Epilogue

Total miles driven on this trip were 6,074 and total expenditures for gasoline were $3,059 so roughly $ .50 a mile. The most expensive tank of gas was our last one in Weed California at $4.659 per gallon. All together our expenditures could have paid for that fall colors cruise that Donna has always wanted to take but it would not have lasted 52 days and we would not have been able to spend the time with so many family and friends has we have. Personally, after a little recuperation and a lot of motor home repairs and rethinking what we "have to" have with us, I would be ready to do it again. We can only pray that the cost of fuel will go down .

Day 52 - June 30

END OF THE RUN! I awoke at 5:00 AM this morning starting to think about all of the things that needed to be done when we get home. I tossed and turned for another hour before I heard Kallie give her morning cry to go out. By 8:30 we were on our way out of Carson City and we had planned to travel up 395 to Lakeview and then head west and stop between Lakeview and Klamath Falls for one last night out. As we were working our way north we started to run into smoke from the California wild fires and whether it was related or not our trusted Mildred malfunctioned. In the end we did not go the way that we had intended and actually got home at around 4:30 PM today.

With the exception of the cost of fuel and occasionally the cost of some campgrounds (KOA specifically) we can begin to see the interest of people in being full time RVers. It is literally hard to believe that we have been on the road for 52 days. Even the dogs have gotten into this travel routine and Kallie has begun to understand how things work. Go to the door and sit until you get your leash on and then you can go out. They have also learned to share and co-habitate the space in between the front seats.

It is now 7:55 PM and we have hard evidence of why our friends said they were going through so much cat food while we were gone.

Day 51 - June 29

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Today started with a leisurely morning and Donna fixed me a nice breakfast. It was just missing the birthday candle :-(.

In the early afternoon we headed to Donna's cousin Barbara's home in the Washoe Valley between Carson City and Reno. Barbara's husband's family was visiting but they had gone to Reno for the afternoon to give us time to visit with Barbara for awhile. After an afternoon of chat we had a nice dinner of ribs, roasted veggies, salad and bread. There was of course sufficient wine for the afternoon conversation fest as well as the dinner. All in all it was a very nice day.

Day 50 - June 28

Today we traversed the great state of Nevada. We had originally planned to go through Ely and across as it seemed a more direct route and was country that neither Donna nor I had ever seen. Well, Mildred (our GPS) had a brain fade and lost its satellites and by the time we discovered it we were north of our turn off. So, when we reprogrammed it to take us to Carson city it took us across I 80 rather than the original planned route. The short story of this long drive is I am ever so greatful for books on tape or I would have been bored to tears. We are only mildly more impressed with Nevada then we were in our route across Utah. For us it is the great Pacific Northwest that holds our hearts.

Oh yes, we did find the one lost and out of place barn. What a surprise that Donna would find it!

We arrived in Carson City around 4:00 PM and settled everything in then headed across the street to a small casino for an early dinner and of course a little rotary entertainment. Needless to say, as usual I lost my $5 and Donna turned hers into $15...it never fails...but at least we left with a net $5 ahead. A quick trip up the road to a local Costco for some new books on tape (CD actually) for the trip home.

Day 49 - June 27

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARI & RICK!

Todays trudge was from Grand Junction, CO to West Wendover, NV. First let me say that after having traversed the great state of Utah I can't for the life of me see what Joseph Smith (or was it Brigham Young?) saw in this territory and why on earth they would have decided to settle here.


We did get to see the Morton Salt Plant with its big picture of Leslie on the building and the Bonneville Salt Flats. Jon, someone needs to sue the State of Utah to get Carl Heap's name added to the list of record setters on the historical marker.


Oh yes, and to top it all off, it was a beautiful balmy day! The top number is the inside temperature and the middle number is the outside temperature.

And for those of you that want to know what the blogging office looks like here is your peak!

