Ready to Roll

Well, Tuesday is "D" Day - that's departure day. We got our 5th wheel Friday evening just before closing. Roger got his first experience of backing it down our new driveway - not exactly the easiest thing he's ever done.

And then, much to our surprise, our family grew by two!.

A dog had appeared on Randy & Shelly's porch that morning. The poor thing (a yellow lab pup - about 6 months old) had obviously been wandering for a while, as his collar was way too tight & his ribs were very evident. It's amazing that he survived such a busy highway as 29th Street! He was such a friendly thing - and Shelly has such a soft heart for furry four-legged creatures. She put him in their back yard and then asked if we minded if they 'borrowed' our back yard until they could find a home for him.

That turned out to be very short lived. Russ was quite taken with him, for he had been talking of getting a yellow lab pup, but had thought he would wait until Hayden was older. By Saturday morning the pup had taken up residence at Russ'. By Sunday afternoon he had been christened 'Moe' and had found a fast friend in the resident black lab, Zoe. Those two look like Oreo cookies, with Zoe being the original dark chocolate flavor, and Moe the new vanilla kind. By evening it was evident that he had been someone's family pet, for he's very gentle and loving; wonderful around kids. His only fault seems to be his puppy spirit, which translates into chaos in that big 'ol body of his. Although Shelly is running a 'found' dog ad in the paper, the reality is that with out any type of ID tag on him the chances of finding the owner is slim.. Regardless how it turns out, for now he is well-fed, with a soft bed and lots of love, and a playmate in Zoe.

Saturday was 'moving' day in earnest for the traveling Hughes. All the hours we put into the house has taken it's toll on us and we found we were worn out before we ever started on the 5th wheel! Made a "Sam's Club run" first thing Saturday morning to stock our freezer and then we began the tedious task of carrying 'stuff' out of Russ' house, loading it into the Blazer, then driving it next door - only to unload it & put it away in the 5th wheel.

Saturday afternoon Randy & Shelly dropped by to introduce us to "Ellie May" - the 6-week old Basset Hound puppy they had just picked up at the breeders. This makes #3 for them. She joins Myer, who's 11 and Emma Lou, who is just shy of a year. Seems Myer just wants to be left alone in her golden years - and Emma Lou needed a playmate. Ellie May seems to be a little spit fire who doesn't hesitate to let Emma Lou know when she's getting too rough. It won't be long, however, before those two will be quite a pair.

Quite simply, I think the Hughes family is going to the dogs! But, no matter, there is absolutely nothing sweeter than a 'baby' - whether it's got two legs - or four! All of these new 'family members' make it even harder to think about saying 'see you in September'!

Sunday - another beautiful day - and we took advantage of our delay to attend the morning worship service at the little church where we were married. My nephew & his wife (Dennis & Shellie Mathews) were leading the service with a gospel music concert. It was the first time we have been in town when they were doing a concert and it was great! Then this evening we took a break from packing and went to hear our grandsons, Wesley & Nicholas, in the spring Children's Concert at Meadowood.

Have to admit to getting a bit teary-eyed when a long-time family friend (Catherine Stephens) stopped us to share how much she enjoyed hearing our 'big' boys, Russ & Randy, sing in their men's quartet a couple of weeks ago. She went on to share that she couldn't help but think about how much my mother would have loved to hear them! When I say 'long-time family friend' - this is the lady that baby-sat my two older sisters the night I was born!

Turned out to be a late night, for Randy had decided to tackle replacing the bathroom floor in the old home place Sunday afternoon - and with any project with a 60+ year old house, it turned out to be more than he bargained for. He ended up having to replace the sub floor, and discovered it had been built with 'scrap' lumber from Tinker AFB surplus - from back in the 1940's. We took him a air nailer and compressor - and Roger lent a helping hand, but mostly moral support. He was 'stressed' as it is their only bathroom and he felt very pressured to get it back to operational status before bedtime. Being 'mom' I took the opportunity to chastise him for not calling us earlier; he hadn't wanted to bother us, knowing we were packing. We also reminded them that they could always run the water hose to their fifth wheel and drop a sewer line to the connection and have an 'outhouse' - complete with shower - available as long as needed. They hadn't thought of that until someone at church had offered them the use of a porta-potty that they use in their van when traveling with their kids. Funny how we sometimes get so 'stressed out' - and a solution is right under our nose (or sitting in our front yard)!

