PTParaD TRs and Shenanigans

[Part-Time Paradise]

Went for a little hike after work today in El Paso. Meetings ended early so a coworker and I headed out to some trails I know. Unfortunately, it was closed, but we found another nearby and enjoyed some fellowship in the outdoors.





The elevation was a kick in the pants. I'm coming back here for another trip in a few weeks. I'm coming better prepared with boots and the right kit. My legs are all torn up from the desert, but worth it.

 

[Teamubr]

Nice views. And pretty good pace for that much elevation.

j

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Job that's been on the HD list for awhile. Burn all the pine needles, leaves, and branches from fall. A little smoky to start on this wet morning. Benefits of county living life.

 

[jbrostek]

No large burn pile here, though we do burn all the debris that goes down over winter and spread the ashes around, great for the lawn. Just contained to a 36" ring.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Got the fire all taken care of yesterday. I asked DS to go out and patrol for any more sticks that had fallen since we made that pile. He jumped in his go kart and came back like this 3 times. This was the most significant load by far


I fear the apple didn't only fall close to the the tree, it might still be resting against the tree trunk. The world is in trouble if there's two of us walking around

 

[tigger92662]

This was the most significant load by far

That's some darn impressive loading and driving skills there. I'm thinkin' he might need a bigger vehicle

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Picked up the rig from the shop today. I found a different place (schmamping schmorld gets no more of my maintenance business) about an hour away, which is about 10 minutes longer from Brand X anyway. While they took about a month to get all the work done, it wasn't their fault. The biggest wait was waiting for the manufacturer to approve the work and send the parts. The service rep at the counter told me when I picked it up that the manufacturer still hadn't reimbursed them for the work. Such a great system.


Too cold to take the pic not in the truck. It was -9 wind chill when we were parking

ANYway, the pick up went smooth. Maddie Montana is all settled back home ready for the next trip. Now we just need the temps to get a little bit higher than 5 degrees.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Oh buddy! I was watching RV YouTube videos and two videos in a row were talking about batteries, inverters, solar, etc. I have had a build in mind for our rig since before we've bought it. DW said, "I think we should get the batteries like you want. We should get it before we go to WDW this summer." BOOOM!!

I'm going to buy a few lithium batteries, a Victron Multiplus, a DC/DC charger, and some more goodies, leaving room in the build for more batteries and solar in the future. I'll keep posting in here as my work progresses.

I knew I picked the right Valentine.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

The UPS man brought me a present today!



This is the first purchase of the inverter upgrade. The weather is getting a bit better and that means time to crawl around in the RV basement pulling wires, making things better, and busting knuckles and expanding my four letter vocabulary.

 

[tigger92662]

Oooo, sweet

 

[Teamubr]

Oooo. Ahhhh.

Following along on this upgrade.

j

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Oooo. Ahhhh.

Following along on this upgrade.

j

Hopefully it's done before you get to see the rig in person

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

It was finally a nice day on the weekend. I got some things on the Honey-Do that have been hanging over my head for months. Cleaned up the garage, picked up sticks in the yard (the kids had a "blast" doing that...oy, tweens), did some quick car maintenance, serviced and exercised the RV generator and then removed a bird vacation lodge.

We moved into this place in April 2020 and between travelling for my job and cold put this job low on the priority list. This house was attached to the brick on the house with 3 bolts just above one of our bedroom windows. Thankfully no one had moved in yet for the season, but this thing had to go. I don't need a wake up call from a feathered friend each morning for months. The previous owners really liked birdhouses. This is about the 10th we've found on the property. Most of them were rotting to bits.

 

[tigger92662]

This house was attached to the brick on the house

House? Looks more like a mansion with a fenced in yard

 

[tigger92662]

Maddie Montana is all settled back home ready for the next trip.

Uh, just curious. What's in the trailer next to Maddie Montana? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Uh, just curious. What's in the trailer next to Maddie Montana? Inquiring minds want to know.

It's being used as storage right now. I use it to move cars and such. It's just a 48' box.



The 1983 Blazer in the picture gets a ride in there sometimes as well as my 1984 Monte Carlo:


I had some more cars in the past as did Dad, but most of his stuff is sold and I don't need to move two cars around at once anymore. I'm looking to sell the trailer soon and downsize to either a gooseneck flatbed or another enclosed trailer that's around 25 or 30 feet.

 

[tigger92662]

Let's discuss that at the Marceline Dismeet

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Something is out there!

Spent a few hours getting the rig packed up. We're going on a couple day trip for COVID spring break. Going to visit a few MO state parks and see my mom who I haven't seen in over a year. Leaving in the morning.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

And we're camping! Different state park than originally planned. More on that later

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Alright Fam,

First day in the books for our COVID shortened Spring Break. We finished packing the rig and I filled about 7 gallons in the fresh tank. I don't mind the weight while towing, but I didn't feel like stressing the tank with 40+ gallons slopping around on the "super smooth" roads through KC (queue ominous foreshadowing music). We got on the road around 930. We pointed the hood towards Arrow Rock State Historic Site in Arrow Rock, MO. It's near the middle of the state on I-70 and looks really neat.

Upon arrival I pulled into the dump station. Which the website specifically noted was open during the off season. What DW realized after I walked up to the winterized hydrant was that on the State Park website says right below the dump station status that clearly states "NO POTABLE WATER available in the park" in winter.

Wait...what????

So let's eat some lunch in the parking lot and figure out what to do next. We pulled up Finger Lakes State Park north of Columbia, MO about 50 minutes away. TAKE 2!

We arrived to our TOTALLY orignially planned campsite. Finger Lakes is a nice spot oriented towards OHV riding. You saw the set up in my previous post. The sites are typical MO State Park. It has some nice views though.


We got settled and found our way to the "Pump Track". I wasn't familiar with the term, but when in Rome. It's a bunch of ramps and obstacles for bike riding. The kids were a little intimidated initially, but they ended up riding to near exhaustion.




Even I was requested to get in the mix. DS rides my bike from when I was a young teenager. It feels a bit smaller than I remember.


We got back to camp and threw the frisbee and the kids biked and such. For dinner we got out the Blackstone. We made "cheat" steaks (ground beef instead of steak) and fried potatoes. It's an easy one and cooks up well on the griddle. It's also a way to get rid of excess American cheese.




After dinner we went out for some ice cream. On the way we found out where there should be a deer stand if there isn't one already. Holy moly.


That's it for today. We're all plopped in our chairs staying warm before bed.