We're in FLORIDA!!!!

HOORAY!! Yesterday morning we pulled in to John Palmer's Solar City way back in the woods at Lake City, FL. about 11:00am. It was misting and raining off and on all the way from Thomasville, GA. Now to rejuvenate our batteries and solar system. This may take a few days but John is an excellent Solar installer and troubleshooter, so he will have us operating efficiently without shore power REAL SOON.....we hope!

CAMPFIRES are a nightly occasion at John Palmers Solar place. Lots of old and new friends and "conversation" take place at the "nightly fire"!!!

Our beautiful campsite at The Solar Guy's place near Lake City, FLORIDA

(click on pictures to enlarge)

Last Monday in Little Rock, the Amana repairman arrived about noon and installed the new compressor that had been delivered and waiting on him! It was quite a job and took him a good 3 hours. He was a very competent repairman and has been doing it for 26 years! He did a good job and we were extremely grateful to have a FRIG again!!!

Tuesday the frig was still cooling in good shape, so we hooked up and pulled to the Goodyear tire shop and backed up to their work door. They were quite impressed when we just hit the BIGFOOT jacks and raised all 6 wheels off the ground so they could get to work. Neat, they were impressed. That sure solves how to jack this big rig up!!!

The OLD wheels and tires.(above)

And the NEW Wheels and Tires.(above) Actually I think the OLD wheels are "sportier" looking than the new ones............But thats the way it goes!!!!

When they took off the bad tire that I had changed when we had the tread separation, I noticed the back side was covered with BRAKE FLUID. Hummm, I had checked and didn't see where the hydraulic brake line was damaged, but upon closer inspection, it was evident that it had caused a crack in the line and we were losing fluid. UGH, now another problem to get repaired before we can leave. :-( About time for our luck to change!!! We had become quite friendly with the tire shop manager, so we ask him if he knew a place that could repair our broken brake line. "AH,HA", he said "I know a guy that does that kind of work a lot and his shop is just ONE block away, let me call him and see if I can get you in". WOW, maybe our luck is changing??? He came back and said "Yes, he will do it, pull on down there". After a couple hours and a new section of brake line all formed, shaped and installed, we were on our way back to the campground. Now to get all set to hit the road in the morning!!! Whew!!! Thank God for happy hours!!!!

While we were at the Tire Shop, the manager made us such a good deal on 4 new drive tires on our BIG TRUCK that we couldn't pass it up. SO, with 6 new TIRES and 6 new WHEELS on the Teton and 4 new DRIVE TIRES on the truck, we were set to GO!!!

It was a GREAT week!!!! God Bless.

Thanks for stopping by and remember, tell your kids you love them, they may not be around forever.

Mike

This Blog published every Sunday.

Still grounded in Little Rock........

Although we planned on leaving Little Rock on Wednesday, that didn't happen. Monday morning when we got up, we had 2 problems. One: a damaged tire and two: no refrigerator

Neither of which are simple matters!!!

We started calling the necessary parties. The Amana Co. and Goodyear tire Co. Soon we had a repairman scheduled to come out and look at the frig and Goodyear sending a claim form. We took the damaged tire to a Goodyear dealership so it could be FedEx'ed to their home office for inspection...


The G614 "G" rated tire had completely thrown it's tread. The tread was wrapped around the axle and wedged between the tire behind it. It had gotten very HOT and that was causing the smoke. A car right behind us saw it happen and he immediately flagged us over. That's where we got REAL lucky!! Had we gone much further, the tire would have BLOWN. If you click on the above picture of the tire, you will see it was wearing through the steel belts. Had it blown, I'm sure the damage caused would have been much worse.




The flopping tread tore the insulation above it off. It looks terrible, but really it's not that bad. It didn't bend anything or damage the fender or side panel on the fiberglass at all. Very LUCKY!!

In nearly 14 years of full-timing and 1000's of miles, this is our FIRST tire problem of any nature!!! Someone has been looking out for us !!! However, I've always worried about my tires and watched them closely. Twice before I have had Goodyear replace the NEW tires that came on our Tetons because they weren't adequate for the load. This Teton we special ordered and requested and paid extra for the upgraded "G's" instead of the "E's" that it came with. Most all the Manufacturers put just barely enough of a rated tire to get by. Then when you put anything in the rig, it's overweight. I should have gone even further and ordered it with the 17.5 wheels and the "H" rated tires. Isn't HINDSIGHT great? It's not enough to be just a little below the weight limits of your tires, we need to be considerably BELOW those weight limits......I weigh my rig every chance I get and weigh every axle and every wheel separately. It is EXTREMELY important!!!! It's interesting for me to note that this tire was loaded the heaviest of all the Coach's tires..... The tires have just over 15,000 miles on them. I carry 110 lbs of air in each tire and monitor them constantly.

I was one of the FIRST to obtain and use thePressurePro tire monitoring system, so I could watch the air pressure and be forewarned of a leak as I was driving down the road. I liked the system so well I began getting it for friends that also wanted it and soon became one of the top RV dealers for PressurePro. That was nearly 5 years ago.

Because I want more of a safety margin, we have decided to get rid of all the remaining G614's and go with the G114's. They are a 17.5" tire, while the ones we have now are 16". This requires we purchase 6 new 17.5" wheels and obtain 6 of the new G114's. They are "H" rated and designed specifically for commercial "low-boy" trailers hauling such things as back hoe's, caterpillars, etc. It will be an expensive undertaking, but necessary, in our opinion....

