I got things packed, kissed Sandy googbye for just a few weeks this time. Sandy will fly to Arizona for Thanksgiving so I'll see her then.
I got to California, about 1/2 way between Needles Nevada and Parker. I'm just across the river from Havasu, when I heard a big bang.
Blew what looks like a new tire, but it's not........ pressure was just checked a few hours ago. Looks like the tires are about 12 years old ....trailers not that old....what's up with that? Could be the seller changed the old tires for some real old ones. Oh ya....the spare has a hole the size of a tennis ball.
I set up camp for now very close to where I camped last year on my way to Quartzsite .
I like this part of the desert, very peaceful with nobody around. I'll go to Parker for tires today.
For some reason I am not able to post photos, I'm not alone so I might need to change hosts....what a pain.
I'll try to post photos later.
I'm fine truck is fine but trailer took a big hit as will my wallet later today when I replace 2 tires.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
All packed up....
I am almost all done packing the new 5th wheel, just a few final items like tv, memory pad for the bed and a toothbrush left to pack.
The toy hauler is MUCH bigger and heavier than the Excel.....so much so that I had to buy a bigger truck.
I found a Ford F-350 with a diesel for a great price and had it shipped to Utah from Texas. Nice truck and was almost everything the dealer said in his ad. I did have to replace the exhaust pressure sensor which was not to difficult. My eyes are getting a bit weak and I need lots of light to see small details and if there is something shiny all I see is twinkles.
The Ford makes my old Dodge feel like a sports car. We traded the Dodge in on Sandy's new car......she was involved in a accident when a young girl ran a stop sign.....sure miss her Saab and my Dodge, but we are both liking her 2012 Ford Escape.....too new Fords and they are both white. We got what seemed like the most trucks for the money.....I like my F-350 too, sorry hope his feelings are not hurt. The big Doge trucks are very popular and I understand why......too bad it makes used ones so much more expensive than the Fords. I never even looked at the GM trucks don't like the looks. I did look at a old semi tractor that had been setup for 5th wheels, but got cold feet thinking of repair bills???? Never know with something like that......sure was cool though.
I have been rushing to get out of Ogden and very worried that I would not be done in time, now I'm ready to go, but the weather is holding up and I feel ok with just a little bit of health stuff so I'm going to wait till the long weekend (5 days) is over for Sandy. Will give me a chance to help her out with fall chores and I can have her help me get the toy hauler out of the driveway.
Our driveway is on a busy street and I found I need to build ramps over the curb to keep from dragging the rear of the trailer getting in and out. With the long truck and 40 foot trailer I completely block the street and it is crazy to see how angry it makes other drivers. I had one guy drive over the curb onto my driveway behind the trailer and back off the curb, lucky I saw him in my mirrors in time to slam on the brakes and miss the a**. It happens almost every time I try to line up to back into the driveway and I try not to dilly dally. With this trailer it take more time as I need to build the ramps while the truck and 1/2 the trailer are pulled out onto the street.
It is more difficult to get the big Ford to swing the frontend when backing so it take more room to turn the traile when backing and I have not found the sweetspot for backing into the driveway right next to the fence with just one try......frustrating for an old longhaul driver, I was pretty good at backing back then. The longer the truck the harder it is to back trailers......I do not think I even want to tryto back Sandy's little Buro with the F-350.
Another frustrating thing with this truck is the dually wheels.......I can't see the trailers in the mirrors very well, my car trailer I do not see until it is 4 or 5 feet off to the side and that simply sucks......I need either a set of flags on the rear of the trailer or a rear view camera for the car trailer, at least the toy hauler is tall enough to see which way it is turning.
Next year I may not even bring it here, I can park it at my daughter Randi's place. Why not two 5th wheel trailers, I have like 12 vw bugs thwre already.....THANKS RANDI AND MATT you save my butt.
The toy hauler is MUCH bigger and heavier than the Excel.....so much so that I had to buy a bigger truck.
I found a Ford F-350 with a diesel for a great price and had it shipped to Utah from Texas. Nice truck and was almost everything the dealer said in his ad. I did have to replace the exhaust pressure sensor which was not to difficult. My eyes are getting a bit weak and I need lots of light to see small details and if there is something shiny all I see is twinkles.
The Ford makes my old Dodge feel like a sports car. We traded the Dodge in on Sandy's new car......she was involved in a accident when a young girl ran a stop sign.....sure miss her Saab and my Dodge, but we are both liking her 2012 Ford Escape.....too new Fords and they are both white. We got what seemed like the most trucks for the money.....I like my F-350 too, sorry hope his feelings are not hurt. The big Doge trucks are very popular and I understand why......too bad it makes used ones so much more expensive than the Fords. I never even looked at the GM trucks don't like the looks. I did look at a old semi tractor that had been setup for 5th wheels, but got cold feet thinking of repair bills???? Never know with something like that......sure was cool though.
I have been rushing to get out of Ogden and very worried that I would not be done in time, now I'm ready to go, but the weather is holding up and I feel ok with just a little bit of health stuff so I'm going to wait till the long weekend (5 days) is over for Sandy. Will give me a chance to help her out with fall chores and I can have her help me get the toy hauler out of the driveway.
