Monthly Archives: May 2014

Tuesday . . .

Today was one of those very nice, do-nothing days that it seems like we don’t have enough of. Jan and I still laugh about how we had all these hobbies we were going to start once we retired and hit the road.

And we’ve done none of them. We’re just too busy being retired and on the road.

It was really nice outside and MIster spent most of the afternoon laying out in the shade.

Mister in the Shade 1

It’s funny to watch him move around. Sometimes he’ll lay in the sun, and then move into shade. Which kind of makes sense.

But sometimes he lay in the shade for an hour or so, and then move 3 feet away, still in the shade, and lay there for another hour or so.

Picky, picky, picky.

Mister in the Shade 2

Other than making a run to the convenience store for some ice cream for tonight’s dessert, we never left the rig today.

Jan read on her Kindle Paperwhite and napped, while I did Internet stuff. Normally I would be working on my Escapade Gate Guarding Seminar, but that will have to wait until next year’s Escapade in Tucson.

For dinner we just had salads, and of course the before-mentioned ice cream.

Tomorrow will be another busy day. First up we have to stop off at the Chinese Consulate and hopefully pick up my niece’s visas. Then maybe we’ll have lunch at Katz’s Deli once again.

Then I’ve got a client visit out in Algoa, and another couple back in the Webster area, before we finish up with dinner with Chris, Linda, and Piper.

Friday we’ve got Jan’s Oncologist appointment, probably a few more stops, and then dinner with Brandi, Lowell, and Landon.

As it stands now we will probably leave here and head north on Sunday.

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Thought for the Day:

Any scientific theory should begin with “At our present level of ignorance we assume that……….”

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Missed It By That Much!

After pulling out of our site here at the Colorado River Thousand Trails a little after 9:30,

Colorado River A Circle 1

we stopped off and got the toad connected at the park hitch-up spot and were headed out a little before 10am.

Our first stop was about 45 miles down the road at the Flying J in Brookshire, the first time we taken on diesel since November 24, 2013. What can I say, it’s been a slow year so far.

We had already scouted out the RV lanes here on one of our trips past here in the truck, but that didn’t prepare us for the problems.

Coming off the Interstate and coming down the side road, you have to make a left turn into the Flying J, and then immediately, another left turn. And before you’re even clear of the entrance you had to make a 90 degree right into the pumps. You can’t really stop because otherwise you’re completely blocking the main entrance to the place.

Flying J Close Shave 1

The first complication came because there was a big delivery truck parked right along the front edge of the lot. For reference, it was right behind where you see my truck in the photo.

Of course this meant that I couldn’t swing left as far as I wanted before I made the right turn into the pumps. Which meant I had to come in at more of an angle than I wanted. Of course as soon as I was parked at the pumps, the guy came out and left in the truck. Of course he did.

While I taking on 96 gallons of diesel, I dumped a bottle of Diesel Kleene in the tank too.

Diesel Kleen

I never thought too much about using fuel additives, until I talked to a lot of the truckers in the oil patch when we were gate guarding. They said their companies had done comparisons between groups of trucks with and without Diesel Kleene, and they definitely saw a difference.

So now it was time to try and get out of here. I put Jan out back by the toad and turned up the volume on the backup camera mic so I could hear her. Then, keeping to the left as much as possible, I started to slowly pull forward, listening for Jan to scream. One  problem was the fact that I had the same big concrete pillar on the driver’s side, only a few inches from that side too.

Jan said that the rig came so close to the pillar that she couldn’t have gotten a finger between it and the rig. Then as soon as the rig was clear I had to move more to the left so I didn’t drag the toad across the pillar. Jan said on this one she could have gotten her finger between them, but wouldn’t have wanted to.

Finally , to the amazement of onlookers, and even ourselves, we inched out of the space and got back on the road.

About 12:45 we pulled into the Lake Conroe Thousand Trails, found a 50 amp site, and got set up. We seem to be creating a pattern here. The first time we were here, we were in site E60, next time it was E59, and now we’re in E58.

And this time we’ve got a tree.

Lake Conroe TT E58

One thing I was happy to see was that my shear pin repair was successful. At least so far.

Or, at least twice so far.

It came in with no problems when we were ready to leave Colorado River, and then went out just fine here at Lake Conroe.

Just hope it continues that way.
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Thought for the Day:

We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us. – Francois de La Rochefoucauld

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