We have bought our new RV. \240 It is a Montana 3790RD, a 40’ 5th wheel. \240 We pick it up soon and will do our first overnight near the dealer to test all systems!

If you want to see a floor plan and pictures, go to http://keystoneRV.com/product/Montana/luxury-fifth-wheels/floorplans/3790RD

We had our first trip in our new RV! \240

We had our orientation tour on November 20, then took our purchase to a local lot to practice turns and backing. \240 Next we went to the KOA near Windish RV to spend 2 and a half days. \240 During that time, we mostly learned- how to hitch and unhitch the trailer, how to put out the slides, how to hook up the electrify, water, and sewer. \240 How to make the beds, How to use the stove and Microwave. \240 How to connect the TV....on and on. \240

Then we turned our attention to unpacking the very basic kitchen items, tools, bathroom supplies, our clothes, our pet supplies and other things we had brought for our first camp out. \240

After that, we took the truck and went to get Tobey (since we could find no sitter). \240 Jasper stayed at the home. \240

By bedtime, we were so exhausted from the information overload. \240 We went to bed, but never thought to also learn our thermostat. \240 Our first mistake! \240

It was cold that night, and we froze! \240When I woke it was 60 degr

November 21

we woke in our new RV, still tired. \240 Today was to be our “day off”, though we re-arranged our contents for a while. \240Took Tobey to the dog park at the KOA. \240 Amy, David, James and Josiah came for a short visit. \240 We talked to “neighbors” at the KOA.

Nov 22nd - backtracking to an earlier adventure! \240

Today we need to tear down by 11am. \240 So we cleaned, put things away, disconnected our water and power, drained our hoses, and learned to winterize the RV. \240 Then we hitched our trailer, and drove to our new storage place for the RV. \240 Jim had to learn about precision parking! \240 Once in place, we unhitched and came home to unpack... \240 and go into a coma! \240

They say that the first time is always overwhelming, but as you learn the systems it becomes easy.

Jim and are proud of all we learned, and that we never took out our frustrations on one another. \240 WhooHoo! \240 We did it! \240

‘Bye until our next trip! \240 Likely in the Spring while we prepare our home for sale and let the weather warm up!

Welcome to my new travel journal!

I am Cindy Eberle. \240 My husband and I have decided to sell the “sticks and bricks” to travel full time in an RV. \240He is nearly retired, \240but can work from the RV until then (as can I!) and our 3 kids are grown and live on the East coast ( youngest daughter in Virginia), West coast ( Son, my eldest, in California) and (my middle daughter) in our home state, Colorado.

We love to travel, and this seemed a great alternative to our much loved - but far too large- home. \240Adventure for a few years before we settle down in our Golden Years.

Also, not knowing WHERE to retire is an issue. \240Our city was getting too crowded. \240 So our quest is to find a smaller (and less expensive) \240city that we love!

Join us as we travel to see our kids and the parts of the US we have not yet seen!

Almost time! \240 After months of downsizing and packing boxes, and trips to stock the RV and put boxes in long-term storage, we are nearly ready. April 14th we move from our home of nearly 20 years. \240 \240April 16th we move into the RV, for good. \240

There remains a lot of cleaning and signing and details until then - like what to do with all my groceries? \240 My kids know how much I hate to throw away usable food, but my new fridge and pantry are much smaller! \240

Wish us luck and God’s hand on our adventures. \240 I am partly excited, and partly scared! \240

We have sold much of our furniture, so it is looking pretty bare around here....

Wow, we DID it! \240 Yesterday was our moving day, and we weren’t even out the door before our realtor called to say we had a buyer who met our full asking price! \240 I believe she is from Texas, and military.

We were busy long before the movers came, cleaning and clarifying our piles of what goes to the RV, what goes into storage, and what goes to the hotel. \240

A woman came and bought our chair last minute. \240 Good thing!

