Just so everyone knows, we have had many more problems with our RV over the past few years. Black, gray tanks leak, front landing gear, spring hangers and springs, it goes on and on. I have stopped updating this blog years ago because it just added to the stress. Now a days we just deal with the issues (right now all in good)and go on with our adventures. I will continue to let others who wish to purchase any Keystone product about there poor quality and non existent customer service.

Can you say.... slacker blogger??

Hello my Dear Reader, I am mentally working on a new post, I swear!!!! We have just done so much of the same old lately that it didn't seem blog worthy. Apparently from what a couple of friends say, better that than nothing. I promise you Dear Reader, I will work on it over the next few days. Love you miss you more!

A True up to date update!! O.o

19-July-2012
Sooo… hehe ya see Dear Reader? I told you it wouldn’t be long til we met again and here we are!!
So, I told you we were waiting on Steve and Jeanne to arrive from down south, well, they did. They joined up with us in Sundre, AB. Gary still had a couple of days work to do then we thought we could make our fishing/adventuring plans. Well, seeing as we own Montana rigs we of course would have to do some repairs… we managed to “develop” leaks on all 3 of our tanks while staying at one park. Pretty sure it had something to do with the guy pumping out the tanks and not having some kinda pressure relief(?) valve. Couple that with unsecured tanks sliding back and forward… So we got in touch with a local guy and he was quite optimist about getting us upgraded replacement tanks the next day all covered by our extended warranty… well, I am not saying he couldn’t get us tanks the next day, but they would be about half the capacity we have now, so in my opinion, not really an upgrade. Then he was all pissy about doing it, so we left him to stew in misery. We contacted a place on Red Deer and are now patiently waiting on the new factory style (big) tanks to arrive so we can head back there to get them put in. We repaired the tanks so we could move along and get some fishing in.
We had been scouting around the Sundre-Caroline area for some new fishing holes and we got lucky. We ended up moving towards Phyllis Lake and heading up a cut line to our newest home. During the week we were completely left to our own, the weekend however, it became an atv Mecca. We did a few daytrips to some streams and Da Boys took the pontoons out to the lake. Both guys have had some luck, us girls however… not so much. I have gotten a really good tan and also developed a decent immunity to mosquitoes! So fitting to the whole “we own Montanas” theme, Steves rig decided the refrigerator needed to quit working. We explored all the options, replace the thingie that wasn’t working or get a new fridge. He got a new fridge… the replacement thing would take 4-6 weeks to get and a new one would only (hah) take two days. Needless to say, the thing died Saturday and the new one didn’t actually make it in til Thursday. My only thought is that there was too many people involved at the dealer to get an order done right! But arrive it finally did and now he has ice storing/beer chillin’ capabilities again!! Never a dull moment when you live on the road!
After we got tired of that area, we decided to hit an old favourite, Big Horn Damsite. We figgered this would be a good spot to be to check out Banff and whatever. So here we are! We arrived on Monday and made plans to hit Banff on Wednesday. Much to my delight, Jeanne only wanted to see Lake Louise. I haven’t been there so I was looking forward to it. Banff holds no interest for me. we went there once and it was so crowded and busy, I vowed to avoid it at all costs. The drive there was of course spectacular. Hiway 93 should be a national treasure IMHO. We got to the lake and holy hell was it busy. The village was busy, the lake area was busy, the Chateau was busy!! Needless to say I was happy when we decided we had seen enough LOL. We drove back up 93 and explored some of the sights on the way north. We decided that we would go to the ice fields since they are closer to us now than when we move a bit more north. Jeanne and myself decided to walk up to the Athabasca glacier but on the way there, someone changed her mind and we just got some nice shots from the road rather than right up on it. No worries, it will be there for a few years still. We did see the markers showing where it used to be and it really has melted a lot of the last few years… makes ya think that for sure.
After the early up and long day we all hit the hay pretty early and are now enjoying a day of nothing. Da Boys have been racing cars and flying planes and Jeanne went off exploring, leaving me all to you Dear Reader! And I must say it was a good afternoon!
I hope you enjoyed the update Dear Reader. Until we meet again, love you and miss you as much as ever!!

The end of our winter playtime..

22-June-2012
WOW Did I really leave you hanging this long Dear Reader!!??!! I do apologise… It seems like we just chatted but I guess I was wrong.
So, looks like I have to scrape thru my memory banks to fill you in on the last couple of months. When we last met, we were in Yuma at some BLM, well, from there we headed into town and stayed with the lovely Joy, her hubby Mel and papa Charlie. We meant to just stay for a week and pick up some parcels and mail and get more stuff added to Steves trailer… well hehe that proved to be a very very long week! We spent just over a month with them but not just sitting around being lazy. The boys enjoyed the first week just sitting around entertaining Charlie then as the weather got warmer and warmer, the pool started looking like a nice idea. However, the solar heating for it needed some tlc and the cover for it as well. The only ones enjoying the pool was Mel and Jack. Mel loved that Jack is a huge fan of any kind of water and was forever getting him to go in the pool… the poor cleaner thingy really paid for itself then, and I got really good at using the scoopy strainer thing to collect the fur… Meanwhile, Mel talked to me about the cover and I got out the sewing machine and was busy trying to get that fixed. It seemed to be going ok, but I really wasn’t happy with how it was looking. Mel seemed ok with it, as it actually would open and close (ish) so he left it at that and merrily went back to work up in WA state. Well, needless to say Da Boys and me decided that it wasn’t quite right and got some other parts ordered. While we were waiting for that, they decided to go ahead and fix all the leaks in the solar heating thingy too. Needless to say this took well over a week lol. We did a lot of happy hours and group meals and alone time. Joy and their other guest, Sharon, and myself did a lot of crafting. The girls beaded and I stitched. We had a BBQ one night and invited some of our Canadian friends over for the evening as well. What a treat that was. We enjoyed some wonderful times with them all and really look forward to seeing them again this winter!
So, after a good month in town, we decided it was time to head back out to the BLM west of town. We packed up and us and Steve moved on. A couple of days later our other friends Bev and Max showed up and more fun was had! Da Boys got new toys and were busy racing cars and trucks and planes all over the place. Bev and me sat back and relaxed and did a whole lot of nothing! It was awesome! hehe. We spent a couple weeks there and then decided it was time to start our trip north. We parted ways with Steve and kept moving with Bev and Max. We stopped for a couple of nights near Blythe to clean up and restock a bit. At the last minute we decided to head up to Laughlin, NV with them and stay a week and relax some more! I know Dear Reader, it sounds like we do ALOT of relaxing but I tell ya, driving 2 or 3 hours to your next destination is tiring!! So, a week in Laughlin it was. We did get a good deal at the park and it was close to everything. So we did a lot of eating out and touring around and gambling. One night there was a Randy Travis concert at the casino the park is attached to and to our surprise it was at the amphitheatre that was right next to the park. We sat outside and enjoyed listening to the show. We did look into tickets but there was only a couple of single seats let. Oh well, I wasn’t too disappointed about seeing not him and the sound was actually decent where we were. All was good.
After Laughlin we decided we would all head up to the Valley of Fire for a few days. We have been there before but we were anxious to return. It would be fun to be the ones who knew the place for a change! So off we all went. We spent a couple days showing Bev all we loved there and pretty much broke her one day! I know they want to go back and spend more time there. It truly is a beautiful place.
We spent a couple extra days then headed out of the park to the BLM spot we found the other year. We figgered we would just hang out and enjoy the amazing weather till we knew the north roads were good. Needless to say the weather soon got a bit warm to be parked in with no power, the poor genny could barely keep the AC running! But it did and we decided after the 3rd day of over 100F it was time to move on. We slowly took the familiar trail home, one little storm that lasted about 10 minutes was the only interruption on the drive. We didn’t go far on any given day and stayed a couple days if the weather looked ok. By the 29th of April we were in Gibbons and Gary was busy looking for work. We stayed there for a week then headed out to the farm to repack for the summer. Grab the fishing gear and work clothes and then wait for just the right job to come up! While we were there I had to take a mini vacation and head to Hinton to spend the annual sister weekend with 3 of the loveliest women I know! It was fun, we behaved…
We finally ended up in Sundre, AB where Gary makes the commute to Shell-Caroline and I spend time walking Jack, stitching and the usual mundane household chores. We will be here for a bit more and are meeting up with our friends Steve and Jeanne next week. We finally convinced some of our southern friends to come on up and see some of our favourite places to go. Also, some touristy things that you can’t avoid, like Jasper and maybe Banff…
Until we meet again Dear Reader, and I promise I’ll try to be better again at this whole blog thingie! Love you and miss you as always!!

