Rambling Down the Road to the 15th Montana Owners' Club National Fall Rally

We hit the road early as we headed to Goshen, IN for a Montana Owners' Club (MOC) Rally, eager to do some more touring of South Dakota along our route with our VIP discount pass from our summer work-camping employer.

Our first stop was the Prairie Homestead in Philip, SD, the original sod home of Ed Brown and his family.  It is one of the last examples of early pioneer homes still standing.  It is truly amazing how people homesteaded back then.   They were in the middle of nowhere facing so many obstacles, from harsh weather, to predators like grasshoppers and prairie dogs ruining their crops, to chancing safe passage to the outhouse without encountering rattle snakes!   The land here is still farmed, so we made a donation to sample some of the heirloom veggies like zucchini, squash, and tomatoes, which were delicious.  There was even a pumpkin patch, but it was way too early to pick the gourds.  There were some goats on the grounds, and this place had the friendliest chickens I’ve ever met—one even let me pet it!  The grounds had a huge cast iron tub, which I learned was multi-functional.  It was used by the Brown family to wash bedding as well as to scald the chickens.  Gross—talk about a health violation!  I enjoyed visiting this small but interesting historical site.

 

I just had to--test out the outhouse!

A white-tailed prairie dog checking me out!

This egg-layer didn't seem to mind me visiting inside the earthen coop!

Next up was Badlands Petrified Gardens, which is a tourist attraction that has been around since the 1950s.  It has a small but interesting assortment of rocks and petrified wood.  Having visited Petrified Forest National Park back in 2016, I found Badlands Petrified Gardens anti-climatic.   But since it didn’t cost me any cheese money, I made the most of my visit.  They had charts comparing the geological vs biblical timelines for the creation of Earth, which I found quite intriguing.  It got me thinking about a book I read about the Grand Canyon, in which scientists dispel the theory that Noah’s Great Flood had anything to do with the Canyon’s topography.  Among their reasons, they cite that the length of time of the Flood stated in the Bible (371 days) was too short a period to create such an anomaly.  But who really knows how time was measured.  Maybe our current values for a day, year, century, etc. were completely different once upon a time.  And then I pondered what came first, the chicken or the egg?  Too much work for my tiny brain to come to any conclusions.  There is one thing I do know for certain, however:  that despite scientists floating Big Bang theories and facts and figures up the wazoo, they will never convince this stuffed rat that a higher power did not have a hand in creation.  Wow, I sure digressed--sorry about that.  Suffice to say that the time charts were very thought provoking and undoubtedly the most fascinating part of this visit.

Glow-in-the-dark rocks!

The Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo, SD, provided us our last opportunity to use our VIP pass.  It has a huge collection of historical vehicles, from wagons, to early 1900 Fords, to 1950s muscle cars.  They had motorcycles, farm equipment, boats--you name it.   Cute little café and gift shop, too.  Auto nostalgia at its best!

This vehicle was built of solid mahogany wood.

The Original General Lee from the "Dukes of Hazard'. 

A riding lawnmower--PoPo sized!

We finished up the day viewing the magnificent “Dignity” that overlooks the Missouri River in Chamberlain, SD.   This sculpture, completed in 2016, depicts a Lakota (part of the Sioux tribe) woman displaying a traditional star quilt.  It is absolutely gorgeous!  Massive in size (especially compared to me!) and exquisitely detailed, it gives honor and glory to the indigenous culture that call these lands home.

Overlooking the Missouri River.

Onward to Cabela’s in Mitchell, SD, where we parked for the night.   It was a busy, fun-filled day and with the quiet, spacious parking lot, I slept fitfully.  I arose the next morning in great anticipation of continuing our sight-seeing.  This was my long-awaited visit to The Corn Palace!  Rather than unhitch Big Boomer, we got our daily exercise and walked the 2.6 miles to The Corn Palace, enjoying a complimentary breakfast of apples from the trees on Cabela’s property!  I normally would not partake, but the trees were just brimming with these ripe, tasty temptations.  And it brought back fond memories of picking apples with my Mom, Dad, and Grandma at Strawberry Fields in Chesterfield, NJ (their Empire apples rock!), one of the many you-pick farms we would frequent for purchasing fruits and vegetables.  So for old times sake, I taste-tested and then took home a few souvenirs for Mom to make me some delectable apple desserts.

