COLDWATER MICHIGAN TO BAYFIELD ONTARIO & SOME ‘AWWWWW NUTS’ THOUGHTS AT THE BORDER………..

THE FACE OF ‘HAPPY TO BE HOME’:))))))))

Easy to tell we were further north Sunday night.  Had to crank up the rig’s furnace.  A nice advantage of our small Sunseeker’s size is the fact it’s basically one small room & warms up very fast thus not using much propane.  Bonus.

MINUTES LATER WE ROLLED OUT OF THE HOME DEPOT PARKING LOT IN COLDWATER MICHIGAN

By 5:10 a.m. this morning Coldwater Michigan was fast fading in our rear view mirror as we headed east for the border.  It was a 3 hour drive & I was glad to see a band of clouds sitting on the horizon.  That simply meant we would not be driving right into a blinding sunrise.  We’ve run into that problem before on this stretch of Interstate with old Sol sitting right on the road.

LAST PIT STOP OF OUR 2012-2013 TRAVELS…NEAR POST HURON MICHIGAN THIS MORNING

We reached the U.S. side of the border at 8:35 a.m.  With the border office opening at 8 we had figured it best not to be there right at 8.  A good idea to let the border staff get a couple good jolts of Monday morning coffee under their belts first.  And, as it turns out, it’s a good thing we did!!

PARKED AT THE BORDER WAITING FOR KELLY TO CLEAR THE AMERICAN ‘EXPORT’ BUILDING

Now, you would think with all the agonized worrying I have been doing over this whole importing of the Sunseeker from the U.S. to Canada, & after all the glitches, stumbles, border stress, fretting about being detained forever, put in shackles, & all the rest of it…….the border guards could have had the decency to give us at least a good 15 minutes of their most miserable time ever.  But, oh no……they were all as nice as nice could be.  Well, except for the guy who warned Kelly to ‘step back’ because I think he thought she was going to blow him up!!  Ok, to explain……………

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We crossed at the Port Huron/Sarnia border crossing.  As we approached the first line of border check booths at 8:40 we pulled off the road onto a concrete shoulder on the right side.  Nowhere did any sign tell us where to go when ‘importing’ a vehicle.  We saw a brick building to our left so Kelly grabbed her papers & quickly crossed the road dodging lite border traffic & headed for the building.  Outside the building was a man in an elevated booth.  Kelly approached the booth to ask for directions & the man quickly put up his hand & hollered, “do not come any closer Ma’am”!!  Maybe he thought she was a terrorist.  Kelly was able to get some directions out of him anyway despite her threatening presence & about 10 minutes later came out of the brick building with a smile on her face.  This building was U.S. customs where one has to let them know one is ‘Exporting’ a vehicle out of the United States.  That went off without a hitch & Kelly said the man was really nice.  Ok, now comes the part where everything goes into the dumpster, right?

KELLY ENCOUNTERS ‘A CONCERNED BORDER OFFICIAL’ IN THE ROUND BOOTH BEFORE ENTERING THE BIG BUILDING BEHIND IT

Over the big steel girder Blue Water bridge we go with great views all around.  The vastness of Lake Huron on the left & the St. Claire River stretching away to the right.  We get ourselves into the RV Lane & pick a border inspection booth ahead.  Hope we get a border person with a good Monday morning attitude.   We did.  Young fella who, despite the usual fumbles on my part answering questions, had some smiles for us & a double take on the great price we paid for our Sunseeker.  He instructed us to pull over to a nearby building & park under a canopy.  Border staff were there to meet us.  Now, here’s the best part, for me that is….I got to stay in the rig with Pheebs while Kelly went inside the building to do the paper work for ‘Importing’ a vehicle to Canada.  Twenty minutes later she was climbing in the passenger door with an even bigger smile on her face.  It was all done & Kelly said the lady inside could not have been any nicer or more helpful.  It’s not fair I tell ya…..after all my grumbling, worrying, complaining, fretting, speculating, predicting, etc. etc. etc. & then everything goes off without a hitch.  ‘Awwwww nuts’ it’s just not fair to us grumbling folks I tell ya!!

 

LAKE HURON STRETCHES LIKE AN OPEN SEA TO THE NORTH

Within minutes of leaving the border inspection area at 9:20 we knew we were back in Canada.  Even with our eyes closed we always know.  How?  Smooth roads:))  From the time we arrived at the border until the time we left the border spanned about 40 minutes.  Who would have ever thunk it would have gone so smooth eh.  Hint….Kelly did her homework:))

 

BACK TO THE FLAT LANDS OF ONTARIO

We were on the homeward leg of our journey & half an hour later we were at a Tim Hortons coffee shop in Forest Ontario for our annual coffee & donuts to go.  Ohhhhh, what a great feeling that was.  And what a great feeling making that final 45 minute drive home to Bayfield.  Home is always home no matter where you go & we are lucky enough to have two of them.  But Bayfield is home-home.

 

ROLLING INTO THE SOUTH END OF BAYFIELD AT 10:45 THIS MORNING

We always stop on ClanGregor square in Bayfield & unhook our Jeep before driving the final couple miles to our place just outside of town.  Just a little easier doing it that way.

