tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39669272246419664922024-02-19T21:49:09.688-05:00Jones's JourniesKen and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-90801530655514147342011-07-19T18:44:00.000-04:002011-07-19T18:44:52.820-04:00Watkin's Glen pt. 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDClY-3uEfF5GyKO1HIFtgHWNyju1JdWY0XGDNJjk5yTxtv36BVqKNLyMLkUnyD82EDwNLlF4TOhkmTKYiPUOijB6-zeJHcBoPCtBBaBdu5rAkzeimzyiD9XoiOQb4WOiewtpQJ7iSZc/s1600/b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDClY-3uEfF5GyKO1HIFtgHWNyju1JdWY0XGDNJjk5yTxtv36BVqKNLyMLkUnyD82EDwNLlF4TOhkmTKYiPUOijB6-zeJHcBoPCtBBaBdu5rAkzeimzyiD9XoiOQb4WOiewtpQJ7iSZc/s320/b.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhbHrsbiMrN1uqinAp3rE8kczj0Avs6FhikNted1-BVTDdBfZwJJtfKJyKTOnWGLCFfL10y8JMvMWboW7OJXb68dHJoYR7z8_WcPmBBqfvWAYwaggGAk0M_HN698vGCidp9UsRLOVKws/s1600/o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhbHrsbiMrN1uqinAp3rE8kczj0Avs6FhikNted1-BVTDdBfZwJJtfKJyKTOnWGLCFfL10y8JMvMWboW7OJXb68dHJoYR7z8_WcPmBBqfvWAYwaggGAk0M_HN698vGCidp9UsRLOVKws/s320/o.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>Watkin's Glen Pt. II<br />
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While hiking The Gorge Trail at Watkin's Glen, one can't help but marvel in the sheer power of it all. You look up to see cliffs of nearly a hundred feet, and possibly more, all carved from the power of this mighty river that flows so majestically down the different steps and cascades. Anyone who is a lover of nature would be happy to stay at Watkin's Glen for months on end. I know I can't get enough of it. It's now my favorite waterfall place to be, surpassing the once favorite Rikket's Glen. <br />
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The trail is a medium level intensity hike. We had no problem with it. The steps of the trail are kept in great shape, unlike Rikket's. My only negative criticism about the place is that they are lacking in litter control. Everywhere we stopped to take a break, and just enjoy whatever particular fall we were looking at... we had to clean up where we were. On an editorial note, I find it disgusting that anyplace like this would have to have people clean up after the visitora to begin with. I am quick to remember the old commercial of the Native American man, who cries at the sight of people littering out their car window, on the highway. If that got him upset, seeing tons of beer bottles, cans, cigarettes and wrappers of all kinds, littering this place of immersurable beauty, would give him a stroke. <br />
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At one point, I hopped over the wall to get down further into The Cathedral Fall. I know you're not supposed to, but I wasn't going to be happy with the same touristy photos of Watkin's that I'd seen a million times. I needed a better perspective. I doubt I'm the first to have done it, but I still needed a bit more creativity out of my shots than the same angle from the trail that anyone can get. While I crossed the creek, and hiked up the side wall to the base of the fall, I was disgusted to see the amount of trash that littered the entire area. This place must take in tons of revenue every day. WHY they can't pay someone to pick up after the idiots who are forced to litter the place up, is beyond me. It was sad. I sent my son back over the creek to bring me back some bags. We always bring plenty of shopping bags with us on hikes. Mostly to pick up trash we encounter along the way, but also to protect the cameras in wet situations. I was sacrificing that protection now, to use strictly for trash removal. I filled three bags with crushed cans and bottles that I picked up along the creek, and some in the shallow waters of the basin. I know it was barely a dent in the huge amount of litter that scarred this gorgeous area, but at least The Cathedral was now clear of any debris, for at least a day. :) I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but I really can't understand why EVERYONE doesn't feel the way I do about nature, and preserving its beauty? If everyone would bring a bag of some type with them, when on a hike, and pick up a little trash left behind by the assholes who DON'T appreciate the beauty of nature, places like Watkin's Glen would be nearly pristine. Okay, off my soapbox. :) <br />
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Continuing along the gorge trail, the sun finally began to show it's face. We'd managed to get a lot of good shots on the way up, so I wasn't too upset about it. We got to the top, and took a nice, relaxing break at the park. We enjoyed some ice cream after kicking off our hiking boots and letting our feet breathe and relax a bit. After about an hour of relaxion, we began our way back. With the sun shining so strong now, we decided to take The Indian Trail back instead. It's not right along the gorge, but has many nice overlooks along the way. It also has a huge suspension bridge that goes 80 feet over the river, which I was NOT looking forward to. I thought I'd be taking a detour back to The Gorge Trail at the point of the bridge, but I'm dedicated to overcoming these two phobias of mine. Fear of heights and spiders has long overcome much fun in my life. Living and working at a campground has brought me into the most day to day contact with spiders I've ever had. I like to think I'm making progress with that battle. I no longer shriek like a little girl and dance around in a fit, when I see one. Now, I just dance in a fit if one gets on me. Definitely getting better. :) As for heights... not as easy to fight. I get the shakes just getting on a ladder, so crossing this bridge was NOT easy for me, but I managed to do it. The bridge was far wider than I thought it was, and the slats of wood were much closer than I originally thought they'd be, so it was easy to just look forward and get the job done. Had I looked down, or over the edge... I may have panicked. If that had happened, I would have probably frozen and I have no idea what it would have taken to get me off the bridge. Luckily that didn't happen. :) <br />
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After the hike was done, we had lunch in the parking lot, and headed back to the campground. The campground at Watkin's is also gorgeous. Big, beautiful sites abound. Again, my only complaint would be the high amount of litter. I might also add that the bathrooms were definitely subpar. After working here, at Canyon Country Campground, where the bath houses are as immaculately clean as one's own house, it takes me back a bit to see webs and dirt all over a bath house. Since it IS camping though, I can overlook it for a few days. :) <br />
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We went down to the pool for a nice swim to cool off from the now brutal heat. Luckily we got in for about a half hour before the sounds of thunder were heard in the distance. The staff immediately got us out of the pool and we headed back to the campground and back to the van, to nap during the downpour. And nap we did. The rain lasted for hours, and so did our slumber. We probably slept for about three hours, to awake to the sun creeping back out from behind the clouds, just in time for dinner. Even with the moisture, we managed to enjoy a delicious dinner and a nice campfire before retiring for the night once again. <br />
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Even after getting a nice long nap in, all four of us were asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow. We switched things up the final night, with Ceej and I taking the bed and letting the twins have the front seats. They were much more comfortable in the seats than I was, but they're a bit smaller than me, so it kinda makes sense. I got a great night's sleep in the bed that we had slept in for two and a half months, on the first leg of Jones's Journies, last fall and winter. It was nice to reminisce a bit, but I wouldn't trade my camper's bed for anything now. :) We got up kinda early, broke camp and made our trip back to Scranton, Pa. to drop off the kids at their house. Along the way, we found a few more waterfalls that we stopped and enjoyed for a minute or two. I'm including a few shots of them in this blog as well. <br />
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As always, I hope you enjoy the pics. If anyone has any questions about where we've been, where we're going, how we live this way, questions about campers, campsites or anything in general... ask away. :) <br />
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Thanks for reading. :) Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-1846190105152812502011-07-16T17:22:00.002-04:002011-07-16T17:27:19.130-04:00Watkin's Glen pt. 1Since I've become addicted to waterfall photography, I've been able to shoot many different areas that are filled with very dramatic and beautiful falls. I've shot Rikket's Glen, Child's Park, and other gorgeous falls in Pa. and New York. One of my dreams has been to shoot the falls of Watkin's Glen, one of the most beautiful places on Earth, located in the midst of The Finger Lakes, of New York State. Finally, that dream has come true. :) <br />
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We had two of our children, Damian and Raven, with us here for about two weeks. It must have rained nearly every day they were here. It's not been the best weather for these last two months. Most rain I think I've ever seen in my life. I'm really not going to complain though, since it's keeping rivers, streams and most importantly... WATERFALLS, running at full strength. :) Inclement weather is usually what you want when you go to photograph waterfalls. The more overcast it is, and the wetter the rocks are, the better your shots come out. Sadly, this doesn't go well with camping though. We decided to risk it anyway, and we booked a campsite at Watkin's Glen. <br />
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The evening we arrived, it was beautiful. It had been a very warm and sunny day. Even if the sun didn't help my photographs, I figured I could always come back and get better shots another time. With some of our kids with us, it would be fine by me if the sun shined the whole weekend. All was going well, until we went to set up the tent. D'OH!!! Someone left the poles to the tent back home in Pa. Not in the camper, but back at home. So now we were going to have to all sleep in the van. Damian and I took the front seats, while Carol and Raven got the bed to crash out in. Not the most uncomfortable set-up, but because it was going to be very hot that night, it didn't lend to the best of sleeping situations. Everyone took it like a trooper though, and we set up the van, and made a great campfire to sit around before hitting the sack, to get ready for the next day's hike. <br />
