VitaTour 2009

VitaTour 2009 comes to its end

2009-07-12T20:41:00.001-07:00

Huntington to Portland brought us past Pendleton, The Dalles, the dams on the Columbia River and on into Portland. All beautiful sights that we have shared on previous trips. The Multnomah Falls are incredible. Rather than bore you with the same pictures, take a look at the VitaTour 2005 blog.

When we got here it was overcast (typical of the northwest). Gosh, it’s good to be back in the part of the country that doesn’t boil you from the inside out.

We were invited to a BBQ at Dina and John M’s home. We had the chance to meet a nice bunch of gals that Dina is leading to health and a new life. Most have DS or Sleeves. It was fun and, of course, great food. Dina, thank you ever so much for inviting us to your gathering. It was good seeing you and John again.

Tomorrow we head home, the last couple of hundred miles. We would much rather turn west and spend some time on the coast, but that will have to be left for another time. We do have to be home when the Gra’s come into town. If you don’t know, we have had the pleasure of hosting “Grad Weekend”. For us, this has become a tradition and has been the real end of our VitaTours.

This all started when some of the gals on the OSSG Graduate board decided on making Puyallup a meeting place to have an annual get together. Even though a few guys have come, it has been pretty much a weekend slumber party. It is a great time of friendship and encouragement.

Next year, VitaTour 2010 will be to Las Vegas. Michelle is already planning the route. One place I know we are going to for sure is the Grand Canyon. Hopefully it will all be west of the Mississippi River.

2011 the conference is to be in Florida so we will have a chance to meet up with many more folks. I am hoping to take her into New England then, but who knows……

Let me wrap up VitaTour 2009 with expressing our thanks to our sponsor Bio Tech Pharmacal for allowing us to join them in their booth this year. We also appreciate the samples we shared on the trip, provided by Allmax, Bariatric Advantage, Country Life, Continental Vitamin Co, Syntrax, Wellements, Colorado Biolabs, Pharmics and IDS.

Most importantly, Michelle and I want to thank every person and group that came out, and for the prayers that made this trip a success. Please know that these trips have been an incredible source of inspiration that carries us through the year. Every one that took the time out of their busy life to come out and let us meet them is special and is much appreciated. We wish each and every one of you health in your journey and long term weight loss success.

And of course, see ya next year.

Laramie to Huntington, OR

2009-07-10T18:36:00.001-07:00

We stayed two nights in Laramie, WY before we finish take on the last (sob) leg of VitaTour 2009. One night was spent catching up on chores and the next day, the 4th, was to be a day off. We had dinner in a cute little local restaurant after running around town a bit, looking for a place to view the local fire works.

As we had dinner a storm came rolling in with thunder and lightning. We headed home in a down pour, even had to pull over because the wipers couldn’t keep up. We just curled up and watched a movie and hit the sack. So much for fire works, at least the public ones (I bet that gets edited out, LOL)

I did get a picture or two of this late 1920’s International Gas Transport Truck. I remember having a die cast metal of this truck when I was a kid. Wish I still had it. It’d be worth a small fortune today. But I’m sure, not as much as the real thing though.

The next morning we continued across the Wyoming plains into Rock Springs RV Park. This is a nice little RV Park which joins eras of the old and new. We spend a quiet night with our email.

Sue S sent us a message and invitation to visit her in Ogden which we happily accepted. We cross upper Utah and head north toward Ogden. There is a spot on the road indicating a view point ahead. There is some road work right now but I did manage to pull over, safely. Devil’s Slide is an amazing rock formation, making a slide between two parallel rows of jutted rock. Quite pretty with the sun light on it just right.

Sue S met us at our camp site in Ogden. She is a long time friend (M: back from our era of surgery, mid '90's ) and customer. Sue is one of many that have moved out of state from Puyallup to “never be seen again.” Well, you never know where we will turn up. She was placing an order and noticed we were going to be near by in a couple of days. See, it is almost never too late to ask to get together when we are on “Tour”. Sue, it was great seeing you again.

We were also hoping to meet up with Vicki S also and introduce the two gals. That was not to happen as Vicki had to attend to an urgent family matter. Vicki, we are sorry we didn’t get to see you this time. Are you coming up for Grad Weekend?

In the morning, we are on our way to Huntington, OR. We have stayed at the Catfish Junction RV Park before. It is a little out of the way place on the Snake River, just inside Oregon. They have chickens running loose, Billy goats penned up and who knows what else is here.

Lucy met and liked the goats. Chickens, not so much!

Thursday night we headed off to the t.own of Weiser, ID, just 20 miles away for dinner. What a quaint town. Michelle is all dolled up to celebrate our 21st anniversary. We spotted the Golden Horse Chinese Restaurant. It proved a choice where they have good food and service. The waitress we had told us she just got married that very day. We wished her our happiness and more as she snapped our picture for us. Michelle was a little over dressed for this small community, but still looking VERY beautiful (and Very Sexy). No, I am not just prejudiced. By the way, she is the one in blue.

As we head home for a movie, I took this shot of the Snake River and the valley. What a nice view of our two neighboring states, Idaho and Oregon. Unfortunately, it is a reminder that VitaTour 2009 is nearly over. One night in Hermiston, two in Portland, then back to Puyallup. As much as we miss our staff and our cats (yes, Barney, too) we really hate the ending our trip.

I guess that brings us up to date. See you in Hermiston tomorrow.

Harold Warp Pioneer Village Museum

2009-07-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Up early and off to the museum, which is next to the RV Park. Armed with one free admission ticket and camera we head to see a bit of “Americana”.

The 28 buildings are well arranged to spotlight different areas of interest. My main interest was the Carousel and the cars. Michelle is still reminiscing about her previous visit (1959) and wondering if she remembered any of the displays. She got glimpse of the past. (M: more like flashbacks!)

