Monthly Archives: July 2017
Sliding In . . .
We tried to get an early start, about 9:30, this morning, we really did. But as Roseanne Roseannadanna said, “It’s always something.”
And this time it was the slide . . . again. And I still don’t know what the cause of the problem was.
We haven’t had a problem with the side since the broken bolt we had at the Cochise Terrace RV Park in Benson back this past March. You can read all about it here.
https://ourrvadventures.com/2017/03/voyager-bound/
When we got to Colorado River TT two weeks ago, the slide went out with no problems, so we weren’t expecting any this morning. But when we started to bring the slide in, it only moved about 2” and then stopped.
So I was outside and underneath the slide, opening both bin doors. Then I had Jan again try to bring the slide in. And got the same result. But I couldn’t see anything stopping it or jamming it. But just in case I sprayed the gears and the track with silicone lube, but no luck.
Then I tried to manually crank it in using the 1/2” ratchet handle and extension I keep in the bay just for that purpose. But I found my ratchet was stuck turning in only one direction, and it was the wrong one. But a little of the magic elixir, Strike-Hold took care of that problem
But trying to crank it in manually didn’t work any better than electrically. It still wouldn’t move. So what do you do if something won’t move?
You get a longer handle, or in this case a 16” piece of 1” galvanized pipe slid over the end of the ratchet. Either the slide is going to move, or the ratchet is going to snap.
And with a big ‘POP’ at the other end of the slide, everything started moving with no more problems. We were now able to move the slide in and out again.
Ok, but I want to know what CAUSED the problem. And I still don’t. And because I don’t know, the problem is still waiting out there to bite me again.
I hate that.
Finally on the road, we made a stop at the Colorado County Oil Co. for some diesel at $2.14 a gallon, and we were on our way.
We had a smooth trip to Conroe with no more problems, but more traffic on I-10 than we normally see on a Sunday. Don’t know why.
Coming into Katy it was nice to see another big jump in the US Rig Count. 952, up 12 from last weeks 940. Very nice, and bodes well for gate guarding later this year.
We got into Lake Conroe TT about 1:15 and found a nice site in G13, and got set up. Then I took a nap.
About 4:30 Jan and I drove into Conroe to have dinner at Culver”s, one of our favorite burger places. We were first turned on to them by our friend’s Nick and Terry Russell when they took us to the one in Elkhart, IN, so we were really happy to find that one had opened up here in Conroe a while back.
Jan had her usual Mushroom and Cheddar Butterburger while I had the Butterburger Bacon Deluxe.
We both really like their crinkle-cut fries, crispy, crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Really good.
And then for dessert Jan got a Strawberry Sundae while I got Salted Caramel Concrete Mixer with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pieces. Both just great.
Thought for the Day:
“If we can but prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy.” – Thomas Jefferson
sgfsfsf
Scheduling 2018 . . .
Tomorrow we’re moving back over to the Lake Conroe TT for the next two weeks. We’re still trying to decide if we’re going to make the trip over to Alabama this summer.
If we do we’ll probably leave on the 23rd of July at the end of our time there. But we’ll see.
We’re also starting to map out our travels for next year. We plan to do the East coast again, for the first time since 2009 when we left Houston, traveled around the Gulf coast down to Key West, and then up the East coast to Maine and then out to Newfoundland.
Coming back to Maine, we headed north into the bottom of Canada through Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, before coming back into the US near Niagara Falls. Then through a roundabout way, we ended up in Celina, OH just in time for Nick Russell’s greatly missed Gypsy Journal Rally around the end of September.
We finally ended up back in the Houston area on Sunday, November 22th. This was before we started gate guarding in 2012, so we traveled the entire year, always coming back to the Galveston Bay RV Park the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
But next year’s trip probably won’t be quite so elaborate, especially as far as Canada . . . and Key West, too.
We’ll only go down Florida as far as Tampa/St. Pete before crossing over to the Atlantic side to the Palm Beach area.
Then it’s up the coastline, doing Washington, D.C. and New York City once again, before moving on up to Massachusetts, and maybe New Hampshire. After that it’s back down through Pennsylvania and over to Elkhart, IN for a while, before visiting Jan’s sister, Debbie and her family, in Vandalia, IL.
Our only hard date scheduled so far for next year is May 27th – June 1st in Sedalia, MO, for the 58th Escapees Escapade.
And after that, we don’t know yet.
Thought for the Day:
Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
dfsdfsdf
