May 31, 2008

View of the day-Taw, a passenger, is enthralled by the unloading grain.

We got started before 10am and went hard all day. We finished the field we were on and moved a couple miles east to a new 80 acre patch. This field was averaging over 65 bu/ac with spikes as high as 106bu/ac!

Marilyn had a rider with her for a while, five year old Taw rode for a few rounds, mesmerized by the reels going around and the grain coming into the hopper.

Al spent most of the day in line at the elevator as things backed up with more machines running and some of the other elevators in the area filled up and waiting for rail cars or trucks to make more room. Having a tire blow out on the General didn't help matters much, but the tire guy came out and put a new one on and it was go time again.

Marilyn had the Freightliner, grain cart and combine heaped to the max and could do no more until the cavalry showed up with an empty truck. Al decided to send her home early(at 9:30pm) and went back to the field and combined until the truck was filled. He wanted to catch the Stanley Cup playoffs on the XM radio anyway.

Storms to the north, but we will be hot and dry for a few more days.

We hope...

May 30, 2008

View of the day-The yield and moisture monitor in the combine. Notice the third number down on the left side...that's 91 bushels per acre! This, from a field the agricultural "professionals" told the farmer this spring-"should get zeroed out from the fly damage".

We got going before noon today and while we worked into the night, didn't manage to get 100 acres in...it's tough when the field is averaging over 70 bu/ac. Between the slower speed...that's a lot of stuff to send through the combine...the lineups at the elevator and having to cut low to catch all the broken heads, productivity was down quite a bit. But what a yield!

Combines are going everywhere around us, more of the same tomorrow...

May 29, 2008

View of the day- It's official-the season has started!

We got up extra early again today to go for another round of biscuits and gravy at the second day of the kickoff breakfast. Marilyn did win a door prize this time...a toy gas pump...how bizarre. After the meeting we went back to Davidson to get the shop trailer and head out to the farm to get the header ready to do a test.

Once we got the header tuned up and hooked up to the combine, we went out to do our first test of the season. It was testing 14.6 so they figured we could cut a load and it would dry down in the heat and wind. We carried on until 10pm and managed to get 52 acres done...a great first day. The combine worked without a hitch...it better...and the wheat is yielding about 40+ bushels per acre.

The weather is to be in the high nineties and over 100 for the next week so we should be able to get a lot done, and a lot will be done in the area with all the crews that are around.

We're online now with phone service, so no more skulking around for wireless, although the lady at the town office told us we could just park outside her house and use her service...did that last night.

But now we have...dial-up...

May 28, 2008

View of the day-Biscuits 'n Gravy at the ProHarvest 2008 Kickoff Breakfast.

We were up early and in Frederick by 6:45am to take advantage of the biscuits and gravy courtesy of the FFA, CaseIH, and local Frederick businesses. It was a overflowing house as they had to set up tables in the hall to accommodate all the harvesters that had shown up. Three things bring a good crowd to these things...rain, free food and free hats! There was over 200 for the breakfast and presentation, we didn't win any door prizes, but we did get our annual ProHarvest hats and Al got his belt buckle for his collection.

After breakfast, the proharvest "red shirts" were introduced...they are the ones from the various factories that show up for the breakfast then scamper back to their jobs. Then we met the men who work on the front lines with the harvesters all along the harvest run. The guys who bring parts and expertise out to the field and make sure you are up and running...at no charge!! Well, not for their labor...the parts you pay for...but still...

Cam and Ed are two of the vets that have been on the run since it started and always have a story and some good advice to keep everyone rolling. They aren't afraid of technology...ahem, you know who I'm talking to...that's right...

After a couple of videos, one of which was the usual gruesome and sobering safety video, we were sent out to get a lesson on setting the 8010...didn't affect us, and the MacDon guys were there talking about their draper header...again, didn't affect us since we own neither. Marilyn was looking for the usual session on the Advanced Farming System, dealing with the yield and moisture and GPS mapping system and software. Well...thank you very much for coming out...they didn't have anything this year, and Marilyn has a brand new system to learn about before we start combining for real. While these sessions were going on, we caught up with a lot of the harvesters we have come to call our friends and got updated on their past season. A shocking discovery was that of all the harvesters at the breakfast...we were the only Canadians!