 

JEEP’S UNHOOKED AS KELLY PULLS OUT TO LEAD THE WAY HOME 

Pheebs went absolutely Bonkers as soon as she jumped out of the Sunseeker & saw where she was.  She raced around & around & around about a hundred miles an hour.  She was so totally excited & happy the long journey was over & she was home.  She could hardly contain herself as she ripped back & forth up the driveway, down the driveway, into the back yard, into the front yard, & upside down around the side yard.  Pheebs & I even made it out for a trip around the pine forest trail later.

ENTRANCE TO OUR PARK WITH OUR MAIL ROOM ON THE LEFT

 

ROLLING THE NEW SUNSEEKER INTO IT’S SPOT

HOME WITH ONE VERY HAPPY LITTLE DOG

More thoughts on returning home, our hurried trip, Congress, how the Sunseeker performed, & our busy agenda ahead in the coming days & weeks but for tonight it’s time to just kick back in my favorite recliner & grab a few hours of unconscious time.  In the morning we kick things into high gear again as we hook up the utility trailer & quickly head for Mitchell Ontario between gathering rain fronts to clean out Uncle Harry’s room.  For the next while there just isn’t going to be enough hours in the days for us.  Uncle Harry’s funeral will be one week from today………….

IT WAS FOUR & HALF DAYS OF GRUELING TRAVEL FOR THE BUNCH

GROANER’S CORNER:((   A man is having a really bad day on the golf course. By the 14th hole, he's missed one putt too many, and he lets loose with a string of profanities, grabs his putter, and storms off toward the lake by the 15th tee.
"Uh-oh," says his caddie to one of his playing partners, "There goes that club."
"You think so?" said the other golfer. "I've got five bucks says he misses the water."

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

ST. LOUIS MISSOURI TO COLDWATER MICHIGAN…MONDAY WE DO THE BORDER!!

With a partially cloud shrouded crescent Moon low on the eastern horizon we made our way through yet another sleeping city.  St. Louis Missouri’s Gateway Arch stood tall on our left as we crossed an unseen Mississippi River.  We’ve tangled with St. Louie a few times before so we wisely knew enough to do it this time in the wee quiet hours of a Sunday morning.

Rolled out of Cracker Barrel shortly after 5 a.m. & yaaaay, no wind.  Well, not yet.  Nice morning & smooth sailing all the way to Indianapolis.  Indianapolis has always had a habit of beating us up & spitting us out.  Today was no exception.  Interchanges had changed out around the airport since last there & we missed a new 465 route change.  I-70 dragged us right down through Indianapolis itself & unceremoniously tossed us out the other side.  We’ve been tossed out there before so knew how to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, & grapple our way back northward to pick up our route again on I-69 north.

Winds had picked up & it wasn’t long before I saw a truck & fifth wheel on the other side of I-69 pulled off on a southbound shoulder.  Noticed a man about 300 feet behind the rig approaching a tangled mess in the ditch.  It was his awning…….metal arms & all.  The buffeting east bound cross winds had hit him on his awning side.  We had a similar thing happen back in 07.  BIG KANSAS WINDS. 

Had been hoping to make it up to Lansing Michigan but Kelly spotted a Walmart going through a place called Coldwater Michigan & that was it.  We needed a new vacuum cleaner anyway & this was likely going to be our last U.S. Walmart stop before hitting the early morning U.S./Canada border.  So it is a new vacuum cleaner we now have.  The old one is in Congress & we are in a Home Depot parking lot for the night.  Walmart’s parking lot did not look too appealing. 

Monday morning we will do the border thing.  Offices for importing vehicles etc do not open until 8 a.m. so I imagine we’ll be at their door by 8 or shortly after.  We have all our proper papers in order & everything is above board but it’s a border thing so it all depends on what mood the person on the other side of the counter is in.  Remember, it’s Monday morning:((

SOME TRAVEL DAYS GET A TAD MORE CLUTTERED THAN OTHERS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  My kids love going to the Web, and they keep track of their passwords by writing them on Post-it notes.
I noticed their Disney password was "MickeyMinnieGoofyPluto," and so I asked why it was so long.  "Because," my son explained, "they say it has to have at least four characters."

WEATHERFORD OKLAHOMA TO ST LOUIS MISSOURI…WINDY, BUT WE MADE IT:))

 
THANKS TO READERS FOR IDENTIFYING THIS MOCKINGBIRD, IT SURE SANG PURDY & HAD THE NICEST WHITE BANDS WHILE FLYING….ST. LOUIS CRACKLE BARREL PARKING LOT
We set our sites on St. Louis Missouri this morning & by golly we made it.  Rolled out of Weatherford’s Walmart around 5.am.  Windy as all get out & we fought that wind for the rest of the day.  The Sunseeker may be smaller than the Motorhome but with it’s high profile & less weight it is quite susceptible to heavy wind gusts so one has to be on their toes for sure.

