Winter Journey

The long trip home

March 27 2023
Monday
Another cloudy day in upstate New York. Having lived here now for almost 4 months I might be getting used to it NOT!! It has been along travail to help Rajni get her mother moved to a retirement community and get all of her affairs straightened out, house clear and on the market. She has been her almost 6 months!! This morning I took my last walk down Limestone creek and the Llwybr New York the path I forged to get to Fayetteville. I also ran the last time on my favorite trail in the Manlius wildlife area. We have made some good friends and even went for a 2 week sabbatical to Hawaii with my old friend Glen and his girlfriend. I am ready however to go home along with the animals and all the things Rajni has decided to take! It will be — hopefully a 4 day journey with no breakdowns camping in the Cassita along the way. Enough said about this endeavor, I have persevered.
March 28
Tuesday
Took Kiowa for our last pooper walk on the trail across the hi way and the path I made to come back under the via duct along limestone creek. I made a stone sculpture by the stream a gift to New York for as long as it will stand. Then it was off. The goal is Painesville Ohio the last place I camped at the legion there on my route out. Along the way we detoured to meet Neil (Rajni’s cousin and his wife Dawn for lunch. They are good people and have recently purchased a RV Van and hope to come visit us. We made it to our goal right at dinner time. I had ordered plates from Post 71 to deliver to all the posts that helped me along the way coming out. They remembered me and gave me a plate to take home. over 300 miles today.
March 29
Wednesday
Rajni wants fo visit her friend in Illinois which is not far from our route. We made big plans to get up early and get thru Cleveland before rush hour at 7. Up at 5 we made preparations only to find that the running lights, blinkers and brake lights were not working. The tools were packed away and working on such a thing in the cold by flashlight seemed toooooo much so we resigned ourselves to wait for light and have some coffee. By 8 I had the electrical problem remedied. We made two stops, one in Sturgis Michigan at the legion where they also remembered me. It was lunchtime and it had started snowing hard so we found a restaurant to eat and catch up on the internet. By the time we came out the sun was out and roads dry! The next stop was Chesterton Indiana for the other Legion post where I found refuge when the driveshaft broke. They not only gave me a plug in and parking but asked me to be a judge in the Chili cook off they were having! They also warmly remembered me and we traded plates. This is the Legion family I have come to know and love. We stopped at DQ for a blizzard to celebrate getting that mission done. The next obstacle was Chicago where we encountered stop and go traffic for almost an hour due to an accident. Still we made it to Laura’s house in the country north of Peoria just at dark.
over 11 hours of driving and I think 512 miles. She had her hot tub waiting for us!
March 30
Thursday

Illinois is called the Prairie State. When the Europeans arrived over 61% was prairie complete with buffalo. The remainder is very rugged drainages with deciduous forrest. Laura owns 40 acres of one such drainage complete with running stream. It is a hunting paradise as well as Merrell mushrooms! In the Morning she drove Rajni around the property in her Mule while Kiowa and I ran behind. A bright sunny day and good after so much driving. Her property is connected to a large public reserve to the south which was Jubilee College, one of the first colleges in the west started in 1840. It is now a historical landmark. Rajni and Laura had a good time catching up and it was time to go. Early on I had noticed a state park in Iowa called “Preparation Canyon” As tends to be my way I decided we must visit so Rajni plugged in the name on her map App and we made it just after dark to find ourselves the only ones there. It was incredibly warm around 70 degrees and no wind and very pleasant to walk in this strange place on the border with Nebraska near the Missouri river. In route we had passed thru a small town called Pisgah. It had a great feeling to it but we did not have time to tarry. Like so many towns across america the pioneers who founded and settled them were not just christians but had been educated to read with one book that the family owned, the Bible. Hence so many biblical names used for towns like this.
March 31
Friday
During the nite it thundered and rained but the morning broke clear but with lots of fog in low areas. We are in the Loess Mountains of Iowa. This is a very rare geologic feature found in a strip along the Western edge of Iowa on the East side of the Missouri River. It is found no where else on the earth except in A place in China. They are formed by Glacial grinding and pulverizing stone to a silt consistence at which time it blew into massive sand dunes 4-5 hundred feet high and stabilized with forest. They contain no rocks and are some of the richest soils for farming. This little known or visited State park is the result of the Mormons who established a commune here but have since donated it to the State. There is little infrastructure but many trails to back country campsites in almost pristine natural shape. I decided to run some of the trails with Kiowa and find the cemetery which is the only thing left of the community. The scenery is stunning and at one point I ended up on a road where I encountered a farmer who stopped and we talked for over an hour. He told me the story. It was verified by a park sign I took a picture of.

