Saturday ; Winnipeg to Lorette ... twice
Sunny and chilly.
This morning before leaving Joanne's sister's home, where we spent the night, we walked the three dogs ; Bo and his two "cousins", Macie the Bichon Frise and Sophie the Miniature Poodle / Dachshund. All three are "seniors". They were a good "pack" while Bo was their houseguest for the last two weeks or so. We took them for their final pack walk alongside the Red River on the Churchill Drive parkway.
Thank you for caring for our Bo for the last couple of weeks, Lorraine, Madeleine, and Amelia.
After leaving Lorraine's we went to Gimli Fish and bought quite a bit of fresh Manitoba Pickerel ... and one smoked Goldeye. We refilled with diesel at the Superstore Fuel Bar, then had lunch in the parking lot before going into Superstore to buy groceries, the completion of our "must buy before leaving Canada" shopping list, including such items as Maple Syrup and Christmas fruit cake.
We drove a bit east of Winnipeg to my sister's home near the village of Lorette. We visited with my sister and brother-in-law for part of the afternoon, and we did some chores. Joanne repackaged all the Pickerel into meal sized bags and froze them. Our freezer now contains only B.C. Salmon and Manitoba Pickerel, as fish is allowed across the border.
We treated Sharon and Bud to dinner at Swiss Chalet in Winnipeg. The restaurant was on the northwest side of the city, so it was a long drive there and back ... in their car driven by Bud. Being Saturday evening, the restaurant was very busy and service was slow. By the time we were served dinner it was way past Sharon's and Bud's usual dinner time. By the time we returned to their home, and had tea and dessert, it was way past their usual bed time. We appreciate that they were patient and gracious.
Thank you very much for all you've done, and all you've fed us, in the last few weeks, Sharon and Bud.
Sunday ; Lorette / Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.A.
GEEEEEZZZ ... Fargo ! ! !
Sunny all day, cool in the morning in Lorette, mild and very windy by the time we reached Fargo late in the afternoon.
I had a chance to chat with Sharon and Bud for awhile this morning before they had to leave their home at 10 AM. Joanne and I had their home and bathroom to ourselves until we were ready to depart about 11:15 AM. I took Bo for a long walk through their "back forty" just before we departed. He loves exploring their large property. Before Sharon and Bud departed for the wedding shower that Sharon was hosting, she gave us two plates full of wedding shower "dainties". MMMMM ! Thank you. Sharon ! She certainly does feed us ( and everyone else ) well !
We headed east on Trans-Canada Highway 1 just a short distance back to Winnipeg, then around the south side of the city on Perimeter Highway 100, then south on Pembina Hwy. 75 to the border crossing from Emerson, Manitoba to Pembina, North Dakota. We stopped on the Canadian side at the Visitor Information Centre and had lunch in the parking lot. MMMMM ... that smoked Goldeye from Gimli Fish certainly was good ! Bo agreed ! It’s been a lot of years since I’ve had smoked Goldeye.
Today's border crossing was the fastest / most painless crossing ever ! The female Customs & Border Patrol agent asked us about half a dozen simple and sensible questions, then sent us on our way. Didn't even get an Agriculture Inspection, which
I thought was mandatory for RV's crossing the border. Total time for the border crossing process was probably less than a minute.
We continued southbound in North Dakota on Interstate 29. When we reached Grand Forks we decided that there was enough daylight left for us to continue on to Fargo before stopping for the night. At Fargo we found Wal-Mart, got parked then went inside to do some shopping, mostly to buy some fresh groceries and a cell phone. This is the fourth year in a row that I have been unable to reactivate our U.S. cell phone, and have had to buy another one. I'm extremely dissatisfied and annoyed that every year I end up discarding a perfectly good cell phone that we have used for only six months the previous winter season. And now that I'm thinking about it, for each and every one of the previous eleven years, I have experienced cell phone drama when we return to the United States in the fall.
As I type this ( at 7:20 PM ) while waiting for supper to be ready, behind us in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart is a ... meeting of some sort. Six, old, diesel pick-up trucks, drivers wearing filthy baseball caps, some wearing camouflage clothing, some sporting long, bushy "Duck Dynasty" beards, a couple of the trucks flying Confederate flags. Wonder if they're from the Fargo Chamber of Commerce ? HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
Monday ; Fargo, North Dakota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sunny and warm. Much warmer than expected ! Temperatures already up in the 70's !
This morning we left the Wal-Mart in Fargo and drove a short distance to the Farm & Fleet Fuel Bar where we refilled with diesel and adjusted the air in all the truck tires. Then we went over to Love's where we refilled the camper's freshwater tank.
We continued southbound on Interstate 29. All day ! Flat and straight ! Endless corn fields ! Oh, boy ... I can hardly wait to see what Iowa has in store. HA HA HA !
When we crossed from North Dakota into South Dakota we stopped at the Visitor Information Centre / Rest Area to have lunch. We stopped again in Brookings to buy some groceries at Wal-Mart. Terrible service at the deli counter. Two out of the three employees behind the deli counter should be fired. The third one needs an attitude adjustment ! We stopped for the night at the Flying J in Sioux Falls.