                                                                             

Now I know many folks think it is corny, but getting to see The Corn Palace has been on my “to do” list for several years.  It is steeped in tradition, which always scores big with me.  I had no idea there were so many types of corn and in such a variety of colors.  And the works of art created with corn!  So cool!

Early rendition of  The Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD...

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...and how it looks today.

We trekked back to Cabela’s, where we did some shopping as a gesture of thanks for the two nights of “free” parking.

The next day was a long drive day through the plains of SD and IA, with hundreds and hundreds of acres of corn, hay, and sunflower fields.  We passed through several “bigger” towns like Yankton (population approx. 15,000, home to Mount Marty College and the cattle stockyards) and Vermillion (population approx. 10,500, home to University of South Dakota) as well as some much smaller, unincorporated areas like Meckling (population approx. 200, which dubs itself the “Hay Capital of the Universe”.)

In East-Central IA, we stopped at Amana Colonies.  Now on the National Register of Historic Places, this communal area was inhabited from 1855 to 1932 by German Pietists seeking religious freedom.  They were almost completely self-sufficient, raising their own food, making their own clothes, building their own furniture, requiring little from the outside world.  Do you remember Amana Corporation?  That appliance business was owned and operated by this commune many moons ago (it is now owned/operated by Whirlpool, who still sells units under the Amana brand name).  The villagers had lovely, quaint homes and colorful, blooming flower and vegetable gardens.  But like most idyllic utopias, the experiment went south.  Now Amana Colonies represent capitalism at its best.  Many of the homes are now businesses and specialty shops.  I personally followed my nose which brought me to the local butcher shop.  The scents of smoked meats and fresh homemade cheese were maddening!  Since Dad, the whole foods/plant-based eater, wasn’t with me, I savored a few free samples of dried meats and cheese curds!  Yum!

We continued rambling down the road, stopping in Walcott at Iowa 80, the “World’s Largest Truck Stop".  Large it was—service bays, truck washes, showers, lounges, chapel, and the biggest Pac-man machine I’ve ever seen!  It is also home to the Trucking Museum, which I would have loved to check out (the bad boys in here would make Big Boomer look like a Tonka Toy).  But alas, they are closed on Mondays!  Rats!

Finally, we arrived at the Fairgrounds in Goshen, IN for our Montana Owners’ 

Club (MOC) 15^th Annual Fall Rally.  This is our first national rally, although we are repeat Montana purchasers (2011 and 2015) and have attended the Quartzsite regional rally on more than one occasion.  We had a great time, reconnecting with folks like John and Jim/Vickie, who were among the very first MOC members we met in Quartzsite, as well as fostering new relationships.  Like most RV group rallies, the days were packed with fun activities like pet parades, music/dancing, and seminars on a variety of topics.  And all the food—we never stopped eating!  Pot lucks, BBQs, luncheons, ice cream socials—I am ready for the Fat Farm!  My family especially liked taking the Montana plant tour.  I must say, it is a bit scary to think that 18-20 units are being built a day at the Montana plant.  And listening to folks with problems on their newly-purchased rigs was disturbing.  But we have been fortunate with our 2015 and count our blessings.  We also toured the plants of Mor-Ryde, DRV, and Luxe--yes, we are starting to do our research for our next unit!

Can you tell the Pet Parade was my favorite activity?

We enjoyed taking our daily walks, and there was the Pumpkinvine Trail near the Fairgrounds that offered us scenic views, bucolic settings, serenity, and the mileage we like to achieve (5 miles/day). 

Our time in Goshen wasn’t just about visiting with fellow MOC members.  We also had the great fortune to receive a visit from our fav, Meandering Monsons, whom we joined for dinner in downtown Goshen, and to catch up in Shipshewanna with fellow Xscapers, Cheryl/David Goldstein (Landmark Adventures), who were in town purchasing new RV furniture.  Friends are never very far despite this nomadic lifestyle.

