Adventures of the road

Freshly chipped road that chipped our toad

Life on the road is indeed an adventure. We seldom know where we'll sleep or what our front yard will look like from one day to the next, but whether it is a breakdown or a stunning experience of nature, we embrace it all and hope YHVH allows us to continue this roving odyssey for as long as we live.

The map says it is 243 miles from Denver to Grand Junction, CO. We left the Denver area on Richard's birthday, June 26th and arrived here in Grand Junction at almost midnight last night... four days later. And this is not where we planned to come at all! Here's how it happened:

Karval Public Schools (PreK-12)

Our first stop was to be in Karval, CO where I used to teach and Richard was Supt. of Schools. The county was chipping the road, so we slowed way down. Our coach has a full width mud flap in the back so our car should not receive any damage from anything thrown out by the coach tires, but when we arrived at the school, we saw that shards of freshly crushed gravel had cut clear through our beautiful paint and the lower front of the car had hundreds of deep pock marks. BOO!!

Wyatt and Julia

We toured the school then headed for the Calf-A for lunch with old friends who help the community by keeping the little cafe and store open. Thanks Michelle and Carlos.

Next, we stopped in LaJunta to see daughter-in-law Julia and grandson Wyatt. We kept them up late visiting at the Village Inn then parked at Wal-Mart to spend the night and share breakfast with them in the morning. We will see them again in Delta the first week of July.

It was afternoon and 106 degrees by the time we got back on the road on day two. Heat is an enemy, especially when we are sitting still. Our animals cannot take heat, so we end up running the propane generator a lot.

Our front yard for a while

Road construction and a thunder shower didn't slow us down too much, but we were ready to stop and relax for the night long before the sun went down. We found this beautiful spot along highway 114. Much more than just a pull-out. It was probably intended as a truck rest or chain up area. We spent a lazy evening and cozy night here.

Some folks watch TV, but we were spotting eagles and other wildlife and enjoying the sweet smells of the countryside after a rain. The temperatures dropped with the sun and we were actually chilly by the time we went inside at dusk. How warm and snug our Safari felt and we nestled down early for a much needed night's sleep. I always sleep better out in the country.

By noon of day three, we had arrived in Gunnison, CO and toured Western State College (now renamed) where Richard got both his BA and MA degrees and I worked on my MA. We ate lunch at the infamous Mario's Pizza. I am almost 73 years old and have never had better pizza or garlic bread than Mario's serves, EVER!

Broken throttle cable

Our next nostalgic stop was Montrose, CO, where we planned to visit Richard's parents graves and homes and just drive around town talking of old memories... but on the way to get parked and unhook our car, we had a break down. Suddenly, the fuel pedal went limp and was unresponsive. We were at a major crossroads, so Richard idled the coach around the corner and into a large gravel lot where we stopped to try to figure things out. We decided to wait until morning to call anyone since it was already very late afternoon. We did go visit the graves and homes, and we enjoyed revisiting old memories. To add to the adventure, Jasper the cat got out and did not return until about four in the morning.

We really thought our throttle problem would be a simple fix, one that could be done right where we sat, so when we called our emergency road service carrier, CoachNet, we chose roadside service instead of a tow. You can only choose one or the other. They soon had a man out to help us, except this man didn't or couldn't deal with it nor could another man he sent out to us later in the day. The first man charged us, the second didn't. Neither of us is mechanically inclined, but we are blessed to belong to several RV email lists, including Safari owner lists. The folks on these lists are amazing and such a comfort, too. We are learning much from them.

Meanwhile, the temperature was rising and our propane supply was falling fast. We had to get propane and soon! Not far down US 50 was a small truck stop, so we idled our way to it driving 5 mph on the shoulder. Propane is expensive, but this heat allows us little choice. The Montrose Truck Stop does not allow RV parking, even if you did just pay a bundle for a load of propane, but Richard sweet talked them into letting us park off in a corner next to an empty, but unwashed cattle trailer which became our front yard for a day.

