Last days in the Federal Way area.

The physical exam went well. All of my indicators are normal. Cholesterol is normal. Heart is normal. I got a clean bill of health for the next two years. I asked my doctor, Al Adadia, if it was okay to move my health care to Tucson because it is more convenient for me and I will have the winter to do it. He was enthusiastic with the idea. He told me to just contact him when I find another doctor and he will send my records.

That news prompted me to leave the Pacific Northwest. I am now in Ellensburg, WA. for two days. I am in contact with Northwood Mfg., the builder of my trailer. As I have mentioned before, I am having delamination problems with some of the panels on my trailer. It's the same problem I had last year, when they replaced two of my panels. Those panels are great. It's the remaining panels that are doing it now.

We have had a couple of phone conversations about the problem. My trailer is now out of warranty. I am not in the aggressive mode... yet. The customer service guy wants to meet with the execs and discuss what to do first. He indicated they are really busy right now... whatever that means. Anyway, I'm still waiting on a verdict. My position is that the trailer was obviously built with the same production run of faulty side panels. If two were found bad while in waranty, the others were bad too. It just didn't show until now. Stay tuned!

Me, Al, Monte and Teddy

My last day at my old golf club was spent playing with a couple of old friends. Teddy, of course, Al Engberg and Monte Ostrom. I did some volunteer work with Monte the last few years there. We got to know each other pretty good. It was fun to play golf with him.

Last night I said goodbye to every body. I saw Duane Bjorklund too. He is another great guy. I'll miss those folks - until the next time.

I fixed my slide out. It was the pin that holds the pinion gear to the shaft that broke into two pieces. It was the same pin that broke two years ago. There is a chronic problem with the 5th wheels similar to mine. The slide-out is a large one and heavy too. This time I used a hardened steel dowel. I used a little putty on each end to keep it from falling out. That should do it!

Today was dump the holding tanks day. Since I had to essentially pack everything up to drive to the dump station, I decided to move to the Puyallup Elks, RV park. I had one day left on my stay at the Tacoma Elks, but it was too much like living on the street. I had to get out of there. It's the only time in the last two years that I double checked to make sure the trailer was locked when ever I left.

That's something I very seldom have worried about. RVers are always on the alert for other peoples' things. That's just the way it is. It's nice that way. Heck, I didn't even get barbecue out when I was in Tacoma because I was afraid somebody might take it.

It is totally different in Puyallup. The Elks Club is located off of the main roads and there are 57 RV sites. Most of the sites are occupied. The people are very friendly, which is typical. I feel much more at ease here.

It's another golf game this afternoon. Tomorrow is the actual physical exam for me, then if all is well, I'll be back on the road heading south once again.

A Golfing Weekend and Busy

Saturday I woke up at my usual time and found I had to scramble to get to the golf course. I was to meet Teddy and his wife Nancy for breakfast at 8:30. With traffic, I timed the trip to be at 40 minutes. It's now 8:00 and I haven't left. I did manage to get there in plenty of time, with no traffic. Teddy treated me to a Spanish omelet (3 egg) with hash browns, rye toast, and coffee. Wow, that's more than I usually have for lunch, let alone breakfast! It was good, though!

Teddy and I were partnered against Tommy and Toby, my former regular Saturday playing buddies. There was no love lost when it came to the competition. I was to play as an 11 handicap. What? That's only 2 strokes more than my handicap was when I was playing every other day. What the heck, the monies won, or lost, goes into a pot for drinks afterward anyway.

Left to right: Toby, Nancy, Teddy and Tommy.

I didn't score very well, though I was hitting the ball respectably. I shot an 85, I think. I didn't get a chance to see the score card. Toby and Tommy won a cool $25.00 from me.

Soon after the game, the Club held a para-mutual tournament. It is one of the annual events held at the Club. Being a non member, I couldn't play. But, I could do wagering on the contestants and walk along and watch the fun. The morning's round was a 4 hour round. The para-mutual tournament lasted another 4 hours.

