Greetings from Iowa!
The Winnebago facility is located in Iowa. Jerry thought it would be a good idea to get our Winnebago Vectra coach checked out by the manufacturer at its service place. That was on Monday. It is now Thursday and they think our coach will be done by noon tomorrow. (It's a long story and we won't go into that right now.)
Last year, after we returned from our 4-month RV trip and after telling everyone about the places we saw, the friends we met along the way and the fun we had, our friend, Walt, asked: "So, now, tell me about the horror stories." Well, this week may qualify as one. We spent last night at Motel 8 (a far cry from our coach), walked this morning with all our stuff (laptops, books, clothes, dog etc.) six blocks from the motel back to the repair facility today only to be told that they are not finished and we have to spend another night in the motel. So we walked back again to the motel where we are now. (Small town, no shuttle.)
The good thing about Iowa is the weather and seeing the high fields of corn. (See pictures below.) It's been fascinating checking out the corn fields in the various states. Without a doubt, Iowa's corn fields are more dense, greener, and taller than any other place we have seen. Did you know that 85% of all food you put into your mouth has corn or a by-product of corn in it? Jerry and Mary
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
August 3, 2008
Hi Everyone,
Last year we swore we would never come back to the Chicago area -- lots of freeways (many needing repair), all the trucks crossing the USA passing through (oh, maybe not all of them), lots of regular traffic, and concrete. That's just getting into Chicago. Actually, down town Chicago is beautiful. But, we couldn't get this close to a life long-friend without stopping to see her. Her name is Mary, too. Mary and Mary have been friends since the '70s. They have spent hours discussing all the current issues of the world, especially as they related to their various stages in life -- from raising children, health issues, careers, the children and their lives, the grandkids and their personalities and activities, and now retirement styles. With Jerry's mother now gone, it's like my friend, Mary, said: "We've moved up to the top of the line." Our grandparents and parents are now gone, and we are now the "old folks" in our family trees. So we know what our parents meant when they said: "I sure don't feel old." Until next time, live the life 'ya love. Jerry and Mary
Last year we swore we would never come back to the Chicago area -- lots of freeways (many needing repair), all the trucks crossing the USA passing through (oh, maybe not all of them), lots of regular traffic, and concrete. That's just getting into Chicago. Actually, down town Chicago is beautiful. But, we couldn't get this close to a life long-friend without stopping to see her. Her name is Mary, too. Mary and Mary have been friends since the '70s. They have spent hours discussing all the current issues of the world, especially as they related to their various stages in life -- from raising children, health issues, careers, the children and their lives, the grandkids and their personalities and activities, and now retirement styles. With Jerry's mother now gone, it's like my friend, Mary, said: "We've moved up to the top of the line." Our grandparents and parents are now gone, and we are now the "old folks" in our family trees. So we know what our parents meant when they said: "I sure don't feel old." Until next time, live the life 'ya love. Jerry and Mary
Monday, July 28, 2008
July 28, 2008
Hi Again,
We spent the week with Mary's sister, Lavern, and her husband, Bob, in the mountains in Northern Pennsylvania. (See photo of our RV parked on their property.) They have a get-away retreat on 14 acres with their own pond right outside their back door. Every night we would burn wood that they gathered up with their truck ATV during the day from the back woods of their property. One night we all went out with their pontoon boat powered by a quiet battery operated motor to have appetizers before dinner on the pontoon.
As you can see by the pictures, their place is serene nature at its finest. Blueberries, apples, raspberries and other fruit grow wild there. Between Jerry and Lavern's cooking, we ate well. It rained, with thunder and lightening, a couple of nights, just enough to get Chanti panicky. Other than that, the weather was perfect and we had a very relaxing time.
Tomorrow we head out again. It is always exciting to take off to new places and experience a different part of this great country that we live in.
We spent the week with Mary's sister, Lavern, and her husband, Bob, in the mountains in Northern Pennsylvania. (See photo of our RV parked on their property.) They have a get-away retreat on 14 acres with their own pond right outside their back door. Every night we would burn wood that they gathered up with their truck ATV during the day from the back woods of their property. One night we all went out with their pontoon boat powered by a quiet battery operated motor to have appetizers before dinner on the pontoon.
