We're on the way!

But we haven't been hurrying. Because of Labor Day being late, and our appointment at the Winnebago factory on September 8, we've had time to get sidetracked. When we were looking at the map and planning our route, we realized that Devil's Tower was not far off the highway.

It really does get your attention when you come around the corner and there it is! No space ships were there, but then, we didn't visit at night.

We walked the mile or so around the base of the monument. On the shadowed side there were two climbers about a quarter of the way up, and on the sunny side there was a group of climbers just starting their climb. Before you even get to the sheer side, you have to climb over huge boulders. Wow.

Our next stop was Mt Rushmore. We had been there a few years ago with Glen and Ardyce, but decided to see it again. This time we stayed in Rapid City, South Dakota. When we arrived at the RV park, the owner asked us if we planned on going over for the lighting of the Presidents. We didn't even know they did that! It was a beautiful night. There is a ranger program, a film about the impact each President had on history, and acknowledgment of past and present members of the armed forces. And as the film ends, the mountain is illuminated.

And then, of course, we needed to go back to see the mountain in the morning when the carving looks white. The last time we were there it got cloudy and rained and the mountain disappeared in the fog, so this was great.

As we traveled through South Dakota, we went through Mitchell. Had to stop at the Corn Palace! It's the only one in the world so the billboards say. All the scenes on the two open sides of the building are made of corn and other grains. They had just had the annual festival at the end of August, and there were new murals starting on one corner. That showed it what it looks like before they add the corn. They say it is "corn by number". And they also say it is the biggest bird feeder in the world.

And that brought us to Forest City, Iowa. Home of the Winnebago Industries Factory. We arrived on Labor Day evening, and had been told to pick a spot to park in the lot, hook up to the electricity, and the doors would open at 7:00 on Tuesday morning. There were several RV's when we got there, and more arrived during the evening. Bright and early on Tuesday they took the RV in to fix the jacks and the AC/heat pump, and a few other things that needed their expert attention.

We used the waiting time to visit the Visitor's Center and museum and go on a tour of the factory.

Winnebago is still in production even though there aren't as many being made as there were a few years ago, and they are only building motor homes that are ordered instead of stocking their yards with all kinds. We didn't get to see the very end of the production lines, but watching from the catwalk areas was pretty cool.

The factory is open from 7 to 3:30, so we were happy when our RV was all finished and returned to us before 3:00. But then the waiting started. We have an extended warranty, and we had to wait for an inspector to arrive to check what had been done before they would agree to cover the work that was done.

Now, the receptionists and the technician that worked on the RV were wonderful and helpful. And they were able to fix the AC and now the jacks go up and down just like they are supposed to work. But the Service Supervisor that was in charge of the financial part of the work was not by any means wonderful and helpful! We had to wait around from Tuesday afternoon until Thursday at about noon for things to be settled between the Warranty Company and Winnebago Industries. And waiting is something that comes so easily for us because Sue is a very patient person. (Do I hear snickering? Shame on you!)

Seems that Winnebago went ahead and finished doing the work before taking all the steps that the warranty contract calls for and therefore they don't want to cover everything. That didn't make us very happy, but the way we were treated by the Service Supervisor was what really annoyed us. We went over the problem with them but they seemed rather reluctant to be up front with us about the procedure. It was not a pleasant conversation. Jim said that Sue used her "teacher's voice". Jim doesn't have a teacher's voice, but made his feelings very clear also!

So we packed up and hit the road. And now we are in Angola, Indiana on Friday night, and expect to be home on Sunday afternoon.

The adventure is all but over unless something unexpected happens in the next two days. But we are sort of hoping it won't!

See you all soon!

Sue and Jim