It rained a bit overnight but nothing to wake me up although, the grass was a bit damp on the mornings walk around the campground. The sky is overcast and nice and cool for walking. Makes a pleasant change from the oppressive heat.
We have nothing planned for the day which is a constant theme in my life, and I like it that way. I am perfectly content with the occasional trip into town for supplies and have no urge to eat out or go to any of the multitude of shows that are advertised. I lead a very dull and boring existence…I like to think of it as being settled and contented with my life.
I was having trouble connecting to the internet through my usual ATT Netgear unit and although it showed I had plenty of gigs, it kept on dropping the signal, I cussed a lot and then decided to try the local campground source and lo and behold, I am connected again. Unusual as my ATT set up has never failed me so far and it worked well when we first got here. It was sunny for the first couple of days so maybe the threatening weather has something to do with it. Oh well, as long as I am connected and can write who cares how. I worked on the latest blog and posted it along with a few pictures and am all caught up.
I sat around for a bit working on other things and reading the latest news although it is so depressing that I wonder about the state of this country or maybe it is just a few individuals who get themselves into the headlines with their outlandish views. I often wonder how and why they come up with some of this stuff although I suspect that the almighty dollar has a lot to do with it and they are parroting as directed by their various donors. There is very much wrong with the American system of elected official’s support networks when everything is governed by the amount of money raised by those same donors. They essentially are buying whatever it is they support through these same officials. I think, that if I had anything to say in this it would be for term limits and donor limits that every politician or elected official was bound by. It should be a Federal Law or added to the Constitution. Same thing for the Supreme Court, term limits, as they too are no longer impartial. OK, enough ranting for one day as nothing I say or do will make any difference and besides, my friend BJ will probably lecture me for this.
We went out for the final walk of the day and wandered around saying hello to any other campers that we met along the way. There was nothing unusual or different about this walk as it was the same as hundreds taken before. The only thing different is the location and the scenary.
Ozark Country Campgrounds, Branson, MO Day 6 Saturday 07/30/2022
We awoke to the sound of heavy rain which is sometimes soothing to listen to. Then I remembered that we must go out walking, rain or no rain as the dogs are into a routine and the first walk of the day is especially important for obvious reasons. I donned my Parka and put up the hood and we braved it outside. Actually, it was not unpleasant, and we covered a half mile or so around the campgrounds with Miss Sandy leading the way, me in the middle and Mikey somewhat reluctantly bringing up the rear. Back in the RV, I toweled them off to get the worst of the water off them and blocked the entrance to the bedroom otherwise, Sandy would make a beeline for the bed and commence to roll to dry herself. I suffered her dirty looks after explaining my reasoning, but I think she hates me.
I fixed breakfast for us all and I ate mine and enjoyed it. Sandy ate most of hers while Mikey did his usual thing of turning up his nose. The rain continued steadily, and it looks like a wet day. We have no outside plans, and I am quite content to write and listen to the rain which is forecast to last all day. It is also ideal weather to take a nap or maybe listen to a story on Audiobooks or, heaven forbid, even turn on the TV and watch a football (soccer) match.
The rain eased off late in the afternoon although there was still a light drizzle in the air. I found things to do to keep me busy and the time quickly passed. I even sat and listened to an Audiobook for a couple of hours before Sandy, with her constant bugging and appealing looks, got her way and we went out walking around the park. Even with all the rain we had, the grass was only just a little damp, and it only took a quick wipe to dry their feet when we got back.
The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way although we watched the very last episode of “In the Heat of the Night” with Carroll O’Connor. I really enjoyed that program and it gave an insight into the racial problems of the South just 20 years ago.
Up early and quickly out walking the dogs while it is still relatively cool. Not a lot in the way of shade but we walked around much of the campground dodging from one patch of shade that we could find to the next and managed to explore quite a bit more of the grounds. Two families of campers were loading their trucks to go out for the day, packing swim gear and coolers. A couple of others that were here yesterday, have already moved on. I still have neighbors on both sides. We have no plans although I may take that trip to Walmart’s later today.
I sat and answered the few emails that warranted an answer before turning to the blog posting the latest episode after adding pictures. I had taken quite a few pictures as we walked around yesterday so I spent time in uploading them into Lightroom to work on them a bit. Then they go into the corresponding campground file for later use, or not. With the blog up to date, I decided that I would take that drive into Walmart’s and stock up on groceries and as my wine supply was also getting low, add a few bottles to it. Assuming that we are not in a dry county.
The drive into the small town of Branson was interesting and I followed the GPS to find the way. With all the twists and turns and changing roads, I would have been lost in the first 10 minutes. The roads in the town were also twisty and winding and I missed a couple of turns because of it but I eventually arrived at Walmart’s. This is one of the humongous stores and I covered well over a mile walking the aisles. I found everything I wanted and quite naturally, a few extra items and my bill came to $264.00 for the basics plus I stocked up on wine, just in case. Incidentally, this store also sells liquor, lots of liquor of all distinct kinds. First Walmart’s I have been in that does that. I stuck to the wine as that I can handle…I did purchase a couple of RV and other items which helped to push up the bill.
I left the Walmart’s and had my phone locate a Starbucks but again, even following the directions, I was unable to find it. After a couple of attempts, I deemed that a Latte was not in my immediate future and set the car’s map system to find the way home which was an uneventful trip albeit like riding a switchback.
Branson is an interesting but to my mind, a strange small town. It is jam packed full of entertainment of all kinds with lots of theatres and theme parks almost next door to each other. A lot of the shows are of entertainers from a few years ago, like Elvis Presley and such. They must have actors who specialize in playing those parts. Branson would be a wonderful place to take pictures as it has many strange structures, but the traffic is busy, and it would be difficult to hop from place to place. The whole town is one big showcase and quite obviously, tourism is the primary business along with all that goes with it like hotels and motels and lots of eating places. I cannot wait to go back again to see more.
We arrived back at the RV just in time to get the groceries unloaded before it came on to rain. I covered the wicker couch with its rain cover even though it is set up under the canopy. If the wind gets up, I will have to bring the canopy in, so it does not get damaged. Another camper has pulled in two campers away and just got it levelled before it came pouring down, lucky him.
I sat and wrote for a while listening to the rain as it poured down. Luckily, there was not much wind, but I brought in the canopy anyway, just in case. The rain eased off an hour or so later and we went out for the evening walk as the dogs had been giving me “the look” which meant they had to go. We wandered around trying to stay on the gravel and not on the grass except Sandy kept having different ideas and pulled us to wherever she wanted to go. Surprising how strong she is for a little dog although I do not resist too much. I had to dry them off before they could get back into the RV.
We got up earlier than usual as it was travel day and I wanted to be out of the park by 10:00 am if possible. We went out for the final walk at this campground before having a quick breakfast and coffee. My next-door neighbors were also getting ready to move on and I resisted the urge to turn it into another contest. This time, it would be breaking camp instead of setting up, so I ended up waiting for them to drive out because I needed to back up onto the road and hook up the Jeep which would interfere with their arrangements. This time, the Jeep cooperated, and it went well, for a change.
I drove back into town to gas up at the Walmart’s gas pumps and paid $4.04 a gallon for 59 gallons of gas for a total of $239.00. Good for maybe 400 miles if I am lucky although with the mountainous trip ahead, probably not. I had to do a bit of driving finagling to get out of the gas station and get back on the road, but I managed it. Some of the turns were too tight for the RV which does not have a good turning radius not helped by the Jeep behind. Back on the main road, we settled in for at least 4.5 hours of driving on totally unknown roads.
We had a 125-mile trip ahead of us and we are in the Ozarks which means a lot of ups and downs and twists and turns and that is exactly what it turned out to be for the first 80 or so miles. The RV Trip Wizard had forecast a time of about 4.5 hours which seems a long time for 125 miles but when taken into consideration that the first 80 miles were in the mountains, their time was accurate almost to the minute when we finally pulled into the park. There was nothing unusual about the drive apart from the mountainous terrain and Quatro handled very well. We sometimes had a caravan of cars behind us and whenever possible, I would either slow down or pull over so they could pass. The scenery was spectacular with tall trees most of the way.
The last 30 or so miles, the countryside opened up and levelled off with fields and Ranches although not much in the way of cattle. The trip wizard had done an excellent job of getting us there and just a couple of miles and as we were almost at the park, the darn thing shut off and I missed the turn and had to keep driving. I found a place to turn back around in construction companies’ huge yard and after re-setting the iPad back to the trip wizard program, drove back to the Campground having to negotiate a really tight hairpin to get into the park.
I checked into the office and the receptionist gave me a choice of two sites. I paid my bill opting for the monthly rate as it was cheaper, and it came to $590.00. Maybe, I might even stay the month…With directions in hand, I made the big loop and located the choice of sites ending up in Site 9 which had more shade. It is just long enough for the RV with room to park the Jeep alongside. This time, I was not in a competition to set up as before although a 5th wheel pulled into the lot right next to me. I took my time and set up at my own speed. Luckily, the site is pretty level, and I did not have to do any blocking other than to chock the wheels. This time, because we have a two week stay, I unloaded the wicker couch from the Jeep along with the floor mats and set us all up to be comfortable outside. It was hot and the sweat ran off me in torrents, but I stuck with it and even sat awhile outside in the shade with a soft drink after taking the dogs for a short walk.