Update...but not up to date!!!

12-Feb-2012
Hello Dear Reader!!! Wonderful to see you again! Hope all is well. I guess once again it’s been a long time since we got together… Not much to say about that lol other than, once again, I got lazy!
I guess I should start where we left off in Las Cruces, NM. We did our slow poke crawl to Quartzsite, AZ. When we first arrived in Q, we stopped at a dry camping park in town to get some stuff ordered for Garys latest must have item. A shiny new slide tray for the basement! I must say, this is quite a useful addition to our rolling home, even I have to admit that…
After a few days in town we headed out to Plomosa road for the annual circling of the Montanas. This would be our 3rd time attending but I must admit, it wasn’t near as much fun this year. Not sure if maybe it’s just too big for us now or what. We did get some good visits in with a lot of people we were looking forward to seeing again though. So at least that part was awesome. The late night visits at the bonfire were too few and far between. But, the wagonmasters managed to get a dealer to bring out some of the new 2012 models to show off. Some awesome new floor plans to drool over. I sure hope by the time we want a new rig that some other company has utilized some of the ideas.
We strolled through the vendors and saw a lot of junk that we don’t have room or any need for. I am always overwhelmed by the number of people selling rocks. A lot of rocks, in every size, shape, colour and cut. From little bitty ones all shiny for earrings or other jewellery, to GIANT ones that I doubt we could even carry in the dually, even if it didn’t have a hitch in it! To each their own I guess!
So, after our 2 weeks in that BLM area, it was time to move on. We spent a night in Q to clean out some of the dust and stuffs from the rig and shower repeatedly. Boon-docking is nice and it sure does make you appreciate full hook ups.
From there we headed down to Yuma with our friend Steve. Gary is setting him up as our guinea pig for the remote panel lifts. We came first to some BLM next to the VFW just outside Yuma to get all the parts ordered. WOW this is not a spot we will come back any time soon. Gotta love that it’s free but hellz no to the trains and the idiots. And to the guy that is doing god only knows what just behind us with his plane, WTF guy!! Land it or take off!! Sounds like a touch and go practice field that only operates between 7 and 10 pm.
So, “The Boys” got all the parts ordered and received for Steves set up and spent most of a day putting the bits together. I left to go visiting before I got coerced into helping. Got a great visit in with some ladies from Gibbons, something I have meant to do every year we are here.
I’m posting this up and will be working on what has been going on for the last couple of weeks. I thank you for your patience with me Dear Reader! Don’t give up on me LOL
Missing you as much as ever!!!

Slacker blogger finally updates!!!

04-Jan-2012
Happy New Year Dear Reader!! I sincerely hope the holiday season was good for you and your family and friends! And here’s to another amazing year!! *cheers* OOOooo I think I finally figgered out how to add pics!!!
I guess I left you last at Lake Murray state park in Oklahoma. Well… we have made a few miles since then! We headed out to visit my brother Mike and his lovely wife Leslee, near Ft. Worth, TX. I had called Les to make sure they were home and she was actually about 5 minutes ahead of us on the road, so we got an escort right to their place. They have a cute little place on Lake Granbury that they are fixing up. We had intended on helping them build their dock, but the weather wasn’t cooperating. We did however help finish up their fence. I guess since it was our Jack that showed the other dogs how it had a few holes in it, it was only right. We enjoyed touring some BBQ spots and went to one place that had live music as well. It was quite a treat. Mike and Les made a wonderful thanksgiving dinner for us, complete with deep fried turkey, a first for us. Yummy is all I have to say about that!! Awesome dinner guys!!
We spent just over a week with them and decided city/town noises were a bit more than we had remembered, so we made plans to move on.
We headed out for Galveston, TX next. I really wasn’t looking forward to cutting through Houston, but after some serious thoughts, we decided “how bad can it be?” Well, we stopped overnight about a half hour outside the city so we could make our run through hoping to avoid any form of rush hour traffic. Mission somewhat accomplished!! I’m not sure how Gary feels about the seemingly narrow roads through some of these places, but holy hell!! Then add in the bumper riding, cell phone talkers… dayum!! But we made it thru safe and sound.
We went to Galveston to chill out and just plain ole relax for a bit. We ended up staying for a month. We explored the island and went to NASA at the Johnson Space Center. Gary was a like a 10 year old at Disneyland lol. It was definitely worth it. We did the fancy behind the scenes tour and were not disappointed. You get right up close and stuff to all the workings. We got to see mission control for the space station in action… WOW I got all teary eyed as we watched the sunrise over the station. How lucky those people are!! Lots to see and do there, I would totally recommend this for anyone in the area to check out. Spend the extra bucks and do the level 9 tour.

We met some more fulltime rv-ers from Canada while we were at Jamaica Beach. More people enjoying the good life! We enjoyed the company and the men folk spent time sharing rv stories. One couple, Bev and Max, also had a dog that totally loves the water, so I made my way to the beach with them to watch the dogs frolic in the waves. Jack loved it. I’m not sure how good for him the salt water was, but he drank it like he was in a lake. There were quite a few jelly fish on the beach, I am assuming they were dead but we kept the dogs away as I have no clue how long the itchy, stingy bit stays with them! Also, on a sad note, there was a dolphin washed up on the beach as well. Natures cycle is an ugly necessity.
We didn’t get together with Mike and Leslees kids while we were there,(sorry kids) but I’m sure we will be back. We decided we don’t make good visitor/tourists. We tend to get somewhat wrapped up in ourselves and then *poof* outta time! We need to let people know where we are and then hopefully they can meander over if they are close or we can shuffle plans if they aren’t! Lord knows our plans are always written on water!! But, I’m guessing there will be an occasion next year, hopefully in the fall or winter that we will get to see them all! HUGE grats to our nephew Riley and his lovely bride to be, Roberta!!
After a month of island life, we decided to make our slow crawl west. Our only real commitment this winter is a gathering in Quartzsite, AZ around the 16th of Jan. We headed out and made some serious miles. Day one found us at New Braunfels, TX. We made sure we could spend 2 nights, “just in case”. I’m sure that means, “just in case Judy is whiny and doesn’t want to travel”. Well, ha-ha, we did spend 2 nights only cause we saw that the Natural Bridge Caverns were less than 10 miles away, so plans were made for the next day.
We arrived early afternoon and got to get both tours in. the first was very impressive and there was only another couple with us, so we got to spend a lot more time oohing and awwing than normal. Very impressive. The second tour had the obligatory whiny kids and equally annoying moms. But all in all, it was very cool still. Lots of neat formations and stuffs. Everyone needs to go to some caverns at some point in time. I’m hoping to take in all the ones down south here eventually! They are truly a beautiful creations. Note to my diver family, they grow like coral. Although I’m afraid I don’t know corals actual growth rate, but the stalactites and stuffs grow 1 cubic inch per 100 years.

OOOOOklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain…

17-Nov-11 Howdy Dear Reader!! Hope all is good with yall! So, here we are at Lake Murray, OK. A nice side trip for us hehe. I left you at the border a couple of weeks ago and we have put a few kms on since then. We had planned a somewhat direct south trip through Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado then into Texas… well, Mother Nature decided to see how flexible we are in our trip planning! Severe weather warning with large amounts of snow was in the forecast for CO. I got a facebook message from a friend saying, watch out for the weather there. Well, lucky for us, our plans are always written in water rather than stone! So we turned left after Wyoming and ended up seeing Nebraska and Oklahoma. So other than that little adventure, our trip to better weather was good. No bad weather while traveling and not really any cold nights either. We have been good about not traveling til we are exhausted and getting to unknown destinations in the daylight. So, overall a good run for us this year. We spent a few nights in Ponca City, OK and got treated to their wonderful weather. On just our first day there, there was an earthquake a few miles away, then a massive thunderstorm complete with a tornado warning!! A tornado did touch down and take out a sports center or something, but not really all that close to us. I guess it was OK State just saying hello to its newest visitors… on our side trip we also got a chance to get together with our friends Robbie and Alice. A pleasant turn of events to say the least. After Ponca City, we made a small trip south to try and find what appeared to be a nice little spot on Lake Guthrie. Well… that didn’t work out but we ended up at a decent spot outside Guthrie, OK. A nice spot to kinda relax a bit and scope out the next leg to get to Mike and Leslee. We did learn that Guthrie was the original capital city when Oklahoma was a territory. It was yoinked from them a couple years after they became a state by Oklahoma City. There are a lot of amazing old buildings there to see. Sadly I saw them while I was lost and didn’t have a camera. I’m thinking I need a USB port on my head to download mental images to my puter! Hehe We have decided not to travel long distances this year. Stop more, maybe see more and take more pictures of our adventures. So far, we have done all that minus the picture taking :( Not having planned on being in Oklahoma for this long, we are somewhat at a loss for what to do and see. The lake we are at right now is beautiful. I’m guessing it would be amazing in the summer with all the trees in full foliage and flowers blooming. But right now it is quite quiet here. Not many folks winter camp I guess. The nights are cool, if you call 5C a cool night! Today looks like it will be awesome. The sun is shining and it is slowly warming up. I’m enjoying the state parks we have been visiting in the US so far. Most have power and water and clean shower houses. We have a nice view of the lake and a lot of feathered visitors. I am happy! So, with that Dear Reader, I believe I will go out and soak up some sun and maybe let Jack chase some sticks in the lake. I do hope you are keeping warm and safe. Loving and missing you as much as ever!!

Border boredom...

31-Oct-11
HAPPY HALLOWEEN Dear Reader! I hope you have some great ghoulish plans for this day! We are sitting near the border watching the weather along our planned route. So far, it all looks pretty good.
So, the last time we chatted we were in Peace River… Gary finished up the job there on Sept 11th and we headed back to the farm for a bit. We needed to drop off our fishing gear and stuff we won’t use while we are down south. We managed to sort out a lot of crap this time and took a lot of things to Andrew in his new place. Then we headed back to Gibbons to get all our ducks in a row. Getting all the last minute crap done is a pain but necessary. So, with all the bills paid and dentist visited (eeew), we headed to Red Deer to scout out some RV lots that we thought we were interested in buying. We drove around and checked out one that Gary was quite interested in but I’m not sure. I really hate building restrictions lol. We have some more to scope out in the spring when we get back. I’m thinking we may just find the perfect little spot then.
So, here we sit for a couple days at Milk River. We met some nice folks and got talking about the whole snow-bird situation. Turns out that there’s a form we need to file so that the US IRS won’t come hunting us down to file with their tax department. Or worse have to turn to some silly treaty that was designed with snow-birds in mind. We have that all filled out ready to go for January.
We are taking a new route this year as our initial destination is a new one. We are heading to Texas to see my dear brother Mike and his lovely wife Leslee! I’m soooo excited I could burst! I have got to see them a fair bit in the last couple years but not down at their place. Its gonna be great. We haven’t looked too much into what all we want to see in Texas but we have lots of time I think. We also will be meeting up with our wonderful friends Alice and Robbie along the way as well. Not sure exactly where yet, but somewhere for sure. We actually have quite a few new friends that we really want to make sure we see. Most I’m sure we will see when we head back to the Montana circle in Quartzsite.
Once we head over the border we won’t be answering our Canadian phones anymore. Feel free to text them though! We are setting up the US cell phone but not sure what the new number will be. I’ll post it here and on facebook, or text me in a few days and I’ll text it back to you! Whatever makes you happy I will try to do!
So I know this seems like a rather short update Dear Reader, but alas, we have had a boring month! I’m pretty sure I’ll have much more to say the next time we meet. Betcha never thought I’d be lost for something to say!?! LOL Me either. And with that I will say to you Dear Reader, talk to you soon. Loving and missing you as always!

Hello from Peace River!

