Final Habitat build entries posted!
Baker City to Craters of the Moon NM
Arco, ID
304 miles
We are on
our way!! Minnesota Habitat, New England
fall colors, family and friends, Great Smokies…here we come!
We
make our departure from Baker City 5 minutes early…at 12:25, having provided
special music in church with Luke.
(Special thanks to Alex Irvine for his loud ‘that was the best music
EVER’ at the end of our song! You can’t
beat 4 year old enthusiasm!) A welcome
‘full-lunch coffee hour’ with all the leftovers from yesterday’s memorial
service, so Rick and I got a good meal in us while we were saying our
goodbyes.
Smooth sailing today. We forgot how easily the truck pulls the
little trailer – Rick had to watch his speed a few times, which NEVER happens
pulling the Jay Feather! Rick drives the
first 100 miles to Flying J in Nampa, we gas up for 14¢ cheaper than in Baker City, and I take over
at the wheel. I can see behind
me!!! That is my greatest joy with the
tent trailer. We will definitely miss
many of the comforts of home (full bathroom, freezer and fridge, etc.) but I
will appreciate the ease of hookup (you just pick up and move this trailer
where you want it!) and towing. I drive
to the rest area just before Gooding, about 100 miles, where we
switch once
more. We leave the freeway at this point
– blue highways on the schedule for the next 500 or so miles until we hit I-90
in eastern Wyoming.
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| Limber pine in the lava |
 |
| Sunset from campsite |
 |
| Campsite at Craters of the Moon |
More campers in the campground than we
expected on a Sunday night after Labor Day!
But we found a place where we could pull in and not have to
unhitch. It will make for a quick get
away in the morning! A quick dinner and
then a walk along the road, a nature trail through the lava, and then a side
trail back to the campground. The sun
was setting in the west, and bouncing off cumulous clouds to the east. So pretty.
 |
| Sunset on clouds |
Our other ‘experiment’ this trip: We haven’t packed any cooking gear EXCEPT for
a small microwave (it used to be in my classroom) and a small electric broiler
Rick has had for years. So, as tonight
we have no electricity, we have a cold dinner!!
No problem! This guarantees me a
stop in the morning at the first town for a fresh coffee! We are armed with battery LED lights for
nights such as now, and two ‘desk lamps’ for electric nights. You have to love the simplicity of a trailer
with no hookups! I am using the battery
of the laptop, and tomorrow while we are traveling, we will plug it in and
recharge it from the inverter in the truck.
We should get good sleep as it is often easier to just ‘go to bed’ when
it gets that dark!
So,…..I
am typing in the dark! Time to finish up
a few things and call it a good start to our trip!!
I do
apologize for what is going to be lengthy blogs posts when I don’t have
internet everynight. There will be times
when you get a week’s worth at once!
I’ll try to keep it brief!
Monday, September 9, 2013
Absaroka
Bay RV Park, Cody, WY
370
miles via Jackson Hole
What a
glorious day with a good change of plans!!
We had originally intended to drive up through Rexburg and into West
Yellowstone, across the National Park, stopping at the Falls and the Grand Canyon
of the Yellowstone. That is nice and
would have been good. It would have been
new road for me from Idaho Falls to West Yellowstone. However, we both decided a view of the Tetons
would be awesome and the drive from Idaho Falls over to Jackson Hole is
gorgeous as well.
Up and
moving shortly before 7. I started
reading around 6:20. A beautiful clear
morning. It was brisk last night, but
probably just in the high 40’s. I
grabbed a yogurt for breakfast, and Rick drove the 15 miles into Arco where we
found a cheap gas station (3.51!) and a couple of coffees. I then drove to Idaho Falls, about 66
miles. Finally in Idaho Falls, Rick
pulled out his package of donuts!! He
was getting hungry!
 |
| Palisades Reservoir |
 |
| Clouds begin to drift in as we near Jackson |
 |
| Classic Jackson scene. |
 |
| Teton Mts. in the clouds |
 |
| Chapel of the Sacred Heart |
We
explored the chapel briefly – it was rebuilt in 2002, financed by those wishing
to honor the 2001 9/11 victims.
Beautifully done with large timbers, a rose heart window, and the
classic cross layout.
 |
| Fire burn along Yellowstone Lake |
 |
| Yellowstone Lake |
 |
| Buffalo on the road |
 |
| Shoshone River valley |
Shoshone
River canyon is rimmed with rock walls, spires, minarets, and peaks. It is amazing and neither Rick nor I
remembered any of it from our previous trips.
Gradually we descended to Buffalo Bill Reservoir and to the dam, which
can’t be more than 30 feet across a slot canyon. The highway goes through a tunnel to bypass
the dam – right through the rock!
 |
| Buffalo Bill Dam is just to the left in a slot in the rocks. Amazing! |
Dinner,
route planning for tomorrow, internet searching for campgrounds, etc.,
downloading pictures, phone calls to home, and showers round out the
night! A clear sky, a sliver of a moon,
and a delightful chill to the air.
A
beautiful sunrise in the eastern sky marks the beginning of a new day! We pack up and are on our way by 8, with a
stop at the Maverick to gas up, coffee up, and potty up!! There are three routes from Cody to
Sheridan-Buffalo, WY and all of them are about the same mileage! We have previously taken the TenSleep and
Shell Canyon routes, so we are opting for the northern route on 14A . It proves to be a spectacular choice!
Shortly
after leaving Cody, we past one of the sad reminders of our nation’s past,
The Heart Mountain Relocation Center.
During WW2 this was the home for up to ten thousand Japanese
Americans We couldn’t stop as the center
was closed this early in the morning, but in some advance reading I found Heart
Mt. was also the site of the largest draft evasion protest among the relocation
centers. Imagine this. The sons of the intered Japanese were
refusing to go to war! They were arrested and imprisoned. What was our
nation thinking? It would have been an
interesting stop, but onward we drive!
