Hiya Babe,
Did not have a very good night sleep, too hot, so I when I got up a half hour before my alarm, I started out tired. Got everything packed up and was out of camp before 8:30, and I was already sweating from the heat! Stopped once at a Walmart in Alliance to pick up a couple of things, like another pair of sunglasses to replace the ones I lost, some juice, and a portable "air conditioner" which is a fan with a little spray mister. I've read about these, and I thought it might come in handy. Even with AC, I typically turn it off at night because it's so noisy, but if I open the windows it gets warm again very fast, and if I leave them closed, by about 3:00 it's so stuffy it wakes me up and I have to open the windows anyway. I thought this little AC unit might help with that 4-5 hour period between when I turn the trailer AC off and when it actually cools down enough outside. Figure it can't hurt! After that quick stop, I had to play around a bit with Google maps to make sure I was going to the right place. You can't just put in Two Mile Run County Park, you have to add "Horse Camp" because they're in two completely different places. I managed to get it right, fortunately. The last stretch into camp was a very rough road, though, lots of potholes. Just needs some grading and it would be fine! We arrived in camp after 12:30, but it took me a long time to get set up. I was glad to see the ground was dry enough for me to get situated, but if we have a lot of rain before I leave, it's going to be a challenge, because it's on grass and there a slight uphill grade. Fingers crossed! First thing I did was get out my electric plug and get the AC in the trailer going! I was surprised to see another trailer, and a day rider already here, thought I'd have the place to myself. No worries. I put up my electric fence for a change, since there's enough room and a lot of nice grass, and even though they have highlines, their cables hang a bit low and I'm afraid if I put up my highline above it, they'll be tangles. We'll see if anyone says anything about it. The horses appreciated having some grass to roll around in! I couldn't find my grounding posts for my fence, so I had to use something else. I can't believe that I left them behind, but I've asked Rick to check on that for me. Meanwhile, I pulled out practically everything in my storage compartments, so I figured tomorrow I would do some cleaning and sorting in there, a long overdue job. I was sorry to see that there was no water spigots nearby, so I had to go fill up the truck tank twice, and I did two loads of laundry. I also discovered I have a blockage in my overflow again, so it takes forever to fill up because it keeps backing up because air isn't getting through very well. I spent some time trying to snake it, blow air in it, force water into it, and even tried to suck out the blockage, but it still hasn't cleared. I put some bleach down there, figuring it might just be algae and I can kill it off. Last resort, I can pull the clamp off where it's clogged, clean it out and re-clamp it. Always a way! Very glad I have AC tonight, though, it would be tough to sleep in this heat again! I'm exhausted, so I'm heading to bed. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
It rained off and on during the night and most of the day again today. Before getting out of bed I had a cramp in my leg, than as I was getting out of bed, I suffered a terrible back spasm. Not sure what that was about, but I drank a bunch of water figuring it was partially because I was dehydrated. Took some acetaminophen, got my chores done, then sat in my recliner to read and ended up falling asleep. I had another spasm, so I crawled back into bed and read and dozed some more. A very lazy day! A lot more trailers came in today, not surprisingly, and I had a nice chat with a couple across the road from me, Barb and Bill, before settling down for the evening. It finally cleared up this afternoon and turned into a beautiful evening, and it's supposed to get down to 58 degrees tonight, which I'll certainly appreciate, considering the forecast is for the 90's by the end of the weekend. Hoping I'll feel well enough for another good ride tomorrow, sure want to take advantage of nice trails and a nice day! Heading to bed soon! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Babe,
Lots of rain off and on today, but I let the horses rest today. They're under a pretty good copse of trees, so I don't think they got that wet, and they were happy with standing around. I headed down to the nearby city of Cambridge to pick up feed at the Tractor Supply and do a little shopping at Walmart, then headed up to pick up hay from a haymaker at Kimbolton. Beautiful first cutting, actually, nice and green, the horses are going to love it after all this coastal. One thing I love about northern hay, green and cheap! Five dollars a bale! Had to put the tarp on it, though, to avoid any stray raindrops, and was happy when I got back to camp and the sun was shining just long enough for me to get it all put away, both the hay and the groceries. Then I discovered that the bank transfer I started on Sunday was on some kind of ridiculous, potentially ten day hold, and my IRS payment had been bounced, and my upcoming autopay for my airfares for my trip to Yellowstone is in jeopardy. I spent the next four hours "chatting" with the people at Discover to try to remedy the situation, but got nowhere. I've been using the same accounts to transfer money around for YEARS and I've never had more than a one or two day hold, and now, all of a sudden, they're saying they can hold it for ten days! So now I'm royally screwed if I can't money transferred sooner. So frustrating! Anyway, it's a bad end to an otherwise perfectly fine day. I ended up just having a bowl of cereal because I couldn't get away long enough to cook anything, much less watch any TV. I guess there's a diet in there somewhere, skip meals by contacting your bank with a problem and "chat" with them for a few hours. Anyway, the horses were happy to get some of that new hay, though I mixed it with the old as is my habit. to prevent such a major change from causing any digestive problems. Had a couple of glasses of wine, which I guess helped. For the first time, I didn't have any pain pills today, and I still managed to get through the day, even walking around Walmart, so I guess I'm on the mend. Heading to shower and bed, hoping to ride tomorrow, there are a lot of trails out here to explore, not sure I'm going to get them all in! May have to come back again, or stay an extra week if my next event doesn't come through. Good night, darlin'! Love you!

