Labor Day Over….A Week Home

September 15, 2016September 16, 2016w2bergen 2 Comments

Labor Day weekend was the last big FLING at the park for the year. We worked all 3 days. I worked doubles being it was the only hours you can have now. Saturday and Sunday was 10 am. – 10 pm. It was a long day but the weather was beautiful. The temperature was high 70’s and low 80’s. “A PERFECT WEEKEND.” On Labor Day Monday, the park was open 10 am – 7 pm. The park was full of people. It was the last day of Adventureland Bay. The water park will be closed for the season, but the Adventureland park it self will be open weekends till the end of September. We were busy all day and evening. It was sad on Saturday evening to look out and realize that we wouldn’t be seeing the lights of the “Monster” in the beautiful park anymore. The sights and sounds of the park are just magical at nite. The beautiful colors of the twirling rides, and the reflections of the buildings and lights in the lake by …..Dragon……

We will be closing earlier now on weekends and it will still be light. We had decided to take off the following week end and head home for a week. The one problem was the cat. Kitty has never road in the pickup. Also he had no place to stay. Tammy said he could stay their as it was his house, but she has a big dog “Chaos” and a cat “Charlie”. But that was what we decided to do. The nite before we went to Dairy Queen and took him for his first ride. Kitty was curious, but we thought that was all it was. When Rich opened the door at Dairy Queen, Kitty ran out the door. OMG. I panicked, and ran for him. He went up by the building and under the picnic tables. He was near the drive-up but their was a railing up that intimidated him. He could have went through it but he backed away. Finally we cornered him under the picnic table. The next day we took off for our 4 hour drive.

I put his soft harness on. He again was curious. He was nervous and kept walking around. Finally he settled down under Richs feet while he was driving. Half way into the trip, we decided to stop at a rest stop. I took him out and hooked up his leash. I kept walking towards the bushes and fields. It was really hot and he started panting. Took him over to the water hydrant and he wanted no part of that. lol Finally took him back to the truck, tried to give him some water and he wouldn’t drink. So we headed on down the road. …….Poor Kitty…….

He was so tired and exhausted. I think he was actually dehydrated and exhausted by the time we got home. I carried him in the house and he ran for the bedroom and went under the bed. That was the end of him for several hours. I got his food, water and litter pan all set up and we closed the door so he could rest alone. I stayed at Tammys and took her bedroom that night. He climbed in bed and was much better by morning. In the morning we were all in the living room and Chaos ran down the hallway.

He is part Lab and Pit Bull. I was worried about him hurting Kitty. Tammy ran down the hall as the dog started running and barking. She SCREAMED…..”Mom, come get Kitty, he just got TWICE THE SIZE that he was…..lol..lol…She was worried about the dog and she was afraid Kitty of sink his claws in her dog. Well poor Kitty just set the dog straight…..He said, “I am BOSS, this was my house first. Stay away from me”…..It was really funny. Later we let her cat up from the basement.

His name is “Charlie”. He is a beautiful Persian. Now Charlie was curious and wanted to play, but soon found out, Kitty does NOT PLAY. He is an OLD MAN. They had a few scrapes but managed to be respectful. I kept seeing Charlie staring at him around corners and across the room. By the time we left, Kitty was walking fairly freely through the house. I was really amazed.

This is “Dexter”, Tina and Ed and the kids dog. He is a Golden Doodle who is going on 2 years old. He is a very loveable and active dog. He is almost like another “son” in the house. lol.

Now Brandy and Scott have 2 house cats. Both came as strays. The yellow is “Seymour”, and the gray is “Clyde”. lol. Seymour has finally become lovable, but Clyde really likes to hiss at you. So these are all the animal cousins…..lol…..

One day, Tammy went to work and forgot some papers, so Carly and I went to Peoria. We got to tour the Kindred Hospital and seen where her momma works. Carly loved that. Then we went to Steak and Shake.

Tammy said she would know just what she wanted by the pictures and she did. We had to sit by the window by the Illinois River. I had gotten some stuffed animals at the park for the kids so we gathered them together to give them out. Cassidy didn’t make it, as she had went to her friends.

They had fun. Carly is far left, Austin, and then Miley. Around their necks, you can see a stuffed snake. I got Cameron a huge snake. He has wanted to buy a real Python in an aquarium for his room. I told him if he ever did that, I wouldn’t go in the house again. So “Here is your snake”…..lol…..The only one I allow.

He is a hard one to get a nice picture, but I managed to get this one uptown. He’s doing what he does best…..driving….lol…Rich had his own agenda of fixing things. Theirs always things to fix when we go home. He also goes through the garage putting tools and things BACK WHERE THEY BELONG….Hmmmmm….Now why is that…..I also got a Biker Bear for Scott for the Bar.

He was so big. I looked at him for a long time, hanging in one of the games. Finally I bought him.

He was so BIG, he had to sit in the passenger seat with Rich. I sat in the back and held him up.

So here he is in his new home. “One Paw’z Pub”…..McNabb, Illinois. He’s going to be nothing but a BARFLY….lol…That weekend was also “ONE PAW’Z PUB’s”Pre Harvest Hoe Down. Scott and the local Car Club had the Main Street blocked off. He had a Band staged on his flat bed truck trailer. Around 70 cars showed up for the Car Show. Some Beauty’s’ That will be the next blog. We left to go back on Wed. so we could have 2 days off before the weekend. Groceries were needed and laundry to do. And ya know we don’t have to move fast anymore, so 2 days to rest up is Wonderful. I went back to Tammy’s that morning as we have been staying at Scotts, and put Kitty’s harness on and carried him to the car. He was such a trooper all the way home. I think he now realized it was ok. He slept, although his space was not to big, but he didn’t get upset or anything. He was fine. We were all glad to get home. Kitty walked in just like he was glad to be home from his vacation. So Poor Kitty at 16 is still learning new things. He learned how to ride in a pick up. He learned how to live in his old house for 8 days with a dog and cat that had invaded his house.

This is his new thing to learn. How to go outside in a pen and not wander. Now this is a problem. He doesn’t understand yet. He walks in circles and thinks he should be out under the motorhome……Not a Good Place for Him……

Visiting Friends…Present & Past….

September 2, 2016September 3, 2016w2bergen 3 Comments

This week we had arranged to head south to Excelsior Springs. It is right by Kansas City about 2 1/2 hours south. Our good friends from Eastgate Cici and Larry, live their. We decided to head down on Tue. return on Thur. Larry had therapy that day on his new knee replacement. Not knowing how tired that would make him, we arranged to arrive around 4 pm and go out for supper. On the way, we stopped at Winterset. I wanted to buy a copy of the movie Bridges of Madison County. Now we can watch it before we go exploring at the bridges. They had copies at John Wayne’s Museum. Back on the highway south, we past the exits of New Virginia and St. Marys. We decided to drive the back roads on the way back and see if we could find where Rich’s dad use to live.

We arrived in Excelsior Springs around 4 and found their house. It was sure good to see them. We went out to eat, and had a great time. Not the greatest picture….lol…but it is what it is. The next morning Cici cooked a wonderful full breakfast with eggs, bacon, potatoes, biscuits and orange juice. Larry took Rich to shoot their pistols at an indoor shooting range. Rich wants to get his card for carrying, so he really enjoyed that. Cici and I went to a Great second hand store. I haven’t found a good one since we left Harlingen. We shopped at Texas Thrift. lol. ….. cheap skates we are……This one was really nice. I found 3 blouses….Not bad….spent $11. Found another store and returned home. They boys had a great time. Supper that nite was at Applebee’s.

