tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92032536844570301192024-03-15T21:09:47.065-04:00Workin' RVersPhil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.comBlogger612125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-82458661734414137702024-02-26T20:37:00.000-05:002024-02-26T20:37:14.323-05:00Where's Waldo?? AKA: Where the heck have you guys been???<p> Hi All, Phil and Rudee here and yes we are still kickin'! Let me tell you what we have been up to. We left South Dakota and traveled to Indiana visiting family and friends. Rudee read of a work camping job in Florida at an Escapees Park so we applied for that and was hired. We headed south and spent a GREAT winter living and working at Florida SKP Resort in Wauchula, Florida. We met some lifelong friends there and really enjoyed ourselves. </p><p><br /></p><p>During our time here we made some decisions on what we wanted our future to look like. In January of 2022 we notified our renter that we were intending to move into our home in Zephyrhills by October 1st. She has been a great renter and we wanted to give her plenty of notice to make accommodations. This was a really tough decision but we have always kept the place here for our own retirement some day. </p><p><br /></p><p>The RV Park offered us work for the summer so we could not only stay in the RV but could also work on the house on our days off......and boy did we work! New carpet, new drapes, painted every room including the ceilings. I even painted the cement floor in the lanai after removing the indoor/outdoor carpet. We had furniture delivered and even bought a golfcart, now we can look and act like true "snowbirds". 😂 </p><p><br /></p><p>We left Florida and back to Indiana in August to rest and decompress for a couple of months. We have had our name on a waiting list for a "fulltime" seasonal site at a campground in Indiana but when October rolled around we parked the truck and RV in our daughters driveway, winterized it and headed back to Florida catching a ride with our buddies Steve and Trish who winter in Bradenton, Fl. We were really looking forward to our first winter as full fledged snowbirds and Florida residents.</p><p><br /></p><p>We were settling into our house when we received word that we had a seasonal spot for 2023 (and beyond) if we wanted it. Heck Ya, things are falling into place! We did get acquainted with a motorcycle chapter here in the area and went on several rides with them. They welcomed us with open arms and we settled into life here pretty easily thanks to them. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1isLHZMllwp3pVOOiOb_eYX_0taU4gHU-xwKBZyhjBdX2gi2vjhfBI5fLfoWEl2R9lqA77KWXk36310JRbhNzWT4T7yrsDLq1bdbak8i-f0Ysh9LebQVfM_eM5iNJHvHSTQxckQRBnQ6H7gxnZHJOtI8rky1lQ0x-miAH0kk2mnz8W8sFjo6F368KSC8/s3648/DSCN2602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1isLHZMllwp3pVOOiOb_eYX_0taU4gHU-xwKBZyhjBdX2gi2vjhfBI5fLfoWEl2R9lqA77KWXk36310JRbhNzWT4T7yrsDLq1bdbak8i-f0Ysh9LebQVfM_eM5iNJHvHSTQxckQRBnQ6H7gxnZHJOtI8rky1lQ0x-miAH0kk2mnz8W8sFjo6F368KSC8/s320/DSCN2602.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJxVLsOaKMEHZWwdw69Y-rnH1CgGMb8RBvtSrsp4qAM4gdm4boPd8pe-zB1PHTbxWBKgwmdjYHlhaVd0RIZbCwFR028xNi7P4hntA2AgKuSuZM9qxfjBJzcrAKWSTlTXcyPCiBh4t58ISZm60JcZw0Lr-oqJd6uJmQsk37cTO3wELgE1AGackcWSWIAsr/s3648/DSCN2599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJxVLsOaKMEHZWwdw69Y-rnH1CgGMb8RBvtSrsp4qAM4gdm4boPd8pe-zB1PHTbxWBKgwmdjYHlhaVd0RIZbCwFR028xNi7P4hntA2AgKuSuZM9qxfjBJzcrAKWSTlTXcyPCiBh4t58ISZm60JcZw0Lr-oqJd6uJmQsk37cTO3wELgE1AGackcWSWIAsr/s320/DSCN2599.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Our winter was over pretty quickly and since we had a vehicle back in Indiana we decided to just ride the bike back north and leave our mini van here for the summer. Oh ya, we also bought a used pop-up motorcycle camper to use on our many trips and tours we are hoping to have. With the camper in tow we headed North and, since we are retired, I decided that we would make an adventure out of it! We never once touched a wheel onto an interstate! We drove through Florida and into Alabama where we spent the night at a State Park the first night. The next morning we continued through Alabama just following the GPS through the back roads. We would ride for a few hours, stop at a park somewhere and have a quick lunch out of the cooler and then back on road again. This day Rudee spotted a small city park (or so we thought) with a gazebo and picnic tables. We turned into the parking area which was across the street from a REALLY LOUD factory but beggars can't be choosers. We unloaded our lunch and headed for the gazebo and that's when I read the sign in front of the factory. This place was a Blue Bell Ice Cream Creamery with a gift shop and ice cream parlor! Needless to say we had dessert after our lunch, what a treat! </p><p><br /></p><p>We stayed at a Tennessee State Park that night and woke up to a cold rain YUCK! The weather radar showed it clearing just a few miles (75 or so) north if us so we bundled up and headed out. The temperature was in the very low 40's and we think we saw 38* one time.😟 </p><p>The rain finally quit once we had bypassed Nashville and it slowly warmed up......a little. We decided to spend that night in a motel......well it was either that or put Rudee on a northbound Greyhound cause she was cold and ready for a warm bed and a real heater! I found us a nice motel in Evansville, Indiana that had a Texas Roadhouse right next door! Am I a great husband or what??? </p><p><br /></p><p>We arrived in Indiana the next day and moved the camper over to it's new home. We slowly got ourselves settled in to campground life. Steve and Trish have their rig parked there as well so we get to spend time with them and their family. Our daughter Amanda and her family live less than 20 miles away and our son and his family are only about a 6 hour drive in Pennsylvania. Life is good. 😎 </p><p><br /></p><p>We spent our summer going to several motorcycle rallies including the national rally of our new organization, the Eagle Wings Motorcycle Association. Our old group folded back in July of 2022 just as we were reaching a time in our life to get back into the many rally's and rides. This group picked up where they left off and are growing more and more everyday. We attended the Tennessee District Rally, the Ohio District Rally, the National Rally in Knoxville, Tn. and the Alabama District Rally on our way back to Florida. </p><p><br /></p><p>This "winter" in the sunshine state has been a busy one so far for us. We ride with our Florida group Wednesdays and Saturdays as well as hooking up with good friends from Indiana Tom and L.D. Wetherald for several rides. The pictures below are of a ride we took just today to check out the Richloam General Store which is the oldest store in Florida and on the National Historic Registry. Really loved the store and yes, the pickle barrel was full of whole dill pickles you could purchase! Really cool place. Nobody lives in Richloam anymore and the store is the last remnant of the town. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjcS0JHr62YFBlEX54ZTdzWsT_jydt5PGx5OE-LC7fa9yVcQ8GpilvZYEYZGZKy3Ip5cShBDeaSR5Y6d7tog-t8PcOiy8sdqkiXfuG0AFfjA8Y7Jvqh8w0-iKkvSK08OCwkTvuJj2RNnNA39-1jMQQxUNy6lT5PcNGuSeyLjnSffvxTjG_7Tnipsz066J/s4096/IMG_20240226_103446767_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjcS0JHr62YFBlEX54ZTdzWsT_jydt5PGx5OE-LC7fa9yVcQ8GpilvZYEYZGZKy3Ip5cShBDeaSR5Y6d7tog-t8PcOiy8sdqkiXfuG0AFfjA8Y7Jvqh8w0-iKkvSK08OCwkTvuJj2RNnNA39-1jMQQxUNy6lT5PcNGuSeyLjnSffvxTjG_7Tnipsz066J/s320/IMG_20240226_103446767_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3SVEOMTm2InpjN9KqkfuE6-3G316sXsERe1DvHKMsL0nxoQyCvLDIy7E8asVityh7AMhrMFAisaeIB18OEGSdDrw_d2hHnKpQjvJGdMxBd69JGIXe9D9m6tMjWH4rMDQgkwRx1Or-koqfRlKGgZy35kc7kNwIH7kmgf8HT8-dbM8MDK5AwiWVj5X1TnE/s4096/IMG_20240226_103459111_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3SVEOMTm2InpjN9KqkfuE6-3G316sXsERe1DvHKMsL0nxoQyCvLDIy7E8asVityh7AMhrMFAisaeIB18OEGSdDrw_d2hHnKpQjvJGdMxBd69JGIXe9D9m6tMjWH4rMDQgkwRx1Or-koqfRlKGgZy35kc7kNwIH7kmgf8HT8-dbM8MDK5AwiWVj5X1TnE/s320/IMG_20240226_103459111_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGR447mlnBezgAnkK0ThBdNBoWqN9nqXHzb84ZWXCpMzm89YtvjH6dJfPQrXqySC7_ThUXfixNfCIzghW99OCPaUfTwfTmhyvaS1kqKm1po2slX2yZE0dU7_4vSCqSzLQhPylOKbKLljDPRWzhv8d1fAHJYClnya53iU5NKm9eyk406X3P3uVe95RNsdIE/s4208/IMG_20240226_103531040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4208" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGR447mlnBezgAnkK0ThBdNBoWqN9nqXHzb84ZWXCpMzm89YtvjH6dJfPQrXqySC7_ThUXfixNfCIzghW99OCPaUfTwfTmhyvaS1kqKm1po2slX2yZE0dU7_4vSCqSzLQhPylOKbKLljDPRWzhv8d1fAHJYClnya53iU5NKm9eyk406X3P3uVe95RNsdIE/s320/IMG_20240226_103531040.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrESbVNcMyXSLEGL-_IL9WNU2jLANhDhcJskQqzRk_m1wmB1DsGYusVqekcJw3JzygCjZPMSzJxvR4KcbPwGOl61LAXx3qydQEdDRaZlClgEI6RlvR2WsRtbp3ni3RI-pJBihHJi5dxikti7qh9OpJbmqQNMJEatjkZaXyJ0Hs2PUKW1oe0mpugi2NQfv/s4096/IMG_20240226_104208607_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrESbVNcMyXSLEGL-_IL9WNU2jLANhDhcJskQqzRk_m1wmB1DsGYusVqekcJw3JzygCjZPMSzJxvR4KcbPwGOl61LAXx3qydQEdDRaZlClgEI6RlvR2WsRtbp3ni3RI-pJBihHJi5dxikti7qh9OpJbmqQNMJEatjkZaXyJ0Hs2PUKW1oe0mpugi2NQfv/s320/IMG_20240226_104208607_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p>We are already starting to plan our trip back to Indiana. Our daughter and Son in law have purchased our truck so we will need to bring the van and the bike back with us. Since we don't have a trailer it looks like I'll just have to ride it alone while Rudee follows in the van. Hope it doesn't rain again because she will be ribbing me for sure!</p>Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-40245574620240020592021-07-07T12:28:00.000-04:002021-07-07T12:28:08.698-04:00Work, Rinse, Repeat<p> First let me apologize for the long time span between posts, as the title suggests we have fallen into a routine here in the Black Hills and I have been a little lazy "blog wise". </p><p>The weather here has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. We have had more thunderstorms than usual for this time of year and the temperatures have been higher than normal with several days in the 90's. Our two air conditioners are working OT to keep up on those days.</p><p>My work is enjoyable and I like doing the bus tours. I get to meet and interact with many wonderful people. I only work 6 hours per day, 4 days per week but we are so busy with visitors that my days are non stop. </p><p>Rudee is back in the gift shop but her main duties have been in shipping and receiving. Her days consist of fulfilling internet orders as well as inventorying incoming stock orders. She has been extremely busy as everyone seems to be in a "buying" mood, which is good.