Sioux Falls KOA
Austin Starting Mileage: 2558
Sioux Falls Ending Mileage: 2774
Miles Driven: 216
Average MPG: 6.6
We were up early this morning. I don't think we have ever left a campground at 8:30 AM, so I know Dave was done with Austin and his experience of moving the RV twice. We only had to drive a few miles to get to our next attraction--the SPAM museum--and they didn't open until 10 AM, so I know he wanted out of there.
We drove 10 miles down the road and pulled into a Perkin's restaurant for breakfast. They have the yummiest pancakes I think I have ever eaten--watch out IHOP, you have competition.
We rushed out of there to be sure we were at the SPAM museum when they opened because I wasn't sure if they had specifically timed tours or self-guided tours. We arrived about 5 minutes early and found out the tours were self-guided.
It was really clever how they found any opportunity to use the "pig" theme. Check out these swinging doors.
The museum presented a movie on the changes in the packaging and uses over the years, as well as a brief history of Mr. Hormel. The museum displayed the product well, and included a display of the various packaging throughout the world. Naturally, I had to take a picture of the Philippine packaging. Tina, are these the round cans you have in the Philippines? (Tina eats a lot of SPAM.)
My true interest in the product is not necessarily because of the food stuffs, it is because my nickname has been SPAM for about 20 years, which was given to me by my workmate and friend, Susan.
I spent most of the allotted time shopping for some much needed SPAM memorabilia. The museum was most concerned for its shoppers health and stamina. So they provided a server who walked throughout the store with a tray of hot SPAM samples on pretzel sticks!
Mini-Moose now has a pig companion named Spammy. But, my heart belongs to Mini.
The drive today was back to farmland. Dave says he's seen enough farms to last a lifetime. We bucked a headwind all day. The terrain seemed flat, but it was a consistent climb. Therefore, our gas mileage was awful. As soon as we drove into South Dakota, we had gentle hills again. Of course, we stopped at the Welcome Center and I descended upon the "fly trap." I have more brochures to read than I have ever had. There is so much to see in South Dakota, that we might not leave for a month!
We arrived at the campground at 3 PM and were set up in a jiffy. Dave spent a lot of time outside bird watching. He purchased a new "Bird" book at the Crane Museum and he's been marking where and when he saw different species of birds. Of course, he delights in sharing those sightings with me, and being a good wife, I make ever effort to "show" my interest.
The weather is just beautiful--sunny with a gentle breeze. The campground in the direct line of the airport, so we have a few planes flying overhead. When we arrived, some jets were screaming out of the airport (fighter jet types) and were flying very low. I had visions of sleepless nights, but they soon quit their antics. We are right next to the freeway, so have a bit of freeway noise. But, it never seems to bother us--mostly because in the daytime either the AC or TV is running, and at night my breathing machine is running.
We both ate leftover pizza for dinner (saved again from fixing dinner). I busied myself with getting some blog work done and reading brochures. Dave watched TV. I'm so glad we purchased headsets for him. That way our TVs don't compete, and I don't have to have mine cranked up to the highest decibel to accommodate for Dave's hearing loss. It is, however, a pain to constantly turn the volume up and down every time the AC turns on or off. But, hey, those are the sacrifices you have to make when you are "roughing it."
No comments:
Post a Comment