2 RV's to Suamica WI

... spending the night at Green Bay WI

Alarm ...

Without breakfast we were able to get going at 7:15, so a few minute jump on the day.

We need fuel and we want to leave the car close to full now thqt winter is back, so we stop at the Loves in Albert Lea.

We get to the RV's at 10 AM. Easy to find our paperwork and our RV's, there are still not that many of them in the lot.

As we are doing our inspection, one of the shuttled drivers stops and asks about my placards, they are hand made by me. We talk a bit and he says that there are <> 80 more RV's in the adjacent lot. (I hadn't counted them yet ...) And then he hands me his card, he was drumming up business. Pretty slow for them guys lately.

When we got to the office it looked like someone had slept on the couch, and there was still an article of clothing on the floor ... and a laptop on the table but no one around. Then I found a shuttle receipt on the ground. I couldn't remember the code to get back in the building so I just laid it where it would not blow away. Before we left, everything was picked up so we assume it was the only other driver there this AM. We didn't talk to him.

There were about 40 RV's to be flat bedded out, those are the ones that used to keep us busy. And there may have been another 40 RV's to be driven out. So it's a start.

... on the way down, BB was looking at past years and saw that they seem to dump about the last weekend of the month ... so we were about 10 days early sitting home for a week hoping they would dump. We should have done local for the week.

BB has a half a tank of fuel, I have 1/3. We had hoped to get to St Charles for fuel but not likely.

When we leave, we are not past the city limits and I loose one bar of fuel. 20 miles down the road I loose another bar. Albert Lea is about another 20 miles. I don't chance it, we stop at Northwood at the Kum and Go. We add enough fuel to get to Omro based on 20 mpg.

We had been getting 20+ mpg at 55 mph and a stiff tail wind. Then when we headed north and upped that to 65 mph it dropped to 10+ mpg.

2nd stop was the Loves / Hardee's in St Charles for food.

Eagles, we saw a few ... on the ice, in the trees, on their nests, in the air. Maybe a couple of dozen that could all be seen from one spot. I was surprised they were that close together when the water has been mostly open this year.

We had also seen two in Burnsville, but I forgot to look at the next by Forest City.

3rd stop was the Loves in Oakdale for a break. We have gained enough range that we should be able to make it to Omro before fueling.

A few miles north of Oakdale I see dozens of turkeys in a field, next to a travel trailer. Not sure how many were decoy's if any but I did see some of them walking.

People do not like people who drive the speed limit. People passing us at 20+ mph over, even in town.

Noticed one lake where there was a lot of open water, and a lot of newly frozen ice ... that there was a guy out in his portable fish house. ??? I didn't see a boat near the fish house.

Amish were out today. Out in their yards, they all seemed to just gotten home from somewhere.

4th stop is Omro, my low fuel light has come up but I still have a range of 60+ showing on the dash.

We still figure 20 mpg and put in enough fuel to get to our final fuel. When we are ready to go, BB calls and says her van stinks. Not like gas, so we think maybe the battery. She'll keep the windows open just in case.

Before we get to the freeway, I loose BB, and I see someone in the distant rear on the shoulder with their four way flashers on. I'm in a round about so I go around ... and then she is there. (She had missed getting through a stop light) So I just go all the way around and we are rolling again.

Somewhere we had miss guessed on the time. We like to be off the road by sunset and tonight we are pushing last light. As it is getting darker I notice someone in the on coming traffic that still doesn't have their lights on. I'm in the center lane so I don't flash my lights at them. Less than 10 minutes later, I finally realize that I do not have my lights on yet. Well after sunset. Opps. (BB had flashed her highs at me but I missed it, and she didn't want me to think something was wrong and pull over)

We get to the hotel and park. When BB goes around to the passenger side to get her stuff out, the FOB won't open the doors. (I notice that the blinkers barely came on when she did that) So I suggested she try to start her RV again. COMPLETELY DEAD. Not sure how we made it to the hotel. She had to unlock her doors from the inside, then we moved everything to my RV, just in case.

She did call the breakdown number and they said to jump it if possible. Not sure that is a good idea. We'll see what happens in the AM.

Plan had been to maybe call on another WI trip at 8 AM. Or do one of the trucks back to MN/ND. Now that is all off the table until we are delivered.

IF we get her RV started, we will get that one delivered before we come back and get mine. Plan had been to get both RV's to the drop exit before delivering one and going back a few blocks for the other.

Food was from the Kwik Trip next door. They were clearing the shelves so our choices were limited.