2019 Summer Trip To South Dakota

[JEBar]

as is our custom, its time for us to begin planning our summer trip to South Dakota .... barring circumstances beyond our control our itinerary is as follows .... between now and our departure, it will be updated as necessary :

June 8 .... Home to Asheville East KOA in Swannanoa, NC ---- https://koa.com/campgrounds/asheville-east/.... reservation made 3-30-19

June 10 .... to Elkhorn Campground in Frankfort, Kentucky ---- http://www.elkhorncampground.com/index.html.... reservation 5-4-19

June 11 .... to D & W Lake Camping & RV Park in Champaign, IL ---- http://www.dwlake.com/D-and-W-Lake-RV-Park/Overview ....reservation 5-4-19

June 12 ... to Waterloo/Lost Island Waterpark KOA in Waterloo, IA -- https://koa.com/campgrounds/waterloo...edium=referral .. reservation 5-4-19

June 13 ... to Estelline, SD .... per Google Maps 23 h 44 min (1,556 miles) driving time ---- reservation made 1-10-19

August 13 ... to Kansas City East KOA in Oak Grove. MO ---- https://koa.com/campgrounds/kansas-city/ ---- reservation 7-9-19

August 16 .... to St Louis West KOA in Eureka, MO ---- http://koa.com/campgrounds/st-louis-west/.... reservation

August 19 .... to Clarksville RV Park in Clarksville, TN ---- https://clarksvillervpark.com/.... reservation

August 20 .... to Asheville East KOA in Swannanoa, NC ---- https://koa.com/campgrounds/asheville-east/ ....reservation

August 22 .... back home ---- per Google Maps 24 hrs (1,586 miles) driving time ---- round trip 3,142 miles / 48 hrs 44 Min driving time

[JEBar]

things are looking up ... ... my wife has made our first three site bookings .... first picture our site on Feb 1st .... second picture our site today .... third picture a lot we own in town on March 9th .... fourth picture the same lot today .... we are most certainly looking forward to getting back out there once again

[JEBar]

just learned that our daughter and her 3 year old foster son will be flying in to join us in Estelline .. .. they will be there and attend this year's Rodeo.... last summer both of our sons flew their families out there and had a great time .... it will be a busy week for them .... in addition to the rodeo, he'll get to see a wide range of farm animals and equipment .... having him out there will be a great deal of fun ..



https://rodeosusa.com/rodeos/estelline-rodeo-days/

[JEBar]

Tuesday, April 10, 2019 ===> heavy snow falling in Estelline as this is being typed .... they are calling for a 30" accumulation .... South Dakota State University is closed through Friday .... snow plows have been pulled off of the roads .... sure hope this is winter's last assault for the folks up there

[RanchRoper]

Stay warm and dry

[JEBar]

outside of pollen in the air, today at home in NC has been beautiful .... sunny sky, low humidity, temp in the mid 70's .... we are right at 8 weeks from being out there .... surely, winter will be a somewhat distance memory by then

[JEBar]

happy to be in NC this morning .... pictures sent from near where we are slated to be in a few weeks .... the storm was just beginning

[JEBar]

the areas shown in the pictures below didn't have any snow on the ground before the storm hit yesterday

[markiver54]

Jim, I have to admire your attention to detail and trip planning! Sounds time consuming and difficult to me.
I do wish though that I was as equipped and used to such endeavors. Maybe would not seem as insurmountable then.
Maybe we can hook up again while you are at the KOA in Asheville.

[JEBar]

sure hope we can .... as you can see from our itinerary in post 1 in this thread, we're booked in there for some time on the way out and on the way back

[JEBar]

the day temps for the last few days have been a bit above freezing in Estelline ..... with the warming, the ice covering Lake Poinsett (located 12 miles west of Estelline) is breaking up .... the picture below was taken about 4 hours ago .... it shows Pier 81 restaurant which sits on the western shore of Lake Poinsett .... at its normal level, water's edge is usually 25 +/- yards from the building .... it appears that once again they are facing some spring repairs

[JEBar]

as usual, while we are traveling small things popup that need to be taken care of prior to pulling out on our next trip .... over the years our truck's headlight fixtures had weathered to where the lenses had grown very cloudy and they finally reached the point that they needed to be taken care of .... we make it a point to drive at night as little as possible but when we do, we want the brightest possible headlights .... sadly, the fogging was on the inside so none of the available treatments would work which necessitated the replacement of the fixtures .... probably won't know for a while just how much difference they make but do know they sure look better

[markiver54]

Wow! What an improvement Jim, the truck takes on a whole different look!

