Quick note

We are heading out this afternoon for Buttercup Ridge in Roseneath, Ontario where we will be for some time, at least until the beginning of May. I have no idea if the jet pack works there as we didn't have it working when we were there in the fall. The internet isn't turned on in the house either so I can't promise to post any posts or answer anything while we're there. So if there are no posts, don't be concerned about our safety dear friends. It just means we have no connection. 

Take care, be safe, 

Deb

Very busy productive day, visit with family....

Our Location: Walmart, Rymal Road East, Hamilton, Ontario

 

(yesterday's post)

 

It was cold when we woke this morning. Cold inside and out but we started the heater and before long it was toasty warm. I didn't tarry long as I had an appointment downtown at the Rheumatologist's office. I always dislike going down to the downtown area, the parking is a bear to begin with and with the Dogsled it's not fun. The spots aren't meant for anything bigger than a Tonka toy.  

 

Eventually I got parked in my favourite lot and headed up the hill to the Carlton Building where the good Dr. Bobba is located. After a years wait for the elevator (I won't climb 6 flights of stairs) I managed to snag a ride upwards. Ever notice how no one speaks in an elevator? Haha..ride with me sometime, I talk. Never know what I might say but I talk. 

 

Before I even managed to get checked in I was hustled into a room by the good doctor himself. We chatted for about 4 minutes, I answered the same 6 questions, did a few new bends and twists, told to come back in 4 months, which I said I wouldn't be in the area but would be back in 6. We agreed that would work and off I went. I managed to get checked in as I was leaving the office. How good was that? I was getting out about the time I should have been getting in. I like Dr. Bobba as I think he's pretty good at what he does and there is never a long wait for your appointment. You're almost in and out right on time every time. I never feel rushed though and I know if I have questions or concerns he'll take the time to answer to them for me. So I have no complaints. 

 

Downstairs I headed to the blood lab, I'm a bit late on getting my blood work done. Oh well, that's the way life goes. I waited for about 15 minutes before I was called in. Fast simple and easy except they kept my blood requisition form which they shouldn't have done. I need it to get blood work done every two months. So now I'll have to get in touch with the dr's office to get another form sent to me. I should have remembered to take it but well I just didn't. 

 

Back at the Igloo I picked up Riley and we headed for the bank. Her debit card stopped working earlier when we were away but since mine worked we managed. I thought it was the strip in the back looked a little hinky. So yes they replaced the card but also there was a lock on the card, use for deposit only. So we had to call the Loss Prevention Center. Long story short, after about 40 minutes we had that corrected as well. Thanks to Colleen at TD Canada Trust, Rymal Road branch for all her help. 

 

From there we headed a bit further down the road to Queenston Tire on Upper Centennial Parkway. I've used this tire place before in the past and had great service there. Also the one down by the traffic circle in the east end of Hamilton is good too. I went in to explain my tire issue and we came up with a great solution. Go back get the Igloo bring it there, park there for the night, they'll have the tire replaced, back on, and the spare back where it goes by the time we finish our appointment tomorrow around noon. Sounds excellent right? So off we go, pick up the Igloo, drive the 5 minutes to the tire place, turn in and I've got a fellow directing me to go NOT were I had been told to park. No problem, I know this guy, not his name but I know his face, he works here. So I pull up where he directs me, get out and guess what? It was all done within 15 minutes and I was told I could still park there overnight. Is that service or what? Thanks to the folks at Queenston Tire, Upper Centennial Parkway. We were back at the Walmart (less slush here) within a half hour and set up in no time. 

 

A quick lite lunch and the rest of the afternoon was spent reading. Around 7 pm we hopped into the Dogsled for the 3 minute ride to the Vicar's Vice, an old church converted into a restaurant. Yes we could have walked but it was cold windy and we'd have to cross a very major roadway with no lights available, easier  and safer to drive. Very nice place, a bit on the expensive side but not overly. We met Bradey and David, (middle daughter and her fiance) there for dinner. Unfortunately they can't make it to Buttercup Ridge for a visit. It was nice to see them and catch up, they are full of excitement with a house purchase perhaps in the future, as well as a wedding tentatively set for late 2018. We all came back to the Igloo to continue our visit but around 9:30 pm they headed out for home. They both have to work in the morning and a dog that needs to be walked before bed. 

 

So no post as it was late for me and I was tired. I'd had a very busy day. Again no pictures as the internet slows down extremely the busier Walmart gets. Even though it's our own jet pack there are so  many cell phones being used it slows everything down here. 

 

So there you  have it, our busy day yesterday.  We had a change of plans late yesterday with regards to our travel to Buttercup Ridge in the next few days. So I'll be filling you on that in the next post.