Medicine
Peak is the site of an ancient Native American spirit hoop – a astronomical
site as well as spiritual. It is a huge circle, marked with stones laid out ion a very precise manner to mark the seasons and planets. With the trailer we opted not to
drive the additional gravel road up to the summit, but I will attached an
internet picture of what the wheel looks like from the air. There was what appeared to be a weather
observatory at the top as well.
Just
after we pulled back on the highway after a summit stop, we saw a cow moose
loping across the field. I didn’t get a
great picture, but we saw a moose!
Into
Sheridan and a quick stop for gas and to switch drivers. From Sheridan I drove some hundred miles to
Gillette. We have no pictures of the
hundreds of antelope we saw along this stretch of freeway, or the rolling
expanse of grass (we are in part of the National Grasslands!) and the train
after train of loaded coal hoopers heading out of Gillette. Sorry.
Rick doesn’t take millions of pictures out the car windows unless it is
something VERY special!!
While in
Cody we were approached by a man who said, “you are from Baker City,
Oregon?” We replied yes, and he said,
“I am too!” It was Anita Goodyear’s
brother, Larry Spriet! We talked abit
about the Black Hills as they were heading that way as well. Rick started talking about the nighttime
ceremony lighting the mountain. That got
us to thinking….hmmm, maybe we should hit that instead of stopping during the
day on Wednesday. So we did!
The
program tonight at Rushmore was on Liberty and the freedoms we enjoy because of
these four men. Well done. After everyone sang the Star Spangled Banner
as the lights grown stronger on the mountain top, the park gal asked all vets
and active servicemen to come down to the stage and assist in the lowering of
the flag. Probably close to a hundred
went down. She had each one introduce
themselves by name and military branch.
A nice tribute.
WEDNESDAY, September 11, 2013
Custer, SD to Mitchell, SD
311 miles
Oh oh! I slept in today! Woke up at 5:30 and rolled over for another half hour-45 minutes, and it was 7 when I poked my head out of the sleeping bag again. This is what happens to me in a sleeping bag - I bury myself! But we managed to get our act together and on the road by 8:45, having stopped at the campground office to purchase enough ice to get us into Mankato. Our Baker City blocks have finally melted!
Since we went up to Rushmore last night, we head straight across Custer State Park on Rte 16A, by-passing most of the Rushmore chaos and traffic.
Connect with 36 and 79 north to merge on to I-90 again just east of Rapid City. Rick drives this morning while I struggle with the computer, who has decided to take this opportunity to install a bunch of downloads.....and takes nearly 45 minutes to do so!!! All the while I am trying to run off the batteries!
Rick was reading last night and found a National Historic Site listed in the information on the Minuteman Missile Silos scattered across the Great Plains - a remnant of the Cold War with Russia. We pulled off at Exit 116 and walked a self guided tour of the only SD site still remaining - the other 149 were imploded and returned to farmland. At exit 131, the regular Badlands NP exit, we went into the Visitor Center and watched a short movie. Since it was 11:45 by the time we finished our exploring, we ate lunch on the roof of the trailer, and I took the wheel for a bit.
South Dakota looks much like Wyoming did - rolling grassland. We did see more and more farmland as we head east: sunflowers, and a couple other fields we are still struggling to identify, one of which was a dark burnt red.
We put in one of the Audio CD books that Liz loaned us to occupy the time between here and Mankato. A mystery type story. Even with the book, between a needed potty break and a feeling of 'lull' while I was driving, I only put in about an hour's worth before we stopped at a rest area. Rick drove the remaining 120 miles into Mitchell. We crossed the Missouri River at Chamberlain, which was where we originally planned to spend the night.
Pull into 'Family Fun Campground' five miles west of Mitchell at 3:45, which instantly means it is 4:45 as we have entered Central Time Zone. I think we will be on Central Time until we leave Mankato. This is an older park situated in a thick grove of deciduous trees near the freeway. Horseshoes, mini golf, etc. are the 'family attractions'. But with school having started, just alot of other boomers like us here now. Only about half full. For $25 we get a site with electricity, water, and wifi and plenty of shade. When we get out of the truck, we are bombarded with a cacophony of sound - the elm trees are filled with the music of cicadas. Hopefully they will go to sleep tonight as well! The air is warm and a bit muggy. The midwest has been hit with a heat wave this past week. I think we are arriving at the tail end which is good!
Talk with Luke briefly on the phone (receiving the good news that Kady is moving to Baker City this next weekend!) and catch up on internet and pictures. A mellow evening.
By the time I finished writing and downloading pictures, the cicadas have suddenly silenced. A gradual tapering and then.....nothing. Now we can hear the crickets!
NEW POSTING STARTS HERE....
THURSDAY, September 12, 2013
I
actually put on a turtleneck and fleece vest for church, partly because it was
cool, but also because it was the dressiest thing I could find! We pulled up to the beautiful Mankato church,
only to discover that worship was to be a “Service in the Cellar” as part of a
fall stewardship campaign. I can’t say
it was a real spiritual worship service, as we were grouped in tables solely
for the purpose of conversation!
However, we did gain ideas and offered some of our own. Churches everywhere are facing the same
issues! The Mankato church currently has
an interim pastor and is hoping to call a new ordained minister by
Christmas. Diversify music, draw in
youth, more fellowship and community building, better communication, outreach
into the greater community, etc. Where
have we heard all this before???
Down
to the Pearly Gates of St. Peter!! Ok,
so it is a local tourist attraction, but we took pictures anyway!! Pretty fancy gates to no where,
evidently!
We
drop the girls off, give out hugs, and our on our way back down to
Mankato. A super weekend with Sarah and
I think she appreciated it all!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Cody, WY to Custer, SD
359 miles
 |
| Heading out of Cody, WY |
 |
| Looking back as we begin the climb up the pass |
This part
of northern Wyoming is marked with large ranches and farms - and what we think are sugar
beet fields. We finally passed a sugar
refinery which confirmed our guess.
