Life On The Road With Niki | RVing solo

  Chanhassen Auto Plex is a private garage condominium complex located in Chanhassen, Minnesota. It is known for its: Private Garage Condominiums: Chanhassen Auto Plex provides car enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to own their own private garage condominium. These garages range in size from 1,200 to 5,000 square feet and offer various amenities, including climate control, lifts, and workshops. Car and Cave Shows: Chanhassen Auto Plex is known for its annual Cars and Caves car shows, which take place on the last Saturday of every month from April to September. These shows showcase a wide variety of classic, collector, and exotic cars, as well as motorcycles. Man Caves: Many of the garage condominiums at Chanhassen Auto Plex feature elaborate "man caves" that are designed to be the ultimate hangout spot for car enthusiasts. These man caves often include features such as home theaters, game rooms, and bars. Events: Chanhassen Auto Plex also hosts a variety of other events t...

Here’s an utter unusual and unexpected place. Retrieving Freedom, Inc. near Sedalia Missouri is a a pleasant surprise. They are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that trains and places Service Dogs for veterans with disabilities and children with autism nationwide, completely  free of charge to the recipients. Their brand new facility is located just out of town on a stunning property with a lake and hiking trails designed for the physically disabled. They train and have placed over 300 Service Dogs to assist with specific tasks for their clients, such as mobility assistance, seizure alert, and emotional support. In addition volunteers provide loving homes and basic training to future Service Dogs during the first stage of their journey. They partner with colleges, universities, and correctional facilities to provide training opportunities and raise awareness about Service Dogs. In their career development program they hire and train local residents to become Service Animal trai...

  My cousin Bob and his wife Betsy invited me over to play a card game called Hand and Foot with a group of friends he had been playing with for years. I had never heard of the game before, but Bob assured me that it was easy to learn and a lot of fun. When I arrived at Bob's house, I was introduced to the group of players. They were all very friendly and welcoming, even though I was a newbie. Bob took the time to explain the rules of the game to me before we started playing. The game was actually quite simple to learn, and I was able to pick it up quickly. I enjoyed playing the game, but I wasn't very good at it. The other players were much more experienced than me, and by helping me, I was able to win the first hand.  The next day Bob took me to his farm to show me his new Bad Boy brush hog and his new shed to house it.  I was impressed by how well-maintained his farm was. He had mowed the areas around his fields, and it looked like a beautiful park. Bob told me that he...

One of the best things about traveling is having time to visit with friends and family so I was able to have lunch with my step sister Evelyn and my step brother Grif. Evelyn is a retired teacher and horse show judge and Grif trains horses. We don’t get to visit in person too much so it was fun to catch up on our favorite activities.  Cousin Bob knew that I liked antique cars so we went to see his friend JR who had a 1931 Ford that he restored.  Finally before I left I had to pay my respects to my father, mother and my wife Dee who passed away and are buried near Sedalia in a little country cemetery. Niki went with me to pay her respects. She misses her “mommy” too. 

  Sedalia, Missouri is a small town with a lot to offer visitors. It's home to the Missouri State Fairgrounds, which hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including the Missouri State Fair, one of the largest agricultural fairs in the country. My grandparents lived nearby and I have many happy childhood memories of attending the fail. If you're planning a trip to Sedalia, I highly recommend camping at the Missouri State Fairgrounds Campground. It's a great place to stay, especially if you're on a budget. The campground has over 300 full hookup sites, all of which are first come, first served. The nightly rate is $35, cash or check only. The campground is located on a gently sloping hill, with thick grass covering all of the sites. I recommend choosing a spot near the top of the slope in case it rains. There is no shade, so in the summertime, you'll need air conditioning. The campground is also within walking distance of the Missouri State Fairgrounds, so it...

Imagine thousands of campers gathered near Kansas City, embarking on a long journey west. Camping back then was no picnic. These campers had no flat screen TVs, microwaves, refrigerators, or air conditioning. They were headed west on the California, Oregon, and Santa Fe trails. To commemorate this event Pioneer Crossing Park is constructed where these three trails converge. The main reason for my trip is to reconnect with some of my favorite people while I am still able to travel, and I haven't been disappointed. Last night I had the pleasure of eating a hamburger at Grandstand Burger with Dave and Doris, friends from college. Dave is my fraternity brother and grew up near where I am camping, so he knows the area well. We had a wonderful time updating each other on our mutual friends. The next morning I was able to have coffee with Linda and her sister Betsy. Linda is the wife of Gary, my best friend in high school who passed away several years ago. We talked about the great memor...