</p><p>I picked up my golf game right where I left off .....mediocre. LOL </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3WflcwHOFhIxedHebbu5Eb2W7LY4n_lCZSYO2_sxUPqsbsoeAst4RsXEJ3CCpFC4354QGt7hPQwNY5IOudoPVAieAgZx0tSyEy5gxDLk8bCWKjlLKzDVKfjiEamHdfU6JSFrg3KS04eG/s1280/IMG_1310%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3WflcwHOFhIxedHebbu5Eb2W7LY4n_lCZSYO2_sxUPqsbsoeAst4RsXEJ3CCpFC4354QGt7hPQwNY5IOudoPVAieAgZx0tSyEy5gxDLk8bCWKjlLKzDVKfjiEamHdfU6JSFrg3KS04eG/s320/IMG_1310%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>I play in two leagues here at our local course; Tuesday is Men's League and Thursday is Senior League. I have been improving some but my season goal has been to break 90 for 18 holes. I have been stuck in the low to mid 90's for quite awhile and just couldn't break that barrier into the 80's. Well yesterday I finally got it all together and carded an 88! I was a happy guy to say the least. Now the hard part, repeating it. LOL</p><p>We had a nice "work camper" pot luck over the 4th of July week end here in the campground. Rudee and I skipped the fireworks show that Custer puts on each year, we just can't stay up that late on a work night anymore. I guess our "party bone" has arthritis! LOL</p><p>The next big even here in the Black Hills is the 81st annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Judging by the number of people vacationing here this year this one looks like it will be a BIG ONE! There are a huge number of campgrounds and hotels in this area and all have been totally booked since Memorial Day. We have trouble just finding a place to park in downtown Custer let alone a restaurant without a long waiting list to get in. Our grocery store is packed all day everyday and the staff is working OT to keep things stocked on the shelves. It's good to see everyone starting to travel and enjoy themselves after last year but WOW there are a lot of people here! LOL</p><p>Next week marks our halfway point to fulfilling our seasonal work commitment here at Crazy Horse. The time has been going pretty quickly but we are looking forward to our travels again to visit family and friends. I'll keep you posted! :-)</p><p><br /></p>Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-14802137457176577902021-05-08T21:54:00.006-04:002021-05-08T22:08:41.914-04:00Hi Oh Hi Oh it's off to work we go<p> We started our summer jobs at Crazy Horse Memorial on Wednesday with "New Employee Orientation". This is designed to get new seasonal employees up to speed on the basics of working at the Memorial. I pretty much knew what to expect because the last 7 years I have facilitated different areas of the training but it was fun getting to know all the other work campers attending. They usually have a new group starting each Wednesday in May so there will be more new friends to meet in the coming weeks. Rudee will be back in the gift shop where she has worked for the last several years. She will be concentrating on shipping and receiving, which she enjoys, without the added responsibilities she had as a full-time employee. I will be a tour bus driver giving guided tours to the Mountain Carving. I enjoy sharing the history and stories of Crazy Horse as well as those of the Memorial and family involved in it's creation. We are looking forward to a great summer.</p><p><br /></p><p>Friday was our first "official" day working at our new positions and we both jumped at the tasks with enthusiasm. Rudee settled right back into her old groove never missing a beat. I, on the other hand, had some "bumps in the road" ......literally! I was more than ready for my very first tour. I had rehearsed my tour "script" over and over. I had no difficulty driving the bus and was anxious to get the season started! My first group of guests were a great bunch. Everyone was happy, full of questions and were enjoying themselves as I drove us to the Mountain. There is a place roped off in front of the sculpture where we stop the bus and they can step off to take pictures. I always offer to help with photos, answer questions and give them more info about the carving. Well this is where things went a little wonky. One couple asked me to take their picture and handed me a very expensive looking camera with a very expensive looking lens attached. To get them in the photo as well as the full 600' mountain carving behind them I had to back way up and squat way down. OK, no problem, I can do this! Well I could have done it but gravity had other ideas about my abilities and I ended up on my backside like a turtle on it's back with my legs and arms flailing around above me! I managed to keep his camera from crashing to the ground by softening the blow with my elbow. That hurt but not as much as having to pay for a broken camera and lens. We all had a big laugh at my "klutzyness" and I invited them to my next performance where I would do cartwheels through the parking lot! LOL</p><p>The rest of the day was pretty normal but I think just to be safe I'll give up multi tasking and not squat at the same time I'm doing photography! LOL </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pJBMw3s_J0orqv8mOx7gv-vUVKsfyYvKR8JSxZSklHLTl69V9EcEvO2T8j3LhmG7C1mXSdQDnkc7NcMiYNPvmSXjwzspcLXKcF0omUL4Zx45S3op2Ka5qqFZfwauDGCTalrlHMGp_VFr/s2048/skyview.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pJBMw3s_J0orqv8mOx7gv-vUVKsfyYvKR8JSxZSklHLTl69V9EcEvO2T8j3LhmG7C1mXSdQDnkc7NcMiYNPvmSXjwzspcLXKcF0omUL4Zx45S3op2Ka5qqFZfwauDGCTalrlHMGp_VFr/s320/skyview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Our neighbor flew his drone over the campground and sent me this photo of our rig so I thought I would share it with you. Here we are all set up for the next 4 1/2 months. Our work days will be Friday through Monday and it's shaping up to be an interesting adventure. I'll keep you posted.</p>Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-14205379314343027132021-04-30T17:11:00.002-04:002021-04-30T17:22:00.193-04:00The long trek West<p> We left our "moochdocking" spot in our daughters driveway last Wednesday. We had to delay a day because of a big storm making it's way across the middle of the country dropping snow and temperatures. Indiana got about 3" of wet snow on Tuesday night and I had to scrape off the roofs of the slides so they would close. I thought maybe Rudee would feel sorry for me and let me get slide toppers installed but since we have 5 slides she figures it's better to just spend that money to stay away from the snow! LOL The roads were clear and dry but it never did get above 40 degrees the whole day. Brrrrrr.</p><p>Our trip West went well stopping the first night in Iowa and the 2nd night in Sioux Falls, SD. We arrived back in Custer on Friday afternoon and spent a week at French Creek RV Park downtown. Each leg of the trip was about 380 miles and that distance worked well for us. </p><p><br /></p><p>Today we packed up again and moved to our summer "digs" in the shadow of Crazy Horse Memorial. Our 4 mile trip went well and we were not even "road weary" when we arrived 10 minutes later. LOL</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbmlgqeHxOZGpHihfYq3PpsnVAZ_jzi8kU71hiR8IhE0hL-fsXESsB4JDLAX0UHP_GyeX1Bmkhn3xvzK_HmndgMCz0aokbp3nweN5GeG0bVxKWcaLUFNjMTHCi2x1EgrK0e56CbJokILt/s4608/20210430_112330.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbmlgqeHxOZGpHihfYq3PpsnVAZ_jzi8kU71hiR8IhE0hL-fsXESsB4JDLAX0UHP_GyeX1Bmkhn3xvzK_HmndgMCz0aokbp3nweN5GeG0bVxKWcaLUFNjMTHCi2x1EgrK0e56CbJokILt/s320/20210430_112330.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>We are the first work campers here but more will be arriving in the next days and weeks. We start on Wednesday with orientation and then back to the old grind on Friday. I will be driving one of the tour buses that gives guests a closer look at the Mountain. Rudee will be doing shipping and receiving in the gift shop. Both of us are working 4 days per week and are looking forward to a little more relaxed atmosphere that part time work camping provides ........we hope! LOL I'll keep you posted!</p>Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-53296284082927901152021-04-20T14:35:00.005-04:002021-04-20T14:56:43.373-04:00The Great Mattress Adventure!<p> As most of you know the mattress they put into RV's are mostly junk. Getting one to last more than one season is a huge accomplishment. One of the first things we added to our used Montana when we purchased it was a mattress pad. While the 3" cooling foam pad was an improvement I was just never a big fan of it. The issue was the pad was a residential King size and our bed was an RV King size with tapered ends. The pad was just too big and did not want to stay put! We decided to go mattress shopping last week and Rudee researched places to go while I measured what size would work for us. We both wanted to stick with a King but there was some limitations on sizes to fit our bed. We have a front living room model of fifth wheel which we both love. The bedroom is in the rear and has opposing slide outs, one slide houses the bed and the other is the closet and dresser drawers. When you slide them in for travel the foot of the bed pushes into the dresser drawers which are spring loaded. With everything closed up the foot of the bed is 3"-4" into the drawer "enclosure". Kind of odd but it works well and gives you a ton of room when you are all set up. So with my measurements in hand we headed out to "bed shop". The maximum thickness we could have was 11" but, after researching RV forums the night before, I was confident a "standard King" would work as long as it was not too thick. Oh ya, it had to be ready for us to pick up no later than next Monday. Rudee had address' of four different mattress stores in the area so off we went. Two of the places were a total bust with long delivery times. The third promised he could get us a suitable mattress by Monday afternoon as long as he could "catch the delivery truck" before it left the warehouse 300 miles away. The last place had the mattress in stock locally, in fact they had 6 of them at their warehouse and we could run over there the next day and pick it up. We went ahead with the purchase, paid the bill and reserved a pick up time. Whew, glad that was over! I did find out after some 42 plus years of marriage that we can't totally agree on the firmness (or lack thereof) of a mattress. I like medium to firm, Rudee likes .......well I'm still not sure. LOL</p><div style="text-align: left;">The next morning as we were preparing to leave I started having some apprehensions. Rudee said "let's just double check it is going to work". We measured the length and no problem 80" is doable. The thickness of 11" was right on the money. Even the width of 76" would fit just fine. Then it hit me (picture my palm slapping my forehead LOL)! Remember how I described the foot of the bed sliding into the dresser drawer enclosure? I had not measured that opening .....Oh crap, it's only 73" and that is the reason our old mattress has tapered ends! Duh! Now what do we do? Well the first this is to call the mattress store, cancel the purchase and get our money returned. They were very nice about it and processed our full refund in just a few minutes. Next thing I did was some more research and found that Camping World in Indianapolis sold a "RV King size Cooling Gel Memory Foam" mattress that is narrow enough to work for us. The reviews online were overwhelmingly positive so we called and they had some in stock. So we pulled the trigger and so far so good. I thought our biggest challenge would be getting it in the fifth wheel. Oh no, these things come "vacuum sucked" rolled up in a box. All you have to do is unbox it, put it on the platform and enjoy.......or so the instructions said! We got the old one out and yes, the new one went in quite easily. Once we got it out of the box we started cutting away the plastic around the mattress and then "POOF" me, Rudee and the mattress all unrolled onto the bed platform! Oh well it's in and just needs to finish "inflating" LOL. We have slept on it for two nights so far and really like it so I think Goldilocks (aka Rudee) has found a bed that's "just right". LOL</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The day after we installed our mattress we drove the truck to Pennsylvania to spend the weekend at our sons home north of Pittsburgh. We had a great time and the weekend flew by. Before we knew it Monday morning was here and we had to say goodbye to them and head back. :-(</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfyaSyRqH5lE8rLKD4e6IQl8i1m02LLN2gGjEEwXnqwYUE2MM_7TtJNXllVWRb4MyHYCk-COj0F6AQKmAPYOgl_x31f6h8JmVUa488p33gh6h9mobcOK72_6rtGDXBDrdBYX-R32pLteS/s4608/20210419_081105.