July 23rd - 30th - MN to SD

July 23^rd – Thurs

We loaded the bike and got a fairly early start on our drive north to Garrison and Mille Lacs Lake. We were late enough that we didn't get stuck in traffic on any of the highways that the GPS used to get us through St Paul.

We stopped for a late breakfast and some grocery shopping at a nearby WalMart. When we got to Bob's Campground, the guy working there (Larry) had an abrupt change in manner when we said Mike Paul had talked to him about a site for us – a change from “all business” to “welcome!!” We soon set up next to Mike & Susie and relaxed for a while.

Mike & Susie hadn't had lunch so while they ate we went to the nearby casino (!!) and then stopped for a fast food dinner on the way back. We visited with Mike & Susie for a bit and then crashed.

July 24^th – Fri

We went to town with Mike & Susie for a very nice breakfast and since there wasn't much going on in town we all went to the casino. We were back in time for dinner and then Mike got a fire going in a nice “mobile” fire pit provided by the campground. We were enjoying the fire when it started to rain and then poured. Susie was smart enough to head for their 5^th wheel while the rest of us huddled under our awing and I took movies of the downpour. We had a small river coming off the awning and rain was bouncing a foot off the cover on the bed of Mike's truck. Luckily the fire pit had a cover so the fire was OK later.

July 25^th – Sat

After breakfast we went to the parade for Fun Days. It was a typical small town parade with all the fire trucks but was much larger than we expected. The parade started at 11 and we were happy to find a shady spot to watch it as it was already warm. After the parade, Terry & Mike went to the VFW while Susie & I wandered through a few vendor tents and then joined the guys who had seats saved so we could play bingo. Believe it or not, we all played 15 games of bingo – and didn't win a thing! After dinner we again enjoyed a fire but this time with a few friends dropping by instead of the rain.

July 26^th – Sun

After breakfast we all walked to see a car show and then to watch pig races which Mike & Susie had never seen. It was really hot and we were early enough to get mostly shady seats on the portable grandstand. Kids & parents were down by the “racetrack” so they could take part in contests between pig races and grab the beads & Tshirts being thrown to the crowds.

The people putting on the pig races did a very good job of getting viewers involved – hula hoop contest, bouncy ball races, bouncy “horse” races for adults and all the kids following “pied piper” style around the inside of the race track and then racing the pigs on the last race. Very entertaining. We stopped at the VFW to rehydrate and then walked back to the RV park.

After dinner, Mike & Susie came to our rig and we watched TV & visited. No fire tonight.

July 27^th – Mon

We left at 7:30 as we had to get fuel and then waited for Mike & Susie at the gas station. They swung just after 8 and led us to their home in St. Peter. Mike has his own route which avoids busy highways and was a very easy 3 hour drive with a leader.

We backed both rigs into their driveway and Susie stayed home to mow the lawn & do laundry while Mike took us to see a big toy hauler in Lake Crystal about 20 miles away. We really liked the rig but we are not sure if the bike will fit.

When we got back, we loaded up our laundry and went to a nice new laundromat to get it all done. Then it was off to Mankato & Applebee's for dinner. Susie & I had time to work on a jigsaw puzzle before the guys were ready to crash.

July 28^th – Tues

We pulled out of the driveway early and hopefully didn't wake Mike & Susie. We stopped by the RV dealer to look at the 5^th wheel again but couldn't figure out a way to easily modify it to fit the bike so we headed down the road.

We stopped for diesel and breakfast and ended up at Doug & Delores Swan's in Balaton MN. After catching up and a light lunch, the wind died down and we took their pontoon boat for a ride on a nearby lake (name forgotten!!?). We took the boat out of the water and went for a nice dinner right there. We chatted some more back at their place and then hit the sack. Delores had Terry move our rig into the shade of the house when we left for the boat ride and there was a lovely cool breeze when we got back. In fact, I closed the bedroom door before we went to bed because it was cold.

July 29^th – Wed

Delores made us a yummy breakfast before we headed out. We have discovered another super stop on our summer tour schedule!!

We made a quick stop to dump our waste tanks and continued to Pipestone to take Phyllis Kasper to lunch. We had time for a nice visit with her before walking to a nearby Mexican restaurant. A photo op and we were on our way again.

