Problem fixed, further south, snow, rain and over cast day....

Our Location: Crossett, Ak

 

(Walmart, Unity Road)

 

An early morning this morning. We were both up before 7 am, packed and heading out of Big Buck Resort before 8 am. The weather was cool, right around the freezing mark but the skies were overcast and threatening. We hung a left at the end of Sparks Road heading toward Selmer, TN. We passed through Selmer and on into the fine state of Mississippi where we zipped right past Corinth and on down the road to the town of Biggersville, MS. Officially the repair shop is located in Rienzi, MS but our gps couldn't find it. We arrived at Butch's Repair Shop before 9 am, parked and headed inside to find out where they wanted us. Brandon, Butch's son was there and was very helpful, he even just backed us right up to the doors, let us plug in our heater and they went to work. About an hour and 15 minutes later we were on the road again, on our way south. Josh and Brandon worked quickly and efficiently to find the problem. A possible solution I had mentioned to David next door at Big Buck but he assured me it couldn't be. A blown fuse in the truck panel. David wasn't testing the proper wire in the plug in the truck. So alas, we didn't check the fuses in the truck. Our entire light issue is now solved, along with a new break away cable as well. We discussed the plug in the truck which has a small piece out of the side casing and since it's a factory install I'll simply use the one in the bumper until we get home and brother Rick or my dad will change it for me.  Brandon and Josh were extremely nice young men, very courteous and knowledgeable. The bill was a reasonable $150, which included yesterday's service call to the rig. No complaints here. Butch's RV Repair, 159 US 45, Rienzi, MS38865. 662-594-5048 will get you in touch with Butch.  While 662-664-1442 will connect you with Brandon.  Wonderful service, wonderful people. If you're in the area and you need some help give them a call. 

Butch's Rv Repair near Biggersville, MS

Brandon and Josh, our competent technicians.

 

From there we headed south on US 45 all the way to US 82 West. We travelled about 335 miles/533 km today. We passed over the mighty Mississippi River into Arkansas and continued along under cloudy overcast skies. We had rain, sleet, and snow today on our journey. One can see the snow in the trees and along the country side in fields. Not much but enough to say, yes it snowed. We arrived in Crossett, AK and have pulled in at the local Walmart for the night. Big lot, lots of trucks but we're parked close enough to the store to be using their fast wifi and still in the designated truck parking area. Not a bad deal. The temperature today reached a high of 35F/1.6 C and tonight is predicted to go to 24F/-4.4C. Hopefully it doesn't get that low but we've decided to heat the inside as hot as we can get it before bed, shut off the heater and I'm usually awake through the night and I'll turn it on for an hour or so and that should hold us through until the morning. Tomorrow the temperatures will be warming up significantly from the last few days and under sunny skies we're looking forward to a nice day. Our goal tomorrow is into Texas and then Friday we'll reach the small town of Crosbyton, also in Texas, where we stayed last year. We'll stay for a few days to rest and enjoy the warmth before heading on. 

We passed through Tupelo, MS

Snow on the roof over there, do you see it?

Called dad upon our arrival and gave him an update. He reported they have 5 inches/12.7 cm of snow (approx), very cold temperatures and a warming trend coming that will produce more snow in the days ahead. Lucky he has lots of wood for the winter ahead. 

The bridge spanning the mighty Mississippi River between Mississippi and Arkansas.

The mighty Mississippi River.

 

So there you have it, the fix for our problem, our travels and our catch up.  Thanks for stopping by, hope you had a great day. 

Snow on the trees in Arkansas.

On the roof too.

Until next time... take care, be safe, 

Some nice colour to the sunset as we drive toward Crossett, AK.

 

Deb

Cold, some lights, moving to repair shop tomorrow....

Our Location: Big Buck Resort

 

(205 Sparks Road, Hornsby, TN)

 

A very cold and blustery day. Wet, damp and windy would describe today. We stayed around the 45F/7.2C mark for the high but with the wind it felt much colder. Tonight the temps are supposed to drop well below the freezing mark.

 

Riley and I walked only once around the park and stopped at the office to chat with Tina (park owner) and pay for the last two days. Tina is a truly wonderful person. The park is a fantastic place and we enjoy it greatly. It's a Passport America park and so we pay only $17.50 US per day. We are a short drive from Memphis, and Jackson, TN as well as Corinth, MS. The small towns of Bolivar and Selmer have a great deal of charm and offer some interesting sights. I think it will be a regular stop for us on our travels through this area. 

