Summer R.V. Trip 2017 - Week 4

In South Dakota we planned to visit a cousin we hadn’t seen in many years. However, Miss Winnie had her own mind – we got stuck 90 miles from cousin Ida’s place, with the R.V. not going anywhere. We were in a small town, but as God has always provided, there was a shop that could work on it the next day. We had the fuel pump replaced – something we’ve been wondering about for quite awhile. Tim and Ida went out of their way (literally!) to host us wanderers. We had a good visit and by driving to 11 p.m. the next day, made up the lost time.

In North Dakota, we stopped in DeSmet - Laura Ingall Wilder's home - they have a full program of events, but we didn't have time to stay - another time!

On Friday we crossed into Canada and visited 2 uncles and 1 aunt. Then we parked in a campground in the town where I attended ½ a year of grade 6!! A cousin came by and took us to her new place. 

Saturday we dropped by Millar College of the Bible where a cousin’s son has started attending. His folks are both gone, so we wanted to drop by. Brought him a lemon pie, since that’s what we always found at their house in South Dakota when we visited! He seems to be doing well – one day in!!

From there we went to Christina’s place. The girls have sure grown! It was very exciting and a direct answer to prayer to watch Rod and Jessica get baptized. The church had a potluck right after church, so we stayed.

Next came Shaunavon – another aunt and a cousin – and then Climax – 2 more cousins. Great to see everyone again. Strong Christian connections.

Passing through Idaho, we decided to stop in Wallace – a town we’ve often driven through. We had no idea – went on a silver mine tour via a trolley tour – worth every penny!!

We hit traffic in Coeur d’Alene, so here we are at McDonald’s – waiting for traffic to thin out!

Summer 2017 R.V. Trip - Week 3B

On our way north, I had this marvelous idea to try and find some ancient relatives’ tombstones (I saw them about 20 years ago, but wanted to go back.) We found a very old cemetery on the side of a steep hill in a town of several hundred population. While I was out looking, Roger attempted to turn the R.V. around. The steep, narrow road and the low hanging branches gave him few options. Plus, Miss Winnie wasn’t happy! She was overheating. As it turned out, Roger got stuck on the hillside and the R.V. wasn’t going anywhere. This is not really funny, but it did strike me as such! From experience we know that an hour cool down period is about all it takes for Miss Winnie to be raring to go again. So, we sat at a very awkward angle and played our Sunday Scrabble game. And, sure enough, with the cool down, he was able to get us back on the road (without too much trouble!!). We have towing on our insurance, but couldn’t imagine being towed out of a cemetery!! I laugh as I write this…Never a dull moment.

We visited George Washington Carver's birth place, as well as Harry Truman's. Also saw his farm where he learned to "sort things out" while he plowed.

Another place we saw was the location of the first Walmart. The sign still says "5 & 10", but it's not true!!

We’re looking forward to seeing some relatives we haven’t seen in a long time. The weather has been perfect; very little wind; traffic low; and good roads. We are blessed.

Summer 2017 R.V. Trip - Week 3A

We always love coming to Silver Dollar City –SDC. It’s very encouraging to listen to music about Heaven and Jesus and His blood. Hiking the “trails” in the Ozarks (in the park), snacking at many different food venues, getting our free samples of peanut brittle and salt water taffy, meeting people from all over, etc. All part of SDC. And, I got to see not one, but 2 cardinals!! 9 days of as close to Heaven as you can get this side…

I posted some pictures and notes on Facebook on my page.

Summer 2017 R.V. Trip - Week 2

We decided to head south to be in the path of the eclipse. Along the way, we passed hundreds of people in small and large groups, gathered to observe. We ended up alongside the road near Ravena, NE, where we watched the sky change to dark. However, it wasn’t nearly as dark as we thought it would get, even though we were at the center of it.

Both horizons were bright.

And since we were parked, we had lunch while the eclipse finished...

We could tell we were heading south, since the road kill changed to armadillos. Also, noticed a rather large turtle crossing the highway!

For the night, we pulled into a side road and had the place to ourselves.

Wednesday was spent with Mary & her girls, with a lot of driving (10+ hours).

Mission accomplished, and now we are set up at Silver Dollar City for a week.

Summer 2017 R.V. Trip - Week 1

We left early Thursday (6:45) to avoid traffic and truly didn’t have any traffic issues. Also wanted to get over the pass before the heat, since Miss Winnie doesn’t like to drive in heat. It was not a problem. Our first stop is always Cle Elum’s bakery. Across the street from there is a meat shop where we got some beef jerky.

We were pushing to cover miles, since Alan decided he needed some help from Roger. Our first night was in Butte, MT. (at Walmart) Their parking lot was being re-striped and the guy worked all night on it.

The next day started great. But once we hit the heat of the day and were driving at 5000+ altitude, the old R.V started to protest. Three times it lost power to the extent that it stopped running – some gas starvation problem (vapor lock?). However, after a cool down rest, it started right up and was rarin’ to go! We played Scrabble at the first stop, Hand and Foot at the next and Skipbo at the last. By then the air had cooled and we were able to drive the last 2 hours into Rapid City.

Saturday we spent enjoying the grandkids; going out to eat compliments of Alan & family; running errands and working on projects. It was great!

After church Sunday we grilled brats and had lunch in the R.V.

Then we hit the road again.