Wednesday, December 6, 2017 - Back to Oswego - On The Run All Day Long

Wednesday, December 6, 2017 - Back to Oswego  - On The Run All Day Long

It was another cold morning so once again we passed up walking.  Several years ago my feet started getting really cold and uncomfortable in the winter months - sometimes almost unbearable.  I finally brought a  heating pad to work and put in under my desk to keep my feet warm through the winter months.  I also had one at home to do the same whenever they started bothering me.  I have to admit most of the time when I walk, even if my feet are cold when we start, they are warm by the time we finish.  However, when the temperatures drop much below 32 degrees they just don't warm up much.

After breakfast I packed things up in Bentley pretty quickly and we were ready to leave shortly after 9.  Dean wants to wait and empty our tanks when we get back to Oswego since it is so cold this morning - it is supposed to be warmer this afternoon and he'll be in the sun rather than the shade like he would be here.  Sure makes a big difference.

We really enjoyed this campground.  It has both electric and water hookups at each site and the dump station is available as you exit the park.  The cost for campers that do not reside in Garnett, Kansas or Anderson County is $16/night.  It is a beautiful area and we loved how our site backed up to the lake that runs up through the center of the park.  We always enjoy a water view.  The park was very convenient for us to visit both our family and friends.  Fortunately for us we picked a site without a tree on it.  With the strong winds we experienced for over a 24 hour period, I'm sure Dean would have needed to clean the slides off if we had been under a tree.

As we were leaving Olathe on Monday, I mentioned to Dean that with a straight shot from Garnett to Oswego it might be a good time for me drive Bentley.  He was agreeable if that's what I wanted to do.  So this morning after I helped get Bentley hitched up, I crawled in the driver's seat as he finished his walk around.  When he walked up to the window - he asked me if I was going to drive and I said Yes, I am.  He took the passenger seat and settled in.  I do appreciate his patience with me.  He reminded me of a couple of things - like when I wanted to make the left turn south of Garnett to continue on Highway 59 - there was a car coming - and if we were in a car it would have been fine to turn - but with the longer length of the truck and Bentley, I was glad he cautioned me to wait. One other time I was starting into a tight curve - it probably would have been fine in the car or truck by itself, but it was not a bad idea to slow down a bit when it's that tight.  He really is a good instructor and I appreciate him being so patient.  While I don't really want to drive a lot - I do want to be able to do so in case something ever happened and I need to.  I do not want to find myself being forced to do something like that and not be prepared - how stressful that would be!

Me driving in Kansas from Garnett RV Park to Oswego Hillside RV Park.

Of course driving in the morning means I need to make more stops than in the afternoon, so it was also the first time I had to pull off on the shoulder of the highway in order to make use of our facilities.  That went well and was not as bad as I expected.  

Once we arrived at the RV Park in Oswego, and I turned in the driveway, Dean told me there was an obstacle I needed to watch for and wanted to see if I knew what it was.  Well, I don't think he meant the school bus that I met as I made the first turn - that was a surprise!  The park also has mobile homes and there are a few families living here but it's the first time I have seen the school bus in the park.  We handled that okay and at the first turn into the RV section of the park I told him I think it is this tree on the right and he said yes, that was the obstacle he meant.  You really have to go far to the left side to miss hitting it with Bentley's back end.  When we reached our spot Dean had to move our van out of our site, so I could pull into it, and then he guided me right where I needed to be for the hookups!    

Pulling a fifth wheel is much, much easier than I ever expected.  

Once we unhitched Bentley, and I had everything set up inside I was going to call Cindy (my sister) to see if I could do a couple of loads of laundry at her house so we could visit this afternoon.  Before I could give her a call a "commercial" about signing up for Medicare came on stating the final date was December 7.  Well, darn that's tomorrow and we wanted to see if we should make any changes to the plan Dean has, and we didn't want to wait until the last day.  So we pulled everything out and an hour later we decided he still had the best policy  which meant we didn't have to do anything.  I called Cindy only to find out she and our Aunt Lil had just left Oswego to go to Parsons.  I said I wish I had known.  She told me we just left town we can come back and get you.  I asked about doing laundry and she said bring it -- so I went to her house and put a load in the washer before we headed to Parsons.  Our first stop was at a new flea market on the east side of town.  While it is fun to look, I do not need anything and only Aunt Lil found something to purchase.  Next stop was at Walmart.  I only needed a couple of things so I just looked around.  I did see our RV friends Bob and Patty Nance.  Bob recently had back surgery and he looks great, and is getting along really well.  It was nice to visit with them and we look forward to seeing them later this winter.

On our way home from Parsons my daughter called me to see if I would want to go to Joplin with her after she got off work, to do some Christmas shopping.  Of course I said yes.  Between us, we stay busy so I look forward to time I can spend with her when I can.  

Cindy dropped me off at her house before taking Aunt Lil home so I could get my first load of clothes in the dryer and the second load in the washer.  I stayed and visited with her while the first load was drying, and I'll pick up the second load tomorrow.  Shortly before 5, I loaded everything up and headed to the RV Park and ending up following Misti into the driveway - perfect timing.


I was surprised the stores were so busy on a Wednesday evening.  The parking lots were packed.  We visited several stores.  Misti found a couple of items she was looking for and I was able to purchase one more present.  

We were back in Oswego by 9:30 so I really was "On the run all day long"!  It was a good day spending time with some very important people in my life - Dean, Cindy, Aunt Lil and Misti.  Even though I was tired, it was a very GOOD day!