Our RV Travels

Updates on our Full-Time RV'ing lifestyle. Feel free to add your comments, replies and stories of your own.

Monday, July 05, 2004

Week of 4 July

July 4

Loretta went to Guymon, OK with the women, I did a few chores that needed done around the trailer. Then Larry came by and asked if I wanted to go with them to measure some fields and move some machinery. Then after lunch we went for some seed Sorghum as Troy was planting and running low. When we got back, we relaxed until evening when we rode with Larry, Mary a daughter and 2 grandchildren to their tire dealer in Elkhart. He was putting on a pot-luck 4th of July picnic followed by fireworks. There were many other fireworks displays going on all around us so it was a very colorful evening. A threatening storm passed very close but we only got some wind and a little rain. But Mother Nature put on an excellent fireworks display to add to the others. As they were nearing the end, something came down and hit me on the arm. Didn't see anything or get any burn, but did get a small cut and felt as if I had been hit with a hammer. Very sore for a while, but no serious injury. We came home to find that some limbs were down around here and there had been a power outage, but not a lot of rain. We hope everyone had a Happy 4th.

7 Comments:

  • At 12:25 AM , Blogger Andy W2UCZ said...

    July 5

    This morning I dumped the holding tanks, filled the water tank and washed the truck. Then I took a trip to town. Loretta did our laundry today also and in the afternoon Loretta went with Mary and Jaclyn while I assisted in moving equipment to a couple different locations and repairing a pickup that we brought back here. By the time that was done, the afternoon was shot, so I relaxed till evening when we went in to visit as we plan on leaving in the morning.

     
  • At 11:31 PM , Blogger Andy W2UCZ said...

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

     
  • At 12:27 AM , Blogger Andy W2UCZ said...

    July 6 Siebert, CO

    There was a terrific storm to our northwest after midnight. The lightning was a constant flash. Fortunately, all we got was heavy winds and a small amount of rain that didn’t last too long. This morning, we got secured and hooked up to travel. Said our farewell to Mary Coen - the men had all gone to the fields already. The shortest road to Rt. 27 was rutted up pretty badly so we drove an extra 4 miles to get onto a hard surface road as soon as possible. We headed north on 27 to I-70, making 2 stops for coffee and breakfast. Then at the Colorado Welcome Station, we made a longer stop as I walked to the Old Town Museum next door. I didn’t stay too long though as the batteries in my camera died and I had not carried any extras along. Then on to Shady Grove Campground in Seifert, CO stopping for some fuel on the way. This is a very nice park with pull-through almost level sites. Quite a bit of shade and today there is a nice breeze. Temperatures stayed in the 70’s and humidity was fairly low so it was a nice day even though we only did 232 miles. Several units came in afterwards and we went to look at one that was a different design than we had seen before. They are a full-time RV’ing couple from California and welcomed us in. Then a couple parked next door to them from New Jersey came over. They have been traveling together at times and knew one another. We had a great time swapping stories and jokes for most of the evening. And the couple from NJ informed us that they have a parking space if we are ever in North Jersey.

     
  • At 12:27 AM , Blogger Andy W2UCZ said...

    July 7 Cheyenne, WY

    We had coffee, then secured the trailer and hit the road. Stopped at the Flying J in Aurora, CO for fuel and breakfast. The right wheel was heating again, so I went to the International Dealer across the street. But they couldn’t get us in till tomorrow afternoon. So we took the I-270 (rough) bypass to I-25 then north to Fort Collins. There we got onto US-287 to Laramie, WY. A very hilly but scenic road with some construction. Truck handled it OK except ran a bit warm on some of the grades as we were also battling heavy winds. Stopped to check the wheel again when we got to Laramie and it made me nervous. Had planned on waiting till Boise, ID to get it looked at. The only International shop in southern Wyoming was about 45 miles east at Cheyenne. We called and they said they could get us in as soon as we got there. So we headed east, a very rough climb to almost 9000’ east of Laramie on I-80 and the temperature was in the 90’s. So the truck got pretty warm and had to stop then run slowly to keep it cooled down till we got to the top. Didn’t feel too bad, as several big trucks were pulled over and had hoods up also. We called the Moose Club here and they had space, so we brought the trailer here and I took the truck to the International shop. It was a while before they got to it, but the right wheel was still very warm. So they pulled the tires and everything seems to be loose. But there are signs of excessive heat. We suspect brakes, so perhaps the calipers are not releasing every time. Quitting time came, so we secured the truck and they gave me a ride home. This evening we went into the lodge for supper and visit. Very friendly people and the food was good and very economical. The weather was beautiful but very hot and windy. Now it is very windy and heavy overcast.

