Author: Tom Piper

9/22/2017

We got an early start and met with the director of the Custer County Historical Museum, Tammy, and her mother, Rosalie, concerning Mary’s father (born in Oconto), grandfather and grandmother, along with plenty of detail about their lives.  I can’t say enough about these two gracious ladies.  They really went above and beyond in their research.

Mary was able to see county records of her grandparents, Edwin F.and Mary H. Russell: their land purchase and eventual sale; Edwin’s grave in the old Viola cemetery (Viola was a town that is no longer there); the 160 acre plot of land where they built their home, and we were able to talk with the gentleman who now owns the land (it is part of a 3,000 acre spread).

The museum also had a large collection of photographs by Solomon D. Butcher, chronicling the lives and everyday struggles of early settlers to the sand hills.  Nearby was 2 large murals constructed of sculpted bricks, reminiscent of the murals on the Chamber of Commerce building in Concordia, Kansas, that we saw 2 years ago.

Finally we had lunch with Tammy, and after again thanking them for their efforts, said our goodbyes and headed back to Gothenburg to get ready for the next leg of our journey, Dodge City, Kansas.

We left Woodland Trails on September 19th, with our ultimate destination of Yuma, Arizona, around October 22nd. Meanwhile we have several stops along the way to visit friends, relatives, and to do a little ancestor hunting.

Our first stop was in Sioux Falls, SD, for a night and took in the falls along the Big Sioux river in Falls Park. This is a beautifully maintained park.  Here again was the remains of a very large flour mill which had burned to the ground.  The mill was erected along with a water turbine for power however the owner was a bit overly optimistic and it failed after a short time.  The park features a tall viewing tower, giving a panoramic aerial view of the remains of the mill, the falls, and the city nearby.

We had nice, warm weather on the next leg of the trip to Valentine, Nebraska.  Two years ago we traveled south through Nebraska and saw lots of fields with crops. This time it was different.  The trip to Valentine went through beautiful, hilly terrain as we crossed the Missouri river.  To us it was reminiscent of driving through the state of Missouri.  We stopped along an overlook to take in the view and grab some lunch.

 

 

 

After a stormy night, the day dawned bright and sunny as we continued on to the town of Gothenburg, NE.  This was to be our HQ for the next few days as we explored Broken Bow and Oconto, the one-time center of much of Mary’s paternal ancestors.

Getting there allowed us to travel through the Nebraska sand hills.  This is the area you may have read about where early settlers built homes from sod because there were no trees, literally.  Even though the landscape is a bit barren, there is still a lot of beauty in it to see.  It’s strange driving for many miles, seeing nothing more than sand hills and a few scattered head of cattle, then all of a sudden seeing a town.

Tomorrow we go to Broken Bow to meet with folks from the Custer County Historical Museum.

 

In early September we took a day trip with friends from Woodland Trails.  These 3 couples, Wayne & Betty, Lon & Nancy, and Larry & Sherry, have all come to be great friends of ours this year.  The 4 couples went to Otter Tail county for the day, stopping at Phelps Mill county park for a look at the 129 year old flour mill along the banks of the Otter Tail River (formerly known as Red River).  The mill has much of the original equipment and all the original structure still in place, though it hasn’t been in use since 1939.  The fact that it still stands is in itself unusual because most flour mills eventually suffer damage from fire.  A dam and water turbine were constructed for the mill and although the turbine is no longer working, the dam provided a perfect photo moment.

We continued on for a stop at Inspiration Peak, another beautiful spot and a real chance to stretch our legs.  Inspiration Peak is located some 400 vertical feet above their parking lot, a quarter mile trek up the hill.  Once at the top we were presented an impressive view.  Author Sinclair Lewis, a native of nearby Sauk Centre, Minnesota, said of Inspiration Peak, “there’s to be seen a glorious 20-mile circle of some 50 lakes scattered among fields and pastures, like sequins fallen on an old Paisley shawl.”  Quite a view!

