JEEP WASHED, AN AFTERNOON WALK WITH PHEEBS, & VERY VERY TIRED…………………

PROBABLY GOING TO BE A WEEK OR TWO BEFORE ALL OUR HARD PACKED FRONT YARD SNOW MELTS

Not only was I surprised at not seeing a big pile of frozen snow at the base of our front porch steps when we arrived home Tuesday morning but was also pleasantly surprised when I did a walk around the property this morning & didn’t discover any major winter storm damage.  No trees down & no large branches down which is surprising for Pine trees because they are not strong trees.  It will probably be a week or two before all the snow melts away & reveals the yard clean-up underneath.  I’m anxious to get at it.

OUR PARK’S POND STILL HAS A GOOD COATING OF ICE & A PAIR OF CANADA GEESE ARE PATIENTLY WAITING ON THE BANK FOR IT TO MELT

A MONTH FROM NOW OUR NEIGHBOR DON WILL BE BUSY WITH HIS RIDING LAWN MOWER CUTTING OUR PARK’S GRASS HERE

One of the first things I did this morning was get a bunch of bird seed out for the birdie guys.  Not being in the habit of finding seeds on the feeder station through the winter it will take awhile for word to get around in the avian community that the Bayfield Bunch lunch bar is open for business again.  More stuff carried in from the rig this morning.  A bit treacherous underfoot with the frozen ice & snow.  Hustled Jeepers down to the Bayfield Car Wash & got all that miserable salt off it.  Dianne from Stormrunner RV Sales & Service had left a message in our Shout Box to bring the rig on over & wash it with their power washer out behind the shop so this afternoon that is just what I intended to do.  However, the best laid plans of mice & men sometimes go astray.  Shortly after 1 fired up the rig, put it in reverse……& never went anywhere.  Tires just calmly turned in place on the ice which had formed under the tires.  I just as calmly shut er down & that was that.  Will wait a few days until the hardened ice & snow under & around the rig melts a little further.  No point in smoking up the tires trying to get out of there.  No hurry………………………..

NO FOOTPRINTS ON THE TRAIL TO INDICATE ANYONE HAS BEEN THIS WAY FOR A LONG TIME

IT WAS A FINE AFTERNOON FOR A WALK IN THE FOREST

<<< DOGGIE RUNNING VERY FAST IN THE SNOW TODAY:))

It was nearly noon before today’s higher & stronger sun began digging into winter’s frozen snow banks.  Nice to hear dripping sounds as the transition from ice to water began taking hold.  Of course I was right out there with my shovel, pick-axe, & ice chopper helping old Sol along.   However by mid afternoon I think the last 4 or 5 days of Interstate travel finally caught up with me but not before I was able to get Pheebs out for a walk on our Pine forest trail.  Lots of crunchy snow to get through but Pheebe was just having a blast racing around like a loonney-tick.  Not chasing anything but just running for the sheer joy of running.  I remember being like that when I was a kid.

JUST SO PEACEFUL HERE IN THE FOREST

WHICH PATH WILL I CHOOSE, LEFT OR RIGHT??

Didn’t take me long to begin appreciating some of the things we have here at our sticks & bricks in Bayfield.  I like my Toshiba laptop & it works well for me whether on the road or in Congress but what I really like is our desktop computer set up here at home.  Big monitor makes editing photos easier for me, great stereo sound with my favorite ‘Groove Salad’ music program, bigger keyboard, unlimited internet, & fast like a speeding bullet.  And how nice once again to be sitting here in our bright sunroom with a big window view looking out over our front yard.  Oh & a big 42” screen HDTV again with a separate receiver & big stereo sound.  And oh my how nice to be stretched out in my cushy recliner again.  We have a long list of pluses alright & it’s just one of the great advantages of being a Snow Bird.  Not for everybody of course but the lifestyle sure has worked well for us these last bunch of years.  Like I used to tell my airport passengers years ago, “sometimes the best part of going away is coming home”:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  I always believe in giving 100% at work:

* 12% Monday
* 23% Tuesday
* 40% Wednesday
* 20% Thursday
* 5% Friday

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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.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

LANSING MICHIGAN TO BAYFIELD ONTARIO….OH IT IS SOOOOOO GOOD TO BE HOME:))

YEP, LOOKS LIKE WE ARE BACK IN CANADA ALRIGHT

A sound on the rig’s roof in the night we hadn’t heard for a long time.  In fact I don’t think we have ever heard it on this particular rig’s roof.  A steady pitter patter, pitter patter. Rain.  Kept Kelly awake but with a sleeping pill under my belt it only fuzzied me out for a few seconds.

