Over the last two days, we have become better acquainted with the new member of our family, Ness2. She may at times be called Nessie2 or N2, but she is definitely now part of the group. We've done a bit of "washing the bugs off", a bit of "send in the warranty" forms, and some "fine-tuning the controls". We still have a way to go, but we've been taking this opportunity to do the New Motorhome Waltz.
Sunday was a day of rest...sort of. We had been instructed, on pain of starvation, to visit The Wharf restaurant in Cross Lake, MN. Since it's only a 30 minute drive, we headed out. As we got close to the restaurant, we noticed that cars were parked along the side of the road for a quarter mile or so on either side of the restaurant. The parking lot was of course full, and as we drove by, we saw that every table outside was busy and there were people standing outside, waiting for a table. Ok, not going to happen. We love to eat, but not at the price of waiting for hours!
Since we're 80 miles or so south of the headwaters of the Mississippi River, it makes sense that The Great River Road meanders through this area. We've traveled portions of the road, following the Great River as much as we could, but we have not explored around here. Since lunch was out, we hopped on the Great Road and checked out the countryside, finding mile after mile of hardwood forests, with large farms interspersed throughout. This is lovely country, and of course, there is water everywhere.
We finally found a cool restaurant on Gull Lake that caters to drive-up boaters as well as land-based traffic. Ernie's on Gull Lake provided us with a satisfying lunch and a great view of the boats dashing about on this huge lake. Feeling comfortably sleepy, we turned to home with the goal of "taking care of business" in the motorhome. We've made great strides in that direction over the last two days, but now it's time to move on. We've been pleasantly surprised at the quiet, low-density park we're staying in and will recommend The RV Resort Village at The Preserve in the future. If we can remember that long name, of course.
Tomorrow it's off to the busy Twin Cities, but with the anticipation of visiting family members. We also hope to have lunch with a couple that we met in Tucson this last spring. Dave and Sue live in the town of Hastings, just a few miles south near the Wisconsin border. They are good people with a beautiful golden retriever in the family, so we're looking forward to seeing them again.
It's been fun. New adventures tomorrow!
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Paul was Here!
Saturday, the 23rd has been a quiet day. We have developed a list of things to check and adjust on Ness2, so we did a couple of those things this morning. We can't seem to get to bed before 1 o'clock in the morning these days, so consequently we get up late and the day is mostly gone by the time we have coffee and breakfast!
We decided to drive 18 miles or so south to Brainerd and poke around Paul Bunyan country. Our first stop was at the Highway 371 Visitors Center, where we had a meaningful conversation with the star of the show.
Leaving Brainerd, we headed back north on 371 toward Pequot Lakes. On the way it occurred to us that there must be a settlement named Pequot Lakes, so we set out to find it, and we did. Just a few miles north of the rv park we're staying in is the little town of Pequot Lakes. There are two significant things about Pequot Lakes....at least that I've found. The first is Paul Bunyan's fishing bobber which has been repurposed as the town water tower:
And the second is every bit as interesting: Each year, the town hosts a Bean Hole event. Take your time here....In the city park, holes are dug in the ground, fires are lit, and when the coals are just right, huge pots of beans are lowered into the holes and left to simmer overnight. I might add that the Lowering of the Pots is a very ceremonial occasion and treated with all the respect it deserves. The next day, after the purchase of a "Bean Hole Cup", a participant can sample as many different types/styles/recipes as the stomach will allow. Great fun for all, we hear, with kids playing, adults socializing, and the local gas stations closed for lack of business! Sadly, we'll miss the festivities this year....
Another nice day in the Lakes Region! Tomorrow it's off exploring again....we heard about a great restaurant near Cross Lake.....
We decided to drive 18 miles or so south to Brainerd and poke around Paul Bunyan country. Our first stop was at the Highway 371 Visitors Center, where we had a meaningful conversation with the star of the show.
We visited Brainerd as a young family some 40 years ago. We had planned on spending a long weekend, with the kids doing the Paul Bunyan thing. Unfortunately, a round of stomach flu ended that plan and we had to leave abruptly. Well, things have changed since then! The huge Paul Bunyan statue that we enjoyed years ago is now the centerpiece of Paul Bunyan Land amusement park outside of town. This cool statue is a fiberglass replica done by a locally known artist. Still, I guess it's all ok, since we haven't gotten the flu....yet.
Looking at some of the info in the Visitors Center got us an advertisement for The Sawmill, Brainerd's oldest restaurant. The building was originally the office building for the Brainerd Sawmill, but became empty when the company moved north. In 1908 it was moved to it's present location and became the N.P. Lunch Room. Our interest was kindled and we decided to have a late lunch at the Sawmill. Suffice it to say that the servers were friendly but the food was not.
The best thing about the Sawmill is that it is directly across the street from Paul Bunyan's Flashlight. Some say this structure is really Paul's Coffee Cup. I'll let you be the judge of that.