We are in the process of doing this now, The new wheels were ordered form HTW wheel mfg company near South Bend, IN. They arrived by UPS Friday and the 6 new tires came in Thursday. We took the new wheels over to the Dealer and they are mounting the new G114 tires on them. Now, to take the rig over to the dealer and have them all installed.....
I'm VERY happy to say that Goodyear, as usual, has cooperated with us 100% on this deal. In fact, they agreed to give us FULL PRICE credit for our G614's toward the purchase of the NEW G114's and pay for our damages. I have ALWAYS found them very cooperative. I wouldn't consider any other brand tire on my Coaches........


Our good friends Mark & Dale Bruss have also done this and Mark has documented it well with all his research on his website: Tires: New Sized Tires

They had much more damage to the side and fender well of their Coach.........

WAIT,,,we can't move!! One Amana repairman came out last Tuesday, found the frig had a bad circuit board,,,,,,,none in stock. Had to order it. Fortunately, it came UPS overnight delivery and we got it Wednesday. Another repairman came out the same day to install it. BOY, this is going smooth,,,,,,,,WRONG!!!!!

The 2ND repairman knew a lot more about what he was doing. He said " wait a minute, let me check the compressor, that's what usually causes this circuit board to go out". YEP,,,,,sure enough, compressor was SHOT!!!!! Had to order it !!!:-( New compressor came Friday morning, but no repairman was available to install it until MONDAY............So here we sit, afraid to move or go anywhere waiting for the repairman.........refer sitting out in the middle of the floor. Didn't realize how tough it is to be without a frig!!!! Boy, we take these modern conveniences for granted!!


Here is the first repairman that came out. He's ordering the circuit board and Pat's on the phone, as she has been for the last week continually!!!!


But, in spite of all these problems, we have a LOT to be thankful for!! We still wouldn't trade places with anyone in the whole WORLD!!!!! Here we sit in this beautiful Corps of Engineers park just 15 miles from our dear friends Louis and Janette Hughes. The park sits right on the shores of the Arkansas river and we have a SUPERB view right out our back picture window. Since we have " Golden Age" cards, the site costs $9.50 instead of the usual $19.00 per night. Not a bad life at all.

Monday we hope to get the Compressor installed and get the refer cooling again. Tuesday the tires can be installed on the Teton and Wednesday we can continue our journey to Tallahassee.

But,,,,who knows???? We'll see!!!

Meanwhile I have 6 lightly used beautiful Aluminum 16", 8 bolt, heavy duty wheels FOR SALE.


This is an actual picture of one of the wheels from our Teton. So if YOU, or anybody YOU know wants to upgrade your wheels to these beautiful polished aluminum wheels that will NEVER rust, now is your chance. Asking $65.00 each.......that's about 1/2 price or less. They are manufactured by HTW, the same ones that make the NEW 17.5's I just bought. I like the 16" wheels better than the 17.5's, I think they are more attractive......


SPECIAL REQUEST: Our friends, Bob & Molly Pinner, have a young niece who has Leukemia and is going through some of the same treatments Scott had to endure. Her name is Kristy and her Mom is Kathryn (Molly's sister). Kristy will be undergoing a Bone Marrow Transplant on Thursday, Oct. 23. We are asking that all of our Blog readers and friends everywhere pray for Kristy, especially on Thursday, that the BMT will be successful and that she will be on the road to recovery. Kristy has 4 beautiful children and they need their Mommy. God Bless you Kristy and keep up the good fight!! Kathryn we're praying for you, too.

See ya all next week and I'll bring you up to date on our progress. Hopefully, we'll be in FLORIDA!!! Thanks for stopping by and we LOVE your comments!!!
It was a BEAUTIFUL WEEK!!!
God Bless
Mike


This Blog is published every Sunday morning..

Life is INTERESTING !!!

Just as things are going along smooth,,,,,,BANG!!!! You have a BAD day!! That was us yesterday.
As the HDT Rally in Hutchinson came to a close, everyone was departing and heading their own desired directions. Us included. Yesterday (Saturday) morning we headed on our way towards Little Rock. Things were going along fine when a car pulled up along side us and motioned us to pull over. What in the WORLD??, was our reaction. A young fellow came running back to us saying that SMOKE was coming from one of our tires!! That causes your heart rate to increase somewhat!!! What had happened???? We jumped out and started checking, sure enough the left front tire on our Teton had thrown a tread and was caught between it and the frame and also the next tire back. The tire still had full air pressure in it. That explains why the PressurePro tire monitoring system didn't alarm. Smoke has a tendency to travel to the center and out the back. It's nearly always impossible to see!! I was watching and didn't see a thing!!!
If this young fellow had not stopped us, the tire would have soon BLOWN OUT !!!!! The damage would probably be a LOT worse than it was........It tore the insulation off from above the tire and that's about all the damage I could see. We'll check closer later.