Day 48 - June 26

This morning our friends the Ledeburs picked us up to take us to breakfast. We drove for about an hour and a half to Gateway Canyons Resort. This is an impressive resort in the middle of nowhere. It is being built by the man that started the Discovery Channel and clearly he has plenty of money to burn. We had a nice breakfast and then toured the Gateway Auto Museum, a good way for him to put his private collection of vintage cars to use. This afternoon I tried to insert my usual dab of business and then a quick run to the Graystone Winery to pickup some of our preferred Port. Tomorrow we will be headed out of Colorado and on to Utah (go west young man, go west)!

Day 47 - June 25

A good portion of the day was the drive from Golden, CO to Grand Junction, CO. The first half of the trip cover a lot of climbing so needles to say it was much slower than our GPS was predicting. In addition to the climb to nearly 10,000 feet was the fact that much of Colorado is undergoing summer road repairs and we were down to single lanes with the usual amounts of gutter snipes that you would like to shove off the edge of the road.

Jon, we saw many old mining operations and know that you would loved to have been able to explore.

We got to Grand Junction and spent a nice evening with our friends the Ledeburs and enjoyed a great steak dinner. We remember when they told us that they were leaving Huntington Beach and we couldn't believe it. It wasn't all that many years later that we did the same thing and our other friends could believe that we were moving away. Now Grants Pass is so much our home that we have trouble remembering what life in Huntington Beach was like.

Day 46 - June 24

Today we met with Milt & Sue Batt the daughter and son-in-law of our old neighbor from Grays Creek. We enjoyed a nice lunch on the deck of the Golden Hotel overlooking Clear Creek and caught up on things. Then back to the RV to take care of some critical business items for Georgia. In the evening we drove to Boulder, CO to see Donna's cousin Art and his wife Maria and had the added benefit of their daughter Anja being home. Maria prepared a nice dinner and we spent much time catching each other up on the relatives we have been visiting. And then back into the car and let Mildred direct us back to our campground.

Day 45 - June 23

Today we moved to Golden, CO. What a pretty little town. And what a pleasant day. I had some work that needed to be done and once we got settled, I set up my office on the picnic table next to the jogging trail and Clear Creek. A very nice office environment I must admit. After I got caught up Donna and I took the dogs to an off leash dog park and then back home to the RV. We settled them in and then we went downtown and walked the streets of Golden.

The part that was most impressive to us was the riverfront that sports a walking jogging trial on both sides scattered with bronze sculptures and nice play areas. We would love to have Brady Adams come to see Golden, CO. After our walk we went up on the deck of the Golden Hotel and indulged in some appetizers and wine, enjoying the view of the river and the beautiful afternoon breeze. It doesn't get much better than this.

Finally, after our little repast we returned to the RV and took the dogs for a walk down to watch the kyackers working the course set up in Clear Creek. It looks like way too much work to me!

Day 44 - June 22

We took our time getting started this morning and got the RV to Deonna's sister's house at about 1:00 PM. From there we immediately packed into their SUV and headed to the "Taste of Lone Tree". Other cities have done this and it usually requires that you pay some amount at each restaurant or vendor's booth. Here in Lone Tree this is their first attempt at this and they are trying to promote their diverse cuisine. The fee to get in was $10 for adults and $5 for kids ages 5 to 13. Since this also included your parking and there were no fees at any of the booths this was a great value. In addition to the excellent value of the admission, all of the restaurants were offering large samples of their food. I had grilled Ahi Tuna on a roll with two wonderful sauces, Mongolian ribs, three kinds of sushi, bread pudding, Calamari and Asian grilled chicken over rice and of course sampled some wine and Donna sampled some beer...all at no charge once we proved we were over 21 (ha!). Safeway was also there grilling samples of the Rancher's Select New York strip steak...juicy, done just right and well seasoned...YUM!

We returned to Sonya and Chris's house and watch the kids and the dogs play for another relaxing afternoon. Again, we are glad to have been able to spend time with family on this trip.

Day 43 - June 21

This morning we decided to take in the Renaissance Faire in Larkspur, CO. While Donna & I had been to the Sawdust Festival many times in Laguna Beach, CA neither of us had ever been to the Renaissance Faire. I was quite taken by the number of people that actually come dressed out in full costume...and we are not talking about just the workers but the general public that comes to attend. My, oh my what people watching we did.