 

I chatted with my buddy Ron this morning, catching up on all the gossip and just touching base. Riley and I had hoped to meet up with him and his lovely wife Sharon some time over the winter but that won't be happening. Ron has a few issues that he's taking care of and that will perhaps keep them at home until into the new year. Hopefully they can pull Newwwmar out of his shed and get a few weeks in the sun in Mississippi . Good luck buddy. 

 

Butch from Butch's RV Repair stopped by around 2 pm and managed to get the lights all working again EXCEPT the tail lights of course. Tomorrow morning Riley and I will pack up and head south to Rienzi, MS just outside of Corinth to his shop. If necessary we can spend the night with hook ups there but I'm hoping to be on the road tomorrow night. We shall see how things go and I'll try to keep you updated. I chatted with Dad again tonight just to keep him in the loop and to hopefully ease his mind and make him worry less.

 

The rest of the day we spent indoors as it's just too cold outside for me. This damp cold makes too many things hurt and I'm ready to get out of here. A few days drive to the west is warmth and heat, and it looks like no rain so we're excited to be heading that way. 

 

A sad note tonight, during my chat with Ron this morning I learned that our friend Chuck passed away a few weeks ago. Our hearts go out to his wife Jeanne and son Josh of West Virginia. Chuck was a very quiet man, shy and soft spoken. Jeanne is a fire cracker and full of life. They made a wonderful couple.

 

Again no pictures sorry. Hopefully tomorrow we'll have some for you. Thanks for stopping by, hope you've all had a great day. 

 

Until next time.. take care, be safe, 

 

Deb 

 

 

 

A quiet day, meeting new people......

Our Location: Saddle Mountain BLM, Tonopah, Arizona

The stars last night were bright and near at hand, one could almost touch them. The crisp desert air sent us inside after a few minutes of star gazing.

 

A hint of sunrise this morning..

Awake this morning around 5:30 am,I  finally got up just before 7 to catch a less than spectacular sunrise.  Here the sun rises behind a long ridge of mountains and if there is no cloud cover it seems to hover with a line of orange, then a quick hint of yellow and after that the sun seems to simply pop up with no fan fare. Still nice though to see the skies lighten and brighten. No clouds this morning, should be a warm day. Cool again last night, 36F/2C but we’ll take it. We just pull up the duvet and give Mr. Heater a few minutes and before long we are toasty warm. 

 

From here it just turned completely yellow within a few minutes

A hot chocolate in hand I caught up on my blog reading and comments. Some days there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get things accomplished. Riley heard me stirring around and came stumbling out a while later. We both had some thoughts about the day and after cleaning up and getting ourselves ready to face the day we started prepping lunch. Today would be BBQ Bourbon Chicken, a mixed veggie medley and some acorn squash. Of course I had my salad as well. 

 

A bit closer than usual.

After that I headed out for a walk by myself. I headed back to the  mountain that is very prominent in my photo’s around sunset time. I love the way the sun catches all the crags and crevices and today I wanted a bit closer look than I had the last time. I headed out on the road and stuck pretty much to some form of road except for one little jaunt through a wash that was kind of blocking my way. I didn’t want to walk all the way back to the road and then back up the other side, so I headed off through this somewhat significant wash. It was over 5 feet deep as it was over my head so that’s how I know that little bit of information. 

 

I walked back along this wash for a while. It's much more rugged than it appears in the picture

 

I managed to find some very nice camping spots if I can just figure out how to get the Igloo back there. I’ll have to check out a couple of the other roads before we leave. One is at the very bottom of the mountain, on a slight bit of a climb but not too high. We’d need to use low gear to get up but we do that already at our summer location so it’s not a big deal. I took some pics that I’ll share with you in this post. 

 

I followed this hint of a path for a while along that wash.

 

I managed to hike part way into one of the washes that went between two of the mountains, but didn’t go too far, it was far too rocky with just me on my own and I didn’t want to twist an ankle by myself. The gorge was fairly deep and I’m certain the water is moving very rapidly when it comes down there. A number of large rocks and deposits of sand could be seen along the bottom of the area. Up close and looking at that big mountain it was evident that it is pock marked with small holes and places where rocks have fallen and left spaces. A few cacti growing up there as well tells me that there are some deposits of soil of some kind with enough depth to allow these cacti to root and grow to a fairly significant size. I would like to explore further but not on my own.

