Made it to High Point

We made it to High Point, NC after a new (or new to us) transfer switch.  We left last Wednesday & took 3 days to get here. We're traveling with weak (not bad - just weak) batteries that we have to be careful with.  We broke a hot wire to the electric heating element and, somehow, the converter went out at the same time. Since the hot water heater and converter share a common circuit breaker (even though they have separate levers), that stopped what little battery charging we were getting and all 12 volt appliances were now running off those weak batteries. Resetting the circuit breakers didn't help. We carry a separate battery charger that we can use to recharge the batteries when things like this occur. We ran the slides and stuff with that on so as to be easy on the batteries. After arriving here in High Point, the transfer switch made a nice "Kathunk" as power was applied.  I told Donna that the converter might be working again after a "hard" reset.  Sure enough, the converter is working, again.  

So here we sit. We've had a great visit so far. We have various appointments each day while here.  We had planned to leave on Thursday as that was the first dry day since Saturday.  Now the weather people say Thursday is the first day of rain after a dry Tuesday & Wednesday. We'll see what really happens.  

From here we travel to Stone Mountain, Georgia for a week or so, Birmingham for Thanksgiving, and on down to Gulf Shores on December 1st.  We'll see if the trailer makes it...

Thanks for dropping by and checking in on us.  Until next time, David
 

Plans? What Plans?

Remember all those plans we wrote about in the last post?  Well, forget about them.

We picked up the trailer as planned on Oct 18th, spent the weekend in Elkhart, and left Monday for Indianapolis, IN.  Arrived there fine.  Then the trailer decided to have a mental breakdown.  Hydraulics wouldn't hold level (front legs drift down). No visible leaks to fix. No visible sign of hydraulic fluid anywhere. Hydraulic fluid reservoir at proper levels.  Did all our tricks of special sequence of front leg movements with no success. Finally got it to hold at 2 degrees front high. So that's the way we spent the night.

No success in finding anyone to look at it Tuesday around Indianapolis.  A phone call to Kay Cross (Indiana Interstate Enterprises/Cross RV) got us a few contacts we could try.  A gentleman near Shipshewana, IN would look at it and could repair hydraulics, so back to the Elkhart area we returned.

We got back to Elkhart, IN Tuesday afternoon.  Wednesday morning we wake up to electrical wire burning.  A quick call to the gentleman in Shipshewana said he'd look at that, too.  So he came out late Wednesday afternoon.  Turns out we're cooking our transfer switch and the hydraulic problems appears to be some seeping of fluid along two hydraulic lines.  Parts should be here tomorrow.  

Hopefully, we can get back on the road Sunday.  If not, we're fine here in Elkhart.

So that's what's happening with us. Thanks for checking up on us.  We'll post when we're comfortably back on the road.  David

Allen Farm Intruder Alert System

Decades ago, there was a comic strip (Calvin & Hobbs) about a mischievous 5 year old (Calvin) and his stuffed tiger (Hobbs). One Sunday cartoon edition started as follows: 

The setting: Calvin and Hobbs are walking in the woods.

Calvin: Hobbs, I've been thinking.

Hobbs:  On a weekend?!

Calvin: Well, it wasn't intentional...

So starts the story of the Allen Farm Intruder Alert System (AFIAS).

Background:  Beth & Frank live on Frank's family's farm near Fredericksburg, VA.  Full of history, the farm -  The Allen Farm - I'll call it (not the family's affectionate name for it) is somewhat of a paradise amongst the growing Fredericksburg area. Today, cattle & crops are no longer raised on it.  The grandmother's house is replaced. While the original family (Frank's and his siblings parents') house remains, siblings and other relatives now live on the farm where cattle & crops once stood.  One nephew and his family has three rescue dogs.  The dogs love to bark.  And when I was left unsupervised, I would walk the farm road and these dogs would go off like clockwork.  I'm convinced that one of them eventually knew when I opened an exterior door of Frank & Beth's house to do a morning stroll despite being out of line of sight and blocked by a house.  One morning, like Calvin of Calvin & Hobbs fame, I made a mistake and started thinking...