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After a few very hot and uncomfortable hours of sleep for me, I woke to the sounds of rain on the roof of the van. Perfect. I heard the rest of the gang snoring and just felt horrible that I was going to have to wake them. So, I decided to go back to sleep for another little bit. :) That little bit was about two more hours. Carol woke me up and we got ready to hit the trail after a quick D&D stop, for coffee. <br />
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As we arrived at the main entrance of Watkin's Glen, the weather seemed like it was going to be perfect. It was overcast and threatening more rain. We got our backpacks on and began the uphill climb. The very first fall you see, is even before you enter the park. It's gorgeous, and just knowing that it's not even close to being the most gorgeous one there, had me in goosebumps. I couldn't wait to get in there and get going. We took a few shots of the first fall, and then entered the cavernous entrance to Watkin's Glen. I took a lot of shots that day, so I'm going to break this into a two part blog. <br />
Here's some pics of the first few waterfalls for you. I hope you enjoy them. If you ever get a chance to go to Watkin's Glen, YOU MUST!!! I've never seen a more beautiful place in all my life. :) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQh3jbn_ZU6BdfB0kiOmaRTgbXRofGus7TEHsQ9NU3U5ooqTYDU7fm9BW5h7RyxXhWnLJLcZgJFkMjv0cDPx4SaKm0ciY7Sz_ovdZtwFHNOocsZBEhXm9AA-NGlrnnkE9LfHifEyWdlI/s1600/p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQh3jbn_ZU6BdfB0kiOmaRTgbXRofGus7TEHsQ9NU3U5ooqTYDU7fm9BW5h7RyxXhWnLJLcZgJFkMjv0cDPx4SaKm0ciY7Sz_ovdZtwFHNOocsZBEhXm9AA-NGlrnnkE9LfHifEyWdlI/s320/p.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-38806632470161055722011-06-21T15:50:00.000-04:002011-06-21T15:50:50.991-04:00First Flight... KINDA. :) When we arrived here, at Canyon Country Campground, we were informed about where the particularly great sights of the area are located. One of our favorite attractions in the area is the Eagle's nest, which is on the bank of Pine Creek, at Darling Run. This is a part of the Rails to Trails. We have spent a few evenings down there, watching the Mama and Papa eagles soar back and forth along the river, while the near-fledgling babies would bop around in the nest. It's an amazing experience. The other night we went down and the experience got even better, which I didn't think possible. :) <br />
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Our kids are staying with us for a few weeks, so we took them down to see the eagles. We're on the East side of the creek, which is really low now. I guess nothing feeds Pine Creek, except the water from the previous Winter's ice and snow. The water level is actually higher than normal for this period of the year, because of the high amounts of rain we've had in May, and already in June. Not complaining though, since this area has experienced three years of horrible Summer droughts. The creek is low, but it's still not dry, which is fine by us. We went to the usual spot along the trail, which is perfect for viewing the nest and seeing some fly-bys by Mom and Dad.<br />
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The nest was very inactive today, though. We couldn't see any of the juvenile eagles bouncing up and down as usual, so we took a very small trail that leads down to the actual river bank, just to get a little closer. In the pictures, you'll see that there's a small "island" area in the middle of the creek. We were looking at this particular area, when we noticed a very large bird "flying" horribly bad on the other side of the creek. It crash landed into the top of a tree, after a very bad attempt at landing gracefully. As my kids were asking "What is THAT???", it dawned on me that it was one of the baby eagles. I assumed that perhaps they'd all fledged, and that we'd missed it. The baby eagle, which by the way... is HUGE, sat at the top of the tree, just staring around. I took a few pics, but I wasn't happy with what I was getting. I only have a 250mm lens, and it wasn't doing the job I wanted. There was no way around it... I was gonna have to get closer. :) <br />
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I always carry my hip waders with me, since you never know when you're gonna find a new waterfall, which is my favorite thing to photograph. I kept an eye on the eagle, while I sent my son back to the van to get my waders. Soon I was starting to cross the river, which was only about three feet deep, at the deepest part. As I was nearing the tree that the baby eagle was in, I heard my wife yelling... "Ken... look out!!!". I turned to the right quickly, to see a very angry Mama eagle coming straight at me. I was stunned. I should have been scared out of my wits, but how many times do you see something like this? The Mama shrieked as she flew directly over my head, maybe four to five feet over me. I couldn't react quicly enough to get a good shot, but I'll include one of the blurry ones I got of it after it passed by. I also have a few far away shots from a previous night of eagle watching that I'll include in this blog. <br />
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After that experience, I kinda had a feeling that baby was being watched, and that was a warning to me, to not get too close to him. I had no plans of climbing the tree, or disturbing the baby at all... but there was no way I was leaving without getting a few shots. With the sun setting behind the tree that the baby was in, they aren't the best shots. I had to add plenty of fill light to get the pics up to decent enough to post. Normally I wouldn't post shots like this, but it was such a unique experience, that I just had to share some of it with you. <br />
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As I was nervously looking around, for Mama or Papa eagle to give me another warning, a Park Ranger approached my wife and the kids on the bank. I couldn't hear what was going on, but I guess he explained to Carol that the baby had FALLEN out of the nest. They had not fledged yet, but this poor guy had taken a premature trip out of the safety of his nest. With me being so close, there was no way that Mom or Dad would come get him. So I backed off and went back to the shore. We waited there for about another hour, but he just sat there. I'm sure his parents returned to him after we left. It was quite an experience. I feel that we were quite blessed to have witnessed it. :) We'll be going down again to check out the rest of the babies, and see if they've fledged yet. We'll keep you all posted. :) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7I8JiquiQAKECtNYRr1-nk1NqP5WGUKriEZc8P2l2ODjdNrbruoFqILpLIvWECxU6asy68fnqUwWEaGJ7hfqKtg4gEZlnjWCy-ENDFrr_gvwY5esGLWWT1ZC1U0s3NDXSRqK9GrqfVVw/s1600/a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7I8JiquiQAKECtNYRr1-nk1NqP5WGUKriEZc8P2l2ODjdNrbruoFqILpLIvWECxU6asy68fnqUwWEaGJ7hfqKtg4gEZlnjWCy-ENDFrr_gvwY5esGLWWT1ZC1U0s3NDXSRqK9GrqfVVw/s320/a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglF-ZmQrk_lJ-J0mi49vGr2rU9ItCykJTECKTKVRcKCAK4Dk2CjxjT0y6gvu4zWlj339MPJpNgwEeVct8N9DIlcy_SZVbuRq2kxSq8qKLAfsvUbbXCtnq_1D0peK83Y9hgegvy3Zn7rWg/s1600/p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglF-ZmQrk_lJ-J0mi49vGr2rU9ItCykJTECKTKVRcKCAK4Dk2CjxjT0y6gvu4zWlj339MPJpNgwEeVct8N9DIlcy_SZVbuRq2kxSq8qKLAfsvUbbXCtnq_1D0peK83Y9hgegvy3Zn7rWg/s320/p.jpg" width="294" /></a></div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-30966670673443310932011-06-06T17:35:00.005-04:002011-06-06T17:41:01.138-04:00Two Turkies Tackle the Turkey Trail. :p<div class="separator" style="background-color: #a64d79; clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGuN7CTw4qLgU8nS_GbfEcVlMuw74gQB-REghGBBHeDry9-5OKxS8jdJf0_gCJNLewXicBEwmvXM3xykgCizAlF05lHPyi-vJ7FoxToFMgbfB_COciBNGRHVo-yZAUlzskB23Or-8r69I/s1600/%25285+of+26%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGuN7CTw4qLgU8nS_GbfEcVlMuw74gQB-REghGBBHeDry9-5OKxS8jdJf0_gCJNLewXicBEwmvXM3xykgCizAlF05lHPyi-vJ7FoxToFMgbfB_COciBNGRHVo-yZAUlzskB23Or-8r69I/s320/%25285+of+26%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="uiHeader uiHeaderBottomBorder mbm" style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"><br />
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</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"> We’d planned on getting to Leonard Harris State Park by dawn, to take pictures of the mist rising in the canyon, but that wasn’t in the cards. As usual, it had been raining all night, and was quite dark and damp. This might kill most people’s hiking plans, but that’s the preferred weather for waterfall photography, so even though we slept in a little past sunrise, we were still up and out quite early. After a quick breakfast and some coffee, we packed our gear and water and headed out. All we had to stop for was some chicken for lunch. We arrived at Leonard Harris by 8am. The weather had at least dried up a bit, but it was still quite cloudy and overcast. We enjoyed some time just checking out the canyon from the many different lookouts. What a beautiful sight the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon is. The river below, which is fueled by snow and rain only, was ripping through the canyon. I SO wanted to be in a kayak, but I don’t have the skills for that kind of movement. It’s normally a class 2-3 river, but at this point, it was easily a four. Not for me. Maybe in a few years, I’ll be ready for that. :)</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"> We found the entrance to the Turkey Trail and took a deep sigh, as we contemplated the hike before us. It says it’s a 1 ¾ mile LOOP, but I’m not too sure about that. I’d say it was easily a mile and a half just one way. Regardless, the going down is beautiful and kinda easy. The decline is pretty steep, and you feel it in your shins as you descend. The painful part, is KNOWING what it’s going to be like on the way back. :( Still, with what we knew was ahead of us, we took that deep breath and began the descent.