I guess this is some sort of a milestone (600 consecutive entries). We woke up about 7:30, but didn't get out of bed for an hour. Then it was pet stuff, breakfast, and load up the truck to do the laundry.
While Ellen was washing I went to Autozone and bought a gas cap for the Bronco. I was impressed that they had a gas cap for a 30 year old car in stock. Then I went to Safeway and bought a few things that we needed.
We stopped at the post office on the way back, but it was a little early. Ellen said something was supposed to be delivered today.
When we got home we put everything away and then I went over to the club to shoot trap. The wobble is fun, but it needs more spring. I shot 3 rounds. On the last one I shot a 24. Not bad for a gun I haven't shot in 9 years. I bought a package card so I can shoot more later.
While I was shooting Ellen came down an helped Vandy with computer stuff. She was still doing that when I went back to the trailer for lunch. After lunch I surfed.
About 3 I was bored, so we went to the pet store to get more doggy food. We only had a little left. I returned to the post office, but still nothing That's when Ellen decided the package was due on Friday.
The GFI started tripping all the time today. It does so even without anything plugged into those sockets. It turns out Home Depot has them, and I'll get one tomorrow. I'm betting $40 that it's not a wiring problem caused by the water leak. On encouraging thing is that the test button doesn't work, so maybe it is broken.
The evening was some surfing and game playing.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Day 599
We got up about 8 and Patty fixed us breakfast. She actually liked doing that. Then we surfed and talked until about 10:30. Then it was time to leave.
We stopped at Costco and Camping World on the way back. Then we stopped at the company stores to replenish the booze and have lunch.
After a stop at the post office we went to the farm store on French Prairie to get strawberries for us and Dave. We finally made it home about 3. I unpacked everything and then went out to clean the Perazzi. It was really dirty after shooting those damp Fiocchi shells. I also glued the floor fan back together. We'll have to see if that works. Finally, I did my exercises.
After dinner it was surfing and TV. All in all it's been a good long weekend.
We stopped at Costco and Camping World on the way back. Then we stopped at the company stores to replenish the booze and have lunch.
After a stop at the post office we went to the farm store on French Prairie to get strawberries for us and Dave. We finally made it home about 3. I unpacked everything and then went out to clean the Perazzi. It was really dirty after shooting those damp Fiocchi shells. I also glued the floor fan back together. We'll have to see if that works. Finally, I did my exercises.
After dinner it was surfing and TV. All in all it's been a good long weekend.
Day 597-598
This was Sun and Mon of Memorial Day weekend. We got up about 8 on Sat, fed the pets, and had breakfast and loaded up the car.
We drove up to Sherwood and stopped at the Safeway. The amount of building on Tonquin is amazing. We bought a couple of things at Safeway and then continued north. That's when the building really got amazing. There are al sorts of new Californian breeding houses all along Roy Rogers and there building more on 170th and Weir.
It was fun to see John and Patty again. We spent the day taking and drinking.
On Monday Ellen had scheduled haircuts at 12:45. We spent the morning talking and then we went to Tigard. Judy did a great job on both of us. Then we stooped and gave the dog a bath. The last stop was Safeway for some stuff for snacks and dinner.
When we got back we did more talking, surfing, and drinking. We decided to stay the night.
We drove up to Sherwood and stopped at the Safeway. The amount of building on Tonquin is amazing. We bought a couple of things at Safeway and then continued north. That's when the building really got amazing. There are al sorts of new Californian breeding houses all along Roy Rogers and there building more on 170th and Weir.
It was fun to see John and Patty again. We spent the day taking and drinking.
On Monday Ellen had scheduled haircuts at 12:45. We spent the morning talking and then we went to Tigard. Judy did a great job on both of us. Then we stooped and gave the dog a bath. The last stop was Safeway for some stuff for snacks and dinner.
When we got back we did more talking, surfing, and drinking. We decided to stay the night.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Day 596
We woke p at 7:30 and got up at 8. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. After breakfast it was sort through some of the stuff from yesterday. We put away the old phones and the boxes and accessories for the new phones. I took a bunch of stuff that will go to Texas to the little trailer. We surfed until about 10, and then went to the club. We just visited there, it was pretty dead. I tried to get Lucy to retrieve, but she only did two. I think she's tired from yesterday evening.
Ellen decided she wanted a custom vest made. That involved buying material for it. So about 11:30 we went back to the trailer, ate lunch, and then went to JoAnn's. We found suitable material as well as some miscellaneous sewing stuff. We also stopped at Fred Meyer to get another mop. I trashed the old one yesterday cleaning the small trailer.
We also stopped at the mail. The cat key holder was there, so when we got home I installed it. It was one of those jobs that took longer than it should have due to lack of the correct screws.
After that we went back to the club. It was still dead. Ellen finished ordering her vest and then we talked until almost 6. Then we went home. A little later Vandy brought over the toilet seat. Ellen had told me to order white. The toilet is beige. So rather than the easy job of replacing the seat I had to remove one of the hinges from the old toilet and replace it with one from the new. Not hard, just time consuming.
Dave and Vandy asked us to dinner, but I didn't want to go because I need to restrict eating. I was a bad boy and didn't exercise today because it was hot. We ate at home instead.
After dinner I played with my phone while Ellen watched a chick flick.
John and Patty invited us up tomorrow, so we'll probably spend Sunday and maybe Monday night there.
Ellen decided she wanted a custom vest made. That involved buying material for it. So about 11:30 we went back to the trailer, ate lunch, and then went to JoAnn's. We found suitable material as well as some miscellaneous sewing stuff. We also stopped at Fred Meyer to get another mop. I trashed the old one yesterday cleaning the small trailer.
We also stopped at the mail. The cat key holder was there, so when we got home I installed it. It was one of those jobs that took longer than it should have due to lack of the correct screws.
After that we went back to the club. It was still dead. Ellen finished ordering her vest and then we talked until almost 6. Then we went home. A little later Vandy brought over the toilet seat. Ellen had told me to order white. The toilet is beige. So rather than the easy job of replacing the seat I had to remove one of the hinges from the old toilet and replace it with one from the new. Not hard, just time consuming.
Dave and Vandy asked us to dinner, but I didn't want to go because I need to restrict eating. I was a bad boy and didn't exercise today because it was hot. We ate at home instead.
After dinner I played with my phone while Ellen watched a chick flick.
John and Patty invited us up tomorrow, so we'll probably spend Sunday and maybe Monday night there.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Day 595
We got quite a bit done today. We woke up at 7, but surfed until 8. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. We went outside to wash the small trailer about 9. It took two hours. I did the washing and Ellen cleaned the windows afterwards. That had to be done because I was using a wash/wax.
After that we went to the club. PSA wouldn't let me order the upper because I'm not a resident of Oregon. At first that pissed me off, but then I realized that they didn't want to be part of someone buying something in one state that wasn't legal in another. Dave was nice enough to order it for me.
After that we left to gt new phones. We decided to stay with Verizon. We went to Verizon and asked for their best deal. They wrote it up, $162 out of pocket. Then we went to Best Buy. They would give us the same stuff, and we'd end up with a $120 gift card, no out of pocket. As a bonus the Samsung representative was there. He transferred all the data from our old phones and did some additional set up. It took 2 hours, but it was worth it.
We ate a late lunch at McGraff's. Then we got money from Wells Cargo to repay Dave and gas at Fred Meyer. The last stops were Brooks (so Ellen could shit) and the post office. Unfortunately Ellen didn't make it back home from the post office.
We got the hoses, key holder, and key hooks I ordered earlier in the week. The new water hose is great. Unfortunately I won't be able to use the new drinking hose. They changed the pump layout and there's no longer a spigot on the output of the filter.
We went back to the clubhouse to pay off Dave and talk. Vandy said she wanted to shoot, so we said we would when they closed up. While we waited I put my keys on the new key holder. That process is a pain in the ass.
There was good and bad news on the water front. The good news is that the gas heater works again. The bad news is that we needed water.
We had fun shooting with Vandy and Dave. When it was done refilled the water tank. I didn't get done until almost 10. I updated about a megabyte of application files while I waited at the clubhouse or the trailer. The new phone is fast.
After that we went to the club. PSA wouldn't let me order the upper because I'm not a resident of Oregon. At first that pissed me off, but then I realized that they didn't want to be part of someone buying something in one state that wasn't legal in another. Dave was nice enough to order it for me.
After that we left to gt new phones. We decided to stay with Verizon. We went to Verizon and asked for their best deal. They wrote it up, $162 out of pocket. Then we went to Best Buy. They would give us the same stuff, and we'd end up with a $120 gift card, no out of pocket. As a bonus the Samsung representative was there. He transferred all the data from our old phones and did some additional set up. It took 2 hours, but it was worth it.
We ate a late lunch at McGraff's. Then we got money from Wells Cargo to repay Dave and gas at Fred Meyer. The last stops were Brooks (so Ellen could shit) and the post office. Unfortunately Ellen didn't make it back home from the post office.
We got the hoses, key holder, and key hooks I ordered earlier in the week. The new water hose is great. Unfortunately I won't be able to use the new drinking hose. They changed the pump layout and there's no longer a spigot on the output of the filter.
We went back to the clubhouse to pay off Dave and talk. Vandy said she wanted to shoot, so we said we would when they closed up. While we waited I put my keys on the new key holder. That process is a pain in the ass.
There was good and bad news on the water front. The good news is that the gas heater works again. The bad news is that we needed water.
We had fun shooting with Vandy and Dave. When it was done refilled the water tank. I didn't get done until almost 10. I updated about a megabyte of application files while I waited at the clubhouse or the trailer. The new phone is fast.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Day 594
We got up at 7:30 and quickly did the pet stuff and breakfast. Then it was head north to the dentist. Everything was clear sailing until 217. 217 was a parking lot from just off I5 until past Beaverton. I got off at Washington Square to get around it. Unfortunately I turned the wrong way and cost us more time than if we'd stayed on 217. We still got to the dentist a few minutes early.
The tooth cleaning went well for both of us, which is good for not having a cleaning for a year and a half. Unfortunately one of my teeth is cracked. That means a $1,500 bill. Oh well.
We stopped at Cabela's on the way back. 217 southbound was backed up from Greenburg to Tigard. I bought some ammo and we bought shirts as presents for Dan and Julia. Then we went to lunch at the Red Robin's next door.
On the way home there was another traffic jam before Wilsonville. All of this in the middle of the day.