We saw a school room circa late 1800’s. It reminded her of school she attended in Alabama in 1959, but without the Confederate Flag, front and center. Wait that sounds like she went to school way back in the 1800’s. To cover her butt, she reminded me that going to school there in rural Alabama in the mid 1950’s was a lot different then what she was accustomed to in the Pacific NW.

There is a sod house, a church (still being used), farm implements, displays of anything you could think of from 1830 on. There is way too much to take in, in just the few hours we had. BUT there was the carousel, unfortunately was closed to riders. Beautiful animals to ride and to make sweet memories on. I guess we will just have to get our “room” later.

And cars, from the very early ones (1902 and 03) to mid 80’s. Most of the cars are not restored so you get the feeling they were just lifted from their period to the museum. Some are very rare and some classic, but all a reminder from less hurried times.

There are small "yard" or local area engine. Big boilers are still necessary for even smaller engines.

Can you imagine being in a passenger car being pulled across the country behind this brute of a steam engine. The drive wheels are 5‘ in diameter. Huge boilers, every thing is huge and massive.

Old Cars galore.

Classis Cars Galore

And specialty cars. This little spedster is licienced for the road, wow.

Even the original RCA Victor dog and megapone.

Without the time to wander more we head off to Cozad, NE to visit with Mike (president) and Dawn (operations) of Colorado Biolabs (Proferrin ES iron). Michelle was intent to find a way to explain how HEME iron is absorbed, and Mike was very patient and I think she got it. You know how she wants to take biochemical or medical speak and make understandable to the patients. They also got a snap shot of Bariatric surgery and why supplementation is critical for us from Michelle. They understood easily and we discussed the possible advantages of their iron for us.

We had the opportunity to view the equipment and process of making their iron. Dawn was a good guide for us and answered all of our questions. She sure knows her stuff. After the tour she came out and met Lucy (she is a dog owner, too). It is always a pleasure to visit the folks we represent and see how they run their operations. It gives us a better relationship between the bariatric community and a better understanding of the products they provide. Mike, thank you for lunch and the time you and Dawn spent with us.

After our visit to Colorado Biolabs, we continue on to Big Springs for the night. We had some lightening during the night but it was still hot and humid. The next morning we head to Laramie to spend some quiet time. On the way we got the first real rain we have seen since we left Washington n May. It sure cooled things off, down to the low 70’s. Michelle changed clothes from her shorts to warmer attire at a truck stop while I snoozed. By the time she was inlonger pants and hoodie, rain had ended, and temp was climbing in time to change right back! As you can imagine by the time we hit the next rest area, it was in the high 80’s again. She gets back into shorts just in time for us to start climbing. We cross over a 8900’ (did I read that right?) pass and it’s in the 60’s when we pull over at the Lincoln Monument Rest Area. We stopped here on the 2005 trip and found a couple of young folk and their Red Bull truck offering samples.

Continuing on to Laramie, we found a very comfortable lower temperature. We stopped at the KOA for a couple of days and to spend the 4th here. The camp sites are really cramped but level. Level is always a plus. We had dinner at the Altitude restaurant in town and had a mixed review of the meal. I had the stuffed chicken breast which was perfect and Michelle had the prime rib, not so good. But Lucy sure didn’t seem to mind the treat.

Today we vowed not to work and take the day off. Well you can see how well that worked. I am going to post the blog and take her out on the town and see what 4th of July festivities Laramie has to offer. We head off to Rock Springs tomorrow, so we’ll see ya then. (M: first we catch up on icky chores!) Well now that I broke the vow, I better cut this and post it.

Where the heck is Gretna, Nebraska

2009-07-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hey, we found it (Gretna) somewhere between Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska right where it has always been.

I have a warning for anyone planning on stopping at the KOA in Gretna. The entrance is a couple hundred yards west of the camp site. It is rather deceiving and at the speed it can be a bit blind and a lot dangerous. The camp grounds are well treed and you might want to watch the over head limbs.

We parked the rig and fortunately it was a level site. We dropped the landing legs, and guess what. If you read the last blog, you will be able to guess how our luck is running. Yeah, running out. Like they say "If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all". The bolt didn’t stay in place during the journey to Gretna and the leg went limp again. I carefully gave it a try and it seemed to hold while I got truck out from under it. We had a “meet and greet” with Felicia and some of the local gals and had to have the truck available.

Once separated, we were to meet at Spiker’s Sports Bar and Grill. This is an interesting place. Good food for a grill and believe it or not, volleyball courts. I would have sworn we were on a California beach. I have never seen a setup like this before. Kinda fun with half clad guys and bikini clad gals playing volleyball in the SAND, barefooted! The sports bars in Washington they are much more sedentary. It was a bit noisy for a conversation though.

We meet with Felicia, Alicia, Linda and Deborah. Four neat ladies with a thirst for knowledge. We had fun chatting until dark and had to split up. Linda and Deborah left after getting everyone agreeing to start a local support group. How exciting, seeing virtual strangers bound by their desire to be successful weight loss surgical patients. We wish them all the best.

Felicia and Alicia came back to the camp ground for more chatting and left excited and providing Michelle and me with the renewed passion that drives us. We really appreciate the encouragement these gatherings provide us.

We woke up and took our time getting back on the road. Remember I mentioned to watch for the over head limbs, if you stay here. Once we got hitched up again, I had Michelle, outside, watching my over head and roof. It looked good as I started to swing onto the road. This is the second time on this trip, I forgot to watch the trailer’s butt end when turning wide. I made contact with the power post and tore up the plastic around the wheel well on the driver side this time. No damage to the post (fortunately) and once again, we got the worst of it. This is getting old, real fast. Oh well, if I like fixing things at home, I can now add I better like doing body work on the trailer. : (

We did finally did get on the road toward Minden. We are staying at the Pioneer Village RV Park. A cute little place that Michelle believes was a place she stayed with her parents in the 50’s on a trip from Alabama to Washington.

