Hello again from the money pit,
We had a free weekend, so knowing the plumbing was busted, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and again work on the cabin. I now know why dad Fretts hated the beach over time. I seem to always have a list of things to do. Last summer, the septic line went bad from roots. I had to dig and replace. This caused the toilet to have a few problems and with old floors and other sewer related problems. We then had to replace the roof, thanks to Shawn and his friend who supplied the labor. The final item on the list was to paint and finish the inside. We got all this accomplished by September, meaning yet another year of limited enjoyment.
With the hard winter, a tiny mistake in winterizing cost me 8 hours of work this weekend. I forgot to back drain the shower and yep, all the pipes dealing with the shower burst. With every cut, replace and glue job, another section would fail. Just cant win. They are all plastic but and easy to fix unless you are a medium husky type trying to bend just right to get under the house. I paid dearly saturday night with the pipes done with severe cramping in my stomach. Today, we pulled old stuff out that had been collecting and off to the dump it will go.
One thing I found was that due to last years water problem, the seal on the shower drain and toilet now leak. Now I will have to replace floors and drain seals. Not a major set back, but once again I get to miss the sunset while up to my elbows in *&#$.
The final blow to a very nice weather weekend was a serious motorcycle accident right at the corner by the rest area at Megler just past the Astoria bridge. The roadway was closed and we were told it would be hours before reopening. This is not a good sign when they completely close the hiway. My heart drops and although its sad to see a biker go down, you always hope its not someone from out M/C family.
Well, the upcoming week is Easter, birthdays and such. Then its off in the RV to Mount Vernon for the Tulip festival. More on that later.
Be safe
Steve
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Shop till you drop
OK, sometimes what seems like a good idea just blows up in your face. This might have been one of those times. In a moment of weakness, I agreed to allow Lori the opportunity to again go to the outlet mall in Woodburn, OR. We had been trying to find a camping spot for the rare weekend of freedom we were facing. I called hoping the RV park would be booked, but no, they had plenty of room. I had to take four days vacation or lose it by the first of the month. I was happy to take a six day weekend to accomplish this.
We packed up and hitched the trailer. During my final walk around, I routinely pull the handle of the pull rite hitch to insure it is locked. To my surprise, it opened! I had to set the front jacks and re hitch the trailer. Again with all the weight on the trailer plate, I pulled and it again unhitched. I again re hitched and this time put a lock on the bar opening to prevent the hitch from opening. I called Tacoma Rv and they scratched their head as to why it would unlatch with weight on the hitch. I pulled ahead slightly and rechecked. It was good now. I locked it and manually checked it again to be sure. I later found, the latch keeper was just a little tight from weather. Some WD 40 solved the problem.
I was nervous for some time and it didn't get much better as we neared Portland. Construction brought traffic to stop and go right as you exit the bridge. We crawled through town without incident and after three hours, were pulling into the RV park.
Neither Lori or I were sure what we did wrong, but in no time, everything was set up and I was cooking dinner. It was clear but clod and a nice dinner was in order. A walk around the park after dinner and we settled in for the night. Walt was doing very well so far as we have a ramp now for him to enter and exit the truck. I am pretty sure, he was getting hurt almost every time he jumped down on his front legs.
How many of you have seen a cat start twitching and making weird sounds when they see a bird through the window? This was Lori as she looked across the fence at the stores. A sigh and she soon slumbered off to a restful sleep with visions of clothing stores galore as well as any other store she could find an excuse to go in. I layed there in a cold sweat wondering how expensive this weekend was going to be. You see, Lori is a champion shopper. She has felled some of the best. Most people only shop with her once. Some develop physical problems from the pace, others find that their minds go...never to be seen again.
Saturday morning is here. I always love camping in the trailer because Lori has coffee going and a great breakfast is in store. We always eat good. OK, it should read usually. Today, she tried out the George Foreman grill with the waffle attachment. Two quick waffles, a half cup of coffee and she was dancing at the door as if needing to go out and go potty like Walt.
The door opens and like a uncontrolled child, she sprints for the gate. I give her credit, she was full stride till she lost the sole of one shoe. Lori paused, looked at it and shrugged her shoulders, advising me that we will be looking for shoes now. Just kill me now!!!
