Day 143: Saturday, August 24 We were sad to leave our friend, Arlene, having had such a great time

ime visiting with her

in Owatonna, WI. She was a gracious hostess, along with her companion, Sophie the wonder dog (see photo at right).
Driving away we wished Arlene stilled lived in Ocala. Our trip eastward toward La Crosse, Wisconsin was uneventful.
Boredom of interstate driving was broken by the chatter of Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, the syndicated auto
repair experts spouting repair ideas over NPR: National Public Radio. This is one of Chris favorite Saturday morning
traditions. After their broadcast ended, Sally read more of our latest Anna Pigeon murder mystery novel. Were getting
closer to the end, so the plot thickens!
Arriving in La Crosse, we set up our trailer in Pettibones RV
Resort, which sits at waters edge on the broad Mississippi River.
Within five minutes we were back onto the highway and scooting
to a rivers edge park near downtown. We hoped to catch the 1:30PM sailing of a Mississippi
River scenic boat tour. Finding a convenient parking space we rushed down to the dock and
found about a dozen folks waiting to board. As we paid the boarding began and we were first
aboard, giving Sally a good spot so shed be less likely to get seasick. The cruise was very
nice with a college instructor of environmental studies providing the expert narration was we
sailed about for over two hours. Once back at the dock sailing Sally remarked that the cruise
seemed longer than 90 minutes advertised. I responded that wed been out over two hours and
we suddenly surmised we had boarded the wrong ship; it was not the ship Sally had expected
to sail this afternoon. In fact, we overheard a fellow passenger remark that this cruise was
much better than the other one (the one we had planned to sail) plus we had raced to board
the 1:30 sailing though there was another sailing scheduled for 3:30PM so we could have
taken that run that was until we found that the 1:30 sailing was the last for this boat (the one
we sailed). Wow, we were doubly blessed better cruise, and the only sailing we could make.
Prior to showering we took a walk around the campground and saw a most interesting camper
whose owner also enjoyed painting his/her camper in an original design.
Day 144: Sunday, August 25 This morning
we folded up Snoopy Twoo and shot over the
La Crosse, WI, just over the bridge from our
campground. We attended worship at
Neighborhood City Church, the church of
Chris & Roxy Crye, parents of our nephew
Jons wife, Kim. We enjoyed the emphasis of
worship in this neighborhood church in an
inner city setting. The church building is over
100 years old and truly beautiful inside. After
worship we treated Chris, Roxy and their
son, David (visiting from North Carolina) to a
brunch buffet a few blocks from their church.
We had a great time conversing over our
meal. 5= Neighborhood City Church has old & beautiful interior. Panorama photo unfortunately distorts proportions of previous German Methodist church.
Bidding adieu, we drove eastward via I-90 toward middle Wisconsin. We set up camp in Juneau County Castle Rock Park near Mauston, WI. The
rate for the night is $19. Some sites have electric but you have to carry water to your trailer or fill your tank(s) as you drove past the water spigot.
Toilets near campsite were pit-style. Toilets in the bath house are flush-type. Showers are coin-operated at 3 minutes per 25. We had a lake view
site amongst many trees.
A Travel Newsletter Devils Tower was our nations first National Monument Issue #11: Aug 24 - Sept 6, 2013
S a l l y & C h r i s 2 0 1 3 S u m m e r T r i p
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...-. YOU t /. ,a- l.. s ,a-., . ,, a a.. - ,a-..l & t!.-s.
Locals enjoy picnic spot atop sandbar along Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wisconsin
1= Pettibone campsite on Miss. River. 2= Scenic river boat
ride; fun trip. 3= Eagle we saw on boat tour. 4= Unique
brick & wood van camper. Looks cooooooool ! !
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Day 145: Monday, August 26 Our drive from Castle Rock Lake county park in west-central Wisconsin was normal. We drove to Madison, WI to
have lunch with Margos sister, Lynne (Lynnie is our sister-in-law Margos sister.) We had a great time chatting & eating for almost 2 hours. Prior to
lunch we did window-shopping for a decorator t-shirt for one of our granddaughters. We knew what she wanted would be hard to find: a badger
picture (photo or cartoon-style) with no indication of a team, city, or other identification. Since the Univ. of Wisconsin is located in Madison, we
suspected wed have an easy time locating one there. Well if a shirt has a badger on it you can expect the university name, or something else that
would not meet the criteria. In the mall near the restaurant we found exactly what we wanted: crew neck, image without name or words, & size
small. Sally was ecstatic, Thats just what I prayed for! And to make it even further amazing 1) it was the first shirt we saw, 2) it was the only shirt
of its type in the store or the mall, 3) it was the exact size we needed, and 4) it was the cheapest of any team shirts in that category in the mall!
