March 4, 2013 we took the RV to Giant Recreation World in Winter Garden Florida for service.
Re-activated Sirius radio for our California trip.
March 16, 2013 Giant finished our RV and the bill was $450 less than estimated because warranty paid some of it. Nice. Giant even fixed two things free we didn't know about. Great service!!!
The service manager Shane suggested I contact the warranty company to reimburse me for the bedroom air conditioner we replaced in Oklahoma. If I get a check back from the warranty company, I will send him lunch.
Service work done:
Read pack wheel bearings and cleaned grease from brakes.
Black tank valve - Cable replaced.
Cleaned and UV sealed roof.
Replaced toilet ball valve.
Generator service – oil change.
Installed Max air vent over bathroom fan.
Repaired propane water heater – cleaned burner assembly and checked all wiring.
Replaced wire loom holder on one slide.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
ASHEVILLE TO LEESBURG, FLORIDA
Wednesday, September 5, 2012 at 6:45 AM it is 73° and cloudy. We are heading HOME after being away 20 months !!! Asheville North Carolina to Leesburg Florida is 558 miles so our ETA is 6 pm
We passed a trucker hauling huge trees and missed the only rest area in South Carolina! At 10 AM, 35 miles from I-95 we stopped at a Hess for fuel.
At 10:37 AM we are on I 95 in South Carolina. The road is rough.
At 11:59 AM we are at the Georgia welcome center and hope for better roads. By 2:04 PM we crossed into Florida.
We have lots to do when we arrive home as we have been awake since February 28, 2011 we sent a load home in our Buick from Oklahoma ($550).
At 2:55 PM we are at the Travel Center, exit 329 for a fuel stop and to walk the kids. $4.36 a gallon when it was $3.96 in SC. WTF?
At 4:25, we took I-95 to I4W to Deland, ethen 44 to Eustis. We are enjoying the nice Florida roads. This is a very long route though going through Deland, and we now have two lane with no shoulder!
WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN I-4 TO SANFORD.
We arrived home at 5:35 PM, 48,950 miles on the Dodge.
We passed a trucker hauling huge trees and missed the only rest area in South Carolina! At 10 AM, 35 miles from I-95 we stopped at a Hess for fuel.
At 10:37 AM we are on I 95 in South Carolina. The road is rough.
At 11:59 AM we are at the Georgia welcome center and hope for better roads. By 2:04 PM we crossed into Florida.
We have lots to do when we arrive home as we have been awake since February 28, 2011 we sent a load home in our Buick from Oklahoma ($550).
At 2:55 PM we are at the Travel Center, exit 329 for a fuel stop and to walk the kids. $4.36 a gallon when it was $3.96 in SC. WTF?
At 4:25, we took I-95 to I4W to Deland, ethen 44 to Eustis. We are enjoying the nice Florida roads. This is a very long route though going through Deland, and we now have two lane with no shoulder!
WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN I-4 TO SANFORD.
We arrived home at 5:35 PM, 48,950 miles on the Dodge.
KENORA TO ASHEVILLE, NC
Wednesday, August 29, 2012, was a sunny 67° morning. We left at 7:50 AM, mileage on the Dodge 46,798. Our first stop was a fuel up at Rainy River Petro in Canada, at a ridiculous price!!! We walked the dogs just in case we were delayed at customs. Fort Frances (Canadian side of the border) is very pretty with hanging flower baskets all along Main Street At international Falls, we missed the turn for customs, and had to turn around on a two lane road. Tricky, with a 40 foot trailer!!!
At 11:50 AM, we were at the border with a customs agent inspecting our outside bins. They took the milk bone dog cookies as they were not in the original box, and confiscated a piece of wood that Mark had planned to make into a walking stick. 15 minutes later, we were through the border.
At 3:30 PM, we stopped in Duluth Minnesota at the Lakehead Boat Basin for overnight. We liked Duluth, and the RV park in town was very good. We would like to stay a few days to explore the area another time. 47,130
Thursday, August 30, 2012 ... 8:03 AM, after a brief thunderstorm we headed to Rockford Illinois. Exit number 53 was closed, so we had to follow detour signs. Highway 53 S. was good condition. At a rest stop, we met Jackie and John Slater, from war Eagle road, Keewatin. They have Scottie !!!
At 11:25 AM, we were in Eau Claire Wisconsin and got onto I 94 to Madison. At 12:20 PM we stop for fuel at a BP. We drove 498 miles today, and stopped at a Shell gas station on I 39 S. at exit 35. They have a few RV sites with power on. It was a good stop.
Friday, August 31, 6:10 AM we left Winona for Lexington Kentucky, 400 miles away. It is a rather hazy day, with rain predicted from hurricane Isaac tonight. While we were driving, the sun pouring into the truck cab, we could see the feeder clouds to the south. At 8:20 AM we crossed into Indiana.
We stopped at a Pilot for fuel, and said we would only use this for emergency, as it was very slow, had a long line, and was not easy to get the RV into. Then, they only gave a $75 in fuel.
At 11:30 AM, we crossed into Ohio. The roads have a few holes and bumps, but the area is hilly and green. We crossed the wide Ohio River.
11:45 AM we were in Kentucky!!! 410 miles driven today!!!
We stayed in Georgetown Kentucky, at Whispering Hills RV, exit 129. It was a decent campground for $27 502-863-2552.
September 1, 2012 at 6:27 AM we left Lexington Kentucky for Asheville North Carolina. Mileage on the Dodge 48,038 miles.
High clouds associated with hurricane Isaac are still around us, but we missed all the rain!!! This is a very nice road, and we are cruising at 66 miles per hour. We plan a break at the Tennessee border, before we tackle the mountains. So far, it has just been long hills.
Tennessee I 75 border to Asheville on I 40. Dodge mileage 48,170. 74° at 9:01 AM. We've been out running hurricane Isaac but no rain so far.
On I 40, we saw three kids on a bridge over the Tennessee River ... one boy jumped off! We didn't see him surface!!!
At 11:05 AM we are in North Carolina! It's a good Road, a few 45 mile-per-hour curves but okay. Mark is very happy he has a Jake brake.
At 12:10 PM we arrived at Bear Creek RV park where we stayed for four wonderful days visiting our Asheville family. We are finally headed HOME.
At 11:50 AM, we were at the border with a customs agent inspecting our outside bins. They took the milk bone dog cookies as they were not in the original box, and confiscated a piece of wood that Mark had planned to make into a walking stick. 15 minutes later, we were through the border.
At 3:30 PM, we stopped in Duluth Minnesota at the Lakehead Boat Basin for overnight. We liked Duluth, and the RV park in town was very good. We would like to stay a few days to explore the area another time. 47,130
Thursday, August 30, 2012 ... 8:03 AM, after a brief thunderstorm we headed to Rockford Illinois. Exit number 53 was closed, so we had to follow detour signs. Highway 53 S. was good condition. At a rest stop, we met Jackie and John Slater, from war Eagle road, Keewatin. They have Scottie !!!
At 11:25 AM, we were in Eau Claire Wisconsin and got onto I 94 to Madison. At 12:20 PM we stop for fuel at a BP. We drove 498 miles today, and stopped at a Shell gas station on I 39 S. at exit 35. They have a few RV sites with power on. It was a good stop.
Friday, August 31, 6:10 AM we left Winona for Lexington Kentucky, 400 miles away. It is a rather hazy day, with rain predicted from hurricane Isaac tonight. While we were driving, the sun pouring into the truck cab, we could see the feeder clouds to the south. At 8:20 AM we crossed into Indiana.
We stopped at a Pilot for fuel, and said we would only use this for emergency, as it was very slow, had a long line, and was not easy to get the RV into. Then, they only gave a $75 in fuel.
At 11:30 AM, we crossed into Ohio. The roads have a few holes and bumps, but the area is hilly and green. We crossed the wide Ohio River.
11:45 AM we were in Kentucky!!! 410 miles driven today!!!
We stayed in Georgetown Kentucky, at Whispering Hills RV, exit 129. It was a decent campground for $27 502-863-2552.
September 1, 2012 at 6:27 AM we left Lexington Kentucky for Asheville North Carolina. Mileage on the Dodge 48,038 miles.
High clouds associated with hurricane Isaac are still around us, but we missed all the rain!!! This is a very nice road, and we are cruising at 66 miles per hour. We plan a break at the Tennessee border, before we tackle the mountains. So far, it has just been long hills.
Tennessee I 75 border to Asheville on I 40. Dodge mileage 48,170. 74° at 9:01 AM. We've been out running hurricane Isaac but no rain so far.
On I 40, we saw three kids on a bridge over the Tennessee River ... one boy jumped off! We didn't see him surface!!!
At 11:05 AM we are in North Carolina! It's a good Road, a few 45 mile-per-hour curves but okay. Mark is very happy he has a Jake brake.
At 12:10 PM we arrived at Bear Creek RV park where we stayed for four wonderful days visiting our Asheville family. We are finally headed HOME.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
OKLAHOMA CITY TO LAKE OF THE WOODS
June 29, 2012 ... Dodge 44,120 miles, 80° at 6 AM ... Fritz just stopped by, he's off to Patoka Indiana to see Deb ... we are all hung over from tequila shots last night!!! LOL
After a year and a half of Mark working in Oklahoma City, we have decided to take the long way home as a retirement kickoff vacation.
Our Oklahoma friend, Tim Deffner, is from Blackwell. This part of Oklahoma is flat with black soil ... unlike Oklahoma City with its red dirt spreading as far as the Texas border.
At 8:10 AM we have crossed into Kansas. The tequila hangover persists. LOL. these Kansas roads are very smooth. We passed Eldorado Lake, obviously man-made as large dead trees are standing in it. In the Flint Hills area you can see for 25 or 30 miles, and cattle are everywhere. We noticed a sign for national prairie grass preserve. The scenery is pretty, it's going to be a very hot day as it is 90° at 10 AM.
