Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas!

Like of most of the country, we're cold.  However, we're at a balmy 29 degrees & sunny with light winds.  As one meme put it, if you've ever said, "I'll do that when hell freezes over!", I think it's scheduled either for today or tomorrow!

Well, what we thought would be a rather routine schedule this winter has been anything but routine.  While we'd planned on Donna having her colonoscopy and cataracts done while down here, it's come fast and furious.  Colonoscopy went without a hitch.  Cataract surgery was scheduled quickly.  Donna's hearing aids had been giving here a fit, so off to an ear doc to get that all checked out.  She returned with new hearing aids. Then the night before the first eye for cataract surgery was was scheduled to be done, Donna told me she had a toothache and probably needed a root canal.  

Too late to reschedule the eye surgery, Donna went ahead with that and then we started hunting an endodontist to get advice.  Donna was told to get a dental exam first, then see what's needed.  She found a dentist that could fit her in the next morning.  They found that the tooth had already had a root canal & cap and probably just needed to be repaired.  They referred her to an endodontist in Pensacola that she could never reach.  She called the original dentist back and got a second referral to a local endodontist.  That endodontist didn't have time to see her until mid January.  Donna took that appointment with the idea that if an appointment became available, they call her.  About a half hour later they called back with an appointment for about an hour later. And off we went. Apparently, the old root canal is fine, but there's infection above the tooth and near her sinus.  She was put on an antibiotic and is feeling much better today.

Her cataract is doing well.  Her vision is foggy in that eye, but she says that everything is brighter.  We're well into the eye drop routine, and we've learned how to put eye drops in efficiently. 

Let's see, new tires for the truck last month and new hearing aids this month.  I think we've got Christmas covered!

So that catches you up to date.  We'll post more later.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Later, David

Gulf State Park, AL

 

We managed to get here last Sunday (Nov 27th) with all our wheels intact.  The slides were still in the trailer & worked when we set up.  We played musical sites today to get into out reserved site for the rest of the season.  We celebrated by going to Fish River Grille for a hamburger.  I know...suppose to be eating gulf shrimp.  But we were in the mood for a hamburger and - to us - they have the best in the area.  (We went to Mikee's when we got here Sunday and got the grilled shrimp there.)

So we're in our "winter home" for this season.  Posting will slow down some as we get into a routine though my "to-do" list is fairly long.  Look for an update around Christmas.  As always, thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Post more later, David

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Happy Thanksgiving!

We left Fries, VA on Sunday the 13th and arrived at Stone Mountain, GA on Monday the 14th.  We made it with all our tires and slides still working.  We here to visit Donna's brother and sister-in-law.  We got to see Elizabeth and one of their friends (family), so we've had a great visit.  We're back in Stone Mountain Park, but we're in a site that's over by the dam and parallel to the park road.  Nice site and close to restrooms, but not our favorite area (shown in the picture above).  Hilly, so you get a good work out walking around.

Still waiting on a part to repair the hydraulic system.  So far we've been able to find a happy spot with the leveling system that seems to keep both us and the hydraulic leveling system happy.  Springs on a valve controlling the flow of fluid to move the front legs up or down are weak after 12 years of usage.  One direction appears stronger than the other.  If we can remember to move the legs one specific direction as the last movement of the front legs, the leveling system holds; otherwise the front of the trailer drifts down over a couple of hours. 

Put all new tires on the truck while we're here.  That covers Christmas for the next three years!

We plan to move tomorrow to Birmingham, AL for Thanksgiving.  As always, that's the plan and always subject to change. Everyone have a great holiday and be safe on the road.  We plan to!  Hope to be in Gulf Shores, AL Sunday.  David

New River Trail State Park, Fries, Va

 

Happy Veterans Day!

Time to catch everyone up.  We were able to get the trailer back on Nov 1st.  We moved it to the KOA in Fredericksburg, VA where we dewinterized it.  That was on a Tuesday.  We moved back in on Wednesday, and left Friday for High Point, NC to visit friends there.  

