Hi Babe!
Had a wonderful night sleep! More than eight hours! So woke up pretty refreshed, did my chores and breakfast, then headed down to Montour Falls to the truck repair place, FleetPride. They came out and listened to my truck, and after awhile, decided that the problem was with the cam train and that they didn't have the time or facility to repair it. They said it would be about a 15-16 hour job and they probably didn't even have the tools to do it. They called around to a few places for me, but found nothing. Then I got on my phone looking for a diesel mechanic, and found one just north of Watkins Glen, with good reviews (and whom the folks at FleetPride had never heard of), so I headed up there immediately. Unfortunately, no one was there, so I called the number and got a hold of the guy, Luke, but he was on a service call and wouldn't be available until later in the day, obviously a one-man shop. I went back to camp and killed time by reading (the Lioness of Morocco is my latest book), then finally reached out to him around 4:00, and he was just on his way back to his shop, so I headed over there. He immediately recognized that this truck has the California emission package on it, which I had forgotten about, and first found a slight problem with the belt tensioner and replaced it with a spare he happened to have, but that didn't solve the noise. He did some more investigating and determined that the problem was actually the EGR vacuum pump, part of that emission package, and which would evidently be the reason for most of the codes I've been getting. He seemed quite certain that was the problem, and he gave me the choice of replacing the part or to just take it off, as he said it wouldn't affect the performance, or might even make it better. He said he would need to put on a shorter belt, but otherwise, it was a simple job. Well, since I'm not in California, and I don't live in a state that requires inspections, that makes more sense to me. We made an appointment for Wednesday morning to do the job, and I'm truly hoping that's all it is. I don't think continuing to run it like that would be catastrophic, but I'd rather keep my truck in as good a shape as I can! Finally got back to camp around 5:30, had some dinner, finally settled down for the evening to dinner and a movie, and looking forward to another early night. Tomorrow, we ride!! Good night, baby! Love you!

Hiya Darlin!
Had a good night sleep, did my chores and breakfast, then finally got a text from another old friend, Donna (from Cleveland, who we spent time with quite a few years ago!) about meeting with her and some friends who were staying at another friend's lake house. Her and her book club all came over from Cleveland, and they decided to visit the Women's Rights Museum in Seneca Falls, the spot of the first Women's Convention that later spread across the country. I met them there, toured the museum, had a great lunch nearby, then went back to the lake house for a bit before they went on a tour and I came back to camp. It was a great day with a bunch of great people! I made a quick detour to look at the nearby Backbone Horse Camp in the Finger Lakes National Forest just to check it out, confirming there was no water there, and even though some of the sites would be big enough for me, I would have a very difficult time going around their main loop. The curves are too deep and narrow, I'd be very hard-pressed to make the turns, so I guess I won't be visiting there! Once I got back to camp, I was glad to see the horses were fine, despite the fact that it had rained almost all day. I'm going to move their highline tomorrow, they're unfortunately making a mess of the grassy area they are in, the rain really made it slippery, so I will take them down the hill, which will be harder on me but easier on them. I then decided to try to clear out the codes on my truck, so I disconnected both batteries, but that didn't do it. Then I remembered that yesterday when I was looking for something else I found what looked like a code reader, even though I didn't think I had one for the truck, but I pulled it out and checked it, and lo and behold, it DID work on the truck! It showed the same codes as what the mechanics did. I went ahead and cleared it out, figuring if they didn't come back on, maybe I solved the problem, though I'm still going to take it to the mechanic on Monday because it's still making some kind of noise. I hate to say it, but it kind of sounds like the water pump (which I've already replaced once) or a timing chain, which I'm not even sure they have on diesel engines, though it could be anything, both big jobs, and I'm hoping I'm wrong. Anyway, warmed up the other half of lunch for dinner, settled down to a little TV, ready for bed! A great day! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Babe,
