A Day at Lake Murray and Taking the RV in for Repairs

We have been back from vacation for a few weeks now and been able to head south to our RV lot at Cedar Blue the last two weekends.  If you have been following my blog you know we had a couple of problems with the RV on vacation when it wouldn't start.  Well on our way home from Cedar Blue two weeks ago the engine just quit running right outside where we park in the city.  Thankfully it started right back up after we got it stopped and into park.  This past weekend on our way down and back we noticed the engine kind of like doing quick stalls several times.  Like skipped heart beats.  And again, on our way home while just traveling down the highway it quit running but started right back up after getting stopped.  I sure hope the repair garage can figure out what is going on.

So this is the inconvenient part about living in an RV - especially a motorhome.  The RV dealers aren't equipped to work on engines or the chassis so either they take the RV to a truck center or we do.  We are hoping whatever this is that the warranty covers it, so we have to find a truck center that is an authorized Ford repair garage which is even more limiting.  We also have to plan to be out of it for a while as many of these truck centers don't seem to care that you live in your RV.  At least the place we are going to say they will look at it on the day of the appointment.  Another place we have used makes  appointments but when you drop it off it doesn't seem to have any meaning and you just go into a cue which could be 2 weeks out!  Crazy.  We have an appointment after Labor Day and all they will tell us is they will take a look at it on the day of the appointment but make no promises after that, which I understand.  They have to diagnose, possibly order parts and repair it so it could be a day or it could be two weeks.  Who knows.  We are so very very very thankful for friends that open their home to us dogs and all when we need help and we reciprocate by house and pet sitting when they have to be gone.  They have 3 dogs, 3 cats and a bird so boarding could be really pricey for them.  We are more than happy to house and pet sit for them in their beautiful home. 

We are planning to entertain ourselves here in the city for a few weekends and then take a week in October and spend it at Cedar Blue.  We haven't seen the art museum or the bombing memorial and there are movies we want to see as well, so plenty to do around here.  We can also get some motorcycle riding in as well.  Hopefully we will get back to our lake lot sometime in September though.

During our week down there I hope to paint the trim on the shed and completely clean out and reorganize the shed.  It will be nice and cool for that project then.  We also plan to drive to Lake Texoma and scout out an RV resort to vacation at.

This past weekend we went with another couple to Lake Murray on Saturday with our waverunners and had fun.  We started with lunch in the lodge there which was good and reasonably priced.  Then off to the lake.  We had learned that it was down 5 feet and that lake is already known for shallow spots and weeds so that added a bit of stress as we had to be vigilant watching for weeds and shallow spots.  It all paid off though and we didn't get hung up in either.  Thank goodness because pulling weeds out of a waverunner can take a long time.  The water in that lake is crystal clear and a really pretty blue.  I look forward to being able to head back there next year in hope that it is full so we can relax a bit more.

The size and number of the houseboats in the marina there is mind boggling for the size of the lake.  We found several of them lashed together in a cove across from the marina.  The lake also has floating cabins in one of the coves.  They have decks and you can tie off your boats to them as well.  What a neat idea!  At one point we came across this guy who seemed to have jet packs on his feet and was way up in the air.  He was definitely causing a crowd of boats.  We have since learned they are called fly boards and are powered from a waverunner.  You have to google them.  They sell for a mere $6600!  It seemed like he was just learning how to use it and spent a lot of time tipping into the water.  He had to be tired.  We ended our day having a nice dinner at an out of the way Italian restaurant in Ardmore and then headed for the house. 

On Sunday morning we tried out a Sunday School class at Crossway Baptist Church in Sulphur and everybody was so nice.  We have been attending services there for a while when we are in Sulphur and love the preaching.  The Pastor is great to listen to.    So I think we may have found a place to create some friendships while in Sulphur.  The church is amazing in that it is very mission minded including sending people overseas as well as around the country and right at home in Sulphur.  Their beautiful new church is also debt free. 

Well that's enough for now.  I hope you have a great week. 
 
 

Our New Tornado Shelter

We finally bit the bullet and had a tornado shelter installed on our RV lot at Cedar Blue!  I cannot tell you how much comfort this gives us.  It's not pretty but if it gives us a place to go in high winds and tornadoes then it is totally worth it.  Cedar Blue has 600 lots in it and they have one tornado shelter that might hold 25 people.  In the 15 years we have owned this lot we have only had to leave our RV twice.  Once for high winds and we just sat in the car and once for a possible tornado and the rain was coming down so hard late at night that we cold only see a few feet in front of the car to drive the half mile to the shelter and then we couldn't find it.  Seriously!  The rain was coming down so hard we had no idea where to go so just sat it out in the car and prayed.  So now we have our own place to go. 

