Fountain Hills

Tuesday, November 28 we left Holbrook amid sand and tumbleweeds and travel south on Hwy 377.  We slowly climbed till the brown landscape gave way to a juniper and pine forest.  The road was good the whole way and turned from a narrow 2 lane highway to a divided 4 lane.  We crested around Payson and then we began our descent into the Valley of the Sun.  Fountain Hills is a bedroom community just north of the Scottsdale and Mesa suburbs of Phoenix.  The descent included lots of long 6% grades and for the most part I set the cruise at 50 mph, engaged the engine brake and tow/haul and sat back and let the truck do the work.  At times it downshifted to 3rd gear but the RPM seldom got over 3100.  Red line is 4000 so had room to spare.  Almost 12 mpg with all the downhill grades.

Phoenix is down there somewhere

We had never been on this highway before and our other alternative was a longer route on I40 to Flagstaff and then south on I17 to Phoenix.  We have been this way before and I17 from Flagstaff to Phoenix is a very busy road and we have since discovered it is the 4th most dangerous stretch of interstate in the country.  If we travel this way again I think the route through Payson on secondary highways will be our choice.

I would not want to travel any of these roads at sunrise or sunset.  Lots of "Beware of Animal" signs with Elk and Deer being common in the area.  At one point we saw an animal crossing sign with flashing lights.  It appeared that both sides of the road had fencing and were funneling animals to one point where motion sensors would activate the lights.

We checked into Eagleview RV Resort which is located on the Fort McDowell Navajo Reserve.  The cost is about $50 per night but we got a 3 nights for the cost of 2 deal so it was $103. for 3 nights.  The sites are level with asphalt parking pads and the facilities are in good condition.  They don't have a lot of other activities so it probably wouldn't be a place where we would want to spend the winter but lots of others are here for the season.  There is probably lots of good hiking in the surrounding mountains but I suspect the main attraction is the Casino across the street and the shopping in nearby Scottsdale.

Always interesting walking through the RV Parks checking out some of the rigs.
The Luxe is one of the real high end 5th wheels.  The truck above is a F650.
Didn't know they went that big.  The Ram below was a 4500.
Both had some pretty nice customized boxes.  

We found a great dog park for Charli which had lots of room for her to run.  Unfortunately Charli doesn't know know how play with other dogs.  She keeps coming back to us waiting for us to walk with her.

One of the attractions of Fountain Hills is their World Famous Fountain.   Not sure how world famous it is but it sends up a pretty big geyser of water.   It is surrounded by a very nice 33 acre park with a million gallon lake and a walking trail around the lake.  The fountain is on every hour for 15 minutes and with 2 pumps turned on it reaches a height of 330 feet.  There is a 3rd pump that is turned on for special occasions and the fountain can then attain a height of 560 feet.  I don't think our visit was deemed a special occasion so the pictures represent 330 feet.

Weren't quite sure what those baskets were placed around the lake.
Then these guys with Frisbees came by.
Turns out its a Disc Golf Course.  Neat idea. 

330 feet according to the sign.
Would have been more dramatic with a blue sky. 

Very nice gardens lining the walkway.  

Feeding the Coots, Mallards and Wood Ducks was popular.

The park had an area with bronze statues of 6 presidents called Fount More.

The boulevard had tents set up for all sorts of vendors

Including some very large Christmas Trees. 

More of the boulevard

Houses are all of the Adobe style and all earth tones.  

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We walked around the lake and down the main street where there was a market set up on the blvd.  Stopped for an early supper on the patio by the lake.  A nice relaxing day to end our stay.

Our view from our dinner table. 

Thats it for Fountain Hills.  Friday we have a short 45 minute drive to Gold Canyon to check in for our 4 month stay.  Really looking forward to setting everything up and getting settled in.    

An Overnight in Holbrook

Monday, Nov 27.  We left Santa Fe this morning at 8:30 with a days end destination of Holbrook, Az.  It was a beautiful day for driving, light winds, sunny and the temperature warming up to the low 70s.  I finally started to see some respectable gas mileage in the 11.3 mpg range.  That all changed as we approached Gallup, NM and the forecasted high winds started up.  Soon we were driving into the teeth of 50-60mph gusting west winds and saw the average mileage drop to 9.4 mpg.  At least I know that if the driving conditions are good this truck does have the potential to exceed 10 mpg towing my home away from home.

