FINALLY,,,,it's done!!!

Did you ever have something that you needed to do? You KNEW you needed to do it, but DREADED it and kept putting it off and off. Well that's been the case with Ms Pat and I for about 3 years with the ONE LAST rented storage unit we had that we needed to EMPTY!!! We would stop and look in on it and quickly say "UGH", close the door, pay another years storage fee's and FORGET about it. I can see most of you full time RV'ers saying "Yep, been there"!

It was mostly all just "STUFF". Stuff that we would never miss. In fact, I always kinda hoped the storage unit would burn down or a tornado would place it in some other county. But NO, that didn't happen. :-)

Now we have this Cargo Trailer and a place for the "junk" out here at our place. We had a deadline, as the rent was paid up through August. We still procrastinated. Finally yesterday just as we were headed for our 7:30 morning hike in the Park, something hit me. I told Pat, it's cool today and instead of hiking, lets BITE the BULLET and get that storage unit emptied.....She looked at me in shock and said "REALLY". I said "REALLY"! She saw I was motivated, so she agreed and we set out to do the dreaded task!!


As you can see the storage unit is EMPTY!!!!! Pat admires the emptiness and we both are proud that the inspiration finally hit us. It was a RELIEF to get this job behind us!!
(click on all pictures to enlarge)
Our good friends and fellow neighbors in Texas, David and Sue McCarron, have been visiting the area for the last 2 weeks and are departing today. So they stopped by last night for one last Happy Hour and so we could bid them farewell on their travels on up into Montana and Idaho. You can see in the background that Ms Mega2 joined the party....


David and Sue also have a Volvo 770 just like ours to pull their Teton. Their dog Trip, couldn't hold still for the picture, he loves it here! It's about 6pm and note the Jackets!!! Yep, it's near August and we LOVE IT!!!


David and Sue's only other mode of transportation besides the Volvo are these 2 Motorcycles. They ride a lot!! They have a neat way of loading and unloading their Bikes with a Crane lift. It works NEAT..... Safe Travels you two,,,,,,stay in touch!!!

If I can just "HOLD ON" 2 more days.....our Harley should be here!!!! The Driver called and said he will be here Friday or Saturday. Seems like I been waiting FOREVER, but it sure has given me something to look forward to.

Ms Pat and I have been here stationary for about 2-1/2 months and we, of course, are developing a bad case of "hitch itch". You RV'ers all know about that. So I have planned a little trip for us in the future. It will be about Aug 17Th before we can get away. It will only be for a week to ten days, but it will be different. Wait until you hear what I have dreamed up!!!!;-)

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!!!

God Bless you all.....

Until next time....

Mike

PS. Mel and Nina, we're waiting for you!!!! Your spot is OPEN!!! Travel safe!

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday...

We went to HEAVEN !!! Right here in Custer County.

On Thursday we decided to take a ride out in the National Forest on our 4-wheelers with our good friends Jim and Donnalyn Vickers. So we rode down to Broken Arrow Campground where they are staying and met up with them and headed out for a place nicknamed "Heaven". Soon after traversing some rough and narrow trails through the woods we found ourselves in HEAVEN!!

Here is Pat, Jim and Donnalyn in "Heaven"

The view to the North...........

and looking to the Northwest......from "Heaven". See that rock pillar way back off in the center of the picture? That's "Beecher Pillar". A couple of weeks or so ago, Ellie Meachem, Pat and I hiked that peak and searched and searched around the base of it looking for a "Cache". Never did find the darn thing. )-: We were within 15 feet of it according to Ellie's GPS. We looked high and low...nothing!! One day I'm going back there and give it another shot. I don't like to get skunked!!!LOL

Our new (to us) Polaris Sportsman 500 has been performing like a champ so far and we really enjoy it. Hard to beat these POLARIS's!! I'm impressed with them...

