The crew and I aren’t traveling this summer. Instead the Best Little Trailer rests in the backyard of our recently purchased home in southern Arizona. I busy myself with house projects in preparation for the arrival of my sister, Nancy, and her dog, Marg, later this summer.
Reggie and Roger are enjoying their new roles as yard dogs!
Today’s photos feature one of my favorite boondocks, Badger Mountain in west-central Utah. I’ve camped on Badger with my crew in three different campsites. Each one ranks high on my list of favorites. Bridget, Reggie and I camped in the site shown in this post during August 2015.
Aspens, wildflowers, cool summer temperatures, privacy, and easy access to necessary supplies are the elements that brought us back to Badger Mountain again and again.
San Pitch Mountains, Sanpete Valley, and town of Ephraim seen from Badger Mountain
Saturday, July 14 in Arizona
About once a day, sometimes twice, and occasionally during the night, a heavy rain falls, bringing cooler air and forming frantic streams in search of lower ground. I watch from my windows and the porch, fascinated by the change after months of dry desert living.
The rain brings the roof work to a halt.
Mike the roofer leaves a message on my phone: ” . . . We can’t work when the roof is wet. By the time the dew dries, it’s raining again . . . . ”
Mike’s plan for this week . . .
He will replace fascia, and add flashing, new gutters and downspouts. The goal is to carry the rain in such a way that it doesn’t flow over the side of the gutters during deluges. The water needs to be directed into downspouts to distribute it better, away from the house.
As it is now, the water comes off the roof (and over the side of gutters) in sheets, flooding the patio and other areas.
Whenever weather permits, Mike and his helper will switch back to roof work.
Ah, the joys of home ownership!
Speaking of joy . . .
The weeds are jumping for joy all around the house and yard and on both sides of the chain link fence. I ordered a little, 20-inch gas push mower from Wal-Mart. It will be delivered to our door on Monday.
The party’s over, weeds!
The new mower has a Briggs and Stratton engine, very similar to one I had in the past.
Light and small enough to maneuver in tight spots.
And tough? Oh my, that machine was tough!
It cut through Georgia vines, the likes of which Tarzan could swing from, as if they were spaghetti noodles. It looked like a toy but it could chew its way through saplings. I tamed a backyard jungle with that thing.
Interior painting has resumed.
After a break, I’m charged up again to paint! The den and Nancy’s bedroom are done and very pretty. I’ve painted most of the trim in my bedroom and started on the walls and ceiling.
Again Nancy’s decorating decisions amaze me.
To be honest, if I were given a million choices for paint color for my bedroom, the color Nancy chose wouldn’t even make my list. When at the paint department, seeing the dab of paint on the lid after it was mixed. . . well, I wasn’t jumping for joy.
Totally trusting Nancy’s judgment, this morning I paint on that icky color, and wow!
It is exquisite! I don’t know how she does it!
And from Florida!
I won’t be posting photos of the painted rooms until there’s furniture in them, and we won’t have furniture until Nancy brings it in mid-August.
Guess what?
Nancy is no longer a member of the rat race! Her last day of work was yesterday, Friday!
Her first day of retirement being a Saturday, I doubt the joy of realizing her new freedom has hit her yet.
That jump-for-joy moment will come.
rvsue
NOTE: See “The beauty of Badger Mountain and nine pounds of courage” and subsequent posts for more photos and information about this boondock.
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Hi Sue….
Love your picturesque
Hi, Ken! HOORAY FOR YOU! FIRST TODAY!
Can’t wait until Nancy shows up!
Me neither, Georgette…. especially after so many years.
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU TIED FIRST PLACE TODAY!
See…it’s not true that Friday 13 is a BAD day, at least not to your sister ! Congratulations to you both, we can’t wait to see the the interior paint & goodies at your new home.
Thanks, Lucy! Good morning to you!
Hi
Hi, Pam…. You almost made first place!
Hey Sue,
I know you are not traveling right now, but you may want to check this out for future.
rvlife.com
Looks like it may be the kind of place you are interested in.
Hi, Barbara,
Thank you. I saw the link under the previous post. I removed the one you put here as I don’t want my traffic diverted right after I publish a new post.
Hi there, I read your blog all the time, and just wanted to thank you for taking the time to post and share all the great photos. I live in Arizona too so am happy to welcome you to our world! It gets stinkin hot, and that gets old after a while, but you have a way to escape!