This past Monday we moved back north to Fries, VA next to the New River Trail State Park (we're at the Fries RV Park) for some bicycle riding.  We got a couple of rides in (Tuesday & Wednesday) and got an almost two hour walk near Galax, VA) in on Thursday.

Today is Veterans Day, we're still in Fries, and we haven't lost another wheel, yet.  We're riding out the remnants of Hurricane Nicole.  It's predicted the rain will lighten up tomorrow, and we plan to head south on Sunday once temps get above freezing.  We've got reservations for an overnight stop near Gaffney, SC for Sunday.  We move on to Stone Mountain on Monday to visit Doug & Louise.  That's the plan and gets everyone up to date with us, where we're at, and what we've got planned.

As to our location, the New River Trail State Park is about 57 miles long and ranges from an easement of 100 feet wide to areas that is measured in acres.  It runs from Galax, VA to Pulaski, VA.  We're on a 5.5 mile spur that runs from Fries, VA to a point called Fries Junction on the trail.  The trail is relatively level (railroad grade) and covered in small gravel.  Pictures from our bicycle ride are posted below.

Fries RV Park is a small park tucked into a hollow in Fries, VA.  It was recommended to us by members of the Folks-on-Spokes, Gulf Shores.  We're told it is big-rig friendly and it is, but you need to talk with the owner so he can plan ahead (and use the park's directions list on its website when coming here).  It's really a nice campground, and the owner will try to place you (big-rig) into a buddy site for more room.  The park is not satellite friendly. The Wi-Fi is great. The cable requires you to hook up using the cable company's box (think 1980s technology though the equipment is smaller and can handle HDMI cables).  As our trailer is 12 years old and there's nothing "smart" about our TV & speaker system, using the cable company's cable box is usually a big fail for us.  However, the owner is tech savvy and was able to hook us up running the cable input through one of our unused exterior satellite TV hookups to the cable company's box (using the line we use for the portable, exterior satellite TV antenna).  He ran the signal from the cable company's box through an unused TV cable input line we have conveniently stored (zipped tied) out of the way in a far corner of the stereo system cabinet.  For the first time in 12 years, this all worked.  We've color coded the lines we used so we can repeat this if we ever have to.

I know, long post but I needed to cover two weeks and document how the cable system hooked up for future reference.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  More later, David

Still Waiting...

 

Well, trailer almost done.  Maybe get it back this coming week?  Since we last posted we had to dump one holding tank (black tank) and winterize the trailer.  All with no dump station nor terrain friendly to a buddy tank (portable holding tank).  

The trailer sits in a parking lot next to a truck repair facility.  It's safe and out of the way.  However, hookups for a RV would be the furthest thing from anyone's mind when building a truck repair facility. What would be easy to do at a campground became a challenge that we had to take on or render the trailer uninhabitable until we could get the holding tanks replaced.  Had to remember how to get freshwater antifreeze into the trailer.  I wasted a gallon or so until it all came back to me. We got it done.  Still no part to fix the hydraulic problem we were experiencing and what started this whole little side adventure we're currently experiencing.

We've had a great visit with Frank & Beth.  They've tolerated us extremely well.  Donna & I got a chance to work our our frustrations by helping deconstruct a 100 year old corn crib.  While Frank and his tractor did all of the heavy tear down and other work, there's something just relaxing about ripping boards off, hammering out nails and throwing stuff away at a garbage dump.

We got our doc appointments in, too.  Donna's been visiting as she always does when in the Fredericksburg, VA area.  She generally gets a rental car and once she drives away, I don't see her until the day before we leave the area and have to turn in the rental car.  She's been around more this visit as she enjoys visiting with Frank & Beth and helps with the cooking.  We've forgotten what it's like to have almost unlimited hot water and to use a regular washer and dryer that takes no time to do its work. 

Oh, we also confirmed that we'll be at back at the Jackson National Fish Hatchery (Jackson, WY) next summer 2023.  We'll be there almost five months next year.  Of course this all assumes that the trailer will make it there.

