bobanddenisewanderlust

Saturday-  We had a quiet day. We went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to purchase some items for the new rig. We purchased collapsible measuring cups and an 8 cup “batter” bowl. We stopped at Café Zupas for lunch and came home to eat.

Bob worked on the shelves for the hamper area, and put them in. It was in the 90’s outside, for a change.

We stopped at the library to return books, then for gas at Sam’s Club. We returned home and finished this puzzle. We also read our books.

We grilled a pork loin for dinner and watched Jim Gaffigan on Netflix.

Sunday- We went to check our accounts, to do our usual Sunday tasks, and I found that the money wire to Lichtsinn did not go through. Well, that is an issue. It turns out it was the credit union’s fault. So we called the credit union. The gal tried everything. We left a message for Brandon at Lichtsinn.

We did laundry and prepared to leave tomorrow for the Minneapolis airport. At 3, we took the dogs to the sitter, Tammy. We stopped for ice cream at Mighty Moos and returned home. We ate dinner and watched Netflix. We went to bed at 8:30.

Monday-  We were up at 2:30 to get ready. Mombo picked us up at 3:30. He called at 3 to make sure that we were up, He is a hoot! He arrived with a tuxedo t-shirt on and a chauffer hat.  He put our luggage in the trunk, assisted me with getting into the car, and talked the entire way to the airport. He is a lot of fun.

We had to wait for the staff to arrive a 5. We checked in on the kiosks, tagged our bags (3), and handed them to the gal behind the counter with our ID’s.

We stopped at Starbucks for breakfast. We had to wait, in line, until 5:45 for them to open. We had their version of an egg McMuffin. We went to sit in the waiting area. We had on our masks and face shields.

Southwest has empty middle seats, which was really nice. This leg of the trip was almost full. The flight stopped in Denver and all but 5 of us got off. The staff cleaned the plane. We were impressed with their job!

The plane reloaded, this time with about 1/2 of the available seats filled. As soon as we landed, we turned on our phones. Mine immediately dinged with a message. Our niece, Brandi, said that Bob’s younger brother Joe was in the ICU at KS University Hospital. He had gone to the hospital in Atchison KS, where he lives, and Brandi, who is a Nurse Practioner, had him transferred.  He has Covid-19.

We arrived in Minneapolis, found our bags, called the Lichtsinn driver, and left for our 2 hour drive to Forest City IA. All of us had our masks on in the car. The driver, Ron, said he would stop at McD’s, if we wanted lunch, but we had brought PB&J’s with us. So we ate those.

Ron was very nice. He told us a lot about Lichtsinn and the area. We arrived, and Ron the owner met us at the door. Impressive! Gary, the seller was there to meet us and sign paperwork. As we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted the rig and showed it to Bob.

We all walked out to the rig and we got to see it. We went back in, and Brandon took us in to sign paperwork. First,  we called the Credit Union. It took Brandon awhile to get through to the right department. All the work had to be done at the local branch. The gal at the main office ( working from home in Florida), assisted us. The branch manager, in Glendale AZ re-sent the wire from our checking account. 

Meanwhile, we were given the car to use ( a GM Enclave) for the time we were there. They were not sure that the wire would actually come through. We were allowed to stay in the rig, as they had confirmed that the money was in the account, but we could not drive it. We had the keys.

Bob purchased a new 50 to 30 amp plug and a new water hose.

We drove to Mason City, about 1/2 hour away. Our first stop was at the local GNC, as it was the Amazon Prime Lock Box location. We picked up our new coffee pot.

Then we went to Walmart for the rest of the items, that we needed for the trip home. We stopped at the Burger King for dinner. Our options were limited!

We drove back to Lichtsinn. We ate dinner, and we had permission to move the rig, to the water spigot, in the back of the building. So we drove back there and filled the rig with water. Then we returned to the front. Ron had suggested that we move to a different location, which was flatter. So we parked there. We settled in for the night and slept our first night in the new rig. Okay, the bed was not comfortable! It was a little hard for us….

Brandi and I have been going back and forth a lot,talking about Joe. At this point, he was stable, on 7 L of O2. That is a lot.

Tuesday-  We had 30 amp electric, so we cooked our breakfasts and made coffee in the newly cleaned pot. We decided to go back to Mason City, to the Target for the rest of the items on our list. We drove around town, just to take a look, and started towards Mason City.

Bob checked his phone and said, turn around. The wire did not go through. So we turned around and went in search of Brandon. We stood talking to the receptionist, for a few minutes. Brandon showed up and told us that the wire had come through. He thought that that was an email, that was sent about the first wire. Ron said good bye and so did Brandon. We went to the rig, packed up, turned in the car, and left. It was around 10 AM.

We drove south on I-35, stopping for diesel in Mason City. We spent the night at the Walmart in Nebraska City, NE. It was very quiet, with 6 other rigs and 3, 18- wheelers there.

We went into the Walmart and purchased a 3” mattress topper. What a difference that made. We both slept really well.

Joe was not doing well, as he was really tired, with the coughing. He was on 9 L of O2. He was on the Remdesivir, a trial drug, steroids, and Rocephin. Because we could not see him, we decided not to stop in KS city.

Wednesday- We continued our drive back to AZ. The rig is small, with smaller tanks. Luckily, it is small enough to go to gas stations for diesel and propane. We stopped at Costco for diesel in Wichita, and at a local propane dealer, for a refill. At Costco, a guy came over and asked Bob about the rig. He and his wife are thinking about purchasing one, and wanted to know how we liked it.

As we had been driving down I-135, both of us saw a sign for Braum;s Ice Cream. We both yelled Braums and at the same time. So we stopped at a Braums for ice cream. Oh, was it good!

We spent this night in Pratt KS at the Walmart. This was another nice night, with 8 rigs and 5, 18-Wheelers.

Thursday- We continued on our way. Joe had improved. His O2 was good and the coughing was better. He even got to take a shower today, and was more himself.

We spent the night at Blazing Saddles RV Park, under PA $13, FHU 30 amp, in Tucumcari NM. We only need 30 amp now, so that is great. We relaxed, dumped the tanks, and refilled with water.

We have been driving about 300 miles a day.

Friday-  We continued our travels, now on I-40 west. We spent the night at the Walmart in Gallop NM. We will not stay at this one again. The place was crazy busy. We were close to Cracker Barrell, so we ordered online and Bob walked over and picked it up. Once the Walmart closed, the place was pretty quiet. There were other RV’s and 18-wheelers there.

Here is sunrise.

Joe is out of ICU, but still being watched.

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