And the second is every bit as interesting: Each year, the town hosts a Bean Hole event. Take your time here....In the city park, holes are dug in the ground, fires are lit, and when the coals are just right, huge pots of beans are lowered into the holes and left to simmer overnight. I might add that the Lowering of the Pots is a very ceremonial occasion and treated with all the respect it deserves. The next day, after the purchase of a "Bean Hole Cup", a participant can sample as many different types/styles/recipes as the stomach will allow. Great fun for all, we hear, with kids playing, adults socializing, and the local gas stations closed for lack of business! Sadly, we'll miss the festivities this year....
Another nice day in the Lakes Region! Tomorrow it's off exploring again....we heard about a great restaurant near Cross Lake.....
Pequot Lakes, Minnesota
We left Steinbring Motorcoach on Thursday morning after thanking all the staff for their help and support. Everyone, from Jon Steinbring, the owner, through Chase, his son and finance manager, and Lee, the sales person who guided us through the process, was extremely generous and supportive. The service manager, Ed, and Randy, who gave us our walk-through and orientation were always willing to stop what they were doing and help us or answer a question. The Jill-of-all-trades, Karen, was more than happy to assist us as well. We'll miss them all, and highly recommend this business to anyone looking to move into a motorhome, either new or used.
One last picture before we hit the road:
Our destination was The RV Resort at The Preserve at Pequot Lakes, MN. The journey was short, only about 110 miles northeast of Garfield, via County Road 14 out of Alexandria to MN 210, just north of Parkers Prairie. From there it was due east to MN 371 north to Pequot Lakes. This area, known as The Lakes, is home to about a hundred of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes, and is a favorite weekend and summer vacation area for Minnesotans. The lakes are dotted with summer cabins and the highways are lined with boat shops, bars, restaurants, water parks, and pirate themed amusement parks. Typical tourist stuff, eh. The lakes in the northern midwest were formed when the ice age glaciers retreated, leaving huge chunks of landlocked iceberg, some many miles in diameter and hundreds of feet thick. These eventually melted in place, and were surrounded by gravel, rocks and dirt disrupted by the glacier, creating a lake. Voila!
The RV Resort is well landscaped and sparsely populated. The lots are for sale, and some owners have erected garages, and outdoor kitchens. Each site is over 100 feet long and 50 feet wide, and faces a nice little pond.
After setting up on a concrete pad with a table and patio, we started looking at the info the office provided so we could map out Friday's journey. We decided on a trip to a local lake that Donna's brother had once mentioned.
Friday morning we headed south to Brainerd, MN, and then east to Mille Lacs Lake. This is one of the largest lakes in the area, and is only 100 miles or so north of the Twin Cities.
Our first stop near the lake was at a park in the town of Garrison, where we encountered a really huge Walleye. This particular specimen is said to have been hooked by Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. Paul struggled to land the fish for three days, and finally wrapped his line around Babes horns and Babe pulled the fish out of Lake Mille Lacs and up onto Garrison Beach. I believe every word...
So, after a quick 110 mile jaunt, we returned home to enjoy the park.
And set up the grill to fix a little dinner!
Oh what, oh what, oh what to do tomorrow?
One last picture before we hit the road:
Our destination was The RV Resort at The Preserve at Pequot Lakes, MN. The journey was short, only about 110 miles northeast of Garfield, via County Road 14 out of Alexandria to MN 210, just north of Parkers Prairie. From there it was due east to MN 371 north to Pequot Lakes. This area, known as The Lakes, is home to about a hundred of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes, and is a favorite weekend and summer vacation area for Minnesotans. The lakes are dotted with summer cabins and the highways are lined with boat shops, bars, restaurants, water parks, and pirate themed amusement parks. Typical tourist stuff, eh. The lakes in the northern midwest were formed when the ice age glaciers retreated, leaving huge chunks of landlocked iceberg, some many miles in diameter and hundreds of feet thick. These eventually melted in place, and were surrounded by gravel, rocks and dirt disrupted by the glacier, creating a lake. Voila!
The RV Resort is well landscaped and sparsely populated. The lots are for sale, and some owners have erected garages, and outdoor kitchens. Each site is over 100 feet long and 50 feet wide, and faces a nice little pond.
After setting up on a concrete pad with a table and patio, we started looking at the info the office provided so we could map out Friday's journey. We decided on a trip to a local lake that Donna's brother had once mentioned.
Friday morning we headed south to Brainerd, MN, and then east to Mille Lacs Lake. This is one of the largest lakes in the area, and is only 100 miles or so north of the Twin Cities.
Our first stop near the lake was at a park in the town of Garrison, where we encountered a really huge Walleye. This particular specimen is said to have been hooked by Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. Paul struggled to land the fish for three days, and finally wrapped his line around Babes horns and Babe pulled the fish out of Lake Mille Lacs and up onto Garrison Beach. I believe every word...
So, after a quick 110 mile jaunt, we returned home to enjoy the park.
And set up the grill to fix a little dinner!
Oh what, oh what, oh what to do tomorrow?
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Ok, Where to Start?
