Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
The Long and Winding Road
Wednesday
Our last day in the USA for this trip. Our plan to stay here in Minneapolis for a whole week has paid off, as we have able to clean and prepare the TT and Chevy, yet not get overtired.
The weather has been mixed, so we have alternated inside and outside jobs. I completely emptied the Chevy and cleaned all tits little nooks and crannies. Also did the same for the basement, actually throwing out some stuff we have not used in years, which is never an easy task.Sally has been busy making sure that we have plenty of ladies clothes from Walmart to take home.
For the last four or five years (?) the Chevy has made funny little intermittent, ticking noises which have been hard to pin down, but it has got slightly worse this trip. When I consulted a campground engineering expert committee (just a fellow campers really) they instantly assured me that it was the U-bolts on the drive shaft, not a real problem, so I organised to get it checked at a local workshop while we were here, so that I could get and necessary work done when we come back in September.
On Monday I called in to Rob's Auto's (just around the corner from the campground) to ask for a quote. He took down details on paper and said that he could fit me in the next day to diagnose the problem and then do work before the end of the week, I said I didn't want to do it until September. At which point he took his piece of paper and tore it up saying to bring it back in September, as there was no point in diagnosing a problem now if it wasn't going to be fixed. But this was sorted when I told him it would be in storage until September.
So Tuesday lunchtime I took the Chevy down to Rob's Auto's. He took it into his workshop. Put it on the ramp. Had trouble getting it to make the noise, for some reason had to put the Chevy on an angle to make the noise. Got someone to listen underneath to find the problem - couldn't find it. This of course got the rest of the crew interested. For twenty minutes there were four guys working under the Chevy, plus the guy running the engine, trying to pin down what the problem was. They even had the stethoscope out. They could all hear it, but not pin it down. As well as being amusing this also started to be worrying, as a problem difficult for them to diagnose would probably be expensive.
At last the main guy pinned it down! the right hand side exhaust manifold has a small crack in it. (the manifold is the bit right next to the engine block which directs the exhaust gases to the exhaust pipe). The crac has been made because of the extreme heat produced by the exhaust, probably due to pulling our trailer up and down mountains and through hot deserts. The 'tinging' sound was gases escaping at high pressure. A bit like a mechanical fart, only a higher pitch and faster, like when you used to speed up a tape recording. If you can imagine tape recoding and speeding up the sound of a fart.So problem diagnosed, he was very pleased that he had solved the problem. I was a little pleased that the problem was solved, more pleased that it wasn't something terminal, less pleased that it is going to come in at around $700 to be fixed in September.
So here I am today, Wednesday, at 6.30 a.m. sat at the computer writing the last 'on the road' blog for this trip, with my coffee by my side, girding away ready to unleash myself on the TT and CHevy to store it. Preparing for the long trip home. Sad to be leaving the States once again. For the next trip we know we will come back to Minneapolis, but have not decided when, where we will go, what we want to see, where we will finish up, when we will fly home again.
Only that the little tapestry, that is our lives, still has blank stretches of canvas ready to be patterned, coloured and textured by what is to come.
Our last day in the USA for this trip. Our plan to stay here in Minneapolis for a whole week has paid off, as we have able to clean and prepare the TT and Chevy, yet not get overtired.
The weather has been mixed, so we have alternated inside and outside jobs. I completely emptied the Chevy and cleaned all tits little nooks and crannies. Also did the same for the basement, actually throwing out some stuff we have not used in years, which is never an easy task.Sally has been busy making sure that we have plenty of ladies clothes from Walmart to take home.
For the last four or five years (?) the Chevy has made funny little intermittent, ticking noises which have been hard to pin down, but it has got slightly worse this trip. When I consulted a campground engineering expert committee (just a fellow campers really) they instantly assured me that it was the U-bolts on the drive shaft, not a real problem, so I organised to get it checked at a local workshop while we were here, so that I could get and necessary work done when we come back in September.
On Monday I called in to Rob's Auto's (just around the corner from the campground) to ask for a quote. He took down details on paper and said that he could fit me in the next day to diagnose the problem and then do work before the end of the week, I said I didn't want to do it until September. At which point he took his piece of paper and tore it up saying to bring it back in September, as there was no point in diagnosing a problem now if it wasn't going to be fixed. But this was sorted when I told him it would be in storage until September.
So Tuesday lunchtime I took the Chevy down to Rob's Auto's. He took it into his workshop. Put it on the ramp. Had trouble getting it to make the noise, for some reason had to put the Chevy on an angle to make the noise. Got someone to listen underneath to find the problem - couldn't find it. This of course got the rest of the crew interested. For twenty minutes there were four guys working under the Chevy, plus the guy running the engine, trying to pin down what the problem was. They even had the stethoscope out. They could all hear it, but not pin it down. As well as being amusing this also started to be worrying, as a problem difficult for them to diagnose would probably be expensive.
