Sheridan Hills Lake Campground, Hill City, SD

(We are in Hill City doing laundry so I am going to post what I have written, this will be the only times I get on the internet so postings will be sparse)

I am going through withdrawals, I have no internet service at the camper and can’t get it. So I am going to have to wait until I can go into town each week to get on line. Last Tuesday when the realization of all this hit me I was not a happy camper, even though I knew coming into this gig it was a very real possibility I would not be able to get on line at the campground. So I will post my blog as I get the chance. I will date them so I have a chronological order to them.

Friday, May 11, 2010

We left Omaha area on Wed, 5/9. and spent the night at the R & R Campground, Mitchell, SD. We have stayed here before, it is a Passport American park but at this time of the year the office isn’t officially opened and you can stay for $15 per night. We met Amy, Clancy, and Clancy’s folks at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Maverick graduated from preschool and we were celebrating. We will see them again Memorial weekend.

We arrived at Sheridan Hills Lake Campground located five miles west of Hill City. Louis, one of the other workampers, took us to our site in the Chipper loop campground. We have twenty five sites to look after, with an additional twelve on busy weekends. Our site is situated in the middle of the loop, we have full hookups and a nice view of the lake.

We got set up and the rig is the most level I have ever been able to make it. It took us about an hour to get everything set up and the way we wanted it. Now I was aware of the following but I am going through withdrawals anyway. We had no cell phone, TV, or internet upon arrival. I put the dish up and let it search for about twenty minutes but I knew it wasn’t going to latch onto a signal, the trees were to numerous and there was no opening for it and since it is attached to the roof I can’t move it just anywhere. So I was stuck or so I thought.

We went to Mark & Sharon’s for dinner, they are are friends who are workamping here and Sarah is working with Sharon this summer. They had gone to the Verizon store in Rapid City and got a device called Home Phone Connect, which is a cell phone device with more power I am told, and they had telephone service even though their cell phones don’t work. So Mark and I brought it down to our camper and plugged it in and it worked. Sharon had also picked up a MiFi unit and it didn’t work. Riddle me this, What works in an area where cell phone and Wi-Fi units don't work?, a wireless cell phone device with more power, or so I am told. We took the MiFi unit back to Verizon and I got the Home Phone Connect device, I also upgraded my Wi-Fi usbstick to 4G and saved $10 on those charges plus I cut back our minutes to 700 saving $20 per month which is the exact cost of the Connect device, but it has unlimited calling on it and it works everywhere. So our phone bill won’t change any but we will have phone service even where the cell phone doesn’t work.

So now I have the TV and internet to work on. Well, today I was told a Direct TV guy was at one of the other workampers site so I got hold of him and he came down and I ended up getting a dish, which he screwed to a tree stump, and we now have satellite TV. We have the same channels we had with the roof dish but no HD, I believe I can handle that.

So that leaves me with the internet. I am thinking this phone device is basically a phone line so why couldn’t I get to the internet with a dial up vendor. I don’t know if it is possible but I am going to see what I can do. Until I have internet access at the camper I am going to have to go to town once a week and use a local café or have my router in the truck to access the internet. I know I will use my router when I do financial business but otherwise I will use the free Wi-Fi wherever it is available.

This place is absolutely beautiful, as some friends of ours would say, it has the IT factor.

 

Saturday, May 19, 2010

We have been on the job now for one week and it is not to bad. Well Tuesday and Wednesday were not what I wanted but I got through them.

Monday, we had oreientation where we learned the do’s and the don’ts in the campground. During the winter the Forest Service runs this park, I guess the others in the area are closed, and there is one person who stays here through the winter and collects the camper fees etc. Then when the summer season starts, which was yesterday, Forest Recreation Management takes over for the summer, we work for FRM. We met all the other workampers and I won’t remember all of their names but there are twenty or so couples working here.

Tuesday, Sarah began her job with Sharon of spring cleaning 60 outhouses located in their area of responsibility and I guess some of them were very gross. I had to clean the 36 campsites I am responsible for, this entailed raking the pine needles and cones from around and under the picnic tables. I had to make sure there was no garbage in the fire pits and rake the pine needles away from them also. It has been very dry here with the fire warnings in the moderate to high range depending where you are in the area.

Wednesday was more of the same from Tuesday but I did manage to get all my campsites taken care of and looking good. Each day I would quit about three and sit and read until Sarah got home, then it was Marguarita time.

