My Catch Up (not ketchup) Post

Ok, I am really sorry for having fallen so far behind. I finally beat the damn computer/wifi/hot spot/photo/incompetence bug that was holding me back for so long and now there are no more excuses! Well, except that I am retired and this is for fun and shouldn't feel like a job. I have taken notes along the way and even written a post and not published it yet because it was out of sync, and lord knows I've taken a gazillion pictures...I am thinking I will be able to post more pics now with each post as long as I have the hot spot capability to do so.

During our remaining time in Iowa we went to Sioux City to spend the day and get some (proactive) maintenance done on our truck. We then went and walked along the Missouri River because we couldn't resist the opportunity since we had already walked along the Mississippi River...and since you can do both in Iowa - you gotta DO BOTH! We then happened upon another Lewis & Clark Welcome Ctr. that was a diesel inspection ship back in the day and it was fascinating to not only see the ship but all the artifacts and lessons about the times here. We did some posing outdoors before heading back for our last night in Iowa.

From 5/13-5/17 we stayed at Ponca State Park in (you guessed it) Ponca, Nebraska. A small town with a nice state park. We had some great walks around the large (and hilly) grounds. One day we walked along some of the horse paths and Penny thoroughly enjoyed the smells. It was fascinating to see the results of their use of prescribed fires in the woodlands (see pic for more info) but we also came across a few spots of burnt trees that were obviously lightening strikes! We had some great walks and great views. One day we took the mile trail to visit the infamous "Old Oak Tree". We had to drive down to the start of the trail because there was no way our "puppy" would be able to make the trek down there and THEN do the hike to the tree. It was a fun adventure and pretty cool to see the old lady up close and personal!! (Hence the cover photo to this post - she earned herself some top billing!)

Another thing I must make note of in Ponca was our adorable camp host. Most of the state parks have assigned hosts who are there to check in with if you need anything and are often able to provide you with some gems about the campground or give suggestions of places of interest in the area. I’m Including a pic of our buddy from Ponca because he was adorable and thoroughly enjoyed picking on our Penny (whose hearing and eyesight are both waning) by offering up his glasses or hearing aid to her whenever he passed by...! (For the record- his humor totally reminded me of a former neighbor who I know I love.) The only downside to our first Nebraska stay came on 5/15 when we dedicated a day to drive to Norfolk, NE (about 90 minutes away) where Karl had made an appointment on line with the Red Cross to give blood at a blood drive. We decided it would be a family affair and I would hang out with Penny doing laundry at a nearby laundromat and going for a couple of strolls. But NNOOOOOOOO........... We waste a perfectly good sunshiny day schlepping to an unscenic city only for Karl to be told he wasn't "due" yet to donate (despite being 3 days overdue according to his records). C'est la vie - at least we got laundry done; although we could've gone to the cute little laundromat down in downtown Ponca...(Just sayin'...)

PS: You can see that this has nothing to do with "ketchup" at all - my site instructs me with each post: "Add catchy title here" so I was simply succumbing to the pressure!