THE BAYFIELD BUNCH ROLLS INTO BAYFIELD ONTARIO....WE'RE HOME:))

WE'RE HOME BUT SURE NOT HAPPY ABOUT ALL THIS FROZEN ROCK HARD SNOW!! 

A quiet night in our grocery store Plaza parking lot with one other RV’er parked not too far away.  Picked up a homemade Pizza from Hungry Howie’s Pizza shop in the plaza Tuesday night for supper & have to say it was one of the best Pizza’s I have ever had.  Ate me one of the remaining cold pieces for breakfast this morning about 5 a.m.  Now there’s a mighty fine way to start a very fine day I’d say:))
 

PASSING BY A LARGE CAR PLANT IN FLINT MICHIGAN THIS MORNING

Says it’s 23F in Bayfield at 5 a.m. this morning but would you believe we were colder than that a bunch of nights in southeastern Arizona this past winter.  Difference is we definitely feel colder here in the northern latitudes because of the dampness in the air.  In fact we had to crack the rig’s furnace on this morning because of the dampness in the cold air.

Some folks have commented on our speedy travels back to Canada.  There are several reasons for scurrying back across the mid west & one is the word…..Tornado.  March is a volatile month for sudden storms laced with Tornados right across a big part of the route we take home.  We watch the weather closely & try to go like ‘Jack The Bear’ while the weather is good for as long as we can.  I think it was 3 years ago when we had to hunker down for about 3 days somewhere in Arkansas due to heavy storms.  Two years ago we did an overnight stop in Hope Arkansas (Bill Clinton’s birthplace) & had us a nasty thunderstorm with Tornado warnings to the south.  Not a good feeling being in an RV out in the middle of nowhere knowing there are tornado warnings for the area!!
 

Happy to see the sun again as we rolled out of Durand Michigan at 7:20 heading for the border.  Not much conversation all the way there as we anticipated getting a grouchy border guard person.  For people who have never been ‘pink slipped’ it may be hard for them to understand the ‘concern’ of us who have.  We know the un-pleasantries involved!!

 
With knots in both our stomachs we made our way over the large Blue Water bridge & eased up to the border guard station.  The time was 8:45 a.m.  Traffic was surprisingly light & the booth ahead was clear.  Rolled up, shut off the engine & was kinda relieved it was a middle aged lady in the booth.  Had my license plate numbers sitting by the window ready to roll.  “Good Morning.”  “Where do you live, when did you enter the United States, do you have any alcohol or tobacco, how much money did you spend, (checks Passports on computer) Have a nice day.”  And to our great relief that was it.  All that worrying & speculative dreading & all those stomach knots were instantly over as we pulled away from the gate.  We were home & we were safe & sound back in Canada.  Right blinker on as I shifted to the right lane then proceeded for the next 10 miles with the right blinker still blinking.  Just too relieved & happy to notice I guess.

   

HEADING OVER THE BLUE WATER BRIDGE FROM PORT HURON MICHIGAN TO SARNIA ONTARIO
We have many ‘best times’ on any trip we make & one of those best times for us is always clearing customs & taking that nice leisurely rural drive home.  Stopped in Forrest Ontario for our annual Tim Horton’s coming home coffee & Apple Fritter donut to go.  Five months is a mighty long time without a Timmys.  Coffee was great as ever & it was 'rrrrrroll up the rim' to boot.  Nope, we didn't win anything:((

HERE COMES THE GIRL WITH THE   COFFEE & DONUTS:))

Still a fair bit of snow lying around as we rolled into Bayfield at 10:13.  Stopped on Clangregor Square & unhooked the Jeep.  Last time I had hooked up the Jeep was last Thursday morning in the Cottonwood Campground at Canyon de Chelly in Chinle Arizona.  It now all seems so very long ago.

 

UNHOOKING THE JEEP IN BAYFIELD.....BEEN HOOKED ON SINCE CANYON DE CHELLY IN NORTHEASTERN ARIZONA

SEE YA AT THE HOUSE:))

 

DRIVING THE LAST MILE HOME:))

Despite our driveway being plowed there was still a fair bit of snow on the ground.  No problem I thought, I’ll just grab the snow shovel & quickly clear a few paths.  Well, that didn’t happen because the snow was frozen & hard as a rock.  From past experience we know that it is going to be at least 3 weeks before we see the last of the frozen snow banks….especially on the north side behind our house.