The Season's First "Bump In The Road"

"Murphy's Law" is alive and well with us. On the 18th, we optimistically took the fifth wheel back to the shop to have the new graphics put on. Here it is the 26th - and we are still waiting on our trailer. Obviously our projected departure date of the 27th just won't happen. According to the latest from the shop, a replacement graphic should arrive today, and then has to be put on. The term "we'll ship that right out' turns out to to mean two entirely different things to the shipper - and the recipient. We'll be lucky if we have our trailer back by tomorrow evening - then to pack.

But while we wait, we have not been idle! The extra days at home have allowed us to proceed with the 'changes' in the new house. Most of the old wall paper is down (what a chore!), entryway tile is gone (thanks to Grandpa's jackhammer!), the wall between the kitchen & living room is down, and the new wider door to the bathroom goes in today! We decided that any of the 'dismantling' we could get done, would only help progress for Russ & Randy's projects. I've also been busy trying to choose paint colors - and although it's fun - it's not always easy for Roger and I to 'agree'! Imagine that!

While getting the entry hall tile up has been Roger's biggest challenge, mine has been deciding on what type of counter top to put in the kitchen. So many choices these days! I still haven't decided - and probably won't until this fall. Granite vs. man-made quartz vs. solid surface vs. laminate - makes one's head spin! And the price! We're talking major investment here!

Roger even got to mow his yard once before we leave. Although he tried to make me believe it was 'hard work', it looked like he was having a pretty good time as he surveyed his 'domain' from the seat of Russ' riding lawnmower.

So for me this morning it's off to the dentist, while Roger heads out in search of our new bathroom door.

Our Last Few Days At Home

This is a very normal scene each afternoon in our house - make that bedroom. Since Hayden has learned to sit on his own, he loves doing just that. So we plop him in the middle of our bed, surround him with his toys - and the undivided attention of 'big sis' and he is in 'heaven'. The smiles come non-stop. We're busy storing up memories these last few days at home.

Hayden's name has also become 'typhoid Max' - as he spent one day at day care a couple of weeks ago (while we were in Billings) - and brought home a wicked stomach bug/flu virus. So far he's managed to pass it to everyone he came in contact with - although he kept smiling through it all. Roger & I attempted to keep our distance, but it eventually got us too, although we were one of the last. I'm sure we will all survive, but it has sure taken the wind out of our sails these past few days.

We continue to spend our spare time shopping for ideas and materials for our home renovation. I'm compiling a notebook of everything so our guys have all the information. The ideas keep piling up and the project just keeps growing. Found tile for the bathroom floors last night, and a very helpful young man worked with us last night at Home Depot, attempting to find a match for the stain on our woodwork. We also found an affordable 'solution' for updating our cabinets. Definitely going to have to take 'before & after' pictures.

Thursday was a day connecting with old friends. Had lunch with Beth & Chris, co-workers from my days at Classen SAS. Then that evening we had supper with Mike & Cheryl, friends since our high school days. (Actually we've known Mike since high school - Cheryl just had the good luck to marry Mike.) It's one of those friendships that has endured over the years - even though it's sometimes 3-4 years between visits. Cheryl has such a good eye for decorating and I was pleased when she put her 'stamp of approval' on my tile, carpet & paint choices & ideas for our house. Roger had to show off his new yellow truck, and before we knew it, it was almost 11:00 p.m. I'm afraid to admit it, but a lot of our conversation seemed to center around our most recent hospital visits, knee replacements, etc. Guess that's just the price of getting older!

Had planned to be loading our fifth wheel by now, but we've hit another snag. Roger took it back to the shop on Wednesday to have the new graphics installed. When he checked on it about noon on Thursday, he learned that they had 'messed up' the bottom half (it had folded back on itself) and had to re-order a new piece out of Billings, MT. It was supposed to arrive Friday morning - but didn't - so we are still without our fifth wheel. However, we keep getting reports of snow & cold from our parks up north - so a day or two delay may be for the best.

A Belated Easter Sunday

Since we were traveling on Easter Sunday this year, we declared yesterday our Easter. The day dawned sunny & bright - a perfect day.

The day started off a bit unusual - with Mom (that's me) cooking breakfast at home. We're trying to break our habit of eating out every day - now that we're homeowners - with a mortgage payment! Got through that - and had a great day at church.