All these guys tee off at the same time and the higher scores are eliminated on each hole. By the last hole, only one man is left standing - the winner.

Guess who the winner was? Yup, it was Teddy. He made a 15 foot put on the last hole to tie the leader. Then went on to be the better player in the play off. One of the few people I did NOT bet on was Teddy. Oh, well, that's golf! Congratulations Teddy! "You da man!"

 Teddy and the runner up, Gene Smith.

It was late (for me) by the time I got home at 7:00. It was back at it again the next day!

I opted out of breakfast Sunday morning. That at least allowed me to pace the morning at my own speed. I need my coffee, you know.

Teddy and I were partnered again. This time our opponents were Teddy's wife, Nancy, and Ron -the "Hobbit"- Chase. I play reasonably well and shot an 82. Teddy and I ended up $6.00 ahead. The weather was perfect. I forget how nice this area is when the weather is good. It's good most all of July and August. It is kind of what you might think Hawaii would be like if it had pine trees. It's that good!

I was able to get home at a decent time and did a few chores around the house.

Monday (today) turned out to be busy. I got the preliminary work done for my physical exam. It was blood work, chest x-rays and an EKG. Thursday is my appointment to go over it all and finish up with the poking and coughing stuff.

After that, I headed to Auburn to check out the city park. I stayed there last year and it was a nice park. It is still a great park, but you have to drive through a residential area and the trees are now encroaching on the rout. I don't think I could get my trailer through without brushing into them.

I drove on to the town of Puyallup to check out the Elks Club and the RV park nearby. Wow, I was surprised to see how nice it is. It is nothing like the parking lot I am staying in at the Tacoma Elks. All the sites are grass. It is remote from traffic and yet there is easy access to the freeway.

I have to dump tanks by Wednesday, so I might as well move to a nicer place. On my way to Puyallup, I passed by the dealer I bought my trailer from. Mondays, they used to be closed. Today they were open. I stopped in and asked the lady at the desk if I could get to the factory to have them look at some more delamination problems I was having.

Remember last year? Probably not. I had a delamination problem with my side walls on two panels. The factory replaced them without question. I wanted them to look at the problem I'm having on two other panels. The lady was not what you would call an ambassador for Arctic Fox. She was strictly warranty focused, defensive, a know it all, and a busy body.

I did manage to get her to call the factory and let them know I was coming. The factory will allow me to call them on my own and make my own arrangements - thank heavens! I was able to talk with the service tech. He gave me a few tips and told me how to permanently fix the problem I am having with my slide out. Cool.

To make a long story short, I'll be fixing the slide out tomorrow and will tell you all about it. I finished the day with laundry and a short visit to the Federal Way watering hole where the guys meet on Monday evenings. I was home soon after that and writing this post.

Tacoma, WA

I have to wish Cathy a Happy Birthday. Yesterday was her big day. Love ya, Babe!

I pulled into Tacoma yesterday afternoon. I'm staying at the Tacoma Elk's lodge. They have an area in their parking lot with 30 amp electrical hookups. They have a dump station and water near the main building. This is the first time I've stayed in a downtown parking lot. It will be an experience.

I've talked to Teddy Hall a couple of times. He has arranged for some golfing outings at my old country club, Twin Lakes. It will be great to see old friends once again!

I booked an appointment for blood work with my doctor and the follow up physical. I should be done with that chore by next Thursday.

My former across the street neighbor, Bob, called me just now. He has a letter that was sent to my old address and is holding it for me. I'll pick it up later this afternoon and catch up on neighborhood news.

When I set the trailer up in this spot, I had a little problem. The slide out made a large "POP" when it reached full extension. I had an idea what it was right away. It was confirmed when I looked underneath. The pin that holds the pinion gear to the shaft sheared. It was the same thing that happened in Deming two years ago.

At least I'm close to the dealer. If I can't fix it as easily as I did in Deming (it all rides on aligning the holes), then I can get their help.

It's gray and drizzly. Typical for this area!

Clean up is done.

