McFadden Family Adventures

Travel Adventures with Tom & Vonda

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  • Plans Change

    You’ve probably heard the quote, often attributed to John Lennon, “Life is what happens, when you are making other plans.” So true! When we started this journey on July 1, we had plans. Tom had mapped out a travel plan that would take us to all the baseball parks we hadn’t seen yet. To be honest, I had a little trepidation that all would go as planned. We rarely have things go exactly as we want and throw in weather, 5th wheel issues, and just getting down the road, plans have to change. They changed right away in Southern California when the temps were well into the 100’s and so we cancelled our time in Joshua Tree.

    Then when we got to Kansas City and the rain caused a game cancellation, another change. Tom soon discovered he had us leaving our site in Florida a day earlier than planned because of a day game he didn’t take into account. I flat refused. I was already cutting my time there shorter than I wanted, so that was a big NO. I told him he could go without me.

    Our White Sox game got delayed because of rain but we still couldn’t make it and then he had booked us a campsite over an hour away from Chicago for the Cubs game. We made the best of things and had a great time in Detroit at Comerica Park.

    But the final straw was when I discovered our campsite in Canada was two hours away from Toronto. I will honestly say I had a mini meltdown. I think the stress of being in the truck day after day finally got me. I blame myself for a lot of this. I didn’t pay attention to the plans that were being made. I believed him when he said things would get better after our initial push through the Midwest. They didn’t get better. He was stressed, I was stressed, the cats were stressed.

    So, our plans have changed. Yesterday we spent the majority of the day reworking our plans all the way to Oklahoma. We changed some campsites, kept some campsites and have a much more workable plan with some leeway along the way. We have only one or two times where we stay for one night. Most are at least two and some are longer. We may have to make some changes, I hope not, but it’s a real possibility. Our only real set in stone stop is Disney World. That’s because our family and friends are meeting us there at a certain time.

    I’m feeling more relaxed this morning and looking forward to the adventures ahead. I hope you’ll stick with us as we see more of the USA. It’s sure to be an adventure.

  • Oh, Canada

    Yesterday morning we arrived at the Canadian border. I can’t even begin to tell you how stressed I was feeling with us dragging a 40 foot 5th wheel, three cats and and not a clue where we were supposed to go. As we were freaking out and voices were raising, a young woman came and asked Tom if he was commercial. He said no and she sent us to the correct line. Thank the good Lord for that.

    We briefly waited for our turn and then went through a 10 minute discussion with border control. He was very nice but asked many questions, which we promptly answered. He took down our license plate and our passports. Sadly, no stamp in my passport. He did come and check the backseat of the truck. I guess in case we were trying to bring anyone in. We were not. We have enough trouble with cats. I don’t think I could deal with anyone else right now. We did see a sign for London, but sadly not London England.

    We made it to our campground, Elora Gorge and it is a very nice place. We did go to the wrong entrance and missed the turn to the right entrance. More about that tomorrow. Here are a couple of pictures from our site. The one picture looked like an enclosed area from my back window, so I had to take a look. It wasn’t but it’s darker in there when looking out my tinted window.

    We are here until Sunday and then will be heading back across the border, just barely. I have reservations for a tour on Monday on the Canada side of Niagara Falls. We had thought to go on Friday but it is over 2 hours from here and I can’t say that sounds like fun. But when I checked the US side tours, I liked the Canada one better. I canceled my Friday tour and received a nice email from the guide who offered me a $10 per person discount to rebook so…of course I rebooked. Tom has always wanted to see Niagara Falls. He loves waterfalls, like really loves waterfalls. I bought him a shirt once, “Advice from a waterfall.” We should perhaps follow it.

    We’ve spent the day making changes to our itinerary but that’s a post for another day. I’m glad to be here for more than a day or two and I know the cats are as well. Penny has now chosen the console as her spot in the truck and when someone gets on it, she is none too happy. So, she just sits on them, as you can see from the picture above.

    One of the fun things about camping is seeing the different people, different places and enjoying time. Time that is moving all too fast. Sometimes you see something out of the ordinary. At one of our campgrounds there were ducks that kept going to a particular campsite and eating something. I’ve also watched a man do his morning stretches on the picnic table outside his camper and there was one lady who spent hours walking a circle around the area where she was camped. That was all at the same campground.

