This is the last day of the travel log. We got up at 6:45 and were on the road by 7:35. The trip was uneventful (that's good). I actually could have made it with one fuel stop, but I stopped at the Dalles anyway. That was a mistake. We wasted time because the first gas station didn't take credit cards. Then I just stopped at the first one available, which turned out to be the most expensive in town.
It was raining when we got to the club. Gerry was there, so we just moved the cats and went to talk with him and Dave. After an hour or so we went back to move stuff. That's when the rain really started. It rained pretty hard while we transferred everything. My sweatshirt was soaked by the time we were done.
Ellen's at the board meeting tonight. I'm glad it's her and not me.
I'll take this up again in the fall.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Day 230
It was cold and stormy today. Two hail storms went through with some light rain also. We didn't do much because of it. Dan did some cleaning (surprise, surprise) and Ellen and I visited with him. We did get to go to the second hand store across the street. Ellen bought a couple of books and I bought this cool old rusted gas can for the yard.
I tried to drain the grey tank. The posts here are in a bad place. I had to park too far forward for my sewer hoses to reach. So I tried to drain it with the garden hose. Almost no water would come through. So I left it all day. Apparently it didn't do much. When I disconnected the hose the whole lower drain pipe was full and emptied on the ground. I sprayed some clean water over it, it was the only thing I could do.
That was pretty much the day. We went over to Greg's for the second TV receiver and went to dinner at John and Pat's.
I tried to drain the grey tank. The posts here are in a bad place. I had to park too far forward for my sewer hoses to reach. So I tried to drain it with the garden hose. Almost no water would come through. So I left it all day. Apparently it didn't do much. When I disconnected the hose the whole lower drain pipe was full and emptied on the ground. I sprayed some clean water over it, it was the only thing I could do.
That was pretty much the day. We went over to Greg's for the second TV receiver and went to dinner at John and Pat's.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Day 229
We woke up this morning and the weather was iffy. While we did the wash it got worse. By the time we got to Dan's place it was clear that this wasn't a fishing day.
We went to lunch at Annie's while Dan put the boat away. The roofers were finally working on their place, so they really wanted to hang around.
Lawrence stopped it on the street and told us that the rod blank I ordered might not work. We went over with Dan. We talked a little about how we might change things, but decided to leave it the way it was. We also agreed to buy him 5 reel seats. One will be for the Navy Seal rod that he's building, and the rest are for him to make money on.
It was good that we didn't try to fish. While we were at Lawrence's a real windstorm came up. It was really nasty for awhile.
When we got back to Dan's place he was just going to have a nap. So we told him we'd go home. Ellen had to do some computer work anyway. She also ordered the reel seats.
We never did get back over to Dan's place. We figured they needed a day without us.
We went to lunch at Annie's while Dan put the boat away. The roofers were finally working on their place, so they really wanted to hang around.
Lawrence stopped it on the street and told us that the rod blank I ordered might not work. We went over with Dan. We talked a little about how we might change things, but decided to leave it the way it was. We also agreed to buy him 5 reel seats. One will be for the Navy Seal rod that he's building, and the rest are for him to make money on.
It was good that we didn't try to fish. While we were at Lawrence's a real windstorm came up. It was really nasty for awhile.
When we got back to Dan's place he was just going to have a nap. So we told him we'd go home. Ellen had to do some computer work anyway. She also ordered the reel seats.
We never did get back over to Dan's place. We figured they needed a day without us.
Day 228
We kind of messed around a little this morning, surfing and eating breakfast. When we walked over to Dan's no one was there. Patsy was swimming and Dan had taken the dogs to run. So we sat on the deck and stuck our heads up our phones.
It was a beautiful day, so when Dan got back we started preparing to go fishing. John showed up to come along. We went out, but it was kind of a short day. We probably fished about 3 hours. We all caught at least four fish, none of them keepers. John caught the most.
We had to go in early because Hal's son and his wife had come to visit. We had a nice conversation and dinner with them. They are retired and are using a truck camper to do a tour through Idaho and then up into Alaska.
Patsy got very drunk. This is the second night this has happened. She really shouldn't be drinking so much.
It was a beautiful day, so when Dan got back we started preparing to go fishing. John showed up to come along. We went out, but it was kind of a short day. We probably fished about 3 hours. We all caught at least four fish, none of them keepers. John caught the most.
We had to go in early because Hal's son and his wife had come to visit. We had a nice conversation and dinner with them. They are retired and are using a truck camper to do a tour through Idaho and then up into Alaska.
Patsy got very drunk. This is the second night this has happened. She really shouldn't be drinking so much.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Day 227
We didn't do a whole lot today. Dan went to church, so we spent the morning surfing. The weather was cloudy and cool. It was supposed to be windy, and it looked like a storm was coming. So we decided not to go fishing. Instead we just sort of hung around with Dan and Patsy.
Besides a lot of talking we walked down to the old folk's home and walked around it. The apartments look nice.
We also took a trip to Greg's place. We didn't have the keys to get into the garage, but we went into the house to get the satellite receiver. There's a bunch of nice furniture inside, some of it still wrapped. He's got three enormous elk shoulder mounts. One's on the wall and the others are on the floor. I don't know what he expects to do with the stuff.
That was pretty much the whole day. Dave Fielder called in the late evening to talk about the club. That sparked a long conversation about its future. It doesn't look good. Suzanne seems to be determined to fuck up.
