Tuesday 8-29 Fishing For Your Supper

Having Fun

Wow, what a super day at Fun Valley!!! Today was the day the square dancers fish for their supper. Fun Valley has fishing ponds through out the resort, they own the ponds and if you want to fish you need a Fun Valley permit. The south fork of the Rio Grande River runs through the resort and if you want to fish in the river you need a Colorado fishing license. This morning the square dancers got to fish for free and any fish that were caught were prepared and served for dinner. The square dancing coordinators asked if you have a fishing pole bring it to the fishing pond that is designated for this event but if you don't have a pole there were some available. The resort also provided the bait to fish with. The event was at 9:00 and last until they catch enough fish, the goal was 30 fish this morning. Larry and I walked over to the pond this morning so I could participate in the fishing. I fished with a lot of other dancers for an hour and I caught three fish but one jumped back into the pond. So I only got credit for two. When I caught the first one I was very excited by the time Larry came over to take a picture the fish had already came off the hook. It took me a little bit to catch the fish considering it was wriggling all over the place. Once I got a hold of it I had to hold on tight or it would wriggle out of my hands. The bucket to put the fish in was a little ways from where I was so it was a little challenging to get to it before the fish wriggled out of my hands. The second fish I caught I reeled it in and I was too close to the pond so as soon as it was off the hook it wriggled right back into the pond. I had an outstanding morning fishing.

Fishing for my supper

More dancers fishing for their supper

Look at the fish I caught

After fishing there was a square dance workshop and then it was time to walk over to the dining hall for lunch.

Every year on Tuesdays at 1:15 Brad meets up with a group of square dancers and they follow him to the old mining town of Creede to dance in the firehouse. We don't have a tow vehicle so Larry asked our neighbors Rick and Connie if we could ride with them. They said no problem. The firehouse is built in the mountain. When the city of Creede wanted a firehouse they decided to build in the mountain considering they were a mining town. The mine helped build it and they still use it today. It is run by a two shifts of all volunteer firemen. They designed the space so the vehicles can move in and out of the mountain easily. They can move the vehicle they need without having to move another vehicle out of the way. It's a very cool cave and Brad called a singing call. There were three squares and a couple of extra people. After dancing the square dancers went to town to take the ladies shopping. It's a very quaint town with shops and grills down one street. We had a fun time with friends.

Creede Fire House

Driving an old fire engine

Hanging out in Creede

In the evening there were seven squares and a few extra dancers. After the dance there was an after party. Tonight cake was served to celebrate a dancer's birthday and there were saltine crackers, tuna and cheese spread for a snack. There was a skit done by a couple (Dale and Gail) from Fun Valley. The staff also did a skit. We had a very fun night.       

Monday 8-28 Fiesta Dance

Awesome Day

We had an outstanding day at Fun Valley. It was the first full day of activities. 

We started the day out with the breakfast buffet, they had hot cakes, eggs, bacon, sausage patties, oatmeal, juice, milk and coffee for breakfast. Then we walked around the resort for a half hour. When we got back to the Minnie Larry asked if I wanted to go to the Big Barn and line dance. I hesitated because we had a square dancing workshop at 10:30. He said it was going to be a review workshop so I walked over to the barn to line dance. Our friend Betty from Sun City was there and excited to see me. There were eleven of us and I danced from 9:00 to 10:15. I had a ball line dancing. I was glad Larry convinced me to go. I got back in time for us to go to the square dancing hall. For the workshop we had four squares and Brad and Ken reviewed a few moves the square dancers were having problems with. By the end of the hour and a half workshop we were tired.

Wash Depot at Fun Valley

Welcome to Fun Valley sign

The river that flows through Fun Valley

Line dancing in the Big Barn

Waiting to start a line dance

After the workshop we went down to the dining hall for lunch. They served leftovers from yesterdays dinner and fried chicken and breaded fish. When we finished eating we went back to the Minnie and took a nap. When we woke up it was time to go to the afternoon tough plus workshop. Ken and Brad put us in more DBD positions. We had a great time.

When it was time for dinner we walked over to the dining hall. For dinner, steak was served with corn, baked potatoes, homemade french fries, pinto beans, rolls and salad fixings.

The theme for the evening dance was Fiesta. There were eight squares and round dancers. A lot of people were dressed up for the theme. This was the last night for Ken to help Brad, he did a super job in filling in for Bear. We had a great time dancing. After the dance we had enough people for an A square so Brad called a tip. For the after party they served bananas, water melon, peanut butter, apples and sodas. The staff did three skits to entertain us.

