Today is Wednesday February 10, 2010 and we have been home in Coronation for two days.  We arrived safe and sound, in the snow and cold, about 3:00 p.m. on Monday the 8th.  While it is nice to be home I miss being away......if that makes any sense.

We left Campland at 8:00 a.m. on Friday February 5/10.  We got all organized and on the way out we stopped to blow the water out of the lines and drain everything since we were headed to the snow and ice again.  We got gas the day before so we were good to go.

We stopped in Barstow for lunch and gas.  I just ran into a Starbucks and got a couple of sandwiches and coffee for me, cold drink for Bernie.  We got gas at a station right in Barstow and had lots of fun getting back onto I-15.  Next time we would stop at Exit 191, get gas at a nice BIG gas station and have lunch at Peggy Sue's Diner.  Ahhhhh, live and learn.

We got to Vegas around 2:00 p.m. and just drove right on through.  It seemed to take forever, but it was about half an hour.  We stopped for gas again at the Las Vegas Speedway.  Gas was getting a bit cheaper now that we were out of California.

We arrived at Desert Skies RV Resort about 4:00 p.m.  I had called the day before to reserve a spot for one night.  It is on the eastern outskirts of Mesquite, Nevada and actually in Arizona, right on the border.  We took a wrong turn before we got there and as we were turning on what we hoped was the right road (of course it was Betty's fault) two people and a dog called out to us and asked if we were heading to Desert Skies.  They told us where it was, just down the hill.

When we got there they were right behind us and as I was filling out the registration form and putting money in the envelope the gentleman greeted me and welcomed us to Desert Skies.  He then invited us to a potluck at 5:00 p.m. in the "Palm Room"!!  We drove to our site and the neighbours on either side introduced themselves and we shot the breeze for a while before settling in.  We took Duke for a walk and also found the washrooms and while we were there the people going to the potluck also invited us to come.  I declined gracefully.  We just got there, had the dog with us, didn't bring any food - the usual excuses.  If we were planning on staying for a while we would probably have gone and it would have been fun!

It rained like crazy during the night, unusual for this part of the world.  Our neighbour from Wyoming said it was 75 degrees the day before.  Now that's more like it!

On Saturday morning we were up at 6:00 a.m.  I made the coffee and went for a shower.  We had a quick breakfast, took the dog for a pee (he is not impressed with getting up so early), cleaned up and put things away.  We dumped our black and grey tanks for the last time (heading to freezing temperatures now), stopped at the bathrooms and left the resort at 7:55 a.m.  Well....we were in Arizona now so it is Mountain time, same as at home, making it 8:55 a.m.  Cripes we were behind before we even got started!

We stopped in Cedar City, Utah for gas at a Shell station at a quarter to eleven.  I wanted to get a loaf of bread at the food store but they didn't sell bread.  Weatherwise it was all right.  It rained before we got to Cedar City and there was lots of snow in the mountains. 

Our next stop was Fillmore to eat.  We just parked in a rest/truck stop (right where a cattle truck had parked - nice).  I made some sandwiches and then went to both "food stores" for bread.  I came away empty handed.  Why do "food stores" not sell bread??  I got milk.

We stopped at a Flying J at Springville for more gas and checked out their food store.  Guess what??  No bread there either.

We finally arrived at Salt Lake and then drove on to Brigham City, KOA which in my opinion was the biggest dump I have ever seen.  It was 5:00 p.m., the office which closed at 6:00 was already closed, the bathrooms looked like they were insect infested at some point in the summer.  There was ice and snow and it had melted a bit.  We found a good spot that was easy to get into.  There were not many people there and it was friggin' cold.  A campground guy came and knocked on our door about 7:00 p.m. looking for money.  We paid but I didn't want to!!  They were supposed to have WiFi but I couldn't get a signal.  There was cable t.v. so we watched a bit and went to bed.

I woke up at 3:00 a.m. with a gut ache from hell.  I quickly stumbled into some shoes and found my jacket and tried to run to the washrooms which was tricky with the ice.  I thought I needed to throw up or something but in the end I didn't.  I wish I had because I felt lousy.  I went back to bed but I did not sleep and I just curled up into a tight ball and lay still thinking that whatever it was that was causing my stomach such distress would just go away.

We left Brigham City at 7:15 a.m. in the fog.  I was getting grumpier and grumpier because I sure didn't feel that good.  Duke was a bit confused at all the early mornings but he just played along.  Bernie drove in silence mostly because when Bonnie gets upset Bonnie is a bear. 

We got to Pocatello, Idaho at 9:30 a.m. and stopped for gas and then at a Jack In The Box for breakfast.  By this time I was hungry and Bernie was craving bacon and eggs.  The last time we ate at a Jack In The Box was in 1987 in Annaheim when we took the boys to Disneyland.  We had burgers and fries, the usual, and about ten minutes later on the drive back to the hotel Brett threw up in the car (in a Disneyland bag!).  Oh brother.  I told that story while we were eating.  It was actually a good memory!

As we drove into the higher elevations it got colder and there was a lot of snow.  We got to the Montana border at 11:50 a.m..  The next gas stop was Dillon at 1:15.  My stomach was not right, again.  I wanted a gingerale but I had to settle for a Coke Zero.  Guess what?  They sold bread in that store.  Now that we were almost home we get the bread.  I would rather have had a Canada Dry!  Oh well.

In Dillon we saw a motorhome from Alberta pulling into a motel and I could have settled for that as well.  Bernie just looked straight ahead and that was my answer! 

Bernie wanted to get gas before we got to Great Falls so he pulled into a Conoco in Helena only to discover that they were closed.  We stopped at a road side rest stop so he could use the "bathroom", and I use that term loosely, and we got to Great Falls in the dark around 6:00 p.m.  Tons of snow, lots of icy streets, Bonnie feels like crap, it is cold and we have to go to an R.V. Park.  There will be changes next time.  Anyhow Bernie watched the second half of the Super Bowl game and I just went to bed.  Duke liked the snow.  To the only people we know in Great Falls - next year we will stay at a motel with a parking lot that can accomodate recreational vehicles and we will have that visit that I promised!! 

On Monday we were up at 5:30 a.m. and trudged through the snow drifts to the bathrooms.  We were out of there by 6:30 and at the Flying J for gas and then on our way.  It was foggy and we also ran into some snow.  The highway is really the greatest thing at this point since it is divided all the way and for the most part in excellent condition. 

We got to the border at 9:00 a.m., stopped for gas and got some smokes for my friend Lois and some beer for us at the Duty Free Shop.  By 9:30 we were on our way.  When we bought the stuff at the Duty Free they asked for our license number and Bernie says, "Charlie Two Charlie Two Zero Zero Two".  After we got in the truck he said he was just dying for somebody to ask because he knew that was how he would respond.  He did the same thing at the border crossing except he forgot the second two so I had to clue him in!!  ha ha  We have fun anyway. 

It snowed pretty much all the way to the border and it was foggy.  When we crossed the border into Canada the fog cleared and the sun shone.  I guess we brought it with us.

We arrived in Taber at 10:30 and had breakfast at the Heritage Inn.  Cactus Corner was our next stop for gas and a bathroom break and we got home at 3:00 p.m. before the sun set on another day.

Welcome home.  The house was the same as we left it.  It took me an hour to get all the stuff from the trailer inside but I did it all because Bernie did all the driving and he looked beat. 

It was a good break from the cold and the snow and we would like to make it an annual affair.