Home Again - Jiggity jig!

September 15 – Well, I’m very slow in writing the last day!  Actually today is the 19^th and I just got my laptop set back up.  Well, the drive home was great once we got off of I-75.  That road is a jungle and so loaded down with truckers and people in a big big hurry.  Our goal was to be back where we park the RV by 11.  We had packed the truck last night so as long as we could get in the gate before it closed for lunch we could just head on home. 

So me made the time frame and got Molly and got in the truck and headed home.  It always seems so foreign when I walk in.  Today though I had a job on my hands to clean the fridge.  We left it like we always do but this year it was infested with dead tiny bugs.  It took me about and hour to wash it out good with bleach water and all of the shelves I took to the garage sink and I used simple green and bleach.  It turned on fine and once it was cooling down we made another run to the RV and got just the mandatory fridge items and more of our “stuff”.

The process has taken several days as I didn’t want to bring it all home and piled everywhere.  I did lots of laundry since we did our blankets, etc and our clothes for the last few days.  So it’s been a gradual process that is still in effect.  My raised garden had become a jungle, I was shocked!  Bill helped me pull some of the growth out and he trimmed back the tree that is behind it so we have several piles of yard waste to bag and take to the curb. 

So, we are glad to be home and sad to leave all of the fun people we met on our caravan.  We saw so many awesome things and places on our journey and do not regret in the least the cost of the trip and the miles on our RV.  You only have so much time on this Earth and we should be seeing all that we can in the time we have.  It’s a great place out there!

Almost home...

September 14 - We crossed the border of Alabama into Florida at 9 this morning.  We arrived at Suwannee River Bend at 1.  It was only fitting to spend our last night on the road at the same place we spent our first night.  We have completed the circle.

Once we had lunch we started packing up “stuff” and loaded it into the truck.  That way we can unhook and go right home and unload.  I’m thinking it will take 2 more loads to empty all of our clothes and purchases, not to mention the fridge stuff.  Actually I have to go home and clean the fridge before we bring stuff home.  Kam plugged it in a couple of days ago and I gather it didn’t do well with the AC so low so I’ve got some “nasty” to deal with.  Ugh!

Once we filled the truck Bill cleaned the “love” bugs off the front of the coach and I guess he will have to do it again when we get home.

We’ve stayed at this campground at least 10 times and we finally went to the seafood restaurant that’s across the water from us.  It was very good and now we know for sure we will go back.  I had coconut shrimp and frog legs and Bill went with gator tail.  We met a nice couple next to us who we got to talking about RVing and our trip.  They have an RV and want to go to Alaska so we suggested what we did the first time we went, fly up, rent a car for 10-12 days and take the cruise ship back to Vancouver and fly home.  I think they are seriously going to consider that.  They’ve heard from others about the road conditions in many places.

So we have a short drive tomorrow but a busy afternoon of unpacking and putting away!  Ugh!

Almost out of Alabama - Florida Here We Come!

September 13 – Time to back out of my space!  They were concrete but had little fences at one end so that made me a little nervous backing out.  We pulled in up at the shop where it was level to hook up.  They were very nice people and answered some questions for Bill about the RV and before we left one of the guys clear caulked the slide trim and was caught by the wind the other day and we had duct taped it on.

Bill was a little concerned today as he had checked on fuel stations that take trucks and picked one and when were got off the interstate there was no sign or building.  There didn’t appear to be much there and I needed to go one way or the other.  Thank goodness no one was behind us and Bill said to just turn left instead of right and get back on the interstate.  Once we did we saw the sign but since there was no direction given at the exit we headed on down the road.  We did find a truck stop and we still had plenty of fuel anyway but now there were will fewer big towns with big fuel stations.

The driving is more boring every day but I have to stay alert every minute.  Those darn trucks drift over and there is always someone pulled off the right side of the road and we have seen a lot of flashing lights from the highway patrol or whatever police agency.