This is next to the Harold Warp Pioneer Village Museum. This is a “Museum of Americana”. There are 28 buildings on 20 acres with working displays showing man’s progress from 1830 on. We are going to take in a couple of exhibits in the morning if she rolls my butt out of bed early. They have a big auto museum and I want to take her on the oldest steam powdered Merry-Go-round in the country. She might even get smooched on the carousel, if she isn’t careful.
From small steam powered engines with their big boilers, to large cross country engines with their 5' tall drive wheels.

Its time for bed, if she has a chance to get me up early. So meet us tomorrow at the Carousel and be ready for, all together now, “GET A ROOM YOU TWO !”

Heading home stop in Coffeyville, KS

2009-06-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

I had this done yesterday and some how it vanished into cyberspace. So let’s see if I can recreate the perfect blog of our trip to Coffeyville, Kansas. The trip was an early start and uneventful. Once we found the RIGHT county road and let the dust settle, we did get to Carol and Ric’s ranch. Man, it was hot and very humid here just inside the Kansas border.

The Shafer’s let us drop the rig on their RV pad. Level spot, power and water. Perfect!!! We start setting up and what the heck. One of the landing legs was limp. We found that somewhere we sheered a pin and one of the legs was not functioning. Ethan, the Shafer’s son, gave me a hand and we got a replacement bolt in place and gave it a shot. It sheered immediately. We needed a high strength bolt and Ethan ran into town to save the day.

Enough of our problems. Let me tell you about this sweet couple, Carol and Ric. They have this lovely horse ranch and a couple of dogs, Reba and Bandit. Lucy felt right at home with the pooches. These doggies are perfect hostesses. Carol is so dang sweet, kinda like that perfect cowgirl, spirited and gracious (you will see it in the pictures). Ric is a real cowboy and rides in the “Cutting” arena besides holding a “real” job. I had a chance to see what Cutting was on a TV show. The rider cuts a cow from a herd and needs to keep it separated for a specific time. Easy, right? No way. Those cows wanna get back to their herd and run and turn and try to fake out the rider and his horse to get around them. It doesn’t look easy, either. Wow, what a relationship the rider needs to have with his horse.

That afternoon they hosted a potluck for her local bariatric surgeon, Dr. JoeBob Kirk and plastic surgeon, Dr. James Koehler with her support group. Of course, there was more than enough wonderful food. Ric whipped up melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork and a brisket. Dr. JoeBob discussed his new bariatric clinic and his definition of a successful weight loss patient. It isn’t just weight lost, but health and quality of life. Right on Doc!

We met Dr. Kirk at the ASMBS conference and really appreciated the chance to get to know him better in a less formal setting.

He had his marketing gal, Teesa Shouse, there as well. Michelle was showing her our book of testimony. These two gals are soooo cute.

Dr. Koehler shared what the services his accredited facility offered and some of his before and afters in a power point presentation. He understands and specializes in weight loss patients. Nice guy and worth the time to call him for a consultation when the time is right.

Michelle and Lucy took over after a break and spoke about the new information from the conference. We talked about vitamin deficiencies and how we approach turning them around. We could tell some were skeptical but all seemed to be intent on learning. Hopefully, there was some worthwhile information for you all.

While Michelle started more one on one, I opened the Protein Bar. We had available 15 or so products available to try. We got the usual reaction, with some liking one and others liking others. Universal opinion was, “Hey, I can do this stuff!” I really enjoy seeing folks find something they can enjoy. This is so important to our long term success.

As the evening wound down, Michelle and Carol wanted more time to chat and she talked us into staying another day. It wasn’t very hard either. Seriously, these folks are so warm and friendly. If you ever have the chance to meet them, it is well worth the effort to do so. While they talked (plotted) I got the new bolt in place, said a prayer and she held. So I am thinking, just like Michelle always says, “My guy can fix anything!” Hey Ethan, I really appreciate your help. Who says teen age boys are a pain? Most likely it came from the parents of teen age girls. Ric, you and Carol are teaching him right.

We slept in a bit and were greeted by the birth of Bandit’s eight puppies. Carol was back counting months on her fingers and said, “Oops.” Shoot, Ric and Carol didn’t know they were gonna be grandparents. Bandit gave birth early in the morning. She was happy to have Lucy and Reba lend a hand, as she sure didn’t know what to do with these squirmy little creatures. They are so cute, too. Reba is bossy and allotted us each so much viewing time. No one made any effort to touch, Reba decided when enough eyeball time was spent and gently lead us away from the little doghouse!

We got caught up a bit on some work and had a chance to see Ric working one of his horses. That man looks right in a saddle. By the way, they both had weight loss surgery and look wonderful and healthy. Keep it up guys, your grand-puppies are gonna need you around.

We said our good byes that night, because we have to mosey on to Nebraska tomorrow. I guess we will see ya there.

O yeah, I said earlier that I would show you the sassy side of our hostess. HEHEHE Didn't Think I do it did you Carol. A big Western hug to you and Ric. We really had a great time and thank you again for your hospitality.

Grapevine (DFW) Conference time

2009-06-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Yes we are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Like Phoenix there are like 25 cities with in local area. Each is centered around major cities with some of the cutest smaller locals nestled into every available acre. Here in Grapevine we have had to make local runs and with each we seem to cross into a new jurisdiction. (M: in the tourist booklet, there was a coupon for 20% of at a tourist joint that offered... you guessed it.. CROCS! none I could use but I got a deal on my Croc butter)

Grapevine is a beautiful city with Lake Grapevine which is between the Grapevine Campground RV Park and the Gaylord Texan, where the conference was held. It was so handy being a mile and a half between the RV and the hotel. Yes, I did need to run back and forth several times for things we forgot or didn’t think we would need. Petsmart, WalMart and all he places we met with groups were within 2 miles, except one. Perfect.