The movers were barely able to fit everything in our storage unit. \240 So much for my idea of being able to find specific boxes. \240 But, I think they got the important ones up front. \240We’ll see! \240 Wonder if we chose the right stuff for the RV? \240

We also stopped at Good Will to donate a couch that did not sell.

More cleaning, then we got Tobey and headed for our hotel. \240 As they don’t take cats, Jasper had to stay in the house. \240

At the hotel, we had dinner then signed papers for our realtor. \240 Finally, bedtime.

This morning, we drove back to the house to let the carpet cleaners “do their thang”. \240 We broke down boxes left in the garage and left those out for trash day. \240 (Hopefully secured well enough not to “fly” if tonight’s snow gets breezy). \240

They finished about 2:00, so we drove to the RV with our final load of “stuff”, and distributed it. \240 So, other than organizing better, we are “moved in” the RV.

Tomorrow, assuming it is not too snowy or icy, we drive to get Jasper, then drive clear to the south end of the Springs to our storage lot. \240We have to “hitch” and drive the RV to the KOA campground. \240 Unhitch, set up electric and water and sewer... THEN we can begin to be “home”. \240

Our last trip to Monument, Saturday) \240will be to get our frozen and refrigerated foods (we have to let the RV fridge cool 12 hours first)

So, lots of moving parts and mindless chores, but the Lord was so good to us! \240 The times we needed all worked out, the weather has cooperated if not optimal, everything fit in storage and the RV, our service people all preformed very well, AND the house sold! \240 Woohoo! \240

Here we are, at the KOAcampground in southern Colorado Springs. \240 Very tired, but all has gone pretty well. \240 The cold weather is a bummer, but we are doing a lot of inside set up and organizing anyway. \240 Food is in the fridge, I have rudimentary paper files set up. Jim is getting the TV, internet, tire monitoring system, pet temperature warnings,and other systems set up. \240 We have vacuumed, used our microwave...AND had our first visitors- Amy, David and the boys were over!

We had breakfast at the campground. \240I had biscuits and gravy, and Jim a breakfast burrito. \240 We also had coffee we brewed. \240

This campground had a little “petting zoo” which was fun! \240The boys liked the ducks best.

It was fun to see them. \240 Unfortunately it was cold outside and we don’t have toys for them. \240

Tonight we are doing a BBQ cook off contest here! \240

I sure miss the comforts of our home, but the adventures to come will make it a good trade off. \240

Ok, as soon as we start RVing the cold weather hits? \240 Grrrrr. \240 Twice this week our water line froze. \240The first time on a day where we were both desperate to shower. Obviously, we need to figure out a way to do it differently. Disconnect out water at night? \240Get a longer hose heater?

We also have been inside more than we want. \240The fun of RVing is to do activities you cannot do at home, and meet people. But no one is out in the cold. \240 Can’t wait to set out in warmer temps!

At least we can use the time well. \240 Getting more organized so I can find things easier, setting up needed services, signing up for all things computer that we need...

First challenge: new laptop lost all my contacts. \240I still have them in my iPhone and iPad, but how to export that so I don’t have to renter all that?

The pets are doing well and settling into new routines. I walk Tobey first thing when I wake, and Jim gets the walk shift right before bed. \240 I miss our dog door! \240 I also miss Tobeys stool to jump onto the bed. \240 Here I must lift him up and down, and he is very impatient. \240

Jaspers biggest challenge is where to keep the litter box without smelling it or tripping over it, and how to keep him from clawing the dining chairs as he likes the nubby texture. \240 He has been great about not trying to dash out the door. \240 Here, he wears his collar with tags always!

Still working with the realtor on the home sale. \240Papers to sign. \240 I admit to some misgivings about selling, and hope we are doing the right thing for long term goals. \240Short term, I would rather be in my comfy house. \240

At least we have figured out how to stay warm here!

Hoping some of you will “comment”. \240 I miss my peeps. \240

Hi again! \240 Yesterday was cold again. \240 Our hose did not freeze, as we left it off at night and put it on once the temp got above freezing. \240Time to shower!

