May 31, 2012

View of the day-It’s official…the shop trailer has retired. In more ways than one.

We got home after midnight and although Marilyn was able to get the blog done on her Blackberry Playbook, she couldn’t get the pictures transferred from her camera to upload, so the blog had to wait until this morning to get posted.  While we were sitting in front of the library, there were lots of harvesters heading through town.

We came back in the rain, and it rained most of the night, although it never amounted to much…maybe .8 to an inch. After resting up after yesterday’s marathon, we had more loading to do today, but first we had lunch with Ron and Leota at the sale barn, then they came back to the camper to settle up.

We went out to John’s farm to get the Freightliner hooked up to the trailer.  Al had to use John’s tractor with the front end loader to pick the trailer tongue up high enough so he could hook it to the truck.  Once it was flanged in we went back into town to get the tractor and cart loaded.  It only took a short time to get it loaded and chained down, then Al parked it out on the street, ready for AIS 8am tomorrow.

Next on our to-do list was a trip to Burlington to get a few tools from the shop trailer to tide us over until we can find a replacement plan and get it emptied out.  We might try to get it patched up enough to get it home and use it for storage…or something.  We got there, loaded up what we thought we would need…the bottle jack, for sure…then we went back to the camper to clean up.

We went out for supper to the Smok Shak with John and Peggy, then they stopped in to check out the camper after we got back to town.

An early night in and an early blog upload…missing yesterday gives two for today…

May 30, 2012

View of the day-One of the locals with a problem, parked across from the elevator...


Are we having fun yet??


Al's favorite phrase when we are having one of "those" days. It started out good, we were up early,had a couple of visitors to settle up and get their Canadian beer...not to drink right away. All day long there were weather warnings and they were calling for severe storms. We went ahead with our plans to get loaded and moved to Great Bend.


Once our company was gone, Marilyn drove the combine over to where the trailer was parked, while Al got the General started so it could air up.  Al used the combine to get the trailer moved to a better spot to load,then we went back for the General which was at the Coop.  There was another crew working on their grain truck near wherever were loading...they were ready to move north too.

We got the combine on the trailer, then backed big Gen in to get hooked up.  This process doesn't go as easy as the Freight load, since we use the hydraulics on the truck to lift the trailer high enough to clear the pintle hitch.  Because of that,we have hook a chain over the truck box frame, raise the hoist, tighten the chain, then lower the box, which lifts the trailer high enough so that the hydraulics can take over.  Once it is high enough, Al backs under the hitch and we can start chaining the combine to the trailer.

We had to make a side trip over to Alva to do some banking and grab a quick lunch, then it was back to Cherokee, via John's farm.


We went out to John's farm get the pickup header and trailer to hook on behind the combine trailer. After parking it on the street behind the combine trailer, Al backed the right up and we got the whole unit hooked up and ready to go.

We had stopped at Sonic in Alva for one of their delicious shakes and Marilyn didn't have time to drink all of hers...a treat for the drive to Great Bend. We left Cherokee at 3pm and Marilyn had just made the curve north of town when she decided idea to have some of that tasty shake...the lid popped off and the cup turned upside down on the floor...on the XM radio, in the cup holders, on the mic cable.  You get the picture...a sticky mess.  We pulled over just past the 4 way stop so she could quickly clean up the mess. Should have been an omen.


We got rolling again, listening to the storm reports and watching the sky for trouble. We stopped just north of Medicine Lodge to check our loads and Marilyn noticed one of the back tires on the straight header trailer had some wire bands starting to show and the tire had been wobbling occasionally, but it seemed to be solid, so...shut up and drive.

That lasted until ten miles north of Pratt. Just rounding a curve, Marilyn heard a pop, then checked her mirror to see if it was the tire that had blown. Nope...it was still rolling...however, there was smoke and shrapnel coming from the rear tire on the other side of the trailer.  With no shoulder, she limped the trailer the nearest approach, checked out the mess, unhooked the trailer, then caught up to Al. The plan was to get into Great Bend, unhook the pickup header trailer so Marilyn could hook onto it with the Dodge, get the General and combine parked by the campground, steal a tire of the pickup header trailer and go back get the trailer...than bring it back to Great Bend.  Hmm...if only we had a bottle jack to lift the trailer...that's right...back in the Freightliner.


