Wed, Thurs, Fri, 2010

Nov. 3 - Rain hazy, foggy weather with 51 degrees. Left KOA in Bowling Green, Ind and crossed into Tennessee with rain still coming down. On our way to Memphis, TN and glad we are finally going to be getting into some warmer weather and sunshine soon. Crossing the Mississippi River there is a huge traffic jam because of construction. Guess everyone is trying to get their work done before the winter sets in.
4:45 p.m. and pulling into the KOA in Marion, AK right across the Mississippi River into Arkansas.
Drove 284 miles today

Nov. 4, 2010 - 8:15 a.m. and on the road to Texarkana with the winds starting to pick up already. Last night heavy 30 mph winds went whipping through the campground bringing a very cold front thru.. At Little Rock, ARK which is about half way it is still very windy and cold. Sure will be glad when this day is over. Stopped and got dry ice at the local Wal-Mart for our cooler that has all our meat in it.
Drove 271 miles today

Friday-Nov. 5, 2010 7:00 a.m and up!!!!! We are waiting for Caroline and Wade to get to the RV. Caroline is coming aboard for the rest of the trip to CA. so she can be with her son for Thanksgiving. Our saying is: Our RV holds 4 and sleeps 2, but we are making an exception this time. Nice weather here and on the way to Dallas. Tried taking a picture of the Dallas Football Stadium, but no luck.
4:35 p.m. pulled into the KOA in Abilene, TX. Had a bite to eat then Leslie (granddaughter) and family came to visit us. It was nice seeing all of them and we had a good chat and lots of laughs. Would have loved to go to Leslie's home but we were so packed with the Jeep we could not unplug and drive there. Maybe next time.
Drove 358 miles today

Tues. Nov. 2, 2010

Left the KOA in Bluffton, Ind with 37 degrees and sunny. Went to bed early last night, the first night and day driving is always the worst as far as getting used to everything. We are hitting some 10-12 mph winds now from the East. It is very hard for Frank to hold the wheel when they are from the side of us.. Stopped for gas in Daleville Indiana with a warm up of 45 degrees but still sunny skies. Gas here in this area is $2.67 gal.
Crossing the J.F.K. Memorial Bridge here at the state line of Kentucky. Nice bridge, but very narrow and lots of traffic. Having a heat wave of 60 degrees!!! Nice!!! Have to change time zones which makes us one hour earlier--sweet.
4:30 p.m. (really 5:30 p.m. our body time) pulled into the KOA in Bowling Green, KY.
Drove 327 miles today.

On the Road Again!!- Nov. 1, 2010

Well, we left later than planned, just couldn't get it all together. On the road to CA from Michigan after saying good-by to Tina our Office Girl and Eleanor and Bill came by for a final good-bye. When we were about 15 minutes down the road I realized I did not take my ice pack (for my shoulder) out of the freezer. Since I REALLY need them, we turned around and went back and got them. The weather is beautiful with sunny blue skies and a temp of 34 degrees!!!!! The roads are clear and no traffic. It did get down to 27 degrees last night, and today's high is suppose to be 45 degrees. No snow in the forecast until the week-end.
Crossed into Indiana at 1:30 p.m. It took us 3 hours and that is exactly what Bill said it would take. the temp is still only 48 degrees but still sunny blue skies. Frank has a business meeting to see and look at a couple of new mobile homes to maybe purchase for the Park.
4:45 p.m. and we are pulling into the KOA Park in Bluffton, Indiana which is about 60 miles south of Fort Wayne. Not a lot of camping going on this stretch of highway. We probably won't stay here again, because it is way too far off the freeway- 14 miles. We don't have much choice it was either this or a truck stop and with it being so cold tonight, I preferred someplace with electricity. Otherwise I would and do not mind staying in a truck stop. The price is always right.
We drove 263 miles today