Welcome to the introduction of the Allen Farm Intruder Alert System, henceforth known as AFIAS.

This alert system obtains our highest 5-star rating.  AFIAS has surpassed our highest expectations for any intruder alert system. Based around a trio of sensors, the system passed every one of our extensive suites of intruder test scenarios. AFIAS did not fail to alert in any scenario. Basically, we found this intruder alert system to be infallible.

Sensor rating:

Sensor 1:  This sensor gets our highest, 5-star rating.  Equipped with the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) package and the latest knowledge & learning processes, this sensor never failed.  This sensor, being AI based, never needs upgrading. This sensor contains & demonstrated sensor engagement despite lacking line-of-sight information.  This sensor can be used as a stand-alone sensor.

Sensor 2: 4.5-star rating. While not AI capable, this sensor contains the latest knowledge & learning processes. This sensor is upgradeable. This sensor ensures any alert from sensor 1 is heard through any covered complex.  This sensor can be used as and is suitable as a stand-alone sensor.

Sensor 3: 2.5-star rating. Using off-the-shelf knowledge & learning processes, this sensor works well as a companion to Sensor 1 or 2 and is extremely useful in ensuring any alert by sensor 1 or 2 is heard anywhere in any covered complex including any remote corners not covered by sensor 1 or 2. This sensor is not upgradeable (hard to teach an old dog new tricks) and must be paired with sensor 1 or 2 to work effectively.

AFIAS is awarded our highest rating and is highly recommended where any intruder alert system is necessary.

Oct 16, 2024 Update:

Our time in paradise at the Allen Farm is over. We're on our way to Lagrange, IN to pick up our trailer. We really enjoyed our time extensively testing the AFIAS and overnighting at the Frank & Beth Bed and Whatever-you-want-to-eat-you-can-fix-yourself. We love you guys more than you know! Below are pictures Beth sent us of the farm for you to see their little bit of paradise near the Washington, DC bedroom community of Fredericksburg, VA.  

We're sorry we didn't get to see everyone and hope to visit with those we missed on the way back up next spring.  Once we have the trailer and are restocked, we'll head down to Springfield, OH, then over to Huntington, WV, and finally down to High Point, NC.  Further stops are planned (OK, reservations) for Stone Mountain, GA, Birmingham, AL and down to Gulf Shores, AL for the winter.  At least that's the plan.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. David

 

Back in Fredericksburg

We're back in Fredericksburg, VA for 2 to 4 weeks while the trailer gets some well earned TLC back in Indiana.  We're invaded Beth & Frank while we're here. Hopefully, they can stand us being around for that 2 to 4 weeks! We don't have any camping/RV reservations until November 15th. So if we're out early, we're gonna be winging it.

We're fine. Doc appointments all next week. Donna got her rental car yesterday, and she's already out visiting this morning. We'll try to see as many people as we can while we're here.

Thanks for stopping by and checking up on us. More later, David

September Update

The above photo is taken last week from the big picture window at the LSR Preserve after a second wave of snow on the mountain tops.  Our volunteer time at Grand Teton and the LSR Preserve is over.  Our last day was Friday - September 20th.  The LSR Preserve closed for the season today - September 22.  We intend to come back for next year at the LSR Preserve, if possible.

Now we're on our way to Lagrange, IN for trailer service. So far, so good. We're on our second night out. We've experience way better weather than anticipated. Trailer hanging in there & we still have all our wheels. So far no mice in our traps, so no stowaways for now. No check engine light for the truck. (FYI - we spent the whole summer with truck check engine lights for various codes.) We're getting about a mile per gallon than we use to while towing.  We also back in the world of reasonable diesel prices. We'll see how the next few days go.

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

   

Mid-August Update

We're fine.  Our dog-days-of-summer are about over. We've had some rainy weather over the last week. Made for some dramatic views of the mountains - none of which I managed to get a picture of. Been a busy park. 