We arrived at Dave & Margos about 6PM and arranged our trailer into its usual location next to the house where itll reside for the next week or so.
We spent the rest of the evening chatting and reviewing current events within our families.
Day 146: Tuesday, August 27 Early in the day I jacked up the VW and checked the front wheel bearings for
excessive wear (1= Chris checking wheel bearing hub). I suspect Ill replace them when I get back to Florida.
Meanwhile, Sally & Margo did some thrifting today at several stores looking for items for four medical students
from Africa. They are in the USA to learn techniques for delivering medication to children with AIDS. The process
for administering drugs to this age patient is very much different than the procedures used with adults. Margo &
Daves daughter, Emmy, works for a non-profit company that assists doctors in foreign countries in receiving
training in the USA along with sending American doctors to their countries to train medical personnel there in their
own land. The training here in the USA will take several months, so Emmy has gotten them an apartment near the
training location. She was also responsible for getting the items to outfit these semi-furnished apartments, such as
pot & pans, bedding, lamps, kitchen tools, vacuum cleaner, etc. We helped by transferring these items from storage to the apartment, and in some
cases we assembled some items (e.g. four floor lamps). This was a fun activity involving Sally & I, Dave & Margo, Emmy & husband Eric, plus their
daughter Ellie. What a fun & useful evening we spent together. Dave rewarded us with frozen custard treats at Culvers. Yum, yum.
Day 147: Wednesday, August 28 Sally and Margo ran more errands today. Dave & I worked on repairing a very used trailer he bought for use with
an inner city youth house in Milwaukee. This youth shelter is run by his son, Jon, and daughter-in-law, Kim. Dave & I
determined that a welder was the best way to repair the trailer, so we selected an inexpensive model and Dave bought
it, plus some necessary accessories (helmet, tips, welding wire, etc.). Then we discovered we had to build a super-
heavy-duty extension cord, so while Dave disassembled some of the worn and broken parts of the trailer I built the
extension cord (see photo at left).
Later we took Dave, Margo, Jon, & Kim out for supper to Fazolis for fast-food
Italian cuisine. The food was very good along with terrific conversation. The meal
was followed by Sally & I driving to Jon & Kims ministry, Kidz-In-The-Hood youth
shelter. Jon is an electrical engineer by day and a youth director in the evening &
weekends. Kim runs the site during the day. We were very impressed with their
program and the hard work theyre putting into their building in this inner city
neighborhood. God has great plans for them and their project. (3= Jon & Kim
Hoffman, our nephew & niece in inner-city Milwaukee, WI)
Day 148: Thursday, August 29 We spent most of the day working on the trailer. I fabricated parts to be
welded to make the trailer stronger, while Dave worked on moving the lights to a more substantial mounting
system. By days end we had about 80% of the trailer fixed. We quit in midday to bathe and get ready for a
dinner theatre about 45 minutes west of New Berlin, WI at Fort Atkinson. The Fireside Theatre served a
buffet meal in the restaurant portion of the building followed by the live show in the theatre. Dave & Margo
treated Sally to the venue for her birthday. The play was entitled Run for Your Wife, a British comedy about a
taxi driver who is married to two different wives whom he lives with at two different apartments in separate
neighborhoods in London. The plot ran around in circles as the fellow couldnt keep his wives from meeting
each other. It was a very funny play with very good performances by the cast. (4= Chris, Sally, Margo & Dave
celebrate Sallys birthday at dinner theatre in Wisconsin)
Day 149: Friday, August 30 HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLY ! We spent the morning and early part of afternoon finishing the trailer
repairs & modifications; it really is much stronger and more useable now. While we were working on the
trailer, Sally & Margo were painting the Hoffmans old gym set & slide that they had built about twenty years
ago. We all quit about the same time and went out for lunch to celebrate Sallys birthday today. It was a very
nice occasion and we had a delicious meal and chatted for almost two hours.
Day 150: Saturday, August 31 Dave & I drove to Home Depot and bought some plywood & lumber to build
shelves for the Kidz-In-The-Hood program that Jon & Kim operate in the inner city. Sally & I bought the
materials and I cut, drilled, glued & nailed the shelves together. Dave & I will go to the Kids-In-The-Hood
center next week to install the shelving and to also install burglar bars over select windows. They had a theft
of some appliances a while ago so we wanted to increase security on the premises. (5= Bottom of shelf
system for storage at the Kidz-In-The-Hood inner-city youth program.)
