To start this off I gotta tell you I’m a teensy bit frustrated because somewhere between having completed this post, and Diane giving it her stamp of approval, the computer froze in the middle of ‘auto save’ and everything except the first paragraph was lost in the ozone. So, I will start again.

We made it all the way to Jerome from Caldwell without incident. The speed limit increased from 70 to 80 mph somewhere along the way, but we maintained our stately 55-60 mph pace anyway. It’s better for us to travel at a speed that allows for impaired drivers to correct driving errors (watching the scenery) in a timely manner less likely to lead to a disastrous wreck or, possibly, divorce in the near future. We were passed by everyone, but we were comfortable watching them buzz on up the road.

Before leaving Nampa, I got up early so I could join Jim and his friends at their favorite Burger King for their weekly coffee clash. I’ve met all the guys during previous visits to the city, but I still don’t remember any of their names. It was OK. We had coffee, told lies to each other, ate a breakfast sandwich, and generally had a good time. The last time I got to do this was when we visited to attend Maryssa’s and Matt’s wedding. I think that was just a couple of years ago. Seems like yesterday. If I’d been a little more coherent, I would have snapped a photo of the coffee group, but I wasn’t so I didn’t.

After coffee I jumped in Diane’s truck and headed back to Caldwell. I’m happy to report that I made it without getting lost even one time unlike the trip to Burger King. Yes, I got a bit turned around because I’m not used to driving without a navigator.

Before going further I’m going to add a few photos from yesterday. I was unable to do that previously because I didn’t have a power cord for the laptop. Thankfully, Nampa is a modern city and had a handy Best Buy close by where I managed to get what I needed. So, here they are.

Birk and Max waiting for something to fall on the floor while Bob & Steffani visited us upon arrival in Nampa.

Max getting acquainted with Steffani. He’s a bit shy …

Jim & Donna’s new home …

The day before yesterday, while Birk and Max spent the afternoon playing in the yard, Steffani took us on a tour of Jim and Donna’s new home (see above) while, at the same time, spent her spare time making a fantastic lasagna dinner. It was just like a large family reunion that included our adopted family with whom we are traveling. We all had a great time, a good way to spend our last evening together. It even rained a bit which was refreshing..

Jim & Donna at Bob and Steffani’s.

Jim always giggles just like a little girl when I kiss him.

So, do I.

Birk, Steffani, Bob, Tyler, and Carlos.

The evening ended and we made our way back to Caldwell to see about getting a good night’s sleep in preparation for the grueling drive to Jerome the next day. Thankfully, the trip was uneventful, and we made it safely to the Snake River Elks Lodge. It was good we arrived when we did because the few spaces available are first come first served. We needed three spots and only six were available. Shortly after we got all settle, three big rigs from California showed up and filled the remaining spots that had power.

The Jerome Elks Lodge is situated on a pretty spectacular golf resort which it owns. It’s a pretty nice place. Oddly, the parking spots do not have running water because it’s all used to keep the course nice and green. The is no RV dump, either. Just electricity. You’d think they could have run a hose from one of their many spigots, but they didn’t. Wouldn’t even consider it. Still, it was good to be parked.

After a nice steak dinner, we gathered outside to watch the beautiful sunset. We stayed long enough to watch it morph into a spectacular thunder and lightning storm that was about 20-30 miles away. That’s a guess, of course, but it’s pretty flat here and we can see a long way.

That entire black cloud was lit up by many lightening strikes as we watched. Pretty nice stuff out here in the country.

This last photo is from this morning after everyone else in the park left. Just the golfers buzzing around, now. Later, we’re going to Twin Falls to look around. I checked, and there’s a Harbor Freight there and I desperately need to get Diane and high-tech fly swatter so she can quit arguing with them. We’ve learned that this if probably all flies from miles around come to visit. The bartender at the elks lodge told us that the fly population will expand greatly once the corn blossoms. Everyone sitting at the bar had their own flyswatters, but they wouldn’t give us one to use at our site. So, it’s off to town we go.