A heat wave is moving through the area today. It is supposed to be triple digits. Let's hope not! That news prompted me to get started early. I had the basement completely empty before 10:00 am. The ground around the trailer looked like I was holding a garage sale. I had stuff all over the place.

I was completely surprised by how little damage the little critter made down here. I thought he might have made a nest somewhere. Perhaps he did! Maybe in one of the nooks and crannies recessed way back to where I can't get to. It looks like he tried to use the little box I keep my rocks and odd finds from my hikes. I think that box may have been one the spots that smells less like a human than anywhere else.

The box was on top of my gloves. The disposable ones I use when setting up and taking down the sewer hose. I checked everything to make sure there was no more mouse "evidence". I even took apart the bags used to store the fold up chairs and table. There wasn't anything to be found.

The whole exercise provided me with the opportunity to toss what has not been used since I've been on the road. I vacuumed and cleaned and everything went carefully back. I found more storage space and better ways of placing things.

When that was over, I headed on to Moses Lake to fill a prescription at Walgreen's. I also stopped by Safeway to stock up on groceries again. Remember, I had to throw out the cookies!

The sun was beginning to set as I got home. The day went by so fast.

An Uninvited Guest

You've probably been wondering what I have been doing since my last post. I've been busy. I've come across an uninvited guest. He was with me for three days before I discovered him. I opened my basement door to get my laundry ready for wash day. There, next to the laundry basket, was a neat pile of shredded paper. Little bits the sized of confetti piled neatly.

Once I focused on the pile I realized I had a mouse. I remembered a strange scraping noise that went on the night before last. I woke up at 2:00 am and heard this scraping, scratching sound. I tried to figure out where it was coming from. I noticed a large moth banging against the ceiling vent screen. I took care of the moth and the noise stopped. I didn't think of it anymore, until I saw this pile of shredded paper.

That was two nights ago. That means this guy has been in the trailer for at least three days! I cleaned up the paper mess and looked around the kitchen. Sure enough, the package of cookies I had on the counter top had a hole chewed into it and shredded paper was inside. I found a dropping on the counter. I opened a drawer and there were more droppings there. I looked under the sink and there were more droppings there too! Oh no!

It's Sunday morning. I walked to the office and asked if they had any mouse traps. No luck. The nearest town that has a hardware store is Superior, MT, 13 miles east. They don't open for another two hours, if they open at all on Sunday. There was nothing else I could do. I drove to Superior and thankfully they were open. I bought 5 traps. I had no idea how many critters I had to deal with. I thought 5 would do the job.

I set two traps under the sink, two in the basement and I put one in the storage space under the bed. I hope he likes peanut butter, because that's what I baited them with. Now I have to deal with the clean up. I just did a thorough cleaning a week ago too. I attempted to get the cleaning rags and supplies. There were droppings on them too. Sheesh. I'll have to do the laundry and wash the rags before I can even use them. That's what I did.

There is at least one thing working for me. The last major golf tournament is on TV and Tiger Woods has a three shot lead going into the last round. At least I can have that on while I'm working on the cleanup. I assessed the mess was confined to the counter top and the drawers under neath it. There was no damage done to the cupboards above the counter. But, I would clean them too. Just to be sure.

All the drawers were emptied out and cleaned. I used my bathroom disinfectant and warm water with soap and vinegar. The vacuum cleaner came in useful too. Everything was vacuumed. Every turd I could find was sucked up. Every dish was washed then placed back. I added a fabric softener sheet to each drawer when I was done. I've heard mice shy away from the smell. I had to put something in the drawers to prevent the little bastards from getting into them again.

It took the better part of 6 hours to clean the area up. I even found turds between and around the burners on top of the stove, underneath the shroud that flips up! Sigh, I guess it could have been worse.

At about 4:00 I checked the traps and... whoa! I got 'em! He found one of the traps in the basement. I tossed him and reset the trap. As of today, there are no others critters. I laid awake for about an hour and a half last night listening. It was blissful quiet. No weird noises. I think it was just the one mouse. But what a mess he made.