We finished our evening with dinner near Detroit Lakes, and returned to Woodland Trails.  There was much discussion of the results from hurricane Harvey since all 3 couples winter in RVs at a park in Rockport, Texas.  Each of them took some damage to their units and were very concerned.  We hope their damage is minimal and that they get back to normal sooner than later!

On the 17th, Woodland Trails officially closed and all the units are winterized, boats and pontoons are gone, and the docks are out of the water.  It is very much a bittersweet time for us.  We have enjoyed our stay here and really hate to see the summer come to an end. On the other hand, we know our journey of American discovery continues with our trip to Arizona, so we are excited.  We don’t know if we will ever return to northern Minnesota but the time spent with the Sullivans and all our other friends will always be a special, important part of our lives.

We have had a nice summer at Strawberry Lake and we are beginning to get ready to hit the road again.  The resort will officially close on September 17th and we will be heading west this winter.

Our summer here at Woodland Trails has been more relaxed than last year. Since we did most of the “tourist” things last year, we took the opportunity to fish, kayak, visit a few places we passed over last year, and revisit some of our favorites.  It was also really nice to see (and work for) Dawn and Dan Sullivan who, with their kids, Benno, Holden and Alisa, make life at Strawberry Lake a pleasure.  We have also created some new and hopefully lasting friendships with several of the residents of Woodland Trails.

Last year we left WT and had a little fish in the freezer but this year we have stocked up.  Bass, sunfish, crappies, and a little northern pike.  Without question, Mary was the champion angler this year with a couple large mouth bass in the 5-5.5 pound range.  Tom caught a mess of hand-sized sunfish but it was really cool watching Mary land the big ones!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we were in Florida we had the opportunity to take advantage of the Rails-to-Trails bike trails.  We also were able to ride on the Heartland Trail which starts in Park Rapids, MN, and meanders east and north.  From Park Rapids to Dorset is about 6 miles so the 12 mile round trip, stopping for ice cream along the way, was about right for a nice afternoon.  Dorset is a small town with a couple of restaurants and tourist type shops, and is usually a fun stop.

The city of Little Falls is well-known as the boyhood home of Charles Lindbergh.  They have built an interesting museum adjacent to the house along the Mississippi river.  We drove there and had a nice, private tour of the home. Tom even got to try his hand at a simulated Paris landing of the Spirit of St. Louis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our way out of Little Falls we stopped at Fort Riley army post and toured the Minnesota Military Museum.  Even though the focus was on Minnesota veterans, they had one of the best exhibits of war weaponry in one place that I have ever seen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In nearby Moorhead, MN, is a reproduction of a viking ship that a local man, Robert Asp, built.  He completed it, even though he contracted leukemia during construction.  Asp was able to sail it around some of the Great Lakes before he passed away.  In his honor, his 3 sons and daughter enlisted other crew members and sailed it all the way to Norway.  It was later brought back to the U.S. and is on display at the Hjemkomst Museum.  It was a very interesting visit for us.

 

 

 

 

 

This summer we reconnected with Rob & Paula Herron, friends we knew from Florida years ago.  Their son, Tyler, is a pitcher for the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks minor league baseball team.  We got to go to a game but just missed the night Tyler was pitching, but we did get to meet his fiance’, Caitlin.  We hope to meet up with Rob & Paula on the road sometime.  They have been going back and forth from Florida to Maine seasonally but recently purchased a motor home to do some traveling.  We look forward to seeing them.

Something we will surely miss are the nightly sunsets over Strawberry Lake.  It seems that every night brings another “best yet” display of color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The question has come up whether or not we will return to Woodland Trails next summer.  Our original “rule” was to not stay for a season at any one place more than once.  Circumstances led us back and we are glad we did it.  Our intention is to stay out west for a year or 2, BUT you can never tell where our journey will lead us.  We have seen and done so much in 2 years (as of August 21st) and we know there is much more out there.  Our first thought is to say “not next year” but you never know.  Time will tell.