Hi, Hilogene,
You’re welcome! I never tire of readers acknowledging the time I put into my blog and photos. 🙂
And thank you for the welcome to Arizona. I suppose I will tire of the heat someday. So far, it’s okay with me!
I love this Badger Mountain post. Ii is so enjoyable looking. Roger and Reggie are so cute and sweet, but I still miss Spike and Bridgett.
I can’t wait until Nancy comes and brings the furniture so we can see the colors. Folks with a decorating knack seem to find beauty in some of the colors I think are awful.
I had a customer once who was in the process of painting her new home a very rich mustard gold color. It was pure ugly. She then pained the interior of the niches a deep red. Again ugly. After she moved in she invited me to see the finished product. I have to say it was one of the prettiest rooms I had ever seen, with a red with gold floral print sofa and chair, plus her other accessories was gorgeous. She even had a huge red farmhouse look buffet w/hutch in her dining room. It was awesome.
Funny thing… Even reading your description I’m thinking “ugly” yet I don’t doubt it was gorgeous, as you say. A daring, bold palette. You bring out something that is very true: Don’t judge a room until it’s furnished!
Nancy’s colors already give the rooms a look I love and I’m not sure how to describe — sophisticated, subdued. the contrasting, white trim is set off beautifully. A lovely backdrop for her furnishings….
Hooray for Nancy!! You and she will be together soon and the “whole” crew!!
How nice for you to cheer our reunion… It’ll be fun to find out how the threesome interact… two chihuahua boys and a Westie lady. 🙂
Watch for the terrier lady to be LARGE and IN CHARGE… my 10 lbs JRT rules the roost against a Lab, German Shepherd mix and a Beagle mix all of whom out weigh her be 30 or 40 lbs… not matter she is in charge of them all.
Hi, Elaine,
Ha! Remember, Reggie is part Jack Russell. He may be small but he has that terrier spirit. And Roger is part bulldog, so it shall be interesting!
I also like Briggs & Stratton, mostly because I’ve used them more than any other brand of small engine. That smaller cut should make for easy handling. If it’s a relatively small area to mow, that’s just about ideal.
Once again I’m surprised by the amount of green in your pictures. That part of Utah must have a pretty good water source.
Hi, Calvin,
I was pleased to see the least expensive, gas push mower was one with a B & S engine. It’s small, yes, but that’s okay. I’ll only mow a bit at a time. Not like when I was working and had to mow the lawn in a day.
What we have is a very large lot with bare areas of dirt (typically AZ) with patches of green. We won’t try to enlarge the green areas. As time goes by, the green areas (weeds) should become smaller. It would be nice if someday the mower is no longer needed. 🙂
Utah is surprising in many ways. Like a lot of people, I thought Utah=Red Rocks. Boy, was I wrong.
Ephraim receives avg. of 13 inches of rainfall per year. The greenery in the photos also receives moisture from snow melt from further up the mountain.
At our house in New Mexico, all rock with a few cactus and a mulberry tree. This should be your landscaping GOAL! Used a long handled propane torch for weeds! Worked well, very, very well and little strain.
Gee, Chuck, I don’t know if I can be trusted with a “long handled propane torch.” 🙂
I’m really enjoying your change of pace and projects on the new house. We RV part time because I won’t give up my sticks & brick. It provides me with roots and an anchor and I need to return to it regularly…until I get the itch to travel again. Works well for us.
As for the new rain gutters — don’t waste all that wonderful rain water! Install rain barrels with the new gutters in several places and you’ll have water to use when it’s dry. It doesn’t take much to fill a big barrel!
Hi, Peggy,
I would like having rain barrels and might install them at some point. Right now I have so many things going on between the work being done on the house, daily household tasks, painting, maintaining this blog, mowing the yard, and making smoothies (haha), that I don’t need anything else to do.
Oh, and the BLT could use a good interior cleaning, reorganizing, tender loving care….
I’m glad you’re “enjoying your change of pace and projects.” It does concern me at times that I’ll lose readers. Oh well, this is what our lives are right now.
I wouldn’t think you’d lose too many readers. You have done a great job of blending previous travel/boondock content with your present time adventure. Plus, I would think that even more people could relate to part time RV’ing. And lastly…..you and the Blogorinos are still there to answer questions people may have about the traveling lifestyle. Thank you for continuing this blog. It’s the only one I read faithfully.
