GMC Motor Home, Travel with Teri and Dan: July 2010

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Umatilla Watermelon Festival

Yesterday Teri, her dad, and I grabbed a few local geocaches. Going to get a bunch more tomorrow after church.

I rolled out early today, 930 am, and headed to the festival. Did not realize it was going on til I walked into the one and only store in town. Could not stir folks with a stick. Then I saw the cars.

Check out these scooters. The one in the front is a vdub with single port heads.

This cold intake is on the following truck.

1939. He has a souped up 200 Ford 6 banger with air conditioning. I love talking to the owners as much as looking at the vehicles. This is the guy's work truck. He uses it in his buisness everyday. I love these type vehicles. Drive the things.

Check out the 59 Ford. The guy is looking to trade it for a Cobra replica.

This little roadster has a big block Ford.

Looks like a 53 panel in the background. I did not get to speak with owner.

50 bux a ticket. A hotrod 4 banger.

Not many AMC hotrods left.

64 Falcon. Funny thing about this car show, the owners are mostly in their 70's and up.

There must be a club of these things. There were lots of owners there but they were too busy talking with each other for me to butt in.

The watermelon festival brought lots of folks to this little town on the Columbia. Lots of tents and rvs parked here. This is a real pretty place. We love looking at this big river.

Heading to Walla Walla this afternoon. Hope to get more pics along the way. Had a big elk burger for lunch. Teri's dad has lots of elk, my favorite meat, next to Salmon. Oh, Salmon is big here too. Can't wait to get a meal with the fish.

Thanks for hanging in with us. This is going to be a great vacation. Oh, I mean trip. Guess I am on permanant vacation. There is no place prettier than the Northwest in the summer.

Dan

Friday, July 30, 2010

Geocaching Our Way To Oregon

Our first cache in Ks. It was kinda tricky getting into this graveyard but we did not give up.

We love graveyards and trees.

Seems like we did 3 graveyards in a row while in Ks. This was Wednesday afternoon.

And then there was Dodge City. I was looking for Matt Dillon but he was at a doctor's appointment. Teri in a city park. She was digging and did find this one. It was right before we hit Colorado.

We skipped Colorado as it was dark while we traveled through.

Wyoming was fun. We slept 3 hours in Cheyenne and got up and hit it againThursday morning. Was great getting through Denver at 1 am. No traffic and lots of construction going on. I hate driving through there in the daytime.

No scaring these large crows in Wyoming.

On over to Green River. We let little grass grow under our tires this trip.

A quick stop at Little America truck stop. Grabbed 2 cashes here. We have toured the place earlier so did not waste much time here. May stop for ice cream on way home.

There is a bird tree in this tree holding the cache at Little America.

Heading up to Idaho. We made a few finds on Hiway 30. This is a nice toristy road. Not commercial, just God's handiwork.

The uploader will not keep the photos in order. Below is a shot from my rearview mirror. These are mountains in Idaho, just north of the Wyoming border, on 30.

Teri is off for another one on Hiway 30.

There is a cache hanging in there. Can you find it?

Interstate 84, I was trying to beat this rainstorm. We were in a construcion site so was slow go. We did beat it.

This was a great trip. 39 hours to drive 2,000 miles and we took our time. Stopped lots of times to rest and search out a cache. Once we made this trip in 32 hours but the car kept rolling, non stop, except for a one hour shopping trip in Boise.

Thanks to those who rode with us via the tracking system. There were several of you emailing me as we traveled. Sometimes I had to type and drive at same time. I am sure you could tell by my spelling when Teri was napping.

We arrived in Irrigon, Or. about 10 pm. Traffic was heavy in a lot of spots. We ran into some hiway construction along the way. Some was for 20 miles at a time. Stopped in Mountain Home, Id. and had supper, then off for Oregon. We hit the Ontario, Or. rest area before dark. Darkness did not fall until we hit the mountains around Le Grand. Those mountains are killers on motorhomes but barely realized they were there in the Vibe. Teri has already been looking at the geocaches here along the Columbia River. I figure a few will be had before dark.

