Day one

Who knew that the adventure would begin just by getting the RV. As we pulled away onto the street, oops, on came the check engine light. I happily hopped out and ran down our capable assistant. Oh, they checked that and it doesn't mean anything. Everything checked out. OH, I smiled nervously, but how will I know if we really have a problem? It will be fine. Okay, and off I went. Once again, we pull out only to see water streaming out of the bathroom floor. Gross. Back we we go again and I track down our assistant. She happily tells me it is clean water left from the thorough cleaning they did that morning. Okay, if you say so. I was tempted to go back again a few minutes later to see if she was now cowering on the floor under the desk to avoid the nervous novice. Well all went well until we switched drivers. Oh, the kids said nervously. Mom is driving?? Yes, she is. Well, that went okay after that initial zoom onto the highway and even into the Stryker parking lot where unbelievably many employees had paused from their work to wave at us. Home we went and here we are at the KOA on our first night. Iowa is actually beautiful, much hillier than I recalled. I was thinking about the pastoral setting when to my dismay I suddenly thought I was back in Portage...Target, WalMart, and a grocery store appeared out my window. The KOA is everything they said it would be, complete with pool, minigolf, and trees....except for being right beside the highway! The Harleys are everywhere. As we sat happily sampling Iowa ice cream, 100 motorcycles screamed into town and they all piled into a local tavern. We, and our RV, the Kalamakroozr, were not invited as we sped out of town hoping to beat the bikers following their bar stop. Highlight of the day...watching M, C and E waving madly out the back window trying to get people to wave back and trucks to honk. At last count, Catherine recorded 200 waves and only about 25 "sours"! What a great country! Julie