Besides a lot of talking we walked down to the old folk's home and walked around it. The apartments look nice.
We also took a trip to Greg's place. We didn't have the keys to get into the garage, but we went into the house to get the satellite receiver. There's a bunch of nice furniture inside, some of it still wrapped. He's got three enormous elk shoulder mounts. One's on the wall and the others are on the floor. I don't know what he expects to do with the stuff.
That was pretty much the whole day. Dave Fielder called in the late evening to talk about the club. That sparked a long conversation about its future. It doesn't look good. Suzanne seems to be determined to fuck up.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Day 226
The day started at 8:00. Lawrence called and woke us up to inform me that I had to order a different reel seat for my new pole. The one I'd chosen was the wrong kind. I told him I'd drop by later. Then I went back to sleep until 10:00. I like 8 hours of sleep.
We had a few things to do in the morning. The first was to tell Sue that we'd stay until Thursday morning. That worked out fine with her. Then we drove over to Dan's. I didn't want to walk because it was supposed to storm later (it didn't). They have a new calico cat. It looks really neat and likes me a lot.
The first thing we did was give the dog a bath (she stunk). Then we walked over and mailed the letters and had lunch at the Shorthorn. After that it was back to Dan's place. Ellen went with Patsy and a couple of her friends to buy plants. I stayed and talked with Dan and one of his friends. It was mainly about fishing. We even mad a short trip to Thorny's so the friend could pick up some fishing stuff.
When Ellen got back we went over to Lawrence's. It turns out that he had already ordered me another reel seat. It's a nice one, but I wish he'd let me chose one (I probably would have chosen the same one). Dan talked to him about Bob the boat guy saying that he shouldn't have a business. It's all small town bullshit.
Then we went over to the sportsman's access to fish. Ellen caught a nice bass. Dan and I didn't catch anything. The dogs had a great time running around. They also got very dirty. So when we got back Lucy had her second bath of the day. She was thrilled.
Patsy fixed us dinner and then we watched TV for a couple of hours.
We had a few things to do in the morning. The first was to tell Sue that we'd stay until Thursday morning. That worked out fine with her. Then we drove over to Dan's. I didn't want to walk because it was supposed to storm later (it didn't). They have a new calico cat. It looks really neat and likes me a lot.
The first thing we did was give the dog a bath (she stunk). Then we walked over and mailed the letters and had lunch at the Shorthorn. After that it was back to Dan's place. Ellen went with Patsy and a couple of her friends to buy plants. I stayed and talked with Dan and one of his friends. It was mainly about fishing. We even mad a short trip to Thorny's so the friend could pick up some fishing stuff.
When Ellen got back we went over to Lawrence's. It turns out that he had already ordered me another reel seat. It's a nice one, but I wish he'd let me chose one (I probably would have chosen the same one). Dan talked to him about Bob the boat guy saying that he shouldn't have a business. It's all small town bullshit.
Then we went over to the sportsman's access to fish. Ellen caught a nice bass. Dan and I didn't catch anything. The dogs had a great time running around. They also got very dirty. So when we got back Lucy had her second bath of the day. She was thrilled.
Patsy fixed us dinner and then we watched TV for a couple of hours.
Day 225
Today started early - 6:30. We went to the club and I started working outside. I spent the time before the start doing the final checks on the stations I set and handling the details that had to be done. Dan started on one of my stations. Five minutes before start he said that it should be changed. So I quickly changed one trap to another and moved another trap. We started on time.
I spent the tournament watching my stations and occasionally others. I must say that Dave's target were really entertaining. A couple of stations were harder than I might have set. He also used 4 specialties - 2 rabbits, a battue, and a midi. After watching the shooters I've decided that it's not possible to set targets easy enough for them all to hit.
At lunch time I reloaded 6 stations. I also went around and picked up the garbage at all of the stations. Because I didn't have a trailer, that wasn't done until about 10 minutes after they started shooting. Of course I didn't get lunch.
The rest of the shoot was driving around, loading machines, and sometimes pulling targets. I also did some directing when the target truck arrived (we barely had enough targets for the tournament). We actually ran out of batteries. Luckily the two batteries cam off charge just as we had two run out. It was the biggest fly in the ointment.
Just as the shoot was finishing Greg bought by the Perazzi he wanted to sell. Ellen liked it, so we bought it for $7500. That's a good price.
After that it was load up the stuff and hit the road. I think we left about 5:30. Dan likes to stop a lot along the way. We even did some shopping at Walmart in LaGrande. We got home about1:15. By the time we got unpacked and took showers it was 2:00 before we got to sleep.
I spent the tournament watching my stations and occasionally others. I must say that Dave's target were really entertaining. A couple of stations were harder than I might have set. He also used 4 specialties - 2 rabbits, a battue, and a midi. After watching the shooters I've decided that it's not possible to set targets easy enough for them all to hit.
At lunch time I reloaded 6 stations. I also went around and picked up the garbage at all of the stations. Because I didn't have a trailer, that wasn't done until about 10 minutes after they started shooting. Of course I didn't get lunch.
The rest of the shoot was driving around, loading machines, and sometimes pulling targets. I also did some directing when the target truck arrived (we barely had enough targets for the tournament). We actually ran out of batteries. Luckily the two batteries cam off charge just as we had two run out. It was the biggest fly in the ointment.
Just as the shoot was finishing Greg bought by the Perazzi he wanted to sell. Ellen liked it, so we bought it for $7500. That's a good price.
