Back in Paducah,Kentucky

Well we are back in the Kentucky area where we feel pretty close to home. It has been a really fun trip but we didn't make it to Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon due to motorhome problems. We decided we will just have to make another trip next summer. I am happy to report right now all of our problems with the motorhome have been resolved.

Before we return to Georgia/Florida we are going to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to see our friends, Louie and Phyllis.

More Later!!!!!

Beautiful Wedding in Butte, Montana

The Montana wedding was a beautiful occasion and of course all the ladies in our group looked pretty as ever. LOL Pictured above: My mother Juanita, me, niece and bride Aubree, my other niece Natalie, my sister mother of the bride Lisa, and my sister-in-law Kelly. As you can see in the back ground the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day. Right after the outdoor ceremony started the rain begin to fall, at one point I thought it was going to hail. The entire wedding party were real troopers and the ceremony continued like the sun was still shining. Even the guest with the exception of us southerners sat there like it was nothing. Of course the booze had been flowing prior to the wedding. It was really amazing after they were married the rain stopped and the sun came back out. It did make the temperature drop about 20 degrees so instead of in the low 80's it was in the low 60's. Before the night was over everyone had on coats and they moved a little gas campfire in the tent area. The next day I was told the party kept going until 3:00 in the morning. David and I lasted until about 11:00 and I had danced until my feet were sore. 

Two days prior to the wedding about 10 of us took our campers up to the lodge where the wedding was held and parked in a parking lot across the street. This is where they all park when they ride snow mobiles in the winter. It is way up in the wilderness where you have no phone service and the lodge works solely on solar panels, they are completely off the grid. It is a beautiful location but I would have never found it had it not been for my sister. We have learned to dry camp much better than I thought we could. Of course we have a generator and big water and sewage tanks. Some of this group did not have all the luxury but they say this is the way they camp all the time. It is fine with me for a while but not all the time. I guess I am spoiled. The bride and groom had such a good time they didn't even stay in the bridal suite at the lodge instead they stayed in a tent in the parking with all of us. Go Figure, kids these days!!!!!!!!!! If I had known that I would have stayed in the bridal suite. LOL They are a very beautiful couple with great families that do a lot of stuff together. I know they will be very, very happy. 

We are on our way back to Iowa where I was hoping I would never have to go again but this time we are going to Moscow, Iowa to get our hydraulic pump fixed. We have been without all our slides and jacks for three weeks. I am so thankful we were at my sister's house because I would have been crazy. It really makes me sick to my stomach in the  motorhome because of the movement.  Tonight we are at a campground sorta out in the woods and I am able to sit outside without burning up so I thought I better update everyone. Hopefully out hydraulics will be covered under the extended warranty. 

This and That

We are still hanging out in Butte, Montana at my sister's house waiting on the wedding. My mother arrived last Thursday and my brother and his family will arrive this Wednesday. The groom's family will be arriving on Tuesday. The date will be here before we know

I have to say they know how to throw a wedding shower, with lots of wild but fun games, jello shooters, cupcakes with alcohol in them and some kind of punch. Needless to say everyone had a really good time.

We attended the Montana Folk Festival while we have been here. It is a weekend filled with all kinds of music, booze, good food and lots of crafts.  The picture I posted is of my sister, Lisa and myself at the festival. We have also done some sight-seeing in the area. This is a beautiful town located down in a valley surrounded by mountains. It is amazing how hot it gets in the day but cool enough for jackets at night and in the mornings. Along with the wedding this weekend they have Evil Knievel weekend. All I know about this is they have lots of booze, motorcycles and food. We hope to go uptown for the event between wedding preparations. We will leave Butte the Monday after the wedding.

