Sunday, November 28, 2021

November 21 to 27, 2021 ; Yuma, Arizona

 Sunday ; Sunny and very warm. What did you expect? It’s Yuma!

I had a very sore throat today. Clogged with phlegm. I’m a bit worried about Covid!

Joanne spent today moving food and clothing from the camper into the trailer. And sorting and discarding almost all of my clothes in the trailer. All the clothing that fit me when I was eighty pounds heavier. She kept my socks. HA HA HA !

I spent much of today getting the car functional. Which was more difficult than expected. The minivan’s battery is … “toast”! I charged it overnight. It didn’t hold a charge. And the only useful thing about it today was … after I reinstalled it in the minivan it was something to connect booster cables to, to jump start the minivan using the truck. In the evening I purchased car insurance online. Tomorrow I hope to get the car registration and license renewed. At the DMV <sigh>. And buy a new battery.

Not only the car’s battery was toast. Also the car cover. And the tire covers. And the tires were flat. And it was thickly coated with desert dust. AND … because I had installed a car cover … which subsequently self-destructed in the summer heat … I left the two rear vent windows open so that the inside of the car wouldn’t “bake” underneath the car cover. Well … with the car cover destroyed, the open windows simply allowed the interior to also get thickly coated in desert dust. <sigh>

I reinflated the tires. I rinsed off the exterior. I ignored the interior. Maybe Joanne will clean it. HA HA HA!

We have become so disgusted with America … and Americans … that we are actively avoiding interacting with neighbours. Tonight a pair of neighbours (and long ago former friends) became obviously pissed off at us for ignoring them. <shrug> Make America Great Again … asshole!

Steinbach home to Yuma home was 4065 km./2541 miles! Fuel costs were US$917! Driving time was 51 hours!

Monday ; Thin, high overcast, very warm.

After an early lunch we set off for an afternoon of errands. First stop was Goodwill Thrift Store to buy a small bathroom scale to replace the electronic one that just died. I bought a high quality “doctor’s office” analog scale. Next stop was the Speedway Fuel Bar on 4th Ave. that has an RV dump station to dump the camper’s waste holding tanks. From there … <sigh> … the Yuma Motor Vehicle Division to renew the minivan’s registration/license. The line-up for service was extremely long, but the wait for service was about half an hour, less than I had expected when I saw the line-up. I was not very happy to realize that the Arizona Department of Transportation was charging me a penalty almost equal to a year’s license fees because I had not paid the prior year’s license fees. Well … DUH … we’re Canadian and were not here due to the pandemic. Yeah … that didn’t matter to the ADOT! While I was bitching at the ADOT MVD agent Joanne was nudging me, so … I shut up and paid!

Next stop was Beamspeed, our local Internet service provider, to pick up a router/modem. Always a pleasure to deal with Beamspeed. Their front counter service agents are always knowledgeable and efficient. Their procedures are simple and straightforward. Their Internet service is fast and reliable and well priced. At Wal-Mart I bought a new battery for the minivan, and we replenished groceries and supplies. Last stop was Lowe’s to buy an item that Wal-Mart did not have.

Back at home about 5 PM I installed the minivan’s new battery and we parked the camper in our storage yard spot before we went for our late exercise walk as the sun set and it became dark. We chatted with some old friends as we walked around and around the RV park. We still have some American friends here that we respect enough to NOT be anti-social towards.

Tuesday ; Overcast and warm.

Late this morning Joanne went out by herself to run errands. I got the ball rolling on selling our home here. I went to the lot transfer committee meeting to initiate the process of selling our lot. Afterwards I visited for awhile with our friend Carol Mae, who is a “master strategist” and excellent at “gittin’ er done”. She had some helpful advice for me. I also pursued a lead with our RV park’s designated “Mexican Jack Of All Trades” who not only gets any and all renovation and repair projects done, but is also pretty adept at finding a buyer or seller of almost anything and everything. Maybe he can be of some help to me in getting our trailer sold.

At suppertime we visited with our friends Linda and David from Oregon. Linda was also at the lot transfer committee meeting today to initiate the process of getting their lot and park model manufactured home sold.

Late in the evening Joanne found online pictures of the flash flooding last week of the Similkameen River at our previous summer home location at Riverside RV Park Resort near Keremeos, BC. WOW !!!!! <blink blink>

AHHHH … who cares?!? We already took our money and ran. HA HA HA! As always … better to be lucky than good! What great timing we had!

Wednesday ; Sunny and very warm.

Thursday ; American Thanksgiving

Sunny and very warm. Roasted a chicken in the Sun Oven today.

Friday ; Sunny and very warm.