We were warm and comfortable in the RV and focused on fixing some of the new computer glitches. \240 I worked on a website. \240 Took a little longer due to slow WiFi and my not being used to the laptop, but overall it worked.

We also had a friend over to help Jim “pair” the RV cameras with the truck cameras. \240Many thanks, John! \240

So far, my LEAST favorite part of the transition is waking, warm and cozy, then having to dress quickly and walk my desperate dog.

However, it also has its benefits. \240 Exercise and a quick wake up. \240Today I noticed the tracks where we walked - bobcat, pronghorn (or a small deer), raccoon, and dogs. I believe the water flowing past is fountain creek. \240 On a nicer day, I would like to walk up to some lakes here.

\240I also heard the reveille from Fort Carson, and gunfire from their ranges. \240

Last night, they must’ve been practicing artillery. \240About 8 pm we heard about 20 booms that shook the RV! \240At first, is seemed like someone was surely outside slamming our cargo doors! \240

We watched our usual TV shows. \240We are beginning to find a rhythm to our days.

Today we begin to get ready for traveling Saturday. \240 We need to drop off our car (will sell it soon) at Amy’s house. \240 We also need to weigh our truck. \240 When we leave Saturday, we will also weigh our RV ( minus truck weight) to be sure we are within safe limits for pulling. \240 Sure hope we don’t have to find stuff to jettison. \240I already feel the pinch of having so little to work with.

I also want to go into the office and get a better idea of how they handle packages. \240 Suppose I order from Amazon, and it arrives to the campground after we left. \240 How do we get it?

Dumb little things take time to figure out!

Talk to you later!

Ok, so I admit we had a hard day yesterday...

It was our first drive of length. \240We were going to Fort Collins to see family and to attend driving school.

We woke early, about 6 am. \240 We cleaned the interior and put things away (so they don’t get crushed by the sliderswhen we put them in. \240Outside we walked Tobey, got breakfast, and began to prep outside for travel. \240 Flushing our tanks, disconnecting from water and electricity, unlocking the kingpin, locking the cabinets and all that goes into hitching the truck to trailer. \240 Took about 3 hours. \240 Cat into his carrier, in back of truck with Tobey.

Then to an RV weigh station at a truck stop (proper weight is important to safet). \240Took another half hour or so.

Then driving. \240Took the long way, hwy 287 then E-470, to avoid traffic and construction zones. \240 Had our first steep hill to go down. \240 Used the truck engine break, which worked great! Lots of potholes the whole way.

I think due to the pothole shaking our rig, we had our first mishap. \240 3 times, while driving, we looked in the rear view and saw our stair rail was out, not folded in against the door as should be. \240Could have “caught” a car as we passed. \240 So Jim pulled onto the shoulder of 1-25 ( not fun) and I got out to swing the rail back in. \240 When I did, I saw the RV door was open a few inches! \240 So I closed and locked that, too. \240 I KNOW I locked it. \240But it happened two more times on our route.

The last time, as we pulled back onto the highway, I heard a noise. \240A sign edge had scraped the top of the RV! \240 Oh, no. \240 That can open the RV wall like a can opener.

We got to our camp finally - love the camp- and checked for damage. \240 At first I thought we were unscathed. \240 Then we noticed holes punched along the length of our awning and our slide toppers. \240 They are yet functional but will doubtless rip much sooner. \240 Very expensive, but insurance should cover.

Also, our time pressure monitor was warning us the truck had a low tire.

We unhitched, set up as much as we could for the pets, and headed to Rex’ birthday party. \240 On the way we had the tire filled - we think there is no leak.

We had a good time at the party; enjoyed the Cantrell’s and stopped nearby afterward to see John and Bethany’s salon.

Back to the RV, exhausted. \240 Plan to enjoy the campground and rest Sunday.

Pics of the campground, below

Had a nice afternoon yesterday. \240Linda, Rex and mom were up. \240 Showed them the RV and campground and played putt putt.

