While we were in West Virginia, Jack Greenwood, my brother-in-law from Ohio came to see us!  It was wonderful.  Hadn't seen him for nearly 30 years!  He is still a kidder and fun to be with!

 I don't know if it is just our age or what, but nearly all of the people we see and talk to are Romney voters, I don't think they all started out that way, but the political clime of the last year or so have swayed them that way.  We shall see come November!

We got to DC, found our RV Park in College Park, MD and holy moly the traffic!  Hard to believe there are this many people with places to go in such a small area!  (Is my Wyoming side showing???)  There are more people on the beltway than there are in the whole state of Wyoming!  Barry is an incredible driver with the rig!  He just calls the silly ones names and keeps on keeping on!  I admire him alot, I would probably just pull over and bawl!!! 

So we found the Metro station, and as luck would have it, the Metro bus picks us up in the camp ground.  The bus takes us to the Metro (subway) station and we only have one train change between where we are in MD and where the reunion is in DC.  When we get to the stop for the Hotel, there is a tunnel to walk down that takes us directly into the hotel!  What a break!  Takes about an hour from our RV door to the hotel.  AND no traffic to endure!  The DC Metro system is very very nice, clean, and fast!  Mass transit is a good thing!  So we start 4 days of everything MARINE CORPS!  Two buses full of marines and their spouses going to all the wonderful locations!  Quantico, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the Vietnam wall, All the "old" Marines getting together is priceless.  Funny that as we age those old attachments mean more and more. 

So we finished up the reunion and spent time with Reid, Barry's son that lives in VA.  Very fun seeing him and his boys!  His mother Linda was very gracious and had us to her home several times. Reid is so much like Barry it is amazing.  Strong genes I think.  Reid's boys can't quite understand the connection between Barry and Reid, one of them just calls him Uncle Barry!  It is a relationship that may not be understood until they are older! 

So we left College Park and drove to Hampton yesterday (Sept 4th).  Hung around there until after the holiday weekend hoping the traffic would subside, and it did.  Yesterday traffic wasn't bad at all.  We are currently parked at Fort Monroe, in Hampton, VA.  President Obama named it a National Monument recently.  The fort's construction started in 1819  by employing the labor of slaves, who were gradually replaced by military convicts.  The fort covers 63 acres and was completed in 1834.  It is complete with a light house and a mote!!!  Robert E. Lee's quarters are here as well as the cell where Jefferson Davis was detained.  Lots to see and do here! 

2012 Big Adventure

Well, it has been a very very long time since I put anything on this blog, so we will see if I can keep up while on this trip.  We left Sundance today, August 10, 2012, commencing our long Eastern, Southern, adventure! As always Rally week in Sundance was very busy but fun.  Always a treat to see old friends that we don't see very often.  Makin' tamales with Marta was a kick and working with Jinx and Steve is always fun!   We traveled to Hazen, ND and found a great little RV park, (with Passport America it was a ten spot for a night!)  Sweet, leaves more room for beer in the budget!  Seems awfully quiet here with no bikes!  Saw a few on the road but not many. 

I was very surprised that we were able to find a site in Hazen, due to it being so close to the Bakken Field where all the oil activity is.  The camp manager said there are a few folks living there that drive 2 hours to work every day.  No place to live any closer I guess. 

Pretty uneventful trip today!  Hate to say it, but the scenery between Belle Fourche and Hazen is about as blahh as it can get, although we did see some grain being combined and some that was already done.  Seemed pretty early to me, but I haven't been in this neck of the woods for some time. Uneventful travel is really a good thing though for us! Drove to Minot to see John and Val's new house and spend some time with them.  Won't be able to be at Jessica's wedding over Labor Day so was good to see the Aftem clan now! 
Sunday August 12, 2012, finds us leaving Minot, ND.  Got to Minot yesterday, mid day and spent the rest of the day and evening with the Aftem family.  Old friends are sure priceless.  'Spent Saturday night in the Rough Rider RV Park.  Nice place, and all cleaned up from the flood.  Didn't have a problem getting a site when we called, but it was full Saturday night. 

Hard to believe the devastation to this town from the flood.  Many many people have picked themselves up again and either built new or redone their old places.  Parts of town are still pretty messy but for the most part, many many hard working hands have put things back to the way they were, or better.
Minot is growing at an unbelievable pace.  The Bakken Field has had a huge impact on this town.  Hardly anywhere to rent and what is available is ungodly expensive.  Those folks that had rental properties that weren't damaged in the flood are sitting pretty now.

Went from Minot to Sioux Fall, SD on Sunday.  Pretty rainy day, which it looks like will be much appreciated.  Paid 3.99 for fuel.  I know that NE, and neighboring states are in a draught, but the fields look great to me!  Goes to show you what I know about farming huh? 

Monday, August 13, drove to Oakland, NE to visit Dan and Linda Rasmusson.  Barry and Dan met in trade school then worked together in 1970-1971,  Hadn't seen each other since.  More old friends to appreciate!  Linda cooked us a wonderful roast beef lunch, and after a few hours of catching up, we continued down the road.  Spent Monday night in Victorian Acres RV Park in Nebraska City.  Nice park.  Today's temperatures were mild and pleasant, although it was a little humid for us when we landed here in Nebraska City.  Of course we are just wimps when it comes to humidity!

Called and made our reservation at an RV park in Maryland for the reunion.  Tailer is in luck, they have a dog walking service at the park!  Lucky for me I guess I should say, as without that I would probably have stayed home on those long days of activities. 

Here it is August 14, and we are settled in for a couple days in Columbia, MO. At a park called Cottonwood RV Park.  Not a cottonwood on the property! I gotta say, that is one popular name for RV Parks.   Had a flat on the truck today...(of course it was an inside dual!).  Tomorrow will get a new tire.  Called our trusty Emergency Road Service and they put the spare on.  Did I mention Good Sam's Emergency Road Service is the best ever???  Well, they are!  Not too hot and humid here so we are happy.  Will get some photos added to this soon, as it is pretty damn boring reading! 

We got to Lexington, KY to visit with friends Tom and Mechealle, and they took us out to eat at Butt Rubb'in BBQ. Really had to giggle at the name  Now when you are in KY, you have to eat BBQ.  Pictured are Barry, Mechealle and Tom before we gorged ourselves on damn fine BBQ!  Was fun seeing all the old tobacco barns and the tobacco fields as well.  Tom used to work in the tobacco fields so had lots of stories to tell!  KY looks just like the photos of it too.  Long white fences with horses behind! 

Tonight, August 19th, we are in Huntington, WV.  We are staying in an RV park that is on an air park, and all afternoon there has been a little plane taking people up and then they jump out, so there are people falling out of the sky with very pretty parachutes!  Ya just never know what you will find if you just look around a little!  Weather is pretty nice today so once again we are lucky!