Friday was the beginning of the annual Gold Discovery Days in Custer. We went up town and walked around all the Craft booths set up in Way Park. Some NEAT stuff!! Saturday morning about 6am as I looked out the front door, I spotted the annual balloon lift off,,,,,beautiful view on a beautiful morning. It just doesn't get any better! The high temp for the day was 69deg...:-)

To top off an already perfect week, Pat decided to host a Pot Luck at our place Saturday evening. Jim and Donnalyn Vickers staying in Broken Arrow Campground and David and Sue McCarron from Custer Gulch Campground joined us in some good ole fun, food and fellowship. We are certainly enjoying this big shop in more ways than one!

This morning our Church is joining in with the Gold Discovery Days Celebration and having an outside under the Tent service with Pancakes and Sausage served afterwards... So I gotta run!!!

Hope you're all having fun and staying as busy as we are......

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

Travel Safe..

Mike

PS. JRoger called and advised us that the Harley was loaded up in Florida yesterday and is headed this way!!!!!!! Soon after he called, the Driver called me and let me know he was heading this way but that he was headed North to Virgina to pick up 15 more Bikes, including a couple of Trikes. He should be here Friday.

This Blog Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Nice Hike right in Custer City,,,,,,,

We have been doing our favorite hike at Stockade Lake about every morning so yesterday we decided to do a different one. We like a place that is close because we go out about 7:30 am. How about "Custer Skywalk", up by the big lighted "CUSTER" sign? Away we went.....ONE mile from our place. It was GREAT!!!! Right in our back yard!!

Here are some pictures in a slide show of the Hike. We went a little off the route and on up to the big CUSTER sign high on the hill. We have been up there before but it was a few years ago.


It was a SUPER hike, a workout, but we enjoyed it!


Many of you always ask about Ms Megabyte2. She is doing just wonderful and this is HER HOUSE! She is in Charge!!
(click on all pictures to enlarge)

When she is not asleep that is!!! She's sound asleep in the middle of our bed...

Have any of you Pet owners heard about the FURMINATOR? Let me tell you is it the DEAL. Kathy Detweiler told Pat about it right when Mega was shedding like crazy. So I started looking. You know the usual places, Craig's List, Amazon, eBay, etc. I finally found one at a good price on eBay... WOW, were we shocked. Does this thing ever work!!!

This is the FURMINATOR.

Here is the excess hair it removes with just ONE stroke..

View from the TOP.

Here is Ms Mega2 getting "stroked"!! She didn't like it at first, but soon decided it was OK. Now I think she kinda likes it!!

Does it ever remove the excess hair!!! This bucket is what we removed from her. She must be a pound lighter.. Plus, it has cut down on the shedding tremendously. I couldn't believe it. The one we have is the "small" purple one for Cats. They make others in Med and Large for Dogs.

Tom and Sally Gierisch tried ours on their 2 Cats while they visited a couple weeks or so ago. They too were amazed at how well it worked. Tom said "We have to have one of those"! Since they travel almost continually and hardly ever stop long enough to get a package, I told them to take ours and I would get another. So this is our SECOND one!!! We LOVE it!! Try it, you might like it too!! Thanks Kathy!!!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

The Heritage should be here in 1 week!!! Can you believe it,,,just ONE WEEK!!!:-)

Thanks for stopping by.

Remember, tell your kids you love them, they may not be around forever!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

My Camera DIED!!!

My old Nikon Camera gave up the ghost this week. It totally "died". It was several years old and had served me well. I sent it in to Nikon about a year ago for a total going over including a new Flash Bulb. That was to the tune of $150.00 plus shipping. I didn't want to spend any more money on it, so I went shopping for a new camera. I came up with the new Nikon D5000, just recently put on the market.
Pictured below: (click on all pictures to enlarge)

It's a D-SLR,,,,,,,,,First time I've ever had a SLR in digital. I just got it 3 days ago, so I'm busy studying and learning.. WOW, when did camera's become so complicated? Plus the manuals that come with them are almost impossible to understand..Who writes them?? I don't know if I will EVER understand all this!!!