We had a great time at the Rally, and we do appreciate the volunteer efforts put forth by the organizers.  Thank you for a job well done!

Well, next time I speak with you, I will be in TX on an ERPU until the end of the year while Dad has his follow-up appointments with doctors.  What the heck is an ERPU?  Tell ya about it in my next post.  Talk to you soon!

We would like to thank the following organizations for all the great service and support they offer to the RVing community:

 Escapees RV Club

Xscapers

RVillage

RV Dreams

Free at Last: Completed our Work-camping Gig at the Crazy Horse Complex

Prior to this summer, my parents had never talked negatively about an employer.  But unfortunately, this was a rough, unprecedented summer work-camping season for them.  It started with the Grand Teton Association (GTA).  Although my parents signed commitment letters in November 2017, GTA advised us after we arrived and set up in May 2018 that we must forfeit our RV site (which they assigned to us a month prior to our arrival via a group e-mail) to accommodate a returning Park volunteer.  Furthermore, they advised us they had no other site to accommodate our large setup, despite my parents sharing our rig information both verbally and in writing at various times during interview/employment offer communications.  The downward trend continued when my parents were compelled to do something they never did before in their years of work-camping—resign—from Forest Service Management, a concessionaire for Black Hills National Forest, due to the misogyny/male chauvinism/disrespect shown to Mom by the lead host and management’s disregard for workplace safety.  And, unfortunately, it ended with my parents completing a very long, tiring, disappointing season at the Crazy Horse Complex in Custer, SD.

Mind you, every job has its perks and quirks.  And no job turns out to be exactly what the employer/manager described.  But when my parents worked at Crazy Horse in 2015, they decided the perks overwhelmingly exceeded the quirks.  In fact, my parents shared their evaluation of working here in a Workamper News article entitled “Our Sensational South Dakota Experience,” published July/August 2016.  Unfortunately, this season was not as satisfying.  So what was different?  What changed?

In 2015, Mom worked in the Visitor Center for the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation (CHMF), the 501(c) non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors, while Dad worked for Korzak’s Heritage, Inc. (KH), the for-profit business operated by the sculptor’s family, through which they donate a portion of their net proceeds to the Foundation.  Though family members are involved with both entities, the management styles and treatment of employees between the two companies differ greatly.

In 2015, Mom’s CHMF manager was proactive and consulted Dad’s KH manager to ensure my parents had similar 40-hour work schedules.  Since Dad worked 7:30-4:30 Monday-Friday, Mom’s manager scheduled Mom to open two days a week at 7:30 (to fill in for the usual “opener” on her days off).  The other three days, Mom started by 9 a.m., which meant she always was home by 6 p.m., and we ate dinner together as a family.  We had our evenings free for leisure activities.  And we enjoyed spending their two consecutive days off together exploring the Black Hills.

This summer, both my parents worked for Korzak’s Heritage, Inc. (Mom worked Gift Shop, Dad performed Bus-to-Base tours).  Ironically, they reported to and were scheduled by the same manager.  Yet my parents were like two ships passing in the night.  Dad would work days, Mom evenings or vice versa.  There were days Dad would be getting home from work within an hour of Mom just going to work.  While my parents agreed to work 40-hours/week, they certainly didn’t expect to deviate from the 8 hours/day, 5 days/week.  But Dad would be required to work one 12- and one 11-hour day each week.  What!  Working those number of hours is tolerable when you get to reduce your work week to 4 days.   But that was not the case.  He still had to work 5 days a week to complete the 40-hour commitment.  For the most part, Dad’s schedule was consistent from week to week (for example, every Wednesday 8-8.)  Mom was not so fortunate.  Her start times changed daily, AND they fluctuated from week to week (so one Tuesday she would start at 10, Tuesday the next week might be noon).  And even worse, she was subjected to “split shifts” at least once/week (and sometimes twice/week), working 4 hours, being sent home for 2-4 hours, then having to return for another 4+hour shift.  What!  This was a nightmare for Mom, Ms. Regimental, a planner and scheduler in her personal life!  It was like musical chairs each day, with my parents trying to determine transportation for that day’s schedule and weather conditions.  Who was driving our truck Big Boomer, walking, riding their motorcycles, taking our side-by-side Rat Patrol, or playing chauffeur that day to accommodate these ridiculous, inconvenient schedules.  (We are lucky that we have multiple means of transportation, including Mom’s Barney Rubble feet to hoof the two miles into work.  But most work-campers only have one vehicle and would have to waste both time and fuel transporting each other to and from work).  Because of their schedules, my parents rarely were able to join friends for evening socializing and evening activities.  One might say if my parents expected the same schedules, they should have worked in the same department.  Au contraire mon frere, even the one couple who worked together in the Gift Shop were not given similar hours (thy subsequently resigned).

