Sweet Baby On The Road

2011-09-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

We're HOME!!! After 6,935 miles and four months of travel....we are back here at home in Portland. And wouldn't you know? The day we left back in May it was raining here in Portland. The day we arrived back home, which was September 25, it started raining as soon as we got Sweet Baby parked, hooked up, and jacks down!!! So....jeans and warm clothes for us after 4 months of hot weather and shorts and flipflops!! But it does feel good to be here at home, and not moving around. Well, until the next trip and the next adventure......whenever that may be!!

2011-09-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

Homeward Bound!!! That would be us. We are currently on our last day in a great rv park in Mountain Home, ID. Then tomorrow (Wednesday) we leave for OREGON!!! We will stop at Farewell Bend State Park (about 40 miles west of Ontario, OR) for a couple days, and then it is on to Boardman, OR for a couple days along the Columbia River. It has been a long four months, with lots of adventures and places we have been. The trip has been great....and we are ready to be home....

2011-09-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

About 20 miles southeast of Dillon, MT, where we spent a couple days, is Bannack State Park. This is an amazingly preserved ghost town from the 1860's when this small gold camp became the Territorial Capital of Montana!! We drove up from Dillon across Badger Pass (at 8,000+ feet) and then down to the ghost town itself. Over 3,000 people lived here at one time, and tons of gold were mined from the Grasshopper Creek. There was a brick courthouse (that later became a hotel), post office, church, lots of other buildings, and even a school with the Masonic Lodge on the second floor. Over 60 building are still there, like a moment in time, frozen there in the mountains of Montana, along the Continental Divide. The mining faded away with advances in mining equipment, and then died out completely after WWII. But today you can walk through this quiet spot of our preserved Western history as we did, and marvel at the way of life of the people who lived here so long ago.

2011-09-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful place to stay!! We are at one of our favorite rv parks: Spring Creek Campground in BigTimber, MT. It is just gorgeous and so peaceful here. Our site is right above the Boulder River and we face one of the trout ponds that are here. These pictures were taken at the back of Sweet Baby, and yes, we ARE that close to the river! It is a great place, we ll cared for, and we feel so at home. The days are sunny and warm and the nights are cool and make for easy sleeping. Bernie has been fly fishing each morning and evening that we have been here, and plans to do the same thing all 5 days that we stay here! So far it has been lots of bites, but no catches (and none to keep as it is a catch and release river here). Maddy has been happy to be here, too. Well, except when Bernie is out in the river fishing; then she just whines and cries!!! She wants to go swimming, too. So, after he is out of the river and we don't see other people ready to fish, we let her swim, and OMG does she have a good time!! She just loves the water, and Scarlett and Dee are just as happy to sit back and watch her get wet!! We also have to be careful when we open the door as she will scoot out and run to the river!

2011-09-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

An unexpected stop!! As we were preparing to leave Sheridan, WY on Tuesday Bernie noticed that there was oil on the hub of our left front wheel...the same one that had been repaired in Clear Lake, IA. This was not a good thing!! Billings, MT was 112 miles to the north, and we found the Freightliner shop there and called ahead. I cannot say enough good about the Service Tech and the repair department of I-State Truck. They got us in, diagnosed the problem was in the bearings (not repaired right the first time??) and they could repair it there!! As our luck would have it, about 3 miles away was a wonderful KOA park where we could stay while repairs were made. We hadn't planned to stop in Billings for 2 days, but it has been a good stop. We had dinner at Rex in historic downtown Billings, and had enough ribs leftover for dinner the next day....m-m-m-m, so good. Now Sweet Baby is all ready and repaired, and we will get on the road on Thursday morning......

2011-09-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever watched a polo match in person? Well, until we went to Don King Days in Sheridan, WY...neither had we! About 12 miles south of Sheridan is the Big Horn Equestrian Center, site of huge polo fields and clubs...and the place where we found this annual steer roping and bronc riding event. Those 2 were preceeded by the local year-end polo matches. We talked to one of the locals and she gave us the picture of what happens. It seems polo has been played in this area since 1890, and there are many polo clubs around here. In addition, this event is the Wyoming qualifying event in championship steer roping; the top 4 from here go to the Pendleton Roundup in Oregon and many more contests. But they hold the trials here on this gorgeous field at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains in the old west style....where the cowboy mounts the bucking bronc without chutes or helpers. The ropers chased down their steers out on the open grassy field. So, you just pulled up your chairs and watched the excitement right there on the field. It was a kick!!! There were 25 ropers and 6 bronc riders, and the event goes on for 2 full days every Labor Day weekend. We just went on Sunday, and watched round 1 before we got too warm and headed back home. We've spent 5 days here in Sheridan, which included lunch at the historic Sheridan Inn, which we had visited on our Spring 2010 trip. The food was just as good as we remembered!! From here it is on to Montana.

