Spinning my wheels . . .
Reggie and I arrive at Lud Drexler Campground at Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir on a Sunday. I don’t unhitch. The next morning we set out in the Perfect Tow Vehicle for Twin Falls. The Best Little Trailer tags dutifully behind.
Our first stop is Bish’s RV.
Bish’s is a big outfit with a large inventory of trailers and motor homes. I drive around the building and park at the service area.
“There’s a leak inside my propane heater. A line is cracked.”
Well, it doesn’t matter what the problem is, Bish’s RV is booked up until the 7th of June, over two weeks away.
“We’re always very busy at this time of year,” the man in the service area explains. “There’s a Bish’s RV in Idaho Falls, but you’d probably have to wait a couple weeks there, too.”
And my phone is kaput. I want to go to Idaho Falls about as much as I want to hang around Twin Falls.
~ ~ ~
Yay, Wal-Mart!
I find everything on my list. Taking advantage of the low prices, I stock up. By the time the Perfect Tow Vehicle makes its way out of the parking lot with the BLT rolling behind, Twin Falls traffic is heavy .
What a relief to return to the peacefulness of open countryside!
~ ~ ~
Reg and I meet a fellow full-timer!
We’re walking around the campground when a guy calls out, “I see you everywhere!”
“Really?”
It turns out that this man is the RVer with a Class C who was boondocking at Grey’s Landing when we drove by a few days ago.
Remember this?
“We also saw you at the RV park in Rogerson when we camped there,” he adds. The “we” he refers to includes his playful pup, Julio, who is a mix of Norfolk terrier and something bigger.
He and Reg romp together around our legs. (Unfortunately I don’t have my camera with me to capture the fun.) They leave the next day.
The campground is full and it’s empty.
Lud Drexler is an inexpensive, first come-first serve, BLM campground ($5 regular/$2.50 senior discount). Taking advantage of the low camping fee, the locals have figured out a way to make sure they have a campsite for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
The weekend before the holiday — on Sunday — they set up their rigs in the campsites. They pay for the week and then go home. When the holiday weekend arrives, they show up with their boats, ATVs, and whatever.
One person roped off a campsite, paid for the site for the week, posted a sign that the site was reserved, and left. Another person parked his truck in a campsite leaving a paid sticker on the dash and was gone all week.
What this does is tie up the campground all week long.
Travelers drive out to Lud Drexler, some from other states, expecting to camp for the night and all the sites are “occupied.”
I think the behavior of people blocking the sites all week is inconsiderate of others and extremely selfish. Occupying a site means occupying a site, not hogging it until you’re ready to use it.
It did make for a quiet four days for us, Monday through Thursday, since we were camped in what was essentially an RV storage lot.
If we stay here through the weekend, the sight and sound of these people having their fun is going to irritate the socks off of me. We need to move camp!
Wednesday, May 24
Reg and I take a drive out to Grey’s Landing to see if that boondock is occupied and maybe we’ll find others, too.
No one is in the boondock!
Here it is, a clearing with a rock fire ring, on the other side of a cattle guard. . . the perfect place for peace and quiet during Memorial Day weekend.
We drive across the grassland.
The only sounds are the PTV and the song of the meadowlarks. We come upon wildlife (three snakes at various places, sunning themselves in the roadway).
Pronghorns!
We approach a small herd. Rather than hold territory, they move further away.
I understand. I do the same thing. Don’t want to be around neighbors? Move.
One pronghorn stops, turns, and stares, giving me an opportunity to zoom in with my camera. Later, while editing photos, I see the raised lip.
Thursday, May 25
Reggie and I move to our new home!
Ahh . . . I like this neighborhood.
rvsue
THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON FROM MY BLOG!
CLICK LINK TO SHOP AMAZON NOW!
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Wow. Did I get here first?
Why do I get so excited about being first?
Oops, Linda Rose and M3 are actually first!!!!
It’s a tie! So far.
Dang that is a big snake! And I do NOT like snakes
That’s fine. I’ll take second place. Made the choice to read before posting this time😕
Second?
Yep, looks like you tied with me😎
Love the pictures! I noticed yu took down the years back monthly budget. I wanted to show my spouse we are trying to narrow things down for the future. Have to stay put til we see what is going happen with healthcare next year.
Sandra… Here’s an example of a month with low expenditures.
