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| Lightweight and portable. Nothing fancy but will do the job of piecing a quilt nicely. |
Friday, August 12, 2016
His and Her New Toys for the New 5th Wheel
A new toy for each of us.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Another Morning with My Hummingbirds
One of my favorite things to do in the morning. Just me, my coffee, my camera and my hummingbirds.
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| The hummingbirds are getting used to having their picture taken. |
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Hummingbird Photos
July 21, 2016
I love hummingbirds. We have a very active hummingbird population in our backyard in the mornings and evenings. One of my favorite things to do is to sit and catch these tiny birds in action. These photos were taken this morning. I usually use a tripod but I didn't have it set up this morning so the camera was hand held.
I love hummingbirds. We have a very active hummingbird population in our backyard in the mornings and evenings. One of my favorite things to do is to sit and catch these tiny birds in action. These photos were taken this morning. I usually use a tripod but I didn't have it set up this morning so the camera was hand held.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
2016 Keystone Montana 3721RL
About 7 weeks ago (May, 27 2016), we stopped at our local RV dealer to "just look," we found a 2016 Montana 3721RL on the lot that sparked our interest. After touring the 3721RL and going over some numbers (the part we hate), we agreed to trade in our 2011 Montana High Country and purchase the new unit. Because we had three weeks before we departed on a 3 week (June 17 departure) adventure to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and South Dakota; we thought we had plenty of time to get a few issues repaired on the new 5th wheel before we needed to leave on our trip. Well....we were so wrong.
The new 3721RL needed a part (yes, one part) for the suspension but Keystone would not allow the replacement of just one part, they wanted the entire suspension replaced in order to not void the manufacturer's warranty. After 3 weeks, and delivery of several wrong parts, we ran out of time so ended up taking the "old" 2011 Montana on one last trip. We were disappointed that we could not take the new 5th wheel as planned, but we had a wonderful time on the trip.
Fast forward to July 13, 2016
We spent 6 hours at the dealers doing a walk through on the new Montana 3721RL. We found several small things that needed to be fixed and some minor cosmetic details that needed to be touched up but we managed to get it home from the dealers. The new 5th wheel is just beautiful and we are happy with just about everything except the air conditioning (more on that later). The 6-point leveling system is so nice to have and there is so much room in the new unit. I can't wait to take it on a shakedown trip...hopefully in August (somewhere cool).
The new 3721RL needed a part (yes, one part) for the suspension but Keystone would not allow the replacement of just one part, they wanted the entire suspension replaced in order to not void the manufacturer's warranty. After 3 weeks, and delivery of several wrong parts, we ran out of time so ended up taking the "old" 2011 Montana on one last trip. We were disappointed that we could not take the new 5th wheel as planned, but we had a wonderful time on the trip.
Fast forward to July 13, 2016
We spent 6 hours at the dealers doing a walk through on the new Montana 3721RL. We found several small things that needed to be fixed and some minor cosmetic details that needed to be touched up but we managed to get it home from the dealers. The new 5th wheel is just beautiful and we are happy with just about everything except the air conditioning (more on that later). The 6-point leveling system is so nice to have and there is so much room in the new unit. I can't wait to take it on a shakedown trip...hopefully in August (somewhere cool).
Saturday, July 16, 2016
July 7, 2016
Our last stop on our 3 week journey before home, was in Trinidad, CO. We camped at Trinidad Lake State Park. We were so pooped by the time we got situated at our site we didn't even unhook the truck. We had a pretty nice site here. Tour of Trinidad will have to wait until next time.
We arrived home in New Mexico on July 8, 2016. What a trip. Three weeks, 5 states, 3909 miles. We got to spend time with family, met new friends and checked a couple of items off of the bucket list (Coeur D'Alene, Mt. Rushmore).
Gene's stats: We used 355 gallons of fuel, spent 92 hours riding in the truck, and got 11.0 mpg.
I think next trip we will spend less time in the truck and more time at a stop.
This trip was the last trip for the 2011 Montana High Country. Her oxidized exterior and peeling decals made us decide to upgrade. She has served us well and has been reliable but it is time to trade her off....
Our last stop on our 3 week journey before home, was in Trinidad, CO. We camped at Trinidad Lake State Park. We were so pooped by the time we got situated at our site we didn't even unhook the truck. We had a pretty nice site here. Tour of Trinidad will have to wait until next time.
We arrived home in New Mexico on July 8, 2016. What a trip. Three weeks, 5 states, 3909 miles. We got to spend time with family, met new friends and checked a couple of items off of the bucket list (Coeur D'Alene, Mt. Rushmore).
Gene's stats: We used 355 gallons of fuel, spent 92 hours riding in the truck, and got 11.0 mpg.