Brad and Ken calling the Fiesta Dance

 

Brad dancing with Paula and Lucy during the Fiesta Dance

Round dancing to Jerry cuing

Having fun dancing with friends 

   

Sunday 8-27 Arrived at Fun Valley

We have arrived at Fun Valley Resort

When I went to bed last night the voltage of the Minnie was at 11.5 and I told Larry, he was concerned that the refrigerator would stop running. He checked it out and then went back to bed. By morning the voltage was at 11.2 and the refrigerator was still running. Then I turned on the pump to use the bathroom and it didn't sound good so I turned it off, that drove the voltage down to 10.2. Larry hooked up his  CPAP battery backup and the voltage went up a little so Larry figured out disconnecting the radio yesterday didn't solve our voltage problem. After we had breakfast we straighten up the Minnie and decided to go to town to buy a new battery. The closest place to buy a battery was in Alamosa which was 50 miles away so off to Alamosa we went. Larry called O'Reilly and asked what batteries they had in stock, then he called Auto Zone. Auto Zone had what he wanted, after buying the battery Larry installed it and we were back in business. We had purchased the old battery eight years ago in Wyoming.

We arrived at Fun Valley Resort in South Fork, Colorado around 11:30. It has a lot of activities available for their guests to participate in. The week we're going to be here we are square dancing every evening and workshops every morning and afternoon except Wednesday. Other activities we can participate in are fishing, paddle boat, miniature golf and polish horseshoe.

Larry paid for a package deal that includes meals. Today we get a welcome dinner and Saturday there is a good-bye breakfast. All meals are served in a dining hall and are buffet style.

Once we were settled in for the week we had lunch.  After lunch we walked to the bathrooms and took a shower. Fun Valley has two sections, one is close to the square dancing hall and the other one is on the other side of the river via a wooden bridge. We're staying by the hall. The showers are in the other section with the bridge. The bridge is made for both vehicles and people. It was a very nice walk and the showers were clean and very well maintained.

The shower building at Fun Valley

The river that flows through Fun Valley

Camping at Fun Valley

In the evening we went to the welcome dinner, since the meals are buffets you have to watch how much you eat because you can over eat. During dinner we visited with friends we hadn't danced with in a long time. The square dancing staff explained the schedule for the week. We had some disappointing news that Bear Miller couldn't be here this week because of health problems. We were looking forward to dancing to him. But good news is that Ken Bower, who was here last week agreed to stay on for a couple of days to help Brad Caldwell out.

After dinner we rested for an hour or so and then went to the hall for the opening dance. There were prerounds and a two hour dance. There were eight squares and some round dancers. I don't know how to round dance but Howard and Betty asked me to dance with them one song. Jerry asked me to dance another song. Brad and Ken called the dance and Jerry and Lucy Pate cued the round dancing. After the dance there was a after party where cheese, crackers, peanut butter and sodas were served. While the snacks were being served Brad called an Advanced tip, there were enough people to have two squares. When the A tip was over we went and got some snacks. Then the staff did a couple of skits. We had a fun night of dancing.

Friends round dancing to Lucy Pate

Our friends Betty and Howard dancing to Lucy cung 

      

Friday & Saturday Camping at Big Meadows

Camping at Big Meadows Campground

Friday August 25, 2017

We were awoken at 4:30 in the morning by an alarm so Larry crawled out of bed to check it out. He found that the batteries in the thermometer for our refrigerator were low, he changed the batteries and crawled back in bed. We didn't get up until 7:45, which is late for Larry but we weren't in any hurry considering we only had to go 30 miles. We had breakfast and got the Minnie ready to go. We left around 9:00.

The drive was short but it was through a beautiful mountain range so it was a little slow. The road was curvy but it wasn't too busy. The scenery was gorgeous with all the pine trees. The road to Big Meadow Campground is dirt but it wasn't bad to drive down. Two years ago when we had stayed here the road was very rough. Big Meadows Campground is located in the Rio Grande National Forest. The sites look over a mountain lake, there are no hookups but water is available. The bathrooms are pit toilets but are very clean. It cost $20.00 a night. The sites are big and you have a lot of privacy.

When we got to the entrance we stopped at the pay station to get an envelope to pay for the two nights we were going to stay here. This year both loops were open so there was plenty of openings. Once we decided on a site we parked the Minnie. Then we put our payment in the pay envelope and walked down to the pay station. It was a very nice walk. 

As we were driving Larry noticed something was flapping in the wind on the roof. After paying for the site he climbed up on the roof and found that it was one of his solar panels on the vent extension he had built. The solar panel was held on with Gorilla tape and it had come loose so the panel was only being held on by the wires to the fan. He removed the extension and looked to see what damage was done. One of the solder pads had come loose from the panel. We always carry a tool box with us and he had a small solder iron and solder, he soldered the wire back on the panel and reattached it using a different tape.