I have been impressed with the stability of our truck/trailer setup as even with the high gusting winds, either head on or crosswinds, I only experience a very slight buffeting.   I remember my first experience towing a 29' bumper pull trailer with our '09 Ram 1500.  Any crosswinds, or the worst, being passed by a Semi, was like a near death experience.  The wave of wind created would hit our rig and push us to the shoulder and then pull us into the passing lane.  A white knuckle, heart in the throat experience.  Now I don't even know a Semi is there till I catch sight of him over my shoulder.

Last year we drove this way and spent a day visiting the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert so our stay in Holbrook was just going to be an overnighter.  I decided to fill up with gas before we checked in to the OK RV Park ($31 for 30 Amp with Good Sam discount) and since we were just overnighting I didn't unhitch.  I did fill up with diesel at a station just off the interstate and couldn't believe the price.  $3.299 per gallon.  Down the road, in town, it was a more typical $2.78.  What a ripoff.

I did want to mention a change we made this year with respect to our Phone/Internet service while in the US.  In past years we subscribed to US service by way of a Canadian outfit called Roam Mobility.  We paid them a fairly reasonable monthly fee for unlimited Talk/Text within the US or back to Canada.  We additionally subscribed to a Data plan which provided us with a specific amount of GB.  We used our existing iPhones, getting them unblocked by our Canadian service provider and then inserting Roams provided SIM card as we crossed the border.  It all sounded great and very reasonably priced however thats where the positives ended.  Roam only provides online support by way of sketchy chat and emails.  No phone number to talk to a live body.  Coverage is good around major centres although even then there are major dead zones.  When travelling in less populated areas the coverage is pretty much non-existent.  Not great in the event of a breakdown in the middle of nowhere.

This past summer we upgraded our phones to iPhone 6S and found that Bell provided a Canada/US plan that gave us unlimited Talk/Text and 1GB of data with more available for an additional fee.  This applied whether we were in either Canada or US.  The cost was $60 for each of us but on the plus side we didn't need to pay to get our phones unblocked, no SIM cards to lose, no change in phone numbers.  Since we have crossed the border we have driven through ND, SD, NE, KS, NM and now AZ.  Much of the time we are miles from any sort of development and we have always had telephone service and an Internet connection.  Very impressed.  Is the $60 p/m pricier than we what we paid before? Somewhat.  But its nice to know that when you pick up the phone you have service and that if I need to phone Bell I will get through to someone.  After of course, listening to their music playlist for awhile.  I believe Telus has a similar plan.  Rogers and MTS did not when we switched this past summer.

I have had a couple of blog readers ask about the new truck so here is the story.  Upgrading the truck was definitely not in the plan as the 2011 F350 had only 115,000 km and was operating fine.  Only the usual maintenance and it pulled the trailer well enough.  The only downside was the lack of an engine brake.  So why you might ask would we shell out major bucks to upgrade when the 2011 diesel would probably outlast our RVing life.

