The last word

Here's Pop's sign-off:

"My comments are to finalize the blog which my grandson, Brandon, kept from Florida to California.

It was a thirty day trip. We took three Born Free motor coaches with Wanda drivng one, Brandon leading with the gps, and me bringing up the tail.

It was a wonderful trip. In each state we had a rally for owners and prospects to come view the three Born Free models we had on display. We also entertained them with a 'Taste of Iowa' pork barbecue. We sold a few units along the way and many more promised to buy later as has been the case this year, last year, and the previous year.

The Born Frees handled exceptionally well, getting great gas mileage. We travelled very safely inasmuch as each Born Free had three roll bars and has allowed us to advertise the fact that in over 42 years of production there’s never been a fatality to a Born Free owner or occupant.

We pulled our own barbecue which also had a deep freeze on it and carried along our charcoal and hickory wood to make it convenient for us to put on the noon barbecue in a centrally located spot in each state. We did two barbecues in Texas - one in Dallas, one in Austin - both very well attended.

We ended the trip in San Diego where we left our three Born Frees - a 22 foot rear kitchen model, a 24 foot rear bath model, and our new 27 foot rear side bed model. We left our units with Holland Motor Homes in San Diego who was our dealer a few years back. We intend to set them up as our factory direct outlet in Southern California.

We also plan to show our units at the FMCA Western Rally in Indio, California, January 12th through 16th. One of our owners, Bob Newby, is heading up the FMCA rally for the western area this year and due to his personal invitation to come and show and put on a barbecue we decided to do so.

Brandon had a gps which led us to the KOA campgrounds we stayed at each night and had our barbecue the next day or two.

All in all it was a fantastic trip. We travelled over 5,000 miles. the only mishap happening when i backed into an orange post out of my mirror sight at a Walmart.

We flew from San Diego to Omaha, Nebraska where we rented a car and drove to Humboldt - feeling very comfortable back home again.

I want to express our thanks to all those who came to our rallies in each state and extend our best wishes and happy camping!"

Gram's final 2 cents

Here's Gram's last post:

"Safe at home after 34 days on the road - thanks be to God!

And to you, Brandon for being our tour guide through thick and thin and always getting us to the right KOA on time. Thanks again, Bran, for being so gentle, loving, and kind with the two 'oldies' who accompanied you. We never would have made it without you.

It was a memorable trip with some good laughs! Thanks for saying 'yes' to Pop to go along if you didn't have a job. I only wish we could take each of our other grandchildren on a trip like this - but not as long!

Maybe Brandon will someday see some good and bad traits passed down and he'll say, 'uh-oh! look what we, the grandkids, inherited!'

Thanks, Pop, for taking me on "the ride of my life," for all the good food, and meeting all the new prospects. Love you, John!

Thanks again, Bran, for all the help you were to us and for answering all my questions and calming me down! You and I had fun shopping and cooking. Brenda, he's a terrific shopper. Love you, Bran.

I will miss Walmart, but plan to rent a motor home and stay all night in it at the Walmart parking lot very soon!

That's it!

From Gram."

Farewell

We're in frigid Humboldt, Iowa (my birthplace!) and it's time to stick a fork in the BF Trek Blog.

It's been a great trip! I'm really glad I was able to make it.

I've learned a little bit about myself - for instance, given enough fried food, I will order a salad and look forward to it!

I've also learned that I look and act more like my father than I ever realized. And I think that he, in turn, shares more traits with his father than he'll readily admit :) Coming back to Humboldt and Fort Dodge is always interesting because my family has pretty significant roots here. Going to the grocery store is a social event since we can't help but run into people we know. Or in my case, people who know me ... and whom I don't remember.

In the short time I've spent in Iowa, I've been told that I look like my dad so many times it's ridiculous. And Pop and Gram have never hesitated to let me know that I "sound just like Johnnie!" or that "that's something your dad would say!"

They say there are stages in the mourning process. I'm not to "acceptance" yet, but I'll get there someday ... :)

I've also learned a lot about Pop and Gram!

I've never really seen Pop in "go" mode before. He get's keyed up with an almost nervous energy. He's invigorated by meeting and talking with people. He's also a dedicated pitch player! We played at least two games each night, and I'm getting better - probably winning about half the time now!

Gram's sweet tooth is legendary in our family, but I never fully understood it's extent. She's drawn to pastries and sweets like a fly to light! I don't think I've ever turned down more candy and ice cream in my life! She's a good sport and we've had a lot of good laughs together!

I'm glad I had the opportunity to go on this Born Free Trek and spend this time with Pop and Gram. I also really enjoyed seeing the countryside that we traversed and meeting all the interesting people who came to see us.