Gone to Long

If anyone is reading this they know I haven't posted in several days. Our internet and telephone connections have been spotty. I have actually done pretty good without phone service.  After we left Red Lodge, Mt. we arrived at my sister's house and stayed there for four nights. We left their house and headed to Glacier National Park. Yesterday we went through Glacier Park starting in West Glacier over Sun Road to East Glacier. Upon arrival in East Glacier we were very close to the Canadian Border so we decided we would go to Waterton which is the Canadian side of Glacier. Once we got to the border we looked and between us we only had about $30.00 cash and we figured our bank would not let us use our ATM cards in another country without notifying them. The nearest ATM machine was about 25 miles back. We also forgot to call our insurance agent to see if we would be covered if involved in an accident in another country. The only we did right was take our passports. The more we thought about it we were just not comfortable going until we did all our research. So to all our Canadian friends we tried but just didn't make it into your beautiful country.

We really enjoyed Glacier views and the 50 mile drive over Sun Road. I have never seen water so green, so clear and so cold. We didn't take any hikes just a few short walks because everywhere you looked there were signs warning of bears. If a bear had gotten after us we knew we had no chance in hell in getting away from it.

Bear Tooth Pass is still in the lead as for as beauty and solitude.

There are no words

Today we rode over the Bear Tooth Pass from Red Lodge, MT to Cooke City, MT and back to Red Lodge round trip it was about 180 miles. There are no words or pictures that describe the beauty of this trip. I can understand why Charles Kuralt who did the "On The Road Series" for CBS said it was the most scenic road in America. All I could do was stand in awe and thank God for such beautiful sights. This was not on my bucket list of things to see before I die but I am so thankful I got to see it. It was such a lovely day and I am glad I got to spend it with such a sweet person, my husband. We will post pictures in the next day or so.

Tomorrow we will head to Butte, MT and I will see my sister and her family before we head to Glacier.

Changing Weather

I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted. When we left Strugis with new tires on the jeep  we noticed it was pulling to the right so we stopped in Buffalo, Wy to get the front end aligned. Three days and $500.00 later we left.  We ended up having to have new ball joints. While we were there the temperatures got over 100 each day, I felt like I was back in Florida. Not a lot to see in Buffalo but we did ride up the Big Horn Mountains which were beautiful there was snow at the top and 100 degrees at the bottom.  The only day we were able to go the winds were gusting about 60mph. We thought we were going to have to replace the top on the jeep because the winds were blowing so hard. 

When we left Buffalo yesterday we stopped at Little Bighorn Battlefield. I am not a big history buff but we took a guided walking tour and the tour guide was wonderful. He actually made you feel like you were there during the battle. While we were on the tour we noticed the smell of smoke and there was a smoky haze in the area. We found out  there are wildfires in Montana and there was one over the pass from them. We finally got out of the smoky haze about 100 miles down the road. 

We are now in Red Lodge, MT and today we are taking a ride over the Beartooth Highway which is suppose to be the most beautiful highway drive in America. We awoke this morning to beautiful sunny skies and 45 degrees. So much for taking the top off the jeep.   We have been told that some of the pass has been blocked because of smoke but they have a pilot car to take you through the smoke. I am not sure we will do that but we are going to ride as far as we can. It is so sad the loss of homes and forest in Colorado and now in Montana. Well I guess I better go layer my clothing for the day so we can hit the road.  More Later!!!!!!!!

Black HIlls Bluegrass Festival

We have really enjoyed the 32nd. Black Hills Bluegrass Festival in Sturgis, South Dakota. I am not a big fan of bluegrass but I have to say I have enjoyed it as much as David. We have met some really nice people here and they invited us to their jam session yesterday. We didn't realize while we were hanging out with them they were the opening act today. David will not play with them because he doesn't think he is good enough. They all told him to bring his guitar over tonight and jam with them. Maybe if he drinks a few margaritas he will do it. We will be heading out of here tomorrow toward Glacier National Park

Forty miles down the road

We left Rapid City yesterday in the cold rain and wind. We didn't travel but 40 miles because we are going to attend the blue grass festival in Sturgis, South Dakota at Elkview Campground. When we arrived yesterday there were only three campers here and we have very limited telephone service. I wasn't really sure about the place because there was on one here. It is considered a self-service campground, I have never seen one of these before.  We decided to stay because the wind and rain were so bad. We finally got our satellite up and running so we had TV. So glad we stayed because today the park is almost full and David is so excited about the music. Who knows by the time we leave here I may be really into blue grass. Hopefully have some pics of David picking and grinning later.