This spring Russ & Randy are part of a men's quartet at our church. Since we are leaving soon, our minister of music scheduled the quartet (4Given Sinners) to sing one more time for Mom & Dad (that's us!). Roger's mom joined us for the worship service - and it's just a glimpse of heaven for all of us to listen to our boys sing together. Have to admit to just a 'bit' of parental pride here! Even though we made a late entrance into our Bible Study class (we slipped in to listen to the boys rehearse) - it was good to see everyone.

Lingered in the parking lot after church visiting with the kids. It's just so good to have them all around. On the spur of the moment invited them all over for lunch - popped some chicken & fish planks in the oven, a pan of Au gratin potatoes, baked beans & corn - and called it lunch. Randy & family headed down to Draper Lake to do some fishing afterwards - and Hunter went to cheer tryouts.

Roger & I 'vegged' out for the afternoon, but later Hunter & I walked over to the new house and sat on the glider while she finished up her homework. One could definitely 'loose a crop' sitting on our back porch. Have a feeling that will become one of our favorite spots.

Now, a new day - a new week! Lots to do - and anxious to get started!

The KOA Fifth Wheel Looks Right At Home!

For a while Tuesday it looked like the area had been invaded by yellow trucks! We still have our old one, then our new one - along with Wes & Rita's! We gave them a quick tour of the new house and then walked over to Russ'. Was disappointed to find DeAnna & the kids still asleep, recovering from a night of stomach virus. It was probably for the best, as none of us wanted to 'catch the bug'.

Tuesday afternoon we picked up the KOA fifth wheel from Leisure Time RV and brought it home to its 'new home. The RV pad looked like it had just been waiting for it! Just like so many of our parks, Roger has found he needs to 'upgrade' his power to the site!

Got the locks all changed out and we've spent the last three days cleaning out miscellaneous 'stuff' left behind by the former owner. Come back to Russ' each evening worn plumb out! Have filled the trash cans and have them ready for today's pickup. Now to pull out all the old carpet and have it ready for 'big trash day' next Wednesday. Actually got to do laundry in my own machines yesterday!

With the house emptied, we turned our attention to the fifth wheel. At the end of each season we tend to just 'close it up', so have the task of cleaning out cabinets, sorting through paper work etc. - out with 2006 and in with 2007. Every year brings new material, new programs and a new way of doing things. Every year Roger and I swear we aren't going to drag so much around - and this year we will have a place to leave it!

We quit early enough last night to give me time to slip away to the school to catch a short performance of the 3rd graders (Nick) playing their recorders (kind of like a flute) for the PTA. Brought Nick & his scooter home with me (Thursday is Randy & Shelly's bowling league night). Had put pot pies in the oven before leaving and got home just as they were coming out. Thursday is "Survivor" night for Roger & I. A bit of computer work - and then to bed. Think I've been in bed before 10:00 every night since we've been home! Even Shelly commented that I looked 'tired' when she picked up Nick.

Even though Roger 'swore' he would never do another remodel project, there are a couple of things I want to change in the house. They are 'minor' compared to some of our previous projects, but with any thing, small projects have a way of turning into big ones when you get into it.

I have quite a reputation when it comes to the 'demolish' part of a remodel project - and, sure enough, I was the first one to start the dismantling! I tear it up and Roger (or the boys, in this case) have to fix it!

I come by it honest, though. When I was a teenager - and wanted something new to wear - Mom would eventually give in and take me shopping for a pattern & material. She would always be thinking "I'll make that next week" - but me - no , I couldn't wait (I wanted to wear it that night!) I would get the material all spread out and pin the pattern on - and start cutting. She would have to stop what she was doing to 'save me from myself'. As I look back now, I know she wanted to strangle me and know Roger frequently experiences some of those same feelings! :>)

Home . . . for a Few Days, Anyway!

Pulled in to home about 7:00 yesterday evening. Had a bit of a delay getting here - but that's pretty much par for the course in this job!

We were making good time yesterday, when we stopped in Blackwell, Oklahoma for a bite of lunch at the Braum's. When we went to start up the trucks, Wes & Rita's wouldn't start. It had been running badly all morning - and the guys had contributed it to some bad fuel that Wes thinks he got in Rapid City, SD. That morning we had stopped to fuel and the pump Wes was using wouldn't run properly. After 2 gallons, he pulled over to the island we were at and finished fueling. No problem that day, but then yesterday, we filled up at the same island in York, NE. When we stopped at a rest stop, Wes mentioned that the truck was running very badly, but it was running, so we continued on. When we stopped for lunch he mentioned that he thought it was getting better - then it wouldn't start at all!

