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Wind Awning Sick

I guess you are all wondering whats with this title. Well it all started when the wind kicked up about mid day. It was blowing about 9 mph and all was well. All of a sudden it started gusting at 20 mph! At first I was watching the awning and it was holding it's own but then we started to get worried that it might even go higher. The best thing to do is wait for a lull and then take the awning down. We have it secured with tie downs so we have to wait for the wind to subside so when we take the tie downs off a gust doesn't come along and take the awning off.
OK here comes the wind part:
We had a lull and I started taking the tie downs loose. All of a sudden the wind once again gusted and I freaked out and started racing around getting everything stowed away. You see I have just been here a week and not yet acclimated to the altitude. Soon I was gasping for air and my mind started spinning. I just over did it and when I made it back inside all I could do was set down and try and catch my breath.
Sick part:
I got altitude sickness the next day and could hardly move. I felt like I weighed 1000 lbs. I spent the entire day in my recliner sleeping. I did not eat and that made me feel even worse. I was worried that by sleeping all day I would not be able to sleep at night but that was nothing to worry about I slept like a baby.
Today I plan on staying inside and getting better before I head outside again...

Somewhere in Time

Direct TV trouble

I had the Direct TV antenna setting on the west side of the RV and I was afraid that when our neighbors behind us get here our signal may be lost. So I decided to move to the east side of the RV which meant that I would have to buy a longer cable. 
While I was in Walmart I purchased the longer cable and now I was ready to move the antenna. I disassembled the antenna from the tripod and moved the unit to where I thought we would get a clear shot at the southern sky. 
Sherri said I really need to move the unit from under the tree...but what do women know about this kind of stuff...right? OK after working on the signal for an hour or so and getting nothing Sherri said that I still did not move it far enough to get out of the tree. Come on where did she get her license in signal finding...I've been doing this for years for heaven sake! 
Listen I will move it some more just to show you that that is not the problem.
Don't ask me...let me swallow my pride without you saying anything. Sherri's I told you so was enough. We have great reception and when I changed address we got movie channels for 3 months and they lowered my monthly payment by $20. 
Life is now good here in the mountains. I think I will reward my wife with some fresh trout. Of course I will have to go fishing to get that for her...

Somewhere in Time   

Did I tell you about the wind last night?

Goodness...we had a wind last night that had us wondering if we were going to be picked up and set down on the mountain in front of us!
It was about 10:00 pm when the wind all of a sudden gusted to about 50 mph! It was the leading edge of a front that came through. It dumped additional snow on the surrounding higher elevations. 
I realized that I need to pay more attention to the weather so we can get our awning in before it is ripped off the side of the RV. As luck would have it my tie downs held and we had no damage. Not the same luck would my neighbors have. Two folks down the way lost their entire awnings and side curtains. I am sure that there is some news of this event but I have not read about it yet. I will be checking to see how much damage was done in our area...

Somewhere in Time 

Walmart day

No matter where we are located at least once a month we have to make a Walmart run. Well today is the day. We are up drinking our coffee the temps outside are in the lower 40's. It will get up in the upper 60 today. The sun is just now peeping over the mountain range in front of our site. The skies are clear and all is well with us.
Along the way today we will have to stop at the Family Dollar and Safeway. Sherri follows all the bargains so she has a list by store that will guide us on our journey.
To add to the grocery run I am picking up the materials to build Rick's poles for his patio awning. The wind up here has a tendency to gust up to 20 mph and your awning...if not tied down will go crazy. You RVers out there know that is not a good thing. 
We had Rick and Becky's site last year and that is when I came up with this design to hold the cover down. It worked real well but we always took the poles down and rolled the awning up when we would be gone all day. It is a good design but this wind can fool you and it is better to be safe than sorry.
Not much more to report this morning. Sherri and I are enjoying our coffee here in the living room. We have a beautiful view out the windows here in Colorado and we are happy campers...

