If it weren't for bad luck.....

September 10 – Things did not exactly go according to plan today!  So what else is new?  We got up at 7 to be on the road at 8.  Once we had breakfast Bill went out to unhook the utilities and start the car to run its required 5 minutes before towing.  He came back in and said the battery was dead and I asked him if he turned the key off last night and he “thought” he did.  Well he didn’t so the battery was on all night.  He wanted me to wake the neighbors to jump the car but I said it was too early to wake people.  I called to the office to see if there was someone who could jump it and the lady working said she’d send her husband over.  He was very nice and it was no big deal since we had jumper cables.  We left it run while he finished his jobs and I finished my jobs inside.

Last panel in progress

We went into Mitchell to the Corn Palace.  Bill and I had been before when we were out here maybe 7-8 years ago but they change it every year.  The first Corn Palace was built in 1892 when the city was only 12 years old.  The

One whole wall

beginning purpose was to display the agricultural bounty enticing immigrant farmers to move here.  Each fall a festival was planned to celebrate agriculture and their productivity.  The tradition has continued.  This is the third Corn Palace but the tradition has remained the same. 

A panel up close

Once the new theme has been decided, the outside is stripped and redecorated with new corn, as well as rye, oat heads and sour dock tied in bundles.  Roughly 275,000 ears of corn are soaked in water and sawed in half lengthwise and nailed on.  A “paint as you go” background

The Front

is drawn and used for the pattern.  They start on it the beginning of summer and by the end of summer it is done.  Today we got to watch the workmen attaching the split corn on the last panel while a third man was splitting the corn. 

Stage inside, panels above

Inside there is a basketball court and a stage.  Big concerts are held here as well as stage shows, graduations and the annual festival.  Along the inside walls are photos of EVERY year of the

"Maize" column in lobby

corn palace and photos of well know entertainers such as the Osmond Brothers, Gene Autry, Lawrence Welk, Tricia Yearwood and Willie Nelson.  It would be nice to go back every year but it’s a long drive from Florida!  Mike Miller the number one draft pick of the Orlando Magic played high school basketball there and his photo was on the wall!

Today’s drive was all interstate and a pretty nice drive until we got to Minnesota and the road quality diminished considerably.  The

highway was lined with corn fields, cattle, wind turbines and granaries.  I thought all the corn was in Iowa but no, there’s a lot in southern SD and MN. 

We had to stop once before lunch time to run the car to make sure the battery stayed charged and again when we stopped for lunch.  We ate fast as we really wanted to get to Winnebago before 3.  I was driving along, keeping vigil of

Bill and Cornelius

the highway when a trucker eased up beside me and waved me off the road.  I’ve learned when a trucker tells me to pull over, I better pull over.  Well, one end of the darn mud flap had lost a bolt and it was dragging.  We spent about 30 minutes taking it off and wedging it into the car and securing it from hitting the walls, ceiling and gear shift.  We would have put it under the RV in the hold but we were too close to the highway to open the compartment doors.  In all of the times we have had a problem along the side of the Interstate, and we've been on busy ones, this was the first time a highway patrolman stopped to check on us.  Geez, it’s always something!

Guess Who?

When we exited the interstate in Blue Earth, we made a brief stop to see (again) the huge statue of the Jolly Green Giant.  Then it was on the little 2 laners zig zagging our way to Forest City, Iowa.  We arrived a few minutes after 3 at the Visitor Center.  Bill went in and got us a 2 night parking pass.  They provide 50 amp service but no water or sewer.  Free is good though!  Once we parked I went in to see about service tomorrow for the RV and she said I had 10 minutes to go over to the Service Center and sign in so I raced over and got on the list but that doesn’t mean we will get service.  I at least need to talk to them about if we can add an electric outlet and if we can change the couch to 2 recliners.  We also need some parts.

Then we just chilled for a while!  I had a Jack and ginger and we

Sunset over Winnebago land

discussed eating in or out.  I told Bill we could eat out tonight or tomorrow night but not both.  He chose tonight since he said I was probably tired from driving.  He heard the Mexican restaurant, Ay Jalisco, was good so we found it and ordered just before the Early Bird ended.  It was good, small portion, but that’s all we really needed.  We drove around to look at the college here, Waldorf, and saw the football team finishing practice.  Bill found the high school and its field and wants to go to the game tomorrow night. 

When we got back I made a lime cool whip pie for tomorrow and a couple and started on my journal.  Now to see if we have any internet to post anything!