It's Wednesday, the 20th, and I haven't posted in awhile, so here goes:
Monday, the 11th, was a stressful day, when Nessie received her physical examination. Her report noted a handful of health and safety items that needed to be addressed before her new owners take possession. We immediately made arrangements with the service department at Steinbring Motorcoach to begin repairs. Several of the items we were aware of, and several we were not, but we could not, in good conscience transfer her to her new owners without taking care of those things that were not just cosmetic.
On Tuesday, Nessie's new owners arrived for their first look at the coach. The first impression was favorable, and the deal was finalized. Thanks again, Mike and Julie! Donna and I celebrated with dinner at Mi Mexico, a local favorite mexican food hangout. Wednesday found us discussing the in's and out's of owning a motorhome with Nessie's new owners. Including lunch, we spent several productive hours going over the various systems onboard before their return to Virginia required an end to the day.
Thursday morning Sasha and I headed out to enjoy a long walk around the property on a bright sunny day. As we passed the service bays, I noticed a motorhome painted the same color as the one we had ordered, and from all appearances, the proper floor plan. After coffee and breakfast, Donna and I had to go into the office to take care of some paperwork, and Lee, our salesperson, casually mentioned that "your coach should be out of detail this afternoon!" Well, Katy, bar the door....we practically ran to the service bay, only to find it empty....
But not by much: she was sitting in a different location!
Soon she was moved to the detail area and we were allowed a quick peek at the interior.
After spending the night in the detail/wash bay, Ness2 was moved to "Kamp Kozy" on Friday about mid-day. This one-site area has a great little lawn and patio with a grill, furniture, and landscaping.
We immediately moved Nessie into the adjacent parking stall and began the Big Move. Friday was a minimal afternoon, just moving enough stuff to spend the night. Saturday was spent moving most of the rest...we worked until 1:00 am Sunday, and still didn't finish!
Saturday night a midwestern supercell moved through the area, with lightning, thunder, hail, and 3 inches of rain along with high wind. Pretty exciting, I'll tell you! Us Californians don't know what to make of that!
Sunday was Fathers Day, and I received wonderful greetings from our children, Jeff and Teresa and their families. Right on! We moved the last of our "have to have" stuff out of Nessie and cleaned her from stem to stern.
Monday, the 18th, found us continuing work on the organizing routine in Ness2 as well as taking care of some additional paperwork. Randy, the PDI guy, gave us a thorough walk-through of the coach, both inside and outside. He is a congenial sort and gave us a great introduction to our new home. We pointed out a half-dozen things that needed attention, and he took care of them without delay. There are a couple of items that will require the factory to address, and an official note of those was made by the warranty guy, Dave, for future correction. One situation revolved around the entertainment system. We had requested that a couple of HDMI cables be run to various points in the coach, but on Sunday, when we attempted to hook up our satellite system, we discovered that the signals weren't being transferred to the appropriate locations. In addition, the back of the sofa blocked the IR signal from reaching the television, so that we were required to stand up and hold the remote over our head to operate the tv! As it turned out, Randy "has people"! Local guru Bob from "Blue Collar Bob's" signal service was available and came by for a look. He found that the cables had been run as we asked, but were not plugged in! I guess we should have made an additional request about that! He also added a remote IR receiver so that we didn't need to get too much exercise standing up and down to change channels and such on the tv! Cool! Now we can use remotes.....!
Tuesday the 19th, Nessie (1) left us. She has been parked next door for several days, and we've become accustomed to seeing her. She went into Service for the repair work, and we are sad. She was a great motorhome, notwithstanding that she had her issues from time to time. She gave us 63,000 miles of travel throughout this great country of ours. We will miss her.
We planned to customize Ness2 a bit as time and ambition permit, but when Ed in Service told us he had a little free time this afternoon, we made arrangements for him to take care of some things while we went to lunch! What a concept! A craft burger (peanut butter and jalapeño) and three grilled fish tacos later, we returned to Steinbring and the work was done! I'm liking this!
Time here is getting away from us, as we found out this morning. When I went into the office, Karen, the admin assistant/book keeper/phone lady/customer service person greeted me with: "Good morning, Gary, are you leaving today?" Hint noted....We have a bit more paperwork to do (which is code for write a check), and then we'll have to think seriously about leaving. The summer camping season is in full swing in the midwest and we're having a bit of trouble finding a place to land. We've been looking southeast toward the Twin Cities and striking out, but tomorrow we'll look north and see what we can find. It's a busy year!
On Wednesday, Jon Steinbring, his son and the business manager, Chase, our salesperson Lee and his wife and Donna and I went to lunch at the local "best place in town", Dolittles. The claim to fame here is a wood fired grill, and the food was delicious. During the conversation, Jon told us about an rv resort he frequents about a 100 miles away. He called them and they had an open site for the next few days, so we snatched it! So now we have a "home" until we drift southeast toward the Twin Cities for the July Fourth holiday.
