A Different Life II

[Lily&Me]

Spent Monday night in a friends’ driveway then headed west yesterday morning…Doug country, I said to myself.

About halfway across Iowa yesterday, then into Nebraska today, where we are stopped for the night.

One of the nicest things about the through highways in Iowa is that there are lots and lots of little county park campgrounds that are always clean, well maintained and inexpensive.

Water, electric and a spacious, modern bathhouse last night for $18.00.

It was warm and rainy yesterday, but much cooler and clear today, and a stop at a car wash this morning left the Interstate clean and shiny.

I have labs scheduled in Wyoming on Monday, but nothing til then so are going to poke around Nebraska and South Dakota a bit.

It is good to be out and about, and I am grateful.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Having slept well and done some decompressing over the last couple of days, we were on the road shortly after 7am this morning.

I had my sights set on a little City Park campground in rural Nebraska for tonight…thinking we would check it out, stay if it looked good and move on if it didn’t.

A handful of campsites, right on the edge of a multi-purpose field in this small town, all on grass and under a line of shade trees, with water and 30 amp…at the bargain price of $10/night.

No bathhouse, but my water bottle is heating in the sun to use the Simple Shower this evening.

We arrived a half hour or so ago and will probably move on tomorrow, but we’ll see.

New motto for 2022 travel:

When you see diesel fuel for under $5 a gallon, regardless how low, stop and top off your tank.

[Lily&Me]

This little radio was some of the best $20 I have spent in a long time.

I used it the entire winter trip, and just now replaced it’s two, AA batteries for the first time since purchase.

A local channel, music interspersed with news and the farm report.


Many humongous pieces of farm equipment on the back roads we’ve been driving thru Iowa and now Nebraska, crops are up in the fields and all seems well in middle America.

[Lily&Me]

We picked up US Hwy 20 somewhere in Iowa early on, and have followed it across Iowa, Nebraska and now into Wyoming…”Bridges to Buttes”, this highway is named.

Beautiful, peaceful countryside, very little traffic, historic towns, old motels and a plethora of city/county campgrounds along the way…free or very inexpensive…where particularly “littles” like we can spend the night.

A fair number of long distance bike riders along this road, the occasional RV of various sorts, a couple of Airstreams heading east today, lots & lots of cattle in the fields and this morning we saw our first herd of longhorns as well as several herds of antelope.

And, regardless the county or State, the Sheriff is often in a white pickup truck and sporting a white cowboy hat.

I’ve set my cruise control at 60 and have been getting a good, solid 25 mpg, which has surprised me a bit, but using the calculator removes the chance of personal error and this has stayed steady thru the last few fill ups.

Slow and meandering is good for fuel economy.

[Mollysdad]

Speaking of hot water, in my boating days we carried a bag called the "H2O Sun Shower" Basically it's a plastic bag black on one side and clear on the other with abut a 2' hose and sprinkler head. A clip pinches the hose closed. Simple. So we'd fill with water, tie it off on the boat with the clear side out, and in an hour or so have screaming hot water for a quick shower.

[Lily&Me]

Yep, I bought two of those 2.5 gallon items a number of years back, and use them when dry camping primarily for washing my hair.

The 1 1/2 liter bottle provides a very adequate shower only, using a disposable wipe to wash with and the bottle to rinse.

A little warm water run over your person beats a sponge bath any day.

Maggie

[FLCoast]

The sun showers were great and added quite abit to our meager supply of fresh water on our sailboat in 1983 or so, and, if we didn’t lose them in our recent downsize purge, we still have them.

Thank you for the mention of the city and county campgrounds. We’re going west this July and we’ll be looking for good sites probably with electric on our way west. We normally travel during the shoulder seasons but a cousin from New Zealand is coming to the states and wants to see sites in the west so we’re taking them thru Yellowstone and the Grand Teton. I cringe thinking about it, but hopefully it works out. One of the things that struck us when we hiked in New Zealand was the lack of wildlife. I don’t mean to say there was none, but mainly birds. There were no elk, deer, bears, bison,…it was beautiful but it you’re used to say hiking in Yellowstone or Glacier, this really seems strange. So, we’re looking forward to seeing what they think. It’ll be fun. Safe travels

[Lily&Me]

I have found these small public campgrounds using the AllStays app.