</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"> Within a short while, we saw the first waterfall. As a waterfall geek, I’ve seen a lot of breathtaking ones. The pictures I’d seen of this one, hadn’t really impressed me much. I imagine that the pictures I’d been able to see had been taken during regular flow. On this particular Tuesday morning, we were not looking at regular flow for late May. We had been suffering WEEKS of torrential rains, so this river/runoff was moving at FULL THROTTLE. She was GORGEOUS. I set up the tripod for the first of many times through the day, and was in my glory, as I captured shot after shot of the first waterfall that I could get a clear shot at. I’m not the best climber yet, so I stayed on the trail at this point. Going off-trail to get closer, would be suicide for me. The steep decline to the water was nothing but soggy mud. No tree roots to grab hold of or any secure rocks, just mud. We sat on the bench for a bit and enjoyed the sights and then proceeded down the trail. </div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"> The hike is one gorgeous waterfall after another. I couldn’t get shots of some, because of the mud, but as we got further down the trail, I finally was able to get my waders on, and get right in the water for some decent compositions. Carol was taking video of the waterfalls and the trail as we would stop almost every ten minutes for another fall. It was second to only Rickett’s Glen, in my opinion, for sheer beauty and number of falls. Sadly it’s not a constant flow. I’ve heard that it turns to a trickle within the next few weeks. :(</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"> After a three hour descent, we finally arrived in the canyon itself. We were exhausted, but so exhilarated at the beauty of what we’d just experienced. We looked around for a nice place to have lunch, and found a nice, big, flat rock along the river to set up. Another beautiful hour or so was spent here, enjoying our lunch and conversating about how gorgeous the place is, and how much we’re going to love it here. Oh, and as we set up for lunch, the clouds parted, and a long forgotten stranger finally showed up. We’d not seen the sun in nearly two weeks, and here he finally was, making the day beautiful. Luckily, I’d already gotten about two hundred waterfall pics, so I wasn’t cursing his arrival. :P</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"> We finished eating, packed it all back up and decided it might be best to just call in for an emergency rescue, rather than risk the potential heart attacks we were sure to suffer by climbing back UP the Turkey Trail. Oh wait… that was just what I SUGGESTED to Carol. She told me to grow a set, and pushed me, kicking and screaming, all the way back up the ridiculously steep Turkey Trail. ? We took many breaks and talked to some other people who were trying to survive the hike. After about two hours, we finally made it out without any scrapes, or need for artificial respiration. A MIRACLE I tell you. ? We headed straight to the water machine to purchase some more bottles of water, as we’d kicked ours halfway up the trail. I pounded two full bottles in about three chugs. I was quite parched. Then I stole Carol’s bottle as well. ? We then headed to another lookout and just relaxed a bit, enjoying the scenery some more.</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"> WHAT A DAY!!! Enjoy the pics. :) </div><div style="background-color: #a64d79; color: black;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: purple; text-align: center;"></div><div style="color: purple;">Well, I know I haven’t been really on top of this journal since we arrived here, at Canyon Country Campground, on Friday the 13th of May, 2011, but I’m going to try to remedy that. To bring you up to date with things, here’s a short recap of how it’s gone. </div><div style="color: purple;"><br />
We took off on Friday morning, from Carol’s mom’s house at about 6am. The camper and the van were fully loaded, and ready to go. This wasn’t the first time I’d driven the van with the camper attached, but it would be the first time I’d driven it more than ten miles. I was a bit worried, but more eager than anything. We stopped shortly, along the way, for breakfast. We LOVE the food and the coffee at The BlueBird 2 in Tunkhannock, so that’s where we stopped. <br />
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The ride was pretty smooth. I had one incident with stopping too quickly, where the camper felt like it was going to jump hitch and crash into the back of the van, but other than that one time, the journey was easy. We stopped once for gas along the way, and one other time to stretch our legs. <br />
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We arrived at Canyon Country Campground in decent time. We met the owners, Jim and Lindy, and their most beloved and absolutely gorgeous dog, Zoe. Jim took us up to our spot and helped me back her in, which was definitely a problem for me at first. I couldn’t grip my head around the whole turning the wheel OPPOSITE of the way you want the camper to go. I finally caught on, thanks to Jim, and we were in. Jim told us to take our time and set up before coming down for our job briefings. The site is nearly perfect. Not the most level of sites, which is a pain for my hammock and our screen tent, but it’s so gorgeous up top here, that we can easily overlook the slight pitch. <br />
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After setting up, we went down to the office and had a brief meeting with Jim and Lindy. Basically, it was a “get to know each other” kind of thing. They familiarized us with what we’d be doing, and then told us we didn’t even have to start today. COOL!!! After that ride, I didn’t really need to start working. ? <br />
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We checked out the campground, and lounged around our own site. We’re in the seasonal section, and one of our neighbors, Doc and his wife Judy, had already arrived. They invited us over to their campfire for drinks on night one. Very nice couple and very helpful. They knew we didn’t have a tent for our picnic table yet, so they told us to take theirs, since they were leaving in two days, and wouldn’t be back for three weeks. We took it over, but it wasn’t good for us. We didn’t like the location, so wound up putting our table in the woods, behind the camper. We’ll get a smaller cover for it soon. <br />
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FINALLY got to sleep in our enormous, wall-to-wall bed. I must tell you, it was FABULOUS!!! Loved every minute of it. Probably the best night sleep EVER. ? Got us ready for the next day, which started with breakfast and coffee, and off to our first day “on the job” at Canyon Country Campground. <br />
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Our work week is Thursday through Monday, from 10am to 2pm. Not bad, eh? We’ve got time to enjoy our mornings before the day of work begins. I hate to even call it work. It’s more like chores. The day flies by. We usually start with the cleaning of the office, porch and laundry room. From there, we hit the outgoing cabins and campsites. This is one of the most immaculate campgrounds I’ve ever been to. Jim and Lindy have very tough standards on how clean their sites and cabins have to be. When we’re done with a cabin, you won’t find a spider web, or a fleck of dust anywhere. I’ve taken great joy in my role of spider eradicator. LOL I’m mostly a wuss, and just attack them with my broom, but on one occasion, I really manned up and grabbed a HUGE spider, from the ladies room, by one of the legs, and threw it outside. I have no idea how I momentarily conquered my arachnophobia for that, but somehow I did it. Okay… so Carol had doused it with some chemicals, and it was quite lethargic, AND I was wearing gloves… but still… impressive. LOL After the campsites are done, we do the bathrooms, which are also immaculate. Nicest bathhouses I’ve EVER seen in a private campground. After that, we hop in the truck and collect the garbage from the sites. That’s the basic day. Sometimes we paint things, or clear fallen trees from the surrounding woods, but those are the basics of our duties. <br />
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So, not too bad a deal, huh? We really love the place, and for the first time in my life, I can say, without a doubt, that I LOVE MY JOB!!! It seriously can't be beat. There's been some tough days, but for the most part, it's cake. The campers are, for the most part, all very nice and appreciative of what we do. <br />
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After work, we usually take a break to have lunch, and relax. Sometimes a nice siesta is in order. When the wind has those trees rustling, it's a natural sleeping pill. So we sit in our zero gravity chairs and pass out for a bit. After waking, we take care of some of our normal chores around our site, and maybe take a hike or hang out with some neighbor campers. It's a sweet life folks. We're loving it. :) </div><div style="color: purple;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: purple; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-rWZNNNrZXcU-hWwwRAAQ7AKKy8jHZPUk5x-8OLNM0XgMcwRcRl7ohOXinor60-6zx6zn3OEHGyH0Ikf2pEv-fjQeLiFZicB9frUR22QoPdFKnJ3xg7EmiP0nhyphenhyphenWEUc0opEH8UVoJsI/s1600/IMG_7344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-rWZNNNrZXcU-hWwwRAAQ7AKKy8jHZPUk5x-8OLNM0XgMcwRcRl7ohOXinor60-6zx6zn3OEHGyH0Ikf2pEv-fjQeLiFZicB9frUR22QoPdFKnJ3xg7EmiP0nhyphenhyphenWEUc0opEH8UVoJsI/s320/IMG_7344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: purple;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;"> Our site. We feel quite envious, sitting next to that gigantic fifth wheel next door. :) S'okay though, we'll upgrade soon. :)<br />
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</div><div style="color: purple;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: purple; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtik0w4qZtE2ZQMkvnhgDf4aOisVZE_rr2zg-zTl_FFW5i_nj-p-xvhP8rh2a7NhmJWd3tmqW4syFjo66NQwMfty6JcCc0RYhCB6NT6XP4OKu07LLl2ACMeoMLQIA2eQAP9rl_xA5Kx4/s1600/IMG_7354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtik0w4qZtE2ZQMkvnhgDf4aOisVZE_rr2zg-zTl_FFW5i_nj-p-xvhP8rh2a7NhmJWd3tmqW4syFjo66NQwMfty6JcCc0RYhCB6NT6XP4OKu07LLl2ACMeoMLQIA2eQAP9rl_xA5Kx4/s320/IMG_7354.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: purple;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple;"><div style="text-align: center;"> A look at some of the beautiful cabins available to rent, at our campground.</div><br />