 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you all had a fantastic day. Feel free to leave a comment, or feel free to just stop by without leaving one. I'm always happy to hear from you should you chose to make your presence known. 

 

Until next time... take care, be safe

 

Deb

Arrived Hamilton, wet, rain and a bit warmer.....

Our Location: Walmart, Rymal Road E, Hamilton, Ontario

(again, no pictures, they just won't load)

The wind stopped last night in the oddest manner. It just stopped. One big gust rocked us a bit as I was getting ready to climb into bed and then nothing more. Didn't hear anything, didn't feel anything, and no I wasn't asleep either. It was the oddest feeling when I realized there was no more wind. It stopped so fast it was scary. The rain also stopped but I did hear it pitter patter once or twice through the night but not hard, just a soft sound. 

 

This morning's temperature was 37F/2.7C which wasn't too bad at all. The tiniest of winds kicked up a bit but nothing you'd notice at all. We were out of bed by 7 am and decided we'd pull out this morning as it was supposed to warm up the further we came to the north east. Hamilton was predicting a high of 48F/9 C this afternoon. A quick pack up, checked all the rubber and we were good to go by 8:15 am. 

We cruised along in the slow lane until we reached the next ONRoute at Dutton, Ontario and while Riley visited Tim Hortons for coffee and a couple of timbits, I checked all the rubber once again. It all looked fantastic and soon Riley was back outside with our nice hot drinks, and a wee treat. The temperature was still steady at 37F/2.7C and we continued motoring along. The roads were wet, with a bit of slop coming up, mist appeared to settle over some of the country side which actually turned out to be more fog than mist but it had the same effect, we had to use the wipers sparingly the whole trip. 

As we approached London, Ontario area we made note of some ice still coating the roadside grasses, trees, bushes and some of the fields as well. The temperature was a steady 37F/2.7C here but it didn't appear to be melting. Again the roads were just wet. We also noted traces of snow and slush that had piled up along the roadside due to road cleaning but nothing on the road except wetness. Still fog/mist lingering in the area making it appear to be brightly gloomy if you know what I mean. 

As we rolled along the 401 East bound we waved to our friends Bill (On Our Way), Patsy (Chillin' with Patsy) & Clemson ( no known blog url) as they are still tucked away in the fair city of London, Ontario. 

From London we headed on to Woodstock, then 403 to Brantford which like the 401 was simply wet. The further north east we travelled today the less it seemed as if spring is on it's way. The bare brown fields turned to lakes of muddy water and  cold looking ice patches, the trees remain leafless and barren, the grass while showing hints of green is mostly that mottled brown/black of dead winter. Soon we started noticing more snow in areas that are protected from the wind, such as ditches, tree lines, etc not much but a dusting of sorts. Even further along we noticed more snow in the open areas not just around the tree bottoms or protected areas. Soon the fields were covered with no dirt showing through, just the hint of dirt. A few cornstalks poking their winter weathered heads up through the white frosting proved to us that it was indeed a field and the little stalks shivering  as they stood guard in lines like soldiers. 

As we approached Brantford the rain started to fall, not hard but in dribs and drabs, making things seem promising but disappointing at the same time. Promising because spring rains means warm weather, flowers, etc. Disappointing because so far they have just meant more cold, more ice, less sun, no warmth. Oh, the burdens of being Canadian. 

Again the roads were wet and the sky's dark but the temperature which dipped from a high of 37F/2.7C to 33F/ .5C had jumped back again when we reached Hamilton to the high temperature of 36F/2.2C. So we can't complain, now can we? It's at least figuring out which direction is the right one, so soon it will be pushing higher in the right direction. We found the Lincoln Alexander Parkway to be rough, misty and not quite as busy as I expected. We sailed along the top edge of the city until our exit at Dartnall Road which we took to Rymal Road, thus leading us to our current destination. 

Richard, the girls and I lived about 1 mile/1.6 km from this very store for 20 years. Actually Richard, Courtney and I lived there for 20 years, while Bradey and Riley were born after we moved in to the house. So we know the area pretty well. Riley and I commented a couple of times of the lack of activity around the schools as we came further north east. Turns out the schools were all closed today for a weather day. The thing is we didn't really have any weather. We pulled into the Walmart lot at 11:30 am having been on the road for about 3 hours. We travelled approx 155 miles/250 km . An easy travel day, the weather other than rain was perfect for driving. 

