Author: 1952june

 

 

Today we slept in later than we wanted to however it did feel good.  Without unhooking the trailer it takes us about 30 minutes from feet on the floor to driving away.  We decided to get something on the road however we had enough granola bars and beef jerky to satisfy the soul.

The traveling from Indianapolis to Monroe was different in the fact that there was road construction about every 10 to 20 miles, the roads were in terrible shape (very very bumpy) and the wind was pushing us all over the road.  Wasn’t much fun driving through all that.

Once again the scenery is green with vegetation, trees, crops – lots of lakes and rivers – the place we were at last night a fella was fishing in the pond on the property and said he caught a pretty good size bass – I need to get a fishing pole.  PRC

Here we are at Sterling State Park on the shores of Lake Erie. I never imagined I’d be here so of course so we had to dip our feet in to the cold lake water.  We met the “beach master” who came over to us to let us know the dead fish behind us was his so don’t get any funny ideas.

This is the first time we have stayed in a state park and it has all the amenities we need.  Plus we have amazing views. The bird songs are almost noisy (in a good way).

A good friend of ours, Steve S., is from Detroit, Michigan. He asked me to bring a list of supplies back to Phoenix for him. Has anyone heard of Bommarito cookies, Bucemis  Pizza, and Bettermade  Potatoe Chip?  I’ll try to hook him up.

We finally arrive  in CANADA tomorrow.  We’ll be able to relax, get caught up with laundry, clean-up the trailer and truck and spend some time in one place.  JY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indianapolis, Indiana – Lake Haven Retreat

As you can see by the map we are progressing diagonally across the United States – we feel some remorse that we are traveling through so much of the country and not seeing anything – it reminds me of the quote that says, “Thanks to the US highway system you can travel quickly across the entire country and see nothing.”  In spite of this our objective is to spend as much time as we can in the Maritime Provinces of Canada – that is our prize.

Today was another long day of 360 miles but the next two days should be much easier.  We are pulling over into rest areas more frequently to walk around and stretch our legs so the trip takes longer but we enjoy it more.  The last rest area we stopped at a guy in a motor home pulled in but did not stop in time.  PRC

 

 

The drive from Wichita, Kansas to Indianapolis has been very green, all shades of green. Lots of lakes, streams, crops and churches.   Sadly, all this beautiful green comes at a price – humidity and no-see-ums (teeny tiny bugs).

In case I forgot that we are in the “Bible Belt’ I had an abrupt reminder as we passed this humongous cross off the freeway.

We are at a very pretty RV Park in the south section of Indianapolis. There’s a lake with Canadian geese and their goslings.  Peter says it is a Canadian entourage that flew down here to greet a returning Canadian as he gets closer to the border.  I saw a killdeer bird.  It brings attention to itself to protect it’s nest by pretending to be wounded.  The sound of all the birds has been lovely the last few days.

We are getting accustomed to our routine. Tomorrow we don’t have to get up so early. This is because we don’t want to leave during the morning rush hour. Tomorrow will be our last stop in the US.  As Fancy Nancy says, two more “get up’s” before Canada.

Next post will be from Sterling State Park in Monroe, Michigan.  JY

 

 

Here we are in humid Missouri – I asked the lady at check-in if it was always this humid and she said “darlin’ this ain’t nothin’, in a month or so the humidity will be 90% so we are enjoyin’ this while it lasts”.

We left Wichita, KS shortly after 7:00 this morning and pulled into our site here in Cottonwood RV Park in Columbia, MO about 2:30 this afternoon.  It was a nice drive of 350 miles with several stops for fuel.  Whenever we stop we walk around the building a couple of times to stretch a little.  The countryside is hilly and lush with ground foliage and trees along with meandering rivers, streams and numerous lakes.  Gas in many places is $1.99 per gallon which is great for the budget.  Got settled in and was doing my usual walk around inspection of the truck and RV when I noticed the cable from the truck to the breakaway switch on the RV had been dragging on the ground and was broken.  I called a local RV repair shop and they were out in 30 minutes to replace it.  I will pay more attention to it in the future.   PRC

It’s pretty and peaceful at this RV Park. What I noticed in Missouri was lots of green, creeks and lakes and sporting goods stores.  It is a bit humid.