We eventually retired back inside waiting for it to cool down before taking a longer walk. The park is busy and while we were setting up, a couple more RVs pulled in along our row including another Class A. Not as pretty as Quatro, though. Another couple more pulled out. When I was chatting to the receptionist, she told me that they had not been terribly busy this season, but it had picked up a little this week. This surprised me as in my research and planning, I had come across several campgrounds that had no vacancies.
We retired for the evening, and I was pleased to notice that the sun is behind us most of the time which is a good thing because of our large front windows, and we are in the shade from the trees behind us. The next test was to turn on the TV and see what sort of reception that we have and what channels we can get. Turns out, we were very lucky and our combination of the Netgear unit with the ATT service works just fine. We ended the evening in the usual way of the evening meal and a glass of cheap wine watching “In the Heat of Night” with Carrol O’Connor. He has that Southern accent down to a tee.
Ozark Country Campgrounds, Branson, MO. Day 2 Tuesday – 07/25/2022
We slept well probably because of the stress of driving up and down the mountains and all that goes with setting up the RV at a new campsite. We got up to take the first walk of the day staying in the shade along our road. When we got back, I took a long cold shower which felt so good after yesterday’s exertions before fixing breakfast which of course, both dogs ignored as it did not have any chicken, sprinkled on the top. The chicken is reserved for the evening meal. There is not much shade to walk in and we are restricted to wandering along our row of RV’s at least, in the morning. It is better in the evening walk when the shadows are much longer, and I try to leave it late to do the walking.
As usual, after a driving day, we have nothing planned. The nearest Walmart’s is only a couple of miles away and that can wait for a bit. I sat down and caught up on the blogs and checked with the front office to see if one of my packages had arrived, which it had. I drove over to pick it up and it is a collection of 3 waterproof bags in assorted colors that I had ordered from Prime (who else). I will use them when we are travelling. The red one will hold the power cord, the yellow one will hold the freshwater hose and the black one, for obvious reasons, the sewer hose. Currently, the black hose is in a large plastic bag, which does the trick but is rapidly wearing out. The fresh water and power chord are just coiled up inside their compartments. This way, they will be easy to spot when I am hooking up and then when we are travelling, will be compactly and neatly, stored.
I returned to Quatro and continued to write and to work on the pictures I have taken so far. Not too many yet and I will keep working on more as we walk around. The temperature has gone nuts and it is 104 degrees and with the humidity, 108 degrees. No one in their right mind goes outside unless out of necessity, like walking dogs…It is supposed to cool down, relatively speaking to the high 90’s tomorrow and for the rest of the week with a chance of rain. I will believe that when I see it. I might even dance outside in it, naked. Well maybe not as that would be a site enough to turn everyone’s stomach. A naked 86-year-old man, dancing in the rain and the first things would be the nuthouse wagon, guaranteed.
We went out for another walk later in the day and by then, the shadows had lengthened considerably giving us a much larger selection of where we could walk. We explored more of the campground and discovered other places to get our exercise. Back in Quatro, we did our usual evening thing of food, wine, and television.
We took our usual walk and then ate breakfast. I prepared a special one for the dogs which they gobbled down. I have concluded that they just do not like canned Dog food as they ignored it last evening as well even to the point of not eating the added chicken that I put on the top. So, no more canned food? What can I feed them instead? More problems to worry about.
I sat down to write to stay caught up as tomorrow will be a busy day for us with the next trip. There will not be time to dawdle over the blog as I do on most days. I sat and thought about what needed to be done and what I could do at once. Putting on my outdoor shoes, I went out and did things like putting the outdoor chair into its bag and folding the outdoor mats that I have under the entry steps. I stored these in one of the compartments along with the folding trash bag. On the back side, the dirty business side if you like, I emptied the tanks and disconnected and stored the sewer hose. Anything left in the tanks when we travel is a good thing as it sloshes around freeing up any pyramids of you know what, that may have built up. This is as much as I can do today. Tomorrow, I will put in the slides and disconnect the water and power chords. Finally, I will lower the jacks and then pull forward so that I can hook up the Jeep which is the longest in time of all the chores.
The first stop will be at the Walmart’s gas pumps to fill up Quatro before we hit the road. Gas prices have dropped considerably and, on the way up, I saw it as low as $3.78 a gallon, although Walmart’s is advertised as $4.07. Still, it is getting better.
I sat for a while before taking the dogs out walking again. While we were outside, we ran into the owner and stopped to chat to her for a while. She is a very nice lady and offered me a place to stay if we are ever back in the area. I thanked her and we moved on wandering around for a bit before returning to the RV. She told me that my neighbors are also moving out tomorrow so it will be interesting to see how we manage that. Luckily, they are facing in the opposite direction and will pull out of a different entrance.
With nothing left as far as departure preparations that I can do, we adjourned back to the A/C although it has cooled own by a couple of degrees. I sat around and wrote a couple of poems to pass the time and it seems that for some reason, this has been the longest day. A couple of hours later and Sandy was giving me the look, so we harnessed up and went out yet again. That little girl is insatiable. We never got the promised rain…
I thought about the life at hand just me and my two little dogs travelling in my RV whatever direction that we see.
We plan the trips and hope to find campgrounds where we like to stay a week at a a time and maybe more travelling the roads along the way
We have started to go to different states and currently in Arkansas with whatever time is left to me hope that they leave me in awe.
We are up in the mountains a beautiful sight with trees and forest along the way but I guess we are closer to the sun as the temperature is a hundred and one.
Our next move to a different park is still in this beautiful State and maybe it will cooler be with more trees the shade to make
The driving of my very big rig is an experience in this State up and down the mountainous hills hoping to the bottom we make.
Or maybe it is to the top with the engine roaring as it drives pulling along a lot of weight with everything I own packed inside.
Towing a Jeep to run around when we are parked for a while shopping at Walmart’s and other stores groceries and such and maybe more.
And if a Starbuck’s close at hand to finish of these wondrous days as they are few and far between as I have changed so much in my ways
Tomorrow I will go into town and see just what may be there apart from Walmart’s that I know maybe a Barber’s so they can cut my hair
I will end this silly rhyme as it gets worse the more I write that is what happens when you have the time with nothing pressing or in sight.
We went out for our mornings walk and the first thing that I noticed is that the new neighbors with the Class B van have already packed up and left. Much different than me as I like to stay in a park for a few days and usually a week or more at a time. Then again, my set up and break down takes a lot longer than theirs as all they had to do was hookup the boat and of course, their Class B van is much easier to drive than Quatro.
We continued our walk and lo and behold, Mikey did his thing and we both made a big fuss of him. Well, at least I did with Sandy looking at him as if to say, “what is so special about going to poop”? Still, it made me feel a lot better as I was worried that his lack of going to the bathroom was a warning sign that something might be wrong with him.
Back at Quatro, we sat outside in the shade for a while enjoying the morning. This is a very quiet and peaceful park and as far as I can tell, me and my neighbors on both sides are the only visitors. All the other campers are permanent residents plus the people in the cabins. Back inside, we ate breakfast before settling down in front of the computer. I wonder what I would do for entertainment when computing was in its infancy, if this was say, 20 years ago and our life was as it is today. Then again, I would be 20 years younger and a lot fitter than I am now and would probably be hiking every day. Heck, I was still playing football of the English variety with a round ball, 20 years ago, kicking and getting kicked by my friends and the others who wanted a piece of me. Can’t dwell in the past and must live for today and hope there are a lot more tomorrows.
I decided to go into town just to take a look and I am glad that I did. This is an old town and was incorporated in 1890. From the look of the buildings, not much has changed on the Main Street and City Square at least construction wise. I walked around for a bit taking pictures and then drove out of town on the road that we will be taking. It leads up a mountain but hopefully, will not have as many hairpin bends and as twisty as the last one.
When I got back, I harnessed up the dogs for a short walk as it was way too hot to stay outside. Then I worked on the pictures that I took of the town and will incorporate them into the blog. This is a very nice part of the country with the mountains that do not tower as one would imagine but look like tall hills covered in trees and forests. Very beautiful.
Later on, we took a longer walk as it had cooled down by a couple of degrees and then sat outside watching the world go by. Maybe that should read, hoping something passes by. We were in luck as my next-door neighbor took his baby who is just starting to walk well, and his dog and they wandered around the park giving us something to watch. The occasional car drove either out or in with the drivers giving us a wave as they passed. The people are friendly enough and when we meet them, usually stop to talk although in one case, I could hardly understand anything the old guy was saying.
Back inside of Quatro, I fixed the dogs their evening meal before attending to myself and we finished the day in the usual fashion.
Mountain View RV Park, Mountain View AK – Saturday Day 6 07/23/2022
The Mountains beyond the city.
I crawled out of bed and hit the shower which incidentally, cycles between hot and cold with me reaching for the knobs to make rapid adjustments. At least, the cold part wakes me up. We went out and walked for a bit and the walk was nothing out of the ordinary. Basically, a slow stroll around with the dogs alternating in peeing and smelling the roses. Back inside of the RV, I prepared breakfast but both dogs ignored what I put in front of them so I can only assume that they either do not like the stuff or are not hungry. Maybe both.
Following the meal, I sat down to read emails removing most of them and answering the couple that needed my attention, before turning to writing the blog. My thoughts turned to the upcoming trip on Monday and what I need to do in preparation. I have the routine down pretty well but must go over things in my mind to make sure that everything is complete. The one thing I sometimes forget it to turn off the LP gas at the tank when we are travelling. I will begin to store things inside of the RV tomorrow putting things in the places they go for the journey, leaving only the outside things to do on travel day, Monday. We have a relatively short trip of 120 miles which should not be too bad. I took a chance on the next campground and have booked it for two weeks.
