Thursday, July 26, 2018, Move to Rapid City, SD

We got up really early (for us - 6am) to stop by the Loaf 'n Jug where we could use our Kroger fuel points for discounted diesel. I think our daughter Kate had been putting her groceries on our card because I sure did not think we bought enough June points for a $0.40/gallon discount. Of course, that only applied to the first 35 gallons. The remainder of the fill-up was on our July points so that we averaged $2.999/gallon. I thought that was a pretty good start to the day especially when the parking lot cleared out just as we were ready to leave making our exit pretty uneventful. The car was not hooked up so I could maneuver in the tight station and I only needed to back up once.

We arrived at Cummins Rocky Mountain in Gillette, WY, about a minute early for our appointment. I was first in line at the service desk where I was told I was scheduled for tomorrow. I said "Nooooo! I was told to come in on Thursday." I guess the guy had a rough night because he thought it was Wednesday. I gave them all of the required filters and verified all of the work to be done. The mechanic drove our coach around to the service bay and we left to kill time.

We drove around, pretty much at random, and found the Rockpile Museum. It was free and we needed something to do - how serendipitous!

The giant donut under the museum sign was formed when mud oozed around a large tree. Later as the buried mud turned to stone and the tree was eroded away this remained.

You might ask how the museum got its name unless you looked outside the front door. The huge, unexplained pile of rocks had been used as a landmark for as long as people have been traveling through the area.

The museum had a large collection of early Americana including spurs, bridles and rifles as well as a display about the area's coal mining.

The techs at Cummins were finally finished with our baby around 2:00. We hit the road quite a bit later than usual, but our short drive of 148.6 miles (88,984.2 total) still put us into our site before dinner. I noticed on one long uphill climb the engine temperature did jump about 20 degrees, but it never became too worrisome.

Saturday, July 14 through Sunday, July 25, FMCA Rally in Gillette, WY

Fulltime living on the road is great, but getting together with a group makes it even better. If everyone in the group has similar coaches it can also be a great learning experience. During our American Coach Chapter (of the FMCA) pre-rally we gathered each day around 4:00 in the afternoon for Happy Hour. Everyone brought snacks and their favorite libation as we caught up with old acquaintances and made new friends. Five years ago when the FMCA last held a rally in Gillette it was cold (it was a few weeks earlier - the end of June), but this year we were all happy to have full hook-ups including 50 amp electrical service to keep our homes cool.

One evening, we had a Pot Luck dinner. There was so much good food. We were all stuffed just trying a little of everything. There was such a variety - I don't believe there were any two dishes the same - and it was all delicious. I was kind and didn't snap any pictures of people with their mouths full. 

It was good we had an indoor room because outside it was storming like crazy. Wyoming has some wild weather. We were all just hoping not to see any of the hail or flooding we experienced here in 2013.

Our isolated location quickly changed as they parked more than 700 coaches on Tuesday and several hundred more on Wednesday. The rally attracted more than 1,700 RVs. 

Our little group of 10 coaches had the place to ourselves for the first few days.

I tried to take a picture showing us surrounded by all of the coaches, but when I took a panoramic shot we were just lost in an endless sea of campers. I even have a difficult time finding us and I was there.

Our happy hours continued as the crowds filled in around us. Of course, they had their own happy hours, but we were always happy to chat with passers-by, especially if they were American Coach owners.

In the official FMCA photo of the event below we were in the upper left area - not that you would have a chance of picking us out among the nearly 2,000 RVs in the CAMPLEX.

We were able to meet several new folks at this rally. Bruce and Jasmine with a 2000 Eagle from Colorado, had been full-timing for about a year so far. They were able to join our group for Happy Hour once before leaving. Parked next to them, purely by coincidence, were Bob and Tracy in a 1999 Eagle also from Colorado looking forward to retirement in a few months. I didn't meet them until they were leaving, so we didn't get to talk much. Hopefully, Bruce and Jasmine and Bob and Tracy will join our chapter of the FMCA or the ACA (American Coach Association) and we will see them at future rallies.

We also met Ron and Tawnee in a 2005 Eagle just getting started with full-timing. After joined us for Happy Hour and pizza one evening, they decided to join our group and we look forward to seeing them at many more rallies in the future.

Our gatherings were just outside Ray and Pauline's coach, so their babies were aware of the activity and were always anxiously awaiting whenever the door opened. I believe their names are Duchess, Kate, Lucy and Abby. 

Of course, FMCA arranged for entertainment each night of the rally. Personally, I think I enjoyed the Thursday show 3 Guys and 30 Instruments the most. We had seen 3 Guys perform once before and they did another great show. Sadly, they announced they were breaking up the band after 40 years (quitters!) so we won't see them again.

There was a Ricky Nelson tribute on Friday night performed by his two sons, Gunnar and Matthew Nelson. Mixed with the music of Ricky Nelson were videos of home movies and personal anecdotes. Their show probably had the largest turnout of the rally.