 

As you can see, it goes for a long way.  This is also the back of the campsite I would like to slip into next time we're in the area.

 

I headed back home as I’d already been gone for some time. I managed to follow roadways the entire way, although some were barely considered roadways, more like ATV trails perhaps. I did move some of the more razor like looking rocks on the road way just in case I decide to take the Dogsled over that way tomorrow. I would love to take the truck to the campsite spot and check it out before hauling the Igloo in that direction. It might be a bit tight on the turn but it would be wonderful to get there. It’s not a place I would park at this time of the year but later in the year when we head home it would be a nice spot to sit for a few days. It is literally at the foot of the mountain. 

This is a partial view from that same campsite.

 

Back home I checked the time I’d been gone just under 2 hours. I didn’t necessarily put in a lot of miles but I did enjoy the exercise and the views. I puttered around outside taking down a few little Christmas things when Kim and Taz (a small dog) were walking by. Kim comes from a couple of roads over, and is our nearest ‘distance’ neighbour but not our closest reachable neighbour. Two big washes make it difficult to cut cross country to reach Kim’s place. Kim and her husband Marty are from Washington and are heading toward Texas where Marty has a brother. They have a nice little travel trailer with an Add-A-Room that they make a lot of use of. She chatted and asked to see inside the Igloo, and after the grand tour she headed off with a bag full of movies as we had thinned out our selection. She told us to drop by to check out the Add-A-Room anytime. 

 

The view from a little further down the roadway leading from the campsite

 

Back inside I washed up, enjoyed my salad and then just needed to nap. I slept for about an hour and a half. Riley cooked lunch which was excellent in case you were wondering. She thoughtfully covered mine and I ate it when I got up. We added a couple of oatmeal cookies to the end of the meal, they hit the spot.

 

More like trails than roads...

 We both grabbed our sticks and headed out taking the same route as yesterday. We were just passing Kim & Marty’s trailer when we met Kim and Taz, she invited us in and we chatted for a few minutes, meeting Marty and enjoying the visit. We were soon on our way once again heading back the way we’d come and arriving home within 20 minutes. 

 

A survey stick but I loved the sun's rays...

I stayed outside to catch the sunset but too much cloud cover prevented any kind of show tonight. I did however gather a few dead sticks while waiting for the light show and tomorrow we’ll have a little fire and enjoy the smells of the desert wood. 

 

 

Sonya, Josh and Jack left today as I was coming back from my walk. We didn’t get a chance to say good bye but we do wish them safe travels. 

 

Looks different up closer.....

That was our day, nothing spectacular but it was interesting and fun. We enjoyed meeting Kim, Marty and Taz. Perhaps we’ll run into them further down the road or perhaps at another time back here in this area. It would be nice. The day wasn’t warm enough for short pants and I wore a light weight pull over for part of my morning walk and again this afternoon. Not a bad day but not overly warm either. 

 

 

Last night I called my buddy Ron in Kansas to find out that a friend of ours from Benton Harbor, Michigan who  winters at Magic River Campground, Long Beach, MS passed away yesterday during emergency surgery. Mac McKinney (Mac was his nick name, I don’t recall his given name) was a fixture around the place all winter. Mac was an early riser and could be counted on to be around the fire pit between 5 - 5:30 am pretty much every morning. Mac will be greatly missed by all who enjoy the Magic River Campground hospitality over the winter seasons. Our condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace Mac. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. We hope you’ve had an excellent day as well. 

 

Until next time…take care, be safe,

Deb

A very Merry Christmas to one and all....

Our Location: Saddle Mountain BLM, Tonopah, Arizona

Today's pics are sunrise, lunch and sunset. Sorry but I didn't take any other pictures at all today.

Start of sunrise between 7 - 7:30 am

Merry Christmas to all! May this day bring the love and warmth of family and friends to you and yours. 

Opposite the sunsets, the skies go from red to yellow

A coolish Christmas morning here in Saddle Mountain BLM as the temperature reached 37F/ 2C over night.  I’m sure I heard the sleigh bells ring as St. Nick passed overhead much earlier around 5 am. A Merry Christmas wish from daughter Courtney about an hour after that had me thinking it was time to put the iPad aside and get out of bed. A beautiful sunrise brought the day to a awesome start between 7 - 7:30 am. HRH Miss Kitty and I started the day curled up on the couch waiting for Mr Heater to warm the Igloo. Actually I was curled on the couch, she sat on the chair looking at me as if to say, well, aren’t you going to feed me yet? Which I did when I was making my hot chocolate like I do pretty much every morning. You would think she would know the routine by now. 