We were told when we asked about parking here that Walmart doesn't own the lot and can't give permission but others have stayed. If the owner of the parking lot wants us to move they will have to tell so. There are no signs and so I'm happy here for the next couple of days. I have an appointment in the morning with the Rheumatologist and we have dentist appointments Thursday late morning. I want to have the tire on the Igloo replaced, the spare tire put back where it goes and we need to do a few other little things as well. I need to have blood work done as I forgot about it last month. Oh well, the worst that will happen is the good Dr. Bobba will tell me how important it is to have it done. The best that will happen is he won't mention it.  Since he asks the same 6 questions and I give the same 6 answers I doubt it's imperative but I'll have it done quickly here. 

So there you have it, our travel day. We have a few more to go before we reach our summer location but we won't be heading there for some time as they are still getting winter weather. About a foot of snow fell on Manitoulin Island over the course of the last 24-36 hours. They had some hail, sleet, freezing rain, snow, ice pellets and just about anything else that could be tossed their way. When I spoke to Dad this afternoon he said it was starting to rain. The snow is too wet to push with the quad, so the big tractor blower will have to be used to move it. It's mid April for goodness sake, this isn't appropriate weather at all. 

A quick HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother Rick today. We enjoy the visits we manage with him and his lovely wife Barb, along with their children and grandchildren during our stay at our summer location. Rick is always helpful when I ask for some help with things or advice about something. It'll be nice to see him and Barb along with the children, grandchildren when we get back to the island. So Happy Birthday big brother. We hope it's been a fantastic day!!!

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate them all. If you don't wish to leave a comment, that's okay too and I hope you enjoyed the post. 

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

Deb

Wind, rain, flat tire.......

Our Location: ONRoute, Tilbury, Ontario

A cold night outside but not too bad inside, we were tucked under our covers and only noticed the cold upon getting out of bed. We both slept in my bed, opting to keep the slides in so there would be no accumulation of ice should it happen. It was a lucky move, we had a bit of ice to be sure but it appeared to be from the cold wind, instead of the freezing rain part. 

For some reason the internet connection wasn't good last night. It showed four bars but was very slow. The pictures wouldn't up load  at all.  It took a long time to even post the blog and nothing else would load after that, so I gave up after about an hour. This morning it worked great for a while but is once again showing signs of not working so well. Oh well, it is what it is, the phones work great and that's what matters most. 

We needed to partially open one of the slides this morning to get the dry cat food which we forgot to take out yesterday morning. Since that is the side with the hose in the window I needed to go out to ensure nothing happened that shouldn't happen. I'm glad I stepped outside. A thin layer of ice was over the handle, and the steps but not the off wind side of the walls. I did however notice a flat tire just as I stepped down on the ground. The front tire on the Igloo is completely flat. So we will be here until tomorrow for certain. 

We got the cat food, pulled the slide back in and I began the process of calling the auto club at 8:30 am. I very rarely ever use it but it's nice to have when we need it right? The nice lady that I spoke with, whose name happened to be Deborah, was very pleasant and friendly. Hm.....now the problems are starting. First she can't locate the ONRoute address to send someone. That is resolved within a few minutes. Good to go right? No, another problem.  It says my contract has been cancelled. Not possible, I paid back in November. Further digging show's it's been transferred, but closed in Southern Ontario, since it was moved to Northern Ontario when I contacted them about moving. Okay, Deborah will call N. Ontario CAA to get the information to send someone to us. Some issue on that end, Deborah will continue to look into and call ME back when she has the answer. Within 5 minutes she calls me with yet another issue. They don't open until 10 am. Now I have to call back after that time. So here we sit waiting for 10 am so I can call back and get this thing moving forward before the day ends.

 I will condense this at it took most of the day to get the job accomplished. Numerous calls, discussions, and information were exchanged which still didn't seem to be correct even by the time the job was almost complete. The first fellow to arrive had trouble finding us, his jack wasn't big enough and they had completely screwed up the information. Second fellow called, laughed when I told him the weight and said he couldn't help me but he'd let dispatch know. Eventually two dispatchers were needed to complete the task and at 3:30 pm on the dot, 2 nice young fellows from Kaltire showed up and were gone within 10 minutes, everything fixed and we're ready to roll when the afternoon comes tomorrow. 

The tire had a separation issue and went flat over night instead of blowing apart on the road. How lucky is that? So the spare tire is on, the tire in need of replacement is on the back of the Igloo and when we reach Hamilton I will have a new tire put on the rim and placed on the Igloo, putting the spare back where it belongs. They were young, sweet and very helpful. I was certain to give them a nice tip for their troubles. 

Over the course of the day I discovered where the cold draft was coming from that seems to have been an issue since we arrived here. The closet slide in my bedroom is blowing cold air like there are huge holes in the wall. The entire outer edge of the slide has a cold wind coming in whenever there is a gust outside. Explains why it was so cold up stairs last night. The slide is on the wind side. I thought closing it might help but it didn't do anything at all. So I've stuffed the offending areas with some blankets and towels which seems to have fixed the issue for now. I'll have to look at that as well when the weather gets a bit nicer. For now I'll just keep tucking the things around it when we are parked. 

