Getting settled on our lot in Mission, TX.

We are now on our lot at Retama Village in Mission, Tx. and will be here until the first week in Feb 2010. Since we have a lot of new readers (194 last Wed), I thought I would show a few pictures of our place in Texas.

This was back in May of 2007 when they began work on the lot we purchased. We headed on North to  the Black Hills of South Dakota shortly after these 2 pictures were taken.
 

The Clubhouse was just barely started then. We were anxious to see what it would look like when we returned in October.
(click on all pictures to enlarge)

Here we are on the lot when we came back in October of '07 and it was all completed. As you can see we fill it up!!!  That's OK, there are 14 other BIG Trucks owned by friends of ours located in the Park and we won't always be this big. One of these days we have to start downsizing!!

This is the front of the Clubhouse when it was all completed... WOW, it's even nicer than we imagined.

This is the front gate and that is the clubhouse in the background...

In the back of the clubhouse is this Outdoor Kitchen and Dining area, fully equipped!!!

Looking at the Pool and Hot Tub area from the Outdoor Kitchen.

This is the entrance to the Pool and Outdoor Kitchen and Patio area.

The Pool and the Hot Tub...

We have an excellent exercise room right off the pool....with nice equipment.. Inside the Clubhouse there is a Pool Room with 2 Pool Tables.   Pat and I try to shoot a couple games of Rotation Pool every afternoon. Once in a while I even beat her, but not very often, she is an excellent Pool player.

Almost every night after dark, Pat and I go over and enjoy the Hot Tub.... it feels so GOOD!!! This picture was taken in Jan of last winter.  We almost always have the place all to ourselves.. Interestingly the water in both the Pool and the Hot Tub is all Salt Water......

This is the inside of our 12X20 Coach House.  We hurried up and got ours finished off inside... it has a full bath, wet bar and hide-a-way bed.  So we can have overnight guests, come on down!  It's a little warm right now, but in Nov, Dec and Jan, it will be superb!!!

So we're roughin' it down here in South Texas and have been here a week today. The last few days we have begun our usual routine,,,,,,up at 4 am.  Pat goes over to the exercise room for about an hour while I'm finishing up on my computer and publishing this Blog. About 7am (before daylight) we begin our 4 mile walk in the Bentsen State Park Bird Sanctuary that is adjacent to the Resort. It usually takes a few minutes over an hour. That's about the same routine we have everywhere we live....trying our best to stay Healthy, Fit and Happy. So far so good!!

If you get down our way, be sure to give us a call........

Thanks for dropping by. Hope to see you all again Wednesday...

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published each Sunday and Wedensday Morning..

What is it,,,,,,Can you guess?

It started drizzling lightly just as we were leaving the Buckhorn RV Resort at Kerrville, Tx. Sunday. We stopped and gave some thought to sitting it out, but rain was forecast for the next 3 days.  The rig was already quite dirty from the rain we hit coming down from Kansas and we were both anxious to get on to our place at Retama Village in Mission, TX, so we decided to head out and at least get a few miles down the road.  We only had 325 miles to go.  We didn't get out until 10:30 am, which is quite late for us.  We usually get out at 8 or 9am.    

When we got to the outskirts of San Antonio, it began pouring down hard rain.  We slowly trucked on South. Being Sunday morning, the traffic was light and we made it through town in good time.  It misted off and on a little and we decided to go on in all the way and easily pulled into our spot about 5:30. There was Larry and Linda Moore and Doug and Jutta Franks and others waving at us as we turned down Lark Drive towards our corner lot.  Soon we were all settled in with the A/C cranked up and relaxing.  Finally!!! Thank God, we're HOME again!!!

Ok,,,Can you tell me what this is below?

A necklace you say?? No, sorry not a necklace, nor is it a belt. Pretty isn't it?

TAKE A CLOSE LOOK BELOW.

Click on it and enlarge the picture and zoom in on it...........See what it is?   Ok, that's a Concho in the center,,,,,,,,,but can you tell the rest of it is made out of pop tops?  Yep, a new use for pop tops!!! 

NOW WHAT IS IT???

It's a HAT BAND!!

I met a fellow while I was at the HDT Rally in Hutchinson, KS who was with the Holiday Rambler group and he was carrying a whole handfull of these.  His name was Boyd Shields and he was an old Cowboy, just a little pint of a guy, only stood about 5'5", but a neat little guy. Reminded me of Little Jimmy Dickens, whom I met one time in the Airport at Nashville, TN.  He wanted to show me the Hatbands he makes. As busy as I was installing PressurePro Systems, I took a few minutes and talked with him. He was from OKLAHOMA and "Cowboy" all the way from his boots to his cowboy hat. He had a big 45' Holiday Rambler  Motorhome. It was a beauty and I was admiring it. He said to me "I don't drive it,my wife does",,,"But I do the backing"!!!

