THE SWEET SOUND OF SUCCESS

After a very long and frustrating day regarding the bike yesterday – where Roger from  RISING SONS & COMPANY was here until 8:00PM – I decided to see if I could re-string that blind !  Am I nuts !!!!????  I go and tackle something tedious like that when I’m already frustrated. 

I got the blind out and started following the directions – which were SIXTEEN STEPS OF INSTRUCTIONS BTW.

NO – THE BLIND RE-STRINGING WAS NOT THE SWEET SOUND OF SUCCESS.

Old string pulled out and new string ready to go -

I am NOT very optimistic about this.  Cross string here – brings strings down this way…. bring string over this way….

My lack of optimism was warranted as I put the damn blind back up and obviously I did something wrong.  It wouldn’t stay up. Maybe I crossed when I should have crissed – or crissed when I should have crossed !!!

AND that’s the way it’s going to stay until I get in the mood to tackle it again !!!  I WILL have to take it all apart again and start from scratch !!

THIS IS THE SWEET SOUND OF SUCCESS !!

BUT Murphy’s Law comes into play here !!  Before Roger came back with the new battery I tried starting the bike – and YES you guessed it – THE BLOODY THING STARTED !!!

Yesterday, When the trickle charger was on the light on the charger was blinking red – this means that the charge was not getting through.

Before Roger left last night he put everything back together, including my old battery back in, and hooked up the trickle charger again.  First thing I noticed was that the light was solid red – meaning it was charging.  Hmmmmm, I thought.

So I wasn’t completely shocked when the bike started this morning.  I called Roger to tell him the bike started but that I wanted a new battery put in anyway.  When you’re on the road like I am it is critical (to me anyways) that your vehicles be reliable.  PLUS my bike is a 2006 and the battery was original, so I figure I did really good with having a battery last for 6 years.

Roger comes back and quickly gets to work.  And YES it’s raining again.

 

So, What’s gonna break tomorrow !!??

AND THE FUN JUST DOESN’T STOP…..

Thursday I was out and about on the bike.  When I got home I forgot to turn the lights off – which of course I didn’t realize until later that day when I went to go out again.

Yup, DEAD BATTERY.  No problem, I have a trickle charger – actually I have TWO but that’s another story !!  LOL

Hooked up the trickle charger for overnight and tried it again yesterday ----- NOTHING !!

In order to get at the battery you have to take the seat off.  I don’t have the right gizmo thingie for that ( I do NOW I can assure you ) !!  This happened to me last Fall while I was in Osoyoos, BC and a fellow rider who was staying at the Park got the seat off to discover the terminal connections to the battery were loose.  Tightened them up, put the charger on again and the battery charged and everything has been fine since.

I was hoping it was going to be something simple like that – but first I had to get the seat off.

Called CAA/AAA, guy comes out and doesn’t have the right thingie to get the seat off.  It only an allen key ( I didn’t have the right size )  !!  He leaves.  CAA/AAA call me back to say their drivers are not required to have such tools on their trucks !!  The only way they can help me is to have the bike TOWED somewhere.

I pondered my situation and decided to see if I can get someone local to come out here (knowing full well I would have to pay that cost).  I got lucky – very lucky.  This young man was fabulous and he is also a fellow rider, as is his Brother and Father (who owns the Auto/Towing Company). So he knows his way around a motorcycle.

 

Got the seat off in a matter of seconds and determined the terminal connections were not loose – so why wasn’t it charging ??  Put his jumper cables on but still nothing.

Roger was PERSISTENT !!  But no matter what he tried the bike wouldn’t start.  It would ‘turn-over’ like it was about to but just couldn’t seem to get enough juice to start.

Throughout all of this it was RAINING – sometimes very heavily !!  But Roger wasn’t giving up !

He decided to go back to his shop to get another motorcycle battery to try that – to determine if the problem was indeed my battery – or something else.

As soon as he put the other battery in she started up right away.  OH WHAT A LOVELY SOUND !!

By this time it is almost 8:00PM (last night) and yet he calls around a few places to see if he can get me a new battery. NO LUCK.

He finally left saying he WILL get a new battery and be back the next morning (today).

If anyone is ever in the Chattahoochee, Florida area and need any type of service I would strongly recommend RISING SONS & COMPANY.

Update to follow….

SKEETERS–SKEETERS -- EVERYWHERE

I have been tortured the last days from those mosquito bites.  I went to Walmart to get more mosquito coils; more rubbing alcohol and a product Dennis recommended…..which I didn’t like cause it’s too greasy.