9-Oct-11
Ahhhh My Dear Reader!! How have you been? I bet you were thinking that I completely forgot about you!! Never fear, I am always out here somewhere. Not sure why I got lazy on the updates, but I do apologize for that.
So, after sorting thru a few things at the farm we decided it was fishing time again. Like we really need a “time” to go fishing lol. We enjoyed our time at Dolberg Lake last year so we decided to head back out there and see if it was still any good. We arrived there to discover that the silly place was packed! I scooted in first in the jeep and saw only 1 spot left, and I thought that we might be able to squeeze into. So I radioed Gary to come on in a take a peeksee! Well, it was definitely a close fit but once we were in and sorted out, it was actually perfect. Of course this is from the short person who just stood back and pointed this way and that, hehe. Gary may have a different story about that, but, well, he’s not typing this now is he!! So, ya, it was perfect. Unfortunately the fishing wasn’t as great. We got settled in and then the rain started…again… it just kept on and on and on!! I went out for a drive to make a phone call and much to my dismay saw that the road appeared to be flooding. I turned around and headed back to the campground. A few minutes later some county workers stopped by and told us that the road would be closed for a bit til they could repair the part that had washed away. They told us we should think about moving or plan to stay for an undetermined amount of time. We took stock of supplies and decided we were good for a couple weeks at least. We could get in and out with the jeep if we needed to but the road couldn’t handle the trailer if the rain didn’t stop… and it didn’t for 2 more days. So our week planned turned into almost 3 weeks of rain, fishing and general relaxing. Needless to say, all was good.
So, after our little stay there we were somewhat undecided as to where to go next. I noticed a Facebook update that the family of Jeremy Der, the young man who drowned last year, were having a gathering/memorial out at the Big Horn Dam again. So… off we went. We arrived and drove in circles looking for Brenda and her crew but to no avail. We stopped and saw the memorial post that was put up for him and reflected for a moment. I’m sad to say we moved on to Fish Lake for more fishing. The mosquito population was overwhelming right down by the dam and we had had enough of bugs and rain for a bit. We didn’t get to park on the lake but we were quite happy where we were. The weather was decent enough to get out and throw some hooks at the water a few times, but alas, a few bites but no fish feasts for us. But as the saying goes, the worst day fishing is always better than the best day working!!
From there we picked a few spots to hit on our slow journey up towards Edmonton to go see the boys and some friends and sort out more stuff, meaning: order more solar lift parts. We stopped at some parks on the way up and kept getting the same reply, sorry we are all booked up or , my fave, “go check out these 2 sites and let us know which you are in” only to see a site that was about 25 feet long and 8 feet wide. I spent a lot of time scratching my head wondering if people could not see the 38 ft fiver parked in front of them and not realize that a 25 ft site just wouldn’t work? Apparently Darwinism isn’t doing its job sometimes…just saying…
Needless to say we were getting tired and annoyed. We stopped for dinner and decided to head to Longriders by Gibbons. We like to think of that as our home park lol. I called to make sure it wasn’t full and was told by Ken, the owner, “We always got room for you guys, call when you’re close or just find a spot you want when you get here and we’ll square up when we see you.” Gotta love it. We spent a couple weeks getting Garys’ parts sent in and getting our satellite tv finally ordered and set up. We also had time to help Andrew a bit. After getting his stolen truck he had a lot of crap to sort out. I’m happy to report that the insurance company finally got their shit together, after more than 2 months, and got him settled and he’s now the proud owner of a new truck. Grats sweetie!! <3
Gary had been keeping an eye out for a job coming up in Peace River, and finally they started hiring. So we packed up and trundled off… We came up through Slave Lake and stopped to see how the rebuild of that poor town was going. It was sad to see the town but the people seem to be pushing forward. Between the fire and the flooding there is a lot of activity there. You can still see the tree stumps the size of cars bumped up to the highway at all the bridges. And there seemed to be as much heavy equipment as vehicles all over the place. It looks like they have accomplished a lot, but still have much more to do. Our thoughts are definitely with them all.
We spent a couple nights in Faust in hopes of maybe getting some fishing in, but that didn’t happen. We just did some relaxing and Gary worked on his panel lifts…again…
On 20-August, we made it to Peace River finally. Gary started work on the following Monday and we have been here since then.
I got to head over to Wembley and visit with my sisters twice. Once for a wedding shower and then again for Devin and Sandi’s wedding!! What a lovely couple. My nephew did good!! It was fun to see all the family and meet some of the newer twigs that I hadn’t met yet.
So we are still in Peace River now and I have started some rough planning of our trip south. We are headed to Texas first and then will probably swing around to Arizona in the new year. We will be taking a new route so it will involve a slight bit more thought that last year. All will be fun and I can’t wait to spend some more time with my favourite brother!!
So that’s it for now Dear Reader. I hope all is amazing with you still. Love you miss you as always!!

Another day... another blog! lol

2-July-11
Well hello there Dear Reader!! And Happy Canada Day!! We are sitting at the farm shuffling through some more of our old junk. And might I say, a lot of it is just that! I can’t believe the stuffs we hang onto “just in case”. O… guess I need to backtrack to where we last chatted.
So, we spent some time in Irricana, AB while Gary was working. He had picked up a 2 week+ job at nearby Crossfield and the campground was decent enough. I managed to keep the tanks empty and the water flowing while he slaved away. He actually took a job as a journeyman and was working his ass off on the tools. I hate to admit that I laughed a little bit everyday when he stumbled home. The physical labour definitely took its toll on him. The 2 weeks turned to 3, then looked like maybe another 1 or 2 and we decided to move a little closer to the job and hopefully a bit further from the trains! And off to Carstairs we went. After just about 6 weeks working like a dog, Gary decided it was time for a lay-off! It was a good run but I think he was itching for some fishing.
We headed up to Red Deer to get the axles checked and aligned if necessary (it was). While talking to the fellow there we found that in his opinion, any new trailer should get an alignment done before pulling anywhere. He feels that the manufacturers are clueless when it comes to that sort of thing. Something I’m pretty sure we will keep in mind the next time.
While we were there we decided to try to get in touch with Shane and Darlene and the boys grandparents. Well, the Carritts were out of town but we did get to see Shane and Dar and meet the most adorable Elena (15 mths). It was a great visit and catch up with them. They appear to be taking to parenthood quite nicely!! Elena already has her daddy appropriately whipped into shape!! LOL and Darlene looks as amazing as ever. Oh, and thanks for the jam!!
So, we had planned to head from there to the farm to visit Garys folks and our junk… but then I talked to Deb and Berry and of course our plans changed. We headed back out to Prairie Creek to spend some time with them and maybe toss some hooks at the water. We arrived the day before them and lucky thing we did! We had planned on staying on the south side of the creek as Deb and Berry were expecting all the kids to come out as well. When we arrived, I scooted ahead to see how wet it was. There has been an amazing amount of rain all through the southern part of the province and everything is so waterlogged! I think I am even developing webbed toes… Anyhoo, needless to say we couldn’t park where we did last year. I popped the jeep into 4wheel and had some fun in the mud!!! We decided to drive around to the north side of the creek and see what we could do over there. Well, we were able to park there but not down by the creek, we had to stop up the hill, just off the road. It’s a quiet road with little to no traffic. While we were figuring out where we actually wanted to set up 3 more trailers pulled up. Lo and behold!! It was our neighbours from last year there. Richard and Natasha are some amazing people!!! We said hello and how ya been and continued to park. We managed to get hold of our darling friends and redirect them to the new spot. Who knew how much it could rain!! The whole weekend was soaked. A little part of me felt bad for their kids in tents (a very little part hehe) but all in all, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
Needless to say the whole 10 days or so that we were there, I think Gary pulled his fishing pole out once. The creek had so much runoff it was at least 3 feet higher that before and so murky even Jack didn’t want to swim in it!!!! So we just relaxed and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
I guess the lack of fishing motivated us to move on and head to the farm. We have managed to sort through a few things and move out some stuff we haven't touched since we moved in here. We did get the bits from the factory that they shipped out to us. So we now have a completely repaired unit. Or do we… while we were replacing a leaky tank valve we noticed that the one tank had a tiny little leak. Seems its just kinda wearing out near the valve. Not enough to have to replace but annoying none the less. We patched for now and Mr. Gary researched a better patch idea which we will do somewhere along the road. No real rush, it’s not like we are flinging poo into the wind or anything :P
This brings us to today!! Our niece, Tamara is out for dinner with the grand folks and us, so we will have a great visit with her to be sure! Maybe a bonfire and some required Canada Day drinkies!!
And there you have it Dear Reader. Another update, and might I say that I truly enjoy our little visits!! Love you, miss as always!!

Slacker poster Surfaces!!!!