Thursday since I had my campsites ready I went into town to get a couple things, checked out south beach day use area, I will be manning the fee booth for this area on Mondays, and then spent some time in the main booth learning what to do. After lunch I drained the water heater and tried to clean it out and since it doesn’t have an anode rod in it there was not much of anything it it. I did put a new plug in it with plumbers tape on it because it was leaking. I bought a Flow-Rite system for my batteries to keep them filled. I have two batteries and to get to the back one I have to disconnect the front one, take it out and then pull the back one forward to check the water level. So I pulled the front one and checked the water in the back one and it was low so I filled it and the front one also. I may have a time of it getting the Flow-Rite system to fit because of the cable positions, one cable is two short so I will have to try and find a longer one but I hope I can get it to work.

Friday I spent more time in the main booth going over some of the processes and I went down to south beach to visit the workamper there. His name is Sherman, I am no good at remember last names and sometimes first names, anyway he is there by himself and I thought I would go visit for a short time. He had one customer already and while I was there two more showed up. It was not a busy day for him.

I came home and spent the rest of the day in the camper. Last night I had two campers with resevations who had not checked in yet so we do that at the campsite. I got one registered about seven last night and the other this morning. I had another vehicle pull in with four guys in it and they wanted to stay but thought the rate was ten dollars, the winter rate, I told them it was twenty-four dollars, they didn’t have the money and I told them they would have to leave, they did but I believe they came back after I went to bed and left before I could get to them this morning because the campsite they used had garbage in the fire ring. I doubt that will be the only time we have someone do that. We had another couple come in around nine-thirty, I got them registered and they are all set up for the weekend.

So my first day as a camp host went ok, next weekend is Memorial weekend and my camp loop is sold out so we will see what happens over that weekend.

Until later, Dreams Do Come True.

West Omaha KOA

Our time here is about over, we leave Weds for Hill City, SD and our summer job at Sheridan Lake Campgrounds. However, in the mean time let me catch you up on our time here.

We left Griff’s RV Park on a nice day, I really don’t like breaking camp in the rain or even after it rains because of the mud etc. but this time, the weather was dry and we had a pleasant trip to Gretna, NE and our campsite at the KOA. Since it isn’t far from Des Moines to Omaha, the trip was short and we arrived right after lunch. KOA parks are a bit more expensive than your state parks but as I have stated before when you weigh in the coast of fuel and travel time to see the kids the costs are about the same. We like this park and the owners, Eric & Carrol Murray, go out of their way to accommodate your needs, great people.

On Sunday the 29^th, we took the camper to the Excel Service Center in Smith Center, KS. We have had the washer leaking almost since we got it and no one seemed to know what was causing it. Therefore, I wanted it taken out and see if we could see where it was leaking. When the techs got the washer out and set it up on the service center floor it became quickly apparent the leak was from a hose connector not tight enough, something that could not be seen without taking the washer out of the camper. So now, we have a leak free washer but I still find myself looking for water in the tray under the washer. I even learned to fix some items I know I will need to fix or adjust in the future.

We had another great experience at the service center. Jack, Ralph and all the techs there are great; they do a very good job. Thank you all.

We were in Smith Center Monday only and got back to Omaha on Tuesday and since then we have had one severe storm warning after another, of course, they are all at night. But we have muddle through them and are beginning our processes to depart here on Weds.

Last night we went over to John & Cindi Cline’s home for dinner. They have a beautiful home. We had a great time. Cindi is every bit the cook John kept telling us about in AZ. We hope they can make it to SD this summer, if not we will see them in AZ this winter.

Dreams Do Come True

Last Day at Griff's RV Park

This is one of my favorite parks. Did you ever have one of those parks where you wish you could take it with you and transplant it whereever you are? I really wish this park was in AZ, especially the width of the sites. Oh well that is why we have a home on wheels, if we don't like where we are we can leave.

As my previous post showed we made it to Omaha. We had a great time over Easter weekend, the only way it could have been better is having Robert, Sarah, Mason and Madyson with us, but they had just returned from a long journey so we understood, besides we had a great time with them this past weekend, more later on that. We had  three campsites, adjacent to each other and the weather was good, so it was a great time. Amy & Clancy have a new camper, very nice, with bunkbeds in it for the kids. I believe it will give them many enjoyable times camping. This is the group:

West Omaha KOA went out of their way to accomadate us. Saturday night they let us use the clubhouse, no charge, so we bought pizzas and wings from them. Didn't know KOA had pizzas, yes they do and they are good. We have had them before, especially if you don't feel like going out to eat or cook, they will deliver them to you at the time you specify, within their hours of operation, and they are only $10. Anyway as you can see from the picture we did enjoy ourselves.

