Travelogue -- Summer 2004

Each summer for the past several years, we have left Phoenix in the summer months to spend time with family and friends in the Midwest. This year we are making the trip in our new Montana Big Sky fifth wheel towed by our trusty GMC Diesel Pickup.

Our plan is to cross country through Albuquerque to Kentucky to visit Vikki's brother Gary and Gloria. Then up to Michigan for most of the rest of the summer. The plans beyond that are pretty skimpy except Labor day in Ludington and a rally in September in Indiana. This year, our Grandaughter Cinnamon will be with us until she has to return for school at the end of summer.

You will find this travelogue presented here in sort of a reverse chronological order. That is, the subject on top of the pile is the most recent. You can get back to the activities page by clicking on the following logo



14 October thru 15 October 2004	We arrived Albuquerque about 1 pm after noting the snow that fell on the Sandia Mountains just east of the town. It is great to see Terri and Rob and the grand kids Kevin and Allison.
11 October thru 14 October 2004	We left Prescott WI this morning on the last leg of our summer travel marathon. Our plan is to stop in Eagleville MO, Pratt, Kansas and Tucumcari NM before arriving in Albuquerque on Thursday. Then after a day or two there, we plan to do the final day into Phoenix. Turns out our first stop in MO has left us with very poor TV reception and, this being a Packer Monday Night NFL, it is rather disappointing. The second night is Pratt KS. Muddy campsite with no trees and no picnik tables but the only campground for miles around. At least it is cheap. Passing through Dalhart TX we stopped at a hole in the wall restaurant for some TexMex -- Good. Then on to Tucumcari to spend the night at a KOA we seem to always hit. It is not too far from Del's, a Mexican American restaurant with good New Mexico Chili. Tomorrow is a short trip on into Albuquerque.	This was my first trip back to western Wisconsin since my father passed away a little over a year ago. With that in mind, this last picture we took in WI seems appropriate for the occassion of our departure.
7 October thru 10 October	Leaving Prarie du Sac, we stopped overnight for a very pleasant evening with a couple of my high school classmates, Howard and Ardith, in Downsville WI. Then we headed for Prescott WI to visit my other brother, Edward, and his wife Kathy. We also managed to squeeze in a trip to Barrett and Hui's home in Savage MN, an overnight visit to Chip and Vicki's home in our old neighborhood in Minneapolis and a little shopping at the Mall of America. Before we left Wisconsin, we enjoyed a fine meal at the Harbor View cafe in Pepin WI. This is one of the places we never miss if we get within 100 miles or so. The leaves along Lake Pepin are always spectacular in the fall. On our last day in Wisconsin we joined my Aunt Betty and Uncle Tom and Virginia for an early dinner. They are all headed off to Texas for the winter
1 October thru 6 October 2004	We arrived at Jim (my brother) and Karen's house in Prarie du Sac just in time for two big events. 1) The Annual Grape Stomp at Wollershiem Winery. 2) A shower for Jim and Karen's daughter-in-law, Simone's first born. Simone's husband, Brandon, and Jim and Karen's other son, Barrett and his wife, Hui, joined us for the revelry at Wollershiem. Victoria, Karen and Hui went to the shower while the male contingent watched Green Bay lose. Simone is second from the right in this picture taken at the shower. No doubt the population of Madison is about to explode.	Jim and Barrett enjoying the Grape Stomp That is Hui with Dude.