While Joanne prepared supper I walked across the street to use free Wi-Fi at Burger King. I completed the activation of our new cell phone.
Tuesday ; Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Council Bluffs, Iowa ( across Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska )
Sunny and very warm, temperature in the low 80's F. / high 20's C.
We didn't travel as many miles as usual today, mostly because I had to do some repairs on the camper. We left the Flying J this morning without buying diesel or refilling our freshwater tank. Their freshwater was already turned off for the winter ( despite the temperature today being in the 80's ! ) and their fuel price was not competitive. The Flying J chain has deteriorated a lot since Pilot bought them about five years or so ago. And ... the same holds true for Camping World, which has also deteriorated immensely since being bought by Good Sam five years or so ago as well !
We continued southbound on Interstate 29. Before reaching Iowa we stopped at Coffee Cup Travel Plaza to refill with diesel and freshwater, then drove across the highway to a rest area to have lunch and a brief nap. Continuing south on Interstate 29 we crossed from South Dakota into Iowa, following the along the east side of the Missouri River. Across the river is Nebraska. When we reached Council Bluffs, Iowa ( across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska ) we found our way to Camping World. This morning we discovered a plumbing leak underneath the bathroom sink and I needed some repair supplies. AND ... when we stopped at a rest area this afternoon to dump our black waste holding tank the sewer hose bayonet mount broke, so I needed a replacement for that as well.
We bought the repair parts, I replaced the sewer hose bayonet mount, then I removed the bathroom sink faucets and installed a new set. The bathroom sink faucet set that
I bought and installed only nine months ago seems to have not survived the Northern Manitoba experience ! After I finished the repairs Joanne made supper. She was feeling quite ill today with a cold. My cold seems to be progressing quicker than hers, so it seems that I'm over the worst already.
Wednesday ; Council Bluffs, Iowa to Nevada, Missouri
It rained heavily overnight. Sunny and very warm again today. Weather much warmer than expected since we left Canada.
This morning we left the Camping World parking lot and resumed driving southbound on Interstate 29. About ten miles before reaching Missouri we took an exit where we could see there were a few different Travel Plazas ( large "truck stop" service stations with many services and amenities ). At the first one we pulled into we found a sani-dump station so we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater.
After crossing into Missouri we stopped in St. Joseph where we had lunch in the parking lot of the Visitor Information Centre then refilled with diesel at FastGas. We found a mall with a Dollar Tree and a Wal-Mart, and while Joanne went shopping at both I napped briefly with Bo.
Q ; How can one tell one is in Missouri ?
A : Dead armadillos on the side of the road ! HA HA HA !
We continued southbound on Interstate 29, entering Kansas City, Missouri ( as opposed to Kansas City, Kansas on the other side of the Missouri River ) at rush hour.
It took about an hour to drive across Kansas City. The traffic flowed well through the city on the Interstate. We've experienced cities that were much more difficult to drive across than this was. Coming out the south side of Kansas City we got onto Interstate 49 still heading south.
We stopped for the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Nevada ( pronounced "NeVAYda" ), Missouri. Across the street there was a noisy, scary looking industrial plant of some sort. Perhaps a power generating station ? Nuclear ? NAAAH ... it's Missouri. Probably coal ! HA HA HA !
Thursday ; Nevada to Turkey Creek SKP RV Village, Branson, Missouri
Sunny, very warm again, humid. Turns out that the noisy, scary looking industrial plant across the street was a 3M factory.
This morning we pulled out of the Wal-Mart parking lot and across the street to Murphy’s USA Fuel Bar ( owned by Wal-Mart, I think ) where we refilled with diesel and refilled our freshwater tank. We continued southbound on Interstate 49. At Joplin we turned eastbound onto Interstate 44. We stopped for lunch at a truck rest area ( no services, just tractor/trailer parking spots ) then at Springfield turned south again on Hwy. 60. Isn’t Springfield, Missouri the home of “The Simpsons” ?
As we passed a very large RV parts dealer I decided to stop and buy some RV repair parts I want and/or need. They had most, but not all, of what I was looking for. As I was putting a spare part into the storage area underneath our dinette table ... the dinette table leg mounting base broke. How convenient ! I went back inside the store and bought a replacement, then installed it while in their parking lot.
Late in the afternoon we arrived in Branson, then found our way to the SKP park in the nearby suburb of Hollister. We checked in, parked in their unserviced “boondock” area, then I went to take a nap. Joanne was extremely ill today, for the third day in a row. She spent the rest of the afternoon and evening resting and recuperating. I hope she begins to feel better soon.
After I napped we took Bo for a play session in the fenced dog park, then I went to the clubhouse to get some work done on Wi-Fi. I returned to the camper for tonight’s supper of leftovers. Joanne had been perusing the Branson entertainment information she had picked up in the clubhouse. Gee Whiz ... hundreds of entertainment venues and shows in Branson, and not a single one appeals to us. We may be leaving here sooner than initially planned.
Friday ; Turkey Creek SKP RV Village
Mostly sunny, very warm, humid. Wearing shorts and sandals, no shirt for most of the day ! Very nice fall colours here in the Ozark Mountains.