Park is moving into its fall period.  Our daily schedule (when volunteering) will adjust in a couple of weeks.  We have no experience with it as a visitor.  Consequently, we've no idea of how it affects our daily work routines. We know that evening ranger-guided hikes will end.  It seems it affects the interpretative rangers more than the volunteers. We'll learn more Monday.

It's been a summer of the check engine light for our truck (now over 128,000 miles). We usually get a check engine light early in the season while visiting Yellowstone NP. This time the light keeps coming back. (Maybe it's upset we didn't take it to Yellowstone??) 

Only the first code it threw affected driveability. The next code took a couple of trips to the shop to solve. We're currently on the third code which has everyone - including Ford engineers - stumped.  It's indicating a fuel trim error.  After three loops through the resolution/repair process, all parts test fine.  Put it back together and the truck throws a fuel trim error code. 

Ford engineers suggested new injectors as they've only experienced this symptom with two other trucks (with 6.7L diesel engines) and the code cleared after new injectors.  Figured it'd be safer to travel back east with the trailer if we have new injectors, so we'll try it.  If that fails, we'll take the truck to Grumpy's Diesel in Pensacola when we get to Gulf Shores in December. Or the truck breaks down somewhere along the way, and we find out the real problem! If it wasn't for that little check engine light, you'd never suspect the truck has a problem.

That's it for us. Here's some pics from the last few days.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. David

Picture taken by Hannah Boaz (view is of Death Canyon)

Mid-July Update

Grand Teton Natl Park file photo

We're fine.  We're told that Yellowstone and Grand Teton are more visited than last year (but less than 2021).  Being our first season volunteering in Grand Teton, we don't know - but it's BUSY!

Volunteering at the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve is busy, but satisfying. We're out in the woods more. It gets hot at the parking lot. Jump Rock is jumping with people. Bugs are out in full force in the woods. Moose are around.  We've seen elk along Gros Ventre road just east of the Gros Ventre intersection. Bears are active. Bison are out. People still stop in the middle of US89, get out of their vehicles, and take pictures of the bison. (Apparently, pulling completely off the road to take pictures is a foreign concept to many visitors.) People still don't take protecting their food seriously. One young bear has already had to be euthanized because it began to approach and swat at people for food. Wildfire smoke has arrived diminishing the view of the tetons. Wildland fire danger is high. Finally got to see pine martens. Visited Leeks Marina several times so far for pizza & breadsticks. We can still find a parking space and picnic table for lunch at Colter Bay. All the campgrounds are full, yet we still receive daily phone calls to the park (we rotate answering the main park phone line between the various visitor centers each day) trying to find a campsite. And despite being in this area for five summers, I'm still amazed at how little I really know about the park.  

That gets you up to date.  We're here to mid-September. Thanks for dropping by and checking in on us.  David

Jenny Lake visitor center - this is the bear that was fed and had to be euthanized.

Mid-June Update

Lake Creek Trail, LSR Preserve, GRTE

We're more or less getting into the swing of things. Lots to remember, but we're getting there.  Getting use to working the parking lot. Of the three days per week we volunteer, I tend to be roving on two of them.  That keeps you real active when you rove and work the parking lot on the same day!

Been hot for this time of year - high 70s/low 80s.  Aspen are leafed out. Pines and firs are in full pollen mode.  You can see the pollen as it blows across the trails, roads - even when in the forest. It's all a pretty landscape, though. Strange as it sounds, we'll drop below freezing Monday night. Maybe even Tuesday night.  We're told we'll be back to normal by late next week.

For those of you that haven't heard, the Teton Pass had a big collapse Friday night, the 7th of June. the road had started to develop major cracks a couple of days earlier and was temporarily closed to fix those. A day or so later, a mudslide closed the pass. The full collapse came a day later. After a late snow event the last part of May, the hot temps created a rapid snow melt that took out the pass. The biggest impact is the extra long commute it created for a lot of Jackson workers who commute from western Idaho. A temp road is expected over the next few weeks with a full repair late this year.

In other news, as I've mentioned in previous posts our truck likes to throw the check engine light almost every year we arrive in Jackson Hole. Turns out this one was persistent. Turns out that the mass air sensor was out of tolerance. A reprogram of the PCM seems to be the solution.  Check engine light hasn't returned since, and it's had plenty of time to do so. We think it'll hold.