We stopped for the night in Dothan, AL at a campground we’ve stopped in before.  We got a nice pull thru and she said she gave us the same site we had last year.  We ran into our first love bugs in quite a long time and Bill was bummed.  Once we got parked he did a good wash job of the front of the RV so we can at least see when we get on the road tomorrow.

This campground has great WIFI and I can get caught up until we get home and I write our final blog for this year.  Tomorrow night is our last night on the road and then it’s home to total Chaos! 

Heading further South - sounds good to me!

September 12 – We left Hazen this morning on our way to Winfield.  Nothing exciting but lots of heavy traffic along the way.  So many big trucks!

We parked at a campground attached to a RV repair shop.  The owner used to work for Tiffin in Red Bay and built his place and got several of his co-workers to come work for him.  They are very nice people.

The odd thing is there were 2 rows of sites, 10 on each side and you pulled in instead of backed in as the utilities are at the front of the space on the left.  We were told that when they designed it they were planning on a lot of Class A rigs pulling in.  Well, there were only 2 Class A’s and the rest were travel trailers and 5^th wheels.  They were backed in but left the end vacant so they were closer to the hook ups.  They were running very long water hoses and extensions of the power and several sections of black water hoses.  They also had a guy who was putting in the utilities behind us for the next section and we were told they were going to be traditional sites! 

Wow, another shopping day!

September 11 – We had a lazy morning.  I did another load of laundry then we both showered and got ready to head into Stuttgart.  It’s a nice drive across farmland so very little traffic.  The town/city was much larger than we expected.

Bill dropped me off at Belks while he took the truck to the car wash.  They had a crazy sale going on and I got some good buys for Christmas and I also got 2 super nice colors of capri jeans.  I also got a short sleeve flag shirt so I can show my Patriotism.  Bill caught up with me and he found a shirt also at a big discount. 

We had lunch at a highly rated little fried food place.  We went because I could get fried gizzards and livers.  Bill used to go to a gas station in Ocoee and get them for me until it got sold and no more gizzards and livers.  Boy, was it a lot of stuff for $7.99.  It came with a tiny container of slaw and several small hush puppies.  Well, I did not eat it all but boy, was it ever good.  I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!  Bill had wings with sides and he managed to finish his!

Then we made our trip to Walmart to get what I hope is enough veggies and meat to get us home.  I got boneless pork chops to supplement the fish and ground beef we have in the freezer.  I hope I got enough fruit and veggies for the next few days.

We talked to Jared and Kam who were both at the house and Jared set off the alarm and I got a call from the alarm company.  All was well!  Kam plugged in and turned on my fridge and said it was working but is pretty nasty inside.  Not good!  She sprayed it with Lysol and is hoping for the best.  I thought it was totally empty but guess it might have gotten a little moldy from not being washed down once I turned it off.  Oh well, we will leave everything in the  RV until I get home with our first load of other stuff and can clean it. 

I can’t believe this adventure is almost over.  It really seems like it’s been many more months than it has.  We’ve had a great time and as much as I’m ready to get home, I’m missing our Alaska travel buddies.

Heading South!

September 10 – We left this morning about 9:00 and spent the day on the interstate.  There were sections of heavy traffic and sections of no one.  Once we got to the outskirts of Little Rock it got crazy.  We saw traffic backed up on the other side of the highway and then we saw a Semi off the road laying have tipped over into the trees.  The traffic was backed up for miles.  The police were already there and I’m guessing the ordered rescue from behind us as there was no way they could come down the highway as backed up as it was.

Then I noticed in the passenger sideview mirror something flapping on the side of the RV and I zipped off the road and put on my flashers.  We got out and the vertical trim on the passenger side slide was coming off so Bill got out the trusty duct tape and we taped it up as far as we could reach.  WE checked on it as we drove and it didn’t come off.  When we stopped for the night it was still secure.  Bill added it to the list of items for General RV to fix when we take it in to them in October.

We booked 2 nights in Hazen, AR right off the interstate.  It’s small campground on a rise behind the owner’s house.  There are 12 sites I think.  There are 2 pull throughs but we got a back in.  We do have full hook ups so I can do a load of laundry both days.

