Getting Ready

We spend a good part of the day getting ready to break camp and head north on Friday AM.  That meant cleaning things and packing up.

The biggest job I tackled all day was to wash our Honda, Kelly's Solara, and Adam's Pathfinder.  I also put a coat of The Solution on them so they are cleaned up and ready to go.

We will tow the Honda; Kelly will leave her car in near Detroit with Rod and Lisa; and Adam will drive the Pathfinder.  

I was finished with the hoses so I separated them, wound them tightly and repacked them in the crate and stowed them back in the basement.

It was pretty convenient to have them hanging on the post for the last three months right next to the water spigot.

The grill needed a good scrub before I put it away so I did that too.

I am anxious to see how our new bike rack works.  I hope they get more protection since they are right near the back of the roadrunner now.

I mounted them and put the protective bike bag over them, and then checked the other basement compartments to see if I had most everything put away snugly.

I am getting there...
Next, we had dinner outside by the campfire and topped it off with smorz.

It was another beautiful evening on the lake.

That wrapped it up for us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Thanks again for viewing!

Wednesday Cooker

First, let me say Welcome to our latest Followers:

Judy and Emma

Thanks for joining us!  We are almost at 130 ~ whom will be the next to sign up and get us there?

Yesterday was h-o-t.  I like the warm weather and the sun so it was a nice day.  I am not used to running the air conditioner all day in the Roadrunner and around town while I ran errands.  But that is what I did.

After breakfast, I listened to Adam's getting interviewed by CBC Radio Ontario on the Ontario Morning show with Wei Chen.

I am amazed at how far and wide the story of ForTheLoveOfMeghan has gotten.  The word continues to spread.  She was an amazing woman for many reasons but especially because of the way she dealt with breast cancer, starting with her first blog post about it on the Bee's Knee's.

We miss her every single day.  She was re-diagnosed in January and the cancer had spread.  The doctor told her parents to 'make sure she had a good summer' because they didn't know how much longer she had.  But she didn't make it to the summer.  Adam has made it his mission to complete her list of goals  (at the bottom of the link).  He moved from Wash DC to the Detroit area a year ago to be with her and it was it was the subject of his is latest post:  fire at night.

After the radio interview I got with my things at hand.  I am in the 'getting ready to leave mode' and tending to departure items.  Since we will be in Canada almost five weeks and it is about time for an oil change, I found a Wal-Mart and got that done.

I also found a distributor of 'The Solution' and picked up a gallon.  Those two errands took me a lot longer than I expected.  When I returned to the Roadrunner it was mid afternoon.

I kept in touch with Pam and Kelly as they continued their drive from Dallas to here in New Hudson, MI. They were on the road by 8:30 AM leaving from near Nashville, TN where they had spent the night.  They arrived at about 7:00 PM and dinner was waiting.  Our friend Rod drove over after work and brought leftovers from the 4th of July shindig at their place.  It was nice of him to do so and great to seem him one more time.

That is all today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thank you for viewing!

Planes, Bikes and Boats

Yesterday I had Pam at the Flint Bishop International Airport at 5:00AM for a 6:00 AM flight to Dallas.

She got there in plenty of time, had a brief layover in Chicago and got to DFW about 9:30 AM.   She is driving back up here to Michigan with Kelly and Ed (her dog).

I got back to the Roadrunner, had breakfast, went for a good run before I finished the wax job on the Roadrunner.

It is supposed to get 'Step 2' but it isn't going to happen in this heat...

After lunch I found a nearby bike trail 'Hudson Valley Trail' and went for a one of the longer rides I have had in a while.  I think I went about 12 miles and found another trail 'South Lyon Trail Head'.

I came back in time to heat up some 'chili mac' for dinner and ate on the banks of the lake.  I built a fire and sat in the shade and made some phone calls.

Pam and Kelly almost made it to Nashville last night before the checked into a motel.  They should be here tonite.

Before the sun went down, the boats were out on the lake.  I haven't seen so many here in the water at one time.

It was a bit warm so a boat ride was appealing.

I read some before I turned in and called it a night.  That was it for yesterday on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Thanks for viewing!

Sunday, Friends and 4th Celebration

Pam and I got up at our usual Sunday time and made it over to the 9:15 AM service at Oakpointe Church in Novi.

Then we made the 45 minute drive to Rod and Lisa's to see them and Jon and Barbara again and to celebrate the 4th of July:

We had a barbeque scheduled and Annie, Steve's 2nd daughter, made the patriot dip for the chips.
(We got to meet Steve and his three daughters:  Gracie, Annie and April).  It not only looked great, it also tasted great!

We talked a lot on the back porch and

managed a few games of ladder ball before the grill got fired up.

Steve is a big fan of the matchless starters and it took a while, but mission accomplished and Rod got chicken and brats going.