2011-08-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

Whoa!!! We're seeing more big hills with trees!!! Yesterday we drove south of here to Lead and Deadwood, SD which are 5,280' and more, and they had ski areas. Real ones...not like the ones we saw in MI that were, to us, cross country areas. But our friends there said they ski downhill. No way..... Here in Spearfish, SD we are at 3,657' which is certainly more comfortable for us than the below 1,000' we have been in for most of the midwest!! And our humidity is 25% and below! Yeah!!! That made our tour yesterday through Spearfish Canyon very nice. The Canyon walls are close in and of the most interesting rock formations (Jeremy and Amber take note!!). We also stopped at 3 waterfalls within the Canyon and took short hikes to visit them. And we had found a suprise spot to visit: the movie Dances with Wolves was partially filmed here and we found it! I think it is the winter campsite near the end of the movie!! The meadow area is grown over, but the skyline is distinct.

2011-08-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

We spent 3 days in up central South Dakota at a little rv park on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. The closest community was Gettysburg, about 16 miles to the east. Our rv park was part of a resort that caters to fishing and hunting (bird & other). So...on Friday Bernie went out fishing with Lee from a local guide service....fishing for walleye on the Missouri River! Another item to check off the Bucket List: he has always wanted to fish for walleye and now he has. The Girls and I stayed home: naps for them when not chasing grasshoppers, and a good book for me!! We have some great looking fillets in the freezer for a meal or two!! While there at Bob's Resort, we couldn't get any Verizon cell or computer service. But neither could anyone else. Their tower was faulty, and so we could only find service by driving to a high spot and hoping the message would go through (not worth all the effort, as the calls would be cut off in mid-sentence).

2011-08-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Ever since we got into Kansas we have seen corn....HUGE amounts of corn...growing in massive fields along the roads we have been on. The midwest truly is the cornbelt of the US!! Here in Mitchell, SD they celebrate that corn with the World's Only Corn Palace, Starting in 1892 with the 1st Corn Palace the outside of the building is decorated with over 3,000 bushels of various grains, and over 275,000 ears of corn that are split in half. Then all that is applied to the outside of the building in a "corn" by number design according to the year's theme. It is a pretty remarkable sight, and a very unique folk art wonder out here on the prairie of SD. This week is also the Corn Palace Festival which we visited. We also visited the Cabela's store here; can't pass by one of them! The second day were were here the temperature got up to mid-90's with high humidity; we thought we had left all that behind! But only that 1 day was bad with the rest of our stay being very enjoyable. We are headed north and a little west of here for a couple days, to Gettysburg, SD for a view of the Missouri River.

2011-08-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the Pipestone National Monument here in Pipestone, MN has been quarried for over 2,000 year by Native Americans? And the pipestone rock itself can only be quarried still today by Native Americans? Well, we didn't know that, and learning about this sacred place right outside of Pipestone, MN was really special for us. We spent about 3 hours touring the museum and taking the Circle Trail through the grounds. The demonstrators at the museum were showing how the pipes themselves are created...truly works of art as well as ceremonial pieces. The Trail was about a mile long, and took us through a tall-grass prairie, pipestone quarries, and beside the Winnewissa Falls. The grounds are still used by American Indians for cultural and religious activities. The quartzite cliffs and the quarries themselves (for the pipestone, or catlinite) are so amazing, and the quarriers have to hand dig down about 100' to find the red pipestone. The quartzite they dig through is used for many other purposes, especially in building. Much of the historic buildings here in Pipestone itself are built of the quartzite. Back here at the rv park we have been enjoying our nice shady, grassy site...and watching a flock of wild turkeys who come into the park each morning and evening to feed! Boy, do The Girls get excited when we walk where the turkeys passed through!! All in all, it has been a very lovely stay here, on the prairies of Minnesota.

