We Lost Her...

Meghan passed away yesterday, three months after learning the cancer had returned and spread.  As she promised in an earlier post in her blog The Bees Knees, she fought hard.  In the end, she went quietly and quickly, surrounded by Adam and her parents, Bill and Marg.  

Meghan in California with Adam after Christmas

There will be visitation between 2-4 PM and 7-9 PM on Thursday, April 29 at Needham-Jay Funeral Home in Petrolia:  4059 Petrolia Lane, Petrolia, Canada


All are also welcome at the funeral at St. Philip's Parish (415 King Street) in Petrolia at 11 AM, Friday April 30.


In lieu of flowers, she wanted donations made to Kelly Shires Breast Cancer Foundation 1-877-436-6467.

We can not thank you enough for your many many prayers, kind thoughts, notes and other acts of encouragement.

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles.  We will be taking some time off from posting on the blog for a few days.

Labels and Launches at Haas Lake RV Park

Pam and I volunteered to help with anything they need here at the campground and they offered to let us send out thousands of flyers/postcards.  They need to put on labels and stamps.  We were thinking more of some outside work but that's what they offered so we gladly got to it.

We showed up about 9:45AM which is a pretty great time to start working :).  They are getting ready start the camping season and are sending out an announcement to about 7,000 addresses.

Pam and I got set up in the main campstore/office area and started at it.  Thank goodness these are peel off labels and stamps!

We get to meet the folks in the office and get to know them a little bit.  They are nice folks and are really working hard to make this the best season yet at the Haas Lake RV park campground.

Ruth is the manager of the campground and Linda is one of the folks working in the office.  She and Judy handle all the reservations and administrative details of the operation.  In fact, it is quite a huge effort.  They have almost 500 campsites and it is like running a little city.  Lots of activity going on.

I am not sure how many labels we did yesterday, but Pam and I were at it about five hours before we called it a day.  (Like I said, pretty good hours...)  We ran out of stamps but have another box of labels and a never ending supply of postcards.   We likely will come back again later in the week.

When we left, there was still time for Pam to do some laundry and hang it out to dry for a while.

Then we had to bring it inside since the wind was blowing so hard.
After that was done, Pam planted some things in her garden boxes and planter pots.

Later, daughter Kelly emailed me and said she has finally done it!  After many years, she finally published her greeting cards She launched her line:  'lovehislove' and she is already making sales online.  

They are creative and humorous.  You won't find these in your neighborhood card store, I guarantee it! Her website 'PunchInTheFACEDesign' describes how she got started.  Here is an excerpt:

                         In the summer between my junior and senior years of college (summer of '04), I enrolled in an independent study graphic design class. I had decided that what the world needed was not another poster, or another record cover, or another logo. What the world needed was some new greeting cards. I've loved letters- getting them, writing them... it was one of the few ways I was able to communicate with my Grandma when I was younger. So, noticing that most of the "christian" greeting cards made me want to vomit, I decided to... remodel them a bit. I created a line of greeting cards that excited me and made me laugh...

She launched her line of cards, 'lovehislove' (in case you missed it).  Be sure to check out the simple, lovely Mother's Day Card and get yours today!  Buy the dozens...

Megan Update:  She is in the middle of her latest second round of chemo and is having a rough go of it.  Please continue to pray for her, her family and Adam.  Never give up.  Never.  They'd appreciate your encouragement at "For the Love of Meghan" on Facebook.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Hope your week is going well!  Thanks for the notes, emails, Followers, readers, lurkers, etc etc ~ you get the point!  We appreciate the contact and connections.

Roadrunner Financials - March 2010

First a big milestone:  We welcome followers #100 and #101 today!

Carol K and

Robert

Thanks for joining us!  Now on to the #200...

We spent a two days traveling the first of March from Deming, NM to Floresville, TX where we stayed with Pam's aunt Linda.  She has a nice big ranch and we were able to park the Roadrunner two days there before we left for Galveston TX.  We spent the remainder of the month volunteering for NOMADS and our campsite was free.
Good news are areas where we are under budget- 

- RV Diesel.  This is an obvious area that we will adjust the end of May in our budget
- RV + Car Maintenance.  Gladly their were none for the month so we were a full $100 under budget on that one.
- Campgrounds.  When you can stay with friends and/or family it helps.  We did not have to pay for our site while we volunteered with NOMADS in Galveston for almost the whole month of March.

Biggest expenses for the month - 

We were over budget this month on three big items:

  1) Our unrealistically low food budget. 

