V3N5A

MORE EXPENSES

Here goes for another year. We're going to give you a compilation of the expenses we've had over the past 3 years instead of just the last year. The reason is that it's better to compare how we've done considering the fluctuation of prices over the past 3 years. As we've said before, our budget seems to expand and contract according to how much money is available in any given year. All the figures will be for DAILY expenses ONLY and here goes:

1997-98 1998-99 1999-00

FUEL

$8.94

$6.71

$9.14

FOOD

$15.05 $15.67 $14.18

C.GROUNDS $5.47 $7.42

$5.18

As you can see, the expenses stayed pretty static except for fuel. We traveled quite a bit more the past year than we did in previous ones. We also got killed at the pumps over the last winter. We did, however, figure out how to keep our campground costs to a minimum. We dropped that cost by over $2 a day. Now that we know how to do it, it still remains whether we will continue that trend.

We've finally figured out that, We eat Too much, We Drink Too Much and we have Too Much Fun. Aside from that, we could have stayed at home and shoveled snow all winter, and put the money in our estate. Yeah Right!!! Until we discover that this is too much on the both of us, we'll just continue to struggle along, and report our progress accordingly. It's a dirty, thankless job but.............well, you know the rest. Until next year's report......adios.

Lambert's Cafe

Located in Sikeston, Missouri is Lambert's Cafe, "Home of the Throwed Rolls." And as the name implies, the waiters actually throw fresh baked piping hot rolls to the customers across the crowded dining room. On occasion, an errant toss, or a botched catch rolls to the floor, but not often. The patrons are very adept at snaring the delicious morsels.

After being seated, the "pass-arounds" begin. The fried okra, black-eyed peas, fried potatoes, tomatoes and macaroni, and the thick sorghum molasses on a stick for your "throwed roll." NO PLATE? NO PROBLEM! Just rip a piece off the roll of paper towel supplied at each table. And your silverware is rolled up in napkins and stored in an old molasses can right on the table. The pass-arounds continue until you're ready to burst or leave. We ordered chicken wings which were simply delicious. If you leave Lambert's hungry you have noone to blame but yourself. The uniqueness of the restaurant is well worth the effort to stop and enjoy. And when my selection of vegetables included sliced peaches, I knew this was going to be a place I would like. The peaches were served in a bowl..........iced. Not actually frozen, but very close to it, and they were scrumptious. To top off our visit, a short stint in the Lambert Gift Shop and $19 later we were back on our way again. We never miss an opportunity to pick up a T-shirt, magnet and a spoon.

A LOVELY TRIP?

I would like to make one trip from Iron Mountain to "anywhere, in the winter" and not have any troubles. This year was no different regarding my dashed expectations.

We started out this year in temperatures that were cold enough to freeze an Eskimo's nose. The transmission pump alarm was screaming at us for the first 292 miles. The pump was working, but so was the alarm. How annoying to have to listen to that high pitched whistle for the better part of 6 hours. At the last one of several stops, the "wire wiggle"was enough to make it stop.

Our next encounter was a "snow bank" in Lambert's Cafe parking lot. The freezing rain of the week before had turned it into a giant ice cube. The back tires of the motorhome went over it fine, but the tailpipe got hooked and wouldn't let go. By the time it did, the pipe looked like a mutant pretzel. I cut off the pipe, the wrecker crew wired it back up temporarily, and $75 later we were on our way to the next mishap. Sharon was amazed that I never lost my temper. If it wasn't already frozen, I would have lost it.

In Jackson, Mississippi I was in the wrong lane to make a turn so we drove right past it. By the time we got back on the Interstate going in the right direction we had wasted a half hour, gas and daylight to drive in. It never pays to be rubber-necking when your exit is coming up. Something we haven't learned yet.

I've given up worrying about what's going to "not work" when we finally get up and running. It's always going to be something different. At least it has been until now.

We got to our campground here in Abita Springs, Louisiana and found out the access card in our satellite receiver is expired. We didn't even have a clue what the hell that meant. But after speaking "nicely" with the satellite people we found out that the service we set up early, "so that it would be working," was now NOT working.