About an
hour from Cody, we start up the steep and switchbacked grade of the Big Horn
mountains. Our summit will take us
between Medicine Mountain and Bald Mountain, elevation circa 9200’ at the
pass. Gorgeous views back down to the
red cliffs and canyons of the valley, farmlands, and reservoirs. Ahead of us the road wound around and
climbed, over and over.
 |
| Medicine Wheel (Google image) |
 |
| Broad expanse at the top of pass |
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| Rock formations during descent from summit |
 |
| Run, moose, run! |
The road
travels along the summit ridge for about 10 miles – a vast expanse of rolling
hills and grassland – SOOOO green!!
And then,
the road drops…down a winding switchback route on the north side of the Big
Horns to the valley below. Forested
slopes, rock outcroppings, and gorgeous alpine meadow creeks.
 |
| Just in case you don't recognize an antelope! |
 |
| Coal train (google photo) |
We stop
in Gillette at a Perkins for a REAL meal.
We have eaten for two and a half days out of the food bin. Rick has a hankering for a real breakfast
meal and Perkins fits the bill. I think
he devours his pancakes in record time!
A nice break!
We
extended our plans driving today to head toward Newcastle and the southern
entrance of the Black Hills complex. I
had tried several times to contact a campground in Newcastle to check out
prices, etc. but no luck. So…with no
guide or prospects, we head south on Hwy 16 from Moorcroft toward
Newcastle. I drove this stretch as well,
for a total mileage today of nearly 180 miles.
I had to make up for my paltry 70 miles yesterday! We got to Newcastle and quickly made the
decision to push on to Custer only 30 miles across the border. The campground
in Newcastle didn’t look great, nor did the whole town have a very good
‘feel’. Rick took over the wheel.
 |
| Entering the Black Hills area |
What a
great choice!!! We got into the forested
area of the Black Hills, passed Jewel Cave National Monument (the road here is
horrible through the monument) and then started looking for RV Park signs as we
neared Custer. We saw a couple
advertised, tossed out the one that said 'water slide too’ as too commercial,
and picked Big Pine Campground. Another
God-blessed decision: water and electric, wifi, and outstandingly clean
showers all nestled in a pine forest covered with soft grass and sparkled with
flecks of mica throughout. And under
$30! We arrived early enough we had
time to relax a bit and then unhitch and head north toward Mt. Rushmore.
 |
| Our site at Big Pine CG |
 |
| View as we walk up Avenue of Flags |
Saw deer
along the road as we drove up the 21 miles to the memorial. Passed the Crazy Horse memorial – still not a
lot of progress on it, although the facial profile of the Indian is fairly well
finished. We were somewhat
disappointed to find the parking fee at Rushmore is now $11 and no passes are
honored. We balked briefly and then paid
it!
A
gorgeous sunset while we waited for it to grow dark. A large crowd, but not
horrible. Oh, we ate our dinner in the
parking lot before heading in – after a good lunch we didn’t need much. Rick ate the pie he purchased at Perkins as
we left!!
 |
| The sky is on fire!! |
 |
| Mt. Rushmore lit up at night |
We looked
through the exhibit half until 9 when they kicked us out! A beautiful drive home to Custer in the dark,
avoiding a few deer and marveling over the sliver of moon setting in the
southwestern sky. It was magnified by
the horizon and so pretty in the drifting clouds.
All in
all….an awesome day!!! A little internet
work before bed to figure out an intended target for tomorrow, as we will push
past our primary goal of Chamberlain to make Thursday an easier day. Goal: Mitchell, but NOT the corn
palace!!
G’night (this is actually
g’morning, because I write this blog post as we head east on I-90, having left
the Black Hills. Too tired last night to
do so!) WEDNESDAY, September 11, 2013
Custer, SD to Mitchell, SD
311 miles
Oh oh! I slept in today! Woke up at 5:30 and rolled over for another half hour-45 minutes, and it was 7 when I poked my head out of the sleeping bag again. This is what happens to me in a sleeping bag - I bury myself! But we managed to get our act together and on the road by 8:45, having stopped at the campground office to purchase enough ice to get us into Mankato. Our Baker City blocks have finally melted!
 |
| Morning light in Custer SP |
 |
| Leaving the Black Hills |
 |
| Missile silo outside the Badlands |
 |
| What IS this reddish crop? |
We put in one of the Audio CD books that Liz loaned us to occupy the time between here and Mankato. A mystery type story. Even with the book, between a needed potty break and a feeling of 'lull' while I was driving, I only put in about an hour's worth before we stopped at a rest area. Rick drove the remaining 120 miles into Mitchell. We crossed the Missouri River at Chamberlain, which was where we originally planned to spend the night.
 |
| Crossing the Missouri |
Pull into 'Family Fun Campground' five miles west of Mitchell at 3:45, which instantly means it is 4:45 as we have entered Central Time Zone. I think we will be on Central Time until we leave Mankato. This is an older park situated in a thick grove of deciduous trees near the freeway. Horseshoes, mini golf, etc. are the 'family attractions'. But with school having started, just alot of other boomers like us here now. Only about half full. For $25 we get a site with electricity, water, and wifi and plenty of shade. When we get out of the truck, we are bombarded with a cacophony of sound - the elm trees are filled with the music of cicadas. Hopefully they will go to sleep tonight as well! The air is warm and a bit muggy. The midwest has been hit with a heat wave this past week. I think we are arriving at the tail end which is good!
 |
| Our site at Family Fun in Mitchell, SD |
By the time I finished writing and downloading pictures, the cicadas have suddenly silenced. A gradual tapering and then.....nothing. Now we can hear the crickets!
