Sunday, August 9, 2009
Good tidings to all…
Don’t mind the above date… I’m writing now (Monday), but thought I’d catch you up on what’s happened up ‘till now.
We took our sweet time getting ready to leave Woods Landing, because Erik had told us he was working until 2:00, and we wanted to wait until he got home before pulling into his place.
The drive only took 4 hours (basically down Hwy 77 the whole way), so no need to rush.
Unlike most campgrounds we’ve been to, Woods Landing didn’t have a sewer dump at the campsite, so we had to dump as we drove out… We knew we‘d be dry camping at Erik‘s, so it was a good idea to show up with empty holding tanks.
Anyhow, I had just cleaned up, stowed everything away, and climbed into the cab when the first raindrop hit the windshield… Talk about luck!
We were (for lack of a better word) dumped on!
The sky had turned almost black, and there was no horizon… I’m not kidding!
These storms around here are awesome, but frightening, and, in these parts, the threat of a tornado is never far from your mind… Well, we lucked out again… After about ten, fifteen minutes of “feeling” our way down the highway, we drove out of it, and into clear, blue skies… Phew… Nothing like having a little scare first thing in the morning…
The rest of the trip went well… Passed through small towns and landscape just like we have been ever since we hit the prairies… Luanne knitted and took pictures of barns, and the occasional other interesting things I might have pointed out… I drove… And a very pleasant drive it was.
A little after 12 noon, we decided to stop (on the outskirts of Blue Rapids) to have lunch. As soon as we got out of the truck we were hit by a heat wave… Must’ve been close to 100 degrees… While eating in our restaurant on wheels, Erik called and said he was home, so come on down!
We programmed Molly, and it didn’t take us any time at all to get down to the outskirts of Manhattan… Now, having said that, I have to mention that, from time to time, Molly’s got some quirks I don’t particularly like, but I figured I’d follow her instructions for a change… We get on Erik’s road, and, sure enough, Molly tells us we’re at Erik’s address….
Ahhh…. NO…. No Jeep in the driveway… No waving hands…
And, oh, yeah, we’re on a Dead End road…
“Erik, we’re here, but we’re lost!”
I give him the cross streets, and he says, “Oh, you passed my place. I’ll come and get you.”
“Thank you! We’re stuck behind a pickup and a backup job, so hurry.“
With Erik and the pickup’s owner (he moved the pickup), and with Luanne biting fingernails, I managed to get Big Daddy turned around, and down to Erik’s, which was a half dozen houses away from the address Molly gave me… Thank you Molly!
So, Erik has a huge front yard, and he had a place cleared out for us to park, but the problem was that the “driveway” to it was over a small embankment, and between two bushes… Well, my trailer is 30 feet long, and didn’t want to take the trip in…
Erik got the necessary tools, and chopped bushes, branches, and anything that might be a hazard, and, on the second try, we made it in, turned it around, and got it leveled… Not a big deal, you say… Well, you’re forgetting the outside temperature, aren’t you? Both Erik and I lost 15 pounds in sweat during this ordeal… I can stand the loss, but poor Erik is now down to skin and bones… Like he needs that….
We got water and electricity hooked up, and I got the canopy unfurled (to use a nautical term) and staked down.
We were ready for a nap!
I turn on the air conditioner, and immediately trip Erik’s breaker… Off we go to the closest hardware store to get a bigger breaker and a bigger extension chord, but when we get there, we’re told to just let the refrigerator run on propane, and turn off other unnecessary appliances… Good advice!
Since we’re out, Erik takes us for a quick ride around the neighborhood…
Manhattan seems to be a pretty nice town… Quite big, actually… mainly due to being the home of the Kansas State University, and Fort Riley military base.
I get the air conditioner going, and things begin to look and feel good, but then Erik comes and tells me there’s a storm watch and warning out for the area, so down comes the awning… I had just got it secured when the wind started, and then the rain came… Need I say more? Didn’t think so… Thankfully, it only lasted a little while, which we spent getting acquainted again with Erik while Luanne fixed us all a fantastic dinner of Norwegian meatballs in Swedish gravy… How international can you get?
Luanne and I crashed fairly early, and slept like little babies in our cool bedroom… Nice ending for a fairly good day, wouldn’t you say?
Monday, August 10, 2009
I’m gonna be brief, since I wrote so much about yesterday.
Had a great day visiting with Erik, who took the day off.
He took us all over the place to sightsee, and to look at his work… I might be prejudiced, but I am very impressed by what he’s done… His cabinet work is (by any standard) of very high quality, and fine workmanship, and likewise, the remodeling jobs he’s working on… I am very proud of him, and not ashamed to say so… People know good when they see good, so keep it up son, and you’ll never lack for work!
There was another Watch and Warning for the area today…. And down the road, about 20 miles, they had winds up to 90 mph, which did a lot of damage… I’m wondering if we made a mistake coming here at this time of year… Hopefully not. Haven’t decided what to do, or where to go yet, but will take the bull by the horn tomorrow, and nail down a destination, or two…
Until then…. Good night friends and relatives… Thanks for keeping an eye on us… It means a lot.
Here is the link to the latest pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Kjell.and.Luanne/FromYUTANNEToMANHATTENKSAUG9And102009
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