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11-22-2017, 05:21 PM
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#41
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,210
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So, we're still adventuring. After Myrtle Beach SP, we camped on Jekyll Island, then on Tybee Island outside Savannah, and then at North Beach Camp Resort north of Villano Beach just outside St. Augustine. All great places to camp, all pleasant and highly recommended.
North Beach is interesting, as it is just across A1A from the ocean, which has aggressively eaten away at the dunes that used to reside under all those beach-front homes along the highway. A few of those homes have since fallen into the ocean, and many more of them are hanging precariously above the beach on pilings that used to be buried in 30 feet of sand. The scene is a little depressing, though the beach is still attractive. However, as my brother recently said in response to this trip report, "Beaches move, but houses don't. Do not buy a house on the beach."
We then arrived in Orlando, camping at Fort Wilderness for 5 nights, followed by Kissimee KOA for 3 nights, and then Bill Frederick Park on Turkey Lake for a week. After Thanksgiving, we begin our trip back home.
Here is the first part of our journey home, which gets us to Tucson. Feedback and suggestions welcome! All planned stops are guesses based on our anticipated tolerance for miles per day: https://goo.gl/maps/TzUvxJVFv2o
Our goals include (1) avoiding snow and ice and (2) avoiding I-10 between Slidell and Lafayette because it's horrible there.
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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11-22-2017, 05:51 PM
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#42
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,210
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So far, the only seriously annoying thing was a minor invasion by very small ants, which we referred to as "sugar ants." When cleaning the trailer while at Fort Wilderness, we found a bunch of leaves, needles and a mess of ants between the rock guard and the window on the front curb side. Somehow they found a route inside from there. After cleaning that out, the infestation was markedly reduced, and we were able to eliminate the rest with boric acid and other ant baits.
We think the ants may have joined us on Jekyll Island, but they could have come on-board as early as Myrtle Beach State Park, when a storm blew down a bunch of leaves and such. Lesson learned: check between shaded rock guards and windows on a frequent basis for junk that does not belong there!
The other thing we've started doing is looking harder at where we are parking Rocinante to see whether there are a bunch of active ant colonies. Even when parking on concrete, it's worth looking to see whether there are active ants operating in the cracks between the concrete sections, and wondering about who's going to be climbing up the stabilizers or the tires to see what they can find inside.
Also, while at Fort Wilderness I crawled around under the trailer to fill any open gaps with Stuf-fit copper wool, Great Stuff Pest Block spray foam, or both. The focus of that activity was to make it harder for rodents to make their way into Rocinante. We've not had that happen yet, but after the ants, we decided to become more proactive. Hopefully, that investment will pay off
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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11-22-2017, 10:25 PM
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#43
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Vintage Kin
Fort Worth
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,014
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When I park I use an ant killer aerosol on tires, stabs, hoses, etc.
When I park extended periods I lay out a GP insecticide.
(And dump honey under the neighbors RV).
.
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11-23-2017, 09:51 AM
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#44
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,210
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We'd be a little nervous about ant killer on our drinking water hoses, but after our recent experience we certainly take your overall point.
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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11-23-2017, 11:46 AM
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#45
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Journeyman
2016 25' International
Amherst
, Massachusetts
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 956
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I saw somewhere on here that Comet keeps the bugs from climbing up hoses and stabilizers.
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11-24-2017, 10:21 AM
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#46
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Rivet Master
1991 34' Excella
1963 26' Overlander
1961 26' Overlander
Central
, Mississippi
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 5,919
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Those little ants are really common down south, we call them piss ants. They will crawl up almost anything that touches the ground although I've never had them come up the tires. They love power cords and hoses so we drape them from the pole to the trailer without touching the ground. Loop the safety chains over the tongue and spray ant killer on the jack and stabilizers.
The worst infestation I've ever had they crawled from a pine tree onto the awning that was barely touching.
Thanks for taking us along on your trip!
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11-30-2017, 07:05 PM
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#47
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,210
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Happy to report that we are slightly ahead of schedule, having reached Shreveport, LA. Sad to report that I-20 West across Louisiana stinks at the east end for the first few dozen miles after crossing the mighty Mississippi, and especially at the west end as you approach and pass through Shreveport. In between it's not bad, but at each end of the state, I-20W is horrible. We enter TX tomorrow, hoping for a smoother ride ahead.
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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12-02-2017, 04:35 PM
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#48
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,210
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Spent the night in Abilene, TX, yesterday at Whistle Stop RV Park, a new place in town just off I20. It used to be some kind of Horse RV Trailer location, but is under new management and working hard to create and maintain a great place to camp. It's a very pleasant campground, lots of room. The shower house is especially nice. We could hear a marching band playing at a nearby football game, which was fun! We got a coyote serenade in at least 4 part harmony sometime early in the morning. No idea exactly where that came from, but it was also cool.
