A day in the life…

Some readers of this blog may think that everyday for me is exciting.  Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not!  When I’m not traveling, or volunteering, or sight seeing, it’s usually pretty mundane.  Although, I must admit that there is generally something everyday to raise my eyebrows or make me wonder about this world.  The last 24 hours is a good example.  I’ll start with the time right after I published last night’s post.  (by the way, all of tonight’s photos are from last October’s visit to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge)
               (The dawn take off of sandhill cranes from their overnight roost in the lake)

As the post was published, there was a knock at my door.  Outside stood my next door (construction worker) neighbor.  He said he just wanted to check on me and see how the awning was working that he said he could fix (NOT!)  I’m sure you’ve all heard the terms sloshed, drunk, three sheets to the wind, in his cups!  Well that’s just what he was, and he wanted to get a little more familiar than I was interested in.  Disgusting!!  If you want hugs, go see your wife!  Ugh!
                                                    (Snow geese, en mass.)
Then I listened to a phone message that said to call the Sioux Falls Treasurer’s office, once again.  When I did that this morning, I found out that Universal Marine and RV had taken over 60 days to send the check for the title registration and plates for the RV, so I now had to pay a late fee fine to the tune of $228.04 before they would give me the plates.  And I only had one day to do it, or the whole process would have to be started all over again.  GRRRR!!  Color me really mad at Universal.  :(  So, of course, I paid the fine, and then shot off an email to Universal letting them know I expected full reimbursement for this late fee.  Some times it’s difficult to let the negativity roll off your back, and maintain a cool calm demeanor.  Deep breathing exercises help.  :)
                                             (A northern harrier hunting the fields)

After taking care of a glitch in my Auto/MH insurance over the phone, I headed 15 miles to Nampa, ID, to take care of a few errands.  Then I fixed an early dinner and headed out the door with Emma, and that’s when the eyebrow raising event occurred.
                       (When one of a pair of sandhills eats, the other keeps watch.)

As we walked along the perimeter, three big diesel pushers came in, each with a toad.  I’ll probably take a hit for my next statement, but here goes.  :)  You know folks who drive those diesel pushers never turn off their noisy fuming engines until they absolutely have to!  So, we got the noise pollution and smell for a good 45 minutes.  Is there some reason you can’t shut the engine down while you unhook your toad??  I always do.  Anyway, rig number two proceeded to unhook his toad, and as he did so, the motorhome took off on it’s own with no driver!  The campground manager was screaming bloody murder, and the husband began running after his rig.  Luckily he was able to jump inside and slam on the brakes before it careened into anything.  Here’s my two questions: wouldn’t it have been prevented if you turned off your motor and put the rig in park? and where was his wife at this time? busy painting her nails?  Egad!  I’m sure glad I was parked in the other row of rigs.

It appears that my souse of a neighbor has gone home for the weekend, thank goodness, and I’ll finish my ho-hum day with a little blog reading and some TV.  Sometimes it just makes you wonder about this world.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Hitch itch planning

I mentioned a day or so ago that I was feeling the first pangs of hitch itch.  That usually gets me into the planning stages of my next route, and today was no exception.  I guesstimated  that it's about 600 miles to Malheur NWR in Oregon, and I will have about three weeks to get there.  If you always have numbers going around in your head like I do, then you've figured out that it's an average of about 30 miles of travel a day.

Of course, since I have an appointment in Idaho Falls on August 9 to take my rig in for some issues, that will knock off at least 100 miles the first day.  I don't know how long those repairs are going to take, assuming they have any needed parts.  So, I'm kind of in a quandary.  :(  What to do??

After looking over my book of maps, and surfing the internet, I've decided that I definitely want to spend a few days visiting the Craters of the Moon National Monument.  It's not too far from Idaho Falls, so I thought I'd make some tentative reservations at a campground in Arco, ID.  It's only 18 miles from the Monument, and 66 miles from Idaho Falls.  I've just sent them an email since I can't call them, so we'll see what happens.  If I should have to wait for parts, I'd rather do it where I can be out and about seeing things rather than just waiting at the dealership.  I'm hoping this repair facility works at a faster pace than Universal RV and Marine in Rochester, MN!  I'll let you know.