Our front yard at Trans West

Finally, it became clear, we needed a shop and there was none in Montrose, so that meant a tow to Grand Junction... over $500, and that is after they knocked off over a hundred!!! We arrived here at Trans West Trucks just before midnight last night, so this is our second night here, and we will be here Sunday night as well. At least they have a 50 amp hookup for us since the heat remains in the triple digits.

Sometimes our front yard is full of scenic beauty, and sometimes not. We compensated by going for an impromptu ride, no particular destination in mind. After poking around the outskirts of town we stumbled upon the entrance to the Colorado National Monument and even though it was very late in the afternoon, we decided to drive the 23 mile scenic Rim Rock drive. It was a lovely way to spend the Sabbath afternoon... but I must say, I still miss the folks at Beit Yisrael.

View from Rim Rock drive in Colorado Nat'l Monument

A Family Affair

Miriah, Danny and Aiden

This morning, as we prepped the coach to hit the road again and journey to eastern Colorado bent on visiting some places we used to teach and live, I noticed I had missed some very important messages, "Don't leave town. Baby coming," "Miriah is in labor at University."

Hah! Immediate change of plans... Crystal met us at the gate and extended our passes for 3 days than went over to rent our spot for another day as we dashed to the hospital and promptly got lost... wrong hospital, oops! Finally, with a phone call from Kim, we left our bright green buggy with the valet people and headed up to the waiting room.

Later on, I was able to visit the crowded birthing room for a short time, but there really was already a lot of folks there. It wasn't long before I was asked to leave so Miriah could get some rest. She had a hard delivery and deserved a good rest...  I BELIEVE EVERYONE THERE DESERVED A GOOD REST. It was after six before our great grandson finally made his debut. He is pink and perfect, and I cried at the sight of him. All further details, I will leave for the parents to disclose.

Early Birthday Dinner

During the days leading up to this miraculous day, we have been guests in two of our daughters' homes, celebrating life and love and family. It has been wonderful to operate out of our own home the whole time. We have all we need here and usually know how to find it. Our pets are happier in our own house, and so are we.

Crystal and her family threw an early birthday dinner for Richard. Ronnie made a delicious meal including beefalo meat, corn on the cob, some great mashed potatoes and wonderful green beans, AND biscuits! Plus, there were Richard's favorite oatmeal raisin cookies and ice cream.

Sisters, Miriah and Bethany

Another night, we visited Kim and Steve's hilltop house for home made spaghetti, great frozen garlic bread and the world famous cherries, cream topping and special cream cheese filling, all in buttery tasting grahan cracker crust... I LOVE THAT STUFF!!

But the best treat of all is that everyone gathered there... Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I loved posting them.

Jordan, an award winning artist performed a very advanced original composition for us on the piano. We were indeed duly impressed!

Jacob and Jared were flying out to Boston, leaving that night to spend some time with their dad. Hard to believe these young men are so grown up!

Jordan playing just for us!

Jacob about to fly to Boston

We didn't get good pictures of everyone, but had a good time and were blessed to see them all. It had been too long. This is just a sampling of our wonderful family... of course, we aren't partial or anything, but in all truth, these re some fine looking and acting folks and there are more like them scattered all over the place!

Again, we rejoice in the freedom our Safari coach gives us. It is the perfect home for us, and as we prepare to head out in it tomorrow, we are doubly thankful for our large and scattered family, we can visit all along the way.

As long as we've been at the base RV park, we have done little cleaning of the exteriors of our vehicles... too hot with record-breaking temps as high as 105 scorching degrees. But after a stop in LaJunta to visit even more lovely people, we will head for the hills and cooler climates where we can give the coach and the toad a proper bath.

Royal Father's Day Treatment

Crystal and her Daddy on Father's Day

The wheels have been silent and we have had some time to do a little cleaning and sorting... not much, mind you, because we are visiting with so many. Also, we find that our bodies, which are accustomed to sea level, tire quickly at this mile high altitude.

Sunday was a busy and wonderful and exhausting day. Crystal went with us to the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden where some of the Galloping Geese were running and folks like us were riding. See pictures below. Click on any picture to enlarge it.