Our next stop was Madison SD to see friends Clem & Marlene who we first met in Quartzsite almost 9 years ago. We went first to a state park where we have stayed previously but the guy said it would cost $30 extra for a pass for the motorcycle so we immediately left. We found an RV park at Prairie Village, got a spot and took the motorcycle to Clem & Marlene's which is not far away.

We checked out Clem's latest “plastic welding” projects before going to a bar for a drink and then to a new place for dinner. Back at their place we chatted for a while more before calling it a night and heading back to the RV park.

July 30^th – Thurs

We had time for coffee & a muffin before Clem & Marlene picked us up at 10 for a trip to – where else! – a casino near Sioux Falls. We all played (fed) slots before having a late lunch at the buffet. More slot play and then back to our place for a drink(s). Clem was sure he/we could modify the 5^th wheel but that isn't happening right now.

We took a couple of cookies from the buffet that we didn't have room to eat and they became dinner.

July 20th to 22nd - Minnesota

July 20^th – Mon

We got up to see 2 huge juvenile eagles sitting on a picnic table at the empty site next to us. We took a couple pictures through the window but not before one flew away. Terry went outside and was able to get a couple more pictures. We saw a mature eagle flying along the river a bit later.

We had a short drive today so were able to laze around before packing up. We stopped for breakfast on the way to Minnesota and St. Paul East RV Park. Shortly after we exited the freeway we saw a sign saying there was a closure at the road where the RV park was located. We hoped the closure was on the road where we were driving but it was the park road. As we drove past the road I grabbed the phone to call the park and ask “what now”. Of course she said to follow the detour signs and I said “too late”! So she gave us good instructions and we followed the next detour signs to the park. We still had to go past barricades to get to the park driveway.

We got set up in a nice pull through site and called Dennis & Gloria to say we had arrived. We are not far from their house so they showed up shortly. I had told them about the detour and they made it after a bit of rerouting.

We chatted for a while and then went to their place for dinner. Lovely weather to sit outside for a drink first. Great dinner and a cool but not cold ride back on the bike.

The GPS in the truck has some problems and keeps shutting down and restarting. It was particularly bad yesterday so Terry used the GPS from the motorcycle today. It worked great but wouldn't speak the directions! Guess it's time for a new one for the truck.

July 21^st – Tues

Dennis & Gloria picked us up for breakfast before going golfing today. It didn't take us as long to eat as we thought so we had time to check out a couple of places for a new GPS. After asking for help and being ignored in a Best Buy, we continued on to the golf course with plenty of time to share a bucket of balls on the driving range before our tee time of noon.

The weather was wonderful and everyone had enough good shots to enjoy our 9 holes of golf. Dennis & Gloria have played the course before so could help us with the layout and invisible hazards.

We went to their house after golf for a “cool one”. Dennis took us back to the rig while Gloria started dinner and we returned on the motorcycle. After dinner we played a game of Ponytail Canasta which the guys won after a hard fought battle. As we went to leave, Terry got on the passenger seat of the bike so I drove to the park. Terry assumed I knew the way so I missed one turn when he didn't tell me ahead of time but otherwise it was another great chance to learn & practice with little traffic on the roads.

 

July 22^nd – Wed

Dennis & Gloria were going to pick us up at 10 but last night there was a note on our steps saying the driveway to the park was being paved at 10 this morning so they had to come earlier. Our plans today included a trip to Stillwater which is a touristy town on the St Croix River. We wandered through the shops with only one specific goal – a hat for me to wear after the motorcycle helmet really messes up my hair. We finally went back to one of the first shops and got a hat. Then it was time for lunch on a deck overlooking the river. It was a nice little excursion.

Now we continued our search for a GPS with a stop at Costco and then another Best Buy where we got a helpful salesman and bought a unit. We stopped for Coke & tonic and enjoyed a drink(s!) at our place this time. We were all still full from lunch so we decided to skip dinner together and hugged goodbye with the knowledge that it is only a 2 ½ months until we are back at VVV.

We hoped to stop in St. Peter to see Mike & Susie and sent an email a couple days ago asking if they would be home. We didn't get an answer to the email so we called and found out that they are camping at Garrison. While we were on the phone to Susie, Mike went to the office and found out that the site next to them is available for 4 days so that is where we are heading tomorrow.

