Minnesota 2012--Day 20

Almost over and back to where it started.

Well, the  dogs and I are back to where we spent our first night out on this journey.  We are back at the Miller's Kampground in Liberty, Missouri.

We left Prior Lake, Minnesota, around 8:30 this morning and headed for I-35.  Had a pretty uneventful day of driving other than the wind.  Spent the entire day driving into a very heavy wind coming out of the south.  That meant driving directly into the wind the entire day.  I was fairly tired when we arrived at the RV park around 5:00 this evening.  After getting the coach plugged in and set up we have pretty much sent the evening sitting under the air conditioners. 

Tomorrow will be our last day on the road and we should arrive back home sometime tomorrow in the afternoon.  After I get the coach unloaded then will come getting in contact with the insurance company and the glass people.  Thanks to a large hail stone from a storm in Oklahoma City this past June and the "great" roads in our Interstate system we now have some major cracks down the right side of the windshield.  Additionally, it has pulled lose from the coach in a couple of places.  I was able to cover those areas with tape to keep the rain out while we were up in northern Minnesota.  We've experienced a bit of wind noise today but nothing we can't live with.

This has been a good trip, much better than the first two solo excursions I've made this year.  The trip to Florida in January was very sad and lonely for both me and the dogs.  The trip to Indiana in May, for the Monaco America rally, was also very sad in that I was with many of Joanne and my very close friends, many of the same people we were with just three weeks prior to her death.  This trip gave me a good bit of time to spend with Joanne's family members up in Duluth.  Not only with her only Aunt and Uncle but some good quality time with her brother, Roger, and his family.  Attending the Priolo family picnic and seeing several of her cousins was also very good.  While in the Minneapolis area was able to see Roger's children.  This was a more upbeat trip and I feel much better in the return trip home than the prior solo outings.  I can only say "Thank You" to the Duluth branch of the Priolo family for making me feel so welcome.