We rode motor number seven. While just a tot, Richard, along with his family, rode Engine # 4 quite a lot when his mom taught school and cooked for the miners at the Alta, CO. A special part of history came alive today.

Goose #7 handles her load flawlessly at the Rocky Mountain Railroad Museum.

Father and daughter head out to explore.

After poking around the various outdoor displays, which included quite an array of rolling stock and motive power as well as a round house, we headed for the quiet and cool of the library and browsed the excellent photo albums on display. It was a delightful, albeit tiring day.

Work area inside the round house.

The round house and turntable were especially interesting. Members of the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club really know their stuff and take excellent care of their cast iron charges. Richard shot an excellent picture showing the work area inside the round house.

Later, Crystal also took us out to a very posh restaurant as a Father's Day treat, and we continued the railroad theme by playing Rail Baron (an elaborate railroad board game) at Ronnie and Crystal's house for the next several evenings. It is a game we, as a family, have played for many, many years. Richard is the most frequent winner, but Crystal beat us handily the first game, however, he did regain his top dog position in the rematch.

I forgot to mention the Raisin Cream pie Giovanna baked Grandpa with the guidance of her mother. It was great, and I don't even like raisins!

Crystal perusing RR history pictures,

We should be working on the rig, we have it jam packed, full of stuff to distribute to our kids and other family all over the country. The packing went well early on as we prepared for life on the road, but as our departure date got closer and the space got used up, our packing became more erratic and we were stuffing things any place we could squeeze them in. We have dribbled stuff from state to state all along the way, and there seems to be no dent in the volume!

So, yesterday, we sorted the closets and some interior areas, and emptied all our bays except for our ladder and spare tire. All our boxes and tools and equipment is sorted, rearranged and stowed logically... but now, it doesn't fit very well... And we'll be moving some at the next stop. I gave away a lot and more goes this weekend.

Crystal and Kaylah planning their next move.

Today, we left early to meet daughter Kim and her hubby Steve at Black Hawk, a Colorado mining town that has been transformed into big casinos. We spent all our time in one casino. They played table games, but I am not ready for that. I went outside and took pictures but discovered my memory chip was down the mountain in my computer... so no pictures really exist except in the memory chip between my ears.

We spent the evening and ate with Crystal and family and will give our rig a good cleaning tomorrow. Yes, even on our full time vacation, we must clean house and pay bills.

A Dog Gone Good Life!

Note: Click any picture to enlarge - 
We got to feeling brave, so drove the motorhome over to my cousin John's house in Brighton, CO. John and Sangwan have a large front yard and driveway, so Richard backed our house right in front of John's. I was so proud of him. He can put that big coach almost anywhere!

Baby Snooks, age 17

The weather warmed right up, and we went out to start the Onan 6300 generator so we could keep our pets cooled with A/C. Uh Oh! The starter spins but the engine does not turn over. Finally, after many calls and internet searches, we find a repair shop that can take us right in. Of course, when we got there and they diagnosed the problem (starter was out), they didn't have the needed parts and it would be morning before they could get them.


Back to John's driveway we went, thinking we would need to take the pets to a kennel somewhere. Sangwan has never had pets in her sparkling clean home, and we would not consider asking her to accommodate our housebroken, but slobbery old dog. Well, we didn't have to ask because she offered! Baby Snooks stayed inside until evening when we all went over to John and Sangwan's daughter's house for dinner. Everyone there was so amazed when they heard Snookie had spent the afternoon in the Snider house!

Iona, Elizabeth, Vicki and her brother Vincent

Sangwan and Vicki produced an abundant variety of foods and we talked and ate and enjoyed family time together for hours. Although many years apart in age, Vicki, a breast cancer survivor, and I have become fast friends on Facebook, getting to know one another over several years. We are politically and religiously very different. She is a Buddhist and works hard on the Obama campaign, and I am a Torah observant follower of Yeshua (Jesus) who is somewhat a cross between Libertarian and Republican. We are both passionate and vocal about our convictions, BUT we get along beautifully and she continues to be a treasure in my life.