Mount Rushmore

We got moved to our new campground and we will be here until Wednesday. Once we got settled in and had lunch we decided to head to Mount Rushmore. On our way we stopped at Keystone another small town with the novelty shops. We wondered around the town for about an hour and decided to head to Rushmore.

Gutzon Borglum created the sculpture of the four presidents on the mountain that represent important moments in american history. The carving dates were 1927-1941 with 400 workers, the main tool was dynamite and the drill was a jackhammer.  It really makes you appreciate important moments in history.

Pine Beetle Infestation in the Black Hills: Since we arrived we noticed the some of the trees on the mountains and hills had turned a brownish red color. I assumed that their had been a drought in the area and caused the trees to die. We found out today they have been infested with pine beetles. Once infected the tree will slowly die. The beetles jump from one tree to another. It is really sad to see the destruction these things can cause.

Another beautiful day in the Black Hills

We awoke to a beautiful crisp 45 degree day after it rained off and on all night. We are still trying to get adjusted to mountain time so we are ready for bed way before it gets dark then we are up at 4:00 am mountain time. I am not sure we will ever adjust to the time or the air. I know we are both over weight but the air is so thin here we cannot get a really good deep breath. We have decided we may need oxygen while we are here. LOL

Since it is my sweet husbands birthday today he decided what we were going to do! Our first stop was Crazy Horse Memorial which we really enjoyed. The original sculptor was a strong believer in free enterprise and he felt Crazy Horse should be built by the interested public and not the taxpayer. He turned down federal funding on two occasions. Since his death his wife and seven of his ten children work with the Board of Directors to ensure progress is still being made. Since there is still no other funding it is a long slow process. They made us many promises, more than I can remember- They never kept but one; they promised to take our land, and they took it!   Red Cloud, Lakota 1891


We then took a stroll down Hill City, which is a small town with lots of novelty shops on both sides of the road. The only we bought was ice cream which we did not need but really enjoyed. YUM, YUM

We decided to visit Prairie Berry Winery, a local winery that started five generations ago and they  make all their wines on site. We wanted to purchase a bottle of  Red Ass Rhubarb Wine mainly for the name.  Instead of just buying that bottle they had a wine tasting room and you could taste up to five different wines. Since we both love our wine we couldn't turn that down, about an hour later we left with more than one bottle of wine.

Who knows what we will get into tomorrow!

Up close and personal

What a beautiful and fun day we had today.  We packed a picnic and headed to Custer State Park where the scenery was breathtaking. We took the Wild Life Loop first and saw bunches of bison up close and personal, a herd of them walked right by the jeep as we sat in the road. We also saw some prairie dogs, pronghorns, "wild" burros, and deer.  We then traveled over Needles Highway which is 14 miles of winding roads, hairpin turns and several very small tunnels that have been blasted out of the solid granite rock. We then stopped at Sylvan Lake Resort and General Store which is considered the crown jewel of Custer State Park. We wondered around the lake and store had ice cream and then called it a day.

Travels

We finally left Forest City, Iowa on Tuesday morning and headed to Mt. Rushmore. We spent the night in Mitchell, South Dakota where the Corn Palace is located. It is really something to see but we had already been there and it was raining so we decided to just stay in and relax.

Back on the road again Wednesday morning in cool and windy weather. For those of you that have been this way know that you start seeing signs for Wall Drug which is a store that takes up an entire block with everything from junk to high dollar items about 200 miles before you get there. Even though we had been there before it was like a magnet pulling us back in. We did buy some really good hand cream because our hands are so dry from the dry air and I really wanted a $500.00 pair of cowboy boots for the wedding but could't do it because where am I going to wear a pair of cowboy boots in Florida.