Thanks, MB, for sticking with us! 🙂
See if your roof and gutter guy would install one or two barrels. Gutters and barrels are usually integrated to work together. Amazon carries rain barrels. 😊
Congrats Nancy…welcome to the “other side”. August is right around the corner! Does Nancy read your blog?
Did you see the mess up at Havasupi Falls? The turquoise waters are mud! This last week of monsoon rain was cray cray! Microburst in Mesa….I thought microbursts was an upstate NY thang! Apparently not!
Mike having to dodge these periods of rain….
Stay dry…have fun with your DIY projects (are they multiplying).
Hi, Cinandjules,
I don’t know anything about what you mentioned. Haven’t seen any AZ news or photos. All I know is what AZ blogorinos tell me. 🙂
Nancy reads my blog. I think in spurts because of demands of her job and time. She isn’t the chatty type. Once in a while she’ll comment in an email to me about the blogorinos being amazing or something like that. So I know she reads comments, too. 🙂 She will appreciate your congratulations.
We have a mobile home in Mesa and when the microburst hit my neighbor sent me pictures showing damage in our neighborhood, it was awful
We had a metal storage cabinet lifted up and spun around and blown across the yard. We were lucky, we still have our roof and our awnings. They said we had 58ph winds hail that covered the yard like snow and rain so hard it flooded all the storm drains. We’re very thankful our winter home survived.
I’m thankful, too, Debbie, that you didn’t suffer major damage to your home.
Hi Missy, I’m having computer problems with this site. Great post. Thanks. More later.
I’m curious what browser you’re using.
Firefox.
Firefox
Hi Jim,
I was having trouble with Firefox lately after a recent update. It wouldn’t open certain windows. Restoring the computer to an earlier point fixed it. Give it a try.
Posted several times but not showing. Sorry.
Maybe later will be better. Trying to comment when hundreds of people are opening up my blog simultaneousy and while the blog is still being sent out (in bursts) can cause problems. I’m sorry. Frustrating, I’m sure.
I have firefox too I had to power off then on. We will see if this posts.
I had problems posting the second comment about the colors, but I went out looked at something else and when I came back, it had posted.
Thanks, Jim, Barbara and Ruthie. I have Firefox and I notice it can be persnickety. I mostly use Chrome. I hear Brave is good and am thinking about dumping Firefox and installing it.
Hi Sue!😎
Hi Ronda! 🙂
Utah was our favorite place to explore! We stayed away from the big cities, but the small towns were amazing! Utah has majestic mountains, The Fish lake area has mountains, lakes, acres of Aspen and exciting curvy roads! Utah was always full of surprises! But now I regret we never made it to Badger Mountain!
Hi, Geri,
I was very glad to hear that the folks who lost their homes in the Eastpoint fire will have FEMA homes. (I wrote an email to the White House about the situation, the need for homes, as I’m sure others did also.)
Yeah, Utah is a wonderful (full of wonders!) state.
Oh Sue!💗 Thank you for your letter to the White House! What a good friend you are! Yes, this community really came together and helped the fire victims! I am so PROUD of my little town of Eastpoint! Again I want to thank you and all the blogerinos for being so generous with their donations! 💗🙏
I want to wish Nancy HAPPY RETIREMENT! Your first weekend of freedom! Enjoy it! Now the packing and the fun begins !💗 Yay!
You have so many photos of your camps on Badger Mountain that it may be hard to decide which ones to include again. I really like all of the ones in this post, and am pleased to see Bridget in four of them. This may seem odd- I’d grown to love her as though she were my own. I enjoyed reading that older post again. What a great camp that is!
It’s nice that Mike will be able to do some of your repairs even though it’s raining so often there. I’d be fascinated to watch the changes the rain brings , too. I like to use the size lawn mower you ordered. Larger and wider ones are hard to maneuver, especially around trees and other plants.
It’s not surprising to me that the paint Nancy chose looks wonderful. I think you both are going to love how the whole house looks when the furniture is all in place. Gosh, I’m thrilled that this is her first day of retirement, Yippee!!! I had hoped she had this much time off before they begin driving across the country. She must still have a lot to do, at least this way it will be less rushed.
Hi, weather,
It is hard to decide what photos to use in these flashback posts. It’s very time consuming, too, retrieving pics of old camps. I do enjoy looking over the photos again, remembering days with Spike and Bridget and when Reggie was new to the boondocking life. 🙂
That’s sweet that you came to love Bridget like your own. She was quite a lady. I still miss her.
