June 30, 2015---Elks Lodge Campground in Oregon City, OR.

We drove to Walmart in Woodburn.  I needed three Rx refills.  We were on a back road and it took us about 30 minutes to get there, I think.  We were on some roads we had never been on.  We’ve been doing a lot of that lately.

Before heading north on I-5, we ate lunch at Taco Bell.  We haven’t been to Woodburn for several years.  It has really grown.  We didn’t have time to drive to the downtown area, but we’ll be back there tomorrow to get my prescriptions.  Todd and Bonnie will be with us so we might try to find a cache or two.

Bill and I went to Tigard to find an Apple Store. We drove around for a long time before we finally located it.  I had hoped to get some help with posting pictures on my blog.  I’m not sure I will be able to get it to happen, but I will try.

We took a different road back home.  Thank goodness, we had a Nuvi with us.  Without it, we might have gotten lost.

Bonnie invited us to dinner.  We ate outside at a picnic table.  It was a really nice evening.  After eating, we went on a walk around the campground.  Some of the road was rocky, but Todd and I both managed the terrain OK.  He gets up early to walk in the morning.  I don’t think that will work for me, but the evening walk was a real treat.

June 29, 2015---Prineville to Portland and the Elks Lodge in Oregon City, OR.

At 9:00, we all went to McDonald’s for breakfast. It was rather busy.  Lots of geezers meet there every morning for coffee.  We see this at Mickey D’s in other parts of the country.  It must be a good gathering place all across the USA.

We said goodbye to Kathy, Gary, and Suzanne and were on our way to Portland by 10:30.  It was a beautiful drive, mostly through pine forests.  As we got closer to Mount Hood, there was more activity.  From there on, we encountered more traffic, and busy businesses.

I called Bonny for directions to the Oregon City Elks Campground.  The driving instructions were very complicated and confusing, but we were able to make our way through narrow roads and many twists and curvy roads.

After quite a bit of country driving, we found the campground and parked next to Todd and Bonnie.  There were a lot of big trees offering shade.  That made it cooler.

Today’s Travel Totals:  miles traveled, 171.

June 28, 2015---Kathy and Gary’s house, Prineville, OR

Kathy and Gary brought biscuits and gravy to our coach for our breakfast.  That’s a good way to start the day.

I spent most of the morning resting.  I was still tired from my busy day yesterday.  At 11:00, Kathy and I went to the Dollar Tree.  We spent an hour and a half walking up and down each aisle.  Kathy is the original Super Shopper.  We left no stone unturned and no item not inspected.

We got sodas to drink on the way home.  Kathy’s friend, Suzanne, was to drive in from Seattle.  We went by her house to put some 4th of July decorations in her yard.  Just as we were finishing, Suzanne drove in.  We went home and Suzanne came to visit.  She, Kathy, and I worked for the Seaside School District.  It was nice to have time to relax and catch up on news.  We are all now retired and enjoying it just a whole bunch.

Late in the afternoon, we all went for a ride around town and to the lake.  Bill had never been there .  It was very busy, specially the campground.  The lake level is down because of the lack of rain in the area.  It was a nice drive to the lake, but we didn’t see very many boats in the water.  And we didn’t see any wild critters.

We went to DQ to eat.  They had lots of traffic the entire time we there.  This is the last time we will be in this part of the state  because tomorrow we leave for Portland.

June 27, 2015---Kathy and Gary’s house, Prineville, OR

This morning, Kathy, Gary, and I went to a parade in downtown Prineville.  This is Rodeo Time, and there were lots of horses with riders in the parade.  Many of them were contestants for rodeo queens.  Their costumes were beautiful.  They all had floral arrangements just behind their saddles.  The flowers matched their color scheme of clothes and saddles.  The wrapping on the horses’ legs matched also.

There were floats and a marching trash can band.  Firetrucks played a noisy part in the celebration, with a few firemen clowns.  Some of the firetrucks sprayed the crowd with water.  No one cared because the temperature had already begun to rise.  I believe it was the best small town parade I’ve seen.

We went to McDonald’s for something cold to drink before going to a few garage sales.  One particularly large sale was an estate sale.  Every room in the house was stuffed with items.  I got really tired and finally had to leave the shopping to Kathy.

We went back to their house and ate turkey sandwiches.  After resting in the cool house, we continued our adventures.  We went to Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul Thrift stores.  We took Panda Express home and ate in the coolness of their house.