The weather has of course been rainy all day but it's been a bit warmer, not nice by any means but a bit warmer. Hopefully by tomorrow the wind lets up and we can move ourselves down the road to Hamilton by afternoon. I'm looking forward to getting there, getting a new tire and having things put back together. We are also looking forward to seeing daughter/sister Bradey and her other half, David while we are in the area. Dinner Tuesday night with the two of them will give us a chance to get caught up.

I chatted with my dad twice today, we discussed the weather both here and there. They are still in the midst of a storm as well. He's quite a bit further north than we are but he says they've had it all, ice pellets, snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain, and when we talked the last time it was still snowing and of course the issue is the wind. Makes it very difficult to see with all the snow blowing around. 

I also chatted with my friend Linda, who lives a bit further north than my dad. She said they had just started getting some weather and they hadn't had much of any weather even though a lot of snow had been predicted. We chatted for about an hour, catching up on a few things. I'm looking forward to seeing her and her hubby Randy within the next month. We'll be making a stop close to their home on our way to our summer location at Dad's. 

Around 6 pm daughter Courtney called to say hello and we chatted about our upcoming visit at Buttercup Ridge. I'm looking forward to seeing her so  much, it's been a while since we've actually physically spent time together.  She and her hubby Matt will be coming out to spend a couple of days with us!! I'm very excited!

After that I finished the book I was reading, Sue Grafton, R is for Ricochet. A pretty good book, not quite the same as the other letters of the alphabet but I enjoyed it anyway. I'll start a new book tomorrow some time. 

The temperatures are hovering pretty steady I think a few degrees above freezing here in Tilbury and it appears that by tomorrow afternoon all of this nasty stuff should be behind us, the ice will hopefully have melted, and all things will be good from here on out. 

Again no pictures as it's just too slow to load them. I think there are so many folks on their phones and such here at the ONRoute that it's the reason every thing is so slow. When not many folks are around it's pretty fast. Riley spent some time inside the ONRoute building today during our tire changing experience so she was out of the cold  and reported that the building was running on back up generator power. She commented the lights flickered off and on a number of times as well. I know that parts of Manitoulin Island were also without power for some hours today, but not where my dad is located. Further to the north and west from his locale. However a cousin out the road called to ask my Dad and brother to come out to remove a tree that had fallen on the house. However it hadn't actually landed on the house, it had slide down the side of the of it. So no roof damage but some scraped up siding. Parts of Toronto were having trouble with flying ice as it blew off power lines, tree branches, etc. A few downed limbs were also evident in the area in which daughter Courtney lives.  Definitely not a nice weekend here in Ontario, pretty much any area you look at had nasty wet weather and strong NE winds. Winds will calm considerably over night at last look. 

So there you have it. A real eventful day in our little neck of the woods. Glad we were sitting still for it. I hope you've all had an excellent day, that you stayed warm, dry, and unharmed where ever you may be. Tomorrow will be a better day I'm certain. Thanks for stopping by, please feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate them all. If you don't wish to leave a comment, that is also just fine, I'm still happy you dropped by for a visit. 

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

Deb




 

 

Rain, windy, back in Ontario.......

Our Location: ONroute, Tilbury, Ontario

 

(No pictures today, they just won't upload)

 

It was very warm last night when I went to bed but by morning it had dropped 30 degrees staying steady at 47F/ 8C with over cast skies. At 7 am my dad called to ask what kind of weather we were having and telling us they were having snow, high winds, and it was very cold. We chatted for a few minutes before saying goodbye. Riley and I were quick at getting everything secured and ready to roll just at the time the rain started to fall. 

 

We didn't have to go very far for our first stop, only a few hundred feet to the dump station. I will be honest with you, we made it up the first hill okay until I tried to turn to the right then we had a problem. The washed out hill, the new gravel and well you get the idea. For a few feet we were chattering sideways until I stopped, popped into 4x4 and with a little bit of a heavy foot we managed to get up the hill. I left us in 4x4 until we had arrived safely on the very top ridge at the dump station. 

 

Of course, it started to rain again as soon as my feet hit the grass outside the Dogsled door. No worries I'd donned my bright yellow rain slicker and proceeded to sweat as the temps were too warm for a none breathable coat, but the air was wet and the rain drops cold. Oh well, it's only a short time outside, then I'll head inside, change my shoes and sweater, coat, and be ready to the hit the road. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get the water to come out of their hose. They had some kind of valve after the handle on the faucet but the valve just spewed water everywhere except out the end of the hose to rinse the sewer hoses. So I simply turned on the pump and used our own water, a quick rinse, put the hoses away, changed into dry clothes. We were heading out the driveway at 8:10 am. Of course the rain has been coming in waves at this time, now it continues but with a bit more gusto. 

