Moving Day - Almost

First, let me say Welcome to our newest Followers:

Kerri

Jon Brown

Thanks for joining us!
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I was up early and enjoyed the fantastic sunrise coming up over Haas Park Lake.

After some coffee and contemplation of the things of life, I started with my departure chores.  I checked all the pressure in the tires and tweaked them with my air compressor.  Then I made sure all the Pressure Pro Tire Pressure Monitoring System sensors were working correctly.

After that, it was time to take the Roadrunner over to the front office and fill the propane tank.  I am always surprised at how difficult it is for the attendants to get under the door and fill the tanks.  Not a very user friendly design.

Then we paid for the month's worth of electric and for the propane.  While we were there we got a picture and said goodbye to one of our favorites:  Linda.

She is the best.  She helped us from the moment we walked in to the park April 15 and it has grown into a good friendship.  We will miss her.

Pam and Kelly went to drop off Kelly's car and to pick up Adam at the airport.  While they were doing that, I ran errands and logged on for some monthly online work.  After dinner, some of Meghan and Adam's friends came out to the campground.

It was nice to meet  Lindsay, Caitlin, Amna and Betsy.  Caitland was in Korea with Meghan and Adam and they all now live in Ferndale, MI.  We had a nice evening together and gave them the grand tour of the Roadrunner.

What started out as a misty/rainy evening turning into another pleasant time at the lake.

We probably won't forget this scene for a while.  It was one of many just like it during the three months here at Haas Lake Park Campground.

With that, we come to the conclusion of our time here and thank you for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Getting Ready

We spend a good part of the day getting ready to break camp and head north on Friday AM.  That meant cleaning things and packing up.

The biggest job I tackled all day was to wash our Honda, Kelly's Solara, and Adam's Pathfinder.  I also put a coat of The Solution on them so they are cleaned up and ready to go.

We will tow the Honda; Kelly will leave her car in near Detroit with Rod and Lisa; and Adam will drive the Pathfinder.  

I was finished with the hoses so I separated them, wound them tightly and repacked them in the crate and stowed them back in the basement.

It was pretty convenient to have them hanging on the post for the last three months right next to the water spigot.

The grill needed a good scrub before I put it away so I did that too.

I am anxious to see how our new bike rack works.  I hope they get more protection since they are right near the back of the roadrunner now.

I mounted them and put the protective bike bag over them, and then checked the other basement compartments to see if I had most everything put away snugly.

I am getting there...
Next, we had dinner outside by the campfire and topped it off with smorz.

It was another beautiful evening on the lake.

That wrapped it up for us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Thanks again for viewing!

Sand, Mother's Wax and Balloons

Yesterday was another gorgeous day in Michigan!

The sun was out all day and the forecast is for more of the same.

About 7:30 AM a big truck came down the road and stopped near our friend's Dave and Kathy's campsite.  They are seasonal campers who have been coming here for the last eight years.

He is a builder and the sand was for his own little beach by his boat docks.  The campground has a beach at every lake but it doesn't look like they have ever put in any sand.  So Dave decided his grandkids could enjoy their own beach while they hang out on the deck next to the dock and watch them.  It's a pretty nice set up.

About 8:30 AM I decided to get into gear and clean the Roadrunner.  Really clean it.  I washed it completely and kept running into cob webs.

Those things keep coming back.  Even though I knock them down with a broom, they come right back the next day.  Maybe the wax will change things.  I had to take the bikes off the back and set them aside.

After that, I got the ladder out and got familiar with my Wax Attack Polisher:

In fact, I spent all day on the business end of this thing.  The Roadrunner looks good after polishing, but it is a lot of hard work.  After experimenting I think I like The Solution to remove the water spots left after the wash.  Then Step 1 wax which is a polisher.

I spent about 6 hours at it yesterday and have one slideout and the back of the coach to finish.  Then I will use The Solution on the hard-to-get-to places and the very top near the roof where the polisher wouldn't fit.  After that, I will use The Solution on all the windows and chrome.  Then I will only have Step 2 (the sealant and glaze) to apply.  I have my work cut out for me for the next few days...

Late in the day we saw some hot air balloons.

That was pretty cool.  There must be some event going on nearby.

That was it for us on a great Friday to start off the 4th of July weekend.  Have a great one!
And thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Swans 'n Smorz

It was a little windy yesterday but still a very nice day.  We can tell the temperature is going down a few degrees and it seems as if the days are getting a little shorter, too.  The longest day of the summer is already over...

I ran again and it felt pretty good.  I remember why I used to run a lot.  I enjoy it and feel better.  As long as I take it slow and stretch a lot, I should be in good shape.

Then, we each ran a few errands during the late morning.  I did some things online and then went to check to see if my car wax/polishing kit arrived.  Sure enough, it is here so I will have my work cut out for me for the next few days.

