At the Campground

   It was an easy and good travel day.  I left about 9:30 and got here about 4pm.  I seem to be the only one in the campground.  I can let the dogs out anywhere I want.  So  they got out and ran all around the seasonal campers that are here.  Fun fun fun. 
     I immediately hooked up the electricity to turn on the heat and then booted up the Pc.  Yay for wifi.  I even have Cable tv but I am not sure I have a tv. duh. 


    Dinner was leftovers from last night's meal out. very good  and the microwave worked like a charm. 
     I talked to a couple traveling down from NY to Fla via Ga at the last rest stop.  We had been hitting the same stops all day so I talked to them a bit.  They said they would watch out for me and stop in case I broke down. Not that I am expecting that, but it's nice to know there might be a friendly face if it happens. They are stopping close to where I am trialing this weekend. BTW there is still snow on the ground and it's damn cold here in NCarolina.  I think that is where I am.
     The campground is on a lake , but the level is down right now.  It looks like it would be quite beautiful in the summer.  I went by Lake Gaston and I think my Mom and Dad used to camp there.

Travel Day

    I was warm last night.  Yay!!  It was suggested to me that down here it is very humid and moist so the cold is much colder which could explain why I have been so cold for days.  I feel better today.
     Dare went to play with the neighbor dogs again this morning and I had to go get him. The other doggies stayed right with me, but he snuck off.  2 bitches next door that he apparently likes a lot.  I am going to take them out to play a bit one last time and then load them up in the truck.  I think I will make myself a sandwich to bring for lunch. Carol has some nice homemade bread and maybe some cheese and turkey.

    I researched campgrounds last night and I see there is one about 300miles from here and it looks like a good place to stop. They all seem to have wifi so that is a good thing. 

Today

    I was warm last night, but I don't think the bed agrees with me.  My  back was sore this am.
     Today we went to some shops. Rose's where I got a flexi line and another rug for the trailer. Lowes where I bought a new spray hose for the kitchen sink.  Who will install it remains to be seen.  Carol bought a mat because she has some art she has to enter into an art show next week.   I packed and hooked the trailer up this afternoon.  It's getting easier and easier to do.  I'm certainly feeling more confident about it.
     I looked up the route to Ga  and decided to go halfway and find a campground to stay at tomorrow night. Most seem to be dog friendly, although I won't tell them I have 4 with me.
   Tonight we are going to a restaurant called Fishbone.  I hope the food is good. I love fish.

     It was very good food.  I had a parmesan encrusted trout with butter and artichoke sauce. Yummy!! 

I am almost all packed and ready to go tomorrow =..I plan to drive 300 miles and find a campground.   I am looking forward to getting on the road and hopefully to a warmer location . 

Just another cold day in VA

     Joan,Mike and Michael left for home this am about 7 and called about 5 to say they got there. No reports on how things are there from them yet.
     I hooked up the trailer and dragged it to an RV place today and they sent me to Western Auto who sent me home to drive around some more to try and get the brakes to act up again . They didn't so I guess I will be driving to Ga anyway.  I also tried to get the leak in the faucet fixed but they suggested I wait until I get to a warmer place so I didn't have to winterize again before I left here.  They also showed me how to take the faucet apart myself, but  I don't think I want to do it.  I filled the propane tanks up. I guess the heat in the trailer uses a lot of propane.  I LIKE to be warm.
    

Damn it's cold!

Home away from Home

Peachy Pie

View of the canal from Carols house

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Dually

     It's 6am and I had to get up because again I was cold.  We put down 2 foam mattress pads and a sleeping bag that I laid o n top of and it was still sucking the warmth out of my upper body.  Today I will try and find a piece of stryofoam insulation to lay down on top of the plywood cover under the mattress.
     It has finally stopped snowing. We got about 10 inches or so here. heavy and wet too.  The dogs are having a ball.  Me,,,, not so much.
   


     We took a trip to Lowe's and got a piece of styrofoam insulation board.  We cut it with a utility knife and laid it on top of the plywood and under the mattress.  Before I put the mattress back , I left it for a few hours to see what it would feel like when I got back.  The  plywood was ice cold but the insulating board was not so I am looking forward to a warm(ish)night's sleep tonight.
     The wind has been blowing all day and they don't plow the streets around here. Everybody drives on them as best they can and they pack down until it gets warm and then it melts. They treated the main roads but the back streets are kind of a mess. The sun was out all day and there was a lot of melting in spite of the cold. The dogs are loving the snow and they are allowed to be on the back porch all together instead of stuck in crates or in the trailer. That is a good thing.  My sisters lab attacked Peaches and she got a puncture on her lip. She will be fine I think.
     I tried  a new drink today(new to me)--hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps.   V. Good.   I believe we had those before lunch.  Tonight we are going to watch a movie and Joan and Michael, and Mike are going to drive home tomorrow leaving just Carol and me.
     I did call the RV repair place but they were closed because of the storm. I will try again tomorrow and hopefully we will find another fun thing to do too. lol

Day after Christmas

     The bed was horrible.!!  I got just about no sleep.  Because it is over the storage area and it was very cold and the bed just sucked the warmth out of me.  I tried the couch and the heater fan was so loud it was like sleeping next to a generator so back to the bed.  I doubled up all my blankets to lay on and put on long underwear, my robe one blanket and my coat.  I was warm on top but still not really warm.  My sister says she has some kind of mattress pad we can try tonight. 
     So, this is VA, 6 inches of heavy wet snow and it's still coming down .  The dogs are happy, but me, not so much. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 45deg. 

