“S’LONG, IOWA…HELLO, KANSAS!”

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

Blog #6 was posted this morning!

More people, mostly families, have arrived to this RV Park [Timberline Campground in Waukee, IA] for the Labor Day weekend.  Cloudy and drizzly yesterday, the sun is shining today and I’m seeing a lot of kids out and about.  From my windows I can see the playground, the swimming pool, and this really cool inflated Jump Pad.  Not only are the kids busy with their play activities, the adults are busy with the constant flow of food, snacks, drinks, and preparations for BBQs.  It’s all fun to observe and, as is always the case wherever I go in the truck camper, I enjoy most of all my encounters with the various dogs I see.  Matter of fact, yesterday two dogs caught my eye and I asked the owner what kind they were.  I didn’t get it until she said they were from Japan.  Akitas!  Rescues, father and daughter.  Awww, warmed my heart!

I was busy, too.  Soon after posting my blog I -- (a) checked and replied to messages; (b) did my laundry; (c) took care of September bill payments; and (d) read my book.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

My one-month travel around Iowa is coming to a close.  Kansas is next, for one month as well.  As I did with Iowa, I divided Kansas into “quads” and since I’m currently in the “Southwest Quad” of Iowa, it makes sense to start my Kansas trip in the “Northeast Quad.”  I was too tuckered out yesterday afternoon/evening to review my Kansas map and travel materials so I made the decision this morning to stay here at the Timberline CG for a fourth day and focus on that.

What an interesting morning it was – watching all these people pack up and leave one by one.  There’s just a few of us still here and I’m sure other travelers will be arriving later for the night.  A couple of the campground guys came out and as I did my Kansas research I watched them mow the grass, put the picnic tables back in their spots, and remove the thick logs that had encircled two communal fire pits.  An end of summer ritual!

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

I was on my way by 9:30 a.m. and got on I-80W to Rt. 71S then took Rt. 2W to Shenandoah, a small town in southwest Iowa.  I stopped first at the Pioneer County Park to check it out as a possible overnight stay for tonight.  There’s a pond at the park.  At one end of the pond, reserved for tents, I counted 2-3 tents.  The RV section was at the other end of the pond and all ten electrical sites along that circular drive were empty.  I knew, however, that people had been at this county park this past holiday weekend because the dumpster was overflowing with trash.  A worker was there taking care of that business.  On the other side of the pond, at the top of a hill, was a farm and there was a group of cows under the shade of a nearby tree.   So, maybe…

I drove a few miles further west on Rt. 2 to Shenandoah -- “Originally called Fair Oaks, Shenandoah took its permanent name in 1870 when soldiers returning from the Civil War saw a striking resemblance to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  Early in its history, with an abundance of fertile soil, Shenandoah became the seed and nursery capital of America.”  As referenced in my IOWA travel guide, Shenandoah is also noted for something else so I parked and strolled over to the “town square.”  After a quick detour to the Post Office first I walked around, looking at the old restored buildings and the stores and businesses now housed within.  I also noted the angled parking, so typical of small towns.

Finally – the real reason I’m here – I walked into the George Jay Drug store, established in 1888, to check out their soda fountain.  I wanted to get lunch here and then sample their root beer float.  The young lady at the cash register informed me that they serve only ice cream and suggested I go to the café across the street for lunch.  That I did and had myself a very good BLT sandwich.  That’s all…nothing on the side.  I didn’t want to be too full for the root beer float like I was back in Winterset when I had fries with my chicken strips.  The root beer float was good…nothing spectacular about it though.  It was really the ambiance of the place – the counter and the stools - that I enjoyed the most.  It brought back memories of the ‘60s, when we lived in South Bend, IN.  I would ride my bike to the nearby drugstore to buy Superman and other comic books and, if Mom said OK and gave me extra money, I’d get some ice cream from the soda fountain.  Ah, nostalgia...

Jay Drug is located in one section of Shenandoah’s “Town Square.”