2011-08-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Clear Lake, Iowa....and lovely weather for us and The Girls. We stopped here to have service on Sweet Baby; she was due in 1000 miles, and since there was a Freightliner service shop in Clear Lake...here we are. And we sure are glad we stopped; they found a leak in the left front axle wheel seal, and fixed it for us!! Good thing, as we have the Rocky Mts. to cross and now we are all set to go! Clear Lake is another of the largely seasonal communities we have found on this trip, and the lake itself is really pretty. Our rv park is near the south shore, and we have had nice winds in the evening that cool everything down and makes for great sleeping. About 10 miles east of here is Mason City, Iowa which we visited today. It is the home of Meredith Wilson, composer of The Music Man and other musicals. The movie of the same name was filmed here, and we went through the museum and his boyhood home. Clear Lake is also famous with a music connection; Buddy Holly's last performance before the plane crash that killed him and other performers was here at the Surf Ballroom, which we found as well. The ballroom has been restored, and still hosts concerts and dances. From Clear Lake we will head north into Minnesota, the last of the states west of the Mississippi River that we will have visited!!!

2011-08-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

We're headed West....well, very slowly!!! Our next stop after Milton has been Prairie du Chien, WI. We have been camped along the Mississippi River for the last four days, and it has been a good stay here. The weather has been pleasantly warm, but low humidity!! That is a good thing!! We have had the a/c off at night and the windows open, and all 5 of us have slept well. This is a very old town, founded as early as 1673 when Marquette & Joliet established a fur trade settlement, making this the second oldest town in Wisconsin. The river itself is still high, the locals say, but not like when we crossed it earlier in our trip. In fact, it looks pretty impressive still; it is flowing pretty fast here, and there are a lot of pleasure craft out on the water. Our campground has a marina, and we are parked beside it, and have been enjoying that. In fact, we are just off a dock to a fresh water lake....and Maddy has been swimming 3-4 times! She just heads for the lake if we don't watch her close. Another part of this complex is a 9-hole golf course which we played und one morning. The town also has a Cabela's here (very close to our park) and, of course, we had to visit it!!! There are museums and other historic sites here, which we've visited, and a great park just across the river in Iowa. It is Pikes Peak State Park...named after the same Pike of the peak in Colorado Springs, CO that we saw last spring. The view of the Mississippi River from here is pretty spectacular. We could also see where the Wisconsin River flows into it. But we leave the Mississippi tomorrow, on our way West.

2011-08-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Milton, WI...at our Newmar RV Club Pre-Rally,...and we have had a great time! There were 32 coaches from our Club all gathered together at this very nice RV park. It has been a lot of fun seeing friends who share our enjoyment of the Newmar motor home....and the RV lifestyle. We had people here from 19 states, going to our seminars, eating lots of yummy food, laughing together, sharing information and stories, and just having a good time. On Monday morning 26 of the couples/coaches joined in one big caravan to head to Madison, WI (about a 30 minute drive from here) for the FMCA Convention. We had planned to go as well, but decided to cancel because of the heat and the humidity; it has been pretty hard to keep The Girls cool, and being there without the electric power connection we would need wouldn't have been good for them. So, we waved goodbye to our Newmar Club friends this morning...and we are staying here 2 more days. That's when we will decide which way we will go on our return trip home. We have 2000 miles to go, and which way????

2011-08-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

5 days of rest and quiet....and humidity!!! We found a very nice KOA park about 5 miles south of Fond du Lac, WI and after looking at the weather forecast for southern WI... decided it would be cooler here!! Unfortunately, the humidity has been SO HIGH that we have been pretty uncomfortable. We have just been lazing around, walking the dogs, swimming in the pool, sleeping in, and enjoying this quiet part of the country. We are definitely in farming country; we are right next door to a 200 acre dairy. In fact, the dairy has an ice cream business...just down the drive!! OMG...scrumptious high calorie and wonderful ice cream. Makes Tillamook taste like ice milk!! There is a small pond here as well, for catch and release fishing. Bernie has been over there several time, catching fish each time. One afternoon we took Maddy over as well; she so loves to be in the water, and swims so well!! The fish were still biting after she was done, too! Since we were just a short drive away and the weather was better today, we drove into Fond du Lac and cruised Main Street, and then went out to their Lighthouse Park. The city sits at the southern end of Lake Winnebago with a lovely restored lighthouse right on the shores of the lake. While the water didn't look too inviting, they catch a lot of fish in this lake. It stretches north to Oshkosh, WI, which is about 25 miles away. Tomorrow, August 4, we are on our way south. This time it will only be about 75 miles, to the village of Milton, WI. This is where we will gather together with other members of our Newmar RV Club for the summer Pre-Rally. It will be good to see friends again that we have met in our travels. For this gathering Bernie and I don't have any duties, unlike our gathering last August. We're just looking forward to being with friends and enjoying our time in Milton.