I mentioned to him that it was neat to run into someone closer to my age in a campground. I told him the joke that I was taught to respect my elders,,,,,but I couldn't find any!!  He got quite a kick out of that and asked me, "Well, how OLD are you"?   When I told him he said "Well heck, I've got you beat by 15 years"!!  I about fell over!  I said, "15 YEARS???  How old are you?"  "I'm 90." he answered.  I was in AWE.  Finally I found an elder!!!  He was as spry as a young chicken.  I thought about challenging him to a foot race, but then I thought again. This little short legged cowboy from Oklahoma  might outrun me.  I told him I just had to have one of those Hatbands. "Well, come on in here and meet my wife", he told me.  "She's 75." I went into his beautiful coach and  the first thing I did was ask his wife, "Now how old is he really?"   "OH he's 90" she replied.  Praise the lord!!   Man, this gives me hope,,,,,maybe I do have a few more years in me!!!   (RV'n years I'm talking about) He is still a full timer!

I was so busy, I didn't even remember to get a picture of this little guy.  I sure wish I had, cause he was such a neat guy and one of my ELDERS!!!!!    I respect him and I have his card.  I just may look him up again one day.   But I sure did buy one of his HAT BANDS.  It was worth the $10 bucks just to meet him.

Man-O-Man, it's hot and humid down here in the Rio Grande Valley,,,,,got over 90 yesterday, gonna be 97 today.   We spent all day washing the Teton, Volvo and the Honda CRV.  Must have sweated off 10 lbs. (Ha, I wish).   But I did jump on the Harley and take a short 10 mile ride around the area,,,that cooled me off a little.  Then, I took a shower in our Coach House shower.  That shower is worth it's weight in GOLD.  Gee, I forgot what water  pressure sticks and bricks (that's what us RV'ers call houses) have.

I can't wait for CHRISTMAS and "All I want for Christmas" is some COOL weather!!! PLEASE????

That's about it from the edge of the Mexican border down here. Thank you all for stopping by..

Remember what I like to tell you....be sure to tell your kids and family you love them.  They may not be around forever

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Mike

This Blog is puiblished every Wedensday and Sunday..

RV-Dreams Rally 2009

Once again we got outta Dodge just in time. Well, it wasn't Dodge, it was Hutchinson, KS, but it turned real cold right after we departed. The folks that stayed about froze to death.  Dale Bruss told us it was 32 there yesterday morning about noon.   Although, we had quite strong head winds and some light misty drizzle we logged in 500 miles last Wednesday after leaving the HDT rally. We pulled into the Stephenville, TX. Walmart just about dark. That gave us an easy trip the next day of 225 miles on to our destination in Kerrville, TX just North of San Antonio.

We were on the road shortly after 7:00 am and things were going good and the wind hadn't even come up yet. Then about 100 miles into the trip I stopped for a usual "relief" break when I noticed 2 quite serious situations. First of all, there seemed to be some type of OIL splattered on the right front side of the Honda CRV.  Further investigation disclosed pink OIL dripping out from under the 5TH wheel,,,,,Ugh, Not good!!  I quickly put on my old coveralls and under the trailer I went and dropped a section of the underbelly cover for inspection. It was an oily dripping mess. I had oil dripping down my arm and in my face, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from.

From underneath the Rig in an oil puddle, I told Pat that we needed to find a repair shop as close as possible....one that could get us in and out ASAP. Pat put her ingenious mind to work. This gal never ceases to amaze me!! First place she looked was in the Trailer Life campground directory.  Nothing there.  So she immediately found a local campground not far from us and called them. "Do you know of a place we could get some RV work done?", she asked.  The campground owner replied, "Well ,yes, there just happens to be a great place less than 20 miles down the road from you in Burnet,TX"   He told her he knew them well and they go good work at a fair price......Wonderful!!! just what we need.  Her next call was to the Lee Hoffpauir RV and Truck Repair.   She explained our situation and was told "Sure, bring it on in"!

So I finished sopping up as much of the oil as I could and placed some rags in the area to keep it from dripping and put the belly panels back on. I couldn't find a shut off or exactly where it was coming from, but it was obviously hydraulic fluid from a slide out hose that had broken. Unless we used the slides, it shouldn't pump out anymore. As soon as I cleaned myself up as good as possible, we headed on south.

The shop took us right in (just drove the entire rig right into the shop) and soon found that one of the slide rails had cut a 25 ft hydraulic hose causing the leak.  The hose went from the hydraulic pump up to the center of the rig.  I thought we were "Dead in the Water", would miss the RV-Dreams Rally again and our Seminar was for the next day at 2:00 pm. Here we sit....125 miles from our destination, sitting in a service bay.  The foreman told us, "We make our own hydraulic hoses and all I need is an OK from you and we can have you on the road in 2 hours!!! WOW!!!  We definitely have an "ANGEL" up above looking out for us!!  Praise the Lord!!!  It's all an adventure!!!

Two hours later we were "Trucking it" on south all fixed up in good shape and the total bill was $350.00.   Not bad.  We pulled into the Buckhorn Lake RV Resort about 3:30pm. There were RV-Dreamers all over the place,,,,,and we were GLAD to be here!!
(Click on pictures to enlarge)

Buckhorn Lake RV Resort is a "top notch" Resort.  We have been here several times and love it. I have even put pictures of it on the Blog before. Can you see what is right in the center of the road when you enter the park?