I use PostNet for my mail and I can view scanned versions of any mail get if I think it necessary or as I did this time, they package everything up and send it on to whatever address I tell them to. As I have booked two weeks at the next stop, I have asked for it to be sent on to that campground. None of this is free, of course but it does enable me to lead a sort of normal life. The only difference that instead of the US Postal service automatically delivering 6 days a week to a fixed address, I must request delivery to any of the campground addresses that I have at that particular time. Small price to pay. One thing it did make me do and that is cancel subscriptions to magazines and such that I considered no longer necessary. Things like Ponds and Gardens and House Beautiful and such. Just kidding on the last one.
I went into town to the local Walmart’s to get a few things that we were getting low on. I like to be prepared when we are moving as I never know how close the nearest stores are until I get there to find out. We would never starve as there are plenty of cans of food and stuff in the freezer, but I might run out of necessities, like milk for coffee or even wine. Heaven forbid if that happens. Just kidding as it nice to enjoy a glass in the evenings but it is certainly not a necessity, and I am not an alcoholic…yet.
Back at the RV, the dogs helped to put the groceries away, sort of before we harnessed up to take a short walk. I forgot to mention that I bought a straw cowboy hat in Walmart’s for the grand price of $11.69. Considering that I paid almost $90.00 for the hat I normally wear from a different store, I thought I had a bargain. The problem with the expensive one is that it is not really for the summer as it is too hot and has no air circulation.
I sat and wrote as the pork chops and chicken cooked on the indoor grill and the odor of cooking meat wafted through the RV. Quite a pleasant smell and it made me hungry. So, I settled for a few crackers to tide me over. With the cooking done and things cleaned up and put away, we went out for the final walk of the day wandering around the park and on the field below before returning for the evening.
We got up at a respectable hour and went out for the first walk of the day around the park and we sort of hopped from one shady area to the next although it was not extremely hot…yet. Back in Quatro, we had breakfast and tidied up a bit which does not take long in such a small space. The dogs found their hidey places and at once zonked off. What a life.
I got on the computer and worked on the blog and posted yesterday which brings us up to date, a good thing too as my friend, BJ, berates me if I get too far behind. Says that she does not want to read “old” news. I spent time on RV Trip Wizard and located and then made reservations for the next stop. I decided to stay 2 weeks at Ozark Country RV Park in Branson, Missouri which will make this the third State on this trip so far. It is only a short drive of about 125 miles. It is always a risky or maybe the word should be “chancey” business selecting campsites as the only thing to go on are the reviews that people take the time to post. It helps if there are several then you can get a general feel for what people are saying instead of just an individual’s comments. Photo’s also help a lot to get the view of the place. I also remembered to check and make sure that Branson is not a “dry” city which it is not, otherwise I would need to stock up on wine along the way…
With our next stop planned, I turned my attention to installing the new fire/smoke/carbon monoxide alarm. My problem of course is that I am only 5’8’’ tall and shrinking so things higher than my extended arms are a worry. I have an collapsible ladder that I use outside as needed but not a step ladder so I had to compromise. Luckily, I have an 18” inches square metal step I bought originally to use outside of the RV as when the jacks are down, the bottom entrance step is about 10-12 inches off the ground, which is pushing it for my old and short legs.
This portable step adjusts from 6 inches to 8 inches and is a very useful gadget. Most of the time, it is situated at the foot of the bed because there is a 16-inch step to get up first and then the bed which is another 16 inches higher. The RV was designed this way not only to let the rear slide in but also to give more storage space underneath. The slide is designed to extend outwards to open, and the entire bed moves and when extended, there is room to move around the bed. When it is in, there is no room to get past the bottom of the bed but it is only in for travelling.
Installing the alarm was a simple job and although a bit precarious, I managed to complete it with no problem. It took me longer to find my electric screwdriver than it did to do the work which, by the way, I had very carefully placed in its own box along with the charger and a box of bits and then forgot where I put the box. Go figure…It was hiding in plain view, as the saying goes.
I watched as a large camper came in and the driver went into the office before driving into the park. He stopped for a while by what was probably his assigned space, I guess sizing it up before taking off down the road never to return. Interesting. He had a big 5th wheel and maybe thought the site was not long enough for him or because it did not have any shade. Anything different or odd is exciting to us bored campers. Just kidding as I am far from bored and love having to do only what either needs to be done or what I choose to-do. Thinking about it, the older full-time campers that travel as couples must be highly compatible and in general agreement on most things being cooped up in close quarters as they are. I wonder what they do for “alone” time or if they even have any such thing. Just curious as I do not have that problem as me and the dogs get along just fine.
With the alarm installed and with nothing else of importance left to do, I settled down to write for a while. If I am caught up, I usually try to write a poem if the reproductive juices are flowing. If not, then it is time to find something else to do or do nothing at all. My choice.
Another Class B van camper pulled in towing a small boat and parked a couple of spaces away. They did not have any set up to worry about and in short time, were sitting outside in their lawn chairs relaxing. I considered it time to take the dogs out walking and we wandered by and stopped to chat with them. They are only here overnight and were originally coming in for a Blue Grass Festival.
We continued on our walk around the park and down on the mowed field below the campground with nothing unusual happening on the walk. Mikey would still not do his business which worries me as he has pooped in the RV a couple of times, and I do not want him to get into those sort of habits. Sandy has no problems doing what she needs to do, and I keep telling Mikey that Sandy is “a good little girl” which probably does not help. We sat for a while outside the RV enjoying the slight breeze which felt good before returning inside for the usual evening’s entertainment. Actually, that is not quite trues as I did tune in to the Jan 6th Hearing and watched it until it finished. It was interesting and damning for Trump due to his efforts, or lack of efforts to do anything about it. Probably will not make any difference and nothing will happen to him, and his supporters will be even stronger especially if he does get off Scot free. Don’t get me started on that guy….
It thundered loud in the night, enough to wake us and I got up to let in the canopy in case of any heavy winds. There was not much rain, and we quickly went back to sleep. I rolled out of bed at a reasonable hour for us and we went out for the first walk of the day and again, walking in the shade as much as possible where it is several degrees cooler.
One of the alarms has been going off on a regular basis and I have searched high and low for the cause. Obviously, there is no fire and therefore no smoke so I thought at first that there might be something that needed adjusting or resetting. I could not find anything after almost tearing the place apart, not literally of course but figuratively. Then I happened to smell the scent from the battery driven fresh air cans that I have that squirt a puff of some scented material to make the place smell nice on a regular basis. The beeps coincided with the squirts and apparently, that alarm does not like the smell of that variety and lets the world know about it. Relieved that I had solved the current problem, I took the can out of the unit and set it to one side. Guess I will either have to reposition it or do without it. I did not know that alarms are so sensitive thinking only of smoke but as they do come for carbon dioxide and other noxious gasses, it had already made up its mind that the scent from the fresh air can fitted into that category. Now I need to buy a new smoke alarm as I broke the one, I have trying to get it open. Next trip to Walmart’s planned for later today.
Following breakfast for me, I sat down to write and catch up on the blog. I also worked on the pictures I have taken of this park in Lightroom before transferring them to the other program I use to write the blog. From there, I can easily access them to include them a I see fit. Writing is a two-part job as first; I write everything in Word which makes grammatical and spelling corrections and such and then transferring everything to WordPress for the final touches like adding pictures, before posting. It is an interesting hobby, and it keeps my brain occupied a great deal.
I decided that I should go into Walmart’s which is about a half mile down the road as I needed a few things but specifically, a new smoke and CO2 alarm unit as I mentioned above. What I like about Walmart’s stores is that just about everything is laid out the same and things are in familiar places. Some are bigger than others like the Superstores and you almost need a bus or taxi to get around in them. Or, as I do, use it to get in the miles and the exercise out of the hot sun.
I completed my shopping including getting the new smoke alarm and spent time wandering around looking for the wine section. I could not find it and asked the nearest clerk who informed me that we were in a dry county, and they do not sell wine or liquor. Some gentleman? passing by overheard the conversation and told me where to go but it was a 20-mile drive and I have enough to last a week or so. Out of Seltzer though and had to make do with small cans of Mountain Dew. Funny, on the way in I had been thinking of our next move or whether to stay here for another few days, but the latest news has already changed my mind. Not that I am an alcoholic or anything even close unless a small glass of wine in the evenings is making me one.
I sat in the car and thought about my observations whilst in the store. Almost without exception, everyone and I mean men, women and kids were very much overweight. This was not helped by the fact that many of both sexes were very tall. Add that to being overweight and it makes for a very disturbing picture. Some of them were dressed like they had just come down from the hills and if they were a family, there were almost always several rough looking urchins. Maybe I am biased, but I kept thinking of “Deliverance”, the movie…
I drove back to Quatro and was met by two very excited little dogs who helped to put the groceries away with their noses in every bag. I had left them with treats which they do not eat while I am gone but the minute I was back, they eagerly devoured theirs looking to steal each other’s as well.
I sat and wrote for a bit but had no desire to go back out as it is so hot. The temperature is 102 degrees and there is not much shade around this park. Quatro is nice and cool as the tree shades the front window. Eventually, after it had cooled off by at least one degree, we went out for another walk again trying to find as much shade as possible. We sat for a while outside of Quatro in the folding chair as I have not bothered to unload the wicker couch due mostly to the fact that the door side where I sit outside, faces the sun and even with the awning out, there is not much shade. Besides, my site is very narrow, and a lot of the outdoor carpet is under the RV. Luckily, I do not have a neighbor on that side as the sites are very close together.
