August 2011 - Bridge Coast to Coast Saga

August 29 - 31, 2011 - CA
Monday, August 29. We are completely out of fresh fruits and vegetables, so I headed in to Nevada City this morning to pick up a few groceries. I had done a search for stores but the first one I stopped at turned out to be a convenience store, so the Nuvi directed to my next choice and that turned out to be a supermarket. I had forgotten how expensive groceries are in California, it was easy to spend a quick $90, but the meat market was quite nice so I bought a few items there and also picked up a couple bottles of wine and all that really adds up. As I was backing out of my parking spot, I heard loud clunk and realized that I had backed into the pickup truck parked behind me, it must have been hidden in my blind spot. Dang! Pieces of the shattered tail light were scattered all over the pavement. Dang! I really couldn�??t see any damage on my car, so I parked next to the truck and waited for the owner to come out. She was very disappointed but thankful that I waited for her. I exchanged insurance information and headed back home.

Not long after that, we got visitors. Jim and Diane, a couple that we got to know when we spent the winter in Rockport, TX back in 2008 now live in Yuba City, a 40-minute drive from here. Mike and I were looking for damage to the car when they arrived and still didn't see anything, although Jim spotted a dent where Mike's bike frame was pushed into the rear door and another one where the bike frame is anchored to the base of the rear door. Dang, Dang! It appears there could also be some damage to Mike's bike. Dang! I've been unable to contact the insurance company because I have such a spotty phone signal. Tomorrow will have to do.

Over the years, we have stayed in touch with Jim and Diane through e-mails and facebook. A few days ago, I let them know that we were going to be in the area and they were glad to come over for a visit. Naturally, after 2 years since we�??d last seen each other, we had lots of stuff to talk about.

We headed to a restaurant that Mike and I had spotted on our way here, the historic 5-Mile House that got great reviews, everyone said the pizza was delicious. Unfortunately, it was closed so went in to Nevada City, a historic gold mining town with many buildings listed on the National Historic Register. We parked on Main Street, did some window shopping and ended up at Lefty�??s Grill, named for it�??s 2 chefs that struggled in the kitchen because they are both left-handed. The staff was friendly, our lunch was delicious, and we had some great conversation. At times like this, we realize how fortunate we have been to be able to travel around the country and make friends with people from all over the US.

Tuesday, August 30. Sigh! Relief! We made it to our destination at the Marin Park, just north of the Golden Gate. It feels good to be back here, smelling the ocean breezes and seeing the shorebirds in the wetland. They gave us a site that is on the back end of the park and as I sit here, I can see one of the Larkspur Ferry boats off in the distance, crossing the bay over to San Francisco. A not so good view is the south end of the San Quentin prison but there is a nice tree and some tall grassy plants that kind of obstructs it. We first stayed here back in 2005 and the park has been much improved since then. The size of the sites has increased (not by much, but they are wider), the mechanicals are all up to date, the roads have been paved and it just looks a lot nicer than it did back then. Expensive, no doubt about that, but you can't beat the location.

I made up a batch of my yummy tuna salad and took the fixings over to Ben and Jill's for dinner tonight. Jill warned us earlier in the day that it was a cold day in the city. Dressed in jeans and hoodies again, we headed south through the fog to get to their house. A friendly neighbor saw us struggling to fit in the parking spot in front of his house, he stopped to chat and offered us a bit of his driveway space, warning that some of the neighbors got a bit upset when you even slightly blocked the driveway. Parking in SF is hard to find at certain times of the day, and especially now in their neighborhood as at least 3 spots are blocked because of a construction project.

It was so nice to see Ben, Jill, and Ruby again! Jill is definitely close to having that baby, I don't think there is any room for expansion. She saw the doctor again today, had an ultrasound photo taken, and was reassured that things are looking good. We enjoyed our visit, as could only be expected.

Wednesday, August 31. BRRRR! Even after putting an extra blanket on last night, I was cold and had to go for one more. I might have to hook up the electric blanket for tonight. It does feel a bit refreshing to be out of the hot weather and it was very comfortable during the afternoon with the windows all open yesterday.

It didn't take long and we were nice and warm with the sun shining in the windows. The laundry basket was almost overflowing, so that was today's big chore, in addition to cleaning the windows on the motorhome and Mike did a couple of repairs (the latches on the storage doors keep breaking).

It felt good to stay home and read, relax and even take a nap this afternoon.

August 25 - 28, 2011 - NV, CA
Friday, August 25. Last night it cooled down in the mid-50s and that felt so good to not have the noisy AC running. We are looking forward to the cooler temps along the California coast and even the mid 60s expected in San Francisco.