In 1852 a large group of Mormons under the leadership of One, Charles Thompson who called himself Father Ephraim. He was tutored by Joseph Smith. En route to Salt Lake Utah they like every one had to wait for the Missouri River to freeze to cross. While waiting Falther Ephraim sent out scouts to look at the country. They returned with a good report on the strange hills to the north. He decided and convinced his group to break away and settle this area and prepare for the life to come. They called it Preparation Canyon. After steaking out their properties Father Ephraim claimed to have a dream in which an Angel by the name of “Beneemy” came to him and told him to truly be a commune everyone needed to sign over all their land and worldly wealth to him to manage. Amazingly they did. Over time some became suspicious and asked for an accounting. Long story short it did not go well and the plan was to hang him. He escaped never to return leaving all his possessions including several wives. The Supreme Court of Iowa eventually re allocated the land to the various families. A Community did flourish but a couple of generations later many left and by 1900 it was over. All that is left is the cemetery. A true Gem of a place and story of America. By noon we were back on the road crossing the mighty MO and heading for Valentine. By 6 we were encountering heavy wind snow and very cold temps making driving dangerous. We found our way to the Valentine City park were we have camped before and hunkered down for a very cold night on the last day of March.
April 1
Saturday
We awoke to bitter cold in the teens but thanks to buying propane last nite we remained warm and safe, and coffee always helps! The question is will the diesel start up?? The weather forecast is warm and sunny but the road conditions are questionable. Home is only 200 miles away. 4WD and we made it up the hill to a cafe for breakfast. The sun is out and the roads okay so we head out arriving home early afternoon. There was 6 inch of snow that was melting fast. 10 more inches expected on Monday! Its good to be home.

Winter Journey

                                             Casita Chronicles  2022  Winters journey

Dec 8 2022

I awoke at my usual time but its now 6am Eastern standard time. I decide to go out for coffee and after a long search thru the town of Painesville I finally found a place open, a starbucks on the interstate. A pumpkin bread slice and a caramel Mocha latte and I thoughts of my mother who I would meet once a week before she died. She would always bring me pumpkin or banana bread she had made and we would have coffee together at panera’s. Good memories, she was an amazing mother, friend and member of society, the salt of the earth. She faced the end with poise and dignity. i miss her.

The last 300 miles were uneventful passing Pennsylvania and then the 10th state on this quest New York. More grey skies and around Buffalo still large drifts of snow. I forgot to mention seeing in Ohio and Indiana numerous Amish with their horse and carts with stop and blinker lights. The horses were not large but amazing in their ability to maneuver in the often busy traffic. I thought how much simpler the problems associated with this transportation would be, however you would have to shovel shit. Having risen a horse across Guatemala I can attest that there is tremendous time devoted to taking care of this incredibly animals. My problem with the computer driven engine seems to have quit for now and I made it without incident to arms of my beloved. The family had a dinner together at Mom’s new apartment so I performed the three s’s. The cats seem to like the space of the house and it is obvious there is much to be done in the next 3 months.

The End

Winter Journey

                                             Casita Chronicles  2022  Winters journey

Dec 6 2022

Well, I did not get too far today. almost before I got out of town the Jeep engine quit like it had back in Nebraska. I got out and rebooted the computer and off I went. The same thing kept happening at various distances and speeds so I got out the diagnostic unit and emptied all the codes and headed out again. When it happened again I ran the diagnostic and one code came on crankshaft sensor intermittent. I headed for the next exit Sturgis Michigan. Long story short the auto parts store had one but not till tomorrow at 730AM. I checked all the pet friendly motels -I could use a shower, but they were all full. Back to the Legion family. Post 73 said come on over and plug in! They are a great bunch. The Legion hall is in the oldest building in town built in 1848? by the the first arrival in this part of the country. It looks like a southern mansion. Kiowa and I walked around town. The museum is in a beautiful old train station but not open. I picked up a couple of free books in front of the book store that seemed interesting. No shower tho.

Dec 7

woke up to another steely grey day, How do these people live like this? I walked down to the coffee shop with my computer about 1/2 mile. Nothing like a dark brew and a large cinnamon roll to get you going. I watched several U tubes on replacing the crankshaft sensor. Stopped in Walmart to buy a hydraulic jack ( I need one for the 3/4 ton truck) to lift the Jeep up a little farther to make it somewhat easier. When I got to the parts store the jeep had not had any trouble and was running great! I had emptied all the codes after the last diagnostic and after watching a U tube I found out the location of the sensor. I went thru and checked and made sure all connections were good and played with the wires. I decided to check and see if it was still throwing the code. Amazingly it was not. THE GAMBLE
I reflected on the process of installing the new unit in on the cold ground and not having done it before and limited tools. I had early on made the decision to keep us all together instead of unhooking and returning to the legion to do the work. The ole sarge decided to take a gamble. Go ahead and buy the part but continue on down the road on the backroads keeping the speed down to 50-60 and no cruise control. If it worked I would be that much closer to my destination where I could put it in then. If not, I could limp it in and put it on wherever. The tough spot would be Cleveland. The drive was uneventful and the Jeep never quit! It was almost sundown when I had to attack Cleveland in rush hour and any breakdown would be a disaster but Luallin Luck prevailed and I made it past Cleveland at dark to Painesville where I called the Legion who gave me directions which were pretty F’d up and I spent some time driving in the dark but finally found it after stopping and getting more directions. Whew, no electrical hook up or internet but safe and sound and less than 300 miles away from my beloved. and in the same time zone! I am bushed.