Something is beeping in the RV, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what it is. It is not constant but when it does come on, it chirps at least 4 times before stopping. I thought it was the Smoke Warnings, but I took that one down and that was not the cause of the problem as I need to buy a new one. I even cleaned the filters in the A/C unit but that is not it either. Heck, I may have to drag out the manual to find it. Everything appears to be working properly so I have no idea.
We went out walking back in the meadow close to the wooded area where it is a bit shady (and hilly) before returning for breakfast which for me, included a bacon sandwich and coffee. I am on a new tack with the dogs and am only feeding them canned food covered with cut up chicken in the evenings in the hope of getting Mikey into a better poop routine. He has had a couple of “accidents” inside recently and will not do his business outside which is very strange. So, maybe a change in eating habits may help. They have hard food available all the time, so it is not as though they are going to starve, and anyway, Sandy can stand to lose some weight.
I worked on the blog for a couple of hours catching up on the journey. I need to start taking pictures of the scenery here to add to the blogs which of course, is easy enough to do. Pictures tell a better story than a thousand words. I read that somewhere. I wrote a poem and posted it. A silly poem really but what the heck. It never hurts to have a bit of humor in our lives. My poetry can be viewed on Saturdays.
We went back out for another walk just to stretch our legs as it is very hot and humid out. We did not go far before returning to Quatro. I had a few chores to do and then settled down to listen to an Audiobook for a bit before going out one more time for yet another wander around. We try to pick all the shady areas to walk in and with the last walk, the shadows were long, and we had plenty of choices.
We retired back to the RV for the usual evening’s pastimes.
Today is preparation day getting ready for tomorrows move. There is not a great deal I can do today except put a few things away in their travelling places. Things like the toaster and indoor grill all go in the shower on the bathmat to stop them sliding around. Other things have their respective places for the journey and the bed is the catchall for what is left.
We went out for a walk and as I had some trash, took it with us to put in the dumpster. On the way, I noticed that the Canadian Geese are back, al 15 of them strutting around as though they did not have a care in the world and maybe they don’t. As I had forgotten my phone…again, we hustled back to the RV, and I picked up my camera to take a few pictures of this gaggle. We wandered around for a bit before heading back to Quatro. All around us, there are signs of campers preparing their RVs for the trip home as many are weekenders. Several others have already left and there are a lot of empty spaces with the Camp Staff busy at work cleaning and preparing the sites for the next tenants.
I decided that I should do my laundry as I had looked to see that the machines were all available and collected up my wash bag. I chose to drive over the short distance because the detergent and such were already in the back of the car. One of the young staff ladies was cleaning the machines and I complimented her on the care that they show of the campground. With the wash in two separate machines, I drove back to Quatro and did a bit more work before heading back over to put the wash in the dryer. I chatted to another camper who was waiting for a washing machine, and we discussed the crazy drivers on the road. I headed over to the office to get quarters for the next wash at the next campsite as I was just about out and chatted to the same young lady as had been in the washroom. Then back to Quatro to await the driers completion which took about 40 minutes. I drove back as I did not want to carry the heavy laundry basket and it was just as well, I made that decision. I had to wait 5 minutes for the drier to finish up and when I opened the drier door, I could not believe just how hot it was. I could not put my hands on the clothes and had to wait a while for them to cool down before I could start to fold them. With everything folded and put away, I drove back to the RV and put the neatly folded clothes into their proper places.
With the laundry done for one more week, I sat down to work on the pictures that I had recently taken making adjustments and such ready for me to use as I see fit. A couple of them turned out really good. The others are just pictures. I had stood for a while when out walking the dogs and had taken nearly 35 pictures of the different boats that went up and down for about 15 minutes. Some may be the same boats coming and going as the lake ends further up and away from us. It is very busy today, boat traffic wise but it is Sunday, a day of rest and play.
We adjourned to Quatro for the rest of the afternoon trying to stay cool. The outside temperature is now 100 degrees and next week’s forecast for here is a week of the mid 100’s. Bloody hot.
With everything done that I could do before we leave tomorrow, we went out for the final walk of the day talking to as many people as we could and visiting the duck’s nest for the last time. Hope the eggs hatch OK and there are lots of baby ducks. We visited the dog run for the first (and the last) time as I had not seen it before and spent time talking to others that were in there who had let their dogs run loose. I kept mine on a leash as I did not trust either of them around other dogs unsupervised, especially Mikey who thinks he is a Doberman in disguise.
Back in Quatro, we had the final meal and watched TV for the rest of the evening. I remembered to lower the TV set back into its little space ready for the journey and we went to bed here, for the last time.
Mountain View RV Park, Mountain View, AK Day 1, Monday 07/18/2022
Quatro at Mountain View
We got up early enough knowing that we are moving on today to yet another campground still in Arkansas. This time at Mountain View RV Park, Mountain View. This one is high up in the mountains but first, we had to prepare Quatro and then make the 200-mile drive. We took our final walk around chatting to a few people before heading back for a quick breakfast. With that out of the way, I finished storing stuff into their respective places for the trip and hoped that nothing would shift around too much. Usually, something does move and so the next trip, I adjust and on and on.
When I got up, I put stuff away in the bedroom and then pulled in the slide using the bed to store items as well. I put everything away in the bathroom after I had finished showering using the shower as a storage space for larger items such as the indoor grill and the toaster plus a bunch of smaller stuff. This time, I remembered to take the shower soap off its rack as it fell and turned on one of the valves on one of the earlier trips and after I connected the outside water supply, we had a flood.
With everything shipshape inside, I brought in the big slide and then went out outside to complete the unhooking of water, sewer and finally, the 50-amp electric supply. The last thing to do was to lower the RV off its jacks and onto the wheels and then we were ready to roll. I had previously moved the Jeep to the wide space in front of the office and with one final walk around the RV checking both under Quatro and around the campsite, I drove it to the office parking space and hooked up the Jeep. It went well as the ground was level which really helps to get things aligned. Then we were ready to roll and after programing in RV Trip Wizard on the tablet set up for this use, off we drove.
For some reason, the voice on the tablet had us run around in a couple of circles before we hit the highway and off, we went. The countryside is really pretty and heavily wooded on all sides with lots of tall fir trees. The miles (and time) slipped by as we drove and then changed onto several different Highways and then drove some more. The campsite had previously sent me directions which I compared to the RV Trip Planner, and they appeared to be the same or close enough. Well, it turns out they were not, and the last 10 miles of the journey were up and down a twisting and turning two lane highway with hairpin bends and steep inclines both up and down. I drove very carefully and luckily, there was not a lot of traffic. I noticed that when I had to apply the brakes going down for any length of time, the truck automatically down shifted to help with the descent. It was a very interesting trip to say the least and I would not drive it in the winter. I wonder what the gas mileage was for those last 10 miles with the engine working so hard.
We eventually arrived and I pulled up in front of the office which was just a small building which it shared with the laundry room although separated. I was greeted warmly and was offered a different spot under the trees which of course, I jumped on. I made my way to it following the lady’s instructions, but the park is so small, I could have found it anyway. There are quite a few permanent residents as in most Parks and several tiny houses and cabins scattered around, all occupied. I counted 18 empty campsites in two rows, so they were obviously, not terribly busy. Nothing going on around here to attract visitors or as it is a Monday, the weekenders have already left.
I unhooked the Jeep as the site is not long ls enough for both of us and drove into my spot. I eventually was satisfied and went about the business of hooking things up. A 5th wheel pulled in right next door, and it turned into an unofficial race to see who could set up first. The young guy and his wife beat me all ends up except they had to relevel their unit which allowed me to finish and, in my mind, was the unofficial winner. They had the same problem with their 5th wheel that I had with the one I used to own when it came to levelling although they did have automatic levelers and mine were manual. Still, that does not help when the wheels are off the ground and need blocking under them which is the problem that my neighbors had. We had chatted just a little bit as we worked, and they seem very nice.
With the electricity on and the A/C doing its thing, we went out for a quick walk just so the dogs could stretch their legs and do their business and explored the field below the campsites. When we returned, I went about the business of straightening things up inside and getting the place shipshape ready for our occupancy. Most everything was still in place, and nothing had tipped over or shifted from where I had left it so even with the mountainous terrain, we had done an excellent job of packing. Satisfied that I had done all that was needed and as the place is cooling down nicely, we went out for the final walk of the day. I was sitting outside when my new neighbors stopped to chat and before long, we were joined by another lady who took over the conversation. My neighbors grew tired of listening to her as I did, and they left which also was a signal for the lady to leave, thank goodness. She probably meant well but had a very loud and very grating voice and dominated the conversation.
We sat for a while enjoying the evening as it was starting to cool down by a couple of degrees before going inside for the evening meal and the usual television. So ended our trip and our first day at this new site surrounded by mountains.
We snoozed this morning getting up late which is OK as we have nothing planned and the very first thing, was to take that all important walk. I tried to walk in the shade as much as possible, so we covered the same ground several times. Back in the RV, we did the usual breakfast and coffee thingy before tidying up a bit. Really not much tidying needed in such a small space, but I like to keep it clean and shipshape as much as possible. We have nothing planned for today, not even a trip to the Superstore. I do have a couple of things to do around Quatro which will take up some of my time otherwise, it will just be another lazy day.