We arrived several days early to settle in and prepare for the conference. This also gave us time to collect some mail that we had forwarded to Hayley. She came out and met us at one of the many malls in the area. Here she is trying to look petite like Michelle, but her legs did give her away. (M: I felt like her lil walking stick or something. Tall, thin, gorgeous, with that big ol' Texas smile!)

The next day (Friday) we met up with Paul P at the Cracker Barrel. We met Jeriline, Esther, Val and Rick and Karen and a camera shy Paul. We had a great meal (Cracker Barrel is one of Michelle’s favorites) and spent time sharing stories and enlightening Jeriline & Esther as to what post op life was like. I hope we didn’t scare you too much.

Paul was so worried that the lack of the number of those coming out to meet us would be a disappointment. Trust me, it is never disappointing to us when even one person comes out. The more the merier, yes, but if only one comes out, it is always an inspiration and encouragement for us. Paul, a very sincere, “Thank you”.

Monday, we met with Hayley again and a group of crazies. Wow, we had a ball …. I hope the pre-ops didn’t get scared away.

I don’t think Hayley’s surgery caused her to be a goofy as she is. It must be a natural state for her. I was so impressed with the success I saw around the table. I’m not talking about just the Texas beauties, but the health these gals have and show.

Terry and Hayley measuring up to Michelle. Hey just because she is vertically challenged, doesn't mean she isn't as cute as a bug.

That evening we were invited to a dinner/birthday party for Dr Marchesini. For those who haven’t had the pleasure to meet him, he is a wonderful surgeon offering bariatric surgery in Brazil. We met him last year and have become a fan ever since.

His wife, Ilvira and daughter Simone joined him on this trip to the states. Michelle has been given a year to become conversant in Portugese so they can go shopping next year. I think eliminating the language barrier would open a warm relationship between our two beautiful wives. Turning them loose in a mall might be hazardous to our finances. Simone and Dr M who have good English skills and did a lot of inturpeting. (M: I taught her critical language skills: shopping, mall, Crocs - she knew that one-, CUTE EARRINGS! Cute SHOES! She taught me: shopping, shoes. The very basics.)

Unfortunately, I had to leave a bit early so didn’t get as many pictures as I hoped to get. I would love to record and share the love and respect Dr Marchesini and his patients share. I wasn’t feeling too well so the few pictures I was able to get were a bit fuzzy, so don’t adjust your monitors. It was an honor to be included with his patients to celebrate his birthday. Thank you ever so much.

Ranger, TX and beyond

2009-06-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have made it to Grapevine. But to get here we have had to find out first hand that some of the most inconsiderate drivers are in Texas, even in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. Regardless of the latest reports on the news, the rude drivers have out-of-state plates. I won’t say what state they were from, but it wasn’t Washington.

I have to clarify, that I didn’t forget the most important part of our detour west of El Paso, as someone else indicated in my last report… I figured many of you were getting tired if “Croc-a-holic Stories”. In my own defense, I did turn around and went ALL THE WAY BACK to the outlet stores, WITHOUT being threatened, bribed or beaten. I even gave her free rein while I ran for fuel, and a Diet Coke. Lucy and I waited it the VERY HOT truck for my beloved to return, Crocs in hand. Come on, someone take my side here ! I am feeling out numbered.

We arrived in Ranger only a few pounds heavier from some recent purchases. It is really strange, but with each stop we have made, Michelle has been able to “create” a new Croc-a-holic. She should be on retainer with ‘em. By the way, I think the web site is Crocs-R-us.com. (M: that’d be my personal stash)

I don’t remember anything exciting happening in Ranger and left without incident. (M: we parked, we slept, we left. If we’re not going to have fun meeting people, that’s just how we like ‘em!) Unfortunately Susan H wasn’t able to meet up with us, but perhaps next time we are in town. Sorry we missed you, Susan.

The next day we head off to Grapevine, our destination and site of the 2009 Annual ASMBS Conference. On our way we stopped in Weatherford, for lunch with Sophie. What a nice lunch place, at the Petro truck stop on the highway. Food and company was a welcome respite. The girls look like they could be sisters. Hey Sophie, it was great meeting you, even if I called you Stephanie at first. Michelle does her best to get names straight, but you have to excuse the “old-himers” disease. (M: thanks for the peach hint!)

We took on fuel and Michelle talked me into weighing the rig. Sure was glad to see we were still within the weight limits of the Dodge. Seeing another Crocs Outlet store might push beyond the limits though. (M: he he he! I haven’t warned him about BigLots yet!) (D: me afraid, ME? Never and I hope I can get this posted before she sees this.)

We pulled into Grapevine and were so taken by the Resort-like feeling here. The Vineyards Campground has park-like sites, with a lot of room. The hosts are so sweet. We had to move after the first day (we knew this in advance). We have a better view of Grapevine Lake, but less shade. We have ducks for neighbors. They are much more considerate neighbors than the rooster that woke me up a few days ago. We would definitely recommend if you need a place to stop with your RV, this is one nice spot.

Well, we have to get ready for the conference, packing up give-a-ways, packing to move into the hotel, getting Lucy enrolled in doggie school at the local Pet Mart and to make sure you know whos has pefect nails.