There's not much else to write about today, as we had a short, uneventful drive to our last stop before California, the Hi-Desert RV park in Winnemucca, NV ($20/night with Passport America discount). The only reason we chose this spot is that it is midway to Nevada City where we will spend the rest of the weekend at one of our ROD membership parks where we can stay for free. Like I said before, we are traveling at a turtle's pace, around 200 miles each day, arriving at our destination before it gets too hot.

I did take advantage of the pool this afternoon while Mike plucked away on his guitar. I had the pool all to myself, so I just relaxed and watched the stream of RVs coming in for the night. There are a few really nice vintage trailers here.

When we first made the plans for this part of the trip, we planned to spend a week in Nevada City, nestled near the Sierra Nevada mountains in California's Gold country. Much of the city is on the National Register of Historic Places. The AC and radiator problems we have had took a few days from this part of our stay.

Sunday, August 28. Yesterday�??s drive from Winnemucca wasn�??t that long but it sure did take a long time. When we started out at 9:30 the Nuvi told us that our expected time of arrival was 2:00 but we only had 220 miles to go. It was an overcast morning, so the AC didn�??t have any problem keeping us cool, I even had to close the vents on my side and Mike turned the fan down - that hasn�??t happened in a while. Once we got to Reno, the terrain changed to climbing and descending the mountains and curving through the passes. It is gorgeous country - we haven�??t seen tall pine forests since we left northern Arizona in June. Once we turned off the Interstate highway, we were on a narrow 2-lane state road with very little shoulder. Needless to say it was slow going and a good thing that we only had 37 miles to go.

We turned off the little state road and had to travel ½ mile down an even narrower road, then turned into a curvy, steep, although paved road that led to the office and registration area. We had arrived at the Harmony Ridge Resort, one of our ROD membership parks that are free for us to stay. These places are usually remote and this certainly is. I checked us in, Mike disconnected the car and we headed to our site. The gal in the office directed us to go back to the security gate and then turn left into our loop. I was leading the way in the car and as soon as we turned left and started to descend a very steep hill, a man in a truck behind Mike in the motor home started honking his horn at us. He got out of his truck and was waving, telling us to stop. We stopped, I ran back to talk with the man and he told me that if we continued down that road, we were sure to get stuck if we didn�??t have 4-wheel drive. We had gone past the left turn into the loop with our site, it was before the security gate, not after. Thankfully, he caught us in time, then he moved his truck so I could guide Mike to back up the hill and head back into the resort. We then found our site and got settled in. The sites are large and level, nestled in the tall pines. Beautiful!

We�??re not used to camping without the technical advantage of wi-fi or phone signals, so this is going to prove to be a quiet, relaxing couple of days. The resort doesn�??t provide firepits, so we won�??t be able to sit around a campfire. We enjoyed the evening without a fire, even played a game of Scrabble. Once the sun went down, we were able to shut off the AC and open up the windows and smell the pines throughout the night.

Today was another relaxing day. We talked about going to the pool but I realized that my swimsuit bottom has a major problem (it�??s a good thing I had the pool all to myself a few nights ago) and I didn�??t realize it until I had rinsed it out after being in the pool and was putting it away. We spent as much time outdoors as we could then had to head for the AC once again. Reading, writing, napping, and walking Frisco were the activities of the day. Once it cooled off again, we headed back outside.

I had a rack of ribs in the freezer, so we decided to spend the afternoon cooking them on the grill, since we were just going to hang out at the campsite. I was a little disappointed when they charred a little bit, but they still tasted yummy.

Thursday, August 25, 2011, UT, NV
We had a relaxing start to the day and managed to get some maintenance done before it got too hot and before we could check to see if our part came in. Neither of us slept well last night and are feeling tired and dragged out - I think the heat has a lot to do with it and worrying about the motorhome overheating again. It seems like it's been such a long trip, on the road for 9 days now and still have at least 3 days to go, it's been short jaunts of under 300 miles on most of the days we've driven.

The upcoming birth of our grandbaby has us stressing too, with feelings of great excitement, but along with that, anxious feelings too. Jill is feeling good and her doctor is monitoring her closely.

At 11:00, I called to check on our part, it was in, so we disconnected the motorhome and were on the road within 20 minutes. The place was easy to find in a huge industrial park not far off the freeway, but finding the parts department was more of a challenge. The 2 friendly fellows that were working the counter stopped what they were doing to help me out. The part cost us $20 and we were on our way. Leaving Salt Lake City, Mike missed the ramp onto I-80 so we had to drive in the opposite direction to the next exit to turn around, going past a stinky sulphur smelling area twice. The scenery from Salt Lake City to the Nevada border was ugly and boring with not much of interest to see along the way. Once we hit Nevada, the terrain was mountainous and much more attractive, although watching the temperature gauge creep up caused a bit of stress. The Bravo did as it should, and got us to our next stopping off spot.

