A broken bolt that I replaced was a cute story. Many of you responded accordingly. Today we learned of lives in peril. We’ve been following and including in our prayers for healing BJ and Beth for some time. There are others as well but no need to extend the list here.

We noted that we were going to be passing through Kansas City in a few weeks and sent a message to long time friends who live there that we would like to get together and offered a fairly broad window for that stop. The response was that they were planning to be in Europe for the entire window, but Dianne had some malady that needed to be tracked down before they knew they could travel. So if the medical news was bad we would be able to visit. If the news was good, we would have to wait until next year. In this case the news appears to be good so as we pass through Kansas or near we will think of them and be grateful that they are traveling in Europe and not hassling with doctors and the medical support community which would enable us to visit.

Got another message yesterday from RV friends in Sacramento (close enough) who have been having a rollicking good tour in Arizona with a caravan that they were back home a week early was there a chance we were nearby and could visit. We were passed them by a couple of hours and on the phone we agreed to meet sort of halfway for dinner. Then Anna Lee got on the phone with Carol and the news was less than wonderful and there was no way they could make the 90 minute drive each way for dinner.

While we were planning to meet Anna Lee and her husband for dinner in Truckee, CA we figured we would drive around Lake Tahoe starting up the west side. I’ll leave the review and pictures for another post, we noted that the Donner Pass Memorial Park was just west of Truckee and determined that we would take some time to visit. OY! talk about bad planning, bad execution and failed leadership. Every peril they could face came to seek them out and they brought some on themselves. The monument, put up in 1919, sits atop a 20 foot high plinth so they would always be above the snow to see the pass they were headed for. The Donner party were doomed the moment they chose to follow an unproven route over the Sierra Nevada.

Tomorrow we hope to meet up with Bev and Dan in Ely NV on US 50. This meet up almost failed because Kiki got sick (the cat). Kiki is fine, continuing to make them crazy and with any luck we will see her and the two who keep her home on wheels moving.

The other get togethers we have on tap are in Rochester on the 30th and the 1st then we return to the coach which will be in Salt Lake City and continue doing what we do.