Day 20 – Door, Window, Notch (aka mounds of multi colored mud)

Narration Here.

Up more or less early due to time zone change, coffee some b-fast and off to today's trail selection. MJB had selected a nature trail but on the way there was a sign saying it was closed so option 2 was a trail head that had several shorter and one longer trail. The team agreed to use the shorter trails as warm ups and then see if they wanted to do more. Appropriately named Door trail was a short walk to a ledge with a large opening that let one view the valley of spires down below beyond. Window was similar with it's own unique view of the valley below. Notch was a bit longer and rated 'strenuous' because halfway down the path was a wooden ladder that once ascended promised to lead to a spectacular view of the White River Valley. It was an out and back so at anytime a hiker could opt to perform and about face, and head back. Less than 1 mile in to the hike the ladder loomed up the side of a steep rock. Several other groups were allowed to pass as the Smitanic threesome caught their breath and contemplated the value to exertion ratio of the climb. Kevin easily made the assent followed by Theresa right behind him and then MJB who took her time but was determined (or maybe scared) to get to the top. After another celebratory pause it was onward to see the Notch! The trail wound thru the spires along a dry creek bed and then finally ended at a large opening between 2 peaks. The view was indeed spectacular and well worth the sweat and sore knees! By the time the threesome returned to the car it was unanimous that no more trail hikes were needed... at least until after lunch and a nap!


The RV's AC struggled to have an impact on the relentless heat of the day. It was doing it's best to maintain an inside temp just at the 80 degree mark. Once the sun lowered towards the horizon however the shade gave some relief and the warm breeze made the outside tolerable to prepare the evenings meal. Three Sams Club size chicken breasts that were more like turkey breast were thawed, along with a salad and rice was on the menu. More than enough for a tasty meal and even some for leftovers!

The campground had been evacuated during the day leaving lots of empty sites, it was Friday night so as expected campers with Tents, RVs, as well as pop ups started to roll in to claim a spot until there was little selection left.

The three amigos split one of the ginormous chicken breast and were quite satisfied as they relaxed outside in the shade for a moment before the clean up would begin. Circling the campground by the Smitanic was a bicyclist, fully loaded with front and back panniers looking like he was in search of a home for the night. Kevin shouted “Dude, we got Chicken and rice over here come tell us your story!” There was no hesitation, the allure of a good meal was exactly what was needed! Introductions were made and Theresa set up another table setting for the new visitor to partake in the feast. The young bicyclist, Cameron Hatch, had been riding for 2 months and had already cover 3600 miles. He never trained for this epic adventure he just bought the bike for the ride.  He had started his trek in Anchorage Alaska and has not shaved nor had a hair cut until the end. He was riding to raise money for his cousin and family members who had a rather rare hereditary cancer. His goal is to ride all the way to Argentina in South America by August of 2016. Here is his site http://pennies4miles.org/

It did not take Cameron long to relay his story and answer the 1000 questions that were fired like the Spanish Inquisition at him, while devouring one entire chicken breast. “Hey there is another chicken breast would you like it” Theresa offered. “If you don't mind that would be great!” He systematically devoured the second hunk of meat and washed it down with a Mt Dew. He said the park ranger had told him to just find someone willing to share their site for the night so of course the response was “mi casa su casa”. Kevin said “dude if you would like a shower you can use the RV”. Cameron took that offer with a resounding Yes !

The stars were out in full force again and Cameron shared a nice iphone app called Star Chart that he used to ID constellations. He was also equipped with a solar charger that was strapped onto the back of the bike. As he rode during the day light hours it would charge a battery that he could then use to trickle charge phone and GPS systems. On his new claimed, shared, camp site he could easily plug right in to get all the devices fully charged for his next day.

Cameron would be heading east in the AM and the Smitanic would be heading West so farewells would be said in the morning. The moon and stars did align in bringing Cameron and his story and allowed great camping Karma to be passed on.

Day 19 – Hot time in the Badlands (It's not so BAD)

Narration Here.

After 2 successfully brewed cups of coffee Theresa got the honor of posting the state on the brag wall on the RV slide out since it was her first time ever in SD.