If you interested in the spec's of the camera and learning a little more about it, check it out at this web site: NIKON D5000

The Trucking Firm showed up on schedule Thursday morning to pick up the Suzuki Marauder. Here are a few pictures of them loading it..(taken with my old-old camera)

Backed up to my shop and letting the lift down.

Load the Bike on....

Raise it up.....

Take it up front and put it on a special Motorcycle Pallet.....

Strap it down, cover it up and it's off on its journey to Maryland. Which brings an END to my life with the Suzuki and brings me closer to getting back into the Harley Corner. Time for that delivery slowly gets closer day by day.... Delivery date Aug 1-2, just 2 weeks!!!! Guess I'll just WAIT!!:-)

Dave and Sue McCarron arrived in Custer on Wednesday and will be here a couple of weeks. They are neighbors of ours at Retama Village in Mission, TX. They came here from Mission and they said it was so hot down there, it was almost unbearable. That is definitely not a place to be in the summertime. When they rode over to see us on their motorcycles on Friday, they had their jackets on. By the time they left, they were putting on heavier jackets. :-) They are glad to be up here in the nice, cool weather. I wish my Harley was here so we could do some riding in the Hills with them.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by, travel safe!

Mike

This Blog is Publish every Sunday and Wednesday..

How OBSERVANT are YOU???

Last Sunday after Church, I asked Pat to take a close up shoulder picture of me. She took this picture and ask me "What did you want that for"? "Nothing", I replied.

This is Funny!!! Last Thursday I got a Haircut. At the same time I decided, for a "change", to cut my beard off. I didn't say anything. I thought I'd see how long it would take Pat and others to notice it.....LOL!!

Can you believe it??? I saw and talked with lots of friends, lived and "slept" with Ms Pat for 3 days and NOBODY said a word. At Church, I talked to a lot of friends, the Pastor, his wife and others......Nothing! Nobody said a word!!!! Hmmmmmm.

So when we got home from Church, I ask Pat to take this Photo. The NEXT day, Monday, I finally asked Pat if she took a close look at my face lately and she stated "Well yes, why"? I asked her if she didn't notice anything different. Then she said "OH MY GOSH, you shaved your beard off"!! She couldn't believe I did it a few days ago!! She didn't even notice when she took the picture!!!LOL,,,,So you see, it doesn't matter what you look like. Nobody notices anyhow! :-)

NOBODY has seen me without my "chin" whiskers for years and years.... It's been over 10 years since Ms Pat saw me without a beard .... I have had the mustache since 1968. It covers a prominent scar caused by a Brahma bull's horn....

Anyhow, I thought that was kinda funny,,,,,How observant are you? I will say that you won't see me long without it,,,,I don't even recognize myself in the mirror and Ms Pat says to PLEASE put it back on !!!! So, it's growing out!!!ASAP!

Goodbye Marauder, it's been nice knowing ya!

Tomorrow the truck will be picking up the Suzuki Marauder and taking it back home.....I took this picture yesterday as it is sitting all ready and waiting for the trip back East to MD. Isn't it strange that my friend and neighbor at Retama in Mission, TX., David Czetli, brought this little Jewel to me all the way to Texas from his home in MD. Now, the new owner is from MD!!!! Small world. The proud new owner is Melissa Schwink of Grasonville, MD. Melissa is the daughter of "Froggi" Donna's husband, Stu McNicol. I believe it is her first bike. I sure hope she enjoys it.........I know she is excited.

By the way have you seen Froggi and Stu's new Harley Trike? Now it is NICE!! Check it out: 2takinga5th

Ride with care Melissa, it's a HOT little bike!!!

PressurePro Tip of the week:

Why doesn’t my Monitor turn on? Make sure the lighter receptacle has power. Some vehicles only have power when the vehicle is running. Check to make sure the power cord is plugged in securely to the lighter receptacle and the USB plug on the Monitor. If the cigarette receptacle is always "hot", be sure all connections are secure. A red LED light on the plug is lit when cord is powered. Check fuse located in the lighter plug-in end of the cord by unscrewing the black ring (at the silver tip) of the plug. Replace only with a 2 Amp fast-blow fuse. Check the vehicle fuse controlling the power source.