Soon she was running in circles trying to figure out what store to go to first. I showed her a map and suggested the stores we were planning on purchasing items be last, so we would not have to carry alot with us. Okay that worked for a couple stores! Within half of the first of four sets of buildings, both hands were full of bags of apricot jellies to 'special' candy bars, to baby clothes. Oh God, I promise to be good if you just get me though this day! After a brief lighting bolt scare, we continued to another store.
The weather was cold, mixed rain and snow. Very cold outside, but very warm inside. This made for interesting stops in the stores. After we made the half way mark, a good Samaritan stopped and asked if we would like to use his truck to haul our stuff? Lori didn't hear the guy as she was turning to enter the factory outlet stores for shoe laces and insoles. Fascinating I must say, and amazing how she could spend so much time pondering corn pads.
After a few brief hours (nine) we were finishing up and had successfully perused all 100 plus stores, some many times. A few clerks knew her by name and would ask how the family was. I went through one pair of shoes and ya, you guessed it, she made me go to the Nike store and bought me another pair. I am not sure about these yellow and pink running shoes, but she said they were a really good price...I know, I will hit a couple mud puddles on the way back and they will be fine.
I forgot how much stuff we had purchased. As we walked back to the trailer, the wind and ran proved to us that winter was not done yet. We were soaked by the time we got back. I had to walk to the office to pay for our spot and then across the street for a Starbucks coffee. I forgot about the shoes, but as I entered the office, the clerk asked if me and my 'partner' were enjoying our stay? I said nothing and paid. Suddenly I didn't want coffee. My official story is that I was held up by gang members who took those 'fancy' shoes leaving me to walk home in my socks...
We had a nice dinner and the next morning was nice. Lori wanted to return for another pair of shoes...I told her I was too traumatized and put my old shoes on. She ran off for last minute shopping in case anything new came in in the last seven hours. Walt and I hooked up the trailer and I walked over and got coffee for the trip home. I found the garbage man had removed the yellow shoes from the dumpster...I pushed them behind and continued.
We had a nice drive home and all kidding aside, Lori and I had a great time. The nice thing about the RV is we are not held back by weather like we are on the bike. We have been able to go out during the off season and save the bike for spring and summer. A nice addition to our toy fleet.
We packed up and hitched the trailer. During my final walk around, I routinely pull the handle of the pull rite hitch to insure it is locked. To my surprise, it opened! I had to set the front jacks and re hitch the trailer. Again with all the weight on the trailer plate, I pulled and it again unhitched. I again re hitched and this time put a lock on the bar opening to prevent the hitch from opening. I called Tacoma Rv and they scratched their head as to why it would unlatch with weight on the hitch. I pulled ahead slightly and rechecked. It was good now. I locked it and manually checked it again to be sure. I later found, the latch keeper was just a little tight from weather. Some WD 40 solved the problem.
I was nervous for some time and it didn't get much better as we neared Portland. Construction brought traffic to stop and go right as you exit the bridge. We crawled through town without incident and after three hours, were pulling into the RV park.
Neither Lori or I were sure what we did wrong, but in no time, everything was set up and I was cooking dinner. It was clear but clod and a nice dinner was in order. A walk around the park after dinner and we settled in for the night. Walt was doing very well so far as we have a ramp now for him to enter and exit the truck. I am pretty sure, he was getting hurt almost every time he jumped down on his front legs.
How many of you have seen a cat start twitching and making weird sounds when they see a bird through the window? This was Lori as she looked across the fence at the stores. A sigh and she soon slumbered off to a restful sleep with visions of clothing stores galore as well as any other store she could find an excuse to go in. I layed there in a cold sweat wondering how expensive this weekend was going to be. You see, Lori is a champion shopper. She has felled some of the best. Most people only shop with her once. Some develop physical problems from the pace, others find that their minds go...never to be seen again.
Saturday morning is here. I always love camping in the trailer because Lori has coffee going and a great breakfast is in store. We always eat good. OK, it should read usually. Today, she tried out the George Foreman grill with the waffle attachment. Two quick waffles, a half cup of coffee and she was dancing at the door as if needing to go out and go potty like Walt.
The door opens and like a uncontrolled child, she sprints for the gate. I give her credit, she was full stride till she lost the sole of one shoe. Lori paused, looked at it and shrugged her shoulders, advising me that we will be looking for shoes now. Just kill me now!!!
