July 9, 2008

View of the day-One load parked in Hamill, SD.

We went over to the truck stop first thing to get the General started and hook up the header trailer. Nice surprise...someone swiped one of our warning flags off the front of the General...great start to the day.

We left with the combine and header and after another uneventful drive of 225 miles, made it to Hamill and parked the rigs in the usual spot. We went looking for the landlord, but he must have been off fishing or something, but our spot was nicely mowed, so he knew we were coming...that, and he likely reads the blog.

We decided to make a detour through Winner for an early supper and to fuel up...surprisingly, the fuel is within pennies of what it has been all along. Usually it it always higher as we move north during the summer.

We made it back to the campground around 8:30pm and since there was a shower house with laundry facilities, Marilyn decided to throw a couple of loads of clothes in, so we could start fresh in Hamill. There is a laundromat in Winner, but the guy who runs it...or used to , anyway...is a bit of a tyrant, so we usually avoid going there.

The crops in the area are still pretty green...the winter wheat is getting close, but the spring wheat looks grass green in places so we will have a wait, but we do have a list of things to fix...little things like lights on trailers, fan blower and radio in the tractor, oil changes on everything...enough to keep us busy for a few days.

However...there is a lot going on in the area around Hamill...rodeos, county fairs, street dances...and the biggie, for us at least...the Unlimited Light Hydroplane racing in Chamberlain, SD on the Missouri River this Saturday and Sunday. We have never been to anything like this and since we missed the July 4 fireworks that are usually held on the river, we will at least have an excuse to get to Chamberlain. We should have lots of pictures in the blog that day...hopefully they won't just be a big blur.

Again the trip through middle America had us watching the people of the various towns as they watched us passing through their town...watering flowers, mowing lawns...sitting on their verandas drinking beer. It's all Marilyn can do to keep Al from pulling over to pull up a bench and parking for the afternoon. We forge on...

Tomorrow we will have phone service in the camper...

July 8, 2008

View of the day-Load number two ready to hit the road.

We made it back to the camper around 1:30am, and after a well deserved sleep, were roused by the sound of more rain. We had driven through a lot of rain on the way home, and it was really coming down as we passed by the bins where the Frieghtliner was parked. Our concern was that we wouldn't be able to get out to the highway if the road was wet...not to mention the narrow corner that Al had to make to get on to the main road.

We got the camper ready to go, finished up some last minute shopping after lunch, fueled up at the elevator and paid the ever present fuel bill. By 3:30 we were officially on our way out of Kansas. The drive was uneventful...just 'shut up and drive' until we reached Elm Creek. After parking the Freighliner by the General at the truck stop, we headed over to the campground and got set up for the night.

We went into town for supper at the bar...we forgot what it was like to be in a place where they allow smoking...the burger was mighty fine though. We went back to the truck stop to get fuel, but when they tried to talk to Al over the intercom, and insisted that he come in with his drivers license before he could pay cash for his fuel...well...let's just say...we went back into town for fuel.

We've had run-ins with them before...it's all but impossible to just buy diesel from this place...third degree over those intercoms that are useless at the best of times, clerks that speak 90mph and then get pi$$ed off when you ask them to slow down and repeat the question...oh, well...

Time to go over and suck up some of their free internet...

July 7, 2008

View of the day-Leaving from the bins at Timken, KS.

Marilyn got to bed at 4am...she had Walmart all to herself...great shopping...great exercise.

Al was up before Marilyn...not saying "early", just "before". After getting the new tire for the shop trailer fixed we went for lunch, then headed out to get settled up, put the tire on, fix a hydraulic hose, then head north to Nebraska.

Al wanted to leave late so we would cross into Nebraska after the "crows" had left the weigh scale...you know what we mean by "crows"...you never know who is listening on the two way radios...code words, you know...never know who is reading the blog either...

We were aware of the bad weather that was coming up from the SW, but thought that we would be able to stay ahead of it. We did have a contingency plan, just in case, though...but we never did have to wait it out. It hit us...or we crossed paths with it...just south of Stockton, KS, but the worst of it was still to the SW. No big deal, we just kept on forging and eventually when we reached the Bosselman's truck stop at Elm Creek, NE...the sun was shining!

We had a quick bite to eat before Al parked himself in one of the small phone rooms in the truck stop and called in to join the Terriers hockey meeting via speakerphone. Marilyn found a table and got logged on to get the blog done early...for a change.

While working online, a look out the window shows the bad weather has caught up with us...constant thunder, everything looking unsettled...and we have to drive back through it to Great Bend...about 195 miles.

Tomorrow the turtle shell moves north...

