Silver Dollar City (SDC)

We arrived Tuesday and hooked the R.V. up. We were in time to catch the bus and take in a few concerts. The weather was brutal - hot and humid! On Wednesday I rode the swing - several times! Roger doesn't do that one...

On Thursday we rode a number of rides together, including the sunken mine, the carousel, and the train. There's always a train robbery, but this was the funniest ever!! Kids were donating their candy to the robbers - but then someone gave them a cinnamon bread loaf that SDC is famous for. That caused the whole acting cast to crack up and tell everyone they were on break while they enjoyed the bread!! It was a great experience! We also attended Spoken4's concert in the Playhouse. Great music and lots of humor! 

Later, in the Opera House, after the concert, we were told there was an incident which closed the regular exit doors. So we all exited the entrance. This had never happened before and they are very crowd control conscious. Friday morning we found out what happened. During the concert a lady took her final trip home to Heaven! What a time and place to go. Of course, the husband and family are left to grieve.

The last concert was by Triumphant. It was very inspiring and the music was good. Up to now, at the Red Gold and Amphitheater concerts the sound was poorly managed and we had to plug our ears to make out the words. But this final one (for us) was wonderful. 2 hours before the concert, it was moved to the Opera House because of a threatening storm. But then, with less than an hour before starting time, it was moved back to Echo Hollow. Lightening had already closed the metal rides, but the rain held off until the very end and the concert ended upbeat. One of my favorite songs they do is "Why not wave that old white flag of surrender?" and they did it!

We tried out the cinnamon bread, since it was such a hit on the train ride!! And Hannah's ice cream shop is a favorite, so we stopped in there, too! I have a favorite taco chip plate that I always get when there. The hymn sing in the church is such fun - hymns by request with a very fast playing pianist!!
SDC has so much to offer - you can never take it all in.

We always like staying in SDC's campground. Roger got in a short swim on Tuesday, but the rest of the time we were at the park, enjoying the music.

Sunday and beyond

Sunday morning we were excited to attend a small church Roger found online. They had Sunday School as well as the service. When we arrived, we were welcomed - and told the pastor was on vacation. However, the Sunday School teacher was great. He's teaching through Ezekiel and as a "show and tell" brought along a sample of Ezekiel bread that God told Ezekiel to eat (Ezekiel 4:9). That bread is available at Walmart and is called Ezekiel 4:9 bread!! I'll be looking for it (frozen section). 

The substitute pastor was also very inspiring. He spoke on Hebrews - starting with chapter 2:1-4 and going back over why chapter 2 starts with "therefore" by reviewing chapter 1. All the OT references to Jesus. The question was "Who is Jesus to you?" One thing I learned was that Psalm 110:1 is the most oft quoted OT verse!

Scrabble is part of our Sunday events. The R.V. was so hot, we stopped at a rest area, took the game to a shaded part, and played outside. While there, the Blue Angels flew overhead and we enjoyed their show as a benefit.

Sunday evening we couldn't get to a church service, so we settled in a McDonald's and listened to the Zoom Good News Club being taught by past Christian Youth in Action grads. It was fun to listen in!

The heat over the past week + has been almost too much. Even McDonald's was not able to keep the place cool. It's often 100 degrees. However, nights cool very well and we've been able to sleep.

Monday morning we headed south to my (Heather's) ancestors' home grounds - NW MO. My g'g'grandparents are buried here. My g'grandparents were married here and then migrated to Canada. The g'g'grandparents were godly people. The g'grandparents left because they didn't want to be godly. In the line going back to the g'g'g'grandparents and further, they are the only break in Christianity on my mom's side that we know of going back to the 1600's.

Now we are parked at a friend's house in the country. He has about 20 goats and a dog to keep him company. The raccoons got his chickens!

Sioux Falls Water Park +

We met Alan and family in Sioux Falls for a day in the water!! Actually, they drove over for an evening wedding, but this was a great place to spend the time beforehand.

Not only does this outdoor water park have many slides - some almost suicidal!! - there are several "water falls", a zero depth pool, and many other fun things.

Wyatt loved the water bumper cars - once he went with Alan first. After that, he was on his own, repeatedly lining up to go again. There was mini-golf and go carts.

Zoey was happy to go on her own. Little Odin loved the water and has no fear of it. Roger was teaching him to put his face in the water (Roger's a good swimmer and loves the water). Baby Harry slept and watched everyone and all the activity. 

It was a good day. We're spending the night in Sioux City, IA, at Walmart! Across the road is Aldi and the Dollar Tree. What more could one wish for (except a little cooler weather!). Last night cooled so much that we covered with a blanket. Hopefully tonight will be equally cool.

