FIRST JEEP HILL CLIMB & FIRST DRIVE WITH THE RIG & WRANGLER (Jeep Wrangler that is)

FIRST TEST RUN WITH THE JEEP HOOKED ON TODAY

70F at 8 a.m. at this time of year is rather unusual for our area but it was nice to have the warmer air except of course for the accompanying humidity.  Not as bad as the summer time but still a bit on the energy draining side.

IT'S THE SANDY SHORE THAT MAKES THIS BLUE/GREEN WATER A BROWN COLOR

Spent an hour at Deer Park Lodge this morning doing nasty battle with a couple dozen huge out of control wild grapevine plants that have grown 20 & 30 feet into the air completely covering dozens of cedar trees.  The trees are on a steep slope with a lot of underbrush & needless to say, by the time I got home I was ready for a much needed power nap in my recliner.

   

DEER PARK'S WEBCAM THAT GIVES YOU THIS BEACH VIEW...DPL BEACH CAM (Remember it must be during daylight hours here in southwestern Ontario, Canada)

Deer Park Lodge sits atop a cliff overlooking Lake Huron.  It's probably close to a hundred foot drop to the wide sandy beach below with a fairly steep incline.  Four wheel drive vehicles are able to traverse the slope so I figured it would be good experience for the Jeep & I to take a couple runs up & down the hill & get to know each other better.  All went well as I familiarized myself with things like 4 wheel drive high & 4 wheel drive low.  Managed to figure out my gears & transfer case shiftings alright & the sure footed little Mountain Goat Jeep took me up & down that hill with no problem at all.  At one point I contemplated driving out onto the soft sandy beach but figured I had better not push my luck until I have more experience under my belt & feel comfortable with the Jeep's workings & the Jeep feels more comfortable with the driver's workings:))

 

ALRIGHTY ALREADY, IT'S TIME TO LEARN A LITTLE HILL CLIMBING 101

MADE IT DOWN TO THE BEACH

  

OK, WHATEVER GOES DOWN MUST COME UP

YA, YA, I KNOW IT'S JUST A BABY HILL, BUT WE ALL GOTTA START SOMEWHERE:))   

Ron from FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE phoned about noon saying our Motor Home was done so Kelly & I headed off for Grand Bend to pick it up.  Ron had some good & bad news for us.  New solenoid switch works fine but the rear passenger side leveler will not retract under it's own steam.  We had that same problem 2 years ago when it stuck down at Oliver Lee State Park in Alamogordo New Mexico.  Had to dig a hole under the leveler & use a jack to jack it back up.  Ron recommends we stop at the HWH Hydraulic Leveler Company factory on our way south this year & let them have a look at the problem so that is what we plan to do.  Ron had made phone calls to HWH to troubleshoot the problem & it was determined it should go to the factory. 

I can't begin to say enough about Ron Krauter.  We liked him from the day we met him 4 years ago when we bought the Motor Home.  Ron is one of those guys who goes waaaaaay out of his way in customer satisfaction.  He replaced the leveler solenoid switch, (at cost) changed the oil & filter in the generator & re-installed an electrical plug we had carelessly pulled out.   Those were the original things we needed done to the coach.  But Ron did much more than that because it's just his nature.  He greased our sliding step plus all levelers, power washed the whole coach plus the moldy underside of the TV antennae which I had missed.  He also threw in a couple sliding step mats & armoraled all the tires.  Painted the tailpipes plus the generator tail pipe & gave the generator a cleaning.  Also added a clamp to the generator muffler.  Checked the underside of the coach plus gave us reams of advice on tires, brakes, recalls, etc.  Not to mention all the phone calls he made for us.  And I know I have missed things.  Like I said.....just can't say enough good about this guy.  But, then to top it all off........Ron gave us a 'HUGE' break on the bill.  In this world of rip-offs, over pricing, scams, corruption & greed, what a treat it is to meet a rare individual not only with personality plus but a true sense of fairness, common decency & a guy who treats you like his best friend.  Thanks big guy, very much appreciated by the Bayfield Bunch:))

SUMMER AT DEER PARK LODGE'S BEACH IS OVER FOR ANOTHER SEASON

First thing I did when I got home with the rig was to hitch up the Jeep.  I had read the Jeep's manual a few days ago on towing procedure's & wrote myself out a checklist.  Having a 4 wheel drive vehicle with transfer case was not something I was familiar with so I had to get everything right including the position of the ignition key for traveling.  The hitch-up went well & all the lights checked out but I did not move the Motor Home with the car on back.  No sireeeee!!  I know myself better than to assume everything was hooked up correctly.  After supper Kelly climbed into the Jeep with instructions to keep hands & feet off everything.  Her job was to just sit there & listen for anything unusual or if the Jeep jerked or lunged she was to hit the horn immediately.  I climbed into the rig, opened my side window, turned on the rear view camera, pulled it into gear & slowly inched the Motor Home forward. 

