Hey, we made it to Idaho

We talked to the Central Body folks and yeah, they can fix the rig, but parts will be at least two weeks.  So now we have a two week wait and no place to stay except motels. 

Who wouldn't move mountains to see her.

But it gets even more complicated.  Our granddaughter who lives in Spain is in Washington and would be leaving before the trailer would be ready.  We really don't want to miss seeing her (just turned 8) so we hatch an emergency plan. 

We leave Lucy with Deb and Gordon, rent a van (25 mpg) drive west and have the kids meet us in Idaho at the Craters of the Moon.  We can't drive the truck because all the luggage and stuff could get wet or damaged.  Alternative is a mini van, so we rent a Dodge Caravan, which would handle our needs and be some what economical.

It all made sense and off we went.  It was three days at 300+ miles a day and we landed in Arco, Idaho.  OF COURSE the reservations we made for both families got messed us and the kids had to stay at another motel.  BUT we got our Becky, Michelle's son Ben, who was a big help earlier in the trip, his wife Monica, and her son Little Ben (also 8), and our oldest grandson Jared (13)came with them.

We spent three wonderful days with them, exploring everything in the local area.  Actually there is quite a bit to do there for a small town.  Ben took his family out on quads to check out the mine country in Mackay.  Craters of the Moon is a National Park that is on a site where lava came up through the ground and formed a lava bed. Different than what we normally think of, an eruption like Mt. St. Helen's, etc. Interesting place!

Moon Scape

Jared, Becky   & Little Ben

Ranger Margaret talks about wildlife

Ben & the kids searching for rocks worthy of keeping



Monica wondering how high they have to go

Don finds his treasure

Becky enjoys the view

Coming back from a day of adventure was a less than scenic ride for some.

Typical residents of Arco, ID

Oh, did you know Arco, ID was the first town in the world to be lit by atomic power?  And they are pretty proud of it.  They built nuclear power plants (around 50 of them) in this area.  I guess they were the pioneers of the atomic power plants in the 50's.  It must be true, because some of the locals were a bit strange.

Actually, very nice folks here in Arco.  Definitely worth a visit.

Nirvana

We did enjoy the few restaurants available but did have trouble finding my beloved fountain Diet Coke.  This is a Pepsi town and it wasn't until the last day that we found my Coke at the truck stop on the way out of town.  Thank you ARCO Service on Front Street for taking care of the non-locals.

 

Storm is brewing

While we were in Idaho we were entertained with heavy thunder and lightning storms, mostly at night.  Just that much more to make the trip a little more en-lightening.  Sorry, had to make a punny.

In fact we have been seeing night storms almost every night.  That doesn't help with sleep.



Moving on, Ben and family head west to home and we are going east, back to Omaha.  One stop though, in Three Forks, MT to meet up with E.N., a DS customer of some repute.  If you know the DS gang, you know who and what I mean.  She is out here from New Jersey visiting family.

Well let me tell you about Three Forks, MT.  Just close enough to Yellowstone Nat. Park to hear all the Grizzly stories.  We were a weekend late for a vintage fly-in (old and home built air craft congregate at the local air strip).  I would have loved that, but, a few days late.

Danielle, Michelle & E.N.

We met up with E.N. and man, is she a character.  We met at the Cattleman's Restaurant with her and a pre-op, Danielle.  We laughed and had a ball.  She could easily be a one woman Montana Visitor Center.  Not only is she full of it, she is quite knowledgeable of Montana.  A few days in Three Forks netted us a flat tire on the rental.  Avis came out to change it at the restaurant. They took off the flat, put the donut on and left us to our own to put a big tire back on.  When we called to see what they were going to do, they wanted us to drive to the nearest Avis outlet and SWAP OUT THE CAR!  We pointed out that it might be easier for all concerned if they simply fix or swap out the tire.  Finally got authorization to fix the flat and be reimbursed.  Everything is SO complicated for us. The next day I spent some time getting it fixed.  Met some nice people are the Auto Parts/Tire Repair shop and they "got 'er done" real quick.

