tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61387249799767389302024-02-21T08:26:09.123-05:00'RigadoonWhen speed signs are more of a goal than a limitJ Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-3761630039030277952018-06-22T15:51:00.000-04:002018-06-22T16:00:00.990-04:00Rubber Tramp RendezvousJanuary 2018<br />
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I spent a couple weeks in Quartzsite, AZ boondocking in the desert and going to events at the RTR. The Rubber Tramp Rendezvous is a two week gathering of people that do, or want to, live full time in cars, vans, trucks, trailers and rvs. There are seminars about frugality, van buildouts, cooking, jobs and just about anything you might need to know to give up conventional life to hit the road.<br />
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The website <a href="http://cheaprvliving.com/">cheaprvliving.com</a> is the main site for Bob Wells, the organizer of the event and has a ton of information along with a great forum full of helpful people to get newcomers started on van life. Rather than duplicate what he has available, I'll fill this post with pictures.<br />
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To live cheaply you need your own power source and the sun is a great source of electricity. Some have permanent installations while other travelers set out a panel when they need power.<br />
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Some people prefer dwellings that are designed to be lived in, while others want to create their own space.</div>
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He was going to sell his truck to buy an rv but decided to convert the inside to living space and continue his construction business.</div>
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This couple told me their kids never visited so they decided to build a trailer and hit the road. The entire thing is made from military surplus material and in the last picture you can see that they're adding a kitchen.</div>
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To get out of debt she built this herself from salvaged material. The roof is "poor man's fiberglass" - canvas saturated with house paint.</div>
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And all those Skoolies!</div>
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<br />J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Quartzsite, AZ 85346, USA33.6639137 -114.229948633.5581867 -114.3913101 33.769640700000004 -114.0685871tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-69984596875332952352018-01-21T14:05:00.000-05:002018-01-21T17:15:36.193-05:00One Year Financial SummaryJan 2, 2018<br />
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Before starting out, one of the most helpful things I could find on other blogs were details of budgets. Based on those numbers I guessed I could come in around $600, and after traveling for the last few months of 2016 I revised that number to $650. To avoid ever being stranded without money, my number crunching sets my available budget at $800 so even a major issue won't be an issue.<br />
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Although the numbers didn't line up correctly in their categories, I still ended up pretty close to my proposed budget. There were more repairs than I planned for (muffler, two new batteries, valve adjustment) and Rabies shots for the cats in July messed up the health budget a bit (also the price of my thyroxin more than doubled in Dec because apparently the plant is in Puerto Rico). I spent almost nothing on clothes and less than expected on lodging. Some time in friends' driveways cut the gas bill down as did same friends and family buying a few meals.<br />
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Most of the descriptions make sense, but 'food' should be called 'grocery' as it includes food, cat food and accouterments, anything small I might pick up at the store and probably some clothes.<br />
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'Gym' is for Planet Fitness that I started mid year to have a guaranteed place for showers.<br />
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Dumping my tanks and getting water (when I had to pay for it) falls variously under 'entertainment', 'lodging' or 'misc' depending on what else I did (stayed overnight, spent the day in the park, etc.<br />
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<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cols="16" frame="VOID" rules="NONE">
<colgroup><col width="102"></col><col width="70"></col><col width="30"></col><col width="32"></col><col width="33"></col><col width="31"></col><col width="35"></col><col width="30"></col><col width="30"></col><col width="33"></col><col width="32"></col><col width="30"></col><col width="34"></col><col width="32"></col><col width="65"></col><col width="65"></col></colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="102"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Item</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="70"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Proposed</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="30"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Jan</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="32"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Feb</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="33"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Mar</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="31"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Apr</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="35"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">May</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="30"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Jun</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="30"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Jul</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="33"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Aug</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="32"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Sep</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="30"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Oct</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="34"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Nov</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="32"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Dec</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM" width="65"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">average</span></td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" valign="BOTTOM" width="65"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">total</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Gas</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="150" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">150</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="176" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">176</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="96" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">96</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="91" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">91</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="97" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">97</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="139" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">139</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="69" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">69</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="48" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">48</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="135" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">135</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="153" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">153</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="71" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">71</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="161" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">161</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="189" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">189</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="118.75" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">118.75</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="1425" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">1425</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Propane</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="8" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">8</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="29" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">29</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="24" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">24</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="4.41666666666667" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">4.42</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="53" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">53</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Food</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="250" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">250</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="370" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">370</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="370" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">370</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="286" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">286</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="354" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">354</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="312" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">312</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="216" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">216</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="230" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">230</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="387" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">387</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="303" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">