We're both excited and apprehensive about our first excursion with Ness2, but we've gotta do it sometime, so.....here goes.....
Monday, the 11th, was a stressful day, when Nessie received her physical examination. Her report noted a handful of health and safety items that needed to be addressed before her new owners take possession. We immediately made arrangements with the service department at Steinbring Motorcoach to begin repairs. Several of the items we were aware of, and several we were not, but we could not, in good conscience transfer her to her new owners without taking care of those things that were not just cosmetic.
On Tuesday, Nessie's new owners arrived for their first look at the coach. The first impression was favorable, and the deal was finalized. Thanks again, Mike and Julie! Donna and I celebrated with dinner at Mi Mexico, a local favorite mexican food hangout. Wednesday found us discussing the in's and out's of owning a motorhome with Nessie's new owners. Including lunch, we spent several productive hours going over the various systems onboard before their return to Virginia required an end to the day.
Thursday morning Sasha and I headed out to enjoy a long walk around the property on a bright sunny day. As we passed the service bays, I noticed a motorhome painted the same color as the one we had ordered, and from all appearances, the proper floor plan. After coffee and breakfast, Donna and I had to go into the office to take care of some paperwork, and Lee, our salesperson, casually mentioned that "your coach should be out of detail this afternoon!" Well, Katy, bar the door....we practically ran to the service bay, only to find it empty....
But not by much: she was sitting in a different location!
Soon she was moved to the detail area and we were allowed a quick peek at the interior.
After spending the night in the detail/wash bay, Ness2 was moved to "Kamp Kozy" on Friday about mid-day. This one-site area has a great little lawn and patio with a grill, furniture, and landscaping.
We immediately moved Nessie into the adjacent parking stall and began the Big Move. Friday was a minimal afternoon, just moving enough stuff to spend the night. Saturday was spent moving most of the rest...we worked until 1:00 am Sunday, and still didn't finish!
Saturday night a midwestern supercell moved through the area, with lightning, thunder, hail, and 3 inches of rain along with high wind. Pretty exciting, I'll tell you! Us Californians don't know what to make of that!
Sunday was Fathers Day, and I received wonderful greetings from our children, Jeff and Teresa and their families. Right on! We moved the last of our "have to have" stuff out of Nessie and cleaned her from stem to stern.
Monday, the 18th, found us continuing work on the organizing routine in Ness2 as well as taking care of some additional paperwork. Randy, the PDI guy, gave us a thorough walk-through of the coach, both inside and outside. He is a congenial sort and gave us a great introduction to our new home. We pointed out a half-dozen things that needed attention, and he took care of them without delay. There are a couple of items that will require the factory to address, and an official note of those was made by the warranty guy, Dave, for future correction. One situation revolved around the entertainment system. We had requested that a couple of HDMI cables be run to various points in the coach, but on Sunday, when we attempted to hook up our satellite system, we discovered that the signals weren't being transferred to the appropriate locations. In addition, the back of the sofa blocked the IR signal from reaching the television, so that we were required to stand up and hold the remote over our head to operate the tv! As it turned out, Randy "has people"! Local guru Bob from "Blue Collar Bob's" signal service was available and came by for a look. He found that the cables had been run as we asked, but were not plugged in! I guess we should have made an additional request about that! He also added a remote IR receiver so that we didn't need to get too much exercise standing up and down to change channels and such on the tv! Cool! Now we can use remotes.....!
Tuesday the 19th, Nessie (1) left us. She has been parked next door for several days, and we've become accustomed to seeing her. She went into Service for the repair work, and we are sad. She was a great motorhome, notwithstanding that she had her issues from time to time. She gave us 63,000 miles of travel throughout this great country of ours. We will miss her.
We planned to customize Ness2 a bit as time and ambition permit, but when Ed in Service told us he had a little free time this afternoon, we made arrangements for him to take care of some things while we went to lunch! What a concept! A craft burger (peanut butter and jalapeño) and three grilled fish tacos later, we returned to Steinbring and the work was done! I'm liking this!
Time here is getting away from us, as we found out this morning. When I went into the office, Karen, the admin assistant/book keeper/phone lady/customer service person greeted me with: "Good morning, Gary, are you leaving today?" Hint noted....We have a bit more paperwork to do (which is code for write a check), and then we'll have to think seriously about leaving. The summer camping season is in full swing in the midwest and we're having a bit of trouble finding a place to land. We've been looking southeast toward the Twin Cities and striking out, but tomorrow we'll look north and see what we can find. It's a busy year!
On Wednesday, Jon Steinbring, his son and the business manager, Chase, our salesperson Lee and his wife and Donna and I went to lunch at the local "best place in town", Dolittles. The claim to fame here is a wood fired grill, and the food was delicious. During the conversation, Jon told us about an rv resort he frequents about a 100 miles away. He called them and they had an open site for the next few days, so we snatched it! So now we have a "home" until we drift southeast toward the Twin Cities for the July Fourth holiday.
We're both excited and apprehensive about our first excursion with Ness2, but we've gotta do it sometime, so.....here goes.....