With the new breaking system it only took about 15 minutes to ready the vehicle and Toad for departure. The route was a little over 200 miles on I90 and into the Badlands National Park. Two stops were made on the trek, one at that rest stop in Minnesota that included memorabilia of the Louis and Clark expedition. The second was a lonely Pilot Gas stop to fuel up. It was shortly after noon (CT) when the exit was made of of I-90 and into the Badlands National Park.

Immediately after the turn to the south there was a lit sign warning of road construction ahead, it flashed between that message and one that the road was not suitable for RVs ! Yikes what's up with that? Kevin pulled over just outside the park entrance and Theresa called the campground office. The advise was to ask the person at the entrance if they think the Smitanic would be OK. The park ranger explained that there was only about 100 feet of gravel that would have to be navigated. The go ahead was given by the ranger and Kevin felt a bit more confident once oncoming big rigs were spotted coming out of the park.

About 3 miles down the road The Smitanic was stopped in a line of vehicles waiting for a single lane stretch of gravel road that was monitored by a worker. The flagman who would release the line of cars once it was clear to switch directions. After about 45 min of waiting the Stop sign was turned to a Slow sign and the line of vehicles began to move once again.

Reservations had already been made for the park campground using Kevin's Senior Park Pass, so the camp host just directed Kevin to the designated site. Only 50 amp electric hook up was provided at the site so the campers would need to conserve water, as well as use the camp restroom facilities as much as possible. Kevin let the automatic leveling system try to level out the coach but it ended up lifting both driver side tires completely off the asphalt ! Not good! The jacks were quickly retracted and manual deployment was applied to get as close to level as possible with all tires on the pavement. Ahh success!

Over a quick lunch a choice for an afternoon hike was discussed. Already into the high 90's, hats, water, and sunscreen would be required for the selected Saddle Pass Trail. Once at the trail head it displayed the difficulty as 'Strenuous', which was the most difficult in the 3 scale rating system that also included lesser choices for Easy and Moderate.

The three hikers had high hopes for some step counts on their fitbits so they all started down the path. Meeting two young men with packs on the team inquired where the trail went and how difficult it was. The young men pointed to the tallest peak and claimed, “We made it all the way up there”. Mary Jean was fearful of her problematic knee so she told Kevin and Theresa to go on and she would just hike around the foot of the climb. “Give us 30 min and we will meet you back here” Theresa suggested. Up she and Kevin continued following the trail signs. The strenuous rating was indeed accurate as the pea size rock denied any sure footing as the incline progressively got steeper and steeper. It was only a short .25 mile to the 'saddle' where the trail intersected with 2 other trails. At this spot the rough terrain turned into a wide flat grassy prairie. Kevin felt inspired to climb to the peek that the young men pointed to, and once there hollered down at MJB below.

The decent from Saddle Pass was faster but still treacherous on the loose rock. Sweat was pouring off all team members. Back at the car the AC was turned on to take the edge off of the now 98 degree heat.

Venturing by car further down the Badlands loop road there were several breath taking overlooks each with a unique panorama of spires, buttes and color. The road curved in and out of the formations and up thru open grasslands riddled with mounds that were home for the native Prairie Dogs.

Returning to the campground it was time (now on Mountain time) to prepare dinner. Parkerburgers (made with hamburger from Dave Parkers beef), cowboy potatoes and salad were on the menu as well as some beverages of choice.

Once the sun completely set the camp chairs where set up so that prime star gazing in this remote area could commence. The big and little dippers where IDed as well as Cassiopeia. Several shooting stars slashed across the sky with very visible Milky Way setting the backdrop.

Plans for early hiking tomorrow were made to avoid the heat of the day as everyone settled into bed.

Day 18 - Slap the Keurig

Narration here.

One cup of coffee was consumed while getting a walk in around the Flying Goose campground. There were many stationary fifth wheels as well as trailers with wooden decks and storage sheds lining the shore of Lake Imogene. A swimming beach was at one end of the park and had some floating platforms and a volleyball net. White Pelicans, seagulls and ducks dotted the lake as they drifted on its surface.

