plus a $5 a day user fee. So--coin operated showers? Really, Nebraska?

After a little encore buffet of the beet salad and the pasta augmented with some summer sausage, we motored into the Kearney Ramada to visit with Hildebrand cousins. They represented California, Texas, Colorado and Iowa.

This morning we rode a little bike trail to a bridge made out of an old trestle from which to view the Platte River and sand cranes when they are in residence. (Not now.) The bridge is long and bumpy but not high, making it doable for me.

The Platte runs along the route followed by the Oregon Trail and became known as "a mile wide and a foot deep" or "too thick to swim in and too thin to plow." Actually the water on this day was pretty clear and fast moving. Just not much of it. It was a great morning for a ride.

I had to snap this photo near the end of our ride. This little guy with the training wheels was sent back by his bigger brothers and the guy behind him is wearing his Blue Coyote hat. If you don't get it, you'll just have to read the book.

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Stitches and Sticks

9/26/2014

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Yesterday, a beautiful sunrise greeted me when I opened the camper door. A light mist had settled on everything and I watched the sun come up over the wide open area between our campsite and the next row down by the lake. Along with a good cup of coffee, a great way to begin the day.

After breakfast, we rode our bikes around several of the loops. The one down by the lake has some great sites. They are marked on the online map as no electricity but that is apparently outdated. They all have hook-ups now. But we really didn't see a bad site anywhere. The loops higher up the hill also have views of the lake.

Butch and Dan played golf in the afternoon and I can't really give an accurate report of the score. When I asked later, Dan prefaced Butch's score with "The way you count it..." I didn't want to get any deeper into that.

Ann, our niece Abby, and I went out for lunch and then on a search for the International Quilt Study Center and Museum on the east U of Nebraska campus. If you don't know for sure where you are going, I recommend leaving the driving to a fearless twenty something who thinks she might have been there before. After a couple of loops and questioning some students we landed at an amazing building. At least check out the structure in this link and you'll see what I mean.

International Quilt Study Center and Museum

There are currently three main exhibits. One of quilts made from kits, one of signature quilts, and one of log cabin variations. One of the latter types is shown on the right. There was also a display of contemporary quilts in the lobby, including the one on the left which a Lincoln woman made as a high school graduation present. Each square contains a Shel Silverstein poem and the fabrics all have musical notes to signify her son's's favorite book as a child and his current interests. The creativity of quiltmakers never ceases to amaze me. And yesterday was Silverstein's birthday to boot.

Back to the campground and supper of grilled chicken thighs and small steaks, pasta with spinach and red peppers and roasted beet salad. Fittingly, Abby had chosen a nice red wine for us called Tornado Alley.

The only fly in the ointment of this lovely day was a fly...and his six bazillion relatives. And mosquitoes. And a number of bugs I have never seen before. Apparently, recent rains have produced a bumper crop. So now, I have some killing to do.

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Lincoln Lore

9/25/2014

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Lincoln, Nebraska, that is. We did not get to try out the bike trail at Lake Anita yesterday because of intermittent rain. Of course, the sun was pushing its way out as we pulled out of the campground. We did take time to get a photo of a man outstanding in his field--Butch in the beautiful stand of prairie grass behind our campsite.

For some reason, the drive to Lincoln took longer than we anticipated--not sure why. But eventually we reached one of the campgrounds at Branched Oak State Park northwest of Lincoln. The park itself is wonderful. Can't say much for the showers. They are quite old and operated by a ring and chain apparatus that looks like it belongs in a medieval torture chamber. It pulls very hard--I can't imagine that any child under ten can operate it. But the sites are nice with great views.

Butch's baby brother Dan and wife Ann drove up to join us for supper. Since we landed and set up later than expected, we decided to take in a local restaurant. On the recommendation of the campground host, we ended up in nearby Raymond at a bar and grill called the Ding-a-Ling. I had an excellent mushroom and swiss burger.

Dan and Butch plan to golf this afternoon. This requires a lot of advance discussion--much of it self-deprecating (mostly on Butch's part) in the line of: "I can't sink a putt to save my soul lately," "My hip hurts," "I need the senior tees," and so on. I think this is a ritual designed to catch Dan off guard if Butch does have a good round. It was a practice he learned from their dad, Charlie. Sandbagging, I think it's called but I don't really understand the fine points of golf.

We returned to the campground and sat outside for a couple of hours under a moonless, starry, starry sky worthy of Van Gogh.

While the guys golf, Ann, niece Abby, and I will take in a quilt exhibit in downtown Lincoln, hit a grocery store, and come back here to get the fire started for supper. You know how it is for us pioneer women.

This morning I plan to get a bike ride in around the campground. Don't laugh--it's quite large. I also have not met my writing goals the last two days so need to work on that. And there is an arboretum here in the park that we might take in. Ah, the strenuous life of a camper.