Yep,,,,A WINDMILL. Now you know how I LOVE Windmills! This one is a beauty. That big Red Barn on the right is the meeting rooms and dining area.  It is huge and works out great. We have given Seminars here before and it's always a joy to return. What a super place to have a Rally.

This is the back side of the Barn and the outdoor cooking area..

The spaces are all concrete and over 100 ft long. My entire rig fits on fine...

Last night was the final big dinner party. The catered dinner was extremly delicious, you should have seen the size of the Pork Chop!!! It was over an inch thick!!

We were extremly busy all day yesterday installing PressurePro Systems for several new customers and we may have one or two more this morning. First thing is a Big Cowboy Breakfast,,,,then Farewell hugs and Handshakes...

Several readers have ask us "What is RV-DREAMS?"  Howard and Linda Payne have built a great reputation of helping folks that want to get into full-time RV'ing. They have been doing it for several years and are an extremely young couple that dropped out of the corporate business world and began full-time Rv'ing. They have helped hundreds of people answer questions and learn how to do it.  Their Rally was full of good information.  Some of the Seminars were:  "Full-timing Preparation", Emotional Aspects of the Full-timing Decision", What Does it Cost to Full-Time? and on and on.  There are also a lot of part-timers that follow their Blog and Forum. Take a look at their web site..RV-DREAMS.com   This is their second Rally and there are over 40 rigs in attendance this year.

We will probably be heading on to our place at Retama Village in Mission TX, today.  It's only 325 miles but we don't want to get in late so we may stop somewhere tonight. As usual, we have no schedule, just play it by ear......one day at a time..

Thanks for following along with us and God Bless you all.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wedensday...

Time to Hit the Road again!!!

Although there were several of us already at the HDT Rally here in Hutchinson, KS, on Sunday they started arriving in bunches!  Here are 3 Rigs lined up waiting to get parked and another was still out on the road waiting to get in. We quickly found them a place to park near the rest of the group. We had an excellent turn out (about 30-31) and the Rally was officially underway Sunday evening with a big Pizza party!!

Monday and Tuesday were filled with Seminars of interest to Big Rig owners and 12-13 Newbee's who are looking for a good safe truck to tow with.  Our good friends, Jack and Danielle Mayer, had to close up the campground in Woodland Park, CO and were a little late getting here.  They arrived on Monday. 

We have been extremely busy putting PressurePro Tire Monitoring Systems on several rigs.  Monday morning we gave our Seminar and had our display table set up.  We enjoy talking to everyone and answering any questions about Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems..

We really lucked out by getting here early.   As luck would have it, there were two other clubs having Rallies here unbeknown to us.....the Holiday Rambler folks and the Monaco Motorhome Club.  We sold several PressurePro systems to members of those Rallies.  We nearly SOLD OUT and had to have an overnight shipment sent to the RV Park in Texas.!!!!!  Much better than we planned on!!!  What a pleasant surprise....I love it!!! This product is so wonderful it sells itself....and it is an outstanding safety item. It is our feeling that no one should drive an RV rig without some kind of Tire Pressure Monitoring System.

Last night was the BBQ dinner and it was mighty tasty!!! It was our last night as we are leaving the Rally early. This morning we are heading for the RV-Dreams Rally near San Antonio, TX. which is about 700 miles from here. We will drive as far as we can today and hope we can make it somewhere around Fort Worth, (about 400 miles) then continue on in and arrive at Buckhorn Lake RV Park as early as possible on Thursday. Our Seminar is scheduled for Friday.   This is what happens when two of our favorite Rallies are scheduled at the same time.  It's tough to make it to both, but we have many friends and customers at both places. We feel it is worth the effort and after they are over, we can slow down for a while.  Right now we are going in about 4 directions at the same time.  Let's hope we have good travel weather (rain is forecast) and don't have any hard winds or travel problems. With the Lord's blessing we will make it just fine.

By this time next week we will be relaxing in the 90* + weather in Mission TX at Retama Village with more of our friends.  I can feel the pleasures of the Hot Tub after sundown right now.   Ahhhhh......that will feel good!!!   Makes all this hard work worth while!!!

Meanwhile lets "Hitch up" and get outta here!!! Come on along and travel with us, there is more adventure down the road!!!!

Thanks for stopping by...see ya in Fort Worth.

God Bless all our wonderful Friends, Customers and Followers...

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

I got to have one of THESE!!!!

We made it to Hutchinson, Kansas on Wednedsay afternoon, It took 2 days of over 300 miles per day and both days had treacherous winds....gusts up to 50mph....it wasn't fun driving. We are here attending the HDT (Heavy Duty Truck) Rally and giving a PressurePro Tire Pressure Monitoring Seminar. Several of our friends are already here and others will be in soon.

Every night is Happy Hour and Pot Luck at our place. This is the first night and the party continues to grow every night.....lots of old and new friends.

Here is Ms Pat on her NEW TOY!!  We are set up in a good visible spot and have already sold a couple PressurePro systems and a PowerTank.  The Rally doesn't even start until today.