For the first time, it was warm enough to need the AC. \240 The bedroom was working but not the living room. \240 Another item for our growing repair list.

We also found a local pet store to resupply food and litter.

Spent this morning gathering our information for our service claims. \240 We need to schedule some repairs while we are back in Colorado Springs. \240 So I needed to understand our warranty coverages.

May have to cancel our drivers school, Wednesday, \240the whole reason we came here. \240There is supposed to be snow that day. \240And, a repair tech cannot look at our door until Thursday. \240 We are kind of afraid to drive the RV a lot until that is addressed. \240 Also, we have not yet had time for me to learn to drive the truck first.

The good news is we learned the warranty should cover our awning and topper damage. \240The bad news is that may take time and could delay our departure for California. \240Also, we would have to stay in a hotel while RV is being repaired....

Onward and Forward! \240

Good morning! \240 Going to Verns soon, to meet my family for a cinnamon roll, their specialty.

Jim is having a hard time getting his work hours in. \240 This will be so much easier once he retires. \240 When the RV needs something, it needs it NOW. \240 We are constantly adjusting things to meet the needs of the new campground, or the weather, or glitches that come up.

For that reason, we will likely slow down our schedule. \240 Breaking camp is still hard, and moving once a week or less makes more sense. \240 But, that means California or Texas may get moved out further.

BTW, this app is glitchy. \240 Sometimes I write a long post and it only publishes the first sentence or two. \240 It seems to catch up later. \240 Hope this works. \240 It was the only one to let us keep the log beyond a month or so.

Tech coming Friday now for door and Air Conditioner issues. \240 Cannot climb onto the roof during the expected rain today and tomorrow.

Driving school is moved to Monday so we get back to CSprings later. \240 It also means we will stay at a nearby campground, Boyd Lake, which provides electric but no water. \240 This will be our first “boon docking” and you have to watch every drop used. \240 No full showers!

Oh! \240We had the “opportunity” to bail on our house contract as our buyer added a clause to fix the radon. \240 Jim and I had a long talk, but decided to continue. \240 Despite some weariness at this point, we have come too far to backpedal.

‘Till next time!

Forgot to mention earlier - pets are doing well. \240 Tobey loves the 4 daily potty walks. \240 Kitty loves the windows, with changing scenery for the first time.

Had a problem where Tobey was falling off our bed at night! \240 The bed is tall, and drops to a hard floor. \240 No room for a stool. \240 But, he insists on sleeping on the bed. \240 My solution? \240 I sleep on the end of the bed, like a gate. \240 Tobey gets the head, where walls are. \240A King bed is nearly square, so it makes no difference in my comfort. \240A bonus - making the bed is easier.

Good day! \240Today I had my first experience with campground laundromats. \240 It was TIME! \240 $4 in quarters for a commercial washer to handle my comforter and clothes to date. \240Another .50 to dry. \240 In and out in about an hour, during which I read my digital newspaper. \240 Clean facility, very pleasant. \240Just weird toting my laundry around the campground. \240I hid my undies🙄. \240

Jim was busy, a little frantic, trying to reserve summer campgrounds - they fill up fast. \240 We got er done. \240 We are debating our California route. \240 It was too fast (several 1,2,or 3 day stops, which make it very hard for Jim to get his work done after tear down and setup and driving) and we are a little distrustful of our RV as we have had several things not working. \240 So we may instead go for longer stays in the mountains this summer, where it is nice and cool, and migrate to the warmer climes later.

Amy had bad news for us - our car, unknown to us, has engine problems. \240 We were planning to sell it, but now we have more decisions to make first. \240 Arrgghh. \240 This transition is HARD! \240

Yesterday I was on the phone for a solid hour with one our two banks. \240 Took over an hour to change addresses, phone numbers (no landline now) and get online banking access and statements emailed rather than mailed. \240

I’ll have to do that with our investments, State of CO for my business, etc. \240 And I am missing many passwords from our computer switch. How do I give a Texas address (our mailing service) for my Colorado business? \240

I actually cooked a little dinner last night, and today got some basic groceries at the camp store. \240 Getting the hang of this. The gas stove cooks so much faster than electric so I can burn twice as much!

