HELLO, IOWA!

SUNDAY, JULY 28

About a month before I left home (a week ago today!) I researched and made camping reservations for my first seven nights on the road.  This RV Park [in Falcon, CO], where I stayed last night, is the last one I made reservations for.

It was late last night when I posted my first blog of this trip.  I was tired and got to thinking I might want to stay at this RV Park for another day, basically to get a driving break and see about doing some personal and/or camper chores.  I walked over to the office at 8:00 a.m. this morning to inquire but, nope, all available sites for today have been reserved.  So, where will I stay tonight?

Since starting my truck camper travels in 2006 I always tried to make a point of stopping at a pre-determined (via research), but unreserved, RV or State/Beach Park between 2:00-3:00 p.m.  The chances, in my experience, were higher that at around that time a 30-amp site would be available for me.  Nowadays, not only are there more RV travelers on the road, but the prevalence of cell phones makes it easier and quicker, especially for hearing folks, to call ahead for reservations.

Again, where will I stay tonight?  Since I had already consulted my map last night and made the decision that my next stop would be Ogallala, Nebraska, I had on hand the contact information for the Country View RV Park.  And, so, for the very first time ever, I gathered up the courage (technology makes me feel apprehensive!) to use the Sorenson “ntouch” app on my iPhone to call that Park’s number.  The signal was strong.  I was mindful about holding my iPhone screen far enough from my face so the VRS (Video Relay Service) interpreter could see me.  I could see her.  She connected my call and I successfully secured a reservation for tonight and tomorrow night!  My friend Larry, that delightful and highly-respected guy who lives in Hawaii, will be so very proud of me!!  Last year, when I wrote about my frustrations finding sites at RV and Beach State Parks during my four-week trip around southern California, Larry sent me an email and advised/urged me to take advantage of the VRS technology and place calls to inquire about and/or make reservations.  I didn’t want to do it then – because, technology - so my success this morning is quite the breakthrough for me.

On my way by 8:45 a.m. I was back on Rt. 24E and heading for Rt. 71N.  Rt. 71 made for a lovely and pleasant two-lane 76-mile drive through a vast open land of what used to be unspoiled prairie.  It’s still vast – flat here, hilly there – and the different shades of gorgeous green prairie grassland are now spaciously dotted with farms, ranches, some horses and herds of cattle, mostly Angus.

Rt. 71 ended at a T.  Turning either left or right would take me to I-76, my next route.  So, wanting to go east I turned right, which also put me on Rt. 34E.  After about five or so miles, I looked to my left and could see - oh, so far away - the cars on I-76.  Huh?!  Did I miss the sign?  Did I blink at the wrong time?  Was there even a sign for the ramp to I-76?  A quick look at my map showed Rt. 34 will intersect with Rt. 63N which itself will intersect with I-76.  What the heck, let’s drive through some more beautiful prairie!  Along the way I saw two longhorns – they definitely weren’t cows – so this detour, even if it shaved off about 30 miles from my odometer, was worth it!

I soon crossed into Nebraska, I-76E became I-80E, and, after about four hours of driving, I arrived in Ogallala.  It didn’t take me long to realize, soon as I saw a roadside sign for “Boot Hill,” that I’d been here before.  Turning into the entrance to the Country View RV Park I knew this is where I stayed when I visited Ogallala during my Nebraska truck camper trip some years back!  At the entrance, immediately catching my eye, was a “No Vacancy” sign.  It was 2:00 p.m.  “Jeez, Mapita, good thing you called this morning!”  Right, Larry?!

I’m on Site #0, right next to the office and just steps behind me is the swimming pool.  I went for a swim; sat outside later in the shade; and marveled at the scene of a bright red setting sun creating a blood-red sky.  I wanted to take a picture but there was a fleet of FedEx trucks blocking the view.

MONDAY, JULY 29

It was good to just stay put today!  After a few days of non-stop driving, a driving break is a necessity!  Especially when you’re….oh, never mind.  

I had things to do today so I started with my least favorite camper task of all – dumping the Black and Grey tanks.  As it turned out, compared to having done this chore during my previous trips, it was actually a bit easier this time –

* For one thing, I wore knee pads!  That made all the difference because, since the surfaces of most RV sites are rough (gravel, small pebbles, dirt) it’s uncomfortable when I have to get down (and stay down) on my knees during the dumping process.  Getting back up from my kneeling position is a whole other story, however!