303</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="300" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">300</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="209" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">209</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="318" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">318</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="304.583333333333" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">304.58</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="3655" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">3655</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">lodging</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="20" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">20</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="5" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">5</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="29" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">29</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="56" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">56</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="15" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">15</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="45" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">45</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="12.5" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">12.50</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="150" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">150</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">Insurance + tags</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="50" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">50</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="30" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">30</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="30" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">30</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="30" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">30</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="30" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">30</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="51" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">51</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="51" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">51</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="51" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">51</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="51" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">51</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="51" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">51</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="51" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">51</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="51" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">51</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="51" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">51</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="44" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">44.00</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="528" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">528</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">maintenance</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="20" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">20</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="46" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">46</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="11" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">11</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="185" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">185</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="60" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">60</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">36</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="15" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">15</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="57" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">57</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="34.1666666666667" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">34.17</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="410" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">410</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">emergency</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="20" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">20</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="1" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">1</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="276" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">276</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="222" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">222</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="41.5833333333333" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">41.58</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="499" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">499</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">entertainment</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="20" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">20</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="25" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">25</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="24" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">24</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="35" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">35</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="25" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">25</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="15" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">15</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="5" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">5</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="31" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">31</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="25" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">25</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="15.4166666666667" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">15.42</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="185" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">185</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">gym</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="23" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">23</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="19" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">19</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="58" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">58</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="19" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">19</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="19" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">19</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="19" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">19</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="11.1666666666667" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">11.17</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="134" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">134</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">misc</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="10" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">10</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="15" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">15</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="11" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">11</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="19" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">19</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="22" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">22</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="31" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">31</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="103" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">103</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="5" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">5</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="17.1666666666667" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">17.17</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="206" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">206</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">phone</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="40" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">40.00</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="480" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">480</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">health</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="10" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">10</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="25" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">25</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="20" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">20</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="89" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">89</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="20" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">20</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="71" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">71</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="18.75" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">18.75</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="225" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">225</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">laundry </span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="5" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">5</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="6" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">6</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="5" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">5</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="9" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">9</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="8" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">8</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="5" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">5</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="5" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">5</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="3.16666666666667" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">3.17</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="38" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">38</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" sdnum="1033;1033;General" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">clothing</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="20" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">20</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="1" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">1</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="5" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">5</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="11" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">11</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;General" sdval="0" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">0</span></td>
<td align="RIGHT" sdnum="1033;1033;0.00" sdval="1.41666666666667" style="border-bottom: 3px solid #000000;" valign="BOTTOM"><span style="background-color: #660000; color: yellow; font-family: "calibri";">1.42</span></td>
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<div>
Obviously I adjusted the 'proposed' column when I added the gym and the insurance/tags went up but everything else was set at the beginning of the year. For 2018 I'll adjust the numbers again to reflect the reality 2017 provided and set a budget for about $670 a month. </div>
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Hopefully there won't be so many repairs this year.</div>
J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-89174620353983748602018-01-20T13:54:00.001-05:002018-01-20T13:54:58.549-05:00Desert Sunsets and Goodbye to my First Full Year on the RoadDec 20 - 31, 2017<br />
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I've been hauling butt, well, crawling butt in Rigadoon, to get somewhere warmer but continual driving gets tiring. I decided to spend a few days in the Sonoran Desert to take a break because deserts are warm, right? Mostly right. The Sonoran was still chilly at night although nowhere near freezing. The sky was clear and I got a slight sunburn from a Christmas Day hike. Sigh. Lovely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyD0vaxAJA6FukET3g408oSeJ3dlcM-VVQ_lS5wsEZtR8IbE9e1FlG5qQGSCt9P9BnPyA0LHxMW2H3w2IzOj4G6c96Er7L9N2dzcwK1IB45uB52H6rCP-0AbzKn8_7o4WX7vqVWZ85gQ/s1600/20171225_071603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyD0vaxAJA6FukET3g408oSeJ3dlcM-VVQ_lS5wsEZtR8IbE9e1FlG5qQGSCt9P9BnPyA0LHxMW2H3w2IzOj4G6c96Er7L9N2dzcwK1IB45uB52H6rCP-0AbzKn8_7o4WX7vqVWZ85gQ/s640/20171225_071603.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After those few days of R'n'R (ha!) I continued west towards Yuma. Totally flat until this weird streak of mountains right across the sky.<br />
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Once over those the air became noticeably warmer. I guess The Chihuahuan is more of a desert than the Sonoran.<br />
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After a couple days in Yuma dealing with showers and laundry I crossed the border in California to park at the Quechan Casino. They have a huge parking lot and it was packed with RVs just hanging out, maybe doing the trek down to Mexico for dinner and drugs. I parked on the edge of the semi lot next to a little Sunrader and some big RV from Canada. <br />
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I walked the two miles to the border (I'm so cheap; there's a parking lot near the border but I didn't want to pay RV prices for a couple hours of parking. Some people drive to the point where 'No Parking' signs are erected and stop on the side of the road just before them. Cuts about 1.5 miles from the journey.) Walking across is quick and free, and once over there you are continually assailed by people asking you if you're looking for dental or eye care. I do want my teeth cleaned ($20) but not without researching the dentists first and I wasn't prepared this time.<br />
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Grabbed some ventolin (3 for $4.50 vs $100 each in the U.S.), paid probably too much for a pretty silver bracelet and escaped the streets without being dragged into an optometrists office.<br />
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While at the casino I met this lady:<br />
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She couldn't afford a hightop van so her son improvised, adding a truck top to the top of her van. There's plenty of standing room underneath it and her bed is in the section without added height.<br />
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One more night in Yuma to really stock up before tooling north to Quartzsite to find out what the deal is with desert boondocking and the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous.<br />
<br />J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Yuma, AZ, USA32.6926512 -114.6276915999999932.2646157 -115.2731386 33.1206867 -113.98224459999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-16307446106100940332018-01-10T14:12:00.000-05:002018-01-10T14:12:10.035-05:00Driving Through New MexicoDec 15 - 19, 2017<br />
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The first time I passed through New Mexico it was following I40 and then down I25. I loved the scenery, the colors of the earth and the sunsets. This time I cruised along I10 through the Chihuahuan Desert and I still love it. Rather than the towering, rounded mountains of the Pacific Northwest, the desert has sharp spines that look as though they've sawn through the earth like some giant beast hunching its back.<br />
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Sunsets turn the mountains pink.<br />
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Veterans' Park, Lordsburg NM</div>
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Even the truck stops are pretty.</div>
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You may, however, want to keep a close eye on your pets. See that little sign in the back?<br />
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This is it...</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEap41t-9ytT9L2R1T7Nw4rpKq_eu1cXxyLWn8D0DmEBD1plwTF0Wnnh-XhiVWVu1fq1Ce8yITS2WLDL5Vv6y1M-pEzkbYZlez58Au52YD9y-_E4W0h1IaRfAfloM61dWgr2fjSU8U08/s1600/20171217_144106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEap41t-9ytT9L2R1T7Nw4rpKq_eu1cXxyLWn8D0DmEBD1plwTF0Wnnh-XhiVWVu1fq1Ce8yITS2WLDL5Vv6y1M-pEzkbYZlez58Au52YD9y-_E4W0h1IaRfAfloM61dWgr2fjSU8U08/s640/20171217_144106.jpg" width="640" /></a>J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Lordsburg, NM 88045, USA32.3503605 -108.7086649000000332.2967015 -108.78934590000003 32.404019500000004 -108.62798390000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-6716527541917668742018-01-08T13:48:00.000-05:002018-01-08T13:48:06.637-05:00Kind of Like the BeachDec 11 - 13, 2017<br />
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Onward towards the sun...although we may have left the electricity a little too soon. It was so cold for several days that even Bo wanted some lap time and Butch needed a blankie. I was wearing two shirts, a hoodie and a fleece jacket while using my bathrobe and a flannel sheet as a lap cover. Yes, that is bubble wrap around my cup and my stainless steel French Press was wrapped in towels. Not so cold that the cats' water froze (which has happened) but cold enough to slow us down for a while.<br />
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This lovely place is Ruidosa Downs on the Billy the Kid Highway. Somewhere around here he is buried but the actual location isn't precisely known. Instead, the town of Fort Sumner has a conveniently located grave in town that has nothing to do with The Kid, and another site in the Old Fort Sumner Cemetery that is probably close to where the grave is.</div>
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Next stop is Alamogordo and the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm" target="_blank">White Sands National Monumen</a>t that encloses a small section of the gypsum dunes in the Tularosa Basin. There are several small hikes to interesting areas and one big one through some very large dunes.<br />
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The big hike through the Alkali Flats. I only went as far as the first hill to get some photos. The distance is only about five miles but hiking in sand is a slow process and they suggest planning at least three hours to cover the route.<br />
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J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, USA32.7872403 -106.32568166.0552273000000021 -147.6342756 59.5192533 -65.0170876tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-9970865615383065702018-01-06T13:48:00.000-05:002018-01-06T13:48:11.646-05:00Aliens!Dec 2 - 10, 2017<br />
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There are some cool parks in Texas, but none of them are along my route and I don't want to detour north to colder weather so I just kind of slogged across the state.<br />
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Cotton harvest is a little later than the one in Alabama</div>
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Free!! City park in Lamesa, TX with water, electric and dump station. The sign says only four days are free but I stayed six, using my electric heater on the last two when the temps dropped to the 20s and it started snowing.</div>
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In 1947, an unidentified flying object crashed near Roswell, NM according to witness accounts and left a trail of debris and legends in its wake. And some tourist entertainment.<br />