On the way home we stopped at Walgreen's for Ellen's prescription. Her asshole was causing problems, so that took some time. Then it was the the post office and home.
We had planned on going to buy new phones, but Ellen's asshole wouldn't cooperate. Instead I surfed and she shit. After about an hour we went to the club. Dave said ordering the lower shouldn't be a problem, so when I got back I ordered one.
After dinner Ellen went to the board meeting and I did my exercises. I wanted to attend too, but as I was leaving I noticed that the hot water heater wasn't working. It's been acting flaky the last few days. I spent a lot of time trying to get it to work, with no joy. I think that the igniter is bad. I turned it on to electric. Hopefully that will work.
The evening was watching how to fix your water heater on Youtube.
The tooth cleaning went well for both of us, which is good for not having a cleaning for a year and a half. Unfortunately one of my teeth is cracked. That means a $1,500 bill. Oh well.
We stopped at Cabela's on the way back. 217 southbound was backed up from Greenburg to Tigard. I bought some ammo and we bought shirts as presents for Dan and Julia. Then we went to lunch at the Red Robin's next door.
On the way home there was another traffic jam before Wilsonville. All of this in the middle of the day.
On the way home we stopped at Walgreen's for Ellen's prescription. Her asshole was causing problems, so that took some time. Then it was the the post office and home.
We had planned on going to buy new phones, but Ellen's asshole wouldn't cooperate. Instead I surfed and she shit. After about an hour we went to the club. Dave said ordering the lower shouldn't be a problem, so when I got back I ordered one.
After dinner Ellen went to the board meeting and I did my exercises. I wanted to attend too, but as I was leaving I noticed that the hot water heater wasn't working. It's been acting flaky the last few days. I spent a lot of time trying to get it to work, with no joy. I think that the igniter is bad. I turned it on to electric. Hopefully that will work.
The evening was watching how to fix your water heater on Youtube.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Day 593
We got up at 8 - it's becoming the normal time. After pet stuff and breakfast we went out to work. I started digging the trench for the TV cable. Ellen started washing and waxing the truck.
Both jobs were hard work, but we were done by noon. I'm glad I bought the trenching shovel. It was just the tool for the job and much better than a pick.
After lunch we went to the club to look for the 20 ga chokes in the safes. We didn't find them. Then we went on a little drive. We went to the two farm stores on River Road. Both of them had strawberries, so we bought some at each. Then we went to the pet store in Keizer. They didn't have the cat food we wanted, but they carry the brand. That will make it easy to get.
When we got home I started looking for the chokes in my bag, the shed, and the extra boxes in the club. No joy. Then I decided to look at the gun. That's when I discovered that they were old style chokes. They were in my bag all the time. I thought they were for the Mirage. Mystery solved.
In the evening I tried to order a gas cap for the Bronco. I couldn't because Autozone won't let me use an out of state credit card to order something. I did order a sprayer like the one in Texas. I'm tired of using that broken down one at the club.
The dentist called today. They are moving our appointments to 9 tomorrow. That means getting up early and fighting traffic. Oh goody.
Both jobs were hard work, but we were done by noon. I'm glad I bought the trenching shovel. It was just the tool for the job and much better than a pick.
After lunch we went to the club to look for the 20 ga chokes in the safes. We didn't find them. Then we went on a little drive. We went to the two farm stores on River Road. Both of them had strawberries, so we bought some at each. Then we went to the pet store in Keizer. They didn't have the cat food we wanted, but they carry the brand. That will make it easy to get.
When we got home I started looking for the chokes in my bag, the shed, and the extra boxes in the club. No joy. Then I decided to look at the gun. That's when I discovered that they were old style chokes. They were in my bag all the time. I thought they were for the Mirage. Mystery solved.
In the evening I tried to order a gas cap for the Bronco. I couldn't because Autozone won't let me use an out of state credit card to order something. I did order a sprayer like the one in Texas. I'm tired of using that broken down one at the club.
The dentist called today. They are moving our appointments to 9 tomorrow. That means getting up early and fighting traffic. Oh goody.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Day 592
We were up by 8, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. Then it was load up the laundry stuff and go to Woodburn. While Ellen was washing I went to Coastal and bought poison. I bought $300 worth, plus another $50 worth for Dave. I also got a trenching shovel at ACE. It was half the price of a pick. I hope it works. I won't know until tomorrow though, as it's supposed to be cooler then (it's 85 today).
When the washing was finished we went to Walgreen's for Ellen's prescription. It wasn't ready. We also went to Wally World for trailer ass wipe.
When we got home Ellen put the clothes away and made the bed while I washed the car. Then she took over drying and waxing it while I washed the toy. The toy was filthy and took a long time to wash. After that we had lunch.
After lunch we cleaned the interior of the car. It wasn't very dirty, so it didn't take long. We decided that we'd done enough work after that.
Ellen saw a good deal on a digital picture frame at Best Buy, so we went over there and bought it. We also stopped at Fred Meyer just to look around. We ended up buying sweat pants for Ellen and a pair of shorts for me. They were both on sale and only cost us a total of $20.
On the way home we stopped at Pet Smart to get some food for Taiko. We also stopped at Harbor Freight to buy some clamps that I wished I had yesterday. We also picked up some solar powered rope lights to replace the lights that we used to have by the trailer door.
When we got home I spent some time on Amazon getting a RDS for the girl's rifle. Then I installed the rope light. By that time it was past time for dinner. I ate and then did my exercises in the shed. I had to spend significant time first rearranging things so that I'd have room to do them.
I was hot and sweaty after exercising, so I took a shower. The rest of the evening was surfing.
When the washing was finished we went to Walgreen's for Ellen's prescription. It wasn't ready. We also went to Wally World for trailer ass wipe.
When we got home Ellen put the clothes away and made the bed while I washed the car. Then she took over drying and waxing it while I washed the toy. The toy was filthy and took a long time to wash. After that we had lunch.
After lunch we cleaned the interior of the car. It wasn't very dirty, so it didn't take long. We decided that we'd done enough work after that.
Ellen saw a good deal on a digital picture frame at Best Buy, so we went over there and bought it. We also stopped at Fred Meyer just to look around. We ended up buying sweat pants for Ellen and a pair of shorts for me. They were both on sale and only cost us a total of $20.
On the way home we stopped at Pet Smart to get some food for Taiko. We also stopped at Harbor Freight to buy some clamps that I wished I had yesterday. We also picked up some solar powered rope lights to replace the lights that we used to have by the trailer door.
When we got home I spent some time on Amazon getting a RDS for the girl's rifle. Then I installed the rope light. By that time it was past time for dinner. I ate and then did my exercises in the shed. I had to spend significant time first rearranging things so that I'd have room to do them.
I was hot and sweaty after exercising, so I took a shower. The rest of the evening was surfing.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Day 591
We got up at 8 and did the pet stuff and had breakfast. After breakfast we went over to Lowe's to buy conduit to bury the Directv wire and lumber for an exercise bench. We also got some cat litter.
When we got home I assembled the conduit, but I didn't glue it together. I'm not going to do that until the trench is dug. Then I built the exercise bench. Ellen did sewing while I was doing that and also went to the club to help Vandy.
After lunch we went to Woodburn. We dropped off some more stuff at Goodwill and went to the surplus store and bought a cheap shovel. I still need a pick. Then it was Walgreen's for drugs and candy for the post office. The last stop was Safeway for a lot of groceries.
We didn't get home until after 3. We collected all of the stuff for the safe and went to the club house. We opened the safes, exchanged some stuff, and got out some of Ellen's jewelry. We went through it all. There's some really cool stuff.
It was after 5 when we got done, so we called it quits. We surfed and watched TV for awhile and then had dinner. After dinner it was more TV, reading, and some surfing. Ellen was switching between sewing and watching TV.
When we got home I assembled the conduit, but I didn't glue it together. I'm not going to do that until the trench is dug. Then I built the exercise bench. Ellen did sewing while I was doing that and also went to the club to help Vandy.
After lunch we went to Woodburn. We dropped off some more stuff at Goodwill and went to the surplus store and bought a cheap shovel. I still need a pick. Then it was Walgreen's for drugs and candy for the post office. The last stop was Safeway for a lot of groceries.
We didn't get home until after 3. We collected all of the stuff for the safe and went to the club house. We opened the safes, exchanged some stuff, and got out some of Ellen's jewelry. We went through it all. There's some really cool stuff.
It was after 5 when we got done, so we called it quits. We surfed and watched TV for awhile and then had dinner. After dinner it was more TV, reading, and some surfing. Ellen was switching between sewing and watching TV.
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Day 590
We got up about 8 today because we wanted to shoot. We did the pet stuff and had breakfast. Then I went out and put the new battery in the toy. After that it was get everything out and loaded into the toy for shooting.
We shot with Gerry and a guy I'd never met before. I was doing well until the last two stations where I dropped 5 birds. We also shot the super sporting. I didn't do well there either. It was fun though, and the weather was nice.
We didn't get finished shooting until after three. The water in the trailer was low, so I got out the stuff and refilled it. The brand new water filter I was using clogged up. That cost some time.
I also put the new tire covers on the big trailer. They are really nice. While I was doing that I also put batteries in one of the temperature sensors. That makes the third one I've replaced batteries on. Ellen fixed the GPS in the car while I was doing that. Then she started paying bills. That took her part of the evening, too.
After dinner I unloaded our purchases from the car. The bread box doesn't look usable. I loaded pictures onto the picture frame, but it's got lousy quality. I also unpacked the new upper. The rail is a disappointment, but everything else looks fine.
I watched a movie in the evening - Arnie.
We shot with Gerry and a guy I'd never met before. I was doing well until the last two stations where I dropped 5 birds. We also shot the super sporting. I didn't do well there either. It was fun though, and the weather was nice.
We didn't get finished shooting until after three. The water in the trailer was low, so I got out the stuff and refilled it. The brand new water filter I was using clogged up. That cost some time.
I also put the new tire covers on the big trailer. They are really nice. While I was doing that I also put batteries in one of the temperature sensors. That makes the third one I've replaced batteries on. Ellen fixed the GPS in the car while I was doing that. Then she started paying bills. That took her part of the evening, too.
After dinner I unloaded our purchases from the car. The bread box doesn't look usable. I loaded pictures onto the picture frame, but it's got lousy quality. I also unpacked the new upper. The rail is a disappointment, but everything else looks fine.