As we pulled into the driveway, we saw a young buck.  He had antlers just beginning to get their velvet.  He was a very handsome fellow.

June 26, 2015---John Day to Kathy and Gary’s, Prinville, OR

We left John Day at 9:15.  Hwy. 26 took us through a valley of farms and ranches.  Most of the crops were alfalfa and the storage places were filled with huge bales.  This year’s harvest must be a bumper crop.

Another thing we saw at many of the houses along the way were huge stacks of firewood, sometimes nearly as big as the house.  When we got to the forest area, many of the partially burned trees had been cut down.  Whether they were cut down for firewood or to sell to logging companies, I don’t know.  There were certainly a lot of downed trees waiting for something.

We couldn’t remember the way to Kathy and Gary’s house so they met us on the east side of Prinville and followed them to their house.  They have a nice house and a workshop on two acres.  It is fenced, but doesn’t keep the deer out.  It keeps their two dogs in.

After visiting for awhile, and having turkey sandwiches for lunch, Kathy and I went to several thrift shops.  By the time we got back home, I was really tired.  We decided to go to dinner at DQ.  That gave us more time to sit and talk.

Kathy and I worked at the same school in Seaside for several years before I retired.  Kathy just retired a week ago.  We had lots of school “gossip” to catch up on.  She and I also worked at the Convention Center, setting up tables for dinners and then serving the meal to the convention attendees..

It was over 100° today, but a shower at sundown cooled things off nicely.  Tomorrow is suppose to be another scoracher!

Today’s Travel Totals:  miles traveled, 120 ---critter sightings, two deer, a rabbit, and several quail.

June 25, 2015---Nampa, Idaho to county campground, John Day, OR

We got on the road at 7:30 this morning.  It wasn’t too much longer before we did an extra special cheer as we crossed the Snake River into Oregon.  Even though we have changed our legal address to South Dakota, I think we both have a special place in our hearts for Oregon.

The drive to John Day took us through some beautiful scenery...pine trees are hard to beat.  We were on a new road for us, which is always fun.  We checked into the county campground at the fairgrounds.  It is a very nice facility.  In spite of the temperature being close to 100°, the coach cooled down nicely thanks to good electric power here at the campground.

After dinner, we went out to cache.  It had begun to cool off a bit.  We were able to find two hidden containers.  One avoided us, probably placed it was in tall weeds and big pipes.  I was no help with this one.  The footing was too “iffy.”

Today’s Travel Totals:  miles traveled, 174---geocaches found, 2.  (I counted and these two made 29 in our travels.)

June 24, 2015---Idaho Falls to Walmart in Nampa, Idaho.

We left at 6:30 this morning, with the same arrangement as yesterday.  We stopped at Jerome, Idaho.  Bill took time to do our laundry---two weeks worth.  We have been too busy hiding from tornados and traveling to keep up with the mundane chores of life.

Our goal for tonight was to get to Caldwell, Idaho.  We were able to park at Walmart, but in Nampa instead of Caldwell.  

After dinner, we went geocaching.  We found three and left one unclaimed.  I think we have found 27 since we left Loveland.  It is good to get back out on the hunt after being out of it for so long.  I am still having trouble walking a lot, so we pick and choose the caches we go after.

We enjoyed our drive across this part of Idaho.  It is obvious that not much rain has fallen here as in other place, but the crops are very green because of irrigation.  There is so much contrast between the green fields and the brown places that are not getting any water.

Today’s Travel Totals:  miles traveled, 294---geocaches found, 3.

June 23, 2015---Billings, Montana to Walmart, Idaho Falls, ID.

We left Billings at 6:30, with Bill in the driver’s seat and me still asleep in the bed.  We continued on I-90- to Bozeman.  We can’t remember every having been to Bozeman before.  It was a nice little city with lots of shopping.

We took Hwy. 84 to Hwy. 287, going through the little towns of McAllister, Ennis, Cameron, and Hutchins Ranch.  We had meant to take Hwy. 191, south, but for some reason, we got on Hwy. 287.  It turned out to be a good mistake.  The drive was beautiful as we drove along the Madison River.  There was very little traffic.

We took the Hwy. 87 cutoff which took us over the Continental Divide and past Henry’s Lake.  The Continental Divide is also the state line between Montana and Idaho.  We pulled of the road to enjoy the view, parked next to two people and their bicycles.  For fear of sending them into a state of shock with our honking and shouting, we whispered.  It just wasn’t the same!  

