The BIG SEARCH comes to a HAPPY ending!

All weekend we have been camped out in the fenced in lot of The Motorhomes of Texas dealership in Nacogdoches, TX. This is the friendliest and warmest dealership I have ever run into.

From Our New MOTORHOME

This is the 2003 Foretravel 40' U320 Motorhome that they just accquired and thought we might be interested in. This picture was taken just a few minutes after it arrived at the dealership. They were washing off the bugs and road grime on the outside but they hadn't touched the inside. I was anxious to see it BEFORE it was detailed by the dealership. It was purchased from a private owner and driven in from Kansas City, KS.

We looked it over with a fine tooth comb and took it out on a long test drive.  It was every bit as clean as we were told it was. It has 54,000 miles on it and it is CLEAN. It really didn't need any further cleaning but they insisted that they wanted to put a crew on it and give it a good going over. Although the owners records showed that it had been totally serviced with new oil and filters, etc. in March, they wanted to do it all again before they put it out.  "Just so we will both know FOR SURE", the sales mgr told me.

When the dealership closed that evening, we were the PROUD owners. We knew this is what we had been waiting for! Praise the Lord.  This is what He had for us. Well worth the wait. We went back to the Motel that night so excited that neither of us slept a wink.  It was understood that they would put a full crew on it early the next morning and we could stay in it that night and over the weekend. That would give us a chance to get familiar with everything and check out any items that needed correcting before we hit the road.   I was MORE than ready to get out of the Motel's!

A couple days ago, while we were waiting for this Coach to arrive, we toured the Foretravel Factory which is right across the road from this dealership.  Let me tell you, I was mighty impressed with the way they construct thier units. They don't push them out very fast and spend a lot of time and care paying attention to the details. The craftmanship is superb, second to nothing I have ever seen. I thought Teton was the best and I spent a lot of time watching them being built but Foretravel's work is superior to what Tetons was. "WAS", is the BIG word there.  Foretravel is still in business, both building and repairing, and is centrally located. I have several friends that have Foretravels and love them.

Foretravels slideouts are unique and have a feature that I didn't know even existed. All of their slideouts have a rubber bladder around them that fills with air and TOTALLY seals all the way around when it's in or out.  The bladder is inside so it's not exposed to any sunlight or elements for deterioration and makes an extremely tight seal to keep out wind, dirt, dust, water, etc.

Anyhow to make a long story a little shorter, here are a few of the options our new home has that we like:

450 hp Cummins engine
Tag Axle and nearly new tires all around.
Full body paint job and double clear coat in superb condition.
Aqua Hot water and heat.
Total "AIR"leveling syatem.  No jacks or levelers ever touch the ground.
Ms Pat loves the floor plan and the quality fixtures and conveniences throughout.

Plus many other things............You should be able to click on the link below the picture at the top and go to our Album for a look at the inside and of course a picture of Ms Megabyte2 in her new home....

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by. We will be here until they get everything in "ship shape" and to our satisfaction and then we will head on back home to Custer.  It could be the middle of the week or longer if necessary. We are in no rush as we want to get everything done now and not rush things. Besides these are great people. They make us feel right at home and the wifi is GREAT.   And by the way, our sales person is Mel Cordray.  He is fine young, family man and is taking great care of us.

God Bless you all. We continue to be thankful for all our Father has done for us with his blessings.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

The SEARCH goes on !

Ms Megabyte2 says “Are we there YET?????  Megabyte2 is doing fine on our search for a Motorhome.  She rides quietly in her bed on the back seat while moving, but will walk around the car and look out the windows whenever we stop.

This tremendous HEAT is about to get us all tho and the humidity is something that Ms Pat and I have not seen for years and years. The temps are 105 ++ and mostly PLUS!!  WOW, guess it's a good reminder but I sure haven’t missed it.

Monday we looked at several Motorhomes at Motorhome Specialties in Alvarado, TX just south of Fort Worth. We started at 7 am and by noon we had seen everything that even slightly interested us. We didn’t see anything that really took our eye, so we decided to work our way on towards Houston.

We decided to swing over to Nacogdoches, Tx and check out Motorhomes of Texas. They sell all brands, but specialize in Foretravels. Having heard a lot of good things and having several friends and customers that have Foretravels, we wanted to check them out for ourselves.

After looking at the Foretravels, we saw why folks like them so well. They are truly SUPERB and well built. Teton always impressed me, but these are definitely outstanding. We enjoyed the small but impressive and friendly dealership that is right across and down the road a block or two from the Foretravel Factory.  We were impressed to say the least. We looked around until the dealership closed at 5 pm.  Then we decided to travel on south a ways toward Houston to look at a couple of motorhomes that we were interested in.

