JULY 27, 2015
Our first day in Prior Lake (after our trip to Fargo, ND) was met with waking up and hearing our zone one air conditioner making sounds that were so loud I thought the neighbors would hear it! Thom and I looked at each other with this look of, "it's time to do something". We were fortunate enough to find a mobile service (Tom's Mobile RV Repair) who works here in the summer and in Naples, FL in the winter! Good to know! After discussing the problem, turning the a/c on and it sounding just fine (don't you know), we decided to move up the replacement of the a/c schedule to as soon as Tom gets the new Coleman 15,000 BTU system in, which he ordered for us yesterday, and should be here by the end of the week, installed before we head home on August 10th. We figured why replace the motor and put money into something we already had on the "to replace list"! The last thing we need is to head south and get into a heat wave where the back a/c cannot cool our tin box home if the motor wasn't the problem after all! It is all good and comes with the territory!
We spent the afternoon with Phil who came over after work and had dinner with us. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed last night cooking for the three of us (Zuly was working, unfortunately). I truly look forward to cooking for "all of us" in a few days! Erica arrives Sunday morning!
Phil also helped Thom replace the bedroom paddle fan, which we purchased at the GNR. It seems we are checking off replacements here and there and by the time we head out next summer we should be good to go, but in the world of RV travel one never knows! Next replacement item is the shower door, which we will order and Thom will install between now and then!
Yesterday and during the evening we were watching the weather reports, as there was a severe thunderstorm alert for the area that could produce heavy rain, severe winds (50-55 mph), lightning, large hail, and perhaps a tornado. We took a walk to the "real" storm shelter the RV park has for its guests just in case. I must say, it is a lot more comfortable looking than the ladies room in Dodge City, KS! I will have to go back and take photos. The only thing is there are bird nests right by the entrance door and we thought at first they were bats charging us! LOL! Thank goodness we didn't need the shelter. We also did not bring in the slides because the storm warning eliminated the tornado alert. The rain and wind arrived early this morning, around 4:00 a.m., as predicted, and it rained quite a while. It is now 1:30 p.m. and it is a bit muggy with expected storms again this evening but not as severe. Tomorrow, however, the humidity will be whisked away and the weather here will be absolutely beautiful for most of the week!
This afternoon Phil and I are going to the casino, which is a short walk away from the RV! We will take our $20 and hopefully walk away with it! We are big spenders! Thom may or may not join us; it just isn't his thing, which I can appreciate. He is, however, a great support when he does come!
We did complete our return to Florida plans this morning. We will be arriving in Ocala on Saturday, August 22nd. Reservations are made and we have made plans to visit friends along the way!
Until next blog ...
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Monday, July 27, 2015
PRIOR LAKE, MN - DAYS ONE AND TWO
July 25 and 26, 2015
The trip from Forest City, IA to Prior Lake, MN was an easy trip! We got there early in the day because we were to meet up with Phil and Zuly and then hit the highway for Fargo, ND to attend an air show featuring the fabulous Blue Angels and the amazing Harrier!
Thom and I were setting up the motor home when we were surprised by Phil who came from out of nowhere! To say it was wonderful, fantastic, fabulous, et cetera to see him, well ...
After picking up Zuly from their lovely new apartment in Eagan, we hit the road for Fargo, ND! It was a 4-hour road trip in Phil's new Mazda 6 which gave us a rest behind the wheel!
The air show was hot! The sun was shining but thank goodness there was a breeze! We upgraded our tickets so we could be closer to the landing strip that also included all you can eat and drink. We must have consumed enough water alone to cover our upgrade ticket price! The announcers kept reminding everyone to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. As hot as it was, and we have not been in the direct heat for quite a while like that, it must have been a bit more uncomfortable for the locals than it was for us!
We are here until August 10, when we will head home. How we'll get there we haven't a clue. We are thinking about heading north to Bemidji, MN and then down to Le Clair, IA; or, head to Decorah, IA and into Wisconsin. We haven't quite decided. We have 10 days to figure it out, so says Thom, and we know we want to be home by August 29th the latest! When we figure it out, we will let you know! For now, we are going to enjoy being with Philip and Zuly and on August 2nd Erica will join us, and all will be well in the world!
Until next blog ...
The trip from Forest City, IA to Prior Lake, MN was an easy trip! We got there early in the day because we were to meet up with Phil and Zuly and then hit the highway for Fargo, ND to attend an air show featuring the fabulous Blue Angels and the amazing Harrier!
Thom and I were setting up the motor home when we were surprised by Phil who came from out of nowhere! To say it was wonderful, fantastic, fabulous, et cetera to see him, well ...
After picking up Zuly from their lovely new apartment in Eagan, we hit the road for Fargo, ND! It was a 4-hour road trip in Phil's new Mazda 6 which gave us a rest behind the wheel!