I watched a movie in the evening - Arnie.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Day 589
In honor of yesterday's long, hard, day we stayed in bed until 9. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. We did a little surfing and then left for Hooch's place. We got there about 11 and the garage sale was in full swing.
They sold a few items while we were there, and we bought a couple. About noon we went over to Mom's place. I cleaned up the cat box and then we took her to lunch. After that it was back to Hooch's.
Dan took the kids to place downtown for a recital. We helped clean up the garage sale. There was a ton of stuff left. At least a little bit of it (half a pickup truck load) will be going to Goodwill. It was left in the driveway.
Mom wanted to go to the recital, so we left. Ellen had messed up the GPS, so we couldn't use it. She said she'd use Google, but in typical fashion she didn't give me any directions. That made us late and at the wrong place. We did make it in time to hear Alicia.
After the recital it was 6, time for dinner. Hooch tried making reservations downtown - Hah. We ended up standing outside a Lebanese restaurant for 45 minutes or so. The food was good when we did get to eat.
Ellen had a bad day and evening shitting. So after dinner we took Mom home and then went to Hooch's to pick up the dog. We talked until about 9:30. Then Ellen called a halt and we went home.
We spent a little time surfing and then went to bed.
They sold a few items while we were there, and we bought a couple. About noon we went over to Mom's place. I cleaned up the cat box and then we took her to lunch. After that it was back to Hooch's.
Dan took the kids to place downtown for a recital. We helped clean up the garage sale. There was a ton of stuff left. At least a little bit of it (half a pickup truck load) will be going to Goodwill. It was left in the driveway.
Mom wanted to go to the recital, so we left. Ellen had messed up the GPS, so we couldn't use it. She said she'd use Google, but in typical fashion she didn't give me any directions. That made us late and at the wrong place. We did make it in time to hear Alicia.
After the recital it was 6, time for dinner. Hooch tried making reservations downtown - Hah. We ended up standing outside a Lebanese restaurant for 45 minutes or so. The food was good when we did get to eat.
Ellen had a bad day and evening shitting. So after dinner we took Mom home and then went to Hooch's to pick up the dog. We talked until about 9:30. Then Ellen called a halt and we went home.
We spent a little time surfing and then went to bed.
Friday, May 19, 2017
Day 588
I'm so tired I can barely move right now.
We got up at 6:30. After feeding the pets and a quick bowl of cereal we walked to the clubhouse. We had o walk because the battery in the toy was dead. I put the charger on it before we left.
When I got to the clubhouse Dave gave me a rental to use. It was a brand new Gator. It was an OK rig except that it needed to be shifted in neutral every time to start it.. Lucy liked the fact that it didn't have a windshield.
We spent a hurried time before the start redoing the hard flurry. We got it working. Then we divided up the course. I got 1 - 10, Andreas got 11 - 15, and Julio got 16 - 25. This was just general, as we all sort of drove the whole course at times during the day.
Just after we started Dave asked me to go to the hardware store in Brooks to get a 2 5/16 inch hitch ball. I took that opportunity to stop at the gas station for gas for the toy and a Claritin. I paid $3 for one pill. I needed it though. My allergies were killing me and the Flonase I started last night won't be up to strength for a week. Thankfully the pill worked great.
The day was a lot of driving around. There were only a couple of easily fixed failures. What got me tired was all of the reloading of machines due to the large number of people. We had 5 B squads in the morning and 20 B squads in the afternoon. Reloading between rotations was especially hard. I did get a chance to shoot three flurries with Ellen. We sucked. Also, they only gave us a single participation ticket rather than tickets per bird.
After the second rotation I picked up the ammo. With 25 stations that took a long time. I ended up collecting over a dozen flats of ammo - a few boxes at a time. I was really hungry because I'd only had a sandwich at noon. I went hog wild at the snack bar. Today will have to qualify as the sugar day for this week.
While I was collecting ammo, Ellen listened to the lottery. We won $50, which Ellen donated back. After that we went home (about 7) and took showers. After the showers I did a little surfing and then sat down in the living room chair. I fell asleep until 10:30. When I woke up I wrote this up and now I'm going to bed.
There was good and bad news on the personal front. My watch really is fucked. It's foggy whenever it's warm. The toy's battery was fully charged at the end of the day though, hopefully it holds the charge. Finally, we got the TV situation worked out. Ellen had the remote control misprogrammed, and moving the ir sensor fixed the problem with controlling the sat box with a repeater.
We got up at 6:30. After feeding the pets and a quick bowl of cereal we walked to the clubhouse. We had o walk because the battery in the toy was dead. I put the charger on it before we left.
When I got to the clubhouse Dave gave me a rental to use. It was a brand new Gator. It was an OK rig except that it needed to be shifted in neutral every time to start it.. Lucy liked the fact that it didn't have a windshield.
We spent a hurried time before the start redoing the hard flurry. We got it working. Then we divided up the course. I got 1 - 10, Andreas got 11 - 15, and Julio got 16 - 25. This was just general, as we all sort of drove the whole course at times during the day.
Just after we started Dave asked me to go to the hardware store in Brooks to get a 2 5/16 inch hitch ball. I took that opportunity to stop at the gas station for gas for the toy and a Claritin. I paid $3 for one pill. I needed it though. My allergies were killing me and the Flonase I started last night won't be up to strength for a week. Thankfully the pill worked great.
The day was a lot of driving around. There were only a couple of easily fixed failures. What got me tired was all of the reloading of machines due to the large number of people. We had 5 B squads in the morning and 20 B squads in the afternoon. Reloading between rotations was especially hard. I did get a chance to shoot three flurries with Ellen. We sucked. Also, they only gave us a single participation ticket rather than tickets per bird.
After the second rotation I picked up the ammo. With 25 stations that took a long time. I ended up collecting over a dozen flats of ammo - a few boxes at a time. I was really hungry because I'd only had a sandwich at noon. I went hog wild at the snack bar. Today will have to qualify as the sugar day for this week.
While I was collecting ammo, Ellen listened to the lottery. We won $50, which Ellen donated back. After that we went home (about 7) and took showers. After the showers I did a little surfing and then sat down in the living room chair. I fell asleep until 10:30. When I woke up I wrote this up and now I'm going to bed.
There was good and bad news on the personal front. My watch really is fucked. It's foggy whenever it's warm. The toy's battery was fully charged at the end of the day though, hopefully it holds the charge. Finally, we got the TV situation worked out. Ellen had the remote control misprogrammed, and moving the ir sensor fixed the problem with controlling the sat box with a repeater.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Day 587
I'm going to make this short because I'm really tired.
We got up before 8, did some surfing, and then got up and did the pet stuff and breakfast. After that I went outside and unpacked all of the stuff that had been in containers in the truck and trailer.
A little before 10 we went shopping at the factory stores. Ellen wanted some slippers and sweats. We didn't find the sweats, but we did get the slippers. We also got two pairs of pants apiece. Ellen is going to have some sewing to do.
We ate lunch at the stores and got back about 3. Ellen went to the clubhouse to coach big spenders. I went out and helped in the field. I fucked up and set 12 station numbers wrong. So I had to go back and correct them. That was a pain in the ass. The rest of the work was general stuff: setting targets, moving clays, putting up posters, etc. All this lasted until dinner and about an hour after dinner.
Dinner was steak. Both Lucy and I thought it was good.
I'm going to go to bed early. We have to be there at 7 tomorrow.
We got up before 8, did some surfing, and then got up and did the pet stuff and breakfast. After that I went outside and unpacked all of the stuff that had been in containers in the truck and trailer.
A little before 10 we went shopping at the factory stores. Ellen wanted some slippers and sweats. We didn't find the sweats, but we did get the slippers. We also got two pairs of pants apiece. Ellen is going to have some sewing to do.
We ate lunch at the stores and got back about 3. Ellen went to the clubhouse to coach big spenders. I went out and helped in the field. I fucked up and set 12 station numbers wrong. So I had to go back and correct them. That was a pain in the ass. The rest of the work was general stuff: setting targets, moving clays, putting up posters, etc. All this lasted until dinner and about an hour after dinner.
Dinner was steak. Both Lucy and I thought it was good.
I'm going to go to bed early. We have to be there at 7 tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Day 586
The train woke me up a little before 8 today. I know in a few days I won't even hear it any more. There was no surfing. We got up, did pet stuff, and had breakfast.
After breakfast I replaced the batteries in the trailer. The negative connection on one of the batteries was all corroded. That was probably why things were operating poorly. I also switched the battery charger on the toy from the trickle charger to a 12 amp smart charger. Ellen started cleaning the small trailer about the same time.
After the batteries were installed I took the old ones back to Les Schwab. I also stopped at Goodwill to donate some stuff, the gas station to fill the gas can, and Coastal to get a gas siphon. The one they had was crappy. When I got home I used the siphon to drain most of the gas out of the toy. In the process both of my hands got soaked because it leaked. I washed my hands right afterwards. It took two complete cycles using dish washing detergent to get them clean.
Te interior of the toy was covered in dirt and cobwebs. I had to get out the bucket and a brush and scrub the seats and dash before the thing was usable.
With clean hands I then poured new gas into the toy. The charger read 12.4 volts rather than "charged", but I figured that was enough. The toy wouldn't start at first. I had to crank it until the bad gas in the fuel system ran through. Then it started, t ran kind of rough. I let it idle.
Of course the tires were low, so I got out the compressor. Unfortunately I didn't have a pressure gauge that measured only 7 PSI. So I had to guess when filling the tires. The final activity was to get the Glass Plus and a lot of paper towels to clean the windshield. You literally couldn't see out of it.
All of this, and lunch, was done by about 12:30. Then I went to the club to work. Andreas, Julio, and I went out to set targets. After one station Andreas went off and did something else. Julio and I set half a dozen stations. Andreas had positioned the machines and all we had to do was set them.
After awhile Andreas rejoined us and we did the rest of the machines, and the flurry, together. That's all we can do until closing tomorrow. We got done about 5.
While we were setting machines I noticed that the crystal in my watch was all cloudy on the inside. It was undoubtedly from the gas. I was pissed.
When we got back we decided to aim the Directv dish. We had to move it next to the carport because the trees are too big now. We got it partially aimed before Ellen had to go back at 6:30 to teach. Unfortunately the new receiver won't do HD because it thinks the TV can't handle it. Also, the IR won't work (probably because the wavelength is wrong). Those are problems for tomorrow.