In the afternoon we went to our daughter-in-law's sisters home in Lone Tree, CO. Deonna and Kendelynn are here visiting her sister. We visited and stuffed ourselves on barbecued flank steak, scampi and crab legs, pasta and salad, yum! After dinner they served us a cup cake with candles for our birthdays. NICE DAY!

Day 42 - June 20

Today we moved from Fountain, CO to an RV park between Larkspur, CO and Castle Rock, CO. It was not a long drive by any means but we did get settled in and declared the rest of the day and an R&R day. We are getting to like those better and better. We rested, watched a movie (National Treasure 2) and Donna beat me at Hand & Foot.

Day 41 - June 19

Happy Birthday, Donna! And thanks to our many friends that sent her Birthday Greetings including talking pigs and squirrels. Today was spent with my cousin that I have not see in 25 or 30 years. There was much catching up and old stories to tell.

One tale I forgot to relate to you was that yesterday afternoon late, we decided to take the car into the booming metropolis of Fountain, CO and find a car wash. Our poor Saturn was covered in dirt from miles of Kansas and Nebraska gravel roads, not to mention a few miles of interstate highway repairs. We literally had to use the car wash vacuum to suck all of the rocks and dirt off of the windshield wipers and the vents at the base of the windshield. But that is not really the story. As we were driving into Fountain, we passed train tracks that were littered with twisted metal, railroad car wheels, huge piles of coal and general debris. There were emergency vehicles everywhere. A train hauling coal had derailed a number of cars and it was a mess. We were amazed to see such a large pile of railroad car wheels all stacked on each other and scattered over this large yard. When we saw my cousin we asked about it and she said that the first part of the train had passed through the area fine but the center section of the train had derailed a number of cars tearing up the track. What a sight!

Day 40 - June 18

Today was a down day as we sat put and tried to recharge our internal batteries. So since nothing went on today I will relate a story for you. When I was a little boy my Grandpa Barnes sent be a red plastic Farmall Tractor. I still have that red plastic tractor today. When we were at my cousins' farms pretty much all I saw was a small fortune in John Deere equipment until the last day that we were there. On Sunday before church we were touring my Uncle Jesse's house...and guess what we found in the garage...the real life, full sized, object of my childhood...A RED FARMALL TRACTOR.

Day 39 - June 17

This morning we left the farm in Denmark, KS (said goodbye to Dorothy, Toto and the Wizard) and headed to Colorado. We had a nice windy drive. When we got to the "beautiful" KOA in Limon, CO we discovered that the super duper batteries that we installed before we left on the trip were so heavy that they had started to pull the rear pocket compartment loose from its mounts in the floor of the motor home. We have also lost the drawers in my nightstand which collapsed several days ago and this morning we noted that the mounts for the TV have pulled out of the cabinet. When (or if) we get this rig home, it will be in for a couple of weeks of serious maintenance and repairs. And one major scrub and cleaning session!!

Day 38 - June 16

We spent yesterday afternoon and today in Denmark, Kansas with Donna's cousin Leo and his wife Joleene. They are the current owners and occupants of Donna's grandparents farm. It is clear that Leo has a great love for the land and he has done a great amount of work on the old farm house modernizing it and expanding it.

Day 37 - June 15

Sunday Morning. We said good bye to Ed & Judy so they could get on the road to a conference and then headed off to church with LaVon and her boys and their families. After church we took in a meal at Big Daddy's Diner and then said our farewells. We headed for Kansas and the Land of OZ.

Day 36 - June 14

Today we spent the morning with my cousin Ed and his wife Judy running some errands and just having a kicked back morning. In the afternoon, my cousin LaVon took us to see some of the old family farmsteads and that evening we gathered at LaVon's with her sister (my cousin Loretta) and husband and some of my second cousins. We ended the evening with a game of Mexican Train (our Grants Pass friends can relate).