 
Rest of the day was spent with many trips unloading the Motor Home.  Because we couldn’t do that with the rig in it’s usual place we had to park it at the end of our gravel driveway & road.  Can you spell…MUD!!!!  Temps were above freezing today so we had us a mess.
 

I CAN SEE WE ARE GOING TO HAVE SOME PROBLEMS GETTING INTO THE HOUSE!!

I was sooooo looking forward to a long hot shower so about 4 p.m. I cranked on the hot water tap & got me a good flow of….cold water!!  We had forgotten to turn the hot water heater on this morning when we got home.  !!*)+^%##

WHY OH WHY OH WHY DID WE COME HOME SO EARLY......AGAIN!!!!!!

I have some reader questions to answer so I will get to them in the next few blogs.  I'm sure other Snow Birders will understand when I say that we are in a total upside down mess here while in transition from our rig to our sticks & bricks.  (we got more sticks than bricks) It's going to take a few days to get organized & re-familiarized with everything at home here & comfortably back into the swing of things.  But, I can kinda answer one question....are you glad to be home?  Well, let me just say this.....I'm glad the long hard days on the road this past week are over & for that, I am glad we are home.

FIRST TIME WE HAVE HAD TO UNLOAD THE RIG FROM THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( 

Temperatures and What They Mean

40 degrees & Californians shiver uncontrollably, Minnesotans go swimming.

35 degrees Italian cars don't start.

32 - Water freezes.

30 - You can see your breath. Politicians begin to worry about the Homeless.

25 - Boston water freezes. Cat insists on sleeping on your bed with you.

20 - Californians weep pitiably, Minnesotans eat ice cream. You can hear your breath.

15 - N.Y. City water freezes. Politicians begin to talk aobut the homeless.

12 - You plan a vacation to Mexico.

10 - Too cold to snow

5 - You need jumper cables to get the car going. Cat insists on sleeping in your bed with you.

3 - You plan a vacation in Houston.

0  -Too cold to skate. American cars don't start.

-5 You can cut your breath and use it to build an igloo.

-10 Too cold to think. Politicians actually do something about the homeless.

-15 Cat insists on sleeping in your pajamas with you. You need jumper cables to get the driver going.

-20 You plan a 2-week hot bath.

-25 The mighty Monongahela freezes. Japanese cars don't start.

-30 Californians disappear, Minnesotans button top button...

Below -30 The kids call home from college. End of the world...

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

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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.

 
Have you ever been faced with the dilemma of making decisions regarding what to do about friends, family, grandkids etc if you decide to spend time traveling in your RV.  And then there is the question of age!!  The folks over at TRAVELS IN THERAPY are pondering those very questions at the moment & having some doubts about their future travel plans.  I have some strong thoughts about the subject & will do a post on that shortly.

NOPE, WE’RE NOT HOME YET……

OUR LAST NIGHT ON THE ROAD…..BEHIND A VACANT GROCERY STORE IN DURAND MICHIGAN:))

One of the last websites I clicked on Monday night was the radar weather site for the U.S.  I was totally surprised to see a large amount of unexpected rain approaching from the west.  Figured we had better get ourselves an early start in the morning & make some fast tracks out of there to the northeast.

With a full tank of gas & under heavily clouded skies, we rolled out about 6:20 a.m. this morning heading north on I-57.  The rain never did catch us & we actually finished up our day under beautiful sunny skies.

Had it in my mind to at least reach Lansing Michigan if we could.  We have made it all the way home from the Effingham area before but that was before & I like to think I’m a little bit smarter about that now.  As expected, traffic picked up substantially the closer we got to Chicago.  We were aiming to bounce of the east side of Chicago through Gary Indiana. 