NEW POSTING STARTS HERE....
Mitchell,
SD to Mankato, MN
235
miles
 |
| Sunrise! |
Today should be a short travel day! However, we start out a little later than
planned. I was blithely working away on
my devotional stuff, thinking Rick was up and at ‘em early, the sunrise was
glorious, and it was a wonderful crisp cool morning. Then I remembered. The watch I use during the night is still on
Mountain Time. It was 8am, not
7am!!! Oops! Quickly shut down the computer and got my
breakfast so I would be ready to pack up the trailer with Rick.
We drove
into Mitchell and found a relatively
cheap gas station and got our coffees. I
drove from Mitchell to just past Sioux Falls – about 75 miles. A gorgeous morning – big puffy white clouds
and blue skies, wave after wave of corn, soybeans, and more corn.
 |
| Windmills! |
We filled
the tank in Sioux Falls for twenty cents a gallon cheaper! Good thing Rick only put 5 gallons in at
Mitchell. The gas light hadn’t come on
yet, but we were in need soon. Another
drink and Rick takes us into Minnesota.
A quick stop at the first visitor center we pass to pick up a MN
map! We are NOT armed this trip with the
usual AAA maps and guidebooks!!
The
agriculture remains much the same in southern Minnesota, but the white lines of
windmills are added to the landscape. At
exit 87 off I-90 we leave the freeway to head northeast toward Mankato, on Rte
4 to pick up Rte 60. Divided highway
much of the way once we reach 60. Some
lovely little towns along the way, well kept.
 |
| Our campsite at Land of Memories |
We
arrived in Mankato around 1:00 pm and found the campground without
problem. Met the Campground manager Rick
who asked, “Are you the couple coming in for Habitat?” When we replied in the affirmative, he told
us our site number, bathroom key, etc. !
We find our site out in the open area, later learning that this section
of the campground once had hook-ups, but it flooded several years ago. Now only the electric remains. The bathhouse is a couple football fields
away, but Rick said, “That’s what we have bikes for! Just don’t wait too long!” We are in a grassy site, with a nice table. Get all set up and after a bite to eat, we
leave to explore the Mankato area, find a Wal-Mart, and buy some ice.
We end up
making a rather large loop around the entire town, but after finding the Weight
Watcher site, then exploring North Mankato, we asked a motorcyclist for
directions while stopped at a traffic light.
On the far east side of town we discovered box store central! What a mass of huge stores, Wal-Mart
included. Rick picked up his TV amp, we
got a rug for the trailer so our toes will be cozy when it gets colder, and
picked up ice and a few groceries. As we
left the Wal-Mart, I realized there was a small map of Mankato on the MN map –
that helped us find a route that swung way south of town to loop around and
come back out at our west-side campground.
Quite the adventure! Mankato is
surrounded by cornfields!! Four rivers
all enter the Minnesota River in the Mankato vicinity, which is part of the
reason flooding occurs rather often.
Back to
the trailer to meet Mike and Gloriann….our ‘leaders’ for the week – they will
be leaving Saturday morning! We get our
shirts and water bottles, as well as the packets of information….that probably
have a wonderful map of the town and the location of the Wal-Mart!
I am
going to try to hit the WW meeting tonight at 6:30 pm – I’ve got to find places
to weigh at least 7 times on this trip.
If I can get 2 in while in Mankato that will help.
We do
need to find a place that has Wifi for free!
Going a whole week without any service could be rough, although I did it
in Hobbs!
More
later…..we are here!!
Evening. Had a wonderful campfire
tonight under a half moon. Gloriann
eventually brought out some marshmallows (the giant ones!) and we roasted a
few. Good conversation as we got to know
each other. Jeff and Bonnie are from
Phoenix, formerly from Wisconsin, and they have been up ‘north’ since May! Their kids still live in the vicinity. Mike and Gloriann are Minnesota/North Dakota
natives – their home is just a hundred miles north. Mike, however, worked
military, so they have lived all over.
Back from
campfire to call Sarah Swanson and make arrangements to meet up with Sarah on
Saturday morning up at Gustavus Adolphus!!
Looking forward to a fun day with her.
I got to
the WW meeting, but arrived a half hour late!
It started at 5:30 rather than the 6:30 I had written down. Oops.
Worked out fine, however, as I weighed, listened for 5 minutes, and then
left!
G’night!!! Work clothes are out and ready! Heard we are putting up roof trusses
tomorrow. Another new skill to learn!!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Mankato
Habitat Work Day 1
Brrr! 44 degrees in the trailer
as I arise around 6:15 to spend a little time with the Gospel of Luke. I put on my leggings and polar fleece and
cuddle in a corner. I won’t turn on the
microwave until Rick gets up – it is right next to his head and wakes him
up. I can wait that long for
coffee!
Clear and
damp outside – a heavy dew. In fact, the
soccer fields are blanketed with about a 5’ layer of fog. Pretty cool.
 |
| The two houses we spend most of our time on |
We follow
Mike and Gloriann to the job site – just on the other side of the Blue Earth
River – only 2 miles at the most from the campground. The local Habitat has basically run the road
through a chunk of purchased property and built 8-10 houses with 3 more in
various states of completion. We are
near the river in a more historic old part of town. The railroad is less than a football field
away – very loud at times!!
The roof
trusses are ready to go, and after a few minutes of layout, our Supervisor Ben
(tall husky young man – probably in his 30’s) grabs most of the men to get the
double layer first set up which is the most difficult. In addition to Rick, Jeff, and Mike, the
CAVs, there is a Habitat intern, Tyler, and Russell, who just started a year
long Habitat Americorp job. We were also
joined a little later in the morning by Nor, who is one of the homeowners still
putting in his hours.
 |
| Gloriann and Bonnie work on Tyvek |
In the
meantime, we three gals in pink (both Gloriann and Bonnie were wearing pink
shirts and I had on pink and purple tie dye!) wrapped part of the sheathing in
Tyvek. I got to use one of the hammer
staplers….not easy to keep it running straight and without wrinkles, but we did
a pretty good job! We also measured and
cut about 30 pieces of 2x4’s to use to support the trusses while they go up AND
swept and cleaned out the house next door from the mess the electrician and
plumbers left.