We went a short ways and found a Motel close to Livingston, TX for the night. (home of the Escapee’s).  We were up and out early yesterday morning and we were in South Houston at the PPL RV consignment lot right about 10 am.   All I can say is WOW!!!  What a place!  What a ZOO is my real feeling!!  Take a number and go wander around for a while and if you're interested in anything, take another number and wait until someone can talk to you.  They have close to 500 units on display and cram jammed in so close to one another you can’t even walk around them. Meanwhile, it's soaking, drippy sweaty HOT!!!! There are thousands of vehicles zooming by on the road right next to the lot and not even a breath of fresh air anywhere.

The traffic surrounding this place is something else. You feel like you are right downtown in the metro area. Not the kind of place an old cowboy wants to hang around for long.  My feet were ready to haul a#$ out of there. We talked with a salesman about the main unit that we drove down to see. He knew little about it and acted like if we wanted it, go ahead and pay for it.

I offered him what I thought it was worth and he said “No Way” so Ms Pat and I said “OK” .  We got up,  went to the waiting room where Ms Megabyte was waiting in the nice cool air conditioning, picked her up and got the heck out of Houston just as fast as we came in.  Out of the 3 places we have been, this was by far the worst!  I won’t be back.  Like I told Pat, even if we did buy one there, the traffic is so bad and it is so tight, it would be a nightmare even getting it out.

We decided to head back to Nacogdoches and take a second look at what they have.  While we were doing that, we found out that they had just bought a unit that was something we would definitely like to see. Only problem, it wouldn’t be in for a couple days.

We decided to go find a Motel with good wifi and continue our search while waiting for this newly accquired Foretravel to arrive.  We will probably be here until at least Friday. Hopefully by then we can check out this rig and see if we’re interested. If not, we’ll do what's necessary and continue the search. We have others we would like to inspect.  One is near Tampa, Florida and the other is in Washington, IN.   Many, many more miles away from us.  What do you do and how far do you go???  Who knows???  We do know you have to do what you have to do.  And, we do know you can’t tell anything by looking at pictures... they can be very deceiving. You HAVE to inspect them personally!!

Neither of us enjoy this Motel life AT ALL… NOT FUN!!!  However, it will be OK as we ask our Father above to give us strength and guide us through it all. I’m sure He will and that He has something special right around the corner,  just for us.

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!

Thanks for stopping by and we will continue to keep you updated.

Mike

This Blog is published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Yep, we’re still alive!!

Thanks for all the concern, calls and emails. We are fine....busier than a couple of "Cats on a Hot Tin Roof", but fine. Real good in fact!!!

I apologize for missing 2 Blog publications in a row.  That’s a FIRST since I started 4 years ago….

Meet Aaron and Carin Derbonne, the NEW “PROUD” OWNERS of our Teton and Volvo. This picture was taken just as they were departing. They are from Wright, WY where they are working right now. Aaron works in the Gas and Oil industry.

Here it goes down the driveway and over the hill…….Ms Pat and I both shed a few tears as it went out of site.  Another chapter in our life. Time to start on a totally new chapter.

Some time ago, I said we were “downsizing”. Maybe changing our “lifestyle” would be a better description.
We want to try Motor-homing for a while. During our 15 years of full timing, we have never had a Motorhome. We have a lot of friends and acquaintances that own them and they looked interesting.  Before we HAVE to quit, we would like to try one! Several close friends have switched and love it…so we are going to give it a try.

So as I write this from a Motel way down in Hays, Kansas, we are on the road looking for a Motorhome. We're headed to Fort Worth, then on to Nacogdoches and Houston, TX .

Stay tuned and I will do my best (as wifi permits) to keep you up to date.   My computer is really messing up and eating up bytes like crazy. I don’t have time to stop and do much with it at the present time, so I’ll just have to rely on Hot Spots.  For some reason, my computer is using as much as 1.25 GB a day!!!  Yes, A DAY!! When you only have 5GB to start with, that's using it up awful fast. Most of it is on uploads. So what is causing it?  I don’t know. When I get home, my expert Mark Bruss will help me out and try to find the culprit.

Meanwhile, it's time to MOVE on down the road. We drove 530 miles yesterday and have another 575 to do today. That will put us in Alvarado, TX. just south of Fort Worth and on Monday morning, we will start looking.

Our Granddaughter's wedding was BEAUTIFUL and we had a wonderful time with family and friends.  I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Our first night in our new “CABIN” was also extra special. More on that later.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

God Bless you all and keep us in your prayers.

Thanks for stopping by and a special thanks for your patience while we work through a few of these lifestyle changes. 