May, 2014
Financial Summary (Avg. daily expenditures: $42.77):
Camping fees: $0 — Avg. daily camping fee (31 days): $0 , “Zero fee” days: 31
Dump/water fees: $5.00
Gas: $218.32 — Avg. daily gas expenditure: $7.04
Propane: $27.00
PTV and BLT Maintenance/Repair: $10.19 (spare tire cover)
Equipment/Household furnishings: $32.22 (incl. memory card and kitchen cutlery)
Groceries: $345.40
Sundries: $37.45 (includes $12.50 for laundry)
Clothing: $77.86 (includes sandals)
The Crew: $184.51
Entertainment: $5.00
Miscellaneous: $0
Out-of-Pocket Expenditures: $942.95
Recurring Expenditures: $383.04
Total Expenditures: $1,325.99
Keep in mind I’ve had months where total expenditures are double that or more!
Thank yu
I looked at the word “Sundries” & thought about it. That’s a word I’ve read thousands of times, probably even used it but does it really mean what I think it means? “Stuff” and the wide variety of terms than are used to describe “stuff”?
Now I have to admit that I’ve been spoiled by the Kindle, on that I just highlight the word and the machine tells me what it means.
Anyway I’m on my computer so I googled the word, yep, “stuff” fits.
I wonder what the raised lip on the pronghorn means? Lucky catch on that photo! I know when dogs do it they are usually snarling. Glad you found a quiet place for the holiday.
I was wondering the same thing. I know cats do something similar when they are smelling for a scent. Supposedly enhances their ability to identify smells in their environment.
I used to have sheep, male grazing animals do this as a means to ‘smell’ the other animal near them as a means to understand if female or male threat. It looks like his nostrils are in ‘full smell’ operation:-)
I believe it’s part of them sniffing the air. She was probably trying to get Sue’s scent.
The link below is to an article about the scent receptors in dogs. However other animals such as deer, bovines, cats, bears, etc also have the extra vomer nasal scent organ. That scent organ has openings into the mouth as well as the nose. That is why you see animals with an open mouth which is essentially using their lungs to pull in a large volume of air to wash into their mouth as well as their nose. So basically they not only use their nasal cavity as an air chamber for capturing scent they also use their oral cavity chamber too. They will also do a strong exhale to clear out the old scent before pulling in a fresh sample. So sometimes you will see their lips flutter on that exhale cycle as well as sometimes hear the sound of it.
oops forgot the link
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/U/UNP-0066/UNP-0066.pdf
COOL! Thanks for the info. I knew I had heard something like that somewhere. Your explanation made me think of how I was taught to sample wines🤗
Sue and Reggie, It amazes me sometimes how damn selfish some people can be. Assuming they are the only people in the world who would like to camp cheap!! You always handle these things so well, the top of my head would have probably blown off and I would have really been SPINNING my wheels.
I do love the new neighborhood, looks as if it will be all peace and quite for as long as you wish.
Stay safe out there my friend, judy
Such pretty country. Except for the snake. But I like the horse!
Great location… And Moab It was the same last week I got lucky got a spot blm campground on the river so much cooler weather wise then the high mesas.
Im off to Nebraska. Taking hy 50 across Colorado. But won’t cross the pass til tomorrow morning. .. Afternoon storms get scary in the high country. So hunkered down on some public land… Yeah!
Good luck getting the leak fixed.
Carlene and Corky
So glad you found a peaceful remote and free place to make home for the holiday weekend. I agree a campground is the last place I want to be on a national holiday – not to mention driving the highways at those times. So I stayed home! Looking forward now to taking my Casita down the Oregon coast in a couple of weeks.
That reminded me of going on cruises and the chair piggies -they’d go out first thing in the morning and throw on a towel or flip flop so chair was “saved” until they had had their breakfast, workout, whatever and were ready to use it when it was prime pool time. Of course for me prime pool time was prime avoidance time 🙂 LOL
Love that wide open space you found – it looks so peaceful. What is the significance of the raised lip on the pronghorn? Is it like a dog snarling? I think we are going to head up to Idaho this summer, so it’s nice to see the areas you’re visiting. Husband wants to move out of California (taxes, crowds, traffic and crazy peeps), so we’re going to have a look/see up there. I don’t know … as much as I yearn for those wonderful open spaces, I think I’d really miss friends and family.
Sad, selfish behavior. A shame. I mean, I’m as nervous as the next guy about not getting a site if I don’t have a reservations at a campground, but them’s the breaks.
Loved the raised lip — on the antelope! Great shot!