I’m glad, too, that Nancy has some time between retirement day and moving day. She has a lot to do, may even have a yard sale. I’m also glad I’m not the one moving! 🙂
We are getting great rains. I got soaked going to our vehicle after a Costco visit. At least I had my hooded coat so could shed the thing when I got to the truck. We have gotten 3/4 of an inch today, and an inch and a half on Thursday and also on Friday. I love the rains and our water storage tank is filling up. Yay!
I am so happy for Nancy. We have mostly been self employed and out of the rat race but I do admire everyone that toughs it out until retirement so they can finally live with more choices. Congratulations to Nancy! Of course she won’t get to relax until she gets settled in Az. but the change of activities will be fun none the less. Maybe we should move again just for the change of pace, not. Moving is exciting!
Good morning, Gloria,
You folks in the Phoenix to Prescott area really were hit hard with rain! Not so much here. We’ve had some heavy downfalls that were short-lived. It’s raining as I type this and I have a feeling it will last longer.
It better stop long enough for me to mow the weeds tomorrow! 🙂
Well, rain is good, we need it…. Like you say, “We are getting great rains.”
Got three inches this afternoon! Maybe we can go camping with the grand kids soon!
Congratulations on your retirement, Nancy. You’re really going to appreciate it when the weather is bad (snow, heavy rain, just hard down nasty in one way or another) and you can just roll over, pull the covers up under your chin, and go back to sleep. I’m happy for you. Sue and her blogerinos are anxiously awaiting your and Marg’s arrival at your new home in Arizona.
Sue, for once you are staying home and I am leaving. And it’s all joyful! I sold the used Rockwood I owned and bought a brand new 21-foot Escape trailer (from Canada) and have headed out on my first camping trip. Happy days!
Say, with that new home of yours, there are about a gazillion photos of yours that would make exceptional photos for your walls. I’m thinking the one in this post of the sheep in amongst the Aspen for instance (eighth photo down). I just adore it. Thank you! 🙂
You’re welcome, Ann. Good morning!
Oh, the excitement and fun of a new trailer… I wish you many wonderful camping and traveling experiences. I hope someday you will share with us what you like about the Escape.
Thank you for the compliment on my photos. 🙂
Welcome to the Escapee life, from one Escapee to another (2017 17B)
Hi Sue! We have been in the Casita 5 days now. What a whirlwind this has been! I want to review so many places already, but I’m on WiFi for a short time right now, just to say “Hi” and check in. Currently we are holding up in Omaha NE so I can visit a dear, long time friend. We’ve driven from Rice, through the terrible heat, North through Oklahoma, Kansas, and now Nebraska. I’ve not experienced this kind of heat and humidity, ever. It’s been hard on me, and kitty especially, but the Casita’s AC works great and has been a lifesaver! The tradeoff is campgrounds – plug ins, and we need that now. You can relate. We hope to be able to boondock once we reach Montana, and the shaded mountains. We need to get through SD first though, and get our licenses, and tags for our Casita. I know SD will be hot too, so maybe another hot week before we can escape to the mountains.
I will try to stay in touch. I wish I could send a photo or two of us and our new Casita, and kitty camping when we were still traveling to Texas from Washington. We’ve seen so much! Monument Valley and Mesa Verde were amazung, as well as the Steens in Eastern OR. We woke up to 29* in the tent that morning. We’ve been 3,700 miles since we left “home” on June 28th. We are weary but happy travelers. Our Casita feels like “home” already, and we sleep like bricks in her. Kitty has also decided he likes it, which is a good thing!
Safe travels all, and happy home nesting to you Sue and boys!
Good morning, “weary but happy travelers!”
What an incredible summer you are having! That heat is incredible, too, isn’t it. It must seem even hotter for someone not used to it.
The Casita air conditioner is reliable and works fast. You’ll find the heat feature works well also. I’ve been very pleased with the BLT’s a/c.
Wow, Suzi, think of all the memories you’ve made already! The sights you’ve seen! And there’s more to come….. 🙂 I hope you will go to Custer State Park and see the bison. I enjoyed driving through the park very much.
Best wishes for safe travel and great camps for you, Larry, and your feline crew! Thanks for keeping in touch with us on this journey.
Congrats to Nancy!!!
Love the photos! Hi everyone from me here in Kentucky!