Getting Ready Again

Went to the therapist today and Frank went with me to see how to give me some therapy with my arm along the road back to CA. He did very good and it looks like he can now add "therapist" to his long list of duties he can do. hahahaha. I also have some exercises to do myself along the way. We don't want my arm to stop getting stronger for the 2 weeks that I won't be in therapy. We are now getting the RV ready for Nov. 1 when we plan on pulling out of MI. We will be picking up my sister Caroline, hopefully, in the Texarkanaco area where she will go with us to CA and visit with her son and family for Thanksgiving. It will be fun to have another person along the way to chat with and show the sights that we see we go back to CA. Been very windy here for the last few days, but the sun is suppose to be out for the next 5 days or more here in Mt. Pleasant. That will be nice for us, at least for the first day anyway. I will try and keep in touch along the way, but as you know in the past, sometimes that is kinda hard to do. Especially now, when typing is not my easiest thing to accomplish. Wish us luck and say some prayers that we have as good a trip as we have in the past.

Update on Doctor's visit

Went to the Doctor's today and my shoulder is coming along just fine and right on schedule. I will still continue with the "passive" therapy while we are in Michigan, and then continue with the "active" therapy when we get to CA. Right now our plan is to leave MI on November 1, 2010. We should arrive in CA sometime about the 12-13th depending on the weather. There is a lot I can do compared with a few weeks ago and still a lot that I cannot do, that will take more time for those muscles to get their strength back. The doc said it was a pretty good size tear and it will take 6-12 months to completely heal. I will be doing excercises on the way to CA, (we will be driving an RV there). All is well here and Frank is still making beautiful pens and bowls and loving every minute he can get to do it. He has been so busy taking care of me that he has had to let some of those things be put aside. He is not glad that some of the "chores" he does not have to do anymore, or at least not as often. These are some of the fall colors here, also the pens Frank made for Dr. Lilly and his nurse Kris.

Friday, Sept. 24, 2010

Well the doc says I need to wear my arm sling until the weekend. Since today is a Friday, I thought I would try and take the sling off since I was not going out of the house and not doing anything. Well, after about 4 hours I decided that it would be a good idea to put it back on for awhile. I guess my arm is not as strong as I thought it would be. A lot like getting out of the hospital, you think you feel good and strong, until you get home and then you realize how tired you are. So I guess I will keep the sling on for at least part of each day until next Monday when I can take it off for good. My therapy starts next week and I am looking forward to getting my arm stronger and stronger. I have a date to play tennis with my sister next summer, so I better start working towards that goal!!! hahahahaha

Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010

We had a nice time at Ron and Bonnie's place in Ohio the last few days. It was nice to see Frank and Ron remembering the old days and laughing. We celebrated our 19th anniversary by going out for lunch with Ron and Bonnie as soon as we got into Lancaster, Ohio. Hoping that next year when we celebrate our 20th, the 3 brothers and wives can take a cruise to Alaska. Yes, I know I always said I did not think I would like to go, but am changing my mind as I get older. haha Ron and Bonnie's daughter Jan came over for dinner with her friend, Mack. A very nice man and extremely fond of her. Jan's two sons were staying at Grandpa and Grandma's for awhile, Branson - 17yrs. old and Matthew - 12 yrs. (I think)Great kids and we sure had a good time with them. Frank and Matthew bonded together very well. It was nice seeing them again, it has been about 12-13 yrs since we saw them. It was good to see Jill again also, she is still having trouble with her MS, but seems to be able to know how to handle it. Saw an Eastern rain storm and almost forgot how much of a downpour it can have. We had to wait about 2 hours before we could leave to come back to Mt. Pleasant. When we got to Mt. Pleasant, we were having torrential rains and could hardly see the lines on the road and at one point the water laying on the road was so deep, we did not even see it (by this time it was dark) and the when we went through the water it splashed up over our windshield! On Friday p.m. we will be heading up to the Traverse City area and camping at the KOA there. Saturday a.m. Frank is going to a Traverse City Woodturning Meeting (which he belongs to). After the meeting there is going to be a picnic which will be fun. We will head back to Mt. Pleasant on Sunday. I will be calling the hospital on Sunday p.m. to find out when I am to report for my surgery Monday. It has been hot, humid and 88-93 degrees here the last week.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