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfyaSyRqH5lE8rLKD4e6IQl8i1m02LLN2gGjEEwXnqwYUE2MM_7TtJNXllVWRb4MyHYCk-COj0F6AQKmAPYOgl_x31f6h8JmVUa488p33gh6h9mobcOK72_6rtGDXBDrdBYX-R32pLteS/s320/20210419_081105.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> See you in October sweetheart. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Our plan was to hook on and leave Tuesday morning to start our trek back to South Dakota. With the nasty weather predicted between us and Iowa (rain, freezing rain, snow and wind) we decided to sit tight for another day. The weather looks a little better starting tomorrow and should give us a window for our travels. We don't start work until May 5th so we can take our time if needed. I'll keep you posted.</div>Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-26029860558419550622021-04-15T19:06:00.001-04:002021-04-15T19:16:28.223-04:00Back on the road!<p> As the title suggests we left Custer, South Dakota on December 2nd aiming for warmer weather. We made a two day trip to Indiana which is way more miles per day than we would have liked but the roads were dry and no since stopping just to freeze or patooties off. We arrived safe and sound to our "mooch docking" spot in our daughters driveway. We stayed through Christmas and then pointed the rig Southbound!</p><p><br /></p><p>Winter was spent at the Escapees park in Summerdale Alabama where we ate too much seafood and drank too many Bushwhackers! Where have those things been hiding all my life??? LOL</p><p><br /></p><p>So that puts us to our spring adventures and adventurous it has been! We hooked up and left Summerdale on Easter Sunday where we headed back towards some time with family for a couple of weeks. Our first day on the road was a little busy with the last of the Spring Breakers heading North to go back to school and work. We drove just under 400 miles stopping at Texas T RV Park just north of the Alabama/Tennessee line off I-65. We like this little park and have stayed here a few times. They have full hook up pull through spots with cable TV and a nice babbling brook flowing on its border. We decided to stay for three nights and do a little sightseeing. </p><p>I mentioned the brook and this was the location of our first adventure. I took Rudee out for a nice steak dinner at a nearby restaurant and when we returned I took her by the hand and suggested a romantic walk along the creek. We were all alone, or so we thought. As we stopped and looked at the minnows swimming in the creek I looked up and a guy was riding a 4 wheeler our way.........in the creek! I could see it was about 5 foot deep between us and him but he kept coming, getting closer and closer until the front end of the 4 wheeler disappeared. Well that didn't stop this guy! He just kept coming and then the back end of the 4 wheeler disappeared! That's about the time the 4 wheeler decided to float and then flipped upside down with this turkey still sitting in the seat! I headed towards him thinking I was going to have to jump in and save him from himself and Rudee was chasing me trying to get my phone and wallet before I had to jump in. Right as we got to where the 4 tires of the 4 wheeler were visible he came popping out from under it and stood up spitting and sputtering. He didn't even loose his hat! He looked up at us, smiled a toothless smile and said "Happy Easter! Today's my Birfday". Well needless to say it took everything we had not to laugh out loud at this wet, toothless, drunk "Birfday" Boy standing up to his waist in a creek next to his bobbing 4 wheeler! We decided this would be a good time to notify the campground staff and share the experience with them. LOL</p><p>The male work camper and the owner came out and we left. So much for our romantic walk! LOL The Good news is Billy Bob got his 4 wheeler right side up and after several tries, got it to stay running. He was last seen riding it back westbound in the creek. LOL So you want to be a work camper? You just never know what you'll be called upon to do but the stories are well worth the effort! LOL</p><p><br /></p><p>We are now parked in Indiana and I am going to make a concentrated effort to revive our blog. I already have more adventures to share, life has not been boring since retiring! Our plans are to head to South Dakota where we will work camper at Crazy Horse for the summer. I will be a tour bus driver and Rudee with work in the shipping and receiving department of the gift shop. We leave here next week, I'll keep you posted! </p>Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-91940194945409210872020-02-28T17:38:00.001-05:002020-02-28T17:45:10.977-05:00Winter has been a B....Well, I guess what did I expect for winter in South Dakota 😒. December was snow and cold, January was snow and bitter cold, February has been a repeat of January 😞.<br />
OK, enough of that, we did have some fun when we went to Disneyworld for a week the last of January! AHHH<br />
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We had a wonderful time and some much deserved R&R.<br />
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Oh ya and we bought a new rig:<br />
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Well it's new to us anyway, it is a 2012 Montana 3750FL. So we back into a Montana and very happy with it so far. We bought it the week before the trip to Florida and then winterized it again when we left. No big issues except for a couple of internal cold water line freeze ups when the temps got down into the sub zero range a few nights. Hopefully we are past those for this winter and can get it skirted and heated by next winter (if we are still here 😏 ).<br />
We still have the Motorhome and will be selling it soon ....I hope. We have it priced right so are hopeful it won't be long so if you know anyone that wants a nice dependable class A diesel pusher suitable for full-time living send them my way. We are asking $29,000.00 which is very close to trade in value so we can get it gone. 605-440-0696<br />
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Hopefully the weather is changing for the better and we can get this snow melted. We are looking forward to a nice summer. I'll keep you posted.<br />
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<br />Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-1340382477704102342019-10-18T14:36:00.001-04:002019-10-18T14:46:06.651-04:00all right.... I confess!Work has been changing the last couple of weeks. We had our last fairly large event last Monday, Native Americans Day here in South Dakota. I spent the entire afternoon standing watch over 200 or so middle school students who had waaaaaay too much caffeine LOL. The endless amounts of tour buses that show up during the Spring, Summer and Fall are slowing way down so Winter must be right around the corner.<br />
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We have also waved "see ya later" to most of our work campers :-( Never a good time watching them roll out for their winter adventures while we stay here, but our turn will come again. We always look forward to next spring when some of them return and new ones arrive. </div>
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This week we had a mobile glass installer come out and put in a new windshield in our rig. We have probably only driven our rig a total of 20-30 miles in the last 6 years so how did "we" manage to break our windshield? Good question! I would like to say it was from hail, or maybe a falling meteorite or even an alien attack but no .....I did it, I confess the awful truth and here is the long, sad tale :-(</div>
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One of the drawbacks of our motorhome is the smallish size fridge and freezer. We really envy those 4 door (or bigger!) fridges they are putting in RV's these days, you know the ones that actually keep ice cream frozen! So in preparation for moving back into the RV I bought one of those 12 volt, 120 volt freezer/refrigerator combo units that look like an oversized beer cooler. The thing works really well and keeps our ice cream frozen and our veggies cool but the only issue is where to put it. I initially thought about one of the outside compartments, you know the one with the power and TV hook ups that you never hook the TV up to? LOL This would be a little inconvenient especially in the winter .....brrrr. Then I saw the huge flat area of the dash and that 1 watt light bulb dimly flashed in my head! I can sit it there! Looks like it will fit perfectly and I can run an extension cord ....perfect! Of course I never measured it to make certain .....I am a man after all and men know these things just by looking! Well I stretched the extension cord to the dash, picked up the cooler and "presto" in it went......except the very back corner was kinda caught on the windshield curtain. There goes that dim bulb again ......it told me "just wiggle it a little" so I did and it dropped right into place.....perfect! I wonder what that little popping sound was??? Well you know now that the popping sound was the windshield cracking. Crap! I knew from prior experience that insurance pays for "stupid" so we filed a claim and THAT is why these guys were here yesterday replacing our windshield.</div>
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So now life is slowing down a little for us as we settle in for the long winter. We are meeting friends tonight at the local VFW for steak night. Anyone who has lived in a small town knows what an event Steak Night is, certainly not something to miss out on! Oh ya, Rudee has forbid me from taking any advice from that dim light inside my head, she says to just ask her instead? I'm not so sure about that but I'll keep you posted. :-)</div>
Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-87386506663521714162019-10-08T22:00:00.001-04:002019-10-08T22:00:25.447-04:00Getting settled in for winter .........BRRRR!The last few weeks we have spent our days off getting the rig ready for winter. I was so relieved that everything in the RV still works. No leaks, fridge is cold, hot water is hot and the furnace blows hot air. We only used the rig maybe 4 times in the last five years so we were both a little nervous. With the basics done it was time to do the stuff necessary to survive the cold and snow. First thing was getting the rig skirted to block that cold winter wind. We considered several options, even custom made, but that was out of our budget. We could have done the foam insulation board but wanted something that not only looked decent but would last us for more than one winter. We decided on <a href="https://ezsnapdirect.com/" target="_blank">EZ Snap RV skirting</a> do it yourself vinyl skirting. We had used this product before on our 5th wheel and liked it, not the cheapest route but 1/3rd the price of having a custom skirt made and installed. We placed an order and in less than a week it was at our door and ready to go. The install took us two days to accomplish and we are pretty happy with the results. Our outer storage areas are covered (personal decision on our part, less trimming and easier install) so I removed everything I thought we may need and put that in our storage unit or the back of my truck. We left a seam near our sewer dump valve compartment so I can easily access those and our wet bay is actually under our slide out so it can be accessed, if needed, by pulling up a corner and crawling under. Here is what it looks like:<br />
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While doing the skirting the local LP gas company showed up to fill the tank that our campground owner is letting us borrow. This will help a bunch this winter since they will come out on regular intervals and fill our tank. Last time we wintered here in the RV I had to lug a 100 lb bottle to their shop when it got low.<br />
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The next project was water. The hydrant has already been wrapped with heat tape by the campground and I had made a heated water hose from an older white drinking hose, a heat tape and insulated it with foam. Well I attached it (or tried to!) and it was about 6" too short. I could connect it OK but it was stretched to the point of being off the ground ....CRAP! I decided to leave it connected and supported it with boards but definitely not something I wanted to leave long term plus the water had a "rubber" taste with this hose so Rudee made it very clear to me, "this needs to change". We decided to go with a Camco Heated Hose we found at Camping World. They are good to -20 degrees and all I had to do was hook it up, no more "manufacturing" on my part.<br />
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Next thing we did, well actually we did this before hanging the skirting, was to put lamps in the wet bay and another in the bay with the black tank valves. Several years ago we spent Christmas at my daughters in Indiana and the valves in this bay froze as well as the "dump" plumbing. We ended up driving half way to Florida with full tanks before things thawed enough to dump. That's a long way to drive with your legs crossed, tapping your foot! Just ask Rudee 🤣<br />
I put a wireless thermometer in the wet bay and the lights have been working great keeping the temps in the 60's - low 70's when it's in the 20's at night. For our "stinky slinky" we wrapped that with aluminum foil and taped a heat tape onto it and then wrapped the whole mess with insulation. I cut a PVC pipe to length and we snaked the whole works through the pipe to give it some extra protection.<br />
We also put two heat lamps under the rig that are plugged into a <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/TC-3-Cold-Weather-Thermo-Cube-Thermostatically-Controlled-Outlet-On-at-35-Degrees-Off-at-45-Degrees/21154717?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=3005&adid=22222222227016784611&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=41081127152&wl4=pla-78765345272&wl5=9020654&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113146015&wl11=online&wl12=21154717&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjw5_DsBRBPEiwAIEDRW4GEJnRVb2Uti0LTKDO3-dJTx8BG4_-wRZgn6ZhZ8Nh1lIaA9hp2qBoCKjwQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Thermo Cube Outlet</a> that comes on at 35 degrees and off at 45 degrees. This will provide a little more freeze protection under the rig.<br />
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Last, but not least, we covered our windshield with <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Reflectix-Double-Reflective-Insulation/38752784?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1194&adid=22222222227026725787&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=52587358631&wl4=pla-84467738591&wl5=9020654&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112550058&wl11=online&wl12=38752784&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjw5_DsBRBPEiwAIEDRW_IN5irgIx8INqeHQsFgxqBtjYFea-oDHYlzXEtwaJ4QIsaHeRkFnBoCjN0QAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Reflectex insulation</a>. This stuff is easy to work with, just cut it to size with scissors and tape into place. The good thing about this stuff is it not only holds the heat in but also helps keep it cool in the summer by blocking out the radiant heat from the sun coming through.<br />
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So that's our winter prep, we are hoping we have done our jobs and we can make it through.....I'll keep you posted!Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-40414823923533243492019-09-07T21:27:00.001-04:002019-09-07T21:34:03.005-04:00Too long!Not sure anyone is still out there after almost 5 years but...........We are back in the RV! :-)<br />
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Yep, we sold the house and closed last Friday. We downsized once again but it was a little easier this time. Our plan is to continue our full time jobs and we are settled into a campground here in Custer, SD for the foreseeable future. We can give up the stuff and the house but those health care benefits and paychecks every two weeks are a little harder to let go of! LOL<br />
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Our house sale was a nightmare! We listed on May 5th 2018 and went through several contracts before finally selling and even then the lies and deceptions didn't stop! We had finally had enough and told the buyers (who were still trying to renegotiate the week before the closing!) NO MORE! They needed to take it or leave it, we were done. Once we put our feet down and crossed our arms they quickly agreed and off to closing we went. Well we actually went the day before and signed our part because neither one of us wanted to even see them face to face at the closing table after the way they acted. Grrrrrrr!<br />
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So what's in store for Rudee and I .......well we still own our place in Florida which is rented so that is always a possible "snowbird" location or even a revenue stream if we head out on the road. We still have a lot of unfinished business as fulltime RVers with a whole bucket list of places we want to go. We are both aching for more family time, our grandkids are growing so fast and we both feel like we are missing out on so much :-( . So the plan right now is to stay working and banking the $$'s as much as we can. I turn 62 in two more years and have already decided to take the early social security and run!! We are now debt free, something that we have never experienced before and this will help us no matter what comes our way. So hang on .......the roller coaster is climbing that first big hill ......put your arms way up in the air .......enjoy the ride and ......I'll keep you posted ;-)Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-37184638973165221952015-09-22T12:08:00.001-04:002015-09-22T12:15:41.835-04:00big shouldersWe are entering into the Fall "shoulder" season here in the Black Hills. Some of the business' that cater to the tourists are starting to close for the winter and many of the seasonal workers are heading for warm weather regions. We are open year round at Crazy Horse, 365 days per year. Yep, we are open Christmas Day and yes, we do have visitors that day. :-)<br />
Several of our work campers left in the middle of September but our tourist numbers have not declined leaving us with some very busy days with a limited amount of staff. The remaining work campers and seasonal workers will be done in the next few weeks and we'll say our "see ya later's" to them as we settle in for the winter. Some of the work campers will return but most are wanting to explore new areas, I can't blame them the call of the road and new adventure is appealing.<br />
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This year our tourist season has been extremely busy, possibly a record setter for this area. They have released the "official" numbers for attendance at this years Sturgis Rally. 739,000 people were here for just that one week! This is the largest number ever recorded for the rally and it doesn't include the numbers of people here for the weeks before and after.<br />
We have seen a large increase in visitors, compared to prior years, this late in the season at Crazy Horse as well. The weather is still very comfortable and that, coupled with the lower fuel prices, have kept our season going strong.<br />
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Rudee's schedule has changed a little so now we don't have all the same days off. This week my boss is leaving for a week so I will need to work some extra hours to cover for him and this leaves us with just tomorrow as our only day off together :-(<br />
No worries though because in the middle of October our open hours are decreased and we can get back to a more "normal" schedule and can say goodbye to split shifts and 14 -16 hour work days. I like the three days off that working that shift gives us but we are both pretty worn out by that fourth day at work.<br />
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One thing nice about living here is the grass doesn't grow as fast as in Indiana. I mowed our yard in the middle of July just before our Grand Kid's visited and the next time I did it was just last week. Even then it wasn't very high, of course the deer help keep it trimmed by grazing through our yard several times a day. :-)<br />
For all you work campers out there, keep this area in mind for next year. We offer some decent benefits, competitive wages and try to be flexible with shifts and days off. The downside is that we are open early (7 am) and don't close until late in the evening 7 days per week so we need to cover all the different shifts. While the work is not extremely physically demanding, you can count on being on your feet for your entire shift. Some of our work areas require you to be outdoors at times and you can be exposed to the elements. We have work campers at the entrance booths, visitors center, bus tours, gift shop, snack shop, restaurant, campground and in maintenance. The latter two are more physically demanding and you will be outside working, mowing, cleaning etc. The campground is your basic full hook ups (30/50 amps, water,sewer), pull through sites type of campground. There is no cable TV or Wifi but the laundry and shower house are nice and well maintained. Here is a photo of our site last year.<br />
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Rudee and I will be more involved in recruiting and training work campers for next season and may be able to attend an event or two this winter so keep your eyes open for us! I'll keep you posted.<br />