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Half-Way to Where?
We enjoyed our stay in Rapid City, SD, by doing a variety of errands and spending some time cleaning and detailing Nessie for her (hopefully) new owners. We still had a lot of Nevada and Wyoming mud on the motorhome and car from a couple of very interesting thunderstorms that we ran into, but the time got away from us and we left "Rapid" with a fairly clean interior, but a really messed up exterior!
About half-way across South Dakota, near the hamlet of Reliance, we ran into a great example of the Great Plains.
We pulled into Mitchell, SD, about 4 in the afternoon. We found the R and R campground to our liking, and at $20 a night for Passport America members, we were happy campers (!). We spent a pleasant hour chatting with our neighbors, who are from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. We visited the Cape last year and enjoyed comparing notes. Of course, we learned about a dozen things that we should have done when we were there, so we'll have to go back!
The last day of our journey with Nessie took us 285 miles northeast into northwest Minnesota. Our destination was Steinbring Motorcoach in Garfield, MN. Now you gotta know that Garfield has a population of ...... 354 souls. However, just a few miles southeast is the tourist area of Alexandria, which has a population of just over 11,000. Alexandria is the county seat, and the name refers to Alexandria, Egypt, once a center of learning and civilization. Today, Alexandria is a hot spot for tourism with over 40 navigable lakes in the area. Many families have summer homes around the lakes, and boating and water sports are huge. Many of the local stores advertise that they have "cabin delivery" of their products, so I guess you never have to leave!
Along with all the restaurants, hotels, and sporting goods stores that you would expect in the area, there are a number of museums and parks that we've been advised to visit. We haven't had a chance to get out except for an average dinner at the restaurant that is part of the local Holiday Inn (chosen because it was close and we were hungry and tired!)
We pulled into Steinbring on Friday afternoon after a leisurely trip along the backroads and byways of Minnesota. Interstate 29 heads north from Sioux Falls, so when we left Mitchell we cruised east on I 90 and picked up I29 north. Then we had a decision to make: continue on I29 to Fargo or save 50 plus miles by cutting off into the buccatoolies. Well, no brainer.
Somewhere near Toronto (MN), we bailed off the interstate. Thirty miles north on SD 75, then thirty miles east on US 212, then twenty miles north on MN 119, then east on US 59....well, you get the idea. Eventually, we arrived at Steinbring Motorcoach in Garfield, Minnesota.
We were assigned site number 269713(a), which is just in front of the propane tanks and adjacent to the service bays....we have an electrical connection, and....nothing else. We'll be doing the dump station tango every few days, along with filling the water tank. There has been a bit of a timing snafu, so we'll be here for at least a week. Months ago, when we arranged with the purchasers of Nessie to have an inspection done here, we were expecting delivery of the new coach at the same time. Well, best laid plans and all that. N2 (her temporary name) won't be delivered until Friday earliest, so we have some time to kill. As I write this, Nessie is going to get her inspection tomorrow, and the new owners are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday for their inspection. Fortunately (or unfortunately), they cannot pick her up until August, and will store her here in Minnesota for a short time. They have generously allowed us to stay in Nessie for a week or so, at least until our new coach arrives. Thank you, Mike and Julie!
So, in a few days, after some of the excitement is over, we'll have a chance to explore the area. If we see anything interesting, I'll let you know, y'know?
About half-way across South Dakota, near the hamlet of Reliance, we ran into a great example of the Great Plains.
We pulled into Mitchell, SD, about 4 in the afternoon. We found the R and R campground to our liking, and at $20 a night for Passport America members, we were happy campers (!). We spent a pleasant hour chatting with our neighbors, who are from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. We visited the Cape last year and enjoyed comparing notes. Of course, we learned about a dozen things that we should have done when we were there, so we'll have to go back!
The last day of our journey with Nessie took us 285 miles northeast into northwest Minnesota. Our destination was Steinbring Motorcoach in Garfield, MN. Now you gotta know that Garfield has a population of ...... 354 souls. However, just a few miles southeast is the tourist area of Alexandria, which has a population of just over 11,000. Alexandria is the county seat, and the name refers to Alexandria, Egypt, once a center of learning and civilization. Today, Alexandria is a hot spot for tourism with over 40 navigable lakes in the area. Many families have summer homes around the lakes, and boating and water sports are huge. Many of the local stores advertise that they have "cabin delivery" of their products, so I guess you never have to leave!
Along with all the restaurants, hotels, and sporting goods stores that you would expect in the area, there are a number of museums and parks that we've been advised to visit. We haven't had a chance to get out except for an average dinner at the restaurant that is part of the local Holiday Inn (chosen because it was close and we were hungry and tired!)
We pulled into Steinbring on Friday afternoon after a leisurely trip along the backroads and byways of Minnesota. Interstate 29 heads north from Sioux Falls, so when we left Mitchell we cruised east on I 90 and picked up I29 north. Then we had a decision to make: continue on I29 to Fargo or save 50 plus miles by cutting off into the buccatoolies. Well, no brainer.