Al was mentioning to one of the older harvesters we know, that this was going to be his 20th harvest. Our friend informed us that this was his 67th! He started going on harvest with his dad and started in this very county, riding in the hopper of the pull type Gleaner-Baldwin, leveling out the grain as they combined so they could get the full 40 bushels that the hopper would hold...a far cry 300+ bushels today's combines hold.

After the gab session, we headed over to the laundromat...as did a lot of other harvesters. All the machines were busy, so we went to see the Rad King to see about getting a new rad ordered. Once we were able to shoehorn ourselves into a few machines at the laundromat, we sat around outside and had another gab session with the crews doing laundry. It was getting sunny, hot and humid and although it was cooler inside the laundromat, there were also four children about 3-4 years old, practicing their fighting and screaming...ouch.

We went back to Davidson and finished up the combine, then Al fueled it up...double ouch...and Marilyn drove it the 10 miles out to the farmers yard. The rain will set things back a bit, but the wheat is a day or two off anyway, so we can do some more fixing...

Yay...

May 27,2008

View of the day-The Chopper that Clay won at the Texas Hold'em Tournament...pretty nice set of wheels.

It was a hot and humid day, one of those days where you just know something is going to happen with the weather...and it did.

We started out with the intention of getting the combine ready...putting in the radios, mounting the fire extinguishers, extra lights, etc. Marilyn needed to get the phone hooked up so we thought we would run into Frederick to get that done and to see if we could find something out about the overheating in the pickup (among other things). We found a very friendly mechanic who hooked the truck up to his computer and he found a few things we knew about and gave us some suggestions (and prices...) on what we could do to rectify the problems. We knew the radiator was probably a big part of the overheating and he confirmed it and pointed us in the direction of the "Radiator King" in town...he was out for lunch.

We got back to Davidson, started in on the combine and managed to get partway done when the skies opened up and it just poured. We sat it out in the camper, then decided to go over to the local "Hop & Sack", or as we call all convenience stores down here...well, actually any convenience store...the "Zippy Mart" for a pop. There were 5 locals sitting at the tables having an ice tea, and the first thing they said when they saw us was "funny how this rain showed up the same time you did...you musta brought it with ya". We seem to get a lot of that over the course of the season...we also get blamed when its cold...ah, the life of the scapegoat.

After the ice tea break, we decided to go to Vernon to do laundry and get a few groceries, but while we were getting ready the power went out. We waited for an hour for it to come back on and then left anyway without the laundry...time was ticking. Marilyn went into Walmart to get 'a few things', and Al waited in the truck. This turned out to be a good thing because while Marilyn was inside, all hell was breaking loose outside as another round of rain and wind hit the town. Al was waiting at the door for Marilyn so no umbrella was needed...not that one would have withstood the wind. We got back to the camper in one piece to find the power back on, thank god for A/C.

Not a real productive day...

May 26, 2008

View of the day-Unloaded in Davidson, Oklahoma.

We made it through the night with no catastrophes...and no internet, hence the fact that the blog is ending up a day late.

We had to unload the shop trailer from the grain truck so we went to Burlington, where we knew there was a ramp. Unfortunately with the rain from the night before it was a bit sticky getting the pickup backed up the ramp...then getting it back down with a loaded shop trailer. We got it done and didn't need a tow strap.

Once we got back to Cherokee, we got the combine hooked back up to the General, the shop trailer hooked behind the camper, had a lunch with our farmer, then left town fighting the SW wind all the way to Davidson.

And fight it we did. We did see a couple of other crews moving south and actually one moving north...can't figure that one out. It was't until we were 25 miles from our destination that we actually saw combines in the field making dust. It was only one field though, it seems everyone else is waiting for it to dry down a bit.

When we finally got to Davidson, the campground was already filled, except for our reserved spot under the only tree. After getting the camper set up and the A/C running...after all it was 94 degrees...we went to unload the combine.

The lot where we usually park was filled with all kinds of trailers, trucks, carts and combines, so finding a spot wasn't easy. After getting it unloaded and parked, we went by the elevator to see if any samples had been brought in. The guy manning the scale said there was still mostly testing going on and it was only east a ways that they were going full scale. This was good news, since we had a few things to install on the combine, not to mention getting the yield and moisture stuff set up.