So we were quite LUCKY!!!! Now, what to do next?? We were on a rather busy 2 lane highway south of Stillwater, OK. It did have a good shoulder. I pulled over as far as I could, put out my emergency reflectors, got out my tools, my bottle Jack, took the spare down from it's mount and changed the wheels. Pat was watching and keeping the traffic from running over me as I was laying on the edge of the traffic side. Cars, trucks, etc were whizzing by at 50-60 + mph. Not a fun situation. I could have called our Road Service, but it would have taken hours(it was Saturday) and I wanted to try it myself first and then use road service as plan "b".
My plan WORKED!!!! After about an hour of Blood, Sweat and yes, Tears, we were on our way.
Tired, Dirty, and both of our backs hurting, but we were on our way......out of the road.....Thank GOD.

We made the rest of our trip for the day, a little late, but ready to hang it up for the night...WHEW!!!!!! Tomorrow we'll go on into Little Rock,,,about 140 miles. There we will decide what to do about the tire. We are thinking about doing what our good friends Mark and Dale Bruss did and go to new 17.5" wheels with the new Goodyear G114's. It's a JOB and EXPENSE, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do!! Right?

OK, we'll handle that come MONDAY morning!!!!!

Well, when we got up this morning,,,our REFRIGERATOR had QUIT!!!!!!! It's an AMANA and has quit before and we had to put in a Start Capacitor while we were at Custer. At Custer we have another Frig to put all our stuff in,,,,,,,ugh,,,here we DON"T!!!! It's not an RV refrigerator, so an RV place can't help. It takes a Household repairman..........WOW,,,2 bad days in a row!!!!

It's a TERRIBLE job getting the Amana out so they can work on it and the repairman WILL NOT do it.........so WE must!!!! We've done it once, so we'll do it again!!! Meanwhile, all we have is a little cooler, an insulated bag and a very small frig in the Truck.......So lots of good frozen meat, etc. is gone......................Tossed out!!

What next,,,,,,,,,,We have to keep smiling and work through this,,,,,and we WILL. Like my son Scott used to say, "It's Just a Bump in the Road". We've been full timing for over 13 years and this is ABSOLUTELY the FIRST tire problem we have had..........not even as much as a FLAT before! So we were due,,,,,,,,,,,,,,right?

Just like we used to do at work when the roof fell in, we'll take these problem situations ONE by ONE and handle them..... We'll come back smiling, smarter, minus a few bucks, but stronger than ever.

Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you next week with a progress report........


Shucks,,,,,IT's still a GREAT WEEK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hang in there.

Mike

This Blog is Published every Sunday morning......

Greetings from Kansas State Fairgrounds!!!!

This is the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson. It's a BIG place and we have lots of BIG rigs arriving.

Both sides are filling up with beautiful rigs of all sizes and shape. Last count was 34 and more are arriving.

Our's is parked right in the middle where there is LOTS of action!! We're talking "PressurePro" to lots of new and old customers...

Then along about 4:00 pm it's "pre-Rally social hour",,,,,,,,,,,,every night a few more friends showed up. Soon the crowd was HUGE!!! Pot Luck and snacks galore........What a GREAT life!!

Saturday evening at 5pm was the official opening and welcome. We set up our PressurePro display table and soon thereafter everyone was welcomed to the 5TH National Heavy Duty Truck Rally. After that, as you can see from the above picture the snack counter was quite popular!!! Lots of GREAT conversation with old and new friends and at 7pm a live band took over. Many soon returned to their home on wheels, while others danced the night away........
A very pleasant evening and the 2008 HDT rally is off to a SUPER start!!! Our PressurePro seminar is Tuesday morning and there are many others scheduled throughout the week. This is gonna be FUN!!!!!:-)
*************************************************************************************

Now a little bit on the Sad and Serious side.............


As many of you know this is a picture of my youngest son Scott. It was just ONE year ago yesterday on 10-4-07, while we were at this same Rally, that Scott called us and informed us that he had been diagnosed with LEUKEMIA....................
After a long and hard fought battle that included many, many heavy doses of Chemo and dozens upon dozens of other medications and transfusions, including a bone marrow transplant from his older brother Mikel, it was 8 months later on June 5TH that he lost the battle. He was 47 years old and such a good kid. My buddy, my pal. A guy I confided in a lot and a guy that was always very kind to Pat and I. I sure miss him, as I know we all do, but I'm so thankful that God let me enjoy him for 47 years and that I got to spend the last month of his life at his side.....

Scott loved to RV, but he was always so busy with work and all that he didn't get to do it as much as he would have liked to. But now he's gone to that GREAT campground in the sky and he is Rv'n right here with us, that's what the "empty" campsite right next to us is, it's reserved and dedicated to Scott. Scott, lets go for a walk!!

The following is a poem that Ann, Scott's wife found and we all think it describes what Scott would want. I'd like to share it with you:

"I'm Free"

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free

I'm following the path God laid for me.

I took his hand when I heard him call

I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day

To laugh, to love, to work or play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way.

I found that place at the close of the day.

If my passing has left a void

Then fill it with remembered joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss.

Ah yes, these things, I too, will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow.

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life's been full, I savored much.

Good friends, good times, a loved one's touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief;

Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.

Lift up your heart and share with me

God wanted me now, He set me free.

Author Unknown

God Bless you all, thanks for stopping by. Please stop in next week, or sooner and leave a comment or a note in the "shoutbox".

Mike

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

This Blog is published every Sunday morning

Enjoying FAMILY !!!! in Lincoln, Nebraska.