The air show was hot! The sun was shining but thank goodness there was a breeze! We upgraded our tickets so we could be closer to the landing strip that also included all you can eat and drink. We must have consumed enough water alone to cover our upgrade ticket price! The announcers kept reminding everyone to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. As hot as it was, and we have not been in the direct heat for quite a while like that, it must have been a bit more uncomfortable for the locals than it was for us!
We are here until August 10, when we will head home. How we'll get there we haven't a clue. We are thinking about heading north to Bemidji, MN and then down to Le Clair, IA; or, head to Decorah, IA and into Wisconsin. We haven't quite decided. We have 10 days to figure it out, so says Thom, and we know we want to be home by August 29th the latest! When we figure it out, we will let you know! For now, we are going to enjoy being with Philip and Zuly and on August 2nd Erica will join us, and all will be well in the world!
Welcome to Minnesota!
Hahahaha - More road construction! Thank goodness there were no windy conditions!
Fritz - sleeping or faking it!
Farmers are hard at work all over this great country of ours!
Zuly and Phil! Happiness!
There was a lot of parachuting this show, unlike others we have been to.
Thom and Phil with his big guns lens for the show!
Zulieka, a/k/a Zuly - Phil's lovely girlfriend.
The skies were so clear for the show!
Blue Angels! I love them!
The crew!
My handsome son!
My favorite - The Harrier!
My handsome husband!
Until next blog ...
FOREST CITY, IOWA - DAYS FIVE AND SIX
JULY 23 AND 24, 2015
The 2015 GNR had a lot of good entertainment and it afforded us the opportunity to get our new antenna installed, albeit the very last minute. We also had our front window trim fixed, also at the last minute. The weather cooperated until the very last night, early morning where severe thunderstorms plowed into town and made the rally grounds a mess. We heard many RVs had to be towed out because of the muddy conditions. The "honey truck" even cancelled their Friday runs. For those who don't know, the honey truck is the truck that comes to your RV and empties the holding tanks. As we left Forest City on Saturday morning, the line at the neighboring city park where dump stations were available was quite long.
July 24th was Thom's birthday and as chaotic as the day was it turned out to be a good day spent with our friends Shirley and Ed Parks, fellow Mid-Florida Winnies club members who live in Clermont. The final evening's entertainment was "American English", a fake Beatles group who entertained us with many of the group's songs but was cut short due to another incoming storm.
All in the all the GNR was just okay. We don't think we'll return for another 3 years. The GNR, however, is a great place to reconnect with folks you meet along the way, especially if you have been on a WIT Caravan or Adventure (once called rally). We had the opportunity to visit with quite a few couples we met in Alaska and two couples from MN and WI who we met in Naples last summer. For that reason, we just might return, but unless the same-old-same-old stays that way, I think the GNR may become a thing of the past, especially for us. As is, the total attendance was just over 900 coaches, compared to the 1200 in 2012, which was down from the nearly 2000 in 2011. Change is good, if people really want it.
The 2015 GNR had a lot of good entertainment and it afforded us the opportunity to get our new antenna installed, albeit the very last minute. We also had our front window trim fixed, also at the last minute. The weather cooperated until the very last night, early morning where severe thunderstorms plowed into town and made the rally grounds a mess. We heard many RVs had to be towed out because of the muddy conditions. The "honey truck" even cancelled their Friday runs. For those who don't know, the honey truck is the truck that comes to your RV and empties the holding tanks. As we left Forest City on Saturday morning, the line at the neighboring city park where dump stations were available was quite long.
July 24th was Thom's birthday and as chaotic as the day was it turned out to be a good day spent with our friends Shirley and Ed Parks, fellow Mid-Florida Winnies club members who live in Clermont. The final evening's entertainment was "American English", a fake Beatles group who entertained us with many of the group's songs but was cut short due to another incoming storm.
All in the all the GNR was just okay. We don't think we'll return for another 3 years. The GNR, however, is a great place to reconnect with folks you meet along the way, especially if you have been on a WIT Caravan or Adventure (once called rally). We had the opportunity to visit with quite a few couples we met in Alaska and two couples from MN and WI who we met in Naples last summer. For that reason, we just might return, but unless the same-old-same-old stays that way, I think the GNR may become a thing of the past, especially for us. As is, the total attendance was just over 900 coaches, compared to the 1200 in 2012, which was down from the nearly 2000 in 2011. Change is good, if people really want it.
Happy Birthday Thom!
Eric and Jane Ward, Tail-Enders for the WIT Caravans - We met them in Alaska where they were training! Lovely couple.
American English
American English as Sergeant Pepper
The Iowa Sky - it was like northern lights borealis!
The other side of the stadium. The skies in Forest City, IA were quite dramatic!
The storm approaching that closed down the show!
Until next blog ...
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
FOREST CITY, IA - DAYS ONE, TWO, THREE, AND FOUR
July 19, 20, 21, AND 22, 2015
We had a pretty easy trip from Mitchell, SD to Forest City, IA. We spent our first night here in Forest City at a very lovely campground, Three Fingers RV Resort, so we could get ready for the very hectic Winnebago-Itasca Grand National Rally (GNR) where 900 RVs are expected to attend, down from the 1200 when we last attended in 2012.