Arrived safely in the seething metropolis of Van Horn, TX, this evening. Van Horn RV Park is a nice spot to camp. We have fantastic views of mountains to the East. At some point this RV park was probably a KOA, but it's nice as campgrounds along the Interstate go, especially in the middle of nowhere. Oh, and there's a Pilot gas station at this exit, so we were able to fill up with relatively cheap gas before parking for the evening.
Just west of Sweetwater we enjoyed the juxtaposition of all those little bobbing oil derricks with huge swaths of wind turbines in the distance. The past and the future, all at once. Oh, and lots of cotton harvested into huge round bales, like hay - wrapped in colored plastic, sometimes yellow, sometimes pink.
Of course, as we crossed west TX, getting closer and closer to US 285, we saw more and more fracking sites, trucks, drilling gear, derricks, and so on. Pecos seems to be a center of activity for that business. The Flying J there was chock full of dirty trucks and hard-working people trying to make a living.
As of today, we're one day ahead of our original schedule, which is also nice.
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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12-03-2017, 05:05 AM
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#49
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Vintage Kin
Fort Worth
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,014
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The real action is at a Midland-Odessa. Look up a map of the Permian Basin.
And, from an E-W line from Big Spring back east to Abilene, a good bit of activity of late going north.
Productive zones up in the Panhandle & Oklahoma, too. All roughly north of this area. Others besides this, but this area significant for world oil price (“West Texas Intermediate”)
If you’re going to run US-285 N from Pecos then you’ll be traveling thru another boom area that came and went decades ago. N into Wyoming was quite a lot of this from the 1920s. Used to see a lot of interesting old equipment abandoned and rusting away, but it seems like a lot less now than in the 1960s. Sort of like the Colorado mining towns.
285 once into Colorado an interesting road. Look up the Transcontinental Railroad.
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12-03-2017, 05:14 AM
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#50
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Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
Mantua
, Ohio
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,062
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Really enjoying yor commentary! Have agood time.
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12-03-2017, 05:28 AM
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#51
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Rivet Master
1966 22' Safari
Hilltop Lakes
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,767
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You're in my home country now. I grew up in Midland.
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12-03-2017, 05:33 AM
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#52
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Rivet Master
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Sag Harbor
, New York
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 17,523
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocinante
. . .
Arrived safely in the seething metropolis of Van Horn, TX, this evening. Van Horn RV Park is a nice spot to camp. We have fantastic views of mountains to the East. At some point this RV park was probably a KOA, but it's nice as campgrounds along the Interstate go,
. . .
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We stayed there in the 90's when it was a KOA. Decent Mexican restaurant/cantina in town, which was a favorite of John Madden apparently [the football commentator] on his cross-country RV/bus trips. Still there?
You going to Carlsbad Caverns? An easy day-hop north from Van Horn on a decent two-lane road. They can board dogs, which is what we did, during the 3-4 hours you need there. Recommend the side tour of a cave where they turn off all the lights, and ask everyone to remain perfectly silent.
Eerie!
Thanks for this thread, and happy trails!
Peter
PS -- Looks like that cantina is still there:
http://www.chuys1959.com/history.php
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12-03-2017, 10:29 PM
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#53
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,210
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Thanks for the kind words, everybody. Mimi, I wish we had more time, would have been fun to connect! We're finally working our way home after several months on the road. I feel like the rabbit with the stopwatch from Alice in Wonderland!
We did Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Park the last time we were out this way, in 2015. We loved both of them and would recommend them to anyone!
The one thing we also recommend is that if it is raining, avoid US 285 from Fort Stockton to Carlsbad, at all costs. What a horrible highway in the rain. Every huge fracking truck that goes by in the other direction will coat your windshield with mud, which takes several seconds to clear. Terrifying.
Today was another big day for us. This time we drove from Van Horn, TX, all the way to Tucson, AZ. Long day, rewarded with our arrival at Lazy Days KOA, which we truly enjoy (especially the hot tub and showers after a long drive). It's quite the place!
We haven't decided yet whether to continue tomorrow or stay another night. Either way, we think our next destination will likely be Quartzsite, AZ, followed by an overnight somewhere near Mojave or Tehachapi, CA. Then we'll head on to Bakersfield, and go north on Route 99 with a probable overnight stop in Chowchilla. There's a nice RV park there - too many rules, but if we only have to tolerate them for one night we should be able to handle it.
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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12-04-2017, 11:30 AM
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#54
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Vintage Kin
Fort Worth
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,014
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Ahh, gee, you don’t like the oilfield? I drove it for years. It’s like nothing else. World of its own.
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12-04-2017, 12:57 PM
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#55
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3 Rivet Member
2005 34' Classic
tucson
, Arizona
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 161
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Welcome to Toosawn!! We ordered perfect weather for you the next 2 days. Enjoy your stay.
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12-04-2017, 09:44 PM
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#56
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,210
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Today was a relatively easy day, with us stopping in Quartzsite, AZ. Given we're on a mission (e.g. driving home) we elected to stay at an RV park in town, vs. camping somewhere out in the desert. We didn't want any drama, because tomorrow will be another long day, headed to Tehachapi.