We asked our neighbor about restaurants and he suggested we go into Stuttgart which is about 20 miles.  They also have a Walmart so that’s our excitement for tomorrow!

Shopping Time!

September 9 – We are headed south and drove out of Missouri and into Arkansas.  Nothing much to see along the way and traffic was heavy near towns/cities but pretty sparse out in the boonies.  Bill had changed a couple of our stops so I really didn’t know where we were headed.  We landed in Alma, AR at a small campground not far off the Interstate.  As we drove in we saw a couple of buildings with discount stuff so after we got parked, had lunch and rested a bit we walked over and did some shopping.  The first place was a combination of grocery items going out of date (non refrigerated) and all kinds of other things.  We bought some snacks and I bought some stocking stuffer things and a couple of gift items.  Then we rolled our cart nextdoor and it was a nice discount clothing store.  I bought a beautiful pair of Grasshopper shoes.  I’ve always admired them but they were always more than I was willing to pay.  We picked up a couple of gift items as well.  Then we rolled the cart to the hardware store.  Oh wow, I love hardware stores.  I did get some great buys on inexpensive items but really didn’t need any hardware stuff at this time.  My total there was $1.62!  Big spender!

We dropped the cart back at the first store and carried our bags across the lot to the campground.  Bill didn’t waste any time opening a bag of potato chips!  I will say later they went really well with the glass of wine I was having!

Dinner was leftover chicken alfredo for Bill with a salad and mine was haddock and spinach.  We both enjoyed our entirely different meals. 

After dinner I redid the page of our travel itinerary deleting some places and adding new ones.  We managed to cut out 7 nights so we will get home a bit sooner than the original plan. 

So now to relax a while and read and get a good night’s sleep for the 200 mile drive tomorrow. 

Great to see Barb and Mike!

September 8 – Today we headed to Peculiar, MO.  It is the closest campground to Belton, MO.  Friends we met on our caravan live there and it’s on our way home so we set up to stay there a night and visit with them.  We checked in at noon, had lunch and called and let them know we would be ready any time after 2:30.

I caught up on some paperwork, changed the bed linens, did a load of laundry, cleaned my floors and dusted a little.

Mike and Barb arrived right at 2:30.  They took us all over Belton!  Their house burned down earlier this year and is being rebuilt so they took us to see where they did and will live again.  They took us to meet his parents, who were such sweet people and then to their rental house where one of their daughters lives with 4 or 5 of her kids.  Mike and Barb are living in their RV parked in the driveway with only 110 electric.  They are very anxious to get back into their house.  We also met their other daughter who lives here and she went to lunch with us all and later we stopped at her house.  Mike and Barb used to own it and sold it to them.  They have the cutest 2 young kitties.  Everyone we met were really nice people.  Obviously they are like their parents.

We lunched at Texas Roadhouse and it was good and packed!  They drove us back to the RV and sadly I had to say goodbye again.  As much as I enjoyed seeing them, as they are such fun people who like to laugh, I just wanted to cry all over again at saying good bye.  Well, maybe they will come to Florida for a winter and Missouri isn’t real far so I hope to keep seeing them as long as we can.

We will be home in a week as long as nothing goes wrong and I am really ready to get back into my house and my craft room!

Bank on the road again!

September 7 – Up early again today (glad this isn’t every day)!  The tech was there at 7 and we got out our 2 chairs today and Molly’s leash, water and food.  We pretty much sat in the shade and read and I did some crocheting.  We chatted with our co-waiters next door. 

As it approached noon Bill went to the only fast food place in town, A & W Root Beer.  While he was gone the tech pulled our RV into the big lot and went over what all he did today.  He was such a nice guy I asked him if he had a helper and he said he had a couple so I thanked him with 3 Huckleberry Ice Cream Sandwiches.  He was very appreciative and joked with me that I’d get him hooked and he’d have to drive to Montana to get them!

