Monte Ne RV Park, Rogers AR, Day 2 Friday 07/26/2022

I had a sleepless night caused by the anxieties of the trip and damaging both vehicles and finally crawled out around 9:30 am. We strolled around the park which has a series of interconnecting roads that crisscross and encircle the many permanently parked RV’s. It is hilly and the walks are both up and down some pretty steep inclines. The main roads are paved so walking is easy. The entire park is surrounded by forest and there is a stream at the bottom but as far as I can see, no trails leading down. Back in Quatro, I made us breakfast. Mine was eaten by me and the dogs ignored theirs. Funny, but as I age, food is just a necessity and not really something to be enjoyed. Now, that first cup of coffee, a whole different story. 

I sat and wrote for a while to catch up and then decided to bite the bullet and get down to contacting Good Sam, the insurance company that I just changes to less than 3 weeks ago. They are going to love me and probably, my rates will go up. I got all my information together in one place, hopefully and dialed the number and then spent the next hour and half on the phone talking to different Reps. We collectively, got it all sorted out and they have the claims and are working on them. It took a while for them to understand that there are two claims both involved in the accident, one for the RV and the other for the Jeep. Now all I can do is wait for instructions as I will have to drive the RV to the nearest RV Shop to get it inspected and the damage assessed. The shop is about 6 miles away so not too bad. 

By the time this was all over, it was time to go out to the office both to pay my fees and check for mail. They have a different system for mail as it is kept in a small building outside of the main office and you go in and find your own. Mine was not there so maybe more problems. Incidentally, the office was closed for the day at 4:00 pm so it will have to wait until tomorrow. 

We went out for another walk around the park and managed to cover 1.5 miles for the day. It is much nicer walking with so many trees and so much shade although the terrain is bit challenging. Still, all good for the cardio and that is why we walk as well as exercising the dogs. Back at Quatro, I messed around and unloaded the wicker couch and the large mat from the Jeep and set them up outside of the RV, but the sun shone on them, so we sat in the folding chair in the shade for a while before adjourning back inside for the usual evening meal and entertainment. Incidentally, the TV has good reception here. 

Written 08/26/2022. Read my other blogs at https://pondblog2011.com 

Monte Ne RV Park, Rogers AR, Day 3 Saturday 07/27/2022

We crawled out at the usual time and then went out walking the roads, mostly in the shade. What is great about this park is that it does have plenty of shade. Lots of tall trees covered in foliage. We wandered around before returning to Quatro. Instead, of at once making breakfast, I chose a break from the norm and went out to do some work on the Jeep trying to make sure that the damage does not impede the steering or that the tire does not rub against the frame. Incidentally, the warnings are going nuts telling me the hood is open and that one of the tires is low on pressure and a couple of other things. There is nothing I can do for the hood as it is closed but bent and I checked the tire pressures all around and they are OK. I tried to raise the body as the Jeep is designed to do for rough terrain, but it does not work now either. Pity as this would have given me more tire clearance. Satisfied that it was as good as it will get until it is repaired, I drove to the office to pay for my Reservations and managed to negotiate a bit longer for a total of two weeks stay. Depending on how the Insurance claim goes, I can probably get to stay longer if needed. If I do go forward with the body repairs to Quatro, I will need to stay in a Motel but for how long is the question. I am hoping that if I can find a repair shop for the Jeep, I can rent a car for local transport. I’m thinking that I will probably need to be closer to a larger city for both repairs to happen. 

I drove back to Quatro but before that, took the road leading to the lake which, incidentally, is extremely rough and pot holy. There was not a lot to see so I drove back to Quatro and parked the car. I realized that I had forgotten to ask about the mail I was expecting and called the Office and was answered by Kinsey. When I inquired, she said she would get back to me which she did by delivering the mail to my door. I thanked her profusely and she went on her way. Most of the mail was junk except for two letters from Good Sam with my insurance cards which I had been waiting for. 

Finally, we got around to breakfast and coffee before settling down in front of the computer. I had taken a whole bunch of pictures on our walk around and spent time in getting them ready for print enlarging the ones of the vehicle damage for a better view. I posted the blog, so it is up to date remembering that because this is the weekend, Saturday and Sunday are posted together to prevent the actual blogs getting too far behind. If I really need to bring the posting dates closer, then I double up and post Friday/Saturday and Sunday/Monday as two separate blogs. I can easily spend several hours a day writing and posting pictures. More if I need to work on the pictures in Lightroom. 

I did some research to find the nearest Jeep dealership with a view to getting an estimate to repair mine. I can live with the damage to Quatro as it does not affect anything except appearances, but the Jeep is a different story. I worry that the tire will rub on the frame and cause a blowout and the right front light no longer works. Luckily, the turn signals work, sort of. I found a dealership that is 9 miles away so maybe I will take a drive this coming week. 

I also worked on RV Trip Wizard to see if there are any other RV Parks within this area but could not find one that is close which does not help in my planning. More on this, later. 

We went out for another walk and altogether covered 1.5 miles around the park and mostly in the shade. I need the exercise more than the dogs given how young they are at least, compared to me, 86 years versus 30 or so for them in human terms. Several of the campers were outside either sitting and talking or cooking and eating their meals and the aroma of cooking food filled the air. I am not much of one for preparing my meals outside probably because I am not a big meat eater although many vegetables can be cooked on the grill. Still, it is a lot of work for just one person. When I sit outside, it is usually with a cold drink and listening to an Audiobook story. 

We adjourned back inside of Quatro for the rest of the evening, and I fed all of us before settling down to watch a couple of English Premier League Football games. It is a little frustrating watching recorded games as in most cases, the score has already been posted elsewhere and there is no way of avoiding the already posted results. Still, that does not stop me from enjoying the superb skills that many of these players have with a ball at their feet and the magic they weave as the ball is passed from one to the other. Football, with a round ball, does not usually end in big scores and many games end 0-0, a tie with no extra time for a winner. There is no play until a result unless it is a cup game or something similar that must have a winner for the competition to progress to the next round. Regular league games end as the score shows at the end of 90 minutes. Many Americans find the game boring mostly for the above reasons and that you can only challenge the other players in a strictly controlled way, with the feet. It is just not violent enough for many of them to watch. Maybe because I not only played until I was 72, I also coached both Adults and kids and in my earlier years, was a top-class Referee which makes me a little biased as I understand the subtleties of the game. 

Written 08/28/2022. Read my other blogs at https://pondblog2011.com