Douglas, Wyoming KOA campground - 30 Apr 2020
 |
Morning visitor. Bald Eagle in our campground.
|
 |
| It was nice in the early afternoon, but then some clouds moved in and it rained. |
Downtown Douglas, Wyoming 1 May 2020
 |
| We visited downtown Douglas to see the famous Jackalope statue. |
 |
| We also visited the Camp Douglas POW Officer's Club. This building is all that remains of the internment camp for Prisoners Of War during World War II from January 1943 until February 1946. First Italian and then German prisoners. We could not access the interior but inside walls of the club room features sixteen murals painted by three Italian prisoners during 1943-1944. The murals depict icons of the American west: cowboys, Indians, wagon trains, cattle drives, a stockade fort and even the famous Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park. So, you might ask why Douglas, Wyoming? Its presence would create a large economic boom to the town. The government acquired 687-acres, construction drew 400-500 workers to build dorms, fencing, guard towers, dining halls, bathing facilities, hospitals, troops barracks, outdoor recreation areas, softball and football fields, motor pool, heating plant, warehouses, corrals, a K-9 unit, sewer plant, salvage yard and gravel pit. Prisoners were paid $4 per day for local agricultural work. Beginning Nov. 1945 the camp began repatriation but some former prisoners chose to remain in America as friendships and romance had been forged with folks in the local community. |
Spearfish, Wyoming 3 May - 8 May 2020  |
Around our campground, our site with proper social distancing. Taking the dogs for a walk past the office. The dogs enjoyed the off-leash space along the Spearfish Creek.
 | A couple of the locals and one transient.
|
Roughlock Falls Hiking Trail - 5 May 2020 |
 |
| This was a really nice walk through a canyon and along the Little Spearfish Creek in the Black Hills. The name of the falls is based on the pioneers traveling down the canyon would lower their wagons down the drop by "roughlocking" the wheels to prevent them from rolling freely. |
 |
Waterfall, but not the waterfall.
|
 |
| Roughlock Falls has several well maintained overlooks for different views of these famous falls. Plenty of snowmelt and run-off water coming over the rocks. |
 |
Also plenty of very nice picnicking tables.
|
 |
This area of the walkway had been severely damaged by a rock slide that took out a section of the railing and fractured the concrete path. Bob is faking a fall into the rocks.
|
 |
The path continues beyond the falls and picnic area, shifting under the road to the opposite side. Few people decide to take this portion and are deprived of the additional falls. Even in May, there were several places along the path that were still snow packed.
|
Sioux Falls, South Dakota - 11 May 2020
 |
Walking to dogs along the Greenway, an extensive pathway around the city for walkers and bikes. Frisbee Golf anyone? This hole is in a hazard. We just decided to play through.
|
Sioux Falls, South Dakota - 17 May 2020
 |
Sleepy puppies catching some rays. Then too much rain and the dog park gets flooded. Carefully Bob cleans the bugs off the cap, again. The KOA is next to the Camping World. Our patriotic parking place.
|
 |
Taking the bored puppies out for a walk on a new section of the Greenway. Also to wear them out.
|
Grotto of the Redemption, West Bend, Iowa - 04 Jun 2020
 |
After leaving Sioux Falls, we stopped in Jackson, MN for a few days. It had become sweltering and with our living room air conditioner broken it's good the get out of the camper. We leave the dogs in the bedroom with the A/C. About 35 miles away is the Grotto.
|
 |
Alongside Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church the grotto was begun in 1899 and has been expanding since then. It also includes a museum, cafe, artist workshop, gift shop and lake.
|
 |
A composite of nine separate grottos, each portraying a scene in the life of Christ, it is the largest man-made grotto in the world, and contains the largest collection of precious stones and gems found anywhere in one location.
|
 |
Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein was born in Rosenfield, Germany, immigrated the American at 20 years old and attended Seminary school in Milwaukee, WI. During his years in seminary, he contracted pneumonia. He promised to build a shrine to the Virgin Mary if she interceded on his behalf. Recovering and completing his education, in 1898 he was assigned to West Bend as Pastor.
|
 |
Father Dobberstein stockpiled rocks and precious stones for over a decade before beginning work on his promised shrine. The sheen and colors of precious stones are the same today as they were thousands of years ago.
|
 |
Father Dobberstein used a vast collection of minerals and precious and semi-precious stones in the building of the Grotto. Petrified wood, malachite, azurite, agates, geodes, jasper, quarts, topaz, calcite, stalactites and stalagmites are but a partial list of rocks gathered, purchased or donated for building of the Grotto.
|
 |
Father Dobberstein and Matt Szerense, his only coworker, began actual construction in 1912 and God alone knows the number of man-hours they worked, by hand, over the next 50 plus years.