I noticed that the cloudiness in my watch had reduced a little. So I heated it up with the hair dryer. That got rid of most of it. A little remained, so I did it again. That didn't improve things, so I think I'm stuck.
While Ellen was gone I lost the WiFi repeater signal. I went out to the shed to check it. The repeater was covered in cobwebs and the antennas had loosened and drooped down. I cleaned it up and reoriented the antennas. It's working really well now.
Obviously it was a really full day. The end of the day was a little surfing.
After breakfast I replaced the batteries in the trailer. The negative connection on one of the batteries was all corroded. That was probably why things were operating poorly. I also switched the battery charger on the toy from the trickle charger to a 12 amp smart charger. Ellen started cleaning the small trailer about the same time.
After the batteries were installed I took the old ones back to Les Schwab. I also stopped at Goodwill to donate some stuff, the gas station to fill the gas can, and Coastal to get a gas siphon. The one they had was crappy. When I got home I used the siphon to drain most of the gas out of the toy. In the process both of my hands got soaked because it leaked. I washed my hands right afterwards. It took two complete cycles using dish washing detergent to get them clean.
Te interior of the toy was covered in dirt and cobwebs. I had to get out the bucket and a brush and scrub the seats and dash before the thing was usable.
With clean hands I then poured new gas into the toy. The charger read 12.4 volts rather than "charged", but I figured that was enough. The toy wouldn't start at first. I had to crank it until the bad gas in the fuel system ran through. Then it started, t ran kind of rough. I let it idle.
Of course the tires were low, so I got out the compressor. Unfortunately I didn't have a pressure gauge that measured only 7 PSI. So I had to guess when filling the tires. The final activity was to get the Glass Plus and a lot of paper towels to clean the windshield. You literally couldn't see out of it.
All of this, and lunch, was done by about 12:30. Then I went to the club to work. Andreas, Julio, and I went out to set targets. After one station Andreas went off and did something else. Julio and I set half a dozen stations. Andreas had positioned the machines and all we had to do was set them.
After awhile Andreas rejoined us and we did the rest of the machines, and the flurry, together. That's all we can do until closing tomorrow. We got done about 5.
While we were setting machines I noticed that the crystal in my watch was all cloudy on the inside. It was undoubtedly from the gas. I was pissed.
When we got back we decided to aim the Directv dish. We had to move it next to the carport because the trees are too big now. We got it partially aimed before Ellen had to go back at 6:30 to teach. Unfortunately the new receiver won't do HD because it thinks the TV can't handle it. Also, the IR won't work (probably because the wavelength is wrong). Those are problems for tomorrow.
I noticed that the cloudiness in my watch had reduced a little. So I heated it up with the hair dryer. That got rid of most of it. A little remained, so I did it again. That didn't improve things, so I think I'm stuck.
While Ellen was gone I lost the WiFi repeater signal. I went out to the shed to check it. The repeater was covered in cobwebs and the antennas had loosened and drooped down. I cleaned it up and reoriented the antennas. It's working really well now.
Obviously it was a really full day. The end of the day was a little surfing.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Day 585
I guess that after almost 600 days writing this is a habit.
We got up really early in the morning, just after 6. There was no reason, we just both woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. We stayed in bed for awhile and then got up for pet stuff and breakfast.
After breakfast I went out to the trailer to move the rest of the stuff. I did the cameras and the stuff under the bed. Ellen did some of the food, I did the rest.
When I went to put some stuff under the bed in the big trailer I found that the mice had made it into a 5 star hotel. Lots of the clothes stored there were dirty, as was a spare comforter. The bottom of the area was covered in mouse shit. I spent qute a while sorting things and then cleaning up before I could put anything under there.
Before we left I ordered a bunch of stuff from Amazon that I'd been waiting to order when we got here.
We had planned to wash the sheets and towel from the small trailer. Adding the stuff form under the bed in the big trailer made for a lot of wash. I made up a list of things to do and we went to Woodburn. We stopped at Les Schwab and got new batteries for the truck. Then it was Well Fargo to deposit a check and get money for me. We wanted to get a safe deposit box, but they didn't have one. We fueled up the truck and then I took Ellen to the laundromat.
While she was washing I went to Walgreen's to transfer my prescription. Then I stopped at US Bank. They had a box, but both of us had to be there to sign up. The last stop was Wally World where I got some groceries and a couple of other items from the list.
Ellen wasn't quite finished, so I helped fold clothes while we waited for the dryer. Then we went back to the bank and got a box.
At that point we were tired of errands. So we went to Kiezer to look at phones. The new phones are really cool. Both ATT and Verizon have about the same deals. We'll probably stay with Verizon.
When we got home we put all the clothes away and then just relaxed for awhile. I took a little time to hook up the battery charger I bought to the toy (the old one appears dead). Then I decided to try to get the TV to work. What should have been relatively simple turned out to be an two hour pain in the ass. The new DVR doesn't use the old IR input. I had to take half of the installation apart to find out how to connect it. At that it may not work.
Half way through I called a halt and had dinner. Then I buttoned everything up. With a little work Ellen got the DVR trying to connect with the satellites, but it couldn't. That's probably because the antenna was knocked over while we were gone. It was cold and windy, so we decided to wait until tomorrow to work on it.
The last thing I did was replace the cable on the small trailer's dish. It had come loose yesterday and was trashed. That job only took 5 minutes, but it was really satisfying.
We got up really early in the morning, just after 6. There was no reason, we just both woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. We stayed in bed for awhile and then got up for pet stuff and breakfast.
After breakfast I went out to the trailer to move the rest of the stuff. I did the cameras and the stuff under the bed. Ellen did some of the food, I did the rest.
When I went to put some stuff under the bed in the big trailer I found that the mice had made it into a 5 star hotel. Lots of the clothes stored there were dirty, as was a spare comforter. The bottom of the area was covered in mouse shit. I spent qute a while sorting things and then cleaning up before I could put anything under there.
Before we left I ordered a bunch of stuff from Amazon that I'd been waiting to order when we got here.
We had planned to wash the sheets and towel from the small trailer. Adding the stuff form under the bed in the big trailer made for a lot of wash. I made up a list of things to do and we went to Woodburn. We stopped at Les Schwab and got new batteries for the truck. Then it was Well Fargo to deposit a check and get money for me. We wanted to get a safe deposit box, but they didn't have one. We fueled up the truck and then I took Ellen to the laundromat.
While she was washing I went to Walgreen's to transfer my prescription. Then I stopped at US Bank. They had a box, but both of us had to be there to sign up. The last stop was Wally World where I got some groceries and a couple of other items from the list.
Ellen wasn't quite finished, so I helped fold clothes while we waited for the dryer. Then we went back to the bank and got a box.
At that point we were tired of errands. So we went to Kiezer to look at phones. The new phones are really cool. Both ATT and Verizon have about the same deals. We'll probably stay with Verizon.
When we got home we put all the clothes away and then just relaxed for awhile. I took a little time to hook up the battery charger I bought to the toy (the old one appears dead). Then I decided to try to get the TV to work. What should have been relatively simple turned out to be an two hour pain in the ass. The new DVR doesn't use the old IR input. I had to take half of the installation apart to find out how to connect it. At that it may not work.
Half way through I called a halt and had dinner. Then I buttoned everything up. With a little work Ellen got the DVR trying to connect with the satellites, but it couldn't. That's probably because the antenna was knocked over while we were gone. It was cold and windy, so we decided to wait until tomorrow to work on it.
The last thing I did was replace the cable on the small trailer's dish. It had come loose yesterday and was trashed. That job only took 5 minutes, but it was really satisfying.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Day 584
WE'RE BAAAAACK.
We're back at the club after 584 days. I would have never imagined it.
We got up at 7, had breakfast, packed up the trailer, and were on the road a few minutes before 8. We made good time to Baker City, refueled, and hit I84. We made good time on I84 with only one fuel stop at Boardman (where we got raped on the price of fuel and diet Mtn Dew).
Traffic was pretty manageable the whole way with the usual few trucks causing ass pains. The traffic on I205 was pretty heavy, but it was moving at 65 most of the time. We stopped for the mail and were at the club by 2:30.
Then the work really started. I filled up the water and the black tank. I had to use the truck because the battery in the toy is dead. It took a little longer to fill the water because I'd forgotten the procedure. While I did that Ellen cleaned the rat shit out of the trailer (at least most of it). Then I unloaded the truck, the trailer basement, the trailer TV cabinets, and my personal stuff. There's still the camera stuff and the guns to go. Ellen still has to move a lot of the food.
It was after 6 when we got that much done, so we quit and had dinner with Dave and Vandy. We caught up and talked about shooting related stuff.
When we got back to the trailer I spent another hour cleaning up rat shit that Ellen missed and putting away stuff that she apparently thought should stay spread out on counters for the next 4 months.
I'm not sure if I'll continue this or not. We'll see tomorrow.
We're back at the club after 584 days. I would have never imagined it.
We got up at 7, had breakfast, packed up the trailer, and were on the road a few minutes before 8. We made good time to Baker City, refueled, and hit I84. We made good time on I84 with only one fuel stop at Boardman (where we got raped on the price of fuel and diet Mtn Dew).
Traffic was pretty manageable the whole way with the usual few trucks causing ass pains. The traffic on I205 was pretty heavy, but it was moving at 65 most of the time. We stopped for the mail and were at the club by 2:30.
Then the work really started. I filled up the water and the black tank. I had to use the truck because the battery in the toy is dead. It took a little longer to fill the water because I'd forgotten the procedure. While I did that Ellen cleaned the rat shit out of the trailer (at least most of it). Then I unloaded the truck, the trailer basement, the trailer TV cabinets, and my personal stuff. There's still the camera stuff and the guns to go. Ellen still has to move a lot of the food.
It was after 6 when we got that much done, so we quit and had dinner with Dave and Vandy. We caught up and talked about shooting related stuff.
When we got back to the trailer I spent another hour cleaning up rat shit that Ellen missed and putting away stuff that she apparently thought should stay spread out on counters for the next 4 months.
I'm not sure if I'll continue this or not. We'll see tomorrow.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Day 583
We got up a little after 8, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. Then we did a little surfing and Ellen did the wash. I put away the satellite dish. After the wash was done we went over to Hewitt to look at the water. It is definitely higher. Then we went to Thorny's and bought cat food to replace what Lucy ate last night.
We took that over to Dan's. He was watching TV and Patsy was at church. So we talked for awhile until a basketball game came on that Dan wanted to watch. We watched the whole game, his team won.