After that it was load up the stuff and hit the road. I think we left about 5:30. Dan likes to stop a lot along the way. We even did some shopping at Walmart in LaGrande. We got home about1:15. By the time we got unpacked and took showers it was 2:00 before we got to sleep.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Day 224
There wasn't a lot to do in the morning so we didn't get up very early. When we did I put the car back together and put everything away. Then we went to breakfast with Dan and got gas for the car and toy.
After breakfast I went over to the club. Stephen was there. He had one of the light Berettas that I wanted, so I bought it. I couldn't find Dave, he was out on the course. I should have gone looking because he was setting targets even thought it was old guy's day. Instead I spent time bullshitting with the old guys. We saw Bob and showed him the letter from the the Oregon Dept. of Revenue. He said he'd look into it.
Dave came in fo lunch and I got a chance to talk with him. He was still setting targets, so I took over setting the 5 skeet fields and the 5 stand field. I set stuff on 4 of the skeet fields, but just ran out of ideas for the fifth. So I just sort of flaked off and set a nowhere stand. Then I loaded up 6 gas cans (they didn't have any gas) and went out and got them filled. It cost $130.
After that we just sat around while the Boy scout people had their dinner and auction. We managed to all get dinners, too. All the things in the auction went for more money than I was willing to spend.
After that it was off to bed. We need to get up at 6:30 tomorrow.
After breakfast I went over to the club. Stephen was there. He had one of the light Berettas that I wanted, so I bought it. I couldn't find Dave, he was out on the course. I should have gone looking because he was setting targets even thought it was old guy's day. Instead I spent time bullshitting with the old guys. We saw Bob and showed him the letter from the the Oregon Dept. of Revenue. He said he'd look into it.
Dave came in fo lunch and I got a chance to talk with him. He was still setting targets, so I took over setting the 5 skeet fields and the 5 stand field. I set stuff on 4 of the skeet fields, but just ran out of ideas for the fifth. So I just sort of flaked off and set a nowhere stand. Then I loaded up 6 gas cans (they didn't have any gas) and went out and got them filled. It cost $130.
After that we just sat around while the Boy scout people had their dinner and auction. We managed to all get dinners, too. All the things in the auction went for more money than I was willing to spend.
After that it was off to bed. We need to get up at 6:30 tomorrow.
Day 223
The day began with a long, boring trip from Richland to Salem. The only good thing about it was that I didn't have to drive. That allowed me to look out the window at the interesting part of the gorge - maybe from the Dalles on in. I read a book for the part of the trip from Baker to beyond Hermiston.
When we got to the club we immediately opened up the trailer. The mouse infestation was a lot less than last year. The weird thing was that the AC lights in the kitchen no longer work. Actually almost none of the AC worked until I flipped all the breakers on and off. I have no idea how to debug the problem.
The batteries in both the car and the toy were dead, dead, dead. The car battery was so dead that the smart charger wouldn't charge it. Of course I had to take half the back of the car apart to get at it's battery. That's after having to contort myself to stick a screwdriver into a secret port in the hatch to open it up.
I had to charge the batteries for about 5 hours. At that point the toy battery was charged, but the car battery was only at 25%. I put the smart charger on the car for the night. I used one of the club rigs to get water from the trailer.
All of this took so much time that I couldn't go to dinner with everyone else. Apparently I missed a good conversation.
I did get a chance to talk to Stephen for awhile. He looks a little bit better than I expected. He's really sick though.
When we got to the club we immediately opened up the trailer. The mouse infestation was a lot less than last year. The weird thing was that the AC lights in the kitchen no longer work. Actually almost none of the AC worked until I flipped all the breakers on and off. I have no idea how to debug the problem.
The batteries in both the car and the toy were dead, dead, dead. The car battery was so dead that the smart charger wouldn't charge it. Of course I had to take half the back of the car apart to get at it's battery. That's after having to contort myself to stick a screwdriver into a secret port in the hatch to open it up.
I had to charge the batteries for about 5 hours. At that point the toy battery was charged, but the car battery was only at 25%. I put the smart charger on the car for the night. I used one of the club rigs to get water from the trailer.
All of this took so much time that I couldn't go to dinner with everyone else. Apparently I missed a good conversation.
I did get a chance to talk to Stephen for awhile. He looks a little bit better than I expected. He's really sick though.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Day 222
We didn't do a whole lot today. Dan had some appointments in the morning and I decided to give both of them a day off from dealing with us.
We surfed for awhile in the morning and I took the dog over and had her do some retrieves. Then Lawrence called. He ordered $350 worth of parts for our poles. He also decided on $10/hr for labor (he really wanted to charge less). So we walked over and gave him a check. He immediately went over to Halfway to deposit it.
After Lawrence we decided to go to Halfway to see if we could buy Dan some cherry diet Coke. Both the stores there didn't have it. In fact, they didn't have much of anything. We stopped at the pizza place and I had a real milkshake and Ellen had a real ice cream cone.
We came back and I had a nap. Then we went over to dinner with Dan's friend Dave. It was nice - barbeque chicken and strawberry/blueberry pie.
We surfed for awhile in the morning and I took the dog over and had her do some retrieves. Then Lawrence called. He ordered $350 worth of parts for our poles. He also decided on $10/hr for labor (he really wanted to charge less). So we walked over and gave him a check. He immediately went over to Halfway to deposit it.