As I look over this trip thus far, it has been very enjoyable and much less troublesome than last year. The only problem we have had was my misjudging a turn at a narrow entry and taking out a gate at an earlier park. The owner was wonderful and took care of the damage I brought to is property. Unfortunately I think we got the worst of it. Luckily, nothing to slow us down, but I have some work ahead of me when we get home.

Fuel has been under $2.59/gallon and we are averaging 9.8 mpg. It is still not what I was hoping for. There is a clock in the truck that keeps record of the time the truck is running and the total miles of a trip. I figure we have been averaging 33.5 mile per hour with over 104 hours running time. Considering the traffic accident back in Arizona and keeping the truck running to keep Lucy and me cool while Michelle was in the outlet stores, a lot of time is added with no miles.

Well, looks like the next report will be from the conference. See ya there. (M: and maybe a few meet ‘n greets!)

East Arizona, New Mexico and into Texas

2009-06-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

As we climb out of the Arizona deserts and into the passes between AZ and NM we are expecting the typical rock formations with sharp jagged peaks and valleys. It is not as rugged as expected. We pulled off into one of the 40 pit stops today and my Lord, what is this? Almost sculpture like! Soft smooth curves, looking like poised pictures. These boulders are huge. Michelle says they reminded her of lounging nudes. 8 ). Rubenesque-style perhaps. No matter what you see in them, it is impressive.

This is an adult standing on top of one pile of boulders. I sure am glad I didn't have to move these to build a home.

Adding flowers to the formations groging from the cracks and this is art.

As we pull out and go a mile down the road, it is all gone. Flat and open space is all that is left of our time in Arizona. We stop for the night in Lordsburg, NM.

After a good night’s rest, we are off to Las Cruces. The scenery is much greener here, even though the heat is in the high 90’s. Again, it’s pretty flat, with cattle ranches. We got into town with a message waiting for us from Lauri. She is a local and wanted a chance to meet us. “Absolutely, come on out and meet us at the campground.” She is a wonderful gal who is in the medical profession. With an open mind, she absorbed and agreed with much of what Michelle shared. It was a refreshing time, and revitalized Vitalady with her thoughts on our (WLS) health. Stuff confirmed and learned is what so many of you bring to her. Your experiences are important to us.

The next day we start our conquest of Texas. We are looking over the border into Mexico and get glimpses of the Rio Grande in the distance. It is strange being so close to the Mexican border and not take the time to visit.

As we go a bit west of El Paso we have to clear the Texas Inspection. Hey, they have a job to do, so no problem here. She asks if we have anyone in the trailer, “No, ma’am.” “Is everyone US born?” “Yes, ma’am.” “Darn, I was hoping the dog (Lucy) wasn’t so I’d have to keep her” she says with a smile and on we go. What is about that fuzzy little face?

(M: He forgot the most important thing! Just west of El Paso, THERE IT WAS! Factory outlets stores, no big deal, but there was a CROCS outlet! I think he decided it would make a smoother trip to just take the next exit, turn around and go back. While I didn’t score any for us, I did score for everyone else in the Crocoholic Family!)

We hit Van Horn without further threats on Lucy’s continued trip to Dallas. The RV Park we stayed in wasn’t much more than a huge dirt lot with a few trees and hookups. We parked next to a Chevy conversion van and a commercial box van. AND THERE WAS A KITTY outside (and another inside!). The kitty didn’t have a chance as we haven’t had a kitty fix since we left home. Oh, so soft!!!!! The kitty “owners” (slaves) are headed to Washington from Sarasota, Florida. They are moving just south of us in Camas, WA. We chatted and wished them well.

Next is Big Spring, TX for a couple of days. Doing some R&R. This is our first non-travel day since Mesa. We need it and need to do some necessary household chores. Wait, what happened to the R&R? What does she mean by Repair and Rearrange is what R&R really stands for. Hmmm, I don’t think so.

The campground here is wonderful. Power went out just as I flipped the main breaker during our set up. The whole site was down. Coincidence? Hey, it really wasn’t me.

The temp is three digits here and more humid than we have seen thus far. A thunder storm is threatening but passed during the night with little more than a strong wind. They host a free breakfast in the morning until 10:00. Flapjacks and sausage. Sounded good last night, but we got up too late to join in. I guess we needed the rest more than the breakfast, oh well. Nice park here at Texas RV on US87 off I-20.

Michelle contacted a guy to come out and wash the bug guts off the outside of the trailer and wash the truck. I suppose I can give her a couple of hours R&R in exchange. So this is it for today here in Big Spring. See ya tomorrow in Ranger, TX.

OH my gosh!

2009-06-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

What happened to Arizona and New Mexico? We are already in west Texas, and I haven’t written about our wonderful time in Mesa/Phoenix.

First off we have to thank Beth M for baby sitting Lucy. This made our Mesa area stop do-able. Beth, I know you said it was your pleasure. Perhaps, but to us and Lucy, you were a blessing.

We met up with Joyce P and her hubby, Jim along with Gil and his wife. On the other side of the table are Gina, Michelle and Shelly. We had a very relaxing dinner and conversations. It was nice to just visit and relax.

Early in the morning we met again with Joyce and DJ and had a group get together. Michelle spent time discussing vitamins and nutrition. Some of this information was new for them and they listened intently. The group was great and some stayed after for some one on one time with Vitalady.

That evening we met one more time with Joyce for a pot luck dinner at the Fr Owen Room at a wonderful retreat. Amazing food as always and a great setting.

We met Dr. Mazaheri, a local surgeon specializing in bariatric patient reconstructive surgery, skin removal and body enhancement. He spent time answering all of our questions and even offered a mini private consult with a couple of gals.

We played a game for a door prize.

Again, Michelle was put on the spot with Q & A on post op nutrition needs and "framing" Joyce P. Post Op nutrition is an ever recurring theme for these group settings. Quite often they are surprised and how much they need to investigate to improve their chance for weight loss and health success.