Anyway, that catches you up with us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking on us. We'll post more later, David

June Update

Grand Cathedral as seen from the Teton Science Center, Kelly, WY

I always thought the four letter acronym for Grand Teton National Park was GTNP.  Turns out it's GRTE.  Who knew? (OK, besides people who work here!)

Newbie training is over. Now we really learn about the park (or backstage magic as I like to call it). Big park. Huge staff - though I'm confident they could use more. Probably close to 400 people when you include volunteer staff. (We were told, but I didn't write it down.) Then there's the concessionaires. The employee loop in Gros Ventre Campground isn't full at this time, but we're told it'll be full by July. Thankfully, everyone wears name tags so I can remember people's' names!

We've gotten snowed on twice since arriving with the last one requiring some time to clean it all off the truck. Morning low temps are now trending above freezing each morning. Idaho Falls weather staff indicate our highs may reach the high 70s later this week. 

Aspen are leafing out. Cottonwoods are leafing out. I expect the cottonwood "snow" at any time. We haven't seen any large wildlife, yet.  It's gotta be around here as each morning we leave there's several wildlife tours parked along the road with field telescopes and binoculars all in use.

Interesting how things work.  With the exception of 2023, during every season we've spent in Jackson Hole our truck has presented a check engine light in May after our arrival. Usually it goes out in a week or so.  This year it held true to form.  Arrive May 17th, truck presents the checking light on the way home on May 20th. During the week it cleared once and return about 5 minutes later.  Yesterday, June 1st - as if on queue - the light goes out and stayed out the whole day. We'll see what today brings!

That brings you up to date on us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us! Hopefully, we'll have something exciting to post about next time, David

Arrived Grand Teton Natl Park

Grand Teton Cathedral Group

We arrived Friday (May 17th) safe & sound. We, more or less, blew in with the winds coming in via Idaho Falls, ID and Alpine, WY to avoid Teton Pass. 

We're located in the Gros Ventre Campground - employee loop - and we're just off the Gros Ventre River near Kelly, WY.  We checked in Friday afternoon. Training starts tomorrow (Monday).  We'll be volunteers at the Laurance S Rockefeller (LSR) Preserve.  It's the old Rockefeller Ranch or may better be known as the JY Ranch. It's the last private land to become Grand Teton National Monument and eventually join Grand Teton National Park (1950, I believe). It's the quiet side of Grand Teton. 

Jackson seems busy but not crowded.  This weekend was a Pow Wow and elk antler auction. We've had a nice weekend weather wise, but this coming week is predicted to be cold with rain/snow depending on where you're located.  Lows will be below freezing most nights. 

It's sure to be an exciting summer for us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking in on us.  David

Death Canyon as seen from the Albright Pull-out

View from the Gros Ventre Group Camping Loop.  The south end of Black Butte is to the right in the picture.

Early May 2024 Update

Three Patriarchs at the entrance to Zion Canyon, UT

We're out of the internet-cellphone desert and spending the night in Richfield, UT before heading to Hill AFB (Salt lake City) to ride out the next round of winter weather. We had a great four-week stay in the Hurricane, UT area.  We were able to meet and spend a day with Calvin and Jonathan & Alician. We enjoyed a great ATV ride by Calvin through the canyons south of Zion Natl Park near Mt Carmel, UT.

Mt Carmel, UT Canyons

We ended up having made five trips into Zion Natl Park: Two to Kolob Canyons area and three into Zion Canyon. We didn't drive to the east entrance of Zion.  

We also made a day trip to Bryce Canyon Natl Park.  Like Zion Canyon area, the shuttle buses are the way to go.  While we didn't find Bryce as crowded as Zion, it was busy by early afternoon. We decided to hike the Navajo Trail from Sunset Point down to the bottom of the amphitheater area and return via the Queens Garden Trail to Sunrise Point. 

After a nice lunch at the lodge, we toured the visitor center and rode the shuttle bus to most of the busy overlooks - walking the rim between two of them before leaving for the day.

