Good progress but no distance....

Started out with lots of excitement, the flying/road trip was really happening at last.  The aircraft was ready, except for the tailwheel, and I already had all parts required to fix that.

Erie airfield is close to the interstate highway I-25 which heads north, so was easy to get out of town and on the way.  Stopped at a gas station a few miles up the road near Longford to top up with fuel.  A vibration and clatter underneath had been bugging me for awhile.  Sounded exactly like a universal joint, but every time that I crawled underneath, they felt tight and solid.  But I had always checked in 'Park', and this time tried 'Neutral', and then found LOTS of freeplay....  So it needed work right now....  Asked a fella distributing water for the drinking fountains in the gas station, and he recommended a mechanic called 'Hands On', nearby.  It was the perfect workshop, down a backstreet and only working to local customers.  A very straight arrow and as honest as could be sort of fella.  We hit it off right away and he made space to do my job today.  Turned out that the U-joint was so worn that it would have collapsed sometime very soon, probably along the remote highways in outback Wyoming....  So I was really lucky to get it fixed now!  (But I do remember that he did say he had difficulty getting one of the circlips to fit properly; more on that to come...)  I was so impressed with his approach to work that I asked if he could do the shock absorbers as well.  He fitted them in as well, and now I have new front shocks and airlifts in the back for towing.  I knew that I was going to have to do that sometime anyhow, so it was good to get it done now.  Took all day, but time well spent....

Camped at Longford Walmart.  A very quiet Walmart lot.  Bought a couple of plastic storage containers to help organize the van.  All is going really well.

A long day on the road.  Very remote in eastern Wyoming, a long way between towns, sort of like Australia.  Rolling grassland, only for cattle, with a few valley bottoms with cultivated fields.  Lots of 'snow fences', must be pretty cold and bleak in winter.....

 But a pleasant easy run along secondary highways with little traffic; sure beats the interstate with all it's traffic....

 Van towing well at 65 mph. Then a lot of grades and bends thro the Black Hills, so pretty tired by getting to Sturgis and some lunch.  On to Box Elder, and America's Mailbox.  Good reception, and looks like they know what they're doing here.  Now need to study the manual for my Drivers license test tomorrow.....

More chores but good progress.

Started the day with a Flying-J truck stop coffee - yuck....  Now I know why I swore off coffee last time over here....

America's Mailbox headquarters and RV park.

They're really big on flags here, that one is 60 ft long....

America's Mailbox has made an business of registering and insuring full-time RVers who have no other home address but their rig.  The owners have been full-time RVers themselves, so knew the need.  Most states require utility bills and such to prove residence, and many charges local taxes even if you spend all your time elsewhere.  They provide a mail forwarding address, and hold mail until you email them with a current address, and then they forward it to you.  They also help arrange driver's license, registration and insurance, and it's really popular, with a lot of big motorhomes arriving to become new South Dakota 'residents'.  They have an RV park adjoining, and all that's required to declare to be a SD resident is a receipt for one night in the park!

Then over to the drivers license office.  Really quiet and efficient there.  The receipt for the night in the RV park, a written test, a driving test, an eye test, a photo, and then handed a new license, all for $20.  Really exciting, felt like a teenager with first license!

Then back to America's Mailbox to do registration.  A bit of mucking around cause I never got a bill of sale, just the signed off title.  Some phone calls and some faxes and it was fixed.  The purchase price of $2000 was just right to exempt from sales tax...   Registration fee $67 for a year!  It's hard to see those charges cover anything more than the office costs...

Then to the in-house insurance agent.  $195 for 6 months, compared to the $929 for 6 months in Arizona!  It was really worth coming here to South Dakota to do this.  Lots of other RVers doing it as well, it's a bit of an industry here.....

Then went to Wells Fargo bank and opened an account and get a plastic card, real simple now that I have this US address.

So now I've got a drivers license and a credit card, and a vehicle, what more do you need to tour America!

Late in the day by then, but just had to get rolling.....  Now camped in a gravel pit next to Wall airfield.  Flew from here last year to see the Badlands, so no need to fly again now.  Gulping a Big Bud, it's been +100F (38C), and still just about that at sundown....

Stopped along the way and fixed the problem with the fan in the van, so the the air conditioner couldn't work this last couple of days.  We Aussie's are tough and not bothered by heat, but a/c sure feels good sometimes, eh....

p.s. - I just checked the Spot locator and it's amazing!  In satellite view you can even see the piles of gravel that I'm hiding behind........  Don't think anyone will notice me here......  Nearly dark now.....