Well I thought you had that leak fixed in Blyth when you had your new Refrigerator put in, if you were a little bit closer, I’d fix it so you can use that Wave 3,,, I have a Rubber fuel line from the tank to the heater and the heater is still working great, I fill the tank once a month, the Mr Buddy Heater is real efficient on propane,,,, the Proghorn photo is great and looks looks like he/she is smiling at you,,, ya I know what you mean by camping on a holiday and is is illegal to do what the locals do to save a camp like that, the rules say one must camp a paid spot for 24 hours, and that goes for camping in the forest, only if one is camped in a RV Park that they can do what they do, as long as it’s a paid site,,,, yes we moved from our boondock above Delores because campers were shooting and shooting at exploding targets everyday and into the night, so we move to McPhee campground to have peace on Memorial day,, Piper likes it at this camp, no guns or hunting aloud,,, have a great day and I hope you get you leak fixed,,,,, Rusty n Piper
Hey Rusty,
I am planning to build a camper top on my “new”,to me, truck. Can you tell me a bit about how you and your buddies built yours? I am thinking of making mine out of DIY SIP made of hard foam insulation sandwiched in between luan plywood. Maybe RV Sue would give you me email. I promise I would only use your email for Camper top building questions.
Sue, around here, Farmington New Mexico the propane e suppliers are very good about doing lp gas line repairs. You might check out a couple of the larger ones in Twin. Have a great summer. Jeff
Sue, you should try the local lp dealers for your heater line. They often can make up a new line for a reasonable cost. Jeff B in NM.
Sue — you might want to try Sundown RV Service and Repair in Twin Falls, a friend of mine and I am sure he would be able to help you 208-734-6196—-
Thank you to you, Jenny J, and to Jeff. Remember there’s a time lapse with my blog. We have left Rogerson and Twin Falls. I will look for a propane dealer.
Sue, I have a friend that lives just over the border in WA state… he does trailer repair/restoration. Not sure if this is something he can do but I can ask him… I don’t know if they will be home but I can get you his info if you want… email me back or send it through here… Not sure if he would be OK with my posting it here or not… Heck, he may be a fellow blogerino that I don’t know about 😛
Hugs from Hoquiam,
Barb
Off to AZ tomorrow for Mom’s 90th BD on Saturday. Can’t believe I’m doing another AZ trip in the Summer after three trips last summer when she broke her hip but it will be nice to see all the family and celebrate 90 years. As my brother tells me…”we just don’t go outside in the summer, that’s what AC is for”…LOL..tough concept for this New Englander to grasp when you have been cooped up inside all winter and for a very rainy, cold spring this year.
I’m thinking the reserved campsites was a blessing in disguise as I’m guessing that was a very loud place to be over the holiday weekend! Hoping you had a peaceful holiday weekend at Greys!
What a great place to spend a holiday weekend, spacious, private, perfect! Rather than listening to ATV’s and a crowd nearby, I imagine when walking you may have heard only meadowlarks’ songs from a distance. Nice photos of the horse and pronghorn, my favorite one in this post,though, is above “Ahh…I like this neighborhood”.
Trusting that you’ve managed to stay comfortably warm at night, I’m not concerned about the propane line’s not being repaired yet. I’m glad you made the most of your trip to Twin Falls. Rather than wasting the gas and day you got your shopping done. It always makes me smile when you’ve been able to stock up at a Wal-Mart. I know your getting the basics at small town stores can be disappointing and expensive.
Julio sounds like a cutie, I think Norfolk Terriers are among the most adorable of breeds. It’s nice to be reminded that Reggie has fun playing with almost all dogs he meets. Roger is an especially good friend, yet there’ll always be more playmates for your enthusiastic little guy.
I know many campgrounds state that you have to actually occupy the campsite. Makes sense. Oh well. It is what it is.
Yer right AppleGirl, only there is one Ranger Cop per District and he’s probably somewhere telling folks that they have 14 days, then they must move 26 miles and can come back in 28 days,,,,,,,😎
I’ve seen campgrounds where you’re required to spend the first night there, but if no one cares and there is no enforcement…
Yer right on, Rob,,,,,😎
Hey Sue and Reggie! (I assume you are reading all of our comments to Reggie!). Nice new camp! Peace and quiet is nice to enjoy for a holiday weekend! Not so quiet here, St George Island is a beautiful beach and a draw for holidays! Traffic. YUCK! But its over and we survived! Hope your weekend stayed quiet and peaceful! Where ya headed next????
We went to the state park on St George last year, I really liked it! Looked like a nice place to live.
It is a tuff place to live!!! If you come again, give us a shout!
Thanks for the palomino pic! Propane dealers are a good source of hoses. They can usually make one up quickly, maybe a days wait.
What kind of snake was that Sue?
Sure was a big one!
I don’t know snakes very well and I don’t have a field guide specifically for snakes. My guess is gopher snake. No rattles!
About the camping thing… I have been thinking about that all afternoon. Do you mean, Sue that they pay for the days they will BE there, then hold the spot hostage for others? Or do they pay for the entire time they are holding the spot and camping?