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In case it isn't obvious, that's a street lamp with alien eyes and a Santa hat</div>
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Cheesy as all get out, but the <a href="http://www.roswellufomuseum.com/" target="_blank">UFO Museum</a> is fun to visit. They have several films to watch, tons of newspaper clippings and some interesting art.</div>
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There are aliens and spaceships all over the city if you keep your eyes open and alien-themed welcome signs along the roads.</div>
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After the mountains of New England, flat and straight is kind of nice.</div>
<br />J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Roswell, NM, USA33.3942655 -104.5230242000000133.182092000000004 -104.8457477 33.606439 -104.20030070000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-86775811029701652202018-01-04T12:32:00.000-05:002018-01-04T12:32:40.681-05:00Fort WorthNov 20 - Dec 2, 2017<br />
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My brother and sister-in-law were nice enough to invite me back for Thanksgiving despite me crashing their house for a month last year. Not only was it good to catch up with family, it also gave me a chance to glue my house back together. The panel looked mainly decorative and after some elbow grease and Goo-Gone to get the tape off, I used liquid nails and some two-by-fours to stick the panel back down. It seemed to work well enough that I did some preventative maintenance on other sections and glued other parts of the top panel to the rest of the siding.<br />
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Back in the late 1800s, Fort Worth was the last safe place to stop and resupply before driving the cattle into Indian Country. <a href="http://www.fortworthstockyards.org/" target="_blank">The Stockyards</a> were a big part of growing Cowtown into the city it is today and the historic district has some great architecture, old bars, and a kind of lame "cattle drive" the herds a dozen or so longhorns through the streets.</div>
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There are unique shops (need some habenero sugar? You'll find it here) and a lot of history in a easily walkable section of town. And if you get tired of strolling the pavement, find one of those old bars and have a beer surrounded by atmosphere. You might even find a buffalo butt stuck to the wall or these cool old fans driven by a single belt.</div>
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This year's plan for winter is to check out the deserts of Arizona where apparently thousands of RVers go to escape the frigid air. There are many miles between here and the desert so I didn't stick around for very long. </div>
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<br />J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0130 E Exchange Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76164, USA32.7885617 -97.34623416.056351700000004 -138.6548281 59.5207717 -56.037640100000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-51581997400670218382018-01-02T13:14:00.000-05:002018-01-02T13:14:22.692-05:00Trekking to TexasNov 8-18, 2017<br />
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The tow truck driver suggested that I really needed to get out in the field and pick some cotton to get the full Alabama experience but it seems that they all use machines so, bummer, no back-breaking, character-building experience for me. Fields are pretty though, before they get picked.<br />
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After, not so much.<br />
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Thanksgiving was approaching and I kind of charged across Mississippi and Arkansas without paying much attention to things. I stopped in towns that were really tiny; not much more than a pausing place for travelers.<br />
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When I made it to Texarkana, the first place big enough to have a laundromat, I discovered that the top panel of my fiberglass was on its way to becoming litter. <br />
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Dunno how that came about but driving that way seems like a bad plan so I did some emergency bandaging to get me a little farther into Texas where I can borrow a ladder from my brother to glue that back down.<br />
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I also decided I needed a new truck battery after driving with the headlights left my old battery dead. Got a jump from a lovely lady living in her van and got the Walmart five-year battery. Walmart has a lot of ethical issues but they are nationwide and they will replace a battery purchased at another Walmart.</div>
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Of course I had to stop in Paris, TX because....it's Paris, TX. They used to boast the second-tallest Eiffel tower in the world (a cowboy hat taller than the one in Paris, TN) but Las Vegas built some monstrosity and now they are third, and who wants to boast about that?</div>
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They can, however, boast about having the only Jesus wearing cowboy boots. Even the Lord knows better than to mess with sandals and fire ants.<br />
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J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Paris, TX, USA33.6609389 -95.55551300000001933.449512899999995 -95.878236500000014 33.8723649 -95.232789500000024tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-34943189185185148022017-12-30T16:17:00.000-05:002017-12-30T16:17:09.944-05:00Rigadoon has an AdventureNov 7, 2017<br />
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Leaving Russel Cave, I went south to Arab, AL (pronounced A-rab) for the night. Rigadoon was making a curious ticking noise so after Googling a bit I decided to get the oil changed in case sticky valves were part of the issue. For some reason Walmart thinks the truck wants 5w- oil but the manual suggests 10w- or 20w- and I hoped thicker oil might help. Post oil-change the truck was making the same noise and after consulting the WM auto guys (who clarified that they weren't qualified to comment) I decided to drive to Cullman, the first town big enough to have a mechanic.<br />
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Well, in the metropolis of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baileyton,_Alabama" target="_blank">Baileyton</a>, a place not even large enough to be called a wide spot, the dash lights came on and I pulled over into the edge of someone's driveway. Popped the hood and discovered the shreds of the alternator belt calmly NOT spinning anything anymore. Well, I can't fix this and I have no cell reception so kindness-of-strangers here I come.<br />
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First house across the street had no one home so I trudged up the long driveway where I was parked. This is farm country and houses are back aways.<br />
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Lovely older woman opened the door and invited me in to use the phone when I explained the problem. Her husband was also there and had some kind of dementia. He kept politely but firmly demanding to know who I was and I kept politely explaining that I needed the phone for a toll-free call.<br />
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Except their phone didn't work. After multiple tries that only resulted in a dial tone the woman explained that the phone had been acting up lately.<br />
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Okay....<br />
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I thanked her and went back to the road to ponder waiting for someone to stop. Decided that was a waste of time and pointed my feet back in the direction I came where a road branched off the little highway and some houses were visible. And a business! Woot! Mimi's Hair Salon (run by Madge, I think) is in the back room of her house and she was kind enough to let me in while doing a color-and-cut and let me use her phone.<br />
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It took more than an hour, but Progressive located the flat bed I wanted (remember the pic of the rv in Virginia? wanted to keep my valves and tanks in one piece). They also phoned the potential auto shop to verify they could work on my vehicle since I didn't want an rv shop.<br />
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I thanked Madge and trekked back up the road to wait for the tow which was 90 minutes away. I played on the ipad and the cats napped while we waited. When the guy showed up he was awesome. I fussed about smooshing the back end and he nodded and said he would be careful. The guy watched the back end as he winched the truck up and when it got close to the ground he put boards under the wheels to give it enough lift to keep from hitting the ground.<br />
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The entire area has no street names, only numbers, and the tow driver had to call someone to get directions. He was at least 80 and the inside of his truck was held together with duct tape in places but it ran and and he seemed pretty sturdy as well.</div>
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I was a little nervous when we made it to the shop but I guess combining home and business is common in that area and the owner came out with a big grin, saying that his uncle had the same camper. Well, not quite the same, his uncle's is a V6 but the guy knew what he was doing anyway.</div>
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I had him replace all the belts since they all had to come out anyway and another of them was all cracked and ready to break on some other deserted rural highway. The only belt in good shape was the AC belt - and I don't use the AC (not updated). Ah well. Alabama did herself proud taking care of hapless traveler.</div>
<br />J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com01945 Co Rd 1354, Vinemont, AL 35179, USA34.2593005 -86.8495257999999817.4376070000000034 -128.15811979999998 61.080994000000004 -45.540931799999981tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-56228670484644789222017-12-27T15:21:00.000-05:002017-12-27T15:21:53.709-05:00One More Battlefield and Some Ancient PeoplesNov 4,5, 2017<br />