I had called ahead to the Beverly Hills RV Ranch, just west of Wells (no answer so left a message), but when we got there, the sign on the gate said CLOSED. There was no place to turn around, but that road led us back to Wells and we got a nice pull-thru site at the Mountain Shadows RV Park ($25), where we also stayed in 2006 and in 2009 when we came through this area. It is such a nice little park next to a grocery store and across the street from the library. What a day, our butts are really dragging now and we're looking forward to a relaxing evening and a good night's sleep.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 - WY, UT
I woke up this morning to the strangest dream I can remember in ages - it might have been due to those 2 Vodka tonics I had last night. Whatever the reason, I just felt groggy and not very energetic at all. The best we could do was to get rolling down the road by about 10:00 and it was smooth sailing all of the way.

The southwestern part of Wyoming is not very attracting and real boring. We did see a few herds of antelope along the way and lots and lots of natural gas rigs scattered here and there. Once we hit the state of Utah, the terrain was beautiful again. We headed to the northwest to Ogden to stay at the Century RV Park (another $33/night site), but the park is very nice and the lady who checked us in gave us a nice, shady site. That is a good thing because it is 95 degrees outside today.

I checked to see if our radiator overflow container is in and was told that it probably arrive tomorrow, hopefully by 11:00. We shall see - the option is open to spend another night here.

August 22, 2011 - SD, WY
Monday, August 22. Off to an early start this morning, we were headed for Thermopolis, WY, home of the world's largest mineral hot springs, looking forward to a nice bath and drinking lots of it for our health. Mike to a shift a driving and after a fuel stop in Gillette, I took over. As we neared Buffalo and I started to see signs about the safest drive to Yellowstone on US 16, I began to wonder if that wasn't the route we took from Yellowstone a few years ago. And wasn't that a tedious drive over mountains? Unfortunately, the Bravo didn't agree with the route I had chosen and began to overheat about 5 miles up a 7% incline. Thankfully, there was a pullout where we could get off the road and check out the problem. The coolant overflow container had cracked and all the liquids were bubbling and puddling out of it.

Our roadside assistance service sent a tow truck, but the driver suggested that we add water to the radiator and limp it back into Buffalo to a repair place. His service cost us $55 for him to show up, but it would have been $150/hour for him to tow us and he said it would take at least an hour just to get it hooked up. Jim's Automotive can get us in in the morning. Hopefully it will be a matter of replacing or repairing the container and adding coolant, then choosing another route that won't take us through the mountains. We both keep reminding ourselves to stay calm - its part of the game of RV travel. Good thing we still have over a week to get to SF and will need it the rate we're going.

We're settled in at the Twin Creeks Campground in Buffalo ($33/night), a very nice place right in town. It's a short jaunt to Jim's in the morning.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - WY
Happy Birthday to Mike! I can think of much better ways to celebrate than sitting at an auto repair shop, but that's just how we have spent the morning. The part cannot be located so they are using a fiberglass repair kit to fix it and sending us on our way. I was able to locate a replacement part in Salt Lake City - right along our route.

So the bill came to $190 for 2 hours of labor and some replacement fluids - that really sucks. The part is going to cost us only $13 + shipping.

It was 1:00 before we got on the road and all is well. We spent about 45 minutes going at a snail's pace because of a road painting crew. The views along the roadside were nice and we traveled through some places with strange names like "Devil's Gate", a rock formation where the Sweetwater River created a narrow gorge through the rock, a significant landmark along the Oregon and Mormon Trails. "Muddy Gap" was also an interesting name and I wasn't sure what to expect there, but there really wasn't much to see but a major intersection or 2 roads.

We settled in for the night in a huge gravel parking lot, The Western Hills Campground ($28/night). All sites are pull-thru and level and there is not a shade tree in sight. Places like this are fine for a one-night stop when you need the hookups, but otherwise I wouldn't return. Poor Frisco got sand burrs in his feet when we walked along a grassy area, although there were none in the dog run.

We fixed a *bleep*tail to celebrate Mike's birthday, had a nice dinner, and watched a little TV - "History Detectives" was the only thing we could get, and hit the sack.