Missouri at 12:20 PM. Neat rusty metal silhouettes of Buffalo, horses and Indians and covered wagons are along the N435 freeway. Kansas City is one huge city!!! At 12:45, we are finally back on I 35 north.
At 1:10 PM we had a rest area lunch stop. The dogs did their business and we ate. Missouri is kind of a no-frills area. The roads are good, and we're heading for "Terrible's" in Des Moines Iowa for overnight. We drove over 500 miles today, with hangovers!
At 3:45 PM we were parked at Lakeside Casino, 777 Casino Dr. in Osceola Iowa. We had a great sleep, and picked up breakfast at the Subway next-door.
Saturday, June 30, 2012 we are headed from Osceola Iowa to prior Lake Minnesota, 275 miles. It is 4:15 AM when we left with a bit of rain and lightning. The roads are a bit rough. We passed over the pretty Raccoon River, while listening to the Bob and Tom radio show. By 5:30 AM sunup, we are in the rolling hills. Around here you see very neat and tidy farms. It makes us want to have one! Yeah, chickens and horses and dogs!!!
We stopped around the Minnesota border for coffee and to take a picture of Mark, Robbie and Maggie in front of the rig. It's sunny and 77° at 8 AM ... It's going to be a scorcher today!
We read on Facebook that Pam and Bill Moulton welcomed Andrew, 7 lbs. 7 oz. yesterday!!! A new family member.
At 9:30 AM, we arrived at Fish Lake Camp, a lousy mosquito infested campground, cash only ... a mom and Pop operation at $68 a night. Oh well, we will stay two nights. We are excited to see Pam, it's been 2 1/2 years.
We had a fantastic visit with Pam. She came over Saturday morning before work and we arranged for her to stay over ($5) on our sofa bed as the gate closes at 10 PM!!! Sunday, Pam had the day off so we spent the day with her at the townhouse in Apple Valley. Robbie was completely awful ... he pooped four times and paid three times at Pam's !!! OMG
Monday, July 2, 2012 at 6:10 AM we left prior Lake for Grand Forks, North Dakota. The highway west of the Twin Cities was so rough that we had to run in the left lane. We got cut off and given the bird by our 1st Road Rager of this trip. We passed a lot of huge horrid looking turkey barns. It's already 83°, and forecast to be 98°. Hey, we just saw buffalo.
At 10:45 AM we were in Fargo and by 11:10 AM we were on I 29 N. strange sight was a snowmobile on a trailer. Ha ha, we haven't seen that for years!!!
We had a relaxing night, and talked to Rod and Shay and then to bed by 10 o'clock.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 6:50 AM we check the tires and fueled up and were on I 29 by 7:16 AM. The roads were decent, but not much to see ... crops and mile-long trains. We were looking forward to shopping at the duty-free before crossing into Canada. But it's closed!!! Mark bought a crown royal and five cigars and Sitco. Odd but at the border there were four vehicles I'm ahead of us from Oklahoma!!! Our papers were in order and through we went! Hooray.
In Winnipeg, on Pembina Highway, a good Samaritan adopted us and guided us through the city to our destination. Mark was flabbergasted. It is known as friendly Manitoba.
We were able to get three nights for $110 at Northgate. I swear Sue and Wayne's old Schultz is still here. Tonight we are invited for 4 PM cocktails and dinner at the Stevenson's.
Les and Lynne's house looks great. We met Ken and Dale, friends from the lake who frequently stay at their house. We enjoyed drinks, dinner and then sat on the deck until 10 PM with the 'thermacel' on. We slept great at the RV and got up to a rainy morning.
July 4, 2012 we're going to see Greg and Darlene today. We were shocked to see Greg so bloated and ill. Darlene was off work too with a trigger thumb. We brought a bottle of wine, and met Selena the rat and Foxy the pom-chi. We had lots of laughs and a good visit.
Dinner was homemade pizza with Les and Lynne. We playedp Mexican dominoes until 10, then home to the RV for bed.
Thursday, July 5, 2012 ... we hope to see Crystal today, and then we are going to Gimli with Les and Lynne and then to the Yacht Club for dinner. A busy day!
It was nice to see Crystal's new home in West Kildonan. It's in nice condition in a good neighborhood. We had a great visit and heard a different side of Gregg's condition. He may be smoking and drinking and is very depressed, but who wouldn't be?
Les drove us to Gimli, where we walked the pier, shopped at Turlgelson's old shop, and then had pickerel and fries for lunch. We cruised around Winnipeg Beach and then home. We are meeting at 6 PM at the Yacht Club for a Ukrainian dinner and drinks. Mark treated, then Les and Lynne took us for a boat ride to the redwood bridge. They have a spare boat, a 22 foot. At the dock, we saw Glenn Wright ... he had just come in from Gimli, and had his brother Brad with him. I hadn't seen them in 30 years, and it turned into quite a few laughs.
Friday, July 6, 2012 ... happy 55th birthday Mark! And happy official retirement. We went to Cabelas this morning to pick up boat seats for Wayne.
At 1:52 PM, we are leaving Northgate in Winnipeg for Flom's in Lake of the Woods, Ontario. Mileage on the Dodge is 45,583. We have a full tank of water and we're ready to dry camp for a week. It's a decent road with the gravel shoulder.
We talked to Fritz who is going to Oklahoma City tomorrow. We hope he and Tim work well together.
At 4:50 PM, we turned onto Kenrica Road and waited for Sue and Wayne to guide us to Flom's. Wayne insisted on going with Mark in the truck, so I got into Sue's car. I was glad I did as it was "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride". There was 5 miles of hilly, twisting gravel roads. Horrible!!!
Monty and Mary Beth made us welcome. That night, dinner was at Kurian's and we met Larry and Maggie Flett, married 27 years. We had plans to see them in Corpus Christi that didn't pan out. We sat on the dock with Larry's daughter Anna and had some wine.
Saturday, July 7, we had dinner at Kurian's with chicken on the barbecue. Larry and Maggie joined in.
Sunday, July 8 we had a pontoon boat ride with Monty and Mary. And then steak barbecue at Sue and Wayne's.
Monday, July 9 is our last camping night here. We are going to the guest cottage tomorrow. We had a boat ride with Monty and Mary plus Jim and Joyce Gauthier. After the ride, we played Mexican dominoes till 11:45. Fun night.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012, we moved from the RV into Kurian's guest cottage. Sue helped to sort things out as Wayne was in
Thunder Bay. His sister Bev had just passed away.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 we had chicken and potatoes on the dock. Mark trimmed trees and we made plans to move the rig behind Wayne's.
Thursday, July 12, 2012 was a very exciting day!!! Mark and I arrived at Flom's about 10:30 AM to haul our rig to Kurian's. We passed signs "TRUCKS" and noticed new granite gravel in some areas,
We hooked up, and cold out of Flom's driveway. I was very concerned about the steep hill directly ahead of us, and the new loose gravel. I said, "Let's back up to get a running start!!!". But oh no!!! Mark stepped on the gas instead, "Let's just see how we do.". We almost made it up the hill before we spun out on the loose gravel and slid backwards 250 feet to stop with our rig off the road in the ditch.
Fortunately, there was no one behind us. I called Wayne to ask about a tow truck, but he arrived with his Cadillac Escalade 4 Wheel Dr. and a long Anchor-line! Mark dugout the loose gravel around the truck tires, and Wayne hooked up the line from his Cadillac to our Dodge. A few minutes later, Wayne had us out of the ditch and up the hill ... unbelievably!!! Wow.
We drove to Anicinabe to dump the black water tank, and then parked the rig in Wayne's spare driveway until August 6, when we go to camp at Anicinabe for a week. That evening, we had shish kebabs on the grill in the screened patio. It was hot and muggy and about 9:30 a very wild thunderstorm started.
Friday, July 13, 2012 ... Robbie was $325 at the vet yesterday. The poor guy isn't feeling well. We had no idea what was wrong, until he peed blood just as we went into the vet's office. We will have to wait for culture results, but in the meantime he is on antibiotics and anti-spasmodic medication. Poor little Scottie.
We are tidying up the guest cottage, and then going to McDermott lumber for some shelving. Mark is going to add a shelf above each of the hanging cabinets. Tonight we are going to go to Ristorante Italiano for dinner. The food was great, I had chicken Parmesan, and Mark had chicken marsala. From the restaurant, Mark saw a small Lhasa apso dog run across the crosswalk and sit on the doorstep with a drunk Indian for a moment before taking off down the side street. Wayne took a piece of his chicken, and left to see if he could coax the dog over, but no luck. After dinner, we cruised around town and based on my psychic abilities, found the dog ... now on a red leash with an Indian couple. Mark called out "did you just find that dog?". Their response was "My dog.". After that adventure, we went back to the cottage and played Mexican dominoes till 10.
Saturday, July 14, 2012, his Bev's funeral. We are dog sitting, so I did laundry at the big cottage. . We plan to cook porkchops tonight for all. On a happy note, Linda and Randy will arrive on Monday from Florida. Robbie seems to be feeling a little better.
Mark did the cooking, and I did salad and the dishes, we ate on the dock with Sue and Wayne and then played dominoes till 10.
Sunday, July 15, 2012 I cooked a delicious pancake breakfast. After, we went to McDermott lumber where I bought a few 3M hooks, a barbecue brush, and some finishing nails. It's now raining very lightly and is 75°.
Monday, July 16, 2012 we had a first text of the day from our friend Tim in Oklahoma City. We enjoyed breakfast at a restaurant called yesterday's with Kurian's. Mark and Wayne did some wiring for boat lanterns on the dock. The small guest cottage has now been named "Chippey's Hollow" ... And I am painting a tree slab sign for the doorway. Tonight, Wayne cooked salmon, chicken, sweet potatoes and garlic bread on the barbecue. We were home early to brush the dogs, Robbie is still not well.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012, Mark is helping Wayne wire for new AC in the main cottage. While I was vacuuming at chippies, the vacuum fell on the glass table and broke. Oops!