Bill got back just as he was wrapping up and we hastily ate our lunch and Bill went into sign off on the work and get our keys and we were back on the road again.

We drove to Bethany, MO where we had a nice pull thru with full hook up and it was behind a motel right off the interstate.  We couldn’t have found a closer spot!  There were only 8 spaces.  So we had a good evening and my ice maker started making ice and I am a very happy camper!

Winnebago Day and side trip

September 6 – We were both up really early as Bill wanted to be pretty close to first in the line at the Service Center.  Once I was dressed and looked out there were at least 25 people getting lined up for when the door opened at 7.  Bill said a lady in the line took charge of them and she lined them all up in 2 lines:  those with an appointment and those without.  Bill wasn’t in there long as we had already given them our list of 7 (which is the limit of how many issues they will do in one visit).  The assigned Tech came out immediately and said they will do 8 things for people with appointments so we added another item.  They had the RV ALL day til 3pm.  The tech drove it back to our spot and told us what he got done and had only 3 more things to finish tomorrow.  I was so excited that he fixed the freezer door that we had bungeed on and the ice maker! 

While we ere without housing for the day we packed up Molly and her food and water and we drove into Mason City, which takes about 40 minutes.  I got to visit a hotel that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  It was beautiful inside.  Lots of wood, straight lines, round chairs – I do love his designing!  Then we drove around to see some residential homes his design team did and you can easily pick them out if you know his style.  So that was my fun for the day!

Then we went to Walmart for a short list of things and stopped at a couple of other places, had lunch and got back to Winnebago about 2:30.  A neighbor loaned us a chair to put in our spot to save it and we used that and borrowed another chair and waited for the RV to come out of service. 

So, it was a good day and the tech got a lot done.  We have to be ready again tomorrow at 7 and he said he thinks he can finish by noon.  Fingers crossed!

Checking out the area!

September 5 – Today we took a drive  into town and I  checked  out the Dollar  General but they didn’ t have  any crochet  yarn.  They place was a  disaster.  It  was full of  boxes  of  stock  than needed to be shelved and I think it’s gonna take them quite a while!  Then we went to Bomgaars where I picked up a few things to take home.  We located the post office so tomorrow when it’s open we will take a package there to be mailed a the last post cards we’ve written. 

We took a drive around the college campus.  It’s a small college with enrollment of 600 and they have awesome sports facilities but we can’t see why any young person would want to come here as there is nothing at all to do and the closest bigger town is about 25 miles away.  By the way, once we get the OK to leave while the RV is in the bay we are going to that town as they have an Aldi, my first in months and I’m excited to go.  Plus, we might have lunch out as there’s not much here and NO fast food places. 

We revamped our “to do” list again after dinner so I guess that part is ready to go.  We have to pretty much pack things up in the morning but not until they come and look at everything.  Bill has to be at the door when they open at 7 and I’ll be wrapping up things here.  If we get half of our list done I think we will be happy.  The whole thing with the fireplace popping out is weird and Bill wants that on the first “to do” list.  

So, it will be an interesting day and who knows if they will have us stay another day!

Made it to Forest City!

 

September 4 – If I said in a prior post that it was the most boring day, I lied.  It was today!  We drove    miles today and t was flat plains with nothing but fields with a few cows dotted in along the way.  No special scenery, no beautiful mountains, and I don’t think there was a nice lake either.

We were on our way to the Winnebago Factory in Forest City, Iowa.  Talk about the middle of no where!  We came here once before but only to go on the factory tour which was very nice and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  This time we have an appointment for a list of items to be repaired under warranty on the coach.   Once we arrived and chatted up the folks who were here before us, we learned that we can only give them 7 things to repair.  They might let you put more things on the list but they will only complete what they can for you in one shift.  At least that’s what we were told.  What they tell us once we check in Tuesday at 7 AM might be another story.  We have probably 15-18 things we think they are responsible for but since we have another warranty appointment set up in Florida in October we can call ahead and add the leftovers on that list!