Somewhere near Toronto (MN), we bailed off the interstate. Thirty miles north on SD 75, then thirty miles east on US 212, then twenty miles north on MN 119, then east on US 59....well, you get the idea. Eventually, we arrived at Steinbring Motorcoach in Garfield, Minnesota.
We were assigned site number 269713(a), which is just in front of the propane tanks and adjacent to the service bays....we have an electrical connection, and....nothing else. We'll be doing the dump station tango every few days, along with filling the water tank. There has been a bit of a timing snafu, so we'll be here for at least a week. Months ago, when we arranged with the purchasers of Nessie to have an inspection done here, we were expecting delivery of the new coach at the same time. Well, best laid plans and all that. N2 (her temporary name) won't be delivered until Friday earliest, so we have some time to kill. As I write this, Nessie is going to get her inspection tomorrow, and the new owners are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday for their inspection. Fortunately (or unfortunately), they cannot pick her up until August, and will store her here in Minnesota for a short time. They have generously allowed us to stay in Nessie for a week or so, at least until our new coach arrives. Thank you, Mike and Julie!
So, in a few days, after some of the excitement is over, we'll have a chance to explore the area. If we see anything interesting, I'll let you know, y'know?
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Buffalo to Rapid City. It's Hot!
On Sunday, June 3rd, we rolled out of Rawlins, WY, heading north on US 287 toward Casper. After almost a week on Interstate 80, we left that highway and began to do some actual driving....where we had to concentrate while on a two lane road. Just north of the intersection of US 287 and WY 220, we found one of the most famous of the Pioneer landmarks: Independence Rock.
This granite monolith is/was a destination for an estimated 500,000 pioneers moving west toward California, Oregon, and Washington. The trails split just west of here, but this area provided water, grass, and good weather for those hardy souls, and a chance to stop and rest both themselves and their animals.
While they were resting, these travelers carved their names into the rock, both as a form of graffiti (Kilroy was Here!), but also as a marker for friends and family that came afterward. No cell phones here! We took a two mile walk around the landmark and got a few pics of some of the remaining names, and some interesting rock formations.
Back on the road again, we cruised through Casper, WY, and jumped on Interstate 29. This area is a gateway to the Tetons and Yellowstone, and is well traveled this time of year. We decided to stop for the night in Buffalo, WY, a little cowtown near the intersection of I29 and Interstate 90.
While we don't generally stop at KOA campgrounds, the reviews for the facility in Buffalo were good, and it was on our route, so we stopped. We were assigned a site that was so out of level that the leveling system gave us an error message and quit. We spent the night leaning toward the right....
It had been a long time since we had had a special meal, so we acted on the recommendation of some other campers that had stayed in Buffalo in the past, and visited The Winchester Steak House. This is not a diet-friendly establishment! Donna ordered stuffed baked shrimp (with drawn butter) and pronounced it awesome!
Being a meat and potato kind of guy, I ordered a filet with a baked potato. This was probably the best filet I've ever had. Two sizes were available, 10 ounce and 14. I ordered the smaller of the two and it was not only cooked exactly as I had ordered, but was fork tender. Wonderful!
Buffalo was just an overnight stop, so on Monday, the fourth, we hit Interstate 90 going east. Two hundred and thirteen miles east we rolled into Rapid City, South Dakota. If you've followed us in the past, you know that we've spent some enjoyable time in this area...Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Sturgis...there is a whole list of things to do here. We're looking forward to a couple of days rest here.
On the way east, we stopped for lunch at one of the nicest rest stops ever! Large parking areas and plenty of dog park grass made this a great stop.
We set up camp in a rather rustic rv park and enjoyed some of Mother Natures cloud formations.
After a lazy day on Tuesday, we enjoyed even more of the spectacular thunder and lightning shows that are common to this area in the summer.
With a few lightning strikes, much thunder, and some ominous clouds we closed out Tuesday. Tomorrow a few errands and a bit of sightseeing should satisfy us until our next visit to this lovely city.
This granite monolith is/was a destination for an estimated 500,000 pioneers moving west toward California, Oregon, and Washington. The trails split just west of here, but this area provided water, grass, and good weather for those hardy souls, and a chance to stop and rest both themselves and their animals.
While they were resting, these travelers carved their names into the rock, both as a form of graffiti (Kilroy was Here!), but also as a marker for friends and family that came afterward. No cell phones here! We took a two mile walk around the landmark and got a few pics of some of the remaining names, and some interesting rock formations.
While we don't generally stop at KOA campgrounds, the reviews for the facility in Buffalo were good, and it was on our route, so we stopped. We were assigned a site that was so out of level that the leveling system gave us an error message and quit. We spent the night leaning toward the right....
It had been a long time since we had had a special meal, so we acted on the recommendation of some other campers that had stayed in Buffalo in the past, and visited The Winchester Steak House. This is not a diet-friendly establishment! Donna ordered stuffed baked shrimp (with drawn butter) and pronounced it awesome!