</div><div style="color: purple;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: purple; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMk7c3Mu9eK4YOdZLK1MdhEfFuMZ5U-04onXpcwt1b85s-ZEMPVZuqrRabdDieZTf9NotjeyS7Z3rHkJ5A9KUXXPP6jKr4cP1r2DMK4df9DwQCKS4oZFpjGwfP4-Wypxbn2d7uKkA4M0/s1600/IMG_7360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMk7c3Mu9eK4YOdZLK1MdhEfFuMZ5U-04onXpcwt1b85s-ZEMPVZuqrRabdDieZTf9NotjeyS7Z3rHkJ5A9KUXXPP6jKr4cP1r2DMK4df9DwQCKS4oZFpjGwfP4-Wypxbn2d7uKkA4M0/s320/IMG_7360.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="color: purple;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">One of the prominent images you see upon entering our campground, is our Flag. The owners here, are quite patriotic, which we LOVE. You should see this at night. Very gorgeous. I'll get a shot soon. :)<br />
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</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: purple; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCvxEOK2FVtP7cjCXh7i9gZ0Pcpus50v9pMAGmxDnelGg2QckKBQyd4RUfBVjoSV139s7tpqNMzX3WHzLjKKcThM6D9lOZUy7_2ENOoHE_gHHjHyEHt9faK5GvXViczPUxMkt3id4Rp0/s1600/IMG_7374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCvxEOK2FVtP7cjCXh7i9gZ0Pcpus50v9pMAGmxDnelGg2QckKBQyd4RUfBVjoSV139s7tpqNMzX3WHzLjKKcThM6D9lOZUy7_2ENOoHE_gHHjHyEHt9faK5GvXViczPUxMkt3id4Rp0/s320/IMG_7374.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple;"><div style="text-align: center;">As you walk out of the campground circle, you see the game room and the general store/office. Sometimes, I get to zip around the campground in that super awesome Gator you see. LOVE IT!!! :) <br />
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</div></div><div style="color: purple;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: purple; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQq4olzKUH5y4WMIo0jp_rFsKksXQxtoSAGVFGT0aw0qT9KqgmwEn1XEfsYhfZjrmDe12pEpj2Mx3oAdAGTwEP0_Qa1vx7uR6QZbLoisCR5tpr_6k6OLrrMpoNevkixmG9roBNB4_iH8/s1600/IMG_7383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQq4olzKUH5y4WMIo0jp_rFsKksXQxtoSAGVFGT0aw0qT9KqgmwEn1XEfsYhfZjrmDe12pEpj2Mx3oAdAGTwEP0_Qa1vx7uR6QZbLoisCR5tpr_6k6OLrrMpoNevkixmG9roBNB4_iH8/s320/IMG_7383.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: purple;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">This beautiful lady is Zoe. I'm the furthest thing there is from being a "dog person", but this girl has stolen my heart. She's the absolutely BEST dog I've ever met. She loves us too, especially Carol. <3 </div><div style="color: purple;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">Okay folks, that's a small tour of the campground and what's been going on. I'm still not completely caught up here, so there's a lot more to come. We took a few beautiful hikes that I want to share with you. Hope you like waterfall pics, cuz I got a LOT of them coming. :) See ya' soon. :) </div><div style="color: purple;"><br />
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</div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-38009175051132336772011-05-30T18:41:00.000-04:002011-05-30T18:41:51.593-04:00We've survived Memorial Day Weekend's Trial by Fire. :)For those of you still checking in here, glad you've stuck it out. It's been a rough couple weeks. The weather here in Pa. has been just terrible. The area we're in had three tornado touchdowns the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend began, and we had no power in the campground for almost the entire time. It just came back on, late last night. OY VEY!!! <br />
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Most of the campers were gracious and understood that it's an act of nature, and nothing can be done about it, seeing that it was a HUGE area that lost power. But SOME... some just don't get it. All in all though, most of the campers pulled together with the staff and made the most of it, and managed to have a great time anyway. <br />
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With the power back on today, and most of the campers leaving, the work load was a bit tougher. The bathrooms were in rough shape, and there was a LOT of trash to take care of. We got it all done though, and tomorrow and Wednesday, we'll be off. Not sure what we're doing yet, but there's tons of things to do in the area, so we'll decide tonight. <br />
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I've got a lot of pics to post, and will soon. Carol's put some up of our hike down Turkey Trail, of the Pa. Grand Canyon last week, on the Jones's Journies FaceBook page. You can check them out <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joness-Journies/105882906147113#%21/pages/Joness-Journies/105882906147113">HERE</a><br />
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All you have to do, is LIKE the page, and you'll be able to see the photos. You have to be a facebook member though. We'll get all the shots up here soon. Promise. :) Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-17511502124911016162011-05-17T16:00:00.003-04:002011-05-17T16:03:25.300-04:00We're HERE!!! :)<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://campinpa.com/">http://campinpa.com/</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">That's our campground. :) We arrived on Friday and have been very busy with set-up, and our duties. It's also been rainy, so we haven't had much time to explore the area yet. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We had a wifi problem, but that was solved quickly. I need to get some kind of wifi booster, so I can pick up the hotspot at the camper, which is about two hundred yards away. I'm not sure if there even is such a device, but I'll look into it. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's a rundown of things that we've done since waking on Friday. Carol wrote this, and posted it on the FaceBook page earlier.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">Hey, it's CJ here. :) </div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;"><br />
5/13-5/17</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">I thought I would pop on and let everyone know what's been going on since Friday.<br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">Friday... We headed out for a 2 1/2 hour ride to a beautiful campground. Turns out to be a 3 1/2 hour ride thank to 2 30 minute complete stops. There was some construction going on on the way here which kept us at a standstill TWICE for 30 minutes. YUK!!! But we did arrive with no problems. GREAT!!! Once we arrived, we met the owners, who greeted us and made us feel very welcome. They showed us to our site and helped get us pulled in properly. You don't see that at many places. But here, they make sure everyone is set up. They told us to stop down once we were all settled. After about an hour, I decided, it could take DAYS to get settled so we should go down and finish things when we came back. So we took the stroll down to the office and chatted for a bit. Got to hear what our duties will be while we are here and see a little of the grounds. At this point, I am very excited. It is falling into place. We found out that our hours are from 10-2 and we have Tues and Wed off. That gives us the mornings and the evenings to enjoy hiking, photogrpahy, and whatever else we may want (sleeping in <3 ). After the meeting, we set up a bit more and then called it a day. We were suppose to head to the store, but that was put off until tomorrow. The neighbors invited us over to sit by the fire. that was nice and we chatted for about 2 hours before we called it a night.</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">Saturday... Woke up, had some breakfast and reported for duty. The hours went by relatively quickly. The jobs we have are pretty basic and let us wander around the campground making sure the sites are clean. So we get to take in fresh air all day and see the wildlife running around. We also get to meet a bunch of campers from all over. SWEET!!! As we were finishing our duties, we were invited to a gathering in the pavillion at 6pm. So that gives us time to run to the store, come back, get cleaned up, and get to the pavillion. As we were getting ready, I was going to bring a bottle of wine with us for the BBQ, but realized the rules of the campground and quickly changed my mind. When we arrive at the pavillion, I see 2 bottles of wine and Ken decides to head back to our site to grab the third. It was a nice BBQ. A few campers, the owners and another worker just hanging out. A nice end to our first official day. No set up getting done now... All 3 bottle of wine were emptied and no one wanted to do anything but relax. In the middle of the night, it rained and rained. Making it beautiful to sleep. :D</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">Sunday... Raining!!! YUK! We took care of our duties then got some more of the set up done. By the time we realized the time, it was time to get some dinner together. I still can't believe how much work we still have to get set up. But it's all coming together. The rain is making it hard to get things done in a timely manner. Oh well, nothing to stress over, we have lots of time. We made some dinner, got some work done, and called it a night.</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">Monday... Raining on and off AGAIN!!! Seems like rain is big this year, unlike last year when we were all having problems from the droughts. Kenny had the alarm set for some uncalled for hour and decided he wasn't ready to get up. So when we did wake, it was like 8:30... Holy crap!!! Have to hurry, have coffee and breakfast, and get ready to get the daily duties done. I have to remember to set the alarm myself on these days. I hate hurrying around in the morning, I like to have time to relax first. After the daily stuff we came back to have some lunch and get more stuff done. Then it dawned on us TGIM (Thank goodness it's Monday) REALLY??? The next 2 days we are off. We should have no problems gettting the rest of our site done IF the rain ever stops. We finished a bunch of organizing and had some dinner. We also played some cards. Beautiful night, but will the rain ever end...