Bob, Lee, and Dusty's Random Trips

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by Airslide

Keeping a watchful eye on this group is a fulltime job!

Stalker....... I best stop this thread hijacking.

[Gene]

Bob, a snowbrush is a multipurpose tool with an ice scraper on one end and a brush either on the other end or somewhere near the scraper. The brush is used to sweep snow off a vehicle and onto your shoes and pants and sometimes even your face or up your sleeve.

They come in various models, some with telescoping shafts for large vehicles such as full size pickups, SUV's and luxobarges.

Here is a photo of one version and a photo of a woman using the brush end of the tool. I am sending the woman and tool to you c/o Custer CG, SD. She is very talented and will be a great help.

Gene

[OB Bambi]

Gene: Send me one of those. It might snow here in Ocean Beach.

Randy

[Gene]

Randy, you mean the snowbrush don't you?

Gene

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, This morning I actually had to use my new ice scraper. Although it didn't come with instructions I was able to figuer it out. I like the dual purpose one better and my wife said we can keep her if she can help around the house too. Please send COD.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, this morning we hit the road and our first stop was Crazy Horse monument. Really interesting and lots to see. It was really cold, about 28 degrees. [cold and dry] The first picture is the acual monument in progress and the other three are the artist's concepts.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, as we were nearing Wall Drug in the city of Wall it started to snow. It was getting even colder. We had a Buffalo Burger for lunch. I got a free coffee and donut just for being a military vet; My wife had to pay $.05 for her coffee. But we got free refills. I had to get my money's worth. Note: to my fellow Californians and photographers; In the first picture that is not low resolution or grainy, it is real snow.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, now we took a casual drive though the Bad Lands National Park. It was still snowing and the winds were kicking up pretty good, but who cares, I got in for free with my Senior Pass. It had a really strange landscape of mostly sandstone, I think. There are very few colors there and today it was mostly white.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, can you say snowy, windy, and slippery? Not to mention it's getting even colder. [14 Degrees] As I was driving along the HWY it was snowing and gusting. I was on ice and a gust of wind tryed to blow me off of the HWY. I think it was the 60/60 factor; I was going 60 MPH and I think the wind was also going, sideways, at 60 MPH. We saw skid marks every where and an old Suburban towing a U-Haul trailer was on the other side of the road, jack knifed. Farther down the road we saw a pick-up turned backward and up agains a fence on our side of the road. My Lincoln slipped a few more times. But we are going to Mount Rushmore. We made it all the way to the entrance, but had to stop behind another car. When the car moved, I couldn't. I was stopped at a slight up hill angle and on ice. [no traction] Now I'm really stuck. I tryed to move, but couldn't move. I made my wife get out and push the Lincoln. [just kidding] Can you spell divorce? Well I finally convinced my Lincoln to move or I was going to leave it. When we finally got to the ticket booth, it was closed. [early due to weather] So we still were able to see the monument and take a few pictures.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, after a long boring, un-eventful day, we headed for camp. By time we got back to our trailer the whole camp ground was covered with snow and it was 14 degrees outside. Guess what happened to my water hose.

[Relentless]

Robert;

Please go south soon. I had to put an extra sweater on just to read your trip reports.

John

[Airslide]

Awesome pictures.. Im jealous! Someday..

Maybe it is good advice to head southward.. ??

Be safe

Vinnie

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Relentless

Robert;

Please go south soon. I had to put an extra sweater on just to read your trip reports.

John

Hi, John & Vinnie. We plan to start heading south on Sunday if we don't get snowed in. My thermometer is now reading 8 degrees outside. Brrrrrrr.

[Airslide]

8 degrees? Wow.. Thats cold.

That poor little trailer.. mine is tucked back into the shop with its blanket on in 62* weather..

Ready to come back home yet???

[FreshAir]

Good for you Bob and Lee. Anyone can tour that wonderfull part of our country during the summer, but you two are having a great off season time and we are enjoying tagging along.
Neil

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Last night, before bed it went down to 6 degrees. This morning it hit zero. I woke up early in the morning and looked outside, for the first time since we left home the skys are clear and we could see the moon and stars. Thank God for FUR LINED Safari's; With an electric blanket and the furnace running all night, we are nice and warm in our " Small Silver Castle". Of coarse I had to go outside and take a few pictures. In the last picture, I was really surprized to find "2air" sleeping under my trailer; I didn't know he was so shy. If he knocked on my door I would have let him in.

[Gene]

Bob, what wonderful weather! Here in frigid snowy Colorado it's in the 60's during the day and around 30˚ at night. Blue sky today. No snow this season (yet). But snowbrushes are ready and shined up. It's snowed a couple of times on the Front Range already though.

Do you have snow tires or all season or highway tires on the Lincoln? How does the Airstream handle on the snow? I'll be putting M&S tires on our trailer soon. How's the propane holding out? Hose tip: disconnect when temp is about to go below freezing, drain and reconnect when temp goes up; If temp doesn't go above freezing during the day you'll have an unfrozen hose to refill your fresh water tank. And try to get a frozen hose stored when you leave in the morning.

We leave in about 10 days and reading about your travels is making me more anxious to go, but as usual I don't feel ready and am thinking of all that we have to do next week. Thanks for the photos. I love to travel when no one else is and have the tourist places all to ourselves.

Gene

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Gene. My Lincoln has M/S [mud / snow] rated tires. My trailer has Marathons. We did well in the snow before, but I rather not have to. Hopeing for clear streets. We did the drip thing the other night, but thought it would warm up, not get colder. We leave the gray tank valve open and let the kitchen faucet drip all night, and that works. I have two more water hoses to use if this one doesn't defrost. I think with the extra weight on the Lincoln while hitched and the combined length makes it work better than going solo. In my last stop in Wyoming I filled both propane tanks just for the purpose of being caught in cold weather. I only opened one and it hasn't run out yet. Keep it warm down there, we will be there in a few days.

[Gene]

I'm glad to hear you doing well in the snow. A lot of Californians have moved to Colorado in the last 20 years and some never understand how to drive on snow and remain unprepared for the weather.

Several years ago we stayed at Sequoia NP in October and there had been weather warnings for days that a foot or more of snow was coming. That's normal weather to us. It came—15"—and of the 20 or so cars in the parking lot, everyone but ours was from Cal. None of them had snowbrushes (without or without the special snowbrush assistant), gloves or hats; I guess they didn't have radios either. One guy was trying to move the snow away from his car with a golf club.

I guess you're smarter than the other Californians. Another storm moving across Nebraska today according to the TV. I hope you get out between storms; snow melts fast at this time of year on the roads.

Gene

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, this morning it was nice and clear out, but still cold. My Lincoln didn't kick over on the first turn as usual. Today we decided to visit the Mammoth site. This is an indoor archealogical excavation site. A whole lot of Wooly Mammoth bones in one area.