Returning to the RV, Theresa was ready for her 2nd cup of coffee. Filling the Keurig with a Starbucks Veranda K-cup she pressed the large cup button. The familiar whirling noise was heard but then followed by a troublesome grinding followed by some clicks and no coffee was dispensed. The Microsoft solution was attempted next by turning the machine off and on which did not solve the issue. Perhaps the coffee machine did not have enough power since the AC, toaster, water pump as well as hot water heater were all sucking power from the 50amp connection. All those devices were turned off then Theresa again attempted to brew the java with exactly the same failed result. Crap! Yet another appliance that needed to be replaced! Disappointed and not fully caffeinated ,Theresa, committed to researching potential solutions on Google during the drive out of Fairmont.

The route for the day would be about 200 miles straight on I90 from Flying goose to Mitchell Dakota, there was some construction but Kevin was generally pleased with road conditions and light traffic.

The destination was Mitchell,SD home of the worlds only Corn Palace, which would be a must see! The plan was also to look for more Geocaches in the small town.

The Dakota Campground is a Good Sams approved park that featured a very inviting swimming pool pull thru sites and a very reasonable $23.50 for full hook up. The RV was quickly hooked up and the AC turned on as the temps were approaching 90 degrees. Snacks and beverages were consumed before the adventures would head into town. Theresa had discovered via google search a recommended procedure to fix the now failing Koerig. It suggested to remove the water repository and turn the machine upside down and give it a good spanking... not a light tap but a forceful slap. http://www.coffeedetective.com/how-can-i-descale-my-keurig-kcup-brewer.html

Theresa followed the process step by step and had no issue with taking her frustration out on the device that denied her the needed morning caffeine. Next step was to run water thru it without a K-cup inserted to clean out any debris that may be clogging the dispensing orifice. Whala water came out! Thank you Google and all who post solutions that work! Coffee will be served in the AM!

On the short drive into town the visitors followed signs to the infamous Corn Palace. The exterior of the palace was re-corn-structed using corn products every year resulting in a different theme that represents current events or celebrations. Admission was free but there were plenty of venders inside that would gladly take your cash! The mural covered walls served as the back drop for a large stage and venue for bands, rodeos, basketball games as well as other large events. The brochure and website were riddled with corny puns just to butter you up. It was worth the price of admission!

The team then Shucked the Corn Palace and headed to a nearby park along the river to hunt down a Geocache. The first was a micro cache and after a short search was found wired to a tree branch. A second cache in the same park was down the trail that followed a frisbee golf course and described as a 'Tree Crack'. The three examined every tree that looked like it could house a small 'treasure' in a crack or a crevice. The search was futile and soon the prize-seekers reluctantly returned un-rewarded to the vehicle.

The next day would be a lengthy 200 miles on I90 into the Badlands so an early start of 9AM was planned.

Day 17 – Hobo Camp

Narration Here.

MJB (Mary Jean Blaisdell) says let the adventure begin! The first stop would be a short 94 miles to Fairmont, MN where Kevin spent a few of his early years, up through grade 4, learning how to ride a bike, playing in the park, and fishing.

The Flying Goose campground came highly recommended from Aunt Carol and Uncle Bill who spent many a summer on Lake Imogene and the other 5 lakes in the area.

Set up was easy since only electric, and water hook up were connected. The pull thru site was 100 feet long, which was plenty of room for the RV and Toad, in fact the toad stayed connected to the RV until fully docked in the site.

A trip into town would primarily be to find Kevin's old home and school. A side trip was also planned to search out a Geocache in the area, and get some items at the grocery store.

An earlier google map search had located Lincoln Park where Kevin was sure his old house was located. He recalled times that he would walk from home to the park, just down the street, to play on the swings (which were now MIA) and rolling down the grassy hills to Lake George. The park was nice and well maintained and had houses, many with boat ramps, lining the shores. Walking down to the water, Kevin looked up the hill and pointed to his old house, “That's it !”. On the subsequent drive around the block Kevin stopped to take a few pictures of the front of the 1.5 story house. Kevin has very fond memories of his first grade class walking to the house to see his room that was painted like a circus tent complete with life size images of a ring master, seal with a ball, a kid buying a ticket at a booth, a Lion and tamer, and a juggling clown! All skillfully hand painted by Kevin's mom Glorianna.

A nearby boat ramp supplied an ideal place to capture the serenity of the area with the Drone!