    Our journey continues, thanks for checking in on us.

  • Detroit Tigers

    Detroit Tigers

    It’s all about the cat and parking, well exiting. Today was Comerica Park Day and it did not disappoint. Tom started off worrying about parking but we headed out and hoped for the best. Parking was not difficult but getting out was hysterical. More about that later.

    There were fun things to see along the way. We even passed through Romulus. I know, if you’re not a Star Trek fan you have no idea of the significance of that but trust me, Star Trek fans know.

    The ballpark was outstanding and definitely a great place for families. There was a merry-go-round with tigers, a Ferris Wheel with baseballs, excellent food choices and a great view.

    I told Tom this was a team made for us. Surprisingly they were only at half capacity since the Tigers are leading their division. Not sure what that was about but it was an enjoyable evening and my favorite ballpark so far. If anyone is keeping track, it’s 1. Comerica Park 2. Chase Field 3. Petco Field. That’s Detroit, Phoenix and San Diego. Tom still likes San Diego best and Detroit second.

    Now back to our exit. We have a very large truck. It’s not easy to park. Tom does a mostly good job, mostly. We were sent to a spot with a drive through area next to it at the parking garage so it was an easy park and we were glad. You never know what’s going to happen when parking at a ballpark. But leaving, if someone had been in the truck, you’d have thought we were going to have a knock down drag out fight. I wanted Tom to follow the sign that said exit. He wanted to go up the ramp with the sign that said park. After a rather lengthy disagreement, we took the up to park way. I just want to say here, that it was parking, not exiting. After twisting around the parking lot a couple of times we ended up where we were and exited shortly after. I told Tom he was going to have leave me at the entrance from now on because he was stressing me out with his parking/driving. He told me I was going to have dig deep and figure out a way to chill out. I need a Zen moment while parking and exiting I guess. Maybe I need to close my eyes and pray for the best. Until he asks me where to go and then doesn’t listen to me. Speaking of prayer. There are several churches right outside the ballpark and one is Central United Methodist Church. From my seat it looked like the church had a bar. My first thought was, well that would bring people in but then realized that it was a restaurant that butted up against the church. So, I guess no one’s getting drinks while worshipping.

    It was a mostly enjoyable day minus the exiting of the parking garage. I hope you’ve had an enjoyable day as well and didn’t have any trouble parking or exiting.

  • Michigan

    We have arrived in Michigan after spending several quiet days in Indiana. We are at a KOA near Ann Arbor that sits on a lovely lake. It’s a nice campground and the weather continues to be pleasant. We are enjoying being able to keep our windows open and not use the air conditioning.

    I’ve been catching up on some reading and finished a book a couple of days ago called, Your Perfect Year by Charlotte Lucas. I won’t to tell you about in case you want to read it but it was an enjoyable read. In the book she has many quotes and one struck me more than the others.

    “You can’t give your life more days, but you can give your days more life.” Anonymous proverb

    That’s what we’re doing out here on the road, taking risks, being brave and bringing life to our days. We could have stayed in Washington, kept working, kept doing the same thing. But life is short my friends. We need to live it and live it well. I don’t want to look back in 10 years and think what if. I’m choosing to think what if I don’t….right now.

    It’s sure to be an interesting few days, as most of our days our. Samantha escaped from the truck again today and interestingly she tried to find a way into the 5th wheel. We had just unhooked and nothing was open yet. Tom picked her up within a short time. The cats do no like the truck and I can’t say that I blame them. Our American highways are not in good shape and the roads are often rough. But they have adjusted to our new living arrangements after spending all of their lives in the parsonage.

    It was a good day and I’m happy our journey continues. I hope your journey today was a good one too.

  • Indiana

    Indiana

    Yesterday we entered Indiana in a rain storm. It was sprinkling when we left Jellystone Park and it only got worse from there. Traffic was terrible as well. It was a stressful drive.

    Oak Lake RV Resort is a nice quiet (mostly) resort off the highway in amongst the trees. We are here for four nights.