By this time, the skies were black ante radio station was constantly breaking away for severe weather reports.  They said 90% of Kansas was under storm watches. We managed to borrow a jack from Leo, the campground owner,and got the tire off the trailer before we got too wet.  We were on our way back to the trailer, some 40 miles south.

It started to pour as we headed out of town, but by the time we got out to the trailer,we had passed back through the front and the rain hadn't hit yet.  We raced to get the tire changed before the rain caught up with us...mission accomplished.  We hooked back up in a hurry, then dropped the hammer back to Great Bend. Right into the storm.


We got to the lot where the General was, parked the header and grabbed some supper at Arbys.  The weather was all but over...just some lingering showers...it had moved on south. Towards Oklahoma. Just where we were headed.


What a lightning show...

May 29, 2012

View of the day-Getting ready to move back to Cherokee before the bad weather hits.

We were out at the field, serviced and rolling by 11am.  Today was the last of the Oklahoma wheat that we had lined up and we couldn’t have timed it any better.

This field had some pretty severe terraces…something that a picture just can’t convey…so productivity was down a little, but Al had the cart spotted in just the right spot so that Marilyn didn’t have to drive across the water way to dump the combine.

The day started out with a clear sky, but by 1 pm there were little puffs of innocent looking clouds appearing…trouble brewing.  It was a couple hours later, just before we finished the field, that they had really started bunching up and building into those high top storm clouds.  Most of it was to the north and moving to the east, so we weren’t too concerned.  But anything can happen when it comes to the weather.

Marilyn drove the combine and Al brought the tractor and cart back into Cherokee, while Jim brought up the rear in his pickup.  After parking in town, we started back to the field to get the pickup, header and General with a load and bring them back to town.  We were just a few miles south of Cherokee, when Jim’s low tire alarm went off in his pickup…flat front passenger tire.

We were experts at tire changing on the highway…when we have the right tools…and this was a Chevy, so we were really out of our element.  We figured out the way to get the spare tire off…but there was no way the cable would release enough to let the tire drop down.  One gentleman pulled over to see if he could help us out and told us he had the same problem with his truck and spent the better part of an hour in the dark trying to get it disconnected.  He laid a few curses down, but it wouldn’t help and he was in a hurry, so had to leave.  He had just helped fight a fire in a field, now he had to go out in his power company job to get the power back that the fire had knocked out.

We finally got John to come out and give us a hand…still no luck getting the spare out…we ended up taking the tire into town and getting it fixed at the Coop.

John took us back out to the truck and we got the tire on and were getting ready to leave. The battery went dead from the flashers being on…so dead, in fact, that we had to use two sets of jumper cables from two different batteries.  John gave us a ride back out to the field while Jim raced home to get his truckload of seed wheat out to John’s barn to protect it from the rain that was rolling in.

Marilyn brought the header that was loaded on the high speed transport, into town and parked on the street with it, while Al got in line at the elevator.  They were so full there, that they had to load out two trucks with wheat for every one truck they brought in.  With no rail line, everything goes out by semi and they were having a hard time keeping up.  Most of the grain trucks that have been hauling in previous years have been signed on to haul for the oil companies that have sprung up all over the place.

We nicely got back to the camper and the rain started…a few short bursts of heavy rain, but nothing substantial.  We got cleaned up and had supper, then went over to John and Peggy’s to get settled up.  By the time we got home, the sky was clear…but further south and east it wasn’t as nice…5” hail reported near Oklahoma City. Yikes.

So tomorrow we load up and get at least the first load into Great Bend…and hope the weather doesn’t catch us on the way.

Done in Oklahoma for 2012…that was fast…

May 28, 2012

View of the day-This is what happens when you don't open the elevator until 10am.

We did a lot of moving today.  Jim, the farmer, came by just after 9am and we started the move by driving back to the farm at Carmen and getting the header into transport.  Jim volunteered to drive the tractor and cart, while Al drove the Dodge and header.  Marilyn brought up the rear in the combine.