2011-07-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

A popular place in this NE corner of the Upper Peninsula is the Tahquamenon Falls State Park. We were staying about 8 miles north of Newbery, MI (with no cell or computer service but a great rv park), and drove the 20 miles to the park in the Jeep. There are 2 sets of falls, 4 miles apart. They are both so beautiful. The Upper Falls is over 200' across and is the second largest falls in the eastern part of the US; the Lower Falls cascade around an island that you can rowboat out to and hike around. We took the hikes along the sides of both falls, and took our pictures that way! The hikes were along boardwalk trails and steps to protect the environment (the Upper Falls were 117 steps down to the viewing platform...and then back up!!). The river itself is a shade of amber which comes from the tannin leeching into the river from the surrounding swamps and cedar trees. After our hike, we opted for a great lunch of pasties and bruchetta at the Camp 33 Brew Pub at the Upper Falls area. It was a lovely day, and we really enjoyed our hikes. Our knees are holding up, and not hurting!!! This is a good thing!

2011-07-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

He did it!!! Bernie went parasailing! He flew about 600' up there, above the beautiful blue and tourquise waters of Lake Huron. We left the dock at Mackinaw City, and headed toward Mackinac Island. Then they got him rigged...and up he went!! For about 15 minutes he flew right in front of the Mackinac Bridge (I hope the pictures turn out!!). The weather was gorgeous....sunny and hot, but wonderful temperature up where he was. I stayed as "observer" in the boat, and took pictures (but not with the digital camera so pictures will have to wait for later). This was something Bernie has wanted to do for many years, but hasn't been able to until now. He had a great time: "It was awesome...it was just peaceful up there, and you could see for miles. It was like you were floating along...no worries....free. I was ready to go again!" But we came back to Sweet Baby and took The Girls swimming again because weather on Sunday looks to be cooler and cloudy. Hopefully, when we leave on Monday for the Upper Peninsula the wind will have died down, and the Mackinac Bridge crossing will be better!!!

UPDATE: We were up early Monday morning and there was almost no wind!!! The sun was bright, and we hurried to leave the campground. The Mackinac Bridge crossing was no problem, and oh, so pretty. You are really up high, and have a great view (in non-windy weather, I would think!) for the whole 5 miles of the bridge. We then stopped at the first exit from the bridge and ate breakfast!!! Then it was on the Newberry, MI...in the UP (and we became temporary "Yoopers" as people from the UP are called by those who live in the lower part of Michigan!).

2011-07-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Sadly, we had to leave Jeremy & Amber and be on our way. We had such a good visit, and it was so good to see them again. Hopefully, they will be out West to see us when they finish their Field Camps in Wyoming next summer. Fingers crossed on that one!!! But we weren't sad to leave the weather we had there in Harrison, MI where we parked Sweet Baby. It was so hot and humid; our last day there it was 95 degrees at the rv!!! Way too hot for us Northwesterners!!! The humidity was exceptionally high to go along with the temperature....the worst (the rv park people said) that it has been for a very long time. They said that it should be better up north.

And it has been lovely here in Mackinaw City, MI! We are parked in a KOA park 1.5 miles from Lake Michigan....and just a couple miles from the magnificent Mackinac Bridge. We could see the bridge from a long way as we approached from the south on I-75. As we took our exit, a reader board said "rv and trailers use left lane and 20 mph." Oh dear.,...5 miles across and winds like that!!! We'll be crossing the bridge next Monday...stay tuned! Mackinaw City is at the south end of the bridge, and is a charming village with lots of history...and lots to see. We will be taking the ferry over to Mackinac Island before we leave....and Bernie also wants to go parasailing!!! Note: BERNIE wants to go...not Trish. We also are going to try to get in an evening schooner sail in the Mackinac Straits.... This afternoon, after our morning walking around Mackinaw City, we took The Girls swimming just below the McGulpin Lighthouse. They absolutely loved it, and didn't want to get out (and are sure sleeping good tonight)! Bernie & I were really suprised at the water temperature of Lake Michigan; we expected cold like we find at the OR coast, but the water was very warm. For dinner we had pasties at a local restaurant, and found them very good, but very filling as well. The area is also famous for fudge; we won't miss that!!

