Thursday June 22, 2017

Good morning! We had a thunderstorm and lovely rain last night. First thing, I checked for yesterday's missing Blog but alas, had to rewrite it. 

So, today's plan is to get on track to Grand Forks but just drive halfway. I will add to this, bit by bit, all day. Stay tuned. 

At noon we stopped in the pouring rain for fuel and to walk the kids. Just after we were back on I-94 we saw a terrible accident with one truck and cargo hauler flipped over, obviously spun around, rolled through the  grassy median into oncoming traffic facing the correct direction. Another vehicle had been sideswiped and she was in the ditch. People were running across the highway to help. We saw movement in both vehicles so carried on. 😢

The weather improved greatly after Minneapolis and we carried on with our drive. 

Meanwhile, Sue & Wayne had Randy & Dawn visiting at the cottage. Wayne at Shorty Hotpants were in similar get up waiting for Dawn to arrive. Haha 

 

We see Randy got in on the act. I think the fellow should wear that hair all the time. Hee hee

 

Well that's it for today. It's 530 and we are still driving with 190 miles to go. Ta Ta. 

STAY TUNED ... MISSING BLOG 6/21/17

Happy Summertime! The original Blog disappeared so this is a brief history of yesterday. 

 

Mark and I went touring around Wisconsin Dells checking out the sights. It's very touristy ... Bonnie recalled being here "years ago" and said we should say hi to big Paul. Well here he is, looking better than I remember from his Bemidji days. 

 

No, we didn't eat here ...

This is the Paul Bunyan I remember from a childhood trip to Bemidji Minnesota. 

 

My sister Diane went on a seaplane ride there ... but like I say, it's touristy. 

We went back to the RV for Robbie and Belize as we had a trip to Baraboo for Sue and Wayne's solar lights they'd seen at Menards. False alarm; long story about a wrong SKU number. Meanwhile Pam messaged us that she "was just around the corner" and coming to visit. 

 

As you can see a full day party erupted. Haha. We had an afternoon of wine on the patio then downtown to the Rat's Tail bar overlooking the Wisconsin River dam for drinks ... 

 

Pam and I got our fortunes read by Zoltar which apparently fit me to a "T." 😱

Then, at Mexican Rose's we flirted with a colorful senor ... 

 

Apparently I was matching his wooden smile 😄 whereas Pam looks fabulous. Hey, you had to be there! 

Dinner was nice and our table overlooked the dam. Afterward, we came home to relax with the dogs on the patio and watch fireflies. It was great. There's likely lots I should post but let's get this published before it winds up in nevernever land. 😜

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Good morning! My body-clock is set to Eastern, not Central. Sorry Mark. 🌞 We have another long drive today but then 2 nights at The Dells. 

We were on the road at 7:30. 

 

Grand Junction's selfie on i74 ... bet we worried the driver ahead of us. 😜

 

Big ol' storm over Rockford Illinois. We missed all the rain. 

Finally, we arrived at KO a awesome (hahaha, Siri has a grand imagination) at 4:30 ... all set up in a lovely spot near the pool. We met three couples immediately, all from Florida. Weird! No, not the couples, the circumstance. One couple is going to Alaska from here. Egad, I'd like to tag along with them!

 

Our kitchen view ... well, until someone else pulls in.  We sat outside for an hour enjoying drinks. The Scotties were very good and enjoyed being outside. The lovely sound of running water from the fountain nearly drowned out the train passing the campground. Haha. 

 

My awesome chauffeur ... drove ALL the way. He deserves a beer or 3. 

Sue and Wayne are visiting Bob and Jill at their home (near Pye's Landing) ... Randy and Dawn are there too. Dang me, dang me, otta take a rope and hang me ('cause I am missing a party!) 🎶😂 

 

Jill, mystery man, Randy, Dawn, and Jim-Bob. 💕

The kids enjoyed sitting outside for an hour too! 

 

We have a nice patio and everything is spotlessly clean. 

 

Mark walked up the hill and discovered a better site than we have. I hate that. The way "they" are on the phone is like you are getting the last available site ever. OMG. 😡

Well, apparently "we're" worn out and going to relax tonight. 👍🏻

 

Hahaha ... never mind, Deadliest Catch is on next. 👍🏻

Monday, June 19, 2017

Good morning. Most of us had a good night but Mark found 2 puky-dukies on the freshly cleaned living room carpet. I guess BeeZee didn't like carrots on last night's dinner; or maybe the pizza bones put her over the top. Either way, it's another day on the road. 

Mark made an executive decision we would wait on a large storm to pass by before venturing out. No problem ... aiming for Mount Vernon, Illinois tonight. 