I thought a lot along the way about an issue that has always bothered me, The refusal of the U.S. government to properly take care of the dead still left on the field of battle. After the Civil War Congress created and allocated money for the National Cemetery system. It was a gruesome task to exhume all the graves from all the many conflicts of the Civil War and put them in the National Cemeteries. Most of course were unmarked with little records. If you go to these cemeteries a vast majority are notated UNKNOWN and given a number that directs which battle there were found at. Each Legion is supposed to be named after a WW1 soldier from the area that died in the conflict. I found myself looking at the picture of the young private whose name post 73 is named in Sturgis Mi. Killed in that wretched trench warfare his body had been exhumed and reburied 3 times before it finally came home. Along the way we stopped in a cemetery so Kiowa could run a bit. I came across a grave of a WW2 soldier who was never found but it reads buried in the Mountains of Germany. A few years back they discovered the remains of U.S. Soldiers on the Canadian side of the Border who had died in the War of 1812 and they were ceremoniously exhumed and brought home with military rites. There is only one war that we have left our honored soldiers on the field of battle with no effort to give them proper burial, that is the Western Indian wars. They are in unmarked mass graves or in the trenches they died in. Despite knowing where they are and me pestering the Government they claim they are on American soil and do not need to be properly buried in a national cemetery. I find this egregious and a product of political BS. It is a great dis service to these men who were serving their country in a conflict that today is politically incorrect to honor them. Very sad.

Driving at 55 mph made me think back to the 70’s and one of many knee jerk reactions that the government does without thinking. I liked Carter but changing the max speed limit to 55 requiring all those new signs, taking down the old and putting them up to reduce gas usage in the shortage of the 70’s was quite moronic and did not do a thing! Then there was taking them all down and putting the old ones up. I wonder what they did with all those signs? It does not hold a candle to the latest, the Covid fiasco. Shutting down the economy in the midst of one of the costliest, longest wars in our history and then writing checks to everyone far surpassing what most pay in taxes all for a flu virus that they had to massage the numbers to make people think it was a major threat to the country. An uneducated welfare populous electing con men and fools. Was that harsh?

Winter Journey

                                             Casita Chronicles  2022  Winters journey

Dec 5 2022

A peaceful nites rest in the American Legion Parking lot. Today was a banner day. I found a mechanic just down the street who was willing to look at my vehicle. He test drove it and diagnosed it immediately, a broken driveshaft to the from axle or 4WD. He did not discover any collateral damage and upon checking he could have another one shipped in, one on Wednesday evening for $250 and one on Teusday tomorrow for $600. I asked him what about just removing it and not having 4wd? He said he could do that for $75 so I did it.

He made quick work of it and i decided to wait till morning to leave. For the day I drove the 3 miles to Indiana Dune State Park on the south Michigan Lake Shore. What a treat, what Rajni and I call a hidden Gem. Kiowa and I pretty much had it all to ourselves and we walked for a couple miles on the beach covered with gem quality stones of which I collected a few. The water is clear and calm with no wind and at one point the sun peaked out and with my upturned face it actually felt warm. It reminds me of the ocean with water to the horizon. It must be very popular in the summer time. We came back and I decided to police the Legion grounds. They gave me a very large bag and I filled it! It felt good to give something in return for our stay. The plan is to head out in the morn and the weather should be good for a few days. I can get another driveshaft and install it in New York. Much cheaper I am sure.

Winter Journey

                                             Casita Chronicles  2022  Winters journey

Dec 3 2022
Woke up to a bitter cold morning but amazingly the ole Jeep fired up but was struggling until it warmed up. I can now say I lived in Colfax Iowa – for one nite!

During the nite I had a dream and I rarely remember my dreams. In this dream Woody Wang asked me to help Sue aka THE RAVEN who used to be my girlfriend years ago to get to a place which required some steep rock climbing. I said yes and somewhere along the way I lost my shoes and was barefoot. We indeed made it to a room where she put before me 3 pieces of chocolate and told me to choose while she watched. I picked up one and ate it and went into a trance in which I vividly relived the 11 plus years of my first marriage. I awoke and all I could think was WHAT A HELL OF A LIFE I HAVE LIVED!.

Back on the road everyone happy and warm we headed east. Despite the crazy cold temp in the single digits the sky was blue and sunny with some wind. We made excellent time on the interstate and before long we were in Illinois. Rajni and I talked on the phone and I ate some chicken i bought at a supermarket in the town where Ronald Reagan grew up. I also bought some fuses and found the bad one and whale I have blinkers again! Close to afternoon near sundown on the toll road after crossing into Indiana it sounded like I hit something and was making a terrible sound from the front drivers side wheel. I slowed and pulled over and looked underneath and found nothing. A State Trooper stopped and he listened while i pulled forward. It was undetermined but sounded bad. He followed me the 2 miles very slowly on the side of the road to the next exit. Chesterton Indiana where he left. I parked the vehicle and moved the animals to the camper thinking it would be our home for the nite. Meanwhile I walked to a gas station and asked if I could park there and plug into the electrical on the building and offered to pay. The clerk called the owner and they said yes and would not take the payment i offered. It is Saturday evening and we may be here for ?? Fortunately there is a coffee shop with internet a block away and we are warm and safe till Monday when I hope to find a mechanic. My thinking is it is a Wheel bearing? or the 4WD u joint in the front. Life on the road.