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Day 151: Sunday, September 1 Dave, Sally & I attended worship at the inner city neighborhood church attended by Jon & Kim as part of their youth
ministry program. The service was attended by about 30 people, so it was very intimate and personal. Two of the girls from Kidz-In-The-Hood
performed a praise dance to a Christian song. They did a fantastic job. There were several testimonials by members of the congregation, which did a
lot to encourage others in their faith. The pastor delivered a powerful sermon about Joshua and the service ended 2.5 hours after it started. Whew, I
felt like I got my monies worth! The church members were very nice to us and welcomed us to return again.
Following worship we drove back home for a big party to celebrate Emmys 30th birthday. Emmy (Emily) is Margo & Daves daughter. Attending the
wedding were Lynne, Margo, Dave, Emmy, daughter Elly, husband Eric, Jon, Kim, Erics father Pete, Erics mother Carol, Sally & I. There were so
many people for lunch we were grouped in two rooms around tables. Everything was terrific food & fellowship.
After the party ended Dave prepared the items we would need for
tomorrows work at the Kidz-In-The-Hood. Dave & Jon will be picking up
some donated appliances for the center, while Ill be installing security bars
over basement windows and a set of storage shelves in the basement.
Dave attached his rebuilt trailer and found the lights didnt work properly.
We spent another few hours rewiring the trailer after we found the previous
owner had wrapped the wires together and secured them with electrical
tape alone. The wires were shorting out and doing funky things. 1= Dave
helps at party while sister-in-law, Lynnie, and Carol, (Erics mother), look at
other details. 2= Emmy, the birthday girl, talks to others while Sally plays
with Emmy & Erics daughter, Elly, a real charmer. Emmy is due any day now.
Day 152: Monday, September 2 Dave and I drove to Jon & Kims house where they occupy the second floor with the Kidz-In-The-Hood ministry
below. While I remained with a volunteer, Jay, Dave & Jon drove with the new trailer to pick-up three donated appliances. Jay & I assembled &
installed the shelf unit and the security bars on the basement windows. Kim helped us with the installation of the shelving. When Dave & Jon
returned, Jon & Jay carried the stove up to the second floor and stored the dishwasher. The third appliance was given to someone else, plus the old
stove from upstairs. I installed the new gas range and then reinforced all the handrails from the basement to the second floor, plus I repaired a boys
bike; he stopped by the Kidz-In-The-Hood center. We went home in late afternoon tired but happy for what we accomplished.
Day 153: Tuesday, September 3 I worked on reinforcing a main storage box in our trailer. I carry about ten small cases of parts & small tools in our
Aliner, some boxes as large as a briefcase and others as small as a hardbound dictionary. Over the years it became frustrating having these boxes
moving around in the storage area due to normal road-bounce, so I built a box of thin plywood and fiberboard to
corral these cases together. While moving things in the storage area under the beds I pulled a box side and the
fiberboard side came loose. Long story short, I decided to reinforce the boxes edges with aluminum angle rather
than rebuild the entire box with thicker, heavier plywood. So that was my project for the day reinforce the box
using 2 x 2 thin aluminum angle, Liquid Nails adhesive, and 3/16 diameter aluminum pop rivets and fender
washers. Well see how it holds up over time.
Having finished the box by 12:30PM, I helped Margo & Sally pick up branches from the bushes Dave was
trimming with the electric hedge clippers. This appears to be an annual event as we helped with this same project
last year. It took two trips in Daves trailer to get all the trimmings to the dump. When this project was finished it
was time to go out for a planned late lunch (or early supper) at a buffet (Golden Corral) that has a senior early
bird dinner from 2-4PM. All four of us enjoy this restaurant as the meals are just $7.59 which includes the beverage a good deal for seniors.
3= Reinforced trailer storage box holds 10 storage cases & keeps them from shifting around in cargo area while we travel. Very useful device!
Day 154: Wednesday, September 4 I spent the morning doing some deep-cleaning of the interior of our trailer. Little smudges and light grime builds
on the white interior walls, so I decided to clean them with some industrial spray cleaner while Sally worked with Margo on cleaning the gym set to
prepare it for more painting. Dave came to their rescue with his electric-powered pressure cleaner. But when he turned it on it hummed and wouldnt
start. We phoned the 1-800 number listed on the washer but the tech support wasnt all that great. In the end I noticed a shroud inside the washer
that looked like it had fallen on top of the pressure washers fan. Dave & I disassembled the unit, removed a broken plastic shroud and reassembled
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Some things are funnier when theyre true.
