Back to Our Travels!

Day 6 We all slept peacefully after the fun, exciting times on the island. We found a Walmart parking lot to sleep in that night and so I went in to restock our supplies before we got back onto the road. Oh, and Marvin was able to talk to the generators' manufacturer who told us the easy fix to our problem. So, it was fixed before we went to bed that night. After the quick shopping trip and tearing down beds, setting up car seats and all the logistical stuff, we were on our way again. we decided at the last minute that it would be really fun to go through Minneapolis to the Mall of America. It is the biggest mall in the country and has an amusement park right in the middle. It also has a Rainforest Cafe inside. I knew the kids would love it(as would we, makes it even better!). So, we get there around 4:30 or so. We follow the signs for parking only to come to a light. Marvin said we need to turn here, right/ I said "yes, you are too big to fit there", pointing straight at the 7 foot clearance bar hanging over the road to the parking garage. He didn't here my words, only saw me point and thought I was telling him to go straight. So he did, right to the bar at our eye level. we were stuck in the intersection and now KNOW that we cannot back up! So, the only answer is to undo the van, back it off the dolly and try to maneuver that way. In the mean time, traffic is having to go around our big train in the middle of the intersection. A security officer from the mall came on his bike to direct traffic around us. We got the car off and hoped we could back the dolly just a tad so we could turn our contraption around and head to bus parking. It was still impossible to back the dolly, but we got it done just enough to drive up over the curb and through the grass to turn around. Only, we discovered when taking the car off, that the pin that holds the ramp up had fallen out, so once the weight of the van was off it, the thing scraped along the road, making horrible noises. We found a tire pressure gauge to stuff in the pin's place to get to the parking lot, but had nothing to secure it with. So, Marvin again went looking for something to improvise. He found the package from string cheese and used that to tie each end so it wouldn't slide out. while he was doing that, the head of security walks up and makes sure everything is okay. We had to just laugh! We are fine, we obstructed traffic, drove through your nicely landscaped lawn, and are now using trash to keep us all together, of course we are fine! They were really great in spite of it all! We finally got to our parking area and went to Sears to find something that would work better than string cheese trash to hold the dolly up. Then we went to dinner, which was a blast! So, another character building experience was had! We did the bed down and drive thing again that night so that we could get to our next destination early.
Still Smiling. (Notice Sarah's thumbs up, she's almost got it!)


My crew at The Mall of America


Josh wants to feed the alligator!


My guys(not sure what Sam is doing? What a boy!)


Me and the crew!


Michael wanted to take a picture too!


Then Sam wanted a turn. He did really good, I think!


Day 7 Well, we woke up just a short distance from North Dakota. Our next stop was to visit with my friend from high school and to meet her family. We had kept in touch through email off and on and I was so excited to see her again. Her name is Erin. she has a husband, Pat, and three kids right around the boys' ages. A 5 year old, Madison, 3 year old Jonah, and almost 2 year old Matthew. We got there in time for lunch and that broke the ice a bit between kids. They were all a bit shy, but it only lasted a few minutes! They had a great time playing and we had a wonderful time visiting and catching up. I was able to do laundry and put the girls down for a real nap in a real bed. We stayed through dinnertime. Pat made the BEST chili I have ever tasted! We put jammies on and did the bed building so that we could drive a bit longer that night. It was so good to make a connection again with a good friend! I just wish we lived closer!
Madison was in love with the girls!


Josh and Jonah playing ball with the world


Matthew reading to Abby



Day 8 We slept that night at a rest area that had all kinds of historical fun about Lewis and Clark. We had a good time walking around, looking at statues and reading the plaques, but we couldn't wait around until it opened(and we really didn't want to pay $5/person!). We pulled into Minot, North Dakota around 11am. We pulled into the new Walmart so that Marvin could take the big boys and girls in while Josh and I got a nap. They were gone quite a while, but our nap just didn't work out. We drove around looking for propane and a dump station. Not a hard find this time! So, we continued to the campground that is just down the street from the house I lived in there. Only to find that it was closed for the season. Well, we couldn't turn around, so our only option was to follow a tiny dirt road back out. Worked okay until another car came from the opposite direction. Marvin tried to get out of the way enough for them to get by, but in the process, hit a tree branch. He was not so impressed with the whole situation. There was no real damage, just hurt pride maybe. We took the Q train to the church I went to while we lived there and unhooked the car. I called the pastor and his wife(also my High school Science teacher) and explained that we were in the area and would love to get together and they said it would be fine to park the rv there and to even plug in and use the church building if we wanted to. We made plans to meet for dinner then we went exploring my old home. It was great to visit with James and Diana and even were able to say a quick hello to Tammy and Kenny that night. We were able to use their bath before hitting the hay.

The kids in front of Lewis and Clark and an Indian Chief


Marvin playing it cool with Lewis


The kids and I with the Buffalo


Day 9 The next morning, it felt really good to take some breathing time while the kids enjoyed a not so cold picnic breakfast. Then we headed back to James and Diana's house to visit and eat lunch. My friend Mandy came and brought her 2 little guys, little Kenny and Jonathan. We visited and did some more catching up while the kids played and more laundry was done. It was such a beautiful day that the boys had a blast outside with James playing in the leaves. After lunch we were on our way west once again!

Sweet moment, I caught Abba and Abby dancing together!


Breakfast picnic in the church parking lot


Sarah's such a nut!


Sweet Abby


Fun with little Kenny in the leaves!


Sam? Is that my Sam?


The sunset in North Dakota...breath taking!


Day 10 Was not a very exciting day. We drove pretty hard that day and made good distance. The mountains proved trying at times, but we made it unscathed!

Sleepy babies!


Nice and comfy!


Day 11 There really wasn't much driving this day. As we took off really early so that we could get to Seattle by breakfast time. We almost made it! We found a campground and were SO happy to be parked somewhere! That was the end of our grand journey across America, which only serves the beginning of a whole new Q family adventure!