I went back to the Pioneer County Park, found all the RV sites still empty, and proceeded to self-pick and self-pay for Site #10.  It had been a nice day, albeit a bit humid, and as soon as I got the camper set up, I pulled out my camp chair and sat near the pond under the shade of a tree to read my book.  After about a few minutes this furry creature came into my line of vision, stopped about 10 feet from where I sat, locked eyes with me, then moved on, ambling over to the edge of the pond.  “You’re a fox, aren’t you?” I said very softly.  It might have heard me but paid me no mind.  I went into the camper to get my iPhone (“Dang, MAP, you should always have your iPhone with you!”) and took a few pictures.  I’ve never seen a fox before, out in nature, but this mammal did not look, or behave, like a dog.  It didn’t wag its tail, didn’t bark, yip, or snarl, nor did it try to approach me.  Its fur was reddish, its face was white, and its bushy tail had a white tip.  It hung around the RV area for quite a while, drinking from the pond, sniffing and rolling around on the grass.  [NOTE: Based on a later review of online images of foxes, I’m certain this was indeed a fox.]

The cows that I had seen earlier this morning, under the shade of a nearby tree, were still there but then – as if on cue or in response to an inner clock - they all started walking single-file up the hill to the farm.  Right, the sun is setting -- the glow of the late afternoon was presenting everything around me with a scene and an air of tranquility.  I may be the only RVer here tonight but I don’t think I could have picked a more peaceful place to be…on this, my last night in Iowa.

A fox at the Pioneer County Park, near Shenandoah, IA.

The farm across the pond, Pioneer County Park.

My camp chair, in the glow of the setting sun.

A delightful company of late afternoon grazing cows.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

It was almost 8:30 a.m. when I woke up and, looking out the windows, I saw that I was indeed the only person on this section of the county park.  I didn’t see the fox anywhere but I did note that the tents were still at the other end.  I have one final Iowa destination today and by 10:30 a.m. I was on my way there, via Rt. 2W.

Sidney (“laid out in 1851”), a town less populated than Shenandoah, is known for its rodeos – “The Sidney Iowa Championship Rodeo operated by American Legion Post No. 128 since 1924 claims to be the world’s largest continuous outdoor rodeo and one of the world’s largest rodeos with around 38,000 visitors each year.  The event is held in late July/early August.”

There’s a soda fountain there in town, too, at Penn Drug, established in 1863.  To quote a few excerpts, “The small community of Sidney, Iowa, is home to the state’s oldest pharmacy…the oldest operating pharmacy in Iowa, and certainly the oldest pharmacy owned by a single family…Penn Drug Co. has been in business for nearly 150 years…Its vintage soda fountain is a major attraction…"

I had a bowl of cereal this morning in the camper so I justified that with my decision to sample Penn Drug’s ice cream – a chocolate soda this time.  Like the root beer float, it was good, but I think today’s ingredients have changed much of what my taste buds remember.  Again, it was all about ambiance, nostalgia, and being inside an historic building in a small Iowa town!

Downtown, Sidney, IA.  Penn Drug in the background.

My chocolate soda!

Continuing on Rt. 2W I connected to I-29S, soon crossed over into Missouri and got a site at the AOK Campground and RV Park in St. Joseph, MO.  I-29 parallels the Missouri River and while I couldn’t see the river itself I passed many flooded areas, still waterlogged from the flooding that happened here last Spring.  I plan to cross into Kansas from St. Joseph tomorrow.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

Last night, thinking ahead to the coming weekend, I got online and made a reservation for three nights at the Topeka Capital City KOA in Topeka, Kansas.  It was around 10:30 a.m. when I finally left the RV Park and got on Rt. 59S.  The route took me through a rather seedy part of St. Joseph and onto a bridge that crossed over a bend or curve of the Missouri River -- and that’s where I missed the sign to continue on Rt. 59S.  Driving for about five miles on the wrong highway, I took the first exit I saw, turned back and, since there was no way to get on Rt. 59S from that direction, likely because of that bend in the river, I crossed the same bridge back to St. Joseph, turned around, crossed the bridge for the 3^rd time and, paying close attention this time, got on the Rt. 59S ramp.  About 30 minutes later I crossed the bridge that took me over the Missouri River out of Missouri and into Kansas.

