New Faucet, 16 CD 's Filled with Movies and Mount Rushmore

How does all this relate? First my fridge stopped working. So I was given the name of a mobile repair person. I called him and he said I would need to be closer to where he was in Custer, South Dakota. No problem. The route between Spokane Creek RV Park and Custer included a trip on the Iron Mountain Highway, which has three tunnels designed by Peter Norbeck in 1919 to frame the four faces of the emerging Mt. Rushmore in the distance. Large RV's cannot go through the narrow tunnels, but the Turtle fit easily. My first view of the Rush was through one of these tunnels that was was completed in 1933 with the help of 16 men. Without the depression, these viewmaster pieces would not have been possible. And I suspect that after 9/11 more people have visited the National Parks and especially Mt. Rushmore because they realized how important their homeland was. I know that happened to me and I am not a flag waving type. I wasn't in the US when the towers went down and boy did I want to get back. I loved the people of my country , its history, its icons- of which Mt. Rushmore is truly monumental. I was struck by the eyes. The men seemed so real and humble. They weren't warriors. They were statesmen.

Crazy Horse was also a statesman and I am glad there is a sculpture of him as well. And I saw many faces in the uncarved rocks surrounding the memorials. The rocks themselves must inspire monumental deeds like the carvings.

Anyway I have digressed. But what a digression on the way to a mundane repair job! That's one thing I love about traveling in my home. Another is the people who seem to want to provide me things like pancake breakfasts and at the Spokane RV Park in the Black Hills, I was talking with

a man and his wife about how much I loved movies. He said he had hundreds of them downloaded on his computer and offered to burn them onto CDs. He gave me 16 CD's full of movies I might like. I told him I liked comedies, old movies, and did not like anything with violence or body parts, etc. The first movie I looked at was All About Steve with Sandra Bullock.

It was wonderfully funny and gave me lots of laughs on a gloomy rainy day in the shadows of Mt. Rushmore(which I had planned on seeing that day).

The RV guy came and fixed the fridge and I remembered how every time I turned on the faucet in my mini-kitchen water oozed from it's base and I had to use a sponge and paper towels to sop it up. So he looked at it and went to the hardware store and got me a brand new sparkling one. Only getting the old one out wasn't so easy. The fittings were made of the hardest plastic known to mankind. And Bill didn't have all his tools because his truck needed a new transmission and was in the shop. So, as usual with the Turtle, it took a lot of pushing and prying-like pulling Turtle teeth and plastic went flying everywhere. He couldn't just unscrew it under the sink because of years of rust and plastic embedding itself into the softening plywood. But he did it. He went the extra mile. And that is why I love the people I have met. They are absolutely what this country is about. Not all that hype and junk you see on TV.

So here is to all of my friends and family back home who have that same spirit. I am monumentally blessed!

Carhenge, Alliance, NE

In order to see the bizarre, I had to stay at a rather odd RV spot in Alliance. On one side were lovely views of tractors and other farm equipment and on the opposite , a granary. A train tracked near my head, and the well lit Sunset Motel sign filled in to make a fortress of commercial fortitude. I was in a triangle where two roads intersected. Fortunately one of them was a road less traveled. The Turtle's air conditioning took care of the sounds and her curtains dimmed the lights and I had no problem sleeping.

Once again, don't judge a book by it's cover or a RV site by it's sidekicks. Because in the office was a wonderful woman who told me about Carhenge and Alliance, NE. Alliance has lots of interesting sights including a great art museum. She was dedicated to tourism which often is preferable to a steel mill in the middle of town. And she had doughnuts.

ME, in the tree at Lake McConaughy,NE

This blog keeps trying to leave ME out and so for the third try, hopefully I am Published!

ME in the Tree

I left ME out in the next post, but here I am in this one...

Me and The Turtle

Sand Turtles, Lake McConaughy, NE

Silent, Sandy, and Sacred...