We saw this in the farmers yard at Carmen and wonder if anyone knows anything about it...what it is, what model, etc. Send us an email if you have any idea and we will add the info to the slideshow.

The first move was about 18 miles, where we ended up west of Cherokee.  After getting the header back on the combine and cutting a patch to park, we went back to the camper to get the General and drop Jim off at his pickup.  Al went back out to the field and Marilyn picked up lunch before heading out to the field to take over from Al.

We got that field finished around 6pm, then put the header into transport again and moved to the last field we have to do in Oklahoma.  We shuttled the same way we did the first time, moving the tractor, Dodge with the header and the combine about 12 miles south and east.  After cutting around the field to get a patch cut out to load the truck, we all went back to the first field for the rest of the trucks.

Al took the General in to Cherokee to unload, then made it back out to the field in time to get one more load before calling it a night.  Marilyn was somewhat concerned to be attempting this field in the dark, since it was a new field to us and had some wicked terraces.

A lot of the fields have been cut in the area…and we so a lot of area during our moves…but there are still some standing.  Al saw a crew pull in at the elevator and they were unloading the equipment and going out to cut.  It seemed odd, because a lot of crews have been moving north…as we should be, very soon.

It’s ready at Great Bend, Kansas already…

May 27, 2012

View of the day-Sunset over the grain cart with the Carmen elevator in the distance.

Best day yet…134 acres.  We got out to the field, serviced and got started just before 11am.  Again, the wind was vicious so tarping the truck was a challenge for Al.  Fortunately there was a big barn and a new shed to park beside to keep the tarp in one piece.

Marilyn had a plethora of visitors riding with her today…one family drove all the way from Wichita, Kansas just to get a ride on the combine.  Well, that and to visit with their uncles.

This field had three new terraces built on it and they were truly window kissers.  Thankfully they weren’t seeded so the header didn’t get wrecked trying to clean them up. Al did have a joy ride with the cart every time he came out to dump the combine.

While hauling grain into Carmen, Al was getting frustrated with the lack of organization in the line ups.  The truck line up is fed from both directions on the street, so everyone takes their turn…and the empty trucks have priority on the scale.  On more than one trip he had trucks cut in front of him to get on the scale…that lasted about three times.  The manager was the one waving trucks in but wasn’t paying attention to who got there first, so Al went out and had a discussion with him and a few of the truckers.  The next few trips in, it was as it should have been all along.

We cut the last stalk of wheat at 9:55pm and Al took the last load into Carmen, then drove the General back to Cherokee.  Marilyn fueled up the combine with what was left in the slip tank, then went back to Cherokee and filled it up again at the pumps, before packing it in for the night.

Except for the trip to the library for internet… 

May 26, 2012

View of the day-Al cutting a terrace out with his hopper full lights flashing.

Another busy day with more of the same…heat, wind and combining.  It was overcast and humid this morning, so we got started a bit later than we had hoped.

Since Al had his own ride, he went out first thing with the General to empty the cart and bring it in to the elevator.  Marilyn had to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things, then went out to the field to take over combining from Al, who had already started in where she had left off last night.

We went non-stop…Al was almost meeting himself on the road, he was kept so busy hauling into town.  Thankfully the line-ups weren’t too bad that he couldn’t make it back in time to make sure the combine kept moving. 

We finished the field around 6pm, then with the help of John, Ron and Darryl, Marilyn got the header into transport and we started moving south to Carmen.  To avoid the highway, we had to take a few back roads…the oil traffic in the area had them pretty well hammered out, so it was a slow 15 mile drive.

Al had to make an extra trip into the elevator to take the last dab in the cart that would not fit in the truck.  When the rest of us got to the farm, Marilyn got the header hooked back up and got the lowdown on where to start combining, then got right down to business.

Ron, Darryl and John went back to get the tractor/cart and bring it to the field.  Ron drew the short straw and had to drive the tractor…again…he remembered moving it last year and tried to get out of it, but wasn’t successful.

Al got back to the field in time to get a load to take in to Carmen, then came back out to the field in time for us to shut down, fuel the combine and head back to Cherokee.

