Dinner with Steve and Jannel

Today was a work day for us.  We made the rounds to check the sites and fire rings before all the weekend campers arrive.  The park will be completely full for the Labor Day weekend.

Tonight Steve and Jannel came over to have dinner with us.  John prepared ribs, baked beans and cole slaw. Jannel brought over some delicious cheddar biscuits.  The weather this afternoon was pleasant enough for us to sit outside and enjoy our meal.

Tomorrow we will host our weekly "Coffee with the Campground Host".  I think the weather will be a little cooler in the morning so that will be nice. 

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe. 

Working and Visiting with Friends

Monday:

John started his day off early applying an anti skid substance to the ramp at the office/visitor center at the front of the park.  After he finished with that we both went on the trash run and checked the sites and fire rings.  We are still experiencing very hot temperatures (90's).   

Tonight Steve and Jannel invited us for dinner at their place.  Steve grilled foil packets with meat and vegetables in them.  It was so delicious.  Thanks to Steve and Jannel for dinner. 

Tuesday: 

This is one of our days off.  We were running low on some grocery items so off to Fargo we went.   Since it is so far away we decided to have lunch at Hu Hot Mongolian Grill then do the CVS, Kohl's, Wal-mart and a fuel stop before heading home. 

Wednesday: 

Off again today.  Tonight Charlotte (one of the park rangers) and her husband Roger invited Steve, Jannel, John and I over for dinner.  They smoked a turkey and we all brought side dishes. Great food and great conversation.  Thanks Charlotte and Roger for inviting us.  We enjoyed it very much. 

Tomorrow will be a work day for us.  

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Steve and Jannel have arrived.

For the past two days we have had temperatures in the 90s with humidity.  It feels like the Mississippi heat has traveled all the way to North Dakota.  The forecasts shows the “hot” weather  with be with us for the rest of the week.  Uck!!!
Our friends Steve and Jannel arrived here today.  It was so good to see them.  They will be here a few days so hopefully we will get a chance to do some sightseeing together.

Fred getting some attention from Steve and Jannel.    You can tell he is enjoying it.

Today was a work day for us.  After we were finished John and I rode over to Lisbon for a bite to eat and to stop in at the grocery store.  The only place in this little town to eat was Pizza Ranch.  They have a pizza buffet, a salad buffet and a food buffet.  The parking lot was overflowing and the restaurant was a bit crowded but the buffet always had fresh food.  After dinner we rode over to the grocery store only to find it closed with a note on the door.  The owner closed the store early to have a picnic for the employees.  No groceries today.
Tonight we took Steve and Jannel on a tour of the park and town.  We showed them our work areas as well as other points of interest.
Tomorrow will be a work day for us. 
Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Trip to Fargo.

Today and tomorrow are our days off.  We decided to drive over to Fargo for a Wal-mart run and to check out Kohl’s.  I haven’t been in a Kohl’s in a few months so I was happy that Fargo had one.  So, of course, Kohl’s was our first stop.  I didn’t find any shoes there but I did find a shirt and a pair of shorts I just couldn’t leave in the store. LOL 
After leaving Kohl’s we stopped at the Shoe Carnival in the next shopping center over…..still looking for shoes.  I was in bad need of some new sandals as my old ones were ready for the garbage can.  They were just so comfortable I didn’t want to throw them away.  John also needed a new pair of flip flops.  His best pair had a “blowout” in Montana. LOL   Lucky for us Shoe Carnival was having their buy one get one 1/2 price sale.  

My old Axxiom sandals.   The bottom and straps still look good.  The foot beds worn out.  After wearing them for 3 years I think I got my money’s worth.  I think I will keep them to wear when I have dirty work to do.

My new Axxiom sandals.  Black was all they had so I grabbed them.  These are the most comfortable shoes I have ever put on my feet. 

John’s new  Crocs.  I think he wore the treads off the old black ones before the strap broke.  These will probably last him a good while.
Our last stop was Wal-mart.  There were lots of people in there buying school supplies.  I think the kids start school this week.  So glad we don’t have to buy that stuff anymore.   This Wal-mart even had TAB.  Anyone who knows me knows I love my TAB.  I usually drink only one a day but I have not had a TAB since Utah.  Diet 7-UP just gets boring. LOL 
So after spending most of our day in Fargo and spending a few dollars we drove the 83 miles back to the campground.
New shoes and two fridge packs of TAB and I am a happy camper.  It doesn’t take much to make me happy. LOL
Tomorrow will be our other day off.  I know John has a few things he wants to work on and I will be making a gallon of homemade spaghetti and meat sauce.
Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Settling into a routine.

Update on Nancy, our relative who is undergoing brain surgery.  Yesterday she was supposed to have surgery but is now suffering from pneumonia.  We received a call today saying that the pneumonia has just about cleared up and she will be going to surgery on Monday.  We are praying that all goes well.  The doctors have told the family it is a very risky surgery.
Friday morning we checked the fire pits and campsites then drove up and down the main corridor to the park looking for trash along the roadside.
The maintenance staff invited us to have lunch with them.  It seems they have tradition of cooking brats on Fridays for lunch.  We met three other park employees while we were there.  A big thank you to the maintenance staff for a tasty lunch.
Saturday morning we hosted our first “Coffee with the Campground Host”.   We were surprised when we had 10 to 12 people show up.  Everyone stayed a visited a while.  The majority of them were return campers to the park.  Later on we checked all the fire pits and campsites in the park and our job was done for the day. 
I finally snapped more pictures of the park.

The comfort station/bath house.



The park office.

The walkway leading to the amphitheater.
 
