July 4, 2006

July 4, 2006.

We spent the long holiday weekend with most of my family at my sister’s house in Milwaukee. At this point we are jobless and homeless with all our possessions either in storage or crammed in a drawer in our new motorhome sitting in my sister’s driveway. This morning each member of my family said goodbye and piled in their car for the long return trip to central Illinois. That left Aimee and I. We looked at each other and decided it was our turn to get going too.

We left about 10:30 and headed west on I94. Near Madison, we picked up I90 that was going to be our path for the next week or so. Normally I am playing tour guide looking for the next thing to stop and see or do, but right now I am anxious to get out of the state. Southern Wisconsin is backyard for Chicagoland. Besides gas, our first stop is at the Minnesota state line on the Mississippi. The river is much smaller here than in Alton, IL where I grew up. Minnesota has the same high bluffs but they are covered with vegetation and on the west side of the river instead of on the east.

We drive another hour or so and pull into a private campground outside Austin, MN. I walk into the office and try very hard not to act like a rookie. Unfortunately, after checking in, I walk back to the RV and discover I left the keys in the ignition with the doors locked. @#$%^&!! I never ever do this at home, but I do on the first night of our great adventure. To my sudden relief Aimee pulls her set of keys out of her purse. First emergency averted.

We are pleased to find out that private campgrounds have gone modern and offer wireless internet. We both sit in the RV dinette on our laptops sending bon voyage emails to friends.