....There Are Those Days......

August 31, 2007, 9:05 pm

Some of you may believe that everyday I see wonderful scenery (Sedona)
and all is just amazing & astonishing, because of the blogs I write!.....NOT! 

So I'm going to share some drab~dreary~dull~ humdrum~ tedious~ wearisome~ and silly days......as I sit here at a KOA park somewhere in Iowa, or is it Nebraska? Or is it in New Orleans post Katrina?
There are those days....

.....of nothing but driving...& all travel is not equally spectacularly beautiful...just to keep awake, I have to pull over at every rest area..... 

.....when my diesel tank is less than half filled and I think I can wait til the next town for a fill-up.  The next town is 250 miles away and it's only a "gas" station....

.....I'm not tired when I see an RV Park and it's 6 or 7 PM....."I'll just wait for the next one" and keep driving.....you guessed it....no more signs for RV parks....it's dark....I don't drive at night....I don't even see at night .......... but ....... sometimes I must.....until I find a WalMart ... could be midnight or 1 AM....rest areas at night waaay too scary.....

.......when my GPS (George Percival Stansfield) tells me to turn right and I'm on a bridge over the Mississippi River.....I know I won't turn but it's a sensation of an order from someone named George Percival Stansfield that gives me simultaneous hot flashes and cold chills.....would it help for me to change his name?....

.....when my RV needs service....I schedule an appointment way in advance ... and service changes it and rarely lets you know ...... or even why.... so you wait..... oh .... if you're under warranty, you may have to drive days to get to an authorized dealer.....

.......when an 18-wheeler misses hitting you by less than an inch....sometimes it can be 4-5 -  18 wheelers.....in one day.....

.......and the worst.....there are those months when I have a dollar left and Social Security is 3-4 days late depositing my check.......

Most days are just like you see in my pictures and blogs.....beautiful scenery, spectacular historical sites, mysterious caves and meeting up with good friends.....like tomorrow in Kansas.  I lived across the street from Rosemary & Arn for about 15-16 years in Santa Cruz.  I even introduced them.  Several years ago they moved to Kansas (to be close to Arn's ageing parents) and I'm so excited to see them.....especially over Labor Day weekend.  They are great cooks!

See you down the road....

Gypsy Mama aka Patty

ps....I have a new TV...Leisure Travel Van replaced my 17" with a 20" with a flat screen and a new "arm" to hold it.  I had to drive to North Dakota to get it and it was just installed yesterday....10 days later than it was scheduled....not bad!  I am grateful.  And I'm watching TV tonight for the first time in 8 weeks.

Peaceful Easy Feeling

August 28, 2007, 6:04 pm

I'm kind-of-on-the-road......

Waiting in Minot, North Dakota....still...for my TV to be replaced.  That was supposed to happen a week ago Monday (8/20).  If it hasn't happened by this Thursday, I will start all over with the process in Kansas.  That's where I am going to see dear friends & neighbors (of 14-15 years) over the Labor Day weekend.  Like everything .....this wait 'is what it is' ....& most of you know what it's like dealing with service people.  I'll just leave it there!

Meanwhile....I've been busy here in this land of vast prairies where the buffalo still roam (lots of them),
and a badlands area where Theodore Roosevelt once roamed.  His presence is still quite alive.  I understand more now why this part of the country is referred to as the Heartland.  It's not only the middle of our nation, its people embody solid middle America values....just down-home-down-to-earth-work hard-helpful and friendly people....


Bismark (the capital) has been rated as number one in the country for its quality of life and the "Least stressful city in America."  I also can see why roam and roaming are used a lot for this area.  There's so much room to roam!  Sometimes I think I'm the only person on the road...sometimes I am.  There is a good balance of attractions, historical sites and cultural activities abound.

Everywhere, of course, is Lewis & Clark & Sakakawea, the legendary "bird woman" who accompanied L & C on their way west. 

Next door to Bismark, with the Missouri River in the middle, is Mandan, also steeped in history.  It's a very attractive (touristy) town with art galleries, museums, ballet & symphony...things that attract visitors.

Close by is Theodore Roosevelt National Park where I had time to leisurely see it all.  I spent 2 glorious nights in the Juniper primitive camp site ... the weather was perfect for late evening walking with TaZzi and greeting other friendly campers & their dogs...some in pop ups, some in tents...few in RV's.  See many of my posted pictures of this area.....

If Teddy were here today, he would feel very much at home and have lots of buffalo to shoot.  Wrong...don't think he could do that today in his park.  The park is in 2 units....the South Unit and the North Unit.  I first did the South Unit which is above another little town called Medora (also a bit touristy, but not bad).  You have to drive another 50+ miles to get to the North Unit

Oh, BTW....I'm actually lucky to be back in the U.S.  For a while, I didn't think they were going to let me back in from Canada.  Going through customs from US to Canada was just a few questions and the relinquishing of my pepper spray...they didn't come inside and search.  Different story getting back in.  Two customs very serious men got in "Phoebe McGee" and went through all my stuff...don't think they missed anything...glove box, refrigerator, under the sofa, closet, shelves, drawers.......and went through all my books.....especially the one lying on the sofa I'm presently reading.....called "The Afghan".  Guess it helped that I had some other more appropriate reading material around as well; like the Bible and John Steinbeck....

TaZzi had a nice birthday last Tuesday...no I didn't bake her a cake but I gave her special treats all day and some roast beef mixed with her dog food for dinner.  She knew something was special! 

I'll probably blog from Kansas next... til then have....

.......peaceful easy feelings....