Life is good.

Dan

Thursday, July 29, 2010

We Have Arrived

Oregon is great. Left home at 9 am Wednesday. Arrived here Thursday at 10 pm. Was a great trip as we geocached several places. Slept in Cheyenne last night. Have lots of pictures but can't get them up tonight. Will try Friday. Hope you had a chance to ride part of the way with us, using the tracking system. That is a nice tool for ham radio operators. Just think, if someone steals my vdub, I can call the cops and tell them where the car is.
Have a great Friday. I look forward to showing you some of the pictures.
Dan

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Nearly On The Road

Grandpa was a dentist this afternoon. Colsyn worked on the loose tooth all night and this morning. He wanted it out before he went home today. We got it. I love being a grandpa. It is so much more fun than being a parent ever was. We have his sister this evening. Trying to get in all the time with them that we can before pulling out tomorrow. Had plans to visit two more this evening but something came up. I thought this picture was worth a thousand words. Will save it for a long time to come. Maybe I can show it to Colsyn's children some day.

Teri is working hard to make the Vibe livable. No matter how hard she works,

it just wont be the same as the GMC, below. We will sleep on the air mattress in the back and just keep rolling. Showers can be bought at truck stops.

Sometimes we just can't take the GMC. For 3 weeks it is not cost effective to drive it 5,000 miles. We do have a trip to take in it as soon as we get back from the Northwest. Another Vdub gathering in Eureka Springs, Ar.

Well, that's about it. I must get back to work so we are ready to pull out when we get up. Today would have been a good traveling day if we had just known. It was overcast and cool all day.

Check the tracker tomorrow to see where we are. wd0afq-1.
Catch you on the road.
Dan

Ready To Roll

Oh yea, we are about ready to hit the road. Heading out to the Pacific Northwest for a few weeks. If you are one of our friends that follow us on the tracker, by hitting the link above, be sure to put in a dash one after the call. It will look like this; WD0AFQ-1. There is a place in the top right of the page to change the ham call so just add the dash one to our call. That is the Vibe and we will be traveling in it. Otherwise, you will be looking at our bug that is sitting in the driveway here in Dexter.We are getting excited.
Our 7 year old grandson is here, spent the night. He and I did our best to remove a lower baby tooth last night but it just was not ready. We are swapping him for his 5 year old sister after while. She will stay til bedtime and then I will take her home. We will miss them. It is nice having some of the grandkis so close. Wish we could see the others as often.
Do you text on your cell phone? I hate it. Teri loves it. I bought her a new "slider" phone so she has a keyboard. Now, what I have figured out is this, I can text to phones from my Yahoo mail account. It is free. So, I have some of my favorite people in here and text them daily. It is great. This is how Teri and I keep in touch when she is out running around. We have only one phone. By the way, we have a new phone number. If you need it just email us and I will give it to you. Have tried to update everyone but I am sure we missed a few folks. the old number is no longer good.
A few months back some of our really good friends lost their GMC coach to a fire. This week they made a deal to buy another coach from other friends of Teri and me. We are so excited to see this beautiful coach go to Jim and Marlys. They are getting the nicest, most dependable coach that I am aware of. Steve has completely rebuilt this coach from the ground up. If we needed a coach I would have jumped on it in a heartbeat. Steve does everything right and his coach is the best built coach I know of. So glad that this one is "staying in the family". Jim and Marlys are flying out to Tucson tomorrow and will drive it back to the Bowling Green area. Wish I could ride along with them.
Do you have any idea how far one of these little infrared lights will shine? My grandson and I do. Lights were coming on so we had to shut it off, last night, and get back into the house. Kids bring out the best in us, don't they?
Well, ride with us if you can. Check our progress, if you are busy working, when you get in. I am thinking 2 days we should be in Eastern Oregon, where we will spend a few days. 2,000 miles. Then, we will head over to the Portland/Vancouver area. This Columbia River is so beautiful. I had only seen it on TV until a few years back. I hope to get lots of pictures for the blog. We plan to head across lower Ks, on 2 lanes, and up around Denver, hit I-80 then west to 84. Do not plan to let any grass grow under our feet. See ya on the road.
Dan