It was such a nice afternoon, I spent time out back by the lake.  I am reading James Michener's The Journey:  A Quest for Canadian Gold.   It is a historical novel of the Canadian wilderness around the end of the 19th century.  How about you?  What are you reading?

While reading I saw a couple of swans nearby.  They were really close since the lady a few campsites away was feeding them bread.  It was windy and I saw something I hadn't seen before, the swan was bowing out his wings to catch the wind.

Pretty interesting and beautiful.

While I was enjoying that, Pam was fixing another spectacular meal.  She worked on a recipe for quinoa, and also cooked some squash and baked some fish with bell peppers and spices.

The fish and squash were good and altho the quinoa was very tasty it wasn't one of our favorites.

After dinner, I went outside again and started another campfire.  When I got it going pretty good, Pam arrived with the smorz.  Not sure when the last time was that we had smorz.

We got our extendable prongs and loaded up the marshmallows, held it over the blazing fire and in no time they were ready to pull off in between the chocolate and graham crackers.

Umh...it was delightful!

The wind continued for a time and we finished up with the campfire and went inside.  Pam talked with sister-in-law Sue who called to ask about how she was doing.  They were also concerned about the tornado that touched down and caused a lot of damage and destruction outside of Detroit at a campground.  It was pretty awful but no where near us.

That was about it for us on a Roadrunner Monday...

Thanks for viewing today and thanks also for signing up to Follow us.  We love it when that happens.  And thanks for your comments.  We like that too!

Hope you are having a good week ~

Ops Check on the Radio

It started out as a beautiful day.

We did our regular routine here and went to the 9:15 AM church service in Novi at OakPointe Church.  Then we ran a couple of errands and went back to the Roadrunner to watch some tennis or golf.

And then the clouds rolled in and we kept getting interrupted to see tornado and heavy thunderstorm warnings.  There sure seem to be a lot of those here lately which I understand is a little unusual for this part of the country.

We watched the weather move its way in our direction.  I checked out the new NOAA weather radio and cranked it up.  Sure enough it said we had 17 minutes until the 'conditions that may produce a tornado' would be right on top of us.

We moved quickly and got our important documents, wallets, radio and headed for the nearest cinderblock bathhouse and restroom.  We pulled up right next to our neighbors Jim and Alice who arrived a couple of minutes before we did.

We headed for the men's restroom since the ladies restroom was already full of people.

We had 11 minutes until it was supposed to pass nearby us.  We talked and stayed away from the windows and about that time a guy flushed the toilet and came out of the stall and said, 'for a minute, I thought I was in the wrong restroom'.

Oops!  Note to self ~ announce your arrival when you gather in the restrooms to wait out a tornado warning!

It was anti-climatic.  We did not see any high winds or dark funnel clouds.  It was rainy and cloudy but that was it.  Which is fine with us.  The good thing is that we feel as if we are learning how to be safer and what to do in those kind of emergencies.

We got back to the Roadrunner, opened it up a bit and the rain drizzled on and off most of the rest of the afternoon.

Pam was at her best cooking up 'chicken schnitzel'.

Pam wanted me to mention how she has increased her counter space a bit.  She removes both corian countertop pieces from the top of the 3 burners and leans them up against the wall out of the way until the kitchen is cleaned up.

What she has started doing is placing one of those pieces diagonally across the sink to increase her usuable countertop space.

She could use the corian pieces that fit over the sink but she decided long ago she didn't want to take them down and find a place to put them every night.  So instead she does this.

That is it for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Hope you have a great week!

When the Tornado Siren Goes Off

First, welcome to new Followers:

B.W. and Carol

Dawn and Denise

Merikay

Thanks so much for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

We didn't realize that Michigan gets tornados.  While we were in Tennessee over Memorial Day Weekend our campground neighbors called to tell us there had been high winds and the electricity had gone out for about 14 hours.  That same storm was in fact a tornado that touched down in a town not far from here.

In the last couple of weeks, we heard the siren go off in the campground and didn't really know what to do.   One neighbor who is a seasonal resident here, said not to worry, just button down everything and put up the awnings.

Another neighbor said when things get really windy (up to 50 mph and beyond), they go to the laundry room/ bathroom which is one of the few cinderblock buildings in the campground.

Wednesday night it looked dark and foreboding and the weatherman was calling for bad weather.  We kept the TV on the local weather channel and watched the radar as the storm moved along south of us by about 10 miles.  I looked at about 10:00 PM and our neighbors had vacated their RV again.  I double checked what county we were in and then watched the news and felt comfortable? staying put.

But it made us talk and consider what we should be doing in situations like this.  We need a plan.

Yesterday, I came across the best plan I have seen on a fellow RVers blog.  Odel and Laurie give  excellent, step by step instructions in the Semi-True Tales of Our Life on the Road.