We met Linda and Randy, Bob and Jill at Boston pizza for pasta night. This is the first time to see Linda and Randy since Christmas of 2010. Fun.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012, Mark and I went to the farmers market for fresh items to make our Texas caviar for the dock party on Friday. As I later found out, the cilantro I bought was actually dill. Hmmm
There's still no word from the vet on Robbie's culture test. We started him on cranberry juice in his water, and Sue is now phoning too.
We had dinner and watched football at Heather and Bruce's place with Sue and Wayne, and Jim and Joyce. We watched the skinny CFL blue bombers. They certainly look smaller than the USA football players!!!
Thursday, July 19, 2012 we took Robbie to the vet at 7:30 AM, he couldn't inflate his bladder as it was too inflamed, so exploratory surgery was done to remove a stone. The poor little guy is in recovery but doing well. The vet called at 1:30 PM with information on a special diet, and to ask permission to send the stone for analysis. Robbie has to stay in overnight due to the large abdominal surgery.
We had a dinner of chicken and pineapple on the dock and sat on the glider till 9 PM
Friday, July 20, 2012, Maggie jumped into bed with Mark after I got up to paint my nails, she's missing Robbie!!! Tonight is Sue and Wayne's big dock party, and we are making Texas caviar.
We picked Robbie up at the vet, the poor guy has a huge incision, stitches and a hood on for 10 days. He is quite mad! And tried to attack Maggie when we arrived home. He is refusing water, so ice cubes and a dropper will have to suffice.
The dock party was fun, and we met lots of neighbors and one old friend from Angus McKay elementary school, Dawn Fraser, aka lotto lady. Dawn recalled being with Linda Malmgren at the Yacht Club in Winnipeg when dad's boat exploded. That was 1966!
Saturday, July 21, 2012, Linda and Randy came over for dinner, and we had hors d'oeuvres on the dock, followed by dinner on the screened porch at the main car. Linda had a terrible cold, so we kept out distance, but it was great to see them.
Robbie is doing well, but is still refusing water and now refusing ice. Mark is making the slurry of stink food and water.
Sunday, July 22, 2012, we had a lovely dinner at Charlie and Rose Dowling's gorgeous home. The bear carving collection is quite amazing. We met Rose's brother from Edmonton, Art.
Charlie sister, Melody and her husband Brian were also there. Earlier, Wayne took us on the Windsorcraft for a cruise down Clearwater Bay.
Monday, July 23, 2012, the Stevenson's will be dropping in this morning en route to Winnipeg. We were surprised to learn they have put their boat up for sale,
This evening, we are going on the Tahoe for a sunset cruise with Sue and Wayne. We putted along the Kendall Inlet area and enjoyed the ride.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, the electric will be off from 930 to 130, so we are going to Falcon Lake for lunch and a trash run. We saw Marlene, Wayne's sister, and Cheryl, his niece, with Emma and Cory. We had a picnic lunch, with all five dogs and eight people. It was a nice day!
Tonight we went for Chinese food at hHo Ho's. It was okay, but not great. Everything cost extra. But we got a free beer and wine!! Ha.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, Mark made baked ziti and we ate on the glider with Sue and Wayne. We tried heating garlic bread on the barbecue, but we couldn't get it hot enough. It read 180°, but was Celsius. Oops. Wayne crank the barbecue on high, but forgot about the bread until he saw smoke!! No bread tonight.
The rain began in earnest and cooled things off, and rained all through the night.
Thursday, July 26, 2012 was a lazy, rainy day. I finished painting the sign for chippies hollow and Mark sanded the antique coffee table. I'm going to paint a small tree on it. Tonight, Sue and Wayne are coming for a baked ziti repeat. We played dominoes till 10.
Friday, July 27, 2012 was a lazy morning. We took Robbie to the Kanora vet to get his stitches out. Later Mark went fishing with Wayne well I got organized for a job party at Gauthier's.
Gauthier's Dock party was very hot, with almost no shade. Their boathouse is amazing, with four boats and a complete kitchen.
Saturday, July 28, 2012, Mark and Wayne went fishing off zigzag island and came home with Pickerel for supper. Sue cooked macaroni and cheese with peas and we ate on the glider, dockside. Baby chipmunk was running around our feet. My day was laundry at Keewatin Place. :-(
Sue came with me, and we went to Taylor Made where I bought a chipmunk Lake toy for Maggie. After dinner, Maggie went for a boat ride with Wayne and Mark to dump fish guts. She loved it !!! She sat at the bow and we could see her ears perked up.
Sunday, July 29, 2012, Wayne cooked eggs and French toast this morning. This evening, we are going to Ash Rapids by boat for dinner. It was a wonderful boat ride, about 45 minutes. There was no air conditioning at the restaurant, but dinner was excellent. We just got home in the boat in the nick of time as a huge thunderstorm came through, and the electric went out till 930 the next morning. It was a hot sleepless night.
Monday, July 30, 2012 we went to Home Hardware with Wayne and Mark for supplies, then Walmart, then walked Shorty and Julius in town. Tonight, Mark and I cooked pizza and we ate in Kurian's screened porch.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012, Sue and I went to town and shopped at McTaggart's, the bargain bin, and Safeway.
In the evening, we relaxed on the dock with drinks and then had dinner of salad, baked ziti and rolls and more wine at Chippey's Hollow. Mark and Wayne installed shade cloth on all the windows.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012, is a no wine day, according to Sue!!! Apparently, we were overserved last night and I was the one pouring. My bad. Tonight we are having chicken on the screened porch, and tomorrow Wayne's sisters, Terry and Marlene are coming for lunch.
Thursday, August 2, 2012, Wayne popped in, his sisters had canceled, so we will go to Kenora by boat for lunch. Alright! It's 75° and partly cloudy, just perfect.
We had a great ride! We enjoyed lunch at Kenora's Lakeside Inn, good food but lousy service. We saw lots of new cottages, but many memories of boating here in the 1970s.
We had a fancy dinner tonight, which was intended to be lunch for Wayne's sisters, but someone had to eat it .. tenderloin tips, cucumber salad and raspberry pie.
Friday, August 3, 2012, Mark and I opened a bank account in Kenora at the credit union. We had chips at Ye Olde Chip truck, did a trash run, got propane, and went home to cook spaghetti and meatballs at Chippey's. It was a fun night!
Saturday, August 4, 2012, we went to Shopper's Drug Mart ... spent $75 but had two $10 off cards. Ok.
Tony and Aurela Lentz are visiting in their motorhome. We had dinner on the front porch of the main cottage, and a bonfire later. It was a sleepless night for me, with indigestion!!! It might have been the Pinot Grigio wine, or maybe that delicious peach pie that Tony baked. Hmmm
Sunday, August 5, 2012, we are packing up for Kenora. Sue and Wayne have rented Chippey's Hollow for a week, so we are moving to Anicinabe RV Park for a week. Sue and Wayne have gone into town for an antique car show, but tonight we are getting together for pork butt roast.
Monday, August 6, 2012, we finished packing, did laundry and cleaned and then joined Sue and Wayne for concrete wild rice pancakes. Ha ha. Wayne apparently bought the wrong kind of mixed. We said our goodbyes and headed to the RV park. I managed to step in dog poop while guiding Mark into the RV site. Yucky. We got set up, showered and then we're off to the Stevenson's in Northern Harbor for dinner of chicken Parmesan. Maggie and Robbie came along, and were very good.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012, we had breakfast at Tim Hortons after a good nights sleep. We had to sleep opposite on the bed as we are not level and all my dinner was coming up. Mark wasn't happy! We wandered around Canadian tire and bought a trash/recycle can for Chippey's and Mark bought fishing gear.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012, was Sioux Narrows day.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012, we spent around the RV site and Sue and Wayne came over for 4 o'clock cocktails.
Thursday, August 9, 2012 we went to Log Cabin lodge on Rabbit Lake for dinner. With Sue and Wayne.
Friday, August 10, 2012 we went to Hap's on the waterfront for lunch. We met up with Heather and Bruce, Rose and Charlie, Brian, Jack and Sue (surprise). Hot dogs on the grill for dinner tonight.
My old friend, Rick Moir, came to visit and to meet Mark!!! We had a spaghetti and Italian sausage dinner with Chianti and a lot of laughs. It was a great night. When you are great friends, it doesn't matter how much time has lapsed ... we just picked up where we had left off. Nice.
Sunday, August 12, 2012, we went to Yesterday's for breakfast with Sue and Wayne, Rick and, Bruce. Rick asked Mark to take a picture of us, us old friends. He's off fishing to Malakay.
Monday, August 13, 2012, we are washing towels and bedding In the RV them going back to Chippey's Hollow for two more weeks before we head to Asheville North Carolina to visit family.
We got moved in, and had meatloaf with Sue and Wayne for dinner.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012, we had a terrific cruise in the Windsorcraft to wWylie's Point ... except, we never found
It. LOL. We forgot the chart. We saw Crow Rock, looking pretty nice! We came home for Smokies on the dock. Gauthier's came over for a visit, then out to dinner to Italiano Ristorante, our treat.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 we stocked up on supplies today. Robbie is on Paramount 95% chicken and turkey wet food plus Purina One chicken and rice dry , plus cranberries, and cranberry pill portion squeezed onto his food with a sprinkle of calcium citrate.
We went to town today to buy a Canadian cell phone so that we can qualify for free satellite TV. Tonight, we are cooking pizzas.
Thursday, August 16, 2012, we got loaded on wine and had great laughs last night. Sue and Wayne were entertaining us, by imitating each other. Funny.