July 6, 2008

View of the day-If you have to wait in line, at least the happy face at the top of the bin should make you smile.

Got to sleep in a bit, then after Sunday brunch, Al went out to the bins to do a bit of fixing before we head out. One of the tires on the shop trailer was starting to show some wires, so Al took it off and brought it to town to get a new one mounted tomorrow when the tire shop opens. After fixing a few things he came back to town.

Marilyn, on the other hand, spent the afternoon going through receipts and trying to get the books in order. Al has been suggesting we get down to the job for the past couple of weeks, but...we have been combining. Marilyn thought today was a good day to get started, then, halfway through thought...we will be sitting in Hamill for at least a week...we will need something to do. Don't think there will be a lot of "retail therapy" in Hamill.

And now, back to watching the Ice Road Truckers on the History channel...

July 5, 2008

View of the day-Pretty much where we stayed today.

Not much happened today. After Al spent most of the morning calling around to see if we could find some more work in the area or farther north, we gave up and went for lunch.

While Marilyn did laundry, Al went to the coffee shop to catch up online and keep cool...it was 103 today...mighty warm. We stopped at the CaseIH dealer to get a new blower motor for the tractor...oh, yes and a few farm toys for Al. Once the laundry was put away and the bed remade, Al checked his eyelids for cracks and Marilyn went for her own retail "exercise".

Back at the camper we tried to get some paperwork done, but the Deadliest Catch kept sidelining us. So much in fact that we missed birthday cake and fireworks for the farmer's two young daughters.

Imagine us missing out on cake...

July 4, 2008

View of the day-Al picks up on the go from the combine.

Happy Independence Day!

We got started a little later than usual, the humidity was high and the clouds looked like they could form into something. It didn't take long before they all burned off and we had another great day.

Marilyn is always amazed at the variety of plant life on the run...particularly the various weeds. Upon closer examination...no touching, mind you...she discovers...well, you can figure it out. Weeds...yes...weeds, growing wild in the ditches, in the pastures...now that's where happy cows come from.

We finished the field we had started yesterday night and then moved over to our last 35 acre piece. The other crew that was working for our farmer was across the road from us working with two JD combines. With bigger headers and no terraces to speak of, they finished their 100 acres the same time we finished our field.

Marilyn got the header loaded on it's trailer then moved the combine up to the bins where the trailers had been parked. Al took the last load into the elevator and Marilyn got a ride back to the field to bring the tractor and cart back to the bins. We managed to get everything cleaned, loaded and hooked up, ready to head north tomorrow...well, that was the plan...

We had talked to the farmer up at the Kansas/Nebraska border and he had 150 acres that he thought were ready to go, so we figured we better get loaded up ASAP. Once we got everything done, we went back into Great Bend for supper...this time real food. It was 10pm and the only place that seemed to be open on the 4th was Applebees, which we were going to boycott after last year's rude service that we had gotten there. We decided to give them a second chance, and seeing as there were only three cars in the lot, it seemed like service wouldn't be a problem. We got a window seat, which helped us to see all the fireworks going on in town.

Earlier, when we were driving back from the field, the whole skyline of Great Bend was lit up from north to south with fireworks being blown off. They were allowed to go until midnight, but we are still hearing the occasional blast at 1am...we just can't imagine the amount of money that was spent on fireworks in town...it wasn't just bottle rockets and firecrackers either.

Al got to talk to the farmer up north after we had supper and it turns out he will be doing the acres himself, so here we are loaded up and ready to go...but where? South Dakota is our next stop and that is probably two or three weeks away.

Guess there's time for laundry now...

July 3, 2008

View of the day-Cutting more terraces...they never seem to end.

What a gorgeous day...81 degrees, mild wind...almost like the Canadian harvest.

Another early start and a lot of acres covered, even though we had to move to four different fields...of course they were right next to and across the road from each other. It's surprising how beautiful the landscape is until you start combining and realize some of the terraces are so steep you need a seat belt on your lunch bag to keep it from rolling off the seat.

Combines have been rolling everywhere around the area...custom harvesters across from us, but mostly it is local farmers taking care of their own crop. Al made a few trips to the elevator today and even managed to talk to the local radio station guy that was on a remote at the elevator. He got free water and put in a request for International Harvester by Craig Morgan...again, how appropriate for a Canadian cutting in the USA...we know, it's not that kind of "International", but what the heck.

As we came into Great Bend to the camper, we could see fireworks going off all around town...they can only set them off between 10am and midnight tomorrow...such law abiding citizens. No fireworks in town which is too bad...they always put on a great show.

Time to go for a drive to upload...another late night...