Oct 24 -31, 2019 RV World and more amazing hospitality.

Oct 24
We were up and getting ready to pack up when we noticed Jim outside in the driveway. He is getting his flat deck trailer ready to haul the skid steer to Rapid City for repairs. Still bugs me we couldn't expose those switches. I gave Jim a quick hand to strap the skid steer down and then backed my truck up to hook up our rig. Leslie had finished all the inside work and pulled in the slides so we're ready to roll once I get hooked up. Barb had come out so with big hugs and handshakes we said so long until we see them again in Quartzsite, hopefully. We had a fabulous time and very much appreciate everything.
We both left their place at the same time and Leslie and I turned south heading to Ft Collins, Colorado. I have been messaging Tyler for a couple weeks arranging to get some work done at his shop. Our kitchen slide has never been properly adjusted since we bought our rig and our local shop didn't seem interested in trying to get it right. They greased the slide rails and pulled it out of the shop telling me that it is a really big job to adjust the slides but hey it's working okay so just live with it. Different words but that's the final outcome. They also wrote on the work order that they had adjusted the limit switches on the slide. We found the limit switches about an inch away from the stops so that's unlikely. They did nothing but grease for $186.00. I won't give them another chance to do anything to my rig. Strike three for that shop.
Anyway, we continued south on a cool but sunny day, it's -4C/ 25F when we left Jim & Barb's place according to the truck. It warmed up nicely as we drove south. 

It's not a statue it's just a rock pillar standing there.

Pretty flat country but mostly at 5000 ft. elevation.

A buffalo cutout on the hill, there was a cowboy on a horse too.

It was a pretty uneventful drive and before long we were pulling into RV World on the north end of Ft. Collins. I walked in to find Tyler working on a travel trailer in the shop. With handshakes and a hello to his RV techs in the shop, Tyler showed me where to park the rig beside the shop so we can have 30 amp power and a water hookup from the shop. No dump station onsite but just a few miles away at the Co-op is a sani-dump.

Tyler and family owns this shop.

Nice spot on the sunny side under a lamp, perfect.

We got backed in and hooked up and we took a quick run for fuel and some beer. When they were done work for the day we all enjoyed a beer in the shop having a good chat. Before long all the boys went home and Tyler's wife Apryl came to the shop after her work day at a land title trust company. We met Tyler & Apryl last year at High Chaparral and only briefly got to know them but have kept in touch over the summer. They're really good people. 

We are all going out for dinner tonight and Tyler & Apryl picked a fantastic steakhouse in Ft Collins, The Longhorn Steakhouse. The meal was amazing.  Thank you guys so much for a great dinner. We drove back to our rig and enjoyed a couple drinks together before Tyler & Apryl headed home for the night. Free hook ups and steak dinner, what a fantastic welcome to Ft Collins by these amazing people.

Oct 25- Happy birthday to my ol' buddy Mark! He's been in the blog a few times but I have known Mark since I was 13 years old. That's umm.... a long time haha. Have a great day buddy! We messaged him and he's on the road as a trucker in California heading for Toronto. Safe travels pal.

We were up early enough to see Tyler's guys arrive for work at 8:30. Tyler has some other commitments this morning and will have a look at our rig when he can. Even though we chatted before hand I am an extra job on his schedule and he is just squeezing us in. We have been steadily scanning the weather forecast and tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful but on Saturday night and Sunday morning the temperature just plummets and it's supposed to snow a bit. We wanted to stay until Monday but now we need to head further south on Saturday to miss the cold front.

Tyler came out around 10:30 to have a look at my slide and we talked about my ideas and what he thought could be done. Leslie took advantage of the time to run to Walmart and get some groceries in the truck. 

One of Tyler's techs, Brian, came out and between the three of us we have a plan and started getting it fixed. Both Tyler and Brian would head inside at times to work on the job they had in the shop with the other tech, Toad, (his nickname) and work on my rig too. It was really cool to be involved in the repair with guys that obviously know what they're doing. Oh and just for fun as Brian was crawling under my rig to access the slide rails he noticed that I have a broken shock mount on the drivers side and a piece of metal in one of my trailer tires. Oh this is just getting better as we go!

I apologize but as busy as we were I have no pictures of what we did. That's really unfortunate because I should have a picture of before and after for the shop in Edmonton that did almost nothing to fix the slide. 

It took a couple hours of constant work to get my slide adjusted but it is now better than it has ever been. For some reason we can't get it perfect in the top front corner but that's on the manufacturer not us. The slide moves better than ever and yes the limit stops are actually adjusted. You can hear them stop the slide now. Next up is for Brian to get the welder out to repair the shock mount. It's an ugly position laying in gravel trying to get a good bead on the shock mount plate and the extra plate on to to strengthen it. The metal in my tire was luckily just a chip from something and it can stay where it is until it falls out. It's not a nail thankfully. 