I have TEN awful bites all on my left arm.  I continued to wonder why only my left arm.  Well I was able to solve that mystery.  I didn’t have these bites before I went to bed that night – Mr. Skeeter obviously brought his entire family to the feast.  I sleep on my right side and it was a warm night, therefore, my left arm was exposed.  Mystery solved !!  They all sure had a good time that night.

Even several days later this is what they look like.  But thankfully they do not itch quite as much now. 

After a Reader commented the other day about that Mosquito Lantern I went to the link she provided and remembered I have a Mosquito Repellent thingie !!!

 

Problem is that it runs on a butane (non-refillable) cartridge and Walmart does not have the re-fills !!

I put those mosquito coils EVERWHERE !!

Also finally got around to washing the Arizona Desert dust off the bike.

Mosquito coils protecting my ‘Patio’.

She’s sure pretty ain’t she !!

A BETTER DAY TODAY

Forgot to mention that the day after I arrived here I moved to a different spot.  It’s very hot here and the spot was in full sun all day with no shade protection.

The spot I’m in now is protected from the sun by the trees until about mid afternoon.  Still a very nice spot.

And Bennie still has his freedom - although he tends to wander more here following the smell of food.

That’s my closest neighbour, however, I’ve yet to see them.

I am LOVING IT here.  It feels so peaceful.  The most noise I hear are from the birds chirping !

I got woken up in the middle of the night AGAIN last night – to the itchiness of several mosquito bites I had gotten !!  Here’s two – and I have FOUR more just like it – all on my left arm.  What ?  Those skeeters don’t like my right arm ??

Bennie taking a nap.

THAT COMPARTMENT DOOR IS OPEN !!!

You will notice I didn’t say “I” got the compartment door open.  NOPE !  My new friend Dennis, who I met the other day, took a try at it and after some effort he managed to get it open !!  YEAH !!

I took a little run to Walmart today to get some supplies.  It’s only about 20 miles from here and a very scenic little run.

When I got back I was exhausted from the heat so chilled out on my ‘Patio’ and put some soothing music on.  Yanni I believe it was.

This is a City Park and someone came around today to collect the $$$ – I’ve been here four days !!  That was when Dennis and crew were trying to get my compartment door open.  When he asked how long I was going to be here and I told him a week – he said he’d come back another time.  Very laid back atmosphere for sure.

He did say they were going to spray re the mosquitos and sure enough about 1/2 hour ago the truck came by.  Sure hope it helps get rid of them !!

All in all an uneventful day – just the way I like them !!

“I’M AFRAID I MIGHT GET BORED”

Friends of mine from British Columbia already have a 5th Wheel and would love to get on the road.  I think ‘fear of the unknown’ is perhaps one of the things that is stopping them.  One said “I’m afraid I might get bored.”  Who has time to get bored !!  At least when you encounter as many (mis) adventures as I do !!  LOL

Damn LP Detector woke me up in the middle of the night last night SCREEEEECHING again !!  I’ve been checking it regularly since it SCREEEEECHED on me while driving through torrential rains on the Interstate the other day.  Sometimes it’s GREEN (good); sometimes it’s ORANGE (not good); and sometimes it’s RED (bad).

I hauled the damn thing out today !!  Unhooked the wires and that’s the way it will stay until I can determine exactly what the problem is !!  I will check the Manufacturer’s website and post my problem on the RV Website I frequent.  Hopefully I’ll get an answer – or have to buy a new one.  It is a mystery why it can be fine (GREEN) for days and then SCREEEEEECH !

Spent another hour today trying to pry open that jammed compartment door == NO LUCK.  That sucka’ is sure stuck. I also sent off an e-mail to the Mayor of the City of Slidell, LA with all my pics attached asking for the repair of that dangerous ditch AND re-imbursement for my damages.  We’ll see…………

Next up was getting that Mud Flap put on….. Got my creepie, crawlie thing out….

And the Mud Flap holes drilled and the screws put in place…..

And crawled under the rig, behind the steps, pushing myself up to the tire and struggled and stretched and hurt my neck ---- only to have a DUH moment.  I could reach the screws simply from the outside with minimal stretching, no crawling under the rig and NO hurting of my neck !!  Ya, Go ahead – laugh at me !!  OH, NOTE TO SELF – Take your shower AFTER you tackle those dirty jobs not BEFORE !!

