Transitioning from our winter home in Mexico to warmer weather north of the border included a number of unexpected challenges.  Our motorhome was the main culprit.  First our RV engine failed a few hours north of McAllen, TX, thanks to a part that was on a factory recall. The part was on back order, which the Houston service center said could take up to a month or more to get. We had planned to have new leveling jacks and an inverter installed on the RV in Elkhart, Indiana, which had to be  rescheduled.  So, we used lessons learned in Mindfulness, which is to be in harmony with circumstance (good, bad or ugly). By making the best of these challenges, we had the opportunity to take several mini vacations before getting back to the vacation we had planned--spending time with our family. Here we are with our daughter Denise, taking her dog, Ebby, for a stroll around one of MN 10,000 lakes.

We left the RV in Houston and drove our tow vehicle to Shreveport to visit Sally, Glorine's eldest sister. She lost her husband last year, but is surrounded by a bunch of wonderful friends, whom we met and enjoyed being with.	Many of her friends are part of the church she attends. Here the pastor had everyone shouting out Amen and Alleluia. The church also opens its doors every Wednesday for home cooked meals to needy families.
Next stop was Jackson to tour the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, which was closed to the public due to it being used to pay respects to the late Gov. William Winter. Bill Clinton was one of the main speaker.	The Mercedes Benz dealer called with good news. They found a part and could have the RV ready the following Monday. So, we rented an Airbnb, one block from the beach in Gulfport to enjoy some R&R!
Between walks along the white sands, drives along the coast and a lucky night at the casino, our days flew fast.  We headed back to Houston, picked up the RV and spent the next week on the road to Elkhart.	We spent five to six  hours driving between campgrounds, with breaks in the middle to take walks or ride our bikes. The weather could not have been nicer, which made for a pleasant trip.
Finding a parking spot for the RV with the car and bikes in tow was no problem.  Most towns have a local park along rivers or tied into their sporting complex with large parking lots.  After our walks or bike rides, these lots were quiet enough for a good nap.	Elkhart is the epicenter for recreational vehicles, where 80 percent  of all RV are manufactured.  This display shows how pull trailers are assembled.  Once we arrived, we learned that an inverter part was on back order for a week, which meant an extended mini vacation.
We tours the National RV Museum and Hall of Fame with lots of vintage motor homes and camper trailers on display.	This gallery of RVs included tents, Airstreams, and motorhomes of all sizes and shapes. Some were loaners, but most were permanent exhibitions.
From the oldest RVs to this futurist mega prototype motorhome by Furrion (manufacture of RV electronics and appliances).  This RV sports a rooftop hot tub and heliport.  Estimated cost of $3.5 million.	Near Elkhart is South Bend, home of the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic college of about 12,000 students, four out of five live on campus. It is ranked as one of the top 25 colleges in the US and bike friendly.
A tour of the 'rust belt' took us to Cleveland, Ohio. One stop was this huge memorial to James Garfield, who was assassinated four months after being elected president. He had served in congress nine terms	As odd as it seems, a World War II submarine, named the USS Cod is permanently moored along Lake Erie. One reason is that its five diesel engines were built here. It had six officers and 54 enlisted sailors.
Commissioned in 1943, this sub fired 122 torpedoes, with 39 hits and sank 12 Japanese ships.  It is now  a memorial to over 3,900 submariners who lost their lives during the US Navy Submarine Force history.	Down the street a few blocks is the National Rock and Roll Hall of Fames. It was selected in a national competition over the likes of Memphis, New York, San Francisco, New Orleans and Philadelphia.
One of six floors is dedicated to a Beatles exhibit called 'Get Back to Let it Be', which focuses on their music, dress, and impact they had on the evolving culture of rock and roll.	Alan Freed was a Cleveland disc jockey who coined the term "rock and roll" in 1951 and worked to promote the importance of rock and roll music throughout North America.
After touring the museum for five hours, we spent time on the third floor called the garage, where most rock and roll bands began their careers.  Glorine could not resist trying her hand at a bit of rock and roll.	During our drive from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, we did a midmorning walk in Mill Creek Metro Park in Youngstown, which is a conglomerate of park stretching 15 miles and over 5,000 acres to explore. .
Our first stop in Pittsburgh was the Heinz Museum, where this 1936 stainless steel Ford was crafted in partnership with Allegheny Steel and used to promote the use of stainless steel.  It had 200,000 miles before it was retired.	This exhibit highlighted the importance of a native Pittsburgher, Jack Kinzler, who served as Chief of NASA's Technical Services.  One of his invention was a flag that would "fly" in a weightless atmosphere of space.
Before Meriwether Lewis met up with William Clark in Missouri, Lewis launched a 50-foot boat from Pittsburgh, down the Ohio River. The National Park Service now recognizes this as the new beginning of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.	Mr. Roger's "It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood" was aired on PBS in Pittsburgh beginning in 1968 and ran until 2001, making it one of the longest-running children's programs in the US. We believe television could use another Mr. Rogers.
A quirky tourist stop is this wooden street made of 26,000 creosote-soaked wooden blocks on this 300 foot cul-de-sac known as Roslyn Place. While popular in the late 1800s, it is the last standing wood street in the US.	In downtown Pittsburgh, the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers form the Ohio River at the Point State Park.  While touring the area, we took part in a pro-choice rally with the Pittsburgh skyline in the background.
Pittsburgh has the oldest 'funicular' still in operation in the US called the Duquesne Incline.  It was used mainly by coal and steel workers to get from home to work and back. It was closed in 1964, but restored and now used to bring tourist to the summit for a spectacular panoramic view of Pittsburgh.	We rode our bikes from the Point State Park where the rivers join, then rode the funicular to the top.  Maximum seating was 18. Once we arrived, this was our view from the top, the skyline and the Steelers and Pirates stadiums on the north shore.  Spectacular.
Back in Elkhart we learned Indiana has the third largest population of Amish, most of whom live near Elkhart.   Interestingly, most communities are growing with an average of  seven children per family. With the high cost of land, farming is no longer their main occupation--many are becoming skilled craftsmen.	Estimates put over 350,000 Amish living in the US and growing, carrying out the customs and traditions of their religion that began in Germany, despite all the noise and distractions of modern-day life.  Local businesses make accommodations to their way of life.
We drove to Richmond Kentucky to visit friends David and Diane.  Along with catching up, they took us to one of Richmond's newest tourist attractions - Buc-ees, a jaw-dropping convenient store jam-packed with snacks to knickknacks, and over 100 pumps with the cheapest gas in town.	Back in Minnesota, we spotted this Bald Eagle while walking around a lake in the metro Minneapolis area. This has become a common sight, thanks to the US Environmental Protection Agency.  Government isn't all bad!
Our grandkids have grown from children to young adults, Clara will be 16 in June and Chase will be 14 in Septembers. We have to learn how to behave around them.	Chase has decided to take up skate boarding. This is his third lesson and is doing an awesome job at it.
We were on hand when Denise bought her new Honda CRV Hybrid.  While most car buyers are on a long waiting list, Denise lucked out.  This car had been sold, but the buyer backed out as they were driving it off the truck. Denise happened to be on the phone inquiring about availability and here it was.	Here we are in downtown Shakopee, taking a short cut from our walk along the Minnesota River looking for  a pet friendly restaurant, which we found.  We also got in a game of "Ten Pennies" which is a card game we learned from friends in Ajijic. Our goal is to spend most of June in MN before heading to North Dakota.