     
  • At 11:36 PM , Blogger Andy W2UCZ said...

    July 8 Fort Bridger, WY

    After breakfast in the trailer and a walk around the Moose Club lot, the Service Truck from Lariat International arrived to pick me up at about 0830. The mechanic was about ready to start working on it. He removed the right rear brake pads and we decided that they had become oil soaked causing the heating. So we replaced the rear pads then I went back to the Moose Club and got hooked up to travel. We stopped at Rawlins, WY for fuel and lunch. The right wheel is still a bit warm, but nowhere near where it was. I should have had the brake pads changed when they replaced the wheel seal on that side. Incidentally, I was wrong when I said the mountain east of Laramie was about 9000’, it was only about 8700’, but I think the east slope is more gradual. The truck seemed to do a lot better until late afternoon when we encountered heavy winds. Saw a lot of antelope today. Scenery is beautiful. We arrived at Fort Bridger RV Camp at about 6:30 and after getting set up Loretta made supper. As I woke very early this morning, the evening will be Rest and Relaxation.

     
  • At 8:14 AM , Blogger Andy W2UCZ said...

    July 9 Tuttle, ID

    As the rest of Wyoming, most of the rest of the state was grazing land with lots of hard pull hills. We have seen several herds of Antelope. Back in Kansas and Colorado there was more wildlife visible in the farmland there. We made a stop at Evanston, WY for fuel and breakfast. Into Utah on I-80 then north on I-84 was very hilly through mountains and canyons. Some fantastic scenery. As we neared Idaho, the land became more rolling and back to grazing land and some farmland, which changed into mostly farmland in Idaho. Lots of potato fields here. There are other crops and many large dairy operations. Since leaving Elkhart, KS the crop situation had varied greatly. Some places were very wet and others very dry. There are an awful lot of fields that either have not been planted yet or are not yet out of the ground. A lot of farmers may have a tough season. Here crops look very good with a lot of irrigation. We got supper at the Farmhouse Restaurant at Wendell; ID (very good) then came on the High Adventure River Tours campground at Tuttle. When we arrived we discovered that the Mires and Turpins from the Avion Travelcade Club were already here. We had a nice visit in our trailer before settling down for the evening.

    We did get one surprise today. When we entered Colorado, the sign at the Port of Entry directed all vehicles over 10,000GVW over the scales. As we weigh over 28,000# I drove over them with a green light and exited. When we entered Idaho, the sign said over 26,000# so I crossed again - weights were displayed overhead and had I been quick enough I could have gotten current axle weights. But then the sign directed me to pull over to the side and bring my papers inside. So I gathered the papers and went inside to find out why. Suspected that due to the weight they wanted to be sure I had a CDL. But when I got inside, the woman said, “I just wanted to talk to you”. So after a short visit and discussion of our lifestyle and tow vehicle we went on our way.

     
  • At 11:57 AM , Blogger Andy W2UCZ said...

    July 10 Boise, ID

    We took our time getting ready to move this morning, as we didn’t have that far to travel. This morning we left the lush farmlands and had some very hilly travel through mostly grazing lands with rugged hills in the distance (and not so distant at times). We stopped at the Wal-Mart in Mountain Home for some shopping and Loretta got her hair done. Then on to the Mall in Boise for some shopping, a walk and rest a while. At 5PM we came to the Western Idaho Fairgrounds and parked for the night in a lot here. The evening was spent visiting with friends here and making new friends. A group of also walked to a nearby Chinese Restaurant for supper.

     

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