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I had vague ideas about travelling across the bottom of Tennessee but I mad these plans without looking at map. There is no road across the bottom of the state, instead you have to travel in a series of 'w's to get over all the hills 'n stuff. I was still tired of hills and hey, there's another state <i>right </i>below me!!<br />
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First stop was Chickamauga Battlefield. It's only one part of a <a href="https://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm" target="_blank">larger park</a> but Tennessee was enshrouded in fog rendering the view from Lookout Mountain (near, well, part of Chattanooga) kind of pointless.<br />
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I was burned out on Battlefields by this point so not so many pics. Also no ranger talks and those are usually the best part of a visit.<br />
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Did see this sign in the ladies' room. I can't imagine why it needs to be said but I sure wish I'd seen whatever events led up to it.<br />
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After the Park I headed vaguely west, still trying to decide which direction to go. On the way I passed a sign to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/ruca/index.htm" target="_blank">Russel Cave</a> and decided Alabama looked like a good direction.</div>
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As is evident from the number of photos, this is more my style of National Park</div>
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Trail to the cave</div>
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The website made it sound as though you could tour the cave with a ranger but no, it's an active archaeological site and viewing is from a platform. Ah well. </div>
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The park has a trail as well that winds up the hill. I went a little past the point where most people turn around and didn't feel like continuing to trudge up a now-mossy path with questionable weather on the way. Still pretty and a bit of a workout.</div>
J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Russell Cave National Monument, 3729 County Road 98, Bridgeport, AL 35740, USA34.9764537 -85.8142570999999638.1547602000000019 -127.12285109999996 61.7981472 -44.505663099999964tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-78464582910426458042017-12-25T14:08:00.000-05:002017-12-25T14:08:02.978-05:00Nerd HeavenOct 21 - 30, 2017<br />
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Starting this post with yet another amazing sunset. It was too dark to get a good picture but I tried.<br />
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The<a href="https://www.nps.gov/mapr/oakridge.htm" target="_blank"> birth of the Atomic Age</a> pretty much happened in Oak Ridge Tennessee where three individual projects were launched to enrich Uranium and produce Plutonium. To tour the sites, catch a tour bus at the American Museum of Science and Energy. You can probably visit several areas on your own but this three hour tour is included in the $5 entry fee for the museum and is something that is worth $30 or more. The guide is amazing and the tour covers many sites.</div>
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"To help with "moral confusion". Mary is all about nuking the bad guys so put your mind at ease</div>
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What exactly did they sew with this?</div>
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This. This was the first nuclear reactor. Dear God, how did we survive our own ignorance?</div>
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How the atomic pellets were added to the reactor</div>
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First reactor was called a "pile", presumably because graphite bricks were piled around the fuel to contain it.</div>
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Back side of the reactor</div>
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Lots of dials and gauges like this one to measure the reaction. The building also has a sign that instructs people to run if the warning horn sounds. You'd have to run really, really fast...</div>
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And this cool looking thing is a building created with 3-D printing technology. </div>
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Farther down the road is Dayton, TN known primarily (only?) for the Scopes Monkey Trial that took place here. I didn't find any quirky, touristy stuff capitalizing on the trial but the area is quite pretty.</div>
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<br />J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Manhattan Project National Historical Park Tennessee, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA35.9280861 -84.31756329.1063876000000015 -125.6261572 62.7497846 -43.008969199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-20534780774725270802017-12-23T13:51:00.000-05:002017-12-23T13:51:13.383-05:00One of the Newer ParksOctober 15-17, 2017<br />
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So many battlefields in this area that it would be impossible (and draining) to see them all. Cedar <a href="https://www.nps.gov/cebe/index.htm" target="_blank">Creek and Belle Grove</a> has only been part of the park system for a few years and there are several historical entities involved in keeping it going. The Park Service Visitor Center is in a little strip mall in Middleton but they have an amazing CD they've recorded to provide details as you drive through the historic areas. Be sure to pick up a map as well because there aren't any signs yet and you're driving through so rural areas. Some wrong turns dead end on small roads that are really tricky to turn around on. Trust me on this - get a map.<br />
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Back at Walmart for the evening I did get to call the fire department on an older RV with a for sale sign that was dripping something caustic from a tank.</div>
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Not sure which tank but it smelled like acetone.</div>
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Fire department showed up followed by a hazmat truck. Looked like most of the group is volunteer so I guess this was kind of training for a true hazardous situation without much actual danger.</div>
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I think eventually someone called the number on the 'for sale' sign because a car showed up and eventually a tow truck. See how close that rear end is to the ground? A minute ago it was on the ground. I hate to see what the underparts looked like at the end of the tow.</div>
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Right next to this area is the undoubtedly phenomenal <a href="https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm" target="_blank">Shenandoah National Park</a> and <a href="http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/" target="_blank">Blue Ridge Parkway</a> but I had reached my limit on twisty mountain roads. I headed south through the valley between two mountain ranges.</div>
J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, Middletown, VA 22645, USA39.021584399999988 -78.2977581000000112.199885899999988 -119.60635210000001 65.843282899999991 -36.989164100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-53290697562929636572017-12-21T12:53:00.000-05:002017-12-21T12:53:01.074-05:00Fields of DeathOctober 10 -13, 2017<br />
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<a href="https://www.nps.gov/mana/index.htm" target="_blank">Manassas</a> (Bull Run) was the site of the first Civil War Battle. Both sides figured it would be a quick fight that they'd win and go home. Spectators sat on the hills to watch. It turned out to be only the first of four years of battle in which more than 600,000 soldiers died (and presumably a large number of civilians as a result of starvation or exposure or stray fire).<br />
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Those things that look like giant bullets on the corners really were leftover ammunition when the monument was first erected. The visitor center has what's left of one that exploded after it was removed and replaced with something less dangerous.</div>
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That line of trees was where the rebels stood and fired on the northerners standing right about where I am. Serious guts involved to stand that close and fire back.</div>
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Replica of a civilian house that was pelted with bullets during the first skirmish and dismantled for fuel in the following winter.</div>
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The park ranger didn't know if this cannon (or any of the others on the field) were used in the first battle but they are all from the Civil War. Kind of remarkable to be standing that close to history.</div>
J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Manassas National Battlefield Park, 6511 Sudley Rd, Manassas, VA 20109, USA38.8134115 -77.52216779999997712.9799385 -118.83076179999998 64.6468845 -36.213573799999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-83507699567266630462017-11-05T12:43:00.000-05:002017-11-05T12:43:04.454-05:00Meetup With DadOctober 3-9, 2017<br />
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My dad flew helicopters for the Air Force and is a member of a <a href="http://www.usafhpa.org/" target="_blank">Pilots' Association</a> that has periodic reunions. I had never been to one but couldn't pass up the opportunity to go to this one and hang with Dad for a week. The reunion was in DC, home of boatloads of history and the hotel was nice enough to let my park my rig in their lot for the duration of the reunion. As I have said previously, I am very introverted and was a bit uneasy about being around 200 people I didn't know, but these were some of the nicest people I've met in a long time. After the first day I felt comfortable and not at all stressed out about the crowd.<br />
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Plus they offer plenty of social lubricant.<br />
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I went on three of the daytrips to the Holocaust Museum, Arlington Cemetery and Mount Vernon (a boat trip). All were super and even though I ditched Dad at the museum so I could take a quick trip through the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, it was great to talk with him.<br />
