A Be-lated Anniversary Update

As I sit here in our undisclosed location in Minnesota, I can't help but enjoy the view and think about how quickly the seasons change. Maybe it is a metaphor on life in general and how quickly lives can change.

View from my window.

Even Moose is enjoying the fall colors.

This past July had marked our fifth year on the road. I can't believe that it has been five years. To me it seems like we have been off the road more than we have been on the road.  I think that that is due to spending so much time in Minnesota for one reason or the other. Don't get me wrong. I know we have been on the road because our new pickup that we bought last December already has 33,000 miles on it and it hasn't even been a full year.

In this lifestyle things happen a lot. Traveling around all of the time makes places and dates seem so long ago. Case in point. Our trip to Alaska in June and July. That was only a couple of months ago but to us it seems like years ago.

So a quick synopsis of our year and as I look back on it, it was a busy year. 

We were staying in the Barnesville Campground which is usually our summer home. I can disclose that now because we don't stay there anymore. We were working at clearing our land for building an eventual campsite to stay at while in this area. We also purchased our pickup camper for our Alaska trip the following year.

We loaded it up and for the month of August we traveled to Colorado with it to get a feel for everything. We stopped at the JBarB for a visit also.

There is such a big difference between our fifthwheel and the pickup camper, aka the Hobbit House. Size for one thing but also the ease at which you can travel around in. So even after our trip to Alaska, we will hang onto the pickup camper for awhile. 

September found us back in Barnesville. Spending time with our new grandson before we left for the winter. October we decided to head south following the "Great River Road" along the Mississippi.

Well if you remember that trip we had lost our fresh water tank somewhere along the road in Iowa.  So we decided to head to Texas to some friends house for repairs. We also committed to them to drive their trams for the Polar Bear Express from Thanksgiving to December.

"Honey, did you forget to pack the fresh water tank?"

Mike and Robin were kind enough to let us stay inside their shop for our stay there. November and December I worked for Trams R Us. Working on the trams and also driving them.

"Tram 4! I hate you!"

The wheels on the tram go round and round..........

In December we also decided to buy Gandolf the Grey for our upcoming Alaska trip.

We left our fifthwheel in Texas and drove north for Christmas. It was babies first Christmas so we couldn't miss that.

After Christmas we headed back to Texas to get our fifthwheel and make our way to Florida. We were going to drive trams at the Tampa RV Super Show, the Florida State Fair and also the Plant City Strawberry Festival for the months of January to mid March.

The Crew.

Me and Tram 4.

After our tram commitments were over we packed up and headed north along the east coast. Stopping and exploring along the way. Savannah, Charleston and up to Myrtle Beach. It was fun being in areas that we have not been to before.

Myrtle Beach.

We could hear the call of the little baby so we started to make our way west and north back up to Minnesota. We did stop in Asheville, NC for a few days and we decided that we liked that area and that we need to get back there again and explore it more.

Lisa in the Appalachians.

We got back to Minnesota and started working on our land again. Clearing more trees and more trees. We got our permits ready for our new driveway approach and started preparing for our Alaska trip.

Alaska was amazing. If you ever have the time to take the drive up there and I do recommend driving it. The scenery is beautiful and always changing. Plus the wildlife that you would see along the way.

Our Alaska trip started in June and ended mid July. We could have gone longer but the forest fires and the smoke drove us out early. Maybe there will be a next time. Who knows. We got back to Minnesota and thought our driveway would have been done, but no. We went to visit Jim and Barb in SD and of course, soon as we left they called and started it. 

It didn't take long once the started to finish it. What took the time was waiting for the inspections. But now phase one of our project is finally finished and I am happy to say that Phase two has begun. Phase two is our building site for our garage. It has been terribly wet here this fall and that is slowing down everything. The contractor said that he would not be able to do everything that we had in mind but at least he could do the pad site so that that could get done.

The ground is so saturated that the big heavy dump trucks just sank trying to get in there. So they assured us that next spring they would be able to finish.

This is our pad site for the 36X48 garage that we plan on building. It will have a cement floor but again they won't be able to pour concrete until next year. So next year it will be a busy one for sure getting that garage finished.

I would like to add that we welcomed our new little grandson, Audie. 

I like the name. If it good enough for a congressional medal of honor winner it is good enough for my grandson.

I think in my posts I need to add a section called "From a Personal Note".

So here goes. 

From a personal note, I hate Obama care. Can anyone tell me honestly that it improved the healthcare industry? Prime example number 1. We were in a transition period. Our insurance changed to another with a 3 day notice, telling us our insurance was getting cancelled. We scrambled and signed up for a different plan that would take effect the day after the other was cancelled. We didn't have our new cards and I had to go to the clinic because of an injury.

We told the clinic we didn't have our cards at the time of the appointment. They sent a bill for $135.00 for the clinic visit. Well we got our ins. cards and called the clinic office. They would submit the bill to the insurance company then. So we get a bill from the insurance company saying the clinic visit now cost $186.00 dollars. The insurance company covered $6.00 and the rest ($180.00) was our obligation. WTF is this load of BS they are trying to sell us. 

So we pay a $444.00 premium a month so that the insurance company will cover .035% of our medical bills. Unbelievable. Thank you Obama.

With that crap off of my mind, at least until the next time I have to go to the clinic, we continue on. It is November now and we are getting anxious for our travels south to warmer weather.

Our view this morning.

What the next year has in store for us, we really don't know yet. So we will just have to wait and see.