 

July 15th to 19th - Michigan to Wisconsin

July 15^th – Wed

Joann made omelets for breakfast and then we went for a bike ride – this time with Joann as a passenger. We made a big loop – west, then north to Manistee, further north to a casino, east, south, east, south, east, south & east!!! Good thing Harold was leading!

Manistee is on Lake Michigan so we walked to a beach. People were sunbathing and we were comfortable in long pants.  We went to another casino and got “free” slot play again but finally we all lost our allowances. We had some food vouchers so we went for a late lunch only to find the restaurant closed for a couple of hours to switch from lunch to dinner. So we went to a snacky place and had sandwiches. Our food vouchers paid for more than the sandwiches so we each HAD to have a big cookie!

We rode nonstop back. I caught up the blog while the others sat outside at a picnic table. Since lunch was so late, Joann put together snacks (cheese & crackers, etc) for dinner. We finally moved inside and ended up watching American Ninja Warrior.

July 16^th – Thurs

We got going bright & early (7:20) as Joann got a phone call late yesterday saying their 5^th wheel was ready to be picked up and they wanted to leave by 8. To go west from Big Rapids, you have to go south around the bottom of Lake Michigan (Chicago!) or north through the Upper Peninsula. We chose the UP again and went as far as Gladstone. We were early enough to do laundry and then went to Escanaba to a WalMart for some needed items.

Rain was forecast so we didn't bother taking the bike out. I didn't take the time to completely dry jeans so we had clothes “hanging” everywhere including the bike seat. Dinner & done!

July 17^th – Fri

We are used to clothes drying quickly in Mesa – not so much in Michigan! I will dry everything completely next time.

We continued west to Woodruff/Minoqua in Wisconsin. The first campground we tried in Woodruff was full so they made a phone call to Indian Shores in Minoqua and they had sites available. We flinched at the price but didn't want to spend hours finding something else. It is a big park set in trees & little hills so a guy showed us a few sites so we could choose.

We had a late lunch and then took the bike to go exploring. We finally stopped for a beer on the deck of a brewery overlooking a lovely little lake. I saw a sign for a free water skiing show at 7:00. We ended up being there early but there was some entertainment including a guy “riding” on a pressurized spout of water (hard to explain, see pics on FB) and a powerful boat standing nearly completely upright in the water.

The show was wonderful. A large group of “amateurs” were VERY good with the usual flags, girls on guys shoulders, girls only pyramids and barefoot skiers. Six guys did something different. The first 2 were pulled off the dock with ropes to the boat, then 2 more with ropes tied to the first 2 guys and then 2 more tied to the second 2. They first 4 guys had to be pulled slowly until the last 2 were in the water so they were dragging through the water. They made a big loop around and then all 6 went over the jump in pairs. Some professional skiers then showed their stuff which was amazing. Wake boards, skies and even a “skateboard” that was not attached to the guy's feet. There were a couple of guys that went into the crowd making balloon animals but they turned out to be skiers who put on a “clown” act.

We had sandwiches for dinner and called it a day.

July 18^th – Sat

Back to computer games for a short while this morning with our coffee & doughnuts. We rode the bike all around the park just to check it out and then stopped at a sales place near the entrance to check out some different park models with lofts. Riding through town we spotted sales at a big storage unit so we had to check them out. Turned out to be 2 huge buildings with an unbelievable amount of stuff (junk?!). We then rode to St Germaine which we came through yesterday and found another sale & car show. We finally got a “TaG” sign. A bit further and we found a place to have lunch.

I talked Terry into riding a loop through what was described as scenic lakes. Unfortunately there are so many trees along the road that you rarely see the lakes and we weren't about to ride down side roads that might be someone's driveway. We ended up back at the brewery for another beer on the deck.

I made dinner and was reading a book when Terry went to show the buddy burner to our neighbors who had a fire going. We both ended up there with a drink and finished the day with a nice visit with young people.

July 19^th – Sun

We stopped for fuel (diesel & doughnuts!) and headed west and then north to Mellen. Again I talked Terry into some sightseeing and this time it was worth it. We went into Copper Falls State Park and took a 1.7 mile walk along a river with waterfalls. The trail was awesome with bridges, massive log “guard rails” and rock steps. The trail was an irregular loop so you didn't have to go back the same way.