 

The drive has been good so far with light rain as we went through Chattanooga, Tennessee. We stopped at a beautiful rest area on the Tennessee River.

 

Cedar tree loaded with berries! we had one like this next to us at Twin Fountains in Oklahoma City. It was beautiful, but the dogs will get sticky sap between their toes! Ouch. 

 

The steep path was slippery in the rain ... too much so that I only took pics from high up. Great spot for a pic-a-nik Yogi. 

 

Pit stop and dog walk before Monteagle. I waited for Mark to come out of the RV but he was making coffee. 

 

We stopped for fuel at a Pilot in Kentucky. It was the usual muddle ... guess how much fuel you need and pre-pay ...  then go pump it. It's always a time waster. But, Pilot was the only choice.

 

Free advertising for Giant Recreation World. 👍🏻

 

Pretty area! Saw our friend Ken's favorite fishing lakes. 

Pretty pastoral land reminded me of Kansas, a bit.  

 

Land of Lincoln ... does that mean I should be looking for pennies on the ground? 😜

We booked into KOA Benton near Mt Vernon.  Nice area CG ... ok for us but would be noisy for tenters. 415 miles today. 👍🏻 Boom 💥 

 

Nashville ... easy-peasy transit. 

 

Our camp for the night. There's a (small) creek behind us ... fire 🔥 pit and BBQ. Nice, but we're hanging out, relaxin'. 😜

So that's it for tonight. Tomorrow we are off to Wisconsin Dells. 

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Good morning. We left home at 7:30 heading for Cartersville Georgia with an arrival time about 430. Florida roads were fantastic, Georgia, only "OK." Other than rain while we were going through the center of Atlanta in 7 lanes of heavy traffic, everything was fine.

Florida "classed up" their border signs and planted hundreds of palms for a mile leading up to the sign!

 

Georgia ... 

 

C'mon Georgia! 

The KOA campground in Cartersville is quite nice. I don't think we would ever do sightseeing around Atlanta as it is too busy for our liking, but there are a few local interesting spots to see ... and there's a pool here! 

 

By the way, Happy Father's Day to the men of our family. ❤️ Mark had a lovely text from Matt this morning that put some pep in his step. 👍🏻

Dinners on and it's time to for another one. Ta ta til tomorrow. 

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Good morning sunshine! No personal plans today but last minute "stuff." 

 

Mark and our neighbor were having a chat and about the protective weather quality of our unique Harris chain of lakes. (Heavy thunderstorms seldom affect us here. The storms stop just before the lakes and evaporate into thin air.) 

Their conversation turned to Steve having gone to college in Claremore, Oklahoma. Well, since Bonnie and Roger recently moved there, Mark listened carefully. Steve went on to say that he had noticed a protective quality around the Claremore, Oklahoma area. He noted they seldom had the terrible spring and summer storms that other areas of Oklahoma endure. A native American elder explained to Steve that phenomenon has to do with the valley. Years ago natives followed the Buffalo herds and gathered in the Claremore valley during the spring and summer months. Cool. 

 

So, everything is packed in the RV. Ha ha. We had to go out to dinner ... Stavros Pizza it was. They have excellent wines and good service. Our waiter asked where "mom and dad" were? Marky replied they were home taking Geritol before a big trip to Canada. LOL (It was our waiter's first night on the job when we met him about three months ago with Randy and Dawn.)

 

We must have made a huge 😇 impression on him. LOL 🍷:30 ... I had a Stavros deluxe large pizza and Mark had meatballs with meat sauce! We love their Greek salads! Back home, the kids had pizza bones! Yummy. 

Well, we're going to settle in to watch a little TV, drink a little more wine and head out early in the morning. Randy and Dawn leave on a flight at 6:30, so it's lights out early for them too.

Tata till tomorrow. 

Friday, June 16, 2017

Good morning 🌞! Another lovely day in store ... just packing up and organizing for house sitters then game night with Rose & Jim at their home. 

Well, it's now 6:15. WTH? Where did this day disappear? Well, we did have an afternoon shower and a slight nap. Ha ha. Tomorrow, it's full-on to finish loading and get ready to pull out Sunday morning. We hope to get past Atlanta for our first overnight. 

Robbie and Belize feel so much better after their haircuts and baths. That Cytopoint allergy shot is a miracle for Robbie. He obviously feels wonderful and is romping around the house today like a puppy and engaging with Belize. 🐾💕 

It's now 11:45 and we had a nice evening with Rose and Jim (and Jazzy.) Wow, Rose had food prepared for us ... and warm brownies! We played Rummikube ... and Rose was the big winner! Mark was a close 2nd. It was gorgeous riding the golf cart home ... Stars and cool nighttime air. Ta Ta til tomorrow.