Back at the camper, while Marilyn was getting the dish set up, a young lady and her four month old baby from the next camper came over to inquire about aiming the dish. She had been trying for the past three days with no luck...a new camper with "satellite ready" hook-ups. Marilyn went over to help out, and after aiming the dish and running a cable though the slide had it up and running in no time at all.

What a relief to finally be at our destination...

May 25, 2008

View of the day-The new combine finally loaded in Great Bend, Kansas.

WOW, what a day! We woke up to a beautiful sunny day, with just a hint of a breeze...coming from the NW no less. We started rolling and things were looking pretty good...til around noon. We could see skiffs of clouds started to congregate and then the wind switched out of the SW, then picked up some more and we were back to the old way of travelling.

We made Great Bend and stopped at the dealership where the combine was getting it's final prep before hitting the fields. While we were loading up we could see the sky getting darker in the north...where we had just come through... and the clouds were starting to look ominous. Once we got the combine strapped down we left town hoping to get to Cherokee, OK before dark.

We listened to the radio all the way down, fighting the wind and looking in the rear view mirror as the reports of tornados on the ground in the places we had driven through on the way down. We managed to stay ahead of the storms until we reached Cherokee. We unhooked the combine trailer from the General and headed over to the loading dock to unload the shop trailer.

We reached the dock but it had no trespassing signs on it, so unloading the shop trailer was out for the evening. We had parked the camper in our usual spot in town and our "landlord" informed us of a ramp in Burlington, about 20 miles north of town...so that's where we head in the morning.

The only place open for grub in town was Pizza Hut, so off we went to Al's favorite eatin' spot. While there we watched as the bad weather started moving closer and closer...we were in a severe weather warning. By the time we got back to the camper, lightning was flashing, the wind had picked up quite a bit and it started to rain...make that POUR. It came down hard for about a half an hour, hailing a bit every now and again, then finally move on. After a short break, it started raining again and continued into the night...minus the lightning and thunder.

Tomorrow we make our destination...

May 24, 2008

View of the day-Notice the wind sock just above the cab of the pickup...and guess which way we are travelling.

It was a rough night with the winds blowing violently, so badly in fact that we decided around 6am to wait another day in Gettysburg in the hopes that the wind would slow down somewhat...or maybe even change directions.

After lunch we decided to hell with it and hooked up to move south. We thought even though it was windy, we should put some miles behind us since we had already lost a couple of days...even if it meant puddling along. We left around 1:30 and decided that Bassett, Nebraska would be our destination, probably 225 miles. When we arrived there, we still had plenty of daylight left, so we decided to drive until dark and stop wherever we landed. It was a struggle most of the way and we did have a short delay as one of the camper tires shredded and we had to have a pit stop along the highway to change it. It works a lot better when the shop trailer is hooked on behind the camper, rather than being in the box of the truck. Oh well, the exercise of climbing into and out of the box can only be good for us.

It had rained during the night and was still misting through the morning, but as we drove south the clouds had started to clear off. As we neared the interstate in SD there were all kinds of weather warnings...bad storms, possible tornados, in the area that we had just passed through...another coincidence??? By the time we had reached our destination, adding another 150 miles, at Elm Creek, NE right on the interstate, there wasn't a cloud in the sky...but boy, was there water! The campground lady told us they had gotten 5 inches in the last few days. There have been a lot of flood warnings in the area and south, so hopefully we will be able to miss all that action as we continue on, although it looks like they may be getting hammered in Oklahoma tonight.

Shiver and Shake(the horse Al has a share in) ran his first race on Friday and came in third!

No internet in the campground, so this goes out in the morning from the truckstop...

May 23, 2008

View of the day-Deja-vu of 20 days ago...except for a .49 price change.

Another terribly windy day, we were glad we wouldn't be driving in it...for a while at least. We went down to the shop to see how long we would be waiting for the transmission to be fixed, and although he didn't have the tranny right there, the old one was laying on the floor in pieces. That meant it wouldn't be that long once it did arrive.

We killed a lot of time and around 4:30 got the call that everything was back together, tested and ready for the road. We went down and got settled up, hooked up the combine trailer to the General, then got the camper flanged in and headed south.

We cursed the wind during the day, but it was even worse driving in it...no chance of seeing high gear. We decided that Gettysburg would be the destination for the day...only 50 miles, but a tough 50. We got here around 6pm, fueled up...ouch...then got the camper set up at the town park.