At about 4 we drove to Swede's landing. There's a new park there. The Bronco died on the way. It took awhile, but it eventually started again. I think Dan's theory about the gas cap is correct because it started after he fiddled with it.
When we got to the park it was closed. We parked outside and went in anyway. It's a really nice park with a long boat ramp, toilets, and camping spaces. Dan fished while the three of us talked.
I got bored and took Lucy to the boat ramp. I didn't have a bumper, but she did water retrieves with a stick just fine. She also did quite a bit of running around. She's a really tired doggy tonight.
When we got back I emptied the tanks and retracted the rear jacks. That's as much as I can do to make things faster tomorrow. Then I met Dan at Greg's and we put the Bronco away.
Dan took me back to the park and we took the truck to his place. We talked, had dinner, and watched a little TV. We said our goodbyes about 9.
The rest of the evening was putting some stuff away, surfing, and going to bed early.
We took that over to Dan's. He was watching TV and Patsy was at church. So we talked for awhile until a basketball game came on that Dan wanted to watch. We watched the whole game, his team won.
At about 4 we drove to Swede's landing. There's a new park there. The Bronco died on the way. It took awhile, but it eventually started again. I think Dan's theory about the gas cap is correct because it started after he fiddled with it.
When we got to the park it was closed. We parked outside and went in anyway. It's a really nice park with a long boat ramp, toilets, and camping spaces. Dan fished while the three of us talked.
I got bored and took Lucy to the boat ramp. I didn't have a bumper, but she did water retrieves with a stick just fine. She also did quite a bit of running around. She's a really tired doggy tonight.
When we got back I emptied the tanks and retracted the rear jacks. That's as much as I can do to make things faster tomorrow. Then I met Dan at Greg's and we put the Bronco away.
Dan took me back to the park and we took the truck to his place. We talked, had dinner, and watched a little TV. We said our goodbyes about 9.
The rest of the evening was putting some stuff away, surfing, and going to bed early.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Day 582
We got up a little before 8 today. We just can't seem to stay in bed past then. Maybe we're really still living in one of the earlier time zones. We did the pet stuff and had breakfast.
After breakfast we surfed until a little before 10. We were supposed to meet Patsy to go the New Bridge for the garage sale. She didn't answer the door, so we figured she had already gone. So we went without her. We spent about an hour there. We bought some walking poles, a glass insulator, a cool cloth Pheasant picture, and some dessert for tonight. We were disappointed that we couldn't find anything for the dog to sit in in the Bronco.
Then we went to Lawrence's. He wasn't up yet even though it was 11. We told Leona that we'd be back at noon. Dan was doing yard work at Greg's, so we went to Halfway.
The first stop was the fabric store so Ellen could by the fabric needed to make the cloth Pheasant into a hanging for Hooch and Martha. Then it took looking in both hardware stores, but I finally got the set screw that I needed to fix the faucet handle. Then we hit both of the second had stores in town. We bought a couple of small things. While we were doing that Lucy ate some of the cloth we bought. Fortunately we'd bought enough that we didn't need to buy more.
The last stop was the remodeled restaurant. It looks amazing. It could be in a big city. The food was really good, and inexpensive. There was enough of it that I brought half of mine home with me. We got to the stop sign on the highway and the Bronco died. It wouldn't restart. As we pushed it off the road a couple of girls drove by. They stopped and asked what was wrong. I told them and they said they'd send their brother to help. After a few minutes he shows up in a big diesel pickup. Neither of us could see anything wrong, so I tried to start it again. It started right up. We both thought it could be the gas, so I went back to town and filled it up with premium. $16 for 4 gallons.
After that it was back to the park to unload our items. I decided to fix the holes in the head liner with duct tape. Ellen helped. Then we went to Lawrence's.
We ordered another pole. Then we spent awhile trying to educate him about the basics of personal finance and business finance. Dan has tried this in the past, but we thought we'd try too. I'm not sure how much sunk in.
This lasted until 5:30. Then we went over to Dan's. We talked for awhile and watched a movie he'd recorded. Dan said that the Bronc is prone to stopping and then starting up a few minutes later. We didn't have dinner, the lunch at Halfway was enough. We left a little after 9:30.
The rest of the evening was surfing and an early bedtime. We were both tired and feeling a little sick to our stomachs.
The weather today was schizophrenic. It was sunny and warm in the morning. About noon a rainstorm moved in and the temperature dropped. By three it was sunny and warm again. By five it was raining and cold again.
After breakfast we surfed until a little before 10. We were supposed to meet Patsy to go the New Bridge for the garage sale. She didn't answer the door, so we figured she had already gone. So we went without her. We spent about an hour there. We bought some walking poles, a glass insulator, a cool cloth Pheasant picture, and some dessert for tonight. We were disappointed that we couldn't find anything for the dog to sit in in the Bronco.
Then we went to Lawrence's. He wasn't up yet even though it was 11. We told Leona that we'd be back at noon. Dan was doing yard work at Greg's, so we went to Halfway.
The first stop was the fabric store so Ellen could by the fabric needed to make the cloth Pheasant into a hanging for Hooch and Martha. Then it took looking in both hardware stores, but I finally got the set screw that I needed to fix the faucet handle. Then we hit both of the second had stores in town. We bought a couple of small things. While we were doing that Lucy ate some of the cloth we bought. Fortunately we'd bought enough that we didn't need to buy more.
The last stop was the remodeled restaurant. It looks amazing. It could be in a big city. The food was really good, and inexpensive. There was enough of it that I brought half of mine home with me. We got to the stop sign on the highway and the Bronco died. It wouldn't restart. As we pushed it off the road a couple of girls drove by. They stopped and asked what was wrong. I told them and they said they'd send their brother to help. After a few minutes he shows up in a big diesel pickup. Neither of us could see anything wrong, so I tried to start it again. It started right up. We both thought it could be the gas, so I went back to town and filled it up with premium. $16 for 4 gallons.
After that it was back to the park to unload our items. I decided to fix the holes in the head liner with duct tape. Ellen helped. Then we went to Lawrence's.
We ordered another pole. Then we spent awhile trying to educate him about the basics of personal finance and business finance. Dan has tried this in the past, but we thought we'd try too. I'm not sure how much sunk in.
This lasted until 5:30. Then we went over to Dan's. We talked for awhile and watched a movie he'd recorded. Dan said that the Bronc is prone to stopping and then starting up a few minutes later. We didn't have dinner, the lunch at Halfway was enough. We left a little after 9:30.
The rest of the evening was surfing and an early bedtime. We were both tired and feeling a little sick to our stomachs.
The weather today was schizophrenic. It was sunny and warm in the morning. About noon a rainstorm moved in and the temperature dropped. By three it was sunny and warm again. By five it was raining and cold again.
Friday, May 12, 2017
Day 581
Having a rest day is nice. We didn't get up until a little past 8. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. Dan called saying he wanted to go get the Bronco. So I told him to come over.
The Bronco was stored in Greg's garage. It started almost immediately when Dan tried it. It doesn't need an ignition key to start. You only need the key to lock and unlock it. We drove down to the park. The water is so low that it's below the end of the ramp. We walked a little along the bank to see how much the reservoir had risen since yesterday. Dan said that it was noticable, but it will have to go up 15 feet before they can launch boats.
After that I drove back to the RV and picked up Ellen. We went over to Dan's. One of the Bronco's tail lights was burnt out. So I went to the hardware store and got another. In a modern car replacing it would be a two hour job. In the Bronco it was unscrew 4 screws and replace the bulb. Of course Dan wanted to wash the car. I told him I wouldn't help because I knew he'd been looking forward to doing it for at least a week.
We went inside, watched a movie, and Patsy made a pizza for lunch. Then we went over to Lawrence's place and saw what he had planned for the fishing rod. We paid for it and also called the Word of Honor people about getting it shipped to their event.
After that we went back to Dan's and Patsy fixed us baked potatoes and salad for dinner. Then it was off to Halfway for bingo. We took the Bronco. It handled the hill quite well. I took it easy though, because I'm not sure how it handles curves and that's not a road to find out on.
We had a good time at bingo, but didn't win anything. Ellen bought us each 15 cards for the blackout. That was too much and made the last game real work.
It was 10 (and dark) when bingo was over. As we left I realized that I didn't know if the headlights worked. They do, but they are dim. I pissed off the first oncoming car I came to because I had them on high and thought I had them on low. There's no high beam indicator on the dash (or it doesn't work). Half the dash lights don't work either, so you don't know how much gas you have or your speed over 55 at night.
Lucy really likes the rig. She sits up in the back and looks out the windshield. I even let her ride shotgun when Ellen isn't in it.
Tomorrow we're going to the city garage sale. Dan's going to a fishing tournament.
The Bronco was stored in Greg's garage. It started almost immediately when Dan tried it. It doesn't need an ignition key to start. You only need the key to lock and unlock it. We drove down to the park. The water is so low that it's below the end of the ramp. We walked a little along the bank to see how much the reservoir had risen since yesterday. Dan said that it was noticable, but it will have to go up 15 feet before they can launch boats.
After that I drove back to the RV and picked up Ellen. We went over to Dan's. One of the Bronco's tail lights was burnt out. So I went to the hardware store and got another. In a modern car replacing it would be a two hour job. In the Bronco it was unscrew 4 screws and replace the bulb. Of course Dan wanted to wash the car. I told him I wouldn't help because I knew he'd been looking forward to doing it for at least a week.
We went inside, watched a movie, and Patsy made a pizza for lunch. Then we went over to Lawrence's place and saw what he had planned for the fishing rod. We paid for it and also called the Word of Honor people about getting it shipped to their event.
After that we went back to Dan's and Patsy fixed us baked potatoes and salad for dinner. Then it was off to Halfway for bingo. We took the Bronco. It handled the hill quite well. I took it easy though, because I'm not sure how it handles curves and that's not a road to find out on.
We had a good time at bingo, but didn't win anything. Ellen bought us each 15 cards for the blackout. That was too much and made the last game real work.
It was 10 (and dark) when bingo was over. As we left I realized that I didn't know if the headlights worked. They do, but they are dim. I pissed off the first oncoming car I came to because I had them on high and thought I had them on low. There's no high beam indicator on the dash (or it doesn't work). Half the dash lights don't work either, so you don't know how much gas you have or your speed over 55 at night.
