This Day is for Wayne and Kay of Red Bluff Ca.
Clarion to Colesburg IA
The nite at Clarion was warm but clear, tons of stars and a few fireflies. Gail cooked up them great pieces of Iowa,wa,wa, bovine pieces of steak and beans and a great bottle of Downhill Treats. We ate outside as the pesty little bugs were less bothersome than the heat in the trailer and besides, they added some protein, I think, to the meal. Oh!!!
I tried a new tactic by setting the alarm for 0500 and that was the trick. I performed the a.m. rituals and was jetting along the obnoxious hwy at 0550. Man! I was going to set a new record! I did alright! At 0600 in Clarion, it was already 74’. Storm warning, Storm warning, it is now 4:45pm.and the fire department just came by and gave us the severe thunderstorm warning with winds up to 70mph. till 5:45. They said we could come to the fire department if we wanted to. I am going to sign off for now and buckle down till this event clears. Skywalker, Skywalker I’ll talk to you later and let you know how it goes. Over and out.
Well folks, it blew for awhile but I had moved our rig to another more open spot and it sure was a good thing because right where we had been parked a very large limb fell. Whew! Years ago a large oak tree fell on our mobile home and wiped out the front end and since then I have had my utmost respect for the trees when the wind gets to puffin up. Two other guys were tenting near us and they had not got the warning so after I told them they moved around also and set up in one of the covered shelters. Things are quiet now but the warning is still in effect till midnight and also for tomorrow, so!!!!!!!!!! We’ll see. I only cranked off 52mi. today but it was pushing 100’ and I began to feel the heat so I called it a day. We booked on down the road to a neat campground near Colesburg, Ia. The humidity is high and I know that I could not live in this type of weather. Maybe that’s why the corn grows so good!! The roads are still rotten but I have word that in Wis. They are much better!!!??? Bud and June could tell us more about that. Skywalker, Skywalker good Buddy, we are fine now and I am going to shower and sleep and see what tomorrow brings. Love you and miss you, over and out.
GAIL SAYS: Today is dedicated to Wayne and Kay Mac Donald. I met them while I was working with the Senior Housing and they managed some of the complexes up in Willits. Over the years we became good friends and we would all look forward to having lunch every time I had to go to Willits on business. They have since transferred to another complex in the Red Bluff area and we don’t get to see each other as much, but are always in touch via the internet and the phone. They keep up on the blog and are amazed at the trip Arnold is doing. We always have great laughs about the dumbest stuff as only good friend can. Sure miss you but we will be home some day. Now for my mushy part!!
ARNOLD SAYS: Through Gail, I met Wayne and Kay while they were in Willits and whenever we were there we had lunch together and we sure do miss them times, especially at Anna’s Asian for war won-ton. I gave Wayne my old SLR camera and he has had a ball using it. Now that they are in Red Bluff we may not see them as much but we know how to get there! Keep that film going. See Ya.
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What Dad left out of the tree falling story is that it actually fell onto the bedroom that Mare and I shared!!! More accurately, it fell across our bed. I'm not sure how old we were: 6 & 7 maybe. Oddly, it was always one of my favorite stories to hear Mom and Dad tell. But there was a MOST thunderous almighty **crash**. Mom and Dad's room was at the other end and as they raced out, they could see the damage. Mom always said she was sure we were squashed and dead, but luckily we were virtually unharmed. It was a miracle. I guess Dad was like a madman when our bedroom door wouldn't open and tore it off the hinges to get to us. The tree fell across our old iron bed, through the walls and onto Dad's truck and flattened all the tires. I can't remember which of us was trapped under the tree and which of us had a scraped face, but the other sat up between branches and sleepily blinked at the rain, thunder and lightning. I'll have to ask Mare who was trapped (me?), but was dug out. Another worry was electrocution since all the wires were dangling everywhere and there was rain and flooding. I have scattered memories of the Big Event and to this day still get VERY freaked out by heavy thrashing winds in trees. Poor Jim has to deal with a fairly hysterical wife -- and why does it always seem like it's at 1:00 in the morning??
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Dad, I'm so glad to hear you were in a safe spot and no trees fell on you!!!!!!!!