We are finally getting somewhat settled here in Michigan. It has been a little on the humid side since we got here. We are leaving tomorrow p.m. to go to Frank's brother's place in Lancaster, Ohio for a day. Ron and his wife Bonnie are having a difficult time these days. Their youngest daughter Jill who has MS and Epileptic Seizures will have to have brain surgery in the near future. So we will see them and visit with them and head back to Mt. Pleasant on Wed. All is going well here and Frank has been making a lot of Wine Stoppers and smaller Bottle stoppers to take to a place where we sell his "wares". Those items seem to sell the best. Will be glad to get this operation over so I can start the healing process to use my arm again like a "normal" person.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Well, this is it folks, we are only about 2 1/2 hours away from Mt. Pleasant.
8:45 a.m and on the road with 70 degree, humid weather, leaving Charlovoix. Taking the way home is a nice scenic view and not too much traffic along the way. One thing you notice when out East, is all the green around you. Coming from CA and AZ this time of year, it is mostly brown.
11:30 - Arrived at Mt. Pleasant, MI--- 2 weeks-4 days-3,393 miles!!! No wonder were tired. I thank God for keeping Frank and me safe all the way. Frank does a great job driving and riding with him is a pleasure.

Friday, July 23, 2010

9:30 a.m. with a 68 degree, cloudy temp as we pull out of The Country Village RV Park in Ishpeming, Michigan. Getting to the end of our trip and for those of you who know about my shoulder, it is about the same as when I left home. I am looking forward to having something done, so I can start using my arm like a normal person.
10:30 a.m. - We stopped and took pics of Lake Superior, the largest lakes of the Great Lakes. A little cloudy right now, but hopefully the sun will peep through.
Got on a Pictured Rock Boat Cruise out of Munising, Michigan. It is a 2 1/2 hr. cruise which took us into Lake Superior and along the rock formations made by the terrible winters that Lake Superior has. The water was crystal clear and blue green in color when we were up close to the formations. A 37 mile adventure that passed "Lovers Leap, Miners Castle, Indian Head, Chapel Rock and the East Channel Lighthouse. What beautiful colors these formations have because of the different minerals that seep out of the rocks. I have lived in Michigan for 50 years and have never been up here to sight see or see what this area has to offer. It was great to be able to take the time to experience part of the Upper Peninsula. After the cruise, we got a Michigan Black Cherry ice cream--the best of the best!!! My favorite by far. As we drove down towards the Mackinac Bridge, along Lake Michigan, we got out to walk along some of the sandy beaches, put my feet in to test the cold water, it was cold, Lake Michigan was a lot more windy and the waves were harder than in Lake Superior. We saw our 2nd bald eagle along this stretch of US-2. Abby got a good run and we talked to a family from Roseville, Michigan on their way to MN where we just came from. We stopped at our favorite Pasties place along the road to get our supply of delicious pasties and smoked fish.
6:00 p.m. - Crossing the Mackinac Bride or "Mighty Mack" the locals call it, at 20 mph because of a "High Wind" warning. Going slow you get to see a lot of the scenery. hahahaha
7:15 p.m. - Arrived at Charlovoix, MI at Eleanor and Bill's "Beach House". Mike, Julie and the kids were there and it was nice seeing them again. John and Sarah came in about 30 min. after we did and it was nice to see them again also. Charlovoix was having some festivities this weekend and they had a huge fireworks display over the water at night. It was beautiful but seem to go on forever! Frank had to take Abby back to the RV because she was shaking so bad, poor thing. Had a good evening with them and we are preparing for the last leg tomorrow.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

11:00 a.m. - Just now pulling out of the KOA in Duluth. No hurry to get on the move this morning. On our way to Marquette, MI with a 70 degree and partly sunny, humid day. We had a little rain, not much last night.
12:00 p.m. - We are in Superior Wisconsin with a population of 2400 people. Stopped at the Bad River Casino parking lot and had lunch. One good thing about these casinos is they have nice large parking for the RVs. Just past a lake called Serpent Lake, don't think I would want to swim in that lake. hahaha. The sun has finally broke through and it is 86 degrees and breezy.

