Well, I’m happy to report that the trip to Billy Thibodeaux's Premiere RV yesterday was uneventful. Thank goodness! By 1:30 I was ensconced with full hookups under the repair area.
First thing this morning, Billy and a helper were up on the roof of the rig to figure out where to put the Winegard automatic DISH satellite receiver. At first they thought to put it up front, but that didn’t work out. In order to get the wiring to the entertainment center and TV, it was placed about halfway back. I put Emma in her crate because they were in and out of the rig so much. After a bit, I decided that it was probably best if Emma and I got the heck out of there and let them do their work.
Each time I’ve been at Billy’s in the last four years, I’ve made a trip down to Kaplan, LA. It’s sort of a pilgrimage to visit this unique Cajun Restaurant and Grocery pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. I always order a shrimp Po’ Boy and a root beer at Suire’s. It’s about the only time I drink pop. Of course I have the Po’ Boy ‘dressed’ with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo; hold the ketchup. Very tasty!
The surrounding countryside is a prime area for raising rice and crawfish. I saw both kinds of fields as I drove around, but I’m not sure what this farmer was doing. That tractor was sure kicking up a lot of dirt. Perhaps he was preparing the field for rice? I just don’t know.
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After lunch, on the way back to the rig, I spent some time in Rayne, LA. It’s known as frog city.
Lots of frog statues all over, and…
…murals on the sides of buildings.
When I got back to Billy’s, I pulled the rig out from under the roofing to check out the new DISH and how it worked. It worked like a charm, and I kind of regretted that I’d have to move back under the cover tonight. So, Billy maneuvered the rig to the full hookup site out in the back so I could put the DISH through it’s paces tonight. I think I’m going to like this upgrade to my rig. Tomorrow they’re going to install a couple of switches so I can still use the portable dish I have in case I’m under tree cover in my travels. Most of the refuges I stay at for extended periods have pretty open sites for volunteers, so it will make my life a little easier. It’s a wonder just to watch this dish scan the skies until it locks in at the exact right spot for outstanding reception. I’m happy as a clam!
Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy
WOO HOO! WHAT A GREAT COMFORT FOR YOU..AND YOU WELL DESERVE IT!!
ReplyDeleteWe have the Winegard carry out dome for our satellite. Little bit leery having one mounted for the reason you mentioned. Sounds like you have all angle's covered now.
ReplyDeleteYes!! A non-eventful travel day. And a self scanning dish. All the comforts of home.
ReplyDeleteALL RIGHT! So far my prediction for a great trip no problems is panning out. Love those frogs. What fun to live in that town.
ReplyDeleteThat repair place, and the trip to the grocery and diner all sounded so fun and interesting! I hope you like your antenna as much as I like mine. Glad your po boy was good!
ReplyDeleteYou were about 15 miles from my house when you were at Suire's. It's a good thing we don't go to Kaplan very often so we aren't tempted to pick up a plate lunch at Suire's. Their rice dressing is about the best.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell what kind of equipment the farmer was using. He might have been making drains getting ready to plant rice.
I like my satellite dome a lot. I didn't have the patience for the dish I had to aim. It only took a couple of trips with it and I ordered a portable automatic antenna for when there were too many trees for my roof top dome.
Things are finally going your way. New satellite dish sounds great.
ReplyDeleteGood deal. You will like just hitting the switch when you get to a campsite. It is especially nice when you are only staying one night.
ReplyDeleteFabulous to have the dish done. . .you will love it!
ReplyDeleteLoved the "frog" town. . .and although it's only 7AM. . .I really want a "po boy". . .LOL!
Safe travels,
Janice
ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing.blogspot.com
Congratulations on the Dish install--you'll love it! What interesting little towns...Frog City & a restaurant run by police! Hahaha! I've never seen so many police cars in front of--well, anyplace!!
ReplyDeleteApril 23, 2014
ReplyDeleteWe purchased ours in the fall of 2011 and at that time I had set a ground dish in one hundred and thirty-four places. A couple of those were over two hours to obtain a signal most as quick as twenty-five minutes. Ido love pushing the power button long enough for the display to indicate connecting to satellite and when we leave pushing the power button and seeing the powering off message. Note the window will go dark at times of power interruption (loss of power to the rig) the dish dose not move. To stow the dish, press power switch and the power on message is displayed, then press again right a way and get the power off message. Now that is all there is to due for all operations. For us there have been two signal issues, one was tall trees to “look thru” and another where we needed to move up in the camp site to get a signal.
George
http://busterstravelsgeo-bon.blogspot.com
Yippee--I think if we had satellite I would suggest the cowboy go the automatic route. We used to have satellite internet with a manual set up dish--easy sometimes, difficult others.
ReplyDeleteoh man I had the best Turtle Sauce Piquaint at Suire’s when we were there... They have a real good Shrimp Po Boy at the Village Cafe in Maurice as well...