Another great day…the storms stayed away and even with the move we did 105 acres.

May 25, 2012

View of the day-Al getting the General loaded from the cart first thing today.

We got to sleep in a bit this morning…no 7am knock at the door to wake us up today.  It was overcast and humid, so we knew it wouldn’t be an early day in the field.

We went for an early lunch…or late breakfast…at the Fat Hen, then went out to fuel and service the combine.  Al got the cart dumped then once Marilyn got combining, waited for a hopper to top off the General.

We finished the piece we were on, then moved up the hill to the yard to finish the last 12 acre patch.  It was nice to see the power lines were well out of the way, since this is the field where Marilyn made contact with the lines a few years back and blew out the back tire and started a fire.  She is very gun shy around power lines now.

Once that patch was finished, we moved 5 miles over to the next 145 acre field.  The move was a bit hairy with the header just so fitting between the trees and the raised ditch…Marilyn certainly wasn’t in road gear.

Marilyn cut up to the oil well that was in the centre of the field, while Al brought the tractor and cart up the road.  John picked us up to pick up the other rigs and Al took the General in to unload and Marilyn brought the Dodge back to the combine, then started cutting.

Al was kept hopping again…lineups at the elevator…he would just get back to the field to see the ‘hopper full’ lights flashing on the combine.  Marilyn never had to wait, though.

Al took the last load in around 9:30pm and Marilyn continued combining until the cart was full, then fueled the combine before heading back to town for the night. It was a gorgeous night out…still warm and windy, which helped to keep the bugs away.  There was lightning in the west with storm watches, but our county was not in any of them.

Today was a 103 acre day, even with the moves and the late start…

May 24, 2012

View of the day-A mighty fine looking Titan II…well cared for and very impressive, don’t you think?

Finished the canola! 

We got out to the field around 10 AM and the farmer we are working for was servicing their combines.  Al went over for a gab and found out that the combine they had rented from Machinerylink had a major problem…it had an inspection hole in the block.  A connecting rod broke and the machine was out of commission.

We finished the last of the canola at 2pm, then put the pick up head back on its trailer, then took the combine, tractor and cart the 17 miles back to Cherokee.  John gave us a ride back for the General and the Dodge, then we were all moved back.

Now to get ready for the wheat.  We put the new Macdon header on the combine…Al set the combine for wheat and it was off to the races.  A bit of a change from picking up swaths…a lot more header on the front…NOW it feels like harvest time in Oklahoma.  It seemed like we met more combine crews moving between fields than vehicles on the road…this is action!  The fields are getting knocked down at an amazing rate and with the weather holding for the next few days, we could see the end sooner than anticipated.

The first field went better than the farmer was expecting and test weight was 62.5 lbs No. 1 Hard Red Winter Wheat.  Marilyn had a co-pilot for a round of the field, Roberta…who is 88…gets her annual ride to check things out and have something to tell her friends about back in Enid.

We finished that 30 acre patch, then moved five miles south to start on another 40 acres.  Al called from the Cherokee elevator to say the line-ups were long, but he did get unloaded and by this time Marilyn had called and told him after a couple of rounds the straw was getting tough, so he decided to call it a day at 9:30.

Marilyn loaded the cart then tarped it and came in not too long after and even with the long move, we still managed to get 70 acres harvested today.

Look out tomorrow…

May 23, 2012

View of the day-The only obstacle in the field that Marilyn had to go around. They're everywhere.

Wow.  What a wind.

We had hopes of finishing the canola, so we got out to the field, serviced and got right down to business.  Al had a load to take in and we needed to ponder on how we were going to strategically park the General to tarp it with the gale force wind that increased as the day wore on.

Marilyn had been going up and back on the ¾ mile swaths and had dumped at the south end of every round.  We figured we could make use of the oil tanks that were at the north end of the field, so we got everything shifted to the other end and Marilyn continued combining.  Because of the way it worked out, Marilyn had to top the General off, so that mean parking so Al could get the tarp rolled without the wind taking it to parts unknown.