This morning I went to the Arizona MarketPlace flea market to buy some hardware and to order a custom made dash cover for our Steinbach minivan. When I entered the hardware outlet, first thing I encountered was a large display table full of … <sputter> … MAGA hats, Trump 2024 hats and decals, and … <SPUTTER> … hats, decals, flags, etc. emblazoned with “Let’s Go, Brandon”. WTF!?! I dropped my shopping basket and stormed out! I am SO eager to sell our property and possessions and end our winter visits here!!!!!

And if that didn’t sour me enough …

I left the Arizona MarketPlace and drove to a nearby, independent hardware store called Wally’s World, a favourite of mine. While standing in line to pay, I noticed the grizzled old man in front of me who was paying for his purchases had … <SPUTTER> … a large sheathed knife and a small holstered gun both attached to his belt.

FFS!!!!!!!!!! You need both a shiv and a piece on your belt to go Black Friday shopping to the hardware store ????? GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!

<taking a deep breath>

Saturday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne baked a Saskatoon grunt in the Sun Oven today.

Our friend Carol Mae came over for a long visit in our Arizona room this afternoon. I can always count on Carol Mae to give me a pep talk when I need one.

DSK

Monday, November 22, 2021

November 14 to 20, 2021 ; Oklahoma/Texas border to Yuma, Arizona

Sunday ; Oklahoma I-40 Welcome Center to Amarillo, Texas to New Mexico I-40 Welcome Center

Sunny and mild.

This morning we did our early exercise walk before leaving the rest area around 11 AM. We drove just a few miles west on I-40 (AKA Historic Route 66) before stopping at a Love’s to refill our freshwater tank and buy half a tank of diesel fuel. Like Flying J, Love’s fuel prices are too high.

The Texas Visitor Information Center was a hundred miles into the state, at Amarillo. Rather odd to locate the Visitor Information Center that far into the state. We stopped at the Visitor Information Center and while Joanne heated up our catfish dinner leftovers for lunch I went into the Visitor Information Center and used their free Wi-Fi to check and send e-mail.

After lunch we found our way to Amigos, a Mexican supermarket. We LOOOOOVE Mexican supermarkets. We stocked up on some of our favourite Mexican groceries and meats from the butcher counter. AND … of course … some pan dulce, including a large piece of Tres Leches cake to share at bedtime tonight. After Amigos I refilled the truck with diesel at Valero and we set off to find the second location of Rudy’s Country Store & BBQ on the other/west side of Amarillo. We bought more spicy chopped beef brisket and potato salad for supper tonight, then decided it was too early to stop for the night, as initially planned. It was only 4:30 PM. We continued west on I-40 heading across the Texas Panhandle.

We arrived at the Texas border with New Mexico around 6 PM. It was still daylight. And as soon as we crossed into New Mexico and stopped for the night at the New Mexico I-40 Welcome Center, I began setting all of our clocks back an hour to Mountain Standard Time. Half an hour later it was dark, at 5:30 PM. Yup … that made sense.

We went for our late exercise walk around the large rest area grounds. There were “remnants” of a previous RV park on the rest area grounds. We had our Rudy’s BBQ for supper. MMMMM !

At Rudy’s condiments bar I had picked up a variety of pickled peppers to try. WHEW … <sweating and breathing fire> … nope … not for me !

Monday ; New Mexico I-40 Welcome Center to Santa Rosa Lake State Park

Sunny and warm, temperature in the high 70’s F. How very nice !

Before leaving the New Mexico Welcome Center this morning we went for our early exercise walk and then refilled the camper’s freshwater tank. I went inside the Welcome Center to attempt to use their Wi-Fi but … it wasn’t working. And … the two older women staffing the Welcome Center this morning seemed … well … dumb as rocks !

As we departed the Welcome Center around 10:30 AM Joanne hatched the idea of going to a New Mexico state park for a “day off”. A day off for me ! A day off from driving most of the day. What an excellent idea, my dear.

We continued west on I-40. At the town of Santa Rosa we left the freeway and drove a seven mile winding, climbing road up to Santa Rosa State Park, in high desert at an elevation of about 5000 feet. We expected that elevation to be quite cold, but it was not.


We drove around the campground, selected a site we liked, and had a late lunch. For the first time in more than a week I had an afternoon nap. AHHHHH ! We rested, Joanne did crosswords, I did some computer work including processing some photos from my camera to my laptop, we went for a long walk at sunset. No jackets required ! I set up our little barbecue under the campsite’s picnic ramada and barbecued some seasoned, marinated chicken thighs we bought yesterday at the Mexican supermarket.

Tuesday ; Santa Rosa Lake State Park to Albuquerque to Walking Sands Rest Area, I-25 MM 167, New Mexico

Sunny and warm, windy.