28 September thru 30 September 2004	We left Indiana enroute to Wisconsin via the long way. We are headed up the west coast of Michigan, across the Mackinaw and back down throught the Michigan UP. We are spending one night in a Casino RV park near Manistee and two nights in and up scale RV Park Traverse City. We really enjoyed Traverse City and have decided to expand our look at MI real estate to include this really gorgeous area. The only negative is the road conditions. They are probably not bad for a car but were quite hard on our rig. This part of MI is very hilly--about the way it was in Western Wisconsin along the Mississippi River where I grew up. Leaving Traverse, we crossed the big bridge and headed down highway 2 into Wisconsin. We passed Green Bay and stopped for the night at a campground outside of de Pere, Wisconsin. Big mistake! smelly, rutted and rundown. And, it was expensive. The next morning we stopped at the outlet mall in Oskosh, let Vikki enjoy her first ever butter burger at Culver's and were at my Brother's place in Prarie du Sac by mid afternoon. Just out of Oshkosh we spotted the best Kodak moment of the trip but couldn't get turned around to capture it. Some wise farmer had placed his half filled manure spreader along side of the road with a big sign that said "Bush Platform"	Victoria and Barrett discussing something technical, no doubt. This is Karen setting out vittles for all the folks visiting their new home
23 September thru 27 September 2004	Leaving lansing, we headed to Bremen Indiana for the first ever International Rally of the Montana Owners.com (MOC). There were about seventy units represented. Of course the members of MOC are all very enthusiatic about their units. A lot of the members are "full-timers" and it was very interesting to hear of their experiences. Pot luck get togethers, a Montana factory tour and an Amish dinner were highlights of the Rally. Also, there was a "show and tell" where members could share ideas about modifications and improvements to their units. All in all, a very nice get together. We are already planning to attend to 2005 rally.	This is just a few of the herd (?) of Montanas at the rally.
23 September thru 27 September 2004	Leaving lansing, we headed to Bremen Indiana for the first ever International Rally of the Montana Owners.com (MOC). There were about seventy units represented. Of course the members of MOC are all very enthusiatic about their units. A lot of the members are "full-timers" and it was very interesting to hear of their experiences. Pot luck get togethers, a Montana factory tour and an Amish dinner were highlights of the Rally. Also, there was a "show and tell" where members could share ideas about modifications and improvements to their units. All in all, a very nice get together. We are already planning to attend to 2005 rally.	This is just a few of the herd (?) of Montanas at the rally.
15 September thru 22 September 2004	There was a potluck buffet "Mexican" dinner at Daryl and Diane's place in Bath MI. And, there was another birthday party this week. This one for Demi and for Dalton. Birthday partys for the kids are a big deal in this large, extended family. The party was at a park in Grand Ledge MI. This time, it took two pinatas to get all of the kids involved. The Picture on the right is Diana and Jason's boys J.T., Jared, and Jake. It is one of the many family pictures I was able to scan this summer. Now the problem is to get them organized and archived in some reasonable manner. It's time to leave Lansing for the year. We went to Lunch with Uncle Gene and Aunt Esther. And then went to dinner with Bob and Sharon as a thank you to them for the use of so much of their space over the summer. It was wonderful to have such welcoming, accomodating and sharing hosts.
7 September thru 14 September 2004	Back in Dimondale we aare relaxing and visiting. I finally pulled my bike off the back of the rig and started getting some exercise. I can't believe how out of shape I am. Eighteen months ago I was riding 60 miles two or three times a week. Now, even a couple of miles is a struggle. Oh well, time to get to work. The picture is Victoria's Mother , Helen(tallest), her Aunt Annie, and Uncle Robert. The picture was taken about eighty years ago. We've been doing some cooking as well. Infact, a lot. The pictures over in the right panel is a of a lamb shoulder that Tim and Colleen gave us. It was done on the egg with a sear at 600+ degrees and then finished over an indirect 400 degree egg to an internal temperature of about 120 degrees. (we all like lamb rare) It was terrific. We have also done terriaki beef, more lamb and pork tenderloins. Also, the sweet corn season is still going here so we are eating good. Over the weekend, we attended another wedding. This one was for cousin Danny's boy Bill and Rose The reception was huge and another opportunity to get to know relatives.
6 September 2004	We were up at five for another day of fishing but it was not to be. The forecast calls for small craft warnings later in the day and it is already blowing up 4 to 6 foot waves. We pulled Bob's boat out and they broke camp and were headed back to Dimondale by noon. I took this picture of the light house at about 2 PM. the waves breaking over the breakwater tell the story well. The picture on the right is a view of the south breakwall marker looking across the channel. Not even good day for ducks.
5 September 2004	The fishing exbedition was cut short today so we could enjoy all the various family that was camping in and about Ludington. There is a nice sandy beach at the city park for the kids - old, middle aged and young. Later we had a picnic back at our campground complete with a pinata.. That's Caleb getting ready to pull the crucial string as a variety of cousins look on.
