The Beginnings

The RV is filled with clothes, food, a variety of adult beverages and of course Kona. He, a black standard poodle, is just over two years old. You know those teenage years for young boys, full of pep, curious of each blowing leaf along the ground and ready for adventure.

Leaving our home, we travel northeast up to along the rim country of northern Arizona. First stop is Grant, NM. Squeezed between I-40 and the Santa Fe rail tracks, the RV Park offers stereo sound effects of transportation. After dining that night, we went to bed. Note that I said “bed” not “asleep,” for quickly we learned that Barb was ill. To be delicate, liquids flowed from all orifices. In the morning we found the local ER, where the doctor’s diagnosis was some type of viral infection or perhaps food poisoning. With two IV’s of fluid in her and some drugs to calm the body we rested the remainder of that day in our RV. I should note that there was a time schedule for the trip to Indiana so I could attend a rally of fellow RV owners of the same type as ours.

This delay put us behind in our schedule. The next day, with Barb feeling better and able to travel, we set off for Amarillo, TX for the next stop. That night I became ill with the same symptoms that had plagued Barb, it was my turn for an ER visit. Another day of rest and we resumed the journey to Goshen, IN.

We arrived at the Maintenance Session several days late, but enjoyed the time with new friends and fellow Holiday Rambler diesel pusher owners. I came away with many new ideas and an appreciation of the complex working of our motorhome. It has been said that punishment absorbed by an RV traveling down a highway is similar putting wheels on your home and riding it through an earthquake.

After the week, we went to the Chicago area. Daughter Kris and her husband Donnie had just moved there as he accepted a position with the Taylor Street Tattoo, a premier shop in the Little Italy section of Chicago. It was wonderful to spend time with Kris and Donnie and to enjoy the wonder that is this “Windy City.” One of the highlights was a cruise along the Chicago River that gives insight into the Chicago’s architecture history. If ever in Chicago, take this cruise. After spending time with Kris and Donnie, we spent time with Barb’s cousin Susie, then with her uncle and aunt – Jerry and Bernie. They were our wonderful host during a celebration of his eightieth birthday party in Nassau Bahamas last February. Not only is he a wonderful host, but they are a wonderful couple. It is always a joy to spend time in their company.

While in the Midwest, we returned to Indianapolis for an almost daily reunion with friends and colleagues from our life in that town. But now it is time to continue the trip toward the Northeast.