Well it all started with a flat tire which led to an oil change which led to a new truck.  Pretty straight forward, right.  In September we were getting our car packed up to take Lori's mom back home to Swan River.  Thats when I noticed that one of the tires was real low.  Rather than filling it up and risking it on the 550 km trip we decided to take the truck.  The aforementioned 2011 F350 King Ranch.  Problem was the Oil Change Indicator message had popped up a few days earlier but I figured that it would get us there ok and I could then book an appointment at the Swan River Ford dealer for an oil change.  So when I brought the truck in to the dealer I was sitting in the waiting room drinking my Timmies and minding my own business (for US readers that is a Tim Hortons coffee.  A staple for all Canadians).   The sales manager came by and asked if I wanted to take a new F350 for a test drive.  Now I have great control, do not buy things spontaneously and besides that I knew Lori would nix the purchase in any event.  So I took the keys and drove over to pick up Lori and take it for a spin.  We were very impressed with the ride, the additional power and all the new fangled gadgets.  I took it back and we discussed price and was surprised how my old truck had kept its value and with the Ford Employee pricing, Costco and Loyalty discounts the cash difference wasn't as bad as I thought.  The real kicker for me was that the 2017 F350 now came with an engine brake.  My 2008 Ram 2500 had a Cummins with an engine brake and I fondly remember how it aided in braking when pulling down long mountain grades.   Long story short we didn't buy then but when we got home I started running the numbers and with the new tires and normal maintenance that would be due on the 2011 in the next year the cash difference was starting to look more reasonable all the time.  And after all, its a big NEW truck.  How can any guy say no to that, especially when the little woman is ok with it.  Lori did have one stipulation though.  She had her eye on a Red Kitchen Aide Mixer.  I thought that was fair.

So far we only have 3700 miles on it but like the way it pulls, the engine brake isn't as strong as the one in the Cummins but it certainly helps.  Were a little concerned about the height.  What is it with these manufacturers.  Every new model has to be bigger and higher.  I was already towing nose high and the bed of the 2017 was 2" higher than the 2011 and the bed rails were another inch higher, making it 60' to reach over the side and get something out of the bed of the truck.  Good thing I keep a 2 step folding step ladder permanently in the back of the truck.   We were able to lower the hitch 1" and raised the rear of the trailer by mounting the new axles under, rather than over, the spring pack so we are now almost level and the overall height of the trailer when towing hasn't changed much, if at all.

White is so much easier to keep clean than black. Another plus.

 Bottom line was we didn't need it but I think in the long term it will prove to be a good purchase.  More bells and whistles than I even know how to use yet but the 5 cameras providing a 360 degree view and a view of the truck bed when backing up to hitch up are kind of neat.

Men and their toys!

Next stop Fountain Hills for 3 days and then a short drive over to Gold Canyon.

Pics from Santa fe

Sunday provided a pretty nice sunset so thought I would get these posted before we head out tomorrow morning.  Guess what.  Tomorrow, wind gusts from the south-west, right in our teeth, up to 60 mph.  There goes the gas mileage.

Same pic as yesterday but this one during the day time

Old construction equipment parked all around the RV Park.
Nice vibrant colours. 

Flowering Staghorn Cholla 

There is a not so thin layer of dust on everything.  Even Charli.
All need a good washing when we get to Gold Canyon.

A few more clouds provided a more vibrant sunset.

Good night from Santa fe.  Next stop Arizona.

A short stay in Santa Fe

Friday, Nov 24, turned out to be a great driving day.  Temperature got up to 74F and winds were gusty in spots but pretty light most of the way.  We found the scenery changed considerably during the day.  Starting out the landscape was flat and brown which was a continuation of the previous few days.  As we headed west we started to see the snow capped peaks in the distance and tumbleweeds were replaced by large junipers providing a splash of green.

Lots of flat and brown but some hills with green starting to appear

Now were talking.  Got to wash the windshield. 

We are running 2 GPS.  One is the trucks onboard system and the second is our handheld Garmin 760 RV GPS.  We tend to trust the Garmin more as I updated the maps just before we left and we can enter the height and length of our unit.  It is supposed to keep us from clearance issues.  So far it hasn't failed us but the 2 systems do sometimes offer differing routes.  We have to get in the habit of checking their recommendations against our Rand McNally Road Atlas, paper based, before we depart just to give us the bigger picture of where we are going.

US Military on the move.  Train must have been a couple miles long.

We left on Hwy 412 which, contrary to my previous comments about high highway numbers, was a smooth, divided 4 lane most of the way.  That took us to I25 which was smooth as glass for most of the rest of the trip.  We had booked a reservation for 3 nights at Santa Fe Skies RV Park which is up on a hill south of Santa Fe.  Provides a great view with good hookups and reasonably level gravel parking pads.  We are starting to get to the part of the country where camping fees are rising and with taxes,  our 10% GS discount we were at almost $50 per night.

