Mission Nearly Impossible - Drive from Kansas City to Amarillo in One Day

Today - Day 2 - was a day of total concentration on driving - and shifting the Subaru. Total driving distance was 594 miles. We made it in 11 hours. The important thing is that we made it, and we didn't have to click our heels. Carol did most of the driving today, while Pat napped.

And we took a photo with Dorothy and her little dog Toto at a travel plaza on the Kansas Turnpike. Thanks to Sherry Munyon for the Lucy and Ethel photo!



We didn't even stop to eat. We had breakfast at our hotel in the morning, and a yoghurt and fruit parfait at the Turnpike travel plaza, but mostly ate snacks that Carol had brought and left-overs from yesterday. We had to stop at a gas station in Enid, Kansas to add oil to the car when the oil light came on.

We're On Our Way; We Won't Look Back; and If We Stay, We Won''t Come Back

We're going and we're gonna have a happy time. Anyone else remember the Muppet Movie?

This morning Carol and I loaded up the Subaru, hooked up the camper, and hit the open road. Carol's husband Tom took about 84 photos of us before we left. We drove from Saint Paul to Lexena, Kanasas - 441 miles. We ran into blowing and drifting snow in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. But the road cleared up by Des Moines and we had clear and slightly warmer weather the rest of the trip. We stopped in Albert Lea to see Violet Kalis. Pat used to work for Violet's husband Henry Kalis. We had a great time and Violet was a charming hostess, as always.

We stopped only to gas up and restock with water between Albert Lea and Bethany, Missouri. We stopped at the Toot Toot restaurant in Bethany for hot sandwiches - pork tenderloin for Pat and cod fish sandwich for Carol and fried cauliflower.

Packed Up and Ready to Go

Last night (Tuesday), some very good friends had a Great National Retirement Tour launch party. We ate some fantastic food, and had some really fun conversation. And of course, in keeping with my new theme, I wore a black hat and drank wine with my friends.
Today (Wednesday) I drove out to Kerkhoven to pick up my camper from the storage unit. I also had to pack some more stuff in it. Boy, was that tent material on the top frozen and brittle. I sure hope I didn't crack any of it putting the top up. Got some coats, shoes (including rain boots), a lantern, binoculars, dress jacket, camera tripod, and an extra towel stuffed in the cabinets. Another 12 pounds in the camper. Didn't seem to hurt it at all - may have made it less jumpy. Made it back to Saint Paul with only minor problems - a major accident on I-94 near Penn Avenue that had traffic backed up and going less than 10 miles an hour all the way back to Ridgedale.

Tomorrow (Thursday) last minute details - like packing my suitcase, and then we are off on Friday morning. Look out South - here we Minnesota girls come!

First Week of Retirement

I have now been retired for a full week. So far, it has involved a lot of manual labor. Kelly and I moved two beds and a dresser out of the basement and into the storage unit in New London. Then I bought some concrete blocks and stuck them under the mattresses in case the garage leaks in the Spring. Not sure this is a better deal. But then I was able to spend two days in rural New London with my sister, cousin and aunt. That was fun! I kept slipping under the table though during the photo shoot.

I have made reservations for the trip all the way up to the Great Smoky Mountains the end of March. I spent some time perusing the national park website yesterday, but the park is too big and there are too many camping site choices. I need some advice. Have any of you ever camped in the Smoky Mountains National Park? Does the Appalachian Trail go thru the park? Which campground is closest to the trail?

The camper is ready. I have brought all the boxes I want to the storage unit in New London. The old room-mate has moved out. The new room-mate has keys and can move in whenever she wants. Hopefully it will be soon. Am in the process of writing out mailing labels for post cards. Let me know if you want to receive post cards (also let me know your address). Now I just need to pack up. That will be hard. I am going to try to take just one carry-on bag for the whole 4 month trip. Let's see if I can manage that. The hard part is the coat I will need to get out of Minnesota is probably going to be excess baggage for the rest of the trip. I am thinking layers.

Friday is launch day. My friends are having a launch party dinner for me before I leave. I am both very excited and a little scared about the unknown that lies before me.

Four More Days of Work Left

I have not been sad until today. I only have four more days of work left - for my entire lifetime! It seems strange, but it is also creeping up on me fast. And I have a lot of stuff to clear out of my office yet. But, the file drawers are empty. Six of eight desk drakers are empty. Three of four book shelves are empty. I mostly have the stuff that is sitting out on surfaces, or on the floor, left to pack up and move out. But this weekend, I was in here creating one last Ward 2 Year-End Report. It's going to be my best one ever!

Getting ready for retirement, I did make a trip out to actually see my farm this fall. Here I am outstanding in my field with my friend Kelly and my renter Bruce.

New Hiking Boots

Bought some new hiking boots for my Great National Retirement Tour. With excellent ankle support. I am ready to hit the hiking trail. Have been wearing them to work to break them in before January.

Also, made some more reservations: One at Joshua Tree National Park in California; one at Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad, New Mexico and one very close to Charleston, South Carolina. So far not running into any campgrounds that are full up for the snowbird season. Hope my luck holds.

Joshua Tree National Park and Carlsbad Caverns are on my bucket list, so those items will be crossed off after those stops.

So far will be more than doubling the number of nights I have spent camping in my little trusty pop-up camper. Thus cutting my per-night cost of ownership in half. Of course, that is before I have to pay for all the mechanic work on the camper, especially the part that I damaged trying to get it into my garage last winter.

More Reservations

Made another campground reservation in New Mexico today. It was not hard. They had a lot of open spaces. I was afraid I would start running into snowbirds taking up all available campground spaces pretty soon. Glad I'm not. Also made a reservation for the Grand Old Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Very excited!