Well ! ! ! Our plan was to leave here tomorrow morning and continue heading south towards Louisiana and Texas. But late this afternoon I learned about Hurricane Patricia. And if we leave here tomorrow as planned, we'll arrive in southwest Louisiana about the same time as Hurricane Patricia ! ! ! Perhaps we'll just stay here for another couple of days ?
Most of today was spent on chores. Joanne did laundry. I gave Joanne a haircut ... at her request. And did a darn good job ! I did repairs. Including modifying the water pump plumbing now that I had the required parts. And that included reinstalling the in-line water filter. I discovered a section of plumbing that seemed rather swollen. I think it froze while we were up north at Churchill and the camper was sitting unattended in below freezing temperatures at Thompson. The flexible plumbing hose didn't burst, but it certainly did swell. I'll replace it as soon as I acquire some half inch reinforced RV plumbing hose. I also did some work online in the clubhouse, paying this month's MasterCard bills, both Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar.
This RV park has a population of younger RV'ers, with children. And Bo seems to be a child magnet. He seems to have quickly developed a fan club of young children who are not shy about coming over and asking if they can take Bo to the fenced dog park. This afternoon he stole a young boy's ham sandwich right out of the boy's hand. Bad dog, Bo. Although ... < whispering and snickering > ... it was rather funny. And I had previously warned Nick that if he kept waving that sandwich around as he talked that Bo might lunge for it. And ... he eventually did ! Nick said ... "oh, well, I guess I was just about finished eating that". HA HA HA !
We have sort of made friends with a young family here. We met in the dog park yesterday. Father, pregnant mother, four very young children, and Chloe the Standard Poodle whose first birthday is tomorrow. The family looks like, dresses like, and behaves like ... the Duggar family on TLC's "Nineteen Kids & Counting". Even names their children like the Duggar's. Each child's name starts with the same letter as the first letter of the father's first name. I don't know if that's some specific religious thing ... or an Arkansas thing ... or ? ? ? They spend about half their time travelling, although not very far from their home in nearby Arkansas. The father "preaches" in churches as they travel. The pregnant mother says he "evangelizes". I don't really know what that means ! They know ... pretty close to nothing about Canada and Canadians. They seem astounded that we have travelled in Mexico. < shrug >
Joanne slept better last night than the previous few nights. And she slept late this morning. And took it easy today. So ... she's finally feeling just a bit better. Another couple of restful days spent here doing not much of anything probably wouldn't hurt.
I'm currently ( at 8:30 PM ) sitting in the clubhouse, working on my computer, plugged into electricity to recharge the battery, because we are in the unserviced "dry camp" area. The weekly "jam session" is taking place in the clubhouse. Seven very old men, one drummer, six guitarists, playing and singing "country" music. Their accents make them unintelligible to me. Some are wearing cowboy hats. Some are wearing bib front denim overalls. I ... should stop typing before I type something that I'm going to regret. HA HA HA ! YEE-HAW !
Saturday ; Branson, Missouri
Mostly cloudy, cool.
After a slow, late start to the day we went shopping and exploring. First stop was the nearby Lowe's where I bought some reinforced hose and fittings. Tomorrow I will change the camper water pump's swollen outlet hose. I'm desperately hoping that will finally be the end of the month long water pump drama. After Lowe's we crossed the street to Country Mart, the local supermarket to refill our five gallon water jug and buy some groceries. We had lunch in the grocery store's parking lot and I napped briefly before we set off for an afternoon of exploring Branson.
We found our way to the new, very large shopping mall area known as Branson's Landing. As we were walking from our parking spot over to the stores a restored trolley bus stopped right in front of us. It drove a forty minute route around "Historic Downtown Branson", so ... we hopped aboard. After the trolley bus tour of Historic Downtown Branson ... not all that impressive ... we went browsing at Bass Pro Shop, a huge outdoors / sporting goods store, similar to Cabela's. We wandered around for awhile and I selected a fishing fly to buy. While waiting in line to pay for it, I became impatient with the bad service, tossed the fly onto an empty checkout counter, and we left. We browsed and wandered from one end of Branson's Landing shopping area to the opposite end. Again ... not all that impressive.
As we pulled out of the mall's parking lot I noticed a fuel station across the street with the lowest price I had seen locally, so I refilled with diesel. We drove through the main part of Branson's entertainment "Strip", at crawling speed in bumper to bumper traffic. When we got to the very new Cici's Pizza outlet I impulsively decided I wanted to have supper at Cici's. I pulled into the parking lot ... and could not find a parking spot that was level enough to permit the camper's fridge to operate. Joanne was feeling ill and crabby today, I was feeling depressed and crabby today, so again ... impatiently we left !
We finally drove out of Branson's traffic congestion and a few miles over to Table Rock Dam and Table Rock State Park. We walked around briefly with Bo, but it was getting chilly and dark ... so ... we drove "home" to Turkey Creek SKP RV Village. While Joanne prepared supper I went to the clubhouse to use Wi-Fi. After dinner I worked on monthly computer backup chores.
From our perspective, Branson is a waste of time and money !
DSK
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