Well ! Close to 100% of people in restaurants, supermarkets, and other stores in New Mexico are masked ! THANK YOU !

This morning we refilled our freshwater tank, dumped our waste holding tanks, went for an exercise walk, then departed Santa Rosa Lake State Park around 11 AM. We drove seven miles downhill back to the town of Santa Rosa, then continued heading west on I-40 towards Albuquerque. We stopped at the town of Edgewood looking for a New Mexican green & red chili restaurant called Chili Hills. “Green chili and red chili”, and the blended version known as “Christmas chili” are the signature cuisine of New Mexico. The owner of the restaurant gave us small samples of both red chili and green chili to try before we ordered. We sampled both, and selected two green chili dishes “to go” for lunch in the camper. While I waited for our order to be prepared, Joanne went to the supermarket next door to buy some sour cream to “cool down” the dishes. They were very good !

To explain further ; green chili and red chili and Christmas chili are salsas made from green chile peppers and red chile peppers grown in Hatch, New Mexico. Tomorrow’s journal entry will make more sense of it.

After lunch we refilled the truck with diesel before continuing west on I-40 to Albuquerque. Once in Albuquerque we found our way to a Wal-Mart. While Joanne went Wal-Martin’ I remained in the camper, connecting to a nearby car dealer’s free Wi-Fi signal to check e-mail, upload a journal entry to my blog and … I ordered a pair of shoes on a Black Friday “advance sale”. I hope that the shoes that I bought today don’t actually end up at a lower price on Black Friday. After Joanne finished at Wal-Mart we both went to Dollar Tree in the same mall and replenished a few supplies.

With GPS guidance we found our way to an out of the way, “hole in the wall”, New Mexican restaurant in Albuquerque that Joanne found online weeks ago while planning the “foodie”/culinary aspect of our southbound journey from Steinbach to Yuma. At Padilla’s Restaurant we bought a “combo plate” with a beef taco, pork tamale, cheese enchilada, rice & beans, green chili, and two dessert sopapillas, with honey to drizzle on them. The owner included some red chili as well, so that we could make “Christmas chili”, which I did. And she included some cinnamon and pistachio pudding to accompany the honey drizzled sopapillas, as a special treat / “freebie” since we were obviously New Mexican cuisine “rookies” from Canada.

We had it all for supper after settling in for the night at our boondocking site. Needless to say … it was all quite exquisite !

By the time we left Padilla’s Restaurant with our “to go” order it was dusk. We left Albequerque heading south on I-25, driving for about an hour in the dark to a rest area near La Joya.

Wednesday ; Walking Sands Rest Area to Deming, New Mexico

Sunny and warm again.

This morning we went for our early exercise walk around the rest area’s large grounds before leaving, continuing south on I-25. Just ten miles or so down the road we stopped at Socorro, New Mexico to buy some laundry detergent at Wal-Mart, in anticipation of doing laundry later in the day. A couple of hours later we stopped in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to have lunch while parked in another Wal-Mart parking lot.

When we reached the small farming town of Hatch, New Mexico it was time to leave I-25 and get onto New Mexico Hwy. 26 heading southwest to our destination for today, Deming, New Mexico. But first … we shopped for green and red chile (pepper) and green and red chili (salsa) products in Hatch, the epicentre of the New Mexico chile/chili industry. We shopped at two of the many chile/chili businesses in Hatch, buying bags of green chile powder, red chile powder, and a jar of green chili salsa.

We arrived at DreamCatchers SKP RV Park in Deming New Mexico around 4 PM. We checked in, refilled our freshwater tank, settled into their “dry camp” boondocking area, then Joanne went to do laundry while I exchanged books at the park’s library in the clubhouse. At sunset we went for our “late” exercise walk around the RV park.

We were not very impressed with the total absence of mask wearing in this park, including the front desk manager as she stood behind the front counter signage indicating “masks recommended”. Masks recommended ? ! ? Bull**** ! Wake up, lady ! New Mexico has a state government legislated mask “mandate”. It’s a public health order, not a suggestion ! ! ! ! !

Thursday ; Deming, New Mexico to Benson, Arizona

Sunny, chilly, and windy this morning in New Mexico. Sunny and warm in the afternoon in Arizona.

This morning before leaving DreamCatchers SKP RV Park in Deming we went for our early exercise walk (BRRRRR!), refilled the camper’s freshwater tank, and emptied the waste holding tanks. Before leaving Deming we refilled with diesel at Valero.

We continued westbound on I-10. We stopped at a rest area at the New Mexico/Arizona border to have lunch in the camper. When we reached Benson, Arizona we went grocery shopping at Safeway before checking into Saguaro Co-op SKP RV Park, one of the nicest RV parks in the Escapees system.