We headed to Griff's RV Park, Altoona, IA on Tuesday the 10th. We have a back in site for the first time here and we have the open field behind us, before we had the dumpster and other campers, so it is nice for a change. We do have a  pesky robin wanting to buy the camper, he keeps making deposits on it. I have two ladders tied to the back of the camper and and he tried to build a nest there until I took one ladder down. Now all he does is bang up against the window, I think he sees his reflection in the window.

We went to Honey Creek State Resort, http://www.honeycreekresort.com/, this resort was built by the state of Iowa and is very nice. We met Daniel, Marie, Emily, Isabelle and Eli there on Friday. The resort has a water park and we thought the kids would enjoy it, they did. The reason for the visit was to see my mother, for her to see the little ones, she had never seen Eli. We had a good time visiting with her, but I am sure the kids wore her out.

My brother Larry and his wife Kathy along with their granddaughter Megan and her friend Brianna. The bigger kids are Megan (L) and Brianna (R).










We came back to Griff's on Sunday afternoon and went to Mike & Sheri Cord's for dinner. Their daughter Daun from California was there, she is a trauma nurse at a hospital in LA and a nurse in the Air Force Reserves. Mike had open heart surgery in March and Daun came home to take care of him. I am glad she did because Mike can be a stubborn person and after meeting Daun I know he was in good hands.

Monday night for Happy Hour a bunch of the regulars in the park got together in the clubhouse. It is always good to see them and hear about their winter. The majority of them go to Texas, down in the valley, for the winter, now I went to Mission to pick up our truck and I thought it was too windy but their are a lot of people who like it. The best part like most places in the south is it is warmer than up north. Now this past winter is an exception but most winters it is warmer in the south.

Thursday saw us pick up the rental car and head for Wisconsin. I use Enterprise because they are close by in Ankeny and they seem to have as good a rate as others. We left about nine and it rained most of the way. We had a Dodge Avenger and it did not handle very well in the rain. It seem to me the ruts and water in the road affected the way it drove more than any other vehicle I have driven for quite a while. But with all that we did arrive safely at the Holiday Inn Express in Beloit, WI.

We went over to see the kids as soon as they got home. Mason and Madyson have grown so much. We stayed and visited with them until time for the kids to go to bed. Friday we met Robert for lunch at Milo's, it is the same type of sandwich shop as Jimmy John's or Subway. Friday night was a visit to the beauty supply store for the ladies and Birds Unlimited for me. I found a bottle for Sarah to mix her humming bird feed in and I thought if she had that maybe, just maybe, we would get out the humming bird feeder we have had for five years. We will see if that happens.

Saturday was soccer day and it was fun to watch the kids play. Mason has come a long way from the first time I saw him play or not wanting to play. He does a good job of moving the ball and doing some of the things he needs to do on the field, I am sure he will continue to get better. He will be good at what ever he wants to do in life. Madyson is playing also and it was fun to watch her. She is only four so her skills aren't there yet but the little squirt is going to be good at whatever she wants to do also. In the afternoon, Robert brought the kids to the hotel to go swimming. They are like fish out of the water, Mason is becoming a good swimmer and Madyson is still learning. I told Mason he needs to be a good swimmer because I can't swim and someday he may have to help me if I get in the water and have problems.

Sunday was a relaxing day in that we didn't do much. The kids wanted to go swimming but the hotel had the pool so the kids couldn't go swimming. We headed for Rockford to Granite City for dinner and then to Barnes & Noble to get some books. I told each of the grand kids I would buy them some books when we saw them this year and we have done that. I have to check with Emily and Isabelle, I think they only got one book each so I may owe them a couple more.

We got home yesterday afternoon, after stopping and visiting with Carl & Merilee in Iowa City. We were going to stop and see Dave & Sheri Frantz, who are camp hosting at the Amana's but I ran out of time. When we do stop I want to be able to spend some time with them and not feel in a hurry. So, Dave & Sheri, we will see you in Sept for sure.

Today is laundry day, well Sarah is doing the laundry and I am writing this blog. Although I did carry some clothes up to the laundry for her, she did some in the camper and some in the laundry room. The camper's washer is leaking, we are going to Excel on the 29th for them to see if they can fix the washer. Don't know what we will do if it can't be fixed.

Tomorrow we pack up and head for the KOA in Gretna for a couple weeks minus the days at Excel and then on May 8 or 9th we head for Hill City, SD for the summer.

Until later, Dreams Do Come True.

Vietnam Veterans

I forgot to post this back in March but the statistics stated in the articles attached haven’t change any. I don’t get to political but on this issue I am adamant about how the country treats the veteran.

http://vietnam-veterans.us/popup/facts.html

Sarah and I attended a breakfast honoring all veterans, American & Canadian, it was put on by the Marine Corp Veteran’s Alliance, http://www.allianceofmarinecorpsveterans.com/, in the Phoenix area. They had a flag raising ceremony and one of the officers read a prepared paper which I would guess he wrote using the statistics from this article, http://tucsoncitizen.com/veteranveritas/Veterans/vietnam-veteran-statistics-vietnam-veterans-dying-rate-vietnam-veterans-morbidity/.