<br />Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-53649295193134346282015-09-17T22:27:00.001-04:002015-09-17T22:32:53.094-04:00been a struggle, but we're backHi all,<br />
Let me first apologize for our absence here. We have had an extremely busy and challenging summer.<br />
Work has had it's challenges and that has been a lot of the reason for not blogging. We both still love our jobs here and are satisfied with our decision to come off the road and join the work force once again.<br />
The main challenge at work was my new boss. She was a terrible disappointment as a leader. She was afraid to make a decision when problems arose and often would avoid everyone by spending the majority of the day in a closed office avoiding all contact. Myself and the other Assistant Director did our best to keep the department afloat but without her support it continued in a downward spiral. She recently resigned and my cohort was promoted into her position while I remain the Senior Assistant and we are working hard to restore things to the way they were.<br />
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Earlier this summer our Son, Daughter in law and new Grand Daughter came for a visit. We picked them up at the airport in Denver and they spent a week with us. We showed them all the sights and it was great getting to know Jaina. A few weeks later our Daughter, Son in Law and their 3 kids arrived for a week as well. We sure miss seeing them on a regular basis and it was great having them around even though it was only for a short time.<br />
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Sturgis celebrated their 75th anniversary of the week long motorcycle rally, Needless to say the Black Hills were filled with bikes. We made it to the rally a couple of days but boy was it crowded.<br />
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We are expecting a slow down in visitors soon and, frankly, we all could use a few slower days. The amount of visitors this year has far exceeded the last several. I expected a busier year with the lower fuel prices and we have certainly not been disappointed. Our work campers are finishing up their commitments and the campground is starting to empty out as they head for warmer weather and a much deserved rest. With them leaving our workforce is less and that means a really busy time for next few weeks for those of us left behind. Our operating hours are cut in mid-October when our laser Light Show ends and that usually signals the end of the busy tourist season.<br />
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We did add to the fleet over the summer. Rudee and I went car shopping and found a nice used Kia Sorento. We wanted something with a little more passenger room and better gas mileage then the Dakota.<br />
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I have been keeping my eyes open for a small cargo trailer to pull behind the bike. They want big $'s for the new ones and I couldn't find a decent used one so I decided to just make my own. I ordered a utility trailer from Harbor Freight assembled it and added a plywood deck. I found a used car top carrier for $30, painted it to resemble the bike and added a decal we picked up in Sturgis.<br />
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Turned out pretty nice and will be great to use for motorcycle trips and to do "Wally World" runs.<br />
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We are both looking forward to being able to get off work at a more reasonable hour. Right now we are working four ten hour split shifts. We open the doors at 7 am, work until noon, take a few hours off and then come back in until closing around 9 pm. That sure makes for some long days and short nights but within the next month we will be back to more "normal" hours. Plus I'll have more time to blog and keep you posted.<br />
<br />Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-1377005037259756112015-05-14T11:00:00.001-04:002015-05-14T11:00:17.343-04:00I've been a bad blogger Ok, I admit it. I've been in a blogging "funk" lately. I'll try and improve and keep ya up to date on the goings on around here.<br />
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Spring has been a little slow arriving in the Black Hills. We have seen a few really nice days but lately it's been rain and even a "small" blizzard last week. YIKES, did he say "blizzard"? Yep, we had about a foot of snow and lot's of wind which caused some major drifting last week end. I was busy at work juggling staff and keeping the visitors center open for business. I started by sending most everyone home early Saturday since the snow machine started churning in the afternoon making the roads a mess. Rudee and I ended up closing up shop by ourselves and made it home with the help of 4 wheel drive. We did stop for a car that had slid off the highway, everyone was OK and they had help on the way. Sunday we headed to work early and stopped by the campground to pick up a couple of the work campers. We couldn't turn into the campground because the roads were drifted in but they walked to the highway to meet us. The rest of the work campers were all trapped in their rigs until late in the day and even then you had to have a 4-wheel drive vehicle to even attempt to get out.<br />
Fortunately the snow didn't hang around too long and by noon Monday the roads were cleared and a lot of it had melted away. :-)<br />
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Rudee's sister B.J. and brother in law David came to visit our little corner of paradise a couple of weeks ago. We had a great time showing them all the sights and even got special permission to give them a tour to the top of Crazy Horse. B.J. really loved seeing the deer that visit our yard everyday. Needless to say they were very well fed while she was here. :-)<br />
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We have had very few days to ride the motorcycle but did catch a really nice day earlier this month.<br />
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We had a great ride through the Hills. Both of us needed the "wind therapy" after a long winter.<br />
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We are still adjusting to our stationary lifestyle and are starting to fall into a routine again. The bank account is even starting to look better too. We have been discussing selling the motor home since it would be nice to be out from under the payments but we are still in the "hanging on" mode in case the ceiling all caves in around us we can make a break for the road again. We also still own my Mom and Dad's old place in Florida and are entertaining the thought of putting it up for sale too. This would help us pay off some of our bills but it has always been our "safety net" if we ever just had to have a place to live. I guess we still have some "adjusting" to do. :-)<br />
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The work campers have been arriving in droves and part of my job is to get them trained. I developed a training program which includes one full day of classroom training. This training gives them a little more adjustment to what the job is all about and what's expected of them. Prior to this they just dumped the poor people right into work and you had to "learn as you go". The training seems to be well received and the new folks are working out well.<br />
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I guess I better get going, got a class to teach today ....... I'll keep you posted.Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-71310942652306780972015-03-04T20:11:00.001-05:002015-03-04T20:15:15.685-05:00a long overdue update!No, South Dakota hasn't frozen over taking us into the ice age. :-) Matter of fact February was quite pleasant with very little snow and decent temperatures. March, so far, has "come in like a Lion" and I mean a REAL LION!<br />
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We found these Mountain Lion tracks in our driveway one morning a few days ago as we headed out for work. Then Monday evening the snow machine churned up and we got about 3" of fresh snow. When I looked out the living room Wednesday morning I saw some more fresh tracks that were not there the day before.<br />
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These tracks are right next to our bedroom window. YIKES! Look closely at the photo and you can see where his/her tail was dragging in the snow. Guess we wont have to worry about mice! :-)<br />
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We are getting more and more comfortable in "R" house.<br />
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We found the letter at a craft store in Rapid City and it was on sale, looks pretty good dontcha think? We are slowly decorating the inside as well. We have added some family photos and some of our friends/co-workers have given us items as house warming gifts. :-)<br />
We are both looking forward to being able to sit on our deck and watch the sun set over the mountains. We do have a lot of Deer in our neighborhood and there are routinely 3-5 in our yard every morning and again in the evening. Rudee calls them her "Deer Babies" but unfortunately they are probably the reason the Mountain Lion keeps coming around.<br />
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Work has been fairly busy, especially on the week ends. I have been keeping busy writing a training program for our seasonal employees to help them get acquainted with the job. I have also been involved with expanding their safety and security program. Both of us are looking forward to next month when the work campers start filtering in. We have some returnees as well as lots of new folks to get acquainted with and of course once the work campers arrive summer is not far behind! :-) I'll keep you posted.Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-89591205562735325062015-01-31T22:28:00.000-05:002015-01-31T22:33:56.764-05:00where did January go?I'm hanging my head in shame, I have not updated the blog all year! :-(<br />
We have been plenty busy though getting settled into the house. We got some new furniture for our living room and I scored a really nice wood dining table with 6 chairs and two leafs from a craigslist ad and the guy even threw in 3 matching wooden bar stools.<br />
The snow has finally started to disappear and we even had a day last week where temps hit the low 70's! The best news was it was on our day off so, of course, we got the Harley out and took a nice long ride through the Hills. :-)<br />
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Enough about us though, I wanted to introduce you all to my "little" brother, Jon. He is retiring from the fire department Monday and he and his wife Cherie will be starting on their own fulltime RV adventure.<br />
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Jon has worked hard and rose to the rank of Battalion Chief while also going to nursing school. Both he and his wife are Registered Nurses and have new contracts as traveling nurses specializing in emergency services. Trust me when I say if you are sick or injured and look up and see either one of them taking care of you, you're in good hands! Good luck on your first assignment in Vegas and congratulations, you both deserve a taste of the good life!<br />