1 September thru 4 September 2004	We arrived Ludington at 2:30 PM and I was headed to the boat with Bob by three. We were joined by Tom (of Tom and Martha from Bay City) and stayed out Late. I reeled in my first lake trout. We also took a large king salmon before calling it a night. We arrived home about 10:30 and were back up at 5 am on Thursday to head back out. We fished twice a day for the next four days and once on Sunday. Most days got us 2 to 4 salmon on each outing. I landed six salmon myself. The picture on the right shows Dennis and Darren with their catches from Friday night. These are 14 pound class -- one is a coho and the other is a king.
28 August thru 31 August 2004	There was another family reunion this week. This one for the Brown's at Art's house in St. Johns MI. Unfortunately, I forgot my digital camera so pictures will have to wait for some developing -- the roll is not done yet. When the Brown's get together there is a crowd -- almost by definition. Art has a large pole barn/garage and multiple acres to accomodate. Lots of food including many fine desserts, lots of play and good conversation. I even played horseshoes. Seems I get around to this about once a year -- usually at the reunion. Tim and Colleen gave us a big leg of lamb which we butterflied and roasted on the BGE for Sunday with Uncle Gene and Aunt Esther and Bob and Sharon. I found time to do an onion pie as well. Esther brought one of her (famous) blue berry pies for dessert. The picture on the right is Vikki and Bob (in white) admiring David C.'s (guy next to Vikki) new Chopper. It was just finished and has less than 130 miles on it. The whole bike is custom in cluding the engine which is about 50% larger than a new Harley. The paint job is really incredible. The accents are all 3-D yet so smooth you have to touch it to believe it. Somebody spent a lot of time with sandpaper. All of the welds are honed down to perfect smoothness. All in all, it is a rolling piece of art. On Wednesday, we are headed off to Ludington for the Holiday weekend and hopefully to get some fishing in. King salmon are the game of choice there. Bob is taking his canning equipment along as well as the vacuum packing equipment. I think he plans on a successful fish.
25 August thru 27 August 2004	We are still cmping in Bob and Sharon's yard. It seems like every night we share supper. I was welcomed home to a dinner of fresh caught salmon cakes. Then I did a stuffed flank steak on the Big Green Egg and so it goes. Now that the Mexican property appears to be selling we have begun looking at Michigan property with a degree of seriousness. There seem to be some nice possibilities. Nice enough that we are considering selling the Phoenix property as well. That would mean a complete relocation and reversal of our travel sequence -- ie Fifth wheel south in the winter. That picture on the right is the flank steak before it was rolled up and tied. The stuffing is bleu cheese, spinach, and peaches. It was smoked over burgundy wine barrel chips and came out very nice.
15 August thru 24 August 2004	It was a busy time for me in Phoenix. I caught up on mai, paid bills, checked on my airplane and hanger, got my teeth cleaned and headed for Mexico. Once there, I found a bunch of landscape and maintenance work needed doing. Nicole and Justin, Justin's mom, Mary and Joy and Jasmine came down for the weekend. That's Jasmine and Cinnamon enjoying the ocean in front of our home. The weekend ended a little bittersweet as a firm offer came in on our home there. Our home has been on the market while we plan on how to spend the rest of our retirement years. We ended up accepting the offer and plan on closing by the end of October. Then, I grabbed an early morning flight back to Michigan.	View of our Mexican home from the beach side.
14 August 2004	We left Detroit at 7:30 and arrived in Phoenix at 8:30 after a four hour flight. This was the Cinnamon's first flight on a commercial airliner since she was a baby so it was a real adventure. The lady in the background changed seats so we had the whole row to ourselves and a great view out the window. As the skys got dark Cinamon observed, "I sure hope you brought a flashlight, Grandpa!"