After
break we ALL worked to start putting up the main trusses, fitting them into a
joist installed on the original one going over the garage. It took about 3 tries to start getting the
teamwork down, and at one point Jeff almost fell off the scaffolding
backwards. That would NOT have been
good. After 4 or so, we stopped for
lunch (brought in by a lady – sandwich meats and cheese, fruit, and a bag of
popcorn – I thought it was a little lame, but I’m not complaining.)
 |
| Setting the first truss. |
The break
must have been what we needed, because after lunch we started operating
smoothly and the trusses went up well.
For the first half, I was up on the roof with Mike, pounding in half of
the nails into the joist holder. Once we
hit the other side of the house, there were no joists and no room for me up
there anyway. Mike did it alone, while I
went to help move more trusses over from the vacant lot across the street. Rick did MAJOR lifting today – helping with
his long arms to lift and then hold wood in place. He was tired and sore by the time we
finished. Probably good we came in on a
Friday…..we have the weekend to rest up before a full week!
 |
| Halfway across the house! |
Midway
through the afternoon shift (and after I had left the scaffolding) we were
bless with the arrival of our new homeowner, Katie. She is a single mom with two daughters, ages
10 and 13. Katie had driven by many
nights this week to view the progress; she was exuberant to see the roof
trusses up and the house begin to take shape.
I took her over to the garage next door to see the house plans. Her enthusiasm was so fun to witness. She kept thanking me on behalf of the
group. I told her the opportunity to
meet her and picture her in her new home was more than worth it! She hopes to be back next week to actually do
some work. (This Habitat doesn’t work on
Saturdays, which I would think makes it harder for homeowners to put in their
equity time.)
Back to camp
to relax, shower, clean up dishes, etc. from the week, and write/read. (Where I am at now!) We are going out to dinner tonight as Mike
and Gloriann take off in the morning for home.
Today was the only day we were going to work with them. It has been a beautiful day, weather-wise. Definitely warmer than yesterday (in the
80’s) but sunny and clear –a gorgeous blue sky.
Not as windy. Campers are
arriving at the park for the weekend.
The Frisbee golf course here is quite extensive, very professional, and
well used! I am going to wander down to
the boat launch at some point and see the river!!
Back later
perhaps….
 |
| Gloriann and Mike with their Birthday cake |
What a
beautiful evening! The sky is gloriously
clear, which means it will be cold again tonight! Big half moon and stars as we emerged from
the BonFire, our restaurant of choice. I
tried some Walleye Salad….figured while in the area one should at least taste
the local fare! Rick had a huge local
beer and a vegetable herb pizza. All
very fancy. After a wonderful meal and
good conversation, we discovered it was the day between Mike and Gloriann’s
birthdays – so we managed to get a free piece of cake for the group to
share. It was a huge piece so easy to
do! When we went to split up the bill,
Mike INSISTED he wanted to cover it, that he and Gloriann had recently done
very well on a real estate deal. He
needed to share the blessing! So….I
guess we get to share the blessing this weekend with Sarah!
G’night!
SATURDAY, September 14, 2013
Visit
with adopted niece, Sarah Swanson
Gustavus
Adolphus College and St. Peter, MN
A bit
more relaxing a morning as we don’t have to leave for St. Peter until shortly
after 9am. Seems a little warmer today,
or else it warms up quicker! We share
goodbyes with Mike and Gloriann (I give them on of my Sampler Habitat books)
and then head north. First stop is
within a quarter mile – to gas up the truck!!
Then north on 169 along the Minnesota River (low water year!) and into
St. Peter, a town of about 11,500 – just a little larger than Baker City. The college is up on a hill west of town, but
within easy walking distance. We find
Sarah’s dorm and the parking area, and Sarah meets up with us….her roommate is
still sleeping!! From the lack of ANY
activity visible on campus, I guess we came a little early on a Saturday
morning for student life!
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| "Tornado sculpture"Plaza at Gustavus Adolphus |
We get a
tour of the campus – the south side is very open with newer brick
buildings. We find a tornado came
through here in 1998 and destroyed many buildings and trees. East side has much more foliage and older
buildings. All the buildings are an
orange or yellow brick, with the exception of the chapel built in the early
70’s. A typical college chapel of the
time: modern lines and architectural concepts.
It is beautiful with a tall spire and a simple cross on top. The cross was destroyed in the tornado and
found in a farmer’s field two miles away.
It is not hanging in the narthex of the building. Long lines of narrow stained glass lead
upwards to the apex of the roof. Very
pretty.
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| Interior Gustavus chapel |
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| Chapel exterior |
Through
the campus center and then in to the athletics pavilion. A
volleyball tourney was in progress, a
football game was on tap, and a ruby game just getting started. Lots of activity!! Back to Sarah’s dorm to find Kendra awake and
up. I have to say I was pleased to see
right off the brightly colored sheets of tie dye on Sarah’s bed!! I really should do that for more of the
college grads. They look so cool! Shelli made her a quilt with bright rainbow
colors that looks awesome with the sheets.
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| Sarah and Rick by the Gustavus track |
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| What kind of corn? |
We stop
at a Subway in St. Peter for a quick lunch, and then on down the highway toward
Mankato to stop at Seven Mile Creek County Park. Sarah had been to this park with a Geology
class and said it had lots of nice trails (10 miles worth to be exact!) We parked and found a map and wandered about
3.5 miles while we visited and talked away!
