Farewell to the Ranch

Our weekend at the Ranch was drawing to a close. On Sunday evening we sat outside and watched Amanda cook our steaks to perfection on the BBQ, washed down with some cold beers. After dinner had settled, knowing that one of the pet goats needed a toe nail trim, Clint took care of the job, while 3 of his daughters held the goat down. Murray caught it on camera. Later that evening, while we were all still sitting outside after 9.30pm, I wandered up onto the road to take a sunset shot, but missed my opportunity by a few minutes, so took a photo of the Ranch house instead. 

Suzie the pet goat

Clint triming toe nails, Emily, Hayley and Taylor hold Suzie down while Amanda and I chat in the background!

Cows to the left, RV in the centre and the Ranch house on the right

We were just getting back to the RV around 10.30pm when we heard a coyote howling, and some cattle were bellowing. Clint and Amanda wanted to take a drive out to the pasture to check the cattle were okay - if they are in a group they will be safe from the coyote, but if a calf has got separated from the herd, he will be easy prey. So the 4 of us bundled into the car and off we went in the darkness across the fields. The cattle seemed content, and even the horses came up to say hello as we slowed down. Apparently a bull in the neighbouring field was announcing his presence to the bull on our side of the fence - that was the bellowing we had heard. Not distress from the cows. So back to the RV and off to bed for us. Thanks for a wonderful stay Clint and Amanda!

The red light of my camera must have alarmed this horse

On Monday morning we said our farewells and it was my turn in the driver's seat. I had no sooner pulled out on the dirt road at around 9.30am and was only going slow when I nearly clipped a wedge tail eagle - he must have had his eye on some prey otherwise he would never have got that close. A few minutes later a pheasant swooped past, and then I ran over a small black snake. A very wildlife filled start to the drive. All around us were green fields, healthy looking cattle, sloughs of water, and even some yellow canola was seen ripening in the distance. The sloughs (pronounced 'slews' over here) are becoming a problem in many places, and county roads are needing to be diverted around them, or else built up higher. In the photo below you will note the construction gang working to keep the road above the water level. The yellow barricades you can see on the left are to help keep the water back while they do the re-construction. 

Our drive out in the morning - see the canola in the background

Working to keep the water off the county roads

Our plan for the day was to drive to the lake (about an hour from the Ranch), check out a camp site and secure it. Once that was done, we would go and do a dump of the tanks, fill up with fresh water, then drive into town and fill up with fuel, and stop by Frieda and Lenny's to do a few loads of washing and have lunch with them. After that we would stock up with groceries and head back to the lake shortly after lunch. When we were about 20 minutes out from the lake, Kathy texted to say the front (lakeside) row of the campground was filling up, and that Milt was about to take the boat out to fish. It was a glorious day and it was too good an opportunity to miss a fishing outing, so I suggested to Murray that we should park the RV - leave the dump and water refuelling etc until later, and he should go fishing with Milt. I would see if Kathy would drive me into town to do the washing and have lunch. I suggested that Murray ring Milt and see if he wanted company in the boat, and if so, could he delay his departure for 30 minutes to give us time to check in and hook up. Yep. It turned out just like that. I reversed into our camp site, this time facing the lake, and right opposite Kathy & Milt, and in no time Murray had hooked up the power, grabbed his fishing tackle and bait, and he was off! He bought home enough fish for 3 meals. Wonderful. I got the groceries and washing done and Kathy and I had lunch in a cafe with Frieda, and by 6pm, we were sitting with Kathy & Milt in their 5th Wheel, tucking into delicious ribs and numerous accompaniments, followed by cherry & nut ice-cream. Yum. Before long the dishes were cleared and the dominoes came out and another great game made our evening complete. 

Branding Day at the Ranch

Blog followers will know of Clint and Amanda's ranch in North Dakota, as we have dropped in and stayed with them on 3 previous years, and this year makes the 4th. Murray had his first experience of cutting and baling hay with Clint during our other visits, and now he can add branding cattle to his list of accomplishments. There were about 40 calves that Clint and his two older daughters had separated from their mothers' that morning, and the cows were outside the corral mooing their distress at being separated from their babies. The calves were doing the same. If you play the video below you will get an idea of the environment.  Sounds and all.

