We’re posting this blog because tomorrow we are entering Canada. The majority of our email transmissions have taken place on our Verizon broadband card. That will end tomorrow as we lose Verizon capability. We will have to rely on finding WIFI which hopefully will be frequently available. We have driven north…I told you we would be saying that a lot…across the northern plains…few small towns…lots of corn, wheat, soy beans, and today sunflowers and canola. The Canadian adventure begins tomorrow as we cross the border (sometimes more exciting than others) and head for our first Canadian campground in Dauphine, Manitoba. Anyway, don’t worry if you don’t hear from us for a while. On the other hand, we may be back sooner than you think.
And now from our Roving Reporter:
As Patton said, “Americans are winners!” We just cannot tolerate being second. Remember in kindergarten, you had to be first in line. And later we learned, second is like kissing your sister. And as I travel, it is the FIRST national bank. And, the FIRST Presbyterian Church. Never have I seen the Second Methodist Church. And communities are competitors. I have already been to the popcorn capital of the world located in southern Illinois, the ice cream capital of the US – that’s in the Ozarks, and the pheasant capital of the world, on the road north of the corn palace. Rugby, ND claims to be the geographical center of North America. This is the land of the jolly green giant, but I missed him. I think I’ll stake my claim: I have the only yellow Labrador retriever who has ridden backward in a Suburban to both Alaska and Newfoundland.
In the ‘65 Mustang, I had Sally get a map and we took off. The map was free from the local “filling station” in Macomb, Illinois. Prep took seconds. Off we traveled down the state highway toward our destination. Not today pulling the Airstream! Nuvi [GPS] on? Check. Destination set? Check. Break controller? On. Break Lights. Red. Right signal…left signal…hazard? Blinking. Head lights. PC on? Check. Satellite acquired? Paper maps on the dash. Kindle. Tire pressure monitor on. Trailer TV antenna down. Stair step up. Then you pull up to a caravan “deparker team” for a safety examination and a communication check, a seven step process. CB on chanel 14. Walki-talki on 5? .. Driver manual in hand. Milage odometer reset to zero. Dog? Wife? We’re off down the road toward our destination. Anything different? Not really. Just 40 years passed down the interstate.
Sign of the Week. Entering a small SD prairie town, I read: EAT BEEF, WEAR FUR, KEEP GUNS, SALUTE AMERICA
On completion of this trip, surely I will receive a certificate from a learned university for three semester credit hours in general studies. Thus far I have attended classes in ethanol production, Huddites communal living, prairie water treatment, early prairie development, grist mill operations, and Auguste Rodin. And we have only been caravanning for one week!
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We missed you at the rain barrel workshop last night! Being an old hand at it, we were the first people to finish making ours! Now all we need is some rain!
ReplyDeleteGlad your trip is going well. We are heading to Ithaca, NY, tomorrow, and then up to Canada and over to Michigan to see Hugh's mom. Passports ready! We know they'll let us into Canada; will they let us back into the US?
Your checklist sounds so familiar. Technology has changed in 10 years, so ours ran more to "backup camera on", "2-meter radio tuned to local repeater", lunch munchies of the unrefrigerated variety stashed someplace other than the pantry which was covered up by the slideout when it was slid in, and assorted other small details. But the point of it all is the same...time to play Willie 'cause you're "On the Road Again". (Of which, we wore out two tape cassettes and are on our second cd.)
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