2021/06/20 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 03 - Recovery Day

 Got a good wake-up call from Mom M.  She sound normal and wanted to get out there.  They never transferred her to the hospital because they did not have any rooms available for her.  So I headed on over to pick her up.  The doctor wanted us not to travel today and take it easy.

First stop was at a pharmacy to get her new meds.....

Back at the RV, it is still to warm for her so we are going to do some driving in the car where we can keep Mom M cool.

Next stop was for some cool fluids. - Starbucks...

We did the Saguaro National Park East driving loop, 

Lunch we stopped at Coyote Pause Cafe and had a good meal.

Next stop was at Saguaro National Park Tucson Mountain District (West) Visitor Center,  I drove several of the dirt roads.

Back at the RV, now we head out for dinner - Chef Alisah's Restaurant

Back to the RV for the night.  The heat of the day has not been nice to the fridge, we lost all the food in the fridge because the heat was to high.

J&C did go to the pool for a nice swim.

Mom M appears to be good showing no signs of having heatstroke!

2021/06/19 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 02 - Interuption - Trip to Hospital

We found a Discount Tire so our first stop was to get 4 new tires for the trailer and two new tires for the RV.  While we waited we went next door for lunch.

 While I was getting new tires, C went and got a portable a/c so we can be cooler in the RV.

We finally got on the road a little after 2:00pm.

 Next stop was at a Flying J's for necessary gas.  I finished up and pulled into a parking area.  I noticed Mom M was not responding.  We had to call 911 because she was in the middle of having heatstroke.

I followed the ambulance.  A few hours later she was recovering slowly and we need to determine what to do next.  The Urgent Care stated that they will need to transfer her to a hospital.

We found a campground relatively close to the hospital for tonight and tomorrow night.

We are staying at Prince of Tucson RV Park.  I unloaded the 4Runner and headed back to the Urgent Care.

Headed back to the RV for some sleep.

2019/07/09 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 19 - Major Issue - Tow Dolly

We finally got moving a little after 9.

Our first stop was to drop off Mom D at the airport.  I panic at one moment because I say a sign that said 10 foot clearance, so I had to quickly go to the outside lane.

We have been on the road for about an hour and half a passing motorist made a motion like I had a problem, so I quickly pulled over and sure enough the driver side of the tow dolly bearings/hub was smoking.  So I proceeded to move further down the road so I could unload the van.  C.M. and E.M. proceeded to follow me until we made it to the next exit.  I pulled into Cabela's so we can figure out what to do next.

After several phone calls we headed over to a trailer repair place.  The guy said it might take anywhere to 2 to 5 days to repair.  Well that is not an option. 

We headed to a recycling place.  They wanted a title for the dolly but in CA we don't have one.  We finally found somebody that would take it.  So the tow dolly is now with somebody else to deal with.

We stopped at a U-Haul place and rented a tow dolly for the rest of the trip home.

Gas stop.

The drive through Houston was interesting, at one point I did have to lock up the tires trying not to hit some idiot that was weaving through the traffic.

Gas stop.

We finally made it to camp at about 8:00, not the original location, we stopped about 45 minutes sooner.  But with us dealing with the dolly and all it was getting late.

I unloaded the van and we headed over to Denny's for dinner.

Back at the RV (van loaded back up) and now time to sleep.

2019/06/27 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 07 - Battlefield and New Arrival

We got going very late compared to any other time.

We stopped at "The Joint Chiropractic" to see it can help me out with my pain.

Well now it is time for lunch.

We went and toured around at the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.  Amanda was able to complete the Jr Ranger booklet and got a nice packet of items.  We drove around some more and even found a 'dirt' road that had some major potholes.

Next stop was to go pick up Mom D and C.M., so we will now have 6 people touring around.  It is so cool that we have the complete family and both moms!

We stopped at the convention center to pick up our badges and get the lay of the facilities.  Of course we paid for A.M and E.M. registration.

With my back pain I don't think we will be doing much dancing... Not very happy about that but not much I can do but try to get better...

On the way to get dinner, we stopped at Bed, Bath and Beyond, then stopped at an auto parts place, but they did not have the fuse we needed.

We had dinner at one of the location where Triple D visited and it was good.

Next stop was to pickup the amazon package from an Amazon drop box location.  On the way back Mom D started to not feel good.

Back at the RV trying to get everything situated for a family of 6 and getting ready for tomorrow.

2017/07/01 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 17 - Full and Horses

After getting the RV ready and pulling out of our spot, I put the van onto the two-dolly.  We finally left about 9:20.

