It seems I have gotten into a quarterly pattern of updating Riveting Journey with our whereabouts. Alas, I hope to do better as 2025 comes upon us. We have a few things planned for this next year, with one major component in flux. But before I share that information, let me update you on this year.
Our last blog ended with us arriving in Gary, Minnesota for Carl to drive a truck for Skaurud Grain Farms during harvest. He stayed reasonably busy between hauling manure to fields and trucking corn silage to the dairy in August and September. Much to his chagrin, he could not stay for the sugar beet harvest this year because of family plans in North Carolina.
A few pics from Minnesota this past summer …
While Carl was driving the farm truck, I kept busy with a variety of activities. My least favorite, but necessary, was ensuring there was enough food and drink to pack a cooler daily for Carl’s 12-hour shifts. I promise you, the man did not go hungry! In addition, I gave RivetingJourney.com a new look and feel, updated information at my other website, BookLayoutPro.com, worked on some promotion for it, and read many trashy romance novels. I spent years not reading much fiction—maybe getting a couple in every year because my reading interest gravitated toward the spiritual/metaphysical genre, and I was working on my Masters in Transpersonal Psychology through Atlantic University. This past year, thanks to Amazon and my Kindle app, I have made up for lost time. Carl isn’t thrilled about it, but in all fairness, he spends his time “researching” diesel mechanic stuff, motorcycles, sports, politics, etc.
The one “touristy” thing we did while in Gary was to go troll hunting in Detroit Lakes. Artist Thomas Dambo has been building trolls out of recycled materials in various parts of the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Detroit Lakes has SIX trolls in and around the town. It was a fun, sunny day of driving to each location, hiking/walking to find each troll, and taking a few pictures. When all was said and done, we had walked over four miles, visited six tolls, passed a covered bridge, and ran into others on the same circuit.
At the end of September, we left Gary, Minnesota, to travel to North Carolina. My mom (Karen’s) turned 80 this year, and my siblings, sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, Carl, and I threw an EPIC SURPRISE birthday party for her in October. It had been in the works since February, and we were genuinely impressed that she NEVER found out about it! Over 65 people attended, some of whom she hadn’t seen in decades, and others from Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and other distant places. Everything went perfectly! The only downside was not spending as much time with the guests as we would have liked.
The other significant occurrence in October … we bought a truck! And I take full credit for it. Carl’s wish list was for a 2017 or 2018 Dodge Ram Laramie, 4×4, Diesel, long bed, single rear wheel, with a standard cab, in silver. After being informed by a truck guy at a Raleigh dealership that a long bed with a single rear wheel was RARE, I just happened to see one on Facebook Marketplace for sale in Troutman, North Carolina. It had all the components we were looking for, especially with it being silver, and Carl is working to get it the way we want. A lift kit has been removed, and we are looking for new wheels and tires because the original owner replaced the stock wheels with big, fancy ones that don’t suit us. We are also looking for a camper shell for the back to help maximize our storage as we travel full-time.
Being back in North Carolina has felt chaotic. One trip to Boone to visit our daughter Rachel and her partner Em has turned into two trips because of unexpected issues with Rachel’s car (too long of a story to share, but all is good now). Luckily, our second trip there was over PEAK weekend for foliage, which was stunningly beautiful. I was never able to get a good picture of it, but my eyes and soul enjoyed feasting on the vibrant colors.
Now, we are bouncing between Garner and Newport (near where my mom and sister live) every week to two weeks. I want to be in Garner to visit friends and spend time with Madeline and Layne, and I want to be in Newport to spend time with my mom and sister. Mixed in with all of that is getting one truck ready to sell, bringing our new truck into the fold of our full-time RVing lifestyle, preparing for holidays, helping our daughter and her fiancé move into their new house, and working on book formatting projects (a women’s lacrosse book and a book about Princeville Graded School in NC). It all feels like a little too much at times, moving back and forth between the two locations. I’m hoping we can be in one place for a few months the next time we are in North Carolina for an extended period.
What is in store for 2025? Two weddings and maybe a temporary RV change for a trip with an additional person and her small dog to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.
Two weddings:
Carl’s son, Eric, and his fiancé Patty, are getting married in March. We will be in Florida for the first few months of this next year and look forward to celebrating this moment with them (they live in Orlando).
Our daughter, Madeline, and her fiancé Layne, are having a destination wedding in Mexico next November. Planning is underway with the venue reserved and Save the Date cards mailed. When we return from her wedding, I imagine we will start some sort of transformation to our traveling lifestyle. Only time will tell …
Temporary RV change:
I had the “brilliant” idea of wanting to take my mom and her little dog, Toby, to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks next summer. Back in the 2008-2011 timeframe, she worked at Yellowstone for two summers and Glacier for one summer. I thought she might like to revisit these locations, which will require us to get an RV with two sleeping areas and put the Airstream in storage while we are gone. I’ve outlined a six-week trip, which will include a visit to Ohio and Iowa to visit family and explore a few places in Nebraska as we drive out there. We are waiting for my mom’s firm confirmation, but we hope to make this journey with her.
May your holidays over the next couple of months be filled with love and laughter, and start planning for a riveting new year!
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