* For another, since the sewage outflow cap is under my camper, I also have to, from the kneeling position, duck my head under and reach for that cap.  When David, my camper guy at Galaxy Campers [in Ontario, CA] was prepping the camper for me, he discarded my old sewer hose and the original cap.  I had purchased a new sewer hose and on this one David replaced the old cap with an angled see-through cap.  This, too, made all the difference because now, instead of having to rely on the feel of flowing liquid, I can see both the flow and cessation of the “nasty stuff.”  Thank you, David…you’re the best!!

Back inside the camper, about 30 minutes later, I focused on online banking business, checked emails, and started work on Blog #2.  By 4:15 p.m., seeing that nobody was in the pool I jumped in!

I want to write about an interesting conversation I had today with Dennis, just before I started the dumping.  Dennis is one of the workers here and he had escorted me [in the Park’s “golf cart”] to my site when I arrived yesterday.  He has, since then, swung by my camper a few times, when I was outside, to say “Hi,” make sure I was OK, and exchange a few pleasantries.  Dennis came by this morning just before I had laid out my brand new sewer hose – which was great timing because I really don’t want an audience during the dumping process – and asked if I was OK.  I walked over to him (all the better to lipread him) and I acknowledged that things were good.  As we talked a little bit, he said he had something he wanted to tell me.

Dennis wanted to talk about the VRS call I had made yesterday to the office.  He said he was present when the lady in the office took the call and he could hear everything.  The “translator,” he said, did not say that I was a Deaf caller.  I explained that the relay interpreter is supposed to repeat what I am saying and if I didn’t volunteer the information that I was Deaf, she didn’t either.  He then said that because the conversation from my end was delayed a little bit and sounded rather halting they thought at first that I was European.  I found that to be a very interesting observation!  I told him that the delay was probably because I was holding my iPhone’s screen as far as I could from my face and hands so that the relay interpreter could see me and that may have strained her a bit.  Dennis had other general questions: Is it easy to lipread?  Is sign language the same around the world?  Can I hear anything?  My own voice?  Questions we Deaf folks answer all the time.  It was, all in all, a great conversation with Dennis -- he learned a thing or two…and so did I!

TUESDAY, JULY 30

Reviewing my travel materials last night I made the decision to make online reservations at the Grand Island KOA, in Doniphan, NE, which is where I am tonight.  The drive from Ogallala on I-80E took about three-hours but I lost an hour when I entered Central Time Zone.  I’m taking it easy here today - enjoying the breeze…admiring a corn field…fiddling around with the few cable channels available to me on my TV…

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31

Having already picked out, last night, the RV Park I wanted for tonight, I decided to use the VRS again this morning to reserve a site.  I used my iPad this time and keyed in the number for the Pine Grove RV Park and Campground, located in Greenwood, just a few miles east of Lincoln, NE.  I’d propped up the iPad on the dining table and before the relay operator initiated the call I asked her to first confirm that her view of me was satisfactory.  Very clear, she said.  We made our connection, but, as I was conversing with the other party, the relay operator suddenly “froze” on screen.  You can imagine how I reacted to that!  Because, technology!!  Then, as I was freaking out, I saw words at the bottom of my screen.  The operator, bless her heart, immediately started typing and said she could still see me.  Wow!  That’s a new one for me!  I continued signing to a frozen face and she continued to type back the responses.  Another successful call!

I stuck around at my KOA site for a while longer this morning to work on my blog.  Before heading out on I-80 E, I went back west, via a couple of country roads, to the larger vicinity of Grand Island to get a document printed at the local Office Max.  From there it was back on I-80 and I arrived at the Pine Grove RV Park just before 3 p.m.  Just as I had observed yesterday at KOA, I noticed that there are also a number of vacant sites here at this RV Park.  There’s a question now formulating in my head and I think I’ll probably discover the answer as I continue this trip.  The question: Are RV Park reservations even necessary from this point on?  Is the Midwest a popular RV travel area compared to other touristy areas?

Sometimes my “camper adventures” include personal incidents that…um, well, might elicit either a groan or a chuckle – hopefully a sympathetic chuckle.  Case in point, this morning, while driving on the interstate after I left Office Max I happened to glance down at the t-shirt I was wearing.  My first thought was “Where’s the logo?” I then noticed the shoulder seams and was flabbergasted to discover that I had put my shirt on inside out!  And I had just spent about ten minutes among people in Office Max!

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1

Happy Birthday, Dad!  You would have turned 102 today.  You are very much missed!

