At Stone Mountain, GA

Stone Mountain State Park, GA

We extended our stay in Fredericksburg by about 9 days to complete all our doc appointments.  Normally our appointments are "one and done".  Not this time.  Go to one appointment, get two more. Dentist..Doctors...didn't matter. We were finally finished November 5th, but needed to "recovery" before leaving last Thursday (Veterans Day). We took a day to get down to High Point, NC for the weekend. We left High Point Monday and took a couple of days to get down to Stone Mountain to visit Donna's bother and sister-in-law.  So far, so good as we're building our "grip sheet" for next spring's trailer service.

As Donna isn't a candidate for knee surgery, next year's travel plans are "up-in-the-air".  Other than we know trailer service dates, nothing is planned.  It's a little late to try to find a summer volunteer position for next year, so it looks like we get to play.  A quick check of Fantasy Tours (RV Caravan) for next year didn't turn up anything that we really wanted to do, or their planned trips were trips we had already done on our own. There may be a train trip out there, but that needs to be looked into a little further. Lots of options to consider.  There's so much we haven't done.

Current plans are to move over to Birmingham Saturday and arrive in Gulf Shores November 28th.  As always, that's the plan.  Every time we stop with the trailer attached, I immediately look at the trailer to check & see if the slides are beginning to move out.  That's happened the last two years as we headed east/south.  If the slides move out, that's a major repair and puts us in hotels for weeks at a time. While in Indiana we had the bottom of the trailer removed and the hydraulic line positions checked to ensure things looked OK before leaving. We're keeping all our fingers crossed!

That gets you up to date with us. Thanks for dropping by and checking on us. We'll update once we're down at Gulf Shores.  Until next time, David

Greensboro Greenway, Jamestown, NC

November

Well, we're still in Fredericksburg.  We hope to complete our last doc appointment on Wednesday and leave on Friday.  It'll be a slow trip to Gulf Shores with stops in Greensboro, NC; Stone Mountain, GA; and Birmingham...if all goes well.

It's getting colder here in the 'Burg as the leaves are turning in full force.  As of this evening's weather report, we go below freezing overnight Tuesday night and Thursday night.  Time to add more water in the freshwater tank.  

With Donna no longer needing knee surgery next year, we're beginning to try to make plans for 2022.  Pretty much know the trip from Gulf Shores to Indiana.  Probably work on planning for the fall trip from Indiana to Gulf Shores tomorrow.  After that, we'll start on the that big blank in between.

So that pretty much gets you up to day with us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. Post more in a couple of weeks.  David

At Fredericksburg, VA

Quick update as we're doing our annual doc, dentist, etc., visits here in Fredericksburg. We're fine, but every time we seem to go to a doc or dentist, we end up with at least one if not two more visits for each of us.

We're back in the KOA where Verizon Wireless and the campground's WIFI limited access continues to frustrate me.  Been here two weeks and today is the first day I could at least save a blog post.

The campground itself is fine and full on the weekends.  People are still traveling during the week, so the campground is seeing many overnighters traveling on I-95 (or US 1 when I-95 is closed due to an accident). Otherwise, it's our typical stay.

I'll post again when we start moving. Thanks for stopping by and checking up on us. David

October

Pine Knob County Park, Howe, IN

We' re fine.  We've survived our fall truck & trailer service appointments and moved to Angola, IN for the weekend plus let a cold front pass.  We plan to travel east beginning tomorrow.  Doc & dentist appointments await us in Fredericksburg. So head there is the plan...for now.

While we were having the trailer serviced, we took time to visit some of the smaller county parks in the area around Howe, IN and Sturgis, MI.  One park that stood out is the Pine Knob County Park just east of Howe, IN.  Besides the little lake (above), the park had a 1.7 mile archery trail (handicapped accessible) with about 30 archery targets.  Targets were animals and a couple of dinosaurs.  Nice place to visit and made for a great walk in the woods looking for the targets.  A few more pictures are at the end of this post.

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

 

Headed East

Laramie Greenbelt, Laramie River, Laramie (of course), WY

 We left the hatchery Friday and currently spending the weekend in Laramie, WY.  As I write this, a cold front is making it's way past Laramie.  It's about 50, overcast, windy (normal), and wet.  Rain stopped a few minutes ago, though I can see rain showers on the radar still to come from the west.

