Monday, September 8, 2014

September 8 - 14, 2014 - WI, MN

Monday, September 8.  My day was good, except for a knock on my door this morning by Pat as he was heading to Urgent Care for his back - unable to straighten up and walking was very painful.

I met Sue at the Yahara River Trailhead and we had a nice 3-mile walk together.  It is a nice trail through the woods.

Pancakes on a fallen tree?

When I got back home, I washed down the trailer so it is ready to go down the road later this week.  

My summer has been wonderful, I've connected with most of the people that I wanted to see and also got to see a good part of the US and all around Wisconsin.  I'm looking forward to getting on the road again, although camping solo along the way is going to be a test but I'm up to the challenge and feeling confident that all will go well. I'm ready to get back to my home in AZ.

Tuesday, September 9.  Whew!  Today was a busy but very fun day.  It started out with a conversation with Pat about the possible heavy rain that is predicted for tomorrow and we decided that I should move the trailer to the driveway so the yard doesn't get all messed up by pulling it out in the soft ground.  I'm proud of myself that I did it quite efficiently and got it backed in with only a couple of tries.

Later on, Dawn came over and then Jo and her friend, Susan arrived from Oxford to see my trailer and we all headed out for a little tour of Stoughton and to see some of the beautiful Victorian homesand houses where family lived.  We then went downtown and stopped at a couple of shops before I had to get on to my next scheduled meetup.

I then went to Deak's where I met Pat and Mary Jo for lunch.  We had a nice lunch and a great conversation before heading across the street to Culver's for the monthly classmate get together where the talking continued for the next couple of hours.

After that, I had to go meet up with Sharon at East Towne because she was delivering some things that I forgot at her house when I left last Saturday - Frisco's bed, my iPhone charger, and my book.  What was I thinking? I rarely leave things behind.  Maybe it was the 2 Old Fashioneds that I had on 
Friday night.

So...a busy but very enjoyable day and I retired to the trailer for some alone time by about 7:00.

Wednesday, September 10.  I spent most of the day hanging out with Pat.  The weather turned this afternoon after lots of rain through the night and into the morning, the winds picked up this afternoon, and then it cooled way down and I had to get cool weather clothes out of the bin in my car.

At dinner time, I went to the Maple Tree to have dinner with Jim and Sue and Pat and Roger.  The Old Fashioned and the company were excellent - the dinner wasn't the greatest with the exception of the broasted chicken that was excellent.  We had lots of laughs and great conversation, as always.

Thursday, September 11.  My last full day here in Stoughton - it's hard to believe that the time has come to unhook and move on.  Brrrrrr!  It is cold this morning - about 47 degrees when I woke up and it only warmed to about 53 as the day went on.

I had an appointment for a haircut but got a call from the salon saying that Marion has to stay home with a sick child today.  I really needed a haircut, so I went to Savana's salon and she was able to get me in right away.  I think I like the haircut, but will have to see what happens when I try to style it myself.  I got some groceries for the trip and bought a couple of cases of Spotted Cow and Supperr Club to deliver to Ben and take home with me.

I wanted to see Tom and Karen one more time before leaving, so Frisco and I headed up there for a while.  I got there just as Tom was taking some brats off the grill, so I got to have lunch with them.  The dogs played, we talked, and then I headed back to Stoughton.

Friday, September 12 - on to MN.  Well, I've decided to delay my departure because rain is predicted all day long.  The radar shows that Stoughton is on the southern edge of the front and my destination is on the north side of the front.  So, I'm going to hang out for one more day.

Yesterday, since it was so darned cold, I tried out the furnace in my trailer and it works just fine.  It even came on in the wee hours of the morning - must be programmed to start when the temp is under 45 degrees.  Now, all systems have been checked and are working fine.  I love my little Bubble!

Saturday, September 13.  The sun was shining this morning and that is all it took to get me moving.  I had some coffee with Pat and then proceeded to get hooked up and was on the move by 8:30.  My first stop was at the state park to empty my tanks - I have been in one place since the end of July - definitely some added weight I don't need to carry with me.

The drive to the Hidden Bluffs Resort in Spring Grove, MN was beautiful.  Imagine this - a crisp blue sky dotted with big, fluffy clouds, rolling hills - some with rocky cliffs, crossing the Wisconsin River and the Mighty Mississippi, a pheasant darting across the road, and small town America.  I stopped for gas at Prairie du Chien and found that I had lost the vent cover over the refrigerator on the entry side of the trailer.  Darn!  

I went straight west into the Iowa farmlands and then the GPS had me going on county roads wiggling my way to Spring Grove, a cute little Midwest town.  At the cemetery, I took gravel roads (nicely packed and not too rough) to the campground and the name is appropriate.

As I started to back into my site, the guy across the way offered to help direct me and it took a few attempts, but I got it and then got hooked up.  I walked one of the trails in the park - it's beautiful!


I then got some firewood and got a fire going, mixed a Dripping Springs Vodka tonic, connected to the wifi, and tried to stay warm.  Just when I was running out if wood and had some nice coals going, I roasted a couple of hot dogs for my dinner, and then retired for the night.  Peaceful place.