What’s Next

We’ve had some people ask us where we will be headed after we leave Wisconsin.

Our plan is to leave Wisconsin on September 19th.  Our first stop will be a Corp of Engineers park near Galena, IL.  We’ll head from there to Rocky Mountain National Park (with some stops in between).  We hope to spend about a week in that area and then visit some other National Parks in Colorado and Utah.  Much will depend on the weather.

We’ll purchase an annual National Park pass.  We plan to visit many of the parks on our way to California and on our way back to Wisconsin in spring.  Many of them are located out west.

Some time in November, we’ll head to Death Valley National Park in California.  From there we’ll head towards San Diego.  We are flying our boys to San Diego to visit for a week at Christmas. 

I’m currently researching a place to stay near San Diego.  I think I’ve narrowed it down to Woods Valley Kampground in Valley Center, CA or La Pacifica RV Resort in San Diego.  If anyone has any input, I’d greatly appreciate it!

We are Passport America and Good Sam members, so I’ve been trying to find a park with a discount.  You can drive yourself crazy researching campgrounds :)

I’m not complaining; it sure beats the alternative of staying in Wisconsin and working!

In January, we’ll head to Arizona.  There are a couple of campgrounds we’re considering.  Again, any suggestions would be very welcome.  Kevin is looking forward to Brewer spring training in March.

We won’t be workamping this winter.  We plan to wander and talk to many other snowbirds and fulltimers.  I hope to learn as much as I can from others who are living this wonderful life.

The weather continues to be hot and humid.  The mosquitoes and flies are beastly.  Last night one of our tent campers came to Kevin desperately in search of bug spray.  This poor guy had gone to all 3 stores in Columbus that sell it, and they were all sold out.   We were able to help the guy out.  I can’t imagine being outside after dark without spray.  We still need to spray every morning before we take our walk. 

Monday was golf day.  As usual, I had some good shots and some bad shots.  My drives and fairway shots were actually pretty good.  Chipping and putting was another story.  Maybe some miraculous day, I’ll be able to have it all come together :)

Yesterday Kevin drove into town to golf with a former co-worker and friend.  I also drove to town to take my mother to an appointment.  Mom and I had lunch and picked up our mail at Eric’s house.   It was a nice day.

On the way home, I stopped at Wal-Mart in search of another fan.  We have a ceiling fan and a portable fan we used in the bedroom.  I bought one more small fan to use in the living area.  We have found that keeping the air moving in this hot weather, really helps keep the camper cooler.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Are You Bored Yet?

Today we are 3 months into our adventure.  So far, so good!

One question people ask us is if we are bored.  The easy answer is “No”.  We have found things to do that we enjoy, and we have definitely slowed our pace and learned to relax :)

Each day we walk for about an hour.  We also like to ride bikes; however, there are a lot of hills and busy roads around here so we haven’t done much bike riding.  We also both enjoy reading, playing computer games, watching movies, and playing our Nintendo Wii. 

Having a workamping position also gives us something to do.  It’s not a lot of work, but we have some responsibilities, and it gives us some structure.  I have to admit, I’m itching to get on the road and start the traveling adventure.  Six more weeks until we head out :)

I’ve always enjoyed crafting.  My mom and I used to sell at craft fairs.  I made wooden crafts.  Here’s an example of some of the items I made.

 

Obviously, I couldn’t bring a band or scroll saw with me or store large craft items.  Also, I think craft fairs have kind of run their course.  People were looking for handcrafted items to be sold at rummage sale prices.  Many craft fairs were allowing sellers to sell products made in China. 

I did bring painting supplies and my sewing machine with me.  I  enjoy crocheting, quilting and painting.  I took some painting classes and have painted on glass, candles, plates, wood, etc.  Many times I make gifts.  I feel it really puts a personal touch onto gift giving.  I painted these for a wedding shower a few years ago.