THE place to stay here is The Broken Spur Motel.  Nice room, continental breakfast and Mr. Broken Spur.  He and his wife run the place and he is an incredible source of information and hysterics.  If you can get a word in edgewise he has an answer.  In fact he'll answer your questions, before you ask 'em. 

The next day we head toward Bozeman so Michelle can have more E.N. time.  We make our reservations at the Super 8 Inn and upon check-in find only rooms up steps.  Not so easy any more with cane and knee brace.  Not gonna work, so the staff went above and beyond and found us accommodations at Mountain View Lodge & Suites in Bozeman.  That is where I am, tapping this out today.  The girls are out shopping and having fun.  Yesterday, I spent an hour in the spa and I am gonna head there again, soon.  Mountain View is definitely a place we would recommend.  Besides, it is close to Costco and Thrift Stores galore.

Well off to the spa, see ya'll soon.

If it weren't for bad luck, we wouldn't have any luck at all.

Michelle with Karen & Bob D

We by passed Davenport and moved directly to Grimes, IA to give us a little more time in Gretna, NE.  I got a message from Karen asking if we could meet with her in Grimes.  As it worked out, we had lunch with her and hubby, Bob.  She is a recent post op with great success so far.  It was fun meeting them and wish we could have had a bit more time to enjoy their company.  They had the chance to meet Lucy and check out our trailer.  I think they approved of both.

We stopped in Underwood, IA for fuel at a truck stop.  I don't really like fueling at the high volume pumps for semi's as they tend to overfill my truck and spill fuel down the side.  I spotted  a two handle pump in the car area (usually meaning one is diesel, the other for regular gas).  So I pull through the truck pumps and head to the car lanes. 

This the heading of this days blog.  I might as well get it over and show you the "latest tragedy".

Man that hurt

Note the busted leaf springs and other damage

I cut the trailer too close to the pumps and fortunately they have a protective barrier keeping idiots like me out of the pumps.  By the way both handles were for regular and high test gas, neither for diesel, naturally.  Both axles were knocked loose from the frame when I contacted the barrier.  So I couldn't move the trailer and didn't want to try unhooking the truck from it either for fear of shifting it. 

We contacted GMAC (Good Sam Accident Coverage), again, and gave them the latest news.  The night manager of the station was really good about helping us with local information and a smile.  There wasn't any problem with us being stuck and didn't think the owner was going to have a fit.  AND there wasn't any damage to the pumps or stanchion (except a little paint transfer).

While we were waiting for help from GMAC, there was a guy who stopped and offered help and names of businesses that might be able to assist us with repairs.  He called one guy who owns a tow company.  He came out to look but couldn't help (too big of a job for his rigs) and suggested Arrow Towing.  The other referral was to Leach Camper Sales and Service for repair and they were honest enough to recommend Central Body and Repair.

We couldn't get either of them that night so planned on spending the night dry camping, using our generator to power at least the fans in the trailer to help overcome the stifling heat.  We hadn't done this before and hadn't even started up the generator previously.  After trial and error, I got the generator to put out power to run the fans which cooled the rig down to about 100 degrees.  Man! It is hot out here.

We finally started to settle down (or collapse) our physical bodies.  I had to get up a couple of times to feed gas to the generator, but such a small inconvenience. 

We got through the night, OK, and were awoken by banging on the door at 6:30.  The day manager was all PO'd because we were blocking her pumps and "We ARE A BUSY STATION HERE and this is a BIG problem".  I'm thinking "Really?  We hadn't noticed we were in the way."

Apparently Michelle got her calmed down enough to realize we were doing all we could.  Yes, we are waiting for a call from Arrow Towing and the repair shops.  We have done as much as we could and no we can't move the rig ourselves without causing more damage to their pumps or our rig.

