16 Sep 2023 - Stick a Fork in It! It's all Yeller! + Final Stats

 

Our 2023 RV adventure is in the books.  We departed West Omaha this morning at 0845 hrs in the rain. 

Iowa appeared soon, and three hours to the minute later and 169 miles later we rolled into Griff's RV Park, our launching and recovery point this year.  

We had another fantastic RV travel year!  We are thankful our health allows us to travel.  We saw literally hundreds of  friends, relatives, military comrades and Alliance Allies, and we saw a lot of the great United States!  We won't regurgitate a lot about the trip as it is already documented in all of the blog posts. Just like last year, we had no ER visits, no veterinary visits, one minor truck issues (upper radiator hose) and no RV issues to speak of.  Neither Doreen or I even had so much as a cough or cold the whole trip.  We are very tired but a good "tired" and after a winter reset we will be ready to hit it hard again ~1 Apr next year!  Likely another visit to Texas followed by our annual Alliance National Rally!!  For now it is back to reality, back to the gym, knock out the physicals and all the other appointments we mentioned a couple days ago.  

Thank you to everyone who we reconnected with during the trip.  Thank you to Alliance for building a solid coach and for the huge FamAlly we have joined!  And a huge thanks to our son Dan Schellhase who stops by our house weekly if not more often to make sure everything is OK on the home front. We could not do this without him!  

Thanks to all who followed along with us with the blog.  Writing a blog every night is a lot of work not to mention editing and cropping the pictures, and shrinking them so they will upload efficiently.  You are getting it uncut and unfiltered - what happens along the way you are reading about.  And now we are done, except for the final stats (below), and we "stick a fork in it"!  It's done!

The shell for next year's blog has been built.  Expect an update in there as our 2024 trip planning happens.  Book mark it if you wish: 

https://schellhasetravels2024.blogspot.com/ 

2023 Final Stats:  

This is campground #42 of 42 (37 last year)

# States Traveled Through So Far This Trip, in order: 30 (IA, MO, KS, OK, TX, LA, MS, AL,GA, TN, KY, OH, IN, MI, WI, IA, NE, CO, UT, UT,  CO, AZ, NM (4 corners!),  AZ, NV, UT, WY, CO, KS, NE, IA)  (20 last year)

# States left to visit on this trip: 0

Baseball Parks Visited So Far This Trip:  1 (Globe Life Field - Texas Rangers)

Lighthouses visited:  1 (Biloxi Lighthouse)

Lighthouses climbed:  0

Point to point travel miles:  8721 miles (6559 last year)

  - Avg point to point travel miles between campgrounds:  198 miles

Vicinity miles:  5095 miles (3913 last year)

  - Avg vicinity miles:  118 miles

Total miles driven:  13816 miles (10472 last year)

Total point to point driving time:  178 hrs 09 minutes

Total diesel fuel purchased: 1256.507 gals (930.173 last year)

Total diesel fuel cost:  $4889.84 

Average diesel fuel cost/gal:  $3.906 ($5.10 last year)

Max diesel fuel cost:  $4.899 (Tusayan AZ - Grand Canyon) ($5.599 last year)

Min diesel fuel cost:  $3.139 (San Antonio TX) ($4.439 last year)

Avg MPG:  11.48 miles/gal (11.43 last year)

Cost/mi of operation:  $0.35 ($0.46 last year)

# Nights at end of this stay:  199 (Includes Griff's start) (189 last year)

Total lodging cost:  $8062.59  (includes Griff's start) ($8091.30 last year)

Average cost/night:  $40.52 ($42.81 last year)

15 Sep 2023 - Dinner with Rusty and Lynn Rosenbaum

 

Lynn, Rusty Rosenbaum, Doreen and I

Today we further worked on the inventory and take home list.  Doreen and I both made quite a few phone calls.  I called the City of Ankeny and turned on our solid waste pickup.  Ankeny Sanitation will resume our recycle pickup.  State Farm will turn on our car insurance starting tomorrow.  I made initial contact with our auto body shop.  They contract out the paintless dent repair for the hail damage so I need to further coordinate on that when the truck is free in October.  Doreen got ahold of our dermatologist,  optometrist, dentist office, and some non-recurring prescription refills.  I contacted Griff's RV Park and got our site assignment 

Our son made his weekly visit to our house today, and before he left he turned on our water heater so Doreen can get on the laundry tomorrow when we get home and we can shower.  