It was a cool windy day, and Mark was trimming dead branches and I painting the fish on a piece of slate rock. Sue and Wayne had a dinner party at the Dowling's, and we ate beef tenderloin tips and beans and watched the Dexter series. It was a great evening.
Friday, August 17, 2012, we arrived at 9:30 AM at Stevenson's boat, Seabreeze II, in Northern Harbour for a four hour ride, putting along back to Kendall inlet. It was a gorgeous breezy day, and we arrived at 2 PM .. Sue and the dogs were on the dock.
At 5:30 PM, we were at Joanne Dunston's for a dock party. The President's Choice chicken balls were hit with a side of sweet-and-sour sauce for the dock party We were home at nine for drinks on Stevenson's boat.
Saturday, August 18, 2012, we saw our first bear here!!! I spotted him walking down the road, and onto our driveway, past the gator and our truck. I got a picture of him before he walked up the steps to Sue and Wayne's cottage, and climbed onto their deck !! iPhone Sue right away, and she came out and blasted her bear horn and he ran off.
We went to town for laundry and a booze run and a few things at Keewatin Place. We had chicken on the barbecue tonight.
Sunday, August 19, 2012, last night we played very "noisy" Mexican dominoes with Sue and Wayne!!! When was the scorekeeper, and made an adding mistake, very rare for him , and Sue accused him of cheating. Of course this was after an awful lot of wine. LOL. so, the Kurian house rules are now no adding of scores in Mexican dominoes.
This morning, Mark and Wayne took hazardous stuff to the dump on amnesty day and then, hours later, home for my blueberry pancakes and Lynne's specialt bacon. Weekly breakfast on the dock at 11:30, and set out and enjoy a sunny but cooler day. Lynne had a special barbecue propane tank that she wanted painted with something decorative, as it's the first thing you see when you board their boat. I painted a Blue heron on it, and she was delighted. I also repainted the Indian head by the front door.
We had steaks on the barbecue, and a rather mellow night after drinking Les' special bottle of rum.
Monday, August 20, 2012, the Stevenson's left at 9 AM for their dock in Northern Harbor. I paid bills, Mark raked leaves and it was a gorgeous 18°C and sunny. In the evening, we finished leftovers and sat out till late.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012, was sidewalk and path repair day. A tedious and fussy job. Sue was not impressed with my technique, so I was relieved of my plastic knife and grout.
In the evening, we went to Pasta Tuesday at Boston Pizza then sat dockside till 9 PM. We are watching the Dexter series, a great TV series.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012, WE PAID OFF THE RV LOAN !!! Yay, debt-free !!!
It was a shopping day at Shopper's Drug Mart, $.51 Kleenex and lots of bargains! We had to go to Walmart for Paramount 95% chicken and turkey for Robbie, then Canadian Tire for two batteries for the RV, and then Tim Horton's for lunch. Today, we picked up Wayne's parcel from Shaw, which will give free local channels on TV. Next stop was Keewatin Place for laundry, then McDermott lumber for Wayne's mortar and then finally home to walk the dogs. Ribeyes on the barbecue tonight, Wayne is going to Winnipeg tomorrow with Macy.
Thursday, August 23, 2012 ... hmmm, we missed logging in an obviously lazy day.
Friday, August 24, 2012 was the final dock party of the season at Dowling's on their deck. It was a hot evening, but our Swedish meatballs and sauce for a big hit.
Saturday, August 25, 2012, Mark trimmed and raked the Grove, then we went into town on a trash run. Dinner tonight was chicken on Wayne's barbecue with fresh corn.
Sunday, August 26, 2012, we mapped our route and plan to leave Wednesday morning for Asheville, North Carolina. This afternoon is a Shriners picnic in Keewatin - a charity event. Tomorrow we shall pack up and load the RV.
Tuesday night, is a dinner party at Kurian's, so this log is closed until Wednesday morning travel.
After a year and a half of Mark working in Oklahoma City, we have decided to take the long way home as a retirement kickoff vacation.
Our Oklahoma friend, Tim Deffner, is from Blackwell. This part of Oklahoma is flat with black soil ... unlike Oklahoma City with its red dirt spreading as far as the Texas border.
At 8:10 AM we have crossed into Kansas. The tequila hangover persists. LOL. these Kansas roads are very smooth. We passed Eldorado Lake, obviously man-made as large dead trees are standing in it. In the Flint Hills area you can see for 25 or 30 miles, and cattle are everywhere. We noticed a sign for national prairie grass preserve. The scenery is pretty, it's going to be a very hot day as it is 90° at 10 AM.
Missouri at 12:20 PM. Neat rusty metal silhouettes of Buffalo, horses and Indians and covered wagons are along the N435 freeway. Kansas City is one huge city!!! At 12:45, we are finally back on I 35 north.
At 1:10 PM we had a rest area lunch stop. The dogs did their business and we ate. Missouri is kind of a no-frills area. The roads are good, and we're heading for "Terrible's" in Des Moines Iowa for overnight. We drove over 500 miles today, with hangovers!
At 3:45 PM we were parked at Lakeside Casino, 777 Casino Dr. in Osceola Iowa. We had a great sleep, and picked up breakfast at the Subway next-door.
Saturday, June 30, 2012 we are headed from Osceola Iowa to prior Lake Minnesota, 275 miles. It is 4:15 AM when we left with a bit of rain and lightning. The roads are a bit rough. We passed over the pretty Raccoon River, while listening to the Bob and Tom radio show. By 5:30 AM sunup, we are in the rolling hills. Around here you see very neat and tidy farms. It makes us want to have one! Yeah, chickens and horses and dogs!!!
We stopped around the Minnesota border for coffee and to take a picture of Mark, Robbie and Maggie in front of the rig. It's sunny and 77° at 8 AM ... It's going to be a scorcher today!
We read on Facebook that Pam and Bill Moulton welcomed Andrew, 7 lbs. 7 oz. yesterday!!! A new family member.
At 9:30 AM, we arrived at Fish Lake Camp, a lousy mosquito infested campground, cash only ... a mom and Pop operation at $68 a night. Oh well, we will stay two nights. We are excited to see Pam, it's been 2 1/2 years.
We had a fantastic visit with Pam. She came over Saturday morning before work and we arranged for her to stay over ($5) on our sofa bed as the gate closes at 10 PM!!! Sunday, Pam had the day off so we spent the day with her at the townhouse in Apple Valley. Robbie was completely awful ... he pooped four times and paid three times at Pam's !!! OMG
Monday, July 2, 2012 at 6:10 AM we left prior Lake for Grand Forks, North Dakota. The highway west of the Twin Cities was so rough that we had to run in the left lane. We got cut off and given the bird by our 1st Road Rager of this trip. We passed a lot of huge horrid looking turkey barns. It's already 83°, and forecast to be 98°. Hey, we just saw buffalo.
At 10:45 AM we were in Fargo and by 11:10 AM we were on I 29 N. strange sight was a snowmobile on a trailer. Ha ha, we haven't seen that for years!!!
We had a relaxing night, and talked to Rod and Shay and then to bed by 10 o'clock.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 6:50 AM we check the tires and fueled up and were on I 29 by 7:16 AM. The roads were decent, but not much to see ... crops and mile-long trains. We were looking forward to shopping at the duty-free before crossing into Canada. But it's closed!!! Mark bought a crown royal and five cigars and Sitco. Odd but at the border there were four vehicles I'm ahead of us from Oklahoma!!! Our papers were in order and through we went! Hooray.
In Winnipeg, on Pembina Highway, a good Samaritan adopted us and guided us through the city to our destination. Mark was flabbergasted. It is known as friendly Manitoba.
We were able to get three nights for $110 at Northgate. I swear Sue and Wayne's old Schultz is still here. Tonight we are invited for 4 PM cocktails and dinner at the Stevenson's.
Les and Lynne's house looks great. We met Ken and Dale, friends from the lake who frequently stay at their house. We enjoyed drinks, dinner and then sat on the deck until 10 PM with the 'thermacel' on. We slept great at the RV and got up to a rainy morning.
July 4, 2012 we're going to see Greg and Darlene today. We were shocked to see Greg so bloated and ill. Darlene was off work too with a trigger thumb. We brought a bottle of wine, and met Selena the rat and Foxy the pom-chi. We had lots of laughs and a good visit.
Dinner was homemade pizza with Les and Lynne. We playedp Mexican dominoes until 10, then home to the RV for bed.
Thursday, July 5, 2012 ... we hope to see Crystal today, and then we are going to Gimli with Les and Lynne and then to the Yacht Club for dinner. A busy day!
It was nice to see Crystal's new home in West Kildonan. It's in nice condition in a good neighborhood. We had a great visit and heard a different side of Gregg's condition. He may be smoking and drinking and is very depressed, but who wouldn't be?
Les drove us to Gimli, where we walked the pier, shopped at Turlgelson's old shop, and then had pickerel and fries for lunch. We cruised around Winnipeg Beach and then home. We are meeting at 6 PM at the Yacht Club for a Ukrainian dinner and drinks. Mark treated, then Les and Lynne took us for a boat ride to the redwood bridge. They have a spare boat, a 22 foot. At the dock, we saw Glenn Wright ... he had just come in from Gimli, and had his brother Brad with him. I hadn't seen them in 30 years, and it turned into quite a few laughs.
Friday, July 6, 2012 ... happy 55th birthday Mark! And happy official retirement. We went to Cabelas this morning to pick up boat seats for Wayne.
At 1:52 PM, we are leaving Northgate in Winnipeg for Flom's in Lake of the Woods, Ontario. Mileage on the Dodge is 45,583. We have a full tank of water and we're ready to dry camp for a week. It's a decent road with the gravel shoulder.
We talked to Fritz who is going to Oklahoma City tomorrow. We hope he and Tim work well together.
