Yabba Dabba Doooo

Thursday, June 10, 2011

We left the Custer/Mt. Rushmore KOA enroute to Jewel Cave National Monument near Custer. We arrived at the VC about 9:30. We decided to take the “Discovery Tour” of the cave which is the shortest and least strenuous tour. (The “Scenic” tour involved more than 700 steps!) The next available tour for us was at 11:35. We got the tickets and since there was plenty of time, we headed to the VC passport book stamping station to get that taken care of. We took in everything in the VC and sat in the sun on the patio. At least one of us (Barney) had time for a short nap.

The tour took us down in an elevator to about 250 feet below the surface, into a room that was roughly 50’ x 50’ with a 30’ ceiling.  The tour only lasted about 20 to 30 minutes, and the ranger told us stories about the cave system and its early explorers. The cave system is over 150 miles of explored passages and the exploration continues.

Athos, Barney, Betty and Wilma in the cave

Athos with Betty and Wilma

From there we went to Wind Cave National Park with a stop enroute at the Flintstone DriveIn in Bedrock. It was like old home week!

Here we are in front of our likenesses

The rolling caves by the sign

 We went to the VC at Wind Cave and did the appropriate passport book stamping. We did not take a cave tour there. After all, it’s just another hole in the ground that is about 130 miles long. This one has about a one square mile footprint to put all those miles in and the VC sits pretty much on top of it.

Heading off to Mt. Rushmore, we stopped along the road to photograph the Crazy Horse sculpture. In its current state only the head is done and a portion of his extended arm can be identified.

Crazy Horse - A work in process

Close up of the mountain

Barney and Betty, Wilma and Fred
in front of Mt. Rushmore

We also stopped at Horse Thief Lake Forest Service campground, selected a site, left the Flintstone-mobile, and took the Rubble-mobile to visit the faces on the mountain. Things at the complex had changed somewhat since our last visit. We took lots of photos and visited the museum. It was still very impressive.

We got the passport books stamped. Betty asked the ranger about the anniversary stamp and he said he wasn’t aware of a 25^th anniversary stamp. After a few veiled threats, he went into the office to ask about it. He returned shortly, sheepishly, with the stamp and told Betty he was unaware of its existence before she asked. If the anniversary stamp isn’t out, asking will usually produce one.

The rolling caves are parked at the Horse Thief Lake campground for the night, and all is right with the world.

Our first activity today was to go back out to the Minuteman Missile headquarters and get signed up for a tour. We had just about an hour wait, but Athos found a smashed penny machine and he and Fred had some fun with that.

The tour we took is in the not-to-be-missed category. It was absolutely great! We went out to Delta 01 that was a control center for 10 Minuteman Missile silos.  Our guide was a retired man who had served at one of the control centers when he was in the Air Force many years ago, so he was well acquainted with what went on there, and he was quite friendly and funny.   The equipment in the control capsule was state of the art when it was installed in the early 1960s but is indeed ancient looking by today’s standards.

We are all ears

Our tour guide in the "capsule"

The gazillion ton door

Enjoying the presentation

We then re-entered the Badlands NP and completed the drive through the park. Athos did some climbing around on the various hills, and we stopped at a lot of the view points.  We saw a few deer and in one area we got to see a number of Bighorn sheep.

Just a few miles from the park entrance/exit is the town of Wall, famous for Wall Drug. We did the obligatory tourist trap stop, but first stopped at the National Grasslands VC and got a stamp there.  Athos located another penny smasher in the store and we all got a Wall Drug penny.   We didn’t stay long at Wall Drug, and then headed down I90 to a rest area for lunch.  It was raining off and on by then, but the picnic tables are in covered shelters, so we ate outside. We really have a tough life!

Another 60 to 70 miles of roadmobiling took us through a fuel stop in Rapid City and down through the Black Hills to Custer, where we are holed up in our rolling cave houses listening to the rain on the roof. Before the rain started Athos had time to show off his skills at bouncing on a giant pillow.  The pillow is a contraption somewhat like a trampoline.  After the athletic show the rain started.  It will be a quiet night.

Wild Rivers and Bad Lands

June 8, 2011

We were up bright and early to take advantage of an empty shower house. Wilma improvised a shower curtain for a little privacy. This campsite was not one of our favorites! We went up the road about 30 miles to a Forest Service camp with picnic grounds.  Had breakfast there, but the wind had returned so we ate inside. Betty scouted out the local bathhouse, and said it was really nice.  The campground sites were big time nicer. Wish we had side by side pictures of where we stayed and where we should have stayed! Even Athos asked why we hadn’t stayed at the Forest Service camp instead, although he did get to paddle around the small lake at the Springs! Ask him about that one!