I think next trip we will spend less time in the truck and more time at a stop.
This trip was the last trip for the 2011 Montana High Country. Her oxidized exterior and peeling decals made us decide to upgrade. She has served us well and has been reliable but it is time to trade her off....
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| Peeling decals on 2011 Montana High Country |
July 5-7, 2016
We were going to drive the 276 miles back to Cheyenne, WY but decided to cancel those reservations and drive a little further to Fort Collins, CO where we stayed 2 nights at the Fort Collins/Lakeside KOA. We had a great site here (although a little unlevel). We had the lake behind us and even did a little unsuccessful fishing.
While in Fort Collins we took a tour of the New Belgium Brewery. We were told that these tours are booked months in advance so we were lucky that some folks that had reserved a tour didn't show up. Lucky us! Once again, our guide, Shannon, was great!
We were going to drive the 276 miles back to Cheyenne, WY but decided to cancel those reservations and drive a little further to Fort Collins, CO where we stayed 2 nights at the Fort Collins/Lakeside KOA. We had a great site here (although a little unlevel). We had the lake behind us and even did a little unsuccessful fishing.
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| Our camp site in Fort Collins. |
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| Fish were not biting but the lake weeds were. |
While in Fort Collins we took a tour of the New Belgium Brewery. We were told that these tours are booked months in advance so we were lucky that some folks that had reserved a tour didn't show up. Lucky us! Once again, our guide, Shannon, was great! |
| New school brewing. |
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| Old school brewing |
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| Shannon, our guide. |
July 3-4, 2016
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
After a 4 hour drive to Hill City, South Dakota, our home for 2 nights was at the Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch.
The KOA was a nice KOA but we were put in the overflow area as we piddled around making our reservations here, forgetting that we were going to be there over the 4th of July. Our fault for taking our time on this one.
Gene had seen Mt. Rushmore with his family as a teen but it was a first for me. I am happy I was able to check this item off of my bucket list. Mt. Rushmore is really something to see.
After seeing the memorial we took the short drive to Keystone, SD and had lunch at the Ruby House in Keystone. Fun little restaurant.
July 4, 2016
Deadwood, SD
Fun, fun, fun. We took a tour of Deadwood with Alkali Ike Tours in Deadwood. We really enjoyed our guide, very fun and informative.
We visited Kevin Costner's Midnight Star and loved seeing all of the Kevin Costner memorabilia on display there.
We also spent some time giving away some of our hard earned cash here. There are casinos everywhere. Gene was able to win $200 at the #10 Saloon so we came out ahead on that deal. Yay!
Next stop....Fort Collins, CO
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
After a 4 hour drive to Hill City, South Dakota, our home for 2 nights was at the Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch.
The KOA was a nice KOA but we were put in the overflow area as we piddled around making our reservations here, forgetting that we were going to be there over the 4th of July. Our fault for taking our time on this one.
Gene had seen Mt. Rushmore with his family as a teen but it was a first for me. I am happy I was able to check this item off of my bucket list. Mt. Rushmore is really something to see.
After seeing the memorial we took the short drive to Keystone, SD and had lunch at the Ruby House in Keystone. Fun little restaurant.
July 4, 2016
Deadwood, SD
Fun, fun, fun. We took a tour of Deadwood with Alkali Ike Tours in Deadwood. We really enjoyed our guide, very fun and informative.
We visited Kevin Costner's Midnight Star and loved seeing all of the Kevin Costner memorabilia on display there.
We also spent some time giving away some of our hard earned cash here. There are casinos everywhere. Gene was able to win $200 at the #10 Saloon so we came out ahead on that deal. Yay!
Next stop....Fort Collins, CO
July 1-2, 2016
Butte, MT
After a 6 hour drive we landed in Butte, MT for an overnight stay at the Butte KOA. Oh my goodness. The Butte, KOA needs some work, in my opinion. Enough said about the Butte KOA.
July 2, 2016
Next stop was Sheridan, WY. It was another 6+ hour drive for an overnight stay at the Sheridan/Big Horn Mountains KOA. Nothing exciting here, just a trip to Walmart where Gene found himself a new toy. It worked, but not well enough, so it will be returned to Walmart.
Whew! These overnight stays are no fun at all!
Butte, MT
After a 6 hour drive we landed in Butte, MT for an overnight stay at the Butte KOA. Oh my goodness. The Butte, KOA needs some work, in my opinion. Enough said about the Butte KOA.
July 2, 2016
Next stop was Sheridan, WY. It was another 6+ hour drive for an overnight stay at the Sheridan/Big Horn Mountains KOA. Nothing exciting here, just a trip to Walmart where Gene found himself a new toy. It worked, but not well enough, so it will be returned to Walmart.