Now we both have NEW TOYS!! These are FUN! After a short training session we were checked out and cleared for a solo.  Now we are ready for a race.......Get set GO!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Pat won!!! She beat me!!!  Our good friend and fellow HDT'er Dave Mattson from near Kansas City brought 2 of these Segways to the Rally with him. We had a ball riding them around the RV Park. Pat had ridden one several years ago in an RV Park in Florida and I have been wanting to try one for myself.

Dave gave us a training session and showed us how they work.  They are neat!  It does take a little getting used to, but it's not hard. You lean forward and it will go forward, the farther you lean the faster it will go.  Same thing on stopping and backing up, just lean back. Turning is accomplished by turning the left handgrip.  Many thanks to Dave for this enjoyable and fun new experience......I loved it !!!!!  Boy O Boy, the fun we have in this lifestyle never ends! I would like to have one of these but Ms Pat says we need to WALK....for exercise......Shucks!!!

We will be giving our Seminar here on Monday, then we have to leave early Wednesday morning and head for an RV Park near San Antonio for another Seminar at the RV-Dreams Rally. It will be another fairly hard two day trip.  Lets hope we have some decent weather and no break downs.

I'll try to make a short Blog Post Wednesday before we leave........ Thanks for stopping by.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday morning..

On the ROAD AGAIN!!!

Well, we "Jumped the Gun" and left Yesterday!!! There was possible rain and/or snow showers forecast for Wednesday, so we decided to go Tuesday. Monday was a hectic day getting things done in one day that I planned on having two days to do.....but we made it.  We left Custer at 0915, it was a SUPERB day, weather was perfect!!! We went down Hwy 385 to my old home town of Alliance, Ne...then turned Southeast on hwy 2...right through the GREAT sandhills...where I was raised...got kinda homesick there for a bit, but kept on truckin!  We were going to Kearney and spend the night in Cabela's parking lot.

However, about 7 hours and 340 miles into the trip, we decided to cut it a little short and stop in Broken Bow, Nebr. Broken Bow is a little town of about 3500 great country, western folks and is a town that has some great and some not so great, Rodeo memories for me. I call it "Broken Bones", as I got broken up here quite seriously one time. This is Rodeo Country and I do have some stories I could tell about my  Rodeoing days here back in the early 50's, but that will have to wait for another time.  The old Truck Stop and Resturant is still there with the big parking lot. That was our home for last night. The Truck Stop is all closed up but the Restaurant is still going strong!!  Pat went in and asked if we could spend the night and they replied "SURE"!  Things sure change, as this used to be a very busy 24 hour place. Not anymore, it was relatively quiet all night. 

Ms Megabyte2 is a little confused about this "moving house" but she did pretty good.  We put her up in the truck with us and she found her neat little cubby hole under the table and stayed there most of the trip.  She came out once to eat a bite and get a drink of water while we were stopped at some construction but she went right back to her cubby hole as soon as we started rolling again. She's a sweet kitty and a wonderful companion.

We had a great trip. The wind was in our face most of the afternoon, but that's Nebraska.  It sure hurt my fuel mileage, though. The Harley cover did good, even in the 15-20 mph winds gusting up to 30, which was a good first trip test.

This is the Harley loaded on the Volvo with the Rampage Loader and ready for the cover to be put over it.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Here it is with the new Towable Cover.  I felt a lot better with some type of protection on the Bike and it showed no signs of coming loose, tearing or ripping. So,although I wish it was a little larger, they say it has to be stretched as tight as possible.  Soon I will be getting a separate cover for the front wheel and fender and who knows it might get a little bigger as it gets fitted and broke in.
 
Today we should have no problem going the next 300 miles on in to Hutchinson, Kansas for the Heavy Duty Truck Rally. Several of our friends are already there and we are looking forward to seeing them..
 
But FIRST, I'm gonna run over to this Ole' Cowboy Resturant and have me a good ole' fashioned COWBOY BREAKFAST!!.......WAHOO,,,,, (uh oh, don't tell Ms Pat!!:-)
 
See ya Sunday....thanks for stopping by!
 
It is a GREAT WEEK!!!
 
Mike
 
This Blog is Published every Wedensday and Sunday.....

Ms Megabyte2 is EXCITED about us leaving!!!!

Yes.... as you can see.....Ms Mega2 is quite excited that we will be leaving the Hills of Custer, SD. in a few days. As we scurry around preparing for departure, she snoozes for hours.... looking at us as if to say..."OK, whats next"?  We have been stationary for 4.5 months, I don't know how she will take to us getting on the road again. It will be interesting. She got along good on here first trip when we left Mission, Tx in Feb., which was her very First trip ever.  However, on our trip up here from North Ranch at Congress, AZ. in May, she was scared to death and didn't seem to enjoy it much..  So, we'll soon see. She usually rides in the truck with us, but last time she didn't like the noise, so we may try letting her stay in the 5TH wheel. We tried that once and she got under my chair and never came out...  Whatever we do, it will be whatever she wants!!! We don't want to spoil her,ya know!!!