Friday, July 23, 2010

Day Dreaming

When I was a kid I spent a lot of time day dreaming. While in high school study hall I often opened a book but let my drift along, wondering what my future might hold. Even while plowing beans or cotton my mind was a long ways off. Sometimes my dad could tell that when he would come to see how many plants I plowed up or covered with dirt. Even as an adult I let my mind run away sometimes. When we are not gone in the motorhome I am thinking about the next trip. Like now. teri and I are leaving next week for the Northwest. We can't wait to see the Columbia River again. Has been two years since we were out there. This trip will be in the car though so you can follow along by checking the tracker as wd0afq-1. We hope you will ride along with us. There should be lots of pictures along the way to post. Our plans are to stop in Irrigon for a few days and visit with Teri's dad. He is a super guy and I really enjoy learning things from him. He has been a fabricator all of his life. From there we will follow the Columbia on over to the Portland/Vancouver area. Teri has family there and so do I. We will spend a few days with them and then head to Tillamook. Ooh, I can taste the ice cream now. The cheese factory makes some mean ice cream. 2 years ago Teri took me there for my birthday. With any luck we will see our full time buddies in Tillamook. They are living in a 35 foot bus they built. We have not seen them in 18 months and I hope we find them in Tillamook.
The trip will be pretty fast out. It is 2200 miles to Irrigon, Or. We will do it in a couple of days. It is pretty much a non stop drive for us. We stop in truck stops and pay for showers and nap in the car. The Vibe gt is a great traveling car for us as we can sleep in the back with everything folded down. It will not be as much fun as the GMC but will be a lot less expensive.
We have a trip planned to Eureka Springs, Ar. when we get back. There is a big Volkswagen rally over there the last weekend of the month. We plan to pull the bug over and camp in a city park there. Should be a lot of fun and we will do some geocaching while there. I am confident we will geocache some on the way to Oregon and back and some while in the Portland area.
So, as you can see, I have not lost my ability to day dream. It is a good thing that allows us to come up with fun stuff to do. I did not learn day dreaming from my grandfather. I am sure he did some of it himself but he kept that a secret from me. He was more into hands on now kinda things. I guess that is how grandfathers are. My 7 year old and I took off last night for a 30 mile ride on the scooter. Those kids love riding on that thing more than I do. Oh well, whatever they want to do with me is fine. Just spending time with grandkids is a real blessing. But, that is another topic. Got to stop day dreaming as I write, ha.
Hope everyone has had a great week. Teri is at camp until tomorrow, in the GMC. I will go up and drive it home tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by.
Dan

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

O Wow, Happy Birthday To Me

Yep, 56 years ago today my parents brought me into this world, Detroit, Mi, with a broken shoulder. They had to leave their firstborn there for a few days. I was not happy about that. We stayed in Detroit for 4 years after that day. My sister and brother came along within a 3 year period. My aunt and uncle lived just a couple of blocks away. They made for a great time any chance I had to be over there.
My aunt and uncle stayed but we moved to Missouri in 1958, My dad's cousin came up on the train and helped us move to Bernie. There I had a leave it to Beaver life. My mother was a teacher and our great aunt babysitted us. In 1962 my father sold his gas station and bought a farm. Our whole world was turned upside down at that point. At least mine was. We were 5 miles from town. Once my father found out that his dad had taught me to drive a standard shift car, at age 7, he figured I could drive a tractor. Oh yea, went to work on that farm at age 7 after being plucked from a life any kid would have loved. Our farm life was a good life. We had everything we needed and more. At 16 my dad bought me a 1965 Mustang Fastback which I still own. We did not get paid money but we had lots of stuff. But, farming did not suit me so when I graduated from high school off to college I went. Retiring at 52 was a good thing for me. I felt like I had been working all of my life so why not.
Now you know it, I hated cotton farming, ha. Thanks for all of the well wishes today. Must have gotten 30 or more. Every year seems to just get better. While my body tends to age my mind seems to regress, especially when my grandkids come around. 3 of them came running in this afternoon with cake, icecream, a baloon, and card, all excited. So, I just got excited with them and we had cake and ice cream. I had just eaten a big piece of my birthday peach pie made by one of my older widow friends, before they got there. There was still room though.
Hoping all of your birthdays are as happy as mine .
Dan