     The BIG trip has begun.   I left at 7:30 this am.  I made numerous stops along the way, got sorta lost once and had one unplanned detour and got here at 7:30 tonight in the middle of a Virginia snowstorm. They aren't supposed to have this kind of weather. They are expecting 4-12 inches in the next 24 hrs. 

     The trailer pulled fine and no problems until I got here and then the brakes on it started to catch unexplainably. Hopefully my brother in law can fix it tomorrow.  The heat works and it's cozy in there and I think the frig is working now too.  It didn't on the way down and now that I look  at the propane tanks, I probably didn't have the tank turned on. duh. turned it the wrong way.

    BTW  it is a very stressful drive on rt 95 thru NY and NJ and MD.  I don't care if it is Christmas , those people out there are f'g nuts.  You just don't cut in front of somebody who is pulling a trailer. It's just not good form.  I got 15 mi to the gal.  Not bad pulling a trailer.  I have got to stop thinking about how much this is costing me and enjoy the ride.  

     I had a nice dinner and now I am going to go to bed and see how it feels.  first time you know. not sleeping  , I mean in this bed.  LOL. 

   

The day before I leave

     The fence guy finished and left.   The bill wasn't as much as I had anticipated and that is always a good thing.  He fixed one of my gates and checked the air in the trailer tires before he left.  Now that's a good guy.  Kathy's husband Ed came up and checked the grease in the wheel wells so I don't have to stress about that.  He's a good guy too.

     I emptied the water tanks for the ducks and sheep and gave them clean fresh water before I left.  I also moved the water tank closer to the barn so Kathy won't have to drag the hose as far.  I bought more grain yesterday and the hay is in good shape so they should do fine.

      I hooked the trailer up before it got dark this afternoon.  I still haven't stocked it or put my clothes in but I am still putt puttn along.  I had to really think about the sway bars, because I haven't had them before and they only showed me how to put them on once.  I got them on and hopefully it's correct.  I'm really not sure. I"m pretty confident they won't fall off so I guess that's a good thing.

     The dog's think something is up.  They don't know what, but they think they want to be in on it.  Most of them do, but I'm sure Dare is not going to be happy about getting in the truck tomorrow. He really hates riding in the car. Everybody has a crate except Mikey --It's easier for him to get in if there is no crate in the way.  I have a makeshift ramp for him and it works well.  He gets awful heavy to lift in and out.  I think he likes this better too.    I packed some toys in the trailer for them and I need to pack some tie out lines.  I just added that to the list.  Okay back to packing.

     Well it's 9:30 and I am done for the evening. I've been running  stuff out to the trailer during It's a Beautiful Life's commercials.  I think I just have a few more things to put in there. I'm too tired to move. tomorrow....

     Why ??? if I have hired someone to build my fence am I so flipping exhausted at the end of the day? He's done with the back pasture --I still have to put up metal fence posts when the ground thaws and fill in a couple of enormous holes, but all in all it's pretty damn bee u ti ful....He's coming back tomorrow to finish the small area at the top of the current pasture so I will have a regulation size duck arena all ready to go.  Go where I am not sure but who knows there may be a trial in the future here.
      And boy did the temp just drop out there.  I was fine most of the day but when the sun dropped behind the trees I was ready to go inside.
     The dogs broke out and went down the street today. Nobody got hurt .  Those darn gates just don' stay latched very well.

     Tomorrow I will finish packing the trailer so I can get an early start Christmas.

Apparently I started this blog 2 yrs ago. Too bad I didn't continue it, it was quite interesting to read tonight.

Anyway, I am going to blog about my upcoming trip. I have been packing the trailer with something everyday. I hope I end up with everything I need. I also hope I don't break down before I get to Va because I forgot to have the axles and wheel wells checked on the trailer and I don't know if they are greased. cross your fingers! My brother in law can check when I get there on Christmas.

Well, the back pasture is just about done. I broke down and hired a GREAT fence builder to do the whole thing. He will finish everything tomorrow. I have to go and buy the last gate and find the hardware for the ones I already bought. I hope I can find it. I think I have a clue where it is. The fence is gorgeous, much better than what I could have done.
So tomorrow I will buy more grain and the gate and fill the car up with expensive $2.93 gas and pack some more. I think I am leaving Christmas day. As early as I can get up and get the dogs in the car. Can't wait. I hope it is warm down south.