It's a 6x8 shelter that can hold about 9 people with room for our dogs in crates behind the stairs.  We have a couple of neighbors that we have shared the lock combo with so they can use it as well, if needed. 

The company that installed it actually had it done from start to finish in 2 hours and 15 minutes!  That included feathering the large amount of leftover dirt out across the hard.  What was really nice was that the didn't hit any large rocks while digging the hole.  This area is noted for lots of big rocks in the ground so once again prayers were answered. 

You can see from the pictures that it really is a monstrosity and has absolutely no asthetic value but in time we plan to grow some grass around it, plant some flowers and shrubs and try to pretty it up a bit.  I'm thinking about painting it green as well to help it blend into the ground.  They told us everything would settle a few inches so for now we are just going to let it sit and possibly this fall or next spring start to pretty it up.  I'm hoping it adds value to the lot should we decide to sell at some point. 

So now we have a tornado shelter at both the place we stay in Newcastle and Cedar Blue so to our family and friends - we are completely protected!

I want to also give a shout out to Oklahoma Shelters out of Crescent, OK.  When I was searching the web for places that might come to Cedar Blue I found this place and it is several miles north of Oklahoma City -- Cedar Blue is 80 miles south of the city.  I emailed them over a weekend and had a response with prices in less than a day.  They were very responsive by email and didn't seem to mind all my questions.  They didn't require a down payment and I was able to pay the installers out here in the boonies with a credit card and got this for under $3,000!  Money well spent don't you think?  You can also get shelters that have a flat surface (kind of flush with the ground) but I was concerned about flooding so didn't opt for that one although it would have been 'prettier'. 

John has been trying to figure out how to have a bath tub so I told him if he could come up with a pumping system maybe he could fill it with water, enjoy it and then pump it out! 

If you read any of my blogs about our recent trip you know that I beat my poor body up pretty good with a bruised bone in my foot, a cut foot, an infected leg and a bad back.  Well while cleaning up after the shelter install I slashed open the tip of my finger badly (yes the rock was dirty) so decided it was time for a tetanus shot.  I probably should have had the finger looked at but cleaned it as best as I could and bandaged it up.  We headed to a Walgreens in Ardmore and both of us got tetanus shots, had a nice dinner at Luigis and called it good.  I was already on antibiotics for my leg so I pray this will heal with no problems.

As I'm sitting her writing this on our deck the hummingbirds are enjoying the feeders.  One of them keeps flying almost up to me on the deck so I can almost reach out and touch it.  They don't seem the list bit bothered by me sitting here.  Very cool!

 

 

 

The End of Our Vacation

On our final day in the Black Hills we decided to take the girls and go for a ride to the Badlands.  This was about a 2-hour drive each way so we knew it was an all day event.  The ride up to Rapid City was pretty but from that point until we were close to the Badlands was pretty boring.  The Badlands, however, were neat to see.  Out there in the middle of nowhere are these very large stone spires and canyons.  For quite a bit of the ride we were on top of the ridge with this spires and canyons on the left and acres of grassy fields on the right.  There were beautiful colors of reds and yellows in the rock.  Archaeologists have found many fossils throughout this area.  After we finished the drive we headed up to Wall Drug which was an interesting place.  This was just a small drug store purchased by a couple in 1931.  For the first five years the store brought in no business.  The town was very small and there was no reason for outsiders to come in.  However, with the opening of Yellowstone and a highway nearby, they started marketing the business by putting up lots of signs on the highway offering free ice water.  Remember, folks traveling to Yellowstone were in old old cars and it was a long, hot, dusty drive.  The free ice water did the trick and while folks were in the store they started to purchase other items such as snacks.  Now it is a booming business with a restaurant, tons of souvenirs, and more.  As my sister said to me, it's the signs you see on the road that make it even more interesting.  I believe it is the fourth generation of the family that still runs the business.  We loaded up the girls in their stroller and headed into the store to check it out. 

On our way back to the campground we made a stop at a wood carver's outdoor business that we had been eyeing and bought two adorable carvings of bears.  One for our deck at Cedar Blue and the other for our place in Newcastle.  Can't wait to get them displayed.