Soon she was running in circles trying to figure out what store to go to first. I showed her a map and suggested the stores we were planning on purchasing items be last, so we would not have to carry alot with us. Okay that worked for a couple stores! Within half of the first of four sets of buildings, both hands were full of bags of apricot jellies to 'special' candy bars, to baby clothes. Oh God, I promise to be good if you just get me though this day! After a brief lighting bolt scare, we continued to another store.
The weather was cold, mixed rain and snow. Very cold outside, but very warm inside. This made for interesting stops in the stores. After we made the half way mark, a good Samaritan stopped and asked if we would like to use his truck to haul our stuff? Lori didn't hear the guy as she was turning to enter the factory outlet stores for shoe laces and insoles. Fascinating I must say, and amazing how she could spend so much time pondering corn pads.
After a few brief hours (nine) we were finishing up and had successfully perused all 100 plus stores, some many times. A few clerks knew her by name and would ask how the family was. I went through one pair of shoes and ya, you guessed it, she made me go to the Nike store and bought me another pair. I am not sure about these yellow and pink running shoes, but she said they were a really good price...I know, I will hit a couple mud puddles on the way back and they will be fine.
I forgot how much stuff we had purchased. As we walked back to the trailer, the wind and ran proved to us that winter was not done yet. We were soaked by the time we got back. I had to walk to the office to pay for our spot and then across the street for a Starbucks coffee. I forgot about the shoes, but as I entered the office, the clerk asked if me and my 'partner' were enjoying our stay? I said nothing and paid. Suddenly I didn't want coffee. My official story is that I was held up by gang members who took those 'fancy' shoes leaving me to walk home in my socks...
We had a nice dinner and the next morning was nice. Lori wanted to return for another pair of shoes...I told her I was too traumatized and put my old shoes on. She ran off for last minute shopping in case anything new came in in the last seven hours. Walt and I hooked up the trailer and I walked over and got coffee for the trip home. I found the garbage man had removed the yellow shoes from the dumpster...I pushed them behind and continued.
We had a nice drive home and all kidding aside, Lori and I had a great time. The nice thing about the RV is we are not held back by weather like we are on the bike. We have been able to go out during the off season and save the bike for spring and summer. A nice addition to our toy fleet.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Camping in Grayland
It was Valentines weekend, the skies were cool and overcast, but overall it was ok for February at the ocean. Loren and Gwen had planned to stay out here for the three day weekend . Terry and Jewell heard about the weekend and it turned out that the six of us took up three spots for the weekend.
We pulled in on Friday afternoon. I felt so out of place as it was just starting to get dark. I have got into a habit of getting to the campground after dark, so setup was alot easier when we could see. It was try out time for the new set of JT stabilizers on the trailer, so we were excited to see how much better they would work. Soon we were set up and it was time to get the satellite dish up so we can watch some tv. Nothing seemed to work for Loren and I. We tried several different things with no luck. We soon gave up and watched a DVD. A VU cube is looking better all the time!
We were greeted by off and on rain Saturday morning. I again tried the satellite setup with no luck. Other sites had their dishes set up and we could not get ours to work. I had a sat prep put in my trailer and wanted to use it. Not going to happen. I again gave up and we later went to westport and toured the city looking at old houses and checking the area out. Later, Terry and Jewell got there and we had a community pot luck. Loren and Gwen still like each other, so they snuck away for a romantic dinner for two and a Two and a half men marathon DVD.
Sunday, I went outside and was determined to get the TV working. I then had an epiphiny and switched a couple cables around on the dish. I then hooked the sat finder into the short cable and hooked the other end to the sat site on the trailer. I turned on the outside speakers so I could hear the beeps when I got close to finding (if) the signal. I got a couple beeps one time and then put the dish in the back of my truck. All of the sudden, I had lots of signal! I locked it down, switched the cable out and was soon enjoying tv. At least now I know what I need to do to find the signal.
I dont remember why, but something made my blood suger react and just before dinner, I got a real upset stomach. I went and took a walk and soon everything was better. We ate dinner and sat down to watch TV. Around 9pm, my phone rang and work needed me to respond as soon as possible. I told the fellow RVers, what was going on. All pitched in and took a part in order to get things ready to go. In about 15 minutes tops, We were hitched and pulling out of the campground. It was a white Knuckle run to Aberdeen, but soon we were home, a quick change and off for wht turned out to be four days with a little sleep here and there. Lori got the trailer cleared out and I finally got it parked I think the following Thursday.