The scenic viewpoint was a little disappointing (we saw lots of tree
tops), but it did take us up to the top of the river plain and into fields of
corn. What kind? We aren’t sure – not sweet corn, maybe
popcorn? It seemed to be drying on the
stalks. The more hiking to the far west
end of the park and back along the otherside of the mostly non-existent creek
this time of year. I found some cool
acorn husks!
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| On the trail |
On into
Mankato to the Lowe’s to purchase bricks to help Sarah ‘lift’ up her bed 16” so
she can store things underneath. Kendra,
her roommate is sleeping on the top bunk, and they have a hammock swinging
under the loft arrangement. Very
nice!! We swing past the Habitat build
site and then to Land of Memories. Sarah
seems to have such found memories of this little tent trailer, as we took her
and Annika camping once up at Wallowa Lake in it. Brief chat as we find raindrops beginning to
fall….
Realize
Sarah could use a plastic tub to help store things under the bed, so it is back
to the other side of Mankato to Wal-Mart to make that purchase. I basically said “Happy Birthday,
Sarah”! These aren’t very exciting
gifts, but…..!! From there we were
thinking to head back up to St. Peter for dinner, but Rick spies a Mongolian
Grill across the street and that seals it!
Sarah has never been to one!!
A GREAT
dinner (this was a good place!). Don
Bovais called while we were in the restaurant, so while my food was being
cooked I talked with Don and got him the passwords, etc. he needed to sign us
up for the Philadelphia area Habitat builds. I have to say he sounded JUST like
the Don I remember!!
We
take Highway 22 straight back up to St. Peter and drop the bricks off at the
dorm. Rick said she and Kendra were
getting right to it arranging (I parked the truck), so we said our goodbyes and
left the home decorating up to them!! We
will probably meet up with Sarah again tomorrow night for dinner.
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| Football watching in tent trailer! |
Back to
the tent trailer….the rain is really coming down now – hard! So far so good in staying dry! Rick successfully got the rabbit ears set up
outside (I think under the front bed) and connected to the TV so he can get TWO
stations! But at least one of them is a
football game, so he appears to be content!!
I am sitting here typing, sipping decaf tea, and preparing to download
today’s pictures! A cozy little night in
the tent trailer!! Hope we stay
dry!!! G’night!
SUNDAY, September 15, 2013
Church,
Laundry, and Sarah!
Oh, how it did rain last night. I overheard one of the campers say he had
over an inch in a little rain gauge. I
had a little leakage down one of the support poles near my head, but wrapped a
towel around it during the night to absorb a little, and nothing more came in
much. We haven’t sealed any seams in
this trailer in years, so it might be a prudent move at some point!!
This morning dawns cloudy and cool, but
no rain up to this point at noon! It was
MUCH warmer, however, as I arose at 7 to find the temp in the trailer near 60,
while Friday morning it was 44!
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| Mankato FPC |
As we left we wandered into the chapel,
which had a beautiful set of fabric art banners titled, “Seasons of the
Spirit”: purple for advent and lent, green for growth, red for Pentecost, and
white for celebrations of Christmas and Easter.
Outstanding liturgical art.
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| Seasons of the Spirit |
The
steeple of this church stands tall against the Mankato skyline. Rick and I originally saw it Thursday
afternoon as we searched for the WW meeting site and a Wal-Mart, not realizing
it was the Presbyterian church. I was
sorry to miss worship in the sanctuary, as the stained glass was gloriously
typical of big city churches. A good
morning, nonetheless!
Back
to LOM to pick up our laundry and the map to find a Laundromat. We can’t find the one Gloriann mentioned, find
one indicated on map but it was closed, and then stumble upon the Northside
Laundromat. Seems adequate!!! We manage to shove everything into one large
load! This is the part of life on the
road that is not very glamorous!!
Had a
text from Sarah when I came out of church that 6pm tonight would be good for a
final rendezvous, and hopefully her roommie Kendra will be able to join
us!
Back
later!!
Wow! Venus is a beacon in the sky to the west, the
moon just keeps getting fuller and fuller, and the skies have cleared! It could get cool tonight!!
We had
a relaxing afternoon of catching up on scribbles (me), football (Rick) and
conversations with Moms (both of us!). I
had to laugh when I came back to the trailer after visiting with Mom….Rick had
positioned the TV rabbit ears to the seat of my bike – strapped on with an
elastic band! Bike seat looked pretty
funny! But it seemed to work and he was
a happy camper watching two good football games this afternoon. I was happy because I caught up on my Luke
scribbles, the blog pictures organized, and now when I get to wifi tomorrow
night (I called and the Burger King has free wifi!), I will be ready to
download quickly!!
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| What has happened to my bike? |
We drive up to St. Peter at 5:30 pm for our
dinner date with Sarah. Up to the room
to check out the bed – it looks wonderful!!
The girls were pretty proud of their ingenuity! Took a picture so I could capture the
beautiful quilt Shelli made as well!
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| Sarah on newly 'raised' bed! |
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| At the Pearly Gates! |
Sarah
was given the decision as to where to eat.
She finally opted for a recommendation by a friend for the BBQ place
next to the Mexican restaurant. We
didn’t have a name, but found the Lone Star BBQ & Grill next to the El
Agave, so we figured we were in the right spot!
Good meal – pulled pork sandwiches or baked potato with pulled
pork. Sarah and I had the tater, Rick
and Kendra the sandwich! Had a good
chance to meet Kendra more – discovered she is a violin player and knows Thom
McLean well! In fact, she is pretty sure
that her mom was Thom’s high school orchestra teacher! Small world!
Or, at least the string community of Fairbanks, Alaska, is a small
world!
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| The three of us at Lone Star BBQ! |
Monday, September 16, 2013
Mankato
Habitat Work Day 2
We wake
up this morning to a beautiful sunrise and a quiet night’s sleep!! A beautiful day ahead, although it is 44
degrees in the trailer when we arise! My
bed felt good and I had to force myself out to do a little note taking from the
Ragamuffin Gospel book.
