Alignment

Remember the blowout we had a few days ago?  It really messed things up so yesterday we stopped at Red Rock Garage in St. George, UT and got both axles aligned.  He said they were in pretty bad shape and it was good that we did that as we would have ruined our beautiful new tires.  But, oh, that damage.  Isn't it awful?  Every time I am on that side of the rig and see that my heart skips a beat.  My poor home.  We are talking to the insurance company and hope to get it fixed soon.  

It is morning in Mesquite, NV and we will be on our way later to Las Vegas.  The time change got us up early this morning!

Blowout!

Yesterday wasn't the best day ever, that is for sure.  We started out from Yuba Lake State Park for the three hour drive to Cedar City, Utah.  The mountains and the views were gorgeous.  At the end of our little highway we merged onto Interstate 70 west.  Our altitude was pretty darned high - over 7,000 feet at times.

I was minding my own business and daydreaming when suddenly Kirby put on the blinker and the brakes and began to pull to the side of the freeway.  Of course I asked what the heck was going on and he replied - "Blowout". 

I was nervous about getting out of the truck on the freeway and even more nervous about going out to the other side to look at what used to be our tire.  What I saw was Unbelievable! I still can't believe the damage that was caused to our rig by the flapping of the rubber before it finally got Kirby's attention and we got stopped.

We got back into the cab with the flasher going click, click, click constantly and Kirby got on the phone with our insurance.  I do love cell phones!!!  What would we have done 30 years ago?  I will tell you.  I was about 18 years old in Colorado returning from work on a Saturday evening.  On the freeway I had some car problems (cars always broke down back then) and I was stuck on the side of the road.  Fortunately for me, there were houses backed up to the freeway.  I climbed a low fence, knocked on a door and used their phone to call home.  Those were the good old days.  No one murdered me or raped me....they only helped a stranger.

Anyway, back to yesterday.  Help arrived even sooner than we had been told it would.  Kirby had the spare ready so it wasn't long before we were Hitchin' to Go!

That is Mike from Sorensen Towing with Kirby.  He was very efficient, knowledgeable and pleasant and he got us going in no time at all!

Not far down the road at Beaver, UT we decided it would be a good thing to have all of the tires looked at.  We stopped at Beaver Tire and the guys there were all over us when they saw our poor beat up rig.  They showed us where all three of our remaining tires were bulging and ready to blow any time.  So scary!!  

Aren't we lucky - we got to buy 4 new tires for our less than year old RV.  I just want to thank Keystone and the rest of the RV community for selling us a tinker toy for an RV.  Oh, did I mention that the day before our sofa broke?  How, you ask, can a sofa break?  Easy - the front just falls off.

A very wise man once told me - "It is never as bad as it seems, and it is never as good as it seems".  James Ward, Charleston, SC

After getting settled in our space in Cedar City, UT we found a barbeque place right out on the street.  You know, one of the mobile ones, and had ourselves a great dinner of pulled pork and cole slaw.  And then we noticed a little fair going on across the street so we gathered up our energy and walked over.  Great artwork and fun people to talk to.  Our day wasn't so bad.  We were still able to go have fun and that is what it is all about for me.  "She who has the most fun wins!"  I am still winning!

Success Lake Campground

We are really enjoying our visit to Success Lake (COE Campground) near Porterville, CA.  We continue to be the only campers on this side of the park.  There are about 4 or five on the other side which is newer and has more highway noise.  We are in Site 94 which is a pull-thru with plenty of space, a picnic table and a fire ring.  The showers are nearby and I used one yesterday because it looked so nice.  I was not wrong!  It was the best shower I have had since I left my house behind the first of December.  I will be heading up there in just a few minutes to enjoy it once again.  Lots and lots of hot water in a very clean and private space.

This is the view out our window.  We spend each afternoon sitting in the shade of the pear tree.  There was a hose and sprinkler going when we arrived.  No one came to move it or turn it off so we moved it around to green up our little area.  It ran all night too.  Finally someone took it away.