Friday morning we headed out for the Grand Island KOA which is where we spent our first night on the road.  Of course we lost an hour on that trip when we drove back into Central Daylight Time.  Yuk!  The drive down to I-80 was pretty nice.  I had no idea that Nebraska could be so pretty and hilly.  Right before we got to I-80 we came into Oshkosh and stopped at a place out in the country for gas as they had lots of room for the RV.  While there one of the owners had to come out and see the girls.  So they got a bit of loving from her.  Inside they had a very clean little cafe so we had lunch as well.  Then we made a bit of a detour and drove along the north side of a lake that appears to be the largest lake in the State.  John loves lakes so he enjoyed the drive.  The road took us across the dam at the end of the lake and out to I-80.  We don't know if the lake was really low in water or if there was supposed to be as much white beach as we saw but it was interesting.  We arrived at the KOA about 7 pm.  They made and delivered pizza at this place so we had a pizza delivered to the RV for dinner, washed the windshield and front of the motorhome off and called it a night.

I had to end the vacation with one last injury.  After I washed the front of the RV and went inside to sit down I pulled a back muscle when sitting.  Ouch!  It smarted.  At least it was on our way home.  I got some rest and John drove the first half of our final day.  Then we stopped for gas and yes - the RV would not start!  Ugh.  While I was on the phone with roadside service John messed with the ignition enough that it finally started up.  Thank goodness we had enough gas to get us the rest of the way home.  During our brief stops to walk the girls and eat lunch we just left it running and arrived home with a quarter of a tank left! 

We had a wonderful vacation and thank the Lord for blessing us in so many ways - for a safe trip and so  many beautiful creations of His to see. 

Our Stay in the Black Hills

Since I have so many pics in this blog they don't follow with the stories.

On Monday, July 22nd, we drove from Buffalo, WY to Custer, SD.  It was the shortest drive of our trip and uneventful, thank goodness. The Lord has blessed our vacation and kept His angels around us the entire trip. 

We stayed in another KOA just west of Custer and it was gorgeous.  Completely filled with tall, beautiful pine trees. We had a wonderful pull through site that was so long we didn't need to unhook the car hauler and we had the car and motorcycle parked in front of the RV with room for more if we needed it.  We were also right by the laundry and if you have been keeping up with us you know that Thursday night is - yep, laundry night!  Everywhere I looked out of the RV I saw pine trees.  I think I could have spent a lot of time there and never leave the RV!  They had an enormous area for the dogs to run with big cement trenches around it to help keep the dogs in.  Bailey and April thought it was great to be able to run like the wind.

On our first night there we treated ourselves to dinner out.  So we rode the motorcycle into town with the plan to eat dinner, check out the town and buy some groceries.  However, after dinner we saw some nasty looking storm clouds rolling in so decided to head for the house.  We had a chance to walk the dogs and sit outside a bit but then it started to rain so we enjoyed the beautiful sound of rain - just rain - hitting the roof of the RV.  It was so nice to have just a nice steady rain with no serious wind, hail or tornadoes.  I loved it. 

Before we left on vacation we bought a Tailgater satellite dish to use while we are on the road.  We have the regular house-type satellite dishes at our place in Newcastle as well as our lot at Cedar Blue but those are too cumbersome to haul around with us.  The tailgater can be picked up with one finger, it's so light and it's all automatic.  We don't have to track down the satellites.  We just need to be sure the handle is pointed north so we have to be sure that there are no obstructions to the south.  We do have to call Dish each time we relocate so they can send us the local channels for our location but that's just a quick phone call.  It has worked out very well and Dish has a plan designed for RVers that's very affordable.  It took John a bit when we arrived in Custer, though, to get it set where there were no obstructions with all the trees but with a bit of persistence and a phone app that sees the satellites he finally had success.  It wouldn't be a good night if my Sweetie didn't have TV.

We had three full days there so we sawe Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, took a nice motorcycle ride through Custer State Park and down Iron Mountain road and Needles Highway that was recommended.  What we realized was there is a lot to see and three full days is not enough time so we will need to return.

On Tuesday we took the motorcycle to Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse.  Those places are amazing.  It just boggles my mind that people would carve faces in the sides of these huge masses of rock just like it boggles my mind how men built the Hoover Dam.  I have included a pic of the eye of one of the faces so you can see how they made the pupils.  While we were at Mt. Rushmore we took the 1/2 mile presidential trail that goes up to the bottom of the rock that they are carved on.  It was a great walk but there were a ton of steps going down.  Not normally a big deal but now the bone behind my large left toe is all inflamed from that walk and it smarts to walk on it.  John, being an orthotist, has fixed up the padding in my tennis shoe and I bought a pair of Nike flip flops with a lot of padding as well so hopefully it will get better soon.  There were several steps back up on the trail as well but nothing like what we had to walk down.  We just took it slow and easy. 