Click on the photo for a larger version

We let the pets have the motorhome and spent the night in John and Sangwan's guest room. Early next morning, we headed back to the the repair shop. We had to wait a while for the new starter to arrive, but once it did, they swapped it out quickly and we held our breath as they started it. We were praying the generator itself was okay because during its previous six hours of operation it had run and quit and lurched along sickly. But now, it ran like a top. The mechanic said the spring that pulled the starter shaft back from the generator was broken, so the generator was actually turning the starter as it ran. Not any more. It starts immediately and runs so nice and smooth. To top it all off, the bill was way below estimate and the guy only charged $40 labor! Also, Spitzer is a Cummins-Onan factory authorized repair shop. Most important, they are just nice folks who know what they are doing.

The view from our doorway in Buckley Field RV park

Since it was Friday, we were anxious to get our rig parked and be ready for the Sabbath. Our daughter, Crystal, is in the military and lives on post. She arranged for us to rent a space in the Buckley Field RV park on base. Very nice with a cement patio, a pond and wetlands with a nature trail... and only about half what we would have to pay elsewhere.


We got set up in no time and headed to Crystal and Ronnie's house where Ronnie and some of the kids prepared a luscious dinner which was topped off with lots of good conversation. We had some catching up to do and some pictures to review since three of our granddaughters graduated from High School this spring... Mazel Tov, Kaylah, Becka and Rachel!!!

Back: Crystal, Ronnie, Samuel, Richard - Front: Justice, Kaylah, Giovanna, Becka, Rachel

This morning, we rode in to Roeh Israel with Crystal. It was so good to be back in a Messianic congregation, and wonder of wonders, Jonathan Settel who often comes to Beit Yisrael was there. Like me, he loved our late Pastor David Pavlik. He took part in David's memorial service, which we watched online. Today, he sang the Kaddish (a beautiful recitation for the dead), and I softly joined in. Doing it in person had a profound impact on me and I could not hold back the tears. Later, Jonathan shared with me that he had been thinking of Pastor David when he sang it. I was deeply blessed to have voiced those words in a live setting. 

Kim with a partied out Peyton

Jonathan will be at Beit Yisrael in Orlando next week. If you are not in Orlando, you can buy his CD's online. He has an incredible voice and range... and he shares a deep love of YHVH with all people.

After services, Richard and I drove the car to Castle Rock to visit daughter Kim and her family. The youngest, Peyton, had a birthday party to attend, so Daddy Steve took her. She was pooped out by the time she got back.


While she was gone, Kim put steaks on the grill and whipped up scalloped potatoes, corn and a super moist and chocolaty bundt cake with a buttery rich vanilla icing.

Male bonding over Far Side

We also played Yahtzee (which I won twice!) and Grandpa and Jacob read Far Side while Kim and I visited. Seems like forever since we had a good chat, but it was just this spring they all spent a week in Florida.


It's so, so good to see our loved ones again and to have the freedom to hang around for a while. We have the greatest kin folk in the world. We're so blessed to have wonderful children and beautiful, happy grandchildren... and the ability to drive all over the country to visit them, and never leave our home!

Jared enjoys dessert after a good meal

We really have no schedule, nor do we want one other than a loose plan here or there. Tomorrow, we are going out to the Railroad Museum in Golden. Crystal may join us for a while... No plans are solid yet, and it's kind of nice to just go with the flow. 


We do need to get Baby Snooks a bath and nail trim tomorrow, though. Hmmmm


Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll drop by often and maybe leave a comment. Comments always make my day.

The Week in Review, Wild Goose style

We depend on Verizon Mifi for internet service and it's usually pretty good, but we have been waaay out in the sticks and there has not been enough signal to get a blog post out, so here is a flashback using locations instead of dates.... Whole lotta stuff goin' on!

Our grave site is just behind the Snider (red) stone.

Faulton, SD: Richard was born in Faulkton, SD, and my family lived here for a year and a half in my pre-teen days, plus we both have generations of ancestors in the Faulkton Cemetery... so we have decided to buy our burial plots here and place our son Richard's stone here also. (Read previous posts for details). We chose the plots amid cousins and aunts and uncles, and designed our headstone.  We left young Richard's to be placed to the east of ours.