We talked to our farmers in Oklahoma to let them know our predicament, and they informed us that there wouldn't be any testing until next week as the temps had been unseasonably cool. Things are looking a bit behind normal here with the spring wheat just starting to show in a lot of the fields.

Could be a long season...

May 21, 2008

View of the day-The old and the new...wind power.

We were able to get pointed south for the border reasonably early and were thrilled to see "Mr. Happy" was not working at the crossing. This time we were through within 15 minutes after the officer crawled into the truck box to see the inside of the shop trailer.

We stopped at Kenmare for fuel and a quick snack...woo hoo..."Mrs. Happy" wasn't there either and Marilyn got her hot wings. We knew we were in for a tough day with the ESE winds huffing at high speeds, but..."shut up and drive".

Everything was running according to schedule, although the fuel was getting sucked up because of the drag from the wind and the hills. We stopped in Wilton for fuel again and then forged on to the South Dakota border.

About two miles from the South Dakota border, Marilyn felt the truck slow down while the engine was revving, so after dropping down to 4th gear, continued on at a slower speed. Now, most of the time it was 4th gear anyway due to the wind. Not wanting to give Al added pressure since the weigh scales were coming up, Marilyn, shut up and drove. We reached Herried, SD just a few miles into the state, and Marilyn broke the news to Al as we were pulling into the truck stop. As she down-shifted, the realization came that 4th gear was the only gear the truck had...a fact the old lady in the car she almost had to cut off probably didn't realize.

We were able to get down to a service shop around 5:30 and they said they would be able to help us out, but of course it was closing time, so we would have to come back in the morning. We unhooked the combine trailer from the General and put the pickup in low 4x4 and were able to get it across the highway with the camper to the RV park where we set up camp for the night...or nights...we weren't sure.

We got to the shop first thing in the morning and were told they would look at it and let us know before noon what the verdict was. We started looking through some of the local papers and though one of our options would be to bite the bullet and just buy and different truck. We actually found a 2006 Dodge 3500, and they were willing to deliver it to us!! It was almost a go until we ran into insurance issues...it would be fine if we took it home, but using it for the business caused all sorts of problems. They did find us a tranny in Billings, Montana and would have it Friday morning and would have us rolling by the afternoon.

Back at the camper, Marilyn got the rest of the stuff put away and it was a super do nothing day...heavy nappage going on. We think there was some kind of intervention going on since the area we would be scheduled to drive through in Nebraska and Kansas were under severe weather watches most of the day.

Maybe tomorrow...

May 20, 2008

View of the day-Getting the last things loaded into the camper.

Marilyn spent the day trying to get the camper packing done while Al went into town to get all the papers, mail, tv, etc. put on hold for the season.

Al had his hockey meeting and the original plan was for Marilyn to take him in and then pick him up after the meeting with the camper loaded and ready to roll. Unfortunately Marilyn was running behind,so Al took his own wheels in to the meeting. He claimed it would be over by 8pm...fat chance. At 9pm Marilyn decided to get the neighbor to come in to town with her and bring Al's car back home, Once the exchange had taken place and goodbyes had been said, Marilyn decided on a snack and coffee for the road. Apparently the night crew doesn't see the need for speed and it was 10-ish by the time we finally left town for the last time. We made Carlyle around 12:30am.

An exhausting day...

May 19, 2008

View of the Day-Shiver and Shake, Al is part of a group that is now the proud owner of a harness race horse.

Not much time for chit chat...we are in packing frenzy mode...well, Marilyn is at least. Al had a road trip to Gerald to see his brother, niece and nephew, then worked on getting the fuel pump wired into the truck. All this after we had gone to the stables to see the latest acquisition-Shiver and Shake. It's never too late to branch out into other avenues...

More to come...

May 16, 2008

View of the day-...night actually...our twelve feet of front yard drive in screen.

Marilyn was off to work again at 7, while Al had Terrier hockey business to look after most of the morning. After meeting for lunch, Marilyn went home to prepare for the Paper Bag Players theatre group season windup and Al went to wash the pick-up. He also tried to remove a finger by slicing a chunk off it on the bug deflector...no sense going for stitches because the chunk was long gone.

