DES MOINES IOWA TO CONCORDIA KANSAS…& A FREE OVERNIGHT SPOT WITH WATER & ELECTRIC:))

By the time old Sol lumbered up over the eastern horizon & lit up our tail feathers this morning the Bayfield Bunch was already making fast tracks westward out of Omaha Nebraska.  It was a week day & we knew all the locals In Des Moines would be fast tracking it for work so in order to beat the morning rush we Ontario hay seeds hauled ourselves out of town by 5 a.m.  We were long gone before the chaotic rush started.  But we forgot about the Omaha rush.  Took the 680 bypass north around the city & aside from bouncing off some heavy maniacal traffic for about 10 minutes in Omaha’s northwest end we made out alright & nobody got hurt.

A COLD CLEAR NEBRASKA SUNRISE AS SEEN FROM A REST AREA WEST OF OMAHA
Nice looking clear & crisp Nebraska morning as we continued west on I-80.  Old Sol followed us till about mid morning when a large cloud bank rolled in obscuring his warming rays.  Never saw him again until early afternoon when he caught up & stayed with us the rest of the day.

 
SMALLEST 5TH WHEEL I’VE EVER SEEN

BUSY DAY FOR NEBRASKA FARMERS HARVESTING CORN
 
NO IDEA WHAT THAT HIGHWAY RIG IS & I THINK THAT WINDMILL HAS SEEN BETTER DAYS MIKE

THIS OLD BARN ALONG HIGHWAY 81 REMINDED ME OF HALLOWEEN
When we reached Lincoln Nebraska I knew we were past Oklahoma City far to the south.  Figured we had been heading west long & enough & it was about time to swing Winnie’s nose into a soft Kansas breeze.  At the small hamlet of York Nebraska on I-80 we began our decent down highway 81 into clear skies & milder weather.  Although 81 is a 4 lane highway there was very little traffic on it.  Bonus. 

  
 
Because we were on the road early this morning we were again off the road early this afternoon.  Kelly was on line with FREE CAMPGROUNDS.COM when she spotted a county park in the town of Concordia about 50 miles north of Salinas Kansas.  We hit the Jackpot with this one.  What a little gem of an RV Park.  And it’s free with water & electric.  It’s right on highway 81 at Concordia’s south end.  Kind of in the country & easy to find because it is right across the highway from a Walmart store.  It is the BLOSSER MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AIR PARK.  Also home to Detachment 1 of the Kansas 995th Army National Guard.

 
  
3 OF US HERE FOR THE NIGHT
  
Appears to be 7 sites here with 4 of them pull throughs with level cement bases.  Lots of trees for shade & lots of running around area for dogs, cats, chickens, or a herd of horses.  We are parked only a few hundred yards from the hangars.  No big noisy planes but we did see an interesting nice yellow crop duster roll in &  park near us.  There is an army tank & large gun carrier to explore with more army vehicles parked in a compound.  Washroom with maybe showers & they even have a safe place for campers at the base of a large weather tower in case of tornados.  Only slight drawback to this park is a bit of noise from highway 81.  But other than that I would highly recommend an overnighter or a few days stay here for anybody traveling through this area.  Safe place for children to run & play on acres & acres of soft mown grass.  Oh & a good Verizon signal but no TV channels.

THIS FELLOW TAXIED IN JUST AFTER WE GOT SET UP
 
A LONE TREE IN THE CORNER OF BLOSSER’S AIR PARK
And a note to Peter & Bea way over there on Campobello Island.  Your friend Phil from Alberta who winters at Holt Hot Springs says to say ‘Hello’.  He is here in the Air Park tonight in his Class A Southwind spending a few nights before heading to California.  Says it’s still just a bit too hot over there west of Yuma.  Small world eh:))
OUR RIG ON LEFT & PHIL FROM ALBERTA ON THE RIGHT
And PETER in a comment asked, “Just wondering what you're doing in IOWA? That would not be the short route south, would it?”…….. No not the shortest route but we were not interested in the shortest route this time.  Did that St. Louis, Oklahoma City route 3 hurried times in a row.  We were in need of a scenery change & a slower pace.  We have done this Iowa/Nebraska route a couple times before but Tuesday we will head into some uncharted waters finally.