Dec 4

It is Sunday the Lord’s day in Chesteton Indiana clear sky and very cold. The animals and I spent the nite comfortably on the side of Speedy Gas Station plugged in (A big Thank you to them). Sipping some good gas station coffee and day old donuts yum. I have a list of 6 possible mechanics in town some 2 miles down the road. If all works out I can get the Jeep in and have the issue fixed and be on down the road before the next storm. If not, this is my new home for awhile. With this seemingly inconvenience I can’t help but reflect on my ancestors making the move from the east to the west coast and all points in between. I did the last 1,000 miles in 3 days while for them the same distance would have taken minimally 66 days at 15 miles a day, probably more. And what about they’re breakdowns? How do you plan for such a journey, what do you take? There were no assistance stations, nothing to depend on except being resourceful and each other. When you think on it you realize how bold and courageous they were. The driving force to do such a thing must have been powerful. Many did not make it. It was the same for crossing the ocean. This then is the nature of Americans. Sometimes we lose sight of that.

The gas station has informed me I have a couple of hours and then I must leave, I looked and called just about everywhere I could find with no luck to find a near place to get too to stay. Then I realized this town must have a Legion! I called and they said come on over and park and hook up to electricity as well! Turns out today is also a chili cook off. They were very welcoming and I participated in the judgeing of the chili contest which was very good. All is well in Chesterton. Kiowa and I went for a very long walk around the town and then settled down to watch football in the bar. It is like family. And they have the internet!!!!

Winter Journey

                                             Casita Chronicles  2022  Winters journey

Dec 1 2022
Its been awhile since I have blogged and travelled using the old Casita camper. It all started some 10 years ago when Rajni and I bought this wonderful little house on wheels shortly after we were married. Many journeys with and without the camper. Now after settling down in Hot Springs South Dakota in the beautiful black hills we became more and more enmeshed in the community and the joy of living out the winter of our lives. But everything changes and as Rajni painted on the first vehicle when we set out on in 2012 you need to Occupy the Moment! Rajni’s mother Marilyn now 91 back in Fayetteville New York is experiencing the end of her life and with repeated hospitalizations she needed Rajni to help her as only the Mahatma can do. She has been gone now for 2 months starting in late September. Long story short the prospect of returning home to my loving arms is unlikely for the near future so she has asked me to come to New York for the winter. This means absolving myself of all my responsibilities and obligations, winterizing the house and packing up the Liberty and the Casita with the two cats Fluffy and Cleopatra and the dog Kiowa and other amenities and making the 1700 mile journey across the country in the midst of winter! This is not something I would ever get excited about. At 65 I have become much more sedate and comfortable in our little home and not inclined to travel as I have in the past. Couple that with never having done a winter trip (the casita is not set up for that). much less traveling with all these animals (we have never done that before as well). But do it I will. My brother Gary has recently retired from the Ministry and purchased a casita like ours and is heading south for Florida. We did that a couple of years ago. Times have changed as they do and the environment and atmosphere in regards to society and what i call the FEAR factor has increased significantly making boon docking more difficult. Still I believe my fellow human beings are basically kind, honest and curious. I am banking on that. What I cannot bank on is the weather!!

Day one I finally made it on the road on the best weather day expected in the next two weeks. Sunny dry and in the 50’s! A 9am departure on what was left of icy roads from the last snow storm but soon smooth sailing. The dog is cool as he travels in the car all the time. The Cats are in a kennel and amazingly are not meowing constantly. Eventually I let them out at a stop and they are calmly probing the vehicle for hidey holes remaining calm. Much to my suprise. Pulling the casita with my 4 cylinder diesel 2006 Jeep Liberty I try not to push it much over 60 particularly on the hills. Going on the interstate has no advantage then and a more direct route thru rural america is my choice saving miles as well as better scenery, small towns and more to discover. After all, why not enjoy this epic journey.

The first leg took me thru the Reservations of southern South Dakota, First the Ogalalla Lakota called Pine Ridge. Then the Sicangu Lakota called Rosebud. These are not good places to break down. Beautiful scenery particularly the Rosebud but they are a different nation (sovereign so they say) but for all the wrong reasons. I won’t go into that, it would take a book. Not too long after Winner and before the Missouri River we took a dip down into Nebraska. The Niobrara river which I have rafted on in Western Nebraska here is very wide and an amazing amount of water churning thru the ice! Just before O’Niel I almost ran out of diesel (something you never want to do). I barely made it to town but made it Wheww !!! It was also getting dark. O’Neil was an Irishman who was an adamant Finnean (working for the independence of Ireland from Britain). In the late 1870.s He brought a large amount of Irish people seeking relief from the war and established some colonies in the West, one which bears his name. They are very proud of their ancestry here in O’Niel but don’t let that get in the way of being American!. It is possible to do both. Down the road I stopped in a very small town of Ew? the home of the Savage brothers. These two brothers in the early 1900’s pioneered the aviation world by designing and making their own airplane and barnstorming and performing tricks all the way down into Texas. True Americana. It was almost dark and I pulled into the small city park and noticed my trailer lights were not working so that made the decision to make camp there. 300 plus miles today and after a bowl of ramen the animals and I settled down to a night’s rest. The heater is working perfectly. The question is with no plug in will the diesel start up in the morning? We shall see.

