Travels With Marsha: A Lengthy Trip Comes To An End

We left Colby, Kansas, on Monday morning, heading west.  We gassed up at Goodman and headed north into the SW corner of Nebraska.  We drove through that corner and into Colorado, then we headed NW through the NE corner of Colorado and back into Nebraska.

We have been in some windy places lately.  

We continued on I-80 to Pine Bluff, Wyoming, where we had some windy fun before turn-in time.  There were trains going past our camp site and we could see them right out the front window of the RV!  It was like having a big screen to watch trains on.  C and I went out to see if I could get my photo with a train in the background, and the wind started to pick up, and the air cooled off delightfully. 

Here is my train photo with wild hair.  The thing is, this was not even as bad as it would get.  We walked up to the end of the road passed the RV park and the wind just keep blowing harder and harder.  By the time we got back, after avoiding a barking dog, the wind was dusty and grainy, and we could hardly run against it.  Opening the RV door, I felt like Dorothy trying to maneuver the door on the farmhouse during the tornado.  The wind blew all night long and rocked our RV.  

In the morning the wind had died down somewhat.  We got ready to go, then went to visit the 30-foot statue of Our Lady of Peace which was right next door to the RV park.  She was amazing.

It was windy on the interstate.  There were signs that said wind gusts 40+ MPH.  Then there was a sign that said 50+ MPH.  Then, there was a sign that said, 'wind gusts over 60 MPH, vehicle blow over risk, next 38 miles.'  C white-knuckled it all the way to Rawlins, WY.  We stopped there and gassed up, then found a place to park and have lunch in the RV.  C took a 45-minute nap/rest before we headed on to our final destination for the day:  Lyman, WY.  To our relief the next sign said wind gusts 40+ MPH, which was no longer a tough thing for C.  The RV park in Lyman was cool and green and a lot less wind.

Wednesday morning we were up and out of Lyman by 8:00, so we drove a few miles to Fort Jim Bridger and kicked around just a little before proceeding into Utah.

We stopped for gas and lunch in Snowville, UT, then drove on home to Meridian, Idaho.  It was great to see Willa and just relax.  It is good to be home.

We Are In Colby, Kansas

Yes, we finally got out of Louisiana. We traveled to Texarkana, TX, and spent the night at a KOA that had a swing that matched my outfit! Then we continued on through Reno and ended up in Wichita Falls, for the night.  In Wichita Falls I met an amazing elephant and Smokey the Bear.  We continued, on Friday to Dumas, TX, where we spent the night, and what a night!  I woke up at 12:30 in the morning and the wind was shaking our RV.  K slept through the worst part. Finally, the wind died down and there was just lightening and bit of light rain. 

 

On Saturday, we drove on across the Oklahoma border and through the panhandle, to Scott City, Kansas, where we made a 'jerky stop'.

  

We made it to Colby, Kansas in time to make it to the quilt shop before closing time!  

Yeah! Check out all these fabrics!  They had seasonal stuff at a discount and K bought the jewel-tone fabrics C picked out to make a new quilt for Leilani.  It is going to be awesome!

We stayed over on Sunday, so C could show K the ancestral stomping ground of the high plains and Gem, Kansas.  She also took K to the Prairie Museum, where the biggest barn in Kansas is located.  They took the tour.

Oh, yeah.  Saturday night we had a wind storm in Colby that was rocking the RV from 2:30 to 3:15 AM, and it was accompanied by amazingly bright lightening and loud thunder.  We all three got into the same bed until it was over.  We are rather expecting more wind tonight.  The wind really messed up my hair today.  We are heading out tomorrow for Pine Bluff, Wyoming.  I think we will eventually make it back to Idaho.

Stuck in Breaux Bridge Louisana

Marsha here, with a travel update.  Breaux Bridge is pronounced Bro Bridge.  We left FWB, FL on Saturday, June 4.  On Sunday morning we were having an enjoyable trip across the vast waterway and swamp between Baton Rouge and Lafayette, when we stopped for gas near the interstate, at Beaux Bridge.  C started the RV up and she drove to the exit of the gas station and was getting ready to pull out onto the highway, when the engine died.  It was an electrical problem.  We were blocking one of the entrance/exits to the Shell station.  The good news is, we were not in the middle of the highway when this happened. Whew!  C called AAA and they got there in ten minutes.  He said it was probably the alternator.  He kept his little battery jump machine on the battery and let the hood rest on top.  C started the engine and was able to drive across the highway into a vacant parking lot, where we were out of the way in a safe location.  Being Sunday, no automotive places were open.  We had “The Blazer” in tow, so C disconnected it, then we gathered our gear and went one exit back to the Holiday Inn Express, and K booked us in for the night.  C called the KOA in Texarkana and asked them to back our reservation off for a couple days until we could get back on the road and actually make it there.  Then we got to relax and swim and read books.  On Monday C and K went to the Ford garage, which was about one-third of a mile from where the RV was parked. They were swamped with business, but they said they would be able to put a new battery in, then drive it that one-third mile to the garage.  They finally got that handled around 3:30 on Monday afternoon.  C was exceedingly relived that the RV was finally off the side of the highway and in their parking lot.  K went ahead and booked us for two more nights, as we are hoping Ford will get it repaired by the end of today; which is Tuesday.  Since it is after check out time, we are staying over tonight, even though Ford called and said they have the RV all ready to go for us. Not having a full day to travel, we would not make it to Texarkana anyway.  Meanwhile, we were going to go shopping at this amazing looking art/music/bookstore that is next to our hotel, today.  C took a walk around the parking lot this morning and discovered they are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  So sad.  Right now, K is in the pool.  We are going this afternoon to get the RV back.