We took the Volvo Truck in and had it serviced last Wednesday, so it's ready to go!! We took a nice long, last ride on the Polaris 4X4 in the backwoods yesterday.  It was a beautiful ride.  The forests are so pretty, relaxing and enjoyable in the Fall. So now the 4X4 is ready to winterize and put away.  Today, after Church, we plan on one last Motorcycle ride in the area. Then it will be ready to load on the Volvo.  The Boat is winterized, as is the Pickup, the Mower and the Weedeater. So we are getting there. I hope that on Wednesday morning we will be all ready to start our trip south.

It is always harder to leave this area than it is anywhere else we spend time, but we have been doing it for 15 years and we will continue doing it as long as we can. We know there are exciting and interesting things ahead of us down the road....AND, we know for sure...we will be back HERE!!!

The new "towable" cover came for my Motorcycle. Here is a picture of it on the Bike. It is superb material and really stretchable.  In this picture, it is setting in the Toy Barn.  It will be stretched down a lot tighter when I get it loaded and cover all the pipes, engine, etc.  It's kinda like "shrink wrap".  I will take another picture when I get it loaded and tied down.

(click on all pictures to enlarge)

I was a little dissappointed it didn't cover the front fender and wheel, so they agreed to send me a separate cover for that.  It will be a lot better than nothing on it at all......thats for sure!!!

Thanks for stopping by.  Hopefully, I'll be able to publish Wed morning before we depart.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!! We continually Thank our Heavenly Father for what we have.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wedensday

ONE WEEK from TODAY, we will be on the Road Again!!!

I don't have much time this morning as we have to leave home and take the Volvo Truck into Rapid City and have the oil and all filters changed, along with a full lube job. It's an annual affair done here because the labor flat rate is $70.00.....much lower than it is anywhere that I know of.   Some are $100.00!!!

It's 50 miles to the Volvo garage and we want to get there early, so we'll be leaving about 7:00am. It takes a couple hours to service one of these big trucks.  It holds 10 gallons of oil, that's 40 quarts. It has 3 oil filters, 2 fuel filters and 1 coolant filter, plus an air filter. I like to get there early so if they should see anything that needs repair, I have a chance to get it done the same day.  However, I have learned not to take that for granted, so I hook the Honda CRV on behind and take it with us.  Plus, I also have transportation to go get supplies down town while the truck is being worked on....so it's gonna be a BUSY DAY.  In fact, since we only have ONE WEEK until departure, its gonna be a BUSY WEEK!

(click on all pictures to enlarge)

Mark and Dale Bruss departed yesterday morning. Here they are all hooked up and ready to hit the road towards Hutchinson, KS. That is the same place we're going when we leave here next Wed. There's a big group of us heading there for the annual HDT (Heavy Duty Truck) Rally. Mark and Dale are going early because Dale has to catch a flight to Pensacola, FL. and help her parents move into an assisted living apartment.

Mark and Dale have been here with us for just over 3 weeks and we miss them already.  I hate GoodBye's. It's always so sad to see our good friends leave. It's been great having them around and Mark really earned more than his keep!! I am so happy to have our "TOY BARN" all hooked up with electricty and the RV utility box installed..  It's SOOoooo nice to have lights!!!

Plus, my computer bit the dust a few days ago.  Mark saved the day again.....he had to completely "nuke" it and bring it back from the DEAD!!!  It took him several days and some huge downloads, but as usual he did a perfect job and it's like new again!!!  He is one of the best computer "guru's" we know. If he can't fix it, it can't be fixed.  It's mighty handy to have him around.  See you guys soon and travel safe!!!

Sunday afternoon Ms Pat and I took a nice long ride on the Harley out through the Custer State Park. We went down Needles Highway, cut across to Iron Mountain Road, then down the Wild Life Loop and back up over Mt. Coolidge and home.  About 65 miles and the colors are turning beautifully....a very enjoyable trip....Praise the Lord!!!  We have so much to be thankful for!

With that, we have to get out of here....time to go.

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

EOS (End Of Summer) Blow Out in the Toy Barn...

Yesterday we had a Big END of SUMMER get together in the Toy Barn. We invited friends and neighbors for one last get together before we head South.

We got the Toy Barn all set up for a Party.

Pat and Dale Bruss got the food and settings all prepared.

As usual, the get together started at 4pm for some serious discussion and renewing old friendships and food was served at 5pm. It wasn't long until we were all seated and enjoying all the good food. We provided the Brats and everyone brought a specialty dish. Dale prepared Italian meat balls and sausage. Our friends and neighbors Shirley and Bob Stewart provided Hors d'oeuvres that included "sheep" sausage.  It was all delicious!!! A little more after dinner discussions and it was soon time for the hugs and handshakes  and say Goodbye until next year. Travel safe and have a good winter everyone!

***************

When we went on our early morning walk out at Stockade Lake, we saw this balloon taking off over the lake.  The very next morning we saw another one (picture below) just lifting off. I thought it was going to take a dip in the lake.  The basket got awful close!  Click on these pictures to enlarge them and notice the reflection in the lake. It was about 7:30 am and the sun was just perfect...

The Fall colors are really beginning to show up here in the Black Hills and it is really enjoyable to ride the Harley in this beautiful country.  The traffic is way down and the weather has just been outstanding.....40 deg mornings and 75 deg highs are MY kind of weather.

