We left North Platte, NE with a light drizzle around 9 a.m. We drove until the Rest Stop where we changed drivers. While I drove, John took photos. What can I say, the following two photos are typical of the scenery we saw driving through Nebraska - flat and green.
While heading north toward the state line, we saw several groupings of antelope.
The mountains in the background are the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota.
The highway goes through the southern part of Custer State Park. Look what welcomed us back to the Black Hills.
And Antelope
Even more Bison
Remnants of snow
Struttin turkeys
All of the above sights brought smiles to our faces.We pulled into Fort Welikit Campground and were greeted by the owner's wife, Sandy. She called Paul to let him know we arrived and to find out the site he wanted us in. While we were talking, I mentioned that I had offered my services in the office even though John had the "job" We thought she was going to hug me. Sandy proceeded to tell us what they had going on. Her 95 year-old mother-in-law was living with them and hospice was coming periodically; otherwise, she was caring for her. On top of this, Sandy had just been diagnosed with rectal cancer. She will need to begin daily radiation treatments in Rapid City in a week or so and then she will have to go through chemotherapy. Add to this, their busy camping season is to start in a couple of weeks. Talk about a full plate.
The site Paul wanted us in just wasn't going to happen as our 38 feet just doesn't bend where we want it to. Ultimately, we decided on the site next to it. Paul assisted in guiding us to back in. The ground was soft and John's wheel started spinning. Paul had him pull forward a bit and then gun it to back up. All of a sudden the truck starts sliding and so did the trailer. I started yelling Stop! The trailer almost ate the picnic table. Thankfully, no damage occurred to the trailer but it was close. We have a strip of red paint from the table near the rear of the rig.
John was setting up outside with me inside when I tried to turn the furnace on. It wouldn't start. John thought maybe the tank was out of propane. Nope. The furnace just wouldn't ignite. We had the furnace looked at while in Smith Center due to a loud vibration noise but we didn't run the furnace the right before we left. Big mistake. Thank goodness we have an electric heater as it is suppose to get down to 25 degrees.
Next I discovered that our AT&T phones weren't working. They worked fine here last year. Paul said that the mountain between us was blocking AT&T's cell tower's signal. Great. The Verizon cell tower is within plain sight from here. I guess we will be getting a pay as you go Verizon phone.
We get all settled in and I try to log on to the parks free WIFI. Nope, for some reason my computer does not like their WIFI. John wanted me to bring up the satellite in hopes that we could get a signal between the trees. I was in no mood to do so. I don't think we'll connect but we've got to give it a try - just not tonight.
John disconnected the water due to the cold temperatures. I threw another blanket (Melissa's favorite) on the bed so hopefully we'll sleep cozy.
The site Paul wanted us in just wasn't going to happen as our 38 feet just doesn't bend where we want it to. Ultimately, we decided on the site next to it. Paul assisted in guiding us to back in. The ground was soft and John's wheel started spinning. Paul had him pull forward a bit and then gun it to back up. All of a sudden the truck starts sliding and so did the trailer. I started yelling Stop! The trailer almost ate the picnic table. Thankfully, no damage occurred to the trailer but it was close. We have a strip of red paint from the table near the rear of the rig.
John was setting up outside with me inside when I tried to turn the furnace on. It wouldn't start. John thought maybe the tank was out of propane. Nope. The furnace just wouldn't ignite. We had the furnace looked at while in Smith Center due to a loud vibration noise but we didn't run the furnace the right before we left. Big mistake. Thank goodness we have an electric heater as it is suppose to get down to 25 degrees.
Next I discovered that our AT&T phones weren't working. They worked fine here last year. Paul said that the mountain between us was blocking AT&T's cell tower's signal. Great. The Verizon cell tower is within plain sight from here. I guess we will be getting a pay as you go Verizon phone.
We get all settled in and I try to log on to the parks free WIFI. Nope, for some reason my computer does not like their WIFI. John wanted me to bring up the satellite in hopes that we could get a signal between the trees. I was in no mood to do so. I don't think we'll connect but we've got to give it a try - just not tonight.
John disconnected the water due to the cold temperatures. I threw another blanket (Melissa's favorite) on the bed so hopefully we'll sleep cozy.
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