We arrived in Fargo and our first stop was at Flying J's to fill the RV.  At the next location, the RV park was full, so we went to choice number two and they are full also.  So I headed for the airport.  Found a big parking lot and stopped to do lunch.

Called a few more places further out of town.  Finally found one that could take us for one night.

After eating lunch we headed for camp, come to find out they are on a gravel road and they really tailor to the horses.

Unloaded the van and Mom D got her stuff ready for her flight home tonight.

We got into the van and headed back into Fargo, first stop was at Flying J's again but gas for the van.

Next stop - dinner

After dinner we went to the airport and dropped off Mom D for her late flight home.

We went to Walmart to do some shopping.

I took the route that Waze wanted me to go and that was longer and more time on the gravel.  The van is really dusty now!

I did laundry - two loads, the first load I had to do two cycles in the dryer.

2016/07/08 - Friday - Vacation - Day 22 - Drive - HOT

We said our goodbyes and left basically right on time - 9:06

First stop of the day was at Flying J's in Beaver, we also got some lunch.

As we had passed Mesquite and was doing the climb up to the high plateau on the 15,  the SmarTire system alarm went off and said my inside rear passenger tire was at 177 degrees, so at the top is a parking area, I pulled into that to cool down the tires.

I waited about 10 minutes before heading out again.  I stopped two more times to get the tires to cool down.

As we got into Las Vegas we hit traffic and now the tranny temperature was getting warm.

We finally made it to KOA at Sam Town for the night.  This time were are camped in the North camping area.  We unloaded the van, the temp outside was about 111 (based on what the van had on the reading).

After we got things setup, we drove over to Sam Town to have dinner at TGI Friday's.  The north lot is further away from the casino then the south lot.

After dinner Cheryl, Amanda, and Mom D did some gambling.

They stopped in time for the light show in the atrium, which was a patriotic themed display.

Back at the RV, Mom D was heading to the bathhouse, she tripped and fell, so we had to do some TLC to her right hand.

The rest of the night was relaxing.

2016/07/07 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 21 - No Cave and Falls

I got up and attended a meeting for work - CAB.  After the meeting I got a hold of Tech Support and worked on the issue with my work cell phone.  Final resolution was I needed a new Sim Card.

We finally got everybody moving to go for a little drive today.  But our first stop was at AT&T to get the new Sim Card for the work phone.  Cool the phone works.

We had Mom M, Cheryl, Amanda, C, and myself in the van, W on his motorbike and R on his motorbike.  We were finally off to go see Timpanogos Cave National Monument

But before getting into the canyon R need fuel for his bike and I went ahead filled up the Van.

Then it was time for lunch so we stopped at Blue Lemon Restaurant and Cafe.

We finally made it to the park, but all the tours we full for the day and none of us really wanted to do the 1.5 mile hike up the hill.

Now done with the visitor center we went for the drive up the canyon and over to the next.  That drive was really cool, nice tight turns and great views.

We stopped at Bridal Veil Falls, but the first stop was in a viewing area and we noticed that there is a road below so we went and found the way to get closer to the falls.  We walked over to the base of it and the water was cold.

We headed back to our friends house to relax.  They made dinner for us and we talked until late into the night.  Sometime during this time I noticed that my work phone is no longer working again... I think I need  a new Sim Card again.  The magnets in my carry case might be wiping the card out.

2016/06/24 - Friday - Vacation - Day 08 - Dancing

The three usual people slept in a little bit today while the other three got up early like usual.

Before getting to the Event Center, I had to go find Starbucks for Cheryl, so she would be happy.  We finally made it to the Event Center to dance a few tips.

For lunch we went across the street to Buzzard Billy's.

Back to the Event Center to dance and drop off a book for a caller (one of Cheryl's co-workers wanted a book to be delivered to a caller)

For dinner we left and went back to the RV, made sure the dogs were taken care of and then headed out to go eat at Twin Peaks.

Once back to the RV, Mom D and Eric stayed back while the rest of us went back to the Event Center to go dancing.

While we were dancing Eric did a few loads of laundry for us which was very nice of him.

After dancing, we headed back to the RV, we put the clothes away and got a few things ready for departure for tomorrow.  I went ahead and processed the necessary records for work...

Notes:  I had to fix my red neck rain gutter, I had to add another towel to help wick the water better, the humidity has been high.  So far this has stopped the water from dripping out and socking the ceiling and floor (I guess I really should take a picture of it so other may see my so called fix...)

2016/06/18 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 02 - Waze Win

The relatives cooked an awesome breakfast and of course we had a good time chatting.