Shopping at Lionel’s Western Wear in Weslaco after a style show last winter……

We have been friends of theirs for 2 winters now. They pulled into Eastgate about a day after we did that first winter. We hit it off right away. When we go places together they always drive. That’s what happens when you have a little Ford Ranger….lol….We’ve had so much fun with them. Cici is a nut…..and Larry can crack you up with his jokes also. Never dull…

We had such a good visit. We talked about family, about Eastgate of course, past and plans for this fall. The next morning we packed up our little plastic bag of clothes and toiletries…lol…(HyVee) and headed back towards home.

We finally made it to New Virginia, St. Mary’s exits. We turned off on the one he thought he remembered. Now Rich’s dad, Leo lived out here for a short time in the late 70’s. Leo had served in the Military, and made a good friend, Kenneth Ballard. When they would come home on leave the family’s would get together. Never the less, they were close friends. Leo married Rich’s mom Rose, and Helen and Kenny new all the kids. After Rich’s mom died, when he was 15,he spent the summer at Ballard’s. They lived in the country and had livestock, salvage yard, sold used cars, wrecker business, and farmed also. Kenny was always busy. Helen and Kenny had a number of kids, even a foster son, and she was always busy with the duties of a wife, mother, and the household. She was always taking care of kids. Her kids, neighbor kids, or many other family members kids. They were very hard working people and the kids all grow up the same. They were always a Happy Couple, Helen with a wonderful laugh, and Kenny was a jokester. Leo and Kenny remained friends all those years until Leo had another marital trouble. He went to live at Helen and Kenny’s around the late 70’s. He then bought a used mobile trailer and installed it on some acreage that Kenny let him use. Helen and Kenny had bought the property for retirement some day. After the trailer was set up, his present wife Dorothy came back, and they tried to make it work. But to know avail, it just wasn’t to be. Dorothy went back to her daughters, and Leo eventually moved to McNabb to be close to all the kids. After Leo passed in 1991, Helen and Kenny even came to Chillicothe for his funeral services. It seems like after that everyone really drifted apart. We know Kenny had died in 1995, but we really don’t know how or when we knew that. Finally at least 3 years ago, something really strange happened. By that time Connie, Rich’s younger sister had moved into Leo’s house. A neighbor of hers gave her a letter that arrived at her house. I don’t remember why it went their. It was from Helen Ballard. It contained some family pictures from years ago and a very sweet letter. We were all amazed One of them was a photo of their mother and dad. I was always going to write her and thank her. But of Course……Do we?…..Another moment of procrastination………….So now here we are today………….Searching to see if anyone is alive of the Ballard family or even around.

So here we go….driving the back roads….some blacktop…mostly gravel…..We couldn’t find Helen and Kenny Ballard’s house so off to try to find the property where his dads trailer was. We turned down this gravel road and down near the bottom, their was a lane to the right. He said turn here. Now I am driving. So I crept slowly, ever so slowly down this small lane and he says….“This isn’t it”…..I look in the rear view…..”Ohhhhh Shitttt”….Another car pulled into the lane……….we’re busted….no way to go but to the yard and turn around. I pulled to the side and let the car park. Rich got out….A lady got out…..They Talked….Thank Goodness they shook hands…..Whew….Were Ok….So I watched them talk for at least 10 min. then she made a phone call. hmmmmm …calling for info right?……..Finally Rich came back to the car with her…..He introduced me to Helen’s Granddaughter, Julie…….Ohhhh My…..of all the drives we pulled into, we chose hers. Ironically she usually doesn’t get off work that early…..Coincidence? When I told her how my heart skipped a beat when I seen her car in the rear view, she said “Imagine how I felt. I didn’t know what I was walking into”. Ohhh yaaaa. She said her grandmother is very much alive. She tried calling her and she wasn’t home. She is 91, drives, quilts at the church, member of a garden club and never stops. Julie know exactly who Rich was. Her grandma and grandpa had talked about Leo and his family through the years and she had know Leo when she was a child. After a nice little visit and exchanging of phone numbers, she gave Rich directions. Grandma Helen now lives on the property that Leo had put the trailer on. In the early 90’s Helen and Kenny brought in a different trailer and built on to it…..Julie says they call it the “trouse” lol I found that very funny.

So on we went. Turned out we were miles away. Finally turned down the gravel road and found the gravel lane. Yes this is it.

Now this is what was on the one lane bridge heading to the house…..lol….‘Caution Trolls” On the top of the pole is a troll….lol…Yes this has to be the Ballard’s. We drove up to the house.

Nobody Home. This is the Trouse…..We walked around a little and then got back in the truck. Going back over the bridge Rich said, Look, theirs something down their.

Hahahaha…..A Troll…..Now we gotta go back and take a picture of the Troll on top the fruit cellar.

We took the picture, wondering what the story was…..Gotta be good….Like I said, Kenny was a Jokester in his day. Finally we drove back down the lane and almost to the end and low and behold, in turns a car. It is Helen….She was so shocked. We turned around “AGAIN” Another Coincidence?……We visited with her for several hours.

I asked her about the Trolls……The Hat Explains it All…..”Its a Ballard Thing (You Wouldn’t Understand)”…..This was a gift from a family member, made especially for her. so, some things never change. What a great family. So in talking with Helen, she has a mind of a 60 year old, a sparkle in her eye. so much energy for her age. Her memory is fabulous. She has a wonderful laughter, that is so full of life and young sounding. Truly a woman to admire. Most of her family still lives near with the youngest daughter living just up the hill from her. We talked a lot about the past that was so interesting. Finally we had to say Goodbye. She was so glad and excited that we came by. With all those “COINCEDENCES” of timing, we would have never been able to see her. But we do plan in visiting again before we leave the end of the month. We are actually less than an hour from her house…..Amazing I think….

Rich Bergen and Helen Ballard

So the end of another day in Iowa…..What a few days its been….Visited our Very Good Friends and Finding some of Rich’s dads past

……..Its Like Stepping Back In Time……

……..Reality Check…..

Labor Day Weekend Ahead……Work 3 Days

OSHA’s Report on Adventureland Death

August 29, 2016August 30, 2016w2bergen 6 Comments

The other day we seen the OSHA Report on the death of an Adventureland worker last June. If you remember, he was an Assist on the Raging River. Their are 2 Assists and one Operator on this ride. It is a water raft ride that is run by conveyors at the beginning and end to bring the raft out of the water to load and unload. The conveyers are 10 ft. below from what I heard. Their is a series of six different conveyors and buttons the operator has to work. Each button is pushed manually when needed to move the rafts by conveyer up to the unload and load position.

The operator is sitting above to have a view of the ride, and the assists. The Assists unload and load each raft. When they are done and have all riders in the raft and back in their positions, they give a thumbs up to the Operator. Their are no safety switches or interlocking devices to secure the ride. So when the accident happened, the raft prematurely lurched, and pushed the two Assists over. One was caught by a bystander, the other was Steve Booher. He fell the 10 feet to the conveyors and injured his head and arms. Unfortunately, he never regained consciousness and died the following Sat. We were never told about the accident, nor told when he passed away. It was all found out by articles in the Des Moines Register. I did witness the EMTS rushing him out or I wouldn’t have known either. This man was a 68 year old retired postal employee form Oklahoma. Steve and his wife came to Adventureland to enjoy their summer working in the park. He only worked 1 week. So much speculation has been made since then as to who was at fault. Was it the Operator? Was it the Park? Was it the training procedures? I believe it was a little bit of everything. First of all, I don’t think from what I’ve witness as a whole, their training process is very good at all. Secondly, with all of these conveyors and buttons and an open conveyor 10 feet below, why would you depend on the 2 Assists to just give you a thumbs up to continue? That is all that is done on a number of rides. Some have an interlocking system that all parties have to push a switch to allow the ride to continue. Many of them rely on simply a thumbs up from both Assists. Now if you have 6 sets of conveyors to operate, isn’t it understandable an accident can happen? We can all get careless sometimes.