Our DEF warning light came on so our next item of business was to find a WalMart which we did in Ashland which is on Lake Superior. We discussed driving around a point that goes into the lake but decided that we would probably mainly see more treed roads so we turned southwest. We ended up in Chetek at the Chetek River Campground. I mention the name because it is a lovely park with the bonus of being Passport. We have a huge grass spot on the river and enjoyed having a drink in the shade of a little tree and watching ducks on the river. Then dinner & relax!

July 4th thru 14th – Michigan

7/4 – Sat

We got a reasonably early start and discovered that the first highway selected by “Wanda” was a toll road. Oh well! Had we not found Menard's yesterday we would have been on it with the bike. The only problem finding Al & Linda's was when the house numbers went from the high 3000's to 4000's without Al's number of 3940 showing up. It was only momentary as 3940 appeared after two 4000's! We unloaded the bike and parked beside a big shop. Then we met family members and relaxed.

Ralph & Elsie were joining us from their home in Ontario and ended up being a little later than they expected as the border crossing was on high alert and Nexus passes were not being honored which caused a back up. Then it was time to unload their motorcycle, pile into a vehicle and go to Al & Linda's daughter's lakeside home for a great July 4^th gathering. We sat on a huge lawn to watch kids playing and boats on the lake. It wasn't long before dinner was ready and we all chowed down. A bit later we went for a tour of the lake on a pontoon boat. What a marvelous day! Back at Al & Linda's, we sat in the screened porch to watch fire works before calling it a day.

7/5 – Sun

Al & Linda made breakfast for all of us before we loaded up & hit the road at 9:00. We went to Brighton (48 miles) to pick up Bob & Claudia Cooper who also have a Spyder. Their neighbor took pictures of all of us before we headed north with Al leading.

We stopped at Frankenmuth (100 miles) for sightseeing and lunch at Zendar's Bavarian Inn. It is a Swiss/German/Austrian? themed town. We walked after lunch to take pictures and settle our food. Another 160 miles took us to Alpena where we stayed the night and had dinner at the hotel.

7/6 – Mon

We had breakfast at the hotel and headed to Mackinaw City (100 miles) where we caught a ferry to Mackinac Island. We had a great lunch before wandering the streets and taking pictures. There are no cars on the island so transportation is bicycles and horse-drawn wagons. People rent bicycles which have “arm bands” on the front fork so you know which bike to take from the hundreds parked on the sides of the streets.

We stopped at the locks in Sault St Marie MI and hung around to watch a big freighter that was approaching the locks. It was long enough that it could not use the lock immediately in front of the viewing platforms but a Coast Guard boat came into the lock in front of us so we could see the entire open/drive in/close/fill/drive out procedure. In the meantime, the freighter was slowly entering the longer lock. We didn't stick around to see the freighter move through the lock but as we crossed the bridge into Sault St Marie Ontario I got a picture of the freighter nearly out of the lock.

No wait through customs and we checked into a Days Inn hotel (60 miles). The desk clerk said the casino was 2 blocks away so after getting together for a drink we set out to walk there for dinner. We hadn't walked far when it started to rain. We thought it would pass over but by the time we got to the casino we were soaked! It was a LONG 2 blocks!

After dinner everyone has to at least use their $10 slot play – 4 of us with birthdays in July got $15. Of course Terry & I were the last to leave and got a cab since it was still pouring.

7/7 – Tues

Happy Birthday to me!

We met for breakfast in the hotel at 6:30 before going for a train ride. We were told that mosquitoes were a problem at the end of the train trip so we detoured into WalMart for insect repellant before going to the depot.

The train left promptly at 8 for the trip through the Agawa Canyon. It is 114 miles each way and as the name indicates it drops into a canyon at the end. Elsie, Bob, Claudia and I went on a scenic walk with 300+ steps that ends up overlooking the train station and wonderful scenery. The rest of the group wandered around and ate in the dining car. When we returned from our hike we ate as well. We used the insect repellent and either it was really good or the mosquitoes weren't nearly as bad as reported. The train returned at 6:00. It was a fun experience with great, goofy friends.

We went to a nice restaurant for a very good dinner ($$) to celebrate my birthday. We had additional coupons for $10 free play so most of us returned to the casino. No rain so we walked back this time.