We're fine.  On Friday we'd stopped for the night in Rock Springs, WY where we experienced my first wind storm.  Cloudy, no rain, just high wind gusts that picked the dust & small gravel and "sand" blasted everything in the campground for a couple of minutes.  It came up so quickly that we couldn't get the satellite antenna down quick enough to beat the wind.  Then we worried if we tried to stow the antenna, we would put it in a weaker position and do more damage.  Decided to just ride it out with the antenna up, then stowed it as the wind calmed down to more normal gusts.  We waited until the wind front had passed and then raised the satellite antenna back up.  So far, so good.  Trailer seems to be no worse for wear from the "sand" blast.  Passenger side windows on the truck now have numerous chips in them, but all else seems OK.  Our little step stool that we leave outside only moved about 10 feet.  We somehow ended up with someone's lid to a large plastic storage bin.  Whoever owned it was may more organized than we are.  The packing list of what was inside the storage bin was still perfectly tapped to the lid.  No one ever came and picked it up.  We left it on the picnic table with the lid propped up hoping that whoever owned it would see it.

The Laramie KOA has added about 40 improved (they describe it as "deluxe") sites on what used to be an old rundown mobile home block just to the east of the campground office.  Sure makes the campground more attractive.  Just wonder how all that gravel is going to move around when Laramie experiences those super wind gusts.

We'd planned to head over to the Snowy Range this morning, but the weather has put a dampener on that plan.  Current plan is to head further east tomorrow (Tuesday) and spend next weekend near Des Moines, IA.  Head on into Elkhart the following week.  

Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Probably post more next weekend.  David

   

Happy Labor Day!

Lewis River Canyon, Yellowstone NP

 Well, it's still August and Labor Day is a week away, so Happy Labor Day!

Hope everyone in the southeast is doing OK by Hurricane IDA.  It looks bad as seen from the northwest. We're all OK here.  Our time here at the hatchery is winding down.  We have about seven work days left.  Still planning on how we'll travel east and what date to depart Jackson.  What we do know is our first appointment in Elkhart is September 23rd.  Be in that area about a week.

We had a great visit by Terry & Forrest this past week.  They had a terrible time with flight cancelations and delays.  Their luggage got here before they did!  We think they enjoyed themselves, though we probably fed them food they weren't use to eating.  They got in a couple of trips to Yellowstone National Park and a couple of museums in Jackson.  Unfortunately, the smoke didn't clear until their last day here.  This weekend, so far, has had great visibility - always after company leaves! 

That catches you up with us.  I've got my list of things to accomplish to get the trailer ready for travel.  Mostly it's just one last cleaning before we hit the road.  Anyway, thanks for dropping by.  We'll post again once we on our way east.  David

Brink of the Upper Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Yellowstone River above the Upper Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Upper Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Lower Falls as seen from Artist Point, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Mid-August Update

Grand Teton National Park

We're fine and still hot & smokey.  We were able to get out and get a hike in with decent visibility this past Thursday.  Looks like the heat wave is about to break this Wednesday as a cold front (with moisture) makes it's way across the area this coming Wednesday-Thursday.  Highs are currently predicted to be in the high 60s mid-week, mid-70s for the weekend and return to the normal low 80s the following week.  Lows only get to the low 40s, so we're not turning cold just yet, but it's coming.

It appears that the traffic has died down a little in Jackson.  We're not seeing the long lines south as you enter the city of Jackson.  My favorite spot to park near the town square (where you see all the elk horn arches & stage coach rides) has been open the last couple of times we've gone into that part of town.  Popular spots in the Grand Tetons are still packed, though.  Campgrounds still full.  String Lake picnic area is still packed by mid-morning.  Jackson Lake is down significantly and while you do see boats on Jackson Lake, none were "parked" at Colter Bay.  There were still some boats in the water at Signal Mountain Lodge & Marina.

We're beginning our last four weeks of volunteering at the hatchery for this year.   Plans are to wrap up and leave September 13th though the hatchery hasn't given us a confirmed departure date.  We're planning a relatively quick trip bouncing along I-80 to Indiana for trailer & truck repairs/service before moving further east to Virginia.  Since the government isn't shutting down RV parks, it appears we'll have our typical (or routine) trip east and down to the Gulf Coast as in years past.  Maybe we can do this trip without the devastating hydraulic failures that have plagued us for the past few years.

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

Grand Teton National Park