I'd love to have another adventure and write about it, but I think it may be time to reinsert myself in the working world ... maybe ... :)

If you're sad about not having anymore Born Free adventures to read about (and I'm sure you are) you should check out Northern Exposure. It's a blog chronicling Bill Dodgen's 35 day drive (in a Born Free) from Tennessee to Alaska! Bill is, I think, my third cousin, so maybe this nomadic RV lifestyle runs in our blood. His blog is very well written - much more professional than mine. Check it out!

Thanks for reading!

The last day

Today was the last day of our Born Free Trek!

Hard to believe it's over. We're now in Humboldt, Iowa, a town Pop has been declaring all day to be "the best place in the world!" He and Gram are both excited to be home.

After checking out of our hotel this morning, we spent some time at Holland Motor Homes where we left the Born Frees. It was a little sad saying goodbye to my 24 footer. I'd really come to enjoy life on the road - the freedom to pick up and move whenever you want to wherever you want!

Gram and I grabbed some breakfast at Coco's Bakery Restaurant while Pop talked shop. And then the real adventure began.

I had some misgivings about getting through security at San Diego's Lindbergh Field - not because of my recent run-in with TSA, but because it's been awhile since Pop and Gram have flown. It turns out my fears were not completely baseless.

Gram got pulled aside and frisked (as she always does) because both of her hips have been replaced with metal ones. "[S]he's more machine now than [wo]man ..."

Pop got pulled aside and frisked because he didn't empty his pockets. It's not that he missed an item or two - he just didn't take anything at all out of his pockets. Not his cell phone, pen, keys, pocket knife, nail clippers, deck of cards - nothing.

He's flown enough times that he should know better. Gram posited that he does it for the attention, but I have a different theory. I suspects that he thinks the pat down is like a mini-massage you get for free if you set off the metal detector! It's like a contest - you hide some metal in your pockets, lights and bells go off, and then you move to a special area where you claim your massage prize!

I did get slightly perturbed with TSA for two things. First of all, they wouldn't let him keep his pocket knife. I realize they have a strict no knives policy, but the blade on this thing was a half inch long at the most. It was a tiny little knife attached to a key ring that one of his daughters (my aunts) had given him as a gift. Pop also had some nail clippers, and that little thing that you clean under your nails with was longer than the "blade" on his pocket knife ... and they let him keep the nail clippers ... I agree that it's not a good idea to have people bringing knives on planes, but come on!

The other thing that was slightly annoying was that the only people I saw being pulled aside and frisked were old people. But I guess I shouldn't be too critical - someone has to protect us travelers from the 70+ crowd. And TSA is doing a good job - after all, when was the last time a plane was hijacked by a geriatric? Proof positive that their system works.

Once we got on the planes, we had good flights - nothing much to report. I will explain these photos, though. Whenever I'm killing time in an airport terminal, I take pictures of the people sitting across from me. No one has complained yet, so I keep doing it!

In Omaha, I picked up our rental car and after a three hour drive, here we are in Humboldt, Iowa!

Jenny suggested I keep a running total of our miles traveled - I should've, I just never got it done. But I do have a grand total for you! All told we've driven 4,627 miles in our 32 days together! We've been in 14 states! And I don't even want to hazard a guess as to how much we've spent on fuel :)

It was a great trip and we were able to meet a lot of neat people. I'm glad we made it!

Sometime this weekend, I'm going to try to get Pop and Gram to give me some of their reflections on the trip to share with you!

Goes to eleven

I made it through the night ... barely.

I can honestly say that I've never heard anyone snore as loudly as Pop. I had to put in my earbuds, turn on some Chopin, and crank it to eleven!



We spent several hours today at the Holland Motor Homes lot. Pop was talking with the salesman and I took th opportunity to look at some RVs. The Class A motor homes (essentially buses) were pretty impressive! They were huge and generally luxurious. They were also very expensive. My favorite has a slide out deck! It was $399,999. Yikes.

I just noticed that the RV Consumer Group has used a Born Free as their picture of a Class C! That's pretty cool.

I also got to look at some other Class C motor homes. I'd never really looked through any of the other Class C makes - I've always been around Born Frees. I'm definitely biased, but I was shocked by the poor quality of the materials and workmanship I saw! The Coachmen and Fleetwood motor homes just didn't seem as well put together - especially the cabinets. By comparison, they felt thin and insubstantial.