The last three RV parks have had storm shelters including this one. So if there is severe storm including a tornado we will be hunkering down in the bathrooms.

It’s a quiet evening as usual. There’s not much time or opportunity to do much as we are tired and don’t unhook the truck from the trailer since we’re just staying overnight.
I am so looking forward to getting to Canada where we will spend at least a week at each RV Park.

Signing off for now. We’ll be in Indianapolis tomorrow.  JY

We are going to add new feature to the beginning of each blog post and that will be a map showing where we are – so here is the first map.  We are the red dot.

We only had to drive 256 miles today so we did not worry about getting an early start.  June Yvonne slept in and we had breakfast.   We drove for 40 miles and left Oklahoma which we thought was pretty flat then we crossed the border into Kansas which is flat as a pancake.  Oklahoma is rather hill compared to Kansas.  Nothing really interesting to write about other than we saw our first dead armadillo by the side of the road.  How’s that for exciting.

Well it did get a little more interesting at the RV Park – we were enjoying some gourmet sandwiches at Subway and this old fella walks in and asks if we were from out of town – I replied “yes, we are from Phoenix Arizona” – he walked a little closer to our table and then asked “aren’t you afraid of all them Mexicans?” – June Yvonne lit up like a roman candle and I’ll let her tell you the story.   PRC

On the drive through  Kansas,  I set my mind to appreciating  Middle America, the “Heartland” of the US of A. I noticed the pretty pastures, quilting supply stores, John Deere tractors, green waves of grain, etc. It’s a different culture for me…

So we walked to the Subway for dinner tonight.  A nice older gentleman started a conversation with us and Peter told him we were from Phoenix, AZ.  He wanted to know how far we lived from Mexico. (I began to see where this was heading…) We told him about 200 miles and he asked, “Aren’t you afraid of all them Mexicans?

Of course I said, “I am a Mexican.” His response didn’t help matters any – His face paled a little – his back stiffened up and he said, “I mean those hostile Mexicans.”  He visually expressed regret for his comment and with his head down he shuffled out of the restaurant not wanting to pursue the conversation.   I wonder who he voted for.

I realize that the majority of Midwesterner’s are not afraid of “them Mexicans.”  However, it’s a reminder of how often these attitudes are lurking unspoken below the surface. I’ll still appreciate the Midwest as we head to Missouri, Indiana, and Michigan.

And, of course Happy Mother’s Day to all us mothers including those who nurtured , raised and loved young ones who were not their children by birth.

It’s warm here in Wichita (91 degrees).   We have a long drive to Columbia, MO so it will be an early night and an early morning start.

Buenas  Noches mi querida  familia  y amigas/os.

 JY

 

 

Today was a better day, yesterday June Yvonne was not feeling well and I was sick as a dog.  We arrived in Albuquerque about 5:30 and I was in bed by 6:30 – asleep by 6:35 – June Yvonne thought I was dead so she had to check if I was breathing.  Slept straight through to 4:30am and on the road by 6:30am. Enough about that!

We arrived in Guymon and it is very windy here.  The lady at the concession stand said that 2 weeks ago there was a blizzard with 70 mph winds and 8 inches of snow.  The whole town was without power – the north end of town got power back in 4 days and the south end (where we are) didn’t get power for a week.  The RV Park was suppose to open last weekend but just opened last night.   The RV Park has a pizzeria and a drive-in movie – I’m amazed the screen is still standing with all the wind especially the blizzard wind.  It is interesting to note that the kids are out playing in the playground in shorts and t-shirts and they probably don’t even realize the wind is blowing like crazy.

Thinking back to our Phoenix departure.  It was interesting going through the final stages of packing and the anxiety of leaving all your “stuff” behind – frankly I couldn’t wait to get started as I was tired of researching, planning, making reservations, packing and getting our RV ready to go.  It was a relief to drive away from the house and realize that if we had what we need it’s great and if we didn’t have everything we needed that’s OK too.  Our RV is a tiny microcosm of our day to day life at home.  It is smaller and we are never too far from each other and within this much smaller space we sometimes have to choreograph our movements.