Following that we biked over to Crazy Horse.  That was also amazing.  This monument is a long way from being done as they rely 100% on donations of cash, gifts, and the proceeds from entrance fees and purchases in the park.  There are no state or federal funds going toward this as the person who started this project would not allow it.  They had photos of it at various stages and when I visited it as a small child I now realize there was not much to see.  The face of Crazy Horse was not unveiled until 1998 - after John and I were married!  I have shown a picture I took of a sculpture of Crazy Horse with the project in the background so you can see where they are and what the end product should look like.  Note the horse's head drawn on the rock in white.  Not sure it will be done in my lifetime.  The man sculpting this is now dead but his wife and 10 children are still alive and the wife and 7 of his children are continuing the project.  We could see a bulldozer up on the end of what is the arm.  Much of the work is done by blasting which I understand happens about once a week or so and when it does occur it is always at 11 am.  I guess that is so everybody below knows when to expect them.  I have shown another picture I took of a picture of the back side of the project where you can see there is a road up to it with a building up there where they work out of.  What was also interesting is that the faces on Mt. Rushmore only take up the space of Crazy Horse's face/feathers area so this project is going to be much much larger.  I have a hard time figuring out how you can work on say an eye which is much larger than yourself and get everything to scale.  What an undertaking and so much more so many years ago when they had more primitive equipment or no equipment to work with.  The stories are very interesting.

That evening we had a campfire and just enjoyed sitting outside with the girls and visiting with folks that walked by.  We met so many campers on our trip from all over -- Iowa, Texas, Montreal, Kansas, Indiana, Minnesota, China, New Jersey.  We heard many different languages as well.

On Wednesday we took the bike for a long scenic ride much of which was through Custer State Park.  We drove on Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway all of which was 35 mph at the most.  The roads were winding with tons of S curves, many of which had to be taken at 10 mph with several switchbacks.  It was gorgeous.  The nice thing about riding on the back of a motorcycle through something like that is I can take lots of pictures while we are moving.  We went through six single lane stone tunnels none of which our RV would have fit through.  Some were not even wide enough for our 101" but none of them were tall enough for the 13' clearance we need.  We arrived at one of the tunnels that was only 10' tall and very narrow and here was a Class C RV driving through it.  Everybody that was stopped there were holding their breath as they weren't sure he would fit.  I have to wonder how many people have foolishly driving their RVs or towables up there and gotten stuck.  There isn't much you can do but go through or back up but either way there is going to be lots of damage.  I'm definitely sure many side view mirrors have met their demise in that tunnel.

We had thought about trying to go back to either Crazy Horse or Mt. Rushmore at night for their laser light show but these old bodies were just too tired in the evenings.  It was actually more enjoyable to sit out by the campfire and visit with the folks that walked by.   

Our KOA site in Buffalo

Today we headed to Buffalo, WY for one night before heading into the Black Hills.  We went from Cody to Billings and then onto Buffalo to go around the Big Horn mountains.  There are two routes through those mountains but I read about them and decided that was not the drive for us.  The owner of the park that we left also told us not to go over them.  Although we had quite a bit of up and down in the mountains, the motorhome handled it beautifully but it gets old after a few hours!  From what I understand we won't have much of that tomorrow.



When I booked our site at the Buffalo KOA the only one they had left for our rig plus what we were towing was their deluxe site - of which they only have one!  WOW!  It is fenced in with a fire pit and seating, a hot tub in a gazebo, tables and chairs, lounge chairs, a gas grill and some flowers.  The dogs get to run around off their leashes!  Since we are here only one night we don't unload our car or motorcycle so we have had the afternoon to enjoy the swimming pool, cook hamburgers on the grill and this evening we plan to use the hot tub.  Oh yes - and while I am writing this sitting outside in this nice area we are watching TV on our outside entertainment center on the RV. The only thing missing are our friends.   

So I look over at John and what are the girls doing?  Yep, sitting on his lap while he watches TV.  They have this entire yard to run around in and they are sitting in his lap!  What a great evening.

Our Last Day in Cody, Wyoming

Today was our last day in the Cody/Yellowstone area.  We took a side trip to Worland, WY today.  A few years ago we had a college student from Worland stay with us for about 2 years while she went to school.  During that time we also became friends with her parents who are no full-time RVers and living south of San Antonio.  We had heard so much about the place that we had to see it since we were so close.