Mike

This Blog is published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Our “Changing” lifestyle…

Most of you have heard by now that Our Teton and Volvo Truck are SOLD. The couple that came and looked at it for the second time last Sunday decided for sure to take it and left us a sizable deposit.
I know I should be jumping with joy and I am relieved and happy it sold so fast, but It was by far the most comfortable full timing rig we have ever had. It was Special to us and was our Dream Home. We designed and had it built to our complete specifications. It will be sad seeing it go. The new owners will pick it up on Aug 20TH.
Meanwhile we are scurrying around and trying to get our things moved out so it will be ready to go. That is 9 days away and sounds simple enough. However our Granddaughter Shala McFall is getting married this weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska… We couldn’t miss that for anything in the world! Rollie and Gina, Ms Pat and I were all going to the wedding which is 550 miles away, about a days drive. However, another delimina is the fact that we have NO HOME. No place to live!! 
So,,,Bless their hearts, Rollie and Gina have decided they must stay here and get the “Cabin” ready for us to move in so we at least have a bathroom and place to sleep. I know they were looking forward to going to the Wedding and we were excited to have them. They are putting in long hard days working on the place and we are so grateful for their loving dedication. It means so much to us, we never could have done it without them.  Ms Pat and I will leave very early this Friday morning and drive to Lincoln and hopefully get there in plenty of time to attend the 7pm rehearsal. Saturday at 5:30pm will be the wedding, then the next morning we will leave early and drive back to Custer. Whew, talk about a whirlwind trip,,,wow! 

With all this going on, I am trying to find us an RV. Everything I see is always a long distance from us and considerable more traveling is going to be necessary to find the one we want….. We are looking for a Motorhome. One that is a few years old, but in good shape. Probably some thing that is in the 40' range. We are mostly interested in a Travel Supreme or a Tiffin product. I have several spotted and it seems they all are in Texas. If anyone is in the Fort Worth or the Houston area and could look at a couple for me, it would sure help out. Mainly just to let me know if its worth traveling there to see them…..

Probably shortly after our Teton is picked up on the 20TH, Pat and I will get in the car and head out to find just that "RIGHT" Motorhome . About the same time Rollie and Gina want to go up into Montana and visit with some friends and see some of that beautiful country…  So stay with us and we will keep you posted on every ones progress..
Rollie and Gina’s Blog will keep you up to date with the progress on the Cabin…..Rollie and Gina's Blog..

This is the Wash Stand and we are holding the Medicine Cabinet that Rollie is about to install in the bathroom. Its gona be NEAT!

Its a GREAT WEEK!!!

We will be on the road traveling Sunday coming home, so I might not get a blog published. I will try to get something up ASAP…

Thanks for stopping by, God Bless you all.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Progress

Our building project is moving along again after a slight delay by the drywall contractor. Finally, late Friday afternoon it was ready to paint.

Progress: 
On July 27TH, just a week and a half ago, this is how our “Cabin” looked.
Yesterday it looked like this:

WOW!!!  What a difference. Rollie and Gina really made some progress yesterday..

Here is Gina hard at it. She is an excellent painter, has lots of experience and loves to do it….


Here she is working on the ceiling. This is tough work and is a killer on the neck.   She says she likes the walls better.  I felt so sorry for her last night. Her neck was really sore!  I hope she was able to sleep last night.

Rollie was busy working on the electrical switches and plugs and just look what he has done to the outer wall in the garage.
This is how it looked back on July 30TH….
This is how it looked as of last night. Light switches and wall plugs all in and operational. These kids are SPECTACULAR!!!  Rollie says he will have us taking a shower in our new “Cabin” in 5 days!!

That might not be any too soon either because we have someone that is very interested in our present home. Some real nice young folks came and looked at our Teton and Volvo last week and liked it real well. They are coming back today to see it again.  Keep your fingers crossed and say a special little prayer for us and maybe we will be moving into our “Cabin” sooner than we expected..

Although I’m not one to be blessed with a lot of patience and I like things to go fast but all these happenings are a little overwhelming for a couple old people…..WHEW!

We are blessed though, blessed in so many ways. We continue to praise the Lord and give thanks for all he is doing for us.  And...a VERY SPECIAL THANKS to Rollie and Gina.  You are amazing and we love you very much!

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

Thanks for stopping by and we hope to see you Wednesday and tell you more about our progress and just how serious our prospective buyers are.  Check out Rollie and Gina's Blog for more progress on the "Cabin".

God Bless You All.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

More work and more FUN here in the BLACK HILL's !!

We are still waiting for the Dry Wall contractor to get finished. It seems to be taking him longer than we would like but we have found most contractors to be that way.  While he continues, we find other things to do.  Rocky got all the insulation up on the top.

Then the plywood was installed. It was HOT up in this area and everyone that worked up there was soaked in sweat.....but soon it was all done.