About 2 blocks from the park was Lincoln grade school where Kevin attended Kindergarten thru 4 -5th grades. This brought out a 'Lincoln' connection in Kevin's life...played in Lincoln Park, attended Lincoln grade school, and went to Lincoln HS... hummm.

MJB had identified a GeoCache near a local park. The Toad was parked and the hunters were off in search for the hidden 'treasure'. Kevin headed across a cement walking bridge and yelled at Theresa from the other side. MJB and Theresa quickly took after him to find themselves on a floating path, that wandered past a Hobo Camp. This was a viable Hobo Camp up until the late 1950's. It was there that the vagabonds would be fed by the towns folk and stay to await a passing train to take them to the next destination.

The path continued under a bridge and into another park that housed a Train depot and a prairie dog exhibit. The group failed to find any Geocaches this time but did find these other treasures that made the hunt worth the effort.

One last stop a the store then back to the RV to warm up some leftovers collected from the various IA feedings for dinner and do some more blog catch up.

Day 16 – Take a Brake

Narration here.

MaryJean and Theresa took Zin on a morning walk around a small lake behind Nancy & Jacks place. Then with a little Breakfast and showers it was time to head out the 15 miles to Forest City, home of Winnebago, for the scheduled service. Most of the installation of the new Air Force breaking system involved the Toad but the service folks need both vehicles to make all necessary modifications. The RV was needed so that the technician could splice into the air brake lines and run a line to the back bumper of the RV where an external air hose connector would be installed. That connector would then feed air thru an air line between the RV and Toad. The Air Force 1 installed on the toad would then use the air pressure created by applying the air breaks on the RV and replicate that same result onto the breaks of the Toad.

Carol and Kathy led the way in Carol's van to the Litchtsinn Motors RV Service center, and would then be able to take the team on the planned outings for the day while the service place did their thing.

The first site on the day's tour was Pilot Knob park which claimed to be the 2nd highest point in IA. Carol claimed “You can see 7 counties from the top”. Kathy added “My dad helped in the construction!” The trail to the top was short and steep and at the top there was a rock turret with stairs leading up to an observation deck. The view was truly spectacular and no doubt could see 7+ counties that included rolling farm land speckled with wind generators. A few moments were spent there until Kevin got a call from the service place requesting for us to return to remove the bicycles from the Toad so they could put the car on a lift.

The team returned to the service center within 20 minutes. The bikes were extracted after removing the severely torn and beaten bike covers purchased on Amazon Prime just for this trip. Those were a disappointment!

The tour resumed with the next stop for lunch at 'The Other Place' which had as special 'The Other Sandwich' which was a yummy French dip that could be easily shared!

After lunch Carol drove everyone over to Elma's house on the South Shore of the lake. This was the site of many upon many Smit family get togethers that Kevin fondly recalls from his youth. Days of walking down to the State Park beach to swim and savory holiday meals with smells that filled the ranch house and basement apartment. Elma wanted Kevin and Theresa to see her garden that was patriotically decorated with a flag and old bicycle that would illuminate at night. The flowers were in prime bloom and a bounty of seasonal vegetables consumed the back half of the garden. Elma truly has a green thumb!

MaryJean had looked up a GeoCache on the other side of the state park which would give Kevin an opportunity to snap some shots of the park. MJB used an iPhone app to guide the treasure hunters to the cache coordinates. All three crawled into a thicket of pine trees looking high and low for the target object (geo cash), described as a Kitty litter container. After 30 min of searching and covered with tree debris all efforts were abandoned as it was time to head back to Elma's for the rest of the tour.

At 4:00 Kevin got a call that the RV was ready and it needed to be picked up by 4:30! Back to Forest City to check out the new breaking system! The service guy took the RV crew thru the steps to set up the Toad. One thin spiraled hose replaced the bulky Blue Ox Patriot Break Buddy. Nice! No struggle, just a simple visual verification that the break on the car was applied when the break on the RV is applied and ready to go! Kevin paid the bill, the team hooked up the toad and headed back to Clear Lake to dock the Smitanic once again at Nancy and Jacks.