So this is the copy of the Iowa OSHA Citation and Notification of Penalty that was posted on the office door. Bottom line…..Fine $4,500……….Really..Thats All….That’s all a life is Worth?…..But at least if nothing else, it does directly fault the park. I’m sure that opens up a huge lawsuit for the family. I do think they deserve so much more. Today, on 2 different Adventureland Facebook sites this was posted

It is an article by the Des Moines Register about the Citation.

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Adventureland Fined $4,500 After Worker’s Death desmoinesregister.com

Federal regulators allege that Adventureland park broke Iowa law by failing to create a safe work environment for the 68-year-old man who died from injuries he sustained while working on the Raging River ride in June.

Iowa’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the theme park $4,500 this month in the death of Steve Booher. The Altoona amusement park has 15 days to contest the agency’s findings.

One of Booher’s family members said the fine “seems a little light.”

“We’re talking about the loss of life,” said Tim Overlin, Booher’s nephew who lives in Des Moines.

The Raging River sends riders through rapids on large circular rafts. Booher was working at the ride June 7, helping riders get out of the rafts when the conveyor belt carrying the rafts began to move forward.

The movement caused him to fall from the loading platform onto the conveyor belt.

Booher injured his head and arms and was on life support at a Des Moines hospital for several days. He died June 11.

Jens Nissen, Iowa OSHA administrator, said the $4,500 fine was the maximum his agency could assess Adventureland for this type of violation. OSHA found no evidence that the theme park willfully violated worker safety protocols, which would have prompted a larger fine.

The ride is operated by a worker in a control tower above the platform. The disconnect between the operator and the workers below is the primary issue inspectors identified.

Iowa OSHA found that Adventureland should implement engineering controls that would prevent the conveyor belt from moving rafts while workers are still loading and unloading passengers.

That could include interlocked sensor devices or interlocked buttons “to ensure that ride assistants are positioned in a safe location before the boats are allowed to be advanced by the ride operator,” according to the agency’s citation.

Molly Vincent, a spokesperson for Adventureland, declined to answer any questions about the OSHA fine or the changes recommended by the agency.

Overlin said the ride should have automatic controls that stop it if a worker is in the path of the rafts. He also questioned the amusement park’s training requirements.

Booher had worked at Adventureland for six days. He and his wife were retirees from Oklahoma who planned to spend the summer living in their RV and working at the park.

The day he fell was the first he had worked on the Raging River ride.

The Raging River reopened the day after Booher’s incident.

A search of OSHA’s federal database found no previous violations for Adventureland. Nationwide, 10 workers were killed on the job at amusement parks between 2011 and 2014, the most recent years for which OSHA fatality data is available.

Amusement park rides, including the Raging River, are inspected annually by the Iowa Division of Labor. The Raging River was inspected on April 28 and then again on June 8, following Booher’s fall.

Both inspections determined that the ride was operating as designed, said James Bowry, manager of the division’s elevator, boiler and amusement ride bureau.

The ride will be inspected again after the park implements changes recommended by OSHA, he said. It is operating currently, the division said.

=========================================================================

This just doesn’t seem life much money for a fine. It is just a small amount to them. Their was a number of accidents this year at different parks, since this one. The parks went on total shut down after for a day or two. They made national headlines. Not here. The ride shut down for a day, and reopened. Most of the people in the park never even know the accident happened. We had to read it in the paper. The park owners never acknowledge Steve and his wife. Many people wanted to reach out to his wife and family. That was never made possible.

I do on one hand do think they are trying very hard to make this a wonderful family park. The parents have now passed and the 4 adult siblings are the owners and driving force for the park. They do walk the park every day. They are very hands on. They are investing money in new rides, and beautiful landscaping. But on the other hand, many of us feel like numbers. If you stop them to talk, they are friendly, but that is the end. When they walk by you the next day, they don’t recognize or see you. Sometimes you get a wave, but seldom. We feel like a Number but yet they say they think so highly about us Workampers involved in the Workamper Program. But I guess that is alright, its their park. I just wish they would put some of that money into updating the safety features of the old rides. Most of the training is done in 10 to 15 minutes. Do you really think this is enough training when you are loading adults and children and are responsible for their safety? They need to review their safety program. See what improvements can be done.

Is That To Much To Ask?

Happy Birthday To Me….lol

August 26, 2016w2bergen 5 Comments

Yesterday was my FRA Birthday. I finally reached it….lol…What’s that you say?. Well I just learned that from my good friend Randy, I went to school with. His birthday was several days ago. “FULL RETIREMENT AGE. 66 YEA” Now you youngsters will have to wait later to reach your FRA. I want to “THANK EVERYONE” who wished me Birthday Wishes the last several days. It sure is nice to read and see all your messages come across FB. It was just 2 years ago that I decided to start this blog. It was my birthday, and I was in the final stages of working. Wow. So much has changed since then. We have done so much. It seems years since I walked out of Advantage Logistics for the last time. Was It the Right Decision, some of you may ask? It sure was. We have NO REGRETS. It is the best thing we ever did. We have seen so much and experienced so much in 2 years. Their is such a big huge world out their. So many wonderful places to see, and so many wonderful people to meet. As I started the blog, the reasoning for it was so the kids would know what we were doing. Since then, we have quite a following. I’ll give you some statistics. We have 424 followers, which isn’t a lot for some blogs, but I think its impressive. In 2 years we’ve had 19,685 people read the blog. So far I’ve written 108 posts including this one. Most are about what we do. A lot of history about the areas, and a lot about family happenings. Also some thoughts on different subjects as to how I feel. I always try to be fair and look at both sides of the issue. After awhile, as I was writing these blogs, I was thinking that some day when we were gone, they would all be lost. I felt their would be a lot of value in all of these to the kids, so I found a place to print them. Its called Blog2Print. It was a challenge figuring all this out but I did. I now have received my 4th book of blogs. I print them every 6 months. This last one I printed in hardback. So nice. I sure don’t know why I didn’t before. I think they are rather impressive. Now I am happy that everything will be preserved for the kids and grandkids to hand down some day.

So if any of you every wonder about life after retirement. Remember their is a whole world out here to see. Financially their are many ways to make it work. You don’t have to be rich. Workamping is a great way to make it happen. You would be amazed at all the jobs and how many people are doing this. It is also good for you to keep that schedule. You need to have to do something everyday, or you could run into the danger of being a couch potato. This is really a great life. You can choose what you want to do. Their are jobs to be found all over the USA, even Alaska. Your retirement is what you make it.

So yesterday, on my birthday, we got up and didn’t really plan on doing anything, but then we decided to head north to Ankeny. It isn’t far, maybe 10 miles. They have an RV Sales their. Our neighbor Dick and Mary Lou recommended it. They have a little plastic thing that they use for hanging out socks and underwear. It is sort of an umbrella looking thing with clothespins on the ends. She loads them on from the washer and just hangs it out. Perfect. Many of us have washer dryers, but many of us hang out to dry. The weather has been so warm it, theirs no need to run your dryer. The convenience is huge. I would hate to have to go to the laundromat with our schedules we had all summer.

So, we headed north to Ankeny. Found the RV dealer. We shopped in the store and found the clothes hanger thingy, lol, and also the rods you put in the refrigerator for traveling. For those of you who don’t know, they make rods like suspension curtain rods to put in your frig. you put them across the shelves to secure your items on the shelves. That prevents all your food from falling out when you open the door after you’ve been on the road. We decided to look at all the new trailers and 5th wheels but they were all locked. So much for that. On up the road we drove and seen the sign for Saylorville Lake. I had seen it on the map and it looked rather large. So left turn and away we went.