 

Our RV GPS had us wandering around the back roads like two lost sheep. She was basically having us go west for a mile, go north for a mile, go west, go north, etc. I mean really? The Interstate it 12 miles that way, lets just go that way. Finally I just ignored her and off we went finding the Interstate just where I thought it would be, it hadn't moved since last fall. That added at least 30 minutes to our time. I wasn't impressed. I'm going to be chatting with Garmin in the near future, I am not happy and for the price I paid for this thing, it should damn well work properly. 

 

So we finally climbed onto the interstate near exit 103 north, and pushed the Big Dog toward Lima, only 21 miles/ 33 km away. For the entire morning we rolled along at 55 mph/ 88.5 km through the nearly flat state of Ohio. The wind wasn't bad at all when we started out, the rain kind of came and went, never very hard though, I think I only had the wipers on full once due to spray from the truck ahead and beside that seemed to be just sitting on my front bumper and my side door. Not sure why they do that but oh well. I will say the roads were pretty good until we reached the upper edges of Ohio and in to Michigan. It was here that the winds started to be noticeable as well. Michigan is always a nightmare for that stretch around Monroe. I thought for certain I drove over another 5'er that was lost in the hole with just his A/C sticking out. Turns out I didn't, it was just my imagination, but a couple holes were deep enough to get lost in and I was lucky to avoid those ones. I will be driving the middle lane in that stretch from now on though, they'll have to pull me over to give me a ticket before I start driving in the slow lane again until they fix that particular piece of roadway. It's insane. We pulled off at Luna Station for a fuel stop as the prices seemed to be steadily rising, we were seeing only numbers right at or above the $3 per gallon mark. We filled the Big Dog's bowl for $3.09 a gallon. The Big Fella took 22 gallons, or approx 83 liters (1 US Gallon = 3.79 CDN liters). Couldn't squeeze in $50, stopped at $49.50 USD.

 

We reached the area of construction, which of course were shut down today and motored right along. As we approached Dearborn exit the traffic suddenly came to a very fast slow down, a creep along. Within 15 seconds of the slow down I could see the problem ahead. A big rig had jack knifed in the 'fast' lane into the construction lane and just his back bumper was sticking out a bit into the next lane, he wasn't impeding traffic by more than 6" -8". The driver was out walking around but no one else was on scene so it had literally just happened. We didn't see or hear any evidence of law enforcement, medical or fire aid of any kind. We were past the end of his truck within 30 seconds and on our way. Sorry for his troubles but we didn't see it, he wasn't hurt, we couldn't help, so lets get out of the way. No need to gawk, big deal his nose is kissing his A**, he's fine, keep driving. 

 

We pulled up to the Canada Customs lines which are confusing in that they now have lots of truck lanes open but no arrows pointing you to the car lanes, nor is there an RV lane, which there is going the other way at this crossing. I checked the time, 12:15 pm. We found our way to the car lane, 4 folks ahead, we rolled along and were at the booth within probably 4 to 5 minutes. Nice lady asked us a couple of questions and told us to have a nice day. We were across in a little more than 5 minutes. Yeah us!! Welcome to Canada. Home of the Maple Leaf, Tim Horton's, and $1.25 per liter diesel. So that $49.50 fill up would have cost me $103.75 here in Ontario.

 

We immediately began seeing the overhead signs warning of freezing rain in Ontario. The temperatures by this time had reached 37F/2.7C and were staying steady. We discussed a few options and Riley checked out the local forecasts. We decided we'd pull in at the first ONRoute (rest area) in Tilbury/Chatham-Kent. Which is where we are right now. We pulled in against the grass edge, but are leaving the slides in to help keep us warmer and in case we receive some freezing precipitation overnight, it won't stretch the slider topper and we won't have to go up there and knock it off. Plus with the slides in we don't rock and roll so much in the wind. We had our heater going within a few minutes (which requires us to run a hose in the window), and the Igloo is nice an toasty. 

 

I called my dad, we chatted for a bit, he's glad we're off the road for the day and I'll let him know tomorrow what we plan on doing. I don't believe the roadways are the issues. I'm pretty certain they will be sanding, salting and doing all that good stuff over the next two days. The issue I believe will be when one is getting off and on the roadways, ramps, side streets, parking lots, etc will not be as well  maintained as the major road ways will be. So we're going to sit here until late tomorrow afternoon or Monday late morning before heading out to Hamilton. By then every thing should be cleaned up, salted or melted, as the temperatures will rise a bit in the next day. 