Got setup, made a shopping list to finally stock the fridge and pantry and headed off to Walmart.  This summer we had purchased an Induction hot plate from Costco for $50.  Between this and our electric roaster purchased in Yuma last year we figure we will seldom use the propane burners or oven in our unit.  The oven is now being used for storage.  Both the hot plate and roaster can be set up outside so we can do our cooking and not heat up the rig.  With induction you have to have compatible cookware for it to work and we thought we were ok till Lori started to prepare dinner.  None of our 4 pots or 4 frying pans work with Induction.  Off to Walmart again however their selection of Induction compatible cookware was pretty limited and we noticed the Santa Fe Outlet Mall was next door and it had a kitchen store.  Off we went and picked up a 10 piece set of pots and frying pans for $50.  All Induction friendly.  Most of our old cookware ended up in the dumpster with a couple of the newer frying pans stored under our bed to be repurposed for the house upon our return.

Our Walmart visit on Black Friday.
Busiest shopping day of the year.
Some low prices on entry level Samsungs but not a lot of people.
News reports on Saturday said in-store sales were down significantly.
Amazon was up 50%.  The trend accelerates.   

I now had the time to fully diagnose our electrical issues.  On Thursday night when we were parked in Clayton I had turned on the radio, which runs of the 12 Vdc system.  No power.  A light went off in my head and I immediately knew what the problem was.  Remember from my earlier post when I found 2 15 Amp fuses were blown.  Turns out that when the service guys at the dealership had taken my old battery out to charge it they crossed the wires when they reinstalled the battery, reversing the polarity.  That results in blown fuses in the main fuse panel, 2 blown 40 Amp fuses in the Power Converter and a blown fuse in the back of the radio.  You might ask how I know that all these fuses would blow.  Cause a couple years ago I took the battery out to charge it and when I returned it to the battery box I crossed the wires.  I was so mad at myself, thinking only a complete moron would do something so stupid.  Turns out that I'm not the only moron out there.  In fact the Converter has those 2 40 Amp fuses for exactly that reason.  When someone reverses the polarity on the battery hookup the fuses blow and not the converter or the entire 12 Vdc system.  I removed the radio that is mounted in the slide wall, replaced the fuse, then emptied our basement, removed a wall panel, dug through the mass of wires and found the 2 fuses and replaced them.  Luckily I had spare fuses so no trip to an RV repair shop was required.  Good thing as those 40 Amp fuses can be hard to find.   We now have power and I have a nice new battery charger.  Probably a good addition to my growing collection of tools that stay in the trailer.

Saturday was a beautiful day and we spent the afternoon sitting in the sun reading and taking in the rays.  Sunday is a little cooler with a north wind but still pleasant outside.  We may take an exploratory drive around Santa Fe or perhaps not.  NFL is on TV and still have a few odd jobs around the trailer so we may not venture too far.  One positive about being in RV Parks that are mostly empty is that the Wifi, which is usually spotty at best, has been great.

Cottontails everywhere.  Had to keep a tight grip on Charli's leash.

The view from our RV Park at dusk.

Thats us just inside the gate.

Not the best southwest sunset but still some nice colours.  

Monday is a driving day to Holbrook, Az and then we have booked a 3 day stay in Fountain Hills, AZ.  That will leave us a short 90 minute drive to Gold Canyon where we will be stationary for 4 months.

On the Road Again.

One of the things I miss about our old home was the ability to keep the trailer parked in our yard.  Any work or cleaning that needed to be done was no problem.  Step out the front door and there it was.  Packing up was also pretty simple and we could do it in stages.  Now the trailer has been housed at our dealership which is about 60 km away, about a 45 minute drive.  The plan was to store the trailer in Dugald, a small community about 6 km down the road however our dealers inability to get our work done resulted in the trailer staying in Headingly.