It turned out to be huge. It was beautiful, the water was so calm and serine. We drove in first to a deserted beach area, and then went on down to the Marina. It was situated in a very large inlet off the lake. The dock itself looked so steep and scary. But all those house boats moored in the harbor area were so beautiful.

We drove over by the side to an access road down to the harbor itself.

Amazing large. This was just a small part of the Marina. Their was at least 3 covered areas of slips filled with boats. Also a floating bar and restaurant.

Their wasn’t much going on beings it was a Thur. All people work on Thursday…..right….Except for us retirees…..We sat around for awhile, and watched 2 different boats unloading and loading their boats. That’s always fun. Things never go right and sometimes you can detect heated body language or overhear not so happy voices……lol…..Ive been their myself. It’s so much more fun to watch.

We followed the road over the dam and stopped on the pull off area.

Their were a few fishing boats and a jet skier. Onward down the dam and on the other side down by the spillway was a beautiful valley with a campground. We drove in and parked down by the spillway.

There were guys fishing on both sides.

The guys on our side already had a pile of small fish.

They used this net to catch the little minnow fish.

They would throw it in the water and pull the draw string. It would be full of the little baby minnow fish and then they would empty it into a bucket. The minnows would then be used for live bait…….Free Bait…..Free Fish…..We watched them for almost an hour. It was so peaceful, while the water from the spillway kept rushing and splashing down the river. This river is the Des Moines River. The Saylorville Lake is a reservoir on the Des Moines River. It is 54 miles long, has a surface area of 9.27 miles. It is 11 miles north of Des Moines. The river then proceeds 214 miles to the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was constructed by the Army Corp of Engineers for flood control. We finally left and drove into Des Moines, visited a second hand thrift store…..Didn’t find anything…..Finally time for supper. We ended up back near home at Prairie Meadows Casino.

They have a great buffet. It was Barbeque nite. We feasted on steak, ribs and all the extra, of course dessert…..Cherry Cheese cake for one…..ice cream….Mmmmm mmm good. Last time we came, I put $20 in a penny machine and made $10….I cashed out and ran….So lets go do this again. Their are 2 identical machines side by side. They are Progressive slot machines. I told Rich if there were people sitting in my machine I would leave. We went up the escalator….turned the corner….It was empty…..We walked towards it and guess what…..just before we got their a man comes out of nowhere and sits in “MY MACHINE”……the other was empty……..I almost turned around, but decided…..Why Not….I put a $10 bill in…..started playing…..Wow guess what….with in 5 minutes I racked up $51.75. hahaha…..The guy next to me kept loosing…..We cashed out and ran….again….

……….So Happy Birthday To Me………

Iowa Falls on the Iowa River

August 24, 2016August 25, 2016w2bergen 2 Comments

Its Wednesday and we decided to get up early today after 2 days of doing basically nothing and do something. The park has scheduled some activities for us if we choose. One of them was a boat trip north in Iowa Falls on the Iowa River in September. We signed up, but was to late to pay. The max amount allowed has already paid for the trip. It includes bus trip, boat ride, and lunch after. We are on the waiting list if someone cancels. But that’s ok……We were slow so we lost out. So we decided to drive up today and check it out.

Iowa Falls is a little over 60 miles north on Highway 65. It was an overcast day, so that part was a little disappointing, but that’s ok. We got to town around noon, and drove up and down the streets searching for the Chamber of Commerce. It wasn’t so successful this time. Finally we drove on the scenic drive and rounded a corner, and their it was

…..The Boat Club……with the ………Scenic City Empress ……..docked in the waters of the beautiful scenic Iowa River. This river winds through the center of Iowa Falls and we found at least 3 bridges within town to cross. We parked and got out the check out the boat. It holds at least 50 or more. The bottom level is enclosed and has AC. The top is an open deck. Great for viewing on a nice day. They also have concert charters which would be so much fun. Generally they only do charters for groups or special events. It has been refurbished by the Boat Club with the help of the towns people. Their was only 1 car in the parking lot and she was in the office. In we went for a visit. She was very nice and helped us with information. She said their was a possibility that she would talk to Gary from Adventureland about a second boat, but I don’t think that will happen. Its too close to the date. She had a map of the town and river. We noticed a Swinging Bridge that you can walk and cross the river. She also gave us some great info on restaurants for lunch. We left and headed to the Swinging Bridge.

This was taken from the edge of the river as we drove from the Boat Club. You can also see the Falls. This is not the real falls, they dried up years back we were told. This is artificially made.

We arrived and started to walk across. We actually parked on the residential side and walked over to the side where it opened up into the park. It was a very well constructed suspension bridge, originally constructed in 1897. It has been rebuilt at least 2 times since.

It didn’t really move much as we walked across. We got to the other side and checked out the park and of course the restrooms…lol….heading back, I decided to walk off the sidewalk over to the trees and bushes. I wanted to get this picture. Its more of a side view. In doing this I walked in weeds. Well I spent the next 15 minutes picking off little sticky prickly things from my clothes. lol They weren’t the to painful ones as they were still young. I’m sure on maturing they would have been sharp and very pointy.

We walked back to the truck taking one last picture of the falls….This river has with time, worn its bed through the rocks to make these beautiful cliffs. Time to find a restaurant. Back to town and found the one that was recommended.

The Princess Café.

Upon walking in, we were so surprised. It was not only a restaurant serving sandwiches and pizza, but an old fashioned Sweet Shop.

This was our first view. This is a 25 ft. soda fountain made from the finest Italian marble. It is thought to be the largest remaining soda fountain in the world. On the back wall is 2 large slabs of matching granite. Just amazing. I turned around and their was the old fashioned Juke Box.

It is an old Wurlitzer….I checked out the records. Now this will take you back in time….Beach Boys–Surfer Girl, Little Deuce Coupe, California Girls, Good Vibrations. Chuck Berry–Roll Over Beethoven, Maybelline. Little Richard–Long Tall Sally, Slippin and Slidden. These were just a few I seen.

We went to the back and they seated us. It had all the old booths. A row on each side of the store and the center row, side by side divided. So impressive. Beautiful woods with some carvings.

The Menu

They had quite a few specials to choose from as well as a good menu. We both chose sandwiches and also a small pizza to go. The food was good. We decided we needed to try a small piece of pizza while it was still fresh. Ohhhhhh yum…..It was so good. It was a thin crust, and ever so flaky and crisp. Perfect, and not very greasy. Definitely a Pizza I would order again. I read in the menu a bit of the history. Cousins originally from Greece opened the Princess in November of 1915. A brother moved to town and bought the original Sweet Shop and the family members combined the businesses into one. It became known as Princess Café and Sweet Shop. Christmas morning 1934, the building burnt to the ground. One year later it was rebuilt opening on July 1. The cost to remodel was $30,000. A whole lot of money during depression time. The way it appears today is how it appeared back then. Everything has been preserved for all these years. The woodwork is made of the finest domestic and imported woods. The booths are African Mahogany. The hard Terrazzo floors were poured by hand and then ground to a smooth surface.

Notice the mirrors in each booth. All original, now starting to loose their coating on the back side. But it also makes them look so old, but yet so perfect. These are the special carvings that you see on the booths. The top wood trim is the same pattern carried through out the shop. All the wood is so pristine and perfect. No carvings from kids through the years. When I was in school, we had a small soda shop. We all constantly carved in the booth walls. How did these booths and this whole shop survive all these years to be in perfect shape. Just amazing.