August 18 - 21, 2011 - MN, SD
Thursday, August 18. After looking at the weather report this morning, we decided to head out but not to drive too far. I called to reserve a spot at an RV park in Chamberlain, SD but learned that it has been closed all season because of the flooding from the Missouri River. That was going on back in early April when we came up here for Casey's funeral and it sounds like parts of I-29 in eastern South Dakota are still closed too. We ended up stopping at Mitchell to spend the night at the R & R Campground ($17 with our Passport America membership) and ride out the storms that are predicted to be passing through. We don't plan to unhitch the car so we won't be seeing the Corn Palace on this trip.

We got all hooked up and then realized that we had no electricity coming in to the RV. I checked all of the breakers inside and Mike checked everything outside - all seemed to be in order. He then started disconnecting things in the electrical compartment and found the main plug that goes from the RV to the utility box has a damaged prong. He was able to straighten it out and we got power again, but that is on top of the list of repairs to make when we get to Spearfish, where we plan to stay put through the weekend.

All the way here, I kept thinking about how I might spend a long, rainy afternoon stuck in the motorhome. Perhaps a pedicure? Maybe I'll bake something since we've had no sweets in the house for ages, I searched for some recipes and finally settled on a Blueberry Zucchini bread - thanks to the Stoughton Farmer's Market, the Yahara River Coop, and Patrick for the fresh zucchini and blueberries. So now I'm sitting here at the computer, soaking my feet, listening to the thunder and smelling sweet goodies in the oven. It can't get much better than this.

Friday, August 19. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, dear son Pat! What a great guy to have in my life - ever since that long, long day 42 years ago. We just finished a happy and pleasant phone conversation with him - glad that we celebrated together a week ago.

We had a 6-hour drive today. The scenery was beautiful with the exception of all of the visual pollution along the roadside in the form of billboards advertising Wall Drug, 1880 Town, Sturgis, SD, and all kinds of others. We passed field after field of sunflowers, bright yellow patches that were quite pleasing to the eye and a change from the corn and soybeans of the midwest. The Black Hills were seen on the horizon for a long time before we actually got there.

Traveling this route kept reminding me of the family vacation that we took back in 1981. What a great time we had, full of great memories for all of us, packed into our little Vega station wagon with Mike, Me, Pat, Ben, and Belle, our Standard Poodle. Our camping gear was stashed in a cartop carrier (also known to the boys as the chocolate melter) - wonder where that name came from?

We arrived at our destination, Chris' Camp in Spearfish, SD ($32/day). I had a tough time deciding where to spend the next 3 days, all of our discounted memberships were in Deadwood or Sturgis and I just didn't want to be there. This is a nice park, we have a shaded site and we are away from the activity of the city. It is a cool day (64 degrees) and we're thinking we might have to dig out the jeans.

Saturday, August 20. Happy 93rd Birthday to Mom! And Happy Birthday also to Jill (no age given for that one)!

We both slept real good last night, snuggled under the covers for a change - the temperature dropped down to 53 degrees and it is a brisk sunny morning.

We took a drive this afternoon, heading south along the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway to Lead (not sure if this is pronounced with a long "e" like "leading the way" or with the short "e" as in the mineral "lead". Lead is the home of the "Homestake Gold Mine" and the town was settled by miners. From there, we headed south through the Black Hills, enjoying the gorgeous views all along the way to the Crazy Horse Memorial. When we learned that they charged $20/person to view the unfinished sculpture, a museum, and several other buildings, and we considered that we had Frisco in the car with us, we decided to snap a quick photo and head over to Mount Rushmore. We kind of felt "busted" as the only developments since we were here back in 1981 were the tourist traps.

The drive was still enjoyable and as we cruised along the Needles Highway toward Mt. Rushmore, the views were incredible beautiful. At one point we stopped and hoped to get a glimpse of a young girl that was posed to jump off a huge rock into Sheridan Lake. I was poised with the camera aimed at the girl, her friends that had already taken the plunge were urging her to jump, and she finally did. I didn't get the picture as I was aimed at the top of the rock and should have been aimed at the water. Again, because we had Frisco with us, we didn't go to the Visitor Center at Mt. Rushmore but managed to get a really good view and some good photos too.

Back in Rapid City, we found an RV dealer that sold parts, got the replacement plug for our electric cord (can you believe it cost $22) and headed back to Spearfish. We had a pleasant dinner of local grown beef tenderloin from Cottage Grove, WI and a salad with the last of Patrick's tomatoes. Gotta find some more fresh, local goodies so I don't have to rely on grocery store produce.

Sunday, August 21. Happy Birthday, Rachael! August is full of birthdays for our family and there are several more coming up.