We were able to park on the lot right beside the Customer Service Center.  They have electric only, which we knew to expect so we filled our water and emptied our black and grey tanks before we left last night’s site.    We have great neighbors here, once couple is from Ocala, FL and they don’t have an appointment so have no idea how long they will be waiting.  Once couple has been here a week already.  Bill has been getting all kinds of info and “pointers” for our RV from washing it to servicing it.   We attempted to get the ice maker going but found there is a valve leak and either someone knew so they didn’t turn the ice maker on or we never looked and just assumed it was not working.  Well, that went to the top of our list since I’ve been making ice with trays all summer!

Forest City is so small there is one grocery store and a convenience store and a Dollar General and that’s it!

We love the Corn Palace

September 3 – Kinda leisurely day!  We needed that!  We left the RV at mid- morning and went to the AT&T store as my phone was acting up and I was not getting my emails.  It looked like it was an attempt at hacking.  I waited only a few minutes and a young guy got into my phone and then my laptop and did his thing.  He got me back on track with a change of password so I was good to go and didn’t cost me anything but time!

Then we headed to the Corn Palace.  That’s the main attraction here and the exterior is changed every year.  It is amazing.  It’s actually a combination gymnasium and auditorium.  They host games and plays and this place has been around since 1892 but they rebuilt the palace in 1921.  Google it!  They have photos of almost every year and you can learn how many colors of corn are used.  Too bad they don’t have a tower to go up and get really good photos.  They now have gift shops and restaurants across the road at the front so you can’t get back enough for a good full photo!

Once we finished our visit there we to lunch at The Depot.  It was actually a train depot that had been converted into a nice restaurant with 3 dining rooms and the railroad is still running along the back side of the building.  I normally get a salad but today I splurged and had a chicken wrap that was delicious.  Bill had his burger as usual!

From there we went back across town to a hardware store for Bill to get a part for the hose stuff to the RV and we went in Walmart and tootled around.  I did get some bargains though for the kids for Christmas!  Then we went thru the drive thru at Culver’s!  YUMMY!  First we’ve had since we left home in early May.  It really hit the spot!

Back at the campground I did a load of laundry and Bill washed the buggy windshield.  We watched 2 RV’s part that both were single women.  The first was is a 40’ motorhome.  Later we chatted with her and her husband died and she still goes by herself.  We will probably see her in Forest City, IA as she has a Winnebago and is going to see if they can work her in.  Then she is heading to Florida for the winter.  We hope to catch up with her at Winnebago.  Very nice lady!

I cleaned out some leftovers for dinner and the fridge is till full!  We will work on some more tomorrow.  That wraps up another day in the lives of Kelly and Bill!

Boring day!

September 2 - Most boring travel day so far!  The entire day was flat and straight with pretty much nothing but huge ranches and some cows here and there.  There were not many towns on the drive directly East to Mitchell, SD.  For a road with not much on it, there was plenty of traffic though.

We stopped for a late lunch at a nice rest area as the one we planned to stop at was closed.  So another 90 miles and we got to have lunch.

We are in a nice small campground will full hookups behind a Super 8 Motel.  All of the sites are pull thru except for the tent sites and it is about ¾ full.

We went into town to a highly rated steak place and timing was in our favor as they do not take reservations and when we left there were probably 30 people waiting.  They messed up Bill’s order so he didn’t get his steak at the same time as I got my rare prime rib.  It was so tender and juicy and full of flavor.  Since it was 10 ounces, I cut it in half and only had half with my salad and fresh asparagus.  Yummy meal.  Bill enjoyed his filet and was really hungry by the time it came out.  He had a nice baked potato with his salad.  Other than the mix up with what steak he ordered, they didn’t have the liquor I ordered and the server put both liquor orders on the bill – it was a great meal!  She did not earn a top tip as she was a bit scattered and maybe new, who knows.

We drove around a bit after dinner for a quick view of the Corn Palace, which is why we are here.  Well they are having a street party there this evening so we couldn’t park close enough to get photos but we plan to go back during the day tomorrow.