Back to our stay in Hurricane, we were able to accomplish our dental visits during our stay.  While I got off easy, Donna seemed to spend most of her time in dental chairs either in Hurricane or in St George. She's finished - at least until the next dental visits.

As for plans, we intend to stay at Hill AFB about 10 days. We then move to Idaho Falls, ID for a few days before moving to Grand Teton Natl Park for this summer's volunteer season. That's the plan.

You're all caught up with us, now.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  More later, David

 

April 2024 Update

We're fine.  After a week's visit in Las Vegas we traveled up to near Hurricane, UT for a month.  We've been here a week, and we're here getting our semi-annual dental check ups plus visits to Zion and Bryce Natl Parks.  The picture above is from our RV site, and we're looking across I-15 into the Red Cliffs Recreation Area.

Kolob Canyon, Zion Natl Park

First up was an afternoon visit to Kolob Canyon (Zion) where we began to gather info for our visit to Zion.  This section of Zion is about 20 minutes north of us.

Red Cliffs Recreation Area

Next up were two hikes into the Red Cliffs Recreation Area - convenient for us as we can walk to it from the RV park. This works well for us as were working these hikes in between what seems to be almost daily dental appointments.  Afternoon dental appointment - walk Red Cliffs in the morning.  Morning dental appointment - afternoon hike into Red Cliffs. Area is great for walking, mountain biking and horseback riding. There's a campground, old movie set, archeological dig, and dinosaur tracks. The valley that Red Cliffs sits in (and I-15 follows) is a fault area where the area appears to be pulling apart. Red Cliffs is on the western side of the fault, Kolob Canyon (Zion) is in the eastern side.

Zion Canyon, Zion Natl Park

We made to the Zion Canyon area of Zion Natl Park once so far. We're here at a busy time for Zion, but while hiking Red Cliffs we met some volunteers for Zion that gave us invaluable info. We were told to arrive before 8 AM (preferably 7 AM) for max potential parking and ride the shuttle through the Zion Canyon section.  We got there last Monday right at 7 AM, and it worked like a charm. Plenty of parking and the shuttles weren't crowded. 

Zion Lodge area

While not knowing what we were doing, we hopped a shuttle thinking we'd ride it to the Riverwalk shuttle stop and walk some there. Instead we got off at the lodge, ate breakfast at the lodges' breakfast buffet, got back on the shuttle and continued to Riverwalk. That got us to the trail to the Narrows area (Narrows currently closed due to high & fast water). We walked Riverwalk and rode the shuttle back to the visitor center where we ate lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around there.

Entrance to the Narrows, Zion Natl Park

Consequently, we're having a great time - as long as we're out of the dentist chair!  We still plan to visit Bryce Canyon as well as do more hikes in the Zolob & Zion Canyons of Zion Natl Park.  We'll see how it goes.

Thanks for dropping by! David

March 2024 Update

Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, AZ

A little late with this update, but not too late.  We're fine.  We're near Picacho, AZ (Casa Grande, AZ) for a few weeks.  We moved over from Yuma, AZ on March 7th.  We traveled to & set up in the rain - as usual (not "always", just "usual").  Lost the water heater door on the way over - always something.  When we set off on this "Great Adventure" this is not what I had in mind.  Over time I've had to accept that "adventure" does not include "enjoyable" as a descriptive characteristic.

Anyway, Doug & Stephanie made it out here arriving on the 9th. We got in some great visiting time and saw a few sights.  We made it to Picacho Peak State Park, Saguaro NP West Unit, Sabino Canyon (we're addicted), Casa Grande Ruins Nat'l Monument, and Catalina State Park while they were here. They left on the 15th and made it home just fine.