Richard, Ron, Evelyn and Esther

We spent time with more kin folk while here... One cousin had left for his heavenly home not long ago at the age of 90. He and his wife, Evelyn (see picture), were avid square dancers. She designed and made all her dazzling dresses, but had his matching shirts sewn by a neighbor. Her outfits are being set up now in a museum. They also rode bikes together every morning for years.


Another special cousin is Esther who spent her life serving others and amasses loads of information about the family. She is in a nursing home now but still very mentally active. Name any family member and Esther can tell you when and where they were born and many details of their lives.

Ron, Evelyn's son-in-law joined us for a strawberry shortcake snack. He was here to help Evelyn, who has over 600 pairs of shoes, move out of the home she had shared with my cousin Bob for the 69 years, 233 days of their marriage. She faces the change with courage and hope... an incredible lady!

Richard in front of Burkmere School

We drove around the countryside and town, seeking out old memories and being amazed that the weather and the economy had completely obliterated the place I lived so many years ago, the store my uncle owned and even the one room school I attended. But we did find the school where Richard's mother taught before he was born. It actually looked pretty good considering the years and lack of maintenance.


Steele, SD: The wind always blows in the Dakotas, and our drive up to Steele to visit cousin Geneva was no exception. We have been getting 9.2 miles per gallon, but I fear we'll be looking at closer to 8 as we buck the prairie winds all the way to Denver.

World's largest Sand Hill Crane monument

We stayed at the OK Motel near the railroad tracks. Coal trains and empties ran day and night. I loved it, but Richard was less enamored with the night time blasts and moans from those wonderful engines' horns. 

The drivers on the passenger side had been down in a ditch.

We had arranged to have our mail sent up here, but it was delayed, so we extended our stay. Geneva treated us to home cooked meals, lots of wit and a tour of her environs. We visited two Veterans Memorial Parks, the world's largest Sand Hill Crane monument (looks a lot like our Sand Cranes in Florida), Lake Isabel, the Catholic church and a broken trailer spilling out its load of corn. 


Geneva and I always did know how to have a good time. It was a great visit all round!

Geneva and Iona, always were like sisters.

Deadwood, SD: We fought the wind until we hit the tourist town of Deadwood where they had marked off special RV free parking, so we pulled off and took a trolly bus around town. We ate a luscious meal at the unadvertised Deadwood Social Club. It is above the #10 Saloon and there is no sign. The food was fantastic and reasonably priced.

Eaton, CO: We left Deadwood after dark and drove down the mountains using the PAC brake which is an exhaust brake that shifts down for you as well. I don't know exactly how it works, but we dropped off 7% grades, up to three miles long and hardly touched a brake. I had never heard of PAC brakes until we bought our rig, but I am a fan, now.

Richard, Jasper and Sam discuss the dash with the Swedish Chef.

Our friend Sam is blind and the best mechanic I have ever known. We've known Sam for many years and his daughter Sonja stayed with us during her teen years. Our families are very close, so a visit with Sam, Sonja and her three amazing kids is always to be treasured. 


Also special was a trip to the A&W drive in. I hadn't had a root beer float in forever!

Sam under the ditzy dash

As usual, Sam went over our wheels with his skilled hands and ears. We had been having trouble with our dash all trip. It looks like something from a low budget 1970's science fiction movie, and it is not well secured, meaning it bounces and crashes with every bump in the road. Soon, Sam was under the thing and designing a support, which he installed the next day as his well mannered grandkids watched from the sofa.


We boondocked in a lot next to the railroad tracks in Eaton last night. Smoke from the Ft. Collins forest fire left a blanket of fine ash all over everything in the motorhome. Yes, I had foolishly opened the windows when we went to sleep.

Kristi and Richard, Morning Peeps

We woke up quick this morning when a dear friend drove her dump truck right up to our bedroom window and gave us a blast of air horn. Sure was great to see Kristi. When her hubby became ill, she quickly learned to drive a dump and operate his business, all the while taking care of a teen grand daughter and terminally ill husband. A recent widow now, she carries on with courage and good cheer... but the tears come easy and often. I sure do love and admire her.