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Dad</div>
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Difficult to see but that's the Capitol Building and Washington Monument in the background</div>
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Too close to get good shots of the soldiers leaving after the changing of the guard, but I guess their butts look good too. And you can see the path their shoes have marked in the stone walkway</div>
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Not our boat for the journey down the Potomac, but pretty</div>
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Our boat and the crowd getting on</div>
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Dad</div>
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Pirate Cruiser</div>
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Sorry about the thumb. Fort Washington</div>
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Mount Vernon</div>
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View from Mount Vernon. That's Piscataway National Park, preserved as a view shed (new phrase to me) showing what Washington saw from his porch.</div>
J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com03200 Mount Vernon Hwy, Mt Vernon, VA 22121, USA38.707982 -77.08617529999997938.707982 -77.086175299999979 38.707982 -77.086175299999979tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-76049561439961372362017-11-03T12:59:00.000-04:002017-11-03T12:59:09.070-04:00Harpers Ferry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
September 29, 2017</div>
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The only reason I went to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm" target="_blank">Harpers Ferry</a> was because a guy at Pinchot told me about it. It wasn't on my list of things I really want to see and I didn't notice it while perusing the National Parks page but I am really glad I went. It's a mix of lovely scenery, historic buildings and lots of hiking trails. You can park at the Park office and take a bus down to avoid the limited parking in the steep, old town.</div>
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I think this is the Potomac but I guess it could have been the Shenandoah</div>
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Hikers are about halfway there, whichever side they started from.</div>
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Railroad trestle has collapsed</div>
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Downtown street</div>
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Dissolving stairs</div>
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Downtown from the other direction</div>
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The old church from three different viewpoints.</div>
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The map shows a trail going back up to the parking area with some ruins along the way. The rivers have flooded several times and everything near the banks is foundation only</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tMK_CBnP7inghZVoemAFbexTbzcwBAZEilrl7KfbX5SF_5Z6JVbKwfJEWCIVsK3CIgS1EMCHY3pVG6YKuqyxZeN_nt3Q5lq1yCOfxzUC1XQC4YkDMj1MUBmaFS34lkYINDePTd-mLBs/s1600/20170929_132749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tMK_CBnP7inghZVoemAFbexTbzcwBAZEilrl7KfbX5SF_5Z6JVbKwfJEWCIVsK3CIgS1EMCHY3pVG6YKuqyxZeN_nt3Q5lq1yCOfxzUC1XQC4YkDMj1MUBmaFS34lkYINDePTd-mLBs/s640/20170929_132749.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was a cotton mill that used the power of the river to run the plant. It's on Virginius Island (no longer an island, really, in the Shenandoah River.</div>
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Along the Shenandoah</div>
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Pond on the way back to the visitor center.</div>
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The path back to the visitor center is slightly sloping until you get to the very end, then it's really uphill. Guess I should have done the hike down and the bus back up. Got to learn to plan better.</div>
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All around a very cool place and with many more hiking trails than I took the time to explore.</div>
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I'm meeting my dad in DC in a few days so I'll mosey along, taking short hops between towns.</div>
<br />J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, USA39.3253786 -77.738881839.3008126 -77.7792223 39.3499446 -77.6985413tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-64349345843758336142017-11-01T12:16:00.001-04:002017-11-01T12:16:20.064-04:00Twelve Score and One Year AgoSeptember 21 - 22, 2017<br />
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I know nothing about history but I'm finding that visiting the parks is giving me incentive to learn. The National Battlefields and Military Parks have been amazing in that they work very hard at presenting a non-slanted viewpoint, emphasizing the good and bad things done by both sides. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm" target="_blank">Gettysburg</a> is more focused on the North but I think that's because the army's were in a collected area while Southern troops were spread around the Northern horseshoe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8h0EEi9obtjLfzpB8zYCE19iMPmdhh4iDY83DUkRrtGd_KXmNGc7k5JLnvTirl0OFHjjnZsyflKAABV6qtjckHJnEu7JZ15xAjz7VGvTmrIwHBvzCmhdSt1dBw62rqEiM15NXs0qMQbM/s1600/20170922_120545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8h0EEi9obtjLfzpB8zYCE19iMPmdhh4iDY83DUkRrtGd_KXmNGc7k5JLnvTirl0OFHjjnZsyflKAABV6qtjckHJnEu7JZ15xAjz7VGvTmrIwHBvzCmhdSt1dBw62rqEiM15NXs0qMQbM/s400/20170922_120545.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I never saw this guy but his license plate is from Washington State. Not sure if he's on a big summer adventure or living in his Scamp.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aYdrJChVtK3Ee0eRmCtFumxEH81g956MS90cjVDLgNTRfSjpBNM6N81y6ITSHRh1blYedjcTOYVGTPdt-mOREEZrFw1SqqtCNBGrxh5oBJJRMDnrQfF1ig-XwPU-kKGiBYwu4oTv-no/s1600/20170922_161108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aYdrJChVtK3Ee0eRmCtFumxEH81g956MS90cjVDLgNTRfSjpBNM6N81y6ITSHRh1blYedjcTOYVGTPdt-mOREEZrFw1SqqtCNBGrxh5oBJJRMDnrQfF1ig-XwPU-kKGiBYwu4oTv-no/s400/20170922_161108.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Veterans from many wars are buried at Gettysburg.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnxyWUGpQpPkbhiuk2s2x_6JVozT82jBc58jCy6ut7bnK47DjbbXJQf8xqGR2aNjJ44ui2ySfNFdqS6saN04j7n2hTnAI4X6TIUMQQ9EspG3oROzhvHL83FdYxJ_0YTylED4qo0WvIS8/s1600/20170922_161302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnxyWUGpQpPkbhiuk2s2x_6JVozT82jBc58jCy6ut7bnK47DjbbXJQf8xqGR2aNjJ44ui2ySfNFdqS6saN04j7n2hTnAI4X6TIUMQQ9EspG3oROzhvHL83FdYxJ_0YTylED4qo0WvIS8/s640/20170922_161302.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Civil War soldiers are marked by strips of concrete. Many have names, many are just numbers. All are Union soldiers, the Rebels are buried all over the area.</div>
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I guess this guy's regiment was known so he got a place with his compatriots.</div>
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I did one Ranger talk and went to the cemetery but couldn't muster the energy for much more than that. Pennsylvania was about 15 degrees hotter than normal and there is no shade anywhere near the parking areas. I took the sweaty kitties back to Walmart and parked in the shade provided by a giant RV in the lot. </div>
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All good things come to an end, even batteries. I thought maybe I was parked in the shade too long and the battery couldn't charge enough to manage the refrigerator overnight but no, even getting the battery up to full charge didn't provide enough juice to keep things cold.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ujaf0Ueyc2gzrudT4cLUAtydtx0eDgBvr0iuY9f5UUEJ0z-MMVhot5FwUFwynepVLN2yI5teEGNkvAnY6W3gz8e1lyWv0P0qkI7G2oy6ARVwq1l4ouvf04xacAzR6PPjvb96mHF2Oxs/s1600/20170921_071006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ujaf0Ueyc2gzrudT4cLUAtydtx0eDgBvr0iuY9f5UUEJ0z-MMVhot5FwUFwynepVLN2yI5teEGNkvAnY6W3gz8e1lyWv0P0qkI7G2oy6ARVwq1l4ouvf04xacAzR6PPjvb96mHF2Oxs/s400/20170921_071006.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Oh well.Thankfully Walmart has all kinds of batteries and the lovely gentlemen were kind enough to hoist that heavy thing into the compartment for me and hook it up. Everything seemed to work after the operation and I'm assuming we are good to go.</div>
J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Gettysburg National Military Park, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA 17325, USA39.8113676 -77.2259778000000114.809120099999998 -118.53457180000001 64.813615099999993 -35.91738380000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-25883399963921180752017-10-28T12:02:00.000-04:002017-10-28T12:02:05.649-04:00Pinchot Leaves His MarkSeptember 18 - 21, 2017<br />
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Gifford Pinchot was against the formation of many National Parks, wanting instead to create areas that would be "managed" rather than "preserved". Thankfully others saw the value in not cutting down trees in say, Yosemite, but clear-cutting in many National Forests is due to his policies. Bainbridge Island had a Graduate Institute (recently acquired by Presidio) started by his grandson who has the same name and all I knew about the man was that he did believe in sustainability - balanced with usability.<br />
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Turns out that Pennsylvanians know all about the guy, seeing as how he was governor of Pennsylvania for eight years. He also has a nice park named after him.<br />
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Needing some time in the dirt I decided to stay a couple nights at <a href="http://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/GiffordPinchotStatePark/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">his park</a> and regroup. It was delightfully empty in the middle of the week and the camping areas are surrounded by super-easy walking trails. When I eventually got a map from a helpful park ranger I saw that there was also a trail that circumvented the lake in the middle of the park. Cool! Eyeing the scale on the little map and making some guesses about twistyness of trails I figured the route was four, maybe five miles around.<br />