WARMING UP THE BIG EEE IN LANSING FOR OUR FINAL PUSH HOME

I actually welcomed the cloud cover this morning.  Each year on the last leg of our journey home we are on the road early & have always driven directly into the morning sun from about Flint Michigan to the border at Port Huron/Sarnia.  But, there was a problem with this morning’s cloud cover……it had something in it!!

Under a slight drizzle we climbed onto I-69 about 6:45 a.m. & headed ourselves off in the direction of Port Huron & the U.S. border.  Drizzle turned to rain which in turn began turning to snow about Flint Michigan.  Soon the ground was all white as far as we could see.

 

Our driving conditions deteriorated the further we went.  It was a heavy snow coming down so we had a lot of slush on the road.  Salt trucks were out & we saw 2 plows clearing the passing lane.  Several cars in the ditch.  Spray from the 18 wheelers completely coated the Big EEE & Jeepers in layers of corrosive salt.  Heavy slush patches on the road.  A long 20 mile ‘one lane’ construction zone west of Port Huron didn’t make things any easier either.

 

Finally made it to the border about 9:30 & were relieved to see there were no line-ups.  We just drove right up to the booth & stopped.  Nice young fellow asked us a few routine questions & I did manage to screw one of them up when he asked us where we lived & I said Congress.  Quickly caught myself & said Bayfield.  Thought for sure we were toast but nope, just a smile & a “have a good day folks” & that was it.

HEADING OVER THE BLUE WATER BRIDGE BETWEEN PORT HURON & SARNIA

 

STOPPING TO PAY THE $9 BRIDGE TOLL

Again, it is always such a ‘HUGE’ relief every year to get across the border with no problems & once again be back in our own very much most best country of ever, Canada.  An oh now nice to be driving on smooth highways again.

WE DID SEE A FEW CARS IN THE DITCH THIS MORNING EAST OF SARNIA

We were surprised at how much snow we saw in the fields & wondered about our driveway in Bayfield.  After being on 4 lane highways & interstates it was nice to swing onto a 2 lane rural road & head for our customary Tim Horton coffees & Apple Fritter Donuts in Forest Ontario. 

NICE TO GET OFF THE FAST INTERSTATES & BACK ONTO SLOWER RURAL HIGHWAYS

Pulled into the Foodland parking lot near Tim Hortons in Forest Ontario whereupon Kelly hopped out & headed over to Tim’s for our goodies.  It was still snowing when I let Pheebs out the side door into the white wonderland.  Johnny Mathis was singing Christmas Carols in my head.  Pheebs raced around in the snow like a looney tunes.  She just loved it.  When she stopped flying around she sat in the snow facing Tim Hortons & waited for Kelly to come back.  Ooooooh that coffee was good.  Can you imagine being without a Tim Horton’s coffee for 6 months.

ONE VERY HAPPY LITTLE DOG RACING AROUND IN THE SNOW

AND BY GOLLY HERE COMES LITTLE MOLLY MUFFIN WITH OUR STEAMING HOT TIM HORTONS COFFEE & APPLE FRITTERS

<<< AND THIS IS HOW PHEEBS SAT PATIENTLY IN THE SNOW WATCHING CLOSELY FOR KELLY TO COME OUT OF TIM HORTON’S ACROSS THE STREET WITH THE GOODIES:))

Snow began letting up & had finally quit by the time we reached Grand Bend but still snow in the fields.  About half way to Bayfield skies began clearing & we noticed less snow.  By the time we reached Bayfield farmer’s fields were clear & the sun was shining.  Pretty darn nice feeling for us coming home under sunny skies.

CLEARING SKIES AHEAD & LESS SNOW IN THE FIELDS & DITCHES

GREAT TO SEE SNOW FREE OPEN SPACES

Unhooked the Jeep in Bayfield at Clan Gregor Square & with Kelly & Pheebs leading the way in Jeepers the Big EEE & I followed the final 2 miles home to our house at the 5 Seasons Estates.  We had no idea what to expect & didn’t know if we’d be able to get into our driveway but as I swung the rig around the final corner into the rigs parking area I saw where Ken the Park’s owner had made a run in with his big tractor leaving a couple tracks for the motorhome.  We spun our big back wheels in the snow a bit but lo & behold we were able to land the coach right in her usual spot.  Thanks Ken:))  Ooooooooooh what a great feeling to be home again.  Another successful long journey safely completed.

