“I’m on my way from misery to happiness today, aha, aha, aha, aha…” The Proclaimers
In some ways, every day is a day of discovery. Unless one has an all-seeing crystal ball, one never really knows what the future will bring. While it can be comforting to stay cocooned at home, not until we get out of the box can we more fully discover and experience the beauty and complexity of our world. This post is about Betty and my current out-of-the-box adventure.
It must be said that our present travels are not without trepidations. It has been almost exactly a year since my last post. Health issues sidelined us, requiring the rental of an apartment in Winnipeg to rest, recuperate, and undertake many medical appointments. Our wonderful adult children donated back enough furniture so we could live comfortably, and we were most fortunate for support in finding a well-maintained, quiet, friendly building for the recovery period.
My oncologist, rheumatologist, and family doctor have all given the green light for our travels, but on the road we will still discover whether I can sustain the rigours of our planned adventure. My most recent bone scan, CT scan, numerous blood tests, and colonoscopy were all encouraging (although I wouldn’t encourage anyone to have the latter unless absolutely necessary – LOL). The docs have prescribed enough medications (with the exception of a new arthritis drug) to last for the next six months. However, because of our missing crystal ball we have chosen to maintain our wonderful, furnished apartment, in case I need to curtail travels and make a speedy trip back to the cocoon.
Health is not the only marker on our road to discovery. Readers of this blog may recall that our old motorhome gave us quite a bit of grief on our last few adventures. A number of times we lost substantial power going through the Rocky Mountains, and spent many thousands of dollars to keep it roadworthy. Over the past summer we finally got our three slide-outs functioning properly (yeah!!) and had our fuel pump replaced. Our friend Gordie at Town & Country campground replaced the motor connected to our automatic steps so they fully extend and retract. It could have been catastrophic if we tried to drive off when they hadn’t retracted. We are so thankful for Gordie’s expert ability to replace and repair a number of issues with the motorhome and Smart car.
Just as we don’t fully test our own limits until we get out in the world, Betty & I took our motorhome on a couple of short trips during the summer to check its performance. It had been parked for over a year, so we ventured out for an enjoyable weekend at Winnipeg Beach Provincial Park, and to a Family Motor Coach Association rally in Austin, Manitoba. One of our hydraulic levelers failed to retract at the Austin campground, and a fellow FMCA member was able to get it working again. That is exactly the kind of problem you don’t want to discover when on the road!
Another issue to discover relates to our ability to communicate. No, I’m not talking about Betty and my deliberations – that is a lifelong journey! LOL. While in Winnipeg we reduced our cellular service, as we had good wi-fi at both the apartment and the campground. But on the road we would need extended coverage. Betty & I upgraded to Canada-U.S. cell phone plans, with the hopes we could effectively communicate with family and friends while away. So far we have discovered that Betty’s cell service is connecting, but unfortunately my newer phone is not connecting to the cell service. That, and a number of other electronic bugs are still to be resolved.
We transferred some funds in our bank account from Canadian to U.S. currency, and topped up our U.S. bank account. However, Betty’s U.S. updated debit card didn’t arrive until after we left, and mine didn’t seem to work when I tested it at a U.S. atm. So that’s another issue that will need addressing when I get cell service again. In the meantime, our U.S. Mastercard seems to be working just fine…
Since most of us have become so reliant on Internet access, we stopped at a Verizon store in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and reactivated our Verizon jetpack. It provides 100 GB/ month so we can map out our route and Google possible campgrounds and other points of interest along our journey. When it comes time to prepare blog posts, I transfer pictures from Betty & my cell phones to add to the shots taken with my Nikon camera. This works fine in most places, but we are currently situated in a very picturesque but isolated Kentucky State Park, with little to no cell service, and definitely no Internet access. Having grown up without such conveniences, it’s not the end of the world – but it means that this post won’t be uploaded until we re-enter civilization again. LOL.
Our travels have been most enjoyable to date. We left Winnipeg on Oct. 14/23 and had an uneventful border crossing (thank goodness, as one never knows what the focus will be!) After restocking our fridge with fruit and vegetables, we had a quiet night in the Grand Forks Walmart parking lot. Yes, this was only a short drive south, but we have decided that a three hour drive each day is just fine. Why rush, we’re retired!
From North Dakota Betty & I made our way to the headwaters of the Mississippi River, at Minnesota’s Itasca State Park. Our plan had been to more or less follow the river down to its mouth at New Orleans, where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. But there are no roads that exactly parallel the river. We had written away and received maps of the Great River Road – “a National Scenic Byway Along the Mississippi River”. For most of the way, the river forms the boundary between 10 states along its path. A green “Pilot’s Wheel” designates the featured roads. All have points of contact with the river, but most are also minor routes that significantly diverge from the waterway. Each state provides information about points of interest along the river.
Obviously, taking a boat would be the best way to discover this mighty geographical feature. We found the roads on either side to be generally well maintained, but after a few days the twists and turns, ups and downs, deceleration into small towns and acceleration after, became a little tiresome. For sure it is far more scenic than our previous Interstate trips straight south from Winnipeg to South Padre Island – our winter destination. But it became a much longer journey with a little more stress on our old bodies and coach. As a result, we have cheated a bit (don’t tell anyone – LOL) and have sought pleasant, non-Interstate, but more direct routes south.
From Itasca State Park we drove 3 hours to a Sauk Rapids, Minnesota Walmart, and the next day on to Nelson Landing RV Park in Wisconsin.
Our next segment took us to the Mystique Casino parking lot (another free stay) at Dubuque, Iowa, and then the next day to free overnight parking at a Litchfield, Illinois Walmart. From there we made another 3 hour drive to the beautiful Arrowhead Lake Campground in Johnston City, Illinois.
Betty and I are now enjoying Columbus-Belmont State Park on the extreme west side of Kentucky (our state number 44. Yeah!!). Our site overlooks the Mississippi River, and we can relax here for four days, before heading out on the next phase of our adventure.
Betty & I are still in the early stages of this overlandish odyssey – on our road to discovery. But so far we are happy to sing along with the Proclaimers: “We are on our way from misery to happiness today – aha, aha, aha, aha.”
Cheers!