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I totally need to stop guessing about things.<br />
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About halfway 'round I was thinking that this had maybe not been the smartest decision but by that point I was 1) half way through so turning around wouldn't have been all that helpful and 2) in the middle of the woods, far away from any more helpful park rangers that could give me lift back to the campground.<br />
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Happily there was a vending machine at a day-use area around the back-side of the lake and I chugged something with sugar to recover a bit of energy. Then I checked the time, looked at how much farther I needed to go, and tried to remember what time the sun set.<br />
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Then I hustled. Getting caught in the woods in the dark was not high on my list of experiences that I was looking to do. The path on this end of the lake was not as steep as at the first end and I made reasonable time, huffing and puffing much of the way until reaching the campground road. Where, of course, I realized how much my feet hurt.<br />
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I made it back to the camper a good half hour before sunset and had plenty of time to hobble to the shower and sort out just how many blisters I had on my toes. Bah. But hell, I just did a 9.2 mile hike! Woot!<br />
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<br />J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Gifford Pinchot State Park, 2200 Rosstown Rd, Lewisberry, PA 17339, USA40.0742115 -76.88711860000000815.071963999999998 -118.19571260000001 65.076459 -35.578524600000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-62401589561188610512017-10-21T16:41:00.000-04:002017-10-21T16:41:09.403-04:00Central PA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
September 8 - 14, 2017</div>
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The park was a long day and I stopped for the night at a small Walmart with a big view. I don't know why people prefer to pay to sleep when spots like this are all over the country.</div>
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One place I've always wanted to see is Centralia PA. There isn't much there to see after 55 years of fire burning the coal seam. Most of the town residents moved out in the 80s when the air became dangerous to breathe and sink holes began opening up. Sometime in the 90s most of the homes were demolished with 10 or so families refusing to leave. All that's left are the streets that are slowly crumbling and vacant, overgrown lots. Actually looked like a good place to stop for the night but I hadn't checked into the legality of that so I didn't stay.</div>
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Next stop was Harrisburg to meet a friend and her amazing twins. Had a blast with them at <a href="https://forthunter.org/" target="_blank">Fort Hunter</a>.<br />
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Although the sunset at Harrisburg was amazing,</div>
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I needed water and some time in the trees. Next stop: Another State Park,<br />
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<br />J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Centralia, PA, USA40.8042541 -76.34050350000001140.7922346 -76.3606735 40.8162736 -76.320333500000018tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-46382282822989841992017-10-19T16:12:00.000-04:002017-10-19T16:12:00.212-04:00The Best State Park in the CountrySeptember 7, 2017<br />
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According to the signage, <a href="https://parks.ny.gov/parks/79/details.aspx" target="_blank">Letchworth </a>has been voted the best in the nation and the claim is totally believable. There are three falls through the gorge, lots of hiking trails and spectacular views. This could easily be a several day stop although I was there for only a few hours.<br />
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Stairs down to the falls</div>
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Lower Falls</div>
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Stone picnic tables</div>
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Amish tour group</div>
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Middle Falls</div>
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The trail to the Upper Falls was closed because of construction but I don't feel at all slighted with the two that could be viewed.</div>
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Yep, I'd certainly call it the best state park I've seen so far.</div>
J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Letchworth State Park, 1 Letchworth State Park, Castile, NY 14427, USA42.5902082 -78.02651900000000817.6239082 -119.335113 67.5565082 -36.717925000000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-27829066582761154922017-10-17T21:32:00.000-04:002017-10-17T21:32:10.794-04:00Heating Up In the NorthSeptember 5 - 6, 2017<br />
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Leaving Toronto was even less fun than getting there. I thought the going might be easier if I stayed out of the center of town but not only was there a ton of construction, the roads are also potholed and narrow in some places. To make things even more exciting there was a storm building and the bumpy roads in the city seemed to have made the engine heating issue even worse. The truck was running warm even on the flats and being buffeted by winds while worrying about the rig made me very unhappy. <br />
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I did a roundabout route into Hamilton avoiding the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlington_Bay_James_N._Allan_Skyway" target="_blank">Skyway Bridge</a> and the accompanying gusts of wind. Of course, since I didn't have any cell reception in Canada and only had a vague idea of where Walmart was in the city, I did a lot of slow driving until I got close enough to allow Google Maps to show me the location. I originally looked up the location in the U.S. and this allowed Maps to show me more detail of that area.<br />
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I also discovered that Canada celebrates labor day by allowing laborers to stay home. Lots of closed businesses and presumably fewer people on the roads. Other than the plants from Lowes being rolled across the road by the wind, it seems like a more civilized way to have a holiday.<br />
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Parked for the night and decided to go back to Niagara instead of seeing what Fort Erie was all about in case the heating situation got even worse. Ah well, another thing to do later.<br />
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The border crossing was just as easy although the U.S. border guard spent a little more time looking in my vehicle. It seems like a pointless exercise to me since he just kind of peeked and maybe opened a cupboard or something. Really, if I were going to smuggle something into the country I wouldn't leave it lying on floor in plain sight. <br />
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Or maybe no sensible smuggler would be driving a thirty year old vehicle.<br />
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Filled up with gas as soon as I was back in the states (SOOO expensive in Canada!) And drove towards Buffalo. I figured I'd find a place to stop and then look for a muffler shop in hopes that fixing the muffler would solve the heating issue.<br />
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I stopped on the edge of the city and found out that most shops were in the center of the city. Um....no. Shops that were close to where I was parked had bad reviews except for one, but he didn't think he could fit my vehicle on his lift. I didn't feel like describing the camper on a Toyota truck base because really, if you can't figure that out then I don't want you looking at my vehicle anyway.<br />
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Found a shop in Springville with good reviews and drove there. Turned out that not only had I lost one of the hangers (twisty tailpipe) but there was also a couple holes in the muffler and it needed to be replaced. Well let's do that then.<br />
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While chatting with the desk guy he told me about a pretty place to visit if I didn't want to do the standard Buffalo-DC route. Not wanting to do anything standard I went east instead of south and found an absolutely amazing state park.J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Springville, NY 14141, USA42.5083952 -78.66724820000001742.4615722 -78.747929200000016 42.555218200000006 -78.586567200000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-61214674480248812012017-10-15T20:52:00.000-04:002017-10-15T20:52:06.025-04:00The Great White North - Or At Least a Nice City on the LakeAugust 31 - September 4, 2017<br />
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I was a little apprehensive about crossing the border mainly because of the cats but it was a snap. The lovely young border patrol guard with a melting French accent peered into the rig, spotted the cats' eyes peering at him from under the table and said thanks. Awesome. <br />
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I decided to stick with the short distance driving scheme and randomly chose Hamilton as a stopping place. I am so glad I did this 1) because it's all city between Niagara and Toronto and 2) I happened upon a fabulous park.<br />
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Lake Ontario looks to have a lot of park space along its shores and<a href="http://conservationhamilton.ca/conservation-areas-2/confederation-park/" target="_blank"> Confederation Beach Park</a> is part of that trail system. I parked in the lot and spent a couple hours walking the trail. There are some great views of the lake and I found unexpected art work that is adorable.<br />
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I just loved these carvings!</div>
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The next day it was on to Toronto. Turns out there IS a big hill but it comes in the form of a bridge and wasn't too daunting. I also didn't realize that there were so many (...any...) wineries in Canada. Could be a fun wine tasting trip some time.</div>