It was another beautiful, but buggy, day in the neighborhood today.  Other than my rather lengthy planning session, I really didn't do much else today besides taking Emma on several long walks.  I've decided to try setting the alarm again for tomorrow morning (ugh) and venture out early into Yellowstone.  When I drove the motorhome through the park on June 6 from Cody, we didn't stop to see any of the sights along the way from the East entrance because we were on a mission to get to Red Rock.  My plans are to take that route to the East entrance tomorrow and take my time.  We'll see if I pay attention to the alarm or not.  :)

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

Life is a circus

Ladies and Gentlemen of all ages!!!  Welcome to the Judy and Emma (formerly known as Barnum and Bailey) Three Ring Circus!!

In the first ring, we have the incredible shrinking customer service of  Universal Marine and RV of Rochester, MN!  After numerous calls and inquiries, I have received not one message about my license plates or title after two months.  Luckily, a local super woman, and friend, has stepped up to do battle for me with this elusive enemy.  She will bug the crap out of them until this issue is resolved .  Watch out Universal, SJ3 has your number!

And in ring number 2, we have the astoundingly magical entry stairs with a mind of their own!  Even though the switch is set for the stairs to be constantly out on the rig, they have chosen to retract whenever the mood strikes them.  This provides lots of audience excitement as the owner steps out into space with her faithful dog behind her!  (It is a little hard on the heart of the owner  :))  Perhaps someone will give her a parachute!

And last, but not least, we have in ring number 3 an unusual wildlife (?) exhibition.  Picture this:  Emma is quietly enjoying the evening air on her lead tethered to the picnic table.  She suddenly starts barking, and her hair is on end!  I try to fly out of the motorhome to quiet her, but must cling to the hand rail at the top of the steps waiting for them to eject.  The cattle in the meadow begin making unusual noises.  As I finally grab Emma's lead, I notice a fox running through the meadow next to the fence.  I'm transported back to an old John Wayne movie as the cattle, in unison, begin a stampede!  Interesting thing is that they are chasing after the fox!  I'm sure that vixen made it back to her kits with another meal of ground squirrel, and the cattle went back to grazing.  Just another day in the life of a fulltime circus.  :)

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy

I have AC!

I feel pretty victorious about today.  It started off with the DISH network guy showing up to take care of the connections in the new rig.  My reception suddenly re-appeared last night so all he had to do was make sure that everything was attached correctly…it was.  You know, electronics are second nature to these young folks so I asked him to help me set up the remote controls to just use one instead of three.  It took him about 30 seconds to do that. (It would have taken me much more time if I ever did figure it out.  :()  Then he made sure I could jump from DISH to local channels through the antenna, and also use the DVD player.  He did this for both locations in the rig.  What a relief that was. 

Then I got a call that said the new thermostat part had come in  and I could bring in the rig this afternoon to have it installed.  Well, I asked if the RV tech could come out to me rather than it taking several hours to pack up once again and drive the 13 miles to them.  Eventually, he showed up, installed the new thermostat, and guess what?  It didn’t work!  :(   OMG, now what?  Jason, the tech, couldn’t understand it. He went through the whole rig, inside and out, checking everything electrical.  Still no AC.  Why would everything work at the dealer’s and not here?  We got the generator running, and the AC immediately began working.  He then checked the 30amp electrical outlet that Andy had installed for me on the side of his garage.  That outlet was installed by a well known electrical company in the area.  Well, they messed  up the installation, and that was the cause of the problems.  Jason, rewired the connection, and the AC came on!  I’m so happy that he came out here rather than me going in to the dealer’s!  Everything would have worked just fine there, and I would have had the same failure here once again.  Color me a happy camper.  :-)

So, everything is all set to go!  Halleluiah!!!  I will call my sister, Pam, tonight and let her know that I am good to go this weekend.  I’ll also call my daughter, Robyn, and wish her a happy birthday. 