Nothing much else going one!

Trip to Mt Rushmore

September 1 – We had a bit of a lazy morning and finally got showered and ready to drive about 20 miles to Mt. Rushmore.  This is one of those places we won’t see again so we had to make the trek.  I was surprised at how few people there were but I guess kids are back in school or close to it by now.

We took a photo of a couple so later I asked a couple to take one of us.  The whole idea of creating this monument is awesome.  You can sit and just think of all the good these men did for our country.  They now have plaques for each state in the order that they became a state and they fly the flags of each state along the same walkway.  There wasn’t a special program going on today so we didn’t go down to the outside auditorium.  We did check the gift shop but even Bill has a limit to what he will pay for a t-shirt.  He got his stickers and that was it.  It was too early for lunch so we bypassed the huge café.  It was time to head back down the mountain.  In the parking lot we picked, we were the first people there and when we left there was one car parked right beside us, so you know it was a slow day!

Down the mountain is the town of Keystone that has shops and eateries lining the road so we parked and checked out a lot of the shops.  Bill still didn’t find a Mr. Rushmore shirt that he liked and was willing to pay the price for.  I was more interested in a Trump t-shirt but didn’t get one.

We headed on back into Rapid City and had a great lunch at the Colonial House which has been in the same family for generations.  I had one of the best salads with salmon ever!!  Bill always gets a burger but said it was really good.  He was very interested in the dessert case but I said no and we left!

We drove out to the Chapel In The Hills that was recommended to us.  It was fabulous.  Actually if was designed to match the famous Borgund Stav Kirke of Laerdal, Norway, that was built in the 1100’s.  We have been to that chapel when we went to Europe once year for a Civitan International Convention.  When I first saw this one I thought it looked a lot like the one we visited in Norway.  It’s a beautiful place and welcoming to anyone.

There were also 3 deer roaming around on the grounds at the bottom of the hill.

So, from there we made a couple of stops at Walmart, etc.   We did a test run of the roads we will take in the morning to get back out to the interstate.  I don’t want to drive in the city again and not be able to maneuver the road construction.  We found a route that will have far less traffic and is nice road.

I made chicken pasta salad yesterday and that was our dinner tonight.  I really could eat the whole bowl but left enough for lunch tomorrow!  The days on the road are dropping and I will be so glad to get home.

Long ride to Rapid City!

August 31 -  Happy Birthday Jared!!  My baby is 44 today! 

Today was probably our longest drive day.  We left about 9 and only made one roadside stop for lunch and bathroom break and arrived in Rapid City, SD close to 3.  I was a tired puppy.  We drove though a plethora of landscapes.  There were mountains, plains, rolling hills, 4 lanes, 2 lanes, huge farmlands, Cheyenne Reservation and more.  We saw 31 antelope, 2 Pronghorns and lots and lots of cattle!

Once we got into Rapid City we learned our campground was on the other side of downtown.  I was a bit nervous driving thru as there were lanes closed and the road where we needed to turn right had barricades and closed down to one lane.  I told Bill there was no way I could get around the barriers and cones towing the truck so we went a block further up and it was clear so I made that turn and we went 2 blocks up and made the turn onto the main street.  About a mile up the road on the top of a hill is where our campground is.  The sites are terraced and I was a trifle nervous as the lanes are pretty narrow, but Bill motioned me in very slow so I didn’t run over the septic hole and we are good for 2 nights.

We have full hook up so I did 2 loads of laundry and am pretty caught up now.  I spent the afternoon with laundry and did some crocheting to relax.  I fed Bill leftover beef with gravy over mashed potatoes with a nice salad while I had a portion of my halibut from Alaska.  I rolled it in seasoned Panko and baked it and had a nice salad with it, very yummy!  Later we had the last 2 Huckleberry ice cream sandwiches from LAST summer.  They were delicious! 

Tomorrow we play tourists and head to Mt. Rushmore for one last time!