2021/07/09 - Friday - Vacation - Day 22 - Kingman - Family

 Today was not a long travel day.  We left camp after 10.

At our destination, we stopped for gas and then made our way to the RV park - Zuni Village RV Park.  

We visiting with family.  We did go out for dinner at the Black Bear Diner and then back visiting with family.

2020/06/26 - Friday - Vacation - Day 15 - Tire, Long Drive, and Family

We got moving about 8:50.  Our first stop was at Discount Tires to get the van tire replaced.  While we were there we also got all the tires air pressure checked.  The time at the place was only an hour so not bad.

Our next stop was for gas.

We went ahead and did drive to the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center.  The drive is very bouncy and one of the wheel straps on the van came off, so I had to redo that.  We ate lunch in the parking lot after we did our walk/hike.

Our next stop was for gas again.

The passenger front tire is very slowly loosing air and the Smarttire sensor is going off because of it.

We finally made a decision on where to stay for the night near Long Beach, WA.

We headed out for dinner and then finally went and visited family in the area.

2020/06/20 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 09 - Dog - Family

The night was not good, Turquoise was having major issues during the night.

We went to Petco to get a few things to help with the issue.

After more concerns on what we were seeing, off to the vet.

After some test results,  it was determined that he has high white blood cell count.  We been given some antibiotics to give him....

Back at the house we enjoyed family time!  Dinner, talking, and a round of 5 Crowns with 11 of us playing - Fun times!

2020/06/18 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 07 - Falls

We went ahead and slept in.

Finally we got moving and our first stop was at a Starbucks to get our drinks.  Then we headed to Snoqualmie Falls.

We stopped for lunch in Fall City.

We then drove up US2 and stopped at several water features.

Back at the house enjoying talking.

2020/06/17 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 06 - Drive and Family

We got going after A did her conference call.

Our next stop was for gas and lunch.  Trying to get in and out of the new station is not very easy.  And the truck parking is all back-in so I had to park in a location that really not a parking spot.

We pulled into the family location and got all setup for the next few days.

We stayed up to late playing the games...

2020/06/14 - Sunday - Vaction - Day 03 - Steps Issue and Family

Got up shortly after 7 and we did the normal morning routine.  About the time to leave at 9 and the steps would not go back in.  I tried a few things but nothing was working to get the steps in.  So go find the owners manual in our big folder of RV stuff.  Found the manual and quickly looked at the instructions.  Instead of trying to go through each of the steps, I got some wire out and powered the motor to get it to move the steps up.  All of this took about 45 minutes.

Next stop was for gas and have lunch.  This flying J's did not like my card so I complained to the attendant that was out and about, but I will have to call the card company tomorrow (because they are closed on Sundays)

Next stop is for the night at E's place.  We had to trim some branches from the tree so they were not rubbing the RV.

Cheryl started a load of laundry.

I spent about an hour trying to find the problem with the steps. I finally found it, it was a wire that broke at a connector for the magnet that indicates when the door is shut or not.   And because I had thing out to help me find the issue, I went ahead an unloaded everything out of the front passenger storage area.  It needed some organization. By the time I finished putting things back, it was time to leave for dinner.

Dinner was at Cool Hand Luke's.

Back at E's place to relax.

2019/07/05 - Friday - Vacation - Day 15 - Family

On our way for our next stop for the day, the drive through Orlando was all construction bobbing and weaving...  So could not look around a lot while driving that section.

We arrived at family's a little after noon.  Relax and talked.

C.M, E.M., & A.M. drove to Sam's Club to get a few things.

 A.M. And C.M. did make dinner and everybody seemed to like it.

We did get to bed late but very good conversation was being had...

2018/07/03 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 12 - Pikes Peak and Family

I got up early and did a ten mile bike ride. 

We got going and stopped for drinks, donuts, and gas before heading over to B.G. place.

We headed out to go see P.B., but we took some dirt roads to get there and we stopped at the store before getting there.

She feed us lunch and had a great time chit-chatting.

Our next stop was and Pikes Peak to go see Bridal Veil Falls.  Amanda took several pictures.