We had a GREAT time at the TETON rally at Hart Ranch near Rapid City, SD. It was great seeing so many old Teton friends and meeting new ones. There were at least 60 Teton's there....WE sold a bunch of PressurePro systems, a PowerTank and some Dri-Wash &Guard. All in all, it was a very successful Rally


This is our corner spot in Hart Ranch and it gave us a lot of exposure....It is truly one of the nicest RV parks we have ever had the privilege of staying at. If you're ever in the area, stop and take a look.




This is some of the Tetons and Trucks just down from us.




Here we are Thursday morning leaving Hart Ranch, proceeding on to Lincoln, Nebr. It was a beautiful day. By the next afternoon,(Friday) at 3pm we were all set up in our usual spot at the activities center in Lincoln, just a couple miles from our daughter in law, Ann's place. Ann is always such a gracious host and this time was no exception. After a few hugs and a few tears and more hugs,,,we carried on. We knew Scott would want that.

Soon our Granddaughter Shala and her friend Ryan joined us. Shala is a junior at the University of Nebr. Shortly thereafter, Terri our daughter drove in from Omaha where she is working.

After a few words of prayer in remembrance of Scott, we all sat down to another one of Ann's superb meals......It sure was great being with family and I could feel Scott's presence,,,,,,right there with us, not in body but definitely in spirit....he loved Ann's good cooking as much as we do and he wouldn't miss a meal like that :-)

Saturday was GAME DAY,,,,,,,,,,FSU played Colorado in Florida and won, Nebraska played Virgina Tech right here in Lincoln and lost, but both games were on ABC--TV....Good games, good company and very enjoyable.

Patrick, our Grandson and his friend Krista came over and watched the Nebraska game with us. Patrick just graduated from the University of Nebr with a Masters degree and now works for a large accounting firm in Omaha. Terri also drove back over from Omaha after work to be with us for the evening. Another memorable, very enjoyable time......Time goes so FAST !!

Monday we will head on to Hutchinson, KS for the MDT (medium duty truck) and the HDT (heavy duty truck) rallies..........It will be an easy one day trip.. 262 miles. We will be there greeting old and new friends until Oct 11TH. Then we will head towards Florida.....with a few days stop in Little Rock, AR. to visit our Good Friends Louis and Janette Hughes....

See you next Sunday from the State Fair Grounds in Hutchinson, KS. Thanks for stopping by. Stay in touch and travel safe!!!
God Bless You all !!

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

Mike

This Blog published every Sunday morning.

On the ROAD again!!!

Yesterday (Saturday) it was time to leave our beautiful little spot on a hill in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Another summer gone and time to make our move. We enjoy it so much here that it's always a little sad when we leave. Things are all closed up and winterized and we are headed out.


We made a LONG trip (50 miles) to HART RANCH RV RESORT just south of Rapid City. Upon arrival we were met by many of our good friends with the TETON rally being held there. We are presenting a PressurePro seminar on Tuesday. We have already sold dozens of these fine folks a system, but several others have expressed a desire to have one.






Our last week in the hills was very BUSY and SHORT. There is an unbelievable amount of things to do to get ready to take off and leave a place for 8 months. We managed to get in a few more good hikes, one being the Stockade Lake trail which is my favorite. We also were able to work in one more Motorcycle ride in the park. We took the bike around the "Wildlife Loop" and made a big circle of 45 miles. It was an extra nice afternoon and we really enjoyed the ride. Sure makes one HAPPY to be able to enjoy such a life, at our age........(-:



The next day, Thursday, we loaded the Bike on the back of the Volvo truck and secured it for the trip. Then, all tires were properly aired up and double checked. That night Pat prepared a BIG FISH dinner for some of our best friends, the Hughes and Stewarts. It was delicious!! Walleye with Cheese Grits, Hush Puppies, Salad and Watermelon.......I love that 'southern" cookin!!!! We all had a great time....Plus we enjoyed catching the fish during the summer!

We will be here at HART RANCH RESORT until Thursday morning and then we will proceed on to Lincoln, Nebraska where we will spend a few days with Ann, our daughter-in-law. It's about 600 miles to Lincoln from here so it will be an easy 2 day trip. Next week at this time we should be in Lincoln....Good Lord willin!!!!

Plus, we get a SPECIAL treat...we get to see Terri, our traveling medical technician daughter. Her team just happens to be working in Omaha about 40 miles from Lincoln. What a wonderful coincidence. Terri works for the Center for Disease Control, traveling all over the USA with ALL expenses paid and a paycheck!! What a wonderful way to see this beautiful country!!!

Meanwhile, we are just enjoying this Beautiful Hart Ranch Resort, reminding ourselves of the last time we stayed here. Way back in 1995, we workkamped here for a month. At that time we were in our 32' Airstream, pulling it with a 3/4 T Ford pickup. Gosh, that was a LONG time ago!! We have come a LONG way since then. Here we sit now in a 45' Teton 5TH wheel pulling with a Volvo semi truck. There is more room in our truck than there was in that Airstream!!! LOL


Thanks for stopping by, glad to have you. Check back, I'll try to get some pictures and insert them in the next couple days......(I always forget to take pictures:-( )


See ya next week.......



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



Mike


This Blog published every Sunday AM.

Time Marches on !!!!!