After the great food, we had to get a couple of pictures of Barb, Pam and Lisa.
One with the sunglasses

and then without and the subsequent sun grins...

We left a little after 7:00 PM because Pam had an early flight out to Dallas the next morning.  Before we left, Steve's three daughters (Annie, April and Gracie) showed us the poodle carriage their mom has.  She wasn't able to join us because she has had some tooth and pain issues the last couple of days.

We got home before the sun went down but it was hot in the coach so we turned on the air conditioner.  After things cooled down we went to be in time for the fireworks to start.  :)

Hope you had a great 4th of July and thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles.

A Fun Day with Hawaii Friends

Yesterday we went over to Rod an Lisa's house together with Jon and Barb.  Jon and Barb live in Buffalo NY and we all decided to get together for the 4th.  We all lived in Hawaii back in the mid 1980's and have been friends since that time.

One of the first things we did was gather round and Pam gave Barb a signed pair of pink boxing gloves.

Yes ~ she has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and will probably have surgery within the next few weeks.   She goes back to the doctor next week for consultation.

While the girls sat around and chatted, Rod and Jon took me out for my first ever round of Disk Golf.  It was pretty humbling but fun.  They have played for years so I was learning from some guys who knew what they were doing.

I had mostly OK shots with some pretty week ones and made one from about 15 feet which was nice.  No birdies, a few pars, mostly 'others'.  They did much better and finished the 18 holes 9 and 10 over par.

Next we went back to Rod's and hung out on the back deck and in the back yard.  We played some ladder ball.

We also had a traditional hamburger dinner and did a lot of eating and chatting.

And we enjoyed the beautiful evening.

Hope you are enjoying the 4th of July weekend.

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles.

Sand, Mother's Wax and Balloons

Yesterday was another gorgeous day in Michigan!

The sun was out all day and the forecast is for more of the same.

About 7:30 AM a big truck came down the road and stopped near our friend's Dave and Kathy's campsite.  They are seasonal campers who have been coming here for the last eight years.

He is a builder and the sand was for his own little beach by his boat docks.  The campground has a beach at every lake but it doesn't look like they have ever put in any sand.  So Dave decided his grandkids could enjoy their own beach while they hang out on the deck next to the dock and watch them.  It's a pretty nice set up.

About 8:30 AM I decided to get into gear and clean the Roadrunner.  Really clean it.  I washed it completely and kept running into cob webs.

Those things keep coming back.  Even though I knock them down with a broom, they come right back the next day.  Maybe the wax will change things.  I had to take the bikes off the back and set them aside.

After that, I got the ladder out and got familiar with my Wax Attack Polisher:

In fact, I spent all day on the business end of this thing.  The Roadrunner looks good after polishing, but it is a lot of hard work.  After experimenting I think I like The Solution to remove the water spots left after the wash.  Then Step 1 wax which is a polisher.

I spent about 6 hours at it yesterday and have one slideout and the back of the coach to finish.  Then I will use The Solution on the hard-to-get-to places and the very top near the roof where the polisher wouldn't fit.  After that, I will use The Solution on all the windows and chrome.  Then I will only have Step 2 (the sealant and glaze) to apply.  I have my work cut out for me for the next few days...

Late in the day we saw some hot air balloons.

That was pretty cool.  There must be some event going on nearby.

That was it for us on a great Friday to start off the 4th of July weekend.  Have a great one!
And thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Alan Colmes and the Toronto Star: For The Love Of Meghan

We got an email from Adam two nights ago saying he was going to be on Alan Colmes' internet webcast program. Who knew Alan Colmes had such a program?

His program is called~ "strategyroom - the Alan Colmes Project" and it is more than news and politics.  Apparently he had read about Meghan and Adam and was interested in finding out more.  So at 1 PM yesterday, we all logged on an waited.  Sure enough ~ there they were...

You can see a video clip of the interview by clicking on the link at the center of the page.  Be warned, it takes a few minutes to load.  But it is worth it.

For the Love of Meghan

Alan is quite the pro and did a great job of leading the conversation and bringing out the main events of Meghan's life with cancer the last two years.  He also asked how they met, why he stayed with Meghan during her illness, why he moved to Michigan, what Meghan's list of goals were, how long Adam was going to be working on the 'list', how he was going to pay for trips and how far he has gotten on the list.

Next weekend which would have been their wedding ceremony for friends and guest at Meghan's grandmother's cottage in Tobermory, Canada.  There will still be an event at that time but nothing formal.  We will all be there for a gathering and time of remembrance.  In August, Adam will take a train ride across Canada.  Meghan and Adam had planned the trip for their honeymoon.  In September he will go to India and teach for three months at the Merasi School which is partnered with a non-profit out of Manhattan.  While Adam was in NYC a few weeks ago, he met with the founder of Folk Arts Rajasthan to talk about volunteering at the Merasi School.