Just look at that long shadow.  I took a walk with Jake when the sun was just coming up.  Awesome time here!

This is the view across the lake.  There are boaters out all the time fishing mostly.  I love all the vistas! And we haven't had much wind which seemed to have plagued us the past couple of months.  I guess the windy season has passed.

At each stop it seems that Kirby has to fix something.  This time it was the hitch.  Brand new this past October.  I personally believe that the problem was a result of all the bad roads we have traveled that just shake the livin' bejeebers out of everything.  Fortunately for me and for Kirby and Jake, Kirby is very capable of fixing things.  But that doesn't mean that is how he wants to spend his time.  But just think if we had had to try to find someone to repair this before we could leave.  We might have been literally pushed out of our space as there is someone coming in the day we leave!  I guess this is the way RV life is but I sure hope all of our bad luck ends soon.

Out There

There we are with our bicycles on the back.  I feel like we are living in an RV Sales Yard!  At least we have a cement pad which helps so much with the dirt and we have free cable for the first time.

 When was the last time you watched “Captain Ron”?  We watched just recently for the umpteenth time and enjoyed and laughed just as much as every other time.  My favorite quote from the movie is, “Well, Skipper, if it’s gonna happen, it’ll happen out there.”  And sure enough it did.

We were all set to leave Meridian – we had picked up a few items from the store and washed the rig and the truck.  And then the rain came.  Did you read about the horrible rains in Mississippi and Alabama and the winds and hail?  We were lucky here in Meridian – we only got the rains.  Lots of rain and a bit of small hail.

So on Tuesday we hitched up and departed for our next stop.  But, we didn’t even get out of the RV Park. Did I mention that it had rained the night before?  Well, this soil is pretty weird.  What looked like a little puddle was a sink hole and we sunk almost up to the axle – over a foot and a half! The rig was leaning at such an angle I was certain the slightest movement would tip it over.  It was a very unfun experience and this morning my back and shoulders are stiff and sore from the stress.  It took about 2 1/2 hours but they managed to finally get us out. (I couldn’t watch so I waited in the office) They tried to use the back bumper even when Kirby told them it was not strong enough and they bent the bejeebers out of it.  The folks here at the RV Park are being wonderful about the whole thing. They are paying for everything with a smile.  If it weren't such an ugly place it would be fantastic. So we are working on getting the new bumper.  Since they are paying we want to remain here until it is fixed and we don't have any idea when that will be.

Redeeming Qualities

Life would be pretty miserable if we couldn’t always find some sunshine amid the clouds.  We have found 2 major redeeming qualities in Meridian, Mississippi.

This is a picture of the office here at the park.  Quaint?  Is that the word I am looking for?  Friendly works!  Very friendly folks!

 First is the staff here at the park.  Beverly is the manager and she is a sweetheart – they don’t come any nicer - a true southern lady.  She was so supportive of me when I was having my crying episode yesterday.  I really appreciated her kindness.  And everyone worked so hard to get us out of the mud, shoveling the goo being the worst of it.

The second redeeming quality is the Bonita Lakes Park which is just across the main road from us.  We went today and checked it out.  We had walked half way around the lake when we saw a sign that said, NO DOGS.  So we finished on the street.  But we have found picnic areas all over the place (where dogs can go), beautiful trees and ducks and geese.  Now we just need nice weather so we can have picnics.

We have no idea how long we will be here.  One week, two weeks?  Who knows so we need to settle in and make it home.

Ready to Go

This is the view from our back window today.  Not beautiful but not crowded either!  We have thick gravel and lots of grass.  To the right is the laundry room and if it quits raining, I may do some wash!