  2) The quick trip to Detroit.  We flew there, stayed with friends and drove over the Canadian border to Meghan's parent's house where she and Adam got married in a civil ceremony.  The bigger wedding is scheduled for July.  

  3)  Blue Ox Braking System.

Large 'One Time Cost Item(s)' - 

- Blue Ox Patriot, proportional braking system for our car when we tow it behind the RV.  This is an item we would have bought when we started and it would be in the 'Start Up Costs' area.  We bought it in Quartzite in January and they were on back order.  Blue Ox did not charge us for it until it was shipped in March.

Monthly average since we started tracking in June 2009 - 

We are leveling out at about $4280/month which is almost $960 over what we budgeted.  I think trying to live on this budget is a lot like trying to make a diet work  :)  

I think if we were more serious about it, we might be more inclined to hold off on some items and cut way back on our groceries.  But, at the moment we are OK with where we are in the process.  We are feeling more and more like we have a routine of sorts, though each month brings new surprises.

That's what the numbers looked like for last month.  It won't be too long before it will be time to finish up and send out April's.


Hope this helps someone out there trying to figure out how much this lifestyle costs.   Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Soggy Saturday

First I want to say Welcome! to our 98th Follower:

Jim Smith

Thanks for joining us and helping us get closer to our 100 Followers milestone.  I wonder which one is going to get us there??

The big news yesterday wasn't so big.  It was rainy and overcast most of the day.  Now and then I like those days.  We spent a lot of time in the Roadrunner.  I did some work on my spreadsheets, some work on my never-ending Picasa photos and got caught up reading a lot of friends' blogs.

We have a nice campsite and many have fire rings for campfires.  The weather is going to be nice in a few days and we want to be sitting around the campfire too.  But I hate the thought of paying for firewood.  It seems to me like I am burning $$.  Maybe that is just me-- but I much prefer to find some and go get it.

How about you--do you pay for firewood?

I have been looking on Craigslist for a few days and I found some about 30 miles away.  They told me to call them after noon which I did.  Sure enough, they still had some and gave us their address so we could pick it up.

By then the rain/drizzle had stopped and we had no problem finding the house.  Sometimes these things can go either way.  'Firewood' can be huge tree stumps or big logs.  But this was perfect.  They had cut it into small pieces and we loaded it into the back of our Honda.

We didn't want to overload it so we were a little cautious and only picked up two wheel barrows full.  But it is a great start.  Maybe we will go back and get some more.

We stacked it next to a tree near our newly acquired fire ring and we're all set.

Pam went to the grocery store after that and I chilled a little and watched some of the golf.  The PGA tour is playing this week in New Orleans.  I like these kinds of tournaments because they have a large field and guys you never heard of who get to live their dream and play in a PGA event and try to make something happen.  These are the kinds of tournaments where a few players that made a splash a few years ago are trying to regain that old form.  So it is fun to watch.

Adam got off fairly early and decided to come out and have dinner and spend the night with us here at the coach.  He goes into work today in the late morning.  We love seeing our kids and I am missing Kelly.  She's in Dallas looking hard for a job in the Interior Design area.  She had one, but the firm was having a tough time and let a few of them go--laid them off.  If any of you out there have some suggestions for her, please let me know.

After dinner Adam was on his computer and Pam and I watched the end of a Robin Hood movie.  The old Errol Flynn/Olivia de Havilland era kind of Robin Hood.  It was great!  Talk about funky costumes!

That was it for us on a soggy Saturday.  Thanks again for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!

A Good Roadrunner Day

I usually get up early and do some reading and such.  I always put on a pot of coffee and for now, have been turning on our little but powerful Pelonis ceramic heater.  Then I check emails and see if anyone knows we're out here...or if I have any responses to answer :)  Yesterday I was looking for some free firewood and a few responded to that inquiry.

I also get started on my blog post for the day and maybe check Facebook or read some other favorite bloggers I follow.  Then I load pictures and see what I can use for the day's post.  My assumption is most want to see pictures rather than just read my commentary.  I have read others who mostly write with very few pictures and they write VERY well...  Two come to mind:

Nick Russell whom I have followed for a couple of years on Nick's Blog and also of the Gypsy Journal fame and 

Connie and Tracy of who write Gypsy G'Mas.  (We met these two women at the 2009 RV-Dreams Rally in Kerrville, Texas.)

Yesterday while sitting at my computer near both windows, we saw our little furry friend who lives nearby.