At last the main guy pinned it down! the right hand side exhaust manifold has a small crack in it. (the manifold is the bit right next to the engine block which directs the exhaust gases to the exhaust pipe). The crac has been made because of the extreme heat produced by the exhaust, probably due to pulling our trailer up and down mountains and through hot deserts. The 'tinging' sound was gases escaping at high pressure. A bit like a mechanical fart, only a higher pitch and faster, like when you used to speed up a tape recording. If you can imagine tape recoding and speeding up the sound of a fart.So problem diagnosed, he was very pleased that he had solved the problem. I was a little pleased that the problem was solved, more pleased that it wasn't something terminal, less pleased that it is going to come in at around $700 to be fixed in September.
So here I am today, Wednesday, at 6.30 a.m. sat at the computer writing the last 'on the road' blog for this trip, with my coffee by my side, girding away ready to unleash myself on the TT and CHevy to store it. Preparing for the long trip home. Sad to be leaving the States once again. For the next trip we know we will come back to Minneapolis, but have not decided when, where we will go, what we want to see, where we will finish up, when we will fly home again.
Only that the little tapestry, that is our lives, still has blank stretches of canvas ready to be patterned, coloured and textured by what is to come.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Last stop
Thursday
Yesterday we left Sauk Centre behind and continued South to our final campground for this trip.
After a long period of juggling the various factors for our exit we have eventually made our decisions.
When we leave we need to weigh up:
Where we will store the rig?
Is it close enough to the airport to drop on the morning of departure, or do we need to get it in the night before and stay in a motel?
How do we get to the airport? Taxi, rental car or lift.
Seems quite simple, but it seems to take some time or organise.
For this trips exit one scenario that looked like it would work included a storage place I had found about 40 miles from the airport. With a Budget Car Rental only 5 miles away and a campground even closer this looked good, as the storage was only $75 per month.
The second scenario was another storage place that is only about 7 miles from airport, but he is charging $100 per month. There is a car rental about 7 miles away and a campground only a 3.6 miles away.
The first scenario looked better until we realized that we would have to store it the night before in order to make sure we could get to the airport by midday (that is another $75).
Then the storage guy in scenario 2 said he would take us to the airport. So although the storage will cost us $75 more for our three months back home, we save $56 on car rental and $35 on staying at the campground rather than motelling it on the last night.
So we have gone for scenario 2, though it got a bit sticky when we tried to book a campsite to include the weekend, but we are here now and things seem OK.
Spent most of today cleaning inside the trailer, as it was raining outside.
Hope it is better tomorrow.
Yesterday we left Sauk Centre behind and continued South to our final campground for this trip.
After a long period of juggling the various factors for our exit we have eventually made our decisions.
When we leave we need to weigh up:
Where we will store the rig?
Is it close enough to the airport to drop on the morning of departure, or do we need to get it in the night before and stay in a motel?
How do we get to the airport? Taxi, rental car or lift.
Seems quite simple, but it seems to take some time or organise.
For this trips exit one scenario that looked like it would work included a storage place I had found about 40 miles from the airport. With a Budget Car Rental only 5 miles away and a campground even closer this looked good, as the storage was only $75 per month.
The second scenario was another storage place that is only about 7 miles from airport, but he is charging $100 per month. There is a car rental about 7 miles away and a campground only a 3.6 miles away.
The first scenario looked better until we realized that we would have to store it the night before in order to make sure we could get to the airport by midday (that is another $75).
Then the storage guy in scenario 2 said he would take us to the airport. So although the storage will cost us $75 more for our three months back home, we save $56 on car rental and $35 on staying at the campground rather than motelling it on the last night.
Spent most of today cleaning inside the trailer, as it was raining outside.
Hope it is better tomorrow.
Last stop
Thursday
Yesterday we left Sauk Centre behind and continued South to our final campground for this trip.
After a long period of juggling the various factors for our exit we have eventually made our decisions.
When we leave we need to weigh up:
Where we will store the rig?
Is it close enough to the airport to drop on the morning of departure, or do we need to get it in the night before and stay in a motel?
How do we get to the airport? Taxi, rental car or lift.
Seems quite simple, but it seems to take some time or organise.
For this trips exit one scenario that looked like it would work included a storage place I had found about 40 miles from the airport. With a Budget Car Rental only 5 miles away and a campground even closer this looked good, as the storage was only $75 per month.
The second scenario was another storage place that is only about 7 miles from airport, but he is charging $100 per month. There is a car rental about 7 miles away and a campground only a 3.6 miles away.
