Hiya Darlin',
Slept well, almost got a full eight hours in, read a bit before getting up, then did my chores and ran the generator for quite awhile, and it never shut off, yay! After breakfast and a walk with Lola, I drove down and filled up the water tank, and while I was waiting, I got into a conversation with a woman named Linda, whom I had met on the trail previously, riding a standout leopard appaloosa. She and her camping buddy ended up buying a couple of books, which was a nice outcome, though unexpected, as I haven't really plugged the book much lately. Got back to my site, filled my camper tank as the clouds moved in, and it wasn't long before it started raining. I love a rainy Sunday! Ended up making a batch of popcorn and watching TV during the afternoon, though the rain was mostly light, and I only got a couple of inches in the rain barrel, so not much help! After dinner and evening chores, Linda texted and invited me down to her campfire, and we sat and chatted until 10:00, much later than I expected, but still barely after it got dark. I hate daylight savings! Did my Spanish lesson (up to 1520 days straight!), and it won't be long before shower and bed, just waiting for the water to heat up. Good night, babe! Love you!
Archives for August 2026
Saturday, August 8, 2026 – Rebel Ride Poker Run at Hungerford
Hi Babe,
Had a good night sleep, woke up a few minutes before my alarm, started the day by cranking on the generator to see how long it would last. Got chores and breakfast done, and at 30 minutes, I had to shut the generator off, it didn't quit! Yay, progress! It did feel pretty hot, but at least I got the batteries charged up a bit. A sunny day helped some more with the solar panel, too. After breakfast, I got Flash saddled up and we went over and registered for the Poker Run, leaving right at 9:30. We took the loop counterclockwise, and it seemed like a really long time before we finally reached one of the bags with chips in it, and I was beginning to think I had missed one before that, so when we finally ran into a couple of women coming the other way, I asked them how many chips they'd found, and were by ourselves until we ran into a couple of women. I asked how many chips they had found, and they said only one, and since there were supposed to be three, I figured I must have missed it. They offered to pick up my chips for me, which I appreciated, but then as I continued, I discovered from the next group that, in fact, I hadn't missed it, they had! When I got to the last bag, a grabbed a couple of extra chips for them, but then I never could find them again, unfortunately. Not surprisingly, Flash and I got back to camp first (he galloped most of the way back to camp as soon as we hit the straightaway on Trail 10!), and kept moving fast the rest of the way. Both my hands were duds (one had me drawing to an inside straight on the last card!), but I did manage to sell a couple of books, which I hadn't figured on, so that was nice. Had lunch, chatted with Maureen and some other ladies, and generally enjoyed the event. Got back to my camper at 2:00, took Lola for a walk, then settled down for the afternoon, working on some more plans for travel in the next few weeks before getting into my evening routine. At 6:30, I started the generator again, running it for nearly 45 minutes! More progress! Granted, the ambient temps are a tiny bit cooler, but as long as I can run it half an hour twice a day, I'm good! A couple of episodes of House, and I'm soon off to shower and bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Friday, August 7, 2026 – Errands, Ride and Generator Day
Hiya Sweetie,
The first chance I had I called down to Cummins, only to learn the guy, Ron, I was supposed to talk to, was out and wouldn't be back until next Wednesday. Spoke to Mark, who had no experience with generators, and the only advice he could offer was to be more thorough getting out the possible mouse's nest, and to call back on Monday when a generator guy would be there. I started the generator and was pleased it ran about 20 minutes before cutting off, enough the charge the batteries a bit. Next, I took a ride into town and bought a cute little wet/dry dustbuster size vacuum at Harbor Freight (3-year warranty if I ever need to check back), though the battery and charger were three times more expensive, but I needed it, so there you go. Went to Lowe's and found another compatible bolt for the spark arrestor, got back to camp, was happy to see some sunshine on the solar panel, which will help build up the batteries, installed the bolt and vacuumed as much as I could of the offending mouse next area. Started the generator again, and it ran another 22 minutes, again, charging the batteries. I figure even if it only works for 20 minutes, if I do that 2 or 3 times a day, it's about the same as my previous 30-60 minutes anyway, so at least I have that! With that in mind, I was relaxed enough to saddle up Flash and take him on a nice ride by the lake, which we both thoroughly enjoyed. On the way back, he became his usual speed demon self, and we had a great ride! Got back to camp, stopped by Ron and Lori's, who hadn't left yet, to update them on the latest, and to talk saddles and gaited horses. Got back to my site, put Flash away, then had a long conversation on the phone with Terri from Tennessee, who was so intrigued by my presentation about my Africa trip last fall that she and her daughter have booked a trip for February, and had a lot of questions about it, which I was happy to answer. Then I did a bit more vacuuming on the generator with my new vacuum, and started it again, and got another 12 minutes out of it, all of which is contributing to my battery, for which I am very grateful! Settled down for the evening, started the generator once more near dark, this time leaving the compartment hatch open, and it nearly 25 minutes. I don't know if that was because of the ambient temperature being cooler or what, but I was grateful for the battery charge! Had dinner and some TV, now I'm ready for shower and bed. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 – A Quiet Rest Day Until The Generator Quit
Hi Babe,
Woke up to cloudy skies with just a touch of rain, not enough to accumulate in the rain barrel, unfortunately. Had a relaxing morning, then went down to fill up the truck tank and distribute water to the trailer. I felt like I needed to recover from all my physical activity yesterday, so I relaxed most of the day, reading, then late in the afternoon, starting to watch some TV. Unfortunately, my generator has been gradually getting worse and worse, starting with a boost, but cutting off more and more. The last week it's been cutting off in about a half hour, but today it was about ten minutes, less progressively shorter and shorter. Naturally, I started doing some analysis and research, confirming that it wasn't the air filter, the oil level, or the air intake. I have concluded, at this point anyway, that the problem is with the spark arrestor, which is part of the exhaust system. I checked the exhaust pipe and it was clear, but the spark arrestor requires the removal of a square headed bolt (naturally, a very atypical bolt requiring an atypical tool). Once it's is removed, you're supposed to run the generator for five minutes with a full load, which is supposed to clear out any soot that has accumulated. Considering how much I've been using my generator this summer, it doesn't surprise me soot might have accumulated. I tried to remove the bolt, but a regular socket doesn't work, and it's so rusted up anyway that it's super stuck. I'm still searching online for a simple solution, but half inch square sockets (either 4 point or 8 point) seem to be hard to find. I've still got a few other things to try, but it was getting late, so I sprayed it with PB Blaster, hoping that soaking it overnight might help. Meanwhile, my batteries are just about dead, not even sure they'll last long enough to run the water pump for a shower, but I'm dirty from crawling under the trailer, so I'm hoping for the best! Not the way I like to finish my evening, with problems staring at me, but c'est la vie! Can't have every day be perfect! Anyway, I'm going to give the shower a try, hope I don't burn out the water pump from low voltage in the process! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 – Travel Day to Hungerford, Hay, Shopping, LONG Day!