Lucy really likes the rig. She sits up in the back and looks out the windshield. I even let her ride shotgun when Ellen isn't in it.
Tomorrow we're going to the city garage sale. Dan's going to a fishing tournament.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Day 580
We got up at 7:30 today, packed up the trailer, and hit the road. We started a little before 8. The first 25 miles were on back country roads getting back to I84. It would have been a fine drive except for the farm equipment. We had to pass 3 combines and a tractor at various points along the way. Of course they slowed us down before we got a chance to pass.
We topped off the fuel and turned onto I84. The trip on the highway was uneventful. There was only light traffic and NO CONSTRUCTION through Boise.
We planned to stop for fuel on the other side of Caldwell. As we pulled into the station some asshole zoomed his car in front of us even thought there were other empty pumps. Then he got out of his car, held a conversation with his passenger, and walked into the store. I backed the trailer up, drove around him, called him a couple of choice names as he came out of the store, and got back on the freeway. We ended up filling up a few miles down the road at a station in the middle of nowhere. The fuel cost 20 cents more. It was kind of worth it though, because across the street was a store selling "soup, sandwiches, and guns".
To that point we got 14 miles to the gallon thanks to a loss of altitude and a tailwind. We got over 12 the rest of the way to Baker.
When we got to Richland we set up including the sewer and the Directv antenna. Ellen really likes having the satellite TV. We were just about to go see Dan when he knocked on our door. He came in for awhile, then left to run the dogs. We went into town. I stopped at the HW store for a set screw. Unfortunately they didn't have one. Then we went to the liquor store and bout three bottles of booze. Someone was having a yard sale, so we bought a couple of small items. Finally we bought drinks at Thorny's.
After that we went over to Dan's and talked on the porch with Dan and Patsy until about 6:30. Then we went to the shorthorn for dinner. It was packed. It was Mexican night, but they'd run out of Mexican food. So we ordered off the menu. I took well over an hour to get served. The food was really good, though.
After that we went back to Dan's for about an hour. Then we went home at 9:30, 10:30 our time. The rest of the evening was a little TV.
We topped off the fuel and turned onto I84. The trip on the highway was uneventful. There was only light traffic and NO CONSTRUCTION through Boise.
We planned to stop for fuel on the other side of Caldwell. As we pulled into the station some asshole zoomed his car in front of us even thought there were other empty pumps. Then he got out of his car, held a conversation with his passenger, and walked into the store. I backed the trailer up, drove around him, called him a couple of choice names as he came out of the store, and got back on the freeway. We ended up filling up a few miles down the road at a station in the middle of nowhere. The fuel cost 20 cents more. It was kind of worth it though, because across the street was a store selling "soup, sandwiches, and guns".
To that point we got 14 miles to the gallon thanks to a loss of altitude and a tailwind. We got over 12 the rest of the way to Baker.
When we got to Richland we set up including the sewer and the Directv antenna. Ellen really likes having the satellite TV. We were just about to go see Dan when he knocked on our door. He came in for awhile, then left to run the dogs. We went into town. I stopped at the HW store for a set screw. Unfortunately they didn't have one. Then we went to the liquor store and bout three bottles of booze. Someone was having a yard sale, so we bought a couple of small items. Finally we bought drinks at Thorny's.
After that we went over to Dan's and talked on the porch with Dan and Patsy until about 6:30. Then we went to the shorthorn for dinner. It was packed. It was Mexican night, but they'd run out of Mexican food. So we ordered off the menu. I took well over an hour to get served. The food was really good, though.
After that we went back to Dan's for about an hour. Then we went home at 9:30, 10:30 our time. The rest of the evening was a little TV.
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Day 579
Today started out well. We were up at 7 and on the road by 7:50. Then things went to SHIT.
About half a mile up the freeway someone passing us honked and pointed at one of the trailer wheels. It was smoking. I stopped, looked at it, and decided we could make it half a mile to the next exit where there was a Lowe's. We pulled in there. I called John and asked him to come over.
There was good news. The failure happened in civilization between the only exits separated by only a mile. Also it was just before a one lane 15 mile long construction zone. Finally, there was an RV parking area at the Lowe's.
As I parked the wheel was hanging at an angle like the axle was broken. When John got there he said he thought the wheel nut had come off. We called Good Sam and after a circus involving their voicemail and correcting the wrong exit number they called someone. After a 20 minute wait they called back saying the repair service needed to get our address directly from us. Ten minutes later the service called and they sent a truck.
John went to get his trailer and the truck got there half an hour later. When he jacked up the trailer the wheel fell off. He took things apart and determined that one of the bearings had disintegrated. Fortunately it had only slightly damaged the axle (more good news). It had also killed the brake. The repair guy left with the wheel and hub which needed to be repaired in the shop.
We sat for an hour and a half with no word on whether or not it was fixable. The repair guy finally called a little after noon to say that it was, but we needed a new brake and hub (more good news). He said he'd get back to us after lunch.
The repair guy got back to us after 2 and had everything repaired by a little before 3. We'd been sitting at Lowe's for 7 hours (bad news). Before I left Brigham City I drove in, found a NAPA, and bought a grease gun and grease. I squirted grease into the other three wheels. We finally got back going north on I15 about 3:30. That was the end of the good news.
As soon as we got on the freeway there was a short traffic jam at the start of a one lane constructions zone. We drove 15 miles on a very rough shoulder.
After that it was smooth driving, but we couldn't find a place to stay. We finally ended up at a park about 10 miles south of Twin Falls. The whole detour to get to it and back to I84 is about 40 miles. To top things off there was an accident on the exit road that we had to wait for.
The shit continued. We got to the park a little after 6. They assigned us a spot and we drove to it. Some asshole had parked his truck in the spot. I had to exit the park, drive around, and reenter the park. We got another space.
The evening was a late dinner and some surfing and reading.
About half a mile up the freeway someone passing us honked and pointed at one of the trailer wheels. It was smoking. I stopped, looked at it, and decided we could make it half a mile to the next exit where there was a Lowe's. We pulled in there. I called John and asked him to come over.
There was good news. The failure happened in civilization between the only exits separated by only a mile. Also it was just before a one lane 15 mile long construction zone. Finally, there was an RV parking area at the Lowe's.
As I parked the wheel was hanging at an angle like the axle was broken. When John got there he said he thought the wheel nut had come off. We called Good Sam and after a circus involving their voicemail and correcting the wrong exit number they called someone. After a 20 minute wait they called back saying the repair service needed to get our address directly from us. Ten minutes later the service called and they sent a truck.
John went to get his trailer and the truck got there half an hour later. When he jacked up the trailer the wheel fell off. He took things apart and determined that one of the bearings had disintegrated. Fortunately it had only slightly damaged the axle (more good news). It had also killed the brake. The repair guy left with the wheel and hub which needed to be repaired in the shop.
We sat for an hour and a half with no word on whether or not it was fixable. The repair guy finally called a little after noon to say that it was, but we needed a new brake and hub (more good news). He said he'd get back to us after lunch.
The repair guy got back to us after 2 and had everything repaired by a little before 3. We'd been sitting at Lowe's for 7 hours (bad news). Before I left Brigham City I drove in, found a NAPA, and bought a grease gun and grease. I squirted grease into the other three wheels. We finally got back going north on I15 about 3:30. That was the end of the good news.
As soon as we got on the freeway there was a short traffic jam at the start of a one lane constructions zone. We drove 15 miles on a very rough shoulder.
After that it was smooth driving, but we couldn't find a place to stay. We finally ended up at a park about 10 miles south of Twin Falls. The whole detour to get to it and back to I84 is about 40 miles. To top things off there was an accident on the exit road that we had to wait for.
The shit continued. We got to the park a little after 6. They assigned us a spot and we drove to it. Some asshole had parked his truck in the spot. I had to exit the park, drive around, and reenter the park. We got another space.
The evening was a late dinner and some surfing and reading.
Day 578
Today was a pretty good travel day. We were up at 7 and out of the park before 8. The whole day was on I15. We did the first 210 miles without stopping for fuel. It helped that we made 12.1 MPG even though the road was continually rising and falling 500 - 750 feet.
Just after we fueled up a trucker tried to kill us. He was driving a 40 foot flat bed with a tarp covered load in the middle. He was passing us on a left hand curve. As he got next to us he suddenly swerved into our lane. His duallys were in our lane. I have no idea how he didn't sideswipe us. It must have been a matter of inches. I stopped at the next exit expecting to see damage, but there wasn't any.
The rest of the trip up to Brigham City was uneventful. The traffic through SLC wasn't all that bad. We got 13 MPG, which I thought was fantastic. We set up and then started to walk over to Wally World. John and Patty drove in as we were walking out.
They met us at Wally World and we both bought a bunch of stuff. Then we went to their place for dinner, drinking, and talking. We quit about 9.
When we got back to our trailer we did a little surfing and then went to sleep. I was tired after the 350 mile drive. Tomorrow should be better, only 300 miles all on freeway.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Day 577
I woke up at 7:45 and turned over for a short nap. I woke up at 9. We got up, did the pet stuff, had breakfast, and left for Zion.
When we got to the park there was a sign at the entrance saying that there was no parking in the park. We parked in a lot just outside the entrance. It cost $20. Oh well, we're rich.
We walked into the park and waited to get on the bus that would take us to different places in the park. It was a Disneyland style line and we had to wait for three buses before we got on.
We got off at the stop for Angel's Rest, but we had no desire to repeat the climb. We took a lower trail to three pools connected by waterfalls. The trail was moderately hard, and there were cool views everywhere. We hiked to the two lower pools. The trail to the highest pool was really rough and we didn't feel like walking it.
The trail took us back one bus stop to the lodge. We had a late lunch there. A hamburger, fries, ham sandwich, and two muffins was $24. Oh well, we're rich. We stopped at the gift shop there and bought some jewelry for the nieces. It was almost $60, but oh well, we're rich.
Then we road the bus back to the entrance. I had to stand part of the way because it was so crowded.
We stopped at the gift shop at the entrance. Ellen bought a t-shirt and we bought a stuffed jack rabbit for Patty. I'm not sure how much that was.
We drove home and I drained the tanks. The black tank took quite awhile to drain and clean up. Big chunks of toilet paper and shit were coming out even after I'd flushed it three times. I also backed up the truck so that it's lined up to connect tomorrow. I want to get an early start tomorrow.
The evening was surfing and a little TV.
