Here we are, FINALLY

Well, we finally found a blog that I think we can use to keep track of our travels and to also let everyone else know where we are and what we are doing. So, we hope this works.

I started a journal shortly after we left TX and have been updating it every few days so I think I will copy some of it here to get you up to date. We were unable to find a number of pictures that we wanted to include, so I apologize in advance.

7/3 Left Lighthouse RV Park in Melissa, TX and drove to the Thousand Trails Campground on Lake Texoma.

7/4 Spent the weekend with Dave and Nancy Steffel and their two grandsons. We started camping with them in Columbus, Ohio back in the late 70's so it was fun to get together again.

7/6 We left the TT campground and headed for Chanute, KS. We found the City Park campground – full hookups and FREE for the first two nights and then $10 a night after that.

7/7 Got up early so we could be at the Hitchhiker factory to get a bedroom A/C and a surge protector installed. When we got there, there were 4 trailers ahead of us. We waited until they got them all in the service areas and then they came for us. Instead of using their little TOTE trucks to move our trailer, Darrell decided that, to save a little time, he would back our trailer in using our truck. He had to make somewhat of a sharp turn and then he stopped and we noticed him shaking his head (in disbelief of what he had just done). His turn was too sharp and the front of the trailer met up with the back window and broke it. (We found out later that he has been doing this for 26 years and had never done this before). Anyway, they said they would make it right. So we went to the local Ford garage to see about a replacement window. Unfortunately, there were none in the area, and, if he ordered one, it would take 7 – 10 days (time which we didn’t have). So we ended up ordering one from the Ford dealer in Minnetonka to be installed when we get up there on 7/14.

7/8 Left Chanute around 9 AM and drove up thru Kansas to Kansas City. Drove around KC and hooked up to I-29 to Platte City. MO. We had a reservation for the night at the Basswood Campground about 7 miles east of Platte City (we had stayed there last September so we had good idea of how to get there). However, the latest instructions we had from one of our travel books was to get off on Exit 19. I thought we should be getting off on Exit 18 but we didn’t. We drove east after getting off at 19 and it just didn’t look right but we kept going until we finally found the street that the campground was on and we did found it. We came to the campground from the wrong direction so I knew when left the next day that we would go the other way and get back to Exit 18 where all the gas stations and restaurants were. Had a nice late afternoon and evening there. Ordered a great pizza which they deliver to your site.

7/9 Left the campground and turned right on to the right. You know how things look familiar and then they don’t? Well, the further we went, the more I knew we should have turned at the first stop sign out of the campground. Anyway, we continued on knowing that we would be able to make our way West back to Exit18. We made a right turn after going South for 3 or 4 miles on to a nice road headed West (back to Exit 18). Then we came to T in the road –with a nice church across the road. So, here was a church – I assumed people coming to church would come from either direction so we turned left and went up over this hill. As we started down the hill, I noticed that the road got considerably narrower and at the bottom of the hill, went into some trees. So we couldn’t see what was ahead of us and because of the narrow road, I told Mom that we were going to have to turn around. Fortunately, there was a farmer’s driveway about 100 yards behind us, so I backed the trailer up the hill and into the driveway. We barely made it because the driveway sloped up and the rear jacks hit the gravel. But it was enough to be able to make the turn to go back over the hill. I still wonder what would have happened if we had gone down that road. Anyway, we did get back to Exit 18 and I 29.
We continued on to Sioux City where we actually stayed at the Scenic City Park in So. Sioux City, NE.

It was a beautiful park right on the Missouri River.  Accross the river was the riverboat casino.

7/11 My sister, Judeen and her daughters and husbands, Alison and Eric, and Tim and Katie arrived about noon and later we went to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. Very good history about their travels.

Went to Bev’s (a popular restaurant) for dinner – right on the river – sat outside on the patio and watched the boats go by. Food was excellent.
After dinner, we all went back to Katie and Tim’s for a bonfire. Tim built a nice fire pit in their back yard.

We talked, drank, talked, drank and had s’mores. Got back to the campground about 11.

