"On the Road Again" Part 2 June 23-25

June 23 - from North Sioux City to Spearfish, South Dakota - 6 1/2 hrs driving plus stops...a long, long day...but a great swim at the end



The Black Hills









June 24 -nearing the continental divide in Montana...







...the palate is getting wet :)










Windturbines in valleys






late 50s Studebaker Golden Hawk passing Albert











We spent our last night, June 24th, in Great Falls, Montana. We met a wonderful family from Australia, of Dutch nationality, with four boys, Niels, Bram, Frank, Paul. Peter and Gideon are very close in age to their two oldest and had a blast together. Jan and Els and their children are having an 8wk vacation through the US (including Hawaii) before returning home...and then yes, they are on the move again after two years they will be returning to the Netherlands for work. We all really enjoyed each other and many things in common (heritage, faith, and rambuncious boys!)






Enjoying a campfire and Smores!









Waterpark at the KOA campground -we all enjoyed this upon arrival and again in the morning before heading our separate ways.....




Ready......GO!













Niels, Gideon and Frank sliding...




Niels and Peter













even Albert enjoyed it :)












We hope to meet up for a BBQ at our place upon their return from touring the USA. Until then...."Go Netherlands Go!"

"On The Road Again" June 21&22

Experiences along the way (June 21) "Ambassador Bridge to the USA" -


Taking a break in Michigan...
June 22
Illinois and Iowa "heat wave".










Gideon reading "The Shining Sword" to pass the time


Albert passing an Airstream that was being pulled by a huge Chevy Blazer!! It's all about the custom made hitch (see CanAm Airstream in Lambeth for details:))









View near Laura Ingalls Homestead, DeSmet, South Dakota









Lewis and Clark Interpretative Centre in South Dakota (Missouri River lookout)














Nature journalling in late 19th century US!



Overlooking the Missouri River valley from a replica of Lewis and Clark's boat.

June 18 Loading Day

After 9 months in Ontario, we are "On The Road Again".....
Despite road construction the tractor trailer was able to access the house to load up our belongings.

Peter helped the movers with the loading...

Amazing to see the team work between driver and helper as they stacked many 5 cu ft boxes and furniture wrapped in blankets.....

and it arrived 2 weeks later here....

Our travel trailer fits nicely beside the house and we were able to slept in it until our beds arrived. Also, I'm adjusting to not cooking with a slow cooker but having 4 burners and an oven to work with! Hooray! The street is a court and is very quiet with elderly neighbours on one side and quiet neighbours around.

Once our BC house sells we hope to search for a rural property (without rattlesnakes) and settle for a good long while....those packing boxes will be sent packing!!

Family Gathering June 20, 2010

Henry and Joanne opened up their home, backyard and swimming pool to the family to celebrate Father's day, to wish Alan a wonderful European trip with Sarah, Theresa a wonderful journey west with Calvin and Jess, and to say "Goodbye" once again to Albert and Geraldine and Peter and Gideon before moving to Alberta. Henry and Albert managing the BBQ.
Mom and Geraldine...
....Peter, Aaron and Gideon finding some private space on the driveway...until Opa's camera appeared :)
Leah and Geraldine enjoying conversation and the pergolaWe had a lovely time together with our family and know that their prayers have brought us, by God's grace, to this point of adventure. A special thank you to Bernice Diane,her husband Gord (in yellow Tshirt),
and Thomas for gifting us with a photo/music cd "On The Road Again" -a sampling of family memories during our past three years of adventure! Thank you, it will be cherished and played frequently.

Farming field trip June 4th

We were invited to our friends farm to see the...

and to feed another farmer's lambs...


and then we were invited to view a brand new dairy operation similar to this photo

To use the term "farm" would envision a few holsteins in the field...but what we saw was automated feeding, cleaning manure, and automated recessed milking parlours!

More modern farms use recessed parlors, where the milker stands in a recess such that his arms are at the level of the cow's udder. The cows stand in two angled rows either side of the recess and the milker accesses the udder from the side, parallel, where the cows stand side-by-side and the milker accesses the udder from the rear or, more recently, rotary (or carousel), where the cows are on a raised circular platform, facing the center of the circle, and the platform rotates while the milker stands in one place and accesses the udder from the rear. There are many other styles of milking parlors which are less common.

It is astounding to see the modern technology in the dairy farms of today! The boys enjoyed observing calves, and the beginning of the birth of a calf. We will cherish these memories and our friendship with the Moermans.....now that we are in the wild, wild west!

June 2010 - Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site

Prior to leaving Ontario we took in some local history. Last fall we had read "The Last Safe House" by Barbara Greenwood which journeys through the lives of some child slaves in the USA and their story of escaping from "Egypt to the Promised Land" that is to Canada.

THE HISTORY

Born in Maryland, Josiah Henson worked as a slave for forty-one years. In 1830, he and his family escaped to Upper Canada (Ontario) via the Underground Railroad. Initially, the Henson family settled near Fort Erie, Ontario, where Josiah gained employment through a local farmer. The family then moved to Colchester, in Essex County, where they settled on previously cleared lots. After a period of seven years, Josiah Henson aspired to obtain his own land. In 1841, he moved his family to Dresden and helped to establish the Dawn Settlement. The settlement was established to provide a refuge and a new beginning for former slaves. Through his leadership, the British American Institute, one of Canada's first industrial schools, was founded. The school was intended for the advancement of fugitive slaves. Josiah Henson's name became synonymous with the central character "Uncle Tom" in Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. The novel sold 300,000 copies within the first year and helped to raise awareness to the brutality of slavery. Abraham Lincoln credited the book as being a catalyst of the Civil War. In 1983, Josiah Henson became the first person of African descent to be featured on a Canadian stamp. In 1999, the Government of Canada erected a plaque designating him as a Canadian of National Historical Significance. The plaque stands in the Henson family cemetery.

Below, Peter and Gideon in the church (exterior picture above).

A reading of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe is highly recommended for its historical facts of this time and the theology of the people.