Looking For A Lull

It's not even been two entire weeks and I miss Chappy.  Since we took him out to the summer campground I've been really wanting to go out there and this long holiday weekend is the perfect time. The site that we were put at is very nice.  It has a deck that was made by the last residents and it works perfectly for us.  We'll be heading out there after I get done with work and I can't wait to sit on the deck and enjoy the fire pit tonight with a cold beer and maybe my pipe.

Our time in Michigan has been good so far.  I've gotten to see a few friends and Karen has been spending time with her Mom.  The weather has not been too bad except for some rain and wind yesterday.  It's cold but I'm able to stay warm in the trailer. Time has been moving quickly and we will soon be on our next leg of the trip, our long drive to Springfield, MO.

Well, we made it to Michigan and the white stuff has now mostly melted away.  We are watching the weather closely to make sure we are not going to get stuck here.  Right now there looks to be a slight chance for some flurries this week, with the largest chance of snow later in the week.  We just need it to hold off for a week so we can start putting some distance between us and the frozen north. Staying in the trailer for a week before we left was very helpful.  I was able to make sure that I had everything that I needed, fix some minor issues and identify some things that we may want to change.  The trip down was pretty uneventful fingers crossed that we get down to AZ with no major issues.

After waiting, and waiting, and waiting, reconstruction on our house has finally started!  We have had guys in this week making all sorts of noise so I've taken the preemptive measure of moving my office out the the trailer so I can make sure that it is going to work for me, and avoid 90% of the noise.  It's been working out pretty good!  I've also been making some small improvements that we wanted.  I added some small spice canisters. Bought a cool little tray to hold drinks and remotes. Reconstruction activities in DA HOUSE! The office setup.  The chair is on trial but the layout seems to work.

For those of you interested in the story I mention in my previous post here we go. Characters: Service Guy - Awesome guy that we've usually dealt with. Parts Guy - Gruff, no customer service skills, shouldn't be dealing with the public. Parts Lady - Very nice, helpful but reports to the Parts Guy.  Poor woman. Preface:  Somewhere on the way back from Michigan the handle for the black water tank fell off and I really needed to get a new one.  I searched online but none of the standard ones they sell on Amazon and other places looked like they would fit, so I set off to the RV dealer to have them order one. RV Dealer Trip 1: We walk into the RV Dealer and head over to the parts an service desk.  "Hey Service Guy!  How have things been?  Hey can you help me?  I'm looking for a handle for my Black tank, mine fell off somewhere on I-80."  I say. "Good to see you AJ, You'll have to check with parts guy.  He should be able to help you out...

We're still getting things ready with Chappy.  I got the spice rack put in and the carpet covers for the stairs so the dogs won't slip as easy.  I still have a few things to repair but we are on track for sure. I've been looking at the Roadlink C2 as another possible weapon in my internet connection arsenal.  Pretty cool little device.  It manages wifi connections and has a broadband connection of it's own using AT&T.  The service from AT&T is separate, but they offer a 1 year unlimited data plan for $360.  That is an awesome price! I found out that the RV dealer near me is supposed to be a place to go to get one of these and after they called me about my tank handles I ordered coming in I though I'd ask about getting one and having it installed. (The tank handle story I really need to do as another post for sure, but lets just say the the "Parts Guy" doesn't like me after that fiasco.)  I talked to the parts lady and she quoted me the ...

Wow!  With everything that's been going on with work and prepping for AZ and now being on Jury duty to top it off, I feel like I'm going non-stop from the time I wake up until I go to bed. Prepping for AZ: Well I was informed that Arizona law, (precisely A.R.S Section 28-958.01) requires that all trucks that are bigger than 3/4 ton have mud flaps.  I don't see an exemption for out of state or 'just passing through' either when I read the law or talk to anyone so guess what I did?  I got mud flaps installed on Bodie so she'll be AZ compliant. Investigating a new piece of equipment that I may look into getting for Chappy.  It's called the TOGO Roadlink C2  and it's pretty cool.  It creates you're own wifi by expanding the range of available wifi networks and using its built in 4G AT&T connection.  Best part, AT&T offers an unlimited data plan for this guy at $360 a year.  That is pretty decent.   Minor repairs.   ...