No panicked horn blowing so I eased it up to 5 MPH & still no horn blowing.  Was it possible I got every thing right?  Nawwwww!!  10 MPH & a corner!!  Around the right hand turn we went & all was still quiet behind the Motor Home.  Stop sign & another right turn put us onto the paved road outside our Park.  20-30-40 MPH & still no horn honking...... or screaming!!  A couple miles from the Park I pulled over & slipped back to the Jeep to see a beaming smiley face sitting prettily behind the steering wheel.  Our test drive was a big success & the Jeep towed like a charm.  Kelly said it was a bit unnerving being that close behind a moving vehicle without jamming on the brakes.  A few minutes later we were back home & I unhitched the Jeep.  Another RV mission successfully checked off our list:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  GAMES FOR WHEN WE ARE OLDER

1. Sag, you're It.
2. Hide and go pee.
3. 20 questions shouted into your good ear.
4. Kick the bucket
5. Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over.
6. Musical recliners.
7. Simon says something incoherent.
8. Pin the Toupee on the bald guy.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

FIRST WORK DAY IN ABOUT 6 WEEKS

SUMACS, FERNS, MAPLES & SO MUCH MORE ALONG THE TRAIL

It has been about 6 weeks or so since the Virus bug knocked me out of action & today was the first day back driving for Town & Country again.  Eased into things this morning by taking the company's mini-van to a facility nearby that undercoats vehicles with a rust inhibitive solution.  It's a good idea to have that done because it protects against our salty winter roads here.  I will actually be getting the Jeep done as well in the coming weeks but that will be done here in Bayfield.

Superb weather day again & as usual it was bonus time for me rolling through our beautiful Autumn countryside.  And, it's always an added bonus when someone else is paying for the gas & I am actually getting paid for the driving:))  I never tire of being surrounded by Mother Nature's wonders.  My afternoon drive took me to a small town by the name of Fordwich where I picked up a fellow & headed to a nearby town for groceries.  Nice easy afternoon & always nice to be of help to disabled folks.

It's looking like our departure date for the southwest has been pushed back from October 23rd to November 6th now.  Kelly wants to stay & work an extra couple weeks & that's the way it is................. 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100.  The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died."

Kenny replied, "Well then, just give me my money back."

The farmer said, "Can't do that.  I went and spent it already."

Kenny said, "OK then, at least give me the donkey."

The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?"

Kenny, "I'm going to raffle him off."

Farmer, "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"

Kenny, "Sure I can.  Watch me.  I just won't tell anybody he is dead."

A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"

Kenny, "I raffled him off.  I sold 500 tickets at 2 dollars a piece and made a profit of $898."

Farmer, "Didn't anyone complain?"

Kenny, "Just the guy who won.  So I gave him his 2 dollars back."

Kenny grew up and eventually became the chairman of Enron.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

HITCH SWITCH DAY....MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

I TOOK THIS HARVEST MOON PIC LAST SEPTEMBER FROM OUR FRONT YARD

Tuesdays low 80F humidity laced one day heat wave did a mighty fine job in re-activating our backyard Cricket Orchestra this morning.  I opened our patio door about 6 a.m. to a host of squeaking sounds.  Dozens of little cricket legs sawing out their summer like tunes.  What a nice way to start the day.

Heavy thunderstorms in the night made for a rough night at the Bayfield Bunch household but we were up & at em anyway before 5 a.m.  At 6:28 our little 2 car convoy rolled out of the driveway into the rain slicked darkness heading for London Ontario & our destiny with the, TRAILER HITCH CENTER.  ETA 8 a.m.  I led the way with the Jeep & Kelly followed in the Santa Fe.  We had our walkie-talkies along in case we got separated. (cell phones too)  I knew where the trailer hitch place was but Kelly didn't.  It was an uneventful drive & we even punched our way right through London's morning rush hour to reach our 8 o'clock destination right on the nose.