We finally got on the road about 9:20.  When we started to pull away, I was flagged down because the relatives found a phone, well it was Mom M phone.

We stopped for the necessary fuel for the RV.

Come to find out, Mom M phone screen had broken and could only see a very small part of the screen.  So the next stop was changed.  We stopped at a Verizon store to get her a new phone, with the necessary phone call to LM to authorize the new phone for the account.

Lunch was at Subway in the same shopping area.

The tires got hot - up around 177 degrees, it stayed that way for about an hour until we stop to fuel the RV.

Getting closer for the stop for the night, Waze recalculated, so I went ahead and followed, listening to the CB there was a major accident so Waze routed us around the 3 mile backup.  Once back on the freeway, Waze again routed me off the freeway to take the old Route 66 around a 2 mile backup at a construction zone.

We finally made it to a RV place for the night just on the outskirts of Albuquerque.

Once in our site, now it was time for dinner.  So we unloaded the van and headed back down the road about 10 miles to a casino.

After dinner of course we headed back to the RV and went ahead and loaded the van onto the tow dolly.  And as a note the little dog did not have any issues so things are looking good on that front.

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!

2013/06/23 – Sunday – Vacation - Day 03 - Canyon and Change

I thought I was getting up early, but didn't get out of bed until almost 8.  Talked with the neighbor about how bad the place is in regards on how much we had to pay.  Mom M and I worked on the van for about 30 minutes trying to get the middle seat unlatched and moved over so Eric can get in and out of the back of the van a little easier.  Finally got going about 9:30, so later then I wanted to.

Our first stop was to get Amanda’s JR Ranger program turned in.  So now that makes 49 for her.  On the way out we stopped at several of the overlooks.  We did leave the park until after 1, so again not what I had planned.  When we do the Grand Canyon again, we need about 3 full days to see all the different things.

I finally found a place for gas in Flagstaff and put in 50 gallons of gas in the traveling domicile.

As the day was dragging on going down the road, I started to look at the route some more and decided to not do another park that is a little bit out of the way, because of the time.

I did receive a phone call from a friend during the drive and it was nice talking with her.  (Yes I was using the Bluetooth – so hand free J )

Amanda woke up from her short nap and started to look for a place for the night.

We are stopped near Grants NM for the night.  Amanda warmed up some soup for dinner.

2012/07/17 - Tuesday - Friends

Cheryl finally was able to get Amber (she escaped yesterday) back into the house before she left for work.
 
Did some work in the morning before I headed to the train station to take Mom M to train for her return back to home.  One of the things I like about the train station is the capability to walk on to the train and make sure everything is squared away and see them off without going through a major security screening.

I noticed a friend on Google Latitude and inquired if he was able to meet. Come to find out when I checked again he was really close to work, so before heading to work, I stopped by his truck and we talked for awhile.  We made arrangement for dinner.

We picked our friend up from his truck and we headed out for dinner.  We had great conversation and good food.

2012/07/07 – Saturday - Vacation – Day 16 – Airplane Ranch

I, Mom M, and Mom D got up really early today to take Mom D to the airport and put her on the plane for home.

When we came back Mom M stayed up while I went back to sleep for awhile.

I finally got moving around 8:30.  I had to do the normal stuff outside and load the van on the trailer.  We finally got moving around 9:30.

First stop was at Flying J.  I think I will write an email to them that their advertising suck.  Pilot/Flying J card say that the rv card will start the pumps, I have never had that work yet!!!

We drove through Helena and stopped at the top of the pass of highway 12 for lunch.  This also allowed the RV transmition to cool down.

Next stop was the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site.  We spent about two hours there.  Amanda worked on and completed the “Honorary Rancher” program.

Next was another gas stop at a Pilot, their equipment was not working correctly.  It was asking about wanting a receipt and the yes and no button would not work and the person did not listen to what I was trying to explain.

We are stopped in a place (Wisdom) where we have no phone nor data connection, so this will be uploaded when we have service again for the night.

2012/06/29 – Friday - Vacation – Day 8 – Dance Halftime

Mom D was not feeling good so she would stay behind for the first part of the day.

We got to the Bid session just at the very beginning.  Two places are bidding for 2016.  Des Moines, Iowa and Amarillo, Texas.  We liked Des Moines better  between the two presentation.

We watched the competition a little bit and we talked a lot.

Eric went with some friends for lunch while the rest of us went to the Onion for lunch.

We watched the California and the Colorado exhibition groups.

We then got invited to do a demonstration at an arena football game during the halftime show.

So a quick trip back to the RV to get ready and to pick up Mom D.  We made it back to the convention center in time to join the group heading to the game.