Ended up being busier today than I had planned, but it's a good thing! After chores and breakfast, I headed out to do some running around, first to the truck tire place in the town of Odessa, where they had a new Roadax tire that I guess will work with my other tires. The tread pattern is a bit different, but it's the same depth and tread size, so I guess it will work. It's the spare, anyway. I had noticed that my motor was making a kind of funny noise, and since they didn't do that kind of work, I stopped at their sister office in Monterey (where we bought a tire many years ago), but even though every bay was empty, they said they didn't have any technicians available (looked more like they didn't have any technicians at all!), but could schedule me for next week for a $149 diagnostic if I wanted. All I really wanted was a quick code test to see if anything showed up, and/or a capable mechanic that could listen to the sound and figure out what it might be, but I wasn't to find it there! Another customer overheard, and after we went outside, he suggested I stop at one of the parts stores, who would do a basic diagnostic for free, which I did. Two stops later, I found a shop that instilled a lot more confidence, and they did the diagnostic for me, and it was a couple of small things having to do with fuel, air and egr. I checked and figured out I was overdue for a fuel filter change, and probably an air filter too (which I already had on hand), but I don't know what to do about the egr. Anyway, I picked up a fuel filter at NAPA before heading to Walmart for some light shopping, and then I checked my email and found that my package of tools had arrived at the post office, so I swung by there and picked those up, finally making it back to camp. After putting the groceries up, I went to work on the truck. The air filter change went very quickly, and even the fuel filter change went a lot faster than the last time I did it (practice makes perfect!), but after doing my usual youtube research, I couldn't find anything really helpful on the egr sensor. Fortunately, the shop that I went to said they could slip me in on Monday at 10:00 (though they were fully booked for nearly two weeks!), so maybe they can figure out what the noise is. It was coming up to 5:00 by then, so I turned toward settling down for the evening. Made a big batch of dirty rice, which I haven't done for awhile and watched a movie. Soon to bed! Good night, my sweet! Love you!

Hi Sweetie,
Had a good night sleep, got up around 8:30, and I saw that my friend Lorna was getting ready to leave when I went out to feed the horses. We chatted for a few minutes before she left, then I went on with a very quiet, cool day. Temps never got above about 63, and I almost can't believe I'm saying this, it felt too cool to ride! Well, I rode yesterday, so I wasn't planning on riding again today, so it's a moot point anyway. I spent the day reading, doing some research on my computer, and generally relaxing and enjoying the day. I've spent so little time keeping up with the news, but I learned there was the first Presidential debate tonight, so I watched a little bit of that, until I couldn't stand it any more. Heading for a shower and bed! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hi Babe,
Had a fitful night sleep, finally dragged myself out of bed at 8:30, got the chores done, had breakfast, and debated whether or not I was in the mood to go riding, decided no. Decided to try to replace the water compartment door that I received a while back, but the screws were so rusted the heads flew off immediately. So I had to do some research on how to remove broken screws, and of course, that meant I had to research the tools to do it, and finally order them once I figured out what I needed. I hope I'm getting the right stuff! Then, an old friend from high school reached out to me, I had learned from another friend she was in the area, and it turned out she was very nearby, so she drove over with her little teardrop camper and we got together in the afternoon and chatted away like crazy! Amazing, I don't think I've seen her since 1976, but we had a great time getting caught up! It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so probably no riding until Thursday, if she wants to go. Anyway, time flew and it was nearly 8:00 when we finally adjourned for the evening. Made a quick late supper, finished my tool order, now I'm ready for shower and bed! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hey Sweetie,
Well, I had the chance to use some of my new tools, today, much to my surprise! Got up at my appointed hour, had breakfast and finished packing, put Flash in the trailer, and when I went back for Apollo, I remembered I hadn't put Flash's fly mask on, which I like to do when traveling to keep the dirt and hay out of their eyes, so I hooked Apollo up on the side of the trailer and noticed that one of my tires sidewalls was bursting out. Oddly, I checked that same tire a few days ago, and saw that it was my oldest tire, though at the time it looked fine. Now, the sidewall was bursting, so I knew I couldn't go anywhere until I changed, it, I was just happy I saw it before I hit the road. I took Flash back out of the trailer and put them both back on the highline, then got out my Jiffy Jack and my new impact wrench, and had the lugs loosened and the