On Nov 17th Lori got a good report from the doctor and her physiotherapist.  While the bone wasn't fully healed it was well on its way and the physio gave her exercises she could do on the road.  We checked the weather forecast and decided Nov 20 was the best day to start our trip south.  Now we just had to get the trailer packed.  Local bylaws only allow us to park the trailer on the street for 3 hours and we really wanted to leave it there for a night or 2 so we could get things properly packed and be ready for an early departure.   Our dealer actually suggested that they could park it in their shop on the  17th and it would be thawed out and we could pack it up on the Saturday.  Their service bays are closed on Saturday so we would have the place to ourselves.  Still a long drive but at least we could pack in comfort.  We loaded the truck and headed out Saturday morning.  We have replaced the furniture over the past year and the last piece was a love seat which was a tight squeeze to get in the narrow door.  I enlisted a friend to help me and we managed to squeeze it in.

Too much white stuff.  Time to catch up with the Canada Geese 

Loaded up ready to transfer to the trailer.
So much easier when we stored the trailer in the yard. 

Unfortunately we had no lights in the trailer and initially couldn't get the slides out.  The dealer was supposed to charge up the battery for us however they discovered that the battery was dead and wouldn't hold a charge.  You'd think, given that they knew that we were heading out on a long trip, that they would have phoned us and got our go ahead to put in a new battery.  But that would require thinking about the customer.  I did notice that 2 of the 15 Amp breakers on the 12 Vdc system had burned out.  I replaced them but didn't think too much more about it.  More about that later.

We got everything in the trailer and then Monday morning, Nov 20, we winterized the house, packed the remaining items and headed to pick up the trailer.  Took about an hour to pack the remaining items and get hooked up.  I was pleasantly surprised by how level our trailer was.  We had always been about 5 inches nose high and our new truck was 2 inches higher than the old one.  I had the hitch adjusted to the lowest setting and when the dealer put the new axles on (old ones were bent) they mounted the axles below the springs.  They were mounted above the springs previously.  The lower hitch brought down the nose and the new axle position raised the centre to rear which gets us pretty close to level.  Now I shouldn't have to worry about dragging the back bumper coming out of gas stations.  And yes, I have done that.  Not a pleasant sound.

We left Winnipeg about noon with the temps just above freezing and sporadic rain showers which lasted for about an hour.  The border crossing was a breeze.  Only one lane open and there was a lineup of vehicles behind us so I think the customs officer felt under a bit of pressure to get the line moving.  Due to our late start we thought we might only make it as far a Fargo, ND but with the new truck and new G rated tires I was travelling 65mph which is a little faster than before.   We made good time so pushed on to Watertown, SD.

The rain and clouds started to break just over the border

There is a casino just outside of Watertown which, according to their website, has an RV Park.  I had read about casino camping.  Typically low or free parking and often with playing cards offered to guest to get them gambling.  Were not big gamblers but $5 per night for electric only was pretty enticing.  Turns out their RV Park was closed so we headed in to Watertown and got a room at the Econo Lodge.  Ended up costing almost $100 after they added their $15. surcharge for our dog.  Ordered a pizza for supper and turned in early.  It was hard to get a good nights sleep in their rock hard bed and lumpy pillows but it was warm and quiet.

Tuesday, Nov 21, we got up early and were on the road by 7:30.  We headed south on I29 to Sioux Falls where we topped up the fuel tank and filled up the coffee mugs at the Flying J.  We phoned ahead to York, NE to book a campsite at the York Kampground.  Reservations this time of year and this far north aren't really required as most campgrounds are pretty much empty except for some hardy sorts that live year round in their trailers or roving trades/construction workers.  I have memberships in both Good Sam and Passport America, both provide discounts on camping fees.  PA is better as the discount can be up to 50%.  I paid $20 for full service with 50Amp electric.  These campgrounds are often second or third tier however for an overnight really all we want is good services and some quiet.  Quiet often doesn't happen as many of these campgrounds are right next to the interstate offramp.  We pulled in and the office was closed so we pulled in and set up.  We had been fighting westerly crosswinds with gusts up to 50mph all day and to get the trailer warmed up we had the fireplace and an electric space heater on high plus the RV furnace.  The furnace uses propane but the fan runs of the 12 Vdc system.  After a few hours the lights, also on the 12 Vdc system, started to dim.  I checked the control panel and we were down to 1/3 battery capacity.  That shouldn't happen when hooked up to shore power.  We were on a 50 Amp hookup which should provide all the electricity we need plus charge the battery.  We shut the furnace off, left the electric space heater on, turned off the lights and climbed under the covers to keep warm.  Charli's body heat helped.  We survived the night but I didn't get much rest as my mind was racing, wondering what was broken.  By morning I figured the power converter, the device that takes the ac current provided by the shore power and converts it to dc to charge the battery, was toast.  The next morning I headed out to the Walmart, no RV repair facilities in the area, to buy a battery charger.  I hooked it up and let it charge for an hour and then tried to bring the slides in.  One slide came in then the battery died.  Waited for a few minutes and brought in the 2nd slide, then another few minutes and raised the trailer to hook up the truck.   Finally, about 10:00, we were off to our next overnight.