So a call to AAA Road Service - a short ride for the yellow truck to the nearest dealership - only to find that there was gas in the diesel fuel. Wes checked his receipts and all indicated he had fueled with diesel - but somewhere, he had gotten gas - not diesel. They pumped the tank, changed the fuel filter, and he filled up again - and all is well. We left out of Blackwell just a little after 5:00, and made it home without any other hiccups. Naturally, they were upset, but it was just one of those things - and we weren't about to leave them behind.

Had a short welcome home gathering (complete with the dogs)- a quick tour of our new house - and then we adjourned to the A&W RootBeer/Long John Silver's for a late dinner. A bit overwhelmed with unpacking, realizing what a mammoth cleaning job awaits us on the new house, a fifth wheel to pack - and just 2 weeks to do it in. We reminded ourselves once again that we did not plan to move into our house until the fall anyway - and that the priority was getting the fifth wheel packed and ready to roll for the season. Our first job is to find a graphics place to install the new graphics, and then we'll go from there.

We came home to find our youngest grandson, Hayden, was sitting on his own - and even though he had a bit of a stomach virus - he was still grinning ear to ear. Sure hope he keeps that happy disposition throughout his life! What a guy!

The older grandsons, Wesley & Nicholas, had decked out in their KOA shirts to welcome us home. They filled us in on their spring break camping trips to the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge and Robbers Cave State Park. They had just come from picking out the newest member of their family - Basset Hound #3 - a puppy which they will bring home in 2 weeks, named Ellie May! She will be a playmate for Emma Lou - which they got last summer. The matriarch, Myer, who is almost 11, doesn't appreciate the 'energy' level of Emma Lou. The plan is for Emma & Ellie to take their energy out on each other - and let Myer 'veg out' in peace. We'll see. But even the dogs tried out Grandma & Grandpa's new yard last night.

And our Hunter - still "no bigger than a popcorn fart" - is still our princess. Dad decided to let her skip a dance class so she wouldn't miss out on the fun of our arrival home. She made it through the evening, but was up most of the night with the same stomach virus that was plaguing little brother.

It's good to be home - in our own space. Meeting Wes & Rita for breakfast at Jimmy's Egg. Will bring them back for a tour of our house and then they'll be on their way home - and we'll get to work.

Headed Home

We are caravaning home with our friends from Florida, Wes & Rita Conklin. We're all packed and have proven once again that if we sit in one place longer than a couple of days, we accumulate twice as much as we arrived with! In our defense, a lot of it is material we will use over the summer. Thankfully we have a truck to haul it home with.

But to wrap up our week here, I’ll regress a bit. Wednesday was a pretty uneventful day, getting back into the swing of things at the training center. Had an early dinner at the Olive Garden and then got home in time to watch the tail end of American Idol. The day had been sunny and very pleasant, and I was sure that we had seen the last of the snow.

So Thursday morning I got up and dressed for the day, glad to be able to wear sandals again. Then I opened the curtains. Yep, there it was – about an inch of very fresh, WET snow! I’m afraid my reaction was not the best – and Roger was a bit amused as I relegated my sandals back to the closet and broke out my winter ‘clodhoppers’ once again. I know the farmers & ranchers need all the moisture they can get, so I couldn’t stay upset long. But I am VERY ready to be back in warmer weather. A very quiet evening – think all the teams are about ‘talked out’ – and we enjoyed an early supper at the Cracker Barrel – just the two of us. Back to the hotel in time to do a load of laundry and watch Survivor. It was almost like being at home.

Friday began very early with a 7:00 a.m. Chamber of Commerce breakfast. A large event, with over 900 people. The host mentioned that most towns in Montana don’t have 900 people! The speaker, Mike Rayburn, was an acoustical guitar virtuoso, who entertained us with his skills on the guitar and a few ‘motivational’ words and lots of humor. We really enjoyed him – and bought a set of his CD’s. Then it was back to the training center where we had some time to work one-on-one with computers, take care of miscellaneous paper work, etc.