Here it is the middle of September already!!!! Whats the ole' saying,,,,,"Spring has SPRUNG, Fall has FELL and it's cold as HECK",,,,,,,,,,,Well, it doesn't go quite like that, but you get the picture. We only have ONE WEEK until we depart the Hills. We are rounding things up and preparing to depart. Next Sunday at this time we will be hooking up and heading out. We've been here right at 3 months already!!! It was a joyous summer,,,,fast, but fun. Now it's time to do what we do and HIT the ROAD!!!!

First call of business last week, after returning from my Class Reunion, was an email that was waiting for me when I got home Sunday evening. It was from Dave and Darlene Sommer asking if we would drop over to a local campground and help them install a new PressurePro System for their Country Coach Motorhome....
(click on picture to enlarge)

This is Dave and Darlene Sommer and their beautiful Country Coach motorhome. Dave is originally from South Dakota and was here attending his 50TH high School Reunion. The installation went smoothly as expected and these fine folks are now happy PressurePro owners and can see the pressure in any one of their tires any time they want, even while driving down the road. They also know that in the event they should get a leak in one of those tires while driving (or stationary) they will get an ALARM from the Monitor on the dash. Soon they will discover what a comforting feeling that is, especially when you tow a car and can't see the tires on it or feel it if you should have a tire go low. It's always enjoyable for Pat and I to meet these fellow RV'ers and help them get this superb safety Device........Happy travels Dave & Darlene and we'll see you again down the road!

Well, we FINALLY did it!!!! All summer I've been contemplating switching from our HughesNet Satellite Internet hook up to one of the Verizion Air Cards and Router. Friday it arrived and we made the switch!!! We had a little trouble getting all 3 of our Computers to accept this new mode of Internet connection, but with help from the 3G store techs, Ms Pat got them up and running!!! I was worried and nervous during the entire process. We MUST have an Internet connection and for a while I'll admit I wanted to scrub the entire idea and go back to the ole' familiar Dish!!! We've had the HughesNet tripod setup for a LONG time (years) and I was very comfortable with it,,,,,and this system was GREEK to both of us. I'm happy to say it's been up and working fine day and night since. We are only a mile from the cell tower and can see it from our place. I expected to get a better signal, but for some reason this new tower is 1x and not EVDO. We barely get 2 bars so I have an antenna cord ordered,,,hopefully that will help. It's running about the same speed as the Satellite system did, which isn't great, but OK. I just expected a little better, maybe that will happen later. (I hope) It sure is a lot less equipment to drag around. However, I believe I'll hang on to the dish system for a while :-)!! (just in case)

Next Sunday, when we leave here, we are headed to Hart Ranch RV Resort near Rapid City for a few days to present a PressurePro seminar to the Teton group and meet a lot of old friends. This will be an interesting rally. I'm sure most of you have heard the news that Teton is among the ranks of the RV Companies that have met hard times. Unofficial word has it that they are CLOSED......Maybe we will get some official word at the Rally.

Then we proceed on to Lincoln, Nebraska to see Ann. We're anxious to spend some time with her. This will be the first time we have been to Lincoln when Scott hasn't been there to greet us. It's going to be tough,,,,,,we all miss him so much and we especially know how hard it is for Ann. I hope you don't mind but I would like to share a picture with you that Ann sent us recently:

(click on picture to enlarge)

This is Scott's Headstone that Ann designed. They just got it set. This is the largest stone that the Cemetery would allow, but we think it is Beautiful. Good job Ann!! I can't wait to see it in person. Scott would be so PROUD!!!! He had this same image on the back window of his truck.

It was 32 deg at sunrise here this morning and the OLD truck has FROST all over it. That's telling us and giving us the encouragement to "hang it up" for this year and leave these Beautiful Hills that both Pat and I love and enjoy so much......

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave me a note in the shoutbox above or send me an email to let me know you're reading this. Sometimes you feel like you're talking to yourself on these Blogs. Those of you that do write and ask me how to do a blog like this,,,,,,,,,,,,rest assured it's EASY! Look on upper right corner of this blog somewhere and it will say "Create Blog". Just click on that and follow the simple directions. That's the way I did, and believe me, if I can do it, you can!!!!!!
Later, I found Chris Guld's web site "TWO GEEKS ON TOUR" and she has several nice videos on how to do this very Blog.

See ya all next week!!!
It's been a GREAT WEEK!!!!!

Mike


This Blog Published every Sunday Morning............

North Platte, Nebraska

We got on the road just as the sun was coming up Friday morning headed for my class reunion in North Platte, Nebraska. It was a pretty morning and day!! We took a little different route so we could see some country that I hadn't seen for years........my old home where I was born and raised ,,,,,,,, (=: The SANDHILLS of the PANHANDLE of NEBRASKA. We went through the Indian Reservation and down to Pine Ridge, SD and then south to Rushville, NE. East to Gordon, NE., then south to Ellsworth, NE. 55 miles of nice 2 lane road with hardly any traffic whatsoever. No towns or stops, just Sandhills, a few Cattle, many Windmills. It was a very pleasant drive. Now this is the kind of traveling I like,,,seemed like old times, WIDE open COUNTRY!!! I was born and raised in this country..............Too many years ago!!! Hard to believe there is this much beautiful wide open space in this country. It was fun and like a time back to the beginning.

We arrived at the Ouality Inn Convention Center in North Platte about 1pm. With the change to Central time it was now 2pm..... It wasn't long until I started seeing old classmates and the FUN began!

----------------------(interruption)----------------------

Time for our Farewell Breakfast,,,,,,,then head back home.........have to leave. Will continue with this when we get back to Custer,,,,,,,,this eve or in the morning.

