MONTANA

May 27, 2016  Friday

Well, every RVer knows that sooner or later something is going to go wrong.  This time it was minor but inconvenient and annoying.  One of the four legs of the leveling system would not retract to the position necessary for traveling.  Of course, this happens the only time we have to be somewhere – the appointment at the vet for Ginger.  After fussing with it for as long as possible, we had to unhitch the jeep to drive to the vet. 

I’m happy to say that experience was a good one.  The receptionist  (I think she was the vet’s wife) was understanding and very helpful.  She even called the border crossing to make sure we had all the correct paperwork.  Since we had a Rabies Certificate showing that Ginger was current on her vaccinations, they completed a health certificate and sent us on our way.  No charge!

Back at the campground, we were able to study the owner’s manual a little more calmly.  With help from an internet search, Jill crawled under the motorhome, unplugged a connection, plugged it back in and lo and behold it worked.  After quickly reconnecting the jeep, we were on our way at the crack of noon. 

We only made about 200 miles,  but I think they were the longest 200 miles of the trip.  Long straight highway with not much to break the monotony.  Thank goodness for the cows, horses , ducks, and geese, all with babies.  Did I mention the road was long and straight?

Tonight we are in a real campground with hook-ups and everything.  Shelby, MT is the last decent sized town before we cross the border.  I wanted to do some laundry and make some phone calls before we get into Canada.  We won’t be using our cell phones for calls or internet for the next 2 weeks.  We can be contacted through Facebook or email, though.  This blog will be hit and miss also.  I’ll need to find a place with WI-FI to be able to post.  It should get more interesting, though.  Mountain scenery coming up. 

Here is a couple of our neighbors in the campground.  Sorry about the poor exposure.  I'm still learning the settings on my camera.  

NORTH DAKOTA/MONTANA

May 26, 2016  Thursday

After staying the night at the Minot, North Dakota Walmart, we had a pleasant drive all morning.  Jill drove for a couple of hours, the highway was nice and smooth four lanes through rolling hills of green farms and oil fields.  This is the area we hear about on the news about the boom towns and insufficient housing for the oil workers.  It looks like they are working to correct the problem.  There are all kinds of accommodations, from decent military like barracks and double wides to what looks like shipping containers - stacked two high with a couple of windows and a door.

The town of Williston, ND is really booming.  In 2010, the population was around 10,000.  Now, it is estimated at close to 30,000 with building projects everywhere you look.  Box stores, motels, housing projects, community centers, and roads.  I read that the rent for an apartment here is the highest in the country!  Wow.

Once we crossed into Montana, US 2 became a two lane road with narrow shoulders and lots of patches.  Not so much oil money here I guess. In Montana, the highway picks up the Lewis and Clark Trail as it follows the Missouri and Milk Rivers.  I like to imagine what it was like for those travelers as they explored unknown territory.  The museum at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis has an extensive display that chronicles that expedition.  

















We have to have a current Health Certificate for Ginger before we cross the border into Canada, so I called ahead to make an appointment for tomorrow at a vet clinic in Malta, MT.  We stayed in the city campground and paid for a campsite for the first time.  $3.00.  Not bad.

NORTH DAKOTA

May 25, 2016

We drove in thunderstorms most of the way today.  Not much to take a picture of.  The scenery was still enjoyable though.  All along US 2 in North Dakota, there are drainage ponds with all kinds of waterfowl.  Here's our list of sightings:
Mallard
Teal
Wood Ducks
Egrets
White Pelicans
Red-Winged Black Birds
Yellow Headed Black Birds

We were especially excited about the Yellow Headed Black Birds.  We had seen them on our trip west with the family in 1989.  Even though we have been through the area several times since then, we have not seen them again until this time.  We thought something happened to them, but I guess it was just the wrong season or something.  

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/yh_blackbird_ganeshjayaraman.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/yellow-headed_blackbird/id&h=320&w=425&tbnid=-j_yrrxZCEW9jM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=200&docid=eWzEmf_Sm7vYnM&itg=1&usg=__qAnydKkLyeC7tcGl1J-_8gkcJTA=

MINNESOTA

May 24, 2016

Today has been a perfect day.  The weather was sunny and warm, but not too warm with the slightest of breezes.  The road was clear with pleasant scenery all the way. 

Our first stop was in Bemidji, MN. We had taken a picture here in 1972, on our honeymoon trip out west, so we had to have a new one with Paul Bunyan and Babe, of course.  