This is a very busy and active RV site with campers coming and going every day. Today at least one camper had pulled out and another has pulled in. We sat and listened to an Audiobook although I cannot for the life of me reason why we finished that particular story as it was so farfetched to be ludicrous. Gotta find me a good old fashioned thriller next time. By the time I finished listening, it was time to go out for the evening walk and we harnessed up and stepped out of the door. We walked the full circumference of the park on the outside road, meeting several campers, some walking their dogs, others sitting outside of their campers cooking or just relaxing. Typical evening scene in any campground. We stopped to talk to a mother and Daughter who were sitting outside, and they were telling me of the dogs they have had and at the same time, making a fuss of Sandy who loves every minute of it. Mikey, not so much and he hides behind me most of the time that is if he is not growling at any dogs they may have. So, protective. We visited the spot where the ducks have their nest and one of them was sitting on the eggs. I spotted the other one out on the pond. I wonder if ducks feed their mates when they are sitting or if they take turns. I need to look that up. People are doing a good job of staying away and not bothering the nest and I hope they have enough sense to continue that way. It is the kids and any loose dogs I worry about.
We finished our walk and returned to Quatro for the evening meal which has been cooking most of the afternoon. Well, the chicken and pork chops have been cooking on the indoor grille. Love that thing, throw on the meat and forget it as it switches itself off. Of course, that is not always a good thing as I left chops on it overnight one time. I am still here after eating them, so I guess there was not enough time for any germs to get on the meat.
The rest of the day was spent in the usual fashion with the evening meal and then television.
Treasure Island RV Park, Hot Springs, AK Day 6-Saturday. 07/16/2022
Swimming Pool and play area
We got up at a reasonable time and went out for the first walk of the day. The park is pretty full, and many campers were sitting outside enjoying the sunshine before it gets unbearably hot. At one RV, a family pulled up obviously visiting the new arrivals. It was fun to watch everyone greeting each other especially the kids of both families. Kids always have that special bond…We wandered around for a bit before returning to Quatro for breakfast. I had bought some pre-cooked bacon as I wanted a bacon sandwich and it tasted good, and I was not disappointed.
After breakfast, it was time to do the usual, “catch up on world news” thingy before answering a couple of emails and trashing a whole lot more and then sitting down to write. We have nothing planned for today or tomorrow and we will start the moving preparations as we pull out on Monday. Our next park is Mountain View RV Resort in Mountain View still in Arkansas. The trip is a bit under 200 miles at least 4 hours in length.
I sat for a while listening to a new story on Audiobooks. The jury is still out if I like it or not. I did not like the last one as I thought it was a bit far-fetched, but I listened to it all the way through. Do not ask me why…Maybe because I had already paid for it although Audiobooks does allow returns.
I needed to take a trip to the dumpster so threw the trash bin in my car and drove over. Then I stopped at the office to give them my forwarding address as the letter that BJ had sent on to me, had not arrived. Back at Quatro, I harnessed up the dogs as it was time to go walking which we did, dawdling around the park trying to find shade to walk in as much as possible as the temperature had reached 101 degrees with high humidity. We ended up by the lake and one of the ducks was sitting on the nest. We sat for a while, and I took pictures of the boats rushing up and down the lake before moving on to finish our walk.
On the way back, the Mail Truck passed us heading to the office so maybe my letter will get delivered. I stopped to talk to one of my neighbors, an old guy like me who just loved to talk. Maybe he was making up for lost time but try as I could, I was not able to get away until a part of our conversation involved Quatro, and we wandered over next to him. While we were talking, my phone rang, and it was the office telling me my mail was in and that one of the young ladies would bring it over which she did although it did not stop the flow of his conversation. I eventually seized a lull in the diatribe to say that, “It was nice to meet you” and again, “Well nice talking to you” and shaking his hand, let myself into the RV. Man, he must be starved for conversation as I hardly got a word in edgeways and he talked for what seemed forever. Maybe 30 minutes but man…. I think I know his and his family’s life history except I cannot remember any of it and neither do I want to.
I turned my attention to emptying the tanks and for some reason, the hose connection to the sewer outlet blew off and we had water everywhere. Luckily, it was the grey water that was running at the time and not the black tank. I quickly shut it off and re-attached it making sure it was firmly in place, completed the emptying of the tanks. As it smelt a bit, I used the water hose to drench the area getting rid of the smells. Another bit of unwanted excitement.
Back in Quatro, I fed the dogs and then myself before settling down to the usual evening’s entertainment.
I was sitting and watching the television last evening when suddenly, the lights went out, literally. The storm, that has moved off in the distance must have tripped the power somewhere. The RV lights stayed on as they immediately switched to battery, but everything else was off, so we went to bed.
This morning, we awoke to another beautiful sunny day although it has cooled off considerably, thank goodness, when we went out for the morning walk. We wandered around the park saying “Good Morning” to anyone we met along the way and slowly made our way towards the water. I checked on the duck’s nest that we spotted yesterday, and the Momma Duck was sitting on the eggs. She blends in beautifully with her surroundings, but we did not get too close. Strange to build a nest so relatively out in the open like that with the only shelter, the trunk of the tree. Then as I am not a Duck, what do I know. I wonder if her mate is around somewhere?
We finished the walk and adjourned back to Quatro for breakfast. I broke one of my unwritten rules and sat and watched Manchester United play Liverpool on tour in Thailand. I had to watch it on my computer which was OK. As it was a pre-season game, it was hard to say much about it as so many subs were used along with the well-known and some Super Star players and there was no real consistency to the game. Still, good entertainment and the season is only 20 or so days away. Then, the games will be for real.
I worked on the blog after answering emails or in most cases, removing them, unread. I am pretty much caught up blog wise and posted up to date. Same with the pictures I have taken so far. I even have time to sit and listen to an Audiobook sometimes generally late in the afternoons.
I decided that I should go into Hot Springs and do some shopping there as they have a large Walmart’s Super Center, and I can usually get everything that I need in those stores. It was only a 5-mile drive and took no time at all. On the way, I passed a couple of gas stations selling gas at $4.14 a gallon, the cheapest I have seen in a long time, but the Jeep is almost full so no reason to stop. The shopping was uneventful, but I was able to find the face and body cream that has sun protection which I have been looking for all over. I bought 4 bottles of the stuff which should last me a couple of months. At the checkout counter, as I had 4 bottles of wine, the clerk asked for my ID to check my birthdate. I looked at her in utter amazement and she apologized and said that they have to ID everyone, according to the law. I have not been carded in so many years it was funny. I did not blame the checkout lady as she was only doing her job. Maybe it is nothing to do with age but that that you must have an ID to buy the stuff.
I left the store and checked with Sirie to find the closest Starbucks and this time; I was lucky as there was one a half mile down the road which I quickly drove buying my usual Latte to drink on the drive back. It is really pretty countryside, and we are in the mountains which tower above us. I could easily settle here butonly if the winters are not too severe. So far, the people that I have met have been very friendly and helpful. The drive was uneventful with the Jeep’s GPS system giving me instructions and scolding me for taking wrong turns. Well, it sure sounded like scolding.
I unloaded the Jeep and stacked the groceries outside of the RV door because I was having trouble with the steps not staying out and while doing that, received a call from one of my Doctor’s Offices to do a monthly follow up. Nowadays, a lot of my doctoring is done over the phone but this time, it was just to get the records straight. We had an interesting conversation about the fact that I no longer wear glasses as my vision has improved considerably. I had been thinking about it and it might be because way back when, my right eye contact got dirty and inflicted some damage to the cornea that my Optometrist treated and which got better. I had a new prescription at that time and wore glasses for a while, but they were too strong as the eye healed and eventually, I just stopped wearing them. All the time I was talking to this lady, who was very interested in my RV’ing, wanting to do it herself, my groceries were sitting out in the hot sun and in the end, I had to sign off before everything melted or cooked.
With the groceries put away, I took the dogs out for a walk around the park chatting to a few of my neighbors as I passed them. This is a very busy park as RV’s are coming and going all the time. Incidentally, following last night’s storm, today, although a bit humid, the temperature only reached 96 degrees. Cool by Austin, Texas standards which had a high of 106 degrees.
We went out for one more short walk as it had cooled down even more before following the usual evening routine.
We got up at a respectable hour which is surprising seeing as how I watched, “In the Heat of the Night” with Carol O’Connor until 1:00 am. Interesting series and it is heavily influenced by the racial divide in the South. I like watching O’Connor portray the wise old sheriff with his deep southern drawl.
Our morning walk was uneventful except when we walked by the lake, there was what I thought were dog feces and I mean a lot of it. I happened to pass 2 staff members who were adding more doggy bags to the stand and jokingly said they needed to put them over there, pointing in the genral direction of the lake. Turns out, it is not dog poop at all but the resident geese that live here for the summer months. We had a good laugh over that one.
Back in Quatro, we had the usual breakfast and coffee before settling down to write. Prior to that, I had let the awning back out so it could dry after yesterday’s shower. We have no plans, and this lazy life suits me no end and as I was saying to BJ yesterday, I think that my hiking days are probably over unless I left the dogs behind and used my walking poles. Hiking with dogs on leashes is not an easy thing especially with Sandy as she gets distracted by every new smell, she comes across plus she is always in a hurry…or not and never walks in a straight line.
I spent an hour or so working on the pictures that I took yesterday of this park. While I was at it, I learned a lot more about the Adobe Lightroom Program that I use and was able to straighten up several pictures that had come out on an angle besides the usual touching up. Wonderful program, Lightroom.