tire off in no time. Got the spare out and got that on shortly, then seeing that the spare was about ten pounds light, I got out my new compressor, started the generator, and got the tire up to specs. All in all, it took about 20-25 minutes, but I got it all done! Finally got everything put away and the horses loaded up, did my final check, and headed out just before 9:00. I debated whether to stay ont the freeways, which would add another 100 miles, or stick to US 15, which I seemed to remember had some twisty, windy bits, but from what I found on the internet, it seemed to be okay. I went west on Shippensburg road as planned, but then Google tried to send me down a road with only a 10.5' clearance, a good two feet shorter than me, so I had to find an alternate route, which took a few minutes more to get to I-81. Once I was on the interstate, we soon got caught up in an accident-caused traffic jam which slowed us down another 20 minutes or so. I couldn't believe it when we passed the accident, there was a semi that was completely burned down right to the chassis! The trailer was fine, but the tractor was utterly gone, almost nothing left of it, no cab whatsoever, right down to the frame. The engine didn't even seem to be fully there, it was that bad! Once we got past that point, though, the rest of the trip was uneventful. Just one stop for fuel, which I was burning up pretty fast due to serious headwinds, but they actually helped my downhill slopes by slowing me down. Most of the hills were long and easy, so really, it turned out to be the best route, at least until we got close to camp. Note to self, don't follow the route up Evergreen Hill road, it's a long, steep gravel road, need to find an alternative. Best to come in from the west/north, the turn into the road from the east is sharp and I had to take two stabs at it to get in through the gate. It was a bit farther out than I remembered, but finally managed to arrive in camp. Unfortunately, there was a small trailer taking up the spot we usually take, and things have changed quite a bit here! They now have designated campsites, so I stopped and reconnoitered the best place, until I finally settled on Site 2, because there were a couple of trees where I could highline. I managed to get somewhat settled in, then went looking to fill up my tanks, only to discover that they sawed off the spigots here! I hate it when they do that! Apparently they expect everyone to carry buckets of water to their horses, instead of just letting us hook up a hose and filling them! I saw a young ranger talking to some other folks and asked him about it, and got the usual story about how some folks abused the privilege, and since it was free, there was no obligation to provide services, yada yada yada, all so stupid! Throw out the bums that abuse the system, but don't make it unusable for the rest of us! I was also told horses aren't allowed on highlines anymore, they would have to be put in the covered standing stalls, which, I'm sorry, I'm not going to do. Last time I put Apollo in a standing stall, he laid down, then when he tried to get up he hit the front bar and hurt himself. When I checked on him, he was on the other side of the front bar with a terrible scrape on his back, and he was in so much pain I couldn't ride him for over a week, so, no, thank you, I'm not putting him in one of those! I had already got my horses on a highline, and as far as I'm concerned, they're just fine there. I was told I could put them in a temporary corral in an area about 200 yards away, but that I couldn't put my trailer there, so again, no thank you! If a bear came out of the woods, how long do you think a small electric fence would hold? Sorry, but I'm not endangering my horses because of some stupid bureaucrat in Albany. Anyway, we'll see how it all turns out, hopefully they'll just leave me along, but who knows? I finally settled down for the evening, grateful I finally have a cellphone signal, yay! Watched a Warehouse 13, had dinner, heading to bed early after a busy and eventful day. The good news is, a cold front went through yesterday and the temps are PERFECT! Looking forward to a fabulous night sleep tonight, with lows set to be in the upper 50's! A bit warmer tomorrow, but nothing compared to what we've been stuck with for the last couple of weeks! Hopefully, the search for seventies is finally at hand! Fingers crossed! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Spent the day doing a load of laundry, a bit of housekeeping, and packing up what few things I unpacked, grateful for a cloudy, windy day which kept the temps down in the mid-80's rather than the 90's like it's been most of the week. Otherwise, read all day, so a slow, quiet day. Looking forward to moving on to someplace where there are some better trails, better cell phone service, and hopefully nicer weather! Should be a better sleeping night as well, with the cooler temps. I didn't even have to run the fans all day, thank goodness. Won't be late out of bed, though, as I want to get a good start in the morning. Love you, babe! Good night!