Arrow's two heavy tow trucks

Arrow showed up with 2 heavy tow trucks and a flat bed trailer, to get us away from the pumps safely and off to a repair shop.  One truck picks up the back of the camper and slides it away from the pumps.  Still attached to my truck, which is now supporting the whole weight of the rig. Then it is all is pushed away from the pumps making the day manager (kinda) happy.  Then removing one of the worst axles they can "safely" re-attach the other one so they can safely roll the trailer.  It was good to see the trailer rolling, even if it was only on two of its four wheels.  The guys used my truck and backed the rig up on the "low boy" trailer and get the two free from each other. 



So this is a picture of something every RV'er never wants to see happen to them.  Off we go to Omaha and Central Body.  When they pull up to the shop they snag some old phone wires because of the height. "It's always somethin' ain't it?"   They off load and give it a place to rest then on to what the next step was to be. 

As always when we are treated well, we are not afraid to refer to those deserving. The guys from Arrow Towing (Omaha, NE) took every precaution to prevent further damage to our trailer and our frazzled hearts and minds. 

The guys at Central Body, also from Omaha, were incredible at easing fears of being ripped off or making yet more mistakes.  When you are in a foreign "land" you really are never sure what to expect. But for one thing in the small community of Underwood, IA, you can expect 99 out of a hundred folks to be helpful, warm and encouraging.  We got encouragement from everyone driving through the pumps.  Not a single snotty remark ('cept from one day manager) or nor nary a snicker from the professional drivers.  Even the tow truck driver from the previous night stopped by to check on us.

Hopefully we have now run out of bad luck and only have good left?  Knock on wood! 

Speaking of which, (good fortune) we found the Quality Inn in Omaha to also be very good to us and our circumstances.  We contacted Deb and Gordon about the meeting and guess where it was?  Right next to where we were staying.  So after a trip back to the trailer the next day to partially unload it of perishables and essentials, we were able to shower and make ourselves presentable, to those wanting to visit with us at the Cracker Barrel.

Michelle, Mistie, Emily & Sarah

Deb, Gordon, Ivan, Joyce, Linda & Michelle
Center front is Lisa with back to me

With this group of wonderful folks we were able to relax a bit and enjoy their company.  I know Deb traveled 40+ miles to help accommodate the group here in Omaha.  Gordon had us laughing, I think to get my mind off his work shop.  When we met several years ago I fell in love with his basement shop.  I really envy guys that have AND use their "man cave" shops.

So thus far are the adventures on VitaTour 2011.  More on Omaha to follow, once we know what we are doing for sure.

Chi Town and beyond

I'm not sure how this happened but this is my story and I'm stickin' with it.

We are staying in Joilet, IL for a couple of days.  Carol L came down to visit.  I mean after all, how could we come through Chicago without a visit from everyone's fav Italian No Carb Diva?  And I DIDN'T get a picture.  So ya just gotta take my word for it: she is still looking great.  And No dear lady, I don't see the two pounds you claim to have added, and I'm stickin' to my story. 

Carol and Michelle went out to do girly things and Lucy and I got to do chores like wash and fuel the truck, file receipts and some computer maintenance.  We also had to reattach the storage boxes on the bed of the truck (saddlebags).  It was a simple matter of making a big washer for the stake hole in the bed and re-bolt it back to the bracket on the saddle bag.

We guys know that the simple jobs are the worst kind:

Gasoline Alley by Jim Scancarelli *

*By the way, I get these bits of wisdom from MyComicsPage.com in case any one is interested in getting a daily bit of silliness.

You know the kind that takes several trips to Home Depot, the need to add to one's tool collection, and the kind that our wives dread. Well this one cost me $24.00 for parts, tools, the unknown amount for the rear truck window I tapped and shattered and the all knowing "LOOK" from my beloved VitaLady.  Thank God for Duct Tape and Cardboard.  Makes a good temporary window, even if I can't see through it.  I know it isn't pretty, but it will keep the rain out (I hope).


Back to the girls.  I get a call from Michelle and wants me to meet her at the mall so Carol can head home.  So text me the address and all is good except no picture of Carol to share.  DANG  But thanks for coming down to visit.  I wait for a text from Michelle and nothing.  I call her and straight to voice mail.  Not a good thing.