The first overnight stop on our way to Kansas City was at the Corps Of Engineers park at Perry Reservoir. At a nearby campsite we met a guy named Doug who had a big dog chained to the picnic table. It must have been happy hour for Doug because there were 4 empty bottles of beer on the table in front of him. Niki was riding on my scooter and got very quiet. I noticed that the dog was on a leash so we politely exchanged small talk and continued on our way.   That evening, I called Ron, a fraternity brother who lived nearby. I wanted to see him after all these years, but towing a trailer to his house seemed to complicate parking. We did have a good phone conversation. The next morning  as I drove by his business  Pines Wheatgrass next to the highway, I decided to pull into the parking lot, on the way to Kansas City. Unfortunately, he wasn't there. As I pulled into my spot at Walnut Grove RV Park, a kind lady from across the way offered to help me back in. I gratefully acc...

Our next adventure was a trip to Hotchkiss, Colorado. Jalene's cousin had invited us to stay at her vacation home, but she had to leave early. She was gracious enough to let us stay for a few days anyway. The route from Cortez to Hotchkiss took us through some of the most beautiful places in the Rockies. We passed through Durango, but since we couldn't ride the steam train without Niki, we decided to stop in Silverton, the train's destination. Maybe we'd get a glimpse of it. We explored the town while we waited. Jalene suggested ice cream, so we found a place that looked good, the Elevated Coffee Company. The ice cream was delicious. This place was connected to the Grand Imperial Hotel , so we had to take a look. There was an antique grand piano in the lobby, so Jalene asked if she could play it. The desk clerk said it was out of tune and probably wouldn't work, but Jalene insisted. To his surprise, it sounded pretty good. We waited around town a little longer, but ...

 Our hosts Chuck and Ann in Cortez were so gracious and we felt so welcome to be guests in their house. You could tell their home was designed to accommodate guests. For example in my assigned room when it was time for lights out I was astonished to see hundreds of stars shining overhead. The next day I asked Ann about this and she said that was one of her grandkids rooms and her daughter had applied glow in the dark stars to the bedroom ceiling.  Ann prepared the best meals for us and Chuck shared some of his interests with us. What interests a retired dentist? Would it be antique and classic cars? He has reduced his stable of cars down to 4 at the present time, a 1948 Willys, 2 1955 Chevrolets and a 1930 Dodge. One evening our conversation turned to my interest in antique engines and I told him aboutk attending a rally at the Florida Flywheelers site near Fort Mead where there are plenty of activities around antique engines of all kinds. Chuck disappeared into his basement a...

  One item on Jalene’s bucket list was a ride on the steam train from Durango to Silverton. We were both excited to see the spectacular scenery on the 45 mile ride. I called ahead to ask if Niki could ride along with us and was told only service dogs were allowed on the train. We considered leaving Niki with Ann for the day. I decided that it would be too traumatic for Niki to be left alone all day based on her past behavior. I wish we had more time to try and leave her alone with Ann for awhile and observe how she behaved because I could see Jalene was very disappointed. Chuck suggested a plan B for us. We would spend the day visiting some sites that most tourists don’t take the time to visit.   Our first stop was the Sand Island petroglyphs near Bluff, Utah. Do you know the difference between a petroglyph and a pictograph? Of course you knew that petroglyphs are created by carving, engraving, or scratching the rock’s surface in order to reveal the lighter layers beneath and ...

 Leaving Sterling and stopping in La Junta for the night we arrived in Cortez the following afternoon. Jalene arranged for us to stay with her childhood friend Ann and her husband Chuck. The first night Chuck and I were treated to an organ and piano concert in their home by Ann and Jalene. Ann is a long time church organist and Jalene teaches piano. The next day we were up for a new adventure. Mesa Verde National Park is a short drive from Cortez so we loaded up Chuck’s 4wheel drive and headed for the mountains. Our first stop was the visitor center where we were briefed on what we were about to see. Chuck was the perfect guide to the park because he was the one who had  worked on the bus tour giving the narrative and telling jokes to the tourists like the time the passengers were disembarking from the bus in the parking lot telling them to watch out for the cougars, cobras, mustangs, vipers, wildcats and jaguars.  Our first stop was the Spruce Tree House site. The park r...

As we travel across western Kansas, we may see things that are new and surprising, such as stone fence posts. How does one build a fence when there isn't a tree in sight? The abundant sandstone provided the answer. Many of these old posts are no longer used, and people collect them for yard decorations About 20 miles down the road from Sterling, in Stafford County, is an artesian well at NE 140th Street nearHudson. The well was reportedly drilled by a core driller studying geological formations in the 1930s. In 1958, its output was measured at around 6 gallons per minute, but today the flow is much less. Unfortunately, the water is not drinkable but it feeds a marsh nearby.   A little later, driving down the road, we saw a dust devil off to the left in a freshly plowed field. A dust devil is a short-lived whirlwind that looks like a small tornado. Some dust devils can cause damage, but this one was over before I could get a good picture.