Mike and Carol

$130K, ummmm…… It does look nice.

Our trip this past month was the first real test of our two new Battle Born lithium’s, 100aH each. We did a mix of no hookups (Harvest Hosts) and W/E. When we would wake up I would check my Blue Sky read out and normally we were down to 82 - 86%. That’s charging phones and iPads, Maxxfan running and when dry camping the furnace running all night. Our solar got us back to 100% pretty quick. I used the charger once when we had 30a on a cloudy rainy day. I’ve been debating about going to a third BB, not sure I need it. Mike

Bill, thanks. I was pretty sure our brakes were self adjusting. I was just wondering why some owners would feel that these same brakes were so inferior. BTW, I do plenty of backing up! Mike

Are the brakes on our trailers self-adjusting or manual adjust? I have mine inspected annually when I get my bearings repacked. I can adjust my brake controller so that the wheels skid when I squeeze the controller. With my new truck I have the BC set on 6 and I get a good tug from the trailer when I squeeze the controller. My brakes are 5 years old with 60K miles. Last spring my maintenance guy said they were almost down to half. Now that we’re home from our spring trip I’ll be taking it in for the annual check. I agree with others towing with a 2500 or larger, the truck does the majority of the work. I haven’t had an emergency braking incident with my 2500, but had several with my 1500s. The trailer tracked as it should each time. Mike

On our way back to Texas from Tennessee we found that the interstates had fuel, some of the small towns on the backroads did not. North of Tennessee should be okay.

On our way out of Tennessee this morning (Fall Creek Falls State Park) the majority of small town gas stations had pump handles covered with bags. Once we got on the interstate, we stopped at a Love’s and everything appeared normal. We were able to get diesel in Tennessee and Arkansas with no problem. It seems the only issue was off of the freeway. Mike

The dinette is okay for short periods. For reading the bed becomes a recliner by positioning pillows. We’ve been stuck inside for 2-3 days at a time and we do start to get cabin fever. We bought a Clam and a propane fire pit that allows us more outside time in damp or cold weather. Our camp chairs are more comfortable than the dinette seats and we can stretch out a bit more. Mike

We’ve been listening to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast series while on the road. Regular books - I’m working my way through “Texas” by James Michener, fascinating historical fiction. The paperback is almost 1,400 pages, so not a quick read. Mike

We just took down the Clam, fire pit, cooking table, etc, and packed the truck. I think we’ll head home tomorrow. We’ve had a good month out in KY and TN. Hate to miss our last week and those going to LGSP, but I think it’s best we head west tomorrow. Mike

There was no problem in Dunlap, TN yesterday. The news reports I just read said southeastern states are affected. Once the pipeline is open there will be a lag of some sort before everybody is resupplied. We could probably get home by going north then west to I-35 before heading south. Looks like OK and TX aren’t affected. If stations around Lake Guntersville are out or running out we may have to cancel too. 😠

We’re starting to hear reports of fuel shortages, for instance around Lake Guntersville. What is everyone seeing in their area? Mike

Oliver service is your best source for a replacement. I’ve lost a couple over the years, replacements came from Oliver. Mike

Last week we stayed at My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown, KY. Very convenient for visiting distilleries. We were disappointed that many of the distilleries are not open for tours due to COVID. We did visit Makers Mark, Buffalo Trace and a couple others. MOKHSP has a nice Stephen Foster historic center at the home used as the subject for his song, and KY state song, My Old Kentucky Home. The campground itself is small, only 30+ campsites. Most are not very level and in need of repair and updating. This is one of the few campgrounds I have had to use 2 power cords to reach the power pole and two water hoses to reach the water outlet. Some sites (the ones on the right) are FHU. Ours was W/E. It was a quiet campground, surrounded by a very nice golf course. Plus, you can’t beat the proximity to some great Bourbon distilleries. We also spotted another Oliver just across from us, Hull 781, Cliff and Stacey, who had just picked up their new Oliver a couple weeks earlier. Our campsite at MOKHSP. Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. The inspiration for Stephen Foster’s “My Old Kentucky Home” Makers Mark Distillery.

Hey Scott, welcome and congrats on the order! We stopped by the new showroom last week too, very impressive. February will get here sooner than you think. You’ll probably have a Hull number over 1,000? Wow! Mike

We stayed at a COE campground in KY last week. We’re at a TN state park this next week. We find COE campgrounds are our first choice when in the area we are visiting. Mike

Welcome, Claudia! Hopefully you’ll find this group as helpful and encouraging as the Casita folks. Mike

We’ll be Harvest Hosting at Amber Falls Winery Friday night. If we get there early enough we’ll stop by the new Oliver buildings. Mike

Just used our Q1000 tonight. Between lining with foil and the foil drip pans, it isn’t difficult to keep the Weber clean. I do a thorough cleaning when we get home. Our grill is as good as new after five years of heavy use. Mike

We like Davis Monthan. Having been stationed at Fort Huachuca a couple of times Tucson became a second home. Fort Huachuca also has a nice campground, convenient to Bisbee, Tombstone and the Sonoita wineries.

Speaking of rain.... we had quite a bit last night here in central KY. I had the awning out about 4 feet with the back side lower, or so I thought. Woke up this morning and the middle of the awning contained a swimming pool and the frame was twisted pretty bad. It was so heavy I couldn’t lift either support to drain so I used the crank to push up the middle until enough water was drained that I could lift the front support. Surprisingly, everything twisted back to its original shape, so disaster averted. I had the back about 6” lower than the front, but I guess we had so much rain in such a short period maybe it didn’t have enough time to drain and once it started pooling in the middle it didn’t matter. It wasn’t out far enough to put the center support in which would have helped. Camping is fun!

We cooked inside today too. Taco salad, pretty good. It’s raining cats and dogs. Nice weather tomorrow!

Just a follow on - the holes for the screws on the replacement lights are just slightly farther apart, so I had to drill one hole for each light. Quite a traumatic experience. Mike

I washed my trailer in the rain before we left on this current trip. It actually worked quite well since the temps were in the 80’s. There was a thick coat of pollen all over that began to run in streaks as it rained. Now we’re in KY and it’s raining, so just sitting in the trailer answering needless comments with more needless comments. Mike

Texas, too. Renewal is by mail, pay, get tag, camp.

I’ve lost a couple over the years. Check with service, they will get one in the mail to you. I don’t remember how much they are, but it was less than $10 with shipping. Mike