When we got to the park there was a sign at the entrance saying that there was no parking in the park. We parked in a lot just outside the entrance. It cost $20. Oh well, we're rich.
We walked into the park and waited to get on the bus that would take us to different places in the park. It was a Disneyland style line and we had to wait for three buses before we got on.
We got off at the stop for Angel's Rest, but we had no desire to repeat the climb. We took a lower trail to three pools connected by waterfalls. The trail was moderately hard, and there were cool views everywhere. We hiked to the two lower pools. The trail to the highest pool was really rough and we didn't feel like walking it.
The trail took us back one bus stop to the lodge. We had a late lunch there. A hamburger, fries, ham sandwich, and two muffins was $24. Oh well, we're rich. We stopped at the gift shop there and bought some jewelry for the nieces. It was almost $60, but oh well, we're rich.
Then we road the bus back to the entrance. I had to stand part of the way because it was so crowded.
We stopped at the gift shop at the entrance. Ellen bought a t-shirt and we bought a stuffed jack rabbit for Patty. I'm not sure how much that was.
We drove home and I drained the tanks. The black tank took quite awhile to drain and clean up. Big chunks of toilet paper and shit were coming out even after I'd flushed it three times. I also backed up the truck so that it's lined up to connect tomorrow. I want to get an early start tomorrow.
The evening was surfing and a little TV.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Day 576
There was no reason to get up early today, so we didn't get up until after 8. We did the pet stuff and had breakfast. I was out of underwear, so we did the wash. While that was being done I did my exercises. It's the first time in about a week, but it wasn't that hard.
It was really windy yesterday afternoon, last night, and this morning. I mean shake the trailer windy. We just surfed.
At mid-morning someone knocked on our door. He wanted to buy the adapter on the receiver hitch. They lost theirs and there wasn't any place open on Sunday. I told them I'd be glad to if I could find the key to the hitch. I looked high and low in both the truck and trailer. The key wasn't there - it's in Oregon. It worked out though. They told me Walmart had one.
After lunch I was really bored. Also, tomorrow won't be a good doggy day because we can't take her to Zion.So I decided to take her to the lake. I thought she'd be tired form yesterday, but she wasn't. She did 30 retrieves and I called it quits. She actually stood by the lake and barked for more. So I threw it 5 more times. After that she didn't complain too much about quitting.
We walked around the parking lot for awhile reading the informational signs. We learned a little about the geology and found out that the dam had failed once. By the time we were finished Lucy was drying out.
I didn't want to go back to the trailer, so we went to Walmart. The excuse was to get water. We got that, but we also spent a lot of time just walking around looking at things. I was still bored when we were done, so I drove over to the big ACE they have. It was closed on Sundays.
On the way back we saw a Chinese restaurant. It was only 3:40, but we figured to order take out for later. It didn't open until 4, so we sat in the parking lot and surfed. That's all we would have done at the trailer anyway. We ordered takeout when they opened and it took 20 minutes.
It was raining when we got out. That's when I discovered that the passenger side windshield wiper was coming apart. So we stopped at Walmart on the way back and got new ones. I'll put them on tomorrow.
When we got home we ate an early dinner. It was really good. There's enough food left for another meal.
The evening was surfing, reading, and watching TV. It's cool this evening, in the high 60's.
It was really windy yesterday afternoon, last night, and this morning. I mean shake the trailer windy. We just surfed.
At mid-morning someone knocked on our door. He wanted to buy the adapter on the receiver hitch. They lost theirs and there wasn't any place open on Sunday. I told them I'd be glad to if I could find the key to the hitch. I looked high and low in both the truck and trailer. The key wasn't there - it's in Oregon. It worked out though. They told me Walmart had one.
After lunch I was really bored. Also, tomorrow won't be a good doggy day because we can't take her to Zion.So I decided to take her to the lake. I thought she'd be tired form yesterday, but she wasn't. She did 30 retrieves and I called it quits. She actually stood by the lake and barked for more. So I threw it 5 more times. After that she didn't complain too much about quitting.
We walked around the parking lot for awhile reading the informational signs. We learned a little about the geology and found out that the dam had failed once. By the time we were finished Lucy was drying out.
I didn't want to go back to the trailer, so we went to Walmart. The excuse was to get water. We got that, but we also spent a lot of time just walking around looking at things. I was still bored when we were done, so I drove over to the big ACE they have. It was closed on Sundays.
On the way back we saw a Chinese restaurant. It was only 3:40, but we figured to order take out for later. It didn't open until 4, so we sat in the parking lot and surfed. That's all we would have done at the trailer anyway. We ordered takeout when they opened and it took 20 minutes.
It was raining when we got out. That's when I discovered that the passenger side windshield wiper was coming apart. So we stopped at Walmart on the way back and got new ones. I'll put them on tomorrow.
When we got home we ate an early dinner. It was really good. There's enough food left for another meal.
The evening was surfing, reading, and watching TV. It's cool this evening, in the high 60's.
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Day 575
We got up at 8, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. Then I loaded up the truck and we went to the club. We weren't in a hurry, so we didn't get there until 9:30. We had a short wait crossing Hwy 9 while the Ironman bicyclists went by.
The temperature at the club was nice, and the wind wasn't too bad. They still had the targets from the Utah state shoot, so we shot them. I was shooting really well today, I would have scored high in the tournament.
We were done about 11 and went to the lake to swim the dog. We were going to do it in the park, but they didn't want the dog in the water. So we went to the visitor's center for free and swam her there. By then the wind was strong and rising whitecaps. Lucy really wanted to go and did at least 25-30 retrieves.
We were all done with what we wanted to do by noon. We drove through Hurricane and some small town next to it lookinf for an old time burger place to eat at. There weren't any, so we ended up at DQ.
It was about 1:30 and I didn't want to go home, so we drove to St. George to get a RV part. We found a place and got the part. Then Ellen looked up a dog wash and we went there and gave the dog a bath.
On the way back to the freeway we stopped at a Petco and replenished the truck's doggy treat supply.
When we got home it was hot an very windy. So we went inside and surfed. I got bored with surfing and took a nap. The evening was reading and surfing.
The temperature at the club was nice, and the wind wasn't too bad. They still had the targets from the Utah state shoot, so we shot them. I was shooting really well today, I would have scored high in the tournament.
We were done about 11 and went to the lake to swim the dog. We were going to do it in the park, but they didn't want the dog in the water. So we went to the visitor's center for free and swam her there. By then the wind was strong and rising whitecaps. Lucy really wanted to go and did at least 25-30 retrieves.
We were all done with what we wanted to do by noon. We drove through Hurricane and some small town next to it lookinf for an old time burger place to eat at. There weren't any, so we ended up at DQ.
It was about 1:30 and I didn't want to go home, so we drove to St. George to get a RV part. We found a place and got the part. Then Ellen looked up a dog wash and we went there and gave the dog a bath.
On the way back to the freeway we stopped at a Petco and replenished the truck's doggy treat supply.
When we got home it was hot an very windy. So we went inside and surfed. I got bored with surfing and took a nap. The evening was reading and surfing.
Friday, May 5, 2017
Day 574
We got up at 7. We packed up the trailer and got on the road. We took our time, so we didn't get out before 8.
I was worried about fuel availability on 89, so we stopped at Flagstaff for a 5 or 6 gallon fillup. We also stopped 30 miles up the road in Cameron for a 3 gallon fill up. It turned out that there were other stations farther up the road, but we didn't know that.
Driving 89 and 89A took a lot of attention. So I didn't turn on the book on tape today. I should have turned on the radio, but I didn't. The road up to 89A wasn't had, but a lot of it was 2 lane and rough. There was also a lot of up and down. There were many places where we would go up 500 to 1,000 feet and then go back down.
89A is a road I will never pull a trailer on again. It started with a 1,500 foot down hill followed by a 1,500 foot up hill. Then there was miles and miles of up a few hundred feet, down a few hundred feet. But the best was to come. We started up a pass at 5,400 feet. The top was 7,900 feet. All the way the road was narrow with rock wall a foot or two off the roadway. It was also very twisty. I drove for miles at 40-45 MPH.
Of course as soon as we got to the top we started the few hundred feet up and down again. That was followed by a 1,000 foot drop and then another 50 miles of up and down. As we got about 40 miles out of Hurricane I decided to go for it fuel wise.
The last two miles into Hurricane was a 1.800 foot drop via 6, 7, and 8 percent down grades. I could only use the tow haul sparingly because it was over revving the engine. By the time I got to the bottom the brakes were pulsing each time I used them.
Because it's the weekend Ellen has us in a KOA that's OK, but not really nice. The internet sucks. It's fast enough when it's connected, but the connection drops every few minutes.
After we set up we went to fuel up and get groceries. We needed 18.5 gallons. That's the most I've ever put in the truck at one time. We averaged 12.1 MPG over the last 215 miles, including all of 89A. I was really happy.
The campground has a lake a couple of miles down the road, and the club isn't more than a few miles away. So tomorrow is shooting and swimming the dog.
I was worried about fuel availability on 89, so we stopped at Flagstaff for a 5 or 6 gallon fillup. We also stopped 30 miles up the road in Cameron for a 3 gallon fill up. It turned out that there were other stations farther up the road, but we didn't know that.
Driving 89 and 89A took a lot of attention. So I didn't turn on the book on tape today. I should have turned on the radio, but I didn't. The road up to 89A wasn't had, but a lot of it was 2 lane and rough. There was also a lot of up and down. There were many places where we would go up 500 to 1,000 feet and then go back down.
89A is a road I will never pull a trailer on again. It started with a 1,500 foot down hill followed by a 1,500 foot up hill. Then there was miles and miles of up a few hundred feet, down a few hundred feet. But the best was to come. We started up a pass at 5,400 feet. The top was 7,900 feet. All the way the road was narrow with rock wall a foot or two off the roadway. It was also very twisty. I drove for miles at 40-45 MPH.
Of course as soon as we got to the top we started the few hundred feet up and down again. That was followed by a 1,000 foot drop and then another 50 miles of up and down. As we got about 40 miles out of Hurricane I decided to go for it fuel wise.
The last two miles into Hurricane was a 1.800 foot drop via 6, 7, and 8 percent down grades. I could only use the tow haul sparingly because it was over revving the engine. By the time I got to the bottom the brakes were pulsing each time I used them.
Because it's the weekend Ellen has us in a KOA that's OK, but not really nice. The internet sucks. It's fast enough when it's connected, but the connection drops every few minutes.