We had lots of neighbours again…she’s full bore harvesting now…and between the oil trucks and the combines on the road, there is no end of action.  And dust everywhere.

The wind didn’t die down and fortunately the canola had been swathed north and south, so the wind wasn’t bothering it at all, which was really nice.  Al kept hopping between the tractor and General…it was another nine load day for him.

Marilyn combined 123 acres today…left a lonely 30 acres to finish the field tomorrow.  We knew it would be the wee hours of the morning if we tried to finish, so we called it an early night…relatively speaking…and shut down at 9:30pm.

The weather is going to be hot and windy for the next couple days with no sign of rain. 

Perfect harvest weather…

May 22, 2012

View of the day-Our neighbours across the way…one crew of several that started to move across the landscape.

Al wanted to get out to the field and start combining by 11am, so he called for AIS at 10:15.  We hadn’t had time to get any groceries, so we made a stop at the United Food Store to pick up some necessities for lunches and late suppers.  We knew we would be getting in too late to dine out and Marilyn has to use the library for the blog, so we did a short load of grub to do us until the big Wal-Mart run over to Alva.

Once we got the groceries put away and lunch packed, we were on our way…right on schedule.  After fueling the combine, Al took last night’s load into town and Marilyn started combining…5 minutes AOS(ahead of schedule).  The wind was blowing pretty good out of the south, so there was no problem with the moisture…it was full steam ahead.

We finished the 80 acre patch that we were on, then Marilyn moved a half mile to the next field and cleaned off a spot to park the rigs, then Al picked her up and we got the rest of the stuff moved over.  This new field is 260 acres and flat as a table, so the ¾ mile run on each swath is fabulous…just over 2 acres picked up one way...up and back once and there is a hopper full for the cart.  It’s nice to start the season with the easy pickup work and the long flat runs make it that much nicer.  Marilyn will enjoy it while she can.

Just as we got finished the first field, a crew was pulling in across the road to start in on a wheat field.  It must have been plenty dry because the semis pulled in and the dust was flying.  All during the day we could see combines moving down the roads pulling their headers behind them to different fields…it is really cranking up here.  Al has been seeing more and more trucks at the elevator, too…although he is dumping in the one set up for canola.

Al came back to the field at one point to get another load…he had nine in total today…and after dumping the cart load in, he noticed a dribble of canola coming out of the back door.  The kid that dumped him had not fully latched the door and it was only being held by the latch handle and not the top and bottom hooks…he wasn’t very happy.

Marilyn came to dump in the cart, then went over to lend a hand trying to truss it up so he could get to the elevator and do some ‘clueing in’.  We found several ratchet straps and duct tape, so with a bit of weaving and connecting, we hoped we had it cased.  Marilyn didn’t dare take the camera out.  Al made it to town without incident and had his ‘chat’ with the young fellow and a couple loads later the kid apologized for his error.  Lesson learned by all.

We shut down around 10pm, put the last of the fuel in the combine, tarped everything and headed for the camper.  Al went to get fuel in the slip tank…it is absolute chaos at the pumps if you wait until morning.  At night, the only thing you have to fight is the insects.

It was a productive day, 115 acres covered and the canola was averaging close to 45 bu/ac with some places hitting over 60!

Tomorrow we hope to finish the field which will mean an early start and a late finish…

May 21, 2012

View of the day-The start to the 2012 season as Al cleans up a spot near the entrance to the canola field.

Al was up early to visit with John and find out how soon he figured the wheat would be ready.  Since it was going to be a day or two, we decided to make the move out west to start on the canola that had been swathed just before we had brought the first load down.

After breakfast at The Fat Hen…Miss Dottie’s is no more…we took the General up to Burlington to get the shop trailer removed and repaired.  We lined up to the ramp and Royce from Burlington Welding came over with a fork lift to pull the trailer out.

Right at the side of the ramp was a birds nest with a couple of eggs in it.  The next was tucked off to the side, but with the forklift taking up most of the width, Al had to stand to the side.  Just as Marilyn decided it might be a good idea to move the nest, she turned to take the two steps to grab it…just as Al was stepping back to get out of the way.  It was one of those super-slow-motion, “NOOOOOOOO” moments that you could see coming, but couldn’t avoid…scrambled eggs.