3:45 - Lost another hour again and we are now 3 hours different from CA. On HWY. 2 north along Lake Superior, still cloudy
6:00 p.m. - Pulled into the Country Village Park in Ishpeming, MI. Ready to stop for the night, we are only about 15 miles from Marquette. Sat outside for awhile next to a campfire. Imagine a campfire in the middle of July!! Temp was about 62 degrees with a wind. Not much along this road, not one I would recommend.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

9:30 a.m. Leaving KOA at Bismarck, ND. Had a quiet night last night after all the rain. Overcast now and temp at 65 degrees. Suppose to get rain today, but it did not happen.

11:15 a.m. - Going through a little town on I-94 East in N.D. called Jamestown. A cute billboard said "North Dakota Commute" and it showed an empty freeway. (Like this pic.) Which is true - we have not seen much traffic this morning. 72 degrees and still overcast, but no rain thank goodness.

12:45 p.m. - Stopped for gas in West Fargo, ND. Been the cheapest gas so far at $2.57 gal. and they gave us free coffee!! What a deal! On our way to MN to meet up with another Mesa, AZ wood turning buddy, Bob. This is a new route for us on HWY. 10 East. We are going to meet him at a restaurant called Perkins, outside of a city called "Detroit Lakes" which is where he lives. Warm and still overcast and humid.

2:15 p.m. - Met up with Bob and his wife and had a great visit. Nice meeting the couples we know in AZ on their "stomping grounds".

3:30 p.m. - Back on the road to Brainer, MN. with 85 degrees and HUMID!

4:30 p.m. - at Wadena, MN where a tornado went through here a few days ago. Did some pretty serious damage, as the pics show.

7:00 p.m. Stopped in a small town and had a bite to eat and now on the road to Duluth, MN area for the night. We could not find any where to park here on US HWY. 10 East, so we have to continue for awhile.

8:15 p.m. - Finally pulled into a KOA outside of Duluth, MN for the night. Nice weather, been a long drive today.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

8:30 a.m. and out the door and on our way to Bismarck, ND. A beautiful morning to drive again. The morning's have been very good so far, it is cooler and less traffic and the weather is usually much better storm wise than in the afternoon. We had a good night and no storms. It was suppose to thunder and heavy rain, but it did not happen. It happened earlier, the people at the Park were telling us. Frank could not resist taking a picture of this OLD tree.

10:45 a.m. - We stopped at the State Line of MT and ND for a break with at 75 degree temperature and still sunny and very nice. As we get farther East, we see more green in the crops, grass, etc. The wind is at our back now so we should get good gas mileage.

11:00 a.m. - Crossed into North Dakota and driving through ND it is very scenic and kept taking lots of pics, mostly of the mountains, ND is much more prettier than SD, I think. Stopped at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, ND to take some pic of the beautiful rock formations - like a mini Grand Canyon. This is called the North Dakota Badlands, which erode 2-4" every year. Eventually this all will be level because of the hard rains and corrosion from the wind. We saw so e wild horsed on the hills and prickly pear Cactus which has a cute yellow flower on it. They also have here the Bison which they tell you not to approach them--OK I won't. hahahahaha

12:45 p.m. - Central Time - we have not crossed into Mountain Time so we lose another hour. Time really now is 1:45 p.m. My how time flies. There are a lot of fields and fields of farm land, but don't see any houses on these farmlands. ???
Took some of these pics. looking through UV Sunglasses.

3:00 p.m. - Pulled into the KOA at Bismarck, ND with a nice 78 degrees and sunny skies still. It's either stop here now or go onto Fargo which is another 2 hours down the road. Stopping now we can relax and get an early start tomorrow. Sat outside and was talking to the couple that pulled in along side of us from Indiana going West. Nice chat, they were renting there rig for the first time to see if they would like it. The guy is for it, the woman, has questions, she like staying in nice hotels and eating out.

6:00 p.m. - While BBQ Burgers, a little sprinkle came down and within 5 minutes a total cloud burst came upon us!! Thunder, Lighting, the works. Luckily our burgers were covered on the grill and almost done. We ate and as soon as we were done eating, the sun came out and it did not rain again all night.