The front desk clerk checking us into the RV park was maskless, but behind a well designed plexiglass shield. Mask wearing in the park was poor overall. Mask wearing in Safeway was likewise poor. But not as bad as Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma! After checking in and getting settled into the park’s dry camp area we went for a long exercise walk around the park. Lots of up and down, the park is built on hilly terrain. We watched the beautiful sunset on the nearby Dragoon Mountains. As it became dark I walked to the clubhouuse to use Wi-Fi. That’s when I learned about the flooding in BC, in our previous “neighbourhood”. “The Coq (AKA Highway Thru Hell) (Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Kamloops) is closed” is a bit of a BC “inside joke”. Now … not only is the Coq closed … <sputter> … it’s been “split in two” by flooding due to recent heavy rains. It will take months to repair/rebuild!

As regards our recent relocation from that area to Manitoba … well … we always did have good timing, n’est-ce pas ? HA HA HA!

Friday ; Benson to Sonoran Desert, Arizona

Sunny and very warm, temperature in the 80’s. WOO-HOO … switched to a short sleeved t-shirt today. HELLOOOOO, Arizona !

This morning we refilled our freshwater tank, dumped our waste holding tanks, went for a long exercise walk around the RV park, and left the Saguaro Co-op SKP RV park around 11 AM. We refilled with expensive diesel before leaving Benson, continuing west on Interstate 10. We stopped for lunch at a truck stop where Interstate 8 begins, branching off from Interstate 10. I-8 goes southwest to Yuma, and ends at San Diego. I-10 goes northwest to Phoenix and Palm Springs, and ends at Los Angeles. After lunch we headed west on I-8.

Our destination for today kept changing. First we were planning to spend the night at Rovers Roost SKP RV Park at Casa Grande, between Tucson and Phoenix. Then we decided to boondock overnight at Holt’s Shell at Gila Bend, a bit closer to Yuma. As we were driving between Tucson and Casa Grande there were many Saguaro Cacti visible in the desert. I wanted to stop and take a photo of Joanne beside a Saguaro, to use as our Christmas card photo this year. When I saw a gravel road leading into the Sonoran Desert I left Interstate 8 and drove into the desert looking for a photogenic Saguaro. By the time I saw one a few minutes later we had passed a couple of RV’s boondocking in the desert. On impulse we decided to do the same. Joanne was thrilled. “WOO-HOO … vagabonding!”

We found a suitable spot to boondock overnight, perhaps a mile off the Interstate into the desert, within sight of two other RV’s in the distance. There was a stone fire ring there, and it would have been nice to have a campfire, but we did not have any folding/lawn chairs with us. At 5 PM we went for a half hour hike in the desert for exercise and to study the desert flora ; Saguaro Cacti, Organ Pipe Cacti, Fishhook Barrel Cacti, Ocotillos, Teddy Bear Chollas, Palo Verde trees, Brittle Bush, Allthorn, etc. I carried a trash bag and picked up trash in the desert (mostly cigarette butts, soft drink bottles, booze bottles, “to go” coffee cups, and … a 1972 US 25¢ piece), albeit with a teensy chip on my shoulder. Why should I be a “good steward of the land” when I’m on foreign soil, picking up trash left behind by this country’s own people?!? Oh, well … at least I scored two bits!

We finished our desert hike at 5:30 PM then stood outside beside the camper for a few minutes watching the sun set behind the Sand Tank Mountains. We watched a helicopter fly overhead slowly, probably CBP searching for Mexicans sneaking into the US. Good luck with that, fellas <sarcasm>. If I see any, I’ll be sure to offer them a sandwich and cold water to help them make it the last mile to Interstate 8, where they will probably be “home free”!




Saturday ; Sonoran Desert to Yuma, Arizona

Sunny and very warm again. How nice!

This morning we went for our early exercise walk in the desert, then hit the road around 11 AM, continuing west on Interstate 8 to Yuma. We stopped at Dateland to buy some Honey Dates and have a date shake with our lunch. MMMMM!

We refilled the truck with diesel at Speedway Fuels upon arriving in Yuma. We arrived at home/Kofa Ko-op SKP RV Park at 3:30 PM. Two hours until darkness should have been sufficient time to get the trailer ready for occupancy ; reconnect battery, connect electricity, reinstall water heater anode plug, connect water, connect sewer. I ran into some difficulty getting the water heater functional, and spent an unproductive hour and a half working on the problem. I finally got it solved with the help of a specialized tool I borrowed. Thank you, Larry.