The solar panel after Larry soldered the wire back on it

Cleaning the solar panel before fixing it

This morning when I was pulling up the blind in the kitchen the plastic hook where you put the cord to keep the blind up broke. I guess it got brittle after 21 years. While he had his tool box out he fixed the blind with a couple of washers and a spacer. Now I'm back in business.

One thing to remember when you own a RV there is always going to be maintenance to keep it going. I'm so lucky to have a man that can do most of it.  

While Larry was repairing the solar panel I barbecued hamburgers for lunch. After lunch I worked on my Sudoku and he read a book on the Kindle.

After dinner we walked around the campground and down to the lake. While we were at the lake we saw people fishing, people loading up their kayaks in their truck and people were kayaking in the lake. We walked for about a hour hour. When we got back we rested then I walked around the loop twice before calling it a night. We had a very enjoyable day.

Saturday August 26, 2017

Happy Birthday Larry

Happy Birthday, honey.

We started the day out by going for an hour and half hike around the lake. It was about 3.5 miles through the forest. The terrain at times was challenging, we had to watch out for rocks and it went up and down. As we hiked we crossed over creeks via bridges, logs or rocks. The trail was narrow at places. At the beginning of our hike we met a lady who had two Golden Retrievers. They wanted to go swimming but she didn't want to mess with wet dogs so she only let them get a little wet. We saw people fishing along the banks. We witnessed a boy catching a fish. It was a very peaceful hike and the scenery was outstanding with trees, wildflowers, berry bushes, mountains and the lake. There was no wind so the lake was flat. By the time we got back to the Minnie we were tired considering it was our first hike in a long time.

A view of the lake from the hiking trail

A homemade boat used to fish in the lake 

The hiking trail

Larry waiting for me to finish taking pictures

We spent the rest of the day enjoying our campsite. For lunch I microwaved the rest of the bacon. The battery in the living area was low so Larry had to start the cab in order to start the generator. We ran the generator for about a half hour it get the battery up. After lunch we went outside, Larry read a book on the Kindle and I did some Sudoku. I went in around 2:00 and took a nap.

When I woke up it had started to sprinkle so Larry came inside. He looked at the gauge of the battery and realized that the voltage was dropping so he had another project to do. He was not sure if something was draining the battery or if it was failing. The only thing he could find that was drawing any current was the radio so he disconnected it. We don't use the radio in the back that much so it isn't problem not having it.

The rain didn't last long so I barbecued some sausages for dinner. After dinner we walked down to the water faucet and filled our water bottles. When we got back we sat outside for a little while. We had a very good day. I think Larry had a great birthday.              

Thursday 8-24 We are in Colorado

Colorado

We spent the night in Dumas, Texas. We woke up early, around 6:30. We slept very well and didn't hear any trains all night. After breakfast we put things away, unplugged from the power and started down the road.

We left Texas and drove through New Mexico. As we were driving through New Mexico we saw pronghorns, cows and horses. We drove by a lot of ranches and farm fields and saw a lot of sunflowers along the highway. We stopped once in New Mexico to get fuel.

A pronghorn

We continued on to Colorado. The scenery is gorgeous. We drove through a few mountain ranges to get to the town of Del Norte. On the way we stopped in Trinidad for lunch at Wendy's, it was right off the highway. Next to the Wendy's there was a Tesla recharging station, we had heard about them but this was actually the first one we had seen. There was a car being charged but by the time we finished eating she was leaving. Larry was hoping to ask her a few questions about her Tesla.. 

  

Entering into Colorado

A Tesla getting charged

By the time we stopped at Del Norte City Park for the evening we had driven about 350 miles. It doesn't cost anything to camp for the night. It's a cute little city park with a playground, restrooms and a short river trail. The city hall is an old railroad depot, we stopped in to see how the camping worked. The river trail goes along the Rio Grande River. While there we walked the trail and walked around the park. Larry barbecued hamburgers for dinner. We weren't alone, there were a couple more RVs. 

Barbecuing hamburgers

Getting ready to walk the river trail

The Rio Grande RiIver

We had a super travel day and are looking forward to tomorrow's adventure. 

Wednesday 8-23 Starting Fall Trip

Let's go on a camping vacation

Where are we going for our Fall Trip? I've been talking about getting the Minnie ready for a Fall Trip but I never said where we were going. Well, first of all were going to square dance for a week at Fun Valley Family Resort in Colorado. We went there a couple of years ago for two weeks and had a great time, we danced to Brad Caldwell and Bear Miller the first week and Brad Caldwell and Wade Driver the second week. This year we will being dancing to Brad and Bear. Afterwards we're heading on up to Canada to do a little exploring.