As you can see by the pictures, their place is serene nature at its finest. Blueberries, apples, raspberries and other fruit grow wild there. Between Jerry and Lavern's cooking, we ate well. It rained, with thunder and lightening, a couple of nights, just enough to get Chanti panicky. Other than that, the weather was perfect and we had a very relaxing time.
Tomorrow we head out again. It is always exciting to take off to new places and experience a different part of this great country that we live in.
Monday, July 21, 2008
July 21, 2008
Hi Everyone,
You don't have to wait any longer! Just what you have been waiting for -- is finally here! Pictures of Niagara Falls!!! Seriously, pictures do not do justice to the experience of seeing the spectacular force of unstoppable water going over the Falls, feeling the power and energy of the fast moving water and the mist as it constantly drizzles on us and our cameras, and hearing the unremitting sound of the moving water. Although we didn't take the tour boat that carries people under the Falls, we can just imagine how drenched they were -- and maybe a little scared, too. Instead, we chose to see the IMAX picture of traveling through and flying over the Falls. That was scary enough and we didn't have to get wet.
We were on the Canadian side of the Falls because that side is the most beautiful. Tomorrow we leave Canada for Pennsylvania, where we will be staying on Mary's sister and her husband's lake home property for a week.
You don't have to wait any longer! Just what you have been waiting for -- is finally here! Pictures of Niagara Falls!!! Seriously, pictures do not do justice to the experience of seeing the spectacular force of unstoppable water going over the Falls, feeling the power and energy of the fast moving water and the mist as it constantly drizzles on us and our cameras, and hearing the unremitting sound of the moving water. Although we didn't take the tour boat that carries people under the Falls, we can just imagine how drenched they were -- and maybe a little scared, too. Instead, we chose to see the IMAX picture of traveling through and flying over the Falls. That was scary enough and we didn't have to get wet.
We were on the Canadian side of the Falls because that side is the most beautiful. Tomorrow we leave Canada for Pennsylvania, where we will be staying on Mary's sister and her husband's lake home property for a week.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
July 16, 2008
Hi Again -- You may be wondering why we are up-dating this blog just two days after our last up-date. Well, for one thing, lots has happened. And, secondly, we are about to enter into Canada on Friday. (More about that later.)
When we left St. Ignace on Monday, we crossed over the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere. This bridge, the Mackinac Bridge, connects Michigan's two peninsulas. (See picture of bridge below, taken from RV.) We drove all day Monday and arrived at the RV park in Ann Arbor, MI by 6 p.m. This is the same park we stayed at last year. We ended up in the exact space as last year, too. We love it because, from our front window, we see only trees and the lake.
Last night (as we did last year when we were here), we had dinner with our long-time friends, John and Gale, and their 19 year old daughter, Annie. We enjoyed catching up with them. John never fails to remind us that, when he knew us years ago, we were the only people he knew who had a teenager in the house. He always wants to know how hold she is now. Susan, he is talking about you!
We have a rented car from Enterprise, so today we went to the Ann Arbor Art Festival, which is hugh. Thousands of vendors from many differents states come here for the Festival to show their art works -- paintings, glass, pottery, jewelry, wood, clothing, ceramics etc. That part was great. But, we couldn't take the heat. It was 94 degrees -- too hot to enjoy the sights.
On Friday we leave for Canada to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side. We checked with Verizon today, and were told that our PC cards (to get us on the internet) will not work in Canada, and our cell phones will cost between $.78-$2.00 a minute to use. Soooo -- we've decided that we will turn off our cell phones when we are in Canada. If anyone absolutely needs to reach us, we will be at the Niagara Falls Jellystone Park (tele: 905-354-1432). We will be back in the USA on July 22. Later -- Jerry and Mary
When we left St. Ignace on Monday, we crossed over the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere. This bridge, the Mackinac Bridge, connects Michigan's two peninsulas. (See picture of bridge below, taken from RV.) We drove all day Monday and arrived at the RV park in Ann Arbor, MI by 6 p.m. This is the same park we stayed at last year. We ended up in the exact space as last year, too. We love it because, from our front window, we see only trees and the lake.
