YCGL - Minnesota - Day 11&12 - Wednesday and Thursday , April 27-28 - Hayfield/Welcome - 0, 120 miles

Hello,

I am alive and well, just without internet capabilities.  Yesterday (April 27) was Sally's 72 birthday.  I got several emails and FB messages, thank you.  Erik and Liz and I had a threeway phone call and they both agreed to come to Laramie for our 50th anniversary in June.  Jaye and Jere will be there also, so it will be a wonderful family affair.  

Wednesday, I worked on the motorhome in the machinery barn.  Not warm, but much much nicer than out on the wet gravel.  Everything appeared to work, maybe too well, and I have to buy an new inverter, which I've been planning for since last summer.  

Thursday, Sat with Ray and Darlene in the morning.  Ralph and Wilma had gone to a funeral at their church, so I waited around.  I walked over to their house to make sure they hadn't come home while we waited, but no.  Finally, 2:00ish I decided I needed to get on.  Hooked up and took off without saying goodbye to Ralph and Wilma.

I needed propane.  Love's usually have their propane tanks in convenient locations at their stations.  There was a Love's in Albert Lea MN.  Unfortunately, it was old and tight to get in to.  I blocked both sides of the pumps, although someone pulled in, filled up and backed out.  Got my $160 worth of gas, but couldn't see the propane tank.  Then I saw where the pullup area was for the  propane, and the tank was not there.  

Luckily, there was a Pilot across the road and I could see their tank.  I drove up, listened to the garbled message on their squawk box.  And waited.  and waited.  Finally, I went to the Pilot store and they said,  Oh, the truck stop next door is in charge of that.  :) not.  So it took 35 minutes to get propane.  So it goes.  

I drove to the metropolis of Welcome, MN.  Sally's sister Sandy's husband's sister and her husband lives there, i.e., Carolyn and Wes. As I drove to their house, my "RV Friendly" GPS indicated that their house was at the rear of two adjacent cemeteries.  I knew that wasn't right, so I drove up the next street and it indicated the same location from that direction.  So I drove around the loop again with the same results.  (Optimism and Stupidity are defined as repeating a process and expecting different results....)  So I called.  Carolyn said "Wes saw you drive by and he's out in the driveway."  So drove the the other side of the loop and there he was, standing right where the GPS indicated I should walk to get to their address.   It ends up that they own a strip of land between the cemeteries and apparently the GPS program assumed that the location was in the middle.  

It was fun to see them again.  They had stayed over an extra day in Albuquerque with Jaye and Lyndon to see me on the last trip, so it was the second time in two months!  And, they have a 30 amp socket on the light pole next to their driveway, so I had good power that night.  

We talked about the trip, the awful weather and wind, the family, and...... she had made Tatter Tot Casserole.  That really is one of my favorite meals.  I had to hold myself back after the second helping or Wes would not have had leftovers for lunch the next day.  

All's good.