I get a call from an unknown number which I answered anyway.  Good thing, it was Michelle on a borrowed phone, her battery was dead.  With the address of where she is, so off I go.  Meeting her at the mall entrance by Macy's.  Of course there are multiple possibilities, naturally.  No phone and unsure where she is, I figure "lost for ever". 

But no, I do find her and whisk her off to safety.  After all we have to leave in the morning for Davenport, IA.  Davenport is the home of ALCOA Aluminum.  The company I worked for before going to work for Vitalady.  I was an aluminum distributor.  Small world, huh?  And no I'm not going back there.  Much more fun working for and with my wife.  And more fulfilling.  After all I never did a blog for my former employer, LOL.

(M: yeah but he did have great benefits!)

So we return safely and turn in for the night.  Iowa tomorrow.  Good night Lucy, good night Michelle and good night all.

From New York to Ohio and Indiana

2011 Latest Inductee to the
Hall of Fame

We passed Pennsylvania and into Cleveland, OH. home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Other than the Civil War sites, this is the one place Michelle wanted to stop.  SHE is Ms R&R and should be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  You can ask her pretty much anything about rock and roll from the 50's and 60's.  She is pretty hard to stump.

Needless to say, she had a ball.  The museum was all she hoped, perhaps not enough on early rock. but definitely worth the stop. 

Home of the Cleveland Brown's

I didn't go with her on this venture.  Lucy and I had to find a place to park the trailer which was no easy feat.  We settled in a parking lot behind the Cleveland Brown's Football Stadium.  Not much to see, so Lucy and I napped and soaked in the ambiance of the Lake Erie docks.




From Cleveland we head toward Indiana and for my area of interest.  Cars, race cars to be precise. 
M: I like sports cars, old cars, VW's.  Straight flat race for an altered car, not so much.

Start Finish Line toward Turn 1

Not that I have a vast knowledge of racing circuits, but have always been interested in Indy Cars and the Indy Speedway.  Well, dream come true, I went to "THE RACE TRACK".  Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  All I can say is "Holy Smoke, this place is huge".  Needless to say, I did the on track tour which was a bit different than advertised, but hey we are all tourists.

This place is so steeped in history and the tour guides are very versed in the traditions.  This picture is the start finish line looking into turn 1 from the "Pole Position". 




The IMS museum is filled with cars, and I won't bore you with the MANY pictures I took. OK just a couple.

Don in a dream car



IMS Museum













Legend has it, I have a relative, Wilber Shaw, that raced in the 500 and won 3 times (37, 38 & 1940).  So I come by my fascination naturally.

(B) Pamela, Lori & Don
(F) Jess, Diana, Michelle, Kathy, Brok, Beth

Now on to why you are reading this blog.  Our friends and the folks you might know through our common connection, weight loss surgery.  We had the privilege of being invited to Lori S home for a potluck dinner  (M: here they call it a "pitch in") and met some really great gals.  We had dinner, chatted and giggled and nearly cried over some stories.  Then Brok showed up. I wish I had more time with him.  He is a kick in the butt.  A real life of the party.  Anyway, I hope everyone had a good time, we sure did and appreciate Lori getting things together.  I can never say enough about our hosts.  Every one of them along the tour have been so special and so encouraging.

Don & Broc

Lori & Michelle

VitaCouple take on the RV/MH Museum

OK leaving Lori and moving on to Elkhart.  What the heck is in Elkhart, you ask.  If you have an RV or Camper, good chances it was made in Elkhart.  Good and not so good units come out of this area, we know, as we have had both.  We were saving up Lucy's "treasures" in a paper bag to leave on the door step of one certain RV manufacturer and set it on fire, but no, we behaved ourselves.  The other is the Heartland facility where our current rig was made.  We stopped in to discuss a couple of issues and were very pleased with their reception.

Also in Elkhart is the RV/MH (recreation vehicle and motor home) museum.  This is the centennial year of RV's so visiting here was really cool.  Again, I won't bore you with too many pictures, just know if you are in the area and into camping, this is a must stop.