They took the Santa Fe into the shop first & removed the tow bar assembly that could later be used with the Jeep.  We decided to leave the tow plate on the Santa Fe just in case something happened to the Jeep at some point & we had to revert back to the Santa Fe for a tow vehicle.  As soon as we had the Santa Fe back we headed out for breakfast.  Kelly dropped me off back at the trailer place & she headed back to Bayfield via Winners, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, & probably a few dozen other little shopping stops on her way out of the big city.

WE HAVE HAD A 'ROADMASTER' HITCH ASSEMBLY FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS & IT HAS PERFORMED FLAWLESSLY

I dozed out in the waiting room until the Jeep was finished at 10:45.  Snapped a quick pic of the new installation & there was no stopping for shopping for this guy as I high tailed it out of town just as fast as my little Jeepster could take me.  At the stroke of noon I was back home & stretched out in my recliner.  Mission accomplished.

The solenoid switch that arrived for our Motor Home at Ron's FOUR SEASON PERFORMANCE place today was the wrong one & Ron had to hastily order another switch & this time right from the solenoid switch manufacturer in Iowa.  He's hoping to have the rig done by the end of the week.  I still had Ron's truck at home so took it back to him in Grand Bend where Kelly picked me up about 20 minutes later.   Then, it was back to Bayfield for the two of us.

PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE RIG TO RETURN HOME & FILL THIS VOID

So, there you have it.  A blow by blow description of my day.  Now don't you wished you had moved on to something more exciting in someone else's blog...... Yep, I thought so:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( 

A cabbie picks up a Nun.  She gets into the cab, and notices that the very handsome  cab driver won't stop staring at her. She asks him why he is staring.
He replies:  "I have a question to ask you but I don't want to offend you."
She answers ,  "My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive."
"Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me."  She responds, "Well, let's see what we can do about that: #1, you have to be single and #2, you must be Catholic."
The cab driver is very excited and says, "Yes, I'm single and Catholic!"  "OK"  the nun says. "Pull into the next alley."
The nun fulfills his fantasy, with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.  But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.  "My dear child," says the nun, "why are you crying?"  "Forgive me but I've sinned.  I lied and I must confess,   I'm married and I'm Jewish."
The nun says, "That's OK.  My name is Kevin and I'm going to a Halloween party."

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

TOOK THE MOTOR HOME TO GRAND BEND & LATER JEEPED OURSELVES TO MITCHELL

STORM TOSSED WATERS LASH BAYFIELD'S BEACH

Bit of an earlier start to the morning & I really had my fingers crossed it wasn’t going to rain.  Had to have the Motor Home in Grand Bend & after I just spent time cleaning it I didn’t want to have to take it out on wet dirty roads.  The weather held together as Kelly & I pulled into Ron’s FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE driveway shortly after 9.  Ron was his usual friendly energizer bunny self & you wouldn’t have known he had just flown to Florida & back yesterday arriving home late last night.  Flew into the Tampa airport, rented a car & went to have a look at a potential Motor Home purchase.  Didn’t like what he saw so it was back to the Airport & back home again.  All in a day's work for Ron.

RON KRAUTER.....FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE

Our hydraulic levelers on the coach haven’t worked for over a year now & it took Ron all of about 2 minutes to figure out the problem.  Solenoid switch!!  Apparently it’s a common thing & especially if the levelers are not used a lot.  He explained to me what happens inside the switch so in the future I will have to remember to frequently give those levelers an up & down run.  Also decided to have him service our Onan generator as well with an oil change & filter plus a main kitchen electrical receptacle was on the fritz.  Of course Kelly & I in our absentmindedness never thought to bring a second vehicle with us & Ron was going to need the coach for the day.  Rather than have Kelly & I sit around in his driveway all day playing lawn darts & mooching food he gave us his big red shiny truck to head on back to Bayfield.  Mighty nice of him but considering the lawn dart alternative, he knew what he had to do!!

RON'S BIG SHINY RED TRUCK 

Soon as we got home I fired up the Jeep & we headed off to Mitchell to visit my Uncle Harry.  Mitchell is about a half hour drive east of us.  Harry’s doing good & we took him outside for a spin in his new wheel chair.  It was a warm Autumn day with a lively breeze & I could tell he was so happy to be outside & feel the sun on his face & the wind blowing through his hair.  Well, not too much hair but what little there was blew about in the breeze.

 

We were home by 2 & Kelly was back on the job over at Deerpark.  Hauled the garden hose out & watered the flowers & shrubs I had moved yesterday.  As soon as we get the rig back home I hope we get a good soaking rain.  Our Park’s water here is so chlorinated I almost hate to water anything because I don’t figure it’s doing the plants much good anyways.  Luckily we have a big rain barrel so I scoop water from that for transplanting.

