Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Next stop on our way west was Waco, NE.  The trip was 181.3 miles (77,794.9 total) and went so quickly we had to lay over for lunch at a rest stop to avoid arriving before check-in time.  

The good life, indeed!

So much for the cooler weather - the camp host said they expected to hit 101 degrees today.  I suspect both air conditioners will be getting a workout today.  The Double Nickel campground is 30 minutes west of Lincoln, NE so a trip to see the capitol and a couple museums is on the agenda for tomorrow.

This is what I call a little slice of heaven!

The proper way to unwind after a morning of driving.  Someone get that man a margarita!

Sunday, July 3, 2016

It's always an early start when you overnight at a Flying J.  The truck on our right fired up and headed out at about 5 am.  The neighbor to the left cranked up his big rig about 30 minutes later.  We headed into the Denny's for a hearty breakfast before we hit the road around 7:30. It rained most of the night and continued to rain for the first couple of hours of the day's drive.

Sunday mornings are almost always a good time to travel through a major metropolis like Kansas City.  It was good there was so little traffic because I had never seen a more confusing set of ramps on the Interstate.  Around mile marker 2 on I-70 we were looking for exit 2P.   We never did see a sign for exit 2P, but following the signs to I-27 and St Joseph worked.  We made the 247 miles (77,613.6 total) in a nice leisurely four and a half hours.  Sharp RV Park in St. Joseph was pretty small but looks like it will fill our needs for a couple of nights.

Low hanging clouds hover over Kansas City.

I was surprised to see a pet off leash when I realized the funny looking dog was a pot-bellied pig.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

We left Clarksville after an all too short two days to continue our trek westward.  Today we drove 321.4 miles (77,366.6 total) and over-nighted at a Flying J truck stop near Warrenton, MO (just west of St. Louis, MO).

It was three times the size of most Flying J Truck Stops, so there was plenty of room for us.  With the slides in, cooking was hampered (at least that was our excuse) so it just made sense to have dinner at Denny's.  The crazy weather was definitely in our favor as overcast skies and a cold snap (66 degrees at 6:00p) made it downright comfortable in the coach.  The roar of the truck generators all around us made it possible to sleep without a fan.

Friday, July 1,2016, Clarksville, TN

In Clarksville, I had the chance to reconnect with one of my old friends, Paul.  Paul and I spent many hours fishing on Old Hickory Lake back in the late 60's.  Paul has a little less hair now but was still easily recognizable.  His wife, Janice, was busy with the grand-kids, so he and I met for a couple of hours to catch up and reminiscence. Seeing old friends is definitely one of the perks of being on the road.

We were also able to see Joani's big brother, Steve, and his wife, Jane.  They grilled chicken and cooked some vegetables from their garden.  We topped the meal off with watermelon and a yummy cream cheese tart with blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. Joani forgot her camera, so she decided to include a few oldies with Steve and Jane and most of the Goodman clan.

Steve and Jane's wedding day, April 5, 1975

Steve, Jane and Danny, late 70's/early 80's

Kitty cat, Mom, Kristy and Janie.

Steve, Jane and Danny

Since I have a maternity dress on I would say this is 1981.

Kristy, Dad, Steve, me, Danny, Mom, Janie and David, or is that Tom Selleck?

No, that is definitely David with the Goodman clan trying to look normal.

Again, normal.

Me, Mom, Steve and Ronnie (my baby brother)

Steve and Jane a few years ago at our family reunion.

Steve, Jane, Chase (Steve and Jane's Grandson), Rachel (Chase's Mom), and Danny (Chase's Dad and Steve and Jane's son)

Thursday, June 30, 2016

After a five-month hiatus, we got back on the road with a rather lengthy (for us) trip from Cumming, GA (no more ties to that place) all the way to Clarksville, TN. We made the 297.9 miles (77,045.2 total) in just under six hours. It might have been luck or just great planning that got us through both Chattanooga and Nashville with very few traffic slowdowns.

I never got around to cleaning the radiator, so I had to closely watch the engine temperature as we climbed Monteagle. The five miles of 6 percent uphill grade pushed the temp up to 210 degrees, but no alarms sounded, so we were good. At the top, we stopped in a rest area to let the engine cool off a bit and grab a bite of lunch.  It felt like the entire day went well, so I think we didn't lose too much of our traveling mojo during our time off.

I think Sam was relieved to be back on the road again away from all the air compressors and carpet layers and paint odors!  He is a traveling dog through and through.

Our realtor, Tricia, gave us a very generous closing gift - Big Green Egg Mini.  The next day in the Clarksville RV Park we saw this in a neighbors site.

David noticed this clever cat screened in patio cut into the side of a five-er.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Closing on the sale was a bit tedious as we waited more than three hours for everything to be completed. With a check in hand, we ran straight to the bank wondering if and when we could stop worrying about whether the whole thing might fall through.

We committed to staying in the area to help Jon and Sara with a number of things to help get them settled into their new home.  At least our chores for the next two weeks were much less stressful (no deadlines) and were much more satisfying (we were helping family instead of strangers).

We drove by the house one last time to retrieve St. Joseph.  He will now tour the country with us.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

We left Tennessee early enough to get the coach out of storage and set up again at Sawnee campground.  Most of the day's driving was in the car with the last 11.7 miles (76,747.3 total) in the coach.  After setting up camp, Joani found a creepy surprise.

I needed something nicer than a t-shirt and shorts to wear to the closing on Friday.  My better clothes are in this little closet in the back corner of the coach in thin plastic suit bags (thank goodness for the plastic bags!)

[enlarged]

I have no idea how long the fungus has been taking advantage of the moisture somehow entering the closet.  Miraculously, there was no odor.

[enlarged again]

Although there was a natural beauty to the growth, I sprayed it with bleach, pulled out the wood trim, caulked the corners and painted the walls with white anti-fungal paint.  Time will tell if I am rid of it.

While we were gone Jon had removed the last few things at the house. We visited the house one last time and said our final farewells (it really was not that much of a moment - we were both ready to move on).