Monday,July 19, 2010

Happy Birthday to Abby (our poodle) who is 9 yrs. old today.

9:30 a.m. - On our way to Miles City, MT if all goes well, with a 60 degree temp here right now.

11:00 a.m. - Stopped for gas and prices here are a little lower than what we have been paying. We have had to pay at least $3.00 a gallon, here in MT it is $2.73. Weather man says it is suppose to have thunder storms in Miles City later this afternoon into the evening. It would be nice to get there before the rain, we have about 3 hours driving time before us, so there is a chance we might get caught in the middle of the storm.
12:30 p.m. - Stopped at a rest stop for a break and to give Abby some medicine to keep her calm. She is starting to shake and pant because she smells the change in weather and the rain. This will calm her down a little and she will be more relaxed. We saw these 2 little fawns along side the road, they took off as soon as they saw Abby. Pictures Frank took of flowers and stream, so refreshing

2:30 p.m. - Pulled into the KOA in Miles City, MT which is the last city on I-94 East and on the border of ND. It rained the last few hours and it is suppose to rain tonight. If we don't stop here our next stop would be Bismark, ND and that is another 5 hours! Too far for me to continue. Our temperature has dropped to 60 degrees because of this storm. Seems the storm came through here just before we got here and now the sun is starting to peek through so we went into the little town of Miles City and I just loved it!! Lots of cowboys, big truck with bars on the grill in case they hit a varmit and they are proud of their trucks!! Great paint jobs and very artistic. What a place to people watch. Frank bought a Montana Cowboy Shirt and it looks good on him! I'm not a cowgirl person, so nothing interested me--Eleanor you should be here, saw lots of things you would love! hahahaha. This little town is so "Western". It's nice to stop early and then see what's in the cities around and have a relaxing evening.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Happy Birthday to dear Barbara today!!

7:00 a.m. - Starting out from Cabela's Parking lot in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho going East thru Montana today. We have 62 degrees, blue, sunny skies and a good nights sleep. It was very quiet in the parking lot, where there were about 5 of us "Boon docking" it.

8:00 a.m. - We are now at the top of Lookout Pass at 4,000 feet. Lots of Pine, Fir and Cedar trees which make for a beautiful trip.

9:00 a.m. - Now crossing into Montana with a cool 67 degrees with sun. We saw 2 baby fawns eating along side the road after we pulled over for a break. They kept watching us and then saw Abby in the RV and took off. Passing by the Silver Dollar Casino here on I-90 in Montana. We stopped here the last time we came through and they have 50,000 silver dollars all over the bar, ceiling, walls, counters, etc. quite interesting. Crossing into Montana we lost an hour, which I don't like. Frank is my tour guide since Montana is his old stomping grounds. So far this western part of the USA from the coast to Seattle and all the way through Montana has been just beautiful.

2:45 p.m. - Stopped and gassed up before we get to Bozeman, MT. Don't want to run out of gas on those mountains! We just passed the Continental Divide at 6,184 feet. This time coming through MT we have good cell service (thank you AT&T) Last time we could not get any cell service crossing through MT.

Called Frank's Aunt Betty and Uncle Curt who live in Ennis, MT and they met us for dinner halfway for both of us. Had a great meal and sure was nice seeing them again. Their getting up in the years, but sure enjoy seeing "Sonny". Since the weather was so warm-89 degrees- there must have been at least 200 people "tubing" down the river to cool off. After we had dinner and on the way back to the RV, all the tubers were gone! Of course it was starting get dark and the weather had cooled off about 20 degrees. hahahaha Saw a "dust devil" right along side the road, a little too close for comfort. We were glad we got passed it before it decided to come across the road!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

