One of the benefits of living in an RV is the opportunity to experience life in any area of the country in all seasons. We spent our first summer after retirement on the beaches of California; our second would be a Midwest summer in Ohio.

Why Ohio, you ask? It is certainly not a destination area like Florida or Arizona. Simple, our son Brent and his family live in the Columbus area and we promised to spend the summer near them. We had attended our daughter-in-law Sharla's Masters graduation at Ohio State the year before, and while there we checked out potential summer sites. We had flown from California and were limited on time, so before we left we compiled a list of campgrounds that seemed suitable. Our rig is large so we are limited to parks that can accommodate big rigs. We wanted a park within 30 miles of the kids, which seemed to be a reasonable request. What a surprise we had! We looked at a half dozen parks and none could accommodate us. We had one left to see and before we turned into the entrance, Terry remarked, "this one will work!"

"But Dad" Brent said, "You haven't even seen it yet!"

"Trust me, I can tell."

Right, he was. A former membership park in Delaware, Ohio, Cross Creek Camping Resort was just the place we were looking for. We made arrangements for a site for the next season, and went home happy. We spent the next year adjusting to life as fulltimers. Five months on the California coast, winter spent moving around the desert areas, the national Alfa rally, and it was time to head for Ohio. Time doesn't fly, it races!

We left Apple Valley early on a warm May day and headed east on I 15 to I 40. By early afternoon we were in Williams, Az and stayed at a KOA just off the freeway. Generally we can set up in less than an hour, but because of the uneven ground, it took a bit longer. After using every Lynx block and board we had, there was nothing left to use as a step to reach the rig's steps. It was a long way up! After fueling the truck we returned to the campground for our afternoon walk and were greeted with SNOW! What a way to start our trip. At most overnight stays we only hook up the electric if available, as we travel with about 1/3 of the fresh water tank capacity. The next morning we delayed our departure for a bit hoping it would warm up. We only had the frozen power cord to deal with, but ice and mud can be a bit tricky.

The next afternoon saw us in Grants, NM. Known as one of the gateways to the Grand Canyon, we were not sure we would find accommodations, so we stopped at the first campground we located in our trusty Trailer Life directory. Tucked between the freeway and the main east/west rail corridor the Bar S RV Park is small (maybe three acres) with graveled sites (no landscaping to speak of) and no frills. I had called earlier and the lady I talked with said no one would be in the office when we arrived, but pick a site and check in later. We did, and spent a restful night soothed by the hum of the freeway and rumble of countless trains.

On we sped, stopping in Amarillo after a harrowing day of rain, hail and wind. At one point we pulled off the freeway to wait out a developing tornado. Fortunately it decided to develop somewhere else and we motored on down the road. We spent the night in Tulsa and headed northeast on I 44.

Like an old friend, the storm we traveled with from Arizona was still with us when we stopped in Villa Ridge, Mo. Pin Oak RV Park was so nice and the folks running it so helpful we decided to spend a few days. By the next day, not only had the storm left us; we were ready to play "tourist". After giving us directions, suggestions and an offer to rescue us if we got lost, we said goodbye to the park manager and headed for Daniel Boone's last home. Not trusting much in maps, Terry decided he would take a shortcut. True to form, his shortcut ended up taking us farther than the ordinary tourist would dare to go. But what beautiful country we saw. Amish fields and farms, towns still looking as they did two hundred years ago with streets barely wide enough for our truck. After arriving we waited for the next tour to begin. What a wonderful home Mr. Boone had built. Completely restored with period furniture, the original stones and hand-hewn beams were stunning. Low ceilings spoke of the small stature of most of the 18th century people, as did furnishings and clothing. It was a very humbling experience.

The next day was spent doing household chores, laundry and an ice cream run. After a quiet night we hooked up and headed for I 75 and the last leg of our trek. Two days later we arrived at our home for the summer, Delaware, Ohio.

Cross Creek Camping Resort is located about 15 miles north of Columbus across the road from Alum Creek Lake. The lake is a flood control reservoir of nearly 3500 acres. Fishing, boating, hiking, and bike riding are among the activities available to all for only the cost of a fishing license. What a change from California! Green everywhere, water a stone's throw away and we were very happy campers. Because we had all our fishing equipment with us the first order of business was to get licenses. The first surprise was the cost; two out of state licenses for non-residents were far less than one resident license in California. We were set!