Hwy. 20 went on into Idaho Falls, where we parked at Walmart.  After resting, shopping, and eating dinner, we went geocaching.  We found four caches, all of them fairly easy to find.              

Today’s Travel Totals:  miles traveled, 349---geocaches found, 4---

critter sightings, white pelicans, 1 antelope.

June 22, 2015---Medora, ND. to Sam’s Club, Billings, Montana

This morning, at 8:00, we left the campground.  I wasn’t feeling well, so most of our departure was up to Bill.  After stopping at a Rest Area to eat our breakfast, I went back to bed and slept for an hour or two.  For lunch I had cheese and crackers.  My stomach tolerated it OK.

Before leaving Roosevelt Park, we saw a huge buffalo enjoying his fresh green breakfast.  He was all by himself as far as we could tell.  We certainly haven’t seen the herds of buffalo that we saw several years ago when we were here.  The big guy we saw this morning was very near the Prairie Dog Town.  Maybe they keep him from getting too lonely.

After getting on I-90, it wasn’t too long before we greeted Montana.  We drove past miles and miles of ranch land.  It was very pretty.  When we got to farm land, it was green and pretty, also.  We went through pine tree forests...impressive.  The variety of landscape made the trip enjoyable.

We found Sam’s Club, filled the coach with diesel and parked for the day.  This was a long day of driving for Bill.  We went into Sam’s and shared a piece of pizza.  Each of us started a cup of ice cream, but put most of it in the freezer.

After a quick trip to Walmart, we went in search of a cache.  It was well hidden, but we found it quickly.  We weren’t so lucky on the second one.  We were soon back at the MH and settled in for the night.

Today’s Travel Totals:  miles traveled, 291---geocaches found, 1---critter sightings, 1 buffalo and a whole bunch of prairie dogs.

June 21, 2015---Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, ND.

A storm was brewing this morning...strong winds, and dark clouds.  As the day went on, there were tornado warnings accompanied by lightening and thunder, but nothing serious ever developed.

We stayed home all day.  Bill talked to some of the neighbors, but I didn’t go out of the MH at all.  Some people said there was a buffalo eating lunch just in back of of our motorhome, but we didn’t see it.

Neighbors from Florida came to visit.  They aren’t full timers like we are, but they want to be.  They have lots of questions that need to be answered

I worked on Brent’s “Oregon Ducks Quilt.”  It is the first time I have worked on it since the first part of December.  I am just about finished with the outer edge.  I still have the quite a lot of straight lines to do.  It isn’t hard to do, but it it takes time.  Just the fact that I felt like working on it is an improvement.

June 20, 2015---Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, ND.

This was a bright, sunny day in North Dakota.  We went into Medora just before lunch.  We found one cache.  It was muddy in the area, so Bill found a dry spot for me to wait while he went about 25 feet further to find the cache.  It was up under a bridge.

After finding the cache, we went into Medora to an ice cream parlor for lunch.  The servings were big, but the ice cream was so-so.  I guess having any kind of ice cream for lunch shouldn’t come with any complaints.  And I didn’t leave any in my cup, so it must of been ok.

We went up in the hills in search of another cache, but the closest we could get to it in the car was .4 miles and I am not able to walk that far yet.

It was nap time when we got home.  We didn’t accomplish much more the rest of the day!  Rest and relaxation was what we needed most.

June 19, 2015---Spearfish, SD to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, ND.

Happy Birthday, Brent!  We hope you had a wonderful day!

I spent most of the morning at my desk.  I had some things to mail to Lori and Mario, and JP and Rosie.  It has been on my “To Do” for way too long.  Now I can get it marked off.  That is always a good feeling.

We found a place to get hamburgers while we were in town.  There were no fast food places in the whole town, but there was a locally owned burger joint.  Their burgers were very good, and so were the fries.  

While we were sitting at an outdoor table, we told a lady about Geocaching.  She was intrigued and ask a lot of questions.  We told her there was a cache hidden about two blocks away and would she like to go with us to find it.  She was so excited.  We won’t every know if she will get into the sport, but she had a good time today!

We went back to the MH to rest.  The warm weather and lots of walking just about did me in.  At 4:30, park rangers came to tell us that a tornado was headed headed toward the campground.  Oh, great!  Three days and two tornado.  Yikes!  We had very high winds and some hard rain, but that’s all!