</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">Tuesday... Slept until 11:15 WOW!!! I don't remember the last time I've done that. Maybe the sound of the rain on the camper did it, or maybe the fresh air, or maybe the fact that it didn't matter if we slept the entire day made it so comfortable that we just didn't move. I do believe that a chunk of it was the fact that we just love our bed and it is so comfy. So Kenny made some breakfast and I headed down to get some laundry done and type this while he works at the camper for a bit.</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; text-align: center;">That's my take of the last few days folks. Thanks for reading.</div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-76359981564953835832011-05-11T12:30:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:26:45.978-04:00T-minus ONE DAY!!!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Things are winding down, and we're about to set sail. :) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">We'll be hitting the road tomorrow. Not sure when yet, but at some point tomorrow, we're gone. Today, we still have a few things that need to be done on the camper, but not a lot. I got up there early this morning and finished the second coat of white, so I've only got to the second coat of black on the stripe, and we're finished with that. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Right now, the van is in the shop, getting new brakes and shocks. When I get her back, we're going to hook her up to the trailer, and take a few practice rides around the storage area. I've only driven her once before, and that was taking her from my Mother-in-Law's yard, to where it's at now. I've driven larger trucks before, so I'm not too worried about the ride tomorrow, but I still want to get a better feel for it, before departure. We're considering taking to the road after the afternoon rush hour is over, and arriving at the closest Wal-Mart from our destination. That's only a half hour out from where we're staying. We're not sure yet, if we want to stay the night at the Wal-Mart, or head directly to the campground and set up Thursday night. We'll be calling the owner's tonight and seeing what they'd prefer. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">This has been an incredible journey so far. Working on the Prowler with my wife has been a great experience. I was never much of a carpenter, so I was kinda "winging it" through most of our projects. I'm quite pleased with the end result though, and I believe we'll be quite comfortable in our new home. We're seriously looking forward to this. It's a dream come true. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Since the most recent pictures I've taken, aren't all that different from what I've been posting already, I think I'll just wait until we hook her up and get her ready to roll, before posting any more pics. I'm very much looking forward to getting this blog a LOT more exciting, with stories and photos from our stay at The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon region. Hope you stick around and enjoy it with us. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">I must take a minute to thank all of you here, and so many other wonderful people who have these incredible blogs. While they are packed with enjoyment, they are also packed with motivation, support and lots of knowledge. We wouldn't have gotten this far without this great online "community" of wonderful people, living such a wonderful lifestyle. I toast you all. :cheers:</span></div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-78939277570151519972011-05-06T11:38:00.000-04:002011-05-06T11:38:46.379-04:00Weahter CHANGE. YAY!!!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">So yesterday, we finally got a nice, sunny, DRY day. YIPPEE!!! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Did the re-caulking and got the first layer of white paint on the beast. :) By the time I was done, the sun was casting some serious shadows, so no pics for this blog. We're going up now to do more, so i'll take some high noon shots. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">We're ONE WEEK OUT now, from reporting to our work-camping gig. All is going well. We're waiting on the one window to be fixed, and I've got to finish the second coats of paint, and lay the carpet. We've got our van scheduled to be worked on for Wednesday, and we'll be set. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Can NOT wait. :) </span></div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-88109822978939490152011-05-03T19:36:00.000-04:002011-05-03T19:36:27.069-04:00ARRRRGHHH!!!! This weather is making me NUTS!!!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Okay, i'm already nuts, but still... this weather is becoming a pain. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">So I've got everything I need to finish the exterior renovations, but the weather just won't cooperate. Or better yet... the weather MEN won't cooperate. :( The forecast for today was to be partially cloudy, with thunderstorms and scattered showers most of the day. We got NONE!!! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">So much I could have accomplished today. I'd have gotten to the camper early, and painted the first coat by noon. Instead, we went up and dilly-dallied most of the day away. Yeah, we accomplished some things, but nothing that put a dent in things. Still, needed tasks were taken on, and beaten. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Before I put the carpet down, I needed to fill some gaps in the shelf under the desk. It's a potential spider entrance. So I overdid my defensive plan, by first filling the gaps with foam, then caulking over that, and then DUCT TAPING over the whole she-bang. That should hold a few of those eight legged bastards at bay for a little while, eh? :) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">The biggest drawback to embracing this lifestyle, is that my biggest issue, suffering from severe Arachnophobia, is something I'll have to confront on a MUCH grander scale. It's not something that's going to be easy. Already, we've had one decent size spider in the bedroom area, AS I was stretching out to take a break. Exhaling a nice trail of vanilla flavored cigar smoke, my eyes following the smoke, I suddenly felt my spine contract into a little ball, as my sphincter puckered to the size of a pinhead. Sweat started to bead on my forehead, and a young, pre-pubescent girl's voice escaped my lips as I shrieked... "HELP ME"!!! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Carol, my hero, hearing my shriek ( and somehow managing not to laugh her ass off ), sprung to action and quickly removed my nemesis from our abode. I would have personally been quite happy, had she eradicated the small, nickel sized, tarantula type, creep-ass bastard, but she just knocked him into a rag, and placed him outside. Now, I have to keep a vigilant post that he doesn't make his way back in. I'm never going to sleep. LOL </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">After that incident, plugging all holes and cracks in the camper is of the HIGHEST ORDER!!! I spackle, weatherstrip, duct-tape, and spray with liquid insulation foam ALL questionable areas. I'm making myself feel better, but I know the scourge of spiderdom can NOT be vanquished. Someday, you'll be reading another tale of my horror. Enjoy. :) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">So with that all done, and MORE rain expected tomorrow, I will definitely be doing the rug tomorrow. Everything is prepped and ready to go. Measurements are made and hopefully, while I'm on the floor, I won't run into an eight-legged freak that got in before I spider-proofed the place. :) </span></div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-79440804878196379552011-05-01T12:52:00.002-04:002011-05-01T13:01:12.465-04:00Finally, a SUNNY day.<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span></span>We've been at a standstill with the camper, due to the horrible weather we've been getting lately. Can't paint or work on the frame with all this rain. Everything else is done, for the most part. Luckily, yesterday was beautiful. We had our kids with us, and we spent the whole day at the storage facility, working on the camper. Got a lot done too, so we're kinda happy with the productivity. The more we get done, the more excited we get to be on our way. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">We report to our work-camping gig on Friday, May 13th. We've been checking out pictures of the place and it's just beautiful. We can't wait to get back to the camping life. From the first time I set foot in my Aunt Helen's Winnebago, at ten years old, I KNEW I wanted to live in an RV. I didn't see it happening until I was much older, but "thanks" to the bottom falling out on my career, we got that push to "JUST DO IT"!!! I'm expecting a full success at this, but even if it doesn't work out... at least we tried. We had a complete ball on our last excursion, which was only in the van, and with limited funds because we had to pay for our campsites. Also, we stayed many a night in Wal-Mart parking lots. So now, with a work-camp gig, we should have no problems, and life will be grand. :) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Here's a couple shots of the work we accomplished yesterday. Special thanks go out to our kids, Damian and Raven, for all their help yesterday. My back wouldn't have survived without them. :) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6l7Gap74DZts1AoGICdRYYGmsfFuxVpLY_b3Y7SYxh5t8laKiLDWYUZspni7Ko8jyl3Hd_VRuAFDc1DLYnPNXP-YfyqBDS4aq7WHEr3-RE4IOa-ZO5PdGin90Ph5xPP3tDd4TiNZmaI/s1600/DSCF0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6l7Gap74DZts1AoGICdRYYGmsfFuxVpLY_b3Y7SYxh5t8laKiLDWYUZspni7Ko8jyl3Hd_VRuAFDc1DLYnPNXP-YfyqBDS4aq7WHEr3-RE4IOa-ZO5PdGin90Ph5xPP3tDd4TiNZmaI/s320/DSCF0027.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> Putting the first coat on, after having spot-painted the scraped off areas the day before. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_6C0nGUqUZ6zCfSXCGX685KpT4yI5wkra76N3Dz114iybBYUkZemmmgUZ9YD4MB1NzACzvZ7BDaCm3Au9Y_U6rAdfU6iNZx9pj17QN1lFppkxk3amS-A9lYuI-TdZL_TGOWiL3wbGbc/s1600/DSCF0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_6C0nGUqUZ6zCfSXCGX685KpT4yI5wkra76N3Dz114iybBYUkZemmmgUZ9YD4MB1NzACzvZ7BDaCm3Au9Y_U6rAdfU6iNZx9pj17QN1lFppkxk3amS-A9lYuI-TdZL_TGOWiL3wbGbc/s320/DSCF0040.