 

So there you have it, we are safely back in Canada, although we will be conserving our battery power a bit as there doesn't appear to be much sun in the forecast for a few days.  The temperatures are above the freezing mark and in this area there are no freezing rain warnings posted on the web. Just a bit further along there are of course lots of warnings posted. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. I hope you've had a wonderfully safe and productive day. Thanks again for following along. Please feel free to leave a comment if you like, I read them all. For those don't wish to leave a comment, that's quite alright too, I'm honoured that came by to read! 

 

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

 

Deb

 

 

 

Very warm, sunny and windy on our last full day here in Oakdale Campground.......

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

After posting my blog last night I managed to chat with the fella who's seasonal spot I'm sitting in right now. Never did get his name but I spoke with him and the rake Lady. Very nice folks, he's bringing his trailer in today but apparently always parks it where his truck was sitting, on the other side of the Igloo. This area is apparently where the single folks congregate. 

I'll bet they enjoy this deck all summer, those stools are under the bar edge.

He also answered a few other questions as well. The water still has another foot or so to go before it's at normal levels. The area we see across the river is also a campground, although it looks very permanent. It's called Miami River Campground. They know the fellow with the boat, he apparently is a river hopper and comes over often during the summer months, parks his boat on this side somewhere and enjoys the company of those over here. 

This bright yellow racer is parked by the wood pile that is waiting to be split and bundled.

Gene and Sally (the welcome home sign from yesterday's pictures) are the couple in the office, they seem to be well loved here. I mentioned a few of the washed out areas and it was explained that they fix them every year but due to the hills and the spring rains, they wash out every year, which explains all the gravel piles I see around waiting to be spread. 

Can you see the boat moving on the river?

 I woke this morning before 6 am and just listened to the birds for some time. It's so peaceful here, although I'll bet when summer comes it's a lot less peaceful. We are expecting more of yesterday's weather again today and I'm looking forward to soaking up as much as I can. It doesn't look like we'll be seeing any of these kinds of temperatures for a long time unless a miraculous warm up comes along. The temperature here right now as I start this post is 57F/13.8C at 7:14 am. Not a bad way to start the day at all. 

This is on the road into the campground across the farmers field. Those rigs closest to us are in storage, the other ones are permanently placed in seasonal spots.

The morning passed quickly with routine things such as cleaning/defrosting the fridge and freezer, dishes, dusting, vacuuming, you know the drill right? So now our little Igloo is clean and ready for the next part of our homeward trek. We didn't clean anything outside as we'll be driving in rain conditions anyway, so it would be a waste of time. 

The middle road is toward the dump station and bath house. 

Riley and I headed out to get some much needed propane as one of the small tanks was starting to seen a bit on the light side, and one of the big tanks was for sure getting close to the bottom. I wanted to fill them up before heading across the border tomorrow. I've found that the folks here actually fill the tanks but back in Ontario they don't seem to allow the air to bleed and that seems to make a huge difference in how long the tanks last.  For future reference we went to Heby Oil (N. Detroit Street) but everyone was gone for the day, they do however fill tanks. The lady in the office sent us to Grand Rental on Main Street, which is a rental company with a fenced compound, literally right across the roads from the Fairground. They filled our tanks for a grand total of less than $25 USD. (About 60 cents a pound, or $2.50 a gallon) Can't beat that for amazing. Tractor Supply Company (TSC) also on Main Street will fill tanks as well. Don't know the price though. Both are just up the street from Walmart in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Back in Ontario it costs me $43 to exchange the big tank alone, and if they fill it, it lasts less than 3 weeks where an exchange will usually last 5 weeks. The BBQ tank is about $25 to exchange and since I haven't had them fill one for a long time I can't tell you how long they last with fill vs exchange. So anyway I look at it, I'm way ahead of the game.

The Daffs are popping up everywhere.

We headed back to the Igloo enjoying the lovely country drive and were gone less than an hour. When we got back the fella next door was backing his trailer in to the spot beside us. I climbed out and helped him get it where he wanted it and then headed back home to do our own chores. Which included putting the propane tank back, getting things ready for hitching up and in fact today we did hitch up the truck which we don't usually do but we want have as little to do tomorrow as possible. Riley lifted the back feet, put away the two lawn chairs and I removed the lock, lantern, and temperature probe before hooking up. So we'll be out of here in the morning with minimal work. 

See what I mean? Just popping up everywhere.

