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View of the day-The General in position as a dock to do some repairs on the combine as the clouds and rain threaten.
We had big plans for the day, the biggest being to change the oil cooler rad on the combine. The rad is bolted to another smaller rad and both of them swing out to reveal the engine rad. The weld that holds the side bracket of the oil cooler rad had broken away at the top and bottom...this is the third time this has happened...hopefully it's the last.
Al had unhooked the cart from the tractor and he drove it down to the local repair shop to get the A/C fixed...although we haven't needed it very much this month. We left it their then went out to have lunch at the sale barn then we stopped to chat a bit with a fellow Canadian harvester that had his rigs parked in the sale barn lot.
We got out to the field and figured the best way to change the rad out was to back the General right up against the combine and work out of the box, so we wouldn't have to lift the 2ft x 3ft radiator any more than we had to. We got everything lined up and had all the tools in the back of the General...we were ready to tackle the messy job. We drained two five gallon pails of transmission oil out of the reservoir and were just going to take the old rad out but we noticed the sky getting darker and the hills disappearing as the forecasted rain was blowing closer. We decided to put the tools away and head back for Gettysburg...good thing...the rain hit just as we turned on the highway.
We sat in the camper for a while, then finally the rain quit and the sun came out so we figured we would go out and finish the rad job. It went better than we expected, we were done in an hour, cleaned up and back in town before the sun went down.
Marilyn did the laundry one load at a time at the campground...hanging them on the line made for a quick dry with the 25 mph winds.
At this rate it will be another late night...
View of the day-Bridge from Fort Pierre to Pierre over the Missouri River.
Another lazy day, mostly because of the late night/early morning. We didn't get much done during the day, Al went for a cruise around town to see what was happening...not much.
We had been invited out to Bob's Steak House for supper by our farmer, they came and picked us up and we went out to enjoy a great steak supper overlooking the river. After supper we went to back to the camper and they came in to show us the pictures of their trip earlier this year to Vietnam.
It was a fascinating time seeing the pictures and learning about someplace on the other side of the world...so much history, especially since he was over there almost 40 years ago during the war. There will be some Googling going on to find out more about that area...very interesting.
And when we were done, we had another late night...
View of the day-An interesting use for an old school bus. We spied this at Seneca, SD.
Woke up to rain but we didn't have any combining to do, so it wasn't a big deal...we were caught up. We had planned on going into Pierre to pick up a few things and maybe shop around a bit so after getting organized we headed out for the day, driving in the rain most of the way.
We decided to go via Highmore so we could pick up the new oil cooler rad they had ordered for us under warranty, then we carried on to Pierre. We stopped at the Case dealer to talk to Ray from ProHarvest and look at some of the farm toys, then we went over to the John Deere dealer to do the same. Al dropped Marilyn off at the mall and Walmart while he went shopping at a few other places for more toys.
With the abbreviated shopping trip out of the way, we went looking for someplace different for supper and the Pizza Ranch won out. After we finished eating we decided to take the scenic route home over the dam and along the river, swinging by the rye field that is next on the list to see how it was coming along.
We got back to the camper just as the second wave of rain showers was starting to threaten and figured we were done for the day when we got a call from another fellow Canadian harvester, Gerry and Lynn Prevost. They were on their way back from Pierre heading for Hoven...about 25 miles NE of Gettysburg...and wanted us to come up for a visit.
It was around 8:30pm and Marilyn had figured on getting the blog updated early for a change when the call came in from Lynn. The nightly routine has been to get done around 2:30am or later and she had been cutting it back an hour at a time, but it was still late...or early, depending on your view.
We drove up to Hoven and got caught up with a few things at their camper, then went down to the local tavern to have a few drinks with their crew. It was an entertaining evening, Al & Marilyn on the diet coke watching the antics of the 'imbibers'...the waitress said Al was the DDD-drive da drunks. One of the Prevost crew, a very nice looking 22-year-old young lady was feeling her oats and kept the bar entertained at one point by passing around the 'silicon packs' that she usually kept stored in her 'chestle harness'...if you get the drift. Kids...
They finally kicked us out at 2am and after giving Lynn and Gerry a ride back to their camper, we came home to Gettysburg. Marilyn was almost too tired to do the blog, but the thought of getting up early was too overwhelming so at 3:30am it's getting done.
The outside temp is 48º...time to find some blankets...
View of the day-The John Deere bit off more than it could chew. The chopper belt was loose so the straw wouldn't go anywhere and eventually they had to start pulling the mess out of the back.
We got to have our eggs for breakfast at the Cattle Crossing Cafe at the sale barn, then we went back to the camper to kill some time before going out to the field.
The original plan was that the farmer was going to do the pickup work on the field that he had swathed, but it was testing around 17% moisture so they quit. They called us to go out around 2pm and came over to work in the same field so we could finish it up and even if it was over 13% they did have a bit of air bin space to dry it down. As it was, the crop was dry enough that they didn't need to do that...plus we were leaving a couple of header widths of greener wheat around the outside of the field that they would look after later.
We finished the field and moved a few miles over to another field and did a round but it was really wet in spots and since it was already 8:30pm we called it a day. Lots of trucks hauling again and a few combines that we can see in the area are making dust, but there is still a lot of green wheat. The weather is not cooperating...16 degrees below the average temps according to the weather channel, and it is supposed to struggle to make 70º this week.
And the rain stayed south...
View of the day-The water is kind of deep in Lake Oahe along the Missouri River 20 miles west of Gettysburg.
Another 'super-do-nothing' day. Our Kansas harvester neighbor dropped in for a visit and we got caught up on his summer's doings so far. He has been coming to Gettysburg for 60 years and has seen it all...the changes in equipment, crop choices, harvesters...that's a long time.
We debated on going to Carlyle to get our pick-up head, just in case we need it but after talking to the farmer, it doesn't seem likely. We may make a mad dash up there anyway...we never know what might come up.
We decided to take a drive out to the river to see what was happening out there...spied some harvesters in the campground on the way out. We crossed over to the other side and checked out the shore line...the water is a bit deep judging by the trees that are out in it. After stopping at the convenience store...convenient, yes...expensive, you bet...we went back to the camper. There were lots of trucks hauling grain across the river but we didn't see any combines going where we drove.
We got our Ice Road Truckers fix in for the week and did pretty much nothing else for the evening. Al called home to get the lastest news and Marilyn got a call filling her in on the Shakespeare in the Park that the theatre group she belongs to had performed on Saturday.
Rain is forecast, but it could stay south...
View of the day-After wishful thinking, Al dumps the sample into the cart...too wet to go.
The wind was blowing and it was warm enough that it should have been a good drying day. We were under the impression that we had the day off, so we just laid low not doing too much.
Marilyn was determined to go shopping but wasn't in any hurry to leave, making sure the last of the laundry came off the clothesline and the camper was clean. Around 2:30pm we had a call from the farmer saying he wanted to try it around 4pm...Marilyn was not putting off the shopping for another day, so she gave Al a ride to the General so he would have a set of wheels.
Marilyn left for Pierre and Al went out to the field to service the combine...only to find out after combining a hopper full that it was too wet to continue, so he got a ride back into town. Marilyn found treasures galore in Pierre and didn't even get downtown, but got a lot of exercise parking at the far end of the parking lots and covering every aisle.
Al listened to the Roughrider game on the radio, then decided to watch the game online and by the time he was able to do that...they blew it again...one foot is dragging off the band wagon. Marilyn got home around 10:30pm and got her stash put away...a tight fit, but a place for everything.
Maybe tomorrow...
