Sitting here in the outer limits and away from nearly any kind of mechanical sound I hear the sounds of birds calling to each other as the sun is about to rise above the hills to the east of our campsite. Gold Bar can be a place of relaxation especially during the middle of the week when the vast majority of folks here are what we call "live-ins" and they enjoy their peace and quiet as much as we do. Bring on the weekend and the whole tempo of the place changes as many of the 1200 hundred members and their guests pack into the facility to enjoy camping and using the facilities. The weekend, especially holiday weekends, are the best times to be gone from here.
When we got back on Sunday I spent the majority of the afternoon setting up the trailer and making sure we were ready for our two and a half month stay. We went to the local Mexican restaurant, La Hacienda, for dinner. We have never been disappointed with the meals we have gotten. Then it was off to a night of sleep.
Monday we went shopping to replenish our stock. Since we are sitting still and not traveling long distances everyday we will forego restaurants and fix our own meals. I got the outside food preparation station out and set it up alongside the trailer. No heat allowed in my trailer during the summer months with a small oven and Weber Q we do nearly everything outside. We had steaks with potatoes and creamed corn for dinner followed by a fire and smores.
Honey is really relaxed now that she is back home. It is amazing to see the difference in her personality since we have gotten back. We had so much fun with her. She is like a little kid when it comes to horses. Sure she likes other livestock as well but when there are horses she is up in the back seat, two paws on the window frame or armrest and she watches them until she can't see them anymore. Often she will get up and search area whenever she observes scenery that resembles that which looks like other places when she has seen horses. I don't know what her fascination is with them but she loves to watch them and sometimes bark with tail wagging like she wants to play. During our time in Amish country she went nuts over the horses pulling carriages along the highways. Tuesday afternoon she decided the rest of the day was for relaxation.
Yesterday I cleaned the truck and worked on cleaning up most of the supplies that we took with us and got them stored away for the next adventure. I still have to clean the truck grille and front bumper some more as the bugs are really stuck to the front but at least I got rid of the bird feathers. While driving on highway 212 in South Dakota a family of quail were on the road just over one of the many rises in the roadbed. As I approached they were moving to get out of the way as another truck was coming the other direction giving me no place to avoid them. Unfortunately, two of the younger members of the family were unable to take flight quick enough and one flew up into the grill of the truck while the other hit the windshield and bounced of the trailer as it flew out of control over the truck. Sadly, I saw both of them land hard on the roadbed behind the truck.
The trailer will need a bath and I expect to take at least a couple of days cleaning the outside. There are bugs everywhere there is a flat surface facing towards the front of the unit. The AC housing, covers for the vents, the front of the trailer and the arms of the awning. There is a lot of maintenance to be done after a long trip such as ours and before we take it out again we will need to have the bearings and brakes inspected and repacked. I plan to check out all of the lap joints for cracks to make sure we catch any issues caused by moving down the highway. Looks like we will have perfect ninety degree weather for me to accomplish this over the next week or so.
We had one minor issue when we returned to our site. It would appear that someone wanted into our new barn that we had built last summer. They tried to remove the door hinge screws in and effort to get the door open. Apparently they failed to be able to remove some of the screws but the did damage several of them by breaking the heads off. Some are missing but I can see remnants of the threaded portion still in several of the holes. I am going to find some security type screws today and make the necessary repairs.
Hope all is well and thanks for stopping by.
Anything SD can do to remind you how wonderful it is to have you stop by and greet us with your BIG smiles and warm hearts...Thanks again for making the trip to see my grandma and the rest of her baggage :)
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