...if there was such a thing as Limbo I think we are stuck in it.  The kitchen is STILL torn up and we are STILL waiting for the insurance company to give the go ahead so that work can even get STARTED.  I can say that I'm sufficiently tired of eating out. I'm not tired of eating out because I dislike eating out, I'm tired of it because: I like to cook!  Nobody makes food like you like to eat it except you.   Limited choices.  Don't get me wrong, we live in an area with a TON of restaurants around us, but after a few months, we've exhausted the list and hit many of them multiple times.  We could go further out for some new choices, but after working for 10 hours, well you get the idea. It's expensive.  I can cook a great meal at home for both of us for under 10 bucks, but the minute we step out it's at least $25 bucks if we aren't doing fast food.  Insurance will kick us back some of that money though. It's not healthy.  I think...

Labor day is past now and I'm feeling it a bit this morning.  We spent the bulk of the day helping Katia and Tony put in fence posts.  I'm just glad nobody caught it on film.  If it was widely known that I participated in manual labor the requests would come pouring in and my poor old body couldn't take that. Their fence is coming along nicely, but it is going to take longer than initially anticipated I think.  The bulk of the work seems trivial on the face of it but is much more daunting when you get started.  It will be nice when it is done though. I'm thinking about moving Chappy back to the house this coming weekend.  Since he has to be out of the park by the end of the month and we can't get back to Michigan soon enough because of my travel schedule for work, it seems best to bring him home and just use the time he's here to load up and prepare for the long trip coming up.  It will make it easier for us to get things put together for sure....

Ok so no new news on the house front;  The kitchen is still tore up and we are still waiting on the insurance and contractors to reach an agreement so they can start putting us back together.  This does not stop us from planning though, because life moves on even if everyone else isn't ready. I've been looking around and doing some research lately into what we may need to consider while we are in AZ and of course that means making another list so here it goes.   It's warmer there but still gets cold.  Packing clothes to match those dips in weather isn't the issue rather keeping Chappy warm and free of frozen pipes etc, is where I'm looking.  Much to consider here and I get the feeling I should maybe have started looking into this earlier however I'm formulating a plan that involves some heat tape, a small space heater and using our fresh water tank as primary water source most of the cold times.  I'll have to remember to come back report on our final ...

This trip we've been doing better with the food.  We've cooked almost every meal this week at the trailer with the exception of 1 rotisserie chicken we picked up and even then I still cooked the side dish. The combo of the grill and the instant pot really work well.  We can put both of them into play together and make some great meals.  The small grill works really well although it is easy to burn food on it, and we can use it under the awning if it rains.  We've not used it as much this week though, with the temperatures in the upper 90's and the humidity really high, there have been a few storms that have popped up that caused us to roll up the awning.  I don't grill in a downpour. All in all, we've picked up a few new recipes and even been eating a little more healthy!  It's really nice to sit outside and eat though, but the mosquitoes have been making that difficult at times but we manage.  The dogs really like being out for dinner too! Mak...

So the hitch did give me fits again. Not only was it hard to hitch up but it would not unhitch for anything. I tried, my buddy Shannon tried and we could not get it undone. Finally, after letting the trailer sit for a day or two, I stretched it again and yanked on the release and it came free. Yeesh, I'm going to have to report this and to Curt and see what their customer service is like. Aside from that we are enjoying camping here in Michigan at the "Tyler Lull Campground". Here is a pic from before I got the truck unhitched. We are much more level now that we are unhitched!

When we had the hitch in Delilah put in I bout a cheap vinyl hitch cover to put over it to sort of protect it from the rain and the snow etc, but the down side of the hitch and the 5th wheel was that I had to take out my big truck box and that lost us a lot of storage. With Bodie I decided to forgo the cheap little hitch cover and since this new hitch is easily removed (stolen) due to the Puck system, I opted to have a bed cover installed to provide some security by obscurity and to keep it out of the elements. The added benefit is that when we are not tethered to the trailer we will have extra storage for groceries etc, that we don't normally have...and it looks nice! Nice and slick!

The two week vacation was a great time but, as vacations often are, it was packed and busy and there was always something going on.  It was also preceded by my son moving, moving my office, and all the prep work and followed by Karen's Mom visiting and my awesome Aunt and Uncle visiting after that.  This is the first week in a while I haven't had a ton of stuff going on except for work and I'm trying to rest up. We went out to the camper this weekend to stay, rest, and test the new hitch.  It was a nice quiet get away and we'll do it almost every weekend until we hook up again for our Michigan trip. The Michigan trip will be a working trip for me and a another good test of the setup and equipment for working on the road before heading south for winter.  It will also give us an opportunity to spend time with friends and family up there as well. Getting ready to Hitch Bodie and Chappy the first time!