So what we thought would take less than 2 hours has turned into over 4 hours to complete and it's really warm outside where we are working. I have beer left in the fridge and we could definitely use a cold one right now. My rig is fixed better than before and they finished the trailer inside too. Pretty dang good production! When it came time to pay up I was shocked at how little it cost us. Tyler gave me the best deal ever and said he was happy to help. His sister Kim agreed and said to just give them a good online review! Unreal how well we have been treated. I did a great review.

Leslie had a shower in the rig while I used the shower in the apartment in the shop. Just more benefits of being a guest at RV World haha. Tyler finished up his work day and cleaned up and then Apryl joined us at the shop again. We really want to see their ranch just north of town so I hopped in with Tyler while Leslie joined Apryl in her car and we drove to their place for a tour. We can drop one of their vehicles at home and come back for dinner after. The sun is just setting when we got to their place but man what a beauty! They have cattle and goats and they have lived here long enough that they are really well set up. These are also really busy folks that work really hard, you can tell.

The gate to their place.

The goats and some of the cattle in the back.

The front of the house and "the farm truck" lol.

We did get some more pictures but with the fading light they aren't great. They have a really cool place out there and Tyler wants to get even bigger of an operation going. No doubt they will get there.

After our tour we all got in their truck and headed for dinner. They chose a Mexican place called Hacienda Real. We love Mexican food so this will be great!

Really good food!

Tyler, Apryl, Leslie & me. Huge plates!

Another table in the restaurant had a birthday so the waiters all come over and clap and sing happy birthday to the person. I said that I hate when that happens at other places and we all just laughed about it. When our meal was done the waiter comes by with a sombrero and some pastries and says happy birthday to me? Tyler had told the fella it's my birthday but I didn't like a big fuss so they didn't sing haha. I did get to wear the sombrero for pictures though. Gee thanks Tyler!

It was pretty funny.

It was a fun time and a huge meal but it's time to go. I tried to get the bill and Tyler had already covered it. Okay now we feel like we are taking advantage but Tyler insisted on paying. Thank you so much Tyler and Apryl!! Your hospitality has been unbelievable. We drove back to the shop and had a quick nightcap at the rig and then with big hugs and handshakes we said good bye to Tyler and Apryl. They have really been so nice to us and they had some cool ideas for Saturday like a cattle drive with their neighbours and then afternoon pumpkin chuckin' party. No doubt would have been a blast but we need to get south ahead of the snow. Hope to see them in Arizona in January. Thanks guys for everything!

Oct 26- We got an early start for us and we're on the road before 9am. It's a beautiful day and is forecast to get to 21C/ 72F. We have a long drive planned, Leslie found a site in Dumas, Texas that looks good at $25 US per night. It's 50 amp p/w/s so even if it gets cold we have full power for our electric heater. 

Snow covered peaks by Denver.

Drove through Kit Carson, Texas.

A surprising amount of wind power here.

We briefly drove through the Oklahoma panhandle.

Then into the state of Texas!

We stopped a few times to get out and move around but it's over 400 miles so it's a big day. We found our spot at Yerby's RV in Dumas, a nice cement pull through. There are lots of oilfield workers living here and it's Saturday night so there was some barbecues going and it was loud at first but got quiet early. We crashed not long after we got settled. The wind is blowing hard and the temperature is dropping, tomorrow will look different I think.

Oct 27- Leslie had a terrible night. She woke up in extreme back pain at around 4:30 am. She tried Advil and walking around but just couldn't find any relief. I woke up after 7am and she was laying in bed basically in tears from the pain. I got her a Robaxacet and tried to massage her back a bit but nothing seems to help. We got her to the couch with a blanket but she is not going anywhere today. My turn to look after her for a change. We have been on the road for long enough that we have some chores to do. With Leslie's coaching I grabbed the laundry and headed to the laundry room. It's been years since I have done this alone. Note to self: everybody else does laundry on Sunday! I waited a bit and got the wash in. Some fella had 6, yes 6, washers tied up and wasn't in a hurry to empty them. He then proceeded to fill 4 of the 8 dryers available and took off in his truck. We'll name this guy Dick for any future reference. 

I drove downtown and grabbed some cash from the ATM and then hit a barbecue place for some quick, easy food.

Chopped brisket, pulled pork and ribs.

I did some cleaning and vacuumed the rig while I was waiting for a dryer and tried to help Leslie move around a little. Her pain was at a level where I was thinking of calling an ambulance. The spasms in her back were unreal but the Robax actually helped, thankfully.  We of course just relaxed for the evening. It didn't snow but it rained a bit and the wind was really blowing so it was a good day to be inside. More meds and back to bed for Leslie. That was a bad day.

Oct 28- Well Les can move around and walk today, barely but it's best if she just takes it easy so I'll do the pack up and get us ready to roll for our short trip to Lubbock KOA for a few days. We'll stay there a few days and let her back settle down. They have a hot tub but it's broken. Hopefully it's fixed while we are there.