Still a week or so to go here in Picacho before we move up to Lake Mead Nat'l Recreation Area for a week.  We plan to be in Hurricane, UT (near Zion & Bryce Canyon NPs) for the month of April.  Date to arrive at Grand Tetons is May 17th if we can get the security background website (NBIS) to cooperate. So far I've been locked out using the ID and temporary password that NBIS gave me, and Donna just gets the current version of the ol' Microsoft Windows hourglass spinning around after entering her NBIS ID.  (Folks, the "fun" just never stops!)  I think I now know why immigrants just break through the border wall and enter undocumented.  IT'S EASIER!  I'll bet that entering legally is a paperwork/IT nightmare that never ends! No wonder these people just walk through a hole in the wall... Yep, the "adventure" continues.

Ok, venting over.  Below are some of the pictures we've taken since arriving.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. David

Saguaro Natl Park - West, Tucson, AZ

Picacho Peak State Park, Picacho, AZ

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, Tucson, AZ

Casa Grande Ruins Natl Monument, Coolidge, AZ

Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, AZ

Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, AZ

February 2024 Update

Colorado River near the West Wetlands Park boat ramp

We're still in Yuma, AZ.  Plan to leave March 7th and go back toward Tucson to the Picacho, AZ (near Casa Grande, AZ) area for a few weeks.  We were hoping to stay in Apache Junction, AZ (east of Phoenix, AZ) to be near the Superstition Mountain area, but everything was full. We now know why people stay in the Casa Grande area - no room near Phoenix!

We've locked into walking along the Colorado River as the best place to walk and sightsee in Yuma.  This is in addition to the Telegraph Pass Trail east of Yuma.  Both can be busy.  Telegraph Trail is more mountainous while walking the river trail between the East & West Wetlands Parks is a more level, less strenuous walk.

We've made one trip to El Centro, CA for a doc appointment and have a following up appointment in a couple of weeks.

We did meet up with Jonathan and Alice (summer volunteers at the hatchery last year) and were able to visit & tour Martha's Gardens Date Farm with them. Learned a lot and found it easy to become addicted to date milkshakes!

Since we last posted, we've learned we'll be spending the summer volunteering at Grand Teton Nat'l Park's Larry S Rockefeller Preserve. The Preserve is on the quiet side of Grand Teton and located along the Wilson to Moose road. The preserve comes with limited parking and access to Phelps Lake - another gorgeous glacial lake - just like all the others in the Grand Tetons. The trailer will be parked on volunteer pads in the Gros Ventre Campground.  

To fill the gap between leaving Yuma & arriving Grand Teton, our first stop will be near Casa Grande, AZ (mentioned earlier).  After that we plan a week in the Lake Mead Recreation area, then three weeks near Zion and Bryce Canyon Natl Parks. There's roughly three more weeks to plan before we're expected at Grand Teton. We'd hoped to visit Capitol Reef National Park, but they've chosen this year to redo the scenic drive (I'm sure it's needed) and some parking lots.  Looks like a good year to skip Capitol Reef!

That gets you up to date with us, and we'll update things as we go along.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us!  David

Bighorn sheep along Telegraph Pass Trail

Colorado River, East Wetlands, Yuma, AZ

January Update

Yuma, AZ - Lettuce Capital of the USA

Time to update.  We're fine & in Yuma, AZ until early March. We moved a day early to Yuma from Tucson due to some winter weather predicted for our planned Jan 7th move.  We came here to check the place out since Donna's cousins winter here.  We've been here just over two weeks.  We've gotten a couple of rain days since arriving with today being one of them.  Temperatures are more moderate here than in Tucson, and the area is covered with snowbirds. We haven't seen this many Canadians in one place in the US since we spent a few weeks in Saratoga, FL in 2010.

We're located in Del Pueblo 55+ Community Park. It's an excellent place to be.  We've got way more room here than in Tucson. Overall, the area is agriculture based along with the MCAS. 

We haven't gotten out a whole lot.  We found Chick-Fil-A, ice cream, one Mexican Restaurant that Thom & Mary took us to, and several grocery stores. We've located several places to hike. Yuma's not all that big, but it's busy.

We've taken a few pictures of the area and posted below.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. Until next time, David

Yuma Army Depot (Indian Wars Supply Depot)

Display set up to give you an idea how the old plank road would look
 

Telegraph Pass Trail

Telegraph Pass Trail

Muggins Mtn Wilderness