This is the other side of the soda fountain. It was the Sweet Shop side. It again has used all the same woods and designs. It is now where they have the cash register, the souvenir t-shirts, school information and memorabilia.

As I was looking around at the old pictures on the wall, I came across this. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, dated October 15, 1966. This is well deserved. I also read their were other factors about the building that was important. A special glass imported from Italy and the construction of the outside of the building. It was a great representation of Deco Art.

This is another view of the Soda Fountain. As we were leaving, I did try to talk to the waitress about the building. She said it was rumored that Disney was their once trying to buy the soda fountain, but she didn’t know if it was true. Finally we left after we had filled our stomachs. Well lets say stuffed…….It was another great day of adventure. Finding gems to discover in small town America……I do believe as we travel the interstates this day and age, we fly by so many gems of history through out America. It pays to stop at some of these towns. Find the Chamber of Commerce or just drive around

……You just never know what you will find…….

John Wayne Birthplace….

August 22, 2016August 22, 2016w2bergen 3 Comments

Another Friday off, what to do. We sat around most of the morning enjoying a lazy day. Finally we decided to head to Winterset Iowa, which is less than a hour south west. Years ago as I have said before, Rich’s dad use to live down by Indianola, Winterset and New Virginia. So their is of course a lot of curiosity about this area. This was back in the late 70’s. Also around Winterset their are 6 covered bridges that are scattered through the countryside, 5 of which are on the National Historic Landmark Register. One of the bridges was were the film “Bridges of Madison County” was filmed. This was a romantic drama filmed based on the novel by Robert James Waller. Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep starred and Clint Eastwood was producer/director. Meryl Streep won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1996.

So around 2 pm. we left the park heading to Winterset. We drove to Winterset and found the town square. In the center of the square was the Courthouse as Winterset is the County seat of Madison County. It was surrounded by quaint small town shops, restaurant’s, antique, and many specialty stores. We found the Chamber of Commerce and I went in. As usual the Chamber of Commerce was full of pamphlets and info. They had maps and info of the bridges, and many other so interesting things to do. But I was so shocked to find out

…….It Was The Birthplace of John Wayne…….May 27 1907-June 11 1979……

It was getting late, so we decided to go to the Museum and Birthplace of John Wayne and forego the bridges. Only 2 blocks away we found the Museum on John Wayne Drive.

It was a very modern building with his statue out front. It was built and dedicated in 1982 after his death from stomach cancer. We went in and bought our tickets. As it was getting late, they told us to go around the block to the opposite corner and tour the house in which he was born first. So off we went.

His birthplace was only a 4 room house. We were told it was built in the late 1800’s and it only had 2 owners and 6 renters at the time it was purchased for the museum. John Wayne was born in this house on May 26, 1907. He was the first born of Clyde and Mary Morrison. He was 13 lbs at birth. His successful birth was credited to a lady, Dr Jessie Smith, a physician that lived down the street. He was named Marion Robert Morrison. Several years later his brother was born and they decided to call his brother Robert and changed his middle name to Mitchell. His father was a pharmacist and they moved to California as a family member had some acreage. He tried to grow corn as he was use to Iowa, but it didn’t grow. After a time he returned to his profession of a pharmacist.

As John grew he also had a dog named Duke. After a while everyone called them “ Little Duke and Big Duke”. Hence that is how he earned his nickname “The Duke”.

This house still had the original woodwork, floors, and stain glass door and front window. Everything else was period furniture from donations. The guide gave us much of the info. The woodwork was beautiful as well as the stain glass.

It was a very tiny house of only 4 rooms, consisting of kitchen, 2 sitting rooms, of which 1 might have been a dinning room and 1 bedroom. Many original family photos were on the walls. They only lived here until he was 3. The family then moved and eventually moved to California. We left to go back to the museum and passed this Awesome van.

This is a 1980 Chevy Van, customized by a true John Wayne fan. The poster in the drivers seat said their was over $50,000 worth of murals, even in the door jambs and under the hood. The side and rear windows are custom etched murals. The interior is all custom.

It is a Constant Trophy Winner.

It is a crowd favorite wherever it goes. It receives many requests from show promoters for it to appear in their shows.

Now into the museum we went. Amazed at all the mementos and letters.

John sent to Madison County for his Birth Records in 1953. If you can zoom this, it is interesting to read.

A letter from Bob Hope. A personally written letter from Lucille Ball, also letters from Kirk Douglas, James Stewart, and Ronald Reagan as President. His birth certificate and a Graduation diploma. So many interesting letters and photos on the wall. I read many of them and it was like reliving history. So many of these stars are now passed also.

He did many movies with Maureen O’Hara. She sent a wonderful 2 page letter after he passed for the Museum. Most of all these letters were written for the purpose of the opening of the Museum in 1982.

These 2 pictures are of Maureen O’Hara at the Museum. In picture #6, the blonde is John Wayne’s daughter Aissa. Picture #7 was Maureen in 2013 attending a dinner in Winterset. She passed away last year. The blouse and jacket she is wearing is in a case on display.

Some uniforms from his movies, Hellfighters, The Green Berets, Big Jim McLain, Hatari, and Legend of the Lost. Also I have pictures of his some of his gun collections, and a station wagon car that he had custom work done as he was so tall. These were just a few of the many things we seen. They also had a nice gift shop filled with many things including his movies. We did miss a short movie presentation of his life in the video room. But we know we will be going back, so we’ll see it next time.

As we left, I noticed around the sidewalk, their were marble plaques of each movie he stared in.

So many movies that it wrapped around the corner from one property line to another. After we vowed we would be back, we decided to look up the City Park in town. Their was one covered bridge their as well as a look out tower. We found the park and right after the entrance, the Bridge was on the right.

Cutler Donahoe Bridge

This 79 ft. bridge was built by Eli Cox in 1870 or 1871 with a pitched roof, and a Town Lattice truss design. It was put together with wooden tree nails with iron bolts added later. It was decided to move the bridge in town for protection on its 100’th Birthday and also the year of the first Covered Bridge Festival in 1970. The new site was in the city park over a ravine near the entrance. Next we were looking for a tower in the park. In the pictures it looks like a castle. We followed the signs in the park. The road turned into a one lane with many turns nestled in the woods with hills on both sides. Their were signs warning only to be used for hiking and compact vehicles.

We curved and drove over several one lane bridges through the thick woods. Finally after what seemed an eternity, but was only a mile and a half, the Tower came into view out of the trees.

It was so impressive at first sight. It looked like the Tower of a Medieval Castle nestled in the trees. On the front is a plaque…..”ERECTED IN MEMORY OF CALEB AND RUTH CLARK….PIONEER SETTLERS OF MADISON COUNTY……1846-1926″

The stone work was so impressive and so so old. It actually had 3 levels. The ground floor had a stone floor, but very uneven.

We carefully and slowly climbed the stone stairs. Definitely weathered with age, but still felt secure and solid. Onward to 2nd level.

Their was a heavy metal stairway to the lookout tower. It was actually very sturdy. Up we went to the top.

What a beautiful view. The sun was not in a good position to get a very good distance view with the camera. It was approaching sunset. But you could see several miles as you were on the top of a small hill. We wondered what the history was of this tower and why it was ever built. After trying to devour and take in everything we seen, and wonder about the tower, we walked carefully back down the stone steps. We drove slowly back through the park to the exit. It is really a nice park. It has many pavilions, picnic and kids play areas. Just full of trees and grass. On the edge it has a trailer park for camping. The prices were even very reasonable. We decided to head back to Des Moines for supper. A storm was coming. We ate at Bonanza Steak house and beat the storm home just in time.