This afternoon I dumped tanks and flushed and stowed all the hoses in preparation for our departure in the morning.  We also reviewed the route for tomorrow.  We had kind of a break and so I found the 2006  'Dirty Jobs' episode with Mike Rowe where we worked in the STRATACA salt mine in Hutchinson KS, the same one we toured.  So we streamed that and enjoyed watching it.

This evening on the way to dinner we fueled the big ol' brown truck.  She was thirsty today taking in over 28 gallons of diesel in the 32 gallon tank.  We met Rusty Rosenbaum and his friend Lynn for dinner at a local bar and grill.  As mentioned before, when I was with the Iowa Air National Guard fulltime Rusty was a contracted telephone system maintainer.  He also served in the Air Force as a telephone maintainer in Alaska before settling back in the Omaha area.  We worked very closely for quite a few years and became close friends.  He used to come down to our house in Norwalk when he was over from Omaha working here.  We had a lot of fun!   He attended my military retirement in 2015 and we have stayed in touch all these years.  We were able to get together with Rusty and Lynn last year about this time too.

Tomorrow morning we will pull chocks about 0830 hrs and head home, the very last leg of our 2023 RV adventures.  We will set up the camper at Griff's RV Park near Altoona.  I will make a final post with a final summary of stats, but it may or may not be tomorrow night.  Thanks to everyone who followed along.  I hope you enjoyed this year's trip as mush as we did.  

Next report from HOME!!

14 Sep 2023 - Really NSTR !! Inventory Work

 

Really nothing significant to report today.  We stayed put and worked on the inventory which also serves as our unload list.  Doreen gets frustrated with me and my spreadsheets but this one has proven itself.  It's a painful process.  Was chilly last night but gorgeous day here today.  The windows remained open all day and all three air conditioners remained off.  And Liberty is in heaven with no sand burs and lush green grass!  

We are starting to populate our calendar with grandkids sports events.  The Ankeny grandsons, Daniel and Calvin,  are both playing fall baseball and Daniel is also playing football.   1 Oct we turn our gym membership back on and then daily visits to the gym, no excuses. 

We have doctor and dental appointments already scheduled.  Veterinary, dermatology, optometry appointments likely are too - I need to verify.  Truck appointment for hail damage repair from our wonderful stay at North Platte NE earlier this summer will happen soon.  Also, truck needs an oil change, but no appointment necessary there.  

I pressed the go button on my pending Amazon order so as to time the arrival with our arrival home.  Some things I need for the RV will show up shortly after we get home.  I contacted State Farm and they will turn back on the full coverage on our car effective Saturday.  Normally I would also turn on Sirius XM but they ticked me off so I told them to cancel.  So many moving parts to this.  

Tomorrow no big plans until later when we will have dinner with Rusty and Lynn, then fuel the truck and prepare to bug out Saturday morning towards Ankeny.  

That's it for tonight.

13 Sep 2023 - Arrived at West Omaha/ NE Lincoln KOA Holiday

 

Wow!  One little speck of black left on our map, a journey we started 165 days ago, on 1 Apr 2023.  Keep in mind we have one more segment to complete - from here to Ankeny (home), but so far we have traveled 8535 miles point to point.  Our truck has traveled 13,355 miles.  We will hold further stats until we get home in a couple more days.

This morning we departed Hutchinson KS at 0914 hrs and headed north on KS 61, I-135 and then Hwy 81 all the way to I-80 then east to the West Omaha/ NE Lincoln KOA Holiday. 

Overall it was a longer than normal driving day for us at 284 miles and 5 hrs 10 minutes travel time, but it was all divided four lane so not bad.  We arrived here at 1424 hrs and checked in quickly.  We are in the same site we had last year 25-29 Sep 2022.  The sites are level and full hookup.  And Liberty is happy as there are no sand burrs!!!

We will use tomorrow and Friday to finish our inventory verification and unload plan.  Friday evening we will meet a great friend Rusty Rosenbaum and his friend Lynn for dinner.  Rusty worked at the Des Moines Air Guard base when we got our first digital switch and we became close friends and have stayed in touch ever since.  Saturday we will bug out and head home, destination Griff's RV Park near Ankeny.  Then the fun begins!  Doreen and I both agree we are tired and ready for a break.  Unfortunately there is no rest for the wicked as my work just gets started when we get home.  That's OK - a labor of love!

12 Sep 2023 - Trip to Yoder KS and Last Day at Hutchinson

 

Low key day today, our last day in Hutchinson KS.  We took off this morning and drove south to Yoder,  the largest Amish community in Kansas. It was plotted in 1906 as a central point for surrounding Amish communities. Our destination was Yoder Meats as Doreen was in search of Amish spices, specifically a delicious coleslaw mix she buys in Wisconsin and cilantro.  

