Travels and Travails (TIMELINE)

Several pretty significant and life changing events occurred (or didn’t occur or nearly didn’t occur) in the past few weeks, but our PLANS all along were to spend some time in Iowa, on the Florer Farm. It was CORN SEASON, after all, and Bluebirdbrain friends, the Florers grow the best Sweet Corn EVER!!! We have

A few more thoughts, before we leave that phase of our life behind… We spent most of May and June in Chicago, cleaning out our home of 30 years in preparation for the close. AND visiting friends and restaurants and etc… Our neighbors helped us with gaining a spot on the street, which entailed almost

We approached and settled in KC after having our fill of Home Made Ice Cream (Is that even possible – the “having our fill” part?) at the Florers’. We had identified an RV spot that seemed close-in, being just outside of Downtown Independence, which is just outside KC – a first layer suburb. That spot

Our last installment had us in Chicago, eating, drinking and making merry with friends. We also visited our various medical and dental professionals – appointments that create a level of apprehension that I don’t remember when we were younger. All was well, though – the Docs all basically said “Keep doing what you’re doing…” and

So, once we became aware that ONE IKEA had what we needed in stock, we RUSHED (well, as fast as RV WHERE YET can “rush”) to pick up what we needed. With cabinets now in hand (or on bus), we headed for temporary parking at Liz’s sister’s spot. Next step: Figure out with Bob White,

After completion of our Fridge Install in Shipshewanna, and in person (tho still safely distant) cocktails in Southwest Michigan, we decided to head back to Chicago – by way of Northern Michigan, the “UP” and then down the west side of the Lake. We figured we could EASILY waste a month on that journey. Before

Our next stop was the town of Seward, also on the Kenai Peninsula. This is about 90 miles as the crow flies from Homer, but unfortunately, RV WHERE YET does not fly like a crow. So it was about 200 miles, and about 4 driving hours. All of which is fine with us. Arrival in

Our next destination was at the very tip of the Kenai Peninsula – the town of Homer, Alaska. Their chamber of commerce calls it the Halibut Fishing Capital of the world; we don’t fish but imagined it as a Beach Community with NO swimming…since water temps are about 45F. There was a campground on the

Our next destination was the city of Anchorage, with over half of the population of Alaska contained therein. Someone at one point had said (with a bit of a sneer) that “Anchorage is only an Hour From Alaska;” the clear implication that it is not much like the rest of the state.   They meant

These are two places that PROVE there is more than one way to get high in Alaska! We never book things very far in advance, which can sometimes work in our favor, and sometimes not. Access to the RV spots INSIDE the Denali National Park was impossible – all booked up. But we WERE able

Like an ALL YOU CAN EAT Buffet, Fairbanks (and North Pole) get a second shot at the pages in this blog…and not just because we came BACK a second time and stayed at Pioneer Park for a few more days!   Lot’s to see and Love about the area, and we don’t want to give it

Wiseman (and getting there) was ALL THAT AND MORE. “That” being the farthest North Point we are ever likely to reach in our lifetimes. “More” being, well, read on! First of all, with the road and the construction on said road, the travel time was more like 8 hours each way; lots of dirt and

First, let me say that St. John ROCKS. What a great town, with so much to do and recommend it. Maybe a little off the beaten track, but ABSOLUTELY worth the effort!  More on that in a bit.  And it is pronounced “New-Found-LAND” with emphasis on the “LAND.”  I kept wanting to say “Newfundlund” and

Getting to Cape Breton was an easy and VERY SCENIC drive. Nova Scotia is an AWESOME place. Small towns. Coastal Vistas. Pine Forests. Really great for a slow drive with no place to be in particular. But, we DID have a place to be: The Cape Breton Highlands National Park, which sits like a bullseye

Up until retiring  I would have answered, “Yes, things DO happen for a DEFINITE reason.” Because when computers screw up,  “The reason” that “thing” happens can often be found sitting at the keyboard!!   And unscrambling that relationship had been my profession.     But that is not what this post is about.   Don’t worry,  I am