7/13 We got all hooked up and planned to leave about 9 for Minneapolis. As we were driving out, I noticed that the trailer lights were on even though I didn’t have the lights on. I pulled the power cord from the pickup and they still didn’t go out. Only the left blinkers would work. So we drove over to Fremont RV and had them look at it. Turns out that because the cord from the RV to the truck is rather short, it pulled apart right where is enters the RV. They were able to replace the cord and also fixed the outlet in the bed of the truck – now we don’t have to use the outlet under the bumper.
Now it is noon and we are 3 hours late getting started. Not to worry, we can still make it to Minneapolis in time to meet Steve and go out the airport to get Pam. We drove to Worthington, MN and stopped at a rest stop to have some lunch. Then we noticed that the rear tire on the pickup looked low. Sure enough – had only 30 lbs of air/should have 70. So I pumped it up to about 60 and then we drove into Worthington and found a tire shop that was able to fix our tire in about an hour. FINALLY made it to the Maple Grove campground and got setup and back to Minnetonka in time to go the airport but not before we argued with the campground people about our site – we had reserved a full hookup site but they said that after they sent out a confirmation email back in June, someone called and asked to change to a electric and water only backing site. So now they have no site FHU site for us for 7 days. They put us in a site for the nite only to have to move to another one the next day. Not too happy about that but what can you do??

7/14 Steve and I went to the Ford garage and got the rear window replaced. No problems. Watched the All-Star game that night.

7/15 Pam and Steve picked us up about noon and we drove up to Nisswa (2 hours away) to visit with Uncle Kenny and Auntie Betty. Brought supper for everyone. They have a home on Upper Gull Lake and the view is great. Left there about 9:30 and got home around 11:30.

7/17 The four of us served at the Loaves and Fishes meal with others from Pam and Steve’s church. The church was in NE Minneapolis. Steve and I served drinks and Mom and Pam served hot dish. Afterwards we all (8 of us) went out for pizza. On the way home, we stopped in Hopkins at the Raspberry Festival parade route and marked off our territory on the curb for the parade on Sunday. We put tarps down and used duct tape. Steve used to do this on Saturday night, but people started taking his place, so he goes on Friday now. Other people had there places marked already.

7/19 Mom and I drove down to Pam and Steve’s house – got there about 9. Steve had already gone to the parade site. Pam dropped me off there and they went to church. Steve and I went to the Knights of Columbus pancake breakfast couldn’t eat it all, there was so much!! After that, we went back to the site and read the paper and watched the people. By the time the parade started, there were at least 15 people there – all Pivec’s. Parade was great. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the pictures of all the people there, but did find this one of those who couldn't be there this year:Went back to Pam and Steve’s and had a cookout and drank some beer.

7/20 Left the campground about 9:15 AM for Wisconsin and arrived here at the Meadowlark Family Campground about 5PM. Beautiful campgrounds and very few campers here. We have a corner site so there is a lot of room.

7/22 This afternoon we drove to the Jelly Belly Factory. They have train tours that take your through their warehouse and you see videos at various stops that explain how jelly beans are made. Of course, the last stop is the retail store where everyone seems to be in a jelly bean buying frenzy! You can take an empty plastic bag and fill it with every kind of jelly bean imaginable, which of course we did!!




Walked out of the store with $80 less in my pocket and had to eat a lunch of crackers and cheese on the curb!!

7/23 Drove over to Lake Geneva (about 15 miles away) and took a 2 hour boat ride around the lake. Saw all the mansions owned by famous people (Wrigley’s, etc.). It has been and is a very popular place for Chicagoans to build their summer homes. It was an excellent tour. There was also a farmers market which we checked. Bought some strawberry rhubarb jam and English muffin Bread. Drove over Racine to see Mark and Lynn Svendson (former Resurrection members who moved back to Racine 13 years ago).

They have a nice home with a great back porch that overlooks a small pond. We reminisced, had dinner, and then went for a drive to see the sights of Racine.