The good thing is the JT's worked great. The bad was having to leave early and messing with the sat dish. We had great company and as usual, great camping. We stayed at Grayland Beach State park in space 17.
We pulled in on Friday afternoon. I felt so out of place as it was just starting to get dark. I have got into a habit of getting to the campground after dark, so setup was alot easier when we could see. It was try out time for the new set of JT stabilizers on the trailer, so we were excited to see how much better they would work. Soon we were set up and it was time to get the satellite dish up so we can watch some tv. Nothing seemed to work for Loren and I. We tried several different things with no luck. We soon gave up and watched a DVD. A VU cube is looking better all the time!
We were greeted by off and on rain Saturday morning. I again tried the satellite setup with no luck. Other sites had their dishes set up and we could not get ours to work. I had a sat prep put in my trailer and wanted to use it. Not going to happen. I again gave up and we later went to westport and toured the city looking at old houses and checking the area out. Later, Terry and Jewell got there and we had a community pot luck. Loren and Gwen still like each other, so they snuck away for a romantic dinner for two and a Two and a half men marathon DVD.
Sunday, I went outside and was determined to get the TV working. I then had an epiphiny and switched a couple cables around on the dish. I then hooked the sat finder into the short cable and hooked the other end to the sat site on the trailer. I turned on the outside speakers so I could hear the beeps when I got close to finding (if) the signal. I got a couple beeps one time and then put the dish in the back of my truck. All of the sudden, I had lots of signal! I locked it down, switched the cable out and was soon enjoying tv. At least now I know what I need to do to find the signal.
I dont remember why, but something made my blood suger react and just before dinner, I got a real upset stomach. I went and took a walk and soon everything was better. We ate dinner and sat down to watch TV. Around 9pm, my phone rang and work needed me to respond as soon as possible. I told the fellow RVers, what was going on. All pitched in and took a part in order to get things ready to go. In about 15 minutes tops, We were hitched and pulling out of the campground. It was a white Knuckle run to Aberdeen, but soon we were home, a quick change and off for wht turned out to be four days with a little sleep here and there. Lori got the trailer cleared out and I finally got it parked I think the following Thursday.
The good thing is the JT's worked great. The bad was having to leave early and messing with the sat dish. We had great company and as usual, great camping. We stayed at Grayland Beach State park in space 17.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Finally our 5vr has a parking space
A couple weeks ago, we dropped off the Mountaineer at Tacoma RV for some minor warranty work. With the trailer gone, I thought, what a great time to build a parking pad. We had parked the trailer along side the house during the summer, but as the rains hit, I didn't want it sinking in the soft ground. We parked it on the pavement, but this made for an inconvenient parking situation.
The weather was going to pretty good, so I decided last Friday was the day to get forms and gravel. Off to Home Depot and after about $90.00 for treated 4x4's, I was ready to begin. Some squaring and staki
ng and there it was, a 26' by 10' area ready for gravel. I called and they told me they would be out soon. I continued to prepare the sight and ask Lori to come take a look...why do I punish myself..."why dont you make it bigger" she asks? So instead of chasing her off with a shovel, I just set the forms out two more feet and get it ready just as the gravel arrives.Now, I am tired and ready for the truck to dump it and with a small amount of raking, I am done..ya right.. The truck arrives and as I discuss with the driver about how the ground might be soft and I mention the fact that I'm not sure where the drain field starts, he refuses to drive onto the lawn. I understand and watch as he drops five yards of crushed rock in one spot for me to rack out. My muscles tell me this is stupid and then I think...Erv, my riding buddy, has a tractor. After a quick call, he is eager to head to the house and assist (must not have noticed the now steady rain!) Boy was I glad to see him. 5 yards is more than I thought. After an hour or so, the area was level and we were ready to try it out.