Just before leaving Pennsylvania, we stopped for a couple of days in Somerset so that we could visit the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville.  The memorial is very well done with a modern building on a hilltop overlooking the actual crash site.  Blended into the walk up to the building is a dark path that marks the portion of the flight path just before the crash, at the end of which is a large stone marking where the plane went down.  They have a long, winding path going down to the site that gives a visitor time to reflect on what happened here, the heroism and terror the passengers had to feel in those final moments.  We had visited the Oklahoma City/Murrah Building bombing memorial last year and came away with a similar somber feeling.

The next day we visited Johnston, the sight of the Johnstown flood of 1889.  The town lies downriver from what was an earthen dam, erected by the U.S. and eventually purchased by a small group of wealthy people, including Andrew Carnegie and some of his steel associates, who had homes around the lake created by the dam, Lake Conemaugh.  On May 31, 1889, due to poor maintenance of the dam and an unusually heavy rain,the dam gave way.  The volume of water roared down the valley with such force that several towns were literally erased from the Earth.  It took 57 minutes for it to reach Johnston, during which efforts to warn the citizens of the coming deluge were either too late or ignored.  In addition to water, the current also picked up trees, boulders, rail cars, houses, and anything else in its’ way.  This melange slammed into Johnston and more than 2,200 people died as a result, which was the single most lethal disaster of its’ time, only surpassed by the Galveston hurricane and 911. Another very somber day for us.

We left Somerset, driving west and stopped in Columbus, Ohio, to visit the state capitol.  The capitol building and grounds are very beautiful and well done, one of the nicest we have seen so far.  We were fortunate that both the House and Senate were in session, so we were able to sit in for a bit. Outside, they have a serene garden commemorating those Ohio military members lost in battle.

Continuing on our journey, we went through Indiana (not stopping at the capitol due to time constraint – next time), Illinois and up into Wisconsin.  We stopped to see friends, Bob and Karen in Stanley, near Eau Claire.  They have a lovely home in the woods on a beautiful lake.  As tempted as we were to tell them we weren’t going to leave, we did continue on, arriving in Detroit Lakes on May 8th.  We had some minor maintenance done on our home, then out to Woodland Trails where we will be until mid-September.

So now we have been “home” for about 5 weeks and, truthfully, we love it here.  We get to DL (Detroit Lakes) frequently, with numerous side trips to Fargo, Bemidji, Fergus Falls and other surrounding towns.  Each one has its’ own identity and special reason to visit that we look forward to enjoying.

4/24 – We have been in Pennsylvania for about 3 weeks now and have made the decision to return to Northern Minnesota for the summer.  We originally had planned on being here until October but, after much thought, we realize we are more comfortable in Minnesota.

That said, Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful states we have ever been in.  Spring has arrived, the mountains are getting green, and it seems there are pink or white flowering trees everywhere.  This combined with the rolling landscape makes this part of the country pretty easy on the eyes.

This is Amish country and evidence is everywhere, from the headwear worn by Amish women to the horse and buggies on the highways to unusual (for us) restaurant menu items like scrapple and hog stomach.  It’s a beautiful and mostly peaceful area that we would like to return to some day for a longer stay.

We visited the borough of Lititz, Manheim and Lebanon.  From Lancaster we took the train to Philadelphia and toured Constitution Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written, signed and enacted.  It’s one thing to read about these great documents but to be in the room where it all happened and realize the risk these men took for the principle of freedom adds a totally different dimension to our knowledge of history. Very moving.

A few days before leaving we visited the town of Hershey, known for, of course, Hershey’s chocolate.  Milton Hershey founded the company in 1894 and personally designed and laid out the town.  It seems to be a good-sized, well-run community, with a highly recognized university and medical center.

To finish our Pennsylvania exploring we went to Harrisburg, the capitol.  The capitol building is one of the prettiest we have encountered.  `We were fortunate that both branches of Congress were in session and we were allowed to sit in on voting for a resolution. Most of the other capitols we have visited were either out of session or in closed session so this was definitely a treat.

So now we are on the road again (cue Willie Nelson music), headed for northern Minnesota again.  We are violating one of our rules by returning to a seasonal RV park for a 2^nd season, but it just feels like the right thing to do.  On the way we plan to stop in Columbus, Ohio, to visit their capitol, and later meet friends near Eau Claire, Wisconsin (Mary’s hometown).  We should get to the Detroit Lakes area around the 10^th of May, just in time for their season to open at Woodland Trails on the 12^th.

