Hello, Sunshine!
After last night’s chill, I didn’t expect today’s sunshine. It’s a beautiful day for travel — about 50 degrees and no wind. I rearrange the boxes in the PTV and make a happy discovery. If I put one row of boxes lengthwise and the row next to it width-wise, the boxes touch the battery box. Why is this good? Remember all the effort to keep the boxes from sliding around? Now they fit snugly. Problem solved, and there’s still a channel of air below the battery box for air flow.
The shower house is a bit nippy this morning.
Showers and restrooms at Elephant Butte State Park
Fortunately, the water is hot.
The crew waits in the PTV while I shower, and wash and dry my hair. To think I almost didn’t keep my hair dryer! It’s not warm enough to be running around with wet hair.
Spike says goodbye to Elephant Butte.
Back at the campsite, George the camp host stops by.
I ask, “Did you hear the weather report? They say an arctic cold front is coming on Thursday.”
He says he heard it, and adds that his pipes and tanks are “winterized” (insulated), but he’s never tested them before in very cold weather.
I wish him luck and we say goodbye. He’s workkamping at Elephant Butte until April.
Bill and Kathy are breaking camp also.
They come over with two brand-new wheel covers that don’t fit their tires. Kathy puts one on a Casita tire and it fits! We say our goodbyes and hug. I promise to keep in touch. I’m hoping I can arrange a way for them to see the solar panel once it is up on the roof of the PTV.
The short drive south on I-25 is easy.
Bridget and Spike did not whine at all! Once off the interstate, we travel a few miles through irrigated fields to Percha Dam State Park. Cottonwood trees are all over the park, along with many evergreens. There aren’t many campers here, and the sites are pull-through, many with stone windbreaks around the tables with shelters.
Our campsite at Percha Dam State Park
It’s a pretty campsite with no close neighbors.
Everything is perfectly level. I detach the power cord between the PTV and the Casita, and pull out the Casita’s power cord out the little door in the back. Once plugged in with the refrigerator turned over to AC power, the crew and I set out on an exploratory mission.
That’s when the crew meets up with some bad luck!
It hits Spike first. He’s limping, holding his left front paw up high. I check the pad and find a mean-looking burr stuck in it. No bigger than a pea, it gives me a stab as I pull it out of Spike’s pad. I move us out of the grassy area and onto the campground road. We walk about five feet and Bridget refuses to move. Her butt is on the pavement, and her eyes are on me. I check her pads and, sure enough, she’s got a burr also. Spike picks up three more burrs before we get back to our campsite!
The fresh November air makes me hungry!
I scoop out some potato salad into a bowl, and take it to the picnic table. Spike and Bridget settle down on the concrete slab at my feet. The air is a perfect temperature when sitting in the sun. It was fun to be back on the road today. I hope I can get the solar done soon. . . maybe tomorrow.
The crew is tired.
I quickly straighten up the inside of our home. I had put the storage boxes on the bed and covered them with a quilt so they wouldn’t fall on the floor in transit. Spike and Bridget hop up on the bed. They need a nap. We’ll walk up to the pay station once they’re rested.
Spike rests his chin on the bolster and falls asleep. He'll take care of that chewbone later.
See the white rims below her eyes? This little girl needs a nap.
I check connections . . . Internet? Check. Cellphone? Check. Television? Check.
Tomorrow morning I’ll call and see if we can get the solar panel installed!
rvsue
rvsue and her canine crew 