The place is well insulated all the way around and on top and even the interior walls.  I'm sure its going to be easy to heat and cool.    Last night the dry wall was all taped and mudded.  Now today, the dry wall contractor is supposed to finish it off and get it ready to be painted as soon as it dries.     Like someone said, it's beginning to look real "homey" now that the dry wall is up.  

Meanwhile Rollie, Gina and I put up a set of clothesline poles........

Digging up here is no easy task....rock, rock, rock !!!  Bur Rollie is not one to give up easy either!!

Gina is pretty persistent herself and between the two of them they got the job done.

 We had a couple bags of Quikrete left from the building project, so I mixed it up and we set the poles...under the watchful eye of Ms Pat.

There they are, all ready for me to head to the hardware store and get some eye bolts and Clothesline!!

Meanwhile, we even got a chance to take Rollie and Gina on another one of our favorite Hikes....."Lovers Leap".  Many of you have been on this Hike with us and know how beautiful it is.  Here we are on top. That's about a 300' straight down drop off behind us.

As soon as we finished the 3 mile Hike, we took the "Kids" around the Wildlife loop. Sure enough just as if we had planned it, the Buffalo were all over the place. Gina was extremely excited as we drove close to the first Buffalo she had seen up close.  She could have almost reached out and touched them.  Check out their Blog for pictures and comments on the Hike and trip through the Buffalo.

Thanks for stopping by and soon we will be back in our "Cabin" painting, hooking up wiring, shower and bathroom stool, sink and etc. Still lots of "stuff" to do, but it sure is exciting seeing it all fall into place.

Rocky and Sheri are leaving today to continue their traveling Ministry.  Rocky worked really hard getting the plumbing installed and helping with the finishing touches in the attic storage area.  Thanks Rocky and Sheri and our Prayers are with you for SAFE TRAVELS!!  We'll see you in a few weeks at the HDT Rally in Hutchinson.

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!

God Bless You All!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Old pictures.

I must first apologize to all my friends and Blogger buddies. I am sorry I have fallen so behind in all my emails and Blog reading. I just can't seem to catch up and keep getting further and further behind. Someday when all these projects slow down, maybe I can catch up.  I do enjoy your emails and updates very much, so please don't write me off.  I won't always be this busy.  Chuck, I really worry about you, and hope you're OK. Bruce, thanks for your thoughts, they mean a lot to me.

My Cousin, Jackie McFall Montgomery, whom I haven't seen or heard from for over 50 years, suddenly showed up on Facebook and gave me this picture of her Father, my Uncle Harry. This is a picture taken right here in Custer, SD in 1947 of Uncle Harry riding a saddle bronc. He was a professional Rodeo Cowboy and my idol. Harry was in his prime right about this time and I was just a 12 year old kid.  Two years later in 1949, he was recognized by the Rodeo Cowboy Association (RCA) as one of the top Saddle Bronc riders in the USA. Who knows, I could be one of those kids on the fence watching.. 

Jackie also posted this old photo of the 3 McFall brothers. That's Uncle Harry on the left, my Dad, Fred, in the middle and Uncle Herb on the right. I don't know what the date was when this was taken, but it sure brings back the memories. These boys didn't have an easy childhood and had to work hard for everything but they had a great life and did well. They had quite a reputation as they grew up and didn't ever miss any excitement. I always heard that you couldn't whip just one of them in a fight, you had to whip them all. They stuck together. They are all gone now, but their memories will be with us forever. My Dad was the last to pass on and he has been gone over 8 years.

Jackie didn't give me this picture, but I thought it is a perfect example of the way the Indians used to live in this area.

This is a local Cowboy riding herd many, many years ago..

I was out riding my Harley in Custer State Park the other day and spotted several of the baby Buffalo. I always thought they were so neat. This Momma is telling me not to get any closer to her Baby or I'll be sorry.  I ran into a herd of almost a 1000 head.....biggest heard I have ever seen all in one spot, except at Roundup time.  I love this Park. I will say that my 9 years of working there was one of the most favorable work times of my life. I think Ms Pat will agree.

I think this Big Old Bull wants to play some basketball with someone, I am not willing to volunteer!!!

We are continuing to enjoy our summer up here in this beautiful part of the country that we have chosen over all the other great country we have seen while RV'ing for the last 15 years. As the Dry Wall contractor finishes up his end of our ongoing project that we are now officially calling the "Summer Cabin", we all get to take a little break. Yesterday, we took Rocky and Sheri out on a little 4 wheeler expedition. We traveled 30 miles and saw some great scenery.

This morning it's off to church, then back to work. We want to get all the sheeting installed on the top of our "Summer Cabin". It gets rather HOT up there, but it's cloudy and cool right now. Lets hope it stays that way.

Stay tuned and come back Wednesday for more on our project, as it is moving along quite nicely.  Rollie and Gina's Blog will have updates, too.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..