9 August Thru 13 August 2004	Bob and Sharon arrived home late Monday from afishing trip to Pentwater and Ludington. They brought some fresh king salmon so supper was great. Bob baked the salmon on the grill. Just outstanding. On Tuesday, we marinated some big salmon fillets in sugar, salt and brandy. This is a recipe Vikki and I brought back from the islands some years ago. We let them "cure" for twenty four hours and they turned out great. It is hard to beat fresh no matter what you are doing Cinnamon is anxious about going home. I will fly back to Phoenix with her this next Saturday so she can start school with her class. She is looking forward to seeing her Daddy and her little sister and hopes to see her Mom as well. But, she doesn't want to leave her Grandma and all the good times here in Michigan. Altogether, an understandable quandry. On Thursday evening there was another fish fry and pot luck at Bob's house with several dozen cousins wishing Cinnamon a safe trip home. I'm sure she will miss Michigan. I plan to stay on in Phoenix for ten days so I can check up on our affairs and make sure our house in Mexico is OK.
31 July Thru 8 August 2004	On Saturday, we packed up and traveled to Headwaters Campground just south of Waters, MI. Waters is about 10 miles south of Gaylord MI. There is a sign at Gaylord that says it is exactly half way between the equator and the north pole. Since that is a line that goes some a5,000 miles around the world, I am sure they share the honor with quite a few other cities. We set up an out door kitchen (in the photo) and waited for the arrival of Gary and Gloria. Soon after they arrived, several of Gloria's relatives arrived. Sunday was a day of relaxing and visiting. Then, Gary and I went fishing. Not too good. We caught little perch that were too small to keep. Actually, we only saw one decent sized bass caught all week. Through the week there was time to visit Gaylord, a self described "Alpine Village" and travel up to Mackinaw City for some souvenier shopping. Gaylord does have a lot of Alpine architecture but lacks the mountainous terrain of the real thing. Gloria's niece, Barb, and Bob invited us to their place just northwest of Gaylord for dinner and partying. They live in a beautiful setting including a guest cabin (see pictures to the right) full of antiques. Bob is already talking about grading in a road and a couple of RV pads so we can stay there next year. The week was topped off by visits from Vikki's cousins Mary Ellen, Collen and Tim and Art. We all partied a little too hard and it was a slow packup on Sunday morning. Art helped us and I am forever grateful. Otherwise, we might still be there. On the way back to Lansing we stopped in Harrison to pickup Cinnamon who had spent the night with some cousins there and arrived back in Dimondale by Late afternoon.
26 July thru 30 July	We are taking the week to visit cousins. Yes, there are more. On Saturday we plan to go to Headwaters Campground at Waters MI.
22 July Thru 25 July 2004	Thursday found us on the road again. This time, headed for Pinconning on the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. We set up camp in the yard of Wayne and Marcie's where Bob and Sharon were already camped and Dennis and Joanne's boat was parked in the yard. That's one of many bird houses on the property. The area seems to be teeming with wildlife. On Friday, there were small craft warnings out so we went shopping and visiting instead. One stop was at Tom and Martha's in Bay City MI. Tom gave us a ride down the river and out into the bay. It looks pretty neat to have your own dock shortly up a river from a large body of water. Sort of the best of all worlds. Then back to Wayne and Marcies for a fried chicken dinner with Wayne, Dennis, and Bob doing the meat. If this sounds like Drummond Island again, you are right. The only thing missing is Art and his Homebrew. On Saturday, we went fishing. The waves were still choppy in the morning but we found some calm, protected water and went to trolling back and forth through an area were we were marking fish on the sounder. I caught my first walleye. Actually, it is a team effort. I was driving the boat when Bob said, "Come here, reel this in." All in all not a bad day but the catch numbers were small. That's the catch for two boats -- 2 cats, 4 walleye and a northern pike. Scott caught the Northern - 39 inches and 12 pounds - one he can be real proud of. Saturday night found us back down at Tom and Martha's for another one of the feeding frenzies. This time the main course is salmon on the grill and salmon loaf. On Sunday, we said goodby to these fine friends most of whom we will not see again until next year at Drummond Island. Then back to St Johns (north of Lansing) for another graduation party. This one is for another cousin, Aaron. By Sunday night we were back to Bob and Sharon's in Dimondale. They stayed in Pinconning to fish but I hear it was not very good on Sunday. Cinnamon talked to her dad back in Phoenix by phone. They are planning for her return in Mid August for the start of a new school year. This summer and her vacation is going fast
19 July Thru 21 July	Back in Dimondale, we setup temporary camp and reorganized some of our storage. I had awnings installed over each of the slide outs on the fifth wheel to help cut down on some of the debries that accumulates. No, we are not tormenting the dogs. This is just what happens when you get up close with a fish-eye lens.
