Archive for ‘April, 2008’

From El Paso

Surprised??? Ok – El Paso, Illinois. We also passed Peru and Mexico – in Indiana.

Karl and I are on the roll west. It was a hard start, leaving my dear friends’ home but headed for the place I – and I think Karl – love best…

We rolled at just before 9 a.m. with 9 as the target departure time. It was cool at just above freezing but got to 40 in short order and above 50 through the day and still 52 now at 6:20 p.m. CDT in El Paso.

It was a different drive than my norm as I was determined to skip Chicago and the Ohio-Indiana-Illinois turnpike. I took Route 24 which was mostly a 2 lane – sometimes 4 but NOT limited access. We cruised through town after midwest farm town – nearly all quaint, beautiful old homes, gorgeous farms, farmhouses and barns. It is not the quickest way to go but it was pleasant – under a blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. No motorhome glitches, no operator error – a good travel day and we rolled into Hickory Hills Campground in El Paso at just after 4:00 p.m. CDT having gained an hour from our EDT start.

Tomorrow is a bit of a question – high winds are forecast…I thought to head for northwest IA which is a 452 mile day …10-12 hours depending on how many breaks I need. I have enough daylight and that gives me a really short weekend the following weekend to Spearfish, SD… The backup plan is Iowa City, IA and a rural campground where I spent a week last trip east. The sticky point is the high winds – gusts to 40 mph are forecast for afternoon- more stress than is “fun” to drive a high profile vehicle. I’ll stop in Iowa City tomorrow and evaluate.

But to wrap up – photos, of course!

Karl

Karl – last evening in Ohio

Barn

That barn again!

Road

The road…I had been wanting to get a photo that illustrated exactly how narrow these rural roads are…and how DEEP the ditches! No room for error – corners are fun…

Hickory Hills

The site at Hickory Hills. Karl and I had a wonderful long walk along the rural road that accesses the campground. Post walk – a few treats for Karl, a glass of wine for me and some outside time. We actually had a lot of walking today – normal long walk this morning before leaving, nice long walk around a Wal-mart stop midday and the evening walk. We should both sleep well.

Barn

Farm scenery from my site picnic table.

Headed for Home

It was love at first site. December of 1993, I was driving from Sandpoint, ID – having been making the rounds of mountain west towns from Taos, NM to Lake Tahoe, CA to Bend, OR to Sandpoint – looking for a new place to live. I was born in northwest Ohio and left to take a job in San Francisco area in 1979. In 1981 I moved south to Los Angeles where I lived, worked, started my consulting business – spending my young adult years in the “big city”.

The first time I saw the Flathead Valley and the mountains of the Swan Range, the Whitefish Range and the Bob Marshall Wilderness was after spending several days in Coeur d’Alene (south of Sandpoint) – liking that area enough to look at homes with a realtor. I was newly married at the time, 37, and we were looking for a family spot. As we drove west of Libby, MT and the road started flattening to the valley floor – with those ranges of the rockies rising out of the east side of the valley – that was it…I was in love and I knew that I had come home. It was NOT home for my husband and he departed Montana and the marriage. I stayed and have been there on my own since 1996.

Twice I have explored the U.S. to see if there was a spot I’d rather live – not out of unhappiness with Montana, but with the sheer love of adventure and exploration that is also part of me. Twice I got so homesick for Montana that I made a mad dash back.

This winter I left again – not for another place, but for another love – for a man. It is not a move that I regret, but that has hit a snag and I’m on my way to my home in Montana. Karl and I, in the Winnebago, are pointed west – we will take our time and enjoy the journey, but I will be glad to be back – home in Montana.

Above – Karl and I in Dillon,MT – first morning “back in Montana” – Dec, 2005 – after a month in Camp Verde, AZ. The interesting thing [to me] about this photo – I had the camera on a tripod and I intended to be looking at the camera with Karl next to me. As I walked out to where Karl was, he was looking toward the mountains in a way that drew me to look also forgetting entirely about the camera setup… I love this photo.

Rainy afternoon

Yesterday was rainy, blustery, cold and generally felt more like November than April. The wallpaper stripping was tackled by Rick who decided it was easier on his own…darn…

Jeannine and I had work of our own, but by mid-afternoon had had enough and gathered at the dining table to make some bead earrings. I’ve been with Jeannine when she buys beads but I didn’t really know how they went together.