So very intrigued by the castle I researched what I could find. Really not much. Caleb and Ruth Clark were the first settlers of Madison County. They had 13 children although they did not all survive childhood. Caleb died at 86 years of age in 1894, and Ruth died in 1901 at 82 years old. One of their sons, Joshua was a stone mason like his father Caleb. He cut the stones for the steps before his death in 1915. In 1926, 4 of their grandchildren constructed the 25 ft. limestone Medieval Castle in their grandparents memory. As to the connection to the castle like appearance, I couldn’t find anything. I did find a family member that mentioned that she thought that was were they said they use to watch for Indians. But she wasn’t sure. The Clarks are buried in Winterset as well as many family descendants. The end of another wonderful Friday of exploring. Never dreamed their would be so much history in one county. The Bridges of Madison County will wait for another day.

Work at the park on Saturday and Sunday. Then …………..5 days off…………Everyone is ready……Iowa State Fair winds up this weekend so school begins here this coming week. We will be staying till the end of September working only weekends. We have also decided to work the 2nd Annual Octoberfest on Oct. 1. I guess its a really riot. You must be 21 to attend. Lots of Alcohol and games…..fun….fun….

The Days are Winding Down….

August 17, 2016June 1, 2017w2bergen 3 Comments

We are now in our last week of full time at Adventureland. After this week the park will only be open weekends till the end of Sept. So now we can say….”This is the last Monday….This is the last Tuesday….This is the last Wednesday…….” The general feeling through out the park is the same. Were all glad it is going to slow down. Were all tired. So I will give you a little up date on what has been going on. Last week Rich was the Outlaw operator.

It is one of the big roller coasters in the park. It is an all wooden coaster, located in the Outlaw Gulch.

This is the gulch area. It has a western theme.

This is Saw Mill Splash which is near the Outlaw. It is a fun water ride that I would like to ride, but I think were running out of time.

We are only allowed in the park on weekdays free, so this is the last week. Last Friday, which was our day off, we decided to take that opportunity to do some of the things in the park that we wanted to do. Top on the list. Buy one of those FABULOUS “Loaded Funnel Cakes” that walk by us all the time.

Now picture this funnel cake….put a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle…fresh peaches and strawberries around it….drizzle chocolate and strawberry syrup on top….drizzle glaze over the whole thing….lastly dollops of whip cream over the tops…..All for $9.75..…I was going to take a picture before we dived in but forgot. We sat down by the water on a picnic table and FEASTED…..MMmmmmm….it was so good….

One of the rides I had wanted to ride was the Underground. It is a rollercoaster ride in a cave. It is the story about Bad Bob the bank robber who hid down in the cave with his stolen gold…..lol…

This is where you line up 2 in each stall. When the doors open your car is right on the other side. You can see the animated miner telling you the story of Bad Bob…..It was a fun ride of darkness, skeletons, a train light coming at you….lol

We then left the park and walked back to the golf cart…..Oh the luxury of having it…Instead of walking back to the Gulch area, we rode back on the company access road. Rich bought some of his wonderful Kettle Corn.

They cook in a huge kettle outside. So 2 more bags and we got back in our golf cart.

On this access road, you get a view of the rollercoasters some never see. This is the Tornado with the Storm Search in the background. Another wooden rollercoaster. It is all painted white with blue cars. They also have a set of red cars they used at the beginning of the season. Rich will be the Assist on the Tornado this week.

On the drive up the road, we also stopped on the back road to see the loading zone for the Tornado. The building on the right with lights on is the load, unload area. They had just came down the track and rounded the corner. See the blue blurrrrrrrrrrrr……That’s the cars…lol…

Here they are approaching the first and highest hill. On the side is the employee access road and then the main road of town. It was approaching nite so some of the pictures are sort of dark. So that was our trip on Friday. I was asked about a week ago to do an evening in rides. So I said sure. I went to the Rides desk and was given the Dragon Assist. Another big roller coaster.

Rich has been an Assist on this one also. All the coasters take an operator and 2 Assists. One on each side to load and unload and secure. Now this was an eye opener for me. You are constantly busy. Every 90 seconds the cars are back to reload. You have to be alert and make sure everyone is safe. Have everyone in line and ready to go. Make sure harness and seatbelts are secure. Always on guard and alert. The plus side is. Rides people can bring a stool to sit one during that pause time. So at break, I went and got one from the commissary. You have no idea how sitting for 30 seconds at a time helps. Doesn’t seem like much does it.

Here is another picture of Dragon doing the loop de loop…..with the Tornado in the background. Again rides I sure wont be doing. I would loose supper…..I did enjoy that evening working in Rides and it gives me some thoughts on next year……You just Never Know……In Games we have just been rotating between the 3 areas as usual. The one game most people love is Bingo….We have a Bingo Room in the Arcade building. Of course Air Conditioned. Usually have 2 people running it, one calling and one working the floor. It is electronic digital bingo. We have a blower that blows up the numbers and we call them and put them in the slot. When pushed it turns the number on, on the display board. They win points on their Arcade card. Then they go shopping. It is the place where adults will go when their kids are off running in the park. They are hot and tired and need a break. Or some people bring the little ones in, in their stroller so they can have a nap. Many in wheelchairs or scooters who don’t do rides and just wait for family members to be done……Some can spend hours in their…That is the only AC Games for us. But it is getting cooler now. It is so much more fun when the weather is nice. One of the friends I met here is Carolina (Catalina) like the Island, and James. They are from Houston.

Originally Carolina is from Brazil South America. She is interesting and fun to talk to. She left Brazil, went to Australia for 2 years and then back home. Then she came to US and met James. Not sure how long she has been here but they have been married for 5 years I believe. The are full time RVers. They decided it was time to leave. This wasn’t the job for them. They are on their way to California to do the Pumpkin Harvest and then sell Christmas trees in Dec. I wish them nothing but…. GOOD LUCK…..I will be following their adventures…… James also has a you-tube video channel…..Wanderlust Estate….He puts out videos of their travels…..I have also found at least 3 other people that have You-tube video channels. They have all left. Most of their complaints were, they didn’t like all the rules. They didn’t like the pay. Yes, we must have rules. It is a place of employment of many. The park has its hours to be open and manned. We have a dress code. We have to appear professional. We can’t eat or relax in the park in uniform. The one draw back is some of the manages are very young. As in Games, they are High School age. So rules are important to keep them in line. The young managers do a good job, but sometimes don’t know quite how to treat the older people. I have been fine with them. They all treat me well. I do feel respected, but I know their has been issues with others. Games is an area where mainly kids are hired. Even 14 and 15. Some look like little kids, but rules must be strict for that age group, but does cause problems for the older people. But life has its issues doesn’t it…..Can’t have everything our way…..As far as pay….We have free camping from April 1 – Oct 1…..Pay is $8.50 and hour….End of season Bonus if we stay….$400 to campsite plus .75 for every hour worked. Now people on SSI already have money coming in. It is good for us, but those who rely strictly on this to live, it is more of a problem. Those are the people who are having a problem with this job. They want and need more immediate compensation. Their are many people going to the Sugar Beets in the Dakotas starting next month. It is hard work, 12 hour shifts, all outside. You will probably be handed a shovel your first year….lol…They say some can make up to $8,000 in several weeks. Some go to the different Amazon plants. Their is an Amazon Work Force that does workamping hiring. You also get free camping of you get your reservation in early. But it is all warehouse work for the Christmas Season. You are released on Dec. 24th. NOPE Not for us either. We don’t want to do warehouse work.

……….I LEFT THAT FOREVER…….NEVER AGAIN……

So today is Wednesday…..Last Wed. of work…..YaHoooooooooo…..Ill leave you with an evening view of the

………………BIG WHEEL………….