I settled in for the evening to muscle spasms, back pain and joint lockups from all the exercise. Being bull headed, I refused advil and spent several hours during the night now too stoved up to get up and take some advil. Boy does the wife sleep sound. All the moans and groans only made her snore louder. I was able to crawl to the living room the next morning and hit the pain killers. We later headed to Tacoma to get the RV. We made a side trip to Loris folks to drop off firewood, take them to Costco and assist them spending some money on a new Plasma TV. Got it home and set them up and we were off. At Tacoma RV, the parts guy was in the middle of showing us how our new JT stablizer's worked and he stopped, looked and told us they had been installed wrong. He dashed off and returned with tools and within a half hour, we were off. I was getting nervous as I was very tired and it was getting dark. This would not be fun getting backed in as the driveway is dark and long. We made it home and I was right. After several tries, I was frustrated, worn out, but in the driveway. I left it on the pavement for the night and felt a fresh start to make the turn into the parking spot in the am.This morning after a long and mostly painless night, I fired up the truck and with no cars to worry about, I could try a couple different angles and find a good line for backing into the new spot. With a couple adjustments, I was in the spot and my calculations for length worked very well. Don't tell Lori I said this, but the extra two feet worked well making the turn. I was in, set the new JT's and soon I was sitting inside watching the Superbowl Pregame show. Now we have a great spot and with a little more work, I will have power close and a walkway to and from the trailer. Now we don't have to worry about the weather (wind...trees...you know) and we have the
driveway back. Oh and by the way, even with only the front stablizers down, it is very noticeably stable. So far, it seems money well spent.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Oregon Coast Birthday Getaway
This last weekend, Lori and I snuck out as usual for a birthday/anniversary getaway. I wanted to take the trailer out as the weather was very nice and we needed to work on our cabin. The cold weather took out several water pipes and we needed to get them fixed.
Thursday, we loaded everything and readied the trailer. Friday we only needed a few minutes to load food and we were off and rolling. I had not pulled the trailer for a couple months and the first leg of the trip is always a little stressful till I get used to pulling the trailer again. We got to the Astoria/Warrenton KOA around 6:30. It took about an hour to set up as we were rusty and did alot of rechecking etc. Finally set up and settled down for the evening. There was a bit of a drop off from the third step to the ground, so we took out the small stool and used it for a forth step. A short time later, I went to take Walt uot for a walk and as I stepped to the first step, I caught a lace on my slippers and off I went. Somehow, I missed the dog, lnded on one foot and regained my footing without a major incident! A lot of noise, but no injuries. We both took a rest stop and went back in.
Satuday morning was laid back. We got up after 8 and drank coffee while Lori made some great Omlettes. We walked to the pool building and spent some time in the hot tub soaking up the warmth. Soon we were off to the cabin and as I crawled under the house to fix broken water pipes, Lori picked up drift for the fire pit. It got up into the 60's and we just sat around and enjoyed some rare winter sunshine and warmth.
We returned to the trailer for a very nice dinner and then went to watch a movie (Mall Cop) in Aastoria. It was a good movie making for a great weekend so for.
Sunday, we decided it was time to head for a Casino. The only one close (So we thought) was Spirit Mountain which turned out to be about 2.5 hours south east. It was quite a drive but what a Casino. It is very big and has the real Vegas or Reno look to it. We noticed a large RV area to the side, but found it to be dry camping. Quite a few rigs there though.
We gambled and went to the buffet fo a great dinner. They have 75 entre's to choose from. It was a Sunday night so there was alot of different types of seafood. We ended up walking out with more money than we arrived with and had a great time.
Back to the trialer by around 10 pm, Walter did his thing and of to bed we went. We slept in and watched TV for a couple hours. We broke camp and headed home. It was a nice drive with little traffic. It only took two tries to back in even for being rusty. It's amazing how after a few miles, I feel okay pulling the trailer. I just hate the first part.
Now its off to Tacoma RV for some minor warrenty work. Next adventure is about a month away.
Thursday, we loaded everything and readied the trailer. Friday we only needed a few minutes to load food and we were off and rolling. I had not pulled the trailer for a couple months and the first leg of the trip is always a little stressful till I get used to pulling the trailer again. We got to the Astoria/Warrenton KOA around 6:30. It took about an hour to set up as we were rusty and did alot of rechecking etc. Finally set up and settled down for the evening. There was a bit of a drop off from the third step to the ground, so we took out the small stool and used it for a forth step. A short time later, I went to take Walt uot for a walk and as I stepped to the first step, I caught a lace on my slippers and off I went. Somehow, I missed the dog, lnded on one foot and regained my footing without a major incident! A lot of noise, but no injuries. We both took a rest stop and went back in.
