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.   

Snowbird 3, but first .......

Can’t believe where the time has gone.  We got back home on April 4th and I meant to sit down and do a report on the trip home and an overall synopsis of Snowbird 2 for 2016/17.  But here it is, November, and we are in Kinsley, KS in the midst of our trip down to Arizona for Snowbird 3.  So before I get started on our current adventure let me take you wayyyy back to March/17. 

We were camped out in Willowwind RV Park in Hurricane, UT.  We had been enjoying the beauty of Zion National Park and were planning our trip home.  The planned route would take us north and then east to Grand Junction, Co for a nights rest before the trip through the Rockies to Denver.  Small Glitch.  Big snowstorm going through the mountains and the highway cameras, great invention by the way, showed wind, blowing snow and slush covered roads.  Not the conditions I want to be pulling a trailer through the mountains, or anywhere else for that matter.  

Rather than risk the bad weather we decided to take a circuitous route home via Flagstaff to Albuquerque and stay the night at our regular Albuquerque RV park, Enchanted Trails.  A rather long route but roads were dry, skies sunny and well above freezing.  The side benefit was that we were treated to some amazing views along the way.  

The climb up to Jacob Lake provided some great views.  Tip - When climbing a long steep grade pulling a trailer don't stop the truck and TURN IT OFF.  Temp gauge almost blows up.  

After desending from Jacob Lake the views become real red. 

We left Hurricane and travelled down 89A on a good but desolate highway up through the high mesas’ into the mountains to Jacob Lake.  From there you can take Hwy 67 to the north rim of the Grand Canyon but it was still closed due to snow.  We continued down the other side of the mountain range and joined up with Hwy 89.  We had traveled Hwy 89 2 years earlier on our way to Page, Az to see the famous Slot Canyons.  We continued on to Flagstaff and then headed east on I40 to Albuquerque.  

Closing in on Flagstaff the snow capped peaks provide their own beauty. 

If you look real close the winds off the mountain are creating their own little snowstorm.  

After a night in Albuquerque we headed to Colorado Springs.  It was another beautiful drive but instead of desert and red rocks we were treated to the green of coniferous forests.  As we neared Colorado Springs guess what we ran into.  The storm that went through the Vail pass met us in Colorado Springs however due to the lower elevation it was mostly rain and wet snow.  Other than making a mess of the exterior of the truck and trailer there was no problems with the roads.  

From there it was on to North Platte, NE and then a stop in Jellystone RV Park in Sioux Falls.  Jellystone had just opened and there were only 3 other returning snowbirds in the large RV Park.  The next morning I spent winterizing the trailer.  Seems kind of counter intuitive to be winterizing when the winter is behind us but April in Manitoba can still see lots of snow and freezing temps.  We stayed in a hotel in Grand Forks and got an early start for the border the next morning, April 4.

The Customs agent waived us through even though we were over our Tax Free allotment of $800 each.  We arrived at our friends place in Oakbank around noon and unloaded a few necessities and then brought the trailer to our RV Dealer for a few M&R items.  I dropped it off and told them we didn’t need it back till the beginning of August.  Big mistake but more on that in my next post. 

We headed back to Oakbank where we were staying with friends for a few days while we coordinated the possession date of our new house.  I’ll cover off some of our house adventures in my next post. 

But first a bit of a recap of Snowbird 2.  Our trip down took us through the usual states and then on to Arizona for some time at Camp Verde, Gold Canyon and Yuma.  It seemed that both the truck and the trailer couldn’t stay out of the shop and mechanical repairs totalled $1500-2,000.  Cost of doing business I suppose.  

From Yuma we headed west to San Diego and Anaheim where we were treated to the entertainment of our 3 grandsons as well as our son and daughter-in-law.  We had a great time trailing after them at Disney and Universal Studio.  Grandma and Grandpa were very tired after 7 days. 

From there it was on to Boulder City, NV and then Hurricane, UT before our trek home.  Overall it was 11,000 miles of travel which surprisingly was only 1,000 miles longer than our first trip 2 years earlier.  The total cost in US $ was $26,000 vs $25,000 on the previous trip.  Again I thought this trip would have cost us significantly more.  If you consider the Canadian $ cost it was more costly but that was due to the depressed Loonie.  One advantage this past year was we weren't maintaining a house back home so our fixed costs were pretty much zero.  We have averaged 11 mpg this time out vs. 10 mpg last trip, so pretty consistent.  We'll see what the new truck does.  

That’s the recap for Snowbird 2.  Next up our Summer of Trailer and House issues and the start of Snowbird 3. Not tonight though.  Its 9:25 and I'm bushed.  3 days of driving and fighting 50 mph winds have me tuckered out.  2 glassed of Merlot may have contributed. Time for bed.