At 4:50 PM, we turned onto Kenrica Road and waited for Sue and Wayne to guide us to Flom's. Wayne insisted on going with Mark in the truck, so I got into Sue's car. I was glad I did as it was "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride". There was 5 miles of hilly, twisting gravel roads. Horrible!!!
Monty and Mary Beth made us welcome. That night, dinner was at Kurian's and we met Larry and Maggie Flett, married 27 years. We had plans to see them in Corpus Christi that didn't pan out. We sat on the dock with Larry's daughter Anna and had some wine.
Saturday, July 7, we had dinner at Kurian's with chicken on the barbecue. Larry and Maggie joined in.
Sunday, July 8 we had a pontoon boat ride with Monty and Mary. And then steak barbecue at Sue and Wayne's.
Monday, July 9 is our last camping night here. We are going to the guest cottage tomorrow. We had a boat ride with Monty and Mary plus Jim and Joyce Gauthier. After the ride, we played Mexican dominoes till 11:45. Fun night.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012, we moved from the RV into Kurian's guest cottage. Sue helped to sort things out as Wayne was in
Thunder Bay. His sister Bev had just passed away.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 we had chicken and potatoes on the dock. Mark trimmed trees and we made plans to move the rig behind Wayne's.
Thursday, July 12, 2012 was a very exciting day!!! Mark and I arrived at Flom's about 10:30 AM to haul our rig to Kurian's. We passed signs "TRUCKS" and noticed new granite gravel in some areas,
We hooked up, and cold out of Flom's driveway. I was very concerned about the steep hill directly ahead of us, and the new loose gravel. I said, "Let's back up to get a running start!!!". But oh no!!! Mark stepped on the gas instead, "Let's just see how we do.". We almost made it up the hill before we spun out on the loose gravel and slid backwards 250 feet to stop with our rig off the road in the ditch.
Fortunately, there was no one behind us. I called Wayne to ask about a tow truck, but he arrived with his Cadillac Escalade 4 Wheel Dr. and a long Anchor-line! Mark dugout the loose gravel around the truck tires, and Wayne hooked up the line from his Cadillac to our Dodge. A few minutes later, Wayne had us out of the ditch and up the hill ... unbelievably!!! Wow.
We drove to Anicinabe to dump the black water tank, and then parked the rig in Wayne's spare driveway until August 6, when we go to camp at Anicinabe for a week. That evening, we had shish kebabs on the grill in the screened patio. It was hot and muggy and about 9:30 a very wild thunderstorm started.
Friday, July 13, 2012 ... Robbie was $325 at the vet yesterday. The poor guy isn't feeling well. We had no idea what was wrong, until he peed blood just as we went into the vet's office. We will have to wait for culture results, but in the meantime he is on antibiotics and anti-spasmodic medication. Poor little Scottie.
We are tidying up the guest cottage, and then going to McDermott lumber for some shelving. Mark is going to add a shelf above each of the hanging cabinets. Tonight we are going to go to Ristorante Italiano for dinner. The food was great, I had chicken Parmesan, and Mark had chicken marsala. From the restaurant, Mark saw a small Lhasa apso dog run across the crosswalk and sit on the doorstep with a drunk Indian for a moment before taking off down the side street. Wayne took a piece of his chicken, and left to see if he could coax the dog over, but no luck. After dinner, we cruised around town and based on my psychic abilities, found the dog ... now on a red leash with an Indian couple. Mark called out "did you just find that dog?". Their response was "My dog.". After that adventure, we went back to the cottage and played Mexican dominoes till 10.
Saturday, July 14, 2012, his Bev's funeral. We are dog sitting, so I did laundry at the big cottage. . We plan to cook porkchops tonight for all. On a happy note, Linda and Randy will arrive on Monday from Florida. Robbie seems to be feeling a little better.
Mark did the cooking, and I did salad and the dishes, we ate on the dock with Sue and Wayne and then played dominoes till 10.
Sunday, July 15, 2012 I cooked a delicious pancake breakfast. After, we went to McDermott lumber where I bought a few 3M hooks, a barbecue brush, and some finishing nails. It's now raining very lightly and is 75°.
Monday, July 16, 2012 we had a first text of the day from our friend Tim in Oklahoma City. We enjoyed breakfast at a restaurant called yesterday's with Kurian's. Mark and Wayne did some wiring for boat lanterns on the dock. The small guest cottage has now been named "Chippey's Hollow" ... And I am painting a tree slab sign for the doorway. Tonight, Wayne cooked salmon, chicken, sweet potatoes and garlic bread on the barbecue. We were home early to brush the dogs, Robbie is still not well.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012, Mark is helping Wayne wire for new AC in the main cottage. While I was vacuuming at chippies, the vacuum fell on the glass table and broke. Oops!
We met Linda and Randy, Bob and Jill at Boston pizza for pasta night. This is the first time to see Linda and Randy since Christmas of 2010. Fun.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012, Mark and I went to the farmers market for fresh items to make our Texas caviar for the dock party on Friday. As I later found out, the cilantro I bought was actually dill. Hmmm
There's still no word from the vet on Robbie's culture test. We started him on cranberry juice in his water, and Sue is now phoning too.
We had dinner and watched football at Heather and Bruce's place with Sue and Wayne, and Jim and Joyce. We watched the skinny CFL blue bombers. They certainly look smaller than the USA football players!!!
Thursday, July 19, 2012 we took Robbie to the vet at 7:30 AM, he couldn't inflate his bladder as it was too inflamed, so exploratory surgery was done to remove a stone. The poor little guy is in recovery but doing well. The vet called at 1:30 PM with information on a special diet, and to ask permission to send the stone for analysis. Robbie has to stay in overnight due to the large abdominal surgery.
We had a dinner of chicken and pineapple on the dock and sat on the glider till 9 PM
Friday, July 20, 2012, Maggie jumped into bed with Mark after I got up to paint my nails, she's missing Robbie!!! Tonight is Sue and Wayne's big dock party, and we are making Texas caviar.
We picked Robbie up at the vet, the poor guy has a huge incision, stitches and a hood on for 10 days. He is quite mad! And tried to attack Maggie when we arrived home. He is refusing water, so ice cubes and a dropper will have to suffice.
The dock party was fun, and we met lots of neighbors and one old friend from Angus McKay elementary school, Dawn Fraser, aka lotto lady. Dawn recalled being with Linda Malmgren at the Yacht Club in Winnipeg when dad's boat exploded. That was 1966!
Saturday, July 21, 2012, Linda and Randy came over for dinner, and we had hors d'oeuvres on the dock, followed by dinner on the screened porch at the main car. Linda had a terrible cold, so we kept out distance, but it was great to see them.
Robbie is doing well, but is still refusing water and now refusing ice. Mark is making the slurry of stink food and water.
Sunday, July 22, 2012, we had a lovely dinner at Charlie and Rose Dowling's gorgeous home. The bear carving collection is quite amazing. We met Rose's brother from Edmonton, Art.
Charlie sister, Melody and her husband Brian were also there. Earlier, Wayne took us on the Windsorcraft for a cruise down Clearwater Bay.
Monday, July 23, 2012, the Stevenson's will be dropping in this morning en route to Winnipeg. We were surprised to learn they have put their boat up for sale,
This evening, we are going on the Tahoe for a sunset cruise with Sue and Wayne. We putted along the Kendall Inlet area and enjoyed the ride.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, the electric will be off from 930 to 130, so we are going to Falcon Lake for lunch and a trash run. We saw Marlene, Wayne's sister, and Cheryl, his niece, with Emma and Cory. We had a picnic lunch, with all five dogs and eight people. It was a nice day!
Tonight we went for Chinese food at hHo Ho's. It was okay, but not great. Everything cost extra. But we got a free beer and wine!! Ha.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, Mark made baked ziti and we ate on the glider with Sue and Wayne. We tried heating garlic bread on the barbecue, but we couldn't get it hot enough. It read 180°, but was Celsius. Oops. Wayne crank the barbecue on high, but forgot about the bread until he saw smoke!! No bread tonight.
The rain began in earnest and cooled things off, and rained all through the night.
Thursday, July 26, 2012 was a lazy, rainy day. I finished painting the sign for chippies hollow and Mark sanded the antique coffee table. I'm going to paint a small tree on it. Tonight, Sue and Wayne are coming for a baked ziti repeat. We played dominoes till 10.
Friday, July 27, 2012 was a lazy morning. We took Robbie to the Kanora vet to get his stitches out. Later Mark went fishing with Wayne well I got organized for a job party at Gauthier's.
Gauthier's Dock party was very hot, with almost no shade. Their boathouse is amazing, with four boats and a complete kitchen.
Saturday, July 28, 2012, Mark and Wayne went fishing off zigzag island and came home with Pickerel for supper. Sue cooked macaroni and cheese with peas and we ate on the glider, dockside. Baby chipmunk was running around our feet. My day was laundry at Keewatin Place. :-(
Sue came with me, and we went to Taylor Made where I bought a chipmunk Lake toy for Maggie. After dinner, Maggie went for a boat ride with Wayne and Mark to dump fish guts. She loved it !!! She sat at the bow and we could see her ears perked up.
Sunday, July 29, 2012, Wayne cooked eggs and French toast this morning. This evening, we are going to Ash Rapids by boat for dinner. It was a wonderful boat ride, about 45 minutes. There was no air conditioning at the restaurant, but dinner was excellent. We just got home in the boat in the nick of time as a huge thunderstorm came through, and the electric went out till 930 the next morning. It was a hot sleepless night.
Monday, July 30, 2012 we went to Home Hardware with Wayne and Mark for supplies, then Walmart, then walked Shorty and Julius in town. Tonight, Mark and I cooked pizza and we ate in Kurian's screened porch.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012, Sue and I went to town and shopped at McTaggart's, the bargain bin, and Safeway.