The Yoder Meats is their retail store adjacent to their Yoder Meat Processing facility.  They have a full meat market selection there plus all sorts of canned and pickled products, cheeses, souvenirs and other items.  Everything but spices!  I guess we will have to make a road trip to the Antigo WI area and restock. 

As long as we were here we cruised downtown Yoder, and it was quaint, like stepping back in time a bit, and everything was "Yoder".  We found the Yoder lumber yard, the Yoder post office, the Yoder market, well, you get the idea!  But we found no where to get what Doreen was after, so we headed the long way back to Hutchinson.  On the way we passed the Morton salt facility.  We stopped at Walmart and restocked the pantry a bit and then found diesel for $3.969 which is better than we have been paying.  

Back at the campground we did our normal 'day before we leave' stuff.  We also started to tweak our inventory spreadsheet.  It is kind of a painful process, but this spreadsheet identifies everything we carry on the coach and exactly where it is located.  That listing would be very important should we suffer a catastrophic loss, such as an accident or a fire.  Luckily we are not starting from scratch, rather just refreshing the spreadsheet a bit as things change from year to year.  

This time of the year it also serves a very critical purpose in that it identifies everything we have to unload and take home when we get there in a few days and what we will leave in the coach in totes.  Next spring it helps us reload the coach and get ready to hit the road.  We also spend time identifying anything we need to do to the coach when we get home in preparation for putting it in storage.  There are a hundred moving parts to this and organization such as what this spreadsheet brings, really helps.  Now my kids and those I worked with forever will laugh when they read this as I am known for my exotic spreadsheets, but they work!

The clock is really ticking for us as soon as we arrive home.  We talk about what we have to do when we get home, which is going to happen in just three days!  We will pull our coach into Griff's RV Park not far from our house, but we will not be camping there.  Griff's serves as a place we can park the coach on level concrete sites with full hookup and we can unload and work on the coach in preparation for our winter storage.  

We only have reservations there for two short weeks.  We do not have room to park it at home, unfortunately.  Once we arrive there Saturday afternoon, we will unload a list of items we need at home right away.  Having those items identified in advance is important.  Then I will start on my "to-do" list.  I plan to replace the bushings and wet bolts in the suspension.  I need to install an electric heating system I purchased from my son-in-law at the Rally in Goshen this summer, in preparation for our adventures next spring.  The roof needs cleaned and the sealant joints inspected and resealed if needed.  The slideouts need to have the Eternabond tape replaced.  The coach needs washed and waxed.  All of the seals need to be inspected and treated.  Believe it or not, they actually recommend using Lemon Pledge on those seals!  The entire coach needs cleaned inside.  The water system needs to be drained and antifreeze run through the pipes and fixtures - they call that 'winterizing'.   Everything electronic that has batteries mush have the batteries removed.  And the list goes on.  Owning one of these is not for the faint of heart!!  Maintaining the coach, trip planning, etc is a whole ton of work, but if we did not enjoy the 'execution' part we would not do it.  

We have really enjoyed our stay and adventures here at Hutchinson KS.  Sand Hills State Park campground is really nice.  Liberty is looking forward to leaving the 'land of the sand burrs'!  Hopefully you enjoy reading the blog as it is a ton of work too, but, again, we enjoy documenting our trips.  

Next report tomorrow afternoon from West Omaha/NE Lincoln KOA Holiday Campground!

11 Sep 2023 - Kansas State Fair in the Rain

 

Only YOU can prevent forest fires!!

We woke this morning to steady rain here in Hutchinson KS, and reflections on where we were when 9/11/2001 occurred.  Doreen was working as the fuel accountant at Signature Flight Support at the Des Moines International Airport.  They gathered in the front office area where the computer screen showed flights in the air diminishing one by one until the screen was blank.  I was on duty at the Air Guard Base.  Security levels went to the max and I called Doreen and told her that I had no idea if or when I would be home.  Michelle was at Milwaukee WI teaching.  Jennifer was attending Iowa State University and she reported directly to the Air Guard Base in Des Moines.  Our son Dan was at Air Force Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio TX and they were locked down.

Today, daughter Michelle would be at school teaching 8th grade math for her 23rd year.  Daughter (Chief Master Sergeant) Jennifer was likely on duty at the Battle Creek Michigan Air Guard Base where she serves full time.  Son Dan is the Deputy Chief of the Ankeny Fire Department and for the past several years has organized the 9/11 memorial ceremony there at the fire station.  Their ceremony serves as a remembrance and honors those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.   We are so proud of our kids and their contributions to society.