Also there are the “How do we maintain it?” questions. Michelle, with her own story of regain, reloss, regain, reloss, etc., and that of so many of our friends, is able to share how we have done it and maintained it. It certainly isn’t easy, but so worth it.

We especially want to thank Joyce, DJ and Dr Mazaheri for arranging all of these events. We leave Mesa knowing there are resources available in the area that know the importance of patient involvement and post op nutritional health care. We hope to make the journey to Mesa/Phoenix again, maybe next year.

Hey Beth, you wanna baby (spelled S-P-O-I-L) Lucy again? She would love it. And we promise you won't have to sleep with her again.

The next day we travel I-10 to Tucson for an evening meeting with Debra and hosted by Judy. We allow 8 hours for a 120 mile trip so we are in no rush. Well no one told us about the propane tanker truck that lost his rear axels and put his tanker on its fanny. This was about 40 mile short of Tucson and there was no good away around it. We stuck it out, moving 3+ miles in over 3 hours. Once we got past that, we find I-10 is being rebuilt so off to frontage roads at about 10 miles an hour, which seemed like we were speeding. We finally pulled into our camp site about 7:30 with just enough time to be fashionably late to a protein tasting. (M: he didn’t mention that I routed us to the WRONG RV park first!) As huge as Tucson is, our correct park was only about 3 mi from Judy’s home!

Fortunately, Judy’s home was fairly close, so we drop the trailer in an impossible spot to maneuver 0ver 50’ of rig. We got her in the slot and parked the truck. We quickly reload for the tasting and while doing so, ole Vita Stupid managed to slam the truck door without removing his thumb. Not only is this is an important appendage, but it was very distracting when it is twice its size with a black finger nail! Fortunately I was able to get all the stuff for the tasting loaded. I forgot my camera, so we don’t have the ability so show who all came, darn it. I will say that Judy, our hostess, was most gracious and Debra, seemed to keep every one happy while they waited for us to arrive.

No lynch mob (besides there isn’t a tree tall enough to string up Michelle, so I (6”1”) was especially safe was sited), so we set up an hour late. We are so sorry for the unexpected delay. However we did have a great time sampling protein and finding new ones to enjoy. This is what a tasting is all about. Giving hope that there is something out there is enjoyable and is the fun part of our job. We are usually successful at finding somthing for everyone.

Well, I’m going to get this posted and move across the rest of Arizona and New Mexico later. ‘Till then, have fun following the blog and don’t be bashful, send in your comments.

We made it to Arizona

2009-06-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

We have had couple of hard days but we finally made Mesa, AZ. Boy is it hot.

OK, to get here, we went through Boron, CA. We took a side trip into town and came across this F4 Phantom (from the Vietnam era) at the Saxon Aerospace Museum. Unfortunately the museum was closed.

Next door is the 20 Mule Team Museum. Yeah, remember Borax soap commercials? We had gone past the boron mining field to get here. You can almost see those teams hooked up and going through town.

As we were ready to cross the pass into Arizona, we stopped for fuel. There was a guy hauling a Lotus and a 2008 Bentley for delivery into Arizona. He remarked at the unusual cloud pattern forming in front of the mountain up draft. Very unusual. I missed shooting the cars, but got the clouds.

We are climbing here and the Arizona border is close. Over the pass and into the desert. Temp went up to 109. 108 was where it stayed most of the afternoon.

We stayed in Salome for the night. The RV camp ground (a stone and gravel parking lot) had the “tall trees” providing shade. Right! Actually the cactus and bushes around the park are unique and unusual for us. I really liked the sign on the garbage dumpster. “Caution, Poisonous Reptiles may be inside”. Very comforting.

The next day we are off to Mesa and we pass signs for the Maricopa County Jail. This reminds me of those email stories about the Maricopa County Sheriff and his way of dealing with prisoners in his care. This is one guy you have to respect.

We had to hunt down an RV store to find items we left at the last stop. A sign of old timer’s disease. “Hey look, Chelle, it is HIS office. Maricopa County Sheriffs office. Funny I was looking for an office of the ACLU near by, but guess he must have suggested they leave town.

Well, off to bed early. We have a couple of busy days ahead here in the Mesa area. So until tomorrow, we bid you good night. By the way, if you haven’t noticed, I love sunset.

hANFORD gATHERING...

2009-06-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

...or Hanford Gathering without the “cap locks” on. We snuck into Hanford a day before the scheduled BQQ at Alice & Mike’s. If you recall, when Michelle broke her arm before VitaTour 2007, we made it all the way to Hanford, Ca, before Michelle could no longer tolerate the pain.

Alice got Michelle into her ortho surgeon who bolted her arm back together. She (Alice) insisted we stay at her home to recoup from the surgery and to make sure she (Michelle) was as comfy as possible for two weeks. She is an angel. (Don’t tell her though; it’s that swelled head thing)

We spent a couple of hours reminiscing here in the trailer. The next day, I got some work done and watched a sprint car tune up at the oval dirt track here on the grounds, while Michelle and Alice played around. We joined them for dinner which Alice prepared. Man oh man, this woman can sure cook up a storm and Mike knows his way around a BBQ gill. We finally had to get to bed so off we went back to the fairgrounds.

Did you know that the Kings Fairgrounds does more than host RVer’s on the off season? There was a full blown graduation all night party going full bore when we got back Friday. Sober Grads. And here I thought it was going to be a quiet night. The Hanford Police Officer who let us in to the camp site remarked “Good luck getting some sleep tonight” with a smile. I guess we were just too tired, because the ruckus never kept us awake after we closed our eyes.

