It is now June 2019. The parents are somewhat situated but still have daily struggles and needs. We planned for a long time to make this next trip to have some needed repair work done on our rig. Inasmuch as the work is very specific to Winnebago products and my comfort level needs to be met, we have scheduled work to be done at a dealer in the city where the manufacturer is located, Forest City, IA.
Before leaving we took time out to visit with parents, kids and grandchildren. Along the way we even found time to stop and smell the roses (er tulips).
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| Represents the next stop on their path in life. |
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| Just north of Dallas area |
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| Lots of good things in this picture, jus sayin |
We have passed through some areas that are flooded with the recent rains and ongoing rains we have seen this year. Even part of one interstate highway was closed due to flooding. As we make our way to Iowa, we pay particular attention to road conditions and weather forecasts. When we arrive in Forest City, we make our home on the parking lot of the dealer because the city park we have used in the past is closed due to flooding.
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| Water, water everywhere |
We end up staying a week. Not because the work took that long but we had warranty work done on an A/C unit that was replaced a couple of years ago and it took several days to get another unit from the manufacturer. I was warned in advance that the manufacturer does not allow parts to be shipped in advance and we possibly could be waiting for replacement items to be delivered to the dealer.
Not a problem since we needed some down time anyway and we met several interesting folks to visit with as they came to the dealer for various repairs. We even had time to make a visit to Austin, MN and visit the SPAM museum. SPAM was very instrumental during the World War II effort in keeping our troops fed and nourished. During the visit, folks would come by with various samples cooked and served warm to try. Mmmmm good! I might just turn into a SPAM connoisseur, yep I really liked it. I had SPAM growing up but today there are a multitude of flavors available that were not in existence back then. This is a very interesting, different kind of museum and adventure that all ages would enjoy.
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| That is correct. I am 22 cans tall. |
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| Keeps her from cooking, why else would she love it? |
As we leave Forest City, we have had numerous repairs done and are glad to know things are in good shape as we head out. We had the rig tested for leaks and roof inspected so areas could be properly sealed once again. Our long slide had a bracket that needed to be welded back in place to operate the slide and allow our basement doors to open properly again. Our hot water heater had a tank leak and needed replacement. Our black tank flush needed repair to work properly again. Our rear A/C unit needed replacing and the drains properly hooked up.
So it is off to our next destination in Indiana, Shipshewana to be exact. We don’t know a lot about this place but after we told some folks where we were headed to look into replacing some furniture in the rig, we learned it is a popular destination. As we approach the area we begin to see an unusual sight on the road. We do not ordinarily encounter black square carriages pulled along by a four footed animal. Come to find out this is the third largest concentration of Amish peoples in the United States.
Evidently
we are headed towards a whole different kind of adventure. More detail about that in the next
posting. See ya later.