Our driveway is on a busy street and I found I need to build ramps over the curb to keep from dragging the rear of the trailer getting in and out. With the long truck and 40 foot trailer I completely block the street and it is crazy to see how angry it makes other drivers. I had one guy drive over the curb onto my driveway behind the trailer and back off the curb, lucky I saw him in my mirrors in time to slam on the brakes and miss the a**. It happens almost every time I try to line up to back into the driveway and I try not to dilly dally. With this trailer it take more time as I need to build the ramps while the truck and 1/2 the trailer are pulled out onto the street.
It is more difficult to get the big Ford to swing the frontend when backing so it take more room to turn the traile when backing and I have not found the sweetspot for backing into the driveway right next to the fence with just one try......frustrating for an old longhaul driver, I was pretty good at backing back then. The longer the truck the harder it is to back trailers......I do not think I even want to tryto back Sandy's little Buro with the F-350.
Another frustrating thing with this truck is the dually wheels.......I can't see the trailers in the mirrors very well, my car trailer I do not see until it is 4 or 5 feet off to the side and that simply sucks......I need either a set of flags on the rear of the trailer or a rear view camera for the car trailer, at least the toy hauler is tall enough to see which way it is turning.
Next year I may not even bring it here, I can park it at my daughter Randi's place. Why not two 5th wheel trailers, I have like 12 vw bugs thwre already.....THANKS RANDI AND MATT you save my butt.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
ya but!
I woke up this morning with thoughts of writting in the blog. I know it has been awhile, too long really.
I was watching a new chanel on tv (no idea how long it has been going), it is Newmax a news magazine that has a Conservative Christian view.
The program was about the Founding Fathers and their beliefs about religion. One thing that hits home is how history has been rewritten. The other thing is how honorable leaders and men in general has become a thing of the past. The program is called "Rediscovering God in America"and I think it should be shown in every classroom in America.
It made me think about "Ya But! " I wonder how many times in my life I say, ya but, to myself and others.Ya but is excusing bad or dishonorable actions. I thought what if we all lived our lives in a way that we never had to say ya but to ourselves or to others.
We all have someone we want to impress, I have many, who would they be and in what ways would I want to impress them? For me the 1st and most important choice is easy and also the one choice that I know loves me even when I fail......and just like most fathers he loves me unconditionally.
Second on my list would probably be myself, but my wife and all our offspring come in so close that it is about the same. I do not want to disappoint them any more than myself.
A new poet Prince EA is making a splash with his poems and hip hop songs. He has a line that I like: "Our role models today 60 years ago would be examples of what not to be".
Check out his video:
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=prince+ea&qpvt=prince+ea&FORM=VDRE
I have just one more thing to share, I watched Glen Campbell's video " I'm not going to miss you "
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U8TsAh-zYFI
I see it as a love song to his wife, kids and fans.
It sure hits home with me..........I have notice more memory loss this year than ever before....maybe I need to eat more dark chocolate to go along with cranberry juice for my kidneys which seems to be working one day and not the next...oh well I can always say Ya but.
God Bless you all
p.s. please say a prayer for one of my adventure companions Jeanne who is fighting cancer this year and may not be able to traveas she is going through treatments. She is also a fellow veteran and I want to pass on a THANK YOU to her for her service.
I was watching a new chanel on tv (no idea how long it has been going), it is Newmax a news magazine that has a Conservative Christian view.
The program was about the Founding Fathers and their beliefs about religion. One thing that hits home is how history has been rewritten. The other thing is how honorable leaders and men in general has become a thing of the past. The program is called "Rediscovering God in America"and I think it should be shown in every classroom in America.
It made me think about "Ya But! " I wonder how many times in my life I say, ya but, to myself and others.Ya but is excusing bad or dishonorable actions. I thought what if we all lived our lives in a way that we never had to say ya but to ourselves or to others.
We all have someone we want to impress, I have many, who would they be and in what ways would I want to impress them? For me the 1st and most important choice is easy and also the one choice that I know loves me even when I fail......and just like most fathers he loves me unconditionally.
Second on my list would probably be myself, but my wife and all our offspring come in so close that it is about the same. I do not want to disappoint them any more than myself.
A new poet Prince EA is making a splash with his poems and hip hop songs. He has a line that I like: "Our role models today 60 years ago would be examples of what not to be".
Check out his video:
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=prince+ea&qpvt=prince+ea&FORM=VDRE
I have just one more thing to share, I watched Glen Campbell's video " I'm not going to miss you "
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U8TsAh-zYFI
I see it as a love song to his wife, kids and fans.
It sure hits home with me..........I have notice more memory loss this year than ever before....maybe I need to eat more dark chocolate to go along with cranberry juice for my kidneys which seems to be working one day and not the next...oh well I can always say Ya but.
God Bless you all
p.s. please say a prayer for one of my adventure companions Jeanne who is fighting cancer this year and may not be able to traveas she is going through treatments. She is also a fellow veteran and I want to pass on a THANK YOU to her for her service.
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