As a break in the routine each afternoon over the past 3 weeks we have a 30-minute ‘health & wellness’ break. It is lead by a very vivacious (and shapely) gal that teaches yoga, aerobics, etc. here in Billings. She’s a bit of a comedian herself. Most days she’s been leading us through simple exercises we can use on the road to help reduce the stress of sitting for long periods of time, etc. But Friday she announced that we were going to have some fun and we were going to ‘salsa.’ Well, Rita and I slipped out to take a walk instead. Well, we missed it. It will definitely teach me not to leave Roger ‘unattended’ again. From all the reports, he definitely was the ‘star’ of the show. Not sure just what he did (he refuses to demonstrate his ‘moves’ for me, but it had everyone in stitches – and me wondering about this guy I’ve been married to for almost 38 years!)

Friday night we had our ‘bon voyage supper’ at the Granary – which is a very nice restaurant in an old . . . granary. Our entrée choices for the evening were: chicken, prime rib or prawns – along with crab. I knew I was in trouble when they brought out the ‘nut crackers’. Roger & I have never eaten crab (or lobster, for that matter) in the shell, so it was an experience, albeit a delicious one. I even discovered just what a prawn was - I wasn't sure - so I didn't order them, but soon discovered they are basically just giant shrimp! Here we travel along the north eastern coast for half the year – and we have our first king crab in Montana! We just might have to rethink our menu choices this summer.

At the end they gave out service awards to two couples who completed their first year as Field Service Reps and then to the team completing their fifth year (that's us!) It’s really hard to believe that we have actually been doing this for 5 years! We are the 'veterans' now. All the teams were then presented with a 'fun' award for something that happened during the last year. Roger has become known for his "Rogerisms" - so they presented him with his own book of quotes & sayings. Some of his favorites are things like "I just frogged my sides!" and our boss' favorite - which he uses when describing Hunter "she's no bigger than a popcorn fart!"

I have a reputation for having a terrible time when it comes to making reservations for the Newfoundland ferry - so they presented me with my very own 'fairy wand' - hopefully to make things go smoother this year! Actually the problem isn't me - it's those Canadian bureaucrats that can't decide if we are commercial or tourist! Two years ago they canceled our reservation and told us we were 'commercial'. Then last year I didn't make a reservation - and got 'scolded' because we weren't commercial - and should have made a reservation! Go figure.

Our first day on the road towards home we drove from Billings to Rapid City, SD. Called Bill & Karen Rose that live in the area and met them for supper. Had a really nice visit with them. After a good nights sleep at the Hampton Inn there at Rapid City. Met the General Manager, Ginny Wagner, while we were having a bite of breakfast. She has a good heart, for she was manning the continental breakfast so her employee could spend Easter with her family. This hotel is only 5 years old and beautifully decorated. I fell in love with the Formica on the tables and asked where they got them. She told me that the decor had been done by a local designer. We ended up leaving our business card, and she assured me she would e-mail the info. Roger said he thought we could just load it in the back of the truck, but, for some reason, the table didn't come as part of our room rent! :>)

The South Dakota 'natives' assured us we should head straight south out of Rapid City, but there had been reports of snow around Custer - and we are VERY tired of snow. So we opted to continue east on the interstate and go down state highway 81 into Nebraska.

Lunch time rolled around and it found us in Valentine, NE. Looking at the map, it looked like our best bet to find a place to stop. Roger spotted what looked to be like the only place in town - and it looked busy - so we stopped. Turned out they have a buffet every Sunday - and this was Easter. Think we joined the entire town for lunch - the set up looked like a local church supper! It was complete with lots of loud conversation and a bunch of kids in their Sunday best running around. After so many 'gourmet' meals the past three weeks, Roger & I were delighted to find good 'ol country cooking. Our choices were fried chicken, ham or beef tips - served up with mashed potatoes & gravy, peas & carrots - and a wide variety of salads. They had put a piece of plywood over the pool table, threw on a table cloth and it held the desserts. The price was "10 bucks" each - all you can eat! Yep, Roger & I 'frogged our sides!"

It was a good thing we stopped, for on our way out of town, we found the only other option would have been a McDonald's. The town did have a Pizza Hut - but it wasn't opening until 4:00.

The day seemed to take forever - and Wes even commented that Roger sure seemed to be driving 'very carefully'. Roger admitted that, yes, he was - for we had discovered that his driver's license expired the last day of March - and he didn't want to get stopped by one of the many police we had passed. We have previously discovered, the hard way, that the back roads of Nebraska are notorious for being heavily populated with 'officers of the law' that love to write tickets for speeding 'tourists'. The expired license was simply an oversight - and we had discovered that at 5:00 a.m. the Sunday morning we were standing in line to get through security on our flight to Billings. Not much we could do at that point! So Roger is driving VERY CAREFULLY until we can get back to Oklahoma and get it renewed. Think it's a good thing we are driving home, for he may have had a really tough time of getting on an airplane with an expired license!