17, 18 July 2004	This is a wide angle shot of the lake where Dan and Ricki have their retreat in Harrison. We made a day trip from Harrison up to Houghton Lake to see Vikki's stepdad Guy and Pat. That's them with Vikki and Cinnamon. They seem to be in good health. We all went out to lunch at an eatery on the lake. Then it was back to Harrison to relax and visit with Vikki's Cousins Dan and Ricki, and Gloria and Mary Ellen. You might be getting the idea that Vikki has a lot of them -- cousins that is. You would be right.
13 July thru 16 July	Another trip to the Soo and then it was time to do laundry and packup to leave Drummand Island. Of the whole group we were camping with, we are the last to leave. There are only six or seven occupied sites in the whole campground. According to the fishermen still trying, the herring are leaving as well. We've been here a whole month so our things are in dissarray. Among other things I didn't plan on, there was a lot of tree crud and dead insects on top of the slideouts. A major cleaning was in order. Then, one last sunset over the lake and we are ready to leave. On Friday, we made the ferry before breakfast and stopped at the Bayside Cafe in DeTour to eat. It was excellent. Vikki had the hash and eggs which turned out to be homemade and outstanding. We crossed the Makinaw and regained reliable cell phone access. I had 31 messages waiting. Isn't civilization wonderfull? We stopped for the weekend at Vikki's cousin Dan and Ricki's retreat near Harrison MI.
6 July thru 12 July 2004	The weather has improved and the herring are running now. We have been getting our limit most days to the point were we've about got all we need. I think among three or four families in camp we have canned over two hundred pints. In addition, several dozen have been commited to the smoker, Several dozen more are on ice for pickling or future meals and we have had five big camp wide fried fish buffets. Bob and Dennis do the friing and everyone comes with a dish to pass. Those feeds alone took more than a five gallon pail of fillets each. Cinnamon went fishing on Sunday. She is shown on the right with her catch. Her teachers (fish school?) are Vikki's cousin Bob and Sharon. Turns out she beat her Grandpa hands down. Everything I caught that day was too small to keep. Bob caught three and Sharon caught eight. It was one of our toughest days on the water. I've learned a lot about herring fishing this week. They seem to follow the hatch of mayflies and migrate through the upper Huron between mid June and Mid July. They have a small mouth and hit the bait very, very lightly. We are using #4 or # 6 hooks. Usually we use a tiny tear drop or fly hook baited with a wax worm and maybe a captured mayfly. The herring (also a similar fish called a Menomonee) are real fighters. They are caught on light line and must be netted into the boat. The limit is 12 fish each so the catch can be substantial. Our fishing is over at this place for this year. We will go to Sault Saint Marie again tomorrow for some final shopping and sight seeing. We plan to leave Drummand Island on Thursday or Friday stopping at Houghton Lake and Harrison on the way back to Lansing. Then, we have made plans to visit Wayne and Marcie in Pinconning MI on the Saginaw Bay. Bob and Sharon will also be there and we hope to experience some good Walleye fishing.
5 July 2004	No pictures today. It opened with rain and wind so we did laundry. But, by mid afternoon the lake calmed and the sun was out. Five of us in Bob's boat landed 58 herring in a little over two hours. Tomorrow, Vikki and I plan to make our weekly trip to the Soo so I will pickup e-mail and update the web site.
4 July 2004	The group that shows up at this camp organizes a 4th of July feast every year. The meat is cooked centrally and the rest is pot luck but, oh so good. I think it cost each couple five bucks and the kids were free. We skipped fishing for the day in defference to the feast. A good thing too as it rained mosty of the day. Most of the campers went into "town", as the local four corners is known, for the annual fire works at the Drummand Island school grounds. Indeed, I was impressed. It was as good a show as I have ever seen.