Al went to Melville to have the glorious steak at Slow Helen's Steak to celebrate his brothers 50th birthday. Marilyn didn't have time to get the house cleaned up with all the packing making things worse, so the windup was held in the camper. After a barbecue supper, the inflatable drive-in screen was blown up, the projector lined up and it was showtime.

We viewed the final performance of the Kitchen Witches that Al had taped at our last performance in Churchbridge. It got a bit cool by the end of the show so the blankets came out to keep us warm. It is spring and although it was warm all day, the evenings still get chilly...at least the mosquitoes stayed away.

Tomorrow Al gets to spend the day selling lottery tickets for the hockey club and Marilyn will continue packing.

The time is getting close...

May 15, 2008

View of the Day-Al eyeing things up before unhooking the shop trailer from the pickup.

Another early day as Marilyn went to work at 7am, and Al worked at getting more things organized. He got the shop trailer cleaned out and straightened up, ready for it's trip to the Case dealer's ramp to get loaded in the back of the General grain truck.

We managed to get the trailer backed into the grain truck, relatively easy...not really a surprise although it was the first time this year. And with no hand held radio for directions! Before we headed back to the farm, we stopped for some ice cream and Al got to live his dream...if only for a short time...of sitting on a bench a one of the busiest corners in town.

Back at home, Al got the combine trailer hooked up, while Marilyn got her "drive-in" screen up and taken for a test run...more pictures tomorrow...

Where is the month going...

May 14, 2008

View of the day-out of the archives...cutting milo in Kansas back in the days when we ran two machines.

Another early day at Staples for Marilyn, while Al drove the combine into the CaseIH dealership in town. A somewhat sad day for him since it was the longest tenure for a combine with us. After 3700 hours on the engine, we had gotten pretty close...not without a few headaches, if you look at last year's blog entries. Still, it was bittersweet.

Once Marilyn finished work, Al picked her up and it was off to Grayson to see the banker and get a short visit in with some friends. After dropping off some boxes of clothes at the Salvation Army, we headed over to Esterhazy to get the final blow on our insurance for the season...always a painful task. We had to rush home so Al could get cleaned up to attend a press conference being held by the Yorkton Terriers hockey club, on which he is a board member. The group had a bit of music to face after the president of the association resigned, at the boards request. Quite a messy bit of business.

Al claims he got a lot accomplished today...Marilyn feels otherwise...

May 13, 2008

View of the day-well, not today, but darn it...it's the General Lee! At the Mopar/Classic car show in Great Bend, KS last week.

Marilyn went back to work at Staples for a few days to help get things ready for inventory on May 27...darn, she won't be there for the big day. Once back at home, it was major cleaning time and the Salvation Army will be pleased with the five boxes of "if it hasn't been worn/used in the last year..." treasures that will be dropped off tomorrow.

Al worked on getting things changed out on the old combine before driving into the dealership tomorrow morning. As usual, when changing out the concaves there is no way of parking where the wind doesn't blow the dust directly into your eyes.

A short entry...but an entry none the less...

May 12, 2008

View of the day-Getting things serviced and loaded in the front yard at home in Yorkton.

Whoops, missed a day or two...

It's not really "the season" yet, but missing a day just doesn't seem right.

Al has been working diligently at getting the General road ready...changing oil, cleaning things up...you know, that sort of thing. A little trip down memory lane as we emptied out the old combine of all the things we had collected throughout the five years we had it...two buckets full of treasures. The rain gauge mounted on the mirror so you know 'exactly' how much it rained at the field, the XM and two way radios for contact with the outside world, the dash duster for those squeaky clean windows that Marilyn insists on, the crap holder on the visor that always seems to have just enough stuff in it so that it spills when you want to get the sun out of your eyes, the bottomless buddy box under the passenger seat that contains various bolts, knife sections, zip ties, manuals, bulbs...and perhaps a cracker or two in case of emergency...and several items classified under the "so that's where the hell that thing is!" category.

Marilyn drove into Moose Jaw on Sunday to spend Mothers Day visiting with her mom and dad. It was a chance to get caught up with her cousin for coffee and also to get her parents computer cleaned up and running smoothly to keep in touch getting the summer updates. She spent the night then left in the rain for Yorkton but by the time she reached Regina it had all but stopped and the sun was shining by the time she pulled into the yard.