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| Painting in the basement |
It is just six of us at the Habitat site today: Supervisor Ben, Americorp Russell and the four of us CAVs. Ben has another house a block over that is being inspected for resale this afternoon by a realtor and he wants to finish some painting and reflooring in the bathroom. We head over there first thing (after I do a quick devotion time). Jeff and
Bonnie end up in the bathroom (not a smart choice on their part - removing the old floor was a job and a half!). Rick and I painted down in the basement. There had been a mold problem on the concrete walls and we were painting a thick mold killer white. We got 'er done by the morning snack time. Fresh coffee cake and grapes, coffee and juice served by a couple of very dear older ladies!
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| Rick checks the wall.... |
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| Getting the sheathing started! |
After morning break, Rick and I stayed at the main job site and helped Glen and AJ apply the vapor barrier to the insulation in the second house (AJ's house!) The family had come by on Saturday to install the insulation and got started on the polyethylene plastic that must be put up by code. All has to be caulked as well with a soft, non-hardening caulk that helps seal the plastic to the wood. We are learning about cold climate building here!
Lunch was a drive over to Mr. Goodcents - basically a Subway type sandwich shop. I was going to order a salad, but the arrangement had been for a cold sandwich, so I went with turkey! After lunch Rick continued to help- with the 'Polly', but they shifted to ceilings and I couldn't reach! By then, Bonnie and Jeff had finished, so we started moving sheathing for the roof and helping on house #1 (where we worked Friday). Some of the trusses didn't get squared exactly right and Ben was a little 'tense' for abit, but I think it worked out by the time we left! Tomorrow will be an intense day of roof work....hopefully before the forecast rain comes later in the week!
Grocery shopping enroute home, salad making, showers, and tonight Rick and I are at Buffalo Wild-Wings Bar and Grill - free wifi for me and the Steeler's game for Rick! What a deal. I spent the first half of the game finding a campsite for this weekend outside of Chicago - we found an email waiting for us from Matt! Rick spent the first half of the game talking with fellow Steeler fans who turned out to be Thiel College graduates, and the guy went to Rocky Grove High School!! Fun!
Today was a PERFECT day weather wise. Probably highs in the 60's, sunshine! Ideal working weather! Could we hope it will last?
Came
back to the trailer today to do some serious relaxing! It was a late night last night and a lot of
physical activity. Rick has the TV going
with some news, and I did a Sodoku and feel asleep three times!! A light dinner. Tuesday night so NCIS, etc. shows until 10
and we crashed!! Seemed like it warmed
up as the evening progressed.
Rick spent the day on the roof – all day
I think, except for the breaks! He said
it is tiring because you have to stay ‘attentive’ all the time, and it is hard
on the ankles. But we finished almost
all the sheathing (the gables over the garage are ALMOST done – they were
tricky and very time consuming). Bonnie
and I were given the assignment this morning to measure and cut a whole bunch
of 2x4s using the chopsaw. Then we moved
them into the house on the concrete floor.
Right after break, Ben set me up to assemble the door frames for the
interior: nail two side boards together, one 81”, the other 96”; nail all my
cross bars together in sets of 2; nail the sides to the cross bar. The fun part of the job? I was given a power nailer to use! It took me a little while to get the hang of
it….at first I had to pound a few back out!
But it was super humid inside the house – the breeze that was blowing
outside didn’t penetrate and I was dripping sweat in no time at all! By lunch I had half of them finished and
stacked up against the outside walls.
Up and
out around 7:50, obviously a little later again today because for the second
day in a row we had to wait for a train leaving the campground. I definitely jinxed us the other night when I
said we had never been stopped by the train yet! It moves VERY slowly through town, so it
takes nearly 10 minutes for the 103 cars to pass. Then….if you drive too fast, you have to stop
again at another crossing to get to the job site. Today, Rick tried to circumvent the second
stop by taking a different route, but that gets you into the 8am school
traffic, so we didn’t gain anything!! Ah
well!
Due to
a now wet roof, Ben pulled us from the 1st house and we shifted
gears to install ceiling sheetrock in Erin’s house #3. Erin was there today to help, even though she
has all her hours in! Even with a break
for a potluck lunch at the Habitat Affiliate office (and Re-Store), we managed
to get the three bedrooms and closets all ceiling sheetrocked. Rick was helping with the lift, while I
mostly measured and cut sheetrock. I
like doing that!
We grab a
little dinner and pack things up in the truck: bikes, food containers, wood,
etc. Can’t tell if it is going to rain
tonight or not, but around 7 the clouds break to a beautiful sunset. Jeff comes down and invites us back up as we
had talked at the end of the day for football and campfire. Rick pulls the TV out and Jeff sets it up on
a TV tray just outside the awning of his trailer. We load up the pile of wood we collected from
the job site, grab a drink, and head up to their site for football and
fire!! We had talked about going out to
dinner, but decided neither of us really wanted to do so, so this would be a
good final social event!!
And it
was! Bonnie is quite the football fan as
well, but we sat and talked through the whole game: kids, churches, religion, Habitat,
etc. etc. We covered the gamut. I don’t think she watched at all - of course
we sat a little further on the far side of the fire and I don’t know if she
could hardly see the screen! Oh
well. A beautiful evening, full moon
came out, and not a drop of rain! However,
we didn’t get back down to our trailer until 10:45!!! The lights of the Pow Wow area are still
bright and glaring and we can hear the drum beats and chanting. They must be getting warmed up!!
TUESDAY, September 17, 2013
Habitat
Work Day 3
Clouds greet us this morning! In fact, the forecast
for the next few days jumps all over the place!
Rain, humidity, and higher temps!