Satuday morning was laid back. We got up after 8 and drank coffee while Lori made some great Omlettes. We walked to the pool building and spent some time in the hot tub soaking up the warmth. Soon we were off to the cabin and as I crawled under the house to fix broken water pipes, Lori picked up drift for the fire pit. It got up into the 60's and we just sat around and enjoyed some rare winter sunshine and warmth.
We returned to the trailer for a very nice dinner and then went to watch a movie (Mall Cop) in Aastoria. It was a good movie making for a great weekend so for.
Sunday, we decided it was time to head for a Casino. The only one close (So we thought) was Spirit Mountain which turned out to be about 2.5 hours south east. It was quite a drive but what a Casino. It is very big and has the real Vegas or Reno look to it. We noticed a large RV area to the side, but found it to be dry camping. Quite a few rigs there though.
We gambled and went to the buffet fo a great dinner. They have 75 entre's to choose from. It was a Sunday night so there was alot of different types of seafood. We ended up walking out with more money than we arrived with and had a great time.
Back to the trialer by around 10 pm, Walter did his thing and of to bed we went. We slept in and watched TV for a couple hours. We broke camp and headed home. It was a nice drive with little traffic. It only took two tries to back in even for being rusty. It's amazing how after a few miles, I feel okay pulling the trailer. I just hate the first part.
Now its off to Tacoma RV for some minor warrenty work. Next adventure is about a month away.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
A Fall Getaway
It is late Thursday night and the weather promises to be good. What to do and where to go. I pulled out the Campground book and scanned for something that would catch my eye. Then at the last minute, there it was, the Portland-Fairview RV park. Rated top 100 campgrounds in the US with over 350 sites. It was close to Camping World and Outlet malls. Just what we could deal with.
A quick load job and stock the fridge and we were ready to go. I had been called in early Friday morning to work, so with some luck, I could be out of there at around 1:30 pm.
We got home, hooked up and were off for a new adventure. Lori had been left out and had not had a weekend to ourselves for some time. We were looking forward to just hanging out. We loaded the address into the gps and were there in no time. Hooked up the cable and settled in for a good movie on HBO...ahhh the life! It is a beautiful and well maintained park. Easy to see why it is rated top 100.
Things went smoothly and Saturday, Lori shopped and shopped and shopped. I finally got to Camping world and Lori shopped some more. When we returned to the trailer, it seemed cold inside and there was alight odor of propane inside. I went to the furnace and saw the thermostat was set right, but no heat. After some checking, I found we had run out of propane. Lori, the 'camper' was upset we had no stove now and had to use the coffee maker instead of perking some coffee. What a rough life. The electric still warmed the water for a nice shower and the cinnamon rolls she baked the day before served well with that coffee.
Sunday morning, we awoke to high winds. It was blowing 30 to 40 mph out of the east. No problem except crossing the Columbia River bridge in Portland. It was a white knuckle run as we crossed the river. Never experienced the winds with our fifth wheel and the bucking was disturbing. I had emptied all tanks to prepare to winterize, so we were a little light. As soon as we got to the WA side and as the winds decreased, so did the blood pressure. It was a nice trip despite the whining from a wife with no propane. It was so cruel...she almost had to dry camp again! I promised as soon as we got home, the tanks would be filled and we would be ready to go.
A quick load job and stock the fridge and we were ready to go. I had been called in early Friday morning to work, so with some luck, I could be out of there at around 1:30 pm. We got home, hooked up and were off for a new adventure. Lori had been left out and had not had a weekend to ourselves for some time. We were looking forward to just hanging out. We loaded the address into the gps and were there in no time. Hooked up the cable and settled in for a good movie on HBO...ahhh the life! It is a beautiful and well maintained park. Easy to see why it is rated top 100.
Things went smoothly and Saturday, Lori shopped and shopped and shopped. I finally got to Camping world and Lori shopped some more. When we returned to the trailer, it seemed cold inside and there was alight odor of propane inside. I went to the furnace and saw the thermostat was set right, but no heat. After some checking, I found we had run out of propane. Lori, the 'camper' was upset we had no stove now and had to use the coffee maker instead of perking some coffee. What a rough life. The electric still warmed the water for a nice shower and the cinnamon rolls she baked the day before served well with that coffee.