The GNR offers a lot of things not to mention vendors galore and seminars, but the best part of the GNR is reuniting with folks we have met along the way at caravans and adventures, as well as many of our Mid-Florida Winnies club members! In all, Florida has 91 attendees, in second place, with Minnesota taking first prize with 105! Considering Minnesota is the neighboring state, not so far away, I think Florida wins this, but my opinion is just that!
Our coach is on the list to be called in for service to fix the trim around the front window and to replace the bedroom ceiling fan. Thom is going to replace the antennas we lost on the roof, but we are getting a new over-the-air antenna, the Rayzar, which is an automatic high definition digital antenna. We will never have to worry about whether the cable is any good in the campgrounds or whether our satellite is blocked by trees with this new antenna, if we are 50 miles within a station. We are hoping to find our name on the list tomorrow (Wednesday) for Thursday's repair schedule; otherwise, we will be finding ourselves in la-la-land with the antenna installation, as Friday we have that scheduled for install here on the grounds. (FYI: 07/22/15 - Not yet on the schedule!)
The weather this time in Iowa is so much better than the hot, sticky, humid weather we had in 2012, thank goodness! The a/c has been turned off the past two evenings with windows open, which has been really nice. We believe the weather is supposed to continue to cooperate in the same pattern.
I will probably not blog again for a few days, as we have lots of things scheduled and there are a lot of evening entertainment to attend.
Until next blog ...
We had a pretty easy trip from Mitchell, SD to Forest City, IA. We spent our first night here in Forest City at a very lovely campground, Three Fingers RV Resort, so we could get ready for the very hectic Winnebago-Itasca Grand National Rally (GNR) where 900 RVs are expected to attend, down from the 1200 when we last attended in 2012.
The GNR offers a lot of things not to mention vendors galore and seminars, but the best part of the GNR is reuniting with folks we have met along the way at caravans and adventures, as well as many of our Mid-Florida Winnies club members! In all, Florida has 91 attendees, in second place, with Minnesota taking first prize with 105! Considering Minnesota is the neighboring state, not so far away, I think Florida wins this, but my opinion is just that!
Our coach is on the list to be called in for service to fix the trim around the front window and to replace the bedroom ceiling fan. Thom is going to replace the antennas we lost on the roof, but we are getting a new over-the-air antenna, the Rayzar, which is an automatic high definition digital antenna. We will never have to worry about whether the cable is any good in the campgrounds or whether our satellite is blocked by trees with this new antenna, if we are 50 miles within a station. We are hoping to find our name on the list tomorrow (Wednesday) for Thursday's repair schedule; otherwise, we will be finding ourselves in la-la-land with the antenna installation, as Friday we have that scheduled for install here on the grounds. (FYI: 07/22/15 - Not yet on the schedule!)
The weather this time in Iowa is so much better than the hot, sticky, humid weather we had in 2012, thank goodness! The a/c has been turned off the past two evenings with windows open, which has been really nice. We believe the weather is supposed to continue to cooperate in the same pattern.
I will probably not blog again for a few days, as we have lots of things scheduled and there are a lot of evening entertainment to attend.
Porter Sculpture Park, Montrose, SD
Oh man - this bus needs help and gas - Thom was a good Samaritan and contributed a few gallons of diesel for these weary travelers!
Welcome to Minnesota!
I so love seeing these wind farms! I have no idea why St. Lucie County, FL did not want these!
Welcome to Iowa!
Corn fields everywhere!
We have arrived at the GNR staging area!
We actually have a great spot even though we are not with our friends in the FL Row! We are near all event areas and vendors!
The stage is ready for the fun to begin!
Our Mid-Florida Winnies friends, Shirley and Ed Parks!
We were reunited with our friends Laurel and Ron from St. Cloud Minnesota, now full-timers and will spend half the year in Florida! We met them last year at the Florida Sunshine Adventure!
The first night of entertainment was provided by a trio and special guest, Tonic Sol-fa. They were quite a good! Tonic Sol-fa is an all-male a cappella trio from the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. With a largely pop-music-oriented repertoire, their CDs have sold over 1,000,000 copies, and the group has toured throughout the US and abroad.
CW and Denise Harris, friends from Oklahoma who we met in Alaska! It was like two years was just yesterday!
There is an Amish Bakery in Forest City, which the GNR made arrangements for a bus to visit! What a great time. Shirley and I shared this for breakfast but we each brought back a smaller version of a 4-pack! Great sticky buns!
Thom's old employer - they now own wind farms here in Forest City and other parts of the country! It was really familiar to pull into the A&W and see this truck parked next to us!
State Row Party - This is the Florida Row!
The theme this year is "GNR Down Under" and another of our Alaskan friends, Donna Zweigel, had her best Aussie gear on!
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