So that gets you up to date with us.  Thanks for dropping by checking up on us.  We'll post more once we get on the road.  Keep your fingers crossed!  David

@ Fredericksburg, VA

Alternate Blog Post Title: RV Preventive Maintenance Doesn't Prevent Anything  (OK, maybe caulking helps, but that's it!)

The picture is of what's left of our off-door side rear wheel - one of the wheels that had a full bearing and brake service while at MORryde on September 22nd.  The wheel came off on US 211 between Warrenton & Luray (Virginia).  

We'd experienced a repeat hydraulic system leak (began in July while in Great Falls, MT)) on the front legs that would let the front of the trailer drop over the span of an hour or two.  We'd left Luray Thursday morning to a hydraulic shop in Bealeton, VA for trouble shooting and repair.  We got that completed and parts on order (a 12 year old valve was going bad - probably a weak spring inside the valve).  We were on our way back to Luray, VA when a really nice lady got our attention and Donna got the rig off the highway onto a turn lane.  

What the picture (above) shows is what we found.  They lady knew where the wheel was (it rolled off our trailer in front of her), and we got it back.  Visual inspection shows no addition damage to the trailer.  No one was injured nor was any other vehicle involved.  Lots of people dropped by and offered assistance while we waited for tow service assistance (Good Sam ERS) to come get us.  Even a deputy sheriff came by and visited for a while.  We are blessed and lucky!

The tow service got there about 90 minutes after the request was made.  It was decided to chain up the axle's suspension so it wouldn't drag, and we'd tow the trailer 25 miles to New Market, VA for repair.  We looked like one of those oversized truck loads with a tow truck following with flashing lights on to warn people that we were slow.  Took about an hour and crossing two Appalachian Mountain passes to get us to New Market.  The trailer's at LL Trucking Repair in New Market.  They should look at it later this week and get parts on order.  It's probably a whole new axle system (less suspension).  Only the tire is usable.

We hope to be back on the road with both wheel and hydraulic repairs completed by the end of October.

Oh, best guess so far is that a wheel bearing overheated and came apart.  

We're fine and staying at Beth & Frank's Storage and B&B in Fredericksburg.  (Inside joke as they're best friends of ours, and we use them as a large package & mail drop when we're in the area.)  We're here until the trailer is repaired, or we're kicked out - whichever comes first.

When we know more, we'll post more.  David    

Service Rodeo Over, At Angola, IN

Once again we've survived our semiannual service "rodeo" in and around Lagrange & Elkhart (Indiana).  For the trailer: new brake pads, bearings repacked and wheel alignment, new bedroom AC/Heat pump, new convection microwave installed (old one - original to the trailer - slowly died over the summer), pocket door travel lock repaired and door rehung from the track (and the track was reinstalled), ducting for bedroom AC repaired, drain leak for the kitchen sink repaired (actually, replumbed), exterior seals and caulking repaired or replaced as needed, new (bottom) access door for the power cord reel (we lost it - it broke off - on the way out to Idaho during high wind travel through South Dakota), generator oil changed with new air filter and a tune up, and additional brackets installed for the larger MCD shades.  Truck got an oil change.  Otherwise, it was cold and windy and I got my first head cold & sore throat since pre-pandemic.  And Donna then caught the cold from me.

So we had a quiet week just going out or moving the trailer as necessary.  Great time to just sit in a hotel room - we had a suite - and drink hot or cold liquids and complain about my sore throat and constant coughing.  Eat breakfast at the hotel and go out to eat for dinner only if we felt like it.  Unfortunately, there was no Ben's Pretzel run this year and the only ice cream was a pint of Hagen Das from Meijer.

We're better now.  Donna been catching up with her phone calls, and I've got a couple I need to make. It's Halloween at the Angola/Hogback Lake KOA, so the park is filling up as I write this and kids are everywhere.  Yes, we've already hit the ice cream here. Both of us still have a lingering cough - ice cream always seems to help.

Monday begins our travel down to Virginia.  We plan to be in Luray, VA by Wednesday - about the time Ian has moved out (we hope).  Not common for us to face a tropical storm as we head southeast to Virginia, but we've done it before and canceled a stay in Luray or Shenandoah Natl Park because of it.