Good morning, Lynn!
Happy for Nancy…August is coming swiftly…love seeing the old campsites, brings back many memories…I enjoy the feeling of fondly remembering your pictures as if their were in old photo albums gotten out of the foot locker to share with the younger family members!
Our Celebration of Life for my sister Peggy was wonderful, held in her former workplace and site of her many leagues – AMF Bowling Lanes, over 250 family, friends, former junior bowlers now grown up with their families, coworkers from 40 years, and pro bowlers that she taught to bowl…it was awesome, sad, beautiful, stressful and lots of fun when we all bowled a game with all of the children. Last Sunday were we notified that this particular AMF was closing it doors tomorrow; as this notice went out over FB, there was a huge deluge with thunder, lighting and powerful winds – my niece laughed and said it was Peggy stating her displeasure with AMF for closing “her center”. Now we have to find room to move our current leagues, good thing I will just go where I’m told, not trying to figure where to move all of these leagues.
I am glad you are happy…Hi to the blogorino family
Take Care
Good morning, Deena,
From your comment it’s obvious your sister Peggy was much loved. She led a full life and made the world a better place by how she lived. I’m glad that her Celebration was “wonderful.” Thank you for telling us about the gathering and giving us a glimpse into the life of your dear sister.
Warm wishes to you and your family…
Blogorino’s don’t forget it is Amazon Prime Day July 16 – 17.
Thanks for the reminder, Ruthie!
Good morning and Congratulations to Nancy! I have not retired yet but I do remember the day I truly realized that I was no longer teaching….but instead had my dream job of working with horses. What a rush! I know she’s “just itchin'” (to use a good old southern phrase) to get out there with you and start decorating in person.
I wish she had been with my friend and I yesterday as we stood in front of the hundreds of paint chips at Lowes trying to find a good one for her bedroom. Neither of us is good at that kind of thing. If someone like your sister could have just narrowed it down to 5…it would have helped so much.
And I can only imagine how welcome the rain is there. Even here in VA, we can have really long dry spells where the grass gets brown and crunchy. How sweet is the sound of distant thunder and then rain on the roof……
Have a blessed Sunday!
MB
Thank you, MB. This is a blessed Sunday. 🙂
How very fortunate you have been to find what you love (horses) and to be able to make their care a big part of your life and your means of making a living. That is a huge blessing, as I’m sure you’re aware.
Yes, the rain is very welcome here. Arizona can be windy and, in the desert, that wind means it gets dusty. Rain cleanses and renews. I’m sure to spend time on the porch today to listen, watch, and smell …. after I get more painting done.
Enjoy this day!
Best flashback photos yet, and there have been quite a few amazing ones. I can’t wait to see Utah. So beautiful.
Choosing paint colors is a talent. I am amazed at how wonderful a color that I wouldn’t even consider can look. Great to have an open minded and talented person in charge of design decisions.
Congratulations to Nancy on her retirement. August is right around the corner! It seemed so far away and now it’s almost upon us. We all are waiting to see how things continue to develope.
Have fun mowing. I hope it starts on the first pull – doesn’t that make it so much better?
Good morning, Applegirl. You’re right — August is coming on us fast and there’s much to be done. I hope you are still enjoying your summer.
I do hope the mower is an easy starter. It may take some time and failed attempts before I get the carburetor set just right. I’m not even going to consider that I might not have the strength required! May all the hand-cranking of the BLT’s tongue jack have kept enough muscle in shape to pull that rope.
Happy Sunday to you!
Sounds like everyone is enjoying themselves ~ which brand of 20″ push mower did you get ~ I don’t have kudzu but wild scuppernong that’s about as bad. We’ve had way too much rain, heat and humidity this summer (think Jumanji Jungle)
Thanks
Good morning, mk,
The mower is called Hyper Tough…. what I call “a no-name brand” from WalMart. Never heard of it before.
I wish I could recall the brand of the mower I wrote about, the one that could cut through the worst vines and thickest weeds. I’ll be sure to report on this new one.
I don’t remember if you’ve ever mentioned your location. If you’re in Georgia, EVERTHING grows like crazy there. Good luck taming your jungle!
Congratulations to Nancy on her retirement! Sue I love those photos of Utah! Now I want to visit there!
Good morning, Pam and Maya!
