Nebraska

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Fridge on 120V Power Update

Since leaving the beach, I had problems with my fridge set to the AC (shore/120V power), both on 30A at an RV park and 15A in a driveway.

I was really short on propane in Shawnee and was growing weary of just how quickly I go through the gas when the fridge is running off it, so I decided it was time to do something about it.

I started by going back over some of my electrical posts from the beach because I had a niggle at the back of my mind. And then I found my post about the salt water corrosion on my battery terminals.

Doh. I went out and cleaned the fridge terminals and connections with a scrubbie pad and an eraser, then turned the fridge on to shore power. No problem in Shawnee on 30A. And no problem in Wichita on 15A. My fridge is also running colder on a lower setting than it was before.

Salt water is evil! 🙂

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Hanging Out With the Cat

That post title really has sent me into ‘crazy cat lady territory’ hasn’t it? 😀 But it’s true. Neelix and I have always been more of polite roommates than companions. Since it’s been just us, he’s stepped in to take Tabitha’s job of Chief Cuddler. He even asks for my lap now! He’s a great comfort.

My last post sure did stir up some comments! I would like to clarify that even though no payment is expected and that I am unimpressed with Strombsburg’s inflexibility, I am going to be leaving some money in the donation box, just not as much as I had planned to ($2 vs. $5 a night). That will more than cover the services I have used.

Even though I have permission for four nights, taking me to Sunday, I’m moving out tomorrow. I’ll be going about one hour up the road to Columbus where there are a number of free parks with no donations accepted (although I would leave one if there is a collection box) that allow a seven-day stay. I wish I had known about Columbus earlier on. I would have stayed in York Wednesday and arrived in Columbus on Thursday. Oh, well.

Columbus puts me an hour closer to the border and 17 miles closer to Omaha, so I will still be able to meet up with P.J. and her hubby as planned on Sunday.

Monday, I plan to haul ass to the casino in Hankinson and reassess the weather. If it looks clear, I’ll make it to Minot on Tuesday, and Canada on Wednesday, but I’d have two extra days in case I want to hang out longer in Hankinson to catch a crab leg buffet. 🙂

My mother called today to catch up and had the same thought I did: that I can land on my property, even if it is spongy, if I lay my levers perpendicular to the tires to get them to absorb the weight of the rig. If I do that, then I am going to try the Montana entry point that’s right at my property rather than the bigger one at Portal, ND, which will save me beaucoup bucks on fuel. I can drop the rig, then make a grocery and internet run with the toad the next day.I can’t believe I’ll be in Canada no more than a week from today. Where did the winter go?!I’m off to reread earlier blog posts to remind myself that until I pointed the rig north from San Antonio, I was having an awesome time! Yes, some pictures of palm trees would be just the ticket right now!

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Not the Answer I Expected

This afternoon, I braved the bitter wind from the north and went to Stromsburg city hall to ask for permission to remain at the campground till Monday (five nights total). I explained that I arrived earlier than planned because of the bad weather from the south, was waiting out bad weather in the north, and had plans with friends on Sunday.

I was told I have to be gone Saturday by noon (four nights) and that there are absolutely NO exceptions allowed. Four nights max.

I told them that they would not be getting much of a donation from me.

In fact, all they are getting from me in the donation box is a letter criticizing their common sense. The park is empty, the weather is terrible, and they didn’t just lose my donation. I’ll inform L of this and I’m sure as well as B&S won’t be giving this park money anymore if they stay here.

I’m looking at my options near Columbus since that is fairly on my route and still close enough to meet up with P.J. and her hubby on Sunday.

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Wichita, KS to Stromsburg, NE

Oh, I feel battered. What a horrible good day on the road.

I impressed L, B, and S with my toad hookup skills this morning, then took off around 10:00 or 10:30. L lives right off of a highway, so I barely had any work to do to get going. I also had full tanks of gas and propane, so my only job today was to get to Stromsburg.

I was only about 70KM out of Wichita when the weather hit. Just spittle at first, but really bad wind that had me wrestling the steering wheel. I had left Wichita in a medium-weight long cotton skirt, sandals, and a tee-shirt. Two rest areas up the road (less than an hour of driving), I had to add leggings, socks, closed shoes, a fleece sweater, and a windbreaker/rain coat!

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The original plan was to spend two nights at the Ottawa State Fishing Lake near Minneapolis (yes, both still in Kansas) just north of Salina and I was already wiped by the time I reached that exit! But I knew that I had to stay on the main roads and get to a place with power and internet so I could stay on top of the weather.

I stopped at every rest area to check the rig and take a breather, but the freeway eventually ended and I was going nowhere slow, so I pushed on resolutely all the way to York.