'29 Ford Motor Home

Mae West's MH used on movie sets to relax
between shoots

I think I've had it.  All tuckered out!

'54 Ford Tow Vehicle hooked up to a
'54 44ft Mobile Home

Yep, all tuckered out and ready to move on in the morning to our next stop.  Chicago, then Iowa and Nebraska are the next stops, so we'll see ya there.

New Jersey, the no left turn state.

I knew there was a reason, I didn't like New Jersey.  It is the state of:

NO LEFT TURNS ALLOWED 

so when your nav system says:

YOU ARE OFF COURSE

TURN LEFT THEN LEFT

I'm sure you can see the problem, But was that OF COURSE or OFF COURSE?

Regardless. we finally got across the border via the George Washington Bridge and Michelle got a good view of the Manhattan (NYC) skyline.  It is truly something to see.  The city is humongous and I have to say VERY spooky to tow a trailer on the freeway system. 

It wasn't as bad as the Los Angeles traffic, but the lane changes and ramps can be confusing.  Also some of the overpasses are so low, I thought we'd have to let air out of the tires to get under them.  The lanes are narrower too, making it even more nerve wracking.

BUT we did get through and headed up to Clinton, CT.  Up the Intra Coastal Highway which is as close to the Atlantic Ocean as we are going to get.  The drive was beautiful and I can only imagine it in the fall with all the autumn colors in the trees.  It is the biggest thing I miss about my birth state of New York.

We get into the campground with a bit of time to freshen up.

Michelle and Bonnie

Deidre, Terria, Bonnie & VitaChick

We hadn't met any of these ladies before so we had a lot to chat about and personally I really enjoy these small gatherings.  We get to share more intimate stories and personal questions.  Not that I don't enjoy groups like we had in Millersville or do a protein tasting, but there is something about the small gatherings that are uniquely fun.

Well, with us canceling the trip into Mass. RI, Maine, we had several days to do some house keeping chores and cruising around, if you can call driving the truck CRUISING.  I think it is more like CUSSING!

Anyway, I'm glad we made the route changes because then I could spend more time in my old stomping grounds of Watervliet, NY.  Getting there we loved seeing the beauty of the northeast.  Going up along the Hudson river revealed so many beautiful older homes.  Now for us in the northwest, older means from the 1800's.  Here it is more like 1700's.

The churches, mostly brick or stone structures are so majestic and with their manicured cemeteries, wow.  Reminds me of my growing up.  Our church was built in the late 1700's and beautiful, with it's stained glass.  I remember my dad tolling the bell on Sunday mornings and letting us kids ride on the rope as it went up.

We made it to the camp ground in Schenectady.  It was a lovely site.  The first night we were treated to this sunset.  But the campsite was a little strange with more rules than campers.  Things like the pool having a capacity of 52 but the "rule" was only 5 allowed at a time.



The next days we drove around, exploring my old haunts.  It was good for me as it allowed my to put to rest some old bad memories and feelings.  We stopped at Ted's Fish Fry which for me is sufficient reason to visit the old homestead.  Now I know this isn't much, but they have these fish fillets (I think cod) sticking out of a hot dog bun, covered in a mild chili sauce, served with cold slaw that I'm sure my mother copied as her own recipe.  I had the fish, Michelle a burger and Lucy got the left overs.  Michelle even presented me with an official Ted's Fish Fry tee shirt.  Life is good, ain't it?  I tried to get a picture of these delicious morsels. but they weren't around long enough.  I have been eating these fish fries since I was a young teen.  But back then it was with a strawberry milk shake.  Today it was with a Diet Pepsi.

347 Watervliet shaker Road

We headed back to the trailer and of course passed by the house where I was raised.  Taking pictures someone there was getting curious.  "Who are these kooks photographing my home?"  Once I explained our interest he offered us a tour of the place.  Dan and Judy were so sweet giving us the run of the place and chatting with us for like 3 hours.  It was incredible.  They bought the house from my dad in the early 80's and they discussed what they had done and had to deal with as dad had a 30 day right to stay in the house until he found a place for himself.  I can't imagine them putting up with, " Oh Judy, you won't like that color paint on the walls." and "Why are you tearing out that wall paper, Mom wouldn't approve."  They must have had the patience of saints. 

