Sunday, October 29, 2023

OK, it’s time to pretend like we’re grownups again

Elks Lodge #2390 Amarillo, TX October 29, 2023

We raced to Amarillo, TX to get positioned for the rain and sub-freezing temperatures that were predicted for panhandle Texas and Oklahoma. As EJ said, “It was a dark and stormy night”. Well it was dark, and the wind was howling, the slide toppers were flapping but the predicted snow and freezing rain was disappointing. Not that I’m complaining mind you, but I expected more based on the dire predictions by the weather prognosticators. Regardless, we were prepared. The heat was on, we put an extra electric heater in the wet bay and the water softener was drained to avoid freezing damage. It did get down to 27 degrees and all the way up to 33 today but the precipitation failed to put in a serious presence. We woke to slick steps and frozen slide toppers and this.


That is frozen rain stuck to the side of Miss Mosey. Soooo, what this means is that we will spend an extra day here at the Amarillo Elks Lodge to let everything thaw out (The temps are expected to be 10 or 15 above freezing tomorrow). We will resume our trek toward responsibilities on Wednesday, November 1.

I shouldn’t project such dire gloominess since part of this journey involves fun. We are going to visit friends Tina and Johnny Roush in Hot Springs, AR November 6 through 8 before heading to Red Bay, AL to give Miss Mosey some needed care.

Before delving into Miss Mosey’s needed physical uplifts, a little history. When we acquired Miss Mosey in July of 2017 she had a chip in her windshield. The original owners had graciously adjusted her price of acquisition accordingly. On our previous motorhome, Big Guy, we had replaced his windshields 5 times in 2 years. The insurance company was not happy with us. We decided this time around to not be so anal about the windshield.

However, 5 chips and one big crack later, we feel it’s time to replace the windshield even though it is a huge target on the front end of Miss Mosey just screaming “Hit me, hit me!”. We know that within months of the replacement we will have a chip in the new windshield.

Since we were gong to be in Red Bay, AL anyhow, we decided to see if we could get some other stuff done too. For those unfamiliar, Red Bay is where Miss Mosey was built and is considered the Mecca for getting repairs and upgrades accomplished. But, October and November are extremely busy in Red Bay because all the snowbirds are headed south and a bunch of them stop by Red Bay to have work done.

So, I was not expecting to get much more accomplished other than the windshield replacement. We enlisted the help Happy Host Concierge Service to make the additional appointments. To our surprise, they were able to schedule us for almost everything on our list. Miss Mosey is scheduled for a new steering bell crank, new Koni shocks, new bushings on the front sway bar, getting her counter tops polished, replacement mats for the cockpit and stairs and getting the patio awning realigned. The week of November 13 is going to be very busy. Here are some pictures of the windshield that started this fit of responsibility.







But the responsibilities don’t end with taking care of Miss Mosey. We will continue on to Florida to renew vehicle registrations, replace verizon with visible, pay taxes, renew credit cards, visit our doctors and dentists, get Frank cataract surgery and work on the property in Branford, FL. We need to make another appointment for Miss Mosey to get her 60,000 mile checkup in Gaffney, SC. Plus make plans for our summer trip to Newfoundland.

But on the plus side, we will get to visit more friends and be able to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with them. 

Obligatory cat picture follows:


How we spent our 2023 Summer Vacation

May 5, 2023 to October 25, 2023 – Lake Alice State Park CG, NM

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Be aware, this blog entry contains lots of pictures. Click on them to embiggen! 

A little over 2600 miles in 5-1/2 months. During that time we spent 15 days in commercial campgrounds and the remainder at Elks Lodges, Casinos, BLM campgrounds, Forest Service campgrounds, city campgrounds, state park campgrounds and dispersed camping.

As you can tell, staying in commercial campgrounds is really, really low on our list. Why put up with oblivious campers, screeching kids and barking dogs (along with their biological landmines) when you can enjoy spaciousness, peacefulness and wonderful views?

There are times when one must simply have a Trader Joe’s fix or a decent selection of craft beers that requires one to suffer the indignities of a commercial campground and their inherent drawbacks. The sacrifices one must make for Triple Ginger Ginger Snap cookies,  a decent bouquet of fresh flowers or a decent selection of stouts and porters.

Here are some pictures of our favorite spots this summer. 

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This summer was also filled with animals. We have traveled to Alaska and Canada looking for moose without success. Lots of moose sign, but no moose. This summer it seems like they are everywhere you turn around. Unexpected, but most certainly appreciated.

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And that dear friends, is how you spend a fantastic summer. Peace, quiet, nature, and the rejuvenation of the soul. As the T-Shirt says “Life is Good!”.

Obligatory cat picture follows:

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