Video of Branding Environment

Clint shows Murray his brand location and design

Horse and roper keep calf steady: Murray grabs branding iron from the fire

Clint likes to invite friends along to share in the ranch activities and then follow up with sharing a feast and a fire after the work is done. The branding was a great opportunity for this to happen. At one time I counted close to 35 adults and children around the branding pen. Amanda started off doing the vaccinations, but then she had to take her 4WD and help pull a horse trailer out of the mud, so she handed me the vaccination gun and I took over from then on. I had never done it before, but Clint taught me how to pinch up the skin at the neck and I was off. Mind you, when a guy is sitting on the calf's head to keep it steady so it doesn't buck when Murray puts the red hot branding iron on it's hide, I had to be careful NOT to inject the cowboy instead of the calf! 

Vaccinator (yep that's me in the green) and brander (Murray) at work simultaneously

Clint and Amanda's 2 elder daughters Taylor and Hayley did a great job roping the calves, and different cowboy friends took turns helping them with the task. Their job was to rope the two rear legs and pull the calf to the area where it was flipped to ensure the left shoulder was exposed for the brand. Someone sat on the head and someone on the tail to hold it still during the branding, vaccination and castration. Then they were released out to their mothers anxiously waiting on the other side of the corral. 

Taylor (far right) and Hayley (in pink) with friend Jason rope the calves

Once the calves were all done, we went back to the house where Amanda prepared enough delicious food to feed us all. Remember, she is an aussie, born in Tasmania like Murray, and although she has been living in the USA for 18 years now, she hasn't forgotten her roots! As well as huge slices of melt-in-the-mouth brisket (corn beef), she served slow cooked lamb. Delicious. She had made a huge crock pot full of a tasty hot potato salad, some devilled eggs and pasta salad. There was oodles left over. For dessert she had made a rhubarb kuchen (german dish that has a pastry base topped with a set vanilla custard filling with fruit (rhubarb in this case, although I have made it with peaches myself) and sprinkled with cinnamon. She also made a slice that had caramel and chocolate and mini M and M's on top. Very colourful. 

Enjoying a drink after the branding

Young Macey pulls in her catch!

After everyone had second and third helpings, we went outside and sat in the late afternoon sun. The teenagers practised their roping skills using a wooden 'bull' with horns. Then Clint and Amanda's youngest, Macey, who is 6 years old, demonstrated how girls catch their partners here in North Dakota. That's right, rope them and drag them kicking and screaming by the ankle! Before long it was time to move over to the bonfire (fuelled by palings pulled from an old windbreak) for s'mores - you toast a marshmallow then sandwich it with a slice of chocolate between 2 graham crackers. Then a volley ball game started up and that kept kids and adults entertained for ages. Slowly people started drifting off home, and the few who remained went inside the house where we were served a slice Amanda's baked cheesecake. One of the best I have tasted. 

Murray is stoking the bonfire

Murray and I were surprised to find it was 10.30 pm when we walked out their front door, but it was still light enough to go for a walk and soak up the quietness of the North Dakotan 'outback'. It wasn't at all spooky. After our walk we settled into the RV for the night, parked almost right at Clint and Amanda's front door!

American Version of our Melbourne Cup Sweep

After a most enjoyable few days in Bismarck North Dakota and catching up with friends Avalyn and Wes, we made our way north to Fort Stevenson State Park on Lake Sakakawea. Even before we had arrived at the campground, our friend Frieda had invited us to join her and Lenny for a party not far from our campground. The party was arranged and hosted by Eunice, but she is a 'Dish' customer, and recent TV wars meant her Dish Cable Plan no longer provided the channel the horse race was on. So she called on friends Lynette and David and they offered the use of the entertainment section of their Lake (summer) home for the party. Many North Dakotans have a winter home in Arizona or Florida and summer here at home.