A train loaded with about 50 windmill arms.
One arm took 2 flat cars plus a 10 ft overlap on the 3rd car.
An adjacent field had hundreds of arms.
A major wind farm being constructed?

Wednesday, Nov 22, we headed south for Kinsley, KS.  We had spent much of the previous day on Hwy 81, a 2 lane highway, some rough patches but most of which was in pretty good shape with light traffic.  Wednesday would see us continue on 81 then 40, and 56.  All secondary highways but I found the drive much more relaxing and interesting than the Interstates.  One gets a totally different experience driving the local highways vs the Interstates.  On the Interstates everything moves fast.  Most traffic is going 75 mph or more.  We creep along at 65.  The hills are shaved off and the dips are filled in so the drive is mostly level with long sweeping curves.  You don't drive through any towns, only larger cities and then all you see is truck stops, shopping centres and industrial developments.  On the local highways you see America, or at least what we think of America, or Canada for that matter, back in the 50's and 60's.  Many of these small towns still have a main street lined with brick faced buildings, streetlights and diagonal parking.  Yes many have a Walmart on the outskirts but it still has the flavour of small towns of my youth.  What you also notice is that some of the smaller communities are really run down.  The poverty of these towns is painfully obvious and perhaps partially explains the attraction of a politician who says he's going to make everything great again.  I do wonder sometimes if our memories of how things were are anywhere close to accurate.  Anyway, I digress.  Enough social commentary.

We arrived in Kinsley, KS at the 4 Acres Campground about 3:30 and with the PA discount we paid $17 for full service with a nice level camp sites with concrete parking pads.  Kinsley is miles from any interstate so we had a nice quiet night.  It had been a windy day again but it finally started to drop off as we were setting up.  The temps had warmed up and it was right around 70F so the heavy jacket was off.  I hooked up the battery charger as I still hadn't had time to fully diagnose my electrical problem.  With the warmer temps the electric heaters kept pace and we had a very comfortable night.  

Periodically we would see huge piles of corn close to inland grain terminals.
This wasn't corn.  Looked like multi coloured sand.  

Day 4, Thursday, Nov 23 and also Turkey day in America.  Traffic was surprisingly light.  Guess everyone was gathered with family filling up on mega calories and watching football.  For some reason our GPS took us on a rather indirect route and we ended up on some rather rough highways.  There seems to be a direct correlation between rough roads and high highway numbers.  We went through Dodge City but didn't take the time to look up Matt Dillon or Miss Kitty.  Also drove through Liberal Kansas the mythical home of Dorothy and Toto.   Finally a day without gale force winds.  We checked into the Clayton RV Park in Clayton, NM.  This was formerly a KOA campground and given its state of repair I can see why it is no longer a KOA affiliate.  Did get to use my GS discount but still cost $31.  Way too much for the quality of campground.  Still, we got a good nights sleep to get us ready for the drive to Santa Fe the next day for a 3 day stay.  Will be nice to stay in one place for a few nights and perhaps get our electrical system fixed. 

Our neighbours in Clayton.

Next up, Santa Fe.   

An Eventful Summer

A few days after we got back we headed up to Swan River to visit with Lori’s mom while a few last minute things were getting finished in our house.  I promptly came down with the flu so spent the better part of the week in bed while Lori and her mom caught up on events.   We returned to Oakbank in time for our April 18 possession date for our new house.  We had spent 8 1/2 months in our trailer and if anything it confirmed to us that the life of a full timer was not for us.  

