Time with grandkids

 Hi all,
We had a good week with a couple grandkids staying with us for a few days and some good visits with my dad. He still remains in the hospital as we have been having a difficult time getting him accepted in close by facilities. His demeanor has improved in the last week giving us some new hope. Medication is helping and of finding a good place for him.
 I want to thank everyone for the nice comments and support, it is very appreciated.
 Grandsons Lukas and Isaiah stayed with us the past three days keeping us well entertained. We enjoyed the beach a couple times, some card games, along with trying to wear them out at the playground. Needless to say we were the only ones wearing out.(

Lukas's made us lemon poppy seed cake

The boys after giving me my ALS bucket challenge

 Thursday Colleen asked us to go along with her for her pre delivery inspection of her new camper. She had picked up a 20 ft. Palomino Solaire rv that is a hard trailer with canvas tent ends. We thought it a nice fit for the family. It is also a big step up from the small pop up that they had. She thought it really funny when they had her sign a paper saying they would not live in it full time.) It has some nice features with LED lighting, elec. awning, and indoor/outdoor sound system.

 Our holiday plans will be staying around and visiting with dad and a Sunday picnic. Wishing you all have a nice and safe holiday.

Back in Wisconsin

 Hi all,
We left SD on Monday after turning in our uniforms and other gear. We were a bit sad leaving and felt like the time had just flew by.
 We made a one night stop at Big Sioux Recreation Area a state park just southeast of Sioux Falls. It is a nicely wooded park along the Big Sioux River. Seems like we haven't seen trees with leaves in a long time, I told Wendy it will be hard to make a basket out of those.

 We then boogied across Minnesota to WI. We made a stop in La Crosse to visit with grandson Alex. He is beginning his second year of college there.

We ended the day at Country Roads RV Park in Wisconsin Dells. It is a private park listed for 55 +. We had stayed here a couple other times with our camping club and find it to be extremely clean and quiet.
 Our plan was to try and get a non reservation site in Ottawa State Park, if we didn't get in there we would set up camp in Wendy's brothers drive. We lucked out and got a site, by the time we were set up the other open sites had filled. We will stay here til Labor Day then move to Country View Campground in Mukwonago for a month stay.
 We set up and then went for a visit with my dad. He has been in the hospital the last couple weeks. The family is working to find him a place where he can be cared for.
 We were a bit nervous going in for the visit as my brother and sister have said he has been very mixed up mentally and his memory is very bad. We actually got a good visit with him and he asked about each of our kids and how they are doing. He also expressed feelings of frustration over his loss of ability to care for himself and his memory. I was sensing he was getting tired and thought we should go. It was hard to leave, he was telling us we didn't need to bother with coming back.
 Thankfully we had two of the kids Nate and Colleen come for supper. Colleen brought Lukas and Isaiah, nothing like a couple grandkids to get lift your spirits. We will have the boys come for a stay next week which should be fun.

Dead in Deadwood

Hi all,
We are busy as we prepare for our departure . It is hard to believe season two here is done. We have had a good time and enjoyed the move to the Stockade Lake campground. Wendy has not minded doing the attendant work and we are considering doing the same next summer. We will see how it all affects us at tax time to make sure it is worth it.
 We had a nice going away cookout with some of our work camper friends the other night. We met the new camp host at Stockade Lake South campground and one other new couple that was coming in to do cabin cleaning. It was a nice gathering and bad us for not getting pics.
 We did get out for one more sightseeing excursion taking in Deadwood. After the bike rally it really was dead. Deadwood had quite a few casinos that were getting nothing for business. Maybe some later arriving bus tours would help but I doubt much. We browsed through some stores looking for discount Sturgis tees, scoring one for five bucks. Oh and we each lost a dollar in the slots- I know big spenders. We did enjoy some good music and a beer at one place and ate a nice lunch at Mustang Sally's.

In Celebrity Hotel and Casino

 We took  one more drive of the wildlife loop but saw more buffalo by the visitor center than out on the loop. Wendy also stocked up on pine needles, like we won't find pine needles in WI.

3 of her latest beauties

from our bird feeder

We'll miss you critters

in our back yard

 So on Monday we will hit the road with a stop off to see Grandson Alex in La Crosse. It will be good to be with family again. As things now stand with my dad- his mental health is not looking good. We are trying to find a place where he will get the proper care he now needs.

Bikes n Bears

Hi all,
The countdown has begun, our time here is nearing an end. A health situation with my (Rays) dad has prompted us to leave earlier than planned. He has been in and out of the hospital the last two weeks and although they have not pinpointed the cause, the family believes it may have been small strokes. His memory and mood have made a drastic change and he now requires 24 hour care. We believe he may need to be placed in a facility where they handle these cases on a normal basis. Thankfully I have a sister and brother nearby him that are doing their best to help. They have gone above and beyond of what could be expected.
 So with that we gave a two week notice to leave on the 18th. Our supervisor was very understanding and was backing us in whatever we thought we needed to do.
 The Sturgis Bike Rally is now in full swing. The weather has not made for the best biking with some good rains. On Monday we watched the governors ride into the park. It was suppose to be 300 bikes but actually seemed way less.