Heres an example
Sally older brother, Jim, frequently walks through his local mall for exercise.
During a recent walk he caught sight of exhibits in the malls concourse
where people from the psychic community had booths explaining their
practices. Jim happened to walk by and a woman at a booth said to him,
How are you doing today?
He said, You should know!
She stood and looked back at him unaware of the implication of his
comment.
Food For Thought (I thought you ladies would love this one!)
the washer unit. It ran like new. The girls said that with the pressure washer they got the job done in record time. Following the washer repair I went
back to work on washing our trailers interior. Later that evening we all drove to Jon & Kims house where Dave lubricated a bathroom fan motor (it
was screeching) and I scraped and re-caulked a bathtub surround.
Day 155: Thursday, September 5 My first order of the day was to check the air in the car tires and trailer tires in preparation for our departure early
tomorrow morning. Next I decided to wash our car while Dave was running errands with his van. When he returned I decided to make a special shim
for his new trailers hitch. It wobbles a bit too much for our liking. It took about 1.5 hours to finally get the shim to work properly.
Meanwhile, Sally & Margo painted the remainder of the gym set. They had pressure
washed the old wood yesterday so they could paint it today after it had dried
overnight. They did a fantastic job! It looks so nice! 1= Margo paints the minute
places on the gym set with new green paint via her well-worn brush. 2- Sally uses a
roller to paint the big, flat areas. These girls make a fantastic team!
By now it was close to mid-afternoon and we had reservations to see the play Once
Upon A Mattress, a cute story of a medieval prince who must get married in order
for any of the other young people in
the kingdom to wed. His mother, the
Queen, does not want him to marry,
so she devises tests for each princess in order to eliminate
them from being good enough to marry the prince. The story is
very funny with nice songs and very good dancing. We
thoroughly enjoyed the play and the meal prior to the
performance was excellent. We arrived home at 11PM stuffed
and happy. 3= We sit for a group photo in one of the lobbies of
the Fireside Theatre. 4= The owner of the Fireside makes announcements of upcoming events and introductions of special groups and those
celebrating anniversaries & birthdays. Chris snuck a note to him earlier in the evening to announce Daves 65th birthday, except Chris had them
mention that Dave was 74 years old! Dave was surprised twice; once when his name was announced, and secondly that he aged 10 years overnight.
Day 156: Friday, September 6 When we awoke today our first task was to phone our granddaughter, Symphony, before she left for school. Today is
her 12th birthday. Not only was our call a surprise, but shell be surprised when she gets to school this morning. Her mother and sister went to the
school yesterday before the building closed and decorated the front of her locker, so a lot of folks at school will know its her birthday!
We bid farewell to Margo & Dave and drove out their driveway about 8:30AM as we headed toward Effingham, Illinois via Rockford. As expected, the
trip was routine with many miles on cruise control heading southwest down I-43 to Beloit, WI. From there
the route was to go south on I-39 that is also I-90, but I-90 is a toll road in Illinois and the tolls weve
experienced in other sections of IL have made us ill. So we chose to go down county & city roads
through Rockford, IL and its suburbs. The first few miles were a bit confusing as our GPS had us turning
a lot through Beloit. Once on Hwy 251 it was simple driving but we wondered if we really saved much
money over the toll route. We got onto US20, then I-39 until it met I-74, which we took east toward
Champaign, then I-57 south to Effingham, IL. Our campground for the next two nights is Camp
Lakewood outside Effingham. We were given a campsite overlooking the lake, probably the prettiest
site in the park. It has no sewer connection so it was fine for our Aliner. 5= Our one-of-a-kind campsite
overlooking at Camp Lakewood. Super-clean restrooms at this RV park!
But, as we went to drive from the registration office down to the campsite we got another surprise our
cars remote key wouldnt work. Ugh! For any new readers, our car now has over 217,000 miles and its groaning about its old age. This same
remote-access key didnt work earlier on our trip. It became inoperative in Las Vegas and I replaced the battery and fixed it on May 24th, just about
3 months ago! Could the battery be bad again? Other batteries have lasted 5 years or more! To compound the issue, the lock mechanism on the
drivers door broke the day before we left on the trip (the VW only has one door with a key lock, plus the tailgate).
Well Sally crawled in through the hatch and opened a back door. I opened the drivers door from the back door.
