Travel days and an update

Tuesday 5/15/2012

Hastings Campground

Hastings, NE

The last two weeks have been very uneventful until this past weekend.  Sunday we (I) packed up, and we left Hastings headed south for Smith Center, KS.  A few months ago I called Peterson Industries (the manufacturer of our fifth wheel) and set up an appointment for some service work.  Since Smith Center is only about 75 miles away, we decided to keep the appointment.  There were three other units there with us the last time we went to Smith Center for service work.  When we arrived this time, there was only one other fifth wheel there.  We got backed in and unhooked and settled in for the night.

They want you out of your rig with the slides in by 6:15 AM!!!  The technicians start work at 6:30AM!!!

Neither one of us slept well and were up around 4AM.  I had to help Terri get ready, get all three cats in their carriers, and then put the slides in.  We did great and were actually out and into the customer lounge by 6AM.  A short while later we met the other couple that was there for service work.  John and Cindy have been fulltime for four and a half years.  We enjoyed talking with them and hope to see them again sometime down the road.  Around lunchtime, Terri and I decided to go over to the city park for a little while.  An old Dutch mill is the main attraction.

It was all locked up so we couldn’t go inside.

We had a few minor things on our repair list and one major issue.  We were having a gray water leak at times, and I suspected the gray tank was leaking.  We expected to be in Smith Center at least until Tuesday and maybe even Wednesday.  Happily they got everything finished up early Monday afternoon.  They found the leak, but it wasn’t the gray tank.  The leak was coming from the shower drain, and they were able to reseal the drain pipe.  They were also able to get everything else finished up so we didn’t even have to stay a second night.  We left Smith Center and were back to the Hastings Campground by 4PM.

We were gone from our site in Hastings for about 27 hours.

Today, Tuesday the 15th, was Terri’s first session of physical therapy.  It went well, and we’ll be going back again Thursday.  She still has the cast on her arm until next Thursday, and she still has to keep her arm in a sling.  Thankfully she isn’t experiencing a lot of pain or discomfort.  She is, however, getting tired of sitting in her chair.  Her orthopedist said she shouldn’t lay down, so she’s been spending her nights sleeping in her chair.  She’s also getting tired of not being able to do things that she normally would do like cooking, washing dishes, styling her hair, and tying her shoes.  Even simple things like opening a jar or putting on her seatbelt are difficult.  We’re hoping that once the cast is off and she gets more physical therapy, she’ll be able to be more independent.

Otherwise, there’s not much going on around here.  I did wash the truck and the front of the fifth wheel.  There were a lot of bugs resting in peace on both of them.  I repacked the basement and did some laundry too.  I’ve also been keeping an eye on the field out behind us.  I had this picture in the last post which was taken on 4/25.

This next one is from 5/8.

And, finally, this one is from 5/15.

Pretty exciting stuff!!!

And finally, here’s an interesting cloud formation that was out west of us one evening.