First Night Back in the RV, Springfield Missouri

Fixing the Radiator Hose Clamp

Red Bud Tree in Blossom

I remember what a wonderful sight it was to see our RV in Rainie & Tom's campground when we returned to Florida last March, and it was with the same excitement that we saw her again and got her out of storage in Kansas City. The engine kicked over first try which was a real bonus, as we thought the batteries might have given up after lying idle for 6 months. Fortunately we were met by our friend Rod, and he & Murray had a look over the engine and noticed radiator fluid leaking once the engine had been running for a while. Apparently a hose clamp had broken. We followed Rod in our RV to his house, and in the midst of snow flurries, Murray & Rod replaced the clamp and radiator fluid. We had booked into a hotel for the first night as we weren't sure if the RV would start, and if it did, we knew we would need fresh water, food etc. We parked her looking sad & forlorn in the hotel carpark to await the predicted overnight 'hard freeze' warnings, where temps drop below zero and stay there for several hours.

Next morning, like us, she was rarin' to go, the engine kicked over first try, and we sailed off down the highway. She didn't miss a beat! It was nice to see the fuel prices almost half of what they were when we left last September. We filled up for $1.88 per gallon (too early in the day for me to do the conversion to Aus dollars per litre) compared to the $4/gal high we paid last year. Kansas City trees are still mainly leafless, waiting for their spring plumage, but the further south we got towards Springfield, Missouri, we noticed the red bud trees blossoming and other signs of spring. Typically, the further south you go in the USA the warmer it gets, which is just the opposite in Australia.

After our stop to refuel, I took over the wheel and drove an hour south to our first Walmart stop. The parking lots are big enough for me to park with ease, and as usual, just walking into a Walmart superstore with an empty trolley gets our heart rates up - Murray dashes up to the fishing and RV supplies, I check out the craft & book stores and then we meet up and settle into making our selections from the more mudane grocery aisles! However, after a 6 month absence, just seeing the different range of foodstuffs again is interesting. No, we are definitely not bored and desperate, just enjoying life and different experiences. Murray spied Yellowtail Merlot at $4.65 a bottle and a few made their way into our trolley. Winter clothes were on sale and I picked up a long sleeve TShirt for $5.

By 5pm yesterday we were checking into a basic RV park in Springfield Missouri, just a mile from the Camping World store where we were booked in for 8 this morning to have our portagas and aircon systems checked. I am now sitting in their waiting area (comfortably kitted out with laptop counters, big screen TV, food machines and rest rooms).