NY to CA-3

Day 5 Wednesday 7/12/17

Well, I really pushed it today. Where do I begin when there really isn't very much to tell?

• Drove through the entire state of Iowa in about 5 hours. If you check the map above, you'll see one campground was at the extreme western side of IL and the one I'm staying in tonight is at the eastern side of NE. Poor Iowa doesn't get my company tonight and I missed out on a sticker for my US map.

Drove the furthest today, 338 miles and
two tankfuls of diesel for Winnie. I-80 through
Iowa is straight and long. When you go over the rise,
you're greeted with the same view...straight and long.

All I saw were cornfields and trucks.

I crossed the Mississippi River.

• 
  

  

  An awesome sight

Wind farms scattered among the cornfields

Researched Google and read the widely used
GE 1.5-megawatt model, for example, consists
 of 116-ft blades atop a 212-ft tower for a total
height of 328 feet.

I saw a couple of turbine blade transporters. Now that was a sight to behold. They're about 160' long.

Then there was the weather. The sky was overcast for most of the trip. I checked and saw:

Fortunately, I headed south toward Council Bluffs
and missed that nasty looking weather moving eastward.

This campground in Gretna, NE was difficult to find. I wasted about a half hour looking. GPS didn't help and there were no signs. Yes, this male finally stopped at a gas station. I had to go back...again...the way I came and make a right at a light. I was close but yet, so far. No signs anywhere. So be it. That should be the worst of my problems, right? But this KOA was another great campground.  I was on site 17.

Father and son from CA traveling the US looking for a college
Looks cozy. Air mattress inside and tent cover conforms to and
is fitted around the wheel wells. The rear door in the cab
served as their locker.

So, that's it for Nebraska--Part One. I haven't been meeting people unless they're on the next site AND they're out and about; a downside of one night layovers, I guess. The state is so wide that tomorrow I'll drive another 4 hours and stop at a private family owned campground, "Sleepy Sunflower RV Park" in Ogallala, NE. Yes, I'll research the origin of that name.

Day 6 Thursday 7/13/17

Nebraska--Part Two

Here I am at Sleepy Sunflowers RV Park in Ogallala, NE, population around 4,700. As promised, I researched Ogallala.  The name is derived from the Oglala Lakota or Oglala Sioux meaning "to scatter one's own" in the Lakota language. They are one of the seven sub-tribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Great Sioux Nation. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the eighth largest Native American Reservations in the United States. 

Today's drive of 311 miles took five hours plus but that included TWO stops (again) for fuel and lunch. Nebraska is a very wide state and I didn't even drive the full width. With the speed limit at 75 mph, it becomes obvious the faster you travel the less impressive your gas mileage. My average of 15-16 mpg has been reduced to 13-14 mpg. It was, however, a beautiful day for traveling. Looking at the east-west path of the Platte River as it flows from the Rockies toward the Mississippi, it's no wonder I crossed back and forth over it many times. Sad to say in many places there was nothing but a dry river bed.

The clouds today were so much more appealing
 and inviting than those earlier in my trip
 through "Tornado Alley."

By the way, all photos of landscapes and
scenery were taken while driving at 70 mph
and without looking; it was a matter of
pointing the camera and shooting.

My first stop for diesel was in Aurora, NE. As I prepared to pump, a lady walked up to me out of nowhere and, apparently after noticing my license plates, asked, "Are you really from New York?" I got quite a kick out of that and held back a good laugh. I assured her I was. I introduced myself as did she. Her name was Debbie and she walked over from the Dollar General lot where she and her two daughters sold fresh produce from their farm stand daily. She told me I should try some Nebraska corn as long as I was passing through. And I couldn't have agreed with her more. After filling up, I left the RV at the pump and walked over. We chatted for a good while. Well, the surprise of the day...another "What Are The Chances" to be added to my collection occurred when I asked the daughter's names. The 21 year old who just graduated college is Beca and her little sister is Sarah (with the 'h'). The family owns "just about 500 acres" of farmland nearby. And, she adds, we're one of the smaller farms. They have about 100 acres devoted to sweet corn which they sell to local markets (100 bushels at a time) and the rest is sold for livestock feed.

Sara & Beca

Beca and Sarah

Beca Sara & mom, Debbie
holding Nebraskan corn.

I asked all kinds of questions but the one that needled me the most on the long journey through farm lands was how the those very long pipes mounted on wheels work. They're called center pivot irrigation and those systems can extend up to a quarter of a mile. Their mechanical operation is fascinating and quite sophisticated. Details can be found HERE if you care to find out about it. Unfortunately, she says, strong winds can blow them over and the damage can run between $50,000 and $60,000 to replace.  

This is a satellite image of circular fields
characteristic of center pivot irrigation,
this image in Kansas

A delightful encounter; such nice people. If you haven't already done so, the tab at the top of the page titled, "What Are The Chances," is a good read. Don't forget to use your return button to return to this post. By the way, a dozen ears picked that very morning cost $5.00. There was no way I could keep them fresh and refrigerated so I bought a half dozen for $3.00 and when I arrived at the campground, I found seven ears in my bags. How nice was that? Even before dinner I had to have a couple.

They were huge

 This is my preferred method of preparing corn on the cob:

Leave corn as is..in their husks...and
place in microwave on a safe dish.
On high, set timer for seven minutes;
if cooking two, about twelve minutes.

When completed, wear gloves to
remove from microwave. Holding
firmly, cut the lower 1-2" from the
bottom of the ear.

Continue using gloves and while grasping
the uncut end, begin to pinch downward
forcing the cob out of the husk.

Corn will be very hot but free of any
cleaning. No silk threads, no hot water
to dump, no pots to clean. My Nebraska
corn was eaten without salt, pepper, or
butter. Sensational!

Sleepy Sunflower RV Park is owned by Dave and Laurie Gunn and my first non-KOA campsite. (The wi-fi is excellent.) When I arrived around 3 pm, the temperature was at 109°. Hard as the AC tried, the temp inside my tin can couldn't get cooler than 85°. My trusty mini desk fan pulled its weight and kept me cool till the sun went down far enough to allow the shadow of the tree opposite me to creep and spread its cooling shade.

Winnie baking

This tree heard the call for help. At first
I thought it would leaf us alone but I went
out on a limb and woodn't you know it,
as time passed, we got to the root of the matter
and....

...it crept toward us to give some relief.

Some shots of the surrounding small, 42 site campground shows a definite shortage of trees and shade. As I write this, the temp outside has dropped to 73°. AC is off, windows, door and roof vent opened.

A P.S. Thanks to my friend, Dina, I was made aware that as of August 30th, the lifetime Senior Park Pass will go from $10.00 to $80.00. The application and details can be found at: https://store.usgs.gov/senior-pass Or click HERE. So, for my 62 and older RV friends, if you don't already have one, have your application postmarked no later than 8/27th. 

So, that's it for today. Tomorrow will be a 316 mile, 4½ hour trip to Rawlins, WY. My Hudson Islander RV friend, Jack, sent me this video about 6 simple rules to follow when pulled over in a RV.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lK1Fjbk-zU&authuser=0  Enjoy your day and stay dry. See you in Wyoming.