On our way to Worland we noticed that our youngest dog, April, was not feeling well and panting excessively.  At first we didn't think much of it but after several miles this was continuing and she seemed to be having a hard time.  We knew we were getting close to Worland so we used our phone to find a vet in Worland and got them on the phone.  Of course it is Saturday and almost 11 am!  Vets usually close at noon.  They asked us some questions and told us to bring her right in.  Well we were still 30 miles out and I was really getting worried about her so I took my chances and stepped up the speed.  His office was on the outskirts of town but with the GPS programs we found it without any problem.  This guy was a good old large and small animal vet that you would expect to find in cowboy country.  He was wonderful with April and gave her a thorough examination.  He didn't find any other symptoms that concerned him and agreed with us that she probably ate something off the ground.  She had a bit of a fever which explained the panting.  He gave her three shots and sent us on our way with some antibiotic if she didn't improve.  He also asked us where we were staying, where we were headed and so on and told us he would be calling us tomorrow to check on her.  He also assured us that if we had any further problems we were to call him as he could find us vets along our way.  We were so appreciative for him and the lady in his office that assists him. 

After that we checked out Worland and all the places we had heard this family talk about and then headed back to the RV.  We didn't get back until about 3:30 pm.  We had a nice rest, then I fixed dinner and now we are sitting outside enjoying the breeze and cool temps while we look at the Absaroka Mountains.  It is just beautiful.

I don't recall if I told you about the weird house that is high on a hill immediately above our RV but it is very strange.  I've put a picture of it and an explanation about the guy that was building it in this blog.  There is also a web site (www.smithmansion.org) that this guy's daughter has telling more about the place but something just doesn't feel right about her site.  Her Dad was building this thing himself and died when he took a fall in 1992 while working on it.  So it was never finished.  She is living in an RV right beside the place we are staying in, directly under the house and it's just an RV in a field.  Nothing fixed up about it.  The web site looks nice and she is trying to raise money to finish the house and make it an art gallery.  So either she is not using the money or there have been no donations.  There is absolutely no work going on on this house and it has been over 20 years since he died.  All very odd.  The house is fascinating but creepy to look at and totally out of place out here. 

Tomorrow we head to the KOA in Buffalo, Wyoming for a night on our way to the Black Hills.  Supposedly the only site available when I booked it was a private site with our own hot tub.  We'll see.  Then onto the Black Hills for four nights then home.

Day 4 - Old Faithful

 

On our 4th day we headed into Yellowstone to see Old Faithful.  This was going to be our last day there.  Although we wanted to head south to see the Grand Tetons that was just going to be too long a day to do both.  On our last day in the area we wanted to drive down to Worland, WY.  I know, why on earth would we want to do that.  Well, we had a college student live with us for over two years and have made friends with her parents (who are full-time RVers) and they are from Worland.  So back to our last day in Yellowstone. 

We headed out early to try to avoid the traffic and arrived at Old Faithful at 10 am and up she went at 10:15!  Wow, we didn't have to wait 90 minutes or longer.  They have a huge semi circle of seats around the geyser and they all fill up.  There are several other geysers in the area and there are boardwalks that go around to all of them.  While taking a walk around we saw one of the other geysers go up as well.  You cannot walk on the ground in any of this area as it is all a thin crust with boiling hot water underneath.  If you step onto the crust you could easily fall through and possibly die or get very badly burned.  We came across a small open pool of crystal clear blue water that was burning hot.  Nearby was another small pond bubbling like boiling water yet in the background was a running stream that didn't appear to be hot at all.  The area is so interesting and still you wonder if this volcano is going to go up again in our life time.  I sure hope not as it could be devastating.

After seeing the geysers we took a stroll into the Old Faithful Inn to get a snack and take a break.  What a beautiful old hotel.  The lobby was so interesting.  I had to wonder what the rooms are like.  We hadn't taken any time to shop for souvenirs so we stopped in at one of the gift shops in this area.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the prices on T-shirts, sweatshirts and such were very reasonable.  We found some shirts and a sweatshirt and were on our way.  We stopped off at Grant Village for lunch and found a restaurant that overlooked the lake.  The food we have had in the park has been very good, a bit pricey but tasty.  Since we were eating lunches in the park and not dinners it was affordable.  Thank goodness, so far no norovirus attack either!!  We definitely came prepared with Gatorade, oatmeal, white rice,  and medications for symptoms should that have occurred.

We enjoyed the rest of our drive through the park heading back to the RV.  Along the

way we came across a pond full of lillies.  That was the only place we found these and they were beautiful.  Oh yes, on our way out to Old Faithful we did get a quick glimpse of an elk.  That was the only other critter besides the bison we saw.  Before leaving the park we stopped off at a place where we could get our feet wet in the lake.  It was cold but at least I got to walk in it a bit.

After dinner we took the girls for a short ride on the motorcycle.  They seem to like riding.