2016 National Balloon Classic….Indianola

August 9, 2016June 1, 2017w2bergen 3 Comments

On our day off last Friday, we decided to attend the Balloon Classic. It was being held all week south of Des Moines in Indianola. It was maybe a half hour drive. It has been going on since the early 70’s. It its early years, Rich’s dad and stepmom Dorothy had lived nearby. We came for a visit and they took us to the festival. All I remember was, it rained, it was miserable out and the balloons never took off. lol We have seen the Albuquerque Balloon Fest in New Mexico. It is absolutely wonderful. Words cannot express the beauty of hundreds of balloons on the field taking off into the sky. In Albuquerque, it is common to see a balloon or two in the air on a nice day. The wind drafts make it easy to fly. Because of the mountains on both sides, it makes like a box canyon effect and they can fly to certain levels and attain different wind currents to fly in a circle. I can remember being at my dad and stepmoms house in the bathroom and hear the sound of the burners. I would look out and see a hot air balloon flying by. I was fascinated.

Friday morning, the first thing we did was go to HyVee and stock up on grocery’s. The gates opened at 4 pm. So we took off and headed south. We found a little family restaurant in Indianola that had really good down hometown cooking. We both had chicken fried steak. Our next stop was the National Balloon Museum.

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It was just chocked full of balloon equipment and artifacts. So many different types of equipment have been used through the years.

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This is an experimental chair called “Yankee Doodle”. It was built and used in the 60’s in the early flights of hot air balloons. 20160805_164339

Rich, ready to take off……lol…

Now this next picture is of a two man carriage that hangs below a blimp or airship.

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It is really neat. The very back is a large propeller.

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This picture will give you an idea of how large the blimp is compared to the carriage underneath.

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Their most prized display is “The Channel Champ”. It was the first hot air balloon to fly across the English Channel. It occurred April 13, 1963. This flight introduced the modern hot air balloon to the world. It was flown by Ed Yost. Don Piccard accompanied him and filmed the flight. This is probably the most historic existing hot air balloon artifact in the world. It was in the Malcom Forbes Museum in France until 2004 when it arrived in Indianola. So much to see.

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The beautiful stain glass window in the front of the museum. After that, on to the Classic. It was located out in the country. It had moved to a new venue in the 80’s. We drove in a they collected $5 a person. They directed us to park in this huge field. In the distance we could see all the food stands etc.. set up. We walked in and rented two white plastic chairs for $2 a piece. Now, How do you forget to bring your chairs….lol….We found our place and sat down. Now this was farm grounds at one time. But what a perfect layout. It was like an auditorium or amphitheater . The ground we were on was terraced down just like stadium seating. Not a bad seat in the house.

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Way down in the middle was the band playing music. Excellent songs and sounds. It looked so far away. But it sure wasn’t…….We heard their were going to be around 70 balloons. Many teams were from the area and surrounding states. Some even from Albuquerque. All the trucks and trailers with their balloons in tow, met on the top of the hill for a drivers meeting. At 6:30 it was announced the weather was a go…….The balloons always depend on the wind and weather if they will fly. Now we expected a mass ascension, but that wasn’t what happened. All the trucks drove off back down the hill and disappeared. On the hill in front of us on the left was a giant x. At the end of each arm was a plastic swimming pool. Also their were 4 tall poles in the ground. In the center was a mannequin type figure with a batch of balloons coming out her head. The pilots of the balloons launched from a distance, a mile or more away, and a few just over the hill. They came one by one….Then several at a time. Some very high, and then they would drop down near the target. Some stayed low and tried to reach the target. Most of them missed by a long way. They wind draft just wouldn’t co-operate. But what a site it was as they rose from the distance and flew in.

The trick was to pick their launch so the wind would float them over big x. They had a stuffed animal in their baskets to throw in the pool, and hula hoops to throw over the poles. Each trick was worth money. If they was able to grab the balloons from the mannequin, it was the top prize. Only 2 balloons made the toss in the swimming pools and nobody made the hula hoop throw.

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They also had 3 balloons give rides. Before the balloons arrived the inflated and loaded up and took off.

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These went right over our heads. They had large baskets on to hold the people.

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They were all so beautiful. Finally the contest was over. Of the approximately 70 balloons that took off, only about 35 was staging for the night glow. Some had landed on the hill, some had flown way over, landed somewhere else. Packed up, drove back to the park area, and then unpacked and blew it up again. I think many balloons probably didn’t want to come back and unpack again.

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The balloons were staged across the hill side at twilight. The band played on and finally the announcer was ready for the “Nite Glow”. It was really “AWESOME”….So beautiful. All the balloons were regular or teardrop balloons except for one.

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This was “Peg Leg Pete”…….

All the balloons lite up again and again….The announcer played to the pilots to “GLOW”….over and over……Just Beautiful…..

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Finally they left the public down on the field. I went down and took a few pictures. The sounds of the burns were tremendous.

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The pilots demonstrated and answered many questions. They were very courteous.

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This picture, they are doing a burn into “Peg Leg Pete”

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This is our first attempt at a selfie….lol…Rather silly looking aren’t we…..lol….Finally it was all over. We had a fabulous time. This was a great Festival. And only $5 a piece. So worth it and much more. We headed home after a wait in the parking lot, Finally only an hour later, home and ready for bed…………..

Saturday, the start of another Work Week…..Yuck……

Eastgate Friends & More Adventureland

July 31, 2016July 31, 2016w2bergen 3 Comments

We’ve had a break in the heat. This past week it has cooled down to the 80’s. So much nicer. Makes your day at the park so much more enjoyable. In fact last Tue. it rained all day, so they closed the park. That does not happen very often. One evening I worked in Alpine which is in front of the park. I forgot my hat, so I went back in the morning to get it. I went in through the employees entrance about a half hour before opening. I retrieved my hat and decided to have a wonderful waffle cone made with Blue Bunny Ice cream. The Creamery faces the opening of the gates into the square. The girl said it was something to witness the opening of the park from the inside, so I sat their and waited…..and watched….

Our park characters came out to welcome everyone at the gates…..One of them is Bernie the St. Bernard……They each go to the 2 different gate openings.

Finally it was 10 am….The gates on both sides of the carousel opened. They were like a herd of cattle….Stampeding…..It was crazy they way they came in running as fast as they could to be the first…..lol….Not only the kids, the adults too….

Here is the inside of the Creamery. Very cheerful and bright….As I turned around to look through the doors, all the people came running from the 2 gates, converging on Main St..….For my own safety, I stayed inside until the “HERD” had passed…..Then I walked out with my wonderful Waffle cone filled with Chocolate Mint and Praline Pecans…..Mmmmmmm….so good…..

On my way out another Park Greeter…..Glad he has a Cane……Long fall if he tripped….

This week Rich has been the A-Train Engineer….The first picture is the station. Now this was an extremely hot day. That’s why the kids look so miserable…..lol… A friend of ours, Ron, asked his wife to come and take some pictures of Rich. I was trying to figure out how to take these pictures as I can’t bring in my phone. Theresa came in probably one of the hottest days. She did an awesome job. These pictures are so nice. Thanks again Theresa. Ron and Theresa will also be joining us at Eastgate this winter…..Can’t Wait….

THE A-TRAIN With Engineer Rich…..

This is my favorite picture. The train makes a round trip about every 15 minutes…..It Choo-choos as it leaves and comes into the station, and also has the old time bells that clang as it comes in also….Really neat….Now for our day off on a Friday……….

A friend from Eastgate text me, Gail. Gail and Dewey live near Kansas City. They wanted to come up and have lunch….We were so excited to see them. We met at Olive Garden on the west side of Des Moines. It was easier for them as it was a direct shot from their house.