    Tom asked me where I wanted to go today and I chose Indiana Dunes National Park. It disappointed. It is unlike any National Park I’ve ever been too. There are homes all through the park, a steel mill, VERY little parking and map directions are not very good. One good thing was we were able to have a good view of Lake Michigan. It was like looking at the ocean.

    Another good thing happened. We traveled through Gary, Indiana. You might remember that name from the Music Man (unless you are Tom).

    Gary, Indiana
    Gary, Indiana
    Gary, Indiana
    Let me say it once again
    Gary, Indiana
    Gary, Indiana
    Gary, Indiana
    That’s the town that knew me when

    If you’d like to have a logical explanation
    How I happened on this elegant syncopation
    I will say without a moment of hesitation
    There is just one place that can light my face

    Gary, Indiana
    Gary, Indiana
    Not Louisiana, Paris, France, New York or Rome
    But Gary, Indiana
    Gary, Indiana
    Gary, Indiana
    My home sweet home (music & lyrics by Meredith Wilson)

    Sadly, my musician husband does not like musicals and so I had to tell him about the song.

    Tomorrow we will head to Wriggly Field. I’m not really looking forward to this game. I dislike the Cubs like others dislike the Yankees. I hesitate to say hate because that’s not fair but they will never be the team I hope wins, anything.

    We’re enjoying cool temperatures and not having to use the air conditioner. The refrigerator makes me want to scream and throw it out the door. The gas quit working as I mentioned in another post so we removed everything from the fridge while traveling. I had tried the gas before turning it off and so upon turning it on, the gas kicked in. I don’t know! It’s got a mind of its own.

    Well that’s our journey for today. Hoping your day was a good one.

  • Racine, WI

    This morning we headed out to see Lake Michigan. Tom had mapped a path that just so happened to coincide with Racine. You might remember the name if you have ever watched “A League of Their Own.” They were the team battling the Rockford Peaches in that movie. We passed through Rockford, IL but were unable to stop. I didn’t mention us visiting the Peaches and Tom said I was about 80 years too late. We weren’t able to get close to the Lake, well close enough I guess. But we did see some interesting things. Chief among them was a Historical Marker about the Underground Railroad.

    After the walk along the harbor, we decided to stop in and see the Racine Historical Museum. It was free and we left a donation. I had thought there would be more about the Belles but there was only one small section.

    We found it interesting there was also some information about a Drum and Bugle Corp along with the Kilties. Also information about Malted Milk

    We decided to purchase a new ice chest that we will use going down the road. Our refrigerator has stopped working on gas and so we only have use of it on shore power. We will put our items from the fridge in the new Artic Ice Chest while traveling. The other solution would be to put the 5th wheel in the shop and get the fridge replaced. I’m not prepared to do that yet, since our freezer still works great and the fridge works well when we’re plugged in.

    Tonight was our Milwaukee Brewers game. Can I just say I was hoping they would both lose? But if I had to choose one to win between the two I would choose the Brewers. I am a diehard Cardinals fan and rooting for the Cubs would be unheard of. Even when we go to see the Cubs on Friday I will not be rooting for them. Sadly, we will miss the White Sox game because of a snafu with our travels.

    We’ll be in Indiana tomorrow for four lovely nights. The weather looks great for two of those nights. Rain is in the forecast tomorrow and Thursday. I’m still fascinated by all the rain since it’s been almost 20 years since I’ve seen rain in the summer.

    Today I found the tea I use and I got Starbucks. Plus we had no issues, so I’m calling that a good day. Our journey is over for today. I hope you’re journey was a good one.

  • Jellystone Park

    We woke up around 2:30 a.m. this morning with the trailer rocking. The wind was so fierce it turned over our rain/wind gauge so I don’t know how high the gusts were but it was concerning. The rain started soon after and poured for some time. It finally stopped and I had about gotten back to sleep when it started again. I was frightened. Tom was worried about tornadoes and I was worried about the trailer tipping over. Did we do anything? Of course not. We lay there in bed worrying. Thankfully no tornadoes or trailer tipping over happened. We awoke to cooler temperatures and less humidity.