Later, I went outside to work on some anti slip step coverings that I had bought but unfortunately, I will need to work on the fastening system as the springs were not long enough to secure my steps. No biggie, just need to stop at Home Depot for the parts I need. I found the restraining strap for the camera which I had been looking for as I had been making do with another which was way too heavy and bulky. I use a waist belt to carry my camera when I am walking or hiking and it has a restraining strap in case it loosens from its holder, like I did once before. I was out hiking and dropped a different camera in my haste to get it up to take the picture because it did not have a restraining strap at that time. Luckily, the camera was not damaged and as soon as I could, I bought the restraining strap. Might not be so lucky next time.
I also found one of my wide brim hats that has a sun flap attached for the back of my neck. All in all, a productive afternoon out in the sun. Thinking about it, who does the sun belong to. Obviously, only I used to write, ‘Texas sun” but now we are in Arkansas, I guess I need to write, “Arkansas sun”. Does that mean the sun is associated with each point on the map in the entire world? Just wondering…Obviously, the sun does not “belong” to anyone. More like, we belong to it. Wasn’t there a sun worshippers’ religion once?
I adjourned back inside Quatro to write whilst waiting for it to drop at least a couple of degrees before taking the dogs out for their evening walk around the park. Other people are braver than me as I see them out in the hot sun walking their dogs. This is a very busy campground as RV’s are coming and going every day. Some only stay a couple of days and then move on. Two more came in today.
We went out for our final walk of the day and ran into several people. Some were fishing and when I talked to them, they only managed to catch minnows which they put back. We also met several other dogs and Sandy tried to be friendly with them. Mikey, not so much. I spotted a duck’s nest in the base of a tree and another lady said that the duck was sitting on it yesterday. Maybe, it was one of the Canadian Geese. I would be very surprised if the eggs hatch as the mother??? was not sitting on them. We continued our walk around the park stopping to chat to people along the way. At our last stop, there were a couple of guys sitting in their chairs with a very young boxer dog, who upon spotting Sandy, picked up her disc toy and brought it over to show Sandy. Really cute. I had to restrain Mikey though as he was ready to defend his partner in crime. At another spot, there was a very young terrier puppy that just wanted to play with Sandy who did not want any part of it as the puppy was way too rambunctious for her. Too much energy as puppies usually are but it was fun to watch. Even Mikey was on his best behavior around the puppy probably recognizing what it was.
We finished the walk and adjourned back inside of Quatro for the rest of the evening. BTW, it has clouded over and cooled off considerably and there is thunder in the distance. Just to be safe, I let in the awning.
And so ended another day on this journey. It truly is a strange and wonderful life, and I would never have thought that is how I would end up as a travelling bum.
We got up at a reasonable hour in our new surroundings and wandered the park for a bit. There are a flock of geese that look like Canadian Geese on the water and the surrounding grassy areas. First time we have seen those. Sandy was in her element with all the new smells and dragged us around, me and Mikey, that is, all over the place but it was fun. Back in Quatro we had breakfast, and I had a few things to do. I received a phone call to say that I had a package which I had been expecting which were the new plates and registration for Quatro and when I was outside attending to some things, a young man drove up on his 4-wheeler and delivered it. While I was out there, I screwed them on in place of the old ones and attached the new sticker inside the windshield. Now, we are legit.
I sat and wrote for a while recounting yesterday’s experiences and my carelessness which got us there in the first place and glad that it was not a whole lot worse. I was also grateful that I had the sense to join Good Sam when I did and take out the Road Rescue Program. I thought about the actual trip up here which although long in time (4 hours) was very easy and straightforward. I was directed around the large towns and cities by RV Trip Planner and Hwy 270 although long at 100 miles, was very picturesque and the scenery was beautiful. Quatro handled very well except for the usual wind forces when a tractor trailer drove by. As I drive with one eye on my mirrors, they do not sneak up on me and anyway, I always know when they are coming as Quatro starts to shift with the wind pressure they create. For what I have seen so far, Arkansas is a beautiful state.
Watching the new campers that have just come in is also very interesting. There are two of them and they obviously travel together in their separate units both Class C’s each of them towing something. One has a Jeep truck he tows behind on which is a dirt bike motorcycle. The other has a small trailer holding a ATV. Interesting choice of vehicles unless they like to trail ride or play golf. We have no plans for the rest of the day except for the usual evening walk around the park and that will be the last thing we do before retiring inside for the evening’s food and entertainment.
A strong storm blew in with rain and gusty winds. I remembered the awning was out and rushed to get it in ASAP before it got damaged. This is the second time I have had to do that in just a few days. The storm did not last long and quickly blew over, but it did have some lightning and rolling thunder to make it more dramatic. It is hard to plan for these sort of storms as they just suddenly appear out of nowhere.
We got up early as I just could not sleep anymore probably because the drive was on my mind. I took the dogs out and we walked the road for the very last time. One of my neighbors pulled up in his car and wished us safe travels before driving on to his workplace. Nice of him to do that. Back at Quatro, I tied the dogs up and did some outside work like removing the front wheel blocking and putting a couple of other things away before going back inside for breakfast and coffee. I worked on the blog just to pass the time as we have about a 4-hour drive and most campgrounds do not accept campers before 2:00 pm so I need to leave here around 10:00 am.
When I got up, I let in the bedroom slide and loaded the bed with the few things that generally make the journey on it. I did the same for the bathroom putting things where they belong for travelling and with everything put away, brought in the big slide. The last things were all outside as I disconnected everything. Prior to that, I had let the RV back down on its own wheels by lowering the jacks. One final walk around checking everything and picking up the blocks and the wood that I use under the jacks, we were all set and ready to roll.
I drove down the hill to the bottom entrance which I had checked out before and slowly made the turn as wide as the road would allow and then disaster struck. With a bang and a lurch, the RV had dropped into the ditch and would not move. We were stuck. I thought about it after inspecting and deciding that there was nothing, I could do to get us out, I remembered that I belong to the Good Sam Road Recovery Program and at once called their number. After several conversations and text messages, I had it worked out with the last text telling me the Wrecker was 2 hours away. I spent some of the time directing traffic which luckily, there was only the occasional car. There was just enough room for cars and small trucks to squeeze by and luckily, nothing big came through. It was hot in the RV with no A/C as it will not work off battery power and the sweat poured off me. I found out later when I got on the scales, I had lost 2.5 pounds. I kept a close eye on the dogs, but they managed to find the coolest places in the RV, and they had plenty of water.
About 2 hrs. later as I was directing yet another vehicle around the RV, I heard the sound of a heavy diesel truck coming up the road and then the Wrecker appeared driven by an old man that looked every bit as old as me. We had a conversation about the problem and as I had plenty of time, I had been thinking of things we could do and suggested to him that I lower the jacks and we could block up the wheel which would get the back end off the ground which is what we did. In the process, we had to unhook the Jeep which not being in a straight and level line, was a bit of a problem all by itself.
In order to maneuver the very big Wrecker into place, he had to back up the hill and go through the campground to do it and then he hooked up the camper tow hitch to his crane and very carefully winched the back end up and out of the ditch and skidded it away from the problem area. With the RV on solid ground, I was able to drive it up the road to a level spot so I could hook the Jeep back up. I signed the paperwork, tipped the driver, and thanked him profusely for his efforts. The cost was covered by the Good Sam Insurance. Money well spent on my part.
The campground owner had pulled up as we were working on the unit, and I had a conversation and suggestion that she increase the length of the drainage pipe and fill it in to make a bigger turning area. She countered that they had brought in the three full size homes in the park, but I pointed out that those units come in on articulated trucks that can turn on 90 degrees while, my RV or any large units could not do that. I thanked her for the stay, she left, and I went back to hooking up the Jeep. The damage to the RV is only minor and will require some fiberglass body work.
After 4 hours of sitting around, we were finally on our way. RV Trip Planner was giving direction on the tablet, and we successfully moved from road to road until we got onto Hwy 270 on which we stayed for about 100 miles. We were passed by truck after truck along the busy highway through ever changing countryside until we crossed the State Line into Arkansas. By now, we were in tree covered rolling hills and mountains and the RV huffed and puffed up some of the steep inclines until finally, the last sign read, Treasure Island Road. I was extremely pleased as we pulled into the park, which is huge especially compared to the last one, we just left. The office was closed but as instructed, my welcome envelope was pinned to the noticeboard. I had to unhook the Jeep because I needed to back up to find our site but when I did, it took very little time to set up. We are on a concrete pad and not too close to our neighbors. Another 5th Wheel had pulled up behind us and I had to direct him around me because of unhooking the Jeep. Several neighbors were sitting outside, and we had quite an audience as we set up. I bet I was judged as to my competence and about the unit itself.
As quickly as I could, I took the dogs out walking to stretch their legs and do their business. They had been cooped up for almost 8 hours what with the problems and the drive. We walked around the park and along the lake before returning for the evening meal and the usual watching TV. Quite an eventful day, to say the least.
I got up early as I wanted to beat the heat doing some of the outside prep work for the next move to Hot Sprins in Arkansas which I had not been able to do yesterday because of the rain (and the heat). We went out for the morning walk and fed the fish in the pond for probably the last time. Something gets the lid off the metal container holding the fish food during the night although the food level does not go down very noticeably. Probably some four-legged nighttime prowler finding a quick food source.
Back in Quatro, went about doing the couple of things I needed to complete ready for tomorrows move. I got out the expanding ladder that I have and cleared the roofs of both slides of pine needles before turning my attention to hooking up the Jeep. I had purposely left all the electrical cords and safety chains hooked up to the RV this time around, so the project was only half as much to do and was quickly completed. I even got the Jeep close enough the first time so as not to have adjust it to hook it up.
