Those 70ish Girls

Life on the road is not without its challenges. Just because we’re living in a vacation-like atmosphere where calories don’t count doesn’t mean everything is always hunky dory.

Yesterday and today, we have had to deal with a $1275.00 unauthorized charge to our checking account. In the process of trying to dispute the charge, which was the amount of a payment on a loan that’s been paid off for 6 months, they froze our account. We’re in our RV in Wyoming. It costs money to exist every day, and we need access to ours. Kip was getting nowhere with a long line of customer service reps, so I insisted crying might help and got on the phone. “How will I purchase my next rhubarb pie?” I wailed. “It’s spelled, r-h-u-b-a-r-b.”

Thankfully, it finally got resolved, but something like that makes you realize how we’re all too often at the mercy of customer service reps. They have all the power. They can be your angel or your nemesis.

Back to the travel log…

We left Gillette, Wyoming, this morning, and we’re headed for Yellowstone National Park. We spent the past two weeks spending wonderful quality time with son, Mason, his wife, Amy, and their son, Ethan. I even got to spend a little time with grandson, Mase Jr., who is attending the University of Wyoming in Laramie. I went with Amy to a football game in Cheyenne, and Mase met us there. It was a fantastic 2 weeks.

I should mention since I’m blogging about our rv travel experience, that we spent the first 3 days in Gillette attending an FMCA Rally. There were 2500 people attending, and their registration was down 800 from their previous rally. I’m sure fuel prices as high as they are had something to do with it. RV parks have all increased their rates, too. It’s amazing, though, that most parks are up to 50% occupied by permanent Rvers. The rates are always somewhat lower for full-timers.

While at the rally, we got hooked up with a vendor who was able to get the awnings to repair the 3 that were damaged by the Texas hailstorm we endured. That was a piece of good luck. We also got a new mobile internet provider which has made watching television and using our devices much better.

All in all it was a fabulous 2 weeks. We got to eat Amy’s great cooking several times, and Kip and I found good desserts at a couple of the local bakeries for our contribution. Mason and Amy treated us to an outing at the Frontier Auto Museum, which was amazing, and we ate at Lulla Belle’s, a local favorite where you can get a wonderful breakfast. We also spent a fun day at Keyhole Lake where Amy’s mom has a house.

Here are a few pics I took on our drive today between Gillette and Greybull. Next stop…Yellowstone.