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> Our son, Damian, helping out my back and knees by painting the trailer hitch area. Big THANKS!!! :) </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5Q3Y7KkVxqiCMZmaNchgZJHiu_Wd3yvlmp9RH2IYdPjuHEnIAkCA_meprB6pU7nLGZk9jQcTpcytIiIW8zkfryDE_9G86eDDeg5aTZlxCuurs3ZtYylnADvezH3N2svTna-ugZCf2V8/s1600/DSCF0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5Q3Y7KkVxqiCMZmaNchgZJHiu_Wd3yvlmp9RH2IYdPjuHEnIAkCA_meprB6pU7nLGZk9jQcTpcytIiIW8zkfryDE_9G86eDDeg5aTZlxCuurs3ZtYylnADvezH3N2svTna-ugZCf2V8/s320/DSCF0043.JPG" width="302" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> The closet area, after the wall paper was added. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fGoxXoujf_3c0I3GYsk5Rz4gr97zcagpYj2m0kcGqPcVoB6XrHE4Uo916R_uDCb1g8t_ZVGYt9aaZnw96HM_z1CNMESyyXTizSSN5ngoFhdAMvG-LWpfft6jvSo61krIYl1iq7Hwe7k/s1600/DSCF0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fGoxXoujf_3c0I3GYsk5Rz4gr97zcagpYj2m0kcGqPcVoB6XrHE4Uo916R_uDCb1g8t_ZVGYt9aaZnw96HM_z1CNMESyyXTizSSN5ngoFhdAMvG-LWpfft6jvSo61krIYl1iq7Hwe7k/s320/DSCF0044.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> Carol installed a bar in the former shower area, and immediately started adding her clothes. :) </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMbHeuant8hQhcplxLNE34Sq8P1G9oEw0Ja9JHV6nFedclngacbTEPzYnSSisVa8HqIBCigucxQBvEfc2f3bE0GcJl4o0K6iFTW_6rsCKSRRcgddu8hQydKhw2rI5VPmcAz2VX7UTbaM/s1600/DSCF0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMbHeuant8hQhcplxLNE34Sq8P1G9oEw0Ja9JHV6nFedclngacbTEPzYnSSisVa8HqIBCigucxQBvEfc2f3bE0GcJl4o0K6iFTW_6rsCKSRRcgddu8hQydKhw2rI5VPmcAz2VX7UTbaM/s320/DSCF0006.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> Here's an idea of the molding around the ceiling material. We used the leftover wallpaper from the bathroom to cover the molding, which covered my cutting imperfections. :) </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMrsSxunWEhavoS9qILmNgsSBd4xsimnX-HvaQ1yj9LdFsQWwlt-uSWiZlFPHvrIOIvcLeiK3txwlwdVSzCyuhDuyUy6VNK8slrUkcXjpdOUESczza4anbY4R_s0mBKz7JsnHbVYkpyA/s1600/DSCF0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMrsSxunWEhavoS9qILmNgsSBd4xsimnX-HvaQ1yj9LdFsQWwlt-uSWiZlFPHvrIOIvcLeiK3txwlwdVSzCyuhDuyUy6VNK8slrUkcXjpdOUESczza4anbY4R_s0mBKz7JsnHbVYkpyA/s320/DSCF0008.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> The cabinets that we'll be using in the closet, fit PERFECTLY where the toilet used to be. I'm going to stack them two high here, and fasten them to the wall. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqK6-i2Q0K7Am3D-a9vHVw3PVCRJv1q4qN3Jieie3Mipj1kjYRghLBQACQxc6bK63sfWMwsMsqiFSqMYXvI2LujuyTNtySza0myEWFVTiQRmn4C84FUPw4W5rLLj20Esl0e6_mJbEdtA/s1600/DSCF0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqK6-i2Q0K7Am3D-a9vHVw3PVCRJv1q4qN3Jieie3Mipj1kjYRghLBQACQxc6bK63sfWMwsMsqiFSqMYXvI2LujuyTNtySza0myEWFVTiQRmn4C84FUPw4W5rLLj20Esl0e6_mJbEdtA/s320/DSCF0012.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> The bathroom ceiling was the absolute worse. After gutting it, I was actually scared that the job was going to be beyond me. Somehow, I figured out how to put a new framework up, and install a whole new ceiling, which Carol covered with a black material, just like the rest of the camper's purple covering. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAiBHkQ2mrfnffC5jcPoCFOyPhyphenhyphenMIx4pxcxvkkJeV8yY3unBkoE72gjXK5fBTc6J3UuICEMohaxypVKPanSlXnyU9I9fM2htquxRLKTLgo6k7hgQSuECB1Rq5MyYrV8_ukVmSLxXdzXE/s1600/DSCF0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAiBHkQ2mrfnffC5jcPoCFOyPhyphenhyphenMIx4pxcxvkkJeV8yY3unBkoE72gjXK5fBTc6J3UuICEMohaxypVKPanSlXnyU9I9fM2htquxRLKTLgo6k7hgQSuECB1Rq5MyYrV8_ukVmSLxXdzXE/s320/DSCF0016.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> I had thought I was going to put a beautiful set of Mags on the camper, but they didn't fit. I had to get new/used tires for the wheels that were currently on the camper, but man... were they ugly. This camper had just sat in someone's yard for nearly six years, without any care at all. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xgq3kwyfAD-BI4nPgQU4rE2ktm6JK7I8oarb0IjogD6meTmf-MqNGAS1Awlf-DdTHvduLEo1igaaj5aSbChO3mnr5my1LvVPrfQyyWQHrqAKibLsb_22-5iSESgDOEYQvEUZ0N55d0k/s1600/DSCF0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xgq3kwyfAD-BI4nPgQU4rE2ktm6JK7I8oarb0IjogD6meTmf-MqNGAS1Awlf-DdTHvduLEo1igaaj5aSbChO3mnr5my1LvVPrfQyyWQHrqAKibLsb_22-5iSESgDOEYQvEUZ0N55d0k/s320/DSCF0017.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> Threw two coats of Rustoleum on them, and they're looking pretty fresh again. I'll spray some tire wet on them when we get going, and hopefully they'll look as good as new. :) </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtUNASKeR8dOq8ystPDVF8hEFvXjjbVvejL50p6VvEDodtPZNsw_bB9ih5hb4Up8bocpKseFyx5IIw5PFGzK1nHh90kSVoZWZYvmR057QBaSBR51rXuhYSmXUUEwNlk1hhsyj7QDJqLc/s1600/DSCF0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtUNASKeR8dOq8ystPDVF8hEFvXjjbVvejL50p6VvEDodtPZNsw_bB9ih5hb4Up8bocpKseFyx5IIw5PFGzK1nHh90kSVoZWZYvmR057QBaSBR51rXuhYSmXUUEwNlk1hhsyj7QDJqLc/s320/DSCF0018.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> This awning was in bad shape. We didn't even know that it was yellow, that's how dirty it was. With some serious elbow grease, Carol managed to get it looking brand new. I'll be painting the green part black. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQW1fJ4Uv-O5lYGWrQNs3-ws1aM0Z5VqwojlEqvvdlGKgPnqtx5S1sjTlzAR4DDzbUbGdPAn1eHdad_rF4LkQrejXJBaFS6OOmDtfnf0NSWFsLMjaefVEy9e5w_gIQqUWyInzimKj51V4/s1600/DSCF0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQW1fJ4Uv-O5lYGWrQNs3-ws1aM0Z5VqwojlEqvvdlGKgPnqtx5S1sjTlzAR4DDzbUbGdPAn1eHdad_rF4LkQrejXJBaFS6OOmDtfnf0NSWFsLMjaefVEy9e5w_gIQqUWyInzimKj51V4/s320/DSCF0019.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">After the bedroom construction, new screens, ceiling and curtains additions, the place is looking very cozy. We haven't spent one night in it yet, but we're at the point where we could now. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Hopefully the weather will stay cooperative. I still need to paint the white, and put a second coat of black on the stripe. The tires are going to be mounted today, and some other touch ups will be made, but with the threat of rain, we can't do any more painting today. :( </span></div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-35948293500049469412011-04-28T13:53:00.000-04:002011-04-28T13:53:34.711-04:00Weather or Not??? :)This weather is becoming a major pain. We're at the near-finished stage of having our camper done, but the rain is really holding us back. <br />
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I have to change the tires, which I can't because of the wet grounds where the camper is. I need to paint the stripe around the camper, which I don't want to do because of the massive winds and ridiculous amount of rain, and I still need to carpet the inside, which I can't do because of the ground being wet. I might be able to work around that part though. There's an empty storage bin, right next to our bin. We store our camper directly across from our bin. Not a bad deal. 100 bux a month for the bin and the parking area. So I might ask them if it's okay to use the bin next door to lay my carpet out to make my cuts. At least I can still get some production done this way. <br />
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We've got a few minor fixes that need to be done on our van. Sadly, I am NOT a "gear-head". I used to do some minor work on some of my older cars, back in my youth, but things are so different now. I'm one of those guys that if you show me how to do something once, I can do it. I can usually also read a manual well enough, but some of the fixes that I need to do, are a bit beyond me trying to "wing it" from a Chilton's book. So it looks like we're going to have to make an appointment at a garage to get some of these issues taken care of. I hate that, and I know that between now, and when I get our next trailer, i'm going to have to learn some basic automotive care. Otherwise, this lifestyle is going to be far more costlier than I need it to be. <br />
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Nothing too major has been accomplished since the last set of pics, so no new pics to post yet. :( We'll have some more up soon though. Hang in there with us. I guarantee that in a few short weeks, this blog is going to be brimming with beautiful shots of a most gorgeous area.Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-56463886525942975192011-04-26T13:59:00.000-04:002011-04-26T13:59:14.497-04:00Big Setback. :(Possibly... and I'm not sure yet, but possibly... the bottom just fell out. :( <br />
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Just got an email today from our work-camping employer, that due to the heavy winter snows, coupled with the extremely wet early Spring, they are delaying giving us a site. We can still WORK, but they will only give us 400 dollars a month for 40 hours a week between us. That's insane. I wouldn't mind if it was enough to cover another campground in the area, but it's not even close. <br />
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The area is inundated with drillers from out of state, capitalizing on the Pennsylvania abundance of Marcellus shale. The campgrounds have raised their rates dramatically, to profit heavily off the miners. I don't blame them at all, since the process will only be temporary, and most likely leave the area scarred or possibly even worthless for years. Unfortunately, right now... it's ruining OUR plans. Selfish? Sure, but in the end, at this stage of our lives... we have the right to be a little selfish. :) <br />
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I know this isn't insurmountable. We're not in danger of losing our lives, like the people suffering through these tornadoes that are ravaging the country. Our health is relatively good, and life is pretty sweet, for the most part. I don't want to sound like it's a major boo-hoo complaint, I'm just blogging, and as such, documenting what is going on in our lives right at this minute. <br />