It was my objective to cross into Iowa today, Dad’s birthday – I’m glad it has worked out that way!  Before leaving the RV Park in Greenwood this morning, just to be on the safe side, I decided to give “ntouch” another go.  This time, the iPad was not effective – the VRS operator said I was “frozen” and I found her to be “jerky.”  I disconnected that call and switched to the iPhone, propping it up in front of me this time rather than trying to hold it away from my face.  The connection was much better and I secured a reservation for tonight.

I-80E again, but for the last time on this journey.  Not wanting to go through Omaha, NE, I merged onto the 680 bypass and soon crossed into Iowa via an old two-lane bridge over the Missouri River.  My destination, just a speck on the map, is Onawa and so I got on I-29N and headed that way.

Some few miles later, spotting a sign for one of Iowa’s many Visitors Centers, I took that exit and found myself driving east for five miles on the Rt. 30 country road until I reached the Visitors Center.  The fella at the counter, after I had gathered assorted booklets and pamphlets, including the all-important  official Iowa state map, told me I could return to I-29 by continuing on Rt. 30 to the town of Logan and then taking Rt. 127 back west to the interstate.

That I did and got my first look at a small section of the scenic Loess Hills, described in one of the pamphlets I picked up as being cited “…for their ‘unique scenery, geologic and cultural interest’ by Scenic America.”  The pamphlet also describes various loops of scenic byways and notable towns or structures within the 220 mile range of the Loess Hills.  It ain’t all about corn here!  I got planning to do!

Arriving at the On-Ur-Wa RV Park [in Onawa] I got my site for tonight and tomorrow.  Although this Park is right behind a filling station and within walking distance to several fast-food chains - and one Mexican restaurant - it is spacious, well-maintained, and surrounded by trees.  My very first RV Park in the Midwest!

Shady trees around my site, here at the On-Ur-Wa RV Park in Onawa, IA.

A comparison -- The map on the left is AAA's Iowa map. Iowa's official
state map, on the right, is larger, color coded, and offers much more
detail.  I prefer using the official state maps when I travel.   

FRIDAY, AUGUST 2

Goodness, I must have been very tired last night.  I went to bed at 8:30 p.m., a pleasant breeze coming through the windows, and didn’t wake up until about 6:30 a.m. this morning!  My major task for today is laundry so I’m happy to just stay put here at On-Ur-Wa today.  Gotta review my travel materials, too.  And, since the WiFi here is strong, maybe I oughta think about posting this blog.  I have a feeling I will stay here tomorrow as well.  There’s no need for me to do any kind of rush-rush driving now.  And, one of the nearby eateries is Dairy Queen.  I like their Blizzards…

I saw something this morning that surprised me.  As I was checking my emails and looking out the dining window, four people walked past my camper.  They appeared to be Amish.  Amish people in an RV Park?  I didn’t see where they had come from but I watched them walk past the office heading for the side road.  Maybe there’s a farm behind the RV Park?  Then they returned, carrying food and drink, from the nearby McDonald’s it looked like.  They stopped at a motorhome directly behind me and I then noticed other members of that family – the plain dresses, the simple black shoes, the bonnets, the beard-but-no-moustache on the older man.

The family soon moved on and when I later did my laundry I asked the lady who owns this RV Park if that had been an Amish family.  She said no, they were Mennonite, they’re from Missouri, and they come to this RV Park every year.  Apparently, since she added that they are allowed to have RVs, the Mennonites, compared to the Amish, must have less rigid religious laws.  Fascinating stuff!

Around 4:15 p.m. I went to the office and paid for tomorrow, my third night here.  I want to post this blog by tonight or tomorrow morning and then spend the rest of the day looking over my travel materials.  Walking back to my camper I said “hello” to a neighbor who had just pulled in and noticed his two dogs.  One of the dogs was a breed I had never seen before.  I couldn’t understand what type of dog the owner said he was so I got paper and pen.  His dog is a 10-year old male (still intact!) Pharaoh Hound, sleek, beautiful, and friendly.  He wrote more info on my paper – born in Malta, the breed hunts rabbits.  I Googled – “The Pharaoh Hound is the national dog of Malta. His job there was to hunt rabbits. The Pharaoh Hound has a rich tan or chestnut coat with white markings. He has a long, lean, chiseled head, a flesh-colored nose and amber-colored eyes.” (http://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/pharaoh-hound)

Just gorgeous!  The things I see and learn while travelling in the truck camper…even on the days I haven’t actually gone anywhere!

Because I’d been driving most of this past week I didn’t take pictures.  Maybe you’d like to see what my “home away from home” looks like…