CMU

2011-07-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

Jeremy & Amber in their Lab

After leaving Kathy & Don we headed north along Michigan 66. This was a really enjoyable drive through rural country, and we only had about 115 miles to drive that day. But once we arrived in Mt. Pleasant, MI and started to set up....the enjoyment ended. The casino campground had electrical problems with our site; we could only get enough power to run 1 a/c and not much else. The weather was 90+ degrees and terrible humidity. We were pretty miserable, and The Girls were so hot. They wouldn't move us to another site, so we did the best we could for the night, and moved north the next morning to Harrison, MI. It is a wonderful rv park, and we have lots of power to keep us and The Girls cool, and we have been able to get some rest and relax. And it is a great place for us to be and visit with son Jeremy and his wife Amber! They are geology students at Central Michigan University, and are deeply involved in their research and classes here. They have a very nice apartment on campus, and are doing very well!! We are so happy we have been able to have these days together before we have to move on north to the Upper Peninsula and then to Madison, WI.

Michigan!!!

2011-07-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

We made it to Michigan!! Our first stop was Hopkins, MI where we visited with our RV friends Kathy and Don DuCharme. We first met them when we were snowbirds in Navarre, FL in 2008. This time we enjoyed some great food and great times with them; they even took us to South Haven, MI where we saw Lake Michigan and had yummy ice cream!

2011-07-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!! MY computer is up and running again, and I will be able to add pictures now.....but first a little update of where we have been. After Elizabethtown, KY we were in Greenfield, IN for 3 nights (just east of Indianapolis)...where we were camped beside a lake that had lots of ducks...and Maddy sure wanted to go in after them!!! Bernie tried fishing...got some bites but no fish. The park also had a 9-home par 3 golf course that we played. On Sunday August 10 we arrived in Napannee, IN at the Newmar factory for our appointment for the new camera. We parked in the rv site area for the factory along with 25 other coaches in for work!! Got to tour the factory and during the day while the coach was in shop, we toured alot of the area as well. This is Amish country, and their influence is everywhere. The Girls had it pretty nice during the days; we found Doggie Daycare for them! It was a great experience to be at the factory, and the staff were excellent....very friendly and concerned that they do a good job for us.....and they did!!!

2011-07-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

"Come as a friend. Leave as family!" That's the catch phrase at the Jim Beam Distillery...in Clermont, KY. It's about 20 miles away from where we are staying here in Elizabethtown, KY. It was pretty warm during the day, but a/c is everywhere here!! Warehouse D was one place they took us into during our tour....and you can truly smell the bourbon aging in those barrels. It was a great day, and yes, we DID come away from our tour with some favorite "samples" to enjoy at home here in Sweet Baby!! And when we get home to Portland!! We leave tomorrow for Indianapolis, IN...where we will probably stay for 2-3 days, and arrive in Napannee, IN at the Newmar Factory on Saturday or Sunday. Our appointment for the motor coach work is July 11, and we will be there for 2-3 days. After that....it is on north to Mount Pleasant, MI. We have come a long way so far on this trip....and aren't even half way along on the trip!!!

2011-07-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

Paducah, KY...and the 4th of July! That's where we have been the last 4 days. We are about 5 miles from the downtown area, which is quite an historic center for this area. Located where 5 rivers are coming together, Paducah has been the center for river barge traffic since it was founded. It was an important spot in the Civil War, too. The Ohio River is still pretty high, and the barges we saw from the river front were pretty amazing!! It has been pretty hot here, with the attendant Southern humidity!! Saturday night there was a BBQ pool party here at the rv park, with a country band playing for us. Pretty fun....even if it was hot and humid!! The water felt pretty good and helped cool us off, too. We had to watch how much The Girls were outside and what they did; Maddy overdid it one time, and we really had to get her cooled....quick. Just turned the water faucet on her; she got better very quickly. Then this morning about 10:00 the thunder, lightning, and rain started; we had huge "ponds" all around the rv. By 2:00 pm the sun was back out, drying up all the water, and heating everything up again. It got to 85 degrees!!! We think the weather will be a little cooler as we go north; certainly hope so!!!

2011-07-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well, still in hot weather, but the a/c works fine!! We spent 3 days at Perryville, MO, just 15 miles from the bridge over the Mississippi River and into Illinois. Perryville isn't much of a tourist attraction; Cape Girardeau 30 miles to the south has lots more to see. The campground was nice, and not too crowded. Our site was under some nice shady oak trees, but with just the opening we needed to get the satellite reception!! There was a large pond, inhabited by 6 white ducks who paraded right by our site every morning and evening. They would all be in a line, and The Girls would watch them go by very intently!! This being summer and travel season, we expected to see more people. But that makes it pretty easy to find spots to stay, as we haven't made many future reservations ahead for this trip. We try to see where the weather is clearest, and where we would like to see. So far it has worked!!