Last week I quilted some eyeglass cases.  The pattern is called “Snap Happy”.  Pieces of metal tape measure are sewn into the top to snap the cases closed.  I’ve also made some other size bags using this pattern for cell phones or iPods.  It’s fun!  Guess what some of you are getting for Christmas this year :)

 

 

 

 

 

I very much want to find some work I can do “at home”; some type of virtual office work.  I was a secretary for many years, and have skills that would make working online perfect.  I know such jobs exist, but haven’t been able to find something for me.  I have some leads I am pursuing.  If anyone has any ideas or information, I’d love to hear about it. 

We planned very carefully to live this life.  Since we are not old enough to collect any of our retirement funds, we want to be careful and not spend too much until those funds kick in.  I know we can make ends meet if we are careful, but I’d feel a lot better if I could be earning some cash.  We’ll also continue to seek out workamping positions in different parts of the country.  There are just so many possibilities out there.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Christopher Columbus Museum and Redbox

Our park is located 4 miles from Columbus, Wisconsin.  Many times we have driven past a sign marking the street that leads to the Christopher Columbus Museum.  Today we decided to take a look.

The museum is housed in an old canning factory, now the Antique Mall & Museum, which is the largest antique mall in the state.  This mall is 3 stories of room after room of antiques.  I’m not into antiquing; but, in my opinion, much of what I saw looked like overpriced junk  :)

The museum displays souvenir memorabilia from Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (World’s Fair). Daniel and Rose Armato, owners of the store, began this collection in 1981 to honor Christopher Columbus' (500 years) 1942-1992 Quincentennial Celebration.   I didn’t take any pictures inside because I wasn’t all that impressed.  There were several display cases, but items were not very well marked.  I really didn’t find it all that interesting.

On Tuesday we decided to try renting a movie from Redbox.  There is a box outside of the Walgreens in Columbus.  I went online and reserved Percy Jackson and the Olympians.  When I got to the box, it was jammed so I couldn’t get the movie.  No problem, they hold it for you for 2 days so we went back yesterday to get the movie.  This time it told us it didn’t recognize the credit card I entered online.  I knew I was using the right card, and I was rather disgusted by now. 

Kevin suggested we just go ahead and get the movie through the regular rental process and call Redbox when we got home.  I called and, of course, they couldn’t explain why this had happened; maybe something to do with the fact it was jammed the first time I tried to get it.  If you don’t pick up the movie you reserve after 2 days, they charge your credit card.  You guessed it, we were charged twice for the same movie.  They assured me they would credit my account, but it takes 3 days.  Geez!!

By the way, I liked the movie.  It reminded me of National Treasure or Night at the Museum; wholesome family entertainment.

We haven’t given up on Redbox.  It actually seems to be a great system.  I think is was just unfortunate we had a bad first experience. 

This leads me to a warning.  Make sure you check your credit card statements carefully each month.  I can’t tell you how many times I have found errors.  In the last 2 months alone, DirecTV has overcharged us twice, Verizon double billed us for the first month of our air card, and now Redbox double billed us.  The companies always correct the problem when I call them, but how many people don’t check!  I’m beginning to think companies do this on purpose!  I can think of many better ways to spend my time other than to be calling customer service centers!!!  I feel better now that I got that off my chest :)

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

A Capitol Experience

Madison, Wisconsin’s state capitol, is about a 30 minute drive from Columbus.  I had heard that the Mad City Water Ski Team puts on a free show on Sunday evenings on Lake Monona. 

Since we weren’t renting out any canoes this weekend, I thought Sunday would be a good day to leave the park and explore Madison and see the ski show.

We started at the State Capitol.  Can you believe that I have lived in Wisconsin for 52 years and have never been to the capitol.  We went on the 2 pm tour.  Our tour guide was OK.  She knew her speech well, but didn’t know much beyond that.  She couldn’t answer any questions outside of her script.  In fact, she stated she was not much into history and wasn’t from Wisconsin.  Sometimes you wonder why people have the jobs they do.