DID YOU KNOW THEY KEEP THE U.S. MILITARY ON STANDBY HERE BECAUSE OF ALL THE WALMARTIANS SPOTTED IN THE CONCORDIA KANSAS WALMART…YES APPARENTLY IT’S TRUE……………:))

We’re still wrestling with some of our electronic stuff.  I’m probably going to have to put our Sirius satellite antennae on the roof just the way it was done on the Damon.  Our Ipod works well with the adaptor but it’s the cigarette plug-in that appears to be faulty just like our Sirius satellite radio plug.  Can’t seem to figure out our surround sound system.  Was working fine but Gremlins have altered things again.  If it wasn’t for Kelly, nothing would be working here.  She just has the knack & the patience to stick with a problem until she has it figured out.  I stuck to the sidewalk one time when I got some gum on my shoe…………………..

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Time for some pun wouldn't you say.......
What do you call a country where everyone drives a red car?  A red carnation.
Energizer Bunny arrested - charged with battery.
A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative.
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
Corduroy pillows are making headlines.
Every morning is the dawn of a new error.
Sea captains don't like crew cuts.
A successful diet is the triumph of mind over platter.
A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor.
Reading while sunbathing makes you well, red.
A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.
Dijon vu - the same mustard as before.
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired.
What's the definition of a will? (Come on, it's a dead giveaway!)
A backwards poet writes inverse.
In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism, your count votes.
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
If you don't pay your exorcist, will you get repossessed?
Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft, and I'll show you a flat minor.
If a clock is hungry does it go back four seconds?
The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
Every calendar's days are numbered.
A lot of money is tainted. It t'aint yours and it t'aint mine.
He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.
Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture is a jab well done.
Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? He wanted to transcend dental medication.
Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death.
Without geometry, life is pointless.
When you dream in color, it's a pigment of your imagination.
He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

WEST OF GARY INDIANA TO DES MOINES IOWA…LOOKING FOR A POWER CORD!!

As expected, we were up early & on our way a few minutes before 6 a.m.  Grabbed a tank of gas just up the road from Cracker Barrel.  Apparently I had myself a little misplaced Saturday night to where we actually were.  Said in my post we were in Gary Indiana but Gary was behind us.  We were in a place called Tiny Park which I figure is somewhere between Gary & Chicago.  Knew the traffic would be light on a Sunday morning so we breezed right along with no problem.  Chicago was somewhere north of us.  Wouldn’t want to be in this area on a week day morning or after 3 in the afternoon.  Would not be good!!

HEADING WEST ACROSS ILLINOIS THIS MORNING I WATCHED THE MOON GO DOWN & IF YOU LOOK HARD YOU CAN SEE IT TOO

 

ILLINOIS & IOWA CORN FIELDS

  

PHEEBS GETS A LITTLE ANXIOUS ABOUT WHAT’S TAKING MOM SO LONG TO GET BREAKFAST THIS MORNING

Nice sunrise behind us lit up countless acres of Illinois cornfields.  Could see we were approaching a large cloud bank & before long our sun was gone & it remained cloudy for the rest of the day.  No winds, no rain, bonus.