UN-HOOKING THE JEEP IN BAYFIELD’S CLAN GREGOR SQUARE

Always a pretty darn nice feeling knowing one is only hours away from home whether traveling to Congress or Bayfield.  It’s a feeling which happens twice a year & a feeling I always look forward too.  It’s much like the even greater feeling of leaving home for a road trip whether it is a long or short one.  It is the change I look forward to more than anything.  About 2 weeks in any one place doing any one of the same things is always about max for me & it’s why winters in the southwest are always easier for me & looked forward to more than long stay at home summers in Ontario.  But, I digress……………………

OUR FINAL HALF MILE COMING HOME

A quick look around the house determined everything was Ok & there appeared to be no burst water pipes from some of the winter’s coldest temperatures on record.  Our Pontiac Sunbird started with just a touch of the key.  And oh how nice our new unused shower looked.  Our friend Rob did a superb job installing that for us.  I tried it out later & WOW:))

AHHHHHHHHHHH HOME AT LAST:)))))))

 

GOING TO BE A FEW DAYS BEFORE WE CAN GET THE WHITE PONTIAC OUT

WIDE TRACTOR TRACKS MADE IT EASIER TO GET THE BIG EEE INTO IT’S SPOT >>>

As per habit upon returning from journeys we didn’t take a rest but set right to work on unloading the coach.  Lots of food to come in, clothes, computers, laundry, etc. etc.  I had to get my snow shovel out & along with my pick-axe I was able to clear a path between the coach & our house.  Luckily the snow & ice in front of our porch steps was not as bad as I had figured it might be.  Kelly worked away at putting everything away while I did 3 loads of laundry.  We have all our home electronics fired up again & everything seems to be fine.  Never flopped into my big recliner until nearly 5 this afternoon.  Ooooooooooooohhhhh, so nice to be home & oh so nice to have a home to come home too:))

GOOD THING WE HAVE 4 WHEEL DRIVE

HERE COMES THE LAUNDRY

In the morning we will hit the decks a running again.  Need to get the Jeep off to the car wash & get that coating of salt off her.  The rig is a big mess with a coating of salt as well but with it being too cold to turn on our outside water yet it will be a few weeks before I can start the big rig clean-up.  So nice to have lots to do because it will be soon enough when I’ll be moping around looking for things to interest me.   Oh so nice to be home:))

<<< REALLY LIKE OUR GROOVY NEW SHOWER

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Driving to town this morning on the Interstate, I looked over to my left and there was a woman in a brand new Mustang doing 65 miles per hour with her face up next to her rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner! I looked away for a couple seconds and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane, still working on that dumb makeup!!!
It scared me so bad I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the donut out of my other hand. In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, it knocked my cell phone away from my other ear which fell into the coffee between my legs and disconnected an important call!
WOMEN DRIVERS EH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT!! CRACKER BARREL AGAIN?? GENESEO ILLINOIS TO LANSING MICHIGAN

Set our watches & clocks ahead one more hour one last time this morning I feel my body now knows it is finally back on good old Ontario time.  First time in a long time I didn’t wake up with it being still dark out.  We were up & on the road headed east about 8:45 a.m. Ontario time.  I was surprised right off the bat by I-80’s lite traffic.  I had over estimated the congestion problem but that’s Okay because I prefer to err on over estimating a problem rather than underestimating a problem.  It’s a much better feeling when one discovers one’s error:))

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Traffic picked up around 11:15 as we approached the west side of Chicago & by high noon we were right in the thick of things.  Threw a couple extra logs on the fire & muscled our way right through the heavy noon hour rush.  In my opinion this is where a GPS system really shines.  Our Garmin Gertie is 8 years old & the only time we ever call upon her services is when we have to make our way through cities.  Kelly programs her ahead of time & I just follow Gertie’s voice prompts all the way through the city.  ‘Stay left, stay right, turn left in half a mile, proceed 22 miles, etc. etc.’  Knowing what exits to use & what lanes to be in miles in advance just make the whole driving experience so much more easily doable & especially driving an RV or towing a trailer of any length.

ROLLING THROUGH CHICAGO

 

In Sunday’s post I said we wouldn’t be in another Cracker Barrel until maybe next October.  Well darned if we didn’t find ourselves in another Cracker Barrel about 2 this afternoon.  Two in less than a day.  Now that’s a first for us.  Kelly had remembered seeing Cracker Barrel’s daily special while looking over the menu Sunday & mentioned there was a Cracker Barrel ahead of us in Kalamazoo Michigan.  Well I didn’t need any convincing of course so soon as we saw the correct exit coming up we angled off I-94 & in we went for a soup & sandwich special.  Always yummy at Cracker Barrel.