He looks like a 'Ralph' to me, so I will call him Ralph from now on.  We watched some early morning Fox and Friends.  Then Pam got started on the laundry and I decided to give myself a haircut.  A reader asked how I do that:

I get my stuff set up, then start with a #2 on my beard, then switch to a #8, then a #5 and #4 a few places, shake out the loose clipping and 20 minutes later I'm done!

I got the clothes lines set up first for Pam and as I was washing the Roadrunner, she hung the clothes out.

They dried for a couple of hours and I think this washing and drying clothes this way is going to work out fine.

Then I started washing the RV - I connected my three hoses and attached the spray valve before I dragged it up onto the top of the roof.

Then I filled the water bucket and put in some soap and scrubbed away.

It sure was dirty. I made my way around the back and sides and finished off the front area.  That took me about 90 minutes and I put a squeegee on the front windshield.  I'll have to do the rest of the windows.  It is supposed to rain the next few days so I'll do the rest of the windows after it quits and think about shining up the Roadrunner with The Solution - my cleaner of choice.

We stopped by the office here at Haas Lake RV campground to talk with Ruth about painting some picnic tables and volunteering.  She said the painting wasn't going to work out because of liability issues with non-employees.  But she did offer to let us help them put together their spring mailing of 7,000 postcards.  We signed up to help on Monday.

The rest of next week is shaping up:   On Tuesday, we secured positions volunteering with Habitat for Humanity - Oakland County and will be looking forward to working at the construction site all day. On Wednesday, Adam is off and he'll be at Meghan's again.  We may go see here for a couple of hours - we'll see.  On Thursday, we have doctors appointments to check out a few things.

We made a trip to the Wal-Mart nearby for some vegetable seeds and also got a couple of brackets for hanging a water hose in the tank bay.  We also found a Red Box movie dispenser and picked up 'The Informant'.

Then we cooked chicken on the grill and watched the movie.  It was not as good as we hoped although I really like Matt Damon.

That was our Roadrunner day -- thanks for viewing!  Hope you have a great weekend.

Honda and Habitat

I was motivated to finish off the getting our new tires re-calibrated.  I called and made an appointment with Suburban Honda in nearby Novi, Michigan for a front-end alignment.

Suburban Honda is a new dealership and the folks on the phone were nice.  I talked with Julie on the phone to schedule the appointment.  Then, when I brought the car in for service, I spoke with Lindsay who scheduled an alignment and I asked for all four wheels to be done.  I also had them check the rear window wash receptacle to see why we weren't getting any spray back there.

The waiting area was fine and the coffee and muffins were good too.  After about an hour I got the Honda back, all washed and tires aligned!  Julie explained the work that was done and walked me over to the checkout window.  The water reservoir was cracked and broken in the front and was not working in either the front or the back.  I can get that fixed for $231.  I decided to wait on that one.

I got back to the campground and vacuumed out the car and cleaned it.  Later, I searched online and found the nearest Habitat for Humanity ReStore location.  It was about the same distance to go to Detroit or Pontiac MI.  We chose the Pontiac location about 30 miles away and we  drove over their to check it out.

They have a pretty big facility with a showroom and large warehouse.  It also has offices for the Pontiac Habitat Staff  and lots of donated home improvement type inventory.  We talked with the volunteer coordinator and decided we want to work at a construction site instead of volunteering in the ReStore.  Looks like they have plenty of folks in the ReStore.  We got the address of the build site and will decide on a day next week to work there.

We also were not far from where Adam works and we met him for a few minutes before his shift started.   He just returned after spending a couple of days across the Canadian border seeing Meghan.

After chatting a few minutes with Adam, we headed back to the campground but not before we found the 'closest' laundromat to us.  It is about 7 or 8 miles away and takes about 15 minutes to get there.  We were hoping to find it a lot cheaper than the $1.75/load which is the price at our campground.  To our surprise--it was the same price.  So we will just do our laundry there at Haas Lake RV park.

We had a very hard time finding a laundromat.  They don't have a lot of them in this part of the country.  I guess apartment complexes all have there own facilities.  It is noteworthy that there just are not many in our area.

We got back to the campground a little after 4:00 and we hung around for a while.  I got a little too comfortable in my recliner and took a quick nap.  Pam fixed a nice dinner and it was still a pretty evening when I decided to sit "in our backyard" on the edge of the lake and contemplate for a while.

We watched a few minutes of the NFL draft.  I was interested to see that Tim Tebow went 25th in the first round.  I thought with all his notoriety he would be going higher.  What do I know?  Pam was thinking he might go until the second round...