  Our Canadian Expedition has continued in force! We spent a couple nights in a beach town called Shediac in New Brunswick. Our RV spot was a municipal park – very nice facility for cheap!. The town itself is fairly flat and we got the bikes down and used them to get around. Never even

Heading eastward, we had a mixed bag of days where we have picked spots and made reservations interspersed with stretches where we have nothing planned. Our eventual destination will be Prince Edward Island, off the coast of New Brunswick/Nova Scotia. Along the way, our various Canadian friends strongly recommended that we visit the Gaspé peninsula.

  Our exit from Ottawa and travel to the area north of Montreal was uneventful. Roads: Good. Traffic: Moderate. Weather: hot and expected to be WAY HOT. Campground: BOOKED in Laurentien Mountain cottage country north of Montreal. Canada Day Festivities: Of course! Friends Joe and Shelly Havas: Apparently still friends and still willing to receive

From NOTL, the McDowell and Harris nomad nation broke camp and headed for Ottawa,  where longtime friends  Fidele and Blair Davidson reside.    Too far to make it in one day,  we settled on a little town called “Cobourg” on Lake Ontario.  Mike and Fran selected an RV Park in the Marina right on the Lakefront

Thot for the day if you just turned 60…(click here) Our scheduled appointment with destiny and McDowell was intended for the Jordan Valley Campground, near Niagara on the Lake in Ontario. We were planning to get to the campground on the 20th; they were to arrive 21 June (having just sold their house, so now

A couple of days of relax-time in Toronto. Our campground is quite near Toronto and very nearly nirvana. Well, near the Toronto airport, anyway, where there are no doubt several flites a day to Nirvana. And a fairly active freight-train track. But after several days in Northern Ontario, we are pretty damn ready for some

We drove north for awhile. Quite a while, actually. Seemed like the North Pole might be just beyond the next rise. Never mind that the GPS said our maximum northern progression was 48.94935 Degrees north latitude…which is NOT EVEN NORTH OF THE CANADIAN BORDER for most of its length. Still, it took us 2 days

So for the better part of 30 years I traveled the world to attend and often speak at meetings of JHI, an International Association of Independent Accounting and Management Consulting firms. In 2017, their Region of the Americas Conference was scheduled to be in Montreal. With many friends attending, we planned to be there “uninvited,”

…Waiting to hear about our border crossing. Were there rubber hoses? What happened to the Farm-brew…and what about the SINGLE MALT? Were they arrested and sent to the Canadian equivalent of Guantanamo (though I doubt there is a Canadian version of Guantanamo)?  Inquiring minds want to know!! Well, I am happy to report that the

We left Chautauqua in the direction of Montreal. The first thing that strikes us…CANADA IS A BIG PLACE. Of course, we knew this, but not the specifics when converted to Optimum-Bus-Driving-Distances. We had two longer-than desired driving days to get to our first stop in Canada. (And, when we later head onwards to Northern Ontario,

The Chautauqua Institution was a VERY interesting experience and place. The Institution itself was initially created as a place to teach Sunday School teachers, so its origins are faith-based, for sure. But, layered onto that are its conscious mutation into a place for intellectual growth on many levels. The National Geographic-themed week we attended was

First Winery: Halliday’s on Lake Milton.  Lake Milton is a reservoir, and the Winery is right on the shore between the water and a Golf Course.  They had a very nice tasting room,  with cheese and meat trays and flatbreads that complement their wines.  They also had a couple local beers one from Columbus and

So,  after Amish Country,  we stopped in Columbus,  Ohio where there is a company called Bus Services, Inc.  This company services all kinds of buses,  including Bluebirds, and was mentioned on the Online Forum that I consult on all things Vintage Bluebird.  Most of their patients are a little more modern, but they said they