Happy trails!!!!

It was GREAT WEEK!!!!

Thanks for stopping by,,,drop back later....

Mike

MONDAY AM....................I spent over 1/2 hour writing on this this morning, only to have the satellite go down and LOSE the ENTIRE thing!!!! @#$&%*&%!!, I hate it when that happens!
Internet service was Bad last night and I couldn't finish this when we got home, so I thought I would do it this morning early......Now I lost it all,,,,,how discouraging!!!!! I've about had it with this satellite Hughesnet. TODAY, we will order the Verizon Air card. This certainly inspires me to make the switch. I've been putting it off for quite a while. Lots of our friends have the Air Cards and LOVE them. We will see, I'm ordering it TODAY................Guess I'll give this weeks Blog up for this week.... :-(

We sure Had a WONDERFUL Reunion !!!!!! Many thanks to those of you that keep making this happen!!!!

Stop back next week,,,,,,and leave a note in the "shout-box" above......

Meanwhile,,,,,Stay Safe!!!!!

Mike

What is LABOR DAY to you?

Happy LABOR DAY everybody!!!!! Ever wonder just what they mean by LABOR DAY?

Almost no one "labor's" on LABOR DAY! Here is a quick definition that I found:

"Labor Day is a federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create "a day off for the working citizens". Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894.[1] All fifty states have made Labor Day a state holiday. Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer".

It is the Symbolic end of the Summer. So that's it for the Summer of 2008, tomorrow on Sept 1, it's all over for another year...... Time just keeps "movin on"!!!! In just a few weeks, we will be packing up and starting our move south............seems like we just got here!!! But both Pat and I are ready to hit the road!!!


(click on arrow to play video)


Our good friends Mark and Dale Bruss spent a few weeks with us this summer and it was a great pleasure to have them. It's always sad when folks leave, but we'll see Mark and Dale again soon at the HeavyDutyTruck Rally in Hutchinson, KS in a few weeks.....

It was awful quiet around here after Mark and Dale left, so we got real busy!! Took the Volvo to Rapid City for a full service, oil, filter and lube job. That took most of the day. Shipped out 3 PressurePro Systems and went fishing down at the lake for a day..........Friday, we took a little motorcycle ride out in Custer State Park, down the Needles Highway.
(click on pictures to enlarge)

Jim and Ingrid Gourdoux

Jim and Ingrid's Phaeton, very sharp Coach.

Saturday, Jim & Ingrid Gourdoux drove down from Spearfish and picked up a PressurePro system for their new 40' Phaeton Motorhome. It was great meeting these folks. They are workamping at the State Fish Hatchery in Spearfish.

Plus we got in 4 days of early morning hiking, including our favorite hike up the monstrous hill at Stockade Lake trail........Some think its a "killer", Pat and I love it!!
So, it was a full week. Time for some "NO LABOR" day!!!!!:-)

Next Friday, Saturday and Sunday we will be attending my 55TH High School Reunion in North Platte, Nebraska. That's 330 miles away, so Friday and Sunday will be travel days....but it should be real interesting. I haven't attended for many, many years!!! And I'm looking forward to it! My post will no doubt be late next Sunday..........But check, I'll get it as soon as I get back.

We hope and pray that all our Southern friends and family stay dry and safe. Tallahassee, with 16.5 inches of rain from Fay, you don't need any more!!! We're thinking of you!!

Thanks for stopping by and we hope you all have an enjoyable and safe LABOR DAY!!!!! You can hang it up now, Summer is OVER!!!!

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!!

Mike

Another GRRREAT week !!!

Last Sunday, we decided to hike the Cathedral Spires trail in Custer State Park with our good friends, the Vickers. It was a SUPER hike up, under and around the beautiful rock spires. The weather was gorgeous for hiking. 73 deg was the high for the day!!
(click on all pictures to enlarge)

Here we are at the Trail Head.....




Here we are at THE END of the Trail, on top, at the Base of the Spires. It's SOLID rock straight up all around us.


Here is a shot with the telephoto lens, as we looked up at some Rock Climbers that had climbed way up on the Spires and were preparing to go further...to the TOP!!

After the hike, it was such a beautiful day, that we decided to go on down the famous Needles Highway and tour Custer State Park a little. As a lot of you know, Pat and I worked in this great park for 9 summers. We know every INCH of it and always enjoy spending time here. We showed Jim and Donnalyn another one of our favorite "private" hikes. We walked an old fire road back into the woods to a place where we had a nice view of the faces on Mount Rushmore.

We toured around for another couple hours and headed on back home.....What an ENJOYABLE morning!!!!

There are lots of our old friends still workamping at Custer State Park, so we decided to invite them to a Pot Luck at our place and break in our NEW POLE BULDING........so Friday we were all set up.......................


Here is all the food everyone prepared. It looked and smelled superb!!




Lots of GREAT friends, old and new came!!! First, of course, was HAPPY(social) HOUR!!!!!



Bill Disney (on the left) and Bill Weatherford (in the center) still work in the Park and Daryl Kraemer (on the right) works on the Mickelson Trail.



Dick Peer and Mark Bruss. Dick (and Shirley) and Mark (and Dale) are also our neighbors at our place in Mission, Texas. Peer's are Campground Hosts at Game Lodge Campground in the Park and Mark and Dale are visiting us.