21-May-11
Ahh Dear Reader, I am so glad you have stuck with me though all of my meanderings and whining! And I must say WOW!! I didn’t realize how long since I last updated you. So here we gooooo…
We headed to Jackson, CA for a Montana/Keystone RV rally, which we thought at the very least would be interesting since our Keystone issues seemed to be a popular topic. The rally itself was a good time. We got to see some familiar faces and meet some new friends too. Basically we were at a beautiful campground that is part of a casino just outside Jackson, CA. It was a good week. I have discovered that I love wine touring, but I think it may have been safer has Gary come with me! But really, who wouldn’t love a wine named Rapscallion?? I made a few purchases and was surprised that they were well received when I returned home! One of the guest speakers was a fellow from Keystone. I feel I have now met the ultimate RV salesman. What a twit. But as a rep of Keystone, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprized. Nuff said…
After our week there we had to head north to Pendleton, OR for our date at the factory. We made the trek in tandem with one of our favourite couples, Dave and Kelly. They were headed home after being in the south for the winter and were headed our way. So, we followed along and found some more great overnight spots. A casino one night (our first time in a casino parking lot) and then on the banks of the Columbia River. What a treat!
We decided to hit Pendleton early so we could scope out the place. It’s not very big, but I managed to get lost a few times (damned one way streets!!) so we found a little park near the Keystone factory and reviewed our list of repairs that we were told to bring. I was hoping that they knew what the main reason was for us to be there was. Well, um, ya… thumbs down to Ms. Kristy Anglemyer once again. We arrived with our list of 25 items that needed attention. Out of all that they knew of 3. So we parked the rig in their capable hands and discussed wtf would happen. It seems that head office (Kristy) forgot to mention that the side of our rig needed replacing as it was missing from the tire incident. Grrr but we said ok, what now? The guys in that shop were amazing, they took our list and went “Ok, we will have to order a lot of this but lets get the critical shit dealt with” They proceeded to talk with Gary about the front flex issue and were more than happy to have him there watching and questioning. These guys know their shit. Kudos to Lonnie, Delvin (aka Gummy Hair) and that other quiet guy. O and thumbs up to their boss Bob Payant who said “These guys will do whatever you need done” and walked away. It was impressive, they measured, sized up and ordered away! No questions asked, no run around, just good old fashioned customer service. I was in awe. So they had the rig for 2 days and repaired what they could and ordered what they needed to. It was going to be a week to 10 days for everything to arrive so we went out to the local casino that had a very nice park nearby. Found an awesome restaurant there and sat back to relax, knowing that we were finally getting shit done. We returned the unit when they called and said almost everything was in. the table top never showed and they sent some wring materials. But Bob told us that rather than sit and wait that he would simply ship it to us when it arrived. Which reminds me I should check on that! So having spent a lot longer in Oregon than we intended we planned our route home. Sadly, this meant not getting up to Washington to visit Dave and Kelly. But, I’m guessing they will forgive us and the offer will be there again another time!
So off we headed to the border! We kinda had a plan although we start with good intentions then, well… isn’t there some good somewhere paved with good intentions? We can claim a large stretch of that LOL! We only made it to Coeur d’Alene, ID. Not far but we did stick to our rule of avoiding travel on weekends! It also gave us a chance to make sure we had our list of crap to claim at the border. We did know that we would rather cross at Alberta, but B.C. was closer and out time was running out. Gary had picked up a job and we needed to find a campground nearish to it. Well, the border crossing was quick and painless. The guy misunderstood what Gary has said and when I approached the gate he asked for my papers, asked about Jack and told me to have a nice day. Well, when I went up to Gary as we headed in to pay our dues he asked for my claim forms. I told him I didn’t have any and he quietly said “go wait in the jeep”. And me, being the obedient (ROFLMFAO) lady that I am, waited in the jeep til he was done. Ok… fine… me and Jack went for a walk and wondered what was up. It wasn’t til we were about 5 miles up the road that he pulled over and explained that we were officially rum smugglers!! The guy thought Gary was claiming for us both. O well, we figgered that kinda paid for the extra charge that B.C. has on booze hehe. But at least now we know. Enter thru Alberta, even the border guy asked if we wanted to turn around and do that! I must say though, our border crossings have, for the most part, been uneventful compared to the stories that we have heard. I am sure though that the one time I forget to toss out that evil American lettuce, we will get strip searched.
So, home at last! Well, in country at least! What a beautiful drive! I guess after six months of beige desert, the Canadian Rockies are pretty amazing. It was nice to stop and get fuel and not have to worry if you have enough cash or if your credit card will work at the pump. A young kid came out, pumped our fuel as we lounged and watched, then went in after the fact and paid. A nice welcome home IMHO. So we continued on our trek. After a few miles, Gary pulled over, out of the blue. Great… his pressure pro said he was losing air in one of the trailer tires. We inspected the tire and found the leak. He jumped in the truck to back up a bit so we could repair it easier. By the time he got to the truck I noticed a second leak starting. Then, when he started to fixed the first a third started and the tire was bulging oddly! He told me to get behind the trailer in case it blew or did something equally odd. So I got a lesson in how to change a flat on the trailer. Upside… it was a beautiful day! Onward we trekked.
The park we stopped at was nestled in the mountains on the Alberta side of the mountains, what a view! We got their card and may have to take another look at the sites they are developing to sell. We spent most of the evening trying to find a tire shop en route to our destination. Since we had to get the tire replaced we opted to upgrade them all. So, we picked up one in Pincher Creek and headed to High River where the other 3 and an installer waited for us. Another wonderful day in our RV nightmare log! There was unusual wear on all the tires so we are going in to get the alignment checked and springs inspected and a bunch of other technical guy stuff done. I have been in contact with our friends at Keystone yet again. I did ask on facebook if getting the run-around was exercise. I’m guessing since all I got smart ass replies that the answer is yes! :P to you all LOL.
So we are now sitting in Irricana, AB. Small little town, but close to Crossfield where Gary will be working for the next bit. Andrew stopped in for a visit for Mothers Day. We had a great time, thanks again sweetie!
Last weekend was the infamous Sister Weekend. It was fun. Yup, that’s all you get to know about it this year lol.
I guess that catches us up Dear Reader! I do forget that when we are back in Canada our southern family and friends wonder what we are up to as well! I do promise to try to post more often. And I swear that that promise is better than the ones to post pictures!!
And so I wish you all the best Dear Reader, miss you, love you as always!!

Pokey Bloggin'...

28-March-11
So Dear Reader, where were we last… oh ya, Joshua Tree. So we found some awesome BLM land right outside the park itself and proceeded to set up camp. The place was perfect and if you’re looking to go cheap then this is the spot! Staying in the park itself might be appealing to some, but honestly, why pay to park somewhere with no services for $15+ a night when you can be literally 20 yards from the park for free! We had a nice little spot with a tree. Trust me… a tree is a big deal! And to our surprize in our tree was a nest of 2 sweet little hummingbird babies. They were only a week or so from flying when we parked so we got to watch then getting fed and loved everyday. What a treat that was. Then, we enjoyed them taking their first flights and trust me, that was special! Funny how you get attached to little things around you. Even the Mama didn’t mind us peeking in and getting some amazing pictures and video. An awesome treat for us. So, we spent close to 3 weeks in and around Joshua Tree. We scooted around the park and found some fun trails, got lost… (or so I felt). Hopefully I can get some pictures sorted out and posted here or on facebook.
We did a day trip down around Saltan Sea and saw some interesting towns. Apparently we went on the wrong side to see Slab City, but I know we will be back and it will be there.
Gary spent a lot of time working on his remote solar lift system thingy and I think it‘s actually looking promising! He’s got a video on his facebook page I think… o and um, I’ll get one up somewhere near here too…
So after almost 3 weeks near the park, we decided it was time to move along. We took the scenic route and drove the road through the park and headed to Barstow, CA. Spent a couple days at a KOA and cleaned up. We didn’t see much around there, if there is much to see LOL We wanted to spend more time but when we went to pay for a couple more days were told we had to leave as the park was booked solid the next day. Not the same story we got when we checked in… KOA got an email from me and I await (haha) a reply.
Since we didn’t have any immediate plans we decided to head to Death Valley early. And let me say, the weather it threw at us was definitely death worthy. Our first day it was above 90F. The next day was in the 80s with winds over 40 mph! then more wind. We had it with the wind so we headed out and drove through a snow storm!! Like I said an appropriately named park for sure. We did tour around the jeep trails and down through the salt flats. It was very different, it looked like dirty snow drifts but was just salty crusty drift things. Worth seeing and worth going back, maybe once more. We did find a great BLM spot that I would rather have stayed at, so next time!!
So off we went trying to get away from the wind. We weren’t exactly sure where we headed other than towards Bakersfield…ish… We did have an idea of a park near Mojave, so we punched that in and thought we’d play it by ear as to how we felt. Needless to say, after driving though the Death Valley mountains in snow and rain, the park with full hook-ups was certainly enticing. We arrived to the neat little park and paid for a week and settled in. Funny how a week with services and cable TV can seem like an RV Hilton! We had spent most of the last 2 ½ months boon-docking so this seemed like heaven! Not having really looked into much for the area, we just spent some time cleaning and organizing and staying out of the cold wind. It wasn’t much fun to say the least. The weather just wasn’t being very cooperative, so indoor activities prevailed.
With our week in Jackson, CA for the Montana rally creeping up, we thought we would see what was on the other side of the mountains. So here we are just south of Fresno between Kingsburg and Selma. Selma looks like an interesting little place. The park…ooo the park! LOL Nothing overly special but it has GRASS!! And for those of you who are chuckling over my excitement over California grass… I mean LAWN not weed :P It’s warm and sunny with just enough humidity to be pleasant. I’m hoping that this weather stay with us until we head to the border.
So, that’s us, updated, for what it’s worth LOL And with that Dear Reader, loving you and missing you as always xox