For years Terry had talked of buying a boat. I had not encouraged this fantasy because of our situation at the time. With a working ranch, retail business, Terry on 24 hour call, very seldom having the same hours off, and the nearest practical body of water 150 miles away, a boat didn't seem to be an option. Now we had no job, home 24 hours a day together, a very large lake across the street and no more excuses. Terry had secretly studied the various boats available and come up with his dreamboat. So off we went to order the BOAT!

We took delivery on our 25'Tracker Fishin' Barge (pontoon boat to y'all not into current lingo) and hauled her 6 miles to the lake and the marina slip we had rented for the season. We had seen pontoons before both on water and on trailers, but not paid a whole lot of attention to them, at least I hadn't! This thing is BIG. But we have this BIG fifth wheel trailer, so what the heck. I grew up with boats and Terry was there too, so we didn't anticipate too many problems. We launched the boat and "sailed" (I do mean sailed, pontoons have no draft and simply go with the wind!) to the slip. After several tries and no serious mishaps, she was docked. Out we went again to fish. We didn't catch a whole lot, but had a ball. We now had our boat and we were set to have a grand summer. Time with the grandkids, soccer, Tai Kwan Do tournaments, picnics, lots of bike rides, walks and just relaxing.

Most of the summer was spent on the boat, but we did catch a few wonderful days experiencing local traditions....County Fairs. These turned out to be our most memorable times. The Midwest fairs cannot be compared to the mega-fairs in California. These tiny "affairs" center on the local community, catering to kids from age 1 to 100. Traditional livestock exhibits and shows, farm equipment, draft horse and tractor pulls, harness, truck and car races, and our favorite........The Combine Demolition Derby!

What on earth is a Combine Demolition Derby? You almost have to be there to believe it. Contestants go searching the countryside for likely steeds...abandoned combines littering farmer's fields. Combines are huge farm implements that harvest crops. Farmers need to know how to repair their own equipment and sometimes these machines are beyond any more repairs. Many are left to slowly rot in the fields. Enterprising fellows rescue these machines and turn them into monster demolition derby entries. The cutting blades are removed and engines made to run again. Custom paint jobs are applied, three point harnesses are installed in the cabs, drivers don helmets and. ...they're off!!!! An area just big enough to hold a dozen machines is marked off with huge concrete blocks about three feet high, weighing hundreds of pounds.

Enter the combines. The object is to be the last machine still moving. The roar of the engines, the announcer and the crowd is enough to get anyone in the mood for destruction, but when you see those monsters attack each other, any thought of quiet afternoons listening to the drone of harvesting is gone. What a sight. Machines being pushed, slammed into and climbing the blocks...a fight to the end. No one seems to get hurt and some machines even come back to fight another day. The excitement of the crowd is wonderful. We all went home with throats sore from yelling, hair dusty from the racetrack, tummies full of junk food and memories we will have forever.

We left the Midwest for the Washington DC area two weeks after 9-11. We had discussed heading directly back to California but decided that we should support our country by not changing our lives. Terry's sister, Robin and her husband Butch live south of DC in Dumphries, VA and we spent two weeks touring our nation's Capitol, battlefields, historic towns and monuments and learned to use the metro system. DC is one of the most fascinating cities we have been in. People were so friendly and helpful. We plan on returning and staying much longer.

From DC we headed south to Norfolk, VA where my sister Patty and husband Jim live. We spent another week biking, sightseeing and visiting. It was then time to head for California for the holidays. Our trip included a stop in Livingston, Texas at the Escapee headquarters. In San Antonio we were delayed by a violent storm. Hail, five inches of rain and a tornado were part of the excitement. We hunkered down and waited for a break in the storm and headed west. The remainder of the trip was uneventful. We arrived back in Apple Valley and prepared to spend the rest of the year in the desert.

Our life on the road has been full of wonderful surprises and unexpected events. Even though we have had our doubts at times, we find this way of life is one we hope to continue for many years. All problems have been solved and we have seen so much. The best part of all is the wonderful people we meet.

We are well on the road to fulltiming

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