I would like your input on a very minor issue I’m having in the bathroom.  :)  (hope this isn’t TMI)
This is the toilet paper holder.  Here’s the problem.  If you pull down on the tp roll, it tends to fly off of the holder onto the floor; unraveling all the way.  So what creative thing do you think I can put on the left end to keep the roll from falling off?  I don’t know why they just didn’t install a normal holder with one of those spring loaded thingies.  Ugh!  Ah, if life’s challenges were all this inconsequential.  It keeps you on your toes, though.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy 

My fall migration down the Mississippi Flyway

Believe it or not, my four-footed alarm clock decided to sleep in for the first time in her life! I was the first one to awaken and it was 7:26! So much for my plans to be on the road by 7:30 to get to Universal RV early. I blasted out of bed and was able to take Emma out for her duties, finish packing up, and made it to Rochester by 9:00. Phew...that was a challenge.

After dropping the RV off, I headed to PetCo to get a "furminator" for Emma. It is a tool for removing shedding and loose hair. The price was way more than I expected, but luckily, one of the employees showed me a similar model that she uses for grooming at PetCo and it was half the price.

Then it was off to get the car washed at my favorite place in Rochester. The Focus was really a mess after the gravel roads of Rice Lake. That completed, I still had time to kill while waiting for the levelers to be fixed. I decided to visit Golden Hill Education Center. That's where I was principal of the Alternative School before I retired. It was great to see all of the folks and the improvements that I had struggled so hard to implement. Many of those improvements have been put in place. While there, I got a call that the motorhome was ready, so I returned to Universal. Once I got all hooked up, again, and filled the gas tank, it was only noon, so I decided to head for Wisconsin.

I had decided on a Corps of Engineers Park along the Mississippi River as my eventual destination for the weekend, and since it was only noon, I thought I might be able to make it there today. After taking I-90 to La Cross, I ended up driving down Wisconsin route 35. It is a scenic two lane highway and is part of the Great River Road. And what a scenic highway it was. Fantastic views of the Mississippi River as you head south. All was well until I hit a detour. That detour resulted in an additional forty miles and an additional hour so that I didn't arrive at the Grant River COE campground until 5:30. I really saw more of "America's Dairyland" than I had planned on. ;)

Actually, it's a good thing I drove the whole way here today, as all of the non-reservable campsites are now full for the weekend. All of the reservable sites are booked for the weekend as well. What a surprise to find this campground so full at this time of the year.

I'll be staying here four nights, and hope to get some pictures tomorrow of the Great Mississippi. After speaking to my neighbor, I think I'll go to a local brewery for lunch tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Cooking out, plans, and repairs

This evening, I got a campfire burning so I could cook my dinner.

There's nothing like a good old American tube steak (aka: hot fog...Hebrew National of course) grilled over an open fire!

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Earlier in the day, I spent the afternoon planning my journey to and in Colorado. I'll be visiting Daniel and Crystal in Denver after my trip to Indiana to see Phoebe, my latest granddaughter.

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This morning, I noticed that the nuthatches, chickadees and goldfinches are not the only ones taking advantage of the seeds I've put out for them.

A cute little chipmunk has found the bonanza of seeds underneath the feeders. This, of course, drives Emma to distraction!

Here's an interesting group of mushrooms that I found growing in the campground. The black border around each shroom seems to drip down the stems. Don't know what kind they are, but mushrooms are one of my favorite things.

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Yesterday, I took the rig into Universal Marine and RV, in Rochester, to have some work done on it. They were able to get the water heater working using propane, but couldn't accomplish much more than that because of a lack of parts. I was having a problem with the levelers, and their solution was to take out the "brains" of the levelers. Of course, they didn't have the parts to fix the problem, so I was left with no usable levelers. That presented quite a problem for me since my site at Rice Lake is anything but level. I asked Swede for some help and boards when I got back to the park. Even with several boards on the starboard side, I'm not anywhere near level, but I can run the frig. That will have to do until they call me next week after they get the needed parts. The biggest issue with this problem is that although I filled the water tank, one half of it drained out before I could get set up due to the slope of the site. Grrrrrr...

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy