Monday, April 14, 2014

So Let Me Get This Straight.....We're Going North to Get to South????? Dakota.....OK, That Makes Sense

Yes that's right....it's that time of year and Joan & I are headed North....to South Dakota. We are to report to Crazy Horse just outside of Custer on 4/30 to begin training. And to be honest we're a little.......anxious might be the right term. We have loved our time here at Lake Mead and plan to return to our Road Monitoring job here in October. But we are very excited about getting to Crazy Horse and experiencing something new. It's starting to get hot here in the desert, some days getting into the 90's and when the sun is shining down directly on you it's uncomfortably warm. However the high temp in Custer today is 26 with snow forecast for Wednesday & Thursday. We have made good friends and like the Boulder City community. New job, new location, lots of unknown. Well, that's just what this lifestyle is all about I guess. Wish us luck as we start our newest adventure.

Matt and his cousin Shelby
2 weeks ago Joan decided to take a little 'vacation' and fly back to Atlanta. A couple of months ago her nephew Matt experienced a small medical issue that resulted in his not being able to drive for several months. Matt is in his last semester of college and commutes 25 miles one way to attend classes. Joan's family jumped into action and various family members have been staying with Matt and his family, serving as drivers for Matt to allow him to graduate on schedule. Joan had a great time while she was there getting to see lots of her family.



2 of my favorite girls
Tristyn & Joan







She also got to explore the surrounding area in and around Matt's home even finding time to visit my new grand daughter Tristyn. I'm jealous.













She got to go fishing a couple of times and caught lots of brim and a 7 pound striper. Joan's niece Shelby stopped by and joined in on the fishing expedition. Not to speak poorly about anyone but I'm thinking Shelby could use some direction. I mean here she is is visiting with steadfast Bama fans, while attending Auburn to become a veterinarian, all the time claiming to be a Florida State fan. How mixed up can you get?


Will & His Grandfather Tommy
(Joan's Dad)





A great big shout out to another of Joan's nephews Will who just graduated from Marine Corps Basic Training at Paris Island. Good Job Will.











While Joan was gone I made several trips back and forth between the campground and RV repair shop as the body work was being completed on our MH. You might remember that I had a small run in with a concrete barrier while driving to Utah a few weeks ago. The actual physical damage requiring part replacement was limited to a door 'skin' and a door hinge for one of the storage bay doors. Also a gasket between the rear cap and body of the MH was torn and had to be replaced. All told, the MH spent 5 days in the shop; I spent 3 nights in the MH at the shop and 1 night in a hotel while it was in the paint booth overnight. In all the shop painted everything below the slides from just behind the entrance door to the rear cap. Almost as much paint as it takes to paint an entire car. Everything looks great and we're glad to have that completed and be back in our home again.

Is this considered Dry Dock?
My last day of work was last Wednesday and involved about 40 miles of highway driving to get to our location, then another 80 miles of off-road driving before returning to the office. You just never know what you're going to find as you drive along the back country roads in and around Lake Mead. Along this particular path we were commuting across BLM roads to get into the park roads when what to my wondering eyes should appear. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of boats in Lake Mead. It's just unusual to see them 15 miles from the water in the middle of the desert! So if you know anyone interested in a little fixer upper, have them give me a call and I'll tell them where to look.

Well, that's it for now. Stay Tuned. More to Come!