So that gets you up to date with us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  More later, David

Folks-on-Spokes (Gulf Shores) Fall Rally, West Des Moines, Iowa

High Trestle Bridge

So why would you call a group of 50+ people with bicycles getting together for 8 to 10 days to ride their bicycles a rally?  Me, neither, but that's what we do. 

We're actually in Waukee, IA at Timberline Campground for the fall rally.  We're not volunteering this year, so we could actually make it to a fall bicycle rally.  Unfortunately, the dates fell right on top of a 50 year high school reunion for me.  This means you can be fully retired, living a nomadic life style and still have schedule conflicts.  Life happens, I guess.

We're riding the walk-bicycle trails around the Des Moines area.  The trails are in great condition.  With the exception of Saturday, we've been on our bicycles everyday since Tuesday.  Donna's loving it plus she's around all her winter friends from Gulf Shores.  We're eating more meals out than usual, but the increased activity seems to be keeping us steady weight-wise.

There's still more trails to ride.  We leave for Elkhart, IN on Tuesday.  Friday starts the fall trailer service rodeo.  What gets repaired depends on what parts & appliances are there when we arrive.  Should be fun?

Anyway, that gets you up to date with us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Pictures are of the High Trestle Bridge near Woodward, Iowa.  They light a section of it at night.  It's pretty cool to see.  It's to the north of Des Moines and crosses the Des Moines River.  The blue light is used so as to not hurt your night vision.  

 

West Des Moines, IA

One of the many covered bridges of Madison County

We're in the West Des Moines, Iowa area for this summer's Folks-On-Spokes (Gulf Shores) summer rally. We'll be here until the 20th when we head over to Elkhart, IN for our autumn trailer service rodeo.  We're fine.  This part of Iowa is dusty & dry.  Suppose to rain later this weekend.  They need it!

We had a great time in Sioux Falls, SD.  We got in a couple of game nights with Ken & Susan and a couple of bicycle rides along the Sioux Falls area Greenway.  On one trip we actually made it all around the city of Sioux Falls for a total of just over 19 miles.  We now know we'll be riding with the slow group for the bicycle rally!

I know - not a lot of news or pictures.  Thanks for dropping in and checking up on us.  More later, David

Sioux Falls, SD

 

After a week of travel we're back in Sioux Falls, SD for Labor Day weekend.  We gotta be somewhere and this is as good of place as any.  Stops along the way from Laramie, WY were Sidney, NE; Kearney, NE; and Omaha, NE. 

Sioux Falls is sunny, windy and warm.  We'll be here until the bicycle rally in Des Moines, IA in mid September.  Plan on moving down on September 7th. Thanks for dropping in and checking up on us. We'll write more once we're in Des Moines.  David

Laramie, WY Week 2

Mirror Lake, Snowy Range, Medicine Bow NF, WY

Week 2 continues week 1 as we returned for another hike/walk in the Snowy Range.  This week we also got out Cheyenne, WY and Saratoga, WY.

For the Snowy Range, the Mirror Lake area is the prettiest to me and always worth your time.  It can be crowded and was the day we were there, but we'd be there before and knew areas to park that most people drive by without a thought.

Cheyenne, WY is the metropolitan area of Wyoming.  It's a mixture of blue & white collar employment. It's the eastern plains of Wyoming and, to me, boring.  We did get a walk around a lake and a great visit to the botanical gardens.  Pictures are below.  Donna was able to get a new Kindle while we were in town.  We also got to stop and eat at a new Chick-fil-A that was packed the whole time we were there.  Traffic never stopped!

Other than the drive over to Saratoga, WY (which is a scenic byway), I was disappointed in Saratoga.  From what I had read and been told, I thought Saratoga would be a small Jackson, WY or small Whitefish, MT.  Nope.  Just a small, high-desert Wyoming town with great Mom & Pop restaurants.  We ate at a small Italian restaurant and it was great!  We still don't know what people who live there do.  The town's museum was really nice.  It's another western town museum and information overload for me.  I took no pictures of Saratoga. 

