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View of the day-The campground is pretty full at Gettysburg...and this is only one of a few in this town of 1200 people. It was a new campground when we started coming and those trees were just twigs in the ground.
We had an early lunch, then picked up a few things before heading out to the rigs to do some work. We needed to clean all the old grain out of the hopper and grain cart, because these fields are certified seed. Fortunately, we had done a pretty good job of cleaning them so there wasn't a lot to get rid of...bad news for the chickens that were going to get the "leavings".
Marilyn worked on windows and trying to get the camera working in the combine...a lot of time spent with no success. Al got a new chain put on the feeder reverser...that went without incident. There wasn't a breath of wind out and it seemed the only time we got a breeze was when vehicles would pass on the highway...and there were LOTS of bikes heading to Sturgis and home from Sturgis for the bike rally. The flies were really bad too...a sure sign for something coming, weather wise.
After we got our work done, we went into Selby to check out our camp spot ..good news, a camper had moved out, which will make setting up a lot easier. After a milkshake at the Dairy Spot, we came back to Gettysburg.
Tomorrow we are Selby bound...
View of the day-Al and his brother Jeff at Bob's Resort, west of Gettysburg along the Missouri River.
Today was moving day for us...although it was only a 20 mile move. Al went out and got the propane tanks filled for the camper and picked up the various packages we had delivered to the campground office. After grabbing a quick snack at the convenience store...and having a chat with another harvester and a local farmer we had known since we started coming here in 1990...we were off to see if the combine was still where we had left it.
The General started like a dream and once it was aired up, we got the header trailer hooked to the Dodge and were on our way. We had one bridge to cross that was under construction, but this one only had pylons marking the center line, so we were clear to go through. Al didn't knock one over, even though there was only about three inches of clearance on either side.
We got up to the farm, surveyed the best spot to park, then unhooked and proceeded to unload the combine. The battery was dead. Looking back, it was over a month ago that it was last running...a month! The two way radio was left on, so we figured that was what had killed it. We boosted with the Dodge and then got it unloaded.
Al took over and got the combine trailer moved with the combine over to a parking spot off the road to make room for the next load with the tractor and cart.
With that done, we got back into the General and Dodge and headed back for the shop trailer and tractor. While getting the cart trailer hooked up to the General, Danny and Bev, the farmers, stopped by to have a chat with us. After getting caught up with them, we headed back north again...this time Al did take a few of the pylons out when we went through the bridge work.
We got the tractor and cart unloaded, then Al used the combine again to move the trailer out of the way, then parked the combine.
Before we left, we talked to Lauren, the farmer and he told us where the two fields we were to be doing were, so we took a drive out to see how soon they would be to cutting. Al took a long walk out into the field looking for some dry wheat, but it doesn't look like we should even anticipate cutting a test until Monday...it's still pretty green, but nice looking.
We went into Selby to check out the camping at the motel, where we parked last year...two campers already parked there, but there is room for us...sort of. We won't be moving until Thursday. After stopping at the ice cream joint for a cone and a shake...which was smaller, but just as good as Sonic...we started back for Gettysburg.
We stopped for a quick chat with Gerry and Lynn...Marilyn had some items to drop off...then we went back to our camper to clean up for supper. We were going out to Bob's Resort to meet Al's brother Jeff and his biking pal, Cassidy, for supper and a visit. It was excellent, as usual.
Tomorrow, we dust the cobwebs off the equipment...
View of the day-Getting ready to leave Nebraska and head north.
We spent the morning getting everything that was left hooked up and ready to hit the road. We finally were ready for action by 1pm. Saw a cute little custom motor home in the lot.
Chris was leading the pack pulling the crew trailer, followed by Gerry with the combine and double header trailer, Al with a combine and the cargo trailer, then Lynn in the motor home and for a change of pace, Marilyn brought up the rear of the convoy.
Too bad, it still didn't leave much time to take pictures along the way...except through the windshield.
When we took a pit stop at Kadoka, SD before we got onto the interstate, we did get to take a few pictures of "Scrappy"...a pretty good sized sculpture made out of scrap.
Once we hit the interstate, we were able to cruise along at a good clip, and except for having to go directly through the city of Pierre, we still made pretty good time. Once we got to the junction of the 212 and 83 highways, Marilyn went straight into Gettysburg, while the rest of the crew continued on to the farm, about 20 miles north.
Marilyn got to the campground...it was pretty full...and found a space to pull in to. It wasn't our usual spot, but since we were only planning on staying a couple days...well..."any port in a storm". Fortunately, one of the other harvesters in the campground came over to guide her into the spot and within 30 minutes, the camper was all set up and she was on her way to pick up Al.
Tomorrow we get to see how our rigs survived...
View of the day-It's cleaning time! Lynn, Marilyn and Chris get to work on the combines at the campground.