Royce got the shop trailer out and moved off the ramp, then he got some extensions and picked the trailer up from the side and moved it by the shop.  We got the tools we thought we might need, then left the men to their work.

Back at Cherokee, Marilyn worked on getting the two-way radio mounted in the combine, but without the shop trailer, we were shy of some screws.  Al had been trying to get the feeder drum raised, but he was having a problem with not having the right size socket to undo the nut.  We made a quick trip to the NAPA store for what we needed, then went back to work.  Al was successful with his job, but Marilyn had gotten screws that were too short…she didn’t want to go through the back wall of the cab, but it turns out that is exactly how it was mounted in the last cab, so now she needs bolts to get it firmly set. Because we were pretty much ready to start moving the 17 miles west, the radio was firmly wedged in the cupholder for the day.

Marilyn gave Al a ride out to the farm to get the tractor and cart, then gave the windows a much needed cleaning before going back to the camper to get the combine.  We moved both rigs over to the canola field, then John came over, picked us up and brought us back for the pickup, header and General.

We got the header on and tuned in, then Al got to make the first few rounds so he could make sure that everything was working as it should be.  Gary, the farmer, took a sample in to the elevator and it was testing 4.1%, so we were ready for action.  After Al got the kinks out and the General full, Marilyn took over combining and he went to the elevator.

It was so great to be back in the combine again, going great guns and having everything working…with the exception of the right speaker on the music radio. It was a beautiful evening with just a hint of wind to keep the dust away.  There were a lot more combines in the field today…mostly wheat, but some canola, too.  More crews were moving through town, heading south…not sure for how long though.

So, considering we didn’t get started combining until 6:30pm, we still managed to get 49 acres cleared off the 80 acre patch we are on.

Just imagine what we will accomplish when we start at 11am tomorrow…

May 20, 2012

View of the day-We made it to the end of the line. Parked on the street in Cherokee, Oklahoma.

What a crazy start to the day.  We knew that Darren, the forklift man, from Straubs International in Great Bend, wouldn't be out to move the header until after 11am, so we decided to have real eggs for breakfast...Marilyn likes to actually see a yolk in her eggs.  Now, we are in a city of 18,000, so you would think this would not be a problem...and why aren't people in church at 9am, or at the very least getting ready for church?  We tried five or six different restaurants and there were lineups at every one.  Good thing the egg mcmuffin has a real yolk in it.

We finished our 'fine' breakfast, got fuel in the slip tank for the General, so that we wouldn't have to maneuver it, and the trailers, through the pumps at the station.  While Al fueled the General, Marilyn worked on getting the backup camera and monitor wiring in place so Al could have a view of the long load he would be pulling later on.  With everything in place, we went to Straubs to wait for Darren to show up so he could use the forklift to take the pickup head trailer off the combine trailer.


We got the combine trailer unhooked just as Darren pulled up with the forklift and with a couple of readjustments, managed to get the trailer lifted, moved and set down on the ground.  His job was done and now it was time to get the combine loaded on the trailer...the good news was that this combine was the same size as the old one, so we got it right the first time.  Will wonders never cease?

After getting the header trailer hooked on behind the combine trailer, we were ready to cover the last 125 miles of our journey.  It was nice that the road construction guys had taken the day off, so there was no waiting for the pilot car...it was straight through, no waiting...except for the other harvesters that were on the road slowing things down.  We had another day of north wind helping us to make good time and it seemed to take no time at all and we were in Cherokee.


Al parked the General and its load on the street and we went over to get the camper settled in its spot before getting the combine unloaded and the trailer moved.  After getting the rest of the stuff parked, we took the combine over to the coop to fuel it up, then brought it back to the camper so Marilyn could get the two-way radio and camera set up in it before the panic sets in and we have to communicate with hand signals...and we all know how well that works.

We called it a day, went over to Pizza hut and this time had to stand in line forever to pay...and we were the only ones paying.  Guess they didn't want our money very badly.