Didn’t take us long to become entangled in the Octopus’s many twisted tentacles of Interstates, Turnpikes, on & off ramps, constructions zones, roads, streets & suburbs.  At one point we were heading for downtown Chicago & at any moment I fully expected to see Oprah Winfrey’s limo go flying by.  We did end up making a U-turn in an abandoned Dairy Queen parking lot somewhere in Gary before getting ourselves picked up, dusted off & back up on I-80 ready for round two!!  Not sure exactly how we did it but we eventually found us northbound on I-94 heading for Kalamazoo. 

We are sooooo fortunate that we do not have to live in or be anywhere near a large city!!  Regardless of where a big city is, it is still a big city & for us, big cities are simply places to be avoided at all costs.  Been there & did that big city & big city traffic stuff years ago.  No patience for that kind of nonsense anymore. 

Finally made it to the Lansing Michigan area around 4 & pushed past the city a bit more to a town called Durand.  Needed gas, so while I filled up the rig Kelly asked the lady in the store if she knew of a good place to boon dock for the night.  Lady suggested a large parking lot beside a grocery store just down the street. The grocery store had gone out of business so that parking lot where this post is being composed tonight. 

Saw our first skiff of snow here in Durand but it is melting quickly.  In fact, the water you see in the photo under the rig is from the last vestiges of a few small snow banks in the parking lot.  The outside air is cool but the sun streaming through the rig’s windows have us all toasty warm & cozy inside.

We are 85 miles from the border which will take us about an hour & half to reach once we leave in the morning.  The border is always a high stress factor coming or going.  Last year I stumbled with the rig’s license plate number.  How is a 66 year old very tired guy supposed to remember his license plate number.  It’s hard enough to remember my own name & where I am at any particular moment let alone my confusing alphabetically numbered license plate number.  That stumble caused the kid in the booth to ‘pink slip’ us for a border check.  He directed us towards a compound area near a building.  As I pulled the rig in 2 young border guards came out of the building.  One headed towards the rear of the rig & the other fella walked around to my driver’s side window.  I hung my scraggly worn & weary travel head out the window, handed him the pink slip & waited for the worst.  He looked at the slip & then looked back at me.  I could see the pity in his eyes as he just silently waved us through.  Now, with a little bit of luck I am sure I look even more scragglier this year than last.  So, with that thought in mind we will head for the border in the morning & throw ourselves upon the mercy of the border guards & hopefully pity will remain foremost in their hearts once again………..:))

About 25 minutes from the border on our way home is the little town of Forrest.  We always look forward to our very first pail full of Tim Horton coffee here every year.  Five months is a long time without our sweet Timmy's.  As Jackie Gleason’s character, Ralph Kramden used to say in the Honeymooners……“How sweet it is.”

Had an email from a reader this morning wondering if we were the only one’s at Cracker Barrel & did we feel safe.  Answer to that question is yes & yes.  Parking lot was quiet & well lit.  I especially liked the quiet part.  It’s very rare we do not feel comfortable somewhere & if we do, we just move. 

CANYON DE CHELLY…..NORTH RIM

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

A Mexican fellow is trying to cross the border to America when a border guard stops him.

The border guard says to the Mexican guy that before he can cross he has to make a sentence for every word that the border guard gives him.

The border guard tells him that he has to use the words green, pink, and yellow.

The Mexican agrees and says, “Ok I’m ready.”

The border guard says,”Ok go ahead.”

The Mexican says,” The telephone goes green green green….. I pink it up…… And I say yellow!”

--------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

 
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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

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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.

NICE SUNNY DAY, CROSSED THE MISSISSIPPI & CRACKER BARRELED OURSELVES:))

 

CROSSING THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI FROM MISSOURI INTO ILLINOIS

Despite traffic noise from I-40 not too far away & the coming & goings of fellow travelers in the parking lot I did manage to sleep OK but the noise did bother Kelly.

DEFINITELY LOOKING LIKE EARLY SPRING HERE IN ILLINOIS

So nice first thing this morning to see all the stormy gray clouds of yesterday replaced with big bright sunny skies.  Birds singing in the budding trees & early wild Spring flowers in the grass.  Aw yes, a healthy dose of good old early Spring tonic is always a great way to start another RV traveling day.