2 July thru 3 July 2004	Fishing keeps getting better. On the left you see Wayne and Bill cleaning up the herring fillets for canning or pickling. There are two pressure cookers going with one or two batches of twelve pints each every night. I am told it will get even better. On the right, you can see Bobby (the 3rd) Cinnamon and Jordan Rose enjoying the outdoors at camp.
28 June thru 1 July 2004	The weather has improved and There is even time for sumbathing. That is Cinnamon on the right catching some rays. The herring are starting to bite. There is part of our Fishing camp (Marcie, Tyler, and Sharon) with part of the catch. We have not limited out yet but are coming close. Luckily, those who come here every year have perfected a cleaning system using elec- tric knives and an assembly line like process. It is not unusual to knock out 100 fish in less than an hour.The gulls are happy with the leftovers
24 June thru 26 June2004	The sunsets here are just as beautiful as in those we enjoy in the west. Dude, over there on the right, isn't looking at the sunset but he does warn us whenever anyone passes the camp closer than he thinks is necessary. Yesterday, one of our neighbors went fishing and brought back four herring. So, we decided to go today. Unfortunately the fish didn't cooperate. Fortunately, it is suppossed to warm up a bunch during mid week so maybe things will change. In the meantime, Victoria and I will head up to the Soo tomorrow (Tuesday, 26 June 2004) and I can post this update.
19 June thru 23 June 2004	The rain stopped but the wind blew like hell starting late Friday and all day Saturday. It was directly out of the north and whistled through camp. Actually not unpleasant, just different. On Sunday, Vikki and I took a day tour up to the Soo to check it out. I watched a couple of ships go through the locks -- quite a site. There are some very pretty campsites right near the docks we'll have to try out some time. We got back in time for a big fish cookout. The fish were some Bob and Wayne caught in Florida this past spring. They are both expert at fish preperation. Monday was laundry day and Tuesday found a whole bunch of us trekking back up to the Soo for some shopping and lunch. It is only about 40 miles but it usually takes a little longer because of waiting for the ferry. I found a place up there to connect to the web so should be able to update this travelogue and pick up e-mail every week or so. Back at camp I committed a couple of beef tenderloins to the BGE for supper. That's yours truely with the egg and the table I made for it. The table is aluminum with a wood top. The legs are made to come off easily so the table can be transported in the truck bed behind the fifth wheel hitch. There is a door on each side behind which I have steam table trays to hold all the cooking utinsels and accessories. Under the table, you can see the platform that the egg rests on. It is suspended on chains to allow it to be stored inside for transport and, also, to allow access to the draft control on the egg. Whe we are on the road the egg itself is carried on a hitch platform on the back of the truck underneath the fifth wheel. By the way, the tenderloins were excellent.
18 June 2004	Cinnamon is anxiously waiting for Bob (jr.) and Summer to arrive in camp. They aare bring ing Jordan and Little Bob (yes, there are three Bob editions) so she will have kids here own age to play with. That's our campsite in the picture on the right. My computer desk is in the back of the trailer so I am looking out on Potagannissing as I write. It is very, very nice here. That is our Big Green Egg in the table at the front of the site. We have a venison/beef/pork with roasted green chilies meat loaf smoking in it for tonight's dinner.
17 June 2004	We started exploring the island a little. It is raining and the mosquitos are rather thick. There are several nice stores on the island as well as a couple of marinas. One little community about three miles away has an IGA grocery, clothing store, hardware, laundromat, bank, aand a bar/restaurant.