Utah is spectacular in a big way and lovely in small ways, too. It’s nice that it is centrally located for exploring the west. Even if one can only pass quickly through on an interstate, Utah brings on the oohs and the aahs!
Arizona is a wonderful place to retire and put down roots, I moved here 8 years ago after my husband passed to be with family. I wasn’t sure how I would like living in such a hot, dry state, I have come to love it 😍. I have enjoyed reading your transition from traveling to setting up your and decorating your new home. It’s all a big new adventure, thanks for sharing it with us.
You’re welcome, Willow. It’s my pleasure to share this new phase of our lives.
Good morning to another Arizona day! Raining here. I can hear it on the roof as I type this.
I’m hoping that Nancy is won over by this “hot, dry state,” as you were. It will be a big change from Florida. At least it’s unlikely she’ll be dodging hurricanes, such as she had to do in recent years. I’m wondering how the winter will unfold. It’s colder here than where we’ve wintered near Blythe and Yuma.
Thanks for the positive feedback on the blog.
Yes, but cooler in the summer right?
Hi, Sue,
Congratulations to Nancy on her retirement! Marg is going to be so happy to have her Mom to herself….no more pesky work getting in the way of their together time! I know she will be busy packing, but it will be less stressful, no longer having to deal with work. Sounds like all of the colors that Nancy picked are truly making your house a warm, inviting home. 🙂
I have been busy this weekend sorting through more things. If items are not being passed down to family, they are being donated. Have made a couple donation runs over the past few weeks. Had an early start this morning, made some spaghetti meat sauce. Simmering for four hours, our home smells so good! I have been doing some cleaning…I would rather smell meat sauce than the bathroom cleaner, carpet cleaner, and swifter wet sheets! 🙂
Have a great day, Sue! Sending you, Reggie, and Roger lots of love from me and Gracie pup! The photo of the baby lamb is adorable! 🙂
Good morning, Denise!
I can smell your meat sauce from here. 🙂 From little things you’ve mentioned about cooking from time to time, I’m sure you are an excellent cook. I hope you accomplished the cleaning you set out to do.
Thanks for the wish for a great day. Yesterday did turn out that way because I was very productive. My bedroom will need a second coat of paint but at least I have the first coat on and it is beautiful.
Yes, Marg is going to enjoy retirement. No longer does she have to “hold down the fort” while Nancy is away at the workplace or traveling for her job. It’s like Marg is now a retiree, too. 🙂
Sending you and Gracie pup and the peanut babies warm wishes for many blessings….
Hi Sue! Just catching up with the past few blogs and comments. I got to go to the beach 🏖 for a week, with family. It was heavenly. The house was a block away from the ocean 🌊, but had amazing views. The porches were amazing. If I could, I would live in those porches. Now I understand why that is one of your favorite places in your house.
I wanted to thank you for the time and effort you put into this blog. It is much appreciated by all of us Blogorinos! Also a shout out to Nancy CONGRATULATIONS 🎈🎉🎊🍾!
Good morning, Dawn! I appreciate you noting the time and effort expended on this blog. 🙂
Your week at the beach sounds heavenly. Very happy for you!
I love how you had a photo of HRH Bridget just above the caption, “Speaking of Joy.” I do love seeing pictures of that girl! Reading Weather’s comment and thinking about Bridge, I remembered that she is at Luna Lake in Arizona – so maybe that’s one reason you were destined to end up in Arizona. I miss her too, as I miss Spike.
I don’t think you’ll lose readers because of your change in lifestyle and blog content. Many of your readers don’t RV at all but still enjoy reading. I think it’s more your approach to life and people and dogs, your great story-telling, your photos, and the community of blogorinos you’ve built that keeps people coming back for more.
Hope Nancy enjoys her new-found freedom on Monday morning when she doesn’t have to get up and go to work, although I’m sure she has lots to do to get ready to head out West!!! I can’t wait to hear about the canine interactions!!
Cynthia, I totally agree with all of what you just wrote. I was going to say similar things but you say it better. Nancy congratulations on your retirement, looking forward to hearing about you and your new environment. Have you ever been out west to live? Thanks Sue for including us all in your lives. No one in my family takes the time to communicate. I used to be the glue that held the generations together but I never got any feedback so I stopped and took up with all of you!
Thank you Ruthie – very sweet of you.
Cynthia, you’re a dear. If ever a hug could be transformed into words, you’ve done that with what you’ve written here. Thank you for the reassurance!
