I have try to get this blog updated with the travels that I did last fall and this spring....however, the more time that went by, the more difficult it is to remember the details. So I have decided to jump to the present and try harder to post more frequently! I may try to "fill in" the traveling I did last fall & spring if the blog will let me post it in order by date! But for now.....
I began my travel plans for this fall when I flew to Phoenix last Sunday a.m. to get my motorhome out of storage. My son, Tim & his partner, Todd, live in Phoenix, so it was only natural that Tim insisted that it was much cooler than the week before! The only problem for me was that it was 100 degrees in Phoenix and I had just come from Alaska!...and our temps in the day were in the 50's and the evenings in the 40's! A "far cry" cooler than 100 degrees!
The good news is that once I connected up the engine battery, my "baby" started up like a charm! However, this year I was not going to turn the engine off until the battery was charged! Last year, I had shut the engine off several times without running the engine any time to speak of, so by the third or so time, my "big baby" decided it wanted a new battery! I had totally drained the little bit of charge that was left after being stored for 5 months! So this year, I was very happy that the battery did so well!
The house battery was another story.....actually the battery was fine it was the wing nuts that hold the wires on the battery posts that gave me the problem. One wing nut went on fine. The other however, is in a very tight space underneath the air intake part, so the "wing" on the wing nut is hard to hold and twist at the same time! So inspite of my son saying, "don't drop it".....I dropped it! It landed in the pan at the bottom of the engine compartment! We tried & tried to find it but the wing nut was not to be seen.....and I even had a magnet & mirror! So I decided to place the wires on the post and hoped they would stay in place until I could get to an automotive parts store. I ended up a package of various sizes of wing nuts, but none of them fit. I finally decided to get a regular flat type nut and I wouldn't have the problem again as it was the "wings" that gave me the problem! At this point, I'm thinking of getting a battery disconnect switch now....just turn the handle on the switch and no more disconnecting wires!!
After getting the "flat nuts" on Monday and just a few groceries, I went back to my son's house to organize the motorhome for travel. But the heat took me over and I so exhausted from it that I needed some sleep! I woke up and discovered I had slept so long, that it was nearly 4:30 pm! Was I rested?....well, I went to bed at 9 pm and didn't have trouble sleeping all night!
However, before bedtime, Todd made his usually "out of this world" dinner..... barbarcued pork loin with a Raspberry Chipotle Grill Sauce found at the local Fresh & Easy grocery store, Harvest Grains Blend from Trader Joe's & fresh steamed asparagus....and a really great glass of red wine too! Maybe the wine was the trick that helped I slept so good....:)
I had planned for over a year to get the motorhome weighed. The last time it had been weighed was also the first time, when I purchased the rig! Besides all the "stuff" one puts in a motorhome to travel (dishes, clothing, tools, etc), I had also replaced the carpet with a "plank vinyl" that looks very similar to the hardwood flooring planks and also a "not too light" filing cabinet. So I had committed myself to "getting it done!" on this trip to see how much overweight the rig was!
So Tuesday, the 22nd, was going to be the day! I was so sure I was going to have to "rearrange" things....that when I received the paperwork after getting it weighed, I was shocked! I was under weight!...but not by much. The front axle was in good shape 360 lbs under...the back axle just made it at 10 lbs under! What a relief, I was so sure I was overloaded!
Out of all the errands I had to get done on Tuesday, everything else "paled" in comparison to getting the rig weighed. And since this was my first time to get it weighed on my own, I was surprised how easy it went! However the "other" errands took much more time to get done! Groceries, a new Swiffer vacuum/dry map for my new vinyl flooring, some Halloween lights, a few miscellanous supplies and some cat supplies!
Once back at my son's house and everything was put away, it was time to take a shower as we were going out for dinner! Dinner was going to be with a long-time friend of my son's, Roe and her date, Jeff. The reservation was at a restaurant called House of Tricks (http://www.houseoftricks.com/). I had dined there once before and it was so good that I was really looking forward to dinner. Todd had made reservations for a table in the patio and since it was so warm, it was even better than I had anticipated! And to top all that, I was able to see Roe again and finally meet Jeff, her date. So the evening was a total delight.
That brings me to Wednesday....not much to write about. Today I started my drive to Wisconsin with a planned stop in Albuquerque to see Carol, a full time RV friend for a day or so. The day travel time (driving including stops) was about 8 hours and about 330 miles....long miles. I'm in Church Rock, New Mexico and staying at Red Rock State Park tonight (http://www.ci.gallup.nm.us/rrp/00182_redrock.html). I've stopped here before a couple of times and I absolutely love it here! The temps tonight are forecasted to get down to 31 degrees....and I'm not complaining!....:)
Sorry I haven't any pictures pictures to post! But if you're interested in Red Rock State Park, I believe I posted some pictures last year on this blog!
Till the next posting...
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