We arrived in Hill City, South Dakota late in the afternoon and we are staying at Rafter J Bar Ranch Campground. We will be staying in the area until next Wednesday. Since we are creatures of habit the last time we were here we did not change our clocks and stayed on eastern time. That meant it was still daylight when we went to bed and we got up about 4:00 every morning. We loved it because we ate six meals a day. We decided since we are going to be in the area for a month or so we needed to adjust to mountain time this trip. We are trying to decide our sight seeing schedule so I better go and get ready. Will post more later.

And the wind begins!

Well I haven't posted in a day or so but we are still in Forest City, Iowa. We did get our motorhome back on Friday afternoon and the extended warranty paid half of the bill and we were really glad they did that.  We got great customer service our entire stay, after some of the stories we have heard from other customers we were really concerned. While we were checking out our Tech told us we needed to check with the local company that does their paint work to see if they would fix our clear coat problem on the top of our home. He told us in 2007 they had problems with the  clear coat sticking to the light gray paint. We decided since we are here we should check and boy are we glad we did. They told us they would fix the problem at no charge and it would only take one day. We have an appointment Monday morning at 7:00 am, they all start early here.

Yesterday they posted a wind advisory for the area until Monday. The wind is blowing about 35 MPH today. We do not want to travel in the wind because it reminds us of the last trip to Montana which was really, really, really windy. Since we are Winnebago members we are staying the the park where they hold their rally in July. We have water and 30 amp electric but no sewage. We have really had to learn to watch how much water we use.

I will not say we will be out of here by Monday because I am not sure. It is almost like one of those movies where they get in you in a small town and never let you leave. On this I will say. "Laugh Out Loud"

Time marches on

We had a good day today once we got started.  We decided to go to Clear Lake, Iowa which is really a nice and quaint town. It is where Buddy Holly played his last concert at the Surf Ballroom before the fatal plane crash. While we were there we ran into another couple having their coach worked on and we  had lunch with them.  Before we left Forest City we got directions to Clear Lake but we didn't quite get our right and left correct.  We turned the wrong way out of Winnebago so instead of going 25 miles it took us 60 miles. We did enjoy looking at all the wind turbines and corn fields. LOL

We returned from Clear Lake to find out we will not get our home back until Thursday so we are still at the motel and still have items at the campground. Of course I am having a harder time with this than David and he is really trying to be patient with me. We decided we needed to do something in the afternoon so we found a 9 hole golf course and played some golf today. So glad we did because after I got some exercise, even though I didn't play very well I felt much better. I think tomorrow we are going to check out of this motel and go stay in Clear Lake for the night.

Maybe next time I post we will be on the road heading to Mt. Rushmore.

My oh my oh my!!!!!!!!!!

We have been in Forest City for four nights and thought we would be out of here no later than Wednesday. Boy are we in shock!!!!!!!!!!!! We took the motorhome to have the slide repaired this morning and found out this afternoon the extended warranty will not cover any of the repairs until they send an adjuster, the closet one to Forest City is two hours away. They tried to call us this morning to see if that is what we wanted them to do since we had left the customer service area but our phone service here really sucks. We got no missed call or message. Since they close promptly at 3:30 pm they could not get anyone here today. We were told they might come tomorrow but if not we will probably not be out of here until sometime next week. We almost told them to fix it and we would just pay. It only gets better, we have paid for an RV site for a week and we now cannot stay in the motorhome because they have the slide out. Soooooo we are having to pay $75.00 a night for a motel room, the only one in town that we feel safe enough to stay in. We have all our stuff from the slide at the campground and all our other belongings in the shop at Winnebago. We are actually living out of Wal Mart bags. Since they do not have a Wal Mart here I cannot even restock our bags. Since we are so stressed we decided to get a bottle of wine each and drink until time to go to bed. 

We did take a tour of the Winnebago facility and it was very interesting. We are thankful we have our rig but this had been sickening. OH WELL MAYBE TOMORROW WILL BE A BETTER DAY.