Very thoughtful of you to remember Bridget and her resting place….
🙂
Hi Sue,
Loved your reply, thanks so much. 🙂
Wondering a couple of things:
1. Where did you camp when you needed to establish residency in SD, and get the tags for the BLT, and also your SD drivers license? America’s mailbox charges $30 for a night in their campground, and I bet it’s just a curtesy “parking lot” type of CG?
2. I’m having issues with food storage (pantry items) in the (microwave) cabinet above the fridge. It’s really hot in there! My thermometer reads over 90* in it most days when we’ve been on the road and before we plug in. Tuna, canned goods, vinegar, olive oil, etc. pretty much all our dry goods. I feel that’s too hot for safe storage. Our goal is to beat the heat, and get some elevation soon, and not use CGs much. I think the refrigerator puts off too much heat to use that space for food. What do you do? Where do you store your food? The temperatures in Texas, and all the way up to NE have been in the 90’s and the “Feels like” temps have been up to 105* for us so far. Yes, we are definitely not used to these temperatures at all!
We will definitely be spending a few days in SD while we are up there, and I would very much like to seee Custer State Park! Thanks for the tips!! Did you by chance stay anywhere around Wounded Knee, the Badlands, Rushmore, or anywhere else that might be fun for us? We might leave the Casita somewhere and do a lot of driving around to see things. We are in a quandary still, as to where we will camp.
We have Benchmark maps (thanks to your recommendation), but not for the states we don’t plan to spend time in on a regular basis. I have the Allstays app and I’ve been using freecampsites.net too. But we are new at finding good camps, so I was just checking in to see where you might recommend?
We will begin to head North into SD tomorrow, after a wonderful stay with my dear friend in Omaha these past 2 days. It’s funny, but Larry and I wanted to sneak out and sleep in the Casita our first night here. We feel like it’s our little cozy “nest” already. I can’t wait to customize her and make her “our own”. She still looks “sterile and new”, and without our personal touch yet, as we are still getting used to her and how we might want things. I wasn’t expecting this type of temperatures, and the whole food storage thing is a bummer. I especially didn’t get a microwave so we’d have extra pantry room for food. It seems strange that the refrig puts out so much heat in that cabinet, instead of venting outside through its vents. Anyway….
Night night all, sweet dreams. :-).
Good morning, Suzi and Larry,
1) I stayed at Cottonwood cg near Hot Springs, no hookups, $3.50 w/sr. pass. It was hot. I managed with fans. Cold Creek cg (COE) is another rustic, inexpensive cg nearby, no hookups. KOA in Hot Springs, don’t see cg fee on their website. For info: 605-745-6449. Reservations: 800-562-0803. Closer to Rushmore means rates of $50 or more for 30 amp. I got my license in Hot Springs; tags and registrations were handled previously by mail. I visited Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer SP, and Wild Horse Sanctuary from Cottonwood cg camp.
You’re right about Americas Mailbox.
I don’t know any high elevation camps in that area. Wish I could be more helpful!
2) I haven’t had an issue with heat in the pantry cabinet above the fridge. I’m surprised you mention it which makes me wonder if your fridge is giving off more heat than it should, or there’s a problem with the fan or venting, assuming it’s hotter in the cabinet than other cabinets in your Casita. Maybe you’re more careful about food storage than I am. As for me, when temps went into 90s, I figured short term heat is not a problem for canned goods. I’m sure you’ve checked that fridge fan is coming on automatically. Also could turn manual switch at door to run fan more often. Of course, if heat is high ONLY in the cabinet, move cans into channel area, under sink, or elsewhere. Temporarily, leave cabinet door open, put a folded towel or something at bottom of cabinet under cans. You shouldn’t have to do that.
Univ. of Minnesota Extension office: Temperatures over 100 degrees F are harmful to canned foods. The risk of spoilage jumps sharply as storage temperatures rise. At prolonged storage temperatures above 75 F, nutrient loss in canned foods increases.
Back to camps: “RV Parky” app. is good to download. I wish I could be more helpful. I pray for you to be blessed with cooler temps soon!
HUGE help Sue, believe it or not. Much appreciated!!
We are staying in O’Neill, NE tonight in Carney Municipal park, for a “donation” . 18 RV sites, with water and elect, plus the usual amenities and an onsite dump. Not bad. Tomorrow we’ll cross into SD. Hot up there too, but at least a bit of rain is forecasted along with low to mid 80 temps. Yay!! 🙂
Thanks again for your helpfulness!!