After Lawrence we decided to go to Halfway to see if we could buy Dan some cherry diet Coke. Both the stores there didn't have it. In fact, they didn't have much of anything. We stopped at the pizza place and I had a real milkshake and Ellen had a real ice cream cone.
We came back and I had a nap. Then we went over to dinner with Dan's friend Dave. It was nice - barbeque chicken and strawberry/blueberry pie.
Day 221
Not a whole lot happened today. We kind of messed around in the trailer for a lot of the morning. Then we went over to Dan and Patsy's and watched Dan clean up.
For lunch we went to the Shorthorn. We all had hamburgers. They were surprisingly good. After that we went over to Lawrence's and ordered new poles. It was quite an operation and took hours. Of course we did a lot of socializing at the same time.
When we got back to Dan and Patsy's I just read for over an hour. Don't ask me what everyone else did. A wind storm came through and they went inside. I stayed on the deck.
The rest of the day was eating dinner and watching TV.
For lunch we went to the Shorthorn. We all had hamburgers. They were surprisingly good. After that we went over to Lawrence's and ordered new poles. It was quite an operation and took hours. Of course we did a lot of socializing at the same time.
When we got back to Dan and Patsy's I just read for over an hour. Don't ask me what everyone else did. A wind storm came through and they went inside. I stayed on the deck.
The rest of the day was eating dinner and watching TV.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Day 220
I spent the morning doing some stuff around the trailer. I had to jury rig a fix for the kitchen drawer. The super glue didn't do the job. Then I got out the ladder and looked at the bulge in the siding. I have no idea what caused it. I pushed it back in. We'll see what happens next time we pull it. Finally I took off the refrigerator cover. There were some wasps in it, but no gas connections were loose. I'll have to look elsewhere for the problem.
After all that we went over to Dan and Patsy's. He and Lawrence were working on the boat. They had got the stereo to work, but not the fish finder. Lawrence left and I went back for the multi meter. I checked all the pins on the connector and there didn't seem to be power. So Dan and I checked the power connectors under the console. They read only 1.5 volts. That didn't make sense. So after a bit of thinking I decided to check the connections to the fuse panel. They seemed to be fine. Then I measured the power again and it was 12 volts. The fish finder started working. Who knows?
After lunch and some sitting around we went fishing. Everyone on the boat had luck, but I caught the least fish. Ralph was with us and he kept 4 crappie and a bass that we caught.
When we got back (at 8) Patsy fixed dinner and then we watched a little TV before going home.
After all that we went over to Dan and Patsy's. He and Lawrence were working on the boat. They had got the stereo to work, but not the fish finder. Lawrence left and I went back for the multi meter. I checked all the pins on the connector and there didn't seem to be power. So Dan and I checked the power connectors under the console. They read only 1.5 volts. That didn't make sense. So after a bit of thinking I decided to check the connections to the fuse panel. They seemed to be fine. Then I measured the power again and it was 12 volts. The fish finder started working. Who knows?
After lunch and some sitting around we went fishing. Everyone on the boat had luck, but I caught the least fish. Ralph was with us and he kept 4 crappie and a bass that we caught.
When we got back (at 8) Patsy fixed dinner and then we watched a little TV before going home.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Day 219
We got up this morning and went over to the liquor store/cafe to eat breakfast. After that we stopped by Thorny's to by licenses. When we got to Dan's place he was working on the boat. The engine cover was off - not a good sign.
It turns out that he wasn't getting power to the motor. I asked if he'd check all the fuses and circuit breakers and he said he had.
So we started to try to debug things. Eventually I went back to the trailer to get my meter. The battery was dead in it, no surprise. I put in a new battery and it still didn't work. Neither resistance or DC voltage would work. There's nothing to break in a meter - they should work for decades. Unless they are Radio Shit I guess.
So on the way back I stopped at the hardware store to buy a meter. The lady there gave me a discount. Then when I found out it needed a battery, she gave me a pack of 8 for free. Nice lady.
When I got back we did some more debugging. I finally thought I had it down to the ignition switch. That's when Dan mentioned that the motor tilt should work without it. The tilt wasn't working. I started tracing the wires for that and found a fuse box on the motor that Dan hadn't checked. One of the fuses in it was blown. Replacing the fuse fixed most things. The stereo and fish finder still didn't work. We took the boat out anyway. After two hours of working on it we weren't going to spend any more time.
The weather was great and we had a fine time fishing. My new pole is wonderful. It was easy to cast and I caught 6 or 8 fish with it. We had a lady with us that lived on the river before they dammed it. She was telling us about stuff that used to be there.
On the way out we saw a calf that was stuck down by the water. I got off and tried to help it, but it moved away. All I managed to do was tear up my new boat shoes. On the way back we saw that the calf was till stuck. Patsy got off (against everyone's advice) and tried to help it. She made it worse. We called the owner and asked if he wanted to rescue it. He said yes and met us at the dock. We all got out and Dan took him down river.
When Dan got back we found out that they had moved the calf to a safe spot and reunited it with its mother. I got to use my boat shoes. Dan can't wade out into the water to winch in the boat, so I did.
It turns out that he wasn't getting power to the motor. I asked if he'd check all the fuses and circuit breakers and he said he had.
So we started to try to debug things. Eventually I went back to the trailer to get my meter. The battery was dead in it, no surprise. I put in a new battery and it still didn't work. Neither resistance or DC voltage would work. There's nothing to break in a meter - they should work for decades. Unless they are Radio Shit I guess.