I soon made a right turn, taking Rt. 116W – a straight and narrow 2-lane country road with gentle hilly dips – through farmland to Rt. 75S.  Arriving at the KOA in Topeka at 2:45 p.m., I found the office closed until 3:30 p.m.  So I waited.

After I set up the camper at my assigned site, I went back to the office to ask the owners about the best way to the local Ford dealership.  I had the address with me and explained that my truck is now at the mileage for maintenance work and I want to go to the Ford service department tomorrow morning for that purpose.  When I commented about my camper being on the truck and having to leave my site “vacant” while I’m gone, they both went a step further and called Ford on my behalf to find out if Ford could service my truck…with the camper on it.  The answer was no.  It was suggested that I go to Hoyt’s Truck Center instead.

Back at my site I considered preparations for tomorrow – bring my book, my iPad, chargers, and a bottle of water.  I did my weekly “tank dump” and then, since it had been a rather hot day and the sun was starting to go down, I decided to take a quick dip in the outdoor pool.  To open the gate, one has to reach up to a knob at the top of the gate and pull it upwards to lift the latch.  Going in, no problem.  Going back out…problem!  From the other side of that gate, no matter how much I stretched, that knob was about an inch or so out of my reach.  The sun was sinking, and not very slowly either, and I was the only person inside the pool enclosure.  Oh, there’s a push broom, lemme see if I can coax that knob up with the broom handle.  That didn’t work.  Stand on one of those flimsy plastic chairs?  No, not a good idea.  I think my voice will carry if I holler.  I didn’t have to do that after all because one of the ladies who was leaving the pool just as I arrived saw me, noticed my antics with the broom, concluded I had a reach problem (she wasn’t much taller than me), and came to my rescue.  A great childproof piece of mechanism that latch is, I’ll give you that!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

My vibrating alarm clock was set to go off at 5:30 a.m. but I’d already been awake for a little while.  I got up, got dressed, gathered my things, and stepped outside – oh, right, it’s still dark.  Topeka is a big city with major highways, including a toll road, and here I am getting ready to drive around an unfamiliar area…in the dark!  I wanted to go to Ford first anyway so I keyed in that address on my GPS and got there just as they were opening up at 7:00 a.m.  Looking at the entrances to the two service bays I knew there was no way…but I asked again anyway and they said no, no can do.

Alright, Hoyt’s Truck Center it is then.  This will be a first for me…a truck center!  What I didn’t know was Hoyt’s had two service locations and, oh, but of course, I went to the wrong one first -- they service the big trucks. The one that services trucks like mine was just a few miles down the same highway.  I got there, said “Hi” to Brad, explained what I needed – regular “check-up” maintenance of the overall truck, fluids, batteries, other engine components, oil change, and please check all six tires and the brakes.  Brad is nodding all the while, he’s heard this type of request lots of times, and then when I said “…today…” he stopped nodding and said, no, no can do today.

Brad pointed to a bunch of work orders on the wall, checked his calendar pad, and said the soonest they can serve me will be next Thursday the 12th.  Needless to say I was rendered momentarily speechless and immediately started to think how I could work around that.  Maybe I can visit a nearby area or two and then come back to Topeka by next Thursday… was one idea that came to mind.  I’ve miles to go, the truck and tires need to be checked out and serviced, and I’d probably encounter the same dreadful “no can do” if I try some other town some other day.  Then Brad told me to hold on a moment and he summoned another fellow, a younger guy also named Brad.  The two Brads consulted for a few minutes and I could see that the older Brad really wanted to help me out.  The fact that I had a camper meant I wasn’t local, I was traveling, and I think that may have helped my case because both Brads turned to me and said they’d take me on Monday at 9:00 a.m.  Both guys knew they’d done me a huge favor when my face and demeanor conveyed my immense relief and gratitude.  We made the appointment, I returned to the KOA and, now that I know I’m not resuming my travels on Sunday 8^th, I went to the office and paid for the additional two nights I’ll be staying here.

There are two fishing lakes, or ponds, at this KOA.  The sun goes down behind trees here but I think the photo below is quite lovely and I’ll conclude this blog with that photo.

Sunset at the KOA, Topeka, KS.