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles today!

New Tires and such

It was another beautiful morning and I was out walking early.  The lakes are quite nice at that time of the day.

I have been walking more and there are plenty of 'trails' around the park to hike and of varying distances. The season doesn't start up here until May 1, so I expect it will still be a few days before people come and open up there RV's that have been buttoned up all winter.

On a different subject, we have had a strange sound in our new car for a number of months and decided to see if we could get it fixed.  In a previous post, I mentioned that the tires had only 15,000 miles on them.  I forgot to add the additional 16,000 miles they have traveled as a toad (towed vehicle) behind the Roadrunner.

Still --- 30,000+  miles is not a lot of miles on new tires.  I understand new cars sometimes don't have the highest quality tire on them but I was not excited about spending $600 on a set of new tires.  But that is what I did and we got some Michelin's.  We ordered them at Sam's Club and went over on Wednesday morning to get them mounted and balanced.

To my amazement the 'wubba wubba wubba' sound disappeared!  I could not believe the difference the tires made but we are very excited that it fixed!  Now to get them aligned and we'll be 100%...

Sam's Club is not far from IKEA so we went there again to see if there was something we couldn't do with out.  Sure enough-- we found a good sized squeegee for $1.49.  Now I can wash the front windshield on the Roadrunner a little quicker.  The one I have is a about 6" wide.  We also bought another clothes drying rack that is metal and will fold up easily.  At $1.75 to wash a load of clothes, we may be drying a lot of clothes outside.

We also went by Camping World and returned the 4" drop hitch that we bought there last week.  We have a Blue Ox towing system.  Camping World had a pretty good looking Roadmaster drop hitch and I got that.  When I installed it however, it was not a very snug fit.  I didn't like the idea of the toad swaying some so I took it back.

We went back to General RV Center and picked up the first 4" drop hitch we looked at.  It is a Blue Ox brand fits a lot better and I think that will also help the wear on the new tires.

After that, we had lunch and took a drive to get used to the area and got back to the coach in time for a quite dinner and some TV.

That was our Wednesday -- thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Vegan Cake Delivery in Canada

Yesterday I went for a brisk walk around the lake and got some good exercise in early.  Later, while I was doing some work on the computer, Pam went into town and found 'non-dairy' cupcakes and a small birthday cake at Sam's Club.  That was a surprise to me, I didn't know they had that kind of a selection.  Since Adam is a vegan, it worked out well for us.  It is birthday number 29 for him.

After lunch we left for the 90 minute drive to Meghan's house in Petrolia, Canada.  It was more like a two hour drive with some construction along the highways.   It was a beautiful day for a drive.  When we got there, Meghan and her mom were with someone, so Adam took us on a little tour of the town.   When Adam has a couple of days off work in West Bloomfield, MI he goes over the Meghan's house and stays with them.  We drove around town and went out to the city park but it is still closed for the season.

Instead we spent a little while at the Coffee Lodge.  It is a Starbucks type of coffee shop with an expanded menu and has some entertainment during the evenings.  Seemed like a nice place and the coffee was good.

When we returned to Meghan's (actually her parents house) the 'coast was clear' so we went and visited for a while.   Meghan is into the second session of this round of chemo and we appreciate your prayers for her.  Keep it up!   If you haven't visited her blog please do so:  The Bees Knees.  She is quite a woman and an inspiration to many of us!  

'We' hit a milestone on her "For the Love of Meghan" fan page on Facebook with just over 1,000 fans!  Help us reach the next milestone--10,000!!  If everyone posts it in their blogs, emails, .... and sends a link  to 10 people....    

Also, feel free to buy a bracelet online--- there are hundreds out there, but lets get some more purple wrist band wearers!  It is a great way to think about her and have a reminder to pray for her and her family and Adam!

Before long, her dad Bill arrived home from work and we chatted some more and talked of the upcoming golf season.  The weather is really turning nice up her and we are getting to see spring again after seeing it begin in Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio and now here in Michigan and Canada.  I love this time of year!  Birds are chirping their heads off!  Flowers and buds are starting to bust out all over.

Since we are so close to Meghan, we didn't over stay our visit and will be back again often.  On the way back to our campground, Pam and I talked about how we had wanted to try our Bob's Big Boy Restaurant, so we  stopped at one along I-94.  Pam had something from the Soup and Salad bar and I had shrimp for dinner.  Both were very good!