Roger's looking up a church for us to attend tomorrow. A highlight of our trips!

Leaving Rapid City

We woke up to a wild turkey outside our window!

After clean-up (you know, grandkids!) and securing everything, we left Rapid City. Not far out of town, our transmission dis-engaged. That means the engine was running - brakes and steering worked, but the "D" didn't put it in drive! We coasted off ot the side and turned the engine off. Restarting it put everything back in working order THANK YOU, LORD!

The next stop was at Minuteman Missile site. We got there as they were closing!

Wall Drugs was calling, so we stopped for our 5 cent coffee!! Last time we were there, many of the workers were imported from Asia. This time I was prepared and handed out Gospels of John. The girls gladly took one. May there be some eternal fruit from this.

Walmart in Mitchel allowed overnight parking. We shopped and slept there.

Wild Turkey

We heard they were all around, but today on our morning walk, we saw one. Evidently it was used to visitors, because it didn't even move out of the way when we passed. These are the turkeys we assume the pilgrims killed for food. They don't have much fat on them, but good meat!

52+ years

That's how long it's been since the 2 of us sat by a pool (after swimming) - just the 2 of us - no kids or grandkids! It was a memory of our honeymoon!! The pool was otherwise empty. The sun was warm but not burning (like yesterday when you couldn't stand on the pavement around the pool); the wind was refreshing; the sky was blue with fluffy clouds; and the view couldn't be beat.

Earlier in the day we walked around the R.V. park. Overhead an eagle soared, making wide circles in its search for food. The park is located above the city and you can see far into the distance. At night the city is aglow. There are places here where there is a steep drop-off into deep valleys. It's very pleasant. The young couple who purchased the place not too long ago is busy upgrading and improving all the camp sites.

With some extra time we cleaned and organized 2 cabinets in the R.V. Traveling really shakes things up and it was sorely needed!

We have 3 days here; then ever onward, forward!

For now, we expect the grandkids to show anytime. It's nice to have some time with them.

Several hours later...

Bad storm moving in - pool closed - batten down the hatches! The wind is whipping the trees. The R.V. is rocking. We pray it doesn't tip over!!

Well, the storm passed over and the pool reopened - just in time for the grandkids to arrive for swim time! God is working all things together for good.

Rapid City, SD

On our way into town, we stopped at Josh's place. He wasn't home, but I "owed" our granddaughter Scarlett pistachio pudding!! So, I paid up - she was impressed that I remembered from this spring...

Once in Rapid City, we hooked up in the RV park. It didn't take too long for the grandkids to arrive - the pool was very enticing with 90+ degree temps! After a swim and dinner, Wyatt stayed with me to swim some more. Several kids were there, so there was company.

We had some quality time together - he's a very good reader for 7 years old! We have several more days here before heading south.

Roger had gone with Alan and Galina to help get their car ready for a family road trip.

A New Record

Today we drove over 660 miles in an effort to get to Rapid City earlier than planned. That is about double what we normally plan to do. Since the goal is to spend time with grandkids, and they are leaving town on Friday, we hustled to have a little more time with them. 

We were able to get a parking spot at Walmart in Gillette just as the sun was making its final showing. Since then, it's been almost non-stop sheet lightening. So far, no rain. 

The R.V. wasn't too happy about all those miles; it was dragging its feet at the end (although the slope of the hill made a difference) and finally a "check engine" light came on. Roger doesn't think it's too worrisome - it has happened before and he has a code reader. We'll see how far we get. We are at a high altitude, which may make some difference. 

Speaking of slopes - it's like there's no end to hills and mountains and passes to go over. I guess I never realized this before. The prairies still lie ahead of us... 

We slept well last night and I slept several times during the day! Guess we're enjoying vacation. I really noticed the various hill/mountain formations - sheer rock cliffs; multiple small peaks working their way upward; bare rock; and rock covered with trees. In all colors of rocks and trees (& clouds!!). God is amazing!

On the Road Again...

Ewalds are on the move again! We left home to attend church and stayed for the brunch we had afterwards. Then, it was hit the road. Once we got out of town, traffic eased and we were rolling.

The R.V. functioned great - no complaints from the engine. However, along the entire time there were periodic clunks under our feet. (Roger will check it out tomorrow.) We are pretty much over the passes - just a few more in MT. The gas was cheap ($3.29) and the parking with electricity was free! We arrived before dark.

All day the clouds were majestic with a blue sky backdrop. The small streams along the road looked inviting - the sun was hot, but the a/c worked great! A perfect weather day.

While driving, Heather listened in (when there was reception in the mountains) to the memory club reciting their verses. The youth who taught the Sunday Zoom Good News Club did an excellent job!
It was a good first day.