Before I get into our “on the road again adventure”, I need to bring my blog up to date. , since the last post.
We have continued to take atv trips. One was again up Engineer pass to see the sheep demonstration. Each year the BLM leases the ground to sheep herders to graze there sheep. Thousands of sheep are brought up to 11,000+ feet to graze. The demonstration was to educate folks about this important industry. On several of our rides we had come across the sheep and herders as well as their dogs. It was interesting to watch the dogs work the sheep. We saw 2-3 different types of dogs. Australian cattle dogs, Border collies and Great Pyrenees. They all would watch and if sheep started to wander, they would go after them.
On August 3rd, a scene from “Open Range” was staged on the main business street in town, with authentic guns and costumes. About 20 folks participated in the event. They did use blanks! It was fun to watch and I hope to participate next year.
The bears have started to come down from the mountains to forage for food. The first siting of a bear at Crookes Falls occurred on August 5th. A huge bear tipped over our dumpster. Bear2013 The bears did not tip the dumpsters over again. we had three sizes of bear again this year. Big bear Bear5 medium bear Medium Bear and baby bear Baby Bear I will make a movie of all the bear sightings and post later to my photo album on Picasa. I have been told that a bear has attacked Victor and Charlotte’s bird feeder and hummingbird feeder, since we left!
We (Ron and Loretta and us) left Lake city on the 22nd, headed to Grand Junction for the night. We were making good time when about 30 miles from Montrose, I overheated again. Remember back in June when the upper radiator hose came off? Well it did it again! we waited for about 2 hours for a repair man to show up. He did not bring enough antifreeze, so he had to go and get some water as my rig was tilted on an angle and I could not get water to flow. Ron and Loretta went on to Grand Junction.
We got back on the road and got into Grand Junction later that afternoon. Not at the rv park we had picked, but at another because R&L had a bad conversation with the office at our planned stop. He was rude and besides that the park was hard to find. So they turned around and went west to a park we had stayed at before.
After a good nights sleep we headed out the next morning for Rawlins, Wyoming. 96 miles into the trip, about 1o miles north of rifle, I lost the upper hose again! This time Ron and I replaced the hose, put a new clamp on it and filled with water. I found a truck repair place in Silt, Colorado, about 18 miles to the south and east. So we turned around and headed there. There was also a campground just down the street.
I got to the repair place and waited as usual for about 30 minutes. Ron Loretta and loretta went on to the campground called Herons Nest. This park was a run down campground that had mostly gas and oil workers living there. They almost left, but talked to the manager and a neighbor and decided it was okay to stay the night.
Mead while back at the rv, they finally came out and lookked the situation over. at first they said we need to go in from the top through your closet! so I pulled everything out and undid the screws All except one that I could not find. We tried to lift up the floor, but could not. Later I got it to lift by going from the bottom, but by then they decided that they could do it from the outside. (I had told them that) So they told me that I had put the hose on o far and the clamp to close to the end. That is probably what each of the other repairmen did as well. The hose needed room to expand and probably pushed itself off. So they installed it correctly and put a new clamp on it.
Oh! Ron and Loretta discovered a flat inside dual. In Craig colorado they took it into Big O and they said do not think it is the tire, but the valve stem. But they do not work on those tires, so they pumped them up and when we arrived in Rawlins, he was able to get it repaired.
After spending the night, the next morning we left Silt and headed to Rawlins again. During the day yesterday a heavy down pour caused a mudslide on I 70 west of Parachute, Colorado and closed the highway. we did not have to go that far to our road north.
All went well to Rawlings and we stayed at a very nice park. Left the next morning to our final destination Cody, Wy. All went well did heat up a little on some of the long grades and rolling hills, but no hose came off. Got to remember I am pulling about 7000# behind me!
We have now settled in at Absaroka rv park. Bill and Elaine and Ron and Rhonda Tobin came out to welcome us. We will be here until the 3rd of September and then we will head to Island Park, Idah0.
Untill later, Happy Trails.