Jim and Donnalyn Vickers on the left, Dale Bruss and Ruby Disney enjoy the protection of the new building as it was COOL outside....



Bob Stewart joins the conversation. Bob is like us and "retired" from the Park after many, many years of service. Bob & Shirley brought us a "barn warming" gift....it was a bottle of South Dakota wine, made in Vermillion, SD and the label has a picture of a buffalo on it. I don't have a picture of the bottle but maybe I can get one on here next week. What a neat gift!!! Bob and Shirley know how much we love "buffalo stuff". Thanks Bob and Shirley.





It wasn't long until we had ALL made our way through the FOOD lines and sat down to enjoy the GREAT FOOD!!!!

Donnalyn and Shirley Stewart are helping themselves to those wonderful desserts that we couldn't LIVE without. Donnalyn made a delicious "chocolate dish" and Linda Weatherford made 2 "homemade, fresh shelled" pecan pies. They just LOVE to test my will power!!! That's OK!!!!!:-)



This is our GREAT friend and X boss, Ron Tietsort, and his two children, Hope and Noah. Ron is the head Law Enforcement Ranger in Custer State Park....... Let me tell you, he was a WONDERFUL boss!!! We saw Noah and Hope grow up while we worked in the Park and they just continue to GROW!!!! Pat used to babysit them when they were little. Ron knows how much I enjoyed driving around the Park when I was working there, so he called and asked if I would like to take a ride with him!!!! WOW<>

He goes on duty at 1pm, so he told me to meet him Thursday at his place and he would take me with him for the afternoon....Ahhhhhh,,,,,,Gee, I was in Heaven. I was so excited and pre-occupied, that I forgot my camera. Left it behind in my car..:-( So I can't show you all the beauty and enjoyable things we did.......But take my word for it,,I had a BALL!!!!! Thanks a MILLION Ron ! That was mighty nice of you!!! It sure made it a GREAT WEEK!!!!!!!

That about wraps it up for this week, Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone is having at least half as much fun as we are.......!!!!! Take care!

I Know I said it already, but it TRULY was a GREAT WEEK!!!!!!
It's great to be alive!!! Praise God!!!

Mike

This Blog published every Sunday morning.......

Not much NEWS this week.............

Things have slowed down a lot around the BLACK HILLS and our place. It was still a cool week, but most of the Bikers have headed back to their homes. We were able to get our morning walk in every day except Tuesday when we had to be in Rapid City at Dr. Hafner's Black Hills Regional Eye Clinic at 8:30 am. It was time for our annual eye check ups.

Here is a little 1 minute clip from the local newspaper on the headlines for the area. It's kinda neat........A Wagon Train, a Sturgis Shooting, Rattlesnakes and the Little League World Series are all part of this week in review.

Rapid City Journal

We were excited that the Little League team from Rapid City made it to the Little League World Series playoff's. It was a FIRST for South Dakota! We hoped they would make a good showing, but that wasn't going to be. They quickly lost the first game 10-0, then yesterday they came out strong in the beginning but lost it in the 4th inning. Final score was 9-4. That pretty much squelches their chances of moving into the finals. They have one more game Monday. It's FUN to watch these young fellows play and Win, Lose or Draw, this will be an experience they won't forget. We'll be there Monday cheering them on!!!

While we were in town we stopped by the new Cabela's Sporting goods store that just opened in Rapid City. Folks in the area are quite excited about the store and it's a nice addition to the Hills, but it doesn't compare to the Cabela's Home Store in Sidney, Nebraska. I was surprised... it's a small store, not even as big as the one in Mitchell, SD. However, it does have the usual MAZE of sporting goods, hunting and fishing supplies, plus much more. I am in complete AWE when I enter one of these stores. My eyes get as big as saucers.......WOW !!!! It has some NEAT inside displays. I went especially to see the Herd of BUFFALO............Here are a few photo's:

(click on photo's to enlarge)






The BUFFALO herd.....

A little closer up..... This is not a Mural or a painting. Its actual Buffalo standing on the ledge!:-)


You can see the pictures better if you click and enlarge them. They also aren't quite so dark.

That was about it for us this week, it was unusually cool all week. The high was 79 on Tuesday and the low was 43 on Saturday morning..............We ended up the week with a Cook Out with our old and new friends down at the Broken Arrow Campground. We met Jim & Patti Coble, some of our NEW PressurePro customers, who arrived yesterday and are staying at Broken Arrow for a week or maybe more???


It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!!!


Thanks for stopping by.............................Hope to see you next week....

Travel Safe!!!

Mike

This Blog published every Sunday..............

My FIRST video.....

Sorry I didn't get this published in time for my Blog.

This is some kind of NEAT WEATHER this year!!!

The weather has really been GREAT in the Black Hills this summer!!! Here it is the FIRST week of August and we haven't had any real hot weather yet!!! Now that's my kind of place! Let me say it's not ALWAYS like this. I've seen some years when it was super HOT right now. It's BIKE WEEK in these Hills and we don't go out much during this week. It's so crowded you can't get anywhere, even finding the Post Office in our little town is almost impossible. However, the crowd count is down this year and it hasn't been so bad.


Back to the weather, it's been about 50 deg every morning when we get up and 82 was the high for the week. Last Monday the high was 69, Tuesday and Wednesday it was 77. The next 3 days highs were 81, 80 and 81. It doesn't get much better than that!!!!!