9:15 a.m. - Pulling out of KOA, Seattle after a Great 5 days! I love Seattle and what it has to offer. Of course being there during the best weather they have had in awhile helped. The weather now is about 58 degrees and a little overcast, but we can see the sun starting to try and come through. Heading out I-90 East and going through ski country at 3,000 ft in a ski resort here. Just as we drove down the summit, the skies turned blue and the sun came out and temperatures are rising. A nice drive through the Wenatchee National Forest with all the pine trees reaching for the skies.
12:00 noon - Fueled up in Ellensburg, WA and the temperature is now in the 80's, we have a nice road and no traffic. Going past Moses Lake and Medicine Lake, WA on our way to Spokane, WA.
4:30 p.m. - Pulling into the Cabela's Parking Lot for the night in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, it's hot-90 degrees and we are tired. Had some dinner then walked through Cabela's and picked up a few things, as usual. The whole evening was a freebe - free RV parking and we used our Cabela's Points for our purchases! Sweet!! Sat outside until the temperature dropped to 69 degrees and then came in.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Woke up to overcast skies this a.m. with 55 degrees, but it is suppose to be sunny and 75 degrees later, that will be much nicer since this is our last day here in beautiful Seattle. We went down to the Waterfront and walked along Pikes Market, which is an experience like no other. hahahaha. Bought a couple of white peaches which were very juicy and tasty, for $2.00 ea. they should be! On one of the other tours, the driver told us that if we want to remember how the streets downtown, they have a saying: Jesus-Made-Seattle-Under-Protest. JMSUP, believe it or not that is how we got around.Went on the Argosy Lock Tour and I never thought WE would be going through the lock, I just thought we would watch other ships go through them, like we did in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. I sure was surprised when we went through them. After going through the locks, we were picked up by the Grey Line Line tour Bus to take us back to the Waterfront, where we got on our cruise ship. As we were driving back on the bus, we could see that we would be passing right by the Space Needle and that is where we were going to go next. So, instead of going down to the Waterfront, getting our car and then driving back to the Space Needle, Frank asked the bus driver, if he would let us off at the Space Needle and we would find our own way back. The bus driver said no problem, and he pulled over to the curb and let us off right in front of the Space Needle. We were so lucky, we walked up to the ticket counter, no waiting in line, went up on the elevator to the observation deck. This picture was taken looking INTO the window from the outside. About an hour

later, while we were waiting in line to go back down the

elevator, Frank asked how to get to the restaurant,

the usher said it had just opened up for dinners and to just go up the stairs, we did and got one of the best tables by the revolving window! After about 1 1/2 hrs later and a fabulous dinner ($$$$$$) with sunny skies and beautiful views we went down the elevator and took the Monorail the Space Needle offers to about 3 blocks from where we parked our car earlier. It was amazing how everything fell into place. What a perfect day from start to finish! These last 5 days in Seattle have been a 10 or better on the charts!! Frank outdid himself this time.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Up and out the door at 6:00 a.m. to go to George and Sharon McGill's placein Birch Bay which is just at the Canadian Border. We got there a little early so decided to drive into Canada. We drove around the city of Surrey and then came back across the Border to the U.S. Going over, Immigration had to walk around our car because there was no license plate number coming up on his computer, probably because we don't have a front license plate and also our spare tire partly covers our plate in the back. Then coming back to the U.S. they made us pull over to the side, roll all the windows down, checked out the car and then they let us continue. With no front plates and 2 rifle looking things sticking out of the front (for towing) they probably thought we had a "James Bond" car. hahahaha. We visited George and Sharon and they made us a delicious BBQ lunch. Another beautiful sunny day again. About 3:00 p.m. we headed back down towards the outskirts of Seattle to a town called Redmond where we met up with Frank's niece, Kristilyn, her husband and their two children, Charlie-8yrs. and Nora - 6 yrs. Had a GREAT time with them and saw their "house in progress". they are remodeling it themselves and have done a lot of work since they bought it just a few yrs. ago. Charlie and Nora are very friendly, excitable and great kids. Made us laugh a lot and just loved Abby. Kristilyn is a Family Lawyer and her and two other lawyers are starting their own firm, so it was nice that she could take some time off to be with us for a few hours. Turns out they live only about 1 hour from the KOA Campground where we are staying. A long day but well worth it.