I was back in the RV when I got a knock on the door to find the camp owner standing there. We chatted for a bit, and I gave her a couple of my business cards as she wanted to read my blog. We talked about the campsite, and I gave her my honest opinion after she asked me and was nothing but positive. I made a few suggestions when she asked of what I thought they could do to make it more attractive. It is geared for the Over 55’s which some campers look for plus it has the pond and the trails around it. I suggested that they levelled the sites maybe with gravel to make it easier to set up and I showed her what I had to do to get the sewer pipe somewhat level. I also suggested that they make a few trails through the woods, that would attract a lot of people. I paid her the fees for my stay, which, incidentally, were a lot cheaper than the site before. We shook hands and parted company, A very, very nice lady indeed and a very nice, relaxed campsite.
Back inside Quatro, we ate breakfast and settled down to write the blog. There is not much more prep work I can do other than put a couple of things away ready for the trip. The “heavy duty” work is done and all that remain are things like shelf retainers and such most of which has to happen tomorrow. In between writing the blog, I found things I needed to do that kept popping into my mind. They were not significantly important but to help as we travel the roads. Things like hooking the power cords to both the iPad and my iPhone which I use with RV Trip Wizard and both of which, I used on the last trip. Both almost ran out of battery which obviously shows that they need to be plugged in on long trips. Incidentally, I can only use one or the other as they are not synchronized with the voice communication, and it can get very confusing listening to two different sets of instructions even though they are both on the same road, making the same turns as RV Trip Wizard instructs. I will see which works the best this trip although the iPad does have a much bigger screen.
The rest of the day was spent in just sitting around mixed in with an occasional burst of energy as I thought of something else that needed to be done before it was time to take the dogs walking. The temperature has dropped to an almost bearable 95 degrees which hopefully will last until we pull out tomorrow. No telling what Arkansas weather will be like. If I do get moments when I am not on the computer and just sitting around, I usually listen to a story on Audiobooks. As I said before, I do NOT watch TV during the day.
We went out for the evening walk on the outside roads before retiring back to Quatro for the rest of the evening which will be our last one here at this very nice little campsite.
Another stifling hot day even when we went out for our first walk around 9:30 am. We walked the shady roads but not for long as the heat was almost unbearable even that early in the morning. The dogs huffed and puffed as they walked along and I could tell, they too were uncomfortable. Back in Quatro, I sat for a while stroking both dogs as they both sat on my lap which was very peaceful and soothing. This was followed by breakfast for me, and coffee made with a fresh carton of milk thanks to yesterday’s shopping spree.
I did the usual e-mail check before catching up with the blog and bringing it up to date and sat for a bit just contemplating. I did not solve the world’s problems as no one is ever going to do that but enjoyed my own thoughts which I must admit, turned a bit dark and afraid for the future. My friend BJ called, and we had a very interesting conversation about the state of this country. She agrees that we are in serious trouble. After that, she had to spoil it by telling me that she was getting ready to go swimming in a friend’s pool.
I needed to do laundry and wandered over the laundry room which is only 50 yards away to check on the machines and see if any of them were available. There are two washers and two driers, and both were open so a quick trek back to get my laundry and we were all set. The machines are on the honor system probably due to the very small number of RV’s, 8 including mine plus two tiny homes which probably have their own machines anyway, here in the park. They get very few travelers like me. I left my $4.00 in the jar for that purpose along with a few of my business cards advertising the blog and walked back to Quatro to await the wash completion. There were three deer wandering the park and I amused myself watching them before they took off for the woods. Whether they were the same ones as before, only Nature knows. I used the Olympus camera to get some long-distance pictures.
When I walked back over to transfer the wash into the drier, I took my new Olympus camera with me to take a few pictures. I have had it awhile and have not used it very much so am unfamiliar with its controls although most modern-day cameras are very similar. The difference is that the Olympus is mirrorless. I tend to use my phone all the time only because it is convenient and always with me plus the picture quality is very good. Of course, it does not have the same zoom capability that either of the two Olympus lenses have.
With laundry folded and packed back into my laundry bag, I made my way back to Quatro to cool down. The temperature is 103 degrees with at 40 percent humidity making it very sticky indeed. Mother Nature is hitting us with a vengeance to make up for the past few years of relatively cool summers and it is only July. We still have August to go before it even starts to cool down In September. Both A/C units are running full blast and that is 24 hours a day as it only cools to around 78 degrees here at night, hotter than a lot of State’s summers. It was only 4:00 pm and it was way to early and too bloody hot to go out walking, I put the laundry away and settled down to write again. I should write a book as I have all these words inside of me, but I have no ideas for a suitable plot. I am more of a reporter than a writer. No imagination only facts. I have tried to write a biography and finished the first part of my life in England but never got around to my life in America. The story is on a flash drive somewhere and will never see the light of day in print, that is if I can ever find the flash drive.
We waited as long as we could before going out walking. Again, we walked the road but as the shadows had increased, we were able to visit the pond and feed the large catfish in it. The feed is in a bin on the deck provided by the thoughtful owners. I can understand why there is a “No Fishing” sign on the deck as these fish are like pets.
Back in Quatro, we had the evening meal and then watched television before retiring for the evening
Hawks Nest RV Park, Atlanta, TX Day 9 Saturday 07/09/2022
the Laundry Room
We got up late on purpose as it was so comfortable just lying there dozing and waking and dozing again. The dogs were not in any hurry which added to my laziness. I finally crawled out and after a quick shower, we went out for the morning walk. Because we were later than usual, the sun was already high, and it was hot, bloody hot. We walked the road again only because it has more shade and when we reached the park driveway, both dogs turned in and hurried back to Quatro acting as though they had enough of being outside and wanting the A/C. Me too and I did not argue.
I sat for a while just to cool down savoring the A/C before getting breakfast for us all and the oh so important morning coffee for me. I sat at the desk, which is really the table acting as a desk, to eat and drink and peruse the emails that I had already received, none of which were of any particular importance. Some of the news is depressing, others make me wonder about some people and are they for real. Still others just make me sad. With the emails and morning news out of the way, I concentrated on writing the blog finishing up the one from yesterday and starting this mornings. So far, there is not much to write about as so much of my life is very repetitive and sometimes, nothing changes from one day to the next. I like it that way with no surprises. I do have a couple of things to do around Quatro getting it ready to move out on Monday but most of that will happen tomorrow.
To give you an idea of the preparation work involved, it includes, putting things away in safe places for the journey as they tend to move around… a lot. I have stabilizing bars inside the refrigerator to stop things from sliding around and I utilize the shower floor to put things like the indoor grill and toaster for safe keeping plus a few other items. All are placed on the small bathmat to stop them from moving too much. The coffee maker goes in the sink and any small items are put into drawers. The higher items in the dishrack are put on the lower areas so it is not top heavy. I use the bed for other things to stop them from jarring around. In one RV, the refrigerator door came open during our travels and I had jars and cans up front with me.
At this site, because Quatro does not have a ladder for roof access, I need to get out the extending ladder and blow off the two slides of pine needles and other tree debris. On Monday the day of the move, I will finish putting everything away indoors and then start the system of departure preparations which includes bringing in both slides and the awning, if it is out. This is followed by disconnecting the sewer hose, the water hose and finally the 50-amp service. The very last thing is to remove any blocking from under the wheels if possible before raising the jacks. Finally, I have to get out and pick up all of the wheel blocking material and the wooden boards I have to support the jacks, take one last walk around the RV and then we are ready to roll. I did not follow this procedure at one of the campground resulting in running over the blocking and turning the specially bought heavy duty plastic chocks into a million tiny pieces.
Hooking up the Jeep is governed by how much room at the campsite so it might happen early or after everything else is complete and we have pulled out into a level and straight line. This time I can hook up the Jeep early as there is plenty of room here and we are going forward when we pull out. Incidentally, it is impossible to back up the RV with the Jeep attached as it jackknifes very quickly and anyway, I cannot see it except through the back up cameras which are only good for a visual of what is behind and only show the roof of the Jeep.
Hooking up the Jeep takes a good half hour and can be difficult and frustrating as everything has to be fairly level and lined up plus the required distance from the RV. There is a little leeway but not a lot. There are a couple of other things to remember as well. One is to turn off the propane at the tank which is one I sometimes forget. The other was to bring in the electronic weather units that are the outside part of the system and placed on top of one of the tires. I say was because I did forget to do this and ran over both units squashing them almost beyond recognition with the 22000 lb. vehicle. So much for that weather system. Now I have two indoor units that tell me the temperature indoors and not a clue about the weather outdoors. Might as well run over those too. Nowadays it does not matter too much as I already know it is hot, very hot outside. It is summertime in Texas after all with the outside temperatures at 104 degrees and high humidity and needless to say, we are not doing much except staying inside. So much for my plans. Tomorrow, there is always tomorrow, thank goodness…Which got me thinking, does tomorrow ever come because by the time it does, it is today?
It suddenly clouded over and turned very dark, and a thunderstorm accompanied by a very strong wind blew in. I remembered that the awning was out when I heard it flapping in a very agitated sort of way and quickly brought it back in. Just in time too as the wind grew stronger with the storm which lasted for about an hour. There was not a lot of rain but some bright thunder flashes and lots of rumbling.
We waited for a couple of hours before going out for the evening walk around the park. We visited the lake and fed the fish before returning for the usual evening meal and evening’s entertainment.