We ran into another camper while we walked who had also just sold his home, moved into an RV, and was questioning his own sanity. \240Great time to sell, but if we change our minds I would hate to have to buy. \240 Worries for another day. At least we are not the only ones!

God’s got this, regardless. \240I don’t think anyone can make “for sure” financial moves in our chaotic world just now. \240 So we give it our best shot and trust God to keep us upright. \240

Hi, friends and family! \240

I can report a better day today! \240Not so stressed, and it mostly felt like a normal (but somewhat cramped) day.

I made breakfast - bacon and eggs, and they came out really good.

I read some while Jim worked, and did my web invoices. \240 Took a while to properly connect QuickBooks to the data from our home PC.

Our RV tech came. \240In one hour he solved our door issues, AC issue (and just in time, today was toasty!) our TV problem and a problem we later found with our built in vacuum. \240You could tell he too was disgusted with the shoddy work on a new rig. \240I hear they are just slapping them together due to demand.

Luck of the draw whether you get good work or bad.

Windish RV had had our rig in the shop for about 6 weeks fixing only a part of what this tech did in an hour.

Most of the problems were basically caused by the vibration on our first road trip. \240I TOLD you there were a lot of potholes! \240It loosened connections in the AC, the TV lift, the vacume, and the door.

It also explained why our heat pump would not come on in cold weather - it shares the motor from the AC. \240

Warranty will not cover, but the cost wasn’t bad today. \240 We’ll fix the awning and toppers when they fail. \240So they aren’t as pretty but they still do their job...

The RV feels so comfortable now! \240

Tomorrow am we leave this nice park to go to our driving lessons. \240( Yesterday, I drove the truck. Not so bad!) \240 \240Yes, I will take lessons too to pull the RV. \240 It is a six hour lesson, preceded by breaking camp in the am, and followed by setting up camp at Boyd Lake in the pm. \240 Long, tiring day - and the pets will come along in the truck. \240No other options. \240

Don’t call us Saturday night. \240 I can almost guarantee we will be grumpy until we get some sleep. \240

Forgot to mention - we had a nice call with Sierra last night. \240Really enjoyed it!

Well,we had our Drivers Lesson! \240 Tim, our instructor, had \240been a trucker most of his life. \240 He was talkative and friendly, and knew his stuff! \240 We started by walking around the RV. \240 He was pointing out our perimeter, where the “tail swing” happened on curves, how to set out mirrors. \240 Then he drove us to an industrial park in Loveland, lots of turns and empty buildings, where first Jim and then I got to practice turns. \240 Then we went to a big parking lot, the old Albertsons on Eisenhower, and practiced backing the trailer and then backing up into a space. \240I was the spotter who told Jim when he was lined up proper to basically jackknife the truck and trailer, then a series of maneuvers to pull it in, nice and straight. \240 Never in a million years would we have thought to do it that way! \240 I also learned some hand signals to help communicate.

Next we took to some crowded city streets right through Loveland. \240 We went right by my Moms place at 2:30.

We went up the big Thompson canyon as far as Drake to learn about Mountain Driving and how to properly brake and take twisting roads.

Tim also took us to a truck stop gas station to learn how to get aligned at the pump and how not to swipe the station when we exit. \240

It sounds so easy on paper but made for a long, tense day. \240 Jim did most of the driving, but I took notes and hopefully got enough that I could drive if I have to.

We got certificates that will give us a discount on insurance, nice. \240 Never thought I would drive such a big vehicle! \240Wahoo!

Jim’s the real hero, and he impressed our instructor. \240 He said he feels much more confident!

