And it was FREE

July 30, 2019
Waterloo, Iowa

Can you believe it?  A professional, polished, informative, impressive, well done museum.....and it is FREE!!  

It's the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum full of history beginning back in 1836 when John Deere, a blacksmith designed and produced plows making the farmer and horses field plowing easier and more efficient.  The museum wasn't just about tractors, as they came along later in time.  Stationary engines evolved into self propelled engines or traction engines which became shortened to 'Tractor'.

Can you just picture doing the wash?

And then they thought wash day was a breeze when the motor took over the hand lever to agitate the laundry.  

As the John Deere company was handed down a generation, they acquired Waterloo Boy and Engine Company.

This 'bad boy' was started with a hand crank that could easily break your arm if things went amiss.  Just insert the crank and give it a turn. 

As the years progressed, the tractors not only became more efficient but they also were enhanced with driver comforts such as  cushioned, easy ride seating all the way to enclosed, air conditioned cabs with radios.

And there you have the highlights of a well thought out museum.

The museum wasn't far from our KOA campground.  I think this is the first campground we have camped at

that has its own gas pumps.

Nice park......

I wonder if our next stop will as nice.  Travel day tomorrow.....

I'm Chloe

Circle time

July 31, 2019
Departing Waterloo
Heading for Adair, Iowa

I just love to run around in circles, but my Dad sure doesn't.  It all began as we departed the Waterloo campground and made a left turn,  traveled 1/2 mile and made a right turn followed by another right turn where the road widened into a four lane highway.  Just as Momma said, "Well that was easy," and began to settle back for the ride the GPS told us to take the ramp on the right......except the ramp was barricaded. No problem...we'll just get off at the next exit and loop back around to use the exit on the other side of the four lane....WRONG.  Another barricaded ramp.  So we continued to follow the road and found ourselves right back where we began.  Some detour signs might be helpful here!!   I guess you just can't leave Waterloo.

All of a sudden the AC was on full til boogie....Dad was getting hot.  Sweaty palms on the steering wheel.  

On to plan B .....don't follow the GPS as it keeps trying to turn us around to take the same closed off ramps.  

New plan of attack....go two exits instead of just one and see if we can somehow loop back around.  I'm not quite certain how we managed it but we found ourselves in a road construction area that took us down to one lane and finally opened up onto the road we needed to travel to wind up in Adair at a cute little county park for an overnighter.

Now it seems our day was turning a corner for the positive for us.  We got settled in right before the skies opened up with a downpour of rain.  It's a good thing we didn't have to make another circle before Waterloo or we would have been setting up in the rain....our own waterloo!!

I'm Chloe

No pics included

July 28 - 29, 2019
Last Day in Red Wing
Arrival in Waterloo, Iowa

I could tell you a tale about why there are no pics in this post.  About how the rig is just too shiny and clean for the camera.  Well, the shiny and clean would be the truth, but there was no sun to cause any sort of glare.  You see, Momma and Dad took advantage of the cloudy day and in between rain showers, they washed the truck....and boy did it need it!!  And then they washed the rig....in two settings.  They got half way around and had to call a short intermission while another rain cloud passed thru dumping it's heavy, wet load before moving on by.  Spit and polish.....the rain provided the spit and the two leggeds provided the polish.

Now everything is squeaky clean including me.  I had my tubby the day before while the sun was shining.  I guess that means we not only look great but smell great as well.  At least I know I smell terrific!!  I know you'd love to cuddle with me.

Monday was travel day.  Another uneventful trip until we hit the Iowa border where the road deteriorated into a bump, bouncy, 'road could sure use some repair' highway.  That's when the load began to shift once again.....even more than we experienced driving on the Alaskan roads. At least we don't have all that Alaskan dust!!  So, that means we add Iowa to our growing list of lousy roads we have traveled this summer.  The microwave glass plate NEVER shifted until this summer.  Maybe we need to consider using one of those tips to keep it in place while traveling if we keep finding these deteriorating road conditions.  I mean, a girl can't even stretch out  in the back seat and take a decent nap.

Waterloo KOA has some interesting features.  There is a body of water that has a nice swimming beach.  There is a water slide built into the natural hilly terrain.  The cabins have thatched roofs in keeping with the tropical theme of the park.  The cable TV has a station devoted to a slide show of  people enjoying the park.  The dog park has some agility items.  Even the sites have a bit of breathing room between them unlike most KOA parks.  And these interior roads are not at all bumpy and bouncy.  The park is not quite half full but it is a weekday.  I'm sure this place fills up over the weekend with so much for kids to enjoy.