Hey Darlin'!
Had a rough start to the day, though the packing and getting ready to leave worked out. The way their dump was situated (on the wrong side) made it easier for me to just back up to it from where I was, a good 80 yards, and when I did the dump, it almost immediately overflowed, so it was all over the place anyway. I rinsed it down the best I could. I had to do another maneuver to be headed out of camp. Lonzo led the way, knowing I was worried about making that 350 degree corner, and I was right to worry. I almost made it, thought I had, but the rise in the corner was too great, and I got stuck on the tarmac. I went too far and couldn't back up either. Lonzo tried to pull me out, but his tires were spinning, too, but then the other guy, the deputy, came up behind and managed to pull me back off it. Of course the steps are mangled again, so I'll need a sledgehammer to straighten that out, if it's even possible. I managed to do it the second time, though I momentarily got stuck on the gravel (which is why I didn't swing wide enough the first time, I was trying to reach the tarmac and not get stuck on the gravel) so I needed another pull off the gravel. Thank goodness those guys were there or I would have been in a world of hurt! Anyway, that was the only drama of the day, the rest of the trip was uneventful, U.S. 23 was a fantastic road up to I-64, then I-77 until I finally reached Salt Fork, which is only a few miles off the highway. GPS brought me straight to the horse camp, even though the signs didn't always indicate that. This place surprises me, though, a lot of people have said wonderful things about it, and yes, it quite manicured, especially for a primitive campground (typical state park), but almost none of the area is level. I was hoping for a shaded site with enough sun for my solar panel, but all the shade was down in a hollow, so I found about the only level spot big enough for me, and even then I didn't push too far back because I didn't want to get too far off the gravel, especially since they're calling for a lot of rain this week. Other than a single day rider, there wasn't anyone in camp at first, so I put Apollo on his anchor and let him and Flash graze on the nice manicured lawn. Thank goodness there's a decent cell signal here, I won't have any trouble communicating or live streaming. I had six voice mails waiting for me, not sure why they didn't go through when I was on wi-fi before, but I got them now! I got set up, having already filled both the RV and the tank in the truck with water from the wash rack, and finally settled down for the evening. Sorry to say another camper showed up, so I had to collect the horses and Lola and put them all in restraints. Was kind of hoping for a couple of days of freedom, but not to be! Dinner and a movie are done, just shower and bed remain! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hi Sweetie!
It's seems like I'm finally on track to have a typical summer Sunday, when I do laundry (four loads since I have electric and water), housekeeping and general packing. It's the first time since leaving Florida that it's been a more normal Sunday. I did some reading, watched an excellent movie about the terrorist acts against the Israeli Olympic team in Munich in 1972, which I vaguely remember hearing about, but not all the details, of course, called September 5. I also took a walk to see the dump and figured out the best way to it will be to back up the driveway to it, since it's on the wrong side going out, and trying to get around these tight turns in the campground will make a mess of their lawn, particularly with all the rain we had off and on today. Otherwise a relaxing day! Looking forward to my next stop, though getting out tomorrow is my first challenge, trying not to worry about it, nothing I can do but DO IT! Having my tea and shower shortly, then off to bed, since I want to get up extra early tomorrow. Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Darlin',
Another bright night, but I slept pretty well. Didn't do much today, except fix the wiring on the trailer brakes that were broken when I got run off the road coming in here, and do the final install in the spice cupboard once the glue was dry after 24 hours. The rest of the day was pretty low-key. I watched a couple of movies, took Lola for a quick swim down at the river, and generally just had a quiet day. I wanted to give the horses and my knee a day off. We had a good storm come in around 7:00, and there's more rain in the forecast for the next couple of days, so I'll be taking my rain gear with me if I go riding tomorrow, which is the plan at the moment. Other than that, a pretty mundane day! Good night, my sweet! Love you!

Hiya Darlin'!