Dec 2

Woke to a very cold overcast sky and small cool breeze. Amazingly after cycling the glow plugs the Liberty Started!!!! We headed down the road for a necessary BM stop. This small town gas station had the cheapest diesel I have yet to see 4.35/gal. I filled up water jugs and she would not take any money. I asked how was it that they had the cheapest diesel since leaving HS South Dakota or perhaps anywhere in the country. She said they like to be competitive to serve their patrons better. What a novel thought!! I wish the petroleum corporations thought that way. In the midst of an “Oil shortage” they are making record profits fleecing the very people (the american taxpayer ) that hand them enormous subsidies and tax credits. Hmmmmm something wrong with this picture. I bought a cup of coffee and a danish to patronize these true humans. Out in the parking lot i start the Jeep and after initial take off suddenly on the hi way it slows to a crawl and I pull over. I put it in park and neutral and the engine runs and revs fine but back in Drive it barely moves. I coax it to the nearest road and turn off. I have always told people that if your ever broke down the best person to come by will be a christian Rancher or Farmer. They will be kind, helpful and probably can fix it. Well it was my day, a Farmer drove up and asked if everything was alright. I told him the symptoms and he told there were two great mechanic shops not far down the road back to town. He offered to tow me, camper and all or at least follow to make sure I made it. I limped it down the road and when I got there I tried everything from putting it in 4WD reverse but no change. Finally I shut it down and sat there for awhile. I started it up and Shazam it worked. I decided to go talk to a mechanic even tho. He was awesome and gave me the time. His belief was the electronic accelerator hit a bad spot and the computer went into limp mode. By shutting it down without knowing it I had rebooted it, but he suggested I have the computer flash reset. He could not do it but if I came across a dealership they could. I bought some antifreeze from him in appreciation. Down the road I went.

I noticed parallel to the hi way was a rails to trails bikeway, then i realized it was the Cowboy trail that runs thru this beautiful Elk River valley and then thru the Sand Hills some 600 miles, the longest in the country. Truly a gift to future generations. I headed south and east and found myself hitting Interstate 80 in Omaha. This major road is a direct path to Syracuse so I decided to take it despite it being an interstate. Crossing into Iowa the snow vanished and the temperature rose a little. Before De Moine I stopped to check my tire pressure and why my blinkers were no longer working? It was a small town and the air pump at the gas station deflated my tires instead of filling them. Fortunately there was a tire shop in the town. The guy let me use his pump and told me someone should cut the hose on the gas station one as it has caused this same problem for many. I stopped in the park which had a cool little campground with hookups for $15/night but all was closed down. I tried to fix my blinkers but no go. With the last hour and half of light I could make it thru the big city and hopefully find a place to land. i did, in the small burg of Colfax. We parked next to the Library and they have internet which i will try. Moved all the animals into the camper and went for a walk downtown. Not much is open but a Mexican restaurant so I treated myself to dinner. It was awesome a T-bone steak with baked potato and salad for $13.50:: let me put that in perspective, you could not get a big mac fries and shake for $13.50! And a bone for Kiowa. Did you know John Wayne was born in Madison County Iowa where the famous covered bridges are? I didn’t.

Last nite Dusty Johnson’s staff called and asked if i wanted to participate in the phone town hall forum. i have before but he has never called on me for my question (wonder why). I listened for awhile to his dribble about his legislation he is trying to get passed to make it illegal for China or any Chinese companies to buy American agricultural land. Its quite ridiculous really. Lets walk it thru. They may in fact not be our friends but them buying agricultural land is not bad. The sellers get a good price, and property tax is paid to fund the schools. Jobs are created for Americans – they’re not going to ship chinese over here to run them. If there is conflict we simply seize the assets with improvements. Actually by having being vested they are more apt to listen to us as opposed to losing it! And better yet, they will be more likely to obey the EPA and other regulations under scrutiny unlike our own Mayor Bob Nelson that violates them with the Fall River and nothing happens.

My question would be directed to Dusty on why has he not done something useful like end the longest war in U.S. history the War on Drugs. It is the War on the American family with a vast majority of those locked up having never committed an actual crime ie hurting someone else or stealing. When we incarcerate these (primarily men) bread winners who ends up taking care of the dependents? Thats right, the taxpayer. The inalienable right to pursuit of happiness includes what you do with your body if your not hurting someone else. Along with that is the legislation put forth by Joe Biden when he was in the Senate Civil Forfeiture. The whole idea that police can seize anything they want from you before you are even convicted and even after your exonerated keep it until you fight in a long costly court battle to get back what belongs to you is outrageous. Enough for tonite.