The fella's name next door is Lou. The nice lady on the end of the rake, who's trailer also arrived today is named Jodi and the folks behind us also arrived for a bit today, some one over there is named Jr., while Dave is across the roadway. Lou is a chatter and loves to talk. He informed us if we wanted to see deer to head up to the top of hill around dusk and we'd see 20 easily as they come out into the field. He told us Gene & Sally are the managers of the park, not the owners. We learned a lot of stuff that is of no interest to anyone out there. Lou is a sweet fella, a charming aw shucks, kind of guy. He has a beautiful chocolate brown Chesapeake Retriever, Buddy who is four years old. He is a sweet fella and loves attention, water and playing fetch. 

I know I posted a picture similar to this one before but the grass is greener and it just looks warmer and more cheerful now in the fantastic weather.

  
I chatted with my dad for a bit today as well. Just checking on things and finding out all the latest weather for the area. He says they are getting nothing at this time, no snow, no sun, no wind, he also says today is a warm day at 43F/6 C, lots of yesterdays snow is melting. He can see a few patches of green here and there but figures with the weather coming tomorrow it'll be gone under more snow pretty quick. I'll talk to him again probably once a day for the next few days at least as I talk to him every day when we are travelling and with the weather not looking too good, I'm pretty certain it will ease his mind to know how things are going for us. 

A different view of the Miami River.

The high today reached 79F/26C, with wonderful blue skies. Windy of course as it caused numerous leaves to lift from their resting place and fly around in swirls, diving, dashing, flipping and just rustling everywhere. A number of folks around us are raking winter debris, repairing with hammer and nails, etc as the weather has dried things out a fair amount. Tomorrow here the rain is supposed to start around noon time. They are expecting 2 or 3 more days of rain again. They aren't happy, they've had enough and want spring to arrive so they can get down to the business of enjoying their time in the park. I will say the park across the river has some very loud folks there, we can easily hear them over here on our side of the river, we can distinguish each and every word in their conversations.

Riley took most of the pictures today and enjoyed this sign.

So the day has found us enjoying the heat, sun and folks around us. We have found them warm, inviting and friendly. It has been enjoyable to spend this time in Oakdale Campground and I think it's safe to assume we may return in the future if our plans find us in the area. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've enjoyed your day as much as we have here. I hope you found peace, warmth, and joy in all the expected but also the unexpected places and people around you. Please feel free to drop a comment, I appreciate them all very much. 

Look west along the Miami River at the Miami River Campground.

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

Deb

Very warm, sunny but with some pretty high winds....

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

A much warmer night with temperatures reading 51F/10.5C at 7:30 AM when I came downstairs. Now that is more like it and although we are under a wind advisory the temperatures today promise to be warm as well. Although the sky doesn't look like it will be a totally sunny day we will enjoy whatever we get and not complain. 

Ohio 235 North is at the end of the driveway, and that flag is showing there is a lot of wind today. In fact we have a wind advisory.

 Like other fellow Canadians we all know the risk of coming home at this time of the year and it looks like we didn't get lucky this time with temperatures about 10 degrees below seasonal norms. A freezing rain warning will be in effect pretty much all weekend for parts of the more northerly and eastern reaches of Southern Ontario. Hopefully the accumulation is minor and the roads remain ice free. We will however be taking our time and staying as far out of that area as we can. 

This farm house is between the road and the campground.

While reading blogs I noted a few more blogger friends have also arrived safely in the frozen north over the past few days. Ivan ( Road Trip 2018), along with Dave & Cheryl (Our View from Here) have also returned home. Both seem to have landed softly in the snow that is still covering the ground, with Ivan coming out the winner in having the most snow to contend with. I wish them all warmer days ahead and hopefully spring will appear rapidly.

The park is the right of the picture, the road to the left.

In yesterday's pictures I noted the white Chevy parked beside us. It's a relatively new thing in the last couple of days. Two fellows arrived in work trucks one evening around 5:30 pm, left one truck and off they went in the other. In the morning at 5:47 am they returned, but with two vehicles, leaving the big white Chevy behind and taking off in the two work trucks. They didn't return that night but they did last night, this time leaving the two work trucks and taking only the big Chevy. This morning they arrived about mid way between 5:30 and 6:00 am to take the two and leave the one. They don't go to any of the trailers or cabins, they just leave the different trucks. I will say they are pretty quiet over all not saying much but they do bang a lot of doors. I wonder if we're parked in front of their seasonal spots as they seem pretty comfortable here. Oh well, we'll be leaving in a couple of days. 

Definite signs of spring in the small forest near the driveway.

We've also noted that there are train tracks nearby, not close enough to be a bother but we do hear the far off rumbling of the trains. They go constantly day and night, I know this because I'm not the best sleeper and often awake at various hours throughout the night and I can hear them rumbling way off in the distance. Some times it takes a minute or so to figure out what the noise is, as it almost sounds like thunder off in the distance.

Welcome to Oakdale Campground. 