Tired, we pulled into our next camp at Boyd Lake state park. \240 We used to live very near here! \240This camp offers no water hookups, so we must conserve the water we saved in out tanks this morning from our last campground. Roughing it! \240 At least we are near a facility with showers. \240 The lake is pretty and we walked it today. \240 We are supposed to get hard rains tomorrow and Monday. \240

We can catch up on our work then, and visit my Mom and sister (who live nearby). \240

Last night we played cards with Mom, Linda and Rex. We also went to a restaurant for some good Italian food. \240

Very rainy and cold today. Not pleasant walking Tobey at 6am in the rain! \240 But, we are enjoying the chance to catch up on our computer and organizational backlog. \240A chance to catch our breathe and look at the upcoming calendar... we return to Colorado Springs tomorrow. Driving the RV should feel much more calm after our 6 hour lesson. \240May take a back road to avoid the rough roads and construction on 1-25. (that’s what caused a lot of our mechanical problems coming to Loveland)

Lots to do while in Colorado Springs - the house closing, selling the car, getting our prescriptions, getting some items from storage and dropping off some that just don’t meet our needs here.... \240plus a anniversary party with friends, a baby shower...

The RV feels very cozy. \240Nice and toasty. \240Good TV reception. \240 Great view of the lake. \240 Rain has not been as harsh as they were predicting, no hail or wind. \240We hear Monument has snow.

Back in fountain today. \240Tending to business. \240 We need to close our house, sell our car, get prescriptions, etc. \240 we’ll be here about a month and then the fun starts- exploring! \240

Partying with our old neighbors. Their 37th anniversary!

Mother’s Day! \240

W

Mother’s Day!

Last night we went to an anniversary party for some friends, our former neighbors.

This morning we went to church, then Jim took me to the Melting Pot. \240 Yum, yum! \240

It’s cloudy. \240 After our big meal we were tired, and watched TV and called our Moms.

Sierra and Amy sent a nice gift, and Chris called

Nice day!

Tomorrow we will likely sell our car. \240 That will have us down to only the truck. It will be odd to have to depend on Jim to drive me to errands, at least until I feel more comfortable driving the truck...

Need to practice. \240 Hey, \240driving that gives me “granny cred”! \240 Not everyone my age can do that. \240

\240

May 10 - thought I had written but I don’t see it.

We sold our peppy, fun CRV today. \240 Everyone said it would take 20-30 minutes, but we were waiting there for a butt-numbing 3 hours while they test drove our car and filled in paperwork to buy it.

At least we got a good price. \240

Now, for the first time ever, we have only one car. \240 Jim and I must share, and untilI feel comfortable driving in heavy traffic, he must take me to appointments. \240 I feel really “old”! \240 I must practice driving the truck, soon! \240

This means that, once the house closes, we are ready to take off!

Another day... and we begin to find our rhythms, our routines, what works and what doesn’t.

I am challenged to find something to do while Jim works. \240Today I did some web work, then cleaning the RV - dishes, vacuuming, dusting, organizing - 1/2 hour, tops! \240

I admit I like THAT much better than our house. \240 We had so much area to cover \240that dusting alone was easily 1 1/2 hours. \240Vacuuming, a good hour.... \240 now, I whip through it quick, and it is satisfying to improve our living space.

I made us lunch. \240

When Jim finished work, we went to the hot tub. \240We met a younger couple from Missouri. \240 He was talkative and intelligent, and we drifted into political discussion. \240 Turns out he was raised communist but turned “conservative”. \240 His words, not ours. \240 He invited us over for some wine around the campfire.

After dinner out, we joined them. \240 Tobey came, and scouted out bunnies while we talked. \240It was interesting. \240 He was well read and talked about campgrounds and more politics. He was friendly... but....he was also very into smoking marijuana! \240

Not exactly the kind of people we have always hung out with!

But he was nice, and we felt early on that Jesus was going to break us out of our mould and teach us about friendships, and learning to love again.