Better Late than Never!

02-Feb-11
Let me guess… lol tired of me apologizing for late updates and lack of photos? Lol Well, then I won’t do that now! The slow posts have mostly been due to the lack of anything exciting going on.
We spent almost a month in Huachuca City, AZ waiting on repair work. While we were there we got new brakes and drums and a fridge recall done. We did a bunch of geocaching and a lot of relaxing. Much as we wanted to see a lot of the area, we had to spend most of our time close to the phone and the dealer in case parts came in. Somewhat disappointing, considering there is a lot to see in that area. I guess the upside is we have a few more winters to visit!
We did get over to Tombstone and poked around some. Interesting little tourist trap! The Birdcage was the highlight for me though. It is the only original building left in town and still boasts some original billboards and other unique items. It still has the original bar and organ even. A nice touch in a place that really doesn’t offer much more than over priced re-enactments and fake store fronts.
We did have a nice visit there with Dick and Jackie, and enjoyed lunch with them. Poked around town and watched Dick take some great pics! You need to check out their blog (hehe) and there you can see some of the great places we have been and many that we hope to get to!! http://talesfromthedriversseat.blogspot.com/
We left Huachuca and headed west towards Yuma. Over nighted at the John Wayne RV park. Kinda had to because of its name J
Got to the BLM land outside Yuma, just over the CA border and parked for awhile and enjoyed the nice weather. We didn’t get to see as many people as we intended while we were there. Terry and Gail stopped out for a nice afternoon visit. It was great to see some hometown faces for a change! We poked around Yuma a bit and did a day trip to Los Algodones with Robbie and Alice. We broke down and finally bout one of the beautiful stained glass windows for the 5er. I didn’t think we would find something that we both would like but lo and behold we did!!
So after our near 2 week stint in Yuma it was time to head out again. Back to Quartzsite for the Circling of the Montanas. We got there a bit before rally time and enjoyed some smaller happy hour visits. It was fun to not be the newbs this year! Normally there’s a group that arrives early and gets the location set up and so on, this year was no different. However, a couple of folks from our group decided to check with the BLM office as to how some people were allowed to over stay the 14 day limit. This had been overlooked by the officer for the area as a courtesy to some of the rally groups, “don’t ask, don’t tell” was pretty much how it went. But I guess when you point out that this might not be right, well then it gets back to the book time for everyone. As no one was immediately aware of all the commotion, a lot of us that had arrived early to help out the wagon master also had to leave before the rally was over. We did manage a mini circle in town and drove out for a couple of happy hours. But it just wasn’t the same…
After all the rally stuff was over and we got bored with Q, it was decided to check out some new territory-ish. We headed out to Lake Alamo for a week near some water. Again we did a lot of relaxing and some exploring. Found a few good spots for some great boondocking next time we are in the area. Jack enjoyed his daily swims and defended us from the evil burros. We found some fun trails and poked around for the week then decided it was time again to head out.
Which found us outside Parker, AZ. A couple miles past Earp, CA, BLM land again! Met some nice people from Alaska and extremely unusual couple that live in a tent. I think Gary appreciated them more than I did. They thought he was a genius!! I know it would be easy to say, “well, the economy has hit us all pretty hard” but then theres just lazy people who are happy to have an excuse to be slackers to the extreme. So, after 10 days there it was time to find some new neighbours!
We headed down the road a bit and spent a couple nights at Lake Tamarisk Desert resort. Got cleaned up and took a day to scout out our next boondocking spot. We are now parked just outside the Joshua Tree National Park. Did some peeking around for the usual stuff. Once I know there’s drinking water available close I can settle down better. The park has a station about 5 mins from us so all is good! Fresh water, garbage bins and dump station for when we are ready to leave. There is a lot to see around here, besides the park itself. I’m hoping we take a trip to Slab City and see what its like. Saltan Sea is just south of us as well. We have a few weeks to explore. Our next scheduled event isn’t until March 30 for another rally in Jackson, CA. then off to the factory to get our rig fixed!
So hopefully I get this uploaded for you to peruse soon Dear Reader! And until next time, love you, miss you as always!

blah, blarg and bloggin'

10-Dec-10
I must apologize for my lack of posting Dear Reader! Things have been a bit busy. When we last talked we were in Nevada. Since then we have put on a few miles and had some amazing *coff* adventures!
We made plans to meet up with Alice and Robbie in Quartzsite and then head off to a couple of new spots. While we were traveling I noticed a lot of smoke from one tire. We stopped and Gary noticed that one brake was overheating big time! We took it easy and limped to Q. Once there Gary proceeded to check all the brakes, well, turned out they were leaking grease and not working at all. Then one that was overheating was the only one working! So after a few phone calls we made arrangements to get them fixed. That all went seemingly smooth, Keystone picked up the tab and so off we headed for Franklin Roosevelt Lake in Tonto National Forest, kinda notheastish of Phoenix. We spent a week there with Alice & Robbie and another friend Steve. Needless to say a good time was had by all!
We were invited to Silver City, NM to spend Thanksgiving with Bill & Mary, Alice’s sister and hubby. On the road there I was in my usual follow the Montana down the hiway position, when all of a sudden one tire FLEW off the trailer! Bits of trailer siding soon followed!! Not sure exactly but somehow the one tire that had the hot brake broke off some of the bolts and took a side trip! So in a little town called Safford, AZ I went in search of a new hub. The trailer damage was mainly cosmetic, thank god! After trying a few places, a nice kid at NAPA tried a small horse trailer fab shop. To my surprize they had exactly what we needed! I went and picked up Gary and off we went to get the new hub. We had a couple of nice people stop and see if we needed help but thanks to Alice and Robbie we had made some calls and were set. After a couple hours getting the new hub on and finding food and fuel, we decided that Silver City was only a couple hours from us… so off we went… in the dark… to somewhere new… like we swore we wouldn’t do… again. So finding SC wasn’t too bad but finding the park was a little more tricky! We managed to finally find it, and what a find, a cute little park, reasonable rated and away from trains and freeways even! So, while we were there Somebody spent a lot of time tearing apart the brakes and see just exactly wtf happened. Over greasing coupled with bad seals seems to be the ultimate culprit. I feel safe now that he has torn it apart and fixed it for now…
So we had a wonderful time in New Mexico, but we needed to leave… it snowed! Not much mind you, but enough to scare us away lol! We will definitely go back, we need to see more of the area.
So off we went westward! We both have wanted to see Tombstone, so we headed out. We ended up near Sierra Vista, AZ. It’s a fairly central spot for most everything we want to see. We are at a park just outside Huachuca City. Quiet and reasonable rates. Our stay here has become more extended than intended. After some talks with the Keystone factory, our contact there wants the axels replaced asap! When we inquired as to where the nearest repair facility might be, she asked how close to R.V. City we are. Well, it’s about 300 yards in front of us lol. So we have been talking to them and are getting new axels and springs, as well as a fridge recall fix, and most likely the siding fixed on the rig too! It’s nice to meet a decent repair facility that actually seems to have a clue! I wish I had more exciting news and adventures to share, but seeing as we have been fairly sidetracked by getting the 5er repaired.
The end is in sight now lol hopefully I will have something more fun to share with you before too long Dear Reader and I thank you for reading on with us! Until next time, love you and miss you as always!