June 29-30, 2016
Sadly, it was time for us to leave family and friends and go on our own. Family went to Washington State, friends left for the Oregon coast. For us, it was a short 3 hour drive from Ceour D'Alene to Libby, MT for a visit with Gene's brother who has recently built a beautiful home in Libby. Day #1 in Libby was spent enjoying brother-in-laws new home 5000 Sq Ft of beautiful! We stayed at the Woodland RV Park. This park was a nice clean park.
Sadly, it was time for us to leave family and friends and go on our own. Family went to Washington State, friends left for the Oregon coast. For us, it was a short 3 hour drive from Ceour D'Alene to Libby, MT for a visit with Gene's brother who has recently built a beautiful home in Libby. Day #1 in Libby was spent enjoying brother-in-laws new home 5000 Sq Ft of beautiful! We stayed at the Woodland RV Park. This park was a nice clean park.
Kootenai Falls.
Day #2 in Libby, MT was spent at Kootenai Falls and Swinging Bridge. It was a fairly short but hot hike to Kootenai Falls. Wow! What a sight.
Swinging Bridge
Just a short walk from Kootenai Falls is a swinging bridge.
Libby, MT was another one of my favorite stops on this trip.
Next stop...Butte, MT
June 26-28, 2016
We spent 3 glorious days in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. What a beautiful state. We stayed at the Blackwell Island RV Park.
Our first full day in Coeur D'Alene was spent on a Coeur D'Alene River float with the group. It was a very hot day, low 90's. The water, I am told, was about 60 degrees. Needless to say, only one of us was brave enough to take a dive off of the rocks. Brrrrrr!
We had a wonderful dinner with sister and brother-in-law at Cedars Floating Restaurant located just outside of our RV park. We had a great dinner there. I highly recommend it.
We spent 3 glorious days in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. What a beautiful state. We stayed at the Blackwell Island RV Park.
Day #2 We took a boat tour of Lake Coeur D'Alene. The houses on the lake are spectacular. If we win the lottery, we would definitely consider a summer home here.
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| One of my favorites. My future summer home. |
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| Pam and Gene |
We had a wonderful dinner with sister and brother-in-law at Cedars Floating Restaurant located just outside of our RV park. We had a great dinner there. I highly recommend it.
Next stop...Libby, MT
June 24, 2016
we were able to visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.
This is a refuge for Bears and Wolves that are deemed unable to survive in the wild. Most of the bears came to the refuge after being tagged as nuisance bears.
Friends that we were traveling with have a 5-year-old boy who participated in a program for the children that entails hiding the food for the bears (the bears, of course, are not in the enclosure while the food is being hidden, yikes!) The food, fruits and veggies, are hidden under rocks and logs, thrown in the water, allowing the bears to forage for their food as they would in the wild.
we were able to visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.
This is a refuge for Bears and Wolves that are deemed unable to survive in the wild. Most of the bears came to the refuge after being tagged as nuisance bears.
Friends that we were traveling with have a 5-year-old boy who participated in a program for the children that entails hiding the food for the bears (the bears, of course, are not in the enclosure while the food is being hidden, yikes!) The food, fruits and veggies, are hidden under rocks and logs, thrown in the water, allowing the bears to forage for their food as they would in the wild.
June 22, 2016
Next stop was West Yellowstone, MT and Grizzly RV Park and Resort. Very nice RV Park. We spent 8 hours driving through Yellowstone Park and saw much more than we did on our previous visit a few years back. Many geysers, pools, mud pots all beautiful. We timed "Old Faithful" just perfectly as we only had to wait about 10 minutes for it to erupt.
Next stop was West Yellowstone, MT and Grizzly RV Park and Resort. Very nice RV Park. We spent 8 hours driving through Yellowstone Park and saw much more than we did on our previous visit a few years back. Many geysers, pools, mud pots all beautiful. We timed "Old Faithful" just perfectly as we only had to wait about 10 minutes for it to erupt.
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| Dragon's Mouth Spring |
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| This big guy was not afraid of us at all. |
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| Upper Falls, Yellowstone |
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| Upper Falls, Yellowstone |
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| Pam and Gene, Yellowstone |
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Victor, Idaho and the Grand Teton National Park
Two days in Victor, Idaho at the Teton Valley RV Park and one spectacular day at the Grand Teton National Park.
Just beautiful! Grand Teton National Park.
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| Steep grade on the way to our RV Park in Victor, ID....thank goodness for engine brake! |
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| Beautiful scenery on from Rock Springs, WY to Victor, ID |
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| US |
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| Prices getting pretty steep for national parks. We have a national park pass, that helps! |
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| Jenny Lake |
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| The water is soooooo clear and cold! |
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| Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole, WY |
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| Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole, WY |
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| Us |
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