NOTE* Actually we prefer "hard Wiring" these monitors direct if you can. It's just a more stable and dependable power source. We have the hardwire cords just for that purpose.

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!!

Travel Safe!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday...

There is a MOOSE on the LOOSE!!!!

I can't believe this!!! Several people reported seeing a "Moose" out in Custer State Park. Someone got this picture of it......this has never happened before that anyone knows of. This picture has made front page news on all of the local Newspapers. The closest Moose to this area would be located in Montana and Wyoming. I understand they do travel long distances. It will be interesting to find out if he stays or passes on through.. Now if he likes it here as well as most folks do, he may be here a while!!!LOL, Next I suppose it will be a BEAR!!!!!

We have been keeping busy. We shipped out 7 PressurePro systems this week. We had to go to Rapid City Wednesday and had a lot of stops to make. It was a LONG day. By the time we got back home to Custer, we had received orders for 4 systems. Now that's a good day, maybe we should go to Rapid more often. It is about 45 miles, so we don't go but a couple times a month. We have 2 good grocery stores in Custer where we can get groceries. Plus we have an extra Frig in the shop, so we can stock up.

One gentleman that ordered a nice large System from us was Keith Green, from Lufkin, TX. He has been following our blog and is a friend on Facebook. Nice fellow!! The next day I was reading his Blog and was startled to find out that he had a FIRE in his house!
Here is his Blog: Green2GoRV

We were so sorry to hear of this. What a mess, thankfully neither Keith nor his wife Donna were injured. But look at their house! What a shame! Fortunately they have a nice Motorhome to use. Keith and Donna, our hearts go out to you in dealing with this tragedy. I wish we were closer and could be of some help. Please keep us advised.

Our good friends, fellow Tetoners and Blog followers, Roger and Diane Smith stopped and said hello while they were in the area. We sat outside and watched a big rain storm skirt around us.

While Roger and Diane were here they got a glimpse of the famous Ms Megabyte2. Although it had to be a quick glimpse, because she had to get back to "work" helping Ms Pat with bookwork. She spends hours here and in all kinds of hilarious positions.....She has been doing real well and gets so rambunctious around here that she gets worn out. I sure had NO IDEA that cats were so entertaining.....:-) She is a JOY!!

Yesterday we took the 4X4 out for a 25 mile ride in the Forest close to our place and ended up down at Broken Arrow Campground. We went up to the top of Cicero Peak...it's about 5 miles south of us. We were able to ride all the way to the top.

Here we are at the top near the Forest Service communications tower... Cicero Peak is only 6,168'. That's nearly 1000' lower than Harney Peak the highest in the area. However, it's a nice view of the surrounding country side.

This is looking down to the East....

Now we are back down at the base. We had a nice rain here this morning...you can see the water puddles in the road.

These valley's are Beautiful.......and so Green!!

It was a Fantastic Ride and we stopped in and said hello to Larry and Geri Gustafson, owners of Broken Arrow Campground....before heading back home.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!!!!

Travel safe and thanks for dropping by..

Mike




This Blog is published every Sunday and Wednesday...

WHAT,,,another Lottery winner in South Dakota!!!!!!......

I can't believe it,,,,,,,another lottery winner in SD. This one was only for a "mere" $200,000. and was in Rapid City. This gentleman only picked 5 of the 6 numbers and didn't get the Powerball number. This makes "5" $200,000 Powerball winners in SD this year! Guess we better start buying a ticket! Here is the newspaper article: Rapid City Journal

Most Rv'ers are quite power conscious and like to monitor the power coming into their RV at all times. We and several of our friends use the Progressive Power Management System. I love it and it tells me what the Voltage is and also tells me the Amps being used on each leg. I have two monitors with my Power Manager, one upstairs and another in the basement.. It's a super set up and if you don't have one, you really should. Ours is built right into the RV. I don't have to plug it in at the post. I prefer that....plus you don't have to be outside by the power post to know what your power is doing....but others have other ideas, and use the post mount.