Today’s Travel Totals:  geocaches found 1,---critter sightings, 2 buffalo

June 18, 2015---Spearfish, SD to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, ND.

We said “goodbye” to Ed and Ginny and were on the road at 9:30.  The only damage we had in the storm last night was a tree blown over.

We took Hwy. 85 north to Buffalo.  After eating lunch and getting fuel, we continued our journey.  Before long we crossed into North Dakota.  Since there were very few people around, we made a lot of noise.  It was the noisiest “State Line Celebration” we have had in a long, long time.

We stayed on Hwy. 85 until we got to I-94.  We turned west until we got to the town of Medora.  That was the South entrance of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

We went looking for a camping spot.  Every available space was full or reserved.  We continued to drive through the campground several times.  Finally, luck was on our side.  A camping site had opened up and we were there to take advantage of it.  At this point, we had been searching for almost two hours.  

Today’s Travel Totals:  miles traveled, 215---critter sightings, lots of antelope and a herd of wild horses.

June 17, 2015---Ed and Ginny’s house in Spearfish, SD. June 17, 2015

June 17, 2015---Ed and Ginny’s house in Spearfish, SD.

We woke up to a blue sky day.  At 10:00, we set off for some geocaching.  The first two we found were at a sports complex.  The next two were in small neighborhood parks.  They were all fairly easy to locate.

About half way between the caches we stopped at a Mexican place.   The food was good.  They were very busy the whole time we were there.

When we got back home, it was time to rest.  At 4:00, Ed and Ginny came over with snacks and chairs.  We sat under a tree and visited.

An hour after the misquitos chased us back into our RVs, Ginny called to say our area was under a sever weather alert and they might take refurge in their daughter’s basement and we could go with them.  I said if the went for cover to let us know.  Ten minutes later she called back and said we should get to a safer place.

We were in the basement for over two hours. We had high winds and lightening.  Some of the strikes were right over us.  I was glad Hapa wasn’t with us.

We also had rain and some small hail.  Friends from the area called and said a tornado was spotted in our area.  We couldn’t see anything from our hiding place.  Maybe we will get a weather report tomorrow.

June 16, 2015---Ed and Ginny’s house in Spearfish, SD.

Bill and I went into Spearfish to do so errands this morning.  I needed a Rx filled at Walmart.  We left it there and went to lunch.  

KFC has a buffet and that is one of my favorite places to eat.  At a buffet, I can eat what I want and leave the rest for others.  KFC has great coleslaw, so I got extra of that.  I only had one biscuit and two extra crispy wings.  Peach cobbler rounded out my meal.

After returning to Walmart for my Rx refill, we went to the Post Office.  I mailed a birthday card to Brent and got some shipping supplies.  I have a couple of things that need to be mailed to California.  Now maybe I will be able to mark that chore off my list.

I was very tired when we got back home, so I took time for a nap.  Tomorrow, we are going geocaching with Ed and Ginny.  We introduced them to the sport when we were here several years ago.  This is a beautiful part of the country.  I really wanted to solve my picture problems so I could share photos from this area, but I haven’t been successful.  Lori has tried to help me, but I am still “stuck.”  Perhaps I will send her a few pictures to forward on for me.

Hopefully, I will be able to tell about some of the interesting caches in this part of the country.

June 15, 2015---Cabela’s in Rapid City, SD to Ed and Ginny’s house in Spearfish, SD.

By the time we finished breakfast, hooked the Honda on, dumped the holding tanks, and filled both vehicles with fuel, it was nearly 11:00.

Not long after leaving Rapid City, we went through Sturgis.  That is the town that hosts a motorcycle gathering ever year.  This is the 75th year for it and they are expecting a million people to attend.  Wow, what a party!

We got to Ginny and Ed’s house in time for lunch and some “catch up” visiting  We don’t see them often, but we talk on the phone a couple of times a year.  We met them at an RV gathering in Mexico.  When it came time to go across to San Fillipi they ask if they could follow us.  Of course we said “yes” and we’ve been friends ever since.  

One time when we were driving north out of Tucson I called them to see if we could see them in Casa Grande.  They said they were traveling north.  We discovered they were about two miles ahead of us.  They pulled into a Rest Area and waited for us.  We had a nice visit in a rather unusual meeting place.