I was surprised to find these sand sculptures along the shores of Lake McConaughy in Nebraska. And a few other sand piles looked like sacred spots along the roads of India, only theirs are very colorful and have strips of foil. I have a book of them. So you never know what is around you until you take the time to explore. I am trying real hard not to go from Point A to Point B.

Lake McConnaughy,NE

This part of Nebraska is covered with small fields of sunflowers. The wind blows hot and dry.

Then the next day the wind was still and muddy-moist. These trees do not like to get their feet wet. But I enjoyed wading and it felt almost like a caribbean island.

Surf's up....

Kingsley Dam viewed from The Hilltop Inn where I ate country fried steak. My first meal out...

I had the best seat in the house...again I was the only one. One couple came in after me...

This fresh water inland lake was created to generate electricity in the late thirties, but now is heavily used for recreation as well. It is about 26 miles long and 130 feet deep. So when the wind blows, it kicks up waves. The soil in the area is sandy and I got my first tropical beach experience in the middle of the cornhusker state. It was like being on a deserted island because no one was roaming the aspen and willow lined coves. I parked the Turtle next to the sunflower fields with views of the lake on 3 sides. Trains went by carrying coal from Denver, but the wind was blowing the sound away from me and the yellow-gold Union Pacific engines seemed liked toys on an electric track.

Inching Across Nebraska

From mid-Missouri all the way around Omaha, NE to Greenwood just East of Lincoln, into Lincoln to get a hair cut and groceries and to try to exchange my new Garmin GPS because the screen cracked(no luck, I have to call Garmin), then to Prairie Oasis RV about an hour west of Lincoln. Prairie Oasis had a small lake with a small dock and small paddle boats. It was all the size of some ride in an amusement park. But I enjoyed putting my feet in the water while sitting on the dock. There was no way I was going to use their mini-beach area. This one was probably a foot deep. I was surrounded by corn fields that went on for miles. The place should have been called Cornfield Oasis. I was planning on driving to Ogallala, NE where there is a huge lake with white sandy beaches. But The Turtle mis-fired as I was leaving a rest stop and I decided to stay at a campground in North Platte, NE where I am now-at a Toyota dealership. They said she needed new spark plugs and a fuel filter. The problem was minor and the misfiring happened only once. But I am still waiting to get to Lake McConnaugh(sp?) near Ogallala to test their beach area.

Royal Detour

If you are going to detour, this is the way to do it. I29 North from Rock Port, Mo almost to Omaha, NE was closed due to major flooding of the Missouri River. I saw silos and a few farm houses that looked like islands along the interstate. I mean it was tragic for those involved, but for me it provided a beautiful glistening view, and the new route was like a roller coaster lined with rows of undulating corn fields and out of scale windmills. I put the wind giants into another perspective and noticed it matched the crack in my side-view mirror.

Missouri Wetlands,General Pershing State Park

Our wetlands are being challenged everywhere. Here are some photos of an area that is dedicated to preserving, educating, and providing easy access to their hidden beauty. I spent two days at General Pershing State Park near LaClede, MO, Black Jack's boyhood home. Each day , I discovered more. I seemed to be the only one that was interested in nature , but there were only a handful of campers because of a heat wave. The night I arrived a big storm shook The Turtle. The weather was cool and again I felt blessed-as if the Wetland Gods wanted me to send some message. Also a young man from Missouri State Parks took lots of photos of me doing some hiking along the trails. I am not sure what he will do with them. I was sweating like some of the plants you see, but not nearly as cool as they were.

Piney Campground, Home to Turtles

My camp spot had the best view yet. The Turtle loved it as she could see red- eared and yellow- bellied turtle heads popping up everywhere in Kentucky Lake. This is the Southern entrance to Land Between the Lakes (was Land between the Rivers until TVA took over). She also saw something as slow as she was...barges, five of them, each a football field in length being pushed by riverboats with paddle wheels. Well, maybe they didn't have the paddle wheels, but The Turtle can be a bit old-fashioned as well as slow.