We left Dumas just before 10:00 and went south through Amarillo to Lubbock. The KOA is on the southwest corner of Lubbock just off the ring road so it was easy to get to. They gave us a site across from the office, site 3, which was plenty long and of course all the hookups.

Entrance to Lubbock KOA.

The maintenance guys pulled up after we got parked to insulate our water tap. Supposed to be freezing temps overnight coming up. Man how far south do we need to go to get out of the cold weather?!?!

Our site at Lubbock KOA.

We didn't do much today other than get set up and a couple walks around the RV Park to keep Leslie's back moving.

Oct 29- Well the forecast was bang on correct. It's cold and windy this morning so other than a quick walk with Margaret we are staying inside for a bit. Leslie's back is improved to the point she can walk normally but she has to be careful not to jar it. This was a bad time for her but hopefully she's past it for now.

We worked on the blog and had a nice easy morning and by lunch time we were willing to venture out. We're hungry and scanning for something that interests us, ooh Buffalo Wild Wings!! Dianne and Steve got us started on this place last year. Yeah, let's go here.

Buffalo Wild Wings, yayy!

As far as BWW's go this one was not the best but we got a wing fix and now we need a little exercise. We drove over to Lubbock Lake Historic Landmark close to the KOA. Two things we didn't realize with this stop. One, it's still really cold and windy and the walk is totally exposed to the wind. Two, the park walk is a no dogs allowed area. Margaret really needs to get out for a walk/run after a few days so we went to a closed off section of a soccer field right next to the landmark parking area. There was a line of trees that broke the wind but it's still pretty cold. She's small, a couple laps up and back and she's happy. We got back in the truck and stopped at what we thought was a state park office. Turns out it's their enforcement office but the lady was super nice and gave us some brochures and a parks book that we are still using lots.

Not a State Park info place but they helped anyway.

That was enough walking around for today. We drove back to KOA and relaxed indoors out of the wind. The hot tub will not be fixed this week. We'll try the pool but sure wish we could put Leslie's back against a hot tub jet. Nothing we can do about that.

Oct 30- Today is freezing cold again, -9C/16F. I filled our water tank and unhooked the hose yesterday which was the right thing to do for sure. We worked on the blog catch up, had a good breakfast, Leslie made dog food and then a batch of Keto muffins. We tried out the pool but it really wasn't great so we did laundry. Just a chore day and relax a bit. Enjoy a couple walks around the park with Margaret. Nothing too exciting.

Oct 31- It's a better temperature today! Happy Halloween everybody. We jumped in the truck after the morning routine and headed towards downtown Lubbock for a driving tour. Just about all of the towns in Texas have amazing buildings downtown. Downtown Lubbock seems like it needs some energy injection. There was not a bunch going on but that's okay it makes for easy driving. 

Wash the truck first, it really needs it after 2000+ miles.

How nice is this for a highway exit?

Cool building.

I believe the Methodist Church downtown. Beautiful building.

This is downtown around noon?? WTH?

Next stop is the Costco for a few things. They have a wine/beer store and Leslie wants a box of their red wine. We buy it in Canada so she wants to see if it's here. Yayy yes it is and it's a real bargain. 

$12.99 US works out to $17.29 C$ for 4 bottles.

We're all class lol.

This Costco also has diesel at the pumps. That's different, $2.53/US gallon or 89.56 cents/per liter in Canada. What a difference and a good stop. Even the Costco wasn't very busy. I wanted a hot dog of course, it's Costco right? Instead we drove over to a sports bar just outside the parking lot. Fantastic burger and beer lunch. Well Leslie didn't have beer or a burger but she had a great lunch too. It's a nice place and we sat on an enclosed patio.

Place is called Walk-Ons, good spot.

We dropped the groceries and Margaret at the rig and then went back to Lubbock Lake Landmark so we could do the walk and get some pics. So this time we arrived with less than an hour before they close the park. Not good luck here. A lady actually came out to tell us they would lock the truck in if we weren't back in time. We set a timer and speed walked the boardwalk haha.

Here we go.

Giant Armadillo.

Explains.

The southern cousin of the wooly mammoth. And Leslie!

Boom! We did the whole tour in 27 minutes. We got back in the truck and got outside the gate before 5pm. It was actually a cool place but we had to hurry. There is a longer trail with areas where they have dig sites for skeletons and artifacts but we won't get to see that. We headed back to the rig for happy hour. We have a new box of wine lol.

We didn't see any kids for Halloween but the park did a great job with all the pumpkins etc. It's a good KOA, the folks that are running it have been here forever and they are super nice. 

Not elaborate but nice.

Happy Halloween everybody.

We are moving on tomorrow and the weather is getting better where we are headed. We could use a few days of warmth. We have been running the furnace and an electric heater for a good portion of the trip so far. Shouldn't need much heat for the next few days though. Yay! 

Cheers everybody.