4 Here we go!

     The week prior to our trip we wanted to say a few farewells.   We first stopped at  Pioneer club Wabasha MN, (best kept secret on the Mississippi) a great place for us to catch up with our good neighbors and friends.  Our favorite here is the steak quesadilla.   Then on to Yahooligan’s in  Kellogg  MN Ruthie’s favorite here is the shrimp,   Breakfast at the Town and Country  Cafe also in Kellogg,  If you stop in be sure and check out the dessert  board, say Hi to Patti and ask for the Ruthie Special.   By the way make sure you let Donnie know we aren’t in Arizona. ( private joke, he will get a kick out of it).   I know it sounds like all we do is eat,  On a motorcycle it is called RTE ( ride to eat)

Nov 22, 2012

    Thanksgiving Day,  after a few weeks of preparation and years of  dreaming and planning we left our Pioneer home and headed out on our trike,  towing our camper with hopefully  everything  we would need for the next four months on the road.  GT snapped a picture of us in front of the Pioneer Club Wabasha  MN and wished us well.  Thanks Gary.  We looked a little like Ma and Pa kettle. ( look it up)  I think we have everything, after all the trip is going  to be four months.  The temperature reached 61 and we thought this was going to be easy.  Later that day Ruthie asked me if I knew the temperature, I guessed 73.  Unfortunately a front had moved in and it was 40 with wind gusts up to 51mph.
     We stopped at our K-daughter and family  in Byron MN for Thanksgiving and early Christmas.  Friday  was spent with last minute preparations, a new gps (was planning on just adding maps to our old one however thanks to a black Friday special it was better to buy a new one with life time maps)  to update and  mount on the trike.  A trip to Bowman’s safe and lock , to pick up some more padlocks .  Thanks  for the extra key Joe,  He said it was good we were doing this while we were young.  I had thought the same thing but thought people might think I was teasing.  A gps tracker for family and friends to monitor us.  And a evening with  family.  We are greatly blessed .
    Saturday, we left Byron, evidently it was to cold as their was no reading on the Gold Wing  thermometer until it sat in the sun for a while,   It had a reading of  18 degrees when we pulled out on Nov 24th   We were dressed in multiple layers.  I think Ruthie looked a little like Darth Vader.   The temperature had climbed to 30's  by the time we reached Calmar Iowa.  Stopping at  the Train Station we enjoyed the prime rib and pork dumpling soup.  We stayed long enough to get warm,  we missed a turn in Postville Iowa and realized it when the sun was on wrong side of bike. Did a little circle and got headed in the right direction.  If you check out gypsy tracks for that day you will wonder if we were headed back home. We were starting to feel the cold more so decided to find a place for the night.  Our little detour had put us a little off the beaten path,  to avoid driving at night we headed across the river to Prairie Du Chen Wisconsin.  Lots of rooms there.  We were fortunate to find a room directly across the bridge.  Fortunate indeed great room and service, even a omelet chef with the courtesy breakfast. 

Sunday Nov 25
     Stuck in a hotel room with a lost remote.   It was Good Morning America, now it is politics, in the old days you could actually turn the knob on the TV they said the south is colder than the north, Ruthie, said maybe are we heading the wrong way.
      On our way out of town we stopped  by Nelson's true Value,  Great people, David set me up with a work station so I could epoxy my helmet ( not as bad as it sounds.  )   and we were on our way.
     Our goal today was to keep heading south along the river perhaps Ball town?   One of our favorite views of the river valley .    And maybe Fort Madison Iowa and their Christmas parade?  Waiting for a reply to their Facebook page.   Does anyone monitor it?  We will see...