Search for warmer climes and better times. Jan-Mar 2021

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CONFLICTIONS, SEPARATIONS, REDEMPTION

Driving back from Salina to the old home place in Lincoln County Kansas we stopped at a roadside pullout near Lincoln that I noticed had a new roadside sign different than the one that used to be there for years. The former sign was about the great Cheyenne raids that took place in 1869 In Lincoln county where many settlers were raped and viciously killed in a rampage by a sect of the Cheyenne tribe called the Dog Soldiers. In the town square there is a monument to these people listing the actual names. That original road sign has since been removed and the STATE has put up another sign that only references these atrocities as reactions to the advent of the railroad and the forceful pushing of the White people (government) of the tribe onto reservations. It also references that these raids were led by Chief Roman Nose and the subsequent losses of the Cheyenne to the 7th U.S. Calvary. I was in amazement of the complete change of demeanor of the sign and the obvious errors to anyone who has studied this event. It was obvious that this was a political gesture by the now current mentality. There is tremendous truth to the saying HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS. At least the history we are spoon fed by the education system. But to actual historians like myself the facts reveal a far more balanced view that is completely different. Creating a subjective viewpoint by misinformation only creates division, separation and bad feelings. No good can come from this extreme pendulum swing.

Lets look at the facts. The area in question including the building of the Railroad were all part of the treaty that the U.S. Government had made with the Cheyenne in good faith. The people killed were settlers who came in good faith in response to the advertisement by the U.S. Government that these lands were open for settlement under the Homestead act and were legally available. They came from all over the world and many of the people in question had not even learned english yet. Roman Nose could not have led this event since he was already dead in the battle of Beecher Island 1868 before the raid took place. The Raids took place in 1869 Led by Tall Bull of the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. The chasing down the perpetrators and attempt to recover the women captives was done by they 5th Calvary under General Carr at the battle of Summit Springs. The atrocities were a flagrant violation of the treaty and yet the treaty was maintained? We learned that recently the historical society in Lincoln has been trying by various means to actually find the graves that were hurriedly dug in the aftermath and never marked to actually mark them. They also recently had a reunion of settler families. By great effort they tracked down the descendants of Maria Weichel one of the the two women hostages taken by the Cheyenne and the only one that lived (despite being shot by her captors) during the rescue by the 5th Calvary. She had been gang raped and was pregnant when she was rescued. Her descendants had no idea of their history and came and spent many days in Lincoln to learn it. Like so many we don’t know our own history either because it was considered shameful at one time or it was so distasteful it was not mentioned.

I bring all this up because my own life and our very country is filled with these type of conflicts and divisions. As a young child in the 60’s I played games that had to do with the Civil War. In school I was taught about the noble norths fight to end Slavery and the hero Abraham Lincoln. I always chose to be on the Union side in these games. It was not until later (no one told me as a youth) that I learned that my ancestor fought for the south in that great conflict. Should I be ashamed? Should I demonize him? I have taken the time to research and visit their home. They were not slave holders, and in fact the family was split and some of his brothers fought for the north. Trying to understand what really took place has been an interesting journey. Also in our journey thru the south primarily in the Carolina’s people have asked me if I have “native american” blood? Its not just because of the long hair. My roots in the Kansas soil have made me question this. My Mother would always deny such a thing. My uncle however confided to me that it is probably so and the pictures of his grandparents reveal it. The introduction of those genes was probably not consensual and it was certainly not in vogue politically to point such a thing out. I also found it interesting while traveling in the south not only the amount of Confederate flags flying but the amount of miscegenation. In my early life you would occasionally see a mixed marriage usually a black man and a white woman and they probably suffered for it. Now, I witnessed a lot more mixed marriages of many types including white men with black women. When I was in the service in Korea I fell for a beautiful Korean woman but did not pursue it because of the stigma. When I returned home I told my father about it and asked him what he would have done if I had brought home a Korean wife? His answer blew me away when he told me he would love her as his own daughter.

I am now married to a Jewish woman and the union would have been forbidden by both families in the distant past. My grand daughter who is to be married in a few days is with a black man who was adopted by a white jewish family that has adopted christianity. I find all this wondrous and hopeful for our future both as humans and as a country. Somehow in the passage of time we have begun redemption. History is so important to be factual and not to politicize it. It can be very ugly but it is indeed the past. The concept of learning from it and more importantly living in this moment the “NOW” talking and living lives of mutual love and concern instead of fear and misunderstanding is crucial as we evolve at an exponential rate in the age of technology. In my few remaining years I want to dedicate myself to this end. This is the Story of America E Pluribus Unum

Search for warmer climes and better times. Jan-Mar 2021

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Mar 15 2021

Day 54

We woke up and decided to walk downtown for coffee only to find no place would allow us to sit inside and have our coffee and get on the net. Along the walk in this very educated and afluent town we saw numerous homeless people. One guy was sleeping in an ATM booth. There were also many tents in the woods along the river. We finally found a single coffee shop where we could sit but you could not even pour your own half and half into your coffee? We have seen it all from both ends of the spectrum regarding dealing with the COVID 19 fiasco. In the end the results appear to be the same regardless of the response. The only thing we have not experienced is the TRUTH and we may never get that. Rajni shopped at one of her favorite health food stores which we do not have in South Dakota and we hit the road. The Speedometer and RPM gages have not worked since we started the vehicle up this AM??? As the land began to open up and the trees disappear I became more relaxed. We passed by my old duty station Ft Riley and by evening we were at the old home place. Jake my nephew who now owns it welcomed us and after getting settled in we had a meal and fellowshiped. Stepping outside in the darkness the stars were so very bright with no lights to block them.