2011-06-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

Cuba, MO...that's where we are. No...not 90 miles south of Florida...but in mid-central Missouri, in the heart of the Ozark Mts. After the humidity and heat of Nevada, MO we were happy to be here. There was a thunderstorm this morning, but sun was out and dried most everything out...and left humidity, but not as bad as our last stop! The rv park is an older one, but on 28 acres with lots of room for The Girls to run. It is well-cared for, and the oak trees around us have been providing lots of shade. We ventured into town...Cuba, MO...about 5 miles away...for dinner at the Missouri Hick BBQ. OMG, some of the best we've ever eaten!! On the way into town we passed "The World's Largest Rocking Chair." I kid you not!! An 80' steel rocking chair...along this portion of Route 66. Kodak moment for sure!! Today we went back to town and walked around, looking at their murals; 15 very good pieces on various brick building in town. It is one of the tourist features for this community of about 3,400. And since we ARE tourists, well...we did our thing!! It has been a nice and restful stop here, and we are glad we chose it. On the road tomorrow again...heading further east, and getting ever closer to the great Mississippi River. Will the flooding keep us from crossing??? Tune in and see!! :-)

2011-06-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

Ah....humidity!!! We are in Nevada, MO (say na-vay-da), just 20 miles into the state. It is a small town, but it does have a Wal-mart...needed prescriptions. Also toured the central square of the town...with its gorgeous historic court house. That trip was in the morning...when the temperature/humidity were better. It has been HOT and pretty miserable outside for us Northwesterners...right now at 5:00 pm (we are on Central Time) it is 89 degrees and almost the same amount of humidity!!! A/C has been running most of the day...and last night to keep The Girls cool. Even though there is a wind blowing now (not a bad one!!) it is too hot for us to be outside enjoying the evening. Hopefully in a couple hours we can get back outside and take a walk...and see fireflies!! I had never seen them before, and all around us it looked like campfire ash cinders were blowing around; but Bernie told me...just fireflies!! Well...that's another new thing for this trip...to add to the bear on the road, among other things. We will be in more central Missouri tomorrow....near the Ozarks. I wonder if we will see more fireflies?

2011-06-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, Dorothy...we're in Kansas!!! Actually, we have been in the state for about a week, staying in KOA parks and seeing what we can see. I haven't been able to update the blog for a bit...computer difficulties. I am updating our last stops here, but won't be able to add pictures for a little while...due to more technical difficulties. Ah, well....you'll just have to check later, or see the prints when we get home!! We have been in Kansas this long while we wait out the weather fronts, planning our route to Nappannee, IN and still missing tornados and thunderstorms. Should be ok with the way we plan to go. So, check where we have been....and now that we're back....I'll tell you more about our adventures....On The Road Again!!!

Salina, KS

2011-06-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

Good thing we waited out the weather fronts in Goodland; the wind was coming from the west at 25-35 mph all along our way to Salina!! Sure got some good mileage with that tail wind!! It was sunny, and dry, and has been for our whole stay in Salina. The wind for the 1st 2 days was pretty strong; we got pretty dusty as they are cutting wheat in the field across from the rv park. The strong winds just picked up the dust and blew it over here!! We'll have to find an rv wash soon, or maybe a rain storm!!! Our 3rd day the wind was down to about 5 mph and that helped. But we have had the a/c on every day; temps have been 85 & up here. This is a pretty new experience for us...traveling in sunny weather. A good portion of our previous trips were in fall and early spring. All this sun and then more sun is quite a change!!! Our Oregon webfeet are drying out!!! From here we will move more southeast, crossing into Missouri just east of Fort Scott, KS. We have been watching weather and river forecasts for the eastern states, and think we will be able to cross the But we shall see!!!