So on the way back I stopped at the hardware store to buy a meter. The lady there gave me a discount. Then when I found out it needed a battery, she gave me a pack of 8 for free. Nice lady.
When I got back we did some more debugging. I finally thought I had it down to the ignition switch. That's when Dan mentioned that the motor tilt should work without it. The tilt wasn't working. I started tracing the wires for that and found a fuse box on the motor that Dan hadn't checked. One of the fuses in it was blown. Replacing the fuse fixed most things. The stereo and fish finder still didn't work. We took the boat out anyway. After two hours of working on it we weren't going to spend any more time.
The weather was great and we had a fine time fishing. My new pole is wonderful. It was easy to cast and I caught 6 or 8 fish with it. We had a lady with us that lived on the river before they dammed it. She was telling us about stuff that used to be there.
On the way out we saw a calf that was stuck down by the water. I got off and tried to help it, but it moved away. All I managed to do was tear up my new boat shoes. On the way back we saw that the calf was till stuck. Patsy got off (against everyone's advice) and tried to help it. She made it worse. We called the owner and asked if he wanted to rescue it. He said yes and met us at the dock. We all got out and Dan took him down river.
When Dan got back we found out that they had moved the calf to a safe spot and reunited it with its mother. I got to use my boat shoes. Dan can't wade out into the water to winch in the boat, so I did.
Day 218
I had to write this up a day late because I couldn't get an internet connection last night.
The drive from Boise to Richland was uneventful. We did see a really nice trophy quality pronghorn buck by the side of I84. You could have stopped the car on the side of the road and shot him. The only other thing of note was that gas was 10 cents cheaper in Baker City than in Boise. Go figure.
We got to Richland a little after noon. We set up and then went to see Dan and Patsy. We visited for a few hours and then went over to Lawrence's place to pick up my pole. It is absolutely gorgeous. After that we went back to Dan's place and watched basketball and ate a Patsy late dinner. San Antonio won, so I guess I'm thrilled.
The drive from Boise to Richland was uneventful. We did see a really nice trophy quality pronghorn buck by the side of I84. You could have stopped the car on the side of the road and shot him. The only other thing of note was that gas was 10 cents cheaper in Baker City than in Boise. Go figure.
We got to Richland a little after noon. We set up and then went to see Dan and Patsy. We visited for a few hours and then went over to Lawrence's place to pick up my pole. It is absolutely gorgeous. After that we went back to Dan's place and watched basketball and ate a Patsy late dinner. San Antonio won, so I guess I'm thrilled.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Day 217
Today was a relatively short 250 mile trip to Boise. Half of it was on interstate, which made it even better. The whole trip was through northern Nevada and southern Idaho, which meant it wasn't scenic.
The park we are staying at is really very nice. It's right by a river and has nice facilities.
As soon as we got set up I got out the shooting stuff and we went to Mike Barbaro's place. It's a nice little course. They did a good job with the targets given that it's basically strung out along the top of a ridge. We had a chance to talk with Mike a little after we shot, but then he had to go give a lesson.
When we got back we had a nice talk with the people next door. They are interested in buying a pudelpointer, so we showed off Lucy to them. They were impressed.
We fed Lucy as soon as we got home, so after an hour it was still light. So we took her to the river for a swim. She only did a few retrieves. I think it was a combination of the short time since eating and the swift river current. I took her to do some land retrieves to dry her off. She did a whole bunch of those.
It got up to almost 90 here today. Richland is supposed to be 90 tomorrow. I'd rather it wasn't quite so hot. At least it seems to be cooling off nicely this evening.
The park we are staying at is really very nice. It's right by a river and has nice facilities.
As soon as we got set up I got out the shooting stuff and we went to Mike Barbaro's place. It's a nice little course. They did a good job with the targets given that it's basically strung out along the top of a ridge. We had a chance to talk with Mike a little after we shot, but then he had to go give a lesson.
When we got back we had a nice talk with the people next door. They are interested in buying a pudelpointer, so we showed off Lucy to them. They were impressed.
We fed Lucy as soon as we got home, so after an hour it was still light. So we took her to the river for a swim. She only did a few retrieves. I think it was a combination of the short time since eating and the swift river current. I took her to do some land retrieves to dry her off. She did a whole bunch of those.
It got up to almost 90 here today. Richland is supposed to be 90 tomorrow. I'd rather it wasn't quite so hot. At least it seems to be cooling off nicely this evening.
Day 216
Today was a 400+ mile drive from Las Vegas to Wells NV. This is a route we hadn't been on before and we had been worried about fuel before we went. So I filled up the diesel can last night when I filled up the truck. It turned out to be a non-issue. The prices were even half way good. However, if we had had a head wind it would have been a different story.
The drive was 7.5 mind numbing hours watching the ugly Nevada landscape. The only interesting thing was that we kept driving in and out of rain storms. Some of them were quite heavy, but all of them were brief. At least they were brief when you're driving through them at 63 mph.
The park at Wells was pretty nice for such a little town. About half an hour after we got there a big thunderstorm parked itself over the town. It rained hard for half an hour and then rained medium for another hour or more. Who would have thought we would get rain in Nevada.
The drive was 7.5 mind numbing hours watching the ugly Nevada landscape. The only interesting thing was that we kept driving in and out of rain storms. Some of them were quite heavy, but all of them were brief. At least they were brief when you're driving through them at 63 mph.