We returned to the Roadrunner in time for a little baseball on TV and then we called it a day.

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Hope you are having a good week!

A couple of days at Haas Lake RV Park

We have settled in to our campsite here at Haas Lake RV Park and we are going to like it.  We have plenty of space and can hike or bike on the paths and roads around the 240 acres of the campground.

On Sunday, I went "running".  It was a little cool but I was dressed for it.  When I "run" now I mix it up with intervals of running a few minutes, walking a few minutes, running a few minutes etc.  I used to run a lot but now I only now and then.  I figure every little bit helps and I like getting back into it.  But my joints and muscles at this stage dictate that I take it easy so I can build up my stamina.

After my run, we listened to another Lon Solomon sermon in the 'Roadrunner Chapel'.   Then we went over to IKEA and to Camping World to look for a 4" drop hitch.

After that we went to see our friend Rod in Clinton Township.  His wife Lisa was returning from a weekend with some 'Granny Friends' as she calls them.  We stayed with them a month ago when we were up here for a few days.

Yesterday I got caught up on some bills and made some inquiries online.  Looks like we may be able to volunteer in the area with Habitat for Humanity.  That will be fun.   I also installed the 4" drop hitch we purchased.  I didn't like the way it fit.  Seems like it is not as snug as it should be.  I also pulled out the hoses and washed the Honda.  The campground has dirt roads so it doesn't take long for the car to get dirty.

Later, I talked with the owner here at the campground and we may be able to do some volunteer work for her.  They must have close to 500 picnic tables, many of which need painting.

We went for a drive out to Whole Foods in West Bloomfield and found it to be a very nice store and surrounding area.  We did a little shopping and then drove back to General RV Center in Novi.  I purchased a Blue Ox drop hitch to see if it fits better.  Sure enough, when we got back I installed it and it looks like it is the ticket.  I will return the first one I bought.

It has been cold at night which make a beautiful effect on the water here at the campground.
I got up this morning and walked and took some fog shots.

It looks like it will be another beautiful day here.
Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!  We appreciate all of you.

Departure Checklist - they are very important!

We have friends who just bought a new motor home and had trouble with the air bags filling as they got ready to leave their campsite.

Has that ever happened to you?  Pretty scary moment!  What did YOU do?
  
All kinds of thoughts go through your mind (at least it did when this happened to us) including the worst:
     - we have a dud! I knew it!  This coach is a LEMON!;
     - those guys SHOULD HAVE TOLD US what to do before we left the dealer...;
     - what did I do wrong?!!,
     - NOW WHAT?!!-- (as they say in the Air Force:  "I am out of air speed and ideas..." ; it is Sunday and no one is out there to help...
     - we're STUCK and I am going to be here for a FEW? days; I am going to miss work, miss my___?...
     - this is going to COST us a bunch of $$$, I wonder if insurance will cover it?
     - there MUST be someone I can call...;
     - I wish we had a good INTERNET connection here!
     - it sure is LONELY at the moment....

In hindsight some of these things NOW, they can help you next time:
     - Call the factory service center or help desk.  (unless it is after hours, the weekend, long holiday break, etc)
     - Go through your factory books and reference manuals so you know where the 1-800 number is
     - Compile (or find a list) of 1-800 numbers and remember where you put them
     - Here's a link on Tiffin RV Network you may find useful:  (Click Here)  If so, print it out  (Note: this list was compiled a while ago so confirm the numbers listed are accurate.)
     - Search blogs and keep a mental note of who are experts and the technical type.  Write down their cell phone if available.  Most RVers are more than willing to help others in need....
     - Have a couple of FRIENDS numbers handy so you can call them.

BTW - We have a Tiffin 40' Class A Allegro Bus motor home

Here is our DEPARTURE checklist:
- Turn off water heater
- Turn refrigerator to LP position if it doesn't switch automatically
- Secure all sliding doors (between bathroom, bedroom etc)
- Remove everything from counter tops
- Ensure all drawers, cupboards and cabinet doors are closed
- Roll up mats, rugs etc and store
- Move driver and passenger seats forward
- Ensure local TV antenna is collapsed and folded down on top roof outside of coach
- Store all outside hookups (water hose, electrical cord, sewer hose)
- Turn ignition key to ACC position (or as we prefer--START engine)
- Look at gauges to make sure air pressure gets up to correct inflation (depends on your coach but that may be anywhere from 110 psi to 125 psi)
- Close all slides.  Watch from the outside (unless you are a solo) to make sure all close completely.  If necessary, do it again.
- Start motor home (if you haven't already) and press "STORE" button once on HWH panel
- Check outside to see that all jacks are fully retracted

