Left Kentucky Wednesday November 7th and headed west. Stopped in Elkhart IL for a visit with Aunt Eva then on to the Excel factory in Smith Center KS where they gave us a replacement for our kitchen counter top. Continued westward to CO where we spent the weekend with Lori and Jaye (stayed at River Islands State Park instead of chancing the road). Monday we visited the Golden Spike site in UT then on to LaGrange OR for a visit with the Bowman’s and the Garrett’s. Finally arrived at our destination, Olympia WA on Thursday, Nov 15.

For Thanksgiving, Jerry and Donna hosted a dinner party for his friend Andrew’s family - a very enjoyable feast in the Thanksgiving tradition.

For Christmas we were joined by Diana , Daryl, Eva, Jennette, and Kelly for a family Christmas (another feast).

While in Olympia we weren’t able to complete very many projects due to inclement weather (it rained all but a few days and it snowed a couple of those). We were able to strip sod, install electric, install lights, and lay mat for gravel accent landscaping along the front walk with help from Daryl. We also completed a few personal projects; replaced the washer dryer (with a Splendide 2100), replaced the kitchen counter top (with new one picked up at the factory), and emptied, weighed, and repacked the truck and trailer (empty weight needed for TX registration).

December 26 our stay in Olympia WA ended and we headed South. Encountered wet and snow through WA and OR otherwise good weather all the way to Smithville TX. Stopped in Yreka CA for a visit with Katie Chapman then on to Corning for the night (looked like snow coming)  and had the truck and trailer washed.

Next stop was Victory Ranch in Hemet CA. Bob and JoAnn came up for a visit on Friday afternoon, Richard and Maureen came up for visit on Saturday afternoon, and Chris, Christy, Patrick and Dru visited on Saturday evening. Along with visiting with RVICS friends and working on the internet repeater at Paul’s house and programing telephone system for the camp, we had a full two days.

December 30 we headed east toward TX. We met with Pat and Orval Matheson at Benson AZ for the night (they were headed west) then encountered Ray and Linda Wyeth at a Flying J the next morning (they were also headed west). Stopped in Deming NM for a very enjoyable visit with Scott and family on Monday afternoon and evening. Another day and a half and we finally arrived in Smithville. We did see our friends Fred and Rosy Ogrinc along the highway about two hours out from Smithville (they were headed west to).

On the way into RVICS Village in Smithville TX, we stopped to have the truck and trailer inspected (another registration requirement). We parked on our lot and Jim, our next door neighbor, offered to take us to the registrar’s office. An hour later and we were Texan’s.