We had a couple of coaches head out early on Saturday morning, Willie and Marilyn and Don and Pat, so they missed The Flashback Boyz. They played a lot of "oldies"- perfect for this crowd. Their music selections even moved a lot of folks to get up and dance.

Sunday morning the mass exodus started and by the end of the day our group was down to three coaches. Bob and Kathy, Ray and Pauline and us. Bob and Kathy left the next day and Ray and Pauline left the day after that leaving us by ourselves waiting for our service appointment at the Cummins shop.

I brazenly pulled out the pressure washer and cleaned the roof of our coach. It was in dire need of a thorough cleaning. I still need to add some kind of protectant to the fiberglass, but that will have to wait. I can see why folks are willing to pay big bucks to have their coach washed - just the roof was a lot of work.

Along with wild weather Wyoming certainly presented us with a lot of cloud drama and beautiful sunsets. The clouds below are now my laptop screensaver background.

I think the sunset below makes a nice closing for our Wyoming FMCA Rally - until next time!

Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14, 2018, Move to Gillette, WY

To avoid another marathon travel day, Joani planned a stop at a convenient campground with level, pull-through sites with 50 amp electric service located in Wasta, SD. That meant we only traveled 171.6 miles (88,656.0 total) before relaxing for the evening. We parked next to some nice folks from Virginia named Donna and Lowell. They sold it all and had been full-timing for 8 months. I always love to compare notes on places visited and things to see.

Wall Drug was only 13 miles before our destination. We stopped in 2013 and didn't feel the need to do it again. (Everyone should do it at least once!)

24 Express had 8 pull-thrus with 50 amp service (and a dump station) behind the Mobile Gas Station just off I-90 (exit 98). Drop $10 in the box and you are good to go.  No reservations, but sometimes we like to live on the edge!

Early Saturday morning we hit the road (around 9:00) and covered another 179.6 miles (88,835.6 total) to reach the Cam-Plex in Gillette, WY where we were scheduled to attend the 98th Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) National Rally. We were arriving early to join friends at the American Coach Chapter (ACC) of the FMCA. There are so many chapters in FMCA where RV'ers with common interests get together there is something for everyone!

I know we gained some altitude on the drive to Gillette, but I did not expect the engine would overheat. It was also the first time I ever noticed the transmission temperature much higher than normal. Fortunately, there was a very wide shoulder where we could stop and let everything cool down a bit. I checked the radiator - still full, and the fan - still turning. After 20 minutes or so we continued, keeping our fingers crossed, and made it to the Gillette Cam-Plex with no further issues.

After a wait in the will-call area for everyone in our ACC group to arrive, and of course, some confusion over just where they were going to park us we headed over to Lot B.

The American Coach Chapter only had 10 coaches attend our pre-rally, but what a fun group. We were located in a tight little knot which made it a short walk for gatherings. Almost as soon as we were settled in we gathered for our first "happy hour." I completely forgot to record our site so the pictures below were actually from the next day, after some overnight rain.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018, South Dakota Capitol, Pierre

The first thing you learn about the capital of South Dakota is that the "re" at the end of Pierre is just for show. It is pronounced "Pier" or "peer" (yes, those sound the same) - just one syllable. 

With only 14,000 people living in Pierre, the city was very relaxed. We parked on the curb in front of the capitol building just like we lived there. The only US Capital with fewer residents is Montpelier, Vermont. Pierre is, however, one of only two capitals not accessible directly from the Interstate Highway system.

There was no guided tour available, so we enjoyed exploring the entire building at our own pace. There was no state business pending and we were almost the only visitors, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

The terrazzo tile floors were laid by Italian craftsmen. Each of the 66 workers was given a distinctive blue tile to place randomly somewhere in the floor as a kind of signature of their work.

At 96 feet above the rotunda floor, the inner stained glass dome was less than half as high as the Wisconsin capital we had just visited. Everything about the South Dakota capitol seemed more intimate than others we have visited, but still impressive in its own way.

The craftsmen, not wanting to be "perfect," in deference to God, purposefully included flaws in the architecture. Below, Joani spotted an upside down baluster on the main staircase.

I appreciated the faux painting throughout the capitol.

Joani was the first to find one of the blue signature tiles. I think we found maybe four of the tiles - it was like searching for Waldo - you could go crazy looking for all of them.

Time for a break on a very comfortable leather couch just outside of the Senate Cloak Room on the second floor. 

A small park adjacent to the capitol building grounds included some interesting statuary in remembrance of a tragic airplane accident that claimed the lives of several South Dakota politicians.

Fighting Stallions Memorial

A nice monument honored the 65,000 South Dakotan men and women who fought and died in World War II.

Along the lakeshore, a new brood of ducklings posed for their picture and I couldn't just ignore them. It was good we didn't have Sam with us - they might have been too nervous for a picture.

We spent more time walking through the capitol and grounds than we had expected, so we decided to just head back home for a late lunch and some quality time with Sammy.