We poor souls without overdrive got up at the crack of dawn and headed out before the speedy cars. Very light traffic this morning. Several trucks hauling pigs passed us so we started to look for the pig farms, Actually we smelled them first and then saw the long white buildings back off the road. All this corn has to go somewhere. About 100 miles down 
the road at Fort Dodge we met Bill R at a gas station. Took some pictures for Janet L. of Fort Dodge signs and the water tower because her mom was born here. Got back on the main road and tried to find Sally and Andy (Bob and Pat’s friends from MN), you know they were in a modern car and couldn’t keep up with the A’s.From Fort Dodge, three Model A’s (Bob
and Pat, John and Judy, and Bill R.) and one modern car (, Sally and Andy Vano) played tag all the way to Vermillion, SD. In fact, Andy got to drive the little black coupe and I rode with Sally for a while.John and Judy caught us at the next gas stop in Sioux City and then we traveled all together until Vermillion. Said our goodbyes to the Vanos and off we went westbound into the sun. Getting hotter all the time.
We all seemed to have conflicting maps. No two had the same roads or same size circles for the towns. Route 12 is called the Nebraska Byway. Judy and Pat were driving giving the guys a break. All of a sudden Judy made a sharp right turn into a Dairy Queen. I guess it was root beer float time. Two senior gentlemen stopped to admire the cars and assured us that we would find a motel in Pickstown. We weren’t sure because Pickstown was the tiniest circle on the map and we had driven through a lot of tiny circles that consisted of a clump of trees and 3 houses. After our fiasco of trying to find a room last night we wanted to be sure of lodging tonight. We did find a nice fifties motel with a steak house next door, aaaahhhhh! And it has wireless!!! After dinner we went into the local gas station/bait shop/cafe for an ice cream cone and in walks a couple who had just arrived on a motorcycle from Maine. A little sunburned and hair blown straight back. We traded stories, each thought the other was nuts.
Somewhere in our travels today, we took a stone to the radiator but luckily it did not make a hole, just a quarter size dent. John is still trying to pull us up the road and Bill is pushing from behind. They are good sports to go so slow with us, roaring along at 49 mph.John’s truck foamed a bit today and Pat accused him of trying to store beer in
his radiator. Bill’s car just wants to go and Bob’s had a bit of vapor lock but now has a tin foil wrapped gas line and carburetor. It has been very hot and humid, only 104 in Pickstown.Parking lot maintenance, Bob filled the empty transmission again, John switched back from antifreeze to water, Bill sat on the running board and studied the map. Pat washed clothes.
Heard from Hazletons and Fontaines, they are in Keystone, SD. Dave and Susan, Ted and Susan, Will and Karla are in LaCrosse, WI where they went for a ride on a paddle wheel boat. Daves car is still moving. Jack C. and Don S. are incommunicado today, sure hope they are still moving west.
Late breaking, heard from Jack and Don about 11 last night, they were in Tyler, MN after a 400 mile day. Those guys are tough, they may catch us today.
9 comments:
Everybody,
We have ended up tail gunners because we did not want to hurry home as much as the main group. Thus most of our days are somewhat shorter. Tuesday was a 200 mile day. We drove across Michigan, a bit of Indiana and Illinois. We were sad not to see Lake Michigan at all. We pulled off the road and looked for the dunes and lake in Indiana, but could not get close enough.
We were worried about driving in all the traffic and trucks around Chicago. We had been told about the extensive construction on the South side. We made it without any trouble and arrived safely at about 2 pm local time in Rockford, IL. There was NO tourist activities for the whole day, although Will Lancaster did go to the local race track for a couple of hours. For the rest of us, it was a quiet day, although Susan & I are glad when we successfully complete any day with our A.
Today was another short 200 mile day as we came north into Wisconsin. We stopped in Baraboo, WI, which is the former winter home of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey circus. We thought about going to the museum, but it would have been 4 hours to do it justice. Instead we went to the crane research center with Ted & Susan Kafer. They are trying to raise baby whooping cranes to release so that the cranes are
not so endangered.
The Lancasters drove to the Wisconsin Dells and took one of the boat rides. Then we all drove to Lacrosse, WI which is right on the Mississippi river. We took a 2 hour ride on a paddle wheel boat up the river. Besides many boats and homes, we saw a railroad bridge that swung open to let us through. We also saw an immature Bald Eagle. We got very close to lock and dam #7 which had a tow boat pushing 12 barges going through the locks. Tomorrow we cross Minnesota.
Here's a group picture for everyone!
Love,
Susan and Dave
Day 22, 6th day of the return leg
Wasn’t such a good day yesterday. Much better today. After dressing ourselves, without assistance, we left the nice hotel (Waterloo Bungalows on the Rubicon) offering a strong wireless connection that is completely incompatible with windows. Bob & Patti left a little after five in the dark and were on their way to join Bill, who had driven on ahead to Fort Dodge, Iowa, alone. Highway 30 is a nice, quiet two lane road, with light traffic and grand farmland scenery. The filling stations are a little few and far between, however. About forty miles out of town, Judy thought it was starting to rain, but it was only our radiator foaming like a hydrophobic mad dog, spewing antifreeze all over the place. Took the next exit and tried to drain most of the cooling system, replacing with good old fashioned water. That ended my experiment with antifreeze.
In our 1929 Model A, we drive for about 150 miles, then spend the next 40 anxiously looking for gas. Just outside of Sioux City, we caught up with Bob & Patti and Bill at a service station around 11 AM and went to eat in town at the Red Bobbin’ Robin, where the M’s friends, Andy & Sally treated us to a farewell lunch…they are nice folks.
We continued on up Highway 20 to Vermillion, Yankton and Wagner, with a quick Dairy Belle stop to refill Judy. Then on to our destination town, Pickstown, South Dakota, where we found a little motel on the Francis Case Lake.
We drove 365 miles today over a good road. We have an equal amount of miles to cover tomorrow in order to reach Keystone at Rushmore. Our California contingent, Ray & Linda, Bob & Shirley are already there ahead of us.
Judy, John, Bob, Patti, and Bill headin’ ever West for the “Heads”
Pickstown, South Dakota
July 27, 2006
what would Bob do without shoo glue, aluminum foil and duct tape? Please tell me we don't use that on our NASA rockets! Marlayna
You guys are having the best time.....did I read "Pat washed clothes?" I thought you were on VACATION!!!
Great stories today! Sounds like you guys are all finding lots of adventures and making memories you'll never forget.
Love the updates from everyone - you guys are so good at this. Are you sure this is the first time you all have blogged?
Thanks for the picture of the Fort Dodge water tower and the good looking lady in the foreground. Of course, South Dakota really heated up for your arrival. The weather map in the Mercury News shows the whole state as RED!
Are you tired of restaurant food yet?
Janet
If anyone sees Don & Jack again, please post it so I will know they are OK. I have not heard from them in 4 days, and all I see on the blog is no one else has heard from them either and they have been having car trouble. Don is not answering the cell phone, and as you can imagine, I'm worried.
Thanks. Carol Stewart
Message to Carol S. We have talked to Jack and Don every evening. They are doing fine and hope to be in Keystone tonight. Of course they have to work on the car without Bob but they can do it.
I didn't know you were going through Vermillion. There is a great musical instrument museum there called the Shrine to Music, and they have several Stradivarius violins and LOTS of tubas. Next time you drive cross country you'll have to stop there. :-)
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