Somewhere in Time 

A trip above the timber line

This will be on canvas before I return to Texas

So much to paint and so little time to do it.

Old abandoned miner houses

Yes there are plenty of snow scenes to sketch 

I love this mountain scene here. Looking at this and listening to the wind in the Pines,,,can I say more

That would be an altitude of 12,000 feet or more. Yes I decided to get some good painting ideas above the timberline. I found out that the best pictures were found below the timberline but I trudged onward until I reach that altitude. 
The views were unbelievable. This is the first time I had ventured off this high since I sold my jeep. Believe it or not the temps stayed in the lower 50 up until I reached 12,000 feet. You know what that means. The big thaw is about to happen and when it does the rivers and creeks are going to swell out of their banks. 
The Rio Grand is already running high and fast. This extra snow melt will really have it churning!
When I returned I helped Sherri finish her puzzle of Crater Lake. It was a nice looking puzzle...could have framed it and hung it on the wall. The center has tons of puzzles and I am sure that we will work many more in the months ahead.
We got some more folks in too. Some of the RVers that come year after year are starting to return for the summer. Soon the park will be full and we will hear all the 4 wheelers loading up for fun on the mountain roads. 
Rick and Becky are getting acclimated to the altitude slowly but surely. Soon we will be taking them up in the mountains to see the views and fish the lakes...

Somewhere in Time 

First fishing adventure pays off

What a good day at the lake

This is an hour and a half of fishing

Becky and Rick enjoying the sunshine. We will be helping them set up their patio.

Yesterday I took off with some of the fishermen in the park here. We headed up to Road Canyon Reservoir to do a little fishing. This trip requires about a 1/4 mile trek around the reservoir to the spot where we always go to catch fish. These fish are always larger than most from other lakes around the area. We did not catch any large fish but we did get our limit in just under 2 hours. Before our stay ends here I will have caught a lot of fish and had a lot of fun doing it.
Our traveling companions are working on getting their site set up. They had to call Direct TV to come out and help them set up their system. I tried to help them but I did not have the know how to get it working. I did get there heater working and I guess that is more important than the TV. They are still in a learning curve just having purchased their RV. What most people learn over years of RVing Rick and Becky have had to learn in just a few weeks of traveling to Colorado. I think they have done real good considering the time factor.
After a 1/2 mile walk to and from the fishing site I was needing a nap. This I took and when I woke up Sherri was no where to be found. I took a stroll over to the community center and I found her and Becky working on a puzzle. They had just started and I could not help myself...I just had to start finding some pieces. It is hard to pull away from a puzzle once you get started. 
We worked on the puzzle but did not quite get through with it because we noticed that it was 7:30 and we had not even had our dinner. Well I guess we better get home and finish this puzzle...

Somewhere in Time 

Warmer temps are coming

One of these guys peeped through my window and like to have scared me to death!

They came up on the patio and nose around for some food.

Like I said we had snow 

And then we had more snow

We have the best spot in the park

Sherri is not a cold weather person. I am not a hot weather person so we love it here in Colorado. We normally come the first of June but this year we wanted to come early so Kris could see the mountain snow. Also the wildlife stay in the lower elevations while the weather on the mountains is colder. Well we got our wish and both the snow and the wildlife stuck around for us to see.
We did not have to drive any distance to see either...they came to us. The mountains around us have snow on them and the deer are coming up in here...and I mean coming up in here. They were on my patio last night.
Speaking of my patio I need to get out and get everything in order so we can start using it as soon as the weather warms up some. We have the perfect spot this year...as far as I am concerned we have the best spot in the park.
I am sharing some pictures with you all. I will have many more as we start our adventure here in the Rocky Mountains...