While I worked on getting the trailer utilities connected and functional, Joanne worked on cleaning. Lots of spider webs in the trailer. Some rodent droppings. All the storage compartment door locks were jammed with desert sand/dust, and were difficult to unlock. The trailer has sat empty through twenty months, including two extremely hot Yuma summers. We went for our late exercise walk around 7 PM, in the dark. Not many Canadians have arrived here yet, only one other couple it seems. Tomorrow I’ll start dealing with our minivan which also has been sitting for twenty months, baking in the desert sun and heat because the car cover over it self destructed about a year and a half ago!

DSK

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

November 7 to 13, 2021 ; Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada to Oklahoma / Texas border, U.S.A.

 Sunday ; Sunny and cool

Today was our final day of pre-departure preparations. The U.S. border re-opens tomorrow. Finally, after nineteen months, we will able to return to the United States for the winter season. Our objectives for this winter season are to get rid of our Yuma, Arizona property and possessions.

Joanne spent much of today loading stuff into the camper. I refilled the camper’s freshwater tank, purging the winterization plumbing anti-freeze in the process. We are grateful that the weather for tonight will not be below freezing. Otherwise we would have to leave tomorrow with the camper’s plumbing still “winterized”.

I spent a part of the evening on the phone with a Tracfone “technical support” agent (in India, apparently) attempting to get our US cell phone reactivated. She assured me, repeatedly, that there would be no problem, she had accomplished it !

Monday ; Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada to Hillsboro, North Dakota, U.S.A.

NO … YOU HADN’T ACCOMPLISHED IT ! ! ! ! ... <SPUTTER>

<taking a deep breath, trying to calm down> Oh, goody … <sarcasm> ... my annual US cell phone reactivation drama has begun !

Sunny and cool today. By the time we finished our departure preparations, chatted with neighbours, and took our “early” exercise walk, it was noon. We departed Steinbach, headed west to Pembina Hwy. 75, then south. We will stay on Pembina Hwy. 75 / US Interstate 29 until Kansas City.

About a mile before reaching the US border at Emerson, Manitoba, crossing into Pembina, North Dakota, we were delayed for half an hour or so by a serious vehicle accident near the border. A small car had rear ended a semi-trailer flat deck loaded with steel. No apparent damage to the large truck, but … the car was demolished. The driver of the small car had obviously been injured. There were many police, fire and rescue vehicles on scene. Traffic had to squeeze down to a single lane, on the shoulder, to get by.

Crossing the border today was easier and quicker than we had expected it would be. The female CBP officer did not even want to see our Covid vaccination “passports”. There was no line-up in the “RV lane”, despite there being a line up almost a mile long in the commercial truck lane. HUH ? Why ?

A few minutes after crossing the border we stopped at a closed truck weigh station to have a late lunch. And turn on our US cell phone for the first time … <fume> … discovering that it was NOT reactivated ! I planned to use my laptop to phone Tracfone at the Wi-Fi equipped rest area where we were planning to boondock overnight. Adding to my cell phone drama, the rest area’s Wi-Fi was non-functional tonight !

As we returned to the truck cab after having lunch in the camper I noticed a large pile of … something … in the parking lot behind the weigh station. Obviously an overweight truck was forced to dump some of its load. It looked like a pile of … coconuts with roots ? HUH ? I picked one up and sliced an edge off using my pocket knife. It smelled like … a beet. I cut a very small piece and ate it. HEY ! Must be a sugar beet ! I gave a small piece to Joanne who tasted it, and decided we should take one and … bake it, see how it turns out. <shrug> Okay !

We stopped to boondock overnight at the Elm River Rest Area near Hillsboro, North Dakota, about halfway between Grand Forks and Fargo. We arrived at 4:15 PM, with just enough time left before darkness (at 5 PM) to take our “late” exercise walk around (and around and around and around) the rest area. BRRR … pretty chilly !

Tuesday ; Hillsboro, North Dakota to Flandreau, South Dakota

Very cold … below freezing … overnight, sunny and cool during the day.

We had difficulty finding freshwater today. We stopped at many truck stops and rest areas looking for a functional water spigot with which to refill the camper’s freshwater holding tank. We like to top up the freshwater tank daily, if we can. This far north, this late in the fall season, everyone has turned off their outdoor water spigots for the winter. We finally found one functional at a Cenex fuel station near Summit, South Dakota, at 5 PM, shortly before nightfall.

We did not reach our planned destination for tonight. Spent too much on cell phone drama !