BRIDGE ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

 

MISSISSIPPI SOUTH & MISSISSIPPI NORTH

Had to put an extra pillow on my driver’s seat because of a tender rear end from kicking myself in the assparagus for leaving my Toshiba laptop power cord at home.  Right there beside my recliner!!  Without a power cord my laptop was useless because I had drained what was left of the battery Sunday night publishing my post.  Kelly figured we might have a chance of buying another power cord at Best Buy or Walmart.  Coming into the east end of Des Moines Iowa on I-80 Kelly used her ‘Next Exit’ book to determine there was a Walmart at interchange whatever.  There was, but they did not have a power cord.  The book showed a ‘Best Buy’ about another 20 miles up the road so up & off I-80 we went.  Headed south on something-or-other road but did not see a Best Buy.  Spotted an Office Depot so swung in there to have a looky see & maybe they could tell us where Best Buy was.  But ‘Bingo,’ Office Supply came through.  They had a cord with multiple adaptors & sure enough I’ll be darned if one of them didn’t up & work just fine.  My blog was back in the running:)))))))

KELLY UNPACKS MY NEW POWER CORD FROM OFFICE SUPPLY

  

WHEN PHEEBS GETS BORED WITH ALL THE DRIVING SHE GETS OUT HER FUNKY CHICKEN TO PLAY WITH….photos by Kelly:))

Carrying on half a dozen more exits we decided to call it an early day around 2 p.m.  Well Kelly decided anyway.  She had determined there was a fair size mall complex with a Lowes & Home Depot.  They are good for spending the night in plus we wanted to have a look for some gravity chairs to take to Congress.  But we sure got ourselves frazzelated in trying to find the interchange that led to the mall.  I don’t do well when I get frasselated!!  At one point we were headed for Kansas City & at another point we were headed back the way we had just come.  It was somewhere between those 2 stress points I was wishing I was at home stretched out relaxing in my big comfy stress free recliner. 

MUST BE ONE OF THOSE CRAZY RV’ERS HEADING WEST

Toughest part of the trip so far has been the !!!%&*# technical stuff.  Hasn’t been good reception for our Sirius satellite radio, only thing our CB radio has picked up so far is dust, & our cigarette adaptor Ipod has been a challenge.  And then there’s the television.  Kelly poured a huge amount of time into trying to get it programmed to receive channels with our aerial.  No problem in our previous 2 rigs but with all the cables for the roof satellite dish plus DVD home theater system & three remotes to run everything Kelly had a hard time figuring out the correct confliguration conblomeration.  Finally a yellow cable was spotted not plugged in.  ‘Walla’ that was it.  Happy Campers again:)) 

<<< WORKING ON SOME SNACKS IN OUR TRAVELING GALLEY

To run our TV we have to have the generator on for the time being.  Will be so glad when we are once again solar equipped.  Do not like having to run that generator but it only had slightly more than 9 hours on it so guess I shouldn’t complain.  We sure have a lot of tweaking to do to get ourselves back to the comfortable state we had in the Damon.  But I remember oh to well all the diskaboobalarations we head in getting things figured out & configured correctly in the Damon too.  All part of RVing.  All part of exchanging our routine little sacks of problems in for different little sacks of routine problems……10-4:))

EVERY TIME KELLY GETS OUT OF HER SEAT IT IS QUICKLY FILLED

And for supper tonight we had the same thing we had the night before at Cracker Barrel.  We always manage to salvage enough of our Cracker Barrel endeavors to re-heat & have the next day for breakfast, lunch, or supper.

OUR OVERNIGHTER SPOT IN A HOME DEPOT PARKING LOT

Looks like Iowa’s weather is going to hold together just long enough for us to squeak through to Nebraska.  Weather & temperatures will determine where we go from there. 

A SLEEPY ENDING TO ANOTHER LONG DAY

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Did you know an Archeologist could be described as a man whose career lies in ruins & an Atheist as a person with no invisible means of support.  But, not to worry because middle age is a time in everyone's life when actions creak louder than words.

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

BAYFIELD TO GARY INDIANA…RAIN,OK BORDER CROSSING, CRACKER BARREL, & AWWWWW NUTS!!!!!!!!!