Today’s Travel Totals:  mileage, 70. 

June 14, 2015---Elks Lodge to Cabela’s in Rapid City, SD

We wanted to watch the NASCAR race, but we had to vacate our camping spot.  We drove to Menard’s and parked in their lot.  We thought the owner of all the Menard’s stores wouldn’t mind since he sponsors his son racing a NASCAR car.

For those of you in other parts of the country, Menard’s is like Home Depot or Lowe’s.  Years ago, we saw our first Menard’s somewhere in the Carolinas.  We went in to see what the store was like and were surprised to find a Krispy Kreme donut shop just inside the front door.  That was a great idea because most people like a cup of coffee and a donut.  The place that morning was very busy!

The race today was from Michigan.  It was delayed several times because of rain.  The track would have to be dried before the race could continue. 

Today’s Totals:  geocaches, 2

June 13, 2015---Elks Lodge, in Rapid City, SD

This was a big day for me.  I drove the car for about 3/4 mile.  That may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but it is the first time I’ve been behind the wheel in months. 

For those of you who know me and know how important it is for me to have the independence that driving gives me, will understand how hard on me this has been.

We found two caches today.  Neither was much of a challenge, but it was good to be out on the hunt.

We had planned on parking at Flying J, but it didn’t work out so we went to the Elks Lodge Campground.  It got warmer today, so it was nice to have the air conditioner available.

Today’s Totals:  geocaches, 1...critter sightings, 1 rabbit.  I saw a lady bug walking across our windshield, but Bill said I couldn’t count that as a critter sighting.  I think he made a new rule without a vote from the majority... ME.

June 12, 2015---Chadron, NE to Cabela’s in Rapid City, SD

We left the Walmart parking lot at 9:40.  Twenty minutes later we crossed into South Dakota.  Of course there was a great celebration because this is our state of residence.  It really didn’t feel like old home week, though. 

When we got to Rapid City, we parked at Cabela’s, and set off to do some errands.  Our first stop was KFC for lunch.  The last time we were here for lunch. an old Indian woman came to me and ask if

she could have any of my food that I couldn’t eat.  She must of been hungry, because she cleaned my plate, using my utensils.  At the time I wasn’t eating very much so she had a good meal.  She even chewed on the bones I had eaten.  When we got ready to leave, she thanked me for the dinner.  She wasn’t there today, but I often think of her and wish I had bought her more food.  Our girls and I call that a “blessings check.”  Think about it!

Before going back to the MH, we went to our mail forwarding service to get our mail.  We only had two things...from the IRS.  And it was all good news...approval of what I sent and a refund.  That was a first for us in a long time.  We found a US Bank and deposited it before the Feds could change their minds.

We went to the Visitors Center and found a cache.  It took us quite a while to find it.  Bill gave up and sat on a bench to rest.  I continued the search and called him over when I spotted it.  It was under a bush.  I am feeling better, but not good enough to crawl around on the muddy ground.

Today’s Travel Totals:  miles traveled, 100...geocaches, 1...critter sightings, 4 antelope and  2 rabbits.

June 11, 2015---Torrington, WY to Chadron, NE

I can tell I am out of practice writing my blog when we are traveling.  I completely forgot to finish the day with Travel Totals.  I will catch now...miles traveled, 140...geocaches, 5...critter sightings, 12 camels, a bunch of buffalo, and 12 or 14 wild turkeys.

Not long after leaving Torrington, we crossed into Nebraska (Honk, honk! Yahoo!).  This is a road we can’t remember having been on.  We drove out of cattle country and into farmland.  To the south we could see mesas or bluffs that looked like mountains with the tops sliced off.  We passed through the town of Scottsbluff and thought maybe it was named after the terrain to the south.

During the night, we had lots of rain.  This morning, dark clouds are hanging over this area.  We miss having weather news from the Denver TV stations.  Bill will have to get use to using the Internet to get our information. 

We had meant to travel north out of Torrington, to Lusk, before going east into South Dakota.  Our plans changed after talking to a “local” who told us that the bridge was washed out in a flood.  Bill remembered the bridge being tall.  The “local” said in a flood, a house washed down the river and ran into the bridge.  Bill called WYDOT to see if a way was built around it yet.  His answer was “No.”  So we changed our plans.