Driving through the sand hills and the marshes of Valentine National Wildlife Refuge was very pretty. We planned to stop in Valentine at the National Parks office to get a stamp for the Niobrara Scenic River.  It is an office, not a VC, but it was open and we did get a stamp.

Inside, talking with the Parks Service employees

Athos and Barney at the Very Small office

They sent us down the road about five miles to Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, and we got more stamps there.

At the "real" VC

From there we did some roadmobiling north.   We made a stop for fuel and propane.  The gent who filled our bottle asked where we were from, and during the course of the conversation we told him that this corner of Nebraska was very interesting.  He replied,”It is , but we don’t advertise.” From there we crossed into South Dakota, and continued on until we stopped at a rest area on I90 for some lunch. 

Rolling on down the road, we got to exit 131, and sure enough, behind the Conoco station was a Parks trailer serving as a VC for the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.  It was just about to close for the day, but there were a number of visitors, so they graciously stayed and showed the video.

Athos, Barney, Fred and Wilma at the Minuteman trailer

We got our stamps and took off for the Badlands. 

The hills just inside the East entrance are spectacular. We watched the video and got our stamps at the VC, and are tucked into the campground for the night.  The wind is still blowing hard enough that a boy from a neighboring camper is flying a kite.  We will explore more of the Badlands tomorrow.

The Pioneers at Beatrice (Bee-at'-ris)

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

After the Bedrock bunch ate breakfast in the campground at the Indian Cave State Park, we should have gone back down to Falls City because the Rubblemobile dealer there might have had the part needed. Instead, we went on to Beatrice and the Homestead National Monument of America. What a surprise! I don’t think any of us expected such a niceVC.

The sign at the road

The building on a VERY windy day

Wilma and Fred

Athos and Barney enjoying the exhibits

The movie and the displays were excellent.  This National Monument is dedicated to those pioneering spirits who homesteaded throughout the U.S.   The Homestead Act was passed in 1863 and repealed in 1976 with the exception of Alaska where it was extended until 1986.  The government offered 160 acres of land free if the homesteader lived on the land and made specified improvements in 5 years.   There were approximately 1.6 million homestead claims filed. 

The Monument is located on the homestead of Daniel Freeman, one of the earliest claimants.  The VC and museum give you an idea what life was like for a homesteader and some of the hardships they faced to realize the dream of ownership.  It also gives you some idea of how the Indians, native to the land, were treated/mistreated.

Old Pioneer House

Pioneer House and equipment

Got our five stamps, and headed out of town – but not until after lunch and stopping at the Rubblemobile dealer. They didn’t have the needed part, but checked and found out the dealer in Seward had it. Right on our route, so off we went in a futile search. Their inventory hadn’t been updated and they didn’t have what we needed, but wait!, they called ahead to York, and had them check and sure enough, an hour or so later we were stopped in a rest area applying the needed fixative. All is well.

We have bucked very strong winds most of the day. There was about a 40 mile stretch where we had a tail wind, but mostly it has been whacking against the side, making for some stressful driving.

Athos drooled over the golf course in Grand Island as we went zipping by, but we were off to put miles behind us and get tucked into a campsite earlier than last night.  Headed out Route 2, then north on Route 83 to Merna. We stayed the night at Victoria Springs State Recreation Area, but read more about that in the next installment.

Presidents and Indians

Monday, June 6, 2011

Today was the day we started the journey back to Bedrock.  We dashed up several of the Missouri alphabet soup roads to route 63, had bronto-breakfast burritos in Rolla, on up 63 to Columbia, then turned left on I-70 at Columbia.  Independence Mo. and the Harry S. Truman National Historical Site was our first stop.  We went to the VC which is located in an old fire station to get all of the passport stamping out of the way.   The VC had a very nice video presentation on the President as well as his family.  Grandson Athos is travelling with us, and we got him all fixed up with a NPS passport book and his first six stamps at the VC.

Athos, Barney, Wilma and Fred at VC

The Truman Home

The next stop was at the Truman house, which is actually the family home of his wife Bess.   We didn’t take the tour but did get some photos of the exterior of the house.  From there we went to the Truman Presidential Library and Museum.  The exhibits were very interesting.  The replica of the Oval Office when Truman was president was very authentic right down to the small screen, console  model TV and the black Bakelite rotary telephone.

The Truman Library

Replica of Truman's White House Office

 






The museum is very large with lots of memorabilia and several cars. We even had a pop quiz before leaving.  The pictures tell part of the story.  You might not be able to read the header above Athos and the President that says “They continue to shape American life today.”  Since Truman is gone, that leaves Athos. What will we come to!