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We are settling into small town life and earlier this month we attended the 2nd annual "Pine Beetle Bug Burn". The trees here in the Black Hills have been attacked by the Mountain Pine Beetle that kills a lot of the adult trees. They have been fighting back though and things are looking better but why not burn a giant one in effigy? Plus they get rid of the residents discarded Christmas Trees at the same time. Here is the "bug" before they lit it up<br />
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after watching it burn we did the "bug crawl" down the main drag where each bar/restaurant had music and drink specials. We ate, drank and finally "crawled" home at the late hour of 8:30 pm. We are becoming party animals I'll tell ya what! :-)<br />
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We are hoping the warm weather lasts for awhile but I'm sure that little fury rat in Pennsylvania will see his shadow Monday morning and we'll be in for 6 more months of winter! :-) I'll keep you posted.Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-29827893366668881182014-12-24T09:56:00.001-05:002014-12-24T10:01:20.951-05:00Big news alert! early Christmas presentWe we have been working for the last month on an early Christmas present for ourselves. and yesterday it all came together. This is our "early" Christmas gift<br />
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We started looking at a few houses to kind of "test the waters" early last month. Our demands were fairly specific. We wanted to be near Custer, have room for the motor home to park, a two car garage for the bike and truck plus a view of the Black Hills, all within our limited budget. You can see we were asking for quite a bit. We scanned some of the local internet real estate listings for several weeks but found our choices pretty limited. We drove by a few and finally decided to take a closer look at one so we called the listing Realtor. She met us there the next morning and once we were inside it was disappointing. The house was fairly small with only 2 bedrooms, no garage, no view but it did have a nice big yard with access to park the motor home. We thanked her for showing it to us but it just wasn't what we were looking for. She told us she would keep an eye out and let us know if something popped up that met our needs then she mentioned, in passing, that there was a house that might be available but was above the price range we gave. She gave us the address for a drive by and her card if we were interested in looking at it.<br />
We drove by and talked about it some and decided to take a closer look. We both felt like it was over our budget but thought we could at least use it to compare other houses to so we gave her a call and she came right over. She told us the house had been on the market for several months and the owner had already moved into a condo and was anxious to sell. One deal, early on, had fallen through and she felt he "may" be willing to lower the price below market value to sell it.<br />
We liked the house and it met all of our criteria so, after discussing it for several days we made an offer on it. Most of you know how these things go, low offer, high counter offer. We certainly had a maximum price in mind for the house as I'm sure he had a "lowest I will go" price as well. We got his counter offer which was, as expected, fairly high and we figured this was out of our league. We made a final offer a little higher then our original and he accepted! We have spent the last month "riding the roller coaster" of mortgage applications, credit checks, home inspections, appraisals etc. That's probably the reason the blog has been a little sparse lately. We are both a little above our optimum stress levels! :-)<br />
Last week all the stars lined up and the closing was set for 12/23/14. We did a final walk through with our Realtor and mentioned it would be nice to be able to put some things in the garage early. She called the seller and he said "sure thing" in fact he told them give us a key to the house so we could do whatever we needed. I love small towns, lots of nice people! :-)<br />
We ended up emptying our cargo trailer into one of the garages and even prepped and painted the master bedroom and closet.<br />
We, as of yesterday, are now homeowners once again. The house is 3 bedroom 1900 sq ft with 2 car attached garage that has a gravel pad next to it that is large enough to park both the motor home and cargo trailer. We are within the city limits of Custer so we have city water, sewer and, in an hour or so, cable TV :-)<br />
Oh yea, we also have a view of the Black Hills.<br />
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Life is good, Merry Christmas everyone. I'll keep you posted. :-)Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-41925820682840545632014-12-16T10:24:00.001-05:002014-12-16T10:24:03.438-05:00workin' away.Sorry my blog posts have been a little sparse lately but for 5 out of the 7 days per week we just work, sleep and repeat. Our days off have mostly consisted of driving into Rapid City to get our Christmas shopping done and those gifts wrapped and shipped to our loved ones. I forgot how quickly those two days off pass before it's time to head back to work. Last summer we worked the same 40 hours per week but they allowed us to work four ten hour shifts and we sure miss those three days off. I am hoping next summers schedule may be similar but who knows.<br />
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One day we did take a nice long drive through the Hill's. We were on the look out for wildlife and were not disappointed. We drove through Wind Cave National Park and into Custer State Park and I remembered my camera this time!<br />
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I keep thinking back to last year at this time and we were almost done with our Amazon jobs. We met a lot of good friends there and most of them returned to work there again this season. They are almost done! Congrats guys, it's hard work but I remember that sense of accomplishment we felt when we left SDF1 that last night. Enjoy some Waffles and Bacon at the Huddle House for Rudee and I! I'll keep you posted.Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-6904750230063048062014-11-21T08:53:00.004-05:002014-11-21T08:53:50.326-05:00busy, busy, busyWow, where did the last month go? We have been settling into our new roles at work and finding our "groove". There are always adjustments whenever a new boss(es) takes over but things are running fairly smoothly. We have only had one long time employee decide to make a change but he has been looking for quite some time so it wasn't a total shock when he walked out. He will be missed though as he was very knowledgeable and an all around great guy.<br />
Rudee and I are continuing to work a Thursday through Monday shift and like it for the most part. We will be working all the Holidays this year but don't mind too much since we can take a day off in the future to make up for it. This will give us some vacation days to use while we build up "official" vacation time.<br />
Late in October we made the move to a new campground for the winter. Heritage Village Campground which is owned by Crazy Horse closes on November 1st and they shut down all the water to the sites. We found a nice small park in the town of Custer, 5th Street RV Park, and are settled into site #1. Sorry but no pictures yet. :-(<br />
We were lucky, or so I thought, and got everything set up before the weather changed in mid-November. The change started with snow and we had about 5" of the white stuff but the worst was yet to come as the temperatures dipped well below zero! This continued for over a week with lows in the negative teens and highs in the single digits. The rig was doing good and we were staying fairly comfortable. That all changed last Friday evening. We got off work, came home, changed clothes and went out for dinner. When we got back home an hour later I heard water running as soon as I got out of the truck. Oh, no! I found it pouring out of our wet bay on the Journey and quickly shut it off and started looking for the problem. I found it pretty quickly, there is a small plastic pressure tank hooked into the fresh water lines. The tank keeps the on board water pump from running too much by keeping the lines pressurized. The plastic tank had a big crack in it and water was spraying everywhere. Keep in mind I do have a small space heater in the compartment as well as a remote thermostat that I can monitor from inside the coach (it said 55 degrees when we were home changing). We also had a stream of water running so I'm still not sure if it froze somehow or busted from age and water pressure. Regardless of the cause, here I am, in the dark, kneeling in a puddle of water working on the plumbing and it's -10 degrees outside! BRRRRRRR! I was able to remove the tank but needed additional parts to make the repair, it would have to wait. Rudee made a quick run to the store to buy some gallons of water for us to use and I went inside to warm up.<br />
Saturday I spent my lunch hour shopping at the local hardware store where I bought some Pex tubing and connectors and once I got off work I hooked up the new tubing and we had water again. The repair wasn't perfect though and one of the push on connectors was leaking. Rather then chance it by connecting the hose back up we just ran from the on board tank and turned the pump on and off whenever we needed water. This got us through until I could buy a better connector at Lowes on Tuesday and I took it all apart again and got it fixed with no leaks!<br />
Thursday morning I got up and no water!! What the heck?? I went outside and our hose was frozen. I have used this hose for several years in below freezing weather and it has never failed me. I made it up myself by attaching a heat tape to it with electrical tape and then insulating it with foam pipe wrap. The heat tape was plugged in, the power was on but the tape itself was ice cold. :-(<br />
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I was lucky that I didn't have to go to work until noon because of a special event at work so I made a run to the hardware store, got a new heat tape, new insulation and pulled out my spare white hose to</div>
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make myself another heated supply line. Rudee and I got everything in place and voila! We could shower again! This winter living in an RV is not for the faint of heart but we just roll with the punches. :-)</div>
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We still have snow on the ground but have had a few days above freezing so it has been starting to melt some. I promise to get a few pictures of our new neighborhood for the next entry. I'll keep you posted.Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-59706039951766687892014-10-18T09:28:00.002-04:002014-10-18T09:31:02.051-04:00Whirlwind trip to IndianaBefore starting our new jobs at Crazy Horse we took a couple of weeks to return to Indiana. We wanted to visit family and friends because it may be awhile before we can take some vacation time. We were able to have one last breakfast with Steve and Joan (<a href="http://fosj-steve.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">FOSJ blog</a>). We had such a great summer with these two great friends and we'll be lonely without them. They even brought me a present<br />
