So where do I start. The day, May 29,2018, greeted us with our first deadline in a while - 10 AM we need to be at the Vistabule factory. But that is a good deadline to have. We needed to do some final provisioning so one more stop at a Wally World Supercenter and we were on our way. We arrived right on time and were greeted by Steve and Josh. And then there she was, our very own Vistabule... gleaming and eager to travel.
Josh ran through all of the systems which is considerable considering my lack of knowledge of this type of trailer, or most any trailer for that matter. We wrestled with the bike rack, tested the electrical connection, learned about the water system and the drains for the tanks, the fridge was running and all that was left was to hook her up and start the adventure.
While Josh and I were fussing, Lily and Carol went into the office and Carol placed a push pin int he USA map which has a pin for each Vistabule owner. We are the first and only in Rhode Island. As we were getting close to getting underway, Bert, the owner and designer of the Vistabule, and his entire staff came to have a photo taken and see us off. It was like a family party. We were presented with a package of postcards to send, a map of the USA, so we can plan our adventure and so many niceties - even a bottle of Happy Camper wine. These are truly good people and their attention to detail and obvious craftsmanship is what makes such a great product. Thanks everyone.
Our first task was to get propane. They are not allowed to keep filled propane tanks in the building so we went off to Leroy's Gas Station to get the tank filled, which of course was across town. This involved back streets, main thoroughfares, lots of traffic, a couple of highways and nerves of steel. We made it without incident. While at the gas station an old guy, even older than me, came to admire the Vistabule and told us how smart we are to had purchased such a fine thing. "Smart" he said as he was leaving tapping his temple. So with the tank filled, and feeling smart, we set off for McGregor, Iowa and Pikes Peak State Park.
Once off the big highways and onto more reasonably sized roads I began to relax and enjoy the ride. This part of Minnesota is beautiful rolling farm land, and the farms are all tidy and neat. We made one stop, a Dairy Queen, for an ice cream treat...we each got a small M&M Blizzard. A perfect treat for the road. The afternoon rolled by with the scenery and soon we found ourselves crossing into Iowa.
Just after 5:00 we rolled into the campground and talked with the host, found a spot, number 29, and I attempted to back in, several times, and ultimately put her right where we wanted her. Next cam the really fun part, trying to figure out just where we should put everything. At this point the car is full and the trailer empty. After about an hour or so things started getting sorted out. And then we tried to figure out how to make the bed..well that was fun! Luckily somewhere I had read that cheap suspender that can be taken apart can be used as straps to hold the sheets in place...works like a champ.
Once we had it all together we went off to town and had burritos and tacos at a great little place in McGregor. McGregor is a charming little river town right on the Mississippi River. The town looks like what it must have looked like in the 1850's -- a very pleasant surprise. Back at the Vistabule we determined that the day is done. With the temperatures still in the 90's we turned on the air conditioner, pulled up the covers and fell into a great and restful slumber. Sometime in the middle of the night a thunderstorm passed and barely disturbed our sleep. Everything is working out.