 

Bemidji also had an art walk, with interesting pieces on every corner.

 Unfortunately, we didn't take the time to see it all,

 but here is an example.

Then, the lady in the Visitor Center convinced us to drive a short way out of our way to see the headwaters of the Mississippi River.  I'm so glad she did.  The Lake Itasca State Park is a beautiful place.  We definitely want to return and spend a week or so in this area.  

It's pretty amazing that the Mighty Mississippi starts out as a narrow 10 or 12 foot wide outlet from Lake Itasca.  It was "discovered" by Henry Schoolcraft, a name that is also significant in Michigan history.  

May 23, 2016

Is there any more beautiful drive than US-2 in the Upper Peninsula along the northern shore of Lake Michigan?  The two-lane road follows the shoreline for much of the way and there are frequent areas with passing lanes and scenic turnouts.  We stopped at Cut River Store to buy some smoked whitefish for our lunch.  Definitely a good decision.  Yum. 

This afternoon we stopped at Fumee Falls near Iron Mountain to stretch our legs.  An eighth grade math class was there testing and racing their homemade boats in the stream.  Since it was 89 degrees out, most of them went home a little wet. 

I jokingly mentioned that a good rain would wash the bird droppings off the roof and bugs off the windshield.  So the skies opened up just as I was coming out of Wal-Mart in Ashland, WI.  Be careful what you wish for, but it did the trick.  

Finally On Our Way

May 22, 2016  Sunday

Yay!  We are finally on the road again.   We have spent the last few weeks  reorganizing the motor home and getting the routine maintenance duties done and catching up with friends and family.  We set out today after church, heading north to  the Upper Peninsula. 

Although there are many routes to choose from, we had to make a stop at Camping World in Houghton Lake on the way, so we traveled on I-75 a lot longer than usual.  However, we were rewarded with views of the woods and roadsides carpeted with trilliums, lupine, and marsh marigolds along the way.  I would have liked to get a picture, but snapping at 65 miles an hour doesn’t make for very good photography.

We were able to meet with Steve and Brenda Begnoche (Kayleigh’s other grandparents), with their 2^nd granddaughter Bridget for dinner in Indian River.  They were heading home to Ludington from their cabin in by Paradise.  Wilson’s River Edge Family Restaurant served enough food for each of us to have a couple more meals of leftovers.   

Despite overcast skies and buzzing mosquitos, I got a pretty good shot of the Mackinac Bridge from the shoreline of the Straits State Park.  We actually parked for the night in the Welcome Center Rest Area, but there was a path to the park and shore.  Otherwise known to Michiganders as “Mighty Mac” or simply “The Bridge”, the Mackinac Bridge is the 5^th longest suspension bridge in the world and the longest in the Western Hemisphere.  I know a few people who are terrified of driving across it, but we love it.  Especially in a high profile vehicle like the motorhome, where you can get a great view of the water below.  If you are lucky, a Lower Laker may be passing underneath.  

INTRODUCTION

Well, it's finally happening.  We are realizing our long time dream of full-time RVing.  After spending the winter in Arizona, right now we are back in Michigan, making preparations for the second part of our dream.  A 4+ month RV trip to Alaska!

But who are we anyway?  To those readers who are not friends or family, let me tell you about "us".  We are Jill & Ed Iteen, married 44 years, and have lived in beautiful Ludington, Michigan all our lives. We have 3 sons, and 3 granddaughters, one from each.   Both of us, are retired, Ed since 2003 and Jill since 2014.  Ever since Jill's Uncle Bob showed up in 1972 in a 20' Minnie Winnie with stories of full-timing and trips to Alaska and Mexico, we've been dreaming of doing the same.  

In July, 2015, we moved into our 34 ft. 2011 Newmar Baystar.-  We have been motorhome owners for almost 3 decades.  The Baystar is our third one, each being a little bigger than the last.  We've made some modifications to accommodate full-time living.  Mainly, exchanging an extra sofa for a computer/file cabinet and recliner.  The results are very satisfactory.  

Our only traveling companion is Ginger, our 16 year old orange tabby cat.  For most of her life, she was an indoor/outdoor cat, especially loving the outdoors.  There was no other home for her and we were very skeptical about her adapting to the confinement.  However, after some adjustment period, (maybe I'll tell that story later), she is content to be with us.  

I plan to post as much as possible about our trip, including preparation and adventures and pictures along the way.  So come on along!