Enough cloud cover to make it interesting today

Around 7:45 am I headed outside, as Riley was still sleeping, to start my holiday phone calls to the great white north of Ontario, and of course to the areas of Southern Ontario that my two other daughters call home. Wishes and warm tidings were exchanged and passed around  in all of those calls. Nothing like hearing the voices of loved ones at any time, not just on this day.

Riley rolled out and while I was finishing up my phone calls and she pulled out some Grand Biscuits for breakfast. They were purchased for the occasion so it was nice to have a treat this morning. Although I will admit we’ve treated ourselves a few times this winter season to these biscuits.

We have enough chicken left over for a couple of sandwiches

After that I did a bit of tidying up and finally about 10 am got out of my jammies. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m not ever in my jammies that long. However I was a lazy bum this morning and enjoyed it to the hilt. 

Lots of veggies but my favourite is the stuffing

We decided on a walk this morning, and walked about two miles. Up one road, down another, with Courthouse Road adding the last of the triangle. On our easy walk we met Sonya from Connecticut. She travels with her youngest son, Josh and dog Jack in a van type camper. We finally made friends with Jack before we left our chat with Sonya. We chatted for about 15 minutes and enjoyed the interaction with other folks.

I left the date so you would know I wasn't just showing the same pics over and over

Back home I started prepping lunch. I opted to bypass my salad today as I still pretty full from my 3 biscuit breakfast. I put the whole chicken on the Weber around 1:30 pm and turned it twice. It was done to golden perfection and isn’t in the least bit dry. We added Thyme, Parsley, and Oregano before tossing it on the grill. It was just about ready by 2:45 pm at which time I added two packets. One of mixed veggies including fresh green beans, fresh mushrooms, spaghetti squash, celery, peppers, and carrots. In the other packet I added some butter and a bit of honey to some Acorn squash. While those were cooking Riley made some stove top stuffing. That my friends was our Christmas lunch. We have a bit of left over chicken and everything else was cleaned up with no leftovers. 

Maybe Chevy should be buying some of these pics.

After dishes I once again donned my shoes and headed off for the approx mile round trip to Courthouse Road and back. I didn’t over eat but I was certainly full and the walk made me feel much better. 

Awesome, isn't it?

The sky was overcast all day and the temps didn’t get very warm, only in the mid 60’s/ 16-18C, with a hint of wind, nothing you could actually say was wind but the hint was there. Since there wasn’t any sunshine to sit in for warmth I had to put on my fleece sweater and my Santa Hat while I sat outside reading and cooking lunch. We left the outside door open but not any windows. I closed the door when it reached 4 pm as it was cooling off quickly. Now as I sit outside taking pics of the sunset at 5:30 pm the temps are still dropping. The sky has cleared up some with some blue showing more now that the sun has left the sky. A nice light yellow seems to be the colour of the moment. 

Our plans are to kind of pack up a few things tomorrow but nothing much. We will be heading to Buckeye on Wednesday to do a stock up shop before we head out on Thursday. I also want to top up the Dogsled’s fuel bowl before I hook up as I find it much easier to do so. I find that it’s often difficult enough to get to the diesel pumps with just the truck as some people have no concept of what the green handled pumps are for and park their little cars in the middle of the pumps to block anyone from using the other pump. When I’ve got the Igloo behind me it makes it a bit more difficult to maneuver around those folks. Which is the reason we aren’t taking the Igloo with us to stock up and then head out. We aren’t pressed for time so we can take our time and do it over two days. Less hassle, less stress. I like less stress.

A plane left his calling card in the night sky too.

So there you have it, our Christmas Day. Peaceful, bountiful and quiet. We like that. We hope you’ve all had a wonderful day, feeling the love and affection of family and friends, enjoying the warmth of the season in a way that was comfortable for you. While it seems we can’t have peace in the world, I’m happy to settle for the peace we’ve found here at Saddle Mountain during out stay.

A birthday greeting goes to cousin Barry, who celebrates his birthday today. A Christmas baby that was definitely a unique gift, he is truly one of a kind! Happy Birthday Barry!!

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to drop a comment. 

Merry Christmas, goodnight from Saddle Mountain, Tonopah, Arizona

Until next time…take care, be safe,


Deb