We watch the first and most of the second quarters before we had to be back down to the field.  There was 6 squares dancing to Hunter Keller (which he was WAY UP in the announcer booth), but we only got to dance to one song.  The field is really weird to dance on, it was very spongy.  Most of the group went back to the convention center while the rest continue to watch the remainder of the game.  Arizona 61 at Spokane 35

 Back at the convention center, we went and got the van and drove back to the RV.  Once back at the RV park, the place where I should be able to park the van was being taken by somebody else.

Amanda and I went over to the Flying J's to get some dog food and some milk.

2011/06/29 – Wednesday – Moving Day

We got up early to get Mom M onto the plane to head home.


Once back at the RV, we get ready to move. The drive to the next location was very short. We travel today for a little over an hour.

We will be here for two nights.

Once camp was set, we went out for lunch and some shopping. We also bought our tickets for tomorrow. (I guess you will find out where we went tomorrow)

Dinner was leftovers and the evening watching TV and playing on computers.

2011/06/28 – Tuesday – Visiting the Valley

We made arrangement for Mom M to head for home tomorrow.


We went and found the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We drove the valley and did several of the stops. We did stop at a very small tavern/saloon for a late lunch.

During the afternoon, we stopped for my work (meeting) over the phone. While I was on the phone, Amanda and Cheryl did a nature walk on the tow trail

We stopped at DQ for a snack / dinner (to take home for later)

2011/06/26 – Sunday – Next Stop Fixing?

We left about 9:30 and I feel that is good, because of getting back to the RV so late.

Amanda started looking for the closest RV park to Cleveland Ohio.  Based on that the computer said only 2 hours, but I didn’t want to take the toll road, so it took only 3 hours with one gas stop and a rest area stop for lunch.

The campground we are at now was able to take us and after explaining what was happening, we should be able to stay longer.

After getting the RV setup, Mom M and I went for the hospital to get Mom M elbow fixed.  Well, they did take more x-rays and tomorrow we should get a phone call to see if she gets an appointment for surgery.

We came back and picked up the rest of the family and headed out for dinner.  The reviews of the place were good but they did not match our experience.

Now it is just a waiting game, so hopefully tomorrow will be good news about the appointment.

2011/06/24 – Friday – Dancing

We got up late – something about vacation and nothing pressing except for some good dancing.


We finally got moving a little before noon, so we stopped for lunch at a sandwich / soup / donut shop – good food.

We stopped by Camping World so they could take some of my money :)

We finally made it to Cobo convention center so we could do our dancing and wondering around (which might have included spending some more money)

We did find out that the place (“Dick Murry”) where we would buy our jewelry is no longer attending the National Convention, so we are bummed about that

Mom M did do one tip and we did it as a no hands tip in the family hall.

Eric danced in the youth competition. They had three squares. His group got second place, I think he was the oldest in his square, and he was the tallest.

We came back to the RV, before getting there we stopped to get some fast-food for dinner.

Eric was not feeling good, so we let him stay back at the RV for the evening.

Back at the center we did some more dancing and wondering around.

Amanda was getting a blister so we decided to head back to the RV a little earlier and not stay for the after party.

2011/06/23 – Thursday – Square Dance Convention

When I finally got up and got ready it was almost lunch – ouch a late start for the day.


We stopped to get lunch at the golden arches and headed into the Cobo Center. We paid for Amanda and then it was time for us to go to Mom M doctor appointment, so we left the kids and headed out.

We made it to the doctor office almost an hour early. We finally left about 5:30, so 3 ½ hours.

Well, we are changing our vacation plans. We are not doing the upper Michigan, but we are going to see Ohio. In-fact we are heading to the Cleveland area. So when we leave Sunday, we will drive to Cleveland area and once we setup camp, we head for the hospital to get mom checked again and scheduled for surgery.

On our way back to get the kids, they called and said they were headed out to eat with some friends. So I made a detour to head for the camper.

We stopped at the Denny’s to get dinner.

Once at the RV, we changed and I of course had to walk the dogs.

We finally made it to the Cobo Center and we did some dancing and some watching, we even stayed for the youth after-party.

2011/06/14 - Tuesday - Trains

I was checking on Mom M progress throughout the day.

Eric and I got the tire off the trailer - so now I can go and get a new tire, we also worked on putting new bearing caps on the axles.

We went and got Mom M from the train station - her trip was good

The first place we stopped to get dinner, well, they were full and it would be a while, the next place was closing, the next place had waiting room only, so we finally stopped at Coco's and they were closing in 6 minutes, but at least they allowed people come in until it was closing time.