Turtle playground and beach area...the beach was better suited to turtles- only 3 feet deep and pretty stinky on the shore---Canada Geese poop is not pretty. When it gets in the water it looks like seaweed...all green and webby. I didn't tell The Turtle, but I saw a dead relative(of hers, not mine) in that swimming area. The next day, I had an upset stomach...YUK...no more beach areas in state parks!

But the day's rest gave me energy enough to make it all the way to Columbia, MO. I got up at 6 in the morning and arrived here at 6 in the evening. The RV Lady put me in the handicapped spot because she said there were strong storms coming after 2 am. The storm shelter is next door. And so is everyone else. But I am here because of internet access and not because of the view. They have a nice clean pool. I hope we don't get blown to Kansas. So far we have not had a drop of rain since I left.

Warhol...very appropriate as Andy is from Pittsburg, like Tom. I love the show and Nashville, TN and thanks, Tom, for treating me to the Frist. You have to see it to really appreciate Warhol's contribution to art and culture, music and dance. Don't form an opinion unless you can see the whole Warhol.

Home of Third Man Records....Nashville reaches out to the world with its music. Tom was once an agent for The Everly Brothers.

Tom Newby and me in a crooked frame...no, there is no image editing and so how was this done?

Time to wonder.....Ever been to Cheekwood in Nashville?

Good Siteing

I picked a camping spot blindfolded at Cedars of Lebanon State Park near Nashville. Then I noticed this carved on a small red cedar. I thought all the campsites had something like this. I looked around and mine was the only one with native art. I felt blessed.

Back to Knoxville

Not really. But in a blog you can do anything! Thanks Corinne and Miya for giving me a good

The Swinging Bridge

Fall Creek Falls State Park, TN

August

The Fall Sitters

Precarious positions at Fall Creek... in sepia tone....

Fall Creek Falls State Park, TN

This is the highest falls east of the Mississippi. It was really quite spectacular- even with its twin, thin summer veil. I spent three hours hiking in the area. At least 30 min. of that time I was lost in the parking lot. But along came a ranger and pointed me back to my campsite. I wish he'd done more than point by then. I mean a ride would have been nice.

I will add other photos of this TN State Park, including a real swinging bridge,The Fall Sitters series, ect. I am on my way to Cedars of Lebanon, TN near Nashville.

THE TURTLE IN KNOXVILLE

We made it, thanks to Rick Lindsay ! Here's to a great mechanic and friend and his wife, Liz and to Corinne Rovetti for providing my first Turtle meal. Corinne is a member of the Practice Community at Southern Dharma where I live full time and a great friend and lover of maps. She suggested the next camping place. We walked along the French Broad with two of her friends and saw a field of sad sunflowers. Their heads were drooping and awaiting Fall.

Rick installed a new throttle cable and a bungie cord to hold the other end in place. He has had a bungee cord in the same place in his 1983 Toyota for ten years and it's still working. Mine is a fancy one, a bright blue. It made the Turtle very happy. She was revving and trying too hard with the faulty throttle cable. It was definitely conduct unbecoming to a Turtle, especially when coming down the mountain on 209 as it made for a lot of braking. I stopped at the bottom and the right brake was smoking. So I got my fire extinguisher, pushed the button and nothing happened! Fortunately there was no fire. Later I got it to work. I called Rick and Liz. They were waiting in Waynesville to install the cable and a new distributor cap. So they had to come a bit past Ferguson's Store to meet me and Rick did all the work in the hot sun while Liz and I sat in lawn chairs in the shade by the banks of Fine's Creek. It was Rick's birthday and he loves to work on these old engines. So I provided him some fun without meaning to. And he did a fantastic job. The turtle went on down the road with her proud blue bungie in place and running at turle speed and with a turtle's heart. We got to Corinne's about 4 pm.

I am leaving this morning and heading for Fall Creek Falls State Park near Pikeville, TN. I will be there for a day or two and turtle on to Cedars of Lebanon State Park near Nashville and then to Uncle Tom's!

TURTLE TRACKS