When I walked Frisco this morning, I checked out the laundry, there was nobody using it so I decided to get going on that chore right away. The laundry basket is jammed full and after I added the towels and bedding, it was overflowing. It did feel good to start the week with clean clothes.

Mike replaced the plug on our main power cord and we will both be sleeping more soundly, not worrying about that damaged one. The best thing about it is that he could reduce the amount of cord in that compartment from about 15 feet to about 4 feet and we now have an abundance of storage room in that compartment - that is always a good thing in my book. While Mike was working on that, I tried to find a place for the damaged cord (it just needs a new plug on it) and that led to my reorganizing the tool compartment - another feel good thing for me.

I had a nice conversation with Jill this morning and was reassured that she is feeling good and getting excited to have her baby. It felt good to hear her voice - we don't talk very often, guess that is because I keep informed on her progress through Ben most of the time.

The last time we vacationed in this area and the time before that (1981) were the week before the Sturgis rally so we didn't go near Deadwood, but decided that today would be a good day to go. We walked the streets, passed all of the biker concessions and casinos, looked for a video poker game and finally found a couple at Miss Kitty's Casino where we donated $20 to the cause. I got a call from Ben while I was playing and instantly hit a flush that gave me an extra 50 credits, but that luck ran out before long.

No disrespect to the biker folks out there, but they all look the same and I'm not too fond of the clothing styles, nor am I fond of hanging out in casinos. I couldn't have found a souvenir in that town if I wanted one. I shouldn't say that, I probably could have found a piece of Black Hills Gold jewelry or something in a Rock Shop. We've now been there and done that, so we can take it off the list.

Back in Spearfish, we were looking for a place to have a nice dinner but because of construction downtown, were unable to find the place at first. We did get a tour of the town and eventually located the Seven Grill. I was impressed to find cloth hand towels in the ladies room and even further impressed when I got my salad. Mike chose the Walleye and I chose the BBQ ribs and neither of us had any regrets. It's been a nice time here in northwestern South Dakota but I'm ready to head on down the road again.

August 15 - 17, 2011 - WI, MN, IA
Wednesday, August 17. This is the 1st time that we have had internet since leaving Stoughton and it feels pretty good. We got off to a late start on Monday, then had to stop in DeForest for propane, so it was almost noon before we were on the road. It wasn't long and we discovered that the dash AC was no longer working. It's a good thing it wasn't a real hot day, the breeze coming through the windows was comfortable. Mike called the RV repair place in Forest City (a 90-mile drive from Mankato) to see if they could get us back in and was told that they were fully booked until the 22nd. When Mike explained that we didn't have that kind of time to wait around, he said to get there as early on Wednesday as we could and they would try to fit us in to check if the problem is a coolant leakage.

Driving in a northwesterly direction out of Wisconsin, we remembered a huge White Pine tree that we always look for along that route - we remembered it to be not too far north of Wisconsin Dells. We kept a watchful eye and eventually spotted it north of Mauston - glad to see that it still stands - it was on the route we used to take to the cabin, starting back in 1969. What a beauty! We also started to see signs of fall, the Sumac is starting to provide beautiful contrast along the roadside with it's bright red color mixed with the greens of the evergreen trees.

It was 6:00 when we arrived at the Land of Memories ($20/night without water and sewer hookups) campground in Mankato. We pulled into the site that we had reserved but it was on such an incline that we couldn't get level. Not only that, there was a giant puddle right at the juncture with the road. The friendly park attendant gave us another site and we got settled right in.

As I was walking Frisco, I realized that the park was kind of a mess, not nearly as neat and tidy as it had been when we stayed here back in 2009. I learned from that friendly park attendant that there had been considerable flooding this spring, damaging one whole campground loop so badly that it still hasn't been repaired.

We had a quick bite to eat and collapsed on the bed.

On Tuesday afternoon, we headed over to Dennis and Lois' house for a visit. Lois was working but we chatted with Dennis until she got home, then had some liquid refreshment and toasted to each other and the new family addition that is due soon - about 3 weeks from now. It was nice to see them again - there were reminders of Casey all through the house. Being in Mankato brought back so many memories too - from hanging out with the 3 of them in 2009 to the sad days surrounding Casey's funeral back in March.

We had a very nice visit and an excellent outdoor stir-fry on Dennis' custom built wok - made from a piece of farm machinery. Boy, does that do the job! The next time we see them will be in a couple of weeks in San Francisco - we are all looking forward to that.