After we set up we went to fuel up and get groceries. We needed 18.5 gallons. That's the most I've ever put in the truck at one time. We averaged 12.1 MPG over the last 215 miles, including all of 89A. I was really happy.
The campground has a lake a couple of miles down the road, and the club isn't more than a few miles away. So tomorrow is shooting and swimming the dog.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Day 573
This should be fun, I'm kind of drunk right now.
We got up a little after 7 and did the pet stuff. We were supposed to meet John and Patty for breakfast at 8, so I went outside and disconnected the TV and retracted the stabilizers. By that time it was 8, so we went to the park's free continental breakfast.
John and Patty showed up a little late. We ate breakfast and talked (imagine that). Then we parted ways for the day.
The drive today was all on I40. It was typical interstate driving. We had problems at the first fuel stop in Gallup. There were 4 stations that were supposed to have diesel. The first was run by the Indians. I pulled in, but they were out. I tried to pump diesel and nothing came out. I couldn't get to the Love's next door because it was packed. The Valero next to it had diesel for truckers only. The fourth place didn't have diesel at all. I was pissed.
We ended up driving another 16 miles to a place in Arizona. It had relatively easy access and fairly cheap fuel.
We continued on to the next fuel stop which was 20 miles from the Meteor Crater campground. It was easy to get into, and had the cheapest fuel we've found. It was weird because it had two pumps, one for trucker and one for vehicles. The tax for the truckers was 8 cents a gallon more. Guess which pump I used.
We got to the park about 1 (we gained an hour). John and Patty made it there first. We set up and then planned out the rest of our trip. Then we went over and had an early dinner with John and Patty. We confirmed when we'd meet up again and then started drinking. John got out his drone. It's really neat and almost flies itself. The park owners didn't like it though and made him quit using it.
We spent until 8:30 drinking and talking. The rest of the evening was spent surfing.
We got up a little after 7 and did the pet stuff. We were supposed to meet John and Patty for breakfast at 8, so I went outside and disconnected the TV and retracted the stabilizers. By that time it was 8, so we went to the park's free continental breakfast.
John and Patty showed up a little late. We ate breakfast and talked (imagine that). Then we parted ways for the day.
The drive today was all on I40. It was typical interstate driving. We had problems at the first fuel stop in Gallup. There were 4 stations that were supposed to have diesel. The first was run by the Indians. I pulled in, but they were out. I tried to pump diesel and nothing came out. I couldn't get to the Love's next door because it was packed. The Valero next to it had diesel for truckers only. The fourth place didn't have diesel at all. I was pissed.
We ended up driving another 16 miles to a place in Arizona. It had relatively easy access and fairly cheap fuel.
We continued on to the next fuel stop which was 20 miles from the Meteor Crater campground. It was easy to get into, and had the cheapest fuel we've found. It was weird because it had two pumps, one for trucker and one for vehicles. The tax for the truckers was 8 cents a gallon more. Guess which pump I used.
We got to the park about 1 (we gained an hour). John and Patty made it there first. We set up and then planned out the rest of our trip. Then we went over and had an early dinner with John and Patty. We confirmed when we'd meet up again and then started drinking. John got out his drone. It's really neat and almost flies itself. The park owners didn't like it though and made him quit using it.
We spent until 8:30 drinking and talking. The rest of the evening was spent surfing.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Day 572
We got up a little after 7. It really didn't seem that early because we are still on Central time. We did the pet stuff and had breakfast. Then we hooked up the trailer and left. I think we were out of there a little after 8.
Te tripe was notable for two reasons. First, we got terrible mileage (9.8) because we climbed several thousand feet. Second, I made the mistake of driving through Roswell. I wanted to see downtown again. The problem was that they were repaving part of it. We were stuck for 15 or 20 minutes waiting for the construction.
We got to the park in Albuquerque about 2:45. John and Patty got there about half an hour later. After they set up we went to Camping World. It was only about a mile away on the other side of the freeway. John needed some parts. I bought some new blocks. Some of the old ones are pretty beat up.
After Camping World we went to a Mexican restaurant for an early dinner. It was OK, nothing special. Then it was back to the park where Patty and I watched John work on the trailer. Ellen spent a lot of time on the can.
Later and the evening we sat outside and talked for hours. We finally quit about 8:30 because it was getting cold (60's).
Ellen and I spent awhile surfing and then went to bed.
Te tripe was notable for two reasons. First, we got terrible mileage (9.8) because we climbed several thousand feet. Second, I made the mistake of driving through Roswell. I wanted to see downtown again. The problem was that they were repaving part of it. We were stuck for 15 or 20 minutes waiting for the construction.
We got to the park in Albuquerque about 2:45. John and Patty got there about half an hour later. After they set up we went to Camping World. It was only about a mile away on the other side of the freeway. John needed some parts. I bought some new blocks. Some of the old ones are pretty beat up.
After Camping World we went to a Mexican restaurant for an early dinner. It was OK, nothing special. Then it was back to the park where Patty and I watched John work on the trailer. Ellen spent a lot of time on the can.
Later and the evening we sat outside and talked for hours. We finally quit about 8:30 because it was getting cold (60's).
Ellen and I spent awhile surfing and then went to bed.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Day 571
We only had to make 300 miles today, so we didn't get up too early. We got up about 8, did the pet stuff, and went to the restaurant for breakfast. It was good and inexpensive. Then we went back and packed up the trailer. I had a little trouble hooking up, but nothing major.
I forgot to look at the time when we left. We made good time though, especially with the time change. We were at the park by noon (actually 1).
The road up was very rough because it's been torn up by the oil trucks. We took some very hard hits three or four times from potholes. I hope the trailer tires will survive. We also got stuck behind a slow truck once or twice and had one 12 mile long construction zone. The speed limit was 45, but I only slowed down if we were near workers.
We set up when we got to the park and then had lunch. John and Patty were at the caves, so we had an afternoon to kill. There's a lake about 6 miles from the park, so we went there. There was a real nice state park at the lake. We drove through it and then went down to the boat ramp.
It was really windy and there were1 to 1.5 foot waves. Lucy had a great time swimming out against them and surfing back in. Unfortunately there were about half a dozen times when she lost sight of the bumper and went swimming off. We had to yell and I had to throw rocks to get her back on track. A couple of times we were really worried.
John and Patty were back when we got back. We let them rest up until time for an early (4:30) dinners. The park delivers BBQ dinners, so we ordered those. They were pretty good.
Then we drank beer and wine and talked until 9:15. I called it quits and we went home to feed the pets and take showers. I'm a little tired and want to get to bed early.
I forgot to look at the time when we left. We made good time though, especially with the time change. We were at the park by noon (actually 1).
The road up was very rough because it's been torn up by the oil trucks. We took some very hard hits three or four times from potholes. I hope the trailer tires will survive. We also got stuck behind a slow truck once or twice and had one 12 mile long construction zone. The speed limit was 45, but I only slowed down if we were near workers.
We set up when we got to the park and then had lunch. John and Patty were at the caves, so we had an afternoon to kill. There's a lake about 6 miles from the park, so we went there. There was a real nice state park at the lake. We drove through it and then went down to the boat ramp.
It was really windy and there were1 to 1.5 foot waves. Lucy had a great time swimming out against them and surfing back in. Unfortunately there were about half a dozen times when she lost sight of the bumper and went swimming off. We had to yell and I had to throw rocks to get her back on track. A couple of times we were really worried.
John and Patty were back when we got back. We let them rest up until time for an early (4:30) dinners. The park delivers BBQ dinners, so we ordered those. They were pretty good.
Then we drank beer and wine and talked until 9:15. I called it quits and we went home to feed the pets and take showers. I'm a little tired and want to get to bed early.
Monday, May 1, 2017
`Day 570
It was a typical boring travel day - that's good. We got up a little before 8, ate breakfast, and started to pack up the trailer. All that went smoothly, including all of the tire gauges talking to the receiver. We got out at 9.
Traffic on 1604 was OK until we got about two miles from I10. Then it slowed down, but it didn't stop.
We listened to the book on tape that we'd been listening to on the way back from Las Vegas. It is really entertaining. We only had to make 1 gas stop and averaged about 10 MPG. The trailer and truck are really loaded.
The tire alarm went off for high pressure on three of the 4 wheels. Apparently it goes off at about 88 PSI. The readings were as high as 92. I'm not sure if that is a problem. It was interesting to note that the tire temperatures on the sunny side of the trailer would be 10 or more degrees hotter than the shady side.
We only had to make 300 miles today, so we were at the park by about 3. It's about 5 miles outside of town, so we unhooked and went into town. It's really two towns. The old town has a lot of historical buildings and just about all of the store buildings are vacant. The I10 business loop has the typical mile or so of gas stations, fast food, car parts stores, hardware stores, and even a small grocery. We drove through everything and paid $275 for diesel 40 cents more than it should have been.
I took a nap when we got back to the trailer. About 5:30 we went to the restaurant at the park to eat. The food was pretty good and inexpensive. The place was crowded. After that we went back to the trailer. Ellen surfed and I watched TV.
I took the dog to the dog park when it cooled off. She wasn't interested in running at all.
The rest of the evening was surfing and reading.
Traffic on 1604 was OK until we got about two miles from I10. Then it slowed down, but it didn't stop.
We listened to the book on tape that we'd been listening to on the way back from Las Vegas. It is really entertaining. We only had to make 1 gas stop and averaged about 10 MPG. The trailer and truck are really loaded.
The tire alarm went off for high pressure on three of the 4 wheels. Apparently it goes off at about 88 PSI. The readings were as high as 92. I'm not sure if that is a problem. It was interesting to note that the tire temperatures on the sunny side of the trailer would be 10 or more degrees hotter than the shady side.
We only had to make 300 miles today, so we were at the park by about 3. It's about 5 miles outside of town, so we unhooked and went into town. It's really two towns. The old town has a lot of historical buildings and just about all of the store buildings are vacant. The I10 business loop has the typical mile or so of gas stations, fast food, car parts stores, hardware stores, and even a small grocery. We drove through everything and paid $275 for diesel 40 cents more than it should have been.
I took a nap when we got back to the trailer. About 5:30 we went to the restaurant at the park to eat. The food was pretty good and inexpensive. The place was crowded. After that we went back to the trailer. Ellen surfed and I watched TV.
I took the dog to the dog park when it cooled off. She wasn't interested in running at all.
The rest of the evening was surfing and reading.
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