7/24 Left the campground around 9 AM. We couldn’t decide how to get around Chicago – taking I94 meant tolls, not so good roads, and heavy traffic. We could drive 50 miles west to hook up toI39 south but thought that was a bit out of the way. So we took Hiway 31 from Wisconsin straight south to I80. I saw that it would go through every western suburb (and in Minneapolis, those are good roads). However, BIG MISTAKE. The map said that it was a primary highway, and, I guess that it was. It’s just that it was one traffic light after another. And then a major stoppage at one point for about 20 minutes while they closed the road. When finally got to I80 it was 3 hours and 90 miles later!
Then onto I80 where it was solid truck/truck/car/truck/truck/truck/car/truck (if you get the picture). Finally got into Michigan and on to I196 – started out to be great road but then got into another traffic jam due to road work. And the road was horrible – I tried to stay at 50 MPH with a hundred cars behind us – we sure bounced around!
Got to the campground around 6 PM and got our CampClubUSA 50% discount even though the website said it wasn’t honored in July and August. It’s a very nice campground in the trees. After supper we decided to have s'mores and built a fire in the pit.

7/26 Went to an ELCA church this morning in Greenville which is about 8 miles away from the campground. Very old church but nice. Sang a lot of songs that I didn’t know, but Mom knew them from when she used to sing them with her Grandmother.
After church we drove to Marshall, MI. (about 90 miles away) to a place called Turkeyville to meet up at 2 PM with 3 other couples who have Hitchhiker trailers like ours. Had a great “Thanksgiving Dinner” and a great time talking about our travels with the other couples.

We finally left around 6PM and got to my cousin,Karen, and her husband, Bob’s house in Belding about 7:30 and had a great reunion/visit.

7/27 Karen and Bob picked us up at the campground around 10:30 and we went on a tour of Greenville, had lunch and then drove to GR airport to pick up Denny and Winnie (my cousin from California) (Denny and Karen are brother/sister). Went back to Karen’s for dinner and then planned our three-day trip to Mackinaw, MI.

7/28 The six of us left Belding in Bob’s Tahoe around 9:30, had picnic lunch on the way, (this was the scenic overview at the rest stop.

and got there about 4PM. Found our hotel (Super8 – Julie, remember that I said I would never stay at another Super8 (after the Florida fiasco), but this one had a good price and had a view of the Mackinaw bridge (unfortunately our rooms were on the back side so we couldn’t see it!!). Drove around Mackinaw and visited the touristy shops. Saw a film about how the Mackinaw Bridge was built. I guess the bridge is the longest in the US/world, but the SF Bridge is bigger because it has 4 lanes of traffic while this one only has two. The bridge separates Lake Michigan from Lake Huron.

7/29 Had breakfast at the motel and then went to the docks to catch a tour boat over the Mackinaw Island. Sat on the top deck and got some spray from the water!

But those on the other side get WET! Went under the bridge and back and then to the island. There can be no cars on the island so everything is hauled by horse and wagon. We were told that they use these big horses but are unable to use Clydesdales because they can only pull 'lite beer.' (Get it?)There are about 400 horses that are used for hauling, tours, taxis, etc. The main street is made up of one shop after another – and we hit them all! 17 fudge shops!! We took a 2 hour tour of the island which was great, and, then took the boat back to the city about 5 PM. We then drove over the bridge to the Upper Peninsula and back. The bridge is 5 miles long – cars can go 45 miles an hour and trucks only 25 miles an hour due to the wind. If it is too windy, the trucks can only go 30 MPH. If the wind is strong, the bridge can sway up to 17 feet! That really doesn’t mean that you can feel it; it can just move that far.

7/30 After breakfast, we left for Belding, taking a different route back and got to Karen and Bob’s house around 3. Met Jody and Sandy (Karen and Bob’s daughters) and some of their kids. Jody and Tom have 19 year old twin sons whom we met and Sandy has two boys, 16 and 14. Said our goodbyes around 10 and went back to the campground to get ready to travel to Columbus, OH tomorrow.

That's more than enough for one sitting!! Will add more in a few days.

Larry