Some are lovely, some mediocre, some have showers and some don’t, but, ya know, inexpensive helps balance out the high cost of fuel.

And, you pull your blinds and you are home.

Not like you’re setting up to stay a week, where environment is more important, just a spot to spend the night.

Works for me.


Doing laundry this morning, had a hassle with machines not working but the lady owner had her number posted, came right over when I called and fully refunded me so I am appreciative of that and told her so.

I very rarely do a bad online review, but many do and that has helped with accountability, IMO.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Did labs in Casper yesterday morning, after 2 nights at the lovely little city park in Douglas…fresh water, shade, grassy expanses, a river, hot showers, a dump station, and free.

Rather noisy during the day, but quiet at night, and it was a good spot to “be still” for a couple of days, waiting for this appointment.

Topped the propane off as we came thru Casper, and spent last night south of there…a county park, no amenities but pit toilets, and overlooking the gorgeous North Platte river.

Serious fishermen/women in hip waders out there all day, whole families fishing together. One of the guys told me they were catching rainbow trout and walleye.

I didn’t back into this site, for fear I might end up in the river , and because the small site was deeply rutted, but it was still lovely and the sound of the rushing river has been constant.

Three enormous white pelicans joined in the fishing for awhile late afternoon, actively diving and apparently eating, and they were so large I feared they might give nearby fisherman some trouble, but they did their thing and allowed him to do his.

They are back this morning, and have brought some friends.

Have seen lots of Historic Site signs for the Oregon and California Trails, which we are apparently on, and there is one up the road we’re going to check out later this morning.

[Lily&Me]

I’ve just finished this book “Closer Than You Know”, by Brad Parks.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...-than-you-know

Very good, rather unusual, about a young woman traumatized by her parents and being in and out of foster care.

Then, as an adult, a crime victim and a rather unusual story line develops.

Held my attention right to the end. ☺️

I had to slow to an almost stop as this herd of antelope crossed the road in front of me yesterday morning…and this was about half of the herd, the other going the opposite direction.

While I have seen a lot of antelope in recent days, I have seen only one baby, tho it should be the time of year when they are plentiful.

Don’t know if they are being picked off by coyotes, wolves or what.

[Lily&Me]

We spent two nights in the city park/campground in Lander (free), in between some choring/stocking up, and otherwise generally just time spent adjusting to elevation.

They have a lovely little park, where there are toilets, water, large grassy and shaded expanses, and the rushing Popo Agie River running thru it.

A very well-used campground and city park, not just with cars, vans and small campers overnighting, but with lots of locals jogging thru, bicycling, skateboarding and walking their dogs.

And, a free dump station in town as well as an excellent truck/rv wash.

The only thing Lander is lacking is a good laundromat, the public one here poorly maintained and requiring purchase of a card to do laundry.

Spent last night in this beautiful spot in Sinks Canyon, one of three federal campgrounds along the Popo Agie south of Lander, and the only one that is first come, first served.

We have very big rivers back home, the Illinois and the Mississippi, but rivers out here are so much different…rock filled, fast and with a constant roar to them.

We’ve been here before, and it was on their trails across the river that I faced my fear of large-toothed animals and backed down, determining it was one I could not overcome and simply would not be off on a trail by myself. Period.

I don’t have to do all things, right?


My little radio has become a constant daytime companion, keeping me in music and local news…like the Ag reports, price of cattle, how to conserve water and the best fence to put up for headstrong cattle who like to mow them down just because they can.

And, advertisements for a junior college that offers a degree in rodeo something, featuring a young man who won a scholarship for this program. Who knew, a degree in rodeo.


I have seen a few small herds of horses, don’t know if these are wild or just roaming within their fenced boundaries, also men on horseback with dogs, herding cattle.

We don’t have those in Illinois.

I will be plugged into electricity tonight and have been just one other night since leaving home on May 30th, as mild temps and the increased elevation have been very hospitable for dry camping, defraying the cost of fuel.