    We left behind the scary weather in Iowa and headed east through Illinois and north into Wisconsin. We are at Jellystone Park in Caledonia. It’s a huge park and great for kids. There are water parks and bouncy mats. Yogi Bear and Boo Boo make visits and there was a tour with Boo Boo leading the way in a golf cart. We are here for two nights before heading to Indiana.

    I’ve about decided we eat too much corn. There continues to be corn fields on both sides of the road through Iowa, Illinois, and even into Wisconsin. If all that corn is sweating no wonder the heat index is so bad. Don’t get me wrong, I love corn on the cob but after finding out about the corn sweat, I’m not so sure it’s worth it.

    We had presidents today. There was of course Illinois, the land of Lincoln. Then we had Herbert Hoover’s hometown. Tom asked me what was Hoover known for. I laughed and said he was president. He said no. I said again, he was president. Then he said, “oh the Hoover Dam.” Not long after we saw a sign for Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home. Lot’s of presidents came from Illinois it seems.

    We’ll do a little sightseeing tomorrow before the game, I think. We are having refrigerator problems again though. We’re going to have figure that out as well. It’s always something. It was a long day of driving. Karen (RV Life Ap) said on the computer it was 5 hours and 47 minutes. Karen, on the tablet said it was 6 hours 58 minutes. I am also done with Karen.

    I’m sleeping in tomorrow if it kills me. Our journey is done today, thank the Lord. I hope your journey was better than mine.

  • Kellogg RV Park

    We changed our plans and are staying in Iowa for two days. We are between a giant soybean field and a massive solar panel field. It’s a nice park and there are lots of cute sculptures and a couple of chicken pens.

    This will give us a chance to regroup and rest. We arrived early, just after check-in at 1:00 p.m. and we have no plans, except maybe go see the new movie Fantastic Four tomorrow. Or we’ll just rest in our home and stay out of the oppressive heat. That’s the joy of taking some time to rest. We don’t have to go anywhere if we don’t want to. We’ve been in the truck for too many hours and it was wearing on us.

    We did have some road construction today. Tom and I had a disagreement about the zipper merge. He hates it and I think it works well. He says it allows people to go all the way to where the road is closed and then cause problems. Which by the way what you are supposed to do using the zipper merge. I said if you do it right, it works well. I do agree though that people don’t do it right. But his repeated NO was enough to make me give up on that conversation. We passed Madison County and I would have loved to have taken a side trip through the covered bridges but I don’t think our 5th wheel would have been welcome. Another time, I guess.

    On another note, I had forgotten how much I hate humidity. Living in Washington State for the past 18 or so years has made me soft, I think. The temperature is in the 80’s but the humidity is so high it’s like taking a shower outside. We had more rain today. There was a downpour at our site in Kansas and some along the way as well. We’re near a highway and I kept hearing what sounded like thunder but it was just the traffic.

    I have ringing in my ears, (which I have feared getting since I was little). While I don’t much care for it, the good news is it sounds like cicada’s and crickets. So, I always fell like I’m at home in Oklahoma when it is at it’s worst. Last night I asked Tom if he could hear the bugs outside or was it the ringing in my ears. He said he could hear the ringing in his ears but then we decided there actually wear loud bugs near our campsite. It’s no fun getting old, my friends.

    The sun is setting, (it sets a lot earlier here than it does in Washington) and we are comfy in our home for the next two days. It was a good journey today and I’m hoping your journey was a good one as well.

  • Four States in One Day

    Yesterday was an interesting day to be sure. While still in Nebraska, we had a man stop next to us at a stoplight. He had me roll down the window and informed us our trailer brakes were growling. His words, not mine. But we were well on our way to Kansas City so we carried on.

    We traveled through four states yesterday, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas.

    We clipped just a little of the corner of Iowa. It was unexpected. But I can add the states to our map. Tom won’t let me add them unless we’ve been there in our 5th wheel. Hence the reason Nevada stands bare for the moment. I’ve been to all four of these states and lived in three. But that’s okay. I’m on my way to all 50 states. We’ll soon be visiting states I haven’t been in.