This year she and Mike hosted a BBQ gathering for us and we met some wonderful women. Around the table we have Sandy, Vickie, Mini-Moose Michelle, Eleanor, Bobbie & Jo. Coming in later were Carrie and Eleanor in her “Smart Ass” car. I didn’t get a picture of Eleanor’s Smart Car “Pearl”, a cute very little white convertible, that brought them down from San Jose.

Carrie and Alice are hamming it up for the camera and I must say they look so devilish together.

The ever so reserved Vickie (lol!) is soaking in Michelle’s views on nutrition.

Bobbie seems to be hanging on Jo’s every word. There seems to be a lot of wisdom in those words.

We also had visitors come in and join us. Chris and Elaine Camus with daughter Rhianne joined in the fun. Chris is our rep from another wholesale distributor, Europa Sports, and wanted to see more of what we are about. Warmly welcomed, they fit right in. Elaine and her English accent is a joy to be around, and Chris, who is normally quiet, was quite open especially after he had some of the “protein” energy drink he brought to share. I never heard of a protein energy drink with Bacardi’s in it, have you?

I think Mike is telling Sandy about the remodeling he has done in the kitchen. This guy is a genius with a piece of wood. Alice has done some incredible stone work with her patio as well and loves to decorate. We love their home, which is as warm and comfortable as its owners. There is no way I can ever say enough about this couple. If you haven’t met them, you are missing out.

Alice and Mike also have a little spoiled French Poodle “Bubbles”. Once she and Lucy got into the same room, Bubbles lets Lucy know who is in charge. “There will be only ONE Queen in this household”, she reminded Lucy several times. Lucy is fine with that as long as someone scratches he ears. This Is Mike letting her know who is boss.

Again, good things do come to an end and we had to head home. I did notice there was a wedding reception being held earlier when we headed of to the BBQ. I figured that would be long over b the time we go back. Well, I guess there were THREE! back to back parties planned and again we had a big bash in the building right outside the camping area. Now this was a really loud party and definitely a reminder to check the events that are planned on the grounds, before, un-hitching. I wonder if there is going to be sprint car racing tonight? That would probable be quieter than the party last night. DEAFinitely more fun for me, than the previous two nights.

Well until the next stop or if more exciting adventures prevail, we wish you all have a great day.

San Jose, CA

2009-05-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

After a short trip to Coyote Canyon, between San Jose and Morgan Hill, we found a wonderful park. Actually it is a “resort”. Not much for trees, but the wind kept things cooler. If you are in the area and need to park an RV, look up Coyote Valley RV Resort. Swimming pool, workout room and great doggie area, according to Lucy. I think she was prejudiced because she admired this cute little “mop” boy.

Anyway, we met Eleanor and the group at the Fish Market. This is a great meal and nice place for a group to get together. Speaking of a group, fourteen of us got there with plenty of time to chat and share stories. There were DSers, RNYers from, pre-op, 13 days post-op to 15 years post.
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We have Carrie and hubby Keith…..Diana and Wendy

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Next we have Eleanor and her hubby David……Irene & Raquel

On the other side of the table are Rose, Tracey and Michelle. Next to her, on her left, is the elusive Vitaguy.

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This is Isaac, Eleanor & David’s son. With him is Keith. Kevin is our rep from our new product line, Allmax. They are supplying us with Isoflex and ALLWhey protein powders and bars. He provided a number of samples for us to take home and try out. Isaac was a great help by giving me a hand bringing in bunch of samples and shakers we brought with us. It is amazing how much he has matured over this past year. El, you and David dun good!

In the morning I thought we were having an earthquake. Trailer was shaking and bouncing around. Fortunately, it was just a park employee was backing a rig into the slot next to us and they hit our awning. OUR BRAND NEW AWNING! (sigh) Once we got things straightened out, looks like a couple of minor scratches on both rigs. It appears to be OK, but we’ll see as the trip progresses. Hey, even after this, we would recommend the resort, but I suggest you back yourself in to your assigned spot.

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We left around noon, heading for Hanford. Did you know there is a whole lotta nothin’ between San Jose and Hanford? There is an awful lot of brown rolling hills with sparse trees here in central California. It is almost eerie. But, interesting too.

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Well, we finally arrived at Hanford, parking at the Kings County Fairgrounds. Alice and Mike came down to greet us. Alice and Michelle gabbed while Mike and I had an exciting intellectual conversation about politics, labor, military, medical practice and other important topics. (Right!)

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As the evening wore on, a lightening storm came in. It was time to call it a night, so our welcoming committee headed home. Here we are, in an open field, waiting to get struck by lightening. Lucy doesn’t do lightening, so she’s on drugs. Come on, look at the odds, it could only happen to us. No wonder Mike and Alice said good night. I’ll let you know how we faired tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, get a hold of Alice at bettytheloon@yahoo.com and get the details regarding her plans for her BBQ Saturday, May 30, any time after 2pm, 345 W Magnolia Ave., Hanford 93230. Open house to all.

Pot Luck at Tiffany & Loye's

2009-05-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Some new people came to visit today at Tiffany and Loye’s today. Sue with Tom and Eleanor stuck around to share with the good eats. As per usual, I grazed through the day and tried everyone’s donation and loved it all. Unfortunately, some of the folks left early and didn’t get a chance to meet an old friend of ours, Rene and his wife Francesca. They shared a few samples of a new protein product. More details as they become available.
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Rene mixing a batch under Francesca’s watchful eye. “I’m sure I got this right, honey.”
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Michelle and Rene watching for the reaction. Anyone know what is sitting in front of her? It’s OK to tell me what you think with a comment here on the blog.
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I don’t think Tif liked the Orange Creamsicle.
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The Giggle Girls sharing a laugh.
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Well, as all good times, this evening came to an end. We have to leave in the morning and a short drive to San Jose for our next stop. Hey Eleanor, we’ll be seeing you on your turf tomorrow. Anyone wanting to join in can get the details from El at eleanor@wls-resource.com and let us get the chance to meet you.
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Cattlemen's in Dixon, Ca

2009-05-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

So why is it, we always seem to congregate around food? At least it was good food. Michelle has wanted a Cattlemen’s Fillet and she got one today.