AND HERE WE GO FOR THE START OF OUR 2013-2014 WINTER TRAVELS:))
Knew when I looked at the radar weather map first thing this morning we were going to be dealing with rain today no matter which route we took.  And so it was.  We were both up shortly after 4 a.m.  No, we hadn’t set any alarms, we’re just early risers especially when traveling.  Pulled the gearshift lever into D & had the wheels rolling by 6:17.  Plop plop fizz fizz oh what a great feeling it is.  In just a matter of seconds all anxieties & apprehensions ended.  In other words we left our old sack of problems at the counter & picked us up a new sack.  (I have included my ‘Sacks Of Problems’ post from 2010 as tonight’s Groaners Corner) But no problems this morning.  Only 4 cars ahead of us at the border it was still a 15 minute wait.  The border guy was being very thorough.  Our turn, & he asked the routine questions.  Wondered if we would be moving from RV Park to RV Park in the Congress area to which I answered, no we have a house in Congress.  He turned & said, “you guys got it pretty good” & with a smile handed us our passports & waved us through.  Whewwww:))

The rain had started as we were crossing the Blue Water bridge from Sarnia to Port Huron.  You weren’t missing anything there today Renee:))  Construction for a few miles on I-69 but nothing serious.  We drove in rain from Port Huron to nearly Elkhart Indiana where we encountered the first of many sun splashes about 1:20.  Rest of the day was great driving weather.  Autumn leaves were at their peak coming through Michigan & even with dark rainy skies upon us the leaves were about as pretty as I had ever seen.  Just needed a little sunlight to set them afire.

 
YEP, WE ARE OFFICIALLY ON THE ROAD
Winnie the Bago is turning out to be a little gem to drive.  After the Sunseeker I was a bit worried I would not like the Bago as much.  Runs well, handles well, & has a smooth ride.  Seats are totally comfortable & love the sound system.  Only drawback was Kelly hitting her head twice on the overhead bed that we had left in place.  First time knocked her to the floor & she still has a small lump atop her head.  We’re going to stop at Best Buy & get her a hard hat.  Maybe an orange construction cone & some yellow safety tape as well.

OUR FIRST REST AREA STOP
We had never taken Toll Road I-94 from Angola Indiana to Gary Indiana before so figured this morning we’d see us some new scenery.  Nice road & light traffic for the most part.  Goes right through Elkhart Indiana.  Traffic really picked up once we transferred to I-80 west in Gary.  Eight lanes going like nuts.  Reminded me of my old Stratford Airporter days years ago in & out of Pearson International Airport in Toronto.  Just pulled out my old sack of chaotic driving skills & we bulled our way right through.

We knew the I-57 interchange was coming up soon so had to finally make a decision on which route to take.  Head down 57 to 55 & head west from Memphis on our old route or stay on I-80 & strike out across the Iowa Plains.  Saw the I-57 interchange come & go so that was that.  Across the Plains it is to be.

We kept the speed down to about 55mph all day & had ourselves more rest stops than we usually do.  By late afternoon we were checking for Cracker Barrels ahead.  Picked a hard one to find & actually found it around 4 o’clock.  We do like our Cracker Barrels.  Always feels kinda homey in there & I like all the glitter & sparkle in the gift shop one has to walk through to get to the eats.  I don’t know what I had but there was white gravy all over everything & I loved it.

BETCHA JUST KNEW OUR FIRST STOP FOR THE NIGHT WOULD BE A CRACKER BARREL:))
Pheebs is just the best little traveler.  Never causes us a speck of trouble.  No whining, crying, or anxiously pacing about.   Likes to curl up on the floor between our seats.  And she likes the snuggles & scruffles she gets when she sits up.  Always best in the rest areas as well.  We never have to put a leash on her.  Comes when called & stays close.  Just the best.
---
Typing this tonight I am reclined on the right side of our super comfortable loveseat while Kelly with her Acer Netbook is reclined right beside me on the left side.  Pheebs is on her bed on the floor in front of us.  She was tucked in between us for a bit but it was a bit tight with the 3 of us on here.  Got a few accommodation bugs to work out with our smaller traveling space but we are liking our new mobile digs & I’m sure we will adapt quickly.