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Found ourselves into some nasty wind gusts when when we swung off 94 onto northbound I-69.  Luckily it was only about 47 miles to Lansing so just hung onto the steering wheel all the way.  Rolled into Lansing about 4:45 & looked us up a Walmart Super Store just off 69.  We’re just up the road from a Cracker Barrel we have been in half a dozen times or more before but we were all Cracker Barreled out & neither one of us were hungry enough for supper anyway.  If we find it a bit noisy with the 18 wheelers here in Walmart we’ll just pull up stakes & move a few hundred yards down the road to Cracker Barrel’s lot.  Next post will be from Canada………:))

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We have not come across any snow anywhere yet but we understand we still have about a foot in our driveway & the area we park our motorhome.  I imagine it’s probably frozen as well so we’ll just have to deal with that little problem when we get home sometime Tuesday morning.  Also suspect snow & ice has slid off our roof & blocked our front porch steps into the house.  I will likely be busy with my pick-axe & shovel tomorrow.  Oh well after such a long leg stiffening drive I am certainly in need of some good old down home exercise.

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Kelly & I don’t make a big deal of birthdays or anniversaries so maybe I had better not mention it was Kelly’s birthday today:))

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GROANER’S CORNER:(( The local pub was so sure that its bartender was the strongest man around that they offered a standing $1000 bet.  The bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron. Anyone who could squeeze out one more drop of juice would win the money.  Many people had tried over time (weightlifters, longshoremen, etc.), but nobody could do it.  One day this scrawny little man came in, wearing thick glasses and a polyester suit, and said in a tiny, squeaky voice, "I'd like to try the bet." After the laughter had died down, the bartender said OK, grabbed a lemon, and squeezed away. Then he handed the wrinkled remains of the lemon rind to the little man.  But the crowd's laughter turned to total silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and six drops fell into the glass.  As the crowd cheered, the bartender paid the $1000, and asked the little man, "What do you do for a living? Are you a lumberjack, a weightlifter, or what?"  The man replied, "No, I'm a tax collector."

LINCOLN NEBRASKA TO GENESEO ILLINOIS JUST EAST OF DAVENPORT IOWA

CROSSING NEBRASKA’S PLATTE RIVER THIS MORNING

Heard & saw my first spring Robin.  Always pretty special for we Northeners right from our early childhood school days to see who could spot the first Robin each Spring.  Quiet night tucked away behind Lincoln Nebraska’s Cracker Barrel.  It will be another 7 months before we will be able to stop into another Cracker Barrel again.  I’m kinda glad we don’t have them in Canada & especially anywhere near us in Bayfield…….for obvious reasons!!

GOT ANOTHER PLANE FOR YA TOM

We monitor our southwestern Ontario winter weather by frequently checking in with the Grand Bend Yacht Club’s web cam set up along the Ausable River running into Lake Huron.  In theory when we see the river free of ice we know it’s time to head home.  Below is a series of photos over the past couple weeks showing the thaw this year.

 

FIRST PHOTO IS MARCH 11TH & LAST PHOTO IS MARCH 28

Not much to write about again today.  We were on the road about 7:45 headed east on I-70.  A cloud cover made it a visibly good driving day.  Traffic was light & everybody behaved themselves.  Made it to a nice little RV Park east of Davenport Iowa.  Geneseo Campground  First order of business was to get my stepladder out, a bucket of water, & a squeegee to get all those southern bugs off the windshield.  Now I won’t have to drive with my head hanging out the side window to see where we are going:))

CROSSING THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI RIVER THIS AFTERNOON

Monday morning we will roll out of Geneseo & head east on I-80 to do battle the windy city of Chicago about 150 miles away.  Traffic will be heavy from the time we get on I-80 here & get off I-69 in Lansing Michigan Monday sometime with most of the slugging & slogging being right through Chicago itself.  It will be a stock car race from start to finish.  Not our first time doing battle with this big windy city so we know what we are in for & what to expect.  Motorhome has been running fine as well as our fridge.  And we have been doing pretty fair as well.  With a bit of luck we may be home sometime Tuesday morning.  Looking forward to our brand spanking new shower which we have never even ever seen yet.  It was installed after we left for the southwest last October.

NICE HAVING FULL HOOK-UPS HERE AT THE GENESEO CAMPGROUND NEAR THE TOWN OF GENESEO EAST OF DAVENPORT ILLINOIS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  While waiting in line to check out at a paint store, a customer held up a yardstick and asked the clerk, "Do you have these in a larger size?"

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A woman was taking her time browsing through everything at a friend's yard sale, and said to her, "My husband is going to be very angry I stopped at a yard sale."  "I'm sure he'll understand when you tell him about all the bargains you found," her friend replied.
"Normally, yes," she said. "But he just broke his leg, and he's waiting for me to take him to the hospital to have it set."