Fade to Beige..

10-Nov-10
Hey there Dear Reader! Hope all is good where ever you are! Things are good here. We managed to get out of the cold and into the beige. We left Montana and headed south after 2 days in Dillon. We made another long haul to Fillmore, Utah… I know I have issues with that state but after another 6+ hr drive I figgered I should get over things. I found out that you just need to be in Utah during the right hours and they do have rum there after all!! LOL and you have to try really hard to buy it all if your in the right town :) So we spent a couple of wind down days there deciding where to next. We did say we wanted to boondock as much as possible this year but we also wanted to find somewhere new. We exhausted many routes and then decided on a state park called Red Hills outside St. George, UT… well… we aren’t there… we drove to where the directions said but hmm no exit. So we pulled into to town and got fuel. While there I decided to ask the nice young lady at the counter where it might be, she gave some vague directions that may have taken us there… but she admitted she want really an outdoorsy sort, so she might be wrong! LOL So, while I was talking to her Gary claimed he found it on his nav-bitch. Well when we got to where she wanted us to turn, hmm, not sure if the jeep would have fit thru the underpass let alone the 5er! So we scrapped that idea and decided to just go back to Valley of Fire and figger out where to go from there. I was trying to explain the Overton, NV area near Valley but “Somebody” didn’t recall anything about any BLM land there… or should I say here, where we are sitting now! As we were leaving the little town of Overton, stocked and ready to go nowhere in particular, my radio came to life with this voice saying “ O hey lookit all the rigs parked there! Must be BLM!!! Wanna just stop here?” So with a heavy sigh I agreed. Seems some people need to see things to remember they told you it would be a good idea hehe.
So here we sit.. Til our next adventure!!! And now Dear Reader you are all up to date! Loving and missing you as always!

Crossed Over

2-Nov-10
Greetings Dear Reader from Dillon, MT.!! So I guess it is officially vacation time! LOL I know some of you may kill me for that comment, but I welcome your arrival! The more the merrier I say!
Since we last spoke some changes came about. We aren't headed to Oregon as we were expecting. Turns out they couldn’t get us in until the end of January! Well that just wasn't a viable option for us. Gary talked with a person from Keystone and explained all that was going on with the rig and told her we would get back to her with a more reasonable date for us to come in. He took some time and went over where the issues were, did some measuring and with his expertise and wisdom realized its not as critical as we thought. It does need to be repaired but we aren’t going to blow apart or anything! So we hit the road from Kelowna to Creston for a couple days.

We wanted to spend some time here to look at some lots that were for sale there. After driving on the Crowsnest hiway though...*NOTE TO HIWAY BUILDER GUYS!!! 2 words GUARD RAILS!!!!* OMFG the road was fun *puke*. some snowy, icy and foggy patches added to the glorious unprotected curves that tumble hundreds of feet to the snowy trees... I was so happy when we dropped down to some normal levels with normal plunges of a few feet IF you managed to hop the GUARD RAILS. So ya, not sure if that’s a road we want to drive every year! So we will continue to look at lots maybe Saskatchewan isn’t so bad after all! LOL at least they have good fishing *wink*
After spending a couple days in Creston we decided to hit the road and cross the border. Our grand intentions were to get up early for the long haul to Dillon, MT. Well, hehe, I guess you know us right Dear Reader? We managed to get to the border just after 10 pst. Which meant out 7 ½ hr drive wouldn’t get us here til about 8pm mst!! The border crossing was quick, I was first in line and Gary was first in the oversized lane. Lol there was only 1 other person at the border. After they peeked in the fridge and told me my pomegranates were acceptable we were on our way. Beautiful drive but loooong. And soon it was later than we wanted it to be. So much for our rule of never driving at night again! At least we know this route and knew where the park we wanted is. I think that made it easier to manage. So we found ourselves back at Southside RV park! We decided rather than try to another long day we are spending 2 nights here and will (I swear) get up early for our haul to Fillmore, Utah. I plan on buying my rum here in Dillon since I do not trust Utah to have any!!
We also finally signed up for Skype, our name is judyandgarym so look for us there! Easier there than anywhere as we are only taking texts on the phones while we are down here. Barring any tragedy with you Dear Reader, our phones are off.. Emails, texts, facebook notes are the best way to get in touch!!
And now your as up to date as I am Dear Reader! Loving and missing you as always!

Travels and warranty issues -.-

20-Oct-10
So, how have you been Dear Reader? Things have been interesting to say the least for us!
We left Longriders on the 2nd of October after Gary actually put in about 3 weeks of work (LOL almost killed him!) and moved out to some friends for the weekend. we managed to get in some good old bonfire partying in our old neighbourhood. Was great to see Kelly & Trevor and Nora & Duane haven't changed!!! Thanks guys for an awesome weekend!
From there we began our slow haul to Kelowna. No major rush as we didn't need to be here til the 18th to get some warranty work done on the 5er. We spent a night at Obed Lake as we didn't get out of town as quickly as intended. Made our way to Golden, B.C. for a couple nights and poked around town there a bit. After that we headed to Vernon for a few days. I had hoped to get in touch with my Uncle Dan when we were there but we got a bit tied up in ourselves and our colds, the next thing we knew it was time to move to Kelowna... There's still time...
Arrived here, on the 16th, which gave us a chance to check in at the dealer and see exactly where it was from the park. Ahh the park. Its a little, 10 site place on a hill overlooking fields. I guess we are in the city of Kelowna but it is farm area still. Scenic View RV Park is the name. Great little find. Reasonable rates and great hosts/owners, Graeme and Jane-Marie James.
So next we come to the dealer and warranty work on the trailer (insert eerie horror movie music now). We had a couple of little things that needed attention and one big deal. Gary noticed that the wall separating the closet from the drawer area had cracked and then noticed that there was alot of movement in the pin area when we were hooked up. We had sent pictures ahead of time so that the dealer was prepared to deal with what we thought was a fairly major issue. Needless to say on our arrival we got the comforting words that it should all be done by 4:30... They started on the inside then had to wait for Keystone to give approval for a closer look as the problem didn't seem to be just in the closet. Not like Gary hadn't said it was prolly to do with all the movement from the hitch! Well... it wasn't done at 4:30 and was in no shape to go back to the park til they could talk to Keystones techs and see what was the next step. So we got to spend the night in the dealer yard... gated and locked in! Felt weird to not be able to take off for supper at a reasonable time. So, the next day they spoke to Keystone techs who were unwilling to walk them through the fix over the phone. This left us wondering wtf? Keystone now wants us to drive the unit to Pendleton, OR., not really the route we wanted to take but doable. They will do all the repairs and whatever else needs to be done as nothing other than a small crack in the shower wall got fixed at the dealer. Our only issue is that someone needs to gives us IN WRITING that the rig is safe to haul and they take responsibility for us arriving safely there with the unit still attached to the truck! Not much to ask I'm thinking. If they want us to haul it there then they must think its safe! So the ball is in there court now and we are just waiting to hear from them now to see if this is acceptable...As Gary says, news at 6...followed by drinkies at 6:01...
And so I leave you once again Dear Reader. I will update as we get updated and hopefully get to add in that we did get to some winerys and didn't waste all our time here! Loving and missing you as usual!!

