We got going earlier than the original plan as it was warmer than we expected when we got up. After breakfast we stopped at WalMart and walked out with bags full instead of the one item we walked in for.

Stopped in Forest City to fuel as to leave are car on full. Less chance of not starting? Neither of us can remember how old the battery is in the car. We put a new one in the van last year after it didn't start one morning in Forest City. Luckily the office was open and the have a jumper pack.

Not nearly as cold as last trip when it was 10 and wind out of the north. Today it was 19 when we pulled in and wind from the south. Also today we pulled up our RV's so other RV's were blocking the wind instead of being out in the open.

We are in and out in just over an hour. Both of us have enough fuel to get to Clear Lake. BB can't get her plate on so we cable tie it instead of using the screws. On her's the screws just screw into the plastic and are often stripped out. Mine wouldn't start with just the main batteries so I had to use the coach batteries and it started right off.

Fuel at the Flying J in Clear Lake, half hour down the road to Floyd to the Wagon Wheel for food. Always been good food ... and cheap. Hope the new Love's across the street doesn't put them out of business.

Our next usual stop is in Ely just south of Cedar Rapids at the rest area. We had looked at staying in Cedar Rapids just in case ...

Clarion is / was our stop but it was no longer listed so we searched for it and found that because they had not been paying their employees that the Choice chain of motels had dropped them. Too bad, it was a very nice place and cheap, always very well kept up. Not sure if it's a temp thing or if they are gone for good. Name was still on the building when we went by today.

Not even an hour and a half to Moline where the weather advisory is but we hit rain before that. We had the daylight hours to go another hour to Gailsburg but we held up in Moline. As we are going up the off ramp, someone else is coming down the cloverleaf and spins out. Parking lot at the motel was glare ice.

Checked into the Quality Inn and then drove about two blocks to Montana Jacks. This is the first time we have driven but we didn't want to walk on that far on this ice. Just walking from the parking lot into the motel was a slow process. Not too crowded.

I like their potato salad on their salad bar, but when I asked the waitress if I could sub fries for the potato salad I completely lost her. I tried to explain myself a couple of times and then just said I would have the salad bar as my order. Whew ...

BB ordered ribs and chicken which was way more than enough for both of us so I had some of hers besides the salad bar. Food was good but the meet seemed like maybe it had sat a few minutes on the counter after it came off the grill. Not cold, but not hot as it should have been.

I even taped over the lock on my only door so I could get in tomorrow morning.