Ellsworth AFB–South Dakota

 

Well we have finally made it to South Dakota. I really liked this place, even more green grass and trees than previous places we had visited. We had to stay one night in another park so we could get a address with both our names on it so we could become South Dakota residences and get a drivers Licence. I think we arrived on the 18th June 2011 or close there about. When we pulled up in front of the office I told Dann to make sure we get a site nearest to the WIFI Transmitter tower. Well we  couldn't have got a better spot.It was next to a COKE machine and what I thought was a Laundry. I made a bee line for the coke machine after we had finished un-hooking and setting up. As I approached the machine with my tongue licking my lips, (been a while since I had downed a coke) I heard this voice saying..Ma'am that machine is out of order !! I thought..WTF !! I looked around and seen this woman standing inside her doorway of her 5th wheel, I remember thinking, Your wrong woman, the machines on I can see the lights on even in day light. Anyway that was my introduction to Snookie who is responsible for  me getting in to blogging and I thank her dearly. By the way, that was the only time I ever heard her call me Ma’am, 2 days later it was another word she called me..we hit it off straight away. I felt really comfortable here. Hadn't felt like that since we left Tucson. Snookie and her cronies  included me in their Mexican Train games just about every third night. I tried to teach them Aussie English but it was a lost cause, Cant teach these dam Americans anything !!

It rained just about everyday we were here..I loved it. ! I was always amazed at the cloud formations here. Below is a picture of what It looked like most afternoons.

So cool and overcast !!

This one concerned me a bit.

Below is “Bob” (Snookies other half and Dann)

Bob Showing of his new kebab Holders.

Bobs wife “Snookie”

Below is Val one of Snookies  Mexican Train Cronies

It was either Val or Snookie that always won Mexican Train. They were good I have to admit. I just wanted to win ONE Lousy game you 2  

Our Day Trip To See Mt Rushmore

We set of early on a day of sight seeing. Our main stop was going to see Mt Rushmore. We had drove past this National Monument the day before. I have to say it was awesome to see it from  a distance in the comfy of the truck. Dann really wanted to see this up close. He told me he felt a over whelming sense of pride of  being a American.  Our first port of call was to a little tourist town called Keystone I think. here they had a Wax Museum of all the American Presidents.

JFK and Little John John

The Swearing in Of President Johnson. Jackie still has John’s blood over her.

I am not going to post all the pictures i took, every President is in there, some I thought didn't look like the actual person for example this one below.

Bill Clinton.

So done visiting the  Wax Museum we decided to get a bite to eat. I spied this really old style 50’s style Burger Joint. So in we went.

Dann.

With Full belly's we set of on the next part of our sight seeing trip. The main street of Keystone was a busy place. I noticed this full size  stage Couch poked up in what looked like a veranda.

Next stop Mt Rushmore.

Dann in front of Mt Rushmore

Another picture I played around with.

Well we came..we saw and left. I was in awe of what I had seen. A great day out sigh seeing.

 

 

Our one night stay in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

 

 

Warren  AFB Fam Camp is not easy to find, its tucked away in a special place. When we arrived it was raining quite heavy, had to sit in the truck and wait for it to clear. After we un-hooked and set up for the night we decided to eat out again over at the BX. The BX is a Shopping Centre that is for military personal and their family's.  Like a mini Wal-Mart or Big W back home in Australia, You don't pay any tax’s on your purchases, which is a great saving. This Fam Camp was beautiful and tranquil. So Green and lots of trees all over the camp. I am still fascinated by  greenery after spending the winter in Tucson where I don't think I seen a blade of green grass anywhere or a green tree for that matter. There was a Family of Rabbits that lived here as well. I noticed people walking past them and they didn't even look up. They weren't threated by humans here..at all !!

There was roaming antelope that lived here as well. It was incredible to see them up close and caring for their young.

        Below is the only picture that turned out here.

Me waving to Dann.

After a good nights rest we awoke next morning ,hooked up and headed out on to the road again…Next stop

RAPID CITY SOUTH DAKOTA.

 

Leaving Tucson And Heading…Where ?

 

 

On the 1st of May we left Tucson and headed of towards New Mexico. Firstly I have to tell you, I love  Kokopelli. In Tucson and New Mexico there was more than my eyes and wallet could handle. I bought a few pieces for our out door table and had a Sticker made for the truck.

This set I bought  when we went over the boarder to Mexico.