Alan was very well prepared and knew of Meghan's blog:  The Bee's Knees and her story and her goals.   I have new found respect for Alan and am grateful to him and his staff for devoting significant time on his show for Adam to talk about his plans and to share more about Meghan.

Later, I spoke with a friend who called and told me about how much she appreciated Meghan though she never met her.  She felt as if she 'knew' Meghan because of her blog.  Breast cancer killed my friend's mother years ago and she wonders if she will have cnacer one day.  Some of her own thoughts go to:  how she would deal with it?  --the chemo, or radiation or God forbid breast surgery/mastectomy?  She said after reading how Meghan handled it, she has new confidence and is far less anxious about her future.

Later, after the interview, Adam forwarded me a letter from a man from India who saw the article  about Meghan on the front page of the Toronto Star.  Her story impacted him and his friend.  Read what they had to say:

This is incredible to say the least.

Hopefully, their story will be an encouragement and inspiration to others.  Their story (together and individually) needs to be retold.  Maybe others can be helped by the way Meghan handled her initial diagnosis, her rediagnosis and how Adam has dealt with losing her, how he has been motivated to move on with out her.  A lot of other people saw the article on the Star and went to her blog with comments of their own.  

We will be sharing the Bee's Knees with our friends.  Just last week we found out a good friend from 25 years ago has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Maybe there is something there that can help her somehow.  I hope so.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Happy belated Canada Day to my Canadian friends and happy 4th of July to all ~ be safe!

2 For 2

We felt like we have hit it twice in a row.  Yesterday we went to another great museum.

This one was in Oil Springs, Canada, right across the border.  Pam and I decided to take a different route over to the Petrolia area (which is near Oil Springs) and we took the little ferry across.

We took this route on our 220 mile day trip 

A,F:  Starting/Ending point - New Hudson, Michigan
B:  Border Crossing Ferry at Algonac, Michigan to Walpole Island, Ontario, Canada
C: Museum at Oil Springs, Canada
D: Petrolia, Canada
E: Border Crossing at Port Huron, Michigan

Just before we boarded the ferry at Algonac (B on map) we stopped at an empty restaurant with a little grass lawn on the shore of Lake St. Clair.  We had a picnic lunch and enjoyed the beautiful and cool day.

From there it was about a 15 minute drive to the Ferry at Algonac.  I asked the lady behind me for directions after we got off on Walpole Island.  She and Ron (the security guy and operator of the ferry) gave us some good instructions to Oil Springs.

Our drive to the museum (C on the map above) was uneventful and took us about 30 minutes from the ferry.  The Oil Springs Museum brings to life one unbelievable fact:

Oil in the North America was discovered first here, at this location in 1858.  

I was blown away by this.  Did you know it all started here?

The entrance to the grounds shows a number of outdoor displays and this first commercial oil well.  Owner James Miller Williams dug a hole 6 feet by 8 feet.  At 14 feet down, oil began seeping into the hole.  He put a pump over the hole and this 3 pole derrick to lift heavy tools and equipment.

Inside the museum, we listened to an informative video and then a short geological talk by one of the museum docents.

Inside, there are many displays on the ground floor.  It contains a wealth of petroleum industry artifacts, working exhibits, fascinating stories and a kerosene lamp which was an early by product of the oil.

In the latter part of the 19th century, Canada exported oil drilling expertise all over the world.  Canadians were drilling in Peru, Malaysia, Saudia Arabia and Europe and elsewhere.  Technology export and oil workers from Canada spanned the globe beginning in 1873.

The Oil Springs blacksmiths made all the tools and bits for drilling there.  They also made wheel rims for the wagons, barrels and shoes for the horses that hauled the oil to railheads in nearby London (Canada) and Sarnia.

One interesting invention during this era was jerker lines.  These wooden rods moved back and forth to relay power from the pump house.

We could have spent a long time there.  We didn't see all the outdoor displays and will have to go back another day.

From the museum, we went to Petrolia (D on map above), then to the bridge and Port Huron.  We stopped at the Vistor's Center for some information on the new HST tax in Canada.  The national tax goes up from 5% to 13% on July 1.  I don't know anyone who is very happy about that.  We will be paying that tax for our campsites in Canada in the next 5 weeks.

Then the worst part of the day.  The looong wait on the at the border getting backing into the USA.

It took us over an hour to go through the line.  But at least there were some good sights to see.  On the top is Port Huron Michigan.  The picture below is Sarnia, Canada.  The water in Lake Huron is about the bluest I have ever seen...

We arrived home in the early evening and had dinner along the way.  Atferwards, we spent some time with our friends Roger and Joyce.  They are leaving today for Hillman Michigan to see Howard and Linda and some other RV-Dreamers.

Many thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  And special thanks to our newest Followers:

Flo and Jerry

We appreciate it!

See you all next time and BE SAFE during the 4th of July Weekend!