Being a meat and potato kind of guy, I ordered a filet with a baked potato. This was probably the best filet I've ever had. Two sizes were available, 10 ounce and 14. I ordered the smaller of the two and it was not only cooked exactly as I had ordered, but was fork tender. Wonderful!
On the way east, we stopped for lunch at one of the nicest rest stops ever! Large parking areas and plenty of dog park grass made this a great stop.
We set up camp in a rather rustic rv park and enjoyed some of Mother Natures cloud formations.
After a lazy day on Tuesday, we enjoyed even more of the spectacular thunder and lightning shows that are common to this area in the summer.
With a few lightning strikes, much thunder, and some ominous clouds we closed out Tuesday. Tomorrow a few errands and a bit of sightseeing should satisfy us until our next visit to this lovely city.
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Time for a Nap!
Wow, it's time for a rest!
We ran away from home on Memorial Day afternoon so we could be first in line at the motorhome service facility at Sacramento Truck Center on Tuesday morning. Lawrence (the motorhome guru) kindly allows us to "camp" in his service area driveway, and we were up at 5:30 on Tuesday so we could check in at 6:30.
We're runnin'....
We went to breakfast while Nessie was being serviced with our long-time friends, Jo and Larry. They have a very nice, large, motorhome that they travel the country in, and just happened to be in the Sacramento area. About 2:00, Lawrence called and told us that we were ready to go, so back to the shop, hook up the tow car, and hit the road..... We made it to Verdi, Nevada, about 120 miles into our journey, and spent the night in a parking lot (thank you, Cabela's!)
Wednesday was a long(ish) day, some 360 miles to Elko, Nevada. If you've ever traveled Interstate 80, eastbound, through Reno, Lovelock, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, and Carlin, you know that this stretch is high on the "loneliest road in America" list! The road is well maintained, fairly straight, with few mountains to cross. At a rest stop, Donna wanted to practice driving the motorhome, so she climbed onto the drivers throne and went to work. And she did very well! After a few miles of lip-chewing and wheel-gripping she settled down and focused on driving. So many things to pay attention to! Somewhere along in here I also settled down and passed the time (read....staying distracted) messaging with a friend. All was well until we got to a 15 mile stretch of one-lane construction highway through Winnemucca! Back to the white knuckles! But again she did well and, frankly, surprised me with her grasp of driving a house down the road!
We had anticipated warm weather and made reservations at Ironhorse RV Resort in Elko. What we got for weather was wind, heavy rain, and mud! Nevertheless, Ironhorse is a nice little park, with lots of grass for Sasha, and wide, paved roads. The rv sites are DG gravel, a finely ground material that sticks to everything when it's wet. A mess for sure!
We're beginning to see a pattern here....Up early on Thursday morning, with 250 miles to Park City, Utah in the crosshairs and the Park City RV Resort. It was a reasonably short day of driving, but the loss of an hour moving into Mountain Time put us into downtown Salt Lake City right in the middle of commute time! Working together, Donna and I were able to navigate the highways just fine, and soon popped out on the east side of town. Park City is a few miles east of SLC, in an area known for its outdoor activities. The park is small, but well kept, and has concrete pads to park on. The highlight, though, is the location. From the office, you can see the famous ski areas, and a short walk gets you to a cute creek with mountain biking trails leading up into the hills (mountains?). Great place!
Ok, here we go again. Friday morning we're up again, missing an hour of sleep (!) and hitting the road toward Rawlins, Wyoming. Another 200-odd mile day, with high wind warnings regularly posted along the highway. We've been through Rawlins in the past (everyone seems to go through Rawlins) but we had to stop again. This time we're staying two nights to catch up on sleep, laundry, and Mountain time. Rawlings is a railroad town, thoroughly dominated by the Union Pacific, and was once a stop for wood, coal, and steam locomotives, Now, diesel fuel is required; 1,470,000 gallons of it in each of two tanks! The fueling stations were awesome to see! Too bad the hoses and nozzles wouldn't fit Nessie!
We hadn't noticed the high wind blowing as we drove yesterday, probably because it was a tail-wind, and also because Nessie has Newmar's proprietary Comfort Drive system, which is a computer aided system designed to take the moment-by-moment stress out of driving. But when we pulled into our assigned site and opened the door, the wind just about took it off! Local news said that the wind had been blowing 25 to 35 mph all day, with gusts to 70! Needless to say, we stayed indoors as much as possible! Sasha and I took a couple of walks, but she had trouble standing upright when the wind picked up, and the blowing sand quickly became my worst enemy, so we kept the walking to a minimum.
Sasha and I did find this interesting anemometer:
So now it's Saturday, and we're sitting in Huckleberries Expresso shop on Cedar St in old town Rawlins. The wifi/cell reception is so crummy at the park that we decided to come into town. Huckleberries is a great little shop, and the wifi seems to be great, so, with a cup of coffee and a small table, we're good to go. Earlier today we stopped by the Wyoming Prison Museum to join the festivities at a fundraiser for the prison museum group. A quick tour gave us a great appreciation for having missed a stay at the prison when it was in use!
