WOW!!!! We're in Fort Dodge, Iowa, surrounded by Hawkeyes and Ruges

We've now been on the road for 6 days.....had a wild trucker-led voyage across NY, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and into Iowa in 2 days. Harry Potter audio books 1 and 2 kept us from wrestling Chris off the I-80 sooner, and we made great time. We had a flat tire on the pop-up West of Chicago but otherwise our only trauma was at the gas pump. We saw Chris's friends John and Jerry Kinnamon in Iowa City over dinner. The tornando siren went off during supper, but the worst of it passed (we thought). We went back to sleep in the pop-up in a great campsite North of Iowa City(Sugar Bottom Recreation area) and had an unreal night of nearly constant thunder, lightning and torrential rain. We survived dry, a bit sleep deprived, and fully aware that these were not Northeastern storms anymore! That was Thursday and we headed up to the grandparents in Ft. Dodge via lunch with Gretchen Ashcroft in Cedar Rapids.

We will be here in Fort Dodge until Wed the 25th while we try to organize all of our belongings that were shoved into the pop-up at the last moment. We also have to get the Sequioa's wrinkles removed from the tailgate (Anny had a little stress induced mania in the garage in Belchertown before we left and pulled out of the garage with the tailgate up--common I hear....). We've ordered 2 beefy radials for the pop-up in hopes that we can survive the AL-CAN better than I-80. We are also visiting with Chris's extensive family and looking forward to beefing up on some of Grandma Ruge's famous cinnamon buns.

Our move is seeming a little more real as the road rash washes away.....we are looking forward to the great North and camping at a relaxed pace. We miss you all!
The Roving Ruges 4