Last night (as we did last year when we were here), we had dinner with our long-time friends, John and Gale, and their 19 year old daughter, Annie. We enjoyed catching up with them. John never fails to remind us that, when he knew us years ago, we were the only people he knew who had a teenager in the house. He always wants to know how hold she is now. Susan, he is talking about you!
We have a rented car from Enterprise, so today we went to the Ann Arbor Art Festival, which is hugh. Thousands of vendors from many differents states come here for the Festival to show their art works -- paintings, glass, pottery, jewelry, wood, clothing, ceramics etc. That part was great. But, we couldn't take the heat. It was 94 degrees -- too hot to enjoy the sights.
On Friday we leave for Canada to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side. We checked with Verizon today, and were told that our PC cards (to get us on the internet) will not work in Canada, and our cell phones will cost between $.78-$2.00 a minute to use. Soooo -- we've decided that we will turn off our cell phones when we are in Canada. If anyone absolutely needs to reach us, we will be at the Niagara Falls Jellystone Park (tele: 905-354-1432). We will be back in the USA on July 22. Later -- Jerry and Mary
Monday, July 14, 2008
July 14, 2008
Hi Everyone,
We've spent the last two weeks in Wisconsin and Michigan. (Right now we just arrived at an RV park near Ann Arbor, MI.) Wisconsin is beautiful -- especially if you love trees and lakes as we do. It was a quiet time for us.
But it was in Michigan that we did a bit more exploring. Probably the most fun we had was taking the ferry over Lake Michigan to Mackinac Island. Now, Mackinac Island is home to 400 people -- the Grand Hotel -- small shops (especially home-made fudge shops -- we bought two pounds) -- horse carriages and lots of bicycle rental places. No cars are allowed on the island. We rented a tandem bike and asked the young boy who prepared it for us if the island was hilly. "No, it's all flat," he said. Well --- we biked up and down the hills, really getting our exercise, and had to push the bike a number of times. We said, "how can he say that this is flat?"
Nearly two hours later when we returned the bike, we asked him why he said that the island was flat. We told him where we biked and he said "Oh my, you did that?" Turns out that there was a flat bike trail that circled the island close to the water. Guess he didn't figure that old folks would take to the hills. Turns out that we were the only ones on tandem bikes traveling the hills. But, in doing so, we saw the Grand Hotel and other island wonders of nature. (The Grand Hotel was the place where "Somewhere In Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour was filmed.) We asked how much it cost per night to stay there and were told that rooms go $250-$400 per night.
On a more sober note, the high cost of fuel has certainly put a damper on this country's RV economy. One day, we traveled 300 miles and only saw 11 other RVs along the way. RV parks make their money in the summer time. Most of the parks are near empty. (See photo below. In that park, there were 145 spaces and only six RVs were there last Saturday night.) We, ourselves, have decided to travel less and stay longer at the various places we visit. (We will update our map of projected travel shortly.)
We've spent the last two weeks in Wisconsin and Michigan. (Right now we just arrived at an RV park near Ann Arbor, MI.) Wisconsin is beautiful -- especially if you love trees and lakes as we do. It was a quiet time for us.
But it was in Michigan that we did a bit more exploring. Probably the most fun we had was taking the ferry over Lake Michigan to Mackinac Island. Now, Mackinac Island is home to 400 people -- the Grand Hotel -- small shops (especially home-made fudge shops -- we bought two pounds) -- horse carriages and lots of bicycle rental places. No cars are allowed on the island. We rented a tandem bike and asked the young boy who prepared it for us if the island was hilly. "No, it's all flat," he said. Well --- we biked up and down the hills, really getting our exercise, and had to push the bike a number of times. We said, "how can he say that this is flat?"
Nearly two hours later when we returned the bike, we asked him why he said that the island was flat. We told him where we biked and he said "Oh my, you did that?" Turns out that there was a flat bike trail that circled the island close to the water. Guess he didn't figure that old folks would take to the hills. Turns out that we were the only ones on tandem bikes traveling the hills. But, in doing so, we saw the Grand Hotel and other island wonders of nature. (The Grand Hotel was the place where "Somewhere In Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour was filmed.) We asked how much it cost per night to stay there and were told that rooms go $250-$400 per night.