Back at the camper, there were issues getting on the internet, so it looks like the blog will be done from in front of the library on main street again.  The cell service was a bit sketchy last year, so we are not surprised.

All in all a great day...nothing like the smell of a new combine to get you itching to get in the field...

May 19, 2012

View of the day-Al's new load on the combine trailer...since the combine is waiting for us in Great Bend.

What a whirlwind week!  We got home on Tuesday and Al gave Marilyn one day to get the camper ready to go.  We did a lot of procrastinating while we waited to get our approval for the work visas, and it came back to bite us in the 'business' end.

Al spent Wednesday getting the header trailer locked and loaded for the big trip.  This was a 'crossed fingers' kind of a deal, since the trailer tires were too far apart to fit on the combine trailer beams, it was all blocks and chains to get it fit to roll.  
Marilyn was busy trying to get the camper organized and as usual, she starts out putting things away as they get carried into the camper, but as panic sets in, there are always 10 baskets of 'stuff' that end up getting put away at the first...second...and third nights on the trip down. Why would things be any different this year? 

We got a chance to visit with friends before we left...that probably didn't help the timeline much, but you never know what the summer will bring.  Marilyn was pretty thrilled with the Saturday Night Live thermal mug that Teresa brought back from New York City for her...coffee will taste sooo good in it.

Thursday was go day and Al wanted to be on the road with his load no later than 3pm...Marilyn, on the other hand, just had to get to Carlyle before the next morning.  We had to get the shop trailer loaded in the General, then get the trailer hooked up to the combine trailer.  The shop went in without a problem and it took no time at all to get everything flanged in so Al could hit the road. Marilyn was able to leave at 5pm...not so bad after all.

This year we didn't get a chance to run the water through the camper before we left, but we knew for the first couple of nights we would be able to shower in the house at Carlyle and at the shower house in Gettysburg, so it that job was set on low priority.

Al made it to Carlyle with only one problem...the shop trailer hitch broke in the same spot that we had fixed a few years back. It had looked weak and perhaps the new pressure washer weighed a bit more than the old one and the acetylene tanks that we had removed.  We decided to just forge on and deal with the breakdown when we got to Oklahoma.   Marilyn made Carlyle and the only issue was with the bugs through the Moose Mountain park...the camper didn't fair so well.

We were going to sleep in the house, so Marilyn only put out two of the slides to get a few of the boxes emptied out.  Apparently, while the slides were out at home, about 50 or so, big moths had taken up residence under the slide awning and had become trapped when the slide was pulled in.  As soon as Marilyn turned the light on in the camper, they all came to life and started dive bombing.  Those things are irritating and found more hiding places to avoid the Raid that Marilyn had sprayed several times.

We were up early on Friday and at the border, ready to cross for the last time this month.  Marilyn was ready with her import bond, when the border guard told her she could just shred it, because they were told we don't need to use them anymore...they were just going to assume that we would be taking everything back out when we were done. 

Shut up and drive...which is exactly what we did.

We got to Gettysburg Friday night and were just parking the General and its load in the lot behind the motel when someone drove up and asked us if we were staying in the motel and if not, why were we parking there? Al was on the other side of the General fueling up, so he didn't hear the conversation...good thing.  Marilyn said we stay at the hotel on a regular basis and figured he must be the owner...until she saw him drive away.  We were parking next to the conveyor where the elevator would pile wheat...it wasn't even the motel's lot-which was completely empty, by the way.  We left the rig there and went to the city park to camp for the night.  Marilyn got several of the boxes emptied out, in between trying to get the remaining moths out of the camper.

We could see lightning in the west and during the night it started to rain and continued to do so all through the night.  This made the fact that we didn't have any water rather uncomfortable...at least for the bathroom breaks during the night.


We were up and on the road by 8am today and it was a lot longer day than yesterday...over 525 miles.  We managed to make Great Bend, KS by 7pm, parked the General by the campground, then set up the camper for the night.  This time, however, we got the water hooked up and the system flushed and ready for the season...with no leaks, so far.  We even managed a couple of loads of laundry.  

Tomorrow we get to, somehow, get the pickup header trailer off the combine trailer and load the combine on, before heading to Cherokee, OK.