Tomorrow the A/C will get fixed on the pickup...it really wasn't even hot on our trip south, but it was sure missed...we have to have one vehicle on the road with A/C. We hope to get the shop trailer loaded into the grain truck and take it and the combine trailer to Carlyle this week so we will only have the camper to pull down next Tuesday after Al's hockey meeting. With the wide load already down there, we can travel after dark with the camper.

Now...back to cleaning and packing...

May 9, 2008

View of the day...well, yesterday...getting ready to cross the Missouri River in South Dakota.

Sorry about yesterday...couldn't get online to update. It was all pretty much driving anyway. We got through Nebraska and South Dakota, then got into Pingree, North Dakota around 9pm. So far we had driven in rain every day on the way back home.

We were able to get a visit in with everyone, then after a good nights rest, mentally prepared ourselves for the last leg of our journey.

Al had to collect all the toys he had purchased and had sent to Mike's house. Now, the back seat of the truck was already full, so he had to put everything into garbage bags so they wouldn't get wet on the back of the truck...it was going to rain again. We had lunch at the 281 Stop, then headed for home.

We did run into rain, and it did so pretty much all the way into Canada...we even had some snow around Kenmare. By the time we got to Alameda there were farmers in the field making dust. After a short stop at Carlyle, it was north to Yorkton and this time there wasn't any rain.

So now we are at home again and will start to get the rest of the stuff cleaned and loaded for the final trip next week. We logged just over 3800 miles/6115 km during the past week...and only one flat tire! That happened the day we left the factory at Grand Island.

A guy driving a cement truck was driving along side us honking his horn and pointing down, so we pulled into a parking lot and discovered the front drivers tire was flat. We changed it on the spot and as we were driving away, just a block away we found a tire shop! They were good enough to fix the valve stem on the tire, switch it with the spare and mount the spare back under the truck in it's special spot...all for $12...AND a pleasant attitude. Pretty rare for 5:15 in the afternoon.

Now, the blog has officially started and even though we are at home, we will try to have something interesting to put up...

Even if we have to make it up...

May 7,2008

View of the day-The wheat is a ways off in Oklahoma, but still looks good.

It was raining when we got up this morning, but by the time we got loaded up it had quit and we were left with an overcast, cool day.

We made it to Great Bend in time for Al to check in with the CaseIH dealer where the combine will be delivered and prepped for the upcoming season. He also found a toy he couldn't live without...but it adds to his collection. We had lunch with Ken, Kevin and their families at Pizza Hut, which made Al's day...a far cry from the PH at home with it's postage stamp size buffet table and the $8 price tag.

We had a good visit and then made our way out to the Great Bend airport where the 3I Show was set up. They have displays down two, mile long runways and in four huge display buildings. The weather didn't make the walk about very nice with the overcast skies and the brisk NW wind howling...just like home. We managed to see a lot of stuff we could have used, but the thought of hauling it around all afternoon wasn't an option. We figured we could pick it up on the way out, but since everything closed before we got through everything, we only came out with a bag of freebies...oh, and a new fuel pump for the slip tank on the back of the pickup.

After the show we stopped to do laundry and then headed north, stopping in Hays for another Walmart fix. Once we were done there we forged straight through to Holdredge, NE and the familiar sign of the Super 8. We haven't timed things right to get a swim and a hot tub in, but since the hotel only had two rooms left and one of them had a whirlpool tub, we made do with it.

Tomorrow we sail through South Dakota, and rain is in the forecast...

May 6, 2008

View of the day-Al and Keith checking out the crop.

We left Pratt, stopped in Cherokee to get the rigs and headed down to Davidson. An uneventful trip, warm and bucking a wind. We got out to the farm and unloaded, then went out with Keith to check the crops. They are looking pretty darn nice...big heads and a really good stand.

We headed back to Pratt around 6:30pm and rolled into town at 11:30. We managed to catch the tail end of the storms that were passing through the area again. The desk clerk said there had been hail at her place...not too much, we hope.

Tomorrow we go to Great Bend for the day to attend the 3I Show and do a bit of visiting. Al will get his first Pizza Hut fix of the trip...always something to look forward to.

Our speedometer quit during the trip today, so the mileage count will have to wait...

May 5, 2008

View of the day-Al & Marilyn at the Grand Island CaseIH factory standing with their new combine, just prior to driving it off the line.

What a day!!!