Lucky Breakdown

Rolling at sunrise, excited to really be on the road again.  Stayed on excellent secondary highways through,rolling grasslands.  Very relaxing.....

Went just fine until suddenly one of the new universal joints collapsed, with lots of clatter and vibration......  Luckily it was only about a mile to a country store and I was able to limp and clank very slowly to there.  On the way the vibration shook the muffler loose from the exhaust pipe and dropped the muffler on the road.....  What a change to the relaxing day.....  Wired the muffler up off the road, and then bellowed and clattered the rest of the way to the store.....  Unbolted the drive shaft, and a local farmer gave me a lift 12 miles to the nearest town.  Of course the farmer knew who was the best mechanic in town, and 'Rockin-Rob' was certainly it.  He dropped what he was doing and worked for a couple of hours on my problem.  The circlip groove was battered by the episode, but he carefully ground it deeper with a Dremel tool, and did a really good result.

I sure was lucky to breakdown where I did.  50 miles earlier in that remote country would have been a real hassle, and this was Friday before the Labor Day long weekend so everything would be closed until Tuesday....

In the meantime I explored a really good museum across the road.  Interesting local history and heaps of huge dinosaur fossils, alongside a 'Creation' display trying to explain how the fossils aren't really as old as science measures......  Outside was a really brilliant sculpture from scrap metal of a dinosaur.  Not just a rough approximation, but a very artistic and realistic work, very impressive!

Then got out on the road, hitch-hiking with the drive shaft.....  Surely that drive shaft would tell one of these farmers that I'm a man in distress, and not just a drifter.  Very soon picked up by the lady who owns the store where I had left the van.  She was quick to point out that the locals wouldn't be put off by a drifter, but would be by a 'liberal'!  She then intimated that the clothes I was wearing could indicate a liberal or even a greeny....  Kahki shirt and cargo shorts are my everyday wear in summer, just because they are so comfortable, but I hadn't considered image...  I guess the image is a bit too close to a park ranger, not a loved creature in these parts....  I resent having to select clothing for image rather than comfort, but I do realize it sets a first impression.....  So I got out my blue work shirt and bought a pair of dark cargo pants.  I know that blue jeans is really what's needed, but I need all these pockets, and my balls won't tolerate being crunched up in stiff jeans when I sit and drive all day....

Noticed Sitting Bull's grave site on the map, so went a fair bit farther to pay my respects because I do respect him greatly.  Couldn't find it when I got to the Indian village where it's located, so asked directions from a couple of young fellas. They told me, then tried to panhandle, "...can you spare a couple of dollars..."  These were young healthy men with plenty of work ability and government pensions, but no personal pride....   Sitting Bull would have been very disappointed with them......

So out of town, and found a campsite on a hill overlooking the Missouri River flats where Sitting Bull and his tribe would have hunted and played, and I tried to imagine those scenes.....

Washburn, North Dakota

At Washburn airfield, North Dakota.

It's blowing a gale today, with some shower squalls, so no flying, so went by road to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, and the replica of old Ft Mandan.  I've often thought that if I was a young fella in those days, I would have wanted to be on such an expedition into unknown territory. But seeing the size of the accommodation that about 40 men had to cram into for all those winter months, rules it out for me.  You'd have to be a very sociable and tolerant fella to survive that; not a place for a dedicated loner like me.....

Finally to the oilfields, first real flight, but aborted...

Now at Tioga aiorfield,  

The weather at Old Fort Mandan didn't show any signs of improvement, so got on the road....  Really would have liked to fly there, as the start of the Lewis and Clark Trail, but couldn't wait around for questionable improvement.....  Maybe I'll get back later.  The Lewis and Clark Trail is part of what I came to see, so better do it right....

Had a a look at Stanley airfield, but that was just the start of the oil wells, so went on to Tioga, and this is the real oil patch.  Big tanker trucks everywhere, but many are parked today cause this the the Labor Day long weekend, and many are gone home to family, or just gone fishin'....   Temporary accommodation everywhere. Trailer homes stuck in every corner of land, and all sorts of accommodation advertised at very high prices.  Three taverns on main street, open on a Sunday.....  Big changes in this little Lutheran conservative town....  New rumbling diesel pickups everywhere.....