We had such a wonderful visit with them. We probably sat their for over 2 hours. The waitress was very gracious. Gail and Dewey were winter residents of Eastgate for over 17 years. They both had other mates. Gail’s husband passed a number of years back, and her and Dewey got together. Such a wonderful Happy couple. Rich played pool with Dewey. He is a Pool Shark….lol…He is good and he believes in …..RULES……Don’t mess with him….Gail also plays pool. The women have their own pool time at the hall. Last February, they decided it was time to leave. It was sad but times change. Gail was missing out on her family as it grew. They both wanted to leave in a car….not a Body Bag. Sounds morbid doesn’t it. But many do.

This is their new adventure in life. They are looking for that first house together. In the mean time they are living with Gail’s daughter. They are such a Super Couple. We miss them, but they are really enjoying life. Thank You guys for taking the time to come and visit us……. Happy Trails…….

Another thing I want to mention is our daughter Tina, has a new Job. She works at the Putnam County Court house in Illinois as the Deputy Probation Officer.

She has now moved over to the Circuit Clerks office. She is now a Deputy Circuit Clerk.

This is her new office. We think this is pretty exciting news. Putnam County is the smallest county’s in Illinois. It consists of 6 small towns. In fact some are just villages. It has 1 school district consisting of 1 high school in Granville, 1 junior high outside of McNabb, and 2 other elementary schools in Hennepin and Granville. Lots of busing for the students, but it is a great county and school district to bring up your children. All 3 kids ended up moving back to Putnam Co. All the grandkids are attending school their. Remember when you were a kid? You couldn’t wait to graduate to leave and never come back…..lol….and then you grow up…..Common sense moves in….

I’ll close this blog with a few more pictures of the “Monster”. I never get tired of watching it. As I work games in the County Fair area, I look up and see the Monster all day. This was another picture taken by Theresa……..Yep….Not for me…

Nite time….It is such a beautiful site at night……You hear the car flying over the rails…The people screaming at every turn….the lights are dazzling….Music in the distance….If you look close, in the center you will see the cars on the Sky Ride…..It goes from one end of the park to the other at tree top level. That will help you understand the size of the “Monster”….It travels through the loops of the Monster. It was purchased from the 1974 Worlds Fair in Spokane Washington. Amazing isn’t it. Many of these rides have such a wonderful history.

This is another cool picture……The Storm Search looking through the loop of the Monster. The Storm Search was added in 2014. So only 3 weeks left of the park being open 7 days a week. After the 3rd week in August, it will open only weekends……

Whewwww……Were going to make it after all…..I had my doubts for awhile……

1913 Restored Carousel, Story City Ia.

July 20, 2016July 20, 2016w2bergen 2 Comments

This is the second part of our visit with friends Rita and Ed Frette of Story City Iowa. After we visited Reiman Gardens in Ames, we rode with them 10 miles north to their little town Story City. It is the home of an original 1913 restored Antique Hershell-Spillman Carousel. The population of Story City is a little under 3,500 residents. It is really a neat little town. Ed drove us all over town with Rita being our tour guide. It is a really pretty town full of beautiful full grown trees lining the streets and homes. Plenty of shade. Many older homes that have been restored and the yards are full of shrubs and flowers, neatly maintained. They even have one Blvd street, and downtown their is parking in the middle of the street, as well as each side. I would think that today with some of the larger vehicles, I would be afraid to park their as I might stick out front or back and get hit……The Story Theater/Grand Opera House is the oldest continuously operating theater in the Midwest. It is listed on the National Registry of Historical Places.

Finally Ed drove us to North Park a beautiful rolling park. Up on the hill was this building which is now the home of this Beautiful restored 1913 Hershell-Spillman Carousel. It is operated daily through much volunteer help from Memorial Day to Labor Day for a fee.

As we walked in, it took you back in time to when you were a kid. The volunteer was their selling popcorn…uummmm….. the smell. They sold T-shirts and souvenirs. The building was round like the carousel and all along the walls it was full of pictures and info about the history of the town and carousel. I walked around it and was amazed at the beautiful colors of the horses and animals. The lights were not operational at this time, but 2 girls came in and wanted to ride. They chose their horses and the carousel began. The beautiful calliope tunes began as the merry go round started to twirl and the horses went up and down. It was like a fantasy land for awhile.

This Merry Go Round is in the North Park, next to the new swimming pool they are building. It is also situated along the beautiful Skunk River. This park is the center of many activities in town through the summer. They are of Nordic decent and hold a Scandinavian Festival, also story telling as well as other festivals or celebrations with the Carousel being part of the Celebration……Now the History……

1960’s ….. Story City Historical Society

One of a vanishing species, this fun machine was built in 1913 by the Herschell-Spillman Co. of Tonawanda, New York. It was originally owned by P.T. Gifford of Grundy Center, Iowa. Gifford traveled the Iowa countryside taking the carousel to county fairs and town celebrations, including Story City’s Independence Day galas. The splendid wooden figures are hand-carved from poplar and include 20 horses, two chickens, two pigs, two dogs, two chariots, and a whirling tub. Calliope tunes are generated by a 1936 Wurlitzer Military Band organ housed in the center of the carousel.

1950’s Story City Historical Society

Now Ed’s Dad was a prominent businessman and he convinced the town to buy the Carousel. They all thought he was crazy to spent $1,500. They set the Merry Go Round up at the next event in a neighboring town, and made all the money back immediately. Of course they quickly changed their mind and decided it was a great investment. The carousel was purchased from Gifford in 1938 by the Story City Greater Community Congress. Eventually, time and wear took their toll, and the battered steeds were forced into temporary retirement in 1977.

In 1980, interest in the old merry-go-round was resurrected, and restoration began at The Country Shop in rural Roland, Iowa. Layers of paint were removed, repairs made, and original colors of paint were mixed to match the old shades.

After one and one-half years, the original stencils, colors, and prints were completely restored to their present gleaming condition. A special structure was built to house the carousel, and on June 4,1982, a dedication was held.

This was the painting and the assembly of the newly refurbished Carousel.

Some of the murals and the Wurlitzer Organ sitting in the middle….

Since then this Carousel has been entertaining generations every summer. In 2013, they had a Celebration as the Carousel was 100 years old. It’s just amazing that it continues on a daily basis to operate and entertain anyone who wants to come and buy a bag of popcorn and take a leisurely ride back in time. I’m sure its made so many memories through the years. Every winter they take the horses and animals down and pack them with care. Any repairs necessary are made at that time. Such an Amazing town that is full of love, care and pride of something that is so beautiful and unique.

Our next stop was their duplex. They have down sized now as we all seem to do. This is a really cute duplex perfect for a couple. After some visiting and watermelon, we checked out all her Hostas and Ferns they had just planted.

After that, Rita and Ed drove us back to Ames. We stopped at Hickory Park Restaurant. It was so busy, but amazingly we were seated fast. It has a very rustic appearance. Its menu is wonderful and full of barbeque items. I highly recommend it and will go back sometime. Of course we left with leftovers. Way to much food. Finally back to the truck and drove back home. Still daylight….lol….

The End of a Wonderful day seeing some wonderful things and visiting friends……

Thank You Rita and Ed….

………….''AND LET THE FUN BEGIN''……………..

Our Diaries of Daily Life and Travel

Author: w2bergen

Labor Day Over….A Week Home

Visiting Friends…Present & Past….

OSHA’s Report on Adventureland Death

Happy Birthday To Me….lol

Iowa Falls on the Iowa River

John Wayne Birthplace….

The Days are Winding Down….

2016 National Balloon Classic….Indianola

Eastgate Friends & More Adventureland

1913 Restored Carousel, Story City Ia.

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