I THINK THE GANG IS GOING TO BE GLAD TO GET HOME

Rolled out of the Rest Area & 8:20 & one hour later we swung off eastbound I-40 west of Memphis onto I-55 heading North.  This is always a pivotal point in our travels either coming or going to the Southwest.  It’s about half way & divides the northeast part of our journey from the southwest part.  At Sikeston we picked up I-57 East & crossed the mighty Mississippi about 12:20.  With Effingham Illinois in our sites we blew through there about 4:30 heading in the general direction of that Chicago town.  Usually at Effingham we head east to Indianapolis but figured we would try a new route this time.  Indianapolis has been known to chew us up & spit us out a few times.

 

SEEMED TO BE A LOT OF FLOODING IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AREA

We prefer to travel without the pressures of destinations or time frames at the end of each day.  We stop where & whenever we wish & no 2 days are the same.  If the driving is good we just go with that & keep on rolling.  Some days we are off the road by 2 in the afternoon & some days it could be 5 or 6.  This kind of traveling probably doesn’t work for most folks but it sure is an adventurous way to do things & it works great for us. 

CANYON DE CHELLY

Heading north on I-57 towards Chicago we had no idea where we were going to spend the night.  Kelly had spotted another Rest Area in the book but then she spotted something out the window even better…… a big Cracker Barrel billboard.  Well, that sealed it because Cracker Barrel allows RV parking overnight.  Rolled into the town of Mattoon Illinois right alongside I-57 & right into a designated RV spot.  Twenty minutes later we were seated for supper.  Kelly had beef stew which was loaded with way to much pepper & I had a totally yummy open face roast sandwich on Sourdough bread heaped with mashed potatoes & gravy.  Usually on our winter trips we hit Cracker Barrel maybe 5 or 6 times through the winter.  We think this was only our third time to CB this trip.  Probably will not be in another one until we hit the road again sometimes in the Fall.  I like Cracker Barrel:))

OUR COZY LITTLE OVERNIGHTER SPOT BEHIND CRACKER BARREL IN MATTOON ILLINOIS…..(And where will we end up tomorrow night…….who knows, every day’s an adventure:))

I still think this is one of the cutest blog header photos I have ever seen…..SCOOTER & SKITTLEZ.

A problem I have with laptops is the varying position of the screen.  Not a big deal normally unless your editing photos & are as picky about that as I am that is!!  Depending whether the screen is tipped forward or back a bit the photos can appear lighter or darker.   If the screen is tipped too far back the photos appear darker or too contrasty looking.  I constantly have a problem with getting the contrast correct using my laptop.  I do use my laptop on my lap so that always makes for a varying screen position.   Kind of wished they had a little locking device or indicator to show the correct position of the screen in relation to the keyboard.  On the desktop at home the screen is stationery & this problem doesn’t exist.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

There's no such thing as a stupid question. Right? Not if you ask the National Park rangers who compiled this list of actual questions asked by park visitors.

At Grand Canyon National Park:
"Was this man-made?"
"Is there an elevator to the bottom?"
"Do you light it up at night?"
"Is the mule train air-conditioned?"
"Where are the faces of the presidents?"

At Carlsbad Caverns National Park:
"How much of the caves is underground?"
"So what's in the unexplored part of the cave?"
"Does it ever rain in here?"
"So what is this, just a hole in the ground?"
"How many ping pong balls would it take to fill it up?"

At Everglades National Park:
"Are the alligators real?"
"Are the baby alligators for sale?"
"When does the two o'clock bus leave?"

At Yosemite National Park:
"What time of year do you turn on Yosemite Falls?"
"What happened to the other half of Half Dome?"

At Alaska's Denali National Park:
"What time do you feed the bears?"
"How often do you mow the tundra?"
"How much does Mount McKinley weigh?"

At Mesa Verde National Park:
"Did people build this, or did Indians?"
"Do you know of any undiscovered ruins?"
"Why did they build the ruins so close to the road?"

--------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

 
BISBEE PHOTO ALBUM
http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/BISBEEARIZONAAFEWFINEPHOTOMEMORIES
 
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
 
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.

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