Aug 6, 2011 - Dreams become reality...

Today we brought the RV out of storage and arrived at a local campground here in Davenport. Interstate RV Park We previously booked one month reservations. A beautiful end site with a huge yard and we are parked underneath a beautiful weeping willow tree. I was told they save this site for extended stays. I can understand why. This campground is really top notch! Using the campground bathrooms for the first night I was impressed as to how clean and maintained everything was. The pool sparkles and is very inviting. My only regret is that I...

Aug 5, 2011 - Travel day - Davenport, Iowa

From Amana, Iowa (Amana RV Park) to Davenport, Iowa (Interstate RV Park). Short trip and will post about the few hours we spent with our friend touring the Quad City area. Upon arriving at the RV park in Davenport, Karen Anthony came and she swished us off for a fun day of touring the Quad City area. Her husband, Joy, was not able to join us simply because he was on his way to Canada for a fishing trip. We missed him but Karen is a super tour guide. They were borned and raised in the area and knows history about things you would have a hard...

Aug 1, 2011 - Elgin to Davenport ,Iowa

We left at 1:30PM after much last minute preparation of the houses and coach. We drove 3 hours and 170 miles to Davenport. We will rejoin Bill and Nancy Wolf in Sun Valley, Idaho on Sunday August 7. The Wolfs have been touring Oregon in our absence. They had to change their plans when their brand new RV had to have its engine replaced after a catastrophic failure. They had to spend 13 days at a motel in Portland while their coach was repaired. It was a very maddening experience-but they made the best of the bad situaton and went...

Jul 26, 2011 - Long travel day

We got on the road before 8 so we would get through the Chicago traffic around noon. We were successful and traffic was light so we continued on into Iowa. We logged 440 miles which is a long day for us. Tonight we ate at the Machine Shed, a local farmer restaurant. One more day on the road and we will be back in Nebraska. Bill

Jul 23, 2011 - Mississippi River

Today is mainly a travel day. We spent the night in Champaign, Illinois at a lovely Lowe’s. We got in around 2:00 a.m., but with the time change it was only 1:00 a.m. Bill and I both fell asleep really quickly and slept soundly because we ran the generator all night. The humidity is pretty high, so even though it says low of 75, it’s really 85! After departing before breakfast to beat the heat, we headed toward Peoria. Since everyone was a bit hungry, I fixed Banana Smoothies for breakfast. The girls stayed in their bed just talking and...

Jul 22, 2011 - Feeling lucky after seeing so many homes and farms underwater

The restaurant where we ate yesterday was sandbagged all around two sandbags high --only the doorways were without the sandbags but the necessary amount to close the ring were standing close by. The RV park where we stayed had all the buildings sandbagged and sandbags over each sewer outlet and tarp and santhatdbags over the septic system. They told us much of the flooding of the farmland and homes could have been avoided if the Army Corps of Engineers responsible for the dam up the Missouri River had done what the people were asking. The...

Jul 11, 2011 - House rented!..... major countdown.... Aug. 1st. d:^)

Call from property managers today! August 1st., new tenants are moving in. This is what we have been working for these past many years. This is the light at the end of our long tunnel. Now we start having fun because it is finally all happening for us. No more delays. Everything is as good as it could ever be. Everything is falling into place better than we had planned. I don't work, but it sure feels like we are each working two full time jobs between her job, house and RV. We work and sleep. We will rest when we are on the road!

Jul 8, 2011 - Magnum power inverter

The Magnum Pure Sine Wave inverter, A.G.S, and control panel came on time and is everything I expected. I'm starting removal of the old battery charger and light cables. I'll be taking plenty of pictures and posting the progress. The instructions are very detailed and well written. It seems this will be an easy and fun installation. I'm sure I will learn a lot from this installation and be looking for ways to integrate other technology with this.

Jun 26, 2011 - Trailer passed all road tests with flying colors.

ROAD TEST! Trailer passed all road tests with flying colors. The electric brakes worked very well. We replaced her old concrete steps. Hauling 6.5-7000 lbs. of broken concrete on 7K trailer really tested the brakes and trailer, the truck too. Actually, 2-1/2 loads was quite a workout for us. Her brother ran the jackhammer. That, was much more work compaired to what we were doing. We actually had the easy job.

Jun 11, 2011 - Trailer overhaul

I welded supports for mounting two storage boxes over the tongue of my trailer. Pulled tires and drums off. I took brake shoes to local shop to have re-lined and drums turned. I replaced one bad wheel bearing. I used my angle grinder to remove all rust, primed and repainted the trailer.

May 23, 2011 - Elgin,IL to Davenport,Iowa

We left Elgin at 1 PM and arrived Davenport at 4:30. An easy day in preparation for a long drive tomorrow. We had dinner at The Machine Shed where yhe American farmer is celebrated in food and decorum-A great place where the majority arrive in their bibb jeans and order heaping portions of farm food-mashers,turkey,beef,corn,pies,--you name it. We were the lightest weight couple at the establishment. Many tipped 300++. We fueled up with diesel at $3.96 a gallon-cheapest we've paid this trip. We drifted by countless farms recently planted and...

May 3, 2011 - May 3-May 23 Elgin,IL--Old Home

When we arrived the leaves were merely buds on the trees. When we left on May 23 the trees were lush and green. Crocus and Lilys are some of the first flowers to appear and the flowering plum trees are spectacular. Barb so enjoyed her time with her 100 year old mother and worked dilligently to plant her summer flower gardens. Her mother's caretaker's son was just newly ordained into piesthood in Elgin on May 21 and we were honored to attend his first mass. It was a special thrill for her mother. I worked about and prepared for the cross...