Travel update

[Nuts]

We've made it as far as St. Louis, and I finally have a few minutes to check in. Despite my having lost all the keys to the truck and trailer the night before we left, things are going well. I had all of the spares but one. The locking bolt that prevents someone from removing the hitch from the truck was new and both of those keys are on the original ring, which I hope I "packed" in the trunk area of the truck bed. We'll find out when we unload in Colorado. Hubby started to get upset, but I reminded him that finding a lock smith or someone with a blow torch to remove that case hardened pin was small stuff in our lives these days. He agreed.

So far the wheel chair accessible rooms with roll in showers have been great. They've even been on the first floor! The door opener buttons are hit and miss, but I've gotten good about letting the hotel know about things like that Last night's Hilton Garden Inn even has a bed on legs, instead of blocks, so a lift could be used.

Oh--I almost forgot--the chair that we just got back with a new motor started spinning on it's own again the night before we left. Seriously. So, the Frontier is now his primary. It's big tires make quite a splash in hotels and resturants. Between it and the slide board we get hubby in and out of the truck with some effort--he stays there until we stop for the night. Late starts and shorter days make this doable, but if we are fortunate enough to replace this van in another year I REALLY hope we can get one that will tow a trailer.

For this year, I am the queen of cargo straps and bungee cords!

 

[cheerleader]

You are the queen of much more than that! Kudos to you for ALL you do for the man you love.

 

[Gembead]

Well done Nuts , your travel journey begins, thanks for keeping us informed
Love and hugs Gem

 

[scaredwifetx]

Yes Nuts you are the Queen! Hope you have a wonderful time and find the keys!

 

[Green Queen]

Awesome! I'm so jazzed for you that you are actually getting accessible rooms!

Looking forward to more news.

God bless, Janelle x

 

[gooseberry]

Congrats on making it so far. Keep that sense of humor and have some fun

 

[Barbie]

Nuts, I agree with Cheerleader--you are the Queen! Thanks for taking us with you!

hang in there and keep smiling!

 

[affected]

DITTO! DITTO! DITTO!

QUEEN NUTS (off with their heads if they don't provide truly accessible facilities!)

GO GIRL, I really need a holiday so this is going to be great travelling with you!

 

[Nuts]

Queen Nuts--I like it!

We had breakfast with an old friend of Matt's this morning. She meet us at the hotel so we didn't have to transfer him in and out of the truck at a resturant (once he's in the truck in the morning, he's there until we stop for the night. So far it's working).

Tonight's room at a Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Topeka, Kansas, is a double queen, and boy is it cramped. The bathroom is fine, but there's barely room to get the PWC through the room. From now on, kings if we can get them.

We walked (well, I did) down the road to Hooters for dinner, and ran into a Vietnam Vet in a Permobile. We chatted through dinner and the guys had to have a race before we parted. The Frontier won, hands down.

Tomorrow we'll finish crossing Kansas, and I'll be on the look out for those ruby slippers!

 

[cheerleader]

Nuts, FOR SURE you have not lost your sense of humor through this journey. You and Big Mark would make a great pair- except you aren't as naughty with your humor. Thank you for sharing your spirit- it is contagious! Hugs and love. Hope the slippers fit! Donna

 

[Nuts]

Donna, so far we're both maintaining! Hubby is in such a good mood about this trip that he's contageous. It's wonderful for both of us.

We had a couple of close calls today while traveling across the beautiful state of Kansas, where gas, food, and lodging are all few and far between. The first one involved having to unload the chair from the trailer in a hurry at a rest stop (whew), and the second happened when the fuel light came on and there appeared to be no gas stations...anywhere! I swear I started looking with 50 miles on the tank, but I forgot that this was Kansas. The first place the gps took us was a dirt road leading nowhere. The next dirt road it took us to DID, indeed, have a single pump with one grade of gas and diesel. Half of the buildings surrounding it were abandoned. Thank heavens for daylight, because this is not the kind of place that has a lite sign. It was just a garage with a pump and no brand name. Oh well, people who live on dirt roads need gas too.

By the way, I think Kansas is beautiful--the cattle land more than the farmland, but it's all so open and clean. I'd forgotten just how much I love traveling across this beautiful and varied country of ours. The gin and tonic with dinner wasn't bad either

We will make it to Grand Junction tomorrow, where upon unloading the back of the truck we will either find the missing keys OR start looking for a locksmith or blow torch to get the locking pin out of the hitch. Personally, I think that sounds like work for the men--after all, I lost the keys, they should now do their part and fix the mess.

 

[zoohouse]

Nuts you make me laugh, I love your slant on life.
Paulette

 

[affected]

Fabulous reading your updates Nuts - that gas light was a worry but of course you solved it, and definitely fair someone else solves that locking pin if those stupid keys don't do the right thing and materialise.

I love to think that hubby is having such a great time and you are queen of the road.

2 G&T tonight girl, let your hair down :lol:

 

[Nuts]

Tillie and Paulette, I'm glad you're on this trip with me! If I'm entertaining you, it's the least I can do for all of the advise and support you provide!

We had a small incident in the room last night. I was getting my sweetie into bed and he pulled his chair in between the two queens (beds, that is). You know how it is--I had to crawl back and forth over the bed to get him undressed and into the bed. There was a large tumbler (than heavens not glass) full of icewater on the nightstand. You know where this is going. Poor man, he looked at me like he didn't know if I was going to dissolve into tears or swear. I just burst into laughter. I guess that emboldened him, because me he now has a wife who butts into his water along with everything else.

Sleeping in beds without rails or electric head/feet taking it's toll, so I sure hope that hospital bed is delivered and set up by the time we check into our hotel tonight.

For now, we're not sleeping so we're up and on our way. Today is the drive down the mountains from Denver to Grand Junction that my sweetie is worried about (because I'm driving). Hmmmm, this might be a good morning for those misplaced sleeping pills....

 

[scaredwifetx]

Oh Nuts! thank you for your wonderful updates on the trip and your outlook on life. you started my day off with laughter. I am so glad that the two of you are having a great time and that no matter what happens you can keep your sense of humor. Hopefully, some of the positivity from you and several CALS on this forum will rub of on me.