Dan at the microphone

Members of the Ankeny Fire Department with Mike Pence and State Representative Zach Nunn who also serves with the Iowa Air National Guard  

Mike Pence, our son Dan, grand daughter Hailee, grandson Calvin, Dan's spouse Ashley

As we headed out on today's adventures we are reminded how fortunate we are to have the freedoms we enjoy here in the greatest Nation on the planet.  Events like 9/11/2001 serve as a reminder how we should never take these freedoms for granted.

Today we drove a few miles into Hutchinson to attend the Kansas State Fair, in the rain.  The young lady we assisted last night, Kari Hamilton,  gave us her parking permit so we were able to drive right in Gate 2 and park very close.  The guy at the gate asked if we had some sort of ticket and when we said we did not, he just waived us through anyway.  So, no charge for parking or for admission!  What a deal!  We worked our way through several buildings and outside displays while we made our way to the Dairy Barn where Kari conducts an educational presentation on dairy cattle and milking!  

Various fruits, vegetables, soy bean plants, you name it!

The blue ribbon pumpkin - 1280 lbs!

The blue ribbon watermelon - 212.8 lbs!!

The Kansas State Fair has a butter sculpture just like the Iowa State Fair's butter cow.  This year it is Amelia Earhart who everyone knows of, but she was a female American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The Kansas connection for her is that she was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, KS.  The sculpture was created by Sarah Pratt from West Des Moines IA!!

We passed the Kansas State Fair's equivalent to our "Hall of Law".  The Hutchinson Fire Department was well represented including Smokey the Bear pictured above with Doreen.  

Very nice looking Pierce aerial ladder truck, made in Wisconsin

The Air National Guard had their mobile emergency operations center here and the Army National Guard had several vehicles on display.

AS we made our way to the Dairy Barn we caught a glimpse of the midway area which looked a lot like many others we've seen.  The rides, the food, the lights, the sounds.

At the Dairy Barn we found Kari as she was getting her presentation ready.  There are pens for about five dairy cows and the milking machines to demonstrate this.  

Kari brings one of her own cows with her and then there are other local dairy farmers that bring some.  

This is Hazel Grace, one of Kari's dairy cows!

They carefully sanitize the udder and tits area.

Kari describing and demonstrating the milking process.

We learned that Hazel Grace will produce about 10 gallons (70 lbs) of milk per day, and they will milk her about three times per day.  Dairy cows must bear a calf before they start producing milk, but once that happens, they produce milk for about 10 months. Then the milk production will taper off  and then they go through a  "drying off" period. The cow will calve again about 12 to 14 months after the birth of her previous calf. Between the time the milk is harvested from the cows until it reaches your table is just two days.  

Before you get the milk, it has been filtered, milk fats have been separated.  Then it is pasteurized, heated to 161° F for 15 seconds to kill pathogens and extend the shelf life.  Homogenization evenly disperses fat globules and stops the cream separating and rising to the top, allowing a more consistent texture and taste.   We learned all that because Kari locked herself  out of her trailer LOL.  Thanks Kari!

From there we cruised the livestock birthing center and saw newly born piglets, calves, lambs.

A simulator to teach how to pull calves

Newly born piglets

A newborn lamb

Two day old calves

The rain continued to come down, so we headed up towards the midway area and then to a few of the other buildings.  

Rain or shine, the marching bands performed.  I asked one young lady and she said they were all released from school today so they could attend.  I wondered as this state fair is late.  School has already started

We found their equivalent of our "Varied Industries Building", but the stuff inside was the same....    

We stopped at one of the food vendors and had lunch, but it was nothing to write home to momma about.  Doreen ordered a burnt end cheeseburger but what she got was just a plain cheeseburger.  I ordered some sort of hotdog that was baked into a roll with cheese.  We shared fries with burnt end on them which we did not order.  Doreen had a frozen margarita that was not very frozen and I had a Modelo Chelada which was really good.  Overall the food was not very good, but we did not have high expectations.

This afternoon we relaxed as the rain continued and tonight we are watching the Cubs at the Rockies.  Kari's truck was back at her camper, so Doreen returned our parking pass to her.  She said with the rainy weather everyone was congregating under cover and her presentations were packed!  Good for her!

Tomorrow we have no plans yet.  It will be our last day here, so I will need to get fuel, dump/flush tanks, etc etc.