These are scary stats and something no one wants to think about but the facts are the facts. There are not many WWII veterans left and the Korean war veterans are dying off fast also. It would be nice to have a pro veteran Congress, at least more so than we have now, but I applaud the veteran organizations for keeping the veteran’s cause in front of the American people and Congress. The Congress has increased the VA budget but it still lags behind what is needed. More veterans, who would normally die in battle, were saved in Vietnam by the use of the helicopter and a lot of the advances made in medicine have come from war time injuries. With the current war going on even more injured are going to be needing the help of the government, this is the debt the American people owe the veteran. There are many reasons why a person will join the military but in every case that individual has pledged to give his or her life to defend the Constitution of the United States. Freedom of speech is a great freedom to have but too many people forget who has gained this freedom for us and the price others have paid to maintain it.

Over 600 tickets were sold for this event, they plan on holding it each year from now on. It was a great event and we plan on going to it each year we are in Mesa.

Thank a veteran for their service when you see them.

Gretna, NE

We made it. We spent Tuesday night at the KOA in Salina, KS, nice park we have stayed there before. They are working on upgrading the sites, our site had three sewer hookups on each site, at least you don't have to have three sewer hoses to hook up. Yesterday morning I wanted to head for Gretna but it rained all night and I didn't know if it was going to continue to do so all morning. We lucked out and had a break in the rain so we broke camp and headed out. Of course in unhooking sewer, water and electric I sank four inches into the mud. Oh well we are here and looking forward to seeing the grand kids this morning.

All is well. We had a great trip from AZ, head winds all the way. I need to fuel the truck so I can get an accurate cost for fuel. Although there was the one fuel stop where I inadvertently selected the farm diesel and had a great rate of $3.75 per gallon, but once I noticed my mistake I cut it off and only got 10 gal pumped. It shouldn't skew the numbers to bad.

We have a minny Cain family reunion this weekend here so we have to get busy. Need some supplies from Wally world.

Dreams Do Come True

On the Road Again

We left Mesa Regal at 8 am yesterday and had an uneventful trip to Las Cruces, NM. We went through some beautiful country, had a lot of wind but no problems. The Las Cruces KOA is a nice park. It sits on a hill and gives you a view of the valley and city of Las Cruces.

We left Las Cruces this morning at 8:15 and drove to Dalhart, TX, we are in the Corral RV Park. This is a nice park I didn't hook up anything but electric again tonight. We will leave early tomorrow morning for Salina, Ks and there we will hook up everything, I'll be ready for a shower.

We should be in Omaha by Wed mid day. Looking forward to seeing the kids.

Dreams Do Come True.

Our Time is Quickly Coming to an End at Mesa Regal

Today was our last day of work, in fact what was left of the crew all worked this morning. More about that later.

Monday I began some of the prep chores in getting the camper ready to travel. I aired the camper tires, cleaned the wheels etc., I wanted them to look good going down the road and I greased the MorRyde suspension system. Actually, I not too sure how much grease was in the system because I believe I used a half a tube of grease on them.

Tuesday saw me cleaning the truck. It takes me a bit over an hour to do that mostly because I don't work to fast, but the truck looks good and that is the goal. Later that afternoon we went to Bill & Luddella's to visit with them and have dinner. We went to Texas Roadhouse and had a good meal. It was a good time we will miss them but hopefully we will see them in November.

Thursday after work we stopped by Happy Hour and enjoyed the appetizers our boss Mikki bought for everyone. We said our goodbyes with hugs to all those who are leaving before we are and especially to those who are not coming back next year. To all of our fellow Decor Team members it has been a wonderful and memorable experience for Sarah & I, we will not forget these past four months. So we would like to say to our fellow workampers as they get back on the road:

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

As I stated before today was our last day of work. We finished at noon and said more goodbyes to our team. We then went to Wendy's for a fish sandwich, I remember liking them and had not had one for a long time so we tried them and they are still good. Then it was time to grocery shop for the road.

The rest of the day has been spent doing very little. I did get the ladders secured to the camper and lubricated the bike rack locks. Other than that I read the rest of the day.

Tomorrow I am taking Steve & Teresa to the airport at five am, then fuel the truck, come home and load the bikes, check the air in the truck tires, make sure the fifth wheel has air in it and put away a few more items and we should be ready to go Sunday morning.

Dreams Do Come True