We have taken many of their suggestions including getting an NOAA Weather Radio.   I did some research on the internet and decided on an Eton FR360.  I wanted one that had a hand crank, could also work on batteries and one that could also be solar charged.

This little guy has a lot of other features including:  USB cell phone charger, flashlight, flashing beacon, alarm clock aux input and input headphone jack.

It took a bit of doing, but we found it at Bass Pro Shops.  There is one about 30 minutes from here and we decided to see if they had one in stock.  Sure enough they did and $49.95 later, it was ours.  Now, in addition to this and following Odel and Laurie's guidelines, we have greater confidence that we can get the word and be safer in times of bad weather.

Yesterday was also pancake day at our house.

We usually have that on Saturdays.  Later, after dinner last night, we enjoyed a campfire outside.  A lot was going on to see because it was a beautiful evening.
The campfire

the neighbors and their grandkids

and just an overall wonderful evening.
I thought I snapped a picture of the folks in the boat fishing but I guess I didn't.  Then there were the folks walking along the shore from the swimming area that came by our campsite.  We had more than the usual going on.

Later we saw some of the College World Series and that was it for us on a nice Saturday.  Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles.

Mouse Wars Update

I took an early morning photo of the sun coming up ~

Then onto our menacing mice.
Our 'mouse' has turned into two mice so far.  We tried the sticky plastic traps with a juicy glob of peanut butter in the middle and all we got was a few mouse feet marks.  That didn't work too well.

Our other mainline of defense was old fashioned Victor mouse traps.  Pam said she thought she heard one snap the other night.  We didn't find it until the next morning when things were getting a little smelly in the basement.

Sure enough!  One mouse met his doom in a classic mistake.  It was swift and sure.  He never knew what hit him!  I would put a couple of pictures of the critter here but thought that would be a little much and in poor taste so to speak.  But trust me, we got the first one.

Then yesterday morning I checked underneath the sink in the basement over by the black and grey tank lines and there was victim number two.  Glad we are gaining on them.  I am not sure but I think we have one of those little guys still running around.  We will do more checking traps later today.

Yesterday I went for another run and toned it done a little bit.  Last time I was running I was feeling it in my left calf.  I have chronic muscle pulls and have to stretch a lot even when I am not running.  So after a two day layoff I took it slow and did more stretching during the run and it went fine.

While I was doing that, Pam went for a walk.  She is about 90% there.  She did well on a couple of long but fun days.  On Thursday (after going to Grand Rapids on Wednesday), we went over to Petrolia to see Bill and Marg.  We had a good visit and dinner with them in Sarnia.  It is a 2 hour plus ride each way.

Later yesterday, Pam did the laundry while I washed both cars and we watched some Wimbleton tennis.  And last night we stayed up to watched some baseball and saw Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondback throw a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Marlins in a 1-0 win.

He started the game with a lot of walks and ended up getting it done with 149 pitches.  We got to see the last 3 innings which were nail biters.

I took a couple of evening photos and called it a night.

Hope you all have having a great summer.  Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles today!

Errands and Hanging Around the Campground

Yesterday was a beautiful day at Haas Lake Campground.  The sun was out all day and the gentle breezes blew...the temperature was in the low 80's.

I ran a couple of errands early and went to Home Depot to get a vinyl gutter for the sewer hose.   I found the section that had the gutters, then borrowed some tin snips so I could cut it into a four and six foot section.

I noticed our neighbor uses one and decided to give it a try.  So far the results are inconclusive because I have a slight incline from the coach to the dump hole at the campsite.  I will keep it and see if it comes in handy another time.  Sometimes the accordion stand for the sewer hose I currently use is not as stable as I'd like so now I have another option.

From there I looked at WalMart and a few auto supply stores for Klasse All In One

My friend Mark Hall cleans his Tiffin more than anyone I know so I asked him what he uses between his treatments of

the Solution.   I have used the Solution for over a year now and really like it but Pam asked if we ever need to wax this coach?  I didn't really know, so I asked what Mark does.  He uses the Klasse All In One so I may order some online.  Nothing like a spiffed up RV...

Next, I came back to the Roadrunner and went for a run.  I am inching up the time between intervals and had the best run in ages.  I took it easy but still had a great workout.  I really like this campground with the miles of dirt roads.  It is nice to be able to run with out dodging traffic or being on pavement the whole way.  This track is scenic also!

We had lunch and spent time with Adam.  He is heading out to Washington DC for a few weeks and after lunch we took him to the Flint, MI airport.  He was saying it was small and it really is.

But it was very convenient and looked like a nice facility.  He had a connection in Detroit and made it to DC later in the night where he was picked up by a buddy he is staying with.

Pam and I watched some tennis after dinner and then spent a nice evening with a campfire out back watching the lake and contemplating life.  It was a beautiful evening.

Pam is feeling pretty good and her stamina is increasing so we are going to do more in the coming days.

For now, thanks VERY much for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!