 
NICE TO WALK IN AN OAK TREE FOREST & EVEN SEE SOME SPRING DANDELIONS…MISSOURI  WELCOME CENTER & REST AREA
The toll road was once again a nice alternative to having to go through Oklahoma City but if you come this way be prepared to part ways with a $25 dollar bill.  The toll route actually consists of 3 Turnpikes.  The Kilpatrick costs $4.60 while both the Turner & Will Rogers Pikes cost $9.75 each.  Money well spent on less stress I figure.

NO, WE DIDN’T STOP AT THIS COOL McDONALDS WITH AN INTERSTATE RUNNING UNDER IT
Because it was Saturday I didn’t find the city of Tulsa as traffic infested as last time.  Other than some bad wind gusts east of Joplin Missouri our day was rather uneventful.  Temps have been in the low 70’s.  Looks like we could be running into some very wet weather sometime Sunday though:((

ALWAYS NICE TO SEE FORESTS & TREES AGAIN
In December of 04 heading for Big Bend in Texas with our Class C Golf Stream Conquest we came through St. Louis & stopped at a Cracker Barrel.  Stopped at the same CB with our Motorhome another time & today we made that same Cracker Barrel our overnight stop for the day.  Mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, & chicken fried steak is my kinda grub so I enjoyed my Cracker Barrel supper tonight.  I think Kelly had green stuff or something.

 

WE ALWAYS ENJOY POPPING INTO A CRACKER BARREL OR TWO ALONG THE WAY:))
Ended up logging 560 miles today making our journey 59 miles longer than Saturday.  By leaving Congress on a Thursday we have been able to deal with 3 major traffic problems on one week-end.  Oklahoma City Saturday morning, St. Louis Missouri Sunday morning & Indianapolis Indiana Sunday afternoon.  Bonus:))

THIS JEEP WRANGLER SEEMS TO FOLLOW US WHEREVER WE GO
Very much behind on my blog reading the past few days but again just want to thank everyone for their kind emails, shouts, comments, & thoughts.  It is you folks who put the spring in my step each day.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A hopeful suitor dropped into a computer-dating center and registered his qualifications. He wanted someone who enjoyed water sports, liked company, favored formal attire, and was small in stature.  The computer operated faultlessly.
It sent him a Penguin.
-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.

ALBUQUERQUE NEW MEXICO TO WEATHERFORD OKLAHOMA…A TIRING WINDY DAY

EAST BOUND ON I-40 SOMEWHERE IN NEW MEXICO EARLY THIS MORNING

We were on the road by 4:30 a.m. Arizona time & totally enjoyed Albuquerque’s sea of lights as we descended into the Rio Grande Valley & through the golden night time city of embers.  Traffic heading east in the San Pedro Mountains was light & we were out onto the flatter eastern plains before the sun was up.  Just as I had hoped:)) 

Overcast skies kicked up a tough gusting Texas crosswind coming at us from the south all day.   Saw a travel trailer on I-40 with it’s awning torn out & in tatters.  Our gas mileage really suffered as we fought our way across the Texas  panhandle.  Computer said we were averaging about 8.2 mpg.  The hectic winds chased us all the way right up into Oklahoma.  As I type this from the front passenger seat of the Sunseeker tonight the wind continues it’s relentless harassment.  Forecast is for winds again tomorrow but we can do er.

CROSSING THE TEXAS PANHANDLE

 

OH DAD, WILL WE BE HOME SOON………

This is our third stay at Weatherford’s Walmart alongside Interstate 40.  Stopped here on our way home last year & again on our way to Congress in the Fall.  We were needing a few groceries & we find this Walmart an easy stop.  Gas station on the way in as well.  After a long day’s drive I don’t mind just wandering around aimlessly in a Walmart store loosing myself somewhere between Housewares & Men’s Underwear……………….

JUST A FEW VIEWS FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT TODAY

Looks like the weather is going to hold for us so we’ll do the toll route in the morning around the north end of Oklahoma City up through Tulsa on I-44.  Don’t mind paying those tolls to avoid the chaos of city traffic congestion.  We are basically on the same time & route schedule as last year.  And as last year, we once again have an urgency in our step.

SNAGGED ME A COUPLE WINDMILLS FOR YA MIKE:))

Kelly & I are Executors Of The Estate for my Uncle Harry’s estate & we will have to hit the ground running as soon as we get home.  Uncle Harry’s funeral plans are already in place but a date is yet to be set, depending on our arrival date.  Harry’s room has to be quickly emptied at the care facility.  Many, many, tasks ahead of us.  Aunt Jean flies in from Florida next week as well.  Kelly has been busy on the phone these past couple travel days cancelling Uncle Harry’s phone, cable TV, etc.   Numerous things to deal with but as I sit here tonight with my headphones on listening to sounds of the Big Band era I know I am enjoying the same music Uncle Harry enjoyed so much as well all those oh so many young years ago. 

GROANER’S CORNER:((    I was browsing in a souvenir shop when the man next to me struck up a conversation. Just as he was telling me that his wife was getting carried away with her shopping, a brief power shortage caused the lights to flicker overhead.
"Ah," he sighed, "that must be her checking out now."

-------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.