 

The manager of the Agave Gulch Fam Camp outlined this for me from a picture on his office wall and gave me permission to go and make a sticker out of it. I LOVE IT !! On the top is the A and the bottom is the G, with the Saguaro Cactus taking centre stage. Arizona’s state flower is the Saguaro Blossom. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

Our 1st stop after leaving Tucson was Poncho Villa State Park in New Mexico. We stayed a few days and had a look around.We were 14 miles from the Mexican Boarder There was a great museum there but I didn't take any pictures. I don't know why, what was I thinking. It was here that I finally found out I don't mind Mexican Food. It was a one horse town with this really old run down Restaurant  run by the sweetest Mexican lady. But could she cook. We ate there for the 3 nights we were there.Breakfast and Dinner. I was in heaven..NO cooking again. On the 6th we pulled out of Poncho Villa State Park and headed for Holloman Air Force Base 6 miles out of Alamogordo.This was going to be our home for the next month. It was cheaper to stay a month.Not a bad idea as our funds were running low again. After 1 week I was ready to leave. DUSTY DUSTY DUSTY !!! The white dust from the White Sands Missile Range had moved into our 5th wheel. I really didn't like our stay at Holloman, but the free WIFI and FREE Cable TV made it bearable. We basically locked the doors and spent most of the time watching cable TV. The  times we did venture out side was to do some washing and Dann had a few repairs on the 5th Wheel to do. It was here that my back decided to go out. I couldn't help dann pack up for our departure, I was stuck on the lounge and that's where I was staying. I Couldn't do anything  much for 6 weeks.

This is Holloman Air Force Base Fam Camp, that's us with our nose poking out of the left.

 

 

Finally it was time to leave this hell hole. We went to Carlsbad to see the HUGE Bate Caves. The day we went my back was at its worst. I told Dann there is no way I can do it. So we missed seeing them. Next time maybe. From Carlsbad we went to Roswell. I just had to go see me a Alien. I wasn't disappointed, there was Aliens every where, on the top of buildings, on the side walks in front of shops, you name it, there was one there to. Below are a few Pictures I managed to take from the truck.

The most famous Alien of them all

While we were in Roswell we stayed at Bottomless Lake, its about 15 – 20 miles out of Roswell. Beautiful Spot. The temperature in the 5th wheel was creeping up to about 90 degrees, 35 Celsius  with the Air  Con going flat out. It was over 100 out side. A bit under 40 Celsius.  Lucky for us we had a beautiful swimming hole right there.The coldest water to.

The view of the swimming hole from our front step.

Close up of our Private Swimming Hole

We finally dragged our selves away from our little Swimming Hole  in Paradise and headed of towards The Rancheros Santa Fe Campground, still in New Mexico. We stayed one night here  and moved on next day. Our destination is Rapid City in South Dakota. This is where we are going to get our Drivers Licences and register our RV and Truck and to get a permanent  mailing address. The fun part was getting there. I actually like getting back in the truck after being in one place, the landscapes change from State to State. This part of our Walkabout Adventure was taking us to Colorado Springs in Colorado. OMG !!  This is John Denver country. The mountains there are absolutely beautiful. On the way to Colorado I noticed as I was gazing out the window enjoying the scenery as it passed me by the shortness of the telephone poles. It looked like they had been built by midgets They went on for miles. I grabbed my camera and managed to snap a picture of them.

   

I am learning now to have my Camera always by my side when we are on the move. It’s only taken me 4-5 months.As we approached Colorado Springs I was in Awe of the Mountains. One especially..”Cheyenne Mountain”.

 

Taken from the internet of Cheyenne Mountain, this mountain is HUGE !!

The entrance to Cheyenne Mountain

  And this is what is under that Mountain.

A lot to see here but so little time to see it all. We narrowed it down to eating out and visiting a beautiful place called      “ Garden Of The Gods”    We got going early to beat the rush of all them tourist that we knew would be there as well. We made it up there in good time, like 8am in the morning. It wasn't open because of a bike race that was in progress. we decided to kill a bit of time in the gift shop. I like to collect Iron on Patches of all the states we visit and Fridge magnets that I send home to my Mum in Australia. One day I “Will” iron them onto a vest or jacket of some sort. Dann realized in our hurry to leave the 5th Wheel, he had left his wallet behind. So back we went. Got to the gate and the security wouldn't let us back in. Rang the Air Force police, they couldn't help us. Finally after 2 hours a lady that Dann had spoken to on the phone (who we didn't know from a bar of soap)  sent her daughter out to escort us in. Its about 10.30 going on 11 by this time. Back to Garden Of The gods we went. By this time the tourist were every where. No vantage points to park so we could get out and get some  great pictures. My back is still out at this time so walking was not a option. So we basically drove around and snapped a few Pictures of what I could and left. Beautiful place.

 

Dann

In pain and it shows.

After a busy busy week of sigh seeing and finally being able to wash away the dust and dirt that had accumulated on the Truck and 5th wheel it was time to leave and hit the road again..Next stop on our trek to South Dakota was Fort Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming .

 

On the base here they had some B52’s. These are the planes that Dann loaded with Bombs while he was in the Air Force. He just had to go see for old time sakes.

 

Dann reunited with his baby.

 

 

And finally one more view of this massive plane.

 

 

This baby's wingspan is 185 feet (56.4 meters)

Its wingspan is actually longer than its length 159 feet, 4 inches (48.5 meters)