July 21-25 Lincoln NE

Our next stop was Campaway Campground in Lincoln NE.  Can you spot Ray?

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The heat was intense so we planned indoor activities.  The first was the Nebraska Historical Museum.  The exhibit on Indians was excellent--a comprehensive treatment that Ray and I feel should be, but isn't, mirrored in the DC Indian Museum.  The white man's transgressions are chronicled, but so also is Indian violence.

The World War II exhibit made us aware of the unique Nebraskan contribution to the war effort.  Not only were there numerous POW camps in Nebraska, but a very large canine training center and a nationally recognized canteen were in Nebraska.

Our second excursion was to the University of Nebraska State Museum –the paleontology exhibit was amazing.  The second photo below features the largest mammoth ever found. The skeletons in front of it are normal sized elephants.

In between our forays we mostly stayed in our air-conditioned trailer and watched the squirrels and rabbits.

But Ray did snap this picture of me outside the State Capitol, the tallest building in Lincoln.

 

July 17-21 West Des Moines, IA

We headed back south to Walnut Woods State Park in West Des Moines. Luckily our campsite was in the shade (beneath walnut trees) because the weather turned excruciatingly hot—heat indexes of 110-115. 

We didn’t do much touring except to visit the State Capitol which was obviously constructed in affluent times.

At the campground we visited the bird blind (That's a hummingbird!)

 and took a walk in the woods to the raccoon river.

The river is aptly named. Ray put out corn and bird seed one evening and we had seven raccoons behind our trailer. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a picture in the dark through our window.

July 15-17 Ellendale MN

We stayed two evenings at Crystal Springs Resort in Ellendale. (The term resort is used loosely.  Construction stopped when the economy tanked.)

The first day we went to Mike’s meat market in downtown Ellendale and caught a glimpse of a small town parade.

The next afternoon we drove into Owatonna to see the Minnesota State Orphanage. What a majestic place!

We toured the museum

And the grounds

And were lucky enough to talk to the museum historian, Harvey Ronglien, who had spent 11 years at the facility after his mother was hospitalized with TB. Fascinating.

July 10-14 Kasson, MN

We parked our trailer in our friends' (Marlin and Mary's) backyard in Kasson MN and proceeded to have a wonderful four day visit.

We had great conversations and watched some wonderful old movies. We also drove around town to see a few historical sights--a seminary that burned down in 1905 and an 1862 Civil War recruiting station.

Marlin introduced Ray to his brother Jim. who started up some serious machinery for him--a homemade airplane and a huge bulldozer.

While I helped (mostly watched) Mary make our "fitted" sheets actually fit!

Thank Yous to you both.

July 8-10 Charles City IA

We drove directly to R Campground in Charles City (slogan: Make R Campground your campground).

We made no stops because the truck batteries were failing. The first order of business was visiting the local Chevy dealer. The cashier there recommended a bar which became our home away from home: Home Base. Great bar, great people.

The next day we visited “The Little Brown Church in the Vale” of protestant hymn fame

and a Veteran’s memorial in Nashua IA.

The following day we visited the town’s Art Center and the Floyd Historical Museum.

Gene and Kathy, a couple we met at Home Base, gave us tickets to a Lion’s Club breakfast at the municipal airport where we viewed single engine planes. 

Following the breakfast we went to the Cedar River and watched kayakers navigate the half pipe that the town had just installed.

That night we went to The Pub (Home Base was closed) and ran into Gene and Kathy again. This time we ended up with delicious banana bread and brownies. Between them and the other very welcoming people in Charles City, it was hard to leave town the next day.

July 5-July 8 Solon IA

Our next stop was Sugar Bottom in Solon IA, another Army Corps of Engineers campground. Our site had a beautiful panoramic view of the lake.

For our first outing we drove to McBride Recreation Area to view birds at the Raptor Center.

The following day we went to Coralville Dam, stood by the water release tunnels

and visited the Devonian Fossil Gorge, a 350 million year old fossil bed, uncovered by the flood of 1993. 

Double click on the photo and you'll get a good look at the fossils.

Our final excursion was to McBride State Park where, from a rented tandem kayak,

we saw three herons in one tree and managed to get a great close-up of one of them. 

June 28 – July 5 Stoutsville MO

We crossed the Mississippi River and reached our Army Corps of Engineers campsite at Indian Creek in Stoutsville.

We saw lots of evidence of high winds experienced the night before--numerous trees had been ripped apart.

We found the Indian Creek Marina that first evening and visited it nightly to enjoy drinks on the dock. While there, we fed the carp and watched for snakes.

The next few days we experienced a heat wave with indexes reaching the 100’s. Despite the temperature we went on two excursions: One to Mark Twain’s birthplace (his home remains intact in a museum)

and the other to Clarence Cannon Dam.

We drove back roads and encountered goats, one incensed guinea fowl who wouldn’t let us pass (Tiananmen Square personified) and a herd of playful pigs who came running when they heard our car.

It’s great to get off the beaten path.