While Ms Pat was doing other things, I took a couple of very enjoyable 40-50 mile trips around the area on the Harley Softail. I knew all the Buffalo would be in the south end of the park as they prepare for the annual Buffalo Roundup in about a week, so I took one of my trips out that way. Sure enough, there they were right along the road. So I stopped and took this picture.

Soon I will be loading the Bike on the back of the Volvo with the special Rampage Loader and probably  won't unload it until we get to South Texas.

I hate to leave a Bike out in the weather without a cover. I haven't been able to find a cover that can be left on while you're hauling or towing your bike. In fact, I've ruined 2 of them already. Our Friends Gary and Jennifer Roessler told us about a cover that is "guaranteed" for towing. It's called the Geza Cover. The Roesslers haul 2 Harleys on the back of their Freightliner. So I have been in contact with Tom, the owner of the Geza Cover Company, and he is making me a cover that I can tow with. GUARANTEED!! It should be here this week. While Gary and Jennifer were here they gave us a nice long training scession and demonstration on how to use the Rampage Loader. So we feel much more confident doing it now. Thanks guys!!!

We still have a lot to do to get ready to depart on the 30TH and it is getting closer and closer!!

But let me tell you......it was a GREAT WEEK!!!

Thanks for dropping by.....please stop back on Wednesday if you can.  I'll look for ya!

Remember to tell your kids you love them....they may not be around forever.

We're off to Church.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

The Wild, Wild, West,,,,My "Home Sweet Home"!

I love Windmills. We presently live on Windmill Lane near Custer, SD. My Father had over a dozen Windmills on the Ranch I was raised on in the Sandhills of Nebraska. We even put a Windmill on his Grave Stone.

One of my jobs as I grew up was to ride my horse and check out several of our Windmills and make sure they were working, pumping water and the tank was full. Many times it would take me all day of steady riding to get them all checked. But it was an important, long, lonely job....just me and my horse Angel. Angel was a beautiful horse and was truly an Angel. She would work hard and never let me down, a faithful companion. I used to talk to her, sing to her and even ask her questions. She didn't answer me much, but I could always tell she was on my side. Warm, Hot or Cold, she was always there to do her share. I will always remember Angel.

Patches was the horse I had before Angel. Patches and I grew up together. I rode him 4 miles to school and 4 miles home every day for several years....I was in the 3RD, 4TH and 5TH grade. I remember the snow would be so deep sometimes that he couldn't get through it and we would have to head for higher ground. We had a barn at school where several of us kept our horses all day. We had to haul lots of hay to the barn for them to eat. Patches was a little tricky....he liked to play tricks on me. He could always tell when I wasn't paying attention while I rode him and he would suddenly STOP very quickly. That would cause me to flip right over his head and land flat on my back. It would happen so quickly that I wouldn't know what hit me. I always rode him bareback and if I didn't keep hold of the reins he would take off for home after he dumped me.....and I would have to walk! I learned to keep hold of those reins for dear life. I sure didn't want to walk home!

I hope you can click on this photo and enlarge it so you can read this beautiful poem. It has a lot of truth and memories in it for me.

As we travel, I still always look for windmills. They will tell you which way the wind is blowing. There are lots of different styles and sizes, little ones and big ones, some metal and some wood. Their main purpose in life is the same...to pump Water! It's getting harder and harder to find a windmill. They are becoming a thing of the past. It seems so many things are like that anymore....A thing of the PAST...... All gone but the Memories!!

And Memories we all have. Thanks for listening to my reminiscing of some of my past out here in the Good Ole' Wild, Wild West. God Love it!!!

God Bless you all!!!

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!

Mike

This Blog is published every Wednesday and Sunday..

The Toy Barn is ELECTRIFIED!!! HOORAY!!

We now have Electricity including LIGHTS in the "TOY BARN"!! Plus, I have an RV electrical Utility Box for visitors. Mark Bruss and I finished up the project Thursday. It's nice to have plugs all the way around the Toy Barn and also the overhead lights. I have been putting this off for a while now and with Mark's help and support, it is completed.... flip the switch and we have LIGHTS!!!! Here are a few pictures:
(Click on picture to enlarge and go to web album for more) Then click on back arrow to return to Blog.

RV 50amp electrial Installation Sept 2009 Custer

Friday, we shipped out a couple of PressurePro Systems, while the Kids went to visit Hot Springs and the Mammoth Site, along with Evans Plunge. Then about 3:30 pm, we all took off for the "famous" ALPINE INN in Hill City. We decided to take the Kids and Mark & Dale Bruss out to our favorite restaurant for the BEST Fillet Mignon we have ever found. Those of you that been in this area know that the Alpine Inn is the best. Hill City is a little town just 12 miles north of us. However. since it is SO POPULAR, you have to be there by 4pm. Even though they don't open till 5pm. We were right up front when they opened, but the line went for a long ways out the door. They can seat a 100 people and some of the folks had to wait a while. As usual it was DELICIOUS!!!! This was Randy and Lisa's last day....they flew out Saturday AM. They had a FULL week in the Hills and seemed to enjoy it immensely. The weather during their stay was perfect!!!