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My wife is currently working her ass off to find us either another work-camping gig, or to find a decent rate in the area, so that we can work at our original job. We've got a few leads already, and are hoping to find success with some of them. It may lead to being in a different area altogether, but at this late date in the work-camping job hunt, we'll take what we can get. Any wishes of luck and support, would be greatly appreciated. :)Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-42117006480257087122011-04-26T08:40:00.000-04:002011-04-26T08:40:53.888-04:00Lots of production, in a short amount of time.With the weather being so un-cooperative lately, we haven't been able to work on the camper at all. Finally, we got to get up there yesterday, but due to a late chiropractor's appointment, we didn't get up there until after 5 pm. I thought we'd get nothing done, but somehow... our motors kicked into overdrive, and we worked non-stop for nearly four hours, getting a LOT accomplished. <br />
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Our ceiling is finished now. The covering is up, and the molding has been installed all around. I know it's simple work, but never having been much of a home DIY guy, i'm kinda happy with the work we're doing. It's a small camper, and it was in bad shape. For it to be looking as nice as it is already, and know that it's going to look even better soon, has me very happy. <br />
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Not a lot we can do about the outside right now. I'm going to buy a can of green paint to redo the stripe that goes around the whole trailer. I'd like to do all the white as well, but don't have the time right now. I'll buy the paint, and we'll finish that when we get to our work-camping destination. We've also bought the rustoleum black paint for the bumper (which is done), and the front part of the trailer. Even that makes a huge difference in the appearance of it all. <br />
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We've taken one entire window pane out and dropped it off at a glass store for replacement. I'm actually hoping to re-design the whole thing. As of now, the one side is a full window, that doesn't open. The other side is two smaller panes that screw out at an angle. I want to have both of them as full panes, that remove from the outside, leaving just the screen. The guy at the glass place is looking into that. <br />
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Next, is also re-doing all our screens on the inside. The molding for all of them, are at the house now, and we're putting all new, clean screens into them. What a huge improvement that makes alone.<br />
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Add the carpeting, do some decorating, and our home is finished. Hope to add some pics later tonight. We'll be leaving shortly to get up there and work on her some more. Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-8896828811352242022011-04-24T14:08:00.000-04:002011-04-24T14:08:52.932-04:00Waterfall Heaven.With the steady rain here, and the fact that I've thrown my back out of whack, AGAIN, we haven't gotten much accomplished at the camper. We're hoping that tomorrow, the weather will cooperate, and we can get back to work. <br />
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So since we've been basically stuck in the house, watching Nat Geo, and playing on our computers... Carol decided to check into area and surrounding sights of where we'll be staying for our work-camping gig. Along with the wineries of the FingerLakes region, there are also a boatload of beautiful waterfall areas. She found a few links that I thought I'd share with you. Some really gorgeous areas, very close to our home base. I seriously can NOT wait to head out. I don't think I've EVER been this happy about any kind of "work" in my life. LOL <br />
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Being a nature photographer, with waterfalls as my somewhat "specialty", I really can't wait to spend our days off at these incredibly beautiful areas. It'll be as close to "heaven" as I think we'll ever experience on Earth. Enjoy the links. Lots of pretty decent pictures. <br />
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://nyfalls.com/fillmoreglensp.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://nyfalls.com/fillmoreglensp.html</a></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://nyfalls.com/taughannock.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://nyfalls.com/taughannock.html</a></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://nyfalls.com/stonybrooksp.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://nyfalls.com/stonybrooksp.html</a></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://nyfalls.com/treman.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://nyfalls.com/treman.html</a></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://nyfalls.com/buttermilk.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://nyfalls.com/buttermilk.html</a></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">And last... but definitely NOT least... </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://nyfalls.com/watkinsglensp.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://nyfalls.com/watkinsglensp.html</a> </div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Watkin's Glen has been my dream to visit. I'm eagerly counting the days to get to our site. :) </div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-73037378426790289622011-04-20T19:02:00.000-04:002011-04-20T19:02:58.189-04:00Worked hard, but didn't seem to accomplish much.After the torrential rains we had yesterday, we hoped to get up to the camper early and get a lot done. Things don't always pan out the way you'd like, I guess. :) <br />
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We were both up early enough, but both of us seemed groggy and lacking any spunk. I know that I, personally, had a bad night. I fell asleep downstairs, during the NBA playoffs. I was happy that my Celtics won their game, and almost made it to half-time of the West Coast game, but zonked out. I woke up at around 3 am. and changed the channel to National Geographic Wild. BIG MISTAKE!!! As I fell back into a deep slumber, the show on Nat Geo, was somehow infiltrating my dreams. They must have had a shark show on, as I began to have graphic nightmares of being eaten alive by a Great White. LOL The really weird part, was that my town, which is nowhere near an ocean, somehow flooded, and that's how the shark got me. LOL <br />
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There were other nightmares as well, but that one was the most vivid. My night of good slumber was shot. I woke up at 7am and watched some Good Morning America, as I waited for my wife to come downstairs. Well... she didn't come down quite right away. I don't think she made it down until midway through Regis and Kelli. A quick breakfast and coffee, and we were finally ready to go. Or so I thought. <br />
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Turns out we'd made a commitment to take one of our kids for their permit test. We had to drive all the way to their house, and then backtrack halfway back to ours, to deposit him at the State Police Barracks. Luckily, our camper is close to the barracks, so we were FINALLY... good to go. :) <br />
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Got to the camper, took inventory of what we'd done, and what we HOPED to accomplish today, and then began to work. If you see the videos from the last day of work, you saw that we put a purple material on the ceiling. Today, I had to cut 2" molding to go all around the outside of the material, to cover up the jagged edges, and just make it look better. While I was throwing my back out, slowly cutting out all those slats, CeeJ was wallpapering the former bathroom, which we've now turned into a closet. At first, I really thought we were going to get a lot done today, but these small tasks, took up a lot of time somehow. <br />
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While I was waiting for CeeJ to finish the wallpapering, I started a task I really thought was going to be the biggest problem we'd have. The tires are in horrible condition and all of them need to be replaced. I have been dreading taking them off though, as they are horribly rusted. I thought they'd be really tough to get off, but I saturated them with WD-40 when I got there, and with a little elbow grease, I got them all loosened up. Tomorrow, I'll bring the replacement mags I have for it, and change them all out. I also painted the bumper and spare tire assembly with some nice, Rustoleum, glossy black paint. Looks great. <br />
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When it was finally time to get back inside and put up the trim, I think we'd both had it. Y'know how when your tired, you just tend to make mistakes? Well... that's what was happening. We started getting cranky and thought it best to just call it quits for today. We'll give it another shot tomorrow morning, EARLY. <br />
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So that's it for today folks. See ya's tomorrow. Spread the word to your friends, and have them follow us. It's just work right now, but it should get better soon. Once we're at our work-camp site, the blog should be loaded with pictures of gorgeous areas. We'll be located near The FingerLakes region of NY, and also only an hour from the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-91796038837482080532011-04-19T19:37:00.000-04:002011-04-19T19:37:32.397-04:00More Construction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These vids bring us up to date with how far we've come, as of 4-19-11. We go back up tomorrow to continue work on the camper. It rained far too hard today to accomplish anything. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8r0pkBdw4nA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zQJhrpltFjU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-79520710978345788862011-04-19T19:28:00.000-04:002011-04-19T19:28:49.179-04:00Camper Construction pt. 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here we have a few more tours of the camper, as it's under construction. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oCPJa2bZPFs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/bphbMByEXG4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-55696601464938501202011-04-19T17:55:00.000-04:002011-04-19T17:55:21.058-04:00Camper Construction pt. 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CQa23aW-yLg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>After a horrific winter, we finally got back to working on our camper. This is the video showing some of that, and documenting what a wreck it was. We're almost done now, and we'll be posting more vids of our progress soon.Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-60925559884168118362011-04-19T16:55:00.000-04:002011-04-19T16:55:08.555-04:00Hide-a-bed removal and computer station construction. Soon as we purchased the Prowler, we knew we'd be making some big changes. It didn't take too long before it was clear to us we had no real need of the hide-a-bed, but we DID have need of a computer station. Luckily, the destruction of one thing, led to the perfect recycle project. <br />