I still have to clean up the basement. That will have to wait until I get to drier weather in central Washington, where I am able to lay things on the ground. That's where I am at now. I moved from the rainy mountains and into the high desert area near Moses Lake, WA. Actually, I am at Warden, in the Sage Hills RV park and golf course. Tomorrow the basement!

By the way, I did manage to see the highlights of the tournament. What an upset. The first time Tiger got beat with a lead and the first time an Asian won a major! Great stuff.

I did manage to get a couple of nice hikes in while I was in Montana. They were done between and during rain showers, but I did get out.

The Rains Came

It's been raining here for two days now. It figures. After a couple of nice days in a beautiful camp ground, I talked with the manager and was able to extend my stay for a week and be able to pay the weeks rate. I just didn't realize, though I should know by now, that I would be inviting bad weather by extending! Well, that's the way it goes.

One of the work campers I was talking to yesterday, mentioned a small little deli in Plains, MT, about 30 miles from here. It is an Amish owned business and, according to him, they have some of the best prepared meats you can find anywhere. I was cooped up all morning and wanted to get out. I thought a drive to Plains and a visit to that deli would be the best thing to do on a dreary, wet day.

It was a beautiful drive. The route is designated as a scenic byway. A well maintained, wide two lane road with a 65 mile speed limit. The trouble with that is, if you drive the limit, there is no way you can enjoy the scenery. The locals know this road like the back of their hand. They are driving it at 70 of more! That makes it so that you have to be more on your toes than normal.

I drove through the sleepy little town of Paradise. Plains was only another 7 miles. It must really be tough to make a living in the little mountain towns that dot this area of Montana and Idaho. I can't imagine owning an auto repair shop, or any type of business, and making a go of it.

I stopped in Plains and found the deli. They had a large array of meats to choose from. They also had their own home made beef and buffalo jerky. I asked for a pound of Dutch loaf and a pound of Olive loaf, thin sliced. While waiting, I selected a jar of home made pickles and some pure ground horse radish too. My total bill was less than $15.00!

I had a Dutch loaf sandwich and chips when I got home. My gosh, that simple sandwich was incredibly good! I finished up the day with a little bit of the PGA golf tournament and a nap. Between showers, I put a burger on my clean barbecue grill for dinner and watched a little TV before I turned in. Life is tough, ain't it!

A Golfing Day

Less than a mile from the RV Park is a public golf course. The manager mentioned, when I registered, they had discount coupons for golf. Okay, today I'm playing golf. The Trestle Creek golf course is a 9 hole layout with two sets of men's tees. If you want to play 18 holes, you use the white tees for 9 holes and black tees for the next 9 holes.

I signed up for 18 holes. The lady behind the counter told me the greens were fast and as long as I started on the 1st hole, I shouldn't get lost! There were only a couple of cars in the parking lot when I pulled in. I didn't see anyone except for a father and son in a golf cart going down the 1st fairway. I thought I would catch up with them and play along.

It is a nice golf course. For the total cost of $28.00, including cart, it can't be beat. The course is in great condition and the greens were fast. Most small town public courses sacrifice the mowing of greens for ease of maintenance. Obviously, the greens keeper here knows what he is doing.

I never did catch up with the father son duo. When I finished the first nine holes, I talked to three bikers who showed up in the parking lot. They just came into town from the Sturgis rally. It struck me as strange that they would stop to play golf even before they got to their homes and got showers. But, it looks like even bikers can be golf nuts!

You can see their boots next to their bikes. They're in golf shoes now.

I had a great time and am still amazed I can hit the ball pretty well. The last time I played was in Minnesota when I was waiting for repairs to be done on my trailer. Before that, was February in Tucson, when the Federal Way guys came down for vacation. My score was good too. I shot a 79 and only took two Mulligans!

I got home and heard the Perseids meteor shower was going to be at its best tonight. I always wanted to get a photo of a shooting star. I got my tripod out and got my camera set up to take long exposure shots of the sky. I got up from bed at 2:00 in the morning to see what I could get. Unfortunately the clear skies we've had for the past three days are no more. A cool front came in and the sky was overcast. I'll have to wait and try again next year.

