Post #16

 Monday, November 24, 2025

We made it to our final destination....Gulf Shores, Alabama!  We are excited to explore the area and will enjoy the warmer weather.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Later   

Post #15

 On Monday the 17th we drove to Coldwater, MI to a Harvest Host and stayed two nights.  We discovered we had a chip in our windshield which was caused by a rock.  Thank goodness it was smaller than a quarter in size and our Host recommended a place in Coldwater to have it repaired.  They were able to get us in on Tuesday.  It was interesting to watch how they patch the crack.  Now, fingers crossed that it holds.  Wednesday we drove to Charlotte, MI to Spartan to have the yearly chassis maintenance done.  Of course they found we needed new shocks and tie-rods.  It took two full days to do the work.  So, one day we drove to Toledo, Ohio to buy some RV supplies.  Then we drove around the downtown area and followed the Maumee River north to Lake Erie.  Along the way, we stumbled upon a Meat Market and on a whim we decided to check it out.  It was the coolest store!  Of course we ended up buying some of their offerings and it was so delicious!

 The next day we drove to Lansing and to Chase Bank to take care of some in-person banking needs.   When we got back to Spartan we waited another two hours and our RV was finally finished. We stayed there that night cuz it was late and it was free - well, technically the camping was free but the maintenance and repairs cost nearly $6000.

On Friday we started our new journey south.  We noticed the RV was driving so much quieter and smoother.  We are happy the maintenance was done.  Friday night we stayed at an Elks Lodge in Richmond, IN.  We had a fun time meeting people from the lodge. This is their new remodeled bar.

Saturday we drove as far as Portland, TN and stayed at a winery.  Of course we did a wine tasting in their beautiful Chandelier Room and added a few bottles of wine to our collection.

Sunday we are continuing our journey south.  Later.

Post #14

Saturday, November 15, 2025

First of all, Happy Birthday Tyler!  

Due to cold, windy weather with a few snowflakes, we extended our stay at a Boondockers Welcome site near Peoria, IL—until Tuesday. We’re glad we did, as it kept us safe from the storm. On Tuesday, we drove northeast toward Plymouth, IN. The roads were mostly clear, except for a few-mile stretch of unplowed slush. That night, we stayed at a Harvest Host and enjoyed the Northern Lights.

On Wednesday, we arrived at Weirs RV Service in Plymouth for maintenance. Our RV’s kitchen slide wasn’t moving unless Layne used a manual override at the control board in the storage bay compartment - not very convenient. It turns out that one of the wires between the control board and the switch in the RV is broken someplace. Estimate to run a new wire was 3 hours at $225 per hour. Layne, decided to fix it himself to save on labor costs. We also had them check the black tank level sensor, which reports the level of waste in the tank and shuts off the toilet flush mechanism when it is full. This sensor has been reading faulty levels for several weeks and randomly shutting off the toilet flush mechanism. This is an external sensor that does not penetrate the tank like most sensors so the issue is not simply a fouled sensor or dirty tank which is a common issue. It turns out that Newmar, our RV manufacturer, has known about the issue with our sensors for some time and have replaced the entire sensor system in our model year. That repair quote exceeded $2000 so Layne opted to handle that repair too, saving us significant expenses. That night, we stayed at another Harvest Host in Plymouth.

On Friday, we drove to Bremen, IN, settling at a Harvest Host for two nights. After setting up, we visited our favorite Amish grocery store and completed our shopping in Nappanee. Saturday was productive: we cleaned, did laundry, made minor RV repairs, and course watched College Football. The previously mentioned repairs will need to wait for better (warmer) weather and the acquisition of the parts and software for the new sensor system.

Later

Post #13

 Friday, November 7, 2025

The corn harvest was finished late on Wednesday.  

Video Link if necessary 

Did you notice the bunny?

Video Link if necessary

Dumping corn at the farm

Moisture sample for each load

When corn gets delivered faster than the corn drier can dry the corn it is piled in huge piles.  This way farmers can continue to harvest their crops.  This corn will be rained on and then covered with snow before it makes it to the drier which will ultimately raise the cost of drying the corn for safe storage.

Near the end of the corn harvest, a new combine was delivered for a test run.  This Case IH combine produces 775 horse power and picks up to 8000 bushels per hour - roughly twice the production of the current John Deere the farmer owns.

On Thursday Layne changed oil and fuel filters in the RV and changed oil, air filter and the fuel pump in the generator.  He was able to use the farmers machine repair shop which has an amazing covered pit that drops to allow access to the bottom of equipment.

Video Link if necessary

After that we drove 3 hours to Bricelyn, MN to stay at a Harvest Host for the night.  Friday morning we left at 8 a.m. to drive to the Iowa 80 Truck Stop, the Largest in the United States. 

Yes, that's the windshield wiper in the pic as it was beginning to rain. 

There we had an early dinner and stayed the night.  Saturday morning we drove to Peoria to stay at a BoonDockers Welcome so Layne could see one of his former runners race at the IHSA State Meet.

He earned an All State Medal

We need to be in Indiana next week for some RV repair.  We are still working out the details of how we will spend the next few days.  It's great to be retired and able to fly by the seat of our pants... one of us is more comfortable with that than the other.  Can you guess which one?

Fun Fact: A new combine like the one tested, goes for just over 1 million dollars for the base model without many of the upgrades that larger farms require for efficiency and comfort.  Yes, comfort is important given that many farmers will spend over 100 hours per week for weeks on end during the harvest season.  However, that price does not include either of the bean or corn heads needed to actually harvest the crops.  Those items will add an additional $300 to 400 thousand to the purchase.  The current market price for corn is $3.96 per bushel and for black beans the price is $11.00.

Fun  Fact #2:  Purdue University has estimated that the 2025 break even point in for corn is $5.00 and for black beans it is $13.00 per bushel.  Try buying a combine with those upside down prices.  Never doubt the eternal optimism and GRIT of the American Farmer!

Post #12

Sunday, November 2, 2025

This last week we had lots of rain.  Layne didn't work on Tuesday, Wednesday, and a half day on Thursday.  The other days were long 12-15 hour days.    The corn harvest, roughly 3800 acres, should wrap up sometime late this upcoming week.

Because the fields have been too wet for the trucks to drive in, field carts haul the harvested corn from the combine to the road and trucks are loaded on the road.  This has slowed the harvest and increased costs for the farmer.  Travel time front he field to the corn drier is typically between 7 and 35 minutes depending of field size and distance from the drier and grain storage bins.  This year's harvest, around 800,000 bushels, will be dried and stored by the farmer until May or June of next year when historically corn prices at at their highest.  While the harvest is down (fewer bushels per acres) this year in central Minnesota, it is at historical highs nationally and prices are currently low. 

Fun fact: Corn is moved from the field carts to the trucks at 568 bushels per minute, so it takes about 2 minutes to load each truck with 1100 bushels of corn which weighs roughly 58,000 pounds.  

Fun fact #2: The larger of the 2 combines, picks 18 rows at 3.5 to 4 MPH and will pick 3000 to 4000 bushels per hour depending of the quality of the corn and the field size (larger fields require fewer turnarounds per acre and therefore, yield more bushels per minute).  BTW, a small field is 80 acres while large fields are 4 or 5 times that size.

Still no definitive plans following the end of the corn harvest.  Stay tuned and have a great week!