Hi Sweetie,
Another exceedingly hot day today, not what I signed up for! After breakfast and chores, I ran down to the post office in Fayetteville and picked up my package, then spent some time on my computer until I could find some hay. There wasn't any really nearby, not even a feed store close, but I finally got a hold of someone north of Gettysburg, on the other side of the forest, but at least I was able to find some. Nice freshly-cut mixed grass hay for $5.50 a bale, so I went ahead and picked up eight bales so I wouldn't have to worry about it for awhile. I still have almost two full bales of the crappy hay left, so I'll mix it with that until it's gone. Stopped next to a library to finish working on uploading some pix and videos that were long overdue from the Red Rock Ride, plus the more recent stuff. I haven't had a good enough signal lately to do anything, but I managed to get everything up I wanted. Got back to camp, put the hay away, then invited my neighbors to come over and say hi to the horses. The girls over there had stopped by yesterday when I was dealing with Lola, and I asked them to come back later, but they never did. I got the feeling a couple of the men thought they would be bothering me and wouldn't come over, so I walked over and invited them. They were there a few minutes later, and the horses got some treats. I've been having to keep them well-sprayed, they have some really nasty biting flies here, not big horseflies, just innocent looking little flies, but they chomp and it hurts! They stayed around for a little bit, then went back to their camp. I spent the afternoon reading and playing computer games, and had another quiet night, sans TV. Unfortunately, my neighbors were playing loud music all evening, so it wasn't as quiet as I would have liked, but not much you can do about that! Anyway, going to bed nice and early anyway, since up in the bedroom with the small fan on is about the most comfortable place in the trailer. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Another night where getting cooled down took some time, but ended up being a good night sleep eventually. After chores and breakfast and a bit of reading, I finally saddled up Flash to check out the trails here. I haven't been able to get Google Earth to open up MyPlaces for some reason (it's saying it can't connect to the network, but that never stopped it before, so I don't know what's going on,) so I wasn't able to do any of my usual planning, but I did have a map, so off we went, leaving a little after 11:00. We headed out the back way from the campground, and soon found a sign for the Wildcat trail and followed that. The plan was to do a loop from that trail to another one that comes back on the west side (Ant Hill Trail), possibly hit another trail, the Abigail trail, which would go further south, if we were in the mood to go any further. Pretty quick out of camp we weren't happy with the footing, it turned into some very rough stone, and I was a bit sorry I didn't decide to go to the post office first, where a new Cavallo boot is waiting, but I didn't think it would be that bad. There were large areas of logging going on, and I ended up losing the trail completely several times as a new logging road had destroyed some sections of trail. Someone had put up some blue flags that I was mostly able to follow, until I hit an area where they were actively logging, and I couldn't go any further, as I couldn't find any markings. The loggers had utterly destroyed the trail, so we had to head back and try to find another way. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but there was absolutely no water on the trail, and Lola was getting extremely dehydrated and overheated. We stopped several times to let her rest, and I gave her pretty much all of my water, and unfortunately, didn't bring any spare like I usually do, as I had cleaned out my saddlebags before taking them out to Utah and hadn't really restocked them as thoroughly as I normally do. It got so bad she was wheezing, and I tried to get her up on Flash's rump, but she wouldn't stay up there. The only trail I could find was cutting all the way across the widest part of the forest, downhill, until it finally met up with the first trail we came on. She was is such a bad way, I finally decided to use a poncho (the only thing I had!) to tie her to a tree and left her with the last dribbling of water, then got Flash into his best speed on these rocky trails and got back to camp in about 15 minutes. I loaded up with water and headed straight back out. Fortunately, Lola was still where I left her, a little rested but still panting horribly, and she promptly drank two whole bottles of water. I made her rest a little more, then she finally headed up the trail on her own, obviously ready to get back to camp. We followed slowly, letting her do her own pace, but at one point, she threw up some of the water she had drank. About halfway back to camp (which, thankfully, was less than a mile away), I stopped again and let her drink almost two more whole bottles of water, but made her lay down so it would have a chance to absorb into her system before moving on. We finally made it back to camp, and she went straight to her water bowl and drank some more, still panting heavily. I got her into the shower and gave rinsed her in cold water, letting her stay there for awhile. She seemed better, so I finally got her back outside, where it was cooler in the shade, and put the small fan on her. I wasn't too long before she finally stopped panting, and seemed to be fully recovered, thank goodness! I was really getting worried about her. I'm thinking she may be getting past her trail days, at least when it's this hot and there's no water on the trail. I'm certainly going to load up on water next time, for sure! Anyway, crisis averted, I finally settled down for dinner (no movie, as I still don't have a signal), but I did fun the generator and the AC for about half an hour just to blow some of the hot air out, and to recharge the batteries a bit. I've had good sun on the solar panels, so this is the first time I've had to turn on the generator. Of course, it helps that I'm not watching TV :-). So, an evening of reading, shower and bed, another day gone! Good night, sugar! Love you!