It was Carol and Bill's turn to host dinner in Swaledale, IA just a 10 min drive away. Bill and Carol had recently remodeled the entire inside and outside of their house. Bill did all the woodwork that included the kitchen cabinets, floor to ceiling built-in selves, several chests and bathroom vanity. His first attempt at tiling was perfect in the new bathroom shower. Better than any DIY show! Carol had every room decorated with a theme and coordinated colors and motif. The outdoors had 3 platform seating areas as well as a firepit. This home was truly the definition of comfort and warmth!

Bill cooked Pizza's and Carol had prepared lemon cupcakes, and white chocolate chip Brownies. Yum Yum Yum.

As food coma began to take hold the trio bid farewell with a promise to return soon.

Returning back to the RV a load of laundry was started while hijacked bandwith from Nancy and Jack's helped upload more pictures and post blog write ups.

Tomorrow would be a transition in the trip from family visits and reminisce to bucket list destinations!

Day 15 – Clear Lake Clan

Narration Here.

The Bonderant rain stopped by early morning which allowed the RV awnings time to dry out a bit before they were stowed for travel. For the final time the Break Buddy would be set up as the appointment had been made to replace it in Forest City, IA. It took 3 tries this time!

Many Thanks you's and good bye hugs were exchanged with Connie, Joe and their gracious neighbor Vic. The last step was to get Zin in the RV and head on out. Theresa called the pup to come and get in the RV... Zin acknowledged then started heading back to Connie and Joe's front door. Theresa called again more firmly... “Zin, Come!” Zin picked up her pace to the front door as if to say “I'm staying here with my new BFF and Joe. I like it here!” Theresa did not blame Zin for her excellent choice of new owners! Zin had to be led back to the RV by her collar. Once at the door she flayed out all 4 legs and dug in deep to resist being shoved reluctantly into the RV. She whined for the next hour.

It was a short drive, 111 miles up I-35 to Clear Lake, IA where the Smitanic would dock next at Kevin's cousin Nancy and her husband Jack. The Smitanic had portage there a few years back as it crossed Iowa for the RAGBRAI bicycle ride, so it was a known spacious port of call.

Once settled in, with the jacks down and slides expanded, Kevin's other cousins and aunts began to arrive! Aunt Elma, 92 yrs old, feisty as ever, came with Kevin's cousin Kathy and Aunt Carol who was looking good, along with her husband Bill. Kathy's daughter Alyssa and Kathy's husband Steve arrived a bit later. Everyone enjoyed dinner and catching up on what everyone was doing, who was working, where they were planing on going and/or what was growing in their gardens.

A facetime call was made to Kevin's mom & sister, Glorianna and Torreen, so that the entire Clear Lake Clan could say hi and see them. Elma just loved that technology! A great time and lots of laughing were enjoyed as memories of past visits were recalled from the viewpoints of each relative.

Plans were made for the next days transportation requirements to the RV service place as well as lunch and a bit of a tour of Clear Lake that included a stop at Elma's.

Day 14 – Memory Lane

first custom home

Narration here.

Kevin was up early as he was very excited about his 11AM meeting at the Urbandale pool with his x-swim team members who could make it. Theresa and Kevin left plenty early so that they could drive by their last house in Urbandale not to far from the pool. It was the first new house that the couple had built and presented lots of building challenges during its construction. The foundation hole had been dug wrong, the foundation was poured wrong and basically the wrong house was built! It was however on the right lot so the plans were redrawn by Theresa. The contractor then built the house from that point on using those hand drawn plans. The result was a unique floor plan. Kevin and Theresa moved into the house just before Thanksgiving and the house was enjoyed for 9 months until it was time to move to San Diego in 1984. The house looked good and seemed to be well kept. Kevin snapped some pics and then it was off to the pool.

The pool looked closed as Kevin approached the front door. The posted hours indicated that it would be open at 1 pm for lap swim, however a bright pink sign announce that the pool was closed until Sept 8th for maintenance. Kevin took some pics of the outside of the pool.

A bit before 11am Kevin and Theresa were greeted by Jerome and Tom. Tom shared artifacts from the first ever Urbandale swim team.

They included; old meet schedules, team rosters , score cards for the meets, pictures, news clippings of several event results, cartoon drawings of each team member created by an artistic swim team member, Brad Smith.