Soon after going through Scottsbluff, we turned north on Hwy. 385 toward Chadron.  The road went through farmland and a very pretty forest.  Before we arrived in Chadron, we were back in farm land.  It was raining when we parked at Walmart.  By the time we ate lunch and rested, the weather had improved enough that we could go on the hunt...geocaching, that is.  We found three!

Today’s Travel Totals:  miles traveled, 136...geocaches, 3.

June 10, 2015---Michelle’s House in Loveland, CO.

We left Michelle’s house just after 9:00 this morning.  There was a fine mist in the air.  The temperature was 68° when we crossed  from Colorado into Wyoming.  Bill did a good job of honking and I haven’t lost my ability to “yahoo.”

Just after crossing the state line we saw a field with 12 camels in it.  They were enjoying the thick grass, thanks to the rain we have  had lately.  There was also a feed lot filled with buffalo.

Not long after going through Cheyenne on I-25, we turned onto Hwy. 85.  It cut through ranch land on the way to Torrington.  We stopped at a Rest Area for lunch and some rest time for Super Driver.

When we got to Torrington, we checked into a small campground.  It was the only camping facility with a dump and we had really full holding tanks.  After taking care of that chore, we looked on the Internet to see if there were any geocaches in this town.

It had been several months since we had gone hunting for caches, so it was kind of like starting from scratch.  By the end of the afternoon, and locating five caches, it began to feel familiar again.  Some of the grass at the parks presented a challenge to me, but I made it OK, with no falls.  Maybe we will build up some strength as we do more of the caches.

As we were going from one cache to another, we had to stop for a flock of wild turkeys to cross the road.  There were 12 or 14 of them.  All of them were full grown.  We didn’t see any babies.

When we were in Loveland, I had help from so many people.  I really do appreciate all the care I got.  Thanks!

June 9, 2015---Michelle’s House in Loveland, CO.

Our plans for today were to leave Michelle’s driveway at about 11:00.  It didn’t happen!  I had several tasks that still needed to be done.  Bill had some, also.  Since his chores involve way more energy than any of mine, he was in need of a nap.  When he got up he was still so tired he said he didn’t think he wanted to drive the motorhome.  That was fine with me.  We are not in any particular hurry, so we will see what tomorrow brings.

This is the warmest day we have had.  Bill turned our air conditioner on for the first time in a long, long time.  I hope to get a walk in later when things cool off a bit. 

At 8:00, we were hit by a strong wind.  The trees were taking a beating.  Dark clouds rolled in.  We haven’t seen a weather report so we don’t know what is headed this way.

June 8, 2015---Michelle’s House in Loveland, CO.

At 9:15, I went to see Dr. Green, my cardiologist.  He was pleased with the progress I have made.  He wants me to keep walking as much as I can.  We talked about signs of stress on my heart, and what I needed to do in case of trouble.  I really like him and will follow through as well as I can.

Meredith took the day off from work and went to hear what the doctor had to say.  She has a much better memory than either Bill or I have.  

I went home with her.  We spent some time in the yard with the dogs.  Lindsey, my visiting nurse, called.  She came for her last visit.  I feel so fortunate to have had two great helpers in my recovery program.  They are now great friends and I will miss both of them.

Joshua, Connor, and Matthew brought Tippy over and we all went for a walk on one of the trails by Boyd Lake.  It was rough going with my walker, but I took time to rest frequently.  Connor stayed with me ever step of the way.  We went to an area where the dogs could get in the water.  They had a really good time.  When it was time for us to leave, Meredith and Tippy went back to Meredith’s house, got the van, and drove back on the road to get me.  I didn’t think I could make it over the rocky road again.

It was well past lunch time when we got back.  We left the dogs at Meredith’s for well deserved naps, and drove to the tiny town of Mead.  One of our favorite BBQ places is there...The Brick House.  The food was excellent.

When we got back to Loveland, I went back to the MH to touch base with Bill and Michelle.  It was 4:00 by then and I had been gone since early morning.

Everyone, including Natalia, met for dinner at Michelle’s.  There was a lot of laughter, as usual, around the table.  Our family doesn’t lack for hilarity.  Before I went back to the motorhome, I said “goodbye” to each person.  We will miss them when we leave, but we are very anxious to get on the road again.

Tomorrow,  if all goes as we plan, we will head north!

June 7, 2015---Michelle’s House in Loveland, CO.