The park at Wells was pretty nice for such a little town. About half an hour after we got there a big thunderstorm parked itself over the town. It rained hard for half an hour and then rained medium for another hour or more. Who would have thought we would get rain in Nevada.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Day 215
It's Tuesday, so first up was doing the wash. We got up fairly early and had the clothes in the washers by 8:15. Unfortunately drying took a long time. That's because the dryer Ellen used didn't produce any heat. So it was 11:00 before she was done.
While she was washing clothes, I dumped the grey tank. I also poured buckets of water through all of the p traps. I also dug all of the hair out of the bathroom sink drain. Then I put two buckets of water and a bunch of deodorizer in the tank. All the effort must have worked. When we got home in the evening there was no smell in the trailer. That's a big change from when we left.
After the wash we went to the mid strip. We parked at Treasure Island and went to the casinos around it. The casinos were fun to look at, but the slot machines sucked. All of them just took our money at a really quick rate. I don't mind losing the money. I expect to. However, I also expect to be entertained. I wasn't.
The lady from the Richland RV park called. She has a spot for us, so we'll be headed that way tomorrow. The trip will start with a 400 mile trip to Wells, NV. Then we'll do 200 miles to mid-Idaho and 200 miles the next day to Richland. I'm tired of long drives.
When we got back home we picked up the dog and went to fuel up and get some groceries. The groceries are important. We're leaving civilization tomorrow and won't return to it until we get to Salem. That could be up to 2 weeks from now.
The final stop was to run the dog in the field next to the park. She was going absolutely ape when we came home. She ran a lot of retrieves and tonight she's a tired dog.
While she was washing clothes, I dumped the grey tank. I also poured buckets of water through all of the p traps. I also dug all of the hair out of the bathroom sink drain. Then I put two buckets of water and a bunch of deodorizer in the tank. All the effort must have worked. When we got home in the evening there was no smell in the trailer. That's a big change from when we left.
After the wash we went to the mid strip. We parked at Treasure Island and went to the casinos around it. The casinos were fun to look at, but the slot machines sucked. All of them just took our money at a really quick rate. I don't mind losing the money. I expect to. However, I also expect to be entertained. I wasn't.
The lady from the Richland RV park called. She has a spot for us, so we'll be headed that way tomorrow. The trip will start with a 400 mile trip to Wells, NV. Then we'll do 200 miles to mid-Idaho and 200 miles the next day to Richland. I'm tired of long drives.
When we got back home we picked up the dog and went to fuel up and get some groceries. The groceries are important. We're leaving civilization tomorrow and won't return to it until we get to Salem. That could be up to 2 weeks from now.
The final stop was to run the dog in the field next to the park. She was going absolutely ape when we came home. She ran a lot of retrieves and tonight she's a tired dog.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Day 214
We took the dog to the lake this morning. We were a little concerned. She woke Ellen up at 5 in the morning whining to go out. She had a bad case of diarrhea. She did fine at the lake though. She did water retrieves for half an hour in the wind and small waves. Then she did several long retrieves on land to dry off. Unfortunately she had a couple of bouts of diarrhea along the way.
We took her back to the trailer and then we went downtown. We hadn't been there for several years. It was fun. We went through several tourist trap shops looking for souvenirs. We also went to all of the casinos. I did pretty good on the cow machines. We probably made a few bucks overall.
When we'd seen everything downtown we drove down Las Vegas Blvd to the strip. On the way we passed the Pawn Stars shop. There were 50 or 60 people standing in line on the sidewalk waiting to get in. That's at 3:00 on a Monday. Those people need lives.
We parked at Circus Circus and went through the casino and arcade. They've really built up the arcade. It was as big as the casino. We walked down the street to the Wynn Encore. It's a really good looking casino/hotel. We were tired, so we sat down at one of the restaurants for happy hour. We had a couple of appetizers and drinks. The total was $36. It would have been at least twice that if it wasn't happy hour. The food, atmosphere, and service were first class. We were definitely eating above our pay grade.
After that we walked back to the car and drove home. Fortunately the dog hadn't have anymore diarrhea.
We took her back to the trailer and then we went downtown. We hadn't been there for several years. It was fun. We went through several tourist trap shops looking for souvenirs. We also went to all of the casinos. I did pretty good on the cow machines. We probably made a few bucks overall.
When we'd seen everything downtown we drove down Las Vegas Blvd to the strip. On the way we passed the Pawn Stars shop. There were 50 or 60 people standing in line on the sidewalk waiting to get in. That's at 3:00 on a Monday. Those people need lives.
We parked at Circus Circus and went through the casino and arcade. They've really built up the arcade. It was as big as the casino. We walked down the street to the Wynn Encore. It's a really good looking casino/hotel. We were tired, so we sat down at one of the restaurants for happy hour. We had a couple of appetizers and drinks. The total was $36. It would have been at least twice that if it wasn't happy hour. The food, atmosphere, and service were first class. We were definitely eating above our pay grade.
After that we walked back to the car and drove home. Fortunately the dog hadn't have anymore diarrhea.
Day 213
Today was a pretty good day. I started out by unloading the basement and re-caulking the tank vent pipe. I took the opportunity to rearrange some stuff when I was putting it back.
After that we went to a gun show that was being held by the airport. It was a bust. It cost $3 to park and $24 for us to attend. The show had less than a dozen vendors and they didn't have much of interest. Gun prices are coming down, ammo is through the roof. One gut was selling a 500 round brick of upscale .22 for $100. One guy was selling large primers. I bought a box for $45. Shit.