Theresa noticed someone was moving around in the pool. Kevin knocked on the door to learn it was open. He visited with the pool manager and explained he was there with the first ever Urbandale High School team members, and that Kevin was hired as the pool was being built to develop the swim programs, pool rules, hire and train the staff, act as the first pool manager, develop all the swim lessons, create an age group swim team followed by being the first Urbandale High School Swim Coach. Impressed with those credentials the group was invited in to examine the old digs. Surprisingly the pool was still in great shape as Kevin and his swimmers recalled HS antics that were a daily occurrence at 5:30 am or 4 pm practices. Just a few more shots of the group outside and then it was time to depart with promises to remain in touch via Facebook.

Kevin's tastebuds were salivating with the thought of a Smitty's Tenderloin sandwich on the southside of Des Moines. This was on the way to see more old residences as well as to pick up Theresa's sister, MaryJean. There was little that was recognizable on the once very familiar route form Urbandale to the airport on the south side. Once on Army Post Road a few of the old landmarks were still there including a DQ as well as the slightly relocated Smitty's. The small rustic old dinner style establishment was equipped with round bar stools at the counter that overlooked the entire cooking process. Kevin announce to the head cook, “The last time I had a Smitty's tenderloin was in 1971!” The cook said “then that must have been down the street when my granddad ran the place!” Kevin then learned that Smitty's has been a proud family business for 3 generations and the current proprietor has his son helping so he will be the 4th! A large Tenderloin sandwich was ordered to go with a side of onion rings, a large diet coke to wash it down and a commemorative t-shirt. This would be plenty for Kevin and Theresa to share as they sought out the places they called home in the past. On the first bite of the deep-fried- breaded-pounded-pig-meat, Theresa delightfully sighed “It tastes just the same!”

First house

Kevin's grade school house

Buryl and Judy Roe

On the west side of Fort Des Moines (now a Army Reserve area) Theresa navigated Kevin to several houses including the house where Kiehl was born which was across the street from Burl and Judy Roe (Kevin and Theresa's family friend & boss). During Kevin's Jr High and High School days he and his family lived next door to Judy and Burl in a 2 story house. Kevin therefore lived in two houses on the same street across from each other. As Kevin snapped the picture of the first house (the two story from his jr high and highschool years) a guy stepped out onto the front yard (of the first house Kevin and Theresa ever owned). Theresa asked “sir do you live here?” He replied “Yes” Theresa then announce “We used to live here”. After some discussion of the timing of his purchase he turned out to be the guy who bought it from Kevin and Theresa in 1983! He recalled 'Crazy Judy' (not Roe) that lived next door as well as other neighbors, all but one who had moved away. The house was in a state of disrepair and even had the same paint trim that Theresa recalled painting more than 35 years ago!

Kevin's HS home

There was one more house to locate that was the one where Kevin's family lived when he graduated from HS. After several wrong turns and back tracks there were finally some familiar side street names that led to the right block. Not recalling the house number it was a process of elimination to identify the correct split-level with the garage on the left. Glorianna, Kevin's mom, would be pleased to know that it looked very well taken care of and very nicely landscaped.

Blaisdell family home

Howard and Phyllis Lemons

The next stop was at Howard and Phyllis Lemons who lived across the street from the Blaisdell's during Theresa's formative years. Howard and Phyllis were mom and dad #2 to the 5 Blaisdell children and very close friends to the parents, Chuck and Helen Blaisdell. MaryJean had arranged with Phyllis to let her park her car at their place wile MJB is on the Smitanic adventure thru Glacier National park. Since Lemons are a few miles from the airport, it will be convenient when MJB flies back from Montana. Hugs were shared as well as an update on David and Ronnie, the Lemons' sons. Group pics where snapped as well as a few of the old Blaisdell abode across the street. Howard and Phyllis are doing well and are an inspiration on how to maintain a great life attitude as time passes.

Zin was left with Joe & Connie while the house tour and MJB pick up took most of the day. Joe had taken Zin for several walks and Connie gave her treats and became her new BFF.

Before dinner Kevin got out the drone and did a couple flyovers of the Robinson's estate which backed up to a community lake. Joe drooled over Kevin's new flying camera and the command central that would project the birds eye view from the drones camera on a iPad mounted to the remote tethered around Kevin's neck. See previous day's post.

