Our arrival in Minnesota didn't happen until Friday, and we've been in the East Saint Paul RV Park since. It's now Monday, it's still winter, and we have been reminded afresh why we left MN in the first place. Cold, damp, windy, snowy. There has been only a few brief glimpses of sunshine. That being said, it's good to be back among family. It's been non-stop kids and grandkids since we got here. Our departure for Illinois will take place on Tuesday (not today as originally planned). We are, after all, currently on no firm schedule so we're staying just a little loose. Pat will be doing laundry this morning and I have a few things to do to the truck and RV before we leave MN.
Our next stop will be Roscoe, IL. Roscoe is quite near Rockford, on the north end of IL if you are inclined to look at a map to see where we are. We'll be sitting two of the grandkids for a few days while their parents go to Vegas for a wedding.
Minneapolis/Saint Paul traffic is horrendous. Lots of road construction (and remember, this is where a major bridge went down last summer) and way too many cars and people. The area of Woodbury/East Saint Paul where we lived the last 10 years we were in MN has grown more than you could ever imagine. The RV park where we are staying USED to be in farming country. Now it has multi-family housing all around it. The owners fear that they will not be in the RV Park business much longer because of the urban sprawl. They are already receiving inquiries from developers about selling the land. Their taxes have increased nearly 400% in the last 2 years because of nearby development. This is making it difficult for them to maintain a profitable park, and to realize the retirement dream that may not come true for them. Growth is not always a good thing.
Next report will most likely come from Illinois.
Dave & Pat
Monday, April 28, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Bozeman, Montana
Today is Tuesday, April 22, 2008, and we are over-nighting in Bozeman, Montana. You may notice that we are a day late in getting here. That's because we've been moving at a retired pace and don't get things done as quickly as we used to. Also, Lookout Pass was closed for 7 hours on Monday so we would have been stuck somewhere in I90 east of Couer d'Alene, Idaho waiting for better weather.
Tuesday's trip went well. Weather on the passes was not bad at all and we made good time. Just east of Missoula we saw a huge kite of hawks on the north side of the interstate. It was HUGE, and went up, as best as I can guess, from near ground level to over 1000 feet. Since we were traveling at 65 mph there wasn't much time to gawk and/or get out the binocs. Nonetheless, it was an interesting sight.
Dinner is over, the RV is warmed up for the night and we're going to get some rest. Nine hours of driving today, nine hours on Wednesday, and whatever it takes on Thursday to get us to Saint Paul.
Stay tuned.
Dave & Pat
Tuesday's trip went well. Weather on the passes was not bad at all and we made good time. Just east of Missoula we saw a huge kite of hawks on the north side of the interstate. It was HUGE, and went up, as best as I can guess, from near ground level to over 1000 feet. Since we were traveling at 65 mph there wasn't much time to gawk and/or get out the binocs. Nonetheless, it was an interesting sight.
Dinner is over, the RV is warmed up for the night and we're going to get some rest. Nine hours of driving today, nine hours on Wednesday, and whatever it takes on Thursday to get us to Saint Paul.
Stay tuned.
Dave & Pat
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Practicing
Since Saturday, April 12, we've been set up in Old America Kampground in Newport "practicing" RV living. It's sort of a prelude to being on the road full-time. We have discovered a few more things that need fixing, and hope to have all the repairs made (it's all little stuff) before we head toward Saint Paul on Monday, April 21.
Pat and I each had our last day of work yesterday, April 18th, and after the lunches, dinners and parties with friends and co-workers were over the impact of leaving our jobs after many years hit home. As of today we are unemployed (well, OK, it's really retired) and homeless. We'll cope with it.
In addition to Molly and Annie we have picked up an additional traveler. Our cat of four years, Dusty, is going with us because our son, Steve, wants him. Hope he makes the trip all the way to Illinois without getting lost or too freaked out by traveling with dogs. The litter box is a consideration as it takes up space and needs to be serviced daily. Not only that, we have to keep the dogs out of it 'cause they like to "snack" when they get a chance.
We'll be doing our final packing on Sunday, tomorrow, and then be ready to hit the road on Monday, weather permitting. There is still a chance of snow for the next few days, especially on the passes.
Stay tuned.
Dave and Pat
Pat and I each had our last day of work yesterday, April 18th, and after the lunches, dinners and parties with friends and co-workers were over the impact of leaving our jobs after many years hit home. As of today we are unemployed (well, OK, it's really retired) and homeless. We'll cope with it.
In addition to Molly and Annie we have picked up an additional traveler. Our cat of four years, Dusty, is going with us because our son, Steve, wants him. Hope he makes the trip all the way to Illinois without getting lost or too freaked out by traveling with dogs. The litter box is a consideration as it takes up space and needs to be serviced daily. Not only that, we have to keep the dogs out of it 'cause they like to "snack" when they get a chance.
We'll be doing our final packing on Sunday, tomorrow, and then be ready to hit the road on Monday, weather permitting. There is still a chance of snow for the next few days, especially on the passes.
Stay tuned.
Dave and Pat
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