Like MacArthur...we did return!

Like the swallows of Capistrano, the buzzards of Hinckley Ohio, and General MacArthur at Corrigidor; we returned to our old home town. No one can deny that Battle Creek isn't the town it once was. No longer can you cruise your 51 Chevy through the Sip-N-Nip, get a hot dog at Hosh's, or buy some luggage at Robinsons. Most residents can no longer say they work for either Kelloggs, Ralstons, or Post. You can't get on a North Central DC3 at Kellogg Airport and go to Chicago or even watch the Central HS band march down Main Street every Friday night when there was a home football game ... but you can see your friends and family who didn't bailout out on the old town and have prospered and thrived there. Though we've not lived here for over 30 years, there is still an almost tangible feeling when driving into town. Maybe it the faint smell of cooked cereal in the air from the remaining cereal factories or distinctive city skyline, I'm not sure, but it something that lets you know you're home.

We had made some hasty reservations at the PG's luxury RV resort and grateful we did. Only one site available and not a full hookup at that. Started with only about 105 volts when we first plugged in but it later rose to 120v as they apparently unscrewed a couple of the bare bulbs draped around the property. We thought we were going to have a lake access site, but as it turned out, we had to go through the owner's house, down through the basement, down a steep hill before getting to the lake. It actually wasn't so bad as they had lots of video games and a slot machine to play with along the way. The site wasn't as level as advertised either. Not that we were standing up when we slept at night but it wasn't hard getting out of bed. They did give us a very reasonable rate and actually invited us in to join them for a meal.

When we first pulled up to the resort we kind of thought this was a small mom and pop operation, it's owners putting in the normal 80 hour work week trying to keep the place afloat but soon realized at the dinner table the first night that this was a big, multi-state operation. The godfather and godmother (our secret nicknames for them) were seated and, as it turned out, the Chicago faction was in town and joined everyone at the table. We were, to say the least, a little more nervous than usual as the couple had, what some could describe as, a pit bull at their side. Better behaved than most, it was still crouched at its owners' feet ready to defend. Also seated was an affiliate of the 'family' who soon will be controlling one of the areas finest bodegas. My guess is that once that bodega is running, others will follow. The competition will not have a chance. We didn't say much at dinner, but was polite and non-threatening. In retrospect, with the food as good as it was we wondered if they had ever thought about getting into the restaurant business. We said our goodbyes and slunk back to our coach. Carefully locking and re-locking the door...just in case.

Just in case any of you actually believed any of the previous rhetoric, let me clear up a thing or two. Paula and George (and their neighbors) graciously allowed us to park our rig in front of their lakeside home for a few days. It saved us from the WalMart parking lot and was very much appreciated. Their collective family, Jason, Geoff, Kim, Scott and Peaches and Adie (Peaches and Adie are dogs), were all there and and we enjoyed seeing them.

We stayed put for a couple of days visiting with Sharon's parents, Cliff & Harriet, and sister, Gay, and my Uncle Frank and Aunt Florence as well as friends Bill and June and generally relaxing. Surprisingly something we haven't done much of lately.

Sharon found these party go'ers hanging out at the local pub. They joined us and before long they were almost like family.

Too soon, our time here had come to an end and it was time to make the last 100 mile- journey to home base. Twenty-three (23) weeks on the road. Approximately 5700 new miles on the coach and over 8000 additional miles on the tow car. The least we payed for diesel fuel was $2.59/gal at the beginning of the trip and $4.19 a gallon somewhere in Kentucky a week or so ago. Our average site charges per night were about $37.00. 'Not too bad', I'd say for the caliber of places where we camped. We had originally planned on several 'free' nights at WalMart or Sam's along the way, but for safety reasons we choose not to. Probably too paranoid but we were more comfortable. We spent more money on eating out than we had planned but looking back at all the good times we had with friends and family, we have no regrets. We travelled around in the tow car far more than I also had planned. Not one regret there either as it gave us the chance to see many new places.

We've met some interesting new people and made a few new friends. We visited dear friends and relatives along the way and had a great time with them as well. We visited old homesteads and ate some really fantastic new foods. We've accumulated a bunch of new travel stories that will occasionally spring into our future conversations if we think of them.

The coach, with the exception of a couple of minor issues, performed like the classic carriage she is and we already miss being on the road with her.

Now we must begin another chapter and that's where you readers can have some input. We enjoyed putting this blog together and I am looking for ideas to keep it going until we start our next trip sooooooooooooo .. if you have any suggestions on subjects you'd like me to talk about, things we've done on past trips, or whatever... please comment below. Stay tuned as we're still 'livin the dream'.