Marilyn tried to stay awake for the Dallas Stars overtime win, but at 12:45am after three overtime periods, it was time to call it a night. Great news to wake up to, finding out the Stars had won in the fourth overtime...woo hoo!

We had an appointment to meet at the CaseIH building at 9:30am, and after loading up the truck and finding our way across town to the factory, we were ready for our tour. We met with Charlene, the tour coordinator and Dennis our tour guide and after drooling over some items for sale in the display cabinet-hats, shirts, mugs, toys, etc. we headed out to the floor to see some action.

Before we started the tour, Dennis took us over to see our combine...at least as much as had been assembled...and explained how much further it had to go and when we would be able to watch the final steps and drive it off the line. We were really honored when the plant manager came over, welcomed us and thanked us for buying their product.

Dennis took us around some of the 15 acres of manufacturing, explaining a lot of the history of the plant and showing us how the various sheets of metal were laser cut then formed into all manner of combine parts. When you have repaired a combine and have replaced some of these parts, to see them being cut, shaped and painted was really neat.

This factory is not unionized, so we were able to talk to a lot of the workers, and they actually came over to ask us questions about where we were from and why we had come for a tour. After a fascinating tour, we were invited to have lunch before we were to go out and watch our combine go through the last five stations of it's construction. We watched as the sheilds were put on at one station, then the striping and decals, the tires going on and at the end, the final testing before Al was able to drive it off the line and out into the yard. A thrill he says he can now cross off his list.

We went back into the main room to have a drink and cookie, and had a great visit with a couple of other tour guides that had been showing another group of "dignitaries" through the factory. After Charlene rounded up our Case Store purchases she returned just as the manager of operations was thanking us for purchasing their product and taking the time to come and see it built. He then presented us with a beautiful framed photo of us(that would be in the eye of the beholder)with a plaque on the bottom commemorating the date...what a fabulous end to an amazing day.

It was unbelievable to see the amount of combines being built, they put through 22 per day, and when we drove the combine out into the yard there must have been 250 of various colors (10 red to 1 yellow) and every one of them was sold. There must have been 50 on rail cars in the yard waiting to be shipped to Baltimore to go various places around the world.

Recently a custom harvester had bought his 100th CaseIH combine and we received the same attention that he did after only 8, which was really heartwarming. We also received a small laser cut plaque, available only from the factory.

We started back to Cherokee and go caught in a terrific storm, so we stopped in Pratt, Kansas for the night...just as well, it had been a long day.

Laptop issues means this will be somewhat short...we're at 1905km/1185 miles.

Today we make our final destination...

May 4, 2008

View of the day-Al checking things over during a pit stop at the Kansas/Oklahoma border.

We left Great Bend fighting a south wind...we knew the wind pushing us wouldn't last forever. After an uneventful couple of hours of driving, we made it to Cherokee and parked the rigs.

On the way down we met a couple of semis doing a back haul pulling empty combine trailers. We recognized them, and they us, gave us a wave and flash of the lights, then carried on their way back to Minnesota. Not long after, Al got a call on his cell from one of the guys informing us that there was a lot of construction on our usual route to Davidson, and that we should use the alternate route that they had found.
It is so great to have a network of fellow harvesters that are willing to help out at any chance they get. We may only see them a few times a year, but it is always quality time and we really can call them our friends.

After we visited with a couple of local farmers, had lunch, it was time to head north to Grand Island, NE with the pickup. We arrived there about 8pm, booked a room and Marilyn got to get a Walmart fix in...just a short one, mind you.

Tomorrow morning we get our tour of the CNH factory to see the last couple of stations our combine will go through before it comes off the line after lunch. Expect lots of pictures tomorrow.

Marilyn didn't take note of the mileage before coming to the room, so the drive tally will wait.

And then we drive back to Cherokee...

May 3, 2008

View of the day-passing Al on the way to Great Bend, Kansas.

A long day of driving, covering almost three states. Southern South Dakota and northern Nebraska had a lot of water laying in the fields and ditches, and even some lingering snow on the north side of the trees and rocks. It has been quite a while since there has been that much moisture laying around.

The original plan had been to get as far as Phillipsburg in northern Kansas, leave the rigs and run up to Grand Island, Nebraska for Sunday and Monday. The day was going so well, we decided to forge the extra 130 miles and get as far as Great Bend, then leave early Sunday for Cherokee, Oklahoma where we would leave the rigs and then go back to Grand Island. This would make the last leg of the move only 225 miles from Cherokee to Davidson. Of course, it also means the trip to Grand Island has stretched from 260 miles roundtrip to 700 miles...like we don't drive enough.