7/8 – Wed

We had breakfast at the hotel, loaded up and were on the road about 9:30. Back across the the bridge, thru customs and west on 28. We went to the end of Whitefish Point which is the site of many shipwrecks. We wandered around in lovely sunshine & took pictures. Then south to Newberry, west to Seney and north to Grand Marais. We were headed to Pictured Rocks but realized you can only see them from a boat or a hike. From there we followed closer to the coast to Munising (liquor store) and then Marquette where we stayed the night. When we made a turn in Marquette, we were surprised by a blast of cool air from Lake Superior.

It was a long day including 300 miles of riding but of course we were all up for drinks in the room before dinner. Most of us relaxed in the hot tub after dinner.

7/9 – Thurs

We had a slightly later breakfast at McDonalds and were at Copper Harbor by noon. Copper Harbor is on the end of a peninsula in Lake Superior and is the most northerly point in Michigan. We had to partake of pasties for lunch and I doubt I will order them again. Part of the way back was on a road closer to the lake with lovely views. We didn't find a motel in Ontonagon so we turned south and stayed at Silver City. Around 300 miles again today.

Our usual drinks in the room and dinner at the motel. Terry choose some songs on a “juke box” and we did a 2 step to one song – in the nearly empty restaurant.

7/10 – Fri

We had a nice “continental” breakfast in the hotel and then onto Hwy 2 to Escanaba which is on Lake Michigan. We will drive many miles on Hwy 2 which is the main southern highway across the UP. Bob & Claudia led us on a scenic drive around the boat harbor in Escanaba.

We were originally planning to stay in St Ignace on the north side of the Mackinac Bridge but decided to stop earlier. Al spotted a motel near Brevort which at first had us looking for the “Bates Motel” sign rather than the correct name of White Tail Resort! The rooms ended up being basic but clean (Elsie panicked about no hairdryer until Linda said she had one!), the very thin lady repainting lines in the parking lot turned out to be the owner who later helped out in the restaurant and the food was excellent. Our usual happy hour was held on the walkway in front of the rooms – very enjoyable.

It was Bob's birthday today so Terry ordered birthday cake at dinner. 2 small cakes and the employees joining in singing increased our usual fun quota.

7/11 – Sat

Breakfast at the motel at 9 (food just as good as dinner) and back across the Mackinac Bridge. It was quite windy today and I was surprised to realize that the rhythmic gusts were caused by the pairs of suspension cables. About noon we were at Cross Village and walked through the grounds of the Legs Restaurant. It is a fascinating place with sculptures, murals, plants and whimsical “stuff” everywhere.

From there it was south on a beautiful drive thru the Tunnel Of Trees which is exactly that – a winding road with trees on both sides that meet overhead and occasional views of Lake Michigan. We followed the coast thru Harbor Springs, Petoskey and Charlevois and ended at Traverse City. There was lots of traffic due to the Cherry Festival and an outdoor market, neither of which we choose to take in. After lunch at McDonalds, we backtracked a bit and headed east to Grayling where we spent the night.

Motels were very full so we had to make some phone calls and ended a little ways out of town. We got our rooms, went back for a bit of shopping and dinner at Spike's which is a fixture in Grayling. We had been talking about a stop at Dairy Queen so we did that before heading back to the motel for a drink and TV – that is, everyone in our room! We also made some signs for a picture tomorrow.

7/12 – Sun

We had coffee and a doughnut (provided by the motel) while we were getting packed and organized for our group picture which was obligingly taken by the manager. We did McDonalds again for breakfast and then hit hwy 127 south which was not my favorite part of the trip. Lots of traffic at high speeds made passing slower cars in the right lane a little hair-raising. We had to backtrack at one point when a secondary road was closed and this put us on the highway longer. We pulled off near Lansing to hug goodbye to Bob & Claudia who would head to Brighton. The rest of us followed Al to his place where we left our vehicles.

We got Ralph & Elsie's bike loaded on the trailer and covered and they headed out for Canada. Al's daughter Gina ordered & picked up pizza for everyone for dinner so we didn't even have to make a decision, cook or go anywhere. Love this “resort”!

7/13 – Mon

We had coffee & loaded the bike before getting Al to help me mark our motorcycle route in our Atlas. Hugs goodbye and we were on the road – heading back northwest in Michigan to Big Rapids. Yesterday we drove close to today's destination! We are going to visit friends Harold & Joann who we met in 2007 in a “memorable” RV park in Welton AZ.

