Austin MN-Hal&Jane Anniversary

We RV in the  summers for 4-5 months each time to different States/Provinces  so every trip is to places we have never been ,during winters I plan our summer RV trip and post my planned route on the RV open forum hoping people that were traveling in this area will comment and suggest places to see/hike that I missed.

6 years ago I was planning to visit Minnesota and asked on the forum about canoeing,among the responses was  one that said “come and canoe from my back yard”,so to make the long story short we meet this outstanding great couple that made us feel like t home and we spent a gorgeous week together,since then we stayed in contact through the e-mails updating each other and hoping to meet again.

      

A week ago we got an e-mail from Hal inviting us for their Anniversary at their house ,we immediately changed our plans and made it to their place on time to celebrate their 17th Anniversary with some of their friends.

They ordered Lobsters from Maine and a chief to make the most from this special event and we were very thankful to be included in their close friends circle.

Here are some pictures from this evening.

We wish Hal & Jan many more happy years together.

Wabasha MN

After a breakfast in the well known local establishment  we took the scenic byway Hwy 35   following the Mississippi river with rolling road and nice scenery , it took us around two hours from Amery to reach this small beautiful town  and settle down in C.G just 3 minutes from down town.

The town did not change a bit since we visited the place 7 years ago and we found getting around easy and familiar.

Along the river there are nice houses with boat docks across the street and the stroll along this way brought back good memories.

           

Close to the river is A must see National Eagle Center ,3 times a day a ranger lectures and shows the incredible birds ,it was very interesting to see the Eagles from close by even if they were in captivity.

           

When we visited Wabasha years ago we were surprised to see  Kimono shop on the main street,we went in and had a long conversation with Richard the owner,at the end of the visit he gave Shula a kimono as a present (we could not believe our eyes,and he did not take NO for an answer),I decided to give it a shot and called him,he was happy to hear from us and surly remembered our visit years ago.

We meet for lunch and had  a great time, we were very happy to meet Richard again and get to know Janith.

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Anyone visiting this area should visit their place to see the incredible Kimonos and hear the story behind this unusual garment   http://windwhisperwest.com/Home.html -Thank you Richard & Janith.

Duluth MN

 

The evening before visiting the city we heard a saver weather warning in our region,so before hitting the sack we lowered the TV antenna and disconnected all electrical appliance s it was recommended on the weather news,we did not go far as closing the slides but we were ready for the worse-it got stormy around 1130PM but nothing really bad ,no tennis ball size hale just wind and heavy rain that the trailer handed successfully.

The next morning was a whole different story,it was summer again… so we drove down to the Ford Duluth to service the truck as planed and booked a day before,on the way to Ford all kind of thoughts run through my mind regarding the service and not all were good-but what a pleasant surprise waited for us,we were excepted immediately with no hassle ,we were given keys to a Ford company car and were told to come back at 4PM.

They were efficient,professional and every that was promised was done ,we also ordered 4 new tires(Michelin LMX M2)  which they had to bring overnight,when we arrived for the  service we were told that we will pay  for 3 and get one free (saved 250$)-not bad..

Having the small car we easily toured this beautiful city from the Sky line drive till downtown and the port are watching a big ship entering the port .to do so a huge bridge is lifted up all in one piece and lowered back after the ship passed into the port-as the kids say “COOL”

         

Killing time we headed to the famous “Grandmother’s” restaurant and had a great meal ,4 beer samples and a huge bloody marry  (there was enough time before I get behind the wheel)

                                       

The truck was ready as promised and I am happy to say that  it worked as planed .

Tomorrow –hiking in Amicon S.P WI to waterfalls…

2006 5TH RV trip-Montana-WY-S.D-Minnesota

This year we started with our brand new Trailer, that was already loaded with our personal things since last year and was waiting for us in the dealers yard together with the truck.
Things went well till we reached the Alberta - Montana Boarder,there the US customs pulled out from the trailer food they said that was not allowed to enter the US,but we overcame this although we thought is was not handled properly.
The main attraction this trip was BRANDING in Sheridan Wyoming, it all started a year before when we meet with Eddie and Dee during a beer fest in New Mexico, they invited us to participate in Branding their cattle the following year, well it took us 2 seconds to except their offer and showed up in time for the event.
It was like in the good old days the traditional way (as we saw in the movies), build the coral,gather the herd,brand,vaccine,castrate the caves and then have food&grab laughs and more beer-it was fun- ,my back remembered it for a while..

South Dakota was special to visit ,Mount Rushmore and Bad Lands gave the place fine flavour.
In one c.g we had a Snake coming up our sewer pipe chased away by a BIRD..it was an interesting scene all together.
In Minnesota we meet face to face with "Internet" friends Hal and Jan that live on a beautiful river in South Minnesota and had a fantastic week together.
The way to Thunder Bay from Duluth in the Autumn with all the colors changing was an outstanding event, its like driving in a dreamland.
In Thunder Bay we meet with Peter and Cheryl a couple we meet in 2002 on the way to Alaska , it was nice meeting them again and sharing some time together.
After storing the rig in Thunder Bay we took off for the winter...