This is a fairly long post since I have been a bit neglectful in keeping this up to date.  Also, since we don’t have much in the way of Internet here in Pennsylvania (yet!) I am posting without pictures for the time being. They are forthcoming.

3/9 – Our first stop after leaving Dade City was the oldest city in the U.S., St. Augustine. Home to the mythical Fountain of Youth, where we walked the old city, seeing the oldest schoolhouse and the Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos.

We also met up with old friends of ours from the Chicago area who now live not far from St. Augustine.  All together a nice couple of days before we leave Florida.

3/13 – When one thinks of a typically representative southern city, Savannah would have to come to mind. With its’ beautiful buildings, Spanish moss laden trees, magnificent churches and concentrated civil war history, Savannah just oozes southern charm.  We first took a guided bus tour, and then walked the city from the river to the fountain in Forsyth Park.  Coincidently, we were there for St. Patrick’s Day weekend and they had green water in the fountain.  There is a rather large percentage of the population that is Irish and the celebration there rivals those of any other American city.

We toured many of the cathedrals and were impressed by their size and grandeur.

 

3/16 – Historically, Charleston is probably the most interesting city we have visited so far, largely since this is where our Civil War fighting actually began, at Fort Sumter.  During the boat ride to the fort, we were told of its’ history.  The remaining fort is maybe half the size of the original due to the final shelling it took from Union guns toward the end of the war.  The fort was originally Union manned but was surrounded by Confederate enforcements. Obviously the Confederacy couldn’t have a Union emplacement at the mouth of a Confederate harbor, so hostilities broke out.  The Union troops were outgunned so the commander ordered the fort abandoned and it remained Confederate for the remainder of the war.  Even though it is only a fraction of its’ original size, it is still impressive.

Near the embarkation point to Fort Sumter is the Charleston Aquarium, a beautiful exhibit showcasing the many species of marine life in and around the waters nearby. They also had a majestic Bald Eagle that had been injured and could not fly normally.  In the wild it would have perished but they had a safe home for it at the Aquarium.

There is a huge 3-story glass tank with 250 types of sea creatures, from lion fish to sharks.  While sitting and watching them, a shark swam up and ate one of the fish in 2 quick bites.  Make that 249 types!

We were excited to visit the Citadel, the famous military school in Charleston.  Fortunately our timing was good and we were witness to the weekly cadet review and awards ceremony.  It’s a very stirring sight to actually be right there and witness the pomp and circumstance related to the procession.

The city of Charleston

3/21 – We have been looking forward to our week on Cape Hatteras as a highpoint of our trip  It is a long, narrow spit of sand, covered by hundreds of “Summer of ‘42” style homes (see also “Nights in Rodanthe”) with sand dunes, beaches, restaurants and all the businesses you’d associate with oceanside resorts.  We are chasing spring again but unfortunately we are still a couple weeks ahead of warm weather.  The ocean sounds are very relaxing and without the tourist crush we have a chance to relax a bit.

Drove to the ferry on the southern end of the cape and went across to Ocracoke Island.  Visited their local museum and had lunch before heading back.

We took a day and headed north to Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hill to visit the Wright Brothers memorial.  Very cold and windy but we had an outstanding tour guide who brought the first flight to life for us.  It was too uncomfortable to stay out long so we left but came back a couple days later to walk the “flight line” where they successfully inaugurated flight.  Ingenious guys with an abundance of fortitude and perseverance to see their vision through.  Amazing place to visit after merely reading about them.

We continued north from the Kitty Hawk, through Duck, to Corolla and the Currituck Beach lighthouse, walked on the beach and had a nice lunch in Duck.

3/26 – We leave the Cape for historic Williamsburg, Virginia.  We are torn between wanting to come back when the weather is nicer but the summer crowds are probably a killer.

