Chapter One!

Steve and I have been out of touch in the last two months. We have had the adventure of a lifetime buying a slightly newer RV home. We now live in a 2007, 42 foot Tiffin Allegro bus (on right). We have for sale our beloved first bus – a 2005, 40 foot Tiffin Allegro. Here’s how it went down, from August to November,  2014:

Wed, Aug 6 – 326 mi

Norman, Ok to Marshfield, Mo During the spring months, Steve and I have been visiting our son and family in Norman. We park at Cleveland County Fairgrounds on Robinson. I had total knee replacement with Dr. Steven Schultz on June 17 at Norman Regional HealthPlex.  Amazingly, I am in walking distance to the clinic for knee therapy three times a week. Today is my last visit and I take them a big box of cookies from Dara Marie’s. I just love my PT, Dwight and all the other cheerful PT’s there. Steve has our bus ready to head out as soon as I return. We are going to Milwaukee to help celebrate my sister Sharon’s 30^th wedding anniversary to hubby Gordy Hinrichs. This party is a big surprise and they don’t know we’re coming.  By dusk on day one, we make it to Marshfield, Mo, RV Express 66, where we have a swimming pool all to ourselves.

Thu Aug 7

Marshfield, Mo to Chatham Il After driving all day we arrive at Double J Campground. It has poured all day here and the big Illinois State Fair in Chatham is rained out on opening night.

Fri Aug 8

Chatham, Il to Jackson, Wi We gas up in Beloit, IL. About noon we park on the street in front of our nephew,  Brian Powell’s house. All our nieces and nephews gather us up for the great Wisconsin fish fry Friday night at MJ Stephens Pub, Hartford, WI.  They have a killer breaded Atlantic Cod but some of us got it covered with hollandaise, crab meat and asparagus!!

Sat Aug 9

Jackson, Wi It’s 6 pm, the guests are assembled, the food and drink flowing, the oompah band poised, the lights turned out. And here comes the anniversary couple down the hall. They both almost fainted. What a great surprise it was!! A fantabulous party, thanks to the planning and hard work of nieces Beth, Melanie and Becky. Everyone got their picture made with the anniversary couple. The Hinrichs, Powell families to honor Gordy & Sharon’s 30th wedding anniv., 08-11-14 .

Sun Aug 10

Mequon, Wi Now that the surprise is over, we can move our bus from Brian’s house to the front yard of Sharon and Gordy’s, on Arrowwood Drive in Mequon. It is a beautiful house and we have parked here twice before but the bus doesn’t want to fit this time. We sweat bullets trying to make the turn into the driveway without dropping the back wheel in a deep ditch. We finally make it onto the pretty green grass, where we are guaranteed to sink the wheels a bit and tear a few ugly divots. But they always insist. They are so sweet.

Fri Aug 22

Mequon, Wi to Davenport-East Moline, Il – 220 mi After a lovely 12 day visit, we leave our sissy and bro in Milwaukee and head out for the wild west. We park overlooking the Mississippi River at a Corps of Engineers Campground, “Fisherman’s Corner” for $8 !!! We notice when writing a blog that all the sentences start with “We.”  Darn it – wish I could change that. Now WE are riding our bikes to the locks to watch the big barges locking through, and to take pictures of two wild swans gliding through the weeds.

Sat Aug 23

East Moline Il to Des Moines, Ia, to Kansas City, Mo – 368 mi We fuel up at Osceola, Iowa and head west on I-80 for Denver, Co., when I decide we have to make a major change. My tooth is killing me.  We must turn south and go a thousand miles out of our way, back to Shawnee OK to visit my dentist. We turn south at Des Moines on I-35 and spend the night north of Kansas City at Wallace State Park for $19.

Sun Aug 24

Kansas City, Mo to Shawnee Ok – 385 mi We arrive at day’s end Sunday and park at Shawnee Fairgrounds. I’m at my dentist’s doorstep at the crack of dawn Monday morning. I had a brand new crown put in but it has been catching food like crazy. My dentist saws it off and gives me a lovely temporary cap. Steve and I now drive the old crown straight to the dental lab in Oklahoma City so I can get a replacement in 3 days instead of 3 weeks.

Wed Aug 27

Shawnee Ok Back to the dentist to have the second new permanent crown put in. For some reason, the temporaries work like a dream, but the permanent crown wants to catch food, I mean seriously.

end chapter 1

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