16 June 2004	We caravaned With Bob and Sharon from Lansing up I-75 across the Mackinaw and then east to Drummond Island. Bob lost a tire on their boat trailer but the rest of the trip was uneventful. Our skipperke, Dharma, was really nervous crossing the big bridge. She was laying down in the back seat so could not even see out but kept up a low growl until we were over it. What is so odd is her breed were supposed to be barge dog. Later on we took the ferry across to the island and that didn't seem to bother her. That's us on the ferry in the picture to the right. Drummond Island is at the east end of Michigan's UP. It is a big, tree covered rock surrounded by many other islands. Our plan is to stay here at least three weeks. Bob is going to instruct us in the fine art of catching fish. The herring are suppossed to arrive near the first of July or soon after the may flies start to hatch. In the mean time we are just enjoying the island. The park we are at is not listed in the Trailer Life directory. It is owned and operated by the local township. There is electric to a lot of the sites but we fill water using a long hose over to one of the central watere pipes. There are several outhouses on the grounds and a place to dump black water. The park is heavily forested with a good deal of wild life including black bears. We are camped here with Bob and Sharon and their long time fishing buddies Wayne and Marcie. There are two or three other camps here -- mostly folks who have been coming here every summer for years. Some will stay for the whole summer.
8 June thru 15 June 2004	We arrived Lansing and set up Camp at Bob and Sharon Rose's place in Dimondale. They are always excellent hosts. The timing was good because we were able to attend an open house for Zack Bellingar at Vikki's cousin Art's house in St. Johns. That's the graduate entertaining the guests. Most of the brown family was there as well as a whole lot of other folks. That is Gene Brown (Vikki's Uncle) and Mary Margaret Wallace instructing some of the younger clan in the fine points of euchre. I also managed to have the trailer roof repaired here and the new steps are on order.
7 June thru 8 June 2004	We traveled up to Lexington and set up camp at the Kentucky Horse Park. This is a beautiful campground setup in two concentric circles with all paved parking spots. Unfortunately, we can only stay for three nights as they are having a blue grass festival and all sites are booked after Wednesday.
4 June thru 6 June 2004	Gary and Gloria arrived on Friday and we cooked up some Beef and an onion pie for supper. Saturday found us on Gary and Gloria's SeaRay out on Lake Cumberland. That's Gloria in the picture telling Cinnamon about the lake.
31 May thru 4 June 2004	Albuquerque to Amarillo, Texas; Amarillo to Ft Smith, Arkansas; Ft Smith to Parker's Crossing, Tennessee. Finally making it to Conley Bottom at Montecello KY On Thursday Afternoon. I managed to get too close to refueling island and damaged the steps on the Fiver beyond repair. Then the big mess happened Thursday night. There was a heavy rain and it poured into the trailer from the top of the main slideout. We were lucky Cinnamon was along as she was sleeping on a sofa in the area of the leak. She woke us up and we were able to make some adjustments to stop the leak. Friday was spent sucking water out of the carpet. What a mess. It looks like the top seal doesn't cover the opening above the slideout. I releveled the trailer to put some slope on that side in case we get more rain. That's Cinnamon with our faithful ones at the boat dock.
29 May 2004 thru 30 May 2004	We spent the day relaxing at Chuck and Norma's. Allison spent the night in the fiver with Cinnamon. Then the two of them were in the pool most of the day. We setup the big green egg and cooked beef and chicken for supper. On Sunday We went to the Natural History Museum with the kids.
28 May 2004	We arrived in Albuquerque and set up camp at our friends Chuck and Norma's. The big deal in Albuquerque is always the chance to see grandkids so we called Kevin and Allison right away. There's Kevin with his Mom, Terri, on the left. That is Allison with Cinnamon on the right.
28 May 2004	We awoke in a pretty field of yuccas. Then, on to Albuquerque via Lordsburg, Deming, and Hatch. A truck stop in Deming yielded our first taste of good New Mexican fare in quite a while. Typical New Mexican spring winds blew hard all the way
27 May 2004	We are finally loaded and on the way. Cinnamon got out of school about noon and we were on the road by three pm. We headed south through Tucson to avoid the long pulls up through Flagstaff. Our first planned stop is Benson AZ between Tucson and the New Mexico border. We arrived in Benson about six pm -- well, that is, we almost made Benson by six. It seems I managed to mismanage the fuel and we ran out about 6 miles short. The terrain east of Tucson starts a long climb and there are NO fuel stops until just outside of Benson. The picture over on the right sort of tells the story. This is what you would see as you came upon us on I-10. We called OnStar who called AAA who dispatched a truck with two gallons of gas. So we had to wait some more while he found some diesel. We made it to the campground by 8 pm.