Salt Lake

November 13th - 14th.  We arrived in Salt Lake to really nice weather.   They had had a storm a few days ago with Bountiful getting 36 inches.  Some snow left on the grass but all the rest has disappeared.  Went to Draper today to visit Campers World to stock up on all the RV stuff.  Also got new wiper blades for the RV.  Then toured the temple area downtown.  Place has sure changed and lots more traffic.  Not a hard place to get around in.  City is built on four quadrants.  On Thursday we will find a grocery store and stock up for future.  May also go downtown again and shop in the Gateway mall.  There is 10,000 people here from 50 countries attending a conference on high tech computer stuff.  To bad it is not open to the public.

Fort Hall

Second day out.  Drove on lots of ice and hard packed snow from Helena to Butte.   After Butte we had lots of wind and some blowing snow until we got to Dillon.  Monida pass was clear with some blowing snow.  From Dubois on to fort Hall was bare pavement and good driving.   It was a good day driving, just a little cautious on the icy parts.   The Flying J Truck stop in Butte has been totally renovated both the store and the pumps.  Was able to use my new Flying J charge card there.  No more having to prepay and go into the store.  Fort Hall now has very good wifi.  Fuel here is $4.13 per gallon.

First Day on The Road

Left Warner in a balmy -14C.  The storm we had last week has moved on to Sask.  The roads today we fairly good to the border.  The lady at the border asked if we were the last Snowbirds.  The higways south of the border were snow packed and quite icy.  Traffic was light and everyone was quite patient.   That makes Linda a bit nervous.  The sun shone most ofthe day.  Diesel was 3.91 a gallon in Great Falls.  We are in Helena for the night.   They have great wifi here.  Plan on a short day tomorrow and end up in Fort Hall.   No wifi there last time.

Getting Ready for the trip South

Well her it is October and we are starting to make plans to head south.  Haven't been on the blog since 2010, so a new learning curve will be in order.  Will take a bit to sort things out again.

St Louis and the Great Mississippi

City Centre

Barges on the Mississippi


Paddle wheeler

Gateway Arch

Well we arrived in St Louis and got all set up just outside the city at Granite City. Had lots of day left so decided to take a trip into the city. Wanted to see if we could find the famous Gateway Arch. The city has many freeways in and out and over the river. Crossed the river and headed into the city and was close to the Arch when I took a wrong turn and ended up across the river in Illinois. Took some time to figure out how to get back again as the freeways weave all over the place. It was ok in the explorer, but would have been an adventure in the RV. Finally found the Arch. It is beautiful and is set in a nice park. It was nice to watch all the huge barges go up and down the river. The riverfront is beautiful, but was quite quiet this time of year.

Today we headed out to tour the city. Very easy to get around in using the GPS as a map. Got to see everyone going to the Cardinals game. It was sure busy there. Also passed by where the Blues hockey team play. The city core is very clean and there are sure alot of high rise buildings. Enjoyed a walk downtown. Took a tour on a couple of freeways to look around. Alot of the freeways have high ramps so the view is good. Will add photos. Off towards Kansas City in the morning.

On to St Louis

Amish Acres

Newmar Factory Tour

Well we are leaving Nappanee tomorrow for St Louis and the great Mississippi. We are are really looking forward to the drive as neither one of us have been there.

We really enjoyed Nappanee with the Newmar Factory Tour and all the Amish Heritage in the area. It was really different to see the modern machinery and the horses working on farms across from each other. The Amish have really nice buildings as they are excellent craftsmen. They also have very nice horses. Was amazed that they ride so many bicycles. While here we went for an authentic Amish supper. Everything was served in bowls just like the farm. It was very good and we couldn't eat it all. Also had a choice of about 12 deserts.

The Newmar Factory Tour was really something to see. It was very clean and very well run. They sure put alot of emphasis on good quality of work. We were very impressed with all aspects of their operation. We bought a few little parts from the parts store before leaving.

We also did some tours of Elkhart, Goshem and some other rural areas around here. Very nice area.

In RV Country

Well we left Sarnia for the US. Only about a 20 minute wait at the US Border. They had about 8 lanes open. Started the day with a brief rain then it became hot and humid for the rest of the day. We traveled on Highway 69 thru Flint and then south to Coldwater Michigan. Up early the next day to lots of fog so decided to leave a little later. Travelled down 69 and then headed west on Highway 6 to Nappanee Indiana. Highway 6 was 2 lanes but very good driving with spotty construction. Was really nice to see all the different scenery and farmland. Missed seeing all the water.

We are really impressed with the Nappanee and Elkhart area. It is known for the manufacturing of RV's, travel trailers and 5th wheels. We will take the Newmar Factory tour tomorrow. Should be a fun time. The following companies are located in the area Newmar, Jayco, Monaco, Wind River and gulf Stream. Also lots of manufactures of parts etc.

There is also a strong Amish heritage in the 40 miles around here according some brochures. It is really neat to see them driving around in their wagons or fancy buggies. They also ride alot of bicycles. We also plan on visiting the famous Amish Acres while we are here. It shows the history and ways of the Amish. The Amish are also excellent at carpentry work and are employed by many of the RV manufacturers.