Somebody has a macabre sense of humor. That's a pair of legs sticking out of a pile of logs.

Cathy met up with Mac and Sam in Salem Oregon. It sounds like they are haveing a great time.

Clean, Clean, Clean

I just had to get the bugs off the front of the trailer. Traveling across the prairie and through several million grasshoppers left a nice coating of bugs on the trailer cap. I find it is easier to get them off before they have the chance to fossilize. Then it is a lot of hard work and usually requires a ladder, which I don't have. That was my goal for the morning.

Sometime washing a trailer is a lot like painting. Once you think you've done what you want to do, you find another area to paint. That was the was is was for me today. I ended up washing the whole trailer then doing the windows.

I've found a trick to doing windows that is fool proof. I use vinegar and water and - the secret - micro fiber cloths. I use one to wash and one to dry. It's quick, easy and guaranteed not to leave any streaks! Try it. It's the micro fiber cloths. That's the secret.

Once I had the trailer cleaned, I looked over my bicycle. Sheesh, what a mess. I haven't cleaned it since Tucson, three months ago. Okay, the bike got a thorough cleaning. Then I looked at the barbecue. It was filthy too! Not only was it filthy, it was to the point of being rickety. Two years in the back of the truck has taken its toll. The vibrations have loosened everything on it.

Not only did I clean the barbecue, I took it apart to do it! Pieces all over the place. The park manager wondered if I was panning gold on the picnic table! I guess, from a distance, a Weber Q grill looks like a gold pan when torn apart. I got the thing back together again and it is like new.

A nice park.

By now my day was coming to an end. It's warm, the sun is shining. The mountain views are beautiful! This is a nice park. It's the Nugget in St. Regis, MT.

About Bozeman and on to St. Regis

Bozeman was a little different than what I had expected. I used to work with a guy from Bozeman. I got the impression it was a sleepy little mountain town. Maybe, back when I knew this guy, it may have been a quiet little town.

Today that is far from reality. Bozeman is bustling and breaking at the seams. There are large new malls everywhere. Cars are all over the place and in downtown, on or off, Main Street there is a huge parking problem.

At any rate, I drove around briefly and didn't explore at all. These growing communities are no longer my cup of tea. With the storms coming in off and on from the mountains, I was content with staying home and catching up on some homey chores.

The branch pile!

I was worried about getting out of my site this morning. I asked the office twice since I've been here to prune the trees so I could get out. I had to trim a branch my first day to be able to get the truck out! I don't know when it happened but when I woke up this morning, there was a pile of trimmed branches under the fir tree next to me. All right!

Joe Stevens from Federal Way sent me an email with a recomendation of an RV park in St. Regis, MT. I looked them up and thought it would be a good fit. There is a golf course across the highway too! I pulled in and was able to see the last two holes of the Tiger Woods show.

Bozeman, MT

I pulled out of Buffalo at 9:30. There were storms predicted for this morning and I wanted to leave at a reasonable time to avoid them. Buffalo was a nice town, but I might as well have pulled into a parking lot for the stay. The camp ground was too rustic for me. The water was among the worst I've come across on the road. I had to drive across a vacant lot with the rig to get back on the gravel road leading out.

My drive today was 311 miles. About 50 miles more than I would have liked. But places to stay in this part of the country are sparse. Besides, I've never been to Bozeman before. The truck drove beautifully. The fuel filter change made a world of difference. My mileage was up. I was getting 10.5 mpg on this leg. That includes pretty fair cross winds and constant up hill driving on into the mountains.

Storms were all around me. I seemed to have a bit of luck with me because I didn't get any rain until I was going over Bozeman's Pass. By then I was almost to the RV park anyway. The park is called Bear Canyon. The information I had was that it is a pretty good park with good ratings. When I exited I-90 to the road to the park, the underpass height read 13'-6". That's only a foot higher than my rig!