What a difference a day makes

We have arrived in Forest City, Iowa from Council Bluffs, Iowa where we stayed overnight last night. Yesterday we were blessed with beautiful warm weather while we were traveling. Last night it rained and boy did the temperature drop, at least 20 degrees. This morning we had to cut the heat on, pull out our sweats, blue jeans, jackets, socks and shoes.  We have driven in rain most of the day with a high of 50. David and I sure don't like the cold weather but we know it will warm back up in a day or so. We do not take the motorhome to Winnebago until Monday morning but we wanted to come on to the area because we want to take a tour of the plant, hopefully play some golf and get some things done while we sit here. We are at Three Fingers Campground out in the middle of nowhere but it is really nice. We have full hook ups so I am one happy girl.  Hopefully the blog will get better when we can actually see some really great sites. More Later........

Last Night in Kansas City

We decided since we haven't been anywhere since we arrived in Kansas City that we would go out to eat tonight at the best barbecue restaurant, Arthur Bryant.  We got directions and headed out but our directions took us to Ameristar Hotel and Casino. Since we had got dressed and got out we decided to go into the place and see what they had. I wish we had taken the camera because the inside was really nice and they had several restaurants including Arthur Bryant. We just didn't think it would be the same since it was not the "Original" so we opted for buffet. It was just OK!!!!!! After we ate we decided we would hit the casino. I lost  $7.00 in about three minutes and David lost $5.00 in about ten. We are such big gamblers. I guess it is safe to say that we won't gamble our money away, but we may eat it away. We will leave tomorrow morning for Des Moines, Iowa. We are so ready to get this slide fixed so we can get back to comfortable living.

Travel Day

Today was another travel day. We left St. Louis this morning and we are in Kansas City, Missouri for the next three days. I didn't even know there was a Kansas City, Missouri.  We are staying at Worlds of Fun Village, they have a water park and thrill rides. I don't think we will be going to the parks but I hope to enjoy the pool. Not sure what we will do while we are here but I will keep you posted.

Our Day in St. Louis

We left Paduach yesterday and arrived in St. Louis, Missouri. Today we went downtown to the St. Louis Gateway Arch which was out of this world. I could not believe how big it was. I wanted to go up to the top but it was a four hour wait.  No way was I standing in line for four hours so we wondered around the museum and got some great pics in there. We then walked about a half mile to Busch Stadium in 95 degree heat. After all that we had worked up an appetite for some good barbecue so we headed to Pappy's Barbecue, it was featured on the food network a couple of days ago. We waited in line for one and half hours to get into and it was well worth the wait. We got to meet Pappy the owner and I even got my picture taken with him.

I am going to back up a little bit since I left everyone hanging about the picking that was suppose to go on in Paduach, Ky.  After we had a few cocktails we wondered up the campground where the music was going to take place and they had cancelled the entertainment.  OH WELL MAYBE NEXT TIME! The following day we took a tour of down town Paduach and we really enjoyed it. I even talked David into going in a Quilt Museum. We did take a few pictures of the river wall. David will post more pics to our web site.

Officially on the Road

After spending the last few days in Athens, Alabama attending my niece's high school graduation we have arrived in Paducah, Kentucky where we will be staying the next couple of days. We are staying at Duck Creek RV Resort which is an OK campground but the owner's are wonderful. When we checked in Virginia, owner gave us so much literature on the area I could give guided tours.  Her husband Mike then played some music for us on a bowed psaltery. Of course, David now has some guys he will be playing the guitar with tonight. I will try to post some pics of this later on. You know my husband he loves to pick and grin. We are sitting outside having a cocktail waiting on the show to begin.

Westward Ho, Once Mo'

We are headed west again, ultimately to Montana and a wedding, but after that we plan to just travel the west and visit areas we just want to see, places like Glacier National Park, the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks, etc. But first, we are going to Forest City, Iowa to the Winnebago Factory to have the driver's side slide out glide rail re-installed. We were at Live Oak Landing in Freeport, Florida and when we put the slide out out, the glide rail, all 18 feet of it, came out. After a call to Winnebago, we finally got the slide out back in. We have plenty of time to get to Montana so we plan to take our time, go to a couple of bluegrass festivals, county fairs, etc. on the way to Montana.

Stay tuned to this channel, we plan to post plenty of pictures and video as we travel.

More later....