This morning we got up at 6:00 and were on the road shortly thereafter for the 2-hour drive to Forest City. The service manager, Tim, was able to work us in. The problem was a refrigerant leak and they didn't have time to determine the source of the leak but did put a dye in the system so the next time we have it checked, the source can be found. I just hope that it keeps going at least until we get back home.

We're tired, so decided only to find a park with wi-fi and full hookups so we could relax for the rest of the day and take naps. So we made it as far as Welcome, MN and stopped at the Checkers RV Park and Campground ($13 with our Camp Club membership) for the night. Off I go, I'm taking a nap.

August 8 - 14, 2011 - WI
Monday, August 8. We just couldn't budge today, too tired - just had to have a day to lay low. That is until we left for an evening with Jim and Sue. Jim wanted to take us for a boat ride in his vintage wood boat but its been raining for a good part of the day. It's always so nice to see them, we've been good friends for such a long time. Over beers and a taste of Jim's homemade hooch (a delicious concoction of cherries and vodka), we got caught up on the news of family and friends, jobs, travels, health, politics, and retirement.

Jim made a delicious dinner of pork roast with onions, grilled potatoes, and a green salad followed with a dessert of frozen yogurt, peaches, and whipped cream. The time just flew by too quickly and it wasn't long before we had to head back home. Thanks, Jim and Sue, for a wonderful evening. We drove through dense fog most of the way home - it's a good thing that it was familiar territory and we had driven that stretch so many times in the past.

Tuesday, August 9. Another busy day and we had a hard time getting going again.

As we drove to Wyocena to visit Mom, we encountered a large traffic backup that took us a half hour to travel only a couple of miles. Mom and Dan were sitting under the shade of a nice tree when we arrived. We had a nice visit for a couple of hours, she was in good spirits today.

From there, we stopped by Tom and Karen's house so Frisco and Tara could play together one more time and we could see them again too. The weather is perfect today and we enjoyed a nice visit in their screen room.

Back to Stoughton, we dropped Frisco off at the motorhome and went to pick Pat up for dinner at the LAZ Bistro - a nice little place downtown that is a bit different from most in this town - had a very tasty meal. Since we won't be around to celebrate Mike and Pat's birthdays together, this had to be our birthday meal. We're running out of time.

I'm tired - it's going to be an early night. We can sleep with the windows open, as it is supposed to cool down in the mid-50s tonight. It feels so good!

Wednesday, August 11. We had a day to stay close to home today, there was no visiting on the schedule. I did have to run a few errands and get groceries for tomorrow night's "Thank You" dinner with Dawn, Rich, Pat & Tracey. Since I was on that side of town, I decided to stop by for a quick visit with Fran. I was happy to see that her granddaughter Erin had signed in just before me, so I got to see her and her 3 little ones too.

You know how it goes when you have a list of things to buy at the grocery store and 1 or 2 of those items are not available? That was the case, so I had to go to a 2nd store and still couldn't find 1 of the ingredients for tomorrow's dinner. Now I have to make a stop in Madison - just what I was trying to prevent by getting my shopping done today. Oh, well.

We walked over to Pat's house tonight and had pizza with them. Had a nice chat and sat in the back yard enjoying the beautiful evening.

Thursday, August 12. It was a sad farewell to Mom this morning. She was in a great mood when we arrived, happy to see that we brought her a birthday month cupcake. She brought up some memories from her childhood that we had never heard before - about a baby sister that died just after birth when Mom was only 4 years old - she even said that she could picture the apartment they were living in in Wausau, WI. Now we had never heard that story before, so don't really know if its real - it was sure sad though. Just before Dan got there, she started questioning what this place is, why is she here, we're not going to leave her there, are we?, and over and over again with the same conversation. Naturally, when the time came to say goodbye, she was being very stubborn and sad. Mike and I both had tears in our eyes when we left.

When we got back home, I started to get ready to prepare for tonight's dinner. The cooking would be done in Dawn's kitchen - it is so nice to have a big spacious area to move around in and all of the equipment one might need to prepare a meal. I realized that I needed some ingredient, so headed back to the motor home with a handful of stuff. When I reached behind me to catch the door, I lost my balance and went tumbling off the steps onto the pavement of the driveway. The dishpan full of clean dishes flew from my hand and I took several giant steps and ended up on the opposite side of the driveway, on the grass. The only damage was a nice gash on my left heel, just below the ankle. It's a good thing that I wear nothing but sandals and flip flops because its a good one.

Sunday, August 14. Wow! The last two days have been a whirlwind, starting with our relocation on Friday. The Viking Village Resort just outside of Stoughton was our destination. The grounds have some historical value and have 2 beautiful brick buildings and a Cream City Brick 2-story building on them. When I was in school, the place was known as the Martin Luther Children's Home and I knew several of the kids my age that lived there. I'm not sure if they were orphans or had been in trouble.