So that takes care of last week.  We continue east tomorrow.  We're planning to stay in Sioux Falls for Labor Day.  That's the plan, anyway.

Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Until next week, David

Puppet Garden for kids

Botanical Gardens for Kids

 

Laramie, WY Week 1

Lakes Trail 295, Snowy Range, Medicine Bow NF, Wyoming

We're back in Laramie, WY for a couple of weeks.  So far we've restocked, gotten snail mail, completed the 100,000 mile service for the truck, walked some of the Laramie Greenway (which you can reach from the Laramie RV Park (old Laramie KOA), visited the University of Wyoming Geology Museum, walked  some of the Lakes trail in the Snowy Range, and experienced two complete, multi-hour city-wide power failures (apparently not weather related.)  We're talking intersection signals completely dead, business shutting down and restaurants closing type power failures.  Put about 10 hours on the generator this week alone.  It's warm to hot temp wise, and we're currently in the afternoon thunderstorm weather pattern.  When it rains, you get a bucket load of water with some pea-sized hail. Most of the time the storms go around us.

So that's the week that was.  Pictures are of the UWY Geology Museum and of the Snowy Mountain Range.  We still want to make it Saratoga, WY just to see it...maybe this week.

Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Until next week, David

Lander, WY

 

After a windy Tuesday night in Rawlins, WY we arrived Wednesday in Lander, WY for the rest of the week.  Lander is one of those towns that we've driven through several times and said we needed to stop and check it out.  This year was a great time to do that.  

We got in two nice hikes:  one is a trail through Sinks Canyon State Park; the other is Popo Agie Falls (video above.)   We also had a chance to visit the local Museum of the West and given that we'd seen the Museum of the West in Cody, WY earlier this year, it became info overload for me quickly.  The local Pioneer Museum was located by the museum, but it was just too hot to get out and check it out.

Sinks Canyon State Park is just south of Lander off Wyoming Highway 131.  It had three campgrounds (dry) and held mostly tenters and small RVs.  The park itself is built around the Popo Agie River (flowing northbound) that enters a cave (the sink) and then reappears somewhat further north (the rise).  Interesting fact about that sink & rise is that after years of study, people have determined that there is more water coming out of the rise than going into the cave (the sink).  

Popo Agie Falls is a trail just south of the state park that takes you to a water fall.  I was expecting a water fall similar to a hanging-valley water fall (think Yosemite Falls), but instead saw a water fall that seems to crest a hill, cascade down that hill, and then split into two separate falls.  Definitely not what I was expecting and made for just a stunning hike.

Of course I've got a gazillion photos. The best are below.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  We're now in Laramie, WY for a spell.  Time for the truck's 100,000 mile service.  David

The "Sinks"

The "Rise"

First view of Popo Agie Falls

Full view of Popo Agie Falls

Popo Agie River looking north into Sinks Canyon

Popo Agie River as it passes through Sinks Canyon State Park

Vernal, UT

Flaming Gorge Natl Recreation Area

After a few days at Hill AFB visiting the towns of Ogden, Eden, and Willard Bay State Park, we've moved over to Vernal, UT for the weekend.  This puts us pretty much in between Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and Dinosaur National Monument.  I selected this area just to go see Flaming Gorge. Overtime, I became aware of how close we'd be to Dinosaur Natl Monument.  What I didn't expect were the state parks that are nearby.  So we need more than a weekend.  We'll have to come back.

First up was an early morning trip to Red Canyon Lodge to watch hummingbird banding,  After that, we walked the Red Canyon Trail up to the visitor center.  From there we made it to the dam for a picnic lunch and shared a picnic table with a couple from Wyoming.  After a return and quick break at the trailer, we drove over to the Dinosaur Natl Monument's Quarry Visitor Center just to find out what's there and any hikes we'd like to do.  That pretty much took the rest of the day.

So, lots of pictures, yesterday.  First up:  How to catch a hummingbird, followed by Flaming Gorge and, finally Dinosaur Natl Monument.