3/27 – Colonial Williamsburg, an example of early American life.  We had heard so much about this area and our anticipation level was pretty high.  While Williamsburg is beautiful, we were a bit underwhelmed.  In-season when it’s warmer and everything is in bloom it’s probably more interesting.  Maybe we will come back later in the summer.

3/28 – We got up early and took Amtrak to Richmond, the state capitol.  The train station is a beautiful, large, older building located a few blocks from the capitol complex.  There we saw a Thomas Jefferson designed Capitol building atop a high hill, surrounded by equally impressive government buildings, including the Governor’s mansion. After touring the mansion, we went through the capitol building.  While it’s not the biggest or the most ornate capitol building we have been through, there is so much history there, and we were impressed.  Seeing Jefferson’s design, the Robert E. Lee statue, the old senate chamber where they filmed part of “Lincoln”, we definitely got a greater sense of history.

Richmond is built on hills alongside the James River and there are many more historic sites to see but we will have to come back for those. Absolutely a plus on our list.

3/29 – Traveled to Monticello, home and final resting place of Thomas Jefferson, today.  First impression was that it was not as large as expected but still very impressive.  The tour of the mansion was well done, followed by a walk around the grounds and down to the burial site.  It’s a very impressive setting, high on a large hill overlooking the estates’ 5,000 acres and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville which he founded.  Jefferson designed the home and its’ architectural style meshed perfectly with what we learned yesterday during our visit to the capitol.

By his own admission, Jefferson’s greatest contribution to this country is the Declaration of Independence, even more important than being our 3^rd president.  In it he proclaimed the individuals’ right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, asserting that “all men are created equal”, even though his estate utilized some 400+ slaves during his lifetime.  He was frustrated in that he could see no way back from slavery and that it would take another generation to abolish it.  He was correct.

3/30 – Journeyed to Staunton (pronounced like Stan-ton) to tour the Woodrow Wilson birthplace and museum.  Very well done exhibit examining Wilson’s boyhood, legal experience, tenure as president of Princeton and life as our 28^th president.  He tried in vain to keep us out of World War 1, but when we finally did enter the conflict, did a commendable job as leader.

We spent better than an hour there, watching an introductory movie, walking through the museum and being part of a very informative tour.

Staunton seems to be a nice town and we walked the few blocks downtown and had lunch.  It was to our wonder that the waitress at the restaurant has never been to the museum!

Altogether a very nice day.

3/31 – We woke to heavy rain today but weren’t about to let it dampen our spirits (pun intended) or spoil our plans. We packed up and headed to Orange, Virginia, and Montpelier, the home of James Madison, our 4^th president.  I learned something today that changed my perception of our history.  While Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence, which precipitated our revolutionary war to free ourselves from British rule, the colonies had only come together in unity to beat them. They were going to operate as separate states after gaining independence.  It was largely through the level-headed efforts and persuasiveness of James Madison that the colonies were brought together by our Constitution, in which he had the greatest hand in writing.  Here also was another man conflicted by slavery but still using them on his estate. How could these two great people, authors of 2 of the greatest documents ever written, who believed so strongly in the individual rights of men, continue to own and profit from indentured servants?  To decide between the opulent, comfortable life of an estate owner, or to free his slaves and radically change his fortunes.  Jefferson was conflicted and realized the nation could not endure with a future bound by slavery, but he was unable to come up with a proper solution. That resolution would be up to a future generation. Of course, we didn’t need to wait very long.  Jefferson died on July 4^th, 1826, only 35 years before our Civil War.

4/1 – Took the day off to relax and prepare for the final leg of our spring journey.  We will be in Pennsylvania tomorrow.

Christmas in Florida is a bit different than up north.  Virtually every day is warm and sunny so it’s sometime harder to catch the spirit.  In Dade City they have a Christmas parade right downtown and it seemed the entire town turned out.  It was held at night so the floats and decorations really stood out.

 

Another holiday event is the Church Street home tour.  Church Street is where, you guessed it, most of the churches are located. Most of the homes along the 8 or 9 block street were decked out in holiday lights and there were several with singers or music groups.  No snow but definitely a Christmassy atmosphere.