Frieda and Lenny arranged to pick us up at the campground at 3.45pm on Saturday as the party started at 4pm. The party was to coincide with the 144th running of a horse race known as the Belmont Stakes, which is the final (third) leg of the US Triple Crown. It is run 5 weeks after the Kentucky Derby and 3 weeks after the Preakness Stakes. It is a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) race for thoroughbreds. Frieda and many of the others were unfamiliar with the 'sweeps' entertainment which us aussies get involved in with the running of our Melbourne Cup race each November. So this was a first for them. At the party we each paid $5 to buy a horse (plastic horses were named according to the horses in the race and placed in a bucket) and it was like a lucky dip. You pulled out a plastic horse and followed it's namesake in the race. My horse was winning all race until it got pipped right at the finish line, so I got a second place and won $15. Not bad for a $5 investment. There were only 11 horses in the race, so each horse had about 3 names against it! As in our sweep day activities at home, there was a prize for the Best Ladies Hat, but here there was also a prize for the Best Man's Hat. Everyone bought drinks and something to contribute to the feast, and the hostess also made an impressive 'punch' that lived up to its name. It sure packed a punch! Thanks Eunice. The food seemed to be never ending - lots of appetisers followed by more than enough ribs and other hot dishes for the main course, and some delectable desserts. It was an enjoyable 4 hours of entertainment. 

Friends arrive at the Lake House for the Party

Picking our horses out of the bucket

Frieda and I didn't win but she did a good job with our hats

Waiting for the race on TV, Murray on far right with Frieda

On the way home from the party it was still light (it gets dark around 9.30pm) so Lenny took us for a drive to show us how low the lake was

compared to last year. We also checked out both marinas. I noted the free offer of life jackets for kids - the same 'Loaner Station' is at Lake Audubon. What a commendable initiative. Trust is an admirable human trait, so it was indicative of the integrity of the local population to note that all life jackets had been returned after use. 

Today is Sunday and although mainly overcast and cooler, the sun has just come out and it is a glorious day. Most of our camping neighbours have left, so we almost have this huge park to ourselves. There are 2 marinas here, one on either side of the campground, but Murray is saving himself for fishing at Audubon Lake where we will move to tomorrow. We expect to stay there at least one week, maybe two. We have enjoyed our walks here each day, and I couldn't resist taking this photo of a local Robin Red Breast. Not quite as pretty as my favourite Red Cardinals though... 

South Dakota 2012

We found a nice park in the shade while we went to Mass in the Cathedral

In the last blog I posted a photo of Sioux Falls Park in the Big Sioux River and said we hadn't yet visited the Falls. Well, on Sunday we rectified that with a delightful visit to the Falls Park. First of all we went to Mass at St Joseph's Cathedral, one of the largest Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the USA. Lots of young families were there to keep the faith alive in this area. 

Our Cafe overlooking the Falls

Outside the cafe at Sioux Falls Park

After Mass we had a short drive and parked the RV then walked up to the cafe overlooking the falls. As Mass had an 11am service which got out at 12md, the timing was perfect for lunch. After lunch we wandered through some of the grounds, read the history of the region and observed some wildlife scurrying around.

Another homestead taken over by the hungry lake

On Monday morning we drove out of Sioux Falls and headed NW to the pretty city of Aberdeen, still in South Dakota. It seems as though the area is still being affected by a backlog of the river system between USA and Canada, as we noted numerous homesteads evacuated due to flooding. 

Our Aberdeen RV park is part of a 200 acre complex that includes Storybook Land (a world of imagination inspired by nursery rhyme characters) and a small zoo. It was a warm 30 C (85 F) when we arrived around 3pm, so we turned on the aircon, had a cup of tea, then waited until our energy levels resumed. We headed off to do our 3km walk and found ourselves walking beside zoo enclosures and then into Storybook Land. Apparently there is no entrance fee and so we came face to face with Cinderella, the Yellow Brick Road, Jack and the Beanstalk and many other familiar faces without even meaning to. At the zoo enclosures we spent time watching the antics of two cute little deer fawns - twins. 

Cute fawn twins suckling their mum

Cinderella in her Pumpkin Carriage

Mother Goose on the left, and can you see Jack climbing the beanstalk?

Another glorious evening here today - the sun set at 9.20pm.  Sun rise is tipped to be at 5.50am tomorrow. Within a few hours of that, we will be driving 3.5 hrs north to Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota. 