Knowing us as well as I do I suspect we’ll roll out of our convenient Cracker Barrel spot for the night very early in the morning.  We just aren’t sleeper iners.  Never have been.
 
GOTTA LIKE THESE CRACKER BARRELS…………….
And Kelly noticed another Friend Connect person has joined us to day.  Our first day on the road of this winter season we welcome ANDREE FOUCAULT to our travels.  Thanks for dropping by Andree:)) 
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww NUTS!!!!!!!   Just realized I forgot to bring the power cord for my Toshiba laptop, battery is already down 50%.  I am toast:((  Gotta go & hope I have enough juice left to publish this…….
GROANER’S CORNER:((  Here's the way I see it.  Through life we are constantly burdened with ever changing sacks of problems.  Some bigger & heavier than others.  Whether you know it or not every human being on the planet is a constant customer at the 'problem store.'  It's probably the busiest store in the world.  When you tire of a set of problems, you take that sack to the problem store & get rid of it.  In other words you deal with that specific set of problems.  However, you do not walk out of that store problem free.  You only trade in that sack of old problems for a sack of new ones.  A sack of new problems is generally more exciting than that old sack you just traded in though.  I often tire of old ones & regularly trade them in for brand spanking new ones.
Ok, here's what I'm getting at & I'll direct this one more to the full timing folks even though it also applies to the rest of us in varying degrees.  You have a dream, you have a vision & you sell your house & all your stuff.  You have just been to the problem store & got rid of that whole sack of sticks & bricks lifestyle problems .   At last, what a relief:))  But, wait a minute, remember the rule.  It's only a trade in & now you must pick up your new set of problems.  It's mandatory & there is no getting out of it!!  You now exit the 'problem store with a complete new sack of problems.
Your new sack is going to contain some surprises for you.  Yes, there are still all the old stand-by favs like leaky plumbing, electrical headaches, leaking doors & window, carpet spills & stains, plugged toilets, hot water shortages, blackouts, leaky roofs, & furnace failures, etc. etc.  Some of the new surprises may come in the form of rooms (slides) becoming stuck & leaving you boondocked out in the middle of nowhere with no way to go anywhere.  Or how about one of your hydraulic jacks not retracting & leaving you in the same position as above.  Don't laugh, both those things have happened to us.  Other surprises hiding in your little sack of new problems might have to do with things like a sudden & messy break in a sewer line at a dumping station, wind gusts while driving or boondocking that are trying to totally eliminate you from the face of the planet, crowded campgrounds that require you to grease the sides of your unit to fit it into a space, hauling 50 or 60 feet or more through unfamiliar large cities, breakdowns, accidents, soaring fuel costs, shaky security, sudden or long term health issues with no immediate health services around, no personal physician,  no Tim Hortons for a thousand miles in any direction, blow outs on the interstates, & the endless list just goes on & on & on.  The fact of living in small box about 12 feet wide by 33 feet long for weeks, months, & years at a time generates it's own set of problems.  Throw in a cranky old Cursmudgeon & 3 aging dogs & the sack of problems just gets heavier for all concerned.  (I wrote this in 2010)

Anyway, I think you get my drift when I say the RV dream lifestyle has to looked at through totally realistic eyes.  However, don't look too hard or you just might be forced to abandon your dream focus.  You just may resolve yourself to hanging onto your old sack of problems.  You may convince yourself that at least with them you know what to expect in their boring humdrum routine. 
But, you know what, gimme a new set of problems any day & let me go live & play where I wanna be.  Give me the cold nights, the big winds, the broken water pump, & the flat tires.  Just don't make me grind along any longer with the same heavy old sack of boring problems. 
Ya know what........I think I'm long overdue for a good old trip to the 'problem store'.....10-4!!
-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.