Al and Gerry were on the road today, taking the tractor and cart load, and the tandem with the super-b's behind. The rigs were out of town, so no pictures of that set up. They were on their way to Hoven, SD...a 270 mile drive with the loads. They are coming back with the semi tractor to use on the combine load.
Lynn got the compressor set up with two hoses and we started blowing off the combines. When Chris got back from helping the guys get on the road, he started the compressor on the service truck and joined in the "fun".
Once that was done we went back to our respective campers and got cleaned up. Lynn came over later on and picked Marilyn up to do some last minute shopping.
After getting everything put away, Marilyn started back into the photo scanning, but took a break when Lynn came over to see if she would join her for a walk...and she did.
Back to scanning...1993 is almost done...
View of the day-The combine moves into the campground for a cleaning before getting loaded.
We had a couple shots of rain during the night...a pretty good shot we heard...but we weren't combining, so that was alright. But...the machines still had to be moved in from the field, which wasn't good.
Gerry came over in the morning to fill us in on what was going on, then they fought the wet roads and went out to see if they could get the equipment in. We, on the other hand, pretty much stayed in the camper.
Marilyn slaved over a couple of the cooking machines she found on sale...corndogs and cupcakes. They work like a dream.
Something should get moved tomorrow...
View of the day-Just another shot of wheat...nothing photo worthy in the camper.
We woke up to a cloudy cool morning, so Gerry and Al went out to to see about some possible acres. While they were on the road Marilyn made an effort to get up and go with Lynn on her morning walk. The guys came back with the verdict...we were officially finished combining in Nebraska.
Part of the reason was the rain last night, the fog during the day today and the fact that their next job in Hoven, SD was getting close. The forecast was for rain off and on over the next week, so there was no way to wait out the weather and get moved. The trials and tribulations of the harvest life.
Gerry, Lynn and Chris went out to clean off the machines. We got to stay back at the camper and get a few things done...well, the big thing was removing and replacing the caulk on the shower. An air compressor might have been handy, but the blow dryer had to do the job.
We decided to try out the Legion for their Friday burger special, it was pretty busy and there was only one waitress. Al set a time limit of 20 minutes to get our order in, and if it wasn't taken by then, we would leave. We got our drinks, then we finally got some menus, but we could see after 10 minutes, we were behind a couple of big tables, so when the waitress came back, we told her we were probably not going to order. She said that was probably a good idea and apologized for the wait...she even said we didn't need to pay for the drinks. We told her it wasn't her fault, left a couple of bucks for her anyway, then stopped at the grocery store to grab something for supper at the camper.
Besides, we had to get back to the camper for CFL football...
View of the day-Big trouble in the east...and south...and north. But not where we were. Yet.
It wasn't an early morning by any means. Gerry, Al and Chris went out to move a combine and the headers over to the new field, then they cut a test and brought it into town. 16.7% moisture...waiting time.
It was a lot hotter today, reached the mid 80's and there was a strong east wind...not a good sign for weather, but good for drying down the wheat. Gerry thought about three hours should bring it down, so we sat it out, killing time in the camper.
We went out and did another test...13.9% this time. The wait worked and we were on our way out to make some dust. The humidity was pretty high, so the straw was kind of chewy. The farmer decided he wanted the straw dropped, so Gerry got the choppers moved out of the way on both combines and we got started.
This field was another irrigated one and it was running well over 70 bu/ac, so Lynn was kept mighty busy in the tractor and cart. There wasn't a lot of rest for the truck drivers, either, but at least they didn't have line ups at the elevator to contend with.
The field had been sprayed for weeds, but it hadn't affected the buckwheat enough, so the going was even slower. At one point, Marilyn could hear a strange noise coming from the combine, so she stopped to figure out what it was. Not the header, or the feeder house and the rotor was running right where it needed to be. But the sound persisted. Then Lynn said there wasn't any straw coming out of the back...just great...the back was plugged.
Lynn and Marilyn started pulling straw until Gerry combined up to the mess, then he took over. This combine has a hitch on the back so it can pull the header, and it sticks out just far enough to keep the straw from dropping properly...and it snowballed after that. Gerry got Marilyn to jump in his combine and keep going while he finished cleaning out the combine.
It only took one round and Marilyn was able to get back into her machine and forge on. We wanted to get this field finished before the weather hit...we were in a tornado watch until 10pm and it looked like they were really getting hammered to the east of us. It was starting to build in the west and there didn't seem to be any way we were going to miss this mess.
But we did. We got finished and the farmer even came out to the field with drinks for everyone...beer for Gerry, diet pop for Al and wine for the girls...a nice treat to toast the finish.
On the road as we headed for town, we came across this snake on the road. Gerry stopped so we could take a picture, he figured it wasn't moving too fast because it was cold, but looking at the picture with the flash, it would appear it's missing some guts. It was still moving, though.
We got our fingers crossed the storms miss us...