Four States in Four Days

After leaving Kansas City at point A on the map above, we reached Lake Anita State Park in Iowa which I mentioned in the previous blog. After a pleasant 2 days there, we made tracks for the campground we have now arrived at in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. So we left the state of Missouri, stayed a few days in the state of Iowa, had lunch in Nebraska (Sioux City) and are now in South Dakota. The route north of Omaha travels along the edge of the Missouri River, which we crossed to get to our lunch stop in Nebraska, but it was only a few miles south of the South Dakota border. This area was all flooded when we passed through this region last year. When I tuned in our weather radio on arrival here yesterday I heard them saying that there were flood warnings in the area. You can never let your guard down when RV travelling in any country...For my Australian family and friends who may not be familiar with the location of the US states I have mentioned, the above map is for you. At this stage we are still at D, and move to E on Monday. We will spend a few days in the North Dakota capital, Bismarck, before setting up camp at Lake Audubon (F) where we go each year. 

Sioux Falls in the largest city (pop. 160,000) in South Dakota, although Pierre is the Capital. Before European settlement, many American Indian tribes lived here including Quapaw, Cheyenne and Dakotas attracted to the 10,000 year old Big Sioux River and the Big Sioux Falls. Many people of the Indian tribes still live here. The city has built a huge park- Fall's Park - just north of the Downtown area. You can see the city backdrop in the photo. We have not paid it a visit yet, but it looks wonderful. Entry is free and there are miles of hiking trails to enjoy (for you Eric and Marie) and of course the beauty of the falls and a cafe overlooking the falls appeals to others (like me).  Sioux Falls is also a regional health care centre, being home to 4 large hospitals. Interestingly, the city is a sister city to Potsdam, Germany, a city that Kim and I visited together in March last year as per the blog entry. 

Photo of Sioux Falls courtesy commons.wikimedia.org

As we drove along we passed a little Iowa town where Andy Williams was born. You may recall an earlier blog when we visited Branson, Missouri in April last year and saw his current home. On our travels we noted again how 99% of homes along the route have no fences around the houses. You may see play gyms and trampolines in the yard indicating kids live there, but no fences! We have heard of electric boundaries to keep in pets and animals, but kids? 

No fence

Lovely big home - no fence

While I was in a gift shop last week I saw a kitchen plaque that read "Chocolate makes your clothes shrink!" I was so relieved as I thought my tight clothes were a result of no exercise. Phew! Anyway, just to make sure, I started back walking and doing some light exercises with weights today. I want to be trim, taut and terrific before I get back home. Well, okay, okay, just a bit trimmer then...can't expect the impossible!

One huge omission from my blog occurred on Mother's Day while we were in Louisiana. Murray received the exciting news that his third grandson, Dane Jaxon had arrived very quickly into this world (mum made it to hospital with 10 minutes to spare). Dane is the first child of Murray's eldest son Jeremy and his wife Sarah. What a beautiful child to join the other 2 grandsons Blayke and Heath. On our return home we will be keen to meet Dane and to seeing how Blayke and Heath have grown.

Welcome to Dane Jaxon Warwarek

Blayke and Heath Warwarek

First Day on the Road 2012

That's Kansas City ahead - we drove right into the centre of Kansas City from this point in about 15 minutes

After spending our first 2 nights in the RV, it was time to hit the road for the first time this trip. It was fun stocking up with groceries at Walmart on our first day in the RV, especially when you can find great deals like skinless chicken breast filets at $1.79 lb ($3.90 kg). Bananas were 53 cents/lb ($1.15 kg). We filled up with fuel at $3.18 gallon (85 cents/litre) just before we set out from Kansas City - for our last fill up here in September last year we paid $3.63 gallon. Now if Murray can catch some fish we can get by on this trip fairly cheaply!

We got away today at a respectable 9.30am, drove past the home of ex-President Truman heading west towards Kansas City - you can see us heading there in the photo above. We swung a right and headed north until we crossed the border into Iowa. We couldn't have picked a lovelier day to drive out in - the sky was blue, it was cool enough not to need the air conditioner on, and red-wing black birds kept crossing the road as we passed. They move too fast for me to get a photo of them in flight (which is the best time to see the pretty red triangle on their wing, so I borrowed this photo from the web.  

Red-wing Blackbird courtesy of flickriver

Assume the RV navigator position...

