I can't say enough just how beautiful this land is!

I am loving this trip - I love this land - I love this country!

July 12, 2007

Mitchell, SD to Nebraska City, NE

330.3 miles

Overcast most of the day!

Looking at the map I just loaded, I notice there are more little towns on this one map than on all the others I've posted together! Does that say something about this land of ours, and the wild untamed West?

I have to stop doing these long days - but it was oh so beautiful, so it was OK. Interesting day - from more gently rolling rich prairie land to an incredible variety of greens in patchwork fields of crops, planted on flat land and on hills, among trees.

I've always loved to play in the dirt, but these immense grass lands are new to me. I have a question for anyone who might know the answer . . . the grass is mowed and rolled into those big round bales everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. They mow the median strip of the 4-lane highway. And the grass from the road shoulder to the fence lines. And the hills supporting the overpasses, where they can get the mowers without tipping over. Plus, of course, the cultivated fields. So what - do they have grades of baled grass? Road grass (contaminated with oils and grease and crap and corruption (I haven't heard anyone say that since my Daddy used it!) and cigarette butts), miscellaneous outside fence grass, and yummy cultivated grade grass???

Saw billboards advertising the National Music Museum in Vermillion, SD. Haven't heard of that one either. I can imagine that would be a grand place to visit if you had several hours or days, our music has been so diverse!

Passed thru Winnebago, SD - I thought Winnebago was just an RV manufacturer, but no, it's also a lovely little town on Indian reservation lands. And they had American flags flying from every street post in town, hundreds of them!

And then there was Tekamah, SD - this was as Norman Rockwell a town as any I've seen . . . an All American city! And again, flags on every street light!

A great part of today's travels were on stretches of the Lewis & Clark Trail, and almost all of the day after leaving South Dakota was on my favored dotted roads!

I took a really fun little squiggle of a tour, from South Dakota over the Missouri into Iowa and then back over the river into Nebraska - all in about 5 miles and 5 minutes! That was fun!

This part of the country has antique stores everywhere you look, including a place that advertises itself as the largest antique Mall in the nation! And there's a grocery store chain called 'No Frills Grocery' and claims to have the freshest meats and produce around!

It fascinates me how different the geography of the land is in Nebraska, right across the river from the rolling prairies - suddenly it is lovely greens with big old trees, smaller fields in a variety of colors, growing crops I don't recognize, along with acres of corn. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!

Finally straggled into my RV park late (for me) and just crashed. After opening up my house and having the living room slide topper break - again. Chose not to think about it last night.

One little picture to show that the sun sets all over the land - I just can't get used to it happening when I'm already in bed!

Had a mobile mechanic come by today to look at it - he took off the broken piece and said I'd be OK until I could get replacement parts. It's just the part that keeps it from billowing open (from the closed position) in a big wind. Nice. Gulf Stream again lives up to its name. (Can you tell I'm really not happy with the construction of this coach - more unhappy every day)

Cat-napped all day, so I'll be ready for another day tomorrow! Hope to hit three states again tomorrow!!

Victorian Acres RV Park & Campground
6591 Hwy 2
Nebraska City, NE 68410
402-873-6866