This morning, we went out for breakfast with Meredith and Dwaine.  There is a restaurant next door to Origins, that has been open for about three months, I think.  They serve breakfast and lunch only.  It serves a lot of people, but is short on amenities.  

We had our name on the list for at least half an hour before we were seated.  They were fairly fast getting our food to us.  It was interesting how the food was put on the plate...”browns,” topped with a huge biscuit, and thick gravy.  Maybe we have had things stacked like that at Waffle House, but I can’t remember.  We all had large servings and went out with take home boxes.  As crowded as we were, we didn’t feel rushed.  It was nice to visit with our kids.  It will be awhile before we see them, except at the wedding in August.  We may all be so busy we won’t count that as a “visit.”

Michelle worked in the yard all day today.  She planted flowers and tomatoes and I don’t know what else.  In the front flower bed, by the little light pole, a beautiful white flower is blooming.  I will try my luck at sending a picture of it.  Yes, I am still having a hard time sending pictures!  Gee whiz!  More bad luck tonight.  Ugh!

This afternoon, we had a rain and windstorm go through.  Thankfully, it didn’t last long.  No report of tornados though!!

June 6, 2015---Michelle’s House in Loveland, CO.

Happy Birthday, Sara.  Already 15 years old.  My, where has all the time gone?

Our friend, Sheila, filled me in on Portland’s new craze to live up to its motto, Keep Portland Weird.  The city budget can’t keep up with the endless potholes in the many streets.  So the currant fad

is for locals to go out with a bag of potting soil and some small potted flowers.  They fill the potholes with soil and plant the small colorful pots of flowers...instant mini gardens in the middle of the streets.  Vehicles carefully drive around the mini gardens and the whole city is enjoying the joke and the fun.  Sheila says, “Where else but in Portland.”  This fad is fitting, especially now during the Rose Festival.

Michelle, Ron, and Connor came back from Grand Junction this afternoon.  They were all very impressed with the college that Connor plans to attend.  He was able to meet the track coach and was very impressed with the program.  All and all, it was a successful trip.

Michelle and I went for a short walk.  Tippy was a good boy as we walked.  He got very excited when he saw a robin hopping across a yard.  He nearly went into pointer stance.  We wish we knew more about his lineage.

Bill and I went to the library to turn in some books and to Walmart for some flower pots.

June 5, 2015---Michelle’s House in Loveland, CO.

Our weather report said we would have rain by noon today.  Sure enough, at 11:50 rain started to fall...right on time.  We will have to wait and see what is predicted later on.

The tornado that hit about 10 miles south of Loveland yesterday, damaged 15 homes, I think.  There were no fatalities.  That’s a good report.  Tornados haven’t been mentioned today.

Michelle, Ron, and Connor drove to Grand Junction this morning so they could see the college that Connor wants to attend.  It will be good to hear about their trip when they get back tomorrow.

Our rain this morning lasted for 1 1/2 hours, then things kind of cleared off.  Bill and i, along with Tippy, went for a short walk.  Tippy is getting very good on a leash.  I, on the other hand, had a difficult time making it back to the starting line...aka the motorhome.

We went to Freddy’s to eat hamburgers.  Natalia told us about eating there, and compared as “close to In-N-Out.”  Matthew said he had eaten there and didn’t think it was any good.  It was our choice, so that was where we were going.  I don’t remember any hugh sighs coming from the back seat.  After eating there, Bill and I don’t have any worries about them being competition for In-N-Out.

It started to rain before we got back home.  By bedtime, we were having at tremendous lightening storm.

Some of you may remember that Bill and I lived on the north coast of Oregon before we moved into our motorhome 17 years ago.  We lived about 18 miles from Astoria, which is on the Columbia River.  I seem to remember Astoria was always doing “crazy” things.  If you want proof, click onto http://gizmodo.com/fake-orca-is-impressively-bad-at-being-a-fake-orca-1709378880

I hope you enjoy the story as much as we did.  Thanks, JP, for sharing this with us.

Tomorrow, I will have an interesting story about Portland.

June 4, 2015---Michelle’s House in Loveland, CO.

We started the day with no rain, but a forecast for all sort of weather predicted for the day.

Natalia came at 12:00.  We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch.  When JP and Natalia were traveling with us in the summers, it was one of our favorite places to eat.  Cracker Barrel was always on our list of places to eat.  Today, it was very difficult to decided what we wanted to eal.  Natalia finally chose ribs and Bill went for the Thursday Special...turkey and dressing.  I stuck with one of my all time favorites...chicken and dumplings.  We all made good choices, enjoying what we ordered.