As we were leaving.  A great home to grow up in.

Apparently they suspected we were one of the Curran's because they have had others stop by.  George and Rick, my brothers, and Cindy Lee, my niece also were granted the same courtesy.  He even said he found some and saved pictures from our days in the house and promised to send them out to me.    Dan and Judy, a profound thank you.

Don, George, Vivian, Michelle, Eleanor and Andy

On Thursday, we met up with my oldest brother George (the short guy), his wife Vivian, their son Andy & his wife Eleanor.  Of course over food we talked about the old days, with George confirming some of my memories.  Including his knowledge of how his old '54 Ford got stuck in the mud in back of the house.  Seems like some un-named person decided to learn to drive without permission or his knowledge.  That person will still remain un-named.

Previously un-named person and Lucy

Well this stay in Schenectady was a blessing and I am sure glad we had extra time, even though I only had one fish fry.  I'll have to rectify that in the future.  We are off to Farminton KOA the next day.  Again driving across New York, following the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal we arrive in this utopia camp ground.  Canadaiqua KOA is probably the prettiest one we have been to.  Ponds, wooden bridges, plenty of shade trees and good sites.  If you are in the Finger Lake region of  New York or near Rochester, this is a must stop.  ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.

Canadaiqua KOA Farmington, NY

Well that's all for New York, next we will be in Pennsylvania.  I guess we'll see you then.

National Capitol, Washington D.C.

Crossing the Potomac River into Maryland and Washington gives us a glimpse of the river's size.  National Harbor is a vast open harbor from the bridge.  As we get closer to MD, we spotted this home with a view as if it was the guardian of the Harbor.

National Harbor

Maryland side of the Potomac River

Don't mess with me woman

It is a clear beautiful day and I am making sure to focus on the driving, regardless of Michelle's antics.  I'll teach her to sneak around with MY camera.

Meridith, Steve, Jill & Michelle

Clay, Ann, Beverly & Gina

We had a bit of a late start and had several disagreements with our navigation software. I still don't understand how I can be "Off Course" if I make the turns it tells me to. Stupid computers.  Finally, we meet up with Gina and Beverly at Mike's American Grill in Springfield, VA for our Meat & Greet.  We have met Gina and Steve in 2008 and loved seeing them again.  Joining us was Meridith, Jill, Clay, his mom Ann and Beverly. 

By the way Clay, I appreciate your help gathering and distributing our goody bags.  I am always so impressed with the young family supporters.  They are so willing to help us with little tasks and it shows their upbringing.  Great kids (and parents) thanks!

The next day we were treated to Beverly's home for the 4th of July fireworks displays as seen fromBolling AFB.  This was a thrill for us as the Washington Monument was by the launch site on the Potomac River. 

Beverly and Jerry offered us a indoor picnic dinner (the weather was uncertain).  They took us to a spot with an open view of the Potomac River and the Washington Monument.  The view was truly incredible and where better to have the 4th than at the capital?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA

and Thank you to all service members for keeping us free!

One more day in the DC area allowed us to get together with even more of the DC crowd.  Of course, food was involved at the Merrifield Sweetwater Tavern.  After dinner we head off to Dr Elariny's support group hosted by Emily, his dietitian. 

What a great group was assembled.  Pre to post ops, RNYs, DSers and Banders.  There were a lot of great questions and frank discussion about supplementation.  We are fortunate that Emily is very aware of our nutritional needs and the importance for supplementing.

Even with the traffic messes on the freeway, before and after the meeting, we had fun.  We were able to board Lucy so we didn't need to worry about her.  

We really enjoyed our time here in DC and VA, even though we were staying in Millersville, MD.  Wonderful people and we were able to relax.  Tomorrow we are off to New Jersey and I will have to make that my next blog.  So 'till then, bye.