We left the Hillsboro, North Dakota rest area this morning about 10:45 AM, after our early exercise walk. By noon we were in Fargo. We refilled with diesel at Love’s, then failed to find a functional water spigot at either Love’s or the nearby Flying J. We parked at McDonald’s, I connected to their free Wi-Fi, and used VoIP on my laptop to phone Tracfone. I was on the phone with a technical support agent (in India) for 37 minutes before he finally conceded that my problem was beyond his technical expertise and he would have to have a higher level of technical support agent phone me back, perhaps in fifteen minutes or so. I don’t think so ! I suggested that he refund the money that I paid for a phone card upon the … <ahem> ... attempted reactivation of last Sunday, and I would go to a local Wal-Mart in Fargo, buy a new SIM card, and activate that ! He readily agreed, and connected me to a refund agent … <rolling my eyes> … who promptly refunded my phone card purchase.

We drove to a nearby Wal-Mart. The middle aged white woman at the cell phone counter was unable to find any Tracfone SIM cards in their cell phone counter storage cabinet. HMPH !

We had lunch while parked at Wal-Mart, then drove to a nearby Target store. The cell phone counter was staffed by a young, Asian male. Oh, glory be ! He sold me a one dollar Tracfone Sim card kit, which actually contained three different Sim cards, and each SIM card fits three different sizes of SIM card slots ! The instructions/procedures were somewhat incomprehensible to me. The Asian kid disassembled my phone, loaded the SIM card into it, and then… <sputter> … used his cell phone to activate it ! AND … then prevented me from buying the wrong type of phone plan card. He identified the correct type of phone plan card for my (archaic) cell phone, and used his cell phone to “load” the card to my phone. <blink blink>

Oh, sure … but can he parallel park ? <ROFLMAO>

Thanks, kid !

We continued southbound on I-29 through the southern half of North Dakota and the northern half of South Dakota. Around 4 PM we stopped at a rest area and went for our late afternoon exercise walk. After finally refilling the freshwater tank we drove for about an hour in the dark before stopping for the night at a rest area. For supper we had cabbage borscht from MJ’S Kafe, the Mennonite restaurant half a block from our Steinbach condo. It was a bit thin and bland so … we “enhanced” it with yesterday’s “foraged” sugar beet. HA HA HA ! That made it better !

Wednesday ; Flandreau, South Dakota to Council Bluffs, Iowa

Cold, foggy, raining all day, sometimes heavily.

We left the rest area this morning around 10:30 AM and continued southbound on I-29. At Sioux Falls, South Dakota we stopped at Flying J and refilled the truck with diesel fuel. Not a full tank, it was too expensive. We’ve decided to stop buying diesel fuel at Flying J. They are always more expensive than the competition because they always have the best locations. As expected, the water spigots at this location were turned off for the winter, so we were unable to refill the camper’s freshwater tank.

Awhile later we stopped at Vermillion, South Dakota, at a large “fuel stop/travel center” and topped up with much cheaper diesel fuel. AND … refilled our freshwater tank at a functional water spigot.

At Sioux City we crossed over the Missouri River from South Dakota into Iowa. We stopped at a rest area to have lunch and dump our waste holding tanks. Iowa’s rest areas have RV sani-dumps. WOO-HOO … thank you, Iowa. At Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the river from Omaha, Nebraska, we stopped at a Wal-Mart to replenish groceries. We were dismayed to see that 100% of the Wal-Mart customers in Council Bluffs, Iowa were unmasked, despite 100% of the Wal-Mart employees being masked, and prominent signage upon entry encouraging customers to wear masks. <sigh> A harbinger of things to come, no doubt.

We stopped for the night by 5:30 PM at a rest area a bit south of Council Bluffs, far short of our planned destination, due to heavy rain and darkness.

Thursday ; Council Bluffs, Iowa through Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas

REMEMBRANCE DAY ; LEST WE FORGET

Sunny and mild, the weather is improving.

This morning we walked around and around the rest area until “the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, when we observed Remembrance Day with a recitation of In Flanders Fields, then two minutes of silence “TO REMEMBER”.

A few minutes after 11 AM we departed the rest area and continued south on I-29. As soon as we crossed from Iowa into Missouri we found a fuel service station with a functional water spigot, and refilled our freshwater tank. We didn’t refill with diesel there, it was too expensive. Shortly thereafter, at Mound City, Missouri we refilled the truck with diesel. We stopped for lunch parked at a shopping mall in St. Joseph.