Our new place is a 1400 sq ft duplex with a full basement and double attached garage.  Slightly smaller than our previous house but still plenty big enough for the two of us especially after spending 8 1//2 months in a 350 sq ft trailer.  The way the house is  laid out, and with only 2 bedrooms, the living area actually seems quite spacious.  The biggest difference is that rather than 5 acres, a well and septic system we have a 50 x 109’ lot on town water and sewer with the real kicker being that it is part of a condo development so the grass is cut and the snow is cleared for us.  Big checkmark given that we are away for 1/2 the year.  

We found that for the most part we are quite happy with the finishings that we picked, the Luxury Vinyl Flooring being the one glaring exception.  Guess we will get used to it.  We also discovered that the people that designed the kitchen messed up resulting in one drawer and one cupboard not opening fully due to running into the stove.  Some modifications have been made although both are not fully functional.   The driveway was finally paved in June and shortly afterward sod was laid down. Our sunroom addition was done in July and we spent most of the rest of the summer in it as opposed to the living room.  Our patio was finally done in Oct so it will be ready for backyard barbeques’ next year.  

Building a house has been frustrating and expensive, both of which I expected however dealing with the builder and trades has been the worst.  It seems that no one knows how to return phone calls or emails or provide followup on outstanding items.   We still have a few items outstanding and will be following up in the spring when we return.  Oh Joy!

We had hoped to get out to do some golfing this year, although we have been saying that every spring for a few years now.  Turns out my sporadic knee problems flared up this year and I spent the summer and fall doing rehab.  I am probably a candidate for knee replacement down the road but until then its strengthening exercises, ice, Advil and a very unfashionable brace.  

Our plans to depart this fall took a bit of a tumble, or rather, Lori took the tumble, which resulted in a broken arm and a delay in our departure.  We were heading out for a walk at Birds Hill park and she had turned around to call Charli.  As she was walking backward she tripped and fell breaking the top of her Humerus in 3 places.  Good news, no surgery, bad news, its going to take some time and patience before she has full range of motion again.  

So between my gimpy knee and Lori’s arm we will be limiting the hiking, pickelball, golfing and yoga at least for the first few months.  Leaves lots of time for shopping, sitting in the sun and sipping wine.

In my last post I alluded to some repair issues with our 5er.  Actually the repairs required are pretty standard however it seems our RV Dealer likes to complicate even the most simple repairs.  We returned on April 4 and when I dropped the trailer off at the dealer I provided them with a list of items that needed to be fixed and told them we didn’t need it back till end of July for our annual 2 week trip to Clear Lake.  A week before we were set to leave for Clear Lake I phoned and guess what, they hadn’t had it in the shop yet.  When we picked it up a week later a few items had been done but most were going to have to wait until we returned at the end of Aug.  Again I told them we needed it done for end of October but true to form it wasn’t ready until about Nov 15.   Now that we have it out on the road a few things we asked them to fix are still a problem and the new battery that they installed doesn’t stay charged even though we are plugged in to 50 Amp service.  Once we stay in one place for a few days I will investigate but either my power converter is toast or they initially installed the battery backwards and blew the fuses on the converter.  In any event I am not impressed.  Got to find a new place to get service work done next year.  

Thats it for now.  Next post I will bring you up to speed on the start of this years trip and hopefully stay a little more current after that.  

What passes for lawn ornaments when living in a construction zone.
 4 new units were being build across the street so we were surrounded by
construction noise and dirt all summer.  Hopefully one more year and most
of the lots on our street will be filled in. 

Driveway is paved.  Now waiting on some sod. 

A white coat of paint really brightened up the garage and just in time
for me to build some shelving to organize some of our stuff. 

The patio is just being finished.  In our old house we had a sun room and large deck.
We spent most of our time out there and I'm sure that will be the same here. 

Lori's arm is a rainbow of colour.  Most of the bruising is gone now
but the swelling and stiffness remains.