Judy went to church this morning while I slept in a little longer. We went for a walk in the park and we got a picture of this strange goose. It has skin growing under it's chin like a turkey does. I sent a picture to Bill Teetz, an avid birder, and he believes it's a Swan goose introduced to the US from Asia. There are at least two in the park. Do you like the duck with a mohawk?

The truck received a good cleaning inside and out and Judy even washed the trailer windows.....both sides.....now that Ike has passed. The rain stopped during the night and was replaced by a strong wind. But....it's beautiful out now although chilly. This evening we played Mexican Train with Stacy & Sharon and Judy was getting into Stacy's sipping burbon!

In need of pontoons for the trailer here in Chanute

Still here! Our part from Thedford hasn't arrived yet, we'll check Monday morning and make a decision if we want to stay longer or depart for OK. Rained Friday morning, was real nice in the afternoon, and started raining again last night and been raining since. We have been visiting with Stacy & Sharon yesterday and today. We did some beeritas (margaritas made with beer) testing and went out for Mexican this afternoon. Third time in four days, it is that good! Judy has been cleaning my clock playing rummy, other than that we have been relaxing and piddling around the trailer and Chanute testing our home for leaks and it's passing with flying colors.

OK, what else is there to do in Chanute?

YEA.....got to sleep in today. Judy went to Curves. Larry & Lynn came over and we chatted then went to lunch. They are from Wichita, KS and are here for some work & the tour. We went to lunch with them, back to the same Mexican restaurant we had supper at last night! Told ya the place was GOOD. I can't remember the last time it wasn't raining. We are caught between Lawrence (tropical storm from the Pacific) and Ike coming up from the Gulf. Local predictions are for 8 to 10 inches of rain from today through this weekend. Some flooding expected. How can that be, Ike isn't expected to hit TX until Saturday and we are way up in KS??? One thing I do know.......this trailer is water tight!! No one else here has a leak either. OH.....I forgot to mention.....life is good! It's almost 5:30 so it doesn't look like our part arrived, it appears we'll be here until Monday. There's a Mexican festival in the park this weekend so we'll have some very wet entertainment.

Back to service.......

We were back in the service department a little before 7am. We went and got donuts for the service guys, donuts or pizza will work wonders! We then went with 3 other HitchHiker couples from AZ, CA & MO to the Grain Bin for breakfast. I there's one thing we are doing in Chanute it's eating! We then took the NuWa plant tour again, you will always learn something no matter how many times you have taken the plant tour (an eighth RV manufacturer this year, Teton, went out of business today). We picked up some soda for the service manager who helped us with a problem in OR earlier this year. We watched the ducks and geese in Santa Fe Park, watched traffic (in the rain) and chatted with Stacy & Sharon as we both waited for our homes. At 3:15 we returned and 21 of 22 work items were completed. Service is waiting on a valve from Thetford (Ann Arbor, MI) for our toilet. It works but we don't want it to fail and overflow again! Unfortunately Stacy & Sharon will spend a 3rd night in the motel, their floor isn't finished as the damp (read saturated) air isn't allowing the glue to dry. We went out with them to a local Mexican restaurant and had a FANTASTIC Mexican supper. There are 7 HitchHikers in the city park tonight. We are meeting many HitchHiker friends (Stacy & Sharon, Gary & Suzanne, Larry & Lynn, Ed & Ruth) we have met in the last year and a half, kind of amazing. Some are here for service, some for the tour and some passing through.

Relaxing day in Chanute

AHHH, got to sleep in today. I went with Judy to Curves.....no I didn't go inside, I read my book in the truck. We stopped at a hardware store for some hooks and a lamp switch, and also found a Christmas present! We picked up a Subway sub for lunch and returned home to fix a couple things and do some house cleaning. I filled the propane tank & we did some visiting with new HitchHiker neighbors and went to the Chanute Country Club with Stacy & Sharon and Bob & Ruth for supper. Good food! Suzanne.....you are right their rib eye steak is good.
NuWa service called this afternoon and we are returning tomorrow at 7am to continue our service.

Chanute, KS and RV service

Today we dropped our home off at the NuWa service department at 7am then went out for breakfast with three other couples and friends that were also in for service. We returned to the NuWa plant and took the 9:45 manufacturing tour with the other couples. We stopped in the parts department and purchased an end table to put between our recliner chairs then did our laundry. At 3:15 we returned and picked up our home. They were unable to complete all the service work, as expected, so we returned to the city CG for the night. Exciting huh?

Coffeyville & the Dalton Gang

After we went to church this morning and then had brunch we went with Gary & Suzanne to Coffeyville, KS where, in 1893, the Dalton Gang met their Waterloo. They wanted to outdo Jesse James and rob two banks at one time to get enough money to leave the US for South America. Well, they left the US but didn't make it to South America. The local towns folks spotted the robbery and raided the hardware store for guns and ammo to fight it out. The results were 4 of the 5 Dalton Gang dead along with four citizens. The bar by their tombstone was the hitching rail they tied their horses to during the robbery and their graves only marker until the one survivor, Emmet Dalton, got out of prison 15 years latter and added the gravestone.

When we returned to Chanute Stacy & Sharon Wise, fellow Haulin' HitchHikers, were here so we rounded them up along with another HH couple and the eight of us went out for supper. We then sat around until dark chatting. We spent some time then getting ready to our 7am service appointment.