Kersey, CO: We've known Marna since the first year of our marriage. I was trying to get through college so I could teach, and I took a huge overload of classes. Well, we lived two hours away from the college, thus commuting everyday was not doable, so Marna took me in and I just went home on weekends. We've been fast friends ever since. She now works in a library and it was a slow day so we visited there all afternoon.

Three of the best kids I know

We went with Marna to the La Cafeteria, a Mexican Buffet on 8th Ave in Greeley, CO. Run by the same family for over 30 years and looks like a dump, but oh, the food (Mexican) is yummie and all you can eat! So, we are now boondocking in a vacant lot behind a fuel stop. Lots of diesels idling here.

I am enjoying the RV LIFE quite a lot. I love my home and its comforts, but I also love the freedom to enjoy many people in various parts of the country. 

Kersey, CO: We've known Marna since the first year of our marriage. I was trying to get through college so I could teach, and I took a huge overload of classes. Well, we lived two hours away from the college, thus commuting everyday was not doable, so Marna took me in and I just went home on weekends. We've been fast friends ever since. She now works in a library and it was a slow day so we visited there all afternoon.

Marna (Dee)

We went with Marna to the La Cafeteria, a Mexican Buffet on 8th Ave in Greeley, co. Run by the same family for over 30 years and looks like a dump, but oh, the food (Mexican) is yummie and all you can eat! So, we are now boondocking in a vacant lot behind a fuel stop. Lots of diesels idling here.


I am enjoying the RV LIFE quite a lot. I love my home and its comforts, but I also love the freedom to enjoy many people in various parts of the country. I wish we had done this much earlier!

Visiting kin folks

Jasper dozing on the dash

Jasper has become more relaxed as we traveled. Funny, when we're stopped he perches on a footstool or snoozes on our bed, but whenever the diesel fires up, he makes a dash for the dash, and stays right there the whole time we're rolling, even when we're driving into the blazing sun.

By the way, notice the beautiful view we have out of our front room windows. Our home is small, but our front yard is as big as the country. I just love it.

Our next stop was Waterloo, IA, where we spent the day with Richard's only sister, Lorna. Lorna is 89 years old, but when her two-story house needed painting, she got out the ladders and paint brushes, and Lorna painted that house... all by herself!

A casino in Waterloo, Iowa?

We had been boondocking for several days by then and were ready for a good, long shower. Boondocking is parking free and using the coach's generator, water supply and waste holding tanks... that means showers, which use lots of water and fill holding tanks, are limited. So I found a special deal on Twitter for $19 rooms at the Isle Casino in Waterloo, IA, if you mentioned the word Tweet when you reserved the room. We had a great stay, but you know, except for the very long shower I took, I really would have preferred to stay in my homey coach.

Mae Jean and Richard

 The next day, we visited Richard's sister-in-law, Mae Jean in Reinbeck, IA. She is a precious and gentle soul, the widow of Richard's brother Robert who served as a fireman all his working life. She had just lost her daughter a short while before our visit, and we were glad she was so cheered by our coming to see her.

After another night in a Wal-Mart lot, it was on to Princeton, MN to see cousin Frank and his wife, Mary. Mary prepared a luscious meal and we spent the day with them. They toured the Safari but said they would leave the wandering to us. They are quite happy with their cozy apartment. They don't even bother with a car since public transportation is cheap and convenient. But we are cut from different cloth, so they sent us on our way loaded down with home baked goodies and lots of good wishes.

At last, we arrived in Faulkton, SD, where we have much to do and more wonderful people to see... but that's a story for tomorrow.

In your face TV, literally!

We're safely cozied in at an Iowa Wal-mart after a very exciting day on the road. I'm tellin' ya, the adrenalin was pumping, not just once, but twice as we had two eye poppers.

Before I get to the details, let me just say that both Richard and I have a long history on the road as truck drivers (we owned trucks, and also drove for other folks at times) and he has also driven buses for years, but we have different styles, especially when it comes to driving the motorhome. He drives it like a truck or bus, whereas I drive it slower and more gently. This is MY HOUSE! I drive it tenderly... and sometimes I remind my sweet man that he isn't doing that. I do try to be tactful, but really should keep my mouth shut. Well, today's adventures proved each of our points.