We got up and then went out walking the road outside of the campground because it has more shade than anywhere else. Even at 9:30 am, the temperature was already in the low 90’s. It is going to be another scorcher of a day. I stopped to chat with the camp owner who was sitting on a mower. I admired her and told her so for doing all the maintenance work around the campground. She is a very nice lady to talk to and we had a long conversation about dogs, both hers and mine. The RV Park is located about 500 yards from an underground main transport gas line and there is a very large complex just down the road called a Compressor Complex. My guess is that it helps the gas along the way within the pipelines. Amazing the things, you find out in the country. In my younger days, I worked pipeline construction and in truth, it was the best job I ever had in my long working career or at least, one I enjoyed the most. I was only involved in all that goes into laying the pipe in the ground and have no conception what a Compressor Complex is or does except as I mentioned above.
Back in Quatro, I prepared breakfast and as I made the Latte, suspected that the milk had turned again. True enough, the latte had a distinctly sour taste, but I drank it anyway. This means I will need to go into town to get more or drink it black. I worked on the blog for a bit, but the sour milk was on my mind, and I opted to go into Atlanta which has the large Walmart’s (and not much else). It is only 3 miles away and a short trip. I made a list of all the food that I needed which included a bottle of white wine although I am still working on the gallon jug of the stuff, I had bought a week or so ago. Just do not want to run out and like the Boy Scout’s motto, “Be Prepared”.
The drive in was short and when I got in the store, I opted to walk around before grocery shopping. I had a couple of things in mind which I found. I stopped at the glasses counter but could not find a pair of shades any better or with more visibility than the ones I already have. My problem is that my glasses are now too strong, and I have stopped wearing them and seem to see fine without them, even reading the close print and working on the computer. Distance is also good, and I have no problem with driving, but I do not have a good pair of sunglasses which do not impair my vision a little bit. Giving up on the glasses, I went about real grocery shopping and found everything that I had on my list and a couple of other things that somehow found their way into my cart. $135.00 dollars later, I headed to my car this time knowing exactly where I had it parked and headed home. I already knew that the closest Starbucks is 23 miles away so did not even consider that idea.
The 3-mile drive back was uneventful, and I was met by two very excited little dogs who sniffed and inspected every bag I brought in. They helped to put the groceries away and made a big fuss of me. Great to be welcomed home in that way. With the groceries in their proper places, I settled down to work on the blog as it was still only 5:00 pm and I like to walk the dogs as late as possible for obvious reasons and if nothing more than it is cooler. Not much cooler, maybe 1-2 degrees but every bit helps. Incidentally, I cannot believe just how fast the days are flying by. We have only got 3 more days here before we move on.
We went out for a short walk later in the evening again on the roads as that is where the shade is before adjourning back to Quatro for the rest of the evening.
We went out for the morning walk and one of my neighbors came over to introduce herself as Caroline and said she had knocked on the door earlier but figured we were still asleep. I told her I was not a morning person and apologized for not hearing her knock. The dogs did not hear it either. She had come over to invite me to go with her to listen to the music somewhere in town but apparently, I had missed it by not hearing the knock. We chatted for a bit before I headed back to Quatro.
I had a few chores to do and worked on them before it got too hot and then adjourned to the RV for breakfast. I did not bother to feed the dogs as I already know the result of that. My efforts to reduce the junk emails that I get is paying off as the numbers are continuing to drop. There are always a few important ones that take a bit of my time which is to be expected in this electronic age and it is virtually, the only way to stay in touch other than picking up the phone. As I talk better by the typed word than I do by voice, I choose to type. Much of the problem is because of my poor hearing even with expensive hearing aids and I often must get whoever I am talking to repeat what they just said. About the only good thing about the deafness is that it prevented me from being conscripted into the National Service at the age of 18 over in England and then when I came to America, I had to register for the same conscription into the Armed Services even at the age of 32 married with kids and again, failed the physical. Thank goodness or I would have ended up in Viet Nam.
We have nothing planned for today except to stay cool inside of Quatro, so I caught up with the blog and worked on a few pictures that I have taken. I uploaded both the pictures and the blog into WordPress and posted them online. We are so close on posting that it makes me nervous. When I mentioned it to BJ, she said not to worry as no one will notice if I miss a day of writing. She is right of course but it still hurt my feelings. The only person that cares about what I write is me. Still, like I said many times before I do not write to win any book awards but to keep my brain at least a little stimulated by doing so
With both the blog posted and the pictures uploaded and worked on, I closed the computer and looked around for something else to do. I do not watch TV thru the day unless it is a big soccer game of great importance (to me). I decided to listen to an Audiobook for the next couple of hours and found myself nodding off to sleep. That stimulated me into getting the dogs harnessed up and we went out for the evening walk. I have learned that walking the road is the only real continuous shade in the park except close around the wooded areas, which as I mentioned before, I am a bit leery of walking because of my earlier sighting of what looked like a coyote.
We watched as a worker operated a tractor and bailing machine. This was the same tractor that had mowed the field a few of day ago and had been raking the hay into rows yesterday. I watched as sometimes he just drove over the hay and the baler scooped it up and spit out large round bale occasionally. Then at other times, he backed up to get hay he had missed and one time, he completely emptied the baler without out it having made a bale and started over.
This made me think of when I was just a very young kid and used to visit the hay fields with one of the local farmers. Then, the hay was raked up by hand and then loaded onto a wagon drawn by a pair of horses or a tractor in the more modern farms, by people using pitchforks. Eventually it was stacked onto huge haystacks that when finished, had a straw thatch roof. The hay was transported by mechanical elevators driven by a long continouos belt connected to a pulley on the tractor, and then up onto the stack with workers on top to spread it and build the stack. I received many warnings to stay away from the belt. During World War 2 which is when we are referring to, as a part of the drive to produce food, young women were moved from the cities to the country to help in the chores on the farms. They were known as “Land Girls”, their official title. They even had uniforms. The young men, of course, were fighting the war creating the labor shortage.
Back in Quatro, we settled down for the evening. I fed the dogs which includes finely cut up pieces of roast chicken on top of their regular canned food and they just gobble it down. The same food in the morning is ignored because it does not have the chicken in it. Of course, my dogs are not spoiled….
I chose to walk the outside road for our morning walk mostly because it has more shade than walking the campground. Only one car passed us, and it slowed down and we exchanged waves. The big, tall fir trees which are the common trees around here, cast plenty of shade for us. Incidentally, we passed several logging operations on our drive here and a couple of logging trucks with their full load of cut trees. Apparently, logging is a normal part of the economy. I also saw a lot of new fir trees planted to replace them, but it will be 20-30 years or longer before they will be ready for harvest. More telephone poles in the making, nature’s way.
We did our usual thing on our return, breakfast, coffee and scanning the internet and answering a couple of emails. There are so many scams going on and now in the form of fake emails from ATT and other well-known companies that I legitimately deal with, warning me that I have not done such and such and click here to correct it. I always send them to that giant waste bin in the sky without opening them and if I have any doubt or questions as to their authenticity, I go to the real website and log in for verification. Invariably, everything is fine showing that the email in question is just one more scam. Usually, you can tell if it real by checking but not clicking on the email address of the sender. If it does not mention the name of the company in it, then it can be generally assumed to not be legit and definitely not to be opened for any reason and it goes straight to the trash bin.
The dogs, meanwhile, were asleep…again. I got to thinking about that and decided that with only a small section of their brain developed for their normal everyday function, they have nothing to occupy their mind except to sleep. Makes sense to me as with a human’s developed brain, it needs constant stimulation in whatever form it may take. As a dogs brain only centers around love for their Hooman, food, walkies, more food, more walkies and maybe mating if they are not spayed or neutered, it does leave a lot of time to sleep. I sometimes wish I was a dog in a good home but only if dogs are reincarnated and come back as another dog in another good home. I would not want to come back as a human or another animal. Well maybe a cat.
As we have already been into town and restocked up on groceries, we have nothing planned for the day but to stay cool. It is supposed to be close to 100 degrees with high humidity, but it is nice and comfortable inside of Quatro. Maybe we will laze around and listen to an Audiobook or write another poem although, with my current view of the world, it would probably be another dark one like yesterday’s.
I did go out and do some RV maintenance, mainly borrowing some blocking material from the back of the Laundry Room stored there for such purposes as I had in mind. I called the management first to make sure it was OK then I messed around with the blocking and got the sewer hose fairly level. The problem is caused by the inlet valve which protrudes a good foot above the ground, hence the need for the blocking. My usual collapsible support system bought especially for that job is just not tall enough. With this done, I took the opportunity to empty the tanks before getting back inside in the cool. Prior to that, the dogs had been giving me, “the look” which I interpreted to mean they had to go do their business. However, when we got outside in the 100-degree humid heat, they both wanted to come back in. They were only out for 5 minutes at the most. So much for that.
Back inside, I found the new license sticker for the Jeep but held off putting it on until the windshield cools down a bit. I have new plates and a sticker for Quatro and will need to plan to get them sent to me at the next campground. The current sticker is good through December of this year so unless I do something stupid, I should not get checked for an expired registration. As I was looking out of the window, first one and then a second doe appeared, and they had difficulty in making up their minds as to proceed. Both were very skittish, stopping, sometimes retracing their steps and then going slowly ahead. I managed to get a couple of pictures before eventually, they disappeared in the distance.
I waited as long as I could before taking the guys out for the last walk of the day in the hope that it will also get more shade out on the road and that not being as hot might encourage them to enjoy the walk. They, like me, really struggle with 100-degree temperatures. As it happens, they did do much better and we walked for about a half mile before returning for the evening meal.
