May 19, 2013 - Vacation: Week 2

SUNDAY: I didn't go to church with Ron and Sara. It was cold and all I had was a ratty jacket and besides – I don't do well on Mother's Day services. So they went. Ron sat next to a really nice lady who knew exactly where our Yarnell Church is. Her “adopted” daughter goes there. Carolyn is one cool lady and we know her well. Small world isn't it. Dave had been judging dog trials in Battle Creek and got home in the early evening. I'm glad I didn't get in front of the dogs as they greeted him as I would have been trampled to death. Dave had...

May 15, 2013 - Beginnings of a trip

May 15 2013 We left our hotel in Chicago, antsy to get going on our trip. Went through the TSA without any problems. Beautiful day today. As I gaze out the window of the plane on our way to Atlanta, the brown fields of the north are giving way to the green fields of the south and southeast USA. Made connection in Atlanta ontime. Flight was uneventful. I did not sleep, but Pam did. I can not sleep on a plane. Flying with Delta. They have flight attendant staff, I believe are based in Atlanta. There slight southern drawl gave them away. They...

May 15, 2013 - Heading North

Monday we left Tahlequah and started north and east. We made it to Mulberry Grove, Illinois, Timber Trails Campground. We arrived around 9. The lady there was kind enough to open up her office and let us register. It was a nice Escapees campground. Tuesday we drove all day and landed at the Mt Gilead State Park in Ohio. It was pretty but didn't have many facilities. We missed having access to water. Then when we tried to set up our fifth wheel trailer, the slide out room wouldn't work. Not a very comfortable night! So, Wednesday we spent...

May 14, 2013 - Dodging obstacles on the northwest tollway

May 14 2013 Uneventful drive after work to Chicago via the rebuilding Northwest Tollway. It is in various shapes of metamorphic re and deconstruction for quite a ways. Probably will be this way all summer. Staying at the La Quinta Hotel, Part of the Park , Sleep, Fly network. Problem is the Hotel has no record of my reservation. The world turns again. No problem, he had a room left for us and all is well. We catch our plane at 11:30 am tomorrow. Flying out of OHare, on time is always a crap shoot. I don't know how many times we have taken...

May 12, 2013 - Mulberry Grove, IL

Lesson 2: No matter how good your GPS is, never trust it 100%. We bought the latest and greatest GPS for motor homes that has nearly all of the campground locations built into it. It's worked like a charm up until today. Today she (it's always a female voice) told us to turn onto a narrow road that dead ended in the woods. We had to unhook the car, and gingerly back up the rig until we could turn it around. A couple of very nice locals helped us out. Then, I lead the way with the car to the campground. It's a nice place for an overnight...

May 12, 2013 - Chicago

Nous sommes au Sand Dunes state park (sud est de Chicago) depuis Vendredi soir. Y fait plus "frête" depuis notre arrivée...4 la nuit et 14 le jour...brrrr.... Le camping est superbe, sur le bord du lac Michigan mais avec la météo...c'est moins beau :-) Ici, pas de WiFi, donc pour internet, c'est plus compliqué. Vendredi matin nous nous sommes arrêté au village Amish de Shipshiwana, IN, on a l'impression d'entrer dans un autre monde, des "buggys" noirs partout et des gens habillés dans le costume traditionnel Amish. Au marché de la place on...

May 10, 2013 - A Surprise Trip to Chicago

Dale surprised Pam with a surprise trip to Chicago to celebrate her upcoming 50th birthday. It was so great we decided to create a separate trip blog. Click here to take a look! http://www.mytripjournal.com/jenkschiicago

May 9, 2013 - North to Lincoln Park

Instead of the belly buster breakfast, we started today with a run along the River Walk and then along Lake Michigan shoreline. Running while we're travelling is one of our favourite ways to see a city and this was no exception - a beautiful run. After a coffee, pastry and shower we headed to the Magnificent Mile, a one mile strip lined with all of the well known, expensive shops. This street was also landscaped with bright tulips, a great contrast to the steel and glass buildings. We'd been told by our concierge that we should skip paying...

May 8, 2013 - Reconnecting With Friends

Another beautiful morning. High today expected to be 81 F. Not a cloud in the sky. Went for a walk and then decided we would try one off the Route 66 restaurants in the area. Drove to the Launching Pad in Wilmington. Unfortunately it was closed. No worries. Drove 10 minutes south on Rte 66 to the Polk A Dot Drive In. Excellent. Chili cheese dog for me and a burger for Marilyn. We shared a side of onion rings. And so it begins. Going to take a lot of walking this trip to keep off the pounds. Back to the campground for a nap and then a bike...

May 8, 2013 - Architecture and Street Art

Day 2 started with a belly busting breakfast at Eggsperience. Well fueled for a day of sightseeing, we started with a stroll along the River Walk where we enjoyed the spring blossoms before hopping on a boat for the Architectural Cruise. As we moved slowly up the Chicago River, a volunteer architect told us all about the history of Chicago and its wonderful buildings and public spaces. The architecture really is wonderful, especially on a blue sky day like today. Lots of photo ops for Pam! Next stop was Millenium Park, an amazing place with...

May 8, 2013 - Kansas City to St. Louis

The ride from KC to St. Louis is about 285 miles on Hwy 70 the whole way. Not a bad drive with lots of green pastures and occasional farms. Stopped in Columbia to take a look at the college, the University of Missouri (Mizzoo Tigers). “The Zoo” has quite a sports complex! Near Jefferson City ( the state capitol and a fair drive from Hwy 70) we stopped in Kingdom City for some groceries. (Is now over 80 degrees and humid.) The Carlson’s recommended Laumeier Sculpture park which is SW of St, Louis near the junction of Hwy 270 and Hwy 44....

May 7, 2013 - A Surprise Trip

Surprise! With her 50th birthday approaching and Dale's request that she keep May 7-10 free, Pam knew that something was up but was kept in suspense until the last minute. The surprise turned out to be a 3 night get-away to Chicago. We've done big city trips for other birthday celebrations and have found that they are a nice change of pace from our normally outdoor, fitness based activities. After doing a bunch of research, Dale decided that Chicago was the place so we hopped on an early evening Westjet flight and arrived in Chicago at...