We had hoped to make Salina, KS tonight, but we gave out and decided to stop at York, NE. Pulled in to the Holiday Inn - and there was an Applebee's right at the hotel. Nice not to have to drive any where - and our waiter turned out to be a native of Billings, MT. He's playing basketball at the college here in York. The topic of conversation was our recent stay in Billings - and the less than desireable weather. Spoken like a true Montanan, he tried to convince us that the cold in Montana was a 'different' cold than the cold in Nebraska. Right. Where have we heard that before! Reminds me of the folks in Arizona that claim the 110 degree heat is a 'different' heat than in Oklahoma. I'm not buying it. Cold is cold and hot is hot! And 12" of snow ANYWHERE is still cold & wet!

If all goes well, we should pull in to home tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait to explore our new home! And most of all, wrap our arms around our grandkids!

The Work Begins!

Our three weeks of training is coming to an end, and our season begins in earnest. When one of the ten teams had to resign due to health issues, a decision was made to reassign their campgrounds to the remaining nine teams. With this move, our region expands into the 1000 Islands area of Ontario, Canada. We picked up 7 from that area, along with a new one in Mystic, Connecticut and one in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, which means we will work with a grand total of 51 parks this season.

The bad is obvious - more work for us. The good - this is a beautiful area, that we will not mind spending time in! I've spent the evening 'getting acquainted' with our new parks via the koa.com website.

Have to admit to feeling a bit of 'panic' when we think of how we are going to accomplish our goals in our 'condensed' season, but we'll definitely give it our best shot.

We are excited about the direction the KOA leadership has given us during our time here. It's a GREAT company to work for - and with. Our extended training time this year has really helped us feel a very vital part of the KOA team.

One more day and then we load up and head home with our new truck and computer. We are looking forward to getting our hands on our new home for a couple of weeks before we head to the north east. We will be caravaning with one of the other teams, so even the trip home will be enjoyable.

It's been great to be here - and will be even better to get home.

Snow, Snow & More Snow!

Being Oklahoma natives, we both grew up hearing “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute . . .” Well, it’s true in Montana too!

On Wednesday (3/28) we were ‘threatened’ with 3 to 6 feet of snow, per the media. Thankfully Billings did not get hit with anything but a light snow – just an inch or two. Many of us sat in training that day watching the snow fall and wondering if we are ever going to ‘get out of Dodge’ – or Billings, anyway. No sweat, by morning it was gone. (We did learn that the storm had gone ‘around’ Billings and most of the highways leading out of Billings were closed.)

Thursday (3/29) we sat in training and watched the landscaping company mow the grass around the building! Sun shining – a beautiful day.

Then Friday . . . April Fools a bit early! We had ordered a couple of “KOA yellow” umbrellas and they arrived just in time for us to use them to get to our truck. Not rain, but snow – and lots of it – raining down upon us. That evening our group had dinner with the CEO of KOA, Jim Rogers. As we sat downtown at Jake’s – dining on roasted pork shank (Twylah) and seafood alfredo (Roger) we were encouraged that it was ‘letting up’. But when the guys went to get the truck they had quite a job getting the snow cleared off enough to drive. And then as we got on the interstate and headed west it just kept getting harder and harder – making it difficult to even see the lines on the highway.

By morning we had over a foot – that’s 12 inches plus, folks – and it was beautiful. As we were making our way over to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast, one of the teams spied us out their room window - and called to tell us to save them a spot. Like us – they couldn't face another ‘continental’ breakfast. With the predicted high of 60 degrees for Saturday, everything had started to melt by the time we finished breakfast.

Laundry to do, a prescription to fill . . . Roger dropped me off at the laundromat and he went to run the errands. Think all of our yellow trucks were parked in front of that laundry sometime that morning – it had been a long week. Laundry done – it’s time to shop. I had spotted one of my favorite stores (Catherines) and a couple of us left the guys watching basketball and we headed out to do some shopping. Found the clearance rack and I bought four tops and Rita bought two.

Later that day we went to look at a Hitch Hiker fifth wheel Roger had seen earlier in the week. Then we stopped by the World Market store and wandered around there until supper time.