ReplyDeleteI remember Rayne, LA.... especially the murals. Rana is a genus of frogs, so why not capitalize on the name? That po'boy sure sounds good... I'd probably have the oyster ... hold the ketchup. Looks like all those positive thoughts coming your way did the trick... all right!
ReplyDeleteHappy for you...we all need things that make life simpler.
ReplyDeleteHaven't been to Rayne for ages. But I sometimes pass trough it when going east or west just to enjoy the murals. (And I thought they had the frogs to report how much it rains there - rains 'em down, ) Used to play basketball against them when I lived in Kinder, LA. And that did look like a farmer building a dike used for the crawfish/rice fields.
ReplyDeleteGlad your new dish has worked out perfectly for you. Sometimes it's nice to spoil yourself a little. ;c)
ReplyDeleteGlad your new dish has worked out perfectly for you. Sometimes it's nice to spoil yourself a little. ;c)
ReplyDeleteGreat upgrade Judy! I just know you will enjoy the simple pleasure of pressing a button for instant (well almost instant) TV.
ReplyDeleteI like all those frogs!
ReplyDeleteCraig has chosen a new King Dome that is said to get HDTV because we have been in some terrible winds and also he is afraid he would drive off with the dish up. We will be getting ours installed in May. In time for Baseball.
ReplyDeleteThe new satellite dish should be a fantastic addition to your rig and make stopping and setting up your TV reception so incredibly easy. Thos Po-Boy sandwiches must be good to have all the police there - better than donuts I guess!
ReplyDeleteHope you really enjoy your new toy. All the comforts of home and you can move it wherever you want to go too.
ReplyDeleteWe have used the Winegard Travl'r on all 3 of our rigs. Can't beat it! It would have to be a hurricane force wind to tear the thing off, and most fold I know hand the keys to their rig on the door to the cabinet where the power control is ... that way you don't forget to stow it when you move! You can also get one of the bright orange tags to put on your steering wheel as a reminder. Do you have a Smart Phone?? There is an app for iPhones and other smart phones called "Dish Pointer". You can use it to determine the exact location of the satellites for your TV provider (usually Dish or DirecTv) BEFORE you get your rig all set and want to raise your satellite dish. Sometimes it is just a matter of pulling forward or backwards a few feet ... sometimes you need a different site. The folks in most campgrounds know which sites will work, and will tell you when you register. Good luck! My favorite part is being able to record the shows I want to watch so I can view them at my leisure with NO commercials!
ReplyDeleteDang you, Autocorrect! That should read "most FOLKS I know HANG the keys to their rig ..."
ReplyDeleteYour post somehow made me contemplate frog leg Po' Boy's, funny how the mind wanders? Happy to hear you're having such an uneventful journey so far!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you made it there with no issues. It's about time. You will love your satellite dish. It was the best thing we added ton our motorhome.
ReplyDeleteHappy safe travels. It was below freezing here last night. Drive slow, should be spring in MN in about a month. Or so.
ReplyDeleteWe have never gotten in to eating Po’ Boys. Too muc bread for us.
ReplyDeleteI would love to visit that area. I go crazy whenever a town has a statue theme.
We enjoyed a visit to Rayne this past winter. I great place to spend a few hours. After reading about how much you enjoy Po Boys, I had to try them while we were along the Gulf Shore this winter. I don't remember where I had them, but I had two and enjoyed them both very much. Safe travels as you head north. Take your time. It's still quite cold up here.
ReplyDeleteHaving a rooftop satellite will change your priorities when you're looking at sites :-)))) Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWe're temporarily camped out at a Forest Service bone yard where local L.E.O.'s come to pickup their OHV vehicles for dune patrols. An interesting comment from one of them, who always prefers a certain cafe in the nearest city: They look for places to eat where they can trust the food hasn't been altered ???? I never in my life thought about the idea that perhaps everyone in the world isn't happy with their local police force.
ReplyDeleteAdd-ons and changing coaches can cause big changes in the way one gets ready to hit the road.
ReplyDeleteIn our 2002 Winne I would often crank up the engine before bringing our slides in to let it start warming up, and then after retracting slides I'd dump the levelers and wait for the coach to air up from air tanks that had already been charged.
Our 2005 Holiday Rambler had interlocks preventing the slides from moving (in or out) when the engine is running, and we have 8 small airbags on the suspension instead of 4 larger. End result we can't let the air system begin charging until after the slides are retracted and then we have to wait (slightly) longer to air up the suspension. Little things you learn as you go....
Not sure where your antenna controls are, we had them in a front cabinet above the cockpit -- the controller had it's own blue 'on' light and was quite easy to see. Compared to a ribbon on the steering wheel or a tag from the antenna crank as we did with our old Winegard crackup it was a lot more reliable to see that pilot light.
Your mileage may vary.... :-)
Great upgrade, plus thanks for the tip on the po' boys, added to our list.
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