Monday, July 19, 2010

Bootheel Youth Camp

We are back at the camp. Teri is working as a teacher and I am just hanging out for a day or two.

We have about a half dozen rvs up here this session. I believe there are 8 hookups. Makes it nice for churches that want extra help for the session. I like it because I can come visit Teri whenever I want. She teaches until noon and has the afternoons off. Plus, the air is really nice.

Kids just getting out of bible class and heading over to the craft area.

The little pop up has a nice spot. It is tucked right up in under the trees. That should help their air conditioner a lot. We had a storm up here last night. Left a lot of water around. Glad we do not need to move the coach today. Might be kinda slick getting out of here.

An inside shot after morning devotional.

One of our leaders is about down for the count and it is only Monday.

I will run home, 16 miles, after a while and pick up our mail. May grab some grub that Teri cooked up for me and left in the refer at home. Will stay again tonight but get gone tomorrow. Got things to do. Sometimes I seem to be busier than when I worked for a living. I guess that is just because I am much slower now so it takes me longer to do anything productive.

Hope everyone is having a great week.

Dan

Saturday, July 17, 2010

GMC Goes Back To Camp

Oh, back to camp. Teri is teaching this week and needs a place to sleep. Otherwise she would have to drive back and forth all week. I may sneak up there a few times to make sure all is ok. If you look close you can see little Tyler with his sunglasses through the windshield. He rode with me up to camp Friday afternoon.

Our daughter and 2 boys are here with us. The boys are going to camp this week. Their mom will head home after church tomorrow, Logansport, In.

Here are a couple of shots of the trunk Teri and I built, with help from Bill. Bill has a nice woodworking shop. We can store a lot of stuff in here out of sight. Just flips up and down. Attached with a piano hinge. I am not finished with it yet but it is functional.

We put polished aluminum door sills on. They make a big difference in the look and cover the carpet edge. Also directs any rain water down and out.

That's about it for now. Will have some updates from camp. We are planning a trip to Oregon in two weeks. When we get back we are heading to Eureka Springs for a big Vdub get together.

Dan

After 3 years of working on a 1974 GMC, 26 foot coach, Dan and Teri Gregg, along with Sam, travel from the midwest to the Pacific Coast and back. Come on along on our 4 month journey. As you can see, our journey has now lasted for 4 years and, we are still going. We seem to also still be working on the coach as we travel. You know if you have followed along. Also, Sam is a pleasant memory now. She was with me for 14 years. What a dog.

Name: Dan & Teri Gregg

Location: Dexter, Mo., United States

We love the Lord first and each other second. Enjoy travels in our GMC Coach. Members of GMCMI and Dixielanders along with FMCA. We love our children and 13 grandchildren. We enjoy our GMC friends. These posts are of our 4 month journey, beginning May 25th and ending sometime in October, 2007. Well, we had so much fun that we left home Dec. 14, 2007 for another 4 month journey. Come ride along with us. If you have followed us for very long, you know our two 4 month journies have now lasted 2 years. We continue to travel so please ride with us. About to begin our 5th year on the road, 03-11. Wonder just how long our money will hold out?

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GMC Motor Home, Travel with Teri and Dan