We met up with Pat and Roger for the class reunion weekend. The park is very nice, a bit expensive ($45/night), but it is worth it to hang out with our friends one more time. We were given 2 nice sites together under the shade of some big oak trees. The downside was having to connect 2 sewer hoses together in order to get them to reach the drain hole. If you've ever had to deal with sewer hoses, you know its a sh*!!y job. Anyway, we got hooked up and headed for the pool. Now a Wisconsin pool isn't quite like those in Arizona - the water was so cold that we ended up sitting on the edge and hanging our feet in the water. And that reminds me of the other complaint that I had about this place - there were only 6 lounge chairs around the entire pool.

After short naps, we headed out to Springer's for our last Friday night fish fry. I ordered the Walleye and Mike ordered the Lake Perch that we would share with each other. Unfortunately, the Lake Perch wasn't good and Mike had to haggle with the manager to get some of his money back. The walleye was excellent though and there was plenty for both of us.

Mike and Roger headed back to the campground to have a cigar, some whiskey, and a campfire. Pat and I headed to the bowling alley to meet up with classmates. We had a good turnout and even got to see a couple of people that had never been to a reunion before. It was especially good to see Helen, as we had been good friends through junior high and up until junior year of high school when she moved away. It was a night of catching up, remembering childhood events, trying to remember names, telling stories, and getting lots of hugs.

Although it was looking pretty rainy when we got up Saturday morning, we headed out to the Henry Vilas Zoo for a family reunion with 4 generations of cousins. When we arrived, Dawn, Rich, Carole and Jo were holding down the fort with a canopy to protect us from the rain that started to fall shortly after we arrived. Just before the rain came, Fran, Larry, Sue, and 3 of their grandchildren arrived. We all huddled under the canopy to wait out the rain, we could see brighter skies on the horizon and the rain only lasted about 45 minutes. It wasn't long and other folks started to arrive. I got to see 5 of my 6 living 1st cousins. What a great time.

Back to the RV for a quick nap before getting ready to go to my 45th class reunion at the Stoughton Country Club. Before dinner, we all gathered out on the grounds to take a group picture - it's hard to get that many people to focus on the camera, everyone joking, poking, and carrying on. The food was a nice spread of hors d'oeuvres and there were plenty of them to graze on. A DJ played music from our high school years and many of us got out and danced. It was a great time and Pat and I were some of the last to leave.

Mike and Roger didn't last as long as we did, as they had celebrated their anniversary the night before. Let me clarify that one - they met at Pat's and my 15-year class reunion and since we were preoccupied, they got to know each other pretty well. Ever since then, we have taken an annual vacation with them every spring.

Today, we all started out pretty slow. Pat and I took a nice walk with Frisco, we made a joint effort to put breakfast together, and we sat around talking and relaxing. Patrick joined us and we continued to sit around talking and relaxing. Later on, Chris and Norm joined us and we continued to sit around talking and relaxing. And then for dinner tonight Pat, Tracey and Savana brought some of their Scottish Highlander ground beef and all the fixins. Guess we couldn't ask for a better sendoff. We will miss them and feel fortunate that we have been able to have some good, quality time together.

Tomorrow morning, we will be off on our next adventure, bound for the west coast to welcome our new grandbaby into our lives.

August 1 - 7, 2011 - WI
Monday, August 1. I was just thinking that next month about this time we should be back in San Francisco and eagerly awaiting the birth of our grandchild. I hear regularly from Ben that Jill is feeling well and the pregnancy is going as it should. We're so looking forward to having a new addition to the family.

We did a thorough cleaning and rinsing of our holding tanks this morning before heading back to Stoughton. It's another hot morning already and we will work as efficiently as possible to keep from breaking out in a major sweat (something I have done more of on this trip than anytime since leaving Florida).

The trip was uneventful, bringing back so many memories of the past as we drove through the Wisconsin River valley and the many small midwest towns along the way.

Pat stopped over for a while but didn't stay too long - he's got a very sick kitten at home and is just waiting for Savana to get back from vacation to make the decision on trying to keep him alive or letting him go. His preference would have been to let him go, but he knew that Savana would be more upset if she couldn't say goodbye. They ended up taking him to the emergency vet clinic in Madison and learned that a transfusion might help him to stay alive for a week or so but the long-term prognosis was not good. So they said goodbye to poor, little, sick Kyo.