$5.79/gal diesel fuel in Lander, and my last top off indicating 22mpg…driving the elevations making the difference in bringing the mileage down a bit, I am guessing, tho that is still pretty good and I ain’t complaining.

Splurging tonight on a full hookup campground, where I can do laundry and take care of all the necessaries before heading towards our first HC project tomorrow…working on an old mill and saloon in the ghost town of Atlantic City, where we will have dry camping, only.

I get to work there with a young man who was Crew Leader on my very first project back in 2018, which I am looking forward to.

As Kitchen Helper…what I call “Historicorps Light”…I plan to work the project half days and will help cook breakfast and dinner up there for a double crew…with skillet bread from Montana Wheat unbleached flour on the menu one night, courtesy of yours truly.

The Kitchen Helper position doesn’t have to work the project at all, but there are always things we can do if we choose, and I like getting my hands into the projects.

It is wise, considerate and generous of HC, in my opinion, to include these positions in their volunteer numbers, as they allow those of us who can’t do roofs, climb under buildings to stabilize foundations, etc., for whatever reason, to still participate and be of use.

My 5th season with HistoriCorps this year, and I appreciate what these varied projects and the people I’ve met on them have added to my life.

There will likely be no signal until we drive out of there on the 17th, so will check in here then.

[Hittenstiehl]

Looked up Landers, it looks lovely. 7 days without you is a bit long [emoji4] but we look forward to getting your update.

[Lily&Me]

Hi there, Hittenstiehl, and thanks.

We are back at the city park for a bit, under a shade tree and waiting to get into our campground.

Looks like there is going to be an outdoor concert here tonight, as the bandstand is getting electronified and vendors are setting up tents.

It will NOT be a quiet night here tonight, is my bet.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Bought some soft cottons when I was in Hobby Lobby before I left, and am making some baby things that I will donate at some point.

Small projects, good for summer handwork. 😊

[Gearheart]

Did you visit the “Sinks” on the Popo Agee? Huge trout in there.

[Lily&Me]

Hi Gerard!

I would have to say “no”, but was in Sinks Canyon last night.

There was no fishing going on in that river, don’t know if there were even fish in it as it was moving so fast.

You would have been right at home with all the folks in the Platte the other day.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Back in the land of signal as of late this morning.

We have had a busy week.

We spent Friday the 11th at the Sleeping Bear RV Park and Campground in Lander, and it was very, very nice.

Completely graveled, so no dust to speak of, clean, neat with a well maintained bathhouse, clean/reasonably priced laundry with dryers that actually got hot, WiFi and propane.

Reserved a few nights for when we come back through here next month.

A young woman and her husband run this campground and share ownership with her parents. I told them what I liked about it, that they were doing a really good job here, and I would spread the word…they just beamed.

They have two children, a girl about 4 and a baby maybe 5-6 months.

Both children are blond, and the baby has eyes so dark they look black…just like her mothers eyes…and mine.

I commented on the eyes, and asked if there was Native American heritage, and she said there was, on both sides of her family.

As there is a little Native American in me…and I’ve thought since I learned that, that this may be where my black eyes come from.


Talked with my kids Saturday morning before heading out into the wilds, and my daughter told me a story of a “communication” she experienced.

She is a hospice social worker for patients receiving this service in their own homes, and was visiting in a home with a woman who was actively dying.

The woman had closed her eyes while my daughter was talking quietly to the woman’s daughter.

The woman suddenly opened her eyes, looked directly at my daughter and said loudly “Your Grandmother is a pain in the ***”.

Her grandmother, my mother, dead for 20+ years…and my daughters’ thought, as well as mine, was that this woman, close to dying, was “seeing dead people”, as so often happens.

I feel that the spirit of my mother has likely stayed close to my daughter, as they were in life, and that this patient who was close to death was a conduit for her insistently letting my daughter know that she is there.

The spirits of loved ones who have preceded us into the afterlife come to escort the newly dead to the other side, seems to often be the case.

My daughter believes that, after working with hospice patients for a number of years, and I have a good friend who has been with loved ones as they died and said that shadows came into and filled the room each time, just before death.

I didn’t see those when Doug died, tho none of us knew to look for them.