“Having” to eat out every night is tough (NOT!). Headed to Outback Steak House – where I ordered a steak and Roger ordered shrimp. We both shared so that we had ‘surf & turf’ – it was delicious. Often times when we are with this bunch we order a couple of desserts and share. So Roger ordered the “Thunder from Down Under” and then nobody would help him with it. By the time he finished, he had truly ‘frogged his sides’!

Sunday morning (4/1),and we loaded up in rental vans and headed for a couple of ‘days away’ from the training grind. Our boss had made arrangements for us to stay two nights at the Paradise Gateway Bed & Breakfast in Emigrant (just north of the north gate to Yellowstone) – which is also only a few miles from Chico Hot Springs. After doing a trial ‘review’ at the Livingston KOA, we adjourned to one of the guest houses to go over our observations.

Free for the afternoon, several of us headed to the hot springs for a ‘soak’. They have two pools, one that is about 105 degrees and one that is 118 degrees. Now these aren’t hot tubs, but actual swimming pools that are heated by natural hot springs. No chemicals are used in the water because the water flows through the pools at a fast enough rate that they are not needed. It didn’t take long for us to get our fill. We dined on salmon & prime rib at the resort that evening. Some stayed to catch some action at the bar, but Roger & I elected to head back and hit the sack – at 8:30! Some party animals we are!

After a bountiful breakfast provided by our hosts, Pete & Carol Reed, three vans loaded up and headed south to Yellowstone National Park. It was just barely snowing when we left, but by the time we got to the gate, it was really snowing. The ranger warned us that the forecast called for 9”! But, onward we go. By the time we arrived at the visitor’s center (just 5 miles further south), we were in REALLY heavy snow! Our fearless leader, a native Montanan – decided we would watch a video about how they have reintroduced the wolves to Yellowstone, and then we would decide whether to go home or drive on in to the park. The video was really interesting, but I know I (and several others) sat there wondering just how bad it would be when we went back outside. Much to our surprise – the sun had come out and the streets were already melted!

So off we went in search of buffalo, deer, wolves, bear, etc. Our very first encounter was with a lone buffalo headed the opposite direction. He looked the friendly sort, but we didn’t test him. The further we drove we found several herds of buffalo and a couple of elk. The wildlife was really on the move as we headed home and had to stop once for the buffalo were standing in the middle of the road. Got some really great shots – but Roger kept telling me to get a ‘close up’. My window was rolled down and I was feeling very vulnerable being so close to such a huge animal. Didn’t get the close up Roger wanted, but everyone had a good laugh at my reluctance to get ‘up close & personal’ with the hairy beast. Came across several very large herds of mule deer and got some really great shots of them. Didn’t catch sight of any wolves or bear – but seeing so much wildlife was a real treat. When we were here in August of 2002, we didn’t see any at all.

With a couple of hours to ourselves back at the Reed's, we were hanging out at our cottage. I had ‘reclined’ on one of the couches, zoning out to my new Vince Gill tunes, when Roger tapped me on the foot. We had two visitors right outside our window – white-tailed deer, just munching away. They were very skittish and darted away at the very first sound we made inside. It’s very easy to see why people love Montana.

Supper was at the Livery Stable, which was attached to the “Old Saloon” – built in 1902 and remains much the same, with the exception of indoor plumbing. However, when I visited the ‘facilities’ I’m afraid they looked like they were added somewhere in the 30’s or 40’s and haven’t been updated since!

We did discover they do know how to make a very good chicken fried steak! Our group of 19 people took up practically the entire restaurant, but this early in the season, they weren’t exactly standing in line. We retired to one of the guest houses for “Moose Tracks” ice cream and cake, served up with the basketball game, before heading to our respective cottages to call it a night. Headed ‘home’ to Billings tomorrow.

Tuesday dawned with yet more snow! We stopped for a quick breakfast at a little place called "Howlin' Hounds Cafe" right in Emigrant. As we spied the 'hound' decor, we had to ask what kind of 'hounds' they had. Much as I had suspected, they did indeed have a Basset hound named 'Duke', as well as a Beagle. The roads were a bit treacherous for a ways, but our breakfast stop allowed the sun to pop out and it didn't take long for them to turn to mush. We were delighted to find that the closer we got to Billings, the less white stuff we saw. But our hopes were flattened a bit, for when we went out with the group for a light supper, we were indeed having snow showers once again.

So now it's back to work for our last 3 days of training. If all goes well, and the weather lightens up, we'll head home Saturday morning.

Stay tuned!