We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto

But we almost were thanks to another challenge this morning.  I had everything unhooked and packed up.  All that was left to do was pull in the slides and bring the levelers up.  After turning the engine on, the big slide in front went in like a charm and I locked it down.  Next was the smaller bedroom slide.  I pushed the retract button, and only one side of the slide began to move in, and I stopped it before things got all out of whack.  I hit the extend button and it went back out.  I tried it a few more times, but with the same results.  Ugh!  What next?  Okay, I took a deep breath and marched off to the office hoping someone would be there.  When I talked to the owner by phone late yesterday afternoon, he was on the road and returning from a funeral in Missouri.

After pounding on the office door, the owner opened it and I asked if he knew of any mobile RV repair people in the area.  He was very helpful and called a guy that had done some work in the park in the past.  After explaining the problem to him, the guy said he was busy today and couldn’t come out.  :(  After thinking for a moment, the owner suggested an RV place on the other side of Wichita, but said they would be more expensive…like I had any choice if I wanted to get out of here.  The RV place, whose name I can’t remember, sent out a technician, but let me know that it would be $100 to send him out, and then another $100 minimum to look at the   problem. 

While I was waiting, I called my extended warranty company for the third time in just over three weeks!  I’m thinking pretty soon they’ll recognize my voice.  :)  The repair tech got there within an hour and began looking at things.  In not too long of a time, he thought he had found the problem and began working with some wrenches underneath and inside the slide mechanism.  After a few more minutes, we tried it again, and viola! it worked!  The tech then  checked the seal around the slide both inside and out to see that it was seating properly.  He said it was perfect, and I would be fine.  I asked what caused it and he showed me where a bolt and washer had come loose and fallen off.  Luckily, they fell into one of the storage compartments.  That missing bolt meant only one side of the slide mechanism would turn to close the slide.  Thank goodness the fix was that easy.  I’m guessing that horrible washboard like dirt road I was on yesterday was the final culprit in jogging that bolt loose.  :(

To make an already long story just a little bit longer, the insurance would not cover any of the charges, and after putting out $250, I was on my way about two and a half hours later than I wanted to be.  At least I was on my way.  The owner of the RV park reassured me earlier that if I had to stay beyond the normal check out time, he would only charge me an additional $6 as long as I left by the early afternoon!  What?  It wasn’t like there were rigs just waiting to get into this place, and I wasn’t even plugged in to the electric!  So, do you think I stopped at the office as I left 30 minutes after check out time to pay up?  NOT!
After 150 miles on the road, I decided I’d had enough for today, and pulled into the Pioneer RV Park in Guthrie, OK.  I think I’m about 25 miles north of Oklahoma City which is not as far into OK as I’d originally planned, but I’m happy with at least making some progress.  :)
This appears to be an older RV park, but all the electric hook-ups are new.  How’s this for a mail box?  There are lots of old farming implements scattered around the park.
I guess this is where they got their name from.
They do have good wifi here, which is good, because I barely get a cell signal.
There’s a pleasant area with benches for relaxing, but as you can see…NO DOGS!  So Emma and I kept walking.  :)
I’m guessing this is some kind of old cultivator.  Don’t know if this was pulled by a mule or what…not having ever lived on a farm.
One of the amenities listed for this park is the panoramic view.  I’m not sure it’s exactly panoramic, but it is a view if you walk to the end of the RV rows.  :)

The forecast for the next few days is not too good, and there’s the possibility of severe storms after midnight and tomorrow morning.  I’ll have to see whether or not I’ll be moving on tomorrow morning. 

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

Getting ready

Ok, so I made a list and worked on checking several things off as done today.  It’s not very exciting, I’m afraid.  So, this evening I decided to take a little drive to get some milk and check out the Island Park Dam to see what was around.  I’m still hoping to see a moose one of these days.
I drove through a pretty heavy rainstorm to get there.  I’m thinking that all these cormorants and pelicans were drying off their feathers after the downpour.  Some of these islands weren’t visible about a month ago when the water was higher.
 Along the shoreline was an osprey standing in the water.  I’m not sure what he was doing there.  When he flew off, he didn’t have a fish in his talons.
This poor great blue heron was really working away on feather maintenance.

As if getting everything done on my list for getting ready to leave wasn’t enough, another little issue cropped up last night.  As I was putting away the dishes, the top of one of my kitchen cabinets came undone.  The top hinge came loose, and the screws went flying.  I still have to track down one of the screws.  I thought I’d have to go to West Yellowstone to get some wood putty, but Jim, next door, suggested  this evening that I just plug the stripped holes with toothpicks and put the screws back in.  I’ll give that a whirl tomorrow.  :)

My friends, Gordon and Juanita Pierce, are staying at Red Rock all season, and Gordon reported in his blog that the biting insects have departed.  Ha!  He needs to come over to my side of the park and give a little blood!  They are still here!  :(

Well, that’s the Red Rock Review for today.

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

One last campfire

Well, I finally heard from Universal RV, and about half of the ordered parts have come in. I will be leaving Rice Lake SP early tomorrow morning to head over to get the levelers fixed and the propane gas alarm replaced. What won't get fixed is the dead bolt lock on the door and the bottom door panel....parts are on back order. (so what else is new?)



After going to Owatonna to do the laundry this afternoon, I continued my pack-up ritual when I got back. I stowed the DISH and managed to get everything else put away after enjoying my last campfire at Rice Lake. The birds were a little confused after I stowed all the bird feeders, but it's time for those hummingbirds to move south anyway. The nuthatches and chickadees will get along, and the raccoon that has been messing around with Emma's water bowl every night will have to find a new source.



Yesterday, I was reading a spring copy of the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine and read an article about how Minnesota is beginning a five year effort to conduct a breeding bird atlas and is looking for volunteers. I helped with the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas in the late eighties, and as you know, birds are my "thing". So, I gave the coordinator a call yesterday afternoon and left a message about my interest and experience. Today, while I was at the laundromat, I got a call back. The coordinator called me and was thrilled that I would be interested in covering areas where there are few volunteers. I'm excited about this opportunity. After all, I've got wheels and can go where I'm needed. She'll be sending me a map of the areas that need coverage and I'm thinking either northwest MN (where I've never been) or maybe the northeast. I do love the Gunflint Trail region of the state. I'm pretty sure I'll have to foot the bill for the campgrounds, but with my newly acquired "senior pass", I'm hoping to take advantage of the national forest campgrounds at half price. Besides, birding is what I love to do, and how cool will it be for me to investigate the back roads and byways hunting documentation of breeding!



I'd better sign off for now and get busy packing up my trucker's antennae and 12' pole. I've got to arise before dawn and get on the road.......



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