I did learn some interesting facts.  The dome is the 4th largest dome in the world by volume.  The 3 largest are all cathedrals.  The largest is in Africa, number 2 is St. Peter’s in Rome and number 3 is St. Paul’s in London.  We’ve now been to 3 of the top 4; I guess a trip to Africa is in order :)

The capitol was built between 1906 and 1917 for a total of $7.25 million.  Today’s value is estimated to be over $200 million.  It is built out of stone from many different countries.  The mosaics and murals are incredible.  I must say, it is quite a showpiece for Wisconsin.

The Governor’s Conference Room was styled after the council chambers of the Doge’s palace in Venice.  It has 26 historical paintings about Wisconsin.  The governor gives his State of the State speeches standing in front of the fireplace.

This giant bronze badger outside the governor's conference room, was mounted on the first USS Wisconsin battleship in 1901.  (The badger is the Wisconsin state animal.)  It is a tradition to rub it’s nose for good luck.  See how shiny it is.

 

 

The Wisconsin Supreme Court consists of 4 women and 3 men.  We have the most female justices of any state.  Justice Annette Ziegler used to be a judge in Washington County, the county we lived in for 25 years.

The State Senate has 33 members.  The mural symbolizes eastern and western countries coming together with the building of the Panama Canal. Each chamber is decorated with beautiful marble and wood.  Each chamber also has colorful skylights to allow as much natural light as possible.  These skylights were incredible!

The Assembly Chamber is composed of 99 members.  It has murals symbolizing Wisconsin’s past, present and future.  The Wisconsin Assembly had the world’s first electronic voting system installed in 1917. 

After our tour, we walked to Monona Terrace.  This is an area along the lake with a convention center and rooftop cafe; very beautifully done. We had 2 hours to wait until the ski show started so we sat down and had a beverage. 

Then, we walked down to the lakefront.  There is a 13 mile bike path that goes around the lake.  These people are some serious bikers.  I would be intimidated to ride on this trail.  Riders were zooming along and constantly passing.  Most had road bikes with very narrow tires.  Kevin and I just have your average inexpensive bikes.  I think I’ll pass on this trail.

We overheard some people saying that the ski show was cancelled.  Apparently, the lake’s water level was too high, and there was a no-wake rule in effect.  This was surprising as it is such a large lake.  I told you we had a lot of rain :)

So, we called it a day and went back home.  Culver’s flavor of the day was Just Drummy.  That required a stop for a cone.

We may go back to Madison for the ski show.  They perform every Sunday through Labor Day.  We’ll see.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Suspended Canoes

I’d like to welcome new followers Happy Trails and N & J.  It’s so much fun meeting new people through this blog.

The powers that be have decided we cannot rent any canoes or kayaks until further notice.  The river is still quite high, and the current is zipping along.  This river normally has a very slow current so it’s pretty amazing to see the water moving so fast.  There is a dam across the river just outside of the park’s boundaries.  We sure wouldn’t want anyone going over the dam because the water is flowing too fast!

The waters in the campground are receding slowly.  The Point section of the campground is still closed.  There are still many flooded areas, but at least you can see where the banks of the river are again.  It was pretty quiet in the campground this weekend.  I think the weather and wet conditions kept people away.  About 20 sites were occupied.

There have been hundreds of little yellow butterflies flitting around lately.  It’s so pretty when a large group of them are flying around.  My mom says they’re the kind of butterflies that leave worms in her cabbage.  I don’t have any cabbage, so I like them!

Kevin and I played our weekly round of golf today.  It was a beautiful day with highs in the low 80s and finally, some lower dew points.  The course had been closed since the downpours last Thursday night.  Today was the first day they were open again, and only 9 holes were available for play.

The course was quite backed up and play was VERY slow.  For the third week in a row, I scored par on one hole.  The rest of the holes were not as good.  I had some good shots and some bad shots; same old story :)

For the first time this year, I kept score on every hole.  In previous weeks, I would end up with some holes that were so bad I just didn’t count.  Today I counted all strokes.  The total wasn’t very good, but I feel I am playing a little better every week.  If only I could find some consistency!

