Travels – Page 62 – Paint Your Landscape

Jellystone Park ~ Sioux Falls, SD

August 20, 2011April 8, 2012LuAnn

Jellystone, where even Yogi Bear has learned to reinvent himself. It appears the infamous bear, in what looks to be semi-retirement, is now making appearances at select campgrounds, surprising birthday boys and girls. Who woulda thought?! Our friend, David, was wondering where he might be so I thought I would take a picture of Terry with Yogi to authenticate his existence (Yogi’s that is, but I suppose it would be nice to see that Terry is still alive and kicking!)

Terry was being a good sport here but did insist that I take the picture quickly!

We would typically prefer to stay at a state park, where there is hiking trails right outside one’s door but we are here to get some business done so we chose to stay at a park convenient to our needs. Since we had licensed our vehicles here, we thought we should familiarize ourselves somewhat with Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota. Given that this is a city of no more than 158,200 people, there must be some wide open spaces in this state.

One of the main attractions in this city is Falls Park, first visited by Native Americans, and has been a source of industry and recreation since the founding of Sioux Falls in 1856. The park consists of 123 acres and includes a visitors’ center, 5-story viewing tower, the remains of the Queen Bee Mill and other historic buildings, the Falls Overlook Cafe, bike trails, and lots and lots of waterfalls. Each second, an average of 7400 gallons of water drop 100 feet over the falls. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, a laser and light show, featuring a history of Sioux Falls, is shown at dusk in the park. Terry and I did attend this show and unfortunately were a bit underwhelmed. We thought the falls were much more spectacular during the day.

Falls & Queen Bee Mill — Falls with Remnants of Queen Bee Mill in Background

From the park we could see twin steeples of what looked to be a very interesting church so we decided to set out to get at up-close view. St. Joseph Cathedral sits in the historic district of Sioux Falls and as we rounded the corner, we crossed over a cobblestone street, which took us back to Mexico, where most streets in colonial towns were cobblestoned and boasted beautiful churches.

Construction of this dramatic cathedral began the summer of 1915, on the site where St. Michael’s once stood. The architect for this landmark passed away before seeing his finished product so one of his chief assistants oversaw the project and brought it to its completion in May, 1919. A major 2-year interior renovation was just completed. Sadly, we were not able to view the interior but the pictures online were striking.

Our last evening in Sioux Falls was spent strolling downtown, checking out the nightlife. Surprisingly there was lots of activity going on, friends enjoying drinks and dinner at sidewalk cafes, various little music venues to appreciate, unique shops to entice, and the most varied display of bronze figures sprinkled throughout the downtown area.

A couple of bronzes to enjoy.

Our one little indulgence for the night (and it wasn’t so little actually) was to stop at Sinful Things, a mother and daughter gourmet dessert shop, where we enjoyed two decadent little creations. They were both former bankers who left the stress of corporate life to follow a dream and their desserts were heavenly!

We are headed back to Wisconsin, passing through Madison, then on to explore Door County.

Backbone State Park ~ Delaware County, IA

August 16, 2011April 8, 2012LuAnn

Backbone State Park in Delaware County, IA was our first stop once we got our bearings and spent some time familiarizing ourselves with our Mobile “Sweet”. It is Iowa’s first state park and touted as her best. It was named for a narrow and steep ridge of limestone, the “Devil’s Backbone” and it is very picturesque.

Many full-timers live by the “2/4/4 Rule” when traveling from one RV campground to the next. Drive no more than 200 miles per day; drive no more than 4 hours per day; or drive no later than 4pm each day, whichever of the 3 comes first. Being rookies, we broke all the rules the first day out but it did bring us to this nice park with a pull-through site and 50 amp service. We did agree, however, that the 2/4/4 rule was a sound one to follow.

There is a lovely little beach within the park, on the shore of Backbone Lake, along with a charming boat house and beach house, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, using the local limestone.

Hiking trails wind through the lush woods and other amenities include boating, trout fishing, bicycling and rock climbing. We spent a couple of days wandering through some of the quaint little towns that dotted the Mississippi River.

McGregor is one of those charming little towns, sitting right on the river. A local band played on the waterfront when we arrived, providing a welcoming ambiance.

Street Scene, McGregor, IA — McGregor Street Scene

Another day of exploring took us through the small town of Elkader, where we discovered the impressive St. Joseph Catholic Church, dedicated in 1900. It has been enlarged to its present-day construction and built with local limestone in the Gothic Revival style.

Then it was on to Pikes Peak State Park, which provided us some remarkable views of the Mighty Mississippi.

Mississippi River — Confluence of Wisconsin River with the Mighty Mississippi

Time to break camp and head to our next destination!

Chain O’ Lakes State Park ~ Spring Grove, IL

August 14, 2011April 8, 2012LuAnn

Since we purchased our rig in Antioch, IL, we decided to spend some time nearby, familiarizing ourselves with the systems. It seems appropriate that we should begin this new adventure in the midwest, as Terry and I both grew up in this area, me in Illinois and Terry in Ohio. Jay and Beth were kind enough to spend some time with us, answering questions, which I suspect would not occur with just anyone selling their RV. They recommended Chain O’ Lakes State Park, and it did not disappoint.

For novices such as ourselves, there were many sites with ample space to back a 38 foot rig into and the sites were separated enough that we did not feel we were sitting on top of our neighbors. The sites were neat and clean and heavily wooded, making for a very lovely stay. The amenities in the park were many: lot of lakes, great hiking trails, boating, canoe rentals, horse rentals, and fishing, just to name a few.

We came across a couple of birders while out hiking one day, who pointed out the elusive green heron to us, not readily seen and commonly referred to as “shypoke”. It was a great treat for us.