Another handy gadget that I have had for quite a while is the "Kill-A-Watt". Many of you know what it is; if you don't, you might want to look into one. It will monitor your power at each outlet inside your Coach. Plus, it does a lot more!! I go more by the amps that something uses than I do by watts. The Kill-A-Watt will give you the Amps used by any appliance that is plugged into it, plus more. If you want to see how many Amps your little heater uses (or anything else) just plug it into the Kill-A-Watt. Neat gadget!! It's all part of our POWER MANAGEMENT. Check it out here: Super Media Store I have bought a lot of "Gadgets" from this outfit. They are trustworthy and give good service.

We have been having some kind of BEAUTIFUL weather here in the Black Hills of South Dakota the last few days.....lows of 48* and highs in the mid to upper 70's*, clear skies and a gentle breeze.......You can't beat that !!!

Sturgis Bike week will be in full force in just over 3 weeks AND my Harley Heritage Softail should be showing up in EXACTLY 3 weeks!!!! Hallelujah!!!! Lots of Bikers come a week early and many stay a week late, so it will soon be wall-to-wall Motorcycles.....all types, brands and sizes! We probably won't do a lot of riding until it clears out a little.

PressurePro Tip of the week.

PressurePro will soon be coming out with a MOTORCYCLE Tire Pressure Monitoring System. They are sending me one of the Beta systems to test. Stay tuned for the results and to see the final product. Rest assured, PressurePro WILL NOT put it out on the street until it has been "tested and re-tested".

DID YOU KNOW: If you purchased a PressurePro System within the last 2 years, your system will have the HIGH pressure Alert. That means if your tires get hot from some unknown reason, such as dragging brakes, bad wheel bearing, etc. the PP System will give you a "HIGH" pressure alert. Check your manual to see if you have this feature. They come with the high pressure alert set so it will alarm when the pressure gets up to 24% above the initial pressure set at installation. The manual instructs you how to change that setting to your own personal preference (10%, 15%, 19%, 24%, 28%, 33%, 40%, and 45%), or leave it at 24%... I leave mine at the factory setting of 24% and I've never had it alarm. However, we have had a few customers that have !!!!

It's a GREAT WEEK!!!!!!

Goodbye Jim and Ellie.............Travel Safe!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

It was a COOL 4TH of July!!

Mt. Rushmore has their Famous Fireworks display on Friday July 3RD........it rained almost all day and was very foggy. We were sure it would be cancelled, but all day the TV and Radio kept saying they were waiting for a break and a decision had not been made. Thousands and thousands of people come from all over to see the Rushmore Fireworks display. The parking lots and most of the roads in the area are filled up by Noon!!! The display doesn't start until 9:20 in the evening. Lots of tour buses are scheduled to bring folks to the display. They have quite an elaborate program going on all day. Over 30,000 people are in and around the vicinity to view the Fireworks.


Most of us locals wouldn't think of going into that crowd. We just watch it on TV. Finally 9:20 came and believe it or not,,,the Fireworks began. We were watching on TV. However, there were so many clouds and so much low fog it was impossible to even see more than just a colored glow in the sky above the clouds.... Several of our friends that are staying at campgrounds around this area were at the display and advised us that it was unreal. They didn't see a thing!! Over $200,000.00 of Fireworks set off and NO ONE could see them!! This article from the newspaper will give you an idea why this decision was made.

Mt Rushmore Fireworks

I'm glad I wasn't the one that had to make the decision,,,,it would have been a tough one. However, there are sure a lot of people that thought they should have been postponed. But you know how that goes. If they had cancelled and postponed them just as many people would be complaining about that. I did find out that it is funded by Mt Rushmore privately and not public funds (so they say).