On a more sober note, the high cost of fuel has certainly put a damper on this country's RV economy. One day, we traveled 300 miles and only saw 11 other RVs along the way. RV parks make their money in the summer time. Most of the parks are near empty. (See photo below. In that park, there were 145 spaces and only six RVs were there last Saturday night.) We, ourselves, have decided to travel less and stay longer at the various places we visit. (We will update our map of projected travel shortly.)
Thursday, July 3, 2008
July 3, 2008
Happy 4th of July to Everyone!
We just left Sean's farm in North Dakota where the family held a large birthday party and reunion. All of Mary's children and grandchildren, plus most of her brothers and sisters and some of her nieces and nephews with their families, were there, along with many friends of Bob, the birthday boy. The weather was beautiful EXCEPT for the day of the party when there were heavy rains, and some thunder and lightening, the whole day. Luckily, they rented a tent and the party went on. With a rented sound system, speakers and microphone, the music continued until 2:30 A.M. Raul, our son-in-law, created beautiful fruit platters -- making palm trees, birds, sharks, chickens, and leaf designs out of the various types of fruit. (See pictures below.)
With all of the space on the farm, everyone had a great time -- especially some of the city grandkids from LA -- who really felt their freedom. The younger ones chased after the farm animals, rode bikes all over the place, climbed hay stacks, helped feed the goats and rode on an ATV with Sean. We took lots of family pictures, and even dressed with overalls for some group shots. (See picture below.)
We just left Sean's farm in North Dakota where the family held a large birthday party and reunion. All of Mary's children and grandchildren, plus most of her brothers and sisters and some of her nieces and nephews with their families, were there, along with many friends of Bob, the birthday boy. The weather was beautiful EXCEPT for the day of the party when there were heavy rains, and some thunder and lightening, the whole day. Luckily, they rented a tent and the party went on. With a rented sound system, speakers and microphone, the music continued until 2:30 A.M. Raul, our son-in-law, created beautiful fruit platters -- making palm trees, birds, sharks, chickens, and leaf designs out of the various types of fruit. (See pictures below.)
With all of the space on the farm, everyone had a great time -- especially some of the city grandkids from LA -- who really felt their freedom. The younger ones chased after the farm animals, rode bikes all over the place, climbed hay stacks, helped feed the goats and rode on an ATV with Sean. We took lots of family pictures, and even dressed with overalls for some group shots. (See picture below.)
Sunday, June 22, 2008
June 22, 2008
Hi Everyone,
We left our relatives in Cold Spring, MN and are spending five days in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Now, most people know that Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. But, did you realize that there is more grass to cut in this state than nearly any other place? It's all quite beautiful -- yet we feel sorry for all the hard work the folks here have to put in to keep their lawns looking so spectacular. Even though most people have a riding lawn mower, it still takes a lot of time to cut so much grass. Then there are the mosquitos that come with the territory. We are very lucky right now because the mosquitos disappear when there is a breeze. And there is a nice breeze at present. On Wednesday, we head back to Fargo for a big family reunion.
We left our relatives in Cold Spring, MN and are spending five days in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Now, most people know that Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. But, did you realize that there is more grass to cut in this state than nearly any other place? It's all quite beautiful -- yet we feel sorry for all the hard work the folks here have to put in to keep their lawns looking so spectacular. Even though most people have a riding lawn mower, it still takes a lot of time to cut so much grass. Then there are the mosquitos that come with the territory. We are very lucky right now because the mosquitos disappear when there is a breeze. And there is a nice breeze at present. On Wednesday, we head back to Fargo for a big family reunion.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
June 15, 2008
Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there. We are sure enjoying this day and the trip thus far. Since our last posting, we spent time on Sean's (Mary's son) goat farm in Fargo, ND, traveled to Cold Spring, MN (about 200 miles from Fargo, the place where Mary grew up and where many of her brothers and sisters still live) to attend the wedding of her niece, Becki, then traveled with two of her sisters and their husbands to spend time at her sister and husband's lake home in Hackensack, MN (120 miles north of Cold Spring), and are now back in a beautiful RV park right outside of Cold Spring. Mary's nephew, Terry, and his wife, Lynn, live on the lake across from the park. Yesterday, they and their family came across the lake on a pontoon to pick us up to take us to their lake home. Absolutely lovely! Now -- that is. In winter, the lake is totally frozen over.