And maybe see the last of those ^&%($** moths...

May 14, 2012

View of the day-Unloading at the final destination, the tractor and Freight will be awaiting our return next week.

Another early start to the day...we were hoping to make up for lost time yesterday. We left Broken Bow after grabbing a quick breakfast at McDonalds, got back to Ansley, hooked up and headed south.

The rest of the trip through Nebraska was uneventful...Sunday is a slow traffic day, even on Mother's day. We were mildly concerned about the construction we had read about that was north of Pratt, Kansas. Marilyn emailed a couple of harvesters to see if they knew of anything, but they had already gone through before the construction had started. Al called Taff, from Great Bend...since he lives interest area and had probably seen what the situation was...he had no problem getting through on Thursday. We figured we had gone through some wicked detours in the past, so we just bit the bullet and forged.

It was overcast most of the day, which meant a cool drive for Al in the Freight...a rare occurrence in May...and the South wind was so light it didn't slow us down at all. The construction turned out to be a lot of road milling and no one was working on Sunday so we sailed right through.

The crops were all over the map...some looking like it would be a month and others looked a week away. We were thrilled to see, as we got close to Cherokee, that they were finally building a new bridge to replace the half mile, one-laner that we have had to cross forever. But we finally pulled into Cherokee at 5:30pm.

We parked on the street in town and took a drive out to see where we could park.  We were hoping that we could squeeze in where we had been parking for the past several years...NOT A CHANCE!! That town has gone crazy with the oil boom.  Any spot where a camper or crew trailer could park has been filled...even the town park looks like a permanent mobile home park.  Time for plan B.

We drove out to John's farm and he had done a lot of clearing of old buildings and trees which meant there was enough room for us to snuggle in.  After finding a suitable spot, we unhooked the header trailer and went back to town to get the Freight. It took no time at all to get unloaded and parked out of the way...time to turn and burn...after a quick visit with Mike, our campground landlord. Thankfully, he saved our spot.

We took detour to stop and visit with a farmer at the field where they were just swathing some canola that we will be picking up...it was looking not too bad. The wheat that the cows had gotten into down the road was a different matter.  After we were done gabbing, we started north to make Great Bend, Kansas for the night...and made it there at 11pm.

We slept in this morning...til 7am...we knew we would make good time not pulling anything and being able to go after dark. First stop of the day?  Nope...not Great Wall China Buffet...the next best thing. We went to check on our combine which was sitting out at Straub's International, where it had been taken to get the pre-delivery inspection done. After checking in with Elwin, the service manager, we were on our way...at least out of Great Bend.

We stopped out to see Ken and Kevin, but no one was home. After touring a few of the fields, we got a call from Mandy, Kevin's wife, who told us Ken was on his way back to the farm, so we doubled back for a visit. After a chat to get caught up, we left and just as we were heading down the road, we met Kevin, so we stopped to bend his ear before taking off.


Al pulled the first shift driving, then Marilyn took over through Nebraska. It was bit warmer out and we had a south wind, although it was so light it didn't make much difference.  Just wait until we bring the high profile loads...you can pretty much count on a brisk south wind. No jinx.

We stopped in Bassett to drop off the bottle jack at the tire shop, then went out to Sandhill Equipment to pay our tab for the service call...very reasonable. After that we were Selby, South Dakota bound.

Marilyn was able to get online off and on with the MiFi...sketchy service in a lot of places.  While checking in on Facebook, she came across some pictures that a friend of hers had posted from her recent trip to New York City.  Teresa was celebrating her 50th birthday this year and had planned last fall to take this trip with her girlfriends.  Marilyn was really excited to be able to go, even though it was precariously close to harvest time...this is someplace that she has dreamed of going forever, it seems. As time drew closer, it was apparent that she would not be able to go...even though it would only be from Thursday to Monday. So now she has to make due with Teresa's pictures and stories...until next year, at least.  Plans are in the works to go early in April...this time,for sure.

So now we have gone 2035 miles and have driven for 44 hours...apparently New York is only 1953 miles from Yorkton...hmmm...