Moving Along

What a difference a day makes! Last night we were serenaded by Canada geese, thunderstorms, and train whistles...and this morning, we saw two wild turkeys crossing the campground....and a large flock of some kind of tern whirling over the Niobrara River. It was also raining, and I had to rewire the U-Haul trailer because the campground attendant who followed me into the campground told me that the trailer lights were "all screwed up!" Sure enough...despite the U-Haul man assuring me everything was OK, the brake, signal, and tail lights WERE all screwed up. But now they are "OK" after some judicious cutting and splicing.

After breakfast, we got away about 9:00a and headed north toward Mission, South Dakota. Intermittent rain and a 30-knot crosswind slowed us for the first couple of hours, but then we turned east on Interstate 90 and just sailed along. Katie drove another 100 miles...and we connected with Jerry, an old friend of hers in Sioux Falls.

Tonight we are in Pipestone, Minnesota, at a very nice campground with both hot showers and wi-fi...so all is well with the world! Tomorrow we are off to Plymouth, MN, to visit with my niece and her husband...and then on to River Falls, Wisconsin, to see my sister and her husband! The Georgetown continues to motor along, and we are settling into a routine that includes lots of music from the '60's and '70's.

Pipestone National Monument is at the site of a quarry used by the Dakota Indians to mine the soft red stone that they used to make ceremonial peace pipes. It is also at the edge of the Tall Grass Prairie, a seemingly endless expanse of 8'-10' grass that stretched beyond the horizon to the West.

On the Road Again II

Well, we are two days out and loving being "on the road again," but it's becoming clear that either we are still on the early end of the season...or the economic melt-down is taking it's toll on RV parks. After picking up the U-Haul trailer and loading it at the storage facility, we got underway about noon. Avoiding I-25, we took US 24 east to Limon, then north on Co 71. We spent our first night in Sterling, CO, about 200 miles northeast of Manitou Springs. We had stayed at the Buffalo Hills Campground a few years ago, but this visit found the women's bathrooms "under renovation" and unuseable...and the wi-fi service was spotty, at best. Unfortunately, we had registered under the honor system (no staff in the office), and of course, no one mentioned the abbreviated services, and they still charged full rate...$32.50!

Today was a great day on the road. Sunny, mild, and a decent tail wind all the way. We left Interstate 76 as soon as possible, opting for the much more scenic US 30 that parallels the Platte River and the Union Pacific Railroad. The farmers are just getting their crops in, and we saw snow geese and white pelicans in the sand hill area. We must be too early for the major migrations...geese, sand hill cranes, etc. that we saw here in May, 2007.

Tonight we are in Valentine, NB, (270 miles north of Sterling)...again a place we have stayed before, but neither the Riverside Campground nor the newer Fishberry Campground are fully operational...but at least they are only charging $20/night! So we opted to stay at Riverside where we have a beautiful view of the Niobara River (full to the brim with spring run-off), and are sheltered from the wind.

The forecast is for a major change in the weather. We can see a cold front approaching from the west this evening which will bring cooler temps, some rain tonight, and a wind shift to the WNW...good for us because it will be more tail winds. The Georgetown is performing very well...very easy to handle and lots of power. We can't even feel the small trailer we are pulling. Katie took over the reins outside of Ogallala, NB, and drove almost 90 miles! This was the first time she had even sat behind the wheel!! But after adjusting the seat and the mirrors and stuffing a pillow behind her back, she was up to 60 mph in no time! Even made a 90-degree turn in North Platte! So I now have both a navigator AND a co-pilot!

Countdown to Lift-off

Well, the 5th-wheel trailer finally sold...we are so relieved to be clear of it! It was very comfortable for the winter...and it definitely provided lots of opportunities to learn RV maintenance and repair! I feel much more confident trouble-shooting problems and fixing them when I can...and more experienced calling mobile repair services when I can't.

We are coming to the end of our winter in Manitou Springs. We have moved into the Georgetown motorhome, and are finding it to be all we could hope for. It is so much more spacious than the Class C that we traveled in for two years. I replaced the old CRT TV with a new 32" LCD and hooked it up to our satellite dish, so we can watch either DVDs or Discovery Channel in glorious high-definition. Katie managed to fit almost everything into the kitchen cabinets and closets...with space to spare.

It seems like yesterday that we landed in Colorado Springs (it was December 22!). I have really enjoyed the winter here...the daytime temperatures are quite moderate, and there is so much bright sun. Katie just mentioned that I hadn't had any visits from the "black dog" (Winston Churchill's term for depression), and I credit much of that to the additional light.

So...in slightly more than a week, we will be departing for Canada and Prince Edward Island. We will have a 5x8 U-Haul trailer in tow packed with the last of Katie's "stuff." I know she has mixed feelings about leaving her beloved Colorado behind and striking out into uncharted territory. Hopefully, now that she has her permanent resident status in canada, she will be able to begin to feel at "home" there.