Some of the roads in Missouri are a tad rough, and Richard was driving (in my opinion) a tad fast. All of a sudden we hit a really bad spot in the road and the TV, which was mounted in an open cabinet above the driver, came flying out of its place right in my honey's face! Picture this: 60 mph down the freeway, a curve, a vehicle on each side of us and the TV flies out at him... and like a Hollywood stunt man, Richard dashes out and catches that television in his right hand! He never swerved a lick as he swung it on down to the floor and kept right on driving as if nothing had happened. Then he turned and gave me his best smart aleck grin.

A little while later, we had to make a panic stop to avoid hitting a car cutting across our lane. Thank YHVH for, our new brakes. As Richard stood the rig on its nose, a ceramic lid came rolling up to the driver's area. It had come all the way from the back of our 40 foot coach... In shock I looked back to see the contents of my "dresser box" where I put things that sit out when we're parked, scattered all up the hall. Our spare change, the phone charger, alarm clock, etc. It was as if a drug-crazed madman had pitched a fit and thrown our stuff up to 20 or more feet away. Everything in the coach that was not properly stowed had been flung forward. What a lesson that was! You guessed right, I reorganized the coach big time, thanking God the whole time that we had gotten stopped and not one thing was broken.

Refrigerator notes: The frig is not cooling at all now, but the freezer seems to work fine. We think there must be a problem with the thermostat in the frig and will research that after we are rested up from our big day today. Meanwhile, we are using our icemaker to make and fill large baggies of ice for the frig. I do love the icemaker, a big unit separate from the frig that puts out buckets of ice pronto.

We tried to watch the Beit Yisrael Shabbat service but could not keep a signal on our Mifi. Again, we held our own service here in the coach... not the same, but still a blessing. It was a good day and we were certainly reminded of our Father's care. We live a blessed life!

The Rolling Stone

This was our first full day on the road without a breakdown or problem! Well, sort of. We have an ongoing issue with our Dometic side-by-side not doing the job when we are on the roll. Works fine sitting still, though.

But back to our saga... Our steering box parts didn't come in until Wednesday and by the time the job was done and we were ready to roll, it was late afternoon, so we chose to spend another night. We removed and gave away our awning... Perhaps we'll buy a cheapo patio shade canopy somewhere up the road. We did laundry and took a late night dip in the pool. Ah, the RV life is so good!

 Thursday morning, Richard was up early and puttering around getting things ready to roll (we had done most of it already). I, on the other hand, am not an early riser. We are retired and have no real schedule, so I snooze in. Thank goodness my morning person hubby is so understanding.

We did have one important thing to do before taking off. We needed to pick up our son Richard's head stone. Richard passed away 20 years ago and his ashes are high in the Colorado mountains. His marker was placed on property we owned there but later sold, so now we are taking the marker to South Dakota where generations of our family are buried and we shall be also.

Loading a granite grave stone in the back seat of a tiny Ford Fiesta is amazingly challenging. There is room for only one person at the small door opening, and the Incredible Hulk was not among our sweet friends who had been storing this stone for over eight years. Richard and our friends tried to convince me it couldn't be done, but somehow, after much head scratching and prayer, they got the stone into the car without even a scratch to stone or vehicle.

Finally, the joys of the open road! We were so thrilled! We drove for about four hours before we discovered a flat on the left outside dual. Oh no, not one of our new tires! Here we go again, aaarrrggghh!

But this time was different. I called Coach Net, our emergency road service company and they had a guy out within 30 minutes. He had the tire fixed and back on the rig in very little time and we were on our way at NO COST!!!! YeeeeHaaaww!

This morning after a lovely night at the Jasper, AL Wal-Mart, we were on the road early (for me) and had a beautiful, trouble-free day wherein Jasper the cat quietly scowled at the scenery for long stretches.

We stopped early and held our candle lighting and Shabbat service here in the motorhome. What a wonderful way to travel!