(Mid August – mid October, 2019) Bidding farewell to friends in the Salt Lake City area, we set our sights on our next major goal – visiting family and friends in Iowa. From Provo we cut through the scenic Wasatch Mountains via Provo Canyon and soon merged onto Interstate I-80 for a straight shot east to Iowa.

Heading East

Once on the I-80, our route took us out of Utah to Wyoming, Nebraska, and then Iowa. Leaving Utah, we passed into the high plains and big sky country of Wyoming. Along the way we occasionally saw sparse herds of antelope grazing the sere grasses of the plains. Eventually we descended into the prairies and farmlands of Nebraska and Iowa.

Our drive was largely uneventful and we broke up the long trip with convenient stops along the way. Traveling quickly (for us) we kept our stays short, alternating one- and two-night stays at Rock Springs / Green River KOA Journey, Rock Springs, Wyoming; Cheyenne KOA Journey, Cheyenne, Wyoming; Holiday RV Park, North Platte, Nebraska; and West Omaha / NE Lincoln KOA Holiday, Omaha, Nebraska, respectively.

Hanging Out in New Virginia, Iowa

Arriving in Iowa, we settled in for a long stay with my sister, Shirley, brother-in-law, Craig Phinney, and mother, Marta Day. Located near New Virginia, the couple have a lovely new home set on about two and a half acres and featuring serene views of rolling hills and pasture land. Kim and I were both excited about seeing Shirley and Craig’s new place and spending September with them and Mom.

We were fortunate that we could camp right at Shirley & Craig’s place with water and 50/30 amp electric partial hookups. However, we did have to break camp several times to use an area dump station.

Our time with family was lovely but, unfortunately, Craig was having health issues during our stay. A retired police officer, retiree of the US Air Force and US Air Force Reserve, and professional life coach, Craig is also a colon cancer survivor and founder/executive director of Cops Against Cancer.org. A cancer survivor for over a decade, Craig has had a rough road to recovery, with occasional set-backs and ongoing health issues.

Highlights of Our Stay

During our stay Craig was having some good days and some bad ones. On the good days we all enjoyed long drives in the country around the area and sight-seeing in Madison County and Pella. We especially enjoyed stopping for meats & baked goods (great beef stick, bologna, breads, cookies, and danishes – yum!) in the Dutch community of Pella.

On other days, we would all just hangout around home, visit, barbecue, and enjoy the backyard firepit or sitting outside to watch evening thunderstorms pass through the area.

Kim and I also took trips around the area on our own or with Mom. Highlights include visiting Lake Ahquabi State Park; stopping for pizza at the Great Plains Sauce and Dough Co. at my former college town, Ames; gift/antique/pumpkin shopping with Mom at the Harvest Barn in Osceola; and the occasional stop at a Maid-Rite restaurant for that local delicacy.

Visiting With More Family and Friends

Other highlights during our stay include visits with family and friends in the area, notably my cousin, Scott W.; my aunt, Helen, and cousin, Sharon; Kim’s cousins, Cheri and Tom B.; and a few of my former classmates/schoolmates – Lauri & Jim R., Mike & Jeff S. We also enjoyed visiting with much beloved English teacher, Lorena B., and her husband Ross, at the historic Rexall Drug store and soda fountain in Allerton.

(So great to see all of you – Kim and I had a wonderful time visiting. Helen & Sharon – thank you for dinner! Mike & Stacy, thanks for dinner – we enjoyed meeting your family – you have a lovely home! Jeff, so glad you could stop by while we were visiting with your brother, Mike. Laurie, so glad you and your brother, Jim, could join us for lunch – it’s been a long time! Lorena and Ross, so wonderful to see you two – thanks for sharing an evening with us – Lorena, I hope you realize what a positive impact you had on my life!)

Other Events

During our stay we had a local mobile tire service install a brand new set of heavy duty G-range tires on the trailer. Our old E-range tires were showing much wear, despite being only one or two years old.

We made sure to keep our weather radio on throughout our stay to receive severe weather alerts. Several bands of thunderstorms passed through the area, but we missed the worst of the severe weather – receiving some heavy rain and winds. Several nearby communities did not fare as well, being hit by damaging hail, straight-line winds, and tornadoes. Humbling to see the aftermath of damaged buildings, shredded trees, and metal grain silos twisted and crushed like empty beer cans.

Leaving Iowa … and Back, Again

After staying at Shirley and Craig’s for a month, we packed up and headed south into Missouri. The plan was to swing through Missouri and then head west to spend October in Colorado and Utah. We had just made it to our first stop in Kansas City area when we received bad news from my family.

Shortly before we left Iowa, Craig had gone back in the hospital due to complications and underwent tests to try to figure out why he kept having certain health issues. The test results had just come back and the prognosis was dire. Craig’s cancer had returned – a devastating diagnosis, with much uncertainty.

We packed up, cancelled reservations, and returned to Iowa to be with them until they had more understanding as to severity and treatment options. We ended up staying for a little more than two weeks. By then many questions had been answered – the prognosis didn’t seem as severe as initially thought and a plan for treatment had been prepared involving chemo and surgery – a process likely to stretch over many months. Craig and Shirley were in good spirits and well-resolved to tackle this new challenge.

At this point we felt better about moving on, so we bid sad farewells and headed out – this time taking a more southern route through Texas to avoid anticipated bad weather in the Rockies. (Mom, Shirley, and Craig, we enjoyed our stay with you – despite the ups and downs. Miss you and look forward to next trip there – hang in there!)

That’s all for now. Safe travels and enjoy the journey.