Saturday morning before they went to the Airport to catch their flight they stopped by to say Good Bye. It is so sad to see them go. We wish they could hang around forever and they also wish they could stay longer. The time goes by so FAST!!! I know they will be back as soon as they can and they have a lot of memories to share with their friends and family when they get home. They won't soon forget these great BLACK HILLS of South Dakota that we have been telling them so much about about for so long!! Hurry back Randy and Lisa...we love you and miss you already!!!

As of Friday, we have been here 4 Months!!! In just 3 weeks, we will be heading South for the Winter. I always feel sad leaving this place, but the cold weather is getting closer and closer. Yesterday the high for the day was only 55* and last Wednesday it was 30* when we got out of bed...frost all over the place. We don't mind that, but colder weather and SNOW is just around the corner. So the time has came to begin our preparation to head toward the warmer country. South Texas here we come......meanwhile we are enjoying the Fall colors of all the turning leaves.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!

Thanks for stopping by.......

We are off to Church.

Mike

This Blog Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Labor Day Hike with the Kids,

It's early when I post this, but Pat mentioned that TODAY is 09/09/09.. Wow, that doesn't happen very often....REMEMBER to be sure and FLY YOUR FLAG on 09/11/09!!!!!!

Did you notice the NEW pictures we put under the Header above? They are photo's of some of our favorite spots around the area, all within 10 miles of our place.
The First one on the left is of Pat standing on top of Little Devils Tower in Custer State Park.
The Second one is us taken several years ago on Lovers Leap.(our favorite)
The Third is of Rhoda Roper and us on Sunday Gulch, the same hike we took yesterday with Lisa and Randy.
The Fourth is our "private" spot we found while working in the Park where you can see Mt. Rushmore through the tree tops.
The last Photo was taken on the arm of Chief Crazy Horse. We have hiked and driven up there many, many times.

If you click on any of the Photo's, it will take you to our Web Albums where there are more.

(click on all photo's to enlarge) I Hope!





The kids from Florida are visiting and the weather has been perfect. The nights around 45-50 deg and every day the highs have been around 80*. They are having a ball. They love to hike and so do we... so every day (except Sunday) we have taken them on an early morning hike!


On Labor Day we picked them up at the Calamity Peak Motel at 7:30 AM and headed for our favorite hike on Lover's Leap. This is a 3 mile strenuous hike that has one of the most beautiful views in Custer State Park.



This is Ms Pat and her daughter Lisa sitting at the top of Lovers Leap. As you can see, it is quite a high ledge and the cliff drops straight down behind them.

Lisa, Ms Pat and Randy. Here you can see the great view behind them. Way back in the background is Mt Coolidge, Custer State Park's Fire Lookout Tower and Radio Control Dispatcher. This is the Operator we received all our Emergency Calls from when we worked with Law Enforcement in the Park.

The kids thought this was an outstanding hike and enjoyed it very much. We were back home before lunch and I began work on my ongoing project of wiring the Toy Barn. I'm getting the wiring in for electrical plugs all around the walls and 4 big lights down the center.

Yesterday we took them on another one of the many hikes here in the Park. This hike is called Sunday Gulch and is in the Sylvan Lake area. It is also rated as a strenuous 3 mike hike. By 10am I was back working on the wiring. Between the hiking and all the ladder climbing pulling wire, it's doing a number on these old legs. When 4pm rolls around, I'm ready to quit and enjoy Happy Hour.

Today we are going to Rapid City for a Dr's appointment for Ms Pat and to replenish supplies, so we will give Lisa and Randy a rest! Ha, I believe I may just enjoy the rest myself!!! Maybe more than they will....LOL. They seem to be in excellent shape and have never shown any sign of weakness. I will say I am surprised, but pleased, to see that they are in good shape and do a lot of walking at home in Florida.

They are quite impressed with the Black Hills of South Dakota and are really enjoying their stay. But it is going fast. They will be leaving Saturday. Today they are headed to see the Badlands and Wall Drug. That will be a full day for them.

Meanwhile, we are headed to the big city.... Thanks for stopping by...

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..

Life just gets better and better!

Life in the Black Hills of South Dakota is about as good as it gets!! I'm sure I've told you before how much we enjoy life up here. We took our Harley up to Deadwood Thursday and rode up Spearfish Canyon road to Spearfish.. It was a beautiful ride and we enjoyed it so much, that we turned around in Spearfish and came right down it again back to Deadwood. Trailering the Bike to Deadwood went well also. How neat it is to just ride the bike into the trailer and lock it into the Chock, step off, strap it down and take off. When you get there, it's very simple to back the bike out of the trailer and go on your way. Like I say, life just gets better and better! Here are some pictures.

(click on the link below the picture to see more photos of Spearfish Canyon) Use your back arrow to return to the Blog.

From Spearfish Canyon Bike Ride Sept 2009

Friday evening Pat's oldest daughter Lisa and her husband Randy arrived from Florida. This is their first trip to the Hills. Their flight left Tallahassee early that morning. It had been a long day for them, but they were quite excited to be here. After a Pot Luck dinner in our Toy Barn, they were off to the motel for some much needed rest...and to prepare for an exciting week.