Suzi: There is a product called Reflectix that I haven’t used, but I’ve seen a number of Tiffin motorhome owners talk about on their FB page (Tiffin Motorhome Owners Group). If you go to that page and do a search on “reflectix” you can read all about it – there are numerous posts. People put it in their cabinets to reflect heat away from the interior of their coaches. I recently bought a bluetooth-enabled temperature gauge for our motorhome (to make sure it’s safe if we leave the dogs inside for a couple of hours) and was astounded at the difference in heat readings depending on where I placed the device. Placed on a wall that was contiguous with an outside wall, the reading was substantially higher, even with the A/C on. Once I moved the device to an interior wall, the temp readings came down. Lesson: RVs are not very well insulated and a LOT of heat comes in through the walls!
Thanks for the suggestions!! 🙂
Hi Suzi,
I know nothing about Casitas but suggest you try lining the hot cabinet with reflectix on all sides, meaning top, bottom and sides. It’s that silver insulation that looks like bubble wrap covered in foil on both sides and you can cut it to fit. It’s a little pricey, but really worth it because it does a super job! Also, can you get a little fan installed inside the vent cover “behind” your fridge? It would help move the hot air out of that space. Or if you’re handy, you might get an old computer fan and hard wire it yourself. Just be sure it doesn’t drain your trailer battery. Good luck
Awesome, thanks!! 🙂 We are looking into many of these options. Something will work I’m sure. I think it was my initial shock when I felt my food in there, and I said, “Yikes! This can’t be good!” But the temps outside were pushing 100* for 3 days with high humidity, and we were also on the move much of those 3 days- not staying put in shade. It is NOT our goal to travel in this type of weather other than this one trip to get our Casita, and get business done, then head to higher ground. Whew, this NW girl has taken a beating. HaHa! I’m in good spirits though, and have learned a lesson. Like Sue said, our good oils and canned “perishables”, and things like unopened raw nuts will find a cooler place to live when we are in the heat like this again. Thankfully, today is a dream at 84*. Yahoo!! 🙂
Glad to know you’re having a break from the heat!
You’re doing great!
BLOGORINOS! CASITA OWNERS! FIBERGLASS RV OWNERS! Please read Suzi’s comment and share your experience.
Also, anyone have suggestions for camps in the Black Hills area of South Dakota?
Hi Sue,
I share the anticipation of seeing, oops hearing of ?, Nancy’s arrival to finish your move in to house and home. I think it’s really worked out well that you have an empty house to paint. It is so much easier to paint when you don’t have to work around the contents o f a room.
Congrats to Nancy on her freedom! Did she leave her alarm set for early “work routine” so she could turn it off, roll over and go back to sleep on her first day off? I’ll bet not if she is anything like you, she was more likely up before dawn and packing for the move. I am wondering, I think you mentioned that she is moving by a truck…she might want to check out PODS. Dad and I used them for our move south and it was much easier, and a bit cheaper than driving a loaded UHaul. The empty container is delivered to your house, you fill it, they pick it up and when, you are ready, deliver it to your house. It was the easiest move of the contents of a house I have ever experienced, except when I was eight and my parents hired movers. I remember they were expensive and much of our things were damaged in the move. My Mom cried when they unloaded the truck.
I am thinking of her today, it would be her 84th BD today.
Well we are off to try out a new bowling alley and distract my Dad a bit. Be blessed everyone.
Yes PODS is great and they are in Clearwater FL.
We used them from CA to NY….but couldn’t get them to do Boonies to AZ. They wanted us to load the POD in Syracuse which was 1 1/2 hours away. Cross country..your only choice is the big container.
We rented a Uhaul from the Boonies to AZ, but someone has to drive it, one way rental is more expensive, not to mention gas and lodging on the way.
ABF is another company but you have to load the truck and unload it..cost is by how much room you use. They also have cubes…so does Uhaul. But they are small…and costs as much as PODS. So yes…I would recommend PODS.
Or lastly, a full service mover who will pack, drive and unpack. Cha Ching!
Nancy considered several options for moving from Florida to Arizona, including PODS. She decided to use a Penske truck with a trailer behind to haul her car. Her son will help her with the move.
I don’t recall the details behind her decision. Knowing Nancy as I do, she did her research and chose the best method for her situation.
Thanks for the suggestions!
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