The bikes are all heading out and they have thinned out considerably the last day or two. HOWEVER, This mornings headlines are "Biker Shot". Sounds like the HELL'S ANGELS have made their presence known again this year. I'm sure you will soon see it on your National News TV channel.


So, what else is NEW? Well, the Electricians came Monday and put our electrical wiring to the POLE BLDG..............

(Click on all photos to enlarge)

The Line is in and the "crooked" ditch is covered up. (-: Now I have electric plugs inside and my 220 welder hooked up!!

It sure is nice to have a place to get everything in out of the weather and plug in battery chargers, etc.

Someday if we get to the point where we can't travel or have to downsize considerably, we plan on making this into our living quarters. This will be the entrance and the living room and kitchen. The wall will be just left of the entrance door, that is 18 ft. It will be 18 x 40....we don't want a very big space.

This will be the Bedroom way in the back, then the Bath. Right where that little table against the wall sits, I framed out an area so I can put the plumbing and sewer in without having to chip out the Concrete. Right now this area makes us a nice out of the wind and weather gathering place.

We have dedicated this Building to Son SCOTT, whom we just lost recently to Cancer. I discussed this building so much with him and he wanted to come up and help me build it. I will say that he was here EVERY DAY supervising the job and helping us make decisions..........Boy, we miss him!!!!!! His name will be etched in the concrete FOREVER!!!! NEVER FORGOTTEN!!!!!


The time is FLYING BY!!!!!!!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Seems like we just got here. Only 6 weeks until we will be loading up and leaving. Where did it go??? That time will be here soon and we will be on our way to Lincoln to spend a few days with Ann.. Then on down to Hutchinson, KS for the HDT rally....where all of the many Friends and Folks with Heavy Duty Trucks gather for a week of fun, friendship and learning about these SUPER tow rigs we all have built. I always look forward to our travels, but our time up here in the Black Hills is one of the most enjoyable times of each year.

Thanks again to everyone for stopping by our Blog. Glad to have you along and hope you come back again next week. I promise not to bore you with anymore on the POLE BUILDING!!!!:-) But, if you're interested in "oodles" of pictures of the Pole Building...click here:

POLE BUILDING

Our friends Mark and Dale are still with us....we're having a wonderful time. Mark has been helping Pat "tune up" our PressurePro website and transferring a lot of files to her new Dell laptop computer. He is also updating our old Dell desktop with new RAM and a new Power Supply. Thanks, Mark!!! To celebrate, we had a fish fry last night....South Dakota Walleye, "Southern" Cheese Grits and Hushpuppies, and Cole Slaw....YUM!!!!:-)

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!!

Mike

This Blog published every Sunday morning.....

Pole Bldg COMPLETED!!!

Howdy!!!! Glad to have you visit our Blog! Hope your week was a good one. We made good progress with our building project. IT'S ALL DONE!!! Can you believe it? I can't... we've been planning it for 4+ years and it finally happened.
(click on all pictures to enlarge

Tuesday morning early(6:30am) the concrete people showed up right on schedule..........The POURING began!!

People and wheel barrels were going every direction........



Soon it looked like this....... OOPS..don't know what happend to this picture...



The next day the drive and the sidewalk were poured and the inside floor had set up and was ready for the "joints" to be cut....



Cutting the "joints" made it VERY dusty! Pat and I washed it all out with a water hose and here it is almost dried. Looking GOOD!!!



The electric is all ready to hook up and I even brought some of my tools over from the storage shed........


Just a little over 2 weeks ago, July 15TH, this is how it looked......................


Aug 2ND it looks like this.....Wow, amazing........There were times I wondered if it would EVER happen and here it is DONE!! Getting contractors to do stuff up here in the Hills is a TASK!! We are going to enjoy it!!!

Pat already has her little "chat room" all set up. Some place to get in out of the wind and weather. Happy Hour MUST go on, rain or shine!!!

NEXT PROJECT was to get the ditch dug for the electrical line. Digging up here in this ROCK country is no simple matter!!! We rented a TRENCHER at the local hardware store and began chewing through the rock. Good friend and fellow Rv'er Jim Vickers stopped by and was checking on our work. When he saw this ditch he stated "what were you drinking when you did that"? HaHa........Yep, it's a little crooked!!!!!:-) That little trencher didn't like the side hill slope, nor did it like all the rocks it was hitting. Plus, it was not self-propelled.... you had to PULL it BACKWARD. It was hard to tell where you were going to say the least, but eventually with a lot of SWEAT, we got it 18" deep or close enough. WHEW, that was a JOB!!! That little machine about tore us up!!! Myself, Mark Bruss and Pat were WORN OUT after that little ordeal. Glad we didn't have another 30' to go!!!!


OOPS, forgot to mention our good friends Mark and Dale Bruss arrived THURSDAY right on schedule.....just in time to help us dig the electrical ditch. It's GREAT to see them and have them around for a spell. Hope we didn't work them too hard the first day!!

Well ,that's about it for another week..........we all need a little rest. All that excitement for a couple of old folks has about done us in.........Now to start filling up that 40X40 pole Bldg!! I already have a start on that....

Thanks for stopping by, look forward to hearing from you and seeing you all again next week.

It was a GREAT WEEK!!!!

Mike

This Blog is published every Sunday AM.