Then we went to the strip. We stopped at Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Tropicana, MGM, New York New York, and Excalibur. We gambled a little more money than usual. That was chiefly because we saw this cool frog game that was 50 cents.
All the restaurants were expensive. We ate at the Luxor buffet because it was no more then a sandwich at one of the restaurants. It sucked. Ellen said "worse food than Golden Corral, less selection, and twice the price".
The Tropicana and MGM have been redone since the last time we were in them. The Tropicana is really neat. If I were a real gambler that's where I'd go. The decor is cool, and the seats are plush and comfortable.
We were planning on taking the dog swimming, only we got home late and tired. So she got introduced to peanut butter instead. It was really funny seeing her try to lick it off the roof of her mouth.
After that we went to a gun show that was being held by the airport. It was a bust. It cost $3 to park and $24 for us to attend. The show had less than a dozen vendors and they didn't have much of interest. Gun prices are coming down, ammo is through the roof. One gut was selling a 500 round brick of upscale .22 for $100. One guy was selling large primers. I bought a box for $45. Shit.
Then we went to the strip. We stopped at Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Tropicana, MGM, New York New York, and Excalibur. We gambled a little more money than usual. That was chiefly because we saw this cool frog game that was 50 cents.
All the restaurants were expensive. We ate at the Luxor buffet because it was no more then a sandwich at one of the restaurants. It sucked. Ellen said "worse food than Golden Corral, less selection, and twice the price".
The Tropicana and MGM have been redone since the last time we were in them. The Tropicana is really neat. If I were a real gambler that's where I'd go. The decor is cool, and the seats are plush and comfortable.
We were planning on taking the dog swimming, only we got home late and tired. So she got introduced to peanut butter instead. It was really funny seeing her try to lick it off the roof of her mouth.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Day 212
We went to shoot the fun shoot at Desert Lakes with Dee and her husband today. We met them at the Station for breakfast. They paid, sigh.
We had a good shoot. The targets were pretty easy. I shot OK. Dee and Ellen didn't do very well. After the shoot we had lunch. They fed us much more than we needed, so Lucy had a good lunch too. I had a Knob Creek at the bar. It was expensive and tasted like shit. I'll never have another.
We talked a little more then left about 12:30. We took the dog home and then went to the gun show in Boulder. I wanted to go just to piss off the liberals. It was like an Oregon show. Some guns and a lot of knives, t-shirts, and other junk. The ammo prices were out of this world. Some of the gun vendors had gotten the word about prices going down and some hadn't.
Boulder was having a street fair and car show. I think we attended one of these a few years ago. It was fun to look at the booths and the cars. Ellen timed out, so it wasn't quite as much fun as it could have been.
We had a good shoot. The targets were pretty easy. I shot OK. Dee and Ellen didn't do very well. After the shoot we had lunch. They fed us much more than we needed, so Lucy had a good lunch too. I had a Knob Creek at the bar. It was expensive and tasted like shit. I'll never have another.
We talked a little more then left about 12:30. We took the dog home and then went to the gun show in Boulder. I wanted to go just to piss off the liberals. It was like an Oregon show. Some guns and a lot of knives, t-shirts, and other junk. The ammo prices were out of this world. Some of the gun vendors had gotten the word about prices going down and some hadn't.
Boulder was having a street fair and car show. I think we attended one of these a few years ago. It was fun to look at the booths and the cars. Ellen timed out, so it wasn't quite as much fun as it could have been.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Day 211
We got up around 7 because the dog needed to go out. I picked up a paper when I took her. It's a pretty good paper. I read it while I was eating breakfast and waiting to go see Fiocchi. Dee wasn't there, but Jan was. She gave us both nice fleece jackets. She also told me that my .223 order had been cancelled. That turned out OK, since she just put in a new one.
We spent about 30 minutes or so talking at Fiocchi and then it was time to go to the Iron Man 3 movie. We went to the 3D IMAX version. It was really cool, well worth the price. I want to see it again, maybe buy the blu-ray.
After the movie we ate a late lunch at their buffet. It was very good. I did manage to leave without feeling completely stuffed. After lunch we played slots for awhile and lost $10.
It was 3:00 when we left the casino. There was a perpetual massive traffic jam going from I15 to I215 due to construction that they can never seem to complete. So we drove from Flamingo to I215 on Paradise. The traffic wasn't too bad and I didn't have to wait in a mile long backup.
When we got home we didn't even go in the trailer. We just got Lucy and headed to the lake. She was really excited. She had a fine time swimming and then doing land retrieves to dry off. She is getting older. She doesn't do near the retrieves she used to.
There was a couple down the beach a little wading in the shallows with their retriever. The dog really wanted to be swimming with Lucy instead of being on a leash. The lady had her bathing suit top off until the park ranger came by. I was more interested in the dog than her.
The rest of the evening was TV and reading, along with some more surfing on the fast phone service.
We spent about 30 minutes or so talking at Fiocchi and then it was time to go to the Iron Man 3 movie. We went to the 3D IMAX version. It was really cool, well worth the price. I want to see it again, maybe buy the blu-ray.
After the movie we ate a late lunch at their buffet. It was very good. I did manage to leave without feeling completely stuffed. After lunch we played slots for awhile and lost $10.
