Nancy and I like to stop at out-of-the-way places for meals. On a Sunday morning in early June we found ourselves in Ames, Iowa, looking for a breakfast place. We found on her phone: "Breakfast and Chinese Cuisine."
Sounded interesting. We walked in and the entire place was empty except for the owner and his wife. He welcomed us and we ordered -- no Chinese food just omelets. The food was good and the owner was in a very talkative mood. Seems he had owned the place, just off the Iowa State University campus, for 28 years. But most of the block was being sold and developed into retail and housing. His last day of business was June 15.
We found out he was from Indonesia and traveled back there for weddings and funerals. He shared a lot about his life and we listened intently while we ate our breakfast. He came and went several times, telling us more about his life and his family. On one return visit to our table, he asked us if we drank alcohol?
I said, yes, we do. He then asked us if we like apple pie? I said, yes.
He then disappeared behind the bar and returned with two shot glasses. He informed us this was his homemade alcohol drink. He "distilled" it by boiling down Everclear and adding apple pie spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.
Not wanting to offend, we took a sip. Wow! The "moonshine" tasted just like apple pie! I finished mine in a few sips and then finished Nancy's. Very good stuff.
He asked for no payment but we left him a good tip!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Hello
Nancy and I are RoadTrek virgins.
We've never owned a RoadTrek. Never owned an RV. So, how did we come to take the plunge? Don't quite know. But here is what I have managed to piece together through a blur of memories.
Nancy has always wanted a RoadTrek. She liked the style and compactness of everything. RoadTrek -- a self-contained vehicle with everything you need to travel to distant and beautiful places. Year after year, she talked about getting a RoadTrek, spent hours researching the vehicle over the Internet, and stopped at the local RoadTrek dealer at least once or twice a month. I think she even took a test drive or two. She thought they were too pricey, which they are, and was leaning toward another manufacturer. Then one day fate stepped in.
I was sitting in Bagels & Joe, a local coffee shop, reading the paper. Lo and behold, I saw a RoadTrek for sale. It sounded nice: low mileage, looked good, and low price. I hesitated for just a moment. Should I or shouldn't I give her a call? This could change our lives, I thought to myself. After mentally debating the issue, I decided fulfilling lifelong dreams are very important, so I called Nancy.
Five minutes after she saw the RoadTrek, she wanted to buy it! Full price! I convinced her to offer $1,000 less and the owners accepted. Within days, we were the proud owner of a 2004 Popular 170 RoadTrek. There it was in our driveway. I recall, sitting inside the RoadTrek that first evening, sipping wine and thinking: Now what do we do?
We've had the RoadTrek for about two months now . Over that time, we've learned how to operate most everything by reading the owner's manual, reading websites and blogs on the Internet, and calling up the RoadTrek dealer. We even paid an RV mechanic $50 to spend a half hour with us, going over things.
I won't bore you with accounts of how we gained our RoadTrek wisdom because we are still learning. I think we just finished elementary school and are freshmen in high school. No degrees from RoadTrek University!
Nancy and I have taken one trip together to visit my relatives in northeast Iowa. Had a great time! Will write about it soon. She, on the other hand, has loaded up some of her grandchildren and taken them on overnight expeditions to a local state park. Three or four kids and her in a RoadTrek. Tight but she makes it work.
In writing this blog, I hope to share some of our adventures and misadventures, point out new places, and provide a different perspective from the road. I won't be writing that much about RoadTrek maintenance and where to get the best campground deals. Instead, I will be telling stories about people and places as we travel along highways and backroads.
Obviously, the title for this blog comes from Star Trek. My apologies to Ray Bradbury, William Shatner, Mr. Spock and the rest of the crew. I chose it because the top windows remind me of the Space Shuttle. This will be our spacecraft and Nancy and I hope to go "Where no RoadTrek has gone before." We hope you drop in once in awhile and see how we are doing. Maybe we will meet you on the road!
We've never owned a RoadTrek. Never owned an RV. So, how did we come to take the plunge? Don't quite know. But here is what I have managed to piece together through a blur of memories.
Nancy has always wanted a RoadTrek. She liked the style and compactness of everything. RoadTrek -- a self-contained vehicle with everything you need to travel to distant and beautiful places. Year after year, she talked about getting a RoadTrek, spent hours researching the vehicle over the Internet, and stopped at the local RoadTrek dealer at least once or twice a month. I think she even took a test drive or two. She thought they were too pricey, which they are, and was leaning toward another manufacturer. Then one day fate stepped in.
I was sitting in Bagels & Joe, a local coffee shop, reading the paper. Lo and behold, I saw a RoadTrek for sale. It sounded nice: low mileage, looked good, and low price. I hesitated for just a moment. Should I or shouldn't I give her a call? This could change our lives, I thought to myself. After mentally debating the issue, I decided fulfilling lifelong dreams are very important, so I called Nancy.
Five minutes after she saw the RoadTrek, she wanted to buy it! Full price! I convinced her to offer $1,000 less and the owners accepted. Within days, we were the proud owner of a 2004 Popular 170 RoadTrek. There it was in our driveway. I recall, sitting inside the RoadTrek that first evening, sipping wine and thinking: Now what do we do?
We've had the RoadTrek for about two months now . Over that time, we've learned how to operate most everything by reading the owner's manual, reading websites and blogs on the Internet, and calling up the RoadTrek dealer. We even paid an RV mechanic $50 to spend a half hour with us, going over things.
I won't bore you with accounts of how we gained our RoadTrek wisdom because we are still learning. I think we just finished elementary school and are freshmen in high school. No degrees from RoadTrek University!
Nancy and I have taken one trip together to visit my relatives in northeast Iowa. Had a great time! Will write about it soon. She, on the other hand, has loaded up some of her grandchildren and taken them on overnight expeditions to a local state park. Three or four kids and her in a RoadTrek. Tight but she makes it work.
In writing this blog, I hope to share some of our adventures and misadventures, point out new places, and provide a different perspective from the road. I won't be writing that much about RoadTrek maintenance and where to get the best campground deals. Instead, I will be telling stories about people and places as we travel along highways and backroads.
Obviously, the title for this blog comes from Star Trek. My apologies to Ray Bradbury, William Shatner, Mr. Spock and the rest of the crew. I chose it because the top windows remind me of the Space Shuttle. This will be our spacecraft and Nancy and I hope to go "Where no RoadTrek has gone before." We hope you drop in once in awhile and see how we are doing. Maybe we will meet you on the road!
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