I found the office and checked in. I had reserved a full hookup site and didn't mind if it was a back in. Boy, what narrow tree encroached roads. There are huge Class A motorhomes all over the place. Each site is super tight with trees growing almost to the point of being too large. My back in was clear of trees in all directions. But, it was tight. I jockeyed the trailer back and forth for 15 minutes until I shoe-horned it in with enough clearance all around.

I was getting the blocks out to level the trailer side to side when I noticed there was no sewer hook up. Okay, back to the office. The kid working there noticed the mistake and gave me a full hook up site in another section of the park. The last full hook up available. Okay, let's make another loop and find it.

Tight

Site 21 was a narrow, tree encroached site. I didn't think I could get in as I approached. I had to get out and survey the situation. The Aspen tree at the near corner was grown out and overhanging the entrance. The site next door was awfully close too. I felt if I drove on the far side into the grass I could clear the tree and still get back on the gravel - maybe!?

I plunged ahead. I cleared everything and was back on the gravel. I had only one place on the gravel that I could fit and get my slides out. It was on an up slope though. Anyway, I got level and hooked up AND with no scratches or dents either!

Most parks are nice and you can expect wide open spaces with adequate shade. It seems more so in the northern states that you have to be on your toes more than anywhere else. You never know what you're getting into.

After I got hooked up and settled in, I noticed the tree at the exit end. There is no way I can get around it without problems. I headed back to the office and asked Greg if they could prune that tee before I leave. The kid assured me that would be no problem. ...we'll see...

Bozeman weather is predicted to be full of storms for the next three days!

A Day in Buffalo, WY

The park I chose is actually 3 miles west of Buffalo, on highway 16, heading towards Yellowstone. Most of the time, when on the road, choosing the next park is just a stab in the dark. Normally there isn't much information other than what you can find on the internet. This park is an older park, in need of some TLC. My neighbors are permanent residents. Mostly younger, living in small trailers. There is a lot of traffic around 5:00 am, when people are leaving for work.

A local resident is a renowned sculptor. 

This is one of those stay a day, or two, places while in route to someplace else. The owners are extremely friendly and are great ambassadors for the area. I got enough information to occupy a weeks worth of activities. There are places nearby for hiking and road trips. Did you know the "Johnson County Cattle Wars" were waged in the area? Tom Horn was a big presence in the history here.

Main Street, Buffalo.

The Occidental Hotel is restored to its original condition.

I had time to only do a tour of the town and take in the County Museum. This is a neat town with good local flavor. It's also a popular spot for bikers, in route to Sturgis, to stop over.

The Museum.

I am in the process of getting ready to hit the road right now. I'll be in Bozeman, MT, this afternoon.

Truck Things and Back on the Road

For about a week now my gtruck has been behaving as if there is something wrong with the transmission. It has only 45,000 miles on it so it seems incredible that there is something wrong with it. When I am at about 55 mph, there is a distinct feeling of surging. You know, it feels like it is slowing, then speeding up again. Almost imperceptible, but definitely there.

I called the nearest Dodge dealer to see if I could get it in to have it looked at. No luck, until at least the end of the week. I wanted to be farther west by then so I thought I would hold off until I find a place at my next stop. Then I got to thinking and maybe a little paranoid. I called the dealer back and thought I would go ahead and make the appointment for the end of the week and put my mind at ease. It isn't very settling, towing a heavy trailer and thinking what could happen if the truck breaks down.

The dealer now had an opening for Monday! Cool! I extended my stay at the campground another two days and had the truck serviced. To make a long story short, my transmission is fine. It was a fouled fuel filter that was causing the surge. Come to think of it, my mileage was pretty bad (8.5 mpg) the last two legs of the trip from Minnesota.

Main Street Custer, 60 miles South of Sturgis. I can't imagine what Sturgis is like right now.

In the mean time, I haven't ventured out very far from the campground. It's the paranoia thing, with the truck! I walked the woods near the RV park and counted the deer. I left my camera at home and just chilled out in the woods. It's a beautiful setting.

