Thursday, October 10, 2024
We left the 4 Season Campground in Elm Creek, Nebraska around 7:30 a.m.
What a beautiful sunrise this morning! We had almost 340 miles to travel until we got to Cherry Glen Campground in Polk City, Iowa.
Polk City is a city in Polk County, Iowa with a population of 5,543. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. Polk City is located along Saylorville Lake and near Big Creek State Park.
Polk City was settled in 1846 and incorporated as a city on March 13, 1875. It was an early contender for the seat of Polk County before Des Moines was ultimately chosen. The city took its name from its location in Polk County. Polk City is also known for having the only "town square" in all of Polk County.
We arrived at the Cherry Glen Campground out at Saylorville Lake around 5:30 p.m. We had to first stop at the dump station to dump our tanks and fill with fresh water before going to our site to set up.
Cherry Glen is nestled on a compact 13-acre wooded ridge. Cherry Glen Campground is located just 10 minutes west of Ankeny, Iowa with an elevation of 934 feet. There are a total of 125 campsites including 1 boat site. The campground is normally open from mid April to mid October.
By 6:30 p.m. we were all set up on site #69 for seven nights.
Friday, October 11, 2024
Today was a beautiful sunny day, so I decided to ride my bike around the campground. In the afternoon, Mel's sister Debbie came out to ride her bike with Mel on some of the single track trails around Saylorville Lake (see picture below).
At 6:00 p.m., we met some of my family at Jethro's BBQ All Stars in Des Moines, Iowa.
Mary Shipley and her daughter Connie, and her son Jerry and his wife Linda had driven to Des Moines from Washington, Missouri for Jessica Stuhldryer's 2nd marriage on Saturday. We decided to all get together the night before. Those there in addition to the Shipleys and Mel and I were: Mary and Mike Costanzo; Vickie Blaisdell; Larry and Sherry Blaisdell; Kathy and Neil Hansen, Janet Sheehy and one of her friends; and Laurie Sheehy and her friend.
Pictured above in the back row from left to right is Larry Blaisdell, Shirley Mendenhall, and Jerry Shipley and his wife, Linda. In the middle row from left to right is Vickie Blaisdell and Laurie Sheehy. And sitting down from left to right is Mary Costanzo, Mary Shipley, Janet Sheehy and Kathy Hansen.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
On Saturday, most of Mel's family came out to see us at Cherry Glen Campground. Those in attendance were Bonnie Morrow, Martie and Karen Mendenhall, Brenda Rexroat, Debbie Scorpiniti,Mike and Joanne Mendenhall, Sandy Mendenhall, and Jennifer and Drew Nagel.
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Today, my high school friend, Diane (Vestal) Martelli and her husband Tony came out to see us at Cherry Glen Campground and have dinner with us. We had hamburgers and all the trimmings, along with potato salad (that Diane made), a corn casserole that I made, and apple crisp (that Diane made). Everything was delicious.
Diane brought some of the wood creations her husband Tony makes along to show us (see above and below).
And then she surprised us by giving us the cute buckboard wagon (shown below). We will surely treasure this unique gift.
A buckboard is a four-wheeled wagon of simple construction meant to be drawn by a horse or other large animal. A distinctly American utility vehicle, the buckboard has no springs between the body and the axles. The suspension is provided by the flexible floorboards of the body and a leaf spring under the seat(s). The buckboard has no sideboards on the body, leaving the floor quite mobile. In rough terrain, the floor can flex and "buck", lending the vehicle its name.
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The buckboard is steered by its front wheels, which are connected by a single axle. The front and rear axle are connected by a platform of one or more boards to which the front axle is connected on a pivoting joint at its midpoint. A buckboard wagon often carries a seat for a driver. Such a seat may be supported by elliptical springs.
The buckboard was invented by Reverend Cyrus Comstock, a travelling preacher living in Lewis, Essex County, New York who established many churches in the area during the early 1800s. Originally designed for personal transportation in the Adirondack Mountains, these vehicles were widely used in newly settled regions of the United States.
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Today we picked our daughter Stacey up and she hung out with us for most of the day. Because we had a 1:00 p.m. meeting with our financial adviser in West Des Moines, we decided to go get Chinese to eat before our meeting.
Then after that we drove out to Martie and Karen's house as Mel had some things to do for Martie. At 5:00 p.m. we decided to go out to eat with Martie and Karen to a Mexican restaurant. It was a great day filled with spending time with Stacey and family and eating good food.
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Today, Mel went for a bike ride down to the beach at Cherry Glen Campground.
As we go through life, Mel and I will for sure continue to enjoy the waves!
Shirley & Mel
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