The  Elm Amphitheater. (Sorry the picture is a little blurry.  The sun was about to set)

The large elm tree at the amphitheater.  (This is the tree the amphitheater was named after.)

Playground.



The maintenance building.

One of the horse pens.

A family out riding their horses.

Sunne Farm and outbuildings at the back of the park.

The road to our campground loop.

Our campground loop.
Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

We have arrived at Fort Ransom.

Up and out of Jamestown by 9:30 a.m.  As we neared our destination, about 17 miles out, we came upon crews cleaning up the site of a fatal fiery crash.  Two 18 wheelers collided and burned up.  There were no survivors. So sad.

There wasn’t much left of either truck. 
We made it to Fort Ransom State Park around 11:00 a.m. and checked in with the office to report for our work camping jobs.  The park manager escorted us to our site then later on took us on a tour of the park and the town of Fort Ransom. 


The park office.

Our site.


Our work vehicle.
It seems our main duties are to have the Saturday morning “Coffee with the Hosts” at our campsite, clean fire rings, clean up trash on a two mile section of road and be friendly to campers.  Very easy job.  We met most of the employees of the park yesterday and will probably meet the rest by the weekend.  A nice bunch of people.
Even though we are in the middle of nowhere our phone and internet receptions are great.  That was a surprise.
The park manager has been here for 30 years so our tour of the park and town were very interesting as he knows the history of the area.

This is the only bar and grill in the town of Fort Ransom.  Looks like they were busy tonight.

This is where some of the town meetings are held.

The town’s upholstery shop.

The park in the middle of town.

The statue of a Viking on the top of a hill. 
Tonight we drove back to Jamestown, which was an hour, to make one more Wal-Mart run.  That is the closest Wal-Mart so making a grocery list and checking it twice is important. LOL
Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

On the move to North Dakota.

Up and on the road by 9:30 a.m.  

Fred was ready to go.

Yeah….we made it to North Dakota……with no breakdowns on the way. 
Our trip was uneventful and we are set-up for the night at Frontier Fort Campground in Jamestown, ND.   There is a restaurant at the campground so we decided to have dinner there tonight.  The special was a hamburger basket for $3.00 with a beverage purchase.  It included a burger and fries.  Not bad.    After dinner we made a Wal-Mart run for a few needed items because there will not be a Wal-Mart close to our next destination.

This is the restaurant and office at the front of the RV park.

These guys are housed behind the restaurant.  They serve buffalo steaks and burgers.  I wonder if they could be tomorrow’s dinner.
Tomorrow we will travel 68 miles to Fort Ransom State Park to report to our volunteer work camper jobs. 
Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

The miracle of duct tape.

We received a call this morning that my Dad’s nephew’s wife Nancy, was undergoing surgery for a brain aneurysm.  The doctors were not successful in locating the aneurysm and had to stop surgery because of swelling on her brain.  She will have to undergo another surgery when the swelling goes down.  Please keep her in your prayers. 
John was busy this morning putting the pieces of the busted air conditioner shroud back together.  Of course he used duct tape. 

Here is the air conditioner vent all back together .  Ah…..the miracle of duct tape.
After all that hard work he took time to chill out and relax with Fred.

Tomorrow will be a travel day for us.  Hopefully it will be uneventful.
Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Leaking injector line and a busted air conditioner cover.

Today started out great.  We left Havre before noon and were on our way to Fort Peck.  As we drove through town I told John I smelled diesel.  A few miles down the road he started smelling it too.  We had been on the road less than 30 minutes.  Luckily John spotted a tire company with a large parking lot.  Of course, since today is Sunday, everything is closed.  That is the reason we usually do not travel on a Sunday.  After pulling into the parking lot John went to work to diagnose the problem.

This is never a good sight.

He found the #4 injector line had come loose and was leaking.  He bled the line and tightened it.  Thank God it was something that he could fix.  In less than 20 minutes we were on our way again.   But the story of our day does not end there.  On our way to Fort Peck we went through the town of Glasgow.  There just happened to be a bridge with a clearance of 12’ 9”.  The fifth wheel in front of us went through with no problem so John figured we would too.  Unfortunately for us, the top of the bridge busted the air conditioner cover as we passed through.  That really sucked.  After getting out from under the bridge John pulled over  to check out the damage.  We were lucky it was just the cover.  The air conditioner works fine.   By this time I’m thinking…..hurry up and get to the campground. LOL


I guess we will be shopping for a new air conditioner cover.
Around 4:00 p.m. we finally arrived at Fort Peck Downstream Campground.  Yeah!!!!

Our site.
We will be here for two days then we will travel on to Jamestown, ND for an overnight before reporting to Fort Ransom State Park, ND to work as camp hosts there.
Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

On the road to Havre, MT.

Up early this morning and off to pick up Aunt Eloise to have breakfast at Sykes.  John and Aunt Eloise ordered caramel pecan French toast.  This is Aunt Eloise’s favorite at this restaurant.  She orders it every time she comes here.  John really likes it too.

Aunt Eloise’s single French toast order.  The cook made hers in the shape of a heart.

This is John’s double French toast order.  I think this is supposed to be a double heart. 

Aunt Eloise enjoying her breakfast.

John digging into his breakfast.    He said it was yummy.

Much too soon our meal was over and it was time to hook up and head down the road.  We said our sad goodbyes.

I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of Aunt Eloise standing in her front yard surrounded by her flowers.  We have enjoyed our visit her and will miss her very much.

We were on the road by 10:00 a.m.  and made it to Havre, MT just before 4:00 p.m.  Tomorrow we will travel on to Fort Peck, MT.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.