Sunday morning, we awoke to high winds. It was blowing 30 to 40 mph out of the east. No problem except crossing the Columbia River bridge in Portland. It was a white knuckle run as we crossed the river. Never experienced the winds with our fifth wheel and the bucking was disturbing. I had emptied all tanks to prepare to winterize, so we were a little light. As soon as we got to the WA side and as the winds decreased, so did the blood pressure. It was a nice trip despite the whining from a wife with no propane. It was so cruel...she almost had to dry camp again! I promised as soon as we got home, the tanks would be filled and we would be ready to go.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Finally a weekend of peace and quiet
Several weeks ago, Lori and I reserved a site at Ocean City State Park. We were going to camp for the weekend while attending the wine festival at the casino. Then she found out about a convention in Seattle she was required to attend and all of the sudden it would be me and Walt. Not really though, our friends Gwen and Loren had the site right next to us, so I at least had adult conversation.
Friday Walt and I loaded up and after hooking up to the Mountaineer, we were off for our "trip". We had almost a 35 minute drive to our destination. A half mile out, bang, thump. What the...I looked and saw some white plastic debris in the road on the shoulder behind me. I thought, what fell off and what a great start to the weekend. I immediately pulled off. Luckily there was a wide spot in the road with plenty of room. As soon as I got out, I noticed my 5 gallon bucket was now missing from the back of the truck. It had ridden in the spot against the front bed forever with no problem. I checked and there appeared to be no damage to the truck or trailer. I could see down the road was this bucket on the shoulder. We continued. I was tired and stressed from a long, difficult week at work. This made it no better. The rest of the trip was uneventfull until we got to the state park. Walt was nervous as he was not sure why Lori was not with us. As I drove through the endless speed bumps, I made a wrong turn and found ourselves at the day site. Luckily there was enough room to turn around. We found our spot and with Lorens help, we were set up in no time. Only item of interest was during setup, I hear some loud noise coming from Gwen and Lorens trailer. I look up to see one of their motorcycles falling off the back rack on the trailer. All an embarrassed Loren would say was a strap came loose. Its always interesting with Loren around.
It was clear and getting cold as the sun set. Once set up, it was time for the experiment. I retrieved the satellite dish and set it up. turned on the receiver and tv and had signal in no time with Loren adjusting outside. I thought to my self, this is the life, roughing it in the RV and now with over 300 channels of satellite tv. Life is good.
As I was watching all the channels Lori wont let me watch (get your mind out the gutter, I'm talking Discovery/History/military type channels). I turned on survivor man. I thought, wow, what a coincidence, he is trying to survive in some desolate canyon and here I am in an RV with just SD (standard) channels and no HD. I watch further as he talks about the great temperature swings and I think, no remote for the furnace. I'll have to get up to turn it up a notch! Then he has to catch rats in a makeshift trap in order t survive. I had to put on my light jacket to 'grill' my steak on the outside barbecue. Later he talks about the lack of water and what he finds is not much better. I nod in concurrence as I had forgot to bring ice for my drink!. Ya, I think I could do an episode or two. Roughing it in our Mountaineer is a challenge, but I'm up for it.
Ok, back to reality. Walt and I went to bed and all I heard throughout the night was little whimpers from Walt. About3 am he bugs me thinking he needed out, but actually it was a move on his part to free the bed up. As we come back in, he bolts and is up on the bed and curled up on my pillow. After much coaxing, he relents and moves. I get in and he lays right up against me. I had the heat on for the low 60's and woke often to the poor thing shivering! Finally I placed a blanket over him and he slept good the remainder of the morning.
Saturday brought a cold, crisp morning. The TV said it was about 26 degrees out. I fired up the stove, made coffee and cooked an omelet for breakfast. Again roughing it, I only added mushrooms as I had no meat. We goofed off and later went to the wine festival. It was fun and I sampled some wine. We had steak and Chicken Fettechini for dinner and watched a movie. It was alot warmer tonight and was very pleasant.