Goodland, KS

2011-06-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

With the thunderstorms and freeways of central Colorado behind us, we set out for Goodland, KS. It is a small farming community about 20 miles into Kansas along I-70. To get to Goodland we took a road from Castle Rock, CO to get there, and traveled through some very pretty horse country; there were lots of ranches and horses along the way. We were also getting into the plains, even though we were still about 4,000'. When we arrived in Goodland at the KOA and got set up, the weather alerts came on....warning of severe thunderstorms coming our way!! There is a NOAA weather station here so our update were right on point!! The sky was black and the wind started blowing and pretty soon the thunder and lightening were there, too. We took in the slides to help keep us stable, and watched the storm split right outside of Goodland, and that put us out of the lightning and hail. But the rain and wind were pretty hard!! No tornado, though!!! The next day was hot and sunny, with no wind. Go figure!! But Monday, our third day there, another storm blew in; we could see the lightning storm on the horizon to the west, but none hit near us. But the rain came....all 1.84' inches of it!!! It wasn't cold rain like at home....the temperature was about 65 degrees all day. Just wet and windy. We were warm and dry inside, spending a lazy day waiting for the weather to clear.

Golden, CO

2011-06-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

After driving south from Rangely across Douglas Pass (about 8,000 ft with lots of curves at the top!!) we found I-70 and followed it east to Golden, CO. The freeway was pretty good...until we got to Glenwood Canyon. Here there are east- and west-bound freeway lanes along the river at the bottom of the canyon...all on raised roadbeds above the Colorado River. But we had to travel in one lane in the westbound freeway...all the way through. Then when we thought road construction was done...we got about 5 miles east of Vail, CO....and a massive traffic jam of one lane travel due to more construction!! What would have taken about 20 minutes to reach the top...took us 1 1/2 hours!!! And all of it was uphill!! You reach the top and pass through the Eisenhower Tunnel...and it was still about 12,000 ft and all freeway. And freeway down!!! We were so tired and happy to get to the rv park!!! What should have taken us about 4 1/2 hours took over 8 hours. Sweet Baby was tired, The Girls were tired, and we were tired....and so-o-o-o happy to be off the road. Stayed here at this park for 3 nights to rest up!!

Rangely, CO

2011-06-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

We spent 4 days in Rangely, the place where Bernie grew up; he graduated from Rangely High in...well, a few years ago!! Rangely is a small town in nw Colorado, a bit of a ways from anything. It is an oil field town, with the wells still pumping, but not as they were when Bernie & his family lived here. We found the place where his house had stood, and drove around and found lots of other memories for him. They now have a very nice 9 hole golf course in Rangely, and we played the course one day; scores not so good, but great fun!! Rangely has changed a lot in all those years, but Bernie was able to connect with some friends for a visit!! All in all, it was a good visit!!!

2011-06-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Kaysville, UT...at the Cherry Hill Camp at the base of the Wasatch Mts.; from our windows we look up at the snow on top of the peaks, and yet we are very warm and sunny down here. It seems like you could reach out and touch them!! The rv park is part of this larger water park; with school out and sunny weather, there have been lots of kids in and out of the pools! The rv area is nice, and we have felt very comfortable here. It has also been a good place for Scarlett to recouperate (she is doing much, much better, and the vet cleared her to travel again). The park sits on the grounds of a former cherry orchard; we are parked in one of the many grassy sites with these old grown trees all around. In cherry season, you can have all you can pick!! We also needed to get a repair done on Sweet Baby! About 10 minutes before we turned off the freeway to find Cherry Hill, a car flipped a rock up into the windshield!! Didn't break it, but the spot created had to be taken care of. With the help of park maintenance staff we found a glass shop very close, and the rock chip has been fixed and we are ready to go. Air conditioners and new awnings worked fine to keep us all comfortable. Except for the brief thunderstorm earlier in the week, it has been sunny and beautiful.

We also took a day trip to downtown Salt Lake City ... last time we were here it was night and snowing. But Thursday was gorgeous!! We reconnected with my cousin Lloyd, who lives here, for lunch at The Beehive House and then made our way around Temple Square. It is so beautiful, and yet surrounded by the downtown area of Salt Lake and the Capital buildings. The sports arenas are a few blocks away as well. The grounds of the Temple itself are very peaceful, and beautiful. There is a quiet and calm here even with the busy city all around. Across the street is the Conference Center...a stunning architectural creation in itself. The building is open to the public, and we had our own Guide who showed us through the building, from the 21,000 seat center to the garden on the roof, where we could see clear out to the Great Salt Lake. After that stop, we found the Family History Center; it, too, is open to the public. In just a few short minutes, our computer assistant helped Bernie find his grandfather and 4 generations back from that!! He didn't know about these people, and it was astonishing to find them!! All in all, this has been a great stop in Utah, and we know we want to come back to see more of the state..... But it is on to Colorado tomorrow!!