If they are paying only for the time they are there, who the HECK DOES THAT? That is NUTS!
There… whew.
Now I can think of other things 😛
Hugs again!
Barb
Hi, Barb,
They pay for the site for every day their rig sits in it but they don’t USE the site every day.
Here’s an illustration: They come to the campground on Sunday, the 21st, choose a site, unhook their fifth wheel or whatever, pay for 8 days. Go home the same day and leave the rig in the campsite. The rig occupies the site from the 21st to the 29th. No one is camping in that site and no one CAN camp in the site. The rig sits there which keeps everyone out of that site. Then the people return on Friday the 26th, stay for the holiday weekend, and leave on Monday.
It’s conceivable that a person could drop his/her rig, pay for 14 days, leave it unoccupied for 12 days in the campsite, and then return to enjoy the campsite for the 13th and 14th days. I saw that being done by several people in Ashley National Forest (Flaming Gorge area) — of course that’s free camping — in the best boondocks.
At Lud Drexler I hated seeing people arrive, one with out-of-state plates, and all campsites are occupied by empty rigs. If you look at a map you can see how remote Lud Drexler is and the absence of choices for inexpensive campgrounds. Imagine driving several miles out of one’s way after a long day’s drive across sage land, only to find all campsites tied up by selfish locals.
The hogging of campsites would be eliminated if a campsite were, say $15 or more a night. I wonder if the $5/$2.50 rate will go up. 🙁
If that campground had a host, this practice of hoarding would be eliminated. A lot of the FS CG’s that we use have a sign that saving sites is not permitted, one must occupy the site. These FS CG’s have hosts too and they patrol.
Well, that is just not fair–but at a minimum at least they are paying for the space…
I can imagine.
Campgrounds are HARD to get into around here. Reservations are made easily a year in advance… and the states are brutal. We had a reservation in OR a couple of years ago, and did not get out of home on time… we missed the first night. Thankfully, when the ranger came around to ‘unbook’ our reservation (without contacting us) our friends (it was a rally) were there to stick a chair in our spot and keep it safe! They were going to rebook the site–no refund would be given–and we were just miles away from getting there! We would have lost the entire weekend, our $ and our spot… and since it was a good 18 miles off the highway, we would have been lucky to NOT spend the night at Walmart or someplace.
Thanks for explaining it… low brain wave days are here I am afraid :/ Oh well. I am still kickin!
Hugs from a drippy Hoquiam,
Barb
People here in Utah do the same thing with parades and firework shows. A few days before a 4th of July parade, you will see chairs, blankets and ropes of areas along the street, saved for the people who put them there. One Sunday when we went to church, Dan and I noticed that someone had come in and filled about five church pews with jackets, sweaters and scriptures to save the space for family and friends of a baby that was going to be blessed. It really looked odd! That was very rude of the selfish people for hogging the campground as you described. I was very surprised to hear that and never dreamed it would be taken to that level! I think I will reserve the space to be the first person to comment on your next post even if I don’t comment! Ha Ha!!
LOL! 🙂
They stopped allowing space hoarding in Seattle a few years ago. Oh the whining could be heard from there to Reno!
Hi, Sue,
My take on the pronghorn bearing his teeth….”I give you fair warning – we don’t like clingers in these here parts……you stay away from us, and we will stay away from you!” 🙂
Love your peaceful “neighborhood!”
Sending you and Reggie love and hugs from me and Gracie pup! 🙂
Made me smile. Thanks!
Hi Sue, I met Rusty and Piper yesterday. Didn’t realize they were parked next to us here at McPhee the past few days. Small world. We had a nice chat and I gave Piper lots of loving. What a sweet, beautiful dog!
Gayle
Sue, unless you would HAVE to get heater fixed at an RV dealer, I would just bite the bullet and call a Mobile RV guy. Lately we have found most dealers are booked 3+ weeks out…..ya know, the emergency de-winterizing etc. You might have better and faster service that way.
Yeah, I thought about that, Pam. Kind of complicated without a working phone though.
Since this post, other matters have taken precedent over heater repair. Stay tuned! 🙂
Sue, my pal Bud restores and can fix anything (practially) in a trailer. He is in Othello WA. His phone number is (509) 346-0806. He has given me permission to share that with you… he is a great guy with a great heart.
He restored a trailer and donated it to their local animal rescue. 🙂 Just so ya know he is a good guy who is a good guy! 🙂
Thanks, Barb. We aren’t going to be in Washington any time soon.
OK… well, if you ever need him, he is there… dern it. 😛