home-ish

06-Sept-10
Hello again Dear Reader! I hope you have all been good since we last talked. Things have somewhat slowed down for us. We spent a couple of relaxing weeks parked at Prairie Creek and did a whole lot of nothing. Gary went fishing a few times when the weather was accommodating... We did get alot of rainy days, but oh well! We caught up on our movie watching and some odds and end sorting out stuff.
On the 31st we moved to Longriders RV park, outside Gibbons. Nice place, close to everything we need. This is where we actually started this whole little adventure. Ahh the old stomping grounds haven’t changed much. I touched base with some old friends and it turns out that Gary will be going to work for a couple of weeks. I’m sure it will be as odd for him as it will be for me! After spending most of the last year together my days will be weird.
We are planning our trip south for the winter already. Hard to believe that a year has almost passed! I’m excited to see all our new friends south of the border!! We will be cruising through B.C. on our way down then...um... ya... our plans are vague at best. So far we know we want to stop in Needles, CA... Quartzsite in January... maybe Joshua Tree National Park... Ok so we aren’t the best planners lol but we do know it will be fun!!
So I guess once we know more of what will be doing and where we will be, I’ll let you know! Until then... love you, miss you and see you soon!

A little piece of heaven!

19-Aug-10
Well, I guess crappy internet inspires me to update a bit more!! LOL But please Dear Reader, don’t get to used to it :) We have parked at a spot right on Prairie Creek, outside of Rocky Mountain House. We spent a week at Peppers Lake and then moved on to Prairie Creek campground. While we were out scouting fishing holes we came across this cutline that runs right up to the creek. Needless to say, we only spent a couple nights at the campground and moved here. The creek runs about 20 yards from the trailer... ahh heaven!! So, I hope the fishing here is better than the internet! But at least I can get this posted and you can see where we are at for now and maybe if anyone is out adventuring you’ll know where to find us!
So, again I bid you good morning, good afternoon or good night! Still missing you Dear Reader and hope to see you soon! *hugs*

14-Aug-10
Hello again Dear Reader. Well, I am typing this up at Peppers Lake, another little trout lake off the forestry trunk road. We decided to leave Big Horn Dam on Sunday the 8th. With no decent fishing near enough ‘somebody’ was getting bored lol.
On the 7th the family of Jeremy Der, the young man that drowned there, finally got the closure they needed. The search team found his body midday and the family was busy packing up on Sunday. I’m sure it must have been a huge relief to be able to close that chapter and move on. A huge congrats from us to the search and rescue peeps from CASDDA http://www.casdda.com/ An amazing group of volunteers that were the ones who finally made the find.
So, off we trundled to this little nook of the land. The lake itself seems quite nice. I haven’t gotten down to throw my hook at it yet. Gary has been down as much as he can, weather permitting of course. I think Mother Nature has it in for him hehe. We have had more rain this last week than we have in ages!! The campground here is nice, unfortunately we can’t fit in it! We are parked in the overflow area which is also the horse staging site. Not a problem! It’s a huge meadow nestled amongst the trees with a creek about 100 meters ‘over there’. I’ve toured all the old quad and horse trails a few times but have to be a bit more cautious now. Two days ago we had a huge grizzly come visit the area. We watched him strolling around pawing at the ground and generally looking HUGE! He didn’t come right to the site but was close enough that we tried to shoo him away with the air horn. He didn’t care what we wanted or did, he just sauntered around then moseyed off. Jack was happy that he showed up as he now gets to sleep inside for a bit. Sadly in the excitement of seeing this rare beast we totally forgot to get pictures (I know, you’re thinking I prolly wouldn’t post them anyway lol). we’ve also been graced by deer most mornings as well. It’s so quiet here that I swear you can hear them breathe!
So, since we aren’t near the lake again, we have been looking at moving on sometime soon. Hopefully with internet service so I can post this for you. For now then Dear Reader I sign off. Love and miss you as always, *hugs*

At it again!

06-Aug-10
Ahhh Dear Faithful Reader! How are you doing? I hope your still enjoying the slow updates! lol They are fun to write and keep us updated as the where the heck we were last month :)
So we spent just over 2 weeks at Dolberg Lake. Uneventful, and really not very good fishing. It wasn’t just us at least. We met a few old timers that have been going there for years and they all were saying it was a bad month for everyone. We met an interesting fellow by the name of Scotty. Go figger... and old Scottish man lol. Him and Gary quickly bonded over fly fishing and were fun to watch. A real wealth of knowledge! We both learned alot and confirmed even more of what we thought we knew :) some very colourful people there that’s for sure hehe. Josh and Emily made it out for a visit. Josh got in some fishing with his dad, and me and Emily got some time to sit and relax.
After there, we went back to the farm near Rochester and restocked and Gary managed to pull the big propane generator out and get it up for sale. So if you know anyone that needs a 5500 Onan propane genny, let us know!! I think it has like 8 hrs on it. Having gone solar, it’s a bit more than we will ever need and massive amount of storage space it freed up is insane! More space to put junk!!
We ended up going to Morinville for a couple of days to be closer to Edmonton to get some necessary paperwork done and get some huge shopping in to head off to nowhere again. While we were there, we got together with our dearest friends, Berry and Deb. Nice to go out to dinner with great friends. We also got a quick visit in with Andrew and his girlfriend, Sarah. Nice to see our baby happy!
So, from there, fully stocked and ready for some more fishing, we headed back to the Nordegg area. Gary found a campground at Goldeye Lake. Another nice provincial park. Boy, were we surprized to find out (needless to say AFTER we had set up and stuff) that the prices in this area on provincial campgrounds have become retardely inflated!! 27 bucks a night!! They now have hosts and free firewood, but no services!! For 27 bucks I WANT WATER!! So we only stayed 2 nights thinking we would take advantage of the amazing fishing then move on. But crappy weather prevailed and we went out looking at some of our old faves to see if we can fit in them. Our personal favourite would be interesting to say the least, but not entirely un-doable. It’s right on Abraham Lake at the mouth of Tershishner Creek. We opted out of that to end up at the Big Horn dam site. Very accessible and free. The North Saskatchewan River runs right in front of the rig and other than it being a bit windy at times, its heaven. I think we’ve gotten used to the sounds of the quads and dirt bikes now. Kinda makes me miss the stick house lol. The sounds of Andrew and various other neighbourhood hooligans racing around...ahh memories!
While we have been here there has been an unofficial search for a young man that drowned in the river a couple weeks ago. The official search has been called off but some family and friends are still around in hopes of finding anything to give them some closure. We keep an eye out on our daily river walks with Jack, but nothing so far. Our thoughts are with them.
So we have been looking at our winter plans already (I know, seems early). Gary seems to think we will be fine heading down to B.C. then in early December heading down thru Washington and Oregon. Our only real plan is Quartzsite area for most of January, and then the Yuma area after that! Maybe this year we will actually get to see some of our friends that head down to that area every year!
I know you have all but given up on seeing pictures here so I won’t get your hopes up lol. We do have some we will get up on our facebook pages in the next bit, and then you can see a birds eye view of our latest “yard”! So for now Dear Reader, I bid you good day, good afternoon and good night, Love you, miss you as always! *hugs*