Yesterday, when Gram and I were at Borders, we were looking for a book for Pop. I suggested Philip Yancey's newest book, What Good Is God?. Pop read What's So Amazing About Grace? and Where Is God When It Hurts? on our trip and loved them both, so I figured this was a good pick. Gram, however, picked How Did I Get Here?: The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO, by Tony Hawk over my snickering objections. Yes, the Tony Hawk. I've got nothing against the guy - never really played any of his games, but it's impressive how he's built himself into a brand - I just figured it wouldn't be up Pop's alley. Plus, look at the cover - Pop's not gonna go for that.

Pop read the first chapter or two and decided it wasn't for him. "All he talks about is himself," Pop complained. I reminded Pop that it is sort of an autobiography, but he was inconsolable.

Well, tonight we went back to Borders to return the book. I honestly didn't think it could be done. But I should've known better - Gram can (and does) return everything! It's crazy. They took the book back, despite the fact that this kind of return policy could quickly turn Borders into a library! Gram has a gift.

As we were leaving the Born Free, Pop said, "well, why don't you pick me up a book by Yancey. He's one of the best writers I've ever read." On the way into Borders, I gave Gram a big "I told you so!!"

I was considering going to a movie tonight. It didn't pan out, but I did notice that one of the local theaters is playing 127 Hours - it's a movie about that guy who was hiking out in Utah, got his arm stuck under a boulder, and eventually amputated his own arm with a pocket knife. Just thinking about it makes me queasy! Anyway, I went to law school with that dude's sister! The bowling team and I used to pal around with her husband, Zach, quite a bit.

Tonight is our last night in California! Tomorrow we fly to Omaha, and then we're just a three and a half hour drive from Humboldt!

Sunny San Diego!

Before we left Walmart, we packed up our stuff and prepared the Born Frees for our departure.

As we were packing, a very tan guy (probably in his mid to late forties) with a baby perched in a carrier on his back kept circling and examining the Born Frees. I kept packing, but Gram sallied forth from her RV and started talking to him. He eventually came over to Pop's unit and they had a long chat.

His name is Rafael, and he wore the sandals, cargo pants, and thin, open throated shirt of your classic aging hippie. He, his pregnant wife, six kids, and two dogs are living in a conversion van (early to mid 90's model by the look of it). Talk about cramped living quarters ...

He's a really nice guy and we gave him all our food - a half drank gallon of milk isn't as bad as bullets, but I still doubt TSA would let me take it on the plane :)

When I offered him the contents of my fridge, he came over and we got to talking. He immediately started telling me about how hypocritical the government is for banning hemp production 80 years ago and then later employing German prisoners of war to manufacture hemp ropes for our troops during World War II. It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud - not at him, but at the fact that he couldn't have chosen a more stereotypical topic of conversation!

To top it all off, he appreciatively said, "thanks, brother!" and then threw me a peace sign as he drove away. Don't get me wrong - he is an exceptionally nice guy. I was just taken aback by his eagerness to fulfill every stereotypical trait I was suppressing in my imagination :) I wish I had taken some pictures ...

After we finished packing, we headed south a couple miles to a hotel. We arrived at the Days Inn, and Gram was not pleased. She took one look in the rooms and decided this wouldn't do. I cancelled our reservation and sent her to find a place she'd like. Gram found a satisfactory room at the second hotel she visited. So, we moved two doors down from the Days Inn to the Best Western ... Gram insists there's a difference ... I gave up insisting there wasn't a difference, because in the end if, Gram's happy we're all happy ;)

In her defense, there was a tall stack of new mattresses (mattressi?) at the Days Inn waiting to go into some of the rooms. The Days Inn is doing some remodeling, which could explain the mattresses, but Gram loathes few things more than bed bugs and she was convinced that they were the reason new mattresses were needed. The conspiracy theorist in me is inclined to agree!

After lunch at Fuddruckers, Gram and I dropped Pop off at the hotel and did some shopping. Later, Pop's stomach was unsettled so Gram and I went to dinner without him. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory! Gram thought she had eaten at a Cheesecake Factory before, but when she asked, "it's a buffet, right?" I assured her that she hadn't been.

I like to think of myself as an aspiring foodie (I'm nowhere near the level of Jan Hulstedt - he can probably recommend a great restaurant in just about every major metropolitan area!) so it pains me a bit to get so excited over a chain restaurant - but, the food was excellent! And yes, we shared a slice of cheesecake. If you know Gram, you know there was no possibility of her resisting the temptation of that case full of beautiful cheesecakes they put right next to the entrance! We had a nice little dinner date and then headed to the hotel with a chocolate shake to soothe Pop's stomach.

And now, I'm sharing a hotel room with Pop and Gram ... for two nights ... pray for me.