I set up at the very quiet airfield.  Flew a half hour overhead, just checking things out, since this is still just checking the aircraft out, haven't really done an exploratory flight yet.....  Did a couple of touch-and-goes to get a feeling of the aircraft, but then the front  portion of the turtle deck covering ripped loose and went through the prop...  Luckily it was a Warp Drive, cause it just made confetti out of the aluminum, with no damage to the prop.  As I had mounted that turtle deck this time, I noted that I would like to add some zip-ties to secure it better than just the old velcro.  Well, should have done it sooner rather than later....  Now a real problem, where to get the .016 aluminum, to replace it??  Not much chance out here...  So I removed the aft portion of the turtle deck as well, and went for a test flight - felt just fine, so I'll fly that way, it was a pain to install anyhow.....  Keep It Simple, eh.....

So all fueled and ready to explore the center of the oilfield chaos at first light tomorrow....  Good timing, cause it will be Labor Day so no commuter jets in the air right now....  Don't like mixing a slow ultralight with high speed traffic like that.  Then I'll split to a smaller, quiet airfield for more exploring   for the next couple of days.  Finally starting to happen for real.....


p.s.- Boy this 'Steel Reserve, High Gravity Lager', at 8.1%  packs a punch in a 24oz. can (710ml) ....  Brewed in Milwaukee where they do know how to brew beer, who says American beer is all weak piss.....  Tastes good too, so much better than those light 'pretend' beers....  But can't type straight anymore, so to bed early.....  Got some photos, but they'll have wait until I'm sober.....  Sounds like mosquitoes tonight, so I've also got to rig my net......

Still no real exploring flight....

Flew at sunrise this morning.  Chilly and heavy dew.  As soon as I got up to altitude, found that there was considerable southerly wind.  Actually, only making 36mph ground speed against it in the direction I wanted to go......  So just flew around the town and landed again.....

Soon after touch-down the tailwheel detached itself and the axle skidded along the runway.  Searched and searched but couldn't find the wheel, as it had run off into the grass.  Had to carry the tail and push the aircraft to the intersection to get it clear of the runway.  No sooner done than an aircraft took off on that runway.....  Went back and hunted and hunted for that wheel.  Was despairing that I might have to order another and wait until it came....  Then finally stepped on it!  Just yesterday I was looking at the cotter pin that held it on, and deciding that I'd replace that pin with a bolt - too late.....

Difficulties loading the aircraft, cause this new tailwheel doesn't fit the wheeled dolly needed to lift the tail into the trailer.  So I have to bodily lift the tail onto a support and change to the old tailwheel to load it into the trailer.....  Big hassle, and liable to do a back injury due to the awkward lift.  Need to get this dolly modified, but darn't approach any welding shop here cause they're all super busy....

Drove to Wiliston, the fabled main center of all this oilfield activity.  Yep, very busy place, even on Labor Day holiday....  This airfield with lots of business jet traffic wouldn't be suitable for me, so moved on to Watford City airfield.   On the road this place is even more busy, big trucks everywhere, and all in a hurry.....

To get here, drove cross-country along the Lewis and Clark Trail.  The road doesn't quite follow the river, but gives some good varied views of the country.  A really jumbled and mixed feeling.....  Some good visions of Indian country in the hills along the river, with cliffs for buffalo jumps, and visions of sheltered campsites they might have used.  Now herds of fat Angus cattle on that grassland....  Very lush grain fields on the more level country.  And everywhere now, the new economy, drilling rigs and oil activity.  The jack pumps pulling long strokes at full speed, so a lot of oil coming up.  Tanker trucks everywhere carrying that oil to wherever....  There are about 15 dams across the Missouri now, so much of it is actually a chain of lakes, so it's hard to visualize Lewis and Clark actually making their way upstream.  ......  Great for agriculture and flood control, but I'm looking forward to finding some of the original river that Lewis and Clark paddled up....

Moved to Watford City airfield and set up camp.  Camping on airfields means you have to get used to the rotating navigation beacons that flash green-white-green-white.... all night.  This airfield also had a large gas flare lighting up the area....

So still haven't had a real exploring flight yet.....  Hopefully tomorrow morning, if it's not too cloudy, as forecast......  There's lots of interesting activity right around here.

Warm beer tonight cause the liquor store is closed on this holiday.  A continual stream of young men in pickup trucks driving up and going away disappointed....