Somewhere in Time 

The inn was booked

We left early to beat the wind and we did for the first 130 miles. But all good things come to an end. We had just left our first fuel stop when I noticed the rig was lagging back somewhat. Then I noticed the trees along the highway bowing to me as I passed. Well I took that for what it was...the wind was hitting me head on and my diesel meter started to tell the tell.
I went from a favorable 11.5 mpg to 8.8 mpg. Gee we just did not leave early enough. It was that way until we turned north and then I started to get some better mileage. Not sure what this little trip cost me in the way of fuel but that will be something I can write about later. 
We had planned on staying at our mid-stop a couple of days so as to miss the snow in Colorado. Well as things would have it they were booked for the next week of so. That left us with only one option. We could either find another place to stay or head on in to Colorado. We opted for the later and pushed on north. We found a place to top off the rigs and that got us enough to make it all the way without any other stops.
Arriving at our destination we ran head long into a real nice snow storm. At times we only had about 100 yards visibility. The snow was real dry and was not sticking at all. The surrounding mountains at higher elevations, however were starting to accumulate additional snow. I say additional because they were already covered before this round on snow hit.
Kris was loving it but I on the other hand was a little disturbed with the fact that I had to set up in the storm. I hate having to unload and set up when it is raining or snowing. Nothing is clean when you get through and you have to redo half of it when a dry day comes around.
We did get set up. Loaded the fresh water tank so we would have water when the temps dropped below freezing. Yes they were predicting below freezing temps for the night and for tomorrow night as well. Well I did want to see some snow on the mountains this year and I got may wish. Did not really want snow on my patio but I got that as a bonus.
The RV park had a get together and Sherri made some brownies. There were all kinds of dishes there and coffee to boot. I think it will  be a good year here in Colorado. I will be fishing too...

Somewhere in Time 

Not the best travel time we have had

We were in escape mode come Tuesday morning. The weather forecast showed some unfavorable weather patterns forming between where we were and where we were heading. 
This put us in a position to make a decision on whether or not to take off. I sat there for a long time studding the live radar screen and trying to see if we could eek between some of the cells that were forming to the southwest. 
They seemed to be moving in a northeast direction which meant that we would have to thread the needle as they passed our route. Thank the good Lord for the internet! Sherri manned the computer and I manned the helm. With some good timing and good luck we managed to get through all the storms without any problem. There was one spot where we had stopped to use the bathroom that we almost got a piece of the big one following us. 
Sherri had called our traveling friends behind us to see if they needed to stop and relieve themselves at an upcoming rest stop. They agreed we all needed to stop so we did. Sherri and I elected to use our own facilities and Becky and Rick went to the restrooms at the rest stop. Well they had a mix-up and Rick was waiting for Becky to come out but she was already on the way back to the truck. We realized that Rick was not coming so she had to go back and get him. Well to make a long story short the storm caught up with us and we got a little hail and a trace of rain before we all pulled back out on the highway.
The rest of the trip was us trying to keep ahead of the looming storm and not get blown off the road! All went well and we were safely on our way.
After leaving the rest area Rick forgot to engage his Tow Haul and he was driving in 6th gear. This had a big effect on his gas mileage. He crippled into the Flying J truck stop on a hope and a prayer. I missed the turn so I headed on to our destination...with plenty of fuel to spare.
The wind has been relentless since we arrived. We decided to stay one more day here and wait for the wind to lighten up. The forecast says that in the morning we should have calm winds until 10:00 or so and then they will pick up again. 
We are getting everything ready tonight so in the morning we can pick up the jacks and head out...

Somewhere in Time  

First leg of the trip

We made it to Oklahoma. Sherri is in the Casino with here friend Becky Feller. They did not make enough to pay for the trip but they said they had a lot of fun.
Kris and I just stayed here at the RV and ate some lunch. I had to take a nap as soon as I got that behind me. 
Made good time and had no problems. We plan to leave on the second leg tomorrow. It is snowing in South Fork so I will have to make me a snow man before it all melts.
They have had a record snow fall in the mountains surrounding the park. We should have some good fishing. 
It is so hot here and I can't wait for the cooler weather...

Somewhere in Time