Shortly before reaching Kansas City we veered off I-29 onto I-435, a “ring road” around the west side of Kansas City, the Kansas side, not the Missouri side. While on I-435 we crossed from Missouri into Kansas. Near the intersection of I-435 southbound and I-70 westbound, at the NASCAR Kansas Speedway car racing track, we left the freeway and entered a very large shopping area surrounding the NASCAR Kansas Speedway. We found our way easily to Cabela’s and selected where in their massive parking lot we wanted to boondock overnight. It was only a little after 3 PM, so there was about two hours of daylight left. We used our GPS to navigate the short but complicated route to Nebraska Furniture Mart, an extremely large furniture store, with more square footage than any Wal-Mart. We wanted to buy some Kansas City style barbecue brisket at Blind Box BBQ, a highly rated “barbecue” restaurant embedded within the furniture store. After finding the restaurant, and perusing their menu, and watching their clientele being served, I decided that if I was going to indulge myself in way too many calories for a “barbecue” meal, it was going to have be better than that !

We found our way to a nearby Wal-Mart store and replenished groceries. The Wal-Mart store had signage posted at their entrances requiring shoppers to be masked. About half the shoppers were masked, mostly the black and brown skinned people. About half the shoppers were unmasked, some with confrontational looks on their faces. “Go ahead … challenge me !” That was most of the 30 to 45 year old white skinned people, male and female ! ! !

****ing hillbillies ! ! !

We returned to Cabela’s around 5 PM just before nightfall. We went into Cabela’s and I did some Christmas shopping … for myself. And we wandered around the immensely huge sporting goods store, viewing the stuffed animal displays and massive aquariums filled with all manner of fish. Santa bought me some fishing stuff for a trip to Northern Manitoba next summer.

Friday ; Kansas City to Topeka to Wichita, Kansas to Braman, Oklahoma

Overcast, clearing late in the day, very cold, very windy. A few minutes of light snow falling around Topeka, Kansas.

We went inside Cabela’s this morning at 10:30 AM to do our early exercise walking around the perimeter of the store. HA HA HA … the “demographics” in the guns section of the store was amusing … and telling. Lots of 30 to 45 year old males, all maskless, all wearing caps, most wearing camouflage clothing, most looking like some sort of white supremacist survivalists. Proud Boys ! Boogaloo Boys ! Promise Keepers ! Duck Dynasty ! Rednecks and hillbillies all ! ! ! Joanne surmised that they probably all have assault rifles in their pickup trucks. As we passed a display she wondered if she should buy herself one of the “conceal & carry” purses. HA HA HA <SNORT> HA HA !

We left the Cabela’s parking lot at 11 AM heading west on the Kansas Turnpike toll freeway. About an hour later we paid our toll and got off the turnpike at Topeka, looking to buy lunch at Lonnie Q’s BBQ, an extremely highly rated, very small barbecue joint on the outskirts of Topeka open five days a week from 11 AM to 1 PM only. As we were pulling into Lonnie Q’s parking lot an old woman with Parkinson’s driving out of the parking lot rolled down her window to bemoan to us that Lonnie was already sold out of “cheezy taters”. Really ? How sad ! HA HA HA ! As I was wrestling the truck and camper into a too small parking spot, Lonnie himself came running out the front door and over to our truck to warn us that he was already sold out of almost everything for the day ; barbecued beef brisket, spareribs, pulled pork, sausages. All he had left was barbecued turkey and baked beans. HMPH ! We left.

We got back onto the turnpike, now heading south towards Wichita. We stopped at one of the many service centers / rest areas along the Kansas Turnpike to refill with diesel and search for a functional water spigot. We found a functional water spigot near the Valero fuel islands. Joanne wanted to have lunch before refilling the freshwater and diesel, so we parked near the McDonald’s. While she prepared lunch I connected to McDonald’s free Wi-Fi and checked e-mail. After lunch we returned to the Valero station for diesel and freshwater. While backing up to the fuel island that had the functional water spigot I bumped the top rear corner of the camper against a covered sidewalk’s roof <FUME> causing minor cosmetic damage to the corner of the camper roof and breaking a marker light.

We refilled freshwater and diesel then continued south on Kansas Turnpike heading for a catfish restaurant in Wichita. At Wichita we got off the turnpike, paid another toll, and used the GPS to find the catfish restaurant. It was permanently closed ! <SIGH>

Back onto Kansas Turnpike heading south to the southern end of the turnpike near the border with Oklahoma. Another toll ! We crossed from Kansas into Oklahoma and almost immediately stopped at a Native American (do they use the term “Indigenous” here in “Merka” ?) casino with a “cheap rez gas” fuel bar. We thought we might treat ourselves to dinner in the casino to make up for the barbecue and catfish restaurant failures. We went into the casino, wandered around, were not inspired, and left. We refilled with cheap diesel, drove a few more miles south, and stopped to boondock overnight at the Oklahoma Welcome Center / Rest Area.

Upon arrival we went for our “late” exercise walk around the rest area, but it was already dark, and extremely cold and windy, so our walk was a tad shorter than usual.