GRAND BEND'S BEACH

Someone sent in a website addy this morning for those sun screen visors we have in our Motor Home but do you think I can find those folks name now!!  I did save the addy which is QUICK SHADES 

         

YOU CAN EASILY SEE THE HUGE ADVANTAGE OF THESE SCREENS

The 5 Season's Park where we live near Bayfield is like no other.  Basically we live in a Pine Forest with lots of room between neighbors.  Almost like mini forests between lots.  This area was originally planted a long time ago with row upon row of pine trees.  Property ownerships changed & eventually a Park community was established here.  Those long ago planted trees are now at their maturity & many of them have to come down simply for property & safety sake.   We may return in the Spring to a slightly different looking Park.

WE HAVE MANY PINE TREES ON OUR STREET (so far)

Late note.......Solenoid switch won't be in for the Motor Home until Wednesday but all other work on the coach is done.  Kelly & I will leave here at 6:15 a.m. Wednesday morning for London Ontario with both the Santa Fe & Jeep to do the hitch switch.  Could be a long day & maybe I better take my hammer in case they need my expert help.............:))

I THINK RON, OUR PARK'S MAINTENANCE MAN HAD A BIT OF SLANT ON THIS MORNING

     

GROANER'S CORNER:((  If you look in the mirror & see a beer belly, bald head, big red nose, varicose veins & a complexion like leather.....look on the bright side.  At least your eyesight is OK:))

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

GOT THE OLD SHOVEL IN THE GROUND TODAY:))

ALONG THE MORNING TRAIL

Another energy driven productive day. It is so unbelievable to me how the elimination of a simple cup of coffee each night after supper has made such a difference in my life. A few weeks ago when my Nurse Practitioner suggested no coffee after 12 noon as a solution to my poor sleeping habits I just figured, 'ya right!!' But, I was willing to try anything rather than go the sleeping pill route so I did what I was told for a change. I hadn't had a good night's sleep for many years let alone a whole week but since giving up the later day coffee I have been sleeping like Rip Van Winkle every night. Direct results of this are increased energy levels & today was another good example of that. Never had to take a recliner break all day. Nice:))

FOUND THIS LITTLE CATERPILLAR FELLOW IN A CEDAR SHRUB I MOVED TODAY

Some of our flower beds have become overgrown the last few years & I just didn't have the energy or the interest to maintain them anymore but today it was just like old times as I got my good old shovel in the ground again & busied myself transplanting flowers & shrubs . Landscape gardening was a favorite hobby of mine for years & today it felt nice to have those good old creative thought patterns flowing again.

  

OVERGROWN FLOWERBED-WORK HAS BEGUN-ALMOST FINISHED 

I've heard of goal tenders, ship tenders & business tenders but until this morning I had never heard of battery tenders. Slip on over to RETIRED ROD'S blog & he'll not only tell you about battery tenders but show you a picture of one as well. 

KAREN & AL  wondered what company we purchased our sun screens from that I had pictures of in last night's blog. We bought those visors in Quartzsite a couple of years ago from a vendor outside the big tent on opening day. Can't remember the name of the company but we just gave them the make & model of our rig & their computer told them which visors fit our Motor Home & that was that. Pulled them from stock & away we went. And yes, they are put up with 4 suction cups on each visor. At the same time we also purchased the full windshield screens that we use while parked. Same see through material as the visors & they are suction cupped on as well. We can see out OK but it's hard for anyone to see in.  If anyone knows the name of that company let me know & I'll put the addy in the blog.

YEP, OUR MOTOR HOME SITS ATOP ONE OF THEM THERE WORKHORSE CHASSIS ALRIGHT

Always brightens my day to see new blog supporters so today the Bayfield Bunch welcomes both KYOTESUE & AS TIME GOES.........BYE!  Welcome aboard folks & I hope my sometimes erratic writing while driving doesn't scare you:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Here are some of Murphy's little known laws........................
1). Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
2). He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
3). Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
4). Those who live by the sword, get shot by those who don't.
5). Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
6). The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50 - 50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.
7). If you lined up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them on a hill, in the fog.
8). If the shoe fits, get another one just like it.
9). The things that come to those who wait will be the things left by those who got there first.
10). Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day, drinking beer.
11). Flashlight:  A metal tube used to store dead batteries.
12). The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
13). A fine is a tax for doing wrong.  A tax is a fine for doing well.
14). When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

Until one has loved an Animal, part of their soul remains un-awakened.

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.