The sun shone off and on until about lunch time and then came out in full force and it was absolutely fantastic. Our high temperatures are almost embarrassing to tell our fellow Canadians stuck in the deep freeze and cold but we reached 76F/24.4C this afternoon. By 4:50 pm we were starting to cool down to 74F/ 23.3C. The wind has been blowing hard all day. 

Can you see the new leaves coming out?

I walked our garbage all the way to the dumpsters out by the farmhouse near the road. The weather was warm enough to go in long pants and a shirt but would have been too cool for me in shorts or without a cover up on my arms and shoulders. The wind however caused some dust devils to dance around me and make it difficult to see with my hair flying across my face. The trees were creaking and the wind through the branches was quite loud. We managed to walk around the park a bit today as well. We were back at the office for a few minutes to see if the water was on. The spigot near us was open and no water was forth coming, the fella assured me that the water on the OTHER side of the Igloo was on, but not the water nearest the river. So we managed to fill our fresh water tank today in the nice sunny afternoon. 

I'm not sure the purple flowers are real but the others are daffs, and they are real, they are all over the park.

We grabbed our books/tablets and sat outside for an hour today, managing to get mostly out of the wind where it became almost hot in the sun. NO COMPLAINTS, just saying it was a bit extreme from below freezing to above room temperature in the span of 2 days. Kind of a jolt to the system. I have no doubt we'll have a jolt on Saturday when we head to Ontario and it won't be a good jolt like this one. 

Looking down one of the roads here in the park.

The afternoon was a very pleasant one, I even managed a 30 minute nap at one point. I'm enjoying my book by Dick Wolfe, the creator of Law and Order, called The Intercept. It's pretty good so far and I think I'll be finishing it within the next day or two.
 

Looking the other way down the same road.

My dad called while I was out walking and anyone that seen me would think I was a bit odd, as I was walking backward to keep the phone mic out of the wind so he could hear me. He informed me they were currently under blizzard like conditions and at times it was difficult to see very far. Said it had just started within the last hour and didn't show any signs of letting up. He doesn't think we should come north too fast, maybe late into the first or early into the second week of May. He says it's pretty cold at night and the snow is a bit deep. No snow was falling when he headed up to the Sugar Shack to put on the fire but his quad was easily covered when he came out within a short time, so I guess it's falling fast. 
 

Looking up toward the top of the hill in the park.

We discussed the weekend weather and how it would impact us on our way home. I assured him we wouldn't take any chances and we certainly won't. Hopefully the temperatures are a few degrees above freezing and that will solve all the issues.
  

A number of nice rigs here in the park.

  
We once again sat with the door open pretty much most of the day, the wind strong but from the back didn't seem to bother us much inside and we tucked ourselves out of the wind by sitting under the front of the nose and the wind seemed to blow right past us. 

Numerous boats, sea doo's, and a couple of rigs all waiting patiently for someone to come.

 I found out the fella with the trucks is actually the fella that rents one of these spots around us. I'm not sure which spot but the office gentlemen told me that when I was chatting with him. He even sent Roger around to see if we managed to get the water working. So they are very helpful here in the park, I have to say. I also noticed the NO SMOKING sign in the window beside the door, but it's not new. The inside of the office was much cleaner, no ashtrays, no smell of any kind. So maybe my complaint did some good. Who knows. 

Sewage holding tanks here, almost every spot has one. A honey wagon comes around to pump them probably once or twice a week during the season.

We also noticed a lady this afternoon on the handle of a rake doing some mighty hard work in the seasonal spots around us. Not sure if one of them is hers or if she's been hired to do the work. She's wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and I can say she's probably dressed well for the work. I've noticed a few piles of debris that have been cleaned up in various places and are just waiting for someone to come along and haul them off. 

Cute little cabin, don't you think?

Also noted the fella across the river whose dock I showed you yesterday in the split before and after picture, now has his pontoon boat in the water and even took it for a ride down river today. The busy builder was working once again today on the reno/construction work, also across the river. They work a lot over there. I think both of them have actually been staying there while they've been working.
 

As you can see, the water is still going down.

Speaking of the Miami River it is now flowing west to east, which I think is probably the correct direction. I think with the high flood waters it was more swirling than flowing when we arrived. The wind managed to make it a bit choppy today on the river, no white caps but still a good bit of up and down on the surface.

The huge wood pile in the background suggests they split and sell the wood from the near by forest that has fallen or has been taken down. I believe this may be the 'grader blade' they use on the roads in the park. Looks heavy enough and that piece of iron goes full length under those wood pieces.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. Please feel free to leave a comment. I love to hear from you. I hope you all managed to have a fantastic day. 

Spring is coming to Quincy, Ohio.

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

Deb