This old stone house built in the 1890’s has always been a refuge for me. The sunrise and sunset are awesome and the abundance of wildlife is incredible despite the agricultural activity. I am hoping we will be here during the drumming and dancing of the prairie chickens so Rajni can witness it. There is a lek nearby. The famous story of the 50 fearless men from Lincoln county that withstood an onslaught of over 500 Cheyenne warriors at Beecher Island. Of course it did not hurt that they had all been issued Spencer repeating rifles! Having a technological advantage not always but usually takes the day. Hence the immense Military budget to keep ahead of our enemies real or imagined. In any case, they were pinned down for many days and sent out two sets of scouts by night to get help. I have followed the steps by foot of one set of scouts the 75 miles across the prairie to Ft Wallace to relive their amazing journey. The 9th Calvary Buffalo soldiers eventually came to their aid. It took me 3 days to make the journey. In any case I have and always will be a Lincoln County man.

Jake works for the Corp of Engineers at the nearby Wilson Lake. He currently does not have phone, satellite TV or Internet service so we will need to drive the 6 miles to Sylvan Grove Library to get on the NET. Happily that is okay with me. It has gone from novelty, useful, to indispensable replacing the need for maps, TV, Movies, Radio, Library—changing our lives forever all in the span of 20 years.

We have gone full circle on our journey and the last event before the 2 day trip home is my grand daughter Trinity’s wedding in Florence. We will hang here and re create ourselves in this amazing place until then. I will visit with old friends and my old partner in the limestone quarry among other things. I am thinking I will end this episode of Casita Chronicles here and concentrate on finishing my 2nd sequel to Maroons A Human Epic. No one reads this shit anyway LOL.

Search for warmer climes and better times. Jan-Mar 2021

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Mar 13,14, 2021

Day 52
We spent the morning touring the downtown of Paduka Ky Rajni seems to like it very much. Also ate at the restaurant of her choice. We had passed thru here several years ago on our tour of the NE US. Grant captured the town early in the War and gave a speech which is on a plaque. It is short but gives insight into the thinking of at himself if not the country about the war. He saw it not as a succeeding but a armed rebellion against the then legal government. Which begs the questions. If the south had succeeded by majority vote and legislation instead of firing on FT Sumnter a Federal fort would things have gone differently??? Heading West I wanted to go thru Cairo a town my two friends and I passed thru back in the 70’s I had erroneously thought It was were we had camped and took a picture of the infamous chain. Turns out it was down the river which we had missed. This Chain 4200 ft long was stretched across the Mississippi river to stop all traffic by the Rebs. It is quite massive and just the thought of how much steel and work to perform this in such a short time after the war commenced is profound. Temporal as it was. Cairo was a town that obviously had better days. They were trying to preserve some of the old masonry structures but the economical situation showed a town in steep decline.

We landed in Florissant Missouri the place of my birth and where we lived in my early years. We located the Church of Christ that my parents help start and there were people in the building for a baby shower. I told them who I was and they had recollection of my parents who were the original 5 families that started the congregation. It is Saturday so we asked to camp in the parking lot so I could attend serviced on the morrow to which they gladly gave permission. An electrical hook up and wi fi to boot.

Day 53

The service was wonderful after so many years, we were warmly welcomed despite the mask wearing. Singing the old hymns brought tears to my eyes. We were publicly mentioned along with the fact that my parents were one of the original 5 families that started the church in 1958. The Sermon LOVE was timeless. Being there, coming here was a good decision and made my heart glad. Then it was time to cross the state to the land of AHHHS coming into Kansas always is like coming home with so many cherished memories. We stopped at a gas station in the pouring rain to get some fuel. When I went into the station to use the toilet an alarm went off and a loudspeaker announced I had no mask! The attendant spoke to me and told me I had to have one before entering and called me mr south dakota. Its out of control now, the surveillance really? It was just a prep for Lawrence which is almost a police state in regards to wearing a mask and closing businesses. sigh