Beading

Beading

Earrings

The finished earrings…the blue and ruby on the left are mine!…I picked the beads, Jeannine put them together.

I sat, sipped wine, made encouraging noises and watched the rain and the wind.

Gazebo View

Looking out the gazebo…

Sunroom

The sunroom – cozy on a rainy day and perfect place for morning coffee. Karl has joined us on occasion – having his morning treats on the rug.

the big storm(s)

The weather channel online referred to the current series of storms as “the big storm”. It has been pretty wild in some places. So far here, a lot of wind, periods of heavy rain, a bit of thunder and lightning, but the clouds have been spectacular and provided for a dramatic sunset Friday evening when the first front had passed.

We took a walk in the calm AFTER the [first] storm…

Walking on the road

Departing Storm

The cloud line in the departing front was lit in soft pastels by the setting sun.

OH Fields

OH Fields

The fields and grass looked 10 times greener after the rain in the early evening light. This part of Ohio is wheat-corn-soybean rotation. The fields that are green now are wheat – planted last fall.

And the grand finale – a fiery sunset…

Sunset

Sunset

Sunset

Goodbye Canada Dry

I was born and raised in northwest Ohio – not too far from where I am currently “parked” in the Winnebago. In this area, the “local” ginger ale is Vernors.

A little history, courtesy of Wikipedia:

In 1862, James Vernor was called off to the American Civil War. According to legend, he left a mixture of ginger, vanilla and spices sitting in an oak cask in a pharmacy he had been working in. After returning from battle four years later, he opened the keg and found the drink inside had been changed by the aging process in the wood. It was like nothing else he had ever tasted, and he purportedly declared it “Deliciously different,” which remains the drink’s motto to this day. Its current slogan is “Barrel Aged, Bold Taste!™”.

Vernors is a golden ginger ale with a pungent flavor, more like a ginger beer. This style was common before Prohibition when the less flavorful pale ginger ale became popular as an alcoholic mixer. While Michiganders who grew up with it tend to like it, many other Americans are suspicious of it, as it doesn’t taste like a “typical” ginger ale.

As I’ve moved around the U.S., there are some areas that carry Vernors and some that don’t. After the advent of the internet and the availability of nearly everything online – for a price, of course, I even had the stuff shipped to me at what worked out to $1 per 12 ounce can. Thankfully, my favorite grocery in Montana now carries Vernors, although only in 6 packs…still better than the shipping scenario!

In Florida, sometimes the grocery had it and sometimes they didn’t. Towards the end, I bought – GASP! – Canada Dry Ginger Ale. Canada Dry is nothing like Vernors but it was as close as I could come. Nearly the first thing I did when I arrived in Ohio was acquire a bit of Vernors…

Vernors

This is only one trip – I made 3 trips…I have as much Vernors as I can find room for in the motorhome.

Vernors

This storage area under the dinette seat is now full to the brim with Vernors…oh, and a bit of wine…

Now, when I brought back the first load of Vernors, I still had about 18 cans of Canada Dry left. Bleah! – still – I MADE myself drink the Canada Dry before I could have my first Vernors.

Canada Dry

The last Canada Dry…

Vernors

First Vernors!!! – in celebratory style…

Although the Vernors is stowed and I had planned to roll west yesterday afternoon, the weather did not cooperate. A storm the Weather Channel called “The Big Storm” was just west of Ohio and although I don’t think it will be as bad here as it was in TX, OK and the middle U.S., it is enough to keep me parked. The current plan is to sit here and work through the weekend and roll on Monday morning.

The downside to this plan is that Jeannine and Rick are stripping wallpaper this weekend. I offered to do the cooking (vs helping with the wallpaper). This offer was met with some skepticism as they know I love to cook. I’m not sure how it will all work out…

This old barn

…this old barn – it sits across the fields from where I sit parked in my motorhome.

Barn

I have no explanation for why it intrigues me except that it provides an interesting foreground to the sky. I have taken MANY photos of it…

Barn

Barn

Barn

On the road side of this property is an old farm house. The first several days I was here and walked past with Karl, I was VERY careful to keep Karl out of “the yard and grounds”. Then, one day, I noticed that the upstairs windows of the farm house were missing. I also noticed how neglected everything looked. I asked Jeannine….it is empty. SO sad as it is a beautiful barn and property.

This old barn – it fascinates me and begs me to keep taking photos of it.

Barn

Barn

Barn