It was 3:00 when we left the casino. There was a perpetual massive traffic jam going from I15 to I215 due to construction that they can never seem to complete. So we drove from Flamingo to I215 on Paradise. The traffic wasn't too bad and I didn't have to wait in a mile long backup.
When we got home we didn't even go in the trailer. We just got Lucy and headed to the lake. She was really excited. She had a fine time swimming and then doing land retrieves to dry off. She is getting older. She doesn't do near the retrieves she used to.
There was a couple down the beach a little wading in the shallows with their retriever. The dog really wanted to be swimming with Lucy instead of being on a leash. The lady had her bathing suit top off until the park ranger came by. I was more interested in the dog than her.
The rest of the evening was TV and reading, along with some more surfing on the fast phone service.
Day 210
Today continued yesterday's sucking. I had a bad night. The stomach problems kept waking me up. Finally at 7:00 I decided to bag it and get up. There was no way I was going to eat breakfast, so I started to get ready to leave. I got as far as bringing in the slideout before I saw that the tread on one of the trailer tires was in the process of coming off.
I had to hook up, back the trailer onto blocks, replace the tire with the spare, unhook, drive 10 miles to get a new tire ($140), drive back, and complete getting ready to leave. The whole process took until 9:20. So much for getting an early start.
The fun continued during the drive. The good news was that the traffic through Phoenix wasn't too bad. The bad news is that we took 101 instead of the cutoff. That resulted in an 8 mile drive with a light every half mile or so. And all of them were red. I got 7 mpg for that stretch and it took forever. Oh, and I forgot to mention the crosswind that blew for most of the day. When its wasn't a cross wind, it was a head wind.
We got to Boulder City about 4:30. I was very tired and had a crashing headache. After sitting for an hour or so I ordered a pizza. Things started looking up at that point. The pizza was great and relatively inexpensive. I took some pills and my headache went away.
My phone even magically started working again. The Verizon service here is really good. Not only is the 4G signal strength really good, but the back end is fast. I spent hours this evening watching videos with no waits.
I had to hook up, back the trailer onto blocks, replace the tire with the spare, unhook, drive 10 miles to get a new tire ($140), drive back, and complete getting ready to leave. The whole process took until 9:20. So much for getting an early start.
The fun continued during the drive. The good news was that the traffic through Phoenix wasn't too bad. The bad news is that we took 101 instead of the cutoff. That resulted in an 8 mile drive with a light every half mile or so. And all of them were red. I got 7 mpg for that stretch and it took forever. Oh, and I forgot to mention the crosswind that blew for most of the day. When its wasn't a cross wind, it was a head wind.
We got to Boulder City about 4:30. I was very tired and had a crashing headache. After sitting for an hour or so I ordered a pizza. Things started looking up at that point. The pizza was great and relatively inexpensive. I took some pills and my headache went away.
My phone even magically started working again. The Verizon service here is really good. Not only is the 4G signal strength really good, but the back end is fast. I spent hours this evening watching videos with no waits.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Day 209
Today sort of sucked. It began this morning when I discovered that I'd lost the fitbit again. It had popped out of it's case. The case was still attached to my belt. It probably popped out during one of the gas stops yesterday. Shit.
We had a nice breakfast buffet at the restaurant at the park today. The only problem was that we had to wait until 8:00. That's 10:00 in the timezone we were in yesterday. It was about that time that I discovered that I had hurt my right wrist yesterday. It causes me real pain if I twist it.
After breakfast we went down the street to look at new trailers. The first place didn't have anything we liked. The second had a really nice one, but the under bed space was too small. We stopped at a Walgreen's on the way home so that I could get a wrist brace. It seems to help a little, but not much.
When we got home I spent most of the rest of the day reading. I read so much that it got boring.
We went to dinner at In-N-Out again. I really like their burgers and fries.
When I got home I discovered that the phone internet here is really fast. We have full bars with the 4G indicator. Apparently the back end isn't overloaded either. I was having a great time surfing until I discovered that the speaker on my phone has gone tits up. There's no ring if you call it, and the speaker function doesn't work. It won't play Pandora either. I guess I'll have to try to get a replacement. That may not be easy while we're on the road.
To cap off a perfect day I've spent most of the evening traipsing over to the restrooms. My gut is killing me. I don't have any shit left in me. So now I'm feeling like I need to throw up.
We had a nice breakfast buffet at the restaurant at the park today. The only problem was that we had to wait until 8:00. That's 10:00 in the timezone we were in yesterday. It was about that time that I discovered that I had hurt my right wrist yesterday. It causes me real pain if I twist it.
After breakfast we went down the street to look at new trailers. The first place didn't have anything we liked. The second had a really nice one, but the under bed space was too small. We stopped at a Walgreen's on the way home so that I could get a wrist brace. It seems to help a little, but not much.
When we got home I spent most of the rest of the day reading. I read so much that it got boring.
We went to dinner at In-N-Out again. I really like their burgers and fries.
When I got home I discovered that the phone internet here is really fast. We have full bars with the 4G indicator. Apparently the back end isn't overloaded either. I was having a great time surfing until I discovered that the speaker on my phone has gone tits up. There's no ring if you call it, and the speaker function doesn't work. It won't play Pandora either. I guess I'll have to try to get a replacement. That may not be easy while we're on the road.
To cap off a perfect day I've spent most of the evening traipsing over to the restrooms. My gut is killing me. I don't have any shit left in me. So now I'm feeling like I need to throw up.
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