We were going to have dinner in Clayton but they did not have a full menu, so we returned to Elkader (via dirt roads :) ) and ate at Fennellys' Irish Pub & Restaurant.

I dropped of Mom M and Cheryl at B.G. place and Amanda and I returned to the RV to check on Turquoise.

We returned to B.G. and spent the rest of the evening working on things and some great talking.

Of course we returned late to RV.

2018/07/02 - Monday - Vacation - Day 11 - Mounds and Family

When the alarm went off, I did not hit snooze... so we got up a little later then we wanted to.

We went and picked up B.G. and headed towards Effagy Mounds National Monument.  But it was lunch time, so we crossed the Mississippi river and had lunch in Prairie du Chien.

Amanda got Jr Ranger number 79.  We also walked to the top to the overlook.

We headed back and dropped off B.G. and we went back to the RV.

I washed the pillows but man those machines were expensive 3.50 for one load and the machines were very small.

We went back to B.G. and had dinner with him.  G&N stopped by and we chatted.

2018/07/01 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 10 - Drive, Tire, and Family

It rained in the early hours and by the time I got up it had stopped.  We left about 9:15 heading North East. 

First stop was for Gas.

Next stop was for lunch at a rest area.

As we were heading around Des Moines, I started to noticed a vibration, so I stopped at a gore point and sure enough the passenger inside tire had a elongated bubble.  So I drove to the next exit and pulled into the truck parking lot of Flying J's.  We changed the tire in about 35 minutes.

On the way to our next destination I had to drive through some flood water that going over the road.

Getting close to our destination for the next three nights, I noticed that it appears there is no flooding in this region.

We setup camp and headed on over to family.  He (B.G.) fed us dinner and we spent the rest of the night there chit-chatting.   

2017/06/17 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 03 - Route 66

We got up and headed into the house for breakfast.  Thanks again for the great food.

We got on the road about 9:15.  We stopped at Sam Club in Flagstaff for the RV and food next door for us around noon.

Around 4 it was time to get gas again for the RV.

I was using Waze (of course) and I noticed that it wanted me to get off the freeway and then get back on about 7 mile down the road.  The detour was at the exact same spot as last year.  Waze was routing us around a construction zone that had traffic backed up (one line).  But the on ramp we were to use was closed and Waze did not have it closed, but of course Waze just recalculated and we got back onto the freeway (three miles further) at the next exit/on ramp.  And we still made time. The only issue I had using the detour was the road was ruff.  Using the ruff and winding road, the SmarTire system alarm went off telling me the rear inside passenger tire was extremely hot (177).  The next several miles I stayed at 55 MPH to help bring the temps down on the tire.

We stopped for the night around 7:30 at Route 66 RV Resort.  We went into the Casino and had dinner.  A band did entertain us for part of it.

2016/06/28 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 12 - Getting to Next Destination

We got a late start today to our travel today, but for a very good reason,  a family member came over to say goodbye, which we really appreciated.  We finally got on the road a little befor 10:00.

We got gas in Preston, while there we also ate lunch.

The next gas stop was at Flying J's in Sioux Falls.

Next stop was for the night in Mitchell at the KOA just outside of town.

I unloaded the van so we could go into town.
Mom D was not feeling well, so she stayed back at the RV.  We drove by the Corn Palace and went to eat dinner at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery.  The service was not that good and the food was just ok.

Next stop was Walmart to stock up on things.

Back at the RV, I did some work while everybody relaxed.

2016/06/27 - Monday - Vacation - Day 11 - More Family History

We left about 8 minutes till 9, so basically right on normal time.

Next stop was gas at Costco for both vehicles.

We finally made it to Elkader, got set up and then headed for Decorah to meet at a museum and view some of the stuff that is there from the family.  We did stop before getting there for lunch at a Subway.

Once done we went to Seed Savers Exchange to see what they do.

On are way back to the RV, Cheryl was making arrangements for the night.

We did some relaxing, which included Eric, Cheryl and myself walked over to a tank so Eric could check it out.

We went over to one of the families house had dinner and good time talking.