The first scenario looked better until we realized that we would have to store it the night before in order to make sure we could get to the airport by midday (that is another $75).
Then the storage guy in scenario 2 said he would take us to the airport. So although the storage will cost us $75 more for our three months back home, we save $56 on car rental and $35 on staying at the campground rather than motelling it on the last night.
So we have gone for scenario 2, though it got a bit sticky when we tried to book a campsite to include the weekend, but we are here now and things seem OK.
Spent most of today cleaning inside the trailer, as it was raining outside.
Hope it is better tomorrow.
Yesterday we left Sauk Centre behind and continued South to our final campground for this trip.
After a long period of juggling the various factors for our exit we have eventually made our decisions.
When we leave we need to weigh up:
Where we will store the rig?
Is it close enough to the airport to drop on the morning of departure, or do we need to get it in the night before and stay in a motel?
How do we get to the airport? Taxi, rental car or lift.
Seems quite simple, but it seems to take some time or organise.
For this trips exit one scenario that looked like it would work included a storage place I had found about 40 miles from the airport. With a Budget Car Rental only 5 miles away and a campground even closer this looked good, as the storage was only $75 per month.
The second scenario was another storage place that is only about 7 miles from airport, but he is charging $100 per month. There is a car rental about 7 miles away and a campground only a 3.6 miles away.
The first scenario looked better until we realized that we would have to store it the night before in order to make sure we could get to the airport by midday (that is another $75).
Then the storage guy in scenario 2 said he would take us to the airport. So although the storage will cost us $75 more for our three months back home, we save $56 on car rental and $35 on staying at the campground rather than motelling it on the last night.
So we have gone for scenario 2, though it got a bit sticky when we tried to book a campsite to include the weekend, but we are here now and things seem OK.
Spent most of today cleaning inside the trailer, as it was raining outside.
Hope it is better tomorrow.
Lake Wobegon Days
Garrison Keillor never says where Lake Wobegon is, though gives many indications of its nature as the stereotypical small town lost somewhere in the middle of Minnesota. Well we have being staying in what must by the stereotype of Lake Wobegon. We have been camped in Sauk Centre County Park (pr. Sock).
As well as being a really nice place the people at the campground were really nice and we have had a lovely couple of days here.
We have also had some nice weather, with lovely sunsets and sunrises, so got some nice pics to show.
We met another English cyclist, this time with a conventional bicycle, he had cycled from vancouver since the start of May - about 60 miles per day. Nice chap, ex primary Head from Gloucester.
If you don't want ads then click on the 'Start Slideshow' button, bottom left and then the 'Full Screen' button, bottom right. Then select 'Show Info', top right to see captions.
We are beside the lake, everyone goes fishing, it is a hundred yards from the wide 'Original Main Street' (as it has on the street signs). It has one stop light. it has gentle parks with lots of green grass around, as well as a number of small coffee shops, well frequented by the local ladies. It is indefinable in it's Lake Wobegon-ness, but this really is the place, it just exudes a quiet gentleness which you just know overlies all those small town politics.As well as being a really nice place the people at the campground were really nice and we have had a lovely couple of days here.
We have also had some nice weather, with lovely sunsets and sunrises, so got some nice pics to show.
We met another English cyclist, this time with a conventional bicycle, he had cycled from vancouver since the start of May - about 60 miles per day. Nice chap, ex primary Head from Gloucester.
If you don't want ads then click on the 'Start Slideshow' button, bottom left and then the 'Full Screen' button, bottom right. Then select 'Show Info', top right to see captions.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Into Minnesota
Thursday
We started out East to drive across the great prairies of North Dakota. We were amazed by how wet the ground was and how much water there was in the lots of lakes. Instead of stopping as planned in Jamestown we decided to press on to Fargo and do it all in one hop, which was just over 200 miles. Driving on the Interstate is not much fun, but with an 80 m.p.h. speed limit it is fast, though we kept more or less to 75, which with the wind against us returned me around 5 m.p.g. But petrol is now cheap at $2.50-60 a gallon. (around 42p per litre).
We stayed at Buffalo River State Park, which is mostly prairie with the Buffalo River running through it. Very pretty campground. Though we were only booked in for Friday and Saturday we actually were able to stay Thursday til Monday.
On arrival we found that you could only use certified bug free wood on your campfire. Stupidly our meagre supply of wood was visible on the front of the trailer, so we had to give that over to the Ranger. I asked him what he would do with it. He said it would be burned!!!! I said that I could do that for him, but he wasn't buying it. Anyway he was really nice about it and gave us some wood from his own supply.
The weather is now turning - humidity up, temperature up, but often rain in the afternoon.
