.

.
Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, October 21, 2013

Found a gem, and had an embarrassing moment

When I battled the winds, and came off of the highway on Saturday, little did I know that Sunday would be even worse.  I wasn’t about to attempt to drive the rig anywhere.  Holy buckets!  I’m surprised that Emma has any hair left on her, and that I wasn’t stripped of any apparel as I took her out for her walks.  Needless to say, we stayed another day within spitting distance of I-29.

It was 28* when I got up this morning, but the winds had pretty much calmed.  Time to head out!  I had chosen a destination a little over 200 miles south in Nebraska City, NE.  I-29 hugs the western border of Iowa, and ten miles before the Missouri state line, I snuck four miles west into Nebraska.

IMG_0457

I found Victorian Acres on the RV Park Reviews site, and decided to give it a try.  It had nice ratings, but you never know about those.  What a gem it turned out to be.  I paid $31.45 for a full hookup site with 50 amps, but it’s 100 times better than the KOA that I stayed at in Sioux City for $47 in the spring on the way up to Tamarac. 

IMG_0460

I have a large pull-through site, the owners are super friendly, and I was led to my site.  I always appreciate that.  After getting set up, the owner returned to chat a bit about my rig and the Ford Focus toad.  During the conversation, he noticed that I had a rear engine and a heat pump (part of the residential central heating and air conditioning unit).  He then politely suggested I might want to clean the fins on the heat pump thingy.  Eek!  How embarrassing.  I had noticed that the heat pump was switching over to propane lately before I thought it was cold enough out to warrant that.  I just never made the connection.  I do try to keep the fins clean, but my only excuse is that I’ve been so upset about the fridge crap, that it has slipped my mind.

You can bet that I was out there shortly afterwards to get that little square black area under the back slide cleaned out with my handy whiskbroom.  Amongst the pine needles, pollen, and dust, I also dislodged about three dozen of those nasty Asian beetles.  Confused smile  Shame on me for waiting so long to do this.  I was thrilled to notice that within minutes, the heating switched back to the heat pump rather than the propane furnace. 

74 On the way to Bayou Cocodrie 2013

Emma and I went on a leisurely walk around the campground this afternoon, and really enjoyed all of the fall decorations and plantings throughout the park.  This is really a pleasant place to stay, and I’ll be sure to stop here again on my way north next spring.

After our walk, I checked the weather for tomorrow, and it looks like another ‘Alberta Clipper’ is due to hit overnight.  That means the forecast calls for winds in the 20-30 mph range again tomorrow.  Nuts!  That gave me the incentive to investigate what I might like to see in the area while I once again wait for the winds to abate.  It turns out that the Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Interpretive Trail and Visitor Center run by the National Park Service is near by.  Seems like I should take advantage of a visit there. 

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m retired.  If I want to stay another day to visit things in the area, I’m going to do it.  I had already told the folks at Bayou Cocodrie NWR in Louisiana that it would probably take me two weeks to get there.  I’m old, and travel slowly.  Winking smile

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

26 comments:

  1. That wind is a killer. And I know what you mean about reminding ourselves that we are retired and can hold out a day or two - :-). I admire you for doing all that driving in the wind. Safe travels. Diane

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your site is huge.

    I think the manager there was very thoughtful to mention the cleaning. Glad it did the trick.

    I am with you...be safe than sorry. Don't let those winds get you in trouble.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hate driving the motorhome in the wind. It's just like a big old sailboat!

    Glad you got another maintenance item done. There's always something needs doing with a motorhome. Almost gotta have a computer to keep track of things. :-)

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sometimes we really do have to remind ourselves that we are retired and can take our time. I think I did better on this last trip of mine, although it might not have seemed so. I had more days under 200 miles than ever before, and some even under 100! It is the only way I will travel from now on. Have a good time if you go sightseeing tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are edging south! You need to start a service/reminder manual for all the little things that sometimes get overlooked. Looks like a great place to rest a couple of days:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rest is good. You've had a stressful few weeks. Plus there's cool stuff to see on your way down to the next job....so enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The National Park Service Visitor Center sounds like a great thing to visit while you wait out those winds. Slow move south sounds great to me.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'd say you're a wise and safe traveler. Nothing is worth risking your life over. Travel as slowly as you need to in order to get there safely, and enjoy the sights along the way.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Absolutely take your time and enjoy the trip! That's supposed to be what retirement is all about :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. So glad you decided to sit out the wind. That's how we travel. 150 to 200 miles a day (hopefully less) and no wind. And how wonderful that he reminded you about cleaning the fin. Have fun while you're there and hopefully Emma and you can keep your clothes on tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looks like I better go find my heat fin thingy and give it a clean. Thanks for the reminder.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh Boy!! I would love anything connected to Lewis and Clark...What an adventure they must have had on that journey...Yep, we are retired..No hurry for anything..Stop and soak up some history.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I continue to be amazed that you travel alone! I don't think I could do it--I could travel alone by plane or boat and I've driven cross country in a car alone but RVing alone--not sure I could do that! Enjoy your enforced visit and let's hope the winds stop soon or it will take you four weeks to get to your destination!

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's nice to see you still have green grass. That's a good sign I guess. I hope you enjoy your enforced stay there and get on the road with good weather.

    I guess your heating unit is different from ours, but it's made me wonder if we have the same thing that needs to be cleaned.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sounds like you've found a great place to hang out if the winds are too strong to travel. Nice of the owner to point out the fins on your rig too. Every little bit helps.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I hate wind when driving too. My Fleetwood Flair is only 25 feet long and it rocks and feels like it would swerve right off the road if I didn't have a death grip on the steering wheel. That's not a relaxed way to go - much better to sit it out, inside, with a good book and Emma to keep you company.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The best part of this lifestyle is being able to stay longer if we like a place. That's why we hate to make reservations. Of course, since you are a "working" retiree you have obligations!

    ReplyDelete
  18. that park looks great. . .bookmarked it, as Nebraska is on our plans for next summer, Lord willing. . .

    how wonderful to get a great suggestion about cleaning the fins. . .so nice of him to notice and mention it!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I drove 37 miles today. I was too tired and it was too windy to keep going. I also had to remind myself I'm not on a schedule here. I don't even have a next volunteer assignment to get to. And it's warm enough that I have a vent open and a window cracked today! So I'm stopping here for at least two nights; then we'll see what the wind is doing.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm surprised with all that wind you had to clean anything out! You'd have thought that you'd be worried about your paint being blown off your motorhome and yet that dust hung on the fins. Something is wrong with some law of physics, I'm sure! ;c)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for the tip.....will have to check out our fins. The nights are getting a lot colder here...it will be down to 38*F on Saturday.

    Enjoy your visit there...what a nice place to park!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I've never had a heat pump in my RV heating system. I would never have remembered to clean the fins!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Looks like a pretty nice place. We avoid KOA like the plague!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Its great when you find a park, gem,. Another great post.

    ReplyDelete
  25. We have to keep reminding ourselves that we are retired. We don't have to push. We can stop and smell the roses (or check out the sights). It's hard to move beyond the world of schedules, deadlines and keeping busy.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Looks like a nice park, added to our list.

    ReplyDelete