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June 28th we packed up our coach and started to make our way to Kansas City, MO. We made didn't get to far when flood waters kept routing us around on one lane farm roads of Ohio. After we cleared the flood zone we thought our troubles were behind us. We ran into some possible severe weather so we pulled over at a RV campground in Cloverdale, IL. The next day with clear weather we were excited to get to Lake Paradise Campground in Lone Jack, MO. As we passed St. Louis nearing Columbia, we smelled diesel. We pull over at Kingdom City, Mo to discover a fuel leak! Not good! The roadside service assistant called the fire dept. because we were leaking fuel when the engine was on. Ugh! Our coach was towed to Columbia Freightliner service center and as of today June 30th that is where she still is sitting. It is all warranty work and we have trip interruption insurance so we will get reimbursed for our hotel and food expenses. Today, we ate late lunch at Bleu restaurant. It was between lunch and dinner hours so the bartender took care of us. It was like private dining. I took their signature drink the Bleu flame and deleted the extra juices to create a new drink for the restaurant. That's right. Because of me, Bleu now will be serving a new drink on the menu. Simple syrup roasted Jalapeno vodka martini. So yummy that we went back to the hotel and napped.
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Let's go back a few days. On June 20th we were back on the road heading toward Peoria. After harrowing turns through a subdivision we parked in a cul-de-sac next to our friends' house. Soon after we arrive a massive thunderstorm rolled in and cut the power to the entire neighborhood. Our motor coach was the only safe haven so we continued our visit in the cul-de-sac. We left the next day to head to Decatur, Indiana where Saira (our coach) was born. June 21st we pulled into the Allied Recreation Group's parking lot. Since we didn't have an appointment it is first come first serve. Our coach had a 50 amp plug issue,a warranty issue, so we were crossing our fingers we could get in to the service center. At 5:30 am on June 22nd we pulled #2 in line ticket for drop in. Within 2 hours our coach was in the bay getting fixed. Later that same day we were settling in at Mike's parents house near Bryan, Ohio for a few days on our way to my brother's wedding in Toledo. To our surprise my parents were stopping in Bryan, Ohio to visit us. They had been traveling from my sister's in Wisconsin. So we called up my other sister that lived near by and Mike's sister and had family BBQ. Everyone loved our new home. We grew up around Bryan, OH, so it is nice to get back to visit our roots. Since we consider ourselves foodies and we love live music, a lot of people recommended Father John's restaurant. Mike and I were curious about this restaurant that once was church. It did not disappoint. We loved it so much that we took the family there for lunch the next day. June 26th we left our coach at Mike's parents and took the jeep to Toledo for my brother's wedding. He is a head Chef for the Toledo Club so we knew the food would be amazing all weekend. We didn't hold back. Calorie counting went on vacation! Our daughter drove up from NC and stayed with us at the Grand Plaza which we wouldn't recommend but it is sadly the nicest place to stay in Toledo city center. The rehearsal dinner was held at Register Bistro. This restaurant is in a building that hold art studios. The art work was stunning. The private dinning room was impressive and the food was to die for! Mike and I highly recommend trying this place out.
Saturday, we started our day with brunch at Brasserie by Niche French restaurant near Forest Park where the museums and Zoo are located. It has valet parking so you don't have to drive around to find street parking. After a lovely brunch we headed into the park. Forest Park has so many things to offer including a golf course. We stopped at the Science museum but decided not to go. The building's design was very unique but it looked like a typical kids' science museum. The Missouri History Museum gave us some insight on St. Louis. It's free and well worth the stop. We ran out of time for the Art Museum so we went on Sunday. The St. Louis art museum was impressive. It has a few of the masters: Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, Monet just to name a few. Mike took me to a place for brunch that he had gone to before with friends. It was called the Scape. I had the duck hash and Mike had the Crab Benedict. They both were so good that we shared. There was a Bloody Mary bar. It is always fun to make it yourself. After brunch, we took a stroll through the beautiful historic neighborhood near the restaurant and park. The historic homes on the gated streets were stunning. As we were exploring the I noticed a large dome peaking above the trees. As we were heading toward the dome, I was hoping it was the Cathedral. It was! Sunday mass was going on so I popped in for quick look but no photos of the inside.
Later we were grilling out at the RV park when our neighbors in a Newell motor coach stopped by. Their rig is off the charts! They have been full timers for 15 years and love it. They gave us, rookies, a few helpful tips. Very cool people. Meeting people from all walks of life is one thing we enjoy about being full timers. The project Mike is working on is coming to close so we have one last weekend here. We have enjoyed our stay. I will post more this weekend. We have a few places to check out before we leave. We are headed to Mike's parents and my brother in Ohio for a visit then it looks like the Kansas City Office for awhile. This puts a closer to the Lake of the Ozarks which is quiet beautiful so I have heard. We are dying to try out our new inflatable kayak. So many people were worried about me not working. Well, I love it. I am planning meals and the next adventures for us. Mike comes home EVERY night to me. Life is so good!
Around the motor coach We love the Sony Bravia TV and surround sound that came with our new home. It kicks ass! The central vac is so soooo nice. I will put one in my next house! This place is so comfortable. I really don't feel crowded though we leave nothing out. If it doesn't have place, it doesn't come in. The air conditioning in the Bedroom can't keep up on laundry days because the washer and dryer are located there. Every where else the AC works great. I keep the night shades down on direct sunlight windows just to help the AC. The composting toilet is an adjustment. Let's just say you only has to overflow the #1 container once! Yuck! And you will never do it again. We are saving about 15 gallons of water a day using it so we will continue. It really is amazing how it works. The True Induction cook plate is very efficient as well as the convection microwave. We only use the propane stove to heat the kettle because the kettle isn't made of metal. LOL! I am getting better at cooking on all of them. Today was our first day of exploring St. Louis together. Mike has Sundays off work. It is getting really hot and humid here. We caught the 10:00 am train from the casino and into St. Louis, Mo. crossed the Mississippi River. It was a quiet walk down Washington street. Looking at all the historical buildings that are now restaurants and shops. I had looked up a restaurant for brunch but forgot the name so we just kept walking hoping I would remember it. After 7 blocks we began to look like lost tourist. That's when a city worker asked us if we needed help. I told him we were trying to find a restaurant for brunch. We guided us to Roosters restaurant. This place is all about eating local. Everything comes from here. The atmosphere reminded me so much of Raleigh Times restaurant in Raleigh, NC. The Bloody Samurai was one of the best Bloody Marys I have ever had. The food was incredible! The main focus on the menu was crepes. And man, can they whip some up. We strongly recommend Roosters. With our bellies full we continued on our quest to find the City Museum. This place is like nothing I have ever been before. As we approached the building we saw a Ferris wheel and school bus protruding from the rooftop. By the time we paid for our tickets, I felt like a kid again. This kids museum was not just for kids. It was for the whole family. WE were climbing through dark caves, crawling through wire tunnels, ascending curved staircases and descending twisted slides that were more like dark shoots. We made our way through the "Mad Max" like maze to the top. Some of the tunnels and caves reminded me that I might feel like a kid inside but I definitely am a full grown adult. Tight fits! The roof had a working Ferris Wheel! It looked like a retired carni ride so we decided not to take a spin. We took the quick way down. The ten story spiral slide! Which actually only went about 5 stories. I suggest clicking on the link to check this place out. If you are ever in St. Louis, go with our without kids. It was a blast. We left the museum and headed back to the train stop when we found the restaurant we were searching for this morning. We popped in Lucas Park Grill for an afternoon cocktail. |
Mike & KatKat left teaching after 18 years to travel throughout the USA with her husband, Mike, who is an engineer for a Power generation company. Archives
June 2017
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