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Although the roads and traffic suck, Toronto is gorgeous. Once my Canadian friend pointed out that there is a subway and I didn't have to drive downtown the city looked even nicer. </div>
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Plus they have cool black squirrels.</div>
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I wandered downtown a bit, had a great time having lunch with old friends I had never met and discovered that even our extra polite neighbours to the north will ditch an overgrown zucchini if they think they can get away with it.</div>
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<br />J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Toronto, ON, Canada43.653226 -79.38318429999998243.2856095 -80.028631299999986 44.020842499999993 -78.737737299999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-70921023958954897442017-10-13T19:23:00.000-04:002017-10-13T19:23:06.210-04:00Niagara Is Worth a Second VisitAugust 12 - 30, 2017<br />
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I spent more time camping in the woods a bit south of Utica in an area that seems to be mainly used by local folks as a picnic area. I'm a happy introvert and empty campgrounds suit me well, plus the forest rangers always seem to check on lone campers and marvel over a single woman on her own in the trees. The engine is still getting warm and the flatness between Utica and Niagara Falls is welcome. I tend to stress when things aren't working correctly despite not panicking about it.<br />
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The other thing that needed to be dealt with was rabies vaccines for the cats. Canada does not like the idea of people's pets infecting their critters (understandably) and will not let in pets without a rabies certificate. Cool. $170 dollars and a couple pissed off cats and I'll be set, right? Except that New York doesn't issue certificates for cats, only dogs. Sigh. Fortunately the receptionist was willing to work with me to create a document that looked official and had all of the required information on it. Hopefully I won't have to haul the cats out at the border for an inspection.<br />
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Stopped at the Walmart instead of the casino to be close enough to the gym for a morning shower. Thought I'd be somewhat clean for meeting the Canadians. Thankfully I wasn't in a hurry because oddly, in a giant parking lot, people couldn't come up with a better place to park than <i>right </i>in front and behind me.<br />
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Clearly I wasn't going anywhere any time soon so I decide to check the muffler - one of my possible sources for an extra warm engine. I grabbed the tailpipe to jiggle it and found the entire thing twisted in my hands. Welp . . . even if that wasn't the source of the problem it definitely needed to be addressed. I looked for a national muffler shop in Niagara Falls but didn't find anything closer than Buffalo. Oh well. The way to Toronto is mostly flat anyway. It can wait. </div>
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I debating walking to the gym since it was only a mile away but dithered long enough that the guy sleeping in the van eventually left. The folks in the big RV seemed to be planning a longer stay and were still there when I left around noon. I only went as far as the casino anyway. No point in hurrying since I wanted to take a stroll around Goat Island and hang out for the evening light show.</div>
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No, that isn't a picture of the light show because my camera doesn't do dark well. I also think the view would be much better from the Canadian side but I wasn't up for a walk across the bridge.</div>
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Wanting to get an early start across the bridge in the morning, and also getting cold from the spray and wind, I left before full dark and went 'home'.</div>
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J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0Niagara Falls, NY, USA43.0962143 -79.037738843.0034613 -79.1991003 43.1889673 -78.8763773tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-75878597905632208202017-10-11T12:35:00.000-04:002017-10-11T12:35:12.870-04:00Hanging Out in the WoodsJuly 29 - August 11, 2017<br />
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It turns out that both Vermont and New Hampshire are very pretty. I decided to spend a couple weeks in the White Mountains camping and although I didn't manage to take any pictures there, I did get a few after I left.<br />
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The most curious thing happened after I left the campsite - I noticed that the truck would get warm going up hill. Not hot - I am paranoid about overheating but previous to this the engine temp indicator barely moved even while climbing hills in 90 degree weather. I've learned not to panic when anomalies occur so I kept an eye on the temps while considering possibilities, not sure if it was a mechanical thing, high humidity, or maybe I just never really noticed the temperature change previously. I was pretty sure this last point wasn't valid, especially since I was also thinking that I had a bit less power going uphill. <br />
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Something to ponder.<br />
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I also met a guy who moderates a Facebook Toyota Motorhome page that I promptly joined and instantly became part of a large group of fanatics. I posted asking them about my hot truck and received a slew of different possibilities including one who's truck has always run warm and they deal with it by running the heater and opening the windows. I'm going to resist this possible outcome as heating the cab when it's 80+ and dripping with humidity does not predict a pleasant driving experience.<br />
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Whatever. I'll deal with it when I find a solution.<br />
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On my way to Toronto to meet with friends and I think Niagara merits a second stop.J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0White Mountains, Lincoln, NH 03251, USA44.164380400000013 -71.43255729999998519.198050900000013 -112.74115129999998 69.130709900000014 -30.123963299999986tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-40497323433464126642017-10-09T12:14:00.000-04:002017-10-09T12:14:01.276-04:00A Little More HistoryJuly 28, 2017<br />
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There's one more <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Point_State_Historic_Site" target="_blank">fun stop</a> on the way to Vermont with the ruins of both a French fort and what was meant to be a killer British fort that they accidentally blew up before it was finished.<br />
Fort St. Frederic is mostly piles of dirt but the remains of Crown Point are fun to tramp through, plus they had a sign that nicely explained the parts of a properly constructed fort.<br />
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This was a short stop on the way to Vermont - a place I had never considered visiting and know nothing about. I realize that a drive through a state still doesn't give you much information about the lives people lead but it's been interesting so far to compare my expectations with reality. I guess I'm expecting Vermont to be pretty . . and that's all I know . . .</div>
J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com021 Grandview Dr, Crown Point, NY 12928, USA44.0260493 -73.42685230000000719.059714299999996 -114.7354463 68.9923843 -32.118258300000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138724979976738930.post-1239879031672802572017-10-07T14:00:00.000-04:002017-10-07T14:00:33.966-04:00The French at an American FortJuly 27, 2017<br />
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<a href="https://www.fortticonderoga.org/" target="_blank">Fort Ticonderoga</a> was built by the French around 1755 near the south end of Lake Champlain (Seven Years War/French and Indian War). In 1759 the British drove out the French and 16 years later the Green Mountain Boys took it back from the British (Revolutionary War). A couple more years of fighting led to some back and forth between British and American occupation until the British finally abandoned it near the end of 1777.<br />
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The fort is currently owned by a foundation and presents a bit of a Disneyfied introduction to history. The entrance fee is pricey ($23 per person) but if you are willing to spend the entire day watching demonstrations it seems appropriate.<br />
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Every year they choose a different year to demonstrate and while I was there the Fort was Carillon under French occupation. I gotta say that they did an amazing job. Costumes were detailed down to the color of the piping for different troops and commands to subordinates given in French even when they weren't meant to be heard by the audience.<br />
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They really do shoot off the firearms.</div>
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Love the details on the cannons and mortars.</div>
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The Fife and Drum (brigade? squad?) is composed of high school students. Pretty awesome summer job.</div>
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This guy gave a great talk on the history of the fort and also mentioned that every pair of shoes that period people were wearing had been hand made at the fort.</div>
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The two guys on the right built the cannon that they then fired. They had the barrel made to spec at one location, got an Amish wheelwright in Ohio to make the wheels on the carriage and they then spent the summer putting it all together.</div>
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The view is amazing</div>
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J Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14784653391456616093noreply@blogger.com0102 Fort Ti Rd, Ticonderoga, NY 12883, USA43.8416766 -73.38753960000002518.8753416 -114.69613360000002 68.8080116 -32.078945600000026