Greetings from Shipshewana, Indiana
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Hard to see in the picture, but in the upper right is a new stereo setup Ron gifted me for the trip. “Pro Sonos” with the amp and the Bluetooth adaptor built in to the left speaker. The sound that comes out of this inexpensive setup is astonishingly good - rivals my home stereo. If you’re looking for a little bookshelf speaker setup I highly recommend it. Amazon, of course.
Tomorrow is a big dog training facility in Winterset, IA, with a stop at Skylabs in West Des Moines - a cool stereo shop we’ve both been following on YouTube.
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Shipshewanna IN to Donahue, IA today. I-80 is torn up all the way through Chicago and everything in the trailer got one hell of a ride. At some point the freezer door came open and everything ended up on the floor, thawed, and made a righteous mess. Had to throw it all out and mop up the mess.
Staying at an Alpaca farm via the Harvest Host system. It’s pretty cool - you just park at a farm, a museum or whatever and there is no cost except if you want to hook to power. Very casual and this farm is beautiful!
1 month old:
Glamour shot of our home for the next two weeks
At some point the freezer door came open and everything ended up on the floor, thawed, and made a righteous mess. Had to throw it all out and mop up the mess.
Oh no!! I’m sorry to hear that happened!
But wow those alpacas are cute!
I’ve never heard of the Harvest Host system, sounds great! -
It’s very large but they’ve removed the dump station so I couldn’t empty my holding tanks.
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Steve and Ron, the Thelma and Louise of 2026...
Great photos, @steve-miller ! Always love your travelogues.
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Visited the vintage stereo shop in W. Des Moines that was one of the reasons for the trip. We both follow their You tube channel.
Bought the tee shirt.
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Visited the vintage stereo shop in W. Des Moines that was one of the reasons for the trip. We both follow their You tube channel.
Bought the tee shirt.
@Steve-Miller 6hat looks like a cool shop!
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Visited the Ohio State Capital building, a spectacular Renaissance Revival deal with a gold leafed dome ca. 1880. Simply magnificent! When I come back I want to tour the interior.
Currently staying at a dog training farm in Winterset, IA. It’s not beautiful but it’s quiet and the power works. Best of all it’s free!
Got in early enough to do some cooking and knocked it out of the park! Jambalaya from a recipe that Ron got from a co worker who grew up in New Orleans. Among the best things I’ve ever made.
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A temporary fix for the freezer problem. It looks like hell but it works.
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Larchwood, Iowa. A high-end town, no shortage of mansions. Parked at a 400 acre farm partly taken up by barns and airplane hangars.
Zaggar air park, Jim Zaggar, proprietor. Inherited from his father whom he describes not a a collector but as someone who never sold anything. Jim followed in his footsteps and accumulated quite a bit himself.
Each barn and hangar is stuffed with treasures. Cars, tractors, boats, farm machinery, models, toys and airplanes.
Lots of airplanes.
Biplanes, modern planes, ultra lights, experimental - all in airworthy condition. His dad converted part of the farm to an airstrip and transitioned to flying lessons in the late ‘40’s. Bought planes, kept planes. And Lincolns - many Lincolns. Built hangars and barns all over the place. It’s all still here and Jim wants to tell you about every one.
Two things stand out. One is a 1963 Chrysler 300 pace car. Convertible. Original everything, showroom fresh. Ya’ll aren’t car people but believe me this car is a big deal and sitting in a barn in NW Iowa. He’s keeping it running so he can transport his daughter when she gets married. I didn’t get a picture.
https://www.gaaclassiccars.com/vehicles/31612/1963-chrysler-300-pace-setter-indy-500-pace-car
Most surprising was this crazy boat. Kit boat, Popular Mechanics, mid 1960’s. I owned one of these in the early 70’s for a short period of time. Very short - it terrified me. Too fast, wouldn’t turn. I never dreamed I’d see another one.
But here it is:
Dinner was sardine hash, a particularly unphotogenic meal that tasted wonderful! Reddit recipe -basically corned beef hash made with sardines rather than corned beef. Eggs on top. I’ll make it again.
Tomorrow is Rapid City, SD. Home of Mt. Rushmore and all sorts of stuff. Two nights there. Staying in a proper campground with hookups and a laundry -which we need.
Averaging 9.6 MPG which isn’t bad, considering.
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My mom used to go there with her lady friends when she lived in Ft Wayne.
Your mom went to the world’s largest truckstop?
Man, does that raise questions.
“I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer”
― Douglas Adams -
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Visited the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD on the way to Rapid City. Built as an exhibition center in the late 19th century, it’s now used mostly as a basketball arena. The last one a number of crop palaces that were built all over the Midwest over the years.
Cool that the murals on the outside are constructed of corn and cornstalks. They change them every year.
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Also stopped at Wall Drug - an icon of the Midwest. Billboards advertising it start showing up some 200 miles before you get there.
90,000 square feet of “stuff”.
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