Bodie came with the puck system so it didn't make much sense to remove the old hitch from Delilah when we traded her in.  I bought a new hitch from a local dealer and he got it delivered in record time delivered in record time.  The installation was simple except for moving around the bulky hitch, attach the legs, drop it in the pucks and close the latches. Hitching up to the trailer was a little difficult though.  The jaws are supposed to close and lock when you back up to the pin, but I couldn't get them to close all the way.  After a few attempts moving forward and then back again we finally did get it to engage so I'm hopeful that over time it will "loosen up" and be less of a hassle. It's a nice hitch system though and I like the design.  Curt Q20 if you are interested in that sort of thing.

Returning to Michigan and then to Ohio was very uneventful but sad as always to see the end of a vacation coming.  The Donk was a real trooper and on the final leg between Michigan and Ohio it was just her and I in the truck since Karen rode back in her own car with her Mom.  She actually fell asleep, unaided by the good drugs, with her head snuggled next to my elbow for most of that final trip. Sometime during the ride from SD to MI, I can't recall exactly when, the subject was brought up by Karen that Delilah's back seat was 'just to small' for a big dog like Donk and WAY to small for both her and the Donk so we discussed getting a new truck. I realize there is still much to tell about the trip, dropping the trailer off at the campground and other events that have occurred and I promise to get to most of that, but because I'm excited to share and sad to see Delilah go I want to introduce our new tow vehicle  "Bodie" (Short for Boadicea) Bodie at ...

It was time for us to start our trip back so we decided to make our way through the Indian reservation to Wounded Knee and then on to the same campground in MN that we stayed at on the way out.  You won't find any pictures of Wounded Knee because we only stopped for a second and didn't even make it out of the truck before we were accosted by people trying to sell us little trinkets.  It is really sad to see the state of what should be a hallowed place that holds the story of a part of American history that should not be forgotten barely represented and neglected.  So sad. I chose the headline for this post because of the state of things that we found when we arrived at our campground in MN.  While we were gone they got a TON of rain.  Many sites were flooded, they warned us that they couldn't mow because the mower got stuck in the mud a couple of times and OMG the bugs.  We drove through swarms of bugs on the way there and Chappy will need a big bath when...

After spending a day in Hot Springs we packed up the trailer and moved to a new campground just outside that city since it would be a good jumping point for a quick trip across the reservation to Wounded Knee on our way to our midway return point. Aside from the move the day was pretty relaxing and the campground was beautiful.  We decided not to cook for lunch and instead check out a cool brew pub we passed on the way to the campground.  That was interesting.  The menu had many items crossed off the pages and the monitors on the wall that indicate what beers where available held very few choices.  It turns out the place was closing down at the end of the week. :(  The food was delicious though and the beers we tried were quite good and unique.  I'd suggest trying the raspberry Jalapeno beer, but alas no chance for that any longer.  They also had a cool gimmick where they could can a 32 oz of beer to take home with you a "crowler" if you will.  ...

Being held back by the weather for a few days lit a spark under us and today we decided we would tackle both Mount Rushmore and Crazy horse in the same day.  Once again the weather stepped in and made the job pretty easy, the wind was wild and cold when we were at Rushmore and made it hard to even keep the camera up on it's tripod.  The leftover snow had the presidential trail closed so we were limited in what we could see but we did see the mountain. Crazy horse was nice as I remember it.  It is great to see the progress that has occurred in the time since I was last there. I also love the museum and the history that they present. With time left over we did eat lunch at the game lodge in Custer State park and follow that up with a ride through the loop to see the Buffalo.  It was a great day and I feel as though we actually accomplished something we had set out to do. The first Blog Video! There has been progress in the last 16 years Love this pla...

Got up extra early and hit the road on our first leg of the adventure.  We rode all morning and arrived at Jackson MN with no issues.  After checking the weather report it looks like we aren't going to be in the black hills for a few days as the snow will be piling up before we will be able to get there and so we decided to stay at this campground for an extra night and decide if we can get closer for another day before moving on to our final destination.  I called the KOA in Custer, SD and let them know and they were fine with our plan. The Jackson KOA is nice, the people are friendly and if you happen to stay there bring the owner a bottle of hot sauce for him to add to his collection; better yet make it two so he can try one and put the other on the shelf above the check in counter. Everyone was friendly at the local eatery, grocery and hardware store.  It seems like a neat little town to live in and a fine bunch of people that call it home.  I was perfec...