Sunday we loaded up and were on the road about noon. When I got home, the dreaded backing job awaited me. I had no spotter as Lori was gone. I only hoped a neighbor would be around, but it was not to be. I knew if I hugged the left corner, I had plenty of room to swing into the driveway without hitting anything. I started backing and all the sudden I was in the driveway without straightening out or anything. I had done it. I finally was able to back in on the first shot. Wow, what a rush! I backed down the driveway, lined up on the plank I have to park on and backed right on. I have two orange cones to show me where to stop. I was in, dropped the jacks and unhitched. I was done and just in time to watch the Seahawks lose again. Another enjoyable adventure.
Friday Walt and I loaded up and after hooking up to the Mountaineer, we were off for our "trip". We had almost a 35 minute drive to our destination. A half mile out, bang, thump. What the...I looked and saw some white plastic debris in the road on the shoulder behind me. I thought, what fell off and what a great start to the weekend. I immediately pulled off. Luckily there was a wide spot in the road with plenty of room. As soon as I got out, I noticed my 5 gallon bucket was now missing from the back of the truck. It had ridden in the spot against the front bed forever with no problem. I checked and there appeared to be no damage to the truck or trailer. I could see down the road was this bucket on the shoulder. We continued. I was tired and stressed from a long, difficult week at work. This made it no better. The rest of the trip was uneventfull until we got to the state park. Walt was nervous as he was not sure why Lori was not with us. As I drove through the endless speed bumps, I made a wrong turn and found ourselves at the day site. Luckily there was enough room to turn around. We found our spot and with Lorens help, we were set up in no time. Only item of interest was during setup, I hear some loud noise coming from Gwen and Lorens trailer. I look up to see one of their motorcycles falling off the back rack on the trailer. All an embarrassed Loren would say was a strap came loose. Its always interesting with Loren around.
It was clear and getting cold as the sun set. Once set up, it was time for the experiment. I retrieved the satellite dish and set it up. turned on the receiver and tv and had signal in no time with Loren adjusting outside. I thought to my self, this is the life, roughing it in the RV and now with over 300 channels of satellite tv. Life is good.
As I was watching all the channels Lori wont let me watch (get your mind out the gutter, I'm talking Discovery/History/military type channels). I turned on survivor man. I thought, wow, what a coincidence, he is trying to survive in some desolate canyon and here I am in an RV with just SD (standard) channels and no HD. I watch further as he talks about the great temperature swings and I think, no remote for the furnace. I'll have to get up to turn it up a notch! Then he has to catch rats in a makeshift trap in order t survive. I had to put on my light jacket to 'grill' my steak on the outside barbecue. Later he talks about the lack of water and what he finds is not much better. I nod in concurrence as I had forgot to bring ice for my drink!. Ya, I think I could do an episode or two. Roughing it in our Mountaineer is a challenge, but I'm up for it.
Ok, back to reality. Walt and I went to bed and all I heard throughout the night was little whimpers from Walt. About3 am he bugs me thinking he needed out, but actually it was a move on his part to free the bed up. As we come back in, he bolts and is up on the bed and curled up on my pillow. After much coaxing, he relents and moves. I get in and he lays right up against me. I had the heat on for the low 60's and woke often to the poor thing shivering! Finally I placed a blanket over him and he slept good the remainder of the morning.
Saturday brought a cold, crisp morning. The TV said it was about 26 degrees out. I fired up the stove, made coffee and cooked an omelet for breakfast. Again roughing it, I only added mushrooms as I had no meat. We goofed off and later went to the wine festival. It was fun and I sampled some wine. We had steak and Chicken Fettechini for dinner and watched a movie. It was alot warmer tonight and was very pleasant.
Sunday we loaded up and were on the road about noon. When I got home, the dreaded backing job awaited me. I had no spotter as Lori was gone. I only hoped a neighbor would be around, but it was not to be. I knew if I hugged the left corner, I had plenty of room to swing into the driveway without hitting anything. I started backing and all the sudden I was in the driveway without straightening out or anything. I had done it. I finally was able to back in on the first shot. Wow, what a rush! I backed down the driveway, lined up on the plank I have to park on and backed right on. I have two orange cones to show me where to stop. I was in, dropped the jacks and unhitched. I was done and just in time to watch the Seahawks lose again. Another enjoyable adventure.
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