Tag: Iowa

Iowa & The Almost Missed Birthday

In the RV, Arthur lost all concept of personal space. To be fair, there wasn’t a lot of space, but he started to sleep on my pillow while I was still sleeping on it. Most mornings, I woke up with a cat foot in my face. 😺

Leaving Pirate KS was absolutely beautiful. I can certainly see how Bella Vista got its name. Once we left what seemed like a river valley, we got hit with wind – a lot of wind. We fought the wind all the way to Iowa. Estella gave up on letting me use the cruise control, and I received the message that it was too slippery – something we hadn’t seen since the winds in Kansas almost a year ago.

We made a quick stop at a Love’s on the way for fuel and snacks, and I saw this kitty sitting outside the gas station. It looked pretty healthy overall, but it was sheltering next to the building because of the wind. Yes, I was tempted to see if it wanted to come with us, but I didn’t think Arthur would appreciate another camper in his space.

We arrived at our Boondocker’s Welcome site after driving by it and having to do a U-turn. It was easy to park and plug in, and I decided not to open the slide out because of the wind.

It was a cozy night, and Arthur found a new place to perch since we were in such tight quarters. We also saw a beautiful sunset as we ended our evening.

The next morning, we were up early and headed to get Estella checked out at Lichtsinn RV. This is our second visit since I bought her, so I had a list. The first thing on it was the fitting to the water heater. The second thing was the window that I had over-cranked months ago. The third thing was the crossbar (?) under the tanks that I was dragging around Colorado before I noticed, crawled under the RV and remove it. I also had some water damage in the bathroom for them to look at and just a basic “health check” on Estella.

Our appointment was at 7:30, and when we got there, they took her in right away. Typically, it’s a whole day visit. Last time, Arthur wasn’t with me, so this time, he got to make some new friends with the service techs and stayed in the RV while I made friends with a very cute dog in the waiting area.

I even had my favorite Kwik Star lunch from the gas station across the road.

Unfortunately, we ended up having to stay the night. On the plus side, Lichtsinn has places to park with electric service, so we had a nice evening even if it was planned. My plan had been to leave that day and get to the farm for my Dad’s 77th birthday, which was the next day. We did get to leave on his birthday, with Estella all fixed up, and were home to wish him a happy birthday in person, but it would’ve been nice to be there the whole day.

A farm morning sunrise, Estella in her outdoor spot, and a sunset on the farm.

Next up, one more post about time in MN, including two work trips and our plans for the next stage of our adventure. Stay tuned!

On Wisconsin…and Iowa!

Over Memorial Day, I headed out to Wheeler, Wisconsin, to experience some wilderness and all that Menomonie had to offer. My friend and her hubby bought some land in Wheeler and have their camper trailer parked up there. So, for the long weekend, we ate pudgie pies, paged through magazines we’d subscribed to and never got around to reading, went a movie on a rainy day, drove around the UW Stout campus, and took in the sights of Menomonie – including the local Fleet Farm and a lovely greenhouse between Wheeler and Menomonie. We didn’t shower and sat close enough to the campfire that it didn’t matter.

We were basically boon docking, so I had a go at turning on my generator to get some power, and the good news is that it worked! It worked after several attempts, but it worked. 🍫🍫 I promptly celebrated with coffee and chocolate while charging my devices.

Our set-up in Wheeler and me, gaffawing at something very hilarious.

On to Iowa

Capping the trifecta of Midwestern states was a trip to Iowa. It’s possible that you’ve heard me refer to Iowa as Idiots Out Wandering Around, but it really isn’t that bad. I stayed outside of Ankeny and was able to visit my two favorite cousins who live in Iowa, go to Adventureland with a grad school friend and her family, and have dinner with a co-worker and her family at Hickory Park. Iowa was great.

I stayed at Cherry Glen Campground in Johnston, Iowa. They had great bathrooms, and their showers featured this push-button system, which is something I hadn’t encountered before. It was actually pretty great and probably even better for conserving water. The bathrooms were so clean – such a luxury. We had a limited view of the lake from our spot, and I even made a new friend when I went to take out the trash.

My new friend – just sunning itself and living life. Because I am a good friend, I just let it do its thing. 🍫 I did tell another camper about it, so he wouldn’t be surprised.

NOTE: WordPress has this feature where you can generate an AI image with a few key words. I went with “fun in Iowa alone”, and this is what I got. Absolutely brilliant output. While I do have other pictures in Iowa, there are kids in them, and that’s just not something I want to put on the internet.

Off to make some brownies. Only a short break. I’ll be back to discuss Springfield, Illinois, next.