In a campground, people are more real. \240 We walk our dog at 6:30 in our coats and jammies, fresh out of bed, with hair all akimbo. \240 Who would do THAT in a neighborhood? \240

You talk to people you normally wouldn’t, and say what you think. \240 If they don’t like it, well, you may never see them again. \240 In a neighborhood, you are locked into your reputation and words - even those you meant in kindness - can haunt you a long time in our contentious world. \240

At home I never had much to talk about. \240I did websites ( not many my age can relate to that!) cleaned house, (boring) walked my dog (also boring in discussion) and worried about my kids ( shut up already...)

Now it is so easy - where are you from? \240 Where are you going? \240Where was your favorite place to visit? \240 How did you fix your RV problem? ...and we’re off and running! \240

I begin to look forward, not back, and my very simple life looks magical. \240

A very nice day! \240 Had breakfast at the camp cafe (French toast) then up to Monument for Bethany Cantrell’s baby shower. \240So nice to see Amy and all the Cantrells....

Back at the campground we used the hot tub then walked and finally, joined the “hey!” Hay ride, where the kids there formed a parade behind the hay wagon, and we all waved at our “neighbors”. \240 Corny but lots of fun! \240

I know it has been a while, but we are still in the Fountain KOA. \240 We closed on our house Friday, May 21. \240 All went well though I admit getting teary off and on. \240 We stopped at our house after to say goodbye to it, \240and noticed another tree had died - the little May tree in the back yard. I \240Wonder if any others died - our big cottonwood had not yet leafed out, but it was always the last to do so. \240 Not my worry anymore... \240

Here, we have enjoyed the pool, the hot tub, 4x daily walks, and talking with nice folks. \240

Last night there was a police-involved shooting about 2 miles from here, at a park we recently visited. \240Some guy carrying a gun, who wound up shot by police... \240

Tonight we had some church friends over for BBQ hamburgers.

we are getting anxious to begin the fun part of our travels. \240About 2 more weeks. \240 Due to our change of plans, and everything being booked up for tourist season, we must go to Limon Friday for 5 nights (please no tornadoes or hail!) then back to this Colorado Springs KOA for 10 more nights....

Then, finally, we hit some small mountain towns for the summer...

Well, here we are in Limon, Co. \240 “why?” You might well ask. \240 Easy - it was all we could find available over Memorial Day, since we switched from our plan of going to California. \240 So a few days here, a few more back in Colorado Springs, and then we are back on track.

Pretty ride here today. \240Green rolling hills and small towns. \240 Limon isn’t bad, discounting hail and tornados. \240 Not much to do, but reasonable sized town. \240 Went to a diner tonight with an old wooden bar that looked straight out of the 1800s. \240 Just needed a spittoon to be totally western-movie authentic. \240 I had a hot roast beef sandwich, which to me is “comfort food” that recalls vacations with my Dad.

Tomorrow am we are going on a wetlands walking trail. \240 There is also a railroad museum we plan to visit on one of the rainy days.

Yes, we are due to have rain most of the time we are here. \240Will.this.weather.never.end...

still, we can turn to computer work, tv, and indoor pursuits - just no scary tornado weather, please.

At least Limon, and this dirt patch of a campground has one redeeming quality - we are within walking distance of an ice cream shop!

Forgot to mention. \240 Yesterday, Amy came over with the boys and we went swimming. \240 That was really fun! The boys enjoyed playing with us in the pool. \240Many years since we have done that with small kids....

Today we explored Limon. \240Took 5 minutes. \240(Just kidding!).

We walked a wetlands trail. \240 Ate at Taco Bell. \240 Explored a windmill blade (my, those are big - see Jim in the picture?) and worked on backing up our computer since our WiFi here is good....