2016/06/26 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 10 - Family Day

 Before the day started, there was a major thunder storm moved through the area around 3 to 4 in the morning.  Some really good lighting.  Turquoise went to Eric to get confront, but the Thunder shirt really helped to keep him calmer then in the past.

We finally got moving about 10:30 to head for the Mather Family reunion.  A lot of talking and story telling.  We also had lunch (some people brought stuff for the luncheon like a potluck...)

I took the family group photo, so need to make sure people get the link once it is uploaded.

After that we went to the local cemetery to see several of the older generation graves.

Next was visiting the local family farm operations - there is somebody that is a 7th generation that is running the farm.

Now it was time for dinner, so the family and us that are camping in the same campground went into Iowa City for dinner.

Back at the RV we both got the vehicles ready for tomorrow travel day.  The other family retired into their RV while we stayed out and worked on things . . . . . . Fireflies . . . (sorry back to writing the blog)

We even let Moonstone out on a leash (we did that last night also), so he could explore a little bit.

..... Fireflies....

It is getting late so time get things ready for travel tomorrow.

2016/06/25 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 09 - Moving to Family

We left the campground about 8:50, so almost on time....

Next stop was near Springdale for the next two nights.  We arrived about 11:30.

About 15 minutes later a distant relative of Cheryl's pulled into the campground, so we greeted each other.

The arrangement for today was to go to the historical society, we headed to Iowa City and found the place, but because we where hungry we wented to find a place to eat for lunch.  Pop's "Old N' New" Bar-B-Que.  Most of us had light snacks to tide us over until dinner.

Back at the Historical Society, we looked over a big collection of stuff from Cheryl's family side.

Once it was closing time, we left and we wanted to find a place for dinner.  Pullman Bar & Diner was recommended to us, so we went.  They did not have a place where all of us could set so were split into three groups. (total of 12 us)

Back to the campground, more genealogy was discussed around the picnic tables until it was dark.

Tomorrow is the main event for the family reunion.  The last number I heard was at least 25 people are planning to be there.

2016/06/21 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 05 - Fort

We were a little late to leave 9:15... :) 

First stop was at Flying J's across town.

Next stop was at Fort Larned National Historic Site.  DM's son and family came and joined us at the fort.  We walked the grounds and of course Amanda got another Junior Ranger badge.  She also helped out the two little ones with their programs.  All three of them got sworn in together.   This is also where DM will leave us and spend the rest of the week on his vacation while we continue on ours.

After spending to much time at the fort we started researching and determining that the stops that I had planed would have gotten us into Des Moines late on Wednesday.  So the route was changed, the stops removed. 

The change in plans resulted in us stopping in Topeka for the night, hopefully making tomorrow an easy drive.

I did get a phone call from work, hopefully my backup can do most of the work that needs to be done everyday.

We stopped at KOA about 6:00

Amanda made dinner and Eric was coerced into doing the dishes.

After dinner I checked on work, I still had to process records. :(  

Other wise we relaxed for the evening.

2016/06/17 - Friday - Vacation - Day 01 - Interesting Start / Hot

So, I set the time like a normal day - up around 6 and starting to get things ready. 
During the time to get things in the RV, I got a call from Work, so I went in and put things away (the order for the coffee stuff came in a day late.)  Yes I help with making sure the coffee supplies are stocked up.

We were able to leave the house about 11:30.  but immediately, we still have an issue with the tow dolly doing the noise and hard turns (like it is binding up).  The other item was the RV was pulling very hard to the left.

First stop was to top off the tanks in both the RV and Van.  After filling up, we pull over in the Wall-Mart parking lot and DM and I proceeded to take off the Safety Steer, while Mom M, AM, and EM. went into the store to do some shopping.   If it wasn't for DM, I would not been able to take the bolts off, they were rusted on.  After getting the part off, we fixed the city water connection to stop it from popping out / sticking out of the RV.  It has been great having him around to help out with things.

Next was the necessary stop at Americans Tires to top off all the tires to make sure they are at the correct pressure.

Lunch was needed so we drove towards In-N-Out.  When we checked on the Van, we noticed that the straps for one of the van tires needed to be redone and the Van readjusted on the dolly.  We took the long walk and got lunch.