After driving for 2 hours we pulled over under a tree and had our lunch - missed morning tea altogether! We moseyed on and topped up with fuel, and then I did a stint my first stint of RV driving during this trip for the next hour until we reached our destination on a 200 acre man-made lake in a State Park. We saw lots of cornfields with very young corn crops. I guess they won't be ready to harvest until the end of summer. It is a delight driving along seeing well-manicured properties along the road. 

Lunch along the way - pick any shady spot

Neat and tidy properties with young corn

Our parking spot for 2 nights - Lake Anita State Park in Iowa

When we arrived and got settled at the campground (a very modest $19 a night for water, electric and sewer), I made some blueberry pancakes for afternoon tea. Then I thought I would check out the weather for the next 2 days. Tomorrow (Wednesday) looks ok - albeit 10 degrees C cooler than what we have had for the past week or so, but Thursday looks positively spooky! See the outlook on the iPhone weather app below. For our American friends 13C converts to 55F and that is the HIGH!! Note the low 6C (43F) - you have got to be kidding! Thankfully it jumps up to 27C (81F) for the weekend - remember we came here for the summer! 

Treasure in a Cornfield

During lunch at Randy and Wanda's ranch in Texas a week ago, Randy showed Murray and I a book titled 'Treasure in a Cornfield' written by Greg Hawley and he said there was a museum in Kansas City that displays what the book is about. Coincidentally, at around the same time, Joe Bill and Sandy's sister in law Betsy had suggested that when we were all in Kansas City that we should not miss calling in to visit the Arabia Steamboat Museum. As it turns out, the book is the story of the recovery of the Steamboat Arabia! That settled it, the four of us paid a visit to the museum and were amazed at the story of the steamboat recovery and the museum artefacts and presentation.

The Arabia - an Artist's impression

In 1856, the steamboat Arabia sailed out of St Louis headed upriver for the pioneer settlements of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska lined along the Missouri River. 

It was carrying about 130 passengers and 200 tonnes of cargo (including merchandise such as tools, clothing, crockery, jewelery, guns and food items for pioneer stores along the route) when it hit a snag about 5 miles north of Kansas City - where we are right now. The passengers were all saved, but within hours the steamboat and its cargo had sunk to the bottom of the Missouri River. Fast forward 131 years later, and an enterprising family headed by Bob Hawley and his sons Greg and David, plus 2 family friends decided to locate the steamboat's whereabouts. They had plans to retrieve the cargo and sell it to make their fortune. Their research showed them how over time the Missouri River had moved eastwards by about 1/2 a mile from its original path, and they pin pointed the location of the wreck to lie in a Kansas cornfield. They negotiated with the owner and in no time their powerful proton magnetometer detected the high metal shafts of the boilers. They soon mapped out the rest of the wreckage and found it buried under 45 feet of river silt and topsoil, with the steamboat still sitting in water, courtesy of the high water table. If you can magnify the photo below you will get a good idea of what they faced in recovering the cargo.

Buried in silt and surrounded by water

Murray Sandy and Joe Bill listen attentively to the Guide's information 

Crockery and Glassware

Medicine bottles and perfumes

Childrens' soft leather shoes

Assorted pens, glassware, beads

Here are the four of us with Bob Hawley

Once they began retrieving the contents of the cargo, they realised that salvaging it all and retaining it for historical purposes for the world to share was more important that the money they would get by selling the historical artefacts. When you walk through the museum you get a vivid picture of the tools, foods eaten and clothing worn in the 1800's. There are beads, hatpins, dresses, hats, lamps, pipes, wooden matches, boots, tools, china, perfumes, coffee, tinned oysters, pickles and fruit, with most foods still edible in their preservation liquids. The salvage team not only brought everything up to the top, but they are still relentlessly and painstakingly restoring all the recovered merchandise. An amazing feat. The results can be seen flawlessly displayed in the Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas City's historic River Market District. A guide briefly talks about the initial history, then a wonderful video continues the story. At the end of the video, Bob Hawley himself came and took questions. Sadly his son Greg (who wrote the book Randy showed us) had died in a car accident in 2009, just a mile from our motel here. If you are ever in Kansas City, don't miss a visit to this Museum. You won't be disappointed! In the gift shop I even found a delightful red cardinal wind chime for my garden back home - yes I know, yet another red cardinal!