THE BAYFIELD BUNCH ROLLS INTO BAYFIELD ONTARIO....WE'RE HOME:))

WE'RE HOME BUT SURE NOT HAPPY ABOUT ALL THIS FROZEN ROCK HARD SNOW!! 

A quiet night in our grocery store Plaza parking lot with one other RV’er parked not too far away.  Picked up a homemade Pizza from Hungry Howie’s Pizza shop in the plaza Tuesday night for supper & have to say it was one of the best Pizza’s I have ever had.  Ate me one of the remaining cold pieces for breakfast this morning about 5 a.m.  Now there’s a mighty fine way to start a very fine day I’d say:))
 

PASSING BY A LARGE CAR PLANT IN FLINT MICHIGAN THIS MORNING

Says it’s 23F in Bayfield at 5 a.m. this morning but would you believe we were colder than that a bunch of nights in southeastern Arizona this past winter.  Difference is we definitely feel colder here in the northern latitudes because of the dampness in the air.  In fact we had to crack the rig’s furnace on this morning because of the dampness in the cold air.

Some folks have commented on our speedy travels back to Canada.  There are several reasons for scurrying back across the mid west & one is the word…..Tornado.  March is a volatile month for sudden storms laced with Tornados right across a big part of the route we take home.  We watch the weather closely & try to go like ‘Jack The Bear’ while the weather is good for as long as we can.  I think it was 3 years ago when we had to hunker down for about 3 days somewhere in Arkansas due to heavy storms.  Two years ago we did an overnight stop in Hope Arkansas (Bill Clinton’s birthplace) & had us a nasty thunderstorm with Tornado warnings to the south.  Not a good feeling being in an RV out in the middle of nowhere knowing there are tornado warnings for the area!!
 

Happy to see the sun again as we rolled out of Durand Michigan at 7:20 heading for the border.  Not much conversation all the way there as we anticipated getting a grouchy border guard person.  For people who have never been ‘pink slipped’ it may be hard for them to understand the ‘concern’ of us who have.  We know the un-pleasantries involved!!

 
With knots in both our stomachs we made our way over the large Blue Water bridge & eased up to the border guard station.  The time was 8:45 a.m.  Traffic was surprisingly light & the booth ahead was clear.  Rolled up, shut off the engine & was kinda relieved it was a middle aged lady in the booth.  Had my license plate numbers sitting by the window ready to roll.  “Good Morning.”  “Where do you live, when did you enter the United States, do you have any alcohol or tobacco, how much money did you spend, (checks Passports on computer) Have a nice day.”  And to our great relief that was it.  All that worrying & speculative dreading & all those stomach knots were instantly over as we pulled away from the gate.  We were home & we were safe & sound back in Canada.  Right blinker on as I shifted to the right lane then proceeded for the next 10 miles with the right blinker still blinking.  Just too relieved & happy to notice I guess.

   

HEADING OVER THE BLUE WATER BRIDGE FROM PORT HURON MICHIGAN TO SARNIA ONTARIO
We have many ‘best times’ on any trip we make & one of those best times for us is always clearing customs & taking that nice leisurely rural drive home.  Stopped in Forrest Ontario for our annual Tim Horton’s coming home coffee & Apple Fritter donut to go.  Five months is a mighty long time without a Timmys.  Coffee was great as ever & it was 'rrrrrroll up the rim' to boot.  Nope, we didn't win anything:((

HERE COMES THE GIRL WITH THE   COFFEE & DONUTS:))

Still a fair bit of snow lying around as we rolled into Bayfield at 10:13.  Stopped on Clangregor Square & unhooked the Jeep.  Last time I had hooked up the Jeep was last Thursday morning in the Cottonwood Campground at Canyon de Chelly in Chinle Arizona.  It now all seems so very long ago.

 

UNHOOKING THE JEEP IN BAYFIELD.....BEEN HOOKED ON SINCE CANYON DE CHELLY IN NORTHEASTERN ARIZONA

SEE YA AT THE HOUSE:))

 

DRIVING THE LAST MILE HOME:))

Despite our driveway being plowed there was still a fair bit of snow on the ground.  No problem I thought, I’ll just grab the snow shovel & quickly clear a few paths.  Well, that didn’t happen because the snow was frozen & hard as a rock.  From past experience we know that it is going to be at least 3 weeks before we see the last of the frozen snow banks….especially on the north side behind our house.

 
Rest of the day was spent with many trips unloading the Motor Home.  Because we couldn’t do that with the rig in it’s usual place we had to park it at the end of our gravel driveway & road.  Can you spell…MUD!!!!  Temps were above freezing today so we had us a mess.
 

I CAN SEE WE ARE GOING TO HAVE SOME PROBLEMS GETTING INTO THE HOUSE!!

I was sooooo looking forward to a long hot shower so about 4 p.m. I cranked on the hot water tap & got me a good flow of….cold water!!  We had forgotten to turn the hot water heater on this morning when we got home.  !!*)+^%##

WHY OH WHY OH WHY DID WE COME HOME SO EARLY......AGAIN!!!!!!

I have some reader questions to answer so I will get to them in the next few blogs.  I'm sure other Snow Birders will understand when I say that we are in a total upside down mess here while in transition from our rig to our sticks & bricks.  (we got more sticks than bricks) It's going to take a few days to get organized & re-familiarized with everything at home here & comfortably back into the swing of things.  But, I can kinda answer one question....are you glad to be home?  Well, let me just say this.....I'm glad the long hard days on the road this past week are over & for that, I am glad we are home.

FIRST TIME WE HAVE HAD TO UNLOAD THE RIG FROM THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( 

Temperatures and What They Mean

40 degrees & Californians shiver uncontrollably, Minnesotans go swimming.

35 degrees Italian cars don't start.

32 - Water freezes.

30 - You can see your breath. Politicians begin to worry about the Homeless.

25 - Boston water freezes. Cat insists on sleeping on your bed with you.

20 - Californians weep pitiably, Minnesotans eat ice cream. You can hear your breath.

15 - N.Y. City water freezes. Politicians begin to talk aobut the homeless.

12 - You plan a vacation to Mexico.

10 - Too cold to snow

5 - You need jumper cables to get the car going. Cat insists on sleeping in your bed with you.

3 - You plan a vacation in Houston.

0  -Too cold to skate. American cars don't start.

-5 You can cut your breath and use it to build an igloo.

-10 Too cold to think. Politicians actually do something about the homeless.

-15 Cat insists on sleeping in your pajamas with you. You need jumper cables to get the driver going.

-20 You plan a 2-week hot bath.

-25 The mighty Monongahela freezes. Japanese cars don't start.

-30 Californians disappear, Minnesotans button top button...

Below -30 The kids call home from college. End of the world...

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The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

 
Have you ever been faced with the dilemma of making decisions regarding what to do about friends, family, grandkids etc if you decide to spend time traveling in your RV.  And then there is the question of age!!  The folks over at TRAVELS IN THERAPY are pondering those very questions at the moment & having some doubts about their future travel plans.  I have some strong thoughts about the subject & will do a post on that shortly.