Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Aerie Report, May 11, 2010

The wind shifted overnight and was blowing lightly out of the southwest this morning according to the windmills on the ridge. A few hundred feet lower the breeze was swirling in all directions but mostly 180 degrees opposite of what it was doing at the windmills.

It "only" dropped to 34 degrees overnight here, but weather.com says it got to 28 where ever they do their measurements. (I've an inkling that it's over at the Elmira/Corning Airport; some 25-30 miles to the north and much, much lower.) The also said it was going to be raining by around two o'clock. They were close. It started here around 3 PM and has been falling on and off with even a few thunder-booms thrown in for good measure. As for the temperature, it never got above 44 degrees before the rain came and caused it to drop back into the 30s.

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Needless to say, there was no staining done today. Won't be any done tomorrow, either. And with more rain forecast for Thursday, there probably won't be time for the wood to dry out and then the stain to dry out (about 1 1/2 days for the former and a full 24 hours for the latter) until Sunday or so.

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I spent the day with a computer copy of Trailer Life 2010 Campground Directory Navigator plotting out our route and stops for this summer. While the trip is centered around a Good Sam Caraventure up the Al-Can Highway and into Alaska, there's the matter of getting from Pennsylvania to the rendezvous point of Dawson Creek, BC and then getting back from the end of the guided tour at Prince George, BC. Along the way, we'll be visiting the daughter-in-law's parents northwest of Chicago; my son and his wife in Portland, OR; and, hopefully, some friends in Colorado Springs, CO. Those little side trips aren't actually much out of the way, but the visit times will make this trip nearly 75 days and 12,000 miles long.

In addition to plot our course and picking out the RV Parks/Campgrounds I would like to stop at each night, there are a few other things that need to get done. Terry made a list of galley items that she will need to stock the trailer and also cooking utensils she wants to make sure she has on hand. I've gone through the traveling tool box to see what I've got and what I need to add. We also made a list of what needs to go along in the way of personal hygiene, health and first aid materials. We've both given thought to our traveling wardrobe and I've got a pretty good idea of what I'll be bringing.

There are still a few items we need to buy: portable gas grill like those you see at tailgate parties, gas canisters for that grill and for the Coleman lantern as well as mantles for the lantern. Things like that.

The truck will have to go over to the mechanic to get the oil changed, fluids checked, belts inspected, etc. It's coming up on 40,000 miles.

Then there's the problem of my driver's license. Terry got a renewal form about two months ago and has already renewed hers. I got my PA license a week after she did (snafu on some papers on my part) but I have yet to get a renewal form. It expires the end of September so it's not really a huge issue as we'll be back in PA by 1 September but it's annoying. How come SHE got hers but I haven't? We'll see if we can rectify that tomorrow.

Yeah, I'm getting antsy as the day of our departure is now less than a month away. There seems like a lot to do and so little time to do it. Still, I'm waiting on others to supply needed information/materials that could make my life easier. Good Sam has yet to send the hard copy of the daily itinerary and information as to what we need to have on hand and what we can expect. (Aside form needing a CB radio--which I've gotten--I've little idea what it means to caravan with a group. This is totally new to us.)

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