2011-06-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

We arrived here in Kaysville, UT on Monday...with a sick doggie. Our Scarlett Rose had not been eating much for 4-5 days, and not drinking very much water either. She just didn't seem to feel good, and was pretty cranky with Maddie and Dee. We knew we would need to find a veterinarian for her. Dr. Neal Moss had a clinic about a mile from our rv park. It turned out that she had a very bad tooth on the right side...that would need to be removed. We found him to be a wonderful vet, and we felt he would take good care of our Scarlett. So, Tuesday morning she had surgery, and the tooth was removed. When we picked her up, she was still rather sleepy from the surgery, and slept most of the day. You can see her asleep in her bed, under her blanket....on the bed beside Bernie. By Wednesday she was pretty much back to her old self...just swollen on that side, but eating better. It didn't help matters on Wednesday afternoon, though, that we had a huge thunder and lightening storm and she was really scared! Had to be under the blankets again...out in the front part of motor home. Maddie wasn't phased by the storm. She was sleeping up in the front window and never woke up!! Ah, traveling with dogs in a motor home!!!

2011-06-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

It has been a quiet 3 days here in Vale, OR. But more than that...it has been sunny and warm. This afternoon it is 79 degrees!! And we have the a/c on!!! Ah, summer has come....or at least we caught up with it as we have been traveling east. Vale is a quiet little community in easteren Oregon, and we have enjoyed our stay here. Bernie used to come here when he was bird hunting many years ago; it hasn't changed a lot, he says. We had lunch at the same diner where he and his hunting buddies ate; still great food. About 5 miles southeast of town is the Keeney Pass Oregon Trail National Site. You can still see the original ruts of the wagon trains that passed through here!! It is pretty amazing that even with all the wild grasses you can still see them. I hope it shows up for you in this picture. We also went to another area out there to let The Girls run and be free for a while...and they ran up and down and all around. Tired doggies; tired Bernie & Trish from walking with them!! On Sunday we will be in Declo, ID and then onto Kayesville, Utah (a little north of Salt Lake) on Monday. We will be there 3-4 days, and then it is on east to Colorado.

2011-06-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well, we DID get snow here in Crescent, OR!! Maybe you can see it in this picture. But believe me....it was snowing!! Who would have thought that on June 1 we would find ourselves in central Oregon, watching snow fall all around us!! The drive over Willamette Pass was fine, and we saw a lot of snow along the road under the trees. But it was just rainy, and then sunny, and then rainy again as we made our way over here to Crescent, OR. The rv park here is really nice. The owners have taken a great deal of care to create a nice rv park with great sites. We have enjoyed just being here, and thinking about the trip ahead of us. We also are on the edge of timbered area, and have been able to get The Girls out for nice long off-leash runs, with lots of smells and fresh air. They had a great time. And that gets us walking, too...in between rain and then today the snow showers. We keep watching weather channel and see hot and sunny weather where we are headed; hope we find it soon. Tomorrow we will cross Oregon to the eastern side, taking Hwy 20 across from Bend to Vale, OR. Hopefully, we can find some sun there!!!

2011-05-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a very restful 3 days here at the RV park at The Mill Casino. We are in Coos Bay, OR visiting with family, and getting settled in for travel. Our site here has a direct view of the bay, and we have seen several tugs, boats, and even a cargo ship pass by. The sun has been out...off and on!! Yesterday it was nice enough for us to take The Girls to Sunset Beach State Park and let them run and play in the surf. All three of them just LOVE to retrieve the balls we throw out in the water. They ran and ran and ran in the surf...and did not want to go; ah, the perfume of wet dog!!! We did go to the casino; didn't win anything. But Saturday night we had a great seafood buffet dinner!!! Tonight we will have dinner with our family, and then tomorrow morning it is off to Crescent, OR for a couple days. I wonder if they still have snow?? We'll see!!!

HERE WE GO AGAIN!!

2011-05-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

Our 3rd long trip...and the next adventure!! We have a general route planned....east!! We have 2 dates we need to meet: July 11 in Napannee, IN at the Newmar factory, and August 4 in Milton, WI for a Newmar Club rv rally. Other than that....we will be leaving Friday morning, May 27. Our house sitter has arrived, the groceries are packed, and everything seems ready to go!! So, we'll be off to where ever the motor home, Sweet Baby, takes us!! Stay tuned for updates!!