Kevin in turn had been drooling over the red 2001 corvette parked in Joe's garage! Joe backed it out of the garage and took Kevin for a spin and then let Kevin try out the the smooth precision and acceleration that the iconic classic embodies. Kevin now has a new buck-list item... to own a Toadvette. 


Connie had spent all day in the kitchen preparing a Iowa style dinner for the visitors that consisted of Hamburgers, Connie's famous potato salad, macaroni salad, home grown tomatoes that Joe procured from a neighbors garden while walking Zin, corn on the cob and chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert! Good thing there is lots of hiking in store for the Smitanic adventurers!

With food comma setting in, the team headed into the RV before a storm headed in from the NW. There was little wind and the awnings were out so no rain made it inside and the light patter on the RV's roof lulled the adventurers into a deep slumber.

Day 13 – Deja vu

Narration here.

Coffee started the day as Kevin and Theresa consumed bandwith on the Muller network. Will left in the wee hours of the AM, but final hugs were given as Lisa and Taylor each exited for their daily grind. At the predetermined time of 9AM the Smitanic was relegated to the cul-de-sac for the dreaded Toad connection ritual.

To the amazement and delight of Kevin and Theresa the illusive 'Ready' message on the break buddy was presented on the first try! Kevin immediately shouted “dont touch it!”. Theresa had no intent to do anything but turn off the Toad engine placing the key in the off #1 position and release the parking break so it was ready to roll!

Most of the days route would be on I-35 north into Iowa and around Des Moines to the final destination of Bonderant. Seemed like every 10 miles there was another work zones were the 4 lane divided interstate was narrowed into 1 lane each direction with aged concrete and barricades lining the edges.

As the the route would round West Des Moines the plans where to meet Theresa's IBM work buddy Becky and her husband Craig at a new gi-normous mall where the RV could be parked without obstructing traffic so the 4 could meet for lunch. Zin was left in the RV with the AC running while the Peppers and Smits updated each other on their latest challenges, adventures and off spring. To the amazement of the returning Smit's the entire Westside of Des Moines had expanded beyond recognition, after all it had been almost 35 years since the Smits claimed this area as home.

By 2pm the entry to the Robinson lakeside retreat was entered. The toad was unhooked on level ground near the lake. Theresa then drove the Toad into the cul de sac and parked in Connie and Joe's drive... Joe stepped out to greet Theresa and questioned “Where's the Smitanic?”. Just then it rounded the bend and consumed every inch of the circular destination. The docking point had been arranged with a neighbor, Vic, who had also graciously accommodated the beast in 2011 for RAGBRAI. Neighbors like that are very rare and so very appreciated!

As the team discussed the proper dockage for the Smitanic Kevin recalled a challenge with the RV entry steps hitting the drive on the previous stay so he opted to depoly the jacks manually to reduce the risk of that being an issue this time. The awnings were deployed to reduce the sun's affect on the interior temp, the camp chairs were set, out and beverages where prepared as the old friends sat in the summer shade, and caught up on things as they waited for Connie to get home.

Connie first meat Theresa when they both worked at Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines. They both were on a Hospital softball team and quickly became friends and started doing activities together. Connie and Joe introduced Kevin and Theresa to bicycling, and intern the Smit's introduced Connie and Joe to skiing. There were many years of RAGBRAI and skiing adventures as well as countless BBQs and get togethers. Kevin and Joe trained together and competed in the first mainland Ironman competition back in 1980. Kevin even taught Connie some swimming stroke techniques for her first Hawaiian Ironman!

After a nice dinner at Chillies there was a short visit with each of Connie and Joe's sons at their prospective houses. Mike and Donnie lived nearby with their wives and families and it was very special to see the success and share the family values that they have carried forward.

It was going on 10pm when good night wishes were said, and the plans for tomorrow were reviewed. Kevin had made connections to meet with some of the Urbandale swim team members that he coached, and MaryJean (Theresa's sister) would join the adventure, and then there was a planned cook out with the Robinson's.  More drone flyovers form Kevin:

Day 12 – Ship Shape

Narration here. 