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The last shot of how it looked before the demo began.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsZZpcUgEZ37t_y2R5BSDeJEeAHrtZjzHReEmlxmKtkJam65Vt5Mh9ha3Htrm8cqOoi26ok45FF-o56QEiVOW0c5C6bqph2Ch7VFD83d2FPANxwkZmw-uXNBzgereR8s1W87PmGyMv4g/s1600/b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsZZpcUgEZ37t_y2R5BSDeJEeAHrtZjzHReEmlxmKtkJam65Vt5Mh9ha3Htrm8cqOoi26ok45FF-o56QEiVOW0c5C6bqph2Ch7VFD83d2FPANxwkZmw-uXNBzgereR8s1W87PmGyMv4g/s320/b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div> Each one of these damn little screws had to be removed one by one. The biggest pain of it, was that they weren't the nice screws, that you loosen a little, and then finger loose the rest of it. Nope. These required the ratchet to be turned the entire length of the screw. WHAT FUN!!! :) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywNYCRWqAYpSWt3sMzckYACRzCBHj_1UnWEbKOeEvr2dLfAh7ibgtC_ELuYNuhct-j8Ns4dI46iUPUUjGKYg37MSxfMZx9JF5StL1UfQxg-9YFPBdM1iEqtLaaagmaC_sNAyjYLLj9No/s1600/c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywNYCRWqAYpSWt3sMzckYACRzCBHj_1UnWEbKOeEvr2dLfAh7ibgtC_ELuYNuhct-j8Ns4dI46iUPUUjGKYg37MSxfMZx9JF5StL1UfQxg-9YFPBdM1iEqtLaaagmaC_sNAyjYLLj9No/s320/c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">YAY!!! WHAT FUN!!! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHzWZii0qv_Edp7v64Z0DCrPesfGPXh0ss38Y6m75iGA1mIYNyZPxDtqqNR-jYVHQSVzmb7F3vi4jNaer2vyBS-VTK_fjjDyE55nrg9E2Gbv8dkFmGcuTdAZMqhyjS4Z2e7nCXu0sBlw/s1600/d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHzWZii0qv_Edp7v64Z0DCrPesfGPXh0ss38Y6m75iGA1mIYNyZPxDtqqNR-jYVHQSVzmb7F3vi4jNaer2vyBS-VTK_fjjDyE55nrg9E2Gbv8dkFmGcuTdAZMqhyjS4Z2e7nCXu0sBlw/s320/d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After removal of the hide-a-bed, what better reward than a nice cocktail? :) </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBf1gwViuj2xT33vvHrF3vXthWuLRvzwfmM5didvjPFGH7Y8x91aSbI9eEQkVDSNhZZs1WXzvGkTWW7mK-8KClCYm1EfqGtp-9XeaU3QFM0TYZaMcSVMk2W2ywjy8dhqHJ-ZFBzUQ-U-o/s1600/g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBf1gwViuj2xT33vvHrF3vXthWuLRvzwfmM5didvjPFGH7Y8x91aSbI9eEQkVDSNhZZs1WXzvGkTWW7mK-8KClCYm1EfqGtp-9XeaU3QFM0TYZaMcSVMk2W2ywjy8dhqHJ-ZFBzUQ-U-o/s320/g.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Onto the kitchen table and booth removal, which was only good for a place for our cats at the time. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUMWYxLrSnoys0WFvoS-4HKdHaFlKzb1-DIH6JqWVnY9LiizcWvcymFa-w1lQ1b2P7Aj9kGdGzMmtulSJtaTuI-tUSIe067ij6MjUDHw5ySpj_RnsCG_1EBHLXRm-f-QsXtvJ3sBi1tM/s1600/h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUMWYxLrSnoys0WFvoS-4HKdHaFlKzb1-DIH6JqWVnY9LiizcWvcymFa-w1lQ1b2P7Aj9kGdGzMmtulSJtaTuI-tUSIe067ij6MjUDHw5ySpj_RnsCG_1EBHLXRm-f-QsXtvJ3sBi1tM/s320/h.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nothing more fun than some DEMO work</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqqlqyLh3IuyXWizZph82AOp_in-o8D7GodXKUmnG57BhvYAl5SjPDj_HbEnIiH9GXREFgnHsvntMSX4MN_c9U5rCrByMMruit2tN_Dm8w0aS5DdEKkvRwXoZW-eC397ESCRAnWj3y-8/s1600/j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqqlqyLh3IuyXWizZph82AOp_in-o8D7GodXKUmnG57BhvYAl5SjPDj_HbEnIiH9GXREFgnHsvntMSX4MN_c9U5rCrByMMruit2tN_Dm8w0aS5DdEKkvRwXoZW-eC397ESCRAnWj3y-8/s320/j.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Turned the wheel well into a bench for our computers and peripherals, as not to waste all our desk space. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjz1f44IW-7mQ3Dug_gYQDonFMl9-oDY8aLiuCGNDj3jsYAWr3UzPx33mpnmpIZilR6SP5oPM81rpU0Axjt4RjRFOHc57Pxl1QwBThiCU-o0SgXXLvFvJggdeefQ-C0TYnunNnJZXdsi4/s1600/o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjz1f44IW-7mQ3Dug_gYQDonFMl9-oDY8aLiuCGNDj3jsYAWr3UzPx33mpnmpIZilR6SP5oPM81rpU0Axjt4RjRFOHc57Pxl1QwBThiCU-o0SgXXLvFvJggdeefQ-C0TYnunNnJZXdsi4/s320/o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Adding the supports for the desk. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjXqKhPA6WQyxPJTAaCeqm9gQzzr_bd-SprTLTgrrhGsGreiIpr9UN6Yziglztl63OXVxkRmMiDRkpu5CxvvsFOsN_OtlihtMzGwO0qfPlJBsWZxCXe_kNvTUpTH1CaTQYhUjejyeqO8/s1600/q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjXqKhPA6WQyxPJTAaCeqm9gQzzr_bd-SprTLTgrrhGsGreiIpr9UN6Yziglztl63OXVxkRmMiDRkpu5CxvvsFOsN_OtlihtMzGwO0qfPlJBsWZxCXe_kNvTUpTH1CaTQYhUjejyeqO8/s320/q.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Recycling the hide-a-bed into the perfect computer station/desktop. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_C_qCmo3KvrlMimtk2BcCvNpP0f4HaF_YZOpzRwWFWgRZg5faRD8-h9hOyW_E3atTRrPiR7oCuPLS8TX26y71Lym1sLe_oYvkZIemJr9ghz9LhKEm5Eyg-GBP449AXEh0ccughPyaG9E/s1600/r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_C_qCmo3KvrlMimtk2BcCvNpP0f4HaF_YZOpzRwWFWgRZg5faRD8-h9hOyW_E3atTRrPiR7oCuPLS8TX26y71Lym1sLe_oYvkZIemJr9ghz9LhKEm5Eyg-GBP449AXEh0ccughPyaG9E/s320/r.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Lots more to come folks. :)Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-22024153775005230752011-04-19T16:18:00.000-04:002011-04-19T16:18:43.717-04:00What we purchased.Here's the trailer, a 1971 Fleetwood Prowler, 20 foot tow-trailer. When we bought it, we knew we'd have to make some changes, but we didn't know that the extent of water damage was so bad. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_UwtXe7sjaSkeUJOPjzMEgyx8Kz365hToQkFUbnnZWtjWP4afsfO2lt0fSzqALa8JKvr_65y8hgRllSBD0p3qYhYD3hC-AnSTEBgvnlPLLRui0-FOtnL0dQyLhHaUxJIL6W4v6BCjcw/s1600/i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_UwtXe7sjaSkeUJOPjzMEgyx8Kz365hToQkFUbnnZWtjWP4afsfO2lt0fSzqALa8JKvr_65y8hgRllSBD0p3qYhYD3hC-AnSTEBgvnlPLLRui0-FOtnL0dQyLhHaUxJIL6W4v6BCjcw/s320/i.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966927224641966492.post-64180519465145738182011-04-19T16:05:00.000-04:002011-04-19T16:05:05.518-04:00How It All BeganWe were newlyweds, just barely over a year of marriage, when the bottom of our perfect new lives together, fell out. Or did it? <br />
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Just as everything seemed to be going great for us, the company I'd worked at for over twenty-six years, decided to close the doors of our local division. We were devastated. We had no idea what we were going to do. I'd been a printer for over half of my life. Sure, there's other printing plants around the area, but no one's hiring. The places that might hire, would never pay me what I was making currently. I'd gotten to the top of my career, working for a few different places, but mostly at the plant that was now nearing its demise. <br />
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We had opportunities though. I could collect for as long as possible, while either learning a new trade, or looking for decent work in another area. OR... we could take our retirement dream, to live as FULL-TIMERS in our RV, and make that an early reality. It was pretty much a no-brainer. We took my severance check, and purchased a Chevy Van and an older model, Fleetwood Prowler, tow-trailer. Our new goal in life, was to fix up the trailer, and hit the road. We'd been planning on an early retirement anyway, so what's better than pushing up the date of a retirement, right? <br />
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So with this new goal in mind, we started on the camper. It was in rough shape. Actually in much rougher shape than we originally had thought. It actually overwhelmed us, as we found out the extent of water damage that had been done to the roof and ceilings in the front section, and the bathroom. We knew we'd never get out of our Northeastern Pennsylvania life with the camper, BEFORE the wicked winter that was coming our way. SO... we decided to just pack our van up and head out. <br />
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We converted our van into a very comfortable living and storage area, and we embarked on a three month tour of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. We had intended to go farther South, into the Carolinas, but the weather had turned so bad this past winter, that we decided to cut our trip short, and return to Pa. Between us, we have five children. Three of them are adults who live on their own, and our twins live with their mother. We'd be missing them under the best of circumstances, but this was unbearable. We were stuck inside a van, even though it was comfortable, it was still a van. The weather made it so there was nothing worth doing outside, and our budget didn't afford us to do much otherwise. So with all this, we headed home for Christmas. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySiHzeLuycLzwRQ4__KGmqIkFSZg-slmIFgNzTGo2X-S2s-QzDuDmWJFTD9tPQqZ3XlyEtWaCXA8tbFhiVgBZ-zWfjMY3HIryJCG7Ol5-DyBZ3G16ngRF27HTBwRIByv2DVkK8ghlY1o/s1600/IMG_57793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySiHzeLuycLzwRQ4__KGmqIkFSZg-slmIFgNzTGo2X-S2s-QzDuDmWJFTD9tPQqZ3XlyEtWaCXA8tbFhiVgBZ-zWfjMY3HIryJCG7Ol5-DyBZ3G16ngRF27HTBwRIByv2DVkK8ghlY1o/s1600/IMG_57793.jpg" /></a></div>Now, we've endured a hellish winter and are back to work on our camper. We have less than a month now, to get it fully ready for our first work-camping gig that starts in May, and takes us through September. We can't wait to get there and we're having a ball with the renovation to our camper. We'll be sharing pics and videos with you of our progress. I hope you enjoy reading our blogs and sharing in our journies. You'll find that we like to have a lot of fun, and a lot of our pics and vids will be loaded with humor. Hope you're all up for a laugh. :)Ken and Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126944556602045376noreply@blogger.com3