It's cooler here, with temps tonight going down into the low 40's. Also fairly windy, which I imagine is normal for this area. We might have to switch from our heat pump to the propane forced-air heater!
Per the weather map, a cold front went through today that has made it as far as Phoenix. We sure had fierce headwinds that played heck with our gas mileage! We should have stayed in Tucson where it is still nice.
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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12-06-2017, 07:28 PM
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#57
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,210
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We had a blast last night camping at Mountain Valley RV Park in Tehachapi, CA. It is a bit off the beaten track, a mile or so from Route 58, and right next to a small airfield from which they launch gliders and teach people to pilot them. There was this owl in one of the nearby trees that kept flying around every time we went out after dark. First time I thought it was a huge bat of some kind, but then my brain kicked in and I realized it had to be an owl. This is a nice place to camp, and if you are a glider fan or want to see them launched, it is also a great place to stay for a few days. The person at the desk was super-nice. Sites have water and electric, and there’s a dump station you can use on the way in and/or out. They even have trees, which is uncommon in the desert.
Tonight we are at a Harvest Host winery location near Acampo, CA. It is super awesome. Flat level gravel lot, plenty of room to park, and the propane generator is working like a charm. We should be plenty warm tonight.
We probably don’t really need the generator, but we’ve been carrying our propane generator around with us since Labor Day, so this is our excuse to pull it out and use it. It will be 31 degrees F tonight, so we will be running the propane furnace for heat. We also switched the fridge and water heater to propane as it is more efficient to make heat directly from propane than to burn propane for electricity and then turn that electricity into heat. Our main concern is that we will be running the furnace all night and the furnace fan might otherwise drain our batteries.
The winery is a treat and is decorated beautifully for the holidays. We had a lovely wine flight tasting, and bought three bottles. While the camping is free, we did spend some money on wine. Still, we think we came out ahead, and I get to give our generator a real test.
Tomorrow we will go at least as far as Redding, CA. If the weather is awesome and the roads are clear, we may make a break for Oregon. If not, we will spend at least one night in Redding and make sure the roads over Siskyou pass are clear before we make the attempt. These are the only potentially snowy roads between us and Seattle, but we will treat them with respect. We have chains for the truck, though we hope we will not need them!
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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12-06-2017, 08:50 PM
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#58
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Registered User
2016 25' Flying Cloud
Fairfield
, California
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 905
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If you have to stop or overnight before going over the Syskiyou pass the Randolph E Collier reststop is a beautiful place. It is close enough that you can make a fast dash if needed, but it can fill up.
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12-07-2017, 04:28 AM
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#59
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Rivet Master
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Sag Harbor
, New York
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 17,523
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Thanks for the detailed report Rocinante. Good to hear your tales from the road!
Here is the local forecast for 10 miles SSE of Ashland, which is the closest I could find to the Siskiyou Pass.
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick...Type=graphical
These short-term local forecasts are remarkably accurate, we have found, because the NWS computers update the various line items in real time, based on actual readings on the ground. Note the Snow line near the bottom, and Forward 2 Days button at the top right. No snow is forecast through late Tuesday.
Safe home!
Peter
PS — Redding airport NWS readings: http://w1.weather.gov/obhistory/KRDD.html
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12-08-2017, 06:44 PM
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#60
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,210
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Thanks, everyone!
Last night we stayed at Mountain Gate RV Park, just north of Redding, California. Highly recommended place to camp. Sites are flat, level, paved and terraced up a lovely hillside, and rest rooms / showers are quite nice. Temps here last night were quite pleasant, with a low of 39, as compared to much cooler temps north of us.
This morning we woke to beautiful blue skies and left around 9:15, heading north. We learned that we had made a very good decision, stopping in Redding instead of pushing forward into the mountains. The roads were clear, but there was still heavy frost in shady spots. Also, to our geographic surprise, we discovered that mountainous roads continued from just north of Redding, all the way to Canyonville, OR. We had no idea. Our previous supposition was that once we were north of Siskiyou Pass, we’d have flatter roads, etc. Boy were we ever wrong, haha. While Siskiyou was indeed the highest point on the road, there were plenty of 6% grades and sharp curves ahead, literally all the way to Canyonville. So, we were extremely pleased that we had taken the better part of valor by stopping for the night in Redding at a very nice RV park.
This evening we are in the Eugene, OR, area, camping at Armitage Park, which is a county park in this area. Highly recommended! Flat paved spots, plenty of room, picnic tables and fire rings, full hookups, nice rest rooms / showers, and a great laundry room. Who could ask for more? Well, we could ask for warmer weather, as the low tonight will be 27 degrees F. So glad we just filled our second propane tank, so we have plenty of fuel to help keep us warm and protect our pipes / tanks from freezing tonight. Power is the only thing we connected tonight. We will do any water-wrangling tasks tomorrow morning!
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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