Neither of our jaunts were easy as our cars rear seats are removed and the space behind our seats is all storage. I got
the door opened and hoped the car would start and not be inoperable due to the security system. The VW started fine.
Whew! We got the camper in the site, set-up and I then dug into the trailers drawers to find the second battery (they
come in a packet of two). Long story short, I found the existing new-old battery to be low and the second battery was
installed. The remote worked fine. Not ones to take chances, well buy another set of two batteries tomorrow as back-
ups, but we wont buy Rayovac-brand from Walmart again. Id feel better with a more major brand from Walgreens.
6= VW key taken apart and awaiting installation of a new battery (round disk about the size of a nickel).
Day 157: Saturday, September 7 We were on a rather loose schedule today so we took the time to make a nicer
breakfast one of Sallys favorites egg burrito. After clean up we drove into Effington to drop off a package at the
post office. From there we drove to a church-operated thrift store where we got some good bargains. Then we drove to
MY Garage, a company specializing in the sale of parts for Corvettes and air-cooled VWs. The only section of this
multi-building complex open to the public is their retail store and the car collection within that same building. This was
the reason we came to Effington, IL. Though Corvettes are not my bag, I still enjoy seeing interesting things about
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each make of car. This
collection was open FREE to
the public and was unique in
that it contained several
experi ment al model s of
various Corvettes that were
used for testing prior to
production, or for racing by
b o t h t h e f a c t o r y a n d
i ndi vi dual raci ng teams.
There were several experimental Corvettes displayed with several valued at more than a
million dollars. Also, in a back room, was a private collection of VWs and related vehicles
used by Hitlers military during World War II. These were very interesting, also.
1= Sally poses in MY Garage car collection, mainly Corvettes. 2= Cutaway Corvette at MY Garage shows internal parts.
The Corvette (#3, left) was a concept car used at a worlds fair to help introduce the
public to ideas that would possibly be incorporated in an upcoming model. This
procedure is used by many auto manufacturers to gauge public interest in various car
designs prior to spending huge sums of money to put ill-conceived ideas into
production.
(An interesting aside story that someone shared with me. Sounds true, but you never
know! 1958 was a year that found our country in a recession. Car sales were down
dramatically earlier the previous year. [1958 was the only year my father ever bought a
new car, a Plymouth, because car prices were very low to encourage car buying.]
General Motors misread these economic times and thought the reason their 1958 cars
werent selling was because the public was more enamored with other manufacturers
models, especially Chrysler Corporation cars.
Most cars at that time were built on the same chassis for 2-4 years with just minor
changes being made to the exteriors. This saved the companies millions of dollars.
Sure that their lack of sales was due to their cars designs, GM ordered the 1958
models to be totally redone for the 1959 model year. Do you remember the Chevrolets
with the huge, curved tail-fins that almost looked like angel wings? What was so
interesting is that the 1958 models, having been built for only one year, became some
of the most valuable cars GM produced, and they command high prices to collectors
who like their styling. The Buick of 1958 is reputed to be the most chrome-adorned
care ever produced! Interesting bit of trivia.)
Does this replica, old Mobil gas station (photo #4) bring back any fond memories for
any of you? Do you have a story about an experience you had at a gas station in your
younger years? Would you like to share it for a future issue of our newsletter?
After our tour of the car collection we decided to go out for lunch. A local Chinese
buffet was very good and they had a very interesting group of fish in their aquarium
(see #5, below left). We had never seen
any fish like these. Do any of you
recognize this species of fish?
While dining we met several couples
with whom we became involved in
conversation. One woman in particular was especially interesting. As a
Walmart employee she spoke of theft issues in the stores. It was
interesting to hear about the security systems they employ including
the use of video cameras both inside & outside the store. It made me
feel a little more secure knowing that the aisles and grounds are being
scanned & recorded.
As we headed back to camp I stopped to photograph the restoration of
a roof and steeple on St. Anthonys Roman Catholic Church in
Effingham. This steeple is quite tall and we wondered how long they
had been working on this repair. 6= Complex scaffolding seems to
climb the walls of St. Anthonys Catholic Church in Effingham, IL.
Unable to see much from any ground-level position, we deduced that
the roof and steeple were being repaired. What a job!
We headed back to Camp Lakewood RV Park and had a laid back
afternoon working on this newsletter while also answering emails, etc. Tomorrow well pack up and
drive to St. Pauls Lutheran Church to attend worship, then drive south to Sikeston, Missouri to visit our
dear friends Wendi & Terry Pruden, former members of our church in Ocala, FL. RV there yet?
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