Tuesday, November 09, 2010

MOSCOW IOWA TO LAMONI IOWA & GOOD NEWS AT HWH:))

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SLIP BLUFF COUNTY PARK NEAR LAMONI IOWA

OK, it’s 7:15 a.m. Monday morning & I’m in the ‘wifi friendly’ lobby of HWH.  The coach is in the big 9 bay garage & they said Kelly could stay in the rig to ride herd on the doggy gang.  They don’t want any of their prize mechanics torn apart!!

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WE ARE IN BAY # 4

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CHECKING THE HYDRAULIC FLUID FOR THE LEVELERS

We’re having a hard time adjusting to the confusing time changes.  First, clocks were customarily set back Saturday night & then Sunday we drove through our first time change.  My brain looks at the clock & computes the correct time but my body doesn’t have a clue what time it is anymore.  I’m not even sure if it even knows where it is!!

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HWH’s (Hard Working Hydraulics) Moscow division consists of 4 buildings with 6 acres under roof.  It’s a large facility & most RV leveling systems are made right here.

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THAT’S US ON THE RIGHT

WOW, it’s 8 a.m. & we’re good to go already here at HWH.  Two blown fuses were found & once replaced our rear view camera & power to the leveler box was restored.  They looked at the problem rear leveler that sometimes sticks down & it worked perfectly every time they tried it.  A bit slow but nonetheless, it worked.  They recommended not doing anything so we decided to go with their recommendation.  Total bill was $64 & we were out the door headed for the nearest big ice cream store for a couple double scoopers.

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PET FRIENDLY REST AREA & A CASINO COWBOY

Thought Randy over at THE ROADRUNNER CHRONICLES had a thoughtful post yesterday on ‘thanking his blogging buddies’ & readers for stopping by his site.

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IN SEARCH OF SLIP BLUFF COUNTY PARK ON A VERY DUSTY GRAVEL ROAD

Gassed up at the Kum & Go gas bar near HWH & by 8:45 we were westbound on I-80 with the hammer down heading for Des Moines Iowa.  Garmin Gertie once again did a mighty smooth job of taking us right through Des Moines & setting us up on I-35 south.  It was a good feeling to get the leveler & camera problem behind us, make the big turn in Des Moines & get the rigs nose headed straight for the great American Southwest.

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Kelly found a county park in her ‘Day’s End’ book so I’m typing this from Slip Bluff County Park about 4 miles east of a little place called Lamoni.  I think we are just about on the State line between Iowa & Missouri & about a hundred miles north of Kansas City.  What a super great park this is for us…..we are the only ones here & we just love when that happens.  We certainly live a charmed life sometimes.  Electricity at the site & water near by.  Spotlessly clean washrooms with wonderful hot showers.  Great pull through site & we are surrounded by Oak trees.  They were doing a prescribed burn when we came in & we were close enough to the fire at times to feel the heat.  Lots of smoke in the air & it just smelled great & reminded me of so many memorable campfires over the years.  Sunny day with the temps in the low 70’s so all in, no grumbling or complaining from the old Cursmudgeon today.

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THE GANG CHECKS OUT THE WASHROOMS & WE REPLENISH THE FRESH WATER TANK

We are kind of out in the boondocks here so can’t get any TV signals & the Verizon signal is low.  I might have to post the blog sometime tomorrow morning when we leave & get into a stronger Verizon coverage area.

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THAT’S US IN THE BACKGROUND

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Footnote to our dealings with HWH this morning.  The 3 staff members we dealt with were all friendly & helpful.  Service was prompt & professional.  They could have told us we needed this-that & the other thing but they didn’t.  We appreciated their honesty & felt the bill was reasonable for their service.

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GROANER’S CORNER Sad smile

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10 comments:

  1. love the smell of campfire in the morning!!...glad to hear that the repairs were mininmal!!..that was great news-nothing like being told you need something you really don't cause they are looking to make a few bucks!!..safe travels as you head to the American southwest!!!

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  2. Anytime you can get your big rig into a service bay, checked out and fixed for only $64 is a real bargain! That's a pretty good deal.

    You are sure out in the 'boonies', just the way you like it! Lot of great pics today too, as usual.

    Drive safely and I'll be looking forward to seeing how far south you got in today's travels.

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  3. Quick fix, ice cream and heading to the Southwest. What else could anyone ask for...Safe travels to The Bayfield Bunch.

    Stay Safe

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  4. I love it when I happen to find service like you had a HWH. So many places try to sell you things you don't need. You certainly got a good price.

    How do you find county parks? I think I would like to try them in my future travels, but have never come across any. I must be looking in the wrong book!

    I wish you smoothe sailing the rest of the way southwest.

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  5. Good news for sure on the fuse problem and I'm sure they gave you and Kelly instructions on where to look if it occurs again.The bill also was fair as it wasn't even an hours shop rate by todays scale and most places have a one hour minimum. It also gives you the peace of mind of a professional repair when your going down the road. Hope you are heading into warmer temps. it was cold here in PA. again today. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

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  6. We also have a sticky HWH leveler and were glad to hear your report. Garmin Gertie makes me laugh. We have Garmin Girl, my daughter has Carmen Garmin, and I am sure there are many other iterations out there. Garmin Girl got us through all ten lanes of Toronto west bound traffic last September in the dark. Until then I had no idea what a "collector" was. Whew

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  7. You cannot beat having two items fixed and another diagnosed for $64.

    Interesting to the see the inside of HWH facility. It was bigger than I expected.

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  8. We are heading out for Warfield Point Park, MS tomorrow..which is a county park...I am going to have to check Amazon and see about a book like Kelly has...Where you are staying looks lots like where we are...Quiet, woodsy and almost alone...Be safe!

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  9. Glad to hear all is going well with you and Kelly this year! Nice when you get a small bill for something! We are happy we are able to come south this year after I got my medical clearance! Nice and warm down here in PA. as it is where you are... love it!

    John
    RVlifeonwheels

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  10. To Dennis and Donna,
    If I remember correctly, you can find Day's End in your Escapee magazine. When we get out on the road we will be using Day's End to find our camping spots. According to the Escapee Magazine you can find more information for the Day's End Directory at www.daysenddirectory.com, happy camping

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