There is a motorcycle rally passing through town with 1,000 motorcycles I couldn’t count all the ones at this RV Park.  The rally is for charity and they are biking through 5 states. PRC

ADDENDUM TO FLAGSTAFF

As previously indicated, Day 1, Phoenix to Flagstaff was pleasant and uneventful. We did avert a crisis though. Upon arrival to the Casino parking lot, Peter announced that he couldn’t find  our passports. I remained somewhat calm as I always have a backup for cases such as this.  I prayed to St. Anthony, Saint of lost things and lost causes. This almost always works; and it did.  Peter with St. Anthony’s (Peter calls him Tony) help found the passports stashed with his meds. (Makes sense to me.) However, I did put the passports in my purse. So now you know and can remind me if I forget…

FLAGSTAFF TO ALBUQUERQUE

This was a tough 24 hours, hopefully it will be the toughest in our 4 month journey. Peter woke up in the middle of the night retching. Consequently, neither one of us got much sleep. We still had to get up Friday morning and make our way to Albuquerque. Both of us were exhausted and Peter was still not feeling well. He thinks he got food poisoning from something from the buffet. I think he had stomach flu as I had a similar experience before we left on our trip.

Peter was exhausted and still a little green around the gills when we arrived in Albuquerque.  We managed to set up, take a shower and fall asleep.  No photos from American RV Park.

We quickly learned our first lesson on this trip. Our itinerary is much too ambitious especially if something goes even slightly amiss, like getting sick. Our plan for now is to stay one night only at each stop until we reach Canada. Next time, every other day we will stay two nights.

ALBUQUERQUE TO GUYMON, OK

It’s amazing what umpteen hours of sleep can do for a person. We woke up fairly refreshed and left by 6:15 am for the next leg of our journey.

As much as I love New Mexico, it seemed like it took forever to cross the state border. And, when we did it wasn’t the Oklahoma state line – it was Texas. I didn’t expect that. Another lesson – road trips provide good geography lessons.  Our friend, Nancy M. did remind me that Texas is a Big A** state.

So, over the swath of Texas we covered we saw lots of cattle, grain elevators, trucks, long train and many Baptist churches. (Just an observation…).

We are here now at Corral Drive-In Park feeling so much better than when we arrived in Albuquerque yesterday. I am happy again. Yesterday I felt like going home.

The wind is blowing fiercely here.  There is a drive-in movie here and tonight’s double feature is Guardians of the Galaxy II and Beauty & the Beast. Too bad but we need to get up early to take off in the morning for Wichita, Kansas tomorrow.

Since it’s a short stay we won’t be able to try any Oklahoman food like fried okra, fried green tomatoes, basically anything fried. I know this so as our good friend Nancy M. is from Oklahoma. Apparently there’s also good fresh tomatoes and watermelon.

Then there is the sad history of the “Trail of Tears” a painful reminder that’s a tragic and shameful part of US history.

Hasta luego. Hopefully the movie won’t keep us awake tonight.  JY

 

Well here we are on the road again.  We are heading to Canada today and t

oday is our 15 year wedding anniversary – time flies when you’re having fun and it’s been a sweet ride.

We are just east of Flagstaff at the Twin Arrows Casino where we are camped in the RV parking area.  We just finished eating at the prime rib buffet and have gone for several short walks around the property.  When we left Phoenix today the temperatures were starting to ramp up into the high 90’s.  It was 103 for two days last week but here in Flagstaff it is actually a little chilly but we will sleep with the windows open – the night air is wonderful. – PRC

Yeah!! We have started our 2017 summer journey crossing the US into Canada. We have arrived in Flagstaff, AZ where we boondocking at Twin Arrows. The weather is cool and we will probably sleep with the windows open.

We leave tomorrow for Albuquerque. In the meantime, I’m taking in beautiful Arizona. I won’t be seeing it for four months…

We are in Navajo land and the Navajo Blessing way Prayer comes to mind:

 

 

 

 

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