|
 |
Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church stands quietly nearby while all the activity and visitors are focused on the Grotto.
|
 |
Over 100,000 people visit the Grotto each year. Father Dobberstein's successor, Father Louis Greving began working in 1946. Even today, volunteers continue to make repairs and oversee the Grotto.
|
 |
A statue of Father Dobberstein.
|
 |
| An impressive achievement. |
Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, Newton, Iowa - 11 June 2020
 |
Finally found a good place for walking the dogs that allowed us to appreciate one thing we are both missing during our travels - our passion for gardening.
|
 |
A local for sure. Black squirrel.
|
 |
In additional to the trees, shrubs and flowers. there were several statues surrounded by their own little garden spaces.
|
 |
After getting double our steps in, everyone needed a little rest before going home.
|
Pony Express Museum, St. Joseph Missouri - 20 June 2020
 |
On 3 April 1860, a lone rider on horseback left the gates of the Pike's Peek Stables in St. Joseph, Missouri for the ride of his life. Carrying a mochilla (what we call saddlebags) for letters, messages and newspapers, he began his portion of the 2,000 mile relay heading west towards Sacramento, California. These brave young men raced against nature's cruel elements and rugged terrain in an attempt to united two sections of our country divided by distance.
|
 |
The advertisement reads, "Young, skinny, wiry fellows, not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred." One rider starts at each end of the "trail" riding from 75-100 miles, changing horses at waystations, 10 miles apart, along the route, riding day and night. Once the mail from the opposite end arrives, the rider retraces his route back to his starting point.
|
 |
A popular theme for statues.
|
 |
| Directly underneath the stables was the actual well used to slake the thirst of horse and rider alike. |
 |
| A painting of the first rider leaving St. Joe, a scrimshaw cattle horn and biography of one of the 80 riders traveling east or west. Several stories about the youngest rider (age 11 or 14?), joined the Pony Express after jumping ship in California or after his father put him in the saddle of a rider that didn't show up, was attacked by Paiute Indians, forced to retreat behind large boulder, killed 6 of the attackers, was killed but not scalped as a sign of honor or lived until he was 105 years old. |
KOA Campground, Onawa, Iowa - 20 June 2020
 |
With our air conditioner repaired we were prepared for the heat and humidity over the 4th of July weekend. It came a little early but we also had really nice days along the shoreline of Blue Lake with the Lewis & Clark State Park across the lake from us.
|
Preparation Canyon State Park, Pisgah, Iowa - 24 June 2020 |
This was a difficult hike. Steep decline into the canyon along unmaintained trails, weeds and lots of bugs. We did get through it but chose to walk back to the truck on the paved road.
|
 |
| The Loess Hills are a formation of wind-deposited loess soil in the western-most parts of Iowa and Missouri, and the eastern-most parts of Nebraska and Kansas, along the Missouri River. Loess soil was created by glaciers grinding rocks into a fine dust-like "glacial flour". As the glaciers retreated, the mud flats left behind began to dry up leaving the fine grained silt to be picked up by strong western winds. Huge dust clouds deposited heavier silt particles close to the Missouri River flood plains, creating the dune fields which were stabilized by grasses. The Loess Hills of Iowa are remarkable for the depth of the drift layer, often more than 90 feet deep. |
Lewis & Clark State Park, Onawa, Iowa - 26 June 2020
 |
Even the Wildlife Management can be terribly confused.
|
 |
| Peace and quiet or speed boats passing the campers. |
Lewis & Clark State Park Museum, Onawa, Iowa - 2 July 2020
 |
A replica of the Keel Boat used during the Corps of Discovery. This boat is maintained for trips on the Blue Lake during summer. Due to Covid-19, it is currently in a parking lot for viewing only. It sure would have been nice to take a ride in it. The Museum has a nice view of the lake.
|
 |
We like the natural landscaping around the Museum. Inside is a display of all five types of boats used during the Expedition. This is the only place in the country which houses all five types.
|
 |
Merriwether Lewis was charged with providing update reports to President Jefferson during their trip. To avoid having his reports read if intercepted by French or British, he used a coding machine like this one. A non-traditional canoe made of buffalo skins.
|
 |
| While examples we have seen are all called a keel boat, the large, masted boats should rightly be called "keeled" boats as this is the actual term used by Lewis and they are, in fact, boats with internal keels for stability. They could navigate in 2 feet of water. The pirogues are small, open, masted boat with points at both ends. Canoes were dug-out a single cottonwood or pine tree. Smaller canoes were "procured" from native tribes. |
 |
The keelboat could be rowed with oars, pushed with poles (see sides of boat), sailed with masts or hauled with ropes along the shore.
|
 |
| The smaller canoes originated with native tribes. There is some debate as to the procurement process - purchase versus pilfered. |