About the most unusual for us is the weather. One minute, the sky is blue with white puffy clouds, and the temperature in the 70s. Within 5 minutes, the sky can turn ominous, dark, with winds coming at us at 60 miles an hour with heavy rains. Last night we were entertaining Ann (Mary's sister) and her husband, Mike, when the camp host drove up to our coach in a golf cart and told us to get to the shelter immediately. We jumped up from the dinner table and ran 50 feet to the men's shower (a concrete building) where we met up with 25 or so other adults and children. One man had a radio tuned to the weather station, and we heard how a tornado touched down 15 miles from us. Poor Chanti (our dog) and some of the young children in the room couldn't stop shaking as the rain came down in buckets, lightening and thunder all around us. Boy, when they say, "get to a shelter" -- they mean right now!
About the most unusual for us is the weather. One minute, the sky is blue with white puffy clouds, and the temperature in the 70s. Within 5 minutes, the sky can turn ominous, dark, with winds coming at us at 60 miles an hour with heavy rains. Last night we were entertaining Ann (Mary's sister) and her husband, Mike, when the camp host drove up to our coach in a golf cart and told us to get to the shelter immediately. We jumped up from the dinner table and ran 50 feet to the men's shower (a concrete building) where we met up with 25 or so other adults and children. One man had a radio tuned to the weather station, and we heard how a tornado touched down 15 miles from us. Poor Chanti (our dog) and some of the young children in the room couldn't stop shaking as the rain came down in buckets, lightening and thunder all around us. Boy, when they say, "get to a shelter" -- they mean right now!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
June 3, 2008
Hi Everyone,
This is the part of the trip where we visit relatives. Our trip from Glacier to Minot (after we left the mountains) was flat and straight. (See picture below.) First stop was at Minot, ND to visit Mary's brother and sister-in-law, and their family. They and their business partners build retirement community homes that provide one, two or three bedroom suites, all amenities of a fine hotel, including a dining room with seating on an enclosed patio, library, beauty parlor, laundry rooms, a communal kitchen for those who still love to entertain large families or friends, a beautiful private dining room reserved by the guests for special occasions, an exercise room, extra storage room for the guests, and numerous themed-relation lounges. After we toured the Minot facility (which was first class), we then ate in the dining room where we each ordered different selections from the menu. Places like these are becoming very popular with seniors who still have all their faculties, but don't want the hassle of owning a home yet want all of their necessities close by them and the companionship of others near by. (We have seen our future when we are finished RVing -- some twenty years from now.)
We left Minot and are now in Fargo, ND on Sean's (Mary's son) farm where he raises goats. It is raining heavily, as usual for this trip. Will tell you more about it later.
This is the part of the trip where we visit relatives. Our trip from Glacier to Minot (after we left the mountains) was flat and straight. (See picture below.) First stop was at Minot, ND to visit Mary's brother and sister-in-law, and their family. They and their business partners build retirement community homes that provide one, two or three bedroom suites, all amenities of a fine hotel, including a dining room with seating on an enclosed patio, library, beauty parlor, laundry rooms, a communal kitchen for those who still love to entertain large families or friends, a beautiful private dining room reserved by the guests for special occasions, an exercise room, extra storage room for the guests, and numerous themed-relation lounges. After we toured the Minot facility (which was first class), we then ate in the dining room where we each ordered different selections from the menu. Places like these are becoming very popular with seniors who still have all their faculties, but don't want the hassle of owning a home yet want all of their necessities close by them and the companionship of others near by. (We have seen our future when we are finished RVing -- some twenty years from now.)
We left Minot and are now in Fargo, ND on Sean's (Mary's son) farm where he raises goats. It is raining heavily, as usual for this trip. Will tell you more about it later.
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