Today was cool, then the skies cleared and we had beautiful blue with puffy
clouds, and then…after lunch? Back to
the clouds and a definite feeling of pending rain!
Our job
today? The roof! Our crew this morning was 8 in number: the 4
CAVs, 2 Habitat employees, a local volunteer, Jim, and Erin, the homeowner of
the third house down the street. Erin almost has all her hours in and should be able to
move in once the house is complete. I
think we might be doing some sheetrock down there on Thursday.
Rick was
up on the roof ALL DAY – mostly with the pneumatic stapler attaching the
sheathing permanently in place.
Temporarily the sheets have a few nails and are held in place with the H
clips. Bonnie and I spent most of the
day moving sheathing boards from front to back, lifting up to waiting hands on
the roof. We also got to measure and cut
after lunch when Jim and Erin had to leave.
I won’t even guess how many steps I took walking around the house
today!! My back feels the lifting
muscles, and I’m sure Rick’s back feels the ‘bent over’ position he had using
the stapler gun. (The staples are about
2 inches long.)
Mankato Habitat does know how to feed
you!! Many of the area restaurants
arrange to provide lunch meals, sometimes delivered, but usually we take a
break and go to the restaurant. Today
our treat was a return trip to Buffalo Wild Wings! I had a buffalito and salad (a type of soft
taco), and Rick some chicken strips and fries.
Good time!
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| We had to carry trusses across the street |
WEDNESDAY, September 18, 2013
Mankato
Habitat Day 4
Wow. It is 64
degrees in the trailer when I wake up this morning, but the skies are cloudy
and it seems like it could still drizzle.
Did rain briefly during the night, but mostly it has been a heavy mist
all night. Today is forecast to be in the mid 80’s and HUMID!! As I write tonight it is still 78 degrees in
the trailer and I am batting away little tiny fly insects – they must be coming
in right through the screen, attracted by our bright light. (They are extremely slow…I can squish them,
but they are also extremely numerous.)
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| Rick and Ben on roof trusses |
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| Rick nails in a section of sheathing. |
Lunch
today was sandwiches from Erbert and Gerbert Sandwich Shop – good enough, but
we will still patronize Subway!
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| Power nailer and door frames! |
After
lunch Bonnie helped me and we finished up the door frames. By then Ben was calling out measurements
right and left to finish the roofing on the garage gables – some for sheathing
sheets and some for 2x6 facing boards. I
learned to measure on the “angle” or a 6 cut, using the square. Rick was armed with the cordless nailer all
day, tacking sheathing in place, etc. We
worked until 3:30….everyone was getting tired, so a good thing to get people
OFF the roof!
All of
the CAVs opted NOT to head out of town tonight 20 miles to a beautiful lake for
‘Whiskey Wednesdays’…..instead after showers, we drove in to Weight Watchers
and then to Burger King for free wifi!!
A very light dinner, internet until 7:30, and then back to the
campground. Muggy tonight!!
The
campground is the site of a big ‘PowWow’ this weekend…. Trailers are already
pulling in and setting up shop. Two
Indian Fry Bread trailers, etc. Glad we
are leaving on Friday morning!! It
portends to be a circus!!
Full
moon coming up through the shifting clouds this evening. Beautiful!!!
THURSDAY, September 19, 2013
Mankato
Habitat Work Day 5
Weird
night! It was 70 degrees in the trailer
when I got up this morning, but it looked like it was clearing off. I did finally pull a light fleece over me
during the night, but the sleeping bag was untouched!!!
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| Morning train stops us again! |
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| Rick helps Ben mix up texture mud |
Ben
starts us out today helping him prep Sarah’s house to be ready for texturing –
plastic on the windows, hinges, etc. Ben
was going to texture this morning, so Sarah and her family can start painting
this weekend. Once that was done, we
started in on the sheathing at the front of the garage. Made a few wrong cuts, so we didn’t get as
far as we would have liked before the storm hit! Oh boy!!!
Rick and Jeff raced back to the trailer park to put up the awning in the
Miller’s trailer and to unplug the electric in ours. I had left the computer asleep and plugged
in. Rick and I had zipped up the trailer in prep for rain, but Rick wanted to
be sure because this was RAIN!!! And
this was a lightning storm that DUMPED a ton of water in about 15-20
minutes. We suddenly had a lake in front
of the worksite.
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| Cloudburst forms a lake in front of Habitat house |
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| Rick and Jeff work to sheetrock ceiling |
Nice
lunch visiting with Ben’s mother, who is the Mankato Habitat director, and
meeting Kellie, the volunteer coordinator who I spoke with on the phone. Nice people!
The store does about $1000 a day business, which is really good
concerning the size. They are going to
build across the street a bigger store with offices and sell the current
location. Ben’s mom explained the
tithing that individual affiliates are ‘supposed’ to do to support the
international projects. Mankato takes it
very seriously and tithes to a project in Tanzania – they figure they have
helped build nearly a 100 houses in that country as well as Southern
Minnesota. (A thousand dollars in
Tanzania goes much further than in the US!)
The
campground just keeps filling up! The
Pow Wow must be BIG! It commemorates a
1862 event in which 38 Native Americans were hung after they were accused of
raping and killing women and children.
This, of course, came after treaty violations on the part of the white
man. One wrong leads to another which
leads to another. You’d think we would
learn. Anyway, according to the park
manager, the REASON for the event is largely forgotten in what is now just a
huge celebration of Native American culture.
The Fry Bread booths are already up!
I guess the Frisbee golf is cancelled because several ‘holes’ are being
used for parking areas! We had heard
there was to be a soccer tournament also, but I don’t see how! We WILL be out of here first thing in the
morning!
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| Three happy Habitat homeowners! |
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| Getting the fire started! |
Click HERE for ALL our pictures other than Habitat build.
Click HERE for Habitat pictures!
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