Saturday
Joined in the Buffalo River Trail run, which I thought was just jogging round the park with a ranger and the kids. I arrived at the 'Picnic Area' at 7.45 only to find that the start was at the University Prairie science Center - A Mile Away! However I did get there in time for the start, did a reasonable 5k, then had to walk another mile back to the campground! Still it was a very pleasant walk through along the river.
Sunday
Found out that there was a Phenology field trip going on, so joined in, thougt I would get my head bumps and dents used to tell my future, only to realise that is Phrenology, phenology is about the study of plant and animal life cycles, so we duly had a good wander across the prairie and found some Northern Leopard Frogs and a Garter Snake, as well as some very pretty flowers, in particular Prairie Smoke.
There were a number of young kids on this little field trip. So I had a great joke for them.
I mentioned that they had been hunting buffalo on these prairies for nearly two hundred years, since 1816, so next year would be the 'bisontennial'! I loved that one, and people actually laughed, though the kids didn't get it.
In the afternoon we took a ride out to Fargo to eat at the Golden Corral, which was fun.
We started out East to drive across the great prairies of North Dakota. We were amazed by how wet the ground was and how much water there was in the lots of lakes. Instead of stopping as planned in Jamestown we decided to press on to Fargo and do it all in one hop, which was just over 200 miles. Driving on the Interstate is not much fun, but with an 80 m.p.h. speed limit it is fast, though we kept more or less to 75, which with the wind against us returned me around 5 m.p.g. But petrol is now cheap at $2.50-60 a gallon. (around 42p per litre).
We stayed at Buffalo River State Park, which is mostly prairie with the Buffalo River running through it. Very pretty campground. Though we were only booked in for Friday and Saturday we actually were able to stay Thursday til Monday.
On arrival we found that you could only use certified bug free wood on your campfire. Stupidly our meagre supply of wood was visible on the front of the trailer, so we had to give that over to the Ranger. I asked him what he would do with it. He said it would be burned!!!! I said that I could do that for him, but he wasn't buying it. Anyway he was really nice about it and gave us some wood from his own supply.
The weather is now turning - humidity up, temperature up, but often rain in the afternoon.
Saturday
Joined in the Buffalo River Trail run, which I thought was just jogging round the park with a ranger and the kids. I arrived at the 'Picnic Area' at 7.45 only to find that the start was at the University Prairie science Center - A Mile Away! However I did get there in time for the start, did a reasonable 5k, then had to walk another mile back to the campground! Still it was a very pleasant walk through along the river.
Sunday
Found out that there was a Phenology field trip going on, so joined in, thougt I would get my head bumps and dents used to tell my future, only to realise that is Phrenology, phenology is about the study of plant and animal life cycles, so we duly had a good wander across the prairie and found some Northern Leopard Frogs and a Garter Snake, as well as some very pretty flowers, in particular Prairie Smoke.
There were a number of young kids on this little field trip. So I had a great joke for them.
I mentioned that they had been hunting buffalo on these prairies for nearly two hundred years, since 1816, so next year would be the 'bisontennial'! I loved that one, and people actually laughed, though the kids didn't get it.
In the afternoon we took a ride out to Fargo to eat at the Golden Corral, which was fun.
If you don't want ads then click on the 'Start Slideshow' button, bottom left and then the 'Full Screen' button, bottom right. Then select 'Show Info', top right to see captions.
Monday, June 8, 2015
The Ice Castle Fish House
Prologue:
'Only In America' is more than a phrase, it is a mantra, a creed, a way of life,
So when you have internalised the philosophy one is always prepared to have your jaw dropped and enjoy whatever turns up.
So, after traveling in the States for nine years we encountered not one, but many of these trailers:
'Only In America' is more than a phrase, it is a mantra, a creed, a way of life,
So when you have internalised the philosophy one is always prepared to have your jaw dropped and enjoy whatever turns up.
So, after traveling in the States for nine years we encountered not one, but many of these trailers:
It is a strange looking trailer, because it sits directly onto the ground. Our view here shows it partly lifted, as it was just leaving.
They are quite popular around here. You can tow them like a trailer, but when you arrive you raise the wheels and the trailer sits flat onto the ground.
However it's primary function is to have it towed out and set up onto a frozen lake. In the floor of the trailer are six large frisbee sized holes, through which you can access the ice, drill a hole and then fish, without going outside at all. We found this an amazing site on our nice green and warm campground, at first we thought it was for disabled people. I actually had to look up the make of the trailer to find out what is was.
Of course as soon as you see it in context it becomes obvious.
Here it is in a sales brochure:It is called an Ice Castle Fish house.This is the real luxury end of the fish house market, but very popular.
To see more watch 'Grumpy Old Men'
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