***NOTE***  This is where we had trouble one time and the airbags did fill correctly.  Make sure you allow enough time [as in, DO IT SLOWLY for the airbags to go through their sequence and properly inflate ***NOTE***


(This is where we ran into trouble and our coach was still low to the ground after we completed the sequence.  Our problem was that we went through the sequence too quickly.  Another remedy may be to ***start the whole sequence over***)

Checklist - continued:
- you should be able to see the airbags
- Remove slats from under the jacks and stow
- Confirm the HWH system is operating correctly and continuing to blink (it may take a full 5 minutes and then will go to the STORE mode)
- Check underneath the motor home for any under neat the coach or laying on the ground
- Confirm all bay doors are completely closed and locked
- Pull out of campsite
- Line up toad
- Hook up tow bar and lights
- Set up toad for towing
- Check brake lights
- Set up auxiliary braking system (we have Blue Ox Patriot system)
- Confirm Tire Pressure Monitoring System is working (we have Pressure Pro)
- Confirm directions for the travel day
- Say a prayer (... no kidding, every day we ask for God's protection and safety)

Be alert, go slowly, relax, ENJOY YOURSELF and have the time of your life - WE ARE!!

So do YOU have a checklist?  If not, why not?  
What did I miss?

We find that we need it all the time so we don't get over confident or careless.   After all, we have been at this as full-timers almost 11 months now :)....

Thats our post for the day on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Hope it helps! Thanks for viewing and Following!

A Short Stay and on to Haas Lake Park

We did some rethinking on where we were staying yesterday.  In fact, we started looking at the maps we picked up at the Michigan Visitor Center and found more campground options closer to Adam.  At Algonac State Park figured we were about an hour and a half away from Adam (in Ferndale, MI) and we wanted to be closer to him.

We found Haas Lake Park near New Hudson and gave them a call.  They seemed a little high ($37/night) but if we stayed there, we could get a monthly rate of $624.  That was within our budget and decided to go for it.

We packed up fairly quickly after watching a beautiful sunrise.

The traffic was not too bad as we made our way east of Detroit over to the west side and beyond.  We arrived at Haas Lake Park about 1030 and checked in.   The park is on 400+ acres and we had a few campsites to choose from.

We like one near the semi-permanent campers.  The lake is apparently a popular location for RV campers to rent spots for long term stays.  That means some sites are 'improved' with porches, decks, fire pits and flower gardens.

We liked the fact the sites are fairly large with some grass.

We are right on the water so we can enjoy some time in 'our backyard' when the weather warms up.

We decided to go for a walk even though the temperature was about 39 degrees!

Even the geese and swans looked like they were a bit chilled.

The property is going to be great for bike rides, walks and maybe even a little running during the next month or so.

Believe it or not, it has a two hole golf course with plenty of tee times available on days like this  :)  We definitely will have to check it out.

Another interesting feature of the campground is the neighbors.  Along the property in one corner is a house with a turkey coop.

Looks like they have three hens and a tom turkey.

Once we got back to the Roadrunner, we saw that the wind had not let up much.  But at least the sun was out.  Later, we even had a couple of snow flakes...

The temperature dropped like a rock from yesterday and the weather blew pretty hard most of the day.

We decided to run a few errands and found General RV about five miles down the road.

Looks like a pretty good dealer with a lot of RVs.  The parts department was well stocked and they had what we needed -- a 4" drop down hitch.  We are getting some high wear on our toad tires (Honda CRV).  This may be due to cheap tires that come with a new car or the Blue Ox towing system which pulls the car at a bit of an angle.  From what I read, the 4" drop down hitch may help quite a bit.

Question for our readers:  Do you use a drop down hitch?  Has it made a difference for you?  Thanks in advance for replying.

We are not done shopping around yet.  We may be able to get one cheaper elsewhere.  Seemed pretty high at $139.

We did go to Home Depot and buy a couple of large washers to put over the rebar at the base of our flag stand.  Should make it swivel with the wind easier.  We also got a couple of small plants for the coach.

One thing I miss about things this time last year is the flower gardens.  It was almost a year ago to the day that we put our house on the market.   God sold it in four days. (Whom else could get credit for something like that in these economic times?)

This time the sun set outside our front window--looking across the farm land adjacent to the campground.

I think we are going to like it here!

Hope your weekend is going well and it is warm where you are!  Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!