In the evening, we relaxed on the dock with drinks and then had dinner of salad, baked ziti and rolls and more wine at Chippey's Hollow. Mark and Wayne installed shade cloth on all the windows.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012, is a no wine day, according to Sue!!! Apparently, we were overserved last night and I was the one pouring. My bad. Tonight we are having chicken on the screened porch, and tomorrow Wayne's sisters, Terry and Marlene are coming for lunch.
Thursday, August 2, 2012, Wayne popped in, his sisters had canceled, so we will go to Kenora by boat for lunch. Alright! It's 75° and partly cloudy, just perfect.
We had a great ride! We enjoyed lunch at Kenora's Lakeside Inn, good food but lousy service. We saw lots of new cottages, but many memories of boating here in the 1970s.
We had a fancy dinner tonight, which was intended to be lunch for Wayne's sisters, but someone had to eat it .. tenderloin tips, cucumber salad and raspberry pie.
Friday, August 3, 2012, Mark and I opened a bank account in Kenora at the credit union. We had chips at Ye Olde Chip truck, did a trash run, got propane, and went home to cook spaghetti and meatballs at Chippey's. It was a fun night!
Saturday, August 4, 2012, we went to Shopper's Drug Mart ... spent $75 but had two $10 off cards. Ok.
Tony and Aurela Lentz are visiting in their motorhome. We had dinner on the front porch of the main cottage, and a bonfire later. It was a sleepless night for me, with indigestion!!! It might have been the Pinot Grigio wine, or maybe that delicious peach pie that Tony baked. Hmmm
Sunday, August 5, 2012, we are packing up for Kenora. Sue and Wayne have rented Chippey's Hollow for a week, so we are moving to Anicinabe RV Park for a week. Sue and Wayne have gone into town for an antique car show, but tonight we are getting together for pork butt roast.
Monday, August 6, 2012, we finished packing, did laundry and cleaned and then joined Sue and Wayne for concrete wild rice pancakes. Ha ha. Wayne apparently bought the wrong kind of mixed. We said our goodbyes and headed to the RV park. I managed to step in dog poop while guiding Mark into the RV site. Yucky. We got set up, showered and then we're off to the Stevenson's in Northern Harbor for dinner of chicken Parmesan. Maggie and Robbie came along, and were very good.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012, we had breakfast at Tim Hortons after a good nights sleep. We had to sleep opposite on the bed as we are not level and all my dinner was coming up. Mark wasn't happy! We wandered around Canadian tire and bought a trash/recycle can for Chippey's and Mark bought fishing gear.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012, was Sioux Narrows day.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012, we spent around the RV site and Sue and Wayne came over for 4 o'clock cocktails.
Thursday, August 9, 2012 we went to Log Cabin lodge on Rabbit Lake for dinner. With Sue and Wayne.
Friday, August 10, 2012 we went to Hap's on the waterfront for lunch. We met up with Heather and Bruce, Rose and Charlie, Brian, Jack and Sue (surprise). Hot dogs on the grill for dinner tonight.
My old friend, Rick Moir, came to visit and to meet Mark!!! We had a spaghetti and Italian sausage dinner with Chianti and a lot of laughs. It was a great night. When you are great friends, it doesn't matter how much time has lapsed ... we just picked up where we had left off. Nice.
Sunday, August 12, 2012, we went to Yesterday's for breakfast with Sue and Wayne, Rick and, Bruce. Rick asked Mark to take a picture of us, us old friends. He's off fishing to Malakay.
Monday, August 13, 2012, we are washing towels and bedding In the RV them going back to Chippey's Hollow for two more weeks before we head to Asheville North Carolina to visit family.
We got moved in, and had meatloaf with Sue and Wayne for dinner.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012, we had a terrific cruise in the Windsorcraft to wWylie's Point ... except, we never found
It. LOL. We forgot the chart. We saw Crow Rock, looking pretty nice! We came home for Smokies on the dock. Gauthier's came over for a visit, then out to dinner to Italiano Ristorante, our treat.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 we stocked up on supplies today. Robbie is on Paramount 95% chicken and turkey wet food plus Purina One chicken and rice dry , plus cranberries, and cranberry pill portion squeezed onto his food with a sprinkle of calcium citrate.
We went to town today to buy a Canadian cell phone so that we can qualify for free satellite TV. Tonight, we are cooking pizzas.
Thursday, August 16, 2012, we got loaded on wine and had great laughs last night. Sue and Wayne were entertaining us, by imitating each other. Funny.
It was a cool windy day, and Mark was trimming dead branches and I painting the fish on a piece of slate rock. Sue and Wayne had a dinner party at the Dowling's, and we ate beef tenderloin tips and beans and watched the Dexter series. It was a great evening.
Friday, August 17, 2012, we arrived at 9:30 AM at Stevenson's boat, Seabreeze II, in Northern Harbour for a four hour ride, putting along back to Kendall inlet. It was a gorgeous breezy day, and we arrived at 2 PM .. Sue and the dogs were on the dock.
At 5:30 PM, we were at Joanne Dunston's for a dock party. The President's Choice chicken balls were hit with a side of sweet-and-sour sauce for the dock party We were home at nine for drinks on Stevenson's boat.
Saturday, August 18, 2012, we saw our first bear here!!! I spotted him walking down the road, and onto our driveway, past the gator and our truck. I got a picture of him before he walked up the steps to Sue and Wayne's cottage, and climbed onto their deck !! iPhone Sue right away, and she came out and blasted her bear horn and he ran off.
We went to town for laundry and a booze run and a few things at Keewatin Place. We had chicken on the barbecue tonight.
Sunday, August 19, 2012, last night we played very "noisy" Mexican dominoes with Sue and Wayne!!! When was the scorekeeper, and made an adding mistake, very rare for him , and Sue accused him of cheating. Of course this was after an awful lot of wine. LOL. so, the Kurian house rules are now no adding of scores in Mexican dominoes.
This morning, Mark and Wayne took hazardous stuff to the dump on amnesty day and then, hours later, home for my blueberry pancakes and Lynne's specialt bacon. Weekly breakfast on the dock at 11:30, and set out and enjoy a sunny but cooler day. Lynne had a special barbecue propane tank that she wanted painted with something decorative, as it's the first thing you see when you board their boat. I painted a Blue heron on it, and she was delighted. I also repainted the Indian head by the front door.
We had steaks on the barbecue, and a rather mellow night after drinking Les' special bottle of rum.
Monday, August 20, 2012, the Stevenson's left at 9 AM for their dock in Northern Harbor. I paid bills, Mark raked leaves and it was a gorgeous 18°C and sunny. In the evening, we finished leftovers and sat out till late.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012, was sidewalk and path repair day. A tedious and fussy job. Sue was not impressed with my technique, so I was relieved of my plastic knife and grout.
In the evening, we went to Pasta Tuesday at Boston Pizza then sat dockside till 9 PM. We are watching the Dexter series, a great TV series.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012, WE PAID OFF THE RV LOAN !!! Yay, debt-free !!!
It was a shopping day at Shopper's Drug Mart, $.51 Kleenex and lots of bargains! We had to go to Walmart for Paramount 95% chicken and turkey for Robbie, then Canadian Tire for two batteries for the RV, and then Tim Horton's for lunch. Today, we picked up Wayne's parcel from Shaw, which will give free local channels on TV. Next stop was Keewatin Place for laundry, then McDermott lumber for Wayne's mortar and then finally home to walk the dogs. Ribeyes on the barbecue tonight, Wayne is going to Winnipeg tomorrow with Macy.
Thursday, August 23, 2012 ... hmmm, we missed logging in an obviously lazy day.
Friday, August 24, 2012 was the final dock party of the season at Dowling's on their deck. It was a hot evening, but our Swedish meatballs and sauce for a big hit.
Saturday, August 25, 2012, Mark trimmed and raked the Grove, then we went into town on a trash run. Dinner tonight was chicken on Wayne's barbecue with fresh corn.
Sunday, August 26, 2012, we mapped our route and plan to leave Wednesday morning for Asheville, North Carolina. This afternoon is a Shriners picnic in Keewatin - a charity event. Tomorrow we shall pack up and load the RV.
Tuesday night, is a dinner party at Kurian's, so this log is closed until Wednesday morning travel.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
CORPUS CHRISTI TO OKLAHOMA CITY
December 28, 2011 at 8:37 AM, mileage 41,233
We had an easy drive to San Antonio and got set up at Travelers RV resort. We enjoyed San Antonio's Riverwalk area and an early supper at the Casa Ria after a River barge cruise.
December 29, 2011 we took a trolley tour of San Antonio. Later we took a bicycle taxi to a western saloon downtown and had a very good lunch. We drove Historic King William District and then went home for a quiet evening. San Antonio is an awesome city and we would come again.
December 30, San Antonio to Burleson
Dodge mileage 41,409
We left San Antonio at 7:42 AM and arrived Austin at 9:12 AM. We saw a flower top building near Lady Bird Lake. On I 35 going north, in future take the high road. The low road is only 13'7" clearance. We saw flower shaped solar panels which were really neat.
At 11:45 PM we stopped to walk the dogs at a picnic area outside of Waco, it was 63 and sunny.
At noon we had a fuel stop at Exxon.
12:30 PM we arrived at Burleson's Rustic Ranch RV Park. Although we had a nice night, it was very noisy with traffic. What a great park to come to with kids.
December 31, 2011 we left Burleson at 9:40 AM. At 11:05 PM we crossed into Oklahoma. Arrived home, Twin Fountains RV park at 1:30. Dodge mileage 41,895 miles. Our Christmas trip was 1582 miles
We had an easy drive to San Antonio and got set up at Travelers RV resort. We enjoyed San Antonio's Riverwalk area and an early supper at the Casa Ria after a River barge cruise.
December 29, 2011 we took a trolley tour of San Antonio. Later we took a bicycle taxi to a western saloon downtown and had a very good lunch. We drove Historic King William District and then went home for a quiet evening. San Antonio is an awesome city and we would come again.