The temps are getting warmer, we're actually seeing leaves coming out on the trees...and the sweet spring time sounds of the meadowlark!

Logged today 896 km/556 miles. Total covered 1733 km/1076 miles.

Oklahoma, here we come...

May 2, 2008

View of the day-Dear me...fueling up in Gettysburg, SD.

We left Carlyle relatively early and made the border in good time...however, it took longer than normal to get through. First there was a line up, and it couldn't just be small vehicles...no...semis and grain trucks. We bided our time and then pulled up to the stop sign in front of the building, as we have done for the last 15 years. Now, normally, the officer tells us to drive ahead and park out of the way so we can go in and get our paperwork put through. As he stuck his head out of the door and yelled across the driveway, Marilyn, in anticipation of the usual order, started to pull ahead. Not a good idea as the officer started yelling to stop and come inside, a portent of things to come...

Once inside, we handed our paperwork over and being as we were the first harvesters the other officer had put through, had a bit of a time getting that bit of business done...fortunately, this officer was somewhat milder than the first one. Of course, the first officer was the one who had to go out and check on the various serial numbers on the equipment. One look at our paperwork and he wanted to know where the serial number was for the pickup. Now, Marilyn has included that number on the list for the past 15 years, only to be told to take it off the list...a fine time to decide to do that...Mr. Happy gave another strike to us.

Now he goes out to look at the serial numbers on the trailers, etc. and comes back saying the number on the header trailer is wrong. We have two identical header trailers and because Marilyn wasn't sure which one we had brought when making out the list, she made two lists, one with each number...and...you guessed it...handed in the wrong one. Not satisfied with that mistake, Marilyn rewrites the number, but instead of 14525, in her dyslexia, writes 14252...which sent Mr. Happy into another round of...well...just another round.

Next he discovers the Freightliner has the wrong serial number as well. Now, this number was written down directly from the registration and has been used for the last 15 years, AND has been checked in and out by the border guards twice yearly. Apparently they just look at the last 6 numbers and not the alphabets in front of them. Marilyn changes these...and gets them wrong again...leaving out the last digit...

We finally made it out alive, and they let us in to the US to work again...much to Al's chagrin(not really). We left the border at 11:30 DST and made Kenmare for lunch. Now, Marilyn has Hot Stuff hot wings on the brain because that is what she always has at the Cenex...they are the best! Well, the way the day has started, is it any surprise that Mr. Happy's mother is working and won't cook any wings? Can it get any worse?

It was time to "SUAD"-Shut up and drive...our motto for the summer...well...all the time actually. There were wind warnings everywhere but thankfully it was coming out of the NE so we did get a pretty good push most of the way. We did have a few straight east runs which slowed us down and sucked up the fuel, but all in all the wind helped. It was not nice when we had to stop for fuel or "pit stops"...funny how 50 degrees (sorry, we are out of the metric zone) can seem cold. That temp in March would have us in tshirts!

We are just getting into the zone where the trees are starting to bud, and the grass in the ditches is showing up green. There is the odd field of winter wheat that is a couple inches high, making it look a little more like spring...mind you, the Black Hills and some points east of there had 14 inches of snow last night and the interstate was closed between Wall and Wyoming. Fortunately it isn't coming this way, although it was raining here until 4pm, according to the clerk at the motel...great for the crops.

We made Gettysburg, SD at 6:30pm, fueled up and hit the motel. Al went out to visit with one of the farmers we work for here and to check out the changes around town and Marilyn did laundry...some things never change.

Logged today 644 km/400 miles...total to date 845 km/525 miles.

Tomorrow...Kansas...

May 1, 2008

View of the day-The Freightliner, tractor and grain cart are parked out front of our yard and ready to roll on a new season.

Not much to report just yet...we're in Carlyle for the night ready to cross the border into the USA tomorrow (if things go well...). An uneventful day of loading and rushing to get everything packed for the first haul down. The straight header will be picked up in Carlyle, where it has wintered and then it will be "shut up and drive" for a few days until we reach Kansas.

Logged today 211 km/131 miles.

Don't want to give too much away...