Our friends, Bob and Jan, whom we met in Ajijic, Mexico, live just up the highway in Rockford, IL, so we spent a couple of days with them and they generously showed us their home town, as well as Lake Geneva, WI, a charming town with a great lake front.

Time to head down the road to Iowa!

Our New Home ~ The RV Lifestyle

August 13, 2011April 8, 2012LuAnn

It seems we are like a couple of rolling stones, not content to stay in any one place for too long. Our adventure in Mexico has ended and we have made the decision to become full-time RVers, which will give us the opportunity to see the USA in style for the foreseeable future, as well as put our “home on wheels” in storage and travel beyond the boundaries of our homeland if we so desire. Our bucket list is so long that we will never see the end of it but this lifestyle seems to give us the best chance to check many places off the list over a short period of time.

We purchased a DRV Mobile Suites from a great couple in Antioch, Illinois, who we are pleased to now call our friends; have had all systems checked; and we have “hit the road”.

Here is a first glimpse at our Mobile “Sweet”:

See you soon down the road!

Adios por Ahora Mexico!

August 11, 2011April 8, 2012LuAnn

Goodbye for now Mexico! It is bittersweet for us to be leaving Mexico as we so enjoyed our time here and made some wonderful friends in the past year.

This is a country that we will visit again as we feel that we just scratched the surface of fascinating places to visit. I know I have already voiced this but it is worth repeating – everyone, if given the opportunity, should take the time to experience a developing country and immerse yourself in another culture. If you embrace the ways of another country, you may find that you will be richly rewarded and have a greater appreciation for the wealth we all enjoy in the US, even with what is now happening in the political arena and our economy (and I refuse to expound on that).

Here are just a few things that we will miss:

balmy, sunny weather
fabulous food and amazing aromas
lush vegetation
colonial cities rich in culture and history
striking churches and historic buildings
vividly colored buildings and homes
stunning murals painted by local artists on the sides of buildings
smiling, friendly locals
beautiful children playing outside with basic toys (balls, bicycles, sticks)
multi-generations walking together hand-in-hand

I would be remiss in typing this final tribute to Mexico if I failed to mention a few people we met in Lakeside who touched us deeply:

Our yoga instructor, Ana, was a delightful, inspiring young woman who grew up in the Lakeside area, moved to Canada where she earned her law degree, and walked away from that profession, as her heart and soul drew her to sharing her love of yoga and meditation. She moved with her husband and baby son back to Lakeside, where she hopes to share the local culture with her child. Her spirituality and love of imparting what she has learned certainly fed us during our time in San Antonio Tlayacapan.

Tennis seems to be a sport that is embraced in Lakeside, enjoyed by young and old. Our instructor, Tony, who grew up in Guadalajara, is fun-loving and patient. He encouraged us and pushed us each and every lesson. We were thankful to spend time with him over the past several months.

Tony Probably Giving Me a Pointer about My Backhand

Lois Cugini, whose picture I unfortunately do not have, is a pint-size little bundle of energy who moved to the Lakeside area 30+ years ago from Boston, MA and who still has the accent. She owns a funky little women’s boutique and wine bar in Ajijic, very well respected by locals and tourists alike.

Lee and Lloyd are a couple from the Houston area who retired to Lakeside several years ago and are still hard at work as realtors and property managers. They were our landlords and are a delightful couple.

Terry happened upon a familiar looking face when he was walking the bicycle path in Lakeside, shortly after our arrival to Mexico. He turned out to be a man who we became friends with back in Michigan 10+ years ago. We both took an exercise class he was teaching and it was great fun rekindling our friendship and getting to know his wife Geri. They have lived in Ajijic for the past 4 years.

We recently house sat/dog sat for them when they returned to the states for a visit. We must admit that we fell in love with their dog Kai and had some withdrawal pains when our house sitting job ended. The house they rent is fabulous so I thought I would share the view from their veranda.

And here is the couple lucky enough to enjoy this view every day!

And last, but not least from this trio, is our buddy Kai. It was love at first sight for me when I met him!

Geri and Dave came into our lives a few short months ago but we felt an immediate connection with them. They come from the state of Washington and were our next-door neighbors for a few months before we left. They are a dear couple and we will miss them greatly.

Geri, Dave & Me (Me Sans Makeup & Fixing Hair - Yikes!)

The next picture I had to include, as it will forever remind me of Dave. His favorite expression is “it just doesn’t matter!”, meaning don’t sweat the small stuff. He has the most positive attitude and we loved spending time with them.

Last, but certainly not least, in our small grouping of friends, is Les and David.

Terry met David when he went to Lakeside on a fact-finding mission the year before we moved to Mexico. He had been following Les’s blog, which I encourage everyone to read http://boomerstomexico.com. David is an accomplished photographer and Terry saw him at a local parade and introduced himself. He said that Terry was the nicest stalker he had ever met!

Les has a quirky, unique sense of humor and a beautiful spirit, and is a fabulous writer. Terry and I are both reminded of Erma Bombeck when we read her blog and she has been told by many that she should write a book. We think this is a must!

When we told them we were moving back to the states for a time, she wrote us the loviest email as she has such an amazing way with words. I will quote a piece of it and mirror back to them the same message, as it applies equally to them:

“We became the recipients of an oh-so-comfortable friendship. The type of friendship that did not need constant attending or constant togetherness. The kind of friendship that made each encounter, chance or otherwise, like the smile a rainbow brings after a gentle rain.”

A few more lines I will take from Les’s email, as I believe it applies to Mexico in general for us: “Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean we’ll miss you until we meet again.”

Adios Mexico!