I guess timing is everything as we hit heavy rain less than an hour into our drive after no daytime rain for 8 days on the bikes! Sure glad we “insured” no rain by buying rain gear. We stopped for a late breakfast and pulled into Harold & Joanne's spacious yard around noon. A short time later we parked by their barn/garage and got down to serious catching up.

Joann is going to be taking her motorcycle driving test soon so we went for a ride so she could practice and we could see more of the area and make a stop for ice cream cones. Joann made dinner and we went to bed fairly early.

7/14 - Tues

We went out for breakfast and then took a little road trip to find out why Harold & Joann's new fifth-wheel toy hauler is still in the shop for warranty repairs – after 53 days! It was about an hour away just south of Grand Rapids. The service guy in charge of their rig couldn't even find the work order. It turned out that he had totally dropped the ball (!!!) and the shop was arguing with the factory about how one repair to a wall should be done and who was going to pay. Harold got the “head honcho” into the picture and it ended up that they would do the repair tomorrow so Harold could pick up the rig on Thursday.

We went a little further to a casino where we all signed up for cards and received slot play to get us started. My $10 winnings covered Terry's $5 loss and neither Harold or Joann lost much so it was a good detour. We came back to relax a bit and then went out for dinner.

June 30th to July 3rd - to Indiana

June 30^th – Tues

Terri had to get up early to take Tommy somewhere but she was back by the time we got up & going. We had coffee and a muffin with her and then hit the road.

We were heading to a casino in Sulpher OK. An entrance to I35 was closed and I wanted to take other roads anyhow but we ended up with a bit of an unexpected “scenic drive”. We looked for a restaurant at the casino/hotel when we finished playing slots but we found only an upscale restaurant so we stopped at Carl's Jr for a late lunch.

I found an RV park online so we ended up at The Big Red Barn in Carthage MO. It was very nice. The office was closed when we got there so we pulled into a site and set up. I worked around the bike to make dinner and we ate outside with the fireflies and cicadas. We went for a walk and ended up talking to a young man – Lance – who was spending a week there between jobs.

July 1^st – Wed

We went to the office to pay for our site and chatted with Lance and the park owner. We got a propane tank filled there and were once again on the road. We had to stop soon for diesel and McDonalds for breakfast.

I wanted to go by Lake of the Ozarks but it ended up that we could see only part of one lake and it was surrounded by big, fancy condos so we didn't detour to try to check out any more. We stopped at the “World's Largest Gift Store” and then had a late lunch somewhere. We decided to go to the Casino Queen in E. St Louis but didn't want to drive through St. Louis. I had to be creative with the GPS to take a different route and cross the Mississippi River slightly further south. It turned out to take a long time as there was an accident on the freeway and we inched along for several miles.

Once again the office was closed (they close at 4:00) so a security guard had us fill out a form and then we would pay in the morning. He directed us to the side with pull thru sites so we set up and unloaded the bike. We sat outside with a drink and a snack before it started to sprinkle. We covered the bike and took the truck to the casino rather than waiting for a shuttle in the rain. The casino was not nice to us!

July 2^nd – Thurs

Got a fairly early start this morning and headed east again. Nothing exciting until we kept changing our minds as to where we were going and ended up with a zigzag route to Elkhart Indiana. The zigzag route was made worse by some road construction – thank goodness for the GPS.

I found an RV park on the internet (Elkhart Campground) and it is very nice. We had to wait for someone to finish mowing and unlock the office but got checked in OK. Nice big grass sites and away from traffic and noise. I made dinner and we relaxed.

July 3^rd – Fri

We had a nice, quiet, lazy morning and finally took the bike to get some lunch. We made a stop at WalMart for a few things and then came back to do laundry. We sat outside, chatted with neighbors and generally relaxed. We remembered that we needed to get some rain gear so we checked the GPS and headed for Dick's Sporting Goods about 15 miles away. We went a couple of miles and saw a Menards which Terry thought might have rain clothes. Sure enough, they had some very plain, inexpensive stuff that we figured was OK and bought. We really hope that we don't need to use it!!

Back at the RV park, we sat outside to read, play computer games and chat with new neighbors. Terry cooked steaks on the BBQ and we had a nice dinner.

We are going to Al & Linda's in Michigan tomorrow to spend the day & night and then start an 8 day motorcycle trip with them, Ralph & Elsie and Bob & Claudia. I may post an entry tomorrow but then not until we complete our trip as space to pack things on the bike is at a premium and I think I will be quite busy.