Saturday ; Braman to Oklahoma City to Elk City to Erick, Oklahoma

Sunny and mild. It seems as if winter disappeared overnight.

Before leaving the rest area this morning we went for our early exercise brisk walk around the rest area for about fifteen minutes. When we left the rest area we did not continue south on I-35, we drove east a few miles into the small town of Blackwell to dump our waste holding tanks and refill with freshwater at the town’s sani-dump station at the fairgrounds. Having a little difficulty finding our way to the fairgrounds, I made the stupid mistake of asking a couple of boys around eight or nine years of age for directions.

ME ; Can you tell me where the fairgrounds are ?

THEM ; Sure ! Right by the skateboard park.

ME ; OK … where’s the skateboard park ?

THEM ; Right by the baseball fields.

ME ; <sigh> OK … where’s the baseball fields.

THEM ; You know where the Dairy Queen is ?

ME ; NO !

THEM ; <both pointing generally southeast>

ME ; OK … thanks … bye … <sigh>

Eventually we found the fairgrounds … across the street from the Dairy Queen … right beside the baseball fields. Never did see a skateboard park ! After dumping and refilling we returned to I-35, continuing southbound to Oklahoma City.

Once in Oklahoma City we found our way to Rudy’s Country Store & BBQ for another attempt at “southern” food. WOO-HOO ! Found it, and … IT WAS GREAT ! We bought half a pound of spicy chopped beef brisket (with extra “sissy sauce”), potato salad, and three bean salad, taking it out to the camper to eat for lunch. MMMMM ! We’re looking forward to having it again in a couple of days at their other location in Amarillo, Texas.

After lunch while finding our way to a Wal-Mart we saw a Lowe’s and stopped to see if they had “cut to size” roller blinds. I have been trying to replace the duct tape repaired roller blind on the camper’s entry door since the spring. I had one cut to size at Rona in Penticton, BC, and refused to accept it because the cut edge looked like it had been chewed by a beaver. Exactly the same story on the second attempt at Rona in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Well … today I finally got a decently cut to size roller blind at Lowe’s in Oklahoma City … BUT … it took three staff and … <sputter> … FOUR attempts to get it cut to the right size. There was a problem with the measuring calibration on the blind cutting machine. <shrug> There goes three more cut to size roller blinds tossed in the garbage by the store, for a total of five in the garbage to get one cut and sold to a customer !

After buying a few items at Wal-Mart we decided it was too early to stop for the night in Oklahoma City. We decided to head east on I-40 towards our next “foodie” destination. On the way to Elk City, Oklahoma we stopped at Love’s near El Reno, Oklahoma to refill an empty propane tank. We have been running our camper’s propane Wave 6 catalytic heater on “high” for about fifteen hours per night, from the time we stop driving around nightfall until we depart the next morning. At that rate we used an entire thirty pound tank of propane in just four nights. SHEESH !

GPS guided us off I-40 at the exit to Elk City, which we never found/saw ! Dipsy doodling around cow pastures filled with Longhorn cattle for about 3 ½ miles brought us to the very crowded parking lot of Simon’s Catch, a very highly rated catfish restaurant, sitting out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by … pastures filled with Longhorn cattle ! Nary a mask in sight inside the restaurant, filled to overflowing by very obese old men wearing bib front overalls and filthy caps. Well … at least they didn’t appear to be the assault rifle toting crowd, like at Cabela’s in Kansas City.

We have been to a rural Oklahoma catfish restaurant once before, many years ago. It was similar to Simon’s Catch. Only one item on the menu ; fried catfish ! Served with it … EVERYTHING ! We ordered one dinner “to go”. Three large fillets of cornmeal battered, fried catfish, a huge quantity of fries, excellent hush puppies … and I don’t usually like hush puppies … cole slaw, baked beans, pickled okra, dill pickle slices, sliced red onion, tartar sauce, lemon wedges, ketchup. We left the restaurant toting our two bags of food, found our way in the dark back to the Interstate, and continued west on I-40 for about another half hour, stopping at 6:30 PM at the Oklahoma Welcome Center on the opposite/eastbound side of the freeway (for travellers coming into Oklahoma from Texas).

GAWD … supper was good ! ! ! For supper tonight the two of us consumed about two thirds of the “dinner for one”, with about a third of it leftover for lunch tomorrow. I suppose that somewhat explains the girth of the locals.

For a bedtime snack tonight … as if we really needed one … HA HA HA … we shared a Moon Pie. I bought two Moon Pies on impulse at Cabela’s a couple of days ago, because I had never had a Moon Pie and was curious. HMPH ! Just like a Canadian “Wagon Wheel”.

DSK