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that should tide me over until I get my first paycheck. Thanks guys, have safe travels and hope to see you again real soon. :-)<br />
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Monday morning (9/29) we locked up the RV, loaded our suit cases into the Dakota and headed East stopping in Iowa for the night. We arrived in Indiana Tuesday afternoon and got settled into Rudee's Mom's spare bedroom. We were able to spend some time with old friends, meet some new friends and got to spoil our Grand Kids a bunch! I was able to cook them up a big "low country boil" for dinner one day ...... YUMMY!<br />
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We went camping our last weekend with some of our old motorcycle buddies and were able to take our grand kids trick or treating around the campground.<br />
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Thank you Rob and Jany for letting us bunk with you guys in your camper. :-)<br />
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All too soon it was time to head back. We left Sunday afternoon (10/12) and pointed the truck to the West to start our new adventure.<br />
Since we got a late start we ended up spending two nights in motels on the way back and even made a stop<br />
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We are both fans of the American Pickers show and enjoyed the stop. Their shop sure looks bigger on TV and unfortunately none of the "stars" were there just these two guys<br />
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We arrived back at the RV on Tuesday afternoon. My first order of business was to check out our combo washer/dryer unit. Before leaving for the trip Rudee did one last load of laundry and it came out sopping wet. I did some quick Detective work and determined it was not agitating or spinning. I figured the belt had popped off or had broken and would just fix it when we got back. Well I pulled the machine out of the cabinet and popped off the back of the case. Oh Oh, the belt is still in position which means it is most likely the motor or the circuit board :-(. I called an RV technician who summers here in the Black Hills but he had already left the area. He confirmed my suspicions but had more bad news, the machine is so old they do not make the motors any longer and the circuit boards are all but impossible to find. He said we may find someone to rebuild the motor but suggested we consider just replacing the whole unit. We gave it some thought and since we are likely to spend at least the next year in the RV we decided to bite the bullet and order a new one. Since the replacement will not arrive until next week we loaded up all our dirty clothes and headed for the parks laundry. $12.00 later we had clean clothes again, Wowzer, that's a lot of quarters!<br />
Rudee had Wednesday off but I started my first of six days straight. My duties have not changed significantly but my areas of responsibility have increased a lot. My first day consisted of morning meetings, HR paperwork and then working in the guest services area. I have a couple of projects to work on and once I have a work area and computer I can get started on them. Hopefully that will all be finalized next week. I do have a mail box though!<br />
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Maybe I'm somebody after all :-)<br />
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Our next days off will be Tuesday and Wednesday, I'm not sure if this will continue to be our normal schedule but we are looking forward to maybe taking a short motorcycle ride between replacing the washer/dryer and doing the laundry which is piling up again :-) I'll keep you posted.Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-73596832427733262212014-09-24T10:49:00.001-04:002014-09-24T10:49:48.721-04:00looking aheadAll I can say is "WOW" and "Thank You" for all the support we have in the RV community it truly is humbling.<br />
Looks like I will keep on writing our little blog here and let you all know how cold it gets this winter. :-)<br />
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This Sunday will be our last shift as work campers at Crazy Horse and we will leave Monday morning for Indiana. Our new positions start on the 15th of October and it will probably be awhile before we can take some time off again. One of my duties will be to help train incoming work campers next season. They hire quite a few and it is a fun place to work and spend the summer. The pay is above average and you are paid for every hour you work plus time and half for OT. The campground is about 1/2 mile away and has full hook up pull through sites. They do not have Wifi or cable but do have a nice laundry room. The cell service is spotty here as well. AT&T put up a new tower nearby late last year so their signal is super strong with 4g internet but Verizon is weak and requires a booster to receive a decent reliable signal. There are no over-the-air TV stations so satellite is a must if you are a TV watcher like me. There is a minimal charge for your campsite (this year and last was $6.50 per day) and a bonus is available of up to .25 for every hour you worked based on your performance.<br />
Work campers work in almost all the areas of Crazy Horse including the restaurant, kitchen, gift shop, ticketing & welcome/orientation center, bus tours and maintenance/facilities. They do like for people to work a minimum of 32 hours but preferably 40 hour weeks are the norm.<br />
The jobs, of course, are not for everyone and can sometimes be demanding. Count on being on your feet for your entire 8 hour shift (you will get a 1 hour unpaid lunch break usually 1/2 way through your day) unless of course you are a tour bus driver and then you use your voice more then your feet. :-).<br />
The memorial is open from 7:30 pm until around 10 pm during the summer and you can expect to work a variety of shifts. They are very good at scheduling spouses the same days off but your shifts can vary during working days. We are an example of that because Rudee works until close Thursday and Friday and then 9-8 (includes her 1 hour meal time) on Saturday and Sunday. My normal shift is 8 am - 7 pm Thu-Sun, we do work 10 hour shifts (our request) so we get our 40 hours but still have 3 days off.<br />
Without a doubt Crazy Horse has been our best work camping experience. The hours are long at times but the work is fun and we have made lifelong friends with some of our fellow work campers. The area is a fantastic place to explore and one of the perks is a "VIP" pass given to the work campers that get you in free at a lot of the tourist areas as well as other perks. One of the golf courses nearby lets you play 18 holes for the price of nine with your VIP card plus there are many other businesses that participate in the program. So if you are looking for a spot for next summer (May through mid-October) give Crazy Horse a look and maybe you'll be our neighbor next year. I'll keep you posted.Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-11616157138302701372014-09-22T09:16:00.001-04:002014-09-22T09:38:14.122-04:00more changes comingThe last several blogs I have written about changes, mostly about weather changes. This blog will be a bit different. Most of you that have been following us for awhile know we have had some challenges in the past couple of years. Some of those challenges were expensive and stretched our budget to it's maximum and we have struggled trying to recover. We are certainly not destitute but with our savings account all but gone we had to make some decisions. Since I am not yet 59 1/2 dipping into our IRA's is not a good option with the penalties imposed for early withdrawal. Right now our seasonal jobs (Crazy Horse, Amazon and gate guarding) supports our lifestyle but just barely. Our biggest fear is another costly repair while on the road will put us into spiraling debt that is all but impossible to climb out of while only working lower wage, part time jobs. Trust me, I have lost a ton of sleep the last year worrying about the "what if's". Another thing is we are tired of "pinching pennies". We both love being full timers and the experiences it gives you but frankly I would love to splurge and buy a can of Folgers coffee one time instead of the cheapest generic I can find on the shelf. :-) Another reality is we are going to need to new vehicle soon because the Dakota is wearing out and will likely be needing more and more repairs. We, quite frankly, were not sure what direction our lives should take and were discussing several options when, this Spring, my boss here at Crazy Horse announced his retirement. We both enjoy working here and being involved with the process of carving the memorial. We also love the area, it is so beautiful here in the Black Hills. So with the support of several of the full time employees who approached me encouraging me to apply we made the decision that I would put my hat in the ring for his position, Director of Visitor Services. The selection process was long and involved but as things progressed over the summer my chances looked better and better. My final interview was just after labor day and I was told they would make their selection by the 19th of September. Needless to say the last two weeks have been the most stressful. The day finally arrived and I met with one of the CEO's (there are two) and the COO. The first thing they told me was that the position had been given to another candidate :-(<br />
Then they threw me a curve ball, they offered me a different position, a brand new position created just for me! Needless to say I was humbled, flattered and confused at the same time. The salary that came with the job was within the range that Rudee and I had discussed and the job would be very similar to what I have already been doing with some added responsibilities. I accepted the position and am the newly created Senior Assistant Director of Visitor Services at Crazy Horse Memorial. The CEO then excused herself from the meeting and went to Rudee in the gift shop. She let her know that I had accepted a position and asked if she would "help me manage the gift shop". There was not much time for her and Rudee to talk but she said they would sit down next week and discuss the details.<br />
So what do we do now? Well first of all we are taking 2 weeks to go back to Indiana and visit family and friends. We will also take care of some medical appointments and get our medical records to give to our South Dakota doctor once we select one. We have also made arrangements with a campground that is open year round in Custer but are also keeping our eyes open for a house to rent. We have experience living in our rig in very cold climates so that isn't something new to us but we wont pass up a good deal on a house to rent either. :-)<br />