THEN I went into another compartment to get something and noticed it was WET – actually it was SOAKING WET !!  I checked a few others and same thing – although the further to the rear of the Coach I went the less wet the compartments were.  This was on the same side where the ‘incident’ happened.

So I had to haul everything out of them to dry the items out and left the doors open all day to dry the compartments out.

Why are the compartments wet ? 

How did they get wet ? 

Did I do damage to the water tank during the ‘incident’ ? 

Was it because there was no Mud Flap on that side and I did just drive through very heavy rains ?

Then I noticed the water tank was bulging ?  On the side and also on the front. 

Was it always bulging ? 

Or is this recent ?

Why is it bulging ?

Seein’ as I already had my creepie, crawlie thing out I got under the rig (again) and checked things out.  No obvious leak anywhere.  Everything looked fine.  Not even a scratch on the bottom of the tank.  The compartments doors had taken all the hit from the ditch.  Another mystery to solve !!

Next up was hauling the hose out to clean off the front step.  Because of no Mud Flap it was very muddy.

Then I put up my new HD sign – Byron is happy now !

And a sticker I had also bought recently.

And where to put all these mini stickers ?  I love the sayings on some of them.

This one had to go on the back of my helmet !!  This one is especially for my Buddy, Gerard, in NL.  Yes, There’s a story behind that !!  LOL

WHEW !  Time for a nap.  When I woke up I heard his sound – a hissing like sound.  WTF now !!!  I followed the sound to discover my (fairly new) 50’ hose had sprung a leak.

YUP, As a Reader just said recently “if you didn't have bad luck you wouldn't have any luck at all”.  Hope that turns around soon. !!

Oh, Another thing – I lost another hour – not sure when I lost it but I did !  LOL 

SETTLED AGAIN FOR A WEEK

I’m now settled into another gorgeous spot !  I’m hoping to hang around here for a week – however, it is VERY HOT and HUMID !  And that may change things.

I had given my EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT the mandate to “get me home” without me having to pay ANY camping fees.  WELL, We both realized in short order that was an impossible task.  I’m not in Arizona anymore – the boondocking Capital of the World I’m sure.

But Man Oh Man, Did she ever work hard trying !!  Found me some GREAT spots and up to this point I have paid a Grand Total of $9.00 for camping fees.  Gotta give that Gal a raise !!

She scored again BIG TIME on this beautiful Park.  NO, It’s not FREE – but for $15.00 (FHU’s) a day or $98.55 for a week – you’ll know I’m not complaining !!

MY FRONT YARD

MY SIDE YARD

MY BACK YARD

SEE ME WAY DOWN THERE !!

And of course the most important thing – Bennie likes it here !!

I noticed this thing nailed to the tree ??  What is it ?  And what’s it for ??

I put on that INSECT SCREEN I bought awhile back.  The one below I had already put on – that is for the hot water cover.

And these three I had put on before also.

This latest one was very easy.  All you had to do was take the cover off and lay the screen in place.  Then put the cover back on.

DONE !

I met some great folks here.  They are ‘locals’ – only live 7 miles from the Park but come here in their 5th wheel several times a year to get away.  Judy and her Husband, Dennis and another guy named Larry (?). They know the Park well and have the coolest little golf cart to buzz around in.

They took me (and Bennie of course) around for a tour.  They know everything about this place and there’s no way I could retain it all. 

Sandie, Tell Jim this is another BIG TIME fishing spot !!

GATORS !!!

A DAM

There’s a beautiful Corps of Engineers Campground over there….They told me it’s always full and you need to make reservations months in advance.  This is the WEBSITE that tells you about it and ALSO THIS ONE.

Here’s a zoomed pic…

I’m fairly certain Larry told me that the Lake is 38,000 acres BIG.  Is that possible ??

Look for the red lettering on the pic below.

There was a flood here and this is how high the water rose.  Apparently someone was out in a boat and wrote that on the concrete.

Here’s a pic taken from farther away to give you a better idea of how high the water was !!

The pole in the centre of this pic is to monitor water levels.  The vertical pole marks the number of feet the water rose and the horizontal boards show the year the water was that high.  Impossible to imagine.

What FUN I had zooming around in that little golf cart, seeing all the gorgeous scenery that is all part of this Park.  This little Town is right on the Florida/Georgia Border so one minute we were in Florida and another minute we were in Georgia !!