I pulled out of the Black Hills this morning and I'm now in Buffalo, Wyoming. They are having their Rodeo this week and the town is full of banners. I'm only here for two days. Stay tuned!

Tire Monitors

Ever since I had the tire blow out near Oklahoma City last month, I've been feeling a bit of paranoia when I am on the road. When I pass through a construction area, I look for places to bail out if I get a sudden blow out. Usually there are none. I just worry until I am through the area. The same applies when I am driving along roads with no shoulders. More worry. So it goes. These things never occurred to me before the blowout.

When I first did my homework for full time RVing, one of the things I looked into was tire monitoring systems. From what I learned, I determined that it should a safety item I should invest in. I never did. I think it was a combination of closing the house, dumping 30 years of junk, moving into the RV and handling insurance issues and the retirement process, all within a few weeks time, that allowed me to let this slip my mind.

Then a fellow RVer, I met in Deming two years ago, called me. Jack told me of the monitoring system he recently bought and how it already save him from a blowout. It jogged my memory about these things. He picked his system up - Pressure Pro - from a local dealer in the Custer area. I contacted that dealer and drove out to get more information.

Pat and Mike's 5th wheel. The Volvo is to the left.

Pat and Mike McFall have been full timing for 15 years. They have had several RV's. They now call a 45 foot Teton 5th wheel as their home. This thing is huge! It's pulled by a Volvo semi tractor trailer. They bought a piece of property about 2 miles from town to keep it on most of the Summer. When Summer is about to end, they then move their home to Mission, Texas, for the Winter.

The monitor - transmitter units screw on in place of the valve stem caps.

Mike explained everything to me. Check out their web site for more information. One of the things I remembered from two years back was what I thought was an the incredibly high price for a system. Basically, a single unit consisting of a monitor and transmitter is screwed into each valve stem. It sends information to a receiver mounted on the dash. When pressure drops a certain percentage, an alarm sounds and the location of the tire blinks on the display. ...simple...

The receiver - display unit. It's very light weight. I temporarily mounted it to my visor until I can find a bracket to mount it to my dash.

When I mentioned price, each valve stem monitor costs $50.00. The eight of them I needed amounted to $400.00. Then add another $190.00 for the receiver/display and it all adds up to $590.00. The price was what I remembered it to be two years ago. It seems too high.

I thought back to my blowout. By the time I was finished replacing tires and fixing the damage that occurred, it came to $730.00. There are some scratches and blemishes still on the side skirting that will always remind me of that blowout. What's more, it could have been much worse if the wheel well failed. I've heard of stories of what happens when that occurs. Anyway, I now own a Pressure-Pro tire monitoring system.

I hope it does the job!

It's all about Wildlife.

 There are about 1,500 buffalo in the herd after the Spring calving season. Every September it is thinned down to 950.

It was another chilly day. As a matter of fact it's been a chilly past two days, since last I posted. This has restricted my outdoor activity. This Minnesotan is getting to be a wimp when it comes to chilly temps! The area is so beautiful that I have to get out and see it.

This guy stood in the road in front of my truck and wouldn't let me pass.

Some of the Sturgis bikers and the wild burros.

I've become accustomed to seeing deer everywhere. It's not uncommon to see a doe and her fawns feeding along side of the road. Travel in the area is extra cautious.

 I drove the wildlife loop within the Park and saw some awesome sites. It's a 16 mile road through the heart of the park. The only people in this portion of the park are on the loop road and a couple of short interpretive trails. The animals have gotten used to the road and the people on them. They know the are safe here. They also know they can get an occasional handout, even though feeding them is taboo!

On the way home, curiosity got the better of me and I stopped by the stockade located near the entrance of the RV park. This is a replica of the settlement of the first white settlers in the Black Hills. French Creek courses nearby and is the creek where Custer found gold. The settlers illegally settled here.

 What is interesting is it took 28 people only three weeks to build this stockade and the seven cabins within it. They panned very little gold for the next two months before the Army found them and escorted them out of the area.