The wind has diminished a bit today, so we stopped at the Carbon County Courthouse to let Sasha play on the grass and work off a little of the energy she has been storing up the last few days! We will shortly return to the (mimalistic) rv park for the evening. I hope we have a good book to read! Rawlins is definitely not a destination!
We ran away from home on Memorial Day afternoon so we could be first in line at the motorhome service facility at Sacramento Truck Center on Tuesday morning. Lawrence (the motorhome guru) kindly allows us to "camp" in his service area driveway, and we were up at 5:30 on Tuesday so we could check in at 6:30.
We're runnin'....
We went to breakfast while Nessie was being serviced with our long-time friends, Jo and Larry. They have a very nice, large, motorhome that they travel the country in, and just happened to be in the Sacramento area. About 2:00, Lawrence called and told us that we were ready to go, so back to the shop, hook up the tow car, and hit the road..... We made it to Verdi, Nevada, about 120 miles into our journey, and spent the night in a parking lot (thank you, Cabela's!)
Wednesday was a long(ish) day, some 360 miles to Elko, Nevada. If you've ever traveled Interstate 80, eastbound, through Reno, Lovelock, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, and Carlin, you know that this stretch is high on the "loneliest road in America" list! The road is well maintained, fairly straight, with few mountains to cross. At a rest stop, Donna wanted to practice driving the motorhome, so she climbed onto the drivers throne and went to work. And she did very well! After a few miles of lip-chewing and wheel-gripping she settled down and focused on driving. So many things to pay attention to! Somewhere along in here I also settled down and passed the time (read....staying distracted) messaging with a friend. All was well until we got to a 15 mile stretch of one-lane construction highway through Winnemucca! Back to the white knuckles! But again she did well and, frankly, surprised me with her grasp of driving a house down the road!
We had anticipated warm weather and made reservations at Ironhorse RV Resort in Elko. What we got for weather was wind, heavy rain, and mud! Nevertheless, Ironhorse is a nice little park, with lots of grass for Sasha, and wide, paved roads. The rv sites are DG gravel, a finely ground material that sticks to everything when it's wet. A mess for sure!
We're beginning to see a pattern here....Up early on Thursday morning, with 250 miles to Park City, Utah in the crosshairs and the Park City RV Resort. It was a reasonably short day of driving, but the loss of an hour moving into Mountain Time put us into downtown Salt Lake City right in the middle of commute time! Working together, Donna and I were able to navigate the highways just fine, and soon popped out on the east side of town. Park City is a few miles east of SLC, in an area known for its outdoor activities. The park is small, but well kept, and has concrete pads to park on. The highlight, though, is the location. From the office, you can see the famous ski areas, and a short walk gets you to a cute creek with mountain biking trails leading up into the hills (mountains?). Great place!
Ok, here we go again. Friday morning we're up again, missing an hour of sleep (!) and hitting the road toward Rawlins, Wyoming. Another 200-odd mile day, with high wind warnings regularly posted along the highway. We've been through Rawlins in the past (everyone seems to go through Rawlins) but we had to stop again. This time we're staying two nights to catch up on sleep, laundry, and Mountain time. Rawlings is a railroad town, thoroughly dominated by the Union Pacific, and was once a stop for wood, coal, and steam locomotives, Now, diesel fuel is required; 1,470,000 gallons of it in each of two tanks! The fueling stations were awesome to see! Too bad the hoses and nozzles wouldn't fit Nessie!
We hadn't noticed the high wind blowing as we drove yesterday, probably because it was a tail-wind, and also because Nessie has Newmar's proprietary Comfort Drive system, which is a computer aided system designed to take the moment-by-moment stress out of driving. But when we pulled into our assigned site and opened the door, the wind just about took it off! Local news said that the wind had been blowing 25 to 35 mph all day, with gusts to 70! Needless to say, we stayed indoors as much as possible! Sasha and I took a couple of walks, but she had trouble standing upright when the wind picked up, and the blowing sand quickly became my worst enemy, so we kept the walking to a minimum.
Sasha and I did find this interesting anemometer:
So now it's Saturday, and we're sitting in Huckleberries Expresso shop on Cedar St in old town Rawlins. The wifi/cell reception is so crummy at the park that we decided to come into town. Huckleberries is a great little shop, and the wifi seems to be great, so, with a cup of coffee and a small table, we're good to go. Earlier today we stopped by the Wyoming Prison Museum to join the festivities at a fundraiser for the prison museum group. A quick tour gave us a great appreciation for having missed a stay at the prison when it was in use!
The wind has diminished a bit today, so we stopped at the Carbon County Courthouse to let Sasha play on the grass and work off a little of the energy she has been storing up the last few days! We will shortly return to the (mimalistic) rv park for the evening. I hope we have a good book to read! Rawlins is definitely not a destination!
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