It took until 10 am and 3 cups of coffee to accomplish the Smit household bills, check book balancing and expense recording chores. As part of the gainfully unemployable it is a critical task to see where all the unqualified dollars are going while there is minimal dollars to offset the outflow. Also included in the to do list was cleaning the RV, Kevin shook the rugs while Theresa got out the vacuum and started from the back and worked her way forward since everything pretty much was leaning that way on the “pancake flat driveway”. As the living room area was reached Theresa noticed that the beater bar was not turning. Arrgh! After a bit of diagnostic fiddling, it was concluded that it was time for a replacement!

With that rather depressing to-do completed it was time for a bit of physical activity! Taylor knocked at the RV door and was granted entry ”Permission to come on board Captain”, “Permission Granted”, was the proper exchange between Taylor and Captain Kevin.

Two alternative hikes were suggested for the days activity, but one did not allow dogs so it was quickly eliminated. The selected route was a 3.5 mile hike on a shared mountain bike trail and had been named after Taylor's dad Will! (so says Will).

 Taylor drove all 4 of the hikers and dog to the trail-head about 5 min from the house. The Will's Wander trail quickly headed into the shade and was slippery in spots from recent rains. Being the first and probably only hikers on the trail today Lauren lead and was quickly surprised with cobwebs that crossed the path at face level! She screamed then quickly relinquished the lead to Zin so that at least the webs at knee height would be cleared by the hound. Theresa had Zin on the leash so she would brave the higher web surprises. The trail as it's name implies meandered along with a gentle slope weaving in and out of the trees whose roots created technical obstacles for mountain bikers, and Kevin's feet. Theresa screamed once as a large net of a shoulder high web that included occupants caught her off guard as the trail passed a large tree trunk. From then on any overhanging branch or narrow passage would be cautiously passed looking for web evidence. There were several intersections where the trail crossed with other trails. Will had informed Taylor that the Left option would always be the correct choice. This proved to be confirmed by the posted trail signage. One intersection had some of the trail markings warn off. After consulting the map and Taylor texting his dad, they were informed that they should be at the next turn. The hikers ventured just a bit further to discover the 'Go Left' correct option. The path that returned to the parking lot was open and grassy, which allowed the team to remove big chunks of accumulated mud off once clean tennis shoes.

Everyone was hungry so Kevin and Theresa took orders for a nearby Subway. The sandwiches were quickly consumed and then Kevin and Theresa went back to work on more to do list items. Kevin did a search and made some calls to find a place in Forest City, IA close to their Sunday-Tuesday stop to determine if they had the parts needed and availability to install a new air brake breaking system for the toad on Monday. This was to replace the now failing and frustrating Break buddy that could take more than an hour to initiate each travel day. Kevin learned that the parts would have to be ordered. He pressed the parts department to see if they ordered the parts today would they arrive by Monday. He was placed on hold while the parts department checked with the dealer. “If we order today we could MAYBE have the parts by Monday” was the reply. “Great, can the service department fit us in for sometime Monday” was Kevin's next question. “Don't know the Service department and the parts departments are two separate groups, I will have to transfer you to them”. “NO, Please put me on hold and ask the question for me and let me know” was the plea from Kevin. “OK, Hang on” (music plays in the back ground....all our service technicians are busy with customers, this phone call may be recorded for quality purposes, your call is very important to us – repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat,.......) “The service department manager is with another customer can I have him call you to see if they can fit you in” was the final offering from the parts department personnel. Kevin then offered his cell phone number in defeat.

After Will and Lisa returned home all circled the chairs to enjoy a beverage and discuss plans for next summer when Lauren will be playing a golf tournament in NC and Taylor could get scuba certified!

Ring Ring Ring. “Hello” replied Kevin. “This is Daniel with the Service department, I think we can fit you in Monday Morning at 10am”. “Fantastic, we will be there” Kevin squealed in delight.

Dinner for all was at a local Pizza place where build your own pizza was the specialty. Kevin tried to stump the guy taking orders but after a few ingredients the guy behind the counter quickly caught on to Kevin's kid-in-a-candy-store-one-of-each selection process. The pizza was quite tasty and all left ready with food comma setting in.

The outdoor theater provided by the RV exterior basement TV provided a comfortable viewing for the televised Republican debates as plans were discussed for the departure the next day around 9 AM. That time was suggested as to not interfere with neighborhood traffic as the break buddy could take a while to get the Ready light.