So there is the big news, Rudee and I are putting our full time travels on hiatus and settling down in the Black Hills. We are looking at staying in or near the Custer area and, as long as our jobs work out for both us and them, we will likely be purchasing a home nearby at some time in the future. As far as the blog is concerned I'm really not sure. Do you readers want to hear from us since we are not work camping but just working? Leave a comment and let me know and I'll keep you posted.Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-83842923100092944972014-09-15T19:43:00.001-04:002014-09-15T19:43:12.660-04:00Oh no, I said a four letter word!I mentioned in the last blog that things were starting to change some around here. I guess that was an understatement because look what we woke up to last Thursday morning.<br />
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The snow continued all day Thursday finally quitting just before dark. We ended up with a total of 10 inches of heavy wet snow. Thursday is our first day of our work week so it was dark by the time I got home and of course our roof mounted satellite dome receiver was covered in snow and would not receive a signal. We were able to watch some movies we had on the DVR and rather then listen to the motor run on the antenna (it was constantly adjusting trying to tune in a signal) I shut it off. This turned out to be a bad thing because now it is not working correctly. I called Dish Network and everything checks out OK on their equipment so they are saying it is a Wineguard issue. I can tune in one satellite but it will not switch to the other satellite that carries some of the channels we receive. This used to be totally automatic but now has become a giant pain in the you know what! I climbed up on the roof and took the lid off the dome, no loose connections but one of the two bundles of wires going into the dish is dry rotted and splitting. I could not see any bare wires exposed but feel like this may be my issue. I plan on calling Wineguard tomorrow and see if there is any trouble shooting I can do from here to make sure the wire harness is the issue.<br />
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Work is slowing down to a more predictable pace and several of our fellow work campers have left or are packing things up to leave. We are contracted through the 30th of September so only 2 more weeks of work for us. :-) I'll keep you postedPhil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-82821369681019300232014-08-31T10:37:00.002-04:002014-08-31T10:37:39.022-04:00change is in the windFall weather seems to have arrived early here in the Black Hills. The night time temps have been consistently in the mid 40's to low 50's the last couple of weeks. We don't mind though as it makes for some nice sleeping weather. :-)<br />
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Last week we hooked up with Dan and Jonell (<a href="http://liv2rv.com/" target="_blank">Liv2RV</a>) and took a trip into Rapid City to visit the <a href="http://www.chapel-in-the-hills.org/history.php" target="_blank">Chapel in the Hills</a> which is an exact replica of a chapel in Norway built right here in the Black Hills.<br />
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Besides the Chapel they have a small museum and gift shop.<br />
After visiting the chapel we grabbed lunch at the Firehouse Brewery downtown and then visited the local fair. We ended our day by using our VIP passes to get half price at the Fort Hays Chuckwagon Show where we enjoyed a "Cowboy" meal of beef, potato, beans and cake all served on tin plates followed by live music. We were sure bushed by the time we made it back home but we had such a fun time. Thanks guys!<br />
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Last winter, while working at Amazon, Rudee smelled something hot inside the motorhome saying it smelled like wires burning. I traced it to the water heater which we quickly turned off and the smell went away. We have since only used it on LP gas and it has been "on my list" to repair. I finally decided to tackle it a few days ago.<br />
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The electrical components of our water heater are on the back side of the unit and I was not looking forward to removing the whole heater to make the repair. There is a small access panel under the motor home and once I removed the panel I could see inside but had very little room to work. I did locate the problem, there is another switch that controls the electric heating element and it was burned and melted (cheap plastic switch!). There is really no need for this switch as there is another one inside the coach so I was able to bypass it by unplugging the wires to it and just splicing them together. I turned on the circuit (Whew, no smoke!) and tested all the connections. Yipee, it works! Now we can go back to heating the water with the campground electric instead of our expensive propane! :-)<br />
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We are starting to look towards the end of our contract here at Crazy Horse. We are set to work through September with our commitment fulfilled on September 30th. This summer sure has flown by! We are looking forward to visiting family and friends again before heading to Amazon in October. I'll keep you posted.Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-4692996371892283852014-08-11T11:46:00.002-04:002014-08-11T20:43:06.340-04:00We survived SturgisOnce again the Black Hills were filled with the sounds of thousands and thousands of motorcycles. Yep, it was time once again for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. This is the "Mother" of all motorcycle rallies and draws an estimated 1/2 a million bikers from all over the world. Work is, of course, a zoo with two of our larger parking lots blocked off for nothing but motorcycle parking. Rudee and I look forward to this week and is one of the reasons we enjoy this area. We like to make the trip to Sturgis and ride "into the center of the beast". We find a parking spot and spend most of the day just walking through the crowds people watching and looking through the endless vendor tents. Monday was our first day off during the rally and we made the hour long ride with Steve and Joan (and several thousand others) :-)<br />
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We passed on the bikini bike wash and oil change. I'm still trying to figure out why you would want to try and change the oil in a bike while wearing a bikini but this "is" Sturgis after all. :-)<br />
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We made it to Main Street and even at 11:00 am it was difficult finding any parking spaces and we had to park several blocks away.<br />
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Vendors of all types line the streets selling just about everything. We saw motorcycle parts, t-shirts, hats, sunglasses, helmets, and even one booth selling ..... ahem...."marriage assist devices". Yep, Sturgis has just about everything! :-)<br />
We found a spot for lunch where we could watch the parade of people and bikes driving by.<br />
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We all enjoyed our day but Sturgis "after dark" is something we have agreed to avoid so we left in the early afternoon to make our way home.<br />
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Tuesday Rudee and I made another ride passing through Sturgis once again. We arrived early and I had the mufflers replaced on our bike to give it a little more "rumble". Once that was completed we headed West and ended up doing a drive by of Devils Tower. We have visited the park in years past so this was just another scenic ride for us.<br />
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We made it back home just before a thunderstorm opened up on us, another great day motorcycling in the Black Hills. :-)<br />
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Work will start slowing down some now that the kids are starting back to school and the vacation season will be coming to a close. All of us work campers are starting to realize our time together is coming to an end. Some are considering coming back for another year here while others are researching their next summer destinations. Most are wintering someplace warm after visits with family or maybe a side trip on the way South. In our case we have only 7 more weeks and our contract will be up. Let's see what we can get into next. I'll keep you posted.<br />
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ps: this is the end...... "Sturgis Style"! :-)<br />
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<br />Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9203253684457030119.post-874345500634730032014-07-24T10:58:00.000-04:002014-07-24T10:58:09.236-04:00the "hidden" Black HillsOne thing we are doing this year that we did not do a lot of last year is exploring the back roads of the Black Hills. This area has a large amount of National Forest Service lands that are accessed by gravel roads that twist and turn for miles and miles. Most of these roads are accessible by almost any type of vehicle although you do need to be careful and 4 wheel drive comes in handy at times. We rarely, if ever, meet another vehicle driving these roads and now that the summer tourist season is in full swing the main roads and tourist areas are really busy. We have been treated to some great sights on these drives and enjoy the peace and solitude they provide, it's good for the soul!<br />
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We are keeping very busy at work and each day seems busier then the one before. The large motorcycle rally kicks off in less then 2 weeks and our visitors change from families on vacation to thousands of motorcyclists enjoying their "adult" time away from home. We rarely, if ever, have any issues with the bikers and I have found them to be respectful and happy for the most part. The truth is that most of them are hard working folks who love to travel on two wheels similar to our passion to travel in an RV albeit with a slightly different "dress code" :-)<br />
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Speaking of Sturgis, we took a ride over to check out their preparations yesterday. Joan's <a href="http://fosj-steve.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">(friends of Steve and Joan)</a> cousin Kevin and friends Mike and Julie arrived earlier this week. They were riding their Harley's from Ohio on their way to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We showed them around the Hill's a little and they rode to Sturgis with us to check things out. We had a great time with them and look forward to running into them again some day. Joan snapped a photo of Kevin and I trying on hats, we both wished we had more time to fix our hair! :-)<br />
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My hours have been shifted some for at least a couple of weeks. I am staying late on at least 2 nights per week because one of our summer employees left. They have hired his replacement who is starting today but then one of our work camping couples are taking a short "vacation" so they can explore Yellowstone and I will be covering for them for several days. The bright side of it all is I will be putting in some OT hours and we can always use the extra money. :-) I'll keep you posted.Phil and Rudeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034467497842033077noreply@blogger.com2