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The Rise of Fall

9/24/2014

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Lake Anita State Park has an excellent campground. The sites are arranged on the north shore of the lake in tiers going up the hill so that every site has a view of the lake. Many sites have full hookups. There is bike trail that circles the lake. We haven't tried that yet because of iffy weather.

What has surprised me is the seemingly increase in fall color as we have gone west. I would it expect it of course if we were traveling north but actually we're going slightly southwest. And maybe it's my imagination that there's more color but the countryside is certainly beautiful.

We did go for a short bike ride around the campground last night after some excellent grilled turkey tenderloins. All along the shore of the campground are small docks and jettys for the fisherman, artist, or deep thinker. Or any one else for that matter.

Rain is moving in and out this morning, requiring me to have my coffee and do my writing indoors. We will head to Lincoln mid-day and look forward to several dry late-summer days. The weather people wouldn't lie, would they? Anyway, we'll definitely keep this place on our list of 'do returns.' Wish we were going to be here this weekend for the cast-iron cooking contest. I bet they give out samples.

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Another Openin'...

9/23/2014

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We head out this morning for parts in the near West. Tonight we will camp at Lake Anita State Park in Western Iowa. We've heard really good things about it and that there's a bike trail all the way around the lake.

Then tomorrow we will go to Lincoln, Nebraska and camp for two nights at Branched Oak State Park northwest of Lincoln. Butch hopes to play golf on Thursday with his brother Dan.

On Friday, we will continue to Fort Kearney State Recreation Area for two nights. Some of Butch's cousins are having a mini-reunion in Kearney and it should be interesting. There is a thread of insanity that runs through the Hildebrands. They tend to build their own planes, land on roads, things like that.

After Kearney, plans are much looser. We would like to go north into the Sand Hills. No cranes this time of year but my grandmother grew up in Grand Island, the youngest of five, and her mother died shortly after she was born. So she often spent the summers in Custer County with cousins who live in a sod house. There is a restored sod house there that would be fun to see.

Then we will head back to Iowa, maybe to the Loess Hills, maybe Okoboji, maybe both. Whatever, it will be another show.

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The Write Stuff

9/17/2014

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Last spring and summer the website Florida Outdoors RV published a serial that I wrote as a sort of humorous murder mystery under the title Camping Can be Murder. Since I later used that title for the bundled set of the first three Frannie Shoemaker mysteries, I have retitled it The Long, Wrong Trailer and published it on Smashwords for all ebook formats. It is just over 60 pages, so a quick read, and absolutely free. It is also on Amazon but currently at $o.99 because Amazon won't allow me to price it free. They may change it when they see it is free somewhere else.

Punk and Patty Jo Norton are retired and Patty Jo (PJ) talks her husband into buying an used trailer to try camping. Their first trip is to a nearby park on Halloween weekend and the holiday festivities are being sponsored by the dealer they bought the trailer from. Shady dealings, Punk and PJ's blunders, and hijinks at the festivities result in a body at the bottom of the cliff. Whoops.

order The Long, Wrong trailer

I am also working with a cover designer on the cover for The Time Travel Trailer, a little venture into sci-fi for me. She just sent me the first concept yesterday and it's really exciting.

And the Self-Published Author's Workshop we are planning at the West Liberty Library for November 15 is coming together nicely. We have eight other writers from southeast Iowa and Illinois coming to share their experience in publishing ebooks and print books, marketing, and building a social media platform. This will be an opportunity for writers and people who would just like to publish something like a family history for personal use to learn the nuts and bolts. These writers represent fiction, memoir, young adult, poetry, and non-fiction genres. Lots going on.

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Super Supper and Surprises

9/15/2014

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The camping gremlins have been at work this year throwing obstacles in the way of our usual group finding time to camp together. Things like weather, delay on a new camper delivery, family obligations, etc. So Saturday, it was especially pleasant to have the Ottaways come up from their campsite at Tailwater West and the Halds drive over from home to join us at a fabulous supper. We grilled turkey tenders, pork steaks and finger steaks and downed them with roasted potatoes, green beans and sauteed zucchini and then moved in close around an enticing fire. I don't really think Harriet is trying to kick the photographer here, although it may appear that way.

Sunday morning, I passed out some recipe cards advertising my books, sold a few books and met some very nice people along the way. I was very impressed with the cleanup being done by the Sugarbottom staff as we left.

We loaded up about noon and had an uneventful return trip, including one of the smoothest unhooks we've ever had. We always go in the alley and come in to the back of the house, so it wasn't until later when Butch brought the truck around to the front for unloading that he came in and said there was a surprise out front. Some sweet person put a sign in the yard. I'm going to fingerprint it later. I am a mystery writer after all.

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