Dad, be sure to add Iowa to my growing list of states traveled map.  Enjoying our new surroundings in Waterloo.....

I'm Chloe

Red Wing

July 26-28, 2019
Treasure Island RV Park
Red Wing, MN

Thankfully, we didn't have to try to put our nose in the air and make the steep climb to get on our highway to depart Duluth.  

We were able to turn left long before the incline headed for the sky.

Our uneventful travel took us to our next destination which, as it turns out was perfect timing.  We are departing this area on the 29th and the road that takes us quickly from the RV Park into Red Wing closes on the 30th for road work.  Whew!!!  Although, if the road was closed, maybe that would have meant that Momma and Dad would have hung around the rig longer and I would have been able to get some extra games of ball toss/fetch in during our stay.  We have the perfect set up.  We are in a back up site on Row A on the far end.

Just check out all that green grass behind our rig.  Super for ball fetching.

The rest of the park is made up of pull thru sites that don't have the delightful backyard we have.  I wonder if Momma planned it that way?  

Well, seeing as the hwy to Red Wing hasn't been closed off yet, Momma and Dad went exploring....and what did they find?

The World's Largest Boot coming in at 2300 pounds made in the USA right here at the Red Wing factory.  Just check out that lace.  Dad can barely get his hand around it....and he had to go to the second story/level to reach it. 

The boot was in the museum section of the Red Wing Shoe store.  They even had a collection of well worn boots that stood up to the working man's challenge of hard labor.

Now this is not your everyday sewing machine.  Most of the work performed to produce a boot or shoe is still handcrafted to ensure quality.  

On the other hand,  the Red Wing Pottery Factory is no longer in business.  Handcrafted pottery and crocks just couldn't compete with mass production and they closed the factory in 1967.  The huge brick buildings have been remodeled into businesses, shops and the pottery museum.  In the present day,  don't use crocks as our great grandparents did.

Even the hand painted dinnerware have become collectible items.  Just check out all the patterns.

Red Wing is a pretty community of about 16,500. The streets are lined with flowers with a lovely park in the midst of all the shops.

And the city was established by the water.

Have you ever seen floating boat houses that sit right on the water and raise and lower as the water level changes.  The buildings are loosely attached to poles in the corners to keep them from losing  position and floating into one another.  This is the Red Wing Yacht Club.

Personally, I like my home/rig to be on land where there is lots of room to stretch out, exercise and run faster than the wind.

I'm Chloe

Relatives and Bridges

July 22-25
Menomonie, WI
Duluth, MN

My cousin Murphy

rolled out the luscious, soft, velvety green carpet for me.  The kind of grass that feels great on your belly after it has been tickling your toes as you romp and race faster than the wind chasing a fribee or a ball.  Murph is eleven so he can't keep up with me, but he graciously let his masters toss the ball and fribee for me until my tongue was licking my toes.  Ahhh.....life is good!

Now while I was playing, Momma and Dad were down in the raspberry patch with Missy loading up a bucket or two. 

 Missy knows how to find the best berries hiding under the leaves.  I thought she was playing hide and seek!  Can you locate her?

Missy has a very green thumb that I'm sure gets brown while planting her gardens...both flower and vegetable.

There was only one rule I had to follow while visiting.  NO running in the garden.  But with all that land I had no problem getting up to full speed.

Don and Missy asked if we had been to Duluth.  Well, guess what.  We departed Menomonie and headed north answering the call to visit Lake Superior and camp by the water's edge in the Marina/RV Park

where you can see the Aerial Lift Bridge right from our site.  What a marvel.  It's an elevating two lane roadway that lifts 135 feet to accommodate the HUGE cargo ships needing to pass through on their way to Duluth or Superior ports. 

The bridge spans 390 feet across the canal and only has a clearance of 15 feet under it when in the lower position for pedestrians to walk across or vehicles to drive across.

This vessel was carrying 68,000 tons of iron pellets.

The bridge uses a system of pulley's and counter weights to raise and lower, all electrically powered.  Each concrete counter weight weighs 450 tons.

Can you make out the concrete 'block' in the vertical framework that changes position as the roadway is raised and lowered?  Fascinating and impressive for sure!!

Duluth is sure a hilly city as you leave the waterfront area that is crowded with buildings that fill every tourist's need or desire.

Okay Dad, get out the glue.  We need to add another gemstone to my map of states visited.

I'm Chloe