December 30, San Antonio to Burleson
Dodge mileage 41,409
We left San Antonio at 7:42 AM and arrived Austin at 9:12 AM. We saw a flower top building near Lady Bird Lake. On I 35 going north, in future take the high road. The low road is only 13'7" clearance. We saw flower shaped solar panels which were really neat.
At 11:45 PM we stopped to walk the dogs at a picnic area outside of Waco, it was 63 and sunny.
At noon we had a fuel stop at Exxon.
12:30 PM we arrived at Burleson's Rustic Ranch RV Park. Although we had a nice night, it was very noisy with traffic. What a great park to come to with kids.
December 31, 2011 we left Burleson at 9:40 AM. At 11:05 PM we crossed into Oklahoma. Arrived home, Twin Fountains RV park at 1:30. Dodge mileage 41,895 miles. Our Christmas trip was 1582 miles
Friday, March 22, 2013
OKLAHOMA CITY TO CORPUS CHRISTI
Thursday, December 23, 2011 ... It's 39° at 11:05 AM, Dodge has 40,313 miles.
We were delayed leaving as we had a problem with one of the leg jacks on the rig, possibly bent from the earthquakes we had earlier in the season. Mark checked the lug nuts as this is our first trip on the new tires. The China bomb tires are gone, and replaced with tractor trailer tires.
At 11:34 AM we passed Norman Oklahoma 'Ooo-ooo-ooo Chrysler Jeep and Dodge'. It's a nice ride with the new tires on the rig.
12:23 PM we have a nice view of the Arbuckle Mountains, it's a sunny day and we are passing lots of horse farms. Around Turner Falls we saw a nice herds of horses in the Comanche area.
At 1:30 PM we crossed over the Red River near the Texas border. There's a rest area ahead in 2 miles. Back on the road at 1:42 PM after double wammer jammer dog poops. LOL
I35W exit 467 at 2:16 PM. At 2:44 PM we just passed a five car wreck, and saw an RV driver cut off a semi ... the semi swerved to the left ... the RV driver totally oblivious.
We talked to Diane Henry, her and Charles are en route to Louisiana for Christmas.
We saw a ditch witch off the trailer and in the ditch smashed. Traffic is heavy around this area. We are currently getting 12.2 miles per gallon at 64 mph, about 300 miles per tank.
At 4:30 PM we stopped at a crappy Loves for fuel, it had bad access and people were parked helter-skelter. The tuna subs were good!!!
At 5:30 PM we arrived at I 35 RV park for our first night.
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 7:56 AM we left Waco for Corpus Christi. It is 40° and we're hoping for a warmer climate later today. 298 miles to go.
Some things we saw were the Brazos River with Buzzard Bellies Waterfront and Baylor University. One of the overpasses was 13'8", so we ducked. LOL. we are 13'4". We saw Horny Tosd Harley in Temple Texas. At 9:33 AM we were in Austin Texas. a nice tidy area. Nice big hills, a big River and Lady Bird Lake. The Texas State troopers have a lot of cars pulled over. Austin has a lovely downtown and we could certainly spend a day or two here.
At 10:40 AM we stopped for break and to walk the dogs at New Braunfels rest area. It was cloudy with a cold wind.
11 AM, San Antonio Texas. We plan to visit here on our way back to Oklahoma. At 11:18 we turned onto I 37 toward Corpus Christi. It's 122 miles, with an ETA of 1:44 PM
At 2 PM we checked in until December 28. Nice to see palm trees and feel humidity again.
Things we did and saw while in the Corpus Christi area were: December 24 we drove Ocean Dr., Corpus Christi is a beautiful city with very accessible waterfront area, free parking and lots of pull off picnic spots and posh gazeboes. Texas A and M University and the hospital are on Corpus Christi Bay. There's a nice live aboard municipal dock with restaurants at the end of the docks.
December 26 we drove to Padre Island national seashore, and unspoiled natural barrier island with beach access here and there, huge sand dunes, and places where you can drive right on the beach. There was a red tide warning so no dogs were permitted on the beach!!! Primitive RV camping is available, and we saw several fifth wheels parked right out on the same.
December 27 we took the Port Aransas ferry to Mustang Island. Cool !!! Mustang Island has Beach RV sites. We saw a Carriage fifth wheel RV with solar panels. Nice!
On Padre Island I bought a dolphin plaque for the RV bathroom and crab and shells hanger for the kitchen wall. We had dinner at Joe's Crab on the bay.
We were delayed leaving as we had a problem with one of the leg jacks on the rig, possibly bent from the earthquakes we had earlier in the season. Mark checked the lug nuts as this is our first trip on the new tires. The China bomb tires are gone, and replaced with tractor trailer tires.
At 11:34 AM we passed Norman Oklahoma 'Ooo-ooo-ooo Chrysler Jeep and Dodge'. It's a nice ride with the new tires on the rig.
12:23 PM we have a nice view of the Arbuckle Mountains, it's a sunny day and we are passing lots of horse farms. Around Turner Falls we saw a nice herds of horses in the Comanche area.
At 1:30 PM we crossed over the Red River near the Texas border. There's a rest area ahead in 2 miles. Back on the road at 1:42 PM after double wammer jammer dog poops. LOL
I35W exit 467 at 2:16 PM. At 2:44 PM we just passed a five car wreck, and saw an RV driver cut off a semi ... the semi swerved to the left ... the RV driver totally oblivious.
We talked to Diane Henry, her and Charles are en route to Louisiana for Christmas.
We saw a ditch witch off the trailer and in the ditch smashed. Traffic is heavy around this area. We are currently getting 12.2 miles per gallon at 64 mph, about 300 miles per tank.
At 4:30 PM we stopped at a crappy Loves for fuel, it had bad access and people were parked helter-skelter. The tuna subs were good!!!
At 5:30 PM we arrived at I 35 RV park for our first night.
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 7:56 AM we left Waco for Corpus Christi. It is 40° and we're hoping for a warmer climate later today. 298 miles to go.
Some things we saw were the Brazos River with Buzzard Bellies Waterfront and Baylor University. One of the overpasses was 13'8", so we ducked. LOL. we are 13'4". We saw Horny Tosd Harley in Temple Texas. At 9:33 AM we were in Austin Texas. a nice tidy area. Nice big hills, a big River and Lady Bird Lake. The Texas State troopers have a lot of cars pulled over. Austin has a lovely downtown and we could certainly spend a day or two here.
At 10:40 AM we stopped for break and to walk the dogs at New Braunfels rest area. It was cloudy with a cold wind.
11 AM, San Antonio Texas. We plan to visit here on our way back to Oklahoma. At 11:18 we turned onto I 37 toward Corpus Christi. It's 122 miles, with an ETA of 1:44 PM
At 2 PM we checked in until December 28. Nice to see palm trees and feel humidity again.
Things we did and saw while in the Corpus Christi area were: December 24 we drove Ocean Dr., Corpus Christi is a beautiful city with very accessible waterfront area, free parking and lots of pull off picnic spots and posh gazeboes. Texas A and M University and the hospital are on Corpus Christi Bay. There's a nice live aboard municipal dock with restaurants at the end of the docks.
December 26 we drove to Padre Island national seashore, and unspoiled natural barrier island with beach access here and there, huge sand dunes, and places where you can drive right on the beach. There was a red tide warning so no dogs were permitted on the beach!!! Primitive RV camping is available, and we saw several fifth wheels parked right out on the same.
December 27 we took the Port Aransas ferry to Mustang Island. Cool !!! Mustang Island has Beach RV sites. We saw a Carriage fifth wheel RV with solar panels. Nice!
On Padre Island I bought a dolphin plaque for the RV bathroom and crab and shells hanger for the kitchen wall. We had dinner at Joe's Crab on the bay.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
2011 BIG RV ADVENTURE !
Oklahoma!!! February 28, 2011 ... 29,896 miles on the Dodge. The reason for this trip, is to pick up our new puppy Robbie the Bruce from our friend Bonnie Parker in Tulsa. Our beloved Shiloh passed away last October from bone cancer. :'-(
We left home Monday to avoid heavy weather that was predicted for Florida the next day. We had to turn around as we had forgotten our GPS!!! Duh. At 1:49 PM, we pulled into a rest area to fix the table cloth covering the spare tire. As Mark was driving, I read our old travel log.
At 1:59 PM we were back on the road, I 75. We are getting 11.4 miles per gallon so far. Fuel is nearly 3 dollars a gallon at this time because of Libyan conflict. Traffic is heavy but we hope to reach Atlanta tonight. The scenery has been very nice, with pretty purple trees in Florida, and now dogwoods in bloom in Georgia. We stopped at a Pilot, exit 60 for $50 in fuel and a sandwich. It was a grubby stop with bums all over the place. At 5:28 PM we stopped at Cordele KOA. We had a night of heavy rain and slept great. We were up and on the road at 8:29 AM. It is 50° this morning.
At 9:30 AM we were going around Macon, and I was on the computer playing Farmville. At 10:10 we stopped at a flying J, exit 201 for fuel. It was a nice stop with the travel store. We hope to put $75 in this stop. The electronic pumps often stop long before the tank is full. It's very annoying.
There was the usual Atlanta debacle. Two cars beside us slowed down ... a trucker was honking at them, so they pulled in front of us and the trucker blocked the exit sign. Long story short, he took the exit and we missed it. Rat bastard. Anyway, we took another I 20 hookup through town.
At 11:16 AM we were going through Birmingham. By 12:05 PM we had crossed into Alabama with a speed limit of 55 and choppy roads. There were no easy fuel stops between Atlanta and Birmingham. Use the pilot at exit 165 that has a travel center.
12:50 PM we passed Talledega super speedway. Wow! The flowering dogwood trees at their entrance road are beautiful.