    So, after arriving at Walnut Grove RV Park (I know, Little House) Tom began calling RV shops and mobile repair places. Only one place would even take a look at the brakes, Central Body. This morning we packed up and drove about 20 minutes to have them take a look. The wonderful thing is they checked the brakes and the pads were still good, but the wheel bearings on one were dry, so they repacked the wheel bearings, didn’t charge us and sent us on our way. It was amazing! We highly recommend them and Jordan was a huge help. Tom also fixed the light on the truck, and I’m hoping that’s all the trouble we have for a little while. We’re keeping an eye on one of our bedroom slides because the wire is frayed. We’ve had some trouble with that slide before.

    After returning to our campground, we set back up and then headed out to meet our brother-in-law and drop off the Vespa. It has become a nuisance and since we were close enough to Oklahoma for him to meet us half way, he was able to pick it up in Chanute, KS. We dropped off a few other things as well and are a little lighter now.

    One the way back we ran into severe lightening and torrential downpours. It was hard to see and I thought Tom was stopping on the highway but he was just slowing down. My freaking out did no one any good, trust me. This was our view out the front window.

    The Royals game was postponed due to inclement weather and will be played tomorrow. We are heading east so will miss the game. That’s one stadium we won’t be seeing this trip. Tom says we may have to do this again. I think not.

    It’s still raining but I haven’t heard any thunder or lightening, so that is good. It is strange for us to have rain in the summer. Living in Washington all these years, we aren’t used to rain after July 4. I told Tom at the restaurant this evening that we do have an umbrella. He asked why I didn’t bring it and I said so many years of not using one in the PNW. But I’ll keep it at the ready. The rain is much harsher in the Midwest.

    What started as a couple of days of worry have turned out for the good and we are blessed to be moving onward. We changed some plans and will be in Iowa for the next two days before heading on to Jellystone Park in Wisconsin.

    Thankful for good people in the world and a dry place to sleep tonight. Thankful to be on this journey with Tom and three cats, even though they (the cats, not Tom) are driving me crazy on travel days. Here’s a picture of Samantha to close out this post. Hope you’ve had a wonderful journey today.

  • Thunderstorms & Tornadoes

    Thunderstorms & Tornadoes

    This morning we left Colorado, heading for Nebraska. It was a much easier drive with flat roads. The scenery wasn’t much to speak of with miles and miles of corn.

    Speaking of corn, while we were watching the weather there was a story about how corn is making the heat worse because it sweats. An acre of corn can release 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water a day which increases the humidity. There are many Midwest states under a heat dome right now.

    We arrived in Broken Bow, NE around 3:30 after losing an hour with the time change. We had barely gotten inside when the rain began. The local weather channel reported there was a tornado producing storm 9 miles east of Broken Bow heading south. We were thankful for that.

    I have been in tornadoes when I was young and they are scary. While I was inside listening to the rain I heard a train. I panicked. Tornadoes often sound like trains. Tom was coming inside and I asked him if it was really a train. He assured me it was. There is a train track close to our campground. I am still on guard. The rain has brought the temperature down and I turned off the air conditioners for the first time since leaving San Diego.

    But it was not all good today. Last night I smelled something funny, almost like WD-40. Tom thought he had gotten some ant spray on his clothes. We took off this morning and I still smelled it. We stopped for a break at a rest area and I saw something leaking but Tom said it was just the water from the air conditioner.

    When we arrived at the campground, Tom left to get fuel and discovered there was a hole in the fuel filter and diesel was pumping out all over the engine. I’m not sure how we avoided a catastrophe but thankfully the local auto parts had a replacement and Tom was able to fix the problem. We should be good to go tomorrow.

    One last thought, every morning Karen (our RV Life APP) always says “let’s go” after we turn it on. Her voice is lively and starts our day. I will admit this morning I was not ready to “go” at all. These long or stressful days of travel and only stopping one night are hard on all of us, cats included. I’m looking forward to Kansas City. We’ll be there two nights. It will give us a chance to rest a little.

    Our journey was long today and filled with a little excitement but overall it was a good day. We are safely at our campground and the storms are moving away. May your journey be a good one as well.