[JEBar]

kind words appreciated .... the fixtures are pretty well sealed and I can't figure out how/why the inner part of the lens turned so cloudy .... replacing them wasn't a complicated process but I decided to pay a local garage to install the new ones and to adjust them properly .... making the adjustments is something I don't have a clue about .... both the camper and truck are scheduled for a thorough cleaning next week .... can only hope the pollen will have settled down by then

[Mags]

Take care not to get car wax on the lens. Sunlight and car wax will patina the lens. Toothpaste (mild abrasive) and a lot of elbow grease can temporarily bring them back (remove the wax and polish the lens), but its eventually a lost cause.

[markiver54]

Wish they had never started putting plastic over head lights on anything!! Nothing like good old glass, it will never film over. Just wash it and crystal clear. Fashion over functionality I guess.
I feel the same about these vehicles with all the plastic on them that ALWAYS oxidizes and looks like crap.
Examples; Chevy Avalanche, Nissan Extera etc....many more. Looks cool at first, but then good luck.

[JEBar]

Take care not to get car wax on the lens. Sunlight and car wax will patina the lens.

interesting .... that makes me wonder about running our vehicles through a car wash ..

[Mags]

.
we go through the car wash, but not anymore with wax.

Take care not to get car wax on the lens. Sunlight and car wax will patina the lens.

interesting .... that makes me wonder about running our vehicles through a car wash ..

[dave77]

Take care not to get car wax on the lens. Sunlight and car wax will patina the lens. Toothpaste (mild abrasive) and a lot of elbow grease can temporarily bring them back (remove the wax and polish the lens), but its eventually a lost cause.

It must depend on the type of wax/polish you use. I've used Zaino Z-2 on my 06 Miata headlight lenses since it was new and my lens are not cloudy at all. Zaino is only available online and you can get a little carried away using all their products to get a perfect showcar finish. I've mostly just used the Z-2, easy to apply and buff out, lasts for mostly a year, has good UV protection. I have just got a bottle of their All in One Polish but haven't tried it yet. Their prices do seem a little high but a little goes a long way, I can do my Miata with less than a ounce.

I agree with markiver, I'm always amazed at the number of fairly new cars you see that already have cloudy lenses and they're not cheap to replace. On my Miata you have to buy the whole housing and they are over $400 a piece, rear housings are over $300.

http://www.zainostore.com/

[markiver54]

Take care not to get car wax on the lens. Sunlight and car wax will patina the lens. Toothpaste (mild abrasive) and a lot of elbow grease can temporarily bring them back (remove the wax and polish the lens), but its eventually a lost cause.

It must depend on the type of wax/polish you use. I've used Zaino Z-2 on my 06 Miata headlight lenses since it was new and my lens are not cloudy at all. Zaino is only available online and you can get a little carried away using all their products to get a perfect showcar finish. I've mostly just used the Z-2, easy to apply and buff out, lasts for mostly a year, has good UV protection. I have just got a bottle of their All in One Polish but haven't tried it yet. Their prices do seem a little high but a little goes a long way, I can do my Miata with less than a ounce.

I agree with markiver, I'm always amazed at the number of fairly new cars you see that already have cloudy lenses and they're not cheap to replace. On my Miata you have to buy the whole housing and they are over $400 a piece, rear housings are over $300.

http://www.zainostore.com/

That Zaino looks like good stuff Dave! Used to keep my cars waxed, problem is now, if I waxed a whole car, I wouldn't be able to use my arm the next day!