So many places, like Custer, have their Fireworks Display on the 4TH. We can sit out in our front yard and watch them, if we can stay awake. :-) They have quite an impressive display. The Booms shook the ground under our 5th wheel and Megabyte2 was very nervous. The sky would light up as if it was a war zone. I tried to comfort her as we both drifted off to sleep. I don't know how long they continued on into the night. Ms Pat could see them from the bedroom window on her side of the bed. The weather turned out fine for their display, even though it was only about 60 deg. The high for the day was only 69. It has been a cool and rainy summer so far. I love the cool weather and the rain is really good for everything. However, it sure puts a crimp in a lot of our plans.....but warmer weather is forecast for next week. I'm sure we will soon be wishing it was cooler, although it very seldom gets too hot here in Custer.

Last night we had a big 4TH of July Happy Hour and Cookout with a lot of old and new friends down at the Broken Arrow Campground. It was rather breezy and at times cool, but with long sleeves and a few jackets, everyone stayed warm. All the food was delicious and everyone had a great time. Thanks again to Larry and Geri Gustafson, owners, for hosting the event. There was a nice crowd.

(click on pictures to enlarge)

There were people from all different parts of the country. Several love this area so much, that they keep coming back year after year... Just like us!!!!:-) If this isn't Heaven, it's pretty close!!


This is Jim Meacham "slaving" over the fire. Jim loves to cook and he is good at it!


Here is Ms Pat proudly wearing her "colors"..... We are all PROUD to live in such a GREAT Country and are so thankful to those that fought so hard to make it the way it is!!!

GOD BLESS THEM ALL and GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Travel Safe!!!

Mike

This Blog Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

It's JULY already!!!!! FIREWORKS!!!!

YES,,,,,can you believe it,,,,,,4TH of July, 2009 is almost here!!! Time sure flies,,,but this is going to be a LONG month.. It will be a MONTH from today before my HARLEY gets here all the way from Florida. Delivery time is August 1ST or 2ND.......I can hardly wait!!
Here is a picture Roger sent to me so I can drool over it while I wait....Yes, its gonna be a Long wait!!! Hurry up August!!

(click on all pictures to enlarge)

Here is our friend's NEW TETON,,,,,,Actually, this is Tom and Sally's 2001 Teton with a NEW FULL BODY PAINT JOB......... Isn't it BEAUTIFUL??

As I told you Sunday, we were looking forward to Tom and Sally Gierisch stopping by for a few days. They came from Phoenix, AZ. where they had their Teton painted...

Sunday afternoon they pulled in just in time for Happy Hour....... Their Teton was painted by Variety Paint and Body, 5134 N. 51ST Ave, Glendale, AZ. They did a spectacular job!!!! You have to see it!! I was impressed.

While they were here, their new awning fabric arrived and we decided to change out the fabric on all 7 of their window awnings. So we all joined in. Here are a few pictures of the progress..


First we took the awnings off and replaced the fabric on the ground.

Then we put them back on.

Now that looks mighty sharp. Much better than the old turquoise ones!!

We wish they could stay longer, but unfortunately they have to move on and will be leaving this morning. They are headed to North Dakota for one of their many Arts and Crafts festivals. They sell Potpourri. Take a look at their website: S&T Potpourri, Etc. Hurry back you guys,,,,its always great to see you....

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by. We hope everyone has a SPECIAL happy July 4TH Holiday!

Travel safe and remember, tell your kids you love them, they may not be around forever...

PressurePro Tip of The Week.

NOTE: When installing Sensors on Aluminum valve stems:

PressurePro uses a Brass thread and Brass and Aluminum can chemically bond. The Sensors can "Weld" to the Stem locking them on. When installing the Sensors on Aluminum valve stems put Teflon tape on the valve stem before installation. PressurePro is not responsible for damage to Aluminum valve stems..

After installation of the Sensors on the valve stems, they should all be tested for leaks with a soapy water solution.

Mike

This Blog Published every Wednesday and Sunday...