Athos and the President

Barney under the Rubble-mobile

When we left the Library and Museum the Rubble-mobile failed to start.  One of the mounting bolts had fallen out of the starter and the other was loose.  We tightened the remaining bolt and got it going.  We figured it would work till we could get a bolt and get it installed.

We headed up I-435 then I-29 to Mound City.  We were headed for Big Lake to spend the night but found out that it was closed due to flooding.  We crossed the Missouri River at Rulo, NE. and looking over the Nebraska end of the bridge it was very apparent that there was still a lot of high water near the river.  We headed north and finally found a place to camp at the Indian Cave State Park.  It was well after 10:00 pm by the time we finally got the caves situated and crawled into bed.

This is when we were looking for a campsite

This is when we finally got to bed

We found out the next morning that some areas of the park were closed due to high water.  We were fortunate that the camping area was not flooded.

 It was a long but enjoyable day.

Battles and Higher Learning

Wednesday June 1, 2011

We took off in the Rubble-mobile in the direction of Wilson’s Creek near Springfield, Mo.   We had to make a stop at Sonic in Cabool, M0.  It seems they had an excess of Supersonic Burritos and we were able to ease their problem by having one apiece.   We eased through the construction at the intersection of route 60 and 65.  

The Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield is a few miles southwest of Springfield, near Republic MO.   We stopped first at the museum and walked through the exhibits of Civil War memorabilia.

Many of the items on exhibit were donated by families of Civil War Veterans.   The museum has the largest number of fire arms, both pistols and black powder rifles any of us have seen in one place. 

On to the VC we watched a 30 minute video that included contributions from Ken Burns. It was a very interesting video.   We also learned that Missouri had the third largest number of Civil War battles of any state.   The battlefield is located on the ”Wire Road” which connected Rolla, MO and Fort Smith, AR with a telegraph line running along the side of it.   The VC also had a topographical display which traced the action of the Battle of Oak Hill, or “Bloody Ridge” by narration and through the use of LEDs on the topo-display.   General Sterling Price was one of the Confederate generals leading the battle.   General Nathaniel Lyon died from injuries and a fatal shot.  He was the first Union general to die in combat during the Civil War.

The battle occurred during the month of August.   It is hard to imagine marching through the ticks, fleas, chiggers and poison ivy in August, let alone carrying a 15 to 25 pound musket and everything you need to sleep in and personal hygiene items.  

From Wilson’s Creek we journeyed to Hollister to see our grand-daughter, Porthos at the College of the Ozarks near Branson, MO.

Barney and grand daughter Porthos

After a quick tour of several highlights of the campus we headed back toward Springfield. We did make a quick stop at the Steak and Shake in Branson for a quick bite before returning to the rock pile in Tyrone.

That is all of the hammer and stone-pad work for now.

Later.

Wading in Boiling Water

Wednesday May 25, 2011

We left Fred and Wilma’s cave on wheels sitting with Barney and Betty’s cave setting on the ground beside it and took off in the Rubble-mobile to look for passport stamps in Van Buren, Missouri at the National Scenic Riverways Visitor’s Center.  The drive took us on route 60 in addition to an alphabet soup of Missouri county roads, all of which were pretty good roads.  After an hour or so of driving we arrived at the VC.  There Betty and Wilma attacked the passport stamping station with the zeal of a T-Rex eating a Bronto-burger.   The Volunteer at the VC was a very nice lady who after living in Missouri for 20 years still claims to be from Seattle.  There were some very interesting exhibits at the VC including an old ledger (from a doctor's office showing medical and surgical services from 1905-06) which contained the name of man with Betty’s maiden name and a man named Flintstone—Interesting…

The rolling caves parked

Doctor's office ledger

We stopped at the Jolly Cone in Van Buren for a B-burger which we consumed at the establishment's patio tables on a very pleasant day.

After lunch we made our way to Big Springs, only a few miles from Van Buren.  The area had an extremely wet spring and the Current River was pretty high.  Big Springs has a normal flow of around 288 million gallons of water per day.  We couldn’t find a flow meter, but the water was high enough to be over the path that goes from the parking lot, around the spring to the bluff the spring flows out of.   Interestingly, there is a sign between the path and the spring that says “no wading, no swimming”.  The sign appeared to be standing in about 2’ of water.  At any rate Betty waded around the path to the face of the bluff to get pictures of the water boiling out of the ground.

Betty wading in the spring

Uh-oh!

The water was coming out of the ground so fast that it was boiling up 18” to 2’ above the surface of the spring.  It is really amazing to see that much water coming from a hole in the ground.  

That's amazing!

We dashed back to the VC in Van Buren to pick up a map thinking we would return to the caves by another route.  In the end we went back the same way we came.  It was a very enjoyable day.