Tuesday, August 2. I cut Mike's hair, we showered, and headed up to see Mom this morning, wanting to do that early in the day before the predicted thunderstorms hit. They are supposed to be bringing some cooler temperatures and hopefully a drop in the humidity. We met Dan there and had a nice visit. Mom was in good spirits until we left, she then seemed to be way confused, asking Mike why he had to dump her there and why couldn't she just go back to the cabin. During our conversation, the topic of memory came up and I asked her what she did remember. Her response was that it was a big blank up there in her brain - so sad.

We hung out with Pat, Tracey, and Savana tonight and picked up some sub sandwiches for dinner. Tracey brought me back a beautiful handmade glass ball from Wales (a town with a name that was so long that you couldn't spell or pronounce it if you tried). I barely talked to Dawn and Rich tonight as I changed into my jammies early, laid in bed reading, and you know what happens then.

Wednesday, August 3. I had a much cooler walk this morning although it seems to still be pretty humid - too bad, as the AC will have to remain on.

A visit with Mike's friend, JD and his wife June was on the agenda for this morning. Mark also met us there for a visit with JD who has been struggling with the effects of Krohn's disease for a long time. They live on the Yahara River and Jim was helping some workers on his dock when we got there. It wasn't a long visit, but it was nice to see them again.

We didn't do much else for the rest of the day, had dinner with Rich and Dawn tonight. Dawn and I gabbed over a few glasses of wine...and gabbed and gabbed some more.

Friday, August 5. Happy Birthday, dear friend Pat - so glad we celebrated last weekend!

On Thursday evening, we met Mike's Aunt Joan, and his cousins Vicki and Louie and Dave, Tom and Karen, and Dan and Sharon at Toby's for our annual family gathering. As usual, the Old Fashioneds quenched our thirst, the food was delicious and the company was spectacular.

This morning, I started the day with a walk with Dawn to the farmer's market and stocked up on some fresh veggies for the week; lettuce, corn, squash, and

Mike and I got ready and headed up to visit Mom after a quick stop at Pat's garden for some of his cherry tomatoes for her. She loved them, ate the entire bag. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed the beautiful morning, then walked around the grounds a bit before taking her in for her midday meal. When we did, she responded "Oh, you're dumping me here?" It's getting harder and harder to say goodbye, as she keeps telling us that she doesn't want to be there. When the time comes to really leave, we plan to treat that goodbye as all the others, telling her that we will see her in a day or so again.

While looking out the window at some activity that I spotted in the nearby Lilac bush, I began to think that it was a nest instead of just a flutter of birds perching in between trips to the feeders. Sure enough, when I took a closer look, there were two bright eyes and a wide-open beak peeking out at me. Pappa was perched on the house watching us and it wasn't long before Momma arrived to join him, a juicy worm hanging out of her mouth. Check out the picture - there seems to be a second baby in the lower left corner of the nest.

Tonight we just hung around with Pat, had some dinner and gabbed the night away.

Saturday, August 6. Pat joined us this morning for breakfast at the Sugar and Spice Eatery, then we headed to the western shore of Lake Waubesa for the annual Madison Area Antique and Classic Boat Show. Thirty-three boats of various types were entered in the show, all with quite entertaining names like; What Fun, My Hobby, Rebound, Pier Pressure, and Morning Wood. All were beautiful. Mike was hoping to see an Inland boat from his Grandfather and Uncle's local boat building business, but there were none at the show. Check out the pictures of some of our favorites.

Pat was pooped, so we hung around with Dawn and Rich the rest of the day. Dawn's wonderful cooking skills became apparent again this evening when we had crab stuffed shrimp, fresh farmer's market sweet corn, and a yummy salad with her very own dressing concoction. That, topped with a glass of homemade wine from Alaska - you can't get much better than that.

Sunday, August 8. It's the end of another week - we have one more week to spend here and the calendar is filling up.

Mike, Pat, and I headed to downtown Madison this morning for a walk through the Wisconsin Veterans Museum on the square. We arrived a little before it opened up, so we headed down state street and stopped at Espresso Royale for a coffee and cookie.

Downtown Madison has sure changed since we lived here - many new buildings and businesses. The museum was very nice, we hadn't been there for several years.

The rest of the day was spent just hanging out in the back yard. Just as Mike and I were going to walk to Pat's house, he showed up here, so we just gabbed until it was time to get dinner together. Another tasty treat - mostly by Dawn. Her blue cheese sauce that complimented the local sirloin steaks was tasty, tasty.

Created on 08/01/2011 07:21 AM by bridge
Updated on 09/01/2011 12:25 PM by bridge