We were finally on the road/freeway heading out of town.

Taking off the Safety Steer resolved the pulling to the left!  So we need to buy a new one of those (not cheap.)

The traffic was bad, going from the 605 to 210, the RV started to over heat and the RV tires really got HOT ~180 degrees.   So turn off the AC and just deal with the heat.  Of course the normal slowdown for the pass.

Gas stop at Flying J's in Barstow. DM fixed the strap (passenger side)

Crossed the river and stopped for dinner and a Pilot/Wendy's but no parking for the RV - so I parked in the red zone. DM fixed the strap again but for driver side.

We finally made into Kingman and got gas at Flying J's before heading to relatives.

It is always nice to visit!

2013/06/22 – Saturday – Vacation - Day 02 - Donkeys and Canyon

We had a great breakfast with family.

We got moving a little later then I wanted to but with good conversations and not seeing them that often, I would think that is a good excuse.

Our first stop was at Oatman.  Well the town is a tourist trap and of course the donkeys help captivate the people.  Of course we did help the economy of the place and spread some money around in three different locations. We did leave town before the gun fight could start.

The road heading east of town is very steep and has some very tight and sharp curves.  The switch backs going east was not really any problems, but heading west you can see on one switch back where a lot of scrapes in the road.  The tranny temp did get high climbing that section of the road before the top of the pass.  On the east side of the pass, I was able to go down in first gear and only had to hit the breaks once.

At Flying J's in Kingman, the RV got it's necessary juice and we had a quick lunch stop.

As we where pulling through the park entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park, we noticed that all the camping locations where full,  but I missed the turn to turn around.  Finally got turned around (by going through part of the parks residents) we headed back to the first RV park outside of the park.  We got a spot with only water and electric.  We unloaded the van from the tow dolly and got the RV setup.

We headed back into the park (using the van) and we got the normal park sign picture.  When we got to the visitor center they have already been closed for 20 minutes.  So over to the store to get a few things, Amanda was able to get her JR Ranger booklet to fill out.  We then went over to one of the canyon overlooks.  I would say the pictures just does not give you the correct perspectives, you got to see it in person!!!

We had dinner at one of the cafes in the park so we could attend of the of the evening ranger programs.

2013/06/21 – Friday – Vacation - Day 01 - Start of Trip

Friday (today) is/will be the start of this year 2013 big vacation...

I got up and attended a 7:00 AM meeting and at the same time took Cheryl to work.  On the way back to the house I was able to have my 1on1 with my boss...  Now head into the office.

Well, work was work, got things done and took a late lunch.  After lunch, packed up my stuff and headed for home. Later than what I want to, so that meant no hair cut.

Finished putting the last minutes items into the RV and we (Mom M, Amanda, Eric, and I) finally left  the house about 3:30 PM.  Only one minor issues when I pulled out of the driveway.  The tow dolly hit the side of the van (because of the sharp turn out of the driveway), so now I have a mark on the passenger side of the van, not happy about that.

Our first stop was at the pharmacy to get a few things, in the same shopping center, the kids wanted to check out whats new things that Game Stop had, but nothing interested them.  Amanda was hungry so we stopped at a Mexican restaurant (also in the same center) and got some stuff for them.

Next stop, Costco, to have the tow dolly air pressure checked.  Checking time, now I am late getting to Cheryl.

We finally made it to Cheryl's office around 5:15 PM and now vacation officially starts!!!

The traffic was heavy, but that is normal for a Friday.

Next stop Flying J's in Barstow.  Got the necessary gogo juice for the RV.  Cheryl and Amanda went to get some food, while Mom M and I got something from the fridge.  I also wanted to get everything weighed and that took two attempts, but the number looks ok.

We finally made it to the family's place around 11:50 PM, setup the RV and got ready for bed.  Can't wait for breakfast and good company in the morning! 

2012/07/16 - Monday - Family

First day of work.  Well it is work and that means money so we can spend it...

Took Amanda to physical therapy.

Tonight me went to South Pass to meet family for dinner.  Thanks for dinner!