Day 35 - June 13 (Yes, Friday the 13th)

Today was a day of touring and family visiting. We visited with my Uncle (my dad's younger brother, now 96) in his assisted living facility in Hastings, NE and he talked of his life on the farm and of his father, my Grandfather. See the movie at the bottom. Our tours took us past some of the old family home sites and we also saw tornado damage from two years ago. We have also seen a lot of old farm home sites that are now abandoned as the small farms have fallen away to the need to have larger and larger farming operations to be profitable. The amount of rolling stock to be self sufficient is pretty amazing and very capital intensive.
After all of the storms we have skirted, it was nice to enjoy a beautiful Nebraska sunset.



We also got to put in a few laps at the Relay For Life in Fairfield, NE...so see Grants Pass friends, we didn't completely skip Relay this year...just a different time and place as well as a different pace.

Day 34 - June 12

Today we continue on our way to Nebraska. As we were traveling we saw a road sign for a Danish Windmill and Museum in the town of Elk Horn, Iowa. They claim to be the largest Danish settlement in the U.S. (I guess they haven't heard of Solvang, CA). As the story goes a prominent member of the community traveled to Europe and saw some of the windmills. Upon his return he thought it would be a good idea for the town to purchase a windmill and have it shipped to Elk Horn and erected as a statement of their Danish heritage. Long story, short...they held fund raisers and did just that. Purchased a windmill built in 1848, had it disassembled, each piece numbered and shipped to Iowa. It has been reassembled and is in working order.










After our Danish side trip, we continued our trek out of Iowa and into Nebraska and ended our journey in Clay Center the home of my Uncle and several cousins.

Day 33 - June 11

Slow start today...we awoke at about 6:30 with rolling thunder and lightning and rain. It continued until about 10:00 so we just hunkered down in bed and let it rumble. Around 11:00 we got going on our planned tour of the "Bridges of Madison County" I must say that Iowa is not big on markings points of interest or historical sites. Small and unobtrusive are the words that come to mind regarding their signs.


We did see the birth place of John Wayne (very small) and the historical center and museum. Donna has been really suffering from her allergies which strikes me as wierd since all of this rain has to have washed the air of pollen. We stepped into the museum and the smell of old things surrounded us and when we were taken to the basement to see the remainder of the displays the smell of must and mold surrounded us. We both said...enough old stuff! By the time we checked our watch and got a phone call from a friend about the weather it was 4:30 and we hadn't had lunch so we told Mildred, "TAKE US HOME".

Graduation Ceremony

Even though she has been attending Elgin Community College since January, Saturday June 7th was Kelsey's official High School Graduation Ceremony. It was a wonderful family day with both sets of grandparents there to participate.

Day 32 - June 10

Back on the road again. This morning we bid farewell to our family and headed out on the road again. We drove from Illinois into Iowa. The further we got into Iowa the more we became aware of the terrible flooding they have had. We took a somewhat ill fated trip through Cedar Rapids, and whilst trying to second guess our GPS, we discovered that Mildred (Donna says that stands for miles of dread) is much smarter than we are...what a shock! Sometimes however, you have to make your own decisions such as when the road is closed due to flooding and Mildred keeps politely telling you to make a legal U-turn or turn at the next corner. Mildred has a very controlled temper and is obviously a refined and polite lady of good up bringing. She never lets her temper show as we continue to ignore or abort her suggestions. She merely says "Recalculating" and comes up with the next suggestion.

All kidding aside, as we traveled through Iowa, every river was running over its banks and in 'Cedar Rapids, MANY of the streets were closed due to flooding. At one point we crossed over a bridge and looked down to see a house semi submerged and a mobile home mostly under water because of the flooding. So many of the fields were under water and we wondered how much damage the farmers are sustaining. When we arrived at our camping stop for the night, the camp host told us that their average rainfall for June was 1.3 inches and so far this month they have had over 8 inches.

Tomorrow is a kickback day and we plan to try and take in the "Bridges of Madison County"