Let's see, where was I again?

Take it easy

Don’t let the sound of your own wheels make you crazy  

The previous post left us in a small town north of Kansas City. Mom and I and Bosley the cat left Payson on the morning of Mother’s Day. I drove for 4 days to get to family, parking in my Uncle’s driveway. He let us plug in so we had electricity to run the coffee makers, an important part of any plans.

  While there we took part of one day with my Uncle and put flowers on the family grave sites. At one point I remarked that we seemed to come from a long line of granite. Alone with visiting my grandparents and great aunts and uncles graves we went to the small graveyard where my Dad is buried and where Mom and I will end up. It is a nice place on a small hill.

My Aunt and Uncle also live in that small town, and I walked back and forth, the only member of my family that walks instead of driving to get between the two places. It is maybe 3 blocks. I saw another Class A motorhome parked along the side street on my walk. As my time there continued, they stayed as well. Doc and Erin finally were cornered on our last day there and I waxed on and on about various links and get togethers and forums for full time RV’ing. If you are reading this, welcome again. Sorry I’ve been too out of it to answer your comments in the previous entry. I did not go up to Ferris', I would have called first to verify if they had a dump facility, but decided in the end to just get a spot with full hookups that night.

My Aunt took Mom and I up to St Jo so Mom could visit some friends. One friend who timidly answered our knock thought we were missionaries. Our dress should have told her otherwise, but she didn’t have on her glasses. Once she opened the door she recognized Mom, and we went in and had a nice visit. At the complex where Mom used to live before she moved to Phoenix we did the same thing, just knocked on the door unannounced. It turned out there was a potluck lunch going on that day, so my Aunt and I left Mom to visit and we went to Taco Bell. A trip to a thrift store where Mom bought a small Singer portable sewing machine (she doesn’t like my computer controlled one) and I bought shorts, and I was done with touring around. Mom and my Aunt went the other direction and visited family the next day as well.

After 3 days it was time to head further north to MN. The entire way from AZ to MO I fought a strong gusty south wind. The morning we were to start heading north Mom looked out at my Uncle’s flag and noticed that the wind had shifted to the east. Of course it had… I drove the entire 520 miles up to Mille Lacs that day. Every time I’d stop and check the weather there was a rain icon for the next day. I’m used to living in a desert. Rain while driving the motorhome seemed more scary than just continuing to drive.

We stayed there for 3 days. We were fed well, and enjoyed the visit with Favorite Neighbor and her son and daughter in law. These folks have treated Mom and I like we are family and it was nice to visit them in their home. We got a driving tour around the lake, and took Favorite Neighbor out shopping one day. I hope they can get back down to Mesa again and have time to stay for awhile.

I drove back to my Uncle’s driveway, all 520 miles, again in one day. My other Aunt and cousin came in for Memorial Day weekend, and there was much visiting of cousins and kids and commotion. I hid in the motorhome a lot of the time.

We left Tuesday after Memorial Day. It took 4 days to get home again. I was like a horse heading for the barn door.

The first night we stayed in a Passport America park in Guthrie, OK. It was nice, and only $18 with the PA membership. The next night I stopped at another PA park on the east side of Amarillo. It was ok, and only $12.50, but there were no amenities. We didn’t really need any as it had full hookups, but Mom said she would pay if we went back to Oasis on the the west side of Amarillo. I went for an evening walk and was waved over to a group that was grilling. These guys were linemen who live in their 5th wheels near the job sites. They said there were maybe 25 guys and some wives. More due next week as their kids got out of school for the summer. I was given a bottle(!) of root beer and could have had supper with them. Really nice folks.

The last night we went back to Enchanted Trails in Albuquerque. With the PA membership the price was only $18. Why didn’t they tell me the other times I stayed there about the PA price? I had intended on trying the RV Park on the other side of the interstate on the way home, but the PA price was so much cheaper that I went back to Enchanted Trails after all.

I was totally trashed when I pulled into Payson. Thoughts on the trip in another post.