Hiya Sweetie,
Up with the alarm at 7:00, out of camp by 9:00, three uneventful hours driving to Hungerford, then managed to find the perfect spot with a clear sky to the north for my Starlink, Site 22, which is the same site on the corner where we stayed the last time we came here together. This site wasn't available last time I was here three years ago because of deadfall, but was glad to see it reopened, because it's fairly easy to get into, all things considered. Got the horses on the highline and mostly set up before heading out to Tractor Supply to get feed and three propane tanks filled, then to Walmart for a couple of grocery items before heading down to pick up some hay nearby, a dozen bales at $6 a bale. Still haven't touched the second cutting bales I stored a few weeks ago, trying to save that for as along as I can! With all of the physical activity putting everything away, I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day. Finally sat down for dinner and was just finishing up when one of the other campers came by and asked for help with one of their horses who was behaving oddly, but by the time I got there, the mare was back to normal. Had a nice chat, then came back to camp, watched a couple episodes of House before finishing off the evening. Lola wandered over to the next campsite over, and was returned by three girls from over there, chatted for a couple of minutes, and now I'm calling it quits for the day, feeling very tired. There's rain in the forecast, so I put out the rain barrel, since getting water is a chore and I wasn't able to fill up when I came in, but I will have to do tomorrow, but hopefully, if the barrel fills up, it will service the horses for a few days. We'll see! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Monday, August 3, 2026 – Laundry, Packing and Travel Planning Day
Hey Darlin',
A better night sleep, then a beautiful and busy day! Clear skies, perfect temps, a great day for the laundry, as well as for everything else I did. Spent a lot of time online firming up travel plans, putting flight reservations on hold, and trying to work with a travel agent, but in the end, I think I may do my own reserving. Didn't seem like he was listening to what I wanted, but I tried! Was hoping to save some time and convenience, but as usual, if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself! Got as much packing done as I could, and still had time for a short visit from Sandy, who stopped by on her way home. Was sorry we couldn't do kayaking today (if only we had today's weather yesterday!), but c'est la vie! Finally was able to settle down for the evening, off to shower and bed soon! Good night, baby! Love you!
Sunday, August 2, 2026 – Rainy Quiet Sunday
Hiya Babe,
Had a little trouble getting to sleep last night, probably because of getting home so late, and ended up sleeping in until 9:30 this morning, would you believe! It was a gray morning, and then later it rained quite a bit, which wasn't called for in the forecast, and didn't clear out until late afternoon. Our plans to go kayaking didn't pan out because of that, but you know how I love a rainy Sunday, so I spent the day reading and later watching some House episodes, loving my new Starlink! It felt good to relax, and I did little else except put Apollo out on his anchor and put my spare tire away. I considered putting it on the trailer, but figured if there really was an axle problem and another tire was going to blow, I would rather it be one of the non-matching tires than the new matching one that is now my spare. I'll sort it all out at some point, just not at the moment! Not much else to report, just a lovely rainy Sunday! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Saturday, August 1, 2026 – Rodeo Day at the County Fair
Hey Sweetie,
Had a decent night sleep, spent most of the day just hanging out reading, then headed down to Hale for the rodeo at the Iosco County Fair around 3:30. Wandered around a bit, then met up with Sandy and wandered some more, had some food, first a pulled pork dinner provided by the FFA (not quite as tender as some I've had), then Sandy and I split an elephant ear, the only junk fair food I'll allow myself. I couldn't believe it was $13 for one elephant ear! Then we watched a rather strange bubble-making show, and finally headed off to the rodeo where she met up with a bunch of her friends from the not-for-profit organization that she volunteers for, that deals with horses and at-risk kids, as well as others. There was a fine mist in the air, but no real rain, and the temps were quite comfortable, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Crazy stunts by the rodeo clown, games for the kids involving bouncing dragons and one-shoed foot races, a touching celebration of small town rural America. So great to see these kinds of traditions being passed down, and so many kids being raised right! A fun way to spend the afternoon and evening. Got back to camp just after 9:00, fed the horses, ran the AC long enough to cool it down to outside temps, now I'm ready for shower and bed! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!