My parents shared the same two days off from work (many other work-campers only enjoyed one day together), but they did not get two consecutive days off, limiting our ability to explore more distant areas or even spend a weekend “out of town” like we did during other years of work-camping.

And as I mentioned in my prior post, the unusually rainy spring/summer and ever-changing weather also hindered our plans for fun on many an occasion.

I would be remiss if I didn’t say that perhaps my parents’ attitudes and tolerance levels changed, too.     Once they accept a job, they see it through to fruition, dealing with the good, the bad, and the ugly.  They have never entered into employment with a “list of demands” (I want this, I won’t do that), something many work-campers do.  My parents are employer-centric and accommodate the business’s needs, even when it is less than satisfactory to them.  (Case in point, Mom would have preferred to work again in the Visitor Center, but instead honored management’s request to fill the void they had in the Gift Shop).  But after two prior bad experiences with employers this summer and this less-than-stellar gig, I think my parents now realize that the “good guys finish last” idiom is factual.  They witnessed too many times the squeaky wheel getting the grease, at the expense of the accommodating, dedicated team-player. They saved and planned their early retirement from “the rat race” (not to disparage my species, of course) of corporate life, wanting to work only a few months a year at a simple, stress-free job to supplement their savings while exploring America the Beautiful.  And Dad’s heart attack last fall has reminded us that life is short and can be extinguished in an instant.

Of course, there are folks who may not mind seeing their spouse/partner on a limited basis and therefore could easily tolerate the schedules (and other stressful circumstances there are perks to working at the Crazy Horse Complex.

• It is REALLY cool place and the family’s commitment to seeing the mission through to completion is commendable.  The sheer size of the endeavor is mind-boggling (All of Mt. Rushmore fits just in the head and hair of the Crazy Horse sculpture).

• Heritage Village Campground, where work-campers stay for a nominal cost (less than $7/night, including electric), now has Wi-Fi!

• You will get a daily dose of love from my canine friend, Bella, who is the Heritage Village Campground welcoming committee!

• The unpredictable weather can produce magnificent phenomena.

• The VIP pass is terrific, giving you free or discounted access to a variety of tourist attractions.  We saved nearly $500 in admission fees by taking full advantage of the pass.

• You are located within the spectacular, panoramic Black Hills of South Dakota.

I only award this work-camping gig a 3 out of 5 cheese rating.  Although my parents were invited to return next year, they respectfully declined.  Instead, they conveyed their disappointment with the current season to the new H.R. Director at the Crazy Horse Complex and explained to him the work-camping/full-time RVing lifestyle.  He was quite appreciative of the feedback and understands that work-campers’ needs/wants may differ greatly from local employees.   We are hopeful that these discussions will result in some positive changes at the Crazy Horse complex, particularly with the Korzak’s Heritage entity.

But that’s all in our rear view mirror now.  We head to Goshen, Indiana, for a Montana Owners Rally, touring other areas of interest along the way.  Tell you all about it real soon!   

We would like to thank the following organizations for all the great service and support they offer to the RVing community:

 Escapees RV Club

Xscapers

RVillage

RV Dreams