Finally the rain is over. \240 One more day here. \240 Limon is not so bad, though no tourist destination. \240 These seem good and honest people, and they love their town. \240 They must have warm friendships to be here so long. \240

We went to the Museum yesterday. \240They have a railroad heritage, Indian displays, war displays, and pioneer. \240The dust bowl was here, and they had first hand stories from residents. \240 They had examples of a sod house, like my grandmother honeymooned in. \240 And, they had an iconic one room schoolhouse. \240

Sierra called last night. \240I think we may visit Her at Christmas, to meet the baby and keep her company while Jared is deployed. \240I learned Jared is a “crypto miner”. \240 Pretty cool. Those two are full of surprises!

Today I did some cleaning. \240I love how quick this goes, compared to our house.

Now I am watching a movie. \240The bedroom, with the blinds closed, becomes a cozy private theater. \240 Nice.

Tomorrow, back to the Springs - our last stop before the real adventure begins.

Good morning. \240 We are back in Fountain. \240 Travel yesterday was nice. \240The grasslands were so green from the rainy spring! Finally, sunny skies ahead! \240 Summer weather! \240

We have a nicer site this time. \240 Under a big tree, concrete pad instead of gravel, a metal table instead of wood, a nicer fire pit.

Now that it is summer, the activities are daily and the waterslide is open. \240Have to get James and Josiah here! \240Last night we watched The karaoke contest and saw where they do “movies under the stars” but it wasn’t one we are interested in. \240

We also had dinner in old Colorado city at the tapateria, a tapas restaurant. \240 Yum yum. Highly recommend.

I haven’t mentioned yet, but interesting people at these parks. \240 Tents, even in very cold and rainy deluge weather. \240 A family of mennonites, in their “prairie” kind of dress and caps. \240Their men wore overalls and broad brimmed hats. \240 In Limon, a black woman parked next to us in her car- no RV. \240She said she was sleeping there while her husband traveled in their RV. \240 I felt sorry for her having to do that - although she woke me at 5:30 am because the bass in her car stereo was so loud... \240sometimes there are huge families and BIG dogs in trailers much smaller than ours. \240Still, most of the people we meet are very nice. \240A few crabs among them, but we haven’t met anyone scary. \240

That said, on the news they mentioned an “armed and dangerous” fugitive...in Fountain...near the Willow Creek parks; \240walking distance from our KOA campground. \240 Yikes. \240 Less than 2 weeks ago, a young man was shot there after failed negotiations over the visible guns in his backpack....

Just saw the hayride go by. \240 Time now to go for a swim. \240 There are perks, living in a mobile home. \240 Couldn’t do THAT at home!

A beautiful warm day. \240 Jim and I went to the pool, after he finished work. \240We went to the grocery and a favorite Mexican restaurant. \240 Back at the RV we sat outside and chatted with “neighbors”, and cheered on the “Hey! Hayride - which is always followed by a little parade. \240Tomorrow the hay ride gets wild - I think they have squirt guns to get us, and residents are encouraged to use their hoses to fire back! \240 Fun! \240Tomorrow is also a big shrimp broil!

Foam party.... \240 always something new! \240

Well, heading OUT, finally!

Until today, everything has been about preparing for travels or “waiting” for some necessary business. \240 But today we begin our travels! \240 Really excited!

I think I will start a new journal as this one is getting lengthy and requires a lot of scrolling. Also, the maps get too “involved”.

The address our readers \240go to will change, so after I begin the new one, I’ll post the address here so you can continue to join us.

Go to:

http://www.journohq.com/profile/RvAdventurer

For our summer 2021 in the Colorado mountains.

https://www.journohq.com/journo/western-slope-summer-12398

or

(New Mexico, Texas, south to Virginia) in address, after “fall” there are three hyphens before the word “winter”. \240 Oops. \240 Cannot fix.

https://www.journohq.com/journo/fall—-winter-2021-travels-93644

Or

(Georgia, Florida 2022)

https://www.Journohq.com/journo/Florida-2022-44386

(If these links don’t work, copy and paste it into your browser. \240 Be sure to use “https” and “.www”)

Or

https://www.Journohq.com/journo/to-south-dakota-33473

Or

https://www.journohq.com/journo/back-to-home-58052