  It does get a bit trying driving about in the area, some bikers seem to drive slow while others are trying to constantly pass everything in sight. It does require added patience. As of this writing there have been 19 injury accidents with 3 deaths. A little scary thinking of next year where the 75th anniversary will be doubling the size.
 Wendy and I did venture out to play tourist the other. We used our VIP passes and did the Bear Country drive and then took in Reptile Gardens. Wendy enjoys the garden setting at Reptile Gardens and who don't like to see a big snake or two?

fun,fun,fun

Hi all,
The bikes are coming, the bikes are coming! Bike week has yet to begin, but some bikers like to get a early start. It is an awesome thing to see and hear as they come through the park. It may be a slightly down year as some bikers may opt to wait for next year on the 75th anniversary. Lets hope for a safe year.
 We had a great time this past weekend with Wendy's sister and brother in law. They arrived Saturday and after giving them time to stretch their legs we hopped in the car for a drive up Mt. Coolidge and a drive on the wildlife loop. A home cooked fish fry, a game of cards and a campfire rounded out the evening.
 Sunday was up and early, as Sonny and I wanted to get in a little Stockade Lake fishing. Sonny and I have been good fishing buddies for many years and is one of the things I miss since going fulltime rving. We had a great time catching a mixed bag of fish which were released for  another day. While we fished Wendy was giving Patsy a needle basket lesson.
 After fishing and brunch we headed off to see Mt. Rushmore via Iron Mountain Road.
 Next up was Crazy Horse, then a brat burger at camp and a new dice game with some good WI beer that the graciously provided.
 Mondays plans were a good breakfast then off to see Center and Sylvan Lakes via the Needles Highway. We made lots of stops taking in all the great views. At Sylvan we walked around the lake and did a bit of the Sunday Gulch Trail. A nice picnic lunch then off to Hill City for some serious wine tasting. We checked out three wineries and one new brewery and we don't even like wine.)
 A nice walk in Hill City checking out some shops and admiring some of the bikes that were already crowding the street. We grabbed a quick dinner then zoomed back to Custer State Park for one more ride looking for those buffalo. It is amazing how they can hide at some times.  We made a little loop the took us into Wind Cave National Park where we saw some of their herd.
 Tuesday was up early to see Patsy and Sonny off as they were making the 13 hour drive home in one stint.
 We really had a great time and thank them for taking the time to squeeze a visit in. It was also nice to take a couple days off our normal schedule  and change things up.

Patsy and Sonny at Bluebell Lodge bar

Wild Feast

Hi all,
We are getting ready for a visit with Patsy and Sonny, Wendy's sister and brother in law. They live in Pardeeville WI and will be with us for a few days. One good part of getting company is doing some cleaning and organizing that we have been putting off. When you live in a RV you really need to watch the stuff you accumulate it kind of sneaks in on you.
  Their visit is coming at a good time for a welcome break from our routine. Wendy will take off a day and a half and I will take off two nights. It should be a good time.
 This weeks days off were not the most exciting. We did some good shopping- woo-hoo, we have been slacking on this the last few weeks. Ooh and then laundry, let me tell ya what fun.) Just living the dream!
 But we did have the annual park employee Big Game Feast. This is a highlight event for volunteers and employees and a good chance to associate with others in the park. It featured venison stew, walleye, goose, froglegs and bass offerings. Deserts and sides ala potluck made a great meal.

 Wendy had also been busy finishing off her latest pine needle creation and what a beauty.

 I also snuck in a crappie fishing with two other volunteers JD and Jay. I broke Jays boat rules by landing the biggest fish. A 15 # northern caught on a small jig with no leader. What fun it was taking over 10 minutes to land.

Back to the Mickelson

Hi again,
 Seems like I had just wrote a new post and wasn't the fourth of July just the other day. Weeks are going by fast, it won't be long til we are back in WI.
 We are looking forward to a visit from Pat and Sonny( Wendys sis and brother in law). They will be here for just a couple days so we will really have to plan the days out.
 The last two days have only been in the 60's but happily the forecasted rain never came. We decided a nice cool day would be good for a bike ride. So after a little thought we headed to the George S. Mickelson Trail. We did a little of this last year with grandson Lucas.
 The trail is a beauty, 104 miles from Edgemont to Deadwood on an old railroad bed. And no we didn't quite do the whole thing. We chose to start at the Mystic trailhead about 15 miles from Hill City and rode 8 miles to Rochford. Sixteen miles when we haven't been on the bikes in a while was a push. The good part was the return trip was mostly down hill.) Our buts should be fine in a day or two.)
 This part of the trail follows a trout steam with a couple small waterfalls. Also along the way you see old mines from years past. You also ride through one tunnel, what a great ride! We definitely have to ride more of this gem.

 After the ride we got a nice dinner at the Hubcap Diner in Hill City. We still made it back in time for a quick fish at the lake.

 Wendy has been getting more creative with her pine needle baskets. They sure look nice. Daughter Amanda teases her about selling them at a roadside stand.

And always time for ride in the park.