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about our yesterday’s excursion.  Stay tuned!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Come Hell or High Water

We definitely got the high water, so I think we’re save from hell for now :)

This entry will contain many pictures.  We have had a tremendous amount of rain over the last 2 days with more expected.  Per the rain gauge in the park, we’re thinking we got somewhere between 6 and 8 inches yesterday. 

A couple of weeks ago we had some heavy rains, and I posted some pictures.  That was nothing compared to today, but I will post one of those pictures again for comparison.

There is a pier right across the road from our site.  This is where we launch the rental canoes and kayaks. 

The picture on the left is from July 15.  In the far upper left corner you can see the bridge support for the road outside of the park.  Take a look at today’s picture on the right.  The water is quite a bit higher on the support.  Also, in the picture on the right, the water is covering the first part of the dock and all of the asphalt path showing on the left.

Near the park entrance there are 13 sites along the river.  We are the first camper in this picture.  Although the river water is higher than normal in this area, it is not close to the campsites.  The river is behind the trees to the left of the road.

Just to the left of the road across from our truck is a parking area with a ditch behind it.  Last night during the height of the storm, water was rushing down this ditch.  It was over the park entrance road at the top of the picture and almost up to the concrete bumpers.  I was afraid that if it came across the road, we might be floating away :)

Along the back of these 13 river sites is a low lying area.  This picture is out of our back window during the storm.  You can see how this area was becoming a lake.  If you look closely, you can see the water rushing out of the culvert on the right.

  Beyond the sites at the entrance of the park is a road that takes you up a hill to a ridge.  There are about 30 total sites up on top of this ridge.  They’re safe from any flooding.

 

Further down the road is a camping area of the park called “The Point” with about 15 tent sites.  This area is now closed.  The majority of the sites are under water.  Garbage cans are floating and picnic tables have water over the seats.

You can see the site pole in the back and a knocked down garbage can on the right next to the tree.

 

 

 

There is a bend in the river so there is a 3rd campground along the water on the other end of the park.  This area has about 15 electric sites.  So far, they have not closed this area.  There is concern that the water will get up to the electric boxes.  If that happens, this area will also be closed.

Normally, the river flows to the right of this tree line.  It is now several feet to the left of the trees.  It is only a few feet from the electric box in the center of the picture.

You can see the water is several feet above the tree line.  Some of the fire pits are full of water.

We had some scary storms go through last night.  There were a few crashes of thunder that made me jump!  The bad news is that 2 of our windows leaked again.  At least this time we were watching for it, so we were able to put down towels and keep the carpeting from getting soaked.  We will definitely have the dealer service department fix this when we take the camper in to have the awning fabric replaced.

More rain and storms are predicted for tonight.  I’ll let you know if we float away :)

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

This and That

That’s just what we’ve been doing the past few days.

We had a wonderful time last weekend with our camping club friends.  Each month 3 families volunteer to be the food committee.  They plan the main course, and everyone else brings a potluck item.  This month the committee had a Mexican themed meal.  We all brought appetizers in the afternoon and had blender drinks to go with them.  Then for dinner, they had tacos.  Everyone had signed up in advance to bring a fixing for the tacos.  They also had rice and refried beans.  Delicious!!  There were decorations and even a competition for the best dressed Mexican.  We had a blast.  It was hot so we also spent time each day in the pool.

On Monday we went golfing again.  Kevin had a very good round again.  I shot par on a par 3 hole.  The rest of the round was up and down for me.  Some very good shots and some awful ones.  We had a good time, though.

Yesterday my mom and her friend came for a visit.  We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon sitting outside although it was hot again.  Kevin cooked burgers on the grill for dinner.  This was the first time my mom has visited since we began fulltiming.  I think her mind was more at ease when she left.  She was impressed at how nicely we were living.  She also thought we looked so relaxed and stress-free and very healthy :)

Today was laundry day and then I did a little shopping.  I had been given a gift card to Kohls at my work going away party.  Since it has been so hot, I decided I needed some more sleeveless tops.  I was able to find a few; and, of course, being Kohls they were on sale :)

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!