We met with Flo & Absolutely Eleanor; the Lovely Lynette & her very tall hubby, a beautiful couple; Chris (and her mom), shown here with Michelle, Sue with friend Tom and Vitalady with her absolutely handsome and devoted Vita Stud.

With dinner finished and are on our way, here is Tiffany and Michelle, Baby (the new 2010 Mustang) with proud parents Loye & Tiffany.

Finally, feeling full, the whole group saying goodbye to new and old (sorry, not aged, previous) friends. I really appreciate meeting the guys. All too often the spouses don’t join in and we miss meeting the all important primary support.

Tiffany and Loye have invited us and others to her home tomorrow for a potluck. Michelle and I whole heartily appreciate Tiffany's hospitality and help in making this stop a wonderful experience.

By the way Tif, watch out for those CHIP cruisers. They are watching for those hot new Mustangs.

California yesterday

2009-05-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Before we went to bed, I took Lucy for a walk. This is at dusk in Glendale, Ca. I just thought it was pretty and wanted to share it with you. Some more of God's art work, just there for those who look for it.

The next day, we continued south and crossed into California. Like Washington, California has their mountain. Mt Shasta (Ca) is the little sister of Washington's Mt Rainier. Even with he cap of cloud cover, she is awesome.

The above are of Mt Shasta and to the right is Mt Rainier. Take your pick and tell me which mountain is the prettiest. Add a comment here and tell me your preference and why. You never know, there might be a little something in it for you. The picture of "our" Mt. Rainier was taken at sunset.

Yesterday we hit Red Bluff, Ca. This clock tower is at Walnut and Main in the wrong part of town from our camp ground. While Michelle was arguing with the mapping program, she took time to capture this. Tehama County Historic clock tower. Hey, she can take good pictures, too. We finally won the battle with "Naggy Maggy" the mapping program and found our campground. Settled in for the night and prepare to hit Vacaville tomorrow, Saturday.

We meet up with Tiffany P tomorow (Sunday) evening for dinner. Please come out and join us if you are in the area. Let her know you would like to join us and get the details from her. Her e-mail addy is tanari@prodigy.net. Cattlemen's, Dixon, 6pm

So until then, have a good evening and we'll see ya tomorrow.

Central Oregon today

2009-05-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

Naturally, we are having communication problems. No, not between Michelle and me, but between my lap top and home. Man, I hate this part of the trip. Working out the bugs on the road. Well at least no flat tires yet. No $5.00 a gallon for fuel yet, either. Life is good.

Instead we move through central Oregon. This time of year everything is so green and smells so ahhh, clean, like new mowed grass.

And the sky is a beautiful clear blue today. Only a few jet contrails messing it up. The weather is in the 70's so open goes the moon roof on the truck and give Lucy a lot of fresh air. We haven't hit cow country yet, so the air is still sweet.

We hit Glendale around 6:00 set up, walked the dog and did a bit of work. Tomorrow we cross into California, past Mt Shasta (beautiful site) and bed down in Red Bluff.

We meet up with Tiffany P after that in Vacaville On the 24th. She is always fun. We hope to meet a few folks there. Get the details on what Tiffany has planned ( tanari@prodigy.net ) and come on out and join us. We love to see ya.

On the road FINALLY

2009-05-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

We left around 3:00 this PM and arrived in Wilsonville, OR just after 7:00. A very uneventful ride. We missed traffic at Ft Lewis, Olympia and in Portland. I am not sure how we managed it, but we'll take it.

Lucy is with us, all groomed and pretty and lovin' the ride. She is such a good traveler and companion. Just wait until you meet her. She is no where as spoiled as a dog we are going to visit, Alice's Bubbles. But then consider the source.

Glendale, OR tomorrow then into California on the 22nd.

Oh yeah, I took the bubble wrap off Michelle this afternoon, just before jumping in the truck. We made it so far damage and pain free. Hopefully everything continues to go well.

A good sign was getting a call from the RV dealer we bought the trailer. Some parts came in to repair the rear stabilizers (warranty work) on Tuesday (yesterday), so I ran up there to get the work done. (Like we had the time.)

When I took a final look at the trailer this morning, before I unwrapped Vita-bubble wrap, I found we had no DC power. Just about had a fit, but got out the old amp meter. Everything looked OK, so figured I'd have to go back and lynch the dealer at the last minute, or many minutes beyond. Did you know there is a master cut out switch you are supposed to disengage before working on the electrical system? I found it, flipped the switch and "walla!" power. I put the hangmans rope away for another day.

Well we are on the road, waiting to meet a whole buncha folks. We hope some of them are YOU. See ya soon.

10 days left to pack

2009-05-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well we have just 10 days to get ready. Do you remember the trip of 2007 when Vitalady broke her arm? I know Alice does, 'cause she put up with us until Michelle was able to head home.

This year, I have her all wrapped up in bubble wrap and is not allowed to walk the dogs.

Here we are Sunday night with just one more weekend to finish up what seems like a thousand taskes to get our show on the road. With the help of our web host, the site is now ready to roll with us. My camers is ready to shoot what ever gets in my way and my typing "finger" is poised over the key board.

All we have to do is pack, and load the rig. Make sure the lap tops are functioning properly (they never have been 100% in the past), and give our gals the last minute instructions.

Can't forget to get Lucy groomed, too. She is coming with us.