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There, I pulled into the Walmart for some supplies. L made sure I was fed all the time I was in Wichita, so having to cook again for myself is going to be a tad brutal. 🙂

It was really tempting to just overnight in York, but Stromsburg and its donation campground was just 20 minutes away. It made sense to make that final effort and get squared away so that I can just relax tomorrow.

A few minutes from Stromsburg, I discovered that the line between ‘ice pellets’ and ‘hail’ is very fine. Was I glad to see the railroad crossing sign as we enter town as I knew the entrance to the campground was my next left!

This is a nice city park with power (up to 50A). There are faucets but not right at the sites, and there is a dump station. The only negative is that we are right against an active railroad with a train that whistles.

I unhooked quickly, backed in, and immediately started both the electric heater and the furnace!

Today was noteworthy in three respects.

First, it was my worst gas mileage day EVER. I am just at the red line and have gone less than 400KM! When I get fuel, I will note how many gallons I get so that I can calculate just how bad the gas mileage situation was today. I am generously estimating 4 to 5MPG. Yes, I’m hauling a heavier toad, but I was also going straight uphill the whole way, plus there was all that headwind. In closer to ideal conditions, the toad hasn’t been affecting my gas mileage noticeably.

Second, today was the first time I ever hit anything backing up with Miranda! No B.S.! Until today, I have NEVER so much as grazed anything backing up. I went back one foot too much and the very top edge of the RV went into a tree branch. I can tell there is some damage to the fiberglass, but nothing that is particularly depressing me. I’ll just slap a piece of Eternabond over the area when the weather clears up and no one will be the wiser. 🙂

Third:

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That white stuff on the ground looks suspiciously like snow.

I will likely be quiet in the next few days since I have projects to do and there isn’t much in the area.

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In the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark

I’m parked at the Walmart in Council Bluffs, IA, which is just across the river from Omaha, NE, if you have your map out. Today’s drive was long but uneventful except for one tiny detail. When I left North Dakota, I felt seriously under dressed in relation to the weather while it is hotter than sin in Council Bluffs!

Dakota Magic Casino sits right on the North and South Dakota border. I got back on the highway and was able to take this picture before merging onto the interstate:

I pulled over shortly thereafter at the rest area in Wilmot:

It boasted a scenic overview of the Whetstone Valley, but it was really tough to get a clear shot of it:

I learned that all South Dakota rest areas have a no camping rule:

I stopped a few more times before having to make unexpected repairs at the last rest area before Iowa:

Believe it or not, all of the Eternabond tape I’d applied to the loft came loose!!! I was just driving along minding my own business and suddenly noticed flapping out of the corner of my eye. It wasn’t an emergency, so I drove almost 200KM like that before hitting the rest area. And not a moment too soon because I went to the shower to get my step-stool and, bam, the shower door toppled onto me. I don’t know who designed it, but it is not made for RV use. There is a pin that holds the door in place and when I am on a rough and bouncy road (which describes all of I29 in South Dakota) the door bounces up and down until the pin gets loose. I haven’t come up with a way to secure it and am growing increasingly annoyed with it. Once, the door even bounced right out of the frame, denting both itself and the floor!

After I rolled out of that rest … oh, wait. Eternabond! Yes, after I wrestled the shower door back in place, I applied some new Eternabond over part of the old stuff to stick it back in place. I am definitely going to be trying my hand at fiberglass this summer, so I just wanted this to hold till I get to Quebec.

By this point, the weather had gone from ‘getting warm’ to ‘infernal’, so I put on the AC and headed out of South Dakota to enter the state where two favourite fictional characters were born:

I stopped at the rest area to see if there was anything interesting there. Yup:

information about the only man who died on the Lewis and Clark expedition

The names of the men on the Lewis and Clark expedition were written around the building. Lots and lots and lots and lots of French Canadians, including:

I thought these benches were cute:

A good day of fishing on the expedition:

Driving along, I noticed smoke and, HOLY RANDOM FIRE, BATMAN:

you can’t really see the flames in the pic but they were THIS BIG

And then, the Omaha skyline:

I decided to overnight in Council Bluff since there were a number of casinos, a camping world, a Bass Pro Shop, and the Walmart as options. I was hoping Walmart would work since I had some shopping to do. I phoned the manager and he didn’t seem to like the idea, but when I said that I had shopping to do he grudgingly gave his okay for one night.

I was excited to see an Applebee’s just a couple of blocks (walking distance) from the Walmart, making this the second best Walmart I’ve ever stayed at. 🙂 I had dinner then came home to find a note on the windshield from reader P.J.! I have no idea how she found me, but she’ll be over shortly and we’re going out for dessert. I don’t care where as long as it has air conditioning. 🙂