We landed in Lawrence. My Mother was born here in a box car provided by the railroad that my grandpa worked for filling the steam engines with water. He would be amazed at his grandson driving a LARGE automobile and talking on a cell phone! My Mother was delivered by the indian woman that lived next door and she told me whenever she would see my mother would say “I spanked you when you were born and I will spank you again” LOL. They were very poor and she told me how the boxcar was separated by curtains for the bedrooms and such. Bath was only on saturday nite and everyone used the same water. She told me many great stories. She fell in love with one of the Luallin boys—my father. She told me her knees would buckle when she saw him riding his bike. He must have had white wall tires no doubt. I pulled into the empty lot next to where my Grandpa Luallin’s house used to be before they tore it down to make a parking lot. Grandpa Luallin or AW as he was called was a lineman in the age of the miracle of electricity. I recall stories of accidents he would tell. He worked his way up to management in Kansas Power and Light. We will camp here unless we are rousted. I took the dog for a walk and reminisced. We used to run all over town. One of my favorite places was the university KU Jayhawks. Jayhawks were the anti slave contingent in Bloody Kansas and Bushwackers were the pro slavery contingent. At the KU museum I always marveled at the stuffed horse there. The horses name is Commanche and it was CPT Keogh’s horse and the only survivor of Custer’s contingent at the Little Big Horn. He was found wandering around full of arrows, everything else was butchered and hacked to pieces. Amazingly he survived and was nursed back to health. He spent the remainder of his life pampered at Ft Meade. He was never allowed to be ridden again and had a special place in all the parades. Somehow after he died he was stuffed and is now in the museum in Lawrence Kansas.

Search for warmer climes and better times. Jan-Mar 2021

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Mar 11,12 2021

Day 50

We landed in Big South Fork National Recreation area.of Tennessee. This plateau of the Cumberland mountains is cut by the Cumberland river almost like the grand canyon 600 vertical feet and no small hill up and down for the Jeep to pull the camper! Our senior pass gets us a spot for $14 and hot showers. Being Fed the visitor center is of course SHUT DOWN and reservations are all done by internet, at least they left the water and electricity on. There is no camp host. It is about half full and I love the sound of children playing, it is getting close to spring break. This is a great area for so many things from just camping to white water rafting. It is a large area apparently not suitable for a monument or park. I am coming to find out we have so many incredible places in this country particularly as you go north and west. Not far from here is the Cumberland Gap National Park. These rugged or marginal lands were either inaccessible or unproductive so never settled or farmed, yet their value for other things has become apparent and we are reaping the reward in the form of public lands to be cherished by all. E Pluribus Unum. I am up to Chapter 20 on my second sequel to Maroons A Human Epic. May even finish the rough draft by the time we get home.

On return to the camp Pvt Rajni guided me in with absolute perfection to hook up the Casita no yelling or name calling! It entered my mind to possible promote her but i recalled she is a backslider and should wait a while to see if these improvements are permanent. On a positive note she makes the most delectible and nutritious meals seemingly with no effort and keeps the Casita ship shape! And she is very nice to look at.

We landed at Mammoth Cave NP a place I have always heard about. logged into camp and made reservations at the cave. Amazingly the Cave is open but the tours are self guided. The fee is an astounding $35/person for an hour. My half off Senior pass has now almost paid for itself. There are few people here and only one campground is open. The rules are oppressive as always and the ridiculous fear mongering of the hateful Covid 19 persists. I went for a cross country hike in the forest for the afternoon. This is land of Daniel Boone, Davie Crocket and Abe Lincoln and many more. I made it down to the Green River. The overstay of very large deciduous trees has made for little or no undergrowth and easy walking. I grew up with the Daniel Boone show which I now know was mostly untrue and heavily embellished but certainly impacted me. One of my favorite true stories of Daniel Boone is when he had come home after a several year foray into the “Wilderness” his wife had given birth to another child. He asked her whose child it was to which she replied his brother. Ole Daniel simply said “Well at least you kept it in the family”. That was Daniel. And he probably did not wear a coon skin had.

Day 51

The big Cave day. Mammoth Cave is the longest Cave in the world. It was formed by underground rivers that have moved down as the Landscape moved up. The current river is in the 6th level down. The Cave is a “Dry CAVE” no water in the upper levels at all and no stalactites or stalagmites. The passages are very large for the most part and over 400 miles have been explored. A couple of interesting things. The cave was discovered very early and was a major supply of salt petre a component of gun powder. The dry dirt and bat guano being the material mined. It supplied the vast amount of gunpowder to fight the war of 1812 and much of the building material is still in the Cave. The massive bat colony is now gone due to shooting, disruption and farming practices and the death nell -white nose disease. In the 1840’s it was thought by modern medicine that the tuberculosis pandemic could be cured by cave air. Many wealthy paid a prominent physician who leased the cave and built stone cottages deep inside to live in (still there). They were brought food, water and wood to burn for heat and stayed in the cave for long periods (one man 8 months). They’re waste was taken by buckets farther back in the cave and dumped (where it is to this day). Between the smell of human waste, wood smoke and no sunlight it must have been awful. Accounts of tourists who actually passed by these huts by candle light told of seemingly ghost like figures that would come out and ask about the happenings on the surface. Needless to say no one was cured. Lesson: When it comes to physicians and Engineers always get a second opinion!!!!!

We headed West and had a wonderful BBQ lunch in Paradise Ky. 10 miles down the road Rajni noticed we did not have the cat!!! A frantic drive back and we found her in a bush by the parking lot. We made it to Paduka in the rain. We found refuge in the VFW parking lot which actually had Wi FI!! We were able to stream a movie and fell asleep to rain all nite.