Happy 36th Anniversary! Wish you were here for it! I spent the day moving to another venue, a new place I found that is an Army Corp of Engineers site. I got up before the alarm, got everything packed up except the horses and the last minute stuff before trying to move off the grass on to the gravel. Unfortunately, I started slipping and Richard had to come out with the tractor and get me up that little grade so I wouldn't tear up the lawn too much. Once I hit the gravel it took some maneuvering, because the turn is too sharp to get around a telephone pole, so I had to get it straight to get out. I eventually managed to do that, then got the horses and the rest loaded, and was out the driveway by 8:40. I was a bit worried about the drive once I got off I-75, but it turned out the Hal Rogers Parkway was an excellent road, with passing lanes every few miles, and nothing too terribly steep that my Sierra's transmission couldn't hold it, plus my brakes were working great! They actually snagged on the trailer leaving Linda's this morning, which they've never done before, so I was glad to see that. Made me a much more comfortable driver, at least until the last five miles. Once I turned off US 23 onto the little road that led to the campground, it was a whole other story. This had to be some of the scariest miles I've every driven. Even though the was a line down the middle, the road was not much wider than a one lane road, which would have been fine if it didn't have other traffic on it. Plus it was twisty and windy and had ditches on either side, and so it was a white knuckle drive, especially since I didn't know what was to come. The first few miles was a climb, and then I came upon a dump truck coming down, and it was particularly narrow, and we could barely pass each other, and my tires on the right side slid into the little ditch by the side of the road. Once the truck pass, I had to swing way left to get enough angle to get my tires back on the road! Then I started going downhill, and it was steeper than going up, which is going to be fun on the the way back, NOT! The worst was a turn that was literally about 350 degrees. If there wasn't a new, wide gravel pulloff right there, I never would have made the turn. I couldn't believe the guy I spoke to on the phone told me that the road was good enough for a semi. NO WAY!! I managed the turn, going downhill, but again, going back up around that turn is going to be highly challenging, and it's going to take some doing to not spend the week worrying about it. Nothing I can do, it's the only way in and out! Getting into the campground I had to make a full 90 degree turn over a bridge, but fortunately it was just wide enough for me to make it. That said, the campground itself is gorgeous, with a lovely green lawn, a big playground, a little river running beside it. The campsites have water and 30 amp electric, and there's a wifi up by the restrooms, that almost reaches the trailer (intermittently, anyway), but probably not enough for TV, though I attempted to bridge it with my laptop, no luck yet. The guy I spoke to, I think his name was Lonzo, helped me get into my space, though it took a few tries. Most people "helping" me back up don't realize just how long it takes to change angles with a trailer this long, so it generally takes longer than when I'm on my own. Anyway, I learned that the camping fee includes stalls, and he had two stall picked out for my guys. Really nice stalls, fully boarded so there's no gaps for them to get their legs caught if they roll, and wire mesh over the door so they're safer, though they can't stick their heads out the window. I got them settled in, then finished setting up the RV, putting down my outdoor rug for the first time since I left Florida. The weather is perfect, it was low 80's when I got here and it's going down to about 60 overnight, so it will be great sleeping weather! Not to mention it's going to be dark and quiet here, so I shouldn't get a good night's rest. After dinner, I noticed some guys, along with Lonzo, putting up something on the roof of the restroom area (which also has vending machines and picnic tables, and when I inquired, I learned they were putting in a Starlink! Perfect timing! Unfortunately, it doesn't quite reach my trailer, but it goes blazing fast once I get within range, so I won't be as out of touch as I thought I would be this week. Anyway, I've enjoyed a couple of beers, and I'm ready for my shower and bed. Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Babe,
Got woke up around 4:00 in the morning by thunderstorms and Lola crawling into bed with me. I wouldn't mind if she would be still, but she just keeps creeping and moving and generally pushing on me! It kept me up for a couple of hours before I finally went back to sleep, so naturally, it was later than usual when I got up, but it didn't matter. I had no plans for the day today anyway. I spent it reading, playing computer games, watching TV, and generally just relaxing. The Amazon package I was expecting tomorrow showed up today, so technically, I could leave tomorrow, but the forecast isn't looking good and I really don't want to be driving in the rain, especially on country roads, so I'll still wait until Tuesday, which has a stellar forecast. So other than doing some PT exercises and walking out to give the horses treats a couple of times, it was a very lazy day. My knee was bothering me a little, so I iced it down most of the day, which did seem to help. Anyway, off to bed! Good night, darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Not a bad night sleep considering how hot it was today, though it took me awhile to cool off enough to get to sleep. Had a pretty restful day, finally had a chance to ice my leg using my machine, because Linda has a fabulous ice-maker in her freezer, and that made a big difference. Did a load of laundry, but otherwise had a pretty lazy day, which I needed to catch up. She felt better this morning, but toward the end of the day her husband started to get sick, so now she's doubting that it was food poisoning, and maybe something she picked up at her doctor's office on Tuesday. Hopefully I don't catch whatever it is, and Richard gets over it quickly, but we should know pretty quick! Anyway, a nice relaxing day, which I needed, and hopefully a good night sleep! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!