Today we started our camping adventure. We drove 530 miles, it took almost 11 hours before we called it a day. Larry usually does not drive this far but we wanted to go as far as we could before the rain came. We drove mostly two lane highways that took us through a lot of small towns but the traffic was light. We saw a lot of farmland and ranches. I took a few little naps considering I woke up earlier than I usually do. 

When we we got to Comanche we caught some rain so we sat and waited about 15 minutes for the rain to slow down. While we were waiting Larry looked at the weather and saw that if we drove through Comanche we would be rain free. Once the rain slowed down we continued on. We stopped in Abilene, filled the Minnie with gas and had a sandwich for lunch.

We arrived in Dumas, Texas at 6:00 and decided to call it a day. Dumas has a city park with free RV parking for a night. It's a very nice park with a playground, picnic area and RV campsites. The RV sites have electric and there is a dump station. We have been here a few times and this was the first time we saw it this busy. It was a nice place for an over night stay. I walked around the a park a few times. We had a long day but it was all good.

The Minnie parked for the night at Dumas Texhoma Park

The playground at Dumas Texhoma Park

Camping at Dumas Texhoma Park

  

Tuesday 8-22 Finishing up

We're so excited

Today I finished loading up the Minnie. Then I did a couple loads of clothes and cleaned the house. When we go on a trip I try to make sure the house is clean because it's always nice to come home to a clean house.

Doing chores around the house

We were going to leave Friday but we decided to leave tomorrow morning because they are reporting we may have rain for the next few days. 

After finishing up my housework I worked out for an hour on my Gold's Gym and Just Dance.

Working Out

In the evening we relaxed in front of the television. We watched YouTube videos and a couple of PBS shows off the Roku. The first show was a POV episode called Tribal Justice, it was about two Native American judges reaching back to traditional concepts to help reduce incarceration with the youth of their tribes. The next one was the last episode of the first season of Endeavour. I can hardly wait to begin our Fall Trip. LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!

Watching television

  

Monday 8-21 More Trip Preparation

Our Minnie

I woke up a little earlier than normal, it was about 7:15 and Larry had already been up for a little over an hour.  

Today was the day to notify the post office to hold our mail for a couple of months. Usually Larry has to talk to the post master but today the counter person didn't question the request. Next stop was finishing up our grocery shopping at HEB. Then we went across the street and asked The UPS Store to hold our mail and to pick up what mail we had. The last stop was at Walmart to recycle our old oil and filter. While there we picked up items we couldn't get at HEB. After doing our errands we went back to the house.

When we got home we worked on loading our clothing into the Minnie along with the items we bought at Walmart and HEB. We worked on this until 2:00. 

In the evening we went to Sun City and danced with the Sundancers and Brad Caldwell. There were six squares at the beginning of the dance but by the end there was two squares. We had a nice evening dancing with friends.

When we got home I watched Wallander and Hinterland on PBS, both are detective shows. Then I worked on my daily challenges. We had a very good day.   

Sunday 8-20 A Busy Day

A busy day

We had a busy day getting things ready for our fall trip. Didn't seem like work though since we are so excited about going on our Fall Trip in the Minnie.

The first thing we did was get the Minnie out of storage and bring it to the house. Once we were at home Larry did some mechanical maintenance on the Minnie, he changed the oil, checked the batteries, greased the chassis, replaced the air filter, checked the air in the tires and the air bags. During our Spring Trip we lost a hubcap so Larry ordered a set of hubcaps. They're not the same as the original caps or what Larry bought when we lost one before. When he bought them before he had to modify the two front hub caps to fit. The ones he got this time he couldn't modify to fit so now he has two old hubcaps on the front and two new ones on the back. The hub caps look outstanding. Then he moved inside the Minnie to do a project, he mounted and wired our Mobley (internet device) so it could work in the Minnie. While Larry was busy doing his projects I started to load the Minnie up. It was starting to get hot and we were tired so we stopped around 2:00. We'll continue working on getting the Minnie ready tomorrow. We also covered the boat.

Changing the oil in the Minnie

Draining the oil

Changing out the air filter

Larry screwing the cover on the air filter

Our boat covered 

In the afternoon I worked out for a half hour with my Wii Fit and a half hour with my Just Dance. Then we watched a tech show we follow called GizWiz. 

In the evening we relaxed in front of the television and watched our YouTube videos and the second Indiana Jones movie the Temple of Doom. After the movie we watched the first episode of Endeavour and Father Brown.