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.