 

Mary’s birthday saw us playing golf at beautiful Lake Jovita Country Club and then some barbeque.  We stayed pretty active for the balance of our stay in Florida, making several more trips to Clermont for golf and biking; St. Petersburg to visit the Salvador Dali Museum, plus trips to Lakeland, Lake Wales, and Crystal River.  Soon we will be headed north for the summer, and we are ready.

We arrived at the Morningside RV Resort on October 17th and we took a couple days to check out the area.  We are about an hour from most attractions but we have plenty of time off, so the hour isn’t so bad.  Morningside is located in Dade City (not to be confused with Dade County, which is Miami), and is the county seat of Pasco county.  It’s a fairly small town with a few nice restaurants and antique shops.  Most things happen in nearby Zephyrhills like shopping, movies, health care, etc.  Area auto traffic is typical for Florida – older drivers going too slow and not watching where they are going mixed with the younger natives driving too fast.  We try to avoid some of this by using lesser traveled roads when we go site-seeing.

Soon after arriving here we went out and bought new bikes. Tom has a blue one with Jimmy Buffet/Margaritaville logos on it, while Mary’s is pink with the Cancer Society artwork.  We got these to replace the fold-up city bikes we started out with but they were just too small to ride very far. We found a great trail through the Withlacoochee State Park that used to be a train right-of-way.  The entire trail is 46 miles long but we usually only ride from the trail head to the first stop at about 6 miles then ride back.  This is plenty of exercise for a couple seniors and we try to do it 3-4 times per week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We followed our normal routine of using the RV park as a base and visiting the surrounding area as much as possible.  We got to Clermont with our bikes several times and rode around Lake Minneola. They connect a really nice trail around the lake to other converted rail trails, stopping for lunch and drinks.  One afternoon the Tiki bar was crowded and we invited another couple, who were waiting for a table, to join us.  We had an enjoyable conversation and then as we were leaving they took our picture for the blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another favorite was the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg.  The Freda Kahlo exhibit was also there and made for a beautiful afternoon.  The museum is well worth the visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of St. Petersburg, it’s not the same slow-moving old town of the 50’s and 60’s.  It’s hip, modern and filled with young people.  Looks like a great place to live.

We also explored Brooksville with it’s Hanging Tree, so named because of an incident that took place more than 100 years ago. It’s on the square downtown.

We also visited Lakeland, Lake Wales, Tampa, New Port Richie and Crystal River.  Lakeland was very close and we had intentions of watching the Detroit Tigers play ball in the Grapefruit League.  Tom’s accident while working prevented us from going but we will be in the Northeast this summer where we can attend regular MLB games.  Lake Wales is home to Bok Tower and Gardens, again a sight well worth seeing.  Bok Tower is a “singing” tower with a carillon at the top. A professional carillonneur is there that plays songs periodically.  They have a TV monitor set up in the gardens to watch him play.  The grounds are located on what was once the home of C. Austin Buck who had the tower and gardens built then donated them to the state of Florida.  At Christmas time the home was decorated and opened for visitors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived in Florida in mid-October and spent a few days at Tallahassee Campground which is managed by Don Casto and his wife Connie.  Don is an old friend from south Texas and he is doing a great job here.  The park and sites are spacious and clean, very well kept.

While in Tallahassee, we took the opportunity to tour the downtown area.  Tallahassee is the capitol of Florida and also a college town.  We toured the capitol buildings, both the old capitol and the new modern building.  The old building is more of a traditional style with the iconic dome, while the new building is a tall, skyscraper type and can be seen for miles around.  It is 22 stories tall and the locals evidently aren’t too excited about it. However, we found it to be beautiful and functional inside, plus the view from the 22nd floor is amazing.  It is just across a small courtyard from the old capitol so it is easy to visit both.  Definitely a must see!  From there it was a short walk across the street to the Florida History Museum which is very rich in historical information around Florida’s past concerning Native Americans and slavery.  All was very well done, interesting, and far too much to take in on one visit.  We very much want to return.

 

So far in all our travels, we seem to like Tallahassee the best if and when we decide to put down roots, but that is hopefully a long way off.