From Our Kids

Here they are parked in our front yard with their rental car...

Earlier Friday, just before noon, our friends Mark and Dale Bruss pulled in.....with their 40' Travel Supreme 5TH wheel and big Red Volvo 770 truck. We have been looking forward to their visit and we quickly got them situated in their "favorite" spot. Now they have the same beautiful view of the Hills and Cathedral Spires out their front door that we do....:-)

Yesterday, after our Hike at Stockade Lake with Lisa and Randy, Mark and I had a project planned. Mark agreed to help me put in a 50amp RV receptacle on the front of our "Toy Barn" (note the new name of our garage), so our visitors can have full power while they are here. Plus, we're going to install several 20amp plugs around the inside and a few lights overhead.
We had a great day and I'm happy to report, we got the 50 amp receptacle installed and Mark is now plugged into it and has FULL 50 amp Power!!! Above, Mark is putting on the final touches of the 50amp breaker box. Isn't that GREAT!!!! Now all we have to do is install about 10 - 12, 20amp plug in receptacles, two switches and 4 light fixtures inside. We'll save that for another day. It's too close to Happy Hour to start another project. :-)

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thank you all for stopping by. Have a Super Labor day weekend and remember...don't forget to tell your kids you love them...they may not be around forever.

We're off to early Church.....

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday and Wednesday..

Friends depart and Friends arrive!!

WOW......I was impressed with all the comments, emails and personal contacts concerning stopping my Blog. Thank you all very much...the encouragement means a lot to me. When we aren't traveling, or having a disaster, it's hard to find things to write about.


I'll stay with it as long as I can meet the set of standards I set for myself when I decided to do a Blog. I knew it wouldn't be easy, as I'm the worlds worst typist and slower than Molasses in January. I'm definitely not a writer in any way, shape or form. This computer stuff is hard for me as I don't know what I'm doing most of the time. It's a lot of trial and error and can be extremely frustrating at times. But, I will be consistent, I will be reliable and dependable. I won't make you click over here time and time again just to find out that I haven't posted yet. I know how tired I get of doing that. I won't give you a line by line description of every little thing we do in our normal daily life from the time we get out of bed and I won't tell you what we had for breakfast, lunch and dinner, nor what a great dessert we had. No pictures of FOOD!!! I will try to keep it short,(sometimes it's tough!) and to the point and I will post a few pictures to better describe the discussion. If I slip up, let me know and also please advise me of your "pet peeves" in Blogs.... I will do my best to avoid doing them.




It was enjoyable having Rocky and Sheri Rhoades drop in on us for a few days. They are just returning from a long trip up into Canada. We had a great time getting to know these brand new Rv'ers that are on a very worthy Mission. These folks are truly the "Hero Makers"!!!! Rocky spoke at our church service Sunday about their work and he was very well received by all. Check out their web Site "Hero Makers". God Bless them.

Even Ms Megabyte2 had a GUEST!!! Rocky and Sheri travel with a kitty called "DESTINY". Destiny is a beautiful little lady. Sheri has this neat spiral net playpen for Destiny, so we put the 2 pens together and let them get acquainted. They did "talk" a little, but there were so many other distractions, they didn't get together much. Mega2 doesn't even seem to like it outside very much, not for long anyhow.

This is Rocky and Sheri's Teton and Volvo 770. Does that truck look familiar?? This is a strange coincidence, but it looks a lot like ours doesn't it? Come to find out it came from the same fleet of Freight Trucks. It is the same color, same year, same engine, same transmission, same everything....right down to the same radio and 10 speaker amplified sound system. It is EXACTLY a sister to our Volvo 770. This freight Company buys dozens of trucks, all the same color and very fully equipped. They also hire drivers that really keep them unusually CLEAN!! This is the 3RD truck from this Fleet that is in our group of HDT Escapee Forum Members...every one exactly the same. My key even works in the ignition and doors!! Nice going Rocky and Sheri! Enjoy your retired Century Freight Lines Truck... it's a Beauty. It will carry you many, many safe enjoyable miles.

In a few days, good friends Mark and Dale Bruss will be here to see us. Looking forward to seeing them and at the same time we have kids coming from Florida. Pat's daughter Lisa and her husband Randy will fly in on Friday. This will be there first visit to the "Beautiful Black Hills". It will be fun watching them inhale the special beauty this place has to offer that seems to get in your blood!!! You'll be seeing and hearing about all these folks in the future.

Meanwhile, tomorrow we are planning a one day trip up North through Spearfish Canyon. This is a definite recommended Bike ride in the hills, along with Custer State park. Pat has a dental appointment in Deadwood, so we will take the bike with us in the new Cargo Trailer. The appointment is at 8am and it's a good 50 miles to Deadwood, so we will have to start EARLY!Hopefully, she will get out early and we will take the Canyon ride.

It is a GREAT WEEK!!!!!

Thank you all for stopping by........

Mike

This Blog is Published every Wednesday and Sunday..