What a busy day we had yesterday!  We were up at the crack of dawn to get Myrt over to Camping World by 8:00 AM.  They never bothered to tell us if they could make the repair in one day or not so we also had to pack our things to stay at Christie’s if needed.  And – neither one of us had slept very well.  KOA in Ladson is just YUK!  It is the dirtiest place and I just kept having nightmares of having to go back there for another day to wait for weather.  Kirby was tossing and turning about the tight quarters we were in and getting out of there.  It is a terribly congested park.  But we were out by 8:00 and over to CW right on time!

We were pleasantly surprised when informed that Myrt would be ready by 11:30.  So, we headed off to Denny’s for breakfast and to decide what to do with 2 hours.  Wannamaker Park has lots of trails and it was nearby so off we went.   Years ago I had been there with Christie and the boys but Kirby and I had never been.  It is a wonderful park!!  Lots of trails, ponds, a waterpark, playground equipment and a dog park too!  So Jake also had a good time!

At breakfast we had called Oak Plantation and told them we were coming back!  So here we sit at the same campground we were at all winter but this time we are in a pull-through near the entrance of the park.  We will be off tomorrow after the rain.  We are retired – can’t see going out there in the rain in order to get underway!

I guess this is where I say how much I am going to miss my daughter.  She has been a delight to me from the day she was born and these past years living near each other have been so very fantastic!  When she moved to Charleston I didn’t think we would ever live near each other again.  So, never say never.  Who would have believed that we would spend 4 years just a half mile apart and then almost 2 more only 20 minutes apart?  It may happen again – who knows!  I will miss the whole family – Christie, her husband, Michael, the boys – Brendan and Casey and my two terrific granddogs – Socks and Lacey!  See you in about a year!

Nothing Broke!

I guess I did a good job with my preping to travel as when we returned Myrt to her home space and inspected the cupboard, nothing was broken and only a couple of things even showed any evidence of having moved.  Yea!  That was the best part of the day!

We left here on Monday morning, with me following Kirby in the car so I could go on to work after we checked our rig in at Camping World for repairs.  I don't know why the whole thing stressed me like it did, but I was really, really stressed by the time I got to the office!  I kept telling myself that I have comfortably traveled the oceans in a 35 foot sailboat and never felt like this.  Is it that it is all so new?  Probably.

We had packed bags for two nights max.  Packed clothes, pillows, dog bed, wine, slippers, vitamins....all the little things we need to be comfortable.  Then, the service rep at Camping World told us it may be a week.  I freaked over that one and went back to work panicked over what we would do. And - made plans not to work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Friday being my last day.

What really happened is that they did some work and said we could come get her on Tuesday morning, which we did!  Hooray!  Not so bad after all!  But we will need to return next week when they get the parts in for the rest of the repairs.

At this point I could write a book about the day we had, all the newer looking rigs getting repaired,  my frustrations with the whole process.  All of this is so new to us!!

We were there to get Myrt by 9:15, trying to be nice and remain calm!  Then we headed back to Oak Plantation Campground with 'our girl'.

Oh, what fun it is to be new to all of this.  Sailing just came natural but I am sure there was a learning curve in there somewhere, I just don't remember it.  It took us two tries to get the rig where it needed to be, get it leveled and all hooked up again with water, power and sewer.  By the time we finished the rain was beginning....we got it done just in time.  Hopefully the next trip won't be so nerve wracking on me!

First Repairs

I am trying to keep this blog like journal for myself.  So, I need to say things like - We have to take our brand new rig in for repairs this week!  I am not a happy camper right now as I pack a bag because we can't stay with her while they work on her.

There is something wrong with our slides.  A technician came out on Thursday and took a look but then they decided that they need the rig at Camping World for 2 days for MORE diagnostics.  I thought that was why he came out but I guess I was wrong.  So, the first time we go someplace with our rig it is to the repair garage.  And this is just diagnosis.  Next week when the parts come, we will have to do it again.  Good practice I guess. I can find out what is going to break and what rattles too much!

The silver lining is that we are going to stay with our daughter and her family!  We need more time together before leaving.  I will miss her so much because she is my best friend.  So, this is the good part about having to have repairs made to a brand new rig!