Still heading east with lots of stops

We are continuing east and got about 200 miles west of Sioux Falls, South Dakota where we had another problem with the engine on the motor home.  It turned out that I State trucking in Billings had failed to install a clamp on the turbo and we lost just about all power.  We limped in to Cummins, Sioux Falls on Labor day and set up camp like we owned the place.  We talked to them on Tuesday morning and they said they would get us in and fixed and on our way.

We took a tour of the town and spent a half day wandering around Falls Park.  Beautifully done park with a good place to have lunch near the heart of town.

This was once an industrial and quarry area of the town but they finally cleaned it up and what a great place to spend the day.  We even walked the legs off CC!

We got the rig fixed and headed out of town to visit friends who are camp hosting at Oakwood Lakes State park north of Sioux Falls, where we ended up staying 3 nights and got our picture taken on one of our hikes.  Dick wanted to show off how his beard is growing so he can be Santa this Christmas.

We ran across our first really green frog so of cource Dick had to get down and get a picture to share.

We spent about an hour at the beach in the evening taking some shots of the sunset with the unique cloud formation and reflections on the smooth lake.

It took some time to figure out what the black line is that originates from the center of the picture and came to the conclusion that its a shadow cast from the thick cloud in the center.  If you look closely you can see its reflection in the water.  First time Dick got a photo of a shadow reflecting in the water.  Oh well we thought it was cool.

Got to keep moving, so our next stop for only one night at a local winery in Winona MN.  Google Harvest Hosts and for a membership of only $30 per year you can stay for free at wineries and farms around the country.  Did we mention "FREE"?!  Looking down over the town of Winona with a lake in the forground and the Mississippi river in the back.

Walking the downtown area among some of the old buildings was interesting.  This one jumped out at Dick and he had to share it; see if you can figure out what it is.

The deep red brick behind the green ivy was a startling contrast in colors and if you look closely at the top of the picture you can see the ivy growing over the windows.  Hard to see but its there.

The First United Methodist Church that covered a city block had some very unique towers...

as you can see here.

Not sure what use the window is but sure would have liked to try and see it from the inside.

From Winona our next stop, where we are writing this, is West Bend WI where our dear friend Ardith Rehfeld has decided to spend her remaining days with her family.  We spent some quality time reminissing about our travels Sunday evening and again on Monday.  If you are a friend of Rod and Ardith, then you can leave a message and follow her strugles here at CaringBridge.  We love you Rod and Ardith and will continue to keep you in our prayers.

To be continued...