Darling daughter and I are going to visit a medium when we meet up late this summer, which should be interesting.


I have finished “Westering Women: a Novel”, by Sandra Dallas, and it was very, very good. The final few chapters actually brought some tears to my eyes.

The writing style is not extraordinary, but it is rich in meticulously researched historical detail, about an eclectic group of Illinois women who made up a wagon train that traveled from Missouri to the mine fields of California in search of husbands in the mid-1800’s.

I feel certain from other books I have read that the hardships experienced are not exaggerated, and the strengths and resilience of such pioneer women are awe-inspiring.

Despite their differences, several dozen women banded together, became sisters, stood beside each other and had each other’s backs thru a grueling, difficult journey…doing what real friends do.


Spent last Saturday night in a little BLM campground on the way to Atlantic City at 8,000’ elevation, nothing but pit toilets and water but only $3/night with my Golden Age Passport.

Once we got parked, heated leftovers out of the frig for my dinner in the little Hot Logic, and it took about an hour from stone cold to piping hot.

First time I have used it off the battery, but it worked great and is a handy little item that does just what it says it does.

Wild geranium growing up here, just like mine at home tho not as big and hardy.

[Lily&Me]

This was a very interesting HistoriCorps project, involving an old saloon at a ghost town named Miners Delight, and an old Mill on the outskirts of Atlantic City near where the HistoriCorps encampment was set up.

Both on BLM land, and we had a Forest Service archeologist named Gina working with us, who spent 5 years getting this project funded and provided a wealth of history and context.

It was windy and quite cold the first few days, and a late afternoon blizzard hit us at the saloon site the first afternoon we were there. Yikes.

High wind seems to be a regular event in these parts, and with the dry conditions that also means lots and lots of dust.

Everyone looked like they had come out of a coal mine by the end of each day, dust covering all exposed skin.

And we constantly fought wind and dust in our cook tent, but it’s all part of the experience.

We had a really good group, a double crew of varied ages from equally varied backgrounds, so about 18 of us including HC staff to feed every day.

And, very good leadership in the Crew Leaders and a project Supervisor, with kind, steady, consistently skilled guidance.

Only one other dog, a young blue heeler female, who had also been abandoned as a puppy, and who Lily got along with well from the first hello.

The next four weeks of volunteers on this project are two groups from England, doing two weeks each, then another HC week…which I will be in…and the month of August with other groups working with HC.

A long and involved project, cleaning out debris, replacing roofs, shoring up walls, etc.

HistoriCorps seems to be expanding and evolving by leaps and bounds, with more projects this year than I have ever seen, and I am excited for them as I have found them to be a very solid and thoughtful organization.

Wyoming PBS came Thursday afternoon to film at the saloon site, as they have been doing a documentary about this project.

Amanda, one of the Crew Leaders, made homemade fry bread for dinner one night, and I did a double batch of skillet bread on another.

It was very difficult flipping a double batch in an outsized skillet, and it did not cook completely through…which I chalk up to the sheer volume and the rather irregular heat of the propane cookstoves HC uses.

But, they gobbled it up with its doughy center, anyway.

This was a very good and enjoyable group. I didn’t take any pictures at all until this morning, and once I get them sorted I will post a few.

We parted mid day today, Lily and I made a run back into Lander for a trip through the car wash and a burger at McD’s, then headed to a campground in Rawlins where we are for the night.

Did some interior cleaning and had a very long and scrubby shower.

Headed toward Denver tomorrow, and our next project.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Up at 5am yesterday, did the laundry and were on the road at 8…a long day of driving, thru 90 degree temps and Denver. Yikes.

Settled late afternoon into the only available campsite mostly up the mountain to our next project., where I have a couple bars of LTE, so am doing this quick post that I will likely not be on here for the next two weeks.

This is a fire tower, where the crew will climb an hour and a half up each day just to the tower.

All is well, be back in touch early July.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Our first week at the fire tower ended yesterday, so drove down the mountain and into town for signal and a little choring.

Found a campsite for the night, will do laundry this morning and head back up for week two.

All well, a good group, beautiful setting.

Maggie