Exit 158 is Walmart and Cracker Barrel. At 1:38 PM we were onto I 78 west. We fueled up at a Chevron and got lunch, marble cake ... it had nuts in it. Sorry Mark. He ate the slim Jim's and Carmello bar. There wasn't much choice! We still have 196 miles to our Memphis destination!!!
At 2:45 PM we blew a tire on the RV, front passenger side. We wondered if it was overinflated? Mark is checking the other tires. We're on to Plan B, change opthe darn tire and drive till 5 PM. Wa wa waa.
The entire tread portion is gone! It tore off the light by the stairs, and ripped a screw from the fender. There are terrible black marks on our white fender. Shit Chinese tires.
193 miles to Tom Sawyers and it's now 3:20 PM, oh sorry, 2:20 PM local time.
At 7:04 PM, we were jogging around Tennessee looking for Tom Sawyer. We found it, in Arkansas.
There's a great story here. We drove down a narrow, tree-lined lane a long way. Mark said "God, this looks like a scene from Deliverance !!!". We continued driving, and pulled up in front of a shack, the office. Mark said let's get the hell out of here ... but I mentioned that there was nowhere else to go, and it was now pitch black. Mark reluctantly got out of the truck to look for our envelope and instructions. Just then, a red golf cart appeared from the dark, Kathy Bates at the wheel! LOL. well, it sure looked like her. She said to follow her and disappeared down a dark gravel lane towards the Mississippi River. We got a lovely spot, right beside the Mississippi River. It was a little disconcerning as she said, "How Long Ya stayin? 'Cause ya gotta be out of here by Sunday, we're gonna flood!!".
Wednesday, March 2, 2011 ... It was a sleepless night for me with tugboat noise all night long. Mark slept just fine. The captains sounded their horns during the night and the constant drone of their engines was very loud. But we decided to stay another night to replenish our supplies. It was chilly in the morning, so I got a cute picture of Maggie wearing her blue quilt coat and sitting in front of the RV fireplace. We found Walmart and stocked up and relaxed the rest of the day. We determined our current tires are China bombs!!! They are so bad, they have a reputation.
Thursday, March 3, 2011 a chilly morning, Left Tom Sawyer at 6:56 AM. They are prepping for a 'short flood.' On route to I 40, on the west side, 2 miles east of Hughes we saw two horses standing in a muddy corral beside a rundown mobile home with junk piled everywhere. The poor horses were so very thin. I reported it to the ASPCA of Arkansas.
At 10:15 AM we went through Pres. Bill Clinton's hometown of Little Rock Arkansas which reminded us of entering Asheville North Carolina. It's now 126 miles to Fort Smith and the Oklahoma border.
We saw Toad Suck Harley in Conwary, Arkansas. At 10:30 AM we fueled up at the Flying J, exit 84.
The Ozarks, a very pretty area, had recent earthquakes. We were listening to the radio and there was discussion on fracking. At 11:58 AM, we crossed into Oklahoma!!!
We stayed at Mingo RV park ... a little noisy because the airport is close.
We drove over to Bonnie's and met the puppies, gorgeous. We picked Robbie, played for a while and then went to an Irish pub for dinner. We picked up Maggie and went back to Bonnie's for some wine. Maggie got beaten up by Rosie!!!
We stayed in Tulsa for several days and had a great time with Bonnie. She had been off work from knee surgery so had time to spend with us. One night we went to Red Lobster to meet with Vicky and Dick who have three scotties. Another day, we went to Los Cabos on the Arkansas River in Jenks for lunch. There was lots of puppy playtime and visiting.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 6:15 AM we are leaving Tulsa for Oklahoma City!!! It's a long story, but Mark has landed a job with Schindler on the new Devon tower. The drive to Oklahoma City was pretty, nice hilly area dotted with farms and lots of horses.
At 9:33 AM, we checked into Twin Fountains RV park in Oklahoma City. Mark is filling out paperwork at the union office. It's overcast and drizzly but from what we've seen this is a beautiful city.
(This Oklahoma City job was expected to be a few months, but lasted until July 2012 when Mark retired!!! You never know your luck.)
We left home Monday to avoid heavy weather that was predicted for Florida the next day. We had to turn around as we had forgotten our GPS!!! Duh. At 1:49 PM, we pulled into a rest area to fix the table cloth covering the spare tire. As Mark was driving, I read our old travel log.
At 1:59 PM we were back on the road, I 75. We are getting 11.4 miles per gallon so far. Fuel is nearly 3 dollars a gallon at this time because of Libyan conflict. Traffic is heavy but we hope to reach Atlanta tonight. The scenery has been very nice, with pretty purple trees in Florida, and now dogwoods in bloom in Georgia. We stopped at a Pilot, exit 60 for $50 in fuel and a sandwich. It was a grubby stop with bums all over the place. At 5:28 PM we stopped at Cordele KOA. We had a night of heavy rain and slept great. We were up and on the road at 8:29 AM. It is 50° this morning.
At 9:30 AM we were going around Macon, and I was on the computer playing Farmville. At 10:10 we stopped at a flying J, exit 201 for fuel. It was a nice stop with the travel store. We hope to put $75 in this stop. The electronic pumps often stop long before the tank is full. It's very annoying.
There was the usual Atlanta debacle. Two cars beside us slowed down ... a trucker was honking at them, so they pulled in front of us and the trucker blocked the exit sign. Long story short, he took the exit and we missed it. Rat bastard. Anyway, we took another I 20 hookup through town.
At 11:16 AM we were going through Birmingham. By 12:05 PM we had crossed into Alabama with a speed limit of 55 and choppy roads. There were no easy fuel stops between Atlanta and Birmingham. Use the pilot at exit 165 that has a travel center.
12:50 PM we passed Talledega super speedway. Wow! The flowering dogwood trees at their entrance road are beautiful.
Exit 158 is Walmart and Cracker Barrel. At 1:38 PM we were onto I 78 west. We fueled up at a Chevron and got lunch, marble cake ... it had nuts in it. Sorry Mark. He ate the slim Jim's and Carmello bar. There wasn't much choice! We still have 196 miles to our Memphis destination!!!
At 2:45 PM we blew a tire on the RV, front passenger side. We wondered if it was overinflated? Mark is checking the other tires. We're on to Plan B, change opthe darn tire and drive till 5 PM. Wa wa waa.
The entire tread portion is gone! It tore off the light by the stairs, and ripped a screw from the fender. There are terrible black marks on our white fender. Shit Chinese tires.
193 miles to Tom Sawyers and it's now 3:20 PM, oh sorry, 2:20 PM local time.
At 7:04 PM, we were jogging around Tennessee looking for Tom Sawyer. We found it, in Arkansas.
There's a great story here. We drove down a narrow, tree-lined lane a long way. Mark said "God, this looks like a scene from Deliverance !!!". We continued driving, and pulled up in front of a shack, the office. Mark said let's get the hell out of here ... but I mentioned that there was nowhere else to go, and it was now pitch black. Mark reluctantly got out of the truck to look for our envelope and instructions. Just then, a red golf cart appeared from the dark, Kathy Bates at the wheel! LOL. well, it sure looked like her. She said to follow her and disappeared down a dark gravel lane towards the Mississippi River. We got a lovely spot, right beside the Mississippi River. It was a little disconcerning as she said, "How Long Ya stayin? 'Cause ya gotta be out of here by Sunday, we're gonna flood!!".
Wednesday, March 2, 2011 ... It was a sleepless night for me with tugboat noise all night long. Mark slept just fine. The captains sounded their horns during the night and the constant drone of their engines was very loud. But we decided to stay another night to replenish our supplies. It was chilly in the morning, so I got a cute picture of Maggie wearing her blue quilt coat and sitting in front of the RV fireplace. We found Walmart and stocked up and relaxed the rest of the day. We determined our current tires are China bombs!!! They are so bad, they have a reputation.
Thursday, March 3, 2011 a chilly morning, Left Tom Sawyer at 6:56 AM. They are prepping for a 'short flood.' On route to I 40, on the west side, 2 miles east of Hughes we saw two horses standing in a muddy corral beside a rundown mobile home with junk piled everywhere. The poor horses were so very thin. I reported it to the ASPCA of Arkansas.
At 10:15 AM we went through Pres. Bill Clinton's hometown of Little Rock Arkansas which reminded us of entering Asheville North Carolina. It's now 126 miles to Fort Smith and the Oklahoma border.
We saw Toad Suck Harley in Conwary, Arkansas. At 10:30 AM we fueled up at the Flying J, exit 84.
The Ozarks, a very pretty area, had recent earthquakes. We were listening to the radio and there was discussion on fracking. At 11:58 AM, we crossed into Oklahoma!!!
We stayed at Mingo RV park ... a little noisy because the airport is close.
We drove over to Bonnie's and met the puppies, gorgeous. We picked Robbie, played for a while and then went to an Irish pub for dinner. We picked up Maggie and went back to Bonnie's for some wine. Maggie got beaten up by Rosie!!!
We stayed in Tulsa for several days and had a great time with Bonnie. She had been off work from knee surgery so had time to spend with us. One night we went to Red Lobster to meet with Vicky and Dick who have three scotties. Another day, we went to Los Cabos on the Arkansas River in Jenks for lunch. There was lots of puppy playtime and visiting.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 6:15 AM we are leaving Tulsa for Oklahoma City!!! It's a long story, but Mark has landed a job with Schindler on the new Devon tower. The drive to Oklahoma City was pretty, nice hilly area dotted with farms and lots of horses.
At 9:33 AM, we checked into Twin Fountains RV park in Oklahoma City. Mark is filling out paperwork at the union office. It's overcast and drizzly but from what we've seen this is a beautiful city.
(This Oklahoma City job was expected to be a few months, but lasted until July 2012 when Mark retired!!! You never know your luck.)
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