While we were in the area of CB, we went by a speciality shop where Lori had some handmade items for sale.  We collected the things and left.  It was a busy time and we didn’t hang around too long.  

Naps were on the schedule for all of when we got back home.  I had an appointment at 3:45 to get my hair cut and curled.  I went into the house. as soon as we got back home.  Hapa and Joey had come for a visit with Tippy.  It had begun to rain.  The dogs needed to go outside to get some of the wiggles out, but it wasn’t to be.  We had hail with the rain, plus wind and lots of noise with all the thunder and lightening.

We stayed in the house and listened to the weather reports.  Berthed had torodados touching the ground.  We haven’t heard anything about damage yet.  The rain and lightening continued until bedtime.   

June 3, 2015---Michelle’s House in Loveland, CO.

Today started off with just a few clouds, but with warnings of possible tornados.  Denver was in the “line of fire.”  I don’t know if there are warning sirens here or not.  When we were last at Brent’s, the sirens went off and Brent said we should all take cover in his house.  We did, but everything turned out OK.

Natalia came for a visit.  She saw a pineapple on our counter.  I said we had had it for a couple of week, but I hadn’t felt like dealing with it.  She said she had just seen a program on how to cut them.  I asked her is she would like to practice on our pineapple.  She made quick work of it and did a wonderful job.  Thank you, Natalia, for your help!

Michelle called that she was on her way back from Golden.  Soon after she called, we were hit by a terrible storm...lightening and thunder, strong winds and hail.  When the hail would hit the grass. it would pop up about nine inches.  It looked like popcorn.  It was very interesting.

As far as Bill and I could remember, it was the first hail storm we’ve been in while living in the MH...17 years.  When the hail stopped, after about 20 minutes, we had hard rain for quite awhile.

The lightening and thunder continued for about an hour more, but if a tornado was lurking close by, we didn’t know it.

June 2, 2015---Michelle’s House in Loveland, CO.

Another blue sky day, at least for this morning!

Bill and I went to Walmart this morning.  There weren’t too many things on our list, but we had to go from one end of the store to the other.  I was extremely tired by the time we got back to the car.

This is the warmest day we have had in a long, long time.  That may be the reason I have been more tired than in the past few weeks.  Bill would blame it on the altitude, but I don’t use that excuse.

Bill and Joshua went to get pizza for dinner tonight.  This was a good day to have easy “fixins.”  

Michelle has a one day show in Golden, CO tomorrow.  This is the first time she has had a “mini” show.  Dave, the company engineer who lives in Windsor, will be at the show also.

David came later today than ever before.  It was too warm to walk this afternoon, but by the time we left the house at about 7:30, it was cooler.  It was a very pleasant evening to be out.  However, before we got back home, it was dark and the mosquitoes were having a feast.

Tonight was the last time I will have David for PT.  He has been really fun to work with and I have made a lot of progress because of him.  He is really great!  We have become good friends and I will miss him.  Both he and Lindsey have become good friends!  They have been a major reason I have made such good progress.

June 1, 2015---Michelle’s House

Another month has rolled by.  Gad zooks!  The sky was clear this morning.  That’s a good way to start a new month.  However, I doubt that it will last.  The “weather guessers” are calling for rain several days this week.  Ugh!

Lindsey came this morning.  We had told her about Geocaching.  She and her husband, Joe, found two caches hidden in the Estes Park area.  Good for them.  We probably won’t get to cache with them this summer because, hopefully, we are leaving the Loveland area next week.  But we will certainly try to get with them when we come back this way.

Natalia, Bill, and I went out to lunch today.  She wanted to go to Dairy Delight.  She went there with some of us last summer, but hadn’t been since they opened for this season.  Bill had never eaten there.  Since there aren’t In-N-Outs in this part of the country, the Dairy Delight will have to take its place for Colorado.

There weren’t